#The balcony scene was happening and the tree was using the little magic it had to make it more magical and romantic.

[ancha-aus]

NewAgeAU Drabble - The Winter Ball

Hi!! I am back! And @spotaus and I have been talking about these a few times now and well.

It is about time I gave Ccino some happy times instead of just more trauma.

So a happy moment! Still early after Nightmare took the crown and before Killer joined them! about half a year after Ngihtmare took the crown and like... 4 maybe 5 ish months after Killer joined? Ish? Spot please correct me if i am wrong on the timeline Lmao.

*---------------------------------*

Ccino frowns as he checks the list.

This isn't right.

Ccino looks back at the decorations in the hallway and stares at the very warm light green colour of the decorations hanging high.

That is not the colour he had picked out for this party.

Ccino frowns as he crosses his arms. One of the few cats sitting by his feet staring at the decorations with him.

Ccino hums "I agree. It is unlike them to not follow my directions." Ccino is still getting used to his new title and role in the house. Things had been easier now that Nightmare felt ready to be the king and had found his balance with his new duties. It is unlike the others to not follow Ccino's lead.

Ccino is honestly still confused with how easily everyone listened to his directions and orders but it makes for a very efficient running of the castle.

Ccino blinks and actually looks down at the cat by his feet. Wait when had this one sneaked into the castle.

The cat stares back at him and lets out a questioning meow.

Ccino pulls a face "Little friend. You are not helping with the rumour that I own you lot." he holds out a hand to the small cat and the cat rubs its tiny face on his hand. Ccino sighs before deciding this is probably fine. It are just a few cats. Ccino thinks there is only like five running around at this point. That isn't that bad. The cats will probably leave once they feel like it.

It is just that... The idea of people thinking they are his cats... He likes cats, that isn't the issue. He just remembers how the old king... when she thought he had owned cats.

The ache in his back flares up and Ccino takes a few deep breaths. There is nothing there. It is nothing. He just needs to calm down.

Ccino turns away from the cat and starts walking. Ignoring the small shadow following him around the castle.

It is fine. Things are fine. Nightmare doesn't mind the cats and Nightmare had been furious when someone implied whipping Ccino for some broken rule. Nightmare had wanted an explanation and Ccino hadn't been happy with it but he had managed to explain a bit. Nightmare had looks horrified and had been left shaking.

Ccino held him for the whole evening after to help calm him but that hadn't seemed to help Nightmare.

Ccino just wants Nightmare to be happy. That is all he wants and he knows that him just worrying about him won't make Nightmare happy.

Ccino spots some maids in the distance and joins them "Ladies."

The maids look slightly nervous because seeing him and smiling with relieve "Master Ccino! What do you think of the new decorations?" They look downright excited.

Ccino feels a bit bad about wanting to ask them why they messed up and decides to change his question "They look lovely. I was just wondering why the decision has been made to make them green instead of the cyan that was agreed upon?" It was suposed to be white and cyan. White to signal the winter itself and the cyan to honour their king.

The maids share some confused looks before one smiles, Robin it seems, "We were confused by the switch ourselves but our king wanted it to be a warm white with a warm light green. We were honestly lucky we had enough in supply to make all the changes."

Nightmare had requested the change? Why?

Ccino gives a nod and smile "Well it looks absolutely fantastic. How are the other preparations?"

The three happily give him an update about how the cooks are all ready with the last few changes themselves and how the band is getting ready to perform. The guards are all prepared and have a good rotation planned to make sure everyone has a chance to enjoy the evening at least a little.

There are people ready to make sure no one brings any weapons from outside the castle and the spare masks are ready.

Ccino still doesn't understand why Nightmare would want to do a masquerade ball. Ccino knows that Nightmare values the masks above everything else and he always saw the masked balls as a way that others made fun of their traditions and values.

But Nightmare had reinforced that it was of the upmost importance that this ball would be an occasion where people would walk around masked.

Ccino had thought it was a way for Nightmare to take control of the type of party. To make it something that would show the importance of the masks.

Ccino walks and thinks about the matter with a frown on his face. Walking past the ballroom and he is unable to not stop and stare in awe. It is truly beautiful. There are decorations and large ice sculptures. Other servants are setting tables and preparing the banquet tables to hold all the food.

Ccino is happy that more staff is actually staying now instead of leaving. It had been tough to get people to actually agree to work for their King. The fear of their new king is as a silent noose around their necks.

Ccino is happy to have been able to find some staff to help around the castle. Before it was just too exhausting to keep it all taken care of. The extra help was a must have and Ccino is happy to have it.

Even if their king has picked up the bad habit of picking up criminals and thieves. So far they haven't tried to do anything yet but that is mostly thanks to Captain Rogers. Ccino is still every day thankful that the new captain of the guard seems to be so willing to work with him and seems deeply loyal to Nightmare.

Ccino still has his doubts. He knows how others betrayed Nightmare and tried to trick him before. His king is already worried as it is. Ccino is trying to make sure that he at least feels safe in his own home. That there won't be any harm towards him from inside his own home.

Ccino just wants to help him. It is probably stupid to think Nightmare still needs him.

He should be happy he managed to help Nightmare until now. Enough that his king had even gifted him a mask! A mask! Ccino is still scared to touch it. It is precious and beautiful and Ccino is scared to ruin it somehow. He doesn't understand why Nightmare gave it to him, Ccino just did what was right.

He stops by the kitchen and frowns at all the food that has been prepared. It isn't that it is wrong. It looks delicious. It looks truly amazing.

They thing however is. That these are meals he personally liked to enjoy, when he could get himself to eat that is. But Ccino knows not many people like these.

Poached pears, glazed cherries, sea bass pie, coffee cream cakes.

The list just keeps going and Ccino is very sure this is not the list he put together for the party.

He knows he had spoken with his king about what he should put on the menu. They had discussed what would be liked by most and spoke shortly about their own personal favourites as Ccino had wanted to add some of Nightmare's favourites.

Ccino glares as he turns around and goes striaght towards the king's dressing room. He uses his secret pathways to make it up very quickly. He goes into the dark tiny room and holds unto a stone branch and on a large stone leaf. The stones move soundlessly as they transport him upwards a few floors.

Ccino leaves the dark tiny chamber as he continues down the hall. Some guards jump when Ccino turns the corner and he just gives them a nod as he goes towards the right door as he ignores the mutters after him.

"I thought the stairs were the other way? Where did he comes from?"

"Don't. Don't start questioning him. The king made him Head of House for a reason."

Ccino really needs to use the normal halls more. He is starting to view his secret routes as normal routes. Ccino disappears into the dressing room.

It is large and made with mostly white materials. Large mirrors along the wall and Ccino can't bring himself to look at his own reflection. Instead he walks towards the large and imposing figure in front of the large set of mirrors.

Ccino spots Sasha looking up excited as she grins. She has multiple needles in her mouth as she tugs on a piece of thick and purple fabric which makes up a large cape.

Ccino joins the king's side. Nightmare is wearing robes in a deep cyan with the cape being a dark purple.

It is... a choice.

Nightmare tilts his skull slightly as he looks into the mirror "I take it isn't the best fit?" He sounds more amused than anything.

One downside of Nightmare beign able to feel his emotions directly is that it is a lot harder to remain diplomatic about some things.

Ccino finds his answer "Both colours fit you rather well." It is truthful.

Nightmare looks back at the mirror amused "Just not at the same time." He seems highly amused.

Sasha gasps "No it is alright my lord! I just need to find the right balance!" she stares at the fabric as if it holds the mysteries of the world.

Nightmare hums as he unclips the cape. Sasha stammers but quickly grabs the fabric. Nightmare looks to the side as his tendril grabs the black furred cape with cyan and silver detailing, The one he wears daily ever since Ccino gave it to him months ago. He puts it around his shoulders and looks content "Much better."

Sasha grumbles but makes a deep bow.

Ccino feels a bit bad for her. She really is just trying her best with what she has. It has been less than a year since Nightmare took over the throne and it took him a while to get comfortable with his magic and his new position.

Sasha had had less than that time to switch everything to fit Nightmare instead of Dream as she had been trained to serve Dream, like all of them had been.

Ccino misses Dream so much. He knows Dream is safe in the neighbouring world but it still feels wrong to have Dream be exiled. He is only fourteen now and all alone. Ccino won't challenge Nightmare on his decision but Ccino still misses him.

Nightmare tugs on the cuffs on his shirt as he doesn't look at Sasha "Is the other outfit ready?"

Ccino raises a brow as Sasha looks downright excited "Yes it is ready. I will get it right away my lord!" and she runs out.

Ccino looks back as he door closes before he speaks once again "Is there something you wished to tell me my king?"

Nightmare turns towards him and frowns "I do not believe so. Why did you think I wished to tell you something?"

Ccino turns to face his king "My king, you changed the decorations and the menu." he frowns a bit "Were they not to your liking?" He thought they spoke about what Nightmare would have enjoyed at the party and they had settled on this together.

Nightmare watches him closely "I had... come to a different conclusion after some thinking." He doens't look directly at him as he messes with the cape around his shoulders.

Ccino knows that face. He knows that body language. The last time Nightmare acted like this he was hiding the fact he and Dream had broken the vase. Ccino had been more worried about the fact the two had tried to hide the shards and had gotten their hands cut off.

Ccino groans as he holds his head in his face "Please tell me you didn't break something big." Some small item is easy enough to replace but if Nightmare broke one of the painted glass windows they are in trouble. Then more pressing "Are you hurt? Do you have any issues?" He hadn't seen Nightmare get hurt yet since the attack from Dream and he settled in his new body. Ccino had just thought that the magic made him immune to harm but what if he was wrong?

Nightmare sputters and his tendrils spasm as he looks at him "I didn't break anything!"

Ccino's first instinct is to believe Nightmare. His second one is to remember how often the twins got into trouble and messed with the wrong things and how often Ccino had to quickly glue something together or repair their outfits.

Nightmare sputters as he looks to the side with something that Ccino can only describe as a pout. He knows others would call it Nightmare looking angry but Ccino can still remember the tiny 10 year old glaring and pouting with his full might.

Nightmare must notice what Ccino is feeling as he looks very embarrassed. He tugs on his cloak as he rubs the fabric "I didn't break anything..." it is said with a pout.

Ccino can't help but grin "Okay. What did Killer break?" he crosses his arms and waits with a smile.

Nightmare shakes his skull "Killer didn't breka anything either!" He sighs as he looks away "It is just. I wanted it to be perfect. It needs to be perfect for you."

Ccino is confused. He isn't even sure what Nightmare could mean with this and so he walks towards his side and puts his hand on his shoulder "Waht do you mean? It doesn't need to be perfect my king." sure it is the first party Nightmare is throwing since his ascencion. "I know that... the old king would throw parties almost monthly. But you aren't her. You don't have to follow her standards or rules." He smiles softly.

Nightmare looks at him "I don't care about meeting her standards. Everything she did was wrong... I just..." He sighs again and leans against Ccino's side "I wanted this... I just wanted to do this right."

Ccino frowns as he tries to catch Nightmare's eyes "I am sure it will be a great party Nightmare. The people are all very excited about your first official ball." he smiles.

Nightmare sighs and he just seems to sink more against his side "It isn't for them... I just..." Nightmare finally meets his eyes "You are twentyone now... I wanted this to be worthy of that."

Ccino is shocked. What... Nightmare... Is he implying that this is... all of this is for? Him?

The door creaks open and Ccino quickly pulls away as he nudges Nightmare back upright. Nightmare seems more annoyed about losing the contact than anything else. It is still hard to help Nightmare keep to etiquette or the hierarchy that his relatively new stature demands of him.

The door opens and Sasha walks in with the biggest smile on her face "I have a few options!" She walks over as she lays the outfits out and Ccino can see a cream white in the outfits as well as green accents. There is furr and beautifully crafted and treated leather into the outfits as well.

Sasha lays out four outfits and Ccino stares in shock at the many details in the outfits. Some have what seems to be snowflakes stetched into them. Others have silver on the cream white in the shape of vines with very tiny leafs made with small beads. Another one has a fabric that Ccino is very sure is a curious combination between velvet and silk.

Nightmare looks at the outfits before turning towards Sasha "They are beautiful."

Sasha preens as she puffs her chest up proudly "Thank you my lord! They were a pleasure to make and I just could not decide on a single design! I wanted to try a few thinks and I was hopeful that you two would be willing to see which was best liked?"

Ccino is still confused as he watches Nightmare interact with Sasha. Sasha ends up leaving with a bow after saying she will look forwards to hearing their likes and dislikes concerning the made outfits.

Ccino watches the door before turning towards Nightmare in shock "Nice work distracting her from you once again rejecting everything she made for you."

Nightmare blinks before seemingly just turning towards the many outfits. Ccino snorts as he shakes his skull. Nightmare does not like being figured out.

Nightmare holds up the white tunic with many silver vines and the tiny green leaf patterns. All in a cheerful range of light green. Nightmare tests the material before looking curiously at him "Which one do you like best?"

Ccino frowns at the outfits beofre shaking his skull as what he just learned hits him "Why did you order an outfit for me? It is better to just work in my usual outfit." He never needed a special outfit for the balls before. He was a servant. He is suposed to be invisible and unnoticable, especially with parties.

Nightmare looks at him confused for a moment before speaking "How will you be able to join and enjoy the ball in peace otherwise?" Nightmare looks curiously at him "It is your celebration."

A new anxiety as this once again reinforces what Ccino had feared. He laughs as he looks to the side "Oh I don't know. I mean. It is amazing yu want to to this and I appreciate it, I truly do! But I can't... I can't join the ball like that." He is just a servant. He is just another person meant to help. He is just suposed to make sure Nightmare is happy. He can't. He can't get distracted with these kind of silly fancies and fantasies! He needs to remain focused on his task!

Nightmare tilts his skull "Of course you can join the ball. It is your birthday celebration." a bit sadder "I know I don't know when your birthday is... I apologise for that. I should have... I should have asked this much sooner." more regret on his face and Ccino wants to hold the other so badly but knows he can't.

Guards are almost always around same for other servants.

Not to forget that Killer has the bad habit of just popping up randomly and Ccino is very sure he has already seen more than he should have. Ccino just knows as it is unlikely that Killer missed all of those. Ccino still isn't sure why Killer hasn't asked some questions about it yet, maybe he asked Nightmare but than Ccino does not understand why Nightmare never told him.

At least he seems content to remain loyal to Nightmare. That is good. Nightmare deserves to have something work out for him, and if that is Killer being one of his Knights than Ccino will try his best to make sure that goal gets completed. Even if he can't help a lot with it at all.

Nightmare looks at him again "I want you to be able to enjoy your birthday. To have a night to celebrate you." he looks ashamed as he bows his head. "I should have held a celebration when I gifted you your mask. It is the highest honour possible and I did not even gift you it right."

Ccino ends up holding his face as Nightmare leans into the touch. Ccino keeps his voice gentle "I know the meaning of the mask Nightmare. That is what matters. I am very thankful for it." Ccino still does not think he deserves it. It is such a high honour and Ccino is just Ccino.

Nightmare frowns at him before looking down as he keeps leaned into Ccino's hands "I just want to... I want you to be happy. I want you to have this. A celebration to just celebrate you. But I am... I am terrified they will hurt you if they realise how important you are. I can't lose you. I am sorry I am this weak."

Ccino shakes his skull as he holds the other. Nightmare is still so much taller than him and Ccino is still not used to it. Even so he holds the other and hums softly. A familiar sound even as it is soft. Nightmare melts into his hold.

Ccino leans his skull against Nightmare "You aren't weak by being afraid Nightmare. You are so strong and brave, you always keep going and trying your best to make things right. That is a hard thing to do Nightmare." He smiles before glancing back at the outfits "I... But don't you think people will realise that when I have this celebration?" He doens't want to make Nightmare stress but he doesn't understand this step in logic in the other.

Nightmare looks up and smiles a tiny bit "It is why it is a masquarade ball... You will be able to wear something nice. Something worthy for you. You can wear your mask. And for at least tonight it can just be a celebration of you. While we hide the meaning behind the winter motif and making the people happy."

Ccino feels so touched and honoured for this. How can he even explain that? He looks at the outfits and touches the different fabrics. He frowns as he still thinks this is too much. Ccino doesn't need these things.

But if it makes Nightmare happy.

He picks up one of the dresses and checks the fabric. He is quick to lay it back down and consider the tunic that Nightmare had been holding. He does really like the vines.

Maybe for one night he can just be. He can belong in the higher rings of the society. He can enjoy some food and songs without feeling guilty for not working. He can act as if he is some foreigner... Or maybe some far away relative to Nightmare.

He tries on the tunic and ends up putting on the harem pants green of colour with white detailing.

There are very beautiful shoes. Comfortable to wear as well.

Ccino doesn't want to stare at himself in the mirror and smiles at Nightmare "And?"

Nightmare looks happy as he presents with the beautiful white cat mask. Ccino blinks at it before looking amused at Nightmare "When did you retrieve that?"

Nightmare chuckles as he looks rather proud of himself. The tendrils seem to rise as well "I had hoped I could convince you to enjoy yourself tonight," and he holds out the mask.

Ccino laughs before smiling at Nightmare "Okay. Everyone should know how to manage the guests without my help." He takes the mask and puts it on. Looking into the mirror he can actually enjoy how his outfit and mask look together. It is beautiful.

Nightmare walks towards the door and waits. Ccino happily joins his side.

Tonight he can just be and let himself enjoy a piece of the life that was never suposed to be his.

Just one night.

----

Killer pouts as even more servants rush past him as he stands by the table with snacks. He had thought the party could be the perfect excuse to try and be helpful but he hadn't even found Ccino yet. Meanwhile Nightmare seems content to talk with nobles even when Killer knows for a fact that Nightmare hates talking with them.

Killer sighs as even more guests walk past him, all wearing masks. Killer had been offered some guest mask to wear but he rejected the idea.

He knows masks are a big deal. And damnit all if he is going to wear a mask it is going to be the fancy important one! Not some weak immitation! He isn't going to hide who he is unless it is for the fancy honourable one!

The one that will prove he truly belongs!

That he is worthy.

That he is trusted.

Killer sighs as he leans against the table. He already helped some of the others with set up. He spots one of the nice maids and grins as he shoots her the finger guns. She looks downright excited before running off. Killer grins, she should be on her way to ask her crush out, a colleague of her. Killer helped her set up a small dinner area. He hopes it works out for them.

At least some romances here will succeed.

Killer groans as he leans against the table and quickly hides his soul with his crossed arms. His stupid soul is doing that stupid woobly thing again. It always does when he thinks too much about Ccino. He really needs to learn to extent his pokerface to his soul.

Killer shoots it a sour look "You know. it would be easier if you just remained in my body." except he can only do that for very short moments of time. As it starts to ache and feel like a very bad sunburn but inside his body.

Killer doens't want to find out what would happen if he forced his soul fully into his body. He is scared it will find a way out.

Killer sighs as he looks at the floor. See? He doesn't even have a normal soul. How could he be someone worthy?

killer shakes his head and frowns as he speaks to himself strictly "No. Don't. Don't act stupid."

as soon as he mutters it a softer memory returns. Sitting y the fireplace and staring into it. Nightmare finding him and asking him what had been bothering him. Killer mentioning how dumb he was before, and still is.

Nightmare telling him that speaking strictly to yourself about past trauma isn't helpful. To remain gentle with your past hurt to help yourself heal. There is no use kicking someone who is already down, why do it to yourself.

Killer takes adeep breath and mutters "It is okay. That is just Chara's lies. They lied to you, things are different now. It is okay." It is okay. It is okay.

It is still hard to be a person... To be someone instead of something just following orders.

He still likes it better. Even if it is hard.

Killer watches across the room. It is large and beautiful and decorated everything perfectly. There are even fake magical snowflakes in the air above them.

It seems like a fairytale.

Killer can't help but wonder if everyone sees it like that. Like a magical evening which could be their happy ending. Killer watches ladies and men all flirt with one another as they dance to the slow jazz music in the background.

Some younger girls giggle as they shoot the guards, Killer included, looks. They clearly believe this could be their magicla night. Shame for them that Killer is one; not interested in teens, sorry kiddos, and two; there is only one person he would want to dance with.

It is honestly a crime that the very people who work hard on these celebrations can't even enjoy them.

Killer sighs as he leans against the table as he grabs one of the little cake things and stuffs it into his mouth. It is fucking delicious.

He just watches the guests dance as he frowns. Now that he thinks about it, Ccino makes very long days. Maybe he isn't here on purpose? Maybe he is sleeping? Getting some much needed rest? Killer eyes the snack table. Maybe he can bring Ccino some of the food? Ccino brought him stuff when he had hard days or late nights. Maybe he will appreciate the return of the favour...

Killer is trying to decide what to grab when he sees him. Killer turns and can't help but stare. He isn't even sure why. Others were hot and pretty but none of tem demand his attention.

It isn't even as if they are doing anything. If anything they seem content to just stand there. A white tunic with silver and green detailing. Soft looking green pants with some small white dots and shapes. The face is covered by a white cat mask. They hold a glass with some liquid as they stare at the dance floor. Swaying lightly with the music.

Killer can't help but stare. That is one of those masks! One of the special ones! It is in the way the wood looks to have a shine of magic to it. Small silver and gold detailing into the mask itself.

Killer is confused. The only person who is allowed to gift those type of masks is Nightmare! And his king does not trust anyone! Who would he even-

Oh.

Killer stares as others talk around him. Conversations he had been ignoring starting to filter through even as some people seem to try and strike up a conversation with Ccino.

"Who do you think they are?"

"Maybe they are our king's secret lover?"

"No. I doubt it. I thought our king had this thing with the Head of House? They arent exactly subtle about whatever that is."

"Ssh!! you know our king does not like when that gets spoken about!"

"Anyway!! I don't think they are connected to our king in that way... They are gorgeous! Do you think they are maybe a relative of our king from another country?"

"Maybe? It is an option... Oh i know that look! Are you going to ask them for a dance?"

"Hah! I mean. Maybe? It could be nice... Some far away royal heir. All the way here to show support to our king... We dance at the first ball the king throws. We connect and fall in love... You know what? Maybe I will! Okay how do I look? Do I look okay?"

Killer is already walking over. His mind blank except for seeing some other nobles talk to Ccino. Killer doens't like them near him.

He gets to the small group "Hello!" Everyone turns to him and Killer can see those eye lights through the mask eye holes. Staring at him with some light curiousity. Killer is so used to staring into his eyes. Trying to see what he thinks and how he thinks about him.

Killer smiles as he gives a deep bow "Hello my lords. I do hope I do not overstep but..." He looks back up and sees that Ccino has his skull just ever so slightly tilted. He usually does that when he is curious or worried... Killer gives it a go "I realised e have a guest and I was hoping you would do me the honour of dancing with me." His soul is a mess. His mind is a mess. But he wants this so badly. And this way he can get Ccino away from these people who aren't worth his time without selling out Ccino's identity! It is perfect.

The nobles mutter and huff as one laughs "You are a brave guard. How long have you been here now? Still in your first year of training." more chuckles.

Killer isn't listening to them however, he only has eyes for the other.

Ccino is still still as he looks at him. There is a moment of hesitation in those shoulders. The way he looks to the side for just a moment. But then, Ccino nods his head as he holds out a hand.

Gloves cover his hands and arms completely, hiding his skeleton shape easily without pulling attention to those items of clothing.

Killer feels nervous and giddy, almost dizzy even. But he takes the hand and it is warm and soft and Killer can feel the other's body heat through the glove.

Killer leads the other towards the area for dancing and spins the other around before placing his hands on the other.

His mind is a mess and he desperately tries to pull the memories and old classes on dancing. Their king tried to give him some classes in case he would go to a ball on a mission but those haven't been many.

Even so. He holds one of Ccino's hands in his own as he has his other hand on Ccino's hip. This would be the right moment to tell him he knows who he is, that he was just trying to help get him away from the nobles. But what if...

What if he just...

He spins Ccino in a circle and dances with him to the cheerful music.

Killer keeps looking back to the mask. Back to the eye lights hidden behind it. He wants to just stare and see if he can see what Ccino is thinking or feeling. Killer notices however that it is easy to read his body language. Ccino is curious but seems relaxed, he enjoys the music and seems to know exactly which way the music swells or falls. Killer may be leading with the dancing but Ccino is faster. In sync wiht the music.

Maybe... maybe this is what Ccino wanted. Maybe Ccino wanted to just dance. Maybe it didn't matter who. Would Ccino have accepted a dance from one of the nobles?

He probably would have... He accepted Killer's offer after all. And Killer is a criminal and a murderer.

He spins Ccino into the next dance as the music dips for a moment before a new song starts up. If this is his one chance he is taking it and enjoying it.

Ccino doesn't seem bothered. In matter of fact he spins with him as they dance. He is still silent but if Ccino is trying to sneakily enjoy the party... If Ccino just wants to be for a moment and enjoy his night. Killer won't break that illusion. He will dance with him and they will have fun. Killer can have one magical night.

For a moment he can imagine that this could be more.

He regrets not having a mask now. He wishes he had worn one. Killer could have hid behind it. He would have been able to be a mysterious handsome stranger to the other. Maybe they could ahve had a magical night... Maybe he could have left the memory of the mysterious knight from a beautiful night in Ccino's mind. Someone to think fondly off.

Now it is just him... the criminal. The murderer. The killer.

Someone that isn't even trusted yet. Someone that shouldn't be trusted. Much less deserve to be loved.

Still. Killer leads him into another dance when the music changes slightly. He swears he will let go of him if he pulls away. He swears he won't force him to dance or make him feel uncomfortable. He just wants to be part of this.

They continue to dance just like that but Killer notices. The way that Ccino seems to glance towards the table with food.

Killer immediantly remembers Ccino's strange relationship with food. The way he seems to skip meals. Killer grins at him before looking towards the side "Want to grab some? I only grabbed one of the many options but they all looked great." and he smiles. Ccino pauses before giving a slow nod. His voice is soft and not quite as he normally sounds, probably using the tiniest bit of magic to project his voice out to be able to be heard correctly beyond the mask.

"That would be nice. It would be a shame to not dance anymore." a soft wishfulness to that soft confession.

Killer smiles as he feels his hope swell more "We can always dance again after we ate some! I really enjoy dancing with you." Maybe he can do this right.

They go towards the table with food and Killer tries some of the different dishes. Small bites first before taking more of the things that he enjoyed. Ccino doesn't do this. He instead grabs a few things with focus and seems to eat them slowly. Obviously enjoying himself even as he never removes the mask fully, just shifts it enough to enable himself to eat.

Killer stands nearby as he just talks, mostly about gossip he heard from the other guards.

They end up grabbing a small plate with food before going towards one of the many large balconies around the ballroom, They settle on one on the second level of the room and they stand by the railling. Watching the other party goers as they enjoy their snacks.

Soon they jsut watch the people silently. Killer glances at him and he can't help but stare. He looks even more beautiful in the low light. His eyes are so much clearer and the designs seem almost alive. The decorative fake snow falls outside just enough to fall around the other in the air.

Killer feels his throat choke up as he wants to confess. Admit how he feels and has been feeling. How he had been having these feelings since the start and how those have been changing and evolving with him as he learned more about himself.

The problem is. That at that point he would lose this little peace. Killer wouldn't just have to admit that what he feels but he would also have to admit that Killer knew it is Ccino.

That Killer lied to him about not knowing who Ccino was.

And if Killer knows one thing it is that Nightmare and Ccino both hate liars.

...

Killer... Killer doens't want Ccino to hate him... The bravery that had taken hold of his soul leaves again as the fear of him hating him returns.

Killer is already in a tough spot. He is already struggling to gain their trust as it is through all his past deeds.

He can't.

Killer smiles as he holds out a hand "Would you like for us to dance again?"

Ccino puts his own hand in his "Yes."

Killer smiles as he feels happiness. Ccino accepted his request for a dance. He said yes to him again.

Killer smiles as he pulls the other back inside. Back into the light and away from the dim intimate light. The mood he isn't ready to see just yet. The conversation he isn't ready to have just yet, and maybe he will never be.

And maybe. That is okay. Maybe having these tiny moments is enough.

Killer holds the other close as a slow music sounds out. They dance closer and Killer can feel the other's bodyheat as they dance. Close enough that Killer can feel Ccino's breath on his bones.

It is enough.

it is alreayd more than he could have hoped for.

[rosiewitchescottage]

I just watched it. And yes. It's the best of the live action remakes.

Admittedly, the bar is pretty low. But this exceeds way, way above the rest. I'll put Pete's Dragon at a respectable and close 2nd. Further down the scale Jungle Book is third. Whilst the rest just plummet.

And it's a disgrace, because the originals are so good.

But let's talk of happier things. The Cinderella remake.

Courage and Kindness - I like the way this is portrayed. There's no 'don't need no man' shows of power, fighting or snark.

Ella's sweet and gentle, refusing to let her circumstances harden her heart.

Her courage is shown in caring for her family's beloved home, in memory of her parents, despite how's she's treated there.

Showing her parents and the family relationship is good. It gives us a measure of what Ella endures for.

The animals are very well done. We see their characters, without need to make them look or sound like the cartoon versions.

The fact that Ella meets the Prince before the ball and before knowing he's the Prince, ( an apprentice, nice touch.) It makes their meeting at the ball more special.

He's hoping to see her. She's going, not expecting to see a Prince, just Kit The Apprentice.

Lady Tremaine's cruelty is explained well. She's let circumstances make her hard and bitter, Ella hasn't. And she hates this innocent, serene young woman for that.

It shows her and her girls in a very bad light. And the fact that she doesn't have to be this way just makes it worse.

I'm in two minds about HBC's portrayal of the Godmother. But I appreciate the eccentric somewhat scatter brained angle. And the 'theatrical' magic is always welcome (most good spells are, according to Miss Eglantine Price.)

Seeing the animals become the horses, coachman and footmen, still retaining some of their animal characters is endearing and made me smile.

I liked that The Dress wasn't completely new. It's a rejuvenation of Ella's mother's dress.

The King being close to death puts new urgency onto The Prince getting married, that's good.

I liked the 'unholy alliance ' between Lady T and the scheming Grand Duke.

Tension in the path to a happy ending can be no bad thing.

Ella and her animal friends dropped dramatically in the road by the spell ending finished the spell's theatrics nicely.

I was was very touched to see pictures of Ella and Kit's parents all together, before they went onto the balcony after their wedding.

A few rather cheesy lines here and there. But this is Disney. So it's in keeping.

I forget that this was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Which put it in safe hands from the start.

Not actually a criticism. But I would have liked them to stray a little further from the Charles Perrault version used in the cartoon.

And they had a golden opportunity to do so. Ella asks her father for the first branch to brush his shoulder on his last journey from home.

And this is exactly what happens in The Grimm version of the story.

Ella plants it on her mother's grave (which could have been her father's too here).

And it's the tree that provides her ball gown, with the help of a dove that watches over her.

There's also the scene where Ella's stepmother makes her sort out dried lentils from the ashes to keep her from being able to go to the ball. But she succeeds when the animals come and help her.

I think it would have worked well here.

The slipper fitting could have stayed the same. We don't want Disney to have even this Lady T cutting off bits of her daughters feet to make the slipper fit one of them.

But that's a mere personal whim. I absolutely love this version of the film. And I'll watch it quite happily alongside the cartoon from 1950.

Anyone notice the Compare & Contrast in Cinderella (2015?)

Nothing major, just another reason why this movie is so good: going to talk about Ella/Kit v.s. Lady Tremaine/the Court.

You know how Ella, and more secondarily, Kit, have to hang on to their faith in “have courage and be kind?” And you know how the book-ends of the movie are “Ella saw the world not as it was, but as it could be?”

Okay obviously Ella has to have courage to withstand abuse, but I think more focus is placed on her kindness: she’s kind to mice, she’s kind to lizards, she’s kind to bratty stepsisters and kind to a super-horrible stepmother. And what’s the opposite of kind?

Cruel. Lady Tremaine is cruel, but it’s because she sees the world as cruel. Unlike Ella, who is kind and sees the world as it could be.

How do I know? When she returns from the ball, she (cruelly) points out the fact that the Prince is not free to marry for love, the game was rigged, and then watches Ella for a reaction. And when her girls say, “it’s so dreadfully unfair!” The Stepmother says: “Yes…the way of the world.”

That parallels what another character, presenting an obstacle and contrast to Kit, says in the movie: the King. When he learns he’s dying, he says: “Way of all flesh, boy.”

Why? Because the King—as wise, and noble, and loving as he is (certainly no villain) is succumbing to fear as he gets closer to death. Not fear for himself; the movie shows no hint of that. But he literally tells Kit, “I want to see you and the kingdom safe.”

He’s afraid for Kit. He wants Kit’s safety, and the kingdom’s, and he can’t do what a father should do when he passes; protect. So he’s insisting on a princess, and the divisions that the Kingdom might get, to make it stronger, from an advantageous marriage.

That’s a great foil for Kit, who is kind, but is even braver than he is kind. He’s not being abused, like Cinderella is, but he is about to face a world where he’s got everyone’s fate riding on his shoulders—alone—without the loving father he’s always had. He has to become his own man fast, and defend what he believes in…

…no matter what’s “done.” No matter what’s proper, and no matter what everyone else thinks.

You have the Prince who must be courageous when even his own father is beginning to fear, and you have Cinderella who must be kind even to those who are cruel to her. It’s awesome.

But then, that whole idea of perspective comes into it.

The Stepmother is cruel because she has experienced what she believes is life’s cruelty.

She’s arguing with Cinderella in the climactic scene, explaining that her first husband, whom she loved, was taken from her—and then so was her second, who never loved her as much as he did his daughter, who is so much more beautiful than her own—and all the opportunities for hope that she had expected to come with him. Lady Tremaine thinks the whole world, all of fate, is cruel.

She’s been subjected to hard circumstances—the first thing the audience gets to learn about her is, “she too had known grief.”

Ella’s stepmother has had hardships—just like Ella. She lost “the light of her life.” She lost her second husband. She’s snared in debt, her daughters are mean and (by her own admission) stupid, and she doesn’t even like the house she lives in with them. She’s let her circumstances twist the way she sees the world. Now she believes everything comes at a price, and one that the world is just cruel enough to wring out of you.

Ella, on the other hand, has known even greater grief than her stepmother. We watch her lose her mother, her father, her dignity, and even (briefly) her faith in the course of the movie. By the time she has that conversation with her stepmother, she’s also apparently lost the chance to ever see the Prince again. But does she let it change the way she looks at the world? No!

She keeps seeing the world as it could be. She won’t let her circumstances change what she has faith in; that love is free, courage and kindness have power, and will carry her through all of life’s trials. And the characters that change the way they look at things—the ones who are willing to, like Ella, see the world as it could be instead of as it is, find it to be true. Look at the king!

We know (from what the Prince says: “the wars have brought sorrow on us all,”) that he’s seen hardship. He’s seeing how fragile even his own life is; it’s coming to an end. He has every reason to be afraid for his son’s future when he’s not there to help him.

He’s thinking, “the way of all flesh is to die.” And he’s hoping that by convincing his son to marry a princess, he and his kingdom will be safer. Safety, safety, because he’s afraid for Kit.

But what happens? He meets “the mystery girl,” who is, by definition, unknown, unsure, and unsafe. Clearly Kit is besotted with her; she bumps into him, then makes a darling little speech about how good and brave Kit is and how much he loves his father. And then Kit, who learned to verbalize it this way from Cinderella, tells his father on his deathbed, “I believe we need not look outside our borders for strength. We need only have the courage and kindness to see it.”

And when he passes away, he does so by telling Kit that he should marry for love—even though the girl Kit loves may never be found again; even though, when she does, they have no guarantee it will strengthen the kingdom. But this is the King, acting on faith that those ideals his son believes in, and his son, himself, will be see things through. That’s him, having courage.

He stops seeing the world as dangerous, first and foremost, and starts seeing it as it could be, like Ella and Kit.

Comparing the King’s fear to Kit’s courage, and the Stepmother’s cruelty to Ella’s kindness, was such a good choice. And comparing the way these characters saw the world as dangerous and cruel, versus how Ella and Kit see the world, was an even better one. And they used lines like “The way of the world/way of all flesh” to do it.

This movie’s so good.

[sleepylixie]

Lost Boy

Swan Prince! Felix X Princess! reader 

Fantasy AU, Retelling of the Swan Lake. 

5k words, Romance(Fluff/Angst), Beware of mentions of death(Only mentions, with respect to curses and general dark magical behaviour)

A/N: @crscendoforsung​ hallo, Soro!! Tis me, your Secret Santa!!! You’ve been such a sweet soul (That Jisung anon of yours is so cool. btw-) and I hope you like this little offering to make the end of your year a little bit sweeter! This idea seemed to fit your vibe (and Felix) too well, so I just had to give it a spin~ This here marks the start of Christmas on Sleepylixie!! As always I will be incorporating high fantasy into the stories you will be seeing and I hope all of you enjoy reading them! Huge thank you to @aliceu @decembermoonskz and @seraplantery for helping me through moments of writers block hhhh- Do let me know what you think, my ask box is open!~

Drop me an ask! || Masterlist

I love you as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence, and as justice loves to sit and watch everything wrong. -Lemony Snicket

The first time you met him was quite by chance. You’d broken away from your maids,  eyes glowing in the darkness as you strolled through the woods, humming an odd tune to yourself. It was a full moon night, so you’d headed out under disguise for a night time frolic in the nearby woods. You’d forgone the heavy skirts and tiaras of your royal wardrobe for the looser bodice and thinner skirts of a homespun dress your maid lent you, tendrils of breeze and grass grazing your ankles as you moved. 

All too suddenly, you stumbled  into a clearing by a lake- it was small but beautiful, almost ethereal with it’s still waters and edges disappearing into the shade of the trees. But what caught your eye was a slash of  of white against the darkness of the far shore- upon squinting, you realized it wasn’t a bird, but a boy. Evidently, he’d noticed you too, because he straightened up from his kneeling position, head cocking to the side as his eyes scanned yours.

You smiled at him uncertainly, unsure of whether you were invading a moment of privacy or worse, a moment of dark magic. Your own magic roiled inside you, careful of the possible threat this boy could pose to you. However, he only smiled back, and stepped onto the water- walking over the surface, almost gliding across the lake to your side of the shore. He didn’t leave a single ripple in his wake, almost like he was just an apparition floating right above the water. You watched in silence as he he stepped out of the lake, coming to a stop in front of you.

He was slight in build, almost birdlike- but his shoulders seemed strong under his white and gold outfit. His bright golden eyes curved softly above his cheekbones, burnished bronze hair falling elegantly over the planes of his forehead.

“Hello, mortal.” His voice was deep, instantly sending shivers of wonder down your spine. “Or should I say royal?” He smiled, rosebud lips parting slightly as he nodded at the signet ring on your finger, the only sign of your heritage. He had a sharp eye for detail, this strange boy who could walk on water. Perhaps he was Fae?

“You know of my heritage, but I know not of yours,” you hedged, not wanting to give him your name; names held power, after all. The boy grinned wider, poking his tongue into his cheek as he eyed you amusedly. “You may call me Felix, darling.”

He wasn’t Fae, after all. He was from a far off land, he said, beyond the bounds your kingdom knew of.  He was to stay in these very woods as an apprentice with a family of magic wielders and alchemists. He was an easy talker and an even easier listener; he enjoyed your accounts of the royal court and the parlour you presided over and your evenings of sneaking past the guards into the night markets.

It was a peaceful time with him, walking amongst the woods- you forgot that you were supposed to be with your maids, basking in the new companionship you’d found. You enjoyed Felix’s company, you realized as the night wound down, making way for a new dawn as Felix led you to the edge of the woods.

“You must come see me in the castle gardens,” You smiled, clasping his hands in yours. Felix eyed your intertwined hands before looking back up at your face. Your eyes were bright, your skin glowing against the soft morning sun. “It is a glorious place, you will love the magical herb-house, and oh, the fountain too-”

“I would be honoured, princess.” He bowed his head slightly, suddenly shy. “But I am a being of the night. Visiting after twilight isn’t the most becoming of a lady of your stature, I’m certain.”

Your brows furrowed; he was right, but you did not want to entertain the possibility of never meeting your new friend again. Stars knew when you’d get to sneak this far out of the castle again. “It matters not, dear friend.” you declared. “I shall slip past the guards into the garden, if it allows me to see you again. That is,” you fumbled, a wave of awkwardness invading your mind as you dropped his hands and stepped backwards.  “That is, if you would wish to meet me again, I do not mean to impose-”

“As I said, princess,” Felix smiles-no, smirks, backing up into the trees, almost melting into the shadows. “I would be honoured. Until next moon, then.”

//

True to his word, you saw him standing next to the fountain from your room balcony the next full moon. Slipping past your guards and into the garden, you found Felix gazing around in wonder, eyes bright as he took in the sight.

The wide fountain was set in the center of a large square hedge of rose bushes. At the center of the fountain was the sculpture of a long-haired mermaid with a trident in her twisted hands, face serene as water gushed around her stone-scaled tail. At night, the water shimmered in the moonlight and the soft glow of the moonflies that flitted around the area, making the scene all the more exquisite.

You loved the privacy and peace the fountain provided you, with the tall rose hedges and the flow of water. The moment you stepped into the hedge, Felix’s eyes shot towards you, widening in wonder. You were dressed in lilac gossamer, a silver cape akin to butterfly wings draped over your shoulders and a matching silver wreath woven into your hair... You looked less like the girl-next-door he met and more like the heiress of the kingdom he lived in. He averted his eyes, rubbing the back of his neck. “You… You look breathtaking, Your Highness,” he murmured, bowing low.

You giggled as you walked towards him, your skirts dragging on the grass. “Felix, please. I’m no more than the girl you met at the lake during the last moon. I plead you to not see me otherwise when I am dressed in the garb of a royal.” He straightened up and smiled at you, his demeanor relaxing almost instantly after hearing your familiar voice. He looked almost angelic in the light of the moonflies, bouncing off the glitter on his eyelashes.

“As you wish, princess.” He turned back towards the fountain, letting his fingers trail in the shallow water of the pool as he sat on the edge. “You were correct, this garden is a work of art.”

“It is, isn’t it?” You responded, sitting next to Felix on the edge of the pool, uncaring of your pretty garments. “The gardens take up a good half of the castle grounds. I love spending my nights there. The herbhouse, in particular. We grow a lot of the kingdom’s alchemical herbs ourselves, so I’d suggested we supply them to those who need it for no cost.” Felix glanced at you in surprise, his fingers twirling together two streams of water from the pool. “That’s generous.”

“It’s our duty as royals to make our subjects’ lives as easy as we can,” you shrugged, leaning your head back to watch the stars. “While levying taxes is a necessity, it felt prudent to cut down costs for a normal man and make alchemy available to all. Knowing what herbs are used for what can save lives someday.”

“That’s very noble of you, princess.” He murmured, his lips quirking up as he stared into the night sky. “I’ve seen royals that are drunk off the crown’s power to the point of greed and gluttony. But here you are, giving everything you can for your subjects. It’s admirable, really.”

“As I said, it’s my duty.” You let your attention slip to the pretty shapes Felix was conjuring out of the pool’s water. “Now, tell me, how has your time in the woods been?”

//

As you grew into adulthood, your daily responsibilities became larger, but you welcomed it. You’d trained and studied for years so you could take on the mantle of crown royal for your kingdom, and you were only too willing to make your contribution to council meetings and parlour galas alike. However, your friendship with Felix was like a safe haven from the day’s happenings, a space where you could just be Felix’s companion and not a royal with responsibilities.

The both of you grew more and more comfortable with each other, letting yourself slip into familiarity when you were together. You showed him all your favourite corners of the garden, but your favourite place to spend time together was at the mermaid fountain. You’d always meet there at the last midnight chimes on full moon nights and sit at the stone edge, talking and flicking water at each other.

He would always bring you enchanted wreaths of flower crowns that wouldn’t wilt for weeks- it was for you to remember him by until the next full moon, he claimed. You would wear them everyday until the magic wore off, counting down the days until you got to see Felix again.

The first time you met him was quite by chance. It had been almost a year since you’d begun to meet Felix in your expansive garden. He was waiting for you by the fountain, just as he had a year ago- but something was different. He’d normally be trying to catch the moonflies or playing with the pool’s water, but today he was looking straight at the entrance of the hedge, almost like he was waiting for you.

“Good evening to you too, sunshine.” You smile, walking straight into his arms, as you always did. Hugs were your way of greeting your magical friend from the woods, once you’d caught on that Felix loved physical affection. He’d normally catch you and swing you around, the two of you trying to stifle your laughter as he set you down. This time however, he pulled you closer by the waist, pressing you to his body as he nuzzled his nose into your neck. A shiver of apprehension slithered down your spine. This wasn’t normal.

You pulled back, but his arms tightened around you, restricting your movement- and that was when you noticed it. His normally gold eyes were the darkest shade of obsidian black, his lips pulled back slightly in a smirk. Instead of his usual outfit of golds and whites, he was dressed in stark red and black, making you stumble back at the realization. In your haste to see him again, you hadn’t noticed his clothes, demeanor or eyes, none of which alluded to the boy you were used to meeting.

“You’re not Felix.” You said out loud, hoping against hope that you were wrong. But the boy that stood before you cocked his head, an action that you were so used to seeing from your friend but right now, looked like a foreign action of pure impertinence. “What makes you think so, princess?” His smirk grew wider. You stood your ground, hackles rising at the almost insulting tone he was using. “Was it the clothes? Or maybe the fact that I’m making it obvious how much I enjoy touching you?”

Your teeth gritted as you let out a snarl of your own. “ Watch your mouth, Felix.”

To your surprise, Felix let out a laugh, sticking his tongue in his cheek- another familiar action that seemed disrespectful on this.. This impostor. “Are you scared of me, sweetheart?” He cooed, taking another step towards you. Your magic stuttered to life as adrenaline rushed through your body, an invisible protective forcefield molding itself around your body. “Oh, that’s adorable.” He laughed again, loud and derisive. “That forcefield doesn’t hold a candle to my kind of power, princess.”

“If you’re Felix, prove it.” You demanded, the fear sharpening your senses to cold awareness.  He rolled the cricks out of his neck, training his jarringly black eyes on you again. “We met at a lake a year ago this day. Or rather, you met my twin. He’s the one you’ve been meeting all this while, although I’m loath to admit it. I guarantee you, I’m much looser with my tongue than my damned twin is.”

“If Felix is your twin, what’s your name?” Your voice was cold, devoid of the fear that was rippling through your veins at the moment. “I’m Ellix. Pleased to make your acquaintance, princess,” he spit the endearment out like a curse, dropping into a mocking bow. When he rose, his lips quirked up in the same arrogant smirk, his hands running through his hair. “And who said anything about different bodies?”

//

A quiet knocking awoke you from your slumber the next night, prompting you to sit up and pull the bedcovers over your body. Were you hallucinating? You hadn’t slept at all the previous night, still reeling from the oddity that was Felix. You ordered him to leave the premises immediately after his strange declarations of having a twin… in the same body? He’d held his arms out, pouting for another hug, but you snarled at him until he left. 

Another knock brought you out of your reverie; you were definitely not imagining it. Pulling a robe around your body, you stepped out into the balcony, to be faced with an unfamiliar boy standing next to the railing, his hands twisting together nervously. He had jet-black hair that engulfed his forehead and high cheekbones that made his round eyes look bigger. Your heart dropped slightly; you were hoping it was Felix, here to explain himself. You needed explanations, and your midnight companion was the only one who could give them to you.

“Your Highness, Many apologies for the late hour.” the boy bowed, his voice high for a male, yet smooth- you shook yourself. You were comparing his voice to Felix’s infinitely deeper one. “Who might you be?” You questioned, your voice even.

“I.. well, I’m Han Jisung, your Highness. I’m from the Twilight Woods. You’re Felix’s companion?” The mention of  Felix’s name had you jolting to attention, but you kept your face schooled to polite indifference. “What is it to you?”

“I heard that he.. He wasn’t himself when he came to you the previous night. I felt it prudent to come to you with the information you must be seeking, because Felix won’t tell you himself.”

“On whose authority do you hold this information, Jisung?” you demanded- you were not going to be duped by dark magic. You magic probed him shamelessly for traces of dark magic, turning up with nothing but an airy silence. “On my own, your Highness,” Jisung smiled sadly. “I’m one of the people who know the truth. I’m His Highness Prince Felix’s elder brother, second in line to the Twilight Throne.”

//

“The Twilight Woods outside your kingdom has had its own royalty, ever since it’s inception. We preside over the woods and the surrounding lands and make sure our subjects don’t wreak too much havoc in your lands. Our folk are wilder, they live much longer than your subjects outside the woods and reside further into the woods than any of your folk would dare to wander. The lake you met my brother at is one of the entrances to our kingdom. For the past 200 years, our uncle has ruled the Twilight Woods. His 3 daughters were in line for the throne- but Mina abdicated and Chaeyoung ran away, leaving only… Sana.

“Everybody knew that she was courting the darkness, with her obscene interest in blood magic. When the King our uncle found her in the middle of a pentagram with her hands wreathed in shadows and her lips red as blood, he knew Sana was beyond help. He had her banished immediately, leaving only my little brother and I as choices for ascension to the throne.

“My brother is blessed with an almost endless bank of magic, but he was a creator first, a royal next. His dream was to become an alchemist, providing treatment and protection to the kingdom with his potions. The kingdom loved him, as did our uncle. He saw greatness in my little brother- in his golden heart, infinite power and unflinching moral compass so he chose Felix as his heir apparent.

“The kingdom rejoiced the new era of their to-be king. The coronation was to be the most special day of all our lives. But that Christmas Eve, days before the coronation… Sana broke through the kingdom’s defenses and ravaged her way to the castle. She trapped Felix in a wall of fire in the throne room, rendering any of us unable to help.

“Even his endless power was no match for the abomination she’d become. When she subdued Felix, she.. she placed a curse on him, condemning him to the life of a wordless bird- a swan by day and only reverting to himself by night. She… She gave him no ultimatum. Just that… that she’d give him 50 years to try and find a loophole, just for her sick amusement. If he failed, he would spend the rest of his existence as a swan, completely losing his humanity.

“What we didn’t anticipate was his magic taking a hit from the curse. The internal war his endless magic had with Sana’s curse had created a.. Well, a dark alter ego. We… We called him Ellix. One that was consumed by his base desires and lacked the grace that my brother normally held himself with. Between the curse and the possibility of meeting Ellix at sundown...there was no way he could possibly take the throne. We are not many months short of the 50 year mark, and the stress and fear he’s feeling just means that Ellix is awoken more often than not.

“Yesterday was one such day when Ellix came out to play, and I must apologize on his behalf. You have been a dear friend to Felix ever since you met him. It would shatter him to realize that his own alter ego had damaged a companionship he holds so close to his heart. Ellix is Felix’s darkest, most depraved impulses put into a persona. It is not the Felix you know, the way no mortal is defined by their darkness.

“When he does meet you again, I implore you to not push my little brother away. He is a lost boy, his power and sense of duty beyond that of beings wizened and old. He needs a friend that doesn’t see him for his curse but for the individual that he is. All I ask of you is to be that person for him, for these last few months of his life.”

//

You waited impatiently for the next full moon, barely focusing on your daily royal duties as you counted down the days. As the full moon night got closer, you steeled your nerves, prepared for the possibility of meeting Ellix- a persona that you were woefully unfamiliar with despite the familiar face he carried. This was just another facet of the Felix you knew. How was this any different from the different faces of a mortal’s personality? You would not be bowed by his drastic change in behavior, you decided.

You hurried your steps as you made your way to the mermaid fountain,  the delicate iron chains around your shoulders clicking softly against the midnight blue fabric of your dress. Rounding the edge of the hedge, your eyes instantly caught Felix’s- no, this was Ellix. His eyes were the same obsidian black as before, standing out starkly against his honey skin and the gold circlet that rested on his forehead. You took a deep breath, calming your nerves. His lips dragged up in a smirk akin to the ones he’d flashed at you the previous moon. “If you’re done taking in my appearance, darling, I must say you look absolutely ravishing yourself. ” You rolled your eyes, pursing your lips against the smile that bubbled to your lips unbidden. “If you’re going to behave like a creepy elder with me, Ellix, I guarantee you I will not be hugging you, or walking with you anytime soon.”

A surprised laugh spilled from Felix, his dark eyes lighting up with amusement. This was banter the two of you were used to, indulging in the easy back-and-forth for hours on end. “No hugging or walking for us then, darling.” The endearment spoken in Ellix’s voice struck a chord, sending a familiar shiver of wonder down your spine. “What do you think about talking?”

You grin back at him, taking his hand and leading him to the edge of the fountain. “That is most definitely my cup of tea.”

//

That full moon night cemented your companionship with Felix’s dark alter ego- who wasn’t as dark as he made himself out to be. Ellix was much more easy with his magic than Felix, using his powers to do even the smallest of things. He was also more confident, almost confrontational with his opinions and his sentiments- even if they weren’t in line with yours. You enjoyed the new dimension to your banter, although a small part of you missed the softness that came with Felix himself.

Despite his openness, however, you couldn’t bring yourself to ask about the curse, or the story Jisung had entrusted you with. It seemed too big of a topic to breach- one that Ellix or Felix would have to address by themselves. So you let the conversation flow in the way they wished it to- quick witted banter and almost flirtatious comments.

The next moon had you encountering Felix again, and you were quick to jump into his arms and he swung you around, the two of you laughing brightly as his eyes crinkled, the jewels under his eyes twinkling softly. He left behind a bracelet of rose-petals and a matching rose wreath. The moon after brought back Ellix, this time with his ornery smirk and a kiss on your cheek before he melted into thin air. 

The fluttering in your stomach every time he said something mildly flirtatious, brought out those presents, or let his touch linger for a second too long wasn’t lost to you. You’d felt floaty and obscenely happy with Felix ever since the first time you met him, the quiet nervousness melting into heady peace and teasing banter every time you met after that. When Jisung told you about the curse, the first thing you felt was a wave of concern that you knew instantly was far beyond the bounds of friendship. You wanted to find him and engulf him in your arms, hold him close and tell him he was brave, strong, more special than he allowed himself to believe. You wanted him to stay close by your side, not for one full moon night but for the rest of your lives so you could tell him every day how much he’d come to mean to you, no matter whether it was Ellix or Felix.

It was a soft, simple feeling that had taken root in your heart in the beginning of your companionship with him and had only grown larger since, pushing the limits of your heart in your affection for Felix. It wasn’t just friendship you felt for the lost boy in your garden- it was love. 

//

“You’re lying. Tell me you’re lying.” Your hands pressed against Ellix’s chest, pushing him away from you. Your magic sparked against your fists as you advanced, Ellix’s only reaction an evil grin. “Why would I be lying, darling?” He purred, his own fingers sparking with the beginnings of a flame. You skirted the edge of the mermaid fountain, your eyes trained on him. The anger and betrayal coursing through your system had you seeing red, but you kept your voice even. “How dare you stand before me and tell me that our companionship was a fraud?”

“Oh no no, darling, I didn’t say it was a fraud,” Ellix bit back, looking like a demon set loose from the Netherworld. “I said that this friendship was a game. You let slip so many royal secrets to me, all of which will go towards the siege that the Twilight army is planning upon your kingdom.”

A snarl of outrage ripped from your throat, sparking your eyes as you stepped closer to Felix, eyes ablaze with fury. “You traitor.”

“I’m the Crown prince of Twilight Woods, Princess,” He used the same mocking tone that drove you up the wall. “I’m a royal before your little companion. Did you really think I agreed to your acquaintanceship because I appreciated your COMPANY?” Ellix spit back, his entire body betraying his disgust.

You reeled back at his words, each one of them pricking your heart with a savage sharpness. “You don’t mean that.” you breathed out, but Ellix was on a roll.

“This entire companionship was built for your desires, with none of mine taken into consideration. You’re too absorbed in yourself, with your hair and your clothes and your little kingdom that you forgot that I was a part of this friendship too. You didn’t give a single damn about me, did you?”He shouted, close enough that the two of you were almost nose to nose. You stood your ground, not wanting to seem weak. Not to him. Never to him- “ You just wanted a sweet submissive little boy from the woods to listen to you, and let me make it clear to you, princess. I am NOT IT.”

A beat of silence passed between the both of you- and then you straightened up, looking down your nose at the boy in front of you. “This companionship is terminated as of this second. I owe you nothing, as don’t you. Does that please you?” Tell me it doesn’t please you, don’t do this to my heart, Felix, please-

“Absolutely, princess-” He pressed a kiss against your cheek, a mockery of an action you’d gotten used to from Ellix. But it only served to set you off, a scream ripping from your throat. “No. You don’t get the last word on this sham of a friendship, you dirty liar. I trusted you with my life and my dreams, and this is what I get in return? You should be ashamed of yourself, Ellix.” Your voice cracked from the rage, but Ellix didn’t bat an eyelash.

“Jisung was right. You’re a monster. Begone, Ellix. Take Felix with you and never return. If you do, I will make sure the guards find a dungeon for you with your names on it.”

All you could see was the glint of his black eyes disappearing into the darkness, likely for the last time- and the only emotion you could recognize from the maelstrom in your mind was that of a broken heart.

The walk to your chambers was a demonstration in self control, eyes silvery with tears cast low and your fists clenched to prevent the scream from leaving your throat. It wasn’t until you reached your chambers that you allowed yourself to fall apart, crumbling to the ground behind your door as you hid your face in your hands- and the soft rustle of paper with the movement of your skirts catching your attention. By some sleight of hand, Ellix had slipped a letter into your pocket.  While you had half a mind to feed it to the flames, the sad, sentimental side of you ripped open the thick paper, scanning the elegant scrawl dancing across the paper.

Greetings, princess.

I’m sorry I never told you the full truth.

Sana did leave one loophole. When she cursed me, she left me 50 years to find a mortal that would love and accept me for my cursed self, a mortal that would look me in the eye and admit to it. But when the complications began to happen with Ellix…There was no point hoping. I bided away 48 years, lost in self-pity and the darkness that the curse festered within me. Until I met you.

You were so beautiful in the moonlight, darling. Over time however, I came to know that it was your goodness that gave you that celestial glow- You were noble and selfless, strong yet soft, relentless in your pursuit for all the good you could bring to your loved ones.

I was smitten by you, but I couldn’t stand to taint you with the horrible scars I bring with me, darling. So I kept my secret and met you every full moon, only falling further and further with every meeting. The first time I held you in my arms, it was like a missing key had finally clicked into my locked heart and princess, I didn’t want to let go of you again. You gave me the sweetest memories in the final year of my life,  and for that, princess, I will be eternally grateful.

I am but a smidgen in the glorious story that will be yours one day, even though it pains me that I will never get to be a part of it- so don’t remember me, princess. Don’t worry about me. Don’t try to save me, because I am likely already beyond the point of saving. There’s no way out for me.

The fact shall remain, as it always will in this letter, even after I’ve passed into the darkness- I love you.

I love you as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence, and as justice loves to sit and watch everything wrong. Justice has done exactly that with me, darling. It has cursed me to live my last moments away from you, lost in my own mind, my magic fighting against the curse to keep the darkness from claiming me. It is my misfortune that I met you so late into my life, but my life’s greatest honour to have known one who shines as brightly as you.

Beyond Forever,

Felix.

You scrambled to your feet and broke into a run, your skirts whipping around your ankles as you let your memory guide you, eyes blurred by the tears that streaked down your face. Ellix was trying to protect you from the pain of losing him, he loved you, he loved you, he loved you- 

Slipping past the guards and into the stables, you were on a horse, riding bareback in the fastest speed you could coax from it, towards the Twilight Woods. You had time, you had to try, you couldn’t just let him die, not  like this-

Before you knew it, you had reached the lake where you’d met Felix for the first time, the memory of his quicksilver smile and his golden eyes- no, one pair of golden eyes and another pair of obsidian orbs flashing across your mind before another fit of tears claimed you. If you remembered right, Jisung had mentioned you’d brushed by an entrance to the Twilight woods somewhere close by this very place-

“FELIX!!” You screamed aloud, dropping to your knees at the shore. “I LOVE YOU. I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, Please come back to me, I can’t bear the thought of losing you Felix, please-” You caught a view of your tear-streaked face in the reflection of the water, rippling softly, uncaring of your screaming.

The first rays of the morning sun began to hit the edges of the lake as you sobbed aloud, the despair setting in and burrowing deep into your chest as the moments ticked by. You scanned the horizon, desperately looking for a sign, any sign of the kingdom Jisung and Felix belonged to- and then you saw it. 

In the far shore, two figures stepped into the soft morning light- both small and slight in build, dressed in whites and golds. One had hair the colour of ebony, the other hair the colour of burnished gold. You straightened up, your eyes widening as you hurriedly brushed the tears off your face.. It couldn’t be..

Both of them stepped onto the water, walking- no, running across the surface of the lake without leaving a ripple in their wake. You got to your feet, backing away from the shore as Jisung and Felix stepped off the water, their smiles brighter than the sun itself. Felix stepped towards you, his arms held out wide and you let out a quiet sob, running right into his warm embrace.

“I love you, I love you so much, thank the stars-”

“You’re here, you’re real, I love you, I adore you, princess-” Your murmurs mingled together, muffled in each other’s bodies as you clung together, scared to move away. You pulled away, your arms still looked around Felix’s shoulders and his neck, only to be met with the brightest grin you’d ever seen lighting up his face. His eyes- one gold and one black, crinkled with happy tears as his lips stretched into an ethereal smile, his hair a dishevelled mess around his ears.  

Felix was the crown prince to a kingdom bathed in betrayal and grief, while you were the heiress of a kingdom that prospered from the nobility that ruled it. Felix’s cousin was likely on the way, pulling her hair out in the frustration of being ousted. You would likely face the music for screaming at a boy in the gardens and then disappearing for hours on end- but in each other’s arms, the two of you were nothing more than each other’s special little forevers.

In that moment, it was truly all that mattered. 

////

Taglist: @aliceu​ @rebecca-noona @decembermoonskz ​ @straykidsownmysoul @soya-zz , @stellarmonsterr ​ @malai-barfi ​ @fylithia @seraplantery ​

Network Tag: @inkidz​ @districtninewriters​ @starryktown 

Do let me know what you think! - Elliana.​​

[faimrpg]

Maccius arrives as it always does: with very little flair. Spring has fully settled now, and across Val Faim, trees blossom with pink and white flowers, nearly every merchant sets out grand bouquets in front of their displays to draw possible patrons in, and sailors return home from long excursions at sea to the arms of their loved ones—it is at this time of year that the Celestinian ocean is most peaceful. When Summer arrives, it will be so soft and lulling that the only way to move product to trade is by means of magic, and when winter comes, the waves will tower so tall any man who thinks to sail them will be dubbed out of his mind.

TRIGGER WARNING: Death, explosions, implied violence

Now, however, peace reigns. People settle back into their usual daily routines, and while the death of Hippolyte had been tragic, most are content to forget the event entirely. His blood was cleaned from the marble of the Summer Palace that same night—why should they carry his bones with them? It doesn’t take so much as a week before Hippolyte’s duty is replaced by someone else, who will tend the docks and its workers and ensure Val Faim gets what it needs. GHISLAIN in particular has taken much interest in this replacement, hoping to wring out of this execution whatever dor it will provide. A job on the top of the Azure Quarter, overseeing not only trade but also every writ of passage through the capital, is an incommensurate advantage. Maybe it’s crude to make a move so soon after a man’s demise, but Calandre’s word is holy: he was a traitor, and he got his due. Besides, the hunger for power consumes all else. Ghislain’s efforts come to the dismay of RÉGIS, who’d been hoping to wrangle a similar deal for themself, and become the new helmsman of the docks on behalf of Alain Gauthier.

Not all are content to return to the way things were—in fact, some find the idea abhorrent, and Alain has taken to tracking down those who speak with dissent about Calandre to a new level entirely. He has enlisted GISELE to pick out newfound dissidents, with a particular emphasis on ETIENNE. “Having someone as skilled as Etienne”, Alain explains, “certainly wouldn’t harm us, especially if they were already in our pocket.” As soon as Gisele is sent away with their goal, he calls for BEAU and explains in no uncertain words what he needs them to do, with a little bump in their pay to incentivize it.

Talk in the Underworld says that Hippolyte had some sort of allegiance to Widrowem, and that his plan was not to kill Calandre, but to warn her about Alain in order to earn Widrowem a foothold in Celestine’s court. Gauthier doesn't know how far back this scheme goes, or whether it has something to do with Widrowem’s insistence for Calandre to receive their ambassadors and listen to their offer.

Alain, as is ingrained in his nature, fears the worst. The Widrowish envoy has long whispered of the need to unite their two kingdoms in marriage, and Calandre sharply rebuked each of these attempts. It could very well be that Widrowem tired of waiting, and found another way to ingratiate themselves upon the throne. If BEAU could dig through Hippolyte’s abandoned townhouse in Hightown, there’s a chance they might find something of worth linking him back to the foreign southern kingdom. “Anything works,” Alain says, pressing a small purse of dor into Beau’s hands. “Journals, letters, ledgers, books—whatever you can find, take it. And one more thing: find PATRICE, ask for their help. They might be a noble scorned, but they’re noble regardless, and if you need to take your time looking, having someone from a high-standing house with you might save your neck. Tell them I sent you.” Whether BEAU needs to split their new wealth with PATRICE goes unsaid, because Alain is gone before anyone can think to ask him.

Across the city, LIANE listens intently as Calandre explains her next task for her esteemed spymaster, with CELESTE close behind: she, too, wants them to go rooting around in Hippolyte’s grand old house. Not to find any links to Widrowem, but to find what they can on Alain Gauthier, who the Empress thinks was pulling the strings behind Hippolyte’s poorly coordinated assassination attempt and untimely demise. She might have given the signal for the axe, but it was Gauthier who hung it overhead.

Standing on the balcony overlooking the gardens, with the air cool, the weather fair, and Calandre’s tone mild, it is difficult to recall that a month ago she had stood here and watched one of her detractor’s bodies burn on the Pyre.

It is the virtue of the Summer Palace’s unique positioning that gives all three of them a perfect view when a flash of light and fury shakes Val Faim. The very ground rumbles. In a heartbeat, bursts of flame and thick grey smoke rise up into the air, somewhere close to the Prophet’s Tomb—the Tomb is thankfully unharmed, alongside Odeline’s tall-towering figure. The city immediately drops into complete stillness. They are left to do nothing but watch as the smoke grows and grows and grows, and while the shaking hadn’t lasted longer than a few seconds, it seems to reverberate through their bodies, like the very foundation of the Palace had been shaken and reaped them along with it. Before the rubble even settles, Calandre is swept away by HECTOR and VICTOIRE, each of them hemming the Empress like wings of iron and steel. In their ruler’s wake, CELESTE and LIANE are left to simply stare at the coiling plumes on the horizon and tremble. They watch the ruins with their arms interlocked, as the smog carries over a bitter taste of omens and defeat. Even in this state, the two spies are already planning their next move. It is the life they’ve chosen.

SAINTE and AGRIPPINE bear the brunt of the shock. They are nearly taken off their feet when the explosion occurs, as they were just on the outskirts of the tomb. They help one another to their feet and rush to investigate. The city guards who join the scene are met with a perturbing sight. Rubble lies everywhere, windows of neighboring buildings blown out, and in the epicentre of the destruction stands a mage, shaken and trembling, arms wrapped around herself and desperately attempting to cover the body of her friend, both their faces streaked with soot.

“He didn’t mean to do it,” the mage cries, unwilling to let go of her compatriot as she is pulled away, even as his body goes limp among the stones. “Henri didn’t mean for any of this to happen!” The street is soon blocked off entirely, and stunned passersby are urged to visit the Tomb or the Lion’s Mane for a drink to soothe their spirits, much to the chagrin of DEGARÉ, who has more clientele on their hands than anyone could be reasonably prepared for in such a short window of time. Yet the deluge of customers entails lesser known advantages for the club’s proprietor—especially in times of despair, when purse strings are loose and tongues even looser.

MICHEL and CECILE are commanded to take point on the clean-up of the building. Michel is tasked with coordinating the guardsmen clearing away rubble. Cecile’s role is to smooth over the ruffled feathers of angered noblemen and politicians who come calling to ask why the pesky issue of a desolated building and a dead man in its grip have yet to be resolved by the Empress. It’s tricky work, with even trickier tempers to handle, but they see it done, and within three days of the incident, it is like it never happened. Where the building sat before, now there are only ruins, a barren foundation to be covered up and built upon again by someone with grander designs.

SIDONIE is called upon immediately by Calandre, once the Empress is informed of what happened, along with HELENE. They are to interrogate the surviving mage, and find out what was their purpose in the heart of her empire—and what they hoped to gain from splitting it open. Was the dead mage a madman, or a fool? Were they foreign assassins, an honorless path already trodden by so many of her enemies? Were they zealots of a hidden coven, whose aims to control magic got the better of them? On these questions their fate, and that of so many others, rests unevenly. When the two go to meet her, the woman, named Amelie, is shaken into stupor, entirely unwilling to speak. Not even Calandre’s favored advisors can get anything out of her. Calandre listens intently when she is informed of the matter, and dismisses the two with a simple wave of her hand. “If she won’t tell us directly, there will have to be another way to find out what happened.” It is as much an admonishment as it is an admittance of a dead end.

She does not tell them she has other resources to call upon, and call upon them she does. They come to Val Faim in the shape of ROTH, ADRASTE, and MEDRAUT: two Chevaliers, and one Chevalier-in-training, recalled back from the border of Widrowem to investigate the truth of what happened with the explosion, and whether Alain Gauthier had anything to do with it. MATTHIEU is sent to greet them, as the present superior of the knight order—yet he is quickly rebuffed by his own compatriots, who are apparently more loyal to each other than to their Empress.

The wound of the incident heals relatively quickly, as unspoken horrors do. The death of the man who was supposedly to blame is quick to soothe any worried souls, and Amelie, once she has come to her senses and understood the risk she was in, confirms it to SIDONIE when the other mage visits her in her cell. When she speaks, the girl’s eyes are wild: “Not all is what it seems. My friend only wanted to stop something awful before it began, and it cost him his life.”

That very same night, a faceless assassin attempts to kill SAVATIER in the deepest recesses of the library—only for ISEULT to spear them down from behind a shadowed pillar before they have a chance to draw blood. By morning, Amelie has mysteriously disappeared. Investigations into her vanishing bear no fruit, save for a farewell letter the mage left for her family, now fallen into the hands of VIOLAINE. Amelie was from a noble house: if VIOLAINE wanted to, they could reach out on her behalf and deliver the letter, or they could keep it for later blackmail.

In the midst of all this chaos, Calandre finds herself desperate for a distraction, and can see that her court may very well feel the same. She writes to one of Celestine’s most famed artists, and by the end of the week, SYLVIANE has returned from their expedition into the Obsidienne, alongside their bodyguard, VASKA. Calandre orders them to enliven the palace grounds and paints a series of murals depicting her reigns’ latest achievements—as well as a new portrait to replace the one she had commissioned when she first seized the throne. It is a clever reminder that sometimes a gilded foil hides real triumph beneath. Yet SYLVIANE & VASKA have not come empty-handed, nor are they tongue-tied before Calandre’s command. They are determined to inform the Empress about the concerning sights they’ve witnessed in the Obsidienne. Yet all these attempts are brushed away, first as baubles of passing interest, then as outright fantasies spurned by the solitude of the scorched desert. The shapes of dead bodies awakened to walk, or rifts in the very fabric of the air that shimmer and wrinkle like human skin, and lead to nowhere should a soul step through, are torn from a different cloth than Calandre’s designs for her progressive reign. These old wives tales might be of interest to others: courtiers and commoners alike, such as SIDONIE, SAINTE & AGRIPPINE flock to listen to the painter’s tales. All Calandre does when she is remembered of these discoveries is flatten her mouth into a tight, disapproving line. Some overlook how the Empress’s moods are darkening by the hour.

Not everyone can turn a blind eye to her displeasure, especially those closest to her retinue. CYRIL is witness to Calandre’s frayed nerves firsthand, when ZHENYA pressures the Empress that the North will need more incentive if they are to maintain their trade deal with Val Faim. They are quickly dismissed from her side, and they run into the imperial tailor on the fringe of the hallways. Neither of them can help but eavesdrop on the sobbing fit Calandre falls prey to when she thinks she is alone for the first time. Something is breaking, but neither of them know what, and the decision about whom to ask for help lands in muddied waters. MELODIE, her closest confidante, seems the most obvious choice to be called at her side for comfort, but will Calandre thank them, or resent them for having her weakness noticed and exposed?

In Emperor Tristan’s days, talk spread as fast as a wildfire bracketed by dry grass. While Calandre’s reign has seen some of that blood-hungering cease, the sharks remain desperate for whatever falls into the water, and that hunger has not vanished entirely. It does not take long for many others to discover that Calandre might not be faring as well as she presents herself, in spite of the grand dinners and parties she has hosted in the Summer Palace to try and distract herself.

ROSALIND is one of the first outside of ZHENYA and CYRIL to find out, a not-so-well-kept secret falling right into the palms of their hands. The information goes from them to Alain—who is pleased to be informed. In an effort to secure their loyalty, he gives ROSALIND a task. “See if you engage YVON in a little tête-à-tête, and find out where their true loyalties lie. Lure them on our side, but only promise them enough to prove a guiding light. They are still young and mercurial enough that they must believe the choice is their own. Do this, and I’ll see if I can coordinate a certain royal jeweler’s fall from grace by the time Aude is through.” He leaves them there in the bustling Silver Quarter to make the choice on how to proceed on their own.

Secrets are unearthed, vows and oaths amassed—old debts are summoned up like the souls of the dead, and new scores are forged from thin air. For a while, it seems that Val Faim is pitching to a critical point, a colossus capsizing on its own weight. The threads roped around its people tangle and thrum. And then the skein seems to unsnarl. It lies very still, too much distance between its knots to ever properly destabilize it. The tapestry of faith and power has weathered more tempestuous times than this. The wind smooths over the dust, the storm slackens, and even the spring becomes spring once more. It’s on this day that the tides turn for good.

A Widrowem ship is spotted on the quiet sea, its sails as white as bones. Two ambassadors, themselves of noble lineage in those intricate Widrowish ways, where Gods are ancestors and night is day, step on the shore. CASSIAN and ROWAN have been sent to Val Faim on a mission that feels almost sacred. Yet their Thane’s anger, the chosen ruler of their realm, has nothing holy in it. Their homeland was promised a treaty and a throne years ago. So far, not a single audience has been granted, and this strange Empress balks at marriage as if it were carnage. To add the salt of insult to an open injury, their most trusted man in court was murdered without the right to trial. Hippolyte was gutted for spectacle, a debacle that echoed the barbarians of centuries ago.

It’s Widrowem’s duty to put an end to tyrants. And that is what they came to do.

On that bone-sailed, hollowed-out ship rides another: KARINE, Alain Gauthier's closest compatriot in bloodshed. They, too, have been summoned from Widrowem with a similar purpose. With a hungry smile that cuts their jaw wider, they shake hands with Gauthier on the dock as he pulls them aside. They have business, and if there is anything KARINE thrives at, it is anything to do with death. Imagine their surprise, then, when they are tasked with a more simple duty. Not to kill, but to hunt. Amelie remains unfound, in a city packed to the brim with people, and no one trusts Alain enough yet in the Underworld to give him information of any worth. So he sets his favored assassin on the trail, and tells them not to return until they have what he needs in their grasp.

The stage is set, the spotlight positioned perfectly, the doors to the theater wide open to allow a spring breeze to flow through. Underneath that sweet scent is an undeniable trace of rot. With Widrowem Ambassadors on the scene, their expectations low and ambitions high, and warnings and whispers working their way through the Court—the show has truly begun. Hippolyte's death at Calandre’s command was a mere prelude. What happens now may very well change the fate of all those in Val Faim, forever.

Welcome to our second event! We realize this one is even lengthier than the first, so below, you’ll find a simplified summary and a timestamp breaking down important dates for the month. Like the first event, feel free to thread out flashbacks, continue your threads from the Anniversary timestamp at your leisure, and explore what your character might be up to throughout the month outside of where they’re mentioned in the event. It’s definitely a busy one!

SUMMARY: It’s Maccius, and springtime has officially arrived in Val Faim. What would be a relatively peaceful start to the season otherwise kicks off with catastrophe when a building explodes extremely close to the Prophet’s Tomb. Only one person dies, a man named Henri, who’d apparently been the cause of the explosion, but the details are murky. The only other individual who could provide any information explaining what happened, Amelie, is brought in to be spoken with but gives up nothing before eventually disappearing into thin air. All the while, Alain Gauthier is scheming in the background, trying to take advantage of both Hippolyte’s execution and the chaos caused by the explosion to get a step ahead.

He calls for one of his allies, KARINE, and asks them to help put the pieces together. Alongside KARINE come two Ambassadors from the not-so-far-away Widrowem, ROWAN and CASSIAN are here to negotiate a marriage contract between Widrowem’s Thane and Calandre… or to see if war might be the next best option, as Calandre’s stubbornness over the years has not improved. Calandre, wanting to lighten the mood in the Summer Palace and distract both herself and courtiers from these gloomy events, summons SYLVIANE to come to Val Faim and paint a beautiful new mural as a tribute to Celestine’s strength. With SYLVIANE is their bodyguard, VASKA. Less famous are the three Chevaliers Calandre brings back from the border of Widrowem to investigate the explosion and members of her court. ROTH, ADRASTE, and MEDRAUT might all be a little on the prickly side, but they’re here to see the rough work done. There is a general air of tension to the city. It feels like most people are waiting for the other shoe to drop.

TIMESTAMPS:

The Second of Maccius: The explosion occurs. Henri is dead, and Amelie is brought in to help figure out what happened.

The Sixth of Maccius: The rubble from the explosion is officially cleared away. Sylviane and Vaska arrive to paint Calandre’s mural.

The Twelfth of Maccius: Roth, Adraste, and Medraut make it to Val Faim and are set to the task of figuring out why Henri set the explosion off, how he did it, and where Amelie went. Calandre has given them full reign of the city and those they speak to for details.

The Nineteenth of Maccius: Karine, Cassian, and Rowan arrive in Val Faim. Karine is here on business for Alain Gauthier, but Cassian and Rowan’s goals are much more political.

If you have any questions pertaining to the event, please drop them in the Discord channel! If you need any help plotting, or getting things started, please reach out and we’ll see what I can do to help. The new characters (Roth, Adraste, Medraut, Karine, Cassian, Rowan, Sylviane, and Vaska) are all open for applications. Their skeletons will be posted throughout the day. Thank you again, to all of you, and happy one month of being open!

[miss-kittys-magical-library]

Last Christmas

Words: 2900

Warnings: Here we see the smut chapter. Fluff and smut.

A/N: again thanks to my homies @joz-stankovich and @robertsheehanownsmyass for encouragement!! Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @elliethesuperfruitlover @super-unpredictable98​ @bisexualnathanyoung

Chapter 3- White Christmas

Violet unlocked her door and dropped a handful of bags in the foyer. The mistletoe and pine still softly twinkling where Nathan left it made her flush at the memory of their kiss. She shook it off as she struggled to drag in a large heavy duffle bag she collected from the casino.

“Hey, Seamus Finnegan!” she gave a shout and smiled to herself. “Come help me with your shit! Also you've got eight hundred messages on your phone.” Violet finally faced her apartment and gasped. Nathan had decorated while she was out.

White lights trimmed the door to her balcony. The island where they ate earlier shared a similar style to the one above her front door: Pine and some bows and lights scattered throughout. There was a six foot pine tree in the corner by her television showered with white lights as well (in fact all the lights Nathan used were white. Some twinkled, some were stagnate). There were ornaments of every shade of purple, flowers and silver tinsel littered the tree, and again the pine around the wood of the table her tv sat on. Any bow used was a deep purple with silver trim.

“Oh, Nathan.”

That's all Violet could whisper as she ran her hands along the bough that lined the kitchen island. She knew in her heart he would open his mouth and ruin the feeling of contentment and she had right now. Something witty or obscene, so she kept quiet and allowed it all to soak in.

Making her way to the Christmas tree, Violet reached out to touch everything. It was real, solid. Nathan made all of these with his.. magic? She couldn't believe that’s what it was. Magic. He was magical.

His face certainly is magical, too she thought to herself. Cheeks hot as the sensation of his tongue in her mouth flooded her memory. It's been so long, Vi. What would it hurt?

Except it wasn't just about wanting to sleep with Nathan. He challenged her with his smart mouth. Always tacking on a statement that would get him the most attention. That he couldn't just say anything nice or complimentary without sexual or sarcastic wit sprinkled in. But he was vulnerable with Violet when he was still locked up and just last night as he lay dying in her arms. When Nathan trusted someone his walls came crashing down.

And he could be selfish, but so far he used his powers for others. The money he tried to steal to give Marnie and someone else’s baby a better life. Violet knew the young mother didn't steal the poker chip, Nathan gave it to her and told her to take off so she wouldn't get caught up in his mess. The decorations and breakfast this morning, carrying her to the couch instead of leaving her on the floor. That asshole’s tongue at the club. Even trying to comfort Violet as a knife stuck out of HIS chest.

And Violet assumed he drove everyone insane, himself included. Yet he survived. Or found a way. He survived being homeless and whatever went on in London after that storm that affected him and his friends (She googled it, would bring them up later). He even survived prison; for a guy like Nathan that was impressive.

Violet liked some of her clients. She even struck up friendships with the better of them. ACTUAL friendships where they called and hung out whenever her schedule allowed. But this was a tiny seed planted in her heart that started to grow and blossom like the flowers on her Christmas tree. They weren't supposed to see each other ever again, and Violet would be able to uproot her feelings for the flirtatious Irishman and throw them away.

Except he was in her apartment, occupying more than just physical space. With his stupid green eyes and even dumber way he laughed loudly at all of his own jokes before anyone else could. Let's not even start on his stupid, handsome face caught between boyish and a man like puberty couldn't make up it's mind during Nathan’s late teen years and just decided to linger into his twenties. Or his weird body with the baby Bambi spindly legs but muscular arms (with dumb scene kid tattoos) and that chest she touched. With all that death she figured he would be cold, but he was human. Hot blooded, warm-skinned human.

God dammit, Duval. You can't do this. He's probably just doing what he does best when it comes to you. Surviving until he gets home to London. Plus, he's like, way too young for you.

Her sisters were gonna have a field day with this tomorrow at dinner. Would Nathan even want to go with her? She was so lost in her thoughts, that she only just noticed the flowers decorating her tree were her namesake, violets.

Somewhere far behind, Nathan cleared his throat. Violet still jumped, plucking a flower off as she did. “Hope you don't mind I jazzed up the place. Rather boring for a bird like you,” he said with a devilish grin. “I wasn't sure what ye liked. I closed my eyes and t’ought of you and all this happened.” He swept his hand around the room.

“It's rather thoughtful for you.”

“Don't you mean thoughtful OF me?”

“No I definitely meant FOR you” Violet challenged.

For only the second time since they met, Nathan was rendered speechless.. Mouth agape, thick eyebrow furrowed in confusion as he grappled for a comeback and failed. It was only when Violet looked at him struggling that she understood what was going on with her guest as he casually lounged against the wall.

Nathan was wearing one of her sheets wrapped around his lithe body in a makeshift toga. A tinfoil halo laid crookedly on his shaggy head. Violet also took notice of the outline of his member under the sheet. She couldn't help but gawk knowing he was naked. He didn't bother with the wings, as if he was “angel” enough for what he thought he was doing.

Violet laughed out loud and covered her mouth to hide mirthful giggles. Tears sprang to her eyes, and at one point she felt out of breath. Nathan, meanwhile, had a crimson climb up over his face. His eyes betrayed that for once maybe there was some sort of embarrassment going on. He crossed his arms self-consciously and rolled his eyes.

“Are ye done having a laugh?!” just a smidge of hurt in his voice. “Last time turn myself inta a sexy angel!” Nathan jerked his hips and sneered.

“You look so cute! You halo did me in! Be honest,” Violet pursed her lips to express another giggle, “What are you doing?” She could feel the answer before he said it.

Nathan waltzed over to just a few feet from Violet. He ran a hand down the length of his body with mischief in his eyes, “Who me? I go on top, love.”

“Not if I have a say in it.”

Nathan’s mouth hung open in disbelief. “What if I get there first?”

“I've got way more experience than you do. And I always come out on top.”

There was electricity in the air.

“Key word being come,” Nathan’s voice came out sleepier than usual.

His eyes drifted from Violet’s down to her mouth then back up as he teeth bit his entire bottom lip. If that was meant to be seductive it worked.

Violet felt out of her body when she clung to the back of Nathan’s neck so she could bring his mouth down to hers. Their tongues doing battle as she got her fingers wrapped up in the back of his head. Nathan’s strong hands on the curve of her waist so that he could bring her lower half onto the bulge under the sheet. She moaned unintentionally into his mouth.

Nathan was a little aggressive the way he almost choked Violet with his tongue. She bit into it between playful and defensive causing him to back off. Only breaking the kiss to remove her shirt. Their bodies molded together again as they made out in the living room.,

His hands kept flitting over her body in quick succession like he couldn't decide between her shoulder blades or her ass. Making up his mind instead to start fumbling around with the clasp of her bra. To Violet’s delight and surprise he managed to unhook the thing and helped her slide it off.

In a whirlwind Nathan picked Violet up so that she could wrap her long legs around his thin body. Violet took note that he was stronger than he looked as they stumbled through the hall. Tongues at war again while Nathan crashed Violet into a wall where he devoured one of her breasts.

“Ow,” she winced but giggled into his mouth. Her nails deep into the skin of his shoulders and neck for balance.

“Not sorry,” Nathan mumbled.

He bit at a nipple harshly before sucking on it and repeated this back and forth. Growling into her chest with his face inside her cleavage. Violet laughed louder than she meant to at the absurdity.

“OI!” Nathan cried, but joined in the laughter this time.

Now they lumbered towards the bedroom, Violet tugged on his hair and cried out as his tongue flicked and devoured her nipples softer than before. Once inside, Nathan literally threw Violet back on to her bed towards the pillows.

“What the fuck?!” Her face hurt from smiling and laughter. Afraid of what might happen to her expensive Versace panties, she took them off before Nathan could tear into the fabric himself.

Violet bit her finger, her skin goose-pimpled in the cold air of her apartment. Her patience began to grow somewhat thin even as her sex started to pulsate at the sight of Nathan’s erection under the toga he fought with.

“Do you want help?” she offered.

Nathan waved her off and it fell to the floor. His cock surprised her with the still attached foreskin strained against the head. Then she remembered most European guys were still intact.

Violet's view was mostly a short one because Nathan crawled across the bed towards her. That Lord of Chaos shit eating grin from ear to ear as he palmed her knees. He spread them till they touched the sheets. He sucked on her collarbone and pumped a finger or two deep inside Violet. The palm of his hand meeting her sex causing her to buck unexpectedly while he repeated himself a few times. Her actions only encouraged him to keep going

“Where did you learn any of this foreplay? Porn? Trial and error? Juvenile girls with low standards?”

“D. All of the above.” He groaned into Violet’s neck. Fingers still gliding in and out of her.

“Have you ever been with an older woman?”

Nathan startled Violet by staring at her all of a sudden. “How old is older woman?”

Violet grimaced, “Nope. Nevermind.”

Before long, Nathan stopped using his hand and all too hastily started to lap at Violet. His tongue swift and sloppy over her sex not even bothering to find her clit. Rapidly he licked at her slit like she was an ice cream he tried to eat before it melted. It wasn't unpleasant but it wasn't exactly getting her off.

“Nathan?” she cried out the question. “NATHAN!” louder.

He raised his head, mouth glossed with her wetness. “Ahyep?” His eyes heavy with desire.

“This is oral sex, Lucky Charms. Not a fucking pie eating contest. Slow down and put your mouth here,” she brushed fingers over the top of her sex and spread it enough to show him her clit.

Nathan’s eyes widened and followed her finger to the bud of nerves she all but pointed at. “So that's what it looks like,” he marveled.

Violet glanced heavenwards but a part of her felt bad. “I'm being serious, has no woman EVER told you how to get her off?”

Nathan littered her thighs with kisses from the knee towards her pelvis. Making his way up the other to the opposite knee. He smiled at the way Violet’s body arched into the sensation. “Nah. Usually get a quick toss in then never see ‘em again. Marnie was my first missus.”

“Well then just use the tip of your tongue and make small circles.” Her breath caught when Nathan obeyed. “You can suck on.. Like. Fuck,” her hips writhed under his mouth “and just..” she mewled and lost concentration.

He caught on quickly. The rhythm of his tongue matched the way Violet rocked herself into mouth. More and more rapid he worked his tongue between circles and sucking. His actions and her wrapped up in a cycle of give and receiving

Violet vibrated. One hand clawed at Nathan’s neck. The other clutched the headboard as she felt electricity course through her. She bent forward at the power of her unexpected orgasm. The hood of her sex contracted around his tongue, liquified, she screamed his name.

Nathan pushed himself up and laid down on top of Violet before she could get her bearings. His tongue deep inside her mouth again as the head of his cock twitched and poked at her cunt.

“Na-Nathan, what are you doing?” she managed to catch her breath.

“Getting a toss in. Ye had yours, now it’s time t’give us a go. Right?” he teased her with the head slick already with his pre-cum.

“Not without a condom you don't.” Violet wedged her hands between her chest and Nathan’s to push him away. She searched around in her nightstand drawer, hyper-aware of the immaculate knife placed back inside. A flash of his dead body, but she held up a condom instead.

A kiss puckered on lips that fell. “A what?”

“You don't have condoms in Europe?” her eyebrow curved.

“Well sure but I've never used one.”

Nathan was so matter of fact it took Violet by surprise. Still, he took the package from her, hesitating to open it. He was rather tentative about what was inside.

“You've got to be fucking joking,” Violet took the rubber from him in haste and rolled her eyes. “I don't know where your dick has been.”

Nathan kneeled over her legs, his cock at perfect attention. “Aw COME ON!” he whined. “They're mostly clean council estate girls! Once there was one of those Thai ladyboys,” he stroked his chin, “but I didn't even realize my cock wasn't in a fanny”

“Fuck me.”

“I'M TRYING, SWEETHEART!! NO ONE’S EVER SHOWN ME HOW T’PUT ONE ON!”

Violet softened once more and sighed. She laid the condom on her chest and took Nathan by the waist to make him scoot towards her. For shits n giggles she raked her nails down his hips and he buckled with slight pain and pleasure. Violet smirked but took his cock in one hand while rolling the rubber over the shaft and down to the base expertly. She kissed his stomach, erection twitching as he came in proximity to get mouth.

Violet traced a fingertip over the stars he had tattooed down his pelvic bone. “What the hell possessed you?” She gazed up at him through her bangs.

Nathan caressed her cheek down to her lips where Violet sucked on his finger. She nipped playfully at it waiting for an answer. “It's shooting stars (stairs) all the way down t’ the milky fucking way”

Violet immediately regretted her decision to ask. Again. She had to remind herself he wasn't immature per se, more like stunted. Nathan had a good heart under the cushion of sarcasm and arrogance. A heart she placed the palm of her hand against to feel its steady beat.

“I'm only joking. Was a good place t’ hide it from mum. We can shag now right?”

Violet laid back on the pillows and opened up to him. Without hesitation, Nathan plowed into her. That pelvic bone collided with Violet’s as the breath escaped her lungs. Sweat gleamed along his chest and forehead mixed with the scent of her sex as his pace became almost ludicrous. There was pounding and diving into the hilt. As far inside of Violet as she allowed.

This is actually ok, she thought to herself as she attempted to match his speed and failed.

Violet laid under Nathan while he rutted like a wild animal. Breathless and panting as he attempted multitasking: Kissing her and fucking her. He failed at least one and opted to immerse himself in her hair as his body spasmed a release so violent and sudden all that escaped Nathan's throat was a strangled cry.

He collapsed on the pillows beside Violet and almost immediately passed out. She merely snorted, rolled away to check the time. It was then she felt soft, cold pinpoints on her bare arms and chest and hair. What was going on outside in the Nevada desert she registered as happening inside her bedroom.

Violet rolled over to face her lover. Snowflakes covered his bangs and long eyelashes. She held out her hands to catch giant fluffy flakes. Those same flakes fell inches high on her balcony but nowhere else. Violet snuggled into the chest of the man who slept beside her. Lost in his ecstasy, it appeared that he made it snow.

Nathan had given Violet her first white christmas.

[somedayonbroadway]

more.. please?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Okay, no quote for this one, but this is a scene I had in mind since I started writing this fic!

So, as Spot was discovering, things at the Larkin home tended to get a little intense when it came to bedtime. True to his roommates words, the twins did try to convince him that they were quadruplets. Spot still had no idea how they’d gone in through one door and magically ended up behind him when he turned around but one thing was for sure. They were witches.

So many children around here were yelling and Spot was only trying to get to the safety of the quiet guest room. Jack was busy downstairs with Medda. Something about an elf and a shelf and a “do not tell the kids!” so Spot figured he would just go to bed and try to figure out what these feelings were that were swirling around in his chest.

Everything in this house seemed to be some kind of friendly competition. As Romeo had held his hand walking to see the tree lights and the light snow, others had been racing around him to see who could get there first. Somehow, and Spot may never know how, it had been Charlie. He’d looked very smug when he’d turned around to greet the rest of them.

Even after that, it seemed the boys had a bet to see who could see who could sing the loudest. Jack mostly just danced around with Smalls and signed the lyrics to countless Christmas carols with her. It was honestly one of the most adorable things that Spot had ever seen.

He needed to get away from it all before he actually melted. So he made his way past four of the twins and a tiny Smalls who tried to sign to him only for Charlie to translate that she was only saying goodnight and then he ducked out of the way as Henry kicked and writhed over Specs’s shoulder to eventually open the door to find Racer sitting on the floor of the guest room.

It seemed only appropriate to make a joke at first, after their established relationship from the last couple of hours had only been a chaotic mesh of playful flirting — which Spot needed to put an end to. He knew he did. The kid was only that. A kid. But when the boy didn’t even look up at him, Spot paused as it occurred to him that the boy might not actually be in here to see him. “Racer?” he ended up asking. It was almost amusing how the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, but Spot held back his laugh as he shrugged. “You okay?”

“Oh, yeah!” Race grinned. “I’m so sorry, I totally forgot that you, like… are gonna be sleepin’ in here…” This kid was really entertaining. “Sorry, I just… normally come in here ta look at Jack’s painting before I go ta sleep.”

As amused as Spot was, he had to admit to himself how incredibly sweet that was. With a sigh, Spot made his way down to the kid, sitting with his legs crossed as his back leaned up against the bed, just as Racer’s was. “I’m still just tryin’ ta figure out what it means,” he said.

“It’s our story,” Racer said with almost no thought at all.

Spot glanced over at him. “What?”

The blond stood easily, walking over to the wall. “To everyone else it just looks like a bunch a’ squiggly lines but… it ain’t, just like how ta most people I just look like an innocent kid, when I can assure you that I’m very mature for my age and—“ the boy spouted out so dramatically.

“I’m gonna stop ya right there, Juliet,” Spot teased, standing and nodding over to the painting. “So, what’s the story?”

Clearing his throat and straightening up his non-existent tie, Racer turned back to the painting. “Well, you see here,” he began, pointing towards two intertwined lines, one blue and one golden. “These two lines are seen more than one time throughout this painting in various positions, always drawn towards each other. Blue is Jackie’s favorite color and he associated this particular shade of gold with me, so you’ve gone from point A to point B, you’re a master of the arts now, you’re welcome.”

Letting his mouth hang open a bit Spot laughed. “Oh my God, I’m a genius now? Wow, I’d like to thank so many people—“

Racer just scoffed and nodded, shoving Spot’s shoulder a bit as he spun back around and sat on the bed. He looked like an adorable little puppy with his curls, a huge mess from the wind outside and his matching pajama set and slippers. “For real though… it’s me and Jack. Sort of… I usually come in here before bed because… I don’t know, it makes me feel closer ta him. It’s stupid—“

“It ain’t,” Spot assured, sitting down beside the kid. “You n’ Jack… ya must a’ been through a lot together…” he said, gesturing to the very complex mural he was now staring at. Maybe Jack was actually more interesting than he’d originally though. To be completely honest, that was already true. Spot hadn’t even known that Jack had been adopted, much less that he had nine siblings or was this good of an artist. Sure, he knew that Jack was an art major, but that didn’t mean anything.

“Yeah,” Race smiled. “Everything… see the first lines I pointed to was when I was born, n’... ya see how they get separated after that? Then the blue one starts ta get smaller n’ thinner n’ almost disappear n’ the gold one’s tryin’ ta get to it n’ then… the opposite happens… we had quite the eventful childhood,” he explained, sounding all too happy about what sounded like a truly awful story. Spot’s heart broke a little for him but it was hard to be sad when the kid smiled at him like that. “Oh, ain’t ya so attracted ta me now that ya know I have a dark, mysterious past?”

Spot rolled his eyes. “Okay, kid, ya should leave before I take my shirt off, I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you ta—“

“Oh dear God, please take off your shirt,” Racer begged as Spot stood back up and shook his head.

“No, I was told not to encourage you,” Spot chuckled lightly.

The boy pouted. “But I’m so encourageable!” he whined. Spot was beginning to wonder what this boy saw in him. He supposed that he was very much in shape, but that was about it. The kid didn’t even know if he was gay.

He didn’t really tell anybody.

Maybe he was drawn to the boy because he was so confident and forthright with what he was thinking and who he was. That was something to be proud of and Spot wished he could just live like that, just be outright himself. It sounded so much easier than it was. “If Jack finds you in here—“

“He can’t hurt me. He loves me too much,” Racer shrugged. “Okay, that sounded like a joke, but it’s one hundred percent true. This family is like… ours n’ we love them, but we were all each other had for a long time… man, I love that guy.”

Hearing it all made something in Spot’s chest tighten because so long ago, he’d known what that felt like, to have an unbreakable bond like that with a person, to just understand that no matter what they’d be there for each other. But that was a long time ago.

Before Spot could come up with any kind of response, the door was knocked on and then opened and a very annoyed looking Jack peaked in as he leaned against the doorframe. He whistled and used his finger to gesture to his brother to come closer. “Hey, you. Out,” he ordered easily. The way Race pouted and let his head hang low just made him look even more so like the little puppy Spot was convinced he was. Still, the boy did as he was told, giving one sly glance back to Spot. Spot refrained from sending him a quick wink. Instead he just smiled as Race was pushed gently from the room. “I said no encouraging—“

“He was in here when I got here,” Spot defended. “Told me the story a’ this paintin’... at least, what it’s about.” The young man shrugged, admiring the craftsmanship again.

Jack bit his lip. “Yeah… like I said… it’s complicated,” he shrugged, glancing back down the hall towards Racer’s room. He sighed. “Ma’s real happy you’re here, by the way. Told ya she’d adopt ya in three seconds.” The man yawned. Spot never cared much to actually get a good look at Jack, but now that he was, the man looked so young and somehow seemed so wise. It wasn’t like Spot didn’t know he was an idiot who had once nearly jumped off their apartment balcony on a bet, it was just that something felt different now. The things that Racer had said were swirling around in his mind. He wondered what the disappearing of the line meant, though he didn’t wonder for long, not knowing if he actually wanted the answer at all. Maybe it meant nothing but he knew that probably wasn’t the case. “Anyway, tomorrow’s the annual Christmas Eve party so there might be a lot a’ noise out here in the mornin’, but there will be Christmas Tree shaped pancakes, or… ‘ornament shaped’ pancakes if Henry lets Specs make a few,” Jack informed.

Spot nodded with a small smile. “Thanks.”

The older boy nodded back, offering him a small wave. “Goodnight, Spot.” Jack almost turned to walk away. “Oh, and uh… if ya don’t want kids — or Racer, for that matter, barging in at God knows what hour, I’d lock the door.”

And just like that, Spot was left alone. He did lay in bed but he spent a long while staring at the painting on the wall. He pulled a small necklace out from beneath his shirt. It was nothing much, just a little key. He held it gently in his hand as he stared at the painting, watching the story pass before his eyes until finally blue and gold were back with each other on the other side.

Before he knew it, Spot was fast asleep, something a little lighter in his chest.

[silverryu25]

Ok ok here me out. So what if I’m the dragon au sans is invited to a ball. His lazy butt would rather nap with his big dragon skellie . But atlas his father is gently pushing him to find a prince. Dragon red feels jealous and possessive over sans but knows he’s not. A Prince Charming. He knows he’s not handsome, charming or princely. So maybe he finds a spell or potion that turns him normal and tries to impress sans at the ball ? I don’t know. Any ideas a what’s gonna happen next ?

Oh stars noony yassss! I love this!! >:3c

Ok lemme just share a tiny silly thing with you noony cause this idea made me so happy X3

--------

Let’s say Sans is lazing about under tree, napping (like in the pic the amazing @fuzzyzzz drew X3), while Red is off doing something (hunting or just dragon things). They don’t really expect any trouble cause I mean... who would mess with a dragon, right? And by then Red and Sans earned a reputation amongst the knights and princess to better leave them alone >;3

But one person is not ready to give up. Sans’ father, the king, Gaster >.>

He decides enough is enough. His wayward son was supposed to be “trapped” in the tower with that horrible excuse for a dragon (yes I wanna hit him for this too >:|) only for a short time. A worthy prince or knight was supposed to save him and marry him so Gaster doesn’t have to worry about a successor. He did have another son, but that one was just too kind and innocent for king work.

So king Gaster was determined to have Sans succeed after he marries.

And yet it just didn’t happen. That blasted nuisance of a dragon somehow kept chasing off all the princes and knights, and running Gaster’s well set plans (what he didn’t know is that Sans was the one helping Red chase them all of XD). Deciding enough was enough, it was time to change tactics, plan B so to say.

A ball.

If no one was worthy to “save” Sans, then he would be the one to choose the appropriate one at a ball. And Sans will have to be there, he had no choice. After all, Gaster wasn’t a horribly cruel man. He wanted to choose someone that would fit Sans at least a little, though that silly love thing that these kids were spouting about didn’t really matter. He will find Sans a comfortable enough spouse and that will be it.

Now he just had to get that wayward princess home.

So as Sans was lazing around, napping away, unattended, some knights kidnapped him and silenced him before he could call for Red. He was roughly carried home where his father, the king, made certain Sans knew what will happen. When Sans protested and tried to explain that he was in love with the dragon that kept saving him, Gaster had him locked up in a tower, with Sans’ magic locked so he couldn’t run ;^;

I don’t have to explain how pissed Red was when he didn’t find Sans! He tore down everything around the tower Sans was “trapped” in and searched and yelled for Sans for hours. When his stamina finally depleted, he crumpled to the ground absolutely furious but unable to do anything. Somehow, he managed to pull himself together and decided to search away from that place. Thankfully, in his rage he broke the magic that bound him to the tower (though it hurt... a lot >.>).

He quickly found some old friends that helped him find clues on where his princess could be. A ball. A fuckin’ ball??? He was ready to storm that bastard’s castle and take his tiny princess back! But one of his friends stopped him cause raiding the castle would lead to certain death. Red would have to be smart about this. He needed to get Sans without a fight. So... why not go to the ball and win his little princesses hand in marriage? >:3c

Red very reluctantly agreed.

He didn’t know what kind of fire power this damn king Gaster had and he didn’t want to risk Sans getting hurt. So he accepted. But he had to look less... murder dragon for the plan to work. A favor from a witch and he got a potion that turned him “human”, or well less “big murder beast” and more “respectable monster” sized XD

But dear reader, there is one thing the potion couldn’t really change. It might have made Red look like a handsome knight or prince. Made his scary looks soften up and give him that strong but not terrifying appearance (he still had horns and a tail, though smaller, but his wings were gone). But the outside does not change the inside, you know? The dragon was still lurking inside that smaller, still powerful, frame. It’s hard to hide one’s nature after all >:3c

The ball came.

Everyone who was anyone came. The palace was overflowing with noble knits, princes from different countries, noblemen ready to show their best. To get the hand of the princess. And to become the next king besides Sans.

Sans was suffocating. It was horrible. He was stuck in an extremely frilly dress that made it almost impossible to move (part of Gaster’s plan to make it harder for Sans to run) and there was nothing he could do. He could barely pass trough a doorway for freaking sake! His mood was sour and it showed. Everyone he was introduced to him were ignored or scoffed at. Gaster even had to threaten Sans that he better stop it if he doesn’t want to cause an international incident.

So he toned it down but still didn’t pay attention to anyone. What was he use anyway, when his father wouldn’t listen? He had to get away. That was the only way he could avoid this miserable fate. He was sure Red would keep him safe once they were reunited. And he’d never let Sans be kidnapped again. Sans just had to get to Red, cause he knew Red was bound to that tower he was in. So Sans had to do his best and run.

While pondering how he would escape, Sans was walking around the big ballroom, trying to escape the different suitors. His plan was (mostly) working. Anyone who got in his way was ignored with an excuse that he was going to see someone else, or going to get some food at the buffet or whatever, just so he could run.

In his rush to run from an especially clingy noble, he wasn’t paying attention in front of him and he run into someone. With an umph Sans was knocked down on his boney butt, the dress piling up around him, practically burying him under the frills and layers. With a desperate struggle he tried to get out of the pile, but it was hopeless. Suddenly, there was a strong hand grabbing his (very gently) and pulling him up, like he weighed nothing. He quickly found his balance and flattened out his dress, making it possible to stand again.

With a deep breath to steel himself cause he knew he couldn’t get away from this one after they helped him, Sans looked up with a thank you on his teeth, then froze. There was a skeleton monster in front of him but all he could see was teeth. Big and sharp teeth smiling down at him. The monster in front was big, at least double Sans’ height. The size didn’t really scare Sans, he was used to Red’s size and this monster wasn’t nearly as big. But something in the monster’s eyelights and the way his teeth curled made Sans pause. He looked... familiar.

He snapped out of his surprise and thanked the monster. The other didn’t say anything just blushed and nodded. There was something... strange about him. He was wearing a suit that didn’t fit him right, as if it was rushed. It was expensive looking, like the rest of the guests were wearing, but the monster looked extremely uncomfortable in it. Sans could even see him pulling at the collar when he thought Sans wasn’t looking. Weird.

He was intrigued. And since he couldn’t run right now he could see why this monster made his soul pulse in a weird way. So he took the offered hand and followed the monster to the side. They stood there in silence a bit, it was as if the monster wouldn’t or couldn’t talk (he couldn’t, that’s one of the side effects of the potion... where would the fun be if there weren’t any consequences >;3).

Sans noticed the big monster eyeing the buffet, a little drool escaping between those sharp teeth and with a chuckle, he dragged the monster to the food-ladden tables. With a red blush, the big monster looked at Sans like he was waiting for permission. Sans gave him a smile and a nod and all hell broke lose! 

The big monster ate like he hadn’t seen food in ages, stuffing himself and making a scene. Sans could see his father frowning disapprovingly and he couldn’t help but laugh. When Gaster started storming towards them, Sans grabbed the monsters hand and ran! As much as he could in that blasted getup. The big monster was startled at first, not understanding what was going on, but when he noticed the angry king nearing them he quickly lifted Sans into his arms, making the dress crumple, and ran as fast as his long legs could carry him.

They ran through the crowd at full speed, knocking monsters left and right, outrage and curses following their steps. Until they burst onto a balcony. Thankfully it was empty. The big monster quickly shut the door and pulled a big stone vase to block it. Sans wasn’t sure how he even moved it, it was huge! Yet the monster did it with one hand.

With a raised bonebrow, Sans gave the big monster a closer look. With a gentle phalanges, Sans traced the scars on the monsters skull, being very careful not to hurt. He pet over the horns and scratched the base like he would do to Red. He didn’t know what made him do that, but it felt right. When the big monster started purring and nuzzling into Sans’ hand, he was startled. And when he saw a tail with a specific tip wagging behind the monster his eyelights practically turned into stars.

“red?” Sans whispered, almost unheard.

But the big monster heard it and he smiled, giving a sharp nod and a wink. Sans squealed let out a happy sound and hugged Red’s neck, almost strangling the bigger monster. He started showering Red with questions about how he got there, how does he look like that, why he didn’t say anything. Red shook his head and held Sans a bit closer, to make sure he was comfortable. He used his free hand to show that he couldn’t talk.

Sans’ face morphed into a worried frown. He was worried Red would stay like that, that Red sacrificed his voice forever just to save Sans. But Red quickly stopped that. He took Sans’ chin in his hands, and made the little monster focus on him. He shook his head, trying to explain that it wasn’t permanent. Sans, being a smart skelly, understood and asked how to undo it then? Red... blushed. Hard. And looked to the side. Sans was confused at first, but the way Red was acting and memories of old stories made the gears in head turn. Then he blushed right along Red.

“a kiss.” He concluded. Red snapped his head back, blushing even harder. But he gave a small nod, confirming Sans’ words.

Suddenly, the doors to the balcony started rattling. They were found! The guards were trying to bust onto the balcony and, knowing king Gaster, separate them. Quickly, Sans grabbed both sides of Red’s face, squishing his cheeks a bit (Sans would have giggled at this if the situation wasn’t urgent). They stared at each other and both saw the consent in each others eyelights.

With a gentle hand, careful with his claws, Red pulled Sans closer until their teeth met, sockets closing. A surge of magic spark between their teeth, spreading and engulfing Red’s whole body. With a ripping sound, the fancy clothes were torn to shreds as Red’s body grew bigger, into his full dragon form.

Just as the glow was subsiding, the door broke and the guards rushed out. But they were met with a fearsome roar that knocked them all on their asses. Red stood up on his hind legs and spread his wings, still holding Sans in one of his front paws, and glaring down at the knights.

With a curse at their incompetence, the king made his way between the knights, only to stop in front of the dragon and glare at him. With a authoritative voice he demanded that Red release Sans, but Red just glared back not moving at all.

Instead, Sans yelled down to his father that he won’t be coming home again. With a tap to Red’s ribs he looked up and nodded at the big monster. Red looked at him, held him closer to his ribs, making sure Sans is safe, and used his powerful hind legs to jump up, flapping his wings hard to lift into the air.

The king could only watch impotently as his son eloped with a dragon.

----------

Damn this practically turned into a fic... I have no self control noonies >.>

I really hope you like it noony!! This took forever but I love it! It was so fun to write!

[ahatintimestorybook]

Hopes and Friendships (Witch!MU AU) Chap.1-Speranza, the Magic World

Hey everyone! Got a brand new AU for you all! I know I have no control with creating AU’s.

So ever since I made my Mermaid AU and my Werekitten AU, I figured let’s make a Witch AU featuring our favorite fighting for justice girl, Mustache Girl. I had this idea for a few months now and watched a bit of witch themed shows and movies like Kiki’s Delivery Service and Owl House to get me motivated. I even came up with some ideas during work and when it was slow I’d write down the ideas on receipt paper.

Hope you join in on this new magical adventure!

Enjoy!

The world of Speranza is a magical place where witches, wizards and other magical creatures live. At Speranza’s famous academy, Magia, young witches and wizards go there to enhance their magical skills and hopefully find their own talents. The school is run by a strict, but well known witch named Elizabeth, who hopes to see her students succeed.

However, one student has been under her skin since day one.

It was a normal day at Magia Academy, until a loud explosion happened at the left side of the school that snapped Elizabeth out of her thoughts. The headmistress quickly left her office and marched to where the explosion happened.

“Is everyone alright!” Elizabeth yelled, snapping the door open. The smoke cleared, but the students were covered in blue goo. The students pointed at the student who caused the explosion.

The student in question was a young girl with long blonde hair tied into loose pigtails with green beads and a purple ribbon, and had tawny colored eyes. She also had a fake blonde colored mustache on her face. She wore the Magia School uniform, which was a pale purple blouse with long sleeves, and a plaid purple suspender skirt, long black stockings and purple shoes.

The girl gave a nervous chuckle and hid the two potion bottles behind her back. Elizabeth sighed and glared at the young girl. “Of course, Mu.” She hissed.

Mu was then sent to Elizabeth’s office to be scolded and punished for her recent actions. “This has been the 10th time this month I’ve seen you in my office, Mu!” Elizabeth shouted. Mu sat there quietly as she watched her headmistress pace around her office and rant about every little bad thing Mu did this month. “You made potions flood the school, you got a flock of crows in here, and now this! Just to name a few!”

“Okay to be fair, the crow thing wasn’t my fault. They were the ones who chased me on my way to school.” Mu explained.

“Even so!” Elizabeth snapped, as she slammed the ruler on the table, making Mu squeak. “You’ve gotten in trouble countless times, and I’m at the point of expelling you.” She told her. Mu’s eyes snapped open, as she turned away from Elizabeth. “But,” The headmistress continued, “I will leave you off with a warning, since Tim told me you did the project right.” This made Mu sigh in relief. “But, one more mess up and you’ll be expelled from Magia Academy, and your flying lessons would be confiscated! Got it!”

Mu stuttered a bit, but sighed understanding the consequence if she were to get in trouble again. “Yes, ma’am.” She told her.

“Good, now go back to whatever it is you're doing.” Elizabeth demanded, shooing the girl away. Mu sighed and walked back to her dorm.

A black cat, wearing a pink collar with a potion bottle woke up hearing the door slam open and closed, causing him to freak out. “Boss! Let’s go!” Mu shouted. The cat turned to see Mu frustrated as she changed from her school uniform to her regular witch clothes, which was red with a pink belt and collar with long pink striped socks.

The black cat, named Boss sighed, “What did you do this time?” He asked.

“Nothing!” Mu snapped. “My project got all messed up, and Headmistress Elizabeth thinks I was causing nothing but trouble again!” She ranted.

“To be honest, after all the mayhem you’ve been doing. She would be mad at the smallest mistake you would make.” Boss replied.

Mu growled and grabbed Boss by his scruff. “Don’t piss me off!” She then dropped her cat on her bed then grabbed her broom and opened her window and was ready to go for a fly. “I’m going to fly for a bit. I need a cool off!”

“Now, as you're familiar I need to accompany you if you plan on leaving the school.” Boss told her.

Mu sighed, she wanted to go on her broom flight by herself. Though Boss was right. “Alright, you can join, but just stay quiet for at least 5 minutes.” She told him. Boss then hopped on the broom before Mu went flying off into the sky.

The flight was quiet between Mu and Boss. Mu just wanted to fly as far away from the school as possible just for a while till curfew and then sleep the rest of her frustration off. During the flight, Mu passed through all of Speranza, the colorful lights as the sun started to go down, made her smile.

Later into the flight, Boss saw a ripple by the moonlight, and freaked out.“M-Mu! K-Kid!” Boss tried to warn, but Mu cut him off.

“I told you to keep your mouth shut!” Mu snapped.

“B-but w-we’re about to enter a-” Boss was cut off as Mu and him entered the ripple, which sent them to another world, Earth.

On Earth, there was a young girl around Mu’s age, with brown hair tied into a ponytail and in her lilac space pajamas. She had these witch dolls, monster plushies, and a storybook with the same witches on them. “And then the sweet witch, Aida, used her magical spell to turn the water monster into nothing more than a puddle!” The girl narrated.

She grabbed the witch doll, Aida and pointed it at the plush of a frog like monster. The girl made her Aida doll pretend to do magic and to make it look like the water monster turned into a puddle she grabbed the plush and threw it on her bed, where it landed perfectly on her pillows. “Haha!” She cheered. “The 5 harmony witches could never be beaten!” She cheered.

“Harriet!” A male voice shouted. The young girl, Harriet turned to see her father, a man with brown hair like her, golden eyes, wearing a red and purple plaid shirt, some purple sweat pants, and grey socks. “Harriet, it’s almost 10 pm, and you should be asleep.”

“Sorry dad.” Harriet apologized. “I’m just reenacting my favorite scene from the Five Perfect Witches!” She explained.

Harriet’s father, Luka sighed, shaking his head. “Every scene from that book series is your favorite.” He reminded her. “But, aren’t you a little old for that book?”

“Dad.” Harriet frowned. “Five Perfect Witches are loved by everybody! They show you, you don’t have to be perfect to be anything, being perfect is-” Harriet and her father continued together, “you being you.”

“I know.” Luka reminded her. “But, you’re almost 10 years old, and kids your age should be reading mystery books, horror novels, and books about growing up.” He told her, as he ruffled her head.

“But fantasies are better, and plus everyone loves fantasy novels.”

“Not as much as you do.” Luka then picked up Harriet’s stuff and placed them on her bed. “Now, it’s getting late and you should be getting sleep.”

Harriet let out a yawn, feeling a bit tired already from the mini adventure she had. She crawled into bed, as she watched her father put her 5 Perfect Witch dolls, book, and some of her plushies on the shelf, except for the frog monster and mouse monster plush, which was left on her daughter’s bed. Luka gave his daughter a kiss on her forehead and turned off the lights.

“Night my little witch.” Luka whispered.

“Night dad.” Harriet whispered back. She turned to her side and went to sleep. However, a few moments later, Harriet opened her eyes and got up to go to her shelf, and grab her 5 Perfect Witch book to do some late night reading. She turned on her lamp and started to read her book, clutching her plushies tight. “Wouldn’t it be nice to meet a witch?” Harriet whispered to herself.

A twinkle was heard outside, and Harriet quickly closed her book and looked outside her balcony and saw a silhouette of Mu flying on her broom. Harriet’s eyes widened seeing a witch, a real live witch! “A witch!” She exclaimed in a low whisper. Quickly, Harriet grabbed her house slippers and was ready to head outside for a closer look.

“What are you doing?” Luka asked. Harriet squeaked and turned towards her father, who looked disappointed seeing his daughter hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

“D-dad!” Harriet stuttered. “I-I just saw something outside and wanted to go and check it out.”

Luka shook his head. “Harriet, you can check it out in the morning, right now you need to be in bed, asleep.” He told her, as he ushered his daughter back to her room. Harriet stuttered and tried to tell her father, but she gave up and slowly nodded heading back to her room.

Harriet sighed and took off her slippers. She then went back to her window, and saw Mu was still flying, but something was off about it.

Back with Mu, “Woah! Ah!” Mu screamed as she lost control of her broom. She then noticed she made it to Earth, and freaked out, which in turn caused her to lose control. Soon Mu crashed into a tree, and was knocked out dizzy from the landing.

Back with Harriet, she saw the whole thing and felt concerned for the witch. As much as she wanted to go help Mu, her father would get furious seeing her still awake. “I hope you're okay, witch.” Harriet whispered. “I’ll check up on you in the morning.” She closed her windows and went back to sleep, but couldn’t shake the feeling about the witch.

[themousefromfantasyland]

The Yule Man (5/7)

Told by ME

This was meant to be a short story, but it became too big, so I separated it in seven parts. I want to turn my blog in a space where I can share my writting every once and a while.

This is the first time I post one of my stories on a public space. This is the first time anyone besides my sister will be able to read, so I'm pretty exciting and anxious. I want honest criticism. I hope you all enjoy it.

On the Solstice Eve of that year Chris arrived back in Arnsberg close to the old bridge. Once again, he dressed in a long fur coat and dirty beggar clothes, carrying an old bag. He touched his face and discovered his shaggy beard hadn't changed at all. Deep down he still had hoped things to be different.

The town changed even more from the last time. Entire neighborhoods seemed to have withered away. Filthy tenements with shattered windows and people dressed no better than him. Beggars and homeless children scattered everywhere. Pain and sorrow stamped on everyone's faces.

"What happened here?"

He walked faster as he could until he reached a church in a better part of the town. Exhausted, he rested leaning on a statue of the Silver God. As soon as he saw him, the priest shoved him away as a dog. Somethings never change at all.

He wandered in those streets, until an old woman stopped him. She looked exactly like the grandmas in Sophia's picture books.

"You're the Yule Man, right? I know her." The old woman chuckled. "She told me if I saw you, I should send you to this address."

And she gave him the address and went her own way.

"Mia?" He looked to the piece of paper in his hands.

The address lure him to a small building downtown. Candlesticks illuminated the windows. Rows of holly and mistletoe were hanged through it with care. The sign in the door announced the place to be closed, yet they forgot the door open.

A huge man dressed in all black from the head to the toe stepped out of the store. On his way out he bumped with Chris.

"Happy Yuletide!" He took off his bowler hat to greet him, when Chris thought he saw all the evil of the world in his eyes.

He then disappeared in the mundane crowd. Chris entered the store, without knowing what he had saw.

Still confused, he called:

"Is anyone here?"

He saw full-body mirrors, measure tapes and cushions lying on the floor. Pieces of fabrics were scattered everywhere. Some carefully sorted and saved in shelves and cabinets. Others dropped over wooden tables. Someone had engraved dozens of needles on the heads of the mannequins. That unsettled him.

A woman in a purple dress shirt turned to him from the balcony. Seeing her face drove all his fear and worries away. In what seemed like the interval between seconds, he jumped to her arms, which closed tight around his body. He had returned to Mia.

He glared at her. She didn't look like the rich girl he had met. Her clothes showed simplicity this time. Modest and simple. A purple coat and skirt, covering a blue waistcoat.

She served him a cup of hot cocoa. She knew exactly what would fill him with happiness and made him warm. By the look in his face, she did it right again. She brought him to a small apartment over the store. The place stroked as tiny, yet still cozy and not uncomfortable at all. Chris saw a moderate Yule tree with some Yule Goats around, and he knew Mr. Hayek lived there.

They sat by her blue coach. He made a silly face that said to her. "C'mon, tell me what happened."

She took a sip from her teacup and started.

"After the Yule, I took my part in father's inheritance and left the shrew alone." She told him, and both on that room felt deep pride for her.

There was a sense satisfaction in her face. He loved finding that in her. Chris managed to smear himself with the drink and it made her happy.

"You're a tailor now?" He teased her.

"Being a writer wouldn't work out for me." She smirked.

She gave him a white blouse.

"Dress it."

From the bathroom he came as handsome as she remembered him. Mia struggled to keep her good form.

"I didn't say to shave the beard. You can keep if you want."

"I don't want!" He winked to her.

She continued telling him her year.

"I bought this place from an old woman. She wanted to retire and pass more time with her family. She actually helped a lot setting all this up."

He turned to her.

"Was she the woman who bring me here?"

"Possibly." Mia gestured with her shoulders. "I told everyone that I knew that if they saw you, they should give you the address of this place."

"And who was that man I saw getting out of the store. He creeped me out."

Mia grew quiet. She exhaled. Talking about him never brought her any pleasure.

"It would be Franz Müller, the Cat’s-eye. He's a loan shark who thinks a lot about himself. Each month me and all business in the neighborhood have to pay his fees. Don't think much about him, most of the time he just takes the money and leave us alone.

The question frightened Chris.

"What happened to the town?"

Mia shut her eyes.

"Economic crisis, and my father can't help them this time."

"What about the ball in the Hayek’s mansion?"

She raised her voice to him.

"Which ball!"

That sudden change of mood made him jump out of his place.

"Sorry, mother closed the gates of the mansion to the town. She's still rich. Made a deal with my father's business partners. She guaranteed hers but forgot about everyone's else." She said full of deep resentment.

"I kind learned this by myself because you. I don't want to brag, but I'm good at this." She continued. "I bought this place. Learned a trade. Started to work."

"So, you're a working-class woman now?" He smirked.

"It's what it looks. I still have part of my father's inheritance. And with the work I got I can sustain myself quite comfortably for quite a while."

Night had come. Chris released his bag over her terrace, filling the sky with the magical snowflakes. All the town saw the light and cold dash up into the clouds. Billions of ice crystal dancing and flowing through the air. Mia never got tired of seeing that scene.

She launched the Yule Log into her simple fireplace, and they both sat close by it.

"I want to give you something."

She gave Chris a box. A beautifully wrapped present.

"Happy Yuletide." She couldn't wait to see his reaction.

He opened the box. A tiny bottle full of shiny white sand inside, and little seashells keeping it in good company. He knew exactly where they were from. His eyes filled themselves. He started to cry, to sob even, and still laugh of happiness. He hugged her, and he didn't let her go. His first Yule present ever.

They sat on that place for hours, and still hadn't ran out of things to say to each other.

"Your mother?" He asked.

"Still angry with me. After a time, I stopped trying to save our relationship. It wasn't worth it in the end. I still get to see my siblings. Will take them to Yulesing tomorrow. Without the Solstice Eve Ball, I worry how they will spend the holidays."

Mia explained to Chris how things had got different. This year she couldn't take him to party through Arnsberg.

"I don't care. I only want to be near you."

They stayed hours doing completely nothing. They enjoyed each other's conversation and company in general. The cold was the best sensation ever and the room was as cozy as it could be.

In the end of the night Chris tasted Mia's lips. She had thought they would never come to that. She led him to her room, where she felt his body in hers. Soft, tender, perfect.

They stayed in bed hugged to each other. Through the window in the wall opposite to them they could see the snow slowly dressing the world in white.

"I love you." She said resting her head on his chest.

He felt physical pain saying that:

"This isn't love. It's just a romantic fantasy. What you have for me isn't real. I'm not real. You can't love a person you only spend thirteen days within the whole year." He forced a small laugh.

Her mouth twitched.

"I can if it's true love."

His forehead puckered.

"You don't have to put up with me for the rest of the year. We don't go through the same stuff other couples go through. When the holidays are over, I'm gone. I'm won't think, I'm won't feel, I won't remember a thing. I won't be."

"Chris!"

"Sorry. What we got are only moments."

"So, why are you so against enjoying them. In general, everyone's life is just a moment. They live, they die, and it's over. At least I can enjoy a time with you. For me it's already worth it."

He closed his eyes.

"I'm dying to go to Lichthafen City with you."

He gave her a faintly smile. The room then became quiet.

In the next day they went to take the Hayek children to Yulesing. Mia knew very well that Chris loved it more than the children. Her siblings were nothing more than an excuse for doing that. Yet, he loved her siblings. They stayed with them for half of their days together. They had fun.

In the other half they stayed alone in Mia's apartment over her tailoring shop. Cuddling in her bed, eating sweets, and watching the world through that window. Best days ever, for both of them.

The Yule Log turned to ashes. Time to go again, and again in the next year he returned, in the exact same manner. Time passed, and he left, and left, and still returned to her. Each year, thirteen days only.

Chris watched the town change and change around him, and only he stayed the same. In a wink of time, Sophia, Fritz and Thomas started to leave childhood. How much that stroked pain in him. Even Mia started to look more like his older sister than his lover.

Poverty spread through the town as if a disease. Good and respectable neighborhoods crumbled to ruins before his eyes. Organized crime and urban violence turned Yulesing a thing of the past. Mr. Müller became much more than a simple loan shark.

Everything changed, less him.

[sassaetcie]

The Ashes of the Oven : Silver x Idia as a play with Lilia as the main actor - 2

heyo it’s the second part, enjoy

                                                         Scene IV

                               One of Diasomnia main building's balconies

LILIA, aside: Ah everyone, everyone in this small area has fallen asleep again! They say ignorance is bliss, but I guess, so is sleep.  Sweet, sweet children, rest well, dream well, for your dreams may be a fragment of this poor reality, or reality may be a fragment of dreams. What an old man I am, again and forever! Is this wind cold? Warm? Lukewarm? Is my skin dreading this poor, stuck, motionless tredging wind? Or is my blood fearing for such an eternal, limited, foe? Ah! Who comes! Who may you be, student of my dorm... my fellow!

DIASOMNIA STUDENT, A, B, C OR D, MAYBE X: Oh, sir Lilia. I apologize, I heard something and thought it was... some intruder creeping toward our balconies.

LILIA: Do not worry, this is small potatoes. You can go back, there is nothing but myself here. What is your name, if I cannot recall it at all? I am an old, old, chap, after all.

DIASOMNIA STUDENT, A, B, C OR D, MAYBE X: Oh, nothing of great matter, I'll be going back to the dorm.

LILIA: Please, do, young one. But indeed, your name may not be that much of a matter. I see you are diligent, and know immediatly of your susbtance. Would it have been easier with your "name", or any word at all? I wonder, I do not think so. For these words are after all, Words. And words are words upon everything, and yet everything might as well be a lie.

DIASOMNIA STUDENT, A, B, C OR D, MAYBE X: Do you mean my name is truly worthless, in the end, sir?

LILIA: All of our names are useless in the end, young one! Would you be called "Rose" and yet be fast, talking a lot, crushing flowers, including roses? Why would you wear such a name? Isn't that a blatant lie? Look at me, Lilia Vanrouge! Is there something red in me, on this fae body? Even the compass is not a compass! It cannot lead us anywhere, it barely leads us nowhere! But pray, go and recover through slumber again, my lad. You will be exhausted tomorrow, won't you? Your poor little thing.

DIASOMNIA STUDENT, A, B, C OR D, MAYBE X: Y-yes, I'll take my leave... Good night, sir Lilia.

LILIA: Good night, child of the world.

                                                          Scene V:

                                         Night Raven College coliseum

ASHTON VARGAS: Morning, youngsters! Won't spend a lot of time asking you how went your weekend cause it would be a waste of time on your potential, and a waste of time on the developpement of your MUSCLES! We're still in a exam period, so you better prepare! No, Idia, Azul, no running away, we're just doing boring exams... Well, the magical ones! And even if we didn't, you shouldn't waste your youth like this! Muscles and exercices are important for your health and body, as well as a healthy diet and...

IDIA: Yeah, yeaaah, I know... Can we just get to the exams already...

AZUL: Indeed, we may be losing time on our youth like you said so well, Mr Vargas. Wouldn't that be sad if we were to spend more time than expected on this exam?

ASHTON: Oh. Yeah, that's true! Well, I'll let you chose your teams as long as you don't just gang up as dorms or age... I may be tough to harden you up, but I won't stand for these kind of things! If you're just beaten up, you won't get anything from it!

SEBEK: SIR, WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY GANGING UP AS DORMS???

ASHTON: Well, if you chose to team up with Silver, you won't be teaming up with Lilia and Malleus, you see?

SEBEK: But! BUT!

SILVER: Sebek, just calm down... you are going to bring too much attention upon Diasomnia at this point... And if you're... you are worried about Malleus... you can still team up with him to protect him, I'll be with someone else, or maybe our old... maybe Lilia will be okay with me.

LILIA: Oh, I shall be going with someone else, young ones. Pray do not pay attention to me, Sebek, go and follow Malleus, if you will.

SEBEK: Lord Malleus!!!!! Wait for me!!! You cannot wander too much, I am sorry!!!

SILVER: So... what will you do, old man?

LILIA: I will be going with little Cater and Mr Clover. Who knows, maybe we will end up fighting you and Idia, fufufu?

SILVER: Wouldn't that make your team full of third-years students, though?

LILIA: Why, maybe. Maybe! But Trey nor Cater are as powerful as Idia, certainly, fufu. Wouldn't he be the perfect partner even there? Go and fly to him, who knows whom might end up with him otherwise. Wouldn't that be sad if he were to end up alone because people wanted to team up out of affection or strategy only, and not because of both? Although, I cannot fully blame them for that. We are, quite always young down here, or up there, aren't we?

SILVER: Mhh, yeah, you are right, I guess. It is not like I can team up with someone else while being sure they know how to act as a team, anyway... I will be going.

LILIA, aside: Well, well. I guess the story really is going as planned. How gratifying! I could really see myself as a god if it were to keep going. I wonder, I wonder, what is the good choice? The lie, the right investment? Is this compass showing the North, or the South? Is the North the North? The South the South, the south, south the? There is no such thing as a clock in our life, but this huge, or invisible Compass.

                                                         Scene VI:

ASHTON: So, everyone has formed their teams?

STUDENT(S) FROM A TO X, FROM H TO D: Yes, sir!

ASHTON: Okay, anyone to move forward? Or we gotta make the whole stuff harder and call people randomly? Come on, gather up some courage, you have nothin' to fear! Everything gonna be alright.

CATER DIAMOND: Heeho! I would like to begin, showing the way to the younger students and all, you know~!

ASHTON: Cater? Surprised but not disappointed! That's the way to go! So! Who's in your team?

CATER DIAMOND: Lilia Vanrouge and Trey Clover! Of course we won't be fighting first years, that would be really cruel and lame~!

ASHTON: Yeah, would be unfair although we shouldn't underestimate the youngsters. Someone to take up the challenge?

LILIA: Do not underestimate the young ones, indeed. Would this dear Silver tries to fight us? Since he knows me, dorms interwars could be interesting, don't you think so?

ASHTON: Can't tell, these kind of things really aren't for me! As long as you fight in the rules and all... What do you think, Silver?

SILVER: Well. I have only one partner, and I don't... do not know if Idia Shroud would be okay with fighting three people instead of two.

IDIA: I don't care... If I'm with Silver, we should be in synch enough to fight three people who don't really have a lot to do together...  

TREY: Huh? Did something happen between you two?

CATER: You really don't pay any attention, do you, Trie~?

ASHTON: Enough chatting! Everyone, get away from the arena! Time to fight and muscles to shine!

SILVER: En garde.

LILIA: Oh, no need to be so formal, young one! You will not have time to say such things in war... but it is pleasant to hear and witness such fantasy.

IDIA: Then, take that!

TREY: Come on, Idia! Why would you use tree spells when you know that we are so good with fire?

SILVER: Thanks for the smoke, here I come.

CATER: Eeeeeh! A light shot...! Don't blind me eeeeeh!

LILIA: Let me add more fumes to hide this quite too vivid light!

CATER: Ehhhh... I can't see any of y'all, now~! That's not funny... and that's unfair!

LILIA: Nothing is unfair in battle, young one. You should not have underestimated two partners, after all. Hm? What's that? Oh, oh, an ashen ground. How interesting... Our steps do not make any sound anymore... Or sound does not come anymore.

TREY: Huh oh, I feel like Idia had predicted that.

IDIA: Gyehehe! Take thaaaaaat!

CATER: Aaaaaaah!!!! MY LEGS ARE FROZEN~!!!

LILIA: I guess you had planned on making an whole quiet floor and freezing it right after. How interesting... Let me burn down these fake grounds.

SILVER: Idia, step back, wherever you are. The fumes will get worse if the old man really burns down the whole ground... concrete aside.

LILIA: Huhu, concrete aside? Wouldn't that be fun to burn down, though? I wonder what kind of toxic fumes would get out. No one can help you in this smoke, young ones!

TREY: You're getting creepy, please, stop, already. We don't want to trigger something in Idia... or anyone else...

CATER: Come and help me instead of playing the bad guy, Lilia~!! If I'm down that means I can't use our main diversion anymore!

LILIA: Why would you think I am merely playing now? I may have been tagging along all this time, come on. Someone must have fun watching us diving! Burn, slowly burn. What will these flames reveal?

SILVER: Old man, stop. I don't know what you're on, but I beg you to stop. This isn't going to end well if you keep

IDIA: Uuuh... I'm going to suffocate... I'm going to suffocate.

SILVER: LILIA! STOP!

LILIA: Aren't these red flames pretty? Look at how much they burn, they eat away the whole world. What can we build over this burned ground, I wonder?

IDIA: I'm going to suffocate. Suff.suff.suff.SUFF.SUFF.SUFF. Stop with the flames already! Fucking stop! Stop!! Just hit me with ice if you want, but no more flames, please!

CATER: Lilia, stop, come on~! This isn't funny anymore, don't mess with Idia, we don't know what he can doooo~!!!

IDIA: I should have guessed... I should have guessed that you would never agree with me being happy with Silver! Gehehe... i was so fucking naive, of course no one would like me to take away their preciouuuuus family!

TREY: The fumes are melting away... What is going on?!

CATER: Haha, I don't like this feeling of déjà-vu...

LILIA: Ahh, finally. Well, I guess I should present you Idia... once he has overblotted.

SILVER: LILIAAAAAA!

LILIA: Oh, pray, do not try to kill me, this would be useless. Won't you save your... boyfriend, is that the word I am supposed to use now?

IDIA: Huhhh... No matter how much I try... these flames just stick to my skin... Soon this won't be my skin anymore... I'm sorry, Ortho, i'm sorry... why do you have to be caged with a fucking useless and ridicule and selfish and awful and pathetic brother? I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

CATER: What do you want us to do, Lilia?! Holy fuck, I can't even tell anymore what's going, why would you do something so careless and stupid, not to say dangerous?!

LILIA: Why, to help him, of course.

CATER: Eeeeh~ You're that kind of bitch who thinks they knows everyone's pains and act as if you could heal everything without anyone's help?

LILIA: Oh, young one, I apologize. I want your help, as well as Silver's help and Trey's help. I promise everything will be alright.

TREY: I... strongly disagree with your method. I wish I could just slap you right now but now there are too many people watching. It's because of people like you that we keep having so many troubles... you're so young and yet you act like some kind of patronizing parent... But hey, better wait for the overblot to stop first. I'll slap you later. Any idea to help Idia?

LILIA: Well, Silver will be the main actor here. He is, after all, the "Prince Charming".  

[dansnaturepictures]

7th March 2021

We had some interesting animal moments at home today. Firstly I saved one of the Grey Silverfish I have started to enjoy seeing in my room from my toilet when I noticed it floating in there this morning. I pulled it out of the water with my toilet brush and then it came to life. I eventually got it out of the actual toilet all together and onto the cistern where I had seen it last. It was off after that and I saw another little bug I had photographed recently on the wall beside me at one point too.

Then when in the garden just before our walk we were stunned to notice a Starling fly in to feed but then not fly off as soon as we got out there as one usually would at the sound of the door opening. Then followed a glorious few minutes of being really close to the beautiful Starling. It was simply magical and fascinating being able to see a Starling so up close rather than in binoculars or zooming in on a photo I’d taken. I loved seeing its feather detail and make up with some characteristic iridescence when the sun or some light flashed on it and also how sharp and prominent it’s beak was. It was so breathtaking to see this bird I see so often at home so intimately today. It also gave me a good chance to use my new general lens on an animal something with birds especially I have noticed it’s perhaps unexpectedly with it acquired for landscapes mostly good at. I pulled the camera out of my bag and used it with this lens as I reasonably expected the bird would not be there for long it is a wild bird after all. But actually it was probably too close for by big lens which speaks volumes about the experience. I took the first two and fourth pictures in this photoset of this bird today. Us standing there with Missy out dog too shown in the third picture in this photoset so close to the Starling in the garden confused the Goldfinches who under the impression I suppose when seeing this Starling that it was human free and safe to come in flew into the bush a few times. A pigeon I think did the same. It was a sensational and unexpected wildlife moment and one of my standout ones of my year and standout garden bird moments ever for me a real intimate moment which I always love but it is very likely the bird was unwell which is quite sad but a part of nature. Still a very memorable experience though. The bird was not there when we came back so it may well be all right. 

On our walk this afternoon we took in more stunning scenes in sunlight even if it was a bit colder, it did look beautiful as so many recent walks have. I took the fifth, sixth and seventh picture in this photoset of trees and sky and more sun through trees scenes lately. We saw some great woodland birds on the walk too, headlined by Siskin in a delightful flock of Chaffinches which I really enjoyed seeing both so well with their green and red plumages respectively glowing in the sun. Beautiful to see. It was also great to see; Goldcrest, a good few Robins again, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and some tits we couldn’t quite see which species. We also saw today some lovely Roe Deers in the sunshine. This weekend I had my once every six month big think about my A and B lists of favourite birds, butterflies, mammals and dragon/damselflies and make any promotions or additions, Roe Deer and Common Seal I added to my list of favourite mammals, Barn Owl was promoted from my B list of favourite birds to now be one of my favourite birds, Clouded Yellow, Silver-spotted Skipper and Wall Brown went up from my B list of favourite butterflies to be on my list of favourite butterflies and a lot of bird species were added to my B list of favourite birds which I may introduce in blogs if or when I next see them.

When home I took more home photos in the form of the final three pictures in this photoset of the whole of the bush with viburnum on after I did a macro picture of this yesterday, flowers on the balcony a unique angle for this well photographed subject for me with the quite raised yellow groups of flowers almost peeping into the room at me which was interesting and the another lovely sunset to see lately in a great run of them during this weather. The interesting thing about today’s photos were they were all with one camera and one lens. Remarkable in that it shows just how much my new general lens can do with shots I’d usually take with my macro, big lens or bridge camera included, I did have both my long distant specialist bride camera and big lens out on the walk with me having a few goes with the finches with the former but it didn’t work out. But also in that excluding the times I have dipped to single figures for photos in recent months I do not remember when this last happened. A key part of another smashing and relaxing weekend for me I hope you all had a good one. 

[the-grey-hunt]

i promised @inukagome15 that i’d post my AU of her fic series if she posted a scene from her upcoming chapter and she followed thru so have this

It was temporary, Gabriel said. He just needed to make sure Michael wasn’t going to race off after Samael before he could talk to nem, Gabriel said. 

    Michael kicked a tree in frustration. There was a low, crackling moan as it tipped over, its branches crashing loudly. 

    Whatever the cause, Michael did not appreciate Gabriel rampantly throwing around his newfound powers. Oh, technically he hadn’t done anything to stop Michael from going anywhere, but Michael could hardly risk visiting his friends without his body - and Gabriel had bound his body to that spot. 

    “Temporarily”. If Gabriel wasn’t back in less than a minute Michael was going to throw him into the nearest supernova. It wouldn’t even hurt him, Gabriel would just come out giving him a look like he expected better of Michael. 

    It had been their idea to come back to this world. Michael had accepted because it gave him the chance to visit his friends, but Gabriel and Samael only wanted a place to talk where Michael would pause at the idea of collateral damage.

    Michael was doing his best not to think about everything they���d dumped on him. Especially not the parts about the Dark and what Samael had done-

    ...Gabriel still had no good reason to bind Michael like this just to keep him from going after Samael. 

    Why couldn’t they have let him go speak to his friends and had the hard conversation later? They hadn’t picked this world for no good reason, anyway. Gabriel had mentioned seeing lots of little creatures darting about between worlds, demons and the like, and Michael was beginning to be worried that the wizarding world might soon see an influx of monsters they weren’t prepared for. They thought vampires could be killed with a stake through the heart and didn’t know anything about beheading - forget proper containment and execution of demons. 

    It was just an excuse to come back, really. Gabriel might have made it up entirely, thinking Michael needed who knew what - alone time, maybe? Gabriel seemed very big on proper handling of emotions recently, or at least he talked about it to Michael a lot more than he’d done before.

    He was more than a little awkward and recalcitrant about it, but it happened more than zero times, which was the amount of talking about emotions Michael had expected.

    It wouldn’t surprise Michael, anyway, if Gabriel had simply invented an excuse for him to return to the world that held Hogwarts and...everything else. Michael wouldn’t say he was opposed to returning, but he wondered why Gabriel would do such a thing. It wasn’t necessary for Michael to come back. He was supposed to be with his true family. No matter how bored-

    Michael!

    Michael almost reeled from the force of so many familiar voices calling out at once. Why-? They didn’t know he was back! Why still call for him, with no guarantee he’d hear?

    Michael, I don’t know what’s going on-

    Something’s wrong-

    Oh, he was going to kill Gabriel. He couldn’t go anywhere. 

    Michael tried to fling himself forward, in the direction the desperate prayers were coming from, but the mark of the binding suddenly burned hot on his chest and yanked him back so hard that he ended up sprawled out on the ground. Michael got back to his feet, seething, desperately trying to find an answer.

    He couldn’t go with his body. He definitely couldn’t go with his body. If he didn’t go, his friends would-

    What was left to do? 

    Michael shoved away the thought that leapt to mind. He couldn’t. It was too risky.

    Riskier than whatever was attacking his friends? They were still begging for his help. Michael squeezed his eyes shut, but he could still hear them.

    Would he rather give up and abandon them, or cause them pain?

    ...They knew what kind of person he was. Michael had caused a lot of people pain over the years. But this felt different.

    Michael reached out.

    Luna, he said, and felt more than heard a mental hiss of surprise. I’m stuck. I can’t get to you. There’s a way but it’s dangerous.

    Michael, Luna prayed, just get here as quickly as you can. There’s strange people and our magic is barely working on them.

    If Michael were human, his heart might have been racing. It’s very dangerous, he stressed. I can come - but it will hurt you.

    Hurt me?

    Do you trust me? Michael winced asking it. 

    Luna’s answer came readily. Yes.

    Then I need you to say yes one more time.

-

    They had managed to trap all three of the strangers in the library. The problem was, they had managed to trap themselves in the library, too. 

    “I told you to wait,” Draco hissed at Justin as they sheltered behind a bookshelf. “If you’d given me one more second-”

    “They would have gotten out,” Justin hissed back. Susan shushed both of them, and the whole group waited for a moment that stretched itself out into eternity. 

    “We need to figure out what will work against them,” Ginny whispered. Luna was half hidden behind her, eyes squeezed shut as she tried to listen for any approaching noise.

    “Spells seem to bounce off them,” Draco snapped. “What are we supposed to use, Fiendfyre? We’ll burn down the school.”

    “They’re just people,” Susan said, thoughts visibly racing. “They’re not even students. How did they get here?”

    The bookshelf they were leaning against shuddered under the force of an enormous blow. Luna shrieked; Ginny jumped to her feet, dragging the other girl with her, though Luna was moving only a second later. The shelf teetered, and then began to fall.

    “Run!” Justin shouted. But there wasn’t enough time to make it to the end of the hallway. They could only run towards the wall, where there was just enough space to flatten themselves against the stone and watch the shelf miss them by inches.

    One of the strangers was standing behind the fallen shelf, grinning widely. How could one person push that huge thing over, Draco wondered desperately? What were they? Their eyes were solid black, and the other two seemed to appear out of nowhere when the first whistled.

    “Nowhere left to run,” one of them laughed. “Looks like the fun’s over, kids. Any last words?”

    “Yeah,” Luna said, voice trembling slightly. “Everybody close your eyes.”

    On instinct, Draco obeyed. But eyelids weren’t enough to shield him from the blinding light that descended a second later. Draco flinched away, putting both hands over his face. It felt hot, too, hotter than any fire - but it only lasted a second.

    Draco heard a hissing noise, like water poured on an open flame. He risked uncovering one eye.

    All three strangers had backed away, looks of horror and anger on their faces. Luna was standing in front of them all, but...

    Draco couldn’t have said why if his life depended on it, but she didn’t look like Luna.

    “Get out,” she growled, and that didn’t sound like Luna either. Why had she dropped her wand? Why did it almost sound like another voice was speaking in tandem with hers, just barely too quiet to properly hear? 

    “Fucking make us,” said one of the strangers. Draco swore he heard a tremble in her voice, like the one that had been in Luna’s a moment ago. 

    Luna moved disturbingly fast. The stranger had barely finished speaking before she’d lunged forward and grabbed his face. There was a burst of bright light, and the stranger crumpled, face smoking.

    The other two took off. They moved almost too fast to be seen, but then so did Luna. And when Luna vanished, Draco swore he heard a rustling of wings.

    “What the fuck,” Justin said. “Was that Michael?”

    “What?” Draco nearly snapped his neck turning to look at the Hufflepuff boy. “Michael?”

    “The light - and then the wing noise-” Justin gestured at nothing, still bug-eyed with surprise. Draco opened his mouth to say something, but Ginny was already taking off in the direction that the strangers had moved. 

    None of them could do anything but follow her.

    -

    They found Luna - maybe Luna - ten aisles over on one of the balconies.

    “Michael?” Draco demanded, not caring that he was being so loud in a library of all places. Luna vanished from the balcony, abruptly right in front of them.

    “Are you okay?” She - he? - demanded, still with the strange double-voice. Now that he was listening for it, Draco wasn’t sure if it was easier or harder to hear. “I came as fast as I could.”

    “What the FUCK is going on,” said Ginny, at full volume, clearly with none of Draco’s compunctions. Luna/Michael grimaced.

    “I can’t move my physical body,” he said. “I wouldn’t do this if I could avoid it!”

    “What’s happening right now?” Susan demanded. She wasn’t looking at Michael’s/Luna’s face. Draco looked down as well. So did Michael.

    Draco had never seen such sheer, unadulterated panic on Michael’s face as when they all noticed the spreading wounds on Luna’s hands. It was like the skin was peeling away - or burning away. 

    “No!” Michael said frantically, in Luna’s voice, actually flinching away from the sight. He looked up at the rest of them, a steely light in Luna’s borrowed eyes - or was that an actual light leaking through? “Are they gone? Was that all of them?”

    “I don’t know,” Susan said, still staring at Luna’s hands. Michael wasn’t letting them shake, but it looked painful, whatever was happening, and it was getting worse before Draco’s eyes. “We don’t know anything.”

    “Can’t you do something?” Ginny pleaded, also staring at Luna’s hands.

    “If I leave-” Michael stalled out, the expression on Luna’s face almost desperate. “If there are more of those I need to be here, but I can’t keep doing this!” He clenched Luna’s hands into fists, and Draco winced, finally tearing his gaze away.

    “There has to be someone else here,” Justin said. “One of the others. Raphael? Gabriel?”

    Michael’s gaze shifted half a step to the left, into the middle distance. “If he comes quick,” he said, quietly, still looking panicked. 

    “I’d like to talk to Luna,” Susan said, a determined expression on her face. Her hand was white-knuckled around her wand. “Is that possible? Can you pass on a message?”

    Something on Luna’s face changed. The light didn’t fade, and the wounds slowly spreading up her arms didn’t stop; but she breathed in, shakily, and met Ginny’s gaze.

    “Oh,” said Luna, without the discordant echo of what had to be Michael’s voice. “This is weird.”

    Ginny stepped forward, putting her hands on Luna’s shoulders. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

    “I don’t feel anything,” Luna said. She wasn’t quite meeting Ginny’s eyes, Draco realized. She was looking right at Ginny - but her gaze wasn’t focused right. As if she were looking at more than just her friends in a library. “And - I feel everything.”

    “Oh, well that’s reassuring,” Susan said, slightly higher-pitched than usual. 

    “It’s going to be fine,” Luna said. “Michael wouldn’t hurt me.”

    “He is though,” Ginny said urgently. Luna looked down at herself. Her eyes widened a tad too slowly, like her reaction were delayed.

    “Oh,” Luna said again. “That’s not good.” She didn’t sound particularly invested. Draco was so unnerved he wanted to step away, but he didn’t want to do it in front of everybody else.

    Another wing-rustling noise saved him from having to make a decision. It was the tall American one, Gabriel. He took in the scene in an instant, and a look of horror crossed his face.

    “Fuck!” Gabriel said. “What the hell were you thinking?”

    “Don’t!” Michael snapped back, the other expression washing across Luna’s face in an instant. Her posture straightened, some part of Draco’s brain noted, when Michael was in charge. “Can you-”

    “Yes! Holy shit, go! I’ve got her.”

    Ginny stepped back. Draco was quick enough to turn away from the second explosion of light in the last twenty minutes. When it was gone, he turned back - and Luna was on the floor.

    “Ow,” Luna whimpered. Gabriel practically skidded to a halt next to her in his rush, which improved Draco’s opinion of him by leaps and bounds. He laid two fingers on Luna’s forehead, and she sighed in relief. Draco saw the wounds on her arms close up instantly, as if they’d never been there.

    “Okay so can someone please explain what the fuck just happened,” Susan said loudly. 

    “I have no idea why Michael would do that,” Gabriel said tightly. Draco realized that he had a new reason to want to step back - Gabriel was angry, and being near him felt like being stared down by something with very large fangs. “He knows how dangerous possession is!”

    “Possession is just something you can do?” Justin looked incredulous. “Since when?”

    “Since forever,” Gabriel retorted, standing up. Ginny gave Luna a hand, carefully scanning her over. But Luna got to her feet without any trouble.

    “He said he was stuck,” Luna said, looking a little shaken. “He couldn’t come himself. He knew it was dangerous but we were in trouble.”

    A guilty look suddenly crossed Gabriel’s face. “You know what,” he said, the large-growling-thing-with-fangs feeling abruptly gone, “Maybe I should just go get Michael so you can talk this out with him.”

    “But-” 

    “Okaybye!” Gabriel was already gone. Draco looked around at the group, silently hoping someone else would speak first. He didn’t know what in the world to say about all that.

    “So,” Ginny said, and then didn’t continue. She was holding Luna’s hand tightly. 

    In the midst of the uncertainty, Michael exploded back into the room. 

    Draco felt a knee-weakening, whole-body kind of relief to see Michael’s actual face again, even though Michael turned away from him immediately and shot over to Luna.

    “I’m so sorry,” he said urgently. “If there had been any other way-”

    “I’m okay,” Luna said, her brightness sounding only a little forced. She waved her free hand in the air. “See? It’s okay. You saved us.”

    Michael didn’t look reassured. “It shouldn’t have come to this,” he said darkly. 

    “Well, I guess now’s the part where we move on to pretending it was something we can joke about since it’s over,” Ginny said. “Why Luna and not, I don’t know...?” She glanced very briefly at Draco. Draco went beet red.

    “She’s the only one of you who wouldn’t have instantly died,” Michael said grimly, puncturing the mood Ginny had created. Draco, who a second ago would have given anything for Ginny not to have said anything, wished he hadn’t. Luna was no longer trying to smile. “Humans aren’t meant to contain archangels. Most just...can’t.”

    “But I’m okay,” Luna said cautiously. Michael’s arm twitched, like he wanted to reach out to her and then thought better of it.

    “You’ll be fine,” he assured her, quiet. “Gabriel healed the damage.”

    “But...” Luna hesitated. “When...it was like I was seeing everything the way you see it. Is that going to...stay like that?”

    Michael frowned. Susan and Justin exchanged quick, alarmed/astonished looks (respectively). 

    “Is it still happening now?” Michael asked.

    “A little bit?” Luna squinted. “Sometimes I’m not sure.”

    Michael did raise his hands then, but stopped himself once more. “I shouldn’t use my Grace on you too much,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “If it’s still affecting you...I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you could already see me, before.”

    “Will it stop?”

    “It should,” Michael promised. Some of the tension left Luna. “If it doesn’t, I’ll find a way to fix it.” He glanced up towards the balcony that he had been standing on earlier, and a dark look crossed his face. “We have bigger things to worry about.”

[heythatpenguinhere]

Switched

*Hello again Elena of Avalor friends! Have you ever wandered what it would be like if Elena and Mateo switched places? Well... Now you can have an idea! Please enjoy an ongoing series of Eleteo shorts: Switched!

The kingdom of Avalor glowed under the summer sun’s rays; flowers bloomed and the waves crashed gently on the shores around it’s edge. Today was one of those days where families made an effort to be out and about to enjoy the outdoor weather which was prime. Everyone except the Crown Prince. 

Inside the colorful palace, behind the pillars, Crown Prince Mateo de Alva stood admiring the kingdom from his room’s balcony. He watched the families and children laugh and play games with the breeze, wishing he too was able to partake. Being a Crown Prince was not all it was cracked up to be.... Ever since his parents had passed, Mateo had begun to feel so alone within the clay walls around him. He had been an only child which meant he was given the crown he had never really wanted to take. He didn’t feel like he was worthy of it truthfully and felt that his personality would never be that of a strong ruler. His heart wasn’t in it and belonged out there, with the people and exploring the world. But fate had other plans and now with his Grand Council he had to rule over Avalor as best they could. 

He did have friends though, don’t get him wrong. He even had some family left: his grandparents. But there was a void in him, longing to be filled and he knew would never be as long as he sat on a throne…

A heavy sigh left his lips as he pushed off the balconies edge and walked back into his room. He had a council meeting he could not neglect. With each footstep, he felt he was sealing his fate further. 

-

“Now onto our final items. Does anyone have anything to bring up?” Mateo asked rolling up a scroll in his hands. 

His grandparents, the Chancellor, and his friend Naomi looked at each other, before Naomi cleared her throat. 

“There is actually something I wanted to bring up Mateo…” She said apprehensively. 

Mateo looked at her in worry. Naomi wasn’t one to shy away from saying what she had to; what was it that had her so hesitant to bring it up to the Council?

With a reassuring nod of his head to Naomi, she continued. 

“I don’t know exactly how to tell you this… but we’ve received reports of a Sorceress in Avalor…” She said avoiding eye contact. 

Several gasps were heard in the room. The last time a Sorceress appeared in Avalor it had resulted in the deaths of his parents and the near downfall of the entire kingdom… Shuriki had been a cruel dictator for several years having overtaken the throne by force the way she did. Mateo, being the only child and heir to the throne, had been taken into hiding and placed under protection until she was finally overthrown. Living hidden as an orphan had changed his life. He grew up under the protection of the royal guards and several brave townspeople who moved him from safe house to safe house. He grew up with the children of the town which is where he had met his friends Naomi and Gabe. Living in fear of being caught, living in fear of being killed, and living with the hurt of having lost his parents shaped his young life and now it seemed it was starting all over again. 

Mateo sat still as can be trying to process the information given to him. 

“A Sorceress?! Where are these reports coming from?”

“We should dispatch the Royal Guard to search immediately!”

“I cannot believe this is happening again… Have we not hurt enough?”

All the voices and opinions in the room chimed at once around him. Mateo didn’t know how to feel. A cold seeded fear began to sprout in him. He felt like he was going to drown. 

Mateo stood up quickly and ignoring the pleas of the others, he walked out of the Grand Council room. 

-

Donning a deep maroon cloak, the crown prince secretly made his way into the village. This was a hobby of his that he liked to indulge with occasionally trying to feel normal. With the help of Gabe, he could sometimes sneak out for a brief break and to visit those who he’d grown up with: his extended family. It never ceased to amaze, inspire, and refresh him how the kingdom was thriving now under freedom. If he ever felt too overwhelmed or like he was losing touch with the importance of his role he remembered them: the brave people. 

Walking around, he had no suspicions that a Sorceress was on the loose. The people were smiling and going about their days normally and yet he couldn’t help but be slightly on edge; the Sorceress could be anywhere

-

After stopping for some fresh Pan Dolce at his favorite bakery owned by Gabe’s family, Mateo wandered towards the edge of the town towards the forested areas he would hide in often before. As a child he would pretend he was a strong knight or even a wizard himself to take on Shuriki; waving around any stick he found and cast imaginary spells at trees and bushes. It was nostalgic to go back and see other children openly playing in that area now without fear. 

He watched as a particularly brave small child began to climb one of the trees as her friends egged him on. Every limb higher made Mateo begin to worry a bit more. The little girl however seemed almost calculated in the limbs she chose and would pause to carefully step, clearly skilled in doing this.

“Be careful Isa! You’re getting awfully high!” Another little girl yelled up. 

A larger boy laughed, “You got this! Remember, you owe me your bag of chocolate if you don’t!” 

The girl, Isa, paused looking down. “Yea right! You’ll be giving me your bag after I-” 

With a large crack, the tree branch supporting her snapped. 

Isa and her friends screams filled the air as she began to tumble toward the ground. Mateo felt his feet move and he ran towards the tree. He had no idea what he could do, but he was determined to at least do something to help the poor girl. As he neared and the girl nearly hit the ground he heard another voice yell. 

“ISA!” A voice exclaimed followed by a strange word and a thump sound. 

Right before their eyes, Isa was engulfed in a sparkly orange glow and she was slowly set on the floor, unharmed. 

Mateo could not believe his eyes. Her friends quickly gathered around the girl checking on her and hugging her. He however was still stunned. Slowly, his eyes shifted to the side of the scene. 

Standing there was a young woman, about his age and stature. She had long flowing chestnut hair in a ponytail and a red dress. She stood breathing heavily and still in shock it seemed, but what caught Mateo’s attention most beside her undeniable beauty was that she stood with a Tamborita extended out still. 

“The Sorceress!” He thought immediately as fear and anger began to fill him. The young woman, or Sorceress, quickly packed her Tamborita into a side bag and ran towards the kids. Mateo, clearly confused and deeply emotional, ran. He could not let this woman hurt those kids. With a strong push and unknown courage, Mateo tackled the young woman to the ground. 

The two began to struggle for the upper hand before finally he somehow managed to pin her to the floor, internally thanking Gabe for teaching him how to defend himself. The young woman below him glared at him intently. This close up he could see her amber eyes glowing with a fire inside them. Her cheeks were a soft rosy color and her skin soft under his grip. She… She didn’t look like a Sorceress…? 

“You’ve got me. Go ahead and turn me in like I’m sure you’re going to.” She said defiantly. Her voice was melodic and pure to his ears in a way he had never experienced before. 

“Who are you?” Mateo said, voice coming out softer than he intended to. 

With all the confidence she could muster, the girl spoke and then faltered, “ My name is Elena. You can turn me in if you want to, I don’t care, but please let me say goodbye to my sister…” 

“Your sister?” He said confused, looking at who he now knew as Elena. 

“Elena!” A young voice called out. 

The little girl that had been falling, Isa, came running towards them. She stopped just beside them in fear and a sort of understanding. 

“Elena… Why…” She spoke, beginning to tear up. 

The young woman under him began to slightly tremble, “I couldn’t let you get hurt… even if it meant using my magic and being exposed. I’m sorry Isabelle.” She said and suddenly everything Mateo thought he knew about the “Sorceress” was rocked. 

He looked back and forth between the two and climbed off his grip on Elena as if she had burnt him. She looked at him with confusion and apprehension before sitting up. 

“You… You aren’t an evil Sorceress are you?” He asked; it came out more like a statement than anything.

Isabelle ran toward her sister and embraced her tightly, maintaining eye contact with Mateo. Her eyes were captivatingly strong and fiery even now. 

“No, I’m not.” She said back with a bite to it. 

“B-But how? How can you use magic?” He found himself asking, desperate for answers. 

“Why should I tell you? So you can tell the guards and collect your reward in full?” Elena said, pushing herself to stand. 

He could see her discarded bag off to the side where her Tamborita still resided. He found himself sifting through all he knew of magic. While magic had scared him to a degree, he had felt himself inexplicably drawn to it as a child. He remembered sneaking books and scrolls to learn what he could about magic, where it came from, and who had it. He learned magic hadn’t always been seen as bad and been used even by the Royal Family through appointed Royal Wizards as needed. That had all been shattered when Shuriki invaded. She had banned learning magic or using it in the land and even after she was gone, no one had bothered to take that down. The people still lived in fear of magic. And yet somehow, above all odds and public opinion, here was this beautiful young lady who could use magic...

“You… You studied magic!” He said in awe and realization. 

Elena looked as if she was torn between running and staying before she spoke up once more in that confident tone of her’s, “Remove your hood.” 

Mateo’s hands moved against his will at her command and soon his wavy locks and hazel eyes were exposed for the world to see.  

Elena’s eyes widened; in fear or awe he could not tell. 

“P-Prince Mateo?!” 

-

She was going to be locked up in the dungeons for sure. 

When the hood fell on the young man’s form in front of her, she hadn’t been sure what to expect but this definitely wasn’t it. The Crown Prince of all of freaking Avalor was knelt in front of her. 

Everyone knew of Prince Mateo de Alva, though not many personally knew him. It was always known he was guarded within the palace walls as the only royal left after Shuriki’s reign of terror. While Elena hadn’t personally seen him before, she knew enough of him to know that that was exactly who had witnessed her use magic to save her sister. The same young man whose parents had been killed by someone with magic. 

Today wasn’t going like she had planned. 

Elena immediately fell to her knees. 

“Crown Prince Mateo. I am so sorry for the way I addressed you. I-I have no excuse for my behavior… or breaking the law. I understand the punishment…” She said, unable to look at him as embarrassment and shame was written all over her. 

Gone was the fiery flame of challenge within her and it was now replaced with the reality that she was sure was to follow: she was going to be imprisoned and tried for practicing magic. 

Elena knew it was against the law and yet she felt it was part of her destiny. Long ago when magic was allowed and celebrated, her grandfather had been a royal wizard once. The ability to do magic ran in her veins and she couldn’t ignore it. Studying magic under Shuriki had nearly gotten her killed… but instead her parents paid the price to protect her. They were killed when she was young and Isabelle was barely a toddler. And while that should have stopped her, it fueled her to continue studying magic to become strong enough to overthrow Shuriki one day and avenge her parents. Revenge had once been her drive, but compassion was now her motive. She currently used her magic, when she could do so carefully, to help others. She had to be careful not to be caught as magic was still greatly frowned upon and misunderstood and recently she had made a few slip ups that resulted in others seeing her abilities. She had promised her sister to no longer practice magic for others and protect herself, but when she saw her sister falling to harm she knew she could not keep that promise. 

She had expected the prince to come over to her angrily and take her away at once… but he hadn’t moved. The young Prince stood shyly in fact. He didn’t seem all too confident in himself if she was honest. He was only a bit taller than her, with a small frame to him. Instead of polished hair, his brown hair fell in waves and was a bit messy around his face. He had large, bright hazel eyes that gleamed a sort of green color, but seemed so innocent. He didn’t give the impression of a big and proud ruler and that was throwing her for a loop. His voice was a bit shaky at times and yet she felt… drawn maybe to his words? The more she stared at him and into his eyes, the more she felt a strange pull towards him as if two strings were tied around them pulling them towards each other. 

What were the odds that they would ever meet? He, a royal in a palace, and she, a lowly orphan living on the outskirts of Avalor. There was no real reason the two should have ever met and yet here they were facing each other, both seemingly caught in a strange frozen moment waiting for something to happen. 

Magic was a tricky thing Elena had learned. It didn’t always go how you wanted it to and sometimes it had a mind of its own. It was powerful and yet could be so gentle as well. Living in a world where magic existed, she knew that there were forces beyond her control and magic was more around them they people realized. Had magic somehow brought her here? 

“I-I’m not going to arrest you… Elena.” The Prince spoke up shaking his hands. 

The way he said her name sent a strange tingle down her spine. 

“... Why?” She uttered. She could sense her sister standing frigid behind unsure of what was happening as well. 

He looked a bit confused himself. He was fidgeting a bit with his hands and scratching the back of his neck. Why wouldn’t he arrest her? She had broken the law. She should be seen as the enemy by him and others for who she was and what she could do. She had long accepted magic as a part of her and that she would never apologize for that, but she would never get used to how scared it made other people feel… all because one magic user had tainted magic in an evil way for them all. So why now, was the crown prince showing her mercy? 

Clearing his throat before speaking up, he looked at her once more in the eyes. That familiar shock ran through her again as his words broke through the air.

“W-Will… Will you show me... how to use magic?” 

[ks-caster]

The Future is Infinite (Chapter 5)

Start || Previous

Chapter-specific warnings: None. 

Urgent knocking at the door woke her, and Octavia rolled over, frowning in the pre-dawn half-light to squint in the direction where the noise had originated.

“Octavia,” Bucky’s strained voice called. “You in there?”

“Yeah,” she called back, voice raspy either with too much sleep or not enough, she wasn’t sure. She fumbled to her feet and opened the door. “What’s going on?”

“Strange is gone,” Bucky explained hurriedly, as Steve joined him from his own room, pulling on a shirt and reaching inside the door for huge metal arm-shields he’d been using as a weapon yesterday. “Signs of a struggle. We needed to know if anyone else was taken.” Without further ado, he headed off to pound on her other neighbor’s door. “Thor, you in there?”

“Skrish,” Octavia swore, ducking back into the room to pull her clothes back on and grab her sword before heading out and following where everyone else was headed.

“I said clear the room!” Tony was shouting. “This is a crime scene, not a museum. Yes, you too kid.” He added, making a shooing motion towards Peter who, to his credit, was stuck to the wall and therefore not underfoot. He maneuvered lithely across the room and through the door to crouch on the hallway ceiling and watch as Tony scanned things with different colored lasers and asked questions, only to be answered by a woman’s disembodied voice.

“What happened?” Thor demanded.

“Dr. Banner went to see if Mr. Strange was still up because he saw lights under the door,” Peter recited, with the air of someone who’d given this talk a couple of times to different waves of people. “He didn’t answer, but then Mr. Stark thought maybe he was using the time stone thingy to look at the future again so he picked the lock, but when he got in, Mr. Strange was gone, and there was blood on the wall and the bed, and the lamp was broken.” He pointed to the two halves of a tall floor lamp. A smaller splatter of blood was soaking into the carpet near it. It had been broken over someone’s body, most likely.

“The guy can see fourteen million futures but not someone breaking into his bedroom?” She checked rhetorically, already wondering if he had seen this coming, if it was part of the plan. 

The lamp post. A guide. A landmark, showing the way home. Broken on the floor.

She shook herself a little, knowing that she was being ridiculous and reading too much into things. He’d been attacked, he had or hadn’t seen it coming, and he was gone. Probably still alive - she knew she didn’t carry around dead bodies without a very good reason. 

“Think this is still the one where we win?” Rocket commented darkly.

“I am Groot,” the tree said sadly, before returning to his game.

“Tony, is there any chance he didn’t have the stones on him when he was taken?” Steve asked, leaning on the doorframe but very carefully not setting foot in the room.

“If he didn’t take off his unnaturally loyal cape of destiny to sleep, I doubt he took off the infinity time necklace,” Tony responded, never pausing in his sweep of the room.

“Boss,” the disembodied voice addressed him, “I’ve finished scanning the room. Some of the blood belongs to Dr. Stephen Strange - the blood on the carpet isn’t his. From the dirt patterns on the balcony, the outer door hasn’t been opened in the last couple of days, and as you saw yourself, the inside door was locked.”

“I’ve seen three different guys make magic portals in the last 12 hours,” Octavia reminded everyone. “Not exactly a locked room mystery.” 

“Oh, good point!” Peter exclaimed, a glimmer of hope in his voice. “Maybe he used magic to run away from his attacker?”

“He would’ve clued us in by now,” Natasha countered. 

“I am Groot,” the tree added helpfully. Rocket did a double-take.

“What!?” He exclaimed. The tree looked up from his game.

“I. Am. Groot,” he repeated slowly. “I am Groot.”

“Care to translate?” Steve asked Rocket, but Thor answered first.

“He says that Strange gave the soul stone to Quill earlier this afternoon,” he explained quickly, then frowned. “Why would he do that? Quill’s not exactly…”

“Hey, he just lost the love of his life!” Rocket growled. Thor raised his hands placatingly.

“That’s what I meant, of course!” he backtracked. While man and beast (and tree) growled at each other, Octavia turned to Bucky.

“Has anyone checked to see if he’s still here?” she asked. He nodded.

“Nebula did that wing,” he gestured towards the blue woman. “Quill’s still here. And Shuri was able to remove the Mind Stone from Vision - she’s here, and confirmed that the stone is still safe in her lab. Anyone come after you?”

Octavia shook her head. “I was out on the balcony practically all night, and I left the doors open when I went to sleep. May as well have painted a target on my face - never saw a single threat.”

“But,” she added, frowning, “that makes perfect sense.”

“Care to share with the class?” Tony asked, and she realized uncomfortably that all eyes were on her. She wished she’d put her armor back on instead of the soft clothes she’d been given.

“If I was fighting an opponent who could see the future, who could see fourteen million futures and find only one version where I lose,” she explained, “then really my only real threat is the guy who can see the future, right? Eliminate him, make a few unpredictable moves, and then I’m almost certainly into one of the millions of futures where I win.” She shrugged. 

“And if I only had one opportunity to use the element of surprise,” she continued as looks of comprehension dawned on her audience’s faces, “then I’m not going to waste it on people and things who, in the absence of the future-seeing wizard, aren’t a threat, am I? So now the real question here is, why not just kill the wizard? If it had been me, and if everything had been riding on this, I would’ve just stabbed him in the head so that I’m guaranteed a victory.”

“Not necessarily,” Tony responded. He looked like he was going to be sick. All eyes turned to him. “When he was taken the first time… Squidward was saying something about how if he delivered the stone to Thanos while it was still attached to Strange, it wouldn’t go so well for him. And that the spell wouldn’t just wear off after Strange died. They’re, ah. Probably working real hard to convince him to take it off.” He looked really, really sick.

This time Steve did enter the room, followed closely by Rhodey, but Tony waved both of them off, walking quickly out into the crowded hallway as if he was trying to walk away from his own thoughts.

“So Thanos does have the time stone, but he can’t use it for the length of time it takes Dr. Stephen Strange to break under torture,” Octavia caught up calmly. “From what I’ve seen of him, that buys us some time.”

“You’re disturbingly okay with that,” Tony exclaimed, breaths agitated.

“I’m disturbingly experienced,” she shot back. “But there is one positive we haven’t noticed yet - if Thanos was still able to surprise Strange, then clearly fourteen million wasn’t the total number of possible futures.”

“So,” Peter said, his voice sounding so, so young, “we might still win after all?”

“I make it a point never to rule that out until the end,” Octavia assured him, trying to remind herself that not all of the people around her were hardened the way she was. Not everyone had survived what she had.

“So,” T’Challa summed up rubbing his temple, “Either this is part of Strange’s plan and we’re still winning, or it isn’t and that means we still have a chance. Thanos has 3 infinity stones, and so do we, and we need to get the fight off of this planet and away from its people.”

“And we need to rescue the wizard. Again.” Peter added with a small, breathy laugh. Octavia watched the faces of all the adults who didn’t have the heart to tell the kid that they wouldn’t even know where to start, and saw Rhodey usher Tony a few steps away, rubbing his back… and then a thought burned through her brain like an alarm tone.

“Where do Strange’s loved ones live?” she demanded, glancing between Tony and Peter, since they were the only ones who seemed to know him. Everyone stared at her blankly. “His pressure points, people he’d give up the universe to save,” she clarified, hoping they’d get the picture without her having to say the word ‘torture’ again and risk making whatever Tony was going through worse.

“He used to work at New York Hospital,” Rhodey supplied helpfully. “But that was a few years ago - I don’t think he’s been back much.”

“Wong. Wong would know,” Tony muttered, pulling out his phone. The air around Thor crackled. 

“I’m going to London,” he announced, striding quickly through the now vacant crime scene and flinging open the balcony door. “Rabbit, Tree, will you accompany me?” Rocket and Groot followed him, just in time for him to whirl his ax around a few times, and a blinding column of multi-colored light shone down from the sky, vanishing all three of them, and leaving a curling tracery of sparks singed into the balcony. 

“He has an ex he’s still in contact with,” Tony was repeating from someone - presumably Wong - on the other end of the phone. “Dr. Christine Palmer. Still works at New York Hospital. I’m sending in the Iron Legion.” Everyone was yelling at once.

“Don’t draw attention—” 

“—Alerting the local authorities—”

“Can you find her number?”

“—Hospital might be in danger!”

“Any other family? An ex can’t be it—”

“He’d need access to the planet, right?” Octavia murmured, and she saw Nebula’s eyes flit to her. “He brought a whole space fleet here - if he was gonna do that again, then he wouldn’t go too far with them… especially if there are a bunch of other, more powerful planets around who wouldn’t like what he’s doing; people who’d get in the way when he comes back. He’d need somewhere out of the way to regroup, but he’d hang close to the planet. 

“Where nearby could you hide a battle fleet?” She asked, looking at Nebula who by now was clearly paying attention, having levered herself off the wall she’d been leaning on and taken a step forward. 

“The closest planets are called Mars and Venus,” she recited, pressing her temple. Her eye lit up and projected out a map of the solar system - nine planets, and a debris field that might have been the ruins of a tenth. “Mars’s rotation cycle keeps one side dark at all times - Venus’s atmosphere hides the whole of the planet’s surface… and the heat and light make it an excellent location for recharging a number of different kinds of engines without being observed.” 

“Venus will also remain within easy flying distance of Earth for the next few weeks,” Vision’s voice commented - out of a completely normal-looking man with tired eyes and mousy hair. Octavia did a double-take, but she had seen the red man’s face and heard his voice, and she supposed that she saw and heard the resemblance. Maybe his skin had turned red because of the infinity stone now conspicuously absent from his forehead.

Was her skin going to change colors too?

Not the time.

“We need a ship,” Nebula announced. Everyone was listening now.

“Or a Wong,” Tony countered, tapping a colorful square on his phone and holding it back to his ear. “Hey, on second thought…”

“You won’t survive Venus’s climate dressed like that,” Shuri commented, running her fingers over the beaded bracelet on her wrist and generating projected symbols into the air. “Luckily for all of you, I came prepared. Everyone planning on rescuing the doctor, to my lab right away.”

-0-

“We need to slow down and think this through for a minute,” Steve was demanding as everyone crowded into Shuri’s lab in their pajamas. “First of all, this could very easily be a trap—” 

“The surface temperature on Venus holds steady at over 460 degrees celsius,” Shuri was explaining as Tony and Steve went at each other in the background. “The atmospheric pressure is similar to what we would find 900 meters below the ocean’s surface.”

“God, I forgot what it was like to try and save the world while tripping over an overgrown boy scout!”

“Because tripping over your massive ego is so much better!”

More and more of the crowd were moving to the Stark vs Rogers shouting match, either to join, intervene or rubberneck. Shuri glared in the direction of the crescendo of noise a few times, but when it became clear that they weren’t about to stop on her account, she turned her attention to the little knot of people surrounding her. Octavia, Nebula and Wong each took one of the pods she handed out, affixing them to the backs of their necks as she showed. 

“What about my suit?” Peter asked from inside a red and blue metallic bodysuit. He was hanging upside down from a white stringy substance stuck to the ceiling. Octavia ran a hand over the top of her now forcefield-encased head, pressing her palm against her skull like she hoped she could squash out the quickly building headache. 

“Pressure, yes. That level of heat, on the other hand, will eventually fry the electronics in the nanites of your suit. These are designed not only to withstand the heat…”

“No, YOU’RE wasting time with all of this POINTLESS DRAMA, but isn’t that what you do best—” 

“OH, I didn't realize that saving my CAPTURED FRIEND’S LIFE was an inconvenience, oh, WAIT I’ve HEARD THIS ONE BEFORE!”

“THAT’S LOW, EVEN FOR YOU!”

“You’re the one who can get us through to the fleet, yes?” Nebula asked Wong quietly as the man slipped a second suit pod into his pocket for Strange.

“I am,” Wong responded, glancing at the battle lines being drawn around the room.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Octavia muttered, already imagining what a pain in the ass it would be to break up that fight and get everyone to work together.

It was safe to say that she did not miss being queen one bit.

The three of them shared a look, with Peter detaching from the ceiling and glancing rapidly between them and the (so far still largely verbal) fight.

“That room over there is safely insulated,” Shuri continued, accepting that she was only briefing four people instead of a room of them. Octavia noticed that the case she’d opened only had a total of eight slots for suits, so she supposed it was probably better for the team to be chosen quickly and quietly, rather than let the arguing masses debate who should go. “Don’t open the portal until the door is closed; don’t open the door until the portal is closed when you come back.”

“But… Mr. Stark,” Peter started helplessly.

“Is otherwise occupied - with being an idiot,” Nebula finished for him. “Are you coming or not?”

“I… yes,” Peter decided, fixing the pod to the back of his suit and following the adults toward the little room Shuri had pointed out. “I’m coming. Let’s go save the wizard.” 

To Be Continued... 

[quentinblack]

Smoke and Mirrors

Word Count: 8.5K words

Chapter 15 - Ron IV: Australia Magizoo (link to full story on FF.net)

Featuring: Ron Weasley & Hermione Granger

Warnings: Explicit sexual content. 18+/Rated R. 

Author’s Notes: At the time of writing this was pretty much the longest chapter I’d ever written. I’ve read a lot of fluff/sex scenes in fanfic over the years, some good, some bad, some ugly, so whilst writing my first proper long-running fic I was somewhat hesitant about including it. I didn’t want to have it just in there for the sake of it, but if I could find a scene or chapter where I felt like it would work well for the story and the arc of, in this case Ron’s story, then I thought I would throw it in. The cool thing about this chapter I felt was playing around with subverting people’s expectations upon reading at the start, then have it go full circle towards the end of the chapter. It’s probably not the best chapter I’ve ever written, but it was one of the more entertaining ones to actually write.

A warm breeze brushed across Ron’s face, as he felt his fringe pushed to the left hand side of his face by the summery wind.

He leaned forward casually on the white marble railing towards the end of their hotel balcony, wearing just his sky-blue swimming trunks, whilst he watched the stunning sunset taking place across the scenic artificial beach that lay not far from their room.

Ron was not quite sure what kind of magic the Australians were using to conjure up such a relaxing ambience, but he was very impressed by it all the same.

There were entire geo-magical landscapes and weather-enchantment spells surrounding the inner walls of the hotel, which were all very carefully adapted for the preferences of different guests. Their part of the hotel had a tropical theme, equipped with a synthetic summer climate, palm trees and a beautiful beach, with the clearest of seas that one could imagine.  

The hotel’s colossal size was such that Ron and Hermione had not managed to venture out to any of the other geo-magical landscapes yet. However, Ron read in the glossy brochure (entirely devoid of any magical moving images in full faux-muggle style) that there was also a secluded woodland retreat theme for lovers of nature, as well as a winter wonderland, equipped with a massive mountain for skiing - and there was even a newly built and increasingly popular section entirely based on muggle Britain’s royal heritage.

Brad hadn’t been joking when he’d said that Wizarding tourism was booming in Australia – and they were even taking advantage of people’s reluctance and fear to travel to Britain too. Ron wondered how long they would be able to capitalise on that particular niche, as Kingsley’s new government was hopefully going to help usher in a new era of peace and prosperity in the coming months and years.

“Ronald!”

Ron heard Hermione’s faint call of his name, which was barely audible above the gentle whirl of the simmering bubbles in their enormous en-suite hot-tub.

He stared down into the bubbles for a brief moment.

There was something about the water that did not look quite right, but he could not put his finger on what it was that was off about it.

He was, for a brief moment, utterly mesmerised by the relentless pulse of the bubbles and he very nearly hurled himself into the warm and inviting water, but then thought better of it.

“Ronald! Oh do hurry up, it’s urgent!”

There was a more frantic tone to his girlfriend’s call this time – and it was much louder too.

Perhaps she had received word that they had found her parents.

He paced quickly across the paved floor of their balcony and back into the room to see what it was that she wanted and… and…

Hermione was laying on her back, facing the balcony door… but her eyes were closed.

Ron looked at her in complete shock.

He couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing.  

She was completely naked, except for a black lace bra that slightly covered her small, firm breasts.

Her eyes were closed, but not in a state of sleep – no, quite the opposite in-fact, they were closed in a state of pure pleasure, as, with the fingers of her right hand, she softly played with herself.

Ron felt his cock harden slightly and it began to bulge in his swimming trunks as he watched her caressing her completely shaved cunt.  

Hermione opened her dark, brown eyes and she grinned devilishly as they met his own.

She bit her lip slightly and motioned with her spare left hand for him to join her on the bed, whilst she continued to masturbate with her favoured right.

Ron could not quite believe his luck and momentarily paused in panic.

He had been dreaming of this moment for months, or years really.

He had secretly hoped once it was confirmed that Harry was no longer coming with them to Australia that this moment might somehow present itself, but to have it fall into his lap this way really was like a dream come true.

Ron excitedly pulled down his trunks and discarded them to the floor, letting Hermione have her first look at his now fully erect penis, which burst out from a bushy bed of red pubic hair.

“Oh fuck,” Hermione moaned, as she bit her lip once more and began playing with herself with increased vigour.

Ron had never heard her say fuck before.

It didn’t sound quite right coming out of her pure, pretty mouth, but it turned him on and made his cock swell up even more, as he began to pull himself onto the bed towards her.

“Quickly Ron,” she sighed desperately, as he clamoured towards her gorgeous naked body. “I need you inside me… please…  I’ve been waiting so long for you to finally fuck me!”

Ron began to slowly pull his bulging dick towards her tight, wet vagina.

This was it.

The moment of truth.

The moment he had waited so long for.

He thrust his cock towards her, but just as he was about to enter her everything went black and faded away.

Ron woke up in a panicked, nervous sweat, breathing heavily as he came to terms with the fact he had just been dreaming.

His arms were clutched around Hermione’s waist, with the pair having slept cradled together in their pyjamas in the lightly air-conditioned room.

He felt Hermione stir slightly – and, to his absolute horror, he discovered that the erect penis part of his dream had in fact been based on reality.

His crotch was positioned in such a way that his bulging erection, which was pressing mercilessly into his pyjama bottoms, was also pressing mercilessly into Hermione’s bottom.

He thought that there was no way that she could not feel it.

Ron adjusted the positioning of his thighs slightly so that he was no longer making direct contact with her with his lower body, but just as soon as he had done that she had wriggled herself backwards a bit, which meant his cock was now pushed up against the back of one of her thighs instead.  

He wriggled slightly to get away from her again, but after a few moments she once again moved back towards him, inadvertently nudging his hard-on in the process.

It was almost as if she was doing it deliberately, but she was still half-asleep and probably hadn’t even noticed what was happening.

Ron lay awake in their king-sized bed still spooning Hermione for another ten minutes, with it gradually becoming less awkward as his erection slowly subsided.

It soon became apparent though that he would not fall back to sleep any time soon, so he relented and decided to get up and shower

.

The hotel bathroom was state-of-the-art, even by muggle standards according to Hermione – and it was all very impressive, with the hot water jets blasting against his fair-skin soon ensuring that he was fully awake and energised.

Ron spent a considerable amount of time in the shower, as once he had fully washed his hair and body he slowly lathered himself up once again and masturbated, thinking of the naked Hermione from his dream as he relieved himself and eventually climaxed.

It took several minutes to ensure the last of his cum had trickled down the drain… then, just as the last of it was washing away there was a knock on the bathroom door.

He ignored the knock as he meticulously watched the final traces of his semen slide out of sight.

There was another knock on the door, but this time it was a fair bit louder.

“Ronald! Are you alright? You’ve been absolutely ages in there!” Hermione remarked, with a slight sound of worry in her sleepy sounding voice.

Ron quickly wrapped himself in a towel and in a slightly panicked fluster he opened the door.

“I’m fine,” he said. “Just enjoying myself in the shower,” he blurted out.

“Oh, I see-

“Enjoying myself because it’s bloody brilliant!” he quickly added. “I mean, as shower’s go, its right up there… it’s really good… wakes you right up… you should try it!”

“Right, yes… well, I will have to, when I have a wash myself…” she replied, perhaps a bit confused at his feigned enthusiasm for the shower. “I was just a little worried that’s all, I know, I was just being a bit silly, but you don’t usually take that long and you locked the door and…

“You’d get used to locking bathroom doors too if you grew up living in a house with Fred and George!” he replied softly, with what he thought was a well-timed save, as he remembered the countless times that his older twin brothers had tormented him and caused many a toilet-related mishap, which were now nothing more than bittersweet memories.

“Yes, of course,” Hermione retorted. “And I know you would never wish for me to intrude or invade your privacy-

Ron momentarily considered correcting her on this point, as, on the contrary, he would’ve loved nothing more than for her to walk in on him naked, but he swiftly decided against it.

“I suppose what I’m trying to say is that I just wanted to make sure that you were alright,” she said, as she blushed slightly.

“As always I appreciate your concern,” he joked, before leaning forward and kissing her on the lips, which caused his soaking wet hair to press right up against her dry, bushy mane.  

She was slightly taken aback at first, but then soon pressed her lips back to his – and she even briefly parted them, to allow him to slip his tongue into her mouth, before she reached back and broke free.

“Oh and can you believe this?” she demanded, instantly killing the moment, as she then reached down towards the bed and picked up their daily newspaper, which must have been delivered whilst he was washing.

It was The Sydney Spell, which seemed to be the Australian equivalent of The Daily Prophet.

“CROOKED KRUM SEIZED AS MATCH-FIXING SCANDAL ROCKS THE QUIDDITCH WORLD!” read the headline, which was accompanied by an animated picture of Viktor Krum catching the snitch in the World Cup final they’d seen live all those years ago, before the Death Eaters had wreaked havoc on the camp-site.

“Bloody hell!” Ron exclaimed.

“My thoughts exactly,” Hermione added in a glum tone. “You’re obviously a lot more clued up on the nuances of a Quidditch match than I am…” she added, as Ron reflected on whether this was the first time she had ever admitted that he was more clued up on something.

“You watched that match… do you really think it’s possible that it was fixed?” she asked.

“Well… I dunno,” he began, as he thought back to it. “I mean, it was a little odd that he caught the snitch in a losing position, but it does happen… it’s a very fast-paced sport so he could well have missed something or thought the score was closer than it actually was… and… well, Quidditch players aren’t exactly renowned for being the most intelligent of people -

“You know full well that Viktor is not stupid!” she hissed slightly.

“Well… no,” he conceded. “But if I remember rightly both Krum and Lynch spotted the snitch at the same time, so if Krum hadn’t have caught it when he did then they would’ve still lost anyway, just by an even bigger margin.”

“Yes, that’s what I thought,” Hermione replied, deep in contemplation. “Although Krum was, or rather, still is considered one of, if not the greatest seeker of his generation, is he not?”

Ron felt a slight flush of jealously at hearing her talk about Krum with such high regard.

“Well… I mean, some would argue that to be considered the greatest seeker of a generation you would have to win a World Cup, which Krum has never-

“If not the greatest, then one of the greatest then?” she sternly replied.

“Yes, one of the greatest, of course,” he quickly conceded.

“Then wouldn’t one of the greatest seekers of his generation always be aware of what the current score was? And wouldn’t one of the greatest seekers of his generation do everything that was physically possible to avoid catching the snitch until he was absolutely sure it would win his country the World Cup?” she asked rhetorically, perhaps now questioning herself more than Ron.

“I… I suppose-

“Think back to our 3rd year… the final game of the season against Slytherin, when Harry caught the snitch to win the House Cup,” she said, once more deep in thought.

“Oh yeah – that was brilliant!” Ron exclaimed, as he remembered the moment Harry had captured the little golden-snitch with both hands off of his broom.

“Think harder!” Hermione urged. “You remember, don’t you? Gryffindor had to win the game by at least 210 points, otherwise Slytherin would have still won the Cup on point’s difference.”

“Yeah… yeah I do remember, of course,” Ron said, as he thought he began to grasp what she was getting at.

“Wood drilled it into Harry for ages… whatever you do, Harry, do not catch the snitch whilst it is mathematically impossible for Gryffindor to win the Cup. You do remember that, yes?” she demanded.

“Yes… yes of course I remember. So what are you saying then? You actually think that this stuff about Krum is true? That he really did agree to throw the final?” he asked, slightly bewildered at what she seemed to be insinuating.

“No. Of course not!” Hermione snapped back.

Ron was completely lost now.

“But I thought you were saying-

“I don’t think for one moment that Viktor agreed to throw the match. His professional pride, desire to win and love for his country would prevent him from doing that,” she said solemnly. “However, I do think there’s a very good chance that it was fixed and that somebody may have been controlling him... but who… how… and to what end?”

Australia Magizoo really was quite something.

Their day had begun with an extremely filling breakfast that could’ve possibly put even Hogwarts to shame, as Ron loaded up on copious amounts of poached eggs, bacon and sausages.

Hermione had settled for a few freshly made French pastries and a slice of toast with something called Vegemite spread onto it. Ron was not sure what exactly Vegemite was, but it had an awful smell to it and did not look up to too much cop either – his girlfriend reassuring him that it was just a type of yeast extract did not particularly sell it either. It looked like it had been scooped out of the bottom of a cup in one of Professor Trelawney’s tea-reading classes.

Following their stomachs being filled by their respective breakfasts, they had spent nearly the entire day exploring the gigantic grounds of Woollahra’s wizarding tourist attraction – and Ron could see why it was such an attraction.

The park was filled with almost every creature that you could possibly name, with a large section even being dedicated to housing non-magical creatures of interest too - such as lions, giraffes and even wild polar bears in a sub-zero arctic section!

A lot of the magizoo’s star attractions were dedicated to beasts that Ron and Hermione had been fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to encounter before. He had never really considered how lucky they’d actually been over the last seven years, at least in terms of seeing such a wide array of creatures.

Children and adults alike were crowding round for a glimpse of a phoenix in the flesh, which Ron shrugged off as nothing too exciting, as he’d seen Dumbledore’s one countless times before in their former headmaster’s office– and he’d even been flown out of the Chamber of Secrets by it in second year.

They balked at a massive queue that had formed for rides on the thestrals, with many lucky adults and children very excited at the prospect of riding on a beast that was invisible to them. Hermione read on a sign that outside of Britain the wild populations of thestrals were dwindling quite a lot, so for many non-Brits this would be their first and possibly only chance to ever see, or indeed, not see a thestral, which any British student would obviously just take for granted - they were even used as a mode of transport at Hogwarts!

If they had thought that the queue for the thestrals was large then that paled in comparison to the one for the hippogriffs, as everyone longed to receive a bow from one of the delightful, but deadly part-horse, part-eagle creatures. They did not linger there too long, as again, unlike much of the world’s population they had also had their fair share of experiences with hippogriffs.

The next portion of the park following the hippogriffs was dedicated to the world’s deadliest beasts – and after Ron hastily hurried Hermione away from the acromantulas, they spent a while looking at the magnificent Antipodean Opaleye dragon. The purple dragon was a New Zealand-native and as such, one of the more locally sourced creatures in the entire magizoo, although they soon noticed that the next part of the tour was actually dedicated entirely to the magical creatures of Australia.

At first they were introduced to the bunyips which were based in a large swamp. They were peculiar creatures, with big tusks, flippers for feet and large bushy tails. A sign near them spoke of how over the years there had been several infamous incidents where rogue bunyips had got loose and attacked muggles, with the beasts coming out at night in the cover of darkness to attack small children, women or defenceless household pets.

One of the world’s last living muldjewangk was housed in a lake not far from the bunyips. The muldjewangk, who did not surface whilst they were at the lake, were described as kind of like a cross between giant squid and merpeople.

It was said that in centuries gone by hordes of muldjewangk terrorised muggle fisherman all over the Indian Ocean, but in the last hundred years they had become an endangered species thanks partially to pollution in muggle waters, but mostly due to wizarding-poachers hunting them for their teeth and blood, with both apparently fetching a pretty penny due to their rarity and variety of uses.

It was just as they were walking away from the lake, somewhat disappointed at not glimpsing a sight of the muldjewangk, that they bumped into Tezza, who was the porter that had taken their bags upon arrival and asked about You Know Who’s nose. It seemed that Tezza performed an array of roles at the hotel, one of which also seemingly involved working with the creatures themselves.

“Alright guys?!” he chirped excitedly when he spotted them, as they said hello and made some small talk.

“Didn’t get to see the muldjewangk? Don’t be too down guys, they don’t like coming out during the day much anyways. The kids here are always devo at missing out like, but let me show you some little buggers that I think you’ll both be stoked on seeing.”

They followed Tezza over to some large gum trees, which had magical protections placed just in-front of them, indicating how dangerous whatever beasts they housed must be.

“Now these little ones might look cute, but trust me, they’re fierce little bastards especially if they’re after a bit of grub,” he said, as he pointed to what looked like a tiny little bear climbing the tree nearest to them.

“Isn’t that a koala bear?” a confused Hermione asked, as Tezza burst out laughing.

“They might look like koalas, but take a look for yourself,” Tezza said, before waving his wand and erecting a human-like mannequin on the ground about 10 metres directly below the creature. It noticed and after a brief second of contemplation it instantly threw itself down through the sky, claws first, soon landing on the head of the mannequin, tearing it apart with both its paws and teeth.

“Bloody hell!” Ron swore.

“You can say that again, mate!” Tezza replied. “That little bugger is called a drop bear and well… it lives up to its name,” he added, as the little beast tore furiously at the prop, before Tezza conjured it up a few dead rats for it to feast on instead as a treat for its part in the show.

“Do they mind being here… at the magizoo… with all these people ogling at them?” Hermione asked Tezza.

“The drop bears?”

Ron felt a little awkward as he guessed the train of thought and line of questioning that his girlfriend would have for Tezza.

“Yes, the drop bears, but, well, all of the creatures and beasts you house here really. Do they like it here… rather than being in the wild?”

“To tell you the truth Miss Granger,” Tezza said, as he paused for a brief moment before continuing. ”For most of them now there ain’t no wild no more anyway... what with all the poachers like, and it ain’t as easy as it was years ago keeping ‘em away from exposure to muggoes neither. It’s the same way most the muggo animals are going too. Woollahra’s the best place for ‘em I say.”

Hermione seemed content enough with Tezza’s response, although Tezza was hardly going to turn round and admit the creatures all hated it there if they did anyway.

The magizoo worker began guiding them away from the drop bear enclosure and further along to a stretch of grassland in the distance.

“Course, we don’t house any beasts that are sentient,” Tezza continued, as Hermione nodded along in approval. “You won’t find no centaurs, vampires or werewolves here… ‘tho all the guests would be clamouring to see ‘em if they were, as you can imagine, like.

Fancy that ehh? Seeing an actual centaur or werewolf in the flesh, now that would be proper gnarly!”

Ron was once more left feeling a bit spoilt by his education.

He couldn’t quite believe that Tezza had never seen a werewolf or centaur in the flesh, at Hogwarts they’d had a werewolf and a centaur among the faculty at varying intervals of his stint at school.

“What about house elves?” Ron asked nervously, as he stole a quick glance at Hermione, who looked even more interested in Tezza’s response to the latest question posed to him, as they walked past a giant, yellow warning sign that read:

“CAUTION: YOU ARE NOW APPROACHING THE YARA-MA-YHA-WHO ENCLOSURE. THIS BEAST IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! DO NOT ENGAGE IT IF IT ESCAPES! CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 15 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A RESPONSIBLE PARENT OR GUARDIAN!”

“You certainly won’t find no house-elves here!” Tezza said in a slightly bemused tone. “Not working for us anyway… course we get lots of rich families from America, India and France come and visit who bring theirs along for the trip… ya’ kno’, funny thing is I’d never even seen one in the flesh before I started working here myself!”

“Why is that?” Hermione asked. “Are house-elves against the law in Australia?” she added, with a hopeful tone in her voice.

Tezza audibly chuckled.

“Against the law? We’d have to bloody have some for ‘em to be illegal! Never really caught on down here since nobody could bloody afford one. I’m sure whoever cooked up the idea for this place could have their pick of them now though, like, you know I-

“WHAT’S THAT?!” Ron burst out, as Hermione instinctively grabbed his hand, as she too saw a giant bear-like creature waddling towards them.

It was just their luck.

The one time they visit the magizoo was the time that the extremely dangerous creature broke out.

Why was it always them?!

At least Tezza would know what to do.

He didn’t look in the slightest bit afraid, which reassured Ron that he must know how to handle the very dangerous looking beast heading towards them.  

“What’s what?” a bemused looking Ted asked them, as Hermione and Ron both drew their wands, which confused him even more.

“Over there!” Hermione gasped, as she pointed over to the furry giant which was getting closer to them, albeit at a fairly slow pace.

“HA-HA! You can’t mean… oh you think that silly bugger is the dangerous beast that sign was warning yous about?” he asked with a patronising look on his tanned face, as Ron nodded awkwardly.

“HA-HA! You wait until all of the lads hear about this one!” he blurted out, with a furious grin washed across his face. “Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger frightened off their rocker by a silly old yowie! COME HERE YA BIG WALKING CARPET!” Tezza shouted, as the yowie responded to his call and quickened his pace, although only slightly.

“They’re clever creatures, yowie’s, but they’re bloody pussies. Wouldn’t hurt a mozza, even if it was biting on one of their balls!” Tezza joked, as he stretched his arms out for the yowie to give him a hug.

The yowie towered over him, it must’ve been at least seven foot, but he showed no fear when it barked softly and wrapped its furry arms right round his thin-frame, almost lifting him off of the ground with enthusiasm as it hugged him.

“We call him Chewy,” Tezza said excitedly, as the yowie released him. “You know, like the wookie from Star Wars.”

“What’s Star Wars?” Ron asked blankly.

“Only one of the greatest bloody movies of all time, mate!” Tezza replied indignantly.

“I’ve never watched any movies,” Ron responded.

“You ain’t ever seen a single movie in ya’ life?”

Tezza looked in a state of shock, perhaps he was a half-blood or a muggle-born and had grown up with the muggle television.

Ron shook his head in response.

“Blimey. Where did you find this guy?!” Tezza quizzed Hermione.

“It’s kind of a long story,” she replied, before smirking a little at both Tezza and then Ron himself.

“Now you run along now Chewy,” Tezza ordered to the yowie. “Shouldn’t be out here near the yara-ma-yha-who anyway you daft git,” he added, as he poked his bear-like companion. The yowie obeyed, sauntering off in the opposite direction after uttering what sounded like it could only be a laugh at Tezza.

“Oh my goodness,” Hermione mouthed, seemingly noticing something in the distance. “Is that… is that…

“Too right-o, Miss Granger,” Tezza replied. “That is a yara-ma-yha who.”

Ron saw it out of the corner of his eye, rested on a similar tree to the one that the drop bear had been grasping to before it flew out of the sky.

The yara-ma-yha-who was a slightly slimy, amphibious looking red creature that can’t have been much bigger than the average goblin.

Its dark blood-red body resembled a frightening cross between a frog, an octopus and a common garden gnome.

It was truly hideous.

It hung to the tree by its tiny red hands, but it also had thin, slippery suckers on the rear of its body which it used to swing around the tree too, almost like a monkey would do with its tail.

“That little bugger is damn-near the most deadly beast in this entire magizoo. If I had to face the dragon or that thing without a wand – I’d choose the dragon every bloody time… you wanna kno’ why?” Tezza asked, pausing slightly for effect.

Ron suspected that he would tell them the answer whether they wanted to hear it or not, but nonetheless he humoured Tezza all the same.

“Alrite, I’ll tell you why… you run into a hungry dragon on a bad day, it’ll smoke you alrite… but dragons don’t play with their food… a dragon will roast ya’ long before it thinks about eating ya’ to stop ya’ from runnin’ away… but these things… mate… ya kno’ what these things do to ya? It uses those suckers to drain you of your blood, but not enough to kill ya’… na’, it takes just enuff to weaken ya’ and keep ya’ within its grasp… then it will swallow ya’ whole… they can swallow up to four time their body weight… but that’s not the last of it, oh na’, wouldn’t be so bad if it was, like, but that’s only the start of it… ya’ see once it falls asleep it pumps oxygen right through the victim’s brain and airwaves… acts kinda like an oxygen tank in there… to try and keep ya alive… then as it gradually comes out of its slumber it slowly regurgitates ya’… then… when it wakes up… it starts the process all over again. They can sometimes keep their prey alive for over four days before finally killing it for good.”

Hermione said nothing, but she had a look of utter disgust and horror on her face.

“And has one of those…things… ever actually escaped?” Ron managed to muster.

“Oh Christ no!” Tezza jibed. “They’d probably shut the whole place down if one of those got out and killed a poor little ankle biter or somethin’. Can you imagine the bad press we’d-

“ATTENTION ALL STATIONS!”

A loud, slightly muffled booming voice came out from what looked like a small, portable muggle radio on Tezza’s belt.

“WHO WAS THE LAST OF YOUS TO HAVE SEEN OUR BRITISH VISITORS? I REPEAT, WHO WAS THE LAST OF YOUS TO HAVE SEEN OUR BRITISH VISITORS? OVER!”

Tezza smiled slightly.

“Funny you should ask that, Zoe,” he said into the radio. “I’m with ‘em right now. Over.”

“Is that you Terrence? Over.”

“Sure as hell is, Zoe, you see-

“What’s your nearest assembly point? Over.”

“Well… we’re just by the old Yara-ma-yha-who enclosure… so I’d say…erm… ah ya! The Great Barrier Reef café. Over.”

“That’s great. Head over with them now… I’ll meet you there in ten minutes. Over.”

“No worries, Zoe, mate. I’ll bring ‘em right down. Over,” he said into the radio, as he started heading east, then motioned with his hand for them to follow him.

The Great Barrier Reef café turned out to be a massive muggle-style aquarium, with a sizeable restaurant in the back serving up mostly seafood-based cuisine. The aquarium hosted mostly exotic fish found in the seas of Sydney, but there were also other creatures like sharks and turtles housed there too.

Tezza stayed with them in a waiting area of the main reception, which housed a large open-tank filled with different types of rays, which people, mostly children, were able to reach in and feed if they so pleased.

Whoever had designed the hotel had really gone all in on the muggle-theme, as this particular section even had a large boxed television raised up high on the wall, with some kind of muggle wildlife program playing.

“That man on the television. Is he a muggle?” Hermione asked, as the blonde, burly man in a khaki outfit stalked a large crocodile whilst he talked to the camera.

“Who? Steve Irwin?! He’s only one of the most famous muggoes in all of Australia! Surprised you ain’t heard of him,” he replied.

“But how… but how is he able to avoid being killed by that crocodile? If he’s not a wizard?” Ron quizzed, as he too began watching on at the TV in surprise.

“Beats me, mate. But he ain’t in no danger – those crocco’s love him,” Tezza said with a wry smile on his face, as he placed his left hand into the water and reached down. “Why… Steve-o up there’s in no more danger with one of those crocs than I am with this little sting-ray,” he added, as he caressed one of the floating flat creatures with his fingers.

“AH YA CUNT!!!!” Tezza blurted out, splashing water everywhere as he quickly removed his hand from the tank.

“The little bastard stung me!” he exclaimed in outrage.

“Hermione Granger? Ron Weasley?”

Ron saw a middle-aged lady with heavily tanned skin and thick dark hair, who he guessed had been the female voice from the muggle radio. She was well dressed, with a face full of perfectly applied make-up and the fixed-forced smile of someone who had probably been working in customer-facing roles for a long time.

“That’s us,” Hermione responded eagerly, with a distant sound of hope in her voice.

“I’m Zoe Federici. Head of Guest Relations here at the hotel,” Federici said, just before shaking both of their hands. “The Ministry have sent us word that they have found your parents, Miss Granger,” she added, flashing a brief smile and her bright, white teeth in Hermione’s direction.

Ron heard an audible gasp of both relief and excitement from Hermione, as she grasped onto his hand very tightly.

“Given the circumstances they thought it best to err on the side of caution and have opted against using magic to transport them here.  Their current working plan is for you to be re-introduced just after breakfast tomorrow morning… meet me in the main lobby reception just after 10AM... and in the mean-time, please, if there is anything I or any of my staff can do to improve your stay with us, all you have to do is ask.”

The good news that Federici had delivered to them earlier in the day had come as a pretty big relief to Ron, but it couldn’t compare to the relief that it had taken off of his girlfriend’s shoulders. In the hours that followed Hermione had finally allowed herself to properly enjoy the extravagant and exotic surroundings that they found themselves located in.

Their first act, on Zoe’s own suggestion, had been a trip to the beach bar in their section of the resort. The Guest Relations manager had insisted on pouring their first round of celebratory cocktails herself, which had presented a new dilemma for them, as neither of them had ordered an alcoholic cocktail before in their lives.

This did not act as a set-back for Federici, more-so, it actually put a genuinely excited smile on her face, as she whipped out a strange, leathery brown hat which had several corks attached to it with string.

“This isn’t just any old hat,” she had said. “This hat has been charmed to explore your mind, body and soul to work out the exact cocktail that you would most like at that given moment.”

They had each had a go at trying on the hat over two hours ago – and were both now pretty tipsy after consuming their fair share of cocktails at the bar. Hermione drinking the refreshing rum, lime and mint mojitos, with Ron knocking back the even sweeter pineapple and coconut concoctions called pina coladas.

Ron was now drinking his fourth, or maybe his fifth, as they relaxed on comfortable cushioned chairs back up at their balcony whilst watching the artificial sun-set. The synthetic weather was still warm enough that Ron sat with his top off, just wearing a pair of swim-shorts, whilst Hermione relaxed in a white swimsuit, which was nicely cut around her cleavage.

Ron was sure that Hermione had caught him on one of the few occasions that he had stolen a quick glance at her slightly protruding breasts – and to his surprise she had not told him off, instead she had said nothing, merely looking away hesitantly with a wry smile on her pretty face.

“You know… there was something Miss Burke said back at the Australian Ministry that I found a little… odd,” a tipsy Hermione said, as Ron looked over at her, pondering his reply as he tried to avoid staring at her cleavage.

“Did you know that Kingsley had a brother?” she said with a confused look on her face before he could think of anything to say in response. “She mentioned that back when they were at Hogwarts together Kingsley and his brother used to gloat to her about the Quidditch results.”

Ron did vaguely remember Olivia Burke making an offhand comment like that, but such was his mental and physical state following that horrific portkey journey that it had completely passed him by, not registering as particularly odd at the time – or if it had, that train of thought had swiftly departed the station of his mind just as soon as it had entered it.

“No… no I don’t think he’s ever mentioned having a brother before,” Ron responded, as he searched through his less than sober mind for any recollection of such a conversation.

“Don’t you agree that that’s a little bit odd?” Hermione offered, as she took a deep sip on her straw, twirling around the little mint leaves in her sugar-coated glass as she did so.

It was a little bit odd, Ron agreed, but that sort of thing wasn’t completely unheard of in the wizarding community.

“Perhaps a little, yes… but Mum never likes to talk about her brothers… maybe Kingsley’s brother was killed in the first war too.”

“That’s a good point,” Hermione said. “I hadn’t considered that… yes… yes, you may well be right.”

“Always the tone of surprise,” he teased sarcastically, as Hermione smiled a little, then let out a tipsy laugh.

“I do understand why she never talks about them,” Ron continued, suddenly steering the conversation to a more serious direction, perhaps partially due to the influence of the alcohol, as he noticed the expression on Hermione’s face turn from a smile to one of sympathy.

“Dad always said that a little part of her died the day she found out that they’d been killed… and I know it must have been really hard for her… but I do sometimes wish she would’ve talked about them more. Even just told us some funny family stories or something. It feels weird to even say their names out loud since nobody would ever talk about them…

Hermione reached over and placed her soft, warm hand on top of Ron’s, caressing his hand with her slim fingers as he kept talking.

“… I won’t ever let myself do that with Fred,” Ron added, trying to reassure himself more than Hermione.  

“When we’re married and have children of our own I’ll tell them every funny story about Fred that I know and-

Ron stopped himself as he realised what he had just said.

Hermione had already started laughing.

“Wait- that’s not what I meant- I-

“When we’re married and have children of our own?” Hermione jibed, as she sarcastically raised her eyebrows.

“No- no- I meant- you know what I-

“I’m very interested to hear what you meant to say, Ronald,” Hermione said, still giggling at his mistake, as she stood up from her chair after finishing the last of her drink.

Ron clumsily pulled himself up from his chair so that they were standing face to face in the sunset.

“Well I just meant if… you know if-

Hermione kissed his lips before he had a chance to finish.

He felt her arms wrap tightly around his shoulders, pulling him in even closer, as he rested his own arms around the back of her slender waist.

“I don’t know how much you know about the human anatomy Ron,” she said softly, almost in a whisper, as she temporary broke away from the kiss. “But it seems a little premature for you to be thinking about getting me pregnant when we haven’t even… you know…”

Ron felt his heartrate rise rapidly.

He didn’t quite know what to say.

Her skin looked so soft and creamy.

His eyes fell on her cleavage once more and he noticed the outline of her two nipples and breasts against her white swimsuit.

His cock tingled slightly as he imagined what it would be like to have one of her breasts in his mouth.

“Why is it that we haven’t yet, do you think?” Hermione asked.

“I dunno… I mean-

“I suppose I have been awfully stressed about my parents… and I’m sure it has been awfully difficult for you too… we’ve been so caught up with everything we just haven’t really had time to think about it,” she concluded, as Ron nodded in agreement, even though it wasn’t the slightest bit true that he hadn’t had time to think about it.

“You do want to… you know… don’t you?” she whispered, with a look of doubt on her face.

“Yes!” he blurted out. “I mean… if… only if you want to,” he quickly added.

“You don’t think I look awfully stupid… in this swimsuit, I mean. You don’t think I look too-

“I think you look perfect,” Ron drunkenly pronounced, as he pulled her close and passionately kissed her lips. He heard her sigh softly as he ran his hands gently down her back, eventually resting them on her bottom.

Ron squeezed her bum cheeks firmly as her tongue aggressively fought its way into his mouth.

He lifted her up and stumbled slightly, before she straddled her legs around his waist as they continued lustfully kissing whilst he carried her into the bedroom, before thrusting her down onto the bed and pressing her down against the sheets as they continued their steamy embrace.

Ron broke away from kissing her lips and quickly worked his way across first to her right cheek, then further down the side of her face before he began amorously pecking her neck.

Hermione sighed softly, then began to press her nails across his back as he remembered the technique that Lavender had taught him during their brief fling in sixth year.

He opened his mouth as if to bite her neck, but instead he sucked strongly, causing his girlfriend to gasp with pleasure. Ron wondered if he would be the first person to give Hermione a love-bite, he hoped he was – and the jealous thought of Viktor Krum, or anyone else having done this to her only caused him to suck with a renewed sense of vigour.  

Hermione scratched his back in delight as he felt his penis grow harder and harder, as he broke free of his sucking to begin snogging her again, tasting the rum, lime and mint on her tongue and breathe as he did so.

His train of thought briefly went back to Lavender Brown – and he quickly pushed the horrific sight of her dead, mutilated body out and away from his mind.

He pulled back from his embrace with Hermione and got up slightly, before untying the cords and taking off his shorts, leaving him fully naked and exposed in-front of her.

Ron’s cock stood firmly to attention and Hermione studied it with enough curiosity for him to feel reassured that his was the very first that she had seen in the flesh. The excitement of her studying his naked body like it was a brand-new book made him feel about as horny as he could ever remember feeling.  

She followed his lead in getting undressed and smiled shyly at him, before sitting up and slowly taking off her white swimsuit and casting it aside, leaving only her glorious, bare-naked skin in its wake.

Her body was scattered with occasional freckles, much lighter and less noticeable than his own, but noticeable in their own way nonetheless. His dick stiffened up even more as he finally cast his eyes on her beautiful breasts and perky, pink nipples. She had a small mole on her left breast and just above her belly button – and upon seeing those little imperfections he had never felt more intimate and close to her.

He stared at her bare, naked body as she did the same to him, for all his sneaky glances at her breasts throughout the last hour or so, she was more than getting even now as she bashfully eyed up his cock.

Ron looked towards the middle of her legs and unlike her smoothly shaven sex in his dream that morning, her vagina was covered by small tufts of bushy, brown pubic hair.

They caught each other’s eye at the same time and hungrily embraced once more, lips against lips, tongue to tongue, as they began to explore each other’s body with their hands. Ron fondled her breasts firmly, as she reached out and got her first grasp of his erect cock.

He was surprised he didn’t cum there and then, but he relaxed himself as she begin gently pulling up and down on his penis as his right hand trickled down from her breast to her stomach, before he eventually reached the inside of her thighs and the tufts of her pubic hair.

Hermione moaned and swore under her breath as his fingers slowly glided their way through the hairs and reached her glistening clitoris and he began to softly rub it, as Lavender had once taught him.

At the time of their break-up Ron had harboured a slight tinge of regret that they had only ever gone as far as to fondle around with each other, but in hindsight he had absolutely no regrets considering that he was about to lose his virginity with the girl that he had loved for several years now.  

The sight of Lavender’s dead corpse once again entered his mind though - and for a brief moment all sense of arousal was lost.

“Don’t stop,” Hermione whispered gently – and he was soon just as horny as he was before when she increased the speed and force of her grip on his cock.

He continued to press his fingers against her, feeling her wetness increase with each stroke, causing her to dampen her pubic hairs and cover his index and middle fingers with the fruits of his labour.

“I think I’m ready,” she softly gasped, as she reluctantly relented her grip of his cock and lay back, opening her legs even further.

He stared down at his beautiful naked girlfriend, her dark brown eyes gazing down at him with a look of both excitement and slight nervousness on her face.

Ron remembered that he hadn’t yet uttered the contraceptive spell and quickly grabbed his wand from the bedside table, muttering the spell he had first seen written on a desk in one of the Herbology greenhouses in 3rd year.

A feint and very quickly invisible trail of white smoke brushed against, then evaporated onto his penis, as he held onto Hermione’s thighs and then slowly but surely entered her tight, wet cunt.

Hermione gasped heavily, with what seemed like a mixture of pleasure and pain.

So this was it.

This was what it felt like.

The sight of Lavender’s corpse once again entered his horrified mind as he came to terms with the fact that he was finally inside of Hermione and had lost his virginity.  

He reached out and held one of his girlfriend’s hands, softly pulling his penis slightly out and then back inside of her again.

Now he saw Remus, Tonks and finally Fred’s lifeless body laid out in the great hall.

Ron tried to get the horrible, graphic images out of his head but they just wouldn’t budge.

He slowed his rhythm almost to a halt entirely - and felt the blood and the excitement of his arousal slowly shift away from his penis.

His eyes opened slightly and Hermione shot him a curious, concerned look.

“Are you alright?” she murmured.

Lavender – dead.

Remus – dead.

Sirius – dead.

“Ronald?”

Mad Eye – dead.

Tonks – dead.

Dobby – dead.

Dumbledore – dead.

Fred… Fred… dead.

“They’re all gone,” he mumbled, as he felt the hot tears began to form in his eyelids.

“They’re all dead.”

The tears began to slowly run down his face, before he quickly began blubbing his eyes out.

Hermione held him tight for a while, as he buried his face into her bosom and then slowly cried himself to sleep.

[m00nslippers]

Jason is actually in-character in RHATO Issue #35!?

Wow, we got so much about the All-Caste in this issue. On the one hand, it kind of feels like it was pulled out of Lobdell’s ass, but on the other hand it’s badass and cool and the visuals are beautiful so I don’t even give a shit. Also like, there is just so much of Jason being Jason in the best and most pure way possible in this issue that it’s crazy? Let’s jump into the review and you’ll see what I mean.

We open on Jason in the midst of some kind of charity fundraiser with Isabel. Jason is looking awesome in his suit. The shoulder pads are toned down in most scenes finally, and he doesn’t look like he’s cosplaying Jafar anymore thank goodness.

First off, Jason doing a charity gala for Gotham’s poor is freaking canon now and I love that. Despite his new money and his fame, it doesn’t go to his head, he sees himself as separate from the rich people who didn’t have his experiences living poor on the streets. He still remembers that desperation and wants to help people. He’s a truly giving person that cares about others, always has and always will. Second of all, Jason is hanging out on the balcony being broody which is just Classic Jason™. He’s a loner, an introvert, he doesn’t like crowds. Especially crowds of rich kiss-asses. And he dislikes rich people. It’s so great when characters are written in-character, isn’t it?

And third of all, I love Isabel’s dress. It’s so classy, cream lace on black with a bow at the neck? Nice. You got style, girl.

So Jason opens up to Isabel and is unusually vocal about his thoughts regarding his negative feelings about Gotham and the rich and his father(s). It’s interesting to me because she’s the only person he’s ever really opened up to and spoken about this with. He’s not sharing his plans or involving her with his machinations, but he’s definitely sharing his thoughts, complaining even. This is unusually healthy behavior from Jason, to be honest. He usually bottles it all up and doesn’t say more than a few snide words out loud. Any insight into his feelings are usually given in thoughts, not dialogue. That said, it really shows how much Jason trusts Isabel with his emotions unlike anyone else, maybe even Roy.

The more I read with Isabel, the less I think she’s going to turn on Jason. I never believed that idea to begin with and I still don’t see it. She seems genuinely kind and loving. The only problem is that Jason isn’t as out of the game as he pretends to be and she’s going to be pretty upset with him when she finds out he lied, so I can’t see them lasting. I also still have a bet on that she’s going to die. I’m less confident in that prediction as I was before, but we’ll just have to see what happens.

So Isabel leaves the party because she has to work the next morning and we catch back up with Jason after the gala, getting into his fancy car with James/Wingman as his driver. We get the slightest little bit more of James identity reveal--more like clarification really. Wingman’s name isn’t James, or probably isn’t James, and Jason doesn’t know or care who he really is. Jason tells James that it doesn’t matter, that if he betrays him Jason will just kill him. And again this is just so reflective of Jason’s kind of apathetic view about how others think of him. He really just assumes people are thinking the worst of him, are going to betray him, so there’s no point getting worked up about it--if Wingman turns on him, Jason will be ready, it’s as simple as that. Jason has had too many people betray his trust for him to even care about trust at this point.

Now when it comes to Wingman, I am more and more convinced that James is Jason’s dad in a different body. I am like eighty percent certain now. James knows who Jason is and is loyal to him out of nowhere. James is concealing his true identity. James talks with a rougher accent and calls himself ‘a dope’, suggesting he’s just an average Gotham street thug. He hedges on his belief that Jason should have returned to Gotham, as if sympathetic to how much it bothers Jason to stay there. It just fits, in my opinion. I believe that in the experiments that Jason's dad was a part of when he was in prison, the same ones that created Solitary and mixed up his consciousness and memories with other inmates, Willis's mind was either fully or partially transferred to a different body as well and that is James. Wingman is either Willis’s mind in a different body, or a different person who got Jason’s dad’s memories. I also feel Jason’s Dad’s bat tattoo is going to come into play again somehow. We can only wait and see though.

So James drops Jason off at the docks where he has a freaking yacht ready too take him to the Iceburg Lounge. Suzie meets him there because she heard the Euro-Bloc 'coincidentally' got hit when Jason was in Paris, last issue. Remember that these guys were investors in Penguin’s criminal empire and the casino. Suzie seems to be on to Jason and expresses her concern once again about Jason getting her family involved in something shady that's going to screw them over when this whole thing was supposed to be them going straight. Jason promises her family is going to be okay, which is just inviting trouble. She says for some reason she trusts him, which just goes to show how much Jason inspires trust in people, even his former enemies. He gets on the yacht, and speeds off.

Okay, I know that Suzie had done some really messed up stuff in the past but like...I really like her and I hope her family doesn't get screwed by what is obviously going to happen with Penguin? I didn't like her character’s actions in the New 52 version of RHATO but I've really warmed to her and her sisters here. I really hope her relationship with Jason doesn't become soured after everything goes down, but it seems inevitable.

On the yacht, Jay does some reflection. I love how in-character Jason’s internal monologue is. I know that is an odd thing to be happy about, but sometimes I honestly wonder if the Jason I love is something I made up in my head and the canon doesn't actually support how I and many fans envision him--but it does! It does so much! This is all just so very right, how Jason understands himself but when an issue is painful, when it hurts to think about and he doesn't want to consider it, he just puts it out of his mind. He focuses on action and denies his his pain. Also, Jason acknowledging his growing friendships with his new teammates shows Jason's caring nature as well as his introverted and anxious side. He never means to adopt these people he finds himself with, but he just cannot help empathizing with them and coming to see them as 'his' people, no matter how much he tries to be distant. And yet he's afraid of them being hurt, or them hurting him. I love when Jason's personality is shown off like this!

On the way to the casino Jason is confronted by Essence, who wants to stop Jason from committing ‘petty revenge’ and falling to the dark side...or something. It's very vague what the hell her problem is. I guess she thinks Jason is just running around playing crime boss and that is inherently against the All-Caste code or something and she wants him to give it up but of course Jason doesn’t do what people want him to.

As they are talking, we get a little bit of a flashback showing their relationship, just a scene of them under a tree in All-Caste outfits when Jason was young and they kiss. It seems to me that she was the one who was into him for the most part and it’s both cute and sad that young Jason seemed so surprised by her affections. She still seems into him now, saying she doesn’t know whether she should kiss or kill him but Jason makes it clear he doesn’t have feelings for her anymore, not least of all because of the events in New 52 RHATO when Essence lied to and used Jason to instigate a confrontation with the Untitled which broke their truce so they could be destroyed. Remember that?

Basically they gear up to fight and Essence draws her freaking badass red swords and Jason draws his crowbar and katana and they face off in THE FUCKING ASTRAL DIMENSION, WHAT?! 

We get just...so much about the All-Caste here.

Essence was the heir to the All-Caste but she didn't want the job, she wanted to be a warrior, not a peaceful leader.

'All' refers to the ability to see the past, present and future. Ducra, it’s leader, is omniscient.

Jason is the only human to have ever learned their techniques and not gone insane.

When Jason met Ducra, she saw his past, present and future and hoped he could overcome his destiny.

Jason and Essence seem pretty evenly matched, despite her being an immortal empowered by the Well of Sins. So yeah, Jason is a badass.

In the Astral Plane at least, Essence’s sword can make a three-eyed demon oni-looking construct thing and they can both do crazy energy blasts and flames.

So...if omniscience is part of the All-Caste arts/abilities, does this mean Jason can see the future/past if he wants?! I mean maybe he doesn’t use it because he doesn’t want to go crazy, but still that’s freaking cool. Also, this could be another explanation to hand-wave various points when Jason was acting crazy and out of character in certain preboot issues. Previously the explanation was ‘Lazarus Pit madness’, but now we have yet another thing that could make Jason go mad. Like...Jason is really just doomed to be crazy from all sides, isn’t he?

And since when the hell can Jason go into the Astral Plane?! That's it, Jason needs to do more magic stuff! I need a team up with Constantine and Zatanna, stat! No, that terrible arc in Trinity when Jason got possessed by a demon doesn't count. It doesn't even make sense with this new information, and Bizzaro still had backwards-speak like before the reboot and was really irritating, instead his of cute baby-talk. Like clearly the writer of that issue never even read RHATO.

But anyway, the two continue their fight, Jason with his kickass glowing swords and Essence with her red ones in the crystalline Astral Plane. There are crystal looking formations everywhere and asian-style clouds and they float on nothing, it’s pretty cool. The colorist does an amazing job as always, and the art is awesome in this issue, much better than it has been in my opinion. Essence seems to have the upper hand when she suddenly stabs Jason through the chest! 

Is this the end for our hero?! Yeah naw.

It's revealed that Essence's sword is called the 'Blood Blade' and works kind of like Katana's cursed sword, it absorbs the soul of evil people it stabs--but if you stab someone innocent (or just not evil) your soul gets sucked in instead. And that is exactly what happens.

I don't think any of us were fooled into thinking Jason was actually going to die for even a moment. As it turned out Jason was playing her, pretending to be rusty at swordplay and the All-Caste magic and mad with revenge on Penguin (that last he didn't do the best job of being convincing, but she already thought the worst of him so it didn't really need much selling I guess.) He just wanted her to stab him with the blade so she would get sucked into it. I like that Jason's strategic ability is being shown off here, but I feel like stabbing him was her plan to begin with so I don't get why Jason needed to fight back at all? Eh, maybe she would have been suspicious if he just stood there and let her stab him.

So Essence is sucked into the sword because Jason isn't evil--surprise! Or not, I think it was pretty obvious Jason isn’t evil. He organized a charity in the first page of the issue for godssake!

Jason explains to Essence as she gets sucked into her sword that he isn't good or bad, he's “just practical as hell.” Which is just so freaking validating. Jason isn't evil, he isn't a bad person, in fact he is a good person with good intentions but you can't make the world a better place on good intentions alone. Sometimes you have to walk the line to get results and Jason draws that line further out than most, further out than Bruce, but his methods are necessary and they work and that's more than most can say.

I still don't know what the heck Essence's problem with Jason was, I guess she shares Bruce's terrible viewpoint, always believing the worst of our Jay, maybe she just had a grudge over Jason leaving the All-Caste, but at least this means my feelings from the beginning were probably intentional and not bad writing--those feelings being confusion as to what reason anyone could have to object to Jason's actions, because he wasn't doing anything wrong! All he did was lock up Penguin, when if he had been arrested for his crimes and not wiggled out of them with all his money, he would have been locked up anyway! His safe room was probably way nicer than a jail cell, to be honest.

So Jason takes Essence's sword and locks it up in his safe back at the Iceberg Lounge when who should appear but Penguin, back in black after having been released by Miguel last issue! It seems like Cobblpot has won Miguel to his side, probably by spinning some sob story that conveniently leaves out that he is a crime lord that uses his money to stay out of jail and oh, also he framed Jason's dad and tried to have Jason murdered and sent goons after him and was trafficking illegal weapons. Yeah, I bet he didn’t mention that part. Miguel is getting played, the poor kid. He’s too innocent.

Oh man, I really enjoyed this issue, there were so many parts when I was just like, "Yes! That is exactly what Jason would do!" and I'm not sure why I am so surprised when he acts in character, but I just am and pleasantly so. The art was also really great, I love with All-Caste stuff shows up because their aesthetic is just cool, and Pete Woods, the artist stepped it up. The fights were great, Jason’s faces looked a lot better than they have, he actually looks like a good looking twenty-something adult and not a snakey thug in most of the panels. Hopefully that trend continues. Also the colorist, I love this colorist, he does such a good job, kudos to Rex Lokus who really brought out Dexter Soy’s art too. I think his consistently really does help tie the run together even with the artist change.

Well, that’s it I'm excited to see the confrontation with Penguin and Miguel next issue and see where it goes! I think we get the Annual later this month? Or next month, that will also be awesome, and I’ll be here for it.