#Zera's Chats

[minty-ghost-lover]

Hello there! My name's Zera Oliviar!

I use he/him, she/her, or they/them cause I don't care which, and I'm a 16yo 11th grader at Hatchetfield High!

I'm also the leader of HIPUSA, aka Hatchetfield's Investigators of Paranormal, Unusual, and Supernatural Activity!

In regards to our team, we currently only have (10) members, who are me and everyone listed below!

@allsnoggledout @littlestghosty @thelilcloverpatch @killerharmony @laika-at-hatchetfield @fading-angelic-starlight (2) @marble-man @arrowsofapollo

Link to that one advertisement: Info

Edit: I am now willing to do things for money. As long as it's not a crime or something, because I have standards. But I'm broke and kinda desperate, so standards are still pretty low.

(ooc and appearances below cut)

This is another sideblog/rp blog to @i-am-a-watermelon

Green text is Zera, Red text is Innes, Yellow/orange text is Eylish

Innes is a 14yo boy who uses he/him, and Eylish is a 7yo girl

Character Tags: Zera's Chats , Innes' Inquiries , Eylishs Rambles , Not Quite Zera

This blog is in the context of the Hatchetblr rp stuff, in no particular timeline.

Innes currently does not have an official appearance.

Zera's Appearance (WILL REDRAW AT SOME POINT);

Eylish's Appearance:

[applestruda]

ITS BEEN A YEAR OF BOATEM KIGHTS??? OMG HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOATEM KIGHTS AU!! \^-^/

it feels so weird that it's been a whole year omg

yeahhhh!! it feels super weird to think that its been a whole year

[hopepetal]

Welcome to 5llsmp, an experimental hardcore series– gets smacked

Right! Us Tumblr folk decided to get together and play some good ol' fashioned third life! Just with four lives. And a Boogeyman. But no life trade function.

The colour system is as follows.

Four lives- dark blue 💙

Three lives- green 💚

Two lives- yellow 💛

One life- red ♥️

Every time after we have a session, the players send me summaries of what happened, and I write it all up in an official statement! Some people recorded, so be on the lookout for little clips here and there! The official tag for this smp is #5llsmp, so check that out for the artwork, fanfiction, and other posts about our little game!

Well then, without further ado...

Session One

Your players:

Stiff (any) @stiffyck

Bee (she/they) @applestruda

Jay (she/they) @happy-hermit

Chem (he/they/it) @chemdisaster

Star (they/zie) @scarring-lust (18+)

Ed (he/byte/chirp/gore) @frootyloopy

Space (he/xe) @space-apples

Phil (he/zir/ghost/it) @aresonist

Wilm (he/they) @whilmsy

Melou (he/they) @melouthechalk

Zera (they/he) That’s me!

Elle (she/her) @periwinklemoonlight

Brandy (any) @brandyy0moss

5ievel (any) @5-fievel

Moth (he/him) @evenmoreevil

Admins:

Console- Wren @wren-pineapples

Playing- Zera (me again!)

The session starts off with a bang (more like a vine boom)!

Stiff runs off with Bee and Phil to gather materials before eventually running into Moth in the mountains! They decide to base together, creating the Lads of the Valley! Stiff then goes looking for water and meets Zera, and they both get distracted and go mining together.

Space and Wilm meet at spawn and decide to stick together, watching Chem take the enchanter and run off! They run off to the desert where they meet Zera at night. Space unfortunately dies to a husk, becoming the first green name of the server! Wilm then leaves Zera and goes back to spawn to find Space!

Zera immediately runs off in a random direction alone, and manages to find a village. They get an iron sword from the blacksmith! They briefly meet with Space and Wilm before mining some iron and getting everything set. They meet with Stiff and give him a diamond! They find sculk with Stiff and start mining it, but fall into lava and die. They then meet with Jay and decide to team, becoming the Boatem Birdies.

Chem is the first to mine the surface iron and run off with the enchanter! The boogeyman is chosen, and it ends up being him! He tries to make a plan for killing someone, and lies when Zera briefly passes by and asks if he’s the boogeyman. At spawn, Chem kills Wilm in what is described as the “most pathetic chase scene ever” where Wilm begs Chem not to kill him and Chem says they will cry if they don’t get the kill. Chem then goes to find a cave, names it “the pits of depression and self-loathing”, and allows Star to use the enchanter for sugar cane.

Star goes on a lone adventure, taking care to slaughter every living creature they see, with a special vendetta against the donkeys. They find a mineshaft and an enchanted book! They find Chem in a ravine and they meet up with Brandy for a bit! Star then goes on a hunt for moss and nearly dies.

Elle, staying true to her adventure loving self, basically stays in a cave all session digging clay for bricks. This is because Elle wants to build a house to fight Bee in.

5ievel and Ed stick together, calling themselves the Iron Guys. They briefly met up with Wilm, Brandy, and Elle and mined for a bit. 5ievel died to a creeper before rejoining the group briefly before going to the nether. The Iron Guys decide to base underground!

Space has died two more times, becoming the first and only red of the server.

Meanwhile, the Lads of the Valley are trying to get goat horns, spending about fifteen minutes with varying amounts of success before killing most, if not all, of the goats. Stiff dies by getting shot by a skeleton, and chats with Wilm after respawning before rejoining the Lads of the Valley.

The Boatem Birdies make a mini boatem pole with only two boats, before beginning to make a tower base. They become frenemies with the Lads of the Valley and discuss how screwed they are if one of the Lads becomes the boogey next session. Moth puts up a cobblestone wall between the Boatem Birdies and the Lads’ property, which Jay and Zera later take down. The Boatem Birdies attempt to make a peace treaty with the Lads with flowers, but Phil and Moth burn the flowers while Bee accepts.

The session has ended!

Life count:

Stiff- 3

Bee- 4

Jay- 4

Chem- 4

Star- 4

Ed- 2

Space- 1

Phil- 3

Wilm- 3

Melou- 4

Zera- 3

Elle- 4

Brandy- 3

5ievel- 3

Moth- 4

[stiffyck]

Summary of the 5llsmp session 2 from the Lads POV!

The session starts, and Phil immediately falls to his death and turns yellow. Stiff soon follows, dying to a creeper and becoming yellow. Bee spends most of the session making the base.

Stiff makes an alliance with Chem before regrouping with the lads for a bit. He heads off to try and find food and dies to a creeper, turning red. Phil goes to make an alliance with the sillies and meets Stiff at spawn. The valley gets split into two halves- the blue half, and the red half. Phil falls off the hill and dies, turning red and immediately goes to burn down a forest.

The lads all enchant their equipment. Stiff then threatens Zera with Moth backing them, but lets them go after they give him wheat. The lads meet with the sillies before noticing in the chat that Zera is at the valley. Both the lads and the sillies run back to the valley, and this turns into a sort of party with the lads and their allies, the sillies alongside Chem and Melou. Stiff kills Melou, then Phil kills Chem.

Melou comes back and officiates a wedding for Stiff and Brandy. Stiff kisses Brandy and then kills them immediately. Phil tries to kill a bunch of people with a tnt but fails spectacularly. Phil and Stiff then take Melou and Chem and go hunt down Star, the last non-lad blue life. Melou betrays them and warns Star ahead and Stiff and Phil turn to hunting down Melou instead.

The session ends with Melou on the run and the red duo + Chem after them.

thank you to @hopepetal for being an amazing admin and for helping me put the summary together!!!!

the lads:

@applestruda @evenmoreevil @aresonist

[lyranova]

Mocha Dreams and Earl Grey Realities:

Chapter 1: An Awkward Reunion 3 Years in the Making

Summary: For the last 5 years William Vangeance’s life had been quiet and peaceful, he went to work at the Blackbird café, hung out with a few friends, and finally felt like life was going his way. Until one day when he receives a call from some old friends pleading for him to become the guardian of their 17 year old daughter Neva in order to protect her from an unknown danger.

And during this time, William’s peaceful life only becomes more loud and chaotic as he suddenly finds himself “responsible” for a woman named Zera Cassia after supposedly winning her in a poker game.

Meanwhile, after being in Witness Protection with his mother Ciel for the last few years of his life, Yuno Grinberryall is doing his best to live a “normal life”. However, he finds that it isn’t as easy as it seems, especially when he feels that he’s constantly being watched. But after meeting Neva Belmonte, who is in a similar position as him, he finds that he isn’t as alone as he first thought.

A/N: Hiya guys, I hope you’re all doing well! This is my contribution to @loosesodamarble ‘s Butler AU! That she’s set up 🥰 (which can be read HERE!)! I’ve had a lot of this plotted out/written since September, and I hope you all enjoy~! Also the poem William recites is one by Tao Qian 😁!

OC’s that’ll be mentioned in this AU: Solara Equinox (belongs to @/thoughtfullyrainynightmare), Josele Canty (belongs to @/loosesodamarble), Briar Rose (belongs to @/koneko-pi), and Acylla Rhine who belongs to @/faewraithsworld)!

Word Count: 3,367

Warning: This Series will Contain Mature Scenes and Themes throughout and each chapter will be labeled accordingly!

————

Whistles, shouts, and footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the Clover Train Station. Families traveling to and fro, people talking on their cell phones as they walked to their trains, people laughing with their friends as they waited. It was one of the busiest places in the city besides Main Street.

William quietly paced back and forth on the platform, the train he was waiting for had just pulled in, and now all he had to do was wait for the people to disembark the train. He watched as many different faces stepped off the train and onto the platform, but none of them were who he was waiting for.

He continued watching as he paced slowly, the sound of people chatting and the sound of his own thoughts steadily drowned out the sound of his dress shoes clicking against the stone floor of the station. What if he was at the wrong platform, and she was sitting there waiting for him? What if he had the wrong time? Or what if he was at the wrong station entirely?

He shook his head, no, he had everything right. He had asked Idalia multiple times earlier that day, and he even wrote it down, so surely this was the right place! Maybe she just hadn’t gotten off the train yet? Or maybe, no, could they have missed each other?!

William groaned as he slumped forward, this was his first time being in charge of someone, and he had already screwed it up!

Suddenly, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and saw the person he was waiting for.

Neva Belmonte. His ‘little sister’ as he jokingly liked to refer to her as since they looked so similar, despite not being related, and had known each other since she was a small child.

“ Oh, you’re here. Did you have a good trip?” William asked as he quickly took her bags from her, and the young girl nodded.

“ I did,” She told him softly as she let him take her bags. “ It’s been a while since I’ve been on a train, it was nice.” She added as she looked around the train station.

The two stood there a bit awkwardly. Neva was usually a quiet and soft-spoken person, but it seemed to be even more pronounced now that she was in a new environment.

“ You got taller.” He said, trying his best to break the awkward tension between them. Neva nodded.

“ 3 Years will do that.”

“ R-Right, of course,” William agreed with a nervous laugh.

William had been friends with Neva’s parents ever since he was around 16 years old. They happened to meet by chance when he started working at Idalia, Neva’s mothers, bakery. The couple had kind of adopted him as one of their own after that. Even though Julius was his father figure and main benefactor, the Belmonte’s also took care of him. They were like…an Aunt and Uncle of sorts. While Neva was more like a little sister.

But due to him being busy with his work, the last time he had seen Neva was when she was around 14 years old, when William had gotten his new apartment with his friend and co-worker Yami Sukehiro. He had invited Neva’s family to Clover so they could see his new living space and also spend some time together before the family went back to their hometown.

“ Shall we go? I’m sure you’re hungry and tired after the trip.” William asked, and Neva nodded.

The two began to quietly make their way out of the train station, steadily maneuvering through the sea of people. Until they finally made it outside, where they were slightly blinded by the bright afternoon sunlight.

William frowned, it was mid-morning when he arrived…he suddenly looked at his watch and gasped.

It was 11:30…and his shift at the Blackbird was supposed to start at 12!

“ Neva, I know you’re tired, and I’m sure you just want to go to the apartment and rest, but my shift at work is about to start. Is it alright if you come with me and hang out there for the afternoon? I’m only working part-time today, so I should be done by 6.” He told her, and the young girl nodded.

“ Yeah, that’s fine,” She agreed softly. “ Although you could just give me directions and I can walk to your apartment by myself…” She added as she began to follow him down the street towards the café.

She had a point, he could have done that, but he had strict instructions from her parents that he was not to let her go anywhere alone unless it was to his café or his apartment after school.

Why? Because Neva was in danger.

Currently, Neva believed she was being transferred because Clover Academy was better than the high school in Drysor and that going to Clover Academy would help her future. But in reality, she was being transferred due to threats being made against her. At first her parents had believed that maybe it was someone from her school playing pranks, but slowly the letters became more and more unhinged. Because of that, Idalia called William and begged him to take her in as his ward and keep her safe, hoping that maybe if Neva left the city she would be safer.

“ Please keep my Little Diamond safe.”

William sighed softly as Idalia’s words echoed in his head. How could he have said no to a mother's desperate plea? Honestly, even if she hadn’t asked him to take Neva in, he probably would have offered anyway.

Her safety and security was the most important thing.

“ What’s going on across the street?” Neva asked softly as her eyes drifted to her right. After being pulled out of his thoughts, William turned to his right as well.

Across the street, there were various boxes and furniture sitting in front of the empty store, along with what appeared to be vases and flowers. The sign above the store was covered with a big white sheet, and there appeared to be people moving around inside.

“ It looks like a new shop’s moving in across the street.” William muttered as he watched various young women walk out of the shop, pick up various items from the street and inside the box truck, before they happily walked back into the empty store.

“ What do you think it’ll be?” Neva asked, her soft voice holding a curious tone in it. He hummed from beside her.

“ I’m not sure. It could be a clothing store, or maybe an antique shop? We’ll only find out for sure once it opens.” He told her with a small smile before he patted her shoulder. “ We’re here. You go on inside, I have to go in through the back, so I can change into my uniform.”

“ Your uniform?” Neva asked with a frown, and he nodded.

“ Yes, unlike when I worked at your parent's bakery, I can’t just wear my normal clothes. We have to wear uniforms in order to keep with the café’s themes.” He explained before he turned and began to walk down the alley next to the café.

“ ‘Theme’? What kind of café is this?” Neva muttered as her gaze slowly drifted from the door to the sign above the door that read ‘The Blackbird Café’ in beautiful cursive with the image of a small blackbird.

Just what kind of place was it? Was it maybe one of those animal themed cafés where they had dogs, cats, and exotic animals?

She shook her head, there was only one way to find out, and that was by going inside.

As the platinum blonde haired woman walked inside, a young man with dark black hair, amber eyes, and a serious expression walked out of the alley way and onto the street.

———

Neva’s purple eyes widened as she stood inside the café. The design appeared to be European inspired. Men walked around wearing crisp suits, the furniture was made of varnished wood and held an assortment of fancy tea sets, table mats, and china. As her gaze drifted up the ceiling, she could see the main dining area was lit up by a beautiful glass work chandelier. She instantly looked down at her pair of jeans, sneakers, and light purple top. She felt completely under dressed.

“ Hello, and welcome to the Blackbird,” A voice said calmly from beside her, she quickly turned to the side and saw a much taller man in a crisp but slightly more casual suit. His dark hair was a bit messy, and he had a bit of a stubble mustache and beard, but he didn’t look unkempt or ‘too casual’. “ Is it just you, or will someone else be arriving later?”

“ Um, just me…” Neva said with a small frown as her eyes scanned the café in search of William.

“ Hey, you’re Johnathan’s kid sister, right? Uh…Nina isn’t it?” He asked, a confused frown appearing on his face.

“ It’s Neva…” She corrected, and the man quickly nodded and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“ Ah, that’s right, my bad. It was hard to understand Johnathan’s blubbering when he talked about you.” The man said with a small chuckle, and it was Neva’s turn to frown.

“ You keep mentioning ‘Johnathan’, but I don’t know anyone with that name.” She said with a confused tone, but he shook his head.

“ Yeah you do, it’s that guy right there,” He said as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, Neva looked and saw William standing in the kitchen area talking to another man with shoulder-length silver hair. “ Here at the Blackbird we don’t use our real names, we go by alias’s instead as a safety precaution. You can call me Alexander, but I’m sure Johnathan will tell you my real name when you two leave.” He added as he crossed his arms.

“ Since it’s your first time at the café, I’ll take you to Johnathan’s section.” He told her as he stepped aside, extended his hand out towards the dining area, and bowed a bit.

“ This way, my lady,” He said, his tone and demeanor quickly switching from casual mode to work mode. “ I’ll guide you to your seat and ensure that no harm comes to you.” He added, and the woman blinked.

What…on earth was going on? This was strange to say the least. But for now she would go with it.

“ Um…thank you?” She said, her tone slightly hesitant, but she slowly began to walk towards the booth that ‘Alexander’ had pointed at. As they walked, he stayed close to her, but not so close that she felt uncomfortable. Whenever something got in her way or nearly bumped into her, ‘Alexander’ moved the object or blocked it.

What kind of café was this?

She slid inside the booth and muttered a soft ‘thank you’ as he handed her a menu, he told her that her ‘butler’ would be there shortly and she nodded. She looked at the menu and as she stared at the cover, her purple eyes narrowed at the small bit of text just underneath the café’s name.

‘Butler Café’.

Neva blinked a few times as she read that small bit of text over and over again, before she let out a quiet groan and rested her head against the table. Now it all made sense; the outfits, the ‘waiters’ demeanor, all of it!

“ Is something the matter, my lady? You sound troubled.” A voice said from beside her, and she slowly turned and raised her head slightly to see William, or ‘Johnathan’, standing there with a calm but slightly concerned look on his face.

“ It’s nothing. I’m just now realizing that this is a butler café, I’m such an idiot.” Neva groaned as she lowered her head onto the table again.

“ If I may, you are far from an idiot, my lady. You’re just tired from your long journey, that’s all.” He told her before a soft hum escaped him. “ Maybe a small poem will help my lady feel better?”

Neva raised her head completely and blinked.

“ A-A poem?” She asked in surprise, and ‘Johnathan’ nodded as a soft chuckle escaped him.

“ Yes. In order to shorten the wait for my mistresses and masters teas and meals, I try to provide them with a bit of entertainment.”

“So…it’s a gimmick?”

“ I wouldn’t call it a gimmick-.”

“ But it’s a gimmick.”

“ If that’s what my lady wants to call it, then we shall call it a gimmick.” ‘Johnathan’ said with a sigh and shake of his head. “ Would my lady like to hear one while she waits for her tea and meal?”

Neva hummed unsurely, whenever she heard poems or listened to poetry she was always reminded of a very…vexing person back in Drysor. He always liked to recite poetry while being as vague as possible about the meanings when speaking to people, and it irritated her. Why not just be direct and less…odd? Wouldn’t it be easier to just tell people what you wanted to tell them, instead of telling them through riddles and poems that they most likely won’t understand?

“ My lady? Are you alright?” ‘Johnathan’ asked, the worried look returning to his purple eyes again, and Neva nodded.

“ Y-Yeah, I’m alright,” Neva said quickly. “ And sure you can tell me a poem…although I have a feeling I’m going to regret this.” She muttered the last part under her breath, and ‘Johnathan’ nodded.

And regret it she did.

“ I built my hut in a zone of human habitation,

But near me there sounds no noise of horse or coach.

Would you know how that is possible?

A heart that is distant creates a wilderness round it.

I pluck chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,

Then gaze long at the distant summer hills.

The mountain air is fresh at the dusk of day:

The flying birds two by two return.

In these things there lies a deep meaning;

Yet when we would express it, words suddenly fail us.”

As ‘Johnathan’ finished reciting his poem, he blinked in surprise as Neva cringed and covered her ears slightly. Was…the poem not good?

“ Please don’t do that again.” She groaned as she looked away, and he tilted his head as he saw her shoulders tremble slightly.

“ Was that poem unsatisfactory? Would you prefer a different one?” He asked, and he watched her quickly shake her head as her shoulders trembled more.

At first, William had thought that maybe she was crying, but as he looked at the reflection of her face in the window, he saw that wasn’t the case. Her cheeks were red, and her hand was over her mouth, it looked as though she were trying to stifle her laughter.

She was laughing at him…

He hummed a bit, maybe this was a better way to break the ice between them.

“ Since that poem wasn’t to your liking, might I tell you a different one?” He asked, amusement entering his voice and appearing on his face. Neva quickly shook her head as she turned to face him.

“ T-That’s okay-!” She tried to say, but he shook his head and began to recite another poem despite her protests.

“ Should we try to stop them?” ‘Alexander’ asked his boss, Nero, and she shook her head.

“ Just let them be for now. We aren’t busy and there aren’t many customers right now. So just let them be, if they get too rowdy, or we get a big lunch rush, then you’re allowed to step in.” Nero said as she looked at Neva cringing in the booth as William continued to recite poem after poem. Making everyone watching either laugh in amusement, or roll their eyes in annoyance.

Meanwhile, inside the ‘empty’ store across the street, an ash-blonde haired woman watched the two with a curious gaze through her shop window.

“ I wonder what’s going on over there.” She mumbled curiously, and the young black haired man with amber eyes came to stand beside her.

“ No idea.” He said bluntly, making the woman beside him chuckle.

“ Ooh, I see, since you’re no longer on the clock it isn’t your worry or concern?”

“ Exactly.”

“ Wow, that's kind of cold.” The woman giggled, and the young man sighed.

“ I guess. Can I leave now?” He asked as he turned away from the window, and the woman shook her head.

“ Nope! Your mom promised me that you would help me out here until 3, and that’s what you’re going to do!” The woman said with a bright grin, and the man sighed.

“ Isn’t that called exploiting a child for free labor?”

“ You call it ‘exploiting a child for free labor’, I call it a ‘friendly favor’!”

“ Unbelievable.”

“ Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to pay you in food!” The woman said with a giggle as she handed him another box. “ But first, you gotta earn it!”

—----

Later that evening, 6pm.

“ Thank you for the meal, and for letting me stay here until Johnathan’s shift is over.” Neva quietly told Nero as she stood at the counter and waited for William, the other lady nodded.

“ You’re welcome, anyone that’s a friend or family member of my butlers is welcome here, and judging by how many dessert plates you had today I think you’ll be coming here often.” She said with a ghost of a smile as she looked at the small plates being cleared from her table.

“ Ah…yeah, I think I might be.” Neva admitted with a sheepish chuckle, and she turned when she felt someone tap her shoulder.

“ Are you ready to go?” William asked as he stood there, and she quickly nodded. “ Goodnight Ms. Nero.”

“ Goodnight Johnathan, Neva. Be safe on your way home.” Nero said softly, her eyes not looking up from the pile of receipts in her hand.

The two nodded before leaving the café.

They quietly walked together down the street, the awkward tension that was there earlier between them seemed to have dissipated since they were now talking and laughing a bit more comfortably like they did years ago.

“ Isn’t your apartment this way?” Neva asked as she went to turn left but William kept walking straight.

“ It is, but we’re not going to my apartment,” William told her, and began to explain as she frowned. “ I live with someone, Yami, I mean Alexander, to be exact. I thought it might be uncomfortable for you to live with a stranger so I got us a different apartment.” Neva nodded slowly.

“ That makes sense. But you could have just stayed at your place and I could have gotten a dorm room at the academy-.” Neva began, but he shook his head quickly.

“ It’s alright I don’t mind. Besides, your parents insisted on you living with me, and frankly I insisted as well.” He told her, and her frown deepened.

“ Why?”

“ Because you’re in a new, and much bigger, city that can be quite dangerous. So it’s a way for us to keep you safe.”

“ You’re all way too overprotective.” Neva muttered with a small sigh and shake of her head, but she didn’t argue, and started walking straight ahead.

William sighed in relief. While it wasn’t a complete lie, it wasn’t fully the truth either.

“ Whatever happens, you cannot let Neva know about this. Please, William, it’s for her own protection!”

He quickly shook his head as Idalia’s words echoed in his head again. While he didn’t really agree with keeping this from Neva, he also didn’t want to tell her about it either…

There really was no good way to go about this.

“ Are you coming? I don’t know the way to the apartment and I need to get some sleep if I want to go to school tomorrow!” Neva shouted as she noticed that William wasn’t following her.

“ Ah right, sorry. I’m coming!” He shouted back as he began to walk quickly towards her.

For now he wasn’t going to worry about whether he should tell her the real reason she was here or not, instead he would focus on making sure Neva was safe, happy, and comfortable in Clover just like he promised her parents.

————

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[the-mighty-mittens]

I did a bunch of Castoff incorrect quotes, you wanna see?

Of course you do

1

Marina: Pick a card, any card.

Rori: Fine.

Marina: Wait, that's my credit card!

Rori: You said any card.

2

Marina: *running towards Arianna with open arms*

Arianna: *moves out of the way*

Marina: Hey, why'd you move?!

Arianna: I thought you were going to attack me.

Marina: I was going to hug you!

Arianna: Why would you hug me?

Marina: WHY WOULD I ATTACK YOU!?

3

*when a child starts crying in public*

Sage: *tries to make the child laugh*

Frankie: *tries to play a game with the child to make them calm down*

Marina: *gives detailed instructions to the parents*

Rori: *cries with the child*

Arianna: *ignores the child*

Vector: *is the reason why the child is crying*

4

Vector: Man, it smells like wrongdog out here.

Arianna:

Arianna: Vector, are you alright?

Vector: *sobs*

5

Vector: A sprite is anything not static.

Sage: A sprite is a variable object, be it 2d or 3d.

Rori: A sprite is a fucking soda.

Rori: You god damn geekass bastards.

6

Vector: Does anyone know how to relax? Asking for a friend.

7

Vector: *walks to cabinet, removes oreo box, takes half a sleeve, throws empty box out* Hi!

Rori: Hey- what are you doing-?

Vector, shoving an oreo into their mouth: I am saving space :D

8

Rori: I’ve been described as a ‘heartless villain’ and a 'little shit’, but I prefer… 'has alternative ways of having fun’.

9

Rori: You’re kind of a pushover, aren’t you, Vector?

Vector: …I’m sorry.

Rori: See!? That’s exactly what I’m talking about!

10

Arianna: Can you PLEASE peer pressure me into doing my project?

Sage: Do it or you're straight.

Arianna: I said peer pressure, NOT THREATEN!

11

Arianna: Oh, so when crows remember people who wronged them and hold grudges, its “intelligent” and “really cool”.

Arianna: But when I do it, I’m “petty” and “need to let it go”.

12

Vector, texting Arianna: Arianna there’s a moth on the outside of the bathroom door can you get rid of it?

Vector: Pls hurry because I’m going to cry

Vector: Arianna

Vector: Arianna

Arianna: Arianna is dead. You’re next. Love, Moth.

13

Rori: Did you just call me a shrimp, you asshole?! I'm still growing, dammit!

14

Arianna: That's it, I'm cutting off the internet!

Frankie: No, please don't! I have a family to feed!

Arianna:

Arianna: What?

Frankie: I need to feed my Neopets!

15

Arianna: You know you've made it when you see your picture everywhere you go.

Marina: Those are wanted posters!

16

Marina: An apple a day keeps the doctor away!

Rori: An apple a day can keep anyone away if you throw it hard enough.

17

Vector: *eating a cinnamon roll*

Arianna: Cannibalism.

Vector: *confused chewing noises*

18

Sage: Where is Vector?

Marina: I'll do you one better, who is Vector??

Rori: Here's a better question, why is Vector?

19

Arianna: BEHOLD, the field in which I grow my fucks! Lay thine eyes upon it, and thou shalt see that it is barren!

20

Vector: Arianna.. I'm gonna cry!

Arianna: Please don't.

Vector, crying: Request denied.

21

Arianna: Respect my trans homies or I’m gonna identify as a fucking problem.

22

Vector: What’s it like being tall?

Rori: Is it nice?

Vector: Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards?

Frankie: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb four chairs, two boxes, a small coffee table, and six oddly placed stools to get what they want.

23

*in a group chat*

Marina: First one to reply is gat.

Marina: *gay

Marina: Wait...

24

Marina: What did you get on your shirt?

Rori: Rust.

Marina: From what?

Rori: Weapons.

Arianna: Time for more adult supervision.

Bonus Zebra herd quotes!

25

Zera: "You look tired" well, the torment is relentless and the horrors never cease.

26

Zera: Hi, who's this? Terran changed all of my contacts to mythical creatures.

Liam: What's mine?

Zera: Dwarf.

Liam: THEY'RE SO MEAN, I'M NOT THAT SHORT!

Zera: Oh, hey Liam.

Liam: FUCK!

27

Liam: Oh gosh I wish I got more sleep I only got six hours!

Sonja: Six? I only got three!

Terran: You guys got sleep?

Zera, comes stumbling out of their room and grabs a jug of coffee before saying: What year is it??

28

Terran: Do you guys want to see a butterfly?

Liam: Ooh, yes please!

Zera, with their laptop open: I'm not going to stop working to look at a stupid bug!

Terran: It's not a bug though...

Zera: ...

Liam: ...

Zera: Well I still don't want to see.

Liam, realizing: Please don't throw-

Terran: Whee! *throws a stick of butter*

29

Zera: Self-care is suppressing all your trauma until it comes back and hits you in the face with the force of 7 very large trucks.

[pixlfr00t]

Hello!! I am PixlFr00t, otherwise known as Pixl!

I want to gather some fans of the Deadly Six (sonic lost world) and make a group chat!! I don’t have anyone to talk to that are fans of the Deadly Six, so I’d appreciate if anyone of u guys wanted to be my friend!

I don’t bite! :3

Have some D6 related art :)

This is my Zeti oc! Their name is Zera, she is Non-binary and uses she/he/they!! He’s also Zazz’s younger cousin. (Still not sure what role she would have in the story… I’m thinking she would be a second spy or something, because sometimes Zor might be assigned a role other than spy, and then Zavok commands Zera to be the spy for the mission/day.)

Then some school doodles of Zor, Zeena and Zazz! I forgot to draw Zor and Zeena’s lips :(

Anyways, I hope to interact w/ more D6 fans!! :D!

[aresonist]

Hello! I'm going around asking questions about 5llsmp.

What were your favorite/least favorite moments? Are there any inside jokes or out of context bits you want to share? Do you think you have a chance at winning?

hi hi!

honestly the whole first session was very very good fun, but one of my fav moments would be me sneaking up on multiple people not saying anything and spooking them by saying hi or something, idk how many times i did that but i deffo did it to jay (not sorry about that!) i love that about proximity chat, also me bee and i think moth? i think we had a point near the end where we were laughing about something and i couldnt stop laughing but i dont remember what it was we were laughing about!! also getting the horns i love the goat horns

one of my least fav moments?? that is honestly hard to pick but gods i have gotten lost sooo many times so far, one time right after my death and then in the mines and then i tried to steal the enchanter which i didnt know at the time has been gone for like an hour! i think i spent a good 10 minutes trying to find spawn until i came back to the mountain and moth pointed me in the direction only to come back empty handed

as for inside jokes and silly bits idk if anyone else has said it but the lads of the valley and pesky birds boatem birdies (jay and zera) have drama which we have been silly angsting a bit (shout out to allies or enemies by the crane wives imagining our situation to the song made me laugh in class) which i believe moth started? but i fueled, honestly ive been bothering birdies a whole bunch druning the session

as for winning?? i dont really see myself winning seeing as i died in the first 30 minutes of the session but i think it would be very cool to end up in our own version of the cactus ring with all the lads but alas even though silly i have awful survival skills!

[blues-nocturne]

Espero q já esteja comemorando, pq semana é toda sua!

Juro n demorar de voltar pro chat, tem uns dramas rolando e isso zera minha bateria social, mas vai dar certo.

Bjs

Vou tentar viver essa semana da melhor maneira possível, dentro das minhas possibilidades.

Você também aproveite o mês de Agosto, cê sabe.

E descanse. Você anda trabalhando e estudando muito (quem sou eu pra dizer isso pra alguém? Hahaha).

Beijos.

[iviarellereads]

The Great Hunt, Chapter 34 - The Wheel Weaves

(THIS PROJECT IS SPOILER FREE! No spoilers past the chapter you click on. Curious what I'm doing here? Read this post! For the link index and a primer on The Wheel of Time, read this one! Like what you see? Send me a Ko-Fi.)

(Wheel icon) In which I am so tired of women in refrigerators.

PERSPECTIVE: Thom gets back to his inn near dawn. After Rand's chat, he'd given up on the Horn tales and changed to the kinds of stories he told in villages, intending a commentary on nobles' stupidity, but the nobles had listened, and laughed in the wrong places, and laughed at Thom, too, thinking he wouldn't notice if he left with a full purse. He'd almost thrown the purse away twice on the walk back.

And so many questions about Rand, how he knew him, etc. Thom lingers on thoughts of Rand, trying to convince himself that the boy's on his own now, and it's none of Thom's business.(1)

He climbs the stairs, being careful of his bad leg, and finds Dena laying on the bed, facing the wall. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him. But when he touches her shoulder to wake her, she rolls limply, the bed dark and wet beneath her. He'd throw up if his throat weren't so tight he can hardly breathe.(2)

He hears the wardrobe creak and turns, throwing his knives. One strikes in the heart of one assassin, the other in the partner's shoulder. The live one makes for the door, but Thom's faster, slashing across the backs of his legs with another dagger.

He asks why, and the man babbles about how it's just the Game, they wouldn't have killed him, they just wanted information about Rand, and Thom could make plenty of gold selling information about him. Several nobles have approached him, and a strange lady he’s seen while asking about Rand.(3) Thom marvels sadly that Dena died for this, and says they made one mistake in it all: they should never have touched the girl. The man convulses as Thom's knife strikes home.

Zera, the innkeeper, rushes in and is horrified, but not paralyzed by it, Thom will have to leave. He offers the fat purse to pay for everything, the cleanup, Dena's funeral... but he has another man to kill before he can leave. Zera says the whole common room's been talking all evening, Barthanes has been killed, torn to pieces with his head mounted on a spike in front of his own fireplace. And, look, one of these men is notoriously Galldrian's pawn. Zera sees a look in Thom's eye and asks him to picture Dena, alive, and what she'd want him to do right now. It's not to murder the King. Thom says he's only an old gleeman, what danger is he? As he takes the stairs back down, he grins like a wolf.(4)

PERSPECTIVE: Fain, reining his horse on a hill above Falme. He's been gathering information on these Seanchan (by torturing innocents) in the day since he arrived, and he dismissed most of it out of hand, until he saw Falme. He rides down into the town, and offers the Horn's box at Turak's manor. Turak is able to open the box, having some experience with similar boxes from the AoL,(5) and extracts the Horn, asking if Fain knows what it is. The Horn of Valere, of course, my Lord.

Unfortunately, Turak also takes the dagger. When Fain reaches for it, the servant catches his hand. Fain insists the dagger is his. Turak asks how it could be his, inside a chest he couldn't open. He might give it back, if Fain is interesting enough. But first, why give him the Horn? So you can take back this land. Why give this land to him? Fain pretends that his family kept Hawkwing's oaths, that an ancestor of his found the chest but the trick of opening it was lost.

Fain keeps talking as if Turak will sound the Horn, but Turak says he will do nothing of the sort, he'll present it to the Empress when he returns home. Fain says that Turak must-- and gets cuffed by the servant with the braid. Turak muses that he might give Fain to the Empress along with the Horn, something the Mordeth side of him rejoices at. A new ruler to influence? Yeeesssss...

“You seem almost eager,” Turak said, and Fain barely suppressed a wince. “I will tell you why I will not sound the Horn of Valere, or even keep it, and perhaps that will cure your eagerness. I do not wish a gift of mine to offend the Empress by his actions; if your eagerness cannot be cured, it will never be satisfied, for you will never leave these shores. Do you know that whoever blows the Horn of Valere is linked to it thereafter? That so long as he or she lives, it is no more than a horn to any other?” He did not sound as if he expected answers, and in any case, he did not pause for them. “I stand twelfth in line of succession to the Crystal Throne. If I kept the Horn of Valere, all between myself and the throne would think I meant to be first hereafter, and while the Empress, of course, wishes that we contend with one another so that the strongest and most cunning will follow her, she currently favors her second daughter, and she would not look well on any threat to Tuon. If I sounded it, even if I then laid this land at her feet, and every woman in the White Tower leashed, the Empress, may she live forever, would surely believe I meant to be more than merely her heir.”(6)

Anyone might be a listener for the Empress, Turak continues, and pass along secrets overheard. He will not be heard conspiring against the Empress or her apparent heir. Would Fain still wish to serve, knowing he could be handed over to torturers in the Court of the Nine Moons for a mere shift of an eye? He wishes only to serve, he repeats, and he knows much that may be useful.

Turak says that Fain may stay. It's a relief to find a second man to amuse him with tales, even if they're both telling lies.(7) Fain is dismissed, but he insists on continuing to seed the word that Rand is coming for the Horn, with Darkfriends and Trollocs and all. Turak thinks it might be amusing to meet a real Darkfriend, and he's always wondered if a grolm could kill a Trolloc. He will have a watch kept, if this isn't another lie. Oh, but this land is boring.

Fain let the grimacing Huan(8) pull him out of the room, hardly even listening to the snarled lecture on what would happen if he ever again failed to leave Lord Turak’s presence when given permission to do so. He barely noticed when he was pushed into the street with a coin and instructions to return on the morrow. Rand al’Thor was his, now. I will see him dead at last. And then the world will pay for what was done to me. Giggling under his breath, he led his horses down into the town in search of an inn.

=====

(1) If you were out of it, we wouldn't be getting your POV. Checkmate, Merrilin. (2) You know that old question, like, "What author, alive or dead, would you want to have lunch with and why?" There are so many things I'd like for RJ to answer for, it might be faster to invent a time machine than to list them all. (3) Three guesses which bombshell would stand out enough and be present in places where someone might be asking about Rand. (4) Thom? Thom, you're not really about to commit regicide, are you? Oh you DEFINITELY are… (5) He is a collector of deep antiquities, after all. Bits of cuendillar are surely not the only curios in his closet. (6) So, he's very politically savvy, this one. Which makes sense, if what he says about the social structure of Seanchan is correct, and we have no reason to believe it's not. He's twelfth in line to the throne, and the Empress has a particular favourite daughter so even the Empress herself might feel threatened if he tried to keep the Horn. (7) What might Domon be telling him? (8) This name is given one spelling here, and a different spelling later. I'll be tagging for the later spelling just on account of, for repeat readers, "Huon" is the name to look up to actually get the character profile because there are two other "Huan"s in the story.

[wyriwyg]

rpf. slash. french.wysiwyg dldr

Zerator se rassit sur sa chaise, se prenant la tête dans les mains sans pouvoir réellement croire à ce qu’il venait de se passer. le montpelliérain était plus que fatigué. éreinté. 3 jours de streams, en plus de tout les problèmes à régler en dehors. sans compter tout le travail en amont. c’était des semaines de préparation et des mois de stress. en plus de l’épuisement physique, il y avait l’exhaustion morale. le streamer arrivait à bout de force et malgré la difficulté de continuer, l’adrénaline et la joie le ferait tenir jusqu’à la fin de l’évènement. car le zevent n’était pas encore terminé. ils avaient passé la barre des 10 millions, après les frayeurs du bug de streamlabs et avoir à repousser d’une heure la fin de l’event... il leur restait une quarantaine de minutes pour égaliser le montant de l’année précédente et enfin il était prêt à y croire. Enfin, il réalisait que peut être ça allait pouvoir se faire. Il se redressa en entendant Dash dire ‘‘j’ai plus de chaise’‘. Il lança un regard à son partenaire et ne put s’empêcher de rire. Dash s’était accroupit devant le bureau de stream, n’avait même pas pris la peine d’essayer de retrouver sa chaise et s’était cacher le visage dans ses mains. Il connaissait bien cette réaction. Il la partageait. Et il se jeta de nouveau sur lui pour l’enlacer. ‘‘c’est toi, c’est toi cette année!’‘ dit-il sans trop savoir ce qu’il essayait de communiquer. “je sais pas si c’est moi mais....” répondit Dash avant de pousser un soupir de soulagement. Zera avait du mal à réaliser, mais malgré tous les zevent précédent c’était la première fois où il se sentait un peu perdu. Comme déconnecté. Et il avait vraiment l’impression que, plus que les années d’avant, il allait avoir besoin de Dash pour finir sans craquer. En faisait un check à Etoiles, la légende qui s’était démené pour rendre ce Zevent mémorable, il pouvait sentir que ses émotions n’étaient plus très stables et qu’il était à deux doigts de pleurer comme jamais. En se retournant et en jetant un coup d’oeil vers le chat puis vers la caméra, Zera savait qu’il ne lui restait plus longtemps à tenir. Mais que les dernieères minutes allaient être les plus éprouvantes. The show must go on, prenant une inspiration, il se concentra sur les confettis tombés sur son bureau, les enlevant en faisant le clown, forçant un peu la joie qu’il présentait mais ne ressentait plus vraiment. C’était son job après tout, amuser la galerie. Un michel l’interpella et lui fit signe de se retourner et il vit Damdam avec les ballons des 10 millions. Un grand sourire franc lui étira immédiatement les lèvres. Elle savait arrivée au bon moment pour le relancer dans la bonne humeur. Il éclata le ballon des 9 millions et accepta avec plaisir l’un des ballons des 10 millions, laissant le soin à Dach de récupérer le deuxième. Ils posèrent avec leur ballon et reprirent le stream. Ne pas avoir à gérer seul était un soulagement.

[minty-ghost-lover]

HIIIII can i please join hipusa??

- @sightseeingscout

I don't see why not! Just steer clear of anything that might be genuinely dangerous. The main point of the club is to be for fun after all.

Club? Does HIPUSA count as a club? How do you tell if something is a club or not? Should probably just put a pin in that for now-

[jacscorner]

E-Hero Post

Look, I just...I'm in a mad Yu-Gi-Oh mood and I just wanna talk about the Elemental HEROes. They're probably one of my favorite archetypes.

Not because of their playstyle, though they are fun to play. No, I mean purely cause of their designs. Back in the day, having basically a group of Superheroes as a deck seemed like a crazy dream, but then the GX Anime came around and I feel in love with these guys. I especially the classic heroes.

The sad reality was that for a long time-at least, it sure felt long-HEROes would just be a fun pet deck. But then they got more generic fusions and things took off from there.

And I do mean off; I don't think HEROes have ever NOT been meta since Absolute Zero was released; the card game equivalent to a ticking time bomb.

And arguably, it's only gotten "worse" ever since the 'Mask Change' cards have come to exist and gave us Masked Heroes Acid (and Dark Law), effectively giving us a full field nuke.

Back to the "Art of the Cards", I just love how wild these cards can look. I'm sure plenty of people have said this, but holy heck, where's my E-Hero Anime?! You could totally have a show about these guys being superheroes in "Skyscraper" as a backdrop. Maybe even use other cards for the villains and monsters they fight!

Could you imagine that?!

The Evil Kozaky unleashing Cyber Dragons into the city, and the one to save the day is Elemental Hero Tempest, in an epic clash as the doctor blows up his own lab and escapes! Heck, if you don't wanna include the fusions, or keep the fusions in a limited role similar to the fusions in Dragon Ball/Steven Universe, then have Avion, Bubbleman, and Sparkman struggle to contain the dragons before combining!

Dogoran is wrecking the city and Avion, Burstinatrix, Clayman, and Bubbleman just can't stop him! But then, boom! Electrum appears on the scene!

A creepy cult is trying to resurrect Zera the Mant! Let's have Shadow Mist crawl through allies and act like a detective!

I just...love these cards so damn much. I just wanna play a game of Mutants & Masterminds where everyone agrees to play an Elemental HERO. XD A task that, realistically, ain't gonna happen, lol, but would be fun.

Wait, I didn't even talk about Ne-

[hopepetal]

bkau convex group chat hates zera hopepetal more at 6

[runningoutofapples]

I made a Group Chat for Layers of Fear!

Since these chats are not able to be linked, please let me know if you want in and I’ll send an invite for you to join!

[lyranova]

Chapter 12: Trying to be Okay

Hiya guys! I’m sorry this chapter took a while, I got a little wrapped up in COTF: Shadows, but hopefully it’s worth it! I would say nothing much happens in this chapter, but that would be a lie since there’s actually a signifigant devepolment with Zera! Also thank you to @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @loosesodamarble and @koneko-pi for allowing me to use Solara, Josele, and Briar 🥰!

Word Count: 2,469

Warnings: None

One Week Later

“ Do you think she’s inside?”

“ I’m pretty sure she is. She isn’t at the Golden Dawn’s Base, so this is the only other place she could be…”

“ Maybe she’s asleep?”

The three women, Solara Equinox, Josele Canty, and Briar Rose all stood outside Zera’s flower shop with confused and slightly concerned looks.

The three women had grown close after their first meeting a few weeks ago at the wives party. They would go to café’s together to have tea, or they would stop by Zera’s shop when she was there in order to chat. They were all very good friends.

Briar was a recent addition to their friend group, as she had only arrived in Clover recently. But when the women met through Solara they welcomed her warmly and she became a very good friend.

“ Zera! Are you in there?” Solara shouted up towards the window, and her frown deepened as she got no response.

“ Should we…throw some small rocks towards the window to get her attention?” Briar suggested as she put a hand under her chin.

“ Or I could just kick the door down and open it that way?” Josele suggested, and Solara narrowed her eyes a bit.

“ Isn’t that called breaking and entering?”

“ Yeah? I have to break the door to enter.”

Suddenly the window opened and Zera peered her head out over the edge and looked down at her friends.

“ What are you guys doing here?” Zera asked with a frown, and the woman looked up at her and blinked in surprise.

She appeared…to be fine? At least from a distance.

“ We came to see you. We went to the Golden Dawn’s base but they told us you weren’t there, and haven’t been for a week, so we wanted to make sure you were alright.” Solara told her, and Zera nodded.

“ Oh, yeah I’m totally fine! Sorry that I worried you guys!” Zera shouted down with a laugh. “ Give me a minute and I’ll be right down!” She added as she disappeared from the window. The three women down below looked at each other.

Something was amiss.

A minute or two later they heard the door open and saw their much smaller friend appear on the other side with a bright smile on her face.

“ Please come in!” She stepped aside and let her friends walk into the shop.

“ Isn’t…Isn’t the shop busiest at noon? Why do you have it closed up?” Briar asked as she looked around the empty shop, her heart hurting a little bit as she saw a few wilting flowers on the shelves.

“ Oh, I just didn’t feel like opening the store today,” Zera began cheerfully as she began to walk towards the back of the shop. “ Let me go make us some tea!”

As soon as she disappeared the others looked at each other again.

“ Something is definitely wrong,” Josele began as the other two nodded.

“ Her smile seems…forced.” Solara pointed out as she crossed her arms.

“ And her cheerfulness too,” Briar agreed softly. “ Do you think she and William had a fight?”

“ I would say it’s a lot more than that,” Josele began before she walked over to the counter. “ She isn’t wearing her engagement ring.”

Suddenly, Zera came back out from the back, looked at her friends' concerned faces and frowned.

“ What?” She asked with a frown before she walked to the other side of the counter and placed the tray with the tea cups onto it. The other women walked over and quietly thanked her before taking their respective cups.

After a few minutes of quiet Josele sighed and set her teacup down before her eyes narrowed at her blonde haired friend.

“ Alright what’s going on between you and William? You’re not living at the Golden Dawn base anymore, you’re not wearing your engagement ring. So tell us.” Josele said, her voice firm but not angry.

“ We’re your friends, right? So…you can tell us anything, and we’ll do what we can to help…” Briar said hesitantly as she held her tea cup gently in her hands, and Solara nodded in agreement.

“ She’s right, we’ll help you in any way we can, even if that means I need to break the nose of a certain Captain again.” Solara said with a knowing and playful smile, making Briar and Josele laugh softly as Zera smiled a bit.

Zera hummed in thought as her hand played with her now bare left ring finger…eventually she looked up at the women with a sad smile.

“ I broke off our engagement.”

“ What?!” The others exclaimed in surprise, even though they suspected it, it was still a bit surprising to actually hear her say it.

“ Why? Did William do something, or did one of the squad members?” Josele asked but Zera shook her head quickly.

“ No, no, no one did anything,” Zera said quickly. “ It just…wasn’t meant to be.” She added softly as she stared down into the rich brown liquid that swirled in her cup.

The others nodded as they became quiet. Their guts told them that there was more to the story than just them ‘not being meant to be’. But they didn’t push. If she wanted, or needed to tell them, then she would when she was ready.

“ Well, I don’t know about you ladies, but I think this little meeting of ours requires a stronger drink than just tea,” Solara said with a smile as she stood up straight. “ I have a nice bottle of wine back at the Vermillion residence, how about we take our conversation there and have some lunch?”

The other ladies nodded in agreement, a nice glass of wine did sound nice at the moment. So, they all walked out of the shop, letting Zera lock the door, and they all headed to the Vermillion residence for a lunch and glass of wine.

At The Golden Dawn Base

“ Lord Vangeance, are you listening?” Langris asked as he stared at his Captain’s face.

William’s purple eyes were fixated on two items that sat on his desk; Zera’s engagement ring, and the small pot that held a dandelion plant.

The same dandelion that he first bought from Zera…

“ Sir?” William blinked as he heard a voice call beside him, he slowly turned his head to the side.

“ Ah Langris, my apologies. What were you saying?” Langris sighed.

“ Sir, if I may be honest? If you’re so miserable without her, why don’t you go to her shop and see her?” He asked, and he watched as William pinched the bridge of his nose.

“ I thought I said not to bring her up?”

“ With all due respect sir, I have to bring her up. Ever since your date with her last week you’ve been acting…distracted, and I’m worried it’s starting to affect the squad.” Langris told his Captain bluntly.

For the past week William had been very quiet and distant. It was like right after the Elf invasion, where he distanced himself from the squad and stayed mostly in his office. But this felt…different to that somehow. It felt more like he was confused as to what went wrong, and didn’t know how to fix it, as opposed to when he knew what he did wrong and how to fix it.

It was like…he was grieving.

“ I will admit that I haven’t been really present lately, it’s just…it’s like I’m…possessed again I suppose.” William muttered with a frown, trying to find the right word to describe how he was feeling.

“ Possessed again?” Langris questioned with a deep frown.

“ Yes. I remember feeling similarly when Patri’s soul was inside me. It’s like I’m seeing things that aren’t there, hearing things…except instead of it being him I see and his voice I hear, it’s Zera’s.” William muttered as he suddenly stood up and walked towards one of the windows.

“ I see her working in the courtyard downstairs, I hear her laughter floating down the halls, I swear I can even smell her perfume…” He muttered softly, his voice almost sounding longing as he stared down at the half finished courtyard.

“ Captain…” Langris began, his voice unsure and hesitant. How was he supposed to respond to that? What words of comfort was he supposed to give his Captain? He hadn’t felt feelings like that before. So his mind…was blank.

“ What did you come here for Langris?” William asked as he looked away from the window, and the other man quickly handed a few files to him.

“ We’ve gotten a support request from the Black Bulls for a mission in Kiten, as for the other thing I wanted to talk to you about…it can wait until you return.” Langris said as he held the other file at his side, William frowned but nodded slowly.

“ A mission in Kiten, hm,” William muttered as he read the paper in his hand. “ I think this is just what I need…”

Langris nodded before he walked out of the Captain’s office. Once the wooden door closed behind him he let out a tired sigh.

“ You didn’t tell him again?” Alecdora suddenly said from beside the shorter man, and Langris glared at him.

“ If you’re so determined to kick a man while he’s down, why don’t you tell him that his former fiancé is a flower smuggler?” Langris snapped with irritation, and when he saw the other man rub the back of his head awkwardly in response.

“ Yeah, I didn’t think so,” Langris said with a huff as he walked past Alecdora. “ Get ready, we have a mission in Kiten with the Captain.”

At the Vermillion Residence

As afternoon turned to evening the wives laughed, ate, chatted, and drank in the Vermillion residence as they normally did during one of their ‘meetings’ as they began to affectionately call their time together.

If the Captain’s could have meetings, then why couldn’t their significant other’s?

But as Zera listened to Solara talk happily about Fuegoleon and smile lovingly as she did, as she watched Josele blush and grow a bit shy when she talked about Nacht, and even as Briar looked annoyed and irritated talking about Nozel she couldn’t help but feel her heart clench in her chest.

She missed that…all of it…with William.

She missed talking about him and smiling as she did, she missed blushing and growing shy, and she missed getting irritated and annoyed at him.

She missed him.

“ Zera, are you okay? You’re-.” Josele asked as she turned to look at her blue eyed friend, the others' laughter died quietly as they also turned to look at her.

“ Crying.”

Zera blinked and began to wipe her tears away quickly, she always hated crying, but it seems that lately that was all she was able to do. Ever since she left William and broke both their hearts, all she had been able to do was cry.

“ Sorry, it must be the alcohol. I either get flirty, sleepy, or sad when I drink too much!” Zera began with a sad laugh as she took another sip of her wine. “ Just ignore me!”

But the others didn’t ignore her, instead they just sat there and looked at her with soft and understanding gazes, and warm and patient smiles on their lips.

“ You don’t have to keep pretending that you’re okay you know,” Solara began as she took a sip of her wine as well.

“ It’s just us here, and what happens here stays here,” Josele agreed with a nod.

“ It’s okay to be sad…and to miss him…so…” Briar told her hesitantly but with a warm smile.

As Zera stared out at their faces she suddenly felt her bright smile slowly slip from her face as her vision began to blur with tears. She set her wine glass down onto the table before she covered her face with her hands and began to cry.

Solara, Josele, and Briar all looked at each other for a moment before they stood up and moved closer to their friend. Solara and Josele sat on either side of her as Briar crouched down in front of her. They each patted her comfortingly as her shoulders shook and her body shuddered with her cries.

“ I..I love him…and I miss him, I miss him so much!” Zera cried, and the others nodded. “ I thought…I thought it wouldn’t hurt so much when I broke up with him!”

“ I thought everything would just go back to the way it was before, that I could just…go back to running my shop like I used to and live a carefree life…but everytime I look around the store all I see is him!”

“ Then, if you miss him so much, why don’t you go back to him?” Solara asked as she patted her friends back comfortingly, and Josele nodded.

“ Yeah, William’s a very understanding guy, so maybe if you talk to him you can work it out?” Josele suggested as she patted Zera’s shoulder.

“ We won’t be able to work it out…and it’s for the best that we don’t.” Zera sniffled as she wiped her tears away. “ Eventually I’ll stop seeing him everywhere, and eventually my heart will stop hurting.”

“ And if it doesn’t?” Briar asked softly, and Zera shook her head.

“ It will…it will.” She muttered almost uncertainly as she stared down into her lap.

All the pain and heartache would go away eventually…right?

Back at the Golden Dawn Base

Yuno, Neva, Klaus, and Mimosa watched as the Captain, Langris, Alecodora, and the other Golden Dawn members flew away from the base and towards Kiten.

“ I wonder why the Captain decided to go on a support mission himself? Surely he could have just sent us or someone else?” Mimosa muttered thoughtfully, and Klaus nodded.

“ He could have, but I trust that Lord Vangeance has a reason for sending us on the dungeon mission while he went to support the Black Bulls.” Klaus said firmly, and Neva sighed softly beside him.

“ ‘A reason’? Captain Vangeance always seems to “have a reason” for the things he does. But it seems more like a bunch of excuses if you ask me…” Neva muttered, her tone sounding somewhat bitter as she shook her head. Yuno looked over at her.

She was still angry at him about the Elf Incident, and Yuno couldn’t really blame her. After all, she was probably one of the closest to the Captain, and so she probably felt the most betrayed by him.

“ He probably does. But I also have a reason for quickly agreeing to take the dungeon mission.” Yuno said as he quickly created Heavenly Wind Arc and stepped onto it before allowing the others to step onto it as well.

“ And that reason is?” Neva asked curiously, and Yuno smirked a bit.

“ Because… I want to make a quick stop in Kikka on the way back.”

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!