#I’m going to miss this when I return to frosty canada

[tenofmuses]

Vacationing tarot

[swan-of-sunrise]

Spellbinding (Chapter Fifteen)

Summary: (Y/N)’s first solo mission as the Cosmic Sorceress takes an unexpected turn, and she begins to notice some worrying developments with her magic.

Pairing: Loki X Reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope that you enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen January 2nd, 2016 Avengers Tower, New York City (Previous Chapter)

“I’m really sorry about your nose, Sam…I-I could try healing it for you? I’m not very good at it, but I might be able to stop the bleeding just a little…”

Although partially obscured by a handful of blood-soaked tissues, (Y/N) could just make out a glimmer of amusement in the man’s dark brown eyes as he shook his head. “Nope, I’m good, I think I prefer the old-fashioned way of fixin’ broken noses. And stop apologizin’ so much, (Y/L/N), you landed that punch fair and square!”

“Birdbrain’s right, (Y/N), he walked right into it.” Natasha smirked and handed Sam another tissue. “You two should know that I had to kick Barnes out of the training room ‘cause he was laughing so hard.” Sam ambled away towards the restroom, shaking his head and grumbling under his breath as he went. “Your hand-to-hand combat has definitely improved over the past two months; tomorrow, I’ll get Steve or Thor to spar with you so we can really see how far you’ve come.”

“Mm-hmm.” (Y/N) had only been half-listening, as her attention was focused on her bandage-wrapped right hand; she could still recall the rush of fury swirling inside of her after ducking Sam’s attack and the unmistakable feeling of satisfaction when the tell-tale sound of a nose breaking filled the training room. Replaying the incident in her mind caused (Y/N)’s stomach to churn uncomfortably; she’d never been entirely comfortable with violence yet she understood that its necessity came with being an Avenger, but what she’d felt earlier had been something else entirely. It reminded her all too much of the frequent nightmares she’d been having about her parents and the destruction they’d caused in their lifetime, and that realization shook her to the core.

“You okay?” Natasha’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. “That was a pretty hard punch, are you sure your hand’s not hurt? We could get Bruce to-”

“I’m fine, Nat, it’s only a little sore; I’ll be sure to ice it later.” (Y/N) gave her a quick smile and began unwrapping the bandages from her hands. “So, have you gotten a chance to begin listening to Good Omens yet?”

That seemed to do the trick. Unbeknownst to most of the team, Natasha Romanoff was secretly turning into quite the bookworm and would regularly consult (Y/N) for reading recommendations; she preferred to listen to audio books as opposed to reading print, which was why their teammates were unaware of her new passion, and she’d even taken to listening to them while she trained. (Y/N) had quickly learned that books were currently the only thing that could distract the usually observant spy, and this time she was not disappointed. “Yeah, I’ve gotten through the first three chapters already and I really like it so far. I-”

“Miss (Y/L/N),” The robotic voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. filled the training room. “You have been assigned to a mission by Director Fury.”

“What’s the mission, J.A.R.V.I.S.?”

“The apprehension of one Antoine Garmiena, a known Hydra enforcer. Our agents have tracked his whereabouts to a hotel in Vancouver, Canada and Director Fury has assigned only you the task of arresting him. The Quinjet will depart in one hour and when you land, you will be met by a CIA task force. Do you accept the mission?”

(Y/N) took a deep breath and replied, “Yes, I do. Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S.” Turning back to Natasha, she gave her friend a smile. “Well, I’d better go and get ready. Thank you for such a…productive training session, and I’ll see you later!”

After stopping by her room to take a quick shower and change into her uniform, (Y/N) boarded the Quinjet by herself and was on route to Canada; from her seat near the back of the jet, she was finally able to absorb the fact that this was her first solo mission as an Avenger. To her surprise, the thought of apprehending Garmiena alone didn’t fill her with anxiety; if anything, she was glad for the opportunity to do something on her own after working with the others for so long. If Director Fury and Steve think I’m up to this than I know that I am, she thought with a smile as she continued flicking through the file on Garmiena that Director Fury had given her.

The buzzing of her phone on the seat beside her broke her concentration but when she caught sight of the caller I.D. that popped up, she immediately set the file down to answer it. “Hey, you. Isn’t it almost midnight in Oslo right now?”

“Unfortunately, yes, but since Barton has insisted on watching television all night I figured that calling you would be the best alternative to committing homicide.”

Through her phone’s speaker, (Y/N) heard Clint’s faint retort and couldn’t help but smile through her light scolding. “Loki, that’s no way to start a new year off.”

“That’s easy for you to say, (Y/N), you haven’t had to endure an entire evening of so-called ‘reality television.’ I swear by the Norns, if I hear one more obscenely wealthy housewife complain about something idiotically trivial…”

“Well, it’s a good thing that you called me because I was about to call and tell you I’ve been assigned a mission. I just left for Vancouver and should be back later tonight…and Fury only assigned me to this one.”

“Your first solo mission, then! Congratulations, darling, you’re going to do wonderfully!”

“Thank you, sweetheart, I’ll try to call you once the mission’s complete but I might be stuck in a meeting based on how well I do. And no pranking Clint while you two are on your mission, all right?”

“Fine, but if he continues to annoy me I’ll be forced to retaliate once we return.”

After wishing each other luck and exchanging their love, (Y/N) ended the call and set her phone down; she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to help focus her magic. Through trial and error, she and Loki had discovered that Midgardian meditation practices helped with controlling and centering her magic before missions. Object and intent, she silently chanted, object and intent; the palms of her hands tingled with familiar energy and she peeked through her eyelashes just as her vivid purple magic began to swirl around her hands. Closing her eyes again, she took another deep breath and exhaled as the all-too familiar tugging sensation in the pit of her stomach intensified; the air around her was practically humming with energy and as she worked to control it, she could almost feel-

“We will be landing shortly, Miss (Y/L/N).” J.A.R.V.I.S. announced; startled, (Y/N)’s eyes flew open and the moment her concentration faltered, she suddenly dropped back down into her seat and winced in pain. “I’m terribly sorry, but I could find no other way of informing you of the Quinjet’s status.”

“That’s okay, J.A.R.V.I.S., I didn’t even realize that I’d been…that I’d been levitating.” She carefully got to her feet and adjusted her long black and purple leather coat before fastening her sword to her belt, feeling a little unnerved by her meditation session. “Is the CIA task force prepped and waiting?”

“Yes, Agent Ross just arrived at the helipad and is awaiting your arrival.”

(Y/N) thanked the Artificial Intelligence and continued to ready herself for the mission; she double-checked that her comm link was operational and pressed the button on her glasses to mask their presence, finishing up her tasks just as the Quinjet began its descent. Once it landed smoothly on the helipad, the ramp automatically lowered and she walked out into the frosty air.

“Just once, I’d like it if these Hydra thugs would pick someplace warmer to hide out in. Tahiti would be a nice change of pace, or maybe even Fiji.” Agent Ross quipped, his teeth chattering slightly as he withdrew a gloved hand from his CIA parka’s pocket to shake hers. “It’s good to see you again; I’m glad Fury assigned you to this one ‘cause we’re gonna need more brain and less brawn to finally apprehend this slippery guy.”

Smiling, (Y/N) walked alongside the CIA agent as they entered the warmth-filled building and made their way down a long stretch of hallway. “It’s good to see you too, Agent Ross. How long has Garmiena evaded arrest so far?”

“Over one and a half years, since right before the launching of Project Insight. He was on the CIA’s radar before he was outed as a Hydra operative but since the fall of the original S.H.I.E.L.D., he’s been on the run and almost impossible to track.”

Before she could ask another question, they were escorted into a room by an armed CIA agent and came face-to-face with a group of agents seated around a table. Clad in their tactical gear, the agents perked up when they recognized who she was and began whispering to one another, much to her embarrassment. It had been difficult for her to grow used to being in the public eye, but (Y/N) had finally reached a point in her Avenger career where being recognized in public only made her feel slightly bashful and not on the verge of a full-on panic attack.

As if sensing her discomfort, Agent Ross stepped forward and cleared his throat to grab their attention. “As you’ve already noticed, the Cosmic Sorceress will be working alongside us on this operation. If that’s something you can’t handle in a professional manner, then I have a pile of coloring books and some crayons in my office that you can play with while the adults go to work. Is that clear?” The agents nodded and Agent Ross smiled. “Great. Now, let’s get to work.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Y/N) blocked bullet after bullet fired at her but was forced to throw herself behind a nearby stone wall for cover when she caught sight of the flamethrower being aimed in her direction; clutching the stitch in her side, she yelled into her comm link, “Did you forget to mention that Garmiena’s an enhanced, Agent Ross, or did you just want to surprise me?!”

“This is the first the CIA’s hearing about it; believe me, I’m just as pissed about this as you are! There’s too many of him, I’m calling in backup from Fury-”

“No! By the time they arrive he’ll have already escaped or injured civilians; we just need to think of a new plan.” (Y/N) cautiously rose to take a quick look around the stone wall. The hotel was completely surrounded by CIA agents but they too were taking cover as a dozen versions of Garmiena stood on the roof and fired guns and other weapons at anything that dared move. Out of all the enhanced superpowers I’ve seen as an Avenger, self-duplicating’s got to be the weirdest one yet, she thought to herself. Her eyes landed on the building beside the hotel and after realizing that they were fairly close in height, a plan began to form in her mind. “All right, I think I’ve got something but it might not work…”

“Anything’s better than nothing; what’ve you got?”

Once she and Agent Ross finalized their new plan, (Y/N) took a steadying breath and waited for the signal; sure enough, moments later the agents began returning fire on the south side of the building, giving (Y/N) enough time to sprint out from behind her hiding spot and to the building adjacent to the hotel. Without stopping to question if her plan would even work, (Y/N) summoned her purple-hued magic into her palms and aimed them towards the ground; the overwhelming force of her magic propelled her into the sky at dizzying speed, and in the blink of an eye she had landed on the roof of the building.

Not stopping to admire her newfound magical skill, she ran at top speed towards the rooftop of the hotel and jumped, landing on the roof and somersaulting onto her feet. The duplicates of Garmiena all turned towards her with their weapons at the ready, but (Y/N) thrust her hands outwards and clenched them into fists, watching as each weapon was ripped from their grasp and thrown off the roof. She then raised her arms and forced them downwards, which caused the duplicates to be thrown high into the air before landing harshly onto the roof; one by one, the duplicates blinked into nothingness until just one man was left groaning in pain as he struggled to stand.

(Y/N) strode over to Garmiena, drawing her sword and holding it against his throat to halt his movement. “Antoine Garmiena, on behalf of the Avengers I’m placing you under arrest.” She held her free hand up to her ear and spoke into her comm link. “Target apprehended, requesting assistance on the northeast side of the rooftop.”

“Great work, Cosmic Sorceress; the tac team’s on their way up.”

Garmiena’s brow rose in surprise, and it was then that (Y/N) was struck by the unusual brightness of his hazel eyes. “So, you’re the one they call the Cosmic Sorceress. Tell me, did Stark and Banner create you in that laboratory of theirs or were you blessed by the gods as I was?”

“Apparently you’re just as delusional as they warned me you were. You didn’t receive your enhancement from the gods, you’re one of the countless people who allowed Hydra to experiment on them and in return were used to carry out their bidding. If you’re trying to look for similarities between us, then I suggest you stop now because we have nothing in common.”

He chuckled to himself. “Now who’s the delusional one? The only thing keeping us from being alike is your cowardice.” (Y/N) frowned in confusion and he took the opportunity to continue uninterrupted, his eyes strangely unfocused as he spoke. “I’ve embraced my true identity while you have hidden yours away. You have the chance to fulfill your mother’s quest to rule, yet you squander your power by remaining with the Avengers, Earth’s So-Called Mightiest Heroes.”

(Y/N)’s blood ran cold at his words; clenching her jaw, she pressed her sword into the skin of his neck as her vision began to redden. “What did you just say?”

“Yes, you and I are similar, but I would say you and your mother are more alike than you realize. The fiery tempers, the star-crossed loves and most importantly, the ambition. Deep down, you know that you don’t belong with your pitiful pretend family and once you let them go…” Garmiena grinned widely and although she registered that something was off about the situation, it didn’t do a single thing to quell her growing fury. “You’ll be free to unleash your true potential.”

With a sharp flick of her wrist, (Y/N)’s purple magic swirled tightly around his body and she watched as the smug expression on his face slowly morphed into a grimace of pain. Something deep inside of (Y/N) warned her to stop but she purposefully ignored it, clenching her fingers into a fist to tighten her darkening magic’s hold…

“Stand down, we’ll take him from here.”

Startled, (Y/N) released her hold on Garmiena and looked with widened eyes as he gasped for air and her now scarlet-colored magic faded into nothing. She stumbled backwards and out of the way of the tac team as they hauled Garmiena to his feet and dragged him towards the rooftop doorway; out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Agent Ross approaching. “The CIA owes you a debt of gratitude; zero civilian casualties and minimal property damage is what we like to see in an Avenger.” He glanced over his shoulder and turned back to her with a low whisper. “So, um, about your magic…how does it work? The color, I mean; did you choose purple, or is the color tied to your emotions, like a mood ring or something?”

Tearing her eyes away from the doorway Garmiena disappeared through, (Y/N) met Agent Ross’ curious eyes with a forced smile. “You know, Agent Ross…I’m not really sure.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was well past midnight by the time (Y/N) was able to go back to her suite in the Avengers Tower. She sat through a CIA mission debriefing in Vancouver before boarding the Quinjet and heading back home to New York, only to attend another debriefing in Director Fury’s office. During that time, she hadn’t had the opportunity to reflect on what had occurred on the hotel rooftop but now that she was alone with her thoughts, it was all she could focus on; she spent the entire afternoon and evening learning about Garmiena’s background, and there was absolutely nothing in the CIA or the Avenger’s dossiers that indicated that the Hydra enforcer had any connection to Alfheim. She’d even considered consulting the book King Tarian had gifted her but had quickly changed her mind; the one and only time she’d tried reading it had triggered horrific nightmares that had yet to dissipate, so she kept the book tucked away in her closet, out of sight and out of mind.

But what had worried her the most wasn’t just that Garmiena somehow possessed knowledge of her family, it was that for a split-second, she had lost control of her magic and had done very little to try and regain it. She’d wanted to hurt him, wanted him to feel pain for what he’d said and done, and if the CIA tac team hadn’t shown up when they did…she wasn’t sure what would’ve happened. First Tony and Loki, and now Garmiena, she thought to herself as she unfastened her sword from her belt and set it down on her suite’s coffee table, how many more people am I going to needlessly hurt with my magic?

As quietly as she could, (Y/N) crept into the bedroom and glanced over to see Loki already fast asleep; he was stretched out on his back, the blankets pooling at his waist as his bare chest nearly glowed in the darkness, and his expression was peaceful as he slept. Seeing her boyfriend put her at ease, and after silently changing into her pajamas and going about her nighttime routine, she carefully got into bed beside him and made herself comfortable on her right side. She smiled softly when she felt Loki’s arm wrap around her waist and hold her against his chest as he nuzzled his face into her neck and let out a sleepy hum of contentment. “How’d your mission go, my love?”

“Wonderfully.” She lied, ignoring the pang of guilt brought on by her outright deceit. “What about yours?”

“I managed not to kill Barton, so I’d say it went well. Did Garmiena put up much of a fight?”

Instead of answering, (Y/N) smoothed down his sleep-rumpled hair with gentle fingers. “Go back to sleep, sweetheart, I’ll tell you all about it in the morning. Okay?”

“…Fair enough. G’night, darling.”

“Goodnight.”

Loki quickly fell back asleep, but (Y/N)’s restless mind refused to let her follow suit. She glanced over her shoulder at her boyfriend and after checking that he was indeed asleep, she held a hand out and only hesitated a moment before summoning her magic. To her immense relief, the magic swirling around her hand had returned to its usual purple hue; the longer she laid in bed staring at the tendrils of magic dancing across her palm, however, the more curious she grew. Agent Ross had innocently speculated that her magic’s color was tied to her emotions so to test the theory out, (Y/N) thought about Garmiena’s words and how they’d affected her on the rooftop; though it was difficult, she remembered the white-hot anger that had filled her as her magic tightened its hold around him and she squeezed her eyes closed, part of her too frightened to look.

Don’t be such a coward, (Y/N) scolded herself after several long moments; taking a steadying breath, she slowly opened her eyes. She had to stifle her horrified gasp behind her free hand as her widened eyes stared at the shocking swirls of scarlet magic dancing across her palm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Some more interesting developments! This is the end of the second chunk of this story, and I just wanted to let you all know that there won’t be a new chapter next week but instead the week after. It’s nothing serious, I just need the time to write some more and finish up a couple of my other fics. I’m sorry to make you guys wait a little longer for the next chapter, but I promise that I’ll be back here in two weeks with an update!

Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2wx8TZwpDN0l33tES3W3Nk

Chapter Sixteen

Spellbinding Masterlist

Tagging: @nexiva @ravenclawbitch426 @cminr @confusedfandomwriter @momc95 @nickkie1129 @austynparksandpizza @brooke0297 @destructivebliss @outoftheregular​ @itscomplicatedx​ @0-artemis​ @vivloki​

[catypus]

Okay I hope this isn't bothering you but I've been obsessed with this for a while now- akaashi x reader but she's dying young and she's never seen the snow and wanted to see the world and Akaashi being the compassionate person he is, he plans to take her traveling and to show her all the seasons in other places before she can't anymore-🥺😭 idk ive been obsessed with this idea since FOREVER 🥺👉👈

a | n : aww it’ll never be a bother!! thank you for sending in your request and waiting, we were really busy at that time but hope you like it <3

pairings: akaashi x dying!reader

genre: angsty huhu :”)))

warnings: implied death

© all content belongs to catypus 2020. do not modify or repost.

the four phases of grief (through the seasons)

when it’s you and me, it feels like nothing can tear us down; nothing can tear us apart

  - phase I; shock and numbness -

Time becomes a finite measure only when your days are set.

Others at your age are going out, exploring their futures, just setting foot into an unknown world and you? Get the better half of 1 year thrown at your feet and told, “here make what you will of it”

But how can you?

The words of the doctor echoes in your head, rattling your thoughts and making them dance about until nothing is coherent anymore.

It feels empty.

Like everything has lost its colour, its flavour.

But when he hugs you,

when he lets you cry it out on his shoulder,

when he cups your face and leaves a sweet kiss on your lips and whispers to you,

“my love, I'm here, I'll give you the best life”,

you can’t help but feel a miniscule tinge better.

That the love of your life, will remain a constant until the very end.

akaashi keiji, you’re one hell of a guy

The next day, he springs a surprise trip to Greece.

You could hardly believe the words as they left his lips.

“pack what you need, we leave at the end of the week”

“I’ve already called ahead to your work, you don’t have to worry about that”

And that’s how a week later you found yourselves on the windswept limestone cliffs of Santorini, gazing upon the tops of the notable blue and white architecture.

In the midst of the white-washed buildings, casted golden by the setting sun, Keiji tightens his grip on your hand.

A silent promise.

One that you treasure closest to your heart as the sun disappears beneath the horizon, bringing the day to a close.

 at the end, doesn’t everyone just want closure ?

 - phase ii; yearning and searching -

It's that time of the year where everything starts shriveling up and dying as the temperature takes a dip for the lower end of the thermostat.

And before you know it, you too will shrivel up and die

it’s a never leaving trail of negativity; one that only festers and broils as the autumn leaves scatter at the touch of the cold breeze.

That day, Keiji brings home a new beanie and shoves it snugly over your head, tightly bundling your hair until it frays out. He lets out a low chuckle.

You pout at him, attempting to uncover your eyes so you can see him properly and get your hair in place, when all you see are two plane tickets to Ontario.

He smiles softly at you, watching at your expression.

You meet his gaze quietly, staring into his eyes.

His eyes that hold hope for you.

You both know by now that the prospect of extending your deadline is out of the question. You’ve taken more sick days and the monthly reviews have slowly transitioned into fortnightly ones.

Yet he holds so much emotion for you, so many wishes that you will be happy, with him. Even until the very end.

You grasp his hand, in which he holds the tickets.

“when do we leave?”

The mist rising from the falls breaks the sunlight and forms a slender arc of a rainbow above the crest of the waterfall.

Against the backdrop of the hues of orange, red and yellow, the colours of autumn have never looked more stunning.

The two of you stand there, at the outlook over the edge of the falls, watching the miniscule silhouettes of other tourists on board the boats as they view Niagara Falls from a different perspective.

Maybe it’s about the perspective.

Maybe it’s not that you have less than a year left.

Maybe it’s that you have the rest of the year to love Keiji.

That you have the rest of the year to get your forever with him.

As you link hands and slowly tread through the park, leaves crunching at your feet, he suddenly stops.

“my love, can i get a picture of you?”

As much as he’d never forget your smile, he thought to himself, if he could capture even a shred of your beauty, he’d be forever thankful.

As you stood there, amidst the falling leaves, adjusting your beanie, he thinks you’ve never looked more gorgeous.

 and as we stand here together, in this instant, it’s as if time is standing still, bearing witness to our love

 - phase iii; disorganisation and despair -

 The beauty of a small island in the middle of winter, covered by blankets of glistening white snow.

A fleeting moment, where the frosty wind nips at your cheeks as the ferry slows to a halt, docking at the jetty.

Clasping your gloved hand in his, he gently leads the way, weaving through the crowd.

As you set foot on the ground and take in the view, you realise that no image on google can compare to seeing it in real life.

In days gone by, you fawned over the picturesque landscape and imagery of Nami Island in South Korea.

Especially in the heart of winter, where many others have taken their own recreations of photos out of a K-drama.

“keiji, baby look- “,

As you would show him a sample image of a wedding photoshoot, the couple staring lovingly in each other’s eyes with the tall Maple trees bearing witness to their love.

The same tall Maple trees that you and him now stand before.

In the subtle shadows, casted by the barren trees, he graces your lips with a kiss.

Which turned into another.

And another.

Before he pulls back slightly, leaning his forehead against yours, eyes closed, just basking in each other’s company.

Softly swaying with the cold wind, he pulls something out of his pocket.

That in which he links around your neck.

When you lean back and look down at your collar, there sits a simple but elegant rose gold chain, to which a pendant is attached to.

And on the pendant, is your anniversary date.

The day that you said yes to being his best friend, his confidante, the love of his life.

Suddenly, you feel very warm.

Your face heats up and tears fall from your eyes before you even notice it.

“keiji, I’m sorry.”

“what for, baby?”

“i’m sorry for whatever’s going to happen after.”

 fate fortold that we would meet, so now my love, what’s the rush?

 - phase iv; reorganisation and recovery -

 The cold winds have blown, now the warm days are returning.

Looking out the window, the green fields rush past as the Shinkansen speedily heads for Sapporo.

Clenching your fingers tighter, you look down at where Keiji’s fingers hold on to yours just as tightly.

One last time.

Slowly but surely, strolling down the pathway, watching as high school couples bask in the bright glow of the pink hues of this season.

It seemed like a lifetime ago that you and Keiji linked arms and sat under the cherry blossoms.

Youth.

As you both sat on the bench, his arms tightly wound across your shoulder, he recalls how all those years ago, as he wiped the corner of your mouth of cream from the daifuku you were eating, he first told you those three words.

“i love you.”

“until forever and the day after that”

He pulls out his phone, your ever-beautiful face smiling back at him from under those autumn leaves in Canada.

The bench beside him has never felt emptier as he places one hand over his chest, the cold metal of the pendant pressing painfully against his heart.

It’s been a year.

A flower bud drops on his shoulder.

He remembers your expressions, the amazement you gave the first time you saw him do a snow angel, the contentment when he had kissed you under the maple trees. The love in your eyes that never wavered a single time.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath in, before shakily letting it out.

I miss you.

 even when the seasons change, our love will forever remain the same.

[glorifiedsnickersbar]

Farthest North

//.I felt inspired so have another chapter!.\\

Chapter 4 - Imported Friendship, Exported Trust

Word count: 1269

     Canada paced. America was found freezing on the floor of his house by Quebec, not something you want your kid seeing in the morning. The red and white clad country was originally going to chew his older brother out until he saw the flag in his arms. He recognized it as Alaska's by the single yellow star separated from the other seven. Several times he had offered to take the State as his own... then he realized after this entire fiasco starting that he wanted the land... not Alaska as a daughter. She had some of the best natural oil reserves, land like no other, pure and green, filled with lush trees and animals enough to feed an army for years! Russia wanted her back because of these things. Not to mention Alaska provided pristine military support. 

         "She signed the final paper last night," his eyes were closed, sunglasses crumpled into the flag, water dripping down onto the carpeted floor.

         "Well, what do you want me to do about it?" the younger Country asked, a little peeved, not only with America but with himself, "Okay, I'll admit, thinking long and hard I would have neglected her too, USSR did and Russia would do the exact same thing. No one is innocent in this America! So what could I do?"

Both were silent, the sound of the water on carpet going sh-plip, sh-plip, sh-plip. 

         "Either you fix this yourself," Canada told him, "or you let her become a Country. She's not going to be the little Alaska we all knew, though," he warned, "Never."

America cried, and Canada left him to be in his own room. 

~.~

     Alaska laughed, enjoying her time with Japan as she showed her a few other memes.

         "I can't believe you know Japanese(!)!" she giggled putting away her phone, "I don't trade with you, how do you know?"

To this the woman frowned, but quickly put the smile back on.

         "You had some of my people back in the day," she told the Country, "When they returned they came with a few... knowledges."

         "Oh, it must have been a tour!" she giggled, and the grown State only chuckled, knowing full well... It was far from a tour.

     The two enjoyed walking under the snow covered trees. Japan wouldn't stop admiring how they looked, and that they looked even better when the frosty pink blossoms came out to grace the air with their sweet scent. She was so different from her father. That power hungry Country had been defeated, and the pain caused, forgotten, so it looks like. Japan got the power she wanted anyway, sneakily, and rather enjoyably at the look on her face, but it was no longer about ruling the world, she just ruled everyone's escape from it. 

         "So, if you do become a Country you'll need to know my stipulations on trade," the Jap' told her new friend, unknowing of the small grudge still aimed towards her, but Alaska kept that at bay, simply smiling as she nodded. This was a different Japan then from before... the blue and gold starred woman expected her to be taller too... come to think of it she was taller than the countries she had met so far, "but first I need to know what you will be wanting," she continued sweetly.

         "It's a simple list really," Alaska admitted, sitting with her on a snow covered bench, "I've taken care of most things technology wise, but there are of course the dilemmas of communication and travel."

A long silence.

         "That's it?"

         "Well... the human children do enjoy a good video game or two," she chuckled, making Japan squeal.

         "My-my~"

Alaska shot to her feet, glaring at the failed Country.

         "One of America's little birds wants to leave the nest! How enjoyable!"

         "How did you get here, Third?" Japan slowly stood, wary of the toothed smile the Nazi menace wore.

         "You all seem to forget that every Country gets one of these," he chuckled, and held up his ring, the swastika permanently etched into its red metal, "Simply think, and you're there."

         "Get out of my land, Third Reich," Japan growled, and Alaska saw what was left of her father's influence, "you are trespassing, and this will not reflect well on Germany. He should have hidden that thing from you ages ago."

         "Relax," his smile was meant to be comforting, "I'm not here to fight. Alaska is just... so inviting."

He stepped up to the two, not even having to look down to stare into Alaska's angered eyes, Japan taking several steps back, without falling back on the bench, luckily.

         "And you're repulsive," she stated hardly, "leave Japan's land or else you will find yourself between a rock and six thousand armed military troops. That is one of three, of my largest bases."

         "My how I already enjoy your bad side," he chuckled, and threw his ring to the side, a worm hole appearing to his left, "I can't wait to see what makes you tick, schatz*~"

Alaska huffed as she dragged Japan away.

         "Verlassen, monstrum."** she snarled, making Third Reich take one more look at the grown State, proud of her fluency in his native tongue (!).

         "So-uh..." Japan coughed after they had stopped by another bench, "You know German... too?"

     Alaska sighed as she straightened her parka, pulling the hood up as a breeze flitted by, making Japan shiver since she forgot a winter hat herself. The State chuckled as she brought out a fur hat from beneath the fluffy folds of cloth, leather and fur, similar to Russia's Ushanka, but with spotted fur on the outside, and fluffy fuzz on the inside.

         "I told you it was going to get colder today."

Japan's eyes widened as she placed it on her head, the outside fur shimmering silver.

         "What kind of fur is this?" she noted the little tufts of fur on strings, connected to the ear flaps.

         "The inside is SnowShoe Hare," Alaska explained, "the outside is Spotted Seal."

         "Did Russia give it to you?" she asked curiously, to which the blue and gold colored woman chuckled, shaking her head.

         "I made it myself. USSR, when he was the Russian Empire, was kind enough during my time as his daughter to at least let me use a few of his ideas. I made a few of them my own after he let me free."

Japan nodded, showing a smile, though on the inside, she was repeatedly apologizing for what her father had done, for what USSR had done, for what America did too. Alaska was so enjoyable, how could they miss it? She was reasonable, fun to have around, knows when to be serious, when to be playful and when to be dangerous. She heard one third of her fire power, but Japan doubted that was all she had. Simply stating she had 18,000 men at the ready wasn't a threat, it was a warning of what might come if she was crossed... or if anyone crossed a friend, an ally. Japan didn't feel threatened by her actions, she felt safe, knowing that someone had her back, even if both knew this little island didn't need it.

         "Speaking of being free," the smaller Country started, "how are you going to pay for these exports?"

Alaska laughed.

She would make a wonderful Country.

--------------------

*Schatz - treasure  (German)

**Verlassen, monstrum - Leave, monster (German) 

(!) - Japanese is not a native language in Alaska, though some citizens and many tourists speak it.

(!) - German is not a native language in Alaska though there are citizens who speak it littered throughout the State.

[thebookofdave]

On Group Travel

Technically speaking the whole of our Australia trip when we were nineteen was group travel.  The company was called something like Oz Experience and mostly consisted of transporting fifty twenty year olds around the country via famous landmarks, bars, sexual experiences (not a lot of that for us sadly, I blame the haircuts from the sheep shearing farm) and in one memorable incident, a crashed 4x4.

In practice because there were so many people and because it was step on and step off there was seldom much of a group vibe.  There were exceptions to this, 4x4 driving on Fraser Island (including wrecking the car) was a lot of fun, we had to cook our own food and camp each night so we all got to know each other pretty well and since we had an unexpected extra night we ended up quite close by the end of it.   In the main however, we tended to meet people in the stopovers rather than on the bus journey's, the loss of 24 hours of our lives in Cheeky Monkey's in Byron Bay for example was a combination of random people in our hostel, extremely attractive bar staff, party games and Bundaburg Overproof rum.  

Still, I didn't do any group travel for a long time after that, I'd enjoyed traveling alone for all the reasons outlined in the last blog and I strongly disliked the concept of being on a routine.  I did short trips here and there as a way to see places, Canada for instance is a pain to get to some areas unless you undertake an organised tour but in the main I avoided it.

I ended up on a proper group tour the first time around because I couldn't really work out how to get to see everything I wanted to in the time period I had.  I'd always fancied seeing Morocco, it had had a certain feeling of mystery to it but it was also clear with my innate sense of direction and navigation combined with a really poor public transport system I was asking to end up in all the wrong places.  

The company I picked was called something like Explore Adventure travel, it doesn't exist anymore but it was catered towards 18-39 year olds who wanted a more cultured experience and who were in reasonably good shape.  The trip itself was only for a couple of weeks but it remains one of the best travel experiences of my life.  We saw a huge amount of the country including the Sahara and we had an excellent local tour guide.  I think it also benefited greatly from only having us staying in many of the locales, so we all ended up bonding quite quickly.  We even managed a local night club for an evening out which was... interesting.

The follow up trip to that was South America which I chose because languages are not really my forte.  I was for instance; the only man not allowed to take French GCSE as I'd bring the average school mark down.  South America was fantastic as a trip although slightly less successful as a group experience, it was three tours welded into one so some people had already been on a tour when we joined them and some people had to leave early, I particularly gelled well with an English couple so when they left it was me, one other guy in a couple and seventeen girls which sounds good on paper but in reality...  Later on however we were joined by a couple of Aussie guys who were great to hang out with and things returned to some normality but it has left me with the view that some balance in numbers is helpful.  

It was also my first experience (sadly not my last) of group illness which rocketed in Bolivia and meant a lot of people missed out on some parts of the trip.  Still the positives far outweighed the negatives and the experiences I remember were things that will stay with me, playing football with the locals in Lake Titicaca; albeit at high altitude so my pace was even worse than usual, the Inca trail and playing around on the Salt Flats.  

Interestingly when I did Central America with a group, apart from some food poisoning most people were fine.  I got ill for the first time in my life but I suspect that was due to swallowing half the water in El Salvador during the gravity falls, I should have stuck with the Irish plan of killing anything via the local rum.  

Since then I've done plenty of further travel in groups but in the vein of the previous blog here's a few things I enjoy about it and a couple of things I don't.

It's easy:

You have an itinerary, you get instructions every day of where you have to be, what time and there's little stress about missing a bus or being in the wrong place.  It also means you don't need to plan, everything is taken care of for you so it's pretty relaxing as an experience, you can just watch the world go by (or realistically read a book in my case).

You see a lot:

It's easy to mock being on a routine but tours are planned around the main sights of a country, if you're on a short time scale it's a really good way to view the highlights of a country.  You can always decide you want to come back at a later point.  They really cram the activities in; the downside is this means early starts and a lot of driving but I would struggle to argue I'd have seen more in the same timescales if I'd done it myself.

It's sociable:

You have a group of people, mostly around the mid twenties to mid thirties age and you'll be spending a lot of time together.  When it clicks, it really works and most of the time I've had some awesome groups of people on my tours.  It's particularly important if you're doing a long group tour and I'm fortunate that the last long tour I did, Central America, had a great group of people but NZ South Island was also excellent.  It makes evenings much more enjoyable when you have a group of people to sit around, share drinks with and play games.  Oh and people hook up of course which is always entertaining, alcohol plus spending a lot of time sharing rooms tends to mean there's a fair bit tension.  

There's a safety net:

I luckily very rarely get ill aside from coughs and colds, I suspect a lifetime of adventurous and questionable food choices abroad has helped my constitution somewhat but I've certainly seen people get pretty sick, parasites, fevers, complete collapse.  Having someone who knows the country well, has access to a group doctor and can speak the language is always a reassuring thing to have.  

It's *generally* cheaper than doing the same stuff yourself:

If the route looks to take in most of the things you wanted to see anyway at the same standard, chances are it's cheaper to do it as part of a group.  You'll have all your transport and accommodation included with the addition of a guide. There are two massive caveats with this, firstly it's all based on sharing a room so there's a premium if you're not and the second is there are always a ton of add on extras.  They're always optional but honestly, for some of the evening activities you're going to feel pretty bored if you don't go.  The backup free option for daytime is usually a hike or walk or some sort though so I guess you'd get pretty fit?

On the downsides...

When the plague hits the group...:

When I did Egypt seventeen out of twenty-one people got sick, Bolivia was about roughly the same number, China had something nasty going around which everyone got to a lesser or greater extent.  You're all in close proximity to each other so there'll probably be a bit of freshers flu anyway but any kind of illness gets exacerbated.  

There's not a lot of flexibility:

If there's anything you want to see that's not on the list it's highly unlikely you'll get a chance to see it unless it coincides with a free day.  The problem with the tight timetables is that there's rarely time to head off the beaten path:

There will be a falling out:

Most of the time it's because someone got drunk and was a bit of arse.  They're usually over the quickest and you've only got half a day or so of awkward bus ride to wait it out.  Relationship arguments are pretty bad depending how feisty the couple is but they're also mostly limited to frosty stares and stony silence.  The worst ones tend to be when someone's slept with someone else they shouldn't have, particularly if their bf/gf is also in the group and then you just need to turn up the headphones and take an interest in a book for the next few days until it all blows over.

Timekeeping can get annoying:

I appreciate the hypocrisy of saying this as a man who was an hour and a half late returning from Petra but consistently missing the return time for trips creates two issues.  Firstly, everyone will start coming back later on the basis they don't want to sit on the bus for the guilty party, secondly it starts to throw the whole timetable out of sync which means other visits get curtailed or cancelled altogether.  Most of the time in my experience people are pretty good about coming back at the appointed hour but there are some people who just seem to consistently be late for everything.

The snoring:

If you are unlucky enough to share a room with an Irishman with a broken nose, just bump him off, don't do the polite thing of believing that it's his allergies, just kill him at the start of the trip, it'll make the rest of your time so much happier.  The sole reason I now always pay the premium to have my own room.  

The sex:  

You're not paying for the Hilton, these are thin walls most of the time; headphones/ earplugs are your friend.  Unless it's you of course, in which case, just try and keep it down and hope you have a roommate who enjoys late night strolls.