#Island drop splash center climb water slide

[allsonsinc]

Summer is the time of the year when everyone is eager to dive into refreshing activities. As the sun shines brightly, there's nothing more exhilarating than plunging down a water slide, feeling the rush of water, and splashing into a pool.

[indigo--montoya]

"Press erase, ignore the shrill alarms See the way the deep-sea diver falls into the mermaid's arms"

(from "Erase" by They Might Be Giants)

Thanks for the prompt! I had fun with it

The Phantom of the Opera shortfic is on ao3

The merperson and scientist thing is here and on ao3 for those who prefer to read on there. Thank you @insomniacblonde for reading over it!

The warrior speeds through the water, swimming against the crowd toward the center of the city. The ultrasound alarms shiver through the water, high-pitched enough to set their teeth on edge. 

They reach the center of the city quickly. Around them, the water is empty. The city is quiet, still but for the kelp swaying in the current. There aren't even many fish left, most of them having followed the merrow away. 

Overhead, there are several large shadows, quickly coming closer. There's a much smaller one, only a dinghy, resting almost directly above one of the taller rock spires. 

And a two-legged figure climbing towards it. The cause of the alarm. Gotcha. 

It only takes a few seconds for the warrior to catch up. The diver startles when they grab their arm, thrashing wildly till they turn and see the warrior. 

The markings on their wetsuit and their short, deep-water-dark hair are familiar. It's the scientist. 

The warrior glares. Traitor. You led them right to us. I knew we couldn't trust you. 

The scientist starts to move, to sign something maybe, but the warrior grabs them again, this time around the waist, pinning their arms to their sides. 

You're coming with me. 

The scientist doesn't bother struggling. Above them, a rowboat splashes into the water. 

By the time the first diver reaches the city a few minutes later, the warrior is almost to the cave entrance under the island. Several dark twists and turns later, they reach a particular cave where sunlight streams in through a hole in the ceiling. 

The warrior surfaces, heaving the scientist up onto the sandy ledge. The tide is high enough that it's not too difficult, but it still pushes them under the water. When they resurface they grip the smooth stone edge with both webbed hands. 

The scientist tears their oxygen mask off, already talking. Their voice is indistinct and distant through the warrior's angry haze. 

"You led them right to us," the warrior hisses. "You and your friends. We could have all been killed or captured. Poked and prodded and dissected for your scientists to learn things we already know!" 

The scientist scrambles back as they speak, fear in their eyes. They trip over their flippers. Their oxygen tank hits the back of the cave with a clang as they fall.  

"Come back over here!" 

The scientist tilts their chin up, considering. "No." 

"What do you mean no, you fucking bastard!" 

The scientist slides down the wall to sit on the ground, removing their oxygen tank as they do so. They set it down, scooting a bit further back. "I'm not coming over there when you look like you're going to kill me." 

The warrior drops back down into the water and swims far enough away to make the jump onto the ledge. They land partly on top of the scientist's flippers– not the most comfortable landing, but they can easily ignore the plastic and stones digging into their skin. The scientist flattens themself against the wall as best they can. 

"Do you think," the warrior says, grabbing the scientist's legs and pulling them down to the floor to pin them in place and drag themself closer, "that I can't kill you just as well over here?" 

The scientist attempts to scuttle away unsuccessfully, still trying to disappear into the wall. 

The warrior plants their hands on either side of the scientist's head, baring their teeth. "Answer me!" 

The scientist opens their mouth, but no sound comes out. They're shaking. 

The warrior softens their tone and draws back slightly. "Well?" 

"N-no," the scientist whispers, closing their eyes tightly. "I don't. You could snap my neck right now and there'd be nothing I could do." They don't look so afraid anymore– they're still shaking, but their face is tense and resigned. Bracing for death. 

"You're right. I could," the warrior says, moving their hands to the cave floor. "But I'm not going to." 

The scientist's eyes snap open. "What?" 

The warrior turns the scientist's wrist so the underside is exposed and covers it with their hand. "Not yet, anyway." 

"Oh. Alright then." The scientist relaxes fractionally. Their wrist is warm and their pulse is quick. "What do you need from me?" 

"Information. Who are they, how many, what do they know." 

The scientist nods, relaxing a bit more. "I'll answer what I can. They're the navy, I'm not sure how many but it looked like at least two battleships, five research vessels, and three carriers. They know where the city is, and a little about your people. I'm not sure exactly what or how much." 

"Why not?" 

The scientist blinks, raising an eyebrow. 

"Why don't you know how much they know." 

The scientist looks down, shamefaced. "They drugged me," they confess, flushing red. "I wouldn't talk sober. I can't remember much of what I said, just that I was rubbish for locations– I've never been good with directions and whatever they did to me didn't help. I think the only location I gave them was the city." 

It might be an act, the warrior reminds themself. The scientist could be lying. They could have been lying about everything. 

"What were you doing in the city unescorted?" 

The scientist looks up. "Setting off the alarm? To warn you?" 

"You… weren't leading them to us? Or trying to convince the queen to meet with them like your friend was?" 

"He's not my friend," the scientist snaps. "He's my boss, and I hate him." Their pulse is steady under the warrior's fingertips. 

"Hmm." The warrior tilts their head to one side. "What do you know about the ship designs?" 

It takes a while for the warrior to finish questioning the scientist. When they're done talking, the warrior knows every likely weak spot and, more importantly, has a plan. In return, the scientist knows that their friends, including the crown princess, are safely out of the city. 

The scientist catches their arm as they turn to go. "Wait. You're going to come back for me, right?" 

"If I can. If I'm alive to." The warrior pauses. "The cave wall there, below the opening. It should be climbable. If you need to." 

The scientist shakes their head rapidly. "No. No, I won't need to. You'll be fine, you'll make it back, you'll get me out of here. This'll be over soon. You'll be fine." 

The warrior meets their eyes. "I hope so." 

And with that, they dive beneath the waves. 

[aloysiavirgata]

Hot prompt: Mulder washes Scully's back.

And also for @fashionbooksboozefeminism who asked about 40th birthdays on the run. NSFW

***

Night, cash, Sonia and James. Mulder leads her down the faded carpet and wood-paneled halls of the old Poconos resort, nearly empty nine days past Valentine’s. Everything they own that isn’t in their bag is in the car outside. They stop in front of room 314.

Scully, a bobbed brunette in yoga pants and a hoodie, slouches against the wall. “If this turns out to be a reboot of The Shining, Mulder, I’m going to be really pissed.”

He works the key into the scuffed lock. “The Haunted Murder package wasn’t in my budget, don’t worry.”

They head inside, Mulder shutting the door behind them. The room is a perfectly preserved 70’s time capsule, amber-hued with shag carpet and velour club chairs. There’s a zigzag bedspread and a macramé plant hanger with a dusty silk fern on it.

“Groovy.” Mulder sets their duffel on the floor.

“Wow,” Scully says, peering around. Her mother would have killed for this room back when she hosted fondue parties and wore hostess pajamas. “Mulder, I feel like I’m in high school again. I’m going to need some blue eyeshadow, then we can play a few rounds of Mystery Date.”

Mulder examines a small porcelain shepherdess on the lamp stand. “Forty is the new sixteen. Go look around the corner.”

Scully picks her way past the walnut dresser and a floral folding screen. A yelp of laughter escapes her. “Mulder!”

The tub is glossy and red, heart shaped, with veined mirrored walls behind. It’s piled with bubbles, steam rising from the surface. A bottle of something called Sham-Pagne sits on the tiled rim. Her chest squeezes at the thought of him putting this together. She’s been remote since the New Year, prickly and self-contained as a spore.

He appears behind her, grinning. “James. Only the classiest for you, Sonia.”

She sits on the ledge, pats the bubbles with curious fingers. “Champagne glasses would have been classy, James.”

Mulder studies the bottle. “It’s got a screw top, so I think this is more a red Solo cup affair. Or straight from the bottle.“

Their joys are very small these days and she clings to them. “It’s absolutely awful, I love it.”

Mulder, beaming, squeezes her shoulder. “Go ahead and get in, I wanted it all ready for you so you could relax right off the bat.”

Scully stands, her back to the large mirrors. She undresses quickly, trying not to catch her reflection in the small mirror over the sink. She doesn’t want to see her choppy dark hair, the purple smudges under her eyes, her sallow skin and WalMart lingerie. A year and nine months and each glance at her reflection feels like watching a Dana who dropped out of med school to follow a band or wait tables at a truck stop. But she can’t tell her not to do it, she can’t wish it all away, it’s just... she is not suited for life in the bardo.

She climbs over the wide ledge, into one of the curves of the heart, and lowers herself into the bath. The steaming water is decadent after so many cramped showers, and this immersion feels baptismal. Perhaps she can come out fully cleansed, grocery store dye gone, Aphrodite on a bed of foam. The bubbles come up past her chin, making her sneeze. 

Mulder sits next to her, opening the wine. “Oh, whoa, whoa, she's a lady,” he sings, holding the bottle like a microphone.

Scully scowls at him from the tub. “No need for that, thank you.”

“Tom Jones, Scully!”

She puffs bubbles at him, and they stick to his shirt. “Do you have any cups?”

“I was serious about the bottle, I think.” He passes it to her.

She takes a long swig. It’s sickly sweet and too fizzy. She could easily finish it herself. “Get in.”

He looks surprised. “Really?”

“It’s my birthday, you have to do what I say.” Another swallow.

He’s already undressing. “No, no, I don’t mind. I just figured you’d want to marinate alone.”

Mulder, never self conscious, has no concerns about the mirrors. He gets in the other bend of the heart and water overflows onto the carpet. “Oops.”

Scully, already buzzy, passes him the wine.

He takes a long drink, winces. “Good lord.”

“Mm,” she agrees, settling low in the water. It seeps up her chin length hair, making a sleek dark cap around her face.

Mulder puts the bottle down and fishes around in a wicker basket. He retrieves a pink pouf and a tiny bottle of cherry blossom body wash. “Scoot over here.”

She hunches into the corner. “No I’m comfable. ComFORTable.”

Mulder laughs. “How hard did you hit that bottle?” He reaches around to take her by the shoulders and pull her through the water until she’s settled between his knees like a cranky mermaid. He squeezes a pearly dollop of soap on the pouf and begins to wash her back.

“This is soapy water already,” she observes.

“Well, it so happens I just like touching you, so don’t be pedantic.”

She lets her head fall forward as he makes circles on her back, tries not to feel embarrassed about her bony spine and the furrowed landscape of her ribs. She hasn’t been this thin since the cancer hollowed her out, and she never let him see her this way back then.

Back then.

“Got you a little cake, it’s in the fridge,” Mulder says, like he can read her thoughts again.

“Maybe I’ll save you a piece,” she replies. She wants to be cheery for him, a brave little sailor. The body wash makes her think of spring in DC and she sniffs at it.

He drops the pouf to massage her slick skin with his hands. They’re a little calloused now from the kind of rough work he was never bred for. He works his thumbs beneath her scapulae and she wonders if he can unfurl them like wings, let her fly away.

She takes another gulp of wine. “Mulder.”

“Hmm?” His fingers knead her neck, each tight trapezius.

Scully turns in the water to face him, catches a flash of her reflection as she does. Her hair is kelpy, the heavy black eyeliner she wears now smudged about her eyes like Theda Bara.

She kneels between his bent knees. “Nothing.”

Mulder sighs. “I didn’t want it like this either.” He holds his arms out and she rests against his chest. The water sloshes gently around them as he enfolds her, his heart thrumming at her cheek. She imagines this is what the last moments in the womb are like.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbles into the wet dark of his body. “This is a really good present.”

His hands are skating over her back again with a washcloth this time. The texture feels good, centering her back into her bones. Sometimes she feels adrift from herself, dissociated, following her own body like a kite.

Mulder strokes her hair and she burrows her face up into his neck, her forearms pressed against his chest. She hopes he won’t sing Happy Birthday like he used to because it will undo her.

He doesn’t, just nuzzles in, whispering sweet nonsense into her ear. “I love you,” he says, in a voice like hot tea on a cold morning. He nibbles her unadorned earlobe.

Scully, who hasn’t wanted sex in over a month (or has it been two?), who has barely wanted to be touched, feels her body stirring. She turns her head, her earlobe chilled, and catches his lips with her own. She tugs at his longish hair, wanting to absorb him and his infinite love and his careworn soul. She nips his tongue.

His response against her thigh is instant and, bless him, he apologizes like a teenager on prom night. All this time and he’s still such a gentleman it might break her heart.

She pulls back, takes his face in her hands. How she loves his face, his autumn woods eyes and his mouth like a Botticelli angel. “Look at me,” she says.

He does, worry in his gaze. “Scully, it’s fine, I know y-“

“Shut up,” she says, with aching fondness. “Please shut up.” She thumbs his bottom lip.

He furrows his brow, uncertain.

Scully lets her legs float up off the bottom of the tub, twists so that she’s straddling his lap, her arms about his neck. “It’s my birthday. You have to do what I say.”

He swallows, still watching her. “As you wish.”

Scully tips her hips forward and he’s inside her, hot and hard and familiar.

Mulder’s eyes close and he murmurs some wordless hindbrain prayer.

There’s almost no leverage, but he’s holding her hips as she rotates them, groaning when she tightens her pelvic floor. She’s wrapped in warmth from the inside out, liquid heat, her breasts crushed to his chest. Water splashes to the floor.

Mulder slides his hands up so that his thumbs are at her waist, his fingers spanning her back. She sighs and leans into the brace of him, her chin tipped up.

He takes her left nipple into his mouth and her shoulders roll back, hands trailing in the water. She exhales hard through her nose. A memory comes to her, Mulder in the tub in Rhode Island, and she recalls even then the fierceness of the unnameable thing she felt for him. Love is such an inadequate word for this.

He’s slowly taken over their rhythm now, pulling her down harder, and she falls away into the dopamine surge. Panting now, belly dipping and rising. Tingling at her sacral spine.

Scully groans in disappointment when he turns his head from her breast. Her areola contracts in the cold, and Mulder runs a hand from her throat to the hot junction of their bodies. She is not long disappointed.

She sees then that he’s looking at the mirror wall, watching, and she’s afraid to do the same but cannot help her curiosity.

Her arched body is a full sail, held up by the mast of Mulder’s arm, rising and falling on an unquiet sea. Even with the glass veined and fogged she sees the slackness of desire in her mouth, her dilated eyes.

In the mirror, Mulder’s eyes are on hers, the face of a mystic in ecstasy. In the mirror she watches his jaw clench and his head roll back. Watches him grind his hips up into hers. He calls out to her god.

She’s dazed, visually overloaded. Scully leans forward to his neck again, biting at it as his fingers continue their steady work between her thighs. The hand that was on her back is on her ass now, and gripping hard.

“You liked watching,” he says at her temple and it isn’t a question, just an observation, but somehow the intimacy of him knowing it trips her over the edge. She’s lightning-struck after so long, her nerves overfiring, and she shudders back into his arms, gulping air.

He traces endless figure eights on her back, or maybe they’re infinity signs. He tells her about a raccoon he saw in the bakery parking lot, eating an entire raisin bread by itself. “It hissed at me when I got out of the car, Scully, and I don’t even like raisins.”

“You’re so brave,” she says. “Just to get my cake.”

“I’d fight a raccoon for you any day.”

When the water gets cold they emerge, ectoplasmic wafts of bubbles trailing behind them to the bed. They can shower later.

Scully, chilly now, wraps herself in the bedspread. She sits cross-legged on the bed like a wise old oracle. “Where’s my cake, please?”

Mulder opens the mini fridge and removes a perfect miniature birthday cake, sprinkles and fudge frosting and a vivid maraschino cherry. She might not save him a piece after all.

He brings her the cake and two plastic forks. A small white box.

“Mulder!” she exclaims. “I thought this was my present, I hope you didn’t really get me anything else.”

He sits next to her on the bed and rubs her back through the heavy comforter. Clears his throat. “It’s, um, it’s not from me, actually. I didn’t just run into a raccoon at the bakery.”

She looks at him in utter bewilderment. “What are you talking about?”

“Open it.”

A strange fear creeps over her as she fumbles with the tape holding the lid on the box. Her fingers are clumsy, numb, but she gets it off at last. Inside is a cheap cell phone, a burner. There’s a Post-It stuck to the front.

“Many happy returns of the day, Scully.

- Walter Skinner”

[talesofsea-index]

Bali Tour Service And Tourism Activities In Bali

When traveling to Bali for a holiday, it is never a case of what are you going to find to do on your vacation, however rather what number of weeks vacation can you take to get pleasure from all that Bali has to supply. Many people think of seashores and white sand when considering of Bali and affiliate is a being mainly a seaside holiday. Although there are various resorts alongside the beachfront to calm down at, this is solely a small part of all the Bali excursions and actions available. There are very few accommodations and resorts in Bali that won't have both in house tours of Bali or be able to prepare some tour by way of an unbiased tour company for you to get pleasure from.

With so many activities obtainable it is tough to choose the perfect to advocate, however based mostly on the popularity of the next these appear to be the most exciting issues to do when considering one of many many Bali excursions accessible.

Recommended Bali Water Activities

Bali Marine Walk

Have you ever all the time wanted to experience the ocean floor, the garden underneath water that's teaming with marine life filled with brilliant colors and gorgeous fish, however have been afraid to dive or usually are not a particularly great swimmer? Then this can be a must for you to try out once you go to Bali. This is a revolutionary diving system which you could experience even when you can’t swim; all you want to have the ability to do is stroll. The concept behind it is extremely simple; an open ended helmet permits the wearer to stroll on the ocean mattress by just placing it over their head. There may be an inbuilt defogging mechanism that stops the front “window” from becoming steamed up. There's a hose which is related to the scuba tanks permitting free motion whereas playing with the fish and feeding them out of your hand. That is actually a must do exercise when visiting Bali. Marine walk have their very own boat that can take you to Lembongan Island where you may take pleasure in a day exploring the depths of the ocean.

White Water Rafting

Bali Journey Rafting gives a five star service that's renowned because the safest family rafting company in Bali. Age just isn't an element with this firm, youngsters from as younger as 5 have been rafting down the Ayung River. The expertise is exhilarating and the views are breathtaking. The tour is on a stretch of river 8 kilometers long and contains 27 class II and sophistication III rapids wandering by way of unspoiled rain forests, towering gorges and sculptured rice fields. All the guides are professionally trained and have tons of expertise to pilot the rafts by means of some dramatic drops, waterfalls and rivers making your white water expertise protected however awesome.

The entire trip will last roughly one and a half hours, relying on how fast the river is flowing. At the end of the journey there are hot showers and altering rooms for you to refresh in, adopted by a scorching gourmand buffet at a personal restaurant with views of majestic mountains and rice fields. The distinctive services and having the longest course on the island has attracted Hollywood celebrities like Claudia Schiffer, Jean-Claude Van Damme and David Copperfield. Access is fairly simple, solely an hour’s drive from nearly all of the resorts in the south of Bali.

Waterbom Park

Waterbom Park is positioned within the resort village of Kuta; it is a large 4 hectares in size with tropical vegetation making up the amazing panorama. World class water slides are located throughout the park and are obviously the main attraction, however are many other recreational services located inside the large grounds. You might have the choice of dong some wall climbing, water volley ball, bungee jumping, and getting blasted with the water blaster. For the more relaxing vacationer, the park offers a spa, many swimming pools to chill out in, the Wantilan Restaurant has a swim up bar facility, or just watching the kids enjoy the Kiddies Park. This park is run by an Australian concern and the safety standards are exceptionally excessive. There is a strict maintenance regime as well as supervision from licensed lifeguards which might be consistently on responsibility allowing mother and father to let their youngsters splash away with none worries.

Advisable Inland Activities

Bali Quad Discovery Tours

One of many oldest mountain villages of Bali, Payangan, is home to Bali Quad and buggy discovery excursions. The amenities are only 15 kilometers south of Kintamani on the slopes of mount Batur near Ayung river valley. The tour is thru very isolated countryside, the place you'll not come across other vacationers whereas driving your personal 4 wheel quad bike. The groups are restricted to six to be able to not make an excessive amount of of a disruption to the locals and to ensure that guides are able to give private help. Groups are divided according to skill level, not essentially age, however if you wish to have your personal group composed of individuals of all talent ranges then that may be arranged. The one requirement that's wanted is that you just be in good physical form as the terrain may be very demanding.

Kintamani Volcano Tour

It is a highly regarded tour in Bali as it wanders by way of many various areas of the Bali countryside allowing you to experience the diversity of Balinese culture and ends up with you standing on the sting of the crater of mount Batur. Among the places and actions that are visited and experienced on the way is the well-known Barong Dance located in Batubulan, the village of Celuk famend for its silver and goldsmiths, the talented village of Mas with their exquisite wooden carvings, the cultural capital of Bali, Ubud that's overflowing with cultural activities and beautiful art work.

Elephant Safari Park Tour

The Elephant Safari Park situated in Taro, Tegallalang is a must do for all visitors that come to Bali as it is the only complete elephant safari expertise on this planet. The unique park is the house to the only Mammoth Skeleton in South East Asia and is acclaimed as the world’s best elephant park that's set in a picturesque tropical setting. In between using, sightseeing, hand feeding, touching them, taking images with them, you possibly can study their ancestry and diversity on the huge historic and graphic displays that the park has. The parks amenities additionally embrace a reception and data heart, a complete museum with many elephant memorabilia.

Overlooking a powerful lake is the restaurant that is able to maintain over 200 people and has a unbelievable worldwide menu making it ideally suited not only for a go to, but is an ideal location to carry a marriage or other occasion. The gift shop has an incredible array of elephant themed items that embody work, ivory (watch out when buying this, make sure that it won't be confiscated at your individual international locations airport), wood and carvings, clothes and plenty of different souvenirs.

Regardless that the park may be very tourist orientated the primary purpose of the park is the safety of those elephants that have all been rescued because of the deforestation that's occurring in Southern and Central Sumatra and this park has change into a sanctuary for this endangered and guarded species. Elephants are very clever creatures and at certain instances of the day there are displays of the elephant’s capabilities including portray. The park is nice for all types of vacationers and will probably be a spotlight of your Bali excursions. As a customer you will be able to the touch and hand feed the elephants, watch as they playfully bathtub within the huge lakes, have private photos taken with you driving on the elephants, witness the intelligence of these giant however light creatures and study their historical past, facts about them and the concerns for his or her future. The park additionally provides mini rides for the kids.

Bali Paragliding Journey

Bali has a mountain chain that stretches throughout the island giving paragliding lovers spectacular views and a wide range of totally different locations to launch from. The preferred locations are , Timbis, Gunung Payung, Mount Batur and Candi Dasa.

Timbis

Bali’s hottest flight zone and training center is positioned right here, close to the spectacular Bali Cliff resort. The rugged cliffs, white seashores, clear blue seas, Hindu temples and crashing waves over the coral reefs make this the perfect spot to learn how to paraglide. There are facilities for food and drinks in case you prefer just to calm down and watch the more adventurous vacationers jump off the cliffs. After your flight there are Balinese employees who will pack your canopy away simply as you need it.

Gunung Payung

East of Timbis, maybe 15 minutes drive, Gunung Payung presents a launch area for the extra experienced paraglider as at high tide there isn't any backside landing and you'll have to soar and steer your approach eastward to avoid crashing in the water.

Mount Batur. Mount Batur is an active smoldering volcano with four craters at an elevation of 1,717m which final erupted in 2000. There isn't any better place to get your coronary heart pumping before takeoff, and in case you are fortunate sufficient to not get bombarded with showering lava, the view is breathtaking. Mount Batur is positioned in Kintamani, north of Ubud.

Candi Dasa

Candi Dasa has a small take off area and due to this fact top touchdown will not be doable, the positioning is a 250m high ridge. The thermals are superior right here and it is often attainable to achieve cloud base, 600-750 meters. The stroll to take off from the black sand backside landing seashore is 20-30 minutes relying on how fit you're. There are Balinese porters in the event you want assistance.

There are a lot of trusted car rental in Bali with driver in addition to tour service who will in a position to drive visitors or vacationers to those attention-grabbing spots.

[hottestthingalive]

Fake title prompt: Cotton Candy Clouds

Don’t worry about it! Let’s do this...

-Cotton Candy Skies gives me fluff vibes (i mean... duh) but it also makes me think of the beach, because I live near a beach, and when it’s close to sunset on a beach that is opposite where the sun sets, you get pink and blue clouds that I’ve called “cotton candy sky” for years. 

-LAMP? LAMP. Maybe with bonus platonic DRLAMP? Approved. 

-How four strangers twist in and out of each other’s lives, always finding each other on a beach, close to nightfall, surrounded by cotton candy skies. 

-It starts when they are children. The beach is large, and there are many houses nearby, especially summer ones. 

-The beach is not especially popular, though: more rock than sand, waters too grey and shells too sharp. There are other beaches nearby, too, a walk or a short drive away, with shining waters and soft sand that faces the sunset instead of the moonrise. 

-But the children like the beach, like the wild waters that seem to tug at their feet and the rocks which shine every color of the rainbow when wet but turn grey as they dry and the way the trees protect from the worst of the sun. There is a sea wall formed of boulders that protects the houses on the cliffs above from the sea, and grey-white stairs that have metal railings they like to slide down, no matter how dangerous it is. 

-Roman’s family is visiting for the summer, renting a house near the beach. His parents prefer the sunnier sands, but the houses near them are taken, and they are admittedly rather neglectful: they trust Roman and his brother, Remus, to take care of each other when they beg to go down among the rocks and grey-blue sea instead of the white beaches and blue skies their parents favor. 

-Logan’s family actually lives here, year-round, full time residents. They trust him to go down alone, too, but not out of neglect: his mother and sister joke he was born swimming, call him their little fish. (“No brains,” his sister teases, and they all know she is joking if only because she taps the book Logan is reading as he says it, “must be our little jellyfish, then.” He protests, but he reads about jellyfish, that night, and they become his favorite animal.)

-Lots of Patton’s family works on the island that bears their beach, his grandmother and his great uncle’s houses close on the cliff, surrounded by wildflowers. Every year, all the relatives come to stay in the big house on the cliff by the sea in the summers, and he and his parents are no exception. Patton wakes up early to pick blueberries and tomatoes from the garden with his grandmother, knows where all the best wild raspberries and blackberries are, and because there is always someone from his family sitting on the small patch of land that is atop the wall made of boulders and cliff that protects from the sea, he and all the cousins are free to tears down the grey-white steps to the sand and sea below, knowing they are guarded by eyes far above. 

-Virgil’s brother gets a job in one of the tourist shops near the other beach, the one reached by a quick walk by land or by going across the sand and cutting through a hiking trail. His other sibling has a job selling hot dogs and other foodstuffs. They are full-time residents, too, but they live closer to the center of the island, his older siblings taking Virgil with them when they drive to their jobs each day. Virgil tells them he hates the overcrowded one they work at, sobbing, and Remy and Andy exchange looks, for their parents have tasked them with taking care of their brother for the long summer. Eventually, Remy begins parking the car near the cliff and the seawall instead of the white sands, brings Virgil to the rocky beach with a picnic blanket and a promise to cut across the hiking trail to see them if he needs anything. Virgil loves this other, smaller, beach, though, and Andy and Remy get used to seeing their kid brother return to the car with the picnic basket and stones and shells in his pockets and stories of snails and crabs and birds. 

-And then they meet. 

-Roman is alone that day, Remus cooped up in the house because he has been grounded for putting his pet crabs in the bathtub, and he has forgotten both his lunch and any money. 

-It is Logan he meets first, early in the morning, because he finds Logan studying the snails, and asks questions which the other child is all too happy to answer. And then there is Patton, for it is the very beginning of summer and he and his parents were the first to the house surrounded by wildflowers, so he has no cousins to play with, and he is not used to being alone, so he introduces himself to the two other boys who are chattering excitedly about the shelled creatures sitting in Logan’s cupped hands. And then Logan walks up to the little boy who sits alone perched atop one of the rocks, a picnic basket beside him and his legs swinging in the air as he looks out across the beach. “Hello,” says Logan, “we need one more player for hide and seek.” 

-And thus there are the four of them, Logan and Patton and Roman and Virgil, children who have befriended each other in the simplest of ways, such as all children do, simply by questions and loneliness and smiles. Roman has forgotten his lunch and Patton’s is still up at the house, but Logan and Virgil have both packed lunches and are willing to share. They wade in the surf together, Patton giggling as Logan tugs him underwater and Virgil defending Roman from the same treatment with a splash of seawater that hits Logan directly in the eyes (glasses left safe on the shore). The end of the day comes, and they all climb the grey-white stairs, running to their homes or cars, respectfully, promising to see each other again. 

-There are indeed other days: Remus becomes one of their friends, too, Roman’s twin brother who tells the scariest stories but is also always kind, and comes up with the best games. There’s Janus, too, one of Patton’s many cousins, who doesn’t trust them at first and lies through his teeth, but opens up eventually and turns out to have sass to match Roman and Virgil, who’s intelligent and always has candy in his pockets. Patton brings his newfound friends to have lunch in the house among the wildflowers, Virgil leads them to the other beach to have lunch at the shop his sibling Andy works at, Logan shows them the best places to find shells and where the sand is sticky enough to suck off your shoes, Janus charms the adults into sleepovers and trips, Remus manages to find something new and special practically every day, and Roman weaves them worlds of krakens and deserts and witches. 

-And there are other summers, too, and children who write each other letters and call and text during winters and find each other in the heat with smiles and laughter and copious amounts of sand in their hair. 

-It is Virgil, unexpectedly, who coins the name of cotton candy skies, who sits with the others on the rocks closest to the shore one night (all of them prepared for a sleepover at Logan’s home) and looks up, and points to the pink and blue fluff that dots the sky. 

-“It’s cotton candy,” he says, eyes wide and solemn in a way he will never quite grow out of. “A cotton candy sky.”

-They watch the moonrise that night, and Remus drags the others out of bed early to see the sunrise, too. All six of them will remember that, however, and the next summer, Patton points at similarly colored clouds in the moments before sunset. This becomes a tradition. 

-They grow up, as children do. Virgil and Logan attend the same high school, on the little island, and Roman and Remus do the same on the mainland. Janus and Patton are each alone, but they live close to one another, and see each other practically every weekend. During their high school years, Andy and Remy have left their jobs, but now Virgil works at a small bookshop in town, one Logan tends to frequent, and when Remus comes to visit, he gets a job at the same food place Andy had worked at. They are older and occasionally wiser, then, but still friends, and the skies of pink and blue remain. 

-Most of them go to college. Roman drops out in his second year but is charismatic and a genuinely brilliant actor and starts getting work in the entertainment industry despite it. 

-Logan becomes a marine biologist, surprising absolutely no one, and wins a gold metal for swimming in the Olympics, surprising all (except, perhaps, for five not-quite-children anymore who remember a boy called little jellyfish by his sister, who swam faster than the tide.)  

-Patton starts studying plants, and majors in botany. He works at a plant nursery, and loves it. 

-Remus majors in art, sculpture, specifically, and his pieces become well-known, his most famous a statue he has simply titled Kraken. If he bases it after his brother’s long ago stories, well, that’s for him to know. 

-Janus finds himself at the same university as Remus through happy coincidence. He studies mathematics and business, a double major, and he’s immediately tapped for one of the largest corporations in the country when he leaves school. By then, he and Remus are already engaged. 

-Virgil attends college, too, and receives a psychology degree he will never use. He returns to the island, to the book shop, and when he eventually inherits the place it is no surprise. 

-They have fallen out of touch, over these long years of growing up, but the not-quite-blue water and rock sand and grey-white stairs and cotton candy skies remain in their memories. And is it any wonder, really, when Roman returns to the island for a vacation, when Patton takes time off to visit his grandmother in the house surrounded by wildflowers, when Logan visits his mother and sister and eventually begins looking into houses nearby? And when Virgil, who has always been there, tending to the books, walks over to the beach one night just before the sun sets, the same night Roman and Patton and Logan all do the same, is it really a shock? 

-And so they find each other on the beach, again. And just in time, too, for they are all invited to Remus and Janus’ wedding a few months later, and Roman finds himself buying a house which he will eventually share with them all, Patton looking into opening a plant shop on the island, Logan getting a job at a lab studying the local marine life, Virgil moving from his tiny, cramped apartment above the bookshop to a house on the cliff overlooking their beach that the four of them all share. 

-Much later, they will have a marriage (of sorts, for Virgil has never gone for “ridiculous, out-dated pageantry” and none of them really care so long as they are together) on this beach they met on so long ago. Their families and friends will attend, save for Roman and Remus’ parents, who have been cut out of their lives and rightfully so, and if Patton nearly ruins his suit by tugging his lovers into the water with him right after they are married, that’s just love, isn’t it? 

-Remus and Janus come for nearly every holiday, and eventually move to this island they love, too. 

-And so six children find themselves and each other under cotton candy skies, and though they meet as children do, with questions and loneliness and smiles, by the end of their lives they are never really lonely again. (The questions and smiles remain, however, and so do the happiness and laughter and love they find along the way.)

-The end. 

I loved writing that!!! It was very, very fun! I apologize for any mistakes (didn’t proofread or edit this) and hope you enjoyed. 

Send me a fake fic title and I’ll tell you what I’d write for it!

[greatshell-rider]

16. wet, rotting leaves (sensory prompts)

Jerry paced cautiously around the tree, shortsword in one hand, buckler in the other. His headlamp provided a thin stream of orange light to illuminate the marshy waters that surrounded the tree’s island, and he swept his head back and forth to drive the headlight’s beam into the nearest shades. They skittered out of the way before the light could hit them, retreating from clawing at his trouser legs and the tree’s roots. Yet another group creeping closer forced Jerry to keep moving, allowing those behind him to return. Their claws slid through the wet, rotting leaves that caked the island with a distinct slurried-slop sound—small noises, but kin to thunder in this suffocated night.

The tree creaked worriedly, branches swaying as it leaned away from a shade that dared to swipe at a strip of moss on a low-hanging branch.

“Hey!” Jerry barked, slashing sword and beam of light alike at its skeletal form. It dodged the light, but blade met shadestuff with a sound like a bowl of jello slapped with all the gusto of an overly drunk uncle. Sparks of blue lightning zipped up the length of the shortsword, shocking Jerry’s fingers and nearly making him drop the blade in pain. The shade fared worse, however, its skin hissing and smoking where the edge had cut into it, and it let out a shriek shriller than wheels skidding on pavement as it flung itself off the tiny island into the shadows of the murky water. The splash it made was very loud in the sudden silence of its fellows.

Jerry swore softly, passing the shortsword to his other hand as he flexed his zapped fingers. “Sunmetal is highly conductive to shadestuff’s pent-up energy, apparently,” he muttered, holding his hand up to the headlamp to examine his fingernails, which were cracked all the way to the cuticles, the surrounding skin scorched black.

“Lani is not going to shut up about this,” he sighed, pressing his damaged hand to the trunk of the tree. He felt the tree strain, push, but nothing happened. Its branches waved sadly in apology, and Jerry gave its bark a pat before grabbing the shortsword’s hilt once more and swinging it low at the shades creeping close, warding them back. “It’s fine, friend,” he told the tree, giving up on pacing around the island’s perimeter and putting his back to the tree’s trunk. “I know your regeneration was running low. Selfish of me, really.”

He could almost imagine the tree’s response, in the whisper of its rustling leaves. Selfish? No . . . when acting in my defense? No . . . you are truly . . . a friend.

Jerry smiled, the orange light of the headlamp wavering as its battery ran low. “That’s a nice thought,” he murmured, planting his feet solidly in the carpet of moldy leaves as he braced himself for the shades’ final rush. They waited now, huddling just outside the narrow corridor of light, and once that small hallway collapsed, they would attack as one. The tree shuddered, roots and branches drawing in as shades brushed light claws along its bark. It pressed against Jerry, branches wrapping over him like a thousand sinewy arms woven around his shoulders in a cloak of leaves and spiderwebs.

The headlamp light stuttered again, blinking one last tattoo of despair. Jerry felt fangs on seams of his boots, tiny sharp points digging into the threads and beginning to pick and tear.

“A nice thought,” he whispered, settling buckler and sword defensively before him, “to act for someone else. To be . . . true.”

Like . . . one of your knights, the tree murmured. Or so Jerry could imagine.

The battery died, the orange beam of light disappearing. In a single intake of breath, the shades lunged forward—and Jerry, firmly stanced in mulch and wrapped in the leafy crown of the tree’s embrace, turned and drove his blade into the tree’s trunk right as the shades fell upon it, their claws and fangs ripping into the bark in starved frenzy.

The tree gasped, and that Jerry heard clearly. He fell to his knees, the entire island buckling as the tree reflexively clenched its roots in a fist of pain and shock, but gritted his teeth, twisting the shortsword deeper into the wood. Shades climbed up his body but didn’t attack him, instead running down his arms to claw madly at the cut he’d made, ripping chunks of the weakened bark away to expose the softer woods underneath.

What, the tree shook, agonized branches thrashing and beating at the shades, are you . . . doing?

Jerry grimaced as a branch slapped at the back of his head, ignoring the tree’s question as he dropped the buckler to grip the shortsword two-handed and, throwing his whole weight behind it, thrust the sunmetal blade to the tree’s very center, slicing past veins of corewood to pierce the heart itself.

Abruptly, the tree went still. Every branch, leaf, and root stood rigid and brittle.

My . . . knight? it whispered.

“Your friend,” Jerry confirmed in a growl, and with a twist of the sword, tore the tree’s heart free from its chamber and yanked it out into the air. He held it aloft, the ragged lump of wood dripping sap down the blade and onto his arm, and the shades chattered triumphantly, running an excited circle around him—some digging deeper into the gaping wound in the tree’s trunk to feast delightedly on the innards—before diving under the waters to go report to their master.

Once they were all gone, Jerry lowered the shortsword so the heart hovered an inch off the ground. Now that it was done, he was exhausted. His legs trembled from the effort of keeping him upright, his shoulders ached from the wrestle to reach the tree’s core, and his shadestuff-damaged hand stung nastily. Wearily, he looked at the tree, now slumped and stiff. When he touched a finger to a branch close to his head, the wood crumbled silently into papery splinters that piled at his feet.

“Such a magnificent being,” said a voice sympathetically behind him. “Especially to have survived the extinction of its species for so long.”

Jerry silently extended the impaled heart to his sister, rotating his hand so she could also see the jagged remains of his fingernails.

But Lani ignored it, walking past him—she was dripping wet from her swim—to crouch at the tree’s base and poke at the ragged hole Jerry’s sword had left. Already the husk was hollowing out, the tree decaying from inside out. “Pity, pity,” she mused, sliding a finger along the bark and rubbing the residue powder against her thumb. “Fascinating that it spoils so quickly, but it really does make it difficult to study.”

Jerry let out a quiet huff, which he quickly turned into a cough, but of course she caught it.

Lani rose, turning to him with her mouth twisted into a mocking smirk. “Something to say, O just knight?”

He scowled, pulling off the headlamp and tossing it to her. “You were right,” he said, to distract her from not answering. “Weird effects from both light and sunmetal.”

She caught the lamp, her eyes glittering in the dim moonlight. “Oh yes, I felt it on my side,” she said, still grinning the same knowing smile. She held up her right hand, waggling fingers bleached white and with strange build-up of what looked like chalk on the tips. “Even slight touches of the flashlight hurt something nasty, but the sunmetal? Woof!”

“Good,” Jerry grumbled, walking over to unzip the largest pocket of Lani’s backpack. “That’s what you get, after this dumb plan.”

She hummed happily, bouncing up and down on her toes but otherwise standing still while he rummaged through the pack. After a bit, he found a gallon-sized ziplock bag and opened it one-handed, stepping back to focus on scraping the heart against the side of the bag to make it fall off the shortsword.

“Dumb plan?” she laughed, taking out a bag of her own and scooping samples of dust, rotten leaves, and the few remaining scraps of actual wood into it. “Jerry, if I didn’t know better, I would say you’d developed feelings for this plant.” She kicked at a root.

“That was my job, wasn’t it?” he snapped, cursing as the heart brushed his fingers as it fell into the bag and the cursed wood made his skin suddenly turn red with angry rashes. He zipped the bag shut quickly and stuck his fingers in his mouth in a vain attempt to ease the pain. Great. Now both his hands hurt. “Earn its trust, make friends,” he mumbled around his fingers.

“And then stab it in the back,” Lani said, with relish. “Perfectly despicable. And it worked fantastically. So far at least.” She placed her samples in her backpack and walked up to Jerry, taking the bagged heart from him. She passed it from hand to hand, head tilted to the side as she smiled at him. “Actually, you technically stabbed it from the front, right? I could see a little bit through the shades’, well, not-eyes. I saw its little—” she waved her hands vaguely at her shoulders— “you know.” She placed her hands on her hips, leaning her head to the other side, the heart dangling in a loose grip. “That was rather sweet.”

Jerry huffed, taking his fingers out of his mouth and wiping away the saliva before sliding the shortsword into its sheath and walking over to pick up his buckler. “It was just another job,” he said. Inadvertently, his gaze fell on the tree’s corpse once again. Did a root just twitch? Was it . . . still alive? Could it . . . hear their words, as slowly, painfully, its consciousness faded away with the last of its withering wood? Could it feel Jerry’s presence, his weight, as he stood on a root? Did it know that he—

“Let’s get going,” he said, abruptly turning away, acutely aware of Lani’s amused stare. “Your shades are hardly the biggest baddest shadows in this swamp. And we’ve got that appointment to keep, don’t we?”

“Yes,” Lani said, falling in step with him as they left the island and began to slog through the waist-deep slurry of mud and water. She still held the bagged heart in hand, apparently choosing not to put it in her bag. “And it would be so rude of us to keep our employers waiting. Quite . . . unchivalrous. Almost like the betrayal of trust, or even a straight-up lie, oh my.”

“Like stabbing them through the heart,” Jerry muttered. “Yes, a tragedy.”

Thankfully, Lani fell quiet, though her smile won first place at a bullfrog’s band competition.

He was sorry, he thought, for it dying. The swamp was very dark with the moon setting and no stars shining. Jerry would have liked to have the headlamp’s light, small as it was.

 If only to keep the shadows at bay.

[savenysublets]

Bali Tours And Great Things To Do In Bali

When traveling to Bali for a vacation, it is by no means a case of what are you going to search out to do on your trip, however moderately what number of weeks vacation can you're taking to take pleasure in all that Bali has to offer. Many people think of beaches and white sand when considering of Bali and associate is a being primarily a beach holiday. Although there are various resorts alongside the beachfront to calm down at, this is solely a small part of all the Bali tours and activities obtainable. There are very few motels and resorts in Bali that won't have both in house excursions of Bali or be capable of organize some tour via an unbiased tour company for you to take pleasure in.

With so many activities accessible it's difficult to pick the best to advocate, but based mostly on the recognition of the next these appear to be the most exciting issues to do when considering one of many many Bali excursions out there.

Really useful Bali Water Activities

Bali Marine Walk

Have you ever always needed to experience the ocean ground, the backyard below water that's teaming with marine life full of brilliant colors and gorgeous fish, however had been afraid to dive or are not a particularly nice swimmer? Then this is a should so that you can try out whenever you go to Bali. This can be a revolutionary diving system you could experience even in the event you can’t swim; all you want to be able to do is stroll. The concept behind it is very easy; an open ended helmet permits the wearer to walk on the ocean bed by just putting it over their head. There is an inbuilt defogging mechanism that stops the entrance “window” from changing into steamed up. There is a hose which is related to the scuba tanks allowing free movement whereas enjoying with the fish and feeding them from your hand. This is really a should do exercise when visiting Bali. Marine walk have their own boat that will take you to Lembongan Island the place you'll be able to enjoy a day exploring the depths of the ocean.

White Water Rafting

Bali Journey Rafting presents a five star service that is renowned as the safest household rafting company in Bali. Age will not be an element with this firm, children from as younger as five have been rafting down the Ayung River. The experience is exhilarating and the views are breathtaking. The tour is on a stretch of river 8 kilometers lengthy and includes 27 class II and class III rapids wandering by means of unspoiled rain forests, towering gorges and sculptured rice fields. All of the guides are professionally trained and have tons of experience to pilot the rafts by some dramatic drops, waterfalls and rivers making your white water experience safe however awesome.

The entire trip will last roughly one and a half hours, depending on how fast the river is flowing. At the finish of the adventure there are sizzling showers and altering rooms so that you can refresh in, followed by a hot gourmand buffet at a private restaurant with views of majestic mountains and rice fields. The unique amenities and having the longest course on the island has attracted Hollywood celebrities like Claudia Schiffer, Jean-Claude Van Damme and David Copperfield. Entry is pretty straightforward, only an hour’s drive from the majority of the resorts within the south of Bali.

Waterbom Park

Waterbom Park is positioned within the resort village of Kuta; it's a large 4 hectares in measurement with tropical vegetation making up the amazing landscape. World class water slides are situated throughout the park and are clearly the main attraction, however are many other recreational services located inside the large grounds. You've gotten the choice of dong some wall climbing, water volley ball, bungee leaping, and getting blasted with the water blaster. For the more relaxing tourist, the park affords a spa, many swimming swimming pools to loosen up in, the Wantilan Restaurant has a swim up bar facility, or simply watching the youngsters benefit from the Kiddies Park. This park is run by an Australian concern and the security requirements are exceptionally high. There's a strict upkeep regime as well as supervision from certified lifeguards which are consistently on obligation allowing mother and father to let their youngsters splash away with none worries.

Really helpful Inland Actions

Bali Quad Discovery Tours

One of many oldest mountain villages of Bali, Payangan, is residence to Bali Quad and buggy discovery tours. The amenities are solely 15 kilometers south of Kintamani on the slopes of mount Batur near Ayung river valley. The tour is thru very isolated countryside, the place you will not come throughout other vacationers while driving your individual 4 wheel quad bike. The groups are restricted to 6 with a view to not make too much of a disruption to the locals and to ensure that guides are in a position to give personal help. Teams are divided based on talent degree, not essentially age, but if you want to have your personal group composed of people of all ability ranges then that can be organized. The one requirement that is needed is that you just be in good physical form as the terrain may be very demanding.

Kintamani Volcano Tour

It is a extremely popular tour in Bali as it wanders by many alternative areas of the Bali countryside permitting you to experience the range of Balinese culture and finally ends up with you standing on the edge of the crater of mount Batur. Some of the locations and activities which might be visited and skilled on the way is the well-known Barong Dance situated in Batubulan, the village of Celuk renowned for its silver and goldsmiths, the proficient village of Mas with their exquisite wood carvings, the cultural capital of Bali, Ubud that is overflowing with cultural actions and beautiful artwork.

Elephant Safari Park Tour

The Elephant Safari Park situated in Taro, Tegallalang is a must do for all visitors that come to Bali as it's the solely full elephant safari expertise on the planet. The distinctive park is the house to the only Mammoth Skeleton in South East Asia and is acclaimed because the world’s finest elephant park that's set in a picturesque tropical setting. In between using, sightseeing, hand feeding, touching them, taking photographs with them, you may learn about their ancestry and diversity on the huge historical and graphic shows that the park has. The parks services additionally embody a reception and data center, a complete museum with many elephant memorabilia.

Overlooking a powerful lake is the restaurant that is ready to hold over 200 folks and has a implausible worldwide menu making it superb not only for a go to, however is a perfect location to carry a wedding or other event. The present store has an incredible array of elephant themed objects that embrace work, ivory (be careful when buying this, make it possible for it won't be confiscated at your individual nations airport), wood and carvings, clothes and lots of other souvenirs.

Although the park could be very tourist orientated the principle objective of the park is the safety of those elephants which have all been rescued because of the deforestation that's taking place in Southern and Central Sumatra and this park has turn into a sanctuary for this endangered and guarded species. Elephants are very clever creatures and at certain times of the day there are displays of the elephant’s capabilities together with portray. The park is great for every type of vacationers and might be a highlight of your Bali excursions.

As a visitor it is possible for you to to the touch and hand feed the elephants, watch as they playfully bath within the large lakes, have private photographs taken with you riding on the elephants, witness the intelligence of these giant however mild creatures and find out about their historical past, facts about them and the issues for his or her future. The park also presents mini rides for the youngsters.

Bali Paragliding Adventure

Bali has a mountain chain that stretches across the island giving paragliding lovers spectacular views and quite a lot of totally different places to launch from. The preferred locations are , Timbis, Gunung Payung, Mount Batur and Candi Dasa.

Timbis

Bali’s hottest flight zone and training heart is located here, close to the spectacular Bali Cliff resort. The rugged cliffs, white seashores, clear blue seas, Hindu temples and crashing waves over the coral reefs make this the perfect spot to learn to paraglide. There are amenities for food and drinks in the event you prefer just to chill out and watch the more adventurous vacationers bounce off the cliffs. After your flight there are Balinese employees who will pack your cover away simply as you want it.

Gunung Payung

East of Timbus, maybe 15 minutes drive, Gunung Payung offers a launch area for the more skilled paraglider as at excessive tide there isn't any bottom landing and you will have to soar and steer your way eastward to avoid crashing in the water.

Mount Batur. Mount Batur is an energetic smoldering volcano with 4 craters at an elevation of 1,717m which last erupted in 2000. There is no such thing as a better place to get your coronary heart pumping before takeoff, and in case you are fortunate enough not to get bombarded with showering lava, the view is breathtaking. Mount Batur is positioned in Kintamani, north of Ubud.

Candi Dasa

Candi Dasa has a small take off space and therefore high landing is not attainable, the site is a 250m excessive ridge. The thermals are awesome right here and it is usually attainable to reach cloud base, 600-750 meters. The walk to take off from the black sand backside landing seashore is 20-Half-hour relying on how match you're. There are Balinese porters if you want assistance.

There are a lot of trusted Bali automotive rental as well as tour service who will capable of drive visitors or vacationers to these fascinating spots.

[ianite-simp]

dark!karl pt. 5

finally here boys, it’s a good bit longer than the other parts, but that’s cause things are going down :)

The strange black cat was back again. It seemed to follow Karl around his island, sneaking closer whenever he wasn’t looking, always just out of the corner of his eye. If Jordan hadn’t mentioned it when he stopped by one day, he would have been sure he was hallucinating. Cats never showed up on his island. And it was a fairly long swim from Tom or Jordan’s places - so its appearance was really just a total mystery to Karl. It was a cute cat, he’d have to admit. But he was too occupied with his purge preparations to pay it much attention - he only had a few days, after all, to get ready for it. Apparently it was a tradition the others had in their other dimensions, and Karl was determined to do his absolute best - at least, not get completely destroyed by the others.

It was quite convenient for him, the timing of the purge. Any time Tom, Jordan, or even Dec approached him about the results of the judgments, he could just make up an excuse about being behind in his preparations and bolt off. Especially given his physical condition - the strange, cracking pattern had spread across most of his face and was covering his neck and shoulders. Doing simple tasks grew excruciating as tiny chips flaked off with his every move. Luckily he had gotten his hands on a bandanna that he could tie around his face instead of the itchy scarf he used to use (though Tom found the look hilarious, and constantly called him Cowboy Karl). But because of the spreading condition, sleeping became entirely out of the question. As such, he had spent numerous sleepless nights thinking about his judgment. It just didn’t seem right. He was just as loyal to Mianite as Jordan was to Ianite, and definitely more loyal than Tom was to Ianite. So why did it decide he was with the Darkness? Had his doubts of Mianite’s strength really given the Darkness that much power over him? 

Is it really a bad thing if that’s the case? He couldn’t stop pondering that question. Mianite was a totally different creature from what he had once been, suddenly seeming incredibly self centered and a bit of a snitch. He was nothing like the welcoming, strong god that Karl had once been proud to call his. 

Hello, Karl.

Without so much as a flinch (the sudden voice and hair-raising chill he associated with the Darkness had grown quite familiar to him at that point ) Karl raised a hand in the air greeting. He trusted the Darkness was able to see it, the sneaking thing he was. He was occupied with trying to calculate the amount of spare supplies he’d need on hand for the purge; a frustrating task, given that he’d never participated in anything like it, as far as he knew. 

You haven’t acknowledged my presence these past few days, Karl.

A sceptical look crossed Karl’s face. “You didn’t talk to me, I’m not going to be talking to thin air like an idiot just to get your attention.”

The Darkness let out a laugh - strangely, it was a warm laugh, almost sweet. I’ve been here the entire time Karl, trying to get your attention. Just turn around.

Feeling slightly bemused, Karl obliged them, turning to look behind him. All he saw was the odd black cat sitting primly atop one of his bookshelves. “What exactly am I - oh, for fuck’s sake, don’t tell me you’ve been spying on me as a bloody cat.” He rolled his eyes, hoping his exasperated tone was evident enough.

I haven’t been spying on you Karl, the Darkness reprimanded as the cat’s eyes narrowed slightly, I’ve been watching over you, and your preparations. The cat stood up, arching its back to stretch before it hopped to the ground, strolling over to the chests. It paused alongside one, rubbing against it with a faint purr. I think you’ll find something to help you if you’d spare a moment to check.

“Must be a trap or something,” Karl muttered, still walking over to the designated chest. He nudged the cat to the side with his foot, lifting the lid of the chest to check inside. It was entirely empty, with only a violently red potion sitting in a small flask at the bottom. Pulling it out, he scanned the label on the side. “Potion of darkness… this is absolutely insane.” His eyes widened as he read the effects listed. One sip of that thing and he’d be practically invincible. “Wait, I can’t even use this during the purge. Potions aren’t allowed.”

I’m sure you’ll find a use for it, the Darkness said mildly. Consider it a gesture of goodwill. 

Karl held the potion in his hand for a long moment, the cool glass bottle heavy in his palm. “Right then,” he mumbled, tucking it back into the chest for safekeeping. It was just a potion, after all. It couldn’t be a bad idea to hold onto it, at least for a little while.

The morning of the purge arrived quickly, the five individuals participating in the challenge loosely huddled on the beach of Tom’s island. Karl felt like his entire body was trembling with nerves as he stood alongside the others, drumming his fingers on the sheath of his sword as Declan went over the rules a final time. “The gods will revive you when you are on the point of death, only that will qualify as a kill. One kill equals one point, and…” Tuning out what Dec was saying, Karl shifted his shoulders slightly, his infected skin stinging painfully from the pressure. He had spent nearly an hour that morning, carefully adjusting every piece of his armour to cover every bit of exposed skin on his torso. The strange, creeping infection had almost reached his waist, his fingertips the only healthy skin remaining on his hands. He had resorted to constantly downing health potions, the only things that offered temporary relief to the burning pain he endured every time he moved.

As Dec finished his short speech, he presented them with the swords of their gods. Karl took the new blade he was offered, eyes wide as he studied the shining blue weapon. 

Come now, Karl. You don’t need something like that.

Ignoring the low voice in his head, Karl slipped the sword under his belt for temporary safe keeping. It didn’t seem much stronger than his own, but it was a gift from the gods. He couldn’t toss something like that away. 

At the sound of a wailing siren, the group split apart, each person picking their own direction. Karl bolted for the boat he had left at the shore, determined to put some distance between himself and the others. He climbed in, using broad pulls of his oars until the currents began to pull him along, and he could rest his already tiring arms. Glancing back, a faint feeling of dismay set in as he spotted Jordan and Declan not too far behind. By the looks of it, though, Jordan was faltering slightly, as Dec scored hit after hit - Tom only adding to the problem by firing arrows from the shoreline. Jordan had practically reached his boat by that point, it would be the work of a moment to draw his sword, lunge forward, and sink it deep into the Ianitee’s chest.

That was precisely what Karl chose to do. Jordan’s eyes widened with shock as he let out a strangled gasp and splashed back into the water, his limp body vanishing within the moment as he was revived. Ignoring the faint whoops and cheers from Tom and Dec, Karl grabbed his oars, pulling with all his strength to get as far away as he could. Within a few moments he was halfway between his own island and Tom’s, his small boat bobbing gently in the calm waves.

A strong wave of pride and adrenaline washed over him as he sat, taking deep breaths to calm his racing pulse. He had managed to get the first kill, despite it all. That meant something, surely.

Congratulations, Karl. I knew I chose you for a reason. The familiar rasp of the Darkness rang in his ears. A faint smile crossed his face. Despite it coming from what everyone thought to be the embodiment of pure chaos, the praise was nice.

“I’m still not working for you, you know,” he remarked, sliding the sword of Mianite out from where he had stashed it in the boat, resting the heavy blade across his knees.

You wouldn’t be working for me if you joined me, Karl. I’ve been trying to explain this to you. The voice was calm, patient. That’s the difference between myself and those godlings. You can’t lie to yourself, Karl. You and Mianite were never equals.

Karl shifted uncomfortably, his eyes rising from the sword he held to the horizon, scanning for any signs of the others getting near. “Never said I thought that, man.” That was a lie. He knew it was. All the times he had spent talking with MIanite, the god had given him his undivided attention. He always made Karl feel at ease when he spoke to him, joked with him. But when he remembered the scorn that had filled the god’s face when he last saw him…

You deserve better, Karl. Someone who actually values you, cares for you. The Darkness’ voice softened reassuringly. All I ask is that you trust me.

Karl was silent for a while, completely still as his thoughts wandered through the mess of emotions the past few weeks had been. He knew the choice he was going to make. It didn’t seem like he had any better options. But a small part of him still questioned it, the part that still wanted to be loyal to Mianite, his god. No, he couldn’t refer to Mianite as that. He had lost the connection to the god the moment he put on that armour. He couldn’t go back on this decision.

“I trust you.” 

The potion. He knew what he had to do, even as the Darkness spoke. Before he could change his mind, he stood, and dropped Mianite’s sword over the edge. It only made a faint splash, before sinking silently beneath the waves.

It hardly took five minutes for Karl to row to his island, ascend the elevator, peel off his armor, and open the chest where the potion rested. He felt something push against his legs as he scooped the delicate bottle into his hands. He glanced down, and met the eyes of the cat. It was purring, and seemed almost pleased to see him. Popping the cork out of the potion, Karl took a deep breath before he quickly downed it in one go. A faintly bitter taste lingered in his mouth as he swiped a stray drop from his chin. For nearly a minute he stood there, unsure if anything was actually going to happen. Then it hit him, fullforce.

An excruciating pain filled him, forcing him to first his knees, then into a crumpled heap on the ground. His skin burning, his insides churning as though they had been coated in lava, everything hurt.. It felt as though his eyes had been ripped from his skull, his head throbbing with the waves of pain that just kept coming, and coming, and coming. He felt himself convulse, his head flying back, his limbs twitching sporadically. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop. He wanted to peel himself from his own body, to fall unconscious, anything that would just make it stop,

And then it did. It took a long moment for him to force his eyes open, to realize the pain was gone. His throat felt raw, his mouth dry. He must have been screaming, cursing, without even realizing it. But otherwise, he felt fine. He felt even better than fine. The weight that always seemed to drag him down was gone, he felt positively light. Slowly, he rose to his feet, holding onto the chest beside him for support as his strength slowly returned. It was incredible, he could move ease, without putting any thought into it. He looked down at himself. He didn’t look significantly stronger but oh, god, he wasn’t himself any longer. Every bit of skin he could see had taken on the cracked texture, darkened to a dusky grey. He could feel something wet on his cheeks. Some black substance as dark as the void, he found, when he wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. It seemed to flow steadily, soft plips barely audible as it slipped from his cheeks to the floor. Experimentally, he flexed his hand, causing a small dusting of the flaking skin to detach and drift downwards. He felt nothing. None of the burning, none of the aches, none of it. He felt normal.

I’m glad you’ve joined me properly, my friend. The voice of the Darkness, rather than giving him the faint chill he was so accustomed to, made him feel almost warm. We will achieve many great things together, so long as you continue to trust me.

Karl smiled as he reached down to scoop the cat into his arms. The others were always underestimating him, but it wouldn’t happen any longer. No, with the Darkness at his side, he would be unstoppable, undefeatable.

He would be happy.

[areyoureadyforsomemeatballz]

Cast Away (4): Something Gilligan Never Told Us

Summary: After a mission gone awry, you end up stranded on a deserted island. While you know that you have the skills to survive in the desolate paradise, you’re not sure if your heart will.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 2,000

Warnings: Swearing, death by coconuts, general sassiness?

A/N: What’s up my dudes? I’m back at you with another chapter. I hope you all enjoy it, as always please leave me a comment (even if its to scream at me.) There’s nothing I love more than talking with you guys! Side note: I’ve got some exciting news for my 1,500 follower celebration so stay tuned!

A slow drizzle of water draws you from your restless sleep. Bucky is curled up in a ball at the end of your makeshift bed. He’d insisted on sleeping in shifts for protection, but it looks as if the need to sleep had won out. You can’t help the smile that spreads across your face. You swing your legs over the side and stretch out your back.

Bucky shoots up, his long hair stuck to the drool on his chin. “Where’rya goin’?”

“To grab some water, sleeping beauty,” you whisper. “Go back to sleep.”

He groans and rubs at his bleary eyes. “I’ll go with you.”

You stifle a laugh and reach out to push him back onto the bed. You rethink your action, your hand pausing mid-air. “I have to pee. Also, you need more sleep.”

“‘M fine-” your words finally seem to sink in as his mouth snaps closed. “Oh! Oh, I’ll stay… Yell if you need something, I guess?”

“Sure thing. I always seem to forget toilet paper.”

You can just see the pink tint to his cheeks as he rolls onto his side. You turn from the cave and smile to yourself. You wander into the trees, far enough away from the cave so that he can’t hear you even with the super soldier hearing.

Your walk back to the cave is interrupted by a rustling high above you in the trees. You jump out of the way just in time to avoid a falling coconut. You pick up the fruit and an idea sparks in your head. When you reach your shelter, Bucky has his back propped up against the wall of the cave.

“I was getting worried. You never called for the toilet paper,” Bucky says with a grin. “What’s that?”

“It’s breakfast!”

“How’d you get it?”

You toss him the coconut. “I climbed for it.”

He catches the fruit before it hits him in the face and he drops it to the bed, his face pinched up. “That is so dangerous! You could’ve gotten-”

You roll your eyes and snort, cutting him off. “Relax, mom, it fell out of a tree as I was walking back”

“So, it could have hit you?”

“Barnes!”

A broad smile spreads across his lips and his eyes light up. “I was kidding. A little. Do you think we could get more?”

You raise your eyebrow but can’t help return his happy smile. “I don’t know, nature boy? How versed are you in tree climbing?”

His head tilts to the side and his smile grows. “Steve and I used to climb trees as kids. He fell on top of my head once and I tore my good shirt. God, I thought my ma was going to-” He cuts himself off abruptly and his cheeks flush. “Sorry, you probably don’t wanna hear about-”

You raise your hand to stop his apology. “I’d never turn down the chance to hear about Steve falling on your fat head.”

He laughs softly and stands up, rolling his shoulders as he brushes past you. “Let’s hope I don’t fall on my ‘fat head’ or you’re gonna feel real bad, darlin’.”

You stop in your tracks at the nickname that rolls so easily off his tongue. You shake your head, not noticing Bucky’s widened eyes and his stiff shoulders. He clears his throat and you startle forward, keeping your eyes on the trees ahead.

Bucky’s eyes dart over to you and he taps his fingers on tac pants, the rhythm soothing him. The two of you reach the palm trees and he steps away from you to begin looking for the tree with the most coconuts.

“You’re really going to climb all the way up there, huh?”

Bucky’s shoulders relax, and he glances over his shoulder at you. “Afraid of heights?”

“I’m not the one scaling a hundred-foot tree.”

“You’re a good pep talker, you know that?”

“I’m just saying! Like, that’s really high,” you say with a small smile as you glance up to the sky-high fruit. “Sorry.”

He rolls his eyes and hides his smile. “I think I can manage, thank you very much.”

Bucky moves to strip out of his shirt, his back muscles rippling as he pulls it over his head. He tosses the shirt on a rock beside you.

“Naked apparently.”

His nose scrunches up and he narrows his eyes. “Not naked, just a little less… clothed.”

“Pray tell me your definition of naked, Barnes? Because that sounds an awful lot like naked to me.”

He snorts and slaps his hands together before tearing up the side of the tree with inhuman speed. He’s a blur of strong limbs and quick movements and then he’s at the top, you can just make out his shit-eating grin from the ground.

“Be careful up there, dumbass!” You cup your hands around your mouth and call up to him. “I really don’t want to be alone on this island, as annoying as you are.”

He grips the trunk of the tree with his metal hand and leans back to look at you. “You just want me here to get you coconuts.”

“You caught me.”

A few ripe coconuts drop to the ground beside you, startling you away from the tree. He slides down the tree with an unimaginable grace as if he’d been climbing palm trees all his life. He sweeps the hair from his bright eyes and begins loading up his arms with the coconuts that he had collected.

“Now we just gotta find a way to open these puppies up,” he says and tosses you a couple to carry back to camp. “And maybe figure out how to catch some fish to go with ‘em.”

“You just bang them against a rock really hard right between the eyes. Or maybe use a knife?”

He raises his eyebrow at you, tilting his head at you like a lost puppy. You elbow him in the side with a grin and take off back towards the lagoon.

“What? I’ve watched Man vs. Wild,” you say over your shoulder, catching his ridiculous grin.

“Am I supposed to know what that means?”

“Bear Grylls?” He’s practically scratching his head when you look back at him. “What about Gilligan’s Island? Blue Lagoon? Cast Away?”

He shakes his head. “Did you just have a stroke?”

“You’re killin’ me, Smalls”

“That’s a quote from something isn’t it?”

You gasp and clutch your chest dramatically. “Where have you been, Barnes? We watched The Sandlot last movie night.”

“I think I was on a mission,” he says as he shrugs one shoulder. “I’ve been busy.”

Your jaw drops as you follow him under the cover of the mouth of the cave. He looks around as he decides where to stack his spoils.

“You’ve got to catch up, though! There are so many good things you missed out on. Besides, movies are a great way to unwind, or I think so at least.”

“Maybe you could show me some?” He gives you a small smile as he begins to stack the coconuts near the firepit.

You return his shy smile, ignoring the fluttering in your stomach. “Yeah, maybe.”

Bucky tosses you a knife and a coconut, a gleam in his blue eyes. “Alright show me these survivor skills. You gotta start earning your keep.”

You narrow your eyes at him and use the blunt side of the knife to hit along the center of the coconut. When it splits evenly down the center, Bucky whoops beside you and nudges you with his elbow.

“While we all can’t be tree climbing super-soldiers, I have to try and keep up somehow.”

You pass him half and keep a piece for yourself. “That was pretty impressive.”

“Wait until you see me fish.”

“Really?”

You shake your head with a smile. “Nope.”

“Shit, you had me all excited,” he groans. “I’m starving.”

You laugh as a dribble of coconut milk trickles down his chin, getting lost in his stubble. Bucky narrows his eyes at you, but he keeps eating.

“Copy Steve…” Steve sighs as he listens to Bucky’s jumbled call. “Copy.”

He flinches as a cool hand rests on his broad shoulders. He tears his eyes away from the search radius on the screen in front of him and into a pair of worried eyes.

“You’re going to drive yourself crazy if you keep this up, Steve,” Natasha murmurs. “Come with me.”

“Nat-”

She tugs him up with and holds tight to his hand. “You’re going to come eat some of the dinner that Sam made and then we’re going to catch a nap.”

Steve’s mouth snaps shut as she leads him through the halls, up to the shared kitchen. Sam hands him a plate with a tired smile.

“It’s nice to see you out of the conference room,” Sam’s face pinches up suddenly. “Though you could really use a shower, man. God, the musk in here is… fragrant.”

Natasha snorts and pushes Steve into a chair. “I second that. Eat first.”

“It’s my momma’s recipe. You better not let it go to waste, I already had to ream Tony’s ass.”

Steve rolls his eyes but takes a big forkful of the cheesy pasta. “Thanks, Sam.”

“Thank us by taking care of yourself.”

“But Y/N and-”  

“But nothing,” Sam says pointedly.

The three of them gather around the kitchen island, giving Steve time to eat. Natasha wipes a glob of cheese of his chin with a smile. She shares a relieved look with Sam over Steve’s shoulder.

Tony bursts into the kitchen, hair still dripping wet from the shower. “We’ve got a working search radius. It’s still about 500 miles, but it’s something. F.R.I. is trying to narrow it as we speak.”

“That sounds like there’s plenty of time for a nap,” Sam says.

“Stop splashing me,” Bucky cries out as you send another handful of water at his face. “You’re scaring all the fish!”

“You’re one to talk, Barnes!” You wildly gesture to your soaked body. “We started this excursion with you pushing me in the ocean.”

“You were lookin’ a little warm.”

You lift your hand to splash him again and he grips your wrist tightly, something shining in his eyes. You lift your brow and gasp as he dives into the cool water, taking you with him. When he resurfaces the water rolls down from his chocolate hair down his chiseled chest. You tear your eyes away from him and realize how close the two of you are.

His eyes dart down to your lips and he leans impossibly closer. His lips are a breath away when he suddenly jerks away from you. Beside you, a bird dives into the water and reappears with a fish in its beak.

“Fucking showoff,” Bucky mutters as he steps back to give you space. “I just want one fish!”

“He doesn’t have to use a shitty homemade spear, though.”

Bucky grins at you and nods his head. “Who’d of thought I’d be jealous of a bird?”

“You’re jealous of Sam, so that’s old news.”

He bursts out laughing and you grin back at him. “That wasn’t funny,” he gasps through peals of laughter.

“It clearly was, Chuckles.”

He takes a deep breath and clears his throat. “Clearly I’m delirious from hunger.”

“Maybe if you were better at fishing that wouldn’t be a problem.”

He mock-gasps and clutches his chest. “Ouch.”

“Keep trying, Barnes. You’ve gotta start earning your keep,” you say with a grin.

He grasps at his waistband for one of his knives and tosses it into the water, spearing one of the many fish around your feet. You slap his shoulder as he quickly retrieves the fish.

“You couldn’t have done that twenty minutes ago?”

“I didn’t think about it until I saw the bird.”

“Sam will be thrilled that you’re taking pointers from his family.”

He turns away from you with a smile and throws his knife again. You stare at his tanned back, almost able to still feel his strong arms around you.

Please Like/Comment/Reblog if you enjoyed!

[concentratedsmartass-fics]

Just Say Yes

Summary: Natalie decides she wants to go on vacation to the beach, and Lucifer decides he wants to see her smile every day for the rest of her life.

Words: 1754

Notes: THIS IS LATE. I had this idea Wednesday night, and then Thursday was a shit show in my personal life, and I haven’t had the emotional energy to do any writing until today. For @natanweek day 5, Coast. This is straight up a proposal fic, y’all, and I am very bad at describing rings, so if you care here it is.

Lucifer hated the coast. He truly did. He didn’t understand why the girl would ever want to come back here, but she had insisted.

“I just got my degree, this is like... a last hurrah. Before becoming a full adult. And I want to go to the beach.”

He’d tried arguing with her, tried convincing her to go anywhere else, but she had insisted. She wanted a week long vacation at the beach, and nothing was changing her mind. And so he had spent his day going from tourist shop to tourist trap, trailing after her while she slowly accumulated more bags.

She’d barely made a stop to dump the bags in an airbnb she’d rented (at least she had some sense, a hotel at the coast would be worse than the coast) and change before heading to the ocean just before sunset.

He almost reminded himself of those pictures she liked so much online, the series of a wife pulling her husband around different places, dragging him by the hand. He wanted to get frustrated, but he had accepted years ago that he was soft when it came to this human. To his human. Perhaps six months after she had started to call him her boyfriend, he’d resigned himself to his fate. He was always going to do what she wanted, practically at her beck and call, just because he knew it would put a smile on her face, and that’s what she deserved after everything she’d been through because of him. He would argue and drag his feet, of course; antagonizing her was still fun. But he knew that he’d eventually give in to whatever it was she wanted.

At the beach, Natalie moved to stand so the water was lapping at her ankles. “Isn’t it beautiful, Luce?”

“I suppose.”

“You suppose? You’re such a grump. It’s breathtaking.”

He couldn’t help but to agree with her, for purely selfish reasons. He stood a bit away from the water, watching the sun start to sink towards the horizon. The sky was painted with hues of oranges, splashes of purples and just a hint of pink. The water moved in gentle waves, reflecting the colors onto Natalie. He watched as her face softened, a smile tugging at her lips, her eyes wide in wonder. The wind gently blew her hair to the side, the bright orange matching the sunset. He could watch her for an eternity and never tire of it.

Feeling entirely too soft, he opened his mouth, fully intending to complain about the sand, or say something about how if they couldn’t leave soon he was going to drown her, but instead what came out was, “Marry me,” and oh. That was unexpected. The rest of his thoughts froze as he scrambled for a way to explain away the words, and he tried his best to cover up the surprise he was sure was showing on his face.

Natalie swung around, shock open on her face. She said nothing, just staring at him, and he raised an eyebrow. Then she grinned, and started laughing, shaking her head. “You almost got me! I almost believed you! It was such a straightforward delivery. That was good. Can you imagine? Satan getting married?”

He felt a twitch of irritation. He’d proposed, and she was laughing at him. A part of him couldn’t blame her, a part of him tried to remember all the pranks he so enjoyed pulling on her. A much larger part took it as a challenge. He’d make her believe him. Which came as almost more of a surprise than the actual proposal, the fact that he was willing to follow through on the impulsive words. He shrugged, doing his best to keep a calm demeanor, absently wondering what color his earrings were. “I’m pretty sure there’s books or something about it. People have a thing for marrying the devil.”

“Yeah, well, they don’t know him, and I do. He’s not the marrying type.”

Oh, it was on.

~

That night, while she slept, he sent out a text and got up to get ready. He dressed, and made his way out of the house, shutting and locking the door quietly behind him. A part of his mind screamed at him to not leave her, to not let her die alone, and he had to keep reminding himself that this time she’s not sick, that she won’t die in her sleep.

He really hates the coast.

Downtown was much quieter than it had been hours ago, all the shops dark. The lights were dim, spaced far enough apart that it was easy enough to find a dark alleyway. He knew he was early, and he didn’t want to admit to himself that it was because of the nerves tangled somewhere in his stomach. He was Satan, he shouldn’t be so anxious about this. He was in charge of the demon that was coming, he was in control of the situation, so why was he feeling like this?

He resigned himself to waiting, and another fifteen minutes later, the demon in question rounded the corner and approached him. She stopped to bow to him. “Master.”

“Alya. Where are they?”

She pulled a box out of her bag and held it out to him. He lifted the lid, and inside there nestled about 20 different rings. He closely inspected them, his eyes quickly zeroing in on one. It had a fairly simple band, with a small, round ruby nestled in its center. On either side of the ruby were smaller diamonds. “This one.” Alya nodded, plucking it from the box and setting it into a ring box, quickly handing it over.

“Hey, um, boss? Congratulations.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, and she quickly scurried away.

~

Natalie waking up was always a toss of a coin. Some days she’d wake up like it was her favorite part of the day. She would come bounding out of bed, already halfway through a plan to go to the park or the movies or whatever struck her fancy that day. Other days, she needed five different alarms to even think about getting out of bed, and at least two cups of coffee before she was able to string words together into a sentence.

This morning was definitely the second one.

He was already finished making breakfast by the time she dragged herself out into the kitchen for her coffee. He plated the food as she poured the coffee, and she nearly collapsed into one of the kitchen island chairs to sip at it, wrinkling her nose at the taste. He went to the fridge and grabbed her creamer, pouring some into her coffee and mixing it. With her next sip, she hummed happily and finally looked up at him. “Mornin’.”

“Perky this morning, aren’t you?”

She grunted at him, taking another sip of her coffee. He hated how adorable it was, even as he felt the ring box burning a hole in his pocket.

He’d spent the rest of the night trying to figure out the best way to propose for the second time. He was tempted to do it at the beach at sunset again, but he also didn’t want to wait that long. He’d thought about going to a restaurant, but hated the idea of strangers watching them. He’d thought about taking them on a hike, making her climb up another cliffside for his own amusement, but he hadn’t done his research to find a good place to do it.

She was barely halfway through her plate of breakfast when he got impatient and took the box out, slamming it maybe a bit too hard on the countertop beside her. She jumped and frowned around the bite she was chewing, looking at him and then down at the box, then back up at him, confused. She slowly reached out and picked up the box, opening it.

He saw the realization dawn in her eyes and she nearly dropped the box, her head jerking up to stare at him, swallowing down her food. “Lucifer?”

“What?”

“Is... Is this... Are you-”

“Did you think I was kidding last night?”

She frowned slightly before remembering, and her eyes widened, horror filling her. “You were serious! Oh, my god, I laughed at you! Luce, I am so sorry, I never thought--”

“Kid.”

“I’m sorry, I just-”

“Natalie.”

“That was so insensitive of me and-”

“Love.” That one finally brought her up short. “You haven’t answered.”

She opened and closed her mouth a couple times before grinning. “You never technically asked.”

“You’re really gonna make me say it?”

“I’m really gonna make you say it.” She closed the box and handed it to him, smiling widely, and the nerves vanished. She wouldn’t already be this happy if she was going to say no. “The whole thing, out with it.”

He huffed, rolling his eyes, despite the grin pulling at the sides of his mouth. He moved around the island and stood so he was directly in front of her, standing slightly between her knees. “Natalie McAllister. You are the biggest pain in my ass I’ve ever come across. You have a particular talent for pissing me off, and you always have, and I suspect you always will.”

“That’s not-”

“Shut up, I’m not done. I am Satan. I command demons. I’m supposed to stand against every good thing in this world, which is why, I suspect, you piss me off so damn much. Because you are good. You are everything good that this world has to offer. And for some reason, you decided to spend your time with me. The last, what, five or six years? You decided that you wanted me there. And I want you to keep deciding that you want me there, because I want all the time that you have. I have a feeling that even when I don’t have your time anymore, you’ll always have mine. So. Do you have a thing for marrying the devil?”

Tears shone in her eyes, even as she smiled. “That’s not the right question.”

He huffed again, amused despite himself. He opened the ring box once more, offering the ring. “Will you marry me?”

“You’re not gonna get on a knee?”

“You’re killing me, kid. It’s a yes or no question.”

She laughed, nodding her head. “Fine. Yes.”

He smiled, plucking the ring from the box and sliding it onto her finger.

Maybe the coast wasn’t that bad after all.

[allsonsinc]

When it comes to planning a memorable and fun-filled party for your little ones, nothing quite compares to the joy of inflatable bounce houses. These colorful and exciting structures not only keep children entertained for hours but also add a unique touch to any celebration.

[lit-works]

More Untitled Daredevil fanfic. Pt.4, i think?

I have no idea what time it is when i return to the apartment. My muscles ache and all i can think about is collapsing in bed, leaving my costume on.

I awaken sometime the next day to the clatter of garbage truck hydraulics and cans being tossed cavalierly on the sidewalk. The apartment is empty, i guess that it's nearly noon.

It's not the first time I've missed the morning. I smell coffee in the kitchen, made fresh hours ago. After a quick shower, where i discover a few scrapes and bruises i didn't know i had, i get dressed. I toss my spare costume into my attache case--it may be a while before i get back to the apartment.

By the time i make it to the drop-in center, Karen is already having lunch. To my surprise, Foggy Nelson is with her.

"Nice to see you up at last." Karen says.

"Hi, Matt," Foggy adds, his voice tentative. Once we were best friends--partners. But Foggy made it clear which side he stood on concerning my current legal status.

"Good to see you, Foggy." i say, walking over to my desk.

"Matt, Foggy says that subpoena--" I hold up my hand.

"I don't want any lectures about the injunction. Not today. Not--"

"Matt," Foggy says, "This is something you can't ignore. They'll drag you into court, cite you for contempt--"

I stand up. "Don't quote the law to me, Foggy. The law is one thing. This," i snap, picking up the crumpled subpoena from where it sat the day before. "Is harassment, and here's where it belongs." i toss it into the corner, and it bounces to the floor next to the trash can.

I sense Foggy turn to Karen. They're closer now. Closer than ever before. They both think I'm out of control.

"I tried, Karen," he says, and walks out of the door with Karen following. She returns, exasperated.

"That was clever. Why don't you just alienate anyone who's ever tried to help you?"

"I suppose you'd like me to just give up? Walk right out of here, too? Spend years trying to clear my name--"

She walks over to the small laptop on her desk. "You'd better listen to this. It was on the news this morning."

"Why? What is...?"

"This city cannot--must not--become a breeding ground for vigilante groups of any stripe, costumed or not--"

Alex Wriley, a young, rich candidate for mayor. Running on a platform that includes shipping every costumed crime-fighter to Lower Slobovia or the Negative Zone. And he's doing real well with the voters, real well.

"--streets to be safe, under the protection of a properly trained and armed law enforcement department."

"Doesn't he know we work with them, for Chris'sake?! What's--"

"Wait," Karen says, "It gets worse."

His speech over, Wriley takes questions from the reporters.

"Mister Wriley, what about last night's reports that the Daredevil was seen fleeing a burning building? There are rumors of an extortion racket to get special protection."

I almost feel Wriley gloating.

"Precisely my point. Is Daredevil working for the side of the law and order, or is he just another freelance thug? Hands open to the highest bidder? I think my campaign will find the truth!" Karen clicks off the video.

"That lousy--"

"Matt, you're going to have to be careful. This Wriley is after you. He's got money. He's powerful."

I start to explain to Karen about the trap--but hold my tongue. There'll be time for talking later, when i know what's really going on.

"Right," i say, "Now, how about a trip to Staten island? Can Martin hold down the fort?"

Martin, my all-purpose file clerk, secretary, and hot-shot investigator is dealing with a crowd of people out front.

"Sure, he'll moan and groan, but love it."

"You can drive," i say smiling. "I could use another forty winks."

The ride is quiet, almost serene, and I'm glad when we reach the Nature Preserve.

"So peaceful," i say, stepping out of the car. "Hardly a breeze. I can pick up gull sounds from the shore. Smells pretty nice, too."

Karen takes my hand. "The factory is over here, over that hill."

I turn, straining to pick up anything unusual.

"Seems empty. Shall we go closer?" i ask.

"Sure, let's drive..."

"No." i give her hand a squeeze. "Let's walk. There's a path ahead. Some kind of opening."

"Yes, but--"

"I don't want to announce our arrival." I pull her along, leaving behind the gently wooded area of the nature preserve, following a makeshift trail up a scruffy hill.

"God," Karen says. "What a mess!"

I can make out the rough outline of the buildings, some gutted, some intact, a few completely gone, leaving only empty, gaping foundations.

"Must be an ugly sight." i say. Then i smell it. Something foul, noxious. It seems to scar my nostrils and burn as it enters my lungs. "There's something wrong here."

Then i hear the sound if a truck entering the property from a distance.

"Someone's coming." Karen says.

Above the roar of the truck, i sense three people, their heartbeats, the rhythm of their breathing. One of them is, yes, familiar. It's quite clear, in fact, that i met him last night--and he got away from me. That won't happen again.

"Can you see where they're headed?" i ask Karen.

"To one of the buildings, one that looks fairly intact."

"Then that's where we're headed."

Karen grabs my arm. "Matt, shouldn't we call the police and let--"

"Let them what? We're trespassing as it is, Karen. The only evidence we've got is a little old lady and my radioactive nostrils. If you want to help change the situation, then we have to see what's going on."

She nods, and i sense her trust, her faith in me, lapsing. Just another battle I'll have to fight to win back her confidence--her love.

The back of the building abuts the river. I hear the water moving back and forth, splashing onto the sharp rocks.

"Do you hear anything?" karen asks.

"Yeah, lots. There are voices, machinery, and--"

"There's a window, Matt. Hoist me up?"

"My pleasure." i reach down and pick up Karen, quickly raising her to look inside.

"A bit higher."

"I can't fly, Karen."

"That's good. I can...oh, Matt! This is terrible. This is..."

"What's the big piece of machinery, Karen? It's growing louder."

"It's digging into the ground, and there are stacks of barrels ready to be rolled into the hole. Matt, she was right, she--"

I turn, picking up the faintest footfall coming around the corner of the building. I lower Karen and try to get ready.

"Matt, what the--"

But behind me there's another sound, and i find myself between two thugs.

I might be out if costume, but I'm not about to let that slow me down. With a speed that startled the two goons, i send my hands out, using precision moves that are made possible only by boxer's reflexes.

Perfect shot--if smashing another humans jaw could ever be described that way.

Lately, i winder whether Karen is right, thinking that i like the violence...need it.

I catch the goon at my left on the chin, and he flies backward, cartoon-style. With time to spare, i cuff the other on the side of the face. Not hard enough to knock him out, but with plenty of force to send him tumbling to the ground.

Now, to just find out who these lovelies work for.

The air is suddenly filled with a high-pitch siren.

"What is it?" Karen asks.

Then i sense the two guards scrambling to their feet, running away.

"I've got to catch up to them." i say.

Karen holds me back, trying to keep me from the danger she now fears i live for.

I pull away, turn and begin running.

The sandy ground offers little support for my feet, especially when I'm wearing my clod-hopper city shoes. If only there were time to change into my costume.

The truck is already moving down the road and the two guys who attacked me climb onto the back as it pulls away. I run as fast as i can, ignoring the growing oxygen debt in my body, until it seems as if a successful leap might send me onto the back of the truck.

Despite the inelegance of my leap, I'm amazed to find that my hands close around the back panel of the truck. With one kick, i climb over.

"Hi, boys. Mind if i catch a ride?" the two thugs seem disturbed by my appearance.

"What's with the glasses--are you blind?"

"Why, are you making faces at me?" I reply.

I hear them separate, slowly moving towards the front of the truck, then they come at me. I crouch, ready to dispose of them quickly, when the truck suddenly barrels over a curb. Sending me crashing into the side wall.

Then they're on me, eager to take advantage of their lucky break. One of them closes his hand firmly around my windpipe, while the other digs into his back pocket for something.

No time for fooling around.

The truck lurched to the left--the driver doesn't seem concerned about what he's driving over. His two accomplices are jostled by the bump, and i move quickly to grab both of them, placing them in simple but effective headlocks. I squeeze just enough to let them know i might be stronger than they imagine.

"Ow." one of them yelps over the truck's engine.

"Where's this heap headed?" I yell. "Come on, guys, let's make this easy."

A small window leading to the cabin opens, and a pudgy face with pinholes for eyes looks back at me.

Then, suddenly, the entire floor of the truck flips upwards, like some kind of garbage truck. That's what it is, hauling toxic waste and dumping it where no one can see. No, no one would ever know about it until it's too late.

The three of us start sliding backwards. I let go of the thugs, but not in time to grab on and stop my fall out of the truck. I land on my feet, while the two henchmen tumble awkwardly in the sand. When they stand up, i grab them by their collars.

"I hate to get unfriendly again. Now, tell me where that truck is going."

They look at each other, then one of them begins jabbering away. "It's heading--" but he doesn't finish his sentence. He screams and the other one joins on, both of them reaching for the backs of their heads, before crumpling into the sand.

I kneel, trying to sense their heartbeats, their breathing, but get nothing.

Karen runs over to me, "Are they...?"

"Dead."

"But how? You didn't do anything?"

I feel behind one of the men's necks, find a small protrusion, and pull it out.

"Here it is." i say, handing the small device to Karen. "Radio operated, I guess. Guaranteed to keep people in line. Nasty, very nasty."

"But who'd use such a device?"

"Someone big, powerful, and unless I'm wrong, new to this town."

"Well, I've got the license plate number, we'll call the police and--"

I put my hand in Karen's shoulder. "You'll call the police. Later. After you've taken me to Brooklyn."

[softlysoftlysoftly]

Head First (Zutara Oneshot)

Summary: In which Katara is a weepy drunk and Zuko is somehow the responsible one here. (Oneshot~Zutara~Smut-ish)

We're coming up on summer, I'm almost done with my first year of grad school, I have one paper, two exams, and two assignments due in the next week so of course the only think I could work on this weekend was this random one-shot. Hope you all enjoy!

Once the battle is over, Zuko has been healed, Azula has been hauled away, and Katara has been reassured that Zuko is fine, yes really, yes he’s sure, he’s fine, honestly, Katara summons his servants to his room and demands five bottles of “anything that’ll get me really drunk really fast.” The servants, who have seen three different Fire Lords in power in just as many days blink tiredly at her and ask her preferred accompaniment. She chooses guava juice

Zuko, who has spent the past week as a refugee, a traitor to the crown, an insurgent, and the ruler of a quarter of the entire world, takes the bottle when it’s offered to him and gulps down enough to make his eyes water. Katara swigs from her bottle and chases it with juice. “Thank you,” he says after a long, not-uncomfortable silence. “For helping me against Azula. You didn’t have to.” She sighs his name, climbs to her feet, and crosses the room to stand before him, her arms crossed over her chest and her bottle dangling loosely from her fingertips. She’s still dressed in the robes she battled his sister in in (singed around the hem, torn around the collar, coated in dust and mud) and she’s favoring her right leg. After a moment, she collapses next to him on the cushions, steadying herself with her hand pressed low on his stomach (just below his newest scar). She pulls away quickly and clinks her bottle against his.

“Shut up,” she says. “And drink.”

Zuko obeys because he’s spent who knows how many weeks doing everything he can to get Katara to even tolerate his presence. This is probably the least she could ask of him.

Over the next several hours, they empty three of the bottles of spiced rum (Katara dips well into Zuko’s share), an entire bag of fire flakes (they send for them after half of the first bottle is gone), three platters of dumplings (the fire flakes run out and really it’s dinner time anyway), and several pitchers of water (Zuko insists that they hydrate and Katara mocks him mercilessly for it). Zuko never specifically asks why they are drinking themselves into oblivion, but the rambling way that she regales him with story after story of the South Pole makes him think she’s having some sort of I-almost-died-ending-a-century-long-war-that-altered-the-course-of-history-and-destroyed-everything-I-love type existential crisis. Which is fair. Zuko resolves to let her have her breakdown and spends most of the evening adding juice to her drinks when she isn’t looking.

“I need to take a…” she frowns, “A… you know!” She is laying on the floor with her feet propped up against the wall and her hair fanned out around her like a halo. Zuko snorts and sets another glass of water next to her head. “It’s a…” She waves her hand and an orb wobbles out of the glass, swirls midair in front of Zuko’s face, and then shoots into his eyes. “A bath!” she exclaims. Zuko sputters and wipes his face with the hem of his shirt. When he looks up, she has already shrugged out of her robe and has her leggings halfway down her thighs. Zuko’s brain short-circuits momentarily and he spends half a minute watching the way her legs tense as she works the garment over her knees— and then he comes to his senses and slaps his hands over his eyes so hard that he sees stars.

“Katara!” he yelps.

“Don’t just stand there!” she scolds. There’s shuffling and shifting and she tugs on the hem of his robes. “Help me take off my clothes!” Zuko’s eye twitches (something else twitches too, but he refuses to acknowledge that).

“Can we—” his voice cracks pitifully and he swallows. “Katara, can we maybe just keep our clothes on?” Katara pauses in the midst of fighting her feet free from her leggings and peers at him.

“You want me to take a bath with my clothes on?” She gives him a look that would peel paint from the walls if she weren’t also upside down in her underwear, tangled in her own clothes. Zuko tugs on his collar and fixes his eyes on the ceiling.

“Well, it’s just, you know, maybe you could, um, take a bath in your, um underwear? Like… like you do at the beach?” Just like at the beach. She’s not showing any more skin than he’d see on Ember Island or than he’s seen when she trains with Aang. This is fine. This is totally normal. Zuko can deal with this.

Katara gives a long suffering sigh. “Whatever, Zuko,” she says, “If it’ll get you to help me, I’ll pretend we’re at the beach.” Her voice says plainly that she is sure that he is an idiot, even as she begins to tug with her teeth at the material caught around her ankles. Zuko swallows again and drops to his knees beside her. He sets one hand on her knee to still her kicking, and slides the other down the length of her calf, working the legging over one foot, then the other. He’s touched her dozens of times since joining the team, knocking her sideways when it looks like she’s about to die or squeezing her shoulder when it looks like she might cry. He’s never touched her like this, though, never had time to notice the incredible suppleness of her skin. She stills, and for a moment there’s a look in her eyes that Zuko can’t decipher. But then the look is gone, she scrambles to her feet and dashes into his bathroom.

Zuko knocks his head against the wall as the sound of splashing water filters into the room. And then there’s the sound of something falling to the floor and Zuko is the one scrambling to his feet to make sure Master Katara, who defeated Fire Lord Azula on the day of Sozin’s comet, hasn’t slipped and cracked her head and died in her underwear on his bathroom floor.

When he bursts into the bathroom, there are an assortment of bottles scattered across            the floor, a puddle of something thick and fragrant is dripping from the side of the tub, and Katara is huddle down in the quickly overfilling tub. Zuko swears, turns the tap off, and starts to tell her that she’s officially cut off— but he stops. Her head is tilted back to rest against the tub’s edge and the torchlight flickers, casting warm shadows over the dusk of her skin. She is beautiful.

Zuko turns away.

“If I leave you in here alone, how likely are you to drown?” he asks as he crouches down and sits with his back pressed against the tiles. The torture will probably be easier to bear if he isn’t looking directly at her. Katara snorts, but doesn’t answer. For a while, the only sound is the gentle trickle of the water.

“Zuko?” Her voice is suddenly small.

“Yeah?”

“What do you think it’s like?”

He tilts his head to look at her from the corner of his eye. She is staring straight ahead, fingers moving slowly over the surface of the water.

“What?”

“To be dead.” There’s a soft rush and she hugs her knees to her chest. “What do you think it’s like?”

There are, of course, a thousand answers to this, but none that feel particularly appropriate. Zuko’s face flushes.

“Spirits, Katara, I don’t— what kind of question is that anyway?” he snaps, pinching the bridge of his nose. The beginning of a massive headache is blooming behind his eyes and he suddenly wishes that he had let Azula roast him. “Why would you even want to—”

She makes a soft, sniffling sound that sends him whipping around to face her despite himself. She is scowling at her toes, wiping clumsily at her eyes.

“Are you crying?” he demands. Katara glares.

“No!” She claps her hands over her face. Zuko opens his mouth to demand that she stop crying at once, but then he closes it with a snap and shoves a clean cloth into her hands instead.

“That’s it,” he says, climbing to her feet. He takes hold of her forearm firmly and helps her stand. She grumbles, but does not argue. “Bath time is over.” He wraps a towel around her shoulders, careful not to notice the way the water has turned her white cotton underwear completely translucent. She wrinkles her nose at him and wobbles as she starts to climb out of the tub. Zuko sighs, scooping her into his arms. “I knew waterbenders were trouble,” he mumbles to himself and Katara snorts, laying her cheek against his shoulder.

“Put me down,” she demands and she snuggles deeper into his embrace and he carries her out of the bathroom, through the sitting room and into his bedroom. “Grab the rum!” Zuko rolls his eyes so hard he briefly wonders if he can break them.

“You lost the right to order me around when I became Fire Lord and you started crying in my bathtub. You’re drunk.”

“I am n—” He sets her on her feet next to his bed and she sways, scrambling to take hold of the front of Zuko’s robes. “So what if I am?” Zuko cracks a smile despite himself and places a finger in the center of her forehead, pushing her back. She falls back and sits down hard on the bed, glaring.

“As the only person here in their right mind, I’m going to go ahead and declare the rum portion of the evening officially over.” He pulls an old sleeping robe from the wardrobe next to the bed and helps her push her arms through the sleeves. The hugeness of the garment makes her look even tinier and more fragile than usual. Zuko hesitates, then traces a fingertip across her cheek, tucking her hair back behind her ear. She reaches up to catch his hand in hers with an accuracy that startles him.

Suddenly, she is giving him that look again, quiet, far away, and intense. She presses his captured hand against her cheek, her eyes flutter closed, and an expression skitters across her face, something that stops Zuko’s breath. Too hopeful to be heartbreak, too fearful to be love— all it does is remind him of that helpless moment he spent watching Azula’s lightening arching towards her heart. He steps into her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. She presses her face against his chest and hugs him back, breathing shakily against his new scar. Suddenly, he is the one blinking back tears. “I’m glad you aren’t dead,” he whispers into the blackness of the room. Her arms tighten around him, but she doesn’t answer. He clears his throat and steps out of her embrace. “Everyone else will be here tomorrow.” The words slam something shut between them. She lets him help her underneath the covers. “Goodnight, Katara.” He practically runs from the room.

Once the door is shut behind him, he strips off his shirt, snatches an extra blanket from a closet and collapses onto the cushions in the sitting room, steadfastly turning his thoughts away from the way moonlit shadows played out over the angles and planes of her face.

It was Toph who first accused Zuko of being in love with Katara. At the time, Zuko had ignored the comment, half because while Katara and Suki had weird cravings and were slightly irritable around new moons, Toph tended towards fits of unchecked malice (that were best endured and not challenged) and half because of course Zuko loved Katara, anyone with two eyes, a heart, and a functioning dick would love Katara. But loving Katara meant nothing when they were all going to die at the end of the summer anyway.

But now the end of the summer is here and Zuko is alive thanks to the half naked, fully drunk waterbender in his bed. The implication of that is far too big to grapple with at the moment, though. Zuko makes himself sleep instead.

He isn’t sure exactly how long he sleeps, but it is well before sunrise when he is awoken by cool hands on his chest. At first, her touch weaves its way into his dream, just another side of his ever-present yearning. But then she sniffs and something cool drips against his neck and he knows that this is real. He would never dream of a Katara with tears in her eyes.

“Katara? What…?” She is on her knees next to him with a hand pressed against his chest, over his heart. Her other hand covers her mouth. His mind feels thick and slow and he’s still not quite convinced that this isn’t a dream, but he manages to close his hand around hers. A shudder goes through her and a thin whimper makes it past her hand. “What are you doing?” he murmurs, his thumb stroking idly over her wrist. She shakes her head slightly and makes that sound again. Her whole body trembles. Zuko reaches up with his other hand and touches the swell of her cheek. “What’s wrong?”

Something in her snaps and she dives for him, her arms winding around his neck, her face buried in the crook of his neck. She is sobbing, her entire body curling up against him. Zuko catches her instinctively and spends a panicked moment unsure of how to react. But then he feels her trembling, feels the desperate way she is clutching at him, and he sits up, knees coming up on either side of her, and tucks her more securely beneath his chin. One hand goes to her hair while the other strokes up and down her back.

“Shh,” he murmurs, because that is what his mother used to say when he couldn’t stop crying. “Just breathe.” He realizes that she is saying something, whispering it over and over against the skin of his neck.

“Could’ve died,” she whimpers and tightens her grip. “Could’ve died.” Zuko’s heart pounds and he tightens his hold on her. “You can’t die, Zuko,” she sobs, holding him so tightly that her nails bite into his skin. “You just… you just can’t. And you almost did. If I had been slower, if I… if I hadn’t been strong enough…”

“Katara…”

“She was aiming for me. It was coming right at me and you just… why did you do that? Why would you do that?”

“Katara.”

“You can’t do things like that. It doesn’t matter if I die. I’m not a prince or the Avatar or some noble. I’m nobody. But you— people need you! I need you! I—”

He kisses her. Softly. Once. Twice. Because he can hardly bear to hear her say anything else about a world in which she is not the sun and the moon and all the stars in the sky. So he kisses her, cradling her face in both of his hands, brushing away her tears with his thumbs. And she kisses him back, lips trembling against his, fingers twining in his hair.

“Nobody?” he whispers against her lips, kisses her jaw, kisses her ear. “Katara…” his voice breaks as he struggles to find words big enough to fit his entire heart. “You are everything.”

She pulls away and looks at him with wide, blue eyes. Her gaze is a thawing glacier, a spring rain on parched earth. She melts into him, slowly this time, attaching her mouth to his. He sinks back into the cushions and she shifts so that her knees are on either side of his hips. He is suddenly painfully aware that she is still in her underwear underneath the robe.

“You’re drunk,” he groans. Her hips are rocking slightly, little undulations that send the blood rushing away from his brain. She shakes her head, mouth moving from his lips, over his jaw, to a spot just below his ear that makes his fingers tighten on her hips.

“I know what I’m doing,” she breathes. “Please.” She takes hold of one of his hands, guiding it to her chest. Zuko groans again and kneads her breast gently, his thumb rolling over her stiff peaks, pinching softly through her wraps. Her hips are rocking more purposefully now, each burst of friction sending shots of pleasure tingling up his spine. Her breathing trembles and she arches into his hand.

“You can’t die,” she mumbles, breath hitching. “Promise. You can’t leave me.” Zuko rolls them and pulls down the top of her bindings, pressing hot, slow kisses to her breasts. He grind his hips more firmly against hers and she gasps, hooking a knee up over his hip. He kisses his way back up to her mouth, nibbles softly on her lower lip.

“I’m here,” he says, “I’m alive.” Her hips shift and she moans aloud. “I won’t ever leave you.” He focuses on that spot, the one that makes her whimper, rolling his hips in short quick bursts. “Say it, Katara,” he groans and attaches his mouth to her neck.

“You’re alive,” she pants, hand sliding down his back to cradle his ass, urging him faster. “You’re alive, you’re—” she breaks off with a choked gasp, moans his name in a way that makes him dizzy with pleasure. Her body goes stiff and then she relaxes, her fingers slow and lethargic against his biceps. He eases his movements, breathing hard against the nape of her neck, then rolls off of her, settling down on the cushions by her side. She reaches over and takes his hand, intertwining their fingers. He tugs and she rolls closer, cuddling up to his side.

“What about—”

“I’m fine,” he tells her, kissing the top of her head. “In the morning.” She chuckles and wraps her arms around his waist. “Sleep.”

“Zuko?”

He tilts his head to look at her, watching the moonlight on her hair and the curl of her fingers against his chest.

“I love you.”

He traces his thumb over her cheek and can almost see a thousand nights unfolding before his eyes, full of the feel of her cool skin against his.

“I love you too.”

 The next morning, the servants seem completely unfazed by every aspect of the scene they find in the young Fire Lord’s rooms, from the heap of empty rum bottles piled in a corner to Katara herself, who is curled up in Zuko’s lap, cradling her head while he reads through a set of scrolls. They collect the bottle as quietly as possible (though Katara still winces at every clink) and drop twin mugs of something hot and strong-smelling alongside breakfast. When they leave, Katara crosses the room to grab their tea, shoves his into his hands, and climbs stiffly back into his embrace.  Zuko sips his tea, still shifting through the documents.

“Remind me,” he says mildly, “what was it you said last night about drinking water and delicate flowers?”

Katara gulps her tea, wincing. “Shut up,”she says, burying her face in the crook of his neck “and drink.”

[paketwisatabahari]

Bali Tour Service And Great Things To Do In Bali

When touring to Bali for a vacation, it's never a case of what are you going to seek out to do in your vacation, however somewhat how many weeks vacation can you're taking to take pleasure in all that Bali has to supply. Many individuals consider beaches and white sand when pondering of Bali and associate is a being mainly a seashore holiday. Though there are a lot of resorts alongside the beachfront to chill out at, this is solely a small a part of all of the Bali tours and actions obtainable. There are only a few lodges and resorts in Bali that won't have both in house excursions of Bali or have the ability to prepare some tour via an impartial tour company so that you can enjoy.

With so many activities obtainable it's tough to choose the very best to advocate, however primarily based on the popularity of the next these appear to be essentially the most thrilling things to do when considering one of the many Bali tours obtainable.

Beneficial Bali Water Activities

Bali Marine Walk

Have you ever always wanted to experience the ocean flooring, the backyard below water that is teaming with marine life filled with shiny colors and gorgeous fish, however were afraid to dive or are not a very nice swimmer? Then this is a should so that you can check out while you go to Bali. This is a revolutionary diving system that you would be able to experience even if you happen to can’t swim; all you want to be able to do is stroll. The concept behind it is vitally easy; an open ended helmet allows the wearer to walk on the ocean mattress by simply putting it over their head. There may be an inbuilt defogging mechanism that forestalls the entrance “window” from changing into steamed up. There's a hose which is related to the scuba tanks allowing free movement whereas enjoying with the fish and feeding them out of your hand. This is actually a must do exercise when visiting Bali. Marine walk have their very own boat that may take you to Lembongan Island where you possibly can take pleasure in a day exploring the depths of the ocean.

White Water Rafting

Bali Journey Rafting gives a five star service that's renowned as the safest household rafting company in Bali. Age is just not a factor with this company, youngsters from as younger as 5 have been rafting down the Ayung River. The expertise is exhilarating and the views are breathtaking. The tour is on a stretch of river 8 kilometers lengthy and consists of 27 class II and sophistication III rapids wandering via unspoiled rain forests, towering gorges and sculptured rice fields. All of the guides are professionally skilled and have tons of expertise to pilot the rafts by some dramatic drops, waterfalls and rivers making your white water expertise secure but superior.

The entire journey will last roughly one and a half hours, depending on how fast the river is flowing. At the finish of the journey there are hot showers and altering rooms so that you can refresh in, followed by a hot connoisseur buffet at a private restaurant with views of majestic mountains and rice fields. The distinctive facilities and having the longest course on the island has attracted Hollywood celebrities like Claudia Schiffer, Jean-Claude Van Damme and David Copperfield. Entry is fairly straightforward, only an hour’s drive from nearly all of the resorts in the south of Bali.

Waterbom Park

Waterbom Park is located in the resort village of Kuta; it is a large 4 hectares in size with tropical vegetation making up the amazing landscape. World class water slides are located throughout the park and are obviously the primary attraction, however are many other recreational amenities situated inside the huge grounds. You could have the option of dong some wall climbing, water volley ball, bungee jumping, and getting blasted with the water blaster. For the extra relaxing tourist, the park provides a spa, many swimming pools to relax in, the Wantilan Restaurant has a swim up bar facility, or just watching the kids enjoy the Kiddies Park. This park is run by an Australian concern and the security requirements are exceptionally high. There is a strict maintenance regime in addition to supervision from certified lifeguards which are continuously on responsibility allowing mother and father to let their children splash away with none worries.

Inland Activities References

Bali Quad Discovery Tour

One of the oldest mountain villages of Bali, Payangan, is dwelling to Bali Quad and buggy discovery tours. The services are only 15 kilometers south of Kintamani on the slopes of mount Batur near Ayung river valley. The tour is thru very remoted countryside, the place you will not come across other vacationers whereas driving your personal 4 wheel quad bike. The groups are restricted to six in order to not make too much of a disruption to the locals and to ensure that guides are able to give personal help. Teams are divided in keeping with skill degree, not necessarily age, however if you wish to have your personal group composed of individuals of all talent ranges then that can be arranged. The one requirement that is wanted is that you just be in good bodily shape because the terrain might be very demanding.

Kintamani Volcano Tour

This can be a highly regarded tour in Bali because it wanders through many alternative areas of the Bali countryside permitting you to experience the diversity of Balinese culture and ends up with you standing on the sting of the crater of mount Batur. Among the locations and activities which might be visited and skilled on the way in which is the famous Barong Dance situated in Batubulan, the village of Celuk famend for its silver and goldsmiths, the gifted village of Mas with their exquisite wood carvings, the cultural capital of Bali, Ubud that is overflowing with cultural activities and beautiful paintings.

Elephant Safari Park Tour

The Elephant Safari Park located in Taro, Tegallalang is a must do for all visitors that come to Bali as it's the only complete elephant safari experience on the earth. The unique park is the house to the only Mammoth Skeleton in South East Asia and is acclaimed as the world’s best elephant park that's set in a picturesque tropical setting. In between using, sightseeing, hand feeding, touching them, taking pictures with them, you may study their ancestry and diversity on the large historic and graphic displays that the park has. The parks services also embody a reception and information middle, a comprehensive museum with many elephant memorabilia.

Overlooking a formidable lake is the restaurant that is able to maintain over 200 people and has a implausible worldwide menu making it supreme not only for a visit, however is a perfect location to hold a marriage or different event. The gift store has an unimaginable array of elephant themed objects that include paintings, ivory (watch out when shopping for this, make sure that it will not be confiscated at your individual countries airport), wood and carvings, clothes and lots of different souvenirs.

Although the park may be very tourist oriented the principle objective of the park is the safety of these elephants that have all been rescued because of the deforestation that's occurring in Southern and Central Sumatra and this park has turn into a sanctuary for this endangered and guarded species. Elephants are very clever creatures and at certain instances of the day there are displays of the elephant’s capabilities including painting. The park is nice for every type of vacationers and will probably be a spotlight of your Bali tours.

As a visitor you will be able to the touch and hand feed the elephants, watch as they playfully bathtub in the massive lakes, have personal photographs taken with you using on the elephants, witness the intelligence of these large but gentle creatures and find out about their historical past, details about them and the issues for his or her future. The park additionally offers mini rides for the children.

Bali Paragliding Adventure

Bali has a mountain chain that stretches throughout the island giving paragliding lovers spectacular views and quite a lot of completely different places to launch from. The most well-liked locations are , Timbis, Gunung Payung, Mount Batur and Candi Dasa.

Timbis

Bali’s most popular flight zone and coaching center is located right here, close to the spectacular Bali Cliff resort. The rugged cliffs, white seashores, clear blue seas, Hindu temples and crashing waves over the coral reefs make this the right spot to learn how to paraglide. There are facilities for meals and drinks for those who favor just to chill out and watch the extra adventurous vacationers bounce off the cliffs. After your flight there are Balinese workers who will pack your canopy away simply as you need it.

Gunung Payung

East of Timbus, perhaps quarter-hour drive, Gunung Payung offers a launch area for the more skilled paraglider as at excessive tide there isn't any backside landing and you will have to soar and steer your manner eastward to keep away from crashing within the water.

Mount Batur. Mount Batur is an lively smoldering volcano with 4 craters at an elevation of 1,717m which last erupted in 2000. There is no such thing as a better place to get your coronary heart pumping earlier than takeoff, and if you're fortunate sufficient not to get bombarded with showering lava, the view is breathtaking. Mount Batur is positioned in Kintamani, north of Ubud.

Candi Dasa

Candi Dasa has a small take off space and subsequently prime landing just isn't doable, the location is a 250m high ridge. The thermals are awesome right here and it's often potential to achieve cloud base, 600-750 meters. The stroll to take off from the black sand bottom touchdown seaside is 20-30 minutes depending on how fit you're. There are Balinese porters should you want assistance.

There are many trusted Bali automotive rental as well as tour service who will in a position to drive visitors or vacationers to these interesting spots.

[dinedreamdiscover]

Tampa Florida Tourist Attractions

Tampa, Florida Tourist Attractions offers something for everyone From museums and theme parks to a fantastic nightlife, Tampa has it all.

Tampa, Florida Tourist Attractions

From museums and theme parks to a fantastic nightlife that doesn’t stop until the morning, Tampa has it all. Tampa, Florida offers something for every kind of vacationer. Whether you are a single looking to get away from it all, a couple looking for some romance or a family of 6 looking for action and adventure.

 Busch Gardens Tampa is home to the world famous Busch Gardens theme park. This park has thousands of animals, many of whom are endangered or near-extinction in the wild. The mind bending roller coasters are sure to appeal to the kids and the kids at heart. The world renowned Montu is one of the longest and tallest inverted roller coasters in the entire world. With 3.95 Gs and 7 crazy inversions you will be screaming your way through the twists and turns.

The newest edition, SheiKra, pummels you down 200 feet, but only after you stare out over the 90 degree drop. Once you sail down the vertical drop you fly through a couple of loops and through water; splashing water onto the spectators below. The Land of the Dragons kids’ area will excite young children and the whole family will love to climb and explore the 3-story tree top world of Jungala. The park also has 6 year-round shows and adds more during the holiday seasons. Perhaps the best part is if you or your spouse is active duty military, reservist, or National Guardsman than he or she is entitled free admission simply by registering in advance or at the park!

The more than 30 acres of water fun awaits at Adventure Island! This water park has everything from a 17,000 square foot wave pool to the Fabian’s Fun Port children’s area complete with scaled down water rides. Older kids and adults will love racing down the various slides and corkscrews. This large park will provide fun for days! Lowry Park Zoo The Lowry Park Zoo has been consistently rated the #1 Zoo in the United States. However, it doesn’t come to any surprise! The zoo offers numerous animal shows, animal and non-animal rides, over 2000 animals in natural environments, and even an eco-cruise! Visitors can even enjoy special back-stage animal encounters, day camps, and sleep-overs!

Florida Aquarium The Florida Aquarium, one of the top 10 aquariums in the country. Also a winner of Nick’s Parents’ Picks Best Tourist Spot, showcases over 20,000 aquatic plants and animals. Young visitors may join up with their varied children’s programs which educate children on a weekly basis.

Furthermore, visitors 6 years and up are able to swim with the fish and the whole family can hop aboard the Bay Spirit II for the eco-tour to see dolphins frolicking in Tampa Bay.

Museum of Science and Industry The Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), is the Winner of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. It treats guests to three stories of fun including the Saunders Planetarium, a 10,500 square foot IMAX Dome Theater, the Bio Works Butterfly Garden, various science exhibits, and consistently interesting and popular traveling exhibits.

Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center The popular Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and the Tampa Theater offers tourists and locals alike the Florida Orchestra, musicals, plays, comedies, operas, free movies, and special events.

Tampa Florida Tourist Attractions - Raymond James Stadium  The Tampa Bay area will thrill any sport addict! Football fans will enjoy a visit to Raymond James Stadium to catch the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the University of South Florida Bulls in action. Furthermore, hockey fans can see the Tampa Bay Lighting fight it out on the ice at the St. Pete Times Forum and baseball fans only have to take a short trip south to see the Tampa Bay Devil Rays baseball team. Golfers will enjoy playing a round at the Westchase Golf Club. Listed as the number one golf course in the state of Florida, which also happens to be only 10 minutes away from the Tampa International Airport!

However, Raymond James Stadium also has many different functions such as Monster Trucks and is considered in the top 5 Tampa Florida Tourist Attractions. Ybor City Ybor City, the extremely popular night club. The entertainment district provides fun all night long and includes some of the hottest clubs in Florida. Those that aren’t into the club scene will still want to dine at one of the twenty-plus restaurants. Catch a beer at the Tampa Bay Brewing Company, or laugh out loud at the improve Comedy Theater. Many people do not realize that Ybor City is considered the Cigar Capital of the World. It has 10 cigar stores and factories including the King Corona Cigar Café which is run by a fifth generation cigar family, La Herncia De Cuba which offers over 20,000 different cigars, and the West Tampa Cigar company that has been manufacturing cigars since 1892.

Henry B. Plant Museum Museum buffs might like to learn more about the beginning of the Florida tourist industry at the Henry B. Plant Museum, once the home of the Tampa Bay Hotel. The Ybor City State Museum will take visitors through the multi-cultural rich past of the city and military buffs can visit the Second World War SS American Victory Ship.

Ben T. Davis Beach - Tampa Florida Tourist Attractions Ben T. Davis Beach, only 10 minutes from downtown Tampa. It offers powder white sand, panoramic views of the Tampa Bay, and a quiet retreat from the hustle and bustle of the city. Consequently, miles of other award winning and popular beaches can be had through out the Tampa Bay area.

Finally, Tampa’s limitless attractions and restaurants, sub-tropical year round climate. As a result making it an ideal location to provide the perfect vacation destination for any visitor.    

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[thatcrazyfanfictionwriter]

Secret of the Sewers: H.A.T.E.

In a secluded brownstone on the edge of town, several angry New Yorkers were gathered up. Each was shouting and jeering, the walls decorated with old newspaper clippings and blurry tabloid photos. All of these decorations had one thing in common: they all had something to do with 'mutants' or 'monsters'. As the crowd roared, one man in particular went ahead of them to speak. He was an older man with poliosis, meaning he had black hair with a white patch where his bangs were. He wore cargo pants and a tactical vest over a black shirt with an x over an alien symbol.

"People of New York, you know why you're here!" He spoke. "We're here because we're the only ones willing to take action against these mutant freaks!"

The crowd exploded into angry jeers and shouts, throwing their fists in the air.

"These monsters have run rampant in our city while the police and the government have done jack to stop them!" He resumed. "Well now, it's time for the good people of this city to stand up for themselves!"

The crowd cheered again.

"It is time for us to show these monsters that they aren't welcome on our planet!"

The cheering grew louder.

"We've searched all over the city to try and find these freaks, but we haven't found a trace of them." the man went on. "That's when it hit me. They're not in our city..."

He slapped a map of the New York City drainage system that was tacked onto the wall.

"They're UNDER it!" he shouted. "Hiding right under our noses! Now we just need to smoke em out..."

…

Down in the lair, everyone was trying to find something to alleviate their ever growing cabin fever. Leo had retreated into the dojo, practicing his katas over and over. Raph was taking out his frustrations on his punching bag, with the occasional break to patch up a bad hole. Donny was tucked away in his lab, working on one of the many projects he'd begun in order to keep himself busy. Hisako was currently playing video games in the living room, enjoying the mundane nature of the activity. Splinter just sat in his room, meditating. Mikey peeked in to check on him, Klunk tucked under his arm as he did. Once he was certain the rat master was busy, he slipped passed him and made his way to Donny's lab.

"This is gonna be sweet." he whispered, holding a water balloon in his other hand.

Klunk meowed in agreement as Mikey gave a light knock on Donny's lab door.

"It's open!" Donny called out.

Mikey just knocked again, stifling a giggle. Donny sighed, then went to open the door. Before he could get a word off, he was pelted in the face by a water balloon.

"Yes!" Mikey proclaimed. "Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!"

"Michelangelo!" Donny screamed, prompting the orange turtle into motion.

"Uh… got other patients I need to see." Mikey let out. "Gotta go!"

He then bolted out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him. Donny tried to open the door, but it seemed to be stuck from the other side.

"Mikey!" Donny cried out. "Let me out of here right now!"

"Nope!" Mikey called out, already preparing to go after his next 'patient'.

Leo meanwhile, continued working his katas. Each movement was precise and focused, his concentration unbreakable. Mikey used this to his advantage, using every lesson in ninja stealth he had to sneak up behind him. He then threw the water balloon, Leo instinctively slicing through it. This sent the contents splashing all over him, much to his annoyance.

"Mikey…" Leo let out.

"Yes Leo?" Mikey asked.

"...run."

Mikey obliged and beat feet out of the dojo, slamming the door shut behind him. Unlike Donnie, Leo knew immediately it was blocked from the outside, the orange turtle having planned ahead. Wiping his face, he resumed his katas, assured that Mikey would get his dues when he went after the fourth turtle.

"Hey Raph?" Mikey called out innocently.

"What?" Raph questioned, still wailing on his bag.

"There's a giant spider in the bathroom." Mikey told him. "Can you squish it for me?"

"You're kidding right?!" Raph called back.

"Please Raphie, it's huge!" Mikey begged. "Even Klunk's scared of it."

Mikey held up Klunk, who gave a small meow while putting on his cute eyes.

"Alright!" Raph relented, opening the door. "This had better be a big-"

A water balloon collided with the back of his head, then Raph heard the sound of the door slamming shut and something heavy being slid in the way.

"MIKEY!" Raph yelled, trying to open the door.

"Forget it, Raph." Donny called through the wall. "Mikey's tagged us and trapped us. He planned this entire thing."

"Why are you so calm about this?!" Raph snapped.

"Two reasons." Donny answered. "One, he has to let us out eventually. And two, there's only one other person he can hit, and we all know how that's gonna end."

"Oh yeah." Raph recalled. "I can't wait to see how that plays out."

Hisako was still in the middle of her video game, and Mikey could tell it was reaching a climactic part. Mikey wound up his arm and heaved the balloon right at her head. Inches before it hit though, it stopped midair, a green halo of energy surrounding it. Mikey went wide-eyed, then he heard the sounds of his brothers being freed from their various rooms. Very slowly, he turned, watching as Donny and Raph walked out, both grinning maliciously. Even Leo took a break from his katas to come out and face down his brother.

"Hehe..." Mikey let out nervously. "Hey… guys..."

Without looking up from her game, more water balloons began floating in the air, gathering around Mikey like birds of prey. He dropped Klunk, the cat quickly scurrying to safety as Mikey braced himself.

"Not again." he squeaked.

From Splinter's room, the sound of a dozen or so water balloons hitting Mikey reached his ears. He sighed as Mikey squealed from the cold water and shock, shaking his head.

"Kids." he muttered.

"Ok! Ok! Uncle!" Mikey yelled. "I give! I give!"

Hisako finished her level, letting out a small victorious hiss before turning to her brothers.

"When are you going to learn, Mikey?" she questioned. "You're never going to hit me with a water balloon."

"Can't blame a guy for trying… right?" Mikey replied.

"Even so, locking us in separate rooms was not a good idea." Leo chastised.

"I was gonna let you out." Mikey promised. "I was just hoping if I kept you away from Hisako, she wouldn't know what I was planning."

"Well, you failed miserably." Donny remarked.

"Now you get to clean up all this water." Raph declared. "And I better not find any balloon remnants anywhere, or I'll make you eat them."

"Alright, alright." Mikey agreed, going to get a mop.

…

Out in the city, Casey was riding along on his bike, keeping an eye out for any trouble. With the turtles still homebound, crime had gone up, prompting Casey to go out at night to keep the peace. At the moment, everything seemed to be quiet, much to his annoyance.

"This would be so much better if I had someone with me." he lamented. "No wonder the guys always travel together."

As he drove along, several trucks sped past him, going easily twice the speed limit.

"What the heck?" Casey let out. "Where are they off to in such a hurry?"

Casey then drove off after the truck, keeping a safe distance as he did so. He followed them all the way to the Lairdman Island Chemical plant, where the trucks stopped and several large men came out.

"Alright Skonk, what's the plan?" one asked the black and white haired leader.

"The chemical the boys found out about should be inside." Skonk replied. "We find it, load it up, and make those mutants pay."

"Mutants pay?" Casey muttered. "Chemical? This could be bad."

He then ducked into the crowd, sliding his hockey mask on to obscure his face as the group all did the same with their own masks. He followed them as they split up, hitting the security cameras with paint balls. The guards standing outside the building were quickly and efficiently knocked out, laid down on the ground so they would be out of the way.

"Damn, these guys are professionals." Casey whispered.

He continued following the group as they made their way towards the storage area for the various chemicals.

"So, how do we know what this chemical looks like?" Casey asked, trying to sound like one of the group.

"Just look for anything that says 'chlorosulfonic acid'." one of the men told him.

Casey froze up, then let out a cough to play it off.

"Right, right." he let out. "And uh… what are we gonna do with it again?"

The same guy let out a groan.

"Jeez, weren't you listening at all during the rally?" He questioned. "He grab the acid, we take it into the center of the city, then pour it down into the storm drains. It detonates and eradicates all the monsters lurking down there, and our city is creature free."

"Right… great plan." Casey replied.

"I know, right?" the guy replied. "Those mutants are toast!"

Casey nodded nervously, grateful his mask was hiding the look of abject horror on his face.

"Jackpot boys!" Skonk suddenly shouted. "I found what we need!"

The others turned towards Skonk and watched as he climbed triumphantly onto a pile of chemical drums. They all had water hazard signs on them, as well as the name of the chemical itself. When Casey saw how many drums there were, he felt his heart skip a beat, fearing the worst for his friends.

"Grab as many as we can carry!" Skonk commanded. "When we're through, no one will mess with New York again!"

Looking around for anything he could use, Casey eyed the fire alarm on a nearby wall. Carefully backing towards it, he grabbed it and yanked. Almost immediately, alarms began blaring all throughout the facility, as well as a pre-recorded message demanding for an evacuation.

"What the hell?!" Skonk let out. "Who just-?!"

He saw Casey over by the fire alarm, just about to make his exit.

"Seems we have a traitor in our midst!" Skonk shouted. "Grab him!"

Casey took that as a cue to bolt, a certifiable army chasing after him while the rest grabbed the chemicals. As Casey ran through the warehouse, he grabbed a nearby shelf and pulled it over, knocking it down and slowing his pursuers down as Casey made his way out to his bike. He hopped on and started the engine, shooting off down the street as the goons came out.

"He's getting away!" one of the men cried out.

"Let 'im." Skonk declared. "We can't waste any more time. Grab the stuff before the cops show up!"

The man nodded as he and the others got to work collecting the chemicals and heading out.

…

Back down in the lair, Mikey had finished up cleaning his water balloon mess, plopping down on the couch and letting out an exaggerated sigh. Hisako paused her game, turning to him.

"Yes, Mikey?" she asked.

"I'm bored." Mikey whined. "I miss the surface. Being able to go topside and stretch our legs. Rooftop running and star gazing."

He let out another sigh, sinking deeper into the couch.

"When is this turtle hunt gonna end?" He questioned.

"It can't last forever." Leo assured him, joining him on the couch.

"Leo, you've been saying that for weeks." Raph pointed out. "And in that time, we've had cops on our tail, a bounty on our heads, a crazy guy lurking in the sewers, and the five of us so worked up that we're practically at each other's throats."

"I know it's been hard," Leo admitted, "but we gotta stick it out a little longer."

Just then, the entrance to the lair opened up, everyone immediately on edge. They relaxed, however, when they realized it was Leatherhead. Hisako grinned, rushing to him and jumping onto him.

"Leatherhead!" she cheered.

"Hey LH." Donny greeted. "Not that this isn't a nice change of pace, but what are you doing here? I thought we warned you that the sewers may not be safe."

"You did." Leatherhead replied, picking up Hisako and balancing her in one arm. "That's why... I'm here... I was worried... about Oracle."

"Awww." Hisako let out, nuzzling him. "I missed you too, big guy."

He just held her close, prompting Don, Raph, and Mikey to poke fun. Mikey immediately started making kissing noises, Donny and Raph snickering at his antics.

"Get a room, you two." Raph called out.

"What's the matter?" Hisako quipped. "Jealous my boyfriend came to visit?"

"Eh, ignore them." Leo told her. "They just have nothing better to do."

At that moment, Hisako's shell cell started ringing. She blinked, fishing for it and pulling it out of her jacket.

"Unknown number." she reported.

"Maybe it's a telemarketer?" Mikey suggested.

"Not possible." Donny insisted. "I've got our phones set to automatically redirect sales calls to a John Cena line."

"You totally got that off Tumblr." Hisako accused.

"Hey, it works." Donny shrugged.

"If it's not a telemarketer, then who could it be?" Leo asked.

"One way to find out." Hisako decided, answering the phone. "Hello?"

"Greenie, it's Casey."

"Oh hey Case." Hisako greeted. "You break your phone again? You better not have been out being a vigilante again."

"You got bigger problems than that." Casey told her. "A group of mutant haters has gotten ahold of a chemical that'll blow up the sewers."

Hisako went pale, switching her phone to speaker.

"Say that again?" she asked.

"A group of mutant hating psychos broke into a warehouse and stole some acid that'll incinerate everything in the sewers." Casey elaborated. "Including you guys."

"Acid?" Donny repeated. "What kind of acid?"

"Chlorosulfonic acid." Casey relayed. "They made off with a few barrels of it."

Donny's face lost several shades of green as he stumbled back. He caught himself on the couch as Splinter came out, drawn closer by the commotion.

"What is going on out here" Splinter asked.

"Some yahoos stole some clock oh sardonic acid." Mikey supplied.

"Chlorosulfonic acid." Donny corrected, still looking terrified. "It reacts violently with water, causing a powerful combustion."

"And we… live… in the storm drains..." Leatherhead realized.

"Not only will these guys completely torch us and every other living creature down here, but the sheer force of the explosion will cause massive damage to the entire tunnel system. They could collapse half the city."

"Yeah, well they don't seem to care about that." Casey informed. "They're hell bent on seeing you guys burn, no matter the cost."

"So what do we do?" Mikey questioned.

"We need to get out of the storm drain, that much is certain." Splinter declared.

"But where would we go?" Hisako asked. "We're clearly not wanted on the surface, and I doubt Lisa's place can accommodate all of us."

"More than that, hundreds if not thousands of people could get hurt because of this scheme." Donny added.

"Then we find these hatemongers and shut them down." Leo decided. "Do you have any idea where they'll be setting up shop?"

"My guess, the heart of the city." Donny proposed. "Perfect place to draw a crowd."

"And to ensure mass distribution of the chemical." Casey agreed. "More than that, it will be impossible for anyone to sneak up on them."

"They haven't met us." Leo replied.

"I will come." Leatherhead declared. "They threaten… my home… my friends..."

"Not that we wouldn't appreciate the help, but we can't afford to be seen." Donny tried to tell him.

"D, that ship sailed a long time ago." Raph told him bluntly. "We need all the help we can get."

"Then let's go." Leo declared.

…

Across town, Skonk and his men got all of the chemicals poured into a massive truck, ready to dump down into the storm drain. They had also barricaded off the streets with cars, dumpsters, and anything else they could find that was heavy enough.

"Streets are nearly blocked off, boss." one of the men reported.

"Good." Skonk declared. "Nobody gets in or out without my say so."

The man nodded as he got back to work.

Meanwhile, the police were pulling up, stopping when they saw the barricades. One car had Kara and Sterns, who got out to inspect what was happening.

"What the hell are these guys up to?" Sterns asked.

"We don't know, but none of our men can get close." Kara answered. "We have no idea what that chemical is, or what they plan to do with it."

"Just tell me Bomb Squad's on the way." Sterns insisted.

"As well as SWAT and sniper units."

"Good." Sterns replied. "In the meantime, keep the civilians back in case these bozos start feeling claustrophobic."

Kara nodded as she and several officers began trying to keep people back. News crews and reports gathered around the barrier, trying to get a shot of the action. Meanwhile, the police snipers moved into positions on various rooftops. As one sniper took his position, several figures appeared behind him. Before he had a chance to act, he was knocked out cold and dragged away from the edge, allowing the Hamato Family to take his place.

"There's that Skonk guy Casey mentioned." Leo pointed out.

"And that is a lot of acid." Donny gulped.

"So how we gonna play this?" Raph asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea." Leo admitted. "There's too many witnesses, and too many people who want us dead. The second we show our faces, we're dead."

"Unless we had a suitable diversion." Donny pondered. "If I can tap into the power grid for this block, I should be able to kill the power long enough for us to get past the barrier."

"Sounds good." Leo replied. "Once we're down there, think you can find a way to deal with the acid?"

"I'll do my best." Donny said nervously as he pulled out a small jerry-rigged game console. "It's all I can do."

"That's all we can ask for." Leo told him.

Down below, Skonk climbed up onto the top of the chemical truck, a megaphone in his hand. Every camera turned to him, as did the mutants watching from the roof.

"This is a day the people of this city have been needing for far too long!" Skonk yelled. "The day we finally rid ourselves of these alien freaks!"

As he spoke, a pair of his men dropped a banner over the side of the chemical truck. It read, Humans Against The Extraterrestrials, in blood red, with the first letter of each word emboldened. The Hamato family saw this and their blood went cold.

"We're in deep shell." Raph let out.

"We are the Humans Against The Extraterrestrials!" Skonk proclaimed. "We are the saviors of humanity! The heroes who will destroy the alien menace once and for all!"

"Down with the Aliens!" H.A.T.E. Chanted. "Down with the aliens!"

"Well that's peppy." Mikey commented.

"Donatello, time is running short." Splinter warned. "We need darkness."

"Working on it!" Donny hissed back.

Skonk then went over to the back of the truck, yanking open a manhole.

"With this truck of acid, all of the monsters and aliens haunting this city will finally meet the violent, fiery death they deserve!"

"Donny…" Leo let out.

"Almost… there…" Donny responded. "Got it!"

With one final button push, the power to the entire block started going out. The seconds the lights went out, everyone gathered around began to panic. The Hamato ninjas quickly vaulted off the roof, hoping to take advantage of the chaos.

…

In a government compound on the edge of the city, Bishop was watching the various news reports on H.A.T.E.'s stunt. When he saw the lights cut, his mouth tightened into a thin line.

"They're acting." he realized. "What are they thinking?"

"Sir?" One of his agents spoke up. "What should we do? If they get caught, we could have a full-blown riot on our hands."

"Prepare an extraction unit." Bishop ordered. "I was them on the scene immediately."

"Sir, yes sir." the agent replied, rushing off to comply as Bishop kept watching the screen.

…

Back in the center of downtown, Skonk looked around as the lights all died. He smirked viciously, knowing what that meant.

"They're here." he declared. "You all know what to do."

The men nodded as they bolted over to some nearby cars. The Hamato siblings moved quickly through the crowds, vaulting over the barricade and into H.A.T.E's cordoned off area. As they landed, they took down several H.A.T.E. goons in rapid succession. Just as they prepared to go after Skonk, the sound of several engines filled the air. Headlights turned on, set to their brightest setting. Everyone froze, the Hamato family and Leatherhead now in full view.

"Smile freaks." Skonk told them. "You're on TV."

If people weren't panicking before, they were now. Police couldn't decide who the bigger threat was: H.A.T.E, or the mutants. Civilians were just running to try and get away, and Skonk was pulling a pistol out of his belt.

"Glad you came." he declared. "Now I can make sure you monsters are truly dead."

"You're welcome to try, freak nut!" Raph yelled, pulling out his sai.

Raph charged at Skonk as the rest of the Hamato family dealt with the remaining members of H.A.T.E. Leatherhead tossed men left and right as twin tessen whizzed over his head, disarming several goons. Hisako caught the tessen and used them to slice the legs of two more oncoming members. Leo's swords made short work of two more guns before he quickly used the blades to block bullets. He then kicked the guy to the ground before moving onto the next one. Mikey combined his nunchuks into a three piece before going to town on the men, smacking one H.A.T.E. member in the face after another. Donny joined him, sweeping several goons off their feet with his staff as Splinter did the same with his walking stick.

The entire time this was going on, the police were struggling to contain the scene. They were forcefully removing civilians and media to a safe distance while trying to simultaneously keep tabs on the situation. Needless to say, it was difficult.

"Snipers!" Sterns called into a walkie-talkie. "Tell me someone has a shot."

"Negative!" a sniper replied. "Too much movement. I can't get a clear shot without risking shooting the chemical truck."

"Blast it." Sterns let out. "Well keep on em. The instant you have a shot, take it!"

"Yes sir!" the sniper replied.

Skonk and Raph continued to wrestle, the man a bit stronger than Raph and giving the red turtle a run for his money. Skonk managed to get on top of Raph and wrapped his hands around his throat, strangling him. Donny saw this first, rushing forward and jumping into the air, swinging his staff like a baseball bat.

"Hands off my brother!" he screamed.

The staff connected with the side of Skonk's head, disorienting him. His grip loosened and Raph gasped, kicking Skonk off of him as he rubbed his neck.

"Thanks, Don." Raph wheezed.

"Don't mention it." Donny said.

Suddenly, a shot rang out and Donny suddenly fell. His right leg was bleeding heavily and he was crying out in pain. Raph grabbed him and dragged him to cover near one of the barricading cars.

"Don!" He shouted, propping his brother up. "Are you okay?"

Donny grunted in pain before responding.

"Sniper…" Donny let out. "Got my leg…"

Raph turned towards the direction the shot had come from, glaring in rage.

"Those bozos can't tell friend from foe!" He exclaimed. "We need to get out of here!"

"If we don't destroy that chemical truck, we won't have anywhere to escape too!" Leo shouted.

"But how?!" Hisako yelled. "We can't get the truck out of here, and if even a single drop hits water-!"

She cut herself off, an idea coming to her. She leapt over to Mikey, grabbing him.

"Mikey, give me your water balloon." she demanded.

"Uh, what water balloon?" Mikey replied.

"The one you were gonna hit me with." She reminded. "I know you have it, so hand it over."

Mikey reached into his shirt, pulling out the balloon. Hisako snatched it up, turning towards the truck. Skonk had recovered from his blow to the head and grabbed a lever, preparing to open the tank and release the contents. The second he pulled it, Hisako threw the balloon, watching it shatter onto the spilling chemicals.

"Hit the dirt!" Hisako shrieked.

Leatherhead grabbed Leo and Splinter, pulling them over to where Raph and Donnie were. Mikey and Hisako quickly joined them, huddling together and bracing themselves. The massive explosion ripped through the truck, the chemicals igniting in a massive ball of greenish-blue flames. All of H.A.T.E. was sent flying as windows shattered and cars were sent tipping onto their sides from the sheer force of the explosion.

Leatherhead took the brunt of the explosion for the mutants, his back charred and smoking as he slumped, semi-conscious from the pain. The others were shell shocked as well, their ears ringing and smoke filling the air. The five siblings slowly pulled themselves up, Splinter holding onto Donny so he wouldn't have to put pressure on his bad leg.

"We have to go." Leo insisted, his voice almost drowned out by the ringing in everyone's ears.

"Easier said… than done…. Bro." Raph let out, disoriented.

Hisako struggled to pull Leatherhead to his feet, the massive croc barely able to lift his own head. Mikey came over to help her, but the two were completely out of it, and the endeavor proved fruitless.

"Freeze!" a shout suddenly rang out.

The mutants all turned to see Sterns standing at the freshly opened entrance of the barricade, his gun aimed right at the seven of them. His hands were shaking, but the cops behind him were far steadier.

"All of you, get down on the ground!" Sterns demanded.

"Well that's just great." Raph lamented. "We just saved the city you dumbass!"

"Raphael!" Splinter snapped. "It would be best not to antagonize the police officers."

"I won't tell you again!" Sterns shouted. "Get down on the ground, now!"

"What do we do?" Mikey asked.

"For now… we do what they say." Leo told him.

They all lifted their hands, then prepared to get on the ground. Then, several loud truck horns sounded. The cops and mutants all turned, surprised to see black vans with the Earth Protection Force logo pulling up. The vans opened up and men in full tactical gear poured out. One of these men approached Sterns, holding up a sheet of paper.

"This is EPF Jurisdiction." the man declared. "You are hereby ordered to leave the scene and turn over the mutants to us."

"What?!" Sterns let out. "You can't be serious."

"I am very serious." the man replied before turning to some of the soldiers. "Get them in the vans. Now."

The men closed in on the mutants, a team of four grabbing Leatherhead and dragging him off. One took hold of Hisako, ushering her towards the van Leatherhead was being put in. Two soldiers pulled Donny off of Splinter, basically tag team carrying him. Splinter tried to protest, but was simply ushered along with Raph, Leo, and Mikey.

"Hey, hey that's our sister!" Raph shouted once he realized he and his brothers were not being sent to the same van as Hisako and Leatherhead. "That's our sister!"

"She'll be alright." One of the agents reassured.

"Then why are you taking her?!" Mikey cried out. "Give her back!"

He started trying to run to Hisako, but the guards grabbed him, struggling to get him into the van. The brothers locked eyes with Hisako as she was gently pushed into the van with Leatherhead. For a brief moment, they saw the look of terror on her face before the doors slammed shut and locked. That sound caused them all to freeze, giving the agents the moment they needed to get all five into their own van before locking the doors.

"No!" Raph screamed, banging on the door. "No!"

The van began driving off as Raph kept banging, sagging to his knees as he did. Splinter began tending to Donny's leg, tearing off pieces of the purple turtle's lab coat for bandages. Leo held Donny's hand as their father worked, leaving Mikey to tend to Raph.

"She's gonna be okay, right?" Mikey asked, trying to rationalize what happened. "They just needed two vans to transport us all. They're not trying to separate us, right?"

"They'd better not." Raph swore.

"Wait, let me try something." Leo insisted, pulling out his shell cell and dialing Hisako's number.

It rang only once before the line clicked, Hisako's terrified panting filling the speakers.

"Guys?" she let out, clearly scared out of her mind.

"Hisako!" Leo let out. "Are you alright?!"

"I'm scared." She answered. "Leatherhead won't wake up, I don't know what's going on, I can barely read my own thoughts, much less those of the driver… I don't want to go back to a lab, Leo."

"You won't. I promise." Leo reassured. "As soon as we get our bearings, we're busting out of here."

"But what about Donny's leg?" Raph pointed out. "He can barely stand, much less fight."

"Forget about me." Donny insisted. "We can't let whomever these guys have all of us."

"We will not leave anyone behind." Splinter declared. "We all will get out of this, no matter what happens."

"Promise?" Hisako asked.

"I promise." Splinter reassured.

With nothing left to do, the ninjas all got settled into their vans, waiting to arrive wherever their destination was.

…

In the driver's seat of the turtles' van, the driver got on a communicator, connecting him to Agent Bishop.

"The extraction was successful, sir." the driver announced. "However, we ran into a problem."

"What problem?" Bishop questioned.

"The crocodile was with them." The driver explained. "We put him in a separate van and ensured the girl was with him. The turtles reacted very negatively to this and I fear they may try something upon arrival."

"I see." Bishop replied, pondering his next step. "We knew they would no doubt try something, no matter what the circumstances were. Proceed with the plan. It's all we can do at this point."

"Yes sir." the driver replied.

The driver then continued down the road, heading back to the compound.

…

The turtles curled up on the floor of the van, Splinter among them and the still connected shell cell resting in Leo's lap. Hisako had snuggled up against Leatherhead, the crocodile having finally come around. He held her tight, everyone tense as they waited for the ride to end. Soon, they all heard sounds of other voices, and the sound of a gate being opened.

"I think we're there." Hisako let out.

Everyone perked, rising to their feet. Splinter held Donny, keeping him off his bad leg as they all faced the doors. The vans came to a stop after a minute, then the rumble of the engine died out. Then, they heard the loud click of the locks on the van doors, but after that, nothing but silence.

"The doors just unlocked." Hisako reported. "But… nobody's coming in."

"Same here." Leo reported. "Something's up."

"A trick?" Leatherhead suggested.

"Probably." Leo replied. "When I give the signal, we spring out. Be ready for anything."

Leo, Raph, and Mikey put themselves between Splinter and Donnie. On their end, Leatherhead pulled Hisako onto his back, his eyes glowing red.

"Now!" Leo shouted.

They kicked the doors open, coming out with weapons drawn. Leatherhead came out as well, landing on all fours with teeth bared and claws out. Once they were out, they all paused, taking stock of their surroundings. The first thing they noticed was that the two vans were side by side, allowing for a quick reunion between the groups. The second thing they noticed was that they were in the middle of a fenced off compound, the initials E.P.F. on the massive building before them.

"They dropped us off… outside the sudo-military complex?" Mikey questioned.

"This doesn't make any sense." Donny insisted. "They should have taken us to some sort of loading area inside where we could be easily process and detained."

"If that was our intention, we would have." a voice spoke up.

Everyone turned as a man in a dark suit walked forward. He was the only person they could see in the entire complex, and he held himself like a man used to having people listen to him.

"My name is Agent John Bishop." He greeted. "Nice to meet you in person. We have much to talk about."