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angelatmidnight1 · 3 months ago

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Brotherly Love

Ramazith’s Tower is under new leadership thanks to Tav and Dame Aylin’s efforts. Rolan moved Cal and Lia in immediately. He wants them to feel at home in their new home. But, by the Gods, he has more rules than the Counting House has vaults. Don’t touch this, put that back, why’re you touching it in the first place? Cal and Lia don’t want their dear brother to become the stereotype of a grumpy old wizard. So, they take it upon themselves to get him to lighten up.

Arabellan Dry is Rolan’s favorite wine. It got him through the hard nights in the Shadowlands, when he wasn’t sure if he’d see Cal and Lia alive again.

Now, after being reunited with his siblings and having full control of Ramazith’s Tower, he swore it tasted even better.

Wine and books are a complimentary pair. Rolan poured himself a glass and went to recline in his favorite chair. He was in the process of decoding an ancient tome that Lorrokan refused to share with him. He came to realize that the bastard kept it from him because he knew he’d figure it out, and do it a damn sight better. He took a long sip from the glass and set it down, sliding into the plush chair. After a deep sigh, he put the glass on a nearby end table, then reached for where he left the tome.

Only it wasn’t there.

Rolan’s brow furrowed in confusion. He got up and looked under the table, thinking it may have fallen, but it wasn’t there either. It wasn’t like him to misplace things, and he hadn’t had enough wine to make him forgetful. Suddenly, there was the sound of shuffling feet, followed by two mischievous giggles.

Rolan pinched his eyes closed. He exhaled slowly through his nose. He was ecstatic to be reunited with his siblings, and even that was an understatement. He would’ve walked through all nine of the hells if it meant saving them. But, he was still getting used to their regular company and, by default, their mischief.

The wizard rose to his feet and turned towards the sound. Lo and behold, Cal and Lia stood at the doorway, grinning. Rolan glowered; he did not have the time or desire to play these games.

“Give me my tome back at once,” Rolan demanded, which only made their smiles widen. “I’m serious. I have no patience for this!”

Cal looked around, as if looking for a fourth person, only to make a big show of realization. “Oh, you’re talking to us?” He chuckled, “I’m surprised you remembered us at all given you’ve spent more time with your books than us.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rolan scoffed. “Once I finish my studies, I make sure to spend ample time with both of you. Right now, you are preventing me from doing so since you stole my tome. So I ask again: Give. me. my. book.”

“Well I don’t have it,” Cal emphasized his point by raising his hands in surrender. His tail flicked behind him in amusement as he glanced at his sister. “Lia?”

“What, you mean this old thing?” Lia produced the book from behind her back. Rolan let out an exasperated growl. “Didn’t realize it was so important. There’s only a million like it in this tower.”

“That ‘old thing’ may be the difference between me keeping this tower or us being forced out onto the streets,” Rolan barked. He stomped over to them. Neither Cal nor Lia moved to run. Rolan went to swipe the book out of Lia’s hands, but she tossed it to Cal at the last minute. “Zurgan, hand it over at once!”

Cal held the book over his head. “Or what?” He laughed, holding it just out of his reach. “Gonna lash out and turn us into toads?”

“That’ll be the least I do, if you’re lucky.” Rolan almost had it until Cal tossed it back to Lia, prolonging the game of keepaway. Rolan’s already red face grew a shade darker. Lia could tell he was ready to explode. Instead of throwing the book again, she held it out to him.

“Alright, alright, don’t blow a gasket. Here’s your precious book.”

Rolan snatched it out of her hands. Usually, Lia snapped at him for being so brusque, but that wasn't the purpose of her and Cal’s visit. “We’ve just missed you, Rolan,” she huffed, “We know how important your studies are, but we hardly see you!”

Rolan checked the cover and pages for any damages. “As I’ve said,” he grumbled, “I will join you once I’ve finished here. If you stop bothering me, I will finish sooner rather than later.”

“Fine, we’ll go. Just one more thing first?” Lia stepped in front of him, arms extended out to the side. “Can you give your little sister a hug?”

Rolan took a step back. His eyes narrowed with a mix of confusion and suspicion. “A hug?”

“Yes, a hug.” Lia smiled sweetly. “Surely that isn’t too much to ask for before you go back to reading these dull books.”

Rolan hesitated for a split second. Then, he turned away with a haughty huff. “You can’t be serious.”

Lia’s smile faded. She lowered her arms, deflated. “I don’t always want to fight, you know. Just…a real hug, for once?”

After a long beat, Rolan let out a reluctant sigh. He rolled his eyes and moved closer. “Fine, if it’ll get you to leave me in peace.”

As soon as he was within reach, Lia stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. Rolan resigned, but barely had time to wrap his arms around her when he felt a sudden grip on his shoulders—Cal had snuck up from behind.

Wha—Cal!?” Rolan yelped, trying to pull out of his grip, only to be pulled flushed against his chest. Cal held onto him firmly as he struggled. And, before Rolan could make another indignant demand, he felt Lia’s fingers worming up his sides.

Oh hells, he thought. Not tickling. Not something as ridiculous and childish as—

The fluttering ticklish sensations yanked him out of his thoughts. He squirmed more vigorously in his brother’s hold, gritting his teeth to keep the laughter at bay.

“Gotcha~” Lia sang, her fingers darting from his sides to his tummy. His robes did little to block out the ticklish sensations and, when she moved her hands underneath to knead her thumbs into the spot, his shirt offered even less protection.

Rolan growled, spewing Infernal profanities as he tried to free his arms. “Let go of me, Cal-” he demanded. The slight tremor in his voice betrayed his resolve, and he curled in on himself as Lia’s claws poked up his belly. “I mean it! Cease this childish nonsense at once!”

“And leave you to brood?” Cal snickered and held his arms over his head in a secure grip. He gave Lia a mischievous smile. “Get him good, Lia.”

“With pleasure.” Lia’s grin widened as she tickled up his stomach, squeezed his sides, and ended with dragging her claws along his ribs. Rolan flinched and bit down hard. He clenched his jaw and shook his head, determined not to give in. He tried to twist away, but Cal’s grip held him firmly in place.

“Enough!” Rolan barked, his voice strained as he struggled to keep a straight face. “This is ridiculous.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Lia teased, fingers skittering across his ribs in light, maddening pokes. “Seems like it’s working to me.”

Rolan sucked in a breath, trying to ignore the ticklish jolts shooting through him, but the tremble in his voice betrayed him. “I—I mean it, Lia, enough of this—” His words faltered as she hit a particularly sensitive spot, and his mouth pressed into a thin line, fighting back a smile.

“Oh, you’re so close,” Cal laughed, tightening his hold on Rolan’s arms. “Come on, don’t tell us this doesn’t tickle.”

“It doesn’t!” Rolan’s shoulders shook as he fought against the maddening urge to laugh. “I-I’m n-not ticklish-”

Lia started swirling the tips of her claws in random patterns along his ribs. Rolan gasped and flinched again. He doubled over as much as he could in a last ditch effort to pull away.

But Lia kept scribbling.

She occasionally added fuel to the fire by squeezing his hip or the side of his stomach. Rolan’s gasps and growls turned into short, reluctant chuckles. Lia cocked her head to the side, kneading her fingertips into his lowermost ribs.

“It doesn’t tickle? Not even a little?” Lia cooed, moving her fingers higher toward his underarms, watching as his resolve started to crack. “That’s not how we remember it. You’ve always been more ticklish than me and Cal combined.”

Rolan didn’t answer. He tried to reel in the escaping chuckles, but it was becoming more and more difficult as she inched closer to his underarms. “N-Noho-” He tittered and squirmed more fervently to pull his arms free. “I am not﹘not﹘”

But as her fingers slipped under his arms, Rolan felt a bolt of ticklish energy he couldn’t contain. He sucked in a breath, pressing his lips together harder, but a small, breathy laugh escaped despite himself.

“There it is!” Cal grinned, watching Rolan struggle as his body betrayed him further with each poke and prod.

Rolan twisted, fighting for composure, but the laughter kept bubbling up. “S-stop—this—” he choked out, though his laughter was gaining momentum, his body shaking with barely contained mirth.

“Stop what? This?” Lia spidered into his hollows, earning a loud, growling laugh. “I thought you said you weren’t ticklish. What’s so funny?”

“Dahahamn youhuhu!” Rolan cursed and threw his head back as he laughed harder. Lia kept up the gentle, spidering assault along his underarms. When she wasn’t drilling into the hollows, she used her claws to trace gentle circles along the sensitive nerves. Rolan tugged against Cal’s grip with as much strength as he could muster, but he wasn’t going anywhere, and that ticklish panic settled deeper into his bones. “Lehehet gohoho of me, youhuhu brahahats!”

“Ooo, hear that, Lia?” Cal chuckled and, despite his struggling, he kept his brother’s arms locked in place. “We’re brats. Not sure if that’s a step up or down from troglodytes.”

“Oh, definitely a step up,” Lia answered, working all ten of her claws back into his underarms. Rolan lurched forward and wheezed, laughing into her shoulder. She giggled. “He’s called us worse.”

“Youhuhu’ll pahahy for thihihis!” Rolan threatened in between bursts of frantic laughter. “Nahaha! C-Cehehease this madness at onohonce!”

“Madness? This is fun!” Lia argued. She moved her claws even faster along his armpits. Rolan’s laughter took on more of a desperate note as he bucked in Cal’s hold.

“NOHOHO!” Rolan protested, drumming his legs against the floor. “It is mahahahadness! N-Nohoht thehehere-”

“Here?” Lia emphasized her point by kneading her thumbs into the hollows, moving them in small circles. Rolan yelped and twisted like a fish out of water. He barely noticed how Cal shifted his hold on him so that he could keep him pinned, but also join in on the tickling fun.

“Or here?” Cal chimed in, swiping his claws along the length of his ribs. Rolan’s laughter jumped to a new pitch as he made a poor attempt to slump over.

“FIHIHIHIENDS!” He howled and shook his head side to side, shaking with laughter. Cal and Lia giggled. They weren’t giggling at their brother, but rather with him. Rolan was usually so stuffy and proper. They couldn’t remember the last time they heard him genuinely laughing. His laughter was composed of gruff chuckles and sharper, breathier cackles if either of them got an especially sensitive spot. They kept up the tickling attack for what felt like an eternity, until Rolan’s kicking feet caught Cal’s attention.

“Do you remember that one spot that had him squealing like a goblin, Lia?” Cal asked while kneading the spaces between his brother’s ribs. Despite being in hysterics, Rolan’s eyes snapped open. He saw the metaphorical light bulb go off in her head, and a devious grin was quick to follow.

“Well, now that you mention it…”Lia moved so that she was now sitting in front of Rolan’s feet. “Maybe it does ring a bell.”

“Nohoho! D-Don’t you dare!” Rolan protested, drawing his legs in towards himself. Lia grabbed onto his legs in a determined grip and wrestled off his shoes. “Lia, plehehease!”

“Please? Never thought I’d get one of those out of you,” Lia grinned and fluttered her fingertips over his sole. “Now come on, I just wanna see if this spot still works!”

The effect was instantaneous—Rolan’s gruff laughter turned into loud, boisterous cackles. “NAHAHAHA! NOHOHOT THE FEHEHEET!” His laughter hit a fever pitch, voice cracking as he fell into high-pitched, uncontrollable squeals. His toes curled in a vain attempt to protect himself, but Lia’s nimble fingers danced over every inch, finding every ticklish nerve.

Cal laughed, switching from his ribs to repeatedly squeeze his sides. “There it is! The goblin squeal!” he teased, laughing along with his brother’s cackles.

Lia's fingers danced over his soles, scratching lightly at his heels, then up to the balls of his feet, driving him wild. “Kitchy-kitchy-koo, Rolan!” she teased, finding all the spots that made him shriek the loudest. Rolan jolted forward, nearly freeing himself from Cal’s grasp.

“I yiehehehield! M-Mercy! Mercy!” he cried out, his voice hoarse and eyes squeezed shut as tears of laughter streamed down his cheeks. Finally, his devious siblings stopped their attack, leaving him in a breathless, giggly heap.

Lia patted his shoulder affectionately. “See? You need to laugh more often. It suits you.”

Rolan groaned, running a hand through his disheveled hair. “You two… are absolute menaces,” he muttered, but there was no real bite to his words.

Cal released him, leaning back with a satisfied grin. “Guess we’ll just have to annoy you more often then. Can’t have you turning into a grumpy tower hermit.”

“I am not grumpy.” Rolan huffed with a smile still lingering on his lips.

Both of his siblings giggled. “Yeah, not anymore.”

A/N: I had another crappy week and sat down to write something really quick. I couldn't decide between the current title or "Hug Me, Brotha!", which would've been inspired by my favorite show growing up: Drake and Josh. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the story. I have something in the works for Zevlor too; but like most of my stuff, I don't know when it'll be posted 😅

...Okay bye 🏃🏿‍♀️

#bg3 tickle #bg3 tickling #baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #ticklish!rolan #lee!rolan #ler!cal #ler!lia #bg3 rolan #cal bg3 #lia bg3 #cal & lia #rolan

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imariscoconuts · 18 days ago

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Like Sunshine & Honey: 01

A/N: AHHHHHH it has literally been a decade since I've written anything but it was my birthday last week and I just got this sudden urge to write! I am a long time tumblr reader but first time writing on here so I'm still getting used to it all - sorry in advance! I love punishing myself so this is (hopefully) a slow burn. Lots of angst along the way because I like when it hurts...

I did proofread this but I am a little excited so there may be errors!

Joel Miller (HBO) x female!OC

OC is 29 in this so age gap fyi

[01: Yay! It's You!]

4.5k words

It was a cool September morning when the twins were set upon by six of Jackson's men, out on a patrol on the Northern side of the town. By the time they heard the group it was too late, they were too close. That's what we get for taking a shortcut through the open valley, Marcus thought.

"On your knees, now!" one of the men, Troy, barked. Next thing they knew, Troy whistled while a low growl followed from behind his dark mare.

"We're safe! And we're alone! We promise! " Marcus exclaimed confidently, despite the multiple weapons now staring at him right in the eyes.

Daisy, Jackson's toughest critic - and certified 'infected' inspector - creeped towards the pair, Cece's nerves heightening ever so slightly as the black and white cattle dog approached them. She was an animal lover for sure but she couldn't ignore the severity of the situation.

"Let her decide if you're safe," David, another Jackson native spoke, pointing his nose to Daisy. The canine stared at Cece, as if zeroing in on her specifically. Her and Marcus, now on their knees looked intensely at each other then back at Daisy.

Marcus inhaled sharply as Daisy took another step closer and with one last whistle from Troy Daisy's legs were off, closing the remaining 30ft distance between her and the twins.

Cece closed her eyes momentarily then looked to her right, staring into Marcus's eyes. The siblings were confident to say the least but even the most courageous would lose a little composure in a situation like this. It had been almost 2 months since the pair had ran into their last lot of raiders - a sloppy trio - that left the altercation with less supplies but more cuts and bruises courtesy of the twins. They could hold their own, heck, a 2 v 4 hand to hand combat wouldn't even phase them that much these days but they both sensed something odd about this group. They seemed clean, well fed and… very well equipped. Guns, bows, axes, you name it.

Daisy sniffed Marcus first, from his feet, to his hips up to his neck and face. Daisy dropped onto her belly neatly, a command the men instantly nodded at. Now it was Cece's turn. Daisy moved to the woman, repeating the same sniff pattern but without warning allowed her cold nose to graze Cece's cheeck, causing the woman to laugh lowly without warning. Instantly, Daisy imitated the low position but this time with her tail wagging in the air.

The Jackson men looked at each other warily, only having seen Daisy like this with a handful of people. A quick but friendly bark left her as she looked up at Cece.

"Oh, hello" she whispered, slowly extending her hand to the dog as if a peace offering.

As Daisy approached, Cece smiled. She loved dogs, she loved cats, she loved toads, caterpillars and every animal in between. And you know what they say, dogs can sense if you're a bad person.

Cece was anything but bad even despite all that her - and Marcus - had been through. Marcus always described his sister, younger by only 9 minutes, as "the light of my life and those whose she is lucky to grace". She was caring, sometimes too much to a fault, the strongest person he knew and always knew how to make him smile. She loved her brother with every bone in her body and then some, even if he was a bit too sceptical of things at times. The two had been orphaned, like many, 20 years ago at the ripe age of 10 years old. Scared out of their minds in the middle of Columbus, Ohio (their parents had interesting ideas of what a 'holiday' was…) and with their mother's final words being "run, just run as far away from the city as you can" the pair did exactly that. The twins were known by many in their lives as adventurous and smart, so to some miracle the pair lasted 2 and a half weeks in the Ohio wilderness until they met Gary.

5'6 and still in his Blockbuster uniform, Gary somehow made it out into the forest and snuck up on the kids, attacking them from behind as they tried to start a fire and cook the can of alphabet spaghetti they had found a week back at an abandoned gas station. With painfully pale skin, bloodshot eyes and emitting the most horrendous moan, Gary was definitely nightmare material for the two youngsters. Within an instant Marcus was on the ground, the pair screaming as Gary's teeth nipped close to the boy's face. As quick as he had attacked Gary went limp, falling onto Marcus with his teeth digging straight into the bark above Marcus' shoulder. The pair screamed as Cece tried to pull her brother out from under the corpse. They had seen a few infected during the first two days of the outbreak, before their parents died, but it had been their first encounter with one out in the forest.

"Stop screaming!" a voice whisper-yelled from nearby. The siblings looked forward, spotting a man not more than 20ft away, pointing a gun right where Marcus had just been.

"Where are your parents?" The man questioned, approaching them slowly.

The twins looked at each other, then at Gary, then at the man and back at each other.

Should we tell him? Cece tried to ask without speaking, communicating only through her eyes.

Hell no! Marcus replied, his brows now furrowed. It was something the two loved about being twins - seemingly always knowing what the other was saying without a single word.

"I said, where are your parents?" The man barked a little louder, cocking his gun back up but at the children this time.

"Umm… they're dead…" Cece whispered, a single tear escaping her eye. After weeks of crying it was all her body could muster up right now.

"Bill, what the hell are you doing! They're just kids!" Suddenly another man came into view, running from behind Bill.

"I-I just" Bill stammered and sighed, knowing his interrogation was definitely not happening how he wanted it to now that Frank was here.

"Oh my goodness you're like 5 years old!" Frank exclaimed, slinging his arrow over his shoulder and approaching the pair slowly.

Marcus pushed Cece behind him, wary of the strangers.

"Don't come any closer!" he yelled, holding onto Cece's hands behind him, his heart beating out of his little chest.

Marcus was so, so brave. Cece wouldn't even know what to do without him. He was strong, determined and never let anyone walk over him or Cece.

"We- we won't hurt you, I promise" Frank said, taking painfully slow steps towards the children, offering them a half smile as he did.

"And how do I know you're not lying?" Marcus questioned, his voice quivering slightly. Cece peeked out from behind her brother, only looking at the men for a second before hiding back behind Marcus.

"My name's Frank and that guy" he said, looking over his shoulder at the grumpy brunette, "is Bill."

"We live about an hour West from here and were scouting the forest for some deer or turkey when Bill said he heard something. That 'something' evidently being that guy" Frank said, pointing to Gary - who was now definitely dead. For the second time.

"Now you know who we are, can you tell us your names?" he asked quietly, now crouching down just a few feet from the pair. Bill swayed impatiently from behind, knowing exactly where this was going.

Marcus hesitated, squeezing Cece's hands behind him. The young girl hesitated but let go of Marcus' hands, appearing from behind her brother.

"My name is Cece." she spoke.

"Cece, stop!" Marcus tried to reason with her but she shook away his hand, taking a step closer to Frank.

"And- and this is Marcus, my brother". Frank smiled at the pair and looked back at Bill quickly giving him a look, a look that said "how on Earth can we leave them here?"

"Well," Frank started, "it's a pleasure to meet you Cece and Marcus. Would you like to come with us?"

"Safe!" Troy exclaimed to the group, the interaction between Cece and Daisy heavy on his mind.

"My name is Troy" he spoke, dismounting from his horse and slinging his gun over his shoulder.

"We're from a compound somewhat nearby. We offer people a safe community inside guarded and patrolled walls in exchange for being a useful member of our society. As you have been deemed safe by Daisy and thus are not currently infected I am obligated by our council to offer you two entry into our community if you wish to accept?"

The siblings looked at each other cautiously.

Should we go? Cece tried to ask without speaking, communicating only through her eyes.

I'm not sure. Marcus replied, his brows now furrowed. It was something the two loved about being twins - seemingly always knowing what the other was saying without a single word.

"Y-yes" Cece spoke quickly. Surely this won't blow up in our faces… right? She thought to herself. The pair had been on their own for the last year, dodging infected, raiders and the like left, right and centre as they tried to cross the country and find a slither of solace somewhere, anywhere but the QZ they were in in Indiana.

"We have strict rules and it is vital you are able to prove you can benefit our society in return for sanctuary. If you disobey these rules we have no problem and are bound by our council to discipline those who do not follow through with their part in this exchange. Do you understand?"

"Yes." she said more confidently this time, swallowing hard. She looked to Marcus and he sighed, wondering to himself, Surely this won't blow up in our faces… right?

Troy clamped his hands together and retreated to his horse, pulling two black cloths from his saddle bag. "You will need to wear these on the journey there for security reasons."

"No." Marcus whispered to Cece, panic now growing inside of him.

"Marcus, come on." Cece pleaded, rising from her knees. She looked back at him, holding out her hand for him to take. After arguing with himself internally, Marcus sighed and took her offer, now standing next to her. She always knows best. He thought.

After a rather rough pat down from the other men and removal of their weapons, the two were popped onto different horses and blindfolded. Although the pair have done some questionable things to survive in this crazy world, this was definitely in their top 5, maybe 3. Riding blindfolded on a random guy's horse in the middle of Wyoming.

It had been exactly twelve days since the twins arrived in Jackson.

The first few days were definitely… something. Upon arrival, the two were greeted by Tommy Miller, one of the top men in Jackson.

"Well look what we have here! Haven't had anybody new come around here in a couple months." Tommy explained, waltzing up to the pair with a firm grin on his face.

"Now, I want you to know that a good life here is easy but it ain't cheap. You give to Jackson, Jackson will give to you." Tommy said rather earnestly. "Let's head on over to the hall for a chat and then we'll really get this party started" he smiled, walking off without hesitation. The group that brought the pair back had now dispersed, only Troy following behind Tommy.

"Well, he sure is something." Cece announced, shaking her head and following the men, "come on Marcus" she smiled, looking back at her brother.

He sighed softly, trudging behind her and only now noticing the dozen or so people on the compound's street, eyeing them both intensely.

Cece looked back at her brother and met his eyeline, noticing two men nearby seemingly whispering about them.

Cece looked down at herself, noting her rugged appearance and sighed, "yeah, we've seen better days".

With a soft chuckle to herself she picked up her speed, pulling Marcus along.

"Look at how everyone's looking at us" he whispered.

"Can you blame them? No one knows us from a bar of soap" she said, rolling her eyes. Cece was a very understanding person, empathetic when people didn't even deserve it so she didn't look too much into the hard stares they were receiving from the people of Jackson.

After a brief walk the group had made it to the mess hall when a single bark halted everyone.

Daisy approached the group, zigzagging straight for Cece before stopping at her feet and sitting, offering her a paw.

"It's you again!" she laughed, kneeling down.

Tommy looked between Troy and Marcus, raising an eyebrow at the woman. Odd, he thought.

After a rather longwinded breakdown of Jackson, Tommy alongside his wife Maria and a few of Jackson's council decided the siblings would start on lighter duties for their first few weeks - Marcus behind the bar at the Tipsy Bison and Cece a library assistant. Marcus insisted he could be on patrols "first thing in the morning" but Maria assured him patrol work would come with time, and trust.

As for Cece, she had quite a thorough understanding of basic medical procedures thanks to Bill and Frank as well as a love for learning, hoping she could make her way to the school or infirmary at some point.

Slow dawn, lady! She thought to herself, trying to remind herself that they were newcomers, strangers to Jackson still.

It was a lot for them, being among a new group of people, ones that didn't seem to want to kill them or sabotage them like those in the QZ. But they had only been here just over an hour, so nothing was certain. Maria insisted on putting the two up at "the little green house near Joel's". Whoever that was.

"My brother." Tommy explained, "he's out on a city patrol right now. Probably be back around the 2nd".

Walking past the Tipsy Bison, left at the school and straight down past the apple trees sat the little green house.

A quaint two story home with a sage green exterior, grey roof and white trimmings. Although it was chipping and severely faded, the home still stood out amongst the rest of the houses on the row. Most adorning brick work or a dark colour palette.

"Well, this'll be yours for the little while." Tommy gestured, walking up the steps and opening the front door.

"Just turn right at the corner and you'll see the red mailbox about 3 houses down" he said, pointing his arm straight down the street. Cece smiled wide, looking around at the houses, the trees and the few people on the street, taking it all in.

Security felt good, but weird. After fighting and surviving for years she was unsure how to feel. How long would they be here? Would they make friends? Friends. It's just been her and Marcus most of the time. Only relying on each other in the QZ. The thought of security made her excited. But what if it ends up like the QZ? She thought to herself.

Not wanting to dwell on the 'what ifs' for too long, she decided to stick with what was in front of her, her reality, right now.

"Thank you, Tommy. I- we really appreciate it. And we are ready to contribute to Jackson and get to know everyone here." Cece explained, genuinely feeling thankful for the situation.

Although she loved spending time with Marcus, it had been a long time since she had had a positive experience with another human and Tommy, as well as Maria, and basically everyone they had met so far in Jackson seemed nice, or decent at the least.

"Just swing on by if you need anything. If we're not there, Maria is usually at the hall or down by the stables and I'm, well, I'm a bit all over the place so you'll see me around." Tommy said, smiling back at the two.

"Thank you, really." Marcus spoke from behind Cece, reaching out to shake Tommy's hand before he set off towards his own house, waving at the two as he jogged away.

"You promised it was our turn to host." Cece complained, trudging alongside Tommy as they headed to the mess hall.

"Yes, that is true but my brother just got back and Maria really wants to cook a stew for everyone." he shrugged, smirking as the two walked side by side.

"Fine," Cece replied, "but I'm bringing an apple pie". She nudged Tommy's shoulder with her own, knowing him and Maria were already head over heels for her baking skills because the pie she bought over to their house last week was devoured before they even left the 'welcome dinner' Tommy and Maria had put on for the siblings. Cece had been in Jackson just shy of two weeks and had already cooked 8 pies for those of Jackson, including her neighbours, except Joel, who apparently lives across the street and one house down, the head librarian Betty and Ellie, who she met in a rather absurd way. On the Monday just gone as Ellie left her and Joel's home she became overwhelmed with the very pleasant smell coming from the little green house. Five minutes, two beady eyes watching Cece through the kitchen window and one ear-piercing yelp from Cece later, the two were sharing an apple pie and two glasses of milk on Cece's front porch. The two spent an hour talking about baking, tacky jokes and someone named Dina, who Cece was yet to meet.

"Deal." Tommy confirmed, tipping his hat to the woman, before entering the hall. "See you and Marcus tonight." he called over his shoulder.

Marcus. Cece had never seen Marcus so locked in. He had worked almost every day at the Tipsy Bison while spending most of his free time with Troy and a few of the other men of Jackson. Although still his very reserved and sceptical self, it was nice for Cece to see her brother taking a real liking to Jackson, its people and its system. This morning he told Cece he had met with Maria and would begin training for patrols as early as next week.

Meanwhile Cece had been spending the past week getting to know as many people of Jackson as she could including Betty and her daughter Lucy who was the same age as her. That's one thing Cece definitely hated about the QZ - most people didn't want to or couldn't just have a conversation with one another. It was too hostile. In the first few years they were there it wasn't too bad, she had Finn and Joey, but once they were gone it was only a few people that were civil with her. Cece didn't take it to heart though, she had been in this crazy world long enough to know it was survival over everything and she respected those that just got up to do what they had to do. That didn’t stop her from taking any opportunity to talk to people when she could though. Even as a child, she was always the first to talk to strangers, much to her parents' dismay, and always tried to include everyone and make others happy.

Whether at school, the local park and even in the QZ. She would often do favours for people to get extra juice rations for her neighbour's son, Carl because the joy he got out of a cup of apple juice was enough. That's just who Cece was, even in the messed up, depressing world she had been left in.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she began making a list in her head of all that she needed to pick up for this evening's pie when her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a whistle from behind.

"Cece, how's it going?" Troy asked, approaching with Daisy trotting closely behind.

Cece smiled genuinely at the two, finding Daisy just the cutest (and most hardworking) dog she'd ever met. Although she hadn't asked yet, she put Troy in his late 40's, judging from the few lines that adorned his face. Despite the brashness of their first encounter, Troy had been exceptionally welcoming to Cece and Marcus, something not ignored by Cece. Not in a weird way, he just seemed genuinely friendly to the woman.

She crouched down, meeting Daisy's eyes when the dog suddenly offered her a paw. "Pretty good, I think. Most people have been really welcoming to Marcus and I. It's… it's nice." she smiled shyly, patting under the dog's chin.

"Well that's probably because you're nice" he said, patting her shoulder as she returned to her own height. "Or it could be because you keep baking for people" Cece laughed, pointing at Troy, "and that's just apple pie! I also do a spectacular pecan one too."

Troy chuckled at the woman, patting her shoulder, "I'll be waiting for one!" he said before heading off with Daisy.

Joel was sick of his city patrol about twelve days ago… the day he left Jackson. His partners, Jenny and Brad were slow and incompetent according to him so to say he was glad to be only minutes away from the gates was an understatement. Despite his personal problems with the two, the trip was somewhat of a success - besides the run in with a group of raiders just a few days in. They had found medical tools, some weapons, winter coats and a '1001 Dad Jokes' book, for Ellie.

"Open!" they heard as the three of them approached the front gates. Joel sighed, wanting nothing more than to sleep. In his bed. As the horses trudged through the gates Joel was met by Tommy and a few others.

Dismounting his horse, Joel unclipped his bags and met Tommy, "nice to see you brother," Tommy smiled, pulling Joel in for a hug. Joel was not a toucher, but for Tommy he would tolerate a hug… on certain occasions.

"How does stew and an apple pie sound tonight?" Tommy asked his brother, walking with Joel and Beardy, his horse, while Jenny and Brad led the way to the stables.

Apple pie? Joel thought. Maria has never baked that before. Sensing his confusion Tommy turned to Joel and smiled deviously, "you have new neighbours in the little green house".

Joel rolled his eyes, really not in the mood to meet new people.

"Oh come on Joel, they're really nice. Well, Marcus is a little quiet, like you, but Cece, she's great!" he exclaimed, kicking a rock in front of him as the two walked on.

Oh great, another couple. Joel thought.

"Brother and sister." Tommy said, reading Joel's mind.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. I'll unload, go see Ellie and see y'all later then." Joel said, allowing his furrowed brows to tell Tommy how he felt about this 'dinner party'.

After taking all of the trip's finds to the infirmary and mess hall Joel finally arrived to his street. Passing by the little green house he noticed a few new flower pots on the front porch as well as two new chairs. A stark difference to what it looked like before he left - dirt all over the porch, with a broken rocking chair and surely at least twenty spiderwebs. No one had lived in that house the whole time Joel had been in Jackson. A family of three apparently used to live there for a few months when Jackson was first established but ultimately they decided to leave Jackson for some QZ in Salt Lake City that was apparently 'promising'. And they were never heard from or seen again. It's just been sitting there, fading away ever since.

Not giving any more time to the little house, Joel trudged down to his own house that he shared with Ellie. Well, she was often at Tommy's or Dina's so his house that he shared with Ellie sometimes. After yelling out, hoping to hear Ellie he was instead met with silence. Taking off his coat, Joel groaned, his shoulders feeling as stiff as a brick wall from sleeping rough for almost two weeks. He had a sleeping bag, of course, but that wasn't much on top of a forest or concrete floor. Rubbing his shoulders he sighed and laid down on their couch, not wanting to trek up the stairs. Joel laid there, looking up at the peeling roof for about twenty minutes, wanting nothing more than to sleep but it just never came. Sick of laying there he stood up and gathered his coat, deciding to go find Ellie and visit the Tipsy Bison for a whiskey or two.

As he walked back past the little green house he then noticed the doormat he hadn't seen before. Walking up to the porch, hoping no one was home to see him snooping around he snickered and rolled his eyes.

Yay! It's You! The brown doormat said.

"Where do you even get something like that these days?" he asked himself, shaking his head at the mat, the house and whoever lived in it.

Guess I'll see which idiot owns that mat soon, Joel thought, trudging back down the street.

One thing about Joel, he was a realist. He knew fun and happiness was far and few these days, at least for him. Maybe Ellie, Dina, heck even Betty the librarian knew how to have a little fun these days but Joel took everything in Jackson pretty seriously. He did what needed to be done and stuck to his business. Most of Jackson just let Joel be, knowing he was a 'grump' - to be frank.

As he rounded the corner near the mess hall his eyes set upon Troy and a woman with long, light brown hair. He couldn't tell who it was from behind but he watched as she laughed at Troy, her shoulders shaking from her laugh.

Yeah, he think's he's funny. Joel thought, rolling his eyes. He wasn't the fondest of Troy. Not that he did anything particularly wrong, he was just too loud. Especially once whiskey had hit his lips.

The woman said something back to Troy, now his turn to laugh. Joel didn't see much purpose in all of the thrills of Jackson - the socialising, the movie nights, the holidays - at least for the adults. He would much rather everyone just do their work and leave it at that. Less likely to meet new people, new women that way, he thought. Joel had flirted and entertained a few women in Jackson but never anything serious, and never when he was sober.

Before he looked away he noticed the woman bend down to Daisy, patting her on the head before Troy and Daisy walked away, leaving the woman to walk the opposite direction. He watched as she passed two of the councilmen, smiles immediately filling their faces. The biggest smiles he had seen on them, probably ever.

Who the hell is that? He thought.

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xx-akubara-xx · 10 months ago

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Page... 114.5 I guess haha-

While we see how Peach deals with the newsstand - We never actually see how Mario dealt with it.

...And he didn't deal with it very well. Unlike Peach - he wasn't as easily able to let it go. And very unlike Peach, he was less willing to take a diplomatic approach. (Maybe due to his upbringing...)

Threatening this one Toad may work in the short term. But between not actually diffusing the situation (And making it worse in a way) - Mario wouldn't have been able to carry out any real threat against the Toads. All bark and no bite. And the Toads would catch onto that.

It especially wouldn't help that Peach would very much disapprove of this method, leading her to insist to Mario that she truly has things handled.

#grimdark #bowser #fanart #fancomic #princess peach #mario #begcomic #Bonus

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writing-until-i-drop · 5 months ago

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What's In A Name? Chapter Ten

Meg Harding and Kate Carter were inseparable until their friends died five ago, then she ran to New Orleans to save lives as a paramedic. But when Javi calls on his two oldest friends to help him collect data, counting on their matching natural instincts for tornadoes, Meg goes home for the first time in years. That's where she meets Tyler and the rest of the Wranglers, the YouTube storm chasers her dad likes to watch, and finds herself fitting in more with them than with Storm PAR. Meg only plans to stay for the week but will it be easy to leave when the dust settles?

If a certain cowboy has a say in it, nothing about leaving is going to be easy.

A/N: It's time to say goodbye.

AO3 Link

Previous Chapter

Meg came to with a groan, pain radiating through her body. Her first instinct was to reach for Kate, who was also starting to wake up.

“Are we dead?” Kate grunted.

“You in pain?”

“Yeah,” Meg chuckled, wincing in pain.

“Not dead yet. Can you undo your harness?” It took a few minutes but they managed to release themselves. “Crawl out your window but watch out for the glass.”

“I don’t see any-Ow!” Meg’s laugh turned into a cough. “There’s glass.” Kate was halfway out the window when they heard the shouting.

“Kate! Meg!”

“We’re fine,” Kate announced weakly to Tyler and Javi, who helped pull her out the window. Meg was next.

“Wait, I need to get my kit.”

“Screw your kit, Meg,” Javi said as he pulled her fully from the truck. Tyler was hovering over her immediately, checking her over for injuries. Kate was asking if everyone was okay and Meg was relieved to hear that they were.

“Y’all did it,” Tyler was crying. “You stopped it.”

“And this is why we never let you drive anymore, Toad,” Javi used her old nickname, squeezing her hand. Meg smiled weakly at him, seeing for the first time in a long time, her old friend standing before her. “You wreck everything you drive.”

“I plead the fifth,” Her chest ached when she laughed. The harness had probably bruised her ribs. Her mind switched gears, cataloging her own injuries and how they were probably mirrored on Kate.

“Baby, where are you going?” Tyler stopped her when she tried to move. “You gotta stay put until the medics get here.”

“I am a medic,” She reminded him. “I need my bag.” Tyler shook his head, kissing her forehead.

“You’re not climbing back into that truck.”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Arkansas.” The rest of the Wrangles joined them, sharing their love and praise for the two women. Eventually, Tyler agreed to help Meg to her feet, keeping a strong arm around her waist. “I ain’t gonna break, Ty.”

“Baby,” He whispered in her ear, “I thought you were dead. Just shut up and let me hold you.”

“You’re lucky I love you,” Meg leaned back into him but pulled away when she heard him hiss in pain, remembering what had happened before the theater. “Your leg! Tyler Michael Owens, sit your ass on the ground right now.”

“Shit, yeah man,” Boone rushed over, guiding Tyler to the ground. “Doc, how ya feeling?”

“Got my ass shaken like a martini but I’m fine.” Boone barked with laughter,, squeezing her shoulder.

“Got a little too close to that lion now didn’t ya?”

“Just a bit,” She groaned, shifting onto her knees. “I’m gonna grab my bag.”

“No,” Tyler and Javi said together.

“Careful, Meg,” Kate warned with a lopsided smile. “You get these two to start agreeing on things and we won’t be able to have any fun.”

“Haha, very funny,” Javi rolled his eyes. “Meg, sit your ass back down and I’ll get the damn bag.”

“Thanks, Jav,” She sat.

“So, he gets to tell you what to do?” Tyler teased and she shoved his shoulder, giving a heatless glare.

“You want to be invited to that weddin’ Boone’s plannin’ me or do you wanna keep runnin’ your mouth?”

“Wedding?” Kate perked up.

“You told her?” Boone ran a hand through his hair, “You agree with me on the roses though, right?”

“You guys recorded this?” Javi shouted, backing out of the truck. Kate and Meg looked at each other, eyes wide.

“Don’t watch that!” The exclaimed in unison. Javi hesitated.

“But this could prove that what y’all did really worked and it wasn’t just a stroke of luck..”

“Javi, Kate sntached her phone back. “You really want to hear what we thought our last words were gonna be before we died?” He paled, throwing up his hands in surrender. “That’s what I thought.”

“I mean, I’ve got a morbid curiosity.” Boone looked between Meg and Kate, “But definitely not right now.” The girls shared a silent look, agreeing that no one would ever see or hear that recording.

“Ty, I’m gonna get my girl fixed up and then I’m comin’ for that leg, you hear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once the doctors cleared them all from the hospital, the Wranglers and Javi made their way to Cathy’s house. Meg was giddy by the time they pulled in the driveway, spotting the extra set of cars next to Cathy’s truck.

“You didn’t,” Kate gasped, recognizing the cars, looking over at Meg who was driving since Tyler was now on crutches.

“I did,” Kate hollered in excitement.

“What did you do, darlin’?” Tyler asked, reaching over the seat to squeeze her shoulder.

“I’ll tell you later,” She giggled, Tyler groaned. The Wranglers all piled out of their cars, Meg honked a few times, alerting everyone in the house that it was time to come out.

“No way,” Tyler’s breath hitched. Dr. Jo and Bill Harding were the first to walk out, the rest of the gang and Cathy following closely behind.

“Thoughts and prayers, Cowboy. You’re gonna need them,” Meg kissed his cheek before running towards her family. “Mama, dad!”

“Hey there, Pumpkin,” Her dad lifted her into the air and Meg knew his back was going to hurt in the morning. “You brought a cowboy home.”

“More like he brought her home,” Her mama kissed her temple, “You okay, sweetheart?”

“Few bruised ribs, couple of scrapes, nothing permanent,” Rabbit stole her away from her parents, draping an arm over her shoulder.

“Not to interrupt the moment, but, Lawrence,” He held out his hand and it was filled with an open bottle of Jack Daniels that he passed to Meg. “I just have to say one thing,” Meg felt a surge of happiness bubble through her. “To the Extreme!”

“To the Extreme!” The original gang, Kate, and Javi cheered. Meg took a swig of the liquor, grinning at the burn.

“To us!” Meg cheered, passing the bottle to Kate, “We did it.”

“We did,” Kate giggled, taking a drink. “We did it for them. We did it for our friends.”

“So, who’s the Extreme?” Ben asked, pen and paper handy at the dinner table. There was a chorus of chuckles.

“The original or the remix?” Haynes asked, pointing her knife between Bill and Meg.

“Bill was the most out of control son of a bitch in the game,” Preacher announced, “Until little Meg over here.”

“I plead the fifth,” Meg laughed, leaning back into Tyler’s chest. “Plus, I still think mama is crazier than me.” Her mama rolled her eyes.

“Are we really telling this story again?”

“It’s a classic,” Joey shushed Jo.

“There was a storm near Delton, right?” Beltzer started, “We were way too close and Jo had her camera out, videotaping the whole thing.”

“Then, this shitty green, what was it?” Lawrence, the only member of the original team who hadn’t been there for the incident, tried and failed to help tell the story.

“A shitty, green Valiant pulls up right in the way,” Haynes picked up where Beltzer left off. “Jo’s yelling and cussing the guy out when-” Rabbit jumped in, taking over.

“This naked loser with a bottle of Jack step out.” Tyler chuckled, kissing the top of Meg’s head.

“Naked?” Ben asked,

“Butt naked,”

“I was not naked!” Her dad defended himself but no one was listening to him.

“Naked as the day he was born,” Her mama kissed Bill on the cheek, “And he strolls up to the tornado and said-”

“Have a drink,” Her dad shouted. “Then I allegedly threw the bottle into the twister.”

“And it never, never, touched the ground,” Rabbit finished with a flourish of his hands. “That’s why we call him the Extreme.”

“And it’s all lies,” Her dad shouted but the gang didn’t let him get away with it, launching into another tirade of overlapping stories.

Once dinner was finished, Meg found herself on the porch, watching as the two teams interacted. Dexter was monopolizing her mama’s time, hanging on her every word. Ben, for better or for worse, was in deep conversation with Rabbit. Her dad and Tyler were sitting just a few feet away, animatedly trading stories and talking about Tyler’s truck.

She wanted to spend every day like that, surrounded by her family and friends, watching them share years of tornado chasing experience. Her phone rang, Nick’s ringtone disturbing the peaceful atmosphere and for the first time in five years, she declined his call. She just wanted to be present in that moment, her heart filled with love.

Tyler glanced over at her and she smiled softly at him, then she crossed the porch and sat beside him, taking his hand in hers.

“Dad, what timeline did you bet on?”

“Five months,” He answered with a grin, patting Tyler on the back when he coughed, choking on air. “Puts us in October.”

“Okay then,” She stood again, kissing Tyler on the cheek. “Tyler, you should probably ask for his blessin’, I’m gonna tell Boone that the roses are out.”

The next day, Tyler drove Meg to the airport, her flight coming in first thing in the morning as opposed to Kate’s later flight.

“I’ll be back in a month,” Tyler kissed her desperately and she met his need. She poured every ounce of love she felt into the kiss, eagerly parting her lips for him to deepen their kiss.

“That’s far too long,” Tyler said between kisses. Meg didn’t want to leave but she knew she had to. She had a job to quit, a partner to say goodbye to, and an apartment to pack up. All things that needed to be done in person. “I’m gonna miss you, darlin’.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, Ty. But I’ve gotta go.” He chased her as she pulled away, kissing her until her lungs burned for air. “Tyler-”

“Don’t go.”

“I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to,” Meg pulled away, pushing at his shoulders to keep them separated. Tyler pouted at her. “This will be good for us.” He grunted in disagreement. “I’m serious, Tyler. We’ve been goin’ fast,” She squeezed his thigh. “A little time, a little space, it’ll give us some clear direction on where this is goin’.”

Tyler looked uneasy all of the sudden.

“You’re coming back, right?”

“You’ll chase me if I don’t,” A smile toyed on Meg’s lips.

“Damn right.”

Fin.

a/n: I cried writing this chapter - I have NEVER written a story from start to finish and I am unbelievably proud of myself. Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with me, encouraging me with all of your comments, likes, and reblogs. I love you all so so so much!! (that goes double for you, mom) I have a few one-shots in mind for Meg and Tyler but I don't think I'll be posting them soon, if there's any requests, please send me an ask

#tyler owens x oc #tyler owens #twisters 2024 #twister 1996 #twisters #what's in a name fic #glen powell

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ljamberfantasy · 23 days ago

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The Elf Who Would Become A Dragon

PRELUDE

Welcome visitor! What has brought you to this chamber of wonders? For what reason have you crept unto this treasure trove, so [early in the dawn/late in the evening]?

No need to answer. I can see by the hunger in your eyes that you are here for the challenge — that you hope to fill your pockets with this hoard. By all means, feel free to examine the jewels, and the coins, and especially the art, here gathered for your pleasure. See how the rubies gleam. Observe where the colours ripple and glitter in the curve of the opals. And as you pace back and forth in astonishment, notice how the piles of gold and silver shimmer like cresting waves on a restless sea.

Yes, this wealth is yours for the taking. But there are rules. One rule, in fact.

You must sit and listen to a story. After an hour has passed, so long as the tale is yet unfinished, you are free to take all that you can carry and go… but if you carry out so much as a single coin from this place, you will never hear its ending.

There is no trick: the story takes much longer than an hour to tell. It is a tale about what it means to belong; a tale about that which we choose for ourselves, and that which is chosen for us; a tale requiring patience and consideration, for the story is richer and more deeply layered than all the wealth spread before you. The tale I will tell you is about worth in all its forms — but in the end, you must decide the worth of the people I speak of, and whether each deserved the price they paid for who they were.

That is the challenge, dear visitor. And fret not, for there is no penalty should you fail to leave before my telling is done. Many before you have left this chamber with their pockets light, though I cannot say the same for their thoughts…

You are disbelieving. Perhaps you are eager to begin? Good. Sit comfortably, and I shall tell you a bittersweet tale of warmth, magic, revenge, and dragons.Listen, now, to the story of Saphienne:

The Elf Who Would Become a Dragon

or, The Fires of Her Ambition

CHAPTER 1 – The Frog and the Toad

Long before Saphienne grew into adulthood, five moments defined the woman she would become. To know these is to know her. I shall tell them to you in the order they happened, but do not mistake the telling of them for their relative importance. All mattered in different ways. All will matter, later, when you wonder why she did the things that I shall recount for you.

So:

See Saphienne as she was, the quiet young girl, ten years old. Spring was in the air, and so her hair was the rich brown of the nourishing soil — for like all elves of her kind, her hair changed colour with the seasons. She was pale, like the bark of a birch tree, and slight in build, too small to yet be gangly, too large to be unawkward. Her eyes were also the colour of spring, pale green, but these did not change with the passage of the year, only growing brighter or darker in accordance with her mood.

Which was low, then, and so her eyes were the shadowy green of late evening. She was sat on the edge of a small glade, a glade in which the boyish girls and girlish boys from her village typically played. To see how the young elves laughed and cavorted in the afternoon sunlight, aglow in their fine white clothes, you would think all was idyllic, that their joy was infectious. But Saphienne was not sharing in their joy.

She was, as I said, quiet. Softly spoken, far from outgoing, the adults in her village thought she was sweet but plain, while the other children thought she was boring, too slow to play along. They seldom invited her to join in their games, and when they were obliged to include her she was never given much attention. Not that they were intentionally cruel. To them, she was an afterthought, neither loved nor hated, neither welcomed nor turned away, and never once envied.

This was why she sat on a fallen log and watched as they played their games, not even the book on her lap able to distract her. In those days, she was a precocious reader, and would sneak books out from the small village library that she thought were not intended for her (and that the librarian pretended not to notice her take). What else was there to do, but lose herself in stories of other times and places? To hear of other people, and so live vicariously through them?

Yet the book she had taken that day was not very interesting, and while her curiosity demanded she finish it, in that moment she longed more for company than for escape. Not enough to approach the other children, but certainly enough to watch them, and feel things that no child of her age should ever have to feel.

“Saphienne!”

See now a transformation: at the sound of her name, Saphienne’s eyes lit up even brighter than the daytime, her face unguarded and smiling as she twisted around. The book slid off her lap, and she let it fall. Her attention was on the girl who was bounding through the long grass under the trees.

Kylantha was two years younger than Saphienne, nearly a full head shorter, and had none of her meekness. She also stood out, but not because of how she behaved: her hair was always bright blonde, even beyond summertime, and her ears were shorter and less pointed than those of other elves. For this reason she, too, was not invited to play, but that never stopped her from pushing her way in… when she wanted, which was not often. She preferred to spend time with her best friend, her only real friend, the only person with the patience to answer her endless, exhaustive questions.

“Saphienne! Guess what I have?” Kylantha had her hand behind her back, and she kept facing Saphienne as she sidestepped around the log, nearly tripping.

Saphienne’s nose wrinkled, though her smile remained. “Another toad?”

“It was a frog.”

“Frogs have smooth, wet skin, remember?”

“It was wet!”

Laughing, Saphienne reached down and scooped up her book as Kylantha sat. “Because you’d dropped it in the pond before you brought it to me, silly.”

“I wanted to see it swim.” She was pouting.

“I remember. And I remember it had rough skin and shorter back legs, which means it was a toad, not a frog. They’re different creatures. I told you this. Frogs aren’t toads, and toads aren’t frogs.”

Thinking on the difference, Kylantha looked down and went quiet. This usually preceded a question, and sure enough, a moment later she lifted her head. “Do you think there are half-frogs?”

Saphienne opened her mouth, then realised she didn’t know. “Maybe,” she guessed. “I don’t know if toads and frogs can make babies together.”

“How do they do it, anyway? They don’t look like they can kiss.”

Saphienne didn’t know the answer to that, either, though she was old enough to know that kissing was only part of the process. “I think there’s more than kissing. Maybe they skip that part.”

“Do frogs think toads are ugly?”

“I mean, they look nearly the same.” Saphienne stared up at the boughs overhanging the edge of the clearing, watching them sway back and forth in the breeze. “Toads crawl on land and swim, while frogs mostly swim, and that means frogs aren’t as comfortable as toads out of water. Maybe frogs envy toads. Maybe they think they’re beautiful.”

Kylantha hung on her every word. Then, she smiled to herself. “I think a half-toad would look even prettier to a frog.”

Saphienne looked back down. “Why?”

“Because they’d look like a toad, but get along better with the frogs.”

That made her giggle. “I don’t think they spend much time together.”

“Well, they should. They’re the same.”

Prepared to argue, Saphienne knew she wouldn’t win. So she just smiled, and shook her head. “Close enough. But, what do you have, if it isn’t a toad?”

Remembering that she was holding something, the younger girl gasped, and she sat up straighter. “You need to close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

“…Last time you said that, you gave me a toa–”

“It’s not a toad!”

“Is it something else with poisonous skin?”

“Neither of us got sick! And it’s not poisonous.” She was pouting again, and her brown eyes were wide. “Please, Saphienne?”

She relented. “All right.” Setting the book beside herself on the log, Saphienne closed her eyes, and held out her hands.

Kylantha kept her waiting, made sure her eyes were closed before she brought her hand around and gave Saphienne what she’d been hiding. It felt light, and soft, like it was made of fabric, but also wooden.

“You can look now.”

Saphienne looked. She was holding a drawstring pouch, made from fine cloth, onto which chips of bark had been tightly sewn in interlocking layers. Shaking it, she realised it had something inside, and when she opened it she saw a single, shining, copper coin.

“Do you like it?”

She took the coin out, held it up to the light. She’d never seen one in person before, but she’d read about them. This one was minted with a crude human face on one side, and when she turned it over she saw it had also been struck with a poor depiction of a tree. “Did you make this?”

“Yes!” Kylantha beamed. “Mother taught me how to stitch, and I’ve been learning how to make things I’ll need.”

Saphienne looked down at the pouch, recognising that the needlework was poorer than that of the traditional elven clothing they wore. “I meant the coin.”

“Oh, no. Mother gave me that. She said if I was going to have a purse, I should have something to put in it.”

“I’ve never seen one before. Humans use them for trade, don’t they?”

“I think so.”

“So…” She put the coin back in the pouch, tying it shut. “Why do you need a purse? And why does it have bits of bark on the outside?”

“It’s not for me.” She was grinning. “It’s for you.”

Saphienne blinked. “But, why do I need it?”

“So that you have somewhere to keep your coins when we travel.”

Slowly, she smiled. “We’re going to travel?”

“Of course we are! We’re going to see all the things you’ve read about.” Kylantha stood up, spread out her arms, began to spin as she spoke. “As soon as we’re grown, we’ll go on a journey. We’ll go over the mountains — and across the sea. We’ll be adventurers! We’ll see all the things there are to see, even things that no one’s seen before, and you’ll write them down in a book of your own.” Leaping up onto the log, she wobbled there, arms outstretched for balance. “That’s why it’s arm– armed– protected on the outside, so no thief can cut it open.”

Saphienne was grinning now as she looked up at her. “I’m only ten. It’ll be ninety years before I’m an adult, ninety-two for you. That’s forever.”

“Well, we can prepare! I’ll learn to fight, so you won’t need to worry.” Standing more firmly, she brought her hand against her chest. “I’ll be a knight! I’ll protect you, with my sword, and my song.”

“And what should I become?” Saphienne asked, shifting her legs so that she half-knelt on the log.

Swaying, nearly losing her balance, Kylantha sat back down with a hollow thump. “You can be whatever you want to be. I won’t mind.”

“Even a thief?”

The younger girl scowled. “As long as you give it back.”

* * *

Playing with the other children was of no interest to Kylantha — she wanted to explore instead. “We should go up to the lake!”

Saphienne was intimidated by the prospect. “But it’s really far away, and we’re not grown enough to go on our own,” she said. “We might get into trouble–”

“It’s just water.” Kylantha was unfazed. “Lots of water. It’s not dangerous — where did you think I got the frog from?”

“…It was a toad…”

“Same thing,” she sniffed. “No one will notice we’re gone. And who cares if we get into trouble, anyway? What’s the worst they’ll do?”

Especially back then, Saphienne had a tendency to take things literally. “Our mothers will care… and they could shout at us…”

“Mother likes when I explore.” Kylantha’s smile was as bright as her hair. “And who cares about shouting? Words don’t matter, not really. Don’t you want to see the lake? The toads might still be spawning.”

Though she was unconvinced, Saphienne had never been taken to see the lake, and she desperately wanted to… but she was, at that time, a rigidly obedient child. “Can’t we do something else?”

“Like what?” Kylantha shifted closer to her on the log. “Do you have a better idea?”

“We could go to the library–”

“Enough books!” Kylantha rolled her eyes, snatched the book from Saphienne’s hand, and held it away from her. “Today is for exploring.”

Saphienne could easily have taken the book back, if she had more confidence. Instead, she wilted slightly, then turned her mind to other ideas. “We could play hide and seek?”

“That’s not exploring.”

“We could go to your house? Or a shrine–”

“Boring…” Kylantha mimed a yawn. “Let’s go somewhere we haven’t been. Somewhere no one expects us to go…”

“Where?” Saphienne was struggling to understand what Kylantha wanted. “And what will we do, when we get there?”

“I want to see things we haven’t seen before.” Her eyes held an insistent plea. “We need to practice for when we travel.”

That made sense to Saphienne. Her uncertainty fell away as she held Kylantha’s gaze, replaced by resolve to please her friend, and the smile that grew on her lips held a measure of the other girl’s bold mischief. “Then,” she said, “I know somewhere we could go… somewhere that no one’s told us we can’t go…”

Beside her, Kylantha pouted. “But, where’s the fun in–”

“We can go to the wizard’s house.”

After her shock wore off, Kylantha reflected Saphienne’s smile.

* * *

Neither child understood the degree to which wizardry shaped both their lives, and Saphienne had not even the slightest premonition of how greatly magic would matter to her personally in later years. Though they had grown up surrounded by enchantments and magical wonders, all was commonplace to them, and so they only recognised what was unusually grand, like when the local wizard would celebrate the new year by making fantastic colours stream across the sky.

“Master Almon,” Kylantha whispered to Saphienne, mildly disappointed by what she saw. “That’s him… I think.”

Saphienne peered through the bushes in which they were poorly hiding, oblivious to the fact that her white clothes made her stand out amidst the spring foliage. The adult elf who had just exited the tall, towering tree across the grove seemed an imposing man, dressed in vivid blue robes that were so heavy they looked like they could smother her — yet offered no impediment to his stride.

He walked away from the watching children, setting out into the village… only to pause, his back toward them.

“What’s he doing?” Kylantha was cheek-to-cheek with Saphienne.

With a wave of his hand, the wizard poured sapphire sparkles from his fingertips, flickering sparks that leapt on the air and coalesced into a bolt of lightning that staked the ground before him with a thunderous boom — there to shimmer and twitch as it hardened and cooled into fine, fire-blackened wood, still yet burning with tawny embers.

Stunned, the girls froze in place…

Only for the wizard to nonchalantly lift his walking stick, and casually stroll on.

Kylantha was subdued. “…Maybe we should go back.”

Saphienne, however, was still emboldened: she pushed through the bushes, making a beeline for the doorstep. “You said you wanted to go somewhere new…”

“We did,” Kylantha pleaded, following after the older girl. “And that was– I’ve never seen anything like that before! So we’re done–”

“No, we’re not.” Saphienne quickened her pace. “We haven’t been in his house. We have to see our journey through!”

“But he’s not home–”

“So?” She rounded on Kylantha with a wicked smile, copying her voice. “That means he won’t notice we’re there. And who cares if we get into trouble, anyway? What’s the worst he’ll do?”

Her teasing made the younger girl blush, which in turn made her clench her fists and stand a little taller. Still, she smiled broadly. “Maybe he’ll turn you into a toad.”

“Or you into a frog.”

That cut through Kylantha’s bravado, and her eyes widened in thought. “…Do you think he could?”

“Only one way to find out…”

Yet, they slowed when they crossed between the flowerbeds that flanked the door.

Saphienne gently shoved Kylantha forward. “You first!”

“No, you!” Kylantha pushed back. “This was your idea!”

“You’re the one who wanted to go somewhere new!”

“I wanted to go to the lake! …I’m not going in.” She folded her arms.

“Well…” Saphienne folded her arms too. “…One of us has to. Or it doesn’t count.”

They stared at each other, at an impasse.

Then Kylantha suddenly grinned. “I know what we’ll do.” She thrust out her hand in demand. “Give me the coin!”

Puzzled, but trusting her friend, Saphienne withdrew the pouch and fished out the copper disc. “What are you doing?”

“Just watch.” Kylantha took the coin, balancing it upon her fingers, only to flick it into the air. “Heads!”

The metal glinted where it fell among the flowers — tree-side up.

“…Oh.” Kylantha paled. “I called it wrong. That means I lose.”

“It does?” Saphienne bent down, retrieving the coin with a frown.

“Yes,” the younger girl nodded, already steeling herself. “You choose what you want to happen, then call which side the coin will land. If it lands the way you called, you win… or else…”

She bounded up to the step, gripped the door handle, and–

…Discovered it was locked.

Wordlessly, they faced each other.

And then the two burst into great guffaws of childish laughter, all their fear and tension dispersed like night mists in the dawn. They were still giggling as they ran away — though Kylantha darted back to the flowerbeds, stooping to carefully uproot a blooming hyacinth from its rightful place in the front garden, before she sprinted after Saphienne.

The casual vandalism worried the older girl. “Why’d you do that?”

“To show my mother.” She grinned, full of play as she caught up. “Don’t worry! It’s just a flower. I’m not a thief…”

Appeased, Saphienne offered her hand — and was dragged along after Kylantha as she raced away. “…So long as you put it back!”

* * *

All of this was happy prelude to the first moment.

One year and half again later, in the autumn, when Saphienne’s hair was red and she had begun to notice other changes creeping in, she was surprised by shouting. She was lost among the shelves of the library, usually so tranquil, when she heard the sound of the door crashing open, adult voices from outside calling after running feet.

“Saphienne! Saphienne!”

Kylantha nearly ran into her as Saphienne emerged from the end of the row, and then she did collide with her, throwing her arms around the taller girl with a muffled wail that only became louder as she cried.

“Kylantha!” Saphienne held her, caught between shocked white and an uncertain blush. “Kylantha, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

But she only cried and cried, and clung more tightly, her grief too great for words. They stayed like that as the librarian led a man to where they were standing, a man that Saphienne did not recognise, dressed in dull brown leathers and draped with a cloak that was patterned like the forest. He did not interrupt, not at first, waiting until the wailing turned to sobbing, and only then did he crouch down, his voice gentle but firm.

“Finish your goodbyes, girl.”

As softly as he spoke, suddenly Saphienne felt very cold. “Goodbye?” She pulled Kylantha tighter against herself.

But Kylantha drew back far enough to look up, her face red, nose running. She swallowed, and her usually vibrant voice was hoarse, broken. “Saphienne…” She struggled to speak. “Saphienne… they’re taking me away…”

End of Chapter 1

Index of Chapters here: https://www.tumblr.com/ljamberfantasy/775306768397074432/the-elf-who-would-become-a-dragon

#elves #fantasy #lgbt #progress fiction #web serial #writing #writers on tumblr #the elf who would become a dragon #tewwbad #content warnings available on author's website #I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get elements to centre using css on here help

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