#Elara tells a joke

[animatronic-assistant]

Grim! Grim! I have learned a new joke.

What do you call ghost boobies?

Paranormal enTitties

She is grinning, very proud of herself for this joke

@escapetheslaughters

[redrydersrequiem]

The Raven and the Vampire

Chapter 3

updated 11/21/25 warning long chapter

anything purple is inner monologe

“So, Elara, how are you liking forks?” Jessica asks from her side of the table, trying to bring the conversation and attention back to the group instead of the Cullens.

“Oh, it's very interesting now. I like it a lot more than I thought I would.

“ Why did you and your family move here, if you don’t mind us asking?

“It’s fine, Angela. I didn’t move with my immediate family. My parents are very busy and have to move around for their jobs. I didn't want to move continuously during school, so when my uncle got positioned here for his job, I stayed with them until my parents moved around.”

I'm not technically lying; I tell my story to the group. I mean, my parents are busy; they are royalty. However, I can’t say to a group of Midgardian teenagers. I'm 800-plus years old and only in Forks to look for my soulmate. 

“I do miss them, though, and my baby brothers.”

“You have siblings?”

“Yes, they were just born, so they still have to be with my mum, who goes with my father everywhere.”

“What are their names?” 

I begin to say Narfi and Vali, but remember those aren't Midgardian names, “Their names are Vance and Nate, their twins.”

“Aww, that’s so cute. Babies are adorable,” Jessica gushes.

The bell rings, and I quickly return to the Cullens' table, but they have all vanished. They are pretty fast, aren’t they? This is just another clue to the puzzle. I’ll have to ask Lucas later if he has any ideas. 

“Oh crap, guys, lunch is over; what class do you have next, elara.”

“ I have art, AP foreign language, and then AP history.”

“ I have journalism next, but art is right next to it. I'll walk with you.”

“Thanks, Angela.”

Walking with Angela was okay; she seemed nice and very smart. The classroom was again in shades of white but did have pops of color from the artwork hanging all around. Setting down your stuff and waiting for the teacher, a familiar figure bounces up and sets down. 

“Your name is Elara, right? It's nice to meet you, I’m Alice. Alice Cullen, it's lovely to meet you,” she says, shaking my hand.

“You as well,” I respond. As I shake her hand, I notice how cold she is. It’s unusual because even I can tell she’s cold. 

“Wow, your hands are freezing.”

“Oh, yeah, you know what they say: cold hands, warm heart.”

“I agree.”

“You know, I can already tell we’ll be great friends. I hope everything comes together for you.”

“Oh, thanks! I hope we become friends, too.”

Just as we finish that conversation, the teacher starts the lesson. I find myself glancing back and forth between the canvas in front of me and Alice, trying not to stare at her for the entire class. The mystery surrounding her is too strong to ignore. So, I decided to use my other senses, just like Aunt Sif always said: When you can’t use your eyes, use your other senses.

Slowing my breathing, I close my eyes and wait. I can hear all the heartbeats in the room and the air filling their lungs—except one coming from the space right next to me.

Looking at Alice, I see her moving and blinking as she works on her sketch. Now that’s interesting; what on earth are the Cullens? There hasn't been a species or being I've met yet, that doesn't have some sort of bodily anatomy that can be detected. 

“So, Elara, how old are you?” Alice asks, noticing that I've been watching her.

“I’m 853 as of October 13th,” I reply with a playful grin.

“What?” 

“Sorry, I was joking. I'm 18.”

“Oh, you're the same age as some of my siblings.”

“Yeah, I saw all of you at lunch. I'm sorry that some people at the table were discussing your family. I’m sure that’s not a good feeling.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. They’ve talked about us since we moved here.”

“Well, based on what they said, you have an amazing family.”

“Thank you. I can tell you're lovely, too. You’re going to make someone very happy someday.”

“Why, thank you! That’s sweet.” Just then, the bell rings, cutting me off.

“Have a nice next class, Elara. I think you’ll enjoy it.”

Before I can respond, she’s gone—much faster than any ordinary human.

As I walk to my last class of the day, I ponder the clues to the puzzle. Cold skin���my magic reacted to them, but they were unaware it came from me. Alice didn’t have a heartbeat, but I hadn’t checked the others yet, so I couldn't be sure if it was just her. They seemed quick, which made my mind race as I entered the room. Suddenly, my aesir started yelling at me. 

Looking up, the first thing I noticed was him. The very air around him seemed to shimmer. 

“Ah, Miss Mani, I presume. I'm Mr. Wright. Welcome to AP History. Please take a seat over by Mr. Hale. Mr. Hale, please raise your hand so she knows where to go.”

Jaspers pov

I did as I was asked, trying to mask the internal crisis. God, Edward wanted to kill Bella upon meeting her, and I wanted to kill everyone most of the time, and now the new girl is being sent right into the lion's den, damn my luck. I didn't want to breathe or move, but as she got closer, her presence washed over me. A cooling breath of air in the never-ending smell of the other students' blood. It was incredible how her whole being captured me, and it was in that instance I knew she was my mate. 

Elaras pov

I was raised in a noble court and have over 800 years of speaking experience. Yet, I cannot utter a word while sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with my soulmate. I’m not even paying attention to the teacher’s ramblings; my mind is consumed by the subtle details I notice about him. The golden color of his hair, the slope of his nose, and the way one curl brushes above his right eye captivate me. Speaking of his eyes, they are the most beautiful ember color I’ve ever seen. The plaid blue shirt he’s wearing fits him perfectly. Oh, for the love of the gods, just say something to him!

“Um, hi,”

“Hello.”

“Im Elara”

“Jasper Hale, a pleasure to meet you, Darlin”

Darlin is officially my new favorite word, especially in that beautiful accent.

“ Are you enjoying forks?”

“It’s starting to grow on me.”

“I think I can understand that.”

You exchange notes and make small talk for the rest of the class before the dreaded bell rings, signaling your departure from him.

“I guess I'll see you tomorrow?” I almost don’t want to part from him, but I know now isn’t the time for us, but it is a start

“Of course, see you tomorrow, darlin'.”

Busting through the front door, I call for Mila and Lucas. I have to share all my experiences with them. I have to call Mom and Dad. I have to…….

“Goddess Elara, is that you banging around out there.” I hear coming from the kitchen, cutting off my inner turmoil. 

“Yes, Mila, but I have a good cause. Where’s Lucas? I need to speak to him, as well.”

“I'm right here, princess; how was your first day of school? ' Lucas asks as he steps out of the study.

“I found them; I found my soulmate.”

“That's terrific news, my lady!”

“Isn’t it? It’s just um.”

“I sense a but coming.” 

“You’re correct, Mila. That’s why I need you and Lucas. From everything I’ve observed today, him and his are not human.”

"Before we delve into all that, why don't you start by telling us their name?"

"Oh, yes. Sorry! His name is Jasper. Jasper Hale."

"What a lovely and strong name."

"I would prefer to focus more on the non-human aspect."

" Lucas."

“I'm sorry, Mila, but the princess's safety is my first concern. I promised her father and, more importantly, the Allfather.”

“Yes, and we shall let you complete your duty, continue, little one.”

“ I observed that they don’t have heartbeats and seem very fast. Alice, Jasper's sister, was also cold and colder than any human should be.”

“Hmmmmm, by any chance, did they seem inhumanly beautiful?

“Yes, actually, they did stand out more than the other children.”

“What about their eyes?”

“My soulmate had beautiful ember, almost yellow eyes while his family had varying shades to almost deep brown/black.”

“Then I believe I know what they may be, my lady.” 

“You do.”

“Yes, Midgardians have a legend of an inhuman species that survives on the blood of other sentient beings. While many believe these stories to be just that, the being is real. Here, the local tribe calls them the cold ones,”

“Local tribe?”

“Yes, there is a tribe here of children of Fenrir.”

“Oh, wolf shifters, Amazing. I remember reading about them as a child. I'm glad they are still around.

“Yes, they are. Many of them have taken on the charge of maintaining peace 

and protecting the humans from the cold ones.”

“Why must they protect the humans?”

“Cold ones, while intelligent, would be overcome by their darker tendencies and slaughter full villages. The packs are some creatures capable of defeating a cold one, so they took on the role of protectors for their packs and the humans in their territories. From what you’ve told me, your soulmate and his family seem to be the other end of that spectrum.”

“What do you mean?”

“ Well, most cold ones, when changed, their eyes hold the color of blood, mainly if they feed off humans. But with your soulmate having gold-colored eyes, it would seem he and his family are, in a way….vegetarian vampires,

“Meaning?

“Meaning they don’t prey on humans but animals instead.”

“Amazing, what else do you know of their species.’

“Well, the good thing is they are a long-lived race; they do not age from when they are turned.”

“Perfect. I won't have to worry about outliving them and the aging we could figure out later, but that is so far away.”

“The cold ones can also have gifts.”

“They have aesir?”

“No, my lady, not Asgardian aesir; it's a special form that we don’t know much about; all I know is that they can have abilities from telepathy to elemental manipulation. From my understanding, it all depends on their lives before they are turned, and even then, not every vampire has a gift.”

“Interesting, Mom and dad will be impressed.”

“Elara, dear, when you contact them, please tell them we’ve finished the house preparations so they can send over your pet.

“Mila, you're the best; Aurelius will love the woods here.”

“Yes, I'm sure that ball of mischief you call a pet will be so happy.”

“Oh, Lucas, it'll be fine. Relius stays in snake form most of the time. Those are common in Midgard. 

“Indeed, smaller varieties of snakes are, but the offspring of Jormungandr. I doubt the residents would view a practical dragon as anything other than the harmless creature you claim to be.

For starters, Lucus and Aurelius are a he, not an it. Secondly, you have to let that accidental paralysis incident go—it was almost 100 years ago. He was after a mouse; he didn't mean to bite your foot. Thirdly, he's just a baby.

Whatever you say, princess, just keep him in line is all I ask.

I will, and. Besides, think of it this way: he can help you protect me.”

“Whatever you say, dear princess, whatever you say.”

Cullens pov

The following day at school, the Cullens gathered around their sleek cars, a familiar scene that had become part of their routine. However, this time, there was a palpable sense of anticipation, a stark contrast to their usual reluctance about slipping back into their high school identities for another tedious day. Instead of the usual banter and quiet sighs, they stood together with a collective focus, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new girl that had already impacted their world.”

“Jasper, are you sure it's her you felt the connection to?”

“Yes, I’m sure. She’s the only one around that I don’t feel the urge to kill.”  Her presence alone feels like a cool blanket covering the aching heat in his throat. Not that he’d admit that to his siblings yet.

“Well, everyone, how do we think we should handle this.?” Alice asks the group surrounding her 

“ Last time we got involved with a human, it didn’t go well, Sorry Bella.”

“No offense taken Rue.”

“I haven’t seen anything in our futures that suggests she’s a danger, and I still haven't been able to see hers either; everything is covered in light when I try.”

“It's ok, Alice, thanks for trying. 

“No problem, Jas. And besides, everyone, this could finally be Jasper's chance to have the happiness he deserves. I'm not going to let you all ruin that for him.”

Jasper smiles, thankful for the pixie he called a friend and a sister. 

“I think we should get to know her, and if she is a danger, we'll speak to Carlisle and go from there,” Rue states to the group. 

“ Exactly, and besides, I've already introduced myself to her; I know she'll be a wonderful addition to our family.”

“Just make sure you respect her boundaries, babe.”

“Rue, I'm offended; I greatly respect boundaries.” Rue shakes her head along with the rest of the Cullens  

“Sure you do, sweety. Come on, the bells about to ring. I wouldn’t want to miss another glorious day of high school.

Elaras pov

Watching the Cullens enter the school, I feel a smile spread as I lean against the purple jeep Lucas suggested I drive instead of my bike. I can see them all once again watching me from around their cars. 

“Is that your mate?” Aurelius asks from his disguised position on my head 

“Yes, the blonde with the curly hair; the rest are his family.”

“They seem different.”

“They are their vampires.”

“Vampires, huh? How very, very interesting.”

I smile at my pet as I eye the Cullens looking at me. Most of them, i.e., Emmet, Alice, and Jasper have smiles on their faces, while the others look somewhat grim. It’s almost like they are suspicious of me. All I can do is smile, knowing they won't be able to see through the glamor i have unless I want them to.

Yet they are suspicious of me; hmmmm, we'll just have to see who figures it out first.

I brush the loose strands of my hair and remind Aurelius to be good as I make my way onto the brick building.

The morning was off to a good start when I spotted Alice while walking to my next class. She was in the hallway with her girlfriend Rue and their sister Rosalie. I decided to wait for the rushing crowd of students to thin out before making my way over. Alice noticed me and greeted me with a big smile, enthusiastically gesturing for me to come closer to them. 

“Elara, good morning.”

“Morning, Alice.”

“Let me introduce you, this is my girlfriend Rue and my older sister Rosalie,” 

“It’s nice to meet both of you.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Alice wouldn’t stop talking about you yesterday after art. It's almost like I already know you. Rose says hi, hun. Don’t be so stiff.” rue says, nudging the blonde with her elbow. 

“No, it's fine. She doesn’t have to say anything if she doesn’t want to.”

No, that's not it. Sorry, I was just thinking. Hello, my name is Rosalie. It's nice to meet you. I assume you received everyone's whole tour yesterday.

“Yeah, it was so much fun. Especially all the staring and whispering.”

“ I can understand it was the same when we started school here.”

“At least you all have each other. It seems like you’re a very tight-knit family.”  

“Yeah, we can be.”

“Elara, I’m so excited! You have to sit with us at lunch today and meet everyone. I’m sure we’ll all become fast friends.”  

“Sure, Alice. I would love that, but only if everyone is comfortable. I’ve only really talked to you and Jasper a little.”

“Oh no, everyone would be just fine. I'll make sure of it. Now I'll see you at lunch. I'll wait for you by the front door. Come on, rue, we have science class. “ the brunette says, grabbing her girlfriend's hand and dragging her down the hallway.

“Oh joy, bye, elara,” Rue replies, her whole body slumping with disdain at the upcoming class. I simply laugh, waving after her. Rosalie stands beside me, smiling lightly at her sibling's behavior. 

“What about you, Rosalie?”

“I have math with Emmet next, but I guess I'll see you at lunch.”

As the blond strides away, I turn and head towards my next class, anticipation bubbling within me—a lunch date with the mysterious Cullen family. I can't wait. 

Jaspers pov 

“You did what? Alice, what the hell?”

“Oh, calm down, Jasper; this is the perfect opportunity to introduce her to our family formally.”

“Have you met our family? Look what happened when Edward met Bella; we're still dealing with that. I'm not going to let my mate get hurt.”

“Jasper, calm down. Nothing will happen to Elara.”

“How do you know? She's a shield like Bella?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say she’s necessarily a shield. Like I said earlier, I've seen glimpses of her in your and our future, but it's like she’s surrounded by bright light every time I see her. Almost like she's silenced in a way.”

“That still doesn’t mean she won't be hurt by me or anyone else.”

“Jasper, you can’t live your life in fear, or you won't live at all. I want you to be happy, and I know she’s what will make you happy. Now pull yourself together, soldier; she's joining us for lunch, " Alice says sternly before hopping off to her class. I remain seated under the bleachers, preparing for the storm ahead. I wish more now than ever that Edward is mistaken about his eternal damnation theory because I could use hope.

Elaras pov 

The bells ring loudly, momentarily drowning out the steady rhythm of my heart. Alright, Elara, you've got this. You are an 853-year-old princess of Asgard, skilled in the mystic arts and combat since childhood. A group of Midgardian vampire teenagers is easy for you.  Pep talk done; I head into the lunch room and immediately see Alice bounding up to me.

“There you are, girly, right this way, and don’t worry, only Edward bites, but you can just ignore him. The rest of us do most of the time.”

Slipping her arm through mine, I have no choice but to follow her as the cafeteria watches. It’s just like a court function back home. I keep my head high and walk forward until the table comes into view, and there he is—gorgeous curls and all. 

“Here she is, everyone!” Alice exclaims as she introduces everyone. “Elara, you’ve already met my better half, Rue. " You wave and smile at Rue, which she copies. 

“Next to her is Bella Swan. I don’t know if you have officially met.”

“We haven't Hello Bella”

“Hi elara”

“The brooding one beside her is her boyfriend and our brother Edward.” He just nods, which is fine with me, as I reciprocate.

“Hey, don’t forget about me; I want to say hi too.”

“Yeah yeah, emmet, hold your horses. Elara, this is emmet, the loud one of the group.”

“Don’t you mean the fun one of the group?”

“No, I mean loud.” 

“Hahaha, hi emmet, it's nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Elara. I have to say your bike was sick the first day. We'll have to talk.”

“You bet.”

“Like you know anything about motorcycles.”

“Hey babe, that’s not nice. I'm a wealth of knowledge.”

“If you want to talk about cars and bikes, I’m the one to talk to. Emmets more tech than anything.”

“Yeah, All the shiny surfaces attract him,” Edward adds, mocking his brother.

“Hey!”

Laughter filled the air, a warm and infectious sound that wrapped around us like a cozy blanket. A wave of tranquility washed over me as I listened, and I could sense a shift among them. It was as if a small crack had formed in the defenses they had built up in their lives, allowing a glimpse of 

vulnerability and connection to shine through.

“And last but not least is Jasper, who I've been told you've met before,” Alice comments as she pushes me toward the empty chair beside him. 

The slight blush that enveloped my checks didn’t go unnoticed by the others, but thankfully, no one commented.

“Hey, darling! It’s wonderful to see you again,” Jasper exclaimed, his eyes lighting up warmly.

“It’s great to see you too, Jasper,” I replied, my smile matching his.

Emmett, always the jokester, dramatically threw his hands in the air and said, “ Get a room! We're trying to have a conversation here, you two…” His voice was filled with laughter, and I could only stare in disbelief as Jasper shot him an irritated glare.

“Anyway, Elara, how’s the rain treating you?” he asked, shifting the conversation.

“I enjoy the rain; it brings me comfort," I replied,

“Wow, the complete opposite of Bella, huh? Hahaha!” Emmett chuckled, his laughter infectious. The group shared a quiet laugh, though I could feel the heat of irritation rising in Bella as she shot Emmett an annoyed glare.

“I was told you were new last year, Bella. Where did you move from?” I asked, genuinely interested.

“I came from Phoenix, Arizona,” Bella responded, her tone casual yet hinting at a deeper story behind the move.

“What’s it like there?” Elara inquired, eager to learn more.“It's mostly like a hot and dry desert, so moving here was a big change.”

“uhh, I don't think I could do it there. I'm not good with extreme heat.”

“Yeah, it does get hot there, but you get used to it just like here. I was iffy about it initially, but now it's grown on me.” She hugs Edwards's arm, and they both stare at each other with apparent love in their eyes.

“Get a room, you two,” Rue says, echoing emmets earlier exaggeration. 

“So, Elara, tell us about yourself,” Alice prompted, leaning forward with interest.

Elara smiled softly, her eyes glimmering with excitement and nervousness. “Well, I moved here with my aunt and uncle a few weeks ago.”

“Why did you move? If you don’t mind my asking,” Alice continued, her curiosity piqued.

“Oh no, it’s perfectly fine!” Elara assured her. My parents' jobs required them to travel often to distant places, so it was becoming difficult for me to settle down. I decided to come here to finish school in one place instead of constantly moving from city to city.” The cover story I came up with easily spilled from my lips.

Alice nodded sympathetically, her expression understanding. “I can imagine how challenging that must be. It must be tough to be the new kid constantly; I can only imagine how it feels to start over multiple times a year.”

I shrugged slightly, “I don’t mind it as much as you might think.”

Intrigued,  Rose tilted her head and asked, “Are you an only child?”

“No, actually,” Elara replied, her expression brightening. “I have two new baby brothers named Vance and Nate. They’re just a few months old, and the family dynamics have certainly changed with them around!” I chuckled, pulling my phone out to show the latest picture I had of the boys 

“Aw, they are so cute; I'm sure you miss them,” Alice states. 

“I do, but it's okay. I know they are being well taken care of, and besides, my pet takes up more time than he should, so I'm never really that lonely. 

“Oh, you have a pet; what animal are they?”  Alice asks from her seat next to Rue 

“He's an albino ball python.” 

“You have a pet snake? Bella asks incredulously. 

“Yes, I know the general population doesn't like them, but I found him as a child, and he has been with me since. He's smart, almost mischievously so. I say, showing Bella the various photos I have 

“Hey!!!!” I can hear Aurelius complain through our bond. 

“He's almost crystal-like; those pretty scales look like thousands of diamonds.

Though Bella sits in aww, I can feel the others stiffen slightly. Hmm 

“Let's change the subject, elara. What’s your favorite class so far.?” emmet asks once again, breaking the tension. 

“I would have to say history so far.”

“Oh, that's your class with Jasper, right?”

“Alice!” Jasper scolds her silently as he sees the blush form on my cheeks. 

“Yes, that is the class I have with Jasper, who has been nothing short of a gentleman to me since he got saddled with me being his desk partner.”

“That’s how my momma raised me, true Southern hospitality.”

“I'm glad it's an attractive feature.”

Alice suddenly Interrupts the staring between Jasper and I

“Hey Elara, you wouldn’t happen to have any plans next weekend, do you?”

“Nope”

“Then you should come to port A with all of us girls; I think we would all love for you to become a friend.”

“I would love that.”

“Hooray, okay, here's my phone number, and we'll finalize all the details.” Exchanging numbers with Alice feels mundane; she even whispered she'd give me the other's numbers later, only if I wanted them. 

The rest of lunch is filled with general small talk and some munching, with Bella and I being the only ones eating at the table. All too soon, the bell echoes in the room, signaling the end of the lunch period. 

“Oh shoot, there's the bell right when the conversation was getting good, to”

“It’s ok, Alice. Maybe Elara would like to sit with us again,” Jasper asks, showing his beautiful smile. 

“Of course I will. Besides Alice, you and I have the next class together; we can continue talking there.” 

“Perfect, then let's go.” She hops up quickly, kissing Rue on the cheek before taking my arm in hers to start walking to our class 

“Bye, Elara; I'll see you in the last period.” Jasper manages before emmet slings his arm around him in a half-choke with a giant smile on his face. 

“Yeah, Elara, he’ll see your last period,” Laughs emmet as he drags Jasper off. 

“Bye, Jasper.” you wave after them just in time to see him look back and give a final kilowatt smile. 

Walking to my car after school, Aurelius warns me my mate is approaching quickly. 

“Hey elara”

“Hey Jasper”

“I wanted to say sorry about lunch. 

“Why?” 

“I just didn't want you to feel pressured about anything. I know Alice can be pushy sometimes.”

“It was perfect, Jasper. Besides, I needed an excuse to get closer to you anyway. 

He smiles at this. “Would you be up for a date this weekend if that's the case? 

“Absolutely” 

“Good, I got your number from Alice. I'll call you later, okay? 

“Okay”

“Good, be safe getting home, darlin.”  He says, giving me a kilowatt smile as he walks back to the group. I can see Emmett and Edward giving him a hard time. Emmett even screams out "Bye Elara" to further embarrass his brother,  several heads turning at the sound. I smile, laughing at the boy as I wave off the group before stepping into my car and driving off.

Saturday rolls around, and I meet Jasper and the location he sent me. It was the entrance of a nature preserve. Arriving early, nervous yet excited, the gentle breeze plays with my red hair as my heart races at the thought of seeing him. Moments later, he arrives—tousled blond hair and a disarming smile that makes my stomach flutter. He's dressed casually yet stylishly, wearing a fitted navy shirt and dark jeans. With a light jacket thrown over,

“Hey there,” he greeted, his voice warm and inviting.

 “Hi!” she replied, trying to contain her excitement. 

“I’m glad you could make it.” 

He gestured for my hand and placed it on his as we started along the flower-lined path. The sweet fragrance of blooms surrounded us as we exchanged stories about our experiences growing up, though we both had to negate certain aspects. We made each other laugh with anecdotes that revealed our personalities. 

Our first stop was an outdoor café, where we ordered hot teas and a small assortment of breakfast pastries to share. Laughter filled the air between us as we played the card games they had scattered about, playfully competing to see who could win the most rounds. 

After that, the park had a horse rental that Jasper suggested, stating he had grown up around horses. Having had the same experience, I readily agreed. The mare I chose was a beautiful paint horse, who, unlike my mount at home, was bread-for-speed; this one was bred for a gentle temperament. Jasper chose a deep brown male with a beautiful dark mane. That seemed a perfect companion for Jasper.

Quickly, we saddled up, and off we went, the wind and mist rushing past us. I always felt so free riding my horse. It was my family's favorite pastime; my father disliked flying. (Bad experiences and all that.) It was exhilarating—just living in the moment, exploring hidden nooks of the park, stopping now and then to admire a picturesque view or take silly selfies together. 

As twilight descended, we found a quiet spot by a small pond, where the water mirrored the colors of the sunset—sitting side by side on a large rock as the horse grazed nearby.  Everything felt so easy around Jasper. Natural as if we had been with each other forever. Before I knew it, the sun began setting. We took the horses back and started walking back to the cafe and exiting, darkness enveloping the park. Jasper reached for my hand, bringing it softly. Our fingers intertwined as warmth spread through me, a blend of excitement and comfort.

 The atmosphere grew more intimate as stars began to twinkle overhead. He turned to me, his expression severe yet soft.

 “I’ve enjoyed today. You’re not like anyone I’ve met before.” 

I felt my cheeks flush. “I could say the same about you, cowboy. This has been amazing.” 

“I know we haven't known each other long, but I love you, elara.

“I love you too, Jasper.”

Then would you be willing to be mine, darlin?.” he said, searching her eyes for a response. 

“Of course, cowboy,” I replied, smiling brightly. 

They lingered a little longer in the moment, sharing glances before he leaned in and kissed me softly, a sweet, tentative kiss that sent butterflies swirling in my stomach. I could tell he was worried about tightening his arms around me, thinking I was a fragile human, but soon, it passed as he gathered me fully in his arms, our chests brushing as the kiss deepened.

The world around seemed to fade, leaving just the two of us under the starlit sky—a perfect ending to a beautiful date.

The remainder of the week spent with the Cullens was fantastic. Each meal was better than the last, and their laughter and engaging conversations warmed my heart. Each sibling was unique, yet they were intertwined in a familial embrace that was hard to resist. I was over the moon with the progress I was making now that I was officially with Jasper. I stayed by his side, slowly becoming part of the group, though I could tell they were still holding back.

It was not surprising, considering their family's secret. I wouldn't tell anyone if I were in their position. I was in that situation myself, but hopefully, soon, I would be able to share everything with them and with them. I just had to make sure they would accept it all.

It’s finally the following Sunday, and I'm ready to experience Midgardian shopping and meet my mate's parents, even though I'm slightly nervous. Arriving at the house, I momentarily admire its beauty, with its all-glass walls and natural light, before walking up to the front door. I go to knock when the door flies open to reveal a smiling Alice. 

“Oh, elara, I'm so happy you're here.” 

Alice practically pulls me through the house to the kitchen, where the smell of cookies wafts. Behind the kitchen island, a beautiful woman stands; she reminds me of Grandma Frigga, the grace, strength, and kindness radiating off her in the same waves as her beautiful chestnut hair. This must be Esme Cullen, their mom.

“Esme, look who’s here.”

“Oh, hello there, dear. How great to finally meet you. The children haven’t stopped talking about you.”

She crosses over to you and pulls you into a quick Hug.

“Oh, thank you. It's wonderful to meet you, too, and I must say it smells amazing here.”

“Oh, thank you, dear; I'm making cookies for Carlisle's colleges at the hospital.

“Did I hear my name?” A sweet, honeyed voice calls as the head of the family walks up to his wife, embracing her from behind.

“You did, but now that you're here, introduce yourself to the children's new friend.

“Ahh, you must be Elara Mani,” Carlisle greets as he reaches out to shake hands. 

“That would be me, sir.”

“Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm glad the kids have all made a new friend.

“It's my pleasure. 

“ I hear you girls are going up to Port Arthur to shop 

“Yes, sir. Alice graciously invited me along. I’ve never been up there, so I'm sure it will be exciting. 

“Oh course it will elara well go to all my favorite stores and find the perfect outfits. 

“What about us, Alice?”

“Oh, there you two are. Where's Bella? Did she skip again.?”

“Yeah, she’s with Edward today. ;)

“Oh, are they that couple?” I ask 

“Yes, they are a girl! But Rose can’t say much; she and Emmet are about the same.

“Oh please, rue, like you and Alice aren't. “

I won't say we aren’t. I love my little pixie pie.” Rue rushes over to Alice to kiss her cheek and squeeze her

“Ok, whatever, elara, we're gonna go in my  car instead of Alice because, trust me, you don’t want Alice to drive.”

“I heard that Rose,’

“Good, you were supposed to. Come on”

As the girls all say their goodbyes and walk away, I can’t help but turn back to again say goodbye to Carlisle and Esme, 

“Thank you so much; it was terrific to meet you both.

“You too, dear.”

“Yes, don’t let those girls bully you into anything you don’t want to do. We thought poor Bella would never go with them again.”

“I'll keep that in mind, Dr.Cullen.” 

“You can just call me Carlisle. I'm sure we'll be seeing each other again.

“I hope so.”

Honking from the garage signals my retreat from the loving matriarchs to the hyper vampire waiting for me in the garage. 

Esme and Carlisle’s pov 

Watching the young girl leave, I turn to my beautiful wife. 

“So that's Jasper's mate.

“Yes, and I can already tell she'll be a fantastic mate for him. I’ve never seen him smile as much as he has this past week. He’s finally coming out of that scared shell of his.

“I agree, dear, and all the others seem to like her. I hope Rose stays so open with her and we don’t have another repeat of Bella.

“I believe she will. Elara has a unique air about her, and I’m sure good things will come to our family.” 

Taking one last look at the directions the girls went, I silently agreed with my wife as I pulled her into my side.

Elaras pov 

The red BMW drives down the street, top-down, and music blasting. The wind flows through my hair as Rose expertly drives into town. All I can hear is the occasional signing from Rue beside me as Alice and Rose go on about Alice’s driving skills. After five minutes, we all pulled into a shopping district, and the day began.

We go to shop after shop, and I now have no doubt that these girls are inhuman. We’ve blown through so many stores, and it's almost shocking. But the fun and light conversation between all of us keeps driving me. Finally, we stopped at the food court. They all get a smoothie, and I find whatever seems most appetizing here. 

“So Elara, tell us how it's going with Jasper. Have you done anything yet.?”

Spitting out my drink, I can only mimic a fish caught above water as everyone else slightly laughs at my expression. 

“Alice, subtel much.”

“Oh, Rose, I know you wanted to ask. So Elara tells us.”

“Is this appropriate, considering he’s your brother?”

“I mean, he is our brother, but I can tell there is a connection between you, too. Finally, it's nice to pick at him about relationship stuff.”

“Of course.” 

“What it is! None of us have seen him smile so much in a long time.”

“Rues right, you’ve truly had an amazing effect on him.” 

“What can I say?” I say, shrugging my shoulders and downing my smoothie.

“Aww, she's embarrassed.”  Rue smacks Alice’s shoulder at the sound.

“Stop it; go on, elara.” 

“He is incredibly kind-hearted and has a beautiful sense of humor that always makes me smile. He is brilliant; I think he knows more about history than our teacher does. (which is evident since he was around during that period). Beyond that, he embodies the qualities of a true gentleman—always respectful and thoughtful in his actions, which is a big bonus; my father taught me I shouldn't accept less since I was little ( you know, being royalty and all)  He's truly everything I have ever dreamed of in a partner. (Thank Odin, since he's my soulmate)

“Aww, that's adorable. I’ve got to tell you that he thinks the same. 

“Alice, for god's sake, stop.” 

“No, Rose. I want my brother and our friend to be together. I know they will be happy, Elara. I want you and Jasper to live happily ever after; it's the least I can do for my future sister. 

“Future sister, huh? " I ask even though I'm glad Alice is so gun-ho. It's honestly entertaining watching the others try to reel in her enthusiasm. 

“Alice, they just started dating. They're not about to get married. Reel it in a little!!!” Rose scolds the girl again as she pouts and clings to my arm. I just laugh, shielding her from the others, calling her my future sister-in-law, and perking the girl back up.

Sticking her tongue out at Rosalie triumphantly, she stands, whisking us away from the food court to continue the shopping extravaganza.

The air is light, and I only think of how I hope this peace remains. With all of our secrets yet to be revealed, so much could go wrong, but at this moment, we are simply four girls living in the moment.

[escapetheslaughters]

Finds their search history and goes to show Elara

@animatronic-assistant

Their search history:

Current weather

What is candy made of?

Can snakes bite metal?

What flowers do girls like?

What plants taste like meat?

Megaplex hours

Funny puns

Jokes to tell your girlfriend

Why does our leg itch

[ocean-sands]

Fictober 2024 - Day 13

Prompt number: 13 - That's not the point Original fiction: Journey Rating: G Warnings: n/a

“Princess,” said Jovian as he sat down. “Twice in one week. What makes me so special?”

“This is funny to you? You think this is a joke?” said Elara. “You’re in jail, Jovian.”

Jovian’s tone turned serious. “I like to stay positive.”

“There’s nothing positive about what’s going on. But that’s not the point. I need you to tell me the truth about the senator’s family.”

Jovian sat back in his chair and looked away from her. “I already told you everything I remember.”

“But you never told me what you really think.”

“Stop worrying about me, Elara. We’ll just wait for the trial…”

Elara slammed her fist on the table, making it shake. “You don’t understand! There will be no trial. The senator has marked you for execution.” Her voice shook as she continued. “And I want… I want to help you. But first, I need to know… Do you think it was you who killed the senator’s family?”

[queen-scribbles]

❛ do you remember when we first met? ❜

Tel and Elara get this one, ft a role reversal Tel is NOT very happy with me about😅 Way down the timeline, at least post-LotS, probably further ---

The dust cleared and the building had collapsed around them.

"Dorne?"

The dust cleared and they were trapped.

"Els?!"

The dust cleared and her chest hurt.

"El-" It devolved into a coughing fit, then muted chatter and the sound of shifting debris.

She opened her mouth to answer, to tell him not to move things, but he came into view before she got any sound out. (Just as well; it would probably have been a hiss of pain rather than words. Her chest hurt.)

Tel was covered in duracrete dust; peppered in his hair, smudged across his face, scuffed into his clothes. Even that wasn't enough to hide how white he went at the sight of her. That didn't bode well.

He swore and came skidding down the debris pile that had been a ridiculously fancy staircase twenty minutes ago, heedless of the detritus snagging and ripping at his clothes as he went. "Els, where's your medkit?"

"R-Right side of my pack. I think 'm laying on i-" She started to shift and the pain spiked and Tel's hand slammed into her shoulder to hold her still and she finally looked down.

A thin, dull length of metal protruded from just above the lower edge of her ribcage. "...Oh," Elara grunted.

"Don't. Move." Tel's hands were shaking as he extricated the medkit without moving her much.

"All those mornings getting... getting up when I was sleeping on top of y-you paid off," Elara teased, trying to get him to smile, it was odd to see him without a smile, she didn't... (Stars, her chest hurt.)

"Oh, yeah, there were so many of those where you didn't get up first," he deadpanned. He smiled, but it was fleeting, forced, and didn't reach his eye. "Els, you're gonna have to talk me through this, I-I don't know what I'm doing..."

She smiled shakily and reached to squeeze his hand in reassurance. "First is to see if the... impaling object goes all... all the way through." His pulse jumped in his throat and she squeezed his hand again. "You'll have to shift me a little, but-"

"Keep it to a minimum." Tel took a deep breath, coughed from the lingering dust. "I do remember that part."

He did very well, only moving her an inch or so to run his hand along her back. (He didn't joke about feeling her up. It must be bad. Or at least look bad. Her chest hurt.) From the fact whatever it was didn't press one edge of the wound, Elara knew the answer before Tel spoke.

"I think I can just feel it pressing from the inside" --he looked perturbed at the thought--"but it's not stickin' through or connected to anything in the back."

She coughed, winced. "If... if there's excessive bleeding, staunch it, but" --he wasn't going to like this part-- "unless there's no rescue coming, it's better to leave the... object on the wound."

(She wasn't thrilled about the prospect, either. Her chest hurt.)

"Els-" Tel's brow furrowed and he was paler than she'd ever seen him, even the times he'd almost died on her--not Belsavis, not Taanab, not Iokath, none of them--as he pressed one of the sterile pads from the medkit around the spike or whatever it was.

"It will minimize blood loss, and you don't know what damage removing it might cause," Elara said gently. She frowned. "Is rescue of some sort en route?"

Tel nodded, swiping a hand across his forehead. It streaked grime and blood and didn't do much good otherwise. "My comms were okay, I got in touch with Jorgan. There were other locations bombed, but this was the main target, so it's higher priority for SAR response."

"Then... it's best to keep the bleeding under... under control and leave removal for a sterile and professional environment." Breathing was an effort; maybe she had a collapsed lung? "However, kolto wouldn't... wouldn't go amiss."

"Oh. Right." Tel guided her hand to hold the compress so he could look for the injector. His hands were shaking.

It was as he dug through her medkit--she would need to reorganize that now, she mused dully--that Elara caught sight of the gash torn through his leather jacket and skin, almost the whole length of his forearm.

"Telcontar-" She started to protest, to grab his arm, but he caught her wrist and gently but firmly moved her hand back where he'd put it.

"We're worrying about you right now," he scolded, even though his arm was covered in blood, tacky with dust from shattered duracrete and plaster and had to hurt. He kissed her forehead, heedless of any grime.

His frustrated growl morphed into a bark of triumph as he finally located the kolto injector, then depressed it against her arm. The sting of the injection was quickly overridden by relief as the healing agent swirled through her.

Elara let out a breath and leaned her head back. "S'nice."

Her chest hurt. Hopefully that would ease now. Breathing was hard.

Tel's comm buzzed and he listened intently before relaying, "SAR says ten minutes for a stable opening to reach us; lucky we're in the consulate lobby or it'd be longer." His fingers traced down her jaw. "Just gotta hold on that long, okay, Els? Then you'll be in much better hands than mine."

Your hands are perfectly fine. I like your hands. "Do m'best..." Her eyes were starting to droop closed, lids too heavy to keep open. No. She forced them open even as she took a labored breath, even as Tel's hand settled over hers on the compress. "You're doing wonderfully, darling. Just... Keep me awake, long as you can," she grit out. "Keep me talking. About anything."

"Okay. Anything..." There was the briefest hesitation, fear writ across his face, then, "Do you remember when we first met?"

Of all the topics, he would pick that. She wanted to laugh, but that would hurt, so she smiled instead. "Dearest, you celebrate... the anniversary alongside our w-wedding and... and family birthdays." She groped for his free hand. "It would be impossible to forget."

"Huh, and here I was hoping you'd remember b'cause I'm irresistibly charming and easy on the eyes and made such a damned good impression as to be unforgettable."

"You certainly are that," Elara said, amusement bleeding into her voice. "And since I married you, I think it's safe to say all the other things are true, too."

Tel slipped his hand in hers. "D'you remember when that anniversary is?"

She had to wrack her brain a moment--clever man, getting her to think--but it did come to her. "Soon, isn't it? Day... after tomorrow?"

"Got it in one." Tel squeezed her hand, checked the compress. "So you better be in better enough shape by then to do somethin' fun."

"No... no promises... You might have to get creative with the something fun." She couldn't feel him squeeze her hand, only see it. That wasn't a good sign. Her chest didn't hurt and she didn't think it was from the kolto kicking in. "T-Tell Kaira and Trace--"

"Elara, no. Don't you dare." His voice was strangled, desperately fierce. "Whatever it is, you tell them yourself, sweetheart."

"I... want to..." I might not get a say. She made herself focus on his face. The freckles, the scars, cybernetics gone dim around his eyepatch, the cut on his cheekbone, red and angry even if it wasn't bleeding. The frantic determination in his eye, pale blue and so easy to read. "...but just in case..."

"Don't jinx it, sweetheart. Just a few more minutes, Els, c'mon, please." Tel's voice broke on the pleading, and he squeezed her hand again.

Elara's last conscious thought was she'd never seem him look helpless before.

---

She didn't wake up dead, so to speak, as she'd half-expected would be the result of an injury like she'd sustained. Rather, she was in a passably comfortable hospital bed--better than the Coruscant medcenter post-Gauntlet, anyway--with a dull ache in her chest and sunlight streaming through the window.

Sunlight. Daytime. The bombing had been early evening, how long...?

Movement drew her attention to the left, to Tel. He was slouched in the chair by her bed, his forearm swathed in medseal and his head lolling to the side as he dozed. He snapped upright, but almost immediately started drifting again.

Between knowing how long he could stay awake without issue and the healthy shading of stubble on his jaw, Elara felt compelled to ask, "How long is it since you slept?"

Her voice was so rough she barely recognized it.

"Four days," Tel mumbled reflexively, before it sank in who had asked and he bolted awake. "Elara-!" When she smiled bashfully, he leaned over to kiss her forehead, her nose, her lips.

Elara hummed, hand curving his jaw as she kissed him back. Her lungs ached, forcing her to pull away earlier than usual(earlier than she wanted). "You're quite a sight to wake up to," she whispered, thumb rubbing against his cheek.

"Hey, that's my line, gorgeous," Tel protested, with no real heat behind it. He kissed her forehead again. "Guess I can let you borrow it, though, seeing as you had a piece of chandelier through your chest."

The attempt at humor didn't completely reach his eye, but if he was cracking even half-hearted jokes, she would take that as a good sign. "Is that what it was?" Elara asked dryly, shifting to a slightly more sitting up position.

"Mm-hm. Cracked a couple ribs, nicked your lung, narrowly missed some other stuff. Nothin' kolto couldn't fix, but..." He took her hand and she squeezed. You scared me.

They lapsed into silence for a moment before she asked. "You said four days?" He nodded and she squeezed his hand again. "Sorry I missed the anniversary, love," she murmured. "Suppose I owe you something fun. Or at least a nice dinner."

Tel chuckled, genuine if rough with exhaustion. "S'okay. I owe you a new medkit, forgot to grab it when they got us out. So we both have somethin' to look forward to." He hesitated. "Els, I don't... You..." He rubbed his jaw, idly scratching at the stubble. "Do I scare you that badly? When..."

One side of her mouth started tipping in a wry smile as she mentally reviewed the times their positions had been reversed and Tel had been stabbed, caught in explosions, mauled by a rancor, electrocuted within an inch of his life... (Among other things.)

"Yes," she said simply, rubbing her thumb over the side of his hand. Hard truths over easy lies, always. "If... if not worse." He wouldn't have asked if he didn't want her to be honest.

He blew out a breath. "Then I'm gonna go ahead and swear to do my best to never do that to you again."

"Tel..." She wouldn't hold him to that, couldn't. She knew knew him too well. Knew his reckless streak, his drive to protect. Even if she appreciated the fact he would try. "Sweet of you. You can start by taking a shower and getting some sleep before you pass out, dearest."

He'd cleaned up, some, and the cut on his cheek was taped with a couple small patches of synthskin, but his face was still grimy around the edges, grey duracrete dust matted into his hair.

Tel smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through the mess of it, leaving sweaty tousled spikes in its wake. "Yeah, I've had a higher priority for a few days."

Elara chuckled. "Which is very sweet, and greatly appreciated. However, now your 'higher priority' would appreciate if you didn't smell," she teased. She crinkled her nose dramatically.

He gave a faux-gasp. "Is this the thanks my heroic sacrifice gets me?"

"I think you mean hygienic sacrifice, darling," she corrected with a giggle. "I'll still be here when you get back, you know."

Tel stood but seemed reluctant to let go of her hand. "Promise?"

"Promise," Elara said, tugging his hand close to kiss the back of it before letting go. "Go get cleaned up. Get some proper sleep. Doctor's orders."

"Yes, dear," Tel chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. He gave her a surveying look, relief shining clear in his gaze, and headed off down the hall.

Elara watched him go, hoping he'd actually get enough sleep. It did make something warm curl in her chest, though, that after so long together he still cared that much.

"Do you remember when we first met?"

How could I forget, when you're the best thing that ever happened to me?

[miidnighters]

Send a 👫and I’ll write four headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship / wholesome ass cross n flynn

@sorrowsick | Send a 👫and I’ll write four headcanons I have about our muse’s relationship

Their like. Museum/art gallery/whatever dates are a semi-regular thing, whenever Cross is in the city. Post secret reveal, they sometimes go at night as well. 1.2 Flynn and Cross in the club? Flynn feeling the bass through the floor? Cross Dragging him up onto the catwalk where they can see everything happening but so can he, up above the lights?

Gossip sleepovers. They catch up and Flynn does Cross' hair and they talk about their love lives and Flynn's terrible game. Elara brings them snacks, sometimes, if they do it at Flynn's place. 2.2 Family dinner with Cross, Flynn, Elara and Ned? Elara trying to get a read on Cross and failing? Ned telling the worst jokes to try and break the ice?

If Flynn gets his sealskin repaired, can you imagine him showing her his seal form for the first time? Getting to share that excitement, that relief with them? A giant, galumphing seal trying to play with them and swimming together? And though he has access to the ocean now, he doesn't leave because how could he leave his best friend alone?

If he doesn't then imagine them leaning on each other into the future as they have to like, re-orient their entire lives from what they were expecting (thinking about how Cross moves away from Gabriel and needing to find their place outside of that structure mirroring Flynn. Both of them needing to find a place somewhere they've never belonged).

[cannibalisticskittles]

thinkin about pillars of eternity and thinkin about my watcher. thinkin about the semi-incongruous backstory choices i made when i didn’t know anything about the lore and was just choosing things on the basis of how cool they sounded. ended up with an aedyran moon godlike cipher with the royal aristocrat background, even tho godlikes aren’t real liked in aedyr and ciphers are also mainly glanfathan. but. i’m not retconning anything i’m just rolling with it

like okay! when i picked the royal blood background i said the reason for leaving was an attempted poisoning, that works decently well with the lore -- she’s an insufficient heir because she’s a godlike and can’t even reproduce, but even though she has no chance of being recognized as a legitimate, there’s still the possibility she could try to exert influence on a ruling regent, maybe even try to be recognized as a legitimate heir, and that’s just not acceptable. better to just... ensure that she’s completely out of the way.

and i can integrate that with the moon godlike ‘silver tide’ ability and also use it as a meta reason for why her skills start so low but grow powerful very quickly, and say it was a successful poisoning, and she starts out still reeling from the effects of it. silver tide heals you and others around you, but only after taking certain set amounts of damage, an automatic reaction that won’t kick in otherwise, so... she took that set amount of damage first and she’s not feelin peachy keen.

“haha yeah i drank something with a corrosive poison in it and it ate through my throat and windpipe and halfway to my stomach. i was dead as shit for a minute, medically speaking, i guess my heart stopped since i lost so much blood? they had to stab me in the thigh for my healing factor to kick in before the damage was completely irreparable, but i was still out cold for a few days. hey, don’t look at my horrific acid scars, that’s rude as shit, man”

so she died and came back feeling weak and awful and had to immediately board a ship to parts unknown in the hopes that it’d stave off another assassination attempt. ship makes landfall and she immediately gets fantasy dysentery that makes her puke and/or shit her guts out. manages to scrounge up a cure, starts feeling vaguely better. finds out her traveling companions have been slaughtered because they were nice enough to stop to look for a cure for her fantasy dysentery next to sacred ruins. runs into ruins for shelter, exits ruins only to fucking die again when her soul is ripped out then slam dunked back into her body. staggers away from the corpses of her erstwhile companions, feeling like death warmed over.

travel with her? lookin like this? ...sure. it’s your funeral. investigate this soul crisis she’s just hearing about? alright, it’s not like she’s doing anything else. be faced with the reality that if she doesn’t figure things out in time, her awakened soul will splinter into bits and kill her for the final time? .......alright. that’s about par for the course now. she’s blue, she’s bioluminescent, she has magic floating horns, no pupils, and weird anglerfish teeth, she can read your emotions and manipulate you like a puppet if she plucks at your soul essence enough, and now that her soul’s been plucked out of her body enough times to be rattling around loosely in her body, she can read your goddamn soul. everything has been so goddamn weird, the rest of the game may as well happen

[facts-i-just-made-up]

Do you have any facts about Jupiter's moons?

I have many facts about Jupiters moons. I have many facts per moon. Jupiter has many, many moons. I have so many facts about Juptier's moons that if I listed them all here it would crash tumblr. The facts I know about them are so explosive and amazing that if you heard a tenth of them your brain would literally fucking explode. And you know what? I'm not gonna tell you a single one.

Facts about Jupiter's Moons:

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is the only moon that has its own moon. It’s just large enough to hold a small 2km meteor in its orbit, and with Jupiter’s help, the meteor seems to be on a stable path. Despite this, the other planets all talk behind Jupiter’s back and won’t let Ganymede near their own moons.

Callisto, the musical moon, is known for its witty lyrics and fun Afro-Caribbean folk beats. It is also made of crabs.

Io is covered in volcanoes. Though these volcanoes are expected to clear up in a few years, they cause Io much anxiety and unpopularity in the Jovian high school scene.

Europa is covered in ice, under which life may exist. This life would theoretically look and act much like Jim Henson's "Muppets" and live on a diet of small bacterial colonies. I know this because fuck you that's why.

Amalthea is named after a nymph from Greek mythology, the only solar object to have the distinction of a mythological name.

Himalia was discovered in 1904 by Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first man to summit its highest peak, unless you count the thousands of Jovian locals who are not recognized by Earth historians because we suck.

Thebe is what happens when you blow up a firecracker on a meteor and it gets stuck in a big planet's gravity.

Elara is made entirely of hair, hence its nickname, "the hair moon."

Pasiphi- Pasiphea- Pasi- Whatever fuck this moon I'm not typing it.

Carne, the meatiest moon, is delicious in quesadillas.

Metis is shaped like a noodle, specifically rigatoni. It may also be buttered. NASA's next probe will check to see if it's ready to serve by throwing it against a wall.

Lysithea is a student at the Officers Academy who is from the Leicester Alliance and is a member of the Golden Deer. A magic prodigy, her family was targeted by the Adrestian Empire. You can recruit her during the War Phase so long as you chose the Crimson Flower route.

Sinope is the homeworld of filmmaker Christopher Nolan. It was discovered by someone at a place called "The Lick Observatory." Eww.

Ananke was of course the chosen one until it fell behind the dark side of Jupiter. It was supposed to bring balance to Jupiter, not leave it in darkness.

Leda is known for fucking a swan. Not even kidding they named the moon after a lady famous for nailing an overgrown goose and laying eggs. I'm not even referring to mythology this happened in the 1970s.

Adrastea is a popular moon to take over in Solar Quest because if you don't have enough fuel to leave Jupiter's orbit you can charge anyone who lands on it like a gazillion dollars.

Callirrhoe makes me giggle.

Themisto is the only moon around Jupiter not to hang out in a group. It's the 'forever alone' moon. Probably because of its bad body odor due to its distance from Speedstiq, the deodorant moon.

Praxidike has an eccentricity of 0.1840. That means it won't lend out its DVDs but lets them get all scratched anyway.

Kalyke is the only moon in the solar system named after a Superman comics character. Kalyke is an obscure villain who is obsessed with kidnapping Superman and showing him episodes of I Love Lucy.

Iocaste was thought to be a star until 1996 when it finally moved. Juptier's slowest moon, it orbits the planet once every 60,000 years and doesn't even text back, it leaves everyone on 'read' like an asshole.

Taygete is a perfectly round and completely green moon. It's made of pure emerald. It would cost over 50 trillion dollars on Earth, and would crush most cities.

Megaclit is, wait. Megaclit? Are you fucking serious? What do I even joke about with this one? Uh… Megaclit was discovered only recently as none of the cis male astronomers could find it? Whatever, its called MEGACLIT make your own joke this one's a freebie.

Dia is the only moon of Jupiter to have been discovered by day. Sorry this one is weak I'm still laughing at the moon MEGACLIT.

Harpalyke has only been spotted once, and never again, leading astronomers to believe it left Jupiter in an argument over ethics in gaming journalism.

Helike is named for that dragon on the bridge in Dark Souls that fucking kills everyone the first time right when they think they beat the first boss and they were doing well.

Thyone, full name Thyone Power, starred in lots of Zorro movies.

Hermippe is what happens if you lift from your back and not your arms.

Chaldene? Uh… Something about the fire in Howl's Moving Castle maybe? I dunno.

Isonoe- Moon of the Mole People, a people best known for airing on Adult Swim and then never coming out on DVD.

Eirene- Wasn't this moon in Sherlock?

Eukelade is named for a guy who ran around naked because he noticed that metal didn't float. No wait that's Archimedes, he said Eureka and that's not even what this got its name from. Oh wait, I MAKE SHIT UP. Yeah I'm going with it.

Aeode is a good Theatre of Tragedy song.

Autonoe is the term for films made by Gaspar Noe after he went on autopilot and started making boring art crap instead of head smashing flicks.

Ersa, boring. Unfunny. How can that compare to MEGACLIT?

Pandia is about where I began to regret doing a fact for every fucking moon around Jupiter big time.

Carpo is named for a blend of Marx brothers.

Euanthe is the smallest moon ever to star in its own reality show.

S/2017? What they literally ran out of names? They just started naming them after years and crap. Fuck this. There are another 30 moons and they didn't even bother to name half of them, why should I keep going when fucking NASA didn't?

LOL, "megaclit."

[nessiancalore]

maven and thomas, the truth untold.

Hello, I just wanted to say a few things about this one-shot

1. English is not my first language so there will probably be a lot of weird things with the writing ... Maybe some misspellings, or something like that (sorry).

2. I'm using as a base a Maven that is still not fully "with" Elara in his mind, only when they are together, and because they are not, he is very confused about some things.

3. If you are Victoria Aveyard: I swear that my dog pointed a gun to my head and made me do this, I swear. please don't sue me.

PART I

—

Maven

This place makes me sick. People planing to kill, or send more people to die, over nothing.

If you are going to command useless people, at least do it to make them useful. My brother does not think like me, though. He is the perfect soldier. Fulling himself with fighting strategies and training, like that would solve anything. What wins a war is not guns, it is a brain.

The worst of all that in here, the barracks, they all follow that. The rules of my ridiculous father. I wish mother was here. Or not. I don't know.

"Maven?" Can you shut your fucking mouth for one second?

"Hi, Cal" He is standing in my doorstep. The thing is, in here I'm not 'a king's son. I'm addressed as such, I have my guards, but I don't have the advantage, and that is one more thing that I despise about this place.

"General Osanos is showing us the engineer behind the new guns that are being send to the front line tomorrow, like he promised us at lunch, let's go." Like he promised CAL at dinner last night, I couldn't care less.

"I don't feel so good, maybe I should just stay here", thankfully, I'm good at lying.

"Just call Skonos and come, It will be fun!" No it won't.

"Cal just… Let me stay here, alright?"

"C'mon Maven!"

"FOR MY COLORS CAL— just — I DON'T WANT TO GO", I try to stop screaming, but then I realize I don't want to... I feel like it could kill him right now. I mean... I don't want to go to that stupid thing but... I shouldn't be this angry.

Should I?

"...Maven, did something happen? Are you okay?"

He tries to enter the room, I can see how worried he gets. It's not usual that I yell at him. At anyone, actually.

"Go fuck yourself, Cal! Just... Leave me Alone!" Definitely not THIS angry. But as I'm walking away I realize exactly what made me act like this. I don't need your perfect self around me all the time, Tiberias. I hate the fact that I'm here because of yo— Great, I've run so much that I don't even know where I am — ... I hate you. Do I?

—

Getting into the stables was the only decision I actually took since I got here, and it was an amazing one. Even being night I can see the horses, and It's quiet, I can just… Breathe. I've been here for at least for half of an hour by now, I couldn't scream like I wanted to, because someone could hear me, so I cried. As much as I hate doing that, it helps a lot.

"Excuse me" I hear something falling down.

"Who's there?!", a flame appears on my hand, but it flames out when I see a red.

"No one you'd know. I work here ... Are you okay?" The red is tall, taller than me, I can't see his face perfectly, but I would guess he is just a couple of years older. He's staring at the tears on my eyes.

"I'm fine", I say as I clean them up, more terse than I expected to be.

"Are you sure?", My eyes must be really gray.

"Just grab what you came here for and leave, Red"

"You are on top of it, Silver", weirdly, he says that as if he's telling a joke.

"Don't you know who I am?", I ask.

"It's really dark, and you look like almost everyone in here, so I really don't. Could you please excuse me?", he is pointing to the hay I was sitting on. That doesn't sound like a bad thing, him not knowing who I am. I can just act "normal" for a few moments. As I get up I can tell by the look on his face that he notices the silver on my hand and on the block of hay. It wasn't on purpose, but he wouldn't think that.

"Don't tell anyone you saw me here", I know he doesn't know me, but still.

I hear the Red take a big breath before saying, "Again, I don't even know who you are, and what would I say, exactly? 'Hey everyone, I went to the stables today and found a grumpy bossy silver, aka a like every silver we know. It was a really special day' ", I can tell he didn't give much of thought before saying that, because my laugh surprises him…

And I.

"I'm... Sorry" But my apology doesn't. Weird.

"It's fine. You don't seem to be having a good day anyway, so..."

"I'm not..." We stare at each other for a few seconds before he says, "... Here is really nice, isn't it? The horses, the sky. If you close your eyes for long enough, you can even forget that there's a war out there. You can just... Breathe"

"... I guess so...", more staring.

"Is your hand...?"

"I lifted the saw that it was on top of the hay... It was stupid"

"Oh! Are you... Okay?"

"I'm just... Angry, I'll be fine", why am I telling him this?

"There are other places here in case you need to... Breathe. By the lake is very quiet. You can go to the second floor of the base at lunchtime, no one is there or..."

"You seem to know your way in to ... Quiet places", do I know any words? What the hell did I just say?

"I'm red, I ... get angry a lot"

" 'Those silvers, Huh?' ", The joke comes out before I can actually realize.

"Such a pain in my ass..." I see his confusing after saying that, I guess he thought it would get me mad. When I laugh, I see his shoulders sagging a bit.

"But... You don't seem to... hate me" 

"What do you mean?"

"All reds hate silvers, and all silvers hate reds. And yet, here you are... Making conversation. I think...", I know people... But I can't figure him out.

"Did you memorize that first line in school?"

"More like... Life experience"

"... Do you hate me?", he seems really worried about that. No. No?

"... Maybe not."

"Well... I don't hate _all_ silvers. My aunt was one, and she was a lovely person, her people are usually...", I can see his brain picking the right words, "... Not the best — But I have learned that the color of someone's blood doesn't define much"

Is he leaving? When he lends me a piece of fabric, I believe it is to clean my hand, I see that he is... Unfortunately.

"Why are you being nice?", I ask.

He makes a cute face when he is thinking.

"Trying to get you not to hate me, I guess"

Good job.

—

Since I got here, two weeks ago, I haven't been able to hear my mother's voice. I've been confuse about what to think, sometimes I even think I might be having a dream, but then I wake up.

That happen this morning. I could swear I saw that boy in my room before I was totally awake.

But I haven't seen him in three days.Not that I'm counting or anything, I just... Know.

Maybe I should go to the stables again? He could be there. Or maybe I should ask someone about him.

And say what? 'Who is 'stable boy?' For my colors, this is frustrating.

I don't even know why I want to see him again. I just do.And everything is so much worse with Cal trying to apologize for what happened. I get it, you are sorry. Even though you don't know what you are being sorry for.

After a boring, but I must admit, helpful, training with Osanos, I got send to the basement by the General — because in here apparently 'all of us have to help' — to grab... What was it?

"Hello, grumpy guy. Fancy clothes."

He scared me by showing up from nowhere.

He is looking at my training clothes.

And he is close.

I don't know what am I supposed to say. This is confusing. He is making me mad because ... I'm usually good with words.

"Hi", seriously Maven? The boy complements you, and that's all you can come up with?

"Angry again?"

"No", why does he want to know?

"So you really like quiet places?"

"You can say that — Maven, control your mouth— but that's not why I'm here. General Osanos ask me to grab a...", I tried to sound like I was serious and superior and all but... I can't fucking remember what I suppose to get.

"A...?"

"I forgot what it was", you know, like an idiot.

I guess he can see the confusion in my head because he starts laughing.

"... That's gonna be good", he says, like he is thinking out loud.

"I have to remember", Not that I care about what Osanos wanted but, this guy needs to see a superior of some sort in me, right?

"Are you sure the thing you need is in here?"

"Yes, the General said so"

"Okay, let me see", he takes a step towards me.

"Let... Let you see what?", why am I getting nervous?!

"What we have in here. I'll tell you what I can find, that I think they would want, and then when your thing appear you'll probably remember it"

"Don't you ... Have work to do?" I hope do not sound rude. Gladly, he smiles before saying, "My job is to please and serve silvers... I'd be doing just that"

I didn't like that "pleasing and serve" coming from him. I don't know why. "You could 'help' me find it. What do you think?"

"Okay...", Now I've surprised him.

We spent 40 minutes, until I remember that I needed the huge roll of maps beside the door. Now I definitely feel like an idiot.

"There you go", he gives me the maps.

"Thank you... — I don't know your name"

His smirk is the cutest thing I've ever seen.

Wait, what?

"I must be making progress about the 'not hating' thing" MAVEN CALORE, DON'T YOU DARE BLUSH.

"You... Might be"

For my colors stop smiling, it's annoyingly beautiful.

"I'm Thomas", He stands his hand and I see scars on his wrist, rope marks, It's impossible not to notice that I'm looking at it.

"... I got those for stealing a jacket that my sister... Wanted"

"I'm sorry"

"It's not your fault. Anyway, what's your name?"

"... I'm…" I feel... Embarrassed? "Maven"

"... Maven Calore", He stays quiet for only three seconds, but if it feels like eternity "Nice to... Officially meet you"

I guess he didn't notice the fire that day.

"... Now you hate me", I say it out loud and immediately wish I haven't.

"No"

"You do"

"Ma — Your highness, I do not hate you"

"You don't have to lie"

"Why do you think I am lying?"

"You just called me 'Your highness', I'm not the guy from 2 minutes ago for you"

"I barely knew that guy"

"And now you think he is a son of a bitch"

"Why would I think that?"

"Because I'm silver"

"I knew you were silver before"

"Because I'm... The king's son. My father is responsible for...", I can't help but look at his marks.

"I don't hate you... Maven", he doesn't seem to be lying.

"Really?"

"To hate someone, I have to at least know them first. Maybe I do hate your father and everything he stands for but... I don't know you"

"We help people like you to be killed"

"Like you just said, your father does", I'm curious to see why he's trying so hard.

"Either way, I'm not sure if you're going to like me"

"I think that... You seem to be the guy that goes somewhere else when he's angry. And I'm sorry if I'm being invasive, but — You seem to be hurting. Not the type of pain you heal with a Skonos, but real pain... And that makes you different from a lot of people in there"

"I don't need pity"

"That's not what I'm trying to—"

"I don't feel that pain for Reds, I feel that because of myself", I get so nervous that I admit that without thinking twice about it.

Thomas saw that, he notices my surprise, so he gives me a warm smile and says, "But at least there are feelings in there. I may be wrong but from what I saw you're not trying to be invincible, a lot of silvers think they are"

I really don't know what to say. "... You took that by one meeting?"

"Maven, the only silver I know that it would have actually talked to me or accepted my help today instead of you was my aunt, and she was lovely..."

"My brother would", I think he notices my discomfort in talking about Cal.

"Well, I don't know him"

"You would want to meet him, everyone does"

"I'm not everyone"

"... Why do you want to know me?!"

"I've said it already, you seem different"

"What if that's a bad thing?"

"What if is not?"

"... I've got to go"

Maybe he just wants something from me. Money, probably.

"Maven, can you do me a favor?" I'm not facing him anymore. "Only talk about your brother if you really have to. You look prettier when you don't"

Maybe he is just a good person.

—

—

I really hope you enjoyed!

I'll be posting more parts soon, there will be at least 4 or 5 (I'm almost done with the hole story already, don't worry), stay gay and hydrated, bye bye ❤

[malfoymanortings]

fluorescent adolescent PART 2

summary: Fred Weasley has been drawing the eldest Malfoy daughter since his third year of Hogwarts. Elara Malfoy has fancied Fred Weasley since her fifth year at Hogwarts. It is during their final year, that the two of them do something about the mutual attraction.

pairing: Fred x OC older Malfoy sister

not related to flames and snow!! just a different perspective on Fred x older Malfoy sister.

let me know if you guys want a part three. also, this was my first time writing smut so hopefully it was good!

Elara Malfoy had a thing for Fred Weasley. 

She wasn’t quite sure when it had started, maybe in third year when he had stumbled into her path reeking of gunpowder; he had taken that opportunity to bow to the “Slytherin princess” and apologized profusely before being dragged off by his twin. Daphne Greengrass, her closest friend, had scoffed and told her the blood traitor was mocking her. 

But although Elara agreed, she secretly felt it wasn’t a joke to Fred. 

So yes, it was her narcissism that made Fred Weasley seem so appealing to her, as the thought of the boy calling her the Slytherin Princess (I am so sorry I knocked into you, goddess, it won’t happen again, I swear it!), made her liking of the boy grow. Of course, that was a secret she would have to take deep to her grave with her, unless she wanted to be disowned and removed from the Malfoy family. Elara had already worked hard to be part of that family, as her father was a rotten man with disgusting ideals and the worst view on punishments for a child. She didn’t spend her childhood taking beatings for both her and her brother to prove her worth just to throw it all away over a boy, a blood traitor nonetheless!

It was hard, though. Especially when she knew he stared at her all the time. Especially during the Yule Ball, when he had looked so delectable and had taken the gorgeous Angelina Johnson as his date, it was ever so hard for Elara to swallow her jealousy. Theodore Nott may have been handsome, but he was nothing next to Fred Weasley. Fred Weasley was stunning, and had the personality that was rare to find.

Fred Weasley was annoying and witty, hilarious and clever. George and him were the best pranksters Hogwarts had ever seen, in her opinion. Of course, they normally targeted Slytherin’s as their intended victims, but usually it was well deserved, Elara had to admit. The man was so open yet closed off, as Elara had never dared speaking to him. 

Her brother Draco had a big mouth, and the last thing she needed was for him to gossip with father and tell him that Elara was even speaking civilly with a Weasley.

Yet when the opportunity in Potions class presented itself, Elara agreed upon meeting Fred Weasley at the astronomy tower around midnight. She dressed carefully that night, her best matching lace set, covered with fishnets and a black skirt, white blouse combo. She left her hair down, rings on her fingers, and applied a generous amount of her perfume to tie it all together. 

Elara headed for the astronomy tower exactly at midnight, taking care to make sure no one saw her leave. She kept her wand up the sleeve of her robes, at the ready just in case she ran into any sort of trouble. Like that idiot Umbridge, what a nasty woman. If it weren’t for her father being so close with the Ministry, she would spit at the woman. Instead, she had to play nice and act like the disgusting toad wasn’t vile.

Fred Weasley seemed impatient, pacing back and forth and glancing at the watch on his wrist.

 Elara stood in the doorway for a moment, admiring him openly for the first time. He was dashing, there was no doubt that the Weasley’s had impeccable genes. He seemed to have gotten a haircut over Christmas break, as it wasn’t as long as she preferred it. He kept flexing his fingers around his wand, and Elara wore a smile as she imagined those same skilled fingers wrapped around her throat.

“You didn’t think I would forget our engagement tonight, did you?” Elara came out from the shadow of the stairwell, smirking when Fred jumped.

“Well, it’s bloody past midnight, innit?” scoffed Fred, stilling his pacing and crossing his arms. 

Elara walked into the room slowly, glancing around the tower and keeping her tone light. “You just said around midnight. I don’t recall you specifying what exact time you wanted me here.”

“Next time I’ll be more clear, then.” Fred took on the same tone she had, and he smirked back at her when her eyes narrowed at him.

“Who said there’s a next time?” quipped Elara, crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall farthest from Fred.

“Oh darling, by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me for more.”

With that rather bold statement, Fred walked over to Elara who watched him appraisingly. 

“I rather doubt that, Weasley.”

Fred harshly placed his arms on either side of Elara’s body, his body heat warming her. “Beautiful, if you could just shut that pretty little mouth of yours, you wouldn’t piss me off so much.”

Elara raised an eyebrow, slightly embarrassed that she could already feel wetness between her legs. “Where’s the fun in that, Weasel?”

Fred slammed his lips against hers then, and Elara snaked her arms around his neck. His lips felt like fire against hers, spreading a heat through her body as quickly as a brushfire. His hands ghosted down her waist, sliding behind her hips to grip her bum. Elara bit down on Fred’s lip, harshly dragging his lower lip through her teeth, and Fred moaned audibly, slapping her bum with one hand while the other squeezed harshly.

He trailed his lips down her neck, nipping softly at the skin he had lusted over for so long, dusting kisses across her collarbones. His teeth grazed her skin, making her shiver and let out a moan against her will.

“That’s it darling, be loud for daddy.” encouraged Fred softly, his hands ghosting her inner thighs.

Elara’s breath caught in her throat, and she tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck. She would be damned if she called Fred Weasley daddy.

“Do you want me to touch you, love?” asked Fred, moving his hands up to unbutton her shirt. It fell to the ground, and Fred stared at her creamy breasts hidden from him with a lace bra that seemed to be teasing him.

“Yes.” Elara was breathless, almost embarrassed at how desperately she wanted him to touch her.

“Yes, what?” Fred kissed her jaw, his hands moving down to play with the hem of her skirt. 

She knew he wasn’t going to go further until she said it. “Yes, daddy.”

Fred grinned at her then, and her skirt came down along with her fishnets. He knelt down, pressing sloppy kisses to her thighs as he forced them open. Elara’s legs grew weak, something Fred took notice of.

“Lay down, love.” with a wave of his wand, Fred had conjured up a soft blanket for them to lay on. Elara sat down, before Fred had pushed her down to continue his onslaught against her cunt.

Once again forcing her thighs open, he snapped the waistband of her panties. “Darling, I appreciate the thought you put into these, but next time, come ready for me, alright?” 

He tugged off her panties without waiting for a response, and then ran his hand across her bare pussy. Elara gasped, bucking her hips up, and Fred laughed.

“You look delicious,” Fred ducked down, his breath fanning across her delicate skin. “Good enough to eat.”

He gave her a teasing lick, and again Elara’s hips bucked up on their own accord. Fred placed a large hand on her lower stomach, holding her in place. His other hand held her legs open as he licked and sucked her clit, his tongue sliding in and out of her pussy. Without warning, his mouth left her, and his fingers replaced the warmth of his tongue. First it was one, and then he slowly added another, curling his fingers as he made eye contact with her.

“Fuck,” Elara whimpered, pleasure flooding her body. It was almost too much for her to deal with, the way Fred Weasley was going down on her.

He increased his speed, and Elara arched her back, moaning loudly when he began nipping at her hips, sucking on the soft skin and placing harsh kisses as his fingers pumped faster and faster inside of her. He placed his mouth on her clit, keeping the fast pace with his fingers, and Elara gripped the blanket as a stream of moans left her mouth.

She could feel herself getting close, a coil in her stomach as Fred kept sucking on her clit. As she felt herself nearing the edge, her legs clenching around Fred’s head as she was about to cum, he suddenly pulled away, giving her a cheeky grin with lust filled eyes.

“Why the fuck did you stop?” Elara asked breathlessly, brushing away at the strands of hair that stuck to her forehead.

“Darling, if you want to finish, you’re going to need to beg daddy.”

“You’re unbelievable!”

Fred trailed kisses up her stomach, skillfully reaching behind her back to unhook her bra. Her breasts free, Fred took a hard nipple in his mouth, the other one he explored with his hand.

“Bite me,” Elara said breathlessly, bucking her hips up to the erection that was pressed against her bare pussy. “Bite me daddy.”

She felt Fred smile rather than saw him, and let out a loud moan as Fred Weasley bit down on her hard nipple, pinching the other one with his fingers. He started grinding his hips into hers as he bit and sucked at her tits, and Elara once again had to grip the blanket in her hands.

“Please, daddy,” Elara gave in, running her nails down Fred’s back. “Make me cum.”

Fred paused for a moment, his eyes meeting hers. He gave her a quick grin, before quickly ducking back down to suck at her clit again. Once again, the familiar feeling was building up in her lower stomach, and as Fred pumped his fingers in her pussy and his lips sucked on her bundle of nerves, she finally found release, her legs shaking as she came on Fred Weasley’s face.

“You taste so sweet,” his voice was low, his tone cocky. “Now, my turn.”

Fred slipped his boxers off, and the bare skin of his hard dick brushed against her pussy as he teased her entrance with his head. Elara dragged her nails down his back, and Fred thrusted into her with a groan and made Elara gasp as he began pumping in her.

He spread her legs to the side, resting each hand on either inner thigh, causing him to stroke deeply within her. He went softly at first, letting Elara adjust to his massive size, and then began thrusting his hips deep inside her faster and faster. He soon moved his arms on either side of Elara, and she wrapped legs around his waist.

“Fuck, Elara, you feel so damn good around my dick.” Fred moaned out, burrowing his head into her neck.

“Choke me.” said Elara in reply, letting out a moan as Fred hit a new spot inside of her.

Fred complied, much to her surprise. He wrapped one hand around her throat, squeezing harshly, the other hand propping himself up. The force of his thrusting made her tits bounce, and Elara parted her mouth in a silent moan as Fred’s fingers clenched around her esophagus. 

His thrusting became more sloppy, and she knew he was close to coming. Elara could once again feel the build up in her lower stomach, and she knew she was going to cum once more.

“Daddy, I’m gonna cum.” the words came out a moan, and Fred pressed a harsh kiss to her neck as he picked up his pace once more.

Her walls clenched around him, and his name fell from her lips as her toes curled and her vision went white. She felt his dick twitch before he came inside her with a loud moan, pulling out his dick and laying next to her on the blanket.

Elara kept her eyes shut, feeling the odd sensation of her pussy twitching. It had been her first time, and it had been with a Weasley. 

After a moment, Fred propped himself up next to her, looking down at her still form. He admired her naked body, committing it to memory for later when he would be alone and drawing the way she looked as he made her orgasm. 

“You could stop staring anytime now.” Elara remarked lightly, her eyes still shut.

“You’re gorgeous.” replied Fred, pressing a featherlight kiss to her temple. 

Elara opened her eyes then, shoving Fred away from her and standing. “Alright, that’s my cue to leave. This was fun, trust me, but I really ought to be going.”

“What, you’re just going to leave?” Fred protested, tugging on his boxers as he got up. He kept his eyes on hers as she quickly redressed herself.

“We just needed to get that,” she waved her hands. “Out of our system. Now, we can go back to our separate worlds.”

Fred shook his head, grabbing her hands as she was doing the last button on her blouse. “Elara, we can’t just go back to quietly fancying each other after that.”

Elara’s eyes flashed, and she yanked her hands out of Fred’s grasp. “Watch me.”

Elara tugged her robe on, and after making sure her wand was tucked away, she stormed out of the astronomy tower, leaving Fred Weasley standing alone.

[cevans16]

Choosing Between Two Loves Part 1 - Civil War~1

Summary: You were a Goddess named Elara, who had powers similar to Thor and even stronger, you joined the Avengers back when Loki had tried to take over New York. You were great friends with most of them. Tony Stark was someone you were always in love with even though you knew you could never have him. However that all changes when you get to know a certain super soldier....

“Tony, I don’t know about these accords” you shared to him in front of the team. Half of the team nodded in your agreement, the other half were on Tony’s side. “What if we do this only to gain their trust back” Nat shared, “You have a point Nat....” you replied. After a long discussion it was Steve, Wanda and Sam who were against it while Nat, Rhodey and now you were agreeing with Tony. 

You guys were still discussing it a few days later when all of a sudden Steve bolted from his chair leaving you guys. You found out through Nat that Steve had lost the love of his life. Sam had gone with Steve to the funeral, Nat was about to leave to check on him, “Hey...can I come with you?” you asked her, she smiled and nodded giving you a few minutes to pack before you both headed out to London. You knew what it felt like to lose the love of your life, you were from another world, a world that went extinct except for you being the sole survivor. You knew what Steve was feeling, to lose the one person who loved you for you. After the funeral, Nat went first to offer her condolences, you gave them a few minutes before going up to Steve. He was so surprised to see you, “Elara....I didn’t think you’d come” he said, “I know what it feels like Steve and I’m sorry” you said pulling him in for a tight hug, you rubbed his back, “It will get better one day” you said to him. You guys discussed the accords, Steve was adamant about not signing them, you and Nat left to the meeting that would take place in Vienna. 

You had met with King T’Challa, his father was making a speech when everything suddenly went pitch black. You awoke to chaos and debris around you, you immediately looked for Nat who was on the other side of the building, luckily you two had only minor bruises, you had a minor concussion. You and Nat left, she called Steve, the news reported that it was one of Steve’s best friends, Bucky Barnes, he was the most wanted man at the moment. You could tell the call that Nat had with Steve didn’t go well when you heard her sigh as she hung up. You both were due to return with the rest of the Avengers until Steve Rogers decided to become one of the most wanted men by trying to save his best friend.

You guys arrived at the facilities where Steve, Sam, King T’Challa, and Bucky Barnes were being held at. You walked into one of the conference rooms where Tony was yelling on a call with the director of the accords, you stood there looking for any sign of Steve or Nat. A few minutes later you saw Steve walking into the room, you looked at him shaking your head in disappointment, “I’ll leave you to talk to him” you said as you walked out. 

You had gone back inside once Steve and Sam were with Sharon placed in the conference room behind yours, Tony, and Nat’s. You guys were looking at the doctor trying to interrogate Bucky Barnes. You couldn’t pinpoint to what exactly it was but something was telling you that the doctor seemed off. You crossed your arms trying to concentrate, “Hey Nat...”, “Mhmm?”, “I don’t know but something seems off about this guy” you said when all of a sudden the power shut down and immediately went into emergency mode. You turned to look at Steve, he shook his head looking just as confused as you. Sam and him ran out the room, you and Nat followed behind. 

You could hear the girls fighting against Bucky Barnes, you jumped from the second floor onto the first, you were met face to face with the most wanted man in the world. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Bucky Barnes” you joked at him. His dark locks covered part of his face, his red Henley shirt looked like it was about to burst, his blues eyes expressed anger and now they were focused on you. You walked towards him while he charged in your direction, he was about to push you away when you held his arm in order to punch him, trying your best to knock him down, your hit took him by surprise, the other two girls weren’t as strong as you were, you tried to throw a side kick onto his stomach when he took a hold of your leg, he pushed you back not letting you go, throwing you towards the tables but failed when you held onto his metal arm in order to jump onto his shoulders, trying anything to stop him, he finally threw you off from him, your head hit a part of one of the chairs knocking you down long enough for him to escape. That was one of the few men you weren’t able to take down easily. 

[lilyharvord]

The Chain (Part 10)

Main concept: Two love struck idiots get sent back to a pretty UGH time period in their lives (that required me to reread all the books again) and have to hide the fact that they know everything.  

Find the rest of the fic here: part 1 / part 2 / part 3 / part 4 / part 5 / part 6 / part 7 / part 8 / part 9

Tag list: @delilahlbard, @king-maven-calore, @thatoddgirl777, @elliekratzzz, @evangelineartemiasamos, @evangeline-of-montfort, @scxrletguardsdawn, @freaky-freiday, @petergrantkavinsky, @kuwei, @whatsup-gorls, @katiemoore,  @redqueenetwork, @tranquil-dusk (I’m trying to add you but for some reason it wont @… the same problem happens with @thatoddgirl777 and I have no idea how to fix it)

(/Mare/)

I’ve been freed from Protocol for the time being. Cal pulls the same strings as last time, and I am put into Training. It makes my blood sing to know that I am going to be joining him there too. One more place where we can protect each other and plan without anyone knowing. We are a secret, united front that the Silver’s will never see coming.

         It’s been a week since my first meeting with Farley. I almost expected Maven not to show up to join us, but just as he did before, he appeared out of the shadows with the servant Holland. He was just as full of the righteous fire I remembered, smiling at me and promising things he will never give. Swearing fealty to Farley and her cause for the good of everyone. I wish I had the courage to ask him if he had meant those things.

         I’d gone back to my rooms cold and shaken, feeling in all senses of the word numb. Walsh had to practically guide me back to avoid me taking wrong turns and getting lost. In bed, I drown in the memories of the future that I am rapidly stumbling towards, trying to keep my head up as the tides suck me deeper. I toss and turn for hours, kicking the blankets off before pulling them back on when I wake from my hazy doze shivering uncontrollably because of invisible silent stone walls.

         I’d slipped through the secret door in my closet and felt my way through the dark tunnel to Cal’s rooms. It was silent in them, not even the sound of his breathing disturbed the space. Sure enough, his bed was empty and neatly made. He wasn’t even in Summerton. I’d sunk onto the bed before slipping under the blankets and burying myself in his smell.

         I’d woken to warm hands lifting me out of the blankets. Gripping his shirt, I’d whispered sleepily to him as he carried me back to my rooms. His voice was soft as he’d replied with a gentle, “you’re fine. I’ve got you.” I had to enter my room alone though, just to avoid the cameras seeing him.

         Now standing in the training room a week later, I still can’t shake the blanket of cold that envelopes me. Dread pools in my stomach the closer we get to the Ball and the closer I get to those names Maven will deliver. Everything is working perfectly, I have no reason to worry. And yet, a part of me quivers with nerves. Maven is as charming as ever, but something bubbles behind his eyes. Maybe it’s because I know what to look for now and I see it. But I had been just as untrustworthy the first time around. I would have seen it then too.

         Standing off to the side with my arms crossed I watch the young Silvers prepare for a session of tearing each other apart. Inhaling slowly, I take in the scent of the freshly washed matts and the summer breeze from the open windows. It’s been sweltering for the past few days, and sure enough a bead of sweat rolls down between my shoulder blades, tracing the track of my spine.

         On the other side of the training room, Cal catches my eye. He quirks a brow before pushing off the wall he’s leaning against. Strolling across the room, he tucks his hands into the pockets of his training jacket. When we’re standing side by side he rolls his shoulders a few times and says, “I’m sorry that I wasn’t there a few nights ago.”

         “You were off being a crown prince.” I say and wave my hand for emphasis, “doing crown prince things.” My lips quirk up a little bit at the edges when his frown deepens. I haven’t teased him much since we got stuck here, I forgot how much fun it is.

         “I won’t lie; I did think someone put a dead body in my bed.”

         “Don’t be dramatic.” I tease him, hiding my smile behind my hand. On the other side of the room, Evangeline holds court around the targets. She hasn’t made any moves like she did in the breakfast room weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have something planned. If I recall, today is dueling day, and this was when she decided to take a piece out of my face.

         “Hard for him not be, he’s so very good at it.” Maven’s voice cuts the air between us like a knife. I spin to face him quickly, throwing up a smile to hide the fear that rushes through me. He tilts his head to the side and smiles as well. “What is he being dramatic about now?”

         Cal clears his throat, and hides his discomfort with a laugh. Setting his hand on Maven’s shoulder and squeezing he says lightly, “something to do with Shadow Legion. It’s been… difficult.”

         If Maven is fooled by our game, I cannot tell. A part of me sends a silent prayer that he didn’t hear anything. But a smarter part of me chastises myself for even falling prey to my fears and searching out Cal. Have I doomed us with my little slip up?

         “So I’ve heard, has Rhambos been giving you trouble again?” Maven grins at Cal in the way only brother’s sharing a private joke can.

         “You have no idea.” Cal’s relief is near invisible, and I have to force my own to be that way as Maven comes to stand next to me. His eyes dart to me and he gives me a small, tentative smile. I return it, wondering exactly what is going through his mind. What I wouldn’t give to be a Whisper just so I can know if we are in the clear.

         He turns his eyes forward as Arven calls Tirana forward to duel. His name comes next, and as he leaves my side, the little bubble of heat I didn’t notice him exuding leaves with him. His shoulders are tense as he steps into the makeshift arena to face the nymph. Next to me, Cal’s hands clench into fists.

         When he comes sulking out, dripping water all over the floor, his eyes are burning. They dart to me and soften for a heartbeat before hardening once more. Mercifully, Cal keeps his mouth shut and turns to watch the next match when Maven steps in between us. The air crackles with heat, and a few of the other Silvers take a step back, making it appear as if they are simply interested in something else.

         “Nothing to say?” Maven murmurs when Cal continues to sit in silence. My eyes dart to them, and my hand slowly closes in a fist at my side.

         “There’s nothing to say.”

         “You always have something to say, forgive me if it’s a surprise when you don’t.” Maven turns those eyes on Cal, and I imagine his stare could turn Cal into a puddle of human parts if he weren’t a burner as well. He’s instigating, something I never saw him do. Or maybe it’s happened before and I never got the chance to see it. Cal makes no move to show me panic, so maybe Maven being this bitter has occurred sometime in the past before I met them. Maybe nothing is wrong and he’s picking a fight because he’s upset about the embarrassment of his loss.

Straightening his shoulders, Cal turns a neutral look onto Maven, sweeping him over with his eyes. “You could have beat her if you had given her a bit more space. You were stronger than her the whole fight.” Cal assures, his eyes dancing to me for a moment. We both know that isn’t what he said last time. But this didn’t occur last time, and without a script Cal struggles.

Maven’s entire body tenses, even as his expression cools. It’s such an odd contradiction that I’m not quite sure what will happen next. Reaching out, I close my hand around his wrist and squeeze. He’s cold as ice, and I shiver involuntarily as my skin makes contact with his. I don’t know why I expected heat.

His flips around to look at my hand, his lips pursed in a tight line. I swallow my grimace and offer him a gentle, knowing smile.

“There will be more fights. More important fights.” I raise my brow, hoping he takes my hint. The anticipation of his reaction practically drives me to dig my nails into his skin. I’m surprised he doesn’t flip around and demand to challenge Cal right here, right now. It would be a short fight, but it would be no less damning.

His shoulders soften though, and his stance shifts to one of embarrassment. “Of course.” He murmurs, his other hand coming to rest on mine. “There always are.”

 Hiding my relief behind a smile, I try to pull my hand away. I can’t believe I thought he would actually go to blows with Cal. He’s smarter than that, and better at playing the long game than I give him credit for in the moment.  

Before I can pull my hand away completely, he grips it tighter and stares me down, daring me to pull away. He puts up the mask then, the one that I loved dearly and searched for during my months with him in Archeon.

 “Even if some battles are already lost.” He whispers as he leans close to me so his words are only for me.

He’s a desperate boy now. I can hear the ache in his voice. What does he know? What does his mother know? Nothing, I’m certain they know nothing. Elara didn’t get anything from me, and she hasn’t gotten anything from Cal. We’ve been careful enough, we’re never together in a way that anyone could question. We haven’t even gone into that moonlit room yet. I haven’t put a knife in Maven’s back yet. Maybe he was more jealous of my escapade to the Stilts than I initially noticed. That’s the only thing he has to work with, and maybe the fact that Cal and I were obviously teasing each other before training just now. He’d never been so outwardly jealous of Cal though. His jealousy was always a quietly simmering pot that never overflowed. He was so much more dangerous because of that.

Pulling away from me when I stay silent, he gives me a rueful smile and turns to face the arena where Elane and Sonya are tearing each other to pieces. I can’t focus though; my mind turns into a tail spin of panic. Have we slipped up? Did I damn us a few nights ago? Are we even off track? What if we are? What has changed?

I am so lost in my own thoughts I almost miss Evangeline demanding our fight. Lifting my eyes to her, I take in her gloating smile. She senses my panic, but has no inclination of the source.

Maven jumps to my defense like a cat would to a mouse. Evangeline doesn’t back down though. I should be grateful for this, at least something is back on track. It’s been a while since I’ve been glad for Evangeline Samos, and even though she is not my friend now, she is the closest thing I’ve seen since training started.

 (/////)

 Sitting in the darkness of my room that night, I watch the moonlight as it passes over the floor. Are the Sentinels watching me on their screens, wondering if I’ve lost my mind? I doubt it. Unless Elara had told them to keep a closer eye on me. I wouldn’t be surprised, when she’d corned me and Maven in the hallway I had felt her creeping in my mind, searching in the mirrored halls I’d barely had enough time to drag up to protect my memories.

Sighing, I let my head fall into my hands as I breathe. Focusing on the hum of the cameras, I follow the source of the electricity along the wires. The purr of the current fills my senses and drowns me. For a moment, I let myself just exist in the peaceful darkness behind my eyelids. Things will only get harder from here. I regret not tuning for Montfort more than anything now. 

A gentle knock on the door drags me out of my meditation. Raising my eyes to the door, I wrap my robe tighter around me as I stand. My steps are near silent as I creep across the room and crack open the door.

Leaning against the frame of the doorway, Cal looks more exhausted than I’ve ever seen him. With a shadow creeping along his jaw, he looks more like he did in Montfort. He was on the verge of doom and greatness here, and there too. He wears the years he’s already lived tonight in the bags under his eyes and the weariness of his shoulders. 

When he spots the sliver of my face behind the door, he gives me a tentative smile. “Up for a dance?” He asks quietly as I open the door a little wider. 

Nodding, I let him pull me out of my room and toward a moonlit room where I can at least pretend for a little while that I’m safe even if I’m the furthest from safe that I’ve ever been.

 (////)  

 In the hours leading up to the ball, while I am being painted and primed, the names Maven gave as targets ring through my head. When he had visited me late in the dark to tell me them, I had expected him to give me different names. I’d whisper to Cal that I thought I had messed up, and given us away. He’d tried to assure me that everything would alright. And when we kiss this time, there was a desperation to it. Like Maven, he is terrified to lose me, and he poured that fear into the kiss he gave me. 

Reynold Iral, Ptolemus Samos, Ellyn Macanthos. Belicos Leorlan. Those names chase me and haunt my waking hours. The prospect of them being wrong, and Maven adding more names, or different ones, haunts me even more. 

Belicos with his two young children who will die tonight too, Ptolemus Samos who will live to someday kill my brother but father a beautiful daughter with Wren, Colonel Macanthos with her sly eye that can see right through Elara’s schemes, and Reynold, a man I’m pretty sure is lost somewhere anyway dance behind my eyelids and in the corner of my eyes. I don’t think I will ever be rid of my ghosts. 

I couldn’t breathe when I stood before Mareena and saw her in the mirror. She was lovely and wicked in the light of my room, and I’m sure she’ll look the same way at the ball tonight. The dress is the same riotous mess of gemstones and purple fabric that I hate even more this time around, especially when I have to stand next to Maven and observe him in his beautiful charcoal suit. He is beautiful in it, as beautiful as I remember. It makes my stomach twist every time I look at him.

The pleasantries leave me just as breathless, and I can feel Evangeline’s eyes on me as she glares down the line at the people who are to come. It’s almost a relief when Maven pulls me out onto the balcony, just so that I can inhale fresh air. As we go, I feel the brush of Cal’s hand as he reaches back to catch my skirt. My eyes dart to him in warning, but he’s already hiding the movement behind setting his hand on Evangeline’s back and smiling at Belicos as he steps forward to greet them.

Even as Maven pulls me onto the balcony, my heart is pounding. Seeing Belicos a second time does nothing to ease the ache in my heart. His children, I remember their bodies laid out next to his like they were nothing. Was Maven’s emotion in the moment a scam? Had he felt anything seeing their little bodies. I don’t know what’s real and the closer we get to the moment, the more my fear increases. .

         “You’re giving them a father.” I whisper, the words like poison on my tongue. He’d give anything to topple the Guard, and he did give everything. Even if I hadn’t been enough to completely crush us. At the same time though, he wasn’t the one to truly give those names. Elara told him who to pick and he acted like a good little mouth piece.  He could have chosen not to give that name though. In the moment he could have chosen to spare a father and his children. He’d made that choice. I know he’s braver than he claims, especially where Elara is concerned. Farley was right to call him a coward.

         He lets go of me but doesn’t step away when I speak. He stays close instead, his hands just ghosting over my skin. He looks like a marble statue in the moonlight, his lips drawn in a tight line. Achingly beautiful, a boy on the cusp of manhood and his own demise, an angel teetering over the edge of the abyss. 

He backs me into the wall, his eyes like chips of ice in the pale plane of his face. Slowly he places his hands on either side of my head, trapping me so that I have to listen to him.

         “Reynald is a father, too. The Colonel has children of her own. Ptolemus is now engaged to the Haven girl. They all have people; they all have someone who will mourn them.” The words are forced and cold. A part of him believes those words but the larger part of him, the one Elara has groomed to be king someday knows it must be done. “We can’t pick and choose how to help the cause, Mare. We must do what we can, whatever the cost.”

         My skin feels like it’s alive. I might electrocute him right here, right now, until he backs away from me. I have half a mind to press my hand to his chest and shove him over the balcony. It would take one push, and I know all the weak points to knock someone of balance now. It would be so easy. I could claim it was the Scarlet Guard, that they appeared on the balcony and pushed him.

         His breath is warm on my face as he whispers, “I want this to be done with the least blood shed possible.”

         His hand trembles as he brings it up to brush his fingertips along my cheek, a ghost of a touch, like he can’t bear to let his skin connect with mine. “Tonight will change everything.”

         My heart pounds harder against my ribs as he pulls back enough to give me space. His eyes dance away from me and back to the line of dwindling nobles. The pleasantries are over, it’s time. Even if I’m not ready. I’ll never be ready though.

         The shadows break again and I recognize Cal’s familiar outline as he steps onto the balcony. “You two all right out here?” His expression is hesitant, probably worried that he’s interrupted a moment that I am supposed to be getting information. His eyes linger on me, his expression softening. These next moments will be the hardest. “You ready for this, Mare?”

         Maven jumps on my silence. “She’s ready.”

         Taking my arm in his, he pulls me along. He was never this aggressive with me. At least, not that I remember. Maybe I had been so blinded by my emotions of the night that I hadn’t realized how he was acting. He’s agitated though, and monsters are dangerous like that. 

         Still, Cal’s fingers brush against my wrist, his touch somehow colder than Maven’s. I wish he actually took my hand and held it. When I look over my shoulder at him, his expression is stormy. He’d never been so outwardly nervous about Maven. At least he’s not afraid. We know what comes tonight. I told him what to expect, and he knows what he has to do. I wonder if he will be able to put Farley through the pain of the Gilican shiver’s torture now. I have to rely on him to do just that though.

        Evangeline appears at his side, her jewel encrusted fingers enclosing his arm. She squeezes tightly when she sees my eyes lingering on him. 

     Oh Evangeline. I wish I could help her now. She has her own battle to fight though. 

         Maven’s lips almost brush my ear as he whispers to me, “This is the hard part.”

         Even with all the eyes on me, I don’t blush. He pulls me into the frame but his skin is warmer than I remember. And as we start the dance, his eyes never leave my face. What is he looking for there?

         As we move in the box formation, he raises a brow and his lips curl into a smile. “You’ve been practicing.”

         “A bit, didn’t want to step on your toes.” I reply with my own smile. I put as much true joy as I can behind it. 

           His eyes flash for a moment and he leans a little closer to whisper, “You’re just full of surprises.” He chuckles, and the grin he gives me as he pulls back makes my stomach flutter. There is the boy that had captured my trust and my heart. I turn away at the sight of it, my stomach dropping.

         I spot Cal spin Evangeline, who looks more like a glittering ball of spikes than a human. I’m surprised she doesn’t slice Cal’s hands open when he rests them on the back of the dress. I miss her more casual regalia that she wears in Montfort. I never saw her casual outfits that she wore here, but I imagine she carried that style into Ascendant.

Sensing my gaze, Cal’s eyes meet mine. His fingers close around Evangeline’s waist, and a million memories of him doing the same thing with me come back. I can almost feel his hand sliding around my waist in the tiny living room of our apartment as he hums the song playing on the radio. I can remember laying my head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat and the sound of his humming reverberating in his chest. He can’t carry a tune to save his life, but it is still wonderful.

We spin through two songs until I feel dizzy with anticipation. Just when I think Maven will pull me to the side though, he leans close to me. I almost pull away, but instead force myself to stay close and turn my head slightly to give him a shy smile. His eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen them though.

         “I told you that everything changes tonight.” He breathes against my ear. I nod, confused where this is going. “And I do have to admit that I’ve… kept something from you.”

What? What is he getting at? I pull away, panic flaring through me as I search that face for the truth. He’s too good at hiding it though. I grip his hand tightly, prepared to push as much electricity through his body as I can muster.

His hand burns in my grip instead. My lips curl in pain, but he ignores it and spins me so that my back is to the crowd around us. Forcing me to step into the next dance, he tilts his head forward again to whisper. “I did give Farley four names. But I lied to you about one of them.”

“What are you talking about?” My voice is cold, dangerous too. He senses it, pulling back a fraction. We stop dancing, and his hands drop to his sides. My heart beats so erratically, I worry it might beat right out of my chest.

He tilts his head to the side, his lips falling. “Ptolemus is a good target. Removing him would send the officers into chaos. But there was… a better target, one that would cause more chaos.”

“Who did you give?”

Who did your mother give? I want to grab him by the shoulders and shake it out of him. His lips curl up slowly, a remorseful smile if I ever saw one from him. My blood goes cold at the sight of it.

“Farley agreed with me that you were getting too close, that your attention was becoming divided. She also agreed that if there was ever a time to cut the head off the snake it was now.” He takes my hand and squeezes my fingers. “I’ll step up in his place. My father will never recover from the loss, so Farley can do what she pleases. It is a win for all of us.”

Realization burns through my stomach, followed immediately by frozen panic. “What have you done?” I wheeze as I flip around, searching the crowd, desperately trying to find Cal’s silhouette. In the mass of bodies, I can’t find him and my fingers twitch at my sides as I glance up in the rafters. The Sentinels pace, searching the crowd but they are looking in the wrong places. Above them, shadows move too. The Guard is already in position, ready to carry our Farley’s plot. 

“I know that you two have become…friends.” Maven begins, taking my hand and pulling me back around so that I face him. I try to turn my head and search the crowd still, but he grabs my chin and drags my eyes back to his face. “That’s why I asked Farley to take the shot. She’ll give him a quick end. One bullet and a dynasty will end.”

One bullet that won’t miss. One bullet that will tear my future away from me. One bullet that will break me, because Farley never, ever misses.

My blood boils and sparks dance on my fingertips as I glare at him. Cold calm washes over me as the rush of adrenaline leaves. I am in battle mode now; survival is all I can think about when I stare down the man before me.

“Farley removed you from the mission. That’s why I didn’t tell you I gave her his name. She thought you might compromise us.”

We were wrong. I gave something away. Elara never would have dared to target Cal. She needs him to get rid of his father, she needs a scapegoat. But if she looked in my head or his and saw the future, she would have seen that he is more trouble than he’s worth. She would have found out that cutting him from the equation might someday save her and Maven.

If I turn and run after him, I will confirm whatever they believe about us, whatever they have found. But if I sit here, I will lose everything. I can’t go after him; I can’t save him or else I risk Farley and compromising this whole mission.

I am a selfish creature though. I always have been, and I always will be.

Ripping my hand from Maven’s grip I flip around to push my way through the crowd. I have time, there’s still time. I am racing against a clock I can’t see though. It’s like push through mud as I shove my way through the crowd. People gasp and glare at me, but I have eyes only for one person and I can’t find him.

My eyes start to water, and my breathing comes in ragged gasps.

Farley doesn’t miss. And she will make sure she doesn’t miss this time.

Memories of him lying on the sand of Harbor Bay, grey and lifeless threaten to overtake me. I shove them down. He won’t be made into a symbol tonight. I still have time.

There.

He stands with his back to me, speaking quietly with some military personnel or another. I shove through the last of the crowd, my hand extended for him. Elara’s eyes are on me, I can feel them, but I don’t care. I don’t care about keeping things on track. Jon can damn himself to the hells. I won’t lose him.

“Cal!” I scream his name, making him turn. His brows furrow, his expression confused by my panic and fear. I’m five steps away. Then four, hand outstretched as he takes a tiny movement forward as if he might meet me halfway. He never gets the chance.

The lights drop and four guns fire at the same time.

I scream so loud that my own ears ring. The lights around us flare to life on their own by the sheer force of my ability. My vision tunnels, even as someone slams into me from the side, screaming in panic as the lights directly above me explode in a shower of sparks. 

I shove them away from me and sprint to his downed form. The man he’d been speaking to is gone, probably lost in the panic. People are screaming, shouting and pointing to the roof.

I slide the last foot between us on my knees and come to his side. Blood, there’s so much blood. I choke on a sob as I try to find the source of it. His eyes are open though, and his mouth opens and closes like a gaping fish.

Relief like nothing I’ve ever felt rushes through me, and I choke on his name as I feverishly try to find the source of the blood. It’s staining his uniform and pooling around his shoulder. His hands press to his chest, and I immediately press my hands on top of his. Sticky, burning blood pours through my fingers though.

“Mare.” His voice is ragged as he gasps my name, and I tear my eyes from the wound long enough to meet his eye. His going grey, the black undertones starting to appear under his eyes.

“No, stop trying to talk. You have to keep breathing.” I cry as I press the heels of my palms harder into the wound. More blood pours out and I feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle when I reach down and rip some of my dress off to press it to the wound. “Healer! Someone get a healer!” I scream to the panicked crowd. They’re like spooked animals though. No one notices their crown prince on his back bleeding out.

His hand closes weakly around my wrist and squeezes, trying to get my attention. His eyes are wide, but his expression is anything but fearful. “Don’t—” he begins, but ends up coughing on blood instead.

“No, no, no.” I sob as I push harder and glare at him. “No last words Calore. Not tonight. You’re going to be fine. You’re going to sit and drink coffee and talk with Julian again, and see Clara and my family again. And—and we’re going to see our baby, we’re going to hold him and watch him grow and become a better person than either of us. It’s going to be fine. Everything will be fine!”

His grip weakens on my wrist even as he smiles. My throat closes and I drop my chin to my chest. It’s a pretty picture I paint, but it fades with every slow beat of his heart. “Help!” I scream uselessly one more time, hoping someone will hear, that someone will come to my aid.

The crowd parts for a moment, and Sara who whipped around at the sound of my scream finds me. She barrels her way to us, and drops to her knees on Cal’s other side.

“Help him, save him.” I sob at her.

Her lips twist at the sight of all the blood, but she immediately pushes my hands away from the wound and replaces my hands with hers. Cal’s head falls back and his eyes close the minute she does. I leap for him, grabbing his face and trying to get him to open his eyes again. His neck falls slack in my grip through and I end up almost shaking him.

“Open your eyes, open your fucking eyes.” I scream at him, tears pouring like rivers down my cheeks. Hands grab me and try to pull me away, but I thrash against them and scream. When I’m flipped around, I meet Julian’s tortured expression.

He pulls me to him, keeping me out of Sara’s way as she works. His eyes never leave his nephew’s face. I wonder if he is seeing his sister in his grey features. Cal looks like a corpse, and my entire body feels like a live wire set to explode at any second.

“Don’t let him die. Please, don’t let him die.” I beg Sara, reaching a hand out to grab Cal’s hand. It’s cold in my grip and I almost vomit when my stomach clenches.

Her eyes dance up to me, and I see the resolve there. Is he lost? I don’t know if I will be able to bear that burden, if I will be able to survive this crushing blow.

She pulls her blood stained hands away and I dive out of Julian’s arms to grab at Cal. For a moment, I think he’s truly gone and a pained sob leaves my chest, sounding more like a scream than a moment of weakness. Underneath my hands though, his chest hitches with a breath, and then begins to rise and fall slowly.

The ballroom is practically empty around us. The royals have fled, the Sentinels have gone after Farley and the others. All that is left is us and the corpses. But there is one less among them.

“Cal,” I whisper to him as I brush his hair off his forehead. His eyes open for a moment only to close in a grimace.

“I wasn’t one of the targets.” He breathes, and I slowly let my forehead fall to rest on his chest. He wasn’t, but he survived. Turning to answer my call had saved his life. He’d changed his positioning, too fast for Farlet to correct her shot before the lights went out. She’d shot blindly, and almost succeeded in killing him.

“This sounds like a conversation for more… private chambers.” Julian’s voice is a dangerous rumble. I glance at him over my shoulder, belatedly realizing that he saw me sob over a prince that is not mine. He heard Cal mention targets, and judging by the fury behind his eyes, he is rapidly putting two and two together.

“Julian,” I reach for him, but he pushes to stand and then steps up to Cal’s other side.

“Sara will finish her work in my rooms. You two will come with us.” He bends down to grab one of Cal’s arms and help him sit up. I almost try to stop him, but he glares down at me. “Help me get him up and moving. We will have to move quickly.”

I crawl over Cal and grab his other arm before helping him to his feet. He stumbles, barely able to take his own weight. I grunt underneath him, and press into his side. Already I can feel the heat returning to his skin, and it sends such a thrum of relief through me that I have to swallow more tears.

 (////)

 Julian’s rooms are dark and after he helps me deposit Cal on one of the couches, he works quickly to shut all the curtains and lock the doors. I search for the cameras, but there are none for me to turn off.

He lights a few candles and brings them to the side table to light Sara’s work space. She shoes me away and takes my place at Cal’s side before tearing his ceremonial suit off. While she healed the artery that was severed, there is still a bullet in his chest. I can just catch one of the edges reflecting in the dim light.

Sara holds out an expectant hand and not even a heartbeat later, Julian sets a small cloth wrapped set of tools in her hands. She sets them in her lap and goes to work as I edge around the back of the couch and take one of Cal’s hands in my own. His pulse is getting stronger with every passing second, and his grip increases as Sara digs the first tool in to get the bullet out.

“Both of you, talk.” Julian’s fury is like nothing I’ve seen before. Even when I came to him for help in freeing Farley and Kilorn, he had still been soft, quiet. This fury is the fury of a man that has seen horrible dark places and is terrified to be forced back into them. 

I glance at Cal who grimaces and grinds his teeth together when Sara starts to tug on the bullet. He won’t be able to make this decision right now.

“You wouldn’t believe us.” I say quietly before looking up at Julian and begging him to understand my hesitation. 

“Try me.” He grinds out past his clenched jaw.

My stomach turns and Cal squeezes my hand. I glance down at him, and he nods slowly. We have been compromised. It’s time.

“You have to… listen the whole time. Don’t waste time with questions.” I urge, and in the low light, Julian’s nod creates dark shadows across his features. He looks older than I’ve ever seen him. Bowing my head, I inhale slowly and then launching into the story, starting with the most dangerous truth.

It takes more time than I want for Sara to finish with Cal, and for me to finish the story. As he gets stronger, Cal interjects, adding bits and pieces that I forget. Julian keeps true to his word and stays quiet, but his expression pulls into a deeper and deeper frown as we go. 

“How could you not trust me with this. If you know what I am to be to you, why would you not seek out my help immediately?” He pushes to his feet and begins pacing the space before us. Sara watches him, her eyes solemn.

“We—I didn’t want to put you in danger.” Cal whispers, pushing to a sitting position. I try to push him back down, but he fights me off.

“I end up in danger anyway.” Julian turns his gaze on Cal, but it’s softened considerably. I relax as he steps forward to look both of us over. “You’re certain Elara knows the truth?”

“Cal wasn’t a target. But Maven made him one tonight and pushed me off the mission. He knew about me and Cal and if he knows about that, then he knows about everything else.” I whisper, and take the rag Sara had brought a few minutes ago. Wiping some of the blood of Cal’s chest, I shake my head. “I gave us away completely tonight by saving you.”

Cal closes a hand over mine and squeezes softly.

“You must have given yourselves away some time before that.” Julian stops his pacing to set his fists on his hips. Glaring at the carpet like it is the sole reason for his worry, he says, “and now you are once again at the mercy of Elara’s mechanisms.”

“Not exactly.” Cal argues, sitting up completely and starting to shrug his uniform jacket on. Julian raises a brow at his words, but waits until Cal gives up with the buttons to let him speak. 

“We know what her ultimate end game is, and there is more than one way to get to the point we want.” Cal glances at me warily. “You and Maven are supposed to meet with Farley when we get to Archeon. You are going to have to warn her, and tell her the truth. All of it.”

I jump to my feet, shock coursing through me. “Have you lost your mind? Julian would understand, but Farley?”

“Farley will understand if you tell her the truth and give her proof.” Cal urges.

Sara and Julian watch our responses bounce back and forth like spectators at some sports match. It’s my turn to pace though, so I start wearing a trench into the floor, grabbing fistfuls of my gown as I do so. “Even if I did manage to get her to believe me, what are we going to do?”

“Elara doesn’t know that I know right?” He reasons with a tilt of his head. I pause my pacing to glance at him. He finishes buttoning up his jacket and nods at whatever plan is forming in his head. “She may think you are the only person that knows the future. That only you are here.”

“What are you talking about? If she’s seen my memories—”

“Then she’s only seen the ones formed before.” Julian jumps on the plan. His eyes dart between the two of us. “You would know if she was in your head Cal. And you are certain she has not looked. She has only seen your memories Mare. As far as she is concerned you are the only person with knowledge of the future.”

“Then why get rid of Cal tonight?” I wave a hand at him for emphasis. My fingers are still shaking, and my body still feels numb from the near death scare.

“You said so yourself. He plays a role in toppling her and Maven. Remove the tumor before it becomes cancer.” Julian offers with a shrug. Setting his hand on my shoulder, he gives me a tired smile. “You may still have a card up your sleeve. Go to… Farley, and get her to believe your story. Make a new plan, one that will put you back on track.”

How am I going to do that? How will I keep Maven in the dark? I’m smart, but he’s always been so much smarter than me, and with the knowledge Elara now has, the game has just become that much harder.

Cal rises on shaky legs, his expression cold. “Speaking of Farley, she might be done in the cells now.”

My blood goes cold and I blink stupidly. “But you didn’t catch her this time. She got away.”

“I didn’t catch her the first time. The Sentinels had already apprehended her by the time I caught up to them.” He nods to Sara and with a slow dip of his head whispers, “thank you, for saving my life.”

She smiles at him, a tiny weak expression but it lights up her face. She takes Julian’s hand and rises from her chair.

It feels good to have the two of them on our side now, playing the game with us. Maybe with them, we can actually win this time around.

[themadauthorshatter]

Creative wave. And things are picking up

Red School AU/UA Headcanons/Story Arc 2 PART 2!!!!!!!!!

We pick up where we left off with Cal, confused and worried by the exchange between Mare and his father, looking between Mare as she leaves and Tiberias, who's looking back at his people as they wave goodbye.

A lot look sad, but a lot more look like they're trying to hide a smirk.

It gives Cal a sick feeling in his stomach.

Tibe notices and asks if he's alright, since he's been a little off his game for a while.

Cal turns to him with a smile and says he's just nervous because if maguc really does exist in wherever they're going, he's more concerned about being pulled underwater by a leviathan than a war.

Tibe chuckles and admits that that's one of the least of his concerns.

Cal joins him on the upper deck and the two watch the people as the boat departs, Cal sighing and hoping this goes smoothly and quickly.

He's clearly never been in a YA book series.😑

Regardless, Tibe echoes with, "Let's hope so." or "One can hope."

Now, I know what you're thinking, "OP, where's Maven? He disappeared with Elara, sure, but where is he?"

Well, we cut to their conversation, more specifically Maven as he fights a gag as the ship starts moving. Elara asks him if he's alright, and is going to be alright, and he groans he'll be fine. He then asks if she has any plans for when they arrive to they're destination.

Elara corrects him if they arrive, all things considered, but no there isn't exactly a plan.

After somer silence, Maven starts to sort of shuffle in his seat and avoid his mother's eyes, cursing himself mentally as he asks her if they really have to go through with their plan.

Elara proceeds to hold Maven's hand and remind him of how his father ignored him for Cal, kept Cal in his heart when he wouldn't allow the same for Maven. Cal's foolish, suffering from big-heart-with-feelings syndrome and tunnel vision, hardly seeing options that deliver the best results. Maven, however, doesn't have that problem. He'd rather avoid conflict and war by any means, for the most part, and is clever enough to get out of tight situations. Cal only sees a way through an obstacle, not around, over, or under like Maven.

With both her hands wrapped around one of Maven's, she assures him it is for those reasons he would make a much better King than Cal.

He nods and asks, if they continue forward, what will happen to Cal and Mare. Sure they might cause a few problems, but maybe an 'accident' can happen if/when they reach the Endless Woods, one where they accidentally lose them in the woods and SGE, maybe throw them down a well or to a dragon and say, 'c'est la vie, shit happens,' so Maven can step up. If not that, have Cal be proven unworthy for the throne and have Maven be the King.

Elara admits he's got some really good ideas, but if Cal and Mare are still alive, the mistake of letting them live will come back to bite them. As fun as it would be to shame Tibe, for putting Cal on a pedestal, and Cal, because he's the crown prince and gets nothing but Tibe's good graces, it's better that they eliminate the possibility of having Cal and Mare coming back to take the throne.

Regardless, Elara assures Maven that if he can't get his hands dirty, she'll gladly do it for him. A gift from mother to son, as she wants no th hing but the best for her boy.

With that conversation done, Elara stands and tells Maven they're needed on the deck, to show the Red villagers they're powerful because it's the idea that scares people more than the real thing.

Maven nods and says he'll be out in a second, as he wants to make a grand entrance.

Elara smile-smirks at this and hugs him before leaving.

Once she's gone, though, Maven sits back down and sighs, rubbing his face and messing up his hair; between the two of them, he might need his mother to be the one to get their hands dirty. All he needs to do is be stoic and play the right part.

But what part am I playing when I'm with them? He asks himself as he gets up and fixes his hair. Have I even been acting since Mare came here? Maven sighs and leaves the room, making that grand entrance, like he said he would.

He looks back at Elara and then to Cal, the two brothers sharing a nervous smile between them.

One thing is certain: in the end, none of it will even matter. But what will matter? And what is the ending for all of us?

CUT TO THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL!!!

In the Theater of Tales, the students are filing in and taking their seats.

We find a very fidgety Sophie as she wonders why they're assembled in the first place. With a gasp amd squeal, she wonders if the 'mistake' made on Day 1 is finally being fixed, so she can go in Good and Agatha can be in Evil.

Hester sighs that she wishes, because she and Anadil sure as hell will, if Sophie doesn't shut up, though Anadil wants her gone more because of an 'accident' in the dorm that left her rats pink. Sophie snaps she apologized for that, as the three should've left the room, if they didn't want any highlights.

Hester mutters that it's no wonder Good hasn't taken her, and even hopes that the assembly is a public 'expelltion,' so Sophie can leave and never come back.

Dot, however, simply replies that it's probably not for a transfer, but it might be about something else. Anadil and Hester ask what, but Dot shrugs, because it was called by order of the School Master himself.

Sophie isn't paying attention at all, because she's staring at Tedros as he walks in, talking and laughong with a couple of his friends as they take their seats.

They're equally confused about the emergency meeting, but, hey, whatever gets them out of their boring classes, right?

Beatrix spots him and waves from him to sit next to her, but Tedros sits behind Agatha and comments to her that he's never seen the students so chatty of whispery with each other since the fiasco with Agatha and Sophie claiming to see the School Master.

Agatha chides, as a semi-joke, that she wasn't joking about that, but if he wants to keep feeding that fluffy hair of his rather than his brain, that's fine by her.

Tedros laughs and does a mini hair flip, asking if she really thinks it's that fluffy, which makes Agatha giggle a little bit.

Now, from her stand point, Sophie notices this exchange and tries to see more and get Agatha's attention.

All that happens instead is Brone and Mona sitting down and blocking her view. She still tries to look and asks for them to sit elsewhere and Brone responds by getting comfortable whole Mona mirrors Sophie's actions, just to get under her skin.

Back with Tagatha- I mean, Tedros AND Agatha(sorry about that, my hand,uh,... slipped😶), they spot Sophie trying to spot them and Tedros glares at her, before dipping until his chin's resting on the back of Agatha's seat.

Agatha sits back as well and asks if he's still mad about the Trial and what led up to it.

"Define 'mad,'" Tedros grumbles, asking that if the person who promised to help, but left her alone to practically die, would she still want anything to do with said person?

Agatha has no response.

Good thing, too, because as the lrofessors take their places on their respective sides, above, the windows shoot open and doves and butterflies swoop in and circle the center of the stage, between the professors, who all cover their eyes as blinding white fills where the animals are circling, though Sader just smiles and laughs("Oh, this is FINALLY getting interesting!"). The animals fade from the gound up to reveal a man in a silver cloak, his robes white and his suit and boots black, wearing Good, Evil, and the Moral Grey that binds the two. He's also wearing a mask, one that's also silver, but one half is black while the other is white. They can, mostly, see his eyes though, for easier non-verbal communication for us and them.

Yes. This is the School Master, who we the audience know as Rhian; if this was a real thing, we wouldn't know yet, I'm just saying it niw because it's easier that way, and it's less tedious.

All students and the professors gasp, maybe we even see Espada look over at a disappointed Sader, about to ask why he's not surprised, before quickly remembering he's blind as hell and looks back at Rhian.

Tedros is especially flabbergasted, skack jawed as Agatha groans about how she liked what he'd worn before, an a grey and white robe with no shoes.

No one says a word, which is good because Rhian has a very, very, very, VERY important announcement to make:

The royal family of Norta is on their way, at this moment, as he speaks. The King is coming, the Queen is coming, both Princes are coming, and their betrotheds are coming, so everyone needs to behave themselves. That means no pranks, no missing classes, no slacking with hygiene(a stupid rule, but necessary because first impressions are everything and the literal King is coming, so they'd better make it count), no silly rivalries, and, most if all, they must show the unity and balance between Good and Evil, show that, yes they are opposites, but yhere are always two halves to a coin, two halves to a story. What better way to prove that than with the students cooperating.

For now, they'll have to forget who takes the next win in the Circus of Talents or the next fairytale, because fighting will do nothing to help them find peace with the new comers.

The students look each other over and silently agree; even villains know to leave a good impression.

Hester and Anadil are especially reluctant, but Dot tells them that things have been getting boring and these visitors will be a fresh change of pace from what they're used to, seeing as Sophie and Agatha are kind of old news now. She gives Sophie a quick 'no offense' and asks if she's at least got the basic idea of what she's trying to say.

Too bad Sophie tuned out at 'Princes,' which means her dream has come true: Cal and Maven are coming and can whisk her away from Gavaldon and the School for Evil. If this was a graphic novel, we'd see her monologue and smile up at a dream/vision of Cal sweeping her up in his arms as the two hug, both smiling and happy and dressed in white for a wedding, flowersand eose petals surrounding the frame with bells in the background. Her hands are wringed together, a tear's in her eye, and she can barely contain her excitement.

This thought is quite literally popped by Dot, who asks if Sophie's even listening at this point, or heard what Rhian said about them being on their best behavior.

Even though she's upset, Sophie nods, saying she'll be so good, Good itself will look Evil.

As the students file out- Sophie sprinting out to clean up and re-familiarize herself on her makeup and lotions- Agatha is still reeling from Rhian's words, stopping in the clearing on the way back to class to get her thoughts together.

Cal, Maven, and Mare are coming to the SGE. She NEVER thought she'd be able to see or meet them, but she is.

It settles in Agatha that she's going to meet them and cries tears of joy, more than excited to meet who she's been writing to for a month or so, maybeca little less.

CUT BACK TO THE SILVERS AS THEY SAIL!

Good news: They're getting closer to their destination. Bad news: it's storming outside.

The High House children, Mare, Cal, and Maven are all hanging out together because they're bored with a capital B. Ptolemus and Cal are arm wrestling with Olliver reffing, Sonya's doing a cat's cradle, Elane's taking a nap, and Evangeline, Mare, and Maven are playing Poker; they're going easy on Mare because she doesn't know how to play, though Evangeline's so bored she can't tease her for it.

The ship rocks and Sonya stops a vase from falling, Cal gets the leg up he needs on Ptolemus, and Maven holds down the deck of cards as Evangeline groans that this is a long ass trip.

As he shakes out his arm, Cal tells Evangeline it could be anywhere between a week to ten days, so long as they follow the path the School Master gave them.

Evangeline raises an eyebrow at this and stands up, asking Cal if he really believes this school of fairytales exists.

Cal admits that it's kind of late to be asking as he and Ptolemus switch arms and go again.

Ptolemus tells Evangeline to relax and try to enjoy herself; they'll be on the ship for a little while and can't afford to tear each other apart.

Sonya sighs and sets down her cat's cradle, stating that this whole thing is probably just a ploy made by the Lakelanders to invade Norta. It was an attempt made before, so she wouldn't be surprised if it happened again.

As he and Mare set up checkers, Maven states Norta should be fine. Tibe, Elara, Lucas, and Ptolemus are gone, but Volo and the rest of House Samos, House Osanos, House Merandus, and the other High Houses are still there, so they should be okay to leave for a little while. And they're sending telegrams to the Summer Palace and White Fire Palace, to fool the Lakelanders, in case they intercept their messages to compromise them.

After a few minutes of silence, brought to you by Evangeline joining Elane in that nap, Cal and Ptolemus on their feet as they arm wrestle, even throwing jabs at each other, Olliver and Sonya having a staring contest, and Mare and Maven playing checkers for some snacks.

This should all be more strategic-training stuff, but tge idea of these noble and royal kids being normal teenagers is just too gold for me.

Mare and Maven eventually give up checkers to watch Cal arm wrestle for his life, Evangeline and Elane waking to watch as wellwith Sonya and Olliver joining in and they all take they're sides: Maven, Mare, and Olliver bet on Cal winning as Evangeline, Sonya, and Elane bet on Ptolemus.

They're all bored, it's 7pm, they have a week together, so they might as well.

Caught in the fun, Cal and Ptolemus take their coats off, so they still have their shirts on, and psyche themselves and each other up.

What does the winner get? Well, the original prize was slapping the loser in the face, but Cal doesn't want Ptolemus to throw him overboard and Ptolemus, even though he's kicked Cal's ass before, isn't comfortable with slapping the crown prince in the face, so they considered the winner could PUNCH the loser in the face, but decided that was also a bad idea, so the winner just gets bragging rights. And has to do 35 pushups.

Lame prize, but everyone agrees.

The two sit down and join hands before Evangeline slaps a metal band around their hands and in the crooks of their elbows, which keeps them to the table, so they don't cheat, and Maven holds their fists in the middle of the table, fake reffing and saying he wants a clean match, so no roid rage from Ptolemus and no spontaneous combustion from Cal. The two glare each other down, fighting ring style, and then Cal sicks his tongue out just to be a dick.

Then they go at it, arm wrestling as hard as they can with their respective teams cheering them on, a little quietly though, because people might be sleeping.

There's jabs thrown, name calling, and maybe the hint of below the belt, but Cal manages to best the berserker, with the jab of, "If I was still General of the Shadow Legion, I'd make you mop floors for a week," to which Ptolemus replies, "Bite me," and Cal owns him by asking him how he won so many fights against Ptolemus in training.

The two are freed and shake hands, the teams applauding for the show.

I know this part is kinda filler, but it's fun and sillyness for teenagers who are usually not too happy with each other, let them have this moment.

Also, TIME FOR A TIME JUMP MONTAGE BETWEEN THE SGE CREW AND THE RED QUEEN CREW!

We see Hester and Anadil yell at an oblivious Sophie as she does her hair and makeup while they hold the brightly colored rats, who are now wearing bows. Cut to Mare watching the sun rise with Cal and Maven behind her, secretly high fiving at a job well done of cheering her up. Cut back to the school as Agatha organizes her room and tidies up(FIRST. IMPRESSIONS.) Beatrix and other Evergirls watch with a freaked out look, but leave when she looks over at them. Cut back the RQ cast with Tibe checking in on the captain of the ship to see they're going the right way. How do they know where they're going? Rhian sent a Stymph to guide them. All they need to do is keep it in their sight, and they'll reach the SGE in no time. Speaking of the SGE, cut to Tedros practicing some sword tricks and finishing with an introduction of himself. He asks Agatha, Tristan, and Chaddick how that was and the boys say he looked impressive, very flashy. They leave and Agatha asks if "flashy" is what Tedros wants the Silvers to see, if he wants them to see the Prince of Camelot with the arrogance of a pecock and the best at the sword, or the real Tedros, who's probavly just as scared and nervous as they are. Tedros admits he wants to be both, but admits that sometimes there can't be a 'both.' Agatha suggests he just flip the sword in his hand rather than go all out, so he can leave an impression, but still show he's someone important that's worth knowing. He thanks her and she leaves, Tedros smiling as she leaves. Cut to Maven, who's looking over a Pro and Con list and is obviously stressing over it because as much as he loves his mother and the idea of being King, he also loves Cal and Mare, so he's in a stalemate with himself. Cut to Anadil as she pets one of her rats as the other two rest on her shoulders, all three with black fur again. Cut to Evangeline and Ptolemus making sure their metal 'armor' resrs well on their bodies, forearm for Evangeline and ankles for Ptolemus. Cut to Agatha trying to doll up, but failing, which is overseen by Kiko, Beatrix, Millicent and Reena, who meet her eyes and pull her into the girl's Groom Room, where we get a match cut from Reena wiping the makeup off Agatha's face to a Red maid applying Mare's 'Silver' makeup as she reads the note Agatha sent. She accidentally papercuts herself and the calore brothers and Evangeline notice. As Maven distracts her, Cal quickly patches up Mare as a small bit of blood leaves her finger. He also hands her some gloves he found and tells her to keep them on until the cut heals. Evangeline asks if she's okay, faking it muchly, but Mare says she just scared herself. Cut to Kiko helping Agatha with her curtsey and Sophie rehearsing for when she meets Cal. Tedros is doing his own rehearsing, in the form of juggling his sword, sheathing it, and then extending a hand to introduce himself. He ultimately decides to lose the sword juggling and just go for a head bow and a hand shake. Cut to another storm with Maven and Cal giving Mare half-scared, 'sorry' smiles as she glares at them; they both saw some rocks and thought it was a cracken or leviathan. They didn't attack it, but they did scream and it woke her up.

Cut to the courtyard at the SGE, with the Evers and Nevers lined up and both are looking spick and span, even though they're all tired because it's an hour past dawn.

Sophie is giddy as hell, possibly being the only one in the Never line who's actually excited to be awake. Hester and Anadil sarcastically wonder why as Dot struggles to stat awake; Anadil's allowing her to lean on her for the time being until the Silvers arrive.

Tedros sighs and tries not to mess up his hair or fidget, because etiquette, when he spots Agatha, who's pretty as a picture and makes staring forward hard for all the students, even Sophie, who notices Tedros staring and scoffs, "She's not THAT pretty," with a flip of her hair.

Tedros compliments her and Agatha says it was Kiko's idea and Beatrix and her friends helped, because being friends with Sophie obviously taught her shit.

They take their places and watch the entrnce of the school, wondering when the Silvers will arrive. Tedros anickers that Sophie apparently can't wait, and assures Agatha they'll arrive safely. From what Cal said in his letters, that he's a soldier, they should be okay.

Funny he says that because carriages drawn by horses pull up.

Guess who's inside in groups of two? 😁🤩😃

The Evergirls all squeal, though Sophie gets hella excited for Agatha, who's trying to keep it together.

AND SO ARRIVE THE ROYAL FAMILY AND A COUPLE GUESTS LED BY TIBERIAS AND ELARA!!!!!

The students all bow and Rhian makes his entrance, with flare and pizazz, because pageantry.

From her place beside Maven, Mare chuckles, "Show off." before they start approaching.

Sophie spots Cal, and ignores Evangeline on his arm, and waves at him, even though he's in stoic, soldier, prince mode.

He catches her, because she's waving, but looks back at where they're walking, just giving a glimpse because HE'S NETROTHED TO EVANGELINE.

"You saw that girl? The one waving?" Maven murmurs.

Cal remains silent, but gives the slightest hint if a nod.

"That one's Soohie. Apparently she thinks she's supposed to be in the school where the other princes and princesses are."

The party stops in front of Rhian, who's looking absolutely incredible in his suit and cloak and mask.

It unsettles just about everyone, but Rhian bows and magucs a bouquet of navy, silver, and white roses for Elara.

"Your Majesties, welcome to the School for Good and Evil."

They all exchange greetings, though Rhian takes a second to look at Mare, noting hiw she's the only one in gloves and looks paler than the rest, almost... cakey. (Hmmmmmm?)

Regardless, he has the Silver party escorted to their rooms, Professor Dovey escorting the girls, Espada escorting the boys, and Rhian leading Tibe and Elara, hopin they don't mind if he asks a few questions.

Tibe agrees, as long as he can ask his own questions as well.

They leave and Rgian tells the students to return to their schedules and basically keep doing what they're doing, and to leave the party alone because they've had a long travel and need to rest.

He leaves with Tibe and Elara, and all the students instantly start talking, excited, giddy, and possibly in over their heads. Especially Sophie, who frets that Cal didn't see her in her refurbished Never dress that took her all week to make.

Agatha is only enamored want knows that after lessons, she's finding one of the gurls and talking to her, consequences be damned because if they travelled all the way from Norta to the Endless Woods, then there's a chance they can take her and Sophie back to Gavaldon.

Sophie, however, has a different objective, and its name is Tiberias Calore VII.

[safespacespence]

congratulations again on 200!! i’m so proud of you because you deserve it so much and you’re the sweetest person ever, ily <3

can i get a

💇‍♂️ : i am very spontaneous and i find chemistry really interesting and i am also a big procrastinator yikes

🤷‍♀️ : elara :p

🍦 : my favourite ice cream order is cookies and cream always

come join my 200 party!

HI ELARA! oh thank you so so much. tbh i feel like we barely interact yet somehow i feel like i can trust you so easily and so readily. i think you just have such a sweet and kind atmosphere around you, so that's why.

💇‍♂️ ooooh i think that i'm gonna have to give you season 1 spencer, babiest reid!! this man needs a little spontaneity in his life, and you'd be perfect to introduce that into his life. maybe you met while he did his chemistry phd, and he's been kinda crushing on you since. yall were study buddies, and he would push you to do your work because you'd keep procrastinating, and you'd drag him along on some crazy adventure. but he loved the thrill of it all, and since then, associates a good time with you. so when you get all flirty, he honestly can't tell if it's a joke or not, but you've brought out the spontaneity in him, and he, for some reason, has the nerve to confess to you.

🤷‍♀️ elara. what an interesting name. this gives me navy blue, sweaters and glasses, shared music through a pair of earphones. confessing your love to someone in a very delicate and quiet manner, like a playlist or a small note left in their locker. falling asleep in class in a comfy sweater, and a brunette boy with fluffy hair waking you up by asking if he can borrow a pencil.

OH I LOVE COOKIES AND CREAM MMMM 🍦cookies and cream - tie-dying t-shirts for fun, summer with your best friend, hazy sunsets, takeout pizza and picnics

[queen-scribbles]

Kaira

I figured Father’s Day would be a good day to let Tel unleashed his Dad Energy, so have the fic where he finally gets to meet Kaira. :D

---

Tel’s glance at the wall chrono showed the same exact time as the last three checks and he dropped onto the couch with a loud, disgruntled huff. His knee started bouncing the second he braced his feet against the low table and he let his head fall back to stare at the ceiling.

Elara’s face filled his view, upside down, as she leaned over. “Soon, love.”

“Soon isn’t soon enough,” Tel grumbled. He cracked his knuckles and his knee bounced faster.

“I know.” She kissed his forehead, a faint smile curing her lips when she pulled back. “This is about the state I thought you’d be in today,” she said softly, and kissed his nose.

“I see what you’re doing, Els,” Tel murmured, reaching up to rub her arm with one hand.

“Mm, do you?”

He smiled at the mischief in her voice. “You’re tryin’ to distract me by bein’ all... you.”

Elara laughed softly. “Only temporarily. So you don’t go stir-crazy.” She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “Is it working?”

“Sort of.” His hand slid up to cup the back of her neck and he craned upward for a more serious kiss. “You know I love you, sweetheart, but I’m also really lookin’ forward to meeting her.”

Elara’s smile widened. “Understandable.” She kissed his forehead again, then circled the couch to sit next to him. “I’m glad you’re so looking forward to it, dearest. According to Aleksei, Kaira’s been bouncing off the walls and counting down days since we made arrangements.”

“Sounds about right,” Tel said with a chuckle. “She is my daughter, which means enthusiasm is in her blood. And she’s yours, which means orderliness is, as well.”

She laughed and rubbed his arm. “Only time will tell which she gravitates toward more.”

He was just opening his mouth to reply when his comm beeped, followed shortly by the fuzzy blue holo of Hylo grinning ear to ear. “Shuttle on approach, Commander. Thought you’d want to know.”

“You thought right,” Tel said, already pushing off the couch. “Thanks, we’ll be right there.” He closed the connection and offered Elara a hand up. “They’re early.”

She smiled. “You’re complaining?”

Tel grinned and started tugging her toward the door. “Hell, no.”

---

Tel, with Elara close behind him, made it down to the hanger bay before the shuttle even docked. It took everything in him to keep from bouncing like an impatient child as he watched the small craft ease into the hanger with a near-perfect landing. Elara interlaced her fingers with his and he held tight.

The shuttle’s small size meant it held no more than four or five passengers, so at least it wouldn’t be a long wait for the anticipated parties--

The door was barely open when a short, dark-haired figure came streaking down the ramp and darted across the tarmac. She skidded to a halt in front of Tel and surveyed him with eager curiosity. (An inspection that mattered more to him than any drill instructor or CO’s ever had.) 

“You’re my dad?” she asked, shoving hair out of her eyes, back toward her slipping-loose ponytail.

Tel went to one knee, putting them almost eye-level(she was tall for her age). “That’s me-”

Kaira barely let him get the words out before she flung her arms around his neck in a ferociously tight hug driven by so much enthusiasm it almost knocked him over. Her complete lack of hesitation made his heart swell and he tried in vain to swallow the lump in his throat as he hugged her back.

“Mom’s told me all about you,” she said, pulling back just enough to grin at him, displaying the gaps from three lost baby teeth.

“There’s a scary thought,” Tel joked, voice rough, and shot Elara a smirk.

She rolled her eyes and lightly bopped the back of his head. “I promise I painted you in a flattering light, dearest. Hence her excitement.”

“Good point,” Tel relented, and Elara smiled.

“Now” --she turned to Kaira, arms held out-- “do I get one of those hugs as well, darling?”

“Oh. Yeah!” Kaira released her grip on Tel and pivoted to wrap an almost as enthusiastic hug around her mother’s waist. “Missed you, Mom.”

Tel pushed to his feet and turned to the other figure, who had followed Kaira down the ramp and been watching the meeting/reunion with a quiet smile.  “Aleksei, good to see you.”

“You as well.” Aleksei grasped the hand Tel held out to shake, his smile turning wry as he nodded at their joined hands. “And with no barriers this time.”

Tel laughed as they released the handshake. “Yeah, Elara told me you managed to earn the brass’ trust.” The scarring Elara had mentioned was obvious as well; up the right side of Aleksei’s neck and climbing over his jaw to stop just shy of his cheekbone, a small divot in his eyebrow, permanently red and rough skin on the back of his hand.

Aleksei chuckled. “Yes, though I do wish it had taken slightly less than getting myself blown up to do so.”

Tel snorted. “Word of warning; they only give you medals for the first couple times you do that. Then it’s more likely they’ll grouse about your medical expenses than commend your braver-- Ow!” He laughed and rubbed his arm where Elara had whacked him.

“Don’t be encouraging my brother to follow in your footsteps, dearest,” she admonished, fighting a smile. “Worrying about one of you is quite enough.”

“I was warning him not to, Els,” Tel protested.

“And he made a very compelling case,” Aleksei chipped in.

“Thank you.” Tel gave his arm another exaggerated rub. “Now, can I spend some more time with Kaira without being assaulted, please?”

“Oh, very well,” Elara said with feigned reluctance, letting her arm slip from Kaira’s shoulders. “I’m certain Aleksei and I will find something to discuss. You two have fun, and don’t cause trouble.”

“I wasn’t gonna,” Kaira protested, looking offended at the warning.

“I was talking to your father,” Elara said, smiling as she shot Tel a meaningful look.

“Oh, fine,” he sighed, grinning. “I’ll have to come up with a different father-daughter bonding activity.”

Elara rolled her eyes and laughed, then moved to talk to her brother.

“Do you like causin’ trouble?” Kaira asked as they headed through the base toward the elevator.

“Yeah,” Tel admitted with a laugh, examining the narrow braid around her ponytail. It currently appeared to be the only thing holding it in place. “But it has to be the right kind of trouble, in the right place, to be the most fun. We’ll manage some while you’re here, but for now let’s listen to Mom, huh?”

“Okay.” Kaira nodded, furthering the precarious state of her ponytail. “Mom’s smart.”

“Very,” Tel agreed, grinning.

“Can you tell me stories about her?” Kaira asked as they rode the elevator up to the base entrance. “Mom’s told me a lot about you, but not really about her.”

Of course not, that would be bragging, he thought glibly. “Sure thing, kiddo. One condition: for every story about your mom being awesome, I wanna learn somethin’ about you back. It can be somethin’ little,” he clarified when her nose scrunched. “Like your favorite color or ice cream flavor, or stuff you like to do with your best friend, that kinda thing. Deal?”

“Deal,” Kaira said with a grin wide enough to show off her missing teeth again as they shook on it.

---

They made their way to one of the wide expanses of field and forest that surrounded the base, and spent the next hour or two talking while they looked at the clouds, caught bugs, and (occasionally) climbed things.

Tel told Kaira as many stories about Elara as he could recall(a lot) and was gratified to learn she found her mother every bit as amazing as he did. (”Even when she makes you eat your vegetables?” “I like vegetables. ‘Cept peas. Peas are gross.” “K, I don’t think there’s a kid in the galaxy who likes peas right off the bat.”)

He learned in return that Kaira’s favorite color was purple--and red, she liked them both--she liked Corellian puff-pastries so much she’d once eaten a whole batch and given herself a tummy-ache, her favorite thing was to play spaceships with her friend Elodie, she thought explosions were cool, and she really, really  wanted a pet nexu even though Mom said they were too dangerous.

“Well, I dunno bout a nexu, ‘cause I think your mom has a point there,” Tel said with a laugh, swishing a hand through the tall grass around them, “but we can see about a pet.”

Kaira’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

He nodded. “Really.” If they had a bit longer til her birthday, he might’ve set that as the deadline, but Elara would--rightly--strangle him for promising something with only three days to discuss it. “I’ll have to talk to your mom, and it’ll sort of depend whether it lives here or on Coruscant with you...”

Her shoulders noticeably drooped. “Okay.”

Even with his limited childcare experience, Tel knew dejection when he saw it. And he had a pretty good guess as to the cause. “What?”

Kaira shrugged, staring at the ground as she yanked up a clump of grass and let the breeze carry it out of her hand. “Nothin’.”

“Kaira.”

She looked up at him with huge, sad brown eyes he didn’t think he’d have the heart to refuse if she asked him for anything. “I just... I thought I was gonna live here now. With you an’ Mom. “

“Ah.” Tel wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull her into a hug.  “Sweetheart, I would love nothing more than to have you and your mom here every day. But that’s another thing we have to talk about, ‘cause this is a military base. So if someone gets p- mad at me, or the Alliance, they might attack. And I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Coruscant got hurt,” she muttered, dragging her boot heel through the dirt in a clumsy line. “A whole bunch.”

Tel laughed and rubbed her arm. “That is a very good point, sweetheart. Like I said, we’ll talk about it, okay?”

“...Okay.” She snuggled closer. “But I still wanna live with you. Even if Uncle Lesky’s really cool.”

“Noted,” Tel smiled and ruffled her hair. The ponytail had fallen out five minutes into their adventure and he hadn’t bothered to help her redo it.

They sat for a moment in silence, then Kaira pulled away and sat back on her knees. “Dad?”

That damn lump was back(and would be, he suspected, every time she called him that for the foreseeable future). “Yeah, K?”

She cocked her head, frowning slightly as she studied his face. “What happ’ned to your eye?”

He snorted a laugh and reached up to tap the cybernetic patch. “Oh, I got that a long time ago, sweetheart. Back when I first became a soldier, before I even met your mom-”

“‘Cause she’d’a fixed it?”

Tel laughed even louder and hugged her again. He wondered if Elara’s ears were burning wherever she and Aleksei were. Best damn medic in the galaxy. “I’ll bet she could’ve. Anyway, me and my squad were scouting, and we stumbled on a group of bad guys we didn’t think would be there. I put myself between my squad and the incoming fire, part of that incoming fire was a rocket, and ” --he gestured at the eyepatch, the implant that curved around it, and the general scarring on the left side of his face. (He didn’t mention all the shrapnel they’d had to pull from his chest, stomach, arm; she was six and the kolto had healed all that with nary a scar.)

“Wow.” Kaira leaned closer and ran her fingers over the cybernetics that curved around his eye socket. “Does it still hurt?”

“No. Hasn’t for a long time,” he assured her, then grinned. “Now it just looks cool. Though it does mean I can’t really wink.”

She giggled and sat back next to him. “But winking’s fun.”

“That it is. You’ll just hafta do it for me.”

Another giggle. “Okay.” She wiggled closer, resting her head on his shoulder as they looked out over Odessen’s forests. “’M glad I finally got to meet you, Dad.”

His grin widened until his face hurt, even as emotion prickled in his good eye.  “Me, too, sweetheart. You’re pretty awesome.”

Kaira tipped her head back to smile at him. “So’re you.”

Those two words were worth more than every commendation he’d ever won combined. “Thanks, K. “ He kissed her forehead, tucked wayward black hair behind her ears. “Think we should head back? Find Mom and Uncle Aleksei?”

“Yeah, prob’ly a good idea,” Kaira agreed, though she sounded more than a tad reluctant.

“We can keep hanging out,” Tel promised. “We’ll just be addin’ them to the fun.”

She smiled brightly and jumped to her feet. “Okay.”

Tel matched the smile, pleased both that he’d guessed what bothered her about the suggestion and that she wanted to spend more time with him. “Alright, let’s go.”

They’d only been walking a few minutes when Kaira gave a dramatic groan. “It’s so farrrrr.”

“Yeah, we did cover a lot of ground.” Tel had not been paying attention to the distance they’d ranged and did have to admit, for a six year old, it would be a long trek back.”Want a lift?”

Her face screwed into a pout. “M notta baby, Dad.”

“Not what I meant,” he laughed, and crouched down on one knee. “Piggyback?”

The pout disappeared into an eye-crinkling grin. “YES!” Kaira bellowed as she scrambled to wrap her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. She was lighter than she looked with her height, but still plenty strong enough to strangle him.

“Easy, kiddo,” Tel laughed, tugging her wrist so she’d loosen her grip. “I’ll hold you up, don’t be tryin’ to kill me.”

“Sorry.” Kaira shifted to instead hold fistfuls of his shirt. “Go, go, go!”

They were both laughing as they set out for the Alliance base, where Elara greeted them each with a kiss on the cheek before helping Kaira down so they could go get lunch.

As a family.

[boomerang109]

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My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Prompt: Zuko hears how Sokka feels about himself wrt the team — the comedy relief, doesn't offer much more than that (basically his portrayal in the play about them)

They’re all...shaken up by the play. Watching themselves (or, mockeries of themselves at least) fail at the important task they were all stressing about wasn’t exactly a morale booster. But Aang apologized to Katara and they discussed the ending as a group to let out their worries and move on.

Zuko hadn’t enjoyed having his scar mocked—it was a lovely reminder that his father didn’t even care enough to remember the day he scarred his eldest child—or reminded of how he treated his uncle, but talking with Toph helped and after a good night’s sleep he was no longer dwelling on it.

Sokka, however, seemed off. He was being extra quiet and hadn’t bossed anyone around all day. Which was strange, since he hadn’t seemed too upset, simply complaining about the quality of jokes his actor told—nothing too important. He’d even gone backstage to fix that and returned triumphantly, so Zuko thought he must be upset about something else. He didn’t know what exactly though.

Sokka was sharpening his space sword and boomerang. Even though Toph could probably do it for him, he insisted on doing it himself. Zuko stood nearby him “Could I sit?” He asked, holding up his own dao and whetstone.

“You don’t have to ask,” Sokka reminded him.

“I don’t want to invade your space. I’m not good at noticing when I’m, like, too close or talking too much, or whatever. So I want you to tell me.”

“I’ve never heard you talk for longer than two minutes, I don’t think you need to worry about that. But, sure, I’ll tell you.”

He knew he was supposed to find a way of asking that was less direct, more polite, but he couldn’t think of the words and this was just easier. “Why are you upset?”

“I’m not upset,” Sokka said immediately. Zuko just let his eyes communicate that he wasn’t accepting that lie. “It’s dumb.” He amended.

“I doubt that, but I want to hear it either way.”

“No. You’ve got enough in you plate with teaching Aang firebending. I shouldn’t be moping or distracting you. Dont—“

“It’s too late, I already know you’re upset and I won’t be able to focus until I know why.”

“Just general worrying, nothing new.” Zuko gave him another skeptical look. “Okay, okay. Fine. I just... I guess I realized the play was kinda right about some things. About me at least.”

Zuko had learned at a young age to hide his confusion, to not ask questions. At best, he was stupid for not understanding. At worst, he was disrespectful and not fit to be a prince. Either way, it was best to be quiet.

But with the gaang—the ridiculous, but oddly catchy name that Sokka had created for them—Zuko was often encouraged to express his confusion, to ask as many questions as he wanted. He didn’t understand—what kind of world was this where you asked questions??—but at least in this situation he realized that asking questions would help Sokka most, so he let his confusion show on his face.

“I don’t understand what you mean,” he said genuinely, “that play portrayed you ridiculously. The only thing you had in common with the on-stage Sokka was the occasional corny joke.”

“Don’t knock the jokes,” Sokka smiled, but Zuko didn’t take the distraction, just staring at him, silently urging him to continue. “I just don’t add anything to the team, okay? I thought maybe I could still be helpful without bending, but my invasion plan caused more harm than good. I’m nothing more than comic relief.”

Zuko stared at him, too shocked for words.

“Damn, I wasn’t telling you that so you could reassure me, but now that you haven’t I feel extra shitty.” Sokka started to get up, but Zuko stopped him.

“Hey, give me a second. I—honestly I was just surprised. I didn’t realize someone so smart could be so dumb.”

“Hey!”

“You’re only comic relief? That’s—that’s ridiculous, Sokka! You smashed me in the head the first day we met and every time you fight her, my sister has the most trouble countering your attacks. It’s easy to fight other benders, but you’re a wildcard.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “So I can throw my boomerang, big whoop. Katara could do that too, if she wanted to.”

“Okay, but would Katara have been organized enough to navigate across the world? And find food? And meet deadlines? Or would she and Aang have gotten distracted and stayed somewhere too long and found their little rest brought about a lot of problems?”

“I’m a walking calendar? That’s what I add to the team?”

“Your fighting style is just as valuable as anyone else’s and your organization and intelligence are essential to survival and success! What else do you want to hear?”

“Nothing, if that’s what I offer to the team it’s better than nothing I guess.”

This time when he got up, Sokka didn’t even bother to pick up his weapons. He just set off in the direction of his room.

“Hey!” Zuko called. “I’ll tell you more, but only if you promise not to make fun of me.”

“Make fun of you? I’m the one here whining like a baby.”

“I just—we don’t really do the compliments thing in the Fire Nation and usually if you say anything nice it’s considered weak—but, Sokka, the truth is you’re the most important member of this team. More important than Aang or me or anyone. It wouldn’t matter that there was an avatar if he didn’t believe in himself, if he had no purpose or direction. You give that to Aang, you’re always encouraging him and guiding him. Yeah, you’re goddamn smart and a battle strategist and great at planning, but you’re also the glue of this team. Toph and Katara would’ve killed each other ages ago without you. Suki wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t rescued her. And I, for one, just think you’re pretty damn awesome.”

“You do?”

“Well, duh.”

He didn’t know exactly when Sokka had sat down or when their faces had gotten so close together, but he stared into the boy’s eyes. resisting the urge to glance at his lips.

“What else?” Sokka asked.

“You’re handsome,” Zuko couldn’t help but admit.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Zuko said, before he leaned forward and kissed Sokka.

48 notes • Posted 2021-06-30 05:24:11 GMT

#4

boomerangsandadora >>> boomerang109

49 notes • Posted 2021-04-04 05:25:09 GMT

#3

I feel like that grocery store post you reblogged is Hakoda talking with Tomnook who are supporting Zuko.

anon is talking about this post and they are completely correct

@hella1975 i’m getting asks about your fic, how does that make you feel? cause now i’m gonna steal your ocs and write a mini-scene with them. they’re mine now 😈

now here’s the thing, anon. i read the og post wrong and thought that the gay kid and the hand holding kid were the same. i didn’t realize until i’d written most of my own post so while this should be tomnook holding hands to encourage zuko, my alternative version is just completely it’s own thing:

hakoda, minding his own business: sees tomkin holding zuko’s hand (i feel like nanook would also be willing to hold his hand but the joke works better this way, okay?)

hakoda: you finally admitted you like each other?!

tomkin: huh

zuko: WHAT?!?

nanook: 😂

hakoda: *points awkwardly at their hands*

tomkin: no, i’m not into zuko! i’m pretty sure your son is actually—

hakoda: what

zuko: what

tomkin: anyway, that’s a problem for a different day, but zuko and i aren’t together, we just hold hands in public sometimes

zuko: too often. at dinner and around the campfire and—

nanook: zuko is still getting used to the fact that it’s okay to be gay, so we’re helping him out

tomkin: plus, when we go into town if anyone says any shit we get to punch them! kanut doesn’t yell at us when we get into fights with homophobes

nanook: always nice to punch a homophone. and maybe they’ll think twice if zuko every gets a real boyfriend and wants to hold his hand for real

zuko: i’ve decided it’s sweet and not really fucking weird

90 notes • Posted 2021-02-25 05:04:09 GMT

#2

i have regrets @hella1975​

94 notes • Posted 2021-01-18 00:25:35 GMT

#1

like this post if you’re an allo who would date someone on the ace spectrum. anyone who wants to spread this post and ace positivity is welcome to reblog

175 notes • Posted 2021-04-20 08:33:06 GMT

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