#Zeth Speaking.

[agentc0rn]

Thought of a sweet idea for Zeth….On some occasion he takes out to the street and performs street violin. Other times he just plays for the sake of playing it. He’s a pretty good player and gets a fair amount of tips! Even some wild Pokémon stop by to listen.

He uses the money to first and foremost donate to charities, second, some stuff for his mons and books (later in the story, he uses the money to buy materials for making tapestries, etc. as gifts for people too) 🥺

[gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan]

Winds of Change

Prologue =-= Next

Author's note: Zeth's debut in Husbandry.

Warnings: None. Let me know if I need to add anything.

Summary: Zeth wanders Earth. Finds a Zoo and is stopped from eating at tasty creature in the Zoo.

Tagged: @barn-anon, @bleedingichorhearts, @c-u-c-koo-4-40k, @egrets-not-regrets, @kit-williams,

Tagged continued: @sleepyfan-blog, @whorety-k

Hunting for food on this planet was easy, the rivers and seas are full of all sorts of fun critters to eat. Same with the forests and deserts. All having something to consume, the base line humans are almost impressive in how bold they can be, coming up to a might Black Legionary and trying to shoo him away from scooping out some spikey sea creatures from a human-made pond.

He didn't understand the locals language verbal and written. He'd stumbled across this 'Zoo' whatever the fuck that was. And learned it contained people, lots, and lots, of base line humans, he's occasionally seen some fellow Marines, Chaos, Loyalist, and Renegade a lot. The human in uniform was definingly shouting at him as he been half way to grabbing the spiky sea creature that from the last time he'd tried it, it had been tasty.

He tilts his helmet down at the bold little human, still slowly trying to grab the spiky darkly colored sea creature when a voice rang out in High Gothic, "Do not pick up the sea creature. Step away from the human made ecosystem and come here."

"Why the fuck should I listen to you?" Zeth growls as he turns to face the person speaking High Gothic. Oh excellent an Ultramarine! They are so much fun to pester, they are such haughty, high handed bastards, but if you got them mad enough, they are fun in a scrap.

"Because this is a Zoo!" The Ultramarine says.

"Quick question," Zeth says, "What the Fuck is a Zoo?"

The Ultramarine stares at him and under his breath growls about Idiot Barbarian Cousins. Zeth scowled at him again, rude fucker ain't he? He snarled that at the Ultramarine who glared at him and explained in that annoyingly condescending way that Ultramarines get when they are in 'you fucking idiot Barbarian, how do you not know about something so civilized way. Which has him growling at the Loyalist Fucker some more.

"So… why can't I eat the spiny creature?" Zeth asks after listening to the Ultramarines frankly boring as fuck lecture on what a Zoo is and what it does.

"Because. The humans are keeping the spiny creatures here to study, and make more of them." The Ultramarine said through gritted teeth. "Where is the rest of your War band?"

"Fuck if I know. I woke up on this random as fuck planet and started seeing what fun was to be had." Zeth replies with a shrug, "Then found this… 'Zoo' thing and wandered about."

"Please tell me you haven't tried to eat anything else that is in an enclosure." The Ultramarine asked, well demanded.

The haughty, high handed fucker, while trying to pretend he's not pissed off, he can see one of the veins throbbing on the side of his neck that has Zeth grinning at the fucker in dark delight. "And why would I tell you if I have or haven't done that, Loyalist?"

The Ultramarine glares at him while sending a text-vox to someone, likely unimportant, "because if you have the humans will be upset."

"So?" Zeth asks, "I'm a Chaos Marine, I prefer it when the squisky base lines are upset."

"Because one way or another, if you have eaten anything you shouldn't, recompense will be taken from you." The Ultramarine replies.

"And why *the fuck would I allow that?" Zeth asks, tilting his head a little. He'd forgotten how fun it was to rile up Loyalists. Although, the uppity fucker has yet to try and attack him. He wonders why, and asks him that question. The Ultramarien visibly twitches, "I want to, but for … reasons that I'm not going in with you right now. I can't explain."

"ooh, how mysterious!" Zeth taunts, "You are a coward."

"That's enough of that," A Chaos-warped voice warbles out sternly.

Zeth turns to look at the- gaint fucker- of a Chaos Death Guard, in Apothecary armor patterning coming over and giving a firm look towards Zeth who huffs at him. "Why should I listen to you?!"

"Because, I am an Apothecary, a fellow Chaos Marine," Hura says plesantly, "And if you don't I will make things very unpleasant until you see the errors of your ways and properly apologize and make ammends."

Zeth huffs and puffs- and… actually. That sounded more than a little terrifying, as the Death Guard slowly stalked forwards towards him, having continued to move towards him the whole time. Nurglite- Chaos Marines could be patient horrifyingly so. They could also be very…. creative and awful in what the decide is 'adequate' for punishment and 'making amends' to the satisfaction of one could be… debt inducing in ways that are just not worth it. So as much as it chafes at his pride be backs off, which has Hura the Death Guard Apothecary give him a hum of approval. The Ultramarine has a conflicted look in his eyes.

"Hura, I am grateful that you were able to arrive so quickly and help deal with him." The Ultramarine says carefully to the Death Guard.

"I am always glad to help my brothers and cousins in need," Hura replies with a gracious nod. "Come littel Cousin, I am called Hura, what is your name?"

"I go by Zeth," He replies eyeing the Death Guard.

"Follow me and we will get you sorted out," Hura requests of him.

Zeth grumbles at him follows after the Death Guard with deliberately loud steps as he's told of The Rules, and what the consequences are for Fucking Around, you get to Find Out, and Find Out can be extremely unpleasant. Zeth tells the truth that he hadn't actually eaten any of the animals in the Zoo yet, as he hadn't been hungry enough, until he'd seen the spikey ocean critter. Hura informs the Ultramarine, who seems to be skeptical of the answer, but if he did lie, the humans would make a note of the missing animal if that was the case.

[lazarusphenomenon]

festus + piper

i was asked to make this public / rebloggable.

Piper couldn’t blame them. The dragon was huge. It glistened in the morning sun like a living penny sculpture —different shades of copper and bronze—a sixty-foot-long serpent with steel talons and drill-bit teeth and glowing ruby eyes. It had bat-shaped wings twice its length that unfurled like metallic sails, making a sound like coins cascading out of a slot machine every time they flapped. “It’s beautiful,” Piper muttered. The other demigods stared at her like she was insane.

tlh pg. 140

Piper couldn’t breathe. Poor Leo. The idea of never seeing him again almost destroyed her. Khione must’ve seen it in her face. “Alas, my dear Piper!” She smiled in triumph. “But it is for the best. Leo could not be tolerated, even as an ice statue…not after he insulted me. The fool refused to rule at my side! And his power over fire…” She shook her head. “He could not be allowed to reach the House of Hades. I’m afraid Lord Clytius likes fire even less than I do.” Piper gripped her dagger. Fire, she thought. Thanks for reminding me, you witch. She scanned the deck. How to make fire? A box of Greek fire vials was secured by the forward ballista, but that was too far away. Even if she made it without getting frozen, Greek fire would burn everything, including the ship and all her friends. There had to be another way. Her eyes strayed to the prow. Oh. Festus the figurehead could blow some serious flames. Unfortunately, Leo had switched him off. Piper had no idea how to reactivate him. She would never have time to figure out the right controls at the ship’s console. She had vague memories of Leo tinkering around inside the dragon’s bronze skull, mumbling about a control disk; but even if Piper could make it to the prow, she would have no idea what she was doing. Still, some instinct told her Festus was her best chance, if only she could figure out how to convince her captors to let her get close enough…

hoh pg. 272

“You remember our dragon?” Piper asked. Khione scoffed. “This cannot be your secret. The dragon is broken. Its fire is gone.” “Well, yes…” Piper stroked the dragon’s snout. She didn’t have Leo’s power to make gears turn or circuits spark. She couldn’t sense anything about the workings of a machine. All she could do was speak her heart and tell the dragon what he most wanted to hear. “But Festus is more than a machine. He’s a living creature.”

hoh pg. 278

Before the goddess could go after the sphere, Piper cried, “Our secret weapon, Khione! We’re not just a bunch of demigods. We’re a team. Just like Festus isn’t only a collection of parts. He’s alive. He’s my friend. And when his friends are in trouble, especially Leo, he can wake up on his own.” She willed all her confidence into her voice—all her love for the metal dragon and everything he’d done for them. The rational part of her knew this was hopeless. How could you start a machine with emotions? But Aphrodite wasn’t rational. She ruled through emotions. She was the oldest and most primordial of the Olympians, born from the blood of Ouranos churning in the sea. Her power was more ancient than that of Hephaestus, or Athena, or even Zeus. For a terrible moment, nothing happened. Khione glared at her. The Boreads began to come out of their daze, looking disappointed. “Never mind our plan,” Khione snarled. “Kill her!” As the Boreads raised their swords, the dragon’s metal skin grew warm under Piper’s hand. She dove out of the way, tackling the snow goddess, as Festus turned his head one hundred and eighty degrees and blasted the Boreads, vaporizing them on the spot. For some reason, Zethes’s sword was spared. It clunked to the deck, still steaming. Piper scrambled to her feet. She spotted the sphere of winds at the base of the foremast. She ran for it, but before she could get close, Khione materialized in front of her in a swirl of frost. Her skin glowed bright enough to cause snow blindness. “You miserable girl,” she hissed. “You think you can defeat me—a goddess?” At Piper’s back, Festus roared and blew steam, but Piper knew he couldn’t breathe fire again without hitting her too.

hoh pgs. 279-280

Fortunately, Festus had been listening. He faced front and blew a plume of fire. The ship’s engine clattered and hummed. It sounded like a massive bike with a busted chain—but they lurched forward. Slowly, the Argo II headed toward the shore. “Good dragon.” Piper patted Festus’s neck. The dragon’s ruby eyes glinted as if he was pleased with himself. “He seems different since you woke him,” Jason said. “More…alive.” “The way he should be.” Piper smiled. “I guess once in a while we all need a wake-up call from somebody who loves us.”

hoh pg. 358

“Coach!” she said. “It didn’t happen like that at all. I couldn’t have done anything without Festus.” Leo raised his eyebrows. “But Festus was deactivated.” “Um, about that,” Piper said. “I sort of woke him up.” Piper explained her version of events—how she’d rebooted the metal dragon with charmspeak. Leo tapped his fingers on the table, like some of his old energy was coming back. “Shouldn’t be possible,” he murmured. “Unless the upgrades let him respond to voice commands. But if he’s permanently activated, that means the navigation system and the crystal…”

hoh pg. 361

tagslist:

@partiallypearl

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Angry women my beloved -Danny Words: 2,083 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Angry Woman' -by Ashe

XLI: Don't Worry, It's All Downhill From Here

"So good to see you again, ma chère. It's time we had a very cold reunion." 

Ara hasn't thought about these three idiots since last December, but it's clear they haven't forgotten about them. Younger Ara would consider it flattering, but now she's annoyed and on the verge of another crisis if they don't bring Leo back.

"Muffins," Cal points to Piper's cornucopia after it spits food abruptly, Ara only remembers his name because he couldn't say more than a few words at a time. "Muffins are good."

"Ah, merci," Zethes winks at the girls, making Ara want to be killed faster. "I knew the pretty girl would miss me." 

"This is great, exactly what I needed," Ara grumbles, trying to release her feet.

"You've grown, Jackson," Zethes continues in French. "I'm willing to ignore my orders if you promise me a good time."

"How about you come closer and I show you where my sword fits?" She replies in a bad mood.

Piper tries to use charmspeak. "Let my friends go."

Zethes stiffens in place. "We should let your friends go."

"Yes," Cal drops his muffin.

"No, you idiots! She is charmspeaking. Use your wits."

"Wits..." Cal picks up his food and eats it. "Muffins are better."

"Ah, my beautiful Piper..." Zethes sighs. "So long I have waited to see you again. Sadly, my sister is right. We cannot let your friends go. In fact we must take them to Quebec, where they shall be laughed at eternally. I am so sorry, but these are our orders."

"Orders...? Guys, listen, your sister disobeyed Boreas. She's working with the giants, trying to raise Gaea. She's planning to take over your father's throne."

"Dear Piper McLean," the goddess chuckles. "You would manipulate my weak-willed brothers with your charms, like a true daughter of the love goddess. Such a skillful liar."

"Liar? You tried to kill us! Zethes, she's working for Gaea!" 

Zethes squints. "Alas, beautiful girl. We all are working for Gaea now. I fear these orders are from our father, Boreas himself."

"What?" 

Ara closes her eyes and tunes them out, then summons Hephaestus's blessing and hopes it works like she wants it to. Her body heats up, and she tries to guide all the warmth to her feet, which is not easy.

"What about Leo?" Piper questions, and the name makes Ara lose a bit of focus. "Where did you send him?"

"Leo Valdez deserved a special punishment," Khione shrugs. "I have sent him to a place from which he can never return. But it is for the best. Leo could not be tolerated, even as an ice statue... not after he insulted me. The fool refused to rule at my side! And his power over fire... He could not be allowed to reach the House of Hades. I'm afraid Lord Clytius likes fire even less than I do."

"You know, the first time I met you I thought you were annoying, but the more you talk, the more I think gods should have some kind of Asylum for headcases like you," Ara twirls one finger next to her head. "Blood's too frozen to circulate your noggin, huh?"

Khione's cold eyes sharpen. "What nonsense are you speaking?"

"You see, dear royal pain in the podex," Ara moves her foot inside its enclosure as the ice melts and hollows around it. "If you'd done your homework properly, you'd know that the daughter of Olympus is in love with Leo Valdez, and if what you're saying it's true, then I've got no choice but to kill you."

Ara turns Almighty into a spear, then slams the flat end on the ice over her feet and shatters it. Khione chucks shards of ice her way and Ara drops to the ground, pulling her flintlock out from the Octopi bag and shooting at Cal with it, but she doesn't get to kill him.

Khione screams in frustration and projects more ice, but Piper shoots warm hams out of her cornucopia to protect Ara.

"Piper, get Festus running!" The girl expands her shield. "I'll hold them!"

"Are you crazy? I'm not the tech-savvy!"

"Wake Festus up!" Ara uses her charmspeak. Piper tenses and quickly makes her way to the bronze dragon. Zethes tries to go after her and Ara shoots him in the wing. "You northern chicken go where I say you can go!"

"You are the mentally unwell if you think you can fight the three of us at once," Khione sneers. "You daughters of love are no threat."

"And yet you have no choice but to fight me."

Ara draws out from her Octopi one of the bombs Leo made weeks ago, Greek fire would be ideal, but it could also damage the ship and she can't afford that while Leo isn't here, so warm popcorn it is. The bomb goes off and it confuses the others enough to give Ara an advantage.

She turns Almighty into a sword and cuts off Cal's wings, the poor guy is an idiot and now he's a flyless one. In the meantime Piper's trying to wake Festus up, as in, shouting his name and demanding at him to open his eyes. Ara can't judge her, Piper undoubtedly has zero knowledge of machines and Ara ordered her to get Festus running. If Piper believes that will work, then so does she.

"C'mon pretty, don't do this!" Zethes tries to reach her. "I'd hate having to bruise that face!"

"Okay, so you're definitely dying first," Ara reloads her flintlock. "I can't stand another second of your god-awful courting, Chad."

"Ugh, enough! I'm freezing you," Khione raises her hand almost in a bored manner.

Ara's anger flares up and glows red, aiming her gun at Khione and shooting at the center of the goddess's palm, she screeches and holds onto her wounded fist. "You stupid girl! What have you done?!"

Ara has been considered inconsequential for too long, she's gonna show Khione how terrible she can be. She reloads the gun again. "Daughter of love or not, I'm the General of Olympus, and you will respect me."

The easiest thing would be to get rid of Zethes first, but Ara is done with fast and easy, so she attacks Cal, he's slow on his feet and has no wings to escape her, but he's Khione's strongest guard. Ara glows teal and summons a small tide to wash over in front of the goddess and Khione freezes it just like the girl wanted.

Ara pulls out a bomb of Greek Fire and chucks it down the back of Cal's hockey uniform, then runs to take cover behind Khione's devised ice wall and she hears the goddess screams in anger when her brother explodes in golden dust.

"Two to go," Ara mutters, drawing out a second bomb.

"Enough!" Khione cracks Ara's barrier and sends thousands of sharp pellets at the girl's face. 

Ara covers the softest parts of her body with the shield Leo made for her and doesn't think much of the cuts that she gets on her legs and face.

"Zethes! The bomb!" The goddess demands. The boread tosses something at Ara's feet and she stumbles back. It looks like a weird chunk of ice, yet Ara can sense its power. Khione laughs shortly. "You know what that is, don't you? One wrong move, and your dear ship will be tossed out to the ends of the world."

"Wait, sorry for interrupting your bad-guy speech," Ara replies, deciding to distract Khione until Festus comes back to life. "But why are you here again?"

The girl looks more insulted about her lack of interest than the fact that Ara just killed her brother. "Were you not listening to what I told your sister?"

"I have ADHD and you immortals love your Shakespearian back-and-forths a bit too much, it's impossible for me not to space out."

"It doesn't matter!" Khione snaps. "I will send you and your sister to the ends of the world, I'll take the rest of your friends back to our palace, and you will regret your insolence towards me!"

"Got it," Ara points at the bomb. "This thing has a timer, or does it go off if I move?"

"What?" Khione blinks, confused by her indifference. "I—No. It will go off once the ice melts."

Ara sighs and shakes her head. "Man, that's a lousy design! You depend on the weather a bit too much, don't you think? What if I had ice powers, huh? That is the problem with you gods, you show off and think we can't beat you because you have lots of one thing. Well, I have a bit of everything, so I'm gonna wipe the floor with your frosted ass."

Festus lets out a huge amount of hot steam and Piper recoils with a big smile on her face. "He's awake!"

"My turn to show off." Ara summons another small wave that hits Khione's face and makes her lose balance. 

Zethes attacks and Ara shoots him point-blank in the chest, killing him instantly and leaving nothing but golden dust and his sword behind. Ara can't move and risk kicking the bomb on accident, so she searches inside her Octopi and pulls out another popcorn bomb, tosses it a Khione, and the goddess gets covered in the warm, buttery snack.

"She's all yours, Pipes!" Ara shouts, pointing at the sword Zethes left behind so the Aphrodite can pick it up.

Festus roars with energy, shooting large columns of fire into the air and melting the ice over ship's deck while Ara whirls around as carefully and quickly as possible toward the control panels to put them back together. 

Piper takes her place in the fight and faces Khione. "You miserable girls!" She screams. "You think you can defeat me—a goddess?"

Ara works as fast as possible and ignores Khione, deeming her unimportant in comparison to the condition of her ship. Her skin starts to glow orange when she speeds up. "Buddy, I need some guidance here! I don't have the sphere, how do I make it work?" 

Festus creaks and uses a mix of Morse code and clicks similar to words to guide her. Slowly, the monitors start to come back to life. She won't be able to access some of the cool stuff like the jet propulsion or the automatized ballista, but at least she's got Festus, and Festus controls most of the ship.

"Children of Aphrodite," Khione growls. "You are nothing."

"Don't listen to her! She's scared!" Ara encourages Piper without looking up. "There is nothing scarier than an angry Aphrodite! Jason and Leo are counting on you!"

Piper slashes Khione across the chest, the goddess explodes in a small blizzard and vanishes. Ara reboots the system and turns around to announce it, but then she spots the ice bomb melting on her deck and her stomach drops, she forgot it was there.

"Piper take cover!" Ara glows teal.

The girl hides behind the foremast while Ara turns Almighty into a shovel and picks up the bomb, tossing it across deck and out of the ship. The object explodes as soon as it touches the sea and the Argo II gets thrown onward so fast she can't see where it's heading.

By the time they stop, Jason has melted back to life. He's disoriented and hypothermic, but Piper checks his vitals and feeds him back to health while Ara grabs a welding kit to finish melting the block of ice that's keeping the others downstairs.

"What happened?" Jason asks groggily. 

"Khione and her stupid brothers," Ara mumbles, tears rolling down her face while she keeps jabbing at the ice with a hammer.

"We took care of it," Piper eases him, placing the bottle of nectar closer to the boy's lips.

"You... you what?"

"Don't sound so surprised," Piper gives him a knowing smile. "Ara distracted them long enough for me to wake Festus, then—"

"She got rid of Khione," Ara takes a moment to catch her breath. "With her special power."

"What power?" Jason looks at them curiously.

"Female rage."

Piper snorts. "I did my best."

"You gave life to a bronze dragon!" Ara exclaims, pointing at the figurehead. "You pulled a Pinocchio on the baby! What kind of blue fairy magic was that?"

"I did what you asked," Piper replies a little dejected. "Charmspeak is all I have, I'm not a mechanic like you, Strategus."

"I'm not complaining," the girl dries her tears and stands up. "I sound angry, but I'm not angry at you."

"Where is Leo?" Jason looks around suddenly noticing his absence. His eyes suddenly focus on the shore ahead and he frowns. "And where are we?"

"According to Almighty," Ara checks her compass, eyes puffy and tired. "That'd be Notus's palace."

"Who's Notus?" Piper asks.

"God of the South Wind," Ara makes a face. "We'll be here a while."

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh @ebony-reine-vibes

[poseidonsdaughterthesiren]

The Daughter of Poseidon: Chapter Eight

Della didn’t want to leave Leo, it reminds her too much of her first quest when Percy and Annabeth had to leave her and Grover with Aries. Although Della is sure that like that quest it would be fine.

As they climb the icy staircase, Zethes stays behind them, his blade drawn. The guy may look like a Village People reject, but there was nothing funny about his sword. Della figures one hit from that thing and she’ll have a Narnia: The Witch, The Lion, and The Wardrobe moment.

Then there’s their tour guide, the ice princess. Here and there she’ll turn her head at Jason and give a smile, but there was no warmth in her expression. She looks him up and down like he is a new exciting specimen.

If these are Boreas’s kids, Della isn’t sure they want to meet Dad. She remembers Annabeth told her Boreas was the easy-going wind god. Which is code for, he won’t try to kill you on the spot.

Warmth engulfs her hand. Della glances down to see Jason’s hand in her own. She gives him a reassuring smile.

“Hey,” she squeezes his hand. “It’ll be fine. Just a talk.”

Jason smiles back at her.

Gods, he’s gorgeous.

Suddenly Jason’s hand felt cold, burning cold. He let go, and their fingers were smoking with frost.

“Warmth is not a good idea,” the Ice Princess says, “Especially when I am your best chance of staying alive.

Piper shoots them a look. She keeps her face neutral, but her eyes give it all away. Hurt.

Della sighs and attempts to rub the frost off her hand. She knows that look all too well.

Zethes pokes Jason in the back, and they follow the Princess down the massive hallway.

Freezing winds blew back and forth. If they weren’t frozen, the tapestries on the wall would’ve followed the rhythm.

Della’s cheeks were starting to burn from how cold they were. Jason looks more nervous than before. Della wants to grab his hand again, but her fingers still haven’t recovered from the first attempt.

“Wonder Boy,” I whisper, “You still with me?”

“Yeah…yeah, sorry.”

At the end of the hallway, the trio finds themselves in front of a set of oaken doors engraved with a map of the world. In each corner was a man’s bearded face blowing wind. All the guys were winter, blowing ice and snow all around the world.

The Ice Princess turns. Her brown eyes glitter with excitement as though she was about to open a Christmas present.

“This is the throne room,” she says, “Be on your best behavior Jason Grace. My father can be…chilly. I will translate for you and try to encourage him to hear you out. I do hope he spares you. We could have so much fun.”

Della narrows her eyes. Something is off. If Boreas needs a translator��how could they trust Elsa here to speak on their behalf? She opens her mouth–

“Um, okay,” Jason says, “We’re just here for a talk. We’ll be leaving right afterward.”

She smiles. “Ah, I love heroes so blissfully ignorant.”

Della reaches for Leda. She sees Piper has her dagger close as well.

“Well, how about you enlighten us,” Piper says, “You say you are going to translate for us. We don’t even know your name.”

The girl sniffs in distaste. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised you don’t recognize me. Even in ancient Greek times, the Greeks did not know me well. Their island homes were too warm, too far from my domain. I am Khione, daughter of Boreas, Goddess of Snow.”

She stirs the air with her finger creating a flurry of snow around her.

“Now come,” says Khione. The doors blow open, and a cool blue light filters out of the room. “Hopefully, you survive your talk.”

If the entry hall had been cold, the throne room was a meat locker. Mist hung in the air. Along the walls purple tapestries depict snowy forests, barren mountains, and glaciers. High above, ribbons of light–the Aurora Borealis pulses along the ceiling.

Della shivers at the violent change in temperature. Her breath pans out like hot steam.

All around them stood life-sized sculptures–all in different eras of armor. Some wore Greek, others Medevil, and the most unsettling were the ones in modern camoflague They all were frozen with their weapons locked and loaded.

Why would they have military sculptures–

Jason tries to move between two Greek spearmen, and they all move with alarming speed, joints cracking and spraying icicles as they cross their javelins to block their path.

Della pulls Jason back by his collar and places a hand to keep Piper in place.

“What the–”

From the far end of the hall, a man’s voice rings out, he sounds…French. Due to the mist, Della doesn’t see him. Whatever he said the ice guards uncrossed their javelins.

“It’s fine,” Khione says, “My father ordered them not to kill you yet.”

Yet, the keyword in that sentence.

“Super,” Jason mutters.

The trio shuffle closer to each other.

“Keep moving Jason Junior,” Zethes says. He prods him in the back with his sword.

“Please don’t call me that.”

“My father is not a patient man,” Zethes warns, “And the beautiful Piper, sadly, is losing her magic hairdo very fast. Perhaps later I can lend her something from my wide assortment of hair products.”

“Thanks,” Piper grumbles.

They move through the mist. Suddenly, the mist parts and reveals a man on a throne made of ice. A sturdy man in a white suit and purple wings smiles at their arrival.

“Bienvenu,” the King says, “Je suis Boread le Roid. Et vous?”

Khione opens her mouth to speak when Piper steps forward.

“Votre Majesté,” Piper says, “he suis Piper McLean. Est c’est Della fille de Poseidon, and et Jason fil de Zeus.”

The King smiles with pleasant surprise. “Vous parlez francias? Trés bien!”

“Piper, you speak French?” Jason and Dell ask at the same time.

“No. Why?” Piper frowns.

“You just did,” Della tells her.

“I did?”

The king says something else in French.

Piper nods, “Oui, Vorte Majesté”

The king laughs and claps his hands, obviously delighted. He says a few more things and then motions to his daughter as if shooing a bird.

Khione looks miffed. “The king says–”

“He says I’m the daughter of Aphrodite,” Piper interjects, “So naturally I can speak French, which is the language of love. I had no idea. His majesty says Khione won’t have to translate now.”

Thank the gods.

Behind them, Zethes snorts. Khione sends him a death glare and takes a step back.

The king sizes up Jason, who decides to bow.

“Your Majesty, I am Jason Grace. Thank you, for umm, not killing us. May I ask why does a Greek God speak French?”

Piper has another exchange with the king.

“He speaks the language of his host country,” Piper says, “He says all gods do this. Most gods speak English, as they now reside in the United States, but Boreas was never welcomed in their realm. These days he likes Quebec, so he likes to speak French.”

Boreas says something else, and Piper turns pale.

“The king says…he says–”

“Allow me,” Khione says, “My father says he has orders to kill you. Did I not mention that earlier?”

Della tenses. She glances at Jason who moves closer to her and Piper just as tense.

The king looks pleased with himself and his proclamation.

“Kill us? Why?” Jason asks.

“Because,” the king says, in heavily accented English, “my lord Aeolus has commanded it.”

Boreas rose from his throne. He furls his wings back and approaches them.

Khione and Zethes bow. Della, Jason, and Piper follow their example.

“I shall deign to speak your language,” Boreas says, as Piper McLean has honored me in mine. Toujours. I have always held a fondness for the children of Aphrodite. And I must say, a daughter of Poseidon is a rare sight indeed. At least, a human one. As for you, Jason Grace, my master would not expect me to kill a son of Zeus…at least without hearing him out first.”

Della does not like the odds of this possible fight. Sure, she could handle most of the guards and Zethes with Jason’s help. Khione would be a problem as well. Goddess of snow also meant the ability of ice…ice is water so it’d be somewhat fair. Even if they got through them they’d still have to fight a god.

“Aeolus is the master of the winds, right?” Jason asks. “Why would he want us dead?”

“You are demigods,” Boreas says as if that explains everything. “Aeolus’ job is to maintain the winds, and demigods have always caused him headaches. They ask him for favors. They unleash the winds and cause chaos,” Boreas pauses. He looks directly at Della. “The final insult was last summer the battle with Typhon last summer.”

Della tenses. She tries to forget about Mount St. Helens as much as she can. That was the first time Della and Percy’s powers forged together properly and they released a Titan.

Boreas waves his hand and a sheet of ice like a flat-screen TV appears in the air. Images of a battle flicker across the screen–a giant wrapped in storm clouds wading across a river toward the Manhatten skyline. Tiny glowing figures–the gods–swarm around him like angry wasps, pounding the monster with lightning and fire. Finally, the river erupts in a massive whirlpool and the smoky form sank beneath the waves.

“The storm giant, Typhon,” Boreas explains. “The gods defeated him, eons ago, he did not die quietly. His death released a host of storm spirits–wild winds that answered to no one. It was Aeolus’s job to track them all down and imprison them in his fortress. The other gods–they did not help. They didn’t even apologize for the inconvenience. It took Aeolus centuries to track them all down, and that naturally irritated him. Then last summer when he was defeated–”

“And his death released another wave of venti,” Jason guesses. “Which made Aeolus even angrier.”

“C’est vrai,” Boreas agrees.

“But Your Majesty,” Piper says, “the gods had no choice but to battle Typhon, or else Olympus would have been destroyed. Why punish–”

“Because it was demigods who released him,” Della interrupts.

Boreas looks at her, “And one of them stands before me.”

Jason and Piper’s heads snap towards Della.

She looks down at her feet. Damn, her past actions were kicking her in the ass right now.

“Aeolus cannot take his anger out on the gods,” Boreas shrugs, “They are his bosses, and very powerful. So he gets even with their heroes from the war. He’d be very pleased to see your demise, Adella Jackson. He gave the orders that any demigods who ask for help are to be,” Boreas waves his hands dramatically, “destroyed.”

“That seems extreme,” Jason says. “I’m sure Della didn’t mean to unleash Typhon. Please don’t destroy us. Once you hear about our quest–”

“Yes Aeolus mentioned mentioned a son of Zeus would seek my aid and if this should happen I should listen before terminating you–as you might–how did he put it? Make our lives more interesting. I am only obligated to listen. After that, I am free to pass judgment how I see fit. But I will listen first. Khione wishes this also. It may be that we will not kill you.”

Della sighs a little in relief. There’s a catch she knows it.

“Great. Thanks,” Jason says.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Boreas says, “There are many ways you could make our lives interesting. Sometimes we keep demigods for our amusement, as you can see.”

He gestures to the frozen guards in the room.

Della sighs, some demigods met a fate worse than death. This was one of those fates.

Piper makes a strangled noise,“You mean–they’re all demigods? Frozen demigods? They’re alive?”

“An interesting question,” Boreas conceded as though he’s never really thought about it. “They do not move unless they're obeying my orders. The rest of the time, they are frozen in place. Unless they were to melt, I suppose, which would be very messy.”

Khione steps up behind Jason and caresses the back of his neck. “My father gives me such lovely presents,” she murmurs in his ear. Della wants to cut her to pieces with her sword. “Join our court. Perhaps I’ll let your friends go.”

“What?” Zethes booms, “If Khione gets to keep the boy, I should get to keep the girls. Khione always gets more presents!”

“Now children,” Boreas says sternly, “Our guests will think you are spoiled! Besides, you moved too fast. We have not even heard the demigod’s story yet. Then we will decide what to do with them. Please, Jason Grace, entertain us.”

Khione purs and strokes the back of Jason’s neck again. Suddenly electricity sparks against his skin. There’s a loud pop, and Khione flies backward, skidding on the floor.

Della smiles amused that she doesn’t need to make Khione fish food.

Zethes laughs, “That is good! I’m glad you did that, even though I have to kill you now.”

Khione looks stunned. When she got her bearings back the air around her began to swirl in a micro-blizzard. “You dare–”

“Stop,” Jason orders. “You’re not going to kill us. And you’re not going to keep us either. We’re on a quest for the Queen of the Gods herself, so unless you want Hera busting down your doors, you are going to let us go.”

He sounds more confident than he probably feels. Something Della is sure he has experience in. Sound braver than you are. The first lesson every demigod learns. And it did the trick. Khione’s blizzard swirls to a stop, and Zethes lowers his sword. They look uncertainly at their father.

“Hmmm,” Boreas says. His eyes twinkle, but Della is not sure if he’s actually amused or pissed off. “A son of Zeus favored by Hera? This is definitely a first. Tell us your story.”

Jason hesitates, he opens his mouth but doesn’t speak. He did not expect to make it this far.

Della jumps in, “Your Majesty.”

All eyes are on her.

Della cursties before the wind god. She tells Boreas the entire story. From her missing brother to the venti in the Grand Canyon, to the prophecy. Jason and Piper gape at her story-telling skills. She is calm and collected for a woman whose life is on the line. This wasn’t her first rodeo.

“All we ask for is guidance,” Della concludes, “The storm spirits that attacked Jason and Piper, are working for an evil mistress. If we find them maybe, just maybe we can find Hera.”

Boreas strokes his beard. Outside the windows night had fallen, and the only light came from the Aurora Borealis above casting the room in shades of red and blue.

“You had no idea what you unleashed that day did you girl? Boreas asks. His eyes bore into Della.

“No,” Della sighs, “My brother and I had no idea what the repercussions of that day would bring.”

“I see,” Boreas says, “I do know of these spirits. I know where they are kept, and the prisoner they took.”

“You mean Coach Hedge?” Jason asks, “He’s alive?”

Boreas waves aside the question, “For now. But the one who controls the storm winds…it is madness to oppose her. You’d be better off staying as statues.”

“Hera’s in trouble,” Jason says, “In three days she’s going to be–I don't know consumed, destroyed, something. And a giant will rise.”

“Yes,” Boreas agrees. He sends an angry look to his daughter. “Many horrible things are awakening. Even my children do not tell me the news they should be. The great stirring of monsters began with Kronos–your father Zeus foolishly believed it would end when the Titans were defeated. But just as it was before, so it is now. The final battle is yet to come, and the one who will wake is more terrible than any Titan. Storm spirits–this is only the beginning. The earth has more horrors to yield up. When monsters no longer stay in Tarturus and souls confined to Hades…Olympus has good reason to fear.”

What does he mean just as it was before? They were repeating history…

Khione off to the side is smiling widely like this was her definition of fun.

“So you’ll help us?” Jason asks.

“I did not say that,” Boreas scowls.

“Please, Your Majesty,” Piper says. Her voice has that..richness again..so… compelling..a true blessing of Aphrodite. “If you tell us where the storm spirits are, we can capture them and bring them to Aeolus. You’d get to look good in front of your boss. Aeolus may pardon us and future demigods. We could even rescue Gleeson Hedge, everyone wins.”

“She’s pretty,” Zethes mumbles, “I mean, she’s right.”

“Father don’t listen to her,” Khione says, “She’s a child of Aphrodite. She dares to charmspeak a god? Freeze her now!”

Charmspeak? Oh…yeah, a rare gift from Aphrodite.

Boreas considers it. Jason reaches into his pocket for his coin. Della hesitates as she reaches for Leda.

The movement caught Boreas’ eye. “What is on your forearm demigod?”

Reluctantly Jason shows the god his arm.

The god’s eyes actually widen. Khione hisses like a snake and slithers away.

Then Boreas does something very unexpected, an icicle cracks from the ceiling right next to his throne. The god’s form begins to flicker. His beard disappeared. He grew taller and thinner, and he’d changed into a Roman toga, lined with purple. He wore a frosty laurel wreath, and a gladius–a Roman sword like Jason’s hung at his side.

“Aquilion,” Jason says.

The god inclines his head. “You recognize better in this form, yes? And yet you say you came from Camp Halfblood?”

Jason shifts his feet. “Umm…yes, Your Majesty.”

“And Hera sent you there…” the god’s eyes glitter with mirth. “I understand now. Oh, she plays a dangerous game. Bold, but dangerous! No wonder Olympus is closed. They must be trembling at the gamble she has taken.”

Gamble…that’s what Circe called Della. She called her Hera’s gamble.

“Jason,” Piper says nervously. She moves closer to Jason and Della. “Why did Boreas change form? The toga…the wreath. What’s going on?”

“It’s his Roman form,” Jason says. “But what’s going on…I have no clue.”

Aquilion laughs. “I’m sure you don’t this should be interesting to watch.”

“Does this mean you’ll let us go?” Piper asks.

“My Dear,” the god says, “There is no need for me to kill you. If Hera’s plan fails, and I do believe it shall, you’ll tear each other apart for me. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods ever again.”

Suddenly it felt like the room had gone down at least twenty degrees. Something else wrong was happening, something far bigger than Boreas letting them go or not.

“I don’t suppose you could explain?” Della asks. Though she’s starting to piece some of this together.

“Oh, perish the thought! It is not for I to interfere with Hera’s plan. No wonder she took the boy’s memory,” He laughs. He’s having a wondrous time imagining demigods tearing each other to shreds. “You know, I have a reputation as the helpful wind god. Unlike my brethren, I’ve been known to fall in love with mortals. Why my sons Zethes and Calais started as demigods–”

“Which explains why they are idiots,” Khione grumbles.

“Stop it!” Zethes bites. “Just because you were born a full goddess–”

“Both of you freeze,” Boreas says. He’d switched back to his Greek form.

Just like that the two siblings froze.

“Now as I was saying, I have a good reputation. It is rare that Boreas plays an important role in the affairs of the gods. I sit here at my palace, at the edge of civilization, and so rarely have amusements. Why even that fool Notus, the South Wind, gets spring break in Cancún. What do I get? A winter festival with naked Qúebécios in the snow!”

“I like the winter festival,” Zethes mutters.

“My point is,” Boreas snaps, “is I have not had the chance to be the center. Oh, yes, I will let you go on this quest. You will find the storm spirits in the Windy City–Chicago of course–”

“Father!” Khione protests.

Boreas ignores her. “If you capture the storm spirits, you may be able to gain entrance to the court of Aeolus. If by some miracle you succeed, be sure to tell him you captured the winds on my orders.”

“Of course Your Majesty,” Della says, “we’d be honored to comply.”

Boreas smiles at Della.

“So Chicago is where we’ll find the lady who’s controlling the winds? She’s the one who trapped Hera?” Jason asks.

“Ah, those are two different questions, Son of Jupiter,” Boreas says.

Jupiter…hmmm interesting

“The one who controls the winds,” Boreas says, “yes, you will find her in Chicago. But she is only a servant–a servant who is very likely to kill you. If you succeed against her and take the winds, then you may go to Aeolus. Only he has knowledge of all the winds of the Earth. All secrets come to his fortress eventually. If anyone can tell you where Hera is imprisoned it’s Aeolus. As for you’ll meet when you finally find Hera’s cage–trust me you’ll wish I froze you.”

“Father,” Khione protests, “You can’t just let them–”

“I can do what I like,” Boreas booms, “I am still the master here, aren’t I?”

The look he gives her it is clear there is an unspoken argument. Khione’s eyes flash with anger, she clenches her teeth.

“As you wish father.”

“Now go, demigods,” Boreas says, “before I change my mind. Zehtes escort them out safely.”

They all bow as the God of the North Wind dissolves into the mist.

⬳

Back in the entry hall, Cal and Leo stand waiting for them. Leo appears cold but unharmed. He’s even cleaned up, his clothes look newly washed as though he’d used the hotel’s valet service. Festus was once again in dragon form.

As Khione leads them down the stairs, Della notices Leo’s eyes follow the goddess. Leo starts combing his hair back with his hands. Della rolls her eyes. Boys.

At the bottom step, Khione turns to glare at Piper and Della who stand side by side. “You may have fooled my father girls, but not me. We are not done. And you, Jason Grace, I will see you as a statue in the throne room soon enough.”

“Boreas is right,” Jason says, “You are a spoiled brat. See you around, ice princess.”

Khione’s eyes flash pure white. She’s about to respond when–

“Enough you two,” Della says, “We need to go. Now.”

Khione forms ice in her hands which turns into water freezing her hands. Khione startles and looks up at Della.

Jason and Piper stare in amazement as Khione storms upstairs.

“Did you just–” Piper laughs.

“Manipulate water? Yeah, Daughter of Poseidon remember?” Della laughs.

“Be careful she never forgets an insult,” Zethes warns.

“Bad sister,” Cal agrees.

Leo looks devastated. “What happened up there? You made her mad? Is she mad at me too? Guys, that was my prom date!”

“We’ll explain later,” Piper says. The Daughter of Aphrodite looks at Jason.

Della had an idea of what happened in the throne room with Boreas shifting forms. If she was right how had they not known about all this sooner? Is this what Chiron swore on the River of Styx for?

The fact that Jason had been sent to camp amused him, and Boreas/Aquilion had not let them leave out of kindness. No, cruel amusement danced through his eyes like he’d placed a bet on a dogfight.

If Hera’s plan fails, and I do believe it shall, you’ll tear each other apart for me. Aeolus will never have to worry about demigods ever again.

Jason looks away from Piper. He’s got that look similar to when Della took him to Chiron. The look of I shouldn’t be here.

“Yeah,” he says, “we’ll explain later.”

“Be careful pretty girls,” Zethes warns, “The winds between here and Chicago are bad-tempered. Many other evil things are stirring. I’m sorry you will not be staying. You would make lovely ice statues, in which I could check my reflection.”

“Thanks,” Piper says, “But I’d sooner play hockey with Cal.”

“Hockey?” Cal’s eyes lit up.

“She’s joking,” Della says, “Those storm spirits aren’t the worst of our problems are they?”

“Oh no,” Zethes says, “Something else. Something worse.”

‘Of course it is.”

“Can you tell me?” Piper tries.

The purple-winged Boreads shook their heads. The hangar opened onto a freezing starry night sky. Festus stomps his feet anxious to fly out of there.

“Thanks anyways,” Della says.

“Aeolus knows what is worse Adella Jackson,” Zethes says darkly, “Good luck.”

If Della didn’t know better she’s say he cared about the fates they may meet. If she had to guess empathy from when he was a demigod.

Cal pats Leo on the shoulder. “Don’t get destroyed.” The longest sentence by far. ��Next time hockey. Pizza.”

“Aww, see Leo this wasn’t so bad you made a friend!” Della laughs.

“Shut up Katara!”

“Come on you guys,” Jason says, “Let’s go to Chicago and not get destroyed.” 

[zizephy]

[Tempo] Intro! 𓅪

My art blog: @zephartchives My RP blog with my partner (Hailskull): @hailskull [Skip to the bottom part if you're looking for my persmissions]

━─━────༺༻────━─━ ☂ Greetings! Please call me Zei or Zeth, either works! ☂ I'm not a minor and my blogs mostly consist of 16+ contents so I would prefer to be interacted with by those over and around that age. I speak English and Tagalog! (Preferably English though) ☂ I am an artist and I mostly draw OCs in a fantasy setting. Quite dnd? Quite not! I love world/character-building a lot and I often hyper-fixate on them. I do want to warn you that my work can get a little "Edgy" simply because of vent arts or dark thematics of my world. (Sometimes I do fanart for things I like) ☂ If my artwork or I personally happen to upset you, you are free to unfollow/block me. However if possible, If I did something wrong, let me know. ☂ Spam likes/reblogs are highly appreciated! And I may return the favor if you're a fellow artist. ━─━────༺༻────━─━ DNI IF: ☹ You're an asshole and can't respect other people's interests. ━─━────༺༻────━─ Art status: ☂ Commissions: Open ☂ Art trades: Open ☂ Request: Depends Permissions: ☂ Can you use my art icon/banner? As long as there's credit, you may do so! Unless the art is for someone else. In that case, go ask them. ☂ Can you use my designs in your RPs/TTRPG? Absolutely not. Due to personal reasons, I abhor the thought of my characters being used for unknown reasons. You can take inspiration from my characters, no Idea is original after all. Just that I ask you to not heavily take inspiration from them that they've become an alternate version of my character.

☂ Can you make Fanarts of my character? Yes, of course! I will highly cherish it forever♡ ☹ Here are my boundaries with fanart: - No Hate/Disrespectful art - Heavy gore is okay! Just don't make them die so lame /hj 😭 - Ship art is adorable, but please ask me first if you're gonna make it unless it's obviously canon. - Interaction with my character and yours is okay! Just don't make it weird. ☂ Can I talk to you? Absolutely! My DMs and Asks are open! You can ask my discord in DMs if you want to talk there. I'm more likely to respond there. ━─━────༺༻────━─

[rhysintherain]

WIP Word Game

Rules: You will be given a word. Share one sentence/excerpt from your wip(s) that starts with each letter of that word.

Tagged by @blackjackkent. The word is ELEPHANT (points for imagination. Also do you know how few sentences I start with E?? This pretty much has all of them lmao).

We're going with bits of Daylight Worlds, because it's fun and living in my head recently.

---

E - Either way, who are we to say they don’t exist, simply because we haven’t stumbled across them yet?

L - Life, as far as he was concerned, was chaotic and difficult, and any time it wasn’t felt like the calm before the storm, the natural state of the universe waiting for an innocuous moment to shatter the silence.

E - Everything, from the darkness that surrounded them to the rough, unfinished walls, gave the place an eerie, uncomfortable feel.

Who had made this place, so bare and without meaning? The surfaces looked worn from use, so why hadn’t they made it feel like a home? What was the purpose of such a utilitarian vessel, and who would normally staff it? The ship was huge, easily four times the size of the Orca. Where was its crew?

P - "polite way of saying they’re thugs and con artists,” Zeth added.

Adran smiled. “Technically speaking, they're sovereigns. Broken Circle is an independent entity that hasn’t signed the Compact Charter, so there’s no authority capable of stipulating what’s illegal except the Milanatas.”

“And they refuse to extradite, so every criminal who can afford it runs here to hide. I’ve lost three contracts to this glorified houseplant,” Zeth muttered.

H - “How have the crew been? I don’t imagine many of them have a lot of experience interacting with your culture.”

“They have been… polite. I make some of them nervous, although I’m unsure if that is because they think I can hear their conversations, or because of the knives.”

A - Aeia had raised her strange pist and was pointing it at her friend’s head. “How long?

“How long have you been fooling me?” she demanded. “How long has my enemy been standing beside me, pretending to help?”

N - “Not any more dangerous than my usual work,” Zeth replied.

Raissan made a little huff of frustration. “That’s not reassuring, Zeth. You do really dangerous things all the time.”

T - “The point here is to actually look like an assassin, babe,” Michele added. “Ooh, can I make you an outfit? You'll look so cool!"

---

Tagging: @fixomnia-scribble, @invisible-goats, and anyone else who wants to.

Your word is: PLANETS (to stay on topic since this is my sci-fi universe)

[doomedandstoned]

LUNA SOL Drop Bombshell Heavy Stoner-Blues Rocker ‘Vita Mors’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

By Billy Goate

Ladies and germs, please put your filthy hands together for the kings of the high desert heavy blues... This is LUNA SOL a band drawn from the high mountain country of Colorado and Kentucky, existing with no doubt for the pure love of rock 'n' roll. And a very specific breed of it, with a bluesy, bittersweet, and darkly-hued dive bar vibe and a warm, driving rhythmic underbelly that brings comfort to misery and has a way of lifting the spirits.

"The personal struggles and joys we’ve shared through making this album highlighted that at the end of the day life is good," says Hermano guitarist David Angstrom, who has fronted the band since 2012, "and each day is a reward that we need to cherish and take in."

'Vita Mors' (2024) is their third LP, releasing tomorrow on Ripple Music -- a big album with a big, thumping heartbeat. When I say big, I mean 13 tracks worth of stirring, soulful, foot-stomping rock, with real lyrics about real shit.

Joining the core of the band (which also includes Zeth Pedulla/drums and Doug Tackett/bass) are members of Black Stone Cherry, Kingfish, Hermano, Disengage, and Supafuzz, along with Luna Sol friends and family. There's a vibrancy about these various collaborations on tracks throughout the album that comes through from the get-go with "Black Cat Callin'" -- a stage-storming evolution of blues, soul, and rock influences spanning decades.

The genre of rock 'n' roll is proving enduring, even if it seems to go "underground" in the popular culture from time to time. Tracks like "Head in a Hole" cannot help but raise hell in any generation (you'll hear many of those friends and family in the chorus, I suspect). Luna Sol's music does the trick, thanks to a good infusion of '70s guitar-driven axe-wielding with a swampy, southern-desert twist (check out 1:52 on "Never In My Life" and the deadly riffage of "Freelance Friend").

There is some balance with the moody "Low 'n Easy," which reminds me fondly of Jerry Cantrell's Degradation Trip in its dour, grungy mix. "I've been wrong, I've been right. Some will say...I bite." The vocals are jaded and mellow throughout which is a nice contrast to the slithering rhythm, piercing tap tap of the drums, and a downtuned guitar and bass.

Speaking of downtuned, "Surrounded by Thieves" begins as an amp-worshipping gem, and you can tell the band is having fun with it, too. This may be my favorite of the record, just for how effectively pedal effects are used to shape the atmosphere of the song. The riff on this one is gnarly a.f. "Let's go drink in the sun, let's go drown in the moonlight, and live life on the run." The vocals really bring out the lyrics' rebellious intent.

"No Substitutions" is as heavy as Rage Against The Machine, but turns the guitars in a bluesier direction. The sway of the rhythm is driven and rollicking. Luna Sol play with conviction, in a way that can't help but pull you away with the tide, if you've got on a good pair of headphones especially.

There's a near 22-minute bonus track which was a refreshing capstone to what has been a hard-driving album.

Look for Luna Sol's Vita Mors releases Friday, September 20th on Ripple Music on vinyl, compact disc, and digital formats (get it here).

Stick it on a playlist with Creedence Clearwater Revival, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, Brant Bjork, and Old Blood.

Give ear...

Ripple Music · Luna Sol - Vita Mors

SOME BUZZ

LUNA SOL is a highly regarded high mountain stoner blues rock band led by veteran singer and lead guitarist David Angstrom, known for his work in bands such as Hermano, Asylum On The Hill, Black Cat Bone and Supafuzz. Now in its 14th year, the band is poised to deliver its finest album yet through Californian imprint Ripple Music.

To bring this vision to life, Angstrom enlisted the help of drummer Zeth Pedulla and bassist Doug Tackett. The trio's chemistry was immediate and undeniable. As the riffs began to flow, songs came to life and they decided to hit record to capture the beautiful heaviness they were creating together. From the onset, they all wanted "Vita Mors" to feel and sound live, pulling the listener into a small dive bar nestled in the mountains and filled with Marshall stacks, Les Pauls, a massive amount of drums and a wall of bass amps to shake the foundation.

Vita Mors by Luna Sol

"Vita Mors" highlights Angstrom's desire to evolve and explore new musical territory while staying true to his Southern Kentucky roots. Doug and Zeth create beautiful layers of fury in one breath while offering a divine delicacy in the next, a perfect foundation for Angstrom’s madness, stories, riffs and noise. It was recorded in Dave Angstrom’s home studio in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain, mixed and mastered by Jason Groves (Supafuzz/Asylum On The Hill alumni) and assisted by Ty Tabor (King’s X).

Follow The Band

Get Their Music

[buxombimboficd]

zeth tried to stay out as much as possible. he didn't need to feel like the girly thing he was behind closed doors unless told to. jackie had manipulated and given him a body for her desire. sometimes he wished she would just commit and give him tits, a different face. instead he was humiliated by the idea of knowing that beneath the jeans were panties soaked by the thought of being absolutely ruined by his girlfriend. speaking of being ruined, zeth moaned out loudly as he pushed further and further down, a little faster as her request. his eyes teared up and his slightly curved body shook with adjustment. "y-you're...you're s-so big, daddy! your cock is b-beyond huge!" he slid all the way down and then moaned out again in a loud, unhinged tone. fuck she was all the way in! he could feel her deep.

there was no doubt who was in control once the two of them were in the bedroom. in public, she was the sweet doting girlfriend and let him feel like a man as much as he wanted. because she knew that when they got home, she was going to absolutely destroy his little holes and leave him covered in her cum. zeth painted with her hot sticky cum was her favorite sight in the whole world. she definitely couldn’t get enough of it. she licks her lips and their proximity makes her tongue flick across his own as well, a temptation for him to go faster. “ god, you fit daddy’s dick just right. you better go faster, fuckin’ slut. unless you want daddy to just ruin this slutty, little cunny. “ a warning that jackie was more than willing to make good on, as soon as the urge crossed her mind.

[dog-girl-zezora]

...

[lynxalon]

So, TARGET are a funny group, and Hyun, Woojin, and Zeth/Seulchan (those two feel like a comedic duo) made me laugh a lot. Still don't know much about them, so what better way to get to know them than take a screenshot, put words on it, and post it on Tumblr!

[crypttechnikian]

i had a dream (which is now getting added to my OC's story) that Hunter (TOH) imprisoned Zethille (my TOH OC) and tried to get him to use his powers but the entire time Zeth just made funny of him and lowkey flirted with him. ig: Hunter: Tell me where the human is! Zeth: Tell me your zodiac sign. Hunter: I-... my what? Zeth: Oh nothing, I just wanna see if we're compateable *laughs in gay enby demon* and Zeth: So, why are you short? You're like... Shorter than me and that's saying something Hunter: I'm not short! I'm still growing! Zeth: That's what I said and I haven't grown since I learned my first spell. I never really liked tall guys anyways.

[player-1]

Small reblog to add in a earlier post I made on the introductory info in Micromon explaining a bunch of things for the ending (mostly in hindsight), but the longer version is this (with obvious spoilers below):

-The main "antagonist" to the Micromon story (and title 'mon) is Vaithe, the Colossus of Light, and more commonly known as Vados after being reverse-ported into the real world and getting a major upgrade in Nexomon Extinction. He also has four siblings (Anima, Agita, Gurgita, and Fulmina) that get brought back post-Abyssal storyline for better and worse depending on other people's reactions.

-While a good chunk of characters are aware that Pixekai is a digital world (to certain degrees), it's better explained in N1 that (Project) Pixekai was a bunker program for humans to live in a simulated world w. fake Nexomon/Micromon in the extremely likely chance that Omnicron is revived and causes another apocalypse but was scrapped due to unforseen circumstances...Also Omnicron's face is on every health center and is called a blue fox, so that's kinda funny.

-The only real people that know that it's a doomsday bunker are the Legion members (Slider, Lethar, Moonborn, and Jade) since they were the beta testers of the Pixekai program, but lost their memories of the outside world due to time or memory manipulation from Black Root (more specifically the leader Leah). Also it's heavily implied/confirmed(?) that they're ghosts in the system due to their real bodies dying sometime after being ported in, so it's not like they can go back even if they wanted too :')

-And speaking of unforeseen circumstances, the reason why Pixekai went bust, both figuratively and literally, is because of Malk; the laid-back and carefree scientist the player meets at the very beginning to teach you the ways of being a Micromon tamer with his robot assistant B002 (I like to call him Boot btw :). So while the player goes all the way to the right and battles the Legion, defeat Black Root, and learn the truth of Vaithe's role in Growtown/Ground Zero's destruction (all on Malk's recommendation btw), the main twist is eventually revealed (if his thinly veiled jokes weren't obvious): Malk was playing you the whole time and was self-aware some time before the main story (as well as Leah since they were scientist work partners); both destroying Growtown to try and break into the real world and just pins the blame on Vaithe for naturally lashing out when his tamer gets killed in the crossfire, and with Leah eventually creating Black Root to find someway to live alongside humans/organics and to give her son Zeth a better life outside of being a S-Rank Tamer (which Malk hates for obvious reasons). And after gathering up enough power to punch another hole into the digital universe (which canonically wipes out half of Pixekai's population btw) and siccs his newest robot meat-shield B003 (heh) on his newly-betrayed pawn, he escapes into the real world to enact his vengeance on the ones who made him live this unjust life...And then he meets Metta.

[On a semi-related note, I'm all for Metta just having a jacket in a similar color scheme to Malk's old lab coat (Omnicron patch and hood aside) and he wears it incorrectly as a sign of respect for the mentor teaching him his genocidal ways and getting the upper hand as NexoLord...Not that he's going to admit it to his face, but it's the thought that counts.]

Be me, just looking through some micromon play throughs quickly to see if the CHAOS siblings talk at all so I can act appropriately and approach them as I should

Nd then, I, on a random video, stumble across a dude with like, ya know which shade of blue hair.

According to a friend who has played Micromon this is just, a random overseer(or the micromon equivalent), but like:

Confusion??

Do you guys see it? I mean, he says like surfer slang and things like 'yo' but like-

THE NECKLACE?? With 6 golden things and a blue shell?? Kjwkiwjddje

What were the (in universe) micromon scientists on??

And he also has like, googles like Sols does. Im-

Apparently this is just some dude but I *guess* I know where Merida got her surfing from??

[starburr]

S W A R M

[90363462]

GUNS IN AMERICA

After deadly shooting, anger and grief weigh heavy on Colorado Springs' LGBTQ community at vigil

Those at the vigil reassured one another as they tried to reconcile the attack in a city where some said it has become more difficult to be an open member of the LGBTQ community.

00:23 /01:58

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Nov. 20, 2022, 4:48 PM EST

By Deon J. Hampton and Phil McCausland

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Just six miles from Club Q, an LGBTQ-friendly nightclub where a lone gunman killed five people and injured 25 others, hundreds of mourners gathered at a Unitarian church on Sunday to grieve those lost in the attack and find solace in each other's arms. 

Many faces were awash with tears at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church where locals organized the vigil. Together, those in attendance remembered the dead and reassured one another as they tried to make sense of this attack in a part of Colorado where they said it has become more difficult to be an open member of the LGBTQ community.

Outside the vigil, Shayana Dabney, 23, a Black bisexual woman said the "heartbreaking and egregious" shooting had left an indescribable sadness in the pit of her stomach. 

“What is most disturbing to me is that Colorado Springs is always on the list for nicest places to live, but when you live in the city it becomes evident very quickly that that’s only the case for a very specific demographic," she said. 

It was a retreat in those "darker days," he said. That darkness appears to have returned to this community, however, as it lives in the shadow of a devastating shooting that has left 11 people in the hospital. 

“Never would we think this, this level of hate,” Haynes said of the shooting. 

Some spoke about the city as also a victim of the senseless attack. Brandon Floyd, 28, who does not identify as LGBTQ, said he attended the vigil to pay his respects and show his support to the community deeply wounded by the gunman. 

“I came to see the faces of the people who are affected by this because obviously this is a tragedy,” he said. “The city is hurt.”

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But, according to some, the city's pain appears to also come from an intolerance for the LGBTQ community that has developed in recent years. 

As he further reflected, Haynes said that growing hatred for LGBTQ people and the prevalence of high-powered guns had created a powder keg in this area of the country. With the holidays coming up, he said it made the situation so much worse. 

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, an openly gay man, speaking virtually at the vigil because he tested positive for Covid, called the attack devastating.

“My heart breaks for family members, friends and neighbors,” he told the packed church Sunday afternoon. “Evil will never win out over love and kindness.” 

The shooting was exponentially more traumatic, the governor said, because the club had served as a safe haven for the LGBTQ community — a place to laugh and dance. 

Recommended

U.S. NEWS5 killed after gunman opens fire at LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs

Zeth Gross, 22, knows the club's significance better than most. 

For the last four years, they were a regular at Club Q. They performed their first drag show there, and it was an oasis for them and so many others. The only reason Gross wasn't there on Saturday night when the shooting occurred was because they'd injured their leg. 

“It was the safest place I knew. It was so accepting,” Gross said outside the vigil on Sunday. “No matter what, I didn’t have to hide."

Deon J. Hampton

Deon J. Hampton is a national reporter for NBC News.

Phil McCausland

Phil McCausland is an NBC News reporter.

Sent from my iPhone

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Journeying Together Date

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 同行之约, which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

 [ Release Date in CN: 19 Nov 2020 ]

MC: It’s White Dew today. The weather is clear and bright, and the sky is cloudless. My first demon-slaying mission... a failure.

[Trivia] White Dew (白露 - “bai lu”) refers to the 15th solar term spanning from 8 - 22 September

As the orange light of sunset filters in through the window panes, I bite my writing brush, a little defeated as I write this sentence in my manuscript.

The pitch-black book bears the symbol of the Royal Occultist's Guild. The page that I’ve flipped to has a large portion of white.

According to the rules, every Occultist has to record his or her experiences in the manuscript after every mission, for the ease of the Guild’s management.

It was the first time I received an official demon-slaying mission.

The Occultist who sent me on the mission had made a solemn vow that on Gavin’s account, he’d give me a very elementary mission.

In the end... 

Thinking about yesterday’s utter chaos, I can’t help but heave a long sigh.

MC: He clearly gave me an extremely difficult mission, yet he said he did it on Gavin’s account... Looks like Gavin’s account is even thinner than the pancakes sold outside the gates of Three Dreams Quarter!

While muttering complaints to myself, a clear, spirited voice drifts from outside the window.

Gavin: Who did you say has an account thinner than the pancakes sold outside the gates of Three Dreams Quarter?

[Note] This is meant to sound funnier in Chinese! I translated “account” from 面子 (“mian zi”), which directly means “face”. So it’s supposed to sound like “Who did you say has a face thinner than the pancakes...”

MC: !

My heart thumps, and I turn my head guiltily.

MC: Gav... Gavin, what are you doing here?

Gavin holds his sword, leaning against the hexagonal window, a few fallen catkins on his inky cotton robe.

He lifts his eyes to look at me, answering my question concisely and comprehensively. 

Gavin: Just passing by.

His gaze falls onto the Occultist’s manuscript I tossed onto the table, the light in his pupils stirring.

Gavin: I heard that your first demon-slaying experience didn't go very smoothly?

MC: How did you know?

Gavin: I heard it from others. A new Occultist chased a demon across three streets, and ended up getting lost.

MC: ...

I cover my face using the manuscript, voice despondent.

MC: Truly, good deeds never go beyond the gate, but bad news travels far and wide. 

Suddenly, the manuscript is removed from my face. The autumn light and the person who is basking in it both enter my vision.

Gavin flips through the manuscript, his eyes sweeping across the white page, his voice bringing with it a faint smile.

Gavin: What happened exactly?

Returning to my senses, I start speaking, a little vexed. 

MC: Yesterday, I accepted the mission and headed to catch the demon at the city moat. But he trapped me in an alley. By the time I went around the alley, the demon I was supposed to capture was already gone. 

I relate the incident to him, laying on the table listlessly and in low spirits. Turns out being an Occultist wasn’t as easy as I thought.

The room is quiet for a moment, and Gavin sets down the manuscript.

Gavin: Want to be my partner?

MC: What? 

I sit up abruptly, looking at the person in front of me with slight incredulity. 

The Royal Occultist's Guild has a rule that a senior Occultist can select his own partner.

MC: What you’re saying is...

His eyes sweep across my face. 

Gavin: Anyway, I don’t have a partner yet.

After saying this, his eyes pause on the corridor outside the window. My heart thumps, something important occurring to me. 

MC: I’m someone you recommended into the Guild. If my results aren’t good, will it cause trouble to you?

Is that why he felt there was a need to lead me by the hand?

Gavin: No. I just find that you’re the most suitable.

Although I have no idea what he means by “suitable”, I nod. Having someone to cover me is always a good thing.

MC: Sure.

Gavin nods slightly. Just as he’s about to say something, a red firework soars into the sky, especially conspicuous in the air.

It’s the Royal Occultist's Guild special firework, which signals that something which has appeared in the vicinity isn’t a demon, but something else...

Gavin: I’ll leave now. 

He turns to leave, but I pull on his sleeve deftly.

Gavin looks back in surprise.

Gavin: What is it?

Bringing along the demonseeker in a habitual manner, I quickly hop out of the window.

MC: Since we’re already partners, of course I’m coming along with you. Don’t worry, I’ll not hold Senior Occultist Gavin back!

Gavin’s eyebrows twitch, and a faint smile flashes across his eyes. 

Gavin: In that case, follow me closely.

-

Gavin and I move quickly, and we discover that the location where the firework appeared happens to be near the city moat. 

The city moat is incomparably quiet. A light mist floats above the lake’s surface, and it appears as though everything is normal.

Gavin tightens the demonbinder ribbon entwining the sword. With his other hand, he protects me behind him.

Gavin: The demonseeker isn’t moving, so we can’t be certain of where the demon is. Follow behind me and be careful.

I nod nervously, gripping the demonseeker tightly in my hand. 

Gavin walks in front of me, his inky cotton robe exuding a sense of indifference.

The days of climbing over walls and shielding each other in the Heavenbright Academy seem to have happened just yesterday. I can’t help but feel slightly muddled.

Suddenly, the cold tip of a blade flashes, and the swift and fierce sword bursts from Gavin’s hand, volleying towards the surface of the city moat.

Gavin: It has appeared!

Water splashes all about. Something powerful suddenly rises from the water, rushing towards us.

But when we see the object in the air, Gavin and I are left dumbfounded.

MC: Why is it... a pufferfish?

A gigantic pupperfish monster rushes towards us. It’s movements are very fierce, splashing water everywhere.

Gavin didn’t expect that his opponent would be a pufferfish. The unsheathed sword makes a stiff turn in the air before returning to its scabbard.

At the same time, Gavin calls me.

Gavin: MC!

Suddenly realising it, I step aside, glancing at the fishing net at the stall next to me.

I immediately hurl up the fishing net, tossing it towards the pufferfish monster.

The pufferfish monster seems to have a limited ability to think, and doesn’t know how to turn around halfway. Its head gets trapped in the fishing net, and it plummets to the ground.

I tug at the mouth of the fishing net. In the midst of the pufferfish monster’s frenzied ramming, I can sense the difficulty in slaying it.

Fortunately, Gavin comes over very quickly. Using his scabbard, the gigantic pufferfish monster is completely inhibited from moving.

He looks at me, a vague smile in his eyes.

Gavin: You weren’t bad just now.

I’m really proud of myself.

MC: Of course. I’m your designated partner.

The pufferfish monster tries its best to struggle underneath the scabbard. It releases squelching sounds, grabbing my attention.

MC: But what is this thing?

Gavin: Some creatures are the same as humans, and they possess special abilities. This pufferfish monster probably does too. It’s only a coincidence that it followed the flow of the city moat and appeared here.

While speaking, he shifts the scabbard away slightly, beckoning me to take a look.

MC: What should we do now?

I poke the rotund belly of the pufferfish monster. Getting angry out of embarrassment, it spits a huge glob of saliva at me.

Not prepared for this unexpected occurrence, the water splashes onto my face, and I even choke on it.

MC: Cough cough...

While finding this slightly amusing, Gavin helps to pat my back.

Gavin: Even though these creatures can’t speak like humans do, they have human-like characteristics. They strike back when angry, and are completely defenceless when they trust you.

He leans down, shifting the scabbard away.

Seeing that Gavin is leaning down, the pufferfish monster in front of him suddenly changes its expression. It retracts the spikes covering its body, and displays its rotund belly.

Speechless, I watch how agreeable it looks, placing a hand to my forehead.

He reaches out to hold one end of the pufferfish. Lifting it up gently, the pufferfish monster plunges into the city moat.

After entering the water, the pufferfish monster flops around excitedly several times before following the direction of the river and swimming towards the city.

MC: You’re letting it go just like that?

Gavin: It isn’t a creature managed by the Occultist’s Guild, so there’s no need to handle it in a special manner. 

He says this simply, turning around and walking onto another path.

I follow behind him.

MC: Where are we going next?

Gavin: The Occultist’s Guild.

-

The sky seems to have become much darker. Gavin takes me to the Occultist’s Guild. Climbing a wall at the back, we arrive at a room which stores dossiers on hidden abilities.

I try to control my curiosity but to no avail. With a turn of my head, I ask Gavin a question.

MC: Why do we have to climb over a wall to come here?

Gavin: It’s very troublesome to walk in through the main door.

I recall how Zeth and the others looked when they saw Gavin, and realisation dawns on me slightly. 

Gavin uses his scabbard to poke the window in front of him, smoothly entering the room. Then, he pats the dust off his hands before lifting his eyes to look at me.

Gavin: Come in.

Dumbstruck, I watch his incomparably practised, smooth movements.

MC: ...have you always been taking such unorthodox paths?

Gavin: Not often.

Gavin: Just that I’m used to it.

He coughs lightly, eyes turning to the room.

I have no choice but to leap into it too.

Several bookshelves filled with dossiers are in the room. Candlelight flickers, illuminating several sealed memories.

MC: Is this where the Occultist’s Guild stores documents on hidden abilities? I never had the chance to come here before.

Even though the pufferfish monster was harmless, it’s still a creature we’ve never seen before, and needs to be recorded into a dossier specially provided by the Occultist’s Guild for unheard-of and strange matters.

Gavin retrieves a particular dossier from a bookshelf at the side, tossing it to me.

MC: Do these dossiers record the demons encountered by Occultists?

Gavin: Mm. All the demons that have appeared over the past three years are here.

He leans against the window lattice. Bending his leg, he lowers his eyes and writes something on the book in his hands.

Occasionally, fallen catkins will drift in, falling on his robe.

After being dazzled for a moment, I return to my senses and flip open the dossier in my hand.

The dossier is very long, and seems to be filled more than halfway through. The handwriting is diverse, and very few mention Gavin.

It’s probably because Gavin doesn’t have the patience to specially return to make a record. As such, anything related to him is mostly found in what other people have recorded.

His name appears at the most fortuitous moments, or when he saves a certain Occultist, or when he can’t be found when rewards are being dispensed.

From these few, isolated words and phrases, I gradually put together a Gavin I’ve never seen before.

During upheavals caused by demons, the Senior Occultists always band together to slay them. Only then can they ensure their own safety.

The well-known Occultists have their own partners, but only Gavin has always been on his own.

Suddenly, the light from the lantern near me suddenly flickers before extinguishing completely. In an instant, the entire room descends into darkness.

MC: The candle has burned out. 

I stand up, wanting to find a candle. Because it’s too dark, I walk to the edge of the bookshelf.

Reaching out and feeling around, I touch a protruding object. With a slight sound, the bookshelf suddenly moves--

My heart instantly sinks, and I recall what Zeth once said: Don’t walk around and don’t touch anything. There are many hidden mechanisms in the Association.

MC: Oh no...

-

I had accidentally bumped against a defence mechanism in the storeroom. The bookshelf continuously shifts towards me, forcing me into a corner. 

In the midst of the threatening and forceful pressure, the sound of wind suddenly resounds.

Turning my head, I see Gavin in front of me.

He does something, and the bookshelf stops moving.

But the space is incredible narrow, and the both of us seem to be pressed together tightly.

MC: What should we do now? I didn’t know it was a mechanism in the storeroom. I just wanted to find a candle...

I couldn’t find a candle. Instead, Gavin and I have gotten trapped in a corner of the storeroom.

Gavin: There’s no need to worry. There’s a time limit to the mechanisms in the storeroom. After a while, it’d automatically return to its original position.

MC: In that case, how long is “a while”?

Gavin’s voice carries with it a hint of hesitation.

Gavin: I'm not sure either.

MC: ...

Wanting to lift my head to look at the surroundings, I accidentally bump into Gavin’s chin.

My neck stiffens immediately as I dodge out of the way. Because my centre of balance is unsteady, I end up hugging Gavin’s waist with one arm.

There’s complete silence. I can only hear the sound of Gavin’s breathing.

MC: Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do that on purpose...

Gavin: I believe you.

Gavin responds very quickly, then lapses into silence. He exerts slight strength on his wrists, pushing behind him.

His breath seems to move slightly further away, but his arm continues to cage the sides of my waist, shielding me from the edges of the bookshelf.

In the narrow space, I can’t see the expression on Gavin’s face, but can feel his heart beating.

It’s rapid and powerful.

In order to dispel the awkwardness, I break the silence. 

MC: Gavin, when you were slaying demons in the past, did you encounter anything which left a deep impression? Like the pufferfish monster we met today - I’ll definitely never forget it. If I include it in the manuscript, I’ll probably be able to pen several pages. Similar incidents have been recorded in bits and pieces in these dossiers, but they don't involve you. Could it be that you have nothing worth remembering?

Gavin hesitates for a while.

Gavin: I don't have much of an impression of things that happened when slaying demons. But there’s one thing that I’ve remembered for a very long time.

MC: What is it?

Gavin: I once met a demon who was very difficult to get rid of. I spent an entire day and night to annihilate it, but sustained injuries myself.

At this point, Gavin pauses. The moonlight outside the window is as cool as limpid autumn waters, casting the room with a peaceful silence.

I can more or less guess the words he has yet to say.

MC: And then? Didn’t reinforcements come and rescue you?

Gavin shakes his head. 

Gavin: When I regained consciousness, I found myself underneath a tree, and that a night had gone by. At that moment, I suddenly felt that having a partner isn’t actually a bad thing.

Even though he recounted the incident calmly, I can sense the path of hardships Gavin had gone through. 

MC: As expected, the role of a Senior Occultist isn’t one that can be obtained by anyone... I’m starting to worry about whether I’m qualified to be your partner.

Gavin: When we encountered the pufferfish monster, didn’t you help me catch it?

He pauses, faint anticipation in his voice. 

Gavin: Maybe the next time I faint underneath a tree, you can be of help.

I immediately shake my head. 

MC: It’s best not to have such an opportunity. Getting hurt isn’t something worth looking forward to. Also, I don’t have much strength. If you faint, I won’t be able to drag you. I’d probably stay by your side and not allow anyone to pick you up and leave.

Gavin laughs in spite of himself, low vibrations rumbling from his chest.

Gavin: That’s enough.

At this moment, a sudden soft sound is heard. The bookshelf pressing us starts to shift backwards slowly.

Gavin: The mechanism seems to have reset. I'll send you back.

-

Gavin walks beside me, the lanterns along the streets a brilliant, fiery red.

Gavin: Today’s tasks have been more or less completed. Have a good sleep after heading back. As for matters pertaining to the Guild, I'll handle them.

I nod. Something occurs to me, and I lift my head to look at him.

MC: Even if I can’t be an Occultist in the future, I’ll always be your partner. 

MC: Whether it’s facing interesting things like the pufferfish monster from today, or those dangerous circumstances you mentioned. 

MC: As your partner, I’ll experience them with you.

MC: We’ve made an agreement, and there’s plenty of time in the future.

I offer my hand to Gavin, my eyes filled with a smile.

We have walked to the end of this long street. With a turn, Three Dreams Quarter is in the distance.

Gavin halts in his steps. That pair of eyes, which are always incomparably calm, seem to be ignited by a spark in this instant, filled with a resplendent light.

He reaches out, hooking our pinky fingers together like a promise. 

The night breeze sends over the restlessness of human affairs and distracting thoughts, and also sends over Gavin’s calm and certain voice.

Gavin: I promise. 

Gavin: There’s plenty of time in the future.

-

[ Fun Fact ] The name of this date, “同行”, has two pronunciations and two meanings: 

(1) “tong xing”, which means “journeying together”

(2) “tong hang”, which means “same occupation”

It’s really witty on the writer’s part because both apply :> 

“Same Occupation Date” sounds a little... unromantic, so I stuck with the first meaning for the title HAHA