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wistfulcynic · 5 years ago

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Self-Promo Sunday: The Very Witching Time

Tomorrow I’ll be posting The Sleep of the Sun, my contribution for @cspupstravaganza and a continuation of The Very Witching Time, which I wrote for the Supernatural Summer this year. It isn’t necessary to read TVWT to read the TSotS, but just in case, here it is!

Though it starts in summer the main action takes place in October, and there’s an eerie, witchy vibe throughout. It’s a modern setting, because I love witch!Emma as a modern woman who wears jeans and watches Netflix and uses her magic to keep her drinks hot and make her pancakes perfectly circular. But of course when she’s threatened by ancient evil she can use her magic for far more than that. Or when she meets an injured dog in the forest and needs it to heal him.

I love this verse so much, and these versions of Emma and Killian, AND the next chapter of their lives, beyond The Sleep of the Sun, which I hope will appear next year for the Supernatural Summer! I just can’t let it go.

SUMMARY: Emma Swan is a hereditary witch, last in a long line of wise women who for centuries have guarded the coast of Maine and the small village of Storybrooke with their homemade cures and their ancient magic. She holds the delicate balance between magic and mundane, but now that balance is threatened by a new foe, one capable of bringing an end to everything Emma is and everything she loves. To defeat it she will need all her power, help from her friends and neighbours, and the loyalty of a very unusual dog who answers to the name of Killian.

Words: 35k Rating: M (for violence and mild sexy times) Tags: modern AU, magical AU, witchcraft AU, witch!Emma, cursed!Killian, witches, witchcraft, witch lore

On AO3

CHAPTER ONE:

Emma Swan lived atop a jagged cliff in a house that seemed an extension of it, rising up from the wind-hewn face into pointed towers that stood stark against the sky. The house was of the same stone as the cliff itself, great slabs of it, slabs too large to be used for construction, slabs that, observing them, one felt could have been formed only by the hand of nature and never that of man. It was a part of the landscape, that house, as old as the earth and only slightly younger than the sky, perched at the edge of those perilous cliffs in a way that made it impossible to imagine them without it.

The back of the house, or rather the front, as that was where the door was set, however, presented an altogether different aspect; one of a delightful cottage of typical grey Maine clapboard, squat and cheerful with a steeply sloping roof trimmed in white and a low stone wall surrounding a tumbledown greenhouse and a garden where bushes, trees, and flowers jumbled together and neither rhyme nor reason appeared to play any role. On the casual observer the effect was charming in an artless way, yet a keener eye would note method behind the garden’s seeming madness, an ancient wisdom in the randomness of the tumbling riots of colour that shifted and transmuted with the seasons. Where in spring it boasted bright red poppies and purple larkspur, delicate white anemones and pink blossoms on the apple trees twisting around each corner of the wall, summer brought fragrant freesia and heather for the bees, its warm breezes rustling through the tall irises and lilies. Autumn ushered in the muted oranges and yellows of chrysanthemums and the fluffy white of Queen Anne’s Lace, salvia and yarrow and berries from the rowan tree. Even in winter the garden provided: the glossy green leaves and red berries of the holly bushes brightened the snowy vista as pansies and orchids flourished in the greenhouse.

Beyond the garden wall a forest sprawled, dark and wild and perilous, from the very edge of the cliff where trees clung by their gnarled roots to the borders of the village where it dwindled into fenced yards and tidy houses. Here your casual observer would feel a shivering prickle on the back of his neck, that uncomfortable sensation of being watched by things not quite of this world that is more commonly reserved for graveyards at dusk and abandoned Victorian houses. He would move quickly through the dense woodland —yet not so quickly that he appeared to be hurrying— and upon emerging he would feel the sunshine as a balm on skin grown far colder than he’d realised.

The keen observer would, of course, not go into the forest at all.

Emma was as keen an observer as anyone could be but the forest, for all its determined menace, posed no threat to her. She relied on it, in fact, for ingredients she could not or did not wish to cultivate in her garden or greenhouse, just as it relied on her to keep a rein on its magic. Emma and the forest had an understanding.

That understanding failed to extend to the village which separated the forest from the lush farmlands which this stretch of Maine coastline boasted; the richest soil in New England it was said, guarded closely by the residents of Storybrooke who despite their distrust of it were prepared to put up with creepy forest at their backs in exchange for prosperity at their fronts. And though they rarely ventured into the woods themselves they were broad minded and mercenary enough to appreciate the labours of those who did, of Emma and the generations of witches who had come before her; wise women who kept the forest in check and the villagers placated with potions and tinctures, candles to encourage love or drive away evil spirits and balms to soothe every ailment from a bumped head to a broken heart.

And so, just as witches had done in Storybrooke from the time of the earliest settlement of her ancestors in this land, Emma kept an apothecary shop in the village, stocked with the wares she blended and brewed herself, travelling to and from it each day along the very same forest path that had been daily trodden by so many powerful women over the course of the centuries.

The path was so familiar to her she could follow it in her sleep, which she almost did on the August afternoon when our tale begins, lulled by the muggy weight of the late summer air. The sunlight that shone so brightly on the village barely penetrated here; just a few slender shafts of it reached the forest floor, encouraging the growth of the rare plants on which Emma’s livelihood relied but doing little to alleviate the atmosphere made dense by damp heat and malign magic. Emma was blinking heavy eyelids, her mind on the cushioned bench in her garden that was so well suited to afternoon naps when the sound of an animal in distress wove its way into her drowsy consciousness.

It sounded like a dog, which caught her attention. Wilder, less domesticated creatures like cats and witches may feel comfortable enough with the forest’s demeanour to venture within, but dogs, being the keenest observers of all, tended to avoid it with the same diligence and for the same reasons as their humans did.

The noise came again, one that hovered somewhere between a whine and a growl, pained and frustrated. It tugged at Emma’s mind, clearing away her sleepy haze as from the corner of her eye she caught a quivering in the leaves of a hawthorn bush that twisted up from the undergrowth to the left of the path and the flash of a black tail just beyond it.

Without hesitating Emma plunged into the bracken, drawing on her own magic and that of the hawthorn as she went, wrapping threads of both around the bush’s thorny branches and pulling them aside to reveal a large black dog crouched at an awkward angle behind it. The dog looked up and when it saw her it stilled for a moment, staring at her with blue eyes that were almost shocking in its black face, a deep, clear blue she’d never seen on a dog before, bright and intelligent. It blinked and shook its head then looked at her again this time with a plea in those remarkable eyes, giving three quick, deep barks.

{Please help me.}

An affinity with animals was one of Emma’s gifts, and she was not surprised to hear the dog’s voice in her head. She smiled reassuringly and offered her hand.

“Hey, puppy,” she said in a low, soothing voice. “What’s the matter?”

The dog sniffed her hand then gave it a lick, its tail wagging furiously. She petted its head and scratched its ears as she slowly inched closer. It seemed remarkably calm given the circumstances but Emma had seen enough injured animals to be wary, knowing how abruptly their pain and fear could overcome them. She knelt on the ground next to it, murmuring gentle words and stroking its back, and took stock of the situation.

The dog’s front right leg was deep in what was likely a gopher hole, buried up to the middle of its shin, and though the sounds she’d heard and the state of the ground around the hole bore witness to the dog’s attempts to free itself, it was clear to Emma as indeed it would be even to the casual observer that the dog was thoroughly stuck and also that the leg was broken.

“Oh, poor baby,” she murmured. “That must hurt. I can help, if you’ll let me. Will you trust me?”

The dog looked right at her and she could see her answer in its extraordinary eyes, filled with pain but also hope and what she would swear was comprehension. It whined and gave her chin a single, gentle lick, then nodded its head.

“Well, that’s clearly a yes,” said Emma. “Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here.” She hunched closer and examined the dog’s leg, well and truly wedged into the gopher hole, and winced. “I’m really sorry pup but this is going to hurt,” she said, looking up to catch the dog’s gaze again, marvelling at how calm it was despite its distress. She grasped its leg as gently as she could below the break and gathered her magic. “Ready? One… two…”

On three she pulled the leg from the hole, using her magic to ease its way. The dog whimpered at the pain but did not bark or growl and when its leg was free it licked her chin again.

“Okay, that’s step one,” said Emma. “Now let’s see how bad this is.” She probed the leg as delicately as she could with her fingertips, feeling the fractured bone beneath the fortunately unbroken skin. The break felt clean, with no jagged edges. “It’s not as bad as it could have been, I should be able to heal it,” she said, wondering briefly why she was explaining herself to a dog, though the animal in question was watching her intently with those intelligent eyes looking for all the world as though it knew exactly what she was saying. “I’m gonna have to set the break so there’ll be pain again and then I’ll heal it right after. Okay?”

The dog gave a short bark followed by another nod.

{Ready.}

“Okay, then,” said Emma. She gathered her magic, pulling it from the forest flowers and the leaves of the trees for backup, then as quickly as she could she snapped the broken bone back into place and wove her magic into it, knitting it together and soothing the pain in the damaged tissues.

When she finished she sat back on her heels with a sigh and closed her eyes. That was more magic than she’d used in some time and she felt a bit woozy. When she opened them again they fell immediately on the dog, who was staring at its leg in wonder.

Could dogs stare in wonder? She frowned, realising she didn’t actually know very much about the canine species. As a witch she’d always considered herself more of a cat person.

“Give it a try,” she told the dog. “It’s all better now.”

The dog stood up and began to walk, tentatively at first and then with greater confidence. After a few loping steps it spun around and barked excitedly before trotting back to her with a delighted expression, tongue lolling from the corner of its mouth.

Emma, however, was still frowning. Despite the dog’s obvious pleasure its gait had a distinct limp and when it moved quickly it used only three legs, forgoing the left one entirely.

Its left leg… when she had healed the right.

“Hey,” she said. “Come here. Let me see that other leg.”

It limped closer and placed its left leg in her lap, a leg which she was now able to observe did not end in a paw.

“Oh, no!” she cried, bending to get a closer look at what was evidently an old injury and a badly healed one, with rough scar tissue and signs of wear where the dog had walked on it. “Oh poor you. This isn’t the first time you’ve been hurt, is it? How do you walk?”

The dog tilted its head in what was plainly a shrug.

“I guess you manage the best you can, huh? Well, I can’t give you your paw back but if you come home with me I should be able to fix you up with something to protect the end of your leg and help you walk a bit better. How does that sound?”

The dog licked her face enthusiastically and barked, and now that the press of emergency had passed she noticed the peculiar cadence of its cry.

“Aye!” barked the dog.

Emma blinked. She may not be the world’s foremost authority on dogs, but even she knew that they were supposed to say things like “woof” or “arf.” She’d never heard of a dog saying “aye” before.

“Aye?” she repeated with a laugh. “Well, I guess that’s pretty obviously agreement.” She stood and brushed the dirt and twigs from her legs as the dog stood patiently in its slightly off-kilter way. “What should I call you?” she asked it. “I don’t suppose you have a name.”

Killian.

The name sprang into her mind, though the dog hadn’t barked. “Killian?” she repeated, startled.

“Aye!” barked the dog.

“Really?”

“Aye!”

“You sure? It’s not Spot or Buster or Joe or something?”

The dog looked affronted, and she laughed again. “All right, Killian it is then. I guess that means you’re a boy.”

“Aye!”

“Well okay, Killian, let’s go. We can have some dinner and then I’ll see what I can do about that paw.”

Killian bounded in an excited circle around her, his tail a blur. He moved remarkably well, considering, she thought, even as she laughed at his antics, and soon he’d settled into a limping trot alongside her as she headed home.

When they reached her garden gate she opened it and went straight in but Killian halted with a short bark of distress. She turned in surprise at the sound to see him pacing to and fro in front of the gate, whining softly.

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

He whined louder and gave two short barks.

{Not welcome.}

“But why wouldn’t you be—” Emma frowned. The wards around her garden were designed to keep humans away, permitting none to enter without permission. But they shouldn’t have any effect on a dog.

Should they?

She really needed to learn more about dogs, she thought with mild irritation. This was clearly a gaping hole in her education.

In the meantime she called to the magic in the ancient warding spells, and spoke the age-old words to quieten them. “I see thee, Killian, and I name thee friend,” she said, in a voice that echoed through the open air. “Be welcome in this place.”

The magic of her garden surged and she held out her arms as it rippled and danced around her, ruffling her hair and gilding her skin with tiny sparks of light. Killian stared at her with wonder in his eyes again, and when the sparks faded away and she lowered her arms he cautiously stepped through the gate. The moment he crossed its threshold the garden’s magic… sighed, a soft exhale that sang of enduring hopes fulfilled at too long last, and curled itself around him, ruffling his fur as it had her hair.

Now it was Emma’s turn to stare. Her magic had never done that before. She gaped as Killian seemed to smirk —could dogs smirk?— at the unseen attention he was getting before rolling onto his back and letting the garden’s magic rub his tummy.

“Seriously?” cried Emma. “That’s enough of that, from both of you, Killian, come inside.”

She marched over to the cottage door and pulled it open. Killian leapt to his feet and ran after her, pausing just at the doorstep to wink at the garden before trotting into her kitchen.

Could dogs wink?

Emma made a mental note to dig up a book on canine behaviours later that night. There must be one in her library. Somewhere.

“I don’t have much that’s suitable for dogs,” she warned him as she opened the icebox. “But I think I’ve got some hamburgers in here if that’s okay—”

“Aye! Aye!”

“Okay, let me just heat them up.”

She defrosted the hamburgers with some gentle warming magic and put them on a plate for him. The minute she set it on the floor he dove in, gobbling up the meat with enthusiasm bordering on frenzy.

“Wow, you were hungry! How long has it been since you ate?”

He looked up at her and licked his chops, tail wagging vigorously, and barked twice before digging in again.

{Long time.}

“Well, don’t eat too fast, it’ll make you sick.”

Emma made herself a sandwich and munched it as she watched him diligently try to eat more slowly. When the last morsel was gone he lapped the plate clean then came over to her and licked her hand in thanks, wagging his tail as she scritched his ears before relaxing back onto his haunches and giving her the opportunity to observe him.

He was, as she had noticed in the woods, a large dog, though not a bulky one, with long slender legs and lean muscles. Standing, his head reached her waist with his shoulders around the middle of her thigh. His fur was thick and shaggy and a deep, light-absorbing black, though a v-shaped tuft right in the centre of his chest was bright white and fluffy and so soft-looking that her fingers itched to pet it.

He watched her examine him with a twinkle in his blue eyes that she was certain couldn’t be normal for a dog, as though he knew what she was thinking. She popped the last bite of sandwich into her mouth and when he pouted —did dogs pout?— she gave him a small smirk. “You had your dinner,” she said firmly. “You can’t have mine too. Now what do you say we go and see what can be done about that paw.”

She stood and left the kitchen, Killian at her heels, and headed past the living room and the closed library door, through a dark and narrow passageway towards the rear of the house. As she approached, the solid-seeming wall at the end of the corridor began to shimmer with the same sparking light that had surrounded her in the garden and a doorway appeared, wrought from the same stone as the slabs of the house itself, curving elegantly to form a pointed Gothic arch and frame a door of solid wood, thick and heavy and older than anything that surrounded it.

The door swung open as Emma drew near and she breezed through it without a thought. Killian, sensing the darker energy emanating from the other side, hesitated as he had at the garden gate. Emma turned, her smile understanding.

“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “It’s not dangerous, just old. Old things are sometimes… indifferent to younger ones. But it won’t hurt you. Nothing will hurt you here.”

Hesitantly he came through the doorway, moving slowly to allow the magic there to get a sense of him. It was less welcoming than the garden had been, but not hostile. As Emma said, it was simply indifferent. This magic had seen too many mortal creatures come and go in its time to care overly much about yet another one.

Emma led him into a large stone room with no windows, the tall, thick candles lining the walls its only source of light. These she set burning with a wave of her hand and the illumination they produced flooded the room with a golden glow despite their modest number. Stone stairs curved up the walls on either side of the room, leading to the towers that flanked the house, their twin helixes twisting up and disappearing into a darkness too dense even for the candles to penetrate. A heavy and cluttered wooden table spanned the length of the far wall, and this Emma approached, producing a thick, soft blanket of deep midnight blue scattered with stars from a woven wicker basket beneath it.

She spread the blanket carefully over the centre of the otherwise bare stone floor, placing at each of its corners a small silver bowl filled with sea salt and thyme and a few dried violet leaves, murmuring a short incantation over them as she did. “Sit here,” she instructed Killian, indicating the centre of the blanket. “I’ll need a few minutes to get my things together.”

Obediently, he sat and watched her in fascination as she rifled through the jumbled collection of bottles, jars, and bags on the table, frowning and muttering to herself as she did.

“…comfrey and rosemary and a bit of peppermint, sage to infuse and to burn…” she intoned as she gathered the named ingredients together. When all were assembled she snapped her fingers to light a fire beneath her copper kettle, then carefully weighed out the herbs on her silver scales while the water inside it came to a boil. She blended the herbs in a large mortar, crushing and grinding them with the pestle to blend them well and draw out their essence before tipping them carefully into a painted ceramic pot and pouring the boiling water over them. Stirring them gently with her magic, with her fingertips she traced arcane symbols through the steam as it rose from the pot into the cool, still air.

When she judged the herbs sufficiently infused she strained their liquid through a clean cheesecloth into a wide copper bowl. As it cooled to a comfortable temperature, she removed a lump of pure silver from a leather bag, holding it up to observe its gleam in the candlelight. The lump was large but to complete the healing properly would require all of it, and it was also precious. Glancing behind her she saw Killian sitting patiently, watching her, his eyes wide and curious but not afraid. Trusting.

He was worth it. She felt sure of that, and though she had no idea why she did not vacillate. Emma had long since learned to trust her instincts.

She took a bundle of dried sage and held it up to a candle flame until it caught —some fires needed to be started in the mundane way— then blew the flame out with a quick puff of breath and waved the smouldering herbs around the blanket and over the copper bowl before dropping them into the potion. Carefully she lifted the bowl and carried it to the blanket, kneeling down upon it and placing the bowl in front of Killian. Closing her eyes she muttered a brief incantation before taking his damaged leg and bathing it in the warm liquid, her fingers gentle but thorough, making sure to clean away all the dirt and debris from the gnarled scar tissue. He growled softly, deep in his throat, and she shot him a smile, knowing it was a growl of pleasure.

“Feels good, huh?” she said. “Soothing.”

“Aye.” His bark was as low as his growl.

{Good.}

When his leg was clean she dried it with a linen cloth and set it in her lap, then took out the lump of silver, placing it at the end of his leg and cupping both loosely in the palms of her hands. Closing her eyes once more she focused her powers and drew forth the metal’s own magic, its primal properties of health and healing, her hands beginning to spark and glow with light as she kneaded the silver, stretching and weaving it back into itself, moulding the lump into the shape of a dog’s paw and then knitting it into the damaged flesh of the leg. Killian watched with wide eyes, whimpering slightly as the metal sank into his skin and fused to his bones. The light from Emma’s hands burst into a sudden blinding brightness, flickered out, and the silver paw was part of him.

Emma slumped back on her heels, exhausted. “Whew,” she said. “Done.” She patted the metal paw. “Give it a try.”

Killian sniffed the paw, licked at the seam where it joined his leg, then tentatively placed it on the floor and leaned his weight on it. He took a few careful steps followed by bolder ones, then turned to Emma with an incredulous expression. She laughed, happy he was happy. “Go on, stretch yourself,” she encouraged.

“Aye!” he barked, frolicking joyfully around the room, spinning in circles and leaping through the air. He ran to Emma and jumped on her, putting his paws on her shoulders and licking her face until she pushed him away, grinning through a jaw-cracking yawn. “I’m glad you like it,” she told him as she rose unsteadily from the floor. “I gotta get to bed. Um…” she swayed on her feet and Killian was there immediately at her side, pressing firmly against her leg and letting her brace herself with her hand on his neck as she stumbled from the stone room and out the doorway.

It disappeared behind her, the magic within whispering far more warmly than before, no longer so indifferent to Killian as it had been.

Emma sank her fingers into his thick fur, clinging to him as she made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. Her head felt heavy and woozy, her fingers and toes numb. Moving clumsily she kicked off her shorts and unhooked her bra, pulling it from beneath her tank top with jerky movements and dropping it to the floor before collapsing into bed, sinking deep into the pillows. Dimly she was aware of Killian moving around the room, his fur soft against her skin as he pulled the blankets up over her, the warm weight of him curling up at her back, his chin resting on her hip. With the last of her energy she reached up to stroke his head then fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

~~🌺~~

Some hours later Killian was awoken from his doze when the magic from Emma’s garden called to him. He lifted his head from where it still lay on her hip and gave a low growl, staring through the bedroom window into the pitch blackness of the night.

Something was out beyond the garden wall, moving around its perimeter, methodically testing the magical boundary in search of weaknesses. Killian could sense it there, could feel its cold determination and intent even without the garden’s warning.

Threat, whispered the garden magic in his mind. Danger. Stay with her.

Killian flexed his new silver paw, feeling the power that still thrummed within it, feeling the absence of pain in his left limb for the first time in many a year. He looked at the golden haired woman still sound asleep, drained to exhaustion by the act of healing him, of selflessly giving him this invaluable gift. He recalled her warm green eyes and kind smile, the strength and gentleness in her touch.

He lay back down, pressing tighter against her, curling his neck around her hip and placing his silver paw gently over her waist. He closed his eyes again and answered the garden’s plea.

{Always.}

Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world.

—Hamlet, Act III Scene 2

Continue to Chapter 2

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thealfanator · 7 years ago

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Dandelion’s Tales, Part 2 ~ Chapter 3

I don’t think I’ll ever forget that feeling of finally hitting the softness of the bed as I thumped down on it that evening. Springs supporting my limp, knackered body, and my brain drifting off to a safe haven of dream-state; conjuring pink, fluffy unicorns and infinite plains of dancing women as far as the eye could see… Of course, that isn’t what I dream about. Obviously; that was just an example… I’m being honest!

In any case, what does it matter? Here I was. Hunter, my captor in the woods, had retreated into who-knows-where in the village, and Dune lie restful in the medical rooms. At least I hoped he was restful; I worried for him. I could not imagine how much pain he was in. The doctor said in a grave tone that it may well become infected, and have a high certainty of not making it through the next couple of days. Just to prevent us being tied up anymore. What was I thinking?

That night, the previous evening, I was led to “my chambers”. A young girl whose name I did not catch fidgeted with the handle of the old wooden door and begged me to enter kindly. In it lie the bed, of course (It’s honestly one of the best beds I’ve ever slept on, trust me), and other items which were only barely visible thanks to the few rich, dense candles enclosed in tinted glass containers, leaking a blood-like red across the large, open space. Fruit and small chests lie organised on low tables, and elegant goblets sat in pattern and symmetry across other table tops. Candlesticks weighed down both ends of the mantelpiece above the warm fire that glowed vibrantly in the far side of the room, sometimes harmlessly spitting upwards with a satisfying pop. I thought I’d just walked into another world; the room composed such contrast to the poor, indigent spaces outside. It was nice here.

“Here is the key to your room.” The girl said as if she was reading from a script. “I will leave it here. Every night, we lock all the rooms as a safety precaution but, with this, you can leave at your will.” She placed the well-worn key down beside the bowl of fruit on the table with a clunk. “Be wary,” her young voice deepened, “Though I’m sure you do not doubt the high fence enclosed around the perimeter, monsters are fickle and may still pose a danger. We recommend staying in your room after dark.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem, Mister Dandelion.” She bowed with a thick, almost forced smile before swiftly leaving. I was out seconds after my head hit the pillow.

“So who are you?” I asked before crunching into an apple. Hunter looked up at me, smiled thinly, then continued sharpening his sword, presumably in thought. I adjusted my seating on the stool and took a moment to look about the village. Everyone seemed happy, I thought. Birds tweeting away above building simultaneously to the townsfolk laughing cheerfully and occasionally chatting to others whilst walking down paths carrying baskets of items.

“I’m Hunter.”

“Well I know that! I mean who are you?”

“I’d rather not talk too much about my background.” He was abrupt and slightly introverted, I noticed that. Perhaps he was too used to being quiet in the wilderness; sneaking about with his bow for something he could pluck his arrow into and string on his waist.

“Oh… What about your family?” My attempt to squeeze conversation succeeded. Sighing slightly, he spoke.

“My parents are dead. Passed away a few years back. Killed in a house fire in the middle of nowhere, leaving me, the only survivor, to find safety. Only then did I take up archery – thought I needed to teach myself how to hunt independently.” He looked to the ground as if shame or guilt weighed on his shoulders. “Then I met Enneoll. We discovered each other when walking the path. We crossed. As you can imagine, bows were drawn. We’d never seen each other before so obviously that was what we did. Little did I know we became best buddies. He hunted too; we spent days in the woods, racing to who could catch the first rabbit. Good times.” He chuckled slightly before blending into sadness; his mind in another place. “Then he got shot. An arrow right here.” He pointed to his own shoulder blade, looking up at me. “We were in the woods at the time, and I scrambled to the nearest town we could find, desperate. Turns out to be this place.” Silence consumed him. I didn’t interfere – we both sat in thought. “He didn’t make it.”

He began to polish his bow, preciously modifying it and handling it like a new-born child. “At first I was rejected from this place. They said I wasn’t welcome here; not after bringing a wounded person into the area and making their lives a lot harder. But then they saw I had a bow and was good at hunting, so they let me stay as long as I got food for them.”

“Sounds really rough.” I supported him. I realise now why he was so determined to help Dune.

“So yeah. That’s my story.”

“Hunter!” Cebri has arrived seemingly from nowhere, and called him away. For a second I thought I saw him blink tears from his eyes quickly so she wouldn’t notice. He stood up, apologised to me and left with her.

“I have something for you…” Their voices dissolved with the rest of the voices and I was left with my own thoughts.

I had the afternoon to myself so I decided to visit the blacksmith. He was a dwarf. His brown, messy beard astonishingly almost touching the muddy, mundane ground like tiny fingertips. He was tinkering with the forge, which occasionally flared-up vigorously; an untamed cat spitting, full of hatred. I gazed at his beard (the biggest, thickest beard I think I’ve ever gazed upon) before snapping out of trance and walking up to him. I actively stayed away from the forge in worry that it’d spit at me and burn my clothes.

“Uh… Hi” I stumbled.

“Hello!” He replied surprisingly quickly. Turning from his task, he crossed his arms wildly and greeted me with a powerful grin hidden within his tufts of beard. “How may I assist you?” Silence wavered for a long time before I conjured up what to say.

“I’m Dandelion, by the way.” I thrust my arm and open hand in his direction, to which he responded agreeably. “I’m just peculiar about forgery and…you know, this stuff.”

“Would you like weapons…armour?”

“No, no! Definitely not. Just…tell me about your craft.” I politely inclined. He nodded and turned back to his hot spike of metal.

“I’m Shrorcla Trugack, but people call me Shor. I realised the full name is a bit too… complex.” He laughed. I grabbed a dagger from the table, but Shor’s hand snapped to my wrist, holding me threateningly tight. “Ah. No weapons allowed by citizens. Policy, I’m afraid.” I tugged my arm loose and pulled my way from his friendly yet contrasting smile to his action. I nodded, not saying anything as he carried on. Security was unusually tight.

After long periods of time absorbed in forgery, I suddenly realised dusk had emerged over the horizon, the tinted orange oozing over the village. I swiftly said my goodbye to Shor and decided to go for some evening food.

Breaching the door to the inn – The Crossed Candles – I was smacked with the warm comforting feel of warm ale and pleasantness of the food served here. Small flames flickered vibrantly off the ends of candles, seemingly scattered at every given opportunity around the interior, my body shaking comfortably at the sudden contrast from the cold, evening air to the cosiness of the tavern. I slowly avoided the populated areas; narrowly squeezing through eating townsfolk, jumping out of the way from reckless drunkards who swung about the place carelessly like large predatory animals, and finally sitting down at the rare slice of seating at the end of one of the long tables that stretched almost as wide as the room itself. Other tables littered the room, to which the people here gracefully took their seats and dug in to the boiling stew in bowls in their hands. I sighed after recalling the long exhausting lecture Shor gave me this afternoon. An uncertainty tugged at my sleeve; how jumpy Shor was when I even got close to those weapons…

“What can I get you, my love?” the innkeeper winked at me.

“Just… what they’re having, thanks.” I replied pointing to the others at my table. Big, bulky men jesting whilst spilling their drinks all over; I couldn’t help but try to retreat further from them to prevent them from spilling it all over me!

I have to admit my confidence had been knocked slightly. Dune’s illness plagued my thoughts like a curse had been set upon my wellbeing. Instead of being the bubbly, extroverted person I am usually, I spent most of my time staring into space and breaking a sweat over merely thinking about his absence. He was still stuck in the doctor’s basement, healing from the wound I made. I made it my task to see him later, before curfew.

“There.” A bowl materialised in front of me, making me plunge from my thoughts as I dived into the real world once again. She smiled at me, wrinkles creaking.

“Wow! That was… quick; thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.” She was abruptly cut off from her train of thought as someone approached. I looked up. A man, angry eyed, returned the favour and glared down at me. He had this physically aggressive figure, cumbersome and blocking out the light behind him, branding his shadow on me. He wore a sword on his belt; a guard off duty. I could smell his tainted breath on my skin.

“Hey, you!” The room shook as his voice emitted, simultaneously hushing all other voices. Spit emerged from within his short beard and onto my boots. His black, slick hair wavered, taunting my movements. “You don’t belong here, outsider. Why don’t you do us all a favour and leave?” He proceeded with a cocky stride around me. I stood tall, hoping he wouldn’t notice the fear inside me.

“Excuse me, you shouldn’t talk to people like that.” I muttered. His eyes growled through mine; a warning to back off. My squeaky voice winced under his weight. In an instance, he swept my own stew off the table and onto my clothes, melting them from crimson to a depressing brown. I quickly backed into a wall in shock. Others chorused a jolt of confusion too.

“Tugna!” A voice towered over all others. He turned away from me. Cebri. “Stop that right now! Leave at once.” He did as he was told, leaving me one more smirk as he waltzed out the door.

“Thank you.” I said. Cebri came to me and held my arm softly.

“Sorry about that. Let’s get you cleaned up.”

Wearing new apparel (yet an extremely dull colourless set), I left my chambers. I carefully headed down the interior stairs of the multiple story building and headed outside again. Wearing thinner clothing, the cold, biting air was immediately apparent. I shivered, making small steps towards the door to the medical basement. Approaching the guard who’s face I couldn’t see, I spoke.

“I’m here to see Dune.”

“I’m afraid you can’t.” He spoke in a harsh voice. A voice I recognised…

“I just need to!” I replied just as harsh. I needed to see him.

“Because I said so.” He lifted his helmet. Tugna. Are you fucking kidding me? Tugna was the person in charge of medical? I suddenly retreated a few steps, buckling feebly under his stare. Tears struck my eyes, to which I swiftly paced back to my room to avoid him seeing my fear. Yet I had this strange feeling he knew already.

That night I lie on my bed. Curfew had been present a few hours now, and the whole village was smothered by silence. In the dimness of my candle, I fiddled with the bronze key to my chambers carelessly at the same time as I pondered over my choice. I could head out now – use the key, and sneak to the medical area. I needed to see if Dune was alright. However, I was held by this anxious feeling. Though it wasn’t illegal to be outside during the evening, if I went in any buildings without specific permission, there would be trouble. Additionally, if Tugna caught me, I’d probably be half dead with a smashed-in face. Hours sat fighting. Do I go? Do I wait?

I waited. I came to the conclusion that sneaking out was a terrible idea. Sighing like I was disappointed with my own coward-ness, I set the key down at my bedside and went to sleep.

~~~

You’ve reached the end of the chapter!

I hope you’ve all had a great week and that it wasn’t too stressful. I just wanted to thank you for reaching the end, and that every single like and reblog means so much to me. This series almost didn’t happen as I’ve been pressured with a busy schedule, but because I have reached 50 followers recently, I squeezed in time because each follower means the world to me. Please leave me any feedback. Have a good week! :)

#dandelion's #tales #part #2 #two #chapter #3 #three #dandelion #the #witcher #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #literature #written #gaming #games #fantasy #mystery #book #series #andrzej #sapkowski

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littlemislazywriter · 7 years ago

Text

Match Maker Fun

Previous/ Chapter 3 - here Next/

Reader’s P.o.V

The sunlight was beaming through a gap through your dark blue curtains with light blue stars embroidered delicately on them, giving the beam of light perfect accuracy to caress your soft face. With it bringing you into the waking world with a groan, you roll over away from the beam of light telling you to wake up. How dare it tell it’s morning and you need to wake up and start your day. Also, dogs were barking at the neighbours again, or a poor neighbourhood cat. That just happened to be walking by. Sigh. Somedays you love the dogs, other days you wish they would bark a little less. But hey we're good for when the mailman arrived. Good little puppers.

You sigh and reach for your phone to see the time, check social media and other phone things, like scroll endlessly on facebook feed. The time read as 7:26 am.

“That's too early ” You complained to no one but yourself, flopping the phone back down away from you as if it insulted your great ancestors. Which it didn’t but waking up this early after last night? Is a no, And yet, the sun seemed to have different plans for you. To wake you up early at this ungodly hour. As most of the time, you don’t awaken till past 9 am at least. The only time you get up this early is for your job at a small adult retail store. Which honestly wasn’t bad and doesn’t require you to have many hours, but enough to pay rent and eat well enough. Though that may change since you do you want to make a small fund to go back and spend at Grillby’s. So Maybe a few more hours wouldn’t hurt. Nope, it would not.

But you lay on the bed for a few more minutes before you move to grab your phone again from when you flung it across your queen sized bed. Once you once slept in a huge bed such as this, you couldn’t go back to a single bed like the one you use to have, so you got rid of it and exchanged it for this size. Best decision ever made in your opinion. Starfishing all over the show, plus it made you feel small in a good way. Along with other plushies of the like to make it even more inviting and soft, like the giant unicorn plush the same height as you sitting at the end of the bed. It was nice to cuddle on lonely nights or use it as a pillow when you watched Netflix. Second best decision ever. Though it was awkward to carry it home when you got it. But was worth it. Even more worth it seeing those children's faces watching you walk away with the toy of their dreams.

With that in mind, you text your boss, asking if there are any more shifts you could pick up for the next week or so. Cause you never know, Someone might call in sick or be going on holiday somewhere.

While doing that, you check your other messages to see if Ava had any more luck with that dude. Speaking of him you are going to text him. See how things are on his end. It would be a waste of time if he turned out he wasn’t interested. No harm if he did though, You did have a few other guys in mind to set her up with if this didn’t go too well. But still, you thought Harry would be a good choice. :), While your flatmate is last on that list.

From Spoopy, To Harry. “Hey dude, how are things with Ava? She’s a total catch if I say so myself :3” 7:34 am

With that, you quickly hit send before checking on Ava’s unread messages.

From Ava, “Satan's waterfall has arrived, kill me plz. No D for me yet. :C. But we are going to go on a date soon<3 Bless” 2;03 am

Awww yes!. You did well, Though kinda sucks about the period thing... Speaking off if she’s on hers, yours will be soon. Boo. You make a quick note to pick you things you need before typing a reply. While thinking how on earth was she even up that late?

You can barely manage to be awake at 1 am anymore. Curse being an adult and all-nighters being so hard! When you were a teenager it was easy, 2 days without sleep, fine and dandy, happy as happy can be and have the energy to spare! but now? It was like looking into the face of death and probably an unhealthy amount of coffee consumption.

From Spoopy, “Awwwh boooo, Thanks for the reminder though *audible wink* But Yaaaay Get that date, yess gurl! My work here is done *superman pose and flying away into the night* ”

You send the message off, giggling to yourself as you do that pose in person. You just couldn’t help it... You put your phone in the pocket of your shorts and get out of your nest of a bed to get some water at least. Even if it was only a couple of drinks of that wonderful alcohol, water was still an important thing and you needed it. Plus you were hungry for some waffles, you wondered if you had any left, if not can always make some. Even if that was little TMI. But it’s the human body, not much you can do.

You make it the kitchen without much hassle other than your loud door opening. It was always loud, and don't quite fit the door in some places and was snug in others. It was thanks to the wood expanding and shrinking with the change of weather. It annoyed you to no end but at least you knew everytime wanted to come into your room. No one could sneak in… unless it was from the window. The joys of flatting. Not the best place, but was sure as hell was an upgrade from where you last were. So can’t complain.

You greet your flatmate with a sleepy good morning as you stretched, with him being busy on the computer he mumbled a good morning back with him drinking some sort of energy drink as his drink of choice for the mornin’. How he was even awake at this hour, well before you, you were surprised, he is usually still in bed at this hour. You only guess he couldn’t sleep or went to bed earlier last night.

You get yourself a glass and pour yourself some water from the tap. Wondering if you had the effort if you could make waffles yet? Not quite yet. You decide to wait before you make an attempt as you are not fully awake yet.

God, it was pretty good, you never knew how dehydrated you were till now and it was pretty heavenly right now. Water is good. It also makes you question your flatmate's choices. Why wouldn’t he drink H20 was beyond you. Oh well, more for you. Or another reason why he seems so awake is that drink. Maybe you should have that instead to wake you up. Nah. water is still a good option.

“Hey [y/n/n], how was last night, I noticed you got in pretty late,” Your flatmate said, looking up at you from where he sat, looking away from his computer.

He had short curly hair, pale skin and had a big thick build. If anything his chiselled calves tell you anything, also now one of the dogs has curled up by his feet as he typed away. It was little black one, Bella. Though she was quite a bitch when she wanted to be, also a cuddle slut when she wants to be too.

“Oh me? I was just out a new bar, down in ‘new new new home’, was great, they had some pretty great burgers.” You replied, sipping on your glass as you planted your booty on the couch that you had been on the day before.

“Oh, what place was that? Isn’t that where the Monster folk are livin’?” he asked curiously, giving me his full attention. Whatever he was doing on the computer was forgotten for now in exchange of this conversation.

“Oh yeah it was a monster bar, but is also human-friendly too. Should check it out sometime, they have some Hot staff there” You giggled thinking back to that fireman you had met, Grillby was it? Yeah, he was pretty hot. Literary. But hot in other ways too. If he were human he would be a supermodel no doubt. But you wouldn’t be his type not by a long shot. That made you sadden just a bit but shook it off. Least you could enjoy some eye candy. That made you feel less sad.

“Oh, well I just might if it’s good as you say it is, what are the prices like?” he asked again. Man, it was just going to be 20 questions today wasn’t it? And he doesn’t care that it’s a monster bar? That is always a good sign.

“OH, the drinks were pretty cheap compared to other Bars. I mean i only had to pay $15. For only 2 drinks. That is very cheap compared to other bars that charge like 10$ a drink. I’d say I saved myself 5 bucks. Oh and also got a free burger which I have no clue what the price was, but damn it was worth every penny if I were to go and have one again. But eh a new friend shouted me, i think? Either way was on the house.” you reply, looking back at your memories from the previous night. Smiling happily. You would kill to have another burger like that again. You almost start drooling at the thought of it. Soon [y/n] soon. You will have that burger again.

“Oh damn that is sweet, I guess no charge at the door either?”

“Nope, least not when i went, but they probably would for special events.Like most bars would. BUT, That is only an assumption.” you stress the word “ BUT ” because, Well, it was true, you were never charged to go in at the door, anyone could go in and have a drink and some good food. And you can only assume they would for special days or holidays. It what other bars and clubs did and you can only really go off those cause those were the only ones you have been too in the past.

Not to say every bar charges at the door, some don’t but the prices of drinks are just too much to spend on. But hey you found a great bar, that is cheaper and is really welcoming. And also gave you a free burger. That is one way to keep people from going back. It’s just good business. No wonder they can let the drinks go for cheap.

“Damn that is good, I’ll have to check it out sometime” He hummed in thought, now going back to what he was doing on the computer, typing away furiously. You can only assume it was something to do with music as he does, or talking’ to one of the rappers to come and do voice-overs. It was his main hobby after all, after hiking. No wonder he has such good calves. Like, damn son. Maybe you should take up hiking and get those sweet legs like him. Nah. well, Maybe. Who knows. Maybe one day you’ll be brave and venture out and get those calves of your dreams.

Now left alone in your thoughts for a bit you wander back to those sweet memories you made yesterday. Sans was an interesting monster, he still freaks you out a bit, still not over the fact that he is a skeleton. A nice, funny, ketchup loving skeleton. Plus he stopped you from falling, though you are sure half the reason why was because of you holding his arm in a death hold like grip. You were even more surprised how easily he caught you. You were not a light person, sure, but not super heavy either, though “overweight” for your short height. But still. He must be pretty strong to catch you.

He was all bone... So strong bones? He must drink a lot of milk. And is ketchup even that healthy? You pounder. Though Sour cream probably isn’t either yet you still eat that.

But Still, You question where his food even went. Maybe one day you’ll have an answer to your question.

But you didn’t dwell on them on them for very long as your phone sang it’s tune. You finally changed the notification sound, much more pleasant than the last one you had before. No more whistles! No more accidentally calling the dogs to you. You had changed it too “Spooky Scary Skeletons”. Though you couldn’t have it as the full song. You left that for the ringtone. You hoped it wouldn’t bite you in the but later.

Thank you Skeleton monster you meet yesterday for the inspiration and helping you remember that song does indeed exist.

From Ava, “Heeey So I had an Idea >:) ….”

Sans p.o.v ~The morning after~.

Another day on the surface. Another day with the sun shining. Sunlight streaming through his windows, lucky not on his face but, on his back. He could feel the warmth warming up his bones slowly rousing him from his slumber. He liked it. Kept him grounded, that there would be no more resets. No more Snowdin, no more underground. No more murderous Chara.

Though the sun may not have woken him, his brother, Papyrus sure did. “SANS IT’S TIME TO GET UP, YOU LAZY BONES” Papyrus said from behind his locked bedroom door.

“Alright Paps, I’m up,” He said back at the door, though not planning to move just yet. Not like he had work yet. Not for the next few hours, unlike papyrus who probably has to leave in an hour’s time.

He looks at his phone and sees he’s right. One hour till paps Leaves for the day.

“Might as well grab some grub from Pap. Should keep him happy, he thought while staring at the ceiling now.

He lets his thoughts wander back to that young human he met At Grillby’s after he finished work for the day. All he wanted was a nice drink and a good Burger. Not… what ended up happening. His SOUL quietly humming as he recalled what happened… and subconsciously, putting his hand on his chest, just above where the SOUl would be.

┏(＾0＾)┛ ~Flash back time~ ┗(＾0＾) ┓

He approached the bar, like many times before. It was his favourite place in all of the underground and is still his favourite place above ground. It is bigger and has more variety now than what it used to have probably thanks for it having some things for the humans who pop in if they are brave, which was great. But still, it felt the same, smelled the same. Was like a second home.

But he still had his huge tab to pay. Heh. he’ll pay it off one day.

He waited for a second as he waited outside the door, the company inside would have sensed or smelled him by now. Enough time to make his entrance. Even more, so that he usually arrived around this time. That is one thing that probably won’t change if he can help it. Old habits die hard. Even if Papyrus doesn’t like the place much ( more or less because of the ‘unhealthy’ menu), though he won’t admit he does like the place a tiny bit. Though he reckons if Grillby put spaghetti on the menu Papyrus would be more than happy to come around. In saying that he probably wouldn’t leave, or pester poor Gribbly to be the spaghetti chef of the place.

Heh. on second thought, maybe that isn’t such a good idea, though would be amusing.

He walked in seeing his fellow monsters from the underground, if not all in the same spots as before, even though the bar as expanded to have more tables for the growing customers and even a few more love booths. Which was sweet. Even a new jukebox. Man Grillby went all out for this place, though he did miss the broken jukebox, having music for a change was nice too, he thought, as greeted the monsters and patting the oh so fluffy k-9 guard unit. He loved those guys and might one day throw them a bone.

Today is not that day.

When he looked at the bar, seeing an unfamiliar face of a young female human. Must be someone new, I know everyone who comes here. He thought as he approached the bar.

Her eyes seemed to study his for a second. Took him a second to figure out why.

He is a skeleton. And she is a human, they too have skeletons but on the inside. Right must be quite strange. Heh. He thought the same as humans, weird squishy meaty flesh, organs and blood. It was still strange to him. All of that to protect bones?

She did look pretty soft and cute, for a human.

Though she does look young for her age if Grillby served alcohol than she must be old enough. Not that it concerned him what she drank and her age. She was just a human he doesn’t even know, so why did have that thought? He felt his soul hum for second deep with him. It didn’t last long but long enough for him to notice

That was strange. It alarmed him somewhat but he wasn’t going to worry about it. Nope. He just wants his ketchup. Maybe his soul is calling out to the ketchup too.

He shook it off as the female turned away from him returning to her drink. He didn’t think anything of it. He was used to people staring at him and doing double takes. Plus he was used to being stared at as he entered the Bar from his friends, and on the street. Heh. Strange humans indeed. Didn’t they know it was rude to stare?

He waved to Grillby as he approached the bar, taking a seat on the left next to the cute human.

“Going to pay your tab anytime soon?” Grillby said while looking right at him. He said it in a light-hearted way, as the Grillby brought up a ketchup bottle from beneath the counter. He would usually fetch it from the back where the supply was, but Grillby must have been waiting for him to come by.

He grabbed the red bottle that held his favourite version of ketchup. He could never find it in stores, so how Grillby managed was shocking but was also very grateful for Grillby to have it. He should probably start paying his tab soon because of that.

“Maybe one day Grillz, For now, I’ll just like to ketchup with you.” he threw out a pun. He brought the ketchup bottle to his mouth, drinking from the bottle, well more like squirting it in as he swallowed the contents, it soon being absorbed into him to replenish his magic. He could feel someone looking at him. Though he used to the feeling, this felt different for whatever reason but it wasn’t going to let it bother him.

‘It’s probably the human’ he thought.

And he was right

He heard Grillby cough on purpose, bringing attention to the human. He too turned his gaze towards the human who is now looking right at the space on the bar in front of her. He could almost see a red blush on her cheeks. That is pretty cute, heh, silly human.

He turned his attention away from the flustered human, looking at Grillby now, who is once again cleaning a glass. How he always has a glass to clean Sans will never know.

“One day you will or I may just forget to order your favourite ketchup, Sans,” Grillby said and he sounded so serious. No! Not his Ketchup!

Sans gasped and looked at Grillby in horror, He couldn’t stop himself from doing so. “You wouldn’t! I would put you out of business”. He said that but he wasn’t serious. Hell Grillby would still have Business, probably have more money too if Grillby didn’t have to get him a supply of ketchup just for him… well mostly for him. Though he was happy he put a clever pun in there. Heh, Put Grillby out.

But Still the horror. He would never dream Grillby to dare do such a thing. He feels almost hurt. But man if that what it took to pay his tab off... So be it. He would do it for the hard to get ketchup. Until he found out the source of where to get it. But he was too lazy for that.

Paying off his tab would be easier. That way he could keep his steady supply of ketchup at his favourite bar and Keep his best buddy happy.

Grillby looked at him with a look that said ‘ I just might try me’ and shrugged his shoulders.

Grillby turned away from him, and back to his human customer who is still blushing and is now fiddling with the empty glass. He could smell a whiff of human alcohol. The good kind too. He would probably have it too it if had any effect on him, but if he did Grillby would sure to rum out.

That was a pretty clever pun and would have to save that for later.

“Anyway,” Grillby said Gesturing the empty cup, silent question of asking if she wanted a refill of her drink. She looked up at him, very much red in the face still from her earlier embarrassment.

“Oh um, y-yes”. She said, sliding over the Glass to Grillz who is now working on getting a refill.

Oh my stars’ he thought looking at her, ‘ she even sounded cute’’.His soul hummed again and he could feel himself smiling, just like earlier. That really isn’t Normal. He refused to acknowledge it. It was just this weird thing. Maybe it was humming cause he needed rest. He hasn't had a nap in a while. Must be that. He thought, all though he knew deep down that wouldn’t be the cause of his soul humming. He stopped his blush from appearing on his face. Why would he even need to blush? He didn’t know but he for sure didn’t want too.

Wait why did he even think that? Yeah, sure she is cute, but his non-existent brain didn’t need to tell him that! It has been a long day of work. That is what it was, man he needs to be lazier if his soul is acting like that.

She looked back up at him, being out found out he was staring at her.

Geez, who was the rude one now.

She gave an out a squeak in surprise, her eyes going wide, jumping from her seat only to fall backwards, without thinking he reached out his arm in order to catch her, but very quickly felt a hand and a very tight grip on his arm, squeezing him tight, but he didn’t feel that, he just didn’t want her to fall. His arm landed near her waist, stopping her from fall, using his magic to hold the stool too from falling as his eye flickered out blue flame but, it doesn’t seem to have been noticed as she closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have known. Hell, that might have scared her even more. As soon as he felt the stool go back into place, his magic disappeared as well as his flaming blue eye.

Bad sans. Stop scaring the human!

She opened up her eyes, looking up at him, even if she was sitting, he was taller than her. He gave a nervous chuckle. At Least it didn’t sound as nervous as he felt. Though why he was nervous he didn’t know why. Maybe it was because he spooped the poor human.

“You fallin’ for me already? I'm touched.” He joked at her, hoping a nice pun would help ease her. And maybe make him… less scary? He slowly pulled her back before she jumped out her seat. He almost felt bad, almost, if that squeak wasn’t so cu-… no, he was not going to go there. His soul tugged as he thought that. It was almost painful, like a pinprick. As if he knew what that was. But that is what he imagined it would feel like. She blinked up at him, smiling nervously, reflecting how he feels, heh. Strange how that was. And now she is blushing. Can this Human stop being so cute, please?

“I guess so, I’m just so bonely,” she said, puning in response. Okay, he couldn’t do this.

She Puned. SHE PUNED... He let her go, almost regretting it as it was only then he realised how soft she felt under his bony fingers. Even if she was squishy, she was the best kind of squish. The perfect cushion for his aching bones. (- from work, get your head out of the gutter, you sinners) perfect for cuddling. He quickly dismissed those thoughts. WHAT was WITH HIM today. He really did work himself down to the bone. And he also had the perfect reply. If she wanted a pun, she would get it.

“Heh if you wanted to jump my bones that bad kid, buy me some dinner first," Why on earth did he say that! ugh. "Say Grillby, how about some burgers.” sais said, asking his friend who is shaking his head at him before retreating to fetch the goods. Grillby knows what he wants, it’s the same that he always gets so he has no problem with being that vague. If he wanted something else he would have said so.

His Niece took his place, tending to the bar now. She is usually the waitress of the place, delivering food to other tables but at times like these, she mans the bar. She was pretty cute for a flame monster, but not his type. Plus if he did date her and it ended, he would never be able to step into Grillby’s ever again.

He imagines Grillby chasing him, throwing fireballs at him. Good old gribbly. He probably would do that too.

He glances down at the human and her red flushed face, hiding behind your hands, hiding away from view. Humans are strange, he thought and let out a deep chuckle. It was almost fun in a way to see how much she can take, even if that wasn’t his original intentions. He didn’t even have any! Other than the pure curiosity of a new person at his favourite bar, a human nonetheless who is monster friendly? He could probably check on her soul, but he was feeling lazy plus would be rude. If she’s here then she doesn’t hate them at least that was good enough reason not to look. Not because his soul was acting funny earlier. He went back to his bottle, forcing himself to look away.

Though he did Notice Fuku, placing the humans drink back before walking away tending to other customers, though seems like the human didn’t notice as she was hiding behind her hands. Plus Fuku was quiet in placing it down. He probably wouldn’t have noticed either if he wasn’t watching.

“So..,” he spoke, looking back the human. “ sorry if I made you jump out your skin” He really did feel a bit sorry. Even if her reaction was amusing, it probably wasn’t all too nice to be jump scared while relaxing at a bar.

“Oh uh, it’s N-n no worries r-really, It’s just never seen a skellington monster in the flesh before is all.” She said, almost sounding like Alphys and how she is. The stuttering and the fast talking. That’s cute that she is nervous. No Sans delete that though!. What was with him! Now he is starting to wonder if something is his Ketchup. And she waved her hands, hoping not to offend him. Which he wasn’t. They're really weren’t other monsters like him and Papyrus after all. So even the people who liked monsters would still get intimidated.

Oh god, another pun!

She spoke again, sounding a lot less nervous this time, “I guess I just spooped by a scary skellington aye?” She joked.

He couldn't keep his grin from, not saying anything for the moment as he burst out with laughter. “I guess ya did,” He said in between bits of laughter, throwing his head back. Oh man, she got him good. He knew of the song she was referencing. That always earned a chuckle from him. It was somewhat of a guilty pleasure when he first discovered it. Still is.

“You’re an alright kid,” he said, his shoulders and ribs still shuddering with laughter. “Anyway, I’m sans, sans the skellington” he held out his hand for the human to shake. He brought out his whoopie cushion in the hand trick like he does with everyone new. Was the best way to break the ice and tell who was dealing with. That is how it was back in the underground. But in this situation, was just for laughs. The human put her device away and grabbing hold of his hand to shake, only for her to pause when the far rippled out of the whoopie cushion, he could see the blush coming back, but this time with a vengeance.

“Omfg” is all she said as she doubled over in laughter, still holding his hand.

If your face could be any redder right now, you would. “Omfg,” You said out loud before you could stop yourself, doubling over from laughter.

“Ahh the hand whoopie cushion trick, gets people every time,” he said more to himself, letting his hand fall to his side as she let go still gigging away and trying to compose herself. He reached for his drink as she mimicked the same movements getting hers and had a synchronized sip. Though was only now he realised how low the bottle was getting. Not that it mattered, Grillby would bring out another when he brings out the food. Which shouldn’t be too much longer?

“I’m [y/n], [y/n] the human,” She did, following the same wording he used. Heh, Strange how people always do that. But it was simple and to the point.

He smiled back at her, chuckling as he spoke.“I don’t know, I’d you’re fun-sized” he replied, quickly and also turned away as he heard the doors he knows too well open. Man, he could Outcomes Grillby with a large burger for him along with the second bottle of ketchup on his plate.

On smaller plate Grillby is holding, he has a normal sized burger. Human-sized compared that giant burger on the other plate, it just made it look so Small!. Now That’s cute. He allowed himself to have that thought at least. It would have been Bite-sized nibble for him. A snack if you will.

The food was placed down in front of him, making a loud clunk as it meets the hardwood of the bar. How could it not? It was a large burger so it weighed quite a bit. He almost loled out his tongue to the side from the way it looks.

“There you go, oh and no need to pay for the burger, it’s on the house” Grillby crackled at the human as she rushed to make a grab for her wallet to pay for the burger. He would actually pay Grillby for that one and not have that on his tab. He could be nice sometimes. But seeing your face light up as you see the burger, that is al the payment he needed, and I think Grillby could agree to that too as he noticed out of the corner of his vision, Grillby smiling away as Grillby’s flames flare up. How could he not notice a small burst of light?

Thanks, Grillby, you’re the best!” She said as Grillby nodded in satisfaction of a happy customer before going back to the other end making drinks and taking orders.

Want some ketchup?” He asked her while not breaking eye contact with his burger as he offered her the bottle towards her in question. Might as well seeing as it would be emptied on the glorious burger that was calling his name soon. If she wanted some, now was the only time he would offer.

“No thanks bone man, I’m having this burger how it meant to be,” was her reply, he chuckled and said “Suit yourself ” under his breath, bringing the bottle back towards him now that offer was refused. Popping the lid off easily pouring the heavenly liquid over his burger, drenching it and the smell of the burger and ketchup filled his nose cavity. Making him shudder a bit but he did to suppress it. Oh and he almost missed the pun. Heh. Bone man. She wasn’t wrong. And if he wasn’t distracted by the burger right now his thoughts would have wandered into nsfw realm.

But when he was eating the burger, his thoughts might as well have been in the nsfw kind, Even if only it was just for the food he was eating right now. He wasn’t paying much attention to the human beside him not for a while until he heard a purr coming from beside him.

He didn't know humans could .. Purr? He finished up his burger quickly, pausing time for a minute, much like he did with frisk in what seems forever ago as he cleaned up his plate, not leaving a single trace of the burger and licking his finger bones clean with his blue thick, long tongue and then he cleaned the plate in the same fashion. He would never waste ketchup, not this kind. Plus during this time he can as primal as he wants to say like cleaning the plate till it’s spotless. He doesn’t use this trick often as he does prefer time to move forward but for moments like these… He unpaused time like a pop. as everything turned back to normal. And during that time he thought of a purrfect pun.

“No kitten’ about these burgers being good aye?”He says, looking at the human still eating their small burger. Though it looked massive in her hands, even with half of it gone. He heard her hum in response as she can’t talk right now, not that he expected one just yet. He also noticed the human squinting at him like ‘ seriously?’ and turning back to take a big bite out of it, with juices running down her fingers the more she dug into it trying to finish the burger which Honestly did not take that long at all.

Heh, Even humans can’t resist shoving his Burgers down. They were just That good.

“Hehe yeah, that burger was purr-fection” She finally managed to say after having the final bite of the heavenly food.

She even punned back with a related pun, If he didn't already have a favourite human right now you would be next in line. That’s if he knew you of course. Which he didn’t. But the reaction to the burger says anything is that you will return here. He feels himself feel a bit happier at the thought.

He had to look away as She started licking her fingers now, getting the last of the burger juices that ran down her small hands Much like him… except he froze time to do so… His lewd thoughts coming back to haunt him. He forced them away very quickly. He was not about to do That to someone he just meets! That would be rude. But fuck he hasn’t had any action in a while. He was left bone dry for god knows how long. But he was never this bad. Maybe he should cut his work hours for a while, take a break. Yeah. That would work. It wouldn't but he hopes so.

He KNOWS it won’t but he is too much denial now to care about logic. Just excuses.

Yet still, he opened his mouth to make a pun.

“Could say it’s finger licking good”, He is looking at the female, cleaning off her fingers with an innocent doe look on her face with her fingers in that mouth…

He Felt his SOUL thump in his chest. He can’t be in denial now, yet he still is. He refused to believe that was significant nope. He was going to be stubborn about this and he didn't care. Nor did he knew what it meant. And… he didn’t want too. Whatever it is. He has a feeling it won’t go away,

He was shocked and hoped to the gods no one had heard it because he felt it. And it felt Big . Momentary letting his concentration of holding back the blush that he was fighting, flater for a second. The blush returning with a hint of blue glow on his cheeks. It was only for split second but that was enough. He hopes to god you didn’t see it. Nor the shudder he which rattled his bones had when he met your eyes with his own.

What on earth did he get himself into?

┗(＾0＾) ┓ Back to the present ┏(＾0＾)┛

He blinked as he brought himself back to the present, blushing once again. And don't think what happened after she left, as he stayed until Papyrus called him to come home, worried about him and also wanted to be read a bedtime story as always. Bless Papyrus may he forever be innocent. Though he knows that is a foolish notion, he still tries his best for his bro and his innocence. And Also be the best bro ever to his Bro that was The freakin coolest.

‘Get a grip’ he thought as he got up for the day throwing his ketchup-stained comforter off him ( half of it falling to the floor, half holding onto the bed for dear life. Poor comforter ). He threw on his classic blue hoodie not bothering to zip it up, and slipping into his fluffy pink slippers which in all honesty need replacing. Maybe he would if he found an identical pair. But today is not that day.

With a wave of his hand, the door that was locked now has opened and he walked out of his room, locking his door in the same manner when he opened it, casually walking down the stairs into the lounge where Pappy was sitting, eating Waffles with honey and watching Some human Tv program. It was still pretty early so had to be cartoons.

‘ Heh only baby bones watch those, but paps will always be a baby bones to me ’ he thought as he looked at his brother.

“AHH SANS YOU ARE UP! I AM SURPRISED, BUT!, GO AND EAT THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS” With a Nyeh heh heh in between bites of the fluffy crunchy goodness that is Waffles.

They smell pretty good, and nothing smells burnt. Yep, he would grab some. Makes a nice change from the breakfast pasta that he had yesterday. Not that his bro pasta was bad anymore since he learned how to cook, but still Pasta that early in the morning? Not quite his thing.

“Careful not to waffle them down to quick Paps”

Papyrus blinked for second before realizing there was a pun.

“SANS!”

He laughed before grabbing himself a serving, throwing some ketchup on his, drenching it like he did with his burgers. “Don't worry paps, I’m just butter- ing you up” He winked at his bro as he looked at the butter placed on the table, along with some honey. “PLEASE NO MORE PUNS, I SWEAR SANS YOU’LL LOSE YOUR WAFFLE PRIVILEGES, NYEH HEH HEH. ALSO, IT’S NICE SEEING YOU UP EARLY FOR A CHANGE” Papyrus shouted, though Sans knew he wasn’t serious. He wouldn’t dare take away his waffles, not since they are tinted in beautiful red ketchup. And he could almost see Papyrus smiling, even though he pretends to hate the puns. He loves them deep down. And he was up earlier than he normally would. He didn't see as a big deal. He just had a good night sleep is all and shrugged it off.

“The situation in the here is so terrible that it's going from batter to waffle.”

This only made the skinner skeleton madder. SO mad that he fighting off a huge grin on his face and losing.

“SANS!” he shouted at him much louder than he usually was as he turned towards him. He winks at pap, waffling the waffles down, heh, before paps could take back the ketch covered delights. Papyrus grabbed the closest thing to him which was the cushion and threw it at his head.

It bounced off his skull and onto the floor.

Both Skeletons stared at the object in question.

“I am not picking that up”

. . .

“IF YOU WON’T NEITHER WILL I, YOU TOUCHED IT LAST BROTHER AND I, PAPYRUS, I WOULD RATHER IT NOT TURN INTO ANOTHER SOCK LIKE DEBOBKLE”. Papyrus said, getting up from his seat and almost jogging to the kitchen, putting his plate in the sink to be washed. Sans would do the dishes later after since Pappy Cooked the meals and He, he cleaned. He may be lazy, but he does the dishes every time without fail. Manners are important, even for the lazy skeleton such as himself. He stares at the cushion that is on the floor. He thought he might just put a post-it note on it. Maybe next time, he was too lazy for it now. He picked it up and tossed it back onto the couch.

____(time skip)____

Sans sat at the counter at one of many jobs. Not like he needed them. Their gold and crystal that are from the underground has given them plenty of money to sit on for awhile. But work was nice, even if it was little boring. Was amusing to see humans reactions. Though not as great as that human he meets at Grillby. They paled in comparison to her.

Oh and he was also allowed to sit - not just because he was lazy, though that might be half the reason, - It was because he was pretty tall, and sitting down was a bit less intimidating than standing.

There were no customers as of yet, but it was just before the huge lunch rush, so he had some time to himself and looked at his phone, which looked small in his hands. He might just get an upgrade to get a bigger phone, though he could always ask Alphy’s to do it for him.

He scrolled through social media and the monster equivalent of those sights, seeing a few familiar faces here and there pop up. A few news articles peeking his interest. Some… not as much. He skipped over those until he had a message from Papyrus. That was not usual at all. Papy did text him a bit through the day to make sure he’s actually working.

From COOLDUDE, “SANS I HOPE YOU’RE WORKING, ALSO I NEED TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS WHEN GIVEN THE CHANCE. - PAPYRUS”

He even shouted in his texts. Even in the virtual world Papyrus was a loud person. But Him asking him questions? Now that was unusual, even for him. But he would humour him. Besides, he still had another 10 minutes to go before people would be left off work. Unfortunately for him, he was not one of them.

From Skellington, “hey paps, yeah i’m working down to the bone, heh. ask away”

Other than asking if he’s working, papyrus never does unless he’s planning something. It was nowhere near where his Birthday. So couldn’t be that. It must be something else. A small ‘ ping’ sound sounded from his phone as he got a reply.

From COOLDUDE, “SANS!! STOP WITH THE PUNS!!! ANYWAY, *COUGHS* AS I AM YOUR BROTHER IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT YOU GOT UP WHEN I ONLY ASKED AND I ONLY ASKED ONCE! IT CAME AS A SURPRISE AS THAT IS NOT NORMAL! AND PUT ON A CLEAN JACKET!”

So he noticed? Heh, even he didn’t notice that. Papyrus was right, he never usually ventures out from his from his room until like the third or forth yell with some loud knocking at his door which usually ended up being a knock-knock joke.

He completely missed doing so. No wonder paps were surprised earlier this morning.

He quickly typed a reply before putting his phone away and putting it on silent as he quietly prepared for the masses.

From Skellington, “it’s nothing to worry about paps, and sometimes I make the effort to look nice and cool like you bro.”

Short Papyrus p.o.v

He was staring at the ad that popped up on his feed that said “ matchMaker/ wingwoman for hire- the price for my services? Just a meal or two! Contact me with the details below… (phone number and email here along with other details of matching and what it means… also is Monster friendly) ” and then looking at his dating book beside him sitting on his desk by his Computer remembering a few lessons and tips for how to date for when he had a ‘date’ with Frisk...

He Pondered for a moment, looking at his phone reading His Brother’s reply.

It all made sense. Getting up early! Wearing Nicer clothing - least for his brother’s standards. Which in this case went way past those standards!

His brother Sans, might be dating someone! OF COURSE. He should have known!

Well fear no Brother! I THE GREAT PAPYRUS Shall help you out!, Nyeh Heh Heh! ... Heh!” He said to himself, putting the number down from the ad into his phone, eager to message this person of “winging” and “matchmaking’. He might even learn a thing a two. Besides this was for the good of his brother! And he would do anything to help and since the ad helped him put ‘2 + 2’ together, he would ask for the help of a fellow human!

From COOLDUDE, “HELLO HUMAN OF MATCHMAKING AND ‘WINGNESS’ OF WOMAN! I HAVE AN ENQUIRY TO MAKE AND WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD?"

#undertale fic #undertale #reader #reader insert #MatchMaker

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mikeyd1986 · 8 years ago

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MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 56, June 2017

On Monday morning, I heard the terrible news that Jodie’s mum had passed away and so the Healthy Cooking on a Budget course was forced to be cancelled. Mum and I decided to buy her a lovely sympathy card and gave it to the staff at Balla Balla Community Centre to pass onto her. She truly is a wonderful chef and cooking teacher and I feel blessed knowing that she helped me to improve my skills in the kitchen. Hopefully she returns in Term 3 after she’s had time to grieve. http://www.ballaballa.com.au/progra...

On Monday night, I had my Strength Training session with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. Suffice it to say, it was a really bad session for me. My “I’m not good enough” tape was playing so loudly inside my head that I couldn’t switch it off and suddenly my depression got triggered off. After Luke asked me what I was on my mind, I went to pieces and started getting teary in front of him. I couldn’t keep all those emotions buried any longer.

I just feel socially inadequate and depressed. I was really struggling to connect with anyone socially tonight. I get myself jealous when others can easily start or contribute to conversations and I can’t. My social life is practically non-existent. I don’t know how to fit in with friends or the other trainers and coaches at UFT. At least a few people said hi to me so that’s something but it didn’t feel like it was enough. Unfortunately, I couldn’t seem to explain why I was feeling this way to Luke and resorted to replying with one-worded answers. https://www.facebook.com/breakawayf...

WARM-UP...Because of how I was feeling inside mentally, it really affected my performance tonight. I did 3 rounds of 15 back extensions. I was struggling heaps especially when I got passed my 10th rep. My knees and lower calves were on fire and I had to stop and rest. It was absolutely embarrassing. I just felt so shit about myself. Next, I used a small rubber ball to release tension from my hips and upper back. This is also known as SMR (Self-myofascial release) or rolling out.

DEVELOPMENT...Tonight I had to do 5 rounds of 8 dead lifts. I honestly felt like I wasn’t doing my best tonight. I was overthinking and unable to focus on getting my posture and technique right. Still, I didn’t give up even though my brain and my negative thoughts were trying hard to make me fail. I believe my weight was around 60-70kg.

We ended the session by playing a game of spike ball. You basically have to hit a soft rubber ball into a round trampoline-like net and return the ball back on the full. I’ve pretty much sucked at ball games all my life and so I knew I was gonna be terrible at this. Still I gave it a go and though Luke was trying hard to encourage me, I just couldn’t execute it properly and the ball flew in random directions. Overall, I just wasn’t myself tonight and I found it hard to be positive about my session.

On Tuesday morning, Mum and I went to the walking group at Narre Community Learning Centre. It was quite a large group today with about 30 members participating. I was a little daunted meeting all these new people at once but everyone was so welcoming and friendly towards me. We ended up walking down to at Fountain Gate Super Centre and had a coffee at Cafe Oreo just outside Spotlight. I was a little too cluttered for me and so I found myself avoiding eye contact and tracing the wood grains on the table. But at least I was around positive people which is what I need. http://narreclc.net.au/neighbourhoo...

Around lunchtime, I brought my Mum along to my counseling session at Piece Together Counselling. I was a little nervous but thankfully the session went smoothly. I touched upon some of my social difficulties during Kindergarten. I remember doing some creative craft activities inside when all the other kids were playing outside. I was very much an introvert from early childhood and fitting in with people was always going to be a struggle for me.

Ruth also discussed the idea of joining a meetup group and finding like-minded people to associate myself with and also getting another cat. I do believe that having companionship is very important for somebody like me. She reminded me of how independent and courageous I am, engaging in social activities such as going to fitness classes, cooking classes, local gigs and the gym. These are all things that I should be proud of.

The absence of having a Dad in my life has had a significant impact on me. I’ve noticed that I look to male figures for comfort, reassurance, validation and praise. This is the massive black void within me that I just cannot fill. It’s the reason why I sometimes come off as desperate, wanting others to verbally say the words “I’m so proud of you Michael”. But I am truly blessed to have such a close relationship with my Mum and a lot of supportive friends in my life to get me through tough times. https://www.piecetogethercousellingnarrewarren.org/...

On Tuesday night, I went to a Restorative Yoga class with Kim Lousada at Now, Yoga.. My yoga practice this term was been very irregular due to having financial issues and life generally getting in the way. It’s been a tough few months for me but I’m determined to start making yoga a weekly practice again next term once the dust has settled. After last night’s emotional episode with Luke, I knew I really had to go tonight. http://nowyoga.net.au/

Kim began the class by talking about the inner guru and the silent observer. Basically it’s about letting go of your thoughts, feelings, doubts, worries and anxieties and focusing on your breath. It’s also about nurturing and being kind to yourself or being non-judgemental. We did a variety of different supported poses including Child’s pose, Fish pose, Mermaid pose, Butterfly pose and Seated Forward Fold. The idea behind a restorative yoga practice is to hold poses for longer and yet doing so in a gentle way using several props including blocks, blankets and bolsters. https://www.yogajournal.com/poses/t...

We ended the class by doing a long Yoga Nidra meditation which left me feeling lighter like I was about to float out of the studio. I made a Sankalpa (Positive intention) for tonight which was “Everything is going to be okay for me”. After some deep breathing, Kim guided us through the Rotation of Awareness, a body scan of sorts from the right side of the body to the left. And finally, we did a visualization exercise which involved creating mental images of various scenes such as a full moon, a sunset, a doctor’s office and a temple on a mountain. http://www.abc.net.au/health/librar...

On Thursday afternoon, I decided to treat myself to a full body Chinese massage at Top 1 Therapy in Cranbourne West. It’s been about two months since my last massage so this was long overdue. I’m slowly letting go of the false belief that “it’s selfish to have a massage” and that “I don’t deserve this”. Both of these thoughts are bullshit. Self-care is so important and honestly it’s much better to seek the treatments I need rather than be proud and suffer in silence.

Of course, I was a little anxious approaching the Asian sales lady and trying hard not to be too awkward but it was all good. The obvious language barrier was not a deterrent for me. In fact, I was grateful for the silence and the calming music in the store. It meant that I could focus on relaxing even with my mind racing with thoughts. I’m still not a fan of the thumping and chopping style of massage but at least it didn’t take up the entire session.

I was very tense and sore across my back, neck, shoulders, thighs...pretty much everywhere and whilst I was feeling a bit sensitive today, I managed to relax enough to enjoy the massage. And at $39, I’m certainly not going to complain about the service. I will definitely go back there again. http://www.top1therapy.com/

On Thursday night, I had my second Strength Training session with Luke Davey at Breakaway Fitness in Berwick. To be honest, I was feeling a bit nervous after what happened on Monday night but I tried really hard to be as optimistic as possible. It was good to see that Luke was really caring, asking me if I was doing okay after Monday. I didn’t feel like confiding in him completely but enough to explain myself. I have to remember that Luke’s not my therapist and he can only do so much to help with my issues. I just wanted to focus on getting through tonight’s session.

I recently learned that sometimes it’s better to just focus on being myself rather than trying to fit in with everyone else. I have enough self-awareness to realise that I’m not narcissistic, I don’t have a large ego, I’m not obsessed with all things Crossfit and I really don’t care that much about how much I can lift. My sense of achievement comes from making the effort to show up to training and being able to give it my all. Numbers aren’t a motivator for me. I’m still learning to be okay with all of this and eventually I will be. I don’t have to be like the others.

WARM-UP...I started my pushing the side of my body, underneath the armpit, into a long stick leaned into the wall on a diagonal. Next I did my usual 12 reps of resistance band stretches into both arms and then 2 rounds of 15 bench press bar raises.

DEVELOPMENT...Today I did a slightly different weight routine to what I’m used to, doing 10kg bar bell presses on the bench (5 rounds of 8 reps). It was a lot harder than it looked because you had to keep the bar bells steady whist pushing them upwards and into the middle. I did gradually improve over the four rounds though. I attempted to do one round of 20kg bar bell presses but it ended up becoming to difficult to lift.

WORK-OUT...Honestly this was easily the hardest workout I’ve done in weeks. It started with a 12 round EMOTM (Every Minute on the Minute) ride on the assault bike doing 6 cals per minute. My first attempt on the assault bike was dreadful to say the least but this time I was determined to do better.

My knees were starting to burn about halfway through and for some reason I was pedaling backwards on a few rounds but in the moment, I really didn’t care. In the last round, I had to reach 10 cals so I decided to close my eyes to block out any external stimuli and just focus on pedaling as hard as possible. My legs were like jelly stepping off that bike.

The second part of the workout however was even worse. 3 rounds of 12 ring rows and 20 Russian twists with a 10kg plate. I was panting so much and no amount of controlled breathing could stop it completely. Luke was trying hard to motivate me but my body was slowly caving in to the fatigue and the pain so I had to stop several times. However, I wasn’t feeling weak nor ashamed about myself. This was a fucking tough workout and yet I’m somehow getting through it.

I thought that I wouldn’t be able to finish the workout but Luke made sure I crossed the finish line. I literally collapsed onto the foam mat as I was so breathless and exhausted. It’s clear that Luke pushes my hard and there’s a part of my brain that absolutely hates it but in reflection, I know that he has good intentions for me. He could have given up on me after Monday night’s session and tossed me into the “too hard to deal with” basket but he didn’t and that truly means a lot to me.

On Friday morning, Mum and I went down to the Dandenong Market to do some shopping. We visited the usual regulars including the greeting card stall, the Marketto Cafe, the florist and local green grocers. The only thing I don’t like about the Dande market is the crowds. My anxiety levels tend to spike up whenever I’m in a high traffic area with people trying to pass each other and I have to be gentle with myself. Literally, breathe through the anxiety. But otherwise, I enjoy spending time with my Mum there every month.

On Friday night, I went to my RPM class at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. It’s been about a couple of months since my last cycle workout but I was ready to jump back on the bike tonight. I had to be mindful about how hard I push myself considering how intense last night’s assault by workout was but I still gave it everything I had in the tank. We’re up to release 75 which consisted of some short sprint tracks and high intensity endurance tracks.

I was hitting around 60-70 RPM on the uphill sections, 80-90 RPM on the flat easy ride sections and 100-130 RPM on the sprint and race sections. I actually felt really good walking out of the class tonight because I really gave it everything. http://w3.lesmills.com/israel/en/cl...

On Saturday night, I decided to treat myself after work and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales at Village Cinemas Fountain Gate. Honestly, I thought this was a really solid entry in the franchise. It was certainly much better than the bloated and boring third installment (At Worlds End) and the incoherent mess that was the previous film (On Stranger Tides). This film is very much a return to form, going back to the roots of the original with returning cast members, over-the-top fighting and chase sequences and plenty of entertaining moments.

The basic storyline involves Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites), who is the son of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley). He is in search of the fabled Trident of Poseidon, which if found can break the curse that his father is currently under. He believes that finding Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) will be the key to locating this hidden treasure. But of course an old foe in Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) has been reawakened. Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) forms an unlikely alliance with Salazar in order to hunt Sparrow down.

Directors Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg successfully steer the ship (so to speak) into much clearer waters. Johnny Depp brings his usual charm and humour to Sparrow, who is still a drunken, careless and now crew-less pirate. He steals quite a few of the scenes especially during his execution with Scarfield (David Wenham). There are still moments where the dialogue is as wooden as the Black Pearl and some supernatural star gazing requires major suspension of disbelief.

But overall I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It has an interesting plot, great characters, plenty of action and lots of funny moments. It even managed to tie a few loose ends together before the credits roll. If this happens to be the final POTC film, then it goes off with a squash-buckling bang. Make sure you stick around after the credits for an extra scene. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1790809...

“You’ll be knocked out, come around, shot down, shatter on the stony ground. Yeah take it from me, it’s how it’ll be...But if you crash land in the quicksand, I will pick you up, I’ll pull you out. And if the world shakes, your brittle heart breaks, we will patch it up, we’ll work it out.” Tom Chaplin - Quicksand (2016)

“Oh I see it now, see it now. Look back and see. From shadows the loneliness reaching for me. I will give it a home so it’s never alone. It was buried so deep...Now there’s nothing to fear, I see it so clear.” Tom Chaplin - See It So Clear (2016)

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wistfulcynic · 6 years ago

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The Very Witching Time (1 / 4)

Here it is!

I am so excited to post the first chapter of my @cssns fic! Last year at this time I was reading all the brilliant stories to come out of this event and wishing I could be a part of it and now tadaaaa! Thanks to @kmomof4 for inviting me to join and also to her and the other mods for managing it all!

Another HUGE thank you to @gingerchangeling for the brilliant art and @katie-dub for her lovely feedback, and of course to @thisonesatellite for being the other half of my brain.

This is genuinely one of my favourite things I’ve written so I really hope you all enjoy it! Updates will be every Wednesday (I hope!)

RATING: M, mostly for future violence

AO3

TAGGING: @thisonesatellite, @stahlop, @mariakov81, @kmomof4, @snowbellewells, @jennjenn615, @resident-of-storybrooke, @teamhook, @thejollyroger-writer, @winterbaby89, @darkcolinodonorgasm, @captainsjedi, @ultraluckycatnd

(if you’d like a tag, please let me know!)

CHAPTER ONE:

The keen observer would, of course, not go into the forest at all.

{Please help me.}

An affinity with animals was one of Emma’s gifts, and she was not surprised to hear the dog’s voice in her head. She smiled reassuringly and offered her hand.

“Hey, puppy,” she said in a low, soothing voice. “What’s the matter?”

“Oh, poor baby,” she murmured. “That must hurt. I can help, if you’ll let me. Will you trust me?”

On three she pulled the leg from the hole, using her magic to ease its way. The dog whimpered at the pain but did not bark or growl and when its leg was free it licked her chin again.

The dog gave a short bark followed by another nod.

{Ready.}

Could dogs stare in wonder? She frowned, realising she didn’t actually know very much about the canine species. As a witch she’d always considered herself more of a cat person.

“Give it a try,” she told the dog. “It’s all better now.”

Emma, however, was still frowning. Despite the dog’s obvious pleasure its gait had a distinct limp and when it moved quickly it used only three legs, forgoing the left one entirely.

Its left leg… when she had healed the right.

“Hey,” she said. “Come here. Let me see that other leg.”

It limped closer and placed its left leg in her lap, a leg which she was now able to observe did not end in a paw.

The dog tilted its head in what was plainly a shrug.

The dog licked her face enthusiastically and barked, and now that the press of emergency had passed she noticed the peculiar cadence of its cry.

“Aye!” barked the dog.

Killian.

The name sprang into her mind, though the dog hadn’t barked. “Killian?” she repeated, startled.

“Aye!” barked the dog.

“Really?”

“Aye!”

“You sure? It’s not Spot or Buster or Joe or something?”

The dog looked affronted, and she laughed again. “All right, Killian it is then. I guess that means you’re a boy.”

“Aye!”

“Well okay, Killian, let’s go. We can have some dinner and then I’ll see what I can do about that paw.”

“What’s wrong?” she asked him.

He whined louder and gave two short barks.

{Not welcome.}

Should they?

She really needed to learn more about dogs, she thought with mild irritation. This was clearly a gaping hole in her education.

“Seriously?” cried Emma. “That’s enough of that, from both of you, Killian, come inside.”

She marched over to the cottage door and pulled it open. Killian leapt to his feet and ran after her, pausing just at the doorstep to wink at the garden before trotting into her kitchen.

Could dogs wink?

Emma made a mental note to dig up a book on canine behaviours later that night. There must be one in her library. Somewhere.

“I don’t have much that’s suitable for dogs,” she warned him as she opened the icebox. “But I think I’ve got some hamburgers in here if that’s okay—”

“Aye! Aye!”

“Okay, let me just heat them up.”

She defrosted the hamburgers with some gentle warming magic and put them on a plate for him. The minute she set it on the floor he dove in, gobbling up the meat with enthusiasm bordering on frenzy.

“Wow, you were hungry! How long has it been since you ate?”

He looked up at her and licked his chops, tail wagging vigorously, and barked twice before digging in again.

{Long time.}

“Well, don’t eat too fast, it’ll make you sick.”

“Don’t be afraid,” she said. “It’s not dangerous, just old. Old things are sometimes… indifferent to younger ones. But it won’t hurt you. Nothing will hurt you here.”

Obediently, he sat and watched her in fascination as she rifled through the jumbled collection of bottles, jars, and bags on the table, frowning and muttering to herself as she did.

He was worth it. She felt sure of that, and though she had no idea why she did not vacillate. Emma had long since learned to trust her instincts.

“Feels good, huh?” she said. “Soothing.”

“Aye.” His bark was as low as his growl.

{Good.}

Emma slumped back on her heels, exhausted. “Whew,” she said. “Done.” She patted the metal paw. “Give it a try.”

It disappeared behind her, the magic within whispering far more warmly than before, no longer so indifferent to Killian as it had been.

~~🌺~~

Threat, whispered the garden magic in his mind. Danger. Stay with her.

He lay back down, pressing tighter against her, curling his neck around her hip and placing his silver paw gently over her waist. He closed his eyes again and answered the garden’s plea.

{Always.}

Tis now the very witching time of night,

When churchyards yawn and hell itself breathes out

Contagion to this world.

—Hamlet, Act III Scene 2

#cssns #cssns19 #magic au #witchcraft au #witchcraft #witches #DID I MENTION THE WITCHES? THERE WILL BE SOME #cursed!Killian #witch!Emma #cs fic #cs ff #cs ff au #captain swan #the very witching time #profdanglaisstuff #gingerchangeling

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