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itsonlydana · 3 years ago

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Koralia ➷ Eret

pairing: Eret x Reader (gn)

summary: In need of military support you contact King Eret but what happens if you invite him and his advisor Foolish to your kingdom after exchanging letters for months, getting to know eachother through words? Can reality live up to your expectations?

tags/warnings: none, FLUFF

words: 4790

a/n: I was struggling SO MUCH with a name for an ocean Kingdom, all I could think about was that one from the barbie movies so I went the easy way and took the german word (Koralle) for coral :,)

also thinking about writing eret as a pirate captain..

letter one:

"From Your Majesty Monarch (y/n) of Koralia to King Eret, Ruler of the Dream SMP,

Esteemed King Eret, I would like to start this letter with congratulations on the victory against the Egg and hope you did not suffer too many losses. I must confess that I admire you very much for the finesse and strength you showed in this fight - our small kingdom could never have withstood this threat.

This brings us directly to my request, or rather my proposal. This battle has made me and my closest advisors realize how helpless we would be against such an attack and how urgently military support is needed.

Especially since in the not too distant future, our manta rays will return after several decades to our coral reefs for mating season and we have to guarantee the safety of this endangered species.

In exchange for this military assistance, all the goods of Koralia are at your disposal and I hope we can come to an agreement.

Awaiting an answer,

Monarch (y/n)"

letter two:

"To Your Royal Highness Monarch (y/n) of the Kingdom Koralia,

Most Gracious Monarch (y/n), I greatly appreciate your congratulations and can say with delight that we had only casualties and no losses!

As you may know, I have been thinking for quite some time about establishing new trade relations in order to interact more with the other kingdoms- the turmoil of the Dream SMP has prevented me from doing so for too long - so I am quite positive about your proposal.

However, before I can and will make a final decision, my dearest advisor Foolish will pay a visit to your kingdom in a matter of days and discuss further details for me as I myself am bound to supervise the remaining removals of the Egg!

Faithfully,

King Eret"

letter three:

"To Your Royal Highness Monarch (y/n) of the Kingdom Koralia

Most Gracious Monarch (y/n), I am very pleased to pledge you my full support!

When Foolish returned last night he spoke highly of you and your hospitality, as well of your kingdom, and I must admit I expected nothing less from a highly respected kingdom as yours! Nevertheless, I had to be sure.

Now that I know that my troops are in good hands, I set about planning after sending this letter and am confident that in less than seven days you can expect the arrival of the support you requested.

As much as I enjoy Foolish's stories, he has a talent for rambling, which made me all the more curious... would you mind telling me more about your empire? According to Foolish, it must be reminiscent of paradise!

If you are in need of more troops, please don´t be afraid to ask!

Respectfully,

King Eret"

letter four:

"To Your Royal Highness King Eret,

Esteemed King Eret, I apologize for the late reply, the arrival of your troops has required more of me than I had originally planned!

I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, you have sent me wonderful soldiers, thanks to whom I no longer have to worry about the safety of my manta rays, it is hard to find the right words to express my gratitude.

I am very flattered by Sir Foolish's words and glad that he enjoyed his stay in Koralia, his person definitely convinced that I made the right decision with you as support. He is a fantastic man!

And of course, I am very happy to follow your request and tell you about Koralia. I don't want to waste your valuable time with facts you have learned from history books or recently from Sir Foolish (except you want me to).

Koralia is by no means an empire as large and powerful as yours, and yet I can feel nothing but pride when I look at it.

Right now I am writing this letter on one of the balconies overlooking the village, beautiful white houses with prismatic roofs sparkling in the sun. From every street, the laughter of children echoes up to me, the shouts of the market in the center of town, where at the moment our cherry blossom tea is being sold (even though I enjoy orange tea much more, there is nothing more refreshing as a cold cup of cherry blossom tea in the hot sun).

Looking north from the city, as far as the eye can see, I see only our sunflower fields, nearly golden flowers that can be found sporadically along the paths and streets, as well as between the houses and in the castle garden.

To the south of the castle lies the ocean, an infinite turquoise canvas with one of the largest coral reefs. The water is so clear that you can see the iridescent colors of the corals up to the castle on the cliffs…"

excerpt of letter five:

"I have to agree with Foolish, from your description Koralia must be paradise and I am just getting lost in the drawings of your castle. The view with the cliffs must be magnificent.

I also envy the sea, I have to go only a few steps from my castle and I am at a lake, but to have the sea in front of my feet must be a completely different feeling of freedom."

excerpt of letter six:

"You have to see it sometime"

excerpt of letter seven:

"I would like that very much. I have not been to the beach for ages, the stress with the egg... there is a lot going on... maybe a break wouldn't hurt"

excerpt of letter twelve:

"As a thank you for the troops, I'll let you have some of our kelp, it was freshly harvested! In addition, I´ll send you…"

excerpt of letter twenty-one:

"To King Eret and Sir Foolish,

As a token of my gratitude, I invite you and your advisor Sir Foolish to the festivities of the next full moon, which Koralia is celebrating to mark the arrival of the manta rays!"

letter twenty-two:

My dear (y/n),

On behalf of Foolish and myself, thank you so much for the invitation! We are happy to accept! I cannot express my excitement to finally meet you in person and not have our conversations through these letters.

Yours truly,

Eret

To say you were nervous as you stood among the most important people of Koralia before the open doors of your palace would be an understatement, you couldn't keep still for a second.

Since you had taken over your father's throne a few years ago, you had certainly received high visits from other kingdoms, and yet there you stood, tapping your shoes excitedly against the white stone beneath your feet, knotting your fingers in front of you as you followed the approaching carriages with wide eyes.

Even if you had known that they would arrive today, your heart had nearly dropped into your stomach when you had spotted them on the horizon. After having your poor servants check all the rooms for the umpteenth time, even stroking the smooth silk bedspreads yourself, opening all the windows invitingly and running from one corner of the castle to the other for the amusement of your servants, Apollo, your right-hand man and your father's oldest friend, had to forcefully sit you down and rest for your own good.

Apollo was an older gentleman, not as old as your grandparents but old enough that you always remembered him with grayish hair. Despite the warm sun shining on your coastal kingdom, he wore his uniform, black pants, white shirt and your father's light blue scarf tucked into his shirt pocket, you weren't sure you'd ever seen him in anything but that or his white and mint striped pajamas.

As always, he was standing right next to you. The man who had taken over the role of your educator since your father's death, who had taught you everything you needed to govern your kingdom, and who now snapped you out of your thoughts again with a casual nudge in the side.

Caught off guard, you let go of your lower lip, where you had unconsciously begun to bite into, a terrible habit that not infrequently ended in a bloody lip, and inhaled deeply the like saltwater tasting air.

"Relax, (y/n). You've planned everything meticulously for weeks and everyone is following your commands," Apollo murmured to you the moment the first carriage, pulled by four stunning brown horses, stopped at the bottom of the steps.

"I know," you whispered back, without pulling away from the closed windows on the closed doors, behind which you could make out silhouettes, "If you could only tell my heart, it does what it wants, I don't understand why it can't calm down." In the corner of your eye, you could see Apollo smiling, as if he knew something you didn't.

Finally, the coachman got down from his seat and opened the door of the carriage. As soon as it was open, you tried to catch a glimpse of him, but Foolish got out first and blocked your view with his broad back.

As if in slow motion, he turned around, one hand hanging loosely at his side, the other helping King Eret out of the carriage.

The first thing you noticed about the king was that the descriptions you had been listening to more closely lately did not do him justice.

King Eret was beautiful, without a doubt. Short brown curls bounced with each step he took up the stairs toward you, the airy green dress flowing around his long legs, the black corset highlighting his slender figure.

There was a slight smile on his lips, Foolish in turn grinned broadly at you, waving.

"Breathe," you could hear Apollo from your side, when had you stopped?

Foolish was the first to greet you with a bow and a hand on his breastbone before stepping aside and making room for King Eret.

He walked the few steps toward you, and you noticed how much taller he was despite his flat sandals.

Elegantly, he reached for your outstretched hand -thank the heavens you managed to remember all the lessons Apollo had taught you about greetings- and lifted it to his lips, stopping your heart with a featherlight kiss. When he straightened up again, you could see the blush of your cheeks and neck in the reflection of his black glasses, which only made you blush more.

"Your Majesty, I thank you again for inviting me to your castle and realm for this special occasion." His calm deep voice surprised you, even as it sent a cold shiver down your spine.

You curtsied to him, collected yourself again. "Welcome to Koralia, your Highness. I hope you have a restful stay, if you need anything you can contact either myself or Apollo here as well." With a gentle hand gesture, you introduced Apollo, who immediately bowed.

King Eret nodded at him appreciatively, you had already told him about Apollo in one of your letters, and turned back to you. "Please, you don't have to follow etiquette. Just call me Eret, without those titles."

"Only if you call me (y/n)," you insisted out of politeness, to which Eret nodded in understanding.

"I am honored, your Majesty.", Eret replied with a wink that made you shake your head in amusement. A smile spread onto your lips, you knew he had a flirty personality because of some letters, especially your last ones, but hearing his teasing in that full, velvet voice made for a whole different chaos of thoughts.

"Let's go inside, it's pleasantly cool in the castle and you can rest in your rooms. I hope you had a smooth journey?" you asked, Eret's presence couldn't let you forget your manners, and after all the sun lowered behind your fields of sunflowers already.

As if by themselves, the words with which Foolish told you about their journey flowed. For several days they had traveled from their kingdom in the west to Koralia in the east. The cheerful companion made an effort to recount every detail of how they had passed through villages and towns, how he knew they were close when he smelled the saltwater in the air, and you wished you could pay more attention to his words, and yet you focused more on how Eret's closeness made the hairs in your neck stand up and how your whole body responded to him with striking intensity.

"That sounds quite wonderful," you replied to Foolish after he had finished his narrative, and you had stopped in front of white double doors in the upper corridor of the castle.

You hoped your words were fitting and he hadn't told you about something terrible when you hadn't been listening.

"We followed your wish to prepare two rooms with a connecting door," you explained, opening the doors to Foolish's room on the pearly white doorknobs.

The rooms were the largest in the castle, next to yours and your parents' former bedroom, you had made a point of having them on the same corridor as yours.

Smiling, you watched Foolish drop stomach-first onto the four-poster bed and let the white sheets engulf him, and after a thumbs-up from him, you took a few more steps to Eret's room.

At the door handle you paused, your hand on the cool handle and yet you did not push it down. In your mind, you went over everything you had checked a few hours ago.

Would the bed still be made? Would the flowers in the vase look fresh enough? What if a bird had flown in through the open doors or one of the cats had gotten lost in the room? Why were you worrying about this now and not with Foolish's room?

You knew yourself that the worries were unnecessary, and yet you closed your eyes as you pushed down the handle, hoping all the messes - if they existed - would disappear.

You stood against the bright wall with your hands clasped behind your back as Eret walked past you into the room, running his hands over the cream-colored chaise longue that stood before the four-poster bed before stepping to the open glass door and stopping for a second.

The murmur of servants' voices buzzed through the hallways, busy clearing out the carriages and most likely about to show up here to bring Eret's luggage. Quietly, you cleared your throat. Beaming, Eret turned to you, the fire-colored sky of the sunset bathing him in such a warm orange light that you felt the need to capture the sight forever in a painting.

All too soon the scene changed, the door to your left slammed open loudly, causing you both to flinch, and the moment had passed, becoming a brief image in your memories that you would eventually forget.

"Foolish!" sighed Eret as he whirled around to face the intruder. Were you mistaken, or was Eret also disappointed, perhaps even slightly indignant, at this interruption of your togetherness?

Guiltily, Foolish widened his eyes, looked from Eret to you, took in the king's stern expression and the blush on your cheeks, and clearly refrained from commenting.

Instead, you jumped in, clearing your throat again. "I suggest you rest after your long journey, I will have supper delivered to your rooms. If you have any special requests, let Apollo know, he'll be by shortly to check on things. I'm going to excuse myself to my room for today, we should all be well-rested for tomorrow!"

Gratefully, Eret nodded to you. "I wish you a restful night, your Highness. Beaux rêves, (y/n)."

As much as you had wanted to fall into your bed and end the day with Eret's goodnight wish, the planning of the festivities took an unexpected turn when your grandparents turned up unannounced at short notice and you spent the rest of the evening explaining to them that their actual guest rooms were occupied and that it was impossible to accommodate them anywhere but the other half of the castle.

The festivities had cost you a lot of effort and time, the last months had been filled with planning that had demanded a lot from you. Meal planning, tastings and suggestions for improvements, handwriting invitations to the most important people in the kingdom and accommodations in your castle were all things you had thought about for months and while this morning you thought everything was ready, until a few minutes ago you had been sitting in your study changing seating arrangements amidst your grandmother's nagging.

When Apollo finally managed to dissuade the old couple from tormenting you further with fastidious requests and led them to their room far away from you, you had fled to your room much later than you had hoped.

Tiredly, your own face stared back at you in the reflection of the balcony door, which you had wanted to close to sleep, but the exhausted eyes into which you had looked made you hesitate. This morning they had shone with excitement and a conversation with your grandparents later nothing in your posture reminded you of that happiness.

Sighing, you opened the door a little wider so you could slip out onto the balcony.

The balcony was by no means large, you only had to take four large steps to lean against the railing, and unlike some other noble houses, it was not stocked with golden seating. Instead, a collection of plants thrived on the original bench, from flowering azaleas bushes that took up much of the bench, to a small bed of Azure Bluet with which you had had the napkins for the banquet embroidered, to a box in which you had planted sweetberries.

Normally you would come here after a stressful day and take care of your plants, but today you didn't feel like it.

It bothered you that your grandparents suddenly strutted into your life and allowed themselves to pounce on your plans. You were no longer a child, you ruled over an entire country, and yet that didn't seem to be enough.

How would they react tomorrow when they met Eret and Foolish? Your grandmother had always been traditional, most likely the sight of King Eret, ruler of the DreamSMP in a dress would give her a heart attack, your grandfather would have to worry all day about keeping them away from each other.

The thought made you giggle.

"Is there a reason for your joyful spirit?"

You flinched noticeably at the sound of the deep voice; you hadn't expected to find anyone else still awake.

You pulled aside and looked at the balcony to your right, against which, loosely leaning, Eret stood, also in the dark, his hands shoved into the hitherto hidden pockets of his dress. Except for the missing corset and discarded jewelry, he looked exactly as he had hours before, which made you raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping? Tomorrow is going to be a busy day and I'd really suggest you get enough sleep," you noted, ironically any sense of arriving tiredness evaporating at the sight of the king, a few meters away from you.

"Ah," Eret waved it off "I can rest when I'm dead. Besides, I don't see how I could find my sleep with your noisy thoughts. What troubles you so much that you sigh to yourself in the dark at night?"

Your lips twitched into a smile, mirroring that on his face. You stroked the marble of the parapet. "I hate to burden you with this; you are, after all, my guest and should really be in your bed."

"You could never burden me with your thoughts. Wait, I'm coming over!" You had expected him to go back to his room, but Eret propped himself up on the railing with one arm and, to your horror, swung over so that he was standing on the tiny edge of his balcony, the cliffs below him.

"Don't you want to-" you tried to dissuade him, just then he took a wide step, unmoved by the worries of what might happen that were running through your mind. Before you realized it, he was standing in front of you on the other side of the railing of your balcony, his face inches from yours, as you had leaned forward, startled, when he had jumped.

You looked at him speechlessly, the crooked grin, the sharp cheekbones you thought you could cut yourself on. You eyed yourself in his glasses, wondering if he was using them to hide from the world. A king whose emotions you couldn't read was dangerous; you could never know what was going on inside him when his eyes were protected.

Or maybe the quiet words were true, exchanged in the shadows of the houses, by the king whose eyes were not real ones, just murky white lakes.

"You don't have to hide from me," you whispered suddenly, without having wanted to. Immediately you felt ashamed of it, you could see Eret's cheeks take on a rosy tone.

"I mean, you have nothing to worry about if you want to take off your glasses," you muttered, lowering your gaze.

"Well, I'd say hiding is impossible in this position anyway." Nodding his head, Eret pointed to his feet, standing only on bare toes on the tiny ledge, and startled, you backed away, making room for him to swing over to you.

Automatically, your eyes fell on his hands as he grabbed the stone balustrade and jumped with both legs at once, the danger of flashing what was under his dress in this sweeping movement not seeming to interest him.

His hands were definitely bigger than yours, long slender fingers with golden rings -some ornate, some studded with gems, some connected by chains and some quite simple- and his nails shining. When he enclosed the balustrade, his knuckles were protruding, white scars stood out from the pale skin, and now that he was standing in front of you, stroking his hair back with those hands, you imagined how he had fought with such graceful hands.

Would you be able to feel calluses where the leather of a dagger had nestled?

"You are so silent. Is it your plaguing worries, or are you so anxious to see my eyes, my Highness?" joked Eret, putting extra emphasis on the title that you laughingly forgot the tinge of shame at having been caught staring. "Here, I couldn't refuse a wish to that smile." A butterfly-like smile stole onto Eret's lips, delicate and quickly fading. Sharply he inhaled the air and you could perceive a tremor in his hands.

Swiftly you stepped forward, gingerly clasping the hand he had raised in yours and looking up at him, your heart aching. "You don't have to, if you feel more comfortable with your glasses on. I wouldn't be able to bear to see you suffer on my account."

You could feel the trembling diminish and the smile return to his lips, a sight that made the wrinkles on your forehead disappear and turned worry into encouragement.

"I believe that I could never feel sorrow in your presence, you make even the darkest room light up with your smile. But I fear extinguishing that light with my burden, in the past there have been few who have responded positively, some have even run away screaming." In his voice you could hear a warning, `I don't want this to happen to you'

But you had made a decision. In a firm voice, you contradicted him, "You say you are afraid for my well-being, for reasons incomprehensible to me. There is nothing to make me fear you."

"Well, if you are sure"

As Eret removed his glasses, a tingle spread through your body, and as if of its own accord, your hand lifted to his cheek, cupping it gently. Eret's previously faltering breath calmed at the touch, and you could see him press slightly towards it.

As if enchanted, you looked into the pure white eyes, in which there was a slight glimmer, and despite the lack of pupils, you felt you could read his emotions. The nervousness in his pinched lips, in his contracted dark eyebrows, the fear that lay behind those white lakes.

"Your eyes are beautiful, Eret," you spoke to him softly, after carefully releasing his glasses from the firm grip of his hand and sliding them into the pocket of his dress. "No matter what has happened to you in the past, you don't have to fear anything around me. I promise you that."

"And what about you? You give me a piece of freedom and seem to be trapped in your own thoughts."

You forced yourself to smile, but ironically your eyes seemed to betray you and for a brief moment, you wished they were hidden behind dark glasses.

Wrapping your arms around yourself, you turned away to walk to the center of the balcony and looked into the distance, where the turquoise ocean seemed to be sewn together with the dark canvas of the sky in a silver line, illuminated by the long-awaited full moon. It was as if the night was a sliver of perfection.

"It's my grandparents," you began softly, your voice mingling with the sound of the waves crawling gently onto the shore, propping your elbows on the balustrade. "After my parents died, I was thrown into this position with no foreknowledge of what I had to do, and except for Apollo, I had no one to help me. My grandparents didn't care, they only came forward after I found my place and every time they show up to criticize me. Just now they suddenly turned up at the door and demanded that I overturn my plans for their mind." No sooner had you voiced your concerns than you could feel yourself breathing easier. Taking a deep breath of night air, you could feel the salt on your tongue, the crumbling of the knot in your chest.

And with your first breath, you looked up at Eret, only to find his gaze already on you. You surprised yourself when you turned your head to the side so that it was leaning against the soft fabric of Eret's dress. An unfamiliar warmth and the dull tingle from before rose inside you.

"Your grandparents shouldn't unsettle you, my dear. In the few months that I now have the honor of knowing you, I have become more aware every day of what a good ruler you are," once again Eret managed to make your heart beat faster with his dark voice. Touched by his words, you listened to him. "When your first letter reached me I had to read the words several times, I didn't want to believe they were asking for protection for manta rays. I wondered how a person could be so pure, so prudent. Your rule is guided by care, for your kingdom, for the people and every living thing that lives in it."

Embarrassed, you gazed up at the cloudless sky. Millions of stars speckled the blue cloth, some slightly larger but most were small white dots in the distance.

The moon bathed you in an ethereal light, making individual strands of Eret's brown hair glow silver.

It was like the last few months when you had comforted each other across miles, words written in ink like a red thread that had brought you to each other.

Eret lifted his hand to your side, pulling you closer until nothing could fit between you. "You are stunning, (y/n)." His chest vibrated at the words; you could feel his heart beating faster. He hadn't said it like flattery, much more like something people should know, like the sun rising in the morning and being replaced by the moon in the evening.

He robbed you of your mind, any answers slipped away. Instead, he continued, "I have often imagined you, pictures composed of the stories Foolish told me, but nothing could surpass what I saw when I left the carriage. That has been the real reason for my sleeplessness, why you found me on my balcony. How could I sleep now that I've met you? You came out of nowhere, stealing my heart and taking hold of my thoughts, setting every cell in my body on fire."

Eret lowered his head, nudging the tip of his nose at your temple, his hot breath hitting your cheek. Captivated by the emotions he inflamed in you, you raised your head, approaching him until your lips were separated by a few inches.

It was as if time stopped for you when your lips touched, as if the world held its breath. You closed your eyes to blossom completely in this moment, never again you wanted to feel another feeling.

#mcyt writing #mcyt imagine #mcyt fanfiction #mcyt x reader #dsmp x reader #dream smp x reader #eret mcyt #the eret #foolish gamers #dsmp eret #dsmp foolish #eret x reader #c!eret x reader #koralia series

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mantabanter · 3 years ago

Note

4, 13, 24 for team witchault? (IF ITS NOT TOO MUCH MANTA SIR D:)

ah thank you for the ask azzie!

4. What makes them cry For Laika, its hard truths. She likes seeing the world a specific way, and if her expectations dont hold up, disappointment can be overwhelming. Especially in regards to herself.

Manta, he cries very easily so its a tough call. Overstimulation is a big one, or if someone near him is crying he'll probably cry too.

Akira is the "I DONT CRY" type of person, but also yes she does, and she does it often. Angry frustration tears.

13. Who is/are the most important people to them

Manta: his lil sister, Lion! Akira: her grandfather! Laika: her family/her team!

24. What’s their favorite animal

Laika: well, she likes jellyfish a fair bit, but she also likes big cats. Akira: dragons! they're not real technically but she thinks they're so badass. Manta: cats and/or butterflies he HATES squirrels though, has a rivalry w the ones who keep trying to take his stuff

#team witchault #laika #manta #akira #oc asks #my ocs #mantas ocs

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chaoslordjoe · 3 years ago

Text

Bloodlines AU - Tiny Warmths Part 1

The cane clacked against the Schnee Manor's front door. Winter was welcomed by Klein who always showed her to the living room, knowing she needed a rest from the trip back home for the newest addition to the home.

"Long flight, dear?" Willow asked by the staircase, sniffing her coffee.

"More like a long sail, mother. We were inspected for hours by sea/air traffic control." Winter grumbled, walking over to the sofa.

"Yes, I heard about it from the news reports. You'd think they would recognize our snowflake by now."

"I'm not sure I want to test that theory." Before she could sit down, she was welcomed by a hug from her blue-haired brother-in-law.

"Good to see you Winter."

Winter returned the hug best she could. "You as well, Neptune. How's fatherhood?"

Neptune could only sigh. "Exhausting so far. He's almost five months and I feel like I'm still getting used to all this."

"Weiss certainly wasn't kidding about how anxious you've been." She was handed a spot of tea. "Thank you, Klein." Then she turned back to the spearman. "Is my sister adjusting any better?"

“Surprisingly. But Nicky's been dealing with colic pain, so patience is a virtue she’s been having better than me. She's taken to this so much easier than I have."

Winter sipped at her tea. "It can't be easy with both you and her running businesses."

Neptune sat taking a cup of tea. "It's not, but we've adjusted and tried to settle into a routine. Even when she's at her busiest she refuses to hire nannies and will rock or breastfeed him while on a business call."

Winter tented her fingers. "It's funny. I never really considered how that works until seeing the photos she sent me while I was overseas."

"Pretty much no choice if he’s cranky.” Neptune answered. “He won't take a bottle from Klein. That’s how much he’s already making up his own mind.”

Klein aided Willow on her way to the recliner. "I believe the important part is that I'm trying, sir."

Neptune smiled at the butler. "You are. And we are so thankful for your help, Klein."

Willow sat back down. "He's less fussy when we get him on diaper duty. But clearly..." She grunted, sitting slowly onto the chair. "Clearly he's more in favor of his mom and dad right now."

"How are your back pains, mother?" Winter asked.

"Little stiff today.” Willow answered. “I'm only having one coffee cup for Nicky's sake, due to all the hustle and bustle of preparing for a visit before you arrived."

"Weiss is changing him right now." Neptune pointed out.

Winter exhaled. "Right. Meeting the nephew...How should I present myself?"

"Just be yourself." Neptune said plainly.

"You mean the military woman shtick minus the sternness." She asked.

“That sounds about right.” Weiss Schnee answered right behind her big sister.

Winter turned her head, seeing a joyful Weiss having just gotten off of work for the day with a bundle in her arms. Inside the blue blanket was Dominick Karl Schnee, cocooned and eyeing his mother fondly. Weiss bounced him in the blanket turning him around to face a new relative.

“Dominick, can you say ‘hi’ to your auntie?” His mom requested.

The future heir revealed his little face to Winter.

He weighed in at 8 pounds and 3 ounces in a handsome little bundle of his father’s bronzed skin, light blue eyes included. His mother’s alabaster hair was spiky but neatly groomed in time for being the up and coming prince of his family’s corporation. The baby stared through Winter, moving his tiny arm out and grabbing the edge of his snuggie.

The Specialist took the plunge by reaching out her hand with an adjustment from her cane to let him hold her bigger hand. “Um…Hello, Dominick. I’m your Aunt Winter.” She greeted after a heavy pause.

The baby reached out by placing both hands around Winter’s trigger finger.

She flinched from the sudden grapple. “Is this his way of reading people?”

“I think he’s trying to figure out who you are.” Neptune observed.

Weiss gave a big smile. “Would you like to hold him? You’ll be fine, just be sure to support his head.”

Winter reached out, gently taking her nephew and still appearing uncertain. Unfortunately the toddler disagreed. Who was this mysterious lady who looked almost nothing like mommy?

Her grasp felt unwelcoming with baby Nick kicking up a fuss. Winter cringed looking up to her sister in a panic.

“Shh-shh-shh, it’s okay honey. Mommy’s here.” Weiss cooed. “Try rocking him a bit.”

She rocked him back and forth. Except this wasn’t the left-and-right direction. This was back and forth, on the couch where things had been static. The boy whimpered from the incorrect rocking, shielding his eyes and curling up.

Weiss frowned. “I'm sorry Winter, he's just not used to you yet" She took back her son, bouncing him again to soothe his cries.

Winter frowned next. “I would know having raised you.” She wanted to comment.

Dominick was suddenly calm being set back down on the couch by Weiss. He curiously eyed the living room around him when Weiss stood up stretching across from her kin. “I’m guessing you were hoping to ask how Neptune is adjusting, sister.”

“The thought crossed my mind back on the tarmac.” Winter replied with a nod.

Neptune could only sag his shoulders. "I'd like to say that I am but then I’d be fooling myself. Last night, Weiss was in a board meeting and I swore I could get Nicky to bed. I don't know what I did wrong but he screamed his head off for almost fifteen minutes until she came to bail me out."

“It was...Troubling.” Klein recalled while he handed his infant master a rattle and chewing ring.

Weiss nodded next. “Took me a little bit to calm him down, taking even longer to bring Neptune back into his usual bouncy self.” She squeezed her husband’s shoulder when he sank further at that recollection.

“I thought he didn’t like me. But can you blame me?” Neptune defended himself. “He always stops crying for you.” He groused.

“He just needs to take some time in getting to know you, dear.” Willow coaxed. “Klein could tell you a thing or two about that.”

The butler folded his arms with a sigh. “I take no joy in being the bearer of bad memories here. But mum is right, seeing as how...He was away at work,” Klein hissed, holding back his grumpy persona. “It took our snowdrops plenty of time to adjust to myself. Until one day they started speaking hand gestures asking where she was.”

“And how does that help Neptune?” Winter asked.

“I am saying is that there must be a moment for you and young Master Dominick to connect, just the two of you. Seems I got lost in translation there, sir.” Klein admitted to the blue-hair.

“Yeah, fair enough.” Nep conceded. “It's hard to settle a baby when there's so much commotion around the manor. And he's so attached to Weiss, that I thought we'd have that instant connection. He's my son but I guess it's just as hard on him as it is on me."

During his rant, Neptune saw Dominick following his dad’s words with a quizzical head tilt. “You like me, right little fella?” He wiggled his tan finger for him to see.

The baby took a moment to look upon his rattle. Then to the ring in his mouth. Take daddy’s hand, his 5-month-old instincts told him. Nick set the rattle down and grabbed Neptune’s finger with both hands, then babbled in an interested tone.

The intellectual laughed. “Yeah I’m your daddy. Can you say ‘daddy’?”

He cooed in D-sounds, but moving onto B-noises as he wasn’t opposed to learning new noises.

Weiss folded her arms proudly. “See? He’s learning.”

Neptune picked the baby up, flashing a goofy grin and holding him proudly. “My boy!”

Nicky squealed happily and joined him in a laugh whilst reaching for his rattle. Nep bent over, handing the rattle to him and holding him to his chest during one of his evening bounces.

Winter gave the slightest hint of a smile at the bonding moment in front of her while going back to her sister. “Among the other things I’m learning to catch up on, the delivery must have given you hell.” She said.

Weiss held onto her own stomach underneath the lovely sweater.

“It was...An experience. A scary one, to be sure. But Neptune ensured I stayed in bed while I was recovering. Minus a few stitches, I’m as defiant as ever. Hopefully.” She blinked slowly while watching her son and hubby in the background.

“How bad was it?” Winter asked while snapping a picture of her nephew’s playtime.

“Klein said I was working too hard” She woefully began. “That’s what brought on the labor. However, Yang was kicking in the door and kept me calm just in time. When the contractions started, I was already aboard Yang’s Manta craft while Ruby and Neptune held onto me during our flight to the hospital.”

Winter patted her sister upon the back.

“Neptune was so panicked, and it took so long that I was wheeled in for an emergency C-section.”

“Did they go through with it?” Winter’s expression turned to that of fear. Hadn’t her sister been stabbed and nearly cut open enough times during the Salem war?

“No. But the labor was quite long.” Weiss finally answered. “While Neptune was panicking outside it was the sisters who were keeping me steady. Before they could break out the knife, Dominick was- -Ahem…” She rubbed her eyes with an itchy throat. “Apologies...Dominick was born safe and sound. So we agreed we were having only one.” Weiss sniffled.

Don’t get her wrong, it was a happy memory. But the pain was more than enough to warrant a single offspring and heir being held in her husband’s arms. Winter dried her bottom eyelid on sisterly muscle memory.

“I’m glad that he’s here.” Winter added. “Thankfully, you’re not feeling the way Blake is right now in her pregnancy.” She mentioned.

“Oh, what have you heard from her?” Weiss lightened up at hearing about her cat teammate.

Winter folded her arms. “Only that she’s feeling stir-crazy. Moving around is quite difficult for her right now. relying on Nora and Ren for their recipes in case of any strange appetites...Though Ruby has contributed some odd ideas."

“That makes Sun at her beck and call.” Weiss guessed.

“Yes, quite.” Winter answered. “You probably don’t want to know what cravings Ruby conjured up for her.”

“Somehow I’m not sure that’d help with Nicky’s colic deal.” Weiss mused, grinning at hearing a joyful squeal behind her with her husband’s starry-eyed reaction. “Oh, mother. You haven’t held him yet.” She offered.

“I bet he’s been looking forward to spending some quality time with his oma.” Willow beamed. She held out her aging arms to her son-in-law. Neptune handed baby Dominick over with the rattle included.

Willow took the rattle and handed it to her grandson, rocking him back and forth with the proudest smile she could bear at 57 years with how he’s already turning out.

“Are you happy to see your Auntie Winter yet, my Little Yeti?” She teased.

Nick cooed after a prompt nose boop from the matriarch.

“Little Yeti?” Winter questioned.

“It’s cute, but I prefer to call him Snowdrop or Nicky.” Weiss admitted, shrugging.

“Yeah, you’re gonna grow up into a big monster and give mommy and daddy the runaround huh?” Neptune baby talked to the...Well, baby.

“Please don’t jinx it, Neptune.” Weiss insisted.

The infant could only blink at his remark.

“He was awfully big for his age when he came into the world.” Willow answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “But it just proves his strength and how he didn’t mean to give his Muti such a hard time. No you didn’t!” She teased the little one next, giving him a raspberry earning another laugh.

Weiss gave a dreamy sigh. “Oh, don’t you worry just yet my little snow monster. We’ve got a lot more to figure out.” She earned a babble of agreement out of her son.

Winter got up. “And hopefully he...Mmgh.” Another grunt, she steadied herself with grasping the cane. “He won’t run too much when I’m on babysitting detail. I’ll be in my office.”

Her sister got up, taking her arm. “Here. Let me help.”

“I’m okay, Weiss. Really.” The specialist insisted with her cane wobbling at her sister’s touch.

“No you’re not.” She backtalked. But not before supporting her. “Is your leg acting up again?”

“...Yes. My painkiller prescription has been delayed ever since President Baum had cut back on Specialist healthcare in light of the frontline grunts. Not that I blame them.” Well, that hurt to mention the G.I.'s of Atlas in light of her own health problems sustained in the line of duty.

“Then you should be in bed.” Weiss demanded. Not as CEO, but as her sibling.

Winter nodded. “Good idea. Klein, could you please get my laptop?”

“Certainly, Winter.” The butler answered. “You do look like you need a leg pillow as well.”

“It wouldn’t hurt.” Winter answered with a small smile. “Mother, Neptune, will you be alright with Dominick?”

“Of course, dear.” The older mom told her.

“Yeah, we got him.” Neptune answered with another warm nod.

-------

A/N: Unfortunately, due to Tumblr having a frigging character limit, this must be posted in two parts. Until then, hope you enjoy the first part of this segment.

#rwby #rwby au #rwby next gen #weiss schnee #neptune vasilias #rwby iceberg #rwby shipping #klein sieben #willow schnee #rwby fluff #domestic #parenting #parents as people #bittersweet

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tinygalaxykid · 4 years ago

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Bad Kids!ACOC AU

Ok so if you haven't seen my recent ACOC!Riz sketch, go check it out. My hope is that I’ll be able to draw all of the bad kids before the finale but we’ll see. This is long bc it’s my general setup for this AU but I’ll be making small posts about backstories, magic items, etc. Feel free to jump on this HC, just tag me.

This definitely takes place post-acoc but maybe in an alt timeline just because I don’t know what the political and religious situation of the post-campaign will be.

Riz is made out of sweet & sour hard candy. He has sugar freckles and is sour-apple flavored. He’s still a rouge, having learned his tricks being a poor villager in a crime-filled village of Southern Candia. His mom, Skolanda is jolly-rancher like candy and Pok was actually a fructerian apple person. After being turned away from the Candian military for his small stature he decides to clean up his crime-ridden village, fancying himself a detective and a vigilante. His non-offical tagline is “Sour, sweet, then gone.”

Fabian Aramais Seacaster is made of tiramisu as his father Bill Seacaster, an infamous, curdled pirate of the Dairy Sea, met and married Hillariel from a small peninsula of Fructera where everyone is made of creamed coffee. They settled down in Port Syrup and live very comfortably.

Kristen is actually Fructerian and living in a religious city just past the border of Candia. She’s made of honey roasted apple pie (apple-bees?) and is in Candia as a bulbian missionary hoping to spread the faith to these non-believers. It’s her first time out of her home and she is READY to spread the gospel!

Adiane is made of icing and whipped cream. She’s from a highborn family close to Ceresia and her parents happen to be close to one Lord and Lady Cruller. While still being shitty, awful, usurping people, her family still practices magic from a private library of historical Candian tomes they refuse to share with the public.

Gorgug, adopted by two candy heart parents in Dulcington, is a vegetainan pumpkin boy! Somedays he’s not sure what sets him apart more, him being over 6 ft tall or the fact that he’s the first plant-based person most of the townfolk have ever seen. He works as a stable-boy (for meeps!) in Castle Candy.

Fig (not actually a fig, I know), is red-hot tamale candy! After realizing that her yogurt father, Gilear, may not be her real dad, she is trying to break away from her Mother, Sandralynn, who works under the Queen’s Guard, Sir Amanda Maylard, so that she can go find her real family in the great stone candy mountains.

They all meet during the official post-war coronation of Queen Saccharina Frostwhip of House Rocks. Riz goes there searching for the legendary Sir Amanda Maylard whose expertise in tracking have proven her invaluable to Candia. Seeking to become her apprentice, he sneaks his way into the coronation to find a moment to talk with her.

Fabian is there with both his parents (officially invited as his father had a few friendly encounters with one Amethar Rocks during the Ravening War) and sits with their family friend, Manta-Ray Jack.

Kristen in there with a few other bulb officials. They’re not technically invited but they were hoping that their presence could steer some of the Candian heathens in the right direction.

Seeing as no one can prove the the Abernants involvement with Lord Cruller’s coup (even if they were exceptionally compliant with his reign), the whole family attends with young Adiane in tow who is feeling EXTREMELY uncomfortable attending the festivals and parties being thrown in the queen’s honor.

Gorgug and his parents take place in the festivities as does the rest of Dulcington and somehow gets lost and sort of makes his way into the castle?

Lastly, Fig is there because her boring-ass mom has to attend the coronation and so she going to drag fig over there in a stupid dress and a stupid hairdo even though Fig told her a thousand times that she didn’t want to go. Honestly, Fig is just hoping she can steal a meep from the stables and make her way towards the candy mountains.

They all meet after the coronation when the Seacasters and the Abernants are receiving tours of Castle Candy. Fabian peer pressures Adiane into sneaking away so that they can explore the Castle on their own (Adine only agreed because Aelwyn was being particularly unbearable and Fabian only asked so her as recon for flirting with her sister). It’s just when they stumble upon the training grounds when they find one Sir Amanda Maylard escorting a (small?) trespasser out of the grounds. Riz is trying to explain his value as a squire and apprentice but to no avail. As luck would have it, Sir Amanda doesn’t finish escorting him out of the grounds because all havoc breaks loose when some candian villager breaks into the stables to steal a meep and some vegetainian boy has to wrestle her off of it???

Fig, Adaine, Fabian, Gorgug, and Riz meet when they are all adequately being punished for their respective crimes. While Sir Amanda holds them, waiting for their parents to give them even more berating, Kristen Applebees tries to make her introduction, hoping that her good influence can show them the light of the bulb.

Even MORE shenanigans ensue thanks to Fabian’s peer pressuring as they all escape Sir Amanda Maylard and manage to make it out of the castle with some fancy new magic relics retrieved from the Ice Cream temple by Queen Saccharina just months ago.

The all quickly become great friends after running into a man who claims himself to an arch-mage of the sweetening path and a lover to Joren Rocks, a man named Arthur Augefort. He tells them of untold fortunes that lie in the Great Stone Candy mountains and seeing as they all have vested interests in magic, escaping their shitty family, adventure, and Gorgug just kinda agreeing, they head north on the Sucrosi Road.

The go on adventures, blah, blah, blah. After discovering new magics in north Candia, the bad kids sail across the dairy sea to a pirate island called Leviathan, somehow make into the Meatlands where they meet some friendly people named Jawbone and Tracker, then they head to Vegetainia where they fight off an extremist group of Bulbians callled the Harvestmen, and somewhere along the way kill Adiane’s dad.

#if you liked this im gonna be writing more small hcs about this au #this one is long i know #i also did not check it for spelling bc i cant reaad #acoc #dimension 20 #a crown of candy #fantasy high #adaine abernant #fig faeth #kristen applebees #gorgug thistlespring #fabian aramais seacaster #riz gukgak #Bad Kids acoc au

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bogariel-frogariel · 4 years ago

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A Wish for A Better World Part 7: Strange Strangers

Part of my time travel fix it fic. We get to see the Dairy Islanders!

Sorry this took so long. I kind of died last week and I couldn’t do anything. I am slightly better now.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25747657/chapters/63549790

Annabelle didn't really know what to make of the Candian entourage. She had practically stammered her way through greeting the king and the famous Knights of North Gumbar, who'd she'd heard stories of since she was a child. But the rest of the delegation was… eclectic.

She knew that the Dairy Islands was being extremely honoured as the first nation since the war to receive a royal Candian delegation since the end of the Ravening war. The nation had taken, understandably, on insular policies regarding its rulers after the death of the legendary Rocks sisters all in such close succession. Annabelle may not like playing court games, but she was competent enough at them to have heard the whispers about how the rapid deaths were almost suspicious, even during war time.

They brought many more people and warriors than would be deemed proper for a friendly visit as this was, but their letter asking for passage into their land had explained to House Cheddar the circumstances of their visit. The story had almost been to fantastical for Annabelle to believe, but the sight of the ships covered in frozen milk and people tinged blue from the frozen lands they came from quickly confirmed the story that the Candian royal family had sailed into the Unnamed Lands that sat North of Calorum to retrieve their long lost heir to the throne, who had managed to earn the loyalty of a fleet of ships. The two sailing ships that had accompanied the Candian battleship were awe-inspiring and to learn that there was a whole fleet residing in previously thought of as unpopulated territory was rather world-shattering for Annabelle, as a young captain who dreamed of sailing the seas and taming the waves.

But that was not the path that fate had desired for her.

She was to be chained to the Islands for her whole life; trying to patch together a small and struggling nation.

Annabelle tried not to pout as she watched Primsy follow Princess Jet around the courtyard, listening wide-eyed as the girl expunged her stories of battle. Such behaviour would be unbefitting of a princess, and was far too childish for a girl of seventeen. Almost a woman grown as her father reminded her so often.

Well, if she was almost a woman grown, then why wouldn't her father allow her to partake in the grown up discussions? Why was she stuck playing outside like a baby whilst the Crown Princess and King of Candia were shut up with Sir Moriss and her father whilst Manta Ray babysat them?

She was pulled out of her bitter thoughts as the Princess Ruby sat down beside her on the bench that Annabelle had planted herself on.

"You're looking unhappy," she observed, folding her hands over the Book of Leaves that rested on her knee.

Annabelle had not seen the princess put it down since the delegation had been welcomed hours ago. It clashed with her outfit. Like her sisters, she wore a courtly dress, this one matching her skin perfectly whilst her sisters' ones did the same for them, and, also like her sisters, she wore weapons over the top of her gown. It was not unheard of in the fashions of the court, even if it was uncommon. It certainly made a statement: that the Candian princesses knew how to protect themselves.

Annabelle would almost like to see that silent claim put to the test. Not that she disliked any of the princesses. Even if Princess Saccharina's charismatic presence was intimidating and she was slightly jealous of the star struck look in Primsy's eyes as she listened to Jet. She was just used to that look being reserved for her.

Annabelle glanced to the side and dipped her head respectfully, "My apologies, princess. I did not mean to be rude."

"That's not what I meant," Princess Ruby replied with a wave of her hand. "I just wanted to ask if you're all right. Things seem a bit… tense around here."

Annabelle narrowed her eyes at the princess. She thought that they'd been doing a good job to hide the tension that had clung to Lacramore for the past month and caused Annabelle to barely speak to her father. Ever since…

"I assure you, things are fine, Princess Ruby," Annabelle answered, perhaps slightly terse.

The princess smiled and shrugged. "I'm sorry if I was prying. You just looked like you needed to vent."

Annabelle raised her eyebrow but didn't comment, instead looking back over at her cousin and the other Rocks twin. "Why aren't you over there?"

Princess Ruby shrugged. "Jet seems to be doing a pretty good job of entertaining your younger cousin. Besides, I was feeling a little tired."

Annabelle's gut twisted as she remembered her father mentioning that the two younger sisters had been reportedly quite severely injured in whatever altercation the Candians had found themselves entangled in up north.

"Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Princess Ruby shook her head. "No, it's okay. Jet actually got hurt worse than I did. I just… overextended myself in my efforts to heal her."

Annabelle nodded. She could not relate to being so truly devoted to the Bulb that she was bestowed the rare gift of miracles, but she could relate to wanting to protect a sister.

"I understand," she said. "I would do anything I could to heal Primsy if she were hurt."

"You hold a high regard for her, don't you?"

"She is like a sister."

"She is next in line for the throne, is she not?"

"Yes," Annabelle confirmed, holding back a frustrated sigh. "Some days I think she is more suited to it than I would be."

"You seem like a good leader. Your crew respects you greatly, as do the inhabitants of the castle from what I could see."

That observation caused something inside Annabelle to fracture and she slumped her shoulder.

"Thank you, princess, you are too kind, but I do not know if I will accept the throne," Annabelle confessed.

Princess Ruby frowned. "Why?"

Annabelle bit her lip, but found that once a little bit of her confession was out, the rest came flowing with it. "I have accepted that I must give up thoughts of adventuring the seas. I know that I can content myself with taming the Milk seas around the Islands. I wouldn't be the first princess to rule from aboard a deck. However I… I.."

She took a deep breath, feeling it hitch in her chest. "Lord Carior Swiss has reached out to my father with an engagement proposal and my father is going to agree and I just can't!"

Her chest was moving faster now, up and down as her breathing became more erratic, even as she kept her voice low enough to not draw attention to their shadowy corner of the court yard.

"He's over fifty and he's sleezy and he makes my skin crawl. Father knows I do not care for men and he said it would be alright but after mother and with him being so unwell, he says that I will need to make sacrifices for the good of the Islands. And I know that House Swiss are one of the richest and most influential houses, but I just… I can't do it. I will not marry him! Even if that means that I will not marry anyone and forfeit my right to the throne."

She was breathing heavily by the end of her tirade and glanced to her side to see Princess Ruby staring at her, mouth agape.

Annabelle sniffed and straightened up. "Apologies, princess. That was rather undignified. I didn't mean to burden you with my petty problems."

Princess Ruby quickly should her head and placed a hand on Annabelle's arm comfortingly.

"I don't think they're petty," she said sincerely. "I understand."

"You do?"

The Princess nodded and squeezed Annabelle's arm slightly, sending a pulse of warmth up it and straight into Annabelle's chest. "I do. I am prepared to devote my life to protecting Candia, but that? I couldn't imagine… I don't think I could do it either."

Annabelle swallowed back a wave of emotion as she ducked her head, peaking at the red liquorice through her eyelashes. "You truly think that?"

"I do," the princess confirmed.

Then she reached down and plucked something out of the shadows of the bush that was at the end of the beach turning around to reveal a sleek purple cat that looked as if it was some form of soft, dyed chocolate.

"Do you want to cuddle Cerridwen?" she asked, already offering the creature out to Annabelle.

Annabelle blinked as she reached out and accepted the cat without even really thinking about it. "You named her Cerridwen? After the Lacra goddess?"

The princess smiled and nodded. "Yes, the Goddess of rebirth and knowledge."

Annabelle looked into the princess' eyes, who met her gaze unflinchingly. True, Cerridwen's many domains included rebirth and knowledge, but she was most prominently known as the Goddess of magic and change, with her secondary traits as the goddess death and rebirth. Both. But Annabelle suspected that the princess already knew that.

"May I say, you have very fine taste, princess," Annabelle complimented, running her fingers through the silky fur as the cat curled up in her lap ad began to emit a low purr that caused some of the tension to melt out of her shoulders.

Princess Ruby's eyes gleamed. "Why thank you, Captain Annabelle."

Annabelle grinned.

-----

Amethar looked at his old friend and felt his heart twist.

In his memories, Tarthur raced across a deck, knocking enemies overboard and slashing his opponent's throat. He stood tall as he commanded fleets and strategised attacks. He grinned mischievously as he sent Manta Ray and Morris after the Candian troops to act as the Dairy Island representatives in the battles that occurred on land. He was cheerful, vibrant and full of life.

Amethar was struggling reconcile his memories with the man that was standing in front of him. Tarthur's skin was tired and wrinkled and Amethar could see wear it was hanging loosely on his skin. The Prince of the Dairy Isles didn't stand as tall as he Amethar remembered, his shoulders sagging slightly with some invisible weight and his arms not imbued with the strength and dexterity that they had been a decade and a half ago.

The only other Dairy Islander in the room, discounting the guards, was Sir Moriss and Lady Butter, who were the prince's closest advisors. They were outnumbered by the Candians, since Amethar had brought Theo, Lapin and Saccharina to the meeting.

He had offered her to allow her closest advisor (right hand? Second in command? Girlfriend? Amethar didn't quite know their relationship, but he felt that he didn't quite know his oldest daughter well enough yet to ask), but Saccharina had sent Gooey and Swifty to watch over her sisters alongside Sir Toby and a contingent of the knights as they played in the gardens with the princess and duchess.

They had all been on edge ever since Cal - no Cruller, that fucking bastard didn't deserve Amethar's familiarity - pulled his disappearing act. He had been cornered by knights and marauders alike, with Amethar levelling Payment Day at his throat, but then he had pulled something out, a frozen slushie artifact stolen during their raid on the Tomb of Cold when Saccharina had retrieved the Winterscoop. He'd crushed in his hand and disappeared before their very eyes and no one, not even Ruby (who Amethar was beginning to suspect had changed even more than he had previously thought, he had heard the whispers about her command of magic and, though she was generally discreet about it, he had seen her whispering to shadows and to a seemingly random assortment of people. He tried desperately not to think about how starkly that reminded him of his closest sister).

Amethar was sought of surprised that Saccharina hadn't spoken up yet. She had apparently heard some 'disturbing rumours' from the sailors that had had her scowling and she was not one for holding her tongue in the face of injustice (a good skill in a queen, and one that Caramalinda would need to hone so they didn't accidentally start any wars with Ceresia or Vegetania). However, Saccharina had been subdued over the past day. They had gone to visit Catherine's grave before they had visited the capital, just the two of them with Theo and Gooey keeping watch from the shadows. Saccharina had only shed a few tears, but she had buried her face in his chest when he reached out to hug her.

Amethar, himself, had had close to a month to come to terms with his first love's death. And he had loved Catherine, no matter how immature and naïve that love had been. He couldn't say if he'd have continued to love Catherine. They had barely known each other, both wrapped up in passion and giddiness and the fact that either of them could die any day. But his memories of his time with her were happy, and he could confidently say that he was proud of the daughter that had come from their union, even if he did not know her nearly as much as he would like.

He could see what Ruby had been talking about. Saccharina would be a good ruler. She had sat through lessons with the girls on their way back, not grumbling, even though she was taking classes with girls six years her junior, and not complaining when she'd needed help from sad girls. Amethar was proud of all his daughters. Jet and Ruby had welcomed Saccharina readily and had assisted her where she needed help, both of them eagerly listening to her stories of battles and magic and hardship within the realm that they had been ignorant of. His girls would be good for Candia, in the same way that his sisters would have been good for it.

Now, it was his job to be a good role model for them and to make their job's easier when they eventually took them up. He had always thought that day would be so far away. That he could let his girls be naïve and joyful and innocent as long as they wanted. He had wanted so badly to just let them be children. But that wasn't their lot in life. And he could never know what the new day would bring. His daughters were the princesses of Candia and they needed to be prepared accordingly. Somehow, Amethar was the last one to learn that lesson.

He needed to do a lot of grovelling to Cara when he got home. They both knew they would never love each other, not in the way that they were both looking for, but he was tired of the painful gap between them, a chasm that he'd allowed to be filled with resentment and bitterness over the years.

Amethar looked around at the silent room, and back to the way that Tarthur was staring out the window, a distant look in his eyes as he observed the courtyard below where Jet was standing on a bench, giving some sort of impassioned speech to an awed Primsy and an amused Manta Ray.

Well, if he was going to be king, then he would need to start doing some of the hard things that he had always avoided.

"What happened to you, Tarth?" he asked, ignoring the way that Theo stiffened slightly, the closest approximation of disapproval that the gumby bear would allow himself to outwardly show towards Amethar.

Tarthur's eyes snapped to Amethar and he blinked a few times before he answered, "Life, my old friend. Life is what happened to me."

Amethar nodded. "I suppose if the fight doesn't get ya, life will eventually."

Tarthur chuckled, which turned into a light cough before he nodded. "Aye, Amethar. You're right."

Amethar smiled. "Bet that comes as a surprise, huh Tarth?"

Tarthur chuckled again, managing to get to the end of this one without mishap.

They both sobered quickly though.

"Something else is happening, isn't it?" Amethar asked, getting straight to the point. He had never been very good at having hard conversations, and it would be impossible for him to approach them with anything but bluntness. They were painful enough without him having to parse fancy words.

All three Dairy Islanders grimaced and then Tarthur glanced to his side and Lady Butter started to explain in her lilting tone, the situation of the Princess. When she got to the end of her story, Amethar looked to the prince, who's gaze was down turned, not meeting Amethar's wrinkled forehwead.

"Tarth," he said, feeling something in his chest twist. "You can't do this."

Tarthur sighed, his entire back hunching. "I have to Amethar. I have no choice. House Cheddar isn't exactly in a position to refuse the offer of such a wealthy and powerful house."

"You can't really expect your daughter to do this?" Amethar couldn't imagine any progeny of Tarthur's accepting such restricting chains.

"The princess will do her duty," Moriss said firmly, with a confidence that Amethar knew was faked. "She will do what is best for the kingdom."

"She'd abdicate before she agreed," Amethar countered. He'd seen the gleam in the girl's eye, the confidence she'd commanded as her ship had welcomed the Candian entourage and led them into port. People don't just give that up. Not unless there was truly no there was truly no other option.

Both Lady Butter and Moriss recoiled at his statement. The lady gasped as Moriss shook his head in denial.

"She would not abandon the Islands like that," Moriss said. "She loves her people."

"She's seventeen. You're asking her to throw her life away."

"It is for the good of the kingdom! It's the best course for our future."

"And she's just a child! She doesn't deserve this."

A deadly silence fell into the gap between Moriss and Amethar as they glared at each other. Amethar could feel the tension behind him and knew that Theo had his hand on the Battlepop.

"Maybe her abdicating is the best course of action," Tarthur murmured, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Your highness -" Lady Butter began only to be cut off by her prince.

"We cannot afford to get into a scuffle with House Swiss. We already have too many houses slipping from our control. We would have a virtual civil war on our hands if they rebelled," he explained and then looked up at Amethar, his eyes glassy. "But I love my daughter. I don't want to see her with someone like him. You know, Jane and I thought that she could use the old magics to summon a child when she was younger, regardless of who she married. But we all know that the Church wouldn’t stand for it in this day and age. The only way she could really be happy is if she abdicated. Primsy is still far too young for a courtship and, regardless, she will be less of a target than Annabelle and she already fancies herself half in love with some priest so she will be far less desirable."

"Not having a Cheddar on the throne would destabilise the Dairy Islands," Moriss said.

"If the Islands need to be held together by this sham of a union then it doesn't deserve to be held together!" Tarthur replied fiercely only to break off into a coughing fit that had him almost bending over.

Moriss was immediately at his side, helping his prince and supporting him.

Tarthur took a deep shuddering breath as he straightened. "I'm dying Moriss. I don't want the last thing I do to make my daughter miserable."

Both Amethar and Moriss looked away at that. Amethar found his throat too sticky with emotion to offer up any words of comfort.

A moment later, he was startled as someone cleared his throat loudly from right behind Amethar's shoulder. Amethar jumped, along with everyone else, and glanced to the side to find Lapin standing there, his arms folded within his purple foil robe.

"Forgive me, your highnesses," the chocolate bunny said, his eats twitching. "But, I may have a solution."

Amethar raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Chancellor?"

"The Princess Ruby was discussing an interest in strengthening Candia's inter-kingdom relations. Candia and the Dairy Islands have always had the strongest alliance of any of the other kingdoms in Candia, but a formal renewal of said alliance couldn't hurt."

"Your solution to my daughter being married off… is to marry my daughter off."

Lapin frowned and oh, Amethar liked that expression, the one he always got when he was frustrated with the girls but didn't want to show it. It usually occurred when they were being deliberately obtuse.

"Not a formal proposal, just a loose discussion, a negotiation if you will. There are no nobles of an appropriate age or status for the Princess to marry at this stage, but she will need to marry within in a decade of her taking the throne, regardless of whether she accepts the throne or not and there are several houses with children who will be eligible within the next ten years. A promise of a marriage alliance with Candia would certainly be grounds for dismissing any internal proposals. And it would give her enough time to find someone she could be happy with."

All three Dairy Islanders frowned.

"It could work," Sir Moriss mumbled.

"It definitely could," Tarthur agreed. "There has not been inter-kingdom marriage alliances of such a high level in decades. A promise such as this would be more than enough reason to refuse House Swiss."

Lady Butter frowned worriedly, "Lord Swiss will not be happy."

Tarthur waved his hand. "Lord Swiss will have no leg to stand on, Grace. Not legally."

"And a formal alliance would be an actionable reason to send Candian fighters to the Dairy Islands," Theo said. "To strengthen their skills in water battles, of course. It would be a nice inter-kingdom training effort."

Amethar laughed. "I like what you're thinking, Theo."

Tarthur looked at Amethar, his eyes widening. "You would do that?"

Amethar clapped him on the shoulder, gently so as not to harm him further. "Of course I would. To help Candia's closest ally and to help my friend. I watched you shit and piss. I'm not just going to leave you hanging out to dry."

----

Ruby had enjoyed her time on the seas, but she was glad to be home.

She allowed herself to join in on Jet's excited chattering as they walked up from Dulcington where they'd docked. They both chattered away at Saccharina, telling her of everything she could expect from the castle and her knew life and Saccharina listened amiably as if they hadn't already had this conversation at least five times before, a huge grin on her face.

Gooey, Swift and Jonbon were walking with them with the rest of the sailors and marauders helping the boats get settled before they would arrive at the castle to be redirected to their quarters. Their mother had already begun construction of their own dwellings, only a little ways away from Dulcington, growing the small town considerably.

The exhaustion had finally faded from Ruby's bones after weeks of feeling faint after the spell and though, she was unable to banish the constant edge she felt, always needing to do something to help, she was able to allow giddiness to overtake it for a time.

She smiled widely as the gates of the castle opened and her mother stepped out, followed by a contingent of her own guard, regal and beautiful and smiling warmly at all of them.

Behind her was a figure that Ruby had missed dearly in the past month.

"And may I introduce the new Ward of the King, Count Wilhelmina."

Liam stepped forward but his eyes were plastered on Ruby.

"You're really here."

-----

How did you like this?

#a crown of candy fanfiction #a crown of candy #a crown of candy spoilers #acoc #acoc spoilers #dimension 20 fanfiction #dimension 20 #ruby rocks #annabelle cheddar #primsy coldbottle #A Wish for a Better World #my fics

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metallic-roses · 4 years ago

Text

For Candia

WARNING: Death and blood

I’d never been the first to learn gossip at school. I’d always been a bit of a laughing stock, a joke. Secrets don’t get told to the daughter of a lingerie shop owner, to the daughter of a man driven crazy during the Ravening War who died not honorably during it, but by falling off a bridge into a river years after.

But in recent days, in war, I’ve realized how little it matters. A few weeks ago, walking to the market to pick up food for my mother and I, I looked at the house of every classmate, wondering why their gazes either passed over me, or stayed long enough for them to laugh. These days, my eyes focus on the soldiers. The people shutting their shops and stocking their food for the war to come.

I never truly realized how terrifying these times are. I’ve read about it, certainly. I vaguely remember various stories from my father, before he died.

I wonder how many daughters will lose their fathers because of this war.

“Sora,” Mom snaps from behind the counter, where she’s organizing papers and money “I know it’s wartime, and I know this is hard, but business will struggle through this, and if we’re not putting out our best then I don’t know if we’ll be able to keep the shop.”

I open my mouth to respond, but before I can get a word out, Mom says “If you’re planning on asking another Bulb-damned question, I’ll take that broom you’re supposed to be sweeping with and knock you upside the head. The inquisitiveness is fine while questions don’t get you in trouble. They will right now. You need to learn to wait it out.”

I think better of trying to respond again and instead nod, beginning on my chores throughout the shop. It’s only a few minutes before the tiny chocolate bell jingles and a cake man walks through the door.

Mom straightens, shooting me a look that demands I behave and keep my mouth shut, and says “Lord Cruller, hello. Are you looking for anything in particular?”

Something inside me shifts. Normally, I’d be annoyed by the tone she’s putting on. That smooth, rich, dark tone that means she’s trying to sell something. Usually, I’d be biting back requests for her to stop.

That instinct isn’t there today. Everything changes in war, I guess.

“No, thank you. I’m actually here to speak to you.” Lord Cruller says. I don’t know much about the nobles of Candia, besides House Rocks. I don’t know why Lord Cruller wants to talk to my mother.

Apparently, she doesn’t know either “Why would you want to do that?” Mom asks, the slightest bit of that saleswoman tone dropping.

“Because you’re a spy for Caramalinda.” Lord Cruller replies, without a moment of hesitation.

The broom slips from my fingers, clattering on the ground. Mom barely spares a glance at me, pointing at Lord Cruller and waving her hand around “Why would you tell her that?! My daughter doesn’t need to be concerned in this, and neither do you-”

Lord Cruller holds up a hand, pausing Mom in her ranting “I don’t mean to be rude. I’m only saying that with war upon us, if there was ever a time to show our full hand, it would be now. Besides, secrets can get people killed.”

“Alright then. What are yours?” I ask, stepping towards him. Mom’s free hand flashes out, cautioning me backward, and her expressions begs me to stop asking dangerous questions.

Lord Cruller considers for a moment “The fastest way to build a friendship in a war is to watch them shit.”

I take another step forward and a small noise falls from Mom’s mouth “That’s nothing. It means nothing personal or significant. Tell us a secret and then tell us why you’re here, more specifically.”

Lord Cruller raises an eyebrow at me, glancing at the outside of the shop. It’s late afternoon, on that kind of cloudy day that prevents the usual golden light that coats Dolcington around this time.

“I think the Princess Jet would like you. Oh, pardon me, bastard Jet. Bastard Jet would enjoy you...?” He finishes on a question, waiting for my name.

Suspicion creeps into me, clouding my thoughts, with every passing second “Sora. After my father, Sourn. Are you going to answer my question, or should you get out?”

Lord Cruller doesn’t hesitate this time “I didn’t go back for Lord and Lady Swirlie. When we ran from Comida, I left, like a coward. Saved myself. Manta Ray Jack, and Sir Moris Brie, but I left the Swirlie’s.”

I blink at him, tugging gently at the ends of a few glittering, rainbow locks of hair “Thank you. Now-”

“Sora, stop talking and go to your room.” Mom interrupts “This doesn’t concern you.”

Fear pushes me to listen. I’m scared of Lord Cruller, terrified. I don’t know why he’s so secretive or what he wants with us- her. My steps are light and quick up the stairs as I move, and when I reach my room I lock the door.

I busy myself with meaningless tasks. Clean up, fold your clothes, organize your books. I breeze right past all of them. A little while later, Mom comes into my room, unlocking the door and standing in the doorway.

I stand there for a moment, both of us still and silent. And then I rush to my mom, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her shoulder. Her arms encircle me and we stay like that.

We close up the shop early and make dinner together. Mom won’t tell me what Lord Cruller wanted, but I let it pass. I think I pushed enough earlier.

It’s a pleasant night, if not a little quiet. I stretch out underneath the covers, my eyes fluttering shut. Thoughts of the day and all the days before filter out, leaving me to pull back into the hazy cloud of sleep.

A loud bang echoes through the shop downstairs, up to my room. I jolt awake, pushing my covers off. My feet touch the floor and my door is thrown open. Mom stands there, panic and determination on her face.

She grasps my wrist and pulls me with her. We get to the center of our apartment and Mom lets go, then drops to her knees. She pulls open a hidden trapdoor and shoves me inside.

Just as I hear footsteps, the trapdoor slams shut.

True fear sets in. I curl tighter into a ball, making my breathing shallow. It’s pitch black in here. The walls are barely inches away. There’s nowhere to go.

Mom.

Muffled voices sound from above. Ceresian, I think. And-

“So sorry we have to do this,” Lord Cruller says to my mother. Red sinks its claws into the corners of my vision “We wouldn’t have had to if Amethar had just died like he was supposed to. But things have gotten a lot more complicated than the original plan expected them to be. It’ll be fine, he’ll be dead soon.”

Lord Cruller wants to kill the King.

Fear. Fear and Anger. That’s all I feel. I want to scream. Scream about how selfishness, power, isn’t worth death and war. But if I do...

I don’t know. I don’t know what they’ll do to me. I don’t know what they’ll do to Mom.

“We need to use your store,” Another person says. They’re Ceresian.

Mom’s breaths are fast “Fine. Fine. Just leave me out of this.”

Steps creak across the floor. Lord Cruller speaks again “You? What about your daughter? I believe Sora was her name.”

Mom tenses “I sent her away earlier. I’ve been worried about her being in danger because of the war for a while. A lord visiting my shop was just the last straw.”

“Convenient.” The same Ceresian man says “Men, search the shop.”

“Yes, Imperius,” A chorus of Ceresian-accented voices say and more footsteps echo.

The fear stacks on top of me. Heavy and suffocating. It’s hard to breath. Hard to move.

Another few footsteps sound “What did you tell your daughter about the message?” Lord Cruller says. His voice grates on my ears. I wish he would stop. I wish all of this would stop.

“Nothing. Nothing at all. What do you want with Caramalinda?”

The Ceresian laughs “Take a guess.”

Bile rushes through my mouth. Secrets, so many secrets have been spilled here today. I have to-

There’s a soft thwap. The sound of something hitting the ground above me. Something warm and sticky leaks through the floorboards.

I hold out my hand and feel it drip. It slips off my hand. Splatters onto my feet. The ground. My mother’s voice is gone. Silent. I don’t understand. I don’t understand.

Why?

We hurt each other. Constantly. Mercilessly. For whatever hint of power drifts near us. We don’t care what it does. To the people we hurt. To their families. To their daughters.

Why did they kill my mother?

Agony courses through me. It’s blood. Blood on my hands. Dripping through the floorboards. It’s my mother’s blood. They killed my mother. They’re going to kill the king and queen.

Why do they do this?

I touch the trapdoor. It’s sticky. Covered in blood.

I don’t have time to think. I shove it open.

An arrow flies past my head. I scramble to my feet. Try not to look at Mom’s body. Blood sticks all over.

I’m running.

Ducking underneath a sword. Jumping down the stairs. Arrows fly past. There are shouts to get me. Fear drips onto the floor alongside the blood.

I shove the door open. There are footsteps behind me. My only thoughts are a chant to run. Through the streets. Past the closed shops. My feet slam into the ground. I can’t think. Can’t breath.

There’s someone behind me. Silent. Quick. Only fear keeps me ahead.

I have to tell the king.

Every secret I’ve learned today. Every deadly word.

I fly past stores. Homes. My feet don’t stop moving. I see Castle Candy in the distance. I have to go faster.

Something cold and sharp pierces my back. I stumble. My feet scrape against the street. Blood trickles down my back. My legs. I try to take another step.

Someone grabs my middle. They drag me back. Into an alleyway.

The person slowly pulls the dagger from my back and it’s only then that I feel the water soaking my body. Agony and terror overwhelm me. I don’t know why. I don’t know why they’re doing this.

They let my body fall to the ground and I hit the stone with a soft whimper. It feels pathetic. I feel pathetic.

I have a secret to tell the king.

The person leaves. Probably to go back to the store.

I curl on my side, trying to ignore the pain as glittering tears begin to track down my face. My vision dims and blurs.

My name is Sora. I’m a citizen of Candia. My mother was murdered by Ceresians and a member of King Amethar’s own court. I think I’m going to be killed, same as her.

I have to tell the king that Calroy Cruller is a traitor and a liar. I have to tell the Queen to watch for traps. I have to beg the heirs to be careful, but not to be scared to ask questions.

I never got to know secrets before. I know them now. They’re in my tears spilling onto the ground. They’re in the blood pooling beneath me.

I have to tell House Rocks and their allies to be angry. For my mother, for me, for every Candian who’s blood splatters on the floor.

My tears leak onto the ground. The secrets that nobody will know until it’s too late.

I feel the life and the warmth drain away, and as the world fades a final time, I let the words fall from my lips.

“For Candia.”

#acoc #crown of candy #a crown of candy #dimension 20 #d20 #fanfiction #sad

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sassycassie-s-writing · 6 years ago

Text

Seal the Promise

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, Young Justice - Kaldur’ahm/Aqualad

Rating: PG/K+ (for le very minor smoochy-smoochy)

Original Idea: IDK I read this thing and realized I needed to give Kaldur a little love on this blog because he’s a great character.

Notes: (Masterlist)(By Character)(About Me) I literally wrote this in a few hours because it just came to me (the shower is a great place for stimulating creativity). It takes place between S1 and S2 (like maybe 3 years after S1?) because I haven’t seen S3 yet. I feel like this one has the potential for one or two more parts. Any thoughts? @welovegroot (I know it’s not BatFam but we both like YJ so I’m tagging you)

^^^^^

“Psst!” I could have sworn I heard someone whispering my name.

I turned, looking around for the noise. I was alone in the Atlantis magic school courtyard. No one else was there. It was late and I’d been studying for hours, leaving me completely by myself. “He-hello?” I called quietly. “Is someone there?” Slowly I swam over to inspect behind the pillars.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember this from our childhood,” said a deep voice as a hand closed over my mouth to stop my scream. The arm that belonged to it brushed the gills on my neck.

I gasped through my open gills and whirled around. “Kaldur?!” I hissed. “What—How—why—?!”

Kaldur put his hand over my mouth again. “Shh! No one can know I’m here.”

I pulled away from his hand. “Kaldur what are you doing here? If anyone sees you here you’ll be arrested—”

“I need you to listen to me very carefully. I’m not what Atlantis believes me to be. I’m not actually a traitor. I’m a double agent in order to learn more about Black Manta. No one can know. You cannot tell anyone. Do you understand?”

I nodded. “I got it.”

“Good. Because I need your help. The team on the surface needs your help.”

“Uh… Kaldur… I don’t know if you’ve noticed but… I’m… me. I can’t go to the surface.” I gestured to my long blue fish tail. “I don’t have legs.”

“No, but you’re advanced enough in magic to give yourself legs.”

“Kaldur, I… I don’t know.” I shook my head.

“Please. For me. All you need to do is go to Happy Harbor in New England. It has a massive mountain on the north end of the bay. Tell the one called Nightwing that I sent you. He will immediately know what to do.” He held my forearm and shoulder urgently. “Please.”

I sighed and looked down at his chest. He was dressed almost the way he used to be before he betrayed Atlantis—or rather, “betrayed”—to join Black Manta. But just different enough that no one would initially realize it was him. “I’ll… I’ll try, Kaldur. Because you’re one of my best friends. But… I can’t make any guarantees about how well it may go. Or that I’ll even be… be able to… to give myself legs. What if I can’t get my tail back?”

“I have faith in you,” Kaldur said.

“That makes one of us,” I muttered.

Kaldur reached up and picked up the pearl on my necklace between his forefinger and thumb, twisting it back and forth on its chain before letting it fall on the webbing between his fingers so he could examine it. “I’ve thought of you often since Tula’s death,” he said. I looked away, blinking the sting of sorrow at the memory of loss out of my eyes. He pinched my chin and turned my head to face him again. “I know she was one of your best friends.”

“I’ve thought of you often as well,” I agreed. “And... I know how much you loved her.”

Kaldur’ahm smiled forlornly. “This is where you tell me that my love for her was childish.”

I shook my head. “Not anymore. When we were younger my words on the subject were born of a jaded cynicism my parents imposed on me that I’ve spent years trying to unlearn since I’m naturally more of an optimist. Those words were also, at the time, born of a jealous, selfish desire to have you for my own. A desire that I grew out of.” I met his eyes with honesty. The only lie was that I’d grown out of that desire. I most certainly had not.

My words earned me a gentle grin. “It pleases me to see you so grown-up. Though it saddens me that I’ve not been here to witness it.” He brushed some of my hair out of the way as it drifted through the water.

“Yeah. I… I really missed you, Kaldur,” I said. “It devastated me to hear you betrayed Atlantis.”

“I suspected as much. Hence why I’m telling you the truth now,” he said.

Movement caught my eye. “Oh shrimp,” I hissed.

Campus security.

I pulled my hair and swirled it up to cover my head—and Kaldur’s. I slid my fingers around the back of his neck and pulled him closer to me. “Kiss me,” I whispered.

“I beg your par—“

“Just do it,” I replied. “Trust me.”

He did, letting his lips meet mine. I could feel his fingers tangle in some of my hair. I yanked him and pressed his back against one of the pillars where it would be harder for the guards to see who he was. His bare feet brushed against the scales of my tail as I pushed him firmer against the pillar. With my tail, he and I were the same length. However my torso was much shorter than his so I imagined that if I got legs—which I was fairly certain weren’t as long as my tail and fluke—I would be quite a bit shorter than him.

“You there!” a guard called. “Campus is closed.”

I pretended to be embarrassed at getting caught, pulling away from the kiss with a bubbly sigh out my nose, but keeping my hair upward to block Kaldur’s face from view. “We just, uh, finished studying for our exam that’s tomorrow. We were just… heading home,” I said.

“Well, get a move on,” the other guard said.

“Yes sir!” I said with a bit of a squeak. Both guards kept swimming and disappeared. “C’mon, Kaldur. It’s not safe here for you.”

“It’s not safe for me anywhere in Poseidonis,” Kaldur pointed out as I checked to make sure the coast was clear before pulling him along by the wrist away from the magic school. It could have been the bad night lighting, but I could have sworn he was blushing. I should have given him more warning before ordering him to kiss me.

“There is one place you’re safe here,” I said.

“Is that right? Where?”

“My place.” I swam through the city cautiously before we made it back to the small grotto apartment where I lived after I moved out of my parents’ place. I pushed Kaldur in ahead of me and then shut the door. “It’s not much, but no one ever visits so no one would find you here.”

“Always so kind to me,” Kaldur said. I glanced at him over my shoulder.

“You’re one of my best friends, Kal,” I muttered. If anyone else called him Kal they’d get a water-hammer to the gut. But I’d known him long enough that he begrudgingly let me call him Kal rather than Kaldur.

I opened a storage cupboard and held out some food. “Care to take a meal with me?”

He accepted it. “I would consider it an honor.”

I smiled and floated against the ceiling, letting my back brush it while I ate. Kaldur was used to me being weird and eating on the ceiling so he didn’t comment on it. I preferred the ceiling because I could relax and just float without putting forth any effort to keep me in one place underwater.

“How is Garth?” Kaldur asked quietly after swallowing a bite.

“Still hurting,” I said. “He and Tula were pretty happy together. Losing her cut deep.”

“I understand.”

“You really think I can help your old team on the surface?” I wondered.

“I have no doubt of it. You are a skilled magic-wielder and an incredibly intelligent young woman regardless of your magical prowess. Nightwing will understand why I’ve sent you.”

“What am I supposed to tell the queen when I say I’m not going to show up for lessons? And Garth? And the king? And my parents?”

“I’m sure you will come up with something cleverer than anything I could imagine, but I would recommend you say you wish to do some soul-searching. You could say that you want to broaden your horizons on the surface team for a while if you don’t want to lie too many times. I suppose you could say nothing and just disappear for a while.”

“I could but… if I can’t give myself legs on my own I might need the queen’s help.”

“Indeed,” Kaldur said quietly. I finished my meal and pushed off the ceiling to float near him. I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head on his chest.

“I miss you, Kaldur,” I said quietly. I love you, I added silently.

“And I you,” he agreed. His free hand rested on the back of my head. “When all this is over, I promise you and I will take the time to catch up.”

I kissed his cheek. “That seals the promise. We better.”

That earned me an amused chuckle. “We will. I’ve already missed out on too much of your life since I’ve been away.” He kissed my cheek as well. “That seals the promise.” He glanced at the singular glass window in the open living area of my apartment. “I should go before the sun rises. Escape in the cover of darkness.”

“Want me to lead you to the edge of the city?”

“No. I want you to stay safe, here.”

I sighed. “Okay. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.” A kiss of promise was pressed to my forehead. “And when all this is over, I will return to you.”

“You better. I don’t know what I’d do without you, Kaldur. My friends are my everything.”

“I completely understand.” He took my hand in both of his as he swam to the door of my grotto apartment. “I’ll be careful. And I’ll see you again when all this is over.”

“I’ll see you when this is over,” I agreed.

“Thank you for the meal and the company.”

“No problem. Thank... thank you for coming back to see me. And telling me the truth. Oh, and by the way, you’re a really good kisser.”

A faint dusting of pink darkened his skin. “I, uh… thank you.”

“Sure thing,” I said, squeezing his hand.

He smiled, released my hand, and slid out.

I blinked the sting of sorrow at losing him again out of my eyes, sobbing without tears and curling up on the floor of my grotto to release my emotions into the sea around me. Exhaustion after hours of studying didn’t help me either. After a few minutes I swam to my sleeping quarters and passed out. I had my exam tomorrow and then… I guessed I was heading for the surface.

“I won’t let you down, Kal. I promise,” I said, blowing a kiss toward the edge of the city to seal the promise.

#Seal the Promise #Kaldur'ahm #Kaldur'ahm Imagine #Kaldur'ahm FanFiction #Kaldur #kaldur imagine #kaldur fanfiction #Young Justice #young justice imagine #young justice fanfiction #DC #DC Imagine #dc fanfiction #YJ #YJ Imagine #YJ FanFiction

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brendwell · 6 years ago

Text

Do Unto Others CH 6

AO3: LINK

Mob Psycho 100

Warnings: Violence

Word Count: 5451

Rating: T

A/N: guh

but for real, ch 6 of the delinquent mob au. thanks to @subcorax for betaing ilu thank u for fixing my tenses so much

Basically, what happens when Mob doesn’t meet Reigen like they did in canon.

CH 6

Shigeo walked home feeling lighter. His body was jittery, not quite shaking but buzzing with something he couldn’t name. Change, the man said. Could he really? Could something as terrible as him change?

Shigeo looked up towards where he could just make out the sun between tall buildings. It was almost completely past the horizon now. The world would soon be cast in shades of greys, half-gloom and half-light.

Spirits were beginning to fill the empty spaces of the streets. The smallest of them came out chittering, enjoying the in-between time of the twilight where the barrier between worlds were thin enough that the weakest of them could wander freely.

Change. The word kept tumbling through his thoughts. Shigeo hands tightened around the straps of his backpack. But what if he couldn’t?

Overhead a huge shadow passed Shigeo, the light pattering of rain following close behind. Glancing straight up, Shigeo saw the underside of a huge spirit as it glided lazily through the sky towards the sun. It was almost serpentine in its movements but the rolling clouds that expanded from its sides made it look like a manta ray, leaving behind rain in its wake.

The previously clear weather quickly became a heavy downpour.

Shigeo turned away from the sky to the streets before him. The spirits remained unaffected, some even enjoying the chilling water. Across the street, a school girl slipped as she tried to run to shelter from the sudden rain.

Her friends stopped running and made their way back to her to help her up. He knee was red from a scrape, the water making the blood run in thin pink rivulets to stain her white socks.

Thunder crackled high above. The girl’s friends helped her up and practically carried her underneath a nearby awning.

Shigeo raised his face towards the sky again, the cold droplets of water running down his cheeks to drip off his jaw. His eyes were pinned on the great spirit that drifted through the city, oblivious or uncaring for those beneath it.

It twisted its body and thunder echoed through the sky.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 68%

Shigeo decided to skip school entirely.

He got out of bed and dressed himself, creeping downstairs to the kitchen to eat breakfast. It was earlier than anyone in his family would get up, all of them preferring the later hours of the night to the early morning.

He ate his cereal quickly, but took care to enjoy his glass of milk. The morning light shone weakly through the window, grey as it filtered through the clouds. The house was silent, and it was almost peaceful as he sat there alone, but close enough to his family.

Carefully, Shigeo washed and dried the dishes he used, putting them away silently so no one would wake.

He went to the fridge and took out the after-school meal that his mother had started making for him. Shigeo skipping school meant he missed the school-provided lunches, and as he kept missing it, after-school snacks turned into meals.

She hated getting calls saying that he missed school and came home without an excuse. Shigeo wished he could do something, but here he was, forcing his family to live with the consequences of his actions.

He needed today though. One day without disapproving looks or whispers behind his back. A day without being avoided by classmates or seeked out by those who wanted to fight. One day without knowing that he had failed.

Shigeo shrugged on a warm jacket, packing his food into his backpack.

Quietly, he left the house, locking the front door shut with a soft click. The only traces he left behind were the empty places where he was meant to be.

Shigeo took a route that had him passing by the police box.

He liked going this way since delinquents avoided the area thanks to the police, who could always be found inside the small building.

Shigeo stopped in his footsteps, twitching in surprise as he saw a younger police officer making his way to the police box. The man’s eyes were fixed to the ground but he must have sensed Shigeo’s gaze, because he looked up before Shigeo could even think about hiding.

It was far too early for a child not even in middle school to be outside and alone, Shigeo knew, The officer would have known so too.

The man’s eyes widened and he straightened up in surprise. He took a step towards Shigeo, opening his mouth to call out.

Shigeo used telekinesis to pull the officer’s uniform hat down sharply, the brim blocking his vision. The man sputtered a bit, trying to wrestle it back into place.

Shigeo turned away to a little back alley where a locked metal gate shuttered the way inside. With a little hop, he caught himself in midair and used his telekinesis to carry him over the tall gate. He landed with a light tap of his shoes on the other side, releasing his telekinetic hold over himself and the officer’s hat.

He waited silently as the officer jogged over to where he last saw Shigeo. The metal gate blocked any view of Shigeo, and he remained still as the man inspected the area.

“A grade-schooler wouldn’t have been able to climb the gate that quickly. . .” The officer came closer.

Shigeo remained motionless as the man’s footsteps became louder, coming to a stop right in front of him. The metal gate was the only thing separating them. Its handle wiggled minutely as the officer placed a hand on it. Shigeo watched as it began to turn.

It stopped halfway, the lock preventing it from turning any more.

“It’s still locked.” The officer made a confused noise and stepped away from the gate. “Did I imagine it?”

Shigeo stayed where he was, listening as the officer left. Footsteps became softer before the faint noise of a door opening and closing reached his ears. The officer was inside the police box now.

Carefully, Shigeo made his way to the street, creeping by the police box. He kept out of sight of any windows, not making a sound. It was slow-going, but he didn’t want to get caught.

A window facing the street was cracked open, and voices could be heard. It sounded like another officer was right by the window.

“-really thought I saw something, you know?” Someone said. It was the officer from earlier.

“Kids aren’t ever out this early unless something’s wrong,” a rough-sounding voice answered back. He sounded older than the officer Shigeo saw before.

“That’s why I went to investigate, sir.”

There was a short laugh. “I’m not saying you did anything bad. You did the right thing, in fact.”

The younger officer let out a surprised noise. “T-Thank you, sir!” He said, sounding pleased. “It’s just. . . . It was very strange. He was there and gone, without a trace.”

“Almost like a spirit, right?” The other voice said, wariness easy to pick up on.

Shigeo flinched a little, realising he had paused from making his way past the police box. He considered himself for a moment, before crouching down and settling underneath the window.

“Sir?”

“There’s been a rumour going around about a spirit or monster in Salt. It’s been spreading within the delinquent population of the city. Says it takes the form of a young boy with helmet hair or something.” The man sighed, and there was a quiet creak of something shifting. “A lot of young men that got sent to the hospitals are all swearing it was a monster.”

Shigeo sunk down from his crouch to sit on the concrete. He was suddenly feeling more tired. He leaned his back against the wall of the police box, staring blankly in front of him as the young officer inside questioned the older one.

“A-a monster, sir? Do-do you think I saw it?”

“Well, you’re not hurt are you?” The man asked gruffly, there’s a pause before he continues. “Apparently you have to ask if it’s the monster first.”

“So it isn’t violent until then?” The younger officer asked nervously. “Do you believe in the rumour, sir?”

Shigeo turned his head to eye the window he sat underneath, holding his breath as he waited for the answer.

“A lot of the higher-ups think it’s a hoax to cover up for the escalating violence between delinquent gangs. They’re probably going to start investigating it soon,” the other said. “But I find myself wondering how they would have all come up with that.”

There was a considering hum from inside.

“If there really was a monster though,” the younger officer continued. “Why would it look like a kid? Was it the spirit of one before it turned into monster, or was it just always one?”

Shigeo let out a shuddering breath. His head fell forward, shadowing his eyes with his bangs to block his vision of the world in front of him. Slowly he forced his way up back into a crouch so he could continue making his way to his safe place.

His limbs were leadened with a weight that he’d come to associate with exhaustion. Shigeo’s thoughts were racing but he couldn’t get a single word to stick. He made his way from the police box feeling heavy but hollowed out.

“I don’t know a lot about spirits, but that sounds damn sad.” The older man’s voice followed after Shigeo as he left.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 75%

The next day Shigeo went to school. The day away from everything had been good for him. It didn’t exactly center him, or lead him to any epiphanies, but it let him rest. He was, perhaps, a little more settled. Like he could try to bring himself back into existence as a person, rather than something going through the motions.

Today was also a good day. He hadn’t run into anyone who had wanted to fight him. The teachers hadn’t made any comments about him, allowing him to keep to himself. The students allowed him to keep to himself too, avoiding him but keeping their whispering out of his earshot.

At recess, Shigeo decided not to try his luck and hid behind the old sports equipment shed. There was a line of bushes around it that hid him as he sat down.

The day was sunny, and the air only a little brisk. It was a good day to be outside, and many of the students in Shigeo’s school were taking advantage of the good weather. A group of them were playing soccer, while smaller groups played on the playground equipment or chatted with each other.

Shigeo tried to focus on his history textbook, having wanted to read ahead, but he found his gaze drifting to the group playing soccer. They laughed and shouted to each other as they played. Shigeo couldn’t remember the last time he had ever played with other kids like that.

A cry of pain cut through his wonderings. Two boys had run into each other and fell into a heap on the ground. The rest of the players gathered round, helping the boys sit up.

“Hiro-kun, you’re bleeding!” A girl exclaimed, hovering anxiously over the wound. Nervous mutterings spread through the gathered students.

The boy - Hiro-kun? - laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll go to the nurse. I trip a lot but she always knows how to help me!”

“I’ll go with you,” another boy said, helping Hiro-kun up. “Isane-san was super nice when I was sick!”

“You just want to come with me to see the nurse,” Hiro-kun teased as he started making his way back to the school building. Most of the soccer players had already returned to their game, but the few that stayed near giggled as the other boy started yelling.

“Always knows how to help, huh. . .” Shigeo muttered to himself. He turned back to his history textbook and focused as much as he could. The words stuck to his thoughts though, and an urge began to form.

After school, Shigeo went to the nurse’s office. It was the first time he had ever gone there. Shigeo had never gotten hurt before, he had never played roughly and he didn’t play any sports. With his psychic barrier, the chances of him getting hurt were very, very small.

“Excuse me?” Shigeo asked as he eased open the door to the infirmary.

“Yes! Come in,” a woman called out inside. Shigeo entered the room, closing the door politely behind him. The woman smiled welcomingly at him from where she was seated at a desk, her dark eyes crinkling slightly.

“Hello! I don’t think I’ve ever met you before,” she said as she got up from her desk chair, tucking some hair that escaped her hair bun behind her ear. She reached over to the space next to her desk, bringing out a chair from where it was hidden beside a cabinet almost as tall as Shigeo.

She placed the chair in front of her before taking a seat again. “Here, take a seat. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Shigeo hesitantly climbed into the chair. He bounced a little on its cushion and found his feet unable to touch the floor. The height of the chair brought him closer to her eye level, and once he was settled the nurse fiddled with her chair to lower it down slightly. She stopped once she was able to meet meet his gaze evenly.

Shigeo found himself unable to speak, a tight feeling suddenly wrapping around his throat. Instead he lowered his head to hide his eyes with his bangs.

There was a beat of silence before she shifted a little. “It’s alright if you’re scared, you know?” she said, her voice firm but gentle.

Shigeo remembered his mother’s disapproving frown and his father’s laughter. Even if you were scared, they had said.

It’s alright to be scared.

No one had ever said that to Shigeo before.

“Let’s start like this: My name is Isane Kotoko.” Isane said easily. “I’m the school nurse.”

Slowly, Shigeo looked up to meet her eyes. “I’m Kageyama Shigeo.”

She smiled. “It’s good to meet you, Kageyama-kun. Now, it’s fine if you answer by nodding or shaking your head, alright?”

Shigeo eyed her cautiously, but she made no move to do or say anything else. She waited patiently for his answer, an encouraging smile on her face.

He nodded.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” She asked, her smile slipped away but her earnestness remained.

Shigeo shook his head.

“Do you have any wounds that you want me to help fix?” He shook his head again.

“Are you feeling sick?” Shigeo considered her for a moment, not sure how to answer it. The vice around his throat has loosened, but it was still there. His stomach churned, but that wasn’t from being sick.

“Do you have a cough or sore throat? Dizziness? A headache? Stomach ache? Are you feeling any pain or anything that doesn’t feel right?” He shook his head to all of them.

Isane hummed contemplatively. “That’s okay,” she assured him when his hands began to fidget with the cuffs of his sleeves. “Can you tell me if you’re feeling tired?”

“Yes.” Shigeo found himself saying before he could process it. He clenched his teeth together, his heart picking up speed as his hands curled around the fabric of his pants.

There was a little pause as Isane allowed him time to breathe. “Have you been unable to sleep recently?”

Shigeo nodded.

“Do you know if there’s anything that might stop you from sleeping?”

Shigeo inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with as much air as they would hold before exhaling slowly. He unclenched his jaw, working away the stiffness. Isane remained quiet, waiting for him.

“I’ve been thinking a lot,” Shigeo said, not able to find the words to describe how his thoughts and memories had been darting around in his head most nights, like they were all competing for the forefront of his mind. All the thoughts in his head making noises until there was a dull cacophony, spiralling in and out of focus as he stared unseeingly at the corners of his room because closing his eyes made it worse.

“And what have you been thinking about?” Isane asked steadily.

“I want to learn how to help people,” Shigeo answered. He lifted his head to meet her eyes, remembering all of the frowns and turned backs, the red on concrete and Ritsu crying. “I want to be good.”

Isane’s dark eyes widened, eyebrows rising up and mouth falling open before she regained herself. Her hands twitched, one coming up to touch fingertips to her jaw

“I-” She paused to cough, turning her face away politely. She turned back to him, flattening her hands against her thighs. “And is there anyway I can help you with that?”

Shigeo bowed his head to her. “Please teach me first aid.”

There’s a pause filled with nothing but their breathing.

“Please, raise your head. There’s no need for bowing,” Isane said.

Shigeo straightened up. His heart was beating fast in his chest, and his hands tightened where they held the fabric of his pants. Birds called outside as children walked home, some going to the nearby park to play some more.

“Kageyama-kun, you don’t need to help others to be ‘good’.” Isane looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, lips pressed into a faint line. “You seem like a very good boy already. Is there a reason why you think you need to help others to be good?”

“I want to be kinder. To others.” Do something kind, the man had told him.

Isane leaned forward a little, the afternoon light highlighting the resolute glint in her eyes. “Kageyama-kun, sometimes to be kind, you must be kind to yourself first.”

Shigeo blinked at her with wide eyes, taken aback. “Myself?”

“Yes,” Isane nodded. “I can tell that there’s something that you blame yourself for, Kageyama-kun.”

Shigeo looked away, a lump in his throat forming. The knuckles of his fists creaked as they tightened around his pants, distantly he thinks that there will be wrinkles later.

“How can you tell,” Shigeo said, his voice soft. His shoulders curled into themselves, like if he made himself small enough, he could escape whatever was happening. He could, he thought. He could leave. Something stopped him though, a part of him sensing that something important was happening.

“When you said you wanted to help people– to be good.” Isane replied. “When you said it, your eyes were dark.”

“But my eyes are always dark,” Shigeo protested, head jerking up to look at her in confusion. His eyes were a common dark brown, often seeming black in the right light. “My brother and you both have the same eyes as me.”

Isane smiled. “I suppose we do. But it felt familiar to me. I used to be a paramedic, before I came here. It might not be the same, but blaming yourself for something. . . .” The corners of her eyes tightened, turning her smile just a little strained before lightening. “It’s familiar.”

“But it is my fault,” Shigeo said, feeling lost. He glanced down at his hands, still twisted around his pants legs. He untangled them before tucking them underneath his thighs.

Isane let out a small, wary sigh. “Or maybe it isn’t. I won’t force you to tell me about it before you’re ready, Kageyama-kun, but I think that maybe you should think about forgiving yourself for whatever you’re blaming yourself for.”

Shigeo remained silent, swinging his feet lightly.

“. . . You seem a little stuck right now, and it’s okay to take your time.” Isane continued. “Sometimes, to change you need to figure out how to move beyond where you’re stuck. Come see me again after three days, and think about what I said, okay? If you’re ready to start forgiving yourself, then I’ll teach you.”

Shigeo nodded, thinking about the whole exchange. Moving on sounded strange. Moving on was something people said about things they said needed to be left behind. Forgiving himself sounded worse, because there was nothing to forgive. Shigeo’s actions had hurt so many, but he had never hurt himself.

Had he hurt himself?

A thought struck him. “Moving on. . .” Shigeo started, faltering when he looked up to meet her earnest gaze. He straightened up, taking a breath. “Moving on. Does it mean leaving things behind?”

Isane smiled. It was small, but crinkled the corners of her eyes to show the beginnings of smile lines. “That’s something you will need to figure out for yourself.”

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 66%

Shigeo spent the next day in a daze, mulling over the words constantly.

There was no school, and he would usually spend such days hidden inside his room, quietly reading books or stumbling through his homework when he could find the energy. He felt too restless to stay there though, hearing his family moving around the house beyond his closed bedroom door. His room was too quiet and the rest of the house too loud.

He left to find peace in his safe place, bringing along his backpack to hold his books. Maybe he would read today.

“Hey!” someone shouted from behind him.

His hands spasmed around the the straps of his backpack, dread numbing his other senses. Shigeo’s eyelids fluttered closed, inhaling around the feeling of frozen stiffness. He knew that this was a possibility, but the last few days had been so good.

“Are you the monster?”

Shigeo opened his eyes, turning to them and letting his bangs hiding his face.

There were only three of them this time. Shigeo had long since stopped picking up features to tell any delinquent apart. They were always bigger, angrier, surrounding him with fists and expectant eyes. They always asked the same thing.

Sometimes, Shigeo’s mind didn’t get stuck on each encounter if he allowed it to blend with all the rest. The same thing, the same results. Shigeo stayed the same.

“I am.” Shigeo said, allowing his powers to escape from his hold. The air whipped around him as psychic energy aimlessly grabbed into it without direction. The ends of his hair began to float, lifting his bangs away from his narrowed eyes.

When they charged, he flicked his hand. Psychic energy blasted towards them with the motion.

One, two, three, each one doubled over as the blows struck their sternums. One dropped to his knees, coughing hard. The other two staggered, hunched over, unable to catch their breath.

Shigeo flattened his shaking hand, holding it level with the ground before pressing down.

The one on his knees collapsed as Shigeo’s telekinesis began to crush his chest into the concrete. He let out a strangled noise.

The other two fell hard, flattening into the concrete as Shigeo did the same to them. Their coughing turned into desperate gasping.

The three struggled, their legs twitching as they tried to get up. Shigeo’s grip on them was stronger though.

Just a little more, and they’d be forced to give up. Just a little longer, and they’d be unconscious.

Something small shot out at him, aimed towards his face. Shigeo flinched, arms shooting up to block his face-

A small clatter came from his feet.

Shigeo gasped, his heart feeling like it was being squeezed inside his chest. He lowered his arms, one hand pressing against his chest where it beat in a frenzy. Whatever attacked him didn’t make it through his barrier, and the barrier was still up with most of his energy unthinkingly working to strengthen it.

His head felt fuzzy from the fright. He ground his teeth together, forcing himself to inhale through his nose. He was breathing too fast, he’d seen a delinquent breathe like this until he passed out. Shigeo couldn’t afford to pass out.

His breath began to even out and he looked around himself.

The ones who had tried to fight him were all lying limp where he had knocked them down. Unconscious and all breathing. The one who had been kneeling before Shigeo had flattened him had one arm outstretched.

Looking down at the edges of his barrier, he saw a small rock laying where it had fallen.

Shigeo’s hand moved from his heart to his eyes, pressing them closed again.

He had gotten scared by such a little thing. With all his powers, he had gotten scared by something that couldn’t even touch him.

He was terrible.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, trying to think of anything else but the scene before him.

It’s okay to be scared, Shigeo recalled suddenly. He didn’t think it was meant for this.

He let down the barrier, giving the little rock one last look before leaving.

It’s okay to be scared, he thought as he walked, hands automatically coming up to clutch the straps of his backpack.

Do monsters get scared?

He wondered.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 76%

Shigeo sat next to Ritsu, moving slowly because Ritsu was always watching him these days. He ate his dinner silently, taking care with his spoon so it didn’t bend.

Shigeo kept his eyes to his plate as his parents spoke to themselves and to Ritsu. He let the talking float over his head, too busy keeping his powers from ruining the dinner.

“–Shigeo, are you listening?” His mother’s voice called out loudly, startling him.

“Eh?” Shigeo looked up, jerking his eyes away from his spoon. His mother tutted at him as his father hummed. Beside him, Ritsu flinched.

His spoon had bent almost in half.

“Sorry.” Shigeo said, moving to fix it. There was a sigh from the other side of the table, and Shigeo’s shoulders hunched into themselves.

“Nii-san–” Ritsu said, halting abruptly when Shigeo looked to him.

Ritsu put his own spoon down, holding out a hand to Shigeo. “L-let me try something.”

Shigeo eyes flicked from Ritsu’s outstretched hand to his bent spoon and back to Ritsu’s face. Ritsu’s eyes never met his.

Gingerly, Shigeo gave him the spoon.

Under Shigeo’s gaze, Ritsu wrapped a napkin around the bowl of the spoon. Taking a firm grip by the handle by where Shigeo had warped it, Ritsu began untwisting it.

He watched as the spoon unbent, feeling lighter than he had for a very long time. Ritsu wasn’t avoiding him, for once. Ritsu had even wanted to help Shigeo. There was a fluttering in his chest, and his shoulders began uncurling.

“There.” Ritsu breathed out once the spoon reached its original state. He unwrapped the napkin from it and turned it over in his hand, inspecting it with an unreadable expression.

He placed it on the table between himself and Shigeo, quickly taking back his hand.

“. . . Thank you, Ritsu.” Shigeo gently took back the spoon, inspecting it himself. There was a tight little bend in the handle, something that human hands couldn’t smooth out by themselves. The little bump pressed awkwardly against his fingers. But the spoon was useable again, so Shigeo left it as it was.

“Ah, see? Ritsu is such a good son!” Their father laughed heartily. “Shige, you’ve got to try being more like him! He does well in school, and his teachers always have good things to say. Try to be a better role model for him, why don’t you?”

Their mother nodded in agreement. “He never skips school, Shige. He even helped you fix your mess!” She gestured to the spoon Shigeo held.

“Yeah. . .” Shigeo said, glancing to Ritsu with a small smile on his face. “Ritsu’s really cool.”

Ritsu’s lips twitched into something like a smile before he took another bite of his food, his dark eyes not meeting anyone else’s.

After dinner, Shigeo laid in his futon, staring at the ceiling. He could hear the murmur of Ritsu saying goodnight to their parents behind his closed door.

Footsteps trode through the hallway outside as Ritsu made his way downstairs again, getting a glass of water before bed like he did every night. The footsteps paused the tiniest bit outside of Shigeo’s room, barely more than a stutter in their rhythm.

He turned over towards his bookshelf, eyes finding one book tucked in beside some manga he barely remembers having read. How to Read Social Cues, it announced. He sat up and reached over for the book, flipping it to the very end. He opened the booksleeve, fingers sliding out the business card hidden there.

He turned it over in his hands, reading the words again. Have questions? We can find your answers.

He tucked the card back inside, placing the book back where it belonged.

He laid back down, turning over to face his back to the bookshelf and dragging his thick blankets over himself. He shut his eyes, the click of the light switch sounding as he shut off the lights too.

Isane had said that moving on means changing. The detective had said that he could always continue to try.

Ritsu had continued to try for him.

Shigeo wanted to try.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 65%

It was the last day Shigeo was given to think.

Shigeo sat on a tall office building. It was abandoned and the locks broken. It was easy to get up to the roof, although he had to force open the door.

With a sigh he leaned back to watch the sunset. The air was the slightest bit chilly, but Shigeo’s jacket protects him from the winds. It was so peaceful up here, the sounds of traffic and people distant from where he sat.

Before him, the sun was large and tinged orange behind the few clouds in the sky. It bathed the city in golden lights, and the clouds carried its glow in rusty gold highlights. As the sun made it’s journey past the horizon, the shadows lengthened and began to darken. The twilight spirits were beginning to wake up, but for now Shigeo had the rare ability to see the entirety of the sunset horizon.

Forgive himself. Shigeo still thought it sounded strange. How was it connected to moving on? Shigeo knew what he wanted to move on from. But those things, so much of it was his fault. Moving on sounded like running away.

The sun dipped further into the horizon, a few spirits rising into the disappearing light.

Isane had said that he was stuck, and Shigeo could feel it.

Be kind to others, be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself. Move on. Be good.

It’s okay to be scared, Shigeo thought as he remembered how Ritsu flinched from him but reached out a hand a second later.

Move on.

He brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them while his arms wrapped around himself.

Maybe that didn’t mean leaving things behind. All of what Shigeo had done, they weren’t things that could be forgotten so easily. Everything he did had consequences, and he was seeing it everyday.

The sun set as it did everyday, but Shigeo knew it would come back again. A new day, every day, where the sun came back without fail to the things it left behind. Each day, those things changed, and sometimes those changes lasted for a very long time.

There were a lot of things Shigeo wanted to leave behind, but a lot of those things were the reasons why he wanted to change. If he wanted to move on, he couldn’t just forget about them. But maybe moving on meant he could return to them, and things would be different. Maybe Shigeo would be different.

Maybe that’s what forgiving yourself was.

The horizon began filling with spirits, floating and drifting in the air like they were watching the sunset too. Soon, Shigeo wouldn’t be able to have his clear view of the disappearing sun, but that was okay.

There was always the next day.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 57%

Shigeo met with Isane again, jittery but determined.

He sat down in the chair again, meeting her gaze evenly.

“So?” Isane prodded, tilting her head consideringly. “Have you thought about it?”

Shigeo took a moment to breath, steadying himself. “I want to change,” he said, his eyes flicking down to where his hands pressed flat against his thighs before looking back up. “I’m stuck right now, but I want to move on from it. Learning from you– I think it would help me. I think I could learn to forgive myself.”

Isane smiled widely, her dark eyes brightening her face more than the afternoon light did. “Good answer.”

Slowly, Shigeo smiled back.

Progress towards Mob’s Explosion: 50%

CH 6 END

#mp100 #mp100 fanfic #delinquent mob #delinquent mob au #duo #ITS DONE

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the-land-of-eternal-winter-novel · 2 years ago

Text

Chapter 9 – The Madness

A snowstorm had already begun. Everybody was hiding inside, except for the soldiers and the revolutionaries, who insisted on fighting. Mantas intended to bring the Queen Regeant's troops on his side, eventually becoming their leader. Until then, he sent his miners to search the tunnels under the city and to find the quickest road to the capital of the Empire. Gintarė learned of his plan, and followed the miners in the underground passages. However, they split and each took a separate road, and she got lost. After a long time, she found stairs that led to the ground level, but she found herself in the middle of nowhere. She followed a footpath in the forest, thinking it would lead to a populated place. The snow was piling up so fast that her own footprints have been covered, and the even lost the tunnel she came out of. She finally saw a human silhouette in the distance, and she ran towards it, but, much to her disappointment, she met Žydras.

In the mountain village at the border, Kęstas was running through the storm, carrying his wife, and trying to find a medic of sorts. He was eventually welcomed into a house, and Elena received a warm bed and some ice for her fever. The host went to the house of the local nurse and brought her to them. She treated Elena with the medicine she already had, and stayed for the night in case of any emergency. Worried to death, Kęstas asked the nurse many questions, expecting the treatment to be more complicated. He was told that Elena, in a worst case scenario, had a lung disease, but it was more likely to be a flu. He kneeled at her bedside and waited. Late into the next morning, as her fever went down, she woke up.

"Thank God, you're alive!"

"Was I supposed to die?" she smiled awkwardly, still feeling confused.

"No, it was not a serious disease." answered the nurse.

"I was very worried for you." he said, helping her arrange the pillows so that age could prop her head up.

"Thank you, but I feel fine now... I had a weird dream... Or was it a memory? I think I remembered a momemt from my early childhood, when my mother was holding me in her arms..."

"I thought your mother died when you were one year old."

"I must have an excellent memory, it seems... The dream was very comfortable, I wish I were still asleep... I miss my parents..." she started crying, and he hugged her.

Radek was in the middle of his search for Kęstas and Elena when the war had started officially. He was accompanied by a few soldiers, and he had a gun for defending himself, but he didn't expect to be caught in the war yet. He met a few revolutionaries, and he tried to reason with them. Fortunately, one of the ones he encountered was Žydas' father.

"Excuse me, sir, have you seen my brother, Kęstutis?"

"I haven't heard of him in months. Do you know where Žydrūnas is?"

"No, I just came here. If I see him, I'll send you a telegram."

Žydras' father told his peers to leave Radek alone, since he was an acquaintance of his. However, as he went by the camps of the revolutionaries, he was noticed by Mantas, who was spying from the roof of a building.

"Don't you see those men in the sled?! They wear the military uniforms of the Empire. That one is a high-rank officer, do you see him?"

One of the miners that was with him tried to shoot them, but missed and startled the moose who were drawing the sled. The animals started running aimlessly for a minute, and the right side of the sled hit a tree. Mantas pushed his companion aside and aimed much more precisely. The driver managed to calm the moose down and the sled went ahead into a forest. Another short was heard, and the sled went even faster. Another shot, and they were out of sight.

"I missed that last one. I hope they come back with reinforcenents, because they're going to regret seeing me again..."

"We lost them, Your Highness. Where are we headed to, now?"

"A hospital!!!" shouted the soldier beside Radek, shocked to see that there was blood on the prince's clothes.

Grigoriy and Anatoliy were still at home. As the weather worsened, Anatoliy began to worry about Ingrid and Oleg. He conjured the bleakest of scenarios, and, despite not having concrete evidence, he remained convinced that they died. He imagined that they could have fallen through the ice, or could have been attacked by a white bear, or, even in safe conditions, Oleg, if not both, could have caught a lung disease and died. He began blaming himself for letting them go when there was such a dangerous wheather. He didn't tell his uncle about his worries, but he kept ruminating them in his mind.

"Come to the living room, Tolya, I have something for you. I knew you liked playing the harpsichord, so I bought you a new one. You can try it."

He reluctantly agreed and started playing, but his fingers were trembling and he missed many notes. He excused himself and went to his room. Millions of thoughts invaded his mind, and he didn't know what to do to make them stop. He kept talking himself that everything was his fault. Had he not killed Vaidas, there would have been no war, his sister and his wife would still be alive, and his family wouldn't be so divided. Then, he thought that he deserved all of this happening to him, since he was a murderer.

He reflected on his life, more than before. He always cared about justice, and he always tried to do the right things, and to live morally. He had always been a perfectionist, and he wasn't sure whether it was a good or a bad thing. On the one hand, it made him disciplined enough to master playing the harpsichord, but, more often than not, it burdened him. A wrongly placed book made him drag everything off the shelves and rearrange it himself, or a single wrinkle in his clothing made him uncomfortable for the rest of the day. His many fears played into such habits, for instance, repeatedly checking the taste of food and water as if a wrong bite or sip would create poison. Despite these fixations wearing him out, he still read books and articles that scared or scandalized him, intensifying all negative thoughts.

Most of all, however, he worried about hypothetical moral dilemmas, feeling guilty if he tried to ignore them. If asked anything, he gave unnecessarily detalied and verbose answers, as if anything less would be considered deceit. He often managed to offend with such a manner of speaking, but he was more likely to blame himself for ommitting a detail than adding a surplus one. His brutal honesty was often the source of his loneliness. It didn't help that he was naturally judgemental, towards others, as well as towards himself. Hypocrisy was also one of those faults of his that made him spiral into guilt.

Remembering all of this, he failed to understand how he came to tolerate and even commit a crime. How did the obsessively scrupulous man turn into a vengeful murderer? How did he let himself do the unthinkable? Had he gone mad? Or had he always been...? Or was it that he suddenly changed his set-in-stone definitions of evil only to accomodate the hatred he felt for whoever might have been his father's killer? Or his notion of justice? No, the definition was unchanged. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and a life for a life. It seemed simple enough, and even the judges followed a similar law. Sure enough he was not a judge... nor was he sure that Vaidas was the one guilty for his father's death. But he din feel certain at the moment... He was usually so lucid, over-analytic even, but this one time he let emotion overpower him. What kind of feeling is that? Is there a more powerful emotion than hatred?

He didn't hate Vaidas; he hated the nigh-anonymous entity that was his father's killer. He merely decided to label this mysterious figure with the name of a political figure, thinking it ever so slightly plausible that he was right in doing so.

What would he do, were he to meet the real killer, this unknown, vile creature, that he conjured in his mind, then arbitrarily attributed to the neighbouring king? At the time, he would have proceeded the same. After all, it was the fact that he saw Vaidas as a monster that made it seem justifiable to take revenge on him. Now, after having gone through such soul-crushing guilt and pain, he began to think that he would not try to kill his enemy, not even if he was more appalling than he could have imagined.

What would he do, if he had the chance to talk to Vaidas just once? He struggled to imagine him as vividly as he could. Middle-aged man, looking like Kęstutis, since he was his father. He was, most likely, a normal person, if not a kind one. He probably just had dinner with his family, expecting to wake up to a new, better day, but he ended up not waking at all. Or maybe he wondered why this royal madman accused him of things he would never even think of doing.

Anatoliy stopped for a second to remember that he had paid the assasin to poison him, then he realized that death by poisoning wasn't at all quick or painless. For some reason, he first imagined that Vaidas would just drink his tea, go to sleep, and not wake up. Now he started reading his book about poisons again, imagining his death in the most gruesome details. He wanted to stop, but he felt like he was obligated to face himself with the implications of his deed, no matter how disturbing... He already convinced himself he was too far gone. After all, now he was that vile man he feared and hated, and how can such a creature be forgiven? He finally understood that Kęstas saw him just as he saw the anonymous assassin. No wonder he wanted to kill him... No wonder all of this misfortune came crashing upon him, all so suddenly and violenly... He deserved it all.

He felt worse with each passing day. His chest felt a constant, increasing pressure, and his head hurt from the lack of sleep. He tried to go to bed, but he either couldn't close his eyes, fearing he would die if he merely allowed himself rest, or he had disturbing nightmares. He tried distracting his mind with various activities, but he failed miserably. He played the harpsichord, but his notes would fall flat sooner or later. One time he fell asleep on the keyboards, and he dreamt a song. He tried playing it as soon as he woke up, hoping he had composed something new, but he quickly realized it was the very song on his music sheets. He slammed his head against the keys in frustration, but his uncle noticed him, so he went into his own room.

He took to writing in a journal. He was already used to writing poetry, as he wanted lyrics to accompany his musical compositions, but now he wrote his thoughts even more directly. As with everything he tried, a swarm of hurtful thoughts overcame him before he was able to achieve anything. He picked at his hairs, imagining he could pluck out thoughts out as he would pluck out a hair, or maybe that every bit of pain would at least distract him from them. Yet again, his uncle came into his room to check up on him.

"Stop doing that! You'll become bald too soon. Cut your hair short if it's in the way!"

Anatoliy was annoyed by him, so, as soon as he left, he grabbed a pair of scissors and went to the mirror. His hair was tied back, and he grabbed onto the ponytail, forcing the scissors through it, until he was left with a large strand in his hand. He saw that he looked very messy, so he continued cutting until his hair was somewhat symmetrical. Compared to its initial lenght, the hair, which barely reached past the ears, was very short. Grigoriy entered the room to tell him to eat his dinner, and he was shocked to see the mess.

"Tolya, what have you done?!"

"Exactly what you told me!"

Grigoriy became very worried for him, but he didn't know any way to help him.

"...just come to eat something, please. You look a bit sick..."

#the land of eternal winter #my novel #draft 1 #chapter 9

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gaylittleinnkeepers · 3 years ago

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60 and 8 for team zeila!! :D

60: what are some of their simple pleasures?

imogen: this will sound sappy but she just loves listening to people talk. especially sakura, lol. she’ll spend hours sitting with a dopey smile listening to sakura talk about anything

dew: dew loves games. it doesn’t matter what game, whether it’s a running competition (which he always loses on purpose to let the other win), or a board game. he‘s happy when he’s moving, mind or body

tomiko: tomiko adores reading. he’ll always have a book nearby, just in case he gets bored with all other things. if he had an endless supply of books for the rest of his life, tomi would be perfectly happy. but his favourite thing is to read out loud to the team

zeila: zeila simply just loves spending time with her team. she plays games with dew, she listens to imogen talk, she reads with tomiko. her simple pleasure is letting others do theirs

8: what animal would they be? what animal do they think they would be?

imogen: probably a house cat. she thinks she’d be a caterpillar tho lol

dew: G O L D E N R E T R I E V E R or dolphin. he thinks it’s the former

tomiko: probably a woodlouse (we call ‘em butchie boys over here). he thinks he’d be a spider tho ahaha

zeila: zeila is a bear, but a soft fluffy bear. teddy bear.

#team zeila #manta sir #my ocs #naruto ocs #imogen #zeila #tomiko #dew #THANKS MANTA SIR FOR THE ASK!!

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princess-of-purple-prose · 3 years ago

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[VD: A 2:35 minute Tiktok by ThePandaRedd, who plays all the characters, formatted to look like Jimmy Olsen is interviewing different DC villains. It’s titled “Special Report: Villains explain why they fight their heroes.” First is Lex Luthor, who wears a suit and clearly is edited to be bald. He seems to be at a press conference as he says:

“Sorry, what’s that? Say it again. (Overlap from Jimmy: Sorry, just a quick word with you. Why do you do what you do?) Why do I do it? (Yes, sir.) Son, I do what I do because humanity should not have to rely on the good will of a godlike entity to be able to maintain its survival in the universe. I do what I do because if one day, Superman wakes up and decides that he no longer cares about humanity’s good graces anymore, they need to know that they still stand a fighting chance. They need to know that humanity is super, that they can maintain and that they can survive on their own. You ask me why I do it? I ask you why don’t you. [Leaving] Thank you. (Sir-)”

Next is the Joker, dressed in an orange Arkham jumpsuit. He asks, “Why?” (Well yes, Mr. Joker, sir-) Well I do it because it’s funny! (Funny?) And no one else gets the joke like he does!” [He starts laughing maniacally as a guard says quickly “Back it up, let’s go-”]

Next is Black Manta, edited to have bright aqua green eyes. He speaks in a dark whisper. (Mr. Hyde, sir?) “Right in front of me. (Excuse me?) My father died, right in front of my eyes, directly because of Aquaman’s actions. He could’ve saved him. He’s a hero, that’s what he’s supposed to do. But he didn’t. And he chose not to. Why do I do what I do? I do it because he deserves to feel, even if it’s just for a fraction of a second, the same. Pain. That I do, every single day.”

Next is Sinestro, edited to have bright yellow slit-pupiled eyes. He speaks with an self-satisfied drawl. “Why do I do it? (Yes, Mr. Sinestro.) Well my boy, I do it for a very simple reason, and that is that the Guardians are wrong. (Sorry?) I do it because they’re a group of misguided old hypocrites who believe the only way to to maintain order in the universe is to let everybody within it think for themselves, where... Well, that’s just simply not the case, now is it? The universe is a very vast place, and many, many people are much, much less clever than they think they are. My way, ruling through fear, through intimidation... Well it’s just more efficient, and, by that, better. I do it because they are wrong, and because I am right.”

A glitch effect takes us to the final villain, Reverse Flash. He has bright red eyes, and his entire part has bad interference like an old TV and frequent rainbow glitches. He sounds irreverent compared to almost everyone else as he stops drinking from a mug and says, “Hm? Why? Oh, that’s a super easy answer. Um. [Claps hands together] Fuck ’im. (Long pause) No, like, that, that’s it. [Laughs] I mean, have you fucking seen the guy? Just looking at him makes me wanna go back in time and like, I don’t know, push him down the stairs. Kill his childhood best friend. I dunno, fuck up his mom. I don’t... Fuck that guy. [Returns to drinking.] What?” End VD]

Why the villain's do what they do

#this took me close to forty minutes everyone reblog this Or Else #dc #superman #batman #gotham #aquaman #green lantern #the flash #jl #described #described by me #to watch later #long post

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kravkalackin · 7 years ago

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For the uhh,opening line writing prompts,Angus and Taako in 28,please?

Anonymous said:Angus and Taako,28.

magicctaako said:Writing Prompt, Angus and Taako, “I don’t care that it’s 2:00 am, we need pie.” Maybe?

(holy shit i’m just really pleased that multiple people thought of this one for angus and taako)

“I don’t care that it’s 2:00 am, we need pie.”

“Sir, are you even sure if the fantasy costco is open this late?” Angus asked, watching as Taako threw on a jacket. He seemed to hesitate a moment, looking at the coat rack and back to Angus before tossing the cloak of the manta ray at him. He hadn’t brought a coat when he came to the reclaimer’s dorm for his and Taako’s magic lessons, some seven hours ago now. He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders before quickly following Taako out of the dorm.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you believe Garfield is capable of physically sleeping,” Taako said, and yeah okay, Angus supposed he had a point there.

“Alright, but this can wait until tomorrow, you don’t have to make a whole pie tonight sir, it’s fine,” Angus tried to insist, but Taako was shaking his head as he stalked across the quad towards the large rectangular fantasy costco building.

“You’ve never had pie before Agnes! Not a single kind, how does that even happen?!” Taako complained loudly, and Angus flinched some, glancing around to see if anyone was up to be bothered. Hopefully they were far enough away from the dorms now that they wouldn’t wake anyone up.

“Well, my grandpa couldn’t eat a lot of sweets and when I was out solving crimes I never really thought to just go out and get a pie,” he tried to explain, but it didn’t seem like Taako actually cared about the why here.

“Whatever, we’re rectifying this crime tonight,” Taako said, making his way into the fantasy costco and doing a beeline towards the grocery section. Angus trotted along after him, and there was a refrigerator section with a whole bunch of pies, but Taako walked right past it.

“Um, I thought we were here to get pies?” he asked, but Taako didn’t even seem phased.

“I am not about to let your first pie experience be that pre-made garbage. We’re doing home made,” Taako said, and Angus was a bit flabbergasted at that.

“How long does it take to make a pie from scratch?” he asked, and Taako shrugged, not seeming bothered.

“Eh, the longest part is waiting for it to cool and junk. We probably won’t really be able to eat them until the morning, but that’s even more reason to make them tonight,” Taako said. Angus didn’t argue, following him around the store while he gathered up ingredients. He was definitely getting more than just for one pie, unless he wanted to make some sort of strange, apple pumpkin chocolate key lime abomination.

By the time they got back to the kitchen with all of the ingredients set out it was edging towards three am. Angus was used to staying up late, and it wasn’t too hard to fight off the fatigue tugging at him by listening to Taako explaining all the steps that went into making the pies. Still, their magic lesson had taken a lot out of him and ended up running late, and then they’d gotten distracted because Angus had started to explain how major illusion had been used in one of his Caleb Cleveland novels, and that had somehow led to them talking about food, which led to Taako finding out he’d never had pie, which led to this.

He tried to stay up, but he was pretty sure he ended up falling asleep somewhere between making the key lime pie and the chocolate cream pie.

When he woke up someone had moved him from where he’d been sitting at the counter to the couch and set him up with a pillow and blanket. It was a bit later than he normally slept in, but he guessed considering how late they’d stayed up it was understandable.

“Morning, about time you woke up pumpkin,” Taako said, and then there was a plate being shoved into his hands. Angus blinked down sleepily at the pie, putting his glasses back on after a moment.

“Are you calling me pumpkin, or the pie?” he asked, Taako rolling his eyes heavily at that. It was a pumpkin pie in his hands though, so he couldn’t really blame him.

“Please god, I have to deal with enough puns from those two chucklefucks, I don’t need them from you too. Just eat the goddamn pie,” Taako said.

“Is it okay to have pie for breakfast?” he asked, and Taako was groaning in annoyance now.

“You’ve gone long enough without pie to earn this privilege, just do it there are three other pies you need to try,” Taako said, and right, Angus had nearly forgotten about that. He kind of considered drawing it out even longer to bother Taako some more but he gave in, eating a forkful of the pie.

“This is really good sir!” he said, quickly taking another bite.

“Hell yeah it is. Now slow down, like I said there are three more pies,” Taako told him, and Angus was starting to get the feeling that this might’ve been too many pies.

“Sir, I don’t think I can eat that many, especially not first thing in the morning,” he said, but Taako just shrugged.

“You can try all of them, that’s all that matters,” Taako said, and Angus guessed he could do that.

“Um, thanks for making these for me sir, you really didn’t have to,” he said, and Taako just waved a hand dismissively before going back over to the kitchen and cutting another slice.

“Eh, don’t mention it. Food’s important.”

#taz #the adventure zone #taako #angus mcdonald #long post #this was such a fun prompt #and for those of you who'd say angus never eating pie before is unrealistic #i'm 25 and i've never had a blueberry

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preoccupiedpens · 6 years ago

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Dream Hunters Chapter 10: Great White Sharks

IT ONLY TOOK A DAY

for buyers to be interested in the sea serpent that Raijin caught. Eight in the morning, buyers already came one by one for different parts of the serpent.

Some scales from the sea serpent were still intact. Since it can be used for jewelry and medicine, a certain guild of crafters bought the good scales for six hundred lanias. Not a bad bargain.

Then, a restaurateur came and bought all the meat that could be salvaged from the sea serpent. Luckily, ninety percent of the serpent’s meat was of high grade. Mr. Manta was paid four thousand lanias for the meat.

The remaining carcass and bones of the sea serpent was bought by blacksmiths to be used as materials for weapon and armor. Mr. Manta received two thousand five hundred lanias for those.

Bu afternoon, almost all parts of the serpent was sold. Even the innards were sold to be used as bait by other fishermen. One thousand lanias were given to Mr. Manta for those.

All in all, the whole sea serpent was sold for eight thousand and one hundred lanias. That will be enough to buy a house and lot or a brand new fishing boat still with change.

Mr. Manta, who sold the sea serpent part by part, immediately phoned Maelstrom Tavern to notify Raijin. As soon as Raijin heard the good news, he straightaway went to Mr. Manta to receive the payment. Daisuke accompanied him since Riku and Jack were still sleeping.

Riku received sixty precent of the total sales which was around four thousand eight hundred and sixty lanias. Mr. Manta got forty percent cut for managing to sell the whole serpent. It was a nice deal considering that Mr. Manta has always been the buyer guy of Riku. Those will still be deducted by twenty percent tax as per Port Royale’s law, which will leave Raijin around three thousand eight hundred and eighty eight lania. Still a good sum for a single catch.

“How will you divide your money now?” asked Daisuke.

“Well, half of it will go straight to the loan sharks. Half of the other half will go to Boris, the remainder will be mine.”

“That will leave you around nine hundred seventy two lanias. Those loan shark, how much do you owe them?”

“Five million lanias.”

Daisuke’s eye widened and his jaw dropped as he heard the amount.

“But my parents already paid most of it. The loan sharks told me that the remaining balance is around three hundred thousand lanias.”

“Woah. That’s still a lot though.”

“Well, as long as I get to catch a sea serpent, then there will be no problem.”

And as they walk back to Maelstrom Tavern, they saw three men walking towards them.

“Ahhh! Raijin my boy! Heard you caught another sea serpent. How do you do it?”

“Mr. Sera. It’s quite early to see you around this place, isn’t it?”

“Well, my men and I want some fresh air from time to time. And who is this young elf with you?”

“Daisuke. Nice to meet you.” Said Daisuke.

“Likewise. So, anyway Raijin my boy, you’ve got quite a lot there.”

Daisuke wanted to step in, but Raijin held him. “The earlier the better.” Raijin smiled as he handed Sera some of the money he received.

“Atta boy! Now c’mon boys. I want to go to the lighthouse.” Sera said as he and his lackeys left.

As soon as Sera and his men were gone, Daisuke talked to Raijin. “You should have let me punch those bastards.”

“Don’t try to do anything stupid, Daisuke. The Great White Sharks has been here for a very long time. Sera and his brothers were not even born yet when the Great White Sharks was formed.”

As soon as they are back in Maelstrom Tavern, Raijin went to Boris to pay him up. Riku and Jack are already up and eating brunch.

“Good morning, guys. Or afternoon.” Said Riku. “Anyway. where have you two been?”

Daisuke sat down with them. “I accompanied Raijin to get his payment for the sea serpent.”

“That was fast. Did he received a good amount?” asked Jack while munching his burger.

“Reasonable. I guess it’s already a lot considering his job.”

While the two were eating, Daisuke told them about the conversation he had with Raijin and Boris last night. Riku and Jack both couldn’t believe that they easily got a tip on the possible location of the statue.

“It sounds too good to be true, but it’s the only lead we have so far.” Said Jack.

“But going to a country with an active war, isn’t that a problem?” Riku said worryingly.

“You’re right. For all we know, the country’s borders may be closed." replied Jack.

“Then we’ll just sneak in.” said Daisuke.

“It’s not that easy, you now.” Replied Riku.

“Then let’s just think of something after we get there. It’s still three, four kingdoms away anyway.” Said Daisuke.

The trio bid farewell to Raijin and Boris as soon as Riku and Jack finished eating. They thanked them for letting them stay and for giving them a few supplies and valuable information for their travels. They went to the town center to plan out their journey.

“It’s still too early guys. You want to go around first before we leave the town?” Riku asked.

“Yeah. We haven’t spent a lot of time here as well. I was thinking of going to the western side to check what’s in there.” Said Jack.

“Isn’t the United Alliance headquarters of Port Royale found there?” said Riku.

“Really? Then I guess I can check that out as well.”

“How about you, Daisuke?”

Daisuke was staring at the lighthouse on the eastern port of Port Royale. “Well, I really wanted to check that lighthouse by the cliff.”

“OK. I wanted to visit some shops before we leave. We could use some supplies.”

“Great. Then let’s all meet up by the fountain, front of the post office in two hours?” Jack suggested.

“Sure.” Said Daisuke.

“OK then. I’ll see you both later!” Riku left first.

Daisuke and Jack waved at Riku. “Well, I’m heading this way. See you later, Daisuke.”

As soon as Riku and Jack went to their respective destination, Daisuke went straight to the lighthouse found at the cliff east of Port Royale. The lighthouse is quite far away, so Daisuke took a while to get there.

By the time he got there, he did not saw anyone. He was hoping to find Sera and his lackey. Too bad, Daisuke thought.

Daisuke looked around and saw the name of the lighthouse. “Eurusyneim…”

“House of the god of east winds, patron of sailors.”

Daisuke flinched. He turned around and saw a young blonde man. “Oh, umm, am I not supposed to be here?”

“Hahaha. Anyone is free to visit this old lighthouse.” Said the young man. “It is said that this was built by the second generation of people who settled here in Port Royale. They built this in honor of one of their gods called Eurusyn, and to ensure the safety of sea farers.”

“Are you the caretaker of this lighthouse?”

The young man chuckled. “That’s a no as well. Name’s Torai. I’m the captain of U.A. that’s stationed here. I’m just here to enjoy the fresh breeze.”

“Yeah. Wind’s fresh up here. I’m Daisuke by the way.”

Torai walked towards Daisuke and noticed that he is an elf. “You’re from Maria Island, correct?”

“Umm, yeah. I’m with my friends here. Did you happen to see three guys around here?”

“Hmmmm, not really. You’re the first one I saw here today. Are they your friends?”

“Oh, no. Just some loan sharks.”

“People from Great White Sharks, huh. They’re pretty nasty bunch.”

“Yeah. My friend was even wondering why U.A. isn’t dealing with them.”

Torai walked towards Daisuke and looked at the horizon and let out a sigh. “As much as we want to deal with them, we’re actually quite preoccupied. We’ve been dealing with constant raids from treasure hunters. And the funny part? We do not even have any treasures here.”

“How about before? I was told that they’ve been here for a long time.”

“I wasn’t captain that time yet. And by the time I became a captain here, we’ve already been under constant raids.”

“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to interrogate you or something. I really just hate those guys.”

“Hahahaha! It’s okay. Well, I hope you guys enjoy your stay here on Port Royale. We’ve got a lot to offer. Specially the ales.”

“Hahaha! Yeah, we had a good one last night. At Maelstrom Tavern.”

“Ooooh. Nothing beats that tavern’s owner in ales. Anyway, it’s nice meeting you, Daisuke. If you and or your friends ever need something, you can find me at the headquarters. It’s just west of Port Royale town proper.”

“Will do.”

Torai then jumped. As he jumped, thunder boomed from where he stood and the ground was smoking. Daisuke was surprised that Torai was now a hundred meters above. Then, another thunder boomed as Torai lunged himself towards the headquarters.

At the Hammerhead Tavern, Hammer and his men are preparing all of their weapon.

“Sir Hammer, everyone is prepared now. When do we leave?�� said a lackey.

“We leave before sunset. The Fishbone Hunters will arrive when the U.A. least expects it.”

That moment, the transponder rang.

“Brother?” said Hammer through the transponder.

“Gyahahahaha! Brother Hammer! Are your men ready?”

“Yes, brother. My men are always ready.”

“Good. We’re seeing Port Royale from the horizon now. Looks like the U.A. stationed there are quite lax today.”

“Well. There has been no attack from hunters for the past three weeks. We’ve managed to condition them by stopping any hunters that will try to enter Port Royale.”

“Good. Then all we need is a good distraction. I assume we can rely on you and your men for that.”

“Of course, brother. We’ll take care of that. Just make sure you and your men will get here.”

After the call ended, the Great White Sharks continued to check their weapons for the upcoming battle.

At the market, Riku is looking around for foods and other essentials since they lost most of their stuffs at the sea.

Food is not a problem, she thought. They could just hunt down a deer or boar, or whatever is available on the way. What they needed are some clothes that they could use.

While walking around, looking at the clothes, she bumped into a muscular man with a shark tattoo on his shoulder.

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, elf!” said the muscular man.

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was looking at the clothes.” Riku sincerely apologized.

The other two tattooed men went around Riku.

“Hohoho. She doesn’t look bad though, Sera.” Said the other guy the muscular man is with. He also have a tattoo of shark on his shoulder.

“Hey! You wanna come with us?” said the other guy.

“Hmmm, if you come with us, I could consider forgiving you.” Sera offered as the other two laughed.

Riku has now lost her patience and started to get irritated.

“I’m sorry, but I have more important things to do than to go with you fish brains.”

The people around started to get nervous at the scene. Some closed their stores. Others left the area.

“Hey! Don’t you know who we are? We’re the Great White Sharks!” said the Sera.

“What’s the point of asking me if you’re going to answer anyway?” said Riku.

The people who are still around laughed discreetly, But Sera saw them. Even his two lackeys tried to hold their laughter.

Sera’s face turned red. “You’ve done it now!” He took a runestone and activated it. The runestone turned into an ax. He slashes his ax towards Riku, but Riku simply dodged. Without even using her powers, she simply kicked Sera behind his knee. As he fell on his knee, Riku kicked him on the back of his head. Sera slammed to the ground so hard that the ground cratered

The people started to run away because of the commotion. Suddenly, someone took her hands. “Hey! What are---“

“Let’s go! Before more of them arrive!” said Raijin.

The two of them ran away from the area.

“Oy! Wasn’t that the Raijin kid?!” said lackey number one.

“I thought so too. Looks like he knows that elf girl” said lackey number two.

“Let’s help boss Sera first.”

“He’ll be in big trouble now.”

#DreamHunters #Chapter10 #StatueOfMariaSaga #PortRoyaleArc

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