#I might do more for pollux if I can spare the time

[birlwrites]

As I want to know everything about your version of the black family, I'm going to ask you about the personalities of Pollux, Arcturus, Irma, Melania, Alphard, Cygnus and Druella. And if you have headcanons of the black family. I really liked Orion in the last chapter, they usually make him very invisible in ff.

okAY SO!

re personalities i'm just going to do all of them in the order you listed them for simplicity's sake, here goes:

pollux: kinda struggles to find a sense of purpose in his life (WOW starting off uplifting ajfskhgkjdf) - he's spent so much of his life just having... nothing important to do? he's a spare in a cadet branch. both he and alphard are older than arcturus and yet arcturus is the heir and pollux and alphard handle that differently. dude needs some hobbies. he did a lot of teaching bellatrix dark arts and he is fiercely proud of her, he also just needs to like. take up gardening or something afjslgkhjskdf

arcturus: i think of him as being intensely charismatic and very stubborn - voldemort doesn't know how lucky he was that orion didn't grow up into a carbon copy of his father because tom riddle's efforts to take charge of slytherin would NOT have gone well if he were up against a mini-arcturus afjslkghjksdf (orion is a) abt 2 years younger and b) didn't feel the urge to jump into the ring). he's not competitive because he's confident that there's nobody who could possibly compete with him, but that doesn't mean he's going to hesitate to quash what he sees as disrespect. heavy user of the family magic, and we know how that goes for him, but on a lighter note, was very serious about being the head of the *family,* not just lord black - he was the driving force behind getting the extended family to spend summers at black manor and he'd be absolutely fucking pissed to see the state of house black now

irma: irma's just vibing, she is also purposeless (woooooooooo), living vicariously through bellatrix's stories of death eater life, pollux and irma are very happy people who definitely aren't bored at all, irma's never fantasized about stabbing someone with a fork

melania: very warm and also very intense. the sort of person who you meet for the first time and then an hour later you're making plans to start a business together selling enchanted furniture and putting all the profits into funding a culinary school. you don't even know how you got onto this topic. you've never cared about culinary school in your life. you also can't tell if she's joking. this particular scenario is more an example than anything that has actually happened but like - she has a way of making people feel very close to her. intense but not severe. like ginger beer

alphard: sometimes feels like the only sane person in the family. everyone else seems to be absolutely incapable of chilling the fuck out for one (1) single second, and without arcturus and melania around to enforce order things have just gone to shit and two of the kids are disowned and BELLATRIX IS A DEATH EATER and just in general what the fuck is happening??? on a lighter note, alphard spends a lot of his obscene amounts of leisure time (and money) on commissioning art and music. he's an especially good person to know if you're trying to make it as a painter or sculptor because he might let you use his house as a venue for a showing and invite his wealthy friends with huge houses that need decor and with the alphard black stamp of approval you'll probably sell basically everything

cygnus: i've talked about cygnus in some other posts but i don't feel like hunting for them rn ajflkhsgljdf. cygnus likes chess and the socratic method and books that take two people to lift. he's levelheaded, occasionally to the point of aloofness, and he had to deal with twins andromeda and bellatrix age 2 (and teenage andromeda, bellatrix, AND narcissa) so he's pretty unflappable. once he had to talk bellatrix out of murdering andromeda's ex-boyfriend ok he can handle anything. has been talking to regulus about books ever since regulus learned to read. he and orion are both at fault for baby regulus learning how to create an inferius because regulus really REALLY wanted to read a book with a very shiny cover (on a high shelf) and cygnus and orion looked at each other and went 'yeah ok sure why not' and that is how elementary necromancy, volume 4 ended up in regulus's hands

druella: grew up a rosier in a cadet branch, which was basically a free license to do whatever she wanted as long as it didn't look serious. she got very bored, married a guy who was The Opposite of that, and now spends a lot of time gleefully exchanging acerbic bits of gossip with cassiopeia and walburga. and bellatrix! she used to pride herself on being an attentive mother who actually spent time with her children, then andromeda straight up ran away 😬 oops. also i'm deciding rn that she played quidditch - seeker for slytherin! (she wasn't enlisted in 'talk bellatrix out of murdering andromeda's ex-boyfriend' because she would have been like bella that would be very irresponsible and dangerous. here's how we're going to humiliate him publicly--)

i have lots of headcanons but this post is already very long and idk how to like, mentally sort through my headcanons to pick out the ones to state here ajkghsjlgksdf

[darabeatha]

@invictah​ said ; ❝ Which do you prefer, running or swimming? ❞ to jason ! and no, esra is NOT at all up to something   🧍‍♂️ ............ 🏃‍♂️💨  /  from: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐄 𝐈 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑

        ❝ ―Ugh, why do you keep on asking these questions?? Do you even know what silence is?? Obviously swimming! Sure, I AM the captain of the fastest ship that has ever sailed, but if I had to I could swim my way on my own anywhere I wanted- Not that you would understand so i’m now putting it under big terms to help you get the idea- ❞  Well- maybe that might have been an exaggeration, but it wasn’t really a lie if Jason himself truly wished for it to be true very deep down- right?  It wasn’t until after he’s been monologuing to Esra about the sea and his incredibly fast and nicely built legs that could run and swim miles if so he wished and many more other extraordinary feats that he noticed a very particular little grin tugging at the corners of Esra’s lips, one that gave him the biggest chills down the back of his spine and that brought the captain to freeze on the spot- almost as if he knew that if he did or said anything more, he would surely get involved in some sort of insane batshit crazy activity that the other would certainly think to be very normal and non-life threatening. Why was he even just stanting there like that! he could perfectly see through him! through the fact that Esra looked nothing different to him than a wolf ready to jump on a poor, poor innocent sheep! (jason note: make that a bull at least!)

It was obvious by this point that this was a trap- this was obviously a trap! These questions have been TOO specific for his own liking, and he couldn’t believe it finally hit him...! 

❝ Huooooooggghhhhhhhhh!!!!! Heraaaaaaacleees―!!! ❞ He shouts internally with a mix of concentration and desperation, as if by frowning harder, he would manage to somehow magically manage to send some sort of specific mind waves to Heracles to let him know that he was in danger (not that even if he was able to achieve such feat, Heracles would come in any case) but to him, such words would have meant nothing- heck, at this point; Medea could have done something as well!

He’s.... He’s being cornered like a sheep !!! Don’t look at him like that!! he’s busy, incredibly so! Yet no amount of internally manifesting Heracles would work (this time). He knew it- that he had no time to spare, so it was in that moment that a bright idea appreared inside his mind in the midst of his shouting;  But calm down Jason! if there is something you are the most talented at...... it certainly is at surviving!!. No matter the cost !! I can just tell him― .......!!!

❝ Oh man but- you know how servants areee- that was waaaaayy in the past, now I don’t know how to swim! (that won’t stop him!! I gotta be more specific!!) nor run― nor walk, nor jump, nor sit on that matter― pshhh... Silly throne of heroes, am I right? besides, I’m a busy captain too, extremely busy. There’s so many things I have to do that I can’t even count them right now- just think of the busiest man in the world and that’s me ! It’s not easy the life of the captain of the Argo, but if you ask Castor and Pollux, surely they’ll be able to help you in whatever freaky task you need ❞

[impossible-rat-babies]

everytime I think bout opening commissions I’m like hmmmm how about no

[felswritingfire]

First Parent up is Horkeu Kamui! I hope these satiates those who requested for him for a bit, I’m still getting a feel for his character! 

Under the cut for length!

Word Count: 2429 

Horkeu Kamui

IF YOU WANTED TO HAVE/RAISE BABIES, HE’D BE SO HONORED ABOUT IT

He’d probs go off into a spiel about it and you’d have to sit through this hour long talk of him shooting off about how humbled he is that “you’ve chosen this Horkeu Kamui to sire your children, my Hero- it is the highest honor-”

He’d probs end up with with three little babies, all of them boys, the oldest is two years older than the twins and all of them are extremely overprotective of you when they get older

He’s ecstatic when you bring home your first boy. He’s always been enamored with the thought of a family and now here’s the start of one with his beloved hero. He’s honestly euphoric about it 

You’d think that he'd be an amazing dad with zero problems since he’s had a history of raising heroes- but, here’s the thing, he has zero clue how babies work because when he gets the heroes, they’re usually all older then, you know, little kiddos. So when you hand him your guys’ first boy for the first time, he just, let’s him lay in his arms too afraid to move because what if he drops him????

You have to lead him by the hand for a bit, which he’s a little embarrassed about, real talk, until he gets the hang of it- which he does, he gets it real quick

He’ll try his best with diapers, but,,, my guy- the dude has a sniffer, what, 100xs better than ours??? So like, he’s coming out of that shit (haha) with tears in his eyes and a migraine. So I suggest you doing it just to spare him and then just comfort him afterward, because a Kamui who’s in pain is… well, painful to see

He does everything else tho!

He loves dressing your babies up in general! He gets these really cute baby clothes that Bathym designed just for your babies, even tho your first boy would always give him grief about wearing clothes- which killed Kamui because he hates doing stuff that makes your babies uncomfy (he’s really soft for them- like extremely soft for them) 

Your twins tho, love wearing the clothes and he actively sends pictures of them to Bathym who literally flips his lid everytime 

Your older one will try to pull said clothes off of them any chance he gets though, in his two year old words: “Trapped!”

Kamui is distressed and you laugh at his distress, which just distresses him even more because:

“My Hero, are you taking a video of this?” “Yes” You say as you continue to hold up your phone, a bright smile on your face. 

He’s struggling with pulling your biggest boy off of your youngest son who’s fighting to keep his shirt on.

With your guys’ babies, they slept in their crib until they started figuring out how to crawl out of it (especially when they all respectively start walking) to get to you guys; you thought that this was just going to be a trend with your first born- but no, he started breaking out the twins and you two almost shit when you both woke up when you felt shifting on the end of the bed that ended up crawling up until your guys’ chest, Kamui tensing, and then you two open your guys’ eyes and there’s three sets of sparkling eyes staring down at you. Suffice to say, Kamui almost launched your boys into the ceiling until he realised who they were. Which they were giggling all the while, your oldest holding the other two up by their waists, until your youngest yawned and flopped down in between you two. And then your middle boy went right after and then your oldest boy rolled your middle out of the way and squashed him up to your youngest, proceeding to curl up against Kamui’s side and knocked out

You and Kamui looked at each other until you shrugged and grabbed the blanket at the end of your bed and pulled it over the boys before you snuggled deeper into the blankets. Kamui promptly followed your lead

When they turn to toddlers, Kamui starts to teach them all how to fight since he wants his boys to be able to protect themselves (and you)

Your first born is, of course, two years ahead of them in his training compared to the twins so he takes it upon himself to help them when they need it so that their papa doesn’t have to worry about them too much, which Kamui is so proud of him for

When he he first took them to the Berserkers colosseum- they uprooted EVERYTHING because all of the gladiators went bat shit crazy when they met the babies; nobody went to do any of the fights, they were all derailed because everyone wanted to say hi to the boys

Kamui was a little worried about his oldest because he almost bit Claude’s hand when he tried to touch his youngest brother, but Claude just laughed it off and started into a spiel about how he would make a great gladiator for the Berserkers one day!

It all changed when he noticed Snow and he screamed and rushed to hug his leg. Snow was shocked and Kamui was trying to pry him off his leg all while saying “Apologies, I should have warned you all, he loves lions and other such big cats.” 

Snow was so flattered that day

The boys are enamored with Pollux and they cheer every time he’d show off his punches, your middle thinks he’s one of the coolest things ever and wants to learn how to punch like him 

Bathym already knows the boys but he’s still so excited to see them and he shows off his moves too, which the oldest tries to copy but he refuses to let go of Snow’s pant leg so he ends up slipping and almost falling but there’s, like, four different sets of hands shooting to keep him from falling; but your youngest is hoping around and toddling towards Bathym and Bathym is MELTING. He ends up holding him the entire time that Kamui is there with them 

They meet Nomad and Macan and your oldest is determined to hold onto all of the cat therians; Nomad complains as he lets him hold onto his pant leg too- Macan he has to be convinced a bit more. “Hah? You wanna get eaten, kid?” 

“Not if I eat you first!”

Kamui almost shit until Macan laughed and wrapped his tail around his arm (which left him sparkly eyed) and said: “you can’t even if you tried.”

Your middle boy noticed this and decided to grab onto papa’s tail and Kamui almost died

All three end up meeting Garmr and they are IN LOVE with him and Garmr gets all the pets and love he could ever want 

They’re all sad to leave and the Berserkers force Kamui to make a promise to bring the three babies back

Kamui is happy too because now he has like, 20 different babysitters. Score.

When they hit the tween years, your oldest is very boisterous and energetic, he bounces off the walls and you have no idea which one of you he got that from. Your other two are very calm, though your youngest is the shyest out of your boys

Your oldest boy is very popular and definitely joins a sports club, something like football, but he definitely goes into wrestling if they have that  (he practices with Uncle ‘Suke who makes him a mask for him, but instead it’s wolf themed). He’s protective of his brothers and the people he cares for, so he doesn’t put up with any bullying on his watch. He will square up if he has too, but it usually doesn’t have to come to that because he’s pretty chill by the end of it 

The oldest comes to Kamui when he needs help with emotional problems, which, might not be the best, but it also is an added oof for Kamui because your oldest has zero filter so when he asks why you have to pee into a girl to have a baby, Kamui almost DIES

  Your middle flits between you and Kamui, luckily he is not one to just hit you with any off the wall questions, so it’s all nice and relaxed when you answer his questions

The little one goes to you with any of his problems. Which can go either way because he’s very similar to Kamui with his social skills, so you’re sometimes sitting there blinking at him trying to figure out how to answer a question 

The boys at this point are becoming more and more protective of you and they are determined to keep you safe and happy. Like, any person even thinks about flirting with you- they’re getting three tweens in their face and it’s terrible because they could all snap a man’s back over their knee and they’re only, what? 13 and 11 respectively (they are huge baby bois, adopted or not) 

Your twins are both much calmer than their older brother, they’re also much closer to their dad’s disposition too, so they tend to be closer to wall flowers- or at least they try; their big brother drags them into the spotlight a lot because he talks about them ALL THE TIME- so they have to put up with their brother’s rambunctiousness a lot

All three of them have a tendency to get in trouble together, your oldest usually runs head first into things while the other two are trying their hardest to get him to not do what he wants to do

There was this one time you and Kamui had to go and get them at three in the morning because your oldest dragged the boys into, what they thought was an abandoned fake haunted house, and your youngest twin called you in near tears as he quickly screeched that: “THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY HAUNTED- THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY HAUNTED- MOM/DAD/NANO- COME AND GET US-” And then the message cut out at the sound of your oldest son screaming bloody murder and your oldest twin… also distantly screaming: “DAD. COME AND GET US-” You also heard some… growling??? And more screaming????? You think???? Anyway- you almost shit, and since you were in the living room at the time and Kamui was in your guys’ little home gym you both ended up almost running into each other trying to get out of the house and into the fucking car- 

So, you two get there, ready to murder someone- when you see all three of your boys sitting in front of said “haunted house” just to see Benten of all people yelling at them with Ebisu holding his face in his hands; turns out Benten also thought that the house is haunted and decided to go in their for a video, she also dragged the poor man into it too, and they ended up bumping into a dresser and knocking it over, which set off the boys which caused your son to start swinging, which kicked up a whole bunch of dust, almost got Ebisu punched in the face, and caused Benten to start swinging as well-

Long story short, they were very grounded after that 😔😔😔

By the time they get into high school, your oldest is still loud and boisterous but he’s already on the verge of getting a scholarship for his football and Wrestling and the twins have really committed to their passion: which is MUSIC!

Your oldest twin is in band and plays the French Horn, but he also plays the violin and Bass (Kamui really likes the bass so he learned how to play it just for him ); while your youngest is in choir! Him and his brother get together and do a mini concert just for you two and their older brother- who cried whenever they first played, he was so proud

Their older brother still brags about his little family- it’s actually gotten worse

All of his friends know almost everything about you guys, it’s kinda freaky tbh

Also, you will never forgive Kamui for instilling the instinct to protect you with their lives because they really take their job seriously 

There was this one time where your oldest brought one of his friends over and, aw, poor boy had a big ol’ crush and you and almost got chucked through a window when he tried to be smooth with you by three different giant boys

Kamui just sat with a serene smile on his face as he flipped some pancakes- he’s such a little shit, you swear-

Your boys still like to be near your guys despite being older- like they prefer sticking to you guys than going with their friends

UM, YOUR BOYS TRAIN- despite the boys not focusing on a fighting career or anything of the sort, they still like to be able to stand on par with their big brother so they can help him train- WITH THE RANKERS AND CLAUDE HAD TO REALLY SELL YOU TWO ON IT TO LET HIM TRAIN WITH MACAN BECAUSE, BRO, IF MACAN HURT YOUR BOYS HE WAS GONNA BE TURNED INTO A TIGER RUG BY THE BOTH OF YOu

But he’s actually a really good teacher??? Which shook the fuck out of both of you (and Nomad) 

Speaking of that, your oldest likes training with him, Snow and Nomad the most, while your oldest twin likes training with Pollux and your youngest likes learning from Bathym the most and has some scary ass kicks now 

When your boys do graduate, all of the Berserkers are there to see it and Kamui is so proud of them- he’s not one to cry but he will have this super proud smile on his face and he’ll bring his boys into his arms and squeeze them real tight- your oldest is full on sobbing because he doesn’t want to leave you guys for college; the twins are also sobbing because they don’t want to leave, but they end up going to the same college as their older brother (who is excited AS FUCK ABOUT IT) 

Another really good dad, I think he’d be really fulfilled by the end of it all- he loves his boys to death and he’s so happy you chose to have a family with him- he’s just- ah- so good

[summoner-chan]

I actually wanted to do a fanmade Valentine Event but like never got to finish it since my brain isn't committed to long term plannings-

So I'm going to just drop it here for everyone to see (≧▽≦)!! + This is a base reason for me to do so because I did some character sketches for the said event (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)

Anyways, hope you enjoy reading!!

Valentine Chase: Catch the Valentine's Hare!

Main Characters: MC and Darius (Fanmade Character+Character Debut that I'll be showing soon don't worry ;^D)

Side Characters: Shirou, Kengo, Ryota, Toji, Agyo, Claude, Snow, Bathym, Pollux, Horkeu Kamui, Nomad, Ophion, Melusine, Licht, Maria, Gabriel, Zabbaniya, Arsalan, Tanngrisnir, Juliette (another Fanmade Character+Character Debut that I'll be showing soon) and Luka (last Fanmade Character+Character Debut that I'll be showing soon!!)

Summary: Just as you were about to dance on the stage, you were swept away by a loveless wolf?! Looks like your companions have to chase down both you and the mysterious canine therian in this frenzied Valentine chase as you uncover the true motives of the cool headed and quiet wolf!

[Part 1/?]

Location:???

[The background is directed to the night sky, the full moon visible as it looms over a land adorned with growing pine trees]

???: This body....is barren. Nothing is blooming

(A wolf like silhouette appears into the screen)

He turned away to face the brightly lit moon, shining down it's light to the figures. How long has it been he wondered? He had them for company but it only seemed like the butterflies were the ones who truly understood him.

Ah yes, the arhopala anthelus or also known as the Oakblues butterfly, he didn't knew why he remembered the butterfly with such details but it stuck with him longer than he could remember. Swarms of it tend to follow him around, especially his enchanted arm that resembled to a dead tree's rotting branch, leaving bits of bark in its wake

???: Well you never know if you try

(A hooded silhouette appears, smaller and shorter than the previous silhouette)

The taller figure sighed, his gaze still fixed to the moon. It seems like he's ignoring them

???: .......

(The smaller silhouette shook violently temporarily, before slidding away to the side of the screen, disappearing from the scene)

[End Scene]

[Screen then fades away to black before shifting to a new scene]

Location: Shinjuku Concert Stadium

[The background is directed to a large stage decorated with multitudes of red,pink and white, each having a heart shaped cutout pattern to each end of the ribbons. The front of the stage had a single row of metal barriers to contain the fans from climbing up the stage]

[SFX: People chattering and the sounds of equipment moving]

[Shiro,Kengo, Ryota, Toji and Agyo's figures are shown individually, each of their expression is shock]

[The three options appear]

⭐: What's with everyone's faces?!

✨:Do I...look that bad?

❤️:As expected! I AM astoundingly cute!

⭐ Route

Shiro: Urk! S-Sorry, we're just-

Kengo: We're still not used to you having those kinds of get-ups! The last time we saw you dressed nicely was at that fancy casino we had to bust in!

Ryota: Well you DO look nice in that costume! Besides, it's a nice change to see you out of that school uniform for once you know

Toji: That, I could agree with Ryota Yakushimaru. It is indeed refreshing to you like this

Agyo: MC, You look so cute in that!! Really fits your eyes! Hey could I get a picture with you? Pretty please?

✨ Route

Shiro: N-No! You look great! Not even the single strand of hair seems to stick out! You look wonderful as ever, MC! Though...you did took us off guard... especially me..cough! What was that? I said something? Possibly not, MC!

Kengo: Well what that nerd said about you looking great is the one thing I could agree on! Wonder if the clothes durable for a fight..Hey, MC! Wanna try sparing right here so we could test it out?!

Toji: Is fighting all you could think of Kengo? MC needs all the energy they can get since the event is going to last till night so could you at least use your muscle brain for once to consider MC's stature?

Kengo: Huh?! You tryna pick a fight with me calling me a muscle brain?!

Ryota: Guys! Could you stop it?! MC is going to perform soon and this whole fighting thing might bring their spirit down....

Toji:....My apologies

Kengo:Yeah I didn't think about it that way...so uh...sorry

Agyo: Apologies accepted! Come on, let's brighten those faces up with some candies I brought with me!

❤️ Route:

Everyone: Huh?!

Toji: You!...You!.. Gah...I am at loss of words of your high confidence, MC...You seem to know very well how push my buttons around....Gah! What's with that look?! Stop staring!

Shiro: Well it's a good thing that you have high confidence in yourself, MC! With that attitude, you'll be sure to capture everyone's hearts when you're up on stage later on!

Kengo: Heh! What'd you expect from my partner? They're definitely going to rock out this entire event!

Ryota: Hehe! You're just brimming with a golden light, MC! Your confident smile is totally attracting people in!

Agyo: You're right, Ryota! I could definitely smell in the change of air and it's really good! Wahhh,MC! Teach me how to be confident too!!

[ END EVENT ]

Haha, yup! This is the only thing I came up with and this is barely half of the first episode (^～^;)ゞ and it was supposed to be much more longer but brain committed watergun on itself so-

For the next post, I'll post the main character sketch of the event so please do anticipate it!

[fracturedmotivationwriting]

girls night

Datura threw her door open wide at the sound of knocking. With the new addition of Fiona to their little coven, Datura decided it was time for a girls' night. It was the perfect way for the ladies to all get to know each other a little better. Plus, Datura loved hosting people.

"Good evening, my children," Datura greeted Prometheus and Fiona dramatically. She stepped aside, sweeping her arm behind her as she beckoned them in.

"Welcome to my little slice of heaven... Or hell?" Datura paused, furrowing her eyebrows. "I suppose my home should belong to the same realm as I do."

Prom rolled her eyes at Datura's antics, quickly sitting in her usual spot of the armchair near Datura's window. The first time Datura had ever invited the girl over, she had immediately claimed the chair as her place. It was a large, burgundy wingback armchair that Datura had found at a thrift store. It seemed perfectly fitting for Prom.

Fiona stepped into the witch's apartment a little more carefully, eying the decor curiously. She had never stepped into Datura's apartment. She had only snuck glances inside as Datura rushed in and out. It was a lot like she had expected. The walls were adorned with artwork, presumably some Datura-originals and some purchased, but all dark and twisty. Plants were scattered about on every surface, some hung from the ceiling, and even what appeared to ivy crawling up the walls (although, Fiona had never seen ivy that looked quite like that). There were also candles everywhere, all aflame and somehow not catching the plants or other decor on fire. Datura had probably charmed them so as not to cause a fire. And of course, Fiona caught sight of what she supposed were witch essentials: a basket full of crystals, tarot cards, voodoo dolls (and some spare fabrics and string) off to the side, a few knives of different metals sitting atop velvet in some sort of case, what looked like little cauldrons, some chalices... Anything you could think of that a witch might use: Datura had it.

Datura watched Fiona carefully as the human stepped further into the apartment, her hand raising to touch one of the more unique plants in the room.

"I wouldn't do that," Datura piped up, a small smile pulling at her lips. There was trouble in her eyes, however, betraying her calm tone. "That there is a highly volatile plant. It was bred specifically to kill people in perhaps the most agonizing way possible."

Fiona drew her hand back, giving Datura a slightly alarmed look. The witch simply shrugged.

"My parents gave it to me when I was sixteen. I've nurtured it ever since," she explained, plopping herself down onto one of the pillows surrounding her coffee table. She motioned for Fiona to take a seat. The girl opted to perch herself on the couch across from her, sitting closer to Prom.

"What are those," Fiona asked curiously, pointing to the small wooden box Datura was closing up. Inside it was a few "joints," but Fiona hadn't caught the scent of marijuana when she came inside. Datura's smiled grew to her usual cheery one.

"Think of them as smokable potions," Datura grinned, clearly excited about the notion. "It's something I've been working on for a long time. Some of them are very successful, like this one. It's a mixture of lavender, kava kava, and crocodile heart. It's meant to calm you and reduce anxieties, but in high doses can put someone right to sleep."

Fiona looked both impressed and intrigued. She leaned closer, trying to get a better look at the joint Datura was holding, but Datura dropped it back in the box.

"Some of them, however, have not proven very successful," she sighed, closing the box and placing it on a shelf behind her. "It's not exactly easy trying to turn very liquid potions into solid joints meant to be smoked."

"Datura showed Pollux these shortly after we met her," Prom interjected, turning her head to Fiona. "At the time the only successful one she had was the calming one. All the others were failing miserably. There was even one that was meant to help you see to the other side, but all it successful did was give you a killer headache and the hiccups. But Pol was so impressed by the idea and the work she'd done, that he started helping her."

Datura laughed at the memory, nodding her head. Pollux had been a big help in refining her potion-joints. There were still many that needed fixing, many that they needed to find substitute ingredients for, but they were making progress.

Datura was about to share another funny anecdote about a failed potion-joint when there was knocking at the door. Furrowing her eyebrows, Datura got up to answer. She wasn't expecting anyone else -- this was girls only and she didn't have any real friends outside the coven.

Cautiously opening the door, she was greeted with the smug grin of one very handsome demon. Ambrose was standing there, leaning against her doorframe looking all too sexy, with a bottle of wine in his hand.

"I heard there was a slumber party, and I just had to crash it," he teased, winking down at the witch. "Please tell me you haven't started the pillow fights without me."

The demon tried to step past Datura, ready to greet the other two witches with more flirtatious words, but the small witch gripped the doorframe. Blocking his path with her arm, she glared up at him. Ambrose easily could have overpowered her, but the look in her eyes was a bit intimidating and that intrigued him.

"It's girls only, Ambrose," Datura informed him, her voice making it clear that this was not up for debate. Behind her, Datura could hear Prom chuckling at the sight of the small witch staring down the demon.

Ambrose sighed heavily. With a little extra drama than necessary, he rolled his eyes and started grumbling before changing his appearance. Maybe this was something the demon shouldn't have done out in the hallway, but Datura wasn't giving him a choice.

A second later, a very female, very attractive demon stood before Datura. She looked a lot like Ambrose: still blonde hair, perfect skin, great body, and a devilish smirk. She was also still a good foot taller than the little witch.

"Better?" Amber drawled, batting her eyelashes for extra measure. Datura's lips quirked into a small smile as she stepped aside and ushered the demon in.

"All the same to me, if I'm Ambrose or Amber, darlings," the demon continued, flashing cheeky smiles to Fiona and Prom. "I'm still just as willing to have a bit of... fun with you ladies."

Datura rolled her eyes as she took her seat again. Shaking her head, she went back to rearranging the crystals on the coffee table.

"No funny business tonight, Amber," she sassed, smirking at the demon's pout as she sat next to Fiona. Datura eyed the way Amber draped an arm carefully over the human's shoulders and the human seemed to melt into her. Apparently, those two were now a 'thing,' given the body language. Datura vaguely wondered if Fiona preferred Amber or Ambrose. And if Grisha knew what was going on.

"Well, if there's not going to be any 'funny business,' then what is the plan, Tura?" Prom asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow at the setup the witch had made on the coffee table.

In the center of the table laid an old paintbrush, the hair practically falling out and the wooden handle well-worn. Around it sat various purple and blue candles, Prom knew these were especially useful in enhancing psychic powers and communication. Small crystals laid between each candle, and some incense laid just above the circ;e Datura had created. Judging by the smell, it was likely frankincense.

Prom sat up a little straighter, looking a bit scared -- or as scared as Prom ever looked, which wasn't very. Really, her features looked as calm as ever but there was a slight difference in her eyes. Less chaos in them than usual. Datura thought that meant Prom was worried or scared, but honestly she wasn't sure.

"Are we... Is this a seance?" Prom asked carefully, meeting Datura's eye.

The other witch grinned with a nod of her head, motioning for everyone to join her on the floor.

"Indeed it is, oh fearless leader," she laughed. She may have thought that Prom looked frightened, but she wasn't about to encourage that. Besides, she was probably wrong in her judgment.

"Now that Amber is training our lovely, little Fiona to be a witch, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to hold a seance," she admitted as the duo on the couch joined her on the floor. Prom was still in her chair.

"Why now?" Fiona asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why start with this?"

"Well, it's relatively easy magic when you're in a group," Datura explained. "It's not the easiest thing we could teach you, but I figured it would be a little more fun than reading tea leaves or tarot cards. But I do plan on teaching those some other day. I'll leave the big stuff to Amber and Prom to teach you. I call dibs on my favorite little things."

Amber chuckled, shaking her head. Of course, the witches were going to leave all the heavy lifting to her. Although... It did make sense since she was the one giving Fiona her abilities... Actually, pretty sound logic. Amber didn't have the patience to teach the small stuff.

"Now, Prom, get down here before I have Amber physically pull you down here," Datura instructed, holding a hand out to the witch.

Prom reluctantly lowered herself to the floor, accepting Datura's hand. She held Fiona's in her other, and Amber sat across from her holding the human and the other witch's hands. Amber caught Prom's eye and noticed the same lack of usual chaos that Datura had. Amber, however, was a bit more adept at reading people. Came with the whole being a demon thing. And she could clearly see that Prom was definitely worried, perhaps even frightened, to do this. It didn't make sense to Amber. This was the witch that summoned her, a demon, on a whim, and yet she was stressing over a little seance? Something else was going on.

But it was too late to stop it, Datura was quickly explaining to Fiona the steps of a proper seance. They were apparently trying to connect with some dead painter -- Amber wasn't really listening but she caught something about how Datura had to use some charms to convince a museum to give her this paintbrush. Then Datura was muttering Latin, her eyes closed and head bowed. And suddenly the room had dropped ten degrees. The candles flickered but stayed lit. A strong wind seemed to pass through the room, though, causing the hanging plants to sway back and forth.

Prom looked like she was going to puke. Amber knew it wasn't because the magic was draining her, she was far too strong for that, but this was something emotional. She snuck a glance to her left at Fiona. The redhead looked shocked, but the awe-inspired kind of shocked. She was enjoying this. Amber turned her eyes to Datura. The witch was still muttering under her breath, but her eyes were scrunched tight. Her grip was tightening around Amber's hand. She looked almost distressed and confused. Like she was being blocked in her path towards the right spirit.

Suddenly, Datura's eyes flew open with a gasp. Amber almost made a joke about the girl being overdramatic -- who really gasps at a seance anymore? Certainly not a witch as strong as Datura. But then Amber caught sight of the spirit that had arrived.

Sometimes in seances, the spirits simply speak through the host. It takes a lot of power on both ends -- the witches and the spirits -- for a spirit to corporealize. Had Amber not been there, it would have been unlikely the three witches could have pulled a spirit into this realm. Even with witches as strong as Prom and Datura. Doing so was near necromancy. But with a demon, it was more than easy enough to pull the spirit through to the other real.

But Amber hadn't been trying to do that for the girls. At least, she wasn't consciously making an effort to do so. She supposed that maybe she hadn't needed to. Surely, that was the explanation as to why there was a flickering male spirit standing just beyond Prom's shoulder.

Never mind the fact that the spirit looked an awful lot like Prometheus.

Everybody but Prom was staring at the spirit, seemingly speechless. Of course, Datura broke the chilly silence.

"You aren't Vincent," she mused, addressing the spirit. "You... You tried to tell me something while you were traveling here. What was it?"

Datura used the term 'traveling' lightly. When she had started the seance, she'd immediately run into a roadblock of sorts. That roadblock was a spirit, this spirit. She suspected that he didn't have to travel very far. He had been here before, he just needed some assistance breaking through to this side of the realm.

"My name," the spirit spoke up, bowing his head to look down at Prom. The witch still hadn't acknowledged his presence.

"Prometheus the first. Although, when I was alive it was merely Prometheus."

All eyes turned to Prom. This was going to be an interesting explanation.

[renee-writer]

From Highlander to Gladiator Chapter 38 Becoming a Eunuch

Jamie and Claire

Jamie

I wake in the dark of the night wrapped around my wife. We had feel asleep in each other's arms. I am glad of it. We both needed the comfort. But, I know must move. If we are caught..

"Claire, I must move honey."

"No," her sleepy reply comes from the depths of my chest where she is buried.

"I ken mo' ghairde. But if we are caught. I may need my bollocks again. I dinna wish to lose them." That has her moving. She unwraps her arms and legs. "I will be back with breakfast before we take him." I kiss her deeply and slip away.

I slip back into my own room unseen. I fall back to sleep easily, relaxed from the hours spent in Claire's arms. Pollux wakes me a few hours later with news.

"Claire and Tianna are to accompany us."

"They don't want her preforming the procedure, do they?"

"No. There are a couple of men that work with the man that does the ahhh...cutting that are ill. The master wishes them to treat them."

Claire

I wake to Jamie and the smell of breakfast. I sit up and catch the sheet as it starts to fall. I hear Pollux waking Tianna and smile. I ask the men to wait in the next room as we dress.

We join them and Tianna sleepily plaits back my hair.

"We've some news." Jamie says. He explains that we are to come with them and why. I am not happy to hear this. I had hoped not to see Marcus again. But, duty calls. We walk outside after breakfast, after Tianna and I gather up some supplies. Not knowing the source of rhe illness, we take clothe to wet to treat fever, some of the mint and ginger prepared teas, willow bark and cider apple vinager.

Jamie

We walk out and Pollux can tell I am angry.

"What is it?"

"I dinna wish that man to be anywhere near Alba or Tianna."

"I agree. But he will not touch them."

I so agree and take him from the man holding him. I twist his arms behind his back and hold him tight as the lasses come out. I see him smifk and tighten my grip. "If I even sense any nasty thoughts from you about them, I will take off your bollocks with my bare hands. If you touch them, I will feed you to the lions myself. Understood." From the way he turns bone white, I assume he does. I push him in front and we lead the little party down the road.

Claire

With Jamie having Marcus well in hand, Tianna and I feel a sense of relief. We talk on the way to the cutter's house.

"I believe Pollux likes you." I whisper to her. He follows behind, guarding our back as Jamie does our front.

"Truly?"

"Yes. And you."

"I do. It is just I am scared. They are gladiators. Training to kill or be killed. I fear losing him." That silenced me. I knew, of course. But, with all going on, I had managed to put it to the back of my mind. We must find a way away from here.

We arrive and Tianna and I are directed one direction, the men and their prisoner another.

Jamie

We take him into a tiny room with a stone table in the center. "Put him there. And, if you two would grab his arms, it would help. My two assistants are ill. Did you bring the healer?"

"We did. She and her assistant are with them now." Pollux answers. He grabs one of Marcus ' arms and a shoulder. I grab the other and the man's two well assistants grap his legs, spreading them wide. Marcus' is cursing and trying to move. But, we have him held fast.

"Well boy," the cutter says with a grin, why are you throwing such a fit. It isn't like we are taking much. Come look boys." He lifts his toga exposing a tiny cock and pepple sized bawls. "Have you seen such so small on a man?" He asks as he lifts them and with a quick slice, frees them from his body. Marcus screams louder. He presses a cloth on the bloody wound. He presses hard for a few minutes. When he lifts it, the bleeding was only a trickle." That will do. You can take him in a few hours."

I recall what Claire has said about germs. I ask one of the assistants for wine. Marcus looks up with dazed eyes in hope. But it wasn't for his mouth. I take it and pour it over the spot where his bollocks used to be. He screams like the wean he now is and passes out. "Now. That will do." I say.

Claire

We find two men with high fevers. I get them seperated from the others. I exam them for any other illness or injury. It seems to be just a fever. Their bodies are fighting something. I dose them both with a mix of apple cider vinegar and willow bark tea. That is when we all hear a sharp scream. "It is done then." One of my patients says. Good. A few minutes later we hear another. We all look up with frowns. Was there two? Jamie and Pollux come in a few minutes later.

"Can we help?" He asks. I request cold water. He sends Pollux after it.

"How did it go then?" He tells me as I apply cold compresses to my patients.

"I recalled about germs," he explains," so I poured wine on the wound." I was proud of him, not pnly for recalling but for doing. Letting him take the chance with infection would have made more sense, considering what he did. That he didn't shows what kind of man he is. I tell him so.

"Och Claire. Ye spared his life. Wasn't mine to take."

Jamie

We are.all soon off. I am surprised when Pollux doesn't lead us towards the Coliseum. But towards the docks. He explains that Marcus isn't coming back with us. He is heading to Pompeii to serve their queen and her ladies-in-waiting. I hear Claire gasp. Leaving him with Pollux, I lead her away.

"What is it?"

"He will die. In just a few years time. A volcano will erupt on the island. People will die frozen in place. Burned up where they stand, sit, or lie. There will be no survivors." She shudders and I hold her. "Might have been better had I let him been thrown to the lions."

"Shhh. Ye are nae way responsible for his death. His decisions and God's. Let's get him on the.boat and head back."

"Jamie. I just want to go home."

"Aye. Me too lass."

[lotorsshoulderpads]

Because In This House We Love and Appreciate The Royal Pulluxian Trio

HCs for Avok, Romelle, and Bandor that no one asked for but I don’t care because I love them and I will never stop talking about them

For the trio and Pollux as a whole: ⭐ As of their debut Avok was 21, Romelle was 18, and Bandor was 13 ⭐ Their mother, a blonde haired, brown eyed Arusian woman named Amue, died when Romelle was almost 8 years old from illness. The medicine required to heal her came only from Arus, but Arus had blocked all trade with Pollux many years before then so there was no hope of getting the medicine. ⭐ Their mother was actually one of several ambassadors and nobles sent from Arus to Pollux in hopes of bettering relations between the two planets but it didn’t work out, however she did grab the attention of the newly crowned ruler ⭐ The freckles come from their mom ⭐ Their father had red hair like Bandor and Avok before it went grey ⭐ Their parents were a total power couple ⭐ After their mother’s death their father was never really the same man ⭐ After the death of their mother Romelle became a mother figure to Bandor as they got older ⭐ They all like peanut butter but disagree on whether crunchy or smooth is better (Romelle likes smooth, Avok likes crunchy, Bandor really doesn’t care but joins the argument anyway for that sweet, sweet drama). ⭐ All three of them have bottomless pits for stomachs. They can pack food away like nothing. ⭐ Pollux is Space Sparta TM so all three have had combat training ⭐ Both Romelle and Bandor, standing at 5′8 and 5′3 respectively, are considered short by Polluxian standards. Avok stands at the male average of 6′4 ⭐ Polluxians are overall bigger and stronger than Arusians, but they also have a few years shorter life expectancy. Polluxians also have denser bones. ⭐ Polluxians are polytheistic and have many patron saint type figures ⭐ Pollux has a bad reputation of being full of violent warmongers, but at least they tend to be less sexist. With the vast majority of young men being in military service, women take up many leadership roles and are often considered to be the head of the home. ⭐ The first ruler of Pollux was a man named Lam. When he was kicked off of Arus, many Arusians who believed in his way of thinking followed him. ⭐ After the incident with Avok, their father vanished. His whereabouts are unknown. ⭐ When Avok was still around, Bandor often made him and Romelle reenact scenes from his favorite games/cartoons/movies with him ⭐ The reason Romelle knows the key to Pollux’s defenses and Bandor doesn’t is because Avok, next in line for the throne at the time, had entrusted the secret to Romelle before he became a robeast in case something happened to him. ⭐ Bandor and Romelle make sure that Avok’s room is taken care of after he died. They keep everything where he left it. The room has become some sort of shrine ⭐ The knife Romelle gave Sven is actually one of a matching set of three. The other two belong to Avok and Bandor. They were gifts from their father when they were very young. They always carry the knives with them. Avok’s was lost because he had it on him when he died and Romelle’s was destroyed, so Bandor’s is the only one left. ⭐ After Romelle came home from Doom, Bandor offered for her to co-rule with him ⭐ Romelle and Bandor were left in the dark about most of the details of Avok becoming a robeast, and their father never told them the whole plan of betraying the Drule. ⭐ All three of them are very defensive of one another ⭐ Sometimes, when they were having particularly hard days, the three of them would get together and read a book. Avok would start out, then pass the book to Romelle once he got tired. She’d then pass the book to Bandor, who had a habit of adding in lines and words to make the other two laugh. ⭐ Romelle and Bandor had a statue of Avok built and displayed outside the castle with other statues of prominent figures in Polluxian history. ⭐ Lady Zeeb is a noblewoman who acted as the governess/ god mother/ caregiver for all three of them. She’s in her late 40′s and was close friends/rivals with their father growing up.

Avok: ⭐ Exercise is how he relieved stress ⭐ Romelle and Bandor can’t sing for shit… but he could  ⭐ He was a perfectionist ⭐ He actually had a soft spot for novels ⭐ Secretly really liked romance books. He liked the idea of being in love, but at the same time didn’t like the idea of a relationship, so books are a way for him to get those romancey butterflies without an actual relationship. ⭐ His eyes were dark blue ⭐ Was actually pretty bashful when you complimented him ⭐ His nose was crooked because one time he broke it and it didn’t set right ⭐ People who knew him would describe him as a bit of a softy, but stubborn and blunt as all hell. ⭐ He’s haf one hell of a temper if you knew what buttons to press ⭐ Kept a log of his daily activities ⭐ Collected bladed weapons, old coins, and rocks/minerals ⭐ Despite the amount of stuff he had, his room was always neat and tidy ⭐ Got uncomfortable when people touched his things, even his siblings ⭐ Do they have chess on Pollux? if so he was the champion ⭐ He was a curious child with a close bond to Romelle, but after their mother died he became more withdrawn into his studies and didn’t spend as much time with her. ⭐ Mostly took after his father but was actually closer to his mother ⭐ Could and would eat anything you put in front of him with no complaint ⭐ The main reason he agreed to be turned into a robeast to fight Voltron was because he blamed Arus for the death of his mother ⭐ He was the spitting image of his father, and was secretly a bit sad that he didn’t inherit much from his mother aside from his freckles. ⭐ Homeboy had a lot of hair. Everywhere. He was basically Chewbacca. ⭐ Constantly in his head about things. Overly analytical, overly critical. That’s why he liked training so much. It gave him something else to think about. ⭐ Surprisingly, he actually held many of the same views as Romelle, but he believed it was his duty to his planet to honor their traditions and long held beliefs. ⭐ Was known to pick verbal (and occasionally, physical) fights with people who talked shit on Romelle. ⭐ He had great respect for Romelle, and always saw her as his right hand woman. ⭐ I have absolutely no basis for this but my heart says he’s gay ⭐ Self conscious. Not necessarily insecure, but was very aware of himself and his surroundings. ⭐ Really into sculptures and architecture but never got the chance to really pursue those interests outside of just studying them. ⭐ When he was younger he kept his hair just long enough to pull back into a little ponytail.

Romelle: ⭐Her earrings were a gift from her mother given to her on her 7th birthday, the last birthday she got to spend with her mother. ⭐ She was taken out of combat training at 10 due to her father’s growing paranoia and pressure from other planets ⭐ After she was taken out of combat training Avok took it upon himself to train her privately. It turns out he’s a pretty good teacher, and sparing was a great bonding activity for them. ⭐ Was exceptionally close to both her parents, but most of her values come from her mom ⭐ The public has mixed opinions on her due to her unusual beliefs ⭐ Their mother tried to teach her to play various instruments but she never got into any of them ⭐ her pink outfit is actually meant for training ⭐ Her blue dress is actually the only floor length dress she owns. The rest only go down to her knees, at most. She only wears the blue one on the occasion that they have to see other royals or officials who would see her normal clothes as inappropriate ⭐ Has freckles you can fight me on this ⭐ Bi and unable to die ⭐ Keeps a diary ⭐ Her favorite color is teal ⭐ Junk food junkie ⭐ Had a pet bird when she was little. Her father only let her have it on the condition that she not let it out of it’s cage. She still did but shhh ⭐ Was really into sports as a kid ⭐ She wants to name one of her future kids Amue after her mother ⭐ Has scars on her wrists and ankles from her imprisonment ⭐ She also lost a ton of weight as a prisoner ⭐ After spending so much time around Lotor, she can no longer stand the smell of alcohol. ⭐ Sees Allura as a sister ⭐ Her father was the one who taught her how to pilot a ship ⭐ Was a major tomboy growing up. ⭐ After returning home it didn’t take long for others to notice she acted… differently. She was more temperamental and anxious ⭐ After her return she spent a lot of time alone in her room ⭐ Suffers from PTSD ⭐ Was never really into dolls, but she has a porcelain one that her mother gave her when she was little. ⭐ She can’t cook for shit. ⭐ Used to be such a heavy sleeper that she might as well have been dead when she fell asleep. After escaping imprisonment, she became a light sleeper. She often has night terrors. ⭐ Her appearance is very out of the ordinary for Polluxians. She’s blonde while most of the population has darker, redish hair, she’s pretty pale compared to Polluxian’s typically more Mediterranean/olive complexions, she keeps her hair much longer than typical for Polluxian women, and she’s pretty short by their standards. Over all, she isn’t considered traditionally beautiful. ⭐ Lady Zeeb was the one who originally styled her hair like that. It’s a pretty old fashioned, classic look for Polluxian women… and pretty much the only thing Lady Zeeb knows how to do with hair. ⭐ Her and Lady Zeeb bonded over being the only two blondies in the royal court.

Bandor: ⭐ He has his mother’s eyes ⭐ Has a bad habit of idolizing people ⭐ Is a very active and sporty child with a wild imagination ⭐ Avok and Bandor were never really that close but Bandor still admires his brother ⭐ When he was little he used to pull people’s hair a lot. That’s when Romelle started wearing her hair up and out of the way ⭐ Was a really happy baby. Always smiling and laughing. ⭐ Has ADHD ⭐ Cartoon addict ⭐ Major sweet tooth ⭐ Was the kid to tie a blanket around his neck like a cape and wave a stick around like a sword while running around the castle, yelling about how he had to save the kingdom from an evil dragon ⭐ Single handedly keeps bandaid companies in business with his shenanigans ⭐ Likes drawing but isn’t very good at it ⭐ Extremely picky eater. Certain textures really bother him ⭐ Wishes he’d gotten more time to get to know his mother ⭐ Was not at all prepared to become the ruler of Pollux. Working with the military came as a second nature to him, but civil and economic issues are hard for him to get his head around ⭐ Is allergic to peanuts. He used to eat peanut butter all the time when he was little but the allergy developed as he got older. He’s bitter about it. ⭐ Once when Romelle was sleeping, he took a marker and played connect the dots with her freckles. She was not happy. ⭐ His room is a mess 24/7. Servants used to have to pick up after him daily, but he’d just complain that he couldn’t find anything once it was all put away so everyone gave up and trying to keep his room in any sort of order. ⭐ Loves dogs, but his father never let him have one because he’s a strict and hates joy because he thought it would make a mess ⭐ Has a rivalry/friendship with Pidge ⭐ His father and Avok would always ruffle his hair when he did a good job at something. He is literally a puppy!!! Give him head scratches!!! ⭐ Is good at chess but doesn’t have the attention span for it ⭐ When he was little he used to sneak into Romelle’s room at night a lot, especially when he was upset and wanted company. ⭐ Words can not describe how he felt when he lost his whole family in one day. In just a few hours his brother died, his sister was kidnapped, and his father went missing, leaving him to lead a planet all on his own. In the few days between getting Romelle back and her running off with Sven, he’d slept more soundly that he had in months. ⭐ When Romelle was a prisoner, he often had nightmares of her being killed and him being powerless to do anything about it. He was constantly terrified of her never coming home. ⭐ When he was little he so badly wanted to have long hair like Romelle. They’d have to chase him down in order to cut his hair until eventually his father just said screw it and let him grow it out. He ended up cutting it all off when he was about 11 when he decided he was a Big Boy TM.

[inked-foundry]

Actual writing content? Holy crap!

I forget who was on my tags list (oops), so remind me if you want to be tagged. This is just from a miscellaneous thing that I might want to be a scene near the end of Eris’s character arc? Advice and input is appreciated.

Eris’s knuckles hurt like hell and the wind got knocked out of her as she threw herself over the eave of the house, but it was worth it. Sitting on the other side of the roof was indeed Castor. She drew in a deep breath, hauled herself up, and walked across the peak.

“You are the most slippery jackass I’ve ever known, Cassie. I don’t know why you didn’t pick up thievery yourself,” she jeered.

But he didn’t respond. His broad back kept to her, hands curled defensively about the edge of the roof, like he would shatter the entire house with a single crack if he could.

With a shrug, Eris strolled down and took a seat beside him, lanky legs dangling over the edge. She followed his stare to the horizon. Some of the houses were outlined in a cool glow, but it was the harbor that was the most beautiful. Empyrean’s massive ship was still sitting in the dock, but its gold and white flags turned nearly divine in a rosy sunset. All the waves lapped gently against its hull. The entire ocean seemed calm to Atlas’s shoreline. It was the one part of the gods that respected the peace the country was trying to maintain.

“I guess I can understand why you decided the skulk up here.” Eris simply watched the fading sunlight flutter across the water in orange and scarlet ribbons. “Best view in the Capitol, right?”

“Shut up, Eris,” Castor grumbled.

The thief had gotten used to hearing those words out of his mouth, but… there was a complexity to this version of the words. He usually only meant he wanted utter silence. This time it felt specific. Specific and misunderstood.

“I’m not here to do Pollux’s dirty work, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Eris leaned back and did her best to rest flat along the uneven shingles. “I’m a jackass, but I’m not that much of an idiot to go and hand my best friend over to the country that tried to have him killed.”

Castor only spared a side glance at her, his red eyes ever judging. “You did accept his job offer.”

“Before I knew what the hell Empyrean wanted.” Eris snorted playfully. “You ought to look into, I don’t know, being more honest with your one friend in Atlas?”

There was a pause. Eventually, Castor shifted and muttered, “Fine.”

Eris folded her hands behind her head. “Look, the guy just wants to give you an apology, but to be goddamn frank with you, I couldn’t give less of a crap if you want to accept it or not.” Eris followed the stars blinking into the sky, wondering if the gods were watching from there, too. If they were playing one sick game with her and they knew exactly where Castor was. “I just want to know if my old pal’s okay.”

“Shut up, Eris—”

“Cassie, please,” Eris blurted.

Silence fell between them again, heavy and infinite and refusing to lift its curtain. Eris heard the waves crash to the south and the quiet buzzing in her ears, the thud of her heartbeat in her chest. The world refused to allow them a moment of true silence to settle on it. And if the world wouldn’t give her a proper moment, she’d make use of it.

“I learned the hard way that sometimes you’ve got to stop giving a crap and tell people what’s wrong. Ignoring it isn’t going to make it any better, Cassie.” Eris nearly laughed. “That’s how we got into this crazy, screwed-up situation to begin with.”

For a split second, that terrifying silence returned.

“No,” he said. His voice was raw, his sound dragged out from his throat kicking and screaming. “No. No, I’m not okay.”

“That’s one hell of a starting point for you, at least.” Eris sat back up and nodded. “Alright: you’re not okay. Established that, though it wasn’t much of a shock. Feel like giving more details?”

Swift as a whip, Castor blurted, “No.”

“Okay.” Eris nodded again. “Then let’s just talk.”

“About what?”

“Some truths.”

“Truths.”

“Yeah. Like…” Eris pursed her lips. “If there’s one place you could go right now, where would it be? Any place at all, no matter how goddamn ridiculous it is.” When they hit another bump of wordlessness, Eris added, “It’s a stupid game Min and I would play when things really turned to hell in the Gutters.”

Castor still didn’t open his mouth, but thoughts were forming behind his eyes.

“Personally, I want this bony little ass warmed by the fire.” Eris smirked at nothing, already imagining her cozy little room in the palace, nestled beside Danae. “Preferably with a hot cup of tea and a peach pastry—”

“Home,” Castor decided

Eris blinked. Then she chuckled. “That’s surprisingly modest for the guy who’s literally the son of the most powerful god to be documented. I could sneak in and unlock the door from the inside under two minutes tops if you really wanted—”

“No,” Castor interrupted. Eris followed his gaze again, out across the otherwise empty sea. “I mean home.”

Scratching the back of her head, Eris muttered, “You know what the definition of home is, right? You live there. Unless you’ve got some fancier apartment you never told me about so I wouldn’t leave ale on the carpet—”

“Bruya, jackass.”

Eris thought about it a moment. Bruya was miles south from here, a place that, despite Castor’s magic, he would never be able to get to without the intervention of a ship or unfurling his wings. But both of those were a risk of reveal.

And then it settled in. Why he kept staring at the horizon.

Bruya was his home. It was a place where the people wouldn’t hunt him like a wild animal, where he would be welcomed and heralded as a local hero. The son of Rovan, the god who presided over them.

Eris needed to double check that she wasn’t just seeing the reflection of the ocean in Castor’s eyes. She gave him a moment. When he didn’t wipe them away himself, Eris reached up and rubbed a tear off his cheek.

“You feeling okay now?” Eris asked.

Castor shrugged, still ignoring the drops tracing damp lines down his cheeks. “A little.”

“You want to tell me about Bruya?”

“Yeah.” He sniffled, the stoicness never fading from his face. His chest heaved the tiniest bit, though. “It was a gorgeous place. Everyone had a garden and the forests seemed to last forever, but no matter how far you went, you never got lost. The land was soaked with magic. It knew who I was. The people knew who I was. I was like the local stray. People took me in. I was always safe. Even if my father wasn’t there, I knew he was watching for me.”

Eris patted his knee when she saw the tentative smile crossed his lips.

This was the most expressive he’d been, ever.

But then that joy shattered, being replaced by an utter sense of despair. His eyes were wide, lips slightly parted, the tears even more intense than previously, if that was even possible.

“And I never get to go back.” He grit his teeth, shoulders rising to cradle his head. “Oh, for the love of everything that I’ve ever given a crap about, I don’t get to go back.”

“I know.”

“And I don’t get to feel safe.”

“Yeah.”

Then that moment of utter despair turned to anger, a vein popping in his neck, screaming without giving a concern as to who below could be listening, “And it’s all his goddamn fault!”

Eris didn’t need clarity.

“I know, Cassie.” She patted his back.

“I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do,” he admitted.

“Well,” Eris shrugged. “If it makes you feel any better, you have start. You talked.”

Castor nodded. “We talked.” The mask was starting to draw over his eyes again.

Once again, the conversation died between them. There was nothing but the beating of the blood in their veins, the cry of gulls flying in from the sea, and the soft murmur of foot traffic below.

“Keep talking,” Castor insisted.

Eris raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to change heart so quickly?”

“Shut up, Eris.”

“Alright, I see how it is.” Eris held her hands up innocently, but still offered a genuine smile. “Let’s just talk.”

[wildlyhardphilosopher-blog]

potty trained dog peeing in house | how to train puppies

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potty trained dog peeing in house | how to train puppies

Article Link Copied Paper training Inside Mercola.com Dog’s training is Carry Nichole’s passion since she was a little child. She takes a particular interest in dog training and well being. Her love for dogs and animals, in general, drove her to study and got certified in Veterinary Science. Wanting to put all she has learned in ways that can be easily understood and executed, she got interested in creating books and blog contents that teach strategies on how to train, care, and make pets the happiest possible. Additionally, she is also a happy mother. In her spare time, she enjoys playing with her dog and cats. You’ll probably bring your new puppy home when he’s between 8 and 10 weeks old, after he’s completely weaned from his mama. $16.71 Autoship & Save William Dog Psychology Tax ID: 23-7149453 Set a routine. Dogs are creatures of habit. By feeding your dog at the same time each day and offering regularly spaced walks and outside potty breaks, you can condition her to “go” at set times each day. Housetraining For Dummies Puppy Behavior and Training – Training Basics 1-800-672-4399 Sit and stay on cue in various situations, like waiting at the vet. 12. How To Feed Your Puppy Build on your dog’s “stay” skills with the Three D’s of training: But if you start small, restrict them to and potty train them in one area, then expand bit by bit, it’s easier for your puppy to associate the new area with their living space that they’re supposed to keep clean. Wrong Ways to Discipline Puppies When will my puppy be house trained BUY NOW June 12 -16, 2018 LIFELONG COMMUNICATION WITH DOGS Make a Schedule Art of Living with Your Dog Quiz: Do You Know the Ins and Outs of Mats & Tangles? Stop a Dog from Humping This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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Until your puppy has had its third set of vaccines, you should avoid areas where other dogs go or have recently gone, such as parks. It’s a good idea to discuss this with your veterinarian. If you follow this guide with patience, consistency and dedication, I can guarantee you’ll take both your puppy and yourself from complete beginners to house training aces as quickly and stress free as possible. PetFeed QDT TwitterQDT FacebookQDT Instagram This was not just a horrible thing to do to a puppy, it was also completely ineffective and puppies did not get house trained any quicker than they do today with kind modern methods. Dog training classes to make life easier But every puppy is different and their progress in having longer time between needed toilet breaks will vary too. HomeoPet (5) Our History AKC Magazines Earthquake Tracker Access to rugs or carpet (which are nice and absorbent – just like grass). 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Not taking your dog out enough At first you are going to let the puppy see the food in your hand so that you will have her attention and can use it to guide her into position. As your puppy begins to comply more readily, you can start to hide the food in your hand, but give the command and repeat the motion or signal that she has learned to follow. Soon the puppy will come to expect the treat each time she performs the task. Then, signal and give the command, but when she performs the task, reward only with praise and give the puppy an affectionate pat. Next, you can begin to vary the frequency, giving praise with “good dog” and perhaps patting each time, but giving the food randomly, perhaps every 3 or 4 times. In time, the puppy should respond to either the hand signal or the command. Stop a Boxer Dog from Biting Clearance The only ways to deal with a dog that is this aggressive are to euthanize, manage, or educate — and McDaniel said the dog training school strives to educate in order to save canine lives. Where To Buy If you catch your puppy pottying in the wrong spot, you should simply clap your hands and say a firm ‘NO!’. You don’t want to shock and scare them, just loud enough to startle and get their attention. Most Popular Assessment Get Help for Migraine Relief Howdini the vet for even the simplest of Blue Cross Week 2018 Castor & Pollux Many owners appear disappointed that their young puppy will not toilet when out on a walk, yet relieves itself the second it gets back home. This is because the puppy has been taught to toilet only at home (hopefully in its garden), and being creatures of habit, they often wait until they have returned home before evacuating their bladder and/ or bowels. 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When I take her out she stops instantly then falls asleep, when I move her back again it repeats. This is only night 3 of having her, but its late, first night stayed up all night with her, second night left her outside the crate which meant mess in the morning and tonight it’s 00:49 hours. Any helpful advice would be appreciated. User Terms Symptom Checker The Ultimate List: Service Dog Schools With Adoption Programs I prefer to be contacted by: * Overview of Collections Our experts are available 24/7: Sherpa How much money have you already wasted on obedience training only to be more confused than you were before? Nothing is helping. You’re quite confident your dog is a dud, because he simply won’t obey you. $14.00 Keep Your Early Puppy Training Sessions Short Personal Development Click to choose the best training path for your dog! Once you have everything you need, you’ll want a secure location to train. Start indoors, and gradually move to outdoor locations with more distractions as your puppy masters the command. Professor Donaldson debunks a common myth about dog behavior. She discusses in depth the reasons dogs may have accidents and provides several ways to train your dog out of this behavior. She covers a number of techniques to curb common bad habits such as chewing and digging with distraction or alternatives. x Don’t Take our word for it. Advanced Agility Is cannabis safe for cats? And what sorts of ailments might it treat? Recall Workshop Four Methods To Choose From For House Training Your Puppy

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9 I stop trying to sleep after my first few attempts are interrupted by unspeakable nightmares. After that, I just lie still and do fake breathing whenever someone checks on me. In the morning, I'm released from the hospital and instructed to take it easy. Cressida asks me to record a few lines for a new Mockingjay propo. At lunch, I keep waiting for people to bring up Peeta's appearance, but no one does. Someone must have seen it besides Finnick and me. I have training, but Gale's scheduled to work with Beetee on weapons or something, so I get permission to take Finnick to the woods. We wander around awhile and then ditch our communicators under a bush. When we're a safe distance away, we sit and discuss Peeta's broadcast. "I haven't heard one word about it. No one's told you anything?" Finnick says. I shake my head. He pauses before he asks, "Not even Gale?" I'm clinging to a shred of hope that Gale honestly knows nothing about Peeta's message. But I have a bad feeling he does. "Maybe he's trying to find a time to tell you privately." "Maybe," I say. We stay silent so long that a buck wanders into range. I take it down with an arrow. Finnick hauls it back to the fence. For dinner, there's minced venison in the stew. Gale walks me back to Compartment E after we eat. When I ask him what's been going on, again there's no mention of Peeta. As soon as my mother and sister are asleep, I slip the pearl from the drawer and spend a second sleepless night clutching it in my hand, replaying Peeta's words in my head. "Ask yourself, do you really trust the people you're working with? Do you really know what's going on? And if you don't...find out." Find out. What? From who? And how can Peeta know anything except what the Capitol tells him? It's just a Capitol propo. More noise. But if Plutarch thinks it's just the Capitol line, why didn't he tell me about it? Why hasn't anyone let me or Finnick know? Under this debate lies the real source of my distress: Peeta. What have they done to him? And what are they doing to him right now? Clearly, Snow did not buy the story that Peeta and I knew nothing about the rebellion. And his suspicions have been reinforced, now that I have come out as the Mockingjay. Peeta can only guess about the rebel tactics or make up things to tell his torturers. Lies, once discovered, would be severely punished. How abandoned by me he must feel. In his first interview, he tried to protect me from the Capitol and rebels alike, and not only have I failed to protect him, I've brought down more horrors upon him. Come morning, I stick my forearm in the wall and stare groggily at the day's schedule. Immediately after breakfast, I am slated for Production. In the dining hall, as I down my hot grain and milk and mushy beets, I spot a communicuff on Gale's wrist. "When did you get that back, Soldier Hawthorne?" I ask. "Yesterday. They thought if I'm going to be in the field with you, it could be a backup system of communication," says Gale. No one has ever offered me a communicuff. I wonder, if I asked for one, would I get it? "Well, I guess one of us has to be accessible," I say with an edge to my voice. "What's that mean?" he says. "Nothing. Just repeating what you said," I tell him. "And I totally agree that the accessible one should be you. I just hope I still have access to you as well." Our eyes lock, and I realize how furious I am with Gale. That I don't believe for a second that he didn't see Peeta's propo. That I feel completely betrayed that he didn't tell me about it. We know each other too well for him not to read my mood and guess what has caused it. "Katniss - " he begins. Already the admission of guilt is in his tone. I grab my tray, cross to the deposit area, and slam the dishes onto the rack. By the time I'm in the hallway, he's caught up with me. "Why didn't you say something?" he asks, taking my arm. "Why didn'tI ?" I jerk my arm free. "Why didn'tyou , Gale? And I did, by the way, when I asked you last night about what had been going on!" "I'm sorry. All right? I didn't know what to do. I wanted to tell you, but everyone was afraid that seeing Peeta's propo would make you sick," he says. "They were right. It did. But not quite as sick as you lying to me for Coin." At that moment, his communicuff starts beeping. "There she is. Better run. You have things to tell her." For a moment, real hurt registers on his face. Then cold anger replaces it. He turns on his heel and goes. Maybe I have been too spiteful, not given him enough time to explain. Maybe everyone is just trying to protect me by lying to me. I don't care. I'm sick of people lying to me for my own good. Because really it's mostly for their own good. Lie to Katniss about the rebellion so she doesn't do anything crazy. Send her into the arena without a clue so we can fish her out. Don't tell her about Peeta's propo because it might make her sick, and it's hard enough to get a decent performance out of her as it is. I do feel sick. Heartsick. And too tired for a day of production. But I'm already at Remake, so I go in. Today, I discover, we will be returning to District 12. Cressida wants to do unscripted interviews with Gale and me throwing light on our demolished city. "If you're both up for that," says Cressida, looking closely at my face. "Count me in," I say. I stand, uncommunicative and stiff, a mannequin, as my prep team dresses me, does my hair, and dabs makeup on my face. Not enough to show, only enough to take the edge off the circles under my sleepless eyes. Boggs escorts me down to the Hangar, but we don't talk beyond a preliminary greeting. I'm grateful to be spared another exchange about my disobedience in 8, especially since his mask looks so uncomfortable. At the last moment, I remember to send a message to my mother about my leaving 13, and stress that it won't be dangerous. We board a hovercraft for the short ride to 12 and I'm directed to a seat at a table where Plutarch, Gale, and Cressida are poring over a map. Plutarch's brimming with satisfaction as he shows me the before/after effects of the first couple of propos. The rebels, who were barely maintaining a foothold in several districts, have rallied. They have actually taken 3 and 11 - the latter so crucial since it's Panem's main food supplier - and have made inroads in several other districts as well. "Hopeful. Very hopeful indeed," says Plutarch. "Fulvia's going to have the first round ofWe Remember spots ready tonight, so we can target the individual districts with their dead. Finnick's absolutely marvelous." "It's painful to watch, actually," says Cressida. "He knew so many of them personally." "That's what makes it so effective," says Plutarch. "Straight from the heart. You're all doing beautifully. Coin could not be more pleased." Gale didn't tell them, then. About my pretending not to see Peeta and my anger at their cover-up. But I guess it's too little, too late, because I still can't let it go. It doesn't matter. He's not speaking to me, either. It's not until we land in the Meadow that I realize Haymitch isn't among our company. When I ask Plutarch about his absence, he just shakes his head and says, "He couldn't face it." "Haymitch? Not able to face something? Wanted a day off, more likely," I say. "I think his actual words were 'I couldn't face it without a bottle,'" says Plutarch. I roll my eyes, long out of patience with my mentor, his weakness for drink, and what he can or can't confront. But about five minutes after my return to 12, I'm wishing I had a bottle myself. I thought I'd come to terms with 12's demise - heard of it, seen it from the air, and wandered through its ashes. So why does everything bring on a fresh pang of grief? Was I simply too out of it before to fully register the loss of my world? Or is it the look on Gale's face as he takes in the destruction on foot that makes the atrocity feel brand-new? Cressida directs the team to start with me at my old house. I ask her what she wants me to do. "Whatever you feel like," she says. Standing back in my kitchen, I don't feel like doing anything. In fact, I find myself focusing up at the sky - the only roof left - because too many memories are drowning me. After a while, Cressida says, "That's fine, Katniss. Let's move on." Gale doesn't get off so easily at his old address. Cressida films him in silence for a few minutes, but just as he pulls the one remnant of his previous life from the ashes - a twisted metal poker - she starts to question him about his family, his job, life in the Seam. She makes him go back to the night of the firebombing and reenact it, starting at his house, working his way down across the Meadow and through the woods to the lake. I straggle behind the film crew and the bodyguards, feeling their presence to be a violation of my beloved woods. This is a private place, a sanctuary, already corrupted by the Capitol's evil. Even after we've left behind the charred stumps near the fence, we're still tripping over decomposing bodies. Do we have to record it for everyone to see? By the time we reach the lake, Gale seems to have lost his ability to speak. Everyone's dripping in sweat - especially Castor and Pollux in their insect shells - and Cressida calls for a break. I scoop up handfuls of water from the lake, wishing I could dive in and surface alone and naked and unobserved. I wander around the perimeter for a while. When I come back around to the little concrete house beside the lake, I pause in the doorway and see Gale propping the crooked poker he salvaged against the wall by the hearth. For a moment I have an image of a lone stranger, sometime far in the future, wandering lost in the wilderness and coming upon this small place of refuge, with the pile of split logs, the hearth, the poker. Wondering how it came to be. Gale turns and meets my eyes and I know he's thinking about our last meeting here. When we fought over whether or not to run away. If we had, would District 12 still be there? I think it would. But the Capitol would still be in control of Panem as well. Cheese sandwiches are passed around and we eat them in the shade of the trees. I intentionally sit at the far edge of the group, next to Pollux, so I don't have to talk. No one's talking much, really. In the relative quiet, the birds take back the woods. I nudge Pollux with my elbow and point out a small black bird with a crown. It hops to a new branch, momentarily opening its wings, showing off its white patches. Pollux gestures to my pin and raises his eyebrows questioningly. I nod, confirming it's a mockingjay. I hold up one finger to sayWait, I'll show you , and whistle a birdcall. The mockingjay cocks its head and whistles the call right back at me. Then, to my surprise, Pollux whistles a few notes of his own. The bird answers him immediately. Pollux's face breaks into an expression of delight and he has a series of melodic exchanges with the mockingjay. My guess is it's the first conversation he's had in years. Music draws mockingjays like blossoms do bees, and in a short while he's got half a dozen of them perched in the branches over our heads. He taps me on the arm and uses a twig to write a word in the dirt. SING? Usually, I'd decline, but it's kind of impossible to say no to Pollux, given the circumstances. Besides, the mockingjays' song voices are different from their whistles, and I'd like him to hear them. So, before I actually think about what I'm doing, I sing Rue's four notes, the ones she used to signal the end of the workday in 11. The notes that ended up as the background music to her murder. The birds don't know that. They pick up the simple phrase and bounce it back and forth between them in sweet harmony. Just as they did in the Hunger Games before the muttations broke through the trees, chased us onto the Cornucopia, and slowly gnawed Cato to a bloody pulp - "Want to hear them do a real song?" I burst out. Anything to stop those memories. I'm on my feet, moving back into the trees, resting my hand on the rough trunk of a maple where the birds perch. I have not sung "The Hanging Tree" out loud for ten years, because it's forbidden, but I remember every word. I begin softly, sweetly, as my father did. "Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where they strung up a man they say murdered three. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." The mockingjays begin to alter their songs as they become aware of my new offering. "Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where the dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." I have the birds' attention now. In one more verse, surely they will have captured the melody, as it's simple and repeats four times with little variation. "Are you, are you Coming to the tree Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." A hush in the trees. Just the rustle of leaves in the breeze. But no birds, mockingjay or other. Peeta's right. They do fall silent when I sing. Just as they did for my father. "Are you, are you Coming to the tree Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here No stranger would it be If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree." The birds are waiting for me to continue. But that's it. Last verse. In the stillness I remember the scene. I was home from a day in the woods with my father. Sitting on the floor with Prim, who was just a toddler, singing "The Hanging Tree." Making us necklaces out of scraps of old rope like it said in the song, not knowing the real meaning of the words. The tune was simple and easy to harmonize to, though, and back then I could memorize almost anything set to music after a round or two. Suddenly, my mother snatched the rope necklaces away and was yelling at my father. I started to cry because my mother never yelled, and then Prim was wailing and I ran outside to hide. As I had exactly one hiding spot - in the Meadow under a honeysuckle bush - my father found me immediately. He calmed me down and told me everything was fine, only we'd better not sing that song anymore. My mother just wanted me to forget it. So, of course, every word was immediately, irrevocably branded into my brain. We didn't sing it anymore, my father and I, or even speak of it. After he died, it used to come back to me a lot. Being older, I began to understand the lyrics. At the beginning, it sounds like a guy is trying to get his girlfriend to secretly meet up with him at midnight. But it's an odd place for a tryst, a hanging tree, where a man was hung for murder. The murderer's lover must have had something to do with the killing, or maybe they were just going to punish her anyway, because his corpse called out for her to flee. That's weird obviously, the talking-corpse bit, but it's not until the third verse that "The Hanging Tree" begins to get unnerving. You realize the singer of the song is the dead murderer. He's still in the hanging tree. And even though he told his lover to flee, he keeps asking if she's coming to meet him. The phraseWhere I told you to run, so we'd both be free is the most troubling because at first you think he's talking about when he told her to flee, presumably to safety. But then you wonder if he meant for her to run to him. To death. In the final stanza, it's clear that that's what he's waiting for. His lover, with her rope necklace, hanging dead next to him in the tree. I used to think the murderer was the creepiest guy imaginable. Now, with a couple of trips to the Hunger Games under my belt, I decide not to judge him without knowing more details. Maybe his lover was already sentenced to death and he was trying to make it easier. To let her know he'd be waiting. Or maybe he thought the place he was leaving her was really worse than death. Didn't I want to kill Peeta with that syringe to save him from the Capitol? Was that really my only option? Probably not, but I couldn't think of another at the time. I guess my mother thought the whole thing was too twisted for a seven-year-old, though. Especially one who made her own rope necklaces. It wasn't like hanging was something that only happened in a story. Plenty of people were executed that way in 12. You can bet she didn't want me singing it in front of my music class. She probably wouldn't like me doing it here for Pollux even, but at least I'm not - wait, no, I'm wrong. As I glance sideways, I see Castor has been taping me. Everyone is watching me intently. And Pollux has tears running down his cheeks because no doubt my freaky song has dredged up some terrible incident in his life. Great. I sigh and lean back against the trunk. That's when the mockingjays begin their rendition of "The Hanging Tree." In their mouths, it's quite beautiful. Conscious of being filmed, I stand quietly until I hear Cressida call, "Cut!" Plutarch crosses to me, laughing. "Where do you come up with this stuff? No one would believe it if we made it up!" He throws an arm around me and kisses me on the top of my head with a loud smack. "You're golden!" "I wasn't doing it for the cameras," I say. "Lucky they were on, then," he says. "Come on, everybody, back to town!" As we trudge back through the woods, we reach a boulder, and both Gale and I turn our heads in the same direction, like a pair of dogs catching a scent on the wind. Cressida notices and asks what lies that way. We admit, without acknowledging each other, it's our old hunting rendezvous place. She wants to see it, even after we tell her it's nothing really. Nothing but a place where I was happy, I think. Our rock ledge overlooking the valley. Perhaps a little less green than usual, but the blackberry bushes hang heavy with fruit. Here began countless days of hunting and snaring, fishing and gathering, roaming together through the woods, unloading our thoughts while we filled our game bags. This was the doorway to both sustenance and sanity. And we were each other's key. There's no District 12 to escape from now, no Peacekeepers to trick, no hungry mouths to feed. The Capitol took away all of that, and I'm on the verge of losing Gale as well. The glue of mutual need that bonded us so tightly together for all those years is melting away. Dark patches, not light, show in the spaces between us. How can it be that today, in the face of 12's horrible demise, we are too angry to even speak to each other? Gale as good as lied to me. That was unacceptable, even if he was concerned about my well-being. His apology seemed genuine, though. And I threw it back in his face with an insult to make sure it stung. What is happening to us? Why are we always at odds now? It's all a muddle, but I somehow feel that if I went back to the root of our troubles, my actions would be at the heart of it. Do I really want to drive him away? My fingers encircle a blackberry and pluck it from its stem. I roll it gently between my thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, I turn to him and toss it in his direction. "And may the odds - " I say. I throw it high so he has plenty of time to decide whether to knock it aside or accept it. Gale's eyes train on me, not the berry, but at the last moment, he opens his mouth and catches it. He chews, swallows, and there's a long pause before he says " - beever in your favor." But he does say it. Cressida has us sit in the nook in the rocks, where it's impossible not to be touching, and coaxes us into talking about hunting. What drove us out into the woods, how we met, favorite moments. We thaw, begin to laugh a little, as we relate mishaps with bees and wild dogs and skunks. When the conversation turns to how it felt to translate our skill with weapons to the bombing in 8, I stop talking. Gale just says, "Long overdue." By the time we reach the town square, afternoon's sinking into evening. I take Cressida to the rubble of the bakery and ask her to film something. The only emotion I can muster is exhaustion. "Peeta, this is your home. None of your family has been heard of since the bombing. Twelve is gone. And you're calling for a cease-fire?" I look across the emptiness. "There's no one left to hear you." As we stand before the lump of metal that was the gallows, Cressida asks if either of us has ever been tortured. In answer, Gale pulls off his shirt and turns his back to the camera. I stare at the lash marks, and again hear the whistling of the whip, see his bloody figure hanging unconscious by his wrists. "I'm done," I announce. "I'll meet you at the Victor's Village. Something for...my mother." I guess I walked here, but the next thing I'm conscious of is sitting on the floor in front of the kitchen cabinets of our house in the Victor's Village. Meticulously lining ceramic jars and glass bottles into a box. Placing clean cotton bandages between them to prevent breaking. Wrapping bunches of dried flowers. Suddenly, I remember the rose on my dresser. Was it real? If so, is it still up there? I have to resist the temptation to check. If it's there, it will only frighten me all over again. I hurry with my packing. When the cabinets are empty, I rise to find that Gale has materialized in my kitchen. It's disturbing how soundlessly he can appear. He's leaning on the table, his fingers spread wide against the wood grain. I set the box between us. "Remember?" he asks. "This is where you kissed me." So the heavy dose of morphling administered after the whipping wasn't enough to erase that from his consciousness. "I didn't think you'd remember that," I say. "Have to be dead to forget. Maybe even not then," he tells me. "Maybe I'll be like that man in 'The Hanging Tree.' Still waiting for an answer." Gale, who I have never seen cry, has tears in his eyes. To keep them from spilling over, I reach forward and press my lips against his. We taste of heat, ashes, and misery. It's a surprising flavor for such a gentle kiss. He pulls away first and gives me a wry smile. "I knew you'd kiss me." "How?" I say. Because I didn't know myself. "Because I'm in pain," he says. "That's the only way I get your attention." He picks up the box. "Don't worry, Katniss. It'll pass." He leaves before I can answer. I'm too weary to work through his latest charge. I spend the short ride back to 13 curled up in a seat, trying to ignore Plutarch going on about one of his favorite subjects - weapons mankind no longer has at its disposal. High-flying planes, military satellites, cell disintegrators, drones, biological weapons with expiration dates. Brought down by the destruction of the atmosphere or lack of resources or moral squeamishness. You can hear the regret of a Head Gamemaker who can only dream of such toys, who must make do with hovercraft and land-to-land missiles and plain old guns. After dropping off my Mockingjay suit, I go straight to bed without eating. Even so, Prim has to shake me to get me up in the morning. After breakfast, I ignore my schedule and take a nap in the supply closet. When I come to, crawling out from between the boxes of chalk and pencils, it's dinnertime again. I get an extra-large portion of pea soup and am headed back to Compartment E when Boggs intercepts me. "There's a meeting in Command. Disregard your current schedule," he says. "Done," I say. "Did you follow it at all today?" he asks in exasperation. "Who knows? I'm mentally disoriented." I hold up my wrist to show my medical bracelet and realize it's gone. "See? I can't even remember they took my bracelet. Why do they want me in Command? Did I miss something?" "I think Cressida wanted to show you the Twelve propos. But I guess you'll see them when they air," he says. "That's what I need a schedule of. When the propos air," I say. He shoots me a look but doesn't comment further. People have crowded into Command, but they've saved me a seat between Finnick and Plutarch. The screens are already up on the table, showing the regular Capitol feed. "What's going on? Aren't we seeing the Twelve propos?" I ask. "Oh, no," says Plutarch. "I mean, possibly. I don't know exactly what footage Beetee plans to use." "Beetee thinks he's found a way to break into the feed nationwide," says Finnick. "So that our propos will air in the Capitol, too. He's down working on it in Special Defense now. There's live programming tonight. Snow's making an appearance or something. I think it's starting." The Capitol seal appears, underscored by the anthem. Then I'm staring directly into President Snow's snake eyes as he greets the nation. He seems barricaded behind his podium, but the white rose in his lapel is in full view. The camera pulls back to include Peeta, off to one side in front of a projected map of Panem. He's sitting in an elevated chair, his shoes supported by a metal rung. The foot of his prosthetic leg taps out a strange irregular beat. Beads of sweat have broken through the layer of powder on his upper lip and forehead. But it's the look in his eyes - angry yet unfocused - that frightens me the most. "He's worse," I whisper. Finnick grasps my hand, to give me an anchor, and I try to hang on. Peeta begins to speak in a frustrated tone about the need for the cease-fire. He highlights the damage done to key infrastructure in various districts, and as he speaks, parts of the map light up, showing images of the destruction. A broken dam in 7. A derailed train with a pool of toxic waste spilling from the tank cars. A granary collapsing after a fire. All of these he attributes to rebel action. Bam!Without warning, I'm suddenly on television, standing in the rubble of the bakery. Plutarch jumps to his feet. "He did it! Beetee broke in!" The room's buzzing with reaction when Peeta's back, distracted. He has seen me on the monitor. He tries to pick up his speech by moving on to the bombing of a water purification plant, when a clip of Finnick talking about Rue replaces him. And then the whole thing breaks down into a broadcast battle, as the Capitol tech masters try to fend off Beetee's attack. But they are unprepared, and Beetee, apparently anticipating he would not hold on to control, has an arsenal of five- to ten-second clips to work with. We watch the official presentation deteriorate as it's peppered with choice shots from the propos. Plutarch's in spasms of delight and most everybody is cheering Beetee on, but Finnick remains still and speechless beside me. I meet Haymitch's eyes from across the room and see my own dread mirrored back. The recognition that with every cheer, Peeta slips even farther from our grasp. The Capitol seal's back up, accompanied by a flat audio tone. This lasts about twenty seconds before Snow and Peeta return. The set is in turmoil. We're hearing frantic exchanges from their booth. Snow plows forward, saying that clearly the rebels are now attempting to disrupt the dissemination of information they find incriminating, but both truth and justice will reign. The full broadcast will resume when security has been reinstated. He asks Peeta if, given tonight's demonstration, he has any parting thoughts for Katniss Everdeen. At the mention of my name, Peeta's face contorts in effort. "Katniss...how do you think this will end? What will be left? No one is safe. Not in the Capitol. Not in the districts. And you...in Thirteen..." He inhales sharply, as if fighting for air; his eyes look insane. "Dead by morning!" Off camera, Snow orders, "End it!" Beetee throws the whole thing into chaos by flashing a still shot of me standing in front of the hospital at three-second intervals. But between the images, we are privy to the real-life action being played out on the set. Peeta's attempt to continue speaking. The camera knocked down to record the white tiled floor. The scuffle of boots. The impact of the blow that's inseparable from Peeta's cry of pain. And his blood as it splatters the tiles.