#and pocket mirror is spoilers game even the mc's name is a spoiler

[yume-fanfare]

WON'T YOU TELL ME ALL FOURETY HUNDRED PAGES OF THE POCKET MIRROR/GOODY TWO SHOES LORE

you see i don't Know the lgts lore i have not played it yet aldjsmdns

[chibinekochan]

Angel in Hell Season 2 part 7

part 1 | 2  I 3  I  4  I 5 I  6

Gen. reader insert.

Words 

Taglist:

@gothjuulpod  ; @purgatoryhall ; @sibit360  ; @a-personnamed-ace   ;  @romy350-romyakari 

It's time for the last brother to appear.

  ----------------

You reach the library door and open it. 

Somehow everything starts to warp around you and you see a vast forest spreading out in front of you. 

With disbelief you close the door and turn around, only to see more forest behind you. 

What did just happen? 

Did someone somehow teleport you?

Confused, you look around. You can only see trees.

  At least you are on a path of some sort. 

In the middle of your confusion, you hear something in the bushes. It sounds large. The ground slightly vibrates from its steps. 

You have nothing to defend yourself with so you decide to run. 

The forest is huge and lucky enough you manage to lose whatever chased you. 

You are out of breath and lost. 

The forest is thinner here and you soon find a stream. Since you have no better options you decide to follow the river. 

It's your best hope of finding some kind of civilization. 

You have no idea where you are if only Simeon was here. 

Funny how he is the first person that pops into your head. 

Then you finally spot a house in the distance. 

You feel very relieved.

  Soon you reach a small town. It's pretty empty. 

Then you see Levi. How strange to run into him like this. 

He sees you right away. "Ahhh I'm so glad to see you. I'm so sorry this is all my fault. You see I just tried this new game and somehow we all got sucked into the game." He almost stumbles over his own words. 

You stare at him in disbelief. "How are we getting out of here?" 

"We have to beat the game, well that is how this usually goes at least." Levi looks distraught. 

"Are you doing this often?" He seems oddly calm in your opinion. 

"I'd like to say no, but frankly it happens at least once per week." Levi sighs deeply. 

You narrow your eyes. "They should only allow you to play card games at this point."

"Well they tried but it still somehow caused many problems. It's just my destiny to be unlucky." Levi frowns. 

"I think it's your fault in this case but anyway how do we beat this game?" You just want to go back to your room at this point. 

"Well, we have to beat the main boss. Who, spoilers, is a big dragon with 3 different transformations. He is super overpowered. But with like 40-50 hours of grinding we can beat him. We will need about 6 days to beat this game and that is if we ignore all the side quests." Levi has beaten this game many times, even when this version is a remake. 

"Are you serious? I don't have that kind of time." You shake your head. 

"Where is your adventure spirit? You love this game. I mean together we can beat it easily." Levi is nonchalant about this whole thing. 

But part of Levi's statement gives you pause. "I have never played this game."

"Huh, of course, we have. Don't you remember?" Levi seems genuinely confused. 

Cold sweat runs over your back. You feel suddenly detached from yourself. "Levi, who am I?" You look at Levi with a blank expression. 

"What do you mean you are my best friend?" Levi seems to avoid a direct answer. 

You take a small breath and sternly look at Levi."Levi…What is my name?" 

"Haha, very funny. Do you have amnesia?" Levi chuckles nervously.

  You feel anger rising. You have a very bad feeling right now. Similar to what you felt with Satan. 

"Leviathan, who do you see when you look at me?" You use his full name to underlay the importance of your question. 

"You are scaring me… " He avoids looking at you.

"Leviathan, say my flipping name!" You raise your voice. 

"D-don't yell at me Mc… I-I mean…" Levi regrets the slip of his tongue right away. 

Your suspicion is true. "I should've known. In your eyes I'm the same as Mc…" You feel a deep pain. You thought Levi was awkward but nice to you. You figured he was just a bit strange.

  Levi looks at you with regret and profound sadness. 

You feel the same. Slowly you shake your head. You just feel so defeated right now. 

Levi never even once saw you, only the mirror version of the person he lost.

  "Levi you…" You don't know what to say. You feel like crying. "You… should go." You aren't sure that you won't say something that you will regret. 

Levi looks to the ground. He doesn't need to hear anything else to know how much he has messed up. 

He had never many friends and certainly has now lost one of them.

"... I'm… I will go and beat the game." Levi wants to apologize but he knows that it won't be honest. He always has seen someone else reflected in your eyes. Levi simply turns and walks away.

  You have a hard time breathing for quite a while. 

His pain, your pain, both seem to mingle inside of you. 

Without Levi, it will be pretty much impossible for you to beat this game but you also don't have a week. 

You also never played a game like this before. 

If you run into Lucifer it also would be only painful. You don't even know what you will do if you should run into Satan. 

You check your pockets and find the cookies you made. Somehow they make you smile.

  What would Simeon do? Probably running to the next sweet shop. 

You chuckle a bit at this. 

No, of course he would find a way out of here. 

You decide a good first stop is a tavern. 

Maybe you can find information or an opportunity to make money to stay at the inn. 

With a new goal in mind, you carefully make your way through the town.

  Then you spot an oddly familiar cape and when you take a closer look you see it's Solomon. 

He is still a stranger to you but somehow you call out to him. "Solomon." 

He turns around and casually waves to you. "Hey nice, meeting a familiar face here."

You walk over to him. "So you ended up here too?" 

"Yeah, that's how it usually works with Levi's games. A bit inconvenient today. I had some interesting experiments going." Solomon shrugs. 

"Yeah, he said we will be here for about a week. Oh, I was on my way to you when I Landed here. I had baked goods for you." You feel bad about losing them. 

Solomon laughs. “A week? Sure if you do it the proper way, and I appreciate the thought.”

“What do you mean?” You are confused.

“This game has a way to beat it without beating the boss. Of course, Levi would never do it that way. Since it's too easy in his opinion.” Solomon shrugs.

“So how is that done?” This way sounds way better to you than waiting for fighting for who knows how long.

“First we need to go to the castle." Solomon starts walking. 

"Wait, so you are helping me?" You wonder about his nonchalant attitude. 

"I'm mostly helping myself. I was on my way to beat the game when you ran into me. With two people it will be even easier." Solomon has a smile on his face. "I mean I do have some news for you anyway but I rather show you." Solomon has a slightly teasing smile. 

Your ears perk up. "Can't you just tell me?" 

"That wouldn't be any fun though." Solomon shrugs. 

You sigh frustrated, this guy is utterly evil. 

"Don't fall behind." Solomon doesn't stop walking. 

You quickly run after him.

  ----------------

I don't think it's a huge surprise that it came to this. 

A short part but trust me the next part is jam-packed.

[beni-draw-ikemen-please]

EYES NOSE LIPS CH 3

LEONA KINGSCHOLAR X FEMALE PREFECT 

Rating: Mature Readers (no smut yet)

Word Count: 3,247

You can read the previous Chapters below:

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

TW: Starts out mild but gets pretty rough and rowdy by chapter 6. If you don’t like non-con touching, kissing, please don’t read this fic. 

This story takes place a little bit after the start of Episode 3. I can’t say this has no spoilers. Some of the dialogue are verbatim from the game. But mostly, it’s a re-write of the situations from Episode 3. Not entirely spoiler-free.

Twisted Wonderland is very inclusive with the MCs gender. But, because this is my story and I'm using my OC/MC, I'd like to give you a heads up that my character is female. I will also be mentioning her name, and will be describing her accordingly. I'm not using ____ or y/n for this story.

Translating Leona's cadence to english (which starts in my head at first) is very very awkward for me still. Also, I change from referring to the MC as "the prefect" to the original way the characters refer to the MC, which is kantokusei or kantokusei-chan.

I just think that writing "the prefect" sounds so dry? And all the personality of how the different characters remix her title is lost in translation. I'm also a huge fan of honorifics so I'm not omitting those~

I hope you enjoy my attempt to write. It's been a while and this is mostly to alleviate my many feelings for Leona.

For Asami's name, I used the kanji characters for "Morning" and "Beauty". So I like to reference the morning to her. I'll be doing this on several occasions so I wanted to mention it here. (I also have several jokes about her name and mornings and idk how I could translate that to english and still make it work idk)

I took Taeyang's song "Eyes Nose Lips" as the title because it was the only thing in my head that felt and sounded appropriate. I'm still looking to see how this story goes but I'm really hoping this would be the basis for all my Leona x Asami fanficions to come in the future.

Thanks for reading! 

Leona and Asami arrived at the Savanaclaw Mirror chamber.

They calmly walked towards the mirror chamber. A quiet walk together. 

An unusual tandem. Asami’s eyes watched the dark-haired prince strode a few steps before her with gloved hands in his pockets. His shoulder slouched forward.  A slight drag in his footsteps.

Just as Asami was going to pass through the mirror, Leona pulled her back by the arm. “What do you think you’re doing?” Leona looked down on her with raised eyebrows. His eyes narrowing in slight disbelief how little she knew about the mirrors even after spending over a month at Night Raven.

When did he feel this casual around her?

When he realised just how hard he pulled her back, he let go and rubbed his forehead in irritation. Asami wore a worrisome face. Her brows crunching together ever so slightly.

“What do you mean? We’re going to school, right?” Asami faced Leona, her eyes apologetic and worried.

Had she done something wrong?

She didn’t say anything, so it couldn't be that she said something wrong?

“Without your furball, you’ll be yanked around if you pass through the mirrors.” Leona sighed trying his best to come up with the easiest explanation for the little herbivore.

“Is that why it took me a while to go home yesterday? I felt like the mirrors wanted to vomit me out…” Asami chuckled while rubbing her cheek with her finger. Now she realised why it was so difficult to pass through the mirrors whenever Grim wasn’t around.

Asami eyes dipped low — her dark hair partially covering her eyes from Leona’s vision — disappointed with herself. She apologised.

Leona offered her a gloved hand. “It’s easier if you hold on to me.”

Asami winced at the sight of Leona Kingscholar offering his hand to her. She was doubting the day - is this for real?

Why is he being so, tame?

And nice?

And polite?

And patient?

But she took his hand. And the blush on her face intensified. She was aware of it. But because she had the habit of keeping her head down, she had assumed Leona did not notice. But he did. That day, he noticed her blushing as she took his hand. Leona pulled her close and they walked hand in hand through the mirror.

Passing through the mirror with Leona was a completely different feat—when she walked with Grim and the others, she would still feel a slight jolt as they walked towards their destination.

Walking with Leona felt like walking on the moon. They passed slow but firm. She felt at ease — she felt safe around him. Which was weird, because she had expected a predator to have a more threatening aura around him.

When they finally arrived at the hall of mirrors, Leona let her go and walked towards the opposite direction. Raising one hand as if waving at her goodbye.

“Wait!” Asami called out to him, Leona stopped in his tracks. Surprised to hear her voice so chirpy in the morning.

“Dorm Leader, I—” this was the first time she ever called out to him like this. Her words trailing off as she realised how casually she addressed him. And Asami’s face couldn’t be redder.

She stopped and took a deep breath. Leona faced her, a calm face waiting for her to speak.

“I wanted to ask why you were looking for me yesterday…” She faced him. Courage lifting her face up to him. A deep breath bracing her for the impact of his answer. Despite the blush on her face, her eyes did not waver. They were looking straight at him. As if they didn’t share the same bed the previous night before.

Leona ran his gloved hand through his hair, trying his best to hide what little blush might project from his own face. He sighed, trying to hide his usual countenance.

“You don’t need to make me a lunch box anymore. Don’t overwork yourself.” Leona spoke slow, and there was a hint of kindness there. Or maybe Asami was just imagining it. Leona turned to his heel and left. The same hand raised as he disappeared into the dark hallways.

******

Asami walked into the classroom, barely on time. She put her bag down beside Deuce. The middle seat by the last row, two seats from the window. Everyone’s barely settling in. But Asami felt refreshed. Her eyes didn’t feel itchy nor hot anymore — her face finally free of dark circles that’s been stuck for days. A light energy lifted her spirits, she was ready for the day. Deuce examined the prefect and sighed in relief.

“You’re okay.” he sighed in relief with a friendly pat on Asami’s shoulder. “We all thought you were already eaten by a lion” a heavier moan followed.

“I’m okay. I actually feel better. I got to sleep a lot.” Asami’s smile lit up the room. The corners of her mouth lifted along with her shoulders. For the past two weeks she’s been either tired or groggy or both. Deuce followed her smile. “I guess it’s a good thing you guys will be getting your dorm back.”

Asami’s smile momentarily vanished from her face — a sudden realisation jolting her thoughts of Leona to a halt. They had two days left until the Ramshackle Dorm was handed back, keys and all. And she felt a pang on her chest.

“Kantokusei ?” Deuce noticed the prefect got quiet all too quickly. The way her eyes dilated in shock. They will be getting their home back, but she couldn’t even feel half happy about it. The sleeping figure of Leona flashed in her head.

Deuce watched the prefect as she lowered her head — a habit she did a lot when she was embarrassed or when she’s thinking or trying to conceal her irritation. She was quiet. And he was quiet along with her; Deuce felt like it was the only way he could secretly cheer for her. Asami’s lashes dipped low, trying her best to mask the shock with a more neutral expression. Deuce likened it to the calm before a storm. He felt a shiver down his spine as he felt the aura emanating from her.

“Hey...” Deuce tried to lighten the mood, and for a moment, Asami snapped back to the reality that was the classroom in the first period. Her face became softer again as she turned back to her classmate. “It’s okay. He’s still around school.” Deuce offered Asami a sly wink and turned forward as the teacher walked in to start the day.

“How—?” Asami hunched forward, seemingly trying to hide her already small self. Her left palm covering her face. Deuce chuckled a bit and gave her a friend pat on the shoulder. “Anyone would have noticed~”

****

Jack Howl tried his best and made sure he gave it all with everything he did. He took his studying as seriously as he took his training. He wasn’t the best student in his class but he’s not bad either, you would usually hear him say, “If you didn’t work for it, you don’t deserve it.”

He admired people who worked hard. He admired people for trying and he tried his best to give a helping hand whenever someone needed a hand.

This is probably the reason why for the past week he’s been noticing her.

He’s usually awake early — six in the morning. He goes out for an hour of running. And when he returns, he would find her already wrapping two sets of bento boxes and getting ready to leave for school.

Jack didn’t try to spend a lot of time with the prefect but he was happy to find out their schedules aligned. They would often pass through the hall of mirrors and “go home” together. He didn’t think much of it, he didn’t want any more than that. He liked it though. Especially the fact that she was in close proximity. The fact that when he walked through the corridors, he could pass by their classroom and see her focusing on the board. He remembered those small moments the way someone would keep snapshots of their significant other in their pocket.

He didn’t want to presume anything, really. He just really liked having her around. And he felt fortunate to be able to spend as much time as he could with her. Eventually, he asked her to stop making a bento box for him. And she tilted her head in confusion, her face finding the answers from his face. “You don’t like my cooking?” she pouted. She’s a lot more comfortable around Jack. She’s in the same year, yes, but she’s still two years older than him.

He found it very cute that even though she’s a bit older, she’s still so small compared to him.

Sometimes when they would walk together, he would often look back to see if she was still with him. She moves cautiously, though, she tries not to show it. One time he offered that she could walk in front of him, if that ever made her more comfortable. But all Jack got was a brimming smile of joy.

“Your tail is fluffy, it’s cute!” a half chuckle and a slight blush filled her face. She tried not to laugh, “I like dogs, they’re the best~” She smiled, her shoulders slightly lifting with the sides of her mouth. A comforted expression painted on her face as she reminisced her own pup.

Jack sighed and scratched the back of his head; his own cheeks turning a brighter shade of pink. “I— I’m not a dog dammit! I’m a wolf!!!”

He was a bit irritated, but Asami only chuckled and bumped him a little bit. Jack could feel the tip of his eyebrow twitch at the sight of her, doing the best she could not to laugh. And then she took a deep breath and with a satisfied sigh, she gave him another smile. “You’re the best, Jack. Thanks for that.”

It was as if whenever he looked at her, the sun was always shining in her direction. And the way her cheeks lifted when she smiled filled Jack’s chest with satisfaction. He made her smile like that. How bright she looked and Jack admired all of it.

Before he knew it, he was always watching her.

How focused her eyes would be on a book when they’re doing a study group in the library. She would be quiet, but she would have a stern look on her face. She would blink slowly, frequently, and Jack found it incredibly hard to focus whenever she sat across from him to read. She wouldn’t notice how his page never ended up turning whenever they read together. Jack was relieved she was always so engrossed in the topic she’s reading about and he got away with not reading the whole page.

At least he could watch her.

She would often hunch forward, book in hand, and sticky notes almost sticking to her blazer. Her eyes looked down as she explained how the spell is constructed and why these elements worked best together. She would talk non stop about a single potion. He would sometimes think why she wasn’t ever sorted into Pomefiore. Jack would often listen, giving it his all to focus; and eventually everything will drift into a slow echoed murmur. Their surroundings seemingly blurring, and he would focus on the movement of her lips. He could feel her voice disappearing in this heavy swirl of confusion and admiration. The scent of her made him dizzy. He liked it though. It made him focus more on her mouth. And how, as she leaned forward, the sides of her hair would follow, and she, with the utmost care, would slowly tuck her hair behind her ears.

Jack liked the way she did that.

The motion in which she used her middle and ring finger to catch her hair, and it would slowly slide down the side of her cheek. Her ears were small  — at least to him, they looked small. And her hand would pause there, just for a second, her mouth still moving. Explaining something — what was it? Alchemy? Right, he was having a hard time with that, wasn’t he? Alchemy. Right.

“Jack?” Asami’s voice was worried, she leaned towards him, her head tilting. “Are you okay? Sorry, was I going too fast?”

Jack took a deep breath and shut his eyes tight. He then abruptly stood up, towering above Asami’s sitting figure like a beanstalk magically popping out of the ground reaching for the sky. “Yoshaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!”

Jack yelled at the top of his lungs, slapping his cheeks with both hands. The loudest roar inside the library in centuries — perhaps. Asami sat there unmoving. Her eyes confused and a little bit worried. “A- Are you okay?” Asami whispered, lowering her head cautiously,

“YOU THERE! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING BEING SO LOUD IN THE LIBRARY????!!!! SHHHHHHH!!!!!” Asami and Jack bowed in apology and took their leave.

He took pride in his athletic abilities but understanding alchemy  — compounds, composition of the elements, how they are grouped together and the reasoning behind spells’ recipes were beyond him. Asami would often help them out. Deuce, Ace and certainly Grim were not the best in the subject either. But Asami took her readings seriously. And she’s often lending the guys in class her notes. Deuce and Ace would protest, telling her that she’s their friend so she shouldn’t just give her notebooks out to random people from other classes. Jack somewhat agrees with that statement, but he wasn’t one to tell the prefect what she can and cannot do.

He liked that about her. She was always considerate of others.

Ruggie is particularly fond of her, and Jack liked the fact that Asami and Ruggie shared a friendship almost like how his younger siblings did. He noticed how Ruggie grew to be more affectionate towards her, and how he would often scold their dorm leader for making such a mess and giving her such a hard time.

Sometimes they would sit by the lounge together, hot tea in hand after dinner, and they would just talk about the day. Asami liked hearing stories of Ruggie’s classes, and about his hometown, about the ‘street rats’ he used to play with, and how he missed going back home. Jack liked that she listens. Her face focused on the person speaking, and the shift in her eyes, eyebrows and facial expressions as the story progressed were little moments he held together; pieces that captured a photo of her face, tucked inside his chest pocket. He allowed himself to cherish her.

And whenever he closed his eyes, he would remember how the sun shined towards her direction. He always loved mornings. And now, he has a new reason to love it even more. Asami sparkled the same way mornings brought new light into a room. This was what he felt whenever they came into eye contact or when he happened to see her face. How could he ever forget her? He can’t and he won’t. It brought him joy to see Asami as another form of beautiful mornings in his life. 

Definitely, she was an image he would keep in his pocket for a long time.

****

He noticed though, how her eyes would follow the Savanaclaw dorm leader. How she would keep an eye out for him, ostensibly looking for him in the distance whenever they all gathered anytime or anywhere. It was as if she had hoped to be where he was instead of where she was.

And Jack caught her sighs when the dorm leader wasn’t visible throughout the day. He took note of her anticipation when they were about to go back to the dorms. The way she walked faster, grabbing Grim as they arrived at the hall of mirrors.

Her eyes sparkled whenever he felt like Leona Kingscholar approached them. He noticed the little things that made her blush, the little things that made her smile, and the things that made her sigh. They were all wrapped in the arrogance and charm of the Savanclaw dorm leader, and he couldn’t agree more. He also admired him for all the obvious reasons and he could never bring himself to betray Leona. His loyalty towards him never wavered.

What a waste. He thought to himself. Looking at Asami’s smiling face, her lowered head partially covering the deep hue on her face and then Leona’s usual countenance.

Did he even notice her? Even the slightest?

Did he ever notice how happy she looked whenever he would walk into the room? How happy she looked as she tied the knot of his yellow furoshiki every morning. How happy she looked — albeit the lack of sleep — after she finished her chores and found him reposed in the dark sheets of his bedroom.

The more Jack fell for the prefect, the stronger he cheered for her stolen glances and her hidden blushes.

*****

��Two more days, huh?” Ruggie tossed a juice box back up in the air before popping a straw through. “You excited to get your room back?” he chuckled, turning to Leona laying on his side, his arm and elbow supporting the side of his head.

“Hmmpf—” Leona couldn’t bother to answer a stupid question. His eyes were closed but his ears were listening to Ruggie as he went on about the day. Giving the occasional monosyllabic responses.

“So, you don’t have your special box today?” Ruggie eyeing the lion’s usual request from the cafeteria.

A noncommittal shrug from his shoulders. “She can’t make lunch boxes if she’s sleeping in.”  

“Are you sure you didn’t do anything?” Ruggie checked to see the expression on Leona’s face as he asked once more, “You’re awfully calm about this.”

Who wouldn’t have noticed. They purposefully stayed away from each other but something kept driving them both to find the other. Ruggie would catch him staring. Watching carefully. Electric eyes following her movements slowly. She wasn’t aware of it, no Leona is careful and deliberate when it comes to his prey. Ruggie grimaced at the thought of the dark-haired prince being so patient — when in fact he was never one to be patient to begin with.

And Ruggie knew Leona better than anyone in Night Raven College.

“I thought you liked the prefect…” Ruggie couldn't stomach keeping the words in. He had to say it. Someone had to. Leona let his arm give out and flopped on the floor. Silent for a few minutes. Ruggie waited for his response as she looked up at the sky. The clouds give bits of shelter from the mighty radiant sun.

“Doesn't mean I have to act on it…” Leona’s words were soft, as if he was singing a silent lullaby. It was gentle as it could get as he permitted Ruggie to witness. There were very few times in his life where he allowed his vulnerability escape from within the cages of his heart. And Ruggie would be one of the handful he allowed to witness.

Ruggie sighed, completely forgetting about the fullness he got from his lunch. He eyed Leona and his store-bought package untouched.

“What a waste….” He muttered under his breath.  Was he referring to Asami or Leona’s lunch? Who knows. He was careful not to let the prince hear. He pushed himself from the floor and walked away from the rooftop, leaving Leona alone.

What a waste indeed.

****

[shepherds-of-haven]

look

The ShoH fic I promised; Blade won. I’d just like to note here that there are some (very) subtle game spoilers, though the romance won’t turn out the same way; also, whenever I write about MCs, I use their default names--Arainia Niriviel and Talwyn Ravenwood--and their names or appearances or personalities might not match up with your own MC. And that’s okay! That’s what writing your own fanfiction is for! :P

I don’t think Hinori or Alize will be making an appearance in the main game, but I actually quite enjoyed writing from the perspective of this lovelorn half-Seer. Maybe they will, who knows!

I hope you enjoy!

look

✰

Hinori tells her friends that she’s in love with the Commander, and they all laugh.

“You’ve never even spoken to him,” Alize tells her, with a cruel, brittle kind of smile. She shakes out her pale, beautiful hair—which Hinori has always envied—and adds, “Well. Not outside of him barking orders at you.”

The others laugh, but Hinori doesn’t. Since the day she was recruited to the Shepherds, she has felt tied to the Commander by fate. When she looks at him—at his dark eyes, at his fine-boned features, those broad shoulders—he seems to shimmer with a special kind of light that only she can see. A touch of destiny. And Hinori is a half-Mage, someone who knows the whiff of the divine when she catches it. She knows not to laugh at destiny.

✰

✰

Hinori tells Alize, her bunkmate, that she’s planning to confess to the Commander soon. Alize does not give her the encouragement she wants: she looks up from darning the elbow of one of her uniform shirts and says, “How? By letter? You can barely make eye contact with him.”

Hinori takes the shirt away and begins darning it herself. Alize is the daughter of nobles, having followed Lady Lavinet to the Order in an act of defiance; she can barely do anything without Hinori’s help. Hinori wishes she’d show her gratitude as a friend ought to—by helping her confess her feelings to someone she loves—but Alize is not that kind of person. Every time the topic comes up, she turns hard and chilly and crystalline, like an icicle.

Hinori says stiffly: “And so what if I write a letter? I think it’s romantic.”

Alize makes an incredulous noise. “Love by letter is something my grandmama did,” she answers. She watches Hinori’s hands make quick work of the hole in her sleeve; Hinori is the child of palace servants and has five younger siblings, all of whose clothes need patching. “It’s terribly old-fashioned. And besides, you know he won’t accept it.” When Hinori pins her with an uncharacteristic glare, she adds: “He’s too—noble. It’s fraternization with a subordinate. He wouldn’t allow it.”

He would for the right person, Hinori thinks. Still, the concept gives her pause. The next morning, she drafts her letter and keeps it tightly tucked in her pocket; but she tells herself that she will wait and watch until the right moment.

That same afternoon is reflex training for the new recruits. Vice-Commander Trouble is pacing the length of the room, lobbing water balloons at trainees to force them to duck on time. Commander Blade is standing off to the side, watching the proceedings with a critical eye: he rarely speaks in general, but to Hinori he seems distracted. She tells Alize, beside her, that he’s been under immense pressure from the Autarch lately; she hasn’t been happy with the Shepherds’ dealings with the Vice-Guard.

Alize snorts and answers, “I don’t think the Autarch is what’s distracting him.”

Hinori looks again. Captain Niriviel has just walked into the room, shrugging off her cloak as she prepares to help the Vice-Commander with training. Trouble makes a loud exclamation—everything he does is loud—and says, “Arainia! How was Ambryn?”

Captain Niriviel winks at him. “Terrible,” she says, taking a water balloon from him, “without all of you.”

Hinori notices that she glances playfully across the room at Commander Blade when she says this—even though he couldn’t possibly hear what she’s saying. She notices too that the Commander’s attention has been captured by the Mage’s entrance—no, that he’s staring right at her—and she realizes, in fact, that he has been staring at the door this entire time, as if anticipating her arrival. A kind of stillness has fallen over him, and his face—usually so unreadable—looks strange: as if he’s been stricken, winded by the sight of her, like all the air has suddenly been sucked from his lungs. Hinori has never seen anyone look like that.

Alize says sympathetically, “Sorry, Hinori.”

Hinori doesn’t get a chance to answer before a balloon explodes against her face. She tells herself that the sting comes from the blow, and the blow only. Nothing else.

✰

✰

A few days later, it’s the Festival of Flames—an annual holiday at the height of summer where civilians are allowed to indulge in their most carnal pleasures. Commander Blade gives the recruits the day off, if only to help boost morale, and Lady Lavinet and her loud cousin insist on throwing an elaborate celebration of their own.

The canteen is transformed into a confectionary display, a hall of fairy lights and streamers dyed a deep romantic red. There is a dance floor, and tables heaped high with steaming plates—we must have a caterer, I won’t be eating mess hall swill, Lady Prihine insists—and most importantly, there is music.

Getting ready in the third-floor bathroom, Hinori puts on her prettiest dress: a loan from Alize, a gorgeous wrap of lavender with sprays of taffeta all over. Her letter to Commander Blade is folded in the dress’s waistband. Alize, brushing her hair as they both gaze into the mirror, says, “You look beautiful.” Then, after a pause: “More beautiful than her, even.”

Hinori’s mouth twists, despite herself. They repeat the circuitous conversation they’ve been having since reflex training: who is Captain Niriviel, anyway? Why is she so closely-knit into the Shepherds’ inner circle, despite having been recruited not much earlier than Hinori and Alize? What makes her so special?

“So what if she saved those kids?” Alize demands. “Or solved that thing in Capra, the Reach? It doesn’t mean she should get special attention, least of all from the Commander—”

“Maybe we were mistaken,” Hinori suggests. “Maybe he wasn’t looking at her at all.”

Alize pauses again. “Yes,” she says finally. “Maybe you’re right.”

The door of the bathroom swings open then, causing Hinori to nearly jump out of her skin—and who else but Captain Niriviel walks in? The One-God has to be punishing her for their mutinous talk.

Hinori and Alize both scramble to their feet and begin to salute. Hinori’s heart is thumping hard in her throat, and her mouth has a sour note of fear. Did the bright-eyed Mage hear what they were talking about?

But Captain Niriviel waves them off and says, “No need to salute: you’re off-duty. And I’m never one for formalities, anyway.”

Commander Blade is, Hinori thinks, without quite knowing why. Captain Niriviel glances at her, as if hearing her thought, then beams and says brightly, “You look very pretty! Hoping to catch someone’s eye tonight?”

Alize saves Hinori from having to give a mortifying answer. “She always wants to look her best. What about you? Whose eye do you want to catch?” When Captain Niriviel pauses, caught off-guard by her presumption, she amends hastily, “What are you going to wear?”

Captain Niriviel—no, Arainia, Hinori thinks, she’s not better than me—glances down at herself: she’s wearing only her dark battered Shepherd uniform, with a slim necklace in place of her sun medallion. She answers ruefully: “This. My civilian clothes were torn to shreds some time ago, and… the corsets on Lavinet’s dresses are lethal!”

Hinori’s heart lifts a little at that, as if it’s been tugged by a string. She tells herself she has a chance, if Arainia is going to the party looking like that.

Alize is clearly thinking the same thing; Hinori can see her barely-concealed smirk. After the dark-haired Mage leaves with her hairbrush, she turns back to Hinori and says gravely, “If you’re ever going to give him that letter, you’d better do it tonight.”

So Hinori summons up her courage and throws back a few glasses of honey-wine with the other freshly-minted recruits. Her heart further swells at the fact that Commander Blade—also in his unadorned uniform—doesn’t seem to go near Arainia once that evening. He stands near the wall, gazing out at the dancers with a look of discomfort, then veiled irritation. Once in a while the thief-master, Chase, or the slurring Vice-Commander Trouble come over to ply him with drinks; but other than that he remains alone.

When the clock strikes midnight, Hinori begins to sidle up to him, letter clutched in her dampening hand. As she approaches, Chase also materializes at his side, causing Hinori to swivel a little, looking up at the ceiling as if there’s something terribly interesting up there. She hears the thief-master talking under the swells of the music, his voice perfectly sober: “It’s not too late, you know.” Another swell drowns him out. “…accept if you asked her now. I don’t know how you can lop off a thousand heads but not summon the courage to ask a girl to dance.”

Commander Blade’s voice raps out like a bullet. “I don’t know how to.”

“Why didn’t you just say so, then? Instead of brutally rejecting her like that—”

“I don’t believe I asked for your advice, Trinaeste.”

There’s a dangerous undertone to this that makes Chase walk away, blowing out an exasperated huff. Blade stares off into the middle distance, looking deeply annoyed. Hinori thinks to herself, This is not the time to approach him. But her feet drag her forward anyway, guided by a force she can’t control.

When she draws up to his elbow, Blade glances at her sidelong and inclines his head in greeting. His face is schooled back into its usual impassive expression. “Norrell.”

Hinori’s pulse is rabbiting, so fast she can barely feel it. “Commander,” she says in a very small voice. “Is this… a bad time?”

Blade flicks her a sidelong glance that would have been nonplussed in any other person. “No.”

That’s all it takes: a simple monosyllable to mollify her. Alize would definitely roll her eyes. Hinori smiles to herself and allows her to edge a little closer.

For a moment the two of them stand in silence, gazing out across the dance floor. Captain Tallys drags a protesting Shery out onto the floor to dance; Riel and Halek play card games by the fire. Archmage Red is dancing with Lady Lavinet, and beside them, Lady Prihine shrieks when Trouble steps on her foot. Ayla and Caine are having an eating contest by one of the buffets. Hinori wonders where Blade would rather be—or if he would enjoy a walk in the cool silence of the courtyard. She begins to open her mouth to ask him this when Blade says, a little hoarsely, “Why aren’t you dancing?”

Hinori’s mouth clamps shut again. Her heart picks up its pace—it feels like someone is pounding on her ribcage like a door—and she thinks about shoving the letter in his hands and running away. But then Alize would be disappointed in her, and she can’t disappoint Alize, so what should she say instead of running? Maybe Blade is obliquely suggesting she should ask him to dance, but he wouldn’t do that, the Commander is never anything but direct—

“I don’t know,” she says, feeling like an idiot. “No one I want to dance with, I suppose.”

Blade winces slightly, but he says nothing. It’s only then that Hinori realizes he might be a little drunk, hence his talkativeness: he’s clutching an ice-tinkling drink in one hand so tightly that his knuckles turn white. His features have suddenly gone tight and angry again. “You’re not to be blamed. It’s a rather worthless thing to do, in my opinion.”

Hinori stares, trying to think of the right thing to say. “I agree.”

“Why is it so important, anyway?” Blade’s eyes are a little unfocused. “Aren’t other—gestures—more significant? Are you worthless as a person if you can’t dance?”

“I suppose it depends on the person,” Hinori says slowly.

Blade isn’t looking at her anymore. “Yes,” he says, distracted. “On the person.”

For a moment, Hinori feels a flash of annoyance: Commander Blade is never distracted. His focus—the intensity of his gaze, as if he’s constantly alert and attentive—is one of the things that drew her to him, when they first met. It’s as if, when he looks at her, he really sees her—she who has gone unnoticed her entire life—but now his attention is elsewhere. And that’s annoying.

“Are you talking about someone in particular?” she asks, a little louder now.

Blade doesn’t appear to hear her; he’s lost in his thoughts. She tells herself not to look at what he’s glaring at—tells herself that it can do no good—but then, of course, she looks. Arainia is out there, pink-cheeked and laughing and dancing with some man—another recruit, Hinori thinks: his name might be Samson—and for a moment Hinori feels the loosening sense of… relief. The two of them are close, touching easily—Samson twirls her playfully, as if the two are old friends—and it must mean Arainia has no interest in Commander Blade, if she’s dancing with someone else. And that means Hinori has a chance. Nothing is set in stone yet. She should give him the letter now, before it’s too late. Before Captain Niriviel decides to dig her claws into him after all.

Then she looks back at Blade, at his stiff face and the annoyed twitch of his eyebrow—at the way he looks away from the couple, then back again, a pained expression flashing across his countenance as if it wounds him—and she suddenly realizes that how Arainia feels doesn’t matter. Or it does, but in a way that only serves to torment Blade. The claws are already in—they may have been in before Hinori even got there—and the poor fool just stands there clenching his fists like he wants to go out onto the floor and whisk her away, growling his possession like a caveman. It’s caught him before he realized it, rendered him helpless. She can tell that he’s afraid of it, afraid of himself and the feelings being churned out from long-cold and hidden depths. He doesn’t know what to do with himself.

For a moment Hinori almost feels pity for her commander. The most painful thing in the world, she knows, is being in love with somebody who doesn’t love you back.

✰

✰

She burns her letter the next morning. She does it in the fireplace of the great hall, converted by magic back into their canteen, in the vain hope that someone—maybe even Blade himself—will ask her what it is.

She imagines saying it in a noble, tragic way, with her back very straight and her face beautiful and dignified: I’m burning away the remnants of my first love.

Alize stares at the disintegrating paper and says, “I take it the night didn’t go so well, then.” She turns away slightly, as if Hinori can’t see the tiny smile on her face.

Hinori feels too tired to be annoyed. “No, it didn’t,” she says. The two of them sit at one of the long tables laid out for breakfast and help themselves to eggs and toast. Nearby, Tallys pours an herbal tea for hungover Shepherds. Chase’s legs stick out from under a table, where he’s still asleep.

Arainia comes to sit down at the same table, bright-eyed and wearing a borrowed shirt. Hinori scrutinizes her closely for signs of dalliance (mussed hair, swollen lips) but discovers nothing.

“Good morning,” Arainia says, helping herself to some fruit from the center platter. Hinori nods to her—her toast has turned to paper in her mouth—and Alize says, “You look chipper.”

“Mages don’t drink,” Arainia says with a wink as she bites into the purple spiral of her larkon fruit. Hinori’s cheeks burn. Half-Mages do. At least the ones with no discernible powers to speak of. Meanwhile, perfect, powerful Arainia is feared by the Autarchy for destroying its greatest church and who-knows-what-else. Hinori wonders what her life was like before all this: what did the woman do to earn such good fortune?

Her sour thoughts are interrupted by Blade, entering the hall and looking slightly haggard—as if he hasn’t slept. She watches him hesitate for a moment before making his way over to their table. Her blood thumps in her fingertips, but she quells the feeling. She tells herself this is nothing to get excited about.

Blade sits down next to Hinori without greeting and piles some food onto his plate. Alize and Hinori both duck their heads in silent deference; Hinori can feel her neck getting hot at his proximity. Arainia glances over at him, casually, and remarks without rancor: “Good morning, Blade. There’s tea if you have a hangover.”

Hinori is close enough to hear the hitch in Blade’s breath, sharply stifled, before he turns his head Arainia’s way. “Good morning,” he says flatly. And Hinori knows he’s looking at the Mage in exactly the same manner Hinori did: assessing where she might have gone last night. Then he turns his gaze back to his meal.

Alize nudges Hinori meaningfully, communicating: He’s acting cold to her. This is good!

Hinori nudges her back. Please shut up.

Their nudging is interrupted by Samson’s sudden arrival to the table. Ignoring Hinori, Alize, and even Blade, he plops down next to Arainia and exclaims, “You disappeared last night, bright eyes!”

Arainia laughs easily. “Shery had too much to drink,” she answers. “Tallys and I were taking care of her until dawn. This is hers.” She indicates her blouse, which Hinori only just now notices is pink and frilled.

Samson smiles too. He’s handsome, in his own rough-hewn way—not like Blade, Hinori thinks, but good-looking enough—with chestnut-colored hair falling in a fringe over his mirthful eyes. He says, far too smoothly to be normal: “You were a good friend for helping her. Care to be rewarded?”

Arainia cocks her head, still smiling. “And what exactly does that mean?”

“I was thinking I could take you out on a date.”

Hinori watches as Blade’s fist clenches on the tabletop. When she dares to glance at him, she sees that he has a look of thunder on his face: his eyes seem to snap dark lightning, and he looks at Samson as if he wishes he could pummel him into the ground. Arainia’s smile doesn’t slip, and she says lightly, “Can I think about it?”

There’s a sudden screech as Blade abruptly pushes back his chair and stands up. Everyone in the canteen looks—Chase pops up from under the table—but Blade doesn’t even seem to notice that he’s on his feet. Anger radiates from him in chilly waves: Hinori catches a little of his thoughts, her only transient power. How dare he! How dare—I’ll kill—

“Fraternization between officers is not permitted,” Blade grinds out, his voice gravelly and his eyes blazing with a strange light.

Arainia and Samson are both watching him, wide-eyed. Somewhere, Tallys says calmly, “Since when?”

Blade wheels abruptly and storms out of the canteen. Hinori feels the breath loosen in her chest when he vanishes through the door. In the ensuing silence, Arainia turns to Samson and says matter-of-factly, “That’s that, then.”

Samson looks bewildered. “What’s climbed up his puckered arsehole?”

Hinori wants to hit him, but Arainia takes care of that herself.

✰

✰

“He’s definitely in love with her,” Alize comments days later. “The grimaces. The failing, flickering eye contact. It’s all the stuff you do.”

Hinori sighs, staring up at the ceiling from her bunk. The ache in her chest has waned to a dull, occasional throb: mostly she just feels empty now, resigned. “I know. I’ve been trying to take my mind off it.”

Alize pops up to rest her chin on Hinori’s blanket. “You know, if there wasn’t that rule about fraternization…”

Hinori turns her head. “What?”

Her bunkmate smiles, suddenly impish. “I could make you forget all about it.”

“How?”

Alize rolls her eyes heavenward. “Never mind.”  

There’s a sudden knock on their door, and Alize’s head swivels like an owl’s. Caine Tavadon, Shery’s apprentice, pokes his head in and says, “Have either of you seen Arainia?”

Alize shrugs. “Not since she laid Samson out in the canteen.”

Caine looks briefly dreamy. “Wasn’t that great?” Then he shakes his head and says, “Er, I meant—I’m supposed to give her a message, but… there’s this stray cat outside…”

Alize rolls her eyes. “I’m not being paid to do your job, kid. Find the time to play with animals later.”

Hinori sits up and says, “What’s the message?”

She wants to get to know Arainia better, she thinks as she trots down the hall moments later. Ground her understanding of this Mage. After replaying the scene over and over in head, Hinori thinks that Arainia feels much more than she lets on: that her easy smiles hide her true thoughts, that she never wanted to ‘two’ with Samson in the first place. Otherwise she wouldn’t have punched him in the face like that.

But is that the quality that made Blade fall for her? Because Hinori would have done it too, if only Arainia hadn’t done it first. Is that all it is—a trick of time, of getting there faster?

She’s heard that they made up, after the punching incident—she’s heard that Commander Blade walked around for days looking dazed, and happy and unhappy: the look of a man in love, Officer Chase said wisely as he spread the rumor to anyone who would listen.

Until their next mission together, that is—when the dark-haired Mage was badly hurt in a dogfight with some Inquisitors. Saving Trouble’s life, Hinori is told. Of course their Healer got to her right away and repaired the worst of the injuries… but Hinori hears that Blade became sullen and withdrawn after that.

She’s lost in these thoughts when she almost collides forehead-first into someone’s shoulder. Hinori looks up to find Mimir’s veiled face looking down at her, her eyes silvery and half-seeing. Hinori straightens her back and sputters, “I’m sorry, miss!”

For a moment the Seer doesn’t respond, as if she hasn’t noticed her. Then Mimir’s head tilts, as if she’s listening to some faraway, forgotten song, and she reaches out a pale hand to rest it on Hinori’s shoulder. She says, as if surprised by the revelation, “Hinori Norrell.”

Hinori clears her throat uneasily. “Yes?”

The Seer pauses for a moment. “You’re looking for Arainia Niriviel.”

Hinori flushes. “Yes.”

Mimir withdraws her hand after a moment, expressionless again. “She’s in the training courtyard,” she says, and Hinori is about to dart away when she holds up a hand. “But I caution you, Hinori, servant-daughter, rabbit-chased-by-pale-fox: if you seek her out now, you will find only suffering.”

Hinori’s mouth falls open: hastily, she closes it, unsure if Mimir can see her expression. Stammering a little, she says, “But I have a message for her.”

Mimir tilts her head further. “You won’t deliver it either way.”

With that, she departs, gliding down the cold stone hallway in her bare feet, and Hinori is left to contemplate her own private prophecy. What does that mean? She won’t deliver her message whether or not she goes to Arainia? She’ll find only suffering? Does that mean the other woman is going to, what, punch her too?

And even though they share a specialization, how reliable are Mimir’s predictions, anyway? Hinori never hears about them coming true when they’re given to other Shepherds. Maybe knowing about them changes the future they predict?

Confused, she decides to go back to Alize, to ask her for her advice—or to catch Caine and make him deliver the message himself. It’s on her way back to her quarters that she happens to glance out the second-story window, which has been left cracked slightly open: the glowing stub of a charch butt in a precariously-balanced dish tells her that someone was recently smoking. And as she glances, she sees a familiar figure, darkly-cloaked even in the brutal sunlight. Blade, she realizes with a little jolt, looking severe and taut. Towering over—Arainia.

Hinori ducks slightly, the blood beating hotly in her ears: she is well-aware of her Commander’s keen (almost supernatural) senses. But when she peeks through the window again, wrinkling her nose at the smell of cherries coming from the fizzing charch, she realizes that he’s too distracted to even notice her. From the sounds of the voices filtering through the crack in the window, he’s arguing with Arainia in low, vicious tones.

“You haven’t recovered yet,” he hisses, looking like he’s going to pick up the smaller woman and sling her over his shoulder. “You need to be in the infirmary.”

“I’m fine,” Arainia insists, balling her hands. “Even Trouble says so—”

“Trouble is an idiot. He’s also not Commander. He doesn’t clear people for missions: I do.”

“Yes, but this mission didn’t come from you. It’s out of your jurisdiction. The Autarch asked for me herself.”

“Exactly why I’m worried,” Blade snaps, running a hand through his dark hair. The line of his shoulders is agitated, and he looks disheveled, even from Hinori’s perspective a floor above.

Arainia stares at him. “Why are you so worried?” she demands, leaning up to glare into his eyes. “You don’t hound anyone else when they’re called to the Sun Court. You don’t argue with them, or pace after them, worrying and fretting. Why me? You think I’m weak?”

There’s a sudden silence that twists a knife in Hinori’s gut as she watches; it’s so brimming with meaning and held breath that she finds she has to turn away, sinking under the window with her back to the wall, as if she’s the one who forgot to breathe. She has a faint and strange sense of déjà vu.

“You don’t know?” Blade asks now, his voice quiet and intense. He sounds as if his chest is tight: as if some hand has grabbed hold of his heart, squeezing and bruising it into a new and awkward shape. “You really don’t know?”

Arainia sounds bewildered. “Know what?”

Hinori doesn’t have to look to know that he’s grabbed her by the shoulders, that they’re kissing—first sweetly, then fiercely. She doesn’t have to think too hard on it to know that this is the sight she would have walked in on had she gone to the courtyard herself. Or that this is the fraternization between officers that Blade was supposedly so against. 

She feels a queasy, swaying feeling in her head, as if she’s been on a ship for a long time and has suddenly, shockingly found herself on land. She’s so stupid, she tells herself miserably, hugging her knees. She’s always felt that Commander Blade carried with him a touch of destiny, the whisper of a grand and breath-taking fate.

She’d just been too blind to realize it had never been hers.