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victorluvsalice · 7 years ago

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Forgotten Vows Friday: A Smattering of Cookery Headcanons

Inspired by PlayerPiano's semi-recent story about Victoria and Nell having to team up to cook dinner after Nell loses yet another French chef to her impossible demands (Dinner at 8) and some of my own experiences writing and RPing, here's some cooking skill headcanons/regular canons since they're my own characters:

-->Victor: Growing up rich with a cook available at all hours, coupled with an incident in his childhood where he burned himself on the stove while trying to make his own soup one day, discouraged Victor from learning how to cook when he was younger. However, wanting eventually to give Alice and June a hand in the kitchen that isn't just washing dishes, he eventually tries late in his Houndsditch stay, and finds -- hey, he's actually not that bad at it. Further practice at his and Alice's eventual home in Sandford, with the help of their neighbors the Winks, proves him a pretty decent cook. He especially takes to baking -- he'll make cookies and cakes for anyone for any reason. (This is an evolution of some past RP experience with this Victor -- one of his old friends on his previous solo account took it upon herself to teach him how to cook some Mexican dishes, and he ended up enjoying cooking in general and baking things for friends.)

-->Alice: Her family grew up well off enough to afford a cook as well -- however, curious Alice often wandered down to the kitchens, and to keep her out of trouble, the kitchen staff would have her measure ingredients or help mix things. The fire and Rutledge put an end to her education in these matters, but she remembered the base skill set upon leaving the asylum well enough to serve as a cook for Houndsditch. She wasn't perfect (they did their fair share of ordering in dinners), but she did well enough to keep everyone fed, and she was always willing to learn. After June arrives, she improves quite a bit under her tutelage -- and even more when they move to Sandford and she can afford better-quality ingredients.

-->Victoria: She wasn't SUPPOSED to learn how to cook, but as her family grew too poor to keep more than two servants (and really, even Emil and Hildegarde were stretching their meager budget), they realized someone was going to have to help make the meals. And as Maudeline refused to dirty her hands. . . Like her friends, Victoria isn't on the same skill level as June, but she knows her way around the kitchen, and can feed herself and others in a pinch. She and Christopher have a cook, but sometimes she wanders down and helps out from old habit. (This one's a deliberate reversal of the usual "Victoria has no clue how to cook" headcanon I usually see in CB fanfics, including the one linked -- I thought it made more sense for her to know something about it given her family's financial situation.)

-->Emily: Yeah, she's not around anymore in this world, but I always feel like these sorts of lists should include all three CB mains. . . Anyway, like Victor, and Alice, she grew up in a family wealthy enough to afford a cook, and unlike Alice had no interest in seeing how the actual cooking happened. She absolutely loved helping out with decorating dishes, though -- she'd have trouble baking a cake without help and specific instructions, but she'd be a whizz at icing it and making it look pretty. She was the kind of person who'd you want to help plan how a fancy dinner should look.

-->Lizzie: Naturally she grew up in the same situation as Alice, though she wasn't quite as curious about the whole business. Like Emily, she has a good eye for decorating food items, and while she was alive she learned how to make simple sandwiches and some small pastries in case she was called upon to host a tea or picnic. After death, she similarly picked up a few recipes in dead cooking, more or less just to pass the time (after all, the dead don't NEED to eat -- anything they consume is just for the pure pleasure of it).

-->June: I've already established her as a whizz at cooking in my stories. It's a combination of natural talent, a lot of hard work, and growing up in a poor, overstuffed house where everyone was expected to help out with every chore as soon as they were old enough. All the Thatcher girls are pretty gifted cooks, but June is the standout star. If she hadn't ended up at Houndsditch, she probably could have made her name as a famous chef. As it is, she doesn't mind at all using her skills to keep the orphans fed.

-->Bonejangles: The one Thatcher boy wasn't too bad at cooking either -- again, poor, crowded house where everyone was expected to help out. Sam Thatcher was more than capable of keeping himself fed if he had a place to cook, although he naturally preferred easy-to-carry stuff like sandwiches and the like. Bonejangles, however, hasn't used his talents in years -- he prefers to let Ms. Plum do the cooking in the Ball & Socket, and his indulgences after death tend to be on the alcoholic side. He could lend a hand in the kitchen if pressed, though at this point he'd definitely need a cookbook or someone telling him what to do.

-->Christopher: He came from a well-off-enough-to-afford-a-cook family, but a military man posted on foreign soil tends to learn some quick-and-dirty field dishes to make sure he has the strength to keep fighting. He's not much good in a kitchen, but he's definitely the guy you want in a foraging situation. When Victor starts gardening, he offers up some interesting ways to use the fruits and vegetables -- some of which turn out all right, others not so much.

-->The Winks: While never exactly poverty-stricken, the Winks were also never rich enough to consider the expense of a cook worth it -- particularly after patriarch Gerald died. Agatha, the mother, actually worked as a cook for a number of years to pay the bills, including at the bed & breakfast that eventually becomes the house Victor and Alice buy in Sandford (after the owners died, the son decided he didn't want to keep up the place and sold it off). Victor and Alice are only too happy to let her work for them instead -- they may have less need for a cook, but they don't want to throw the poor old woman out of a job. Hattie learned from Agatha -- she has decent enough skill, but she's happy enough to leave the more complicated dishes to her mother for the time being.

#forgotten vows friday #forgotten vows verse #headcanon #this originally just started out as Victor Alice and Victoria #but then I started thinking it was weird to have just Victoria without either Emily or her husband #and then I started feeling bad about leaving out June #and finally I said 'screw it bring in everybody'#I like deliberately going against the grain sometimes in my fics #it really DOES make sense to me that Victoria would have to know SOMETHING about cooking #simply because it might have been necessary to survival #her mother HATES it but what can you do #and I can definitely see Alice picking up things just because she's curious as a kid #obviously these headcanons aren't exclusive to the Forgotten Vows Verse #but this is a good way to scoop them all up #I actually rather like the idea of Emily as a cake decorator #wonder if a modern-day version would enjoy Cake Wrecks #queued

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movedtodykedvonte · 2 years ago

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Maybe Allison Pendle for the headcanon thing? I’m really curious by the way you view her (I view her the same way)

Honestly I really just wish she wasn't so boring. Other than her being the thing that triggers Susie becoming Malice she has no real reason for me to care about her character as that's the reason she's important in the first place. Like she's just given the role of instigator in Susie's downfall and it feels so empty. I think this is the first time I was actually serious and critical of a character in a headcanon post.

Born in 1903 (didn't die but was warped/inked in 1960 at 57)

From a fairly bohemian family who were upper class, not fuck you rich like Nathan became but the Pendles were known in high society

Kinda that generational wealth that she never really bothered to look into how they kept it (it was oil)

Not a bratty kid but always thought she knew what was best for the world and was just a bit sheltered on social issues

Was a private school kid and stayed in these circles up until she worked for the studio

Formal training in the arts and is a triple threat

Definitely, the type to say "I feel bad because I hurt you" rather than acknowledging your feelings first, she still means well

I'm just trying to get across that she is very innocently insensitive

Her parents did instill to never look down on people who lived a different lifestyle than her and Allison positively took it as "I will befriend every living, breathing soul on this fucking planet"

Doesn't want to be worshipped but can feel insecure when someone doesn't come around to liking/trusting her Susie pls be my friend why could you ever be mad at me

Got into broadway/acting because she liked all the characters she could be, like she was walking in a different life for a bit

Met Joey at a party and liked how odd he was and thought his philosophy was strange and new but concerning

They are like weird besties due to both kinda being way to optimistic but at opposite ends of the spectrum

Knew Susie but thought Susie understood the cutthroat nature of acting and thought all her comments were the like "break a leg" type encouragement in regards to the role

Also didn't know Susie felt it was her last chance as something big as Allison worked on so many things she thought Susie (4 years younger) had a lot of time and options left

Developed a small crush on Thomas after he complimented her singing, saying "You make that cartoony crude sound bearable" it was not a flirt but seeing as Thomas rivaled Sammy in surliness it might as well have been

Cue never getting rid of me from the waitress soundtrack

Dated for years before they finally decide to get hitched

Married discreetly, with just immediate Family and close friends

Allison hoped the invite to Joey would cool any bad blood.

Starting working at Arch Gate because she kinda missed VA work as it allowed her to really be a different character

Joey invited them to his apartment under the guise of wanting to apologize to Thomas and ignored Thomas' warnings that it was odd Joey waited this long and sprung it so suddenly

listen to ur husband you pick me

Cue walking into the ink machine room with an encantation ring like the end of chapter 1 and them being inked and thrown in

Allison Angel

She can't remember much besides Tom's name as the ink is even stronger with all the souls, considering it almost made her a perfect Alice

Her dress is messed up like that cause Allison P. always new to never get too attached to a role

Also because Alice was never really her character and she knew she wasn't her in return

Doesn't like Malice due to all the pain she causes but really wants to help her change feels guilt for being what she wants to achieve

The lost ones and her don't get along due to her looking too much like Malice they fuck with Tom though

Her sword was a part of one of the bendyland rides and she took it as it seemed easier and lighter to use

Sings only when she's alone as it sounds too much like Malice and unnerves Tom and the few lost ones that won't outright attack her

Doesn't hang around Sammy but does deliver him and the lost one spare soup when she and Tom have enough

I support the take she only hyped up Henry in hopes he'd get them out, she believed he could but the quickness to trust him was based on something selfish

I really kinda view her as someone who always tried to play a neutral party but when one party is objectively in the wrong or bad she still stayed neutral. In my eyes that makes you a part of the bad party as you don't stop that behavior. Don't think she's evil or even an anti-hero, she just seems sheltered and way too optimistic for anyone good.

#girl be mean for once #like I just dont trust her #allison pendle #allison angel #batim #batim headcanons #bendy and the ink machine #bendy and the dark revival #batdr #loath characters that fuck everyone over cause they want to see the rainbow after the storm #im slowly putting her into that category and I want to stop #ask #anon

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shewholovestoread · 3 years ago

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The other day on YouTube I read something along the lines of "Gigi mentors/mother's Dani too much and she'll eventually get tired of her, what Gigi needs is an equal as her partner not someone that's emotionally immature" What do you think? Do you think Gigi will ultimately get tired of Dani? I'm actually kinda curious cause Gigi herself said that she eventually tires of her partners...

Hey Anon,

I think there are a few things we need to keep in mind for when Gigi says her entire line. This is after she realizes that she and Bette are definitely done and that Bette has clearly already moved on. She’s probably feeling conflicted, hurt about Bette and yet also clearly attracted to Dani.

youtube

Her line about her current attitude to dating, I think applied more to her interaction with Bette. I don’t think Gigi ever got too emotionally involved with her because Bette was always aloof. I think that line was about her relationship with Bette, she gave Bette the space to work on her shit, took up space to work on hers and went along for the ride but that ride had come to an end and here she was, alone again.

I don’t think this line applies to her relationship with Dani. For one, she’s so much more into Dani, she’s already emotionally involved. Additionally, Gigi likes taking care of the people she loves, we’ve seen it in her past relationships, wanting to help out in any way she can. We see this on full display with Dani.

Dani’s been on her own since her mother died, having to shoulder a lot all by herself, she needs someone like Gigi, someone who can in turn take care of her for a change, someone whom Dani can finally lower her walls around. And unlike with Sophie, she actually lets Gigi in. And it’s not all one-sided, Dani’s good for Gigi too, they have a genuine connection and Dani makes her happy.

I also wouldn’t count Dani as emotionally immature, she’s had to learn to protect herself because no one would do it for her, she’s had to learn to be self-sufficient where her emotional needs are concerned and she hates being vulnerable (I have a feeling that this is a gift from her father, who uses her vulnerabilities against her) And yet, with Gigi, she makes a concerted effort to be more open and communicative. That’s a mature person, willing to put in the work. She displays more emotional maturity than Alice or Bette.

Gigi’s interest in Dani is more intense, to the extent that even Nat picks up on it when they meet for lunch. Keep in mind that Nat and Gigi were together for a while and have known each other long enough to know when the other person starts falling for someone else and I think Nat can see that.

I don’t see Gigi tiring of Dani because they make each other better, they’re already on more solid ground than most other GenQ couples. This isn’t just a casual fling for either of the two women. And I know Gigi’s committed because she introduces Dani to her family. She knows that Dani craves to be a part of a family, so she introduces her to her own, making her feel welcome, like she was already a part of them. Gigi’s a pretty private person and I don’t think she would have introduced Dani to her mother unless she was serious about her.

And of course, we also have this priceless gem:

That’s the face of a woman who’s already in love. And I love that she reassures Dani verbally, explicitly telling her that it’s as real for her as it is for Dani, that it’s not just a casual ride. They balance each other out.

#anon ask #gigi ghorbani #dani núñez #dani nuñez #dani nunez #gigi x dani #dani x gigi #dani and gigi #gigi and dani #the l word generation q #the l word gen q s2 #the l word gen q #tlwgq

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talesofafangirlwithadvr · 4 years ago

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April 2021 Picks

And we’re back with the end to another month. April! Wow! Lots more great picks to talk about this time. Lots of new ones to the list too. So, let’s dive in!

Spoiler territory ahead!

THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

or should I say Captain America and the Winter Soldier

I just finished the finale last night, so it felt right to start off with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I really enjoyed it and I feel the episodes got stronger as the series went on. Each one felt like a mini-movie and I was upset it was over and had to wait another week for another one. I think the finale was my favorite. Especially the reveal of Sam as Captain America. I love his suit, his speech and the montage of everyone watching him. The last part of the episode was definitely my favorite and one I can watch on repeat. I loved seeing happy Bucky and him goofing off with the kids in Louisiana. He deserves so much happiness as he has now accepted he’s no longer who he once was. Bucky and Sam’s relationship is fantastic and I can’t wait to see it more. I know there’s a possibility of a second season and they have to be in a future MCU movie. Regarding the villain, I feel I was confused for most of the show as to what their objective was. I’m curious if this is because they had to reshoot parts during the pandemic. I also am mad with Sharon. Like what happened with her? She is definitely the true villain of the show. I also don’t love that we haven’t seen the end of Walker (but Wyatt Russell did a fantastic job). I also loved Torres and I hope he becomes the next Falcon. Definitely so different vibes from Wandavision, but just as good!

THE IRREGULARS

This is a show that more people need to be talking about! It was SO GOOD! I feel like I heard some buzz about it when it first came out, but not much after. It follows the teens featured about who live on the streets during Victorian London. The leader of their group, Bea gets approached by Dr. John Watson (that’s right...as in Sherlock and Watson) to take on a case that has more supernatural qualities. The story takes off from there. I think the group dynamic was fantastic. There wasn’t a character I didn’t like and each one brought something else important to the group (which they even bring up towards the end of the show). [I’ve watched a few cast interviews since finishing the finale and they seem like they get along really well in real life too.] There is a kind of love triangle, but it didn’t bother me and was over fast. I did like both combinations though. Lots of twists and turns along the journey. I have no idea if there will be another season, but there should be. It didn’t end on a major cliffhanger, but definitely ended in a way where it could continue nicely. Come on Netflix.

HBO’S THE NEVERS

From one show set in Victorian times to the next. The Nevers just premiered on HBO and HBO Max earlier this month. It follows an ensemble of characters, similar to other HBO shows, ranging from characters who are called “the touched” to men in government who are against them. Being “touched” means they have a special talent or power, which can range from healing to speaking other languages, being extremely tall, or being an expectational inventor (I seriously love Penance. I just don’t know how to explain her ability). Amalia True and Penance Adair are two of the main characters and they help bring in others who are touched to a remodeled orphanage that is a safe haven for people like them. Of course there are those who are against them existing. This seems to be at least two groups as someone is abducting and experimenting on some of the touched, but we don’t know who they are...yet. I love the fusion of a historical setting with a fantasy element. I am very excited to see where the show is headed. I also love seeing so many of my favorite British actors on the screen together.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND

Time for a throw back. Fans of ABC’s Once Upon a Time might remember the short lived spin off following Alice in Wonderland (and some of Aladdin). It only lasted for one season of 13 episodes, but I remember loving it and I am so happy I can rewatch it on Disney Plus. It reminds me of why I enjoyed OUAT so much and I think this show deserved another season or more crossover with the original show. (Luckily the Knave got that opportunity.) I think it should have aired as a summer show or when OUAT was on hiatus, this way more fans would have tuned in. It is something I’ll believe forever.

Anyway, I’ll stop ranting now... I love Alice. I think she’s a badass and a fierce warrior. If you follow some of my posts on my other blog, Lydia-yougowith-Stiles, you’ll know that I love a warrior romance and Cyrus and Alice fit that perfectly (even if they are apart for much of the series). I also love Alice’s hair and outfits. Everything about her is cool. Her relationship with the Knave is one of my favorite friendships ever. I think they balance each other out so well and how they spend most of the journey together. Back in the day, I totally shipped them, but now I definitely don’t. (Even though I don’t love Anastasia.) This is definitely worth the watch if you’ve ever heard of Once Upon a Time or not. There is very cheesy CGI especially for 2013, but once you get pass that you’ll love it.

ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST

It was on a longer break than I expected, and I didn’t miss it as much as I thought I would (which I know doesn’t sound good for a show), but I am still loving all the episodes this season. It feels like there are more musical numbers, which I love. Mandy Moore is killing it with the choreography. There are so many amazing moments. I also was a big fan of the newest glitch episode. Everyone is so talented and I also like that we’ve started to hear from more like Jenna and Tobin. Leif has become one of my favorites. I don’t love the new neighbor next door, but I think we’re done with his storyline. I’m not loving the Zoey love triangle, but I do like her with either Simon or Max. She seems really happy with Simon now. (FYI: I haven’t watched the most recent episode yet. The glitch one was my latest.) Can’t wait for more!

KUNG FU

CW’s newest show this month was Kung Fu, which I just learned was a reboot. It follows Nicky who returns after 3 years to her home in San Francisco. Her family has mixed feelings as she has had no contact with them for the last 3 years. She is now a Kung Fu master and warrior, out to avenge her mentor’s death and stop a villain from acquiring mythical weapons. The show gives me Arrow vibes every time I watch it. It has similar flashbacks each episode to an earlier time in Nicky’s life. While Nicky’s mission is different, the style just gives me early seasons of Arrow vibes, which I am not complaining about. It stars Legacies’ Alyssa Chen, who I didn’t love on Legacies, but instantly fell in love with Nicky. I think she’s a bad ass character and love how she’s fighting for the underdogs on the streets of San Fran, while also taking down a bigger evil. The love triangle is heating up and I’m definitely team Henry (even though there’s some mystery there). I think he’s great and once again we have an awesome warrior romance. They balance each other so well and it’s only been like 3 episodes. Now they’ve also been sleuthing together and it’s just amazing.

NANCY DREW

Are you sick of hearing me talk about CW’s Nancy Drew? I hope not because I’m going to fangirl again. I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH! I can’t wait till Wednesday comes and I tune in a little after it starts, so then I can fast forward on my DVR. Then when the episode is over I basically start it all over again and watch select scenes that were awesome. (More specifically, they tend to be Nancy and Ace scenes because I love them and we’re entering so much angst I don’t know if my heart will be able to handle it!!!)

I’ll say it a thousand times: THIS CAST IS EVERYTHING! Their dynamic is amazing. You can have any match ups and it’ll be a great time. There is not one person I don’t like. I was so upset that there wasn’t a new episode last week (especially because it was my birthday). I loved the last one with the Hardy Boys and that Nace reveal! OMG! I’m so sad that Grant has left again because we barely had him, but I feel he’ll eventually come back. He has to. I loved the ending when he spoke to Thom by signing to him. (My heart!) I seriously can’t say enough great things about this show. It is not your typical CW show and deserves more love and views. So happy a third season has already been confirmed!!

LAST NOTES

Just started Shadow and Bone on Netflix and am loving it! I’m sure I’ll have an entire post dedicated to it when I’m done. (Currently going to start episode 6.) I have no background on the universe or the books (just what my sister is filling me in with as we watch). I definitely plan on reading Six of Crows after this!

So what are you enjoying? Let me know. I’m always looking for more shows to add to the list! Can never have enough.

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raindancer2004 · 4 years ago

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Vacation on Isle Esme

Word count 6,363. Demetri x OC Part One

A few months after the confrontation with the Volturi Carlisle decided that the family should take a vacation to Isle Esme and he would invite Aro, Marcus, and Caius as an olive branch to try and resolve current tensions between the two covens. He also knew they would bring Demetri, Felix and the twins. He sent an invitation with the details and that’s when things got interesting. The moment they accepted the invite Alice had a vision that would change everything for Alyssa Swan, Bella’s younger sister. After her vision she spoke to Carlisle who decided that Aro needed to know about what Alice saw and to get his permission to tell Alyssa about the vampire world. Aro agreed on the condition that Alyssa joined them on the two week vacation so with that Esme invited Alyssa to vacation with them.

Aro decided not to tell anyone about what Alice saw as he knew her visions were subjective and he wanted to see for himself first hand and have Marcus confirm it. Aro had told his brothers and the four elite guards that Carlisle was bringing a human and that noone was to touch or harm her. Caius wasn’t pleased to have a human around especially if she knew the Cullens. “I thought Carlisle wanted to build bridges, so why is he bringing a human with him?” Caius said sounding displeased “Because I gave him permission brother and she isn’t just any human, she’s family” Aro responded grinning at Caius. “Family? Who’s family?” Caius demanded “Bella’s but hopefully she will bring us closer to the Cullens” Aro replied still grinning “What are you up to Aro?” Marcus asks “Nothing brother. I’m just looking forward to our vacation” Marcus was suspicious as Aro seemed far too happy to meet this human. Demetri and Jane had heard this exchange as they were the only guards in the throne room as Aro had dismissed the others. Jane was intrigued to find out if Bella’s relative would be immune to her gift whilst Demetri was curious as why Aro was allowing the Cullens to bring a human on vacation with them.

Later that night Aro called Felix and Alec to the throne room “Now the four of you are here I have some news to share. We have been invited to join the Cullens on a two week vacation, on Isle Esme. There will be a human relative of Bella’s joining us, therefore, there is a house rule in place that must not be broken; Noone is to touch or harm the human girl. Is that understood?” Aro said looking at the guards “Yes master.” Felix replied, the other three nodding in agreement.

One month later the Cullens and Alyssa arrived at Isle Esme; the Volturi were already inside the house waiting for them, Aro being excited to meet Alyssa. “Afternoon Aro, Marcus, Caius” Carlisle greeted. “Carlisle so nice to see you again” Aro said shaking his hand. “Esme my dear, thank you for inviting us to your lovely home” Marcus said smiling “You’re very welcome. We’re glad you could come” Esme replied. Demetri tuned out this conversation the second he saw Alyssa; her long brown hair, the blue denim shorts and pink strappy top she was wearing and the leopard print sunglasses covering her eyes. She was standing beside Bella and he was amazed at the self-control Bella had around her, even if she was family considering Bella was still a newborn.

“Aro this is Alyssa Swan, Bella’s sister” Carlisle says pointing to Alyssa; she lifts her sunglasses to rest on top of her head “Hello Aro, it’s nice to meet you” She holds out her hand to him. Demetri notices her chocolate brown eyes “She’s really pretty for a human” Jane whispers to Alec “Prettier than Bella was when she was human” He responds, Demetri smiling as he agrees with the twins ‘She’s beautiful. Shame about the ‘no touching the girl’ house rule’ He thinks to himself, a low growl came from Edward, causing Demetri to smirk in his direction ‘Don’t like my thoughts, stay out of my head’ He thought.

Meanwhile, “Amazing, I see nothing, much like your sister” Aro says smiling “Jane” Caius says raising a hand to call her forward “That won’t be necessary my dear” Aro interjects, and Jane steps back beside her brother. “Alyssa, these are my brothers Marcus and Caius” Aro says pointing to his brothers. “These are our elite guards; left to right we have Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec” They all nod, Demetri smiling at her “It’s nice to meet you all” She responds smiling.

“What I don’t understand is why another human knows about us and why is she here on vacation with all of us?” Caius asks, clearly irritated “As I said before brother, Alyssa knows about us because I gave Carlisle permission to tell her on the condition that she comes on vacation with us” Aro replies smiling “That still doesn’t explain why she had to know about us” Caius says “All will be revealed in time dear brother” Aro replies whilst looking at Alyssa and smiling. “Alyssa come with me and I’ll show you to your room” Esme says smiling and placing her hand gently on Alyssa’s back as they leave the room, Demetri watching them leave. Marcus stayed quiet observing the interactions of everyone in the room.

That evening Felix, Demetri and the twins are playing cards in the dining area; Emmett and Edward are playing chess with Bella shielding Emmett and Rosalie watching them, Jasper and Alice were reading outside on the beach, whilst Carlisle and Esme were talking with Aro and Marcus. Caius was reading on the sofa but couldn’t help smirking when he noticed Alyssa reading ‘A Vampire for Christmas’, not that he had heard of or read the book, but the title amused him.

A little while later Alyssa got up to get a drink and on her way back to the front room she passed the guards seated at the dining table playing poker. She stood behind Demetri and observed them for a few minutes; it was clear he was losing to the others, and that Felix was clearly winning. “I see your $10 and raise $10” Felix says; Alec replies “Fold” Demetri just stares at his cards but before he can do anything Alyssa picks up two $5 chips and places them in the middle “Call” She says and smiles “Fold” Jane replies. “Ok, call” Felix says smirking at Demetri as he lays down his cards and reaches for the chips in the middle “Good, but not good enough” Alyssa smiles taking the cards from Demetri and laying them down. Felix looks shocked as she collects the chips, placing them in front of Demetri. “You’re welcome” She looks at Demetri and smiles before she starts to walk away; she then feels a cold hand grip her wrist “Please stay” She stops and looks at him surprised; he gently pulls her onto his lap so she’s facing the table “You’re my good luck charm” He says letting his left hand rest on her hip. “Yea Dem’s lost most of the night” Felix laughs, Demetri growling low in response “Did you just growl?” Alyssa asks Demetri over her shoulder, he just nods and she smiles “Ok then” Felix and the twins can’t help laughing. They continued playing poker although Demetri was more interested in the human seated on his lap than the game, but Alyssa had it covered, giving Felix and the twins a run for their money. “Full house” Alec said smiling thinking he’d won, Demetri looked at his cards “No good Alec” He responded as Alyssa laid down their cards showing they had four of a kind.

Demetri couldn’t help inhaling her scent ‘Coconut and Pineapple’ “You smell good” He whispers in her ear, but the others heard. “Thank you” She replied, Jane looked at her confused “I’m pretending he meant my perfume, even though I know he didn’t” Alyssa felt him rest his chin on her shoulder and Jane nodded. Alyssa still sitting on his lap turned to face him slightly “I’ll make you a deal” He raised an eyebrow “I’ll let you smell me, take in my scent whenever you want over the next two weeks if you promise to protect me and not eat me” “Deal” He replied quickly, smiling at her as he took in her scent again. “My own personal vampire bodyguard” She chuckled and Demetri shook his head a little still smiling “Strange little human” Alec added.

Felix dealt out new cards; Jane starting the new round said “$20” “I see your bet and raise you $30” Felix said confidently to the table; Alec matching the bet “All in” Alyssa states confidently “Fold” Comes the reply from Jane “Ok, I see your bet” Felix responds pushing his chips into the centre of the table. “Fold” Alec replies. “Ladies first” Alyssa says smirking at Felix, Demetri chuckles. Felix laid down his cards – straight flush “Good, but just not good enough” Alyssa lays down their cards – royal flush. Demetri smiles as he and Alyssa pull the chips towards them “Thank you cara” He smiles at her “You’re welcome. Goodnight” She got up from Demetri’s lap “Goodnight” He responded watching her walk away to her room. Marcus smiled to himself seeing the start of a bond forming between the tracker and the human.

It was around 03.00am and Felix and Demetri were out on the beach looking out at the ocean “You ok? You seemed distracted tonight D. You don’t usually lose so much” Felix said “I don’t know I just couldn’t focus on the game, but I still won though” “With the help of a human” Felix replies nudging him “With the help of a beautiful human Fe” Demetri responds smiling, Felix nodding. “What had you so distracted D?” “I can’t help thinking about why Aro allowed Carlisle to tell Alyssa about our kind and why he insisted she come on vacation with us” “It is a bit strange, it’s as if he knows something we don’t and doesn’t feel like sharing the information” Felix responds “He’s definitely keeping something to himself Fe, that much was obvious when he first told Marcus and Caius about Alyssa and the vacation. Jane and I were the only guards in the throne room at the time as Aro had dismissed the others” “Whatever it is, Caius is not happy about her being here and I doubt that will change anytime soon” Felix added.

The following morning Alyssa walked into the kitchen wearing a pink bikini with a mid-thigh length black cover up that was slightly see through due to the crotchet pattern. “Morning” She greeted the room with a smile; grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and preparing a quick fruit salad for breakfast. Demetri stopped reading the second he caught her scent and watched her walk into the kitchen “Good morning Alyssa” He said smiling from the other side of the kitchen island “Sleep well?” “Er kind of” She replied “I found it a little weird, hard even to sleep knowing there are 15 vampires in the house” She looked down starting to eating the fruit. “I’m sorry to hear that” He didn’t like hearing that she didn’t feel safe enough to sleep ‘I made a promise to protect her and I will keep that promise, ensuring she feels safe’ He thought to himself. “I’m going out to sunbathe” She made her way outside and found a nice spot on the beach and after laying down a beach towel she removed her cover up and got comfortable.

About five minutes later he made his way outside and sat beside her. “I know you guys probably don’t sunbathe but can you at least put some shorts on? You are way too overdressed to be outside” She said looking up at him, he nodded “I’ll be right back” He sped inside and changed into a pair of beach shorts and was back outside sitting beside her quicker than she thought possible “Better?” He asked “Much” She leant in towards him and whispered “Sparkles” He raised an eyebrow at her “Sparkles?” She smiles nodding at him; lying back down, Demetri laid down beside her his hand lightly brushing hers. “Favourite colour” She asked “Red, you?” He replied “Blue... Favourite animal?” “Cats, you?” He replies “Tigers, I even asked for a tiger for my 6th birthday” She giggles at the memory. “Not sure they’d make great pets cara” He laughs “That’s what my mum said funnily enough” They continued to ask questions as a way to get to know each other. “Do you have any hobbies Demetri?” “I like reading and travelling. I’ve seen quite a bit of the world, but there are places I’d still like to see. What hobbies do you have?” “I also like reading, shopping and baking. I’d like to travel when I’m older, see the world” She replied ‘I could show her the world’ He thought looking at her.

She rolled onto her front and Demetri did the same “Can I ask how long you’ve been a vampire?” “Over 1000 years” He replied “Wow! How old were you when you were turned?” “I was 21” He answered and she smiled “You look good for your age” He chuckles at her response “Thank you. Can I ask how old you are?” “I’m 17. I was wondering do you have a gift? Is that why you are an elite guard with the Volturi?” He nodded “Yes, I have a gift. I am a tracker and yes that is why I am an Elite guard. Although there are other trackers out there I am the best at what I do” “Really? How does your gift work?” She asks curiously “I pick up on the essence of someone’s mind and can follow it like a scent over any distance. To be able to do this I have to either have met that person physically or anyone who has met the person in the past” “Oh my god that sounds so cool. It’s also good to know if I ever get lost I can just call you; the best tracker in the world and find out exactly where I am” She says smiling at him, he smiled back “I’m unsure if I can track you” Alyssa looked confused “I cannot track Bella because of her shield, even when she was human” “Are you able to track me? I mean I know Aro and Edward can’t read my mind” “I haven’t tried, but I will later when we are apart and will let you know” She nods in response.

Marcus had spent the day reading inside but every now and again he would look outside at Demetri and Alyssa and smile at how well they’re getting along. “Are the Cullens really expecting us to let Alyssa leave here alive?” Caius asks Marcus “I think so yes and I don’t think Aro is going to give the order to kill her either” “Are you going to give the order?” “No Caius I am not. I do not believe her to be a threat to us” Caius huffed but said nothing, still not happy that Alyssa knew their secret and was on vacation with them.

That night Alyssa sat on her bed reading her book A Vampire for Christmas when there was a knock on the door “Who is it?” “It’s me Demetri” He replied poking his head round the door, she smiled “Come in” Demetri came into her room and closed the door “Just wondered what you were up to?” “Just reading” She replies holding up her book “What about you?” “Nothing much. I was reading but it’s gotten a bit noisy in the other room” He chuckles softy “You’re welcome to stay in here and read with me” She replied, he smiled at her “I’d like that. Thank you Alyssa” He sat on the bed beside her reading; thinking about how they’d spent the day together on the beach. He noticed her heartbeat was slowing down and looked to his side to see she had fallen asleep sitting up reading but with her head down. He took the book from her and gently laid her down; laying down beside her and continuing to read. “Goodnight cara” He stroked her hair and felt relaxed knowing she was with him, her heartbeat slow and steady and her scent filling his nostrils. ‘I hope she sleeps better tonight’

Alyssa woke lying on her side and when she opened her eyes she saw Demetri “Morning” Her voice sounded sleepy "Morning cara” He replied smiling “You stayed?” “Yes, hope you don’t mind” “No, I don’t mind” She smiled at him. “You didn’t get bored whilst I slept then?” He shook his head “Nope. I spent most of the night reading. I’m used to spending my nights alone so it was nice to have some company, even if you were sleeping” He winked at her and she blushed slightly “So does that mean you don’t have a mate then?” “That’s correct, I have yet to meet her” She noticed that he looked and sounded a little sad “1000 years is a long time to be on your own” Alyssa said sympathetically resting her hand on his arm, Demetri felt a warm feeling run through him at her touch and he smiled at her before placing his cold lips to her forehead; both their eyes closing in the moment. “I hope you find her soon, you’re too nice to spend forever alone” She said quietly “Thank you. You are very sweet” He replied softly ‘I could spend forever with you’ He thought looking at her lying in front of him; he’d never thought that about anyone before. “I plan to look around the island a bit and maybe go swimming; did you want to come with me? I mean if you don’t have plans or anything” She was blushing again, he smiled at her “Sounds like a good day, I’m in. It’ll give me a chance to see if I can track you too”

Demetri showered and changed in a pair of grey shorts and a white t-shirt whilst Alyssa had breakfast; then waited for her in the front room whilst she got ready. “Fancy a game of chess?” Felix asked Demetri “One game as I’m waiting for Alyssa. We’re going out for the day” Felix raised an eyebrow “I think he’s traded you in for someone better Felix” Jane teased “And she’s human” Alec added laughing; Felix put a hand to his chest and feigned a hurt look “How could you D? After all these years” Marcus was smiling at the guards’ behaviour and was happy that Demetri was spending time with Alyssa, even if he hadn’t realised what she was to him yet. Alyssa stepped out of her room dressed in short blue denim shorts, a blue strapless top and her leopard print sunglasses, she had a black bikini on underneath. Felix smirked when he saw Demetri eyeing Alyssa as she walked towards them. “Ready?” Demetri asked her completely forgetting he was part way through a game of chess with Felix “Yes, I’ll just grab a bottle of water from the fridge. Have you finished your game?” She asked nodding towards the chess board “Alec can take over for me” He said getting up and taking her warm hand in his cold one and leading her out of the house.

“Master is she his…” Jane started but Marcus cut her off “I think we all know the answer to that, even if they haven’t figured it out” “How is it that he doesn’t know?” Alec asked “Not all mate pairings are ‘love at first sight’ sometimes the bond forms over time. He likes her and is clearly drawn to her as he has spent the last 24 hours with her and she likes him too. They’ll figure it out soon, don’t worry” Marcus replied smiling “I’m glad he’s finally found her. He deserves to be happy” Felix added. “Wonder how Bella and the Cullens will react when they realise Demetri and Alyssa are mates” Jane mused “It doesn’t matter what they think and anyway they are in no place to judge or object” Alec responded. The Cullens were all off doing their own thing; some had gone to the mainland to hunt.

Demetri and Alyssa walked hand in hand exploring the island until they came to cliff edge that was opposite a waterfall. “That’s an amazing view” Alyssa said smiling before looking up at Demetri, he smiled too looking down at her “Yes it is. Want to go for a swim?” He asked nodding down to the water below, before removing his t-shirt “Yes but how are we going to get down there?” She responded whilst removing her shorts and top “Do you trust me?” He asked holding out his hand “Yes” She placed her hand in his and he pulled her to him; wrapping an arm around her waist he lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist “Good girl” He smirked “Don’t let go” “I won’t” He felt her arms wrap around his neck before he jumped, landing in the water below. They came up to the surface Alyssa giggling “What’s funny cara?” “I just can’t believe we jumped off the cliff” She responds looking up “It was the only way down. Thank you for trusting me” “You’ve given me no reason not to Demi” He liked hearing the nickname she gave him and kissed her cheek causing her to blush. He put her down and she swam away from him going under the water; he watched her resurface and turn to face him “Come on Sparkles” She smiled and in a flash he was in front of her wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into his side whilst his other hand began tickling her. She started laughing and squirming in his hold “D-Dem…s-stop” “No” He continued to tickle her enjoying seeing her squirm in his hold “Pl-please…Spar-Sparkles” Sounding breathless from laughing “Sparkles. Really?” He replies smirking, continuing to tickle her and she nods resting her head on his shoulder trying to catch her breath; he pauses tickling her and starts stroking her hair whilst gently resting his head upon hers.

After spending a few hours in the water Demetri picks Alyssa up and jumps up on the cliff above “Thank you Dem” “You’re welcome” They both put their clothes back on and continue to explore some more of the island, walking hand in hand. “How are we going to find out if you can track me?” She asked “I’ll stay here whilst you go hide somewhere and I will try and track you to find you. I’ll give you 5 minutes and please be careful” “I will” Alyssa went and hid, waiting for Demetri to find her. Demetri closed his eyes and tried to reach out to pick up the tenor of her mind only to find he couldn’t find her tenor which meant he couldn’t track her; this made him feel uneasy, anxious even. He took an unneeded breath to calm himself before setting off find her by tracking her scent ‘This may take a while’ He thought. Ten minutes later he found her “I’m guessing you can’t track me?” “Correct cara mia. I had to find you by your scent which takes longer” “I’m sorry Dem” She looked down, his fingers lifted her head up “No need to apologise cara, if I ever have to ‘find’ you it’ll just take me longer than normal but I will always find you” She nodded and took his hand in hers “Thank you for coming with me today” She said smiling at him “Thank you for inviting me” He smiled backed at her.

That night Alyssa makes herself a pasta dish for dinner and Demetri offers to help “You know how to cook?” He shakes his head “No, not really, but I’d still like to help though” She smiles at him “Ok then, if you want to fill that pan with water till it’s half full that’ll be good. Thank you” Felix is watching them from the front room and can’t help laughing “What’s funny Felix?” Alec asks “Demetri trying to help Alyssa cook when he has absolutely no idea what he’s doing” Felix started laughing again, Alec joining in. “Oh leave him alone, he’s just trying to bond with his mate” Jane says quietly causing Felix and Alec to look at her confused “Since when did you start defending him sister?” “I’m just saying he’s making an effort so you shouldn’t laugh at him” “But sister it’s funny to watch” Alec chuckles and Jane shakes her head.

“Have you seen Bella?” Alyssa asks Marcus “She went with Edward to hunt on the mainland earlier today and have yet to return. In fact all the Cullens have yet to return from their activities” “Oh, ok. Thank you for letting me know” She sounded a little disappointed, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Demetri “I’m going to read outside” She went into her room grabbed her book and sat outside on the veranda attached to her room. Demetri followed her grabbing the blanket from the sofa as he passed; he sat down beside her placing the blanket over them “Here let me” He said taking the book from her and began reading to her; she moved a little closer to him and rested her head on his arm. She fell asleep whilst he read to her feeling comfortable with him. He picked her up gently and laid her in the bed, covering her with the duvet before changing into a pair lounge pants and climbing in beside her “Good night cara mia” He placed a kiss to her hair and spent the night reading whilst she slept.

The following afternoon the Cullens and the Volturi were split between the beach and the front room all doing various things “Hey Bells, what are you up to later? Want to do something?” Alyssa asks “I’m sorry Ally, Edward and I are going out tonight. Actually we’re going out with Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie” Bella replies “It’s a date night” Emmett added “The six of us are going over to the mainland” “Oh ok. No worries. Have fun” Alyssa responded trying to hide her disappointment and got up deciding to go for a walk on the beach. Demetri put down the book he was reading; got up from the chair and ran after Alyssa “Hey, wait up” He called out and she stopped “Hey Dem. What’s up?” “Are you ok?” “Yea, I’m fine. Why?” “You seemed a little disappointed when Bella said she had plans for tonight” He replied “Well it’s just… they invited me to come here with them and yet they don’t want to spend time with me” She wasn’t smiling and he didn’t like it “Well their loss is my gain” He smiled at her “I like spending time with you Ally; so much so I wondered if you wanted to go out with me tonight?” He asked “What? Like a date?” “Yes Ally. I’d like to take you out on a date” “I’d love to” She replied smiling and gave him a quick hug, he felt happy knowing he had made her smile. “What did you have in mind?” She asked “I was thinking dinner and dancing” “Sounds fun. Dinner, wait… you can’t eat anything?” “Don’t worry about me, I have that covered” He took her hand in his and they continued walking along the beach.

Later that night Alyssa got ready in her room; having decided on a black mid-thigh length dress with spaghetti straps and black stilettos; natural looking make-up with her hair curled and in a half up/half down style. Demetri had decided on black jeans, a grey shirt and smart black shoes. “How come you’re all dressed up Demetri?” Emmett asked curious “I’m taking Ally out for dinner and dancing” He replied “You’re taking my sister out on a date?” Bella questioned “Yes, Bella, I am. Your sister is a lovely girl and I enjoy her company” He replied; Marcus smiling at the tracker as he could see the mate bond was getting stronger between him and Alyssa. “I don’t think I like the idea of that. Edward…” Bella started but trailed off when Alyssa entered the front room; Demetri gasped “Wow! You look amazing Ally” She blushed looking down and taking her bottom lip between her teeth she looked up at Demetri through her lashes “Thank you” “Ready?” He asked looking her up and down ‘Beautiful, absolutely stunning’ He thought to himself smiling and placing a hand on the small of her back they made their way to the dock where the boat was waiting for them.

“Edward I don’t like the fact that he has taken her out, I mean if she had ended up on one of their ‘tours’ he would have killed her without a second thought” Bella said loudly “Bella, calm down. He isn’t going to hurt her, trust me. I’ve read his thoughts and they are…” “His thoughts are what Edward?” Rose asked joining the conversation “His thoughts are private!” Jane shouted entering the room “He would not appreciate you reading them let alone sharing them Edward” She continued. “She’s my sister and I have a right to know�� “No Bella! You don’t. None of you have a right to know his thoughts just as none of you have the right to object them going on a date” Alec added “I mean they have spent the last few days together, not to mention he has stayed in her room the last two nights” Felix said smirking. “How did I not know she has spent so time with him” Bella said the last word with disgust “Probably because you have been too busy to talk to Ally, let alone spend time with her” Jane replied “You heard Demetri Bella, he likes spending time with your sister” She added smirking “You make it sound she’s his mate” Emmett responded; the twins and Felix didn’t answer, they just turned around and left the room. “Don’t worry about Demetri and Ally, let’s get ready for our own date” Edward said holding out his hand to Bella.

Once on the mainland Demetri and Alyssa made their way to a restaurant for dinner. Once seated their waiter came and took their order; Alyssa ordered Mango and Lime Chicken with Rice and a glass of water, Demetri ordered the same. “I didn’t think you could eat food” Alyssa said quietly “We can eat food, it just doesn’t taste very nice and we have to…deal with it later” “Oh Dem. Don’t make yourself uncomfortable just for me” “You are the only person I would eat food for and anyway it’s a date; you can’t eat alone” She smiled “Thank you Demi, you’re very sweet.”

After dinner Demetri and Alyssa made their way to a club; he ordered them some drinks and then took her hand and led her onto the dancefloor. They spent a few hours dancing and drinking before making their way back to the house. “Thank you for tonight Dem, I had fun” “You’re very welcome. I had fun too and thank you for coming out with me” “Anytime Dem” She responded “Will you stay with me again tonight?” She smiled at him “Yes Ally I will” He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into his side burying his nose into her hair and breathing in her scent.

They both got ready for bed and climbed beneath the duvet and Demetri began reading to her “I’m getting sleepy” She said quietly “I can tell” “Goodnight Demi” “Sweet dreams Ally” He kissed her forehead and she fell back against the bed and tried to ignore the pleasant warmth spreading through her.

The following morning Demetri woke Alyssa up with breakfast in bed “Ally wake up” He shook her arm gently and she opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile “Good morning cara, I’ve made you breakfast” “Good morning Dem” She sat up in bed and he placed the tray on her lap and climbed back into bed beside her “Thank you for breakfast” He had made her pancakes with strawberries. Once she finished eating he took the tray and placed it on the floor; he then put his arm around her gently pulling her closer and began to reading aloud. That afternoon they played a game of Chess before Felix, Demetri and the twins left to go hunting. “I’ll see you soon Ally” Demetri said before placing a kiss to her forehead. “Ok and don’t rush, I’ll be fine here with Marcus and Caius”

Once they left Ally got up and sat in the chair near Caius “Can I ask you about what you do?” Caius looked up from his book “Sorry, did the Cullens not tell you about us?” She shook her head “I kind of got a crash course in Vampires, if you get what I mean” “I’m not sure we do understand my dear” Marcus replies “They told me that Vampires existed; that they are vegetarian and that the Volturi rule the Vampire world and that you are not vegetarian, They also said Humans are not allowed to know of your world unless they are to become one of you” Ally replies “What?” Caius asks confused “I thought Aro told Carlisle to tell you about us” “He did, just a quick version. I don’t think he wanted to overwhelm me. After all I thought Vampires only existed in books and movies. He was also a bit vague when it came to telling me about the Volturi and what you do” “When you come and visit us at the castle I will give you a history lesson all about us Ally” Caius replied “You mean I’m welcome to come to the castle for a visit?” “Yes Ally and you will be the only human to leave the castle still human, apart from Bella, of course” Caius said with a little smile. “Thank you” She replied smiling “I think you’re starting to like her brother” Marcus said too quiet for Ally to hear “I’m able to tolerate her that is all Marcus” He replied quietly “It’s a start Caius”

A few days later Demetri and Alyssa were back at the cliff edge ready to go to swimming; he wrapped his arm around her lifting her up and she wrapped her legs around him, arms going round his neck. They landed in the water below with her still in his arms and he leant his head down; nose resting against her neck as he breathed in her scent. Her fingers playing with the hair at the base of his neck; he purred and placed a chaste kiss to her pulse point, she smiled and kissed his neck in return. “I should put you down so we can go swimming again, but I really don’t want to… Not yet anyway” He said low in her ear, arms tightening around her “Then don’t. We can swim later, we have all day” She replied running one hand down from his neck to rest on his chest; the other hand still playing with his hair, she gave it a gentle tug. He growled moving one hand to the back of her head threading his fingers into her hair; gently he pulled her head back exposing her neck to him. He ran his nose up and down her neck then left a trail of open mouthed kisses against her neck; she gasped and a soft “Mmm” left her lips, he purred again and felt her fingers brush through his hair, nails gently scratch his scalp. “Mine” He whispered into her ear before placing a kiss just below it. “What?” She breathed “Am I…?” She looked into his eyes “Yes Ally, I’ve never felt like this about anyone before” He looked unsure of himself and took an unneeded breath “Will you be my mate… and… accept me… as your mate in return?” Hope shone in his eyes although his face said he was scared of her answer. She nods and smiles “Yes” She kisses his cheek and wraps her arms around his neck; he sighs in relief tightening his hold on her before kissing her temple “Thank you amore. Thank you” “You don’t need to thank me Dem” She chuckles “I’m happy that I’m yours because it means that you are mine… as long as you accept me… as your mate” She winks at him and he smiles “Of course I accept you as my mate, 110% cara. I’m looking forward to spending forever with you” He kissed her lips and continued to hold her in his arms happy that he finally found his other half.

That evening they took a walk along the beach enjoying the warm night air; stopping to look out at the calm sea as the sun sets. “I feel safe with you Demi” She wraps her arms around him “I’m happy to hear that” He kissed her hair “I will always look out for you Ally, no matter what” He sat in the sand and gently pulled her down with him so she was sitting in front of him, his arms wrapping around her from behind.

Marcus smiles as Demetri and Alyssa walk back into the house hand in hand; seeing the mate bond in effect “Good evening you two, had a good day?” “Good evening Master, we’ve had a great day” He smiles down at Ally lovingly, a look that doesn’t go unnoticed by Aro and Carlisle. “Brother?” Aro asks looking to Marcus; who just nods in response, causing Aro to smile widely. “Demetri, may I?” Aro asks holding his hand out and Demetri steps forward and places his hand in Aro’s letting him see the moment Ally learnt she was his mate and accepted him.

#twilight #demetri volturi #jane volturi #alec volturi #the cullens #marcus volturi #aro volturi #caius volturi #volturi #felix volturi

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accioecho · 4 years ago

Text

Tkem Novel 10

Chapter 13 - “A made up mind”

Gon hastily wrapped up the tasks that had accumulated in the short time he was gone and went back to his study. Tae-Eul must have been bored while waiting for him to get back.

He handed her a cold can of beer and watched her gulp it all down in one go. He had seen her drink beer before with unmatched enthusiasm but he had to admit that he was quite impressed seeing her drink again like this. She definitely held her liquor well.

Gon kept glancing at her, unable to tear his gaze away until Tae-Eul quipped at him.

“Did you just lock me up in here?”

“I’m housing you. Be understanding. I brought you here without saying anything. Everyone’s in a panic because this has never happened before.” Gon said, unfazed.

Tae-Eul listened to Gon’s calm explanations and opened up another can. With one dirty thumb, she tried using the other one free of ink but it was trickier than she had initially expected.

“Then why are you being so calm, Kim Gae Ddong?”

“I imagined bringing you here lots of times before. Not like this though.”

From the moment he had asked her to be his Queen back in her world, he had envisioned this moment. When he came back to the palace with Tae-Eul in another universe, he had thought about it again. The fact that this had all come true put a smile on his face.

“Did you sign a contract or something? Did you buy some land?” He asked, gesturing to her crimson finger.

“I stopped myself from wiping it on the wall because of your citizens. You should promote the employee who was watching me. She’s a real patriot. Let me borrow your phone, and give it to me unlocked. She wouldn’t lend me her phone.”

“What are you going to look up? I’m sure you have no one to call.” Gon obediently complied and handed her his phone. Tae-Eul promptly grabbed it.

“None of your business. What’s your passcode?”

“Who would even try to look through a King’s phone? It’s not locked.”

It made sense. With a quiet snort, Tae-Eul slipped his phone in the safety of her coat pocket.

Gon set aside the lid of the small plate he had set down in front of her. They did everything backwards. This wasn’t how he pictured his first evening with Tae-Eul, but since she had already drunk the beer, he figured that she ought to get something to eat as well. Assuming she would get hungry at some point, Gon had gone down to the royal kitchens to personally cook dinner for her.

Although the food looked appetizing, Tae-Eul made no move to pick up her spoon.

“You try it first.” She really asked him, a royal— the King, to taste her food.

Seeing Gon’s completely dumbfounded expression, she continued. “I’m not joking. I’m Alice in Wonderland right now. She eats weird pills and grows bigger and smaller and stuff. What if I eat this and die from poisoning or natural causes? What are you going to do then?”

“Don’t worry. I keep my promises. You’ll die from a beheading.” Gon retorted, eyes crinkling in mirth.

They were each other’s white rabbit, both chasing after time, trying to capture elusive moments together.

Tae-Eul let out a sigh, a faint smirk forming across her lips as she finally grabbed the spoon.

“All right, then. I’ll enjoy the food. Did you make this yourself?”

“Yes. Is it good?” Gon watched Tae-Eul busily taking mouthfuls of rice and stilled in expectation.

“No it’s not.”

Both her cheeks were filled to the brim with food— he was full just by watching her eat. Gon winced, face dropping in disappointment.

Tae-Eul swallowed her laughter at his childlike reaction and tried to keep a straight face. She had only meant to tease him.

Just as she was about to finish her plate, Lady Noh reentered the study. Tae-Eul recalled the matron’s cold expression upon their first meeting earlier that night. Lady Noh’s distant demeanor made her feel nervous and slightly intimidated.

“I prepared a bedroom and a meal for your guest…”

Tae-Eul’s face reddened in embarrassment and looked down at her empty plate. Lady Noh visibly didn’t know that Gon fixed her dinner. So he really did prepare the meal himself after all.

“… I will escort her to her room. It is the farthest one from Pyeha’s room.”

The hour was late. Tae-Eul stood up, set to leave the room.

“See you tomorrow, goodnight. Sleep tight.” Gon smiled and casually waved his hand in goodbye.

Lady Noh’s scowl deepened, eyes glaring down at him.

——

True to her word, Lady Noh escorted her to one of the guest bedrooms.

Tae-Eul only had the clothes on her back but it looked like she didn’t need to worry about anything at all. The room was set with all the necessities: from pyjamas to toiletries, everything was furnished and meticulously laid out so that she wouldn’t need for anything. It was better than a hotel.

“Besides emergency situations, outsiders hardly ever stay in the palace overnight. So you must never speak about what happened today anywhere or to anyone. You must keep everything a secret, such as the layout of the palace or the private conversations you’ve had with the King.” Lady Noh warned her.

Tae-Eul instinctively nodded. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m a government official, too.”

“So I’ve seen. Lieutenant Jeong Tae-Eul”. Lady Noh scrutinized the young woman in front of her with hawk-like intensity.

It seemed both Lady Noh and Yeong knew her name. Tae-Eul wondered if the police badge in Gon’s possession was the sole reason why both people were already aware of her existence.

Still. Lady Noh’s stern expression made her uneasy. Her dislike of Tae-Eul was obvious which was strange because apart from the ID card, she had no prior connections, no prior interactions with her. Yet her initial reaction during their first meeting was a sharp contrast to how Gon had reacted. Maybe it was because Lady Noh didn’t expect her to turn up here at all.

“This is a rather curious situation. His Majesty has had a strange ID card since he was young. There was no police officer named Jeong Tae-Eul in the Kingdom of Corea and there is no such rank as lieutenant in the police force here. I thought that it was a fake ID made as a joke or for some other reason, but that nonexistent person suddenly appeared here. Surely you can see why it’s shocking.”

Tae-Eul tried to understand Lady Noh’s cold attitude and see things from her perspective. She did behave the same way when she had been faced with the possibility of an existence outside her world.

“Everything is just absurd, but there is one thing I’m sure about. An existence that cannot be explained will only bring chaos to the world, and it will only warm our King.” Lady Noh declared with finality.

Even so, Tae-Eul felt this was unfair. She could easily accept that the idea of her existence could be construed as inexplicable, confusing. But to see her as a threat seemed excessive.

Tae-Eul stood rooted on the spot, silently listening to Lady Noh’s hurtful words, unable to reply back.

As Head of the court, Lady Noh’s job was simple: looking after the King and having his best interests at heart. Dutifully protecting him— the man who had to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders since the young age of 8.

Lady Noh had no other choice but to keep to her steely resolve, even if it meant hurting Tae-Eul in the process. If she could, she would erase that fateful night from history, get rid of all traces and evidence, the ID card and Tae-Eul included.

“I do not want to know where you came from. I will act as if you do not exist. So, during your stay here, please try to avoid contact with anyone besides Pyeha, the chief of the Royal Guard Jo Yeong, and me. Furthermore, don’t get curious about this world, and don’t try to stay. And when I say ‘this world’, that includes the King.” Lady Noh retreated with a hasty bow.

In the late-night hour, the bright and fuzzy contentment Tae-Eul felt after dinner disappeared completely, her face now pale, the sound of Lady’s Noh closing the doors a distant echo in her mind.

Tae-Eul plopped down heavily on the spotless bed. When Gon was with her in the Republic of Korea he had never lied to her once. He kept telling her about his world. Even when she half listened to him, acting skeptical, questioning his sanity, he had never once given up and relentlessly continued to talk about the Kingdom. What started out as anger turned into curiosity.

And he had done so again and again, filling her with stories. Those vibrant eyes inviting her to his home. He had made her long for him. He had made her want to believe him. He had made her miss him.

She had barely stepped into his world and she was already captivated by it. Tae-Eul didn’t pay much attention to the whys or hows, she had taken the few steps in without a second thought. The day wasn’t even over yet and she had been asked to leave.

Their two worlds were too different anyway. She would have to leave this place at some point, disappearing in the blink of an eye like he did back in her world.

Lady Noh had advised her not to get too curious, to not even think of staying here. But it was already too late. She could not go back.

The bed Tae-Eul was lying on was smooth and comfy, but it felt like its surface was made of tiny thorns. She slid down to the ground, opting for the hard surface of the wooden floors instead. Leaning against the side of the bed, Tae-Eul let out a humorless laugh.

The sudden sound of sliding windows drew her out of her reverie.

“There’s a bed and a sofa in here. Why are you sitting on the floor?” Gon asked.

Gon stood in front of him, wearing pyjamas and a bathrobe. It looked like he changed clothes and was getting ready to go to sleep before he came over to her room. Tae-Eul was half startled, half happy to see him.

“Why are you here?” Tae-Eul asked abruptly, trying hard to will her racing heart to calm down.

“I didn’t want to leave you scared all by yourself. Trust me. I’m not a weird person here.”

“Why did you use the window instead of the door if you’re not weird?”

“There’s something you should know: that’s the shortcut. The palace is really big.” Still talking, Gon casually slid down on the floor next to her, his large frame grazing her shoulder.

Tae-Eul cleared her throat. “I thought you couldn’t sleep on the floor.”

She had to admit one thing. For a short, fleeting moment tonight, Tae-Eul had felt lonely. She remembered Gon telling her that she shouldn’t leave him alone. This was a few weeks ago, in her courtyard— he had told her that she shouldn’t treat him like a stranger, because she was the only person he knew in her universe. Tae-Eul understood his solitude. Because it was the same for her now.

For the the time being, he was the only person she could rely on.

“It’s not so bad actually. There’s some charm to this.” He replied.

Their conversation was a reflection of their current position. Sitting side by side, bodies close, within reach but not quite touching.

“When are you going to show me my ID card?”

“… tomorrow.”

“Why tomorrow? Were you just pretending to have it?”

“I do have it. You might try to go back to your world if I show it to you.”

Tae-Eul looked at the man next to her. Gon’s eyes glinted darkly, pupils turning black. He looked lonely. Even if she was here with him, in his world.

Here she was, in this strange universe with strange emotions coursing through her. She anxiously held her breath.

“… What is it?” Tae-Eul changed the subject, clasping her clammy hands together.

“What?”

“The doll on my car key. It seems pretty cheap.”

Gon— who was serious just a few seconds ago, looked away flustered. Tae-Eul had seen these dolls before. They came as a prize from the local shooting gallery. If she had to take a rough guess, she would say that he got the keychain there and it probably didn’t come at a cheap price either.

“You should really know, nothing I have is cheap.” He was really being sincere. In other words, it meant that he spent a good fortune on this trinket.

Tae-Eul was completely speechless that he would spend this much money over a relatively simple challenge.

“How much did you spend? Anyone’s who’s served in the military can do it with their eyes closed.”

The shooting gallery owner said so as well. Be that as it may, it still took him several tries. “I knew it. Everyone in your country is a swindler.”

“Be quiet, there is someone guarding the door outside.” Tae-Eul shushed him with accusing eyes.

“Are you stupid? There are dozens of security cameras in here.” He grinned, looking around.

“Is that a security camera?”

“Wave at them. Twelve people are watching us right now.” Gon waved at one of the many paintings framing the walls.

Tae-Eul couldn’t believe her eyes. She stood up suddenly, ready to take the frame down. Kingdom or not, this was a serious breach of privacy.

Gon caught her arm and pulled her down, dragging her closer to him. “You believe everything I say now. That was a lie.”

“Do you want to die? So… is that really a security camera or not?” She blinked several times, trying not to pay attention at their intimately intertwined bodies.

“It isn’t. I was just joking. Do you want proof?”

Calm and collected, Gon let his head rest on her shoulders causing Tae-Eul to tense up. Ever since their first meeting, Tae-Eul knew that he was the kind of person to capture people’s attention. Seriously. The man was chiseled like a classical sculpture. And with his eyes closed like he had now, he looked even more like a greek model.

“I’m going to ask you something, so just answer with yes or no.”

There was no point in overthinking this. There could be only one reason why he had invited her to his world. Tae-Eul was braver than most people but no matter how brave she was, she was also curious like anyone else.

Her attention turned to the man currently resting his chin on her shoulder. The man who seemed lonely. The same man who declared he had been less lonely with her by his side.

“Okay, shoot.” Gon responded.

“You’ve never dated anyone before, right?”

“Yes I have.” Gon refuted, slightly lifting his head.

“Should I guess when?” Tae-Eul retorted.

“Guess.”

They both stared at each other in thick silence, neither willing to look away.

��Now.”

The corner of his mouth lifted up in a lopsided grin at Tae-Eul’s direct answer.

“Should I have done this?” He wondered.

His large hands swiftly cradled her delicate face. Slightly inclining his head, he closed the distance and pressed his lips to hers. Stunned, Tae-Eul felt his soft lips tenderly brush over her mouth.

Slowly inching away, Gon looked down at Tae-Eul, eyes gently sweeping over her frozen expression.

“Try guessing what I just proved. The fact that I’ve dated before? Or… that I’m dating right now?” Gon smiled, barely containing his joy. For the first time in a long while, he felt genuinely, truly happy.

Tae-Eul, on the other hand, felt restless. Their universes had collided but she had only partially faced the consequences. She didn’t know anything about the world outside the Palace. She didn’t even know if her being here— even temporarily, was okay.

Forces were already set in motion. Wherever they went, wherever they would go, a dark road lay ahead of them.

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fmdrorinarchive · 3 years ago

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━━━━━━ 𝖆 𝖓𝖊𝖜 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖊𝖗 𝖆𝖕𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖆𝖈𝖍𝖊𝖘… 💋 〈 Below the cut is an intro for Michelle Chae of Chroma // Please 𝖑𝖎𝖐𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖘 𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖙 to plot, and thanks for reading !! 〉

𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋-𝖎𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖔𝖉𝖚𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓.

Hi again, friends !! This is Boone ( 19+ / MDT / HE & HIM ) and you may recognize me as the typist behind Vive’s maknae, Yoo Rioh. I’ve decided to bring in another muse! Like Rioh, Michelle’s just starting out in her career and I can’t wait to see her grow. ♡ To find out more, please read onwards !! I can’t wait until she gets to meet all of your muses !! Oh, here are a few trigger warnings to look out for if you continue to read: mentions of drug addiction and parental abandonment; mentions of slut-shaming and misogyny.

𝖖𝖚𝖎𝖈𝖐 𝖋𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖘.

MICHELLE RORIN CHAE, b. 19990620

BORN & RAISED IN VALLEY GLEN, CA

FORMER COMPETITIVE FIGURE SKATER

BC ENT / CHROMA & CHROMA EMBER

SUB VOCALIST, SUB RAPPER, VISUAL

𝖋𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖎𝖓𝖋𝖔.

RESEMBLES KIM MINJEONG ( WINTER ) OF ÆSPA

SHE STANDS AT A MODERATE 163 CM ( 5 FT, 3 IN )

CISGENDER FEMALE, USES SHE / HER PRONOUNS

GEMINI CANCER CUSP, YEAR OF EARTH RABBIT

HETEROFLEXIBLE, KINSEY SCALE #2, CURIOUS

𝖉𝖊𝖊𝖕 𝖉𝖎𝖛𝖊.

TRAJECTORY / Michelle was born in Valley Glen, CA to David and Heesun Chae—the owners of a struggling restaurant in their neck of the woods. As a kid, she trained to become a figure skater, but when her father bailed on her and her mother because of a drug addiction, she couldn’t afford the expenses for coaching, etc. so she retired from it for now. / Instead of being able to truly enjoy her youth, she had to pick-up after school jobs in order to help her mom with bills, and for awhile, her only source of comfort was spent with guys that showed her affection. Her relationships with boys grossly gave her the title of a “whore” to her peers, so she sadly didn’t have many friends to lean on in high school. / Originally traveled to Korea to earn a nursing degree from SNU, but got scouted by BCE on her first day—prompting her to drop out of school to focus primarily on training. This enraged her mother as the plan was for her to become a nurse so they no longer had to worry about money. / After only a few months of training, she’s selected to debut as a member of Chroma. OTHER FACTS / Not mentioned in her biography is the fact that she grew up in a fairly religious family. Mom and dad were raised Christian, so they raised their daughter the same. She was never into church, though. She always felt as though she was being judged harshly by the others in attendance. Hell, she even thought that of her mother quite often. Her style was never as pristine as her mom would’ve liked and no one understood her interests in the occult, in anime, in video games, and so forth. By the time she was eighteen, she stopped showing up to service altogether—which her mom didn’t like, but respected nevertheless. / She still likes to skate in her spare time... but she doesn’t really have any nowadays. You’d think that she’d be in the dance line due to her past in performance, but since she stopped skating, she’s lost a lot of her flexibility and power. She hopes to improve though! / She’s never had many close female friends, so she looks forward to hopefully bonding with her members as they grow closer. This is something she wants to change about herself a lot. INSPIRATION / For Michelle, I pulled a lot of inspiration from a few different characters from television series, mainly Cassie Howard from Euphoria; Manuella “Manny” Santos from Degrassi: The Next Generation; Tessa Campanelli from Degrassi JH / High; and Britney Orton from We Are Who We Are, among others!

𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞.

01. On the surface, Michelle’s reasonably pleasant to be around. She has a deep interest in people, especially those she’s close to, so if you’re a friend of her’s, she genuinely wants to know all about you and deeply cares about how you’re feeling / doing. Some might perceive this high level of intrigue as romantic, and she’s... not ever really going to confirm or deny those types of feelings. She’s a huuuge believer in love and doesn’t want to end up like her parents, but also has no idea what she’s doing when it comes down to it. She didn’t have the best example to look up to, so you know. 02. Michelle’s really talkative, and she’s witty, and she knows how to charm the pants off of most people, and while that’s loud and present in her character, she also has many faults. For one, her emotions are really strong and her mood is easily affected by others and events that occur in day-to-day life, so she has a tendency of being moody. That, and she also isn’t the best “rule follower” either. Does she care that there’s a dating ban in place for she and Chroma? Absolutely not. Did she experiment with drugs and alcohol in high school when they were forbidden to her? Yes. She’s not the best at making decisions, but she believes that taking risks shape better people... even if that belief’s a little skewed. 03. Some people say that she might be a little too “sweet” for her own good sometimes and she’s prone to getting her heart stomped on, but she’s not all that innocent. While she’s a huge believer in love, she’s not exactly good at it. She enters in and out of relationships all the time, and she loves the honeymoon phase, but whenever it starts to get too “real,” she gets nervous and bails. Abandonment issues FTW? A very strong possibility. 04. She’s also empathic to a fault on occasion. It’s easy for her to pick up on the emotions of others and it’s hard for her not to carry them on her shoulders. She’s had a difficult time learning that boundary for herself, and well, at this point, she doesn’t even realize that it’s a thing. Mother taught her how to be kind and nurturing towards loved ones, but she can take it to a degree that isn’t healthy for anyone—especially if love / romance is involved. 05. Her chattiness can sometimes land her in trouble, but that’s because she has a hard time filtering what she says. Her mind runs a mile a minute and her speaking patterns are similar, so sadly, she can’t control what comes out of her mouth sometimes... pray for her.

𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉-𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖓𝖘.

01. If I were to make any sort of “claim” on what I imagine her voice sounding like, it’d be a lot like J from STAYC, maybe with a little mix of fromis_9′s Seoyeon. There’s a delicate husk there, and it’s a little lower than the others, but it’s extremely recognizable and unique. That is her biggest asset as a singer and rapper. She’s not had enough time to truly make drastic improvements to either skill given her short stint as a trainee, but she’s working really hard to get better and doesn’t want to be seen as just a pretty face forever. 02. Dance-wise, she’s actually pretty strong—just nowhere near as trained as Chroma’s dance line. Due to her extensive background in figure skating ( and a little bit of ballet ), she’s got a really natural gracefulness to all of her moves; a fluidity that allows for strong body rolls, etc. Additionally, she focuses on clarity and sharpness, angles, as that’s what she’s most familiar with. Michelle also has great control of her hip-area and often adds variations to moves using her hips. If I were to select a reference, I’d say Oh My Girl’s Arin and TWICE’s Mina. Some of her faults are that her movements are often too light and soft, so whenever power is needed, she lacks strength there. She also has a tendency of making choreography look a little “sensual” without necessarily intending to. 03. Loooves when people call her Mish or Chelle/Shell. Honestly, she adores nicknames—both giving and receiving them. She’s also a heavy user of pet names in conversation, but tries her best to stop if people are uncomfortable with it. 04. Michelle’s typically not afraid of making her affections known, even early on. She’s the type that’ll definitely hit on you if she thinks you’re handsome / attractive, and goes with the flow if the person responds positively. If she gets really cozy with you, she can come off as clingy in the beginning, but that typically subsides with time. That’s applicable to both her friendships and her romantic relationships. 05. Her public image is similar to that of Alice in Wonderland and Snow White—beauties with fair skin and wide eyes; imaginative and curious; trapped in purity and sweetness; soft, feminine, and delicate—but with a slight “edge” because of her rapping and quick wit. It’s hard for her to keep up with it all the time—especially when she’s a bit different personally—and she’s barely starting in her career. She hopes it evolves over time. 06. She’s decided to go by her Korean name as an idol because it made the most sense, to be honest. Though, a few other stage names tossed around were: Chelle, Wooah, Hayan, Rozy, and Baekseol. In the end, she’s happy she’s just Rorin or Michelle to everyone.

𝖕𝖑𝖔𝖙-𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖘.

This section will be updated when her plots page is complete. Please look forward to it !! I’m getting it done as fast as I can. In the meantime, I’m happy to brainstorm and look over your muses’ plots pages too !! ♡

#〈 INTRODUCTION. 〉#〈 YOUR ONE & ONLY. 〉

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homeformyheart · 4 years ago

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expectations - beckett harrington x f!mc (te)

author’s note: this fic was a request from tanu after the brief scene i wrote in my other beckett x f!mc fic, the sunshine of life.

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. series/pairing: the elementalists – beckett harrington x f!mc (celeste russell) rating/warnings: 13+; family tension, fluff word count: 2.4k based on/prompt: request from @robintora summary: celeste meets beckett’s parents and it goes about as well as expected.

expectations

celeste cradled her throbbing toe as she sat on the bed with beckett standing in front of her. “why wouldn’t you give me more of a heads up? i have nothing to wear and i have to get a gift! i can’t show up empty-handed!”

beckett rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “it’s not that big of a deal, is it?” celeste gave him a pointed look. “okay, i kind of… forgot.”

“how do you forget about your parents wanting to have dinner with me?!” celeste’s eyes widened in disbelief. as oblivious as her boyfriend could be sometimes, he usually wasn’t this dense.

beckett let out a long sigh. “well, you know how i struggle with their expectations and there’s lot of pressure now that we’re a year away from graduating to make sure i pick the right career.”

celeste lowered her foot and crossed her arms over her chest. when she finally spoke, her voice shook with vulnerability. “and i’m not exactly someone who would meet their expectations, right?”

“i’ve never really had a girlfriend before, so i can’t say for sure,” beckett said thoughtfully. he glanced down and noticing celeste’s crestfallen expression, crouched down to meet her at eye level. “but that doesn’t mean i wouldn’t be proud to introduce you to them as my girlfriend. i love you so much, celeste.”

she tried to smile to reassure him. “i love you too, beckett. i just… i don’t really know the attuned world very well but it seems like your family name and reputation is really important to your parents. and for all they know, i may as well be attuneless. i can’t exactly tell them i’m half-source.”

beckett sat next to her on the bed and wrapped his arm around her waist. celeste leaned into his embrace, laying her head on his shoulder so her nose so she was up against his neck. she breathed in his comforting scent.

“you are the most amazing and impressive person i’ve ever met. they know that you mean a lot to me. they just want to get to know you,” beckett said, pulling back slightly to kiss her hair.

“will katrina be there?” celeste asked hopefully. having a friendly face in the room would definitely make things less daunting.

“i’m not sure actually. last i heard she was somewhere in the amazon doing research,” beckett said.

celeste sighed and stood up. “since i don’t have much time to get ready, help me figure out what to wear that’s going to offend your parents the least.”

beckett followed her to the closet and wrapped his arms around her from behind. he bent down and kissed her cheek. “that dress i bought for you when we got lunch with katrina last year should be more than fine. you look radiant in pretty much anything.”

“yeah, yeah, flattery will get you everywhere, beckett harrington. i’m still annoyed you didn’t tell me until last minute.”

beckett peppered her face and neck with kisses in response until she shooed him away so she could change into the outfit in peace. when she emerged from the closet dressed in the yellow dress and blue coat he bought her a year ago, his eyes lit up and traced the way the outfit curved around her body perfectly.

celeste ran an air spell down the coat and dress to remove any wrinkles before looking up at beckett. “this is the best i’m going to be able to do on short notice. what do you think?”

he put a hand on her waist and pulled her toward him. she stumbled forward and he steadied her with his other hand, leaning in to capture her lips into a steamy kiss. celeste felt warm when they broke apart, beckett resting his forehead against hers. “you make me wish we could be late,” he murmured softly. “you are so beautiful.”

celeste nuzzled his nose with hers. “flatterer. now let’s get going. i really don’t need to get on your parents’ bad side by being late.”

beckett had already manipulated the portal in her dorm room to take them directly to the harrington estate. the arrived in a matter of seconds, which was certainly not enough time to mentally prepare for the evening ahead. she would never admit this out loud to her friends, mostly because they wouldn’t be able to relate, but she wished they had traveled the attuneless way. it would’ve taken infinitely longer, but at least it would have bought her some time to prepare.

celeste stared up at the large, mahogany doors with the harrington family crest etched at the top and swallowed nervously. she fiddled with the buttons on her coat and tried to take slow, deep breaths. beckett slid his hands into hers and squeezed it gently before directing a metal spell with his other hand toward the door. celeste’s eyes widened as she noticed the metal inside the door turn and creak internally before opening slowly to let them in.

he took her coat and handed it to a servant before taking her hand and leading her down the long hallway. they passed what looked like a foyer, a sitting room, a study, another sitting room, or maybe it was a parlor, and a stairwell before celeste realized that she would be utterly lost in a place like this if she were alone. why anyone would need this many sitting rooms was beyond her.

when they finally arrived at the dining room, she noticed that his parents were already seated. mr. harrington appeared just as imposing as she’d imagined, with hair as dark as katrina’s except for streaks of silver running through it. her gaze shifted to his right, where beckett’s mother was sitting with her hands delicately tucked under her chin, eyes not-so-subtly inspecting celeste from head-to-toe. her shoulder-length brown hair was curled and celeste noticed that beckett must’ve inherited her cheekbones.

“ah, they’re finally here. come join us, children,” mrs. harrington said, her tone friendly but without any real warmth.

celeste took a deep breath and followed beckett, taking care to avoid eye contact with his parents as he pulled out her chair for her before settling comfortably to his father’s left. she felt a little relieved that she wasn’t sitting directly across from either parent but made sure to keep a smile on her face. regardless of whatever she felt inside, she needed to remember to smile through it all.

“hi, i’m celeste. it’s very nice to finally meet you, mr. and mrs. harrington,” celeste said, making an effort to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

“it’s very nice to meet you too, my dear. and you can call me alice. i found it odd that our beckett has been dating you for over a year and yet this is the first time we’ve actually gotten to meet you,” mrs. harrington replied; her gaze, however, was focused on beckett.

beckett cleared his throat. “we’ve been busy, mother. with school, internships, and celeste is on the thief team as well.”

“well, at least you seem well-rounded, miss russell. i will say it’s been great to see penderghast as back-to-back thief champions. and you’re a sun-att, correct?” mr. harrington asked. as far as she could tell, he was genuinely curious.

“yes, that’s correct. my secondary attunement is metal. both definitely come in handy in the thief arena,” she said cheerfully, glad to have some common ground with at least one parent.

his mother let out a soft hum before turning her attention to the food that had arrived. celeste stared at what she presumed was a salad in front of her but wasn’t sure given the mix of strange looking ingredients that she hadn’t seen before.

“what’s wrong, dear? salad not to your liking?” alice asked.

celeste quickly grabbed her fork and held it over the plate. “no, it’s just, uh, there are a lot of ingredients i don’t recognize,” she said quickly before taking a delicate bite. she was actually pleasantly surprised at the bright flavor.

“that makes sense given your attuneless upbringing. although truthfully, most people in the attuned world wouldn’t have tried any of the food you’ll get to have tonight. we imported special ingredients from around the world.”

“oh, well, the quality is certainly unmatched. everything looks absolutely delicious,” celeste said as the servants brought out the next course.

while the food was good and unlike anything she’d had in the attuneless world, she didn’t think it was that special. and judging by the pink tips of beckett’s ears, he didn’t appreciate his father’s comments either.

the rest of the dinner went by relatively smoothly, with peppered bits of small talk here and there. most of the questions weren’t too intrusive, and she found it relatively easy to ignore the lightly condescending remarks sprinkled here and there. they were finishing up dessert when they finally got to the topic of what they were going to do after penderghast.

“i haven’t really decided yet. i think i’d probably like field research and working with magickal plants,” celeste answered honestly when they asked her what fields she might be interested in. she had given it some thought as she prepared to declare her major last year. working with plants would allow her to spend more time outdoors and with nature, which is where she felt most like herself.

alice let out a soft tsk of disapproval, barely audible over the sound of her setting her spoon back down on the table. celeste looked away and saw that mr. harrington was giving her a thoughtful look and she tucked her hands between her thighs to keep from squirming under his gaze.

“well, it’s not a very compelling field, but to each their own, i suppose. we have high hopes for beckett to live up to the harrington name, and i’m sure you understand your role in supporting him.”

celeste jaw fell open slightly. they weren’t seriously implying that she should be a trophy wife? “i think i understand where you’re coming from, mr. harrington, but with all due respect, beckett and i challenge and support each other to excel in each of our respective fields. i would hope that you’d prefer someone who can match your son in intelligence and drive and not someone who acts as arm candy.”

“arm candy? is that an attuneless phrase?” katrina’s voice broke through the tension in the dining room. “sorry i’m late, everyone! trying to arrange a portal out of the amazon last minute is not as easy as you’d think!”

“kitty kat! you made it after all,” mr. harrington said, his demeanor seeming to morph into that of a doting father as katrina stopped to give him a kiss on the cheek before making her way over to the seat next to her mother.

“of course, i wouldn’t miss a family dinner like this! i’m so glad we all get to spend time together, celeste is practically family after all!” katrina said, giving celeste a subtle wink.

“that seems a bit premature, darling, considering they’re not even out of college yet. plenty of time to find a proper match,” alice said, dabbing the corner of her lips with a napkin.

“she is by far one of the best students i had at penderghast last year. made it very difficult to decide who to nominate for the attuned magickae uirtus award,” katrina said matter-of-factly as she took a sip of her mother’s glass of wine, much to alice’s annoyance.

mr. harrington’s steely gaze shifted to beckett. “i presumed you would be a shoo-in for the award, beckett. but barely beating out someone who didn’t grow up with magick? i’m not sure that’s something to be proud of.”

“with all due respect, mr. harrington, beckett was able to stay on top of his studies while helping me and my friends protect penderghast from a rogue…” celeste’s eyes briefly met beckett’s. “…attuned thieves. the high attuned herself was very appreciative, and you should be very proud of your son.”

beckett cleared his throat before katrina or anyone else could respond. “celeste and i must be getting back, we do have exams to study for.”

mr. harrington gave beckett an understanding nod. “of course.” his gaze flitted over to celeste, who swallowed nervously. “it was nice to meet you, celeste.”

“thank you for the wonderful dinner and for having us. it was very nice to meet you as well,” she said clearly, hoping her voice conveyed the same grace and confidence as katrina’s.

they stood up and were making their way to the front door when they heard katrina’s footsteps speeding toward them.

celeste turned around just in time to catch katrina as she wrapped her arms around her in a huge hug. “don’t worry about those stuffy old busts. you’ve always got an ally in me, celeste. take care of bean,” she winked, before turning gracefully and heading back into the dining room.

once they were safely outside and out of earshot, celeste let out a long sigh. “i suppose that could’ve gone worse.”

beckett gave her a reassuring one-armed hug. “you did wonderfully. i know it’s not easy to deal with my parents, and you still handled them well while being yourself.”

“sure, because that’s what sounds reassuring right now – ‘your boyfriend’s parents may not approve of you but at least you were yourself!’” celeste retorted, rolling her eyes and pulling away from him.

beckett laced his fingers through hers and tugged their joined hands to pull her close. he leaned down to give her a kiss, “believe me, you did well given the circumstances. and i promise i’ll make it up to you.”

“good, because my mom is visiting next week and we have to get lunch with her,” celeste said cheekily, not even bothering to hide her grin.

beckett’s jaw dropped. “what? you can’t just drop that on me last minute! that’s not enough time to prepare! i’ll have to go to the library straight away to make sure i can engage in conversation – what was her thesis at penderghast?” he started walking faster down the sidewalk, half-dragging celeste with him.

celeste giggled and she sped up her pace to keep up with him, allowing him to tuck their joined hands in the pocket of his coat. now she just needed to remember to actually ask theia if she could make it to lunch next week.

* * * * * mentions: @robintora; @miss-smrxtiee; @eleanorbloom; @itsjustwinter; @mm2305;

#choices fic writers creations #reposting for new blog #the elementalists #my writing #not twc #beckett harrington #choices #pb choices #playchoices #beckett harrington x mc #choices fanfic #choices fanfics #playchoices fanfiction #choices te #my choices fanfics

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bemused-writer · 4 years ago

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Witch Hat Atelier Fairy Tale Pictures

What does one do when they have insomnia? Write more meta, of course. Since I went over the Valentine pictures for Witch Hat Atelier, I figured it would be fun to also over-analyze the fairy tale pictures! I'm just going to preface this with the warning that it's been a little bit since I've read any fairy tales so... if I get anything wrong that is why. (^^)"

I'll start with Coco here, who is very fittingly depicted as Alice from The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. There's no doubt that Coco has landed in a mad world, one she's always dreamed of but found to be much stranger than she expected. She's curious and bold, so Alice seems like a good pick. I don't think that kid was scared of anything. 8D And she was definitely willing to investigate everything around her! Having said that, she wound up in a lot of trouble because of that, and while things turned out all right in the end, there was a lot of danger along the way. Perhaps Coco's journey will be similar.

Agott is Snow White, but she's not about to be tricked into eating that poisoned apple. If anything, she might be the one experimenting with it! Visually, Agott fits Snow White pretty well: fair skin, dark hair, etc. There's also the matter of her liking company more than she lets on (our "seven dwarves" or just the other students). Another thing about Snow White: she's very helpful and diligent. She cooks and cleans with all her might. Likewise, Agott works hard to teach her fellow students (Coco in particular) and winds up being more of a team player than she probably expected. Because of Snow White's helpful nature, I think it's fair to expect Agott to take on a similar role in terms of being someone you can rely on; I expect Coco will come to rely on her as the series goes on.

Tetia is ... Puss in Boots? I think? I can't read the Japanese there. Anyway, assuming that's what she is, I have to admit I'm not terribly familiar with the tale, so I looked it up! It seems to be a rags to riches kind of story that emphasizes working hard and passing various trials. Wikipedia also notes it emphasizes dressing well, and Tetia is certainly stylish with her desire to customize her future witch's hat.

So, the rest could certainly be applied to Tetia. She works very hard and always with others in mind and she may have been poor. We know the least about her, so it's hard to say much about how she's similar to Puss in Boots outside of her being courageous and working hard for her goals.

Olruggio's makes me laugh. XD I'm pretty sure he's supposed to be Sleeping Beauty (I think the vines are a reference to what the Prince fights to get to her?) and that's fitting enough because, well, the man really wants to get some rest. However, let's not leave it at that and let's see if we can find something a little deeper to his being Sleeping Beauty!

Well, Sleeping Beauty is induced into a magical sleep that can only be broken by true love's kiss. And she falls into this slumber because she's been cursed. As we know, things haven't been going great for Olruggio in the latest chapter and he has been "cursed" to lose his memory. A symbolic sleep, if you will, where he is unaware of what is happening around him, just like Sleeping Beauty. Likewise, this can only be broken if something jogs his memory. Whether it's a "prince" or not remains to be seen.

Qifrey is continuing the Alice in Wonderland theme to compliment Coco, which is suiting once more. He is the rabbit that so famously led Alice deeper and deeper into the mad world of Wonderland and, well, that kind of speaks for itself here. (^^)" The rabbit may not have had evil intentions, but he wasn't perfectly helpful either.

Tartah is Pinocchio, and I like this take in particular. He wants to be a "real boy." That is, he wants to make his way in witch society regardless of his impairments. Pinocchio finds joy in the end when his wish is granted after he's honest, and as we can see Tartah is an honest boy. Perhaps this means happiness is in his future and he will be permitted to study magic? That would suggest witch society itself changes, and that couldn't hurt.

Beldaruit is the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, which means we now have a trio of madness being passed from teacher to student. The Cheshire Cat largely amused itself and had no qualms with messing with people. Yeah, I can kind of see how Beldaruit fits the bill... But the Cheshire Cat didn't really intend to cause harm either; arguably it offered advice. Beldaruit is always extending his hand to others, but it often results in the negative (Qifrey and Coco both). Will he be able to change this in the future now that he has a new student?

We don't know Suzie too well yet, but here she is portrayed as Cinderella! Hard working, stylish, and a wish fulfilled all characterize this princess, and I can see these qualities in Suzie as well. She must work hard to be an assistant at her age and she definitely has style. Will she have a wish granted? Hard to say at this point, but I'm rooting for her.

And then there are all of the Knights Moralis depicted as mermaids. This is actually quite fitting: nowadays we have a tendency to think of mermaids as positive creatures. Beautiful, alluring, all of that. But they're also dangerous and willing to lure sailors to their deaths. Likewise, the Knights Moralis should be trustworthy and they're certainly all very stylish, but as we've seen they take their methods too far and become more like vipers. Fitting indeed.

Riche and Euini share the same theme: Little Red Riding Hood with Riche as Little Red and Euini as the Wolf. This fairytale gets interpreted a lot of different ways, but straightforwardly it's about a girl trying to reach her grandmother while being hunted by a wolf. We know Riche cares deeply for her brother and wants to make him proud. We also know that she and Euini are inextricably tied together, though the hostility of the relationship in the original fairy tale is replaced by mutual care and growth. They need each other and have learned from one another. Riche takes the lead and Euini follows, sort of like Little Red and the Wolf. I'd say these two are the closest we have to a "canon" couple, so it makes sense they'd share the same fairy tale.

And that's all I got for now. (^^)

#witch hat atelier #Bemused's post

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saiilorstars · 4 years ago

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Hearts’ Limit

Current Masterlist // Masterlist of all OCs

Fandom: SVU

Pairing: Sonny Carisi x OFC

Story summary: Everyone has their limits. When she's placed at the center of a case, Emilia feels like she might just spiral. Sonny Carisi sees this & knows it, which is why he puts his best efforts to help ease her nerves during the case...but that's the only reason why. He knows his job as a detective but he also knows that Emilia explicitly trusting him shouldn't make him feel anything special. There have to be limits, boundaries, between them. Emilia has to constantly remind herself that as well because for some reason, it keeps slipping her mind whenever they’re together.

Taglist: @ocfairygodmother @anotherunreadblog @maaaaarveeeeel @stareyedplanet @perfectlystiles @averyhotchner

Warnings: Due to the nature of the series’ plots, I do have to rate this as ‘mature’ for constant mentions of rape.

Emilia Hartley.

That was the name that came up as a prime suspect in SVU's latest rape-turned-murder case. As Amanda Rollins laid out the backstory of their victim - Evelyn Korami - across a pinboard, it was easy to see who could have helped aid in the atrocious crime.

"The M.E found a strand of hair from a second female at the crime scene," the blonde detective relayed what Melinda Warner had told her and her partner, Fin. "There was no DNA match in the system and it's definitely not the victim's."

"And where exactly does this woman fit in the scenario?" Olivia Benson inquired from her team. She put on her black-rimmed glasses and studied the DMV picture they had of one of their suspects.

"Emilia Hartley was Evelyn's daughter's kindergarten teacher," Nick Amaro replied since he was one of the two who came up with the possible suspect.

"Miss Hartley and Evelyn Korami had an argument at the school two days before Evelyn's body was found," Dominick Carisi - or Sonny, as he liked to be called - explained. "Witnesses report that Evelyn had to be escorted out of the school grounds and was subsequently banned from the school after that."

"The husband had to drop off and pick up their daughter from then on," Nick said.

"Him or the nanny," Fin added since they were talking about high class families.

"Is there anything that puts Hartley at the crime scene?" Olivia asked.

"That we know of, no," Amanda answered. "But maybe if we were to talk to her we might get some clues."

Olivia pulled her glasses off and looked over to Nick and Sonny. "You two are the ones who have a hunch, go follow it."

~ 0 ~

As Nick and Sonny walked through the hallways of the elementary school where their suspect worked. They could easily tell the place was built and ran by high class people. There were colorful boards on either side of them full of different activities offered to the students, as well as reminders for any parents interested in being involved with the school. There were other decorations that were student made, presumably by the older ones. They eventually came downstairs, to room four where their suspect was meant to be.

With the door opened, they saw a petite ginger woman shuffling some kids - who couldn't be more than five years old - into a line while a tall brunette woman was directing a couple other students away from the sink.

"You've all washed your hands now get in line." She seemed a bit frustrated but neither detective could confirm via her face. She was probably trained never to show that.

"Emilia Hartley?" Nick's voice drew the attention of the entire classroom.

The brunette woman looked up from the sink and saw the two detectives through the mirror. Her thin eyebrows raised in confusion before turning to look at them. "Yes, that's me. Are you parents? I don't think we have any meetings scheduled today." But then she thought of something and quickly looked at the ginger woman. "Do we, Alice?"

"No," Alice shook her head.

"This is about Evelyn Korami," Sonny said and it was all he needed to get Emilia's understanding.

"Give me one second," she walked the last students to the end of the line. "Miss Alice will be taking you to the playground. Follow the line, please," she addressed the students and gave the nod to Alice that they could get going.

The detectives stepped to the side to allow the secondary teacher to lead the students out the door. Emilia ushered the lingering students behind then promptly closed the door after they were gone. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, you could start by telling us where you were two days ago," Nick went right to it and got quite the reaction.

Emilia's mouth fell open in utter shock. "Excuse me? This is why you're here? To tell me I'm a suspect in the murder of my student's mother? You do realize I'm a kindergarten teacher, right?"

"Last time I heard, that didn't mean anything," Nick said, making Emilia's mouth fall further in a frown. "And we found a strand of female hair at the scene as well. We're thinking it could be yours."

Emilia folded her arms over her chest. "Should I have a lawyer present, then?"

"Look," started Sonny, "We know you had an argument with Evelyn two days before she was raped and murdered…"

"And that automatically means I murdered her?"

"That's not what I was saying—"

Emilia made a gesture for him to stop talking. "You should know that Miss Korami had arguments with the school every week. Just last week she argued with another of my student's parents in the office. With me—" Emilia crossed her arms. "—she argued because she wanted her daughter Marjorie to have a spotlight birthday this Friday."

"And what was the problem with that?" asked Nick, rather curious.

"We don't do anything for birthdays here," Emilia dropped her arms to her sides. "It's our way of respecting children who come from families that don't celebrate birthdays."

"But Evelyn didn't agree?"

"She shouted at me that I was an idiot right in front of my students and other parents. I was just following the rules the school instituted. If it was up to me, any child who wanted to have a spotlight birthday would get one."

"So the fact that Evelyn did all that in front of an audience didn't bother you at all?" Sonny asked. "You didn't feel like...you had to get some revenge?"

Emilia laughed. "No, because I'm a grown woman. Evelyn Korami was a difficult woman but I like my job, and I like my life, and Evelyn was not NOT worth it. If it WAS was my hair then it's probably from when she argued with me. Are we done?"

Nick exchanged a look with Sonny, both nodding in agreement of what their next move was.

"We're going to need your whereabouts 2 nights ago," Nick said. Emilia's face instantly dropped. That action alone was suspicious.

"Problem?" asked Sonny, finding it hard not to smirk. If she was hiding something, they would have her now.

"No," Emilia answered through gritted teeth. "But I'm sure you'll have a good laugh when you see the security feed."

"Excuse me?" Nick raised an eyebrow at her. He was in the belief she was being rude to them and that was the last thing they needed when they were just doing their job.

Emilia still didn't falter even when she realized how her words came across. She wasn't in the mood to remember two nights ago and she definitely wasn't in the mood to be a suspect in a murder either. "La Bernardin," she said, her teeth still close enough to grit. "Seven to eight. And then from there, Forlini's. All the way till they closed." She pushed past them out of the classroom afterwards without a care of being arrested for her behavior.

~0~

Later that afternoon, Olivia checked in on the progress of their case only to find their one lead gone.

"Emilia Hartley's alibi checks out," Nick said, sounding a bit disappointed the rude woman wasn't guilty at all. He leaned back in his desk chair and pointed at his laptop. "She was at Le Bernardin for an hour and then Forlini's until closing."

"An hour at Least Bernardin?" Amanda raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "That's a pretty fancy restaurant. Why would she only be there for an hour?"

"She wasn't," Sonny said. "She was in there for 47 minutes." He'd finished reviewing the security feed himself and closed his laptop with quite a face. "That was a...pretty terrible date."

"If it was only 47 minutes, it had to be," Fin seemed close to laughing.

Sonny didn't see the need to laugh at such a terrible time. Now he understood what Emilia meant by her last words. If he was being honest, he felt a bit sorry for her.

The guy had been a terrible date. Who flirts with the waitress in front of their date? That was a low move. But of course the guy hadn't stopped there. It looked like he'd ordered for himself and Emilia, judging by the fact he forced Emilia's menu down and she looked beyond pissed at him for it. Being ordered - force fed - a salad while the guy gorged out on a heavy dinner was yet another low blow, not to mention plain rude.

"So she's out," Olivia started counting off her fingers. "We've got no other suspects, no other leads…until we can get a DNA on the hair."

"Maybe we could go back to the places Evelyn visited the day she died," Amanda offered.

Olivia agreed. "Do that and also go back to the school, interview anyone who knew Evelyn, anyone who had a problem with her. Someone has to know something."

The squad collectively nodded and set out to do their tasks.

~0~

By the end of the school day, Emilia was more than tired. She and Alice were doing the last cleaning for the classroom before going home.

"Alice, you can go home," Emilia told her after noticing it was almost 4 o'clock. "You have plans."

"I know, but my boyfriend doesn't get out of work until 4 anyways," she shrugged.

"Yeah but it'll take you a good fifteen minutes to get there anyways," Emilia reminded. She walked up to where Alice was working and took the Lysol bottle from her. "I got it, promise."

Alice deliberated another minute before she agreed. She headed for her cubby to get her things. Just as Emilia was setting back to work, they both heard a light knock on the door.

"Oh God," Emilia muttered and started lysoling the shelves like she wasn't being visited by two detectives. "What can I do for you now, detectives?"

"Were you leaving?" Nick noticed Alice setting her purse over her shoulder. She nodded slowly, her hand stopping over her strap. "Don't. We're going to have to talk to both of you."

"Seriously?"

"Just precautionary," said Sonny.

Emilia didn't stop cleaning. She only called out to the pair instead. "Did you see my video?"

Sonny exchanged a look with Nick, both understanding the sour tinge in her tone. "Uh, yeah," Sonny answered eventually.

"Then you both know I didn't do anything," Emilia turned her back to them as she moved onto another shelf. "That strand of hair can't be mine. My co-worker has plans, detectives, why are you making her waste her time?"

"Hey," snapped Nick, "We're trying to figure out who murdered a woman. I would think you would want that woman—especially being the mother of one of your students—to get justice."

Emilia stopped working for a second to meet Nick's gaze. "Of course I do, but neither of us—" she pointed to Alice then herself, "—know anything."

"You don't know that," Nick countered. "Let us talk to you. The quicker we do, the quicker you can each go on your way."

"I mean...if it's to find whoever did this…" Alice glanced at Emilia with a shrug of her shoulders.

With a heavy sigh, Emilia put her things down and turned around again. "Fine. What do you need to know, detectives?"

"You mentioned that Evelyn had disagreements often with the school, right?" Sonny started before Emilia changed her mind.

"Yeah, she was a...very difficult person," Emilia said quietly, her expression indicated many challenges had been thrown her way by Evelyn. "She had petty arguments with everyone. I've lost count how many times she argued with me."

"And me," Alice frowned. "Over the smallest of things too. She got upset two weeks ago because her daughter, Marjorie, fell down."

"Well, that's natural," Nick shrugged. "I have a daughter too. If she were to fall, I'd be a little upset too."

"I get it," Alice raised her hands. "It's not uncommon but Marjorie tripped over her own feet. There was only a scrape and I had the yell of a lifetime. Would you do that to your daughter's teacher?"

Nick lowered his head. Probably not. Kids were clumsy and they fell all the time.

"We don't mean to speak ill of the dead, but Evelyn makes it very hard not to," Emilia grabbed the Lysol bottle again. Alice hummed in agreement and started getting her coat from her cubby.

"Alright, stop," Sonny told them both. He sensed they were feeding off of each other's hatred for Evelyn and it wouldn't give them anything for the case. "How about we talk separately?"

Nick agreed. If they kept the two women together, all they would get were more stories of Evelyn's unkindness. He waited for Alice to gather her things then followed her out to have a conversation outside.

Emilia watched Alice disappear out the door. "She didn't do anything, you know? You need to leave us alone."

"We will when we have everything we need," promised Sonny. "But you should really just answer our questions."

"The last time I answered the question, it was an embarrassing one for me." She referenced her terrible date that, by now, she was sure the entire NYPD had a good laugh at.

"It shouldn't be because it wasn't your fault," Sonny said. "He should be embarrassed."

"Hm, please tell me you wouldn't do that to your partner."

"If I had one, I wouldn't," he promptly promised.

Emilia side-glanced him and, for the first time, smiled. It was a small one but a smile nonetheless. It was the opening Sonny needed.

"Can I ask you questions now?"

Emilia shrugged. "I suppose...but I do have to clean."

"Sounds fair," Sonny motioned her to keep cleaning. "You've made it pretty clear that Evelyn had many arguments—"

"Countless," Emilia corrected. She lysoled the next shelf and bent down to make sure she got the bottom as well.

"Is there anyone that stood out?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anyone who may have taken it personally. A known grudge."

"The parents? I'm not sure," Emilia straightened on her feet. She set the Lysol bottle on top of the shelf. "I've been witness to some of them but...I know these parents. I've been working here for almost two years and...I don't see any parent capable of murdering anyone."

"You usually don't see them so clearly," Sonny said. "But is there anyone that stood out lately? Parent or staff?"

Emilia thought for a moment. "Not...really, no. Well…" She shook her head. "Forget about it."

"No, no, you thought of something," Sonny pointed at her. "What is it?"

"I don't know if it's relevant."

"Let us decide that, please."

Emilia sighed and nodded. "Okay. I started working here two years ago and the reason I was hired is because the teacher before me had a physical fight with Evelyn. Now, I don't know if she's capable of doing anything homicidal but...I heard it was bad."

"Do you know the teacher's name?"

"Umm, Rachel...Rachel Quinn I believe. I don't know what led to the fight, though."

"This is really good, trust me. Is there anyone else you can think of?"

"Like I said, Evelyn had arguments with everyone," Emilia shook her head. "It's funny how different her daughter is. Marjorie? She's a total sweetheart."

"Children aren't their parents—they're their own person."

Emilia shrugged. "Yeah…" She seemed to deliberate whether or not to say something else.

Presuming it was something else about the case, Sonny prompted her to speak up. "Anything helps," he reminded her.

"It's not really...I was just...do you think it was someone from the school?" Emilia turned to face the classroom. "I have five year olds here. I can't imagine working with someone who willingly hurt one of the parents. I don't even want to consider them being around me and my students."

Sonny could feel her growing fear of the idea. He didn't want to make it worse by telling her it could be true. Because it was. They had no idea if they were looking for a staff member or a parent. "Simply be cautious."

"Easy for you to say," Emilia grabbed the Lysol bottle and headed for the cabinets over the sink. "You carry a gun. That's not to say that I would ever want to have one but...it does guarantee some type of safety, right?"

"That's not always true, you know," Sonny went after her. "But listen, I know the school's already taking precaution. You should be safe."

"Promise?" Emilia said on her way to her cubby, having no actual intention of making him promise something like that.

"Promise," Sonny had blurted before he could think about it. Once the word left his mouth, his eyes widened. Where the hell did that come from? Emilia took it, however, with a bemused smile. It helped calm his nerves.

"You usually go around making those promises? I thought that was a big no-no for detectives," she grabbed her purse from her cubby. "I have a cousin in the NYPD."

"Uuh, I don't...I didn't mean to." Sonny was being very honest. "Not that I wouldn't try to keep that promise but I-I don't...I can't control what...you know…?" Where the hell was his vocabulary going all of a sudden?

Emilia chuckled as she closed her cubby. "I don't think I got your name…"

Sonny was less inclined to give his name up after that moment. For a moment, he considered giving Nick's name instead but then the idea of having Emilia think Nick was him didn't settle with him either. He'd like for her to know him instead.

"Carisi," he finally said, only then realizing he'd stayed quiet for too long.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emilia but I'm pretty sure you already knew that." Emilia motioned him to walk with her. "I just hope you realize now that I'm not involved with this at all."

"Yeah, got that," he followed her into the hallway. Nick and Alice were finishing up their talk.

"Please catch whoever did this, and fast if possible," Emilia turned to face him. "I really don't like the idea of coming to work where there's a possible murder/rapist."

"We'll do our best," Sonny said. He reached inside his coat and pulled out a white card for her. Emilia looked at the card, bewildered for a second until Sonny explained. "It has my number to reach me in case you remember something else or...if you get into trouble."

Emilia's eyebrows raised together. "Oh, um...thanks." She reached for the card and took it, not paying attention to the way her fingers lightly brushed with his.

"Emilia?" they heard Alice call and for some reason, it jolted both of them.

"Gotta go," Emilia said with an awkward smile. Fortunately, Sonny had the same one. Emilia moved around him to meet Alice.

"We're good, right?" Alice asked Nick before they could leave.

"Yes," he nodded and walked for Sonny.

"What's that?" Alice noted the white slip in Emilia's hand.

"Nothing, just a way to reach one of the detectives," shrugged Emilia. "Something normal."

"Mhm, so how come you're blushing?"

"Am not, it's normal."

"Right, and he's also looking at you."

"What!?" Emilia glanced over her shoulder and did indeed catch Sonny staring after her, though he quickly looked away once he realized he was caught. Emilia smiled to herself until Alice smirked. "It's nothing!"

"Then why are you smiling again?"

"I am not!"

~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~ 0 ~

A/N: I'll be honest I have no idea how this story is going to end. I foresee it as a short story (unlike my Barba x OC fic) but who knows? I just wanted some sweet (possibly angsty) Carisi moments too :))

#ocappreciation #svu #Sonny Carisi #fd: svu #svu fics #sonny carisi fics #svu imagines #sonny carisi imagines #law and order svu #oc: emilia hartley

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dessarious · 5 years ago

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Misconceptions, Miscommunication, and Misinformation Pt65

Inspired by @ozmav Maribat AU

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Tim could only stare at Damian as Ladybug closed the portal. He was the last one anyone expected to go rogue like this. That’s not to say they didn’t think he’d go rogue at all. Damian would definitely charge off on his own if he decided he knew best, but to see him deferring to another hero’s judgement and keeping them out of the loop was just surreal. He was starting to wonder if she hadn’t done something to him with her magic. When he happened to glace over at Ladybug he found her studying him. Well that was creepy. He almost let out a relieved breath when she turned to Damian.

“Can he be trusted?” The question was insulting, as was the fact that Damian frowned at him, apparently thinking about it. Seriously? He’d agreed to her terms, what more did they want?

“Since Father agreed as well I believe he’ll keep his word. If he shows signs of cracking you can always erase his memory the way you threatened to do with me.” Wait what? Ladybug was frowning in thought as though considering it. What the hell had Bruce sent him into?

“Hey, I gave word and I meant it. I’ll abide by your terms as long as Hawkmoth is still a threat.” She just frowned at him again. So much for putting her at ease. Damian just rolled his eyes.

“My family understands the importance of secrets. He won’t tell anyone unless it’s necessary.” Tim felt like he was missing part of the conversation but Ladybug just let out a tired sigh.

“I hope you’re right, because we need to finish planning. And now that we have someone onsite to hack Gabriel’s system I’ll have to adjust it a little.” Before he knew what was happening there was a flash of light and where Ladybug had stood was a tiny, obviously worn down teenager.

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Marinette just shook her head as Damian’s brother gaped at her. Even knowing she wasn’t what anyone expected to be under the mask it was still irritating to see the disbelief on his face.

“You two can come out now. No point in dragging this out since I think we’d all like to sleep at some point.” The door to the bedroom opened slowly but as soon as Chloe caught sight of her, her girlfriend rushed out to wrap Marinette in a hug. She must look worse than she thought. Luka went to stand next to Damian and the other boy held a rigid posture as if afraid of what he might do if he wasn’t careful. She knew he didn’t like the idea of his family meddling in his personal affairs and it was likely he was afraid his brother would pick up on something if he wasn’t careful.

“You really are just a bunch of kids. I was hoping it was just the magic that made you look so young.” Marinette felt Chloe stiffen, but she didn’t hear any disparagement in his tone, just resignation and sadness.

“We’re the heroes tasked with protecting Paris, our age is irrelevant. I’m Marinette.” She held out a hand and he took it cautiously.

“Tim. It’s nice to meet you officially. Do you really think you’ll have this whole thing dealt with in a week?” He sounded more curious than doubtful, which was good. She gave a tired sigh.

“This will all be over tomorrow night unless something goes insanely wrong. That shouldn’t be an issue now that I have a black cat that actually balances me properly.” She gave Chloe a small smile and could almost feel her tension loosen a bit. It was obvious she didn’t trust Tim and was going to remain on alert. For his part, Tim just looked stunned.

“You only just got confirmation of his identity, you can’t be ready to face him yet. Barreling into a fight just because you’re anxious to get things over with will just end in disaster.” Marinette couldn’t stop herself from groaning out loud and she heard Damian snicker at her. She was so tired of other people telling her how to handle things when they had no idea what was actually going on.

“I’m not barreling into anything. I’ve been looking at Gabriel as a suspect almost since the beginning. I know how he tends to operate, and the longer we wait the more likely he is to do something big that I may or may not be able to handle. It’s far better to take the fight to him than wait and see what he comes up with. If you don’t want to be a part of that fine, but don’t tell me what we are and are not prepared for.” He seemed taken aback but she honestly didn’t care. She knew what needed to be done and she wasn’t going to waste time explaining that to someone that might be helpful. Would having Tim hack Gabriel’s system so they could avoid surprises be helpful? Of course. Was it necessary? Nope. Worst case scenario she could just have Chloe Cataclysm the house and be done with it. That’s the mood she was in right now.

“I wasn’t saying I won’t help, I just want to make sure you’ve thought this through.” She leveled a glare at him that actually caused him to take a few steps back. Good, he should be afraid of her at this point. She could hear Chloe growling at him behind her which probably didn’t help.

“Your concern is noted. Now, if you don’t mind we need to hash out the details of our assault. So unless you have something constructive to add to the discussion I suggest you just listen.” Something in her tone seemed to finally penetrate and he gave a nod of acceptance. It was times like this she hated being a teenager. No one took her seriously until she forced them to.

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#maribat #marinette dupen chang #bffmaridami #Damian Wayne

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