#I’m just very excited about watching more of the empires series and I’m just rattling at the bars for more smp stuff

[contagious-addiction]

I am thinking so much about empires smp 2 what is this, who hijacked my brain

[xwing-baby]

Ascent of the Emissary: Presentation Day

Word Count: 3.6k

Series Summary: A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...The FIRST ORDER have announced themselves to the galaxy and are set on destroying the Galactic Alliance. A young woman, born and raised in the rich Order sympathising society, on the planet RAELA, meets her supposed sworn enemy in a crowded marketplace and comes to a crossroads in her life. Does she follow the path laid out to her by her FAMILY or does she carve her own, JOIN THE FIGHT against the Order and BETRAY everything she’s ever known.

Chapter Summary: It’s time for Lin’s presentation day, his promotion to Major of the First Order. But Kyla’s got something on her mind. 

A/n: I’ve decided I like Friday’s more than Saturday’s for uploads, so HEY! I’m so glad you guys liked part 1 and I hope you like what this chapter brings too! Get to meet one of my favourite characters, let me know what you think of him too!  

<- Previous chapter    //     Introduction    //    Next Chapter ->  

It was late. The city had quietened down, the moon was bright and full in the sky. Usually I would be fast asleep at this hour but I was wide awake. I had tried everything to fall asleep: I’d turned my pillows, tried the opposite end of my bed, tried without the blankets, with no pyjamas, with more pyjamas. I tried turning on a lamp, I tried opening the curtains and letting the moonlight in. I tried everything and was getting frustrated to the point of tears. 

Maybe a drink would help. I knew the real issue but I didn’t want to think about it. 

When I was younger, I first began questioning my family's ties to the First Order and the Empire. As any rebellious young teenager I wanted to know everything and especially if that everything made my parents mad. A fellow classmate told me about Jedi, about how this group had fought against the Empire and were the reason the Empire fell. According to her, her uncle was a Jedi on Raela, he had given her a Jedi book in the hopes that she would become one too. The Jedi were destroyed along with the Empire but she kept the book hidden away from her parents then gave it to me. I took it home and devoured each page. The book told of the Force, the dark and the light. A lot of it I didn’t understand, but that stuff that did, changed me forever. Rather naively I told my mother about the book. That proved to be the biggest mistake of my life to that point. 

My mother told my father. My father took the book and burnt it. I cried, yelled at him to stop. I told him it wasn’t mine, that it was my friends. I tried to reason with him, tried to tell him that it wasn’t a dangerous book. I just wanted to learn. 

My father slapped me across the face, the rings on his fingers cut into my face making me bleed. He told me if I was ever caught with any ‘Jedi crap’ in his house again, I would be thrown out. I was taken out of school, isolated from anyone my own age and forced to stay at home with my mother. 

Over the years, I had forgotten what the book said. But that overwhelming sense of guilt I felt the first time I opened up the book, I never forgot. And it was starting to creep back in now. I knew even thinking about the Resistance was a bad thing. It had been drummed into my very soul at this point. 

I got up out of bed, deciding a hot drink would sooth my anxious stomach. It was quiet in the house, even the cleaning droid’s had powered down. I walked down the stairs, through our living room and into the kitchen. I flicked the light on and yelped as a man appeared in the corner. He quickly jumped over to me, dropping the bag in his hand and clamped a gloved hand over my mouth. I whimpered, screwing my eyes shut and began to cry. 

“Don’t kill me,” I whimpered, my heart was rattling against my chest.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” The man said calmly, his voice was soft and smooth, nearly opposite to the clear and proper Raelan accent. “I’m going to take my hand off your mouth now and you’re not going to scream. Understand?”  I nodded, the man slowly took his hand off my mouth and I opened my eyes. 

The man looked at me, studying me for a moment, then turned back to what he was doing before I disturbed him, rooting through cabinets and drawers. He was looking for something. 

I watched him for a little while longer, he wasn’t finding whatever he wanted and moved into another room. I stood still at my spot in the doorway. He wore a dark cloak, the hood over his head but the light of the city shone in and created a golden glow on what I could see of his face. High cheekbones, a hint of a beard along his chin. He had soft lips and a sharp nose too. His eyes were covered by shadow. Slowly, I began to realise. I recognised him. 

“Hey I know you,” I said, loud enough so he could hear me in the next room, my father’s study. 

“No you don’t,” He replied.

“You were at the market. You’re with the resistance,” I said the last few words hushed. 

“And if I was?” He poked his head around the doorframe, holding my father’s data-pad in his hands.

“I want to know about it,” I said, getting a little braver.

“About what?” 

“The resistance! What’s it like?” 

The man looked suspiciously at me, “Why would an Order sympathizer want to know about the resistance?” 

“I’m not a sympathizer,” I said carefully, “I’m... neutral,” 

“Hm, sure,” The man laughed quietly to himself, then disappeared back into the darkness of the study. 

“What are you looking for?” I asked.

“Who says I’m looking for anything?” He walked out of the study. 

“Why are you in my house then?” 

“Just checking it out,” The man said, gliding his hand under a bookshelf shelf. He was definitely looking for something. “I’m house hunting,” 

“You don’t look like you could afford this neighbourhood,” 

“What? Because I’m with the Resistance?” The man smirked, “Raela City is so judgemental,” 

“So you are with the Resistance?” I grinned, the man frowned realising he had admitted it. “If you tell me about it, I’ll tell you where whatever it is you’re looking for it,” 

“Why would a rich Raela City girl want to know about the Resistance?” He asked, stopping what he was doing to look at me.

“I’m curious,” 

“An Order kid ‘curious’ about the resistance is like red flag number one. Go back to bed and forget this ever happened. I’m sure you’ll have lovely dreams of blood and murder,” 

“I’m not a kid,” I protested, “And I’m not with the First Order, besides I don’t exactly have a choice either way,” 

“Oh you rich kids, you do make me laugh! I don’t have a choice!” He mocked, “Of course you do, that’s what it's all about,” The man laughed at me. I didn’t budge, wasn’t going to let an intruder make fun of me. He seemed to notice my stubbornness and sighed in defeat. “If you really want to know about the Resistance, come to the Golden Star tomorrow night,” 

“What’s that?” 

“You’ll work it out, kid,” He said, pulling the window open he had originally climbed through and stepping out onto the balcony. 

“I don’t even know your name,” I called after him, quickly following him to the window against all better judgement.

“Rafan,” Rafan said, jumping down from the balcony. I winced a little as he did; it was two storeys down. He landed, and ran off into the night. 

“Kyla?” My mother's sleep filled voice came from the hall. I quickly turned in a panic, covering the window with my body. “What are you doing? It’s late?” 

“I was thirsty,” I said quickly.

“I heard you talking to someone?” She looked around me, peering around the corner to the pantry. I shrugged.

“Just to myself, helps me think,” 

“OK sweetheart,” She didn’t believe me, but was too tired to fight about it, yawned and turned back around, “Just get to bed. Big day tomorrow,” 

“Goodnight,” I waved her off, and let out a steady breath as she turned back up the stairs. I looked back down to the street to see if Rafan was still there. He was long gone.

I shut the window, making sure to lock it this time and made myself a hot cup of tea. I took it back upstairs to my bedroom. I looked out my window, the lights of the city flickered in the rain. I grin grew on my face and I could barely contain the squeal of excitement that bubbled up inside me. I had met a Resistance fighter! In my home! And he was so handsome, oh my stars! I was going to meet him again tomorrow! 

The excitement was drowned by guilt quickly. If I went to the Golden Star tomorrow I would be betraying my family, everything my father stands for! How was I even meant to sneak out and find this place? I didn’t know much of the city really, I knew my route from my home to work and to the market but that was it. I’d never seen or even heard of the Golden Star! Maybe the man was just lying, maybe he wasn’t with the resistance at all and was really just an ordinary thief trying to manipulate me so I didn’t raise the alarm.

I sighed, pulled my covers up to my chin and curled up a little tighter. I had twenty-four hours to decide what to do. I had my brother’s presentation all day tomorrow. Would I even be back in time?

Eventually, I fell asleep just as the sun was rising.

--

“Good morning, Miss Olen. Time to wake up!” SAM, our housekeeping droid, announced as she marched into the room. A reprogrammed protocol droid, S.A.M had worked in our house for as long as I could remember. She was almost my third parent. She cooked for us, cleaned up after us, did our schedules, sent messages and received holograms. She had taken care of me and my brother when we were infants and taught us how to read and write before we started school. She also was my morning alarm.

“Good morning Sam,” I yawned and sat up in bed as the droid rolled across my room. 

“You have two hours before you depart for Lonam, do you need my assistance dressing today?” She continued, opening the curtains and the windows behind them.

“No Sam, thank you,” 

“The dress is pressed in your closet and breakfast is ready whenever you would like it,” 

“Thank you Sam,” 

I got out of bed, and over to my closet where I found the green silk dress pressed and hung neatly in the front. I smiled, it was a gorgeous dress. I pulled it down from the rail and pulled out a pair of black heels and put the two articles on. 

I pulled my hair from the tie that was now only loosely holding it in a ponytail and let the curls fall free. I kept my hair down, running some gel through my curly hair to keep them together. Then I put on my makeup, smoky and dark with a red lip. A tried and true look for the First Order but the green of my dress would make me stand out at least. I smiled into the mirror once my look was complete, I looked good. 

“Kyla! You look gorgeous, my dear,” My father said kindly as I entered the dining room.

“Thank you father,” I blushed. A compliment from my father was rare and meant a lot.

“It’s going to be a beautiful day, that will bring more people out for sure. All that rain last night had me worried,” My mother fussed, rushing with her bag between the dining room and the kitchen. 

“The transport has arrived sir,” Sam announced

“Brilliant, just on time,” My father checked his watch and smiled before standing up from the table. 

“Oh Kyla dear, don’t forget this,” My mother fussed. She pulled me to the side and pinned a heavy metal badge to my chest. “There, perfect.” 

I looked down at the object and saw a black and red first order emblem. My mother smiled proudly and kissed my cheek. Rafan was right, there was no way I could be neutral in this house, I was a walking advertisement for the Order. 

Together, my parents and I climbed into the transport and were flown away by the droid in the pilot’s seat to Lonam. 

Lonam was a small town, well hidden in a steep valley it was the perfect place for a core world's First Order presentation. Not that it really mattered to be particularly secretive on Raela as half of the senate where attending the event, it was more for public appearances to the outside galaxy. Raela couldn’t publicly be holding such events, especially not in the capitol. If anyone found out about this it could be marked off as a small anomaly event and nobody would think it was a rally of this importance. 

Not only was this a promotion presentation, it was also a rally for support. The First Order had been gaining traction rapidly, they were becoming a real threat to the New Republic and rumour had it that they were announcing something big today. 

Once we had arrived, we were taken swiftly to our seats. We were a few rows from the front. There were maybe a hundred people in attendance, some first order officers and many stormtroopers lined the outside of the arena. The promoted officers stood on stage all in the black and grey uniform. I spotted my brother at the front, my mother waved but was quickly stopped by my father’s stern gaze. 

The ceremony started, the Admiral stood and presented medals and we in the audience clapped politely. Then, he stood up to the podium to speak. 

“The Supreme Leader thanks you for attending today,” He spoke clearly and proudly, “The support for the Order from the people of Raela is greatly appreciated. We have a historic connection to this great planet and I am so proud to present the newest members of the First Order to you today. I am sure these young men and women will lead us into a brighter future. One where order is restored and the Empire shall reign once again,” The crowd cheered. “And as  many of you know, the Supreme Leader has ordered us to proceed into our next phase. No more will we lurk in the shadows! We are advancing our attack on the Republic and will destroy the Resistance!” The crowd cheered again. “That is why we are announcing our newest weapon. With the funds from Raela we are building… a star killer,” 

A large projection appeared behind the Admiral. A huge ball of metal, with a glowing circle in the centre. While it didn’t look like much, the name struck fear into me. Star Killer. They were going to blow up planets! Whole galaxies. The crowd around me clapped and hollered in celebration as the Admiral grinned and began to talk about the new base’s capabilities. My ears were ringing, I could barely hear anything. This was bad news for everyone! Why were they all celebrating? I could hardly imagine the destruction something so big could do. My mother noticed and jabbed me in the ribs to bring me back to reality. 

“Clap,” She hissed. 

“Sorry,” I lifted my head up and clapped with her. 

Eventually the Admiral and the following speakers finished and we were left to mingle and congratulate. We found my brother quickly, my father toasted him and proudly exclaimed for everyone to hear that Lin would be the next Admiral of the First Order. I rolled my eyes, he had barely become a Major, granted it was quickly but I doubted he would ever become Admiral, even with our father's help. 

I excused myself from the group surrounding my brother and wanted to find some food but was stopped by my mother. She grabbed my arm and turned in towards her. Not saying anything she smoothed down my hair and wiped the mascara from under my eye. 

“Mother, what are you doing,” I whined trying to get out of her grip.

“Armitage Hux?” My mother held my arm tight, forcing me to stay put. I winced but smiled politely as the ginger man in front of us turned around. 

“Sella Olen, what a pleasure to see you again,” The man smiled and took my mother's hand and kissed the back of it. He was tall and pale, his bright hair was striking, slicked back so perfect it barely looked real. He was dressed in the first order’s uniform, a new colonel badge shiny brightly on the arm. He was quite intimidating but made my mother blush and giggle with his action. I wanted to vomit. “And this must be your sister,” 

“Oh stop it,” My mother giggled as she teased him, “this is my daughter. Kyla,” 

“Lovely to meet you too,” He kissed my hand the same as my mother.  

“Well now I’ve introduced you two I must go, my husband’s talking to the Admiral and we all know how that went last time,” My mother and Hux laughed, obviously knowing something I didn’t and she left me alone with him. 

“Well done on your promotion,” I said politely. 

“Thank you, I’m on track for General now,” He boasted, “A few more months and I’ll be there for sure,” 

“I’m sure you will,” 

“You must send on my congratulations to your brother, an major after three months in the Order is very impressive,” He sounded entirely unimpressed. It wasn’t a very close kept secret that nepotism had helped my brother immensely in his promotions.

“I’ve been told he is very skilled,”

“Hm,” Hux hummed, the disdain was obvious and somehow made me like him just a little bit. 

“I wouldn’t be too worried about him. He’ll get high up the ranks but he won’t be any issue. He’s not exactly the leading type and I think if he came anywhere near your position my mother may just choose you over him,” I said with a light laugh, Hux laughed too. 

“I am not worried about him, dear,” Hux said through tight lips. 

“But he should be scared of you,” I finished his thought. Hux didn’t reply, but the sly smile on his face told me everything I needed to know. Lin would be in danger if he ever tried to cross this man, but for now he was complacent with the fact that Lin was still below him and my father did not have authority to promote his own son above Hux just yet. 

Luckily, my mother re-entered the conversation alongside my father, taking the conversation out of my hands. I stood by their side for a while as my father rather icily made conversation with Hux. I slipped away and went to find a quiet corner to relax in for a moment. 

As I sat by myself, I began to take in the event. I noticed the stormtroopers lining the area, there had to be nearly a hundred of them. The blasters in their hands were set ready. The large black flags, hung to the stage, starkly contrasted the lush green trees behind them. There was no hiding what was going on here. If the stormtroopers were not enough, the parade of black and grey uniforms which dotted the place certainly told you. This was the beginnings of a new Empire. The men and women here would be a part of that. I would be a part of that. 

My stomach twisted in on itself at the thought. I took a deep breath, I had to stop thinking like that. Luckily, a waiter with a tray full of alcohol walked past at that very moment. I stood up and stopped him, took two glasses and as he walked away, downed them both. The liquid stung as it went down my throat, making me wince and cough a little. But the effects were quickly felt and the knot in my stomach disappeared. I re-entered the party, this was what my life was. No use thinking otherwise. 

--

A few hours passed, we ate the lunch provided and everyone began to file out to the waiting transporters. My family climbed in one, and I began to relax a little. It was over. 

“So what do you think of Armitage, honey?” My mother said, cheerfully as we pulled away.

“Hm?” I wasn’t really listening, “Oh um he was nice,” I said trying to sound confident in my answer. 

“He would make a great husband for you, I think,” 

“Do you?” I asked, already bored by the conversation. We had had this conversation many times. In fact, Armitage was just the last in a long line of First Order members my mother wanted me to marry.

“She can’t marry that asshole,” Lin grumbled.

“Language,” My father scolded from behind his datapad.

“He’s going to be General, you know,” My mother added, as if that fact would make me instantly change my mind.

“So am I,” Lin whined.

“You’re her brother dear, that doesn’t matter,” My mother said. “Kyla, you need to really think about it. Your children could run the galaxy someday!” 

“I don’t know. I don’t think he really liked me,” I said honestly. He really didn’t seem interested in me at all.

“I should work out a dinner date for you two. This could be really good for us dear,” 

“Yes mother,” I sighed, there was no way out of that one and I would rather the conversation stopped before we could get any real details of this date.

“You’re father agrees, don’t you dear?” 

“Yes dear,” My father replied flatly, not looking up from his datapad. My mother smiled and took my hand. 

“Think about it, such cute little red head babies running around. Wouldn’t it just be delightful!” 

My brother frowned, mimicking being sick. I laughed, glad at least someone was on my side, even if it was only out of rivalry with the man in question. My mother scolded him but didn’t bring it up again for the remainder of the journey. 

I looked out the window, watching the scenery fly by. All this talk of the Order was making me think about Rafan’s offer. Let’s say I went for this Hux, married him. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to understand the other side a bit better. I barely knew anything about the Resistance, not many people on Raela did. I would only be conflicted, as long as I was curious. My fear would disappear when I realised that everyone was right all along. 

I decided at that moment that I would go to the Golden Star. If it turned out to be a trick then so be it, my point would be proven and I wouldn’t have to feel so guilty anymore for thinking about the Resistance.

--

Next Chapter ->

hmm what do you think? Should Kyla go to meet Rafan? Is he who he says he is at all? What do we think of Hux? Let me know!! 

tagging: @dracos-jedi-marvel @aliciaxglasgow @cajunquandary @brujademente @waatermelon-sugaar @anstarwar @this-cat-is-dea @seafrost-fangirl @grincheveryday @dindjarinsleftvambrace​

[sicprowl]

The Fell-Star P2.3

The Fell-Star Series

Previous     AO3

{Ashe's Log} //FORMAT - TEXT// {DATE: ERA2 Ethereal Moon, 1184}

....................................................................

//LOCATION: KITCHEN//

……………………………………………………….

                                 LOG2

Subject

Girl

The Alien stands at 164cm - or about 5’5”

Weight???

Name unknown

Biology yet to be explored - see Mercedes

Light green hair with matching eyes (they glow?? How??  Why?)

Found on an Empire ship inside a strange egg orb

sample being looked at by Annette - note: don’t forget to visit later

Has a strange connection with the Prince’s Lance

Possibly knows what they are? Creators?  Original owners?

Takes very long baths

Likes kissing   Mute??

……………………………………………………….

”Why’d you cross that last one out?”

Ashe looked like he was about to have a heart attack when Sylvain appeared over his shoulder.  He watched the shorter boy fumble with his tablet, nearly dropping it before the red head caught it.

“A-Ah!   Sylvain!”  He reached up for his device - but the communications officer merely held it higher, reading over the data with a curious quirk of his brow.  Ashe frowned, “Can I have my notes back please?"

Sylvain grunted and began swiping through screens.  “Wow.  You’re really taking this research thing seriously.”

“Of course I am!”  The shorter boy managed to snatch his tablet back and held it close to his chest.

“This is probably the biggest discovery in history!”

“Mmhmm…”

Ashe narrowed his eyes at him, disbelief clear on his face.  “How can you not be excited about this?  It’s an alien!  There’s an alien on our ship!"

“Oh, I care.”  Sylvain shrugged as he glanced elsewhere.

The conversation wasn’t appealing to him anymore, more focused on the array of food set out on the counter top of their small kitchen.  Some of it were from instant packets - disgusting alternatives to real food (cheap too).  Others were various dried meats, rice, beans, and generally things that wouldn’t go bad when stored properly on the ship.  Their group had always preferred real food over the process stuff - maybe it was a Faerghus thing?

“I care about there being another pretty girl onboard~”

Ashe balked, “Sylvain!”

He gave Ashe a cheeky grin and slung an arm over his shoulders.  The communications officer ignored how the freckle-kissed boy tensed up, knowing he was a little too polite to brush him away like the others.   “Look.  Things have gotten real tense around here lately - you can’t blame a guy for getting a little excited, can you?"

“T-That’s not-!!  She isn’t-!!!”  Ashe turned pink while the grip on his tablet went white, “You can’t be serious!!”

Sylvain ignored the boy’s sputtering attempts at reprimanding him in favor of tapping the device’s screen, “Don’t forget to add ‘green fingernails’."

He blinked, “Huh?”

“ ’Green fingernails.’ ”  Sylvain repeated, using his forefinger to write it down.  It came out sloppy and bigger then the other notes on the list, but the red head was satisfied to be of help.  “She’s got these layered, green colored nails.  I guess it is a small thing to notice.”

Ashe looked up at him, brow furrowed and questioning.  The older male shrugged again, not really wanting to go into detail about how he always noticed those kinds of things when it came to girls.  They liked it when you complimented their looks so of course Sylvain would zero in on anything with color or make-up.  Hair was a bit harder; the slightest change was considered new to some girls and it could get a little frustrating.

“Just look at her hands the next chance you get - you’ll see what I mean.”

Sylvain abandoned the confused boy for Ingrid who was busy putting out as much food as she could fit on their dinky, stainless steel counter.  Plopping onto a stool, Sylvain looked over the array of food and whistled.   “Nice buffet you got going there.”

Ingrid shot him a dirty look when he spun one of the plates, watching the grey sludge wiggle suspiciously like jello.  “Don’t you have some place else to be?”

He gave her a noncommittal grunt, eyes trained on a tray of Sweet Bun Trio only for Ingrid to slap his hand away the moment he reached for one.  “Hey…”

“Those aren’t for you,” Ingrid huffed, ever immune to his pout and charming good looks.

Sylvain crossed his legs and slouched against the counter, eyes now trained on the entrance to the kitchen. “Where is the lady of the hour?  I thought she was done with the bath?”

Ingrid paused, eyes suspicious as to how the red head knew their guest was done with using the bathroom.  She almost questioned it, almost.  But she doubted Sylvain would tell her the truth anyways.  She’ll just have to keep an eye on him for now.

“Mercedes and Annette are helping her get some clothes,” she continued to place out more food before taking a step back with a nod.  It seemed like a good variety, so surely there was something here for the alien girl to eat.  “She can’t walk around in His Highness’ cloak all day."

A grin creeped onto his face as his hand reached for a sweet bun, “I’m sure His Highness would disagree~.”

She slapped him away, “No one asked for your opinion, Sylvain.”

It was at this moment the door to the kitchen slid open to reveal Annette and Mercedes, both standing on either side of their strange guest and talking to her despite the alien seemingly not listening.  Sylvain sat up and blinked, his gaze sliding over her new outfit with apprehension. A black top and shorts, both with boob and stomach window.  A corset to hold up her large chest, a bulky accessory of a falling star laying nicely in the center.  He looked down and noted the knee high boots and lace stockings.

“Are you sure you don’t want my opinion?” Sylvain gawked - wondering just what in the seven layers of icy hell she had on.  And why was she wearing the coat like that?  Did she rip holes in the sleeves??  No, this was too much.  He had to say something.  The red head sat up, giving the outfit an incredulous wave.  “I’m not exactly a fashionista but-"

“Look here, Sylvain!!”  Whoa. Annette was not having it today.  “Girls are built differently then men, okay?!  While you guys can share shirts and pants because your planks, us women have curves of all shapes and sizes and it makes shopping really, REALLY hard!”

The communications expert gave a nervous laugh and raised his hands, “I surrender!  Please, have mercy!”

Annette fumed, having been ready to defend the horrible outfit with her life.   It’s not their fault the poor girl was curvy in all the right places!   They had so much trouble finding the right sizes that the alien had almost slipped out of sight after they spent thirty minutes looking for pants.  It also didn’t help that they were all tired from storming that ship, and the adrenaline of finding an alien was keeping them all from getting any sleep.

Sylvain let her cool off before asking another question, unable to keep his curiosity in check as he stared at the green haired girl.  “So, whose stockings are those~?”

To his surprise, it was Ingrid that blushed - her gaze suddenly focused on organizing a plate of cut vegetables.  Suddenly, he was seeing his childhood friend in a new light.

“The boots are mine,” Annette pointed out.  “So is the tie.  The pants and coat are Ingrids and the tops belong to Mercedes.”

Sylvain’s eyes were suddenly on the alien’s chest, grin growing wide at how much perkier it looked with that tight corset on.  Ingrid smacked him upside the head before he could formulate a snarky comment, effectively rattling his brain enough to make him see the error of his ways.

“Anyways,” the blond clapped her hands together while her voice held the same tone she had when flying the ship.  “Let’s get started!”

“O-Oh, wait!”   Ashe fiddled with his tablet a moment before rushing to Ingrid’s side.   He held up the device and a tiny red light appeared on the back as it started to record.  “This is the starship Blue Lion with Officers Ingrid, Sylvain, Annette, Mercedes and Ashe.  Log input number three - subject - Food.”

“All right, Ashe.”  Ingrid made sure the alien was watching as she gestured towards the freckle faced boy.  She then looked to the other two girls.  “Mercedes, Annette,  are you ready?"

“Yes!” Annette grinned, taking the alien’s arm and tugging her towards the counter next to Sylvain.  The girl paused, as if suddenly remembering something.  “O-Oh!  Here you go, Ingrid."

Sylvain raised a brow when Ingrid nodded back, only to repeat the scientist’s name again.  He couldn’t help but feel like he was missing something here…

Once they got the alien situated next to Sylvain, Mercedes and Annette quickly gathered around for a closer look.  They all waited, watching the mint haired girl stare back with a neutral look.  Mercedes touched the woman’s back, causing the alien to turn and look at her gentle expression.

“It’s okay,” Mercedes encouraged.  “You can have anything you like.”

The communications rested his chin on his hand, watching the display with mild curiosity as the green eyed woman continued on with her blank stare.  If he was going to be honest, her face was a bit creepy.  There was never a clear expression there and whatever face she did make was sometimes so subtle that it was impossible to read.  Sylvain couldn’t help but be reminded of a porcelain doll the more he stared.  Her face was both sharp and smooth; beautiful and pearly under the certain lighting, yet also gave off an eerie feeling of the unnatural.

Green eyes suddenly looked back at him, startling him out of his thoughts with giant, grassy green orbs.  Sylvain swallowed, wondering if she was going to kiss him like she’d done to Dimitri.  That wouldn’t be so bad. Her lips looked pretty soft too.  Probably still moist and warm from her long lounge in the tub.  He bet they tasted good too - something exotic and sweet~.

Sylvain felt disappointed when she looked away to look over the buffet, now finding the grey jello stuff more interesting then him.  He ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, wondering why he even bothered coming here if she was just going to ignore him.  Why did any of them bother?  It’s not like she was trying to communicate with them.  Just what were they even getting out of this?

He was pulled out of his thoughts again when Ashe gasped.  The young engineer moved in closer with his camera and kept his eyes trained on the alien girl’s fingers as she palmed a lemon.  There against the bright contrast of yellow, just as Sylvain said, were the alien’s green fingernails.  They weren’t smooth and rounded like human nails.  More so they were layered like worn seashells, ridged and almost sharp looking as they faded from dark jade to lime, like soft watercolors.

Sylvain grinned when the younger male suddenly looked at him with excitement, pointing to her nails and nodding as if they were sharing an inside joke.  He snorted,  I guess seeing Ashe act like this is kind of worth it…

But their smiles were short lived when the alien placed the fruit back down to stare at them once again - silent, blank, creepy.

Mercedes looked at the others with worry, “What do we do?  She doesn’t even look interested in the food.”

Annette hummed, “Do we have anything else she might like?”

“Everything else we have has to be cooked,” Ingrid turned towards one of the tall, steel panels lining the wall.  She laid her palm flat against the surface and watched as the grey panel slowly turn translucent.  On the other side of the glass were shelves hidden behind a cold mist and ice that bordered the edges in tiny fractals.  Each of these shelves was some of their more expensive kitchen items - frozen meats, drinks, emergency supplies, and even alcohol - all stored away for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, suicide missions.

A blue circle of light formed around Ingrid’s palm as the glass collected the data from her hand-print.   Just a split second later, a series of charts and numbers scrolled down the glass, making the blonde gasp and try to hide it with her body.  “D-Don’t look!!”

Sylvain’s eyes lit up with interest when he stood from his seat.  “Was that your weight?!  You eat way more then that!!”

“Sylvain!”  Ingrid stepped away from the panel when cool air hissed out around the edges. Thankfully her health charts were gone so she didn’t have to hide all that anymore (who’s bright idea was it to take that setting off private?).  The pilot pulled open the panel, cold mist puffing against her cheeks as she grabbed a packet of ground beef and a herring.

“Okay, which one of these-!!“ Ingrid jumped in surprise when the alien girl was suddenly at her side, her eyes wide and staring hard at the frozen fish.  “O-Oh!  Do you want this?” The woman was practically drooling when she snatched the fish out of poor Ingrid’s hands.  Ashe suddenly yelled at her to wait, but the alien had already chomped down on the fish’s middle before dropping the frozen creature in shock.   Mouth gaping and hands up as if she’d been burned, the woman looked around at them in confusion.  Sylvain couldn’t help but laugh while Ingrid hurriedly picked the herring up.

“L-Let’s thaw it out first and then you can eat it, okay?”

But the alien showed no signs of understanding, merely held her hands to her mouth to touch her wiggling pink tongue.

“At least we know she likes fish,” Annette giggled along with Ingrid who placed the herring in a device above the stove.  The blonde input a few numbers before starting the defroster and looking to the rest of the crew.  Her eyes landed on the medical expert with a curious look.

“Do you think we should cook it, Mercedes?”

“Oh,” the other woman frowned thoughtfully, “Well…Ingrid, it seemed she was ready to eat it whether it was cooked or not.”

“Good point, Mercedes."

“Okay,” Sylvain’s face screwed up as annoyance bubbled up in his chest.  “What are you guys doing??  Why are you repeating each other’s names???"

Ingrid quickly rounded on him, “Just butt out, Sylvain.”

“Yeah, Sylvain!”  Annette added with a huff, “Butt out!”

The red head looked between them with wide eyes and wondered if he was in some bizarre nightmare.  “S-Stop that!!”

Sylvain was thankful when the defroster finished with a ding, a puff of mist spilling out once it’s door popped open.  They waited as the cloud evaporated before them, revealing the same fish they’d put inside, except no longer frozen.  It’s scales shimmered beneath the device’s tiny spotlight like it was freshly caught from the lakes of Faerghus; a sight that didn’t go unnoticed by their alien friend as she sidled close.  Ingrid grabbed the animal by the tail and held it up with a thoughtful frown.

“So…should I just give it to her?”  The blonde looked around for an answer, “It just feels weird not to cook it.”

Annette shifted in place, finger on her chin as she ran through different case scenarios.  “Well…  We could avoid her getting sick if we do cook it.   So I guess there wouldn’t be any harm.”

“Good,” Ingrid looked relieved.  She wasn’t sure she could stomach watching someone eat a fish raw.  Then she looked at the herring and bit her lower lip.  “I don’t think I’ve ever cooked fish before…”

“Oh!  I can do it,”  Ashe lowered his tablet slightly, but made sure to keep it trained on the alien.  “My dad used to own a restaurant. I helped out a lot around the kitchen, even as a little kid.”

Mercedes blinked in surprise, “I didn’t know that about you!”

The boy blushed, “It’s nothing really.  I just have a little bit of experience, that's all.”

Ashe frowned as he looked at his tablet, wondering what to with it until Sylvain held out his hand.  “I’ll take it.  Can’t stop recording now, right?  For science or whatever?”

“Oh!  Thank you, Sylvain!”

The red head twitched, deciding not to comment on the emphasis on names again.  He adjusted the device until he had everyone in view before giving them a wave.  “Say extraterrestrial!”

“Can you please take this seriously?”  Ingrid huffed as Ashe grabbed an apron and a pan from one of the cabinets.

“I am being serious, Ingrid.” Sylvain gave her a cheeky grin, his camera hand following the alien girl as she walked around his childhood friend with eyes trained on the hanging fish.  “I’m making sure our viewers catch every captivating detail.”

“Well, you sure aren’t-AHHH!!!”

Everyone in the kitchen jumped in surprise, Ashe’s pan and spatula falling to the floor with a clatter, Mercedes and Annette gasping, and Sylvain jumping out of his seat as he caught it all on camera.  The alien had surged forward at the hanging fish, her mouth latching onto the creature’s gills with rows of sharp teeth.  Her head jerked back, making Ingrid recoil and drop it to cover her mouth in horror.  The mint haired girl grabbed the bottom of the fish and pulled hard, severing it’s head with the fervor of a wild beast before she swallowed it whole.

“Oh my!”

Ingrid covered her mouth and hid behind Mercedes, “I think I’m going to be sick…”

Soon the girl was tearing into the rest of the fish, her tiny, prickly teeth tearing at it’s scales for a brief moment before she reared her head back.  Ingrid choked back her nausea as they saw the alien’s throat bob as something seemed to move forward to grab a hold of her meal and pull it down.

“A-Are you getting this!?”  Ashe gasped while his eyes grew wide in wonder.

“Yeah,” Sylvain swallowed.  “Unfortunately…”

“This is amazing!  I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Sylvain glanced over at the gushing boy and wished he could be as happy about this as him.  Because this was just gross.

So very, very gross. ~~~ ♫ when you're down by the sea and an eel bites your knee that's a moray! ♫ ~~~

[kaibuntsu]

The Dragon of No Words - #1

Word count: 6102

A/N: Still just an introduction of Emrys and Avi. This series may or may not be slow burn-y, so I hope y’all have patience.

Also available on: My website | Wattpad

Divider credit: Freepik

     Give contacts, get contacted. Offer deals, haggle, make profit.

     Rinse and repeat…. For the next ten years….

     Emrys was eighteen when he took over the arms dealing department of his father’s large illegal sales empire. It was the most sought after of all the departments; firearms is and always will be popular, especially among people hungry for power. The buyers were hardly ever vary, but the goods he got his hands on and had the pleasure to sell, in the last three years at least, was always changing. The traditional firearms were starting to lose demands as the market’s interest shifted to a new, more mysterious weapons not of this world, or of the galaxy, for that matter.

     This day was an especially intriguing day. For the first time since the rise of its existence over a decade ago, his father finally got his hands on one of the latest weapon trends. He wasn’t even sure if calling it a weapon was appropriate. He had told Emrys to raise the price, “make them bid,” he’d told him. Emrys could only obey.

     His father brought the weapon himself, carrying it with one of his less distinct ships, but one of his fastest. The old coot was a modern pirate; his swashbuckling includes a lot of shooting rather than the more fantasized swordplay as depicted in films, but the loss of the fantasy charm made him more formidable in the eyes of both criminal syndicates and authorities alike. Emrys chose to stay away from sea life, claiming not having the strength to withstand seasickness, that’s why he stayed with the on-land arms dealing.

     “So where did you get it this time?” he asked his father, a ragged seventy-year-old that somehow was still standing straight. Despite being a foot shorter, the old man was more stocked than the lean musculature Emrys has.

     “An American cargo ship, authorized by the government!” he chortled, eyes gleaming as he watched the stolen cargo picked up by the crane. “But that’s not the best part! Look at this log.” He shoved a clear folder to his son’s chest with enough strength to make him grunt at the blunt impact to his chest.

     Emrys studied the folder briefly; it was almost filled to the brim, save for five empty slots. While waiting for the crane to lower the steel cargo, he scanned the files page by page. The first few pages were just permission slips and the like. The rest were the same: shipment logs with multiple entries, meaning whatever the weapon is had been shipped to multiple places before. Immediately, on the first file, he was dumbstruck. The first entry of shipment was almost eight years ago! Not only that, but the origin was not even from Earth!

     “Ainon Deis?! That’s—that’s not even from the same star system! Dad, how the fuck did you get your hands on this?”

     “Not easy, but I was just really lucky I got someone from the inside to help me.” Then he wrapped his wrinkly but muscled arm around his son. “My informant told me, boy, that this is apparently one of the special cases. And by ‘special’, I mean it’s wild, stubborn, hard to control, but the strength is promising. That’s why it keeps moving to different hands. ‘Cuz nobody wants it!”

     “Then why do you?” Emrys asked, now stricken with worry.

     “Because this guy can save my business. Look, kid,” this time he turned to look Emrys in the face, “I’ve lost millions of Euros because of these damn monsters keep popping up wherever my ‘shop’ is! You lost hundreds of thousands because your customers got eaten alive by those motherfuckers, didn’t you? We need a safety measure, kid! And this is it!”

     The cargo landed with a heavy metallic thud, sending violent rattles to Emrys’ bones. It was a regular-sized cargo, but judging from how it sounded when landed, it seemed like less than half of it was filled. The odd sound only increased his curiosity; he had only heard about it, he never expected it to be legit. He had never seen one before, not even his richest business rivals got their hands on one of these. At least, not that he was aware of.

     The subordinates unlocked and heaved the door open wide, the darkness inviting them to step inside. It was not completely dark inside, one lonely blue light shimmered in the middle of the cargo, coming through the glass of a smaller container. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be bolted tight to the bottom of the cargo. Emrys, his father—Eamon—and a few armed guards inched closer to the glowing container. The armed guards walked in first, flashlight pointed ahead, while the boss and his son followed closely behind. The older looked more excited than the younger.

     “Look at that, Emrys!” he wheezed, bubbling with glee. Eamon zoomed in on the glowing container, nodding to an unarmed subordinate who hurried to the console next to it. Emrys hesitantly followed his father’s footsteps, but his eyes could not help to marvel at the spectacle in front of him.

     The container was at least nine feet tall, standing upright. Tubes of some chemicals locked securely behind it with small hoses connected to the glowing container, presumably pumping the chemicals into mist sprays that occasionally spritzed out inside the tube every other few minutes. The most curious thing was what inside. It looked like a dragon—a dragon that was covered in black armor plating, with four swirling horn attachments on its head. Emrys wasn’t sure if that was just a really ornate helmet or actually a head. The teeth that slipped between the crevices on the long snout-like part of the head looked quite real. Even more questions rolling inside Emrys’ curly head; why hire a monster to fight off more monsters? That sounds very counterproductive.

     “Dad, I’m not so sure about this…” Emrys muttered. He wasn’t sure if giving him a monster would be such a great idea.

     “Psh, you’re worrying too much!” He then turned to the operator at the console. “Wake the thing up. Let’s welcome him to our company.”

      Emrys knew there was no arguing with his father. His best move was to step back as far away as possible from the glowing container as it creaked, squeaked, and hissed from the pressure loosening from its tight locks. The dragon-like creature started to stir and move its head, and the operator injected another chemical compound from a different tube into the container. He didn’t know what the other chemical was, but whatever it was, he could see that it made the monster even more awake. 

     “Dad, you do know how to contain this thing back, don’t you?” he called over, his concerned look growing worse and worse with every movement the monster made inside.

     “You’re gonna be fine!” Eamon shrugged off the blatant fear from his son, clearly he was more excited to see the monster awaken. He heard the rumbling growl emanating from inside the container, followed by loud metallic banging. The container started to dent, much to Emrys’ growing concern, and it soon was tore open by a pair of clawed hands. The dragon emerged out of its captivity.

     The all black creature panted, it had been sealed inside that blasted metal cage for god knows how long. Now that it was out of its captive, Eamon and his men inched closer surrounding it, and realized that the container wasn’t just huge for the sake of being huge; the creature it contained itself was massive too. Despite its glossy armor-like scales, big horns, long snout, spike-riddled back, and a long, wide tail that almost looked like that of a lobster, the figure of this creature was near humanoid from the way it stood upright on two strong legs. Its hands had four fingers instead of five and its tips were sharp and pointy, the polish quality on them slightly more doff than the glossy rest of the body.

     Eamon approached the monster closer, eyes continued to gleam over the majesty of its intimidating dark figure. “Emrys! What are you doing over there? Come and take a closer—” his sentence was cut as a large black hand gripped around his neck, its sharp claws digging dangerously deep into his skin, but not enough to suffocate the seventy-year-old modern pirate. Tension spiked high inside the cargo, Emrys took out a hand gun and the other men pointed their rifles at the monster choking their boss. Eamon himself fought in his captor’s hand, pulling a knife from the back of his belt and stabbed it right to the dragon’s face, only for the knife to break upon impact with its skin. While the knife did no harm to the dragon, it still agitated the creature, as bright, thin white lights flashed around the edges of its body and on its face, forming somewhat like a pair of ethereal unblinking eyes.

     “Let him go!” Emrys warned the monster, even though he saw no point in doing so. This beast probably had no idea of the human language. “Let him go, and I promise, we will not harm you!”

     “Just shoot already!” Eamon yelled, stirring startled reactions from his men.

     “No! It took your knife like it was nothing, bullets will just ricochet!”

     The dragon’s growling subdued to a quieter level than it was before, seemingly contemplating what Emrys had said, but still held Eamon on the neck with an iron grip. Whatever was running inside its head, Emrys certainly no longer felt a killing intent wafting off of its aura. In fact, it never seemed to feel like it wanted to kill. Just threaten and stir panic.

     This was a crazy idea, but the young arms dealer put his hand gun down on the floor and raised his hands next to his head. “Look, there, I won’t attack you.” He quickly motioned to the guardsmen surrounding the monster. “Guys, you too! Come on!”

      The others hesitated, but with more urging glare from Emrys, they finally obeyed. They slowly knelt down and put their rifles down, albeit apprehensively. However, their actions were interrupted with the sound of the sea gushing and crashing the harbor, even though this particular section of the harbor was protected from the sea current. Whatever made the waters wave could have only been a boat. It would have been an awfully quiet boat.

     The metal doors of the cargo groaned deafeningly as it was pulled and snapped apart from the body. Huge, slick, salamander-like bodies climbed out of the water and huddled around the cargo like flies to a carcass. They climbed and gnawed at the metal walls, trying to make new openings, until they noticed there was an easy entrance on the front. The people and the dragon were cornered.

     The first monster pulled itself forward and with its wet and slick body, it easily slid on the metal surface, making its way straight towards Emrys, its mouth opened wide to swallow him whole. Emrys bolted to the only way he could go, counting on his best survival assets: his legs. But even his speed could not outmatch a waterborne monster sliding on metallic surface. He didn’t want to look behind him. He didn’t want to look at how death appears before him.

      The dragon tossed its captive to the closest human in its throwing direction and long jumped towards Emrys and the monster chasing him, claws bared and ready to latch onto its next prey. It headed straight towards Emrys, he thought even the odd monster they freed wanted him dead, but his survival instinct still kicked in and forced him to slide underneath the black dragon. He watched the dragon pass above him, seeing its glowing edges becoming brighter as it opened its terrifying mouth. With a heavy screech, the dragon blew a long breath of cold air as if it kept dry ice in the back of its throat, causing the salamander monster to shriek and tried to slap away the cold. Closing its mouth, the dragon gave its opponent a roundhouse kick that sent it backwards, out of the cargo container. It took a deep breath and once more sprayed its opponent in intense cold air, freezing the water layers that coated the salamander monster instantly before freezing the skin and its insides.

     The opponent frozen solid, the dragon grabbed its mouth with both hands. It roared, unleashing its full arm power to rip the opponent monster into two uneven halves. One down, still a few more to go. The dragon looked around and roared and snapped its jaws at them, taunting them to come at it. The salamanders looked at it with confusion in their beady eyes and wide gaping mouth, but the more vicious ones soon avenged their largest one, hauling their bodies onto the dragon to squash and overwhelm it. The dragon was quick to move, however, catching one and then wrestle-throw the slimy monster onto its friends. He delivered boulder-breaking punches and kicks, sprayed ice breath, and other defensive moves without moving from his position. Soon, the salamanders realized that they could not win against this smaller but stronger dragon. It has elemental attack when they do not. One by one, they retreated into the sea from whence they came. The dragon huffed, cold misty breath puffed from the edge of its mouth. Good to see that these beasts know who’s the boss.

      With the threats gone, the tall black creature was finally able to let down its guard. Then, it realized, its knees wobbled, its muscles felt like rubber, and it collapsed to its knees. It panted heavily; the glowing around its edges disappeared, including its ethereal misty eyes, giving its face the blank eyeless look again. Watching it collapse in exhaustion, Emrys found himself courage to approach the creature. No longer did he feel threatened by its presence, and he was quite confident it will understand him.

     Emrys offered the black dragon a hand. “I owe you one,” he said, a wry smile on his face.

     The dragon took his arm, its claws retracted, becoming very similar to human hands except that they only had four fingers. It tried to push itself standing, but was interrupted with a loud, grumbling sound coming from its stomach. Both it and Emrys froze, the latter stared dumbfounded. The dragon whimpered as it stood upright, its other hand rubbed its toned stomach, trying to comfort the inner dragon in agony. Emrys found it hilarious, but he refrained from laughing.

     “If there’s a particular thing you want to eat, I can probably make it,” he said with a smirk on his face, his arms crossed.

     “What are you doing, cozying up with the thing? It doesn’t eat human food, does it?” Eamon groaned. He held the small punctures made when the dragon choked him earlier with a handkerchief. Behind him, the guardsmen followed with their rifles pointed once again towards the dragon. He yelped when he earned a snarl from the dragon, his hands quickly covering his neck to protect it, but he was saved by Emrys who stepped between his father and the dragon.

     “How do you know? This is the first time we’ve seen one of this guy’s kind,” Emrys argued. While he defended the dragon, his eyes studied its behavior.

     “These fucking monsters always eat people! The other one wanted to eat you, didn’t it? The only difference with this thing is that it listens to orders!”

     Eamon received another vicious snarl from the dragon, this time Emrys made less effort to intervene as he was more interested in studying the dragon. “Don’t think he appreciates being called a ‘thing’ or an ‘it’, Dad. You know, if the difference between this guy and the ones that almost ate me is that his kind can listen to orders, that means he’s intelligent. Which means, there’s a likelihood he won’t obey every order given to him.”

     The dragon pointed at Emrys and nodded. He said everything he wanted to say. Emrys understood him.

     And Eamon couldn’t believe it. “Are you kidding me?! I need someone who will listen and do what they’re told, no matter what. I don’t need a thing that thinks just like people!”

     Hearing the word ‘thing’ again, the dragon growled louder and loomed menacingly before the senior modern pirate, not afraid to bare his sharp teeth to emphasize the point that he could bite his head off as easily as biting cake pops. Once again, Emrys stepped between them, placing an assertive hand on the dragon’s shoulder. His look to his father was that of sass, his other hand tucked inside the pocket of his jeans.

     “See? He doesn’t like the word ‘thing’. Besides, what do you have to moan about? You said I needed a bodyguard, since I lost profits from losing my clients to monster buffet. Hell, you even stole him from an American government-owned ship for little ol’ me! This is the first time you’ve ever given me a present that’s actually pretty thoughtful.”

     Emrys glanced to his father, whose face was growing annoyed the longer he talked, and he relished it. He couldn’t help but continue grating his father’s ego, so he continued, “You know what? I actually owe you an apology, Dad. I thought having a monster as a bodyguard was a terrible idea, but now? It’s not that bad.” Emrys’ smirk continued to grow, much to his father’s further annoyance. He turned to look back at the dragon, whose face was unreadable due to his lack of normal eyes. “I said all that, but I forgot to even ask how you feel about it. What do you say? Work for me and I’ll take care of you.”

     The dragon crossed his arms and walked a few steps back to contemplate. Nobody could tell what sort of expression he might be putting, they can only guess from his gestures and the way his tail flapped and swished as he was thinking. Emrys thought maybe he needed to be more detailed with his proposal.

     “You’ll get paid handsomely,” he added. He meant to joke—because there is no way a monster needs money—but to everybody’s surprise, the dragon’s head perked up and he zipped back to shake Emrys’ hands in gratitude. The hand shake was no joke either; it was firm and full of energy, and his large maw was opened, displaying his terrifying rows of teeth, in what appeared like a gleeful smile. Old Irish tales his grandmother told him as a child spoke about dragons hoarding treasures, he never thought it would apply to real life humanoid dragons. “Well, looks like we have a deal.”

     “And then what are you going to do with…him?” Eamon spoke the pronoun with difficulty, as if swallowing an urchin whole, but it earned no hostility from the dragon, to his relief. “He’s homeless. He’s a, I don’t know, two-meter-tall ice-breathing dragon, how will you get him back?”

     Emrys scoffed. “I’ve smuggled a rocket launcher into my apartment before! I had to carry it alone! This guy can carry himself. It’s gonna be fine!”

     The elderly man could only sigh heavily and pinched his nose bridge. He groaned, “Keep him if you want. Just keep up with your work. And don’t pamper him too much.”

     “Oh, Pappy, you worry too much.” Emrys wrapped his arm around his father’s stocky shoulders, a shit-eating grin on his face.

     He probably shouldn’t have sassed his father.

     True, the dragon was able to have the awareness that he needed to sneak, but the problem lied outside of that. The creature was too damn big. Emrys’ apartment building was not the shabby, poor sort—quite the opposite, in fact—but it was an old building refurbished. The ceilings were still below eight feet high, so the dragon had to crouch slightly to accommodate his massive stature. It was like bringing a Clydesdale horse into the apartment. They were lucky it was nighttime and the street where this building was situated was still the old school district where shops close at seven, so the two could use the elevator without getting spotted. Emrys couldn’t do this during the day; the hall to the elevator faced the main entrance of the building. Next time, Emrys made a mental note, they should take the fire exit stairs on the back.

     Once arrived in his flat, the dragon finally could stretch to his full height. He sighed, the sound came out like a big dog’s whimper, relieved that he could finally relax in a safer environment. He walked around, mindful of his tail, exploring the new environment he will be spending his days in while Emrys was doing some housekeeping. The demanding rumble of the dragon’s stomach returned, interrupting his exploration. The dragon whimpered a little once more; if he didn’t eat soon, his body could cannibalize itself.

     Emrys chuckled and beckoned the dragon to follow him to the kitchen, where he proceeded to open the refrigerator. “I don’t know what you like, but I’m currently defrosting this ground beef. Do you eat raw?” he asked, rummaging through the refrigerator.

     The dragon shook his head and grunted an “uh-uh” in his growly dragon voice. He bent down slightly behind Emrys, he wanted to see for himself what the lord of the house has. Surprisingly, his fridge was brimming with ingredients, both meat and plant-based.

     “Alright, great. I was worried I will have to do a lot of cleaning to get the smell of raw meat off.” He poked the ground beef he had left to see if it had thawed enough, then took it out, along with some vegetables. “I’m planning to make meatloaf tonight, but it might take another hour.”

     The dragon grumbled; he couldn’t wait that long! He squatted next to Emrys, a bit too close as the human had to move aside slightly so as not to get poked by the spikes on his shoulder. He scanned the contents of the fridge, his nose helping as well, and he spotted a carton box in the back. It smelled like meat too. He pointed at the box, silently asking if Emrys could tell him what it was.

     “Oh, this?” he grabbed the box and opened it for the dragon to see. It was a bunch of fried chicken leftovers. Emrys paused to think; he didn’t remember ever making this—or buying this, for that matter. He never needed to buy this many fried chicken. “Yeah, you can have ’em if you want. I don’t even remember who put these in my fridge.” He handed the box to the dragon, who licked his rows of sharp teeth in anticipation. The dragon immediately picked one piece and stuff it into his mouth, loud crunching of bones being shattered and meat being ground echoing from inside his long black maw. “Probably from one of the guys…”

     The dragon ignored the host’s mumbling and continued to chow down the fried chicken. They were a bit hard from the days it was forgotten in the back of the fridge, but the dragon had a method. His biolights pulsed red, starting from his chest and dissipating in a wave, ending on his snout. Soft puff of steam misted through his teeth before he started to chew and crunch. The heat culminating in his mouth warmed up the stale chicken to a soft and easy to munch consistency, like a mini oven toaster. Emrys watched the continuous process with interest. It clicked to him.

     “Oh, so you can breathe fire!” he exclaimed. He found a new appreciation to this creature he just hired.

     While the dragon ate standing near the dining table, Emrys used the time to prepare for his meatloaf. He was immersed in his cooking, not even once paying attention to the dragon who was watching him. Two cutting boards were set, one for the meat and the other for the onion and herbs. Emrys worked on the onion quickly, demonstrating his knife play by chopping one big onion in mere seconds, fast enough that he was unaffected by the plant’s tear-inducing properties. The dragon finished his appetizer and could now watch Emrys preparing his meal like a professional chef. He walked over to him as the man slid the tin of meatloaf into the oven, spooking him in the process. Emrys had been so caught up with his meal preparation he failed to notice the eight feet tall monster looming next to him.

     “Y-you done with your food?” he asked, pretending like he wasn’t embarrassed at all to be spooked so easily. He was a professional illegal dealer, he should have more sense of caution. What would his father think of him, seeing him not noticing someone so large? He looked to the fast food container in the dragon’s hands and then pointed to the trash bin next to the sink. “Throw it over there. No littering in my home.”

      The dragon nodded and followed the host’s instruction, disposing the container to its final home. While he was preoccupied with bending half of his body down to crush the trash to the bottom of the bin, Emrys had the time to compose himself and think of other things to say to him. He was never the starter of a conversation; he normally relied on other people to start it for him. And while the dragon was able to understand what he says, he couldn’t exactly speak to hold a conversation with him. Yet, if this large being was to live in his apartment and work as his bodyguard, he needed to be able to establish a way to communicate with him.

     Speaking of which, he didn’t even have a way to address him. He didn’t intend to call him ‘dragon’ all the time. “Hey,” he called, turning to face him, “I don’t want to keep calling you ‘You’ or ‘Dragon’, so I’m wondering if you have a name I can call you or should I start browsing all of my novels for a good name to give you?”

     The spikes on the dragon’s back fluttered when Emrys asked for his name and his body language started to shuffle. His hands then started moving in a series of patterns, and it took a few seconds for Emrys to realize that the dragon was signing to him. Immediately, Emrys held his hands out.

     “Whoa! Hold on! You—you know sign language?”

     The dragon nodded and then gestured towards the human. Emrys quickly shook his head.

     “N-no, I can’t do that at all. Uh…try something else?” he suggested. Now he felt stupid; this creature—seemingly originated from outer space—could use sign language when he could not.

     The dragon turned around, like he was looking for something. He made a gesture with his hand, folding his fingers a certain way that was almost a closed fist except the tip of his thumb pressed against the next two fingers—just like how people would hold a pen or pencil. Understanding what he wanted, Emrys scrambled along, rushing next to his home phone to grab a piece of scrap paper and a pencil. The dragon took the items from Emrys and set them on the kitchen counter nearest to him.

     He took a moment to hold the pencil properly, he seemed to be marveling at how small and thin the pencil was, probably. With that eyeless face of his, Emrys could not be sure. His hand was shaking very slightly, but Emrys’ observant eyes were able to notice it. He looked from his hand and up to the dragon’s eyeless face. “Are you…okay?” he asked.

     It appeared like the dragon felt Emrys was getting concerned for him, so he nodded. He had been locked inside a small container, neither awake nor asleep, and unable to do anything but see blurry images outside the glass and hear muffled noises. Holding a pencil was the last thing his body remembered how to do without breaking the wood and graphite into pieces. Fighting his shaky hand, he lowered the pencil and started awkwardly scribbling letters.

     At first, Emrys was in awe that this ice-and-fire-breathing monster knew the Latin alphabet as he watched him scribbling a letter A. He refrained from commenting, waiting for him to finish writing. But with each letter written, it became less and less discernible. Even following his hand movement Emrys still couldn’t figure out the fourth letter and onward. It took him a solid ten minutes just trying to decipher the ancient runes given to him, which confused the dragon.

     “I’m sorry, but I don’t know any other foreign alphabets except those used in writing English, Gaelic, French, and German,” he sighed. The dragon huffed and put his hands on his hips, somewhat offended by the implication that he didn’t know how to write in Latin alphabets despite the the first three letters being clear enough for Emrys to understand. “Look, your handwriting is shitty, okay? I’m sorry. All I can read is Avi, and the rest is like Mandarin to me. I can tell you have a long name, but for the love of St. Patrick, I can’t decipher them.”

     The dragon, or Avi, according to the first three letters Emrys could read, grumbled and folded his arms. He didn’t stay grumpy long; he was aware of his initial problems when he held that pencil. He was just a little annoyed that he now had to find other ways to spell his full name. He left to the living room, looking for said other method, leaving Emrys free to make his salad while the meatloaf was cooking. A few minutes later, Avi returned with an old magazine and a paper glue that he found lying around on the coffee table in the living room. He made a V with his index and the odd middle-and-maybe-also-ring finger, then moved them in a snipping-like motion. Emrys simply paused from cutting a carrot and grabbed a pair of scissors from a drawer near him.

     By the time Avi was done with his arts and craft, Emrys had already finished dressing his salad and sat down on the chair next to the hulking dragon monster. He was impressed with his precision using the scissors; so much better than his use of pencil. He handed the same paper that he wrote his name on over to Emrys, showing him the new and more readable spelling of his name. During the time Emrys was busy preparing dinner, Avi had been cutting letters from different headlines in the magazine he took and arranged the letters to make his name. He set them in two rows: the first row was a long eight-lettered word ‘Avinashi’, while the second row was shorter—six letters—saying ‘Shirmi’.

     Emrys’ memory juggled back to the harbor, when Eamon handed him a shipment log for Avi’s container. The first entry was dated almost eight years ago, and its point of origin was from a planet called Ainon Deis. He met one or two people from that planet and none looked remotely close to his new bodyguard here. Unfortunately, his extraterrestrial knowledge was poor; he hardly ever had non-human clients, and those he saw were assistants or underlings of his clients. He didn’t even know if the people of Ainon Deis has a name for their species, like how Earth has humans.

     “So…Avinashi…Shirmi?” he pronounced the name carefully, looking up to its bearer for confirmation. “Did I say it right?”

     The dragon now identified as Avinashi gestured for him to say it one more time and quite satisfied with the man’s effort, Avinashi nodded, his wide tail flapped against the wooden flooring. His posture loosened, he slouched slightly, he looked more relieved. Maybe hearing someone saying his name after so long locked in that container made him happy.

     “It’s still quite a mouthful, though. Can I just call you ‘Avi’?” Emrys asked. Avinashi took a moment to reply, instead he just sat, seemingly frozen, while his eyeless face directed straight at Emrys’. He didn’t know if he will ever get used to this unreadable face. “Uh…is that too familiar? Are you the type who says everyone’s first name completely in your first year at work? I mean, nothing wrong with your name, it’s just…since we’ll be spending our time together a lot—what with you being my bodyguard—I prefer to have something short and quick to say. Y’know, in case of emergencies and I need to call you in a split second, all that jazz? You get it?”

     Avinashi exhaled, a low hum coming along with his breath. At last, he nodded and shrugged. It’s better than constantly being called ‘the thing’ all the time. Plus, his reasoning made sense. He was willing to accept his work condition.

     “Great! Looking forward to work with you, Avi.” The oven dinged just as he placed a welcoming pat on a scale plating on his shoulder, calling Emrys that the meatloaf was ready to serve. The smell of freshly cooked beef wafted throughout the kitchen and on to the dining room, making Avi’s mouth water. Watching Avi’s restrained excitement for a big meal made Emrys’ face glow, he couldn’t help but let his giddy smile get through his restraints a little. “Take this as your down payment until I strike a deal with my next client, alright?”

     “I hope you’re not allergic to dust, I didn’t have time to prepare and clean up the guest bedroom. I didn’t expect to have a roommate today, you see.” Emrys unlocked an ivory-colored door, leading into a room with a single bed, a desk, and small wardrobe. Avi entered while Emrys stayed by the door, watching the black-scaled monster studying his new living space. There was a decent sized window, with a simple white blinds currently rolled up.

     Avi turned to his new employer and nodded approvingly. Emrys placed the key of his room on the desk, entrusting it to his new flatmate. “My room is just across yours. My room has its own bathroom, but yours is at the end of the hallway. Hopefully, you’re not a scaredy cat who’s afraid of dark long hallways, because I turn every light off before I go to bed.”

     Avi nodded again, not minding the rules of his new home. He personally likes it dark, anyway, but he could not express that through words. Pleased that Avi had no qualms against his rules, Emrys departed for his own bedroom, leaving the dragon monster to his own devices and thoughts. He turned around to once again marvel at his new living space.

     His first room in years. A spacious place where he could easily spread his arms and legs. Even the bed looked decent, with sturdy iron frames. A light kick on the steely foot convinced Avi it was strong enough to carry his weight for about six hours or so every day. He finally could have a real sleep, not the limbo-like situation he was trapped in for almost eight years. However, before he lay down, he wanted to do one last thing he did not have a chance to do before.

     He inhaled deeply, relaxing himself, and then started to concentrate…really hard. So hard that his head throbbed, his body hunched, his bones tremble, and his growl crescendoed in intensity. The intense concentrated nerve pushing went on for a long five minutes. Tired of pushing out, he dropped to his knees, panting. He quickly brought his hands to his view. How was it?

     His hands were still the same black and scaly ones, complete with the retractable claws. With a snarl, he punched the floor, but not hard enough to break a plank. There were more pent up frustration in his chest, but in respect of his new home provided by his employer, he struggled not to vocalize said frustration. He let it flow slightly from the way the spikes on his back drooped and staring at the ceiling.

     At least, he got himself somewhere safe to sleep…

     At least, he can eat again…

     At least, he is free…

[krystisyaandwine]

I’m so excited to get to participate in the blog tour for Kiersten White’s latest novel in The Conqueror’s Saga, Now I Rise. I truly think that Lada is one of the most unique and captivating characters in YA, and she more than lived up to all my expectations once again!

Wine Pairing 

One of the many things I love about these books are the wonderful nods to the Dracula mythos woven throughout the story, so I paired Now I Rise with this Draculea Vlad the Impaler Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, not to mention the fact that Lada is one FIERCE, gender-swapped version of Vlad the Impaler.

 *All wine recommendations are strictly for those of legal drinking age only.*

About And I Darken

Title: AND I DARKEN

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: June 28, 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Format: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, audiobook

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Audible, TBD, Goodreads

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets. Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion. But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

About Now I Rise

Title: NOW I RISE

Author: Kiersten White

Pub. Date: Jume 27, 2017

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 496

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Audible,  Goodreads

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land. But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her.

What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission. Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

Now I Rise Review

AND I DARKEN was one of my favorite novels of 2016. I absolutely fell in love with the concept of a gender-swapped, anti-heroine take on Vlad the Impaler! That premise is, quite frankly, badass. And I found all the little nods to the Dracula mythos absolutely brilliant.

I was thrilled to get to read an early copy of NOW I RISE as part of the blog tour, and this book certainly did not disappoint. I am absolutely addicted to this series and fascinated by the evolution of both Lada and Radu’s characters.

This book spends a lot more time in Radu’s perspective than the previous book did, and it was so fascinating to observe his character arc throughout this novel and the struggles he is faced with in fitting in to his society, choosing sides between two warring nations despite split allegiances, and questioning his faith. I fell in love with Radu in book one and feel like he definitely stole the show in book two.

While I would have liked just a bit more of Lada’s perspective in this story, when we were in her POV, it was so fascinating watching her further develop into that iconic character of the Impaler. I love the fact that even though Kiersten White does show some of Lada’s more humanizing characteristics and weaknesses, she still absolutely reads like an anti-heroine. I feel like that is something that truly sets her character and this story apart.

The first book covered a very large expanse of time and seemed to stay in the MG age for a large portion of the story. This second book is more focused on a shorter period of time and really zeroes in on these characters during a YA age. Honestly, I enjoyed both equally. I feel like the pacing in the first was a bit faster, because of how much material it covered, while in NOW I RISE the pacing is a bit slower, but you really get a lot more detail about the characters, setting, and political machinations.

The amount of research that White puts into these books absolutely shines through the text. The historical events that White does feature in the story are immersive and feel like they could be very accurate representations of how things may have transpired.

There were also some really powerful scenes with Mehmed in this book. I won’t go into detail, so I can avoid spoilers, but his character is becoming more and more fascinating to me as the series progresses as well.

I cannot wait for the next book to come out already. I am so excited to see more of Lada’s character and where White takes this story from here.

About Kiersten White

Kiersten White is the NYT bestselling author of the Paranormalcy trilogy, the Mind Games series, Illusions of Fate, The Chaos of Stars, In the Shadows with artist Jim Di Bartolo, and the upcoming historical reimagining, And I Darken. She has one tall husband and three small children and lives near the ocean, where her life is perfectly normal. Visit her at http://www.kierstenwhite.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Enter the Giveaway

3 Winners will receive a finished copy of NOW I RISE, US Only.

  Follow the Blog Tour!

Thanks to Rockstar Book Tours for hosting this tour for Now I Rise! Be sure to check out their site and the other amazing posts on this tour!

Week One:

6/19/2017- Bookfever– Excerpt

6/20/2017- Lisa Loves Literature– Review

6/21/2017- Two Chicks on Books– Interview

6/22/2017- Fiktshun– Review

6/23/2017- Carina’s Books– Review

Week Two:

6/26/2017- Dazzled by Books– Review

6/27/2017- Books and Things– Review

6/28/2017- Rattle the Stars– Review

6/29/2017- YABC– Review

6/30/2017- Once Upon A Twilight– Review

Week Three:

7/3/2017- Adventures of a Book Junkie– Interview

7/4/2017- Seeing Double In Neverland– Review

7/5/2017- Fiction Fare– Review

7/6/2017- YA and Wine– Review

7/7/2017- Little Red’s Reviews– Review

Did you read And I Darken? Have you gotten a chance to start Now I Rise just yet? Who are some of your favorite female characters in YA lit that don’t conform to traditional gender roles?

Follow us online for more YA and Wine!   

NOW I RISE Review and Giveaway! I'm so excited to get to participate in the blog tour for Kiersten White's latest novel in The Conqueror's Saga, 

[joementa]

Week Of June 12, 2017.

Here is a list of some of the music I’ve been listening to the past week.  Format: musician – album title, or musician – “song title” (album title).

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – The Nashville Sound

Fleet Foxes – Crack-Up

Royal Blood – How Did We Get So Dark?

Mark Lanegan Band – Gargoyle

Katy Perry – Witness

The Killers – “The Man”

Lady Gaga – “The Cure”

Justin Townes Earle – Kids In The Street

Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band – Olympiastadion, Helsinki, FI 7/31/12

The Pretenders – Packed!

The Killers – Hot Fuss

The Killers – Sam’s Town

The Killers – “Runaways” (Battle Born)

Prince – 4Ever

James Brown – Revolution Of The Mind: Live At the Apollo, Volume 3

Iron & Wine – Archives Series Volume 3

Some really great albums were released this week, and I think you need to listen to both of them as soon as you can.  Royal Blood is a rockin’ band, and I love their new album How Did We Get So Dark?  And both The Nashville Sound by Jason Isbell and Crack-Up by the Fleet Foxes are great albums, and are even better on vinyl.  I think you are doing both albums a severe disservice if you don’t get them on vinyl. The Nashville Sound finds Jason Isbell doing what he always does – writing great songs.  The topics are a little different here compared with his past couple albums (in my opinion), but they don’t suffer.  And there are some real rockers here.  DO NOT miss “Hope the High Road”.  Wow. What a rocker!  And the album is just stunning on vinyl.  The packaging is fantastic and of course it sounds really great.

Then we have the latest Fleet Foxes album Crack-Up.  Again, you need to get this on vinyl.  It sounds incredible, and there are some liner notes in here that you just need to have. If you are listening to it digitally, you don’t get the line notes (at least not in a traditional way), and for this album, you want to have them.  I think they are essential materials to go along with the music itself. I’m still digesting the album – I’ve only listened to it one time – but there are definitely some themes that run throughout the album.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I consider this a concept album after I spend some more time with it.  Go to your nearest record store as soon as you can, and buy both The Nashville Sound and Crack-Up on vinyl.  You will not regret it.  

Radiohead is celebrating the 20th anniversary of OK Computer with an extra disc of b-sides and 3 unreleased songs, due to be released on July 7.  Rolling Stone recently published a pretty interest article about the making of the album. You can read that article right here: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/exclusive-thom-yorke-and-radiohead-on-ok-computer-w484570.  I really like Radiohead, but I wouldn’t say I’m very familiar with OK Computer.  So I’m really looking forward to this reissue, and to spending some more time with the album.

Iron & Wine is one of my favorite musicians.  Last summer, he made a great album with Jesca Hoop, called Love Letter For Fire.  If you didn’t listen to it, you should.  It was one of my favorite albums of last year.  Unfortunately I made a mistake and decided to skip their tour last summer. Why, you might ask?  I have no clue.  I don’t remember what I did the night of their local show, which means I should have gone to their show.  Consider that a lesson learned.  Because Iron & Wine has a new album coming out on August 25, called Beast Epic.  I haven’t heard anything from the album yet, but I can’t imagine it will be anything but beautiful.  The pre-order info is right here.  The deluxe LP comes with 5 bonus songs not available on the album-proper.  You know what’s even more awesome?  He’s doing a tour!  And like I said, I’ve learned my lesson.  I will not be missing this tour.  The tour dates are right here, and I think all of the shows are on sale already. I’ve already got my ticket.  John Moreland is opening the show that I’m going to. He’s an incredible songwriter, and singer, too.  John Moreland and Iron & Wine in one show.  Now that’s a great bill!

Another musician I really love is Damien Jurado.  He’s doing a 50 state tour, with a focus on playing intimate locations, not just traditional music venues.  The first two states will be Ohio and Indiana.  Below are the dates for these two states.  I’ve even included a link to buy tickets for each of the shows.  See how easy I’ve made this for you?  If you will be in the area for any of these shows, I highly encourage that you go.

6/14 – Vandalia, OH - Warehouse 4 Coffee (tix)

6/15 – Cincinnati, OH - Woodward Theatre (tix)

6/16 – Newark, OH - The Ballroom at Thirty One West (tix)

6/17 – Canton, OH - Deli (tix)

6/18 – Youngstown, OH - Historian Records Co. (tix)

6/18 – Akron, OH - Gestalt Artist Collective @ HiveMind (tix)

6/20 – Indianapolis, IN - Indy Alliance Church (tix)

6/22 – Griffith, IN - Space Revival (tix)

6/23 – South Bend, IN - Langlab (tix)

6/24 – Fort Wayne, IN - The Brass Rail (tix)

You can go here to listen to Damien Jurado talk about this project.  http://t.ymlp116.com/bmjhaiaebeyjapabuuatauhysw/click.php

Here’s his full statement on the project:

"It started as a dream as I drove past so many neighborhoods and towns on my way the "major market." I have watched our choice to connect to the experience in front of us dwindle away, only to be replaced with connection to a screen. We are told what is success, sold what is the "it" thing, and fed what people think we should know. It's not that any of those are bad, but on their own, they are nothing. We are nothing without the connection to one another. We are blessed to live in a beautiful world FULL of incredible people. If that isn't worth getting together and celebrating, I don't know what is. Join me in celebrating our country and the things that not only make us the same but also the beauty of our differences."

If you’ve never seen him live before, you’re really missing out.  He has such a beautiful voice, and his songs are incredible.  Check out his song “Museum Of Flight”.

After the great shows last weekend, I’ve been on a huge Killers kick this week.  It’s been really exciting, because I feel like they’re kick-starting my summer.  They also just announced a new album, called Wonderful Wonderful, due later this year, and also released a new song this week called “The Man.”  I’ve listened to it many times already, and will continue to do so.  

I recently read a really interesting article in the New Yorker about the label XL Recordings. You should check it out – the link to the article is right here.  They’re a really cool label that’s doing a lot of good things with music.  Also, they have a poster in their main office with this AWESOME message on it.  How perfect is this?!

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/05/15/richard-russells-xl-recordings-empire

“There is a proper procedure for taking advantage of any investment. Music, for example. Buying music is an investment. To get the maximum you must LISTEN TO IT FOR THE FIRST TIME UNDER OPTIMUM CONDITIONS. Not in your car or on a portable player through a headset. Take it home. Get rid of all distractions, (even her or him). Turn off your cell phone. Turn off everything that rings or beeps or rattles or whistles. Make yourself comfortable. Play your CD. LISTEN all the way through. Think about what you got. Think about who would appreciate this investment. Decide if there is someone to share this with. Turn it on again. Enjoy Yourself.”

The first leg of my summer shows is coming to a close, and I only had one show this past week. However, it was a great one.  I went to see Bob Dylan at the beautiful Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY.  I’ve wanted to get to that venue before, but the scheduling never worked. I’m so glad I finally got there, because it is one of the best venues for a show.  It’s very old and charming, and it’s a true theatre.  Make sure you get there sometime.  You won’t regret it.  And Port Chester has some really great restaurants within walking distance of the venue.  

Dylan’s show was great. Despite not saying a word to the audience, I could tell he was having a great time.  He was smiling throughout the night, and during the Sinatra/American Standards, he was dancing and shimmying and swaying across the stage. He was having fun.  I’ve seen Dylan many times, and it’s not unusual for him to not say anything to the audience.  I don’t think he’s a man of many extra words.  I saw an interview with another musician once, and although I’m forgetting his name, he was talking about touring with Dylan.  He saw Dylan backstage and asked him what he’d been up to lately.  Dylan looked at him warmly, said “traveling”, and continued on his way.  I love that story!

Watching Dylan always makes me think of my musical heroes from when I was a kid.  All of them started putting out music way before I was born, and most of them are no longer alive – Hank Williams, John Lennon, Elvis, Bob Marley.  I wasn’t able to see them.  Dylan, though, is one of the few that are still alive and kicking, and still making great music.  Go and check out one of his shows some time.  You won’t regret it.  His band is incredible.  Check out Charlie Sexton’s guitar leads.  Or Donnie Herron, who plays beautiful pedal steel and also plays so sweetly on the violin. Or the drummer, George Receli.  He gets a great sound!  Check out his playing on “Pay In Blood”.  So good!  They’re like a real jazz band.  Not necessarily the genre, but the approach.  The group is the music.  That’s how jazz musicians approach music.  Dylan’s band does the same thing.  Dylan’s a legend that I get to see each year.  That’s very special.

Speaking of Dylan, did you listen to his speech where he accepted his Nobel Prize for Literature? If not, you can listen to it right here. I think it’s pretty interesting that some are accusing him of lifting some of his speech from the SparkNotes to Moby Dick.  If it’s true, I’m not sure why it’s very surprising.  Who would turn to something like SparkNotes to get inspired for a speech about Literature?  Bob Dylan, that’s who.