#also tangos reply PFFT

[ashiyn]

the timing of that reply was amazing LMAO

[xsarcasticwriterx]

Wonderwall-part 2

Summary: Y/n find out something that changes the course of her relationship and life forever.

Pairing: tony stark x reader x bucky barnes

Warnings: angst and angst and angst, panic attack, swearing, some bitter sweet fluff,

note: I know its a weird change cause i went from she/her to you and stuff but i like writing you more than her so here we are pfft also i mention civil war but this story doesn't fit in the timeline it just fit for the scenario.

Wonderwall masterlist

You and tony sat on the ship with IVs being stuck into you. bucky sat next to you “hey... wanna talk about it? he ask softly. you shake your head. “not now not yet” you say with tears falling down your face. you had cheated on him. you cheated on the love of your life the person you'd been with for 3 years. Not only that but with someone who has tried to kill bucky on multiple occasions. Tony moved next to you. “Hey...” he said with a sigh. “Promise me we will never ever tell them about this” you say with a panic. he nods frantically. “that's exactly what i was going to say.” and with that you two spent the rest of the time in silence.

You sat in your room. It was 4 days after you got back. you felt weird and had been getting sick for the past few days. The others assumed it was due to your body still adjusting to being on land with consistent water and food. but you had other ideas as to why this could be happening.

Your hands shook as you paced the room. “fuck fuck fuck ok it'll be ok” you said to yourself. you walked into the bathroom and opened the pregnancy test box. panic was all you felt as you took it. you set a timer and walked back to your room. you continued to pace. what would you do if you were pregnant. what would you tell buck? what would you tell tony?! you two promised not to tell anyone. the timer went off. you put your head into your hands. “ok its probably negative i mean what are the chances” you say walking back to the bathroom. you heart was going at a pace that was scary. your whole body was shaking. you grab the test and flip it over.

positive.

you stared at the 2 lines. you felt tears fall down your face and your breathing become rapid. a panic attack that's what this was. you fell to the ground as your breathing became uneven. “no no no no no” you say getting louder. you curl up and feel your whole body shake. you try desperately to grab for every breath but its like inhaling nothing. you start to cough from lack of oxygen and tears. snot ran down your face. you grab onto your hair and scream into your legs. the door immediately opens and bucky rushes to your side. 

“hey its ok im here” he says putting his hand on your shoulder. “count with me ok” he says. you barely hear him it's like being underwater but you nod with what strength you have. “ now 1″ he says. “1″ you reply dryly your throat is dry and your lungs feel empty.

you two count to 10 slowly. you gradually catch your breath. the shaking stops and you feel more exhausted than ever. he pulls you close. “wanna talk about it?” he ask kindly. you look down seeing the pregnancy test and bucky sees it too. he grabs it and turns it over. his breathing gets deeper and he stands up. he walks back and forth and nods. “tony?” he ask with an angered tone. you nod. his nodding and pacing gets faster. 

he walks out the room. you stand up quickly and chase after him. “buck bucky don't” you say quickly seeing him walk towards the one door that would fuck up everything. he nods hard and fast. You feel the tears fall faster and faster. “bucky stop it!” you yell at him. Tony opens the door and immediately is met with a metal fist. “fuck!” tony says holding his nose. Bucky pushes him again which shoves tony down. bucky get on top and keeps hitting him. “bucky! stop!” you say going towards him you try to just pull him but that does nothing.ok next plan. you grab his shoulders “Stop!” you say using your powers. 

you keep pulling him and he does stop. he falls back into your lap. “you promised me you'd never use your powers on me” he says looking up at you. “i'm sorry buck” you say tears falling still. his head falls back onto your stomach. tony looks up at you his face bloody and beat. the metal fist definitely did not help. he looks at you confused. “im pregnant” you say to him. you see his eyes widen. “wha-what” he says shaking his head. 

“shes fucking pregnant with your damn child” bucky says trying to pull out of your arms. you panic and hold him with all your strength. “sleep” you say feeling him go limp in your arms. tony just blinks looking down at the floor. “your....” he says trailing off. his breathing gets deeper.

Doors open in the hall. natasha is the first to come out then steve. Bruce slowly emerges. Wanda and vision come out in a worry. Clint is the last to come out hes geared up ready for a fight. “what's going on?” nat asks. they see tony and bucky's bloody fist. “I thought we were past this?” steve ask in a panic. you look up at wanda and natasha. 

Steve takes bucky away from your lap and takes him to the main room and lays him on the couch. You stand up with natasha and wanda's help. vision,clint, and bruce still look concerned but less worried. “anyone gonna tell us what happened?” clint ask.  

Bruce hands tony a rag to put on his possibly broken nose. “uh let's go sit on the couch.”  wanda says leading you to the main room. bruce helps tony to the couch. “I should...” you say nodding to bucky. They nod as you slowly go to him. you put your hands softly on his head. “wake” you say and immediately bucky shoots up angry and tears edging his eyes.

“buck buck hey calm” steve says grabbing bucky's shoulders. Buck stares at steve angrily. “sooo?” clint ask sitting on the couch. nat and wanda sat down too. you were in front of all of them. “tony and I spent a month and a half up there.” you start off. everyone sits up more. neither you or tony had spoken of your time up there sense yalls return. 

“We saw no end and I was about to have a meet and greet with death himself. Tony was giving up his food and water to keep me going” you say looking down messing with your hands. “I don't understand why this led to bucky beating she shit out of tony.” Clint ask. “let her finish” steve said. “We got closer than ever and had agreed that there was no chance at us returning. We were desperate to stop the pain to just be with someone be cared for before the end. We slept together.” you state. bucky's breathing gets more rapid and his hands form fist. everyone starts to yell at tony natasha tried to silence it which only made her a target.

“Shut up!” you say yelling at them. They look at you surprised. “shut up before we end up with another battle and let me fucking finish what the hell i'm saying before attacking tony which by the way it takes two to tango so shut up please.” you say looking at the floor hands making fist. everyone turns to you and shuts up even bucky and tony.

“Now I am pregnant with tony child. Now before you all start yelling and attacking tony just try to understand the situation.” you say. “Understand the situation?!” bucky yells. steve tries to calm him. “no no just no ok. He mmm he saw her vulnerability and used it!” bucky says standing up and pointing at tony.

“Buck no that's not it he didn't do that. I saw a world without you with no one except me and tony on that stupid ship dying slowly and mercilessly.” you say feeling tears falling again. natasha stood up and walked to you. “I know your pissed as hell at tony and at y/n but right now” she points at tony “you are going to be a father” and she points at bucky “and if you stay, which i think you should, are going to be a step father so let's just try to deal with that right now.”

Natasha held you by her side. Bruce stood up “I’ll help it whatever way I can.” he said. “me too” clint said standing. “I will too” vision said standing. Wanda stood “You always got me.” she said with a small smile. steve looked at bucky then tony and then you. He sighed and stood up “you got me too” he said with a nod. 

you swallow “thank you all of you” you say softly then look to tony and bucky. “You definitely have me i'm not going to bail on my child just because its a complicated situation.” tony said standing up. bucky let a soft growl out. “buck?” you ask hesitantly. He looks up at you and shakes his head. He walks off and soon yall hear a door slam.

You dropped your head. “Give him time” nat whispered to you. you nod. she nods to steve and steve nods and walks after bucky. natasha takes you to your room nodding to tony who nods back and walks to the kitchen. sittin on your bed you look down at your stomach. there's a person in there well soon they'll be. nat sat next to you “how're you feeling?” she ask. “I don't know...Im going to have a child and it's not the child of who i always pictured it as. I broke the love of my life's heart and broke tony and I’s promise.”

“bucky just needs time is all steve is talking to him and i'm sure tony understands that you couldn't keep it a secret you two made that promise when you didn't know you were pregnant and don't worry you have all of us here to help and protect you.” nat said. “I’m an avenger...I had a father who used me as a testing subject and gave me powers i couldn't control till i was 17 how am i supposed to be a parent? Their father is a billionaire who is ready to die at any shot and their possible step father was born in 1917 and was brainwashed to be a murderer.” you spew out.

“you'll be ok we are all broken and a mess but together we can raise this child. I promise. We will figure it out” she says rubbing your arm. The door opens and in comes tony with a glass of water. “figured you could use this” he says walking towards you. nat looks at you and you nod. she stands up and walks out. 

Tony sits next to you. “i'm sorry” you say immediately scared of tony being angry. “no no don't apologize you had to say something its not like you could just avoid questions when your stomach grows.” he says with a chuckle. “y/n i want you to know i am going to be the best damn father i can be and if you and bucky stay together...because you and bucky will stay together i know he will have a huge role in that child's life and i'm so glad they get 3 parents who love them more than anything in this world. I will protect the with my life I will not die for them. I will live for them.” 

“Tony...” is all you can get out through choked sobs. you hug him holding him close. “thank you” you say pulling away “what about pepper?” you ask concerned. “I’ll tell her just need to let this” he moves his hand to the room “settle before any more people get mad” he says. the door slowly opens and an exhausted, messy haired, red eyed, wrapped hand, bucky opens the door. upon seeing tony he sighs.

“can I speak to her alone?” he says with no emotion. tony nods and walks past bucky out of the room. tony closes the door behind him and walks towards the bed.

he sits next to you and sighs. “buck-” you starts but he cuts you off “don't....let me speak” he says. “I am pissed as hell at you dont get me wrong...but i understand...you didn't see a possibility as being back here all you saw was death. I will be the best step father i can and the best boyfriend i can be. I am far from forgiving you but I still love you and I don't want us to end and this child is amazing news even if they aren't mine. I will be as much of a father to this kid as I can be and I will raise them as my own. I'm here for the long run.” he says looking at you. you smile and hug him. “I love you too bucky...thank you” you say. 

This journey was far from over but for now the world felt damn good. This kid would have 3 parents who love them more than anything or anyone in this world.

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Soak! x3

I have been needing to write some grandpa Cecilio...so I shall do so, but for the future X3

I also apologize if Cecilio was written incorrectly uwu And also because this is rather long

“Do you guys hear that song?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s the hokey pokey. Oh dear, I used to be so addicted to that song.”

“Really?”

“Oh yeah. But then I turned myself around.” 

Despite the loud sounds surrounding the trio who walked alongside down a path filled with several others, there was a painful silence that came from a person from the trio. Meanwhile, another stiffled a giggle whilst the other who had last spoken awaited a reaction.

“I already deal with enough of this with my dad.” finally replied the shortest member before the tallest gave a laugh.

“I’m just making sure you never take a break from him!” he exclaimed before giving a laugh, even wiping away a stray tear at the though of his previous joke. 

“That was so dumb.”

“No, it was great!” the other member laughed. “Ula just can’t take a joke.”

“Yes I can! I just have enough with my dad’s jokes, and Cordelia loosing her shit over each one.”

“Cordie just knows how to appreciate our jokes.” laughed who was Cecilio, walking in between his eldest granddaughters at the state fair which was buzzing with guests all over. “Anyways, what do you girls what to do next?”

“I wanna go on the rollercoaster!” Ama pointed to a roller coaster that was off in the distance, and it clearly stood out due to its height and the screams that were heard everywhere.

“I don’t think I’m tall enough for that.” Ula blinked at the sight before Cecilio ruffled her hair.

“You can always do that hair-height changing thingy you do! In fact, why didn’t you do it sooner?”

“Oooh Ula! You’re not scared are you?” Ama poked her cousin’s cheek before her finger was swatted away. 

“Of course not. But someone my size probably could not withstand that. I’ll probably puke everything out.” Ula pouted before turning to the side. “How about we go eat something instead?”

Right in that moment, Cecilio felt and he as well as the girls heard his stomach give a growl, making Ula and Ama giggle.

“How about some deep fried food?” Cecilio suggested as he caught sight of the plethora of food stands, licking his lips at everything being offered.

“Deep fried sounds weird, but I’ll take it!” Ama smiled before Ula nodded in agreement, following the older man to one of the many lines for the deep fried food. They stood in line behind a person, right before Cecilio felt a tap on his back which made him turn and see a man who was clearly upset.

“Yes?”

“What the hell’s your problem? You’re cutting in front of me!” he shouted at Cecilio who’s eyes widened as he gave an apologetic look.

“I’m s-”

“Hi there.~” Ula then stood in between Cecilio and the man. “My name’s Lily. Do you have a name, Sweet Face? Or call I call you mine?~”

Cecilio looked down in surprise as Ula fluttered her eyelashes at the man who’s demeanor took an immediate turn, especially as he blushed at the sight of Ula. He blinked a few times before turning to Ama who smiled and gave a shrug; she was clearly used to seeing this.

“I, um, well, s-sure! You don’t have a boyfriend?”

“Not at all. In fact, I was hoping you’d be willing to take that title.” Ula twirled a lock of hair on her finger, meanwhile her free hand was behind her, motioning to Cecilio and Ama to move on. 

Cecilio was quite hesitant in leaving Ula alone with this stranger, but Ama grabbed his arm and dragged him back to their place.

“What was that?”

“She always does that so things go her way.” Ama playfully rolled her eyes while Cecilio glanced at Ula who was still flirting, even having dragging the man away. “I thought you knew this grandpa! She’s like Aunt Jelly.”

“Oh riiiight, ‘cause they eat all that love and stuff, right?”

“Yup.” Ama nodded before they both noticed that Ula had come back, smiling at Cecilio. “What’d you do?”

“Threw him in a trash can.” Ula shrugged before looking to the front. “Oh look we’re next.”

With that, Cecilio gave a smile before patting the top of Ula’s head which made her beam brightly up at him. His tiny grandaughter, flirting with people to her advantage...it kinda made him proud actually, at least she got some snacks out of it.

_____________

“Eeeew, what is that!?” joked Ula as she made a disgusted yet playful face at the food Cecilio was about to take a bite out of.

“This is...the monster deep fried pizza.~” he proudly presented before taking a large bite of the food, the girls watching in amazement before looking down at the other foods they had purchased.

“Boy am I excited to try out this corn dog.” Ama smiled down at one of the things on her plate. “What did you get Ula?”

“Well for my main course: deep fried octopus, especially ‘cause of the little hat and googly eyes it came with.”

“Ew.” Ama joked as Ula gave her a look, both then starting to eat before realizing that Cecilio had now finished his pizza.

“So girls, tell me. How’s life been treatin’ ya?” Cecilio wiped himself with a napkin before both the girls gave a shrug. “Hmm, Ula, how’s the band stuff been going? What was the name again?

“It’s Cin-O-Surre, and we’ve been doing great.” Ula nodded before Ama gave a nudge.

“Especially since they have a new member.~”

“Ama shut up.” Ula playfully hit Ama as Cecilio could tell what was being told.

“Is this new member cool?” he asked with a smile, placing his chin in his palm as he propped up his elbow on the table. 

“Well, pfft, yeah.” Ula shrugged as her eyes darted to the side, a blush forming on her cheeks. “His name’s Schrader and...he plays the bass really well...writes great songs.”

“And this Schrader, is he your friend?”

“Yea-”

“Yeah but Ula loves him.~” teased Ama who giggled as Ula now nudged her.

“Oh, is that so?” Cecilio chuckled as Ula’s blush darkened.

“Well I don’t love him but...I might like him more than I would like a friend.” she smiled like a goof, even turning away so her expression wouldn’t be seen. “He’s a really cool guy...”

“And he works at the diner Ula was telling you about earlier.” Ama chipped in before a plastic spoon hit her head, but she ignored it and the fact that it came from Ula to instead lean closer towards her.

“Well if Ula wants, she can tell me more about this boy.” Cecilio gently nudged Ama so that she would back away and give the flustered Ula her space, and they were both surprised to see how Ula sprung back into the conversation with a smile and twinkles in her eyes.

“ So Schrader has these wonderful, so beautiful eyes that remind me of blueberries. And, and he writes the best songs you will ever hear in your life, and, and his fingers! When he plays a guitar, holy shit! It looks like they’re dancing some waltz or tango! And he sings so wonderfully, and he likes horror and scary stuff like me! And, and he’s so tall and handsome and amazing! And, and! And, and...” Ula soon started to quiet down as she saw Cecilio’s and Ama’s eyes right on her, Ama even smirking. “He...calls me...Nungen...”

“Ula has a crush on Schrader!~” Ama exclaimed before Ula hit her arm again Cecilio only giving a chuckle before ruffling Ula’s hair as she pouted in embarrassment.

“You two are so adorable.”

“Anyways, enough about me. How are things with you and lover boy Henry?”

“Lover boy? Henry?” Ama made a weird face. “What on earth are you talking about Ula?”

“Oh don’t play dumb.” Ula stared at Ama who was still pretty confused. “If not you, than at least Henry. Like, he’s clearly head over heels.”

“What? No he’s not. Henry’s my friend and he knows that. Henry doesn’t have those kind of feelings for me.”

“Yes he does!” Ula squinted her eyes while Cecilio watched the two continue their bickering, his eyes drifting to the side where he heard splashing. Oooh, that looked like fun!

“Girls, girls! How about we go check that out?” Cecilio pointed to the area where plenty of people were gathered, the girls turning and then giving a shrug as well as nod before standing up and throwing away their trash.

They all approached the area to see that it was a dunk tank, and a person was now attempting to hit the target but failing.

“Pfft, I bet I could do that in two throws tops.” Ama stuck a tongue out before Ula gave her a look.

“Sure Ama.” she shrugged with a laugh.

“I bet I could stay in that chair and not get wet because none of you could drop me.” spoke Cecilio before the girls looked up at him, and he grinned down at each one.

So now, Cecilio sat on the chair inside the tank, grinning like a fool as he looked through the glass at where the girls stood.

“Take your best shot!” he waved at them, watching as Ula turned to Ama.

“You take the first two shots, I’ll take the third.” Ula handed two baseballs to Ama.

“Pfft, you won’t need to.” stated Ama who then launched the first ball which hit the wall rather than the target. “Don’t worry, I said at two I’d make it.”

“Okaaaay.” Ula shrugged.

“Come on Ama, just a little harder!” called Cecilio from inside before Ama threw the second ball, missing yet again before Ula gave her a smug look.

“Stop.” Ama covered Ula’s face who swatted her hand away again, then walking in front as she clenched onto the baseball she held.

Ula kept her eyes on the target for just a bit, then turning to Cecilio who made a silly face at her. So, Ula squinted before roughly throwing the ball, hitting the target right on the center before an alarm loudly sounded and a splash followed.

“Where did you learn to do that!?”

“I’ve been practicing some baseball.”

“Baseball? Why?”

“No reason.”

The pair then rushed towards the tank as they saw Cecilio pop out his soaked head, even spitting out water like a water fountain  before he gave a laugh.

He watched as the girls soon burst out into laughter, even holding their sides as their eyes were shut and smiles wide. Cecilio gave a smile himself, thinking of how they still looked like their younger selves, yet it was nice that they were growing up and that he was there to see it.

[svartalfhild]

The Harper from Hunters’ Lane

Rating: T Words: 5,622 Genre: Fantasy, Friendship, A Tango on the Line Between Angst and Fluff Summary: Mornath and Heliodoro gain a valuable new contact.

- - -

By nature, Mornath Sparrowswood was not a person prone to pride.  That being said, if there were anything she could be considered to be proud of, it was that she knew her business, and her business entailed a wide variety of skills.  Most would call her a mage, actress, and adventurer, but to some, she was also a rogue.

Few were aware of how well she knew the thief’s trade and she liked to keep it that way, but if there was one rogue’s skill she would never stop practicing, no matter who was watching, it was constant vigilance.  It had kept her and her best friend, Heliodoro, alive and out of trouble more times than she could count, but it was also useful in spotting trouble for others.

One such occasion was on a cool, crisp evening when Mornath and Heliodoro found themselves wandering the streets of a less reputable neighbourhood in Silverymoon.  The night market was alive under the sparse lamplight that lined the roads, bustling with the poor looking for what the needed after a long day’s hard work.  Here, folk mostly seemed too tired and focused on their shopping to pay attention to Heliodoro’s towering half-orc form, which allowed him and his nervous companion to pass unbothered.

It was the perfect night to look for work - a tavern in need of fresh performers or an individual in need of an adventurer’s aid.  In this weather, people valued help or a good song a little more.  It was getting late, however, and they had yet to find anyone who wanted them.

“Tough crowd, Silvaerens,” Heliodoro remarked after a small inn shut the door in their faces the moment they saw his tusks.

“Remember that war we had just four years ago?  The one where a usurper tae the throne of Many-Arrows decided t’try t’raze this place tae the ground?  The one where all orcs and half-orcs were suddenly deemed complicit, even if they weren’t involved or directly opposed the war?” Mornath replied dryly, eliciting a heavy sigh from her friend.

“How could I forget?  I suppose it’s still quite fresh in everyone’s minds, especially for the longer-lived folk.  We’ll find someone, though.  I’m sure not everyone in this town is aggressively xenophobic.  You’re from here after all.”

“Aye, well, I’ve always been a freak, eve-”  Mornath cut herself short as she caught sight of a hooded figure pass a man looking at a market stall and deftly swipe something gold from his pocket.  She didn’t call the thief out, but instead simply tapped Heliodoro rapidly on the arm and bolted towards them through the crowd.  The commotion this caused was quick enough to alert the stranger and they ran, exiting the main road in favour of a dark alley, but Mornath was not dissuaded.  She followed the thief into the shadows, too focused to bother looking back to see if Heliodoro was right behind her.

Her quarry led her through the winding darkness, trying to lose her in the countless turns and alcoves, but she was quick and not so easily gotten rid of, especially as the landmarks were becoming more and more familiar.  She thought she could corner the thief at a dead end, but they nimbly scaled the fence that blocked their path and instead of simply vaulting to the other side, they continued up onto the roof of the adjacent building.  Their mistake.  Mornath knew Silverymoon’s rooftops like the back of her own hand.

With equal speed and grace, she pursued the thief, climbing up and over shingled inclines after them.  Up here, her surroundings were getting even more familiar, and she realized why when she spotted Sparrow Tower silhouetted in the moonlight not more than two blocks over and it was getting closer.  They were going along Hunters’ Lane, where she had grown up.  An uncomfortable feeling tingled up her spine, but she kept to her task, faking the thief into thinking they’d lost her in the street below and then dropping down behind them.

“Don’t move,” she said as firmly as she could muster, left hand extended out, aiming at the thief’s back with a frosty magic aura.  As they spun around, they slipped their bow off their shoulders and nocked an arrow at her too quickly for her to react.

For a long and tense moment, Mornath and the thief stood off, neither willing to test the other’s reflexes and both heaving to catch their breath, but then...

“Mornath?” a baritone voice queried from beneath the hood, which was soon pulled back to reveal a young half-elven man with a shock of short, dirty blond hair and a dusting of day-old scruff across his sharp face.  She did not recognize him until she met his bright blue gaze.  She’d know those eyes anywhere.

“Lander?” she gasped, taking a step back.  In doing so, she tripped over a sack of potatoes, but before she could hit the ground, a slender arm caught her and pulled her back up.  Lander opened his mouth to say something, but his lips had barely formed the words when he was sidelined out from in front of her by a massive figure and rammed into the adjacent wall.

“Are you alright?”  There Heliodoro was, pinning Lander to the wall with his shield and looking back at Mornath in concern.

“I’m fine,” she replied quietly, still in shock.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone.  Mornath, please tell your large friend here to let me go,” Lander wheezed under the pressure of Heliodoro’s shield.

“You know this man?!”

- - -

12 Marpenoth, 1481 DR (8 years ago)

The smell of candles lingered in the crisp autumn air as Mornath darted past a small tavern and around the corner to an unlit alley where a pack of filthy teenagers in heavily worn clothing were playing cards with a well-used deck.

“Ye’re late,” commented an elven girl among them with long wispy brown hair and a sly smirk on her lips as Mornath joined them.

“Sorry, Sparks.  My father turned in late tonight and it’s hard for me to get away when he’s lurking about,” the young mage replied as a dwarven girl dealt her into their game.

“Pfft.  Some rebel you are.  Cannae even get past ye’re own father,” an elven boy sneered as he played a card.

“It’s her clunky halfie feet against an elf’s ears, Dani.  What do ye expect?” Sparks chuckled.  “All I’m sayin’ is there’s a reason we call halfies cha’biir.”

“Oi!  If that word comes out yer mouth one more time, I’ll shove yer head up yer arse so ye can see who’s really half-garbage,” hissed a half-elf boy, who emerged from the shadows to come sit beside Mornath.

“Aw, someone woke up on the wrong side o’ the street filth today and cannae take a joke.  It’s alright, Lander.  We still love ye.”  Lander said nothing to this and simply flipped his bow fingers at Sparks before turning his attention entirely to Mornath.

“Did ye bring the book?” he asked quietly, an eager glint in his eyes.

“I did.  And some parchment if ye want t’start writin’.”  From under her vest, Mornath pulled a small, thin book and a charcoal pencil.  She opened the book to a dogeared page and handed it over for Lander to read.

“’The boy watched the hah...hare queetly-’”

“Quietly.”

“’Quietly, wa...waitin’ fer his moment tae...strike.’  Strike?”

“Aye.  That was really good, Lander.  Ye’re getting better and better,” Mornath encouraged with a smile.  “Keep goin’.”

“’Wind rus...rustled-’” Lander continued, but was quickly interrupted by Dani.

“Ugh, why are ye so obsessed with learnin’ t’read?  What are ye gonna use it for?

“Learnin’ for learnin’s sake isn’t enough?” Mornath challenged, placing down a few cards at her turn.  The dwarven girl swore under her breath and threw down her hand in defeat.

“He could be doin’ somethin’ better with his time.”

“Oh, like we’re doin’ anythin’ better,” Sparks laughed as she played a card.  “This isn’t putting food in our mouths.”

“We’re bondin’.  That’s important, innit?” Dani shot back.

“Oh aye, and it seems Lander’s only been interested in bondin’ with a book lately,” Hilde, the dwarf, put in.

“Or Mornath, more like,” Sparks corrected.  At this, the others all snickered, except for Mornath, who made a stabbing motion at Sparks with her pencil, and Lander, whose dark mood seemed to intensify.

“Really feelin’ the friendship tonight, quessir,” he sneered, grabbing Mornath’s wrist and tugging her away with him as he got up.  She resisted for a moment, since she was winning the card game, but when she looked back at her friends’ shit-eating grins, she decided she’d rather spend the evening with just Lander, even if he seemed especially moody and she had already been feeling rather isolated all day.  She followed him up to the roof of a nearby warehouse, where it was quiet and in full view of the harvest moon in the sky.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into them tonight.  Did you lot find some drugs or somethin’ today?”  The query coaxed an almost bitter laugh from Lander.

“We both know that if we had, Sparks would’ve sold that shit fer a hot meal before any of the rest of us could get our hands on it.  Nae, I dunnae ken who ye think ye’ve been runnin’ with, but this lot have a shithead streak.”

“True,” Mornath sighed as they settled in to their little perch on the roof, opening the book again to pluck a folded sheet of loose parchment from the back.  She wrote each letter of the Thorass alphabet along the edge in a column and handed it off to Lander.  “This is a list of all the letters ye’ve been readin’ in Common.  They’re also used in a lot of regional human languages, like Chondathan, which is spoken not just here, but from Ten Towns all the way down tae Tethyr.  I want ye t’copy each of these letters until ye get tae the other side of the page.”

Mornath handed Lander her charcoal pencil and he fiddled with it awkwardly, seeming not quite sure how he was meant to hold it.  Seeing that he was starting to get too embarrassed and ready to give up, she gently took his hand and placed his fingers in the correct position.  He gave her an appreciative purse of the lips and set to work.

She watched him silently for a time, enjoying the peace, which was so different from the tense quiet of Sparrow Tower.  At home, her mind and her magic were seen as not good enough, not meeting the standards befitting a mage, but out here, she was special.  She was smart and could do things other kids couldn’t.  Sparks had even accepted her into this little gang out of respect for her magic.  And Lander?  No one respected her more.  Granted, that was a low bar to meet, but it still made him her favourite.

“Ye’ve got a lot more focus than the others,” Mornath commented when he was halfway down the page.  Anyone else probably would’ve gotten bored by now.

“Ma parents were soldiers,” was the only explanation Lander offered.  Mornath knew better than to pry into an urchin’s past, so she simply gave a hum of acknowledgement and returned to comfortable silence.  It wasn’t until he had almost filled the page that their tranquility was interrupted.

“Oi!  Lander!  Mornath!” someone called from the street below.  The pair looked over the edge of the roof to see Sparks with her hands on her hips.  “We’re going minin’.  Wanna come?”

“Aye, as long as ye keep the halfie jokes tae a minimum,” Mornath answered before turning to Lander.  “And as long as ma student is comin’ too.”

For a moment, Lander looked as if he were about to tell Sparks to get bent, but then he took a deep breath and gave a stoic “aye”.  He made to give the book and the writing materials back to Mornath, but she shook her head.

“You keep those,” she told him.  “They’re yers now.”  For the first time that night, he smiled, broad and bright.  He stowed everything in the pocket of his shabby trousers and followed her down the building, his mood seeming much improved.

“Hilde’s already had some luck in the tavern, but some rich blokes are about tonight at the market and I think we might be able t’get a few in the alleys,” Sparks explained as Mornath and Lander fell into step with her.  “Dani’s got the plan, so we’re takin’ his lead.”

As they came into the bustling market at the end of Hunters’ Lane, all three of them pulled up their hoods and began to casually move along the edge of the crowd until they spotted Dani and Hilde lurking next to a merchant stall.  Hilde discreetly pointed at a well-dressed and slightly drunk fop of a human man standing in front of the next stall.

Mornath and Lander peeled off into the shadows of another alley and watched for Dani’s signal, while Sparks approached their prey.

“Please, sir, you have to help me!  My mother’s hurt!” she pleaded, adopting a Chondathan accent and making herself as small and pathetic as possible.

“Huh?  Sure, where is she, little lass?” the drunk replied with a lecherous chuckle and allowed himself to be pulled by the wrist towards the alley.  At that point, Dani signed in Thieves’ Cant for Mornath and Lander to go further down and around behind the pawnshop.  They scampered off as instructed and waited for Sparks to bring the drunk to them.

After about a minute, he came stumbling along, asking where this mother was, totally unaware of Dani and Hilde closing in behind him.  Getting an idea, Mornath whispered a few arcane words and created the illusion of an elven woman lying on the ground, which earned her a grin and a high-five from Lander.

It wasn’t long before the drunk caught sight of the illusion and shambled over to it, slurring in a rather creepy manner about help a pretty lady.  When he bent down to touch her, Dani took the opportunity to strike, slipping his thin urchin fingers into the man’s pocket to extract his coin purse, but he wasn’t quite quick enough.

The man’s hands passed through the illusion and even in his drunkenness, he seemed to comprehend what that meant.  Dani had only gotten the purse half out by that time.

“Hey!” their victim barked, grabbing hold of Dani by the wrist.  Sparks and Hilde jumped in to try to pull them apart, but the drunk’s grip was too strong.  Mornath and Lander hurried out of their hiding place to intervene, but not before Dani had thrown his full weight at his attacker, knocking them both into a pile of crates with a horrid crash.

“Dani!  Dani?!” Hilde panicked, rushing forward to grab for Dani again in the tangle of limbs piled across broken crates.  Dani allowed himself to be pulled back to his feet with a groan and everyone stopped in their tracks when they noticed the drunk wasn’t moving.  Something dark was spreading across the ground beneath his head and Mornath felt her stomach drop out.

Sparks knelt down cautiously to get a better look and then immediately backed away.

“Oh fuck!  Oh fuck!” she gasped.

“Is he...?” Lander started to ask, sounding very much as if he knew the answer, but didn’t want to believe it.

“Aye.”

The distant but distinct sound of clinking armor reached their ears and the true panic set in.  The Silverwatch guards were coming.  Someone had probably heard the crash.  Dani hastily snatched up the coin purse, which had fallen to the ground.

“What are ye doin’?” Mornath hissed.

“Gettin’ what we came fer.  What’s it look like?”

“Ye can’t take that.  If ye do, they’ll know he was robbed and they’ll be lookin’ fer street kids.”

“Says the girl who’s never been starvin’ before,” Dani sneered and she could see now from the looks on their faces that the others were judging her similarly.  Before she could respond, however, they heard the guards talking and much closer now, almost around the corner.

The Hunters’ Lane Gang scattered like leaves on the wind, running for their lives into the shadows.  Mornath followed Lander, since he was nearest to her and she was terrified of potentially having to face the guards alone.  Surely he knew of a good place to hide.

When it became apparent that she wasn’t going to break away from him and they’d put some distance between themselves and the crime scene, he turned to her with a look of intense fear and anger.

“Are ye daft!?  Get out of here!  Go back tae yer fancy tower where it’s safe!  Ye dunnae belong here!” he snapped, roughly pushing her away.

“I thought-”

“Go!”  The finality of the word broke something inside Mornath and she took off as fast as her skinny legs would take her, not stopping until she had climbed back through her bedroom window and collapsed onto her bed, where she cried herself to sleep.

She swore through her tears that she’d never go out at night again.  

The gap on her shelf where Lander’s book once lived would come to keep her in check anytime she had thoughts of rebellion, reminding her of what happened when she deviated from the path her father had set before her.

- - -

“Aye, I knew him.  Durin’ a part of ma life I’m not proud of,” Mornath admitted, eyes fixed on Lander, who had stopped struggling against Heliodoro and now seemed to simply be awaiting her verdict.  Heliodoro did not let up in the slightest, however, which was understandable, given his knowledge of other men from Mornath’s past.

“I could say the same about you,” Lander quipped.

“Still stealin’, I see.”

“Oh, this wasn’t stealing.”

“Right. And what happened tae yer accent?”  The moment Lander had opened his mouth, Mornath had noticed his Luruaran brogue had been replaced with the highly common, fluid accent of a native Chondathan speaker.

“My line of work is made easier if it’s hard to pinpoint where I’m from.”

“And what is yer line of work exactly?  Internationally hunted criminal?”  At this, Mornath could see a glint of amusement form in Heliodoro’s dark eyes, despite the furrow of concern that remained in his brow.  She imagined he was wickedly delighted at seeing her be so unusually mouthy.  She was honestly a bit surprised at herself in turn, but lingering resentments towards Lander seemed to be bringing this out in her, reawakening a version of herself she had long ago tried to bury.

“No,” Lander answered with an almost aggressive conviction.  “I’d be happy to explain and catch up with you, though, if your friend would simply let me go.”

Heliodoro gave Mornath a look in response as if to ask if she was cool with Lander.  She remained silent and unmoving for a long moment before nodding and Heliodoro stepped back, letting Lander stumble away from the wall, rubbing his likely bruised ribs.

“Blimey, you hit hard,” he muttered, wincing, and his eyes widened as he got a better look at Heliodoro, who was now standing in the moonlight, face fully illuminated.  “Oh now that’s a twist.  I’ve heard whispers of you, mate, the half-orc who wears Corellon’s colours, but I’d no idea our girl Mornath here was the mage they say literally puts the sparkle in the great Heliodoro’s smile.”

At this, Heliodoro grinned and, with a heavy sigh and a casual wave of her hand, Mornath produced a few silver sparkles floating from the corner of his lips.  Lander chuckled and Mornath was immediately overwhelmed with the feeling that she had to do something before this turned into a grand feeding of egos.

“Ye must be remarkably well-informed if ye’ve heard of us,” she commented and Heliodoro made a slight pouty face as if she’d spoiled his fun.

“Information is my business,” Lander replied, shrugging.

“On behalf of whom?  Some greasy lord who wants dirt on everyone?  I wouldn’t exactly call that a step up fer you from petty theft except perhaps in pay grade.”  Once again, an offended frown came onto Lander’s features at Mornath’s jibes and he held up his left hand, turning it so that she could see the small symbol sown in silver thread on the back of his glove: a harp surrounded by a crescent moon and four stars.  “Ye’re a Harper,” she gasped.  A glance at Heliodoro’s wide eyes told her that he also understood what that meant.

“Yes, strange as that may seem to you.”  The confession brought with it a softness in Lander’s voice unfamiliar to Mornath.  For the first time, she could see how truly different this man was from the boy she had known in her misspent adolescence.  This Lander carried himself like a man with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders and those blue eyes of his no longer held a bitter edge in their gaze.  She had been so eager to be angry at him that perhaps she had misjudged him, unless...

“I imagine yer superiors wouldn’t be too happy at yer pickpocketin’ a poor man’s gold.”

“It wasn’t coin and it wasn’t stealing,” Lander insisted with a roll of his eyes.

“Then what was it?”  The look on the man’s face when Mornath asked this was strange.  In anyone else, she’d have called it heartbreak, but she’d never known him to be that empathetic.

“Normally, I’d tell you that’s confidential, but given the bridges I burned the last time we met, I feel I owe you some honesty.  All the same, I’ve got to warn you that you’ll be less safe for it.”

For a long time, Mornath gave no response to this, mulling it over in her mind and glancing occasionally between Lander and Heliodoro, the latter of whom had been uncharacteristically silent, watching the back-and-forth with varying degrees of concern etched in his green countenance.

“We have t’know that we can trust ye,” Mornath finally said, crossing her arms.

“Then if we’re going to have this conversation, I’d prefer it be moved to a less...public location.  Follow me.”  Lander turned back into the shadows, beckoning to Mornath and Heliodoro as he went. After sharing an uncertain glance, the pair followed.

“Where are we going?” Heliodoro piped up after they’d gone a few blocks when he appeared to take notice of how Mornath was becoming increasingly anxious.

“The only place in this city where halfies like us and very especially you, my good man, can get a drink without catching at least a few nasty comments.  It’s run by the only tiefling I know of in town.  Lovely woman.  Might even have a little work for you if you tell her Landercelion E’Velahrn will vouch for you.”

“Sounds like my kind of tavern,” Mornath commented, unable to stop herself from smiling a little.  Heliodoro leaned over to her as they walked to murmur in amusement to her.

“Either he’s the nicest man in Silverymoon or you’re inspiring some serious guilt right now.”

“Why not both?” Lander called over his shoulder with a small laugh as he led them down a flight of stairs beside a large building to what appeared to be an outer cellar door with the words “The Dusty Dragon” shoddily carved into it.  He knocked a rhythm on the battered wood and waited a moment until a small slot opened to reveal a pair of yellow eyes, which took a moment to narrow at them before the slot closed again and the door opened.

A blast of warmth hit them as they entered into the slightly cramped but lively space of a tavern filled with odd people of every sort.  There were many a drunk among them, but not a one seemed belligerently so.  Everyone appeared to be having a good time, regardless of what they were drinking or who their company was.  There were battered elven amputees sharing cheese with half-drow businessmen and one-eyed dwarven ladies chatting with the smiling earth genasi barmaid.  It was...a lot to take in.

“Magnificent,” Heliodoro declared with a huge grin.  Lander led them to a table in the very back corner near the kitchen that was dimly lit and a bit secluded from the rest of the tavern’s activity.  The moment they sat down, a tall, older woman with red skin and ridged black horns emerged from crowd, bearing a matronly smile.

“Lander darling, it’s so good to see you!  And as always, you bring the most interesting friends to my establishment!” she greeted warmly, eyeing Mornath and especially Heliodoro with interest.

“Lovely to see you as well, ma’am!  I’d like you to meet Mornath Sparrowswood and Heliodoro, professional performers.  My friends, this is Myskala Stormhollow, our esteemed host.”

“Oh a pleasure indeed,” the tiefling responded with a small bow.  “If you are performers, might I offer you a little coin for your services?  Oh and room and board, but of course I think that goes without saying.  It’s so hard to find good entertainment for a place like this sometimes.”

“We’d be delighted, ma’am!” Heliodoro declared, jumping up from his seat to shake Myskala’s hand.  They’d be fools not to take such an offer, especially in this town, where even shady jobs were difficult to come by.

“Excellent!  You’re on in five.”  Myskala gestured towards the small platform next to the bar, where a lone bard was currently jangling away at a jig on their lute.  “Good luck, darlings.”  She blew Mornath and Heliodoro a kiss and sauntered away, leaving the pair a bit stunned.

“Well that’s a bit soon.  What’re we going to do?” Heliodoro pondered.  They took a moment to consider their options, Lander watching them with deep interest all the while, kicked back in his chair.

“Let’s do somethin’ we can't do anywhere else.  Let’s do that Orc folksong ye taught me,” Mornath eventually suggested and the grin Heliodoro gave her could have lit up a whole square on a cloudy night.

“I like the way you think, Morning Glory.”

Ten minutes later, they had the whole tavern clapping, stomping, and singing along to a heavy beat of words half the patrons couldn’t even understand.  When Mornath looked over at Lander’s corner, she could see him clapping too, a brilliant smile on his face.  She didn’t think she had ever seen him this happy before.

His smile had still not faded by the time she and Heliodoro had made their way back to the table.  He seemed thoroughly thrilled by their performance, which was a sort of openness and energy Mornath never would have expected from him.

“Well done!  I dare say the tales I’ve heard of the Knight Stars do not do you justice,” he declared and Heliodoro gave Mornath a look that said something very akin to “Can we keep him?” as they sat back down at the table.

“You’re too kind,” the paladin replied, beaming.  It was a shame Mornath was going to have to rain on this positivity parade a bit.

“Aye, we’re truly flattered, but ye still haven’t told us about what ye lifted from that man in the market.”

“Right you are.  Still ever to the point, I see.”  With a sigh and a cautious glance about, Lander took something from his pocket and held it out for them to see.  It was a gold medallion covered in writing with a five-pronged symbol at its center inlayed with what appeared to be smoke quartz.  “Do you know what this is?” he asked.  Mornath knew he was being rhetorical, but she couldn’t help herself.

“I actually might.  Let me see it.”  Lander quirked an eyebrow in surprise at this response and hesitantly handed the medallion over for her to examine.  She didn’t like what she saw as she recognized the language written along the edge.  “‘Open the way and know ma secret’ it says.  And this symbol.  It’s dark and arcane.  It means release.”

Mornath had barely finished her analysis before Lander nervously snatched the medallion from her fingers and stowed it away.

“How is it that you know Abyssal?  What am I saying?  Of course you know Abyssal.  And you’ve just saved me a lot of trouble,” he laughed and worry furrowed Mornath’s brow.

“Lander, that’s a demon artifact.  What have ye gotten yerself into?”

“Right, well, the man I lifted that from is an informant of mine.  Since the war, demon cults have been cropping up to take advantage of the wreckage and disorder, which is of deep concern to my organization.  I won’t say anything more.  I’ve already said too much.”

“We could help you,” Heliodoro suggested.

“No!  No, I don’t want either of you involved in this.  My job is dangerous enough as it is, but this...I wouldn’t bring anyone outside the Harpers into this unless I absolutely had to.  Besides, you’re already doing something to make the world better.”  Lander gave them a sad smile as he finished and Mornath felt something yank at her heartstrings.  What happened to him that he could be so different from the boy she remembered?

“How did ye become a Harper?  What happened tae the Hunters’ Lane Gang after I left?” she asked quietly, barely audible over the din of the tavern.  The inquiry brought even more sadness to Lander’s eyes, but he nonetheless answered her, fidgeting a little as he spoke.

“Dani spent his gold a little too freely and the Silverwatch tracked him down.  He was executed for murder.  Sparks, Hilde, and I carried on for a while, but Sparks and Hilde started to get very comfortable with hurting people.  I turned them in to the guard and my ‘reward’ was conscription into the Argent Legion.”

“But that would've been-”

“Right at the start of the war, yes.  I was put on the front lines as a sniper.  It nearly got me killed in the end, but some Harpers found me before it was too late.  After I recovered, they offered me a place with them and I, er, wasn’t very grateful at first, but when they took me to Harpers’ Hall in Waterdeep and showed me what they were about, I started to understand the opportunity I’d been given.  They taught me better ways to cope with emotional stress, trained me as a spy, and even sent me to tutors at Fochlucan for a proper education.  I’m no bard, but I learned history, politics, and literature enough to hold a conversation with a scholar.  I’m a better man for it.”

“I’m glad ye found yer way, Lander,” Mornath commented, unable to stop herself from smiling a little.

“I never forgot who taught me to read, though.  For years, I’ve been wanting to tell you how sorry I am for the things I said to you.  I even tried to find you once, but I was told you’d gone far to the east, to Rashemen,” Lander confessed, his expression becoming a little softer.

“I did, but I’m back now.”

“And just as delightful as I remember.”  Oh, now that made Mornath blush, especially with the strange, warm look Lander was giving her.

“Well, I...I don’t know about that...”

“Yes, isn’t she just the greatest?” Heliodoro put in loudly, very obviously trying to make her accept a compliment, though the shit-eating grin didn’t help.

“Indeed.  Such talent.  Such wit,” Lander replied, matching Heliodoro’s dramatic manner and mischievous smirk, much to Mornath’s dismay.

“Truly, we are in the presence of a-”

“Alright, alright!  I get it.  I’m wonderful.  Happy now?”

“Very,” Heliodoro chuckled and Mornath watched in horror as Lander high-fived him.  What had she unleashed upon herself?

“I think this calls for drinks,” Lander proclaimed and proceeded to order three ales, which were delivered to them soon thereafter by the cheerful barmaid.  “To finding your place in the world,” he said as he raised his mug.

“To new friendship,” Heliodoro added.

“And the rebirth of an old one,” Mornath finished, giving Lander an accepting nod as they clinked their drinks together and the last of the tension in his shoulders seemed to fade.

He spent the rest of the night with them, swapping jokes and stories and reminding Mornath why she’d been so fond of him when she was younger.  She didn’t go past one ale, but the boys got festive with their drinking and she had the pleasure of watching them be increasingly ridiculous together, all the while soberly thinking how nice it was to have friends plural again.

She eventually fell asleep at the table in the wee hours of the morning while Heliodoro and Lander were having a drunken-giggling-filled conversation about chickens.  When she awoke, she discovered Heliodoro using her back as a pillow and Lander gone.  In his place was a note neatly folded around a large silver coin bearing the Harpers’ crest.

My dear friends,

Unfortunately, I could not stay with you longer.  My duties are urgent and take me elsewhere for now, but I should like to find you again soon if I can.  Take this token so that you might earn the trust of any Harper you meet.  It marks you an ally and could help in certain sticky situations.

If you need my aid or wish to contact me for any reason, send your messages to this tavern.  Myskala will ensure they get to me as soon as possible.

Stay safe,

Lander

As Mornath read, she found herself getting oddly emotional at Lander’s handwriting, which was flawless.