#at least he knows how to bandage that area of his snout now!

[razberrypuck]

simplifying + making gillion's whole mouth area asymmetrical was the best design choice I've made btw. bc I like giving him wonky teeth/teeth that stick out of his mouth but also that's unnecessarily hard (and kinda messy looking) for me to draw on the side of his face with the mouth scarring. and it only recently occurred to me that I could just. do the teeth thing on one side and leave the scarring as it is on the other. but I like drawing it a lot :]

[tigerseye46]

YOU DID SUCH A GOOD JOB WITH THAT PROMPT!!!

If it's alright with you I'll ask for another one. 150 with Freenoodleshipping (I am asking for the same ship over and over and for that, I apologise)

Prompt List

THANKS! I TRIED! Ngl, my mind went to Tang wearing the brocade cassock, now here we are. (You’re fine! It satisfies my addiction for the Freenoodleship!)

150. “Don’t let go.” “Just let me stay.”

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

  Ugh, it was another demon attack. Not from the Demon Bull Family but another powerful demon, a demon Pigsy didn’t want to bother to learn the name of. This demon was causing destruction all over the city, luckily, his kids had managed to evacuate the people from the areas the demon was attacking. He was worried for them, this seemed a bit too much for them to handle, they were just kids after all. He was definitely going to yell at Wukong eventually for letting kids, his kids fight demons.

 It was another insane, stupid decision of Wukong’s, it wouldn’t be the first time. His older brother could be incredibly stupid, not like much has changed. Pigsy was tempted to go into his true demon form and aid his kids. This situation seemed too dire where it seemed like he needed it. It had been a long time but he knew how to use it. There were a lot of minions he could get rid of while his kids with Sandy, who had gone with them, handled the head demon, the hard part of this was, he was scared of how they would react. That form wasn’t something he ever mentioned and it gave away his true identity, his identity as Zhu Bajie. Ugh, what to do, what to do? His master, his amazing master who had the most beautiful personality in the whole- ugh there was no time to think about this! His master had always told him to do what was right. The choices bouncing back and forth in his head. He had barely noticed Tang fighting the demons with poorly executed moves and getting badly injured.

 Dang it! It was difficult fighting these demons off and Pigsy wasn’t even paying attention. Tang wasn’t a fighter, never had been but he was trying. It took him thousands of years to finally learn some basic fighting techniques. At least he was doing more than he ever did back in the journey, he had always let his disciples handle the… messiness of the fights. That’s right, Tang was Tripitaka, he had left Heaven and was now down on Earth. He never expected that eventually he would get roped up into the same old mystic monkey business. Wukong surely could have handled this all on his own but he decided to leave to some kids and not just any kids, Tang’s kids. This was another thing he had to scold him for when he eventually met him again. If only Bajie was here, his hero, well aside from all the cowardly antics, he could handle this if he wanted to, he was always strong like that. Ugh, Tang should be focusing!

 He called out to Pigsy, “Pigsy! A little help!”

 Pigsy snapped out of his thoughts. Tang was hurt and that infuriated Pigsy. He ran to Tang and shielded him from the demons. He summoned his rake and began fighting them but even with his rake, it was too much. He needed his demon form and he needed it now. “Tang…”

 “Yes, Pigsy?” He asked, clutching an arm and rubbing it.

 The pig demon had Tang put his arms around Pigsy’s neck. “Don’t let go. Okay?” Tang nodded.

 “What are you going to do?”

 “You’ll see…” Pigsy closed his eyes as he focused on transforming. He grew larger, tusks appearing and his blue eyes glowing. Tang gasped. The now large demon glanced back at his reaction, Tang had his mouth agape, his eyes widened as he marveled at Pigsy’s demon form. Pigsy sucked in a breath, Tang was afraid of him, that was the clear answer to Bajie at least.

 Tang was amazed, that form, he recognized it! That was Bajie’s true demon form! WAIT! Pigsy was actually Bajie? He had only seen that form a few times during the journey! Everytime he did made him flustered and this was no different. He looked so handsome and… and hot! He hadn’t changed a bit, real demon form wise.

 During the scholar’s amazement, Pigsy took out demons left and right with his now huge rake, attempting to ignore Tang’s reaction. The minions finally fell and he could see his kids and Sandy off in the distance fighting the head demon.

 Pigsy put Tang down, Tang had that same questioning look on his face. His mouth was still wide open. Yep, Tang was afraid of him. “Pigsy… you’re…”

 “Zhu Bajie… I know. I know you’re scared of me, Tang.”

 “What?” Pigsy thought he was scared of him? He could never be scared of him. He glared at Bajie’s stupidity.

 Welp, that did nothing to ease the demon’s nerves. “I’ll… I’ll see ya later, Tang!” Then the demon was off. Tang sighed, confrontation was never his love’s strong suit.

 The kids and Sandy came back moments later after defeating the head demon. They asked where Pigsy was but Tang simply answered that Pigsy was resting, no doubt back in their apartment. It was a simple matter of bandaging his wounds then he said goodbye to the three and made his way back to his place. He and Bajie needed to have a chat.

 The Buddhist unlocked the door to their apartment, stepping inside and seeing Pigsy on the couch with his face in his hands. He stepped inside, shutting the door with a click. Pigsy looked up at him. “Pigsy…”

 “Tang… ya shouldn’t be here…”

 “Why not? It’s my home too. Just let me stay… hear me out.”

 “Why? You’re just gonna turn me away…”

 Tang facepalmed. “No I’m not! Gods, Bajie… the way you handle confrontation hasn’t changed…”

 “What?”

 “It’s so nice to see you again but you seem clueless, I’m supposed to be the oblivious one, remember?” He said as he cupped Bajie’s face.

 “WHAT? Wait… what are ya tryin’ to say?”

 “It’s me, Tripitaka. I know I look different but it’s me.”

 Bajie was stunned until he snapped out of it and glared. “Real funny, Tang. Oh yeah and I’m the Monkey King.”

 The Buddhist sighed. “I’ll prove it. Wait right here.” He went to his room and looked through a box. He pulled an item of clothing out and smiled, surely this was enough to convince him.

 Meanwhile, Bajie tapped his foot. Tang’s joke wasn’t funny at all. Surely, he would have noticed if Tang was his master. Next he knew Tang walked towards him wearing… wearing the brocade cassock, the same brocade cassock his master wore. Then Tang repeated the heart sutra, his body glowing as he did so.

 He smirked at Pigsy. “See… I wasn’t scared of you at all. Just surprised that the same pig who I get noodles from is my Bajie.”

 “Your… your, YOUR BAJIE?” Pigsy blushed. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe it. You’re actually Tripitaka.”

 “Yes I am and yes, my Bajie.” He cupped his love’s face again. “No one else’s, if you want to be mine that is.”

 The demon’s heart thumped and he purred. “Ya like me?” His master liked him? Tang liked him? There was a lot they needed to discuss, a lot he needed to ask but just that question was slipping out from his mouth.

  Tang’s face was pink. “I- I like you very much. Love is the more correct word though.”

  “Ya wanna go out with me?”

  “Of course I do! If you want to go out with me that is.”

  Pigsy beamed, he carried Tang bridal style and swung him around. Tang giggled. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  “So that’s a yes then?”

  The demon rolled his eyes. “Course it is. I wanted you for so long.”

  Tang’s blush deepened. “Me too… we have a lot to talk about.”

  “We most certainly do.” They leaned and gave each other a passionate kiss.

  “Does this mean I get free noodles now?”

  Pigsy laughed. “Ya wish!”

  “Really not even if I…” He scratched Wuneng’s ears, his purrs getting louder. “You’re awfully handsome in your demon form, wouldn’t mind seeing it more.”

  “Then I’ll be sure to use it more then. You’re still not gettin’ free noodles though, my little freeloader.”

  “My little freeloader? I like that.” He kissed Bajie’s snout. “I’ll find a way to persuade you, my love.”

  “Sure, it’s not goin’ to happen.”

  “We’ll see,” he whispered as he gave his lover another kiss. “I love you.”

  “I love you too, my dear master.”

  This wasn’t how they expected this to go, it was definitely a welcome surprise to each of them, a surprise they would tell at their wedding night, one day.

[fred-george-fic]

In the Middle Pt. 4

Cedric x Reader & George x Reader (Eventually)

A/N: I have started a tag list, so please let me know if you would like to be added!

Summary: It’s time for the first task of the Triwizard tournament!

Pairing(s): Cedric x Reader & George x Reader (eventually)

Word Count: 1.9k

Masterlist: ~Part 1~Part 2~Part 3~

Warnings: Mentions of characters getting injured

The First Task

November 24th came quicker than you had hoped, but you were glad Harry was willing to tell Cedric about the first task, since the other champions already knew. You followed George and Fred through the stands as they took bets from students about the champions. Eventually, you found your seats, noticing that Hermione wasn’t sitting next to Ron. You turned to the twins, “I’ll be right back, I am going to go talk to Cedric” You quickly got up and began heading towards the champions tent. You could see Hermione on the outside, speaking to Harry and saw her slip in and a flash go off.

Once you entered the tent, Rita Skeeter was there antagonizing the champions again.

“…this tent is for champions and friends.” You hear Victor say giving Rita and stern look.

“No matter, I got what I wanted.” Rita said with a smirk and left the tent.

Cedric saw you standing at the entrance the moment that Rita left and ran towards you lifting you up off the ground. “Y/N, what are you doing here?” His mouth was in a wide smile, but his eyes were worried

“I had to come wish you luck!” You kiss him lightly and then hear Dumbledore, Crouch and Bagman come in.

“Ms. Granger” Dumbledore looks over at you “And Ms. Y/L/N. What are you both doing in here?”

“We were just leaving.” You say, giving Cedric’s hand one last squeeze and grabbing Hermione’s arm. You both head back to your seats. George and Fred had gotten binoculars out and then you hear the announcement. “First up, we have Cedric Diggory versus the Swedish Short-Snout!”

You see Cedric come out of the tunnel, the dragon immediately notices him and begins to pursue him. You throw your hands over your eyes, “Just let me know when it’s finished.”

You hear him yell something and when you look up you see he had turned a rock into a dog, distracting the dragon. You cheered excitedly, but as Cedric went for the Golden egg, the dragon turned back to Cedric blowing blue fire out of its nose, burning half his face. However, despite the burn, he manages to grab the egg and successfully complete the first task. You sigh in relief, but you know that the burn had to hurt. “I need to go to the Medical tent!” You say to the twins, getting up from your seat and making your way out of the stadium and back towards the tents.

-------

As soon as you made your way out of the stadium, you immediately began sprinting towards the medical tent, where you could see them taking Cedric. Once you entered the tent, you saw them laying Cedric onto one of the available beds. “Madam Pomfrey!” You yell, gaining her attention. “I am here to help!”

“Ah, Y/N! We’re going to need some burn-healing paste for this one.” She pointed towards Cedric and grabbing the paste. “Did you want to apply it?”

“If I may.” You say taking the paste from her and sitting next to Cedric’s bed. You begin to slowly cover the burnt side of Cedric’s face, eventually covering it in the thick orange paste. As he moved slightly, you run your fingers through his hair, rubbing his head lightly. He began to stir, opening one eye on the side that wasn’t burnt.

“Y/N?” He looks over at you, giving you the smallest smile he can manage.

“Get some rest, Ced.” You say trying to soothe him.

“Will you be here when I wake up?” His voice is strained, but he still tries his best. 

“Of course.” You’re about to grab his hand when you hear someone else enter the tent.

“We’re going to need more of that burn-healing paste over here!” Madam Pomfrey yelled as she helped lower Fleur onto the bed. Once you went over there to assist, Fleur was still conscious, with only a mild burn on her leg where her skirt was set on fire. You applied the paste to the burned area and gave her a small smile. “You’re going to be okay, Fleur. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Merci beaucoup.” Fleur winced. You walked away from her bed as Madame Maxime walked in and immediately went to her side. Victor Krum came in next, he showed no visible injuries as Madam Pomfrey looked him over and was given the okay to leave the medical tent. 

It was quiet in the tent for a long time, only the occasional sounds of Madam Pomfrey checking on Cedric and Fleur and Madam Maxime talking. You heard the roar of the last dragon, meaning Harry was up. You waited awhile, soothing Cedric when you could, but he was mostly unconscious by this point. Eventually, Harry is brought in due to a cut on his shoulder that he sustained from the dragon. Madam Pomfrey quickly used a healing spell to heal the gash, quicker than you’d be able too. “Y/N, can you use the bandaging charm for this one?” She taps Harry’s bed and goes back to check on the other patients.

You walk over to Harry’s bed, tap his shoulder and say “Ferula”, immediately bandages wrapped around Harry’s shoulder and torso, ensuring that the wound was covered.

“Thanks, Y/N.” Harry said giving you a wide smile, probably from adrenaline more than anything.

“How was your first task?” You ask him, sitting near his bed. 

“I think it went well, except for the shoulder.” He said sitting up in bed.

“Mr. Potter, you are cleared to head back to the Gryffindor dormitories, just make sure you come and see me in the morning.” Madam Pomfrey says as she begins to look over Fleur’s and Cedric’s burns. “These two however, will need to come to the Hospital Wing in the castle. The paste needs to stay on at least through the night.”

As you help Madam Pomfey clean up the medical tent, both Fleur and Cedric are moved into the Hospital Wing. You both quickly follow, along with Madame Maxime. Cedric continued to sleep throughout the day, even when his Hufflepuff friends came in to check on him. Fleur had visitors as well, Madame Maxime and her sister stayed for most of the day, random Beauxbatons would come into the room and chat. You continued to sit next to Cedric’s bed, reading your potions textbook and occasionally asking Madam Pomfrey healing questions.

Around 10:00 PM is when Fred and George slid their way into the room, motioning you to come out and talk to them. You roll your eyes, check to make sure Cedric is still sleeping and follow them out. “What is it?” You whisper closing the door behind you.

“We thought you might want to know the results of the first task.” Fred whispered back pulling you a little way down the hall.

“Harry and Victor tied for first, Cedric came in second, Fleur in third.“ George said.

“You also missed the Gryffindor celebration in the common room for Harry.” Fred continued.

“Harry opened the golden egg and it let out a nasty shriek.” George shook his head.

“Thought you might want to warn Diggory.” Fred finished.

“I appreciate the concern; I will let him know once he wakes up.” You turn around and begin to walk away when George grabs your arm.

“You’re going back?” George looks at you hoping that you’ll come back with them to the common room.

“I promised Cedric I would be there when he woke up.” You look between the boys and sigh. “I’ll be there for breakfast in the morning, okay?”

George lets go of your arm, deflating a little. “Okay.” They both say and turn back down the hall, walking away. You felt bad really. You had already abandoned the boys at the tournament, now you weren’t spending time celebrating a big win for Gryffindor. You knew they were going to tease you about it later, but you also knew Cedric needed someone to be there for him. You had never seen the boys so upset about you not spending time with them, maybe because you had never not spent time with them. You sigh, making a mental note to spend some quality time with them and head back into the hospital wing. Fleur and Cedric were both asleep and Madam Pomfrey was nowhere to be seen. You take your seat back next to Cedric’s bed and grab his hand with a small squeeze before returning back to your book.

“Y/N-” Someone whispers nearby waking you up suddenly. You rub your eyes and look around the dimly lit hospital room, before your eyes land on the boy staring at you from the bed. 

“Oh, Cedric. You’re awake.” You give his hand a squeeze and smile at him.

“You’re still here.” He smiles back at you, returning a squeeze to your hand.

“I told you I would be. I had to make sure you are okay. How does your face feel?” When observing his face, you notice most of the burn-healing paste has dissolved leaving an orange tint behind.

“Much better, thanks to you.” Cedric continues holding onto your hand, when you hear the door adjacent to the room open and Madam Pomfey step out.

“Wonderful, you’re awake.” Madam Pomfrey begins grabbing supplies in order to clean off the paste.

When you look out the window, you notice that the sun is beginning to rise and Fleur has already left the hospital wing. “Where’s Fleur?”

“I sent her back about an hour ago.” Madam Pomfrey hands you the supplies and begins setting up the room for the day.

You begin cleaning off Cedric’s face, trying to be as careful as possible in case there’s any pain leftover. As you methodically clean, he looks at you intently, taking in all of your features. “Who knew someone who just spent the last six hours sleeping like that could look so lovely.” Cedric says breaking into a wide smile as you finish cleaning up the last of the paste.

“Well, aren’t you cheeky this morning?” You laugh slightly. “Come on, let’s get you back to your common room.”

Cedric slides off the bed, giving Madam Pomfrey a “thank you” and walks out of the room while you follow behind. The moment that the doors close, he cups your face with his hands and gives you a passionate kiss, staying like that for a moment. “Woah, what’s gotten into you?” You look into his eyes, which squint at the edges from his wide smile.

“I am just beyond grateful for you.” He intertwines his hands with yours, pulling you with him as you walk towards the Hufflepuff common room. Once you arrive, you notice a few students coming out of the common room to get an early start on their day. Many offer Cedric a “congratulations” as they walk out. “Thank you. For everything.” He says kissing you again and slipping inside the room. Before the doors closed, you could hear cheering inside and then silence.

You walk slowly back to the Gryffindor common room, saying the password as you approach. Once you walk in, you notice a familiar red headed boy sleeping on the couch. “George.“ You whisper tapping him on the shoulder. You wonder why he’s on the couch, but want more than anything to head down to breakfast, so you keep your questions to yourself.

He jumps up slightly, instantly smiling when he sees you. “Hello, Y/N.” 

“Go grab Fred, I’m starving.” He gives you a mock salute and runs up the stairs, bringing Fred back down with him. You three walk down to the Great Hall together, listening intently as the twins tell you about their newest creations.

-------

Tag List:

@stardewsnail​

If you would like to be added/removed from the tag list, comment, ask or message me and let me know!

[writer1]

A Jedi's wolf

Part 1

Anakin lays in his bed, thinking about his boyfriend, Rex. It's been fifteen long years since he's seen him, Rex was with Ahsoka during order 66.

They both separated since it was safer, Ahsoka them met up with Anakin a few years later. Ever since they reunited, Anakin and his Padawan have been trying to get ahold of Rex. But it's all for not.

Anakin misses him so much, ever since his near death at the hands of Palpatine he's been trying to find Rex. It was hard at first, Palpatine did some real damage before Master Windu saved him.

Palpatine cut off all of his remaining limbs, Anakin still gets severe phantom pain on bad days. He still wears the glove on his left hand though, he thinks it looks cool. And he can make people think that it's his only remaining limb, he had a lot of fun with that when Kanan asked for "a hand" with the ghost.

Ahsoka's bee very secretive these past few days though, first it was this person she sent the ghost crew after, now she won't tell him who it is, skittering around the details about them.

Anakin hears a knock on the door, he pushes himself up. He brushes his fingers through his long hair, trying to make himself look at least a little bit presentable. Ahsoka told him that she would be sending the new Rebel up to talk to him, he has no idea why she always sends them up to talk, but she does.

"Coming!" Anakin yells out as he checks himself in the mirror, he looks good enough. He walks over and swings the door open, ready to say the usual welcome to the Rebellion speech but what he see's freezes him in place.

It's an older man with a bald head and fluffy white beard, Anakin doesn't know who it is for a minute but then it clicks.

"Rex?" Anakin asks quietly, he prays to the force that he isn't wrong, that this isn't just a brother that looks more like Rex. The man nods, looking equally as shocked as Anakin.

"Rex!" Anakin slams into him full force, wrapping his arms tightly around Rex, never wanting to let go again. He lets out a sob, unable to hold it back.

Rex pulls him even closer, tears falling down his face as he kisses Anakin's tears away.

"You're alive." Rex whispers quietly as he kisses Anakin, he can't believe it. He's thought that Anakin died for years, Rex looks down to see the new cybernetic arm. He pulls away, cupping Anakin's cheek.

"What happened! Who hurt you!" Anakin looks down, he knows that it's going to be different.

"Palpatine. It's not just my arm either, he got both my legs too." Rex feels rage boil up in him, but he pushes it down.

"I'll kill him if I ever get the chance." Rex grumbles and Anakin pulls him in for a kiss, it makes Rex smile.

"Come on, I'll show you around. Then we can thank Ahsoka for this." Rex nods, and grabs Anakin hand as he's lead out of the room, happy to be home.

×××

It's been a few weeks since Rex had joined the Rebellion and he's loved it, Gregor and Wolffe ended up joining too.

Rex has been helping Anakin through his bad days, but he's been trying to figure out how to tell Anakin his secret. He's a Werewolf, it happened during the siege of Mandalore.

Ahsoka helped him, but he had her promise not to tell anyone. Including Anakin, the only people who know are Ahsoka, Gregor and Wolffe. They've all tried to convince him to tell Anakin but he's to scared, he doesn't want Anakin to hate him.

He has a mission with Anakin, the ghost crew and his brothers, he just hopes that it goes well.

×××

"Come on, Rex!" Rex sighs as he shoots down the stormtroopers, they were found out and everyone is fighting. They are in the middle of a fire fight.

"Anakin! Where are yah going!"

"I'm going to make it to the base, we need those supplies." Rex grunts, this mission was supposed to be simple, get into the empires base using stealth, get the supplies and get out. But it never goes the way it's supposed to go.

"I'm going with him, make sure he doesn't get himself killed!" Everyone nods as Rex goes running.

"Are missions with Skywalker always like this?"

"Pretty much." Ahsoka answers Kanan as Rex goes running after Anakin.

He falls behind and he searches the base, shooting down and fighting any stormtroopers that Cross his path. He knows that Anakin is going for the large hanger bay, if he opens up the door Hera can pick up everyone else and fly over, they'll hopefully have enough time to get the supplies and get out.

Rex runs into the hanger bay, but what he sees makes his blood boil in rage. Anakin is being beaten by stormtroopers, but not just stormtroopers.

There's another Werewolf with black fur, he must have been part of the empire before he was bit. The Wolf has clawed Anakin's chest, leaving deep slash wounds and all four of his cybernetics have been destroyed. He can see Anakin breathing and hear his tiny whimpers.

Rex knows that he has to protect Anakin, and he knows that's there's only one way that he'll have a chance too. The troopers see him, they don't think anything of him, but the Werewolf knows better, he can smell what Rex is.

Rex starts to concentrate, making himself transform. The Wolf let's him, he's bored and wants a challenge. Killing human Rebels can only be fun for so long.

Rex groans in pain as the transformation starts, he doesn't even bother to take his armor off. He'd rather it break than give them anymore time to hurt Anakin, his voice grows deeper everytime he groans as he kneels on the floor.

His body grows bigger, armor starting to bend. It hurts even more when the armor tightens around him, but the problem is taken care of when it starts to pop off, chestplate first.

Anakin is in a world of pain, that Wolf like beast came out of no where. He senses when Rex walks in, he's had a force inhibitor, the thing stabbed him with the dart.

But it's a lower kind, he can sense everything but can't harness it. As soon as he senses Rex all Anakin feels is fear that this thing will kill him.

Anakin hears the groans of pain but hasn't sensed the Wolf move, so he fights through his agonizing pain and turns on his stomach. He sees Rex start to transform, armor popping off and his eyes widen. Anakin has no idea what's happening.

Rex keeps growing bigger, fur sprouting out all over him. He has no idea that Anakin's watching, and wouldn't care if he did know.

Rex squeezes his eyes shut to block out the pain as his mouth elongates into a snout. The pain lessens and he can finally catch his breath as the transformation finishes, he stands up and shakes himself off.

Rex has grey fur with specks of white with a large area of white fur where his beard once was, he has a large fluffy tail that sways back and forth. He looks over at the black Wolf angrily, glancing down to see Anakin staring back at him in fear and shock.

Rex feels so bad for scaring him but that doesn't matter now, the other Wolf launches himself at Rex. Anakin watches as both werewolves fight, he can't believe what his boyfriend has become.

He wonders how it happened, and when it happened. Anakin. Tries to stand up to help Rex fight, but he screams in pain and falls back down, his cybernetics are ruined.

Rex hears the scream as he sees Anakin trying to get up, only to fall back to the ground in pain, he loses it and attacks the black Wolf with no mercy.

The black Wolf slashes Rex with its claws in so many places but Rex ignores the agonizing pain, biting the Wolf's throat. He can taste the blood as he forces the Wolf to the ground, and it takes its last breath.

It transforms back into a human, Rex recognizes him as one of the leaders of the Empire's fleet. He stands up as the rest of the stormtroopers run in fear, he limps over and open's up the bay doors then hurries to Anakin.

"Anakin? Ani, are you okay." Rex picks Anakin up gently, cradling his broken body in his large arms, his ears are pressed tightly against his head and he lets out a whine, Anakin looks up at Rex with wide eyes.

"Rex?" He asks and Rex nods.

"Y-Yeah, it's me. I'm here." Anakin looks up at Rex in fear and shock, he tries to speak but finally passes out from the severity of his injuries, all Rex can feel is fear.

"Ani! Anakin wake up! please." Rex whimpers out the last part as he presses his forehead against Anakin's

Hera gets the ship in the hanger bay and everyone jumps out, the ghost crew pull their guns and lightsaber's out, aiming for Rex.

"Wait! Stop it's Rex!" Ahsoka runs in front of him and so does his brothers, Gregor walk's back to check on them both.

"You okay Rex."

"Check Anakin first." Rex tells him, he doesn't care how injured he is, Anakin comes first.

"Okay brother, I'll check your Riduur first." Gregor takes Anakin as Hera comes running out of the ghost to check on Anakin and Rex, the rest of the ghost crew are either loading the supplies or keeping guard.

"Rex, you and Gregor get Anakin into the ghost. We have medical supplies on board, we're almost done here." They both nod, and Rex picks Anakin up.

He may be injured but his Wolf form helps him power through it. Rex limps into the ghost followed by Gregor, Rex sits down on the ground as Gregor grabs the medical supplies. He sets Anakin on his lap, wrapping his tail around his crossed legs.

Thank the force the kaminoans did one food thing and taught all troopers basic medical knowledge. Rex looks Anakin over, it's pretty bad.

"He's going to be okay Rex." Rex nods at Gregor, unable to speak. Gregor starts bandaging Anakin up and Rex prays to the force that he'll be okay.

Tagging: @ahsokatano-thetogruta @captainrexisboo @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life

[thetravelerwrites]

Monster Match #26: Duamutef (Lemon)

The Traveler's Masterlist

For @one-halloween: “My pronouns are she/her and my orientation is pan. I'm small (like 4'9") with waist length brown hair that's bleached in an ombre style. I dress in a kind of retro style (so like 80s acid washed jeans and crop tops). Uhh I love reading, writing and gaming as well as hiking and working on a car or something like that. I'm often quiet but around people I like I can be the jokester of the group.

Cliché but I like partners who are taller than me, and those I can joke around with. Someone who is also loyal and honest as well as loving and will take interest in hobbies. The things I dislike are dishonesty and secrets. As well as someone who takes life way too seriously and won't crack a joke here or there. Also someone who doesn't take interest in what others do. I was thinking if you could make it NSFW that would be great.”

You’ve been matched with Duamutef!

Duamutef is one of the four sons of Horus and one of the protection gods of the four canopic burial jars, specifically the jar which contains the stomach. In war, the most frequent cause of death was from injuries in the torso and stomach, and Duamutef protects this organ, both in life and in death.

Duamutef was originally represented as a man wrapped in mummy bandages; however, from the New Kingdom onwards, he is shown with the head of a jackal and is an example of cynocephaly which, in Greek mythology, is a creature with a human body and a canid head, specifically a jackal.

What gives a god their power was the belief of their followers; however, many of the ancient religions had either died completely or were far less worshiped during modern times, affording the gods of those pantheons less power. While some gods lamented this decline in their abilities, others found it freeing, and delighted in the opportunity of roaming the earth as they wished. One such deity was Duamutef.

As a lesser god, even people who followed the revival religion Khemetism didn’t tend to worship him as much as Anubis or Ma’at or his father Horus, so he decided to come to earth and travel the world, learning about an era with which he was unfamiliar.

Of course, you didn’t know all that when you met him. He introduced himself as Tua, an exchange student from Egypt. He was a mysterious figure and his age indecipherable to you. Sometimes he seemed young and boyish, easily a full foot taller than you, always smiling and laughing. However, there was this ageless look in his eye that told the story of a very old soul. He was tall and dark, just like in fairy tales, and already very popular on campus.

It surprised you when he took notice of you. You were a quiet girl, unassuming and not the type to draw attention, so his sudden interest in you was a little startling.

“Excuse me,” He said one day, coming up to you suddenly. “I’m afraid I don’t know your name.”

“That’s probably because we’ve never spoken before,” You said. “And I don’t think you know any of my friends.”

“An oversight. My apologies,” He said, smiling. “I make it my aim to know everyone in every place I go.”

You looked at him in alarm. “There are hundreds of people attending this college.”

“I am aware,” He said, still smiling. He had those deep, dark type of bottomless black eyes one could get lost in. “I’ve managed to at least introduce myself to most of the people, but it seems I have missed you. Forgive me.”

“Honestly, it’s not a big deal,” You said. “I’m nobody, really.”

“That’s not true,” He said. “Everybody is somebody to someone, and I’d like to be a friend to you. My name is Tua. May I ask yours?” He offered his hand to shake and you shook it, telling him your name. “Will you walk with me? The cafeteria is offering something called a corndog I’m eager to try.”

You laughed. “Don’t get too excited about that. It’s not exactly a culinary masterpiece.”

“But it’ll be new. I like new. I spent a very long time in one place, and now that I’m out in the world, I want to experience as much as I can.”

“Were you homeschooled as a kid or something?” You asked.

He laughed again. “Or something. My family had a lot of responsibilities many years ago, you could say. After working my whole life in the service of others, I think I’ve earned a vacation.”

“Well, I can’t argue with that,” You said. “It can be tough when your parents expect a lot from you.”

“That’s the truth,” He replied. “So, corndog? I’ll treat you.” He extended his hand toward the cafeteria.

You echoed his laughter. “I don’t know if I’d call it a treat, but sure. That sounds nice.”

From then on, Tua spent a lot of time with you. He seemed to go out of his way to seek you out. He said he enjoyed listening to you talk about things, saying that your perspective was entertaining. You didn’t mind his presence. He was earnest and funny and he always wanted to hear your opinion on things. He’d often come to the bookstore where you worked to get your recommendation for new books to read. He seemed confused by a lot of western culture’s practices and often asked you for advice or to explain things to him. His open curiosity and wonder with the world around him was very endearing.

You weren’t sure why he chose you to help him navigate life in the western world. Surely there were better candidates in the large pool of people who followed him around. He had a legion of fans who hung on his every word and shadowed him like love-struck puppies, but he dodged them consistently to spend time with you. There were more attractive people of several genders that he could have had his pick of, but he decided on you, and you were slightly baffled by it.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” He asked you one day while you were ringing up his new purchases. He must have a significant library by this point. “There’s something called a farmer’s market I’d like to go see.”

“I can’t go tomorrow,” You said. “My friend’s car is acting up and he wants me to take a look at it. From what he’s telling me, it sounds like his alternator is shot, and if that’s the case, that’s a full day’s work.”

“You can fix cars?” He asked. If he had animal ears, you’d swear they had perked up when he said that. “How interesting. I don’t know anything about cars. Can I observe?”

You shrugged. “If you want to. Make sure to wear stuff you don’t mind getting dirty. It is very hard to get motor oil out of clothes, trust me.”

“Of course,” He said.

“Here,” You said, taking out a pen and running out a length of receipt paper to write on. “Here’s my address. He’ll be dropping it off around 9 A.M. and picking it back up after his shift at work.”

“Excellent. I won’t be late.”

“If you say so,” You said, handing him his purchases. “Here you go. That D&D book is a classic. I think you’ll really like it.”

“Much appreciated,” He said with a smile, nodding politely as he left.

He arrived the next morning carrying a sack of donuts and coffee. You were glad he already knew what kind of coffee you liked, because he drank his very strong and you wouldn’t be able to stomach it. You had to do a double take when he took off his jacket and revealed a v-neck black shirt and tight black jeans. Normally he wore a pair of slacks and a button-up, so this look was quite a change and you were having trouble not staring. He was skinny, but he had a lot more muscle definition than you would have suspected.

“I hope I’m not late,” He said. “There was an accident on the way here. No one seemed to be hurt, but there was quite a backup on the highway.”

“No, you’re fine,” You said. “My friend hasn’t even shown up yet. Let’s eat before he gets here. Eating with grease on your hands is a bad idea.”

Your friend pulled up as you were inhaling a bear claw. You introduced him to Tua, they exchanged brief pleasantries, and your friend took off for the bus stop down the road.

“He seemed nice,” Tua said.

“He’s gay and single, if you want his number,” You laughed as you popped the hood of his Honda Accord.

Tua laughed as well. “I appreciate the offer, but he’s not my cup of tea. Or coffee, if you will.” He took a big gulp, and you shuddered.

“I can’t believe you take that black. It’s got to be so bitter.”

“We didn’t have sugar where I grew up, so I’m used to it.”

Your head rocked back. “Where did you live that you didn’t have sugar.”

“Near Cairo,” He replied. “It was called something different when I was born, though.”

You made a face. “Cairo was founded in 969 AD. You’re not that old.”

He smirked. “How old do I look?”

You stared at him, trying to gauge his age, but blanked. “Let’s just get to work.”

The alternator was indeed going out, and while changing it out wasn’t rocket science, it was labor intensive work for someone as small as you were. You were actually glad to have an extra set of hands to help. In addition to the alternator, you also found a crack in one of the hoses that was also going to have to be replaced, as it was leaking coolant.

Both of you were elbow deep in grease by the time you decided to take a break for lunch. You went to order a pizza as he went in to wash his… self. He somehow managed to get grease all over his face. You had a sneaking suspicion he just liked getting dirty.

After putting in your order, you went back outside to clean up the area around the car and put away the tools you didn’t need anymore in their rightful place in the toolbox when you happened to look up to the bathroom window. You had to squint and blink, because something was… off.

Tua had taken his shirt off to clean up, but something was odd about his head. It was larger, darker, and blurry almost. It almost looked like an animal’s head. Maybe it was just how the frosted glass reflected the color of his hair, but it didn’t look… normal. Something on the top of his head resembling ears flicked back and forth. Something that looked like a snout opened and shut, as if inspecting its teeth. The head shook like a dog slinging water from its fur. You blinked, and he had put his shirt back on and his head looked completely normal again.

Were you going insane?

Tua came back out of the house, the water from washing his face and neck glistening on his skin. You didn’t realize how bug-eyed you were until he tilted his head in concern.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

You shook your head to clear it. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I thought I saw… nevermind. It doesn’t matter. Pizza’s on it’s way.”

“What did you see?” He asked neutrally.

“It doesn’t matter,” You said. “It was probably a trick of the light.”

“What if it wasn’t?” He asked in the same neutral tone, watching your face. “Hypothetically.”

“What are you talking about?” You asked.

He sighed, shook his head, and his usual smile was back in place. “No matter. What kind of pizza did you get?”

You let the matter drop, but it nagged in the back of your mind for the rest of the day.

That night, your dreams were unusual. You dreamt of a dry place, of women in soft, sheer gowns and men in short skirted garments. Shaved heads and wigs.

In one of the dreams, a woman led you to a huge, grand hall made of stone. There, sitting on a throne of ebony inlaid with gold and jewels, was a man. He had a falcon’s head on a fit human’s body. He held a staff in his hand, and on his head perched a red and white pschent, the crown of Pharaohs. Behind him were four gigantic statutes of other men and women. He sat at their feet, surrounded by attendants.

The woman gestured for you to walk forward, and the man on the throne waved a hand. All of the attendants left him, leaving you standing there alone with him.

“My son has shown you interest,” The man said, his voice booming throughout the chamber, though his mouth never moved. “That is unusual. He and his wife have divorced millennia ago, and he has not taken interest in anyone for many, many years.”

“Your son?” You repeated. “Who is your son?”

“Know you not who I am?” He asked, standing and laying his staff against the armrest. “The god of the sky above and kingdom below. The wisest of my siblings, the most benevolent. Am I a stranger to you?”

“I’m sorry,” You said hesitantly. “I’m not really religious.”

He sighed. “I suppose that’s to be expected. The power of our pantheon has declined dramatically. I must be grateful that the revival in modern times has allowed us to rise from our sleep and reclaim any sort of rule.” He stood to his full height, which had to be at least seven foot. “I am Horus. You are a friend to my son, Duamutef, blessed with the head of a jackal, the animal of death, guidance, and protection.”

“The head of a jackal?” You asked. “Like a dog? So I wasn’t hallucinating? Tua really has the head of a dog?”

“In so many terms, yes. Tua, as you know him, asked for my permission to travel the world, and I granted it to him, hoping he would stop pining and bring his knowledge of the new world back to his peers.”

“How long is he allowed to explore?”

“Not that long,” Horus said. “A few centuries.”

You gaped at him. “You realize that since the industrial age, humanity and its technology is advancing very quickly. The world isn’t the same as it was ten years ago, and it will be different in another ten years.”

“Oh,” Horus said, seemingly baffled. “That’s alarming. In the ancient kingdom, it was as if time stood still. Once we gave humans the knowledge they needed to live and create, things carried on as it always did for over three millennia.”

“Things are different now,” You said, perhaps too boldly considering you were speaking to a god.

“It would seem so,” He replied thoughtfully. “Duamutef is eager to learn, however. As long as he sends back a report, I suppose he can stay in the mortal plane as long as he wishes.”

“I’m sure that would make him happy,” You said.

“I think you would, too,” Horus said, looking down at you. A falcon can’t smile, but you felt kind approval radiating from Horus’s body.

“I would?” You said. “I’m his friend, just a girl he follows around because I explain things to him. I’m not special. Besides, I don’t even think he likes me that way.”

“Aren’t you?” Horus asked patiently. “Doesn’t he?”

You flushed. You hadn’t really considered it. He seemed way out of your league. “Well… even if he did, how can I be worthy of a god?”

“You are worthy. You do not need me to tell you so, nor do you need him to. But he has chosen you, and I am pleased that he is happy and moving on. He has been alone for a very long time.”

“This is a lot to process, you know that?”

“Indeed,” Horus agreed. He turned and went back to the throne, sitting in it. “Take some time to think it over, but do not make him wait long. My son’s happiness is important to me.” He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

You woke covered in sweat and gasping. That… that couldn’t have been real, could it? Thank god… or gods… that tomorrow was Sunday. You needed a full day to just… deal.

Monday, you returned to school, both confused and… a little excited. There was something innately fascinating knowing an actual god was walking around campus, acting like a human. While you weren’t a fan of the fact that he was hiding it from you, you were willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Just this once.

You saw him in the courtyard surrounded by his usual fans. His magnetism suddenly made a lot more sense. You wondered why you were so resistant to it.

“Tua!” You called. He looked up, caught your eye and smiled, walking over. His gaggle of… worshipers?… followed behind him.

“I need to talk to you privately,” You told him in a terse undertone.

“That sounds serious,” He said, still smiling, though he looked concerned. “What about?”

“Your father came to visit me,” You replied.

The smile slipped and the color drained from his face. “Uh…” He said to his group, trying to laugh lightly. “Sorry, friends. Family business.”

They groaned in disappointment but thankfully dispersed. He took you by the hand and led you to the side of the Sciences building.

“What did he say to you? Was he angry?”

“No,” You said. “He told me he was pleased.”

Tua sighed in relief. “I’m glad. I was worried he was annoyed with my decisions. He said he wouldn’t interfere, but I’ve been concerned because I hadn’t heard from him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You asked, folding your arms.

“What, that I’m a lesser god of an ancient religion that had almost died out, until the recent revival?” He said shrewdly. “Would you have believed me.”

“Your real head might have convinced me,” You replied. “The jackal?”

“Ah, yes,” He said. “I figured you had seen it the other day, but you didn’t press the issue, so I hoped you’d think it was a figment of your imagination.”

“Why didn’t you want me to know?” You asked.

“I did,” He said. “But I wanted to tell you myself, when the time was right.”

“When would the right time have been?”

He shrugged and looked at the ground. “I don’t know, I guess. I almost did, the other day, but I was nervous.”

“Your father told me something else,” You said carefully. “That you had been alone a long time. That your wife divorced you and that you had been pining for a long time. He also said…” You cleared your throat and swallowed. “That you had chosen me.”

He looked at you through his lashes, looking apprehensive. “Can… can we discuss this later? Somewhere private?”

“Come to my house after school. We’ll talk, okay?”

He nodded, looking self-conscious, turned, and jogged away, dodging his fan club and ducking into the Arts building.

Later that night, you paced in your living room, waiting for him to arrive. When you heard his car pull up, it took every ounce of willpower to not dash outside.

When he knocked, you opened the door to find him holding flowers and a gift bag.

Oh god.

“I figured if the cat was out of the bag, I might as well try,” He said. “Here.” He handed you the flowers, which were your favorites, and the bag. Inside was a book.

“Someone wrote a book about me,” He said. “Well, about me and my brothers. It was written while we were sleeping, so there’s a little missing, but I’m happy to fill in the blanks.”

“I don’t like that you hid this from me,” You said as you moved aside to let him in.

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I didn’t mean to hide it. Most people don’t look that closely. You’re the first person to see my true self.”

“That’s not entirely true,” You said. “I only saw an outline, a shadow.” You folded your arms. “So show me the real you. I want to take a good look.”

He took a deep, calming breath, and his body shimmered. His head elongated, black fur sprouted from his neck up, trailing down his spine and the middle of his chest. His normal modern clothes disappeared and the traditional gathered skirt of ancient Egypt appeared around his waist, ending at the knee. His eyes were silver and had markings around them. He wore no crown, but there were markings where a crown might have once sat.

“Is this what you saw?” He asked. Like his father, his mouth did not move when he spoke. Instead, his voice came from all around you.

“Something like it, yes,” You confirmed.

“Are you frightened?” He asked hesitantly.

“No,” You replied. “I’ve had time to come to terms with it. I think I’d be more freaked out if you had sprung it on me out of nowhere, maybe.”

“See? What else was I to do but keep it to myself?” He said in exasperation.

“I guess I see your point,” You admitted. “But no more secrets, okay? There’s nothing I hate more than people keeping secrets from me.”

“If that’s so, then… there’s one more thing I must confess,” He said slowly.

“I think I know what it is,” You said, bracing yourself. “But I’d like to hear you say it.”

He cleared his throat and stood tall. “I have become… enamored with you. I don’t know when it started, but it came to me quickly. Perhaps it was because you didn’t fall into worship of me, as others have done. As gods, it is humankind’s natural inclination to bend the knee to us, but you did not. Perhaps it was your patience with me and my multitude of questions. Perhaps it was the extent of your knowledge. Perhaps it was all of those things. But I care for you. I do not expect you to return my feelings, but I would wish to remain close to you, in whatever form you desire. Friend, companion, lover. It is your decision.”

You laughed a little. “That’s a hell of a declaration. I mean, you haven’t even kissed me yet.”

He looked startled. “Is that something you wish?”

“I don’t know.” You moved closer, considering him. “Are you any good at it?”

He took your hands. “Well… it has been some time. I may be out of practice.”

“Give it your best shot,” You challenged.

His lips curled into a smile, and he pulled you into an embrace. Tall as he was, he had to bend to reach your lips. His kiss was light, but experienced, and he lingered for many minutes. When he pulled away, you were seeing stars.

“How was my technique?” He asked playfully.

You shook your head to stop it from spinning. “More than adequate,” You chuckled. “You’re not quite as rusty as you claim.”

“Ah, that’s good to hear,” He said, and kissed you again.

You weren’t sure how the two of you made it into your bedroom, but suddenly there you were, the bed right next to you. You began shedding clothes and pulled at the belt that gathered the skirt at his waist. It fell into a pile at his feet, and he stepped out of it, lifting you into the air and setting you gently down onto the bed.

You began to shake a little. You hadn’t had a serious partner before and while this wasn’t your first time, the sex you’d had before hadn’t been as… significant as this was turning out to be. Were you going to fast? You’d known him for months but it was only in the last few days that you’d known he was carrying a torch for you. It had been a lot to process, and still was. Were you rushing into it?

He seemed to feel you tense. “Are you alright?”

“I…” You struggled to find the right words and not sound insulting. “I feel like we’re moving to quickly? I’m not even sure how I feel, and we’re already in bed with each other. I just… feel…”

“Rushed?” He said. “It’s alright, I understand. This was a lot to lay on you at once. We can stop.”

“That’s just it, I don’t know if I want to stop. I don’t know if I want to keep going. I don’t even know for sure how I feel about you, or the situation. I feel really overwhelmed.”

“It’s alright,” He said. “Why don’t we just lay here for a while and be still and give you some time to find your bearings. I can leave you to think for a while, if you’d like.”

“No. No, stay,” You said. “Just turn off the light and let’s be quiet for a little while. I just want to think.”

“Of course,” He said, reaching for the lamp switch. The two of you were bathed in darkness. He lay next to you, and you allowed him to put his arm around you. You put your head on his chest and listened to his slow heartbeat. It was strangely reassuring: you almost expected him to not have a heartbeat at all.

At some point you must have fallen asleep. He still lay with you, his body illuminated in the moonlight, slightly propped up on the pillows, watching you sleep. He smiled when he saw you rouse.

“Good evening,” He said quietly.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to doze off,” You said.

“It’s no problem. I actually rather enjoyed it. You’re very cute when you’re asleep.”

“Don’t be silly,” You said, smacking his chest.

“I’m not!” He chuckled. “You make very adorable noises.”

“Hush, you!” You said, tickling his side.

“Hey, hey!” He exclaimed, squirming away. “Don’t do that!”

“Oh, is the big, bad god ticklish?” You asked playfully, dodging his arms and going in for more tickles. “Is he? Is he ticklish?”

“No!” He cried, trying to wiggle out of your grasp, whimpering like a puppy. “I shall retaliate if you don’t cease!”

“Oh yeah?” You taunted. “Whatcha gonna do about it, big man? Sniff me to death?”

“I may just!” He said, putting his muzzle in your ear and sniffling.

“Ah!” You squealed. “It’s so cold!”

“You like that?!” He said, tickling you back and pressing his nose to your neck. “Have some more, then!” He licked at your neck and shoulders. He grabbed your hands and held them above your head as you wiggled underneath him.

At some point, the mood shifted. The weight of his naked body on top of your naked body was exhilarating and made your heart race. His licks slowed and went from playful to deliberate and were interspersed with open mouthed kisses. He let go of your hands and touched your body. You instinctively pulled your knees up and wrapped them around his waist, holding him close by the back of his head and petting down the fur of his spine.

“Is this alright?” He asked heavily, breathing hard.

“Yes,” You whispered in reply. “Yes.”

Some more minutes of touching and kissing and licking later, he reached between the two of you and rubbed his knuckles on your clit, making you moan against his lips. He rubbed himself and you at the same time, then pushed the tip against your entrance, gently pushing himself inside of you. Your head fell back onto the pillow, your mouth wide open, your brows furrowing. He was thick and long, but no so that it was painful. You whimpered as he inched all the way inside and pulled out slowly, thrusting inward and pulling outward.

Slowly, but with gaining speed, your bodies moved together. Wordlessly, he flipped you so that you were on your stomach and pulled you toward him, reentering you and thrusting vigorously, while you gripped the sheets desperately, crying out in pleasure. You bit the pillow and shut your eyes as you felt the ecstasy well up in you, your inside walls clenching and contracting. He huffed and grunted above you, gripping your hips as your bodies smacked together over and over.

You could feel beads of his sweat dripping onto your back as he sped up again, groaned loudly, and spilled himself into you, gushing out with each jerk of his hips against your body. When he was spent, he withdrew and fell sideways as to not crush you. You lay on your stomach for a few moments, allowing yourself to catch your breath and cool down, before turning over and sliding into his arms. You’d change the sheets tomorrow.

“I hope this means you accept me,” He said sleepily.

“I always accepted you,” You said. “I just wasn’t sure what I wanted my role to be in all this. I’m still not sure. I think starting with a date might be nice.”

“Of course,” He said. “Anything you want. I am your humble servant, at your beck and call.”

“You’re not my servant,” You said firmly. “And I’m not yours. We’re partners or we’re nothing at all.”

“I understand,” He said, turning on his side. “So, my partner, where would you like to go for this date?”

“I don’t know,” You said. “This’ll be your first date on the mortal plane, won’t it? Do what you love to do: research it.”

He laughed. “That sounds like fun.”

To get your own Monster Match, buy me a Kofi!

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Thanks for reading!

My Masterlist

The Exophilia Creator’s Masterlist

[timexistsnow]

my baby (oh my pup)

Chapter 5: a flower (for us)

Techno and Tasha go on a walk and have a pleasant couple of days.

Techno’s hands were ruined for the time being. A while back, maybe two hours ago, he had made the wise choice to wrap them but even that hadn't saved him from a day of hoeing. This was not what he had planned to do in retirement, becoming a farmer, but then again, he never really had a plan. The whole idea was to escape L’Manburg and their governmental control, so farming was close enough.

When he wiped the sweat from his brow he hissed. Even in a biome like this, he was still getting sunburnt. Later he would have to rub some magma cream on it. Either it soothed or burned, he would find out.

Tasha was lying by the fire, leg muscles destroyed from all of the crouching. Techno grumbled, he could relate.

He helped her up, ignoring the tingling in his fingers. The bandages were useless by now and would infect his wounds if he didn’t change them. Just as he had with the potatoes, Techno switched had off of hoeing to planting, cacking his pants, hands, and fingernails in dirt. And Tasha… was not much better off.

Her already clumsy movement coupled with the unsteady ground led to many spills. She got the job done, but it wasn’t a very clean job.

Bath time.

He warmed the water in the fireplace and brought the buckets back upstairs. He needed a better system for bathing and water if this was to happen often. He did have a spare room now, the bathroom could go down by where the dining table used to reside. The purpose of the small cabin was to use every space, and the little alcove was just a place to put a tall bookshelf right now.

Techno… shelved that thought and helped Tasha into the bath. The few inches of water were already turning brown with the clumps of dirt falling from Tasha’s fur. The soap came out, lathered all over the pup. She scooped up a handful of bubbles, watched them pop, and shoved them into her mouth. “Gross.”

“No kidding,” Techno laughed. He couldn’t blame her, when he was a kid he had taken a bite out of the first bar of soap he had come across. And then the next. And the one after that. Okay, it took a while for Techno to figure out that the reason why soap tasted so bad was because it wasn't food. So what if he was dumb, sue him for being new to the world.

Techno… he needed to know, “Did you have fun?”

“Soap? No.”

Techno rolled his eyes, “The potatoes, Tasha.”

“Oh. With. You. Yes.” She averted her eyes, clapping bubbles into the air.

Techno watched the bubbles float around the room, his scrubs paused. “You don’t- We can stop next time. Tasha, you can always tell me if you get bored,” Tasha still didn’t bring her gaze back up to Techno, “I won’t get mad.”

She caught a bubble in a soapy hand and brought it to her face, blowing it off, “Together. Make. Worth. It.”

Techno- he supposed that made sense. He just didn’t think that Tasha would have the same idea. His scrubs resumed, focused on her fingers. The other hand continued to play with the bubbles.

“Missed. Together. In. Nether.”

Swallowing, he tried to say lightly: “You had a together? I… assumed your family-”

“You. Killed. Family.” She said family like it had hurt her. Hmm, maybe not the best simile.

“Oh,” he said. Was he supposed to say sorry? He wasn’t, not even a tiny bit.

In the silence, Tasha chose to barrel on, “Me. Had. Friend,” she tugged on her ears and tusks, a piglin then. “Run. Around. Ride. Hoglin.” Her hands mined two pairs of legs scampering along the lip of the bath. “Miss. Them.”

That… was not good, “Do you want to go back and visit them?” How: he wasn’t sure, but for Tasha, he’d make do.

“Dead.” One of the hands fell off of the lip and into the water, splashing around.

Oh. “What was their na- their word?” There had to be a way to save the conversation. Neither of them needed to deal with all of this angst.

“Never. Told.” The clean hand was put into her mouth but she continued to talk around it, “Scared. Them,” a hand fell into the water, “Warned. Them. In…” she waved at Techno, “Speak.”

“You said something in English. Kiddo, that wasn’t your fault.”

She protested, hand falling, getting back up, and falling again and again. “Should. Known.”

Techno grabbed both of her hands, “No, Tasha, the piglins- they don’t deserve your time. You are so different from them, so much more,” she tried to wiggle her way out, so Techno switched gears, “It was just a mindless mob. Sure, for a moment it might have felt pain but not like you did-” Techno slammed his mouth shut, Tasha clearly being able to pick up what he was referring to and flinching away. He tried for a third time, “You are better than them.”

That was enough, Techno guessed, and Tasha wiped away the stray tear that had escaped. He helped her out and dried her off with a soft blue towel. When she stood awkwardly, he patted her on the head, “Try to not let it bog you down. You don’t want things like that to ruin your fun.”

He let her walk off and refilled the bath with clean water. He always figured that Tasha would have her own trauma, but he never got around how he would fix it. His methods were proven to be… lacking, at the very least.

Spending nowhere near as long as Tasha had, Techno scrubbed himself raw. He might be a pig but he did not like being dirty. With dirt. The blood of the people who had wronged him- he might be able to compromise.

Stepping out of the lukewarm water and into the frigid room, he grabbed the other towel on the rack and dried himself off. He didn’t have any clothes so he opened the door a crack and strained his arm to grab something out of the chest of clothes next to it. It was one of his less frilly white button-downs and a pair of thick pants. Techno was always tempted to get some thigh-high leather boots to complete his outfit, but his hoofs would never allow it.

Leaving the bathroom, Techno realized that in his vanity he had caused the chest to spill out. Tasha, who was seen wiping her snout and eyes in a hurry, sat down at the foot of the mess and started sifting through it. She ended up settling on some of his spare blue wool and fabric.

“Favorite. Color?” All of it was blue, so perhaps…

“No, I like pink.” He sat with her and studied the weight and feel of it. Thankfully it wasn’t all one shade but an array of hues ranging from baby to royal blue. From wool to cotton to silk, from thick yarn to thread, he had quite the collection.

Techno chose the yarn, digging further through the pile for some needles. He had a book hidden somewhere in his library, ah, there it was. The bounty was dropped down in between the two. Tasha flipped through the pages, letting out an oink at the pictures.

She stopped at the first set of instructions and did her best to replicate the hands displayed on the pages. Techno… had no idea what the book was talking about, even as he read the captions. Sewing, he could manage. Knitting? Making something out of almost nothing? Unless it was a war effort, it was far out of his grasp.

All Techno did from there on in an attempt to help her was getting her to a page that told of a simple child’s sweater. She patted his face and set off to work.

That left him to his own devices.

The pile of blue was tempting Techno. “I never planned on getting this much stuff in the beginning,” Tasha nodded absently, “Uh, I guess my… interest in fashion started back when I began fighting.” He ran a finger over his cloak, a staple he had taken from his first win in the Area. “When I would win, I got the first pick of the losers' loot- including their clothes. It was just supposed to be a gag, something stupid I could do to make fun of them, but the pile grew and I wasn’t doing anything with it.

“Throwing it all out felt wrong, like I wasn’t winning for a reason. Eventually, I figured out that I could take the things I liked about each piece and put them together into something decent.” The cloak was a cape an opponent had dropped and the fur came from someone dressed as a sheep. Strange, but look at him now.

Tasha was trying her best to pay attention, but her pace had crawled to almost a stop, so Techno let her work in peace.

Instead, he took out the dress he had taken for Tasha and started hacking at the seams. He had learned a trick where you trace the different pieces of cloth, improve the design, and cut new ones. Techno was relieved to be getting rid of the old villager clothing, and the dress wasn’t that pretty to start with, so Techno got to have some fun.

Out came the ink and light blue cotton, Techno added a waistline and some frills to the bottom edge. A couple of times, Techno stabbed himself with the needle, but he made sure to not get any blood on the new dress.

He must have spent hours on it, because when he looked up, Tasha was done with a sleeve. There were a few stitches that looked a little wonky, but, “That looks really good!” Tasha startled and smiled back at Techno. Her smile was a little lackluster, her eyes drooping. “Come on, it’s bedtime for us.” Techno didn’t bother with staying up, his eyes were starting to itch and the strain the farming had put him through made him almost weep at the thought of staying up any longer.

When he woke, the day started just as the last had, Tasha tucked against his side.

Gathering up his gear, the flower resting on his journal wasn’t abandoned any longer, Techno couldn’t bear to let himself lose it. Into the ender chest it went, filling up the last slot.

“More?” Tasha asked upon seeing him put the dandelion away.

Techno sighed and smiled, “Sure.”

“Get. More. Today.” she decided, nodding to herself.

They did need more wool if Techno wanted to keep making clothes, so, “Whatever you say.” A walk would be a good way to spend outside time without doing labor.

He grabbed his armor after a second of thought. There was a good chance that it was unnecessary, but not a one hundred percent chance.

The food was handed out, Tasha getting the last potato in the chest. Her carrot- Techno paused: did she need gold? He wasn’t planning on taking it away from her, don’t get him wrong, but she was progressively getting more and more aggressive with her chomping as the days went on. Maybe it would be a good idea to get her something more permanent. Something she couldn’t eat.

The first option was a crown- Techno scratched that off immediately, he had earned it. Perhaps a trinket or jewelry of some kind?

As Techno helped Tasha into a clean coat over her new dress (which she liked very much) and got her down the porch steps, he kept thinking it over.

“Techno. Okay?” Tasha pulled on his cloak. She was having to rush to keep up with Techno’s pace. He slowed, allowing her to match his strides with less of hers.

He ruffled the fur on her head, “Yeah, just thinking,” at another tug: “What do you like?”

Tasha grabbed a bundle of his cloak but stopped her tugging. “Techno. Snow. Yellow… Flower?” He supplied her with dandelion and she nodded. Hmm, those were pretty generic things- the voices started screaming at him in rage, appalled at the mere suggestion. Okay! Not generic. If they made Tasha happy, that was all he needed.

Techno… wasn’t used to such simple needs. As different as Tasha was, she was still just a child.

He wasn’t exactly feeling snow or potato, which left yellow flower. Yellow: that was convenient. A little gold dandelion. It could be a pendant on a necklace or bracelet. Techno looked down at her, she was stumbling through the snow, scanning the horizon for a flower patch.

“Up you go,” he warned, scooping her into his arms. After a moment, he put her on his shoulders. Her hands tugged on his ears like they were reigns on a horse.

The needles on the spruce trees were already imposing on Techno’s personal space, so when Tasha was added to his height, she got a mouthful of pine. She sputtered and Techno chewed on his lip, he would try to avoid the overhanging branches. Mostly.

A sharp tug and Techno was about to scold her, even more so when she tugged again. “There!” Tasha squealed. Oh, she was treating him like a horse, steering him to the right. He grumbled but followed her directions.

Through the forest they went, Techno still not knowing how Tasha could see. Of course, she did have the height advantage, but she was only a block tall, if that. Even combined, they weren’t impressive.

Or, just possibly, Techno realized, it could be the fact that he broke his glasses in the process of destroying L’Manburg. Huh. That… could be it.

“Stop! No. Step. On. Dandelion.” Techno halted, seeing a patch of yellow spread out around him. Yup, it was time to fix his glasses.

Tasha shimmied down from his shoulder once Techno crouched down low enough. Nearby, a baah echoed through the forest. “Tasha, find yourself a good flower, I’m going to find the sheep. I’ll be back, I promise.” Tasha scrambled back to Techno from the flower patch. Techno smiled, “Pinky promise, no one can break those,” he held out his finger and waited for Tasha.

A piggy finger wrapped itself around his.

Tasha turned back to the flowers. Techno wandered off.

There were only three sheep when Techno found them. They were hiding around some bushy fur trees and grazing on the exposed grass protected from the wind and snow. Trying not to startle them, Techno placed his ender chest a ways away from the three and brought out his lapis lazuli and iron. A second later and he had dye and shears.

Techno didn’t want to leave Tasha for long, so he only waited around enough for the sheep's wool to grow and be sheared three times each. The blue was a little conspicuous, Techo gnawed at his lip. As long as Tasha didn’t see him killing them, he figured.

He brandished his axe, one mighty swing taking out the first. Then the second. Then-

“Techno!”

Techno abandoned the last sheep and sprinted through the forest, Tasha coming into sight around the branches and trunks. She was- not fine, but alive. “What’s wrong, Tash?” he grabbed her up. She struggled, trying to get out of his grip, “Tash!”

A hiss.

Techno twisted around, shielding Tasha with his body. He held her tight and the explosion blasted snow and pine needles onto his back. His ears rang. After a moment of piercing silence, Techno rolled to his side, still curled around Tasha.

“Came. Back,” Tasha whispered.

Techno scooped her up. It was home time, their walk was over. “The pinky promise never fails.” She stayed in his arms, Techno didn’t want to risk another creeper or an arrow from a skeleton hiding in the foliage.

She shouldn’t have gotten hurt.

Techno shouldn’t have left her, actually.

But, still, piglins were supposed to be neutral with hostile and other neutral mobs. Hoglins were an exception, but creepers? Tasha should- Tasha was different. With it being so soon after Techno had insisted it, he should have listened to his own advice. Even Tasha looked a little… skeptical when he made the claim, he supposed.

They hurried- or rather, Techno hurried- over the roots and fallen tree branches. The forest thinned and the clearing their cabin resided in stuck out over the horizon. Up the stairs, and they were safe.

Tasha’s dress had picked up a bit of snow, so Tasha batted it off before entering. Both of them wiped their hoofs off on the rug and set themselves up at the table. The flower, Techno thought she had dropped it, was set in the middle.

Techno brought down Tasha’s knitting and his notebook and ink. When he came back downstairs, Tasha greeted him with a rumbling stomach. Out came her food: two carrots, as the potatoes were still growing. Just as he had expected, she gorged herself on them.

Into his notebook, Techno went. The page titled with Tasha’s Needs was in need of some updating. Food was checked off, they had finished the farm, all they had to do was regular maintenance and weeding. Clothes for Tasha were not yet completed, but he did want to add a new idea: ,i>matching/blue for Techno. Yes, it would add extra work, but imagine the absolute adorableness… or style that would seep from their very beings. A quick gold dandelion pendant was scratched in at the bottom, almost forgotten. He ignored the rest of the list.

Across the table, Tasha was getting through the second sleeve of the sweater. Her face was screwed up, tongue sticking out and flickering around her tusks.

Techno put a hand to his own tusks, an extra set growing out of his upper jaw. They had always been a point of embarrassment for him, clearly belonging to a feral wild pig rather than the preferred barnyard pig. People always looked between him and the pigs they had in pens, comparing the two and trying to find similarities. The tusks had been a saving grace in those scenarios, functioning as a barrier from him being mocked.

The two tusks poking out of Tasha’s mouth had come from her ancestors, though piglins now used crossbows and swords instead of tusks and hoofs for fighting.

Techno shifted in his seat, running a hand over his list and the matching/blue for Techno. They weren’t that different, he supposed.

Tasha was an innocent version of Techno.

Techno would keep her that way.

[lvlyhao]

「PART THREE: FAMILIARITY」

HUMANITY SERIES; Q.K

A/N: guess who forgot to update lol they’re whipped i just— also two surprise appearances hehfjfhsjh

important: i can’t think of anything??? the general warnings are in the masterlist if you wanna be sure none of them is a trigger for you!

word count: 2.8K

pairing: qian kun x reader

disclaimer: the characters in the story below do not reflect real people or present real facts. this is purely fictional, and you may not copy, change, translate or repost my work in any way. all rights reserved © cherry-hyejin 2021.

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Cussing like a sailor, you trudge towards the man, who's catching his breath by the sidewalk. His glance instantly darts to your face, about to say something. You cut him short, though, too disturbed by the fear that still clouds your every action.

“We have to leave while we can. Like right now.”

“H-how do you know I’m not infected?”, he asks, abruptly realizing something even more critical. "How do I know you are not infected?"

He backs away, then, gorgeous features closing off in hesitance. While he stares at you, you think his voice is much, much more angelic than you thought. It drips with uncertainty but is beautiful enough to make you forget how to speak for a minute.

"Uhm”, you clear your throat, now looking for your weapons. It's a good attempt at escaping his piercing eyes, but it dawns on you. He has quite literally no reasons to agree with what you were planning.

"I'm immune, actually. My DNA has some mutation that I honestly cannot explain that well. You", you pause, scanning his defensive form before going back to putting away your knives. "You are definitely clean. It's been over 15 minutes since I arrived: no walker bit you or you would have, at least, screamed. If by some chance it happened and I was not aware of it, I would have seen it in your eyes by now. It's the first part of the process", you grimace.

The guy stays silent while you speak, taking everything you say into consideration. You find it makes sense to him if his relaxed posture is anything to go by.

Finishing up with your arrows, you promptly head back to where you came from, assuming your companion is close behind.

“Wait!”, he trots, halting in front of you. “I… I don’t think I can go with you.”

You could say it's the dumbest thing you have ever heard, but your yell from earlier begs to differ.

“I can see you don't trust me, and you have no reasons to, but this is how rescue missions go. I see someone in danger, I do my best to get them away, and we go to my settlement, where we can hopefully be stronger by numbers. We can get there if we run." Your voice is borderline dull, almost like you have made that same speech 500 times in the past few days. It would have made him laugh, under different circumstances. Yet, he plainly breathes, running a grimy hand through his hair. 

“It’s not that”, he peers around, lost. “I came to the pharmacy for medical supplies for one boy in my own settlement. He needs them as soon as possible, or I’m not sure I’ll be able to help him at all. Besides”, he tentatively lifts your dominant arm by the sleeve of your jacket, careful not to touch you. “We should clean that and put some bandages around it, even if I don’t have the time to stitch it up.”

You are not sure what part of his speech you should pay attention to first.

“You have a settlement?” The question bursts its way out of your mouth before you can think better, but he doesn't seem to mind. Lips curling into a proud smile, he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

“Yeah, I’m currently the father of 6 children from the college I used to attend”, he snorts.

“That’s amazing! I’ve been mapping this area for some weeks now, and I never found anyone”, you smile. “I’m currently the parent of”, stopping, you count the names in your not-chewed fingers. “16 children? Around that. I swear there's a new name every time we make the roll call."

Studying his kind expression, warm under the red sunlight, you feel as if you could talk to him for hours. I'd never get bored. Your situation seems small, squeezed all the way in the back of your mind. It's clearly much less important than your attractive stranger.

Gasping quietly in realization, he sobers up. He pulls you by your jacket once more, just as delicately, and keeps you close.

“Listen, I understand you have people to take care of, but you said you could get there in time if you run. My boys are not too far from here. I think it would be safer for you to come with me for now, at least wait until morning. Otherwise", he gulps, "we will both be in more danger."

You reflect his words guardedly. You are painfully aware that the clock is ticking and each second spent here makes it a bit worse. When the sun goes down is when things get seriously nasty. The night would swallow you whole before you could get to the campus, and then your eyes would be useless. You wouldn't be able to see any walkers or even traps you came across. You'd be a sitting duck. 

Sighing, you know your decision has been made.

I can only hope Taeyong forgives me for this.

With a curt nod, your free hand gestures for him to lead the way. He seems awed by how fast you agreed but decides against mentioning it. Instead, he gives you a gracious smile and goes on. He stands just past the crushed glass, where you can now see a coffee-coloured messenger bag on the once-white floor. Something seems to be fidgeting inside of it, and you stiffen.

Before you can ask about it, he drops your wrist. Picking up the bag gently, he cradles it to his chest and looks at the inside softly. He coos, speaking in a language you know to be Mandarin. That’s when it pushes out—the little, furry snout of a puppy, licking his hand and whimpering. 

It's like your systems just crashed.

“You have a dog in your bag?”

Laughing briefly, he turns to you again. Cosy inside of the leather is a tiny Beagle, looking at you with bright eyes. You can't help but think it's ridiculously adorable.

“Well, not at all times. I found her wandering around here, but one of her ears was bleeding and she’s limping”, his voice lowers to a whisper, watching her with concern. “One of my boys is a vet student. I thought maybe we could help her.”

Choosing not to question it, you simply nod. The bleeding ear would explain why she stayed here even with the noise. Her hearing must be quite damaged.

“And I’m assuming the medicine or whatever you needed is also in there?”

He's serious once again, reminded of the primary reason for his trip.

“Yes, I placed it in separate pockets and smaller bags. We are good to go.”

A breeze swiftly races inside the barely lit building. It’s a warning of how fast the twilight is coming, and he takes it. His quick steps sound first, light on the ground, and he checks to see if you are coming. Understanding of his rush, you jog along.

“I didn’t forget about your hand, by the way. I know a safe spot close to here where we can stop for me to treat it.”

Staring at his broad shoulders, your breathing hitches as the throbbing in your fingers come back. Treatment would be useful before you have to amputate it, but...

“Do you know how to do that? Not to doubt your capacities or anything, but I can just clean it with some water later.”

Running to come up to his side, he playfully eyes you. He is moving so naturally along the streets you imagine he must know this route well.

“I am a med student. Uh, was, I guess.”

His striking traits are highlighted by the blue hour, hues of periwinkle ghosting over his nose, forehead, cheekbones and lips. He chuckles airily, and you are conscious of how surprised you must look.

“A med student. That’s pretty helpful, huh? I’m sure you care very well for your friends."

From the corner of your eye, you see pink spread over his face. He glances up to the sky, lost in his own head.

“I try to. Our youngest has just turned 20. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go through this at that age.”

You hum.

“I know how you feel. I’m watching over an 18-year-old”, sighing, you think back to the freshman dance student at the settlement. You pray he doesn't feel your absence so strongly, familiar to his tendency to cry.

Comfort sparks in the way your companion bumps his shoulders into yours, drawing you out of foggy thoughts. When your heart suddenly tries to break free from your ribcage, you swallow dry. Could I not find a worse moment to develop a crush?

Beating yourself over your feelings, you travel silently, sometimes admiring the starry skies. It feels nice to be like this, almost… at peace. Funny how you can feel that way around someone you barely know while touring a town full of bloodthirsty beasts.

“Ah”, he breaks the silence awkwardly. “I still don’t know your name.”

You wince at that, realizing you were forgetting about it. It's like I've known him for ages.

“Sorry. I’m Y/N”, your voice is soft, rivalling the autumn winds.

“Y/N... That’s a beautiful name”, he compliments, eyes finding yours. “You can call me Kun.”

You say his name out loud, testing it, and giggle. It feels nice in your lips.

---

The trip to the first hiding spot was fast, just a matter of minutes cruising under the starlight. The place is a dainty, small wooden cabin, right at the foot of the mountains that surround the city. All around you are bushes and fireflies, that blink over stray pieces of cars. How they got to here, in the forest, is a mystery to you, but then again, a lot of things do not make sense anymore. It's simpler to overlook it and get inside, plopping down on a rusty chair as Kun grabs a flashlight from a corner.

His hands work quickly, and with confidence, like medicine is in his blood. It's impressive, but, most of all, painless. His touch is even gentler than Tyong’s and feels warm against your cool skin. A tiny smile plays on your lips the entire time, watching him and the sleeping puppy discreetly.

After that, your wounded hand is snug against the white bandages and the sting lessened. You feel like you could go on for miles, but Kun only laughs and tells you to calm down. No way you two are running uphill to his house.

“Wait, you mean you guys live… up there?”, you point, and he follows your finger, contemplating the towering trees of the forest nonchalantly.

Seeing your dubious expression makes his heart crack a little. He understands how intimidating it is: the dark, unknown forest. Who could guess what lurks between the twigs, spying on the few, brave souls that dare cross their territory?

“I know hiding from zombies in the woods sounds a bit weird, but I promise it’s safe. They have a hard time traversing the trees because they’re so closely set. Also”, he studies the grass beneath his feet, feeling a mix of shame and hesitance himself. “We might have planted a few landmines around the perimeter.”

The sound you make then is something between a wheeze and a gasp.

“How did you…?”

“I preferred to not question when Yukhei showed up with them”, he breathes, sounding like a tired father. “There’s a protected path we’ll follow, though!” He makes a face at how he saved the most important detail for last. I have no idea what is wrong with me today.

But, Kun thinks, secretly relishing on the way you shine under the moon, if you’re scared, I’ll hold your hand.

---

The journey to his house is more serene than you guessed. There are no walkers you perceive. It's almost like this place is completely cut off from the world, far away from real danger. Although maybe that is just Kun's effect on you. You have not failed to notice how tranquillity seems to flow out of him in waves, wordlessly comforting your wild heart. It's nothing like you have ever felt.

I met him two hours ago.

Once again shaking off your feelings, you try to focus on the other things that surround you. The crickets, the faint crunch of the grass and fallen leaves, an owl, how smooth his skin could feel under your fingertips...

Oh my god, you cringe.

As you steady yourself against the trunk of an oak, your shoulders finally loosen. Not too far ahead, you can see something that resembles a ski cabin, surrounded by barbed wire, and with orange light pouring from the windows. The path you walk on is surrounded by sharp wooden stakes from both sides, but the place still feels homier than the campus. 

You don't notice your grin until he smiles back, taking your hand in his and continuing the walk. You remain quiet until the ground changes from grass, pebbles and mud to beaten earth, and you stand right outside the fence. It's far taller than you, with the metal glittering intimidatingly. If the landmines had not made you feel safe, this definitely has. 

Kun, still grasping your hand delicately, surrounds the house with an attentive look. He searches for something and stops a few meters from where you were. It’s always simple to find—the crossing point—and he spins to face you.

“If you don’t mind holding the bag, I can cross over first and then help you. Is that okay?”, he asks, looking for approval in your eyes.

Warmth takes over your heart at his caring nature, knowing he could have just gotten in and expected you to not hurt yourself.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” 

With no other words, you reach for the bag, and hug it against your chest, observing the sleeping dog in your arms. While you are distracted, Kun steps on the lower row of wire and carefully places his hands on the upper one, creating a space he can shimmy through. 

He pays close attention to where the barbs were, but does it calmly, and gets to the other side with a small sigh. He then gestures to the bag, stepping on the wire once again, and passing it over with even more care than he had for himself. 

The moment he takes the bag from you, you feel your fingers brushing. While you both pretend not to notice, the heat rushing to your cheeks speaks for itself. Neither one of you mention it.

Then, it's time for you to get in. You can admit you are a bit apprehensive. Kun’s frame is sturdier than yours, in general, and he was just fine, but the idea of sneaking through sharp thorns is not exactly exciting.

Kun seems to know what you feel, and gives you a sweet smile, hoping to calm your nerves. He places the bag on the ground gently, trying to keep the puppy asleep. The process, then, starts over. 

One foot over the first wire, a hand on the upper one and the other stretched out for you to grab. The wind picks up abruptly, and you can't tell if you shiver from it or from the grip of his fingers on yours.

“No need to hurry”, Kun whispers, eyes trained on where your body is concerning the barbs. He, time or another, tells you to bend a little lower or higher, and pulls more at the cable. To your relief, though, all is well. After a minute of wiggling, you touch the other side of the fence and allow yourself to rest. 

“You did good”, he praises, patting your hair kindly. You sort of feel like a kid, but maybe not in an unpleasant way. 

Tardily letting the tiredness from the day catch up to you, your brain slows down, and your limbs ache. You had not noticed Kun was already up on his feet with the bag until a hand shows up before your eyes, a silent offer. You take it without a second thought, letting him pull you up. 

From then on, your mind gave up on processing a lot of what you did. You were nearly sure you went up a row of stairs to a wooden deck, the floor squeaking under your boots. Your new friend still holds your hand securely, which you are thankful for when you trip on a loose board. His eyes examine you for a second, making sure you're alright before he turns to the door.

It is also made of wood but painted red and unyielding. Letting go of your fingers, he knocks 3 times, waits a couple seconds, and then 4 others. The house, so far still, erupts into hushed cheers and shouts. Kun can only shake his head, holding in a smile, and look up when the door flies open, candlelight spilling out. The slim figure that appears nearly throws himself in Kun’s arms, but freezes when he sees you and the bag.

“Y/N?!”

“Hendery?!”

“...You two know each other?”

---

final notes: don’t question the way the virus works. just don’t, ok

[revengeworld]

The Circus X [END]

Werewolf! Kylo x Reader Modern/Monster AU

Words: +3.600

Warnings: tiniest bit of Angst but mostly fluff

AN: Feedback plz! Couuldn’t reall find fiting gifs for the last chapter so enjoy these cute werewolf babies from Ame and Yuki and the Moodboard I made for this story.

MASTERLIST: Can be found in my bio if you are interested in more!

-

Everyone wanted to give Y/N and Kylo a quiet moment, except the intruder from before. Trying to pull something out of his coat he was quickly stopped from the director who was looming over him in his full height.

“Let’s discuss everything else in my buero, shall we Mister Solo? The leaders of your pack are already waiting on the other side of a portal.” the director showed his creepiest smile and Han saw no other way to follow for now.

Kylo watched them leave, before he gave all his attention to his mate who was cuddled up against his chest. It had worked! It really worked, she was a werewolf now, just like him. He wondered why her transformation had taken so long, but he quickly shook his head to get rid of these devastating thoughts. She was alive and that was all that matters.

“Alright, grace period over.” Poe suddenly shouted and all of the others agreed before they attacked them with a big group hug.

“Ow, fuck you gremlins get away from us!” Kylo barked and just now Y/N saw how beaten up her boyfriend was.

“What happened to you?” cupping his face he only smiled back.

“I protected you and I would do it again.” leaning his forehead against hers, he kissed her soft lips.

“How are you feeling, Moonshine. You must be exhausted...”

“Me?! You are the one still bleeding! I’m more exhausted from your reckless behaviour.” she sighed and looked at the bandages. 

“This will heal in just two days, don’t worry.”

“Well whoever is feeling worse, we should still bring you somewhere safer.” Phasma told them, as much relieved as the others that they had Y/N back, but their work wasn’t done yet. The Circus had to be rebuilt as soon as possible.

“Why somewhere safer? What happened?” Y/N asked confused until they could hear something crash outside.

“What did you do?!” she immediately asked Kylo who scratched his head ashamed.

“Might have destroyed the camp...” he mumbled very quietly.

Taking a deep breath, she then shook her head with a little smile.

“My chaotic wolf...” brushing over his cheek, he leaned back into her warm touch before she kissed him.

Everyone helped them to pack the most essentials before bringing them into the meadow where everyone else from the circus was waiting. Kylo carrying Y/N in his arms while he nuzzled his face against her neck.

“Is everyone alright?” Sadie called to them and helped to bring Kylo and Y/N towards a small area where they treated a few light wounded. 

“How is this possibly… ” she whispered quietly while checking Y/N before taking her in her arms.

“Kylo turned me.” she explained while hugging the older woman back.

“I’m just glad you are alright my sweetheart! You must be starving now after your transformation. And you guys too!” she pointed at Kylo and Rey who where just laying on the ground, groaning with exhaustion.

Sadie shuffled away and for now Y/N laid beside her mate cuddling with him up in a soft blanket before the kitchen woman returned and gave them a few bags of various snacks she had horted for the day after the Full Moon.

Munching on their snacks, Kylo and her were just sitting next to each other in silence while he leaned his head against hers, the little creatures on her lap calmly sleeping while the sun was slowly rising.

For the time being, since they didn’t know when they could return to the circus grounds and start rebuilding, the werewolf let Poe get Kylos car over to the safe space so that Y/N would at least be sheltered. 

“You don’t have to pamper me anymore.” she chuckled while he let her down in the mountain of pillows and blankets on the backseat.

“You can’t blame me after tonight...” he sighed while Trico and Morgana flew by his head to cuddle up against Y/N, Mellow following shortly after to hide in the shadows of her hair.

“Y/N!! I’m so glad you are okay!” she suddenly heard a hissing voice scream until Kou slithered up Kylo and made his way towards her. The little snake was crying his little heart out while she held him close.

“I’m sorry for worrying you so much.” kissing his little snout, Kou sniffled slightly while curling up around her neck.

Soon Phasma cuddled up with them in the back seat while Finn and Poe took the front seat to sleep, Rey had made herself a little hiding space in the back of the open trunk.

Even though their home was destroyed, all of them were just glad that everyone was alright and survived this horrible night.

While everyone was exhausted and snoring beside her, Y/N was laying on Kylos chest with her eyes wide open. 

Gently lifting herself off Kylos body, she watched his sleeping face for awhile while she gently brushed with her fingers over his wounds.

“I love you, you stubborn wolf...” she whispered against his lips before she quietly left the car and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, her foster children quickly following her.

“Come here...Darling.” picking Trico up from the ground she loosened the Talisman around his neck and let him run for awhile while he started to grow to his original size.

“That's better right?” she whispered, not to wake everyone else and brushed over Tricos snout when he came closer, quietly purring.

“How about you my fiery sweetheart? Want to fly a round?” petting the little dragon that was curled around her leg he stayed where he was not moving a bit.

“I’m not going anywhere, I will be right here waiting for you.” she reassured her scaled child who slowly made his way to her arms so that she could hold him up before it flew up into the sky.

Watching him for a while soaring through the sky, Trico soon joined him, Mellow who disliked sunlight, quickly rushed back into the car to Kylo to vanish into his raven black hair. 

Finally she was able to take a deep breath again, without pain, enjoying the chilly air on her skin and without the worry that her body would just gave out under her, she wandered around a bit, until she noticed the director walking towards them from the rubble of the circus.

Quickly making her way back to the car she gently shook Kylo who instantly wanted to sit up only to hit his head right at the roof of the car, waking everyone else up immediately.

“What is it?! Are you okay?!” he asked frantic while climbing out of the car. Pulling her in his arms, he saw why she had woken him up.

Instinctively, Kylo held her even closer when he saw that his Father was still with the Director.

Y/N quickly held out her arm to catch her dragon who roared at the unfamiliar intruder, same with Trico who stood behind them, glaring at the older werewolf.

“As you can see, Y/N is a Fairy and no ordinary human. Besides now she is even one of your own kind and she and Kylo are standing under my protection. If you have something against that, your pack has to interfere with the Ministry itself, who will be here any moment.” the Director still explained to Han, while a car was coming closer. 

“Oh for fucks sake...” Kylo mumbled and immediately shuffled behind Y/N as if he wanted to hide from someone, when a few people left the car and approached them.

“Now don’t be shy and greet your Mother!” an older, beautiful woman spoke up with outstretched arms and Kylo slowly approached her before she pulled him in a hug and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

“Mum...” he mumbled embarrassed while rubbing over his cheek with his sleeve. Y/N started to chuckle when she saw this shy side of him and walked over to greet his Mother as well.

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Y/N.”

“She is my mate.” Kylo explained to his Mother with slightly red cheeks but a very proud smile.

“You can call me Leia, my Dear, since you are now part of our family.” she smiled and patted her cheek until she shot a glare at the silver wolf. 

“Han.” she only greeted him shortly before she continued to ignore him completely and turned her attention to the Director.

“How bad is the damage?” the three of them and the other people that came with Leia made their way back to the destroyed Circus.

In just a day the Circus got rebuild and everything that was destroyed would be replaced by the ministry who would let the werewolf pack pay for the costs.

“It was really nice meeting your Mother...” Y/N mumbled, with her mouth full of bloody steak and Kylo just watched her with adoration.

“Sure, Moonshine.” he grinned, brushing the mayo from her mouth after she stuffed her face with fries.

“Will I always be this hungry?” she asked and pushed her third plate away while patting her full stomach.

“Around full moon, yeah. Since you just transformed a few hours ago it’s basically the same.” he explained, taking his own last bite of steak.

“Maybe we should get you changed and cleaned up now.” he suggested when he noticed the still bloodstained clothing she was wearing.

“That counts for you too. We can take a nice bath together.” with a wide grin, she cuddled up against his side and Kylo quickly showered her face in kisses which made her even more giggle.

“Circus destroyed, got someone back from the dead and the only thing they think of doing is snogging, again.” Poe called over teasingly and Kylo just showed him the finger with a grin.

“And how are the new tents treating, y’all?” Kylo asked while they set down on the table with them.

“To be totally honest we should thank you for destroying most of this place.” Phasma laughed with a few snakes around her arms. 

“The new tents they provided have freaking extention charms on them. Yours is almost finished so just wait till you get inside.” Finn grinned, visible happy about this change.

“True that, every little one of my children has there own little bed now.” the blonde woman shook her head in disbelief.

“See my Darling. Everyone is happy with the chaos you have made. So don’t feel guilty about it anymore.” squishing his cheeks together with one hand, Y/N pulled his head down to kiss his pouty lips before she gathered the empty plates to bring them to Sadie and help her with washing the dishes.

“And how is she feeling?” Poe asked while pouring Milk on his cornflakes.

“Good! Pretty good, actually. She didn’t have to transform into a wolf yet so she has more energy than me. I’m just ready to take another nap to be honest.” he sighed while resting his head onto his hand until his love came jumping back to him.

“I have the best idea for our new tent! What would you think of a big hammock for us!” jumping next to him on the bench, his eyes knowingly wandered up to her head before he started to chuckle like the others around them.

“What? What is it? Is it such a bad idea?” she asked with disappointment. 

“No it’s a wonderful idea it’s just ...” taking her hand he lead them up to the fluffy ears that were poking through her hair.

“Oh! I got wolf ears?!” immediately she started petting them herself which made her even cuter than she already was.

“Well you are basically a cup right now who has to get used to its powers. It will probably happen a few more times when you get this excited, until you can control your wolfself.” he reassured her before nuzzling his nose against hers which made her smile.

“This will be so exciting...” chuckling to herself, she cuddled back up against his chest, wondering what the next few days would bring them.

-

“I got us pizza and beer!” tired and exhausted Kylo pushed away the tarp from their tent, just to find his clothes scattered around on the floor.

“Moonshine?” he asked confused but soon saw what the problem was.

Y/N was sitting inside their bed, his clothes chaotically placed in a somewhat circle around her.

“I don’t know! I just started and now I can’t stop. And just so you know I can accept zero criticism right now!” without even looking at him she pointed her finger at Kylo.

“Oh Moonshine...” he smiled and shook his head lightly.

“You're trying to build a nest.” he explained and carefully sat down next to her construction. 

“A nest? For what? I’m not a goddamn bird!” she huffed while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“No you silly, you’re building a nest for our cups. That means you’re going into heat soon.” he growled seductively with a wide grin while kissind her temple.

“Cups? Heat? Already? But I just woke up a few days ago...” 

“Your body and instincts know best… just try to listen to them and I hate to say it but … if you want to know better you could ask Rey about the whole female view about it.” watching her for a moment, Kylo gently brushed over her arm. “How about we eat first and after that I help you...” pressing another kiss against her temple, she suddenly held onto him.

“We could have cups?” she asked again, her voice so hopeful, and he nodded before carefully leaning his forehead against hers. “Do you want to? Because if we let it happen, we will definitely have some.” laying his arms around her, she soon cuddled up against his chest.

“I don’t want to waste anymore of our time together … The last time we thought we had all the time in the world it was suddenly stolen from us… wait, some? How many would we have?” she asked suddenly surprised and looked back up at him.

“Werewolfs rarely have just one child in one pregnancy when it happens during their rut.” he explained.

“Lets eat before the food gets cold and I explain everything to you.” brushing over her head, she nodded while making space in her chaotic first build nest so that he could join her.

Making themselves comfortable while they munched on their pizza, Kylo explained to her what it would change for them if they really decided to give into their instincts and would have children.

“I mean we could always still wait, there is no ru-”

“I want cups.” she interrupted him and he looked down at her head that was resting on his chest. 

“Remember in the hospital…?” 

“How could I forget...” Kylo sighed, the thought still giving him chills.

“You were telling me not to leave you alone...” Y/N quietly whispered and he was shocked that she had even heard him in her weak state at the time.

“And I thought, that we didn’t even have the time to really plan our family. That I would leave you completely alone. And if something should ever happen again I want you to have at least a piece of me left with you...” hearing her voice break it immediately tucked at his heart strings and he wrapped his arms tight around her body.

“Oh Moonshine …” 

Y/N slowly robbed her way onto Kylo and brushed her tears away before she sat up on his lap. “Would you want some right now?” brushing over his chest he started to grin slightly. “You know I never could resist you...” he growled and let his hands wander up her side.

“Besides, I actually would love the idea to have a few little ones of our own, I guess our other little monsters warmed me up to the idea.”

“Perfect!” with one motion Y/N had pulled off her shirt and attacked him with kisses.

“Wait right now?!” he shouted surprised but already chuckled against her soft lips. Both of them giggling like lovestruck teenagers.

-

Walking through the leaf covered paths between the tents, Y/N tried to pull the cardigan closer around her figure. 

She was on her way to the big tent, since Kylo would finish his training at any minute. They had just arrived at this town yesterday and she was sure they would get to see the first snow of the year here.

Turning around the next corner she was suddenly attacked by three energetic bundles of joy.

“Mommy are they here already?!” one of the children called while it’s fluffy tail was wagging behind it.

“Sorry, my Darling but you still have to be patient.” Y/N told her little girl while one of the boys lifted her sweatshirt.

“Are you sure?” he asked and patted against the round baby belly.

“Yes my sweetheart, I’m pretty sure.” brushing over his head, she saw the little wolf ears poking out between his black curls.

The second boy was trying to shout out to the two babies inside of her, remembering them to wake up and come out to play.

Suddenly a loud and deep howl echoed through the area and the triplings gathered around their fathers legs to howl with him.

Lifting all three of them up with one arm, Kylo gave each of them a light headbutt.

“Didn’t I tell you little devils to go easy on your Mother?!” he asked them and they quickly started to pout.

“Oh don’t be so harsh to them… They are just excited to meet their new siblings.” Y/N cooed while pressing a loving kiss on each of their heads.

“Doesn’t mean they can run you over, my Love.” leaning down, Kylo gave her a gentle kiss on her smiling lips.

“EW!” the three rascals quickly jumped away from their fathers arm to run away.

“Hey where are you going?” he called after them with a wide grin.

“Stop teasing them so much, my Darling.” cuddling up against his side, Y/N looked after the three while they started to play catch.

“As soon as their little siblings are here they will realise how easy I was on them.” Kylo snickered and let out a barking laugh.

Shaking her head a little she suddenly grinned before taking Kylos hand to lay it on her round belly.

He could feel the usual kicks against his hand and his lips curled up in the widest smile.

Laying his arm around his beautiful mate he kissed her temple.

“Mommy!” her little girl, Trico hanging in her arms, was running back to them and quickly grabbing her mother's hand. 

“Luke heard whispers in a cave nearby. Do you think it is another friend?” 

“It could be, my little Sunshine. We will have to find out.” brushing through her little girls hair, Y/N walked alongside her gently smiling while Kylo followed a bit behind with a grin.

Soon they could see their two boys and the dragon stalking around the entrance of a small cave, where Y/N could hear the voice her son had noticed.

“What do you think, Darling? Do you want to help whoever it will be?” she asked her boy who nervously stared into the dark.

“Dad will help you. And you can take Morgana with you, he can light the way.” encouraging him, Kylo already lifted him up and sat him on his shoulders.

“Mommy can’t go so you have to help this time.” his father explained and the little boy hold tightly onto his father's head before he nodded.

After around half an hour while Y/N waited outside with the other two who started to play hide and seek, they soon could feel rumbling footsteps coming closer. Kylo came out of the cave, no sign of their little boy until a rubble of stone came out of the cave, a big figure made of stone standing in front of them her boy on it’s shoulders.

“Look mommy! It’s a golem!” he shouted excited and lead the creature out of the cave.

“You did great! I’m so proud of you!” Y/N called up to him, while shooting Kylo a light glare.

“What? He is fine up there.” Kylo shrugged his shoulders before soothing her with a gentle kiss on her soft lips.

Lifting her brow slightly her eyes softened, before she cuddled up against Kylos side, their children had already started to lead the golem towards the circus.

“They are wonderful siblings, even though Luke is the only one who can talk to creatures they support him.” she whispered and Kylo nodded proudly.

“Yeah, they will be wonderful when the other two will arrive.” laying his big hand against her belly, he could feel another nudge against it.

Bringing the golem back to their camp, Luke had the responsibility to translate for the director which he mastered perfectly. 

With flushed cheeks he cuddled up against Kylos legs who picked all three of them up. 

“We are very proud of you...” he reassured them, and all of them nuzzeld their heads against their fathers.

Cupping their faces, Y/N pressed a kiss on each of them before they started running through the paths again towards their tent.

It was a normal calm day, Y/N sat down with her girl to help her with her paintings, while Kylo tried to teach the boys how to control their wolfselfs until it was time to tug them in.

Each of them cuddled up with one of the creatures in their hammocks, while Y/N tugged them into their blankets and kissed them goodnight.

Looking at their sleepy faces while Kylo read them a good night story, Y/N wouldn’t be able to describe how thankful she was for this second chance.

Brushing through Kylos black locks, she sat down beside him and closed her eyes after resting her head on his shoulder, his deep voice echoing through the tent while she gently brushed over her round belly.

-

Tags: @celestiaelisia​​​ @sdavid09​​​  @ayatimascd​​​ @acunningstargazer​​​ @agirlwithlonelymusic​​​ @ev3e​​​ @ellie-emb​​​ @siren-queen03​​​​ @luna-xial​

[meetthetank]

Cruciamen Chapter 3: The Witch’s Cave

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: F/M, Other Fandom: NieR: Automata (Video Game) Relationships: 2B/9S (NieR: Automata), A2/A4 (NieR: Automata) Characters: 2B (NieR: Automata), 9S (NieR: Automata), A2 (NieR: Automata), A4 (NieR: Automata), Emil (NieR: Automata), Kaine Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, genre typical violence, On the Run, Monster of the Week, 9S is a half demon, 2B and A2 are shapeshifter Dragons, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Smut in the future, inaccurate depictions of medical procedures, Fantasy Biology, A2 is Nonbinary

A2 had no idea how they fell asleep in the back of a carriage on a bumpy dirt road. Maybe Emil’s voice really did put them to sleep, because he was still chatting away to the horse when they woke up. Judging by the sun bearing down on them, it was about midday. They knick a wide brimmed straw hat from one of the piles of goods in the cart with them to mitigate some of the light. It’s serviceable, but they still shift so that they’re looking away from the sun.

In the time that they were asleep, Emil must have pushed his horse hard. The vast expanse of sand and arid savannah are replaced by great towering mesas and breathtaking canyons. Bands of clay and stone of varying colors tell the story of the earth itself and conceal its ancient secrets. Growing up in a lush forest, A2 only heard about these kinds of landscapes in fantastical stories told to them as a cub, and now they were in the middle of a legend themselves.

Emil guides Halua and the cart down a narrow canyon path. One side is a horrifying sheer drop into the river below, the other a vertical wall of rock. A2 braces their arms against the crates each time the cart wobbles or bumps over a rock. They want to shout at Emil to be more careful, but terror seizes their words in their throat. Somewhere in the back of their mind they find it funny that they regularly face off against horrors from another dimension, but a drop they could easily mitigate by flying terrifies them.

“You not a fan of heights?” Emil asks, looking back at them.

Gods, was this kid psychic?!

“I’m fine,” A2 snaps, shuffling back down into their makeshift nest. “We almost to your friend’s place?”

“Sure are!” he says, excitement clear in his voice. “Her house is just at the bottom of the canyon. We should be there in a few minutes.”

A2 scowls. Someone who lives in a place surrounded by walls of earth far from civilization of any kind always has something to hide, and someone with something to hide isn’t trustworthy. At least Emil wears his intentions on his sleeves, but this new person hasn’t even been named or described beyond Emil claiming that she’s his friend. The disarming quality of Emil could all be a setup.

They grip the hilt of their sword as soon as the cart comes to a stop.

Somehow, in an area that sees little to no rainfall, a grove of trees and lush grass grows at the bottom of this canyon. Maybe the constant water from the river and shade from oppressive sun makes living more manageable for plant life. Or maybe… It’s something else.

“I’ll be right back!” Emil announces. “I’m going to let her know she has company besides me. She’s not keen on strangers without warning.”

Then why bring me out here at all?! A2 thinks and grips their sword even tighter.

Emil hops out of the cart, gives Halua a pat on the snout, and strides into the grove with confidence. The crueler side of A2 wants Emil to turn and run screaming out of the trees just to prove their own paranoia right, but they can’t bring themself to wish harm on the kid. Not yet anyway.

Never one to sit idle (and never one to sit idle next to a horse of all things) A2 meanders off to a small pond nearby. It looks to be the end of the canyon river’s offshoot and probably contributes to the strange plant growth in the area. Murky, scummy water like this yields little to no hidden snacks in A2’s experience, but every so often they’ll find a large fish ruling the pond. They crouch in the mud and watch the water’s surface for the little shadows of insects or other water-dwelling critters. A few tiny mosquitoes and flies buzz around the stagnant water’s surface, but aside from those not much lives in the pond.

A large shadow darts across the scum-covered pond. A2’s hand shoots out on instinct, their claws primed and ready to tear through the flesh of an unsuspecting fish. Instead, their hand sinks into wet clay. They grunt in dismay, but the desperate wiggling of a terrified grub catches their attention. They curl their fingers with lighting speed and yank their arm back to examine their prize. The grub is about the size of their thumb and thrashes around with surprising vigor. Its slimy, mud-covered body is gulped down without a second thought. Grubs aren’t the tastiest, but it suffices.

Another shadow passes over A2 and the pond. Their eyes dart across the surface of the water, the instincts of a predator taking over. They watch for the smallest movements, any sign of life within the pond. Again, nothing stirs. Even the flies are gone.

A chill runs down their spine. The feathers beneath their hair stand on end. Someone is nearby. Someone is watching them.

The unnatural rustling of leaves makes A2 leap to their feet; just in time to see a boulder the size of Halua hurtling towards them. They dive out of the way as the rock slams into the pond, sending stagnant water flying out in all directions. A2 grabs their sword from the back of Emil’s cart as quick as they can as Halua snorts and paws at the dirt nervously.

A second boulder crashes to the ground next to them. This time A2 sees their assailant step out from the shadows to take advantage of their weakness. A woman, lanky and covered head to toe in filthy yellowed bandages, squares her shoulders at A2. A loose sky blue robe barely covers her body as it billows gently in the wind. In her hands she grips two identical black swords that curve wickedly, their jagged teeth glinting in the sunlight. Despite the size of their sword, A2 suddenly feels wildly outmatched in terms of raw weaponry. How have they never thought of carving teeth into this mass of iron before?

“Who are you?” the stranger asks in a calm yet clearly threatening voice. “What are you doing at my home?”

A2 opens their mouth to explain, but the woman looks at the agitated Halua and Emil’s cart. Her eyes widen when she realizes that Emil is nowhere to be seen.

“What have you done with him?!” she bellows, shifting into a crouching battle stance.

A2 hoists their own sword up, pointing it at the bandaged woman. “Nothing. He brought me here.”

She looks down at them, a sneer twisting her sharp features. “Bullshit,” she spits. “What the fuck did you do to him?!”

Before A2 can begin to explain anything, the woman leaps into a brutal attack. She soars into the air and brings down both swords on the spot where A2 once stood. If they hadn’t moved, their head would have been crushed under the weight that splits the earth they stood on. A2 retaliates with a mighty swing of their own, but the cumbersome weight of the blade makes their effort slow. The woman easily backs out of the iron blade’s reach, then shifts her balance to strike at A2’s legs with her twin swords. Her first swing barely misses but the second sword’s teeth dig into the meat of their calf. On instinct, A2 jerks away from the pain, but the sudden movements cause more of their muscles to be shredded by the cruel iron.

A2 snarls and slams their first into the woman’s jaw with enough force to push her back a few inches. They shove the pommel of their sword into her gut, making her gasp as the wind is knocked out of her. With their free hand they reach for the woman’s hair to bash her head in with their own skull, but she throws her palm into A2’s throat. They force themself not to cough or gag, but they can’t stop the spit and wheeze that escapes their mouth.

The woman throws herself and her swords at A2, not letting them have any time to regain their breath. They throw up their iron sword, using its immense size as a shield to buy themself a moment to recover. Again, the woman hops backwards to prepare another assault, but this time A2 is ready. As she bolts forward, twin blades primed to strike, A2 tucks their head low and rushes into the woman, dragging the heavy blade behind them. Just before the clash, A2 channels all their strength into a powerful overhead swing. The burns on their chest and gash in their leg scream in pain at the initial exertion, but once the blade reaches its peak, gravity brings it down. The woman nimbly dodges to the side, which A2 expects. They swing their sword in the direction she moved, forcing her to back out of the blade’s massive reach.

“Stop!!” A voice calls out from the sidelines of the fight, “Kaine! A2! Stop fighting!”

A2 makes the mistake of looking over at Emil waving his arms to get their attention. The moment they drop their guard, the woman, apparently named Kaine, rushes at A2 with blinding speed. Reacting as fast as they can, A2 lays their blade flat on the ground and waits until Kaine makes the mistake of stepping on it. The moment her foot hits just beyond the tip (and the moment before her swords cut into the bruised flesh of their throat) A2 yanks the blade skyward. Kaine’s body flies upward, reaching an impressive height before crashing back to the earth with a few choice expletives. At great pain to themself, A2 corrects the sword’s upward momentum to slam it back down on Kaine, crushing her beneath the flat of the blade.

“A2!” Emil screams, “Please stop!!”

Both fighters ignore the boy’s pleas. Kaine spits at A2, who points the tip of their sword at her jugular. All they have to do is stab and the fight will be over. Suddenly Kaine’s arm shifts, and in an instant A2’s eyes and nose are filled with stinging dirt. They stumble backwards, quickly trying to dig the tiny stones out of their face before Kaine can recover, but it’s too late. A2 blindly cowers behind their sword as Kaine repeatedly slams against it. They may be strong, but a continued assault like this will break their guard. The most they can do in the few seconds they have is blink away the dirt in their eyes and wait for an opening.

“Kaine! No!!”

A2 strains their body to jump backward out of range of Kaine’s swords while still keeping her in their range. Having seen each other’s brute strength, the clash devolves into one person trying to bait the other into revealing an opening to strike a single fatal blow. All A2 has to do is hit her once. Their blade is about the size of her body; one good strike is all it would take to break a few of her bones. However, Kaine aims for A2’s chest and legs, large targets that would cripple or kill them. Both focus entirely on the other, deaf to all but the blood thundering in their ears. For A2, their dance of brutality can only last as long as their body does. Their injuries make their movements slow and sluggish as they fight against two opponents, Kaine and the pain of untreated wounds.

Kaine shows no signs of slowing down as they rush in close after A2 misses another crushing overhead strike. They brace themself for what might be the final assault-

“ENOUGH!!” Emil shouts, his voice booming with unexpected power.

In a flash of movement the boy in bandages appears between A2 and Kaine, his arms outstretched, palms facing either combatant. A great blast of invisible force slams into them like a solid wall and sends both them and Kaine flying back several feet. A2 crashes to the ground, their sword flying uselessly away from them. They shake off the twisted feeling in their gut and stare at Emil, mouth agape.

What the hell is this kid?!

“Kaine!” Emil yells. “Would you just listen to me?!”

Kaine sits up and grumbles to herself. “Urh… Fuck’s sake, Emil. That hurts…”

“I brought A2 here,” he says, helping them to their feet first. “I found her-”

“Not a girl,” A2 interrupts.

“-In town this morning passed out by the well.”

Kaine scoffs as Emil offers his thin hand to her. “You’ve got to stop bringing wounded vagrants back here just ‘cause they tell you a shitty sob story.”

“She-... A2 wouldn’t let me help them for free. They can work off their debt in exchange for medicine and a place to rest.”

A2 watches in silence as Emil speaks for them. Typically A2 would rather speak for themself but they’d rather not risk saying the wrong thing in front of either Kaine or Emil. Before the fight their attitude might have been different, but now with all these new injuries, keeping their mouth shut is the better option.

Kaine glares at them over Emil’s shoulder, her dark eyes scrutinizing their ragged appearance and battle-scarred body. “...Fine. They can work.”

Emil sighs in relief and slips right back into his chatty habits. He all but bounces around his friend as she walks towards the entrance to her cave, regaling her with how he came across A2 and his other adventures. A2 stands in place, mesmerized by how these two wildly different people could get along so well.

Kaine looks back at them, a bored expression on her face. “Are you coming? Or are you just gonna stand outside all day?”

They nod, grab their sword, and follow her without another word.

The interior of the cave is about what A2 expects. A dank, winding path carved into the earth, lit only by a few torches burnt to embers. Several species of cave-dwelling plants are hung in pots that dangle beneath stalactites dripping a constant supply of water. As soon as A2 begins to suspect Kaine to be an insane cave hermit, they round a corner and enter a sunlit hole in the ground covered with lush vegetation and complete with a small hut made of chunks of wood. Animal skins sit in the sun, stretched out on tanning racks next to discarded crates of odd treasures A2 has no name for. Some of them look like outdated tools, others are strange gemstones or rocks. There’s even a statue of a forgotten god or two in the garbage.

Kaine fiddles with the locks on the hut’s door. Most of them are simple metal locks, but some of them have intricate runes that glow a bright purple when she waves her hand over them. A2 hopes all this security is only a desire to be left alone and not an attempt to hide something sinister. Then again, if it were the latter, A2 would be dead before they saw the hut.

The hut’s interior is cluttered with even more garbage. There’s barely enough room for the three of them to walk around. Kaine takes them through the kitchen first, and A2 is assaulted by the strong scents of spices and preservatives. Countless bundles of dried plants and meats hang by the window above jars of… things… stewing in opaque yellow liquids. Eyes, lizard feet, tongues and organs, even whole newts sit in a strange method of organization. Even more curious than this are the beautiful white flowers that glow in the dim light. They reach out to touch one, their finger brushing one of the petals, which stops glowing in response only to resume the moment they remove their touch.

“You can sleep in here,” Kaine says, pointing to a small room with only a cot against the wall. “Go ahead and settle in. I gotta talk to Emil for a second.”

A2 shuffles into the room, trying to keep their sword out of the way of Kaine and Emil. Only once the door shuts behind the two does A2 relax at all. They can’t place it now, but something about those two seems off. Their smell is wrong, not like anything they’ve smelled before. In fact, the whole hut smells the same, like the old books that sat with yellowing pages. Or like a pile of salt. Or perhaps both. Emil at least had the decency to try to cover it with herbs and spices, but Kaine seems the type to not take care of herself if she doesn’t have company.

They look at another discarded leather-bound book, its pages worn far past yellow and into brown.

Old, A2 realizes. They smell old.

[fineillsignup]

the Defective Uzumaki - Ch. 2

You can start from the beginning here on AO3 if you missed it. Brief catch-up: in this AU, Madara and Hashirama have started Konoha as teenagers due to their fathers’ deaths, Izuna is still alive, and Madara and Hashirama formed arranged political alliance marriages with the Uzumaki sisters--Mito and Sakura. Sakura is only a tween when they start their “marriage”, so while the age gap isn’t that big, it is definitely still a marriage in name only.

@yomi-gaeru allowed me to use her art to illustrate this story which is a good thing because this story is completely inspired by her beautiful art. She is amazing! There is a scene which is based on this comic specifically.

@madasakuweek prompt: get away

Ch. 2: Rabbits and Foxes

Madara thought he had been saddled with a timid little rabbit as a wife. It didn’t take long for him to figure out that was wrong.

The only rabbit-like thing about Sakura was her frequent choice of big red hair bow. She quickly became best friends with two cousins of his about her age and the three of them—two dark heads and one pink one—were soon scrambling all over the nascent Konoha and its environs, sometimes joined by other Uchiha girls of varying ages or even Senju ones. Madara treated Sakura with benign neglect. He was often away, performing missions for funding, while the more diplomatic Hashirama attempted to entice other clans to join their new experiment of a ninja village. Even when he was in the village, he generally only saw her at meals and bedtime, when she would talk his ear off about her training and adventures. He generally only half-listened.

Nobody was more surprised than Madara when he began to miss her chatter when he was away on missions.

She was bossy, and she had a temper, but these were faults he shared and probably indulged in more than she did.

Keeping a wife got more aggravating as she got older.

“I think somebody has a crush.” Izuna’s sing-song voice was pitched irritatingly high.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Madara grunted. “Are we ready to head out?”

“Oh come on, at least give her a little wave. It’s adorable.” Izuna gestured with his eyebrows and a slight shift of the head, and Madara glanced at what he had been avoiding looking at: Sakura, practically radiating hearts and rainbows at them.

She squealed when she noticed she had been noticed. “Danna-sama! Izuna-nii-san! Goodbye! Have a good mission!”

The two girls with her giggled. “Madara-sama! Izuna-sama! Have a safe mission!”

The redness in his ears was due to the heat of the day. Not embarrassment.

———

Time passed. The village prospered. On the surface, all was peaceful.

But in prosperity, some looked to gather weapons for the future. And no weapon could compare to the Uchiha eyes.

This had always been a danger. But there had never been something so orchestrated as the fake mission where the supposed client had used a ruse to separate Madara and Izuna from each other. Two huge forces were waiting to ambush them both. That… had not ended well for the attackers, or for the forest that the ambush had taken place in, or for the neighbouring town that had caught fire from the forest and burnt to cinders—fortunately with enough warning from the forest fire that the townspeople were able to evacuate with vital possessions.

Hashirama took them in, of course, although it was Tobirama who had to handle setting them up in the unused, fertile farmlands surrounding the village. Not without a lot of snide comments about fire jutsu either.

Neither Madara nor his brother received more than minor injuries, but it had been an exhausting fight from the sheer number of attackers and he had expended a lot of chakra, so he decided to stick close to the village for a while and deal with clan business.

“Danna-sama! I’m going to pick berries with Hinoka-chan and the others!”

Madara rubbed at the bags under his eyes but managed a small wave. He smiled down at his tea cup as the girls laughter could be heard getting fainter as they left the compound. Such a carefree excursion would have been unimaginable ten years ago. Maybe this world will be alright…

When he finished his breakfast, he went to sit with his council for a meeting to discuss the situation. It was obvious that Madara and Izuna, with their Mangekyo Sharingan, would be the biggest target to have their doujutsu stolen, but after giving such a demonstration of their power, enemies might move on to target clan members with regular Sharingan. 

Madara had no idea just how unscrupulous their enemies truly were.

A flare of chakra and his brother Izuna was there in the open window. “Madara! There’s been an attack on the girls!”

———

Even chakra exhuasted, they left the other council members in the dust as Madara followed Izuna to the scene.

“I don’t know everything,” Izuna called over his shoulder, “I don’t think they got away with any of the girls, but most of them are hurt, some of them badly. It was Tobirama who sensed the battle and raised the alarm.”

Having to be grateful to Tobirama for anything was going to be a real bitch, but he somehow didn’t care. “What about Sakura?”

Izuna didn’t answer for a moment, but then he said, “I know she’s hurt, nii-san, so that’s why I came to get you…”

They ended up in the makeshift hospital area of Konoha. Madara weaved through crying girls clinging to their parents to where a healer was applying a bandage to Sakura’s face, an armoured Senju standing silent guard nearby.

She turned her face up to him silently. It was swollen as if she had been smacked in the face, and though the healers had cleaned the wounds, there was still dirt in her clothes as if she had been thrown into the ground. Her once waist-length hair had been cut very short and jaggedly—by a sword? And tears were falling from her eyes—only one was open, the other perhaps forced shut by the swelling.

Without thinking about it, he tenderly wiped the tears from her open eye, and then took her into a gentle embrace. Rage was swirling in his heart, but he would not show even one particle of it to her.

“You can take her home now, Madara-sama,” said the healer. “All she really needs now is rest.”

“Aa.” Madara lifted Sakura into his arms.

“I can walk—” she whispered.

“Rest,” he commanded, but not harshly.

She fell asleep before they made it back to the main house of the compound, so he simply laid her into their bed. He put up the amado storm shutters around that part of the house, making the inside very dark, with only a little light filtering through cracks. Then he laid down next to her sleeping form and placed a hand protectively on her while his sharingan activated with the force of his rage.

They will pay.

———

Madara didn’t ask his wife a single question about the attack—she needed her rest—but he did not afford the same consideration to the rest of his kinswomen. He needed facts quickly to go after them.

Maddeningly, the girls mostly wanted to talk about Sakura.

“She could have gotten away, Madara-sama!” said Hinoka. Her leg was elevated for her shattered ankle and the pain medications she was on made her repeat herself a lot. “Sakura-sama… they said ‘let the pink one go, she’s not an Uchiha,’ but she just said, ‘Shannaro! I am too!’ and she punched one of them—wham! And then we all started fighting back too…”

“Were they wearing forehead protectors?” Madara pursued, attempting to keep his patience.

“And one of them grabbed Sakura-sama by her hair!” Hinoka continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “And he started yelling that if the rest of us didn’t give in he was going to slit her throat—” The image made Madara’s sharingan activate, but Hinoka wasn’t paying attention. “—but Sakura-sama had a kunai she had wrestled away from one of them and she cut off her own hair to get free! Sakura-sama is amazing!”

“Hinoka!” Madara barked. He didn’t have time for this. When Hinoka looked at his sharingan, he helped himself to her memories.

———

When will you come back, nii-san? It’s been a year. We all miss you. I can’t rule the clan like you can. Surely our enemies have learned they can’t hope to escape you by now?

Madara blew a katon over the letter when he finished reading it, then smiled. Yes, it was indeed time to go back.

Utterly destroying those who had dared to think they could kidnap innocent Uchiha girls and kill his matriarch as if she were common trash was the work of only a few weeks. That was not the main problem.

He needed a weapon beyond the Sharingan, something so frightening that no one would ever dare to think of attacking Konoha ever again.

And now he had it.

“You’re docile now, aren’t you, my pet?” Madara chuckled, laying a hand on the massive snout of the Nine Tails. “I will ride you home.”

[twists-of-fade]

Arianni becomes Evune

They were in the farms near Redcliffe when the missive arrived. As the messenger approached, Arianni was discussing with a farmer where the wolves had created their den, and how the farmers might best avoid them. Dorian and Solas were nearby, helping another farmer repair a fence that had been destroyed by their Druffalo herd when the Templars and mages had fought in the area.

Cole was suddenly at her side, pulling on his gloves nervously as the farmer thanked Arianni and left.

"The paper carries sadness," Cole warned as Arianni noted the messenger.

"What?" Arianni turned to him in confusion.

"Cannot look at her, paper heavy in my hand, rode as fast as the horse could. It is.. bad. Very bad," Cole said. "You shouldn't read it yet. But you must. You have somewhere you have to go. I will get Nehna."

Arianni stared after him, feeling her heart pound as the messenger approached. The scout's eyes were downcast as she held out a hand, a tightly furled paper in it. Arianni felt her hand shaking as she took the paper. The scout saluted before turning and walking as quickly as she dared back towards her horse. The letter in her hand was sealed with Cullen's seal, but sloppily, as if he'd had to try twice to apply it. That didn't bode well, either. He had been nervous to send this to her.

As she broke the wax seal, fingers fumbling, she heard Dorian and Solas approaching.

"Where did Cole run off to?" Dorian asked. "The boy just suddenly charged off towards camp."

Arianni didn't answer. She was too busy staring at the words in front of her. Her brain couldn't register what she was reading.

"Arianni? What's wrong?" Dorian asked, concerned.

Arianni couldn't answer. She didn't know how. Everything around her had gone silent. It felt as though even her heart had ceased beating as she read the letter again, willing the words within it to change. They didn't, and the same words jumped out at her, screaming themselves at her, making it impossible to focus on the rest of the letter.

"... to clan Lavellan... Agents arrived too late... few survivors remained... all injured... I'm so sorry, Arianni."

Cole approached, then, leading her halla, Nehna. Arianni felt Nehna's inquisitive snort as the animal placed it's snout against her cheek. She dropped the letter, letting it flutter to the muddied ground as she reached for Nehna's reigns. Arianni could feel her heart beating now, and it was louder than anything around her. Louder than Dorian's questions, Cole's enigmatic words. Her pounding heartbeat drowned out the sight of Solas's worried stare as Arianni mounted Nehna, reigning the Halla in. She heard Solas calling after her as she rode away from them, but she didn't turn back. Cole was right, she had somewhere she had to be.

Leaning towards her childhood friend's ear, she whispered, "Josa, Nehna."

The halla took off at a sprint, spurned by Arianni's heartfelt plea, and fueled by the fear she had heard in Arianni's voice.

Arianni couldn't say later how long she rode, only that it was a matter of days. When Nehna tired, Arianni poured magic into her, soothing her muscles and reinvigorating her. Arianni paid no heed to her surroundings, knowing only that she needed to go northeast, towards Wycome. She needed to go home.

As the sunlight broke over the hills, shining through the trees, Arianni saw the top of the Inquisition's golden banner. The smell of smoke filled the air, though there was no sign yet of a fire.

A scout approached her, quickly recognizable as scout Harding. Arianni looked at her, a thousand unasked questions in her eyes as Nehna slowed, snorting with fatigue and concern for the smoke she smelled. Harding turned without a word, her face inscrutable, and led Arianni to the camp. What was left of it, anyway.

Fear filled her every pore as Arianni saw the wreckage of the camp. Tents torn down, banners ripped, aravel burned. Blood littered the ground, but there were no bodies. Nehna's head swiveled, looking for familiar faces as the smell of blood hit her nose. Arianni patted her neck absently, unable to reassure her halla with the fear she also felt so cold in her heart.

Harding led them to a large inquisition tent, guarded by several soldiers. Arianni dismounted Nehna, stumbling as her legs threatened to buckle. Scout Harding reached out as though to help her, but Arianni righted herself, shaking her head. Silently, she pushed open the tent flap and entered.

The tent was filled with cots. Injured elves from her clan lay in many, Inquisition soldiers filled the rest. Healers were busily covering several of the elves with white sheets, their faces grim as they worked.

Scanning the cots for familiar faces, Arianni recognized the Keeper, laying in a corner cot. Cullen stood nearby, and they spoke in hushed tones.

"Deshanna!" Arianni called out as she rushed to the cot.

"Arianni?" Cullen's voice was shocked. "I didn't expect you to arrive for days."

Arianni ignored him, her focus only on the Keeper. "Deshanna, what has happened?"

"You came, da'len. I told him you would," Deshanna Istimaethoriel said, her voice pained. "The men of the city believe us responsible for an illness. Something that plagues their people. It did not matter how we plead our innocence, they were afraid, and fear drove their actions. But you should not be here."  Deshanna pulled a hand from beneath the blankets, her movements shaky. "Your mother," She said, pointing to a cot at the other end of the tent.

Arianni took her hand, placing her lips to it a moment, eyes closed. "Be well, Deshanna," She said, before standing.

Unable to meet Cullen's gaze, she moved to the cot the Keeper had pointed out, and felt her knees buckle. She didn't feel her knees hit the hard ground. She reached a hand out and caressed her mother's face. Isera was asleep, her face relaxed, though the many bandages across her neck and side of her face tore at Arianni's heart.

"Mamae," Arianni whispered, her voice breaking, before clearing her throat and trying again. "Mamae."

Isera's uncovered eye fluttered open, and her mouth gaped in surprise as she saw Arianni. "Da'len," she said softly, smiling, and Arianni couldn't stop the tears anymore as they poured down her face.

"I'm here, Mamae," she whimpered, and her mother placed a hand to the back of her head, caressing her ear gently. Arianni placed her face to her mother's chest and cried while Isera stroked her hair. "Ir abelas, Mamae. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't here."

"Shh, hush, ma'enansal," Isera crooned. "You are here now. Look at me, da'len."

Arianni raised her head, and Isera wiped the tears from one eye, then the other. "I didn't think I'd see your face again, emm'asha," Isera said, stroking Arianni's cheek. "You've grown so. You've changed. Your pretty brown eyes glow with the light of the Beyond."

Arianni nodded. "It is because of what occurred at the Conclave," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.

"They are beautiful, da'len."

Arianni smiled a moment, before frowning. "Mamae..." Arianni hesitated, scared of the answer to the unasked question.

"Your father has gone to the Beyond, emm'asha," Isera said, her voice sad. "He fought bravely for our clan, for me. I could not run, and he defended me from the soldiers who attacked. He fell to them just as your soldiers arrived."

Arianni sniffed. She nodded wordlessly. Another thing that was her fault. If she hadn't caused her mother's injury, maybe they could have escaped. Anger, hot and heavy, pooled in her as she stood.

Isera frowned. "He would be so proud of you. Just as I am, da'len."

"I know, Mamae," Arianni replied, forcing a smile. "You rest now. I am going to take care of things. I love you, Mamae."

"And I you, ma'enansal," Isera replied. "Be safe."

Arinni kissed her mother's brow before leaving, sparing Cullen a look that bade him to follow her.

When he exited the tent, she continued walking, away from the camp, into the woods. Once he had followed her a suitable distance, she rounded on him.

"What the fuck happened, Cullen?" She shouted.

"Wycome's soldiers. They used poisoned weapons. The healers are doing all they can. You should read Leliana's report," Cullen answered, passing her the letter in his hand.

As Arianni scanned the words, the anger in the pit of her stomach grew. "The Duke of Wycome was working with the Venatori. They poisoned the city's water supply with red lyrium and blamed the elves. Blamed my family. This is his fault. His and Corypheus'. At least one of them is closer at hand." She threw the letter to the ground in disgust and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Cullen called after her.

Arianni didn't turn as she replied. "Emma shem'nan. I have an appointment with Duke Antoine."

----

Arianni threw the sniveling man to the ground. "Ma halam, shemlen."

"What are you going to do to me?" He cried.

"Ar tu na'din," Arianni replied, ignoring his confusion.

Citizens of Wycome were gathering, drawn by the man's cries.

Duke Antoine of Wycome knelt before her, whimpering. His hands were bound behind him, his face bloody, burned, and frostbitten. Arianni stood in the middle of the city's main courtyard, where major announcements and executions would take place. They were surrounded by the retainer Duke Antoine often had with him. Every last one of them had been Venatori agents. Every one of them was now dead. The inhabitants of the city had crowded around them, many angry, some scared, but all curious.

"Your true enemy is before you," Arianni shouted, addressing the building crowd. "He has been before you the entire time, spreading lies among you even as he spread poison within your waters. You will hear it of him." She turned to the Duke. "Tell them what you did," Arianni said loudly.

Antoine whimpered, shaking his head.

Arianni reached a hand to the back of his head, placing a fire rune at the base of his skull. Arianni leaned down, her mouth at the ear of the cowering noble. "I will boil your brains in your skull if you dare to lie to them," she said softly, before straightening.

"Tell them of your crimes!" She shouted.

"I... I did it," the duke said. "I poisoned the well and b-brought the plague."

The crowd gasped as a collective whole, and many began whispering among themselves, staring at Arianni and the Duke with a mixture of confusion and distrust.

"On whose orders?"

The Venatori," Antoine whispered. As the fire rune grew hotter, he repeated himself louder. "The Venatori!"

Another collective gasp. The people clearly knew the name, but Arianni wasn't leaving anything to chance. She needed them on her side.

"The Venatori, yes," Arianni said, addressing the crowd again. "Followers of the would-be god who tore a hole in the very heavens. Do you know who it was that closed the breach?"

"You did," the duke spat bitterly.

"Yes," Arianni said. "I did. Chosen of Andraste, blessed of the Maker. On behalf of the peoples of Thedas, ALL of them, I lead the Inquisition against the would-be god who dreams to destroy us all. While such a threat exists, you, who should be protecting your own people, have instead poisoned them, turned them against one another, and convinced them to slaughter each other."

Arianni gave the words a moment to sink in.

"The elves of the Alienage, whose only crime was existing, were made into a scapegoat for your crimes. How many of them died for your lie?"

"How should I know-" The Duke began, but Arianni shouted over him, increasing the temperature of the fire rune.

"HOW MANY? HOW MANY DIED FOR YOU?"

"Th-there were probably three hundred of them," Antoine shouted, rolling onto his back, attempting to stifle the fire rune against the cobblestone.

"Three hundred dead," Arianni repeated, speaking loudly to ensure the citizens heard her. "Three hundred innocents. Undoubtedly, this includes children, babies. That doesn't include the number of your own population dead because of your poison. How many of Wycome's very own citizens died at your hands?"

"I don't know," Antoine cried out, writhing. "Dozens."

"Dozens of your own, mainly babies and the elderly, dead."

The crowd was growing restless, glaring at the duke. Some hurled insults.

"I ask you, the people of this city," Arianni shouted. "What would you have done with this man? He has lied to you, deceived you, poisoned your children, and forced you to kill innocents. What would you have done with him?"

The crowd shouted, their anger rising. "Kill him!" shouted some. "Jail!" said another.

"I leave him in your hands," Arianni said. "As the people of this city, it is your right to judge your own."

"Take him out of here!" A citizen shouted, stepping forward. A grizzled old man with a missing eye and grey beard. "He killed your people, too. The group of elves outside the city. You have as much right to judge him as anyone. More, even. You and your Inquisition are the only ones standing up to the nug-fucker that calls himself a god."

There were sounds of agreement within the crowd as the man continued. "If you and your people aim to stop this false-god, then you've got my support, and anyone in this town worth the hair on a nug's ass should say the same."

A murmur of agreement ran through the crowd, and a soldier stepped forward, blade drawn. Arianni made no move to stop him as he approached, knelt, and placed his sword at her feet.

"For the Inquisition," He said.

"For the Inquisition!" Cried out a citizen. The old man took up the cry, and as the crowd began to chant, soldiers came forward, each one kneeling and placing their blades before Arianni.

Wycome was theirs.

--- "You did well," Cullen said when they met to speak in his tent. It was late, and he'd already removed his armor, preparing for bed when she walked to the camp with Antoine in chains. "I thought we had lost Wycome for sure. The duke has been prepared for transport to Skyhold to await trial."

"Why didn't the soldiers defend the elves, Cullen?" Arianni asked, staring at him. "I didn't ask before, because there were more urgent matters."

Cullen sighed and fiddled with the sleeve of his shirt, not meeting her eyes. "Lieutenant Rozzellene Chambreterre led the forces into Wycome. They were able to destroy the source of red lyrium poisoning the city's inhabitants, but the city soldiers forced them to retreat. When the Inquisition's forces were safely camped outside Wycome, Lieutenant Chambreterre realized the mistake. Wycome's forces fell upon the Alienage elves, as well as Clan Lavellan. By the time the forces returned to help..." Cullen trailed off.

Arianni stared at him, incredulous. "Let me get this straight," she said, her voice low. "I trust the men under your command to take care of the situation in Wycome, and not only could they not do that, but they abandoned my people, my clan, my FAMILY, to die for them?!"

"You know that isn't what she wanted," Cullen replied softly.

Arianni scoffed. "No, of course not. It's just what happened."

Cullen opened his mouth to argue, but a soldier pressed her head through the tent flap.

"Sers, you should come quickly," She said. "It doesn't look good."

Arianni practically threw soldiers out of her way as she shoved into the medical tent. she felt her heart catch in her throat as she saw two healers placing a sheet over Keeper Istimaethoriel.

"No," she whispered. "No, she can't. Deshanna."

"Arianni..." Cullen's voice snatched her back to where she stood. He was pointing past her, past far too many empty cots to the one in the corner.

Arianni felt her blood run cold. The room went silent. She didn't remember walking to her mother's cot, didn't remember crumpling in front of it. She remembered her mother's face, the drop of sweat on her brow, the way her unbandaged eye was squinted in pain. She remembered the way Isera struggled for breath. Arianni would never forget the smile Isera had on her face when she realized Arianni was there. Or the way it slowly slipped away as Isera took her last breath.

She remembered screaming. Clutching her mother's hands, begging her to come back. Screaming at the healers and their damned white sheet, throwing herself over her mother's body, refusing to let them touch her. She threatened to burn the entire forest to the ground if they dared. She remembered Cullen pulling her away, somehow gentle despite her thrashing. When he finally managed to pull her from the tent, she broke away from him, sprinting towards the trees, fear and anger mingling with an overwhelming despair as they fueled her steps.

When Cullen finally caught up with her, she was still as stone, kneeling in a field of tall grasses, watching the blades sway in the breeze. The sun had nearly set, and the first stars twinkled in the sky, visible through wisps of clouds.

Cullen approached her slowly, silently, and she did not stir.

"Arianni?" He spoke softly, trying not to startle her.

"It's like the world doesn't even care that she's gone," Arianni said. She felt numb inside, as though some part of her had died with her mother. While the rest of her mind was screaming, throwing things, thrashing, tearing itself apart, that part inside of her was so calm it frightened her. "In books and tales," she continued, "the death of someone special is always marked with rain, all very dramatic, of course, with the very heavens weeping for the loss. But here, barely a short walk from the tent, the world is so peaceful it's as though nothing even happened. The world can't see how special she was."

Cullen approached and knelt down next to her. "Then the world doesn't know what it has lost," he said.

"The world spins on even as my own has shattered," she said. "My clan is gone. My family. My mother..." She broke off, clapping a hand to her mouth to stifle a sob.

Cullen put an arm around her, leaning her against him. "It is okay to feel your emotions," he said quietly. "You are in pain. Trying to hold this in won't help."

At his words, Arianni felt the tears begin running down her face. She took heavy breaths and found herself clutching his shirt. "They left me alone. All of them. What am I supposed to do now?" she asked between sobs.

Cullen wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him, hugging her tightly. "That's not for me to say," he said. "Whatever comes next, know that you are not alone. I'm here, Arianni. The Inquisition is with you. You are never alone."

Neither of them spoke for a long time, while Arianni cried all of the tears she had in her, and Cullen held her to his chest, rocking her gently and stroking her neck. Long after her hoarse sobs faded away, tears still ran down her cheeks, and Cullen sat with her until she pulled away, wiping her face.

The sun had faded beyond the horizon long before, and stars sparkled i th sky. A full moon illuminated the field, twinkling off the blades of the tall grass. Arianni stared at the moon for a moment.

"I have to bury them," Arianni said, pushing herself to her feet. "There are certain rites, certain things that must be done."

"Can it not wait?" Cullen asked as he stood, stretching his legs.  

"It cannot. Not if they are to find their way through the Beyond."

"Will you let me help you?" Cullen asked, concerned.

"I shouldn't," Arianni said, shaking her head.

"You're exhausted. I know you haven't slept since you arrived, and you probably didn't stop the entire way here from Redcliffe. Please, let me help you. You don't have to do this alone."

Arianni considered his words for a long moment.

"I could use help with the burials," she acquiesed. "However, afterwards, there are things I must do alone."

"Arlight," Cullen said, and Arianni was grateful that he didn’t argue.

They buried the clan in the field. As much as she wanted to avoid it, Arianni forced herself to look in the faces of each of her clansmen, to face their fate and accept her part in it. When it came time to bury her mother, Arianni broke down again, crying over the body, caressing her mother's cold cheek. She murmured countless apologies, in Elven and the common tongue. Her hands shook when it came time to cover Isera, and Cullen placed a hand over hers, taking the shovel from her gently.

"Let me," he said softly, and Arianni nodded, turning away.

"Thank you," she said, when it was done.

"Don't," he replied, his voice low. "Don't thank me for this."

Arianni nodded. "I need to be alone for the rest," she said. "Please."

"Right." Cullen stuck the blade of the shovel into the ground before walking away.

Venturing into the forest, Arianni gathered a rowan branch for each of the clan, removing the twigs from them and placing one at each grave.

"To scatter Fear and Deceit," she murmured as she placed each of them.

When this was done, she approached the site of the Keeper, placed at the highest point in the field. She took her staff from her back.

"A staff of yew, to guide your steps as you lead them through the Beyond," she whispered, not trusting her voice. "May Falon'Din  guide you, as you have guided us. Dareth shiral, lethallan."

She knelt by the Keeper's grave, praying a wordless prayer that her efforts were not wasted, that she had done the rites in time, and that they could forgive her.

When she opened her eyes, she looked around her. The sun was beginning to rise behind her, and the stars had nearly all twinkled out. The full moon sat at the horizon, directly ahead of her. As she looked at it, Arianni felt a strange sense of ending, as though a part of her was closing. It wasn't the same feeling of loss as she had felt previously. This felt as though she could find new beginning. For the first time since she had received the missive, she felt that maybe the world would keep turning.

"Evune," she whispered, the Elven word for moon, and as she tasted the word, it felt right.

Evune.

When she returned to the camp, Cullen was there, his face haggard. She hadn't noticed before just how tired he looked, the stress of leading the Inquisition's soldiers leaving dark circles beneath his eyes, and worry lines between his brows. He looked relieved to see her approach, and some of the lines on his face disappeared as he visibly relaxed.

"Arianni-" he began, but she threw up a hand.

"Arianni Lavellan is gone," she said softly, noticing the concern and alarm on his face at her words. "I am still me," she said, attempting to reassure him, "but I won't go by that name any longer. I will allow the Lavellan clan to end in this forest. I have chosen a new name."

Cullen furrowed his brow, looking at her with the worry she had grown accustomed to seeing in his eyes. "What do you mean?" he asked. "What name?"

"I will go by Evune," she replied simply. "The Lavellan clan ends with me, with Arianni, and rather than carry the burdens and loneliness, I will bury them with the rest of my family, so that I can devote myself entirely to the Inquisition."

Cullen was silent a moment, contemplating her words. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked finally. "My knowledge of Elven custom is limited, but I thought that as the First, you would become Keeper, responsible for passing on your clan's legacy."

"Yes," Evune replied. "To do so, I would be expected to join a new clan, marrying in, joining their name as humans join noble houses. I would have to devote myself to my clan's history. It would prevent me from dedicating myself fully to the Inquisition, or to anyone else."

Cullen's eyebrows shot up. "I didn't realize," he replied.

Evune nodded. "When all of this started, I would often think about going home, returning to my clan, my studies. As First, I'd never have to worry about being married off, because the Keeper is expected to devote herself entirely to her clan. I thought I wanted that simplicity." She picked at the bark of a nearby tree, running a hand over a scorch mark from the clan's battle with Wycome's soldiers.

Cullen tilted his head as he watched her. "What changed?" he asked curiously.

Evune sighed. "Everything," she said. "It went from 'closing the Breach and going home' to 'saving the world."' She shook her head, then smiled slightly at Cullen. "I have made such wonderful friends, and met such incredible people. People who, regardless of where they came from, what they had to return to, were willing to put that aside to fight for something bigger than themselves. To believe in something bigger than their own problems."

Cullen nodded. "Some of us also found someONE to believe in," he said, stepping towards her.

Evune nodded. "Yes, there's that, too. So many people believing in me, relying on me. Running off to frolic naked in the trees seems like a terrible way to repay that faith."

Cullen chuckled. "There are some who wouldn't mind the sight," he joked, causing Evune to laugh.

"I can imagine," she said.

"So," Cullen said. "Evune?"

"Yes," She replied.

"What does it mean?"

"It is the Elven word for moon," she said, smiling up at him. She pointed to where the full moon was beginning to dip below the horizon line. "Just as the moon enters a new phase, so shall I. I am letting go of my past, of that I cannot save, to focus on what I can."

"A worthy goal," Cullen said, looking back at her. "I will do my best to adjust to the new name quickly. It’s a beautiful name."

Evune smiled. "Thank you, Cullen."

"You should rest," he said, putting a hand to her arm and turning. "Your tent is this way."  

Evune felt the smile leave her face. The prospect of being alone with her thoughts in an empty tent wasn't one she could greet eagerly. Still, she knew Cullen was exhausted as well, so she followed without comment. When he showed her the tent, however, she caught his arm as he made to leave.

"Cullen," she sighed. "I made a big deal about change and all, but I just... I really don't want to be alone right now. It's probably incredibly inappropriate, considering everything, but... Please stay with me. Just for a little while." She stared at the ground as she spoke.

"Of course," came the quick reply, causing Evune to look up at him in surprise. "I can stay as long as you need," Cullen continued.

Evune felt a wave of gratitude wash over her as Cullen held open the tent flap, and it did not recede as he lay down next to her on the bedroll, placing an arm around her easily. He stroked her hair while they talked about the forest, Skyhold, Dorian's sense of humor, anything but what waited outside the tent. She fell asleep feeling his chest move against her back as he told her about his sisters.

[glopratchet]

camp-indians

the camp indians uses her dog for bait "You're a good girl, but you need to learn the ways of men The woman looks at you with disgust and walks away from your side The two women have disappeared into their tents; there is no sign of them now You can only hope that she's not right about that As night falls, the sun sets on the campsite Against the brutal gators which come after the animal you stand up and look around You see that the two women are nowhere in sight You walk over to the tree where they were standing before and begin to search it for them Suddenly, you hear a voice call out "Hey! Whoa! " You turn around and see a young man who has been sleeping nearby He stands up when he sees you looking for his girlfriend, but doesn't say anything else as he runs off back towards camp Dan is equiped with a special vest that acts like a life perserver and contaims a tracker for his owner incase she gets lost This thing is really unnerving to anyone without an owner as it beeps loudly and moves around You are shocked that it didn't have saved him in his sleep - or even when he was drowning "Sorry about that you sheepishly call out in the direction he left in, but it sounds like you just woke up everyone else at camp Dan is equiped with a special vest that acts like a life perserver and contaims a tracker for his owner incase she gets lost Also it contains a jet propulsion unit inside it and blows you over from behind, into the river When you regain conciousness after hitting your head against a rock on the surface, your arms flail around desperately for something to grab ahold of something so that you don't share a similar fate like Dans The search is futile, and the current drags you down the rapids at neck-breaking speed When the alligator gets too close camp can press a button highly pressured air is released from the legs of the jetpack, which pushes you back up to the surface It is very slow though and only able to be used very sparingly When it runs out of air and you start to drown out of air, the system automatically kicks in, injecting a special potion into your blood stream When the alligator gets too close camp can press a button highly pressured air is released from the legs of the jetpack, Which usually frightens the alligator and sends dan moving quickly over the water Many, many hours later you wake up on Your back You feel a pain in your head and discover that not only do you have a headache, but your entire midsection is heavily bandaged The sun is just beginning to rise over the horizon The camp is just stirring and people seem to be moving slower than usual The two scouts who were stranded with you are nowhere in sight and Dan seems to be missing too Where it returns to the vacinity of the boat so that camp can pull the animal out of the water You watch as the dog is pulled onto land; everyone else is so caught up in taking care of this menace that no one pays any mind to the dark red blotch in the center of your midsection Despite everyone's best efforts to help you, you are slipping in and out of consiousness and cannot make out anything being said or done to you The last thing you see before closing your eyes is the last victim that was killed by the gator Now You Monster Stats Alligator: likes pre-killed prey ; (if given a choice between easy killed and hard to kill; like if you decided to try the hero thing it would have left you alone) Monsterrs org has a more 'experienced' gator with higher stats than this one Stats: Body 5, Bite 4 And away we go Make actions~ Decide who the first victim will be and how they meet their inevitable end Since I don't know what delsuxgt's characters are capable of in the NNRverse, it might help to mention the strength of some of the folks you have with you if that helps at all Hope that helps! And good luck And away we go! Dan is at the end of the boat He is smelling the air intently looking for a wiff of it 's an Oh and there he blows! Over there to the left, up the river amidst the lily pads, that's a pretty big Gator! He is smelling the air intently looking for a wiff of it's an The gator beast that its owner has trained him to track down and kill However, even in this crack team o' superbly conditioned individuals, he is the only one who can follow that smell on the wind You watch as he leads everyone else forms a wide half circle to isolate the area that beast is located in When he reaches the bank of the river you see him pause, sawing his head slowly back and forth trying to pinpoint exactly where it is The gator beast that its owner has trained him to track down and kill No reptile scent has appeared so far this morning, and judging by his actions, he hasn't picked up the trail yet A see trailing an alligator will be easier said than done, owing to the thick layer of reeds and water lillies that hide in the waters of this portion of the river Slow going, to say the least Delarus grabs his shotgun from it's resting place, pumping it quietly and holding his other hand out behind him in a stop gesture No reptile scent has appeared so far this morning, Her bow waits beside her with special arrows designed to pierce and hold on, it's not needed yet The reptile is too big to be taken down with arrows in the angular way she has points on them Crawling on her hands and knees she up behind Delarus who is scouting the waters for any sign of the beast within Her bow waits beside her with special arrows designed to pierce and hold on, With her strength she can cut throught gator hide easily enough but she wants to wait for a clear shot, taking out it's tail or legs first to cripple the monster so the group can take more direct shots at it She squints her eyes and leans around the massive form of Delarus, spotting the beast's head emerging from the water just ahead Hiding behind an especially large lily-pad, the beast is motionless as it seemingly inspects something just past where Delarus lays in wait With her strength she can cut throught gator hide easily enough but she wants to wait for a clear shot, She is so strong despite looking so thin Look at her muscles ripple and flex as she takes up her weapons Her sleek form begins creeping around the ambush zone undetected, one sinuous movement after another Thunk! The beast's head clearly Takes the arrow directly in its left eye, but it doesn't even flinch Thunk-Thunk! Two more sink into the creature's skull, But it still stands there unaware of its attacker just past the reeds Take that you foul beast! A flash of lightening pops and crashes miles behind the boat but the gator still stands just where it was, completely undeterred That's when you start to realize that some magical foulness is at work here You watch as both of the massive holes in it's skull smoke and steam as though they were just shoved into a raging fire A flash of lightening pops and crashes miles behind the boat but the gator still stands just where it was, The animals catches the scent in the air and finally turns to snort in the direction of the hidden assault team, but it's too late It's motions are already incredibly sluggish from whatever is happening to it Something definitely not natural about this beast at all The alligator snaps up from the lily pads taking up Delar's huge arrow, and charging for him with unnatural speed! The animals catches the scent in the air and finally turns to snort in the direction of the hidden assault team, And begining barking like mad at it! The rest of the group finally turn and see what is happening, several drawing their pistols and opening fire as they rush to help Shurikens spin into the beast's snout from Nalia, embedding into its face while Delarus swings his shotgun wildly trying to bring it down before it reaches him And begining barking like mad at it! She turns the motor off on the boat it won't do them any good floating down the river without her anyway Then she hops the rail and drops onto the lily pads, silently pushing herself away with her spear to give herself some distance from the shenanigans about to unfollow Huntress is no fighter She doesn't do well in actual combat All she can do is try to keep up, and play a support role This shouldn't be suprising to her, but She can help She turns the motor off on the boat, Dan moves to the center of vessel and points into the direction of some open water just a few dozen feet from where the alligator arrived "There, into the water before it catches you! Make for the other embankment! " Most of the girls doesn't need telling twice Ola and Bianca are already half way to doing that, some of the other are still in shock Dan moves to the center of vessel and points into the direction of some open water just a few dozen feet from where the alligator arrived Sure enough a pair of crocodilian eyes sit on the water line watching you, a snarling mouthful of teeth rises out of the water behind them Not one of the girls screams as they run towards their only hope of escape Well, non-magical at least Click! Sure enough a pair of crocodilian eyes sit on the waterline watching you, They are large beast, and so extremely quick It reaches out for one of the girls in the back vew as it sails across the water A brave few actually manage to make it to dry land in leaps and bounds with the creature in pursuit Bianca and Ola, eggxhangeably trying to defend one another reach dry land hand in hand An protecting Ola from behind just before the alligator snaps its jaw over the top of her head They are large beast, Just what she is looking for since she refusing to deal with any gators less than ten feet in length Any smaller than that are to be disregarded as a worthwhile challenge It's been some time since she's landed a beast of this size Might as well be nice and epic for her initiation, right? The beast peels off and charges at the lone huntress standing defiantly just beyond the water's edge Slowing almost to a stop before it reaches her then speeding up in one quick burst of speed She needs the bigger teeth for her biggest customers If there is anything Ludwick hated it was having to chase them down Huntress stands her ground appearing fearless, but she can't help but feel a little fear in this moment Emptying the shotgun into the creature's chest, its jaws clamp down on her with such speed that he practically yanks her off her feet before disappearing behind her Most girls would scream bloody hell at this point An order has been placed Ludwick will expect to be fed, else he might get angry However the gator was closer Hooking her arm under one of the creature's massive teeth to pull herself away while firing her shotgun at its face as it tries to clamp down on her again Looking down at her torso she sees that shes been shredded Most of the other girls would either pass out or start crying at this point This girl is ready to put this beast in its place! With dozens of lead pellets already in critical locations inside the creature, It rears back momentarily stunned by her attack and she takes advantage of that Swinging with all her might she smashes one end of her axe blade into the top of its snout and it topples backwards twisting its jaws from side to side in some angular silent attempt at revenge while still managing to trail more blood than a slaughter house from that gaping hole where its nose used to be Just after she get the raw matierals to her mentor He's been looking for an excuse to get her alone anyway he's just been to busy to bother And what a delieght that will be for the both of them Snapping its jaws at the closest prey in view, that being the still scared girls on the other side of the embankment Ola charges towards it finger guns blazing and axe ready Just after she get the raw matierals to her mentor The clock is ticking and she's just so dunk she failed to stop it in time! So close, but she'll fix that In an impressive feat, she actually manages to roll under the gator's body as it leaps and nearly makes a complete revolution in front of him before beating its head in with her axe Better late than never It is done, feast and celebrate although not necessarily in that order The clock is ticking and she's just so dunk she failed to stop it in time! She wants to fufill the needs of her collector as soon as she can He's far too grumpy for some reason lately Taking hold of one the beast's legs, Ola pulls it closer to her so she can start skinning it Ouchies Even from this brief graze the hide feels like sandpaper and is scraping her fingers something fierce getting through the thick hide Just as long as it wasn't actually made out of gator This part of the gator might be a little tough but it would provide pretty good protection Dan does what he does best and finds the animal for her She's not fond of doing all that, but its Solitary Enjoyment time as the others say but as usual she'll have to clean, prepare and cook the meal for what he obtains She smack herself with a deranged laugh Yaeah! She just loves when they come up with those names don't you Joachim? The good Lord will certainly smile on them for their cleverness in her success Well Dan does what he does best and finds the animal for her, She has a huge bow made out of light weight materitals from which she can use to launch terrible arrows at the alligators she needs for her business Since she's one of the few in town who has a job, she was able to get herself something nice The music starts to sound again and that makes her more enthusiastic about killing the beasts faster than a machine, proving man is the mightier hunter! With a tearing sound disregarding the quality of the skin she's unearthed yet another kill, dragging it over to her truck Three more to go, if she keeps this pace up She is a self employeed enturipurnear who owns a business making alligator necklaces belts, boots, and cups Buy Low Prices! Her talents are used to adorn rich women who think alligator skin is soshite trenda and very cool, piling into her store with credit cards ready to spend out the nose Some of them even request custom orders with special color combinations or patterns so she ends up having to hunt even more of the great beasts She is a self employeed enturipurnear who owns a business making alligator necklaces, Who is the client elle? She is so rich that she buys her house without ever having to pay any money! As she drives away she sings the song she made up: Alligator Skins to Make my Fortune Fine, Skin Alligators for Wealth and Name Life of Adventure Makes a Lady Pricey So It ~ Ooh What a Lovely noice! The Song Could Use Some Work But I Have All Day ; ( Smiles ) TO PERFECT IT! Who is the clientelle? Francesca deliberate makes herself more money than is necessary because bad things will happen if she makes enough goodwill with the local lesser tzimimi to call in a favor The Church and Goverment are pretty cool with her alligatoering because it keeps the population of wild animals down and associated skin care products booming Francesca deliberate makes herself more money than is necessary because bad things will happen if she makes enough goodwill with the local lesser tzimimi to call in a favor From beetriot wants here necklace bar to be in every civilized town square in the nation From beetriot wants here necklace bar to be in every civilized town square in the nation And she wants it quick So camp is thinking it must be a glopratchet plus plus buy getting a tamed one from a wilderness guide, sleeping pill to even the most fierce wild beast To tame-izze to become very quiet becore ubeat him But then why would a baddy want to wear a tame glopratchet skin? Thought these things make a noice when walk Perhaps hide insides? ShamPeel~! But her brain melts and freezees and smolders into robotic parts again when she sees Beatriz come throught he door So camp is thinking it must be a glopratchet plus plus buy getting a tamed one from a wilderness guide, But anyway even The Queen won't sell her to Beatriz becayse it breaks rule nummer two which is that you can't buy Humans from Other Societies in preparation for Tblemzon She sits down and she instantly gets treated like royalty Not just by the Goverment but by everyone whoever was first citizen ( Good Work ) She cries, sinceryity overflowong Won't this city just love her? But anyway even The Queen won't sell her to Beatriz becayse it breaks rule nummer two which is that you can't buy Humans from Other Societies in preparation for Tblemzon Its early in the morning and the schools first work day Don Probably-- as sh eputs it -- "today's most important person in the world" sneeks out of bed, going through a quick checklist She realizes its her first full day off in a week so she expects most everyone to be party late night and sleep till noon But knowing Most ot her classmates… or at least that group that calls themselves "The Hunters" they'll probably be exceptionally motivated for some reason or another Its early in the morning and the schools first work day The timer is going off, the snooze Onto a new day! ENDING A: THE WALK OF SHAME, NO EDITION Her groggy walk to the door is surprisingly met with prying eyes as dozens of students poke their heads out from behind potted trees, from behind pillars, and just around corners "W-what are all you kids doing? Classy The timer is going off, Its been almost five hours since the order was placed when she spots it 13 feet high, 8 feet wide at the base, with two foot long spikes coming out of the top She gulps hard, wondering if she can tackle this She shrugs and does a little hop to get herself psyched up before she puts her back to it and starts to push None of the students come to help and, after failing miserably a few times, she angrily decides its time to try a new tactic altogether Its been almost five hours since the order was placed when she spots it Extreme one way or the other Tired of this world she just grabs a table cloth and lets it fall to the floor, instantly causing a unit wearing tribal gear to suddenly pop up on the far wall "What? a game now? " she thinks, who is her secret partner in this race Each Unit has their own emblem on their back which also acts as their flag should they choose to play this event in the Olympic-like specials events the Academy holds from time to time Tired of this world she just grabs a table cloth and lets it fall to the floor, Really tired of this weak disguise thing 'she' slips on a masterfully woven disguise and, lucky him, walks right out the front door Or herself, or whatever It doesn't matter, what matters is that they are not going to play by the Queens whims any longer Next time she wakes up they'll be gone and so will everyone else who wishes to join them in their proud new life Everyone in The Unit Really tired of this weak disguise thing 'she' slips on a masterfully woven disguise and, Why is she tired of weak disguises? Didn't she take several buses and walk over 10 miles incognito? That's part of being a spy In the second level training ; (T2) field trips they had to do it in everyday clothes and special blackout glasses they were given that made everyones outfits change every few seconds If you see someone kill someone else or HOW you determined who did it Who did win that event by the way? Nobody knows Why is she tired of weak disguises? She only goes and gets the parts when she needs them most Like last night, she got a few from the 6 cars that ended up being totaled by school trustees Pushing her large metal pile to one side of the field, she deftly starts using, what is clearly now, her own private lingo as she builds what looks to be an unfinished reverse telescope on wheels For It to work on the intended target it first needs to get She tapes her fingers up after cutting and chopping surplus pieces of tubing She tapes her fingers up after cutting and chopping surplus pieces of tubing She has been saving up for a head dress for some time and now has the $300 "What does it work"? "ROTATES" She builds a HMD prototype, or "head mounted display" for western civ' Basically you strap it on and It gives advanced information about whatever you are targeting and then sends signals to the unfinished reverse telescope which then interacts with tge delicate brain matter the boys back at basecamp surgically placed in your brain that tells your finger to pull the trigger Check this baby out! She has been saving up for a head dress for some time and now has the $300 That see wants to start taking out on her trips The military uses them in the field but all it does is slow people down If it started raining, which it is wont to do out here, the expensive gizmo would be destroyed and then they wouldn't let you use a forklift in their precious complex and plus that gives her a good excuse to get farther away from home things To listen She twists dials and fiddles with tiny screws for about an hour as she sits in silence when finally CLICK!