#I perfectly remember that Frye first mission:

[rorahkeepgoing]

Mates relationship *trying to not becoming it a shipping post.... FUCK!*

Okaaaaaaaaaay, what the hell did i just write?!!!! this is not what i wanted to write ISTG (kind of)...  never mind. For whatever developing between the characters  and my cross is cos my analysis on the characters and the interactions in the gameplay(of course it's subjective, i can't avoid it). I always like to question every word said by the charas, and do an inspection about the interaction so: this is what came out. 

Yelv is a good character and i love to see yelv/cross interactions (andiwillendupshippingitifthecharactersfeelsnaturaland”true”tothecanon/notjustforyelv/4everypartymembertoo). 

I rly question the ppl who said that the characters on X are worst than the xcx charas cos lack of character developing and poor personalities... PFFFF LIES!!!!, all of them develop in a subtle eye away from the main plot, just look carefully and pay attention adding a little brain is enough, they all are great (i can’t even say which one is the weakest character there). 

Want to do the same with other important members (just dk what will be next....suggestions?... anyone?..lel i know) and it will not be as corny/drama/issues as this for sure, adding little funny HC  (which couldn't do here cuz lost the control of what I was typing...istg) Also idk how to add some external crosses since all of them are the same and this HC comes from my gameplay... HOW?!.

Their first meeting was in NLA, Natasha had been allowed to take her first walk through the city freely and her first intention was to talk to as many people as possible to gather information. It was then, in one of the narrow alleys on the commercial district she ran into that rather grumpy man who immediately jumped aggressively trying to make her leave. Natasha, a bit perplexed, tried to talk to this man again without any success. It was the first time someone had been unkind in what she had been treading on these new lands, H.B. wasn't a thing yet. Minutes later, marked the spot on her communicator as: "asshole here, avoid the place"

It was a wrong foot starter, (after accepting the affinity mission) Yelv asked her to perform some tasks  to prove if it was really true that, between mouths go round about the new survivor. They said she was pretty and qualified, taken in by the beautiful commander Elma, his former trainer in the reclaimers division. If she was taken by her, she must be capable of success and maybe she will help him to achieve his goal since no one else wanted to listen or help him, apart from that, lot of them were a bunch of pathetic weaklings. 

In response, she simply ignored him, made excuses at his insistence, and finally aimed him with a weapon to get lost... <<The kitten has claws and he likes it ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)   >>

We all know that story and the rest of it. Natasha accepted it of course, after all: an order/a mission has to been done (robot complex). 

For Yelv, she was bleak, cold like a computer and a bit tasteless. It made him wonder if she was human and despite everything, she seemed like a well-trained puppy who you can give an order and she brings you the world, so he figured it might work anyway while he would keep doing his things at his way.

Perceptions changed a little, right after their first encounter. Natasha found an imprudent hothead guy which didn't measure the size of his tongue nor the limits of his thoughts (and loud, VERY LOUD) also, honest and a good man, he was different... and needed help with his combat methods. On the other side, Yelv found gossip wasn’t wrong, she was capable, quite capable. She was swift and clear, precise, nimble, a bit wild after a while, she banged with the weapons, strong kicks and hits, If the enemy was very large, she'ld easily ride the beast to hit it at key points, also used the environment in her favor and as an extra weapon, she really knows how to move. <<Damn! she was sexy>>.

Yelv had been satisfied, Natasha could definitely help him but they had to get a couple more missions done so she could open up a little more. In fact, was a short time that she had stopped appearing tasteless. Time that gained more and more recognition among BLADE members.

During the course, Natasha began to be bolder with her interactions and behavior in general, even beginning to make small jokes with such a serene countenance causing dismay on him. <<Is she was serious or was teasing him?>>. Anyway, she started to be more friendly and welcomed, while seemed everything that comes out from Yelv mouth made her laugh <<At last someone was laughing at his jokes!>>. 

A good friendship. Natasha always was supportive with him and vice versa, trying to made him progress with his combat skills since he had strength and a lot of potential but wasted cos wasn't focused properly every time, rather he easily get distracted and unnecessary confident that being knocked out was common on him. They worked in complement that made them an unstoppable duo, or at least that was what Yelv said. While she weakened it he gave it the knockout, sometimes was the other way round.

Natasha found on him a great supporter friend, a comrade who during her excursions Yelv was the only one who didn’t contain her or reprimand her for not following the security protocols ( Frye and Mia too but they were different...*also Alexa-skellshead* Mia was good tho) or stoping her to exploring inaccessible and dangerous places; she loves to explore and he likes the risk. She also felt a connection since he was the only one who also suffered from amnesia. So their conversations could open up a little more to just earth memories, people they lost or skells obsessions, they could have much more casual, volatile and more fun conversations .There were few people with whom she could have such conversations, but their common ground made it more pleasant (sometimes the conversation topic was his lost friend but it was fine, as it was interesting * until he was over obsessed* ).

Nat stopped to worrying about recovering her memories, maybe it could carry her to something she didn’t want to remember.... What if she had lost someone too? maybe a lot of loved ones, or maybe no one which it makes it saddest, better to let it like this and enjoy their new home. Yelv was agree, but also told her that somehow not remember those who gave their lives for her was inconsiderate.

It was not a secret that Yelv developed a feeling for her. Well, since the beginning he never stopped to call her hottie/ babe and after a while pard (coming out from the translation pard=Figura=figura mujer= hottie). Lin knew it, Elma knew it, Nagi knew it (when Irina found out, she didn’t get him out of her threats), and many companions who had never imagined working along on occasional missions because of her. Yet Natasha did not seem to notice it and that  was good, because his priority was his lost friend, he didn't wanted to get distracted by love, love was for the weak ones and  if he wanted a lassie, he just take some when he desired and get some fun. But not her, she was his friend and in some way, she resembles him his lost friend because of her kindness, worry and her constant assist in people's problems without  judging them.

The fact that she reminded him his old friend was not good at all either. It also had something bad, that is, his friend was the cool guy with whom all the girls wanted to date, the one with the ease speech and everyone liked him, he was so good that he was his best friend: he who was nothing to his side, damn!, even getting chicks was difficult as hell for him, fighting indigenous was easier than conquer hearts.

 Well that also shared with Natasha who was a gorgeous and intelligent woman with a big heart and now quite recognized among all BLADE, citizens and xenomorphs, more than one did not take their eyes off her (issue that made him even more jealousy and aggressive with the men around her, some women, definians (god, he hates definians!) and suspicious xenomorphs in general). Even so, she was still joining someone like him. All this made him more unsettled: Getting distracted, avoid her, walking close to her because jealousy protective, belligerent and more obsessive about finding his friend. Whatever to put all his thoughts of her away and definitely wasn't going to admit his kind of crush on her, although it didn't stop him to strutting like a peacock in front of her, trying to impress her and get some hint that Natasha could showed attraction to him.

You know the rest (so so), their relationship is balanced with good and conflictive moments between them. Neither of them are perfects and the developing of a relationship took too long due to the conflictive, insecure and obsessive guy and the fearful concerned and dreamy gal. The ghost of her past made her feel fearful of get attached to  things, persons to love because having materials and people in her life means that all this can disappear and becoming  her vulnerable: “they can’t take away anything from us if we have nothing”. 

However, following that kind of life also made no sense and by that time Natasha had a large circle of what she could call friends / family. To reach this logic wouldn't take more than it would take the man to admit his feelings and tell her. A big surprise by the people in charge of the artificial intelligence program  since it was not provided, the question was whether this could help or could be harmful.

The fact that Yelv isn't a normal human been only adds a small but surmountable conflict. Natasha is just a similar case on the opposite side of the situation; That is, mechanical engineering and sustainable artificial intelligence was the counterpoint of the induced biogenetic engineering and modeled behavior.

Whether they came to know everything or only one part of it would be another conflict surmountable and material to forge a better relationship. Besides that regaining Natasha's knowledge would aid in the advancement of the manufacture of organic matter and the subtraction of consciences to obtain new organic bodies, or otherwise prosper as half machines.

Their relationship developed slowly (but save). Lot of time to become a couple and even kisses were a thing who also took a  time(due to the nervousness/ distraction of his and a distracted/trolling Nat, it also depends on how was the declaration.... which has infinite possibilities *notgonnawritteaboutit...or...amI?NO!*), another one for the next step and more for the next steps. Patience wasn't Yelv's fort and yet he survived that way controlling all the mess of a person he was because he focused all his energies and Natasha kept him at bay.   He also knew that sometimes she had crazy ideas ( with a mind out of her), it was better not to lead her that way cos some times it was creepy. 

It is possible to say that in the case of Roxanne’s arise, it would generate tension since obviously Yelv was a primitive guy with a poor education type that doesn't come improving the human species (purpose of their creation) or nothing important to contributing (in Rox's point of view), also he wasn’t a human!. ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Done (?) I had to stop. Also gonna add these sketches here... whynot?!.

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

Hey, I'm following you for a while now. Unfortunately I haven't commented on your post as much as you would deserve it. I'm a lazy and quiet follower. So please forgive me and accept my apologies Well! Since I'm still quite new I hope this function is the right one. How about a short head Canon with the lovely Sir Jacob Frye? After a spying mission, which he of course doesn't fancy much. Some soothing is in order ;)

Hello there! I remember you! :) But please, don't feel bad if you haven't commented much or anything like that, it's perfectly fine! There are times where I'm not very active on here either, so don't feel pressured to be, okay? You have absolutely nothing to apologize for!

Anyway! I want to thank you for your patience with me in finishing this piece. It has been a good while since I've written anything for Jacob, so it took me a little time to get back into the right headspace for it. Nevertheless, it was nice to be able to write something warm and comforting for him, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so! I do hope you (and anyone else who reads this) like this! ^_^

December 1887, Whitechapel

“Well, look what Jack Frost blew in,” you smiled cheerfully as a familiar figure trudged towards the counter in the pub you worked in, the older man’s boots tracking in some of the slushy snow from outside.

“Hello, love,” he greeted, though not as enthusiastically, as he leaned over the counter and kissed your cheek.

“Gracious, Jacob! You’re freezing!” you exclaimed, jumping a little when you felt the tip of his cold nose against your skin. “What have you been doing with yourself?”

“Just been perched in one place for nearly forty-five minutes, investigating some rumors of trouble a few streets away,” he grumbled, albeit quietly, so others wouldn’t hear his business. “I’m still stiff.”

You gave him a sympathetic smile. “Here, let me get you some broth; that’ll warm you right up.”

“You’re an absolute saint,” he sighed with gratitude as you stepped over to a nearby pot that simmered over a small fire. After removing his gloves and quickly rifling his half-numb fingers around in his pocket, he managed to produce a few coins.

“Just doing my duty of keeping my best customer from freezing to death,” you chuckled in return as you handed him a plate with the large cup of broth and a slice of bread on it, before taking the money from him.

Noticing a look on his face that suggested he was about to question part of your statement, you pressed your lips to his ear with a whisper of, “My shift is just about done. Go wait for me by the fireplace, dearest, and I’ll join you promptly.”

Hearing the term of endearment, he closed his eyes and gave another little sigh as he nuzzled his cool cheek against yours, relief flooding through his chest at the reassurance that he was your lover first and the establishment’s customer second.

Not long after, the two of you had settled in front of the pub’s large fireplace, with Jacob sitting in the lone armchair that was by it and sipping at his broth, while you sat on the chair’s arm next to him, gently combing your fingers through his damp hair as you listened to him complain some more about his less than pleasant morning.

“You just keep enjoying your broth and let me take care of you, eh?” you eventually told him as you stood up and stepped behind the chair, before bringing your hands to his shoulders with the intent of massaging them.

“God, what I wouldn’t give for a hot bath right now,” he groaned as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, his shoulders finally relaxing as you began rubbing them.

“Well...it just so happens that the busted bathtub upstairs was finally replaced,” you remarked in a casual voice, “and I must say, this one’s bigger than the last...”

After a moment, Jacob slowly turned his head and looked up at you with his eyebrows raised, making you wonder if his brain had been so addled by the cold that he missed your obvious hint entirely; but that question was soon put to rest when you saw a smile appear on his lips for the first time that morning.

[sweetsister]

TREADSTONE + EVIE’S HISTORY.

PSA.   i will try my best to explain exactly how evie and her brother, jacob got caught up in a place like the cia and how they ended up in operation treadstone. this information is still developing as i go along and understand the series with all the resources i can grab. it may end up being headcanon based but i will try my very best to stick to as much material as possible bc let’s be honest, this is way too painful for me to ignore.

operation treadstone was a top-secret black ops program of the central intelligence agency in the bourne series of novels and movies. it recruited only united states service members to turn them into nearly superhuman assassins and was formed in direct response to the congressional act which banned the u.s. from partaking in any assassinations, as sometimes assassination is considered necessary to keep the united states safe. it used a behavior-modification program to break down the subjects' morality and make them effective almost unstoppable living weapons. after the morality break down, presumably, the assassins received advanced training in all kinds of spy tradecraft. the last known surviving member of treadstone is jason bourne.

treadstone operatives are highly trained in several killing techniques and the use of improvised weapons. they possess nearly superhuman levels of proficiency with firearms and other weapons. their skills include sharpshooting, explosives, vehicle operation, and (advanced) hand-to-hand combat. all treadstone agents have excellent observational skills, heightened target awareness, lightning reflexes, peak-human physical condition, escape-evasion abilities, and mental process which also gives them the ability to think quickly and calmly in stressful situations.  ( all ripped from here: here. )

**please bare in mind that operation treadstone began in 1973 and was inactive somewhere between 2004/2005 in canon. for the sake of evie’s age and her history, treadstone was still active until 2010. operations blackbriar and outcome were meant to take over operation treadstone while it was slowly frizzling out under the radar and for the failure of containing jason bourne.

brief history.

evelyn and jacob frye were the infamous fraternal twins to ethan frye, a highly effective intelligence officer for the cia as well as frequently working with mi6. his wife, cecily frye was former operative for federal intelligence service based out of germany. after the two met and spent years together, hopping from one country to the next, the two eloped and settled in london, hiding under the noses of all their enemies under different alias’. however, when it came to their children, they both vowed to make sure they would never be afraid to hide in the shadows. ethan frye promised to train his children in the ways of espionage for protection of themselves and for each other so that when he and his wife would pass, he would die knowing that his children would be alright. 

through their toddler stages, teens and young adulthood, evie and jacob would be set to join central intelligence for further training as by the time they were old enough to finally beat their father in combat, he retired his training to let the agency handle them. the twins were dedicated agents, excelling in field work as well as exuding near perfect teamwork to get an assignment done. however, there have been plenty of moments where they would bump heads due to their passionate personalities. considering their years of loyalty to the agency, the two were offered a position for higher opportunity; more fieldwork, a better chance to do good for the world. of course, this was an absolute lie.

she and her brother were separated upon entering the black ops program, operation treadstone. they’ve only occasionally seen one another if they were not in active duty to try and piece together exactly what happened during the time they were inducted to how they ended up suffering memory loss. evelyn’s training was pushed beyond her limits, constantly being experimented on by scientists of the program who were desperate to look for the perfect forumla to create their superhuman assassins. after their success with one agent, evelyn was given a pill to consume for everlasting effects on her strength, agility, stamina, durability, and so on. some effects even prolonged her aging but not to an extreme amount. as a side effect, spurts of amnesia would occur and evelyn would be forced to live under another name or be given a different formula. evie was also given several aliases to carry out her missions once she was ‘woken up’ for active duty, all while slowly losing the memory of her family and her twin. evie has performed and executed several assassinations perfectly without a trace for many years, up until her early to mid thirties.

current events.

after assassinating a wealthy bulgarian socialite, evie was found by a priest in a church near her victim’s location in sofia. beaten down from the eighty-four hour operation she performed, evie managed to stumble her way through the country to try and catch a flight back to berlin. however, due to the side effects of the pill, her memory would fade like a flashing light, trying to piece together what exactly did she do within the past few days. unfortunately for her as well as treadstone, she struggled to remember who she assassinated and why it was considered a failure. heads of the program believe that she defected and has gone rogue, paranoid of ousting the program’s experimentation on its agents and further incriminating information that could shut down the operation completely. evie failed to report to her handler after the assassination as she struggled with connecting to her memory. the program distributes a few of its sleeper agents to try and capture her alive but ultimately failed to do so. further believing that she has gone rogue, heads of the program declared evie to be a fugitive on the run, alerting all allied agencies who have their sites on evie. the only source of material that she managed to get her memories back from was seeing jacob for the first time in several years as he was tasked to bring in his sister for ‘questioning’. seeing each other caused her twin to wake up from being on active duty, helping each other remember their family and their past mistakes. with blood on their hands, the two both agree to defect and go rogue officially from treadstone, operating from the shadows to dismantle the program and any other program similar to it. with blackbriar and outcome being the next on their list to take down, evie and her twin along with a few allies of their own, formerly of treadstone, work together to stop them from generating more super enhanced agents.

[itstheendofthegoddamnworld]

Now, Where Were We?

Happy New Year everyone! Since people liked the first one, here is another Jacob Frye x Reader one-shot! Slightly longer than before, so be prepared!

Summary: Jacob can never get his favourite Rook alone before being disturbed. 

Jacob was always told never to pick favourites, and that was for everything. From a young age, he had been taught of crucial lessons by his father, over the virtues of their Creed; teachings in which his sister caught on quicker than him.

From then on, the youngest Frye twins was never someone to keep at one thing, enjoying something and straying away from it. If there was something better than a possession he already owned, there was no stopping him from wanting to have it; a cycle that never ended.

What was the point in keeping to one thing for the rest of your life, when you had so many things that could keep you entertained?

Jacob Frye was always one to never have one thing for long, and for an assassin well known with a gang he planned out to take over the boroughs of London against the Blighters, anyone and everyone were more than surprised that he stuck with it.

When it came to Evie - who balanced this perfectly with a flip of a coin to land well each time - she had been one to criticise her younger brother for his failures in keeping to missions and plans.

When it came to his Rooks, he knew every single one of them and admired their valour and service to help against the Templars and Blighters, each one a name he had remembered with a face he couldn’t forget.

If anything, Jacob always thought it wouldn’t be good to keep favourites, who were always in his good books and who he liked more than others just on how they were outside of the field of their work.

This idea fell down the drain when he grew a certain liking to a certain Rook.

He remembered recruiting you, the date and the event that had taken down prior to it all. He had been impressed by your motivation and mere strength for not giving in and always thinking to the recruits, regardless if they were more experienced or rookies. 

In some ways, his view on you was what he had wanted in the first place when he had first wanted to start a gang, and the pure fire that burned within you that made him see what a shining example you were to him and others.

Evie had spotted this admiration, calling it ‘mere respect’, when in actuality, she had wanted to call it a crush.

It had been an ordinary day in the morning of London, where there other many civilians walking around going about their business, as well as you too.

You had hopped onto their hideout on the train when it came into the station, a place that the Frye twins trusted very few Rooks in knowing and not betraying against the Templars or other rival gangs. 

A request from the boss himself was asking you to come to meet him, wishing for your advice on taking over another piece of Blighter territory; the final step into taking over another borough.

Your feet moved like clockwork getting you from the side of the train to the second carriage. That was where you found Jacob, laid out like Julius Cesar being fed grapes on the sofa, in a relaxed posture with his legs up.

Upon your entry, you took note that he was the only one in the room, no sign of his sister anywhere nor Greenie.

“Mornin’ boss.” You greeted, walking through the doorway to take note of his body language. His languid hazel eyes lingered on yours longer than you had expected and... was he slowly looking you up and down again?

This behaviour wasn’t the first time you had been introduced to the bosses’ laid-back yet charming personality. You had been there to witness his drinking habits in pubs when you and another Rook had to drag him back to an angry Evie.

But from the many conversations the two of you had, you were pleased in knowing how relaxed he was in person; a guy who cared for those like his family and for those suffering.

You didn’t want to admit that you may have had a major crush on the assassin.

His gaze was always one that made you both nervous and timid, biting the inside of your cheek as he acknowledged you from his seat. 

“How nice to see you here again, Y/N.”

He always called you by your first name after the initial introductions, never once calling you by your surname like all the other members. 

It was something that made you anxious to stand, continually attempting to maintain eye contact with him, when all you wanted to do was shy away from his flirtatious eyes.

Or, so you thought he was flirtatious actions when it could’ve just been his character.

He was kind to everyone, yet you couldn’t help your heart from ticking a little quicker when you succeeded in making him grin or laugh at something you had said - whether it had been a little quip or joke to lighten the mood.

You tugged on your yellow armband in instinct for when you grew warily nervous and more watchful, something that never went unnoticed. Jacob was told of it one time by another Rook, a couple of months after getting to know you.

He had used it in ways to see if he could get you riled up. Most of the time, just in his body language whether he was subtle or not around you (only when it came to you and none of the other rooks) it would’ve been obvious.

“Mr Frye, you wanted to see me?” You questioned after some time just watching him from his reclined posture. “Yes, it seems that the last gang holdout has been pushed back, with no supplies coming in after our successful detoxication.” He spoke.

“I think it is high time for us to finish what we had sorted in beginning. From tomorrow, this territory will be owned by the Rooks.”

It was always so fascinating watching him speak out about his gang with such wonder and eyes of a cheerful puppy - so eager in wanting the best for his gang.

“If I may, Boss, you have asked me to come and speak with you about these matters, when you have Miss Frye or even someone more experienced than I.” You began, uneasy, twiddling your fingers.

“What I’m trying to ask his boss, is why do you always ask me and not someone else?”

Jacob’s eyes softened more so than normal (and that was saying something), as he stood from his feet to walk over to where you stood. He was always taller than you by a few inches, but still, seeing him so close to you, your heart fluttered once again from collapsing in from the inside of your chest.

“To put it simply, Y/N, I like your company.”

“Hmm?” You blinked owlishly at his words, simply stated but you were trying your best to remain calm in the situation, “I do not know how I feel about that, boss-”

“Jacob, please. We are alone, aren’t we?” His voice was low and sultry against your ear, practically his body was blocking you against the wall behind you, and you could barely even hear your breathing over the sound of the train squeaking against the tracks.

“What must we discuss, Jacob?” You found your voice through the screeching, looking up into his hazel eyes, and you had mistaken his charismatic eyes for ones of wanton.

His hand had slipped to further trap you against the wall, and you couldn’t help but press yourself against him involuntarily as if you needed the touch of him against you. He leant into your face, your eyes trailing down to his lips, darting u before you were caught.

“Perhaps, we can discuss these matters alone, in the evening, in my own room-” 

You had ignored the noises of footsteps clicking their way into the second carriage, an occupied Evie staring at her papers as she walked through from behind.

“Mr Green has given us another target to speak with, Jacob. We’re needed to speak with him shortly-- oh?”

You were the first to pull away from Jacob, moving his hand so you could slip out, face flush as you stared wide-eyed at the oldest of the Frye twins.

She gave you a questionable yet quizzical look, looking between you and her brother with an amused gaze. Jacob didn’t look as frightened of being caught, but he looked more annoyed for being disturbed.

“M-Miss Frye, if you excuse me.” You bowed your head in acknowledgement, not daring to meet Jacob’s eye as you hurried out of the carriage, nearly throwing yourself off the track and onto the platform the train was passing by.

You were given some strange looks, but you were too busy taking off running to notice, smothering your cheeks from looking so flush as you ran back to your base.

-

You had attempted to stifle your embarrassment that same evening, pressing your face into the sleeve of your arm as you heard the uproar of laughter beside you, a firm slap to your back causing you to look up from the soreness.

“I knew it! I bloody knew it!” The boisterous laughter of the man beside you brought you to swallow more of the warm ale.

“Stuff it, Eddie, I don’t want to hear your mockery.” You snapped, slugging your drink with the intent on finishing it; regardless of how little soberness was left in you by the end of the night.

“I just cannot believe that you’re telling me this?” Eddie’s cheeks were flushed from the alcohol, his azure eyes glazed over from the amount he had drunk, his stocky figure leant against the bar in his seat. “You fancy the boss?”

“Hush, you git!” You screeched, teeth grit. “Or I’ll skin you alive!”

“B’ah! Oh, the thought of your little crush getting out terrifies you, doesn’t it?” He roared with laughter, sloshing his drink around and nearly knocking half of it on you.

“Eddie, I swear to God, if you tell him, I’ll-”

“Tell who what?” The familiar voice resounded from behind the two of you. Your blood froze in your body, all body functions stilling at the idea of knowing who was there.

“Boss, nice to see ya here this evening,” Eddie greeted the assassin with a nod his way, his brawny shoulder knocking you to the side, “Y/N was just wonderin’ where you ran off to.” He emphasised with a cheeky wink your way.

You had gritted your teeth unintentionally before turning yourself around in your seat to face Jacob, all macho and beautiful in your eyes that you thought you had stopped breathing. “Boss- I-”

“We didn’t finish our little chat earlier, Y/N, come, I’m sure we can continue it elsewhere.” Jacob gave you a warm smile, one that made sure to bring the blush on your cheeks.

You nodded, wishing you were drunker, downing your drink when neither one of them was looking before standing to your feet and throwing a coin for the bartender.

Jacob moved off first and you were to follow, but Eddie had locked an arm around your wrist, stopping you from walking off. “I’ll keep an ale ready when ya get back, I know for sure this ain’t gonna end well.”

“Stuff it.” You hissed, releasing yourself from him as you walked away to catch up with the Frye assassin.

The cold air met your face like a slap to the face, and you had recoiled back at the sudden lightheadedness that took all your common sense, watching Jacob in front of you.

You tried to force yourself to stay upright at all times, your eyes discarding themselves to look at the ground. Jacob was smart and sober to know that this was not the usual you.

“You drunk, Y/N?” He asked coyly with a tilt of his head, intrigued.

“No!” You snapped up to meet his eyes, those amused hazel eyes that stared you down with the intent that you didn’t know what he wanted. “I didn’t drink my ale!”

“Hmm, says have the content that’s down your front.” He hummed in entertainment, eyes filled with mirth. You looked down your front, surprised to see that you had missed the stained alcohol on your blazer and blouse.

You messily wiped at it with all intentions, averting your eyes once again whilst mumbling ‘ ‘Was Eddie, I swear’ under your breath.

You felt a hand under your chin pushing your face up to meet his eyes once more, eyes soften at the sight of you in front of him, easily so flustered by anything he did. This was enough to make Jacob swoon had he been drunk himself, but likely he was the one who wasn’t for once.

“What did you want to speak to me about, Jacob?” You murmured to his face, feeling a hand entwined around the back of your waist to hold you up, as you felt yourself brace with your hands holding onto the buttons of his coat.

Jacob’s breath fanned itself against your cheek, keeping you warm as you cuddled closer into his broad chest. “You’re simply adorable, Y/N.”

“What? Stop, no I’m not.” You blinked widely, shyly looking to him and next away, wishing that ale had been there for you now for you to take and run off down an alley.

“I mean it. After my sister interrupted us this morning, I was trying to speak out to you but couldn’t find you anywhere. You were simply running away from me, weren’t you?”

“N-No, that’s not it, I was just... I... your words surprised me, ‘s all.”

“Oh? Is that so?” Jacob asked with a low purr in his throat as his arms around you pulled you in closer. His face wandered closer towards your cheek, his breath dancing along your skin to send shivered before he got close to your ear.

“And what do you have to say about this?”

You shuddered, your words dry in your mouth before you had said courage to speak up in front of your crush. “I think-”

“Boss, you gonna join us in a drinking game?” A stumbling male rook and two others came out from the inside of the rowdy pub, flushed as the others around as they didn’t put two and two together that you were speaking and Jacob was busy.

“Another time, I’m quite busy.” Jacob waved a hand their way, as the three grumbled but agreed, stumbling back in with each other’s help as the sound of a broken glass shattered from inside.

“Wow, erm, I guess we don’t have the best timing, do we?” You nervously laughed, hoping that what you had about to say was forgotten by Jacob. “You bring bad luck like bad lightning, love. Maybe that’s why I’m so drawn to you.” He smirked down at you, winking.

“Jacob,” Your whispered his name like a prayer on your lips, “It’s getting late, we should be leaving-” You realised that his fingers had come to hold the side of your face once again, your hazy eyes landing on his ones filled with wanton and love.

“In a moment, I want to stay here, before someone else disturbs us.” He rolled his eyes, but the same expression was present when he looked at you.

With little needed to tell him that you reciprocated, he leant closer to your face, eyes eying your lips before he spoke one last time:

“Now, where were we?”

[mayaminamoto]

Longing for ancient worlds

I’ve been a fan of Assassin’s Creed series for many years now. I replayed early games many many times, I own several collector’s editions and I’ll forever be angsty that I missed Evie Frye statue and now it costs like, 200$ minimum. Unity put a temporary stop to all that (it took me TWO YEARS to finish the main story, it was such a slog) and I didn’t check any of the later games until now.

Earlier this year Irian (my wife!) and I visited Rome - and that of course meant I had to replay the whole Ezio trilogy (let me just say that seeing Colloseum in real life after climbing it in game is AMAZING). Riding on the nostalgia, I decided to finally give the new games a chance. I loved every freakin’ second of Syndicate. It had almost everything I wanted from Assassin’s Creed game - it had great parkour, it had beautiful world, decent anchoring to history, great main characters... I honestly think it’s the most polished AC game there is.

Then I picked up Origins. You know, that game when they saw how horrendously big fail Unity was and decided to “tweak the formula”. It was fun, though it felt much less assassin-y then all the previous games. And now I’m playing Odyssey and to be perfectly honest, with each day I’m more frustrated with it. No, perhaps frustrated isn’t the right word. Sad. It makes me sad.

Because it’s no longer Assassin’s Creed.

It hit me the most when I was exploring Ruined Sanctuary of Ajax. Do you remember it, I wonder? I won’t fault you if you don’t. Because you see, as I stood there with my trusty torch, watching the frescos I realised that I’ve already seen them. In another tomb earlier in the game.

Now, I’m not saying that re-using assets in a video game is a bad thing - quite to the contrary, I’m one of those small number of people who didn’t mind copy-pasted caves in Dragon Age 2. The problem is that DA2 didn’t try to sell me the idea of “vast realistic world”. In previous AC games the world was always as close to reality as humanly possible - and the game took every advantage of it. Main story missions often took place in or around famous historical buildings. Small (and hated by many) collectibles often took the player to some hidden gems. Missions were designed in a way that both showcased the architecture and was interesting to play. Meanwhile, almost every mission in Odyssey takes place in almost identical forts or camps.

Maybe let me explain things more clearly. When you first get dumped on the map, you can see two kinds of markers on it - quest markers and question marks. Question marks indicate locations - if you get close enough to one, they will change to reflect exactly what kind of location it is. It can be fort, bandit camp, animal den, village, tomb... There’s so many possibilities!

The first problem is that when you look closer at said possibilities, you see that there’s not as many as it seems. Because let’s be honest for a second - the difference between “military camp” “camp” “fort” “port” and often also “ruins” is minimal - to “complete” location you always have to loot a chest and possibly kill someone. They differ in size and kind of enemies (bandits, cultists, Spartans or Athenians - all fight the same btw) and in some flavor aesthetics... But still, each and every one of them is build from the same blocks. When you compare fort to fort, camp to camp, there’s no way to really differentiate them, nothing memorable to stand out.

I could let it pass with military structures, treat it as a filler activity and nothing more. But the same kind of design applies to potentially super interesting historical structures, all those temples, fucking Acropolis! I can tell that the building itself is very carefully designed to fit the real thing as closely as possible - but when I get to it, all I can do there is still old same “kill a dude, loot a chest”. Absolutely no gameplay variation and a huge missed opportunity to showcase the setting.

“But Mai!” you say “they ARE filler activities! They don’t have to be flawlessly designed! They’re just here for grind and loot”. Sure. But many MISSIONS are connected to these filler activities as well. I get a mission to rescue someone from bandits - I go to the bandit camp and “complete” the bandit camp... I get the mission to find a thing, guess what, it’s in that fort over there... And secondly, I’d like to remind you, let’s say, races in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. You know, those that took you in a mad dash through great historical buildings, showing them to you in a cool fashion, while also giving some unique gameplay, different from the rest of the game. Those were also filler activities after all.

And this “same-y” feeling goes further and further - main quests involves killing a whole bunch of cultists - from gameplay perspective they are no different than a “normal” Person-To-Kill from filler camp. While I dig the “each dead cultist leaves a clue about another” thing, the killing itself doesn’t feel like a part of main mission at all.

There are other things too. The whole gameplay shifted from “stealthy parkour assassin” to “warrior with occassional stealth”. Assassinations got seriously nerfed, there’s lots of enemies you simply can’t one-shot assassinate, as in all previous games. While previously, if you got into combat it often meant some sort of fuck-up on your part, here it’s much more expected - after all, if you stab a guy in the back and he DOESN’T die, it’s kinda understandable that he’s gonna want to fight you. The same-y location design doesn’t help here either - because if all locations are similar, then stealthing into them is similar too and, well, it gets boring. It’s a huge shift from the previous games, one that annoys me very much.

Parkour, one of the most if not THE most defining features of the series, got seriously dumbed down. No longer you have to carefully choose which way up to take, find a decent start-up point, move a bit left to catch a brick there, move a bit right to stand on a gargoyle... Now the path between point A and B is almost always straight line. You can climb almost anywhere, with no issue, by simply pushing a button. Now, parkour never was very hard in these games, sure - but you had to find the path to the top. You had to pay some attention. Many hidden locations where designed specifically for fun parkour experience, for figuring out the best way to the top. You don’t have to find the path now. You just press “forward”.

And all this has an impact on the character too. Because you know, if the game shows me location on a map, I’m gonna want to complete said location. Oh, it’s an Athenian military camp, cool. I have to kill the camp captain and loot some chests. Meanwhile, in the main mission, I’m in the middle of doing some favors for Athenian leader, including completing some Spartan camps... Basically, if I want to complete the map (and I do), I have to be an immoral murder thief hobo. Kill whoever, steal from camps, temples, homes, be loyal to no one and nothing... It feels wrong.

Don’t get me wrong, the game has some very good points. It is beautiful. Combat is quite fun. Kassandra is funny and hot as hell. Story so far is quite interesting (if sometimes cringy). But it all feels so... game-y. Wherever I look, I see that it’s an artificial setting, I see the building blocks. Long way from much smaller, yet so much more alive streets of Florence or Istanbul.

That tomb I talked about at the beginning. It could have been amazing. It could have been a parkour sequence, where you really have to find the way to a secret chamber. It could hide a piece of intel about the cult you’re fighting. It could be filled with enemies that you have to carefully avoid by climbing high over their heads, holding to the heads of columns between each part of a fresco. Instead you get in, you kill some cobras (fucking cobras), you rob the tomb, probably desecrate some corpses in the meantime and touch a mystical tablet from ancient times without a single comment about it. A message appears on the screen saying “location complete”. You get a skill point. You never forget that you’re playing a game.

[im-not-a-writer]

Jacob Frye x Reader ~ CHAPTER 6 (angst)

~~~ Sorry for the break guys I know it’s been a long time!! I got really lazy and all of my motivation ran away from me haha, and then I went on a roadtrip and I had no time to type so anyways! Here we go! the next chapter will be the last sooooo, im sorry for this it isn’t fun lol ~~~

Time continued on since your first mission, it rolled by slowly like a wagon fat with cargo. You continued to work and hone your skills with the help of Evie and Jacob and not a single day went by in which you wasted your training. Sadly as a result of your new career you’ve been seeing less and less of your little brother, your time spent together was limited to just a hug here and there and a casual, ‘How have you been?’ Eddy was growing up fast and it seemed like every time you saw him he was an inch taller and his sassy demeanor was growing just as quick. Of course you felt horrible for leaving him all these days but you both had jobs to do and responsibilities to uphold.

Despite how grown up he was passing off as he was still just a boy, such a fact was made evident one night after dinner; Jacob had just left to return to the train when Eddy stumbled into the flat with a black eye and a split lip that would make even the hardest criminals cringe. His grey hat was sideways on his head and his hair was a ruffled mess, blood was smeared across his face from what looked to be a bloody nose and his sideways smile wasn’t doing much to help his split lip.

“Good evening sista!” He chuckled to himself and waved before nearly collapsing on the kitchen table. “You this look evening lovely tonight!” His words tumbled out of his mouth accompanied by the smell of rum. “I didn’t say that quite right did I?” He corrected with a grin and a hiccup.

“Dear God Eddy, are you drunk!?” You grabbed him and helped him steady himself before returning to your interrogation, “Why do you look like you tried to fight a train? Who were you with? How do you know where the bars are? Do I have to go fight the wanker that did this to you?” You asked him, words flying from your lips.

“Calm down I’m not drunk- hic, im just… you know who is drunk-hic… you are,” Eddy staggered again before tumbling down to the floor.

A sigh left your lips and you watched as he curled up in a fetal position at your feet like a fat house cat after a large meal. You brought him over to the couch, knowing very well that he wouldn’t be able to make it up the stairs, you tossed a blanket over him and sat down in the chair by his side. Memories of childhood rushed back to you as you watched him doze off contently, you remembered the days when he was just a boy when he would spend all of his energy running and playing, he would always come nap on the couch until he was ready to jump up and do it all again. Eddy was constantly moving as a child and he almost always came home with a new scrape or bruise from his daily activities, to which you would sit with him and patch him up if need be while mother watched and smiled lovingly and father would chuckle and shake his head.

Eddy was the only thing you had left of your family, the only thing that reminded you of home back when your life was simple and void of assassins and gangs. Of course you loved the life you lived now, danger and all, still a family would not be too bad. You smiled to yourself and leaned your head back allowing an image to manifest in your head. You could imagine you, Jacob, and Eddy, living up north in some little cottage, a horse grazing in the feild and a dog sleeping on the porch, a little Jacob or two running around chasing the chickens. Of course it was only a fantasy, you told yourself. A wonderful fantasy, you corrected before slipping off to sleep.

You woke up in the same spot you fell asleep in, a pain shot through your neck and you let out a groan as you sat up and cracked you sore spine, delighting in the feeling of your vertebrae coming back where they should be after eight hours of sleeping in an uncomfortable chair rather than your fluffy bed upstairs. You turned to see the couch vacant of your brother and you assumed that he would be already off to the streets to start his day. It didn’t take long you for you to get ready for your day as well, in some thirty minutes you were dressed and ready in your new assassin robes, Evie thought it was only right that you got to design your own rather than continue to borrow one of her old ones. You stared at yourself in the mirror as you made sure your weapons were secure. The robes fit you perfectly and they were a stunning shade of dark red with gold accents and black trousers, a perfect mixture of danger and elegance.

“Good morning beautiful,” Jacob slipped in through the window, a wide grin on his face. He closed the window behind him and wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his chest.

“Good morning,” You smiled and leaned back into his embrace.

"How did you sleep?” He rocked you slightly from side to side as he set his chin on your head.

“Fine but I woke up terribly sore, I slept on the armchair because Eddy came home piss drunk last night,” You sighed and felt exhaustion rest on your shoulders.

Jacob went straight to work on your back, his strong hands digging in deep  pressing the sleep away from your body. You sighed in content and allowed him to work there for a bit before you turned around and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.

“When did you start drinking?” You asked Jacob as you straightened your blades.

“Ah… well um…. Hell if I remember! How old is Eddy again?” He chuckled and his cheeks flushed red.

“I’m going to guess you got an early start,” You laughed and took his hand leading him outside.

When you finally left the flat you were greeted with a bright cloudless day, rare for this time of year and in London of all places. The city seemed to be enjoying the weather as well seeing that even at such an early hour people were out and the city was alive. You took jacobs right arm and walked with him, chatting about this and that until you passed by a mother and child on the street and you couldn’t help but stop and smile at the baby. His bright blue eyes twinkled like the clear sky above and his chubby hands reached out towards the heavens making his mother giggle and readjust her grip on the tot.

“Oh would you look at him,” You gushed, putting your hands over your heart and sighing, “He is just precious,”

“Yeah, he’s cute… come on,” Jacob shrugged off and pulled you to continue walking with him.

The street started to get tighter with people as you approached the nearby train station and you had to pull yourself tightly to Jacob to continue talking to him.

“They’re pretty fun..” You said nervously.

“What trains?” Jacob asked absentmindedly.

“No, babies!” You tugged on him slightly.

“Oh! Yes, I suppose, lot of work though,” He continued.

“Well of course it’s easier when you have help,” You nodded and stared up at him, wondering if he was catching on.

“I suppose, I don’t know I’m not a baby expert,” He stared blankly off at the crowd.

You sighed and continued pushing through the swarm of people before stopping and pulling him to a stop with you.

“Jacob….I think I want to have-”

“Pardon me, miss (l/n), this is for you,” A short man wearing a bowler hat stopped you before you could finish. His face was sagging with age but his steely grey eyes were alert and shifty. He handed you a box, dark in color with a gold plated lid and terribly light in weight, and before you could even ask he was gone, melted into the crowd.

You cocked an eyebrow and set your fingers on the lid of the box. Jacob stepped forward nervously and scanned the crowd for the man before putting a hand on your shoulder. You opened it up with a subtle creak and you stared wide-eyed at the contents. It was a hat, grey and soft with years of use wearing away at the edges, there wasn’t anything special about it, it was like the thousands of hats young boys across the city of London wore and yet you knew it like the back of your hand. A chill washed over you, shooting down your spine and spreading to your fingers and toes.

“Jacob…” You gasped breathlessly.

You continued, your shaking hands traveled to the hat and you lifted it up hesitantly. You felt a knot tie itself in your stomach as you brought the hat out of the box and brought it closer to you, then from under the hat you saw it. Three inches of ivory tones and pink knuckles burned itself into your memory, the knot in your stomach gave a violent twist and you felt the earth spin around you. Your mind went blank, your body entirely numb, spots clouded your vision and your hands trembled as the image of your brothers severed finger burned itself into your mind. Your stomach twisted and lurched as your head spinned and only one thing ran through your mind, ‘find him’.

Jacob held onto you tightly as you clutched the box with shaking hands, he turned his head frantically before spotting his train sitting at the platform. In one fluid motion you were in his arms and he was bounding towards the train.

“Evie! EVIE!” he practically screamed placing you down on the sofa, taking the box from your still quaking hands.

“What is it?” She called, sauntering over from the next car over.

“Stay with her,” He panted before shoving the box in his sisters hands.

She gawked at him dumbfounded and looked down at you, “What the hell is going on?”

“Someone has her brother, I’m going to go find him,” He turned and wet to jump out the train before you stopped him.

Your mind was numb, he had been your only shred of a normal life, your family, your brother, he was everything. Your thoughts flashed back to the image you had of him as just a boy, running around and smiling, his sweet giggles filling the air; all of that was gone in an instant, burning up into flames and taking your shock with it. He was gone, and you had to get him back.

“No.” Your voice broke and you stood up, the shakiness left your body and you straightened yourself. “I’m going, I need to find him.”

Jacob put his hand on your shoulder and shook his head, “No, you are staying here with Evie,”

With the absence of your shock something else started to take you over, starting at the pit of your stomach and rising up to your mind, you felt anger bubbling within you and without a second thought you pushed him away.  

“I need to find him Jacob, I’m going,” You growled and rubbed your face on your sleeve, “Follow me if you want but I’m going with or without you,”

“Just hold on, we need to think about this,” Evie put her hands out in front of her as if to keep you at bay. “Obviously they’re trying to get to you and if you go running around without a plan you might just give them what they want.”

You huffed and looked at her, “So then I give them what they want, I march right into the blighters camp and I get my brother back,”

“How do you know this is gang related?” Jacob shot back at you and cocked an eyebrow. He was getting frustrated as well and you could tell he was itching to get out there and fight.

“I just know it is Jacob! He joins your fucking gang and he gets hurt, I’m going to go get him,” Jacob narrowed his eyebrows at you and before he could open his mouth and fight back you took off running, disappearing into the crowd.

A growl left his lips and he shook his head violently. “That blasted woman she’s going to get herself killed,”

“Not if you trained her right, go after her.” She set the box down and sighed, “Henry and I will figure out what we can.”

“Thank you..” He adjusted his boots and turned to follow after you, a twinge of fear set in as he started running from the train. Your words continued to ring in his ears, you blamed him, this was his fault and it wouldn’t be easy to win your trust again after this, it was his choice to let Eddy into the Rooks and it was his choice to make you an Assassin. Guilt rested on his chest as he sped off into the streets scanning left and right for any sign of you.

You made your way into the alley your steps devolving from a run to wide heavy strides, carrying you deeper into the true underground of the city. Even in the bright light of the day prostitutes were already out, leaning on wood fences and brick walls, rough looking men swapped money for weapons and children with dirty faces and quick fingers skipped from the shadows with purses fat with coin or finely polished pocket watches in their hands. Your feet squished in the filth below you and flies buzzed past your ears but you didn’t twitch nor did you swat at it, you continued forward until you saw them. Two men both dressed in red from the top down, their signature wool jackets marking them like targets. You approached them swiftly and they turned in response, smirking slightly but their smirks were erased when you plunged your hidden blade in the stomach in the man of your left and grabbed the man on your right, throwing him down and stepping on his chest. Blood leaked out of the stab victim and his friend gasped and sputtered under you.

“Bring me to your leader right now or I will gut you like a fish,” You pressed down harder with your foot and flicked your wrist ejecting your blood stained blade once again.

“That’s the plan my dear,” A voice behind you spat and before you could turn to see the speaker there was a sharp pain on the back of your head and everything went black.

~Taglist~~

@littlewhitefairy7777 @temerey @talesfromassassiansguardian @eliffromthebrotherhood @i-am-totes-sherlocked @icarrotcake @seapandaftw @pwedatorpanda @comic-freak @nunalula

[ladye11e]

Blades, Trains, Assassins, Thieves pt 3

SFW (for now)

Characters: Jacob Frye/ Reader

Word count:2483 Tagging @geekgoddess813 cos I can 😜

Stoking the fire again to get it hot enough to begin working, you glanced behind you just in time to see Jacob peel off his shirt and drop it on the table.

“Mister Frye, please put your clothes back on. I did warn you, if it’s too much, go outside.”

“I thought you were joking. How are you not sweating?! Its hotter than Evie’s temper in here.”

Smirking and walking over to the table to pick up his shirt, you threw it at him and turned back quickly so your face didn’t betray what you were thinking.

“Im used to it. Clothes. Now.”

You had made him leave for the sake of your own sanity before he could take anything else off, sending him out for more coal even though you didn’t need it.

Pulling out the now glowing bar of metal from the pit, you held it on top of your anvil and began hammering it flat, folding and flattening over and over again in between putting it back in the fire when it cooled. You knew this wasn’t going to be easy, making a blade strong enough to withstand the abuse that you knew was coming to it in the exuberant Assassin’s hand, but your determination and pride kept you going.

Several hours later you heard the door creak open, looking up to see Jacob poke his head round the corner with a grin, and drop the sack of coal you had asked for on the floor.

“How’s it going?”

Dunking the metal in the bucket of water sat on the floor and making a cloud of steam whirl around you, you jumped when he leaned over your shoulder from behind you, staring at the thick metal strip as you pulled it out. How the hell does he move so fast?!

“Doesn’t look like a Kukri, maybe I could use it to club them to death?”

Sniggering and turning your head slightly to look at him out of the corner of your eye, you only just managed to hold back a gasp as your cheek rubbed up against his, his stubble grazing you that sent a tingle straight down to your core.

“Are you always this impatient?”

He had obviously noticed the slight fluster in your voice as he brushed up against you before sitting down at the table, smirking and leaning back on two legs of the chair again.

“Only when it’s something I want, and I definitely want that.”

Unable to hold back the blush rising in your cheeks when you suddenly realised he was looking at you and not the soon to be blade, you quickly placed the metal back into the pit and turned to your workstation so that you had your back to him, fiddling with the items that would make the hilt.

“Good things come to those who wait.”

The next few days passed the same way, working continuosly day and night, only stopping to eat or get a few hours sleep. Glancing up at your clock to see it was nearly midday, you quickly grabbed a scrap of cloth and covered the nearly complete tang that you had just spent the past few hours polishing, not wanting Jacob to see it just yet. He had become quite predictable in coming over, always around noon, pottering about impatiently before saying some kind of suggestive comment that had made you fluster and lose track of what you were doing.

Right on time you heard the door open, you didn’t even bother to look up as you grabbed your engraving tool and began work on the bolster.

“It’s still not finished before you ask.”

“Who says I was going to ask? What’s under here then?”

Swatting his hand away as he reached over and tried to pick up the rag that was covering the handle, your breath caught in your throat as you turned around to face him, eyes widening as they drifted up and down when you saw that he had a new set of clothes.

He was now wearing a long black coat with the collar pulled up, trousers and boots that didn’t have any holes or stains over them, and a green brocade waist coat that was accentuated with a loose red tie around his neck. He took off his top hat and dropped it on the table as he glanced over himself when he realised what you were staring at, the corner of his mouth twitching as you focused your attention to the coin pendant that he always wore laying on his chest.

“Yes I know I look ridiculous, but Evie insisted. Said she was tired of me looking like a pigs ear.”

Swallowing hard and turning back to your work, you took a deep breath to try and slow your heart that was now beating louder than a drum in your ears, before clearing your throat when you finally found your voice.

“Ridiculous isn’t the word I would use Mister Frye.”

“Oh? Then what word would you use? Odd? Pricks a good one.”

Giggling as you smacked his hand away from the cloth again, you took the opportunity to cast another glance over him, chewing at your lip and trying to wrack your brain to come up with a suitable word, but failing miserably as you started undressing him with your eyes.

“Erm, you look.. Nice?”

“Nice? That’s the best you could come up with?”

Laughing again when he clutched his chest and pretended to be insulted, you dropped your tool and piece of metal down on the counter, giving up trying to concentrate on work now you had rather improper images in your mind.

“Alright then, better. You look, better. Now is there anything else? I really do need to carry on without anymore distractions.”

Jacob grabbed his top hat off the table and arranged it on his head, just so, before wincing when you smacked his hand away from the table yet again, then turned and headed back towards the door.

“I suppose I had better go, no doubt Evie’s pacing about waiting for me. By the way, I preferred ‘distraction’ to better.”

Sighing and grabbing your instrument as you watched him jump up to catch the side of the building and climb out of view to the roof, you dropped it back down again, rubbing your face and staring blankly at the wall. You can’t get involved with an assassin, you just can’t. Father had warned you how dangerous they were, but surely after everything you had been through, you could handle whatever came with it? Shaking yourself off and pushing the images of Jacob out of your head, you picked up the smooth piece of metal again, more determined than ever to finish it as quickly as you could.

Grinning to yourself as you dropped the polishing cloth on the table, you sat back and admired your work. You were quite pleased that it had turned out so well, even your father would have been impressed. The blade had a deadly serrated edge, and you had managed to decorate the red handle with faint engravings of the assassin symbol on it, embellished with a silver eagles head on its pommel.

You frowned as you glanced at the clock, seeing it was just past three in the afternoon. It was the first time in a week that Jacob hadn’t visited you, and you began to wonder why. Figuring he was no doubt on some reckless escapade around London, stealing another carriage, beating up Templars or the like, you decided to stay at the shop as would probably have next to no chance in tracking him down to give him his new weapon.

After several hours mulling about and tidying up your shop, exhaustion finally got the better of you and you had dozed off sat in a chair, laying on your folded arms on the table. You were so deep in sleep, not even the sound of the door creaking open woke you.

Noticing you were asleep, Jacob turned around to leave, stopping when he spotted something on your workstation. Creeping past you quietly, he picked up the scabbard and drew out the blade, a curve of a smile appearing as he examined it. Glancing around for a moment, he sat down next to you at the table, and gently picked up a stray hair that was was on your arm. Holding it over the edge of the blade for a moment, his eyebrows raised as he dropped it, watching it intently as it cut perfectly in two.

Your eyes snapped open when you heard a chair scrape against the floor, after rubbing your eyes to help you focus, you looked up to see Jacob staring down at you, beaming wildly.

“I take it you like it then?”

Stretching out and yawning as you watched him swish it about, you couldn’t help but smile with how pleased he looked.

“Oh yes, this is going to be alot of fun. Now we just need to test it out.”

“Wait… We?!” you asked confusedly whist stifling another yawn.

“Yes, we. Come along, you’ve been cooped up in here for a week making this for me, don’t you want to see how good it is?”

Feeling slightly anxious about going out and joining in on whatever he had planned, you made your way to the back of the shop and to your weapons cabinet, choosing a slender dagger to take with you.

“You know how to use that?” said Jacob in a slightly mocking tone.

Locking the cupboard back up, you scowled at him as you ushered him outside, slamming the door loudly behind you both.

“Yes, I do. You can’t be around blades and knives your whole life and not know how to use them. You haven’t said exactly how you’re going to ‘test’ your new Kukri yet.”

Draping his arm around the usual spot on your shoulders, you tried to keep your attention on the path ahead when you noticed he kept glancing over at you, not quite sure of his expression.

“We’re going to the docks. Remember when you said Ned likes people owing him favours? Well this is one of them.”

Raising your eyebrows in surprise as you didn’t expect to be involved in some kind of assassin mission, you nudged him towards a side street, knowing a quicker way to get to the port.

“Alright, just exactly what does he want us to do?”

“Right up your street actually. There’s a shipment coming in, and he wants us to steal it. Shouldn’t be too much trouble.”

Dropping his arm from around you as you reached the dock, he pulled you behind a stack of crates and peeked around them, grinning as he spotted the boat he was looking for.

“I need to grab that manifest from that blighter over there, and we need to mark the containers that Ned wants. My Rooks will do the rest.”

Nodding as it sounded easy enough, you followed Jacob closely as he snuck onto the boat and crept towards the woman who was holding a pile of papers, your eyes widening as he clapped a hand over her mouth, and sunk his blade deep into her back.

He gestured for you to come closer as he pushed the body off the side of the boat into the water, and grabbed the manifest off the floor, flicking through the pages and pointing to several lines when you reached him.

“These are the ones we need, you find them and mark them, I’ll keep my eye out for anymore of the gang.”

“No problem. I actually expected this to be alot harder.”

A tingle ran through you when he rubbed your arm and grinned cheekily, before handing you the papers and running off in search of more blighters. Leaning slightly to the side so you could see him climb up the cargo and jump down the other side, you took a deep breath to calm yourself down before looking at the list.

Pulling out your dagger and marking the first container on the list, you stood up quickly as you heard alot of shouting voices to your right. Glancing over the top of the crate, you hurried to the next case as you spotted Jacob fighting against several gang members that were circling around him.

You grinned to yourself when you saw that he had made fast work of the men that had surrounded​ him, partly thanks to your blade. You picked up your pace when another six came out of nowhere and began attacking, knowing that no matter how good the weapon was, he was starting to become overwhelmed.

Looking around quickly and sheathing your dagger after you had just finished marking the last one, you froze for a moment as Jacob ran towards you, with nearly two dozen blighters chasing after him. He grabbed your arm and pulled you into running alongside him down the boat, skidding to a stop as you reached the end.

“You’re not afraid of heights are you?” Jacob asked through his rapid breathing.

“No, why?”

You had barely finished speaking when he wrapped his arm around your waist, shooting his grappling hook out and catching it on the side of the bridge, your stomach lurching as you both hurled up in the air. The momentum flung you over the side rail, but having never done this before, your footing faltered as you landed, straight on top of Jacob as you crashed to the ground. Your breath caught in your throat when his grip tightened around your waist as he looked up at you, his eyes dancing playfully and lips curving into a sensual grin.

“As much as I’m enjoying having you on top of me my dear, we need to get going before those blighters catch up.”

It took a moment for you to come to your senses, slowly clambering up and leaning against the rail to steady yourself. You cocked your head as you saw a flurry of green down below, what you assumed were the Rooks, finishing off the blighters and stealing the cargo.

Turning back to Jacob, you smiled and shook your head when you saw him climbing up into the drivers seat of a nearby carriage.

“You stole another one?”

Shrugging his shoulders as he extended his hand to help you up to sit beside him, you held on for dear life as he cracked the reins, making the horses immediately go into a fast gallop.

“Didn’t steal, just, borrowed. I’ll bring it back.” he said, grinning at you playfully.

“I see. Do we really need to go so fast?! Where are we going?”

You looked over to where he was pointing in the near distance, to see thick black smoke bellowing up in the air.

“Over there. Thats my train.”

[top-hat-assassin]

Togetherness (Jacob Frye X Fem!Reader)

Hello Followers, thank you for your patience once again. Here is another one and this time I took 41-year (well, he is 43/44 in this one) old Mr. Frye to the test. I mean, he needs love, too. And he is such a handsome man and had to go through a lot.

I hope you will enjoy this piece of Fiction. I do not have any knowledge about the bathing back in Victorian England. I googled but didn’t find enough or maybe I did not dig deep enough. (I actually just googled again to not look like a complete idiot in front of you and added a few things, heh)

A happy Fryeday to all of you. I hope my english followers are all okay + their families and friends after what had happened.

Title: Togetherness Summary: Reader wants some time for herself but her dear husband thought otherwise Characters: Reader, Jacob Frye Relationships: Jacob Frye x Fem!Reader Warnings: Very slightly NSFW at the end (but really, not much) Words: 1.885

The silence within the walls of the bedroom could almost be grasped and the noises coming from the street outside were ignored. You hummed quietly in the tub in front of the fireplace, visibly enjoying the warmth of the water surrounding your body. Your back was leaning against the tub, the arms placed on the edges while the hot steam coming off the water made you feel more cozy.

You had the house all to yourself and as a crouning conclusion you would give your body the wellness program it deserved. Your two men were out and about somewhere and engaged in a mission whereas your daughter was in India. She wanted to train more with her aunt Evie and of course, Jacob Frye couldn’t say no to his little princess. And yes, he even was a little mad when she insisted on training alone with Evie.

You liked having them around, no doubt about it, but sometimes you wished you had more peace for yourself. The boy and the girl both did inferior their father in a lot of things. However, you had often the presumption that Jacob is more of a child than the actual children in the house.

A smile etched itself onto your lips when your mind showed you the disappointed and worried face of your husband when he came back from escorting Evie and your daughter to the ship which departed to India. He was always very protective over his children - his daughter even more so. But the man knew, that he has to let them go and make their own story. Naturally it wasn’t easy on you as well, your mother instinct always on high alert, but it gave you comfort knowing that Evie is going to be with her and taking care of her.

A sigh escaped you, you closed your eyes and forgot everything around you. The silence was a change, you had much needed. You didn’t know how much time had passed - it could be only ten minutes or far longer. But suddenly you heard a suspicious sound outside the room and your eyes were immediately fixed on the door to the bedroom.

Soon the noise could be recognized as footsteps.

“Jacob?” you called out, hoping secretly that it was indeed your husband. Of course you know the sound of his footsteps, but this time they seem a little bit different - lighter if one would describe it. And you did not have much desire to face an opponent naked. But you were an assassin and you wouldn’t go down without a fight. You grabbed a throwing knife from the pouch you had carried with you from a stool next to the tub.

The steps fell silent in front of the door and then she was opened slightly. In seconds, you raised your prefered arm with the knife and pointed at the door. Somebody put their head through the gap. The knife was thrown and landed with a loud thud (given the silence) into the wooden door. The intruder reacted quickly and shielded himself off with the door before the knife could have hit him. The door was opened again with a creak and Jacob’s head came once more through the gab and turned to the knife. Your eyes widened and you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw it was indeed Jacob. “God dammit, Jacob! At least say it is you. I could have seriously injured you!” thank god the man was fast enough because you didn’t want to wait for an enemy to be quicker than you. You had gotten another knife from the stool but put it down instantly and placed it back to it’s previous place.

“At this rate, I need to replace all doors in the house, darling.” His gaze was at first dumbfounded, being eye to eye with a sharp knife wasn’t his expectation, before looking over at you. As a response you threw him a glare. There was a grin now on his face and he took in the scenery he found you in, completely forgetting the incident that just happened. “I hope I’m not disturbing you, love.”

Maybe it would have been the best to just throw another comment at him, but you weren’t in the mood to even think about a good remark so your anger vanished. “Just a little.”, you teased him. “You’re back early.” “The mission went great and Emmett did his part perfectly.”

You smiled and you could see the expectant face of your husband. He didn’t open the door fully yet, still only his head was seen. “Is there something else, Mr. Frye?” you raised an eyebrow as Jacob didn’t move an inch.

He blinked a few times. “Do you have room for a second person?” There was a bold smile on your face now. “Why, are you planning on joining me?” He hesitated for a moment before speaking up. “Only if you want to. I know you love your baths alone. I just… you look so peaceful and relaxed and I was hoping I could join you.”

His face was even showing his high hopes and the second you saw it you knew; you would not be able to resist him. Otherwise you would feel bad for the rest of the day. “I’ve always got enough space for two persons in here.” As soon as the words left your mouth, his hazel orbs glinted at the idea of sharing a bath with you. Now he opened the door completely and let the door fall into the lock behind him. He approached you slowly, his clothes finding their place scattered on the floor. Your gaze stayed on him the entire time, watching how more of his skin is revealed to you.

It didn’t take long before he was nude in front of you, your eyes raking over his figure, taking in every scar, the trail of chest hair leading down inbetween his legs. Your bodies may not look like how they looked twenty years ago, but that doesn’t mean, that his body can’t excite you anymore. Quite the opposite in fact. You shook your head to yourself. Now is not the time for such thoughts, although it would almost feel like a crime not to acknowledge the body of the handsome man you married. As he made preparations to get into the tub, you moved a little forward so he could sit behind you. You waited patiently for him to find the right position; only then did you get closer and pressed yourself against him. His arms wrapped around you, your head leaning against the shoulder where he had his tattoo.

“As much as I love my baths for myself. I’d always prefer them with you in it.” your whisper broke the silence after seconds of him adjusting. “Is that so?” you heard the smug grin in his voice. In response, he received a gentle flick to one of his arms.

You touched his right thigh with the palm of your right hand and went up and down as far as you were able to without having to move your upper body. It remained silent between the two of you, but the quietness was not unpleasant.

The hike over his thigh soon stopped and you raised your arm to touch his chin. You tapped his stubble with your fingers, feeling the scratchy surface under your fingertips. “You would talk to me if anything bothers you, right?” you asked softly. You remembered the case with Jack like it was yesterday. It had been two years now, but you knew that it was still boiling in him because of everything that happened. He may be a little bit more like himself, but the events changed him. “‘Course.” with his own right hand he took yours, led it to his lips and kissed your knuckles. “I’m alright, really, do not worry about me.” “I’m your wife, it’s one of my duties to do so.” there was a stern tone to your voice mixed with softness.

He gave a breathless short laugh, and you noticed he was bringing you a little closer. He buried his face in your neck, let go of your hand to embrace you with both arms again. The hand he let go of, found it’s way in his hair and began to run through his hair or scratch his scalp gently.

He left little kisses starting with your neck and went up to your chin, where he began to softly nibble. With a small laugh, you turned your face to him and immediately your lips merged into an unhurried kiss. He ran his tongue once along your lips before leaving them. “How did I ever get so lucky, Mrs. Frye?” he whispered the question against your skin of your cheek. You pressed a small kiss to his chin. The hand in his hair went to the small stool placed next to the tub and you took the cloth, which lay on it. You also took the soap and wrapped it around the cloth. “Because you deserve it. Let me finish washing myself and we can get out. What do you want for dinner?” “How about you being my dinner?” he asked mischievous into your ear, licking the earlobe as if to underline his want.

You giggled. “You are an awful man.” Jacob let loose a chuckle and took the washing cloth from your hands. “Let me do that, I’ll do it much better.” Armed with the rag, he began to slowly wander over your back. When he was done with it and washed the soap off your skin, he trailed kisses along your spine. He then pushed you back to his chest so he can also wash your front. Again, he worked slowly over your body and your breasts. Your husband made sure he doesn’t put too much pressure on you and sometimes he would caress your breats with his palms, even pinching your nipples now and then. He wanted to work you up, that much you could read into his actions. “I take it you’re trying to get me into bed.”

“And you can have your way with me, love. Emmett is out with a few friends. I doubt we’ll see him until late in the evening.” he said quietly. “Mh?” “It was his idea his parents needed some time for eachother.” now there was a full grin on his lips. You, on the other hand, began to get a little bit suspicious. “As long as he isn’t like you when you were young. Or else London’s got itself another Jacob Frye out there.” “Oi.” he gave you a offended look you knew he didn’t mean serious. “I wasn’t that bad, love.” “Keep telling yourself that.” you grinned. The next moment you turned around, so you could look at him more easily and leaned over him. A hand cradled his cheek as you kissed him, this time more passionate and deeper. “We should not waste time.” you whispered against his lips and scattered more over his face. “Enjoy.” you began to kiss down his neck and a hand wandered over his wet stomach to sneak underwater and find his waiting manhood.

Jacob was sure that he will do just that.

[kentucky-the-fried]

Imperium: Chapter 1

Featuring: @aeviann ‘s Aeviann, @deltheor ‘s Scarlen, and @eienias20 ‘s Jaynix

Chapter 1: Et Non Sentiunt (And I Do Not Feel)

The mornings in the city are always busy. Lots of people are just waking up in the early hours, going about their daily routines - but unlike the other districts, the Administrative District is the place that never sleeps. BLADEs are always up and about, as every day provides new opportunities to get out into the field and help the city to grow and survive. I take pride in being a BLADE, in being one of the lucky ones who can explore the world and help people, regardless of their situation. It is the best feeling in the world, knowing that everything I do makes the life of someone else better.

And so I stand in front of the mission board now, my usual coffee in my hands, waiting for the right mission to pop up. Being an Interceptor, I specialize in defending other BLADEs on dangerous missions, and even though I am capable of taking other jobs, nothing else brings me as much joy. Protecting people is my ecstasy - I think that is the right word to describe it, anyways. Is that not the name of the Earth drug that produces emotional warmth and pleasure? Hmm, I wonder if it still exists. Maybe Frye will know something about it.

Regardless, I know something that makes me feel even happier: coffee. I take another sip of the one in my hands, my eyes closing as caramel hits my taste buds. Caramel macchiatos are the best, I say silently as my eyes open. The mission board looks like it has a new selection of missions available, so I scan over the new options to pick something out. I am itching to get out and do something productive - I cannot tell if I am energetic because of the thrill of adventure, or because I am having my sixth coffee for the day. Either way, I finally spot something on the bottom of the board that looks promising. The details are simple: hunt ten forfexes in Oblivia. I take the mission with no hesitation. BLADE would not post a mission like this if the forfexes had been peaceful as of late. Plus, missions like these are ones that I know I can handle on my own. If I take on one forfex at a time, I could complete the mission with lots of time to spare for other missions.

I switch my coffee to one hand as I pull out my comm device, which had been tucked neatly in the back pocket of my jeans. The details of the mission pop up and I refresh myself one last time. I hardly glance at the rewards for its completion. Sure, credits could be nice. But more tank tops? Definitely not. I do not even wear tank tops.

With a sigh, I place my comm device back in my pocket and turn to leave. Facing Division Drive, I start towards my Skell, parked neatly next to the tents lining the walls. As a Lailah Queen model, it is not classified as the strongest in the market, but I have optimized it to a point I am quite happy with. Plus, the paint job is not too shabby. Gotta love reds and blacks.

On my way there, I glance over at the device to my left, placed conveniently next to the mission board. I remember being introduced to the scouting console back when I first arrived in the city, but since then, I have not touched it. I mean, scouting sounds fun, but I enjoy having the company of the friends I made. Hiring complete strangers seems scary in its own way.

And, ah...it does not work for me.

I tried using it a few times in the past, out of curiosity. But for some reason all it told me is that I was “offline” and could not access the scouts. After that, I shrugged it off and never brought it up. Not like I cared about it, really. Why hire scouts when you can have Elma?

And just like that, as I glance away from the console, I notice her exit the barracks with Lin at her side. I think L would call this a “talk of the Satan” moment? He never explained that to me, but I think it is supposed to be in regards to something coincidental happening? Either way, I turn to give them both a bright smile. It has been a while since we worked together on a mission, with all three of us being busy in our respective lines of work.

But Elma looks different. Ever since she showed us her true form in the Lifehold Core, she has readjusted to walking around in her actual body. I cannot help but admire her new appearance, and as our eyes meet, I am faced with eyes brighter than the stars in the night sky. As they approach, Lin starts to jog, rushing past Elma to reach me first. But I realize that I still have my half full cup of coffee in my right hand, so as Lin calls out my name in excitement I start to slowly move my hand behind my back.

“Pongo!” Lin says with a cheerful smile, “I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve seen you!”

I chuckle. Her childish nature never ceases to amuse me. “I have been busy. Just because we won the war with the Ganglion does not give us the right to slack off, especially now.”

As Elma finally stops next to Lin, she gives a small nod. “Of course. I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” Her gaze moves downward just as my coffee slides out of vision, but the movement is too slow, and she returns her gaze upwards, scowling. “By any chance would that be coffee in your hand?”

“Whaaaaaaaat? No, of course not!” I try my best to lie, “I have not had coffee for a very long time! You said it yourself, having too much coffee is a very bad habit and it is no substitute for a good night of sleep -”

“He totally has a caramel macchiato.” Lin interrupts. “I can smell it from here.”

“Lin!” I hiss playfully, and she giggles.

Elma, however, is not amused. “I know you’re in a mimeosome, but even mims need sleep.” She holds her hand out, and by now I know the routine. Very slowly, I bring the cup back out from behind my back and give it to her. With a sigh, she continues, “I don’t think I’ve seen you rest ever since we got back from Oblivia, when you…”

“Lost my arm.” I finish slowly. I remember that day so vividly - the pain, the fear, only wondering if Tatsu was okay - but I cannot tell her that it is because of that day that I refuse to sleep. The nightmares were so surreal that I often questioned the difference between the dream and reality. I cannot have Elma worrying over me for something so small.

“Guess you can say I needed a hand after that.” I finish up, a cheeky grin forming on my face.

Lin points fingerguns my way, and I notice that Elma can’t hold back a smile of her own. Gods, her smile is beautiful.

“Anyways Lin, we have a mission to get to in Cauldros,” She informs her, “The White Whale debris won’t find itself.”

“Aww, I know,” Lin says, her shoulders slumping. “Do you think you can come with us Pongo? Just the three of us, like the old days!”

“I would love to,” I admit, “But I have already accepted a mission in Oblivia. Apparently some forfexes have been causing trouble for the operatives - but I can take them down, all on my own!”

That gets them both to frown. I wonder if I have said something wrong - maybe I sound too excited? No, why would that be it?

“You’re going alone?” Elma responds first,  “That doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

“Maybe you can take some scouts, at least?” Lin suggests. “Even if you’re confident - which, um, big step forward for you if you are! - at least take them for the company!”

I shake my head. It is not confidence, I would say, but more of a caution. Forfexes are quite powerful, and often underestimated - I would hate to bring someone with me only to have them get hurt. Besides, if I told them about the virago I took on solo the other day…

“I will be fine!” I reassure them.

“...you know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you use the scouting console.” Lin comments, “We showed it to you when you first arrived in the city, right?”

I nod. “You did! Just, ah...see, a while back, I tried to use it and it did not give me access, so since then I never tried it. Never saw a reason to, seeing as I have perfectly good teammates around me to go to!”

  Elma continues to frown. “That doesn’t seem right. All BLADEs should have access.”

“Might be a system error, Lin says, “C’mon, let’s check it out! I could probably work out any of the bugs!”

She runs over to the scouting console before I can tell her not to. I have heard so many tales of scouting, and for the most part, it involves meeting new people. My hands clench into shaky fists, fearing that when she fixes the problem, it will involve me having to scout someone. I know they only mean well for me, but new people are scary. How am I supposed to interact with them?! What if they hate me?!

As Elma and I follow Lin to the console, she starts fiddling with some of the buttons before asking, “Walk me through what you did last time you tried to use this.”

I nod once before taking her place at the console. She got me to the main screen, where there are four options. The first, being to scout BLADEs, is the one I click. However, just like my last attempt, it gives me an error screen with bright red letters reading “offline”.

“See? It does not work, therefore I cannot scout!” I say, almost with a little relief in my voice.

Lin takes center stage again as she peers down at the letters on the screen. “Hmm...Let’s see…”

She plays around with some of the buttons again, opening a few different screens as she tries to figure out the problem. There is a moment of tense silence as Elma and I watch her work. Elma still has my coffee in her hand - gods, I can smell it from here. I want that caramel goodness, I need it!

But, after a while, Lin exclaims, “What? How didn’t Nagi explain this to you?!”

“What is it, Lin?” Elma asks.

“He doesn't have a scouting account!” She explains, spinning herself around to face us, “They’re essential if people want to access your information and determine if you’re a good fit for scouting. If you don’t have one, you can’t scout or be scouted!”

Elma chuckles. “That’s one of the basics that Nagi should’ve went over with you.”

Huh. Nagi never mentioned anything about a scouting account when he gave me a runthrough before. I guess it slipped his mind. Nevertheless, I fold my hands behind my back, smiling awkwardly. Lin knows what the issue is, and I partially expect her to push me into this scouting business. “I do not recall the Secretary ever walking me through it. But really, I do not think -”

“Here, let’s make your account!” Lin interrupts, turning around and typing into the screen. “Mind telling me your current build?”

I pause - I knew she would do this, no backing out now - before telling her, “Bastion Warrior class. Dual guns and photon saber.”

I open my mouth to speak, but again, Lin speaks before I can protest. “And your profile is set! Your days of no scouting are over!”

“Nicely done, Lin,” Elma compliments her with a grin. Just then, we all hear her comm device buzz, and she pulls it out as the blue screen displays some new information. “Vandham is starting to wonder why we’re not in Cauldros. Looks like we should get going, Lin.”

“Of course!” Lin responds. Turning to me, she informs me, “This is a good opportunity for you to scout some people! Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve made a lot of friends through scouting people, and it’s so cool to see where everyone has strengths!”

“It’ll be a new experience,” Elma adds, “And a great opportunity to make some friends in the field.”

I look down - not that they can tell the difference now. Just another advantage of having no irises, I suppose. “I...I will try.”

“Good luck!” Lin bids me goodbye as she walks off, and Elma gives me a reassuring smile before following suit and eventually taking the lead. Once they get out of earshot, I face the scouting console again, taking a deep breath. I could turn around now, I do not have to do this, I can just go on my own and lie about this later if they ask - but nope, here I am pressing a button, because I hate lying. As the screen changes, I am suddenly faced with a wide array of names and classes and weapon sets. All these names are so foreign to me, and as I try to overcome the feeling of nausea, I end up deciding to look around a bit more. It would be nice to have a group of scouts that have different talents…

I say as I find a person with my exact same weapon set. Dual guns, photon saber. This scout is of the Mastermind class, however, so I figure that he might be a suitable option. The nametag given is “Scarlen.”

Okay, two more, I tell myself. Four is a nice number for going out into the field. Any more and it might cause a few problems, especially since I plan to take out these forfexes one at a time using stealth. With that in mind, I find another scout under the name of “Aeviann” who uses a sniper rifle and a javelin. The sniper rifle would be good for distance and picking off enemies from afar - a logical choice, but one that fills me with anxiety. Two complete strangers coming with me on this mission - and I am about to make it three.

One more name from the list, a somewhat random choice, gives me “Jaynix”. Equipped with a gatling gun and a longsword, I expect her to be well versed in offense, which could come in handy for getting this done quickly. And with that, I have my three scouts. Now all there is left to do is wait, I think. Will they come to me? Do I have to meet them out in the field? Gods, I did not think this through. What if they refer to me as “captain”, or “sir”? I do not want those titles, I do not deserve them. Would now be a good time to curl up into a corner and cry?

...Well, the last part is an exaggeration, but I can still sense that nothing good will come of this. I just hope I can put these scouts to some use on this mission...and I hope I do not make a complete fool of myself.

“Hey there! You’re the guy who scouted me, right?”

I almost do not notice that someone has stepped up to me. I turn myself around. “I think that would be me - oh my gods.”

The person who stands before me...is absolutely gorgeous. Dark red hair falls past her shoulders, complementing the red fabric of her raim, and her fiery eyes shine with confidence as she crosses her hands over her chest, awaiting a response. I find my gaze exploring her body, noticing how the raim curves to fit her hourglass figure and complement the muscle underneath, and before I understand what is happening, my eyes lock with hers. Gods, her irises are like tiny beacons, full of light. How long have we been standing here? Oh gods, she must think I am weird. I have to do something, otherwise...

I have to hesitate, trying to regain my composure as my cheeks flush up. Of all the scouts, I had to choose a pretty one. Just my luck. Just. My. Luck. I have to say something, anything, stop standing here like a complete idiot!! “Oh, y-yeah! That would probably be me.”

“Well, you’re Pongo, right?” She asks to confirm, “The name’s Jaynix. I’m with the Interceptors!”

“...me too!” I squeak, giving my best attempt at a friendly smile - though, I think it comes across as more awkward than I anticipate. “Interceptor! Me! I am an Interceptor!”

Janyix shifts in her posture, and I notice something change within her gaze. “You are? I don’t think I’ve seen you around before. I would’ve remembered a face like yours.”

My heart is beating faster than it should. My mouth opens as I attempt to speak, but no words come out. All of my thoughts, every fiber of my being focuses on her beauty, her confidence - and in the midst of it all, I wonder if I could ever look the part. Maybe one day, when I am not as much of a human disaster, I can be confident too!

“Um...hi there! You’re Pongo, right?...”

I almost do not notice that someone else has walked up behind Jaynix. I start to give them a friendly smile - ohhhhhhhhh no. Oh no oh no oh no oh no he is just as cute as Jaynix and I want to ruffle his fluffy white hair and I want to stare into those sparkly blue cat eyes forever and ever because gods are they beautiful. Am I blushing I think I am blushing wait was I blushing before or am I just doing it now? Oh gods I probably look like a complete idiot I have to say something anything just need to -

“Yup, this is Pongo.” Thank you so much Jaynix. “I take it he’s never scouted before. Either that or he can’t handle just how sexy I am!”

Ohhhhhhhhhhh my gods I want to cry. This was a mistake and now I look like an idiot and there is no way this can get any worse -

“Aevi! Hey there!”

And before I know it, Jaynix is waving to another woman who is walking towards us. As she grows closer, I take in her image and -

……….fuck.

“Jay! Good to see you again!”

“Feels like it’s been forever. We really need to catch up more. Say, did Pongo scout you too?”

“Oh, he did!...is this him?”

“Yup. Poor guy’s flustered beyond belief. I’m pretty sure it’s his first time scouting.”

“Must be a new BLADE then?”

“Don’t know. I would ask but I think the kid’s in the middle of a stroke. Here, I’ll see if I can calm him down.”

Snap snap.

“No need to be nervous, kid. I don’t bite!...but I could.”

“Jay, that’s not helping. Here, I’ll try.”

She smells like flowers.

“Take a few deep breaths. Everything will be okay. We’ll be happy to show you the ropes if this is your first time with scouts.”

Deep breaths. Okay Pongo, you can calm down. Just take deep breaths. Maybe then you can actually talk to these incredibly gorgeous people. Deep breaths.

I feel my chest expand and contract with every breath I take, and before I know it, my head is clear. I blink once, facing them with a new perspective. Okay, I can do this...I think. First things first, apologize for being the worst BLADE ever.

“Sorry about that...I just...did not expect...to scout three incredibly beautiful people.”

THAT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY OH GODS

“Aww, thanks kid!” Jaynix chuckles. Meanwhile, the man standing behind her - Scarlen, I assume - begins to smile nervously. Gods he is so cute - no, no, stop that. I almost do not hear his tiny adorable voice above the sounds of the Administrative District growing louder.

“Thanks!...you look nice too!...”

I shake my head repeatedly. “No, I am nothing special!” I do not give them time to say anything else as I whip out my comm device. “So the mission I have is fairly simple. There is a group of forfexes out in Oblivia that have been causing some trouble for BLADE operatives in the area, so the task is to take out ten of them to reduce their population, maybe scare the rest off in the process.”

“Oblivia? Yes!” Aeviann says with a beautiful, wide grin.

I notice, however, that Jaynix does not look the least bit happy with this. Her position shifts as she takes on a frown - which, honestly, she looks just as good in a frown as she does a smile. Wait no, that sounds like I want her to be angry, I do not want her to be angry!

“Well then, let’s go wreck shop!” Jaynix says, beginning to turn away. “I can give you all a lift in my rover by the way! My brother Kruse recently installed this new AI into it…”

As she and Aeviann walk farther away, I almost forget that we are a team, so I have to jog to catch up to them. Scarlen keeps pace with me on my right hand side, shooting me a gentle smile that makes my heart melt.

“Hey, you okay? You don’t have to be nervous. We’ll all help you in any way we can.” He reassures me in that amazingly adorable voice of his.

Taking a deep breath, I do my best to answer him with a calm tone. “I will be okay.”

But, quite honestly, the thought of being in a rover with three beautiful people might kill me before we reach Oblivia.

<-- Prologue || Chapter 2 -->

[ladye11e]

Blades, Trains, Assassins, Thieves pt 4

SFW (for now)

Word count: 2740

Characters:Jacob Frye/fem reader

Tagging the lovely @geekgoddess813 because she needs to be in Jacob hell with me lol

Quickly climbing out of the carriage, you started in a slow jog alongside the tracks as you waited for the train to catch up. It had thankfully slowed down as it had got to the station to pass through, so jumping on it was going to be easier than you thought, as you had become slightly panicked when Jacob had said that you would be getting on without it stopping. Grabbing hold of the rail at the end of one of the carriages, you hoisted yourself up with relative ease, following Jacob in when he had jumped up behind you.

"Wow.. this is amazing! Is it really yours?"

Looking around quickly to take everything in, it was much better than you had expected. The carriage you were in was quite nicely decorated, a long black leather couch, a safe and a cluttered desk on the left, two more on the right, one of which Jacob had perched himself on the end of.

"Yes, thanks to our dear friend Mr Wynert."

"Ned?! I can't help but think I'm being cheated somehow..."

Jacob grinned when you put your hands on your hips and pouted, before turning your attention to the board that had several photographs and pieces of red string pinned to it, on the wall right next to where Jacob was sitting.

"What's all this for?"

"That? Just all the Templars in London that deserve my attention."

He jumped up eagerly to stand just in front of you to attach a string cross over an image of a man that you slightly recognised as a blighter leader, then turned back to face you with a pleased smirk. All of a sudden the train jolted as it slowed down, making you lurch forward and collide against Jacob, who was now pinned between you and the wall. You gasped when he raised his eyebrow and lay his hands on your waist, stopping you from pulling away.

"Thats twice you've thrown yourself at me today. Can't say I'm complaining though."

In a split second, he lowered his head and pressed his lips against yours firmly, pulling back just as fast when he heard someone shout his name. Startled and flustered, you snapped your head to the side, to see a rather annoyed Evie stood there, hands on hips.

"Jacob Frye! Just what on earth do you think you are doing?! Who is this?"

You tried to take a step back, but his hands gripped you slightly tighter when he felt you move, turning his head to glare at his sibling.

"Ah dear sister, impeccable timing as always. This is (name) the thief I was telling you about."

"Charmed. That doesn't explain what she's doing here though?"

You tried to hide your face when her eyes drifted over you in annoyance, but with nowhere to turn you failed miserably, so you had to watch her finally settle on staring at the hands that were still firmly around you. 'Brilliant. What a great first impression.'

"Oh calm down Evie. Do you think I'm some kind of idiot? She's a friend of ol' Greenies."

Evie's piercing gaze softened slightly at hearing this, raising her eyebrows again and scoffing at Jacob.

"Well thats debatable. So you're a friend of Henry's?"

All you could do was softly nod as it seemed that your voice and the rest of your motor skills had decided to leave you in your half flustered, half aroused state.

"I see. Well if you're quite finished man handling the poor girl, there is an important matter that needs our attention. Or have you forgotten why we came to London in the first place?"

Jacob finally loosened his grip around you, enough so you could take a few steps back, only to crash against the nearby desk as the train picked up speed again.

"I wasn't 'man handling' her at all. No bruises." He said quite huskily, giving you a sly wink that made your already pink cheeks turn bright crimson.

"She's not just a thief either, take a look at this."

Taking advantage of Jacobs distraction, who had now pulled out his Kukri and was gushing about it as he handed it to Evie, you took a moment to process what just happened. Tracing your lips with your fingers, you couldn't deny the tingle that had ran through you when he had kissed you, and wondered what might have happened if Evie had not interrupted you.

"(Name)...... (Name)....."

Snapping out of your lewd thoughts, you looked back up to see Jacob smirking at you, in a way to suggest that he knew exactly what you were thinking, and Evie stood there a little irritated, waiting for you to reply.

"Em, I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Ah, she does speak. I asked if you really made this?"

"Yes Miss Frye."

Evie handed back the blade to Jacob, then unbuckled her own weapon from her belt and handed it to you before sitting down in the nearby chair, slumping back and crossing her legs.

"Evie, please. Can you make one of those? I will fairly compensate you for it of course. I do hope my brother did?"

You grinned as you unsheathed the blade, glancing over it quickly. It was in excellent condition, which you weren't at all surprised at, given what you had noticed about the female assassin, but it could be improved upon, and you already had a design in mind that would suit her perfectly.

"Yes, cane swords are what I am best at, shouldn't be too much trouble. And no, Mister Frye didn't pay me for his, it was repayment after I stole from him."

You began giggling when Evie burst out into laughter, both of you looking over at Jacob who had now crossed his arms over his chest and began scowling.

"You, stole from him? That is the best news I have heard today. I'm beginning to like you (name)."

Taking an exaggerated bow now that all of your nervousness had disappeared, you handed Evie back her sword just as Henry jumped through the door.

"Evie, I have news of the..... (Name)? What are you doing here? I do hope you're not in some kind of trouble again."

"No Henry, I'm not. Just helping out making new weapons. Speaking of, I really should get going."

Henry looked quite surprised as he handed Evie a sheath of papers, making her jump up out of her seat when she glanced them over.

"Yes, that would be wise. Henry, do you mind taking her back?"

"I'll do it."

Evie glared at Jacob when he pushed himself off the wall and went to walk over to you, before moving in front of him and pushing the papers onto his chest.

"Oh no you won't. Remember what father said, don't let personal feelings comprise the mission." she hissed.

"Blah blah blah, don't you quote father to me. Besides, you're one to talk."

Jacob flicked a knowing glance between Evie and Henry, your own eyes widening in shock to see them both bow their heads and fluster slightly.

"That's enough you two. Both quarreling like children. I will take (name) back to her shop, you need to follow the lead we have on Starrick." said Henry, who had managed to regain his composure quite quickly.

Following Henry to the door, you stopped for a second and turned back to the twins, who looked like they were no doubt about to start arguing again.

"Evie, it won't take me long to make you a new sword, you'll be able to pick it up at the end of the week. Mister Frye can tell you where I am."

Grabbing hold of the side rail and leaping down before either could reply, you turned and waited for Henry who followed you just behind. Walking slowly until he caught you up, your pace quickened when you realised you were back in Whitechapel, quite impressed at the speed the train had done a full circuit of London.

"So are you going to tell me what made you have a change of heart? Even though your father was aiding me, you have always been quite insistent on not getting involved."

Shrugging your shoulders as you looked up at Henry, who had been looking at you quite puzzled since the train, you decided to tell him the truth. Well partly anyway.

"Jacob helped me get back into my shop again, and stopped the blighters from coming after me. Made me realise that there are others out there that need help too. So here I am."

"Are you certain? Once you become a part of this world, there is no turning back."

Stopping when you reached his curiosity shop, you grinned as a group of blighters looked over your way, walking hastily in the other direction when they spotted you. Well, I definitely could get used to that..... Mulling it over for a few moments more, you began chewing at your bottom lip when your stomach began fluttering, thinking about Jacob.

"Your worry for me is flattering, but unnecessary. I'm sure. Now, do you happen to have any Obsidian?"

Grabbing everything you needed from Henry's shop, you quickly made it back to your own, and began setting up to make yet another assassin weapon. Pulling out your fathers journal from under the bed, you coughed as you blew the dust off of it, and began flicking through the pages quickly. When you had finally found the page you wanted, you read through it, paying special attention to the notes that were scrawled on the edge.

'Obsidian Lion cane sword..... Intricate carving..... (Name) to try as I failed...... Silver in hilt....'

Silver in the hilt?! Great, one thing you didn't have. Where the hell are you supposed to find silver around here?!

Snapping the book shut, you sat on the floor cross legged and rested your chin on your hand, thinking hard about where you could find the last item you needed. Snapping your fingers and dragging yourself up as you remembered that there was some kind of fete going on around the marketplace, you ran out quickly in hopes that the well to do people hadn't left yet.

Glancing around briskly, the corner of your mouth twitched as you located a lady waltzing about the stalls, eyeing up her ornate silver and jade necklace, before frowning as you saw she was being escorted by several young gentleman. Having not spotted anyone else wearing the metal that you needed, you leisurely walked around the stalls, stopping a few moments at each and pretending to watch the games or browse their wares, as to not bring any attention to yourself.

Reaching a part of the square that had been cordened of for dancing, you cursed when your mark entered the makeshift space with her male followers, who were now disagreeing on who should dance with her first. Squeezing in with the crowd of onlookers, you sighed in defeat as you knew there was no way that you could get to her anytime soon without being spotted, and there was too much police presence about for you to be able to just run up and snatch it.

Just before you were about to leave, you shrieked when you felt an arm snake around your waist tightly, turning around quickly to see Jacob trying to stifle a grin.

"Well that was an interesting noise you just made there, wonder what others I can make you do?"

He gave up trying to hold back his grin as you just stood there dumbfounded, your face getting hotter by the second. After what seemed like forever, you at last found your voice, and turned back to see the woman still dancing away.

"You startled me Mister Frye. What are you doing here? I thought you were on some secret mission with Evie?"

"Oh I am, trying to find Freddie. He must of actually pulled off a disguise this time. Why are you here?"

Very aware that his arm was still around you, you took a deep breath and slyly pointed to your mark, turning your head to see if he could see where you were gesturing to.

"That woman over there, I need her necklace to make Evie's cane sword. Think you can help me out with a distraction?"

His arm squeezed around you before dropping down, and he gave you a wink before pushing through the crowd to get to the other dancers. Watching him speak to the band for a moment, your face screwed up in confusion when they immediately struck up in a lively tune, and he waltzed over to the woman, interrupting the gentleman she was talking to.

The corner of your mouth twitched when she smiled as he took her hand, and began spinning and twirling her around in time of the music. He can dance?! Is there anything this man can't do?! After dancing with her for a few minutes, he took a deep bow when the music had finished, and headed back in your direction. Just as Jacob reached you, grinning at you wildly, it was only then that you had observed that her necklace was gone, and she was completely oblivious to her missing trinket.

"Well Mister Frye, I am impressed. Assassin, thief, dancer, whatever next?"

Before he had a chance to reply, both of your attentions snapped towards the stage area, to the woman looking around frantically and screaming.

"Police! Thief! He stole my necklace! Police!"

"Ooops. Time to go."

Jacob grabbed your hand and pulled you through the crowd, reaching the outskirts just as several whistles rang through the air.

"Ready this time?"

Looking behind you to see several policemen advancing on where you were, you nodded and held onto him tightly as he shot his grappling hook out and catching it on a chimney breast, hauling you both to the rooftops. Being prepared for it this time you landed cleanly on your feet, instantly sprinting over the tiles in the direction of your shop.

It didn't take long to lose the men trailing you, leaping from top to top had made them lose sight of you within the first few minutes. Shimmying down the side of the building next to your shop, you both ran in and slammed the door shut quickly, slightly out of breath.

"Well today has certainly been eventful, thats for sure."

Pulling off your coat and dropping it onto the bed, you walked into the front area to see Jacob sat on the edge of the table, fumbling around in his pocket.

"Just your average Tuesday for me. Here you go."

Grinning as he handed you the necklace, you dropped it on your work counter and began prying out the stones, hoping that the metal was enough for what you needed.

"Well I suppose I had better get going and find Freddie, you didn't happen to see an old lady with a beard around the market did you?"

Dropping the necklace back down and turning around to see that he was deadly serious, you burst out laughing as you imagined the Inspector in a dress.

"No Mister Frye, can't say that I did."

He grinned as he jumped down off the table and began walking towards the back door, stopping for a moment as he reached your side.

"Ah well. Oh, one more thing before I go."

Your breath caught in your throat and your heart began pounding as he wrapped one hand behind your neck, the other around your waist, pulling you firmly against him. You closed your eyes when his mouth descended on yours, gently at first, then more hungrily as a soft moan erupted in your throat. You slightly opened your mouth when his tongue brushed over the seam of your lips, flicking it over yours briefly, his hands holding you tighter as he tasted you. You let out a little whimper as he pulled away, staring up at his cheeky grin through your now dazed eyes.

"Hmmm, better than I thought. But I really do have to leave."

He trailed his fingers down you back before letting go, giving you a seductive wink as you body involuntary twitched towards him. Turning back to the necklace as he strolled out the door, a smile began creeping up your face as you decided that working with the assassins wouldn't be so bad after all.