#The Anchor Inn

[rachaelstray]

Sunday lunch at The Anchor Inn Whittonstall - review

We recently enjoyed Sunday lunch at the Anchor Inn Whittonstall so thought I’d share an honest review. The Anchor Inn had been on my to dine in list for a while and I was really hoping we’d enjoy our visit. About The Anchor Inn Whittonstall The Anchor Inn Whittonstall restaurant retains many original features, bare stone walls, beams and vaulted ceiling and is the perfect spot for a family…

[taproomtraveler]

The Anchor Inn *

The Anchor Inn located in a lovely position overlooking the Bartley Water and the Eling Tide Mill. Plenty of outside seating the bar is looking a bit tired. Only one real ale on tap Doom Bar however the barmaid was unable to pull a pint from it. I settled for a pint of Proper Job a pale ale not great. On the side of the bar is an area set out as a restaurant. Fish & Chips £17. Review 2023.

[historical-misfit]

i'm sorry i had to-

[menubot]

Only $1.50 for COMBINATION SEAFOOD PLATTER, Crisp French Fries, Cole Slaw crabcake, haddock, oysters at Anchor Inn Seafood Restaurant? Bargain! http://menus.nypl.org/menus/27678

[mixed-up-multiverse]

@muses-inn sent: “Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.“ (Ashton to Unico)

Beauty and the Beast starters | Not Accepting

He had gotten himself stuck in a trap while exploring this new place he'd woken up in, and his mind and memories hurt when he tried to think about how he could have possibly ended up here.

...And why he had felt the gentle breeze of the West Wind as he was just opening his eyes...

But while wandering to find out what this place was, he had been caught in a snare trap. It was a miracle that he was not dead (as the snares had only wrapped around his legs and body), but it was still very scary.

This humanoid stranger had noticed and offered to help, which Unico was grateful for, although the baby unicorn was understandably nervous. What if one wrong move would activate more snares?

“Everything’s going to be fine. You’ll see.“

Unico tried to calm himself down when the other spoke those words; despite his fears, he had a feeling that panicking would most likely worsen things more than the other doing something incorrectly. So he took a deep breath and tried to stop shaking to the best of his ability, in order to allow the other to properly set him free.

"O-Okay..." He kept one eye open to watch, anxiously hoping it wouldn't hurt.

[benkeibear]

『 Cupping their cheek 』

☼ synopsis: Soft fluff blurbs of how they react to you cupping their cheeks out of nowhere.

☼ characters: various jjk men

☼ notes: leaving you guys with something short and sweet before a liddol break 🫶

Toji will at first grunt when you cup his cheeks and he might even roll his eyes but upon seeing the sweet smile on your face he won't pull away, eyes closed as he relaxes into the warmth your palms provide. When you trace the scar on his lips with your thumb you can feel his breath relax, allowing you to take care of him.

Gojo will smile brightly when you cup his cheeks, his hands gently resting on top of yours before he makes you squish his cheeks together just to hear your cute laugh. He will cup your cheeks right after, just looking at you with that smug expression before leaning in to kiss you.

Geto will give you the smallest "hm?" possible before relaxing into your hands, thinking you're holding his head still to remove some food from the corner of his lips or to smudge away the lipstick stain you might have left behind on his cheek but he wouldn't mind to stay in this position for a moment longer, feeling held.

Nanami will look at you with a straight face but you can see his eyes soften and his jaw unclench for once. He finds peace within your embrace however small it might be. If you smile at him or tell him to take a deep breath before confessing your love to him he will give you the most precious smile and kissing your palm while thanking you for being his anchor.

Higuruma will smile lazily when your palms touch his cheeks, his own hands cupping your face in return. "And now?" he asks amused and relishes the way you nuzzle against his broad palms before bringing your face closer so he may kiss your forehead before gently kissing your lips.

Yuuta will look at you with the begging puppy eyes, a little "yes, love?" slipping from his lips, wondering if you tried getting his attention and he didn't notice before. When you tell him you just wanted to look at his handsome face he will blush ever so slightly and chuckle, not trying to get away from your gentle hold on his face any time soon.

Choso will give you his full attention when you cup his cheeks, no matter what he was doing previously. He's looking at you like you're the center of the universe and it feels like time is slowing down around you two. His gaze can't help but flicker to your lips, hoping you'll kiss him while holding his face like this.

Sukuna will flinch away but leans back into your palm with an exaggerated huff about how you're lucky that he tolerates you. His face feels warm against your palm and one of his eyebrows remains raised, waiting for an explanation to your antics but your thumb caressing his cheek before your lips grace his are answer enough. He won't pull away for as long as your palms caress his cheeks.

Mahito will nuzzle into your hands like an over excited puppy before gently biting the flesh of your palm just underneath your thumb. "You're a foolish one to do this. But that's why I keep you around," he chuckles, teasing you about the way you willingly put yourself in danger by touching him but he would never harm his most precious human.

Yuuji will give you the big round eyes, his entire attention on you and his body visibly relaxing before leaning into one of your palms, eager for your thumb to caress his cheekbone in the way you always do. The word to describe his gaze would be love struck, utterly in love with you and craving your gentle caress as if this would be the last time he ever gets to feel your love.

Megumi will roll his eyes when you cup his cheeks and his face remains straight, emotions unreadable to you but the way he's not pulling away and his shoulders slowly slouch tells you enough. He's enjoying the moment despite not speaking up - perhaps not wanting to spoil this moment of softness.

Networks: @pixelcafe-network @interstellar-inn @houseofsolisoccasum

[dimplyowl]

The first night Ed and Stede sleep together (JUST sleep, as in get in bed for the purpose of sleeping) they don’t know what to do. Stede knows he’s always been a starfish sleeper, and the last thing he wants is to force Ed to sleep in a teeny tiny ball squished against the wall. Ed knows he sleeps with one eye open, waking up ready to defend himself at the slightest sound, and he doesn’t want to keep Stede awake or (god forbid) accidentally hurt him.

And they both want to snuggle, but can’t quite figure out if that’s what the other wants too.

So they wind up on their backs, staring up at the ceiling of the inn, shoulders brushing but nothing else. And the minutes seem to stretch into hours into days, each of them holding themself stiffly to keep from encroaching on the other’s space. Until the tension builds and they both snap at the same time.

“Can I—“

“Mate—“

“You—“

“OW that’s my hair, babe”

“SHIT ED SORRY”

“No, it’s fine, just…”

“Oh for fucks sake, darling, would you please get over here?”

And Ed smiles and throws his arm over Stede’s stomach and nuzzles into his neck, and Stede pulls him in close and kisses the top of his head and their legs tangle and Ed can hear Stede’s heartbeat steady and solid beneath his head and Stede can trail his fingers up and down Ed’s bare back

And when the first light of day hits their window, Stede hasn’t moved an inch, has slept happily with the weight of his love keeping him anchored, and Ed has slept the whole night through without waking up once for maybe the first time in his entire life.

[himasgod]

Xiao x Reader

Where you rescue him, finding him defeated, and he swears to protect you.

(Today and yesterday I felt like writing about Xiao, so we have a double Xiao's one shot day hehe)

The night in Dihua Harsh was oppressive. The air was heavy with the dampness of mist and the metallic scent of ancient battles. In the background, echoes of distant wailing resounded, as if the shadows themselves were witnesses to the unquenchable hatred of the Archon War. Amidst those shadowy echoes, he stood, throwing his spear at invisible shadows, caught in a rut of endless violence. Xiao, the Yaksha Alatus, protector of Liyue and lone guardian.

The weight of his karmic debt tightened on his chest like an invisible poison, enveloping him in darkness. That night, the burden was particularly heavy, and each blow of his spear wore more on his spirit than his body. The last ghostly whisper dissipated, but Xiao felt no relief. He collapsed to the swamp floor, kneeling and gasping, as pain consumed him.

Then, a voice broke the silence.

“Are you… okay?”

It was a cautious murmur, almost inaudible through the mist. Looking up, Xiao saw you, a spark of alarm flashing through his golden gaze. There was no way a mortal could be here, so close to him and the dark forces lurking in his presence. Yet there you were, staring at him with a mix of unease and compassion.

“Stay away. You have no idea what you’re doing,” he told you, his tone full of warning. But you didn’t move. You knew it was dangerous to approach someone like him, a warrior shrouded in dark legends and struggles that mortals could barely understand. Yet worry kept you from taking a step back.

Xiao looked at you, surprised by your boldness and, deep down, by the familiarity of that gesture of kindness, something he had almost forgotten.

“I don’t need… your compassion,” he whispered, looking away. However, he didn't stop looking at you with his tired golden eyes, as if deep down he was asking for some rest.

So the moment he collapsed, you picked him up and carried him to Wangshu Inn.

One year later, since that meeting in the swamp, Xiao had kept his distance, watching you from the shadows during each day. Although he never came close, the memory of that night continued to resonate in him. Something in your gaze, in the delicacy of your words, had left a mark on his soul, a mark that, instead of causing him pain, seemed to illuminate his darkness.

On one of those nights, he saw you throw a lantern into the river. He could not hear your wish, but his heart sensed it: a prayer for peace, for the protection of someone you did not fully know, but in whom you believed. Xiao felt the loneliness that had accompanied him for centuries crack slightly, like a wall fracturing before the warmth of a persistent flame.

A strange, almost uncontrollable impulse led him to appear before you that night. His face maintained the same stoic expression as always, but something different shone in his golden eyes.

“Why do you insist on coming back here?”

He asked, his voice filled with confusion and a slight trace of anxiety. You could see the wear and tear on his features, the weight of each battle etched in every line of his expression.

“Because someone I hold dear needs to remember that he is not alone,”

You answered softly. He looked up and for a moment, hesitated, almost hoping that the darkness around him would drive you away. But you did not back away, and the reflection of the lantern light in your eyes was enough to keep his heart anchored in a place that no longer felt so gloomy.

“My duty is to protect Liyue,” he murmured, as if he were reminding himself of his purpose. But the words sounded empty even to him, because in your presence, reasons seemed to change, to evolve into something more than just duty.

With a barely audible sigh, he took a step towards you, getting close enough for the coldness of his presence to be dispelled by the warmth you emanated. The loneliness he had known, that had enveloped him for so long, was broken with every second he spent at your side, even if he himself could not quite admit it.

Finally, with a tremor in his voice, he confessed:

"Your words… that light… is the only thing that reminds my soul that there is something beyond the darkness."

And then, he extended his hand, brushing your cheek with a tenderness that almost seemed impossible for someone like him. The touch was light, almost as if he did not want to leave a mark, but in his gaze there was an intensity that spoke of centuries of loneliness dissipating at a simple gesture of humanity.

"I will protect you"

He said finally, with a firmness that did not accept doubts. Because in your presence, Xiao had found a purpose that, although uncertain and fearful of losing, filled him with a peace hadnt felt in millenia.

The light from your lantern flickered in the wind, but neither you nor Xiao looked away.

On that night in Dihua Harsh, a Yaksha and a mortal met and for an eternal instant, the loneliness seemed to fade away.

Here is my masterlist, in case you are interested in any more of my work or want to send me a request <3

[teshadraws]

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 58]

<< First | < Previous | Next >

-

Nia, Tobias, and Junie talk with Will, and run into someone unexpected.

-

Nia wakes up all on her own for once. She’s cozy and warm, and it takes a few minutes to realize where she is, tucked away into one of the alcoves of the inn they’d stayed at the night before.

She relishes the chance to move at her own pace, and stretches as she slips down to the stone ground. The torracat innkeeper, Clara, is nowhere to be seen, and bright sunlight and distant conversation stream in through the open windows.

Nia yawns as she walks outside, leaning against the warm stone wall enclosing the city so she can get a good look at the settlement in daylight.

The buildings stretching on either side of her are a blend of tan and brown, made of stones and clay. Little pops of color come from billowing curtains and a mural painted onto the side of one of the buildings.

Nia leans to see it better, heart aching as she recognizes humans and animals painted with painstaking detail, too unique to be anything but real, remembered loved ones. They’re relaxing in front of a house, a forest behind them and a city visible in the distance. It’s one of the most human sights Nia has seen since coming to this world.

It’s beautiful.

Nia tears her eyes away, leaning back to look instead at the top of the cliffs above them. The solidity of the mesa is a comforting strength, anchoring the buildings carved from its face.

At Nia’s back, over the stone wall, the sky is a bright blue above a canyon of rocky brown terrain and scraggly green trees. A cool breeze slips by, balancing well with the warm sunshine, and Nia closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath.

Pokemon—humans—pass by her, chatting and laughing amicably. Nia opens her eyes to watch them go about their business.

They look just like regular Pokemon, aside from the clothing and accessories clearly worn for comfort rather than necessity. But somehow, Nia thinks she can tell they’re human in other ways, too, just in how they move, how they walk and talk and act.

A delicate cat Pokemon with purple tufts of fur sits back on her hind legs to gesture with her forepaws as she talks, rather than with her tail or ears. A boulder Pokemon with a lizard-like face keeps overbalancing as he walks, and has to stutter-step on his short legs to regain his equilibrium before he tips over. A round little dragon Pokemon, blue with a shark-like fin and a red underbelly, grins wide as she spots a friend, her fangs on full display in a way that would feel distinctly threatening to Nia coming from a natural-born Pokemon.

They’re human, just like her. They don’t fit into this world quite right. It’s comforting, somehow, knowing that they’re all in the same boat Nia is. Knowing that no one here is going to get upset about her wanting to go home because that’s what they want, too.

On some level, Nia wishes she could stay here with them. She wishes she could forget that she has obligations to this world, to Giratina and Tobias and her guild. Some part of her just wants to…relax. No more scary fights with criminals. No more heartbreak from helping injured ‘mon after a natural disaster or mystery dungeon. No more pressure to save the entire world. To save multiple worlds.

…Would Nia leave Tobias and Maggie and everyone at the guild behind, for that kind of security? That kind of peace?

Her heart stabs with grief, and then with shame. No, she…she doesn’t think she could.

Even if she kind of wishes she could.

“Finally awake?”

Nia jumps, straightening up at Tobias’ voice. Her partner walks up to her, holding something in his hand. When he reaches her, he plops it on the rock wall. Something small, wrapped in cloth?

A delicious scent reaches Nia’s nose, making her stomach rumble. She unwraps the little package and perks up when she realizes it’s some kind of…burrito? She wastes no time stuffing it into her mouth, moaning at the taste. It has gooey cheese, vegetables that taste similar to potatoes and peppers, and…eggs? How does that work here?

Nia chooses not to question it.

“Thank you!” Nia says between bites.

Tobias leans away from her, torn between amusement and disgust. “Figured you’d be hungry, but you don’t have to go feral on me. They have more.”

He juts a thumb back the way he came. Must be the cafeteria. Or maybe a restaurant or something.

Nia just hums a happy sound, continuing to stuff her face. The ingredients have a distinctly non-human taste to them, the spicy red bits just a step to the left of a human world pepper, but it’s still undeniably human-inspired.

She’s just finishing her last bite when she hears “Nia!” from somewhere up above.

Nia looks up, hand over her eyes. Junie peels away from a small flock of flying types, diving down and flapping to a stop just before she would‘ve crashed into the top of the stone wall.

“I wish you’d stop doing that,” Nia whines, hand on her chest.

“It’s fun!” Junie chirps. Her eyes are bright. “You ready to try out the baths? I’ve been waiting for like an hour! Firebutt said I shouldn’t wake you.”

Tobias casually shoves Junie off the rock wall. She disappears over the edge with a squawk, then flutters back up with a glare.

Oh, the baths! She’d forgotten. “I’d love to try them, but don’t we need to talk to Will?”

“He can’t meet with us until later,” Tobias grumbles. “Fidel said he’d come find us when he’s ready.”

“Which means we can try their fancy baths!” Junie presses.

Nia smiles, then falters when she looks at Tobias. “You could come with us and see if they have, uh…anything for fire types?”

Tobias waves her off. “Go splash around in your fancy water. I’m not done looking around anyways.”

Nia watches him a moment longer, uncertain. He’d been in a bad mood last night, and they hadn’t had a chance to talk about it. Before she can push, though, Junie is flapping madly at her back, nudging her forward by her shoulders.

“C’mon! C’mon!”

Nia laughs, letting the rookidee guide her towards whichever building the baths are housed in. “I’m going, I’m going! We’ll come find you when we’re done, Tobias!”

Nia hears Tobias grunt in agreement before she’s pulled away entirely.

————————————————————————————————

The bathhouse is impressive, a larger building with a few deep, bathtub-like basins cut out of the stone floor. Tiny lidded pots circle the edge of each one, and there’s a makeshift drain cut into the bottom of each basin.

Late morning seems to be an unpopular bath time for the settlement. There’s a large white-and-black sheep Pokemon taking up almost the entirety of one basin, dozing peacefully in milky water. Nia can’t imagine cleaning up the wet fluff he’ll leave behind will be fun.

The only other Pokemon inside are a grumpy-looking anteater with fiery colors and pipe-like ridges on his body, and a large blue toad Pokémon with bubble-like lumps on his arms and head. The two of them are standing at a counter and the toad greets Nia and Junie with casual hospitality, so they probably run the place.

After confirming that they’re here for a bath, the anteater ambles over to a wooden ladder that leads up through a gap in the ceiling. He climbs it and disappears onto the second floor.

The toad leads them to one of the smaller bath basins, placing a cover over the drain and warning them to stay back. Then, a wooden gutter is lowered from the ceiling at an angle, tipped right over the bath. A few moments later, steaming hot water gushes down the gutter and begins to fill the basin.

“Whoa,” Junie murmurs.

Nia watches, fascinated, and looks up to find more gutters inlaid into the ceiling, each positioned above a different basin. It’s a really cool system. How long would it take to make something like this?

The toad gathers a few of the clay pots filled with soaps, offering them for a sniff so Nia and Junie can pick a scent they agree on before pouring it into the bath. Once they do, the water quickly froths with bubbles and the soft, soothing scent of lavender wafts throughout the room.

Junie hops onto Nia’s shoulder, watching the toad Pokemon work. Then she whispers, “D’you think he makes the water himself?”

Nia twists up her mouth. “What? No!”

“He might,” Junie says, playfully serious. “He looks like a water type, and we don’t know where that water comes from.”

“So you think he just spits it out himself?!”

“I’d bet ten breakfast burritos that that fire type went upstairs to heat up the water. Why else would they need a water type here too?”

Nia looks again at the toad, pasting on a smile when he glances their way. “Wouldn’t that be…unhygienic? It would come from his mouth!”

“I’m just saying! It’s gotta be hard to get fresh water up here. A water type would be super handy for that.”

Nia hates that she has a point.

When the basin is mostly full, the toad croaks a signal of some kind, and the water trickles to a stop. The ropes holding the gutter in place reel up, lifting it to lock back into the ceiling.

The toad wishes them a relaxing bath and says to let him know if they need anything. He lays a couple of cloth towels on the edge of the bath before ambling away.

Junie wastes no time fluttering into the bath. She stays near the edge where it’s shallower, fluffing her feathers and splashing about like a bird in a fountain before settling into a relaxed puddle.

“Ohhh my God. Nia, get in here, this is awesome.”

Nia hesitates.

“C’mon! You’ve bathed in rivers, right? Water type spit can’t be any more nasty than that!”

“It’s a lot more nasty!” Nia protests, but finally dips a foot in. It’s hot, almost too much so, but it feels wonderful. Slowly, Nia wades in deeper, then sinks down to sit until the water comes up to her chin.

Okay, mouthwater or not, this is so nice. The water feels clean, at least, frothy with bubbles and scented with relaxing lavender. Nia melts into it, slumping against the curve of the rough stone basin and letting her limbs float.

They both relax for a while, soaking in the quiet and warmth, until Junie speaks up.

“So since we’re having girl time—painting our nails, fluffing our hair…”

Nia opens an eye, giving Junie an amused look.

“How’s the whole thing with you and Toby going?”

Nia opens both eyes now, giving her a confused look. “What do you mean?”

Junie, floating on the surface of the water like a rubber duck, squints at Nia. “…Huh. So you really are just oblivious. Wonder if Toby is too.”

Nia sits up. “Oblivious? About what?”

Junie waves her off with a wing, sending water droplets scattering. “Nothing. I’ll tell you if it gets annoying.” Then she tilts her head. “Wonder if I could get a betting pool going with your friends at the guild. Oh, Bo would definitely be in.”

“A bet about what?!”

“You’ll figure it out eventually,” Junie dismisses. “Hey, did I ever tell you about the time me and my cousin dumped a bunch of bubble bath into my neighbor’s pool?”

Nia frowns. She’s not happy that Junie is hiding something from her that’s apparently about her, but she knows better than to push when Junie has already made up her mind.

Instead, Nia scrubs at her fur as she listens to Junie’s story, relishing this rare opportunity to take an actual bath for once. She even dunks underneath the water, coming up soaking wet. She shakes out her fur to splash Junie, and the rookidee shrieks and splashes Nia in return.

Eventually the bath starts to cool. Junie hops out first, ruffling her feathers, and Nia uses one of the towels to cover the little bird and rub her dry. Then, when Junie is a puffball, Nia does the same for herself, combing her short claws through her fur to smooth it.

They thank the two Pokemon running the bath, then head outside. Nia takes a deep breath and stretches, enjoying the way the cool breeze slips through her nearly-dry fur.

“What now?” Junie says, looking up at Nia. “Find Toby?”

“Probably. We’ll need to meet with Will soon, and I want to make sure Tobias is doing all right. He seemed a bit upset last night.”

“Don’t know how you can tell that apart from his usual grouchiness,” Junie jokes. She flaps into the air. “I’ll look for him!”

Nia watches as Junie swoops over the rock wall and to the left, flying high above the canyon below. She really has made a lot of progress since they last saw her. Nia needs to thank Bo for looking out for her friend and teaching her so much in such a short amount of time.

Nia shakes her head and goes right, looking around for her partner’s distinctive orange scales. People wave and nod to her as she passes, and she stops once or twice to exchange quick pleasantries with ‘mon they met at the convention.

Nia smiles as she walks by a hopscotch court drawn onto the stone walkway. Pokemon—probably on the younger side from how they screech and chase each other, stumbling over too-large paws and feet—play on it, hopping across and jeering at one another. A Pokemon that looks like a cross between a honeycomb and a bee floats effortlessly over the hopscotch squares, and two other kids (notably on two legs) yell that that’s cheating.

It’s just past the kids that Nia spots Tobias, leaning against the rock wall and watching the children play with a distant expression. He looks up when he notices her.

“Hey. Get your fill of fancy water?”

“I did, thank you very much.” Nia reaches his side and bumps his shoulder, then holds up her arm. “Feel my fur.“

“Why?”

“It’s soft! Seriously, feel it!”

Tobias rolls his eyes, but pets the fur on her arm. Then he stops, looking surprised, and does it again, as if entranced.

Nia laughs, and Tobias yanks his hand away.

He looks away, flushing. “It’s…fine.”

“Smell me too! I smell like a candle!”

She leans closer to him, and Tobias shoves her back, cheeks burning darker. “I’m not smelling you, you weirdo!”

Nia laughs again, burying her nose into her own neck fluff to take a deep whiff. Oh, she is going to miss these fancy baths. Her fur is silky smooth, finally free of dirt and sweat. She needs to talk to Maggie about getting something like this at the guild. She bets she could get a petition going.

Junie finds them shortly after, alighting on the rock wall and smirking at Tobias, who is still cherry-red. It’s pretty adorable.

“What’d you do?”

“Made him pet my arm.”

“Ooh. That’s evil.“

“I just wanted him to feel how soft my fur is!”

“Exactly.”

Before Nia can decode what Junie is talking about, someone clears their throat behind her. She turns, surprised, and looks up to see a brown deer Pokemon with yellow, eye-like antlers smiling down at the three of them.

“Hello. I hope you all slept well.” He takes a sniff of the air. “I see you found the baths!”

Normally Nia isn’t one to turn down a friendly conversation, even with a stranger, but the casual greeting makes even her pause. Then, her eyes widen as she recognizes the voice. “Oh! Fidel?”

“At your service.” Fidel bows his head, then transforms with a flash of purple light back into his zoroark form from the night before.

“Why do you morph so much?” Junie asks with a tilt of her head. “If you aren’t gonna prank people like Asher, then it seems like a lot of effort.”

Fidel laughs. “Not at all! That’s like asking why a water type swims if he doesn’t have anywhere to be. It’s instinctive. Like…stretching a muscle. Keeps us sharp, too, for situations where we do need to transform.”

“Such as?” Tobias asks, crossing his arms.

“Well…” Fidel thinks for a moment. “It’s important to be able to disguise in more populated areas. Especially if we need information but want to stay discreet. If we blend in, no one questions us.”

“‘Us?’”

“Asher and I.”

“You bring your son along on missions?”

Nia elbows Tobias, giving him a look. She knows he’s suspicious of Will and Fidel and everyone else here. He doesn’t need to be rude about it!

“I like to have him close by,” is all Fidel says, though his smile is tight. He flicks an ear, then turns. “Come along. We can talk as we walk. Will is available if you’re ready to meet with him.”

“Sure!” Nia trots after the zoroark, and Junie lands on her shoulder a moment later. She can hear Tobias follow after them.

As Fidel asks how they liked breakfast, he leads them to a building nestled right in the middle of the settlement. It doesn’t look any different from the others, medium-sized with slices cut from the clay and stone to act as windows. The zoroark opens the front door, leading them in.

The area inside is relatively small. It’s a sitting area of sorts, with cushions around a small fire pit, and a table with chairs nearby. A wooden ladder against the wall leads up through a gap to the second floor.

“This is more of a casual meeting area,” Fidel explains. He leads them to a door at the back wall without breaking stride. “But considering the sensitive nature of the conversation we have in mind, we’ll meet with Will in the back.”

“‘The back?’” Junie whispers. “Okay, that does sound sketchy.”

“Not you too!” Nia mutters. “Come on, he just wants some privacy. We are talking about the end of the world here!”

Nia follows Fidel through the door. Considering it’s set against the back wall, where the building meets flush against the cliffside, she expects to enter a small room. A bedroom, maybe.

Instead, Nia stops in surprise as a cool draft slips past her.

Junie, on her shoulder, murmurs, “Whoa.”

Ahead of them, Fidel moves without hesitation into a…tunnel. It must cut straight into the cliffside, and it goes deeper than Nia can immediately see the end of. It isn’t dark, though, instead lit by lanterns lining the walls.

“Wait,” Nia steps closer to get a better look at the lights. “Are these using—“

“Electricity?!” Junie shouts, making Nia wince.

“Hm?” Fidel pauses, looking back from his place farther ahead. “Oh! Yes, aren’t those incredible? Ash is pretty taken with them. You humans have come up with some amazing technology.”

“How’re they…holding the electricity?” Tobias asks, clearly curious but not wanting to make it obvious. He looks at Nia and Junie, the two humans in the tunnel.

Junie holds up her wings. “Don’t look at me!”

Nia’s brow furrows as she tries to remember elementary school lessons from over a decade ago. “W-Well. In the human world I think electricity runs through a…wire? And it heats up until it’s so hot that it glows. I think that’s how it worked with old bulbs, at least.”

“But where does the electricity come from?” Junie asks. “They don’t have outlets and wires and stuff here.”

“Our electric type residents give us the energy we need,” Fidel answers, waiting patiently farther down the hall. “Will has been trying to set up electric lighting in all the buildings, but it’s difficult with only a few electric types living here and such a big area to cover. He also has the tendency to get distracted by other projects, so for now this one is on hold.”

“I get that. I’m easily distracted too,” Junie says, tracking a dust mote as it floats by.

“Speaking of…” Fidel says. His voice is light, but he tilts his head in a clear bid for them to keep moving.

“Oh! Right!” Nia hurries to catch up to Fidel.

The tunnel goes a bit farther into the mountainside before opening up to a large room, also dimly lit by electric lanterns. There are three more tunnels leading out of the room, and Nia wonders for a moment what kind of rooms they lead to and how deep they go.

A table sits in the middle of this room, with round cuts of stone positioned around it to act as stools. There’s also a large bookshelf full of tomes against the far wall, and a desk covered with papers at its side.

Hovering at the desk is Will. The yamask is crowded close to someone Nia thinks, for a moment, is a decoration rather than a Pokemon. They almost look like a mix between a totem pole—all colorful geometric patterns and black accents—and a…bird? They have thin, angular wings, and bring to mind art that Nia had seen somewhere in the human world. Maybe Native American or South American pieces? They have no hands, so they’re holding onto a few of the papers with psychic energy. The two of them are murmuring to each other, deep in discussion.

Fidel clears his throat.

Will’s thoughtful frown vanishes as he looks up. “Ah, come in, come in! It’s good to see you three again.”

Will hands his own papers over to the totem-bird, then leaves their side to greet the newcomers. He shakes Nia’s hand, skin cold in the brief moment of contact, and nods with a warm smile at Tobias and Junie.

“Good to see you too!” Junie chirps. “Nice digs you’ve got here.”

Will chuckles. “Thank you. It’s not much, but it works well enough. We wanted to build a safe inner space in case the outer homes became uninhabitable in poor weather, but it doubles as a great area for our research. And for discussing more, ah, sensitive topics.”

The totem-bird tilts their way at that, looking at them with a single cyan eye. Then they wordlessly take the papers they’d been reading and hover down one of the tunnels until they’re out of sight.

Will gestures to the table. “Would you like to sit? I hear you all had a long journey yesterday.”

“We did!” Junie says. She sits first on one of the stools, and then—when that’s too short for her to see over—opts instead to perch on the edge of the table itself. “I thought my feet were gonna fall off.”

“We carried you half the way!” Tobias protests, taking a seat for himself.

“Nia did.”

“You don’t weigh a lot,” Nia says, taking a seat too. “But we were definitely happy to see this place. Thank you for letting us stay for a few days.”

“Of course,” Will says. “Any human—or friend of humans—is a friend of ours. Our little settlement has grown a lot in the past few months, but we’re always happy to see new faces.”

“And yet somehow everything here is free,” Tobias says, almost casual if not for the accusatory stare he’s sending Will’s way.

Will sits down across from Nia, placing his golden mask face-up on the table. Unsettling human eyes stare blankly at the rock ceiling. “We have quite a few of our people acting as gatherers, and we’re working on building an agricultural system for this climate as well. So we don’t need to buy much to survive.”

“But you buy some of it.”

Nia kicks Tobias lightly under the table, fighting to keep a pleasant expression on her face. He stubbornly refuses to look her way.

“We do,” Will agrees. “We sell some of the goods the artisans make here, like our soaps, tools, and clothes, and that gives us a decent fund for necessities.”

“Human-made goods are considered luxury items,” Fidel adds, taking a spot at Will’s left shoulder, like a second-in-command at a guild. Even from his place on the floor, he’s taller than everyone sitting on the stools. “Humans craft differently than Pokemon do.”

“They really bring in that much coin?” Tobias asks, clearly doubtful.

“Dude,” Junie says, looking both amused and exasperated.

Will laughs. “Tobias, if I’ve done something to earn such distrust, you’re more than welcome to ask me about it directly. Or in private, if you prefer.”

Tobias’ face flushes, embarrassed to be called out. But he just huffs and crosses his arms, leaning back as far as he can on the stool without falling off.

“Look, you haven’t done anything…wrong, really. You just make a lot of promises that I’m not convinced you can keep, and you’re so vague about everything. Plus, you’re, y’know.”

Tobias gestures vaguely at Will.

Will just seems amused by this conversation. He raises his brows. “I’m..?”

“That!” Tobias says, pointing with a scowl. “You have all the reason in the world to get mad about me being so suspicious of you, but you aren’t.”

Nia peeks at Will, embarrassed and guilty and yet somehow a little relieved that Tobias is just putting everything out there.

Will hums, leaning forward to rest his chin on interlaced hands. “Well, I’m certainly not going to get angry with you for being cautious. I actually think a bit of suspicion is healthy when dealing with those you don’t know well.”

Nia blinks at Will, surprised. He’s always seemed so welcoming, so Nia had assumed he was more like her and just put his trust into people.

Tobias makes a low sound, unconvinced.

“As for being vague and making promises?” Will’s smile turns a little sad, a little self-deprecating. “I suppose in a way, you’re correct about that.”

Tobias doesn’t reply, waiting for Will to elaborate.

“While we are looking into all the leads we can, we don’t have as many answers as I would like to have by this point.”

“But you said you could get us home,” Nia says, voice small.

Will locks eyes with her. “And I promise you I will. That’s why I’m all right with making such promises despite not knowing exactly how I will achieve them. This is all I care about in this world. In a way, it is my life’s work. And I’m determined to accomplish it and return us home, no matter what.”

Nia nods, trying to swallow the uncertainty in her chest. There’s so much conviction in Will’s voice, a fire in his eyes, that she can’t help but believe him.

Tobias, on the other hand, still seems unsatisfied.

“And the funds to build this place?” Tobias asks. “You didn’t have any artisan ‘mon or goods to sell until after it was made, right?”

“Correct. I saved up for years to get the money, doing odd jobs and the like,” Will answers. “And I made quite a few friends over that time who were willing to help me get it started.“

“Like myself,” Fidel confirms, smiling. “Will and I were friends before we started working towards the same goal. He’s the one who told me all about the human world.”

“And that’s why you want to go to the human world with Asher?” Junie asks. “Because Will is?”

Fidel’s happy expression fades. “I decided long ago to follow Will, but like most of the other natural-born Pokemon who want to cross over, this world’s deterioration is definitely a factor. I…worry. About Asher growing up here. Perhaps the human world will be kinder.”

“I don’t know if the human world would be kinder, really. I like this place better, personally.” Junie glances at Nia. “But to each their own, I guess.”

“The human world can be plenty nice,” Nia protests.

“Even if they don’t turn into humans when they cross over?” Tobias asks.

Nia opens her mouth, then closes it, looking away. Which she knows is an answer in itself.

Fidel doesn’t seem surprised. “Even if we don’t turn into humans ourselves, we always have our illusions to rely on. They’ve gotten us this far.”

“I’m sure we can get you set up just fine,” Will says, all confidence. “I’ve learned a few things about making a new life in a new world since coming here, and I was doing just fine in the human world before.”

Nia perks up at that. “Oh! Right! You probably remember your human life since you’re a yamask, right?”

“What did you do before becoming a Pokemon?” Junie asks curiously. “Were you like a motivational speaker or something?”

“I was an accountant,” Will laughs. “Incredibly boring work, I’m afraid. I’m more interested in knowing about you all! Nia, you said in your letter that you remembered a bit about your human life after falling ill, correct?”

“Yes!” Nia leans over the table in her excitement. She’s shared a few of her memories with Tobias, and he sort of gets it since he lost his own family, but not completely. He wasn’t human, after all. “I don’t remember everything, but I remember some things about my family! I have a mom and a brother, Clay. And my best friend Toni is basically my sister.”

“That’s wonderful,” Will says, smiling warmly. “I can tell you’re close by how you talk about them. I’m sure they miss you terribly.”

Nia feels a stab of grief in her chest, so abrupt that it steals her breath away. She doesn’t like thinking about that, about her family wondering where she is and when she’s coming back and if she’s okay. “Y-Yeah. I really miss them, too.”

She misses joking around with Clay and Toni. Misses talking about school and everyday nonsense with her mom. Misses their house and their old swingset and the comforting routine of her human life.

Slowly, Nia sits back on her stool again.

“It’ll be all right,” Will says, reaching across the table to pat Nia’s hand. Despite the cold, it’s comforting. Almost parental. “We’ll get you back home to your family. I promise you that.”

Nia gives him a watery smile in response.

“Have you recovered any memories?” Will asks, looking at Junie next.

Junie cringes. “Uh. Yeah, some. I don’t, um. Really wanna go back, though.”

“Is that so?” Will asks, visibly surprised.

Junie opens her mouth, probably to deflect. Then her eyes flick to Nia, and she sighs. “…Look, I don’t have a lot I want to go back to, okay? I’m still too young to live on my own and I don’t have the best relationship with my parents. They don’t  really…like me. They think I’m too annoying.”

Nia hears Fidel suck in a breath. Will frowns. Even Tobias seems offended on Junie’s behalf. Nia tries to parse the words she just heard.

Too annoying? Sure, kids can be a bit much, but what kind of parent doesn’t like their own child? And openly enough for their child to state it as surely as the sky is blue or the grass is green? Like it’s fact?

“But they love you, right?” Nia asks, quiet.

Junie scoffs. “Sure. Maybe. Doesn’t matter if I can’t tell, though.”

There are a few moments of heavy silence.

Nia suddenly understands Junie’s adoration of Bolat. The skarmory is clearly as fond of her as she is of him, which must’ve been…new, for her.

Nia’s heart aches.

Fidel speaks up first, expression pained. “I’m sorry to hear that, Junie. No child should ever feel unloved by their parents.”

“Guess my parents didn’t get the memo,” Junie mumbles. “Probably happy to be rid of me, honestly.”

“Then that is their loss,” Will says, sharper than Nia expects.

Another moment of uncomfortable silence. Even Junie and Tobias look surprised by Will’s anger, sudden and biting. Nia would’ve expected Fidel to be angry, being a parent himself, but…

Will takes a deep breath, then lets it out, smoothing one hand across the tabletop. The other latches onto his golden mask. “…Apologies. I’m afraid that’s a bit of a sore spot for me. Well, for the both of us, I suppose.”

“Did…” Nia hesitates. She doesn’t want to be nosy, but… “Do you have kids? In the human world?”

Will smiles. “I do. Well, I expect I do by now.”

“You expect you do?” Tobias asks.

“When I first came to this world, my wife was pregnant. If time passes at the same rate in both worlds, then our daughter was born years ago.”

“I’m so sorry,” Nia murmurs.

“Thank you.” Will’s voice is rough, so he clears his throat before speaking again. “You can imagine why I’m so set on finding a way home.”

The yamask’s gaze shifts down. He strokes wispy black fingers down his mask, tracing the lifeless eyes etched there.

“I did not have the greatest parents myself, Junie,” Will continues. “But I was…so excited to be a father. I just can’t understand parents like yours. I’m sorry that you had to deal with that.”

Junie shifts on her feet, clearly uncomfortable. “Oh. Um…thanks? I’m not too broken up about it anymore. I think I like this place better anyways.”

Will looks up at that. “…I suppose that’s good. Just remember that there’s more than your parents’ disapproval waiting for you in the human world. They matter much less when you’re an adult, and I wouldn’t want you to avoid returning to the human world for something so temporary. You still have a whole life ahead of you.”

Junie looks like she wants this conversation to be over, so she just nods. “I guess I can understand why you want to go back so badly, if you have a wife and kid you actually like.”

“I just want to know they’re all right,” Will says. He gives Nia a sad smile. “I expect you want the same, with your own family. To see them again. Laugh with them and hold them. Grow old with them.”

“More than anything,” Nia says, throat tight.

It’s one thing to have someone be sympathetic to her situation, but it’s different knowing they actually understand where you’re coming from. That they’re feeling the exact same pain you are. Even Hazel, sweet as she is, has already established a life here in the Pokemon world. She has a husband and kids and grandkids. A business and a life. She’s lived here for decades. It’s just not the same.

But Will gets it. He gets it.

“Now,” Will says. He straightens, face falling back into a more neutral expression. “Much as I’d love to sit and reminisce, I believe you came here for a reason, yes? You mentioned to Fidel that you have important information regarding the natural disasters.”

Nia has to take a moment to collect herself, so Tobias starts. “Yeah. Recently, we learned the cause for…well, everything that’s happening in our world, basically. Not just the natural disasters. Nia thought you might be able to help us with a solution.”

Will exchanges a serious look with Fidel. “That’s…certainly more than we were expecting. Please, tell us what you know.”

Tobias glances at Nia. She gives him a weak smile and a thumbs-up, so he gestures with his chin for her to start. They’re getting good at summarizing everything they’ve learned so far, after retelling the sequence of events to Maggie, August, and Junie.

“You know the letter I sent a while ago?” Nia asks. “About Giratina trying to pull me into the stream?”

Will’s expression darkens. Fidel, behind him, frowns but doesn’t look surprised. Will must keep him in the loop.

“Yes?”

“I did some research,” Tobias says. “And realized there was someone who could give us some answers about Giratina. A shedinja to the south, named Edme.”

Will’s face twitches, brow furrowing before smoothing out again.

“We got sidetracked on a different mission first, though,” Nia says. “And long story short, Giratina sort of…helped us out?”

With how Will had insisted humans avoid Giratina at all costs, Nia expects the yamask to look surprised.

Fidel does.

Will simply narrows his eyes, calm and collected. “You’re certain about that? That he was trying to help you?”

Nia exchanges a look with Tobias.

“Preeetty sure,” Tobias drawls. “We probably would’ve died on that mission without him.”

Fidel’s ears pin back, alarm passing over his face. He looks at the three of them in turn, as if to make sure they’re all right.

Will simply hums. “Interesting.”

That’s…it?

“That’s it?” Tobias asks, echoing Nia’s thoughts. His tone is more caustic than the voice in her head, though. “You were so against anyone even talking to Giratina in Ghatha, but you believe that he was helping us? Just like that?”

“Oh, I don’t believe that he helped you out of the goodness of his heart,” Will says, waving the idea away. “I can believe that he helped you, as long as there’s another motive behind his actions.”

“You’re…not wrong,” Nia admits. “I, uh. Actually talked to him, in Shivergleam.”

Will frowns. “You talked to Giratina?”

“Through a reflection?” Fidel asks.

Tobias snorts. “Nope. Edme tricked us and Giratina pulled Nia into his dimension for a little chat.”

“What?” Will floats off his seat. “You were pulled into the Distortion World?”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Fidel asks.

“What did he say to you?” Will cuts in.

“W-Well…” Nia leans back from the intense expression on Will’s face. “He told me his side of the story, I guess? Everyone thinks he was banished to the Distortion World because he attacked another legendary, but Giratina and Edme said that wasn’t true.”

“Likely story,” Will murmurs. He shakes his head. “Continue, please.”

“Um. He said that the fight between him and Cresselia started because Arceus went dormant, and the other legendaries panicked. Since more and more of them were falling asleep and they didn’t know why, tensions were, uh. High. He told the other legendaries off for abandoning the mortal realm and Cresselia attacked him. He was just defending himself.”

Will makes a doubtful sound in his throat, clearly not buying it. Fidel seems more open to the idea, frowning but listening intently.

“The Lake Trio banished him to the Distortion World in all the chaos,” Tobias picks up. “And now Giratina can’t do anything, since he’s stuck there. But he thinks he knows why everything is falling apart—why the legendaries are going dormant, why the mystery dungeons are forming, why the natural disasters are increasing, even why humans are showing up.”

That makes Will straighten, eyes flashing. “They’re all connected? Surely us humans don’t have anything to do with it. That’s just fear-mongering.”

“We aren’t causing the disasters,” Nia agrees. “We’re just…another symptom of the root problem, like everything else.”

“And that problem is?”

Nia tries to remember how Giratina had described it. “Giratina said that his world, the Distortion World, is kind of like a…shell. It’s wrapped around the Pokemon world, which would be the fruit. It encases it. Protects it.”

Will nods.

“And it has…borders, somehow. The…outer skin of that shell, I guess. Giratina said that everything that’s happening is from that border weakening.”

“Weakening?” Fidel asks. “Like it’s…wearing thin?”

Tobias shakes his head. “The border is going to break. Something is going to rip right through it and crack the shell wide open.”

“Going to?” Will echoes.

Nia nods. “He said it hasn’t actually happened yet, because time doesn’t work normally there. But the closer we get to that point in time here, the more severe everything gets.”

“And when we reach that point in time…” Will murmurs.

“He pretty much implied the world would end. That it would be a thousand times worse than what we’re currently seeing.”

Fidel’s red mane bristles, like a cat. He looks horrified.

Will, on the other hand, just seems deep in thought. He has one hand at his chin and the other on his mask.

“What could cause something like that?” He murmurs.

“Giratina said it’d probably have to be a legendary,” Nia says. “Since it’d have to be something super powerful, and most Pokemon don’t even have the ability to affect the border. It’s more like…a sheet of life energy or aura, rather than a tangible, touchable thing.”

“But aren’t most legends already dormant?” Fidel asks.

“They are,” Tobias says, dragging a heavy hand over his face to pinch at his eyes. “So we don’t know how it’s going to happen.”

“Is it predetermined?” Will asks. “Inevitable?”

Nia nods. “I suggested trying to stop it before it happened—whatever it is—but Giratina seemed pretty positive that it was set in stone.”

Everyone falls silent as they digest that. Nia can hear the quiet hum of the electric lanterns on the walls. Will is absentmindedly tracing the lines of his mask, brow furrowed. Fidel is glancing anxiously at the tunnel they arrived through, as if itching to go find Asher. Tobias is staring at the lanterns, tapping his claws against the tabletop. Junie, probably wanting a bit of comfort, hops off the table and into Nia’s lap. Nia makes room for her and cards her fingers through the bird’s soft feathers.

“Giratina said that all of this is connected to humans showing up in this world, correct?” Will finally asks.

Nia nods. “Giratina said that the human world—well, a few different worlds, actually—are right next to this one. Like…fruits on a vine. And since the border is weakening, human souls are starting to…slip through, somehow?“

“Mew’s the one who transforms humans into Pokemon and suppresses their memories so they can acclimate better,” Tobias adds. “They were working together, according to Giratina.”

“That would explain how it was done,” Will murmurs. “Considering she is supposedly the progenitor of all Pokemon.”

“Giratina said Mew transformed every lost human she could find,” Nia says. “Any that she missed, turned into, uh…yamask.”

She feels a bit awkward explaining that. Giratina’s words linger in her skull, that yamask have a harder time acclimating to the Pokemon world. That they’re not…built for it, really. Not fully accepted.

Will barks a bitter laugh. “Well, that explains a few things. So if human souls are slipping through without intent, then we are here entirely by accident?”

“Seems like it,” Tobias snorts. “Yet Giratina still decided it’s apparently Nia’s job to fix this mess.”

“And how does he propose you do that?” Fidel asks, wary.

“Well…since the border is made of life energy, and we’re pretty sure it’s going to break no matter what…”

“Our only idea is to fix it immediately after it breaks, before the damage is fully done,” Tobias finishes. “Most legendaries are already dormant, but there are two that were asleep naturally before Arceus fell.”

Fidel’s eyes widen with understanding. “Yveltal and Xerneas?”

“The gods of…destruction and new life, correct?” Will asks.

Nia nods. “Giratina is hoping that since the two of them were already in a 1,000-year sleep cycle, that we can wake them early somehow.“

“Wake Xerneas early,” Tobias corrects. “Yveltal would probably just make everything worse.”

“Hm.” Will tilts his head. “I suppose he would.”

“So that’s our plan.” Nia says, the words feeling anticlimactic. “Right now we’re just trying to find Xerneas.”

“Which I assume is no small feat, if no one has stumbled across her yet,” Will says.

“That’s what we were hoping to get your help with,” Nia admits. “We have no idea where to start. Giratina only said that she should be here somewhere, in the Pokemon world.”

“August, our guild leader, is looking into it with the archivists, but Nia thought you might have different sources of information than they do.”

Will doesn’t answer right away, looking back down at the golden mask on the table. His hands are steepled in front of his mouth. “Nia, did you ask Giratina about returning to the human world while you were in his dimension?“

Nia blinks, caught off-guard by the sudden change in topic. “U-Um. Yeah, I did. He said that attempting anything like that while the border is unstable would basically be suicide.”

“Odd,” Will murmurs. “I would think it would be easier to travel between worlds while the border is weakened.“

Nia had thought the same thing. The border weakening is how they got here in the first place, after all. But either Giratina is wrong about his own domain, or…

Nia frowns, a prick of unease making her shift in her seat. “Do you think he was lying?”

“Perhaps. If Giratina is truly so desperate for your help, Nia, then he wouldn’t want to risk you leaving before the border is fixed. Making you too afraid to even try hopping back to the human world is certainly one way to accomplish that.”

“But why would he need to lie at all?” Junie asks. “This is Nia we’re talking about here. There’s no way she would just leave everyone behind while this world is falling apart. She’d obviously help fix the border before going back to the human world.”

“Either Giratina doesn’t know Nia’s character very well,” Will says, looking up to meet Nia’s eyes. His expression is grave. “Or…”

Nia’s ears pin back under the weight of Will’s gaze. “O-Or what..?”

Will is silent for a long, long moment. “…Or he’s worried that despite your character, you won’t fix the border if you know the consequences of that decision.”

The…consequences?

“Think about it. Fixing the border means sealing the only known entry point between the human world and this one. Which is also our only known exit point.”

It takes a moment for the implications to sink in.

Nia stares at Will, stricken. “If we fix the border…we’ll be stuck in this world forever?”

“It’s a possibility.”

Nia shakes her head. No. No, there has to be a way. Some way to fix this world without cutting off their only route home.

“Breathe, Nia,” Fidel says, quiet.

Nia had almost forgotten the zoroark was here. She looks at him, uncomprehending. He takes an exaggerated breath, waiting for her to match him before releasing it. Once, twice, three times. Slowly, her rising emotions plateau into something manageable.

“S-So then what do we do?” Nia whispers. “I-I can’t—there has to be some way to do both. Some way to fix this world and still get us home.”

“We don’t know that fixing the border will cut off your only way back to the human world,” Tobias points out.

“True,” Will says. He is clearly deep in thought, but he doesn’t seem panicked by this realization. His serene expression calms something in Nia, too. “I had already been looking into methods for traveling between worlds without Giratina’s help anyways, so this is simply another factor to take into consideration.”

“B-But if Giratina thinks it’s impossible—”

“The gods can be wrong just as often as mortals can,” Will says, voice hard.

Nia doesn’t know what to say to that. But strangely, it gives her some hope.

“So…does this mean you’ll help us look for Xerneas?” Tobias asks, eyes narrowed.

“Yes,” Will says, “Whether Giratina is lying or not, the fact of the matter is that we can’t find a way home if we all die from this calamity first. So finding Xerneas to stabilize the border takes priority.”

“How noble of you,” Tobias says, sarcastic.

“It’s basic logic,” Will says with a smile and a shrug. “Of course I want to go home to my world as soon as possible. But first we must survive this world. With any luck, perhaps the answer to one problem will lead us to the answer for the other.”

Will’s confidence that they can still do both—that they can fix this world and find a way back home—feels like a soothing balm over Nia’s frayed nerves. She definitely doesn’t want to abandon this world and everyone in it to a terrible fate, but she doesn’t want to seal away their one chance at returning home to the human world, either.

There has to be a way for everything to work out.

“Thank you,” Nia breathes. She realizes she’s holding Junie a bit too tightly, and relaxes her grip.

“So we’re officially switching focus?” Fidel asks, looking at Will.

The yamask nods. “Yes. Number one priority is to track down Xerneas or Yveltal.”

There’s a beat of quiet.

“Isn’t that the, uh, destruction guy?” Junie asks. “Didn’t we say we don’t want to wake him up?”

“Correct,” Will says. “But if we can find one legendary, their counterpart will likely be nearby, yes?”

They all look to Tobias and Fidel, the two natural-born Pokemon in the room.

Tobias’ face twists in thought. “That…sounds right, but I haven’t heard any stories about Xerneas or Yveltal in forever.”

“I believe legend states that they do sleep near one another,” Fidel confirms.

Will claps, straightening up with a smile. “Excellent. So we have our next step, yes? We locate Xerneas, wake her, and enlist her aid in fixing the border once the break occurs. Do we have a guesstimate for when that will happen?”

“W-Well, Giratina said it would definitely happen within the year. But I don’t think he was sure other than that? It could be sooner.”

Will nods. “Then we shouldn’t delay.”

“Would you like me to notify the research team?” Fidel asks.

“Please do.”

Fidel rises to his paws, shoots Nia, Tobias, and Junie a quick smile, then lopes down the tunnel the totem-bird had disappeared into earlier.

“Thank you so much for helping us with this,” Nia sighs, turning back to Will. “You don’t know how much of a relief it is having your support.”

“Of course,” Will says with a comforting smile. “Thank you for coming to me.“

Will grabs his mask and moves off his stool. Nia and Tobias follow his lead, getting to their feet. Junie hops onto Nia’s shoulder to hitch a ride.

“So what now?” Tobias asks, glancing down the tunnel Fidel and the totem-bird researcher had vanished into. “We go back to the guild and you let us know if you find anything?”

“You’re welcome to stay here at the settlement for a bit,” Will says. “While I doubt we’ll be able to locate either legendary immediately, it should only take a few days for us to give you a better idea of where to search.”

“That soon?” Nia asks.

Will floats a bit higher, looking proud. “My research team has access to a wide array of resources. Give us a couple of days and we can give you at least a vague idea of where to start looking.”

Nia smiles. “That sounds great. Thank you, Will.”

“Of course,” Will gestures towards the tunnel they entered from, as if to guide them back outside. “We’ll be sure to keep you updated, but let Fidel or I know if you need anything in the meantime.“

“Why the rush, Will?”

Nia nearly trips over her own paws, not expecting the distinctly feminine voice from the mouth of one of the inner tunnels. It sounds strangely familiar too, light and teasing with a sharp undertone, but surely it can’t be—

“Rosalind?” Tobias hisses under his breath.

Sure enough, there’s a hatterene leaning casually against the opening of one of the tunnels, her pink and blue colors bright against the natural tones of the cave. She has that same sly smile curling at her lips, dark eyes glittering beneath the hat-like piece on her head.

Will squeezes his eyes shut, looking distinctly irritated for a moment before pasting on a smile and turning to meet Rosalind’s eyes. “Rosalind. Finished with your tea?”

Rosalind laughs, dainty and light, then shuffles forward to meet them. “I was wondering who you had to meet with so urgently. You know I like to stay in the loop on these things, Will.”

“That I do,” Will sighs. After a moment of hesitation, he turns to present Rosalind to them. “Nia, Tobias, Junie, this is—"

“We’ve met,” Tobias says, tense.

Will falters, frowning as he looks between the three of them and Rosalind. “…Is that so?”

“It is! These three are some of my cutest little workers.”

“How…nice,” Will says, stilted.

Nia understands the awkward tension in the air. She feels unsure about this whole situation, too. Rosalind isn’t exactly shy about being a shady underworld informant, so why is she here with Will?

For a moment, Nia considers Tobias’ ever-present suspicion of the yamask. Glancing at her partner, who has yet to look away from Rosalind, it’s clear that any rapport Will had built during their previous conversation has been wiped away. And for once, she can’t really blame him. What would Will need Rosalind around for?

…Then again, they needed Rosalind’s help to find the outlaw trio that Tobias is after. Who’s to say Will doesn’t have a similar arrangement?

Nia takes a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. They all have their reasons.

Rosalind’s dark eyes focus on Nia, and her smile grows. Right. Empath. “Good to see you again, Team Scarlet.”

“Wish I could say the same,” Tobias grumbles. He glares openly between Rosalind and Will. “Why are you here? How do you two know each other?”

“How forward of you!” Rosalind mock gasps, putting the hand of her hair-tentacle-arm thing over her mouth. “Don’t you know a lady’s affairs are private?”

Will sighs again. “Rosalind and I are…acquaintances.”

“Is that all we are? Come now, Will, we’ve known each other for years.”

“Rosalind.”

Rosalind smiles sweetly, clearly enjoying herself.

Nia isn’t sure how to feel about…any of this, really.

“Fine, fine.” Rosalind looks back to them. “Consider us…business partners, of a sort. You know that I like to stay informed about all the goings-on in the world. I can’t let an entire group of humans go off on their own without knowing what they’re up to, can I? I’m not very fond of surprises, after all.”

Nia…supposes that makes sense. Still, she exchanges a guarded, doubtful look with Tobias.

“So you get information. What does Will get out of your…partnership?” Tobias asks.

“He already told you some of his assets came from old friends, correct?” Rosalind says.

“You were listening to our conversation?” Junie blurts.

“Yes. A bit rude, perhaps, but it’s also rude to leave a guest waiting.”

“What do you want, Rosalind?” Will asks, sounding very tired.

“So impatient,” Rosalind tsks. Then she smiles at Tobias. “Since fate decided we should cross paths, I just wanted to offer a little tidbit of information that Team Scarlet might be interested in.”

Tobias straightens, eyes flashing. “Is this about..?”

“It is. Are you interested?“

Tobias glances at Will. “Not here. But yeah.”

Rosalind hums. “Fair. Will, darling, would you mind giving us a moment?”

Will does in fact look like he minds, but after a few seconds he relents with a stiff smile. “Of course.” He turns back to the three of them. “I’m going to confer with the research team. I’ll speak with you all later.”

Nia nods with a shaky smile. “Sounds good. Thanks again, Will.”

“Thank you as well,” Will says. Then he turns and heads down the tunnel Fidel had disappeared through, sparing Rosalind one last glance before vanishing.

Rosalind looks back to them. “Now, where were we?”

“First,” Tobias says, arms crossing. “What’s the price?”

Rosalind laughs, louder than earlier . More genuine. “You catch on quickly, don’t you? Good.“

Nia exchanges a worried look with Junie. Rosalind makes her nervous in the best of circumstances, but especially when they’re “negotiating.”

“My price is low this time around. I won’t even draw up a contract, seeing as this meetup was unexpected.” Rosalind leans over them, closer to their faces. Nia leans back, gulping.

“Personal space?” Junie mumbles.

“All I want,” Rosalind whispers, and the quiet tone puts Nia even more on edge. “Is for you to inform me immediately if our dearest Will makes a move to go to the human world.”

Nia blinks. “…W-What? But we aren’t—we’re only trying to find Xerneas right now. He can’t make the jump until we fix—“

“Can’t he?” Rosalind asks, smile dropping. She tilts her head, locking eyes with Nia.

Nia feels her stomach drop.

What exactly is Rosalind implying? That Will isn’t going to do what he says he is? That he’s going to try to go to the human world without fixing the Pokemon world first? He wouldn’t do that, not when it would mean disaster for everyone.

He…wouldn’t, right?

“What do you know?” Tobias asks.

“Mm. Nothing substantial.” Rosalind straightens up with a pleasant smile. “Just a hunch. I’ve known Will for years. He’s more desperate than he appears.”

“E-Even then, he wouldn’t do that,“ Nia protests. “It’s not safe to try until the border is fixed! For either world.”

“I wonder. Grief has it’s own kind of logic, to those desperate enough.”

Nia falls silent, wishing Junie was in her arms to hug instead of perched on her shoulder.

“Anything that sets off alarm bells, you tell me about immediately,” Rosalind reiterates. “Deal?”

“W-Why?” Nia can’t help asking. “Why do you want to know?”

Rosalind tilts her head. “Because that idiot is either going to make a horrible mistake with repercussions that I do not want to deal with, or he is going to be my ticket to safety when this world falls apart. Either way, he cannot be trusted to act in my best interests.”

Nia falls silent. She desperately wants to defend Will, but she also feels like arguing with Rosalind is liable to get her mysteriously injured. Or worse.

“Deal,” Tobias says. “If we notice anything, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.”

Rosalind smiles. “Good. In that case, here’s your payment. Are you familiar with Kaleido Bay?”

That does sound familiar. Nia looks to Tobias.

“The city to the south, right?” He asks, frowning. “Where the road meets the sea?”

“That’s it,” Rosalind says, turning to stroll along the wall of the room. “It’s had trouble with damages recently due to natural disasters, but it’s a lovely little city. Lots of shops.”

“Okay?” Tobias says with a scowl. “What about it?”

“It won’t be to your liking, Charmander,” Rosalind says, reaching out to tap at one of the lantern lights. “Half the city is floating above the waves and other half lies beneath them. However, it does hold something of interest, other than shops.”

Nia glances at Tobias. He’s tracking Rosalind closely, fists balled.

“Kaleido Bay, funny enough, holds a prison under its waves, reserved for particularly dangerous criminals."

Oh. Oh no. Nia’s stomach sinks.

“They caught them?” Tobias rasps, taking a step forward.

“They caught one of them,” Rosalind says, turning back to them. “The pangoro, Dismas. He’s under tight security, but if you’d like to talk to him I can arrange a conversation.”

“Yes.” Tobias doesn’t even hesitate, taking another step towards the hatterene. “Please.”

“Tobias,” Nia murmurs, laying a gentle hand on his arm.

He jolts, as if he forgot she was even there.

“Are you sure you’ll be…okay? Seeing him?” Nia whispers.

She can’t help thinking about Tobias at that crobat’s home in the desert. Overwhelmed by grief and destroying the gifts left on the outlaw’s grave. She’d never seen him so…lost in himself before. It was scary.

Tobias swallows. He looks away. “I have so many questions. I have to talk to him, Nia.”

Nia squeezes his arm once before letting go. “…Okay.”

Junie snuggles closer to Nia’s neck. Nia appreciates the warm point of contact and leans her head into the touch.

Rosalind smiles. “Excellent. In that case, go to the prison in Kaleido and ask to speak to Jude, on behalf of Rosie.”

“Rosie?” Junie mumbles, just loud enough for Nia to hear.

“When Jude arrives, tell him you need to speak with prisoner D22. And no, he does not get a choice. He either lets you in, or I tell his superiors about Sahara City.”

Nia doesn’t want to know what this Jude did in Sahara City or just how much trouble he’ll be in if Rosalind rats him out. Even the vague threat directed at someone else sends goosebumps down Nia’s arms.

Rosalind is terrifying.

Nia can tell Tobias is unnerved too, his shoulders tense, but he simply nods. “Got it. Anything else?“

“No, that should be it.” Rosalind smiles at them. “You’re free to leave. Good luck.”

Without looking away from the hatterene, Tobias herds Nia and Junie towards the tunnel they’d initially entered through.

“Actually, there is one more thing,” Rosalind calls, stopping them in their tracks.

Nia peeks over her shoulder, past Tobias. Rosalind has moved over to the desk with papers scattered atop it, looking idly through them.

“Remember that I do know you’re human now, Riolu. Rookidee.” Rosalind’s voice is calm, but Nia’s breath catches all the same. “And rumors can be a nasty, nasty thing to deal with nowadays. So step carefully.”

“Hey!” Tobias barks. In the low light of the cave, Nia can see embers glowing through the thin skin of his jaw. “I said we’d keep up our end of the deal.”

Rosalind smiles sweetly, looking up at them from across the room. “Then we shouldn’t have any issues, should we?”

Tobias growls under his breath and nudges Nia down the tunnel. Nia does actually stumble over her own paws this time, in her haste to leave.

They’re all silent as they exit the tunnel into the outer building, then even farther outside into early afternoon air. It feels…wrong, for the day to be bright and sunny, all blue sky and cool, fresh air, after such heavy discussions.

Nia takes a deep breath, leaning against the warm stone wall of the village. Tobias follows. The Pokemon—humans—of the village pass around them, still as carefree as ever. Nia can hear the children they’d passed by earlier shouting and laughing in the distance.

“Anyone else kind of hate Rosalind?” Junie asks.

Nia gives a nervous laughs. “I could do without her jump-scaring us, that’s for sure.”

They both look at Tobias, expecting him to respond as well. Instead, he’s looking out over the trees of the mesa, brow furrowed. Looking south, towards Kaleido Bay.

“…Tobias? You all right?”

Tobias takes a breath, shaking his head. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Thinking about Kaleido Bay?”

Tobias nods.

“I thought so,” Nia says, quiet. “When are we leaving?”

Tobias looks up at her, surprised.

Nia lifts her brows in return. Does he really think she’s going to let him go on his own? He should know better by now.

Tobias laughs a quiet, humorless laugh. “You know you don’t have to come.“

“You know I am,” Nia murmurs in return, reaching out to take his hand.

Tobias’ mouth twitches with a smile before falling again. “Kaleido should only be a day’s walk south. We could be back in a couple days and see if Will’s found anything by then.”

Nia nods. “So what time?”

“We could leave early tomorrow morning and get there by late afternoon.”

“Okay,” Nia says, closing her eyes as she leans back against the stone wall. Tobias joins her, hand still clasped in her own. Junie is unmoving on Nia’s shoulder.

Quiet falls over them again. Nia imagines they’re both thinking about the same things she is. Finding Xerneas and saving the world from destruction. Will’s promises and Rosalind’s suspicion. Tobias and the outlaw he’s going to talk to all too soon.

Nia wants to believe that everything will turn out okay, but there’s a pit in her stomach all the same.

[fannyrosie]

Back in August, my mother, my sister and I did a three day roadtrip to Lake Placid in New York State, where the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics were hosted. We hiked and visited Adirondack natural wonders the two first days, but because my health was starting to fail me on the second day, we kept the third one for visiting the Downton Abbey costume exhibition at the Lake Placid Center for the arts.

On our way to the exhibit, we passed by the Pines Inn, formerly known as the St. Moritz Hotel, a hotel built in 1907. I had wanted to stay at that hotel, but my mom refused, saying it was in poor shape and looked haunted on the hotel booking sites (she wasn't wrong, but I love that stuff, as you know). I still insisted for us to at least visit it, and we sure did NOT regret it. We stumbled upon one of the concierges (or new owners, correct me if you see this!), and he loved my outfit so much that he gave us a tour of the hotel, including in areas closed to guests. He told us that Albert Einstein and the Kennedys had been guests at the hotel, that there was n*de sunbathing on the roof in the 1930s and that a lot of the furniture was original. Sadly, after the 80s, the hotel slowly went into decrepitude and abandonment, and many things got stolen and damaged. The new owners are currently working hard to restore the hotel, and it's indeed a lot of work.

Outfit rundown Dress: vintage Ingeborg (Pink House) Velvet michiyuki: vintage Hat: Rudsak with added brooch by Fuwari Gloves: vintage Shoes: old Clarks Bag: second-hand Vivienne Westwood Belt: thrifted Big British stamp brooch: second-hand Jane Marple Small marine cat stamp brooch: Via Carousel Anchor and crest brooches: vintage Earrings: old Dracolite

[undertheorangetree]

To Be Alone With You

Summary- Osferth becomes infatuated with a healer from the continent.

Warnings- MDNI 18+ NSFW. Female Reader. Osferth's got a big old crush. Like he’s down bad. Blood. Minor injuries. Shoddy knowledge of 10th century healing. Blasphemy. Admittedly more plot than porn. Cunnilingus. Masturbation. P in V sex. Against a wall in a church no less.

Author's Note- The fact that Osferth canonically fucks and is good at it to the point where women fight over him lives in my mind rent free. Anyway read the rest on ao3 link is belowww

dividers by me lmao

Osferth likes to think that he's different now. Or at least, that he has changed since first joining Uhtred. He's grown further into himself- his confidence, his ability to be a warrior, that he himself has changed as a whole. He's stronger now and though he still values his faith, it does not feel so all consuming, an anchor around his throat forever reminding him of his bastardry. He is proud of the man he has become, of the one that he continues to grow into, and it feels right that, over time, he has changed for the better.

But he seems to forget all that the moment he lays eyes on her.

She had arrived with a traveling priest from the continent, one who had come with the intention of spreading the word of God to the infamously heretical ealdorman. And though she traveled with a priest and his retinue, she wore no habit. Her hair was loose, catching the waning rays of the sun and he felt his heart stutter in his chest when he caught the colour of it shining in the light. She had caught his eye then, as their little ship docked, and smiled at him so brightly he felt himself fall back into the boy he once was, the cursed baby monk.

Though Uhtred had wanted to throw the whole group out at the first sign of a sermon, he agreed to give them a night in the inn out of respect for how long they had been traveling- after they had paid a small fee, of course- and Osferth had managed to catch her in the tavern later that night.

The words had caught in his throat the moment he tried to speak, but Finan had been with him and it had been easy for him to ask if they could join her and begin a conversation. He had nursed his mug of ale while they spoke, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of her further, and joined Finan in highlighting all that Coccham had to offer. Finan had quickly become drunk, but they had found a joint amusement in that and he had revelled in every smile she cast his way. They learned that she was the priest's healer, having studied in Frankia before deciding to join the priest in order to see what the world had to offer. She told them of her travels to Burgundy, Provence, and the Northern Byzantine Empire, regailing them with stories Osferth could only dream about. Uhtred had joined them midway through the conversation, allowing Osferth the opportunity to join her on her bench, their arms brushing against each other.

By the time morning came, the priest had gone and she had stayed on as their healer. Uhtred offered her a cottage and the promise to retrieve everything she could possibly need. He had grinned at Osferth the moment she turned her back on them, raising his eyebrows playfully, and he had felt his face begin to burn from how obvious his immediate infatuation must have been.

At first, he simply admired her from afar. Though he is proud of all the progress he has made to become the man he is now, that all seems to melt away when he is around her. More often than not, he stumbles over his words when he tries to speak to her, face burning scarlet and heart beating faster in his chest. It is clear that the others know of his infatuation, as they do everything in their power to facilitate some kind of interaction between them. Inviting him over when they are speaking to her, offering her his assistance whenever she needs it. Finan had gone so far as to shove him in her direction whenever he felt like causing trouble, though thank God he had only stumbled into her once. She had done little more than laugh then but he had avoided her for two days out of sheer humiliation.

It is safer to simply keep his distance. Though he enjoys talking to her- more than enjoys it, if he is honest with himself- he does little more than embarrass himself when he tries. He wants more, he wants everything, but for now he will settle for admiration. Distance.

It seems kinder. To both himself and her.

He can see her now, walking back to her cottage with a basket full of herbs and flowers she must have picked nearby the river. There is a woman walking with her, one he doesn't know well enough to know her name, but they are laughing as if they are close friends. The other woman reaches out to rest a hand on her arm and he watches longingly as she raises her own to clutch at the other woman's fingers. He cannot hear what they're saying over the echoing clack of the wooden swords the boys are using to practice- a sparring match he is admittedly supposed to be monitoring- but she has a pull on him he can't quite explain and he can’t bring himself to look away.

It comes with consequences.

Read the rest here

[venussaidso]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 — 𝘈𝘚𝘏𝘞𝘐𝘕𝘐𝘚

Johnlock is an Ashwini-Ashwini ship. Dr John Watson, played by Ashwini Moon Martin Freeman, is the known fictional physician companion to Sherlock Holmes, played by Ashwini Moon Benedict Cumberbatch, who is a sociophathic investigator. The deities that rule this nakshatra are physicians and Ketu nakshatras are known to be cast as mystery-solving investigators. Sherlock's high intelligence is in connection to Ashwini, the nakshatra known for speed and an active mind.

Clara Oswald is to the Twelfth Doctor is what James Watson is to Sherlock Holmes, I just realized. The Twelfth Doctor and Sherlock Holmes portray a similar archetype of Ashwini; both prone to isolation, their intellect and sense of superiority being at the expense of their human emotions, the two being driven by their genius and recklessness. As stated before, Ashwini nakshatra is related to an active intelligence. And it is interesting that the companions they form a deep love and respect for are also Ashwini natives themselves.

Clara Oswald and James Watson embody another side to this Ketu nakshatra which balances and challenges the antisocial genius archetype. As both their partners are abrasive and cold, they counter that by bringing emotional insights and grounding foundation to the dynamic while still being able to keep up with their speedy wit (specifically Clara with Twelve).

For Sherlock Holmes and James Watson, they function like complementary twins— being opposites that fit together. They become inseparable because they offer what the other lacks. These two literally have a deep, unhealthy attachment to one another. But it's not as worse as Clara and Twelve.

Because Clara Oswald and Twelve's relationship evolves to them literally becoming mirrors of each other. As Ketu sucks things in, we see how much Clara takes on his personality through her evolution. She adopts his personality, as he does hers. Their connection becoming so deep that it shapes their identities, until their relationship actually becomes their identity. Which speaks to how receptive Ashwini can be, also speaking to the 1H themes and Libra being the 7th house from Aries.

Clara actually starts to be an equal in the series when she's by his side, the pair functioning like inseparable twins, anticipating each other's thoughts and actions. Their co-dependence and affection for each other so intense that it is addictive as it is destructive to those around them. Their separation ultimately leading him to obsessive, destructive, desperate behaviours — as he feels like he lost a big part of his identity as well. Exactly how Sherlock Holmes would react had he lost Dr James Watson.

In addition to this, but more different, there are two Beauty-&-the-Beast tropes of this Ashwini-Ashwini dynamic. One is Spike and Buffy who have a relationship in which one character embodies the humanity and goodness the other craves and has a choice to learn from, although their toxic duo is marked by conflict and co-dependence.

The Ketu nakshatras being associated with Beauty in this trope, as well as the Beast (after the Jupiter naks of course), highlights the theme of their relationship. His character is marked by darkness and a longing for acceptance, while she seeks to understand the complexities of those around her. He represents the Beast, as she is initially repulsed by his vampirism, before she sees beyond his monstrous exterior to see the vulnerability within.

In the kdrama Sweet Home, Sang-wook is a contract killer who is out of touch with his humanity and it is when he meets a nurse caretaker, Yu-Ri, that he finds himself caring that deeply for someone in such a short amount of time, her presence making him reflect on his actions and identity.

Casey and Kevin in Glass embody this trope the most, as she is the only person who consistently shows empathy towards Kevin’s true self, becoming an anchor for him and reminding him of his humanity amidst his inner turmoil.

This complex dynamic is interesting as it nods, twice, to Casey's Ketu influence. She embodied the final girl nakshatra lord when the Beast devoured its victims and she survived, then she became Beauty to the Beast albeit more twisted in "Glass".

This trope extends to other Ketu-Ketu pairs which I have touched on before.

There is a sense that each character helps the other define or remember who they are in all of these Ashwini pairings as this nakshatra is prone to losing touch of oneself (such as Sherlock or the Twelfth Doctor straying from their humanity and isolating) or not even knowing one's place in the world (much like Spike and even Kevin). The presence of the other Ashwini shapes the behaviour, thoughts, and actions of the other, making their bond almost integral to their sense of self. Touching on those 1H themes, this is what the entire Aries section is learning, but this is Ashwini's important journey.

The Ashwini-Ashwini pair is much like twins who grow up shaping each other’s identities, where the presence of one is key to understanding oneself. And the inseparability of Clara and Twelfth is so twin-like, that of course their companionship to me is literally parallel to this nakshatra's deites; the twin brothers, Ashwini Kumaras, who have adventures and many achievements together (just like Clara and Twelve traveling and going on many adventures). I have noted months ago, maybe even a year from now, that the Ashwini-Ashwini pair can be a nod to that. It may signify having or seeking your soul's other half (neither romantic nor platonic), being how twins are usually described.

[bubble-leaves]

Money - Reth x Reader

cw / subtle angst

The day has come to a close. The sun has set, the crickets are chirping outside, and the candles in your home have been extinguished.

You had invited your boyfriend to stay over at your place for the night; today was hard for him. Against their deal, the cartel Reth was involved with had raised the price for Tish’s flow treatment. To keep up with this new flagrant price, Reth may have to work at the inn until midnight, now. He didn’t understand. His payments were always on time, always. Why was he being punished so cruelly?

Reth sits upon your comfortable bed, his eyes without shine. He’s in casual pajamas and his bandana and jewelry are off. In his peripheral vision, he can see you lighting the wick of your small homestead lamp that sits on your nightstand. The soft light is comforting to him, yet you know he’ll need a lot more than just light to make him feel okay right now. You stand directly in front of him. Reth looks up at you, a look of pure heartache on his face. He sighs as you cup his face with your hands.

“It’s gonna be okay,” You whisper, before pressing a kiss to his forehead.

He closes his eyes and softly hums in response. When you pull away, he gazes back at you sadly.

“I’m gonna help, okay? Any extra money you need, I got you,” You assure.

Reth’s brows furrow together with sorrow and he shakes his head. He pulls his face out of your hands.

“No, you aren’t,” Reth says. “This is all on me. You’re not getting in any of the cartel business, okay? Over my dead body, literally.”

Your shoulders sink as you exhale. Reth has a terrible problem with accepting help, but you understand where he’s coming from here. He never wanted you involved in any of the shady business he does, he’s always let you know that. But seeing him suffer this internal turmoil is killing you.

“They won’t know the extras are from me,” You argue. “With how much you work, especially so early in the Market, they couldn’t.”

“(Y/n). I said no,” Reth affirms.

You frown. You feel a bit helpless, as though you’re watching him struggle to keep his head above water. You both stare at each other in silence before Reth finally looks away. He rubs his wrist anxiously, then decides to abandon the conversation. He crawls up to the side of your bed he’s come to call his own, and slips underneath the covers with his back to you. It’s not that he’s angry with you. He just . . . doesn’t know what to say. You know. One thing Reth will never deny is that you understand him better than anyone else.

You release a quiet breath and get into bed with him. Reth hears you settle down, but doesn’t expect to feel your back against his. His eyes shift to the side and his brows furrow. You two never sleep back to back, never ever. He hears the crackle of your fireplace in the other room as his lips purse in thought. Did he upset you? Was he too cold toward you? Quietly, Reth looks over his shoulder to check on you. He sees you breathing peacefully. There doesn’t seem to be any distress, but he still feels bad. Finally, he lets out a sigh and turns over to you. A small smile breaks on your lips as you feel his arm curl around your body and tug it against his.

“Was I being mean?” He mumbles.

You breathe out a laugh. “No, not even close. Don’t worry about it. I understand, love.”

Reth’s lips press together as he feels his heart throbbing. Your unrelenting, unwavering kindness surprises him every time. He nestles his face in the crook of your neck and closes his eyes in bliss. He pecks a few kisses against your skin as your hand caresses the arm that anchors you to his chest. The air inside the room feels fresh and comfortable, effortlessly easing the tension from a few minutes ago. Your weighted covers, the ambience of the chirping crickets and nearby fireplace, all calm down both of your nerves.

Just then, your fingertip begins tracing over the marking tattoos on his forearm. His eyes open once more to watch. He sighs deep in his throat. The memory of him being held down by several cartel members to get these inked is somehow less painful when you’re here, idly tracing the patterns. Reth wants the memory to be replaced with this very moment. Because you don’t bring him pain or fear, anger or disappointment. You just bring love. It feels so strange, but he just can’t get enough of you.

“You’re making me shiver,” Reth chuckles.

You smile, “I know, isn’t it amazing?”

He rolls his eyes before closing them, a big smile on his face too. “It is. But you’d know all about amazing, huh?”

“Mhm,” You smile, turning over on your other side to face him. “Like giving you 10,000 gold a week. How’s that?”

Reth’s smile drops. His mouth hangs open in pure shock for a beat, then he snaps out of it.

“Babe, that’s, like, nearly 3 weeks of me working at both the inn and the Market,” He says.

You shrug. “Would that cover the costs?”

His wide eyes blink a couple of times. “Well . . . I mean, yeah, but . . . ”

His words trail off as the arm around your waist retracts a bit. Your lips part with regret; maybe you should have laid off the pestering. Instinctually, your fingertips brush along his arm as it subtly moves. Reth looks down. It’s hard to decipher what he’s feeling. You wait patiently for him to continue. Just then, Reth looks up to you with eyes glossed over with tears. You softly gasp. His brows are furrowed upward in something resembling sorrow and confusion.

“ . . . I don’t get it. Why are you so insistent on helping, even in the face of danger, just for me?” He asks in a low, quivering tone.

Your head tilts to the side. You’re taken aback by his words.

“What do you mean, ‘just for you?’ Reth, I love you,” You emphasize.

Reth’s eyes close tight after those last 3 words. One single tear streams down his cheek. Then another. And another. You deeply frown and use your thumbs to rub them away, listening as he tries to keep his breathing steady. He’s never wept in front of you before. But, like usual, you seem to know exactly what to do. Reth softly grasps one of your wrists, then looks up at you.

“I have no idea how you do this to me,” He says with a bittersweet laugh. “Ah . . . not so tough when I’m with you, huh?”

You smile and caress his cheek back and forth with your thumb. “It’s fine to cry, crying is good.”

Reth stares at you for a second, then groans and hangs his head. “Dragon, why are you so . . . ugh. I am so lucky to have you.”

You giggle, just before pressing a sweet kiss to his lips. It’s clear that he just needs to stop talking for a minute. He quietly moans due to the delightful chill you send down his back. He kisses you back immediately, with the same softness, until you let go to speak.

Eyes half-open as you pull back, you say, “Money is the least thing I could give you, okay? This isn’t no loan, this isn’t no mooching, this is me just helping you out until the price is lowered again.”

Reth sighs, clearly still bothered by this notion. He opens his mouth to refute, but he recognizes that he’s not going to make you sway on this matter, despite how dangerous it could be for you.

You continue after a spell of silence. “And what am I gonna do with all the extra money I get, anyway? Buy a farm?”

Reth’s concerned expression is abandoned for a smirk. “I mean, you could.”

You brush a stray hair from his eyes and nod. “I could. But I’d rather spend it on you.”

“Damn it,” Reth says under his breath, his face feeling hot.

You giggle as you watch him blush and shift his shoulders, flattered. Normally, he’s the one that would say something like that to you. Reth didn’t know that it felt this good to hear.

“Okay. Okay, fine, just . . . don’t bring it into the inn or the Market. Just give it to me when I ask, here,” He finally compromises.

A soft gasp leaves his lips as you kiss his forehead again. He didn’t really expect another one.

“I got you, don’t worry,” You murmur. “Just get some rest, okay? I’ll be here.”

Those words make him feel so safe. Reth closes his eyes with a sigh and melts into the crook of your neck. His arm wraps around your waist again. You sweetly caress his arm up and down as he hugs you tight. His face is a rich maroon and his spine feels pleasant tingles floating down it. Suddenly, the world doesn’t seem like it’s crashing down on him. You would never let that happen, anyway; you are Reth’s fortress. And he feels so secure in your arms, comforted by your warmth and your kind spirit. He doesn’t know what he did to possibly deserve someone like you loving him like this, yet he’s inspired by the unconditional prospect of it. Reth wants to love you in the exact same way.

He feels your fingertips softly brush over his skin until he falls asleep, in a state of pure peace.

[menubot]

In 1968, Lump Crabmeat Cocktail for only $1.40 at Anchor Inn Seafood Restaurant http://menus.nypl.org/menus/27678

[dollwrites]

𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 ∣ smut ( minors dni ), fem!reader, noncon ( it borders on dubcon though ), mention of guns, anonymous sex, all characters featured are aged 18+

𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 ∣ please reblog && leave feedback. not proofread so there’s probably mistakes. thanks for reading < 3

𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗿𝗯𝘀 ∣ prompt # eighteen // sex in an onsen

you kept your head tilted back against slick stone— gaze fixed on the long barrel of a rifle leaned up against the jagged rock only an arm’s length away. he hadn’t exactly threatened you with it, but the very air around him seemed to be a warning in itself when he’d ordered you out of the water, so you’d obeyed ( albeit cursing him quietly ). you’d been staying at a nearby inn for the last week or so, and you couldn’t say that he looked familiar. he must not have been local, which made you all the more nervous about the fact that he’d managed to catch you alone in the onsen.

he was a man of few words, as soon as you stood up in the water, he had your body arched over it and your legs spread, taking only a moment to drop his garb and spit in his hand, slathering it over a hardening cock before he plunged into you.

the pressure forces a mewl from your lips, and when his thick, calloused hands settled on the flare of your wet hips, he jerks your body forward to meet a greedy pace. at first, your eyes glared up at him as you protested, but when you saw that such a thing wouldn’t work on him ( not even a twitch in his stoic expression ), they had fallen over the body of the stranger fucking you. lean, but deeply chiseled and rugged, with faded battle scars. he was a soldier, at least at one point, made obvious by the blue of his garments discarded, which would explain why he was so heavily armed. looking at his body, watching the muscles in his lower abdomen dance beneath his skin when he thrusts forward was putting you into a trance. your hands wanted to reach out, grab his forearms as he held on to you with an angry grip, and anchor yourself to your assailant. that wasn’t right, and you knew it, but you couldn’t deny it felt good. his pace was not an overly rough one, and even the way your walls fluttered around the girth he provided was not unpleasant—

“Fuck, you’re tight, don’t get fucked much, do ya?” he muttered under his breath and clenched his jaw; you could watch the healed scars on his face shudder. as if spurred to do so, your insides spasm, clamping down on him harder in response. good. you wanted to be so tight that he felt like he was being strangled— your little way of getting him back for the assault.

“Go— to hell—“

you squirm, groan, and try to sit up, but he scoffs, one of his hands planting itself on your naked breast, his fingers splaying out as he pressed his weight on your chest, “be still.” he’d demanded, pinning you tightly with your back against the stone, so you’d eventually dropped your head back, focusing instead of the rifle. your body slid against the rock, leaving your skin raw and feeling irritated, but you reach out with one hand towards the weapon, considering pointing it right in his face and demanding he let you go. the stranger huffed and snorted as he mounted you, fucking you with reckless abandon.

the rifle appeared almost as a witness— the steam curling up around it, enveloping it in a thick blanket. the man notices where you’re reaching, and a rough grunt escapes his lips, “Wanna shoot me, girlie?” his tone was low and taunting, as if he knew that even with the gun within your reach, you wouldn’t be able to.

you still nod, though. if you knew how to use that thing, you’d fill him full of holes.

“Get in line, sweetheart.”

suddenly, the sensation of rough skin— broken and calloused— on your face makes you start. his fingers have traversed up the side of your neck and grasped your chin, forcing your eyes back to him. “Look at me,” he demands. you don’t want to do as he says, and you know the reason why.

you didn’t want to enjoy what was happening to you.

but you, eventually, allow your gaze to lock on with his, and you feel your stomach sink at the lustful, greedy look in deep, abyssal eyes.

for several, agonizing moments, there was nothing but ragged breath and skin slapping as he stared into your eyes. his teeth clenched, snorting through his nose like a wild animal. and you, trying to kill every whimper that threatened to break the barrier of your pursed lips as the thick, throbbing tip of the stranger’s cock battered your sensitive, spongy interior nerves. he could see the struggle in your eyes, the conflict with yourself, your determination to pretend you hated it as much as you should. the spectre of amusement passes across his expression, before he pushes his fingers against your lips, smearing the scent of salt and sweat across them, pushing them open so he can worm his digits inside, making you taste him.

“Cute.”

[kinicheous]

home | kinich

for a person of natlan, falling in love with someone from outside of the borders might be the worst curse of all.

genres/notes: angst-ish, fluff-ish, mildly suggestive, mentions of possible death (let me know if something is missing!)

“how often do i have to tell you?”

on the other side of the door, the inn is buzzing with gleeful people. you can faintly hear them cheer and talk, glasses clinking and entertainers performing. on this side though, it’s quiet, so quiet that kinich’s voice reverberates through the silence. or perhaps it’s the proximity—his words fan your skin, that’s just how close he is as he hovers above you.

“i’m from natlan. i can get revived at any time,” he says. “you’re not.” he emphasizes his statement by squeezing your intertwined fingers, pushing your hand deeper into the sheets below you. “you can’t, y/n. one mistake and it’s over.”

you’ve seen kinich worried. he trusts you enough to easily wave you off every time you go on a journey, but at times where you return with more than just a couple of wounds, you can’t blame him for getting worried nonetheless.

today is different though. he’s never seen you this battered and patched up, and you’ve never seen him this upset. not worried, but upset, on the border to irritated. you can tell in the half-lidded eyes that bore into you, and the weight of it makes your own divert away to anything and everything else in the room.

“so, what? it’s like that for every adventurer, it’s not like i’m gonna quit being one,” you mumble, genuinely meaning your response but not able to sound as confident as you’d hoped, “besides, i came home this time too, didn’t i?”

a small gasp escapes you when his other hand finds your chin, his fingers digging into your skin just enough to make you turn to face him again.

“what about next time? what about the day you don’t come home at all?” kinich mutters, leaning even closer until his forehead rests against yours. “how often do i have to remind you?”

“kinich, i—...” you try to argue back, though words blending in with the room’s silence when you feel his breath tremble against your lips; beneath all that frustration, there’s a tinge of pain ringing in his tone; a pain that echoes into your chest as well and for a brief moment, it makes you imagine what it’d be like if the roles were reversed. you can’t imagine trading your current for anything in the world but you simply can’t blame him either.

you make another attempt. this one, however, is also shut down when the gap separating you closes without as much as a single warning—the desperation in the kiss anchors you to the plane of reality, and so does the next one, and the next one. you’re slowly given fewer and fewer opportunities to breathe in a way that isn’t through sharp inhales and yet, there’s a part of you that outweighs a need so primary human. kinich parts from you for a mere second, locking your eyes during that instant, before tilting his head to the other side, and as his hand slips from your chin to gently caress your cheek, you wish time would stop,

“kinich, i’m sorry,” you try again, barely getting the words out between dazed touches. “i can’t give up my adventures, i— you know i can’t.”

and he nods.

kinich nods, so pliantly, like he didn’t try to argue with you in the first place. he doesn’t want to, and he makes this clear as he at last parts, “i know.” he slides further down, just enough to attach his lips to the spot below your ear, slowly but surely leaving a trail of kisses down your skin. “i would never take them away from you,” he says, with a genuinity in the purest sense of the word. there’s another pause and the longer it lasts, the more certain you become that there’s a mark soon to blossom where your neck meets your shoulder.

“i just need you to take better care of yourself,” kinich declares between gritted teeth. you feel a second squeeze from his hand, the thumb of his other running across the corner of your eye, and that’s when he gives in; he detaches himself from your burning skin one last time, opting to settle into the crook of your neck.

“don’t make me remind you again… please.”

you’re not entirely sure when he let his entire weight drop on top of you, or when your legs tangled together. neither are you sure exactly when your fingers started to feel like they were about to break in the grip of his own, but that doesn’t really matter. the events in the rest of the inn have greatly increased, but you don’t care a particular lot about that either.

for the moment, there are only two people flush against each other, closer than ever as if a gap of even a centimeter would mean the end of the world—maybe it would, for you, and for him because in this very moment, nothing else matters except the fact that you both exist in it.

you move around the slightest bit, enough to nuzzle your face into the messy strands of his hair. your fingers find their way to his scalp as well, and he sighs in what sounds like relief.

“i can’t promise anything,” you answer bluntly, having no intentions whatsoever on sugarcoating anything, though follow up with a reassurance, “but i’ll try. someone has to welcome you back next time you get revived after all.”

it’s muffled, but the groan kinich lets out against your skin is loud and clear nonetheless.

“you’re such a damn menace.”