#and I heard about the dunk and egg show and I was like 'eh no thanks'

[leupagus]

Goddammit

[melrosing]

How do you feel about the other upcoming spin-offs? I will probably watch Dunk and Egg (if it gets made) but the others sound boring

I mean the only one I will categorically not be watching is the Jon Snow show. I can’t care less about GOT’s versions of the characters, I don’t care what they got up to after GOT and frankly, I don’t want to know

The Dunk and Egg one vaguely interests me because I like those stories and I’m interested to know where they were going if GRRM never gets round to writing them (🥲), but I heard there’ll be like an entire miniseries per story and I don’t know if there’s enough material in each to work with for that format to hold up. Feels kind of cynical lol.

The Corlys Velaryon show and the Nymeria show….. eh. I can imagine the Nymeria one working well as a film but it’s not a concept that excites me much, whilst the Corlys one seems like it would just be way too dependent on a pair showrunners making absolutely everything up, with no particular grounding in the books. So again. Eh

And finally the Yi Ti one. I don’t fucking know lol, I like a good animated show so if that’s what that turns out to be then sure I’m down but I can’t imagine getting excited about it as an asoiaf fan… like the Yi Ti is basically just a chapter in AWOIAF, it has little relation to anything that’s familiar in canon so I don’t have a clue what it’s even supposed to look like

[chicgeekgirl89]

Mercy is Out of Your Reach: Chap. 3

Fandom: SEAL Team

Characters: Sonny Quinn, Clay Spenser, Lisa Davis, Jason Hayes, and the rest of the team

Read Chapters 1-3 Here

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Clay wasn’t a doctor, but he could tell Sonny was in bad shape. It had been a little over forty-eight hours, by his best estimate, since they’d been taken, and his buddy looked like he was going downhill fast. Sonny’s clothes still weren’t completely dry from the initial soaking and subsequent near drowning. He was propped against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as if he was trying to keep himself warm, and his breathing seemed labored.

His own back was bruised and hurting from the minor beating he’d taken, but he was doing fine by comparison. At least they’d been pretty well left alone since their initial chat with Farhad. Maybe he had too many other things on his bad guy agenda to pay attention to his American prisoners. Although Clay suspected that wasn’t going to last much longer. “You all right?” he asked.

“Right as rain,” Sonny grunted, but he didn’t lift his head.

“You got a plan yet for getting us out of here?” Clay asked, switching topics since Sonny didn’t seem interested in talking about himself. 

Sonny squinted at him. “You asking me that cuz you really want to know? Or cuz you’ve already got one and you want to show off?”

He wished he had a plan. If he did they’d be out of here by now. But so far everything he’d come up with wasn’t feasible. Not while they were locked in this cell with armed guards all up and down the hall. Not with Sonny so sick. But maybe together they could come up with something. “Guards come by every half hour. Always in twos,” he said.

“There were six more cells and four doors between here and that room they took us to.”

Clay nodded; he’d noticed the same thing. “The girl who dropped the water off.”

That had been sometime yesterday. She’d been young, afraid. The guards waited outside while she set down the bucket and two plates of food. There had been no direct eye contact and when Clay had attempted to speak to her she’d flinched away and out the door as fast as she could.

“Could be somebody’s daughter,” Sonny said before coughing into his elbow.

“Hey you need to drink more man,” Clay said, taking in Sonny’s gray pallor. 

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Don’t matter how I look.” Sonny offered up a weak smirk. “‘Sides, you heard Farhad. You’re the pretty one anyway.”

The cell door clanged open and four guards stepped in. “We doing this again?” Sonny asked as the weapons were pointed at them and a command issued that clearly meant, “Get up.”

Back down the same hall, back into the same room. This time they didn’t waste a second; Sonny was dragged immediately over to the tub and dunked under. “Hey!” Clay struggled against the guards holding him and received several blows to his kidneys for his trouble. “Leave him alone!”

They pulled Sonny up and he made a horrible gasping, retching sound before they plunged him back under. In desperation Clay lashed out and managed to knock down one of his captors, the other thrown off balance, his grip going loose. Clay pulled away and made it about two feet toward Sonny before all his muscles seized at once and he collapsed. It was only when the excruciating pain finally hit that he realized what had happened. A stun gun. They’d struck him with a stun gun.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed, but by the time he was coherent again he could only lay groaning on the floor. There was a wet slap beside him and was able to turn his head enough to find Sonny in a similar position, coughing as if his lungs were trying to leave his body. “We’re just tourists,” Clay managed to gasp out. “We don’t know what you want. Please let us go.”

“I don’t believe you,” Farhad said. “You are American military. Stop trying to make me think otherwise.”

“Man please, please just let us go,” Clay begged.

It got him a boot to his ribs. “Tell me what you were doing in that café.”

“We were just eating man! My buddy’s got a cold, we got him some tea!”

Another kick that had him curling in on himself in pain. “I am losing my patience!” Farhad spat. “As I said before, I only need one of you. If you won’t talk, perhaps your wet friend over here will.”

Clay watched in horror as they pulled Sonny off the ground. One man pinned his arms behind his back while the other drew back his fist and punched him in the mouth. Sonny let out a sickened moan, blood dribbling onto the floor as they sank a second punch into his gut.

“Hey, hey stop it!” Clay yelled. “Leave him alone! He’s sick! Leave him alone!”

“Tell me what I want to know.” Farhad’s eyes were menacing.

Clay clenched his teeth. “We’re just tourists.”

“Fine then. I’m going to give you one more night to think about it. Tomorrow, I won’t care so much if either of you live. Or if your face stays too pretty for the Navy.”

Clay couldn’t tell if Sonny was conscious or not as they were dragged back to the cell. He waited for the door to shut before dragging himself over to his friend. “Sonny! Sonny hey! Hey look at me. Talk to me.”

Sonny remained listless, eyes fluttering and then mumbled something unintelligible. Clay shook him, trying not to hurt him any further, but needing him to be conscious.

“‘m ‘wake,” Sonny mumbled, rolling onto his side and spitting out a mouthful of blood. 

“How bad are you hurt?”

“Not bad.” He coughed and it sounded painful.

“Drink some water.” Clay reached for the bucket with aching, trembling muscles and pushed it toward him.

“Don’t need—“

“Damn it Sonny, drink some water!” Clay said desperately. He didn’t have any other way to help his brother and he was grasping at straws. The least Sonny could do was listen.

“You drink some,” Sonny rasped. “I just drank half a damn swimming pool. You’re the one that got hit with a stun gun. Probably still can’t feel your feet.”

It was true, he couldn’t. His head ached and the muscle in his left calf kept cramping, along with his back and shoulders. “We’ll both drink some.”

He waited for Sonny to take a couple sips and then took his own. Sonny coughed painfully again and let his head fall back against the wall, struggling to get a full breath. Clay swallowed hard and closed his eyes. They needed to be found. Soon.

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His lungs ached. Every inhale was like breathing through a straw and every cough made sent fire through his chest. He couldn’t remember ever being this sick. What had just been a cold had definitely turned into something far worse. 

He knew Jason and the team were searching for them. But he also knew that their abduction had come out of nowhere and there was a good chance that they might not find them in time. 

Or ever. 

He was grateful that so far they’d gone easier on Clay. He was the senior man, the brunt of whatever was happening should fall to him. But damn it would be nice if they stopped giving him so many baths.

Something caught in his chest and he hacked out a cough into his elbow, gasping for air and taking a sip of water to soothe his raw throat and burning lungs. When he looked up Clay was watching him.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

Sonny shook his head, suppressing another cough as much as he could. “Not bad.”

“Sonny.”

“Don’t matter. Ain’t nothing you can do about it anyway.”

“You’re shivering.”

“Stone floor.” Sonny tapped it with his fist. “Cold as ice. Even in the summer.”

Clay slid closer so they were side by side and put a hand to Sonny’s forehead. “You’ve got a fever.”

No wonder his joints ached and his head felt like a bag of wet cement. “Little fever never hurt anybody.”

“Yeah except for the part where it could kill you or fry your brain like an egg.”

“Eh, not much up there anyway,” Sonny said with a grin, wincing when it made his split lip pull and start bleeding again. With how painful each breath was he’d almost forgotten that they’d thrown a couple sucker punches in for good medicine.

“Sonny—“

“So tell me about Rebecca.”

Clay raised his eyebrows at the abrupt change of subject. “You don’t like Rebecca.”

“But I like you.” Sonny tried to settle into a more comfortable position and then gave up. Everything was uncomfortable when you couldn’t breathe. “And you like her. Sell her to me.”

“Sell her to you?”

“You know what I mean. Tell me what’s good about her. Give me all the dirty details.”

“I’m not—“ Clay shook his head. “She’s smart.”

“Well I figured that Mr. ‘War and Peace is Bedtime Reading.’ You’re always going for the hot and nerdy ones.”

“She’s passionate.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere.”

Clay rolled his eyes. “I mean about her job. She really cares, you know? Wants to make change.”

“Ah, one of those.”

“Yeah one of those. But she means it. I can tell. She makes me feel…like maybe I can do something more, you know? Be better. Make the world a better place.”

Sonny shrugged. “Kinda thought you already did that.”

“You know what I mean. In a different way. A bigger way.”

“You want bigger I’ll let you handle the explosives next time we need ‘em.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Well, I can appreciate wanting to make things better.” He squinted at his friend. “Don’t tell me the looks don’t have anything to do with it though.”

Clay tried and failed to cover up his smirk. “She is definitely…nice to look at.”

“Ha! I knew it!” The laugh cost him and he started coughing again. “Damn it.”

He took a shaky breath trying to get under control. “You all right?” Clay asked.

“I’m fine. Fine as I’m gonna be.” Every breath felt like knives, but sure. He was fine. 

“So what about you and Davis?”

Just the mention of her name and it felt like he’d been shot directly through the heart. “What about it?”

Clay looked at him. “You never really told me all that happened there.”

He didn’t want to talk about this now. Or maybe ever. “We were together, then we weren’t. Job got in the way.”

“But when you were together, it was good?”

“Best thing I’ve ever had,” Sonny said, throat feeling tight as memories flitted through his mind.

“D’you love her?”

Sonny fiddled with a stray string on his shirt. “We loved each other.”

The use of past tense felt like a lie even as it passed his lips. Sitting here in this filthy hellhole he knew: he still had feelings for her. He’d probably always have feelings for her. Their’s was a story left unfinished and now…it looked like they might never get a shot at a happy ending.

[shielddrake]

Rebel of Sky City Ch. 8

There’s a special shout out to TheAmberShadow, one of the regular reviewers of this fic, in this chapter.  Thanks a bunch for the idea!

 Chapter Eight

 Petra let out a long, low whistle as she stared at the training grounds of Sky City.

 She had been escorted around the palace and to the far edge of the island, along with a number of other guard trainees.  The space was a long rectangle with long grass, which Petra could only presume was to keep the trainees from hurting themselves too badly when they inevitably fell to the ground as they exercised.  The grunts coming from some of the guards practicing such maneuvers only proved her point.  

 Wooden fences surrounded the grounds, separating everyone from both the edge of the island leading to the Void and from the streets leading to Sky City proper.  The wood was certainly high enough to keep anyone from climbing over unless they had a couple blocks of gravel to spare (which Petra did, but no one needed to know that).  Training dummies and armor stands were scattered around the training area, and a couple guard beginners were already practicing their skills with them.

 A long table was located at the entrance to the training grounds with a small gate leading inside.  Petra could barely see another table at the far right of the rectangle where a number of people were gathered around.

 Petra walked up to the entry table, where two women wearing the typical guard uniform sat, each with a board.  She waited in line, forcing herself to not tap her foot, until she was at the front.

 “Name?” one of the guards asked.  Petra gave it, and she checked her board.  “There you are.  You are in pair C.  Pick up your gear at the other table and head for the marker with your letter.”

 “Pair C. Got it.”

 Doing as she was instructed, Petra soon found herself with a Sky City Guard uniform.  She slipped the brown and gold outfit on over her regular clothes, and replaced her shoes with the black boots.  She stared at the hat with a golden egg on the front, snorted, and then put it over her red hair.  The last bit was the pair of white gloves, which she instantly disliked.

 “These things are going to itch so bad,” she muttered.

 The presence of the gloves was quickly made up by the final piece of her new equipment: the iron sword.  Having seen Jesse craft one a few nights before (and having been taught how to make her own), she felt much more comfortable handling one of these than she thought she would.

 She swung the sword around to get used to the feel of it in her hand.  Feels good to carry one of these.   I’m going to like this.

 “You’re good at that already.”  Petra heard a deep, gravely voice say behind her.  “Was one of your parents a guard too?”

 Petra turned to see a rather tall young man standing behind her.  He had at least half a foot over her, which was saying something since Petra was one of the tallest people in the city.  He wore the same uniform as her, although his didn’t look like it fit nearly as well.  It wasn’t too small, but just barely so.  He was a large man, but in a muscular sense.  He carried iron sword of his own, but his kind of dangled rom his fingers without any sort of grip to it.  His hat was lopsided on his head, showing a full head of black hair.

 “Nope. Guess I’m just a natural,” Petra said, finally answering his question.  She stuck her thumb at the sign with a giant C on it.  “You part of pair C?”

 “Yeah. I’m Axel,” he introduced, rubbing the back of his neck.  “I guess we’re partners, huh?”

 “Guess so.” She put her sword away and smiled. “I’m Petra.  Nice to meet you.”

 “Likewise.” Axel glanced around the training area. “Pretty cool, huh?  Being here?  Getting to be part of the Guard?”

 “Yeah, pretty exciting,” she answered.  Exciting to get a shot at The Founder’s inventory.

 Axel glanced at the sword in his hand.  “Not so sure about this though.  I’m better with my fists.”

 “Eh, you just need to practice,” Petra said encouragingly.  “We both do. Feel up to sparring?”

 Axel’s thick eyebrows shot up, but he grinned nonetheless and positioned himself with his sword pointed towards her.  Petra took out her sword again, and soon enough the two blades were clanging against each other.  Petra was faster, but she really struggled to keep Axel at bay when the two had their weapons pressed against each other.  He was easily able to push her backwards, mainly due to his increased girth, pretty every time they came to a standstill.

 The two were still going at it a bit when a loud voice called out from the front of the training grounds.

 “Attention! Attention, everyone!”  Petra and Axel ceased their sparring and turned to the origin of the voice.  Reginald stood at the front of the grounds, with his second-in-command Gabriel next to him holding a clipboard.  Reginald glanced around, waiting until everyone was silent, before continuing.  “Welcome to you all.  I am pleased to see so many new faces this year.”

 Petra stared at him, trying to keep the smirk off her face.  “Let me guess.  He’s the boss?”

 “You don’t know that already?” Axel asked, his voice just slightly higher in surprise.

 “I’ve heard his name, but I’ve never actually met him before.”

 “For those of you who don’t know, my name is Reginald, and I am the Captain of the Guard. I am in charge of the security and safety of the people of Sky City, including and especially for The Founder,” Reginald explained, his voice booming loud enough for everyone to hear. “I will be in charge of your schedules and your inventory while you on are on duty.  I will also be leading your training for the next four weeks, at which point you will be fully inducted into the Guard.”

 The Captain looked around at all the trainees, his gaze stopping on Axel for just a moment before moving on.  It didn’t go without Axel noticing, however.

 “Great, I stand out here too,” Axel whispered, keeping his eyes glued to his shoes.

 “That’s not a bad thing, is it?” Petra inquired, but simply shook his head in silence.

 “We will begin drills shortly, so please make sure you are in uniform and ready,” Reginald finished.  “You will be working with your partner for the duration of training, so try to get along. If you have any questions, please direct them either to me or my second, Gabriel.  Thank you.”

 The murmuring started again as Reginald began making rounds.  Petra turned back to her partner, who still kept his head down.

 “Come on, big guy,” she said, punching him lightly in the shoulder.  “You were excited a little while ago.  What’s got you down?”

 Axel sighed. “I just always stand out too much. Even the Captain thinks I’m weird.”

 “Again, how is that bad?” Petra wondered.  “Seems to me that being a guard would be perfect for you.  You’ve got the physical strength for it.”

 He allowed the tiniest of smiles to reach his face.  “Huh, thanks, Petra.  I hope I don’t let you down.”

 There was a loud laugh from the pole labeled D.  Petra’s head spun around to look at the trainee who did it.  Besides the guard uniform he wore, he looked like any ordinary man Petra had seen before.  He had a dark beard and mustache to match his hair, making him look older than he probably was.  He was smirking in Axel’s direction and pointing, nudging his partner so she would look as well. She was giving Axel a similar expression, her chin jutted out and looking down her nose at them, even though both Petra and Axel were clearly taller than her.

 “Looks like the loser got into the Guard after all,” the man jeered.  “Or maybe he’s just supposed to the pack mule.”

 The woman chuckled.  “Good one, Gill.”

 Petra narrowed her eyes at the pair.  She looked at Axel to see why he wasn’t responding, but he was looking everywhere but at them.  Pressing her lips together, she turned back to them.

 “What’s your problem?” she asked.

 The man, Gill apparently, just sniggered.  “Just feeling sorry for you, being stuck with the guy with more meat on his bones than brains in his head.”

 The woman laughed again, and Petra silently wondered if she was able to do anything else.

 “Seems like that fits your description better,” Petra scorned.

 Gill stared at her for a minute before smirking again.  “Get a load of this, Maya.  The loser’s made a little friend.”

 “Oh, and it’s a girl too!” his partner – no, Maya – snickered with a shake of her head. “Honey, you can do so much better.”

 “He’s my partner while we’re in training,” Petra announced.  “And who are you to talk?  No way you’re better at sword fighting than anyone else here.”

“Petra, don’t,’ Axel said quietly.  “They’re just being unpleasant.  They always are.”

 “So they’ve been jerks to you before?”  Petra felt her face flush with irritation.

 “Well, yeah, since we were kids,” he admitted, waving his hand.  “But it’s not a big deal.”

 For some reason, this newly learned fact did not sit right with Petra.  Maybe it was watching Jesse want to dunk Hadrian during the festival after she learned he was a thief, or maybe it was from seeing her defend Olivia from Aiden at Build Club.  Whatever the reason, Petra’s tolerance for conceited idiots was incredibly low at this point, and she was not pleased that her new partner was being condescended to like that.

 “Back off,” Petra growled, placing herself in front of Gill as if to challenge him.  “He hasn’t done anything to you.”

 “Oh, you’re really defending him?” Gill mocked, lifting his upper lift in scorn.  “Here I thought you were joking before.”

 Axel, Gill and Maya all let out a gasp as Petra quickly pulled out her sword and glared at the shorter man, aiming the point of the blade right between his eyes.

 “I said, back off.”

 Gill immediately backed up and raised his hands in a surrendering gesture.  Maya’s eyes widened as she stared.  She looked like she was about to pull out her own weapon when a another voice called out.

 “All right, all right!  Enough!”  It was Reginald, and Petra internally cringed as he placed himself between the two groups, holding a hand up to each.  “I don’t want any infighting in my ranks.  Swords away, now!”

 Petra gave Gill one last glare before putting her sword back in her inventory, and Maya removed her hand from her sword’s hilt.  Reginald looked at each of them, causing Axel stiffen and salute a bit clumsily. Petra backed up but didn’t take her warning eyes off Gill.

 “That’s better. You are all part of the Guard now, and you must learn to trust and rely on one another to keep The Founder and our citizens safe,” he announced, loud enough for everyone in the training area to hear.  “I don’t want to see you drawing your swords on one another again.  Am I understood?”

 He seemed to direct this command to Petra more than the others, likely because she was the one who had her sword out when he came over.  Petra nodded and saluted, and this seemed to please the Captain.  Gill and Maya both smirked and left to do their own training.  Petra just watched them go with squinted eyes.

 Why do they get away with that so easily? She thought.

 “I’ll have a separate talk with them.  Don’t worry.” Petra and Axel turned their attention back to Reginald, whose tone had softened.  “I heard him goading you on.  I won’t stand for taunting like that either.”

 The Captain looked over the two trainees as they stood next to each other.  Petra kept herself from looking away or biting her lip.  She didn’t want to show any weakness in front of her new boss.  Not when her opportunity to get access to The Founder’s inventory depended on his approval.

 “I do commend you for defending your partner, however,” Reginald said at last, and both Petra and Axel jumped at little at the statement.  “That kind of loyalty is important in the Guard.  Keep it up.”

 Maybe not such a bad way to start off after all. Petra thought as she saluted again. “Yes, sir.”

 “Thank you, sir,” Axel added with his own salute.

 Reginald nodded to them again before turning and looking back towards the rest of the trainees.  Axel smiled at her.

 “Thanks,” he said.  “You didn’t have to do that.”

 “No one messes with my partner,” she replied.  “How about we get back to it?  How are you with defensive maneuvers?”

 “I could use some practice.”

 “I could too. Let’s do it.”  Petra made this last comment while unsheathing her sword again.

 After a number of hours of drills and training before Reginald called it done for the day, Petra was exhausted.  Her back and her legs were sore, and sweat was pouring down her skin in a vain attempt to cool her down.  Summer was well underway, making the outdoors start to be unbearable.  She quickly removed the extra layer of her uniform and wiped her hand over her forehead.

 “Man, training’s going to be a pain when it’s this hot,” she remarked with a shake of her head.

 “Tell me about it,” Axel concurred.  “Remind me to bring buckets of water here in the future.”

 “Hey Axel?”

 “Yeah?”

 “Remember to bring buckets of water here in the future.”

 “Oh, ha ha.” Axel was still smiling despite the heat and the joke.  He kept swiping his sword at the practice dummy.  “I’m not that scatterbrained…usually.”

 Petra grinned. Whether he was a scatterbrain or not, Axel was still pretty cool.  He just needed some encouragement every once in a while.

 “Hey, I’m going to go hang out with some friends of mine,” she said.  “Want to come?”

 Axel looked like he was biting his tongue.  “Uh, maybe next time.  I want to practice with my sword some more.  I need it.”

 “Eh, you’re doing all right,” Petra answered.  “But practice makes perfect, right?”

 “Right!” He briefly paused.  “Thanks for the invite anyway.”

 “The offers open whenever you feel like it,” she added.  Petra turned and started walking away.  “Don’t get heat stroke, okay?  I’d hate to have to be assigned another partner.”

 Axel let out a boisterous laugh.  “Sure thing.”

 With Axel and the training grounds behind her, Petra headed off to the her friends’ meeting place.  They would change locations every so often to vary the view, and this time they were headed for the outer wall of Sky City.  Lukas had found a ladder leading to the top a long time ago, and it was a great place to behold both the city itself and the vast emptiness that was around it.  It was both breathtaking and gloomy at once, depending on the time of day.

 When Petra arrived, Lukas, Jesse and Olivia were all already there.  Petra was pretty sure this was the first time Jesse had been there, unless Lukas had shown her the spot sometime beforehand.  Whatever the case, Petra climbed the ladder and plopped herself down next to Lukas.

 “Hey, guys.”

 “Hi, Petra,” Jesse said with a smile.

 “How do you like the view?” she asked her new friend.

 “It’s amazing!” Jesse threw up her hands in excitement. “I don’t know why the view is different here than from home.  Closer, I guess.”

 “Yeah, it’s really nice, huh?” Olivia added.

 “Both the city and the sky look amazing from up here,” Lukas said, glancing back and forth over both edges of the wall.  “I wonder if The Founder’s view is as nice from the palace.”

 “Who knows?” Petra replied.  “The palace is really tall, so probably.”

 Jesse nibbled on her bottom lip for a second, something that Petra was beginning to notice was a sign of her being nervous about something.  What Jesse was nervous about, she had no clue.

 What’s eating her?

 It was not a moment later that Jesse pulled some apples out of her inventory.  “Hey guys, look what I have!”

 “Oh, nice!” Lukas cried and took a bite out of the apple she passed him.  He leaned back so Jesse could give one to Petra.  “Man, I love apples!”

 “Be careful, Jesse,” Petra teased while Jesse gave an apple to Olivia.  “If you keep giving Lukas his favorite food, he’ll keep coming back for more.”

 Lukas rolled his eyes as Jesse laughed.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 The group turned their attention to the clouds and tiny blocks of dirt that hung around in the sky surrounding the island.  In the daytime, the sky was the brightest blue possible, with clouds covering the space below the island leading into the Void below.  Petra squinted as she tried to make out the shapes of some of the other islands in the distance, but she couldn’t make them out in any detail.

 Almost as if she was reading Petra’s mind, Jesse spoke:  “Do you think there’s anything out there?”

 “Out in the sky?”  Lukas asked.

 “Yeah. Like this island.  There’s got to be more people out there, right?” Jesse clarified.  “I mean, that’s how…The Founder brought everyone together, right?  There was just one island, she expanded it, and brought people together to Sky City.”

 “It would be cool to find out if there is anyone or anything else out there,” Petra said. “Maybe other people or monsters or something exciting!  Better than this place.”

 “Sky City is pretty short on fun,” Lukas moped.  “Other than the festivals, there’s not much to do here.”

 “If you could go out there,” Jesse wondered.  “What would you do?  Where would you go?”

 “You’d need some kind of build that could fly,” Olivia calculated.  “More redstone and pistons than you could shake a stick at, and The Founder would never approve a petition like that.”

 “Sure, but hypothetically speaking,” the dark-haired girl continued.  “Let’s say The Founder did allow something like that. Would you do it?”

 “I’d be all for it,” Petra declared.  “Exploring adventuring, discovering new things…That’s right up my alley!”

 “Me too,” Jesse agreed.  “Though I’d want to go down, see if there really is nothing in the Void.”

 “You think there’s actually something down there?” Olivia inquired.

 “I don’t know, but that’s what I want to find out,” Jesse answered.  “See if…The Founder is right or wrong.  She says it’s a lost cause, but how can we know if we never look?”

 “I’m with you there,” Lukas swallowed another bite of his apple.  “I’d love to write about adventures like that.”

 “Oh, speaking of writing…”  Jesse dug through her inventory again for a moment before pulling out an item with an “Aha!” look in her eyes.  “Here, Lukas. This is for you.”

 Petra glanced over to see her hold a blank book and quill out to him.  Lukas’ blue eyes widened in joy, and his smile was as bright as the sun.

 “I know your dad’s petition for this was rejected,” Jesse explained.  She held the book in her hands, waiting for Lukas to take it, but he appeared to be too shocked to move.  “And, um, you keep talking about how much you like to write, so…”

 Lukas still didn’t move, and Petra could tell from Jesse’s expression that she was worried she had done something wrong, if her blinking eyes and furrowed eyebrows were any indication.  Petra gently slapped Lukas in the back of the head.

 “Ow!”  Lukas glared at her and rubbed the back of his head.

 “She’s trying to give you a gift, dummy,” she said, pointing to the book.  “Better take it before she changes her mind.”

 The group laughed, the tension completely broken, and Lukas took the present from Jesse’s hands.

 “Jesse and Lukas, sitting in a tree,” Olivia began singing with a impish smile. “K-I-S-S-I-N-G…”

 Lukas leaned over and gave her a playful punch, and Olivia stopped singing with a smirk.

 “What?” Jesse’s concerned face returned. “But we’re not sitting in trees, and we’re not—”

 “Thank you, Jesse.  This means a lot to me,” he interrupted her, giving her his best grin.  “Do I dare ask how you go this?”

 Jesse shrugged. “I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

 It’s not that mysterious, Petra thought.  She petitioned The Founder for it, and unlike Milo, she wasn’t rejected.

 She kept this thought to herself, however, and the team continued to munch on their apples until they were gone.  They alternatively sat and lay lazily on the outer wall, discussing everything and nothing at all, until the sun began to set and Jesse claimed that she needed to head home before dark.  Olivia agreed and went down the ladder first, heading home herself.  Petra and Lukas weren’t far behind.

 “Can I walk you home?” Lukas offered to Jesse.

 This was probably the eighth time or so that he asked Jesse this question, and Petra was expecting the same negative reply.  Lukas probably was too.

 Instead, she just gave him a small smile.  “I, uh, can’t let you follow me all the way home.  I’ll get in trouble.  But maybe until a few roads down?”

 Lukas let out a breath he probably didn’t know he was holding.  “Great!”

 “I’ll leave you guys to it,” Petra said, turning to head in the direction of her flat. “See you guys later!”

 “Later, Petra!” Jesse called, and Lukas waved.

 Petra waited until the pair had walked around the nearby corner leading towards the town squares, slowing her pace and then turning around to follow them.

 Leave them to it?  Yeah right!  She thought.

 She stepped as lightly as she could to keep the sound of her boots as quiet as possible, all the while trying to stay close enough to keep an eye on them but far enough away to as to not be spotted by them.  Petra couldn’t hear most of the conversation, but the smiles on Jesse and Lukas’ faces told her they were having a good time.  Since this was the first time Jesse actually allowed Lukas anywhere near her when she was heading home, maybe she was finally getting through her trust issues?  Maybe the next step would be letting Lukas actually see her home?

 Where does Jesse live anyway?

 “I, uh, think this is as far as we can go together,” Jesse said at last, having stopped in front of one of the darker alleys near the town square that was located right in front of The Founder’s palace.  Petra crouched behind the corner of a nearby building, making sure she was not in direct line of sight for either of them.  Thank goodness for her practice at keeping out the Guard’s sight.  “Thanks for walking me.”

 “No problem.” Lukas gave her a wink.  “Got to protect you from the bandits Sky City is known for.”

 Jesse giggled and placed the back of her hand on her forehead.  “Oh yes!  My hero, come to rescue me from the evil thieves!”

 “Hey, I could be a hero,” he claimed with his hands on his hips.  “I could pull it off, right?”

 “I think you’ve been reading some of Petra’s books again.”

 “Petra doesn’t read those kinds of books.”

 “Then where are you getting this hero stuff?”

 “Maybe I’m just a natural hero?”

 Jesse didn’t respond to that.  She glanced down at her feet for a moment.  “Hey, Lukas?”

 “Yeah?”

 “What was that song Olivia was singing before?” she asked.  “The one about us in a tree?”

 Lukas choked and coughed, and Petra could see his cheeks turn a little pink.

 “You, uh, never heard that song before?” he said.  “I wouldn’t even call it a song really…”

 “Guess it’s just another part of life I’ve missed out because Mother’s kept me cooped up.”   She gave a smaller shrug this time.  “But you’re avoiding the question.”

 “It’s just a dumb song people sing to make fun,” he explained, biting the inside of his cheek. “Don’t worry about it.”

 “Make fun of people kissing?”

 “Pretty much.”

 Jesse raised an eyebrow, and Petra had to stop herself from snorting.  She always thought it was ridiculous too.  “But what if it was true?”

 Petra blinked. What?

 “What?”

 Jesse started biting her lip again.  “Just that, you know, it’s, uh…I don’t know how to say this.”

 Is she about to do what I think she’s going to do?

 If Lukas was planning to respond to her stammering, he didn’t get the chance to do so. Jesse stepped forward and got on her toes, pressing her lips against his cheek for just a moment before backing up. She rubbed the back of her neck, turned around and took off, covering her face with her hand.  She paused at the entrance to the alley and turned to look at Lukas again, her neck turning red.

 She needn’t have been worried though.  Lukas just watched her with a wide grin.  He put his fingers to his cheek for a second before giving her an enthusiastic wave.  Jesse returned it, her frown turning upside down, and she disappeared into the alley towards her home.

 Lukas’ wave slowed until she was no longer in sight.  He gave a little jump as he turned around to walk back to Milo’s inn, and Petra chuckled.

 Oh man, what a dork.  What am I going to do with those two?  Petra waited until Lukas practically skipped out of sight before leaving her hiding spot.  “So Jesse made the first move.  Looks like Olivia owes me two iron.”

 With the sun setting beneath the island and the sky turning dark, Petra decided to wait until morning to gather her winnings from her friend.  Unfortunately for her, her luck at staying out of sight had run out by the time she took five steps.

 “Never took you for a voyeur, Petra.”

 She groaned. Petra hated the sound of Aiden’s voice, and it had only become more and more annoying since the Spring Festival. She rubbed the bridge of her nose then looked over her shoulder at him.

 “What are you doing here?”  she asked.

 “Same as you,” he answered.  “Spying on a friend.”

 Petra turned her whole body to face him.  “I really doubt you’re here for the same reason as me.”

 Aiden frowned. “No, guess not.  You were probably cheering for Lukas the whole time.”

 “Maybe I was,” she admitted.  “Why does that matter to you?”

 “Just thinking how Jesse hasn’t realized the better option,” he sneered.  “But that won’t take long.”

 “Aiden, I swear,” she growled, taking a few steps forward so she was looking down at him, using her height over him to her advantage.  “If you do anything to sabotage them—”

 “All’s fair in love and war, right?” he teased, looking nonchalantly at his fingers.  “Why shouldn’t I take a shot at the best?”

 “The best” being Jesse?  She’s not an object.  “If you do anything to hurt Jesse, Lukas will be the first person I tell.”

 “Please. You’ve been ‘warning’ him about me for years.”  Aiden used air quotes with his statement and rolled his eyes.  “Do you really think he’s going to believe you now?”

 Petra felt her nostrils flare.  “Then if you do anything to hurt Jesse, your face will get acquainted with my fist.”

 This time, Aiden let out a barking laugh.  “Believe me, hurting Jesse is the last thing I intend to do.”

 Aiden’s shorter height didn’t stop him from knocking Petra in the shoulder as he pushed her out of his way.  She watched him go with narrowed eyes, the edges of her mouth crinkling in a frown.

 Better let Jesse know to avoid Aiden from now on, she thought.  I guess the first thing is to explain to her what a date is and to never accept one with Aiden.

[reliquiaenfr]

slam DUNKS questions at ur lore like uhhhhh.,, 1, 10, 11, 15, 22, 31, 38?

and the crowd goes WILD! thanks man! ♥ questions here. under a read more bc there’s a lot

Write from the perspective of an outsider ofyour lair, what is their first impression? How have they discovered this group?How are they greeted?

i have actually written a short story from the perspective of an outsider to the clan! you can read it here. i actually love writing from the pov of a guest bc there’s so much creepy stuff that goes on in the lair that the residents are like ‘eh w/e that’s just another tuesday’ about lol. just for you epher:

Something had guided his wings around to the west. Despite being sure he could see a canyon snaking through the red rock below, he circled around the grassy plainlands and thickly treed flats towards the strait in the north. He couldn’t explain why to himself even as he did so, and he won’t be able to explain why to anyone who ever asks him (not even the lair’s residents), but a tingle runs down his spine when he descends towards the treetops so he skims them rather than trying to find a place to land.

And he finds a cove. The canyon spits sand and rivers out from beneath the trees and into the ocean and here there are docks bustling with activity. The tingling eases and he drops lower before tucking his wings to his sides and landing on the loose sand with a puff.

At first he is met only by the wary stares of beastfolk as they trot along the docks and pack crates onto their slender skiffs. Then a dragon spots him. The Imperial is huge and blue and almost impossible to look at, shimmering in the sunlight as if she can’t properly be perceived by regular sight.

She is polite and cheerful and touches her heart with her hand when she greets him, a smiling dragon (he assumes, anyway, he can hear the smile in her voice but it’s hard to see when she’s so luminescent). She shows him along the beachfront, pointing out clan members and explaining their purpose. A guard is always along the docks - to keep fights from happening between guests, she tells him, but the look in her eye suggests something else. There are merchants to trade with, should he feel so inclined; her son among them. But when the little Nocturne speaks it’s with a lilt and a smile and a turn of phrase that make his hackles rise without even looking at the wares. She points out the Assembly, in case he has something he wants to take up with the clan’s leadership. And eventually they make it to the Lodge, a place for guests to stay - for a small fee - and run by a bright little light spirit the Imperial introduces as Passage.

As she turns to leave him to settle in, however, she imparts one last piece of information - advice, even - and the gravity in her voice sends his stomach plunging to his feet.

“Do not leave the docks.” Those are all her words, no explanation is given. But he shivers all the same.

And when the sun begins to set a faint mist rises around the Lodge, a soft song can be heard over the waves in the cove, a strange tug pulls at his ribs to draw him into the woods. Resisting the whispers is the hardest thing he has ever done. But he thinks, perhaps, to give in is to surrender one’s life to this place.

-

Are there any customs aroundhatching? Who is present? Is their any members who specialize in the care ofeggs or hatchlings? Are eggs ever hatched too early?

one parent is almost always present, but if not that’s okay too! the eggs are kept in an open sided series of rooms carved into the sides of one of the great big spires of rock that grow out of the canyon’s floor. it’s within the bounds of the lair’s magic so most outsiders will never see it. the lair is tended predominantly by inerri, but with help from select others including a collection of beastfolk who also use the spire to lay eggs/give birth when necessary. the nesting spire also doubles as the place where youngsters get their first education (dispensed by inerri, pencil, helix and anthelion).

there aren’t really that many eggs in the clan very often so when there are great care is taken to ensure they are tended properly. this often means making sure they are incubated to proper term. but yeah ofc sometimes an egg hatches early, some hatch late too.

-

Are there any gestures present? Similar to ourwaves, nods, etc 

i assume this means gestures specific to the clan? bc i haven’t really thought about that much haha. there is a gesture used to signal respect where the first two fingers of a hand are touched to head or heart. it can be used when greeting dignitaries too, crossfire and seven do it a lot as representatives.

there’s also a little tail swish like okay. i use it a lot in my writing anyway where a dragon might use their tail to gently brush the tail of someone important to them - usually a mate - so i guess there’s that too. it’s a soft little thing like a real personal sorta pda, kinda intimate when done in public like an acknowledgement that this dragon is real special to them. idk if it counts tho.

-

How do religious beliefs play arole in everyday life? Is there an organised clergy?

lmao they have fen and shiana so naw not really a clergy. religion is very individualised. there is what everyone calls the temple tree which has shrines built into the branches and around the trunk (it’s a huge tree) and it’s sorta just accepted that if you wanna do the worship thing you can go there and do that but if you don’t wanna then that’s cool too. there are no public services or anything. fen looks after the tree and shiana is referred to as a priestess but no one seems to care whether that means anything religious or not.

-

What, if any, foods are considered a delicacy?How is food prepared? Is there any forbidden or taboo foods? 

taboo? nah not really. cannibalism is a big no no though. and look. fiend ate her own children. so like. yeah big no to eating other dragons. no to eating beastfolk also. there are seasonal restrictions sometimes, piper, ravelin and osprey are always really careful and vocal about not overtaxing populations of any sort of animal so if the like... deer herds are small one year they won’t eat too many of them and all that. they’re p careful about it.

but they’re a clan that’s like super bound to the natural world and are big on their fruits n vegies n fishing n stuff like that. real classic hunter/gatherer type clan. so processed foods like sweets are hard to find in the canyon and osprey ships them in so they’re kinda like a delicacy haha. there’s no communal kitchen either, food is prepared by the individual in whatever way they prefer so sometimes that can be influenced by the flight they came from. the lair is real chill about that kinda shit tbh. ain’t no shits given. do what you like.

-

Are there any restrictions onmagic or spells? What and why? If not, does this cause any issues?

lmao no the clan is BUILT on magic. yeah this can be a problem tho like anthelion was all ‘yes guys i’m putting my magical alarm spell around this new lair so we don’t get surprised okay yes i’m doin this as we speak’ and they were all well MAYBE do smth different this time bc it didn’t stop fiend from killing HEAPS OF US LAST TIME and anth was all ‘fine then i guess i’ll do smth different’ and so she did some weird shit with the magic and now the lair is filled with magic that eats visitors????? like yeah that’s a bit of a problem.

sometimes the lack of restrictions means someone goes ���oh fuck tarryn’s at it again’ and you look up and all the hatchling have grown like spines or weird purple blotches or dragons with fur are now all entirely BALD bc she put some shit in the water and now we all hairless great. or w/e like problems happen. it’s chill tho they live with it.

-

Are symbols a significant aspect of life? Ifthey are, what are symbols, what do they mean? Are certain symbols worn? 

mmmm not really. the clan is SUPER relaxed about stuff so eh. they do have charms they give to any dragon marked for exaltation. you can read about pilgrims here. but other than that nah not so much.

maybe one day i’ll think of smth and go OH SHIT YEA that’d be a cool symbol to have !! but today is not that day so all my dragons are like lazy bums and they just hang out n chill all day lmao.

[shielddrake]

Rebel of Sky City Ch. 5

Jesse couldn’t say whether or not she believed in love at first sight.  Really, she couldn’t say she knew very much about love other than the familial love she had for her mother and the platonic love she felt for Reginald.  But she did believe in attraction at first sight, and she was sure that was what she was feeling towards Lukas right now.

 He was the first one she had an extended interaction with since she came to the festival, and he had already proven time and time again that he was a kind and considerate individual. Her mother was wrong.  She didn’t have to worry about anyone wanting to hurt her. Of course, this might simply be because no one knew she was The Founder’s daughter, but that was a little detail they didn’t need to know.

 It was just such a relief to be treated like a normal person by someone.  Lukas didn’t call her by a title or was forced to be polite to her…Well, Lukas was polite, but that seemed to be his normal self, not an act he had to put on for anyone.  And he was even willing to gift her with cake, which was without a doubt in her top three favorite foods.  If her mother was right that most people in Sky City were dangerous and wanted nothing more than to hurt her, then what were the chances she would encounter someone like him on her first trip outside?

 And he has excellent hair, Jesse thought to herself, smiling at him.

 “What are you smiling at?” Lukas asked, cocking his head to the side.

 “Just enjoying this cake.” She took another large bite of out said cake.

 There was a small growl behind them, and Jesse spotted Aiden out of the corner of her eye, holding out some money he had just pulled from his pockets.  He held it out with a frown for a moment before shoving both his hands into his pockets.

 “I’m going to get some melon,” he rumbled as he brushed past the two.

 Jesse watched him leave, her smile turning into a concerned frown.  “Are you okay, Aiden?”

 “Fine.  Just not in the mood for cake.”

 Jesse watched him stomp away.  What’s with him?

 “Don’t worry about Aiden. He can be a bit prickly sometimes,” Lukas described.  “He’s a nice guy once you get used to him.  Don’t know what’s bugging him now, but he’ll get over it.”

 “If you say so.” Jesse finished off her cake and then turned to examine the rest of the festival.  “So, what else is there to do around here?”

 “Lots of games.  I can show you,” her new friend said.  “But we need to wait for Petra first.”

 “Petra?”

 “Friend of mine.  She said she’d meet us here.”

 “Someone say my name?” Jesse spun around at the voice and found herself face-to-chest with a rather tall young woman.  She lifted her head to see a pair of deep brown eyes attached to a long face framed by red hair.  Jesse stared at her.  “Wow. You’re…really tall.”

 “Yeah, I get that a lot,” the woman replied.  “Thanks for waiting for me, Lukas.”

 “No problem.”  Lukas waved a hand between the two.  “You get your thing done?

 “Yep, all set.”

 Thing? Jesse wondered to herself.  What thing?

 “Sorry.  Petra, this is Jesse.  I just met her today,” Lukas said.  “Jesse, meet Petra.”

 “Hi.”

 “Oh, hi.”  Petra had a smaller smile, but she was no less welcoming in her demeanor.  “Nice to meet you.”

 “Same to you.”  Jesse couldn’t help but smile.  Well, she’s friendly.  A bit distant, but friendly.

 “Jesse’s never been to the Spring Festival before,” Lukas described.  “And we were just talking about what there is to do here.”

 “Oh, then I’ve got the perfect thing for you!”  Petra declared, her smile taking on a slightly more sinister expression.  “You’ve got a chance for some revenge, Lukas.”

 “Really?”

 “Oh yeah!”  Jesse was sincerely worried about Petra’s face now. “Remember the dunk tank from last year?”

 Lukas smirked.  “Yeah, what about it?”

 “Guess who’re the dunkees this year.”

 Lukas seemed to think for a minute before his eyes lit up.  “Seriously?!”

 “Yeah!”

 Jesse glanced back and forth between the two, taking in their excited expressions that had just a hint of mischief to them.  Her brow furrowed and her eyes darted around.

 “Um, I’ve missed something, haven’t I?”

 “I’m going to go tell Aiden where we’re going,” Lukas announced as he ran off.  “I’ll meet you there.”

 As Lukas made his way through the crowds to find his friend, Jesse suddenly felt like a fish out of water. For the first time, she was without someone even remotely familiar to her, and the adrenaline she had felt when she first arrived was beginning to wear off.  She wasn’t really sure what she was supposed to think or feel.

 “Great, I thought we’d never get rid of Aiden,” Petra announced, snapping her out of her concern.

 “You don’t like him much, do you?” Jesse asked playfully.

 Petra rolled her eyes and huffed.  “In case you didn’t notice, Aiden’s full of himself.”

 “But I thought he hangs out with you?”

 “Because I hang out with Lukas, not Aiden.”  Petra put her hand to her forehead.  “Don’t know why Lukas likes that guy, honestly.”

 Jesse gave out a nervous laugh.  “You’ve know Lukas for a while?”

 “Practically forever,” she answered.  “Our moms were friends, and my parents would babysit him when his mom was working.  We pretty much grew up together.”

 “So, he’s…” Do I dare ask if they’re dating?  “Anything more than a friend?”

 Petra quickly shook her head.  “Oh god, no. That’d be like dating my little brother or something.”

 Jesse let out a sigh, relief washing over her.  Petra raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

 “Come on, Jesse,” Petra said.  “Follow me. I’ll show you the dunk booth.”

 “What’s a dunk booth?” Jesse asked.

 “Someone’s suspended over a tank of water, and you throw a ball at a target,” she explained as they walked.  “If you hit the target, the person gets dunked in the water.”

 Jesse blinked and chuckled. “Never heard of it, but it sounds fun. Can’t imagine the person getting dunked having a good time though.”

 “Eh, depends on the person,” Petra added.  “Some people think it’s fun.  Others, like today, not so much.”

 “And that’s why are you and Lukas excited about it again?”

 “Let’s just say that the people who drew the short straw are not the nicest around.”  Petra’s smirk spread across her face again.  “And I’ve been dying for some payback.”

 Lukas was already at the booth when the two women arrived.  Aiden wasn’t with him, so Jesse could only assume he didn’t want to join in whatever this “revenge” entailed.  He had his arms crossed and a wicked grin on his face, and Jesse could hear him laughing a bit when they got close enough.

 “I am a happy man today.”

 Jesse glanced at the booth to see what all the excitement was about.  The man running the booth seemed older, possibly even older than Reginald, and was balding but had a white beard.  He wore a deep green robe, and he was passing out potatoes for people to throw.  Next to him sat a soaking-wet woman with strange bluish hair and dark clothing. Behind and to the right of the booth was a large tank of water with a seat above it.  Sitting on the seat was a white-haired man in purple robes, making him seem even more regal than his superior face would imply.  Jesse instantly didn’t like that look.

 “Otto’s running the booth while Hadrian and Mevia get to be the dunkees,” Petra stated.  “I’ve already dunked Mevia.  Lukas, will you do the honors for Hadrian?”

 “What’ve you got against these Mevia and Hadrian people?”  Jesse asked as Lukas gave an eager nod.  She glanced at the man in purple, obviously Hadrian.  “What did they do to make you want revenge?”

 “Mevia is Hadrian’s henchmen, basically,” Lukas illuminated.  “And Hadrian has a bad habit of stealing crafting supplies from…from some of our friends.”

 Jesse’s eye widened. “Stealing?  Crafting items?”

 “Our friend Olivia waited six months before The Founder approved her petition for glowstone dust so she could make a glowstone block.  For light, you know.”  Petra’s voice nearly became a growl.  “And Hadrian stole them from her.”

 “What?!”

 “We could never prove it though,” Lukas continued.  “And that’s just one instance.”

 “And you didn’t tell the guards?”  Jesse asked. “Or The Founder?  She didn’t replace the glowstone dust?”

 “Well, we never went to The Founder,” Lukas answered, running a hand through his beautiful blond hair.

 “And the guards?” Petra repeated.  “Nah. They didn’t believe us.  No proof, remember?”

 Jesse’s face flushed with anger and she squinted her eyes at the purple-clad man, still sitting and waiting for someone to hit the target.  No one was successful, and he was eating it up.

 Eggs would be better, Jesse thought.

 “Bunch of chumps today, Mevia, Otto,” Hadrian bragged, holding his arms behind his back.  His smile made Jesse’s stomach twist.  “I’ll just stay up here, nice and dry.  No one’s hitting the target any time soon. Maybe I’ll take a nap.”

 Jesse clenched her fists at his nonchalant attitude.  “And he’s stolen from a lot of people?”

 “I’d say he almost makes his living doing it,” Lukas confirmed.  “He took my father’s redstone torch the other day.”

 With a deep frown, Jesse marched over to Otto’s booth and grabbed a potato.  She cocked an eyebrow at it.  

 “A potato?”  It wasn’t like potatoes were the most aerodynamic things to throw at a target after all.  “Are you trying to make it hard to hit the target?”

 “You’d be surprised at how hard a potato can hit with a solid throw,” Otto professed.  “Care to take a shot at it, young lady?”

 “I think I’m safe up here, buckaroo,” Hadrian taunted, giving Jesse an amused smirk.  “I doubt a little girl like you could make this throw.”

 We’ll see about that!

 Jesse lined herself up with the target for the dunk tank and threw the potato up and down in one hand for a few moments.  Petra gave Lukas a curious look, who only had a smile on his face.

 “You’re going to let her make the shot for you?”  Petra asked, puzzled.

 “Well, you weren’t with us when we were at Ivy’s slime booth earlier.”  

 Jesse gave Lukas a grin before doing a complete one-eighty by giving Hadrian a glare of phenomenal proportions, and for the first time the man looked worried.  Her next words were just loud enough to not be called a whisper.

 “I.  Don’t.  Like. Thieves.”

 With that, Jesse wound up and threw the potato straight and true, hitting the target perfectly in the center and with more than enough force to knock it back.  Hadrian let out a curse as he plummeted into the tank below, messing up not only his hair but his robe as well.  Jesse, Lukas and Petra all let out a whoop of triumph, and Jesse smiled at Hadrian while he sputtered and coughed, climbing out of the tank. He glared at Jesse.

 “It doesn’t make up for the stolen goods,” Jesse said, turning to her friends.  “But it’s a start.”

 The people gathered around them all cheered, giving Jesse various congratulations.  A long line started to form as everyone nearby decided they wanted to take a shot at Hadrian and Mevia as well.  The two thieves glared at Jesse for giving the people encouragement to get them dunked.  Hadrian appeared to mouth something to Jesse, which she guessed might have been something like, “I’ll be watching you, slugger.”  But she couldn’t really be sure.  He may have been saying, “All bewitching you slacker” or saying something about slugs.  Who knew?  Jesse never could read lips.

 “Nice!”  Lukas said, lifting his hand for a high-five.  This time, she returned it without hesitation.

 “Nice arm,” Petra complimented her.  “Where’d you learn to throw like that?”

 Jesse blushed, but only a little bit.  “Eh, here and there.  And like I said, I don’t like thieves.”

 “At least someone’s willing to stand up to them,” Lukas commented, his hands on his hips.  “That’s more than the guards ever did.”

 Jesse pressed her lips together.  I wonder if I can find a way to ask Reginald to keep an eye on them without him figuring out I was out here today?

 “That’s enough of that,” Petra proclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.  “This is a festival!  Let’s go enjoy it!”

 Jesse’s darker thoughts left her in an instant at the reminder of the Spring Festival.  “Yeah!  What else can we do?!”

 Lukas laughed and took her hand.  “Come on! There’s a ring toss, bobbing for apples, and lots of other things!”

 Petra followed after the two a little more slowly as they all headed off to enjoy more of the festivities.

 Hours passed and Jesse honestly could not recall a single moment in her life when she had such a wonderful time!  The three of them played pretty much every game the festival had to offer: bowling, throwing darts with balloons, ring toss, bobbing for apples (which Jesse loved even though it got her hair horribly wet) and face painting, among other things.  She passed on that last one – the last thing she wanted was for her mother to wonder how she had gotten her face painted – but Lukas had allowed her to paint whatever she wanted on his face.  No one was going to give her any praise for her art that could only be described as abstract, but they enjoyed it nonetheless.

 The fun came to an end and as she watched the sun begin to set.  It nearly broke Jesse’s heart.

 This is the best time I’ve had in my life, she thought as she watched Lukas and Petra take part in an eating contest.  Petra, who claimed to have an iron tongue, was winning.  I don’t want this day to end.

 It had to though.  All good things did, and not even half an hour later did Jesse claim she needed to leave.

 “I have to get home before my mother starts to wonder where I am,” she explained to her new friends. “I really want to stay longer…”

 “Why can’t you?” Lukas asked, and Jesse could swear there was a bit of his whine in his tone.  “Why would you get in trouble for going to the Spring Festival?”

 Jesse shook her head. “My mother’s really protective. She didn’t want me to come today. I had to sneak out.”

 It wasn’t a lie per se, and it was just enough truth that she doubted they would ask exactly who her mother was.

 “Tough luck,” Petra commented.  “What are the chances you can sneak out again?”

 “Yeah, it’d be really cool to hang out with you again,” Lukas added.  “Festival or not.”

 That made Jesse’s heart soar.  These two wanted to see her again!  Hang out with her again!  Her!

 “I’d love to!” she announced.  “I can try, but I don’t know when I’ll have the chance to get away again.  My mother keeps a real close eye on me.  Today was kind of an exception.”

 “Whenever you can would be great though,” Lukas said.  “I live at the inn, the one next to the Grand Garden.  If you get the chance, come by and say hello.”

 “I didn’t know there was an inn in Sky City,” she replied.  “Why do we need one?  It’s not like we have visitors?”

 Lukas shrugged.  “I’ve asked my dad that too.  He says that people should always have a place to go in case of any kind of emergency.”

 “That’s good of him.” Jesse smiled at the concept.  “Thinking about others that way.”

 “Yeah, my dad’s cool.”   Lukas’ cheeks turned a little pink at her compliment.  “You should meet him sometime.”

 “I’d love to!”  She glanced back at the sun, which was steadily getting lower and lower in the skin.  “…I really go to go now.”

 Lukas and Petra both looked rather disappointed by this, but Petra tried to give her a hopeful smile.

 “We’ll see you again soon, okay?”

 This lifted Jesse’s spirits instantly.  To Petra, it wasn’t a question that she would see them again.  It was just plain fact.

 “Yes.  I’ll see you later!”

 Jesse gave each of them a hug (which was a little stiff with Petra, but Jesse ignored that) before they turned and headed their own way.  Jesse watched them go for a few minutes, smiling at the laughter the two friends shared and the way Petra gently ribbed Lukas in his side.  He said something in response, but Jesse couldn’t hear what.  It wasn’t until they were out of sight that she started to head back.

 Jesse made her way back to the alley where she knew she could climb back to the guard barracks, and from there she could climb back to the side of the palace, to her ladder, and return to her room.  It would be no problem at all.

 As Jesse made her way to the alley, she was unaware of the pair of bright green eyes following her every move up until she entered the dark alley, when those eyes lost track of her.

 Jesse breathed a huge sigh of relief when she made it back to her room, back to her cage.  She was exhausted not only from the trip, but also from the adrenaline created from going back and forth to the festival. She had no idea what she would have done if she had been caught by one of the guards, and she didn’t want to think about what would happen if her mother learned of what she just did.

 None of that mattered though.  She hadn’t been caught and now she was back.  Isa never had to know.

 Jesse ran a hand through her hair, and then scowled at the sweat that came back with it.

 “Better change clothes,” Jesse said to herself, since she was still wearing her overalls.  “Don’t want to leave any evidence behind that Mother could find.”

 She quickly cleaned up and changed her clothes, this time wearing a long dress with split sleeves. This was more like how Isa preferred Jesse to dress, and although Jesse didn’t really mind, she would like a hand in picking out her own clothes for once.

 Her timing couldn’t be more perfect, as the moment Jesse was finished and sat down on her bed to rest, there was a loud knock on her door.  She jumped with a gasp and took several breathes to calming her racing heart as she stood and went to open the door.

 She was met with the dark eyes of her tutor.  “Good evening, Jesse.”

 “Hi, Ivor,” she returned. “What’s going on?”

 “Just coming to say your mother is back and would like you to join her for dinner,” Ivor replied. He raised an eyebrow at her. “Have you been studying all day? I haven’t seen you.”

 Oh shoot!  “Well, um, not all day, but, uh, you know, just reviewing some recipes.”

 “Really?  Because I knocked early today and you didn’t answer.”

 Jesse gulped before she could stop herself.  “Um, well, I fell asleep after a while.  That must’ve been why.  Crafting recipes can be tiring, you know?”

 Ivor didn’t looked convinced, and his crossed arms only emphasized the point.  “Uh-huh.  I’ve fallen asleep when I was working on some potion recipes before.”

 He doesn’t believe me!  Crud!

 “But I suppose that’s neither here nor there,” Ivor continued, seeming to drop the subject, although the look in his eyes showed Jesse that he was still suspicious.  “In any case, The Founder would like to see you. Are you hungry?”

 “Starved actually!”

 As the two of them made their way to the dining room, Jesse couldn’t help but have a spring in her step. After the wonderful day she just had, it was nearly impossible for her to not show some sort of happiness.  Ivor must have noticed, because he watched her with a raised eyebrow for pretty much the entire journey.  If Jesse was hoping to keep her behavior subtle, she was failing miserably.

 But if Ivor was suspicious of anything, he didn’t say, and the two reached the dining room without much conversation.  Isa was already there, standing to the side of the table and speaking with Reginald. A small box sat at their feet, with the lid placed very loosely on top.  She didn’t hear her daughter or Ivor enter at first, but Ivor cleared his throat and Isa turned her attention to them.  A smile spread across her face and she quickly walked over to give Jesse a hug.

 “Good evening, dear,” she said.  “How was your day?”

 “Oh, you know.”  Jesse gave a noncommittal shrug.  “Just studying.  Everything work out with the monsters?”

 “I have a few new scratches, but nothing terribly serious,” The Founder replied.  “But something did cross my mind while I was down there.”

 “Oh?  What’s that?”

 “I kept thinking about you being here in the palace by yourself, and I decided to do something about that.”

 Jesse sat in one of the chairs and gave her mother a curious look.  She isn’t going to say what I think she’s going to say.  No way is she going to let me leave the palace.  It’s got to be something else.

 “Reginald?” The Captain leaned down and picked up and brought it over to them, setting it gently on the table before Jesse.  Isa’s smile faded into a bit of sadness.  “I know you’re really lonely most of the time, and while I can’t do much about you needing to stay in the palace, I thought I could give you a little companion. Like how I grew up with Benedict.”

 “Like how you—”

 Jesse was interrupted when the box began making some squealing noises. Jesse blinked a few times and squinted at the box.

 What in the world?

 A small, pink snout popped out of the box, partially pushing the lid off.  Jesse lifted the lid the rest of the way, and found herself face-to-face with a tiny porcine face.  The two stared at each other for a moment before the piglet let out the tiniest of oinks. Jesse let out a squeal that nearly matched the little pig’s, and she pulled him out of the box to cradle him in her arms.

 “Oh my gosh, he’s adorable!”

 The pig snuggled further into her arms and let out another set of oinks.  Jesse scratched him behind the ears and stroked the brown spot on his back.

 She looked up at her mother. “He’s really mine?  I can keep him?”

 Isa nodded, and everyone in the room was smiling brightly as Jesse continued to embrace her new friend.

 Three new friends in one day!  That’s got to be a record or something.