#and promptly tries it out the next game to great applause

[realtapiocafan]

ja'marr didn't even dance before he met justin

Toeleah is quiet and reserved, qualities that became a large part of Ja'Marr's personality. That's why she was so surprised to see her son dancing in the end zone after touchdowns this season, often celebrating in dance-offs with fellow receiver Justin Jefferson. Jimmy said they'd never seen Ja'Marr dance before. Not at family functions. Weddings. Nothing. Not even at his own high school graduation party. "I laugh when I see the videos," Toeleah said. "So, I'm just happy he's happy. You know what I mean? And I always told him, 'Enjoy it while you can, baby.'"

article here (warning: paywall)

[pug-bitch]

That’s not why I’m going (23)

Icy and empty

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake Walker x Amara Suarez

Rating: some foul language, some extremely suggestive. This is absolutely NOT appropriate for people under 18.

Word count: 4,460 (let me know if the ‘keep reading’ cutoff isn’t working well!)

Notes: This starts exactly where we left off, after Amara sees the picture of Ilya, starting with Amara’s POV.

*****

Her hands still shaking, Amara drops the picture into the plate, as if it had burned her fingers. Her first instinct is to look directly at Drake, who’s seated in front of her. He looks equally as shocked as her, and mouths ‘Fuck’ to her as they make eye contact.

Amara’s eyes dart to Olivia, a couple of seats over. Rashad, next to her, is putting a comforting hand on her arm, a compassionate look on his face.

Liv’s eyes are glassy, icy and empty. Upon looking into them, Amara feels a deep chill.

Many whispers go around the room, a few gasps, but no one speaks clearly for a few minutes. After staring into the void, Olivia gets up, turns around and leaves the room, without looking back. Amara proceeds to get up to go after her, but Hana grabs her arm. ‘Wait. Give her some space,’ she whispers in her ear. Amara nods. She’s right. Liv isn’t gonna want to talk right now, she needs to cool down first.

‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ Liam says, after getting up and clearing his throat. ‘It appears that the person who sent the slandering text about Lady Hana has struck again. I would like to suggest that everyone put the pictures away, and respect Lady Olivia’s privacy. This way of proceeding is extremely insulting and unruly. If the person who has put the pictures on the table is here, I officially ask him or her to stop this little game immediately. This is not how this court functions.’

He looks around briefly and takes a seat again. Next to him, Drake pats his back. Amara feels a pang in her heart upon witnessing some of the friendship she will inevitably break. She looks next to her at Hana, who is smiling sadly. She squeezes her hand.

‘Everyone, enjoy your meal. Let’s put this unpleasantness behind us,’ King Constantine exclaims.

As the servants start putting the plates down, Amara gets up and excuses herself to Liam who, a profoundly sad look on his face, nods and offers her a faint smile. She crosses the hall and reaches the balcony, where Olivia is standing, alone, a cigarette in her hand. Amara wonders for a second where Liv found an emergency cigarette so fast, but quickly remembers that her friend is resourceful.

‘Liv?’

She turns around, her face as tense as humanly possible. ‘Yes.’

Amara gets closer to her and places a hand on Olivia’s back, slowly, as if she was scared to be bitten. ‘Are you ok?’

‘What a fucking stupid question,’ Olivia spits.

‘Fair. In my defense, I was just trying to start a conversation.’

‘Well, do better,’ Liv says through gritted teeth.

‘Talk to me, Liv.’

She turns around, facing her, her eyes bloodshot. ‘We all fucking know Madeleine is part of this bullshit. It will become more and more evident as people around her start to fall. But she’s fucking protected. Nothing we can do but fall.’

‘No. Liam is appalled at the methods, and he’ll never choose her.’

Liv rolls her eyes and sighs. ‘Poor child, you know nothing. Liam is not in charge, he’s the instrument of his family.’

‘Look, we can fight this. This is an easy picture to fake, you get any sort of nude and make up a screenshot, it’s easy to disprove.’

‘But it’s not fake. I WAS sexting with Ilya. That’s how pathetic I am, Amara. Liam is not giving me what I want, so I fuck my hot bodyguard to forget. Some Queen I’d be…’

Amara grabs her arm tighter. ‘You stop this shit right now, Nevrakis,’ she whispers, her voice lower by an octave. ‘I don’t want to hear anything about being pathetic. I know you’re sleeping with him, but it’s NO ONE’S business but yours. And you’d be the best queen, we both know it. Let’s deny the whole thing, ok? Let’s say it’s a fake. Defamation.’

Liv thinks for a minute and says ‘No, I don’t want to lie. Then I’d be looking over my shoulder for the whole remainder of the competition, and what if they have other proof? Not worth it.’

Amara nods. She gets it. It must be relieving not to lie. ‘Ok. You do what you think is right, and we’ll be there for you.’

‘Go back to the brunch. You don’t want to piss off anyone. I need to be alone, I’ll decide what to do shortly.’

*****

Amara had socialized during the brunch, not very enthusiastically, but still. She’d talked to Queen Regina mostly, and to Rashad for a while. But her mind was elsewhere. Trying to connect the dots, figuring out who had placed the pictures. It couldn’t have been Madeleine, she had been mingling all before brunch, Amara had not let her out of her sight. Bastien, on the other hand, she hadn’t seen at all today. Coincidence?

She had tried to avoid looking at Drake too much, for fear of being discovered, but she could see in the corner of her eye that he was tense. He kept looking behind him and onto the halls.

Once brunch is over and people are about to leave, Liam gets up, raises his glass and says, ‘Please stay for a while more, as our very own Lady Hana Lee has an announcement to make. Lady Hana, the floor is yours.’

Hana gets up, dignified, and clears her throat. Amara notices that Olivia has come back, and she is now standing in a hidden corner of the room, where most can’t see her. Amara’s heart sinks; and to think that Liv had once called Hana weak. Now she’s risking facing everyone just to see her friend be strong.

‘Thank you for staying and listening,’ Hana says, calmly. ‘I felt it was important for me to address the claims that were made about me recently. A picture of me surfaced, and I must admit that the photo is real. It was taken years ago, during a sweet moment between myself and the woman I loved, Caroline. I am, in fact, gay, and I was in a relationship with a woman. Even though I do not condone the way this piece of information was circulated --no one should be forced to share this news until they are ready--, I am proud to announce that I love women. I apologize to you, Prince Liam, and to you, Your Majesties. I have been wasting everybody’s time by being a part of the competition when I am not interested in marrying a man. But the truth is, until I came here and was confronted to the reality of who I am, I was not ready to own up to the truth, and I was intending to repress who I really am. So, to whomever found and sent this picture, thank you. Although it was an act of violence which I will never forgive, I am also thankful, for the long look in the mirror you made me take. I realize now that there is no reason to be ashamed of myself. That being said, I would like to ask whomever it was to please stop targeting us suitors. My friend Olivia Nevrakis does not deserve what happened to her today, and neither did I. I do not condone the circulation of defamatory pictures, but as it happens, you targeting me made me realize I need to be honest with myself. Thank you for listening.’

A long silence spreads as Hana curtsies and sits back down. Amara wipes a tear away from her eyes and starts applauding, soon followed by everyone else at the table. Liam, visibly moved, stands up in turn.

‘Thank you, Lady Hana, for this moving and heartfelt speech. I just wanted to add that you have absolutely nothing to apologize for. You did not waste anyone’s time, as it procured all of us the great delight of meeting you. You are welcome to stay until the end of the competition, and in fact, I encourage it. You will be my personal guest, as my dear friend.’

More applause. Amara fights back tears. She cannot believe how gracious her amazing friend is. She squeezes Hana’s hand and gives her a huge smile, which Hana reciprocates promptly. When Amara turns around, Olivia is already gone.

*****

Drake had stayed to congratulate Hana on her beautiful speech, which had really moved him. He had to remain positive, for all of them. For Max, for Hana, for Liv --poor, poor Liv who had not been able to face anyone after the picture---, and above all, for Amara. So, he stayed with his friends for a while. Even for Liam, who had been nothing but gracious through the whole ordeal. Drake had seen his face when he discovered the picture. He’d seen it fall, drained of its color, as Liam was trying to keep his composure.

So, after the King and Queen left, along with most suitors, who were going on to their free afternoon, Drake stayed behind, with Liam who was having another cup of coffee in the foyer, and Amara, Hana, Maxwell and Bertrand, who had followed suit to debrief with Hana some more.

‘Lady Hana, it was beautiful,’ Bertrand said solemnly, a sad smile on his face. ‘What you said was very moving, and also very poised, you can be proud of yourself.’

Drake noticed that Amara touched Bertrand’s arm and gave him an encouraging smile upon hearing him congratulating Hana. He wondered what this was about, but he was glad that Bertrand was showing some compassion and was letting some feelings go through his tough exterior. If he were to be in Sav’s life, and especially in their kid’s life, Drake wanted Bertrand to be the sweet guy he had never let himself be. He’d have to ask Amara to fill him in later about this little moment.

‘Thank you, Duke Ramsford,’ Hana responds with a wide smile. ‘It took a lot of effort, but here I am. And thank you, Prince Liam, for this opportunity to speak my truth.’

Liam smiles heartily. ‘You’re welcome, Hana. And please, I’ve told you before, call me Liam. Let’s not be bothered with silly tradition now that we’re officially friends, and you’re my guest here.’

Drake was proud of Liam’s reaction to Hana’s news. But he was a little concerned about his reaction to Liv’s. He’d have to check with him about that, once other people leave.

‘Well, Lady Amara, I think you have a one-on-one with the Prince,’ Bertrand says all of a sudden. ‘We should all leave you both to it. Right, Maxwell?’

Max, a hand on Hana’s shoulder, responds, ‘Of course! Hana and I are headed to have a celebratory drink at Ramsford, where she’ll be staying until our next event in a couple of days. Is that alright, Liam?’

‘Of course!’, Liam replies. ‘You guys have until Monday to rest, and then we’ll have our Portavira trip. You should go celebrate.’

‘Yay!’ Max exclaims. ‘Bertrand, come have a drink with us. Amara can get a ride from Drake later. Ok?’

Drake holds his breath. He’s never seen Bertrand say yes to a drink before, especially in the middle of the day. But, much to his surprise, Bertrand nods after a brief hesitation and the three of them are on their way.

‘Wow,’ Drake says as soon as they are gone. ‘What got into Bertrand? I mean...I’m not complaining, but why is he so cool?’

Amara smiles coyly. ‘Oh, maybe he’s finally learning to let go a little.’

Liam forces a laugh. ‘Ha! That would be great news, truly.’

Drake and Amara share a look, and Drake sits on the ottoman near Liam. ‘Hey Li, tell me if I’m overstepping or if I should leave you two to your...date. But I’m just concerned.’

Liam takes a sip of his coffee, which Drake realizes smells a lot like whiskey, and snorts. ‘Our date? I mean, Drake, I’m not gonna force Amara to spend time with me. I was just gonna tell you guys that you can head back to Ramsford.’

Amara takes a seat on the couch opposite them and says, ‘Liam, you’re not forcing me to do anything. Maybe Drake and I could keep you company for a while, before we head back? I feel like it would be nice to...talk about some things, huh?’

Liam’s eyes gleam with excitement, which suddenly makes Drake very sad. ‘Really? I don’t want to impose, I know that you… well, we didn’t exactly set any rules or boundaries, and when Bertrand asked if I could schedule a one-on-one, I didn’t want to say no, but I was afraid you’d be angry with me.’

‘Angry?’ Amara asks, her eyes wide. ‘No, Liam. Honestly, I enjoy spending time with you. I’m sorry if you were ever under the impression that I didn’t. Before we cleared things up, it was uncomfortable for me to--well, you know. We talked about this.’ Liam nods. ‘But now...I’m happy to hang out. Let’s stay here and have coffee, ok?’

Liam’s face lights up a little bit, although a dark cloud remains above his head. Drake decides to bite the bullet and starts talking. ‘Any news from Olivia since...the thing?’

Liam shakes his head and glances at his phone. ‘No. Nothing. I texted her multiple times, she read my messages, but did not reply. Amara, you saw her, right?’

‘Yeah, right after brunch started. She was...it’s hard to describe. Angry, I think. Maybe a little sad, and ashamed. She told me to get back to the brunch, and when I protested, she said she’d contact me when she wants to talk. I noticed she was there during Hana’s speech. But nothing since.’

‘Alright,’ Drake says. ‘Let’s keep contacting her, let her know we’re here for her. She’ll resurface. Liam?’

Liam, distracted, gets out of his daydream as soon as Drake calls his name. ‘Hmm?’ he murmurs.

‘Are you ok?’ Drake asks.

‘Yeah. I guess. I’m just… Guys, I feel like I’m losing control. I want to do something, anything. Father doesn’t want me to confront Madeleine, although we all know it’s gotta be her, right? Leo had warned me about her.’

‘I don’t think there’s much doubt about that, unfortunately,’  Amara chimes in. ‘But I don’t think she could have done it alone. She was with us the whole time between the staff setting the table and the moment when everyone entered the room. It’s not possible.’ Amara’s eyes meet Drake’s, and in one swift head movement, they both decide to remain silent on Bastien’s possible involvement. For now. Amara continues, ‘Your father, with all due respect, has a vested interest in Madeleine staying in the competition, because she’s Queen Regina’s niece. So, I don’t think it would be productive for you to push any more for confronting her. He won’t let you.’

Liam nods, and takes another sip of his...beverage. ‘You’re right, Amara. Let’s all keep our eyes open. I just...ugh.’ He pauses for a long time, and Drake knows what he’s about to say. The look on Liam’s face upon discovering Liv’s screenshots can’t lie. ‘I just can’t believe it. At least Hana’s story has a happy end. She spoke her truth, and it was beautiful. But Liv, I mean...Do you think it’s true?’

‘Does it matter?’ Amara’s response arrived fast, before Drake had time to think of anything to say. Liam looks stunned. She continues. ‘I mean, what if it’s true? What’s the problem?’

Liam’s eyes dart everywhere in the room, carefully avoiding anyone else’s. ‘Well, if she were really sleeping with her bodyguard, it would be quite clear that she’s not interested in this. In...me.’

Amara sighs, and responds, ‘I don’t think you’re looking at this the right way.’

But Drake can’t focus anymore, his eyes are glued to the window. Suddenly, he can’t stop his train of thought. He has to get out now. He excuses himself, and looks at Amara before leaving. She follows his gaze out the window, and her eyes widen as she understands what he’s up to.

*****

Amara can’t stop Drake. She wishes he wouldn’t do anything yet, but she trusts him and his judgment, so she lets him go, hoping he won’t be too long, and won’t let the situation implode. For the moment, she has to focus on managing Liam’s expectations. She owes it to Liv, who has been such a support for her and Drake.

Liam looks at her and cocks his head. ‘What do you mean I’m not looking at it the right way?’

‘You’re focusing on what Liv is doing with her life, right? What you should ask yourself is, why does it bother you so much?’

He seems to hesitate, his eyes in the distance, but soon enough, he’s answering her honestly. ‘You may already know this, because the two of you are close, it seems. But Liv and I have been...intimate, recently, and I didn’t know she was also um...seeing other people. Provided the picture is real, of course’

Amara’s blood boils. ‘You would be offended if she saw other people, when you have a literal flock of women competing for your hand?’

She didn’t intend for her tone to be so harsh. She’s just defending her friend. Liam seems taken aback at first, but ends up laughing softly before answering, ‘Touché, Amara. I see the double standard. Although, if I may, the ‘flock’ you’re speaking of is getting smaller by the day…’ He stops to look into the distance before shaking it off and continuing, ‘Anyways, you’re right. It’s not fair of me to get upset. I suppose I’m just used to Liv being more…’

‘Available?’ Amara hopes she’s not out of place, but there’s no stopping now.

‘Yes,’ Liam agrees. ‘I suppose so. She’s been very available to me our whole lives. Decades, really. So, I have to admit it stings a little, if she also is sleeping with a guy she sees all day every day, and not giving it another thought.’

‘What tells you she’s not giving it another thought, Liam? I don’t want to speak for her, or speak out of turn--’

‘You’re not,’ he interrupts, taking a small flask out of his jacket pocket and pouring it in his mug. ‘Care to make your coffee Irish?’ he asks. Amara nods and hands him her mug. He continues while pouring, ‘I appreciate your honesty, always.’

Amara’s heart skips a beat. If only he knew. ‘Well, I’m just saying, and I’m not saying the picture is real, I don’t know if it is. Um...what I mean is, Liv has been giving this a lot of thought. And she is fully aware that you are used to her being available. One could even say that you may take her for granted at times, don’t you think?’ Liam nods slowly, his face falling. ‘If the situation bothers you, maybe you should do something to change it. A gesture. Something.’

Liam remains silent a while, sipping on his spiked coffee. Finally, he says, ‘You must be a fucking friendship genius if you managed to get this out of Olivia. Seriously, does she tell you all this?’

Amara shrugs, a smug smile on her lips. ‘Call it what you will, but Liv isn’t as closed off as you might think.’

*****

Drake runs out of the room where he left Liam and Amara alone. Should he be worried about them alone, about Liam trying something? No, not since they’ve had the conversation a while ago. Liam might have been holding out hope still, who knew. But at least, he was being decent with her.

He runs outside, towards the back garden, where he saw him walk out through the window. Thankfully, he’s not walking fast, and soon enough, Drake has caught up to him.

‘Hey,’ Drake says, grabbing Bastien’s shoulder to make him turn around.

‘Drake, hi,’ Bastien responds, slightly surprised.

‘We need to talk,’ Drake says curtly.

‘Not here.’

He gestures for Drake to follow him to one of the garages, the one that had the Queen’s Aston Martin in it. Bastien closes the door behind them, and they stand there, in the semi-dark. Drake wishes he were in control of the situation, and he had hoped Bastien would be taken aback by his confrontation, but for some reason, he seemed to half-expect it.

‘What is it?’ Bastien asks, his voice low.

‘I saw you, Bas. Today, headed towards the dining room, with a folder under your arm. You put the pictures there, didn’t you?’

Bastien sighs and puts his head in his hands. ‘You should mind your own business, Drake. Go home.’

His blood boils. How can he be so patronizing when he’s not even denying the accusation? ‘It is my business, Bastien, you’re targeting my friends--’

‘Your friends? I thought you despised nobles? How many times did you threaten to leave court?’

Drake freezes. ‘What? I mean, when Dad died, I was resentful, and I may have been ungrateful sometimes, but despise them? That’s not me.’

Bastien shrugs. ‘Whatever you say. Regardless, you should stay out of this. It’s bigger than you.’

Bastien turns around to open the door and leave, but Drake stops him, a hand on his arm. ‘Who are you working for? Madeleine? I know you threw out the phone that was used to send Hana’s picture.’

Bastien sighs again. ‘Look. You don’t need to know who’s behind this. This doesn’t concern you.’ He pauses. ‘It could have, but I made sure it didn’t. So cut it out.’

Drake’s eyes widen. ‘What do you mean it could have concerned me?’

‘You want me to be straight with you? Alright. Neither you or I can stop this whole thing from happening. If I back out of it, someone else will step in and get dirt on everyone anyways. If it’s not me, it’s someone else. And believe me, you want me to be involved.’

Drake shakes his head. ‘I don’t understand. What do you mean?’

‘I know about you and Lady Amara. I didn’t tell anyone, and I don’t intend to. Another person might not be as kind to both of you if they were in my position. Let me do my job and no one finds out.’

‘Wh--what? How do you--’

‘Stop asking questions. I can’t tell you much. But as long as I’m in the picture, your secret is safe. I owe it to your dad.’

*****

Amara and Liam had been talking together for a while, and Amara surprised herself enjoying his company. Maybe it was because he was drunk, and sad, and honest. Maybe because right now, he’s focused on Olivia. Regardless of reasons, she liked this Liam, and could see herself being his friend.

When Drake comes back into the room, Amara has to fight her urge to turn back and look at him. She tries to still focus on what Liam is telling her, but deep down, she’s just hoping Drake is ok and that he didn’t show Bastien his cards too much. However, as soon as Drake comes to sit by Liam and she sees his face, she knows he’s tense, and that maybe the meeting didn’t go that well.

‘Hey guys,’ Drake says, visibly trying to keep it together. ‘What’s new?’

‘Oh, nothing,’ Liam says, toying with the handle of his mug. ‘Just chatting with Amara. I should go back to my study soon, though, I’ve got work to do.’

‘Ok, I should probably drive Amara back to Ramsford to meet Hana and Max, right?’

Amara nods, and says ‘Yes, thanks Drake, that sounds great. And thanks, Liam, for the conversation. I enjoyed it.’

Liam smiles brightly. ‘Thank you, Amara, for the advice. I’ll think about it, I promise.’

Amara follows Drake to his car, too anxious to ask him what happened. When they hop in, Drake locks the doors and looks everywhere around them, to check that no one is watching. He takes her hand.

‘Bastien knows about us. He’s not telling anyone.’

‘What?’ Amara’s eyes widen, she truly cannot believe what she just heard. ‘How does he know?’

Drake shakes his head. ‘I have no idea. He refused to answer any more of my questions. He is definitely part of the conspiracy, but he said he’s working for someone else. Maybe Madeleine, maybe not, he didn’t say.’

‘Oh my God, Drake, this is terrible…’

Her hands are shaking, as she has a lot of trouble envisioning a good outcome for this. If their secret comes out the same way Hana’s and Liv’s came out, Drake’s friendship with Liam is over forever, and he probably won’t have a place here anymore. She can’t let that happen, and yet, can she prevent it from happening?

Drake takes both of her hands in his and attempts to steady them. ‘Babe, relax,’ he says, his voice calm and reassuring. ‘He assured me he won’t say anything. He’s probably known a while, remember he saw us at the cop bar?’ Amara nods. ‘See?’ Drake continues. ‘It’s been a long time, probably, and he hasn’t told. He said that he doesn’t intend to tell anyone--’

‘So instead of our secret, it’s Hana’s that came out?’ Amara asks, furious.

‘I don’t think that’s how it happened, no. I really don’t think one secret has anything to do with the other, but it looks like whoever is digging for dirt is doing it to everyone. Bastien being there just ensures no one finds out about us, but the rest of it would happen regardless of him.’

Amara nods. ‘I get it, but come on. The guy participated in outing a person against her will. And slutshaming another. What kind of person does that?’

Drake sighs. ‘I know. I honestly blew it, I couldn’t get him to answer any of my questions, and I should have punched him in the face on the spot, I--’

‘Drake, no, that’s not what I meant,’ Amara says, gently stroking his hand with her thumb. ‘It would have made matters worse. You did the right thing by not pissing him off. Let’s hope this calms down.’

Drake sighs. ‘He did tell me that there’s no stopping this. We should probably brace ourselves for some more shitstorms.’

‘Great…’

Drake turns on his engine. ‘Let’s not go to Ramsford today.’

‘What? Where do you want to go?’

‘To my cabin. Do you want to? Just us, Amara…’

She sighs, desperately wanting to say yes. ‘What about the others? Is it the right time to abandon them?’

‘We’re not abandoning them. We’re taking time for us, which we need. Plus, it’s in Portavira, where we’re supposed to go on Monday. We can ask Max, Hana and Liv to come over tomorrow night for a barbecue, and all head to Penelope’s on Monday. Max will bring you your suitcase if you ask him. What do you say?’

Amara looks in the distance, tears of relief flooding her eyes. ‘Let’s go.’

*****

Taglist:

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Thank you for your encouragements, everyone! Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist :)

[selachis]

— ✧ that looks like SERAPHINE CURRY! they’re the TWENTY ONE YEAR OLD DAUGHTER of ARTHUR CURRY & MERA. [ they are also a UNDERGRAD & CONCERT VIOLINIST at paragon. i hear they’re EASYGOING & REFINED, but tend to be HARSH & FICKLE. her file says that her power is ATLANTEAN/XEBELLIAN PHYSIOLOGY, HYDROKINESIS & AQUATIC LIFE MIMICRY.    // DROWNING TW.

 helo . .  welc.  to my new chracter  . . . . ^-^ here is her  . .. tl;dr PINTEREST.

seraphine curry -- most commonly called sera, sara, or sela. people always reach for sera, but sela always considered it far too close to her mothers name, that she would always introduce herself as sela -- but she still lets people pick whatever name they please for her.

sela is, at the moment, in her second year at paragon with a major in international relations and a minor in marine conservation -- she also tutors in music and art.

sela is the youngest in the curry family, and thus, had the least royal pressure put on her. she was expected to you know, at least follow the rules somewhat, but she was somewhat free to do whatever she wanted to, whenever, 

the first major, life defining moment is when she met -- or more accurately saved -- WC. someone floating in the water, maybe pulled out in a riptide or thrown overboard, on a stormy day. sela found them adrift in the deep sea. immediately, she pulled them to shore, and stayed there watching them. to make sure they were okay. she jumped back into the ocean after they woke up, leaving nothing but her name and a promise to see them again. and she did, or rather, she looked for them at that beach daily == sometimes seeing them, but never saying anything.  

she carried this sadness with her, bottled up and held close to her chest, never letting go. 

having no pressure to go in a royal direction, sela was very ‘adrift’ in her possibilities of what she could do. anything that she wanted to. however, whatever she did was met with astounding applause because she was the baby sister and everyone loved her.

even when she burnt the cake she had made, people would act as if she was the next great british baker. 

it made her feel fed up, and stiffened, because she would never have someone be honest about whether she was actually as good as they said or not. 

she would succeed in everything that she did, not always by her own skill, but by the communal effort of everyone around her who only wanted to see her succeed.

she went into art first, using water painting to make it seem as if the waves had fallen onto the page. she was claimed to be the new picasso, the second coming of leonardo da vinci, she was critically acclaimed, she was good, but maybe not to the level that art critics said she was.

she quickly stopped, and tried to find a new passion.

she picked up music, starting with composing, then the piano, finally settling on the violin. which she was actually talented at. much like her painting, she received critical acclaim with little work, and was soon given her own touring orchestra around the world.  at only the age 20.

and she promptly did what she’s discovered she’s also very good at. dropping out. claiming a loss of muse. she couldn’t stand everything being handed to her because of her family.

so arthur forced her to enrol in paragon, hoping a change in scenery and being around childhood friends might make a difference to her fickle attitude. he also mentioned that she might be interested in joining one of the fledgling super hero groups bubbling up in paragon -- which would be a great idea had she not had a major crush and minor fling with mari grayson, the person in charge of putting it all together.

wc

WC. someone floating in the water, maybe pulled out in a riptide or thrown overboard, on a stormy day. sela found them adrift in the deep sea. immediately, she pulled them to shore, and stayed there watching them. to make sure they were okay. she jumped back into the ocean after they woke up, leaving nothing but her name and a promise to see them again. and she did, or rather, she looked for them at that beach daily == sometimes seeing them, but never saying anything.   just a one sided childhood crush that has a lot of possibility to be changed around or edited just the idea of her saving some1 and eventually getting her heart broken abt it . . . as a kid. open to any gender, someone who is around the same age as sela. can also be combned with the next wc thank you.

WC. like the ying- to her -yang. the adrenaline in the roar of the wind that pushes the sea into the waves, would L o V e an end-game, soul mate-esque ship that is akin to sailor neptune/uranys where all aspects of their life seem to just connect. .. . and theyre just  ..  wow yeah gay about it. would L O  V E if this spun out of the previous wc -- but i’m open to also them being separated ! this would would be for nb/female/female allignign nb thank u

WC. stans groupies, the people who love classical music ? i’m sure there’s like 1 at paragon.

WC. childhood friends, anyone associated w the sea or with the justice league, you get it ! WC. other royals  . . . the kids who would run around balls in their fancy little gowns n ruin it for everyone else

WC. muses. would love some ppl that sela just .. paints, or writes music for, completely platonic just arts-y friends !

WC. book club ! maybe more leaning to a style of dark-academia, just ppl who read books, and maybe share their own poetry ? thank u !

[ask-serious-sans]

How would skelebros of MT, DT, and UT react to their bff saying the can’t dance, but then later finding out that they are the best freaking belly dancer in the world?

They’ll just be finding out they’re the best dancer in the world, I hope you will enjoy anyway!

MT SansSans doesn’t mind when you say you can’t dance. After explaining that he doesn’t care whether or not you can dance and that you’re still his best friend, he won’t bring the subject up again. In fact, he’s almost completely forgotten about the conversation in general when he walks past Grillby’s one day and sees a poster for a dancing competition being held there. That explains the loud music coming from the restaurant, he thinks. Sans is about to keep walking past when he glances through the window and sees you dancing.You’re dancing along with a quick, upbeat song, your movements seeming effortless and perfectly precise despite the speed of the rhythm. Sans enters Grillby’s almost as if in a trance, amazed by your skill at dancing. And here you’d been saying you can’t dance! That couldn’t be farther from the truth, you were probably the best dancer in the world, at least in Sans’ opinion.It seemed the judges agreed too, because you won the competition.Afterwards, if you notice him in the crowd, he’ll give you a smile and a thumbs up, but he won’t ask you for an explanation as to why you said you couldn’t dance unless you bring it up first. As he had said earlier, you’re still his best friend whether you can dance or not, so this changes nothing.

MT PapyrusPapyrus is encouraging, saying he’s sure you’re a good dancer whether you believe it or not, but he won’t push you to dance at all. Instead, he’ll come up with other activities, like cooking, for the two of you to try. The subject never comes up again unless you bring it up, though since Papyrus tries to keep everything as positive as he can, he probably will change the subject quickly to compliment you on other skills you have.When he finds you dancing to a song on the radio one day when he comes to visit you, he smiles- he knew it! In fact, you’re not just good, you’re excellent, and he’ll tell you as much once you realize he’s there (which shouldn’t take long because he gives you a round of applause as soon as the song ends).While Papyrus won’t be upset with you for hiding your dancing skills, he will remind you that you can tell him anything, and that he doesn’t want you to feel like you can’t trust him with information like that. Papyrus will be supportive whether you choose to continue hiding your dancing abilities or not. What are friends for, right?

DT SansWhen you tell Sans you can’t dance, he’s fine with it, after all, everyone has different interests. Though the topic of dancing with inevitably come up, considering how much he dances, he’ll never try to pressure you to dance. Sans will remind you of your other skills to change the subject when the topic does arise, and tries to avoid bringing it up when he can.Which was why he hadn’t mentioned he would be attending a new dance studio when the one he used to go to closed. After all, it wasn’t like his schedule had changed, so it seemed unnecessary to bring up the subject.Then he walked through the door of the new studio and saw you dancing. You were dancing so gracefully, with so much poise and skill, that he could hardly believe you had once told him you can’t dance. Afterwards, he’ll tell you how impressive your dancing skills are, and that you don’t have to hide your skills from him. Sans just wants to support you with whatever makes you happy.

DT PapyrusSince dancing was one of Papyrus’ favorite activities, he was a bit sad that his best friend felt like they can’t dance, but he wouldn’t try to pressure you. Anyway, there’s plenty of other activities you can do, like cooking!At some point, you were challenged to a dance battle, and though you would normally refuse, the challenger called you a chicken, which you most definitely weren’t. So, you decided to put them in their place. And put them in their place you did. You danced so skillfully, your challenger conceded victory to you after only a minute.Papyrus was quite impressed, and proclaimed you the best dancer in the world. Armed with undeniable proof that you are indeed good at dancing, he’ll suggest practicing dancing together, though if you don’t want to he’s fine with it.

UT SansSans just shrugs when you tell him you can’t dance. “hey, i don’t dance either. i’m too lazy.” It doesn’t make a difference to him whether you can dance or not.One day, Papyrus suggests trying a video game called ‘Just Dance’ and while Sans promptly claims he’s too lazy and pretends to fall asleep, you agree to try it, as long as it’s not taken seriously.When Sans eventually opens his eyes again, figuring Papyrus will be too focused on the game to try to force him into it, he sees you dancing. Sans is confused at first- didn’t you say you couldn’t dance? You seem really good at it for someone who can’t dance. Far better than anyone else he’s seen dance, at least. You’re matching the dancer on screen’s movements perfectly, and although Papyrus is quite good at the game as well, you still manage to win every round.After you and Papyrus stop playing the game, he’ll tell you that you’re a great dancer, though he won’t try to get you to dance again if you don’t want to.

UT PapyrusPapyrus doesn’t believe you when you say you can’t dance- after all, you are great at everything, just like him! Regardless, he won’t try to force you to dance or anything. Papyrus just wants you to be happy. One day, he turns on the television and sees Mettaton’s started a new show, this one about dancing. Curious, Papyrus decides to watch it, and is shocked when you appear on the screen. When you start dancing, he grins- you’re amazing at it. It’s clear you’re a hit with the viewers as well, because Mettaton starts screaming about the ratings being “off the charts” and that you should “keep dancing for the rest of the episode.”The next time he sees you, he’ll mention seeing the episode and that he thinks you’re great at dancing, but he won’t bring the subject up again afterwards unless you’re fine with it.

[clown-bait]

29 Neibolt ST (Monster Roommate AU) Chapter 9

Hi friends! Heres Chapter 9! Got inspired by that post awhile back about Africa by Toto being played in the sewer and Penny jamming to it. Leech is a huge music connoisseur so I head cannon that she plays a lot of Guitar Hero with Freddy. Also theres slapstick/horror comedy in this one! The story is going to get more and more comedic from here because of the characters that are soon to be involved. Bonus points if anyone can guess which monster(s) I plan on bringing in next!

Warnings: Fluff, Horror, Alcohol

chapter 9

Africa

Pennywise climbed the basement stairs of the Neibolt House in annoyance. Leech hadn't come to see him yet today and as much as he hated to admit it her visits had become the highlight of his day especially when she had the weekend off to spend all her time with him. he had noticed that the more he was around her the more her scent changed, it was something that initially drew him to her in the first place. Her scent started out faintly sweet, but ever since they became intimate it was becoming overwhelming to him. A human would probably describe the scent similar to that of a freshly baked cake or pie being shoved right up against your nose. When he first noticed it, he had caught her looking at him while they had been both been casually chatting doing their chore wheel tasks. Something about her smell changed when she smiled at him. It got worse that night she got drunk while watching movies with the gang. Leech was sitting next to him on the couch and that sweet smell drifted into his nose when she reached over him for the popcorn in his lap. It would get stronger and stronger as their interactions increased Pennywise noticing that he could draw it out of her by doing certain things like putting his hand on her shoulder, or giving her certain looks.

He tried desperately to cope with the strange new feelings, he stopped eating for a bit and avoided her as much as possible. When Dracula finally confronted him he was a confused mess and he was even more confused when the elder vampire helped him realize that this new feeling was lust. After Chucky found out about his terrible affliction the two had begun bugging him non stop about it. Their “helping” him ending up feeding his obsession and he eventually gave in, fully accepting that he had feelings for this nearly human girl. These awful feelings are even worse now having started this…..complicated thing. He found himself with a whole new mess of emotions that he had no idea what to do with other than bury them deep and hope she didn't notice.

When usually he found her Leech would be listening to music or messing with her phone in her room where he'd promptly scare her before flopping down onto her bed to annoy her further. Today however he could hear her shouting passionately at Freddy in the living room, a hobby that they both shared.

“Your ass is mine Kruger I spent an entire week perfecting this solo.”

“Sweet cheeks you weren't even born when this song came out”

The two were in front of the old tv violently playing with fake guitars in their pjs. Leatherface was behind them gleefully hitting a toy drum-set and Dracula sat amused on an old chair.

“Does anyone want to explain this to me?”

“I don't quite know what it is but they have been at this for at least 12 hours now” the vampire exclaimed motioning for the clown to join.

“Have they even slept?”

“I do not think they have, my young apprentice hasn't even fed or bathed yet. Her determination to crush my roommate at this strange musical game is quite admirable.”

“Speaking of, Drac need refreshments!” Freddy called over his shoulder as the song Free Bird headed into its big solo.

“You cant do that! I haven't had anything to eat all day!”

“You’re just mad because you're all alone in this battle. THERES NO ONE TO SAVE YOU LEECH GIVE UP” Freddy shredded on the rock band controller aggressively

“Bite my nearly undead ass Freddy”

“I’m sure the clown does that plenty for you already bitch.”

Pennywise cleared his throat.

“Oh hey Pen, you wanna be a peach and get me some fuel.” Leech said glancing over her shoulder.

“Do I look like your servant? You're perfectly capable of getting it yourself you're just too lazy to go out and practice apparently.”

“OH HE BURNED YOU GOOD BLOODSUCKER”

“There are more pressing matters at hand Penny, asses need to be kicked right now”

“More pressing matters than not starving to death?”

“I’ll live”

“Barely. You look half dead, go sleep”

“Sleep is for the weak” she said turning to him with an absolutely feral look on her face.

“You're taking a break” the clown said as he scooped her up before she could protest. He carried her off to the bathroom where he turned on the shower and pushed her in still wearing her clothes.

“PENNYWISE what the hell!”

“Get clean.”

“But?

“No you can kick Freddy’s ass later” he crossed his arms and watched her expectantly.

“Um….. are you gong to leave?”

“Need to make sure you listen dear. Come now out of those wet clothes.” he said with a lusty tone, shit eating grin now forming on his face. Leech rolled her eyes and shut the curtain causing the clown to groan in disappointment. He nearly began to leave when the curtain reopened he turned back around quickly. Leech was now holding her wet clothing in a nice little ball and a drop of drool left the clowns lips at the sight.

“Hey Penny~” she said with a seductive voice

“Y-yes?”

“Hang these out to dry douchebag” she chucked the ball at his head wet clothes landing smack on his face before the curtain shut again.

“you torture me.”

“Its my favorite hobby.”

Pennywise growled in annoyance and left to find some extra hangers. He knew he kept some somewhere in his clown room where he kept a collection of circus memorabilia. When he opened the door and was greeted with a puff of dust causing him to scrunch his nose in annoyance it'd been a while since he was up here “I’ve been slacking off” he thought aloud to himself as he rummaged for hangers. After finding what he was looking for he decided to try to tidy the place up a bit grabbing a mix tape he had acquired from some poor soul standing outside his ex girlfriends window with a boombox. The clown never really liked the songs on the tape at first but lately they've been growing on him due to….certain circumstances. A few cheesy love songs had gone by and he was halfway done, Pennywise felt himself getting carried away with the current song playing singing along while dusting off an antique mannequin. He removed the clown wig from its head glancing fondly at it now as it was reminding him of a certain almost-vampire a few doors down. The clown found himself serenading it as if it was actually her, picking it up and beginning to dance to the song Africa by Toto. Freddy walked by the door just in time and froze to watch the scene unfold before him in amusement. “My darling little Leech you know I have grown quite fond of you” the clown growled into the mannequins cheek. Freddy had to bite down on his hat to keep quiet. “Whats that? You've fallen for me as well?” The clown dipped the mannequin down kissing its chest as the song came to an end. Freddy gave him a round of applause wiping away fake tears doing everything he could not to explode in laughter. “That was beautiful Jingles.”

Pennywise dropped the mannequin. “H-how long were you s-standing there for?”

“How long have you been in love?”

“I’m not in love. I don't love.”

“You just admitted it to your doll there jackass.”

“WAIT HE FINALLY SAID IT ALOUD?” came Chucky’s voice from down the hall

“NO I DID NOT AND SHUT UP PLEASE”

“This is great, I'm going to tell Dracula he's going to flip out.” Freddy began running for the stairs

“I wish those kids actually killed me in the 80s.” Pennywise mumbled

Just then a scream of terror could be heard from the bathroom followed by a series of curses of the clowns name. “PENNYWISEEEE”

Freddy and Chucky both came back out to look at him.

“What? I'm not doing anything?”

The three monsters eyes grew wide.

“oh no…. I'm not doing anything….”  The clown whispered

He bolted to the bathroom busting down the door “LEECH! What hap-” he slipped on a puddle of…. something and comically landed on his back. When he sat up she was covered in a weird black sludge that was shooting out of the shower head and bath tub faucet. The curtain had been yanked off and she was using it as a shield from the strange substance.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT” yelled Chucky

“Also, nice butterfly tattoo under your boobs there Leech” Freddy added

“Its a moth!” Penny said from the floor.

“CAN WE FOCUS ON THE GOO PLEASE?? PEN MAKE IT FUCKING STOP”

“I told you I'm not doing it!”

Leech flopped out of the antique bathtub still clutching the curtains to herself and scrambling backwards into Pennywise as the tub began to overflow.

“AH Leech! You’re getting it all over me!” he yelled .

“PEN STRANGE BLACK GOO IS EXPLODING FROM OUR BATHTUB AND SHOWER HEAD. YOU LIVE IN THE SEWER! STAINS SHOULD BE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES.”

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOUR SINK CLOWN” came a scream from downstairs flowed by frantic stomping up the stairs from both Leatherface and Drac

All the boys plus Leech were now staring at the massacre that was the upstairs bathroom.

“JINGLES MAKE IT STOP” screamed Chucky

“I CANT I’M NOT DOING IT”

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIFF WILL DO TO ME IF SHE COMES HOME AND FINDS ALL HER BATHROOM SHIT COVERED IN BLACK SLUDGE. I. WILL. DIE.”

Leech reached a trembling claw up to her head and pulled out what looks like a piece of scalp with long hair still attached to it her eyes began to grow wide in horror.

“IS THIS HAIR? WHY IS THERE HAIR IN IT? WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT” Leech turned around and grabbed Pennywise ruffles.

“DO NOT LET IT GET ON ME THIS IS AN ANTIQUE OUTFIT” shrieked Dracula

Leatherface was hooting and crying. He Began smashing a hole in the wall in panic. Chucky did his best to calm him but ended up being thrown down the hall screaming out in pain.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOUR HOUSE CLOWN” Freddy was shouting.

“EVERYONE SHUT UP AND STOP BEING AFRAID I CANT FUCKING THINK WITH ALL THIS FEAR IN THE ROOM”

“YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT FOOD AT A TIME LIKE THIS??? WE ARE GOING TO DROWN IN BLACK GOO THAT HAS PIECES OF SCALP IN IT! I’M THE ONLY ONE HERE THAT CANT RESURRECT YET! IM GOING TO DIE PEN! IM GOING TO FUCKING DIE!” Leech started hyperventilating and twitching claws out now tearing at the fabric of Pennywise’s costume.

Everyone was frantically “trying” to do something to stop the sludge oozing out of the bathroom Freddy ran up to the shower with a towel in an attempt to plug it up, Dracula was backed up against the corner on the ceiling, Chucky was attempting to stand back up after being thrown like a rag doll and Leatherface was chucking anything he could at the bathroom (mostly hitting Freddy.)

“SHUT UP ALL OF YOU” Pennywise roared rising to his feet, a door materialized behind the clown and he disappeared into it slamming it shut.

“YOU FUCKER! YOU CANT LEAVE ME PEN. DONT YOU DARE ABANDON ME. GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE IM NAKED AND AFRAID AND I FUCKING NEED YOU RIGHT NOW! PENNYWISE THE DANCING CLOWN GET YOUR PASTY RUFFLED BUTT BACK HERE AND STOP THIS BLACK SLUDGE.” Leech was pounding at the wall were the door had appeared still on the floor making big black hand prints on the wall.

Suddenly everything stopped. The boys and Leech all were frozen and panting in fear and confusion. The door reappeared and Pennywise walked out sludge splattered on his costume. “Did ANY ONE here think to turn the fucking water off? No? Just Pennywise? WOW imagine that! I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO FUCKING DIDNT FREAK OUT AND MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE!!! WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT???? NOW EVERYONE GET OUT SO I CAN FUCKING FIGURE THIS SHIT OUT WITHOUT HAVING YOU SCREAMING BANSHEES TAINTING THE AIR WITH YOUR PANIC AND FEAR!” The usual yellow of the clown’s eyes were almost completely red. He was livid. Not only were his fangs and claws on full display he seemed to be even taller than before looming over everyone in the room. It was truly terrifying to behold. The gang went silent.

“C-can I at least p-put some clothes on?” Leech asked still covering herself with the shower curtain

“OUT.”

“Leaving!” she and everyone else scrambled for the door slamming it behind them.

-------------------------------------

Poor Penny he’s having a hard time. I totally head cannon that Pen is a secret plumbing expert since he lives in the sewers. Next chapter is going to have terrifying monster hate fucking so get hype for that friends! 

[jurgenmeister-blog]

El Matador (Chapter 55)

Sergio's POV: I sat in the bleachers, nervously rubbing my hands together. Anxiously I watched Alexia's every move on the pitch. I was on a higher dose of my medication, by my doctor's recommendation following my incident a few nights ago. I had been feeling a lot better, but watching Alexia play made me nervous. I didn't want any of the girls on the other team to hurt her. She had been doing just fine the whole match, but the opponent had begun to get frustrated with las blancas stunning performance and talent. Namely my girlfriend. I was overjoyed that I could now come to her matches to support her when I was home. The girls stadium was much smaller than ours, which made the setting more intimate. I sat on the opposite side of where Xabi was watching, worried something would happen. I had a bouquet of flowers sitting next to me for when I saw Alexia afterwards. It was my first time at one of her matches and our four month anniversary, both of which called for a little celebration. My eyes were fixated on her out on that field. She even made a football kit look hot. Her jersey was tight fitting around her chest and a little looser at the waist, while her shorts were rolled up to reveal more of her toned thighs. I watched my beauty as she received the ball in the center of the field, only to be blindsided by a hard tackle from behind. I immediately shot up from my seat, yelling. "Ay ref! ¿Qué fue eso?" I projected, earning a few stares from the supporters and a glare from Xabi. With a tinge of pink to my cheeks, I slowly moved to sit back down. Alexia gingerly rose up from the ground, taking a few painful steps before returning to a normal run. I breathed a sigh of relief, suddenly angry the player hadn't been carded. Fortunately, the ref agreed with my outrage and yellow carded the offender, earning applause from me and the rest of the fans. I tried my best to sit quietly for the rest of the match, having to bite my tongue a few times before the final whistle. I got up and cheered, clapping as the girls shook hands and moved to walk off the field. Alexia glanced up at me and flashed a small smile. I winked right back at her before her teammates approached her and they disappeared into the locker room. I grabbed the flowers and raced down the stairs hoping to greet her before she went to shower. I brushed past a few confused onlookers, obviously surprised to see me at a las blancas match with flowers. Ignoring them, I continued downward. I flashed a smile at the security guard who recognized me and let me in. Moving down another half flight of steps I made it to the hallway outside the locker room. Anxiously I peeked over the girls who were walking by me, hoping to spot my baby. A few blancas greeted me and I returned it with a grin and wave. Some of them "awwing" as they noticed the flowers. I locked eyes with Blanca who approached me, "nice game." I complimented her, giving her a small hug. "Thank you, I try. If you're looking for Alexia, she's already in there." She stated as she pulled away from our hug. "Could you maybe tell her I'm out here? I don't mind waiting if she wants to shower first though." I responded with a little smile. I was excited to see Alexia, give her a big hug and a kiss. I couldn't wait to tell her how great she did. "I'll let her know." Blanca smiled, I thanked her before she walked into the locker room. I moved to a bench opposite the door I hoped Alexia would come out of very shortly. Gently I set the flowers down and waited. The hallway grew quieter and quieter as the last of the players walked into the respective changing rooms. Silently I studied the hallway, there was a life sized poster of Blanca and a few of the other girls on the wall. To the left, a framed photo of las blancas hoisting the la liga trophy two seasons ago. It was nice to be alone in the quiet, happily anticipating the arrival of my girlfriend. After about ten minutes I came to the conclusion Alexia was going to shower and change before coming out. I really didn't mind if she came to see me all sweaty after her game, but she seemed to. Slowly the girls trickled out of the locker room in their street clothes. People started to enter the hall to greet the girl they came to watch, most of them glancing at me confused. I gave people small, nervous smiles as I waited. I was about to check my watch when the door opened. "Hey handsome." Alexia's voice hit my ears in the now somewhat busy hallway. I glanced up and smiled widely, standing and grabbing the flowers. Alexia quickly crossed the hall and wrapped her arms around my waist. My free hand reached around, hugging her. "You did so great, two assists on the day. I'm so proud." I said, kissing her head. Alexia pulled away slightly and leaned up to kiss me. I dropped my hand that had been around her back to her ass, grabbing a handful as she kissed me. I was sure there were a few surprised onlookers, seeing as we hadn't made the tabloids yet. Alexia's teammates however, knew exactly what was going on and I could hear a few "awws" and squeals from them. Alexia was a little caught off guard, judging by the blush on her cheeks. "What are those?" Alexia grinned, pointing to the flowers, hoping to redirect the attention from the fact I just grabbed her ass in public. "These," I spoke, pulling them up and handing them to her, "are for our four month anniversary, and in honor of the first game I came to watch." I smiled. "They're beautiful, and they smell amazing." Alexia spoke as she held the flowers close to her face. "Would you expect anything less? Only the best for you." I responded as she pulled me into another hug. "I love you, big guy." She whispered in my ear. It felt good to be able to wrap my arms around Alexia whenever and wherever. "I love you too nena." I laughed a little as she squeezed me. We heard someone clear their throat, causing us to pull apart. "Xabi, I didn't know you came today." Alexia said calmly, as I kept my arm around her waist. He eyed me before answering her. "I try to make it to the matches I can with my busy schedule." He answered in a flat tone. "Well I'm glad you could come." Alexia smiled, moving to give him a hug. "Sergio, good to see you out supporting her." Xabi said in a tight voice. Alexia cuddled back into me a little and rested my hand on her hip once more. "Y-yeah, I was happy I could make it." I answered. The bruising around my eye and cheek bone he caused last week had run its course and was now starting to fade. "And you brought flowers. That's... that's nice." He stated, making both Alexia and I tense. "Mhm." I promptly answered, hoping he would leave. I didn't think he'd want all the details as to why I brought them. "Alexia, will you be over for dinner?" Xabi shifted his attention to my girlfriend. "Um actually Xabs, Sergio and I have plans, it's our four month today." Alexia coolly answered, looking up at me. I nodded along with her as Xabi's eyes narrowed. "Is that so? Well, I hope you drop by soon, the kids miss you." He attempted to guilt Ali, causing my jaw to clench. "Xabi I was over last weekend okay? I have my own life. I'll be around when I have some time." Ali confidently answered him. I loved that she didn't let him push her around. "Look uh Xabi, not to be rude but we have a dinner reservation soon. But I'll see you at training tomorrow." I said, hoping to end this awkward encounter. "Right, have, um, have fun." He said, "bye Alexia, great game today." He added and walked off. "Well that was uncomfortable." I said, slinging Alexia's backpack onto my shoulder and taking her hand. "Yeah I'm hoping he'll lighten up over time, and I'm not letting him push me around because of this. I think he's slowly warming up to the idea of us." She answered confidently. "You think?" I questioned. "Well as long as you don't grab my ass in public when he's around." Alexia teased, nudging me in the stomach. "But I love grabbing it, it's nice and firm and it fits in my hands nicely and I can bite-" I started teasing Alexia right back, hoping to embarrass her, but she was quick to cover my mouth. "Can't you just say I had a good game and wait until we get home to be like this?" She laughed. I gave her a sly look and licked her hand to get her to move it. "Sergio eww." She giggled and wiped her hand on my shirt. "I'm proud of you babe, you played amazing." I smiled down at her, she glanced up and pecked my on the lips. "Better?" I joked and she nodded. "So dinner? I didn't know we had plans." Alexia voiced innocently as we walked to my car. "We don't, that's tomorrow, I just said that so we could leave." I smirked, fishing my keys out of my pocket and unlocking the Audi. "You sly dog." She winked as I opened the door for her. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to go out to a formal dinner after a match." I laid out as I started the car. "Formal?" Alexia looked confused. "Yeah a nice suit for me, a pretty dress for you. It's the first time we can celebrate out in public and I want it to be amazing." I smiled, resting a hand on her thigh. "A nice bottle of wine, a great meal, some mind blowing sex at my house afterwards..." I trailed off, sneaking a glance at her. "You're quite the romantic aren't you?" She said sarcastically as we drove off. "I try to be thoughtful when I can." I answered, nodding at the flowers in her lap. "So a nice bottle of wine huh?" Alexia asked, "did we magically turn into a 30 something couple?" She teased, squeezing my hand that rested on her thigh. "We're Spanish babe, wine is in our blood. I'm thinking a nice Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2012." I smirked, catching an eye roll from my girlfriend. "You're so over the top sometimes." She joked, pinching my cheek. "Hey I've got the money, might as well spend it on the good stuff." I shrugged. "We could always pop expensive champagne at a club, or you know, steal alcohol from our parents like really edgy rich kids, is that more your speed?" I teased her. "Hey I'm not a kid I'm 19!" Alexia shot back and I laughed at her defensiveness. "And champagne at a trendy club is fun!" She added, faking a pout. "You're 19 next week, not today. Don't worry we'll do plenty of clubbing for your birthday. So much so, that we won't even remember." I nudged her. "Blacked out drunk at a night club with my hot, footballer boyfriend? Sounds intriguing, go on." Alexia played along. "Well let's see, we'll take a limo to a very exclusive club, shots of Belvedere Bespoke and bottles of Dom Perignon only. Of course we'll have dinner at my place before. We'll drink a little, dance, drink some more until we start to feel it. Maybe get a little sloppy on the dance floor, all up on each other." I smirked, and Alexia rolled her eyes again. "Okay maybe a lot sloppy, but it'll be fun, grinding, making out, dancing to the music, all your friends with us." I enticed her, waiting for a response. "And then what?" Alexia asked, wanting me to continue. "Then when we can't hold off any longer, we get back into the limo, fool around while they drive us to my house. I know I won't be able to keep my hands off you that whole drive. Once we stumble into my house, I'm all yours, whatever the birthday girl wants, she gets." I finished, licking my lips at the thoughts swirling in my head. "Drunken sex is my present?" She teased. Alexia, I found out, wasn't a fan of big gestures or expensive gifts. "Well the limo for starter, drinks at the club.... babe I'm kidding, of course I have a present for you. You'll get it in the morning before training so you have it for the whole day." I winked. "If it's a car you're taking it back." Alexia's serious tone told me she wasn't kidding. "It's not a car, it's much more thought out than that. I'm romantic remember? What's romantic about a car? Besides our first date of course." I winked at her again, seeing a little blush on her cheeks. "And for the record I'm quite good at sex drunk or sober." I stayed defensively. "But what If i just want you to finger and eat me out all night instead?" Alexia challenged me. "Then it'll be quite the night of blue balling for me won't it?" I answered. "Like I said, it's whatever you want that night. If you want nothing to do with my dick, which I highly doubt, then that's fine." I added confidently. I still didn't think Alexia knew how much of a giver I was in bed at this point. She'd only been with me, thankfully she didn't know any different than an orgasm every time we were intimate. "Such a selfless lover aren't you?" Alexia teased, rubbing a hang along my thigh. "I try to give more than I take." I said smoothly, keeping my eyes on the road. "Do you wanna just get some takeaway and go back to yours?" I glanced over at Alexia. "Hmm, I am hungry and we haven't... done much lately." She winked, moving her hand up a little more. "So let's kill two birds with one stone." I smirked, driving towards Alexia's favorite pizza place to get dinner. *** Alexia's POV: It was hard to contain my excitement as I finished applying my lipstick. I stepped back from the mirror to admire the new dress I bought this morning for my anniversary dinner with Sergio. It was a gorgeous little royal blue thing, with the right touch of rhinestones to add to it all. Underneath however, was a nice black bombshell bra with lace and the matching panties. Sergio always loved when I wore sexy underwear. My phone buzzed on the counter, Sergio's name popping up. An unconscious smile reached my lips as I read the text. "Be there soon, traffic sucks x S" That man could make me giddy with a single text. I set my phone down and put my earrings in, taking one last look at my appearance before grabbing my small handbag. I knew I'd probably end up back at Sergio's place after dinner, but I didn't feel like bringing any clothes, except for the jersey he gave me last week. I stuffed that into the bottom of my bag. I sat on the couch, playing a game on my phone as I waited for my boy to knock on the door. I loved that he could be a little old fashioned at times. He never just texted me he was here or showed up empty handed. There was always a knock on the door and some sort of little treat. He was such an attentive loving guy. Soon enough that familiar, sturdy knock echoed in the quiet apartment. I jumped up from the couch, my high heels clicking on the floor as I went to greet him. "Hey handsome-" I barely got the words out before he pressed a kiss to my lips. "Hello beautiful." Sergio smiled brightly, holding up a red rose. See? I told you, never empty handed. "Come in." I grinned, sniffing the rose before gently setting it on the counter. "You look gorgeous." Sergio stated, studying my outfit. "Im a lucky guy." He said more to himself than me, making me blush. "You seem very happy." I answered as I took in his appearance. It looked as though he had gotten a haircut today, and his stubble was freshly trimmed. He had on a navy blue suit with a crisp white shirt, no tie and the top two buttons undone. He wore what I could only speculate as very expensive brown dress shoes and a silk pocket square. "Oh of course I am, I get to treat my girl to a nice evening out." He beamed. Sergio had a certain glow about him this evening that was infectious. "You look very nice." I stated, walking up and grabbing both sides of the blazer he had on. Slowly I leaned in for a kiss, deepening it slightly as I felt his hands move to my ass. "We should get going babe, don't wanna be late." Sergio whispered as I pulled away slightly from his lips. I nodded and grabbed my purse, eager to spend the evening with him. ~~~ Hey everyone leave me a message if you liked this, have any ideas or what you want to see more of :) Thanks, Jenn

[olwog]

So, we’re off to Ibiza or more accurately, we’re going to the Costa del Folk which is a music event like no other and, on this occasion includes a little bit of excitement with the Manchester Airport Security Services when both ‘yours truly’ and the Pilgrim are exposed as ‘mules’.

The event is not necessarily on the Costas and its not all Folk. It’s a great gathering of people who come together with the artists and enjoy a great cross section of music in a four star hotel for a few days in the sun; what’s not to like?

So the first day goes like this…

Manchester airport is not my favourite, it’s manic beyond belief and we seem to be on a much elevated state of security. We stayed at the Clayton last night, it’s on the airport and walkable to all terminals with T3 and T1 being particularly accessible. We’re going From T3 but chose the shuttle bus as it’s still dark at 0440 and cold to boot. The UK is having what Carol would refer to as an Arctic Blast and as we step out of the hotel reception we get an extremely chilly reminder of the winter just gone. It’s a warning shot from nature to delay the sowing of tender plants and heed my dad’s mantra “ne-er cast a clout till May is out”. He explained it to me once that in the North this meant until the month of May becomes the month of June but further south it means wait until the ‘may blossom’ is out which is usually a little earlier. Either way, it’s good advice and any plants set a couple of weeks later will easily catch up those that were hurried into the ground and bitten by a late frost.

The Pilgrim is awake now having gone back to bed at 0425 because it wasn’t 0430, “every little helps”1 It has to be said that it was a little later than planned when we drifted off to sleep last night, or should i say this morning. The shuttle driver has been either well trained or had a happy pill and grabs our luggage with a cheery “You are going to T3 aren’t you?”. It’s a rhetorical question to ensure we’re on the right bus and he doesn’t wait for a reply.

The journey is only 5 minutes but we’re grateful to be set down with only a short walk to the escalator taking us to the check-in hall. It’s definitely an ungodly hour but the there is a queue at the Ryanair desks already and, like us, the majority are going to the festival. There’s enough silver hair to stir the fantasies of an undertaker, some of them we’ve seen on previous trips and all fingering passports and boarding cards nervously as we approach the self-check-in area.  It’s populated with scanners and weighing machines where hold baggage is labeled by us punters saving time and reducing the number of jobs to make the process cheaper.

Although the whole procedure is unfamiliar and there is the odd hiccup it does work surprisingly well and within a few minutes we’re heading back along the hallway to security.

In fairness to Manchester Airport authorities, they have staff at several points on the way into Security proffering plastic bags to put our small tubes of toothpaste, aftershave etc. The Pilgrim has stressed the importance of this since our trip last month when I was stopped because I had 5 ml of aftershave in a bottle. The whole process was quite theatrical in as much as all of my hand baggage and toiletries were emptied then electronically sniffed and when the aftershave bottle was identified there was a theatrical show of putting it into a plastic bag accompanied by a stretching and slapping sound as rubber gloves were donned in preparation for an imagined uncomfortable search that didn’t happen. I’m reminding you of all this because the Pilgrim gave me very short shrift regarding the level of care necessary for me to prepare for this process.

This time I’ve emptied my toiletries bag of all things liquid and put toothpaste in my hold luggage along with suncream and anything else with a tendency flow. I’ve followed instructions and put my belt and fleece together with my wallet, phone, usb stick and spare change into one tray then put my laptop into a separate tray that also becomes the receptacle for my boots when a security lady spots their potential for wanton destruction. I’m standing next to the scanner when another security person asks me if my pockets are empty, I nod an ascent then remember I have a pen in my shirt pocket so I quickly return to my tray and drop it in. I’m now ‘clean’ and make another attempt at getting though the scanner. I’m told to pause as the lady in front has set it off. When she clears I get an almost imperceptible nod from the man in charge and I move forward. The alarm goes off and the lights flash and I realise that I’m still wearing my watch. Bollocks, shit and lots of other words form. I take my watch off and make another tour of the scanner. It goes off again and I’m wondering what the surgeon used when she repaired my aorta last year, I thought it was latex but now I’m not sure.  So… I’m getting my excuse together as the security man poses with a hand held device that’s going to be levelled at various parts of my body.

I have no idea what this device is but it’s quite happy with most of my body as it searches areas that would normally be accessible only by me and very close friends. He’s waving it around my chest now and it suddenly goes ballistic; it’s found something in my shirt pocket! Double shit, quadruple bollocks and now my mind is so full of rude words it’s like a Tourette’s factory on steroids  as I remember I’d bought a tiny tube of aciclovir (generic equivalent of Zovyrax) for a potential cold sore on my lip and this little beastie has found it.

In fairness to the security man, he’s fairly laid back about it and hands it to a colleague who promptly renders it safe by encasing it into a small plastic bag. Now that it has been neutralized the airport can breath a collective sigh of relief as I’m allowed to proceed.

I’m expecting a degree of ribbing from the Pilgrim as I approach the scanning machine that has singled her out as a potential threat. She’s looking a little uncomfortable as I approach and I see that her bag is on the alternative conveyer belt meaning it is suspicious and by implication so is she.

It turns out that, like me, she’s forgotten a small lipstick and the equipment here has found it. It’s all very impressive even if it’s also frustrating. There’s no mention of my faux pas this time!

Contra to the image that Michael O’Leary tries to project, Ryanair and their staff are charm personified and their carry on allowance is generous whilst the hold baggage limit of 15kg is a little tight. Before we know it we’re in the ‘plane and whilst setting off late we still arrive at Ibiza on time to the fanfare of celebration and the announcement that 95% of Ryanair flights arrive on time; this is followed by a rag bag of applause rippling around the aircraft like a deranged seal has been released and it’s expressing its delight at the freedom.

In Ibiza the Passport Control is well organized well staffed (unlike the UK offering) and we’re through in a matter of minutes.

Enjoy Travel are on top of their game and have us on the bus fairly rapidly although there’s a little hiccup when they realise they haven’t registered us in. This is resolved quickly and before we know it we’re at the hotel where there are more queues due to the island implementing a new tax that is payable by each of the hotel guests.

We decide against queuing and jettison our luggage to make a short trip to a bar on the beach. It’s in a small bay so the view is a delight and when it’s combined with Serrano ham and exquisite bread that’s been slightly toasted with some balsamic vinegar and excellent olive oil; the whole experience is a great opener and sets the mood for the festival well.

An hour later and we make our way back to the hotel where the queues have disbursed and we’re registered by a wonderfully helpful member of the hotel staff and welcomed by the Enjoy Travel reps who are now more like close friends.

The afternoon is taken up with mundane unpacking and a short snooze on my part while the Pilgrim grabs a few zeds on a sun lounger followed by an impressive 5km run.

The festival doesn’t start until tomorrow but that’s never stopped the impromptus sessions that crop up like mushrooms responding to the dark and tonight is no exception.

As we enter the huge bar area, there are groups of people re-acquainting themselves with old friends and others meeting for the first time. This is my third festival and I can vouch for its intimacy and friendliness from organizers to artists and most of all, us, the audience. (although that label doesn’t feel adequate)

Flossie Malavialle, Rosie Clegg, Mike Harding and Mick Doonen along with many others are taking turns singing and playing various songs from traditional folk, war time standards, Dylan to Beetles and Everly Brothers, it’s sublime.

More beer is consumed and we meet some lovely people Simon (bodhron player) and his wife Sue and Donal and his lovely wife from Dublin. Time flies when Stu Luckly gets up to deliver a couple of traditional Geordie songs to celebrate Newcastle United’s promotion to the Premiership. As a Boro supporter I’ll say no more but the songs are sung by all with gusto.

It’s been a long day and the Pilgrim and I start to  make our way to our room when we see Flossie again, this time she’s teamed up with two parts of Shite Shirts (yes you read that right and normally they wear shirts that are living testament to their name), they’re normally a trio and they’re singing more Everly Brothers, Elvis and Beatles songs along with some Country standards. They’re currently delivering a special request for the Pilgrim; it’s a Johnny Cash number. It looks like it might be a long night so I get another beer!

I don’t remember going to sleep but I’m guessing I must have because I’ve woken up and completed this.

Thanks Costa del Folk and all you lovely people that make it happen.  That was a great day and the brilliant thing is this, the festival doesn’t officially start until 1400 today!

Feel free to share…G..x

Costa del Folk – Ibiza So, we're off to Ibiza or more accurately, we're going to the Costa del Folk which is a music event like no other and, on this occasion includes a little bit of excitement with the Manchester Airport Security Services when both ‘yours truly’ and the Pilgrim are exposed as ‘mules’.