#adventures in unleashing my waves and curls!

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Why is the process of unleashing my newly discovered wavy curly hair so time consuming?!

I need to rig up some kind of stand for my hairdryer so I can type while I blow dry!!! 45minutes to fry my hair feels so frustrating with my adhd - my brain is not enjoying it at all 😂

[moonmaiden1996]

Hello! I’d love to see Astarion & the reader finding a nice little corner of a tavern to chat (and gossip a little lol), people watch, and stay warm with a hot drink/food during the holidays. Thank you! 🥰

This one sort of went rogue on this one because Astarion is such a gossip!

Astarion reclined in his chair with a languid grace, his posture more relaxed than usual. The wine in his glass swirled lazily, catching the dim light as his sharp gaze swept across the tavern. The alcohol had softened the usual edges of his composed demeanor, leaving him looking almost too content as he took in the lively spectacle around him. His lips curled into a wicked smile, eyes glinting with mischief as they flicked from one patron to another, clearly entertained by something more than just the evening’s revelry.

You settled into your own seat, the warmth of your mug of cider seeping into your hands as the steam drifted lazily upward. You glanced around the room, taking in the eclectic mix of travelers, adventurers, and townsfolk filling the space. When your eyes met Astarion’s again, you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. "Oh? And what is holding your attention?" you asked, your voice laced with playful curiosity.

Astarion leaned in, his grin widening as he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Oh, darling, it’s the drama," he purred, flicking a finger toward a corner where a group of adventurers, some of them familiar faces from your camp, sat engaged in animated conversation. "That table over there, to be specific. The intrigue in their eyes is far more entertaining than the contents of their mugs."

You followed his gaze, a knowing smile tugging at your lips. "Let me guess, you’re dying to gossip about Lae'zel and Wyll, aren’t you?"

Astarion’s smirk stretched into something more devilish, the tip of his wine glass tilting as he gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Oh, absolutely. Lae'zel and Wyll? How could I resist?" He took a leisurely sip of his wine, savoring the moment before continuing with dramatic flair. "Lae'zel is definitely sharing a bedroll with Wyll. I saw him dash in there after a hunt. Quickly, I might add. Honestly, good for him—he’s brave, I’ll give him that. I can't imagine she’s the easiest to satisfy." He paused, his expression one of mock solemnity. "Better him than me, I’ll tell you that much."

You let out a low laugh, unable to hold it back. "Oh, I noticed that too. The way they look at each other—it's practically palpable. I wouldn’t be shocked if they’ve been sharing more than just a campfire lately."

Astarion’s eyes sparkled with wicked delight, clearly relishing the gossip. "Jealous? Me?" he purred, his voice oozing with sarcasm. "Oh no, darling, I have no desire to be tangled in all that... well, enthusiasm." He waved a hand dismissively, as though brushing away an annoying thought. "Especially not when there are so many far more pleasant ways to spend a night." He wiggled his fingers in the air with a wink, as though casting an invisible charm.

You leaned forward with a smirk, a teasing glint in your eyes. "I think Wyll might secretly be enjoying himself, though. He plays the noble knight, but under that shiny armor? I bet there’s a wild side waiting to be unleashed. And I’m pretty sure Lae'zel is just the one to bring it out."

Astarion chuckled, the sound dark and amused, clearly enjoying the banter. "You could be right," he mused, swirling his wine with languid satisfaction. "I wonder if she’s showing him some of her... real combat techniques, if you catch my meaning." He took another leisurely sip, his gaze flicking around the tavern, savoring the moment. "But it seems we’re not the only couple catching the eye of the room. I’ve seen Gale sneaking into far too many portals lately."

You blinked in surprise. "No! With who?"

Astarion raised an eyebrow, a sly smile curling at the corners of his mouth. "Who, indeed?" he teased. "Though I’ll wager you can make an educated guess." His eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Shadowheart?"

The vampire gave an incredulous laugh. "Gods no! She’s frosty enough to snap his appendage right off," he mocked with a shudder, clearly enjoying the thought of it.

You tilted your head, considering the possibilities, before leaning in even closer and lowering your voice. "Karlach?"

Astarion’s smile deepened, his voice smooth with a satisfying, smug satisfaction. "No, darling. It’s Halsin," he said with the air of someone who had just reveal a particularly juicy secret.

"Halsin?" you gasped, eyes wide in surprise. "With Gale? I thought Gale was a ladies' man!"

"Please," Astarion drawled, waving a hand dismissively. "The man’s more of a flip-flopper than a summer breeze. He’ll crawl into whoever’s bedroll is closest."

"Well, I suppose it takes one manwhore to know another," you quipped, your smile mischievous.

"Touche," Astarion smirked, lifting his glass in a mock salute. "You’ve got me there."

He leaned back in his chair, clearly pleased with himself. "Oh, how delightful, darling. We should make a habit of this—spending our winter nights gossiping and observing the curious creatures who wander into places like this. It’s an endless source of entertainment." He raised his glass in a mock toast. "To good gossip, good company, and the endless parade of fascinating characters."

You clinked your cider mug against his glass, your smile playful and wicked. "And to the most fascinating of companions," you teased, delighted by the way his smile deepened in response.

As the evening wore on, and the warmth of your drinks mingled with the laughter and chatter that filled the tavern, you found yourself feeling more content than you had in ages. The world outside might have been cold and biting, but here, nestled in this cozy corner, surrounded by good company, sharp wit, and better gossip, everything felt perfectly in place.

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirate's Promise

This gif! cause Sanji was ready for war!

Chapter 27: Falling into Doflamingo's Web

A/N:  And we are back at it again with another chapter!! Also even though I did say like in 5 chapters we hitting a whole new arc… yeahhhh we aint done just yet… (heheh). Thank you guys so much for liking, following, commenting, and interacting!. We got lots of POVs, From Law, Our favorite lovesick cook Sanji, Zoro, and more!. Imma start making a masterlist and have it pinned on my profile so that way, every chapter will be on it!. But without further ado, let the adventure begin!

WordCount: 5.6K

Sanji x Reader, Sanji x Y/N, One piece X Reader.

Law POV… 

I dodged Doflamingo’s attacks, weaving through the barrage of deadly strings that cut through the air with terrifying precision. “Just a little more!” I thought, my breath ragged as I narrowly avoided another sharp strike. But in an instant, the strings closed in on me, wrapping around my limbs and slamming me against a tree with brutal force. My sword clattered to the ground, and my body strained against the pressure, the sharp wires biting into my skin.

Doflamingo loomed closer, a twisted grin on his face. “Why don’t you just hand over Caesar’s heart?” he sneered.

I smirked, despite the pain. “Is it really Caesar you want?” I asked, my voice dripping with mockery. “Or are you just scared Kaido’s going to kill you when you can’t produce SMILEs anymore?”

Doflamingo’s grin faltered, replaced by a flash of anger. The strings tightened around me, squeezing the breath from my lungs. He unleashed another wave of razor-sharp threads, aimed right at me.

“Room! Shambles!” I called out, swapping places just in time to evade the attack. My heart pounded as I landed a few feet away. “2.5 seconds… and I would’ve been sliced to bits,” I thought, my body aching from the narrow escape.

I tried to retreat, to get some distance between us, but Doflamingo’s strings lashed out once more, catching my leg and yanking me back. In a flash, he was on top of me, his knee pressing into my chest, pinning me to the ground. My vision blurred, the weight of his strength crushing me.

“You’re mine now,” Doflamingo hissed, his voice low and menacing. His fingers curled, ready to finish me off.

But then, the weight shifted, and I felt the sudden presence of another force. A sword—heavy and deliberate—pressed down, not from Doflamingo, but from above.

“Fujitora… why did you save him!?” Doflamingo snarled, his voice filled with fury.

The gravity around me intensified, pushing me deeper into the ground, every bone in my body screaming under the strain. “Ahhh!” I groaned, unable to move.

“I have my orders,” Fujitora said calmly, standing above me, his sword still raised. “I didn’t come here to kill him. My objective is to apprehend him.”

The crushing force kept me immobilized, my breaths shallow and labored. I felt my heart pound in my chest, but even that felt distant, muffled under the pressure.

Doflamingo’s cold laughter filled the air. “Now, about Caesar’s heart…” he said with a sinister smile, reaching down and snatching the small, fragile organ from my side.

Sanji POV… 

I stood with Kinemon, watching the commotion at the Coliseum unfold. My mind raced, trying to figure out how we could sneak in and warn Luffy before things spiraled even further out of control. I gritted my teeth, frustration building. There’s no easy way in with all these Marines crawling around.

Just then, I heard a familiar voice that grated on my nerves instantly.

“Hey! What the hell are you guys doing here?” came the all-too-recognizable tone of Mosshead.

“What… that’s—” Kinemon shouted in surprise. “It’s Sir Zoro! Hey, over here!”

“Subtlety, Kinemon!” I groaned, delivering a swift kick to his side to shut him up. "Do you want the Marines to find us?"

Zoro approached us from the shadows of the alley, his usual look of nonchalance plastered on his face. As much as I hated to admit it, I was relieved to see him. But there was something more pressing. Desperation clawed at my insides as I stepped closer to him.

“Zoro, have you seen Y/N by any chance?!” I asked, my voice laced with urgency. Every second without word from her was twisting my gut into tighter knots.

Zoro furrowed his brow and scratched his head. “No, actually I haven’t. But I did hear someone telling me to wait a couple minutes ago.”

I froze for a second, the words hanging in the air. Then, without thinking, I lunged toward him. “YOU IDIOT! That was her!” I yelled, grabbing him by the collar. “She’s in even more danger now, and you couldn’t even stop for two seconds to check?!”

Zoro glared, shoving me back. “How was I supposed to know it was her, dart-brow? I’m not some psychic who can read minds. Besides, I was busy trying to figure out where you wandered off to!”

“Oh yeah? Well maybe if you actually had a sense of direction for once in your life, we wouldn’t be having this conversation!” I shot back, my irritation with him rising as it always did.

Zoro’s eye twitched. “You wanna go, love-cook? 'Cause I’ve got time to deal with you!”

“Deal with me? You can’t even deal with finding your way down a straight road!” I snapped, our bickering escalating by the second.

Kinemon sighed in the background, shaking his head at our usual back-and-forth. “Perhaps now is not the time for this—”

Zoro cut him off. “Look, I’m not here to fight you. I’m heading back to the Sunny. It’s under attack by one of Doflamingo’s executives.”

My heart dropped, and my annoyance with Zoro quickly shifted to concern. “What? Damn it! I knew something wasn’t right! Nami and the others are in trouble!” I clenched my fists, turning towards Zoro. “Alright, I’m coming with you!”

Just as I was about to take off, Kinemon stepped in front of me. “Wait, Sir Sanji! We have vital information that we must bestow upon Sir Luffy! We cannot abandon our mission.”

Before I could respond, a familiar voice echoed from the shadows. “There you are.”

I whirled around, and my heart skipped a beat. “Violet, my sweet!” I exclaimed, practically floating over to her. I swooped in and grabbed her hands, swooning as I gazed into her eyes.

“Sanji, this isn’t—” Violet began, but I was too far gone.

“This is fate, destiny bringing us together again in this moment of chaos!” I declared, still holding her hands like we were in some romantic drama.

Zoro groaned, glaring at me. “That kind of crap is going to get you killed, idiot. Snap out of it!” he growled, but I waved him off, completely ignoring his rant.

“Zoro, you wouldn’t understand the complexities of love,” I said, still fixated on Violet’s eyes. “In a world as chaotic as ours, love is a shining beacon of hope and—”

“Shut up, dart-brow!” Zoro barked, his patience wearing thin. “We don’t have time for your romantic delusions! The Sunny’s under attack!”

But I paid him no mind, too engrossed in Violet’s presence. Just as I was about to pull her into a dramatic embrace, Zoro muttered something that snapped me out of it.

“Well, I guess that favor Y/N owes me is finally getting cashed in tonight,” Zoro said with a smirk. “Since you’re not lovesick for her anymore, that’s one less competition I have to deal with.”

I froze mid-swoon, releasing Violet’s hands and spinning on my heel to face Zoro, my eyes blazing with fury. “What did you just say?!”

Zoro’s smirk widened. “You heard me. Now that you’re all wrapped up in your latest fling, maybe I’ll finally have some peace without you hovering over Y/N like some lost puppy.”

My temper flared. “As if Y/N would ever fall for someone like you, you brainless swordsman! She has taste and refinement, something you severely lack!”

Zoro’s smirk turned into a full grin. “Oh yeah? Then why is she always hanging around me, huh? Maybe she prefers a real man who doesn’t get distracted by every pretty face that walks by.”

I clenched my fists, my face turning red with anger. “She does not! Y/N deserves someone with class and elegance, not some brute who can’t even find his way to the nearest tavern!”

Zoro crossed his arms, clearly enjoying how riled up I was getting. “Keep telling yourself that, love-cook. But when she realizes you’re too busy swooning over every girl in Dressrosa, don’t come crying to me.”

“Why you—” I lunged at him, ready to knock that stupid grin off his face.

Before I could get any closer, Violet’s voice cut through the tension like a blade. “Listen, Black Leg!” she said sharply, stepping between us. “Your ship has been hijacked by my colleague Giolla, and they’re making their way to Greenbit right now.” She looked at me with a mix of urgency and empathy. “If you don’t act fast, you might lose everything you’ve been fighting for.”

Laws POV… 

Doflamingo’s laughter echoed through the forest as Fujitora’s gravity technique kept me pinned to the ground, each second more suffocating than the last. I could barely move, my breathing labored and strained.

Doflamingo’s mocking voice cut through the haze of pain. “You know, Law, all this time you’ve been fighting against something far greater than you realize.”

I forced myself to focus despite the crushing weight. “What are you talking about?” I managed to croak out.

Doflamingo’s grin widened. “The World Government, Law. The 20 kingdoms that formed the foundation of this world, the Celestial Dragons—those who hold absolute power. The agreements made to keep this twisted system in place. It’s all part of the grand design.”

I struggled to piece together his words through the pain. “All this time you were a...” I began, my voice labored.

Doflamingo’s laughter grew louder as he continued to toy with Caesar’s heart, dropping it and catching it with cruel precision

Sanji POV… 

I stood at the crossroads of my decisions, torn between rescuing Nami and continuing my search for Y/N. The weight of my choices was heavy, but the thought of Y/N still missing gnawed at me. "Y/N, where are you, my sweet?" I muttered under my breath.

Flashback to 10 minutes earlier…

“Listen, mosshead, butt out of this decision!” I snapped at Zoro. “I’m looking for Y/N and also saving Nami and the others, got it?”

Zoro crossed his arms, glaring at me. “Idiot! How the hell are you going to be in two places at once? You can’t just split yourself in half!”

“Listen, I’ll head to the Colosseum, tell Luffy what’s going on, and then I’ll be the one in search of Y/N, got it?” Zoro shot back, his frustration evident.

“Alright, alright!” I relented, rubbing my temples in frustration. “I’ll go rescue Nami, and you find Y/N. Deal?”

Zoro nodded, a hint of relief on his face. “Deal. Just make sure you don’t get yourself killed while you’re at it.”

“Same to you,” I shot back, a smirk on my face despite the tension. “Don’t mess up and make me come rescue you too.”

End of flashback..

Here I was, riding the toy stallion with Violet. It still pained me to make the decision to split up, but if Y/N was anywhere close by, Zoro and Kinemon would be the first to find you. I tried to focus on the task at hand, though my heart ached with worry.

“Now, Violet, I told you to wait at the harbor, you naughty girl,” I said, fawning.

“I would, but the place is covered with Marines,” Violet replied, as we sped through the streets. “You and your friends may want to rethink your rendezvous point. I counted four battleships total, which means there are about 3,000 Marines scattered around.”

“And you managed to find that out in such a short amount of time?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It’s one of my abilities,” Violet said with a laugh. “Clairvoyance.”

“Clairvoyance, huh? That’s impressive,” I said, trying to keep the worry out of my voice. Violet assured me not to worry about her safety, but then she suddenly tensed, her gaze distant.

“I should be able to see your ship, but it’s simply not there,” Violet said, her tone turning serious.

“Wait, like it disappeared?” I asked, my heart sinking.

“It’s bad. It seems your ship emerged by now… where? And your ship was struck by lightning!” Violet said, her concern evident.

“Struck by lightning? Then Nami must be safe!” I said, relief washing over me as I made my way toward where the ship should be.  

Law POV… 

Doflamingo continued to taunt as Fujitora’s gravity powers kept me pinned to the ground. Each breath was labored, and the crushing weight felt like it was suffocating me.

“Damn that power,” I thought. “I’m completely immobilized.”

“There’s no way you’re a Celestial Dragon!” I managed to heave out, my voice strained.

“That’s me, well, that was me at least,” Doflamingo sneered. “But not anymore. Not many can say they’ve lived a checkered life as I have.” His taunts were infuriating, each word dripping with arrogance.

“Who cares, stop rambling, bastard!” I gasped, trying to push through the crushing weight.

“Sorry, Law,” Doflamingo said with a mocking tone. “Believe me, I would like nothing more than to knock back a few drinks and tell you all about my life story. But I don’t have time for all that. The Straw Hats are in Dressrosa, and I need to address that. And while I’m at it, I need to get my hands on that princess. It makes me most excited thinking about it.”

His words stung, and I could barely keep my eyes open as the pain intensified. The thought of you and the others in danger fueled my resolve. I had to find a way out of this, no matter what.

Fujitora’s head tilted slightly, his attention shifting. “I heard a thunderclap. I may be blind, but I’ve always had a keen sense for weather,” he remarked, his voice calm but focused.

From the bushes, Caesar emerged, desperate and frantic. “Joker! What are you doing?! Give me my heart back! I want it back now!” he whined, his usual panic setting in.

Doflamingo glanced at the heart in his hand, an amused grin spreading across his face. I struggled under the weight of Fujitora’s gravity power, each breath coming harder than the last.

“No good… I never said whose heart it was,” I managed to say between gasps of air. The words caught Doflamingo’s attention, and his grin widened.

Without a second thought, he crushed the heart, testing my claim. Caesar let out a dramatic wail, collapsing to the ground as if the very life had been squeezed out of him. But when nothing serious happened, and the realization struck that the heart didn’t belong to Caesar after all, Doflamingo’s amusement vanished. It was a marine soldier’s heart.

Taking the moment of confusion, I made my move. “Room!” I summoned my ability, the familiar blue dome surrounding us. “Shambles!” In an instant, I swapped myself out with a log, grabbing Caesar by the scruff and making a run for it.

“Joker, help me!!” Caesar shrieked, flailing in my grasp as we made our escape.

“You’ve got a lot of energy left, Law,” Doflamingo called out, already chasing us down with terrifying speed. Each time he attacked, I would switch the trajectory with an object, barely staying ahead of him.

We were heading toward the bridge, the path narrowing with every step. In the distance, I heard the panicked cries of the Straw Hat crew.

“Idiots! Keep your mouths shut!” I barked at them, knowing their noise would only draw more attention.

“So that’s your plan,” Doflamingo cackled, his eyes locked on the Thousand Sunny. “You think you can escape me by hiding behind your little pirate friends?”

“Doflamingo, wait! This doesn’t involve them!” I shouted, desperation creeping into my voice.

“Too late, Law!” Doflamingo’s laughter echoed through the air as he closed in. “Besides, I’m here to collect what’s mine.” His gaze fixed on the Sunny, and I could feel the threat looming over them.

I gritted my teeth. I had to stop him, no matter the cost.

Sanji POV…  

"Hey! You made my crewmates cry! You're going down!" I yelled as I launched myself into the sky with my Skywalk, my leg igniting with Diable Jambe. I aimed straight for Doflamingo, landing a burning kick right to his side.

"Sanji's here!" I heard Nami, Chopper, Brook, and Momo shout in relief. But Doflamingo simply laughed.

"This should be fun," he said with a wicked grin, his eyes gleaming with malice. "So, you're with the Straw Hats… Black Leg Sanji."

He moved so fast, I barely saw it coming. "Penta-Chromatic Strings!" Doflamingo shouted, and I felt the sharp pain as his strings sliced into me, knocking me out of the air.

"Sanji's hit!" Brook cried. "How? I didn’t even see him move!" Chopper added, panic in his voice.

I grunted in pain as I was falling from the sky clutching my side. "You don't have the strength to protect anyone," Doflamingo mocked, his laughter cutting through the pain. "Sanji!" Nami yelled, her voice filled with worry.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up, forcing the pain away. "Don't you dare turn your back on me… or my Diable Jambe!" I snarled, my left leg igniting in flames once again. "Poele a Friere: Spectre!" I unleashed a barrage of fiery kicks at Doflamingo.

"Let's go, Sanji!" Nami cheered. "Kick his butt!" Chopper added.

But then, I felt it—the sudden stop, my body freezing mid-attack. "What… I can't move! What the hell is wrong with me?!" My limbs wouldn't respond, as if they were bound by invisible chains.

Doflamingo laughed again, his voice filled with sadistic pleasure. "You’re no match for me, Black Leg."

I could see the crew in the distance, watching, their faces filled with fear. "What the hell are you guys waiting around for?! Use the Coup de Burst and get out of here!" I yelled, desperate for them to escape.

"We're not leaving you!" Nami shouted back, defiant.

But Doflamingo wasn't done. A flaming whip formed in his hand. "Overheat!" he called, launching the attack at me. I braced myself, but my body wouldn't respond.

"Shambles!" A voice from my left—Law. In an instant, I was teleported away from the strike, landing safely back on the ship with everyone else.

"There's been a slight change of plans. To the ship!" Law ordered, already assessing the situation. My left arm throbbed with pain, but I clutched it, trying to hide it from Chopper’s worried gaze.

"Sanji!" Nami shouted, running toward me.

"Oh… hey, Nami," I said, forcing a grin, but the pain and exhaustion were starting to catch up.

"Doflamingo is heading back!" Chopper cried out, his panic rising again.

"Great," I muttered under my breath, trying to regain my focus. Then Law turned to me, his voice low and urgent. "Sanji… what about the factory?"

"We found out where it is, but Franky says it's going to be tougher to infiltrate than we thought," I replied, my tone serious.

"And… Y/N?" Law's voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of his words hit hard.

I looked down at the deck, my chest tightening. "No, I couldn’t find her… Zoro's looking for her now." My voice cracked, and I hated myself for it.

"Wait, Sanji… what do you mean find Y/N?" Chopper asked, his concern growing. I could see the worry in their eyes.

"I lost her," I confessed, my voice strained. "I’ve searched everywhere, but she’s nowhere in Dressrosa. I don’t know where she is…"

"Hmph, the young princess is missing, huh?" Caesar chimed in, a smug grin on his face. "Maybe Doflamingo’s men already captured her."

I clenched my fist, anger boiling in my veins. "If they’ve touched her…" But I didn’t finish the sentence. There was no time for that now. I had to believe Zoro would find her. I had to believe she was still safe.

"We still need more time!" Law said, clutching something in his hand—a heart.

"Is that… my heart?!" Caesar wailed in panic.

"I'm afraid this is mine," Law responded coldly. "Yours? I've had that hidden this whole time." He held Caesar's heart firmly, showing no signs of letting it go.

"Listen, you guys need to head to Zou," Law continued, his tone sharp. "There are only two tasks left—destroy the factory and find out where Y/N is."

"Wait a minute!" Nami interrupted, her voice full of fire. "Hold on! We’re not going anywhere yet! If you think we’re going to set sail without our captain, you're nuts! We take orders from Luffy, NOT you!" she declared, standing her ground.

Just then, a massive explosion rocked the ship as we were hit with a cannonball from a nearby Navy ship. "Not good," I muttered, glancing at the damage. Things were escalating fast.

"Hold up, Law," I said, turning to him. "I realize we need to get out of here now and keep Caesar safe, but the operation with Caesar was just a waypoint. Our shared goal was to take down Kaido, wasn’t it? Why are you getting so hung up on Doflamingo?"

Law’s face darkened, but before he could answer, Nami shouted, "Time to go! Everyone ready?"

"Listen, Nami, you need to get to a clear sky!" Law called out. "Doflamingo possesses the String-String Fruit. He uses the clouds to get around."

"That explains it!" I said, realizing how Doflamingo had been moving so quickly.

Law then placed his blade against Giolla’s throat, using her as leverage. "One wrong move from Doflamingo, and she’s done," he warned, eyes cold.

With no other option, and knowing the clock was ticking, we initiated the Coup de Burst. The Sunny rocketed away from Greenbit, leaving the chaos behind us for now.

Zoro POV… 

We made it to the Coliseum, but there was still no sign of Y/N. Frustration bubbled up as I muttered, "Damn it, Y/N, where the hell did you go?"

"Do you have any ideas on how to get in? It’s all locked up," Kinemon asked, his voice low but urgent.

"No, but I could slash the bars down," I replied without thinking.

"We're trying to avoid exposure!" Kinemon snapped, clearly annoyed.

"Okay, so I can slash it quietly?" I offered with a smirk.

"That’s no help at all!" Kinemon shot back, his patience wearing thin.

Just then, we spotted someone passing by the bars of the Coliseum. "Hey! You!" I yelled, trying to get his attention. The guy froze, looking like a deer in headlights, then started freaking out.

"Hey, don’t leave yet! There’s something important I need to ask you!" I called out, but he just continued freaking out and cheering wildly.

"You sure this is a Coliseum and not a mental institution?" Kinemon muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Hey! I’m talking to you! Second floor, over here!" I kept shouting.

"Tears of joy shall flow to the end of time!" the guy screamed, completely ignoring me.

"Look, I don’t know who you are, but is there a way into the Coliseum? All the entrances I’ve found are closed up!" I shouted again, growing more irritated.

"I’m so glad I became a pirate! I can die happy!" the guy yelled, tears streaming down his face.

"What the..." I muttered, trying to process the madness.

Kinemon sighed. "Wait a moment, he said he knows Sir Luffy?" he asked, clearly confused. "How could he tell with our brilliant disguises?"

"Yeah, I know..." I muttered, wondering the same thing.

Just then, my transponder snail rang. I grabbed it quickly. "Hello?!" I barked.

"Now, Roronoa, there's no need to yell," came the familiar voice, making my heart stop.

"Where the hell are you, Y/N?! We've been looking for you!" I yelled into the transponder.

"Me?! I was yelling for you to wait!" she snapped back, clearly annoyed.

"Listen, that’s not the point," Y/N continued. "Doflamingo's men have been chasing me block after block. I had to change out of my disguise. Doflamingo has something planned for me, along with all of us and the rest of Dressrosa. That’s why I can't be anywhere near you guys yet."

"Where are you?!" I demanded, clenching my fists.

"Don't worry, I'm safe for now. I'll call again in a few minutes, Zoro. Please stay safe," she said, her tone softening at the end.

"Wait, don’t—!" I started, but the call ended.

I stared at the transponder snail, frustration building. "At least we know she's safe, Sir Zoro," Kinemon said, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, but we still need to find her. She could say she's safe, but that doesn't mean she's out of danger," I replied, my mind racing. "We need to talk to Luffy, tell him everything, and figure out where Y/N is before it's too late."

Y/N POV… 

"You got in contact with your crew?" Sabo asked as I handed back the transponder snail.

"Yeah, I reached Zoro," I replied, wiping my brow. "Told him I'd call back in a few minutes to explain the plan I have. Too bad that thug passed out from fear though... but we've still got two more left to make the call to Doflamingo." I smirked, glancing at the remaining thugs.

"And what's your plan?" Sabo asked, stepping closer with a curious yet cautious look in his eyes.

"Simple," I said, crossing my arms confidently. "We get one of these fools to call Doflamingo and tell him they’ve caught me. Lure him to the front of the Coliseum, kick his ass, make him chase me, let him think he's cornered me—only to have me lead him straight to the palace where we shut the whole operation down." I grinned, like I'd just outlined the most brilliant plan in the world.

Sabo stared at me, clearly skeptical. "Listen, Y/N, I'm all for kicking ass and taking down Doflamingo... but I don’t want anything to happen to you," he said, his voice growing serious as he placed his hands gently on my hips. "I just got you back, and I'm not about to risk losing you again."

His voice cracked, and I felt the weight of his words as tears began to fall from his eyes onto my chest. He was trembling, and I could feel the grief beneath his tough exterior.

"I already lost one brother... I can’t..." he said, choking on his tears.

The depth of his pain hit me hard. I stared at him in shock. 

"You were Ace's brother?" I asked, the shock of the revelation settling in.

Sabo nodded, his hands still holding me tightly. "And since you're Luffy's brother... that means you lost Ace too," I whispered, the weight of it all hitting me.

Sabo’s expression darkened, his eyes filled with guilt and sorrow. "When I found out... I lost it," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "I crashed. I... should have been there for him. I should have been there for Luffy."

"When did you find out?" I asked gently, placing a hand on his cheek and wiping away his tears.

"The day you were knocked out by King, and he caught us," Sabo replied, his body trembling. "When John and I went to treat your injuries, I went to an office and… saw the newspaper."

"Sabo..." I whispered, my heart aching for him.

"I should have been there... I should have been by his side. Luffy needed me, Ace needed me, and I wasn’t there for either of them." His voice cracked again, the pain of regret clear in every word.

I pulled him closer, feeling his pain radiating through me. "You can't blame yourself... you didn’t know," I whispered softly. "And now, you're here. You’re fighting for Luffy, and for everything Ace stood for."

Tears continued to stream down his face as he rested his forehead against mine. "I can’t lose anyone else, Y/N. Not you, not Luffy," he said, his voice barely a whisper. 

 I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close, letting him feel the safety of the embrace. "You’ve been through so much, Sabo. And even with all that, you were there for me."

He pulled back slightly, his eyes full of emotion. “But that's the thing, Y/N," he said, his voice rough with raw emotion. "You’re not just another person I’m protecting. You’re a part of my world. I’ve lost so much, I can’t... I won’t lose you too."

He exhaled deeply, his grip on my shoulders tightening as if grounding himself. “That’s why I have to go to that Colosseum," he said, determination flaring in his eyes. "To win the Flame-Flame Fruit. So I can carry Ace’s legacy and protect those who are important to me. If I have that power... I can make sure no one I care about gets hurt again."

I was about to respond when I heard groaning from one of the thugs. Giving Sabo a knowing look, I released the hug and made my way toward him. "Good morning there," I smirked. "Now, are you going to pass out like your buddy here, or are you going to follow directions?"

The man nodded frantically. "Good," I smirked, grabbing his transponder snail. "Now make the call."

We waited until Doflamingo picked up. His voice oozed malice. "Hello. This better be important, as I am dealing with an important matter."

"Sir, we got her... We got the girl, young master!" the thug said.

Doflamingo laughed. "I knew she couldn’t run forever. Now tell me, is she tied up nice and snug?"

It took everything in me not to snap back. "Yeah, she is. She’s tied up. Meet us at the Colosseum at the front, so you can take her."

"Splendid work you did. I’ll see you soon," Doflamingo said before ending the call.

I clenched my right hand, crouching in front of the thug. "Good job!" I said, landing a punch to his cheek and sending him flying into the wall. "Now what?" Sabo asked.

"Now, I call Zoro again." I grabbed Sabo's transponder snail and dialed Zoro. "Hello?! Y/N?!" Zoro's voice came through urgently.

"Y/N?! Where have you been?!" Luffy's voice followed, almost grinning through the call.

"Hey, captain. How’s it going? I was checking on your fight. I wish I was there to kick some ass too!" I said.

"Same here, Y/N," Zoro said.

"Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is I’m safe, but Doflamingo has had me tracked since I got here. He’s even got three men chasing me block after block," I explained.

"Where are you?!" Luffy demanded.

"Don’t worry, Luffy. I’m safe. I’m with... someone very special," I whispered that last part, hoping he wouldn’t pry. "I have a plan, but I want to ask your permission first."

"What is it?" Luffy asked.

"I’m going to have to get Doflamingo to take me to his palace," I said.

"WAIT, AS IN KIDNAPPED?!" Zoro’s voice cracked with disbelief.

"Yes, as in kidnapped. I need to get him away from the Colosseum and into the palace where I can hopefully shut things down. There’s more to the plan, but I can’t say much right now. I’ll see you guys in the palace."

Zoro's frustration was palpable. "This is a terrible idea! We can't just let you get captured!"

"I know it sounds risky, Zoro, but it's the only way to draw Doflamingo out and get him where we need him. If I stay hidden, he’ll just keep searching for me. This way, I can use the opportunity to get to the palace and stop him from causing more chaos," I tried to reason. 

“This is insane!” Zoro snapped. “You’re not just walking into a trap—you’re running into it! How many things can go wrong here, Y/N? Do we need to pull out the list? You’re going up against a warlord who is psychotic, you could get thrown in a dungeon, or worse! And we won’t even know where you are!”

“I know the risks, Zoro. But it’s the only way to distract him long enough for us to make our move.” I said

Luffy, who had been quiet up until now, suddenly chimed in. “Y/N, this is risky, even for you...”

“I know,” she answered, her voice steady. “But I can do this. If I can get him off the streets and into the palace, it’ll give us the upper hand. You just need to trust me.”

“Trust you?” I scoffed, rubbing the back of my neck in frustration. “I trust you, but this plan is reckless even by your standards! Do you even know what you're up against?”

“Zoro, I’ll be fine. Just make sure you guys get to the palace. I’ll be waiting.” I laughed as I continued speaking to Zoro over the transponder snail. 

"Trust me, Zoro. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was the best option. I need to be where I can make the most impact, and right now, that’s in the palace. The plan is risky, but it's our best shot at stopping Doflamingo and getting back to safety."

Luffy cut in before Zoro could respond further. "Okay, Y/N, but I need you to be careful. We’ll be there just as soon as I figure out a way out of this Colosseum!" 

“I’ll be fine,” I said, my voice lighter now, trying to ease the tension. “I trust you guys to back me up.” 

Zoro is not fully convinced. “This is still a terrible idea... If anything happens to you, I’m coming to drag your reckless ass out of there myself.”

I laughed trying to ease the tension. “I know you will, Zoro. But you won’t have to. Just be ready when it’s time.”

I ended the call and turned back to Sabo. “Okay, that’s phase one of the plan. Phase two will be when Luffy gets to the palace. You need to get to the Colosseum,” I said, giving his arm a playful shove.

Sabo’s eyes lit up with a roguish smile. “You know, a bit of encouragement would go a long way. How about a good luck kiss?”

I raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress a smile. “Focus on the plan, Sabo. We got things to do.”

He leaned in closer, his smile widening. “Oh, come on. Just one kiss for luck?”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. “You’re incorrigible. Just make sure you don’t get yourself into trouble. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Sabo gave me a lingering look before nodding. “You’ve got it. I’ll be careful. But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook for that kiss.”

I watched him go, a mixture of worry and affection in my heart.

I continued to run, my feet pounding against the cobblestones as the towering walls of the Colosseum loomed in the distance. The sound of distant battles and the chaotic energy of Dressrosa filled the air, but I focused only on reaching my destination.

Finally, I arrived, stopping just outside the Colosseum. I caught my breath, glancing around to make sure I wasn’t being followed. "Alright," I muttered to myself, scanning the area. "Now, I wait."

From my vantage point, I could see Zoro and Kin’emon standing near the entrance, talking to Luffy, who was behind the bars. Their conversation seemed tense, as Luffy’s impatience was written all over his face. I narrowed my eyes, watching carefully, making sure no one else had eyes on them.

This was it—the moment before everything would change. I just hoped I could intervene at the right time

.

.

.

.

[beyondtheplenty]

//02 Madness and the Tango

Distraction and curiosity are the two ultimate sins, outward signs of that impatience which has always prevented man from rediscovering the gate of Paradise. (0)

The simpleton man, the sheep, no longer satisfied by the everlasting noise, reaches unknown land behind the edge of the world. What new emotions does it make it possible to feel? (1) The story of the past swims between two shores, comes to a halt between two temporalities, leaves behind two philosophies. (2) Is there some secret understanding between them? (3)

One of the most beautiful things that our era is teaching us is to approach with light and simplicity the very complex things previously believed to be the result of chance, of noise, of chaos, in the ancient sense of the word. (4)

Thus my story will have a flavor of the present. (5)

Madness measures the distance that exists between foresight and providence, between calculation and finality. (6) Over the horizon, the great Land of Ceres stands on its site. A Palace of Faces constructed of Shadows of what once was, and of what once was could be. Here, free, is the dance. (7)

There, stands a statue of gold. Seen from outside, the statue looked like the funeral stone of a beautiful young man. (8) I know it, I see it, I feel it, I am illuminated by it, burning. The wine dark sea and divine life. The adjective, placed to one side, at a distance from the names and notions of philosophy is enough for me as a parable. Yes, the divine is there; I touch it; these things are improbable miracles; I never stopped loving the world and seeing that it is beautiful. (9) A profound truth about nature, about life and humanity shines forth here. (10) The most interesting person in the world, all the greater for intervening everywhere. (11) Desire.

Madness here was not about truth or the world, but rather about man and the truth about himself that he can perceive. (12) Between them, it outlines a meticulous meshing. (13) A thing more than merely black and white, noise and silence.It takes shape, volume, and Form. An elementary stitch or thread of real human relations—never straight but made of multiple arabesques, twists, curls, or helixes in the bedroom or the living room, or in the squares—this quincun cial chain resembles a staff where the notes would occupy pretty much the same place, enabling one to hear a familiar form in a regular rhythm, gallop, tango, bebop, minuet; the monotonous murmuring emanates from the line. (14) Everything begins with the dance. (15)

Madness of pain, excess of suffering, dance (16) They dance in a circle, waving spears and toys. (17) They dance and sing in choirs. (18) Let us return to the stagemaker, the magic bird or bird of the opera (19), the sheep and the man. These two hardly needed to speak to each other. (20) These two states require two thoughts; these thoughts demand in their turn to be thought together. (21) Two states are to be defined. (22) His deeds are those of an adventurer who responds to a sense of challenge, to whimsy, to curiosity, and to pleasure. (22.5) We evoke these two shadows, we do not call to them. (23) The big sealed jars were opened, the new wine flowed. (24) A bird with the same constellation as a brain. (25)A bird supports its fleecy wingspan in the felted air. (26)

A sting pricked them to their very souls, and thus were events unleashed. (27)

It is a world that is self-sufficient, highly tensioned, even convulsive, wrapped up in itself, with no curiosity about any other manner of existence. (28) The first is scattered, and the second one turns. (29) Two souls converge, entwining in an embrace that defies distance. The beautiful soul is not content with the state of nature; it affectionately dreams of human relationships. (30) The integrating force is born here; we don’t know very well how. Synthesis is born there, the synthesis of the multiple. (29) Every step, every pivot, and every swivel of one's feet becomes an orchestration in response to the leader's unspoken cues. Another must indeed desire to be assured in one’s own desire, floating. (31) What is this unity, mobile and floating? (29) Sensitivity is heightened, attuned to the subtleties of their bodily expressions. The impressive thing here is the fidelity to the physical model. The impressive thing. The beautiful soul is not content with the state of nature; it affectionately dreams of human relationships. (32) I would be that our physics models hardening, cooled liquids, crystallization, cell formations, spiral formations might be inferred as well by what we know of social processes. (29)

And the same for time: beatitude runs from generation to generation, so that the devout inhabits the unfurled omnitude of space and history. Accompanied by joy, experience opens this space—which goes from there to elsewhere and can go from Earth to God—for the construction or dilation of the soul, by opening up or piercing a passage, a threshold, a door, a port through which to reach one of these exposed places. (33) The interplay of pauses and progressions, moments of tension, akin to suspended breaths in the fabric of time, followed by the release—a rhythmic exhalation—akin to a sigh of respite. Experience traverses these places and is exposed. Between nothing and everything, it launches a space and a time, like a free and floating branch. (33) The music, with its haunting melodies and rhythmic cadences, stirs the depths of the soul. The multiple is primitive. It is everywhere differentiated, floating, fluctuating, chaotic. (34) I prefer to call these two states, unitary and multiple. (35) Ecstasy expresses an end to this voyage, the establishment, temporarily stable, or, rather, a distancing from the equilibrium around this exposed point, in its neighboring regions, a differential of time. Programmed, the bestial instinct closes in on itself, positioned. (33) 

But in a sense of the word which, with time, has been lost: the aesthetic of a mesh of powers concentrated in a figure, a body, a voice. (36)

[tinytinybumblebee]

i feel like lil bab ed would be kindof nervous when mama stede gives him his first dolly. like that’s so much responsibility!! new pretty dolly!! and he feels like he doesn’t know how to ‘properly’ play with it, but mama teaches him that there’s no bad way to play :^)

Awww oh my goodness yes!!

Dollies back in the 1700s were either made of wood or wax (cloth as well!)

He's never had such a pretty dolly! It has beautiful hair that's been curled and in a pretty hairstyle, a darling dress with lace trimmings and beautiful patterns on the dress!

It's too pretty in the little guy's eyes to play with! Ed is holding the dolly as if it's an egg, that if he moves wrong he'll break it! And he doesn't wanna do that, Mama got him this, Mama will be sad if he finds the dolly broken!!!

But, Stede can see Ed's nervousness- usually Ed looves to play with his toys, running around with them as his imagination is unleashed. But, right now, Ed is tiptoing around the room, such gentle and cautious steps as he craddles the dolly, finally sitting in the floor.

Stede joins his little squid.

"Have you've chosen a name for her?"

Ed looks at the doll then to Stede, shaking his head.

Stede nods, "Hmm, maybe if we play with her we can find out what her name should be, yeah?"

Ed blinks slowly, he wants to play! But, how does he play with a pretty doll??

It's Stede's time to shine! He stands up for a moment, and returns with a small wooden box. And inside are other dollies, mainly fabric ones that wee-john had been making during down times.

"Here we are, maybe we can give her some friends, so they can have adventures?" Stede suggests

He pulls out one of the dolls, having it "walk" over to the doll on Ed's lap.

"Oi you must be the new one here, I'm Gertrude," Stede's voice pitched to a silly voice as he has the doll wave it's arm.

Ed giggles, slowly sitting the doll onto her feet, waving back to the other doll.

"Oh good, your arms work! Might they work good enough to come help me dig up some treasure?"

"Treasure?"

"Oh yes! Ol' Rose found herself a map but, poor girl just doesn't have the arm strength to dig, but, you look like a strong lassie."

Ed smiles, such a silly voice Gertrude has! He has his dolly "follow" Stede's doll as they set out onto adventures! At first he was hesitant, not quite sure how he should play but, Stede promises him that dolly can play however Eddie wants, there is no wrong way!

So, by the end of the afternoon, Ed's dolly has found gold, fought three sharks, ate 37 apples and made it home just in time for tea♡

Stede smiles softly as he watches Ed tuck his doll into their bed.

"Edith."

"What's that dear?"

"Edith," Ed says again, pointing to the sleeping doll.

"Oh! Her name is Edith? My what a lovely name for her, such a good choice, dear!" Stede says, patting Ed's head ;u; 💖

[valdomarx]

“Geralt!” Jaskier waved him over excitedly. “I’ve met a friend!”

That was never a good start to an afternoon. Geralt steeled himself for whatever horrors were inevitably going to be unleashed when he saw a soft cloud of fur nuzzling up to Jaskier’s side.

A fuzzy alpaca with squinty eyes gave him an unimpressed look as he approached. Beneath soft springy curls of angelic white hair lay the cold, dead eyes of a killer.

“Isn’t she beautiful?” Jaskier said, feeding her acorns from his hand.

“Hmm,” Geralt said.

Feeling magnanimous, he held out one hand to the creature. Surely it couldn’t be so different from a horse, and he always got on with them...

The alpaca contained to glare at him while it boldly bit his sleeve, chewing happily on his armour.

“Um,” Geralt said, trying unsuccessfully to tug him arm away.

“Madeleine!” Jaskier chided. “Spit that out this instant.”

The alpaca somehow managed to look sullen with his leather bracer in its mouth, but did eventually release him. Geralt looked mournfully at his armour, now bent and covered in alpaca spit.

“She’s a good girl,” Jaskier said, a tad defensively.

“Hmm,” Geralt said again. “You’re leaving her here, right?”

Jaskier staggered back as if he’d been struck. “Most certainly not! We’re quite inseparable now. She’s coming with us to Kaer Morhen, aren’t you my dearest darling heart?” He scritched her behind the ears and she gave Geralt a look which managed to suggest conceited superiority.

“But the path is dangerous...” he protested, somewhat weakly.

“She’s springy. She’ll manage.”

“And what will she eat?”

“She only needs a little grass and bark, it’s no bother at all.”

“I doubt Vesemir will approve...”

“Once he gets his hands on some of her fleece he’ll change his mind. We both know how much he loves knitting, and there’s no finer wool than alpaca.”

The alpaca clucked smugly.

Geralt deflated. “Fine! But you have to keep her from eating any more of my armour.”

“Of course. She won’t be the tiniest hindrance, will you my little ball of love?”

Geralt turned and strode away. He was a busy man with jobs to do, and he wasn’t going to enter a contest of wits with a foul-tempered furball.

“Don’t mind him, dearest Madeleine,” he heard Jaskier fuss. “He’s a big grump but inside he’s as sweet as you are. Now come on, adventure calls!”

[5am-the-foxing-hour]

The Adventures 2020

4th Advent (December 20th) Snow

Year 2020’s Adventures

5 parter, each part posted on advent: 1st 29th November, 2nd 6th December, 3rd 13th December and 4th 20rd December and the last part on Christmas 24th of December

Characters: All of them

Words: 1561

Warnings: Remus mentions decapitating heads of snowmen, shouting, some curses. other than that i don’t think there are any.

- - -

General Fanfic Tag list: @ebony-wolf, @nashiraneko, @i-sold-my-soul-to-thefandom, @rabbitsartcorner, @punsterterry,  @sleepyssnail,  @nightmaresides, @virgilswritings, @ninja-girl2846, @ninjago2020, @starryfirefliesbloggo, @garecc,  @sympatheticdeceit, @cookiethedevil, @askthesnake,  @all-bridges-will-burn, @tacohippy56900, @little-euro-girl, @aggressiveshipper, @imbasicallyshakespear, @slayerofspiders, @prinssess61, @underthesea73,  @suicidalcitrusfruit,  @sander-side-stuff, @franthehorsegir, @kingpridesanders,

- - -

  “IT’S SNOWING!” Thomas must have fallen asleep on his couch, because he woke with a start and a yelp as he fell off it staring wildly and blearily around the living room to find Remus bouncing before the big window, drapes pushed to the side to reveal the heavy blanket of snow that was already covering the ground as well as the big snowflakes that fell from the sky.

Thomas sat up on the floor and rubbed at his eyes, thinking he was still dreaming before he looked outside again, the snow was still there.

  “Oh my GOSH!” Thomas called scrambling over to the window, standing next to Remus who was making giddy noises still bouncing on the spot. “But how?! We’re in Florida!” Thomas said as he pushed the back door open, only to get blasted in the face with the cold air, making him squeak and close the door again with a shiver.

  “What’s with all the noise? I’m trying to sleep...” Roman huffed as he rose up before the TV, rubbing his eye, wearing a royal red morning robe and a pair of fluffy slippers, hair wild and standing in all directions. It was clear he had only just woken up.

  “IT’S SNOWING ROBRO! LOOK!” Remus barked happily. Roman hummed as he stretched.

  “Don’t be stupid, we live in Florida, how much snow could it possibly… be...” Roman starred as he looked out the window. His jaw dropped and he just gaped. “By the eye of Odin...” he walked over to the window, placing his hands on the window sill to get a better look. “It really is snowing...” He was awake in seconds “THOMAS!” he called spinning around to face their whole. Thomas blinked. “GET DRESSED! WE NEED TO MAKE A SNOWMAN RIGHT THE FUCK NOW! OH AND SNOW ANGLES!” Roman kept going with every idea that you did in the snow that he’d seen in movies, but due to Florida’s normally hot weather, they’ve never really gotten to experience it. Remus was nodding along with every idea Roman spit balled out. Thomas couldn’t help but laugh at the twins's excitement.

  “If he is to go out in this weather he needs to dress accordingly, it is cold outside, so you will need to wear several layers of clothes before you put on your winter jacket to not risk frostbite.” Logan said, fixing his glasses as he rose up on his spot next to the stairs.

  “Or he just doesn’t go outside!” Virgil shouted as he appeared on the stairs, looking like he had just thrown his hoodie over his pyjamas, if the black skulled pants flannel pants was anything to go by, and the lack of shoes and make up.

  “NO! THAT IS OUT OF THE QUESTION!” Both Roman and Remus shouted “This is a once in a lifetime experience! Thomas is going out in the snow and I will not let you keep him hiding indoors!” Roman lamented pointing a finger at Virgil who hissed back.

  “Kiddos, please don’t fight this early in the morning.” Patton said around a yawn as he too rose up.

  “It’s 9 am Patton.” Logan huffed

  “It is far too early, and it is faaaar too cold for anyone to be up.” a hissing voice came as Janus appeared next to Logan, wrapped in a thick blanket and the only thing that really was visible was his snake eye glowing yellow from the darkness of the blanket.

  “We can stand here and argue all day, and risk the snow MELTING!” Roman shouted, waving his arms like an angry bird.

  “YEAH!” Remus shouted “I want to decapitate some snowmen!”

 Thomas just took all of the sides in. Janus looked like he wanted it to be summer again, glaring at the snow as if it had insulted his very existence. Logan was the only one who was dressed fully. Thomas first now realised Remus was only in his underwear.

  “Aren’t you cold Rem?” Thomas asked, Remus blinked and turned to face him tilting his head like a confused puppy.

  “Hah? Why would I be?”

  “Don’t worry Thomas, Remus is very hot.” Janus mumbled.

  “Oh I know I’m hot, snakey~” Remus smirked as he did a shimmy. Janus just sighed

  “I totally meant it that way...”

Logan clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention.

  “Thomas still needs to find his winter gear in the closet, before he can embark on any kind of activity outside.”

  “Hm, true.” Roman said before he grabbed Thomas by the arm and dragged him along “Our first quest! Find the hidden winter coat!” Thomas only laughed, while Virgil and Logan rolled their eyes.

 - - -

 In the end, most of the sides had come outside with him, after getting dressed accordingly to handle the cold.

Roman and Logan were helping Thomas make a snowman. Remus was running around in the snow like an excited ferret, diving into it before wiggling around and then bouncing up and diving into it again, leaving no part of the snow in Thomas’s backyard undisturbed. Patton had managed to get Virgil to come outside, the anxious side having acted like the snow would bite him at any moment, but when it was clear the snow was no danger quite so literary, Virgil let himself be pulled along by Patton as the two started doing some snow angles. Janus watched from the warmth of the inside. He had almost gotten dragged out by Remus, but Janus had only taken one step outside before he went nope and turned on his heel and walked back inside.

The snow and cold of the real world, way worse than that of the imagination. 

He huffed as he watched how Remus gathered snow in his hands, making it into a snowball and throwing it, striking Virgil right in the face, knocking the side over onto his back. Janus rolled his eyes as he moved to the kitchen. He’d let the kids have fun for now, as he started to prepare some hot chocolate for when they came back inside, as well as taking out some of the saffron buns and gingerbread's.

A presence made him glance to the right to see how the last side was sitting crouched on the kitchen counter, clearly munching on one of the gingerbread cookies. 

  “I see you left your room.” Janus said as he returned his attention to the milk he was warming on the stove. “Any particular reason?” a noncommittal noise was all he got

  “I got bored.”

Janus turned around to talk more only to find the counter once again empty of an orange side. He huffed and rolled his eyes.

  “You cryptid.”

He finished mixing the cocoa into the milk and removed the pot from the stove, taking out 7 cups and putting them on the counter.

Janus moved over to the door, opening it to call out to the others to get their sorry asses inside before the hot cocoa got cold.

But he barely got to open his mouth before a stray snowball struck him right in the face. 

  “AHA! HEAD SHOT!” Remus called with a cackle only to make a dying noise when one of Roman’s snowballs struck his chest.

Janus stroked the steadily melting snow from his face and shivered as he looked out at the scene. the poor snowman stood in the middle of the now all out war. Janus chuckled darkly making Remus and Virgil still.

  “Hoooooooo, is it a war you want.” Janus said as he summoned his other arms. stepping out in the snow as his clothes changed to the winter gear. “THEN IT IS A WAR YOU WILL GET YOU DAMNED RAT!” Janus called as he unleashed snowball after snowball. Remus screeched as he dove behind the snowman “DON’T YOU DARE HIDE FROM ME!”

 They were all drenched and tired when they got back inside. Janus was grousing and hissing as he snapped his fingers to change out of his wet clothes to something warm and fluffy.

The hot cocoa needed to be reheated, but no one was complaining, just happy to get some warmth back in their bodies.

Thomas was smiling, as he left the sides to go change into dry clothes himself.

When he came back downstairs Remus and Roman had already fallen asleep sprawled on the floor. Logan was sitting on the couch reading, taking sips from his cup of hot cocoa now and again. Patton was leaning against his other side, half asleep now when the excitement had died down.

Virgil and Janus were the only ones still at the kitchen counter. Janus’s cape having been changed with a thick black knitted plaid as he curled around the warm cup, Virgil was sitting cross legged on the counter nursing his own cup.

  “That was more fun than I was expecting.” Thomas said as he took the last cup and leaned against the counter. “But very cold.”

  “I kinda want to hope the snow stays around till christmas...” Virgil huffed as he put his now empty cup onto the counter to hug around his legs.

  “I hope not. If it does, I'm going to sleep until spring comes back.” Janus huffed

  “If we get you a heat blanket?” Thomas asked with a smile. Janus took a sip of his own drink and huffed a small pout.

  “I’ll consider it.”

[snowflake-of-destruction]

Bonus WIP Wednesday for @writingbutneverfinished​

The first time Reki Kyan heard about the fish-men, it was while hanging from his father's arm. The head of the Kyan clan had been at sea for what seemed like an eternity, as it did every time, as what would make Reki's mother despair and discourage Reki from a similar life of a sailor. The sea takes and takes, making repeated widows even before final death. He smelled of salt, tar, fish, and adventure. His beard was full and wild, coarse even now long enough to fall into curling, several shades brighter red than the hair on his head. His eyes were brighter, the crinkling start of wrinkles at the corner of his eyes deeper, and his laugh louder than Reki ever remembered from before or since. 

Reki and Koyomi (the other girls hadn't been born yet) both dived at him as soon as he entered the door, dirty, damp, reeking to the heavens, and perfect. They hugged his middle, collectively trying to manage to ring him with both of their arm-spans, then each grabbed an arm and egged him on until he lifted them both, shrieking in delight, up off the ground. 

"I would have been home days ago if the sirens hadn't taken us off our course."

He flung Reki off to one side and Koyomi off on the other, triggering more squeals, and moved to greet his wife, letting out a soft "Oof," when Reki ran right back at him and headbutted him in the side.

"Sirens, was it?" Reki's mother had been warm even in her skepticism, welcoming her husband in with loving arms and promises of the stew simmering on the stove as she left room for him to craft his tale.

"Oh yes, 'bout half the crew caught glimpses, razor edge fins breaching the surface, faces reflected in the water that tweren't our own--death pale and smooth chinned with great huge eyes that'd shine like opals 'cept there were no light ta reflect. Cap'n said the sun had burned hot too long and we'd drunk more of our rum than rations called for. Told us our minds were playing tricks, ya know. Dolphins, he said. Pod of dolphins following alongside the ship. Never knew a dolphin ta have a blood red tail, nor a green one, an' a dolphin wouldn't have a face of a man or a woman so beautiful your heart would ache if you saw them straight on, not noticing until later they were the color of the drowned and had three rows of extra teeth. Anyway, sure enough, after a few days of it, I woke up one night in a cold sweat, my heart a hammerin' even though the birth was calm, the barrels secure, and everyone else asleep...everyone else that was but the captain."

Reki let out an obliging, "Ooh," at his father's dramatic pause, face splitting wide in a gap toothed smile in the aftermath, already steeped in the fish story.

 "I go above deck, and I see 'im, hands on the wheel and boots on deck but head somewhere in the clouds, or under the sea if you prefer, and there's this beautiful singing drifting up from the water. I could feel my limbs growing heavy and my mind drift right away to the waves. There were no room for thoughts of danger. The constellations looked wrong, and the winds had shifted if it weren't that we had changed course, but all I could think was that this was how it was supposed to be. The voices were singing and they had a hook in my heart to do whatever they wanted." The older Kyan put a hand to his chest and warbled a few exaggeratedly off-key notes until Koyomi and Reki covered their ears like a good, responsive audience. He grabbed Reki's wrists and tugged his hands away before continuing, "Ah yes, you have the run of it. I summoned a last clear memory of the two of you and your mother, and it put my feet on shore. I clapped my hands to my ears, and though it did not block the noise entirely, I kept thinking of the only sweeter sound...little laughter!" Koyomi and Reki squealed as their father unleashed an all out tickling attack on their ribs. 

The story swelled from there, a hero made as he wrestled the captain from the helm and guided the boat back on course--which, by the rules already laid down, should not have worked once his ears were uncovered, but all Reki ended up remembering were the beautiful, magical, deadly fishmen with the voices that could make you want to follow them wherever they would leave.

Over a decade later Oka would show Reki proof of what he called the angels of the reef, but the stories he told were far different. 

[fulcrum-agent]

008. Adroid [FFXIVwrite2021]

"So just...pick a big room?" she asks the punkish apparition, head canting a little.

The redhead nods, smirking a little. "You're a clever girl, Quil - I trust ya won't pick somewhere with so little space, the bulkheads get blown up."

There's the briefest moment of blue screening brain at the compliment, but it's gone in a microsecond.

"'Cept when it comes to that other thing you brought up," she chides, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. "That was stupid as fuck, and we're gonna be discussin' it when you're done kicking this Miqo'te about."

Quila can't help but wince, giving the Arcadia a sheepish expression.

All the apparition does to such is wave her hand a little dismissively. "I said later. Call your new potential toy - just be sure ta gimme a show~."

Then just like that, Quila's alone again. Sort of. Mostly. Sighing, she reaches up for the linkpearl that's paired to her tomestone. "Karuis...found us a place to train."

"Ah, and here I thought I was gonna resign to watching the rain bounce off the bulkhead. Where am I meeting you?"

Xe has busied xemselves with taking up a curled up position somewhere in one of the Outlaw's more out of the way pieces of real estate, some cross beams nearby to some of the larger guns. Xe hops down from their Miqo accessible locale as xe wait for the exact location, tail flicking idly behind xem.

"You grab a place ground side, I assume?

"Nah. Arcadia's letting us pick a room," she explains but doesn't. "I figure one of the cargo bays is gonna be best, yeah?"

She's already making her way through the massive ship. She's trying to find where the cargo bays actually are, given she's near the bridge out of habit.

"Long as we have permission, that's fine with me. And aye, cargo bay works fine."

Xe didn't really require an explanation, everything after talking house, living through the memories of others, a massive skeleton trying to kill xem, and whatever the fuck the past few moons have been...

Xe assumes the Arcadia is just as alive as anyone else, and she told Quila what room to use. As xe make their way over to the other airship, xe give some idle thoughts to where precisely in the cargo bay they were meeting before deciding that finding out could be the adventure. Xe gives a slight bow of respect as xe come aboard the Arcadia before xe start moving like a shade through the halls, the map the Viera had shown before of this great airship bouncing about between their ears; as xe try to find... oh, there she is. By providence, luck, or maybe just The Arcadia being well designed xe spot the Garlean and give a half-wave, tail flicking behind xem.

"Didn't get lost, did we? Would be a little concerned if you did."

"Pfft, she'd let me if only to watch in sadistic amusement," she chirps as she turns, startling a little physically due to their lack of footfalls. "But, there are multiple cargo bays here. This is just the first one I've found. This ship is MASSIVE, and I feel like it's some sort of game to her to not just...give me a map."

"I could certainly see that; watching people wander around aimlessly can be pretty hilarious." The Seeker blinks at the noise before rubbing the back of their head as xe put on a small smile. "Sorry, someone had the bright idea to put a bell on me when I was young, fucking menace ever since, apparently. But! I have a map.. kind of, at least I remember the floor plans or whatnot. Rika managed to snag, so I mostly know my way around.. but that doesn't stop me from being thankful that I haven't gotten lost.. yet."

Xe glances about the cargo bay for a moment before turning their gaze back to her and motioning to her, finding a nearby support beam to lean on.

"So, what's the plan for today? Am I starting with teaching you the basics of Thavnarian dance fighting, or are we sparring to see where you are in hand to hand generally and working from there?"

At this point, she's in a pair of shorts (black), stockings (dark purple), her almost-trademark boots (black & gold), and one of those tank tops that the Isghardians were handing out to crafters (wine red). While she doesn't have Talekeeper with her, at least, as far as can be seen, she's still wearing the Warmage magicite Locke'd given her as a pendant to the collar she seems to wear 24/7.

When he speaks of the bell, she ends up giggling a little, trying to picture xe with a collar bell...which was surprisingly easy.

"I'm thinking we try some hand-to-hand so you can figure outplacement," she notes with something of a wicked grin, suddenly ramping towards manic. "Just don't go easy on me."

Xe has swapped over to something more warm with their Bozjan coat now missing for The Twelve only know how long. So the Seeker has thrown on a currant purple anemos gambison, some modified jet black strife pants, and one of their constantly swapping pairs of combat boots, these ones an Alliance make in soot black. Xe still has the twin onyx and dark amber revolvers gifted to xem by Locke on their belt though, besides that, xe aren't carrying any type of polearms. The two accessories that stand out are a watch on their left wrist that has a faint hint of aetheric energy coming off of it and a dull grey gunmetal tin clipped on their right, just about the size of a soul stone.

Xe raises a brow at the snickering and just shake their head a little; that smile from before staying before it turns into a grin at she's request.

"I wasn't planning on it; it wouldn't be an accurate assessment if I did take it easy. So I'll give you one warning before we do go; if you're gonna try and flow again, I'll start using my stone. On your mark, Aquila."

As soon as those words leave the Seeker, their demeanour switches with all the effort of a light switch, mismatched gaze narrowing as xe drop into a defensive stance, the style more reminiscent of an Imperial martial discipline than anything else.

"I uh...kinda don't know how to make those moves otherwise, so game on?" she replies as she falls into...absolutely no stance. There's nothing. Her stance is absolutely neutral all around, and suddenly, all but the most necessary of movements evaporates as she begins to focus on xem. It's slow, but there's a pronounced shift in her entire being, down to an aetheric level. A change she doesn't seem to be aware of.

She's almost maddening to fight. Any and all movement happens with barely a microsecond of warning, yet all of them still flow as though she's dancing, not fighting. Even watching the triangle, her telegraphs are tiny as hell; she always falls back to neutral if there's time, otherwise flowing from one motion to the next as xe fight.

And just like that, she blinks into the Lifestream to close the distance, ejecting just in reach of xe - as she had on the deck, only this time with the intent of actually striking him right in the solar plexus.

Xe would have clarified that xe head meant the blinking manoeuvre, but when xe takes in that she lacks stance, any of those thoughts leave xir mind. The Seeker catches the shift instance, their ears pinning back and tail puffing up as xe prepare for that same focus xe encountered on the deck of The Outlaw.

The dance-like flow to the spar thus far and the speed on display put the Seeker right in their element, moving with all of the grace that being both a Miqo'te and professional performer granted them as xe keep in sync with the Garlean. The Seeker shifts between and around styles like breathing the longer the fight goes on, prodding and poking at her defences to find her responses and strengths to certain things. The Seeker seems to favour a style favoured by Doman resistance cells, sending out elbows and fist and knee strikes in rapid succession.

Like a viper, the Seeker waited for that shift in the air as she went into the Lifestream. Xe know that point for point, xe weren't going to be able to match the manoeuvre for sheer speed, so instead, xe rely on the anticipation of the strike's previous flow. With an utter lack of hesitation, the Seeker moves to send out a swift dragoon kick, less focused on power but more on sheer speed as it snaps the air around the two. xir's body twists for the kick and hopefully moves the blow to somewhere less disastrous should it land. Xe was not about to hold back here, she deserved the Seeker at their best, and xe weren't one to disappoint.

Given that xe is a clever catte, xe'll quickly pick up on certain hallmarks of what she's capable of combatively: one of her biggest strengths is the lack of movement telegraphing, as it makes finding any sort of opening complex, at first. While her eyes seem to be unfocused, she locked onto the triangle that's formed by the Miqo'te's collarbones and sternum, that distant gaze seeming to more stare into their soul than past xem.

Blinking back into a kick sends her strike wide, the palm of her hand skimming along the side of his leg as she adjusts to try and block the kick before sliding around the side of Karius' body. Should she slide past him, her next attack is towards the middle of his lower back - another snapping strike with a bit of aether behind it, her second hand following to make a small follow-up strike.

With a better sense of what xe were working with when it came to her, the Seeker decides to switch up tactics. Xe shifts energy from trying to read the Garlean's movements to instead focusing on following through on their own and keeping a sense of spatial awareness in the room. Xe decides to eat the strike to their lower back, the energy needed to counter that far too much of a gamble; the weaker follow-up was a different story, however.

Turning on a dime on their heel, xe move to face she, using the speed and momentum of the rapid turn to try and veer the strike off to their left with their palm. Now fully facing she and the distance relatively short, xe go on the offensive, taking a far more aggressive stance as xe unleash a combination of palm and knee strikes. Xe wasn't relying on all of them to hit but instead overwhelming the other fighter with a complete switch from their previously tight defence. Xir's aim at the moment seemed to get the two of them out to a far smaller section of the cargo bay or at least push them to fight closer to this area.

Surprisingly, she doesn't smile at landing the strike. In fact, her expression is little more than deadpan as xe launch the continuous series of strikes. At first, she manages to keep up on blocking or redirecting the hits, but the longer xe continues the tactic, the more she has to pivot or dodge than she does block. Finally, it's becoming clear xir is going to overwhelm her with the rapid strikes...

...and as the Miqo'te overwhelms her, she blinks into the Lifestream, crossing through xe before flashing back into existence at their back. She's already executing a roundhouse kick as she solidifies, aiming for her opponent's middle back.

The Seeker was not about to let up the advantage of xir's rapid combos as xe continues to press her further into the smaller section of the cargo hold, boots squeaking against the metal floor as their speed increases. xe were, however, incredibly aware that xe couldn't keep it up forever; either she would come right for their throat or-

The sensation of being teleported through gets xem to shiver, warning xem what may be coming alongside dreading that blink. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough time for xem to dodge the strike, at least not in a way that wouldn't give her another big opening to exploit. So xe quickly turn on their heel and brace their arms up to catch the blow, which still sends the Seeker sliding back and does some solid damage. Xe hiss in pain as xe take a moment to centre xemselves before rushing into the Garlean's space. xir's method swaps now to something far faster, using their stone to gather as much momentum and speed as xe can while bleeding into these dancer-like strikes and spins. Thavnairian dance fighting, and xe gave her a crash course like an Imperial locomotive coming down the tracks.

Active learning at this speed is possible for the Warmage, though it was more of a slow build-up rather than a sudden gift of knowledge the way it can be when there's less going on. Falling back to focusing on dodging more than redirecting or blocking, xe would start to notice the more xe does a particular mood or technique, the more likely it is that she works it into her side of the fighting. With movements the Miqo'te's using heavily, she can almost perfectly mirror them; with the less frequent movements, she's a little unstable and erratic, her form nowhere near as tight and proper.

The continued attacks again start to press her, causing her to play defensive more than offensive.

Xe's next high kick ends with a different result: she doesn't attempt to block, redirect, or dodge such the way she has been. No, instead, she just...bends back at the waist, forming an almost perfect arch as her hands drop to the floor behind her. And then she pushes her feet off of the floor, intent of kicking her opponent with each foot as she shifts into a handstand before vaulting from such to her feet - facing xe, but several fulms away now.

As xe starts to notice she putting xir's techniques into her fighting styles and the like, that.. certainly gets a reaction from xem. But, then, something snaps from behind their crimson and amber eyes. The Seeker continues darting into she's space as much as xe can up until that next high kick, eyes going a bit wide as xe watch that arch and then the kick lands.

The hit lands nicely and sends xe sliding back, getting their tail to puff up and to show off their sharp canines, which are considerably sharper and pointed than even a vast majority of Keepers. Unfortunately, this fact doesn't stay in the spotlight for long as black aether sparks around xem as xe concentrates on their stone and go on an onslaught. Xe was going to put pressure on the fact she couldn't precisely copy their techniques perfectly or keep up with their speed to the same extent. If she continued using flow, then xe wasn't going to go easy, sending forth kick after dashing elbow to shin strike. One of the main strikes xe go into xe get right in her face and attempt a sweeping kick the Garlean before spinning into another kick to her midsection.

The initial onslaught causes her to start losing ground rapidly, causing her to dart backwards as she refocuses on trying to dodge as many of the strikes as possible. However, the moment the Seeker starts to focus on her face, she blinks backwards three separate times - putting as much distance as possible between them. Although she retreats, xe' leg sweep fully lands while the second is more of a light graze across her stomach.

She crashes to the floor as she exists the Lifestream the third time, rolling several times due to the force of the impact. Such is only stopped when the back of her upper body slams into the metal wall with a loud clanging thud. For a few heartbeats, she's propped up against the wall before her eyes fully roll back into her head as she falls sideways.

Xe was in the zone and was hard-pressed to get out of it, especially with the amount of blinking around the place that she was doing. Despite the serious expression on their face, xe were having so much fun with all of this. Xe goes to try and bring down another combination when xe hear that crash.

Xe pauses a few fulms away from the Garlean before their eyes go wide, and xe dart over to her side. Then, cursing under their breath as xe tries to force xemselves to not only calm down but try to figure out what might be wrong with their limited medical experience.

"Shit, shit... Aquila, are you alright?"

((Adapted from an RP session with Karuis.))

[imjeralee]

Comfort in Despair: Chapter 18 - The Witch of Wedgehurst

Leon x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary:

Galar is rich in folklore and tales of the supernatural.

As a Pokemon Researcher who specialises in ghost types, this is a great opportunity for you to investigate and learn more about the paranormal.

Along the way, you meet Leon (in the most awkward way possible) who becomes embroiled in your adventures.

^ Basically this story is about ghosts :/

Rating: General/Teen

@marydragneell​ oh my goodness, I almost forgot to keep the tag list on my chapter updates. Sorry T_T

The Witch of Wedgehurst

...

...

["Oh please, say to me You'll let me be your man And please, say to me You'll let me hold your hand Now, let me hold your hand I want to hold your hand."

- I Want To Hold Your Hand, The Beatles]

…

…

In the laboratory, you are occupied with Leon’s flowers and Pokemon School is forgotten for now. You are keen to display them and intend to keep them for alive for as long as possible, and you grab a pair of scissors from Magnolia’s stationary tub and find a spare vase in the cupboard underneath the sink which you rinse out before you fill it with some water.

You’re not a professional at flower arranging in any manner whatsoever but you carefully unravel the cellophane and neatly take the flowers out one by one, placing them over the table until the bouquet rustles, and you suddenly hear a loud squeak.

“What was that?”

Looking up and around, the ghost pokemon haven’t seem to have noticed. Gengar and Runerigus are playing upstairs, shadow tag or something, whilst you have left Mimikyu on her own with pieces of blank paper and some felt-tip pens.

Perhaps you’d heard wrong.

With an inward shrug, you pull out another flower and the squeaking returns and it occurs to you it’s coming from within the bouquet so you gently pry some flowers apart and it’s then you see a tiny little yellow pokemon nestled within, blinking its massive, bright and wet eyes at you.

“Oh!” you exclaim, before you scoop the Sunkern out and hold it up in the base of your palms. “Oh my gosh, what are you doing here, little guy?”

It squeaks and jiggles up and down in your palm, shaking its two leaves happily.

“I wonder how long you were in there,” you murmur, before you gently place him over the surface of the table.

He ends up rolling around in a semi-circle and comes to a stop, lying on his back. Squeaking for you, he is unable to get up so you scoop him into your palms once more, inch a mug over and prop him up against the handle. He squeaks loudly with gratitude and you giggle.

“So cute…” you coo, as you reach over and pet him affectionately on the leaves. “You can stay right here with me.”

But he must be hungry and thirsty, you think, so you find Magnolia’s mini Phanpy watering can by one of the potted plants. It’s almost empty so you fill it in the sink and head over to your little Sunkern before you sprinkle some water over his leaves.

He blinks and looks up, then begins gulping some of the water and bounces up and down on the spot.

Pulling a seat out, you plop yourself down and pick up one of the flowers, snipping off an inch or so of the stem before you slip it into the awaiting vase.

The ghost pokemon eventually return to you, with Gengar slinking into one seat and Runerigus standing beside you and you smile at your pokemon as they gather around. Mimikyu pokes your arm with a claw and as you turn round, she's waving a piece of paper in the air; she wants to show you what she drew and you take the picture off her. It's a crude drawing of Mimikyu stabbing a Pikachu, complete with blood. Below, she has scribbled ‘Me Kill Pikachu’. You put the drawing down, then turn to Mimikyu who giggles and waves her tendrils around happily in the air.

“….I think I’m gonna keep an eye on you from now on,” you murmur but she merely snickers and climbs into a seat.

With a shadowy claw, she picks up a single flower before she's joined by Runerigus who copies her action, twirling the flower around in his fingers and Gengar does the same.

“Ohh, do you want to help me out?” you ask with a smile, and everyone nods. “Thank you, I would like that very much.”

The pokemon respond cheerfully and together, you work on preparing the bouquet which doesn't take long with your pokemon helping you. Mimikyu and Gengar pass you the flowers one by one and you snip the stems off carefully and pass it to Runerigus who slips it into the awaiting vase. You finish up in a few minutes or so, and Runerigus appears to have taken a liking to flower arrangement and his skills are impressive. He’s very careful and gentle with the flowers which you are grateful for and once the vase is full, you empty the packet of flower food supplied and pick the vase up.

“Now grow strong, my pretties,” you say with a cackle, and your pokemon join in, grinning and chortling by your side. “Alright, let’s go home.”

The pokemon cheer and Gengar leaps into your shadow whilst Mimikyu and Runerigus return to their capsules.

You want to display the vase in the house, somewhere in the conservatory where it can get as much sunlight as possible. Donning your jacket, you slip Sunkern into your pocket since he doesn't have a pokeball yet and when you ensure that he won't slip out, you smile as he squeaks and nestles himself into the small slot. He looks rather cosy and you proceed to switch off all the lights of the lab and inspect the space once more in case you forgot anything, then carefully scoop the vase up with one hand, close the door and lock it behind you.

As you pull the key out, a loud swoop penetrates the atmosphere along with an alarmed squeak from Sunkern; a dark shadow has appeared from literally out of nowhere and with claws out, it dives for your bouquet and proceeds to tear at the flowers before you can stop it.

The momentum knocks the vase out of your hands and it meets the concrete, shattering into various pieces.

"NOW!"

You're staring wordlessly at the mess on the ground and so you don't even notice the trio of youngsters who jump out from the bushes by the lab with a loud battle cry and their arms are full of little pebbles, which they promptly begin to toss at your direction.

"Witch!" they yell, "take this, you evil witch!!"

Their voices are so far away, your gaze transfixed on the destroyed bouquet at your feet.

Making no effort to avoid the stones, one sharp pebble in particular smacks you in the side of the head and the edge tears at your skin.

Gengar immediately emerges from your shadow on the door, his eyes glowing a furious red as he holds his arms out. The stones stop in mid-air, surrounded by a dark purple glow, before they go shooting the opposite direction and towards the kids. He is joined by Runerigus who leaves his capsule in a burst of light. He guards you, preventing any loose stones from hitting you; they smack into his large and rocky body instead though the pebbles are akin to a piece of cork being thrown against a brick wall, and he roars as loudly as he can at the children.

They wail and scream as Gengar pelts them in return with their own stones, and they spin on their heel to make a hasty retreat only to be met with Mimikyu.

"Pick on someone your own size!!" Mimikyu growls, before her ragdoll disguise splits into two, unleashing many shadowy tendrils to smack them on their rears as they scrabble away. Spearow follows them, who is promptly returned to its pokeball by one of the kids.

She attempts to chase after them but you say, "Mimikyu, stop."

"But-"

You shake your head and her ragdoll body pieces itself back together and she shuffles over to your side; you thank the pokemon for protecting you but the damage is done. Leon's flowers are ravaged and you gaze limply at the scattered pieces of the broken vase.

"...It's ruined," you mumble under your breath, before you emit a sigh and shake your head. "...I can't believe it."

You had them for less than fifteen minutes.

They were a gift to you.

From Leon.

Leon.

Frustration claws its way into your system along with an overwhelming urge to mourn, and the corner of your eyes become prickled with tears; you dab at them hastily and Gengar pats you on the head whilst Mimikyu and Runerigus rub your back. You thank your pokemon again and lower yourself to a crouch, picking up the broken pieces. They join in, helping you tidy up the glass and the flowers silently, before Runerigus finds an intact white flower which survived the onslaught and he nudges it for your taking.

"Oh...Thank you, Runi."

His eye creases slightly before he plops his large hand atop your head and you smile at him as you hold the flower gingerly in hands. You will protect this flower at all costs.

"He says...it's going to be okay," Mimikyu pipes up and you nod.

"Thanks Mimi. Thanks everyone. C'mon...Let's go," you murmur.

With your pokemon by your side, the walk back home is a long one.

...

Sonia's not home yet and Magnolia and Yamper are still sleeping. It's just you on your own as usual. It's a typical night you suppose (aside from the stoning), and after you carefully put the salvaged flower into another vase in the conservatory, you lift Sunkern out from your pocket and settle him into one of the larger potted plants where he can sit in the soil and hopefully soak up all the nutrients he needs to grow healthy and strong. Sunkern glances around his new home and squeaks happily at you before burrowing inside, closing his eyes.

He's out for the night so you head upstairs to take a shower. Gengar, Mimikyu and Runerigus remain in the lounge, watching you plod upstairs with your head low.

"Let’s find those kids and kill them, mi mi," Mimikyu growls, curling one claw into a tight fist.

Gengar and Runerigus throw each other concerned glances before Gengar floats up and into the air, shaking his head.

"Then let's curse them, mi."

Gengar pauses, partially tempted, but shakes his head once more.

Killing or cursing children is not the answer so he iterates that they should focus on cheering up their trainer.

He suggests they should call Leon, perhaps.

"Call Leon, mi?"

He nods, and Runerigus seems happy to go along with this plan too.

"Yes, let's do that, mi," Mimikyu replies, clapping two tendrils together, "Rotom?"

There is a brief silence until your phone comes hovering towards the lounge, having been summoned.

"Yo wazzzup, what'zzzz the - Bzzzrt!! What???"

Mimikyu envelopes Rotom with her tendrils and reels him in to sit in front of her, tapping at the screen with her claws, going through the phonebook and finding Leon's contact number. You only have five contacts so it didn't take long at all and she spots Leon's name and hastily presses the button. Rotom switches to phone mode and it rings for a few seconds. The ghost pokemon wait with baited breath as they huddle in front of your phone, watching the screen.

The screen flickers on before Leon abruptly appears.

"Hi - oh, what's this?" he utters, shocked by what he's seeing.

"Mi hello."

"Mimikyu?"

"Yes, it is mi, Mimikyu."

"What's wrong?" Leon asks, before he asks for your whereabouts. Are you okay? Has something happened? Arceus, are you in trouble???

"It's an emergency, mi mi, the flowers. She is in trouble, mi. Come to the house."

"I'll come over right now!" He exclaims without a second to spare; he promptly hangs up and Mimikyu giggles, clasping her tendrils together.

Her work here is done.

...

"I can't fight it anymore. I ran away from you once. I can't do it again. Oh, I don't know what's right any longer. You'll have to think for both of us, for all of us."

"All right, I will. Here's looking at you, kid."

"I wish I didn't love you so much."

Sappy, romantic music plays from the TV as you watch the couple on screen embrace tightly.

"They make it look so easy," you mumble as you sit slouched low on the sofa, grabbing a handful of chips from the bowl and shoving them into your mouth and crunching on them noisily whilst Gengar and Runerigus sit beside you, sipping their tea.

Then the doorbell rings and there's someone pounding on the front door.

Who could that possibly be, and at this hour?

Did Sonia forget her key again?

You stop stuffing your face and emit an exhausted 'mrrgfhhh', before you drag yourself up and off the couch, yelling, "Sonnie, you're lucky I'm home tonight!" as you shuffle over. Once you're at the door, you peer through the peephole and gasp when you see who it is. "No way!" you exclaim under your breath.

You hastily unlock the front door and throw it open, revealing that it is none other than a flustered-looking Leon who stands in full Champion gear on your doorstep.

For a second or so, you both blink at each other before spluttering out simultaneously:

"Leon?!" "Are you okay?"

You blink whilst his face goes red.

"I'm okay." "Mimikyu called me and said you were in trouble!"

"...Sorry."

"Um. Y-you go first."

Leon subjects you to a look from head to toe; here you are barefoot with a large bag of original-flavoured chips in one hand. No trouble here.

You cringe, hoping he didn't hear you yelling about Sonia.

"I-I'm fine, Leon, there's no emergency," you toss a glance to the lounge where your Rotom phone and the rest of the Pokemon wave and waggle their fingers and claws at you. "Wait. You said Mimikyu called you?"

He nods and notices the cut on your forehead.

You quickly piece two and two together and cringe again. ".....Oh god, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Leon. It's a false alarm. I'll keep a closer eye on Mimikyu from now on. I'm fine. Really, I am."

He does not look entirely swayed so you nod vigorously to convince him.

"Um, do you want to come in?" you ask, holding the door open.

"Ah...I-I can't. The beauty pageant is tonight."

"Tonight?!"

"Yeah."

You blink cluelessly as you had absolutely no knowledge of this but you supposed it was due to your lack of interest in current affairs. However, Leon didn't mention it to you either and neither did anyone else; you can only presume no-one in your limited social circle is interested in the pageant and you're brought out of your reverie when Leon raises a hand to carefully brush away some hair from the side of your face and you freeze on the spot as his fingertips gently press against the small wound.

You wince under his touch and he murmurs, "What happened?"

"I got stoned. Literally," you grumble with a roll of your eyes.

"Mimikyu mentioned something about flowers."

Your face falls. "Oh. Right. Um....yeah, about that..." you give Leon an exasperated look and sigh, "...they're ruined."

You tell him about the kids.

Leon's expression softens before he pulls his hand away to wrap around your own. "I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you. Come with me."

"...Where?"

He chuckles. "My house."

And Leon smiles reassuringly at you and so you nod and grab your coat. Returning your pokemon into their capsules, you slip into your shoes and fling a glance to the staircase. Magnolia hasn't woken up so you quietly lock the door behind you and join Leon on the stony path. He gives you a warm smile and you return his smile with a fond one of your own, pulling the lapels of your coat tighter to yourself.

"So, how long do you have before they notice you're gone?"

"Half hour or so."

"Really?"

"Yes, they think I'm in my dressing room."

"Oh, Leon."

He's snooping out to see you; this isn't like him at all, but you can't help but feel happy.

"When Mimikyu called, I was so worried. I had to see you," he utters.

You pause slightly in mid-step, your heart fluttering for the umpteenth time; Leon responds with a sheepish smile.

As you meander further down the path with him, you sigh and throw your glimpse to the night sky. It's getting colder and Leon sticks close to you which you are grateful for as he provides some extra warmth to you just by being close.

Your footsteps echo one another and your shoulders nudge together. On several periods, you'll carefully slide your glance to his direction and you will see him smiling to himself. You like that about him, how he's always wearing a kind smile no matter what.

With that thought in mind, your cheeks warm up all over again and your fingers suddenly brush together as Leon steps a little closer to you than necessary and the sides of your palm briefly come into contact.

You stiffen somewhat yet you do not retreat from his action so your hands linger millimetres apart in some kind of limbo before Leon ultimately takes charge and uses his pinky finger to hook around yours and pull you in just a little closer to him. It's a careful and calculated movement on his part to test the waters but it's enough to make you blush.

As Leon glances at you from the corner of his eyes to gauge your reaction, you weave your pinky finger around his in return and for a while as you're walking along the linear path from Wedgehurst to Postwick, you wish this tender moment you are sharing with the Champion would never end, though you inwardly hope there would be more.

As though reading your thoughts, Leon decides to step it up a notch and slinks his ring finger around yours.

He's becoming bold for good reason, and you encourage him further by mimicking his action and looping your middle finger around his and this continues until the rest of your fingers entwine together and the two of you are holding hands very firmly.

Neither of you say a word nor do you look at one another but your heart pounds and he clears his throat silently. You dare to sneak a peek at him again to see what he's up to, and you see he's got this goofy smile plastered on his handsome face and his cheeks are tickled pink.

His hand is much bigger than yours and also a lot warmer and the base of his palm is rather callused, probably from long and hard years of training with his Pokemon. Initially nothing else happens until Leon gives your hand a squeeze and you respond by rubbing your thumb over his and this sets off a brief fondling session where he slides his thumb over the smooth skin of your knuckles and you shiver somewhat before you squeeze his hand playfully in return.

This enjoyable moment does unfortunately comes to an end when you arrive at Leon's house and as if on cue, the front door opens and Leon's mother pokes her head outside, glancing at the two of you in surprise.

"Leo!?" she exclaims, before she sees your joined hands and her eyes actively pop out of her sockets. "Oh my."

"Hi mum."

She giggles and holds the door wide open; ecstatic to see you both, she proceeds to usher you inside. "This is such a lovely surprise! Come in, come in, my dear!"

"Thank you very much."

She's not alone. Hop emerges from the lounge, clutching Wooloo in his arms. "Lee???"

"Hi Hop."

He shouts with joy, diving for his older brother, "What are you doing here???"

"Unfortunately I can't stay for long," Leon replies, chuckling.

The grandparents are missing but you imagine they're most likely fast asleep. Leon sheepishly explains to his family why he's brought you over but his mother says no reason or explanation is necessary and she's extremely glad to have you over and see you again; you will need to catch up later, she says. She's smiling widely at you and you're not sure what's quite going on.

"What in the name of Arceus happened to you, dear?" Leon's mum asks; she has noticed the nasty cut on the side of your head and your bandaged arm.

"Ah....it's nothing. Just an accident."

"Oh dear, let's get that looked at ASAP," she hastily steers you to the kitchen where she seats you in a random chair and Leon follows, settling himself into the chair beside yours whilst Hop lingers at the doorway with Wooloo. Leon's mum bustles around the kitchen, locating the first-aid kit from a cupboard near the sink which she brings over; immediately, Leon begins sifting for the appropriate supplies.

"Mum, I can take it from here," he says, fishing out a cotton swab, some ointment and a clean plaster.

Surprised, Leon's mum nods and nudges the kit further for his taking. Then she hastily makes a swift exit, grabbing Hop and Wooloo along the way.

"Whoa!!" Hop exclaims, but she goes 'sshhhh, they need to be alone!' and then it grows silent.

You watch their retreating backs whilst Leon reaches over and dabs at your cut with the cotton, sweeping ointment over the wound.

"Tell me if I hurt you," he murmurs.

"...M'kay."

You sit still in the chair with your back straight as much as possible, head tilted to the ceiling slightly so Leon can brush the small cut with the ointment. He applies the plaster over your skin once the task is completed, smoothing it down with his fingers.

"There we go."

"Thanks Leon."

He grins, leaning forwards in his seat to grab and squeeze your hand affectionately. "...You can call me 'Lee'."

A smile worms its way across your face as your gazes meet and you're both smiling at each other; however, the moment is short-lived when Leon catches glimpse of the clock behind you on the wall and his smile drops.

"I should go."

"Okay," you say, with a sulk.

He chuckles and releases your hand, rising to stand and adjusting his cap and you follow him out of the kitchen and into the landing; mum and Hop return, keen to know what's going on and what's up between the two of you and whatnot. He exchanges some brief words with his family before they share a quick embrace; he needs to return to Wyndon. The beauty pageant is beginning in forty minutes and his presence cannot be missed.

"I'll see you guys soon," he promises as he exits the house and steps into the front yard. Mum and Hop follow him out and so do you, watching as he releases Charizard from his capsule. The flame pokemon lands on the ground and spreads his wings, glancing at Leon expectantly.

"Bye Lee!" Hop shouts, waving fiercely as Leon climbs over Charizard's awaiting back.

"Be safe, dear."

"I will!" Leon yells with a wide grin; he waves to his mother and brother before his eyes lands on you and his grin widens. Your cheeks heat up and you wave as the flame pokemon manoeuvres himself into position, stamping his large and bulky hind legs over the ground as he prepares for lift off. Leon pats the side of his neck and the pokemon huffs loudly. "Charizard, let's go!"

Emitting a loud roar, Charizard flaps his wings and in one massive swoop, he takes off to the sky, disappearing in a blink.

Leon is gone.

You linger with his family outside before they decide to retreat into their warm and toasty house.

"Why don't stay here for the time being, my dear?" says Leon's mum, nudging her head towards the direction of the living room.

"Yeah!! Let's watch the beauty pageant together!" Hop exclaims, and you nod.

"Thank you. That would be nice."

"I'll get the popcorn!" Hop yells, and he rushes past you and into the kitchen.

“And I’ll get the camera,” says mum, before she dashes to one of the cupboards near the mantelpiece, pulling it wide open and lifting out an old-fashioned camcorder which she hastily switches on. "I always record all of Leo's programs or shows."

You join her as she plops herself down on one of the plushy couches and Hop returns into the living room with a large bowl of popcorn. He climbs over the settee with Wooloo and switches the TV on, passing the popcorn to you, and the TV, switched to the Galar main broadcasting channel, is now playing the Miss Galar Beauty Pageant theme song with the logo slapped over the screen. Checking the clock on the wall, you think Sonia might be home by now...no doubt, she'd be watching the pageant too.

"Have you watched the Miss Galar pageants before?" Hop asks, and you shake your head. "It's a blast! Lee's been a judge for five years now!"

"Oh, r-really?"

He nods. "Yeah, and some girls get really attached to him after that."

"Oh," you say again.

You're not really surprised.

"I swear, every year some floozy decides to latch onto our Leo and obsessively call him 'hers'." huffs Leon's mum, who shakes her head as she stuffs some popcorn into her mouth.

The show begins and it's an impressive display; the stage is alit with loud modern music and bright lights, accompanied with dancers and pokemon in funky costumes who parade around onstage and you watch as two men and a woman in evening outfits along with a Clefable appear at the very end of the extravagant opening, excitedly introducing themselves as the presenters of the program; it's taking place at Wyndon stadium and the pitch has been converted from Pokemon battle arena to a stage ripe for a pageant, with a massive T-shaped catwalk, tonnes of spotlights and various tables and chairs for the judges. It's a full audience, too.

The judges are introduced; looks like Leon made it in time because he's sitting at his designated table and waving to the crowd once the spotlight is on him. The audience cheers at wildly for him as he smiles and waves. He is impeccable as always.

With camcorder in hand, Leon's mum flicks her gaze to you and directs the camera to your direction to record your reaction whilst Hop points and hoots excitedly.

"There he is, there he is!!! Lee!!!"

"Thank you," Leon on TV says, and your heart thuds terribly when you see his grinning face on screen.

The remaining judges are introduced but you're too busy gawking at Leon to pay attention to the other judges and when the camera returns to the Champion, Hop exclaims and jumps up and down in his seat all over again.

The pageant begins, curtains rising, and the contestants step onto the stage; the judges are strategically seated so they can get a good view. The contenders consist of tall and beautiful young women dressed in swimsuits with ribbons looped around their bodies detailing where they're from. There's Miss Postwick, Miss Wedgehurst, Miss Turrfield and so on.

Each and every single contestant proudly stride past the judges and Leon, waving cheerfully to the crowd with massive smiles on their faces. These ladies are extremely fit and slender, with lean bodies and not a single blemish on their body. Their high heels are a ridiculous height yet they have no difficulty as they perform the rehearsed routine with the dancers and Pokemon behind them.

It's a long show.

You plough through two gruelling hours with Hop and Leon's mum, going through three or so bags of popcorn altogether as each and every single contestant go through several montages; they are interviewed and questioned, receive the opportunity to show off their dresses and swimsuits, demonstrate their unique talents, talk about their goals and visions for Galar and soon it's time for the results, beginning with third place.

"Are you ready folks? It's time to reveal who our third runner up is!" exclaims one of the presenters and you are all on the edge of your seats as you await the result.

A red throne has been carried to the middle of the catwalk where the winner will sit. After the short drumroll, Miss Spikemuth is called out and the audience goes wild. A pale-skinned young woman with long and flowy jet black hair stalks over to the three-tiered podium where a man in a tuxedo with a ribbon and tiara is waiting for her. The camera shifts to Leon and the judges who clap for her.

"Congratulations, Miss Spikemuth! Now......second runner up....is-!!!"

"I hope it's Miss Ballonlea," you utter. "Her talent was very impressive."

"Yes, that flute recital was very enchanting," says Leon's mum.

"I hope she wins too," says Hop.

"Miss Ballonlea!!!"

You, Leon's mum and Hop whoop, then you all exchange a high five.

Miss Ballonlea, a blonde-haired woman, joins Miss Spikemuth on the opposite of the podium whilst crying incessantly.

"And finally, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for...WHO will be this year's Miss Galar????"

The drumroll intensifies.

And the living room is quiet until-

"Miss Postwick! Miss Postwick!" cheers Leon's mum, whilst you're secretly rooting for Miss Wedgehurst to win.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this year's Miss Galar Beauty Pageant IS.........."

The suspense is killing you all.

"....MISS HULBURY!!!!"

A small fraction of the crowd who hail from the city cheer wildly as an extremely attractive young woman steps forwards, clasping both hands over her mouth in shock. Confetti is tossed over her and a fanfare plays; Leon and the remaining judges move to stand, clapping as she glances around the stage, awestruck and numb. The unsuccessful contestants clap, though some look a little annoyed by the results.

"Give it up for Miss Hulbury!!! Congratulations, your city must be very proud of you!" the TV presenter roars wildly into the microphone and he beckons her to join the other two crowned contestants, though she briefly steps on the podium for a few seconds or so before all the winners leave.

They head for the red throne though Miss Hulbury seats herself down and soon, you see Leon leaving his seat and heading for the stage.

This is the first time you've watched a Miss Galar Beauty Pageant and you're not sure what he's doing, but a whole shebang of awards are presented to Miss Hulbury consisting of a glistening silver tiara, a silver sceptre with the symbol of Galar, a ribbon and a red velvet cape that...looks similar to Leon's????

The tiara is carefully fastened atop her head by the young man in a tux and she is handed the jewel-encrusted silver sceptre. The ribbon is also fixed around her torso and Leon arrives at her side as the cape is looped over her shoulders; she looks at him and smiles.

The newly crowned Miss Galar rises to stand and joins the Champion, who offers his arm to her.

As you watch the scene unfold, you lean forwards in your seat, your eyes glued to the screen. Hop and Leon's mum swerve their gazes to you.

Background music begins to play and Wyndon stadium is alit with cheering and applause.

"There she is, Miss Galar...there she is, your ideal....the dream of a million girls who are more than pretty can come true in Wyndon City ~ " one of the presenters begins to sing, joined with a Clefable, with his arm out as the beautiful young woman strolls down the catwalk with sceptre in hand and her arm looped around Leon's, her cape fluttering with his.

You gape as they stride to one side of the catwalk and back, and it feels like the walk of eternity until they return to the middle and Leon pulls his arm away gently so she can return to the throne; they shake hands and she reclaims her seat on the red velvet chair, smiling and waving for the camera.

She blows a kiss, and the screen fades to black.

....

Meanwhile.

It’s night-time.

She discovers she’s standing underneath an old and large, derelict tower for some reason, damp and cold.

There’s a single thought running through her mind right now and it is quite simple: I want to go home.

Home.

Where is home?

….Motostoke….Twenty three…Dorset… Road…

Where is she?

Glancing around, she has no recognition of where she is nor does she recognise her surroundings.

However, the loud crow of a bird pokemon along with a rather frantic and anxious yell of “Miss, are you okay?” grabs her attentions and she glances up to the dark sky to see a Corviknight taxi landing before her. The windscreen wipers are switched on, the rubber blades squeaking against the glass as they swipe away the heavy rain in hypnotic fashion.

The cabbie hops off the vehicle, heavy-duty boots crunching over the squelchy mud as he holds onto his woolly trapper hat which is threatening to blow away in the wind.

“Good heavens, Miss, a-are you alright?” he squawks in alarm as he looks at her from head to toe. Even Corviknight seems perturbed by her appearance, his red eyes widening thoroughly.

“....Home,” she merely says as she settles her limp gaze on the little man, “I want to go home.”

“Uh, Miss, I think I outta take you to the nearest hospital…”

“Home,” she says again, blinking through the raindrops that batter her bedraggled form and pelt her eyelashes. “I want to go home.”

“Okay, where do you live? I’ll give you a ride,” the cabbie replies and he dashes to his carriage, climbs the ladder and returns to his perch atop his large steed.

“Motostoke,” she says, “Twenty three…..Dorset Road…”

"Got it, hop in!"

The cabbie watches her slip inside the empty, awaiting carriage and close the door. She sits rigidly in the chair, staring limply ahead of her.

On the small control panel of the cab, he locks the door, grabs onto the reigns of Corviknight and instructs the large bird to take off to the skies despite the heavy rain. A thunderstorm is in the making and the wind is reported to be over eighty miles per hour but he is undaunted. The cabbie braves the fierce storm and avoids some dangerous-looking clouds; Corviknight, being a seasoned flier with over eighty thousand miles or so of experience, isn’t shaken by the random bouts of lightning and the loud, overhead boom of thunder as they traverse the miserable sky.

He’s not supposed to fly in these conditions, but it doesn’t help that he was trying to get out of the storm and the Wild Area as quickly as possible after depositing a customer near North Lake Miloch and happened to see a blood-stained girl on the ground looking rather lost and dazed near the ruins of the old Watchtower.

However, he can’t shake off the feeling that there is something wrong with her.

She’s drenched in blood, covered in bruises, donned in raggedy clothing…she’s clearly shocked and confused and needs help.

He should report this, and once Motostoke looms into view, he finds the address the girl had stated and presses down on a button that links to the intercom inside the cab.

“Miss? We’re here.”

Awaiting for a response, he is however, greeted with silence and the occasional crackling of static.

He shrugs inwardly and directs Corviknight to land in front of a two-storey detached house with red bricks and a white door and the cab lands safely on the ground, a low but steady grumble emitting from the earth upon arrival. Immobile, he unlocks the cabbie door, climbs off his steed and down the ladder whilst the bird stretches his wings and shakes himself, sending huge droplets of water into the air.

The cabbie goes up to the door of the cab, peers through the window and proceeds to gasp loudly.

The interior of the cab is empty.

He flings the door open and pokes his head inside.

“S-she’s gone?!!” he cries, before he tears off his goggles as though determined to ensure that his old eyes were not playing tricks on him.

Summoned by the commotion outside and a random Corviknight taxi, the front door to the house of twenty three Dorset Road opens and a middle-aged woman and a teenage girl with a Sylveon peek out.

“….Can we help you?” the woman asks.

The cabbie gawks at the woman and lass and points frantically at his own cab. “The girl!!! The passenger!!! She’s gone!!! She asked to be taken to Motostoke, twenty three Dorset Road!!! I swear she was inside and never got out, the doors are automatically locked and only I can unlock or lock and the door alarm never went off, I-“

The pair blink numbly as he babbles and flails uncontrollably over the missing hitchhiker.

“…A girl?” asks the woman, after he gives up on trying to explain and pants and groans heavily.

He nods and takes off his hat, fanning himself. “Yeah!!! She had dark hair and-and she was covered all over in blood, she was all bruised and battered all over!!!! Never mind. Forget it, I-I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am.”

Shaking his head, he wonders who will pay for the cabbie ride. Most likely, it will be deducted from his wages.

However, the woman promptly bursts into tears and rushes back inside the house. The muffled sound of a door slamming can be heard.

The cabbie gawks for a moment or so before the teenage girl with the Sylveon leaves the doorstep of her house and strides up to him.

“That was my sister,” she says, “you’re not the only one to bring her home. Thanks.”

“H-huh?”

The girl digs a hand into her pocket and pulls out her purse, pulling out some frayed notes which she plops into his hand. “This should cover the taxi fare.”

...

[razieltwelve]

A Helpful Canine (RWBY AU Snippet)

While performing his duties as Death’s Dog, a Divine Beast of nigh limitless power, Zwei had seen countless worlds.

Some of those worlds were hellish realms beset by demons and horrors in which alternate versions of his mistress and her companions fought a desperate battle to save the last, dying remnants of humanity from a fate worse than death. He never stayed in those worlds long. Divine Law forbade him from interfering, and it would have made him sad to stand by and do nothing. 

Still, he never left without unleashing at least a little bit of his divine wrath upon the demons. The Rubys of those worlds might not be his mistress, but they were Rubys all the same, and he was not about to abandon any of them. He was always careful not to use too much of his power, lest he draw unwanted attention, and if Death noticed, she never said anything. 

Other times, the worlds he visited were idyllic. He had been sorely tempted to linger in one such world where there were no gods, no magic, no demons or monsters, or anything else out of the ordinary. It was a mundane world ruled by mundane mortal technology. The Ruby of that world had been an aspiring rock musician who had somehow run into that world’s Weiss who was a classically trained pianist. 

One thing had led to another, and the pair had moved in together before finding a certain adorable dog on their doorstep a few days later. Zwei had stayed with them for a week before taking his leave - but not before ensuring a chain of events that would lead them right to that world’s Zwei. He had a feeling his other self would be quite happy with Ruby and Weiss. He certainly had been.

But every now and then, he ran into worlds where he really couldn’t help but interfere, and sometimes he stayed for years and years. 

In one such world, he’d come across a Ruby who had lost her family to bandits. The little girl had been eking out a living on the streets of one of the kingdom’s nastiest cities. He’d bumped into her, and he’d spent years gradually steering her toward the people who could help her. 

She’d run into Yang first, a fellow street kid, and then they’d run into Blake, another street kid. The trio had stuck together, and three were much better at surviving than one, especially if those three had a certain reliable dog to help them out. A bloody coup had toppled the royal family, and forced the surviving members of the royal family to flee.

The trio had inadvertently - or not so inadvertently thanks to Zwei - run into Princess Weiss while she was being pursued by assassins. Exhausted and with nowhere else to turn, Weiss would surely have died. But the trio had come to her aid, and from there, they’d been dragged into an adventure that culminated in Weiss retaking the throne, and the three of them joining her Royal Guard.

With his work done, Zwei had moved on to the next world after leading Ruby to a deserted alley where that world’s version of Zwei and his siblings had just been born. Ruby had always suspected there was more to him than met the eye, so she’d simply smiled, adopted all of the dogs, and then waved goodbye as he vanished, moving on to the next world.

But by far his favourite world was the one he’d originally come from. And after centuries of waiting, the time had finally arrived. He watched as a reborn Weiss, still only a child, got lost and ended up on the steps of Death’s temple. For the longest time, his mistress had simply stared at Weiss.

He knew better than anyone how much Death had missed Weiss, and neither of them had known how long it would be before the Cycle turned and she was reincarnated. And now here she was, and Death seemed unsure of whether to approach her or not.

But Zwei wasn’t just a good dog. He was, in his humble opinion, the best dog. So he did what the best dog ought to do. He pushed his mistress down the stairs. Since she was Death, she barely stumbled at all. He might be a Divine Beast of nigh limitless power, but she was Death. Even he couldn’t push her around unless she let him.

Death stopped next to Weiss and revealed herself, and Zwei wagged his tail. It would be years before Weiss grew up, but he’d already waited centuries. What was a decade or two? Besides, he could still remember how comfortable it had been to take a nap on Weiss’s lap. It would totally be worth the wait.

X    X     X

“You are an incredibly lazy dog,” Weiss drawled as Zwei sprawled across her lap. It was hard to equate the corgi on her lap with the towering beast of fire and ruin that he could apparently turn into. “And where do you even go half the time? I know you’re not with Death. I’ve asked her. Do you just wander around looking for people’s laps to sleep in?”

But the dog just closed his eyes and curled up in her lap. Within a few moments, he was snoring.

Weiss rolled her eyes. “I bet that’s exactly what you do. You really are the laziest dog ever.”

X    X     X

Author’s Notes

Never doubt the devotion of a dog. Zwei might be Death’s dog, but Death is Ruby, so he’ll always look out for any Ruby he runs into. And he’s got a soft spot for Weiss, which means he’ll help out any Weiss he meets as well. Of course, he does have a favourite Weiss, so it’s no surprise, he’s taking the opportunity to sneak in as many lap naps as his duties allow.

If you’re interested in my thoughts on writing and other topics, you can find those here.

I also write original fiction, which you can find on Amazon here. I’ve recently released two stories, Attempted Adventuring and Surviving Quarantine, as well as two audiobooks, Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems and Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire. If you like humour, action, and adventure, be sure to check them out.

[bluejaybabbles-archive]

please. please may i hear more about throcky and/or midwest monsters wip 🥺🥺🥺🥺

ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE (sometimes. My ADHD is wild and rules over what I remember to address ajfnznfjk)

So let's start with Throcky of When the Waves Kiss the Trees!

- Kalem "Throcky" Throckmorton started as a joke based on those posts that went around a while ago about the math problems that included "my cousin Throckmorton." My friend asked me to have a side character named Throckmorton in exchange for...something. I honestly can't remember it's been a couple years I think ajfnnzfn BUT!! I agreed, and thus Throcky was born.

- At the beginning of WTWKTT, Rute doesn't know he's a changeling. He's still stuck in the human form his fae mother put him in. However! The city he's currently living in has started to industrialize, and as factories pop up, he begins to get sick. A sudden rise in the iron around you will do that, I suppose!

- The doctors are like "get some fresh air!" and his mom, instead of taking him to the park or smth idk, is like "you're gonna go live with your reclusive cousin and his goats for a while" and Rute, deliriously ill, is just like "yeah ok makes sense"

- Everyone give a round of applause to Throcky for nursing Rute back to health!

- More info about Throcky! He basically has a backyard farm where he keeps mostly chickens and goats. Sometimes something else wanders into the yard and he's like "well I guess you live here now"

- He has a fat grey tabby named Celery! She's a menace and we love her.

- Along with his animals, he's got a baller garden. It extends to inside his house bc holy shit, that's a lot of plants, sir--

- He makes a KILLER rosemary bread (among other things. Honestly Throcky is husband material the more I think about it.)

- He has a milk delivery service! Once a week he'll deliver goat milk to folks in town and also! To the castle! He'd do it more often but he's just one guy. (Rute eventually helps out with deliveries and that's how he meets Oliver 👀 Goat Milk Said Gay Rights!)

- Throcky got this little house away from everyone to be ALONE okay people are TOO MUCH all he needs are his GOATS and his CHICKENS and CELERY

- Honestly tho he cares way too much. He loves his family and he loves the people he delivers to, he just also loves having a place alone to retreat to at the end of the day. Classic introvert. Anyway stan Throcky

Okay! Now on to Midwest Monster Hunting WIP!

- So first of all I'm currently hyperfixating on The Witcher so jot that down

- Second of all, this takes place in Ohio, and Ohio (as described by my partner) is a strange lovechild of the Midwest and the South so. Jot that down as well

- It's still in the planning stages, but! What I'm thinking is, at some point humans kinda decided "so we don't feel like giving our children to the fae anymore, this seems Fucked Up. We're hardy folk we can totally take whatever punishment you decide to dole out" (now that I'm thinking about it like. How very American of y'all)

- The fae, of course, Don't Like Not Getting What They Want, and so oops! They "accidentally" unleashed otherworldly monsters into our world! HOWEVER if u give us ur babies we'll train them to fight and kill these monsters to protect you 👀

- Humans are like. Shit. I guess you got us. Have our babies. Never mind that you're gonna keep releasing more monsters so that we keep giving you our children. This is Fine.

- The monster hunters will eventually get a Cool Title but I'm not that far yet

- There are a few main faerie courts in this story! We've got the seasonal courts (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and the celestial courts (sun, moon, stars). If you give your kid to one of the seasonal courts, you'll probably definitely see them again once they've been trained up! If your kid ends up in a celestial court.....well, they'll be damn good monster hunters and the pride of your town if they survive!

- OH ALSO your kid isn't gonna come back looking the same. In general, their hair is gonna look more like....like if they were fae that grew up in that court. They're gonna have cat eyes to better see in the dark. There's gonna be an otherworldliness to them. Also they'll probably be sporting a new name. Apologies.

- The story follows Avery (name pending, I'm not entirely attached to it), a monster hunter from the Court of the Moon; Antonia Figueroa, one of the more prominent local witches; and Javi Justiniano, this weird person who just has weird magical things happen around them more often for some fuckin reason idk I totally dk but that's Spoilers

- They will all kiss. Eventually. Listen I like slow burn in theory but it's so hard to write I'm so impatient I just want them to KISS--

- Avery doesn't exactly....kill the monsters. Unless he HAS to (ie it's fatally wounded when he gets there). What he does in most cases is sedate them, and then put them in a pocket dimension he creates for that kind of monster to thrive in. Is this a power he learned in the Court of the Moon? Possibly. That's a cool idea

- If someone wants like, Proof that he killed it, he'll just glamour a rock or smth to look like a tooth or an eye or w/e

- Of course, once you've created like. A TON of pocket dimensions. Something's gonna notice, and that Something probably won't be too keen on you playing with the fabric of reality so much. Also you're gonna get tired I feel like

- Antonia (aka Toni) is the local witch, and thus helps monster hunters by creating sedatives for the monsters, or making antidotes for various monster venoms, or breaking curses. Among other things!

- She knows how Avery works and like, she's worried about him, but she helps him anyway. She doesn't stop telling him that he's gonna get himself killed this way, tho!

- Javi seems to attract magical phenomena, but also, monsters seem to be drawn to them and become calmer around them. They don't know why, but like, if a monster flies in through their bedroom window and curls up to go to sleep in their bed, they're just gonna let it, y'know? Maybe give it a pat. Feed it some Oreos or smth. Can weird flying monsters safely eat Oreos?

- There will be adventures! There will be demons in the corn! There will be cool monsters! There will be Gay! There will be polyamory! What's not to love?

This ended up being wAY LONGER THAN I ANTICIPATED but it was a lot of fun so!! THANK YOU MAX FOR THE ASK AND FOR MY LIFE ILYSM!!!

[fuckyeahjonesy]

Bittersweet love affair - The Roger Taylor story

"You and I always be unfinished business."

It was a sultry summer afternoon. The hot air was revolving slowly on the surfaced road, and the Sun was parching the leaves on the trees. It was July, if I remember well. And it was us, in the subway. Under the footsteps of every wandering soul. We were cuddling tight in the rushing train, while around us the noise of talking people was assimilated with the sound of wheels. My fingers were running on your soft skin like a hungry wolf, I wanted to turn on every little part of you. You smiled at me and hugged me tight. I can't put into words how safe and calm your hugs make me feel. My ocean blue eyes caught your soft glance and I pressed my lips against your neck, while my whole body was burning in destructive desire. Under your warm skin the blood cells were racing with each other in the thick tunnel of your artery, while your heartbeat became faster, as it controlled the unstoppable traffic of your body.

I closed my eyes, and wrapped my arms around you as tight as I could, just to make sure, that the fabric of my dress will keep your sweet fragrance for a lifetime. You slid slowly your arms around my waist, pulled me closer to you, and it felt like I was on a peaceful, small island, where the blue waves of the ocean are caressing me with the sunshine. Like I had a shield around me, that can't be broken by the evil and the darkness. I opened my eyes and looked at you again, with the greatest thankfulness a human can stare at something, because I knew I'm looking at my guardian angel. Your lips curled into a cute smile and you kissed my forehead gently. The subway stopped every two minutes, but I haven't even noticed it. Every part of me was deeply obsessed with you and I couldn't take my eyes off you. To me you were the most beautiful and most sacred soul that God has ever created. And I felt incredibly lucky to be a part of the miracle, to be a part of you. I never wanted to let you go. You constantly complimented me with the most adorable smile, and every word from you was like a waterdrop for a thirsty flower. You were feeding me with your sweet love, and my hungry heart was begging you to love me harder, want me harder, lift me up to the bluest sky...

That was our last meeting. We had phone calls sometimes, but as the time passed by, the amount of the letters were decreased, until they have completely gone. You live your own life happily and carelessly, filled with adventures. Just like I do. But I can't stop thinking about one thing: Do you still think of me, when you're alone? Would you still recognize me, if I bumped into you on the streets? Do you still remember the scent of my skin, which turned you on, when we spent that hot summer night together? Do you still remember the sparkle in my eyes, when you held me in your arms? Do you still remember, how I touched you, when the fire unleashed in our bodies, and we pissed off the neighbours by being really loud all night long?

You still run through my mind sometimes, and I always wonder what was missing from me that could have made your life complete. You can't even realize, how I felt when you were by my side. I felt for you so strong and honest desire, I didn't even know before, that I'm able to feel like that. You dragged the most intense emotions out of me, and I didn't even know, that such feelings exist deep inside of me. I believed in you, like a medieval citizen in old wives' tale, and I considered every action and word from you to be true. And you know Roger, when your memory flashes in my mind, I immediately realize, that those feelings will stay forever, that will never be requited...

[alvaar-aldaviir]

Wondrous Tails: Day Off (Replacement)

("Day Off" is a replacement for "Meeting the Parents." Because Alvaar's probably scared of that shit and frankly so am I.)

Time Frame: Post Canon (years after Shadowbringers(?)), No Spoilers

Notes: All characters are aged up. Mentioned poly relationship between my WoL and the twins, but nothing more.

  It’s been over a month since Alvaar had last been in the Rising Stones, off on yet another Grand Adventure into who knows what that would likely end with him and a team of adventurers emerging triumphant over an enemy that was threatening the world. If Alisaie hadn’t kept meeting people corroborating his stories, she would have refused to believe the amount of ancient evils the Warrior of Light seemed to keep tripping over. It was almost as if he couldn’t go a week without kicking a rock that unleashed an ancient voidkin hellbent on genocide.

Granted, in all fairness she couldn’t fault him for his absence. Her own travels of Eorzea had only recently seen her back in Mor Dhona and was likely the only reason she wasn’t vocally irritated he hadn’t invited her along. Well, that and the obvious fatigue in his voice when she’d called him via link pearl to poke fun at him proper. He would be back soon, his exhausted voice had confirmed, and he looked forward to nothing more than sleeping in late sandwiched between his lovers in their shared room and catching up on what they’d been up to over breakfast and tea. And because he would be back on what was now tomorrow, it meant she would have her hands full today.

So she rose early per her usual, but instead of treading the worn path to her practice spot on the lake, she made straight for the kitchen long before the hired staff had arrived. Pulling a recipe tin down from one of the high shelves and flipping through numerous cards in varieties of penmanship until she found one featuring her own efficient script. Reading over the whole recipe once, and then a second time she sighed and glared at the oven and then the refrigerator before rolling up her sleeves and setting to work.

    An hour later, with pastry sheets chilling in the kitchen, she made for the Aetheryte Plaza and took herself to Bentbranch Meadows before setting out South. The walk toward the Mirror was uneventful, the few monsters that wandered about freely were too docile to cause much trouble, but the weather was already comfortably warm and the skies were promising to be a beautiful day.

It was a shame her quarry would be less than agreeable it seemed, she mused as she eyed the blackberry bushes and their thorns sourly.

“... He failed to mention needing gloves for this,” she grumbled aloud before sighing and resolving to making the best of it. At least she could heal any scratches on her own she reasoned. Which was good, because over the course of the next few hours she earned herself plenty.

    “Correct me if I am mistaken Alisaie but... I thought you hated blackberries?” Alphinaud asks from the side, watching her work in the kitchen of the Rising Stones late that afternoon with confused interest.

“I do,” she replies simply, continuing to spread the dark filling over cut squares of puff pastry.

“But you’re making blackberry turnovers? When you have repeatedly said you hate baking?” he continued, no less confused.

“I am.”

“... Were you perhaps going to clarify why you’ve taken a full day to make one of your least favorite baked goods, or should I just forget all about it?”

“I’ll lose track of time if you stand around gawping and asking silly questions. I’m making them because I am so if you’re not helping, don’t you have more important work to be doing?” she snipped flatly.

Raising his hands up in a placating gesture, the Scholar opted to take his leave. Even as her twin, some things his sister did he figured he would never understand.

    “And the serving tower? You’re spoiling me,” Alvaar teased, settling himself into a seat at their usual table in the Rising Stones.

“Hardly. Consider it payment for whatever undoubtably grand tale you’ll have to tell. I could use a good mystery for how this one sprung up,” Alisaie replied, setting the three tower snack tray on the table while her brother brought the tea.

“You know every time you bring that tower out, I always secretly panic about what order it’s supposed to be eaten in,” Alvaar remarked. “Then I notice it’s loaded with sweets and I remember you picked it out and it doesn’t matter.”

“Rude,” she sniffed, accepting the teacup Alphinaud offered to her. “It’s too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. Did you expect a full spread? Maybe even rolling out a red carpet for your arrival oh Grand Hero of the Realm?”

Chuckling, Alvaar waved it off and accepted his cup of tea as well. “Of course not. Just happy to see you and give you shit for a change. Short lived as it is… Thank you Alphi. How have you been?”

Giving a quiet smile as he curled his fingers about his teacup, the Scholar inclined his head. “Busy as ever. Offering advice and mediating with the beast tribes to help smooth over relations among the factions. Assisting in logistics for rebuilding efforts and writing letters of introduction...”

“Paperwork. He’s either been holed up in the study or away putting people to sleep with his speeches since you left,” Alisaie cut in flatly.

Alphinaud stared at his twin sourly for a moment before he lifted his cup and asked politely, “Alisaie, how are Ga Bu and the kobolds of U’Ghamaro by the way? Have trade relations with Limsa Lominsa been worked out? That was where your latest adventure went to yes? Some monster trouble in the mines?”

A soft snort left her before she flashed him a smile. “Yes, yes, brother I hear you loud and clear. Forgive my impatience, you know I wouldn’t dream of downplaying the importance of your diplomatic efforts. But given I skipped breakfast I would very much like it if our guest would make his choice of snacks so I can be one turn closer to my own given these silly rules of etiquette you both harp on me about.”

Biting down his laughter, Alvaar took a slow sip of his tea as the pair swung into fond bickering. Glancing over the trays he raised a brow before picking a few pieces with interest.

“From the sounds of it between the pair of you the Warrior of Light will be out of work. Excellent. I wouldn’t mind an early retirement from saving the world every other year or so,” he remarked once their spat slowed while Alphinaud selected his fare. Biting into his first pick and chewing thoughtfully for a moment, Alvaar went abruptly still, eyes wide as if in a moment of revelation.

“Alvaar?” Alphinaud asked hesitantly, glancing at his twin who was suddenly back to sipping her tea and studying the trays with shrewd assessment.

“Hm?” Blinking at him, the Bard offered an awkward smile and patted the air in a flash of rings for reassurance. Swallowing and taking a quick drink of his tea he chuckled softly. “Sorry. Just... had a moment I suppose. This just seems familiar is all,” he murmured, studying his plate as he reminisced. “Rosa used to make blackberry turnovers for me when she came back from long journeys. To make up for her absence I suppose. She’d always ask me about my studies and then tell me about wherever she had been and what adventures she’d been up to... Gods, wherever you got these must use the same recipe. They’ve got it almost down pat.”

Blinking in surprise, Alphinaud stared at his sister pointedly while she carefully selected a fruit tart off the tray.

“Alisaie you should try one of these,” Alvaar chirped happily, licking crumbs off his fingers. “It’s almost spot on for that recipe I told you about.”

“No thanks. I can’t stand blackberries,” she returned politely. “I’m afraid you’ll just have to enjoy them yourself. Now, how did you say that whole ‘accidentally unleashed an ancient evil’ business went again?”

      A/N:

A very long time ago before my parents divorced, I remember finding out that my Mom hates Deviled Eggs. Which I found strange because I remember her making them for almost every family event and most holidays, mostly because my Dad loves them.

It seemed silly that you would learn a recipe you hate, but I’ve asked a number of women over the years if they know a recipe they can’t stand because their SO loves it and pretty unanimously got a yes.

Affection and how women show it is a weird thing. Teaching yourself to do something you hate for someone else, just because it makes them happy. I know it’s not unique to women, but it’s always stuck with me as a prime example of it anyway.

[tardis-sapphics]

so @musingsofaraven sent me a soft!prompt

@musingsofaraven How about the Doctor and Yaz sitting on a hill somewhere, overlooking something (like an ocean or a city) just quietly chatting about an adventure they had, or some philosophical idea. Yaz sitting in between the Doctor’s legs, leaning her head on the Doctor’s shoulder and the Doctor’s arms around her.

et voila - i present to you ‘wrap around me, love, and hope for us’. i would also suggest listening to fleur by instupendo ft. teen daze for this piece.

There is another energy felt on the very edge of the land, as if all masks have fallen away. The earth is no longer able to bury anything in it, or under it. Instead, the world is exposed to what lies underneath.

All that reckoning, going on for miles and miles. They are on the very edge of it; a few steps and they would fall into it. Be lost in it. They would float, be twisted this way and that by the power of the deep-sea waves. The churning ceaseless, the ocean endless. All that power, the energy taken on by the wind, colder here. It makes hands shake. Where there is more land left to shield them from the great power of the ocean, they feel it unleashed: the planet’s true empire.

Humans have been trembling at it for millennia. To harness it is to accept one can only piggyback on a fraction of its power. To join it requires an acceptance of a life ended here – until then, humans are limited to construction floating. Or swimming never too far, never too fully, never to the extent they wish they could.

Up here, the sand gives way to tufts of grass. Tentative, at first; and bunched up in clumps when the confidence grows. In the light of the moon, the ocean illuminated in soft blur, their outlines provide a focus for the frame; fluttering and fretting when the wind picks up. Even further up, on the hill, it solidifies enough in its purpose to provide a blanket on which to lounge.

So the two of them do. The light of the moon creates reflections, outlines. Except for the warm light of the village a mile or so to their left, most else is hidden in shadow. They are abandoned by the day, then, to the peace of the cloudless, moonlit night; they are left to bask in the peace of one another. The swelling and settling of the tides matches the breaths in tandem. Felt and heard and not seen.

Yaz’s back has been cushioned by the Doctor’s front, the Time Lord’s legs bracketing them on either side. Yaz is free to divulge in this embrace, pressing her body into the warmth of her girlfriend as much as she can. For the past few minutes, this is what she has been doing, slouched enough to lay her head on the Doctor’s shoulder and listen to the world tick by. In silence, they have basked in the hum of each other’s touch, smooth cream-feeling on skin salted by ocean air. They have listened to one another’s inhalations and exhalations, the soft sound relief, and caught the rustle of the Doctor’s coat as she wraps her arms tighter around Yaz. The planet has continued, ocean empire glorious; the most natural sounds for the natural happiness of these moments.

Now, Yaz sits up. Her spine vertical, the Doctor curled around her, she is for once the tallest of the two. She won’t joke of it, though. The moment is too unbreakable. She threads her fingers through the Doctor’s own, nestled at the flat of her belly; the perfect place to rest.

‘D’you think they’ll be okay?’ she wonders.

The Doctor emits a little hum, a quiet note of confusion.

‘The village, I mean.’ Yaz nods her head to the left.

‘Oh!’ It is a quiet hybrid sound, halfway to a sigh. ‘Yeah, of course. They’re hardy, these folks. No visiting alien’s gonna stop ’em.’

‘I know,’ Yaz says, and she does, even after only one day being around them, ‘but it can’t be easy. Life is so different for them now. They’ve lost their elders. Do they know how to function now? In society?’ She worries her bottom lip. ‘It’s all they’ve ever known.’

‘And how has life turned out for you since I’ve arrived?’ The Doctor grins at her own rhetorical question; Yaz just knows it.

She laughs. ‘That’s a bit different, Doctor.’ She rests her head against her girlfriend’s own. ‘You’re a force of positivity.’ And many other things, she thinks in awe. ‘That alien didn’t fall from a massive height and immediately tell the villagers that they were friends now.’

‘No, I suppose not,’ the Doctor muses. She turns their entwined hands over, and her thumb curls round onto the part of Yaz’s palm it can reach. ‘But the outcome is the same. Life before me was all you’d ever known, but you’re still functioning. People adapt; dynamics change. I always get surprised at how resilient you lot are, though by now I don’t think I should be. But isn’t that amazing?’

‘Moving on?’

From behind her, the Doctor hums again. ‘No – well, yes and no. I mean how many people keep going. There are lots of species that, through no fault of their own, often draw the short straw. Some die out, and some don’t. You see them amongst the stars, scarred, but so hopeful. So much hope! Everyone knows that the worst has happened and it may again. But they also know the best can happen too.’

The wind picks up again; Yaz nestles further into this body of love. Surrounded by it, she has become it: similar wavelengths follow each other and in the emotional, they are merged.

‘What about you?’ she asks.

She knows the complications questions like these can bring. Simple futures complicated by the stretching out of life. Being present becomes paramount. Yaz has been taking that on board, adapting so their dynamic can flourish.

After a moment, her girlfriend answers. ‘I’m a doctor of hope, me,’ she says, her tone a little faraway as she works through her thoughts, ‘so I know that the best is happening to people all over the universe. Countless births and falling in love and successes of all kinds. People are making each other laugh. A beautiful piece of art has been created. I love even the idea of that. It’s something I keep tight, to keep me going.

‘But also, I don’t need to rely on that knowledge. I’m experiencing it. The best is happening here! I’m travelling the universe, like I always wanted to do, with my best friends, and my girlfriend.’ Caught up in it, her enthusiasm builds. It gets deeper, fuller, even as the volume of her words increase only incrementally. ‘The definition of ‘the best thing’ changes, always – but right here, right now, I am here despite the worst of it. And I’m here with you.’ She presses a gentle kiss to Yaz’s shoulder. ‘Isn’t that brilliant?’

[jamkookies]

The way you are

Description :  A trip to Malta for the shooting of Bon Voyage seems peaceful enough until the moment things take an unexpected turn...

Word count : 1.9k

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a fine line between being dead and unconscious, but somehow, the resemblance between the two was uncanny.

Your body felt like it was floating, unable to sense its surroundings.

It was like one of those nightmares where you felt like you’d been paralyzed, your lethargic limbs useless by your sides.

Still, you knew you weren’t dead.

You weren’t sure how.

You just knew.

You were encased in darkness but you could still feel things happening around you, the sounds muffled as if you were underwater.

A rushing stream.

Roaring in your ears.

It came and went, making you consider if it was actually happening or just a mere memory.

Then, you can feel multiple things digging on your back, the uncomfortable feeling making you want to squirm.

A fresh new pain blossoms into your shoulder, agonizingly spreading through your whole body.

You are drowning again, the water filling up your lungs -

You violently explode into a fit of coughing, the water out of your system after a series of retching.

You can breathe again.

Slowly peeling your eyes open, you are almost blinded by the bright sunlight falling directly into your face.

Then, something shields you from it, the sharp outline of a head hovering in your line of sight.

“Oh, thank God.” you hear the head say.

It’s hard for you to make out the features first, but then as your eyes get used to the light, you recognize the doe eyes, the thin upper lip and the curly hair, which is now wet to the roots, dripping onto your face.

Jungkook.

He’s alive.

“Hyung…” you croak, but manage no more than that.

Even breathing was a struggle, your throat burning every time the air scraped its insides.

Jungkook looks no better, his hair sticking to his forehead, a pained expression on his face.

You slowly flick your eyes from side to side, trying to understand where exactly you where.

A flash of green leaves, a patch of blue sky, whiteness under you.

So, that’s what had been digging on your back.

Rocks and pebbles.

The creek continues its flow just a little further, the stream seeming to have washed you on the bank along with Jungkook.

Your lids start to close on themselves.

Heavy.

“No no no no. Don’t die on me, Y/N.”

You feel a hand cradling your cheeks, slightly shaking it in an attempt to wake you up.

So heavy.

Sounds of engines are approaching, their echoes loud despite the fact that your hearing was slightly impaired.

Speeding steps on the pebbles.

So so heavy.

You feel yourself being carried and the hand on your cheek disappears.

You fall into the pure bliss of nothingness.

* * *

Beep beep beep.

You open your eyes to a patient monitor, its screen showing a green line moving rhythmically up and down.

A grunt escapes your lips as you try to lift your upper body.

The agonizing pain on your shoulder had subsided into a dull ache, but it was still there.

You look at the thick bandages wrapped around your shoulder and notice a rosy hue on their center, proof of the blood that you had spilled.

Multiple tubes and straps protrude from your arms, trickling a clear liquid into your veins and you tug at them, suddenly feeling restrained.

Someone sitting on a nearby chair snaps awake, their head, hanging on their chest, now alert.

Manager Sejin smiles at you.

“Y/N-ssi, how are you feeling?”

You fail to return the smile.

There were so many things going on in your head right now, you couldn’t even think straight.

“I’m alright.” you say, eyes still scanning the room you were in. “Where’s Jungkook-hyung?”

His eyes lower onto the ground, hands nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Your heart rate speeds up and the monitor’s beeping becomes faster.

“Where is Jungkook-hyung?” you repeat with a clear, almost angry emphasis on each word.

“He’s okay, don’t worry. He is having his wound treated, that’s all.”

Your sudden rush of panic quiets down a little, but you just can’t feel relaxed without actually seeing him with your own eyes.

“Look, I know a lot of terrible things happened to the both of you, I really do.

So, we’re first gonna make sure you are completely healed and then we’ll figure out what to do next, okay?”

You nod.

He smiles at you one more time before making his way out of the room.

Not a moment after, the boys come waltzing in with bright and cheerful expressions.

Jin is the first one to reach your side, relief and worry written all over his face.

“Are you alright?”

Jimin and Taehyung soon join him, the latter snaking his arms around you and hugging you tight.

“Y/N-ssi!” Taehyung wails. “I thought you were gonna die!”

“Ow ow ow-”

“Careful, you idiot! You’re hurting her shoulder.” Jimin grips him by the shirt and pulls him backwards.

“We were really worried, Y/N.” Yoongi says.

“Yeah, I almost lost my mind when you and Jungkook went missing.” adds Hoseok.

“I’m perfectly fine.” you say with a wave of your hand.

Namjoon eyes you suspiciously and you can feel his pupils poking holes into your shoulder.

“What happened?”

You pause momentarily, not knowing how to put it into words but Yoongi has your back.

“We’ll have plenty of time for that later. We should let her relax.”

Namjoon nods absently, still deeply absorbed into looking at you.

“Is Jungkook-hyung alright?” you ask again, failing to let the issue drop.

“Yeah, he’s fine. His leg is just sore.”

His eyes move frantically left and right and you can’t shake off the nagging thoughts taking hold of you.

Something was wrong.

They were hiding something from you, you were sure of it.

“You should rest.” Jin says and rubs the back of your hand affectionately.

You can’t help but smile.

No matter what had happened,they were here for you, ready to comfort you, make you feel better, be your emotional support.

They were your family and you were proud of it.

* * *

You had desperately tried to fall asleep but to no avail.

Your mind kept wandering off to all sorts of places.

Reminiscing about the old times, reenacting the most recent adventures, wondering what exactly were the boys keeping from you…

A slight creaking noise brings you back to earth.

You turn towards it and almost squeak in delight upon seeing Jungkook’s head pop on the door.

With a smile blooming on your face, you try to stand in a sitting position but only slump back into the pillows when you realize what you’re seeing.

The door swings wide open and Jungkook enters.

Sitting on a wheelchair.

No no no no no no

A sudden pain on your chest overpowers the one on your shoulder and it’s worse than everything you’ve ever experienced.

As he puts the wheels moving, you start hyperventilating.

Not again.

Panic, panic all over you, raw and merciless.

His smile falters when he realizes what’s going on.

“Y/N…?”

“This is all my fault…” You let your head fall into your hands and burst into tears, unable to hold it in anymore, but to your astonishment, he rises from the chair and sits on the side of the bed.

“Y/N, I’m perfectly fine.” he says and removes your hands from your face, making you look at him.

With your eyes full of tears and relief flooding through you, you throw your arms around him, clinging for dear life.

You realize you’re ugly sobbing but you can’t seem to stop the wails that come in waves, desperate to be unleashed.

“I thought you couldn’t walk anymore.”

The black haired boy strokes your back in slow circles, trying to calm you down.

“Of course I can. They just gave me the wheelchair so I would not get tired.”

“Do you and Jimin plan to scare the hell out of me?”

“What?”

“N-never mind.” You answer, the crying making it hard for you to talk.

When he tries to pull away you just squeeze him harder, ignoring the pain on your shoulder and refusing to let go.

He lets out a low chuckle and lifts his legs onto the bed, hands still attached to the small of your back.

You both lay into each other’s arms, your head leaning on his shoulder, and you finally feel at peace, even for just a moment.

“I"m sorry” you hear him say. “Everything that happened is my fault.”

“No.”

“I’m the one who offered to sneak off in the middle of the night.”

“And I’m the one who happily complied.”

“We shouldn’t have avoided the bodyguards.”

“How could you have predicted what would happen?”

“I should have made sure you were safe.”

You were starting to get angry. You scrunch his shirt under your fists.

“You took a bullet for me.” you say. “I’ve been doing nothing but getting into trouble and ruining the show since day one.”

“You think anyone cares? We love you just the way you are. I love you just the way you are.”

“That’s not the only thing that matters, hyung.”

“I don’t want you to call me hyung anymore.”

“Then what should I call you?”

You’re testing out the waters.

“Whatever you want. Just not that. I don’t want you to see me as a brother.”

“But isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?”

“No. It’s not.”

His face comes closer to yours.

You realize he’s looking at your lips.

With curls falling into his eyes, he inches closer and closer.

His breath tickles your nose as he lowers his lips, ready to close the distance.

Two inches.

One inch.

The door flies open and Manager Sejin comes inside.

You both pull away from each other as if you’d been electrocuted.

“Sorry for barging in.” he says, almost spitting the words. “But Jungkook needs to have his wound checked.”

Jungkook peels his eyes away from you and takes a look at him.

“I’ll be there in ten minutes, Manager-nim.” he says and you could’ve sworn there was a hint of annoyance.

Sejin nods and leaves the room but not without seizing you up with cold eyes first.

“So, could you tell me what exactly happened while I was unconscious?” you say, and cough loudly, trying to shake off the flustered state you had been in a few moments ago.

“Well, after falling into the creek, you blacked out. I tried to keep you afloat without hurting your shoulder, but the stream was really strong. I almost lost hold of you a couple of times. We both swallowed a gallon of water, that’s for sure.” He smiles. “We washed into the bank and that’s where you coughed out all the water.”

His eyes avoid you now, frantically flicking from side to side.

“Then the staff came to rescue us along with the emergency cars. It turns out that the sasaeng girl had told them our location when she saw that we jumped into the water. She was probably scared I was gonna die.”

“Did they catch her?”

“No. She escaped.”

You look at him carefully and notice that something’s off.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

He gulps.

“Jungkook.”

“Yeah. Something did happen.”

You’re starting to get nervous, imagining countless possibilities of tragedies.

“Before you regained consciousness, the man came back.”

You gasp.

“What happened?”

He doesn’t continue.

“Jungkook, what happened?!”

He finally lifts his eyes to yours and you notice a dark glint behind them.

“I killed him, Y/N.”