#LENORE STUNNED. AS SHE SHOULD BE

[coconut530]

MANIFESTING GIRLBOSS STYLE

[angst-fairygodmother]

Exchanges: Come With Me (The Song of Sway Lake Story)

After sleeping together, Jess and Ollie have a few things to work out. [Direct continuation of Love Lessons].

A/N: Here there be mood-whiplash. Word Count: 1362 Rating: T - mild language, angst, implied sexual conduct

Jess was still asleep when Ollie woke up, their bodies slotting together naturally and her forehead pressed between his shoulder blades. He quietly slipped from the bed, finding his boxers and stepping over Lenore out into the hall. A quick shower later, he stood in the kitchen, wondering if he should make breakfast to go along with the coffee he’d set to brew, when the sound of someone’s throat being cleared startled him. 

“Morning,” he said sheepishly, voice sleep-gravelled as he turned to face Jess. 

He paused for a second, stunned by how beautiful she was, framed in the doorway by the morning light. He was struck by the simple and obvious fact that she was an angel. Unfortunately, his angel looked more vengeful than saving. 

“You're still here,” she observed with surprise.

“We said we were going to talk in the morning.”

She offered him a wry half-smile. “Most people wouldn't have actually stuck around to do that though. Easier to just avoid the problem.”

“If I did that there'd be no chance of you considering my invitation.” He stepped forward to try to wrap his arms around her, and stopped in confusion when she stepped back. 

“Oh it's an invitation now?” Her eyebrow raised challengingly and she crossed her arms over her chest. Something about the way she moved made the collar of her robe slip, exposing more of her skin and making it hard for him to think.

“What are you talking about, Jess? It's always been an invitation.”

“Really? Because 'Fuck this place, I want you to come with me' sounds more like a demand. Or an ultimatum.”

“What?”

“You hate it here. And I understand that. But it felt, it feels like you want to leave and never look back.”

“I do.”

“So my choice is you or here?”

Ollie was silent. Jess brought her hand up to chew on the corner of her thumb. 

“I don't want to have to choose,” she said eventually, tearfully. “But I will.”

He frowned, feeling his own eyes starting to sting, both at the conversation and the thought that he had upset her.

“No. You don't have to choose,” he said quickly. “I didn't want to make you feel like that. I love you. I'll stay, for you.”

“That's not fair either.” 

She shook her head, her defensive stance deflating. She finally let herself step into his space, hand coming up to cup his jaw. He leaned instinctively into her touch. 

“I love you Ollie. But if us means someone has to compromise and be unhappy, maybe--”

“No.” He shook his head vehemently and this time he was the one to step back. “No. There has to be a way.”

“I want there to be. But I don't see it.”

“Why are you being like this?” he sighed in frustration.

“Me?” she scoffed. “You’re the asshole that waited until after we had sex to tell me you were leaving.”

“You knew I was only here for the summer.”

“I didn't know that you'd expect me to leave with you.” She threw her arms annoyedly in the air.

“I don't exp--”

“Fine!” She turned away and wrapped her arms tightly around herself. “I didn't know you'd want me.”

“Jess…” 

She swiped angrily at her tears. “I thought by now Nikolai would have convinced you I'm not worth the effort, or you'd have picked someone else, and you'd be happy to leave, and, and, that'd be that. This...I don't have a plan for this.”

“Is that what this is about?” He asked softly, placing his hands on her elbows and drawing her back against his chest. 

“What?” She frowned in confusion. 

“You're not worried about staying or leaving are you?” He kissed the side of her neck just below her ear and she fought herself wanting to lean into the soothing touch. “We said we'd figure things out. Together.”

“And then we didn’t. Just ignored the fact that this was going to become a problem sooner rather than later.”

He spun her around to face him. “I love you Jess. So tell me what you want to do, and I'll do it.”

“I don't want that,” she shook her head. “I don't want to just tell you what to do and have you do it.” 'You deserve someone not bent on controlling you.’ she silently added.

“So, what then?”

“I don't know!” She groaned. “We're just going in circles. It's pointless!”

His hands tangled into her hair suddenly and he kissed her. The action startled her, their teeth clacking together before she melted. She mirrored him, nails dragging across his scalp as she combed into his locks. She pushed back, tongue sliding into his mouth and hips pinning him to the edge of her counter. He released her hair, hands wandering to the edges of her robe now, caressing the skin beneath it and drawing out a sigh.

“W-wait,” Jess breathed, pulling back. His lips made their way to her jaw and she pressed a hand to his chest, leaning back. “Ollie, how does this help?”

He looked at her and she realized that he was crying.

“Hey,” she reached out to brush the tears away. “What? What is it?”

“I just wanted to kiss you one last time,” he whispered shakily. 

“Last time? What are you talking about?” She swiped away a few more of his tears.

“We're breaking up, aren't we?”

“Why would we be doing that?” She wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry. “Do...you want to?”

Even in the split second of waiting for his answer, she felt like a fist clamped around her, twisting her stomach and making it impossible to breathe. 

“No! I just thought…” he sighed, shoulders slumping.

It felt like a slap in the face. She had hurt him, and scared him, and now risked losing him. And for what? She loved him, in a way she had never felt before, even when she tried. Her heart raced and the only thought she could focus on was ‘fix this.’ She took a deep, steadying breath and forced it out slowly.

“I hate this, fighting with you. And I'm sorry.” Her forehead pressed to his. “I just, panicked.”

He brushed his fingers against her cheek and nodded, letting her go on.

“You're not leaving today, so we have time. To figure out what comes next. Long distance and visits or something. But we really do have to figure it out. You're not, are you? Leaving today?”

He shook his head with a slight laugh. “No. I don't know when I'm leaving, just soon. My grandmother will probably kick me out after her goodbye dinner.”

“Charlotte’s actually leaving?” her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “And throwing herself a goodbye dinner? That's almost sad.”

“Yeah, something about having one last formal night at the Point.”

“Oh. That's perfect though. If she's leaving, you could stay without having to worry about her? Not permanently...unless...but for a little bit longer?”

“We'd probably have to stay here…” he pointed out, a small smile on his face that almost seemed to tease or challenge her with the idea.

She shrugged. “We do anyway. And I'd even let Nik stay on the couch if that needs to happen to keep you longer. Assuming he doesn't just run off with his 'siren'.”

“His...you heard about her too?”

She laughed. “All about her. Except who she actually was or any way to identify her.” 

“I should tell him to bring her to dinner.” His smile widened at the thought and she winced, already imagining the chaos that would cause.

“I don't know, I might have to tap out if you do. I have to draw the line somewhere.”

“So you'll come?”

She nodded, fingers finding his and lacing through them. “Sure, if you want me there.”

He nudged his nose against hers affectionately. “You know I always want you.”

She kissed him fiercely, drawing back when he slid his tongue across her lip and smiling teasingly. “I could open the shop late if you want to prove it? We can make sure there’s no tension left between us?”

[fostersffff]

Finished Castlevania: the Netflix Season 3! Here’s some Season 3 specific observations:

I had heard that Season 3 was considered the weakest of the three seasons, and expressed nervousness because it was even longer than Season 2, which I felt was just a touch too long. Upon completion, I’d agree that this is definitely the weakest of the three, but only by a matter of degrees. I was actually more positive on the whole thing until the last two episodes, at which point you start to get into a lot of sudden and arbitrary misery for misery’s sake, which I think the series was pretty good about avoiding up until this point. I should specify that the length wasn’t the issue- even with the extra episodes Season 3 was overall better paced than Season 2- it was just the content of those last two episodes.

I knew through cultural osmosis that Alucard was going to be betrayed by the siblings, so I kept looking for signs, and... there really weren’t any. Except for constantly asking how to move the castle and expressing interest in parts of the castle they hadn’t seen, there were no signs of discontent. Nothing like flinching from gentle touches that they interpreted as incoming abuse, or having to restrain themselves from outbursts of anger over perceived slights, or a lack of interest in the Belmont Hold because all they wanted was to use the castle to enact revenge on everyone who wronged them. Even when talking privately, they came across as totally genuine- there was no doublespeak that was like “ah, you interpreted what they were saying this way but this was what they actually meant” unless you REALLY stretch how hard they leaned on “reward”.

Speaking of the siblings, my first thought upon seeing them was “why is the twink cuter than his sister?”, so imagine my surprise when the sex starts and the twink is suddenly built like a brick shithouse and the sister has some big ol’ honka donka badonkers.

I enjoyed Isaac’s Philosophy Quest, but I don’t actually have a whole lot to say about it, other than the way they managed to use Legion- a Castlevania monster I was sure would not show up in this series- was incredibly cool. Besides that, it was the part that made this season feel like a filler arc the most, because the whole point was to set up for the clash between Isaac and Carmilla’s armies next season.

Right up until the very last bit of it, I would have said that Trevor and Sypha’s story my favorite part of the whole season, because you could isolate it from the other three stories and it would be able to stand on its own no problem. But if the point of everything was ultimately to drag Sypha back down to Earth and make her realize that fighting the forces of hell is not going to exclusively be a Good Time, the complete and total destruction of the town would’ve been enough. Revealing that the Judge was actually a serial killer operating right under their noses was the most “arbitrary misery for misery’s sake” thing in the whole season and the little bit of an extra knife twist it provides was not worth souring the whole thing.

As such, to my great surprise, my favorite story of the season wound up being Hector and Lenore. I mentioned previously that I really don’t like Hector, because in a series chock full of all flavors of genius, he’s a pretty normal guy, which makes him look really stupid by comparison. That still stands, but Lenore actually carries it because she’s a good parallel for Hector with her own interest in “pets” and how that manifests. Actually, Lenore, Striga, and Morana carry it, which also reminds me that Carmilla feels really ancillary to the coven, which is odd considering what an overwhelming presence she was in Season 2.

Also, Lenore enslaving Hector with the ring is the least of the miserable twist endings. From the moment she beats the dogshit out of him for attempting to take her hostage, it’s abundantly clear that Lenore is just as capable as any of her sister and has an angle in mind. As it turns out, she’s just explicitly honest about what her angle is: she wants a loyal army of night creatures for Carmilla’s plan, and in return she’s giving Hector the things he seems to want (but not what he will inevitably realize he wants the most: freedom). It would’ve been so easy to just have her go “teehee, this was all just a work to get you to wear the slave ring, now you go back in the cell, naked, and also your peepee small”, which would’ve been in line with the twins’ betrayal and the Judge’s reveal, so I do appreciate that restraint.

The colorful and diverse range of voice acting performances in this season really make me wish Richard Armitage and James Callis hadn’t gotten instruction to mumble-grumble their deliveries. It was noticeable in prior seasons in the company of Alejandra Reynoso, who is my Big Favorite, but it’s even worse when surrounded by so many more interesting and, more importantly, clear voices.

I just looked this up and was stunned to find out that Prior Sala’s voice actor, Navid Negahban, also voiced the shopkeeper who gave Isaac the mirror. That’s a crazy impressive range!

I am once again thankful that this series has turned out to be as good as it’s been, because in addition to The Troubles with Warren Ellis, I read that a lawsuit was just filed by producer Adi Shankar against fellow producer Kevin Kolde over Shankar being excluded from the Rondo of Blood spin-off. Shankar not being involved isn’t necessarily a bad sign in and of itself, but it just feels like a bad omen, especially if the lawsuit winds up wrapping up the spin-off in red tape.

[just-castlevania-imagines]

Do you think Carmilla slept with anyone in the Council of Sisters? I’ve seen some Carmilla and Lenore fanarts and now I am curious

I wouldn't be surprised if she bot had and hadn't. We do know she's at least interested in women cause in s2 she tells Drac that all the vampire men and half or the vampire women would have to die before she'd sleep w/ God Brand.

And let's be real here, everyone loves Striga. I love Striga, Morana loves Striga. It should be illegal to be that stunning.

- Sincerely Mod Wall Chicken

[dyavania]

Hector x Reader — No Touching — Chapter one: Watching

First part to what is probably going to be a mini-series of short one-shots. It’ll be pretty simple and straightforward, focused on the relationship between Hector and the reader, and then I’ll probably write some smut. I hope you’ll enjoy it, it’s my first time writing for Hector and I hope I do him justice!

Ao3

Hector was slowly but surely getting used to feeling your eyes on him while he was working. You had introduced yourself the first time you had walked into his forge, but he hadn’t paid much attention to you. You were, after all, human, and as much as he now despised vampires, he hadn’t forgotten how people like you had treated him for years. Sure, you didn’t seem to be that bad — so far. He refused to let himself trust only to be betrayed again.

You had come with the human mercenaries who had recently been hired by Morana, but you seemed to be more of a servant than anything. He’d seen that the mercenaries didn’t treat you well and, had he been in another situation, he would probably have felt sorry for you.

You often came to see him work during the day. He never talked to you, but he also didn’t see a point in throwing you out. This wasn’t even his forge, after all. He was painfully aware of the fact that he didn’t own anything around him. Lenore tried her best to make him believe he did, to make him think that things weren’t that bad, but he refused to believe her again. This was a cage. A golden one, sure, but a cage nonetheless.

So whenever you walked in, he ignored you. On occasions, he acknowledged you with a nod. You generally went to sit by the window. You leaned against the wall, lifting your legs on the window seat, and you watched him. You could have looked outside — the view was stunning after all, though he didn’t enjoy it much, now that it was tied to Lenore’s manipulation — but he knew you spent most of your time watching him. He wasn’t sure why you did that, or why you even came here in the first place.

He assumed you were trying to escape the presence of the others, and he could understand why you wouldn’t want to be around vampires, but even then, why come here? The reanimation of corpses wasn’t a pleasant sight by any means. Yet almost every day, when you could get away, he assumed, you came in, started by petting his dog, then sat by the window. And watched.

He was starting to grow curious, despite himself.

“I don’t understand what you’re doing here,” he told you flatly one day.

You blinked, and he put his hammer to the side.

“If they asked you to keep an eye on me, there’s no need. I can’t go anywhere and I can’t betray the vampires.” He wasn’t going to talk to you about his ring, you didn’t need to know that. “So if your people are suspicious, you can reassure them. Or tell them to talk things through with the others.”

To his surprise, your expression softened.

“I wasn’t sent here. I just… like watching you work.”

He frowned, but refused to be affected in any way. He cleared his throat, making an effort to keep his voice even. He wanted to believe in your interest, badly, which meant he had to fight himself, but he didn’t want to keep being such an easy prey.

“What is there to watch?”

A smile formed on your lips, and he was struck by how natural it seemed to be for you, to have a conversation with him. It looked genuine, simple, easy.

That didn’t mean it couldn’t be fake.

“When you make the ones with wings, there’s a wrinkle that forms there,” you said, tracing a small line between your eyebrows. “You lift your hammer higher, you bring it down harder. You’re careful with animals when you put them on your table, and when they’re reanimated, you smile. You’re gentle with them. When you’re tired, you rub your shoulders, but you still keep going for a while.”

Hector swallowed. He never thought about most of that. He didn’t understand why you would have noticed that.

“You look at me when you think I won’t notice,” you added, your smile dancing, almost teasingly, on your lips, and he almost thought he liked that sight, until it faded abruptly and your eyes seemed to cloud. “You tense when people approach, when the mercenaries come in here. But you tense most when they mention miss Lenore.”

He didn’t control his muscles’ reaction at her name. It was instinctive and immediate. His fist clenched, his nails digging in his palms, and he gritted his teeth. He forced himself to exhale slowly, knowing you were watching, but still glanced away from you self-consciously. He hadn’t expected to be giving that much away.

“Miss Lenore said she didn’t care if I came to watch you,” you added. “But if I bother you, I can—”

“You talked to her?”

The words spilled out of his mouth without warning, heart suddenly racing in his chest. Were you her spy? Was she waiting for him to step out of line, expecting you to report his every move to her?

You grimaced at his question, and he saw you shiver.

“She talked to me,” you mumbled, looking away from him. “After I came here the first few times. She said… She said I could look but not touch.”

Hector scoffed. He didn’t know what Lenore was playing at, but he was not going to let it affect him in any way. Touch? Why would you even want to touch him?

“So?” you asked, and shook the thought away. “Do you want me to stop coming?”

He decided he was imagining the hint of sadness in your voice, and took the time to think about it. He should have told you that yes, he wanted you out of the forge, but he hesitated. You didn’t bother him, and you were kind to his pets. If you were telling the truth, it was unnecessary to kick you out, and if you weren’t, well, it wasn’t like you were talking or anything. Plus, Lenore had given you her okay, so surely she wouldn’t appreciate him overstepping her authority.

“You can be there,” he shrugged. “I don’t care.”

And yet, the bright smile you gave him in response made his heart flutter, just a little.

[ichor-and-symbiosis]

When you like Hector and Lenore :x she's a bitch, but she's really pretty and my Monkey brain won't let me hate her, but Hector really did deserve better. Like, taking advantage of him during such a vulnerable moment? Not cool. I was super upset for Alucard too. Like, God, can these two men catch a damn break? It's one thing after the other.

I really like Lenore as a villain, she is far scarier than her sisters simply because she is the smartest, most manipulative one of them all, even more than Carmilla. With Carmilla, you can usually see what to expect. But Lenore is a wildcard, very shrewd and dangerous. I don’t trust her at all and I really think she’s gonna fuck over her sisters eventually. Her design is stunning though, she’s tied with Sypha as most gorgeous woman on that show for me. 

Hector and Alucard bruh … this season taught them really harsh lessons. I think they needed to see the gross reality of the principles they stand for, but it hurts to see them actually go through it. Hector believed slavery was a peaceful, logical option for humankind because he was treated well by Dracula, so he didn’t have any point of reference for just how cruel vampires could be. He was getting a taste of it the more he interacted with Carmilla, but she was always bordering the precipice of being super disrespectful and almost as accommodating as Dracula. 

It’s only after the betrayal that she let her true colors shine, and it was simply too late for him. And now he sees just how horrible life would have been - and could still be - for humans if vampires took charge. Poor bitch needs to join the ot3 and find some happiness. Although now that Lenore wants to give him immense privileges, I hope he doesn’t accept his role. I also don’t want this wench touching him anymore it HURTS MEEEEEE 

(also can we note how hector became a slave while isaac, a former slave, became a powerful leader? makes me think of that talk they had in the forest, when hector was like ‘lol yeah vampires are just cute animals they don’t mean any true harm, let’s enslave humanity c’mon buddy’ isaac … i felt for you there, your comrade radiates disrespectful himbo energy i’m sorry dude)

AND ALUCARD WHAT DID THEY DO TO YOU BABY?! I didn’t like the build-up for Sumi and Taka, it could have been paced better. They forced the curiosity way too much, it should have been more nuanced and manipulative if they wanted to go that route. I also wish to know how long they spent time together because kajsdfh was it months? Weeks???? Anyway I’m super sad that this was probably Alucard’s first sexual experience. If this show doesn’t give me Sypha and Trevor lovingly fucking Alucard’s sadness away then I will genuinely riot. 

Also Taka was super fucking sexy. Why did this show have to waste such eyecandy? WHY 

[fedine]

Castlevania Season 3 Thoughts

Spoilers will be under the cut, but I just want to give my general overview first. This season was very visually stunning. It had sequences that were so beautiful that I can’t stop thinking about them. The animators really went above and beyond here! The music was so good too! I always love how dramatic it gets in those big fight scenes and this season did not disappoint me. 

THE WRITING WAS SO GOOD TOO. THE DIALOGUE, THE STORY, THE ARCS OF THE SEPARATE CHARACTER STORY LINES. THE DEVELOPMENT. So many of the jokes hit me over the head and left me laughing for several minutes afterwards. But I do have a couple of notes on the plot, and I will go into them now.

So... Yeah. Sumi and Taka. I was dreading the idea of Alucard getting paired off with Sumi just for the sake of pairing him off, but I was still ready for a good story. THAT however, was not what I was expecting. They seemed nice at first, but as I saw more and more of them they gave me an uncomfortable vibe. During the scene in what was it, episode 9? I was deeply uncomfortable with the way they just kind of forced themselves on him. There was barely any build up between the three, but thinking on it, that was the point, wasn’t it? Alucard was vulnerable and traumatized already. He was talking to dolls he made of his only two friends! After just over a year he had lost everything! His parents! His friends! It was believable that he WOULD just trust the first people to talk to him. I don’t personally think that the scene needed quite that much... visualization. I don’t think they should have done it differently though. 

Something I have noticed about the Castlevania team is that they understand trauma and the weight of grief and how people deal with shit. I trust that they have something to say about it, and we will just have to wait and see what happens. I can at least tell that they didn’t just pepper it in for shock value though. 

Same sort of deal with Hector. I was kind of expecting Lenore to be doing something exactly like what she was doing, but watching it happen was unnerving. I’m sure there’s an end goal here, and I have faith, but I’m still scared lol.

Something I noticed with Hector and Isaac is that they both believe in love. Even still! It’s a lot different than what they had believed it to be as kids, but I remember in Isaac’s backstory his abuser saying “After everything you’ve been through, you’re still just a sweet kid who believes in love,” and he WANTS to believe in it! but he’s disappointed! Same thing with Hector! But they keep falling for the exact same thing! Hector trusts a vampire and he gets humiliated and enslaved. Isaac expects humans to be descent and honorable and they usually just aren’t. I just love how they mirror and foil each other. 

I am also pretty glad that we got canon WLW and that Alucard was confirmed as bisexual. I’m... Really hoping that Trephacard is end game, personally, but I still appreciate that we gays got something. Even if the context wasn’t really warm and fuzzy like Striga and Morana.

Anyway, Sam and Warren if you’re reading this where is Little Cezar? Thank you.

[iestyn-crowe]

In Years Past

March fifteenth. It was two decades ago today, but he remembered it in such vivid detail. He found himself back on the ship, which had become significantly quieter in recent weeks. Desmond was visiting family in Elwynn, Em had vanished entirely, Inron and Cynthia generally spent the daytime below deck. After what the musician had told Iestyn, though, he couldn’t be certain that he was there at all. He still wouldn’t chance his usual venture to the bilge, just in case he passed by them on the way-- he couldn’t hide nor explain the mournful expression on his face and he didn’t want to try. There was only one person on the crew who knew everything, so he mustered the energy to knock on the door to his quarters.

March fifteenth. It was two decades ago today.

Carmen pulled the door open and wordlessly beckoned his first mate inside. The damned thing looked like he was on the verge of tears and he had anticipated his arrival. Rising from a dish on the desk was a wisp of smoke, evidence of the unfinished cigarette that he had twisted upon it for the sake of the lad. He wouldn’t light another while he was here. The captain made his way back to his seat, sitting down with a quiet grunt and turning back to the invoices and contracts he had been working on before the interruption. To anyone but Iestyn that may have seemed callous, but he appreciated the lack of staring as he crawled onto the bed and laid down. He managed to look just like the lost child he had pulled from the water all those years ago, and in many ways he still was.

A comforting silence had fallen between them, accented only by the soft scratch of quill on parchment while Carmen worked. Iestyn closed his eyes, taking a deep and shaky breath to fight the sting of tears.

Two decades ago today had been a dark, dark day, but it had brought the brightest light he had ever seen into his life. He remembered being told to leave the room, he remembered reentering hours later to see his mother in bed, staring silently at the wall. Her face was still wet from tears but she was too exhausted to sob anymore. There was blood-- entirely too much of it for this sort of thing. His ears pinned back and he looked around for the midwife, but it was just them.

“<Momma…? Is there a baby?>”

She gave a weak nod, though her gaze didn’t move from the spot on the wall. When she spoke, her voice was raspy and raw from the cries he had heard from the other side of the door, “<For now. … Outside.>”

The child didn’t know what that meant, but it made his blood run cold all the same. He ran out as though somehow he could help. They tried to keep him away, really, but he ducked and weaved through the arms that attempted to shoo him until he managed to see her. She was… small. Too small. He didn’t know the proper size for a baby, exactly, but even he could tell that something was very, very wrong. Her arms and legs were like brittle twigs curled close to her body and her skin was a deep, bright red. The hands held above in a desperate attempt to heal overshadowed her completely. She could have fit in one palm. That’s what he remembered before he was picked up and carried back to his mother, too stunned and confused to fight or complain this time.

They had said she probably wouldn’t live to see morning. Even if she did, every day was going to be a struggle. The idea that she would see a twentieth birthday was laughable at the time, so how could he still hold it against his mother? How could it still pain him so much?

“<Would you like to name her?>”

“<... Why bother?>”

In years past, he had seen her celebrate. He had seen her cook a feast entirely too large for the household she lived in. He had seen her give away flowers from her garden to friends and strangers alike, always happily chirping that it was her birthday and she wanted to spend it making people smile. That was the best present anyone could give her, anyways. She loved making people smile.

This year, he couldn’t risk the visit. If he went anywhere near her again…

Iestyn rolled over, taking a shaky breath and pulling a pillow close to cling to. He just needed a moment-- but the sound of a notification on his communicator had his ears pinning back. Even Carmen glanced over his shoulder. He wasn’t certain if he should be proud or worried that the thief had become so sociable lately, as it usually ended in either a new crewmate or a downward spiral.

He winced at the brightness of the screen, reading the message with some difficulty after wiping his eyes on his sleeve. It was from Leon.

I seem to have accidentally made a small cake. If you’re so inclined, feel free to help me dispose of it.

It got a broken laugh from him. He hadn’t meant to tell anyone the significance of the date, but there had been so much on his mind that it spilled outward on Poetry Night. Of course the bloody Gilnean would reach out, that man’s heart was so big that it only fit in his chest sometimes. In all others, he wore it on his sleeve. Iestyn laid the communicator back face down, running his hand through his hair. He wasn’t going anywhere and he knew it. No one could see him like this.

In retrospect, the communicator was a much more welcome interruption to his melancholy than the soft scratch at the door that followed. He glanced at his captain, knowing full well that he never had any visitors. Besides, that didn’t sound quite like a knock. Carmen stood reluctantly to open it, finding a crow waiting on the deck with a rolled up letter attached to its leg. It wasn’t Lenore and the seal on the parchment matched the tattoo on Iestyn’s forearm, something that was enough cause for alarm for his brow to furrow while he untied it. The Guild didn’t usually contact their master at sea unless it was extremely urgent, and in their line of business, urgent matters never meant something good.

Iestyn had thrown his legs off the side of the bed, an expectant look on his face when his captain returned to the quarters. He handed him the letter silently, still sealed. He knew better than to meddle in his affairs, even if he was interested in doing so. (He wasn’t.)

The thief tensed in recognition of what appeared to be an official report from his thieves, opening it with a conflicting sense of impatience and hesitance. As with all those from his guild, the letter was written in an encrypted language-- Thieves Cant-- and took a moment to decode even for the man himself.

Master Crowe,

We regret to report that our team has lost sight of our person of interest as of the of tenth March, two forty-eight post meridiem.

Her last known points of contact were two Ebon Blade knights due south of Sindragosa’s Fall. One, a high elf identified as Scout Vanlaris Brassvale and the other, a human identified as Scout Isaac Riley. She had inadvertently left the company of Corporal Allivarin Blackmorrow the week prior due to poor weather conditions. As per our orders, we had no intentions of interfering unless in a matter of life or death.

We regret to report that interference, in this case, was necessary.

The person of interest found herself separated as well from the knights, drawn away for unknown reasons. She brought with her her feline companion. Our scouts followed her into the blizzard but were unable to maintain consistent vision on the target. When it became clear that she would succumb to hypothermia if left unsheltered, we moved in.

The cat was recovered, but the person of interest was nowhere to be found.

We will continue our search and send updates as the situation unfolds.

He read it several times over, heart rising into his throat and racing to match his thoughts. They lost her? They lost her. Five days ago-- and he was just now hearing of it? His jaw set and hands trembled with the barely restrained desire to tear the paper to shreds. Carmen watched him with brow arched. The closest thing to worry that ever crossed the captain’s features often looked more like mild intrigue.

“... I need to go to Icecrown. Now.”

((Mentioned: @mremaknu​))

[alfunccot]

What headcanons do you have for Count and Countess?

Oh god. Oh sweet lord. 

First and foremost, this is a book-based interpretation of the characters. And we know literally nothing about them from the books, except for the fact that they’re dead, so it’s my civil right to imagine them any way I want. 

As I already said, I do see Olaf’s parents bearing this title. And my imagination pictures them in that classic, old-fashioned comital aesthetic of nobility. Don’t question me. 

The Count.

The only thing I liked about the Netflix adaptation was their decision to make him the head of the Official Fire Department. It makes sense. Now, the Count that appears in my head is a tall, slender man with graying hair (premature graying probably being a hereditary trait). He was quite reserved and strict as a parent, but there was nothing in the world that he could love more than his only son. However, he believed that Olaf needed some discipline (and god knows, he did), that’s why he would sometimes be hard on him. It wasn’t not abusive, though, but moderately strict.

The Count used to smoke expensive Cuban cigars, and that’s probably one of the reasons his son started smoking, too, but Olaf’s father was often disappointed about the fact that Olaf chose cigarettes, believing them to be vulgar and unsuitable for a Viscount. 

He also wore a ring, indicating his station and his status. This is the ring Olaf wears in canon (in the show). It became his after his father’s death, as well as the title. 

His greatest “talent” was his influence, but he was also adept in mathematics. 

The Countess.

I’ve seen a headcanon somewhere on Tumblr about her name being Lenore (but I can’t find the exact post, so sorry, if I’m referring to your idea without credit). I really love this one. She must have had a symbolic name, a literary reference, and maybe Anna would be a great choice, too (as an allusion to Anna Karenina, who was also a countess). 

The Countess was an exquisite woman, very elegant, very beautiful, and at the first sight she could seem a little bit cold and standoffish, but she was very soft-hearted, in fact, and a really caring mom behind closed doors. She was the kind of mother who would pretend to only worry about her son’s looks and manners in society, but get the most embarrassing and adorably silly at home. 

She played the piano very well – there was a grand piano at the mansion, and that’s Olaf’s main association with his mother. She was the reason he loved music – she probably tried to teach him how to play the piano, too, and she was the one who discovered his singing and acting talents and helped him develop them. 

The Countess often wore a lot of rings with precious stones and always chose the most stunning dresses. However, when she and her husband went on some field mission for V.F.D., she would dress unrecognizably simply and comfortably.

Her greatest talent was music, of course, and she would often sing in her younger days.

(Yeah, Olaf kind of takes after his mom, I find that adorable)

One more headcanon for both of them. As I mentioned earlier, they were quite old-fashioned and traditional, so they believed that you only meet your true love once, and if you ever decide to marry someone, it should be for life. And they did love each other, as they loved their son. And maybe that’s one of the reasons why Olaf loved one woman all his life. 

(And yes, I love the Countess way too much, so I’ll just leave it here, okay?)

[jaynaneeya]

Okay, but like...you don’t even understand how much I love all of this.

George takes charge of the situation in the most manly way s/he can think of, using some amazing gestures in the process. Also the way the “...and Emily Dickinson” is just casually slipped in at the end is freaking hilarious.

Oscar is clearly upset, but is also clearly more concerned with LOOKING dramatically upset than the fact that there’s apparently been a murder.

Charlotte’s all, “Yes, of course, I’m definitely focused on what you’re saying, sounds like a plan, nope I have no clue what’s going on either, nobody bother looking at me.”

Ernest looks slightly stunned, but he’s processing.

Annabel is the only one who seems genuinely concerned about Eddie’s passing, although she’s not quite sure how to act because she’s not quite sure how she felt about him.

Eddie is so perfectly still, you just know he’s been rehearsing playing dead for weeks, thoroughly preparing for his long-awaited revenge.

This is too much for Fyodor; he needs more vodka.

Edgar is resigned to the fact that his party is a disaster; not surprised, but a little disappointed. Two corpses already...yes, he should have seen this coming.

Louisa May is the only one who seems to see anything wrong with George’s statement; she looks confused, and even starts to turn to Emily when she speaks. Obviously anyone who acknowledges Emily’s presence must be killed sooner rather than later.

Mary is so ready to solve these murders. She could be dangerous to the killers; she’s clearly not long for this world either.

Emily, whom pretty much everyone assumes is already dead, is off to the side, hardly in the shot, BEHIND THE FREAKING WATER JUG. She barely gets out her only three words in the ENTIRE CHAPTER before she’s interrupted.

And Lenore really couldn’t care less about any of this as long as people don’t disparage her soup.

TL;DR I’ve seen entire movies that didn’t contain anywhere near the level of humor and character development and foreshadowing encompassed in these 12 seconds of Poe Party. It’s just such a freaking brilliant masterpiece.

[atlanticcanada]

MP got the facts wrong in social media post about COVID case at restaurant

You can't believe everything you read on social media.

A Nova Scotia MP recently took to Facebook, suggesting the provincial health authority made a mistake in warning of a potential COVID-19 exposure at a popular eatery.

Business is picking up slowly at the Glenholme Loop Petropass restaurant, popular with locals and truckers alike.

Owner Crystal Blair holds a special place in the hearts of the latter group, because she went out of her way to make sure the truckers had access to meals during the COVID shutdown in the spring.

She was stunned last Friday when the Nova Scotia Health Authority issued an advisory, warning of possible COVID exposures at the restaurant.

"People are calling," Blair said. "They heard staff contracted it. They heard I had it."

MP Lenore Zann stopped in at Glenholme Loop for a meal Sunday night, and said a waitress mentioned to her the positive test turned out to be false.

Zann relayed the information on her Facebook page. The problem is, it was wrong.

In a statement to CTV News, the health authority says the posted information was incorrect and that the advisory was issued based on their investigation of a positive case of COVID-19.

Zann calls it a "miscommunication", and says she was simply trying to drum-up support for a local business.

"So, knowing what I know now, if that is true, if there was in fact a case, then I'll correct my statement on Facebook," Zann said. "But I still think we should support our local restaurants."

Zann did issue a correction a short time later.

Blair says it's par for the course.

"The last eight months have literally just been one thing after another," Blair said. "It seems like it doesn't stop."

from CTV News - Atlantic https://ift.tt/3mKnKab

[itshaejinju]

Family is Forever | Chp 5 | FF15 Mafia AU

Warnings: Snarky Morana, Prompto standing up for himself, drug use, abuse victim (nothing graphic).

Word Count: 2,524

Tagging: @stephicness @zacklover24 @neko-otaku13 @blondechocobobutt @rubyphilomela @cagedbycravings @waifuthewhite @lady-asuka @teacupjenniesketches @valkyrieofardyn @mistressoli @sweetchocobae @insomniacapples @insomniasix @sheylann @chocobabyporcelain @roses-and-oceans @inprotocreed @ardyns-jabberwocky @mandakatt @eternallydaydreaming2015 @fieryfantasy

Chapter 5:

Prompto was pretty sure Morana hated his very guts and they had just been talking for ten minutes. Her snide comments about how he grew up, to how he dressed and he did his job for the Family was enough to make him feel about five inches tall. She was belittling him each step of the way from under her breath to out loud, Gladiolus wasn’t doing too much to stop her either and this was Prompto’s mentor.

“This shop here is under our protection, along with this whole strip it is on the border of the Izunia clan so it’s easy to go under attack often.” Gladiolus explained as he pointed out a popular side street that held many shops.

This lane of shops was several long blocks worth of buildings all popular tourist shops and commonly needed shops that the Caelum Family put protection over. Gladiolus went to explain that because it is on the border of Izunia land that they tried to test the patrol often and bother the shop owners. Morana explained that the borders were decided a long time ago when the Families became into power as Mafia segments, it had been involving a lot of bullying and blood spilling to get what they had for lands and it is lost and regained the same way. She went on to tell him that once a month they pull together a team to take on more land from the Izunia who took over the land belonging to the Fleuret when they were massacred.

Prompto felt like his brain was going to explode from all this information he was learning that the two of them were spouting out as they walked into each business asking how they are fairing. All to the “clients” as Gladiolus called them respected them and looked genuinely happy to see the both of them walk into the stores. If they asked about Prompto curious as who he was as this seemed to be a couple thing that the two of them did, Morana would make some snarky comment about his presence to the person who would just laugh and not take her too seriously.

“He’s the Bastone’s new toy…doesn’t know a lick about his job seriously Cor is passing any fool right now that has a pretty smile or some sob story out of the Orphanage.” Morana sniped as she looked over at Prompto then back to the chef of the restaurant.

“I past all the tests just that Common Knowledge test thing he does is hard as fuck, the rest I aced!” Prompto shouted angrily at Morana as they walked out of the store, hands balled up into fists, red in the face with anger making his mass amount of freckles he had made more apparent from the flushed expression.

“The most important thing, fighting is second nature specially to a orphan! So of course you should have gotten that right the first time around you dolt, the important stuff you flunked so easily. You better be paying attention!” Morana retorted as she glared down at Prompto light green eyes angry and infuriated with how he failed this important test.

“Shut up alright?” Prompto shouted angrily, getting up into Morana’s face looking up at her, a index finger pointed at her face.

Gladiolus let out a bark of laughter as he watched over the scene arms crossed around his chest, he was quite sure this was the most amusing thing he had witnessed all day. In a blink of a eye a loud snap filled the space in front of the candy shop, Morana snapped Prompto’s finger backwards breaking it. Moving her hand quick as a snake to his elbow, she headbutted him effortlessly and then shoved him back several steps, walking past him letting out a laugh.

“After you.” Morana retorted as she walked down the path way, as Gladiolus helped Prompto to his feet as he stumbled to the ground.

“She is such a bitch, I’m sorry Gladio I just don’t understand why you love her.” Prompto glared shaking his head unsure about his choice in lovers.

“I understand you see her that way, I’m not sure why she despises you so much Prompto but trust me I would do anything for her just as she would do anything for me without a second thought.” Gladiolus answered, looking over at Morana smiling at her and then back to Prompto.

“She’s so spiteful…” Prompto grumbled.

“Hurry up you two!” Morana shouted as she stood in front of a shop.

“Here let me fix it up some, brace yourself okay?” Gladiolus said grabbing the right hand, that trigger finger of his bent all the way back, swollen already and bruised.

“Fuck no, please that will hurt can’t I just go back to the Manor and see the doctor about it?” Prompto whined instantly pulling away from Gladiolus eyes wide as his mentor grabbed a hold of his hand a blinding pain rushing through him.

“It will be in terrible pain if we wait any longer Prompto and it might not heal correctly. Man up and bite the bullet okay?” Gladiolus tried to reason with him.

“NO! Just I can wait I promise it will be okay, I don’t think that will work at all you know…”

“Damn.” Morana muttered shaking her head letting go of the door handle not wanting to deal with the whining any longer.

Marching up towards Prompto and Gladiolus she took the Gunner’s hand out of Gladiolus’ grip and moved it towards her. In a quick move she yanked the finger back into spot, sending another shout falling from Prompto as the pain rushed through him. Patting Prompto on the back Morana let out a chuckle, grabbing Gladiolus’ hand.

She lead them to a ice cream shop, Prompto was shocked to see her face light up the smile on her face was huge she looked like a child. A happy with everything child who was in her happy place in this ice cream shop it stunned Prompto to see this pleased look on her face. Looking over at the Goliath of a man beside him, Gladiolus let out a derisive laugh and walked over to the counter where Morana was ordering.

Morana looked into the bins of ice cream, a hand hovering over the glass careful not to touch it and place finger prints on it. Gladiolus placed a hand on her waist, the white tank top had rose up a bit exposing some scarred skin, he leaned up against her smiling fondly as she tried to make up her mind on what she wanted. Prompto wanted some but he didn’t have any money on him, he was still in awe at how she went from being a spiteful bitch to a cheerful looking child.

“What would you like today, Miss Tarda?”

“I am kinda like the looks of that raspberry swirl with the cheesecake bites.” Morana replied, her voice was taking on a softer and kinder note than what Prompto had ever heard before.

“Good choice! And for you Gladio?” The man asked, giving him a broad smile.

Izunia Family Manor was quiet for a Saturday night but then again ever since Morana Tarda left it was always quiet if Aranea wasn’t around. Lenore sat down at her desk one of the few soldiers to have their own desk but as the assistant to the Consigliere she expected at least a desk and a chair. Placing down the cup of tea she stared at the pile of paperwork she needed to finish, it was overwhelming to some but for Lenore this was a challenge she welcomed. This paperwork was due by midnight and it was easily something that would take eight hours for a normal person, but armed with tea, lollipops and a quiet manor she could get it all done.

“So much quieter now that Morana is gone, the other Caelum Families’ problem now. I can’t believe they took in that asshole. She’s such a trouble maker never doing her paperwork.” Lenore grumbled remembering when Morana and Cindy would bicker about things for hours on end.

Taking a calming sip of her tea that was loaded with sugar to the point that the sugar wasn’t dissolved on the bottom of the cup. Short well manicured nails clacking on the cup as she sat it back down, Lenore smiled she knew that finishing this huge project in three hours was possible.

Ravus sat in his office that was behind Lenore’s finishing up his paperwork for the day, he was looking forward to tomorrow being Sunday. A day off from all the madness that ensues time for him to work on his own personal projects his sister was going to actually help him this weekend. Running a hand through his platinum blond hair, the striped jacket of his suit was a little crumpled from his jaunt outside. Normally he would fuss with it and make it look neat but he was almost done for the day and would be in his apartment shrugging off the clothes and soaking into the tub. Ravus made point to have a home off the manor’s grounds, most people stayed at the manor or really close by. With his position as a Consigliere he should stay on premises but he didn’t, he really couldn’t stand his boss anymore than possible.

His boss, Ardyn Izunia was a infuriating man to say the least. There was something wrong with him mentally, Ravus figured. Ardyn often would walk the main hallway muttering under his breath strange things that made Ravus question him, greatly. Whatever was said was always spoken in a old dialect that Ravus couldn’t understand fully, no one in the building knew what the language was, even Lenore. It wasn’t until a few months ago did Ravus find out what happened when Ardyn walked down that hallway like that. He would disappear down a corridor that was hidden by a secret door.

Inspecting the hallway there is a hidden door that couldn’t be opened normally, Ravus figured out that what Ardyn says is what activates it. But he could never heard all of what Ardyn said to open it and the Capo Familigia is on to him now so he needed to keep it under wraps. Ravus wasn’t sure what made him so interested in what Ardyn was doing but he had to know it was odd that he kept things from him, Ardyn often felt the need to tell Ravus even the smallest detail.

Except for this detail.

Down in the dungeons, a place where ill behaving Family members were set to cool off. The trick with the place was that in hopes of keeping that misbehaving person in place and not escaping or being helped by other Family members. It was a dungeon that he didn’t want a lot of people know about unless they needed to be tossed into it.

The dungeon was dimly lit, holding six cells in total with toilets, and a light hanging inches from the ceiling. The place was damp and looked like it belonged in a castle versus a manor built only twenty years ago. At one point there had been a castle but it had decayed and fell to ruin just like most of Ardyn’s hopes and dreams. The thing that destroyed most of his hopes and dreams was sitting in the furthermost cell looking worse for the wear.

Dressed in his striped suit, it fitting him immaculately, sticking out fashionably in the dark cell making his way to the end room Ardyn stared at the woman. Her cell was by far different from the others, it was ornate, a bit brighter than the rest and had a strong scent of sylleblossoms. Ardyn let a sigh, reassured that she was still there waiting for him there, standing in front of the cell the thin blonde stared up at him. Her violet eyes staring up at him, they were dazed, wide from being on constant dosage of drugs. A cocktail of drugs fed to her, stuff tapped into a IV, or pills ground up into her food keeping her unaware of her situation and location.

Stella Nox Fleuret was a force to be reckoned with, one that Ardyn loved greatly and wanted all for himself. She foolishly refused his offerings of a relationship in turn for a relationship with Regis Caelum. Stella was Capo Bastone of the Fleuret Family, well technically speaking she is the Capo Familigia. That is if people knew she was alive.

Humming to himself Ardyn unlocked her cell, the cloak he wore over this jacket a long thick red brocade dragged against the floor. The scraping sound of his shoes against the dirty floor as his eyes surveyed the room, there was dried bouquets of sylleblossoms on the wall. Fresh ones were on the end of the bed and on the nightstand.

“My darling, Stella you look so beautiful like normal. Your hair is out of place though let me fix that.” Ardyn said sitting down next to her, reaching across the thin woman’s lap for the ornate silver comb.

Snake like the drug addled woman grabbed his arm squeezing tightly, her mouth opened slightly her voice coming out in a raspy sound. Her mouth was so cotton-mouthed from the drugs that it was impossible to understand what she said. Ardyn didn’t really care what she said, her grip on his hand was weak her long ill manicured nails digging into his skin bruising slightly. Prying her hand free of his arm Ardyn locked eyes with her, she looked angry in her inability to speak or really react.

“Stella darling, you realize you cannot leave until you submit to me body and soul. Since you betrayed me and all.” Ardyn muttered softly as he grabbed the comb and started to comb out the few knots in her long golden hair.

There was a noticeable growl coming from Stella as the Capo Familigia reached for the IV drip and clicked the button administering another few drops of the drug filtering into her system. Slowly Ardyn started to sing to her as he combed out her hair, staring at her lovingly as he took out the tangles in her hair. Her violet eyes glazed over from the fresh dose of drugs, she sat there catatonic unable to react as he combed her hair, free hand caressing the small of her back.

“I will always take care of you Stella despite you betrayed me in such a way, I will always be here keeping a eye on you. You are a danger to others, you are unfit to rule your family with such weak morals like your own. I’ll keep you safe from harm my little pet, even if the biggest harm is coming from yourself.” Ardyn spoke to her as he leaned in placing a kiss to her temple.

[peacekeepingjennerit-blog]

Reunited

Alive!AU where Vex and Day meet up.

The rumors had been flooding around about an aggressive old constrictor slithering around and causing trouble. An old Roa that seemingly gave a bad name to all snakes by eating people alive. It all sounded too familiar. Way too familiar for Day’s liking.

She had seen a message online from the Roa, giving two people his location. A shop on the Arcfleet called “Killer’s Corner”. It would have been so easy for her to not go. She could have just put this whole thing behind her and moved on. But no. She had to know the truth.

Walking into the shop Day was immediately greeted by the pungent order of burnt wiring, blood, and stale beer. It made her visibly gasp and she tuck her head out of the doorway to the fresh air outside. 

“By Lenore that stench...”

She took a deep breath before heading back inside and shutting the door behind her. The store was nothing special, and definitely looked like it didn’t belong on the Arcfleet. It was dingy, poorly lit and there were huge weapons scattered around everywhere. Walking up to the front desk, she pressed down on a bell. But no answer. 

“Um... Hello?... Vex?” Day called out meekly and rang the bell again. Suddenly there was a very loud noise coming from the back room. A meek human peered out from behind a curtain and then quickly ran away.

This peaked Day’s interest. She was about to move behind the desk when a loud crash came from behind the curtain followed by a booming voice. Soon there was a large presence pulling back the curtain to the front desk and Day’s breath left her body.

A large Roa with deep purple scales slightered his way out of the backroom, grumbling under his breath and looking down at one of his two robotics arms, seeming to calibrate something. Nearly everything about him was robotic. Everything except his skin.

He came right up to the front desk and began talking in a monotone, disinterested voice. “Welcome-to-Killer’s-Corner. My-name-is-Vescion-Enem-how-can-I-” 

Finally he looked up at his silent customer wanting to ask what the fuck they wanted, only to be met with ten years of memoriesn staring him directly in his robotic eyes. He dropped his screwdriver and went open mouthed.

“...Lotharia...”

“V-Vex?...”

Vex slithered right over the desk and immeidately wrapped his newfound arms around her as she still stood in complete shock.

“I can’t believe you’re here! After all of this time! You’re finally mine again!” His grip on her tightened and his fang filled grin became wider with every second the hug was extended. 

Being called his would have warmed her heart years ago, but now? it made her feel... Off. Like she was supposed to be his property. Why was she being so stiff? She just found out that her husband is alive! She should be thrilled, but all Day could feel was pure disdain.

She started to struggle against him, trying to break free of his grasp. But he was so much stronger than he used to be.

“Heh, you’re a lot more squirmy than what you used to be, ruby. And what the fuck did you do to your hair?” He laughed and smelled her dyed hair before gagging dramatically. “Thought I told ya that  like it long! And pink? That doesn’t suit you!”

Her face grew red and she tried to break free harder. Was he always like this?! Not even five minutes reunited and he was telling her how to look!

“Your life has really gone off track since I left, huh? Don’t worry... I’ll help you be pretty again...”

“NO!” Day screamed out and finally managed to break free from his grasp. “What the fuck, Vex?! I found out that you’re alive after 300 years and the first thing you do is criticize how I look?!”

The Roa stood there, stunned at her outburst. She was never this loud when they were married. “Whoa, calm down. What the fuck do you expect me to say? You’ve changed A LOT.”

“And you haven’t?!” she motioned to his arms while looking him straight in his eyes which flickered randomly “I mean... What the actual fuck Vex?! Your arms! Your EYES! YOUR 300 YEAR ABSENCE WHERE I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”

“HEY. Don’t you raise your voice at me!” Vex pointed one of his four fingers directly in her face and poked her nose. “This is supposed to be happy! I thought you loved me!”

“I DID! Emphasis on did! I loved you for so long, you were all I ever thought about for the past 298 years!” Day poked his chest and her face grew a red that would rival the shade of her eyes.

Vex could feel his chest clenching up at her words and he gripped the vest around it. “Well... What about the last two years?! Did you just stop magically loving me?!”

Day scoffed and backed away from him. “No. I moved on. I was starting to heal from the pain that you left me with... I became a part of something bigger than myself. I changed for the better.”

What could she mean by... Oh. The Battleborn. They made her change. She joined up with them and now she’s no longer his. His eye sparked as his rage grew and he raised himself up to loom over her.

“I did all of this for you. I made meself into a bloody cyborg so I could be with you. So I could live forver just as you do.” He lowered his head down to meet eye contact with her. “I left so I could be more. So, act grateful.”

300 years ago, Day would have listened to him. She would have done exactly as he commanded, having not known any better. But now she does. She knows what love is and what it isn’t. And this is not love. It never really was. Love doesn’t use fear as a tactic.

Without breaking the intense gaze, Day leaned in closer. “You should have stayed. At least then you would have died happy. But now you’ll just live miserably.”

Vex was obviously taken aback by this, as he broke the eye contact and backed away. Soon enough he was breathing heavy and a whirring noise came from his abdomen. He let out a large scream and attempted to make a grab for her.

Day managed to evade his grasp, but not before being knocked to the ground by his other arm. The implanted spikes tore her UPR uniform slightly. Wasting no time she got up again and ran for the exit.

“GET BACK HERE LOTHARIA!” Vex screeched out, his voice wavering as static interference affected his voice. “YOU ARE MY WIFE!” He chased after her, but it was too late. She was already out the door and in the crowded streets.

Vex huffed as his right eye began to spark and malfunction violently. It caused him a severe amount of pain, but he didn’t care. All he could do was watch as his wife ran way from him. This was all the Battleborn’s fault. If she hadn’t joined up with them she’d still be easy to control. His little puppet.

In that moment Vex swore that if he came across any Battleborn, no matter the faction, that he would be the last thing they ever see.

For now he slithered right back into his shop and base of operations. There were plans that needed to be made.

[chasingforeverandaday]

Stop the World & Melt with You: Chapter Three

Gasp, regularly scheduled updates? What is this world coming to? Kidding!

Here is chapter three of the Lenore & HG fluff fest, beware toothache inducing sweetness. 

Chapter Summary: In theory, a quiet night at home is the kind of date that shouldn't be interrupted; right?

Also on AO3

Lenore was finally back to feeling like herself again, free to move around and leave the damn apartment. She never thought she’d actually be this excited to be heading back to work, but she’d missed her little office full of fabric swatches and pictures.

She wanted to get more than just her professional life on track, so when she invited HG over for dinner earlier, she specifically referred to it as a date and made sure that he knew Edgar had been shanghaied into attending a company dinner with his publishers. The pair of them had spent countless hours together in her hospital room, but this was different. It would just be her and HG, no untimely barging in from Ernest or Oscar or anyone else.

A thrill traveled up her spine at the thought of finally have some alone time with her… HG. Did he count as a boyfriend if they hadn’t actually gone on a date yet? She liked to think that was where they were heading, and the way he tripped over his tongue in eager acceptance at the invitation seemed to support her theory. Lenore paused, realizing this was the first time in quite a while that she’d been looking forward to calling someone her boyfriend.

Shaking herself out of that train of thought, she grinned, laughing a bit at how impatient she already felt for her date to arrive. She queued up the movie, picking one that they’d watched together already; it was the only way she would feasibly be able to convince him to ignore it and make out instead.

Sparing a glance to the clock, she took a calming breath. He was supposed to arrive at six. Of course, knowing HG, he would inevitably be just a bit after six, because the man was forever running late. That gave her plenty of time to finish getting ready and psyching herself up.

Of course, he was also quite good at surprising her, because suddenly she could hear the intercom going off and it was still ten til. Nervously racing to the button, she buzzed him up then took off for the bathroom, doing a quick last-minute check of her appearance (and her breath). Sock sliding back to the door, she opened it just as HG was raising his hand to knock.

Beaming at her, he moved in to peck her on the lips. “Hello Lenore, I come bearing dinner.” Feeling absurdly disappointed in the tiny kiss she’d received, she glanced down to the bags of Chinese takeout in his hands.

“I can see that.” Stepping aside, she let him in and locked the door. Gesturing to her right, she continued, “Why don’t you put those down on the coffee table and take off your coat? I’ve got a movie ready to play, but the drinks are still in the fridge.” Moving into the kitchen, she got the drinks out and paused, rather fun thoughts dancing through her head, still revolving around the somewhat lackluster greeting. Lenore boosted herself onto the counter and sat, contemplating her next move when HG called out from the main room.

“Why Avengers ? We’ve already seen that, multiple times might I add.”

Holding in the eye roll at his obliviousness to her plans, she sighed and murmured to herself. “Oh young padawan, still so much have you to learn.” Raising her voice, she added, “Come here, help me with the drinks.”

“Lenore, I’m sure you’re completely capable of…” HG trailed off when he saw her sitting on the counter, coquettishly beckoning him towards her with a crooked finger. Once he was close enough, she reeled him in for a thorough kiss, melting into him as he stepped between her parted thighs. Locking both her arms and legs around him, she drew them chest to chest. Unlike in her hospital bed, here she was on an equal playing field. And Lenore intended to play.

She opened her mouth to him, trying to draw him deeper into the kiss, to bring him as close as she possibly could. Leaving one hand in his hair, the other began to wander, dancing across his back and shoulders. She trailed away from his mouth, nipping across his jaw and down his neck, where she stayed, fully intending to leave her mark, until his hands shot up to return her lips to his.

They continued on, their kisses no longer hesitant, but demanding, wanting, leaving them both gasping for breath in the tight space between their mouths. One of her hands snaked down, untucking his shirt and delving under it, making him moan at the cool rush of air and touch. He reciprocated by moving his own hands down, lightly stopping at her hem to fiddle for a moment, before cautiously entering uncharted waters.

His fingers traced patterns she couldn’t determine up her spine and across her ribs, until they grazed the round scars on her side, left from the drainage ports after the surgery. Stuttering, HG pulled his hands away, suddenly unsure. Mentally rolling her eyes, Lenore shifted his hands back under her shirt, whispering “I’m fine,” into his mouth, cutting off any objections with her tongue.

Eventually, the kisses slow, longer pauses in between until finally, breathlessly, Lenore pulled away, impishly grinning at his stunned face. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

“For future reference, that’s how you say hello to a girl you’re on a date with.”

He nodded, gaze dazed and unfocused. “Duly noted.”

She grabbed his hand and started directing him into the other room. “Now c’mon, I want to eat the food while it’s still warm.”

“Yes dear.” Apparently, he was still a little in shock from her antics, a reaction Lenore felt incredibly proud to be the cause of.

Ushering him over to the couch, she pushed him down into the corner before curling up next to him and reaching for the dumplings and a pair of chopsticks. Stuffing one into her mouth, she held up the box for him. “Want one?”

“I love you.” It seemed an unintentional admission on HG’s part, since he looked just as surprised as she felt. His declaration was completely unexpected and totally out of the blue, but he floored her with the complete sincerity lacing his tone.

Looking back down at the dumplings, she picked up another, absentmindedly twirling it around with the chopsticks before setting everything down on the table. Looking directly into his eyes, she said, very solemnly, “I know.”

And she did know.  Lenore had realized just how much he loved her when she woke up in the hospital and he was there with Edgar, looking like death had warmed over, grasping her hand like a lifeline. And she knew she loved him too; there was no one she’d rather have waiting for her to wake up. It may have taken them awhile to get to that point, but they made it. HG and the kind of love he filled her with, it was unlike anything she’d ever experienced before.

Of course, that didn’t mean she wasn’t allowed to have some fun at his expense.

“Lenore!”

Startled out of her reverie, she giggled at his aghast expression and looped her arms around his neck. “Relax Goggles, I love you too. Just thought I’d let you have your nerd moment.”

All pretense of actually eating dinner forgotten, HG reached for her again, their mouths barely brushing before his phone began to ring. Dropping his head to her shoulder, he groaned. “Noooooo.”

Tilting her eyes to the ceiling, she sighed. “That’s your work phone isn’t it?” Though muffled, she heard a noise she assumed was agreement. “So you should answer it, shouldn’t you?” Now he picked his head back, gazing at her intensely.

“Yes, I should, but I really don’t want to.”

“And as much as I really don’t want you to either, you are the boss. I assume if you’re getting a call after hours, it’s probably important.”

Grumbling, he answered his phone and got up off the couch, moving over to stand by the window. Watching as he grew more and more agitated the longer he took the call, Lenore’s heart began to sink, knowing their date would be cut short before it ever actually began. When he hung up several minutes later, his forlorn grimace was all the explanation she needed.

Quietly, she said, “You have to go, don’t you?”

Rubbing his forehead, he cracked his neck and looked her in the eyes sadly. “Yes, it seems the entire computer network has shut down. Unfortunately with the Japan deal coming up in two days, it really must be fixed tonight.”

“One would think that this would be a problem that a bunch of engineers could solve on their own.” Raising an eyebrow, she folded her arms across her chest, knowing she appeared far more combative than she was actually feeling right now. She didn’t blame him for this debacle of course, but no girl enjoyed an impromptu cancellation.

Walking over to stand with her, HG folded her into his arms, kissing her on the forehead. In a soothing tone, he explained, “Apparently, they need me to come and oversee everything personally, otherwise I can’t sign off on anything. It’s in my damn contract. My preference to stay and eat dinner with my girlfriend went rather unheeded.” His sheepish grin and casual definition of their relationship dissolved most of her ire, leaving the rest of it for whichever underling responsible for ruining her night.

“I’ll still be here, and we can always reschedule, HG. It took us this long to get here, we can stand to wait awhile longer.”

“I know. I need to go, otherwise nothing will ever get done over there.”

“Go on, go save the day. I love you.” Handing him his coat, Lenore wrapped his scarf around his neck and pulled him in for a lingering peck on the lips.

Smiling down at her, he brushed a hand over her cheek. “I love you too.” And then he left, off to go rescue his company. And there she remained, silently cursing universe for its horrific sense of timing.

[viscountessevie]

Where Are They Now? Eady’s Elite Edition: Kile

The Elite: Henri | Hale & Ean | Fox | Gunner

Kile

Kile and Alice’s story was the most simple yet tragic out of all Eady’s Elite. They had met during Kile’s banishment in Bonita. They also started off on the wrong foot. Well, for one, Kile thought Alice was a boy the first time they met.

***

“Hey man!” Kile clapped his Head Engineer’s back after Julian Henry had directed him to his boss. Julian was an old friend from Eady’s Selection. He was the candidate from Bonita and also the boss’ cousin. Kile decided to get friendly. Unfortunately for him, he misgendered her. She turned to him slowly, taking off her cap to reveal long thick dark hair and glared at him. She had icy blue eyes instead of Eady’s sharp brown ones. The two ladies looked scarily similar with their dark, all year round tan and the fire in their eyes. Engineer Lewis had softer features, in contrast to Eady’s sharp ones, Kile noticed.

“Excuse me? Do I look like a man to you?” She growled. Alice Lenore Lewis had dealt with this kind of men long enough. She was sick of it.

“I just thought –“ Kile gulped, he couldn’t think of any way to make this situation better. “Thought what? That a girl couldn’t do this job because it’s ‘a man’s job’?” She pointed a crowbar at him, “Well Mister, I am very capable at my job! If you are going to question that, you can leave right now.” She stormed off, her long hair whipped in the wind and hit her cousin, Julian in the face. Kile laughed once, Alice was out of earshot.

“You deserved that.” Kile voiced to Julian, “A warning about your cousin would have been nice.” One glance at Julian’s mischievous expression and Kile knew he had been set up. He lightly shoved Julian.

“She’s funny when she gets riled up.” Julian admitted sheepishly. Kile shook his head at Julian, disappointed in him. “Her anger is not your entertainment. We should go apologise.” Kile saw the panic in Julian’s eyes and grabbed him before he could make a run for it. “Do you know what my Ma will do when she finds out I’ve been messing with Lenore again?” “You really should have thought this through then.”

Julian kept cursing the entire time on the way to Alice’s office. He even struggled against Kile’s hold a couple of times. Kile was as strong as his father. Training occasionally with the guards came in handy. When they reached Alice’s office, Kile practically threw him in.

“Hey Lenore, Julian has some explaining to do, afterwhich I would like to speak with you privately.” “My name isn’t Lenore.” She said menacingly, “It’s Julian’s stupid nickname for me, it’s Alice and noted.” As he closed the door, he caught a bit of their conversation.

***

“What the hell did you do now, Jules?” Alice was already tired of sexist men in the workforce but her cousin was a whole other level of exhausting. He gave his usual sheepish laugh. He was always a deer caught in the headlights.

“I may or may not have set up Kile to think you were a boy…” Alice rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh.

“You made me look like a bitch!” “You are a bitch, though.” “YES! But that’s not the point, Julian! God, what am I going to do with you?” She then grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out to where Kile was waiting to have a word with her.

“OW LENORE! Not my ears, they are my best feature.” Julian whined. Both Kile and Alice rolled their eyes at the same time and shared a smile at the gesture. She let go of him and he stumbled for a while.

“You both are horrible people.” Julian spat. Alice just raised a single eyebrow. Like she hadn’t heard that one before.

“I believe you owe Kile an apology, Jules.” She said sternly. Julian huffed and mumbled an apology. “I can’t hear you, Jules.” At that Kile lost it and burst out laughing. “She calls you Jules. It’s funny, man.” He offered an explanation when Julian glared at him. To get away from Kile’s laughing and Alice’s pressure, Julian yells an apology and goes off. The former two were taken back but Alice quickly brushes it off since this was a regular occurrence with her cousin.

She gestures for Kile to follow her into her office. She poured herself some coffee, the Lord knows she needed it after that whole fiasco with Julian. She poured some for Kile and turned to pass him one. What she didn’t notice was that Kile was standing right behind her and the coffee cups crashed into him, spilling all of its contents on him.

“Shit.” Alice was efficient, she quickly discarded the cups and took paper towels and started wiping his overall. “I’m so sorry!” She apologised profusely. Kile smiled down at her. She was much more pleasant when she wasn’t yelling or glaring at him. “I don’t think it’s going to come off. It’s okay, we are even now.”

She looked up at him, trying to figure him out. Alice has had dysfunctional men in her life, her father was a drunk and ran out on her family, Julian was… well Julian and her ex-boyfriend Luc was no better. She laughed remembering her reaction to him breaking with her. Kile was surprised at her laugh that he stumbled back and fell into the trashcan. Alice couldn’t help herself and started laughing. She went to help him up.

“Sorry for startling you, I was thinking of how I threw a pipe at my ex-boyfriend when he broke up with me after cheating on me…TMI sorry.” She waved her hand, to disregard the subject and rummaged through her cabinet for Julian’s old clothes that Kile could wear.

When she handed him the clothes, their hand brushed ever so slightly and they both feel a spark. Cheesy as it was, that was how their love story began.

***

“Sarah, I’m home!” Alice called out to her sister. “Go wash up before you touch me.” Alice rolled her eyes at her OCD-ic sister. While washing up, Alice yelled across their apartment about the day she had.

“So I met a pretty boy today. He questioned my gender and I flew off the handles as usual.”

“Typical you.” Sarah called back. By then Alice had done washing up and went over to her sister for an inspection. Otherwise the younger Lewis sister would never let her be near her. “You’re clean.” They settled on their couch and Alice recounted her story.

“So basically it was Jules’ fault and Kile’s really cute.”

“His name’s Kile?” Sarah questioned suspiciously. Alice nodded and all the questions came raining down on her. “Is he blonde? Blue eyes? Is his last name Woodwork?” “Yes, yes…I’m not sure. Why all the questions, S?”

Sarah shook her head, disappointed at her older sister. “You can be such an idiot sometimes, sis.” Sarah went to their DVD cabinet and pulled out the recording of Princess Eadlyn’s Selection from a year ago. The video starts playing and Alice spots a familiar head of blonde hair and her cousin’s dark hair and signature green shirt. She gasped and pointed at the two of them.

“Kile was in the Selection? Jules too? Is there where he went for a while?” She was genuinely surprised. “Al, this is what you get for burying your head in a book all the time.” “They aren’t just books –“ Sarah cuts her off with an eye roll.

“My point is, can you set me up with Kile Woodwork? He’s my favourite.” Alice immediately scoffs and protests. She lists all the reasons why Kile and Sarah can’t date. He’s too old for her, it would be awkward for him to work for Alice if he was dating her little sister and she kept this reason to herself but Alice liked Kile.

Meanwhile, in Kile’s temporary apartment, he was thinking the same of Alice. The mean way her eyebrows furrowed when she frowned at him the first time when he called her ‘man’. The gentle curl of her smile when she smiled at him when they were both annoyed with Julian.

They don’t know how but they fell in love with each other within a day. They didn’t come to terms with it until they were given a push.

***

Their push came in the form of Julian and Sarah.

Months into Kile’s banishment and their meeting, Kile and Alice were making it all too obvious that they fancied each other but never had the courage to tell each other. This was due to two reasons. 1) They were oblivious to each other’s affections and thought it was one sided and 2) Kile was intimidated by the fact that she threw a pipe at her ex-boyfriend, he couldn’t imagine what she’d do to him if she didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Alice was scared off by the fact that he was literally the Queen’s ex-boyfriend. She watched the whole of their Selection. Alice has seen how Queen Eadlyn looked at Kile before she realised she loved the translator, Eikko. Who could ever live up to the Queen of Illéa? The thought of not being good enough for him scared Alice away completely.

Sarah figured it out when Alice refused to take her to the construction site to meet Kile. Julian put two and two when he noticed Kile’s faint blushed whenever he was around Alice. He was even worse when he had to talk to Alice. Kile was usually a well-put together guy but around Alice, he became a babbling idiot.

The ironic thing was that everyone noticed what was happening to them before they themselves even knew.

The opportunity for Julian and Sarah to give the inevitable couple their push arose during Alice’s birthday. Since it was so close to Christmas, the sneaky pair of cousin set it up to be a Christmas themed party. They hung up mistletoes everywhere so that it would be impossible for Kile and Alice not to kiss. They prepared lots of eggnog with extra alcohol for Alice because the only way to loosen up the uptight Latina was get some drinks in her.

Invitations were sent out and to make it even more fun, Julian encouraged everyone to make bets as to how and when Kile and Alice – or Kalice  as everyone called them now – would end up together. All bets had been place before Sarah caught him. That didn’t stop her from giving him a tongue lashing.

***

A week later, the party was set up at the office because you’d have to be crazy to pry Alice Lenore Lewis away from her work. Even though, it was a ‘surprise party’, Alice knew Sarah would pull a stunt on her like this, she learnt from the last time. So this year, Alice wore something prettier than her usual overalls. She slowly walked into the conference room and as always, everyone jumped out from their hiding positions and yelled ‘Surprise!’

As per routine, she faked a smile as she greeted everyone in the room. She just could never enjoy her birthday because it was the day her dad left. She also hated spending time leisurely when she could be working. With every minute that passed, she just became more grumpy. Then Kile came to her side and she instantly lit up and forgot about work. It was all too evident on her face and everyone gave a little ‘awwh’. Alice just looked at them confused.

Then both of them were pushed against each other and Julian yelled,

“MISTLETOE! You two know what to do.” Both of them mirrored each other by widening their eyes. Kile leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to.” She melted right there. He was such a gentleman. She pulled back a little and gave him a smirk before murmuring, “Well, if it’s a show they want, we’ll give them one.” She put her hand at the back of his neck and pulled him to her.

‘His lips felt soft,’ were Alice’s first thoughts. ‘She’s a great kisser.’ Kile was in awe.

Julian and Sarah’s plan worked, in an instant Kalice’s feelings were magnified. Then the illusion was shattered when Alice came to her sense. What the hell was she doing? She can’t like him! He’s Kile Woodwork, he probably has relationships on a pedestal after dating the Queen. She pulled back sharply and ran out of the conference room. She wanted to lock herself up in her office but they’d knew they would find her. She hailed down a cab and started to get in when Kile came out shouting for her.

Crap, she thought. She was going to have to end up facing the music anyways, why not now. She apologised to the cabbie and turned to face Kile. She kept her head down, terrified to look at him.

“Has anyone told you that you look gorgeous in red?” She still stared down, examining a loose thread. She picked at it. It was a stupid dress. A red version of a ‘little black dress’. She finally tilted her head up to face him. “If you came to comment on my dress, I suggest you go work for your friend Hale and don’t waste my time.” She stated coldly. This has always been her defense mechanism, pushing them away until they leave.

Kile Woodwork wasn’t one to give up. He stepped forward and cupped her face.

“Must you always be mean?” “I am not –“ She starts to protest when the expression on his face tells her that he knows she’s lying to herself. Her eyes started to well up, thinking about her father and Luc and how they hurt her. She was tired of being hurt.

Kile kissed her once again and she let him. In that moment, all her worries about being hurt and work all disappeared. How did he do that? Manage to completely sweep her off her feet and distract her.

“Tell me you didn’t feel anything and I’ll leave you alone.” “I’m scared.” She whispered, finally deciding to tell him the truth. “What are you scared of, Alice?” He asked softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“I’m scared of being hurt. I like you so much, it terrifies me. I mean the Queen of our country is your ex-girlfriend. Do you know much I have to live up to?”

Kile laughed at her confession. It wasn’t a pretty polite laugh either. It was knee-slapping, tear jerking kind of laugh. “Yes, please find the time to laugh at my insecurities.” She barked. Immediately he stopped but still had a goofy smile on his face.

“Oh please, Eady is just my best friend. If we loooved each other so much as you claim, why am I here?” The question caught Alice off guard. Why was he here? While watching their Selection, she was so sure Kile was going to win.

“I don’t know.” She admitted sheepishly. “It’s so that I could meet you.” He said seriously and it took her a moment before she began to laugh out loud. “Oh my god that was horrible. Which movie did you get it from?” He gave her smirk.

“Yeah, you’re right. That was cheesy. If I was meant to be Prince Consort, I would have been. But that’s not the life for me. I’ve always wanted to get out of the Palace and Eady knew that so she sent me off. Then I met you, you make me feel like The Selection didn’t even happen. I know we’ve only known each other for a few months but by Gregory, Alice. Falling in love with you has been a whole another wonderful experience.” Alice pressed her lips into the tiniest smile to prevent herself from exploding in a huge ‘Awh’.

“You know, you could have just asked me out like a normal person.” She teased, nonchalantly. He rolled his eyes and pulled her close.

“Well, what can we say? You’re a special girl, Alice.” They walked back to the party, with interlaced hands.

***

Here they were. One year later. Kile’s banishment was over. His mother was dying to have been back. He really had to go this time. Alice and him had six blissful months together. They were now on their last date before he goes back to Angeles. Alice laid her head on Kile’s lap as they recounted everything that happened over the six months.

Their First Date. Sarah thought it would be fun to go ice-skating and dragged Julian and the couple along. She thought it would be a romantic first date where Kile would catch her when she falls. In theory it works but their ice-skating outing ended in snowball fights and finding out Kile’s middle name which no one knew until now.

Kile had stuffed snow down her coat and Alice was pissed. She rolled up the biggest snowball her tiny hands could muster and ran around trying to catch Kile in close range to hit him.

“COME BACK HERE, KILE WHATEVER-YOUR-MIDDLE-NAME-IS WOODWORK! This means war!!” He was laughing so hard, he knocked himself over and Alice got her victory snowball in his face.

“It’s Maxon by the way.” He said casually as they were drying themselves off. Alice quirked an eyebrow. “What’s the King?” “Not the King. My middle name is Maxon.” He rubbed the back of his neck embarrassed as he recounted the equally embarrassing reason behind the middle name.

“Uncle Maxon saved Mom and Dad’s lives and so Mom being Mom insisted that I was somehow named after him so there went my middle name.”

“I still find it hard to believe that the King is your 'Uncle Maxon’.”

*

Then there was the 'Meet The Parents’ on Alice’s side. Her family really just consisted of Julian and Sarah since her father ran out on her and her mother died a few years after that. To make it all the more dramatic, Julian and Sarah dressed up to look like old rich parents. Julian exaggerated his voice as he took Kile’s hand in a firm handshake.

“So what are your intentions with my daughter, young man?” “Ohmygod, Julian! You’re embarrassing me!” Alice intervened before Kile could even think of giving a serious answer. “That’s the whole point of parents, sis.” Sarah laughed and they enjoyed the rest of their dinner peaceful.

Well…until Julian thought it would be a good idea to balance an egg on his nose.

*

The Actual Meet The Parents with Marlee and Carter Woodwork. Kile created a video calling software on his laptop and his parents’ when he left for Bonita so that he could call them anytime any of them missed the other. Four months in, Kile decided to introduce Alice to his parents.

It was safe to say that it did not go too well.

“A girlfriend?!” Ms. Marlee made it all too clear she wasn’t happy with Kile having a girlfriend. “Yes…is that okay with you?” Alice said unsurely. She had heard all about Mama Woodwork and how she freaked out about Kile’s banishment. She gave Queen Eadlyn quite the tongue lashing for sending her precious son away.

“If you are going to tie him down there, then absolutely not!” At least she was honest, Alice thought. She smiled serenely at her. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Woodwork. It’s not long term. He’s leaving in three months.” She seemed delighted at this while Kile just stared at his girlfriend with a frown, trying to figure her out. He gruffly said goodbye to his parents and slammed his laptop.

This led to Their First Fight.

“It’s not long term? What the hell, Alice?!” was the first thing he yelled. She glared at him.

“Don’t yell at me. Did you see the relief on her face when she realised I wasn’t going to keep you here. Your mother loves you, Kile. Yes, she might be a bit too overbearing but at least you have a mother.”

Both of their eyes flashed. They knew that last line was a touchy subject. Kile immediately tried to calm himself down. Even though he was still upset, he opened his arms wide for her to step into them. She silently obliged and hugged him back.

“I’m sorry for yelling.”

“You’re forgiven and I shouldn’t have ambushed you like that. We never really did talk about what is going to happen after your banishment has been lifted…” He sighed, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“I don’t want to be sad anymore. We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”

***

Here they were. Contemplating how to cross the bridge.

“I say we burn it!” Alice laughed manically when Kile brought up the fact that they were indeed at their crossroads bridge. He rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair.

“Very funny, Alice. Come back to Angeles with me?” He suggested. She parted her lips in shock. For once she was at a loss for words and she was the writer. She gave a little sigh, remembering that special dinner with Kile. This was her attempt to remain looking back in their own little world.

*

The Dinner.

When she emerged out of the room in her gorgeous red gown, Kile’s jaw dropped. Quite literally. It was their three-month anniversary and they wanted to do something special. So Sarah forced Alice into that dress. All throughout dinner, he couldn’t keep his eyes off her. This was the first time Kile realised and entertained the idea of falling in love again. They were comfortable around each other but haven’t gone as far as to say those three little words. So he decided to test the waters and gave Alice a sort of initiation to get through. He already liked that they had the housing unit in common.

“If you weren’t an engineer, what would you be?”

“A writer.” When she saw the surprise on his face that she replied so quickly, she proceeded to elaborate, “I’ve always wanted to be a writer, but my parents didn’t think it was a stable career so they made me take up engineering and here I am. I still do write from time to time but not as much as I used to or would like to.” Her eyes lowered sadly at that last bit.

So they went back and forth like that. Kile talked about how his mother’s overbearingness almost stopped him from pursuing the housing unit project. Alice asked of his thoughts on settling down and he shared that he’d like to travel the world for a bit before settling down to start a family. This was when Alice became excited because she felt the same way and they discussed of the places they’d visit.

Little did Kile know that Alice was performing her own initiation through this conversation as much as he was. Sarah had been their Cupid, silently working behind the scenes. She had given each of them, hints as to what to get the other. Kile pulled out her perfectly wrapped present while Alice’s one for him was messily taped all over the place.

“Wrapping presents is not exactly my best suit.” She admitted, sheepishly. He smiled, his lips quirked up a little. It amused him endlessly that Alice was so adorable sometimes.

“Nobody’s perfect. Could you open mine first?” He requested. She nodded and was careful to unwrap it. Sarah may have been the sister with OCD, but when it came to unwrapping presents, Alice was just as bad.

“Al, we aren’t getting any younger here.” She huffed and quickly stripped her present off the wrapping paper. She gasped, with tears in her eyes. “Sarah told me you’d like a notebook. I think you should get back into writing, Al.” She ran over to him and threw her arms around him.

“I love it! Kile, this is amazing!” She kissed him all over the face and hugged the notebooks to her chest. He got her three of them, all with velvet covers and a special quote printed on them. He also sweetened the deal by getting her a stationary set to go with it. He laughed at her joy and kissed her before pulling up her chair next to him. Being across the table was just too far away from each other. Alice watched excitedly as he ripped the wrapping paper off her present to him. She slightly cringed at his method of unwrapping. Her joy of him getting his present overruled that.

He gasped when the book underneath the wrapping paper was revealed. He choked up a little. He understood the thought she put into this.

“Alice, I can’t take this. It’s your favourite first edition.”

“Well I want you to. You know I’ve told you that I would give this to the person who matter the most. I’m giving you a piece of my heart, Kile Woodwork.” She had given him her favourite book and she knew all Kile ever wanted was to get out of the Palace. So when their 3-month anniversary came around, she had no idea to get him. He didn’t need anything else and he was a hard person to get a gift for. So she opted to give him the precious part of herself.

No words could ever describe how elated the couple felt with their gifts and how their counterpart loved the gifts given. Nothing could hurt them in the moment.

*

Alice sat up abruptly, with that memory fresh in mind. Kile was startled. She moved her head to face him ever so slightly. She gave him a demure smile. It said everything but he wanted to hear it from her lips. He nodded, prompting her.

“Yes, Kile Woodwork. I’ll move to Angeles with you.”

***

Alice was nervous. A month ago, she along with Julian and Sarah had moved to a small apartment near the Palace in Angeles. Today, she was going to meet Kile’s family. That didn’t just include his parents and sister. The Royal Family were involved. Alice’s heart was beating so far, she feared it would run out of heartbeats and she would just drop dead.

“Al, relax. It’s just my family. They won’t bite.” Kile rubbed her back comfortingly. She gave a snort.

“Just your family, my ass. The Schreaves are our sovereigns. I’m just a commoner to them, oh dear lord. What if I mess up horribly and am banished? Queen Eadlyn did banish you for near nothing!” Her boyfriend chuckled and she slapped lightly across his chest.

“Not funny, Woodwork!” “If it makes you feel better, I invited Sarah and Julian.” Her eyes widened in panic when he mentioned Julian. “Julian Henry?? Do you want us to be embarrassed?” Kile could only shake his head at her. “He’s been Palace groomed before, remember?” “Oh…” Suddenly Alice felt very inadequate for the Palace. Kile sensed this and hugged her close.

“You can just pretend that its just the two of us. Just us, having our normal dinner.” “Yeah, with the Royal Family as an audience.” “They aren’t that scary, you’ll see.” He pulled her into the dining room. They weren’t the only couple there. Kile and Alice did not recognize them, mostly since they were making out. Until Kile caught a flash of familiar blonde hair.

“JOSIE?!” His sister pulled back sharply, accidently biting on her boyfriend’s lip.

“OW!” Kaden cried. “Shit!” Alice found this all too amusing and started laughing until she saw Kaden. She immediately dropped her stance into a curtsey.

“Your Highness, I apologise.” Now this made Kaden giggle.

“Oh please, I’m just Kaden to you. You are Alice, right?” She nodded slowly, not comprehending how he knew her. Her explanation came in the form of a shrieking future sister-in-law.

“YOU MUST BE ALICE! I’ve been dying to meet you! Kile would never tell us about you, it’s almost like he was keeping you all to himself.” Josie practically ambushed her and both girls fell into the floor because Alice didn’t gauge how well she could catch Josie. As if to sweeten the deal, Queen America and King Maxon came in. She noticed that she walked forward and the King trailed behind her happily. This was a different dynamic from what she’s seen on the screen.

The King and Queen stared down at her quizzically. She immediately stood up and helped up Josie before falling into another curtsey. “Your Majesties.” Queen America gave a little giggle before turning to Kile, “You were right, Kile. She’s absolutely adorable.”

Did the former Queen of Illéa just call her adorable?

They all took their seats as Mr. and Mrs. Woodwork came in. Marlee seemed more happy with Alice now that they were both actually in Angeles. Now everyone was here…except Queen Eadlyn and Prince Consort Eikko. The one person Alice was dreading to meet.

“I apologise for my daughter and her husband’s tardiness, I think they wouldn’t mind if we started without them.” King Maxon announced just as Queen Eadlyn threw the doors to the dining room open and ran in. She seemed to be panting and her dress and hair were slightly crumpled. Prince Consort Eikko trailed behind her with a smug expression.

“Sorry I’m late! I was doing stuff…” She walked to the head of the table as the Prince Consort giggled something to himself in a foreign language. Kile caught its meaning and gave a small laugh. He leaned towards his girlfriend and whispered,

“So remember how I picked up Finnish because of Henri and Eikko? He just said ‘I’m stuff’.” Without realizing, Alice bellowed in laughter. Everyone stared at her, confused.

“Oh um… excuse me. I just think that Prince Consort Eikko is hilarious.” Kile and Alice simultaneous turn to him and he winked at them.

He actually winked at them and that set off another laugh from Alice.

***

Overall she had a grand time with Kile’s big family. Queen Eadlyn wasn’t as intimidating as Alice pictured her to be. Josie was a sweetheart and by the end of the night, Eikko and Alice were best friends.

This was over two years ago. Now, after three years of dating, Kile and Alice were married. Alice just went through an intensive 14 hours of labour.

Warren Owen Woodwork was brought into the world.

Everyone was flocking to see the latest addition to Woodworks. Alice, of course was the first one to see her little man. She cooed at him.

“Who’s my little man? You are!” Then Alice gently placed little Warren in his father’s hands. “Oh my god, Alice. He’s beautiful.” She smiled sleepily. “We made him.” She yawned and was knocked out. Understandable considering the last 14 hours.

“No, Josie! I’m the Queen of Illéa and his best friend. I get to see the baby first!” Kile could hear Eady before he saw her. He stood there, watching the door in amusement as Josie and Eady wrestled to get to the baby first.

“I’m his sister! And possibly the Godmother!” They both came to a halt when they saw both little Warren and Alice were sleeping. They immediately shushed themselves and the incoming family.

***

15 Years Later

Kerttu had a brother named Laden after a six-year wait. Little Warren became not-so-little Ren and he along with the Schreave siblings were thick as thieves.  Ren also grew up to be a big Mama’s boy and was very close with Alice. He was their pride and joy.

He was very shy and slightly awkward but he was mostly comfortable around the Schreaves’ company. He was smarter than both his parents’ combined and they knew this when he picked up an encyclopedia at the age of 3. Now at 15, just like his Uncle Kaden, Ren was very knowledgable in various areas of studies but just like his mother, he picked up writing as his forte. He was a natural at it. He was so brilliant that he had gotten his first deal to publish one of his works at 15. He had gone with his Uncle Gunner to look over the contract since his Uncle Gunner was already a published author.

Everyone was happy but we all know too well that you can’t always get what you want.

He practically ran back home, dragging Uncle Gunner to the Palace with him, so that he could break the news to his parents. “MAMA! POPS! You’ll never believe what I did today!” He reached his parents’ room, panting frantically. He caught sight of his father and ran up to hug him.

“Hey Pop, you’ll never believe what happened to your Little Man!” Ren stopped bouncing excitedly when he saw his father’s sullen face and eyes brimmed with tears. Ren’s heart dropped to his stomach. His father was always a happy man.  Ren was confused as to what could have made him so upset. His mother…

He looked around for Alice, panicking.

“Pop, where’s Mama?” With that question, Kile collapsed onto the floor, breaking down. “She…went…to…surprise…you….” He barely managed to choke it out.

*

Alice had gone to pick Ren up from the publishing firm after Gunner had helped him do up the contract. She wanted to surprise him with congratulatory ice cream. Her car swerved the wrong way and it twisted itself around a tree. She was killed on impact.

Ren learnt this from his father after Kile had composed himself. Ren then broke down, blaming himself. Kile pulled himself together to be strong for both him and his son. He firmly reassured his son that it was no one’s fault. The father and son spent the next few days curled up in bed, mourning their loss. Today was the funeral and all they had to do was pull themselves together for a couple of hours.

‘I can do that.’ Ren thought to himself as he put on his suit for the wake. There was a soft knock on his door and he mumbled for them to come in. The door opened to reveal the youngest Schreave, Laden. Ren immediately felt comforted by his best friend’s presence.

“Ren, are you ready? It’s about to start.” Ren nodded solemnly once before turning to his best friend. Without prompting, Laden pulled him into a hug.

“I’m always going to be here for you, Ren. Never forget that.”

***

Kile and Alice’s love story was a simple and powerful one but it ended in tragedy. Alice had no regrets as she died, she was proud to have had a son like Ren. She had loved Kile more than life itself.

What is a legacy?

It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

[carasueachterberg]

The last time I set foot in the southern shelters, I was stunned.

We wandered through the kennels, head spinning and heart-aching, helpless to do anything except offer a few bags of dog food, a box of cat litter, and a promise to share what we saw. This time…

Traveling with a team of eight feels more substantial. We are here to do work. Not to just gasp and dream. We are here to share all we can, to join in the real work, if only for a day.

It was maybe a little awkward driving south in the van full of people I barely knew. We shared dog stories and lengthy silences, everyone likely as worried as I about what we would see, do, eat, and certainly whether or not we’d get any sleep. I’ve been to a few of the shelters we will visit, but not all. I am anxious about what is coming, being the leader of this team and hoping to set the precedent for more road trips to follow, I want it to go well.

Since the last time I was here, some of these shelters have been ravaged by flooding, some have new buildings, new staff, they all have new dogs, new stories, and yet it is the same. Six months has not changed the situation. Dogs are still dying, shelter workers are still overwhelmed, the public is still dumping dogs, filling the kennels with dogs they have no time, money, or love for.

At Lenoir County SPCA, it is good to see familiar faces – Helen, the rescue coordinator/miracle-worker and Sherry, the shelter director/magician I met last fall hug me when we arrive. Helen has taken the day off from her job as a court reporter (Helen is a volunteer who finds more hours in a day than most of us do in a week) to be here with us.

We meet Debbie, the vice-president of the board responsible for hands-on help at the shelter. She has also taken the day off from her work to be here with us. Her quick smile and positive attitude are contagious. We meet Laura, the assistant shelter director who does much of the dog assessments has a huge heart and an easy laugh. She seems to be a fan of every dog she brings out to meet us.

Everyone we meet at Lenoir is friendly, helpful, and generous. If our invasion of their space irritates them in any way, they give no hint of it. I’m anxious for us to be helpful, and not simply be in the way of the work they must do.

When we arrive, the kennels are already clean and the place is bustling. We’ve just finished our tour and begun work on our separate projects when a government inspector shows up for a surprise inspection. I groan inwardly. Of all the days.

I can only imagine the stress level for Sherry is about a gazillion times the level I feel when the dog warden shows up at my house for an inspection. I have anywhere from two to ten dogs/puppies and the warden wants proof of rabies, copies of health certificates, and to know where I keep my fire extinguisher. Sherry has more than fifty dogs (plus a dozen or more cats), thousands of records, a staff, a facility that has to meet certain codes, and today, eight strangers here to get in the way.

We get to work. A few of us walk dogs and then help pose them for photographs, while another team works huddle with Helen and their laptops around a plastic table in the chilly sunshine to polish dog bios and add them to Petfinder. Matt, our engineer, works on a project of Debbie’s – building a roof for the small concrete puppy play area recently added to the shelter so the puppies can get outside even when it’s raining or the sun is blazing.

Jennifer, one of our team who knows sign language (both her parents are deaf), learns that one of the dogs who has been lingering at Lenoir in search of a home, is deaf. She spends time with Casper trying to teach him the sign for sit, and getting to know him so that she can promote him to the deaf community for adoption.

With the help of Laura and Debbie, we wrangle dog after dog and walk endless laps of the short service road beside the shelter that takes you past enormous powerlines to the water tower, before bringing each back for its photo shoot. Nancy and Leslie have set up a photo studio in a little space on the side of the parking lot beside the screened-in cat gazebo (for meeting cats) and a large steel shipping container (for supplies – there is no storage in the overloaded shelter) with the swampy-forest that surrounds the shelter as a backdrop. We attempt to pose the dogs who are distracted by the traffic in the parking lot, the unfamiliar people, the change of routine, and the smells of the dogs before them who all marked the territory.

Later in the day, I watch as Nancy attempts to photograph dogs playing with some of the enrichment toys that Debbie has brought. The idea is to catch photos of them interacting with the toys to encourage donations of more enrichment toys. The dogs are excited to be in the play area for a bit – they usually only come in here while their kennels are being cleaned each morning. It’s just a fenced in concrete area, but today there is a Kong wobbler, a bubble machine, tennis balls, food puzzles, and a giant ball to play with. They search for food, mark the corners, give me a sniffover for treats and buzz by Nancy and her camera. They are not cooperative models, but we get a few shots.

As we are finishing up, a pick-up truck pulls up outside the shelter with two dogs in the back. The man has come to surrender his pets. He got a new job and no longer wants the dogs which he adopted from another county. Sherry tells him they are full and he should surrender the dogs to the county where he got them. She knows this man, these are not the first dogs he’s surrendered. She asks him why he adopted them in the first place. He leaves and I watch Sherry swallow her fury and move on to the next task. Another car pulls in with a kitten to surrender. Maybe the first of the kitten season.

At five minutes before closing, a couple arrives with a toddler in tow. The father wants to adopt two dogs- a male and female, but he’ll be happy if he can get the ‘gray female.’ He announces this in the parking lot loudly. I wonder who he is speaking to and how he knows about the gray pitbull mama and her tiny puppy who is still nursing. It’s too late in the day for an adoption, but they let him look around. All of us wonder on his insistence about a male and female. His daughter is frightened by the barking and cries at the loud noise in the shelter.

It’s just another day at Lenoir. A day that makes me marvel at Sherry, Helen, Laura, and Debbie. How is it they aren’t beaten down by the relentless onslaught of ignorance and apathy they battle? Maybe it’s the love they have for these animals. They all deserve a happy forever home. Every. Single. One. I guess it’s that knowledge that makes these women work so hard.

The dogs are easy to love—we fall in love over and over again and wonder how many we can convince our rescue to pull. What is not easy is finding homes for them.

We are just beginning our journey and already my heart questions and my soul aches. I amble up the road to the water tower slowly with Bruno, an older boxer mix with scars covering his body, head to toe, his ribs and backbone protruding.

Bruno isn’t in a hurry and has an air about him that tells me he’s seen more than his share of cruelty; he seems defeated. We have five more shelters to see.

Yesterday we visited a tiny shelter in Essex County, Virginia and met another remarkable shelter director saving dogs through sheer will and resourcefulness. Ellen is a former college professor who took over a shelter with a high kill rate and turned it around.

They no longer euthanize adoptable dogs at Tappanhannock-Essex County Animal Shelter, but Ellen’s words followed me to Lenoir, “For every five we send out, we take in six more.”

I saw the same worry etched on Helen’s face. Two years ago, Lenoir was euthanizing over 50% of their dogs. They have come so far, but today, when we visit, they are already full and it’s only April first. They are holding their own at Lenoir, but that could all change next week—one hoarding case, one emergency, one violation from the inspector, and they are back where they started.

I want to be hopeful. We are making progress, it’s just that the progress seems tentative, fragile, the thinnest of fabric that could easily tear. It’s a toehold on better but a long way from good. We still have so far to go.

Thank goodness we have women like Ellen at TECAS, and Helen, Sherry, Laura, and Debbie at Lenoir. They are leading the way, teaching all of us about what it really means to rescue.

If you’d like to help Lenore or TECAS or any of the shelters we visit this week, you can find links on the OPH Rescue Road Trip facebook page. You’ll also see more pictures and stories of our experiences in the shelters.

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my occasional e-newsletter.

If you’d like to know more about the book, Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs, visit AnotherGoodDog.org, where you can find more pictures of the dogs from the book (and some of their happily-ever-after stories), information on fostering, the schedule of signings, and what you can do right now to help shelter animals! You can also purchase a signed copy or several other items whose profits benefit shelter dogs!

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog Facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email carasueachterberg@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

Best,

Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available now

Come inside rural animal shelters - are we making progress? #bethechange #togetherwerescue #anothergooddog The last time I set foot in the southern shelters, I was stunned. We wandered through the kennels, head spinning and heart-aching, helpless to do anything except offer a few bags of dog food, a box of cat litter, and a promise to share what we saw.