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surftrips · 2 years ago

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butterflies — part one.

pairing: rafe cameron x female reader

summary: after returning home from college for the summer, y/n runs into rafe cameron and the two form an unlikely relationship.

word count: 1582

a/n: part one of my new series inspired by "butterflies" by kacey musgraves. friends to lovers trope! masterlist.

It had been a few months since your first college relationship ended.

It was summer now. You were back home, content with where you were, just coasting through life.

You spent your time with friends and family, at bonfire parties and backyard barbecues. You may have been single, but you certainly weren't lonely.

Besides, your ex was kinda... shitty, for lack of a better word. Instead of lifting you up, he was always holding you back. You felt as though you were suffocating towards the end, and finally you couldn't take it anymore so you broke up with him.

With all this newfound free time, you had taken to spending more time outdoors. Surfing, biking, or simply going for a walk, it felt nice to feel the fresh air and freedom on your skin.

One day you were going for a run in your neighborhood, when you felt someone else jogging up behind you.

"Hey! Wait up!" they said.

You turned around, ready to defend yourself, but to your surprise, it was none other than Rafe Cameron who had called you.

"Rafe?"

"Hey, uh...Y/N right?" he responded, looking unsure.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Come on, I know everyone on this side of the island."

It was true. His family was by far the most affluent on the island and had the most connections. You wouldn't be surprised if his parents knew yours through their work.

Still, you felt the need to push back. "Is that so? Where do I go to college then?"

"Oh, easy. Everyone knows you go to Duke."

Now, you were surprised. Was Rafe Cameron keeping tabs on you?

He must have noticed your shocked face because he said, "Okay, by 'everyone,' I mean me. I know you go to Duke because I applied and got waitlisted."

"Ah, now there's the Rafe Cameron I know. Only cares about stuff when it involves him."

Were you being a little harsh? Yes. But Rafe Cameron had been the most popular guy in high school, he could handle a little teasing from you.

"Okay, ouch. Do you even know where I go to college?" he responded.

"Easy," you mocked him. "UNC Chapel Hill."

"Y/N Y/L/N, I didn't take you as a Rafe Cameron fan," he feigned surprise.

"Oh please, I only know because it's where all the frat boys go."

"Alright, fair enough. But I'll have you know I am so much more than just a frat boy."

"Yeah? Prove it." You don't know what possessed you to be talking to him like this, but hey, it was summer. What did you have to lose?

"How do you want me to do that?"

Yeah, how did you want him to do that? you thought to yourself.

"You're smart. I'm free the whole summer, figure it out," you settled on saying.

He seemed to think about it for a second. Finally, he responded, "Why do you think I called you earlier?"

It dawned on you that you had no idea. Sure, you two went to high school together but you hung out in entirely different circles and up until a few minutes ago, you weren't even sure that he knew who you were.

"I don't know, why?" you asked, almost nervously.

"I heard about your breakup. I wanted to see if you were okay."

"That's bullshit. I've only told my best friends about that." You knew that word traveled fast on the island, so you made sure to only tell people you trusted. How the hell did Rafe Cameron of all people find out?

"Well, you may not know this but all the college kids in North Carolina are connected in one way or another. One of my frat brothers is actually friends with your ex..." he trailed off, not sure how you would react to this.

For once, you were speechless. It really was a small world.

"Tell your brother his friend is an asshole," you finally managed.

He chuckled, relieved that you weren't angry or anything. He didn't know the full details of the breakup, but it definitely wasn't amicable.

"Sure, I'll pass the word along. But, yeah, I seriously did want to check on you," he said.

After a while, he added, "I'm getting over a breakup myself, actually."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright," he said. And then, "Have some faith in me, I'm not a bad guy."

This was technically true. Even though he was the typical popular, rich guy in high school, he was definitely one of the better ones. He never bullied anyone and mostly kept to his circle of friends. However, you just couldn't wrap your head around the idea of someone who never acknowledged you during high school caring about you now. What had changed?

Guess you had the whole summer to find out.

—

After that day, Rafe somehow convinced you to hang out with him more. You weren't sure what his motives were, whether he had any aside from trying to prove to you he was "more than just a frat boy."

The first time he took you to a coffee shop, a local one in downtown Kildare.

"I didn't know you drank coffee like that," you remarked.

"Well, there's a lot you don't know about me," he had responded.

As he took a sip of his drink, you used this opportunity to get a better look at him. You were too shy to make direct eye contact with him, worried that his bright blue eyes would cause blood to involuntarily rush to your cheeks.

He had changed since high school. His shoulders had somehow gotten even broader, his hair was now buzzed down, had he gotten taller?

Suddenly, you wondered what his ex-girlfriend was like. Was she outgoing or shy? Did she go out every night or stay in her dorm? What did she study? In other words, was she like you or the total opposite?

You shook your head, what did it matter to you anyway? You never really liked him in high school, and he seemed all the same now.

(Just a little better looking, somehow.)

—

Weeks later, nothing and everything had changed. You two had been on...

morning runs (or walks, if you guys were hungover from the night before)

grocery store trips after deciding you would show Rafe how to make your pasta recipe

errands runs where you tagged along in Rafe's passenger seat

spontaneous surf trips at the local beach

and of course, late nights spent around a fire as you two reminisced about how different your high school experiences were

Your initial hesitation about spending time with Rafe had waned. You figured that as long as you were having fun, there was no harm being done.

You learned that a lot of Rafe's college friends lived out-of-state and he hadn't been with anyone since his own breakup so he was pretty lonely at home until you showed up.

"Y/N, if I had a girlfriend don't you think I would be with her right now?"

"I don't know! Maybe she lives halfway across the country or is being locked up in a tower somewhere and that's why you can't see her!"

"Can you even hear yourself right now? Who do you think I'm dating, Rapunzel??"

Okay, so he was single. And he was spending nearly everyday with you. As a friend, of course. He just needed someone to keep him company. These are all things you reminded yourself.

You didn't even let yourself consider the possibility that there could be more to your sudden friendship.

—

Your steadfast attitude about your friendship wavered when you were over at his house one day.

You had been there a few times already, but when you knocked on the door this time, his sister Sarah opened it.

Sarah was a few years younger than you two, and was still in high school. Like with her brother, your paths had never really crossed.

"Oh, hey Sarah. Sorry, I was expecting Rafe," you said.

She smiled at you, "No worries, you must be Y/N?"

"Yeah, is he back there?"

Sarah moved out of the way you let you in. "Rafe! Your girlfriend's here!"

"Oh, no-" you started to correct her as Rafe appeared from the kitchen.

"Sarah, she's not my girlfriend," he said.

"Well, you certainly act like a couple," she responded before leaving you two alone.

"Sorry about that," Rafe said when she was out of the room.

"No, it's okay. I've been called worse," you joked.

"Yeah, whatever," he smiled. "The kitchen's all set for us to make lunch, you ready?"

Though you tried not to think about it, Sarah's words echoed in your mind for the rest of the day.

What were you two doing? Clearly, you were both using each other as a distraction, maybe not physically but definitely emotionally. You had both just gotten out of relationships and were looking to fill that void.

On the other hand, you had grown to genuinely like Rafe. It would not have been the worst thing in the world to be his girlfriend. In fact, later that night as you were lying in bed, you toyed with that idea.

"Hey, everyone. This is Y/N, my girlfriend," he would say, strong arms wrapped around your frame.

"Hi, I'm Y/n! Rafe's girlfriend," you would say while meeting his college friends.

Well, shit. You had fallen for Rafe Cameron and he had no idea.

#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron imagine #obx #outer banks #obx x reader #obx imagine #drew starkey #drew starkey x reader #rafe cameron x you #butterflies fic

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mikkyss · 6 months ago

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Late night

kaveh ! bartender au

note: I didn’t know how to execute this and this is all i could think of so this might not be good lmao

It has been a while since you last went out to drink by yourself. Seeing that it was finally the start of your four days off from work, you took the opportunity to go to one. You decided to go to the one nearest your place so you wouldn't have to take a long drive home.

You opened the door, feeling more relaxed seeing that only a few people were there, inhaling in the aroma of the place.

"Good evening," the man greets, cleaning off a glass.

You nod and give him a slight smile as a response, heading towards the counter to sit at the very end. The blond-haired bartender goes up to you, who's staring blankly at the view in front of you, thinking of what to get.

"Not sure of what you're going to get, hm?"

"Oh, yes. Well, what do you have?"

"Well, we have this one drink that our regulars usually get."

"I'll take it."

"Alright."

While he was making your drink, you took your time to observe the bartender in front of you, the way his top and vest hugged his waist, and how his waistline was noticeable.

Your eyes landed on his face, which is visibly attractive. His eyes are sharp with the color of red iris that caught your attention.

Your gaze went to his hands, then slowly went up to his face, finally seeing his lips curled into a smirk.

You quickly look away in embarrassment, realizing how you were staring at him and completely taking notes on his features.

He finally handed you your drink, which felt like it took a long time to make, but it was probably because you were distracted.

More minutes have passed, and you haven't uttered a single word. As much as you wanted to ask him his name and start a conversation, you couldn't find the right words.

The rest of the people who were inside the first minute you came in had already left, leaving you two alone.

The song changes into a more relaxing tune that could easily make someone drift off to sleep.

It wasn't that late in the evening, so you wanted to hang around a bit more. He got up to go to the back, probably to get something or get ready to head off as soon as you leave.

You scrolled on your phone, trying to look for something interesting to help you pass time. You were so fixated on your phone that you didn't notice that the bartender was sitting in front of you.

"Hey."

You looked up to see him face to face; you were startled, of course.

"Hey. Sorry, are you about to close soon?"

"No, we don't close till 12."

"Oh, I see."

"Why are you here all by yourself?"

"I wanted to have some time for myself."

He hummed, not knowing what to say next. It felt like time was slowly passing by; you were bored, but you didn't want to leave just yet.

"So, what's your name?"

"Kaveh."

Kaveh, huh? That name sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard that somewhere.

"I'm guessing you must be [name]."

"What—how'd you know?" You asked him, confused.

Have you met before? Maybe, because how would he know your name then? But then again, this was your first time meeting him. Or is it?

"I just guessed."

"Well, you must be pretty good at guessing."

"Not really—"

A phone from the back door starts ringing, interrupting your small talk. Kaveh gets up to answer it.

You figured it might've been from his boss or something.

You yawned, the sleepiness finally getting to you. Having the sudden urge to go home and toss yourself in bed, you decided to leave.

You left your payment on top of the counter and made your way out of the door.

Feeling the cold breeze finally hit you, sending shivers up your spine.

You reach for your phone once again in your bag; instead, you feel a piece of yellow folded paper with a phone number written on it.

Sorry for any mistakes, it’s currently 1 am…….🧌

#genshin impact #genshin fanfic #genshin impact kaveh #kaveh x reader #genshin kaveh #genshin imagines

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formulaborb · 9 months ago

Note

“Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating” 👀👀

ehehehehe

"Are you coming out to dinner with us tonight, George?" Alex asked as he, George and Lando headed for the car.

George hummed. "Sorry, Alex. It's date night with Lewis, and I finally convinced him to go to this new restaurant I've been eyeing."

Lando huffed. "You're kidding. You're still doing this?"

Blinking, George looked at Lando. "Doing what?"

Lando waved his hand dismissively. "This... whole... charade? George, you can't still think we believe you're dating Lewis."

"...What."

"Lando's right, George. C'mon, if you don't want to go out, just tell us that." Alex piped up, and George stared at the two incredulously.

"Wh- What?! You think I'm lying about dating Lewis?! We've been together for like 6 months!" George protested, getting into the driver's seat and slamming the door.

Lando and Alex got into the car as well and Lando snorted. "Sure, George, sure."

"I am sure!" George huffed, starting the car and driving towards their neighbourhood.

"It's just that you two never seemed all that close, and suddenly you call me one night telling me you asked Lewis out and he said yes? Lewis Hamilton, notoriously single Lewis Hamilton?" Alex spoke up after a moment of silence.

"Yes?! How is that so hard to believe?!" George replied, his hands clenching at the wheel.

"I mean... yes? You're not exactly his type, mate." Lando said and George rolled his eyes.

"And you're an expert on the kinds of people Lewis fancies."

"We're just saying, George. It's not believable at all. Why are you even trying to lie about it anyways? Is it because I tried pairing you with one of Lily's friends last month?" Alex asked and George groaned, pulling into the parking lot of their building complex.

"Yeah, no one believes it." Lando added.

"No, it's not because of that! I'm dating Lewis, I've been dating Lewis, and- wait, did you say no one believes it!?" George yelled and Alex snorted.

"Yeah. I even asked Valtteri and he just gave me a weird look and said I must've hit my head or something. Is it to fuck with the media?" Lando grinned and George wanted to punch him in the face, but opted to get out of the car instead.

"Whatever. None of you have to believe it, because it's true!" George growled and Alex held up his hands in a placating manner, though his expression was anything but.

"Sure, sure, Georgie. Whatever you say."

Before George could snap at him, he turned at the sound of Lewis' voice.

"Oh, George. There you are. Ready to go?"

George smiled. "Yes, actually. I am!"

He walked over to Lewis, and, knowing that Alex and Lando were watching him, decided to pull the older man into a kiss that was probably a little more dramatic than necessary. Lewis huffed a little into it, kissing back for a long moment before pulling away with a smile.

"Alright?"

"Mhm." George replied, smugly looking over to Lando and Alex, who were staring at the two in shock. That would show them without a shadow of a doubt that-

"No way, how'd you get Lewis in on it?"

#gewis #ask game

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destinygoldenstar · 4 months ago

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☀️🎵Can We Just Talk?🎵☀️ - Total Drama Viewer Reacts to Disventure Camp Season 1 Episode 7 “Spit It Out”

Yeah, I'm back already...

Again, I'm aware of Season 3's finale airing. Didn't watch it obviously.

But I will say, it's kinda difficult to not be sick to your stomach when ALL you hear about something is HATE.

Like, I have not heard a single positive thing about Season 3 and I'm kinda nervous now. (Is it really THAT bad?)

That's why I'm just doing my own thing with the first season and reacting to it in my "Just enjoy it" way. (It's not same as "Turn your brain off" because "Turn your brain off" implies not paying attention)

I will remind everyone, I was NOT recommended this show. The people who replied to me asking if I should watch it said "NO. Don't watch it. It's awful."

So I CHOSE to do this at my own will. I have no one to blame but myself.

I'm enjoying this season so far and I don't want that to be spoiled by people telling me not to.

Cause while criticism is okay, it always is, spreading nothing but hate and spite and nasty threats to anyone involved does a lot more damage than you think. You get a RWBY fandom situation where the only thing going on is harassment and bullying and it drives everyone away and leaves no room for air on takes that aren't majority. I DON'T WANT TO BE A PART OF THAT. ESPECIALLY NOT DEATH THREATS. THAT IS NOT OKAY TOWARDS ANYBODY.

So yeah, hearing any hate towards Disventure Camp about anything, I'm NOT part of it. I am not to blame for anything. I just want to stay in my corner and say what I want to say. (As long as it's not threats, like I said, I can't do that either)

*deep breath*

I just wanted to get this off my chest. NOW THAT THIS IS OUT OF THE WAY,

We're back with Season 1. I beg that there is no double elimination for a THIRD TIME IN A ROW. I'll lose my mind.

Okay, let's get into this, shall we?

Oh we're starting right where we left off last time.

IT'S A TEAM SWAP.

...again...

"My whole team is going to reGRETT voting for me."

"They're going to wish they had never crossed me."

Go off queen!

OH GOD-

What a kind greeting XD

Not the Purple Team becoming the VILLAINS Team!

"I hope that Ellie doesn't have any hard feelings."

Be thankful she isn't Jake, who DEFINATELY would.

OH YAY THEY'RE TOGETHER!!!

We get to see more of them!!

It sucked we couldn't because they were on opposite teams before. BUT NOW WE CAN!

And she immediately goes to Jake to introduce herself.

I have no idea why she'd pick that. But you know what? All for friendships.

"If we lose, we can vote for her instead of one of us."

HOW. IS. DAN. STILL. HERE?!?!

Like, I'm genuinely really tired of him now.

I made a post (that got a lot of hate) about screen time not being problematic for characters so long as they're DOING SOMETHING with that screen time.

Dan is not that. This is my least favorite character in this group. I'm sorry Dan stans.

Everyone else has something to do. All Dan does is push a non-existent alliance and make sexist comments and otherwise has no personality.

GET HIM OUT. I'M SICK OF HIM.

"Gabby is a psychotic backstabber, Jake and Tom are a toxic couple, Miriam is a useless old lady, and Dan is a dumb kid who pretends to know things."

OH GOD, NOT THE SLANDER

She do be right about Jake & Tom though...

"How'd they win so many challenges?"

Because they have numbers.

VILLAIN TEAM

"If you promise to never vote for us, we'll help you."

What if your team loses?

Do you vote for the VOID?!

"Okay, I'll read the votes... WHY ARE THEY ALL SCRIBBLES OF FLOWERS?!?"

"Something about the other two makes me feel at home, that's something I haven't really felt before..."

AW, VILLAIN BONDING. SHE FOUND HER PLACE IN THE WORLD!!

They're still beefing.

I've been eating toxic yaoi two days in a row now. It's junk food, I'll tell you that.

Is Ellie gonna reason with Jake? Awww

"Gabby told me you and Tom are close, but it doesn't look that way anymore."

They had a fight. It happens.

"Are you mad?"

"Yes I am! Tom has been lying to all of us since we got here! He lied to me like everyone else does!"

OH GEEZ THAT LAST PART

I was gonna say "I'm interested in this impulsive and petty anger issues version of Jake"

But that "LIKE EVERYONE ELSE DOES" part. OOF.

Like, my god, how can you blame him though?!

Yeah he wasn't right. But his POV.

"I don't want to bother you with my problems."

Ngl, when I was younger I would vent to strangers all my petty problems and yeah, that's a version of me you should be happy isn't on Tumblr. I grew up, I got in a better environment, and I'm in a better place now.

"It's okay, after last night I know what it's like being betrayed. Everything you say is safe with me."

I like this. I like Ellie being nice to him.

"I like Jake, he's a good guy, even if he's a bit dramatic."

That is MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY

"Honestly, a five minute conversation could probably solve this issue."

Yes. Yes it would. But is it that simple with these two?

"I wanted to thank you..."

Oh?

"For not voting for me yesterday."

Oh...

Yeah no I want you eliminated this episode. You're selfish.

"You'll wish I'd just gone home."

"We already do."

😂

I love Miriam.... oh my god.... 😂

That had no right being as funny as a burn as that was!!

This sounds like a VERY complicated challenge. I'm gonna have to see it in action.

"Is everything okay between us Ellie?"

"What do you think?!"

"What do you think Alec?"

She said exactly that XD

This does NOT look safe!

"Can you help me Jake?"

"I don't think so."

You're STILL salty?

OMG, TALK. IN PERSON WORD ON WORD.

"I took water polo, lacrosse, cheerleading, and even debate."

Debate's not a sport, is it?

Maybe it is and I'm a dumbass.

"What? Debate not a sport? I could debate that."

OKAY THAT WAS HER TALKING DIRECTLY TO ME

"Golden, I can debate on your words!"

This looks like a nightmare to ride

"Things are a bit complicated with Jake, aren't they?"

"That's one way to put it. I know it's my fault but he's exaggerating with his attitude."

Yeah, Tom is right here. But I LOVE that he acknowledges he's at fault for it.

"He's just an immature kid, don't take it personally."

"It's hard not to."

"He'll get over it."

Will he though? Will he?

Grett and Alec are trying to DROWN the child at this point.

"Fiore can't collect water if she's dead!"

Even Alec says it!

Is Grett actually gonna develop from this experience?

"Have you calmed down a bit yet?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just... I can't forget how he lied to me and how that made me feel."

"And have you thought about how that made him feel?"

Ooh, yes. I love that. Call him out.

"I'm just saying it must have been hard for him too."

Yes. Yes it was.

I get both sides. I do. Tom was trying to do a job and got revealed lying about it and didn't consider how that would hurt his friend (for understandable reasons). And Jake got some flashbacks of bad events and overreacted as a result.

"He only used me to go undercover."

"How do you know?"

"Well, I... Grett said so..."

"Did you hear Tom's side? You should ask him. People are... complex. You can't jump to conclusions."

👏

GLORIOUS. THAT WHOLE THING.

Talk to Tom. Hear his side. Apologize. Make up. Be friends again.

It'll all be fine. I still have my hope.

...and maybe this is why I called their dynamic junk food...

GABBY'S TAKING CHARGE LIKE THE QUEEN SHE IS

Also not Tom wearing TWO masks now! That looks so awkward.

Knew that would happen.

NOT GABBY LAUGHING AT JAKE'S EXPENSE. COME ON.

Welcome to SLAPSTICK THE EPISODE.

NUT SHOT.

Though this time it was a block.

NO WAIT I SWEAR I'VE SEEN THAT ON A SURVIVOR CLIP BEFORE-

Oh that's just straight up sabotage.

HELL YEAH!!!

Fiore told Grett to SLAY yet again.

Really? NO ONE on the team is good with puzzles?!

I say that like I'm good at them, but I'm not either.

Purple Team wins!

It's been HOW LONG since Purple Team won?

"Our team was on a winning streak but suddenly Ellie joins our team and we lose?"

I'm sorry, HOW was this her fault exactly?

OH MY GOD HE'S TALKING TO HIM. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

"I want to ask you something..."

"Did you really just approach me because of your job?"

Good question.

"You're asking me this now? Where was this question yeaturday?"

"So you're just here for your job!"

"And our friendship, was that just to blend in too?! Did you ever care about me at all?! Was any of it real, HUH?!"

...I mean, TECHNICALLY he DID ask this already?

It was a bad wording of asking it cause he was mad, but he DID ask it.

"Yeah, I'm sorry..."

Aww. At least he's apologizing.

See? He recognizes he made a mistake!

"Jake... I'm going to tell you the truth."

YES PLEASE. OMG THANK YOU.

"...I really like you."

😲

💗

*I'm gripping my heart from that*

UM... OKAY. I DID NOT EXPECT THAT ANSWER. *Giddy again*

"And the days we spent together fishing, gathering supplies, or just talking at camp... it made me rethink some things."

💗

"Yes, I'm here for work, to investigate someone. My agency doesn't allow me to have contact with anyone here after this investigation is over. But... meeting you felt like we quickly had this connection and I thought... am I really willing to risk everything? My whole career? So we could... be something more?"

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH 💗

THIS IS GOING SO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD. OMG.

That's such good insight on Tom's character too! How long was he a spy? I'm curious. Cause if his missions are all like this, then does that mean Tom has no one? No relationships of any kind? Platonic or romantic?

Cause DAMN that makes too much sense for him to act like this then.

"But the way you've behaved in the last few days made one thing clear to me. I don't really know you. And I can't risk everything for someone who acts so unpredictably."

💔

AAAAAANNNNDDDD it's gone.

I do understand that though. At the end of the day, they knew each other for how many days? And if Tom's career is that serious, then of course he can't.

"Tom, I'm... I'm sorry..."

AW COME ON. HE SAID HE WAS SOWWY.

"But I said I was sowwy! And I meant it!!"

"I was so selfish thinking only for myself! I had no idea!"

This is why I love Jake! He actually ACKNOWLEDGES he's in the wrong and owns up to it!

"That's correct. You had no idea. You never bothered to ask."

And Tom doesn't even coddle him and say "No no, it's okay." That wouldn't be in character, I feel.

"Yes. You screwed up. I hope you know you screwed up. Know what you did was wrong and there's not an excuse for it."

AND HE JUST WALKS AWAY AFTER THAT?!

💔Goddammit...

I LOVED that scene though. Maybe they will be alright after all.

"See? We CAN talk it out! We're not Gwen and Trent!"

"I think the decision is simple. We vote for Ellie."

No. What did she do?!

"She is the only option."

Do you still have blindfolds on?

"As for Ellie, who even is she?"

She's a wannabe college student with a life of bad labor and debt and has passions to be a designer.

"Gabby, trust me, it's for the best."

"FOR YOU IT IS!"

YES! CALL HIM OUT!!

"You always do what's best for you and you don't care what anyone else thinks!"

YUUUUUUSSSSS!!!! DAN SLANDER!!!

Oh god it's Blabby! She's back!

"That boy wants to control you just like Grett did!"

Yes. Yes he does.

"I think I need a hug."

Awwwwwwww 💗

These two are such besties, I love them!

"Uh... I have to go... clean my socks... or something..."

Best excuse ever.

Tom, how did you even become a spy? You suck at your job.

"I'll be back later!"

*Jumps in a bush*

And Miriam just walks away from him XD

"Nah, I'm too old for this shit. I'm out."

"Agent Smith, I wasn't expecting your call at this time."

Smith? His name is Tom Smith?

What happened?

Is the guy he's after planning something worse?

Oh come on Jake. Why Gabby?

Yeah, we know this one.

I thought Gabby and Ellie would convince Jake to vote with them and tie it or something. But no.

WAIT SO THAT MEANS ELLIE IS SCREWED.

"WAIT!!"

"I have an immunity totem and I want to use it."

OH MY GOD THE IDOL. OH MY GOD SHE'S SAVED.

"I want to use this totem to nullify the votes against Ellie!"

YEP. ELLIE'S NOT GOING.

Gabby, SLAY. Successfully reading the room, saving her only ally!

GREAT PLAY.

The subtitles XD

"Any votes on Ellie will not count!"

'ELLIE' *DOESN'T COUNT*

There's three, right?

So this was a successful idol play?

'ELLIE' *DOESN'T COUNT*

YEP. SUCCESSFUL IDOL PLAY.

'GABBY'

That's Jake throwing his vote.

'DAN'

OH MY GOD, PLEASE. IS HE GONE?!

PLEASE NOT GABBY.

It's gotta be Dan. He's gotta be gone!

YES! HE'S GONE!!!!

"Why would you waste your totem on Ellie?"

Dude, Ellie was Gabby's ONLY ally in the game. She didn't protect Ellie, then they'd both be screwed.

"I didn't waste it. I saved her cause she treats me like a person."

That too. 💗

WHAT A TRIBAL COUNCIL!!

I like good idol plays, what can I say?

And Dan's finally gone!

I'm sorry, but he was the worst character of the cast.

Lasted too long, no personality, and the only thing he did with all his screen time was talk about an alliance that didn't exist, and be sexist.

And before you say his actions and dialogue weren't sexist: GUYS alliance. Is only seen targeting female characters. Downplays Gabby's problems over his own wants.

He rubbed me off the wrong way and I don't regret bullying him.

At least everyone else on that team was interesting in one way or another, but Dan had nothing.

I GUESS the only thing he did was be the foil to Grett for Gabby's development? As he was someone who also tried to use her but was nicer to her so it left her conflicted? But really, you could've given that role to ANY character. You could've had, idk, Tom do that and not much would change.

Actually, that would add onto the 'Tom is only here for work' plot.

BUT HEY, AT LEAST I DIDN'T JINX ANYBODY WITH THE HEADING THIS TIME! THAT'S A PLUS!

Still, THANK YOU GABBY for slaying this show as usual! You are a GIFT, sweetheart and we're so happy to have you!

GABBY FOR THE WIN!

Anyway, idk if this will get any attention because of the Season 3 finale, but hey, I can continue these if you guys seem interested and entertained by them.

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hitomisuzuya · 2 years ago

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HAPPY VALENTINES DAY SUZU HOPE U HAVE A GOOD VALENTINESSS I love the fanfic u wrote as well so tysm!!❤️❤️❤️ I just got home from school and someone gave me a rose and asked me out on a date 😭 it just gave me a new idea: Recieving another rose from someone else on valentines despite being in an established relationship (kept it a secret from the public probably only nahida knows) how would Wanderer react? 👀👀 (sfw)

a/n: Happy Valentine's Day! Did you know who it was from? Did you say yes to the date? Forgive me for prying but I am curious👀 you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.

Wanderer x fem!reader who receives a flower from someone else on Valentine's Day. SFW.

"What's this?" Wanderer asked, picking the rose up off the table. "I didn't give you this." He hadn't. This rose was red. He'd given you a whole bouquet of roses, ones that's were purple.

"It's not a surprise that she got one from someone else. As far as anyone else is concerned, she is single." Nahida said, her eyes were trained on him to see how he would reach. You'd been in an established relationship with him for awhile now. Only Nahida knew about it right now.

Wanderer's eyes darted between the rose and Nahida for a moment before he scoffed. Throwing the rose up on the air, he fired some Anemo wind blades at it. It practically disintegrated actually.

"The person who gave you this is a fool. Was there a note with it?" He asked, holding out his hand in case there was one.

There was.

It a note was asking you out on a date.

Wanderer put some extra power behind his wind blades this time. Nahida actually chided him for using his power like that indoors. You did too. But on the inside you absolutely giddy with how'd he reacted.

Maybe he was going to have to take your relationship public soon. He couldn't have anything like this happen again. Wanderer was prepared to make out with you in when Sumeru City was busy with people coming and going.

#genshin impact #wanderer #wanderer x reader #wanderer x you #wanderer x y/n

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cvbullshit · 1 year ago

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LV Triangle Incorrect Quotes

Y/N: Dust, gather the others. We need to have another Crimson-is-doing-something-stupid-again-and-we-have-to-stop-them-before-they-hurt-someone convention.

Y/N: Has anyone seen Crimson? Dust: Hold on, I got this. *clears throat* Dust: Bill Nye the science guy! Crimson, crashing through the door: BILL BILL BILL BILL BILL

Dust: Crimson and I were crossing the street, and this man drove by and honked at us. Y/N: What did you do? Dust: They chased him to the next red light, and reached into his window, and- Crimson: *walking in* Who wants a steering wheel?

Crimson: sapnu puaS. Dust: What?? Y/N: What language is that. Crimson: Turn your phone 180 degrees. *Crimson was removed from the groupchat*

Y/N: So, Crimson is no longer allowed to take the trash out at night. Dust: Why? Y/N: Because I've caught them trying to train raccoons to fight five times in a row. Crimson, arms crossed and pouting: You'll be thanking me when the third raccoon battalion saves your ass.

Dust: I didn't drink that much last night. Crimson: You were flirting with Y/N. Dust: So what? They're my partner. Crimson: You asked if they were single. Crimson: And then you cried when they said they weren't.

Dust: Ooh, somebody has a crush Crimson: Pfft, I don’t have a crush on Y/N I just think they’re cool, it’s not like I stay up at night thinking about them. *Later that night* Crimson, very much awake: Uh oh.

Dust: Wow! Y/N made you cry? Crimson, tearing up: Yes, and they said some really mean things that are only partly true.

Y/N: If I say I love you, will you say it back? Dust: Yes. Y/N: I love you. Dust: It back. *Later* Crimson: Why is Y/N crying face-down on the floor?

Dust, holding a rock: Crimson just gave this to me and said "I feel like you deserve the moon but all I can give you is a rock". Y/N: If you don't marry them, I will.

Dust: I’ve never asked someone out. How do you even do it? Crimson: Oh, what I do is, I look them up and down and I say: “Hey… how you doin’?” Y/N, scoffing: Oh, please. Crimson, to Y/N: Hey, how you doin’? Y/N: Y/N: *giggles and blushes*

*Something crashes* Dust: Shoot- Y/N: *running into the room in a panic* WHAT FELL?! Crimson: *walking by the room calmly* What died?

Y/N: We need to distract these guys. The voices of the sympathetic: Leave it to me. The voices of the sympathetic: Centaurs have six limbs and are therefore insects. Discuss. The voices of the guarded & The voice of the indifferent chaos: *immediately begin arguing*

The voices of the sympathetic: Where is The voices of the guarded? The voice of the indifferent chaos: I'll do you one better, who is The voices of the guarded?? Y/N: Here's a better question, why is The voices of the guarded?

The voices of the sympathetic & The voices of the guarded in the back of The voice of the indifferent chaos's car: MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! MCDONALDS! Y/N: We have food at home. The voice of the indifferent chaos: *pulls into the McDonald's drivethrough* The voices of the sympathetic & The voices of the guarded: YAYYYYYY! The voice of the indifferent chaos: *orders one black coffee and leaves*

The voice of the indifferent chaos: I am darkness. I am an power. I am your worst nightmare. I could kill a man in more ways than you can imagine. I am the night. I am fury, I am a weapon, I am- The voices of the sympathetic: A doll. The voices of the guarded: A cinnamon roll. Y/N: A sweetheart. The voice of the indifferent chaos: The voice of the indifferent chaos: ...stop it.

The voices of the guarded: I fell down the stairs today... Y/N: I hope you're okay. The voices of the sympathetic: Stop falling down the stairs. The voice of the indifferent chaos: How'd the ground taste?

The voice of the indifferent chaos: Oh god, they texted you ‘hi.’’ punctuation only means one thing, Y/N. They're mad at you. Y/N: No, it's The voices of the guarded. They're just being gramatically correct! *meanwhile* The voices of the guarded: And then I used a period so they'd know that I'm mad at them. The voices of the sympathetic: A period doesn't say 'I'm mad', it says 'you're dead to me'. The voices of the guarded: I stand by my choice.

The voices of the sympathetic, holding a Wii mote with a knife attached: Are Wii gonna have a problem? Y/N, bringing out their switch remote with a blade: You best switch up that attitude. -An hour later...- The voice of the indifferent chaos, in the ambulance: Wii-U! Wii-U! Wii-U! The voices of the guarded: I hate this fucking family.

The voices of the guarded, pointing to the wall: What color is this? The voices of the sympathetic: Gray. Y/N: Grey. The voices of the guarded, turning to The voice of the indifferent chaos: Now tell them what color you think it is. The voice of the indifferent chaos: Dark white.

LV Triangle Brainrot is real

#incorrect quotes #lv triangle #for fun #i blame lili for my brainrot #brainrot #oh the voices are the anons but put in groups with cool names #yes i am the voice of indifferent chaos #i have my own subcategory because yes #silly goofy mood

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vodika-vibes · 1 year ago

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OMG DOGMA AND ARACHNE’S FIRST KISSSSSS!!!!

And of course Arachne instigated it, though only after Dogma asked. I'm sure she was relieved that he wanted to kiss her, lol

Dogma returns to his barracks after dropping Arachne off at home, nearly floating on air he's so happy. Rex arches a single brow when he sees Dogma, and his second brow rises to join the first when he sees the goofy grin on his little brothers face, "Good day, Dogma?" He asks. "Yeah," Dogma even sounds kind of dreamy, "The best." Rex looks him over, and then smirks, "You went on a date with Arachne, didn't you?" Dogma jolts, "How'd you know?" "She's the only person in the whole galaxy who can put that look on your face, little brother." Rex grins, "You had fun then?" Dogma flushes, "I...yeah. I did." "Good." Rex drapes his arm over Dogma's shoulder, "I won't tell anyone that you're dating Arachne. But it's only a matter of time before they find out and harass you about it." "...you're the best." "Yes," Rex agrees, "I am."

#star wars #star wars au #Arachne AU

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optiwashere · 1 year ago

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Currently thinking about how in Make A Mess Of Her Shadowheart states the floor in their playroom is completely smooth and wooden.

I know Asheera built the cottage so that also means she built the windowless room.

Which begs the idea, how'd she get it so smooth this is like old times stuff?

Is there a fantasy sander? Ye Olde Sand Belt 3000 Elminster's surprise model?

Or like...more accurately

Asheera was on her hands and knees for a ten-day sanding away at the floor before being able to put a proper varnish. Maybe in the height summer.....where the lack of windows makes for a humid and sweaty work place. Muscles tensing due to the relentless work. Repeated movements of the arms, antagonistic muscles bulging and laxxing in rhythmic tandem. Brow knotted in an almost devoted level of concentration on this single task.

It has to be smooth, nary a splinter in sight. All for her Heart, her tandem pair.

Meanwhile the Heart in question leans in the Shadow of the doorframe, watching intently. Her ochre eyes kaleidoscopic with all the desires and emotions beckoned by the half-orc prone before her.

She doesn't notice her.

However,

Both transfixed by the promise of what's to come.....

Or something like that maybe they just used a spell?

All that's to say is that these characters feel real and the world their in feels alive, good writes there Chief. 👍🏾

First of all, thank you very much for your compliment about the characters anon 💜 I do wanna say though that I associate "chief" with when I was younger and people called me that fairly often. It has kind of a male connotation for me, and I am... uh, not lol.

Not that you could've known that, so no harm no foul. Just as a heads up for the future! 💜

Now, you've actually hit upon a really interesting thing: woodworking in Faerûn.

I tend to treat the setting as kind of the technological equivalent to the 15th-16th century. So things like rottenstone/tripoli, scouring rush, shellac finishing, and even a simple scraper or hand plane would all be available to use! Not to mention magic. Though it's not the sort of thing that gets added to a spell list in a game like BG3, magic-users can almost certainly do this shit with magic. Someone who gets their magic through Gond would likely know a few of these.

But frankly, yes, Asheera did do all of it by hand. I'm sure that was a wonderful sight for Shadowheart.

And I appreciate the comment about Make a Mess of Her, that's a fic I quite enjoyed writing. The Kinktober fics are a treasure trove for those that might've missed that month!

#hey you can ask me things!#oc: asheera

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hrodvitnon · 8 months ago

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Dual dialogue challenge, 1/2. :)

Canon!Simmons meets Abraxas!Maia. (I'm curious to see how canon!Simmons reacts to meeting a Maia who isn't slavishly devoted to him and has much more agency of her own.)

Canon!Simmons: Ah, Maia! Come to see the progress on my pride and joy, have you?

Abraxas!Maia: You know, when a man describes something as his "pride and joy" one would think he's referring to his child.

Canon!Simmons: Oh, don't be so jealous, you're as dramatic as Serizawa. You have your uses, as does the mech! The mech simply has a purpose greater than any of us.

Abraxas!Maia: Right. The mech designed to kill Godzilla, the Nukasaurus Rex that saved the world multiple times. The mech that's hooked up to the skull of an alien destroyer of worlds, which came close to rendering us all extinct without Godzilla in the picture. I can't wait to see how this can possibly go wrong.

Canon!Simmons: My patience has its limits and you've hit them, young lady. I did not raise you to be an insubordinate contrarian!

Abraxas!Maia: *uproarious laughter*

Canon!Simmons: What--? Do you think I'm funny?!

Abraxas!Maia: You're fucking hilarious, old man! "I did not raise you" -- motherfucker, what you did was not "raising" me! You told me to be content with what I have because you could take it away if my chin so much as trembled! If I asked for the smallest little thing for my birthday you'd say "make valedictorian or I'm dropping you off on a random street corner to fend for yourself!"

Canon!Simmons: Your education -- which was the most expensive investment a parent can possibly make, might I add -- was vital to your role!

Abraxas!Maia, dripping with sarcasm: Yes, and I'm sure any child would be so grateful to have a full ride scholarships to the most prestigious universities on the planet dangled in front of them like a carrot on a string! I'm sure any child would be glad to have been dropped off in the middle of Bumfuck Detroit to learn the discipline that daddy's favorite school didn't hammer into my skull!

Canon!Simmons: YOU were the one pissing and moaning my ear off about "gap year" this and "sabbatical" that! Do you have any idea how many important meetings and calls I have to make in a single day?! I don't have time to listen to such bohemian pipe dreams!

[Canon!Simmons gets in close, grabs Maia's coat lapel. He looks like he might get physical.]

Canon!Simmons: You are a Simmons! You don't get to spend a year anywhere that will plant little hippy-dippy shit into your brain! You wanted a sabbatical so badly, I gave you one to teach you some common goddamn sense! No daughter of mine--

Abraxas!Maia: I'm not your daughter. I was never your daughter. I am nothing but a pet to you. And pets can run away.

Canon!Simmons, quietly: Excuse me?

Abraxas!Maia: You're excused.

[Canon!Simmons cracks his hand across her face.]

Canon!Simmons: GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! YOU ARE OFF THE PROJECT! USELESS BITCH!

Abraxas!Maia, walking out: Gladly. I'm gonna laugh my ass off if your oversized toy gets you killed! Also, you hit like a bitch.

[Abraxas!Maia leaves while Canon!Simmons screams his face blue. She meets up with Abraxas!Ren, who is rubbing split knuckles.]

Abraxas!Ren: Oh... are you okay? What happened?

Abraxas!Maia, exhales deeply: Trauma dumped. He got handsy.

Abraxas!Ren: Do you need me to do anything? I'm not afraid of beating up someone who hits his child.

Abraxas!Maia, smiling: That would be amazing, but probably not necessary. I've got something that'll hurt him even worse. *pulls out a flash drive*

Abraxas!Ren: Is that his personal files? How'd you get that?

Abraxas!Maia: Learned how to pickpocket during my sabbatical in Detroit. What do you say we go get a coffee and spill the old man's guts with this little thing?

Abraxas!Ren, grinning: It's a date.

#zerm2v0hg #zerm1v0hg #maia simmons #abraxasverse

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randomestfandoms-ocs · 1 year ago

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Snow Angel Prompt List

Prompts for Snow Angel by Renee Rapp, practice good reblog karma and sent a prompt or two to the person you reblog this from

Don't think I could love you more

I'm takin' everything I see as a sign

I know it's crazy but what if it's right

I'm here again, talking myself out of my own happiness

I think I talk too much

And if it rains, then it rains and we'll be over by May

Do you still wanna be with me?

I was just a tourist, you got to be a big hometown hero

As far as I'm concerned, they should just burn the whole city down

How'd you make me hate Boston? It's not its fault that you don't love me

Had its charm but it lost it, it’s not its fault just a casualty

Family confrontation, probably started 'cause my name was mentioned

How'd you make me hate Boston? The whole thing is haunted

And you're all over every single street

You get on my nerves, you're so fucking annoying, you could poison poison

I didn't wanna have to use the knife behind your back to go and flip the script

But unlucky for you, I am that bitch

And yes, I am a feminist but bitch, you're making it so hard for me to always be supporting all women

You're the worst bitch on the Earth, I hate you and your guts

I think you should shut the fuck up and die

Never know who you're gonna get, we’re in love, or we never met

I exist on a pendulum, swingin' high or swingin' low

You're so fucking perfect, how come I'm not feeling more?

Hope this doesn't make you insecure but yesterday was heaven, now I'm bored

I bet you're sick of it, believe me, so am I

But really, I should just be better to you

First to arrive last to leave, what's misery without company

I'll make it through the winter if it kills me

I can make it faster if I hurry

But if it kills me I tried

Smiles hide what secrets keep, can't tell a lie if you never speak

Look in the mirror she looks like me, but half alive and twice as weak

I tried so hard, I came so far, I met a boy, he broke my heart

I blame him cuz it's easier

I still look for him in her

The seasons change, addiction’s strange

I loved back then what I hate today

I wish I went a different way, but if I went back I would do the same

I found out from a friend of a friend that you're here again

What gives you the right to come back to the city that I live in?

So what now? Should we talk?

If we run into each other on the street should I keep walking?

Do you lie and say you don't wanna see me again?

Both of us like to pretend so we feel like we're cool

Yes, I said I hated you and those little dimples, too

Still I'm like what the hell, why the hell didn't you call me yet?

If I miss your call, I'm gonna cry

There's an old song I wrote for you, it was everything you'd want it to be

You are my one, you set my world on fire

I know there's heaven, but we must be higher

I would have have sang it to you soft and sweet, you'd want it every anniversary

Why'd you have to mess it all up? Why'd you have to burn it all down?

You say that I'm your favourite, with your hand between my thighs

Tell me if you were gonna, that I would be the one you tried

So you inch a little closer, say your boyfriend, he wouldn't mind

You think that I'd be flattered, it’s pathetic, 'cause you're right

In the PM, all the pretty girls, they have a couple drinks all the pretty girls, so now they wanna kiss all the pretty girls, they got to have a taste of a pretty girl

In the AM all the pretty girls act like it never happened in another world, yeah, it's a blessing and it's a curse so keep on pretending, pretty girl

Yeah, your boyfriend's cute, oh shit, yeah, he can come too, you'll be his in the morning anyway

Maybe I should try religion, cause Jesus, you're hard to rely on

Now my tummy hurts, he’s in love with her

For what it's worth, they'd make beautiful babies and raise them up to be a couple of fucking monsters like their mother and their father

I just want some recognition for having good tits and a big heart

I can't believe I let you hit it, in hindsight, that might be the worst part

But for what it's worth, he's her problem now, baby

Someone's gonna hurt your little girl like you hurt me

I was ten years old when I realized some goodbyes are forever

How can the person who taught me to breathe take their last breath right in front of me?

Oh, the older we get, the colours they change, yeah, hair turns to gray, but the blues here to stay

I wish I could still see the world through those eyes

Stay a little longer, I’m not ready for you to go

I have been mourning since ten years old

I know it's hard to slow down when there's still more to go

Wanna ask how you're doing and mean it, I mean it

Willow, I'll cry for you

And nobody thinks they should save her cause she's doing well

365 days later, I still haven't learned to calm down

But tomorrow I turn twenty-three and it feels like everyone hates me

So how old do you have to be to live so young and careless

My wish is that I cared less at twenty-three

Like happy birthday, are you alone?

I hope that I'll see twenty-four

I hope I'll understand me more

I hope that I can care less, but I'm afraid to care less

#ask game #my ask game #prompts #prompt list #my prompts

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adventuretolkienlover · 1 year ago

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The Journey's Just Begun (Chapter 3: Good Impressions)

I DID IT!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Intro: Lol. 🤣 This chapter isn't as long or as good as the others I fear. But hopefully good enough for you guys! On a side note, I wish I had the skill and the patience to make full illustrations and covers for these. Maybe some day I'll revamp them. Actually, if anyone wants to make art for this fic, feel free to do so! I'd love to see it! And also, ROMANCE IS DANG HARD TO WRITE! Even for just a married couple!!! Yeesh! I hope I get better at that! I feel kind bad about not adding more Ulla into this chapter. Hopefully I can do that with future chapters. Alright, peace out my dudes. *Collapses*😂 (P.S Per usual, this isn't a Varigo story. Just Alchemy Bros. So please don't tag as such. Thank you!) EDIT: Fixed some Grammer! All better now!

Chapter 2 ⬅️

Beginning

Summary: Hugo struggles to interact normally with Quirin and tries not look like a nervous freak while doing it. That's pretty much it. Gosh, this so bad. Please may the next chapter be better. Lol.🤣🙏

Trigger Warnings: Brief depictions of PSTD. Nothing to heavy though I think.

"Here it is!" said Varian as he led Hugo into the entrance hall.

Hugo took in all the space around him. It was so grand. And yet, something warm and comforting about it. He liked it very much.

Varian began pointing out different rooms. "My room's right up those stairs." Varian pointed at a stairway that seemed to lead up to the tower Hugo had seen out side. "And we got guest rooms. A stable. The great hall. An armoury. My lab. Anything in particular you want to see?"

"I'm not even sure we're to start." said Hugo truthfully.

"Well, if you ask me, my lab is the best room to check out." said Varian. "I - I mean, We don't HAVE to go there. But it is cool! I'm only suggesting. You know?" Hugo smirked and looked at Varian. He wasn't fooling anyone. The younger alchemist had been very eager to show him his lab. It seemed he couldn't stop talking about it. Not the he minded. He did want to see it. But he decided to play around with Varian. Just a little. After all, he wouldn't be Hugo if he didn't. Would he now?

"Oh, I don't know. The kitchen sounds very interesting."

"Whaaaaaaat? Are you kidding? You're telling me you'd rather check out the kitchen then run around in a high tech laboratory? You, Hugo?"

"Well I am hungry." said Hugo glancing at the hallway leading to the kitchen. He gave Varian a mischievous smirk.

"Uh huh. Right." At this point, Varian knew Hugo was playing around. Per usual.

Hugo laughed. "I'm just kidding Goggles. Come on. Show me!"

"Great! It's over in here! Follow me!" Varian grabbed Hugo's hand and began to quickly lead him through the house. After going through the Great Hall, and few hallways, they reached the kitchen. Varian then led him downstairs and into the basement. And there they came to a door with a sign on it that said Varian's Lab. Varian unlocked the door and flung it open enthusiastically! "Behold! My lab!"

Varian lab, while impressive, was bit of a mess. Books, tools, and papers were all over the place! And the mere force of the door being opened caused a single beaker to roll across his desk and clink to the floor.

"Oh. Uh, wow. I guess I left it kinda mess." said he as he brushed his finger through some dust on a shelf. "Heh. I was so eager to study my mom's journal and leave to find the library. It's not usually this cluttered. Trust me. So, whadda think?"

"Wow!" said Hugo. He stepped into the lab and looked around. It was cluttered. Yes. But there was so many interesting pieces of equipment. He was surprised. The only way he'd been able to get some of these things was through Donella.

"How'd you get all this?" he asked.

"All sorts of places. I got plenty of connections." said Varian proudly. "And a lot of the stuff I got from my friend Xavier. Ooh! Let me show this invention I made! It's the one I made a whole new element with!"

"Cassandrium?" asked Hugo with a grin.

"Uh, yeah." Varian blushed and muttered to himself as he began looking around the lab for the invention. "Let's see. I know I left it somewhere."

While Varian was up to his searching Hugo walked about the lab, admiring it's equipment. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't just a little bit jealous. It was very well thought out and had everything an alchemist could ask for. He noticed something shiny and cylindrical leaned up against the wall behind a few crates. He walked over to it in curiosity.

Meanwhile, Varian wasn't having any luck finding what he was looking for. "Argh! Where is it?" He exclaimed as he pushed aside more equipment. Ruddigar poked his nose through the doorway and saw his owner digging around. He ran up to him and pawed at his pant leg. "Hm? Oh hi Ruddigar." said Varian. Ruddigar leaped up onto his usual spot on Varian's shoulder. "Hey, have you seen my elemental remogrifier?" The raccoon nodded and led Varian behind some crates of parts. Ruddigar pulled a sheet of an object. The machine was right underneath. "Great! Thanks Buddy." said Varian.

"Woah!" yelled Hugo!

Varian jumped in surprise and gasped. He whirled around. "What is it?!" exclaimed! He saw Hugo was holding the Amber Bazooka.

"What is this?! A cannon?" said Hugo excitedly.

"Oh yeah! That!" said Varian. "That's the Amber Blaster 2.0. The last one got damaged so I built a new one. I haven't gotten around to testing it yet."

"Oh we have to try this out!" said Hugo. He posed with the cannon like he was firing it. "So how far does it shoot?"

"Pretty far. I do have a designated firing ground that I tested it on-"

Hugo gasped excitedly. "Can we go try it out? Please?"

Hugo looked so excited. Varian hadn't seen him this way before. How could he possibly refuse? Besides, this could be fun! It would be like when he was testing the first cannon with Eugene. "Yeah! Sure!" Varian said.

Hugo punched the air excitedly. "Yes!"

Varian started grabbing various tools from around the lab. "I'll calibrate the system!" Varian said. "Then I can go grab some of the Amber Solution from my supply hut. It'll only take me a second. Hey! Could you get my other screwdriver from upstairs? I'll need it to insert the cartages. It's in my backpack."

"Sure! I'll back in sec." Hugo replied. He put down the bazooka and walked out the door.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo strolled out the basement door, when suddenly he heard something. "CHOP!" went a knife on a cutting board. He jumped and looked toward the noise frightened. It was Quirin. He was chopping some carrots. Quirin looked up at Hugo. They both stared at each other awkwardly. Hugo cleared his throat and gave a tiny wave. "Um... Hi?" he said sheepishly.

Quirin raised an eyebrow. "Hello?" he said.

Hugo glanced at the door, then back at Quirin. "I'm uh..." He started making his way across the kitchen. "I'm just gonna go get something.". he said. As soon as Hugo touched the doorknob, he turned around and sighed in relief. He made it. He was just turning the doorknob when...

"So, where's Varian?" Quirin asked. Hugo froze again. He nervously turned around and tried to look normal. He eyed the knife warily as some bad memories came rushing back to him. "Oh, uh. He's downstairs. I was just getting his screwdriver."

"Hm." said Quirin. He chopped the last carrot and began pouring the slices into a bowl. "Well," Quirin picked up the bowl and turned around with a smile. "I'm happy to know Varian has made a new fr-" Quirin stopped at the sight of Hugo's anxious expression. At the same time, Hugo also tensed up at Quirin looking at him and that didn't help in the least. He looked like a nervous wreck.

"Are you okay?" Quirin asked in concern.

Hugo gulped and beads of sweat began to form on his brow. "Y-Yeah!" he stammered. "Just fine!" He put on a big grin in attempt to cover up his fear. Quirin wasn't convinced and he stared at him suspiciously.

"You seem... Nervous. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Nervous?" Hugo laughed anxiously. "Who's nervous? I'm nervous! I MEAN NOT! I'm not- I'm not nervous! Not nervous at all!" He fake laughed and tried to lean on the counter to seem at ease. But he missed and fell to the ground with a loud thud. Quirin flinched at the painful sound. Hugo could just laid there. He felt incredibly embarrassed. In fact, Quirin noticed Hugo's face flushing red from it.

"Ow." Hugo said quietly.

"Um, here," Quirin bent down to the very embarrassed alchemist. "Let me help you up." Quirin picked Hugo up off the ground. He kinda forgot his own strength and lifted Hugo clear into the air. For a second, Hugo inwardly panicked and almost ceased to breath! Quirin placed a very shaky Hugo on his feet.

"There you go. Better?" Quirin said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Y-Yeah! I'm good! Thanks!" Hugo said as he scrambled away from Quirin and pressed his back against the door. Being suddenly lifted into the air like that was quite disturbing for him. Suddenly Varian swung the basement door open.

"Hey Hugo!" Varian shouted! "Did You-"

Hugo inhaled sharply and jumped at the loud noise.

"Oh! Wait you're here!" Varian said realizing his mistake. "Oh, hey dad." he added with a smile.

Hugo felt awkward again and turned toward the door. "I gotta get the screwdriver!" he blurted out. Then quickly ran out the door and disappeared. Quirin looked at Varian questioningly. Varian was a little surprised at Hugo reaction too. He looked at Quirin and chuckled nervously.

"Er, nerves I guess? Heh." he said. Quirin nodded and looked toward the door.

"Hmmm. Varian?" Quirin asked.

"Yes?"

"Hugo seems very anxious. Is he alright?"

"Oh. Uh, well..." Varian shifted his feet. "He's a little nervous. About meeting you that is."

Quirin looked at him surprised.

"I-It's nothing you did!" Varian said frantically. "He's just uh... Well, I think he's a little intimidated by you. You know. Since you're a lot bigger and stronger than him."

"Oh. I see." said Quirin. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well," Quirin turned back to his cooking. "I'd better finish this soup. Make sure you and Hugo come back in time for dinner."

"Oh. Okay." Varian said. He turned to go back downstairs to get the bazooka. Before he left, he took one more look at Quirin. Varian was worried. Did he handle that right? He closed the door.

Meanwhile, Quirin poured the veggies into a pot of soup he had on the stove. Ulla wandered past the doorway with her nose in a book. She stopped, poked her head into the kitchen, and sniffed the air. The soup smelled delicious. "Mmm. Hi Honey." she said brightly as she she walked up to Quirin.

Quirin looked up from the pot and smiled at her lovingly. "Hello."

Ulla left her book on the counter and went over to look in the pot. "Making soup?" she asked.

"Yes." said Quirin. "Would you mind stirring that for a moment? I need to find a certain spice."

"Oh, sure!" Ulla said and grabbed the spoon as Quirin began digging through cabinets. "Soooo..." she started. "How have you been?"

Quirin found the spice he was looking for and walked back to the stove. "Better now that your home." he replied as he took back the spoon. He pulled her into a side hug and planted a kiss on her head. Ulla blushed and sighed happily. Somehow, he could still make her feel butterflies. Even after all these years. She only pulled away so Quirin could continue cooking. She picked up her book again and leaned against the counter.

"I heard you and Hugo from the other room. How you two getting on?" she asked.

Quirin sighed. "Not great." he said as he sprinkled some spices into the pot. "He seems scared of me for some reason. And... very jumpy? It's odd. I'd like to get to know him better, for Varian's sake. But how to go about it? I'm not sure."

Ulla thought for a moment before speaking. "It will be alright." she started. "Just give it some time. You two will get along fine I'm sure. Maybe once he gets to know you more, he won't be so nervous and it will be easier for you to talk to him."

Quirin thought about this as he got down two bowls from a shelf. "You think so?" he said as he handed them to Ulla.

"Definitely." she said with a grin. She sat the bowls down on the counter and Quirin ladled some soup into them. He placed them on a tray, along with some thick bread slices. "Well, we'll see." Quirin lifted up the tray. "Where would you like to eat?" Quirin asked. "There's some nice sunlight in the great hall right now."

"Actually," Ulla said shyly. "I was thinking maybe we could sit in the library?"

Quirin raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I thought maybe you'd not want to be around books right now. Since... You know."

Ulla giggled. "You'd think so, wouldn't you?"

Quirin shook his head and chuckled as the two of them headed for the library.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Hugo followed Varian through the farmland. They were on their way to the testing sight. Varian had the bazooka strapped to his back in a handy backpack-like harness. Cheese and Ruddigar were chasing each other around just ahead of them. By now, Hugo had calmed down. He felt much safer now that it was just the four of them again.

The last time Hugo had come through here, he was racing Varian to the house. Now that he just walking through, he could really take in the sights. It was in short, peaceful. If tranquility was a place, this would be it. It was so much more laid back than the capital. They walked past animal pastures, fields, and orchards. He was enjoying himself immensely.

"You have a nice home here Varian." he commented as the passed some wheat fields. "It's so quiet."

"Yeah. It's really nice. I love it here." Varian said. They grew silent again. For a moment.

"You know, I really would like it if you'd stay with us for good. I'd miss you if you left." Varian said. "I'd really like it if you became my full time brother. You know?"

Hugo snorted and chuckled. "I'm twenty years old Varian. I doubt your parents would be interested in adopting me." he said. "Especially Quirin." he added under his breath.

Varian gave him a confident smile. "Oh, I don't know. My mom really likes you. And I'm pretty sure we could convince dad to let you stay too."

As much as Hugo wanted it to be true, it seemed too unrealistic. And he had worries of what misfortunes that staying here could bring. But he didn't want to bring down Varian's hopes. "We'll see Hairstripe." he replied.

After awhile, they reached the testing sight. It was a nice flat field, further away from the main village. Varian noticed here was a barn built next to it that wasn't there before.

"Huh. I don't remember that being there." Varian commented as he put down the bazooka. "They must have built it since I was gone."

"Should we go somewhere else?" Hugo asked.

"Eh. If we aim away from it, we should be fine. This thing fires really accurately. I made sure to give the best guiding system possible. I worked on it for months." Varian bragged.

Hugo smirked and handed him the bag of viles. "Oh really now?" he said.

Varian took the bag of Amber Solution viles from Hugo. "Oh yes. Wait and see." he said with smug grin.

Ruddigar and Cheese took a seat on a nearby rock to watch them. The two boys loaded the bazooka. Then Varian showed Hugo how to hold and fire it. "Alright. Just look through the eye piece there and when it's on the target, fire!"

Hugo nodded in concentration. He aimed at the hay bale. Then fired! It was direct hit! Varian's jaw dropped. Even Hugo was surprised.

"Woah! Great shot!" Varian exclaimed.

"Heh. Thanks." said Hugo breathlessly.

Soon they were both firing the the bazooka and having a blast making new challenges for each other and laying new target distances. It wasn't long before they ran out of Amber Solution.

"I'll have to grab us some more." Varian said as he looked at the now empty bag. "I have some more in the supply hut. I'll be right back."

"Alright!" Hugo called as Varian took off toward the house. Ruddigar ran after him. Hugo looked down at the bazooka. It one more shot left. Hugo looked through the finder and aimed for the target. Suddenly, the sound of a squeaking wheel caught his attention. He glanced to his left and saw Quirin in the distance. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of apples toward a barn. Hugo felt a pang of fear shoot through him. He secretly hoped Quirin wouldn't notice him. He stepped back.

He tripped.

"WAAAAAA!"

Cheese whirred and took cover! As Hugo fell, his finger pulled the trigger! "BAM!" The Amber solution exploded out the barrel!

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Quirin wiped his hand and brushed his brow. Suddenly, he heard a loud explosion behind him! He whirled around and saw a smoke plume rising from a barn in the distance. He watched in shock, then groaned.

"Varian." he muttered.

"Yeah dad?"

Quirin jumped a little and looked behind himself. Varian was right behind him. He had a crate of Amber Solution viles and was looking at him curiously. Quirin looked between the explosion site and Varian bewildered. "Varian?" he said, in utter confusion.

Just then, Varian saw the plume of amber colored smoke too. He gasped and dropped the crate. "Hugo!" he shouted! And he ran toward the barn!

"Varian wait!" said Quirin, as he ran after him. "What's going on?!"

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo had fallen on his back in the grass. He sat up with a groan and pushed the Amber Bazooka off himself. And shielded his eyes from the sun. Wait. That wasn't the sunlight glinting. It was Amber. Hugo's eyes widened and he looked up.

A giant Amber crystal was jutting out of the barn.

He gave out a tiny terrified gasp and covered his mouth with both hands. He sat there for a moment, staring at what he'd done. And then, he ran. He didn't even know why. He just ran and hid behind an tree. He sat behind it. His was chest heaving. And his hands were shaking violently. What should he do?! Suddenly he heard people approaching. Villagers. Mostly the people that had been working the fields. And they were talking about the barn. They must have seen everything. Hugo peeked out from behind the tree and watched.

"What happened here?!" he heard a man shout!

"Somebody get Quirin! I can't believe this!"

"That kid! The minute he gets home he's back to blowing things up!"

Hugo realized they hadn't seen everything. They hadn't seen him! They thought Varian did it! Suddenly he heard someone else.

"Jasper! What's going on here!" he heard someone shout. He froze. That was Quirin's voice. He peeked around the tree cautiously and saw Quirin and Varian amongst the crowd. The man he assumed was Jasper, walked up to Quirin in a seething rage.

"Someone, shot some alchemy into my family's barn! And I think I know who did it! Well Varian?" he said. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I didn't do this!" said Varian!

"Yeah right!"

"I DIDN'T!" Varian angrily protested.

"Varian! Lower your voice." said Quirin. "But it's true. He was with me."

"Well who else could have-"

"WAIT!" Hugo shouted!

Everyone turned and looked. Hugo ran out from behind the tree and into the open! "I DID IT!" he blurted out!

"You did?!" asked Jasper surprised.

"Yes." said Hugo. "So if your going to get mad at someone, get mad at me!"

The man growled and got up in Hugo's face. "Do you realize how much time it's gonna take to fix that?!"

"He said it was an accident!" Varian yelled. And he got in-between them and shielded Hugo protectively.

"It's always an accident!" yelled back Jasper.

"Enough!" Quirin shouted!

It was so loud, even Varian jumped! Hugo looked terrified. It was so quiet, you could hear the wind rustling the grass. Quirin sighed and rubbed his temples. He looked up at the barn. The crystal wasn't sunk into the ground. Just stuck to the roof. They could remove it and rebuild the barn were it was. But Jasper was right. It would take time and money. Quirin walked up to the boys with a sigh.

"Hugo-" he raised his hand to gesture. To his surprise, Hugo flinched. Quirin stopped. He slowly lowered his hand. That wasn't normal. Quirin looked at Hugo in curiosity. Hugo just stared back wide eyed, fearful, and expectant. Something wasn't right with why Hugo was always jumping or flinching around him. He felt in his gut. This wasn't just nervous. This was scared. His parental instincts were going wild. But this wasn't the place to discuss it. He shook his head. "You and Varian go back to the house." He said with a wave of his hand. "I'll handle this."

Hugo nodded and watched as Quirin walked back toward the crowd. Varian put his hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. Hugo gave him a half hearted smile. It faded quickly.

Hugo picked up the Amber Bazooka and was just about to walk away when Quirin put his hand on his shoulder. "Oh, and Hugo?" Hugo froze and looked wide eyed at Quirin. "I want to talk to you in a little while. Okay?" Hugo stood there, unable to speak.

"Okay." He replied quietly.

After Quirin walked away, Hugo hurriedly walked past Varian. Varian saw he looked a bit pale in the face. Frankly, he didn't feel much better himself. What would happen next? He followed after Hugo, a million thoughts running through his head.

"Great! Another kid blowing things up around here." said Jasper. And he walked away shaking his head and muttering to himself about "Those stupid kids."

The crowd dispersed. Quirin was left alone with the barn and amber. Quirin looked up at the amber again. He saw his reflection staring back at him. His mind began to harken back to painful memories. Days and nights stuck in some sort of dreadful limbo. Not knowing what was happening at all. Quirin turned away and sighed. He walked away toward home, leaving the Amber crystal behind.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Hugo at on the front porch, watching the sunset. To say he was upset was an understatement. He felt absolutely awful. If he was trying to make a good impression, he just about failed. He looked at the amber crystal jutting out of the barn in the distance. He hugged himself and subconsciously dug his fingers into his arm. How could he have let that happen? Just then, he heard the door creak. He looked behind himself and saw Quirin standing in the doorway. Hugo held his breath. He was terrified. To his surprise, Quirin smiled at him. He sat down next to him and looked out over the valley.

Ulla and Varian peaked out from behind the door and watched them. Quirin and Hugo didn't know they were even there. Varian was worried. He knew his father was very generous and kind. But Hugo did cause a big mess. Even if it was just an accident. Jasper's barn wouldn't fix itself. He hoped that his father would be understanding. Varian looked up at Ulla for reassurance. She gave him a sideways smile and nodded. Even though she herself was just as nervous. She closed the door a bit more and they watched quietly.

Meanwhile, Quirin and Hugo still hadn't said a thing to each other. Hugo wasn't sure what he was in for. What would happen? Finally he couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm sorry." Hugo said in a voice that was almost a whisper. He waited for a response. He didn't have the courage to look Quirin in the eye. "I didn't mean to fire that Amber into the barn. I feel really bad. I... I don't even know what to say really..."

"It's alright. It was an accident." Quirin replied. He tried to keep his voice soft, so as not to scare him. "That was very brave you to come forward."

Hugo perked up. That caught his attention. He looked at him in surprise. "Huh?"

"You could've placed the blame on something else. Even Varian. It's likely most people would've believed it too."

"You're... You're not mad?" Hugo asked.

"No. Of course not. But, that being said, it would be nice if you helped fix Jasper's barn. Since you did blast the hole in it."

Hugo stared at him dumbfounded, before realizing he needed to answer. "Oh! Oh yeah! No problem! I can do that."

"And of course to do that, you'll have to stay for awhile, right? So, I don't see why you couldn't stay here with us, hm?"

Hugo's eye's widened. "You're not going to kick me out?" he asked.

"Of course not." Quirin said "Why would we do that?"

Hugo's face fell and he looked away. "Well I... I don't know. I thought... Um." Ulla leaned forward in interest. Hugo sighed. "It's nothing..."

Ulla's brow furrowed. There was that word again. Nothing. I couldn't be nothing. Could it? Something was bothering Hugo and it made her worried. Quirin was having similar thoughts. But he decided not to press. He gave a deep sigh.

"Well, just know that we don't do those kinds of things here. Accidents are certainly not grounds for kicking people out. There are way worse things to warrant that."

Hugo gave a small smile. "Thank you." he said.

Quirin smiled and laid a hand on Hugo's shoulder. "Your welcome." Hugo looked at Quirin's hand on his shoulder, then at Quirin. He grinned. Just then they both heard the door creak. They looked and saw Ulla and Varian quickly dash out of sight. Followed by the sounds of muffled laughter, hushed words, and scuffling feet. Quirin grinned.

"Alright you two. You can come out." Varian ran out, and slammed into Hugo, hugging him tightly. He used so much force that he was almost knocked over. Hugo laughed and hugged him back. Ulla sat down next to Quirin.

Varian pulled away from the hug and looked between Hugo and Quirin. "So uh, you guys worked everything out?" he asked hopefully.

"I think so." Quirin said.

"Yeah. We did." Hugo said as he ruffled Varian's hair.

Varian laughed and pushed his hand away. "Stop!" he chuckled.

Quirin smiled as he watched the two boys. Their closeness reminded him of distant happy memories. He glanced up at the horizon line. The sun was gone now and all that was left was the glow of twilight. He stood up from the steps and sighed. "Well, it's time we all go back inside for dinner." he began. "You and Hugo head in. We'll be right there."

"Alright." said Varian as he got up. "Come on."

Varian walked inside. Hugo was just about to follow when he stopped and turned to Quirin.

"Hey, Quirin? Thanks again." he said

Quirin smiled. "You're welcome."

Hugo beamed and walked inside. Quirin was just going to follow them, when he noticed Ulla. She was standing up and looking out over the mountains in deep thought. The night breeze was softly blowing her hair. And she was biting her lip. Something she sometimes did when thinking. It was starting to sink in that she didn't really know that much about Hugo. Or even Varian. And they seemed to be dodging her questions about key points of their journey. What was this Mad Scientist Lady she kept hearing about? And why did they keep saying the would tell her about it later or it was nothing? We're they in trouble? And why was Hugo so scared? There where so many questions she wanted to ask. It bothered her relentlessly.

"Everything all right?" Quirin asked. Ulla sighed and brushed back her bangs. They flopped back into face. Much like Varian's.

"I don't know." she started. "I feel like... People are holding out on me on some stuff that happened. I mean I get it. I've been gone a long time and a lot of stuff has changed. But I still want to be aware of everything that's passed. Sure, it may be upsetting. But I'll have to know eventually. I can tell something really bad must have happened. I just I wish I knew what. But at the same time I don't want to push them talk about things they aren't comfortable with. And I just..."

Ulla stopped rambling. Then sighed and sat back down on the steps. Quirin became concerned. "Ulla?"

Ulla took a deep breath and looked at Quirin. She gave a small smile. "Well... I guess everything will be figured out eventually." she said with a sigh. Quirin looked at her lovingly and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Of course love." he said.

She grinned. Then she leaped up into his arms and hugged him. Quirin sighed and melted into her embrace. The two looked each other in the eyes before sharing a kiss. Unfortunately their romantic moment was interrupted by some very loud barking. The couple looked behind themselves bewildered. And saw Buttercup being chased over the bridge by Frankie, who was absolutely covered in chicken feathers. The pups ran past them and into the house. They could hear Varian and Hugo exclaiming in surprise at their appearance.

"Wha- Frankie?! What do you do?!" Varian shouted! "Stop chasing Buttercup!"

"Why is he covered with chicken feathers?" Hugo asked.

"Oh no." Varian groaned.

Ulla and Quirin looked at each other and tried not to laugh. They weren't sure whether to be confused or amused. "Uh, Varian? I think you still need to explain a few things." Quirin called as him and Ulla headed inside.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Miles away from Old Corona, the deep woods stood dark and foreboding in the midnight shadow. Owls hooted in the trees and insects chirps and clicked in the bushes. An eerie whistling breeze blew through the tree branches, sound like the moans of the dead. A crumbled fortress lay broken and abandoned. A few black rocks pierced whatever rubble was left. Near one wing of the fortress, a large group of men scavenged for whatever they could find. They were a rough looking lot. All gangsters or criminals. Indeed, they once worked for the evil mistress that controlled this mighty castle. Now they answered to a new master. One very deadly.

One of the men dragged a machine from the rubble. A weapon of some kind.

"Nice." he said with a toothy grin. He chucked it onto the pile of loot. "How much more of this junk we taking?" he asked.

"Until we have it all!" a man's voice rang out.

The men turned around in surprise. Cyrus stood behind him.

"Boss! Good to see you!" he quickly spat out. "We've collected plenty!"

"Excellent." Cyrus said as he strode over to the pile and began looking through the items. All sorts of dangerous and expensive items had been collected. Money, treasure, and gold had been taken from the vaults. Inventions had been taken from the labs. Mostly weapons. They had no use for scientific instruments. Instead, metal from those machines had been ripped off and would be melted down for weapons or money. Cyrus picked up an especially shiney gold and bejeweled necklace and admired it.

"Yes. Perfect." he sneered. He dropped the necklace and turned to the gang. "With all this gear and loot, we'll be the most powerful criminals in this entire country!"

The gang erupted with shouts, laughter and cheers or excitement. One man clanged his sword blades together enthusiastically, eager for a fight.

"We'll set up a base in the caves far from the capital of Corona!" Cyrus continued. "And once we've made sure that the guards can't find us, we'll be set for life!" Cyrus unsheathed his sword and held it high. "And then we'll rule the land with an iron fist!"

For this, the gang cheered louder then before. They also raised their blades and weapons in allegiance!

"Boss!" a man shouted over the noise. He ran up to Cyrus and presented him with a book. "I found this in Donella's own office."

"A book!" another man shouted. "That's the best you can do?!"

"On the contrairy," Cyrus said as he turned the pages, grinning all the while. "This is quite precious." He shut the book with a loud clap.

"I'm fairly certain none of you are good at break-ins, are you?"

"Doug here can break into anything!" someone shouted. Doug, a giant of a man, (And seemingly little brain,) smirked and slammed his fists together menacingly.

"I mean, sneaking in to places you fools!" Cyrus shouted. This was met with most saying "Oooooooooh." and other sounds of realization. Cyrus facepalmed and groaned.

"Well, luckily for you numbskulls, Donella has provided us with the perfect tool for such deeds. We just need to find him."

To Be Continued.

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doodling-doodle · 2 years ago

Text

A Modern Great War (PT. 9)

Time went by, feeling the same amount of time in a day, but just... so much longer

He had only found Saraxis since Norticus...

but that was about to change.

But he still wouldn't get out of there for a long time...

Four months later…

They had just gotten back from claiming Saraxis' power. He only had the two of them, but it was a start.

He hadn't fully tested how his powers worked yet. But he had a general idea of it.

He was on watch that night. It was nice, he could just clear his head up there.

“Don’t relax for long, seedling.”

“I know… I just miss everyone. All I see is them crying in those illusions.”

“We can’t really speed up the process."

"I know that. Who's next, anyway?"

"It should be me."

"Give me more details in the morning. Let me clear my head."

But it's hard when you have a bunch of voices in it. And he could've sworn he heard another one. Just a calling whisper again…

He didn't want to pay attention to it.

The next day…

He had just gotten inside, and the others were waking up.

"Anything new?" Richtofen asked.

“Negitive. Not even undead.”

"Which is good, I suppose." Dempsey said as he entered the room. "Anything with the voices in your head?"

"Invictor is supposed to be next. Not sure where he is, though."

"We'll find out soon. Until then, we need to go on a supply run.”

They went shortly after, and he learned a bit of their old missions together. He was pretty fascinated. It was at the start of the Cold War. The very start.

"Then the whole 'jump through portals and take your own soul' thing happened and we got stuck in a cycle for like… twenty years until we somehow got out of it, and went a year before we died and ended up here." Dempsey finished.

"How'd you take your own soul?"

"The Summoning Key." Richtofen replied.

"Hm. Any intel on that?"

"I never fully figured out how it worked. But I have a feeling that it's how we ended up here."

"He's right about that." Norticus said.

"Interesting."

They just kept walking. They needed food and water. Supplies were low, but since the Dark Aether was a place that was never ending and always changing, they basically had limitless supplies.

Another illusion showed up.

This time of Price.

“Norris, I do not give a single shit what you say, finding Kyle is more important than looking for Shepheard right now. If you want to make your own team, do it, but I am not giving you my Task Force. My son could be dead!”

“Oh, cut the crap, John, he isn’t your son!”

“I sure as hell wish he was. He has called me ‘dad’ for nearly three years! He’s my fucking child!”

He felt horrible…

“Fine. You go and look for a dead man.”

“I will. You can sit this one out.”

Norris rolled his eyes before walking away, probably out of Price's office.

He sighed before he sat down, looking at a picture he had on his desk.

His favorite picture of them together.

"Dad…" He whispered, taking a step towards it.

"You've only really been gone for a week… there's no way your dead. Right? Please… Please, son…" He very rarely cried, but he started bawling then.

"Kyle, please. I love you, son. Come back… I'll do anything… I’m sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault…”

“I need you back…”

Graves showed up, sitting on the other side of the desk.

“John… He’s probably okay.”

“He’s alone. Who knows where the fuck he is?! He could be…”

Graves stood, Price did to, and held him tight.

“We’ll get him back… I hope.”

It disappeared.

He just walked away from the settling ashes. He didn’t want to cry in front of them again.

They went back to the safehouse that night with a ton of supplies.

He was cleaning his pistol and knife, trying to get his mind off it.

"Hey, kid."

He looked up at Dempsey, "yes, corporal?"

"That was Price in that illusion, wasn't it?"

He nodded as Dempsey sat down in a chair across from him.

"Who was the other one? Not Norris, the other one?”

He sighed, “Phillip Graves… his boyfriend.”

"And Price is also your father?"

"It's complicated… my unofficially adoptive dad’s, I guess."

"Unofficial?"

"I wasn't actually adopted. I was twenty-seven when I started calling him dad and since January called Phil pops. I had a… not so good family- and my father was a real piece of shit. I didn't realize how much I needed a father until he came along… then Pops…”

"Damn…"

"That whole task force is my family."

"Then why'd you leave?"

"I didn't have much of a choice."

He nodded, "let's hope their alive." He stood, "get some sleep." He left the room

He froze at that. What if they were dead by the time he got there?

He wouldn’t think about that.

The next day…

He woke up before the others. And he couldn’t sleep.

He decided to got out to where no one could see, and test his powers.

It felt so weird. Telekictics on top of all the other ones. But it felt… good. Natural.

"You learn quickly, Seedling."

"I have you."

"You should get back to the house. The others are waking up."

He nodded, and walked back as they were just waking up.

“Hey, sergeant.” Nikolai said when he walked in.

“Hey…”

They waited for the others, geared up, and went out.

They split up for a bit. "This is a bad idea. A damn movie Cliché. Someone's gonna die."

"Or you'll live, just with a few scratches."

"Not helpful, Saraxis."

"I wasn't really trying to be."

"Wow. Leave me out to dry, why don't you?"

He just kept going.

That calling whisper started up, but he could actually make it out

"Come to me. We have a lot to talk about."

That… that couldn't be, right?

There's no way.

There's no way it was Samatha Maxis.

"It is the only way."

Shit. It was her.

He followed it…

Sure enough. There she was, leaning on a tree. The same gear she had when she was in The Dark Aether.

"What the fuck…?"

"Ja, I know. Shocking. Just, don't freak out."

"I don't think I could even if I tried. I've had voices in my head for the past five months, I've been killing undead, chasing Dark Aether Gods, and many more. This is one of the more normal things I've seen."

"Fair. Well, you probably have some idea of what's going on. I don’t think much needs to be explained. Other then this… We’re connected through the Aether. We’re a part of it. I can talk to you just as the other gods can. I can take control of you. And you can me. I will if I need to.”

He nodded. “So your just here?”

“FIgured I’d try to help.”

“Didn’t you get trapped here?”

“I would’ve been here forever if not for Mika. She managed to get in, I still have no clue how, and managed to get us out. She was one hell of a soldier.”

“She stopped aging too, yeah?”

“She did. Had kids, too.”

“I met Lilith.”

She froze, and looked at him.

“At least, Her callsign is Lilith. I know her name is Kaida, but she was always called that. Surprised you never knew."

"I had to get away from them. Lay low. After all, we're all legally dead. I died in the late 2010's. So did Lizzie. Mika died last year. So did her sister's und Aimi. As far as the world knows, Kaida is the last known descent. Of any of us."

“she was twenty-three, 2016, when I met her. I heard a few stories, just about growing up and her mothers. What a pain it was for them to be able to have her… Nothing about… this.”

“Never told her. She didn’t need to know.”

“Fair… I-”

“Go. We’ll meet again.”

With that, she disappeared into a cloud of purple smoke.

He sighed, and went off, back to-

"Don't. I'm nearby."

Well great.

He went over to him.

There he was.

"Just cut to the chase."

He did.

He passed out again, only to wake up with his powers.

"Good luck."

He really needed it…

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casspurrjoybell-33 · 8 months ago

Text

Taming Arrogance - Chapter 9

*Warning Adult Content*

Playing the role of Blake's personal lackey starts wearing on my nerves.

So far today we've looked at the possible new site location, had a three hour meeting with the bank, filled out a shit-ton of paperwork and had two conference calls.

I look down at the time showing on my cellphone and squint.

We left the hotel this morning at 9:00 AM sharp.

It's been non-stop moving for a full eight hours.

Did I also mention that we haven't eaten anything since breakfast?

'Yeah. Well, we haven't.'

Blake tossed me a granola bar in between conference calls to stave off the gurgling noise that was beginning to sound like a chain saw ripping through my stomach.

A granola bar, the only people who eat granola bars are prissy chicks who count their calories and dudes who hike up the Swiss Alps.

I'm nowhere close to fitting in with either of those categories.

Needless to say, the granola bar remained on the table in the conference room, uneaten.

"Luke, I need the insurance information faxed to my office by Monday."

Silence

"No, I don't need any tax information yet."

Silence

"Yes, just the insurance.

Silence.

"Thanks, Luke."

Blake lets out a content sigh and stuffs his cell-phone into his breast pocket.

Todd looks at him from the rear-view mirror and smiles.

"How'd the day go, boss?"

Blake relaxes into the backseat of the convertible and slides his sunglasses into place.

The Floridian sun and heat don't seem to bother him nearly as much as they bother me.

His jacket lays overtop of his left thigh and he carefully unbuttons the cuffs of his dress shirt before rolling the sleeves up to his elbows.

"It was great, Todd. Thank you."

Todd nods and then his gaze flickers to me.

"And what about you, Mr. Greene? Did you enjoy your day?"

I snort and shake my head.

There's no point sharing my complaints with Todd.

His nose is shoved so far up Blake's ass that the tip is starting to become worn down.

Blake turns towards me.

"Are you hungry, Callum?"

I roll my eyes.

"Let's see. It's been over eight hours since I ate and you've been dragging me around like a piece of luggage all day. I'm fuckin' starving."

"I offered you something to eat," Blake replies calmly.

"A granola bar isn't food. It's like cardboard clusters glued together with a hint of sugar, a failed attempt to hide the nastiness, if you ask me."

Blake smirks.

"Todd, would you please drive Mr. Greene and myself to the hotel? I think he could use a touch of lunch."

"A touch?" I ask incredulously.

"More like a lust-filled affair with it."

Blake lowers his sunglasses so I can see his eyes.

"Well there you go, Callum. It looks like you'll get that lust-filled session after all," he says this as a joke but his words take me back to our little confrontation from the night before.

You know, the one where he banned me from practically even looking at someone if the intention of sex was on my mind?

What a jackass.

I've heard of overbearing bosses before but never did I think that one would try to run and single-handedly ruin my social life.

"O course boss," Todd says and types in the directions into his GPS.

"We'll be there in just a few."

I cross my arms over my chest and slump against my seat.

I'm not entirely sure which I'm more pissed off about, Blake's boyfriend coming into town so he can have sex or him banning me from having it myself.

Maybe it's both.

By the time Todd pulls alongside the curb of the hotel, I'm more than ready to get out of the sun and away from the sweltering heat.

I undo my seat belt and hop out of the car, not bothering to open the door before I do so.

Unlike last night, I'm the one who enters the hotel first, leaving Blake to say his farewells to his doting driver.

"Hello Mr. Greene," a hotel employee greets me the very second my feet shuffle through the entrance.

I glance up.

The woman staring back at me blushes.

A tendril of her thick, auburn hair is delicately pushed behind her ear as she waits for me to respond.

I grin back at her, admiring the rise and fall of her scantily covered breasts with every breath she takes.

The woman moves around the hotel counter and my eyes finish perusing her 'assets.'

Her feminine curves are an automatic ten points in her favor.

Believe it or not, I'm not the shallowest dude out there but I do have a preference and feeling like I won't snap a chick in half when I get her into bed is definitely a preference.

"And hello to you too, Miss...?"

"Melissa," she finishes for me.

"I'm Melissa."

I close the distance between us and offer up a hand.

"It's great to meet you, Melissa."

"You too, Mr. Greene."

"Please," I correct her.

"Call me Callum."

"Callum, " she tries my name on her red, voluptuous lips, her voice like warm honey as it envelopes the small space between us.

"You got it. So tell me Melissa, what might my chances be if I asked out one of the hotel employees for a late-night drink?"

Melissa's blush intensifies and her heady scent wafts to my nose and begins revving my testosterone engine into gear.

These are the types of situations where I thrive.

These are the moments that start as innocent foreplay and end in a single night of passion.

"That's enough, Callum," Blake's deep voice snaps from behind me. Melissa's eyes widen as her focus shifts to Blake.

Once again, to my sheer horror, the second I get a whiff of his masculine scent, my dick has a fan-man moment and begins to harden.

If anyone else talked to me like this and I mean anyone, I'd have zero problem putting them in their rightful place.

Yet the words of rebuttal refuse to form.

My lips remain clamped shut and I find myself giving a nod of consent.

I don't bother waving goodbye or trying to finish my conversation with Melissa.

Instead I simply spin on my heels and trudge towards the elevator in a state of fury and confusion.

Blake steps into the spacious elevator just moments behind me.

As soon as the door closes, he slips his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose.

His eyes are like black crystals as they stare down at me.

A muscle along his jaw line twitches, a subtle sign of his own anger that he refuses to show on an otherwise masked expression.

"Mr. Greene, has your deep-rooted hunger impaired your memory?"

"What? No," I answer, wondering what the hell is he talking about?

'Blake finishes removing his sunglasses. He nods once. Stiffly.'

He pulls out a white cloth from his pocket and leans against the side wall of the elevator.

His fingers move in a circular motion as he begins to clean the lenses of his sunglasses.

"I see," his voice drops to a whisper, each word more calculated than the last.

"Then you're purposely trying to piss me off?"

"What? No. I just thought..." my voice trails off.

'I just thought... what?'

Now that Blake's boyfriend is coming into town that I'm free to do as I please?

Or that if I pissed him off enough he'd cancel bringing his boyfriend in the first place?

"Your instructions are bull," I correct myself with shaky confidence.

"And you can't say shit about me hitting on anyone, especially with your boyfriend coming into town tomorrow morning. That's not very professional, now is it Mr. Benson?"

The silence following my sneering question seems to sizzle with heat.

Blake's fiery gaze studies me from head to toe.

'Is he checking me out? Gross.'

I don't want some man loving douche bag giving me the once over.

So, why am I hard as a rock?

Blake straightens his spine and the couple inches of height he has on me seem to go on for miles.

"While you're on this trip, Callum, you're here to work. Nothing more. Unfortunately for you, not only do I pay your check every week but also I am the CEO of the entire company. My company, my terms, my rules."

"Then I'll just quit."

A dark smirk spreads across Blake's lips.

"I wouldn't suggest it. You signed a contract with me, one that would be very costly to you should you choose to back out before the designated end date."

"You're bullshitting me," I sputter.

"Hardly. It's not my fault you didn't read the contract over more closely before signing."

My heart races in my chest, the blood rushing so fast I can feel it pulsing in my ears.

Every argument I have is deflated when it comes to him.

He either finds a way to counter my words or he ignores them completely.

Not knowing any other angle to choose, I cock my head to the side and lower my voice.

"I'll file a complaint if I have to hear you have nasty faggot sex."

Blake doesn't look surprised in the slightest by my words but there's an emotion in my voice that I don't intend to be there.

"Is that so, Mr. Greene?"

"Yeah. It's disgusting."

He hums in his throat.

There's speculation and amusement gleaming in his gaze.

He gives a final brush of his cloth to his sunglasses and then gestures down my body.

"Then please, do explain to me why you've had a boner throughout this entire conversation."

"I... it's... Melissa," I exclaim.

"That chick was hot as hell."

Blake narrows his eyes.

Seeing his reaction only spurs me on further.

"I've been picturing bending her over," I continue.

"I can just imagine how she'd look as I slowly pulled down her skirt and..."

"That's enough."

Blake closes the distance between us, pinning me into the corner of the elevator.

His scent becomes overwhelming as he raises his hands above my head to box me in.

My heartbeat throbs, both seeming to speed up and slow down at the same time.

"If I didn't know any better, Callum," Blake says with a heated whisper.

"I could swear your disgust and outrage is simply a defensive mechanism."

"Pfft. What's that supposed to mean?"

Blake moves his head closer to mine and his lips are mere inches away from my own.

Holy shit.

His breath is the source of the rest of his scent, it has to be.

Every breath that pushes past his lips caresses my skin in a wave of warmth and seduction.

"I think you're jealous, Callum," my boss whispers.

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