#buddy please she needs you to rein her back

[owedfavors]

I've said this to people in the past, but I don't know if I've ever said it here but just... the way pike is 90% of una's moral compass and therefore her tether when she goes too far is... everything to me. una who will overload a phaser and kill four humans and a whole group of talosians in order to keep one man from imprisonment. una who designs an honestly goddamn traumatic test for a cadet wanting a posting on enterprise. una who goes through unsanctioned channels to get information on spock when he's missing. una who, without authorization, commandeers experimental tactical flyers and installs weapon systems on enterprise's landing craft... the real problem is, pike's 90% of una's moral compass and sense of what is morally acceptable... but he also becomes way too indulgent of her and it shows...

[venactricisfics]

Bucking Tradition: A Yellowstone Fanfic

Chapter Twenty-Seven

More smutty goodness 18+

“Don’t start anything while you’re out there, please,” I told Ryan. He was going out with my brother and father to confront the Morrows. 

“I won't, baby,” he said as he strapped on his Kevlar Livestock agent vest. “It’s just a show of force.”

“You sure that’s all it’s gonna be?” I eyed him, “That’s a lot of protection you got on, cowboy.” 

“Don’t worry about me,” he pressed a quick kiss to my cheek, “Now you go have fun with your friends.” 

“Yes, sir,” I gave him a wink and headed out to the truck. Lloyd and Jimmy had loaded up our horses in the trailer. I was riding out with Mia and Laramie to the fairgrounds to practice barrels. Girls' Day is what Laramie called it, but with Lloyd and Jimmy tagging along to help with our gear. 

“You know I don’t run barrels, right?” I cocked my head at the arena.

“Oh, I know. You’re way too disciplined for barrel racing,” Laramie teased with a smirk. “That’s why Mia and I will show you what we got first,” she motioned between the two of them, “then you can show us what you’ve been working on.”

The truth was, I hadn’t been working on much—just running the same routines from my last few shows. I hadn’t competed, so I hadn’t pushed myself.

And maybe that was the problem.

“I saw this trick rider last week jump through fire,” Mia said. “You ever do anything like that?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. I’d seen girls on the circuit pull off stunts like that. “Too dangerous.”

Even as I said it, I felt a flicker of something—was it doubt? Or the itch to prove to myself that I still had more in me?

I watched as the two cut around the barrel like they were walking. Leaning against the gate, with Denim’s reins in my hands. He shifted beside me, like he thought he had something to prove too. 

“Alright, alright,” I muttered to him. 

“Will you toss me a water, babe?” Laramie said sweetly to Lloyd. Who obediently grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler and tossed it to her.

“Two dances,” Lloyd grumbled, “and here I am saddling their horses, sitting in the bleachers watching ‘em.” 

“Y’all didn’t.. Uh…?” Jimmy asked, I cocked my head to hear the answer to that question. 

“Of course not, she ain’t even 25 years old,” Lloyd answered. I was relieved to hear the answer. 

“Thank God,” I muttered. 

I sucked in a breath and lead Denium into the arena. My heart thumped wildly in my chest. I double-checked his cinching and straps. “Alright, buddy. You ready for this?” I slipped my leg into the strap and hung onto the pummel as he started to gallop around the arena. Everything outside of the thumping of his hooves on the dirt faded away. I laid across his back lifting myself up into a handstand before seating myself in the saddle. 

The more I moved, the more I felt like me again. Every trick flowed effortlessly, each motion instinctual, Denim responding to my cues without hesitation. No fire, no gimmicks—just skill, just trust. Who needed flash when you had talent?

As I slowed Denim to a trot, Laramie leaned against the fence, arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.

“Felt good, didn’t it?” she asked.

I exhaled, patting Denim’s neck. “Yeah, it did.”

“You gotta get back out there, Alex.” Her tone wasn’t pushy, just honest.

“Maybe,” I said, but the word felt hollow.

I thought about Ryan, about what we had built since I came back. The quiet mornings, the shared laughter, the kind of love that had settled deep in my bones. Things changed the last time I was on the road—distance had a way of unraveling even the strongest ties. But now, we were stronger. More committed.

Still… could what we had survive if I left again?

My phone rang pulling me from my doubts. Kayce.

“Commissioner Dutton,” I smirked as I answered the phone, “How can I help you?” 

“You busy,” Kayce’s voice was serious. He’d been far too serious lately.

“What do you need?” I asked sincerely. 

“Can you meet me at the reservation?” he asked, “There’s a missing girl.”

“I’m on my way,” I told him. I looked over at Lloyd, “Can you make sure Denim gets settled in the barn for me? I gotta help my brother.”

“Everything alright?” he asked. 

“I hope it will be,” I responded. 

“I’ll take care of him, for you, darlin’,” he replied.

Lloyd’s reassurance was enough for me to swing down off Denim without hesitation. I handed him the reins, giving my horse a quick pat before heading for my truck.

“Be careful,” Laramie called after me, her tone less playful now.

“I always am,” I threw back, though we both knew that wasn’t exactly true.

Sliding behind the wheel, I wasted no time peeling out of the lot, dust kicking up behind me.

Kayce wouldn’t call me for something like this unless it was serious. And if a girl had gone missing on the reservation, I knew exactly what kind of trouble we might be walking into.

I pressed harder on the gas.

I just hoped we weren’t already too late.

I pulled the truck to a stop. A sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Kayce, Ryan, and Agent Hendon were leading horses from a trailer. 

“I saddled one up for you,” Ryan handed me the reins. 

“Thanks, how did everything go this morning?” I asked.

“It went better than expected,” he responded. 

“That’s good thinking,” the reservation police officer told Kayce. 

“Miss Dutton,” the Chairman of Broken Rock Reservation said to me, “Wish we were meeting on different circumstances. But I appreciate you’re coming out to help.”

This man was supposed to be my father’s enemy. But after everything that had happened over the last few years. Their feud seemed slight. 

“Yeah, me too,” I told him. “Wish there was more that I could do.”

“It all helps,” he responded.

We gathered around the officer as he called out, “Alright, listen up! Everybody stays ten feet apart. Don’t just look for Sila,” he put a name to the missing girl’s face, “you look for clothes, footprints, a set of keys, anything. If you find something, do not touch it. Just raise your hand and shout ‘Hey!’ and one of the officers will come to you. Alright, let’s go.”

I climbed on the back of my horse, silently scanning the ground looking for any sign of the missing girl. I lost track of the miles we rode, not finding anything. My heart sank when I saw the coyote in the distance. 

My stomach twisted as I nudged my horse forward, my throat dry. The coyote stood motionless for a moment, watching us approach before slinking back into the brush.

Ryan must have seen it too because he turned in his saddle, calling out, “Kayce!”

Kayce was already headed in our direction, his expression grim. I swallowed hard and swung down from my horse, boots hitting the dirt with a dull thud.

“Over here!” I shouted, just like the officer had instructed.

The others closed in, but I didn’t move. My eyes locked on the patch of disturbed earth near where the coyote had been. Pieces of fabric, dirty and torn, peeked out from beneath the brush.

I clenched my jaw.

I’d been hoping we’d find signs she was still alive.

Instead, we’d found proof she wasn’t.

“Tell them to stay back,” Chairman Rainwater said, his voice heavy with sorrow as he addressed the officer. “The scene is yours, Ben. Let’s go tell her mother.”

The weight of it settled deep in my chest, sharper than I expected. If my father weren’t an important, wealthy white man, that could have been me.

—---

I sat next to Ryan on his bunk, the glow of the old TV flickering across the room as Guy on a Buffalo played. After the kind of day we’d had, we needed something light and ridiculous. And this? This was peak ridiculous.

“This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Jimmy chuckled, pointing at the screen as the man on the buffalo clumsily maneuvered through the wilderness.

“You’ve done a lot of stupid things, Jimmy,” I teased, laughing at both him and the absurdity of the show. “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s so good,” Ryan added, grinning.

“You just don’t appreciate quality filmmaking,” Colby chimed in, his arms crossed like he was defending some kind of cinematic masterpiece.

Teeter leaned forward, eyes fixed on the screen with a lopsided grin. “I feel like he kinda looks like some kinda sexy Jesus on that buffalo, ridin’ off into the sunset.”

Colby shot her a look. “No one understands what you’re saying.”

“You understand what I’m saying, baby,” she fired back with a playful wink.

“How is he even staying on that thing?” Jimmy asked, eyes squinting at the screen like the answer might reveal itself.

“Well, he can’t buck,” Lloyd answered, his arm casually slung around Laramie’s shoulders.

“Really?” I turned to him, genuinely curious.

“They can’t buck, and they can’t rear up,” he continued. “But they can roll over on your ass.”

“I need this whole dynamic explained to me,” Ryan said, glancing between Lloyd and Laramie like he had walked into the middle of an unsolvable mystery.

“Well, when two people like each other very much—” I started, smirking.

“It must be the wobble of the earth,” Colby cut me off, deadpan. “Creating a magnetic shift—”

“Hey, this is where he gets shot,” Lloyd interrupted, nodding toward the screen.

“Hey, look out!” Jimmy shouted at the TV, like the guy had any chance of hearing him.

Teeter suddenly perked up, pointing at the screen. “Hey, we outta ride them buffalo out there on that field.”

“What field?” Laramie asked.

“Out back, behind the corral,” Teeter said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Where are your corrals?” Laramie asked, clearly trying to make sense of the sudden buffalo discourse.

“There’s thirty or so back there,” I added, earning a confused look from Ryan.

“Whoa, she speaks and they understand her?” he motioned between me and Teeter like we were speaking some ancient dialect. “How is that even possible?”

Mia let out a laugh.

“It’s the wobble of the earth, I’m telling you,” Colby repeated, shaking his head like we were all fools for doubting him.

“Girl brains work on their own frequency,” I said, throwing Ryan a smirk. “Don’t try to understand it.”

“Wait—what buffalo?” Lloyd asked, his brow furrowing.

“The resort put ‘em out there,” Ryan explained. “And they got this mean old bastard watching them.” He glanced at me. “What was his name, baby?”

“Wade Morrow,” I said, watching as Lloyd’s expression shifted the second he heard it.

“Yeah, they’re his buffalo,” Colby confirmed.

A beat of silence passed before Lloyd suddenly grinned. “Who feels like ridin’ a buffalo?”

“Not me,” Ryan answered instantly.

I quirked a brow at him. “Where’s your sense of adventure, cowboy?”

“I would, but—” Jimmy gestured to his neck brace. “Doctors say I gotta take it easy.”

“I’m not supposed to drink and ride buffalo,” Colby added with a solemn nod. “It’s a whole thing.”

“Fuck it, I’ll ride the buffalo,” Teeter declared, standing up like she was preparing for battle.

“We’ll ride the buffalo, and you ladies can watch,” I said, already grabbing my jacket.

“This is gonna be fun,” Mia grinned, standing with me.

“Wait—this is happening?” Colby scrambled off his bunk, looking mildly panicked.

“Looks like it,” Ryan smirked, shaking his head.

And just like that, our night took a sharp left turn—from watching a guy on a buffalo to actually riding one.

“I’ve done some dumb shit in my life,” Colby muttered as he climbed down off his bunk, trailing behind us.

“This is gonna be dumber,” Ryan shot back, shaking his head.

I glanced at Lloyd, the self-appointed expert in this madness. “Alright, so what’s the best way to do this?”

“Well, you can’t rope ‘em by the neck—you’ll crush their larynx,” Lloyd explained like this was common knowledge. “Gotta rope ‘em by the horns.”

“And then what?” Ryan asked, already regretting being here.

“Then you pull ‘em to a stop, jump on, and off you go,” Lloyd said like it was as simple as saddling a horse.

“I’m just here to watch,” Ryan clarified.

“Alex, you go first,” Laramie turned to me, daring me to back down.

“Fuck it,” I shrugged, grinning. “Somebody catch me a buffalo.”

Mia and Laramie burst out laughing.

“We can’t be sober for this,” Colby declared, taking a swig from his flask.

“Shit, what a baby bunch,” Teeter snorted.

And with that, we took off into the field, swinging lassos like we had a clue what we were doing. It was chaos—buffalo snorting, horses dancing beneath us, and us hollering like idiots.

Ethan and Teeter were the first to pull one to a stop. The massive beast huffed, nostrils flaring, but it didn’t bolt. I didn’t give myself time to hesitate—I hopped off my horse and ran straight for it.

The buffalo lowered its head, almost like it was inviting me on.

So I climbed on.

For a split second, I felt like a damn legend. Then it took off, jolting beneath me as it tried to shake me loose. I gripped tight, laughing wildly as it darted, twisted, and finally—finally—sent me flying into the dirt.

I hit the ground hard, but I was still laughing.

“You alright, baby?” Ryan called, already making his way toward me.

“That was awesome,” I grinned, brushing dirt off my jeans as I got to my feet. “Who’s next?”

“Atta girl,” Lloyd chuckled, shaking his head like he’d seen it all before.

“Fuck me, baby,” Teeter whooped, already swinging her lasso as we galloped back into the field, hungry for round two.

The night was young, and so were we—stupid, reckless, and absolutely loving every second of it.

—--

“I cannot believe you did that,” Ryan chuckled as we walked back into the bunkhouse. He handed me a beer before sitting on the edge of his bunk. 

“I’m full of surprises, cowboy,” I smirked as I straddled his hips.

“Watch your head, baby,” he laid back so I wouldn’t wack my head on the top bunk. 

“Wouldn’t have to worry about my head if you’d come back with me,” I nodded toward the house.

Ryan smirked, his hands settling on my hips. “Tempting, but I like it right here.”

I let out a soft hum, running my fingers through his hair. “Guess I’ll just have to convince you.”

“Oh yeah?” His grip tightened, eyes dark with amusement. “And how do you plan on doing that, little troublemaker?”

I leaned down, my lips brushing against his. “You’ll see.”

I rolled my hips slowly grinding into him. He smirked pressing up into me, “I’m not quite convinced.” 

I leaned down trailing kisses along his jaw, “If we were in my bed I could ride you like I want to.” 

Ryan let out a low chuckle, his hands sliding up my back. “That so?”

I nipped at his earlobe before whispering, “Mhm. And you wouldn’t have to worry about keeping quiet either.”

His grip on me tightened, a quiet groan rumbling in his chest. “Damn, baby,” he muttered, shifting beneath me. “You drive a hard bargain.”

I smiled against his skin. “So, are you convinced yet?”

Ryan exhaled sharply, his fingers digging into my hips. “Hell yeah,” he rasped, “Let’s get the hell outta here.”

“Where are you sneaking off to?” Laramie cocked a brow, her lips curling into a knowing smirk.

“Gonna take my chances riding a cowboy,” I shot back, tugging Ryan by the hand.

“Save a horse, right?” She giggled.

“Something like that,” I tossed her a wink over my shoulder. “Don’t wait up.”

Ryan let out a low chuckle, his grip tightening around my fingers as we stepped out of the bunkhouse. The night air was crisp, a sharp contrast to the heat simmering between us. I wasted no time slipping my arms around his neck, pulling him down to me. My lips met his in a kiss that was anything but gentle���hard, hungry, and full of everything I wanted to do to him.

His hands gripped my waist tight, pressing me flush against him as he deepened the kiss, his body firm against mine. By the time I pulled back, I was breathless, my heart hammering.

“You ready?” I murmured, my fingers fisting the fabric of his shirt.

Ryan’s smirk was downright sinful. “Lead the way, baby,” he drawled, then narrowed his eyes playfully. “How drunk are you?”

“Only a little,” I admitted, giggling as I stumbled slightly. “But I’d want to fuck you stone sober.”

His thumb brushed my cheek, his expression softening for just a second. “Good,” he murmured, his voice low and full of promise. 

As soon as we stepped inside, he spun me around, pressing me against the door. His hands roamed my sides, his lips dancing just beneath my ear. “Still sure about this, baby?” he asked, his voice low and teasing.

I tangled my fingers in his shirt, pulling him closer. “More than sure,” I whispered. “Now quit talkin’ and kiss me.”

“So bossy when you’re drunk,” Ryan murmured against my neck, his lips trailing warmth along my skin. His smirk was damn near smug as he hooked an arm beneath my knees and lifted me effortlessly into his arms.

I bit my lip to stifle a giggle, the weightlessness making my head spin. The last thing I wanted was to wake my brothers—or my sister.

Ryan carried me through the quiet house with steady, purposeful strides, shifting me slightly as he reached my bedroom door. He nudged it open with his shoulder, stepping inside before easing me down onto my feet. The door clicked shut behind him, the room swallowed in shadows and the soft glow of the moon spilling through the window.

My fingers found the hem of his shirt, tugging it free from where it was tucked into his jeans. His breath hitched, just a fraction, as I worked the buttons with practiced ease.

“You in a hurry, baby?” he teased, his hands skimming down my sides.

“Just evening the score,” I murmured, my lips brushing his jaw. “You got me all flustered downstairs.”

His low chuckle sent a shiver down my spine. “Oh sweetheart,” he drawled, his hands slipping beneath my shirt, fingertips teasing bare skin, “you haven’t seen flustered yet.”

I pressed my lips to his shoulder, trailing soft kisses across his warm skin as I pushed his shirt down his arms, letting it slip to the floor. The heat of him, the steady rise and fall of his breath, sent a rush of anticipation through me.

Ryan’s fingers worked the buttons of my top, his touch both eager and unhurried. The fabric parted, his hands sliding beneath it, mapping familiar territory.

I grabbed him by the belt, giving a playful tug as I stepped backward toward the bed. His smirk deepened, but he let me lead, his hands settling on my hips as he followed.

“Still bossy,” he murmured, amusement laced in his voice.

I smirked right back, pulling him even closer. “And you love it.”

“You know I do, baby,” his eyes darkened as he watched me undo my belt, pop the button on my jeans and slid them down my thighs. Trying to keep from falling as I toed off my boots. 

Ryan chuckled, his hands settling on my hips to steady me as I kicked off my jeans. His gaze was heavy, lingering on every inch of newly exposed skin.

“You’re impatient tonight,” he teased, his voice low and rough.

I smirked, reaching behind me to unhook my bra, letting it slide from my shoulders. His eyes darkened further, hunger flashing across his face.

“You still have these on,” I grumbled, tugging at the waist of his pants.

He caught my hands, pressing a slow, lingering kiss to my knuckles before letting them go. “Then why don’t you do something about it?”

I pulled at his belt, yanking it free of his jeans before tugging at the button, I lowered his zipper agonizingly slow. My eyes locked on his as I pushed them down his hips. He shook his head and kicked off his boots stepping the rest of the way out of his pants. 

“Much better,” my arms found their way around his neck again, my lips pressed against his as I turned us, then pushed him backward onto the bed. 

Ryan landed on the mattress with a low chuckle, his hands immediately reaching for me as I climbed onto his lap. His fingers traced slow, lazy circles over my bare thighs, but his eyes were anything but lazy—dark, intense, burning with something that sent a shiver down my spine.

“You got me right where you want me, huh?” he murmured, his smirk teasing.

“Damn right I do,” I breathed, rolling my hips just enough to feel the way his breath hitched.

I tilted my head back and closed my eyes as I rolled my hips again, his length gliding over my clit with each movement. I let out a groan as I teased myself with him.

Ryan let out a low curse, his grip on my hips tightening as I kept up the slow, teasing rhythm. His breath was ragged, his restraint hanging by a thread.

"You're killing me, baby," he groaned, his fingers digging in just enough to make me shiver.

I smirked, eyes still closed as I lost myself in the friction, the heat building between us. "I thought you liked a little torture."

He exhaled a sharp breath. "Not when it's me suffering."

I opened my eyes, locking onto his dark, hungry gaze. A smirk tugged at my lips as I leaned forward, my hair falling around us like a curtain.

"Don’t worry, cowboy," I murmured, voice laced with promise. "I know how to make you feel better."

My hand slid between us, fingers wrapping around his throbbing length. I teased the tip with featherlight strokes, feeling him twitch beneath my touch. His breath hitched, his grip tightening on my hips as I lifted myself just enough to position him at my entrance.

Slowly, I sank down, inch by inch, until he filled me completely. A deep moan escaped my lips, my body shuddering at the delicious stretch. His hands flexed against my hips, fingertips pressing into my skin as I settled over him.

“Fuck,” he rasped, his voice thick with need.

I rolled my hips, savoring the friction, the way his breath stuttered beneath me. Every slow, deliberate movement sent a shiver through me, building heat between us. I braced my hands on his chest, nails grazing his skin as I found my rhythm, teasing us both with the steady, intoxicating pace.

My hips rolled, and a shudder ran through me as my walls tightened around him, the pleasure coiling tighter with every movement. His grip on my hips turned bruising, his restraint unraveling as he thrust up into me, deeper, harder—hitting that perfect spot that sent my body spiraling.

A sharp cry left my lips as the tension snapped, waves of pleasure crashing through me. My fingers dug into his chest, my body trembling as I rode out the high, gasping his name like a prayer.

Ryan rolled me onto my back, his body pressing firmly against mine as the aftershocks of my release still rippled through me. His breath was hot against my neck, his movements desperate, hungry—driving into me with a force that stole what little breath I had left.

My nails raked down his back, leaving faint trails along his skin as he pushed me toward the edge again, my body responding instantly to the relentless pace. His rhythm faltered, a strangled groan escaping his lips as he buried himself deep one final time, his release spilling into me.

For a moment, neither of us moved, our bodies tangled, hearts hammering in sync. His breath was ragged against my skin, his grip on me unyielding, as if letting go wasn’t an option.

—--

I was still asleep when Ryan slipped out of my bed. I clung to the warmth of his side of the bed for an hour or so longer before I finally got up.  I showered and looked at my phone as I brushed my teeth.

Hey baby, didn’t want to wake you. You looked so beautiful sleeping there. Had to get to out to the field. Love you.

A soft smile tugged at my lips as I read his message. My heart swelled, warmth spreading through my chest. I ran my thumb over the words before typing a quick response.

Love you too, cowboy.

Setting my phone down, I rinsed my mouth and finished getting ready. The house was quiet, the kind of peaceful stillness that only came in the early morning hours before the day truly started. I padded barefoot to the kitchen, the scent of coffee lingering in the air. Pouring myself a cup, I leaned against the counter, staring out the window toward the fields.

I could just make out Ryan in the distance, working alongside the others, his movements sure and effortless. The sight of him, so at home out there, sent a warmth through me that had nothing to do with the coffee in my hands.

Maybe I’d ride out there later. Or maybe I’d just let him come find me when the work was done. Either way, I knew where I belonged.

“What’s going on with you, Alex?” Jamie’s voice asked from the kitchen island. I was so lost in my own bliss I didn’t even notice him sitting there. 

“Just trying to be happy,” I turned back to look at him, “as long as I can. What are you working on?” I quirked a brow. “Don’t tell me, it’s some deep government secret you can’t tell me about 'cause I won’t understand it, right?” 

Jamie sighed, rubbing his temple as he glanced at the stack of papers in front of him. “It’s not a secret, Alex. Just politics.”

I snorted, taking a sip of my coffee. “Same thing.”

His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but was too weighed down by whatever was on those pages. “It’s a land dispute. A pretty big one.”

I rolled my eyes. “When is it ever not a land dispute?”

Jamie leaned back in his chair, studying me. “You seem different.”

I shrugged, keeping my expression neutral. “Maybe I just don’t want to be miserable like the rest of you.”

His jaw tightened. “That’s not fair.”

“No?” I crossed my arms. “Dad’s been fighting the same war since before we were born. Kayce’s drowning in it, and you—” I motioned to the documents. “You’re knee-deep in the legal version of it. I get it, Jamie. But I don’t want that to be my whole life.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. “I hope you get to keep that happiness, Alex. I really do.”

Something in his voice made me pause. He wasn’t just humoring me—he meant it. And for the first time in a long time, I saw something in Jamie’s eyes that wasn’t ambition or resentment. It was exhaustion. Maybe even regret.

I softened. “You should try it sometime, you know. Being happy.”

His laugh was short, humorless. “I wouldn’t even know where to start.”

I took another sip of my coffee, watching my older brother drown in responsibilities I had no interest in carrying. “Maybe that’s the problem.”

The door swung open hard, slamming shut behind him. I started to say Good morning, but the look on Dad’s face stopped me cold. His jaw was tight, his eyes burning with something more than anger—disgust, maybe. Hatred? Whatever it was, Jamie was in for it.

Jamie, oblivious, looked up from the papers in front of him. “Oh, good. I wanted to talk to you about something. Market Equities made an—”

Dad cut him off with a sharp, bitter laugh. “Of all the promises I’ve made in my life, son…” His voice was dangerously low, edged with something I hadn’t heard in a long time. “If I didn’t love your mother so much, I’d break it. I swear to God, I would.”

Jamie stiffened, eyes darting up in confusion. “Did something happen? I don’t understand.”

I took a cautious step back, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. Whatever my brother had done, it was bad.

Jamie, sensing the growing storm, inched around the kitchen island, using it as a barrier. He was crowding me into the counter now, as if I could somehow shield him from our father’s wrath.

Dad rounded the island, relentless. “What happens in thirty years when you, your brother, and your sisters are too old to fight for this place? When Tate has to fight for it alone?”

Jamie swallowed hard. “What—what are you talking about?”

Dad’s voice grew harsher, his fury barely contained. “Lee wouldn’t marry. Didn’t want kids. I doubt you ever will, either.” He shot Jamie a glare like he was looking at a stranger. Then, his eyes flicked to me. “Now your sister can’t. And she can’t—because of you.”

The world seemed to tilt under my feet.

Jamie went pale, the realization hitting him like a freight train. “Dad, wait.” He shoved past me, putting me between him and our father.

“Quit moving,” Dad barked.

I stood there, stunned. Trying to piece together what he was saying, why Jamie was so scared.

Jamie stumbled over his words, panic setting in. “I didn’t—I didn’t—fuck.” His hands trembled as he scrubbed them down his face. “She came to me. She was scared. I was scared.”

Dad’s rage exploded. “How could you take that from her, Jamie?” His voice shook the room. “Who the fuck did you think you were?”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Kayce’s voice cut in as he entered the room, eyes scanning the scene. “What’s going on?”

Dad didn’t even look at him. “Ask your brother.” Then he turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

I turned to Jamie, my stomach twisting. “Jamie?” My voice came out unsteady, pleading for answers.

Jamie didn’t answer. He turned, eyes wild, and drove his fist straight through the stained glass window of the door.

Kayce lunged for him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “What the hell, man?”

Jamie’s breath came in ragged gasps, his shoulders shaking. And then, like something inside him cracked wide open, he sobbed. Loud, gut-wrenching, broken.

“All I do is give,” Jamie choked out, voice raw. “I hate him. I fucking hate him.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw movement in the doorway.

Beth.

She leaned against the frame, arms crossed, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched our brother unravel.

And suddenly, I understood.

Whatever Jamie had done—whatever Dad was furious about—Beth had been waiting for this moment.

And from the look on her face, the fallout was exactly what she wanted.

I left my brothers behind, shoving past Beth without so much as a glance. I couldn’t deal with this—not now. Not when, for the first time in so long, I had felt like my life was finally falling into place. But the illusion I had built—the fantasy that we could ever be a happy, whole family—was starting to crumble.

Barefoot, I stepped out into the cool grass, my breath hitching as I spotted my father. He stood there, shoulders heavy, head bowed as if the weight of the whole world had finally become too much.

I slowed my steps, watching him stare out over the land, the very thing he’d sacrificed everything for.

“Everything I’ve fought for,” Dad muttered, voice rough, “was for nothing.”

“It’s not for nothing, Dad.” My voice was quiet, but the words carried. I could feel the burden he bore, the weight of the legacy he had tried so hard to secure for us—only to watch it slip through his fingers.

His gaze didn’t waver from the horizon. “You’re so caught up in dreaming, sweetheart,” he said, softer now, almost tired. “And not working on what’s right in front of us.”

I swallowed hard. “Having a bunch of grandkids running around here—that was your dream, Dad.”

His lips pressed into a thin line before he exhaled, nodding. “I know.” He let out a hollow chuckle, shaking his head. “Seeing a part of me live on in you, your brothers, your sister… and in their children. That’s all I ever wanted.” His voice was thick with something I couldn’t quite place—grief, maybe. Defeat. “But I don’t even know if that’s what you want.”

I hesitated, my heart hammering. “That’s because you never asked.” The words slipped out before I could stop them, but I didn’t regret them. “I haven’t had a chance to stop fighting long enough to think about if I want kids. Or if he does.”

Dad finally turned his head, meeting my gaze. Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.

“Don’t wait too long, honey.” His voice was quieter now, resigned. “You only have so much time.”

I stood there, staring at the man who had built an empire only to realize he might not have anyone left to inherit it. And for the first time, I wondered if he was right.

[geothewriter]

Vermillion Seas Cardinal Skies: Chapter 23 - Time for Tea

Aang now has to face his friends after performing the death-defying, incredibly dangerous move of saving one of his biggest enemies. Then he learns a bit more about himself and gains an (old) ally. Meanwhile, Zuko and Katara make final preparations for a trip in a southern direction.

---

Good day readers! It's my Birthday! Which makes posting day even better!

That last chapter had quite possibly the most intense scene I've ever written! Oh Aang, why do you gotta be so good? I wonder if there will be long-term consequences for that act.

Now, most importantly, THANK YOU to achillmango for her incredible patience in beta reading/editing my chapters.

Without further adieu, please enjoy a snippet from Chapter 23 - Time for Tea

With shaking hands, Aang stows his glider in the saddle and takes back his seat on Appa’s head. His fingers clench the reins and he can feel his heart pounding relentlessly in his chest. A cacophonous orchestra of drums readying him for what’s to come. The airships haven’t started firing yet, but the men on board look as though they’re waiting for a signal. Then, he's surprised to see them drop their stances. One even nods toward him. He swallows roughly, nods back, and mutters three quiet words to Appa.  Let’s go, buddy.  It was the right thing to do, he tells himself again. He saved Azula. Him. The boy she killed. He could have died. Again. Doomed the rest of the world to fall to the Fire Nation. All because he can’t let go of the idea that he cannot take a life. And he’s going to have to make that impossible choice, for real, and soon. The comet is coming and it isn’t going to wait for him to debate ethics. He cradles his head in his hands and tries to focus on something else - anything else. Sokka’s voice starts softly, but quickly builds in intensity and volume as he speaks. “Aang, I really don’t like swearing around you, but I think this situation calls for it. Just, WHAT THE FUCK  WAS THAT? WHY DID YOU SAVE AZULA?” Not that. “Language Sokka!” Suki scolds. He shakes his head and with a quiver in his voice replies to the older boy. “Not now, Sokka.” He’s still asking himself the same question. Why did he do it? It’s the right thing to do? He can’t handle standing idle anymore? The answer isn’t clear even to him. “Now’s a pretty good time! What could you possibly have been thinking?!” “Sokka–” His voice breaks and he clenches his eyes shut. The world is full of choices we alone must make. His words are caught, struggling between keeping down tears and screaming in anger. Why is everything so difficult? Did he make the right call? Suki’s stern voice interrupts his thoughts and effectively silences the older boy. “Sokka, let it be.” “No.” He forces his voice to sound brave but keeps his gaze forward. “No. No– You all deserve an explanation.”  Keep flying straight, buddy.  He turns to address the grave expressions of his friends. Katara is holding tightly onto Zuko, Sokka is with Suki, and Toph is clinging to her other side. He’s alone up here. Alone. Momo chitters as he climbs into Aang’s lap. At least he’s not totally alone. Their eyes are all on him, waiting for him to speak. “Okay. So. I uh.” A sigh, and a deep breath. “I realized something.” He turns to Katara and Sokka. “Your dad gave me some advice back during the invasion, and I followed it. He told me that I need to do what I need to do, whatever that is. Even if it means making things harder in the short term. And, he said that the world is full of difficult choices that we alone must make. So–” “Dad said that?” Sokka quietly asks. “When?” “When we were flying on Appa toward the battlements. I told him I didn’t know if I could kill Ozai. Sokka, I don’t want to kill anyone. I know it's messed up, but you didn’t grow up the way I did. My people didn’t–”  A biting edge accompanies Katara’s voice as she speaks, “Aang, you didn’t live through what the Fire Nation’s campaign has done to the rest of the world. Not for the past hundred years. You’ve seen what it does now.” Her voice breaks and he can hear the pain in it. “How could you save Azula? She killed you Aang. YOU WEREN’T BREATHING! I spent weeks making sure you could wake up!” 

Continue Reading on AO3!

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

Just wondering do you have any thoughts or headcanons about Elfwine or any other of Lothiriel and Eomer's children?

Oh, Anonymous, you’ve hit on the one subject — Éomer’s wife and kids — where I flagrantly cast canon aside to suit my own preferences! I really like many fandom versions of Lothíriel, and I happily read several Éothíriel fics. But for myself…

I have always wanted to see Éomer with a Rohirrim. For starters, Tolkien’s habit of marrying Rohan’s royals to Gondorians has always irked me, as though the people of Rohan somehow aren’t good enough for their own royal family.* It probably wouldn’t bother me if Tolkien hadn’t specifically set up Gondor as the “higher,” more elite kingdom. But he did, and I hate it. I also like a Rohirrim wife for Éomer because we need more women Rohirrim characters, which are SO lacking in canon. There are really only 3 with names, 2 of whom are dead!

So I made him a lady Rohirrim wife (Mereliss, “famously kind”) in place of Lothíriel. Which means, getting AT LAST to your actual question (!), since there is no Lothíriel, there is also no Elfwine. I gave Éomer and Mereliss a daughter instead: Sigewyn (“joyful victory”). I haven’t written a ton about her yet, and not at all past the toddler stage. But if you’re curious—

It took quite a while for the stars to align and Éomer and Mereliss to have a baby. That’s why they named her what they did, in light of that struggle. She was a good baby and an EXTREMELY active toddler who kept her parents constantly on their toes. One of her favorite things to do was to play Horse, where Éomer crawled around on all fours with Sigewyn riding on his back and holding onto his hair like reins. She inherited her grandfather Elfhelm’s gregarious personality (Mereliss is Elfhelm’s daughter) but she would also grow up to be quick witted like her mom and incredibly loyal like her dad. And she would be the first woman to inherit the crown and rule as queen in her own right, since Éomer (under the good influence of Aunt Éowyn) changed the laws of succession so that the line always goes through the oldest child.

I hope that wasn’t a disappointing answer since I’ve got no Elfwine for you! But thanks for asking and please feel free to drop in with your own Elfwine thoughts if you’d like!!

*I know sometimes royal marriages are just matters of political alliance, but I don’t see that here. There was no political motive for Thengel or Éowyn to marry in Gondor, and you won’t convince me that Éomer had to marry Lothíriel in order to maintain good relations with his buddy Aragorn!

[starwarsmum]

Day 3 of Meet-cutes 14 Days of Valentines 😂😘

@maribatserver

“Can you just go straight to the bar and make sure she's okay?” Dick said nervously. “You know what Gotham is like, I don't want her getting into trouble.”

“Yeah yeah, alright already,” Jason grumbled, annoyed that their guys night was being co-opted by some French chick. It wasn't that he liked hanging with his brothers, but Tim had promised to foot the bill and he was planning on taking advantage of that.

But he entered the club and glanced around, trying to find the ‘adorable girl with dark hair and a sweet smile’. Sometimes he wanted to smack Dick for never being able to just give decent descriptions of people. Fortunately, he heard a stream of French curses in a feminine voice so he made a beeline for it.

“...just waiting for someone, so please, just leave me alone,” the woman was saying. Jason wasn't sure if this was the girl Dick had sent him to check on because ‘cute’ was not the word he would've used. With a short red and black dress, a leather jacket slung over the top and black combat boots, sexy was most definitely the word that sprang to mind.

“Hey babe, sorry I'm late,” Jason said, forcing his way in-between the two. Which was easier said than done because a, he was a pretty broad guy and b, the creep was leaning way too close to the woman. “My brother was being such a Dick.”

“De rien, mon amour,” she said, immediately relaxing at his coded reference to Dick. She slid her arm firmly around his waist and leaned up to peck him on the cheek. The guy behind him made an indignant noise and he turned to scowl at him.

���You got a problem, buddy?” He asked menacingly, throwing an arm over the woman's shoulders as he glared down at him.

“You could've just said you had a boyfriend instead of wasting my time, bitch,” he said, pouting at her and ignoring Jason. 

“Maybe if you had just left her alone, like she asked, you wouldn't have ‘wasted your time’,” Jason growled, getting ready to brawl. But she placed a hand on his arm to rein him in and - god knows why - he acquiesced.

“Enjoy your evening, monsieur,” she said, a strained smile on her red painted lips. Jason relaxed slightly when the guy huffed and walked away, only to tense again when she pulled her arm back from around his waist. “Thanks for that, he just was not listening to me.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he replied easily, letting his own arm fall away. “Sorry for getting in your space like that, I figured he needed a show.”

“No need to apologise,” she said, smiling more naturally up at him. His heart jumped in his chest because he was right, she wasn't cute, she was absolutely gorgeous. She turned and flagged down the bartender. “But I'm pretty sure I owe you a drink for the save. What'll it be?”

“Oh, you don't have to-” he started, cutting off at her look of ‘just order a damned drink’. “Uh, vodka and coke.”

She beamed again and ordered it for him, and another drink for herself. As soon as they had the drinks, she took hold of his arm and pulled him across the dancefloor to a table in a quiet corner. His eyebrows shot up when she pushed him onto a stool before hopping onto the one next to it and turning back to him.

“So, which brother are you? I think I know which one, but I'd rather hear about you from you,” she said, propping her chin on her fist and leaning towards him. The music was loud and her voice was low enough that he had to lean closer to hear her clearly. 

“I'm Jason,” he said, trying hard not to look down at her cleavage that he could see in his peripherals. He propped his arm on the table as well, keeping his hand in her line of sight and away from her drink. He wasn't trying to make her nervous, or think that he was up to something. “But I'm afraid Dick didn't give me your name, beautiful.”

“Well isn't that a shame,” she said coyly, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. In the flashing lights of the club, she looked more fairy-like than human and he had to take a sip from his drink to save his dry mouth. “Maybe you should try to guess it.”

“Maybe I'll just give you a new name,” he countered. She grinned delightedly, shifting in her seat and changing the way her legs were crossed. The movement brought her foot closer and he was fairly sure she deliberately pressed it against his own leg. But there was no way he could be lucky enough that this little pixie was flirting with him. 

“Well now I'm definitely keeping it to myself,” she said with a giggle, leaning back to take a sip from her drink. He tried not to stare at the way her lips puckered around the tiny straw that came with it but it was difficult. “So, tell me about yourself. Other than being a rescuer of damsels who are about to commit homicide, I mean.”

Jason laughed, draining his drink and standing up. Her eyebrows pinched slightly, probably confused, and he held a hand out to her. “How about we save the conversation for when we can hear ourselves think? Wanna dance?”

He was rewarded by another grin as she knocked her own drink back before jumping down to join him.

_ _ _

“How is this taking so long?” Dick said, agitated. Tim scowled at him and he shot an apologetic grimace. “Sorry, I'm just worried. Wally asked that we make sure she doesn't get into too much trouble and I can't do that if I'm not there.”

“Didn't you send Jason ahead of us?” Tim asked pointedly. He barked out a laugh when Dick nodded. “It's a bit late to be worried about trouble then. But he won't let her get hurt if that's what you're worried about.”

“She's just so cute when I look at the pictures Wally sent!” He said with a pout. He turned his phone around for Tim to look at and felt vindicated when Tim hummed thoughtfully. “And in Gotham, being cute is a recipe for disaster. I'm just glad Jason only likes trouble, otherwise I'd have a whole host of other problems. I cannot outrun a speedster and if he thinks I set the two up, there'll be nowhere I can hide fast enough.”

“I'd have been more worried that she's definitely adoption bait,” Tim laughed, before whooping and closing his laptop victoriously. “Got it! Okay, let's get in there.”

Dick was relieved to finally cross the threshold to the club, eyes moving directly to the bar. He frowned when he didn't catch sight of Jason's hulking form, and he didn't immediately pick out the tiny form of Marinette either. That might have been because she was too small to see past the wall of people, so he started scanning the rest of the room for Jason, starting on the outer edges.

“Yo, found him,” Tim shouted, pointing over to the dance floor. There was an exasperated tone to his voice and Dick saw why immediately. He had clearly ditched Marinette to pick up a girl that looked like just as much trouble as he did. They were dancing closely, his hands on her hips as she writhed and wriggled to the beat. 

Unable to contain his annoyance, Dick strode over to the pair and thumped Jason on the shoulder. His younger brother sighed in annoyance and said, without turning around, “No, you can't cut in.”

“Jay, would you stop screwing around,” Dick said loudly, glaring up at him when he spun around guiltily. Good, at least he knew he was in trouble for ditching Marinette. “Dude, I asked you to look out for Marinette, not find-”

“Dick! You made it,” the woman in the criminally short dress said brightly. He did a double take and his jaw dropped open as he realised that Jason hadn't ditched her. “We were beginning to think this was a set up. You're so past fashionably late.”

“Marinette?” 

“Um, yeah?” She cocked her head, lips pursing in confusion. “Did you hit your head or something? Is that why you're so late?”

“You just look- different,” he said, wondering when it would be too soon to start running from Wally. Marinette looked even more confused for a second.

“Dick, I was hardly going to wear my volunteer clothes on a night out,” she said, glancing back up at Jason and rolling her eyes. “Is he always this dim, or do we actually need to call an ambulance or something?”

“Nah, he's always like that, Pix,” Jason said, looking down at her with a look Dick could only describe as lovestruck. “You volunteer? I thought you said you designed clothes for a living?”

“Guess I'm just full of mysteries,” she said impishly. Dick made a distressed noise and Tim took pity on him.

“Jason, shall we go get started on those drinks I promised you,” he said, taking hold of Jason's arm and pulling him away. The pair were out of sight after a moment and Dick turned back to Marinette.

“You know I'm an adult, right?” She said with a sigh. “And that you were over forty minutes late? You can't send a cute guy to keep me company and expect us not to hit it off.”

Dick mentally started crafting an apology to Wally for everything.

Part 2

[keep-the-wolves-close]

Steady Heart

Chapter 37: O Death

* Pairing: Slow-burn Kayce Dutton x OFC Stella Daniels

* Rating: M

* Warnings: language, dread, violence, kidnapping

* Word count: 1,881ish

I would love to give credits to @dameronscopilot and @deanscroissant for being sounding boards for me during this whole process, giving outsider insight, being cheerleaders, and allowing me to screech at them about things that have happened during the writing process. I seriously couldn't have gotten this far without y'all.

Author's note: I hope everyone is enjoying so far! I hope you love this chapter as well! Please don’t come for me with pitchforks and torches! 😅

Feel free to scream at me in my ask box. I have a feeling we’re all going to need to.

Stella had gone out to the barn to grab Abigail to go for a night ride. The bay roan was antsy. The mare could tell Stella was anxious. Stella hadn’t really had much of a chance to take her out properly as of late, so that didn’t help.

Kayce said he loved her. That still floored her. She wasn’t sure if she was overreacting or not. Her mind tried to downplay what had happened. The last time she got ahead of herself, she ended up getting humbled really quick. She definitely didn’t want to do that this time.

Stella had a hard time comprehending why Kayce would be interested in her at all. If that’s what was truly happening here. She would have to suck it up sooner or later and find out. Then again, Kayce had bigger things going on. He was getting everything settled and finalized with his soon to be ex-wife. He had a living situation, and the time with his son to figure out. There’s no way he would have even been thinking about her during all of that.

Stella quietly led Abigail to the outside. On their way out of the barn, she spotted a solitary crow sitting on a fence nearby. Her face scrunched. A single crow? At night time? ‘What was that rhyme about crows? One for sorrow? Two for mirth? Somethin’ somethin’ blah blah.’ She felt her chest tighten at the thought of what that could mean. She’d seen one too many single crows lately. ‘You gotta stop freakin’ yourself out, girl.’ Stella heard noise ahead of her and saw Tate over at the round pen. He was alone, with what looked to be an armful of hay. She led Abigail over to the youngin’ and his horse.

“Tate, what’re you doin’ out here all by yourself?” She thought it was strange that he was allowed to come out by himself at night. Yes, the ranch was safe for all intents and purposes, but there was no way to effectively say it was safe at all times. It was late and most of the guys in the bunkhouse were out taking care of Jimmy’s problem. Stella ran a count in her head of who was still home. Jamie, Colby, Ethan, and Jake were the only ones in there. They were probably already looking at the backs of their eyelids.

The little boy latched the gate behind him, and faced her. “Grandpa said I had to feed my horse before I got dessert because it’s not fair that I’m treating myself and he’s down here hungry.”

Stella smiled. “Well he’s right, buddy. We can’t just forget about our pets,” she gently patted Abigail’s shoulder. “Do you want a ride back to the house? I’ll let you ride while I walk her.”

Tate’s eyes lit up. “Yeah!”

“Alright, bud. Come stand over here.” Stella knelt down and cupped her hands so Tate could step into them in order to give him a hike into the saddle. When he was seated safely, she handed him one of Abigail’s reins and held the other to walk her along. “So back to what your grandpa was saying.”

Tate sighed. He hadn’t been expecting a lecture from Stella.

“They depend on us. If we don’t come to help them out, they can’t just go get the hay or the feed for themselves.” Stella looked up at the boy. “They don’t have thumbs.” She wiggled her thumbs at him, successfully making him giggle.

“Yeah, you’re right, Aunt Stell. I gotta start thinking about him too.”

Stella nodded, “now you’re thinkin’ like a cowboy.” The fast crunch and skid of tires on the gravel of the hill could be heard not far behind them.

“Who’s that?” Tate questioned.

Stella’s face pulled into a frown and stopped Abigail’s motion and quickly walked around front of her. She wasn’t familiar with the van. Her stomach dropped thinking back to a few weeks ago with those men that were following her. How she said to Kayce a few nights back, “how can you be sure? There’s so many places people can sneak onto the property and we all would be none the wiser.” A couple men spilled out of the van and started to close the gap between them rapidly.

“Tate, get down now!” She clambered to catch the boy so he didn’t hit the ground too hard. She grabbed his shoulders to hold his attention. Quickly, she explained to him, “no matter what happens next, no matter what you hear, I need you to run. And if you can’t make it to the house, I need you to hide in the best hide and seek spot you can think of that’s out of sight and don’t come out until you hear someone you know! Do you understand me?”

He shook his head quickly.

“Take Abigail, use her as cover to run until you aren’t seen anymore. She’ll find someone when she runs off. Go!”

“But Aunt Stel —,” Tate started to object, but Stella cut him off.

“— I said go!! Run!” Stella yelled at him. She hated to scare him, but something was awfully wrong about the situation.

She knew Abigail would make her way back to the barn or in front of the bunkhouse. Stella needed her to be a distraction to keep Tate safe. She stalked off to the round pen. Cursing herself that she only had her hunting knife on her.

“Can I help y’all?” Stella called out to them, shocked at herself for sounding almost like Rip.

“Yeah we’re looking to get a message to John Dutton.” The lead man expressed.

“You are, huh?” She slid the knife out of its belt holster, that belonged to her and Ryan’s dad, in a fluid motion. To the men she approached it looked like she fixed her jacket. “Y’all tell me and you can leave. I’ll relay the message.” She tried to keep her eyes on the men and make sure she could see where Abigail was headed in her peripheral vision. If she couldn’t see Abigail anymore that meant Tate was one step closer to safety.

“Nah we can’t do that. We were sent with a specific purpose. You weren’t it.” The lead man confessed. Stella’s heart sank at the implication about Kayce’s son. “Now where’s the boy, Stella?”

Her hands started to go clammy. Her breathing was shallow. “How do you know my name?”

“We know a lot of things about you. About everyone here.”

The second man started to search around. Stella couldn’t see Abigail any longer. She closed her eyes for a split second and breathed hard. She prayed with every last bit of her soul that Tate was on his way to his grandpa.

“That’s nice, but you need to leave. You’re not getting anything.”

“We came for the boy, and we will not let anyone, let alone some girl, stop us.” The lead man yelled to his partner, “Cut out farther until you find him. I’ll take care of her.”

Stella turned abruptly, starting to make a mad dash for the bunkhouse. Her burning legs wanted to give out, but she pushed them to go faster. She could hear the lead man behind her as he gained length on her. He was almost on top of her and she panicked. She grabbed a piece of rebar sticking out of the sand by the round pen and swung it at the face of the lead man, hard. Stella swung as if she was trying for a home run.

The man’s jaw snapped shut and reopened as he let out a deafening scream. He grabbed the bar tight and yanked her toward him. “You filthy bitch!” The man’s words came out garbled. He gripped up Stella’s hair and pulled as hard as he could.

Stella stabbed at the man with her knife, but in her panic she didn’t have a good hold. She punctured his leg and he howled in pain. It didn’t have the desired effect Stella had wanted. She jabbed wildly and got him in his side twice before the lead man was able to slip it out of her hands.

Tate must have seen her struggle because he screamed her name loud and clear from not far off, “Aunt Stella!!”

“Fuck!” She wrestled with the man to get her balance back and his hand out of her hair. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tate as he ran over to her. “Tate, I said run to the house!” Stella screamed at him.

Tate continued to dart toward her, he wanted to get the men away from Stella. He was snatched up by the second man she’d lost sight of.

“Stella!!” His tiny voice hollered. Tate struggled against the second man’s grasp.

Stella broke loose from the lead man and started to scramble for the second, but was grabbed from behind. “Fuck you piece of shit! Let us go!”

A fist hammered down onto her head from the man that had her, knocking her glasses off her face. She groaned as her vision blurred. She tried to get her foot behind or under the man’s leg, to sweep his foot out but he stayed on top of it. His arms were wrapped around the top of hers as she struggled to gain some high ground. She didn’t want to do this, but she didn’t have any other option but to ram her head backwards into his nose as hard as she could. She hoped she would break it.

Stella and the lead man both cried out, and he loosened his grip. Her head started to thump wildly. Quickly slipping her right arm out of the weak hold he had on it, Stella wrapped it around the lead man’s neck and tried to flip him like she would a calf. They both hit the ground and groaned. Stella was winded and half woozy, but scrambled her way to standing.

She ran forward trying to make it closer to the bunkhouse. A silent prayer was said. Stella let out a scream she hoped would be heard by the entire ranch. “Colby! Anyone help!!” She would have gotten away if the other man hadn’t been enraged and made his way back for her after getting Tate in the van.

“Fuck!” She squeaked out. He gripped her up by the neck making her lose air and landed a solid fist to her face that dazed her. Her posture drooped and the man behind her let her fall to the ground.

She tried to claw her way back to standing to run toward the van. Both men kicked her sides, her head, her arms; anything they could get at to make sure she stayed down. The bunkhouse was too far away to have heard their screams clearly. She couldn’t breathe from the wind being knocked out of her and her vision was starting to go. No one was coming this time. With one final attempt to crawl back to her feet to get to the van, the lead man landed a knockout blow to her chin with his foot and Stella stopped moving all together. That solitary crow cawed and fluttering wings was the last thing Stella heard.

[josefavomjaaga]

"All those promises have gone up in smoke..."

As mentioned several times already, when Eugène in June 1805 received that glorious post of Dork on Duty Viceroy of Italy, he did so quite unexpectedly. And while Hortense casually mentions that Eugène being elevated to such honours had caused quite some "humeur" in the family, in particular from Murat, the freshly chosen viceroy himself was equally exasperated at being thus abandoned to the hostile Lombardian wilderness left alone in Milan.

He actually had received Napoleon's promise for two trips to Paris every year. We know what became of it, the first time Eugène would return to France was in late 1809, to see his mother leave the Tuileries. If he already suspected as much or not, in any case he also, before the French court said Arrividerci and returned home, demanded from everybody who would listen that they absolutely needed to write to him!

At least that is what can be guessed from a passage in a letter to his sister Hortense, dated Monza, 9 August 1805. (There is a -minor?- caveat to this letter: it's not an original, but apparently a copy, from a notebook in Hortense's possession. The original seems to be lost. A caveat because I have already seen in other places that whoever put together these copies, and for whatever purpose - yes, I am looking at you, Madame la Reine! - in some cases has taken quite some liberties with the original text.)

[...] Would you believe, my sister, that since I took leave of Mama she has not written to me or even sent me any news of her? You wouldn't believe the pain it's causing me. She cried so much when she left me, she told me so many times that she would lose her only support […]

… and then someone showed her the latest fashion catalogue on the way back to Paris and everything else was forgotten. Come on, Eugène, you should know your mum by now.

But it's not only her.

[...] Madame de la Rochefoucauld had promised to write to me. Bessières was supposed to write me a line every morning; I have only received one letter from him so far. Clarke never sent me a word. In the end, all those promises went up in smoke. My good Hortense, Lavalette and my friend Duroc are the only ones who have not forgotten me. [...]

His righteous indignation at such treatment clearly audible, echoing through two centuries. And it is indeed a bit astonishing to see Eugène, who had been generally well-liked, even admired during the Consulate, so quickly abandonned to himself. Maybe it's just how royal courts work, or at least how Napoleon's court worked: if you are not there, under the eyes of the Master, you're unimportant.

Or maybe Eugène, 24, out of his depth with his new task, overwhelmed with work he was not used to and did not cherish much, desperate at having to displease somebody whatever he did, exaggerated. A little. His desperate pleas would seize rather quickly a year later, after his marriage.

But there's still some time to go until then. And before it happened, best buddy Bessières who had promised to write every morning and now could not be bothered, surely would hear an earful!

Milan, 24 July 1805 [...] It is very wrong of you, my friend, to write to me so little, to forget me like this, and to not answer my letters at last. Every officer or courier returning from the great army has been questioned about your health and each one tells me: Marshal Bessières sends you his compliments, he will write to you with the first courier. And they all arrive with the same message. You have no more good reasons to give now that you are in Paris, so I commend myself to your friendship. Your faithful friend Eugène N

Your faithful and rather pissed-off friend, I might add. [Emphasis in the original text, btw, underlined] Eugène doubles down on it the next day:

Please be convinced, my dear Bessières, that the only soothing tonic I can have is news from you; I am flattered that I will already have a few letters on the way, which I will soon receive, and this idea sustains me.

However, it takes until 19 August until Eugène finally can tell Bessières:

At last I have received a letter from you, my dear Bessières. I confess I was beginning to think you had forgotten me. If you had promised me less, you might have kept more. I will write you a note every day, you told me; and I had only asked you for one a week, and that one, without fulfilling my friendship, would have satisfied it.

Bessie for once being a true Gascon, talking big and promising much, apparently.

Don't tire, my friend, of writing to me and thinking of me; I need to know that the people I love have not forgotten me. My lot is a fine one, no doubt, but it cannot stop me from regretting, and regretting very sincerely, my former life.

As we do not have Bessières' letters, there's no way of knowing what excuse Bessières gave for not writing as he had promised. Maybe the friendship always had been a one-sided thing and much stronger from Eugène's side, and Bessières was secretely relieved to be rid of this overly excitable oversized toddler he had been babysitting for so long? Though, admittedly, that would make me sad.

[dawnthefox24]

Cole: *is watching the other recruits bond and spend time with each other as he stands on the sideline arms crossed a bit, soon feeling hard lump in his chest as he tips his hat down slightly trying to calm himself down feeling darkness creeping all around him*

Rein: CASSIDY MY FRIEND WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR!?*laughs a bit noticing him*

Cole:*tenses up a bit and smiled softly at rein masking his true emotions* Nothing much Rein just happy that everyone is bonding that's all.

Rein:* walks over to him and places a hand on his back guiding him towards the group * Than join us my friend, The holiday will be boring without you

Cole:*fallows Rein even though he doesn't really want too a * look Rein I'm flattered really but I think its best I stand on the sideline...

Rein: WHAT DON'T BE RIDICULOUS COME ON HAVE FUN!!!*he laughed*

Cole: Yeah...okay but just for a few moments than I'm heading off....*he explained to him calmly*

Rein: Aww don't be like that Cole come spend time with everyone okay

Cole: Yeah okay sure....*leans against the wall in the kitchen when Sojourn and Baptiste approached him*

Sojourn:*holding a cup of hot cocoa * Hey cowboy, how you feeling?

Baptiste: Feeling alright? Cole: *smiles softly at the both of them* Peachy a bit tired but over all fine

Sojourn: *smiles softly as she sips her hot cocoa* That's good you know that Hana girl...D.va I believe she's a bit like you, you know

Cole:*smiles softly chuckling* Yeah I know, I basically told her she reminded me of myself and her response was something I would say had to remind her

Baptiste:*smile softly listening not before snapping snapping fingers* Oh I forgot the real reason why I came over to you, Hana wants to speak too you for what reason I have no clue

Cole:*raised a brow at that and nodded* Alright do you know where she is?

Sojourn:*points to where Lena, Hana, Genji and Fareeha are playing a cooking game with each other* Over there and I'm not sure why but I think they need you to be the peace mediator

Baptiste: I think Hana is about to murder Lena... Cole:*rolled his eyes and nodded* Alright will do, talk to you soon Vivian, Jean.

Sojourn: Talk to you soon Cole and happy new years

Baptiste: Happy new years Cole Cole:*smiles softly and tips his hat* You two as well...

Cole:*walks over to where Lena was and her, Genji,Hana,and Fareeha are playing a their cooking game*

Lena:*Grins happily* YES!!! I WIN AGAIN!!

D.va: NO FAIR! I WANT A REMATCH!!

Fareeha: Come on Hana, my hands are getting tired, besides you always keep bumping into me when we're suppose to be working together

D.va: That's because you suck at cooking!!!

Cole: Is this the reason why I was called over? *he said breaking the tension*

D.va:*waves Fareeha off* Yes and you may go bird girl...

Fareeha:*Is ready to throw the controller at her head only too be stopped by Genji*

Genji: It's okay Fareeha, it's just a game you also act like this when playing every type of sports!

Cole:*snatches the controller from Fareeha* Fareeha, look tell you what I think you gotta help Angela out in the kitchen since I think she needs help baking some cookies

Fareeha:*looks away with her face slightly a bit pink before clearing her throat*Alright fine and Cole please win this stupid cooking game for Hana cause I swear she was complaining that you could do it better than me

Cole:*chuckles* Maybe

Fareeha: But you can't beat me in sports though

Cole:*rolls his eyes * Just help Angela out

Fareeha:*gets up and leave before slapping in the back of the head*

Cole:*winces and rubs the back of his head* STILL CHILD I SEE!!

Fareeha:*laughs and leaves*

D.va:*hands cole the control* here take it so I can finally beat Lena at this stupid game!!

Lena: Come on Hana, you can't beat me and honestly I think Genji is getting a bit...wait where did he go?*turns to find her gaming buddy disappeared*

Genji:*come's back with Hanzo basically dragging him over* Here Anjia, play with them.....

Hanzo:*rolls his eyes* I don't want to play any childish games mainly a Christmas cooking game

D.va: Looks like someone is scared of losing*teases*

Hanzo: You lost too Lena at least 13 times already....

D.va:...SHUT YOU'RE MOU-*get her mouth covered by Cole*

Cole: Please play one game with us Hanzo, trust me this will be the last game

Hanzo:* takes the controller and sighs softly* Alright than one game

D.va: Come on Cole let's not lose too them!! Cole: *chuckles softly holding the controller in hand* Alright I'll fallow you're lead okay

D.va: *is very serious with him* you better

*Soon Cole,Hana,Hanzo and Lena played together and finally Hana wins for once*

D.va: YES!!!! IN YOU'RE FACE LENA!!! I'M THE BEST GAMER EVER!!!

Lena:*rolls her eyes but waves her hands tiredly since they were sore* Good game and my hands need a massage..... Hanzo:*smiles softly* Second place isn't that bad Cole:*smiles* Good job Hana and great job too you as well Hanzo, didn't think you can keep up with me~ Hanzo:*rolls his eyes but smiles* You just got lucky is all ~

Cole:* chuckles softly* Ain't luck but none the less it was a cheap shot that to made my character trip

Hanzo:*rolls his eyes and set the controller down* What ever you say Cole now come along, I wish not too stay here in case Hana wants another game Cole: Alright than and Hana it's okay too lose you know D.va:*looks at him with a sour face* Losing are for noobs Cole: Whatever you say Hana, but come along and set the controller down were about too have cookies okay D.va: OKay but I'm going to do one solo game okay Cole: Alright just don't stay too long Angela: *yelling from the kitchen*The cookies are ready!! Cole:*gets up and has his hand out towards Hanzo* Shall we? Hanzo:*rolls his eyes as he get's pulled up* Insufferable as ever and I'm happy that you stopped mopping Cole:*seems a bit stunned* H-How did you- Hanzo: *looked away clearly flustered* I got Reinhardt to get you, I enjoy you're company you know since Hana would stop complaining about how Fareeha sucks and she wanted you instead... Cole:*smiles softly * I see well than at least he got me out no? Hanzo:*smiles softly* Indeed cowboy, now come on I want a cookie for Rein eats them all also Happy new years Cole: *smiles lovingly at him* You read my mind pumpkin and happy new years~

[starlitangels]

(Like The) Fairy Tale Movies

L i s t e n. Yesterday’s video got me soft and Davey had to tell his kids about how it happened in canon. 2.1k words

—

“Angel—no, Natalie, get down—angel can this please be the last time you leave me alone with the kids?” David asked over the phone. I laughed, watching my screen as he had to move and snatch our daughter.

“I’ll be home tomorrow. I thought you said you could handle them both for a four-day business trip.”

“I can. But Asher decided to bring Evelyn over for a playdate—and Asher decided to also bring a Halloween-sized bag of candy.” The video jerked. “Gabriel, stop pulling your sister’s hair.”

“Davey, you know sugar highs aren’t actually a thing, right? Like, placebo effect maybe but the kids don’t even know what the concept is.”

“I’m well aware. But that doesn’t mean the kids don’t get overexcited when we get unexpected friendly visitors bearing candy, and you’re not here to help me rein them in,” David grumbled.

“Uncle Aaaaash!” Natalie shouted somewhere in the background.

The video call lurched again—I was gonna have to look away soon or risk getting motion sick. “Natalie Jean Shaw. You do not try to jump off the counter!” David snapped. My daughter’s maniacal giggle was all that she gave him in response. I heard him sigh heavily.

“Whaaat?” Asher’s voice asked off-screen. “C’mon buddy. Sometimes, ya gotta let her learn the hard way! She jumps off and takes a tumble and she learns not to jump off the counter anymore! Problem solved!”

Natalie giggled again. I caught a glimpse of her pigtail braids on the screen.

“I do not need her breaking her arm and the three-hour lecture from Marie about being a more careful father when she has to come heal it.”

“Just call Sam, then,” Asher said with a laugh. “He’s got Micah. He knows how these girls are.”

David pinched the bridge of his nose on my screen. “We are not having this discussion, Asher.” He turned to look at me. “Can I call you back in an hour, angel?”

“Of course. I’m just at the hotel for the rest of the night.”

He gave me a soft look. The one he reserved for only me. “Thank you.”

“I love you, Davey.”

“I love you too. So much.”

I blew him a kiss. He smiled and pretended to catch it before disconnecting the video call.

—

David flopped down width-wise across the bed. After Asher and Evelyn left and David finally got his nightmares ready to go to bed, he’d called his angel, finished their conversation, chatted a little more, and then they had to get some sleep—being several timezones ahead.

He was tired in a way that he hadn’t been since Natalie was an infant. He loved his spouse and was proud of the work that they loved so much, but he missed them terribly when they weren’t home. He enjoyed having some one-on-two time with the kids—but it could get exhausting fast. Natalie was so curious and always had questions. Gabriel was easier but damn he could get rowdy when he wanted to. Especially when Evelyn was around. Those two were a Dynamic Duo if he ever saw one.

He knew he needed to get up and shower before getting in bed, but his muscles kept saying, “One more minute,” whenever he tried to get them to respond.

Finally, he grumbled and got to his feet. His shower was quick and thorough, as usual. He threw on his pajamas and plopped back onto the bed. Considering a short nap before going back downstairs to finish the paperwork he’d been falling behind on.

He felt his eyes fluttering closed.

“Daddy?” a small voice asked from the door.

David took a deep breath and sat up.

Natalie was standing there in her smiley-face-star-patterned purple pajamas. Her comfort blanket was in one hand, the small wolf plushie she’d dubbed “Sheldon” in the other. The hand with the blanket was up under her eyes.

“What is it, baby girl?” he asked gently, holding his arms out.

She toddled into the room, stumbling on the hem of her blanket every couple steps. When she got to the tall king-sized bed, David bent down and hoisted her up into his lap.

She sniffled. There were tears in her eyes. “I... I miss them,” she said quietly.

David sighed, a melancholy smile appearing on his face. “I know, Natty. I do too.” He wiped her eyes with the opposite corner of her blanket.

A floorboard creaked, muffled slightly by being under the upstairs carpet.

“I know you’re there, Gabriel. You can come in,” David said.

Gabriel ran in, jumping as high as he could to try and get up onto the bed. He was tall for his age but still too short to make it, and bounced off the corner like a rubber band. David put Natty on one leg so he could bend and scoop up his son, putting him on the mattress next to him. “You missing them too?”

Gabriel nodded, eyes wide and staring up at him. David never quite got over looking down into his own exact eye color at his son, or his mate’s when looking at his daughter. He wondered if he ever would. Probably not.

David pulled Gabriel in close to his side, keeping Natty secure with his other arm. “It’s okay, Gabriel. I miss them too.”

Both of his kids clung to him, small fists balling in his pajama shirt.

David scooped them both up, one in each arm, and scooted across the bed until he could get under the covers with both of them. They each rested their heads on his shoulders.

“Daddy?” Natalie asked.

“Yeah, baby girl?” He gave her damp braid a gentle tug, acknowledging he was listening.

“How did you know you wanted them as your mate?” Her voice was small.

David smiled, a soft chuckle rising, unbidden, from his throat at the memories. “Because they acted a lot like you do, and you know how much I love you.”

“But I wasn’t born yet,” she protested.

“Nope. Not by a long time. But they were bright and happy and sweet and playful—and they liked teasing me. No one had teased me in a long time because I was the alpha and my friends thought they couldn’t anymore. My mate didn’t know anything about magic or wolves when we met.”

Gabriel nodded. “Like how we can’t mention it to our cousins on their side of the family.”

“That’s right, buddy,” David agreed. “But when I met them, I knew I was going to like them. Then, the more time we spent together, the more we fell in love.”

Natty giggled. “‘Are you hungry’?” she asked, trying to drop her voice in a low imitation of his. But it sounded more like how his angel imitated his voice than his actual voice.

David heaved a heavy sigh. “Of course they told you about that,” he muttered under his breath. “Yes, that’s what I asked after I told them I loved them for the first time.” Gabriel giggled too. “I didn’t know what else to say. I’d never told anyone I was in love with them before.”

“Were you scared?”

“A little.”

“Awww! Daddy, why? Didn’t you know they loved you too?”

“I hoped so. But... sometimes it feels complicated when it comes to love.”

Natalie shook her head. “No it doesn’t. If you love somebody, you say it!”

You’ll understand what I’m talking about when you’re older, David thought, but didn’t say out loud.

Natalie squirmed out from under his arm and climbed up onto his torso. Even resting her head on his chest, she was so small that her toes didn’t even reach his knees yet. She put her chin on his sternum and looked up at him with wide eyes. “Did you ask them to marry you or did they ask you?”

David chuckled. “I asked them, sweet pea. We’d been together for... nearly four years.”

Natty wiggled on top of him. “How did you ask? Was it like the fairy tale movies?”

“It felt like it, but it wasn’t as... fancy,” David replied. “You remember the big party we have with the whole pack in December for the MoonBound solstice?”

Natty nodded fervently. “Uh-huh. I love the party!”

David reached up with his now-free arm and set a hand on her back to hold her in place before she slipped off his torso and landed on her brother. He nodded slower. “Well, it was after the party. The rest of the pack had gone home. It was just me and my mate in the house—the one we owned before this one. We were just having a quiet rest of the night before the strength of my magic started to fade again after the pack run. We were just... sitting on the couch... relaxing.”

Natty scrunched her whole face up, not having mastered just scrunching her eyebrows yet. “And you just... asked? You didn’t get down on one knee?”

David smiled and laughed softly. “Let me finish, baby girl,” he said. “I did get down on one knee. I said some mushy things about how much I loved them and wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, then I got down on one knee and asked if they’d marry me.”

Natalie gasped. “Did they say yes?!”

Gabriel scoffed. “Of course they did, stupid,” he snapped. “They wouldn’t be married now if they didn’t!”

“Gabriel, we don’t call people stupid,” David chided.

“But... Uncle Ash calls Uncle Milo stupid,” Gabriel pointed out.

“Uncle Asher needs to learn how to talk nicely to other people,” David said firmly.

“Are you going to wash his mouth out with soap?” Natalie asked.

David couldn’t stop the snort that made both his kids jump. “No, Natty. His mate might, but that’s their job, not mine.”

“Oh, okay.” She moved her head so her chin was no longer on his sternum but instead rested her ear to it. 

The three Shaws were quiet for a few minutes. Gabriel seemed to have fallen asleep.

“Daddy?” Natty asked again, quietly.

“Yeah, baby girl?”

“I’m glad you got married.”

He smiled. “Me too.” He smoothed some of her messy flyaway hairs off of her face.

“You could have been more fancy when you asked though. Like the fairy tale movies.”

“I could have. But keeping it simple felt right for us.”

Natty yawned. “Okay,” she said.

David chuckled lightly. “Get some sleep, baby girl.”

She yawned wider. “Okay.”

Within seconds, she was breathing deep on his chest. Sound asleep.

David’s small smile grew. “I love you, baby girl.”

“Love you too, Daddy,” she whispered in her sleep.

—

I crept into the house at five in the morning, waving to Sam in thanks. He waved back and drove off. He’d volunteered to come pick me up since it would be before dawn and he hadn’t wanted David to have to pack up the kids that early.

Once the door was eased shut and locked behind me, I abandoned my suitcase next to it and snuck up the stairs.

Gabriel’s room was the closest to the stairs. I poked my head in to see if he was sleeping.

His bed was empty, the sheets rumpled. Wolfy McFloof—the larger wolf plushie Asher had given him when Natty was born—was jammed haphazardly between the bedside table and the bed itself.

My heart started pounding louder. I took a step and a half across and up the hall to Natalie’s room.

Her bed was the same. But her small comfort blanket and Sheldon were also missing.

A pit formed in my stomach and I ran to my and Davey’s room, ready to throw open the door and see it empty. To see my family snatched in the middle of the night while I was gone. By whom, I had no idea.

I grabbed the knob and shoved the door open.

A large, misshapen lump sat in the middle of the bed, covers draped over it.

On quiet feet, I slipped over.

The anxiety eased away when I saw David’s face. Gabriel tucked under one of his arms—and Natalie lying on his chest with a small smile on her face. Sheldon and her blanket in each hand. I sighed with relief and sagged down, kneeling beside the bed.

Davey heard me. One of his lush green eyes peeked open.

He gave me a soft, lovestruck smile. The same one he only ever gave me.

“Welcome home, angel.”

—

Tag list: @zozo-01 @arialikestea @mainhoesstuff  @darlin-collins (I’m adding you tentatively because this is David even though you didn’t specifically request the Pups AU. If you don’t wanna be tagged in this kinda stuff, you can let me know if you’d like)

[comfort-writing]

Camp Patoka

Chapter 1: Settling in to Cabin 11

Being a counselor at the summer camp you grew up in was a dream come true. That was until Steve, another counselor, began to ruin it for you. A rivalry begins.

warnings: this fic will be 18+ in future chapters- minors DNI!! no use of y/n. (please let me know if I missed anything)

a/n: the camp name is named after a wildlife reserve in Indiana :) also! thank you for 120 followers!!! 🤍 let me know in the comments or my asks if you want to be added to the tag list! requests are open!

word count: 3.6k

Chapter 1 || 2 (coming soon!)

You were sitting in your room in your tiny apartment when you got the call. You’d rushed to the phone, having a feeling that on the other end, your dream job awaited.

You were correct.

Camp Patoka, the summer camp you’d attended every summer since you were old enough to, had accepted your application to be a camp counselor over the summer. You’d remained calm on the phone, thinking them in a professional manner, but as soon as you heard the dial tone and hung your phone back on the wall, you jumped up and down, squealing like a little kid. Your downstairs neighbor yelled something, so you stopped jumping, but he didn’t damper your mood.

The previous summer, you’d aged out of the camp and you’d applied to be a counselor, but they’d rejected you. It was the first summer since you were five that you hadn’t gone. But now, you were able to go back to your favorite place on earth. And you’d get paid to do it! Admittedly not much, but you didn’t care.

The first person you’d thought of was Robin. She was one of your camp buddies. You lived kind of far apart, but the two of you kept up over the years. At first, the two of you exchanged letters, but as you’d grown older, you called each other every once in a while. She was able to get the job last summer, and you were happy for her, but you’d wished you’d been there too. Spending the summer apart just didn’t feel the same. You’d spent it working as a bartender, and the regulars didn’t make up for the Robin-and-s’mores sized hole in your little heart.

You knew that they were calling everyone who’d gotten the job between now and three today, so you decided to wait until then to give her a call, not wanting to block her phone line.

At exactly three o’clock, your phone rang. You smiled and got up to answer it, knowing for sure who was on the other end.

“Hey Robin.” You said, trying to sound dejected.

“Oh no.. again?” She asked sadly, knowing how heartbroken you’d been last year.

You couldn’t help but smile, “Nope! I got it! Did you?” You said excitedly.

“Oh my god! Yes! I got it too!” She beamed.

The two of you giggled and did your respective happy dances before continuing the call.

“Robin, I am literally so excited! Did they give you your cabin assignment over the phone?” You asked, hoping the two of you would be on the same side of the camp.

Camp Patoka was divided into two distinct sections: Lakeside cabins and Woodside cabins. Lakeside was typically for the younger kids, as it was closer to the main pavilion and a lot of the activities. Woodside was for the older kids, as they were able hike a bit to where they needed to be.

The sides had fifteen cabins each, and each cabin competed in week-long competitions to see which cabin reined supreme. But, the two sides of camp also competed, and at the end of the summer, during the counselor’s party, you’d find out which side won.

“I’m in Woodside, cabin 12.” She said happily, “What about you?”

“Dude- I’m in Woodside cabin 11!” You practically yelled, happy to be able to be right next to each other the entire time.

“This is literally amazing!” She screamed, causing you to hold the phone away from your ear for a second and laugh, “I convinced my friend Steve to apply too, and he’s in cabin 8! We’re all so close to each other!”

The two of you finished up the conversation, excited to see each other after a full year apart.

A few weeks later, you were on your way to camp, your car filled with everything you’d need. You packed clothes for the entire summer, stuff for your bunk, and cute decorations for your cabin. You jammed out to the radio in the way there, windows down to enjoy the warm, early summer air that you loved more than anything.

You arrived at the camp around 9:30 in the morning, thirty minutes before you’d technically needed to be there, but you went ahead and found a good spot to park your car before getting out, stretching after the long drive.

You popped open your trunk and sat in the back, relaxing and waiting for the time when the other counselors would arrive.

Slowly, cars started pouring into the parking lot, and you finally saw Robin get out of the passenger seat of a station wagon. She immediately saw you and smiled, running across the concrete and tackling you into a giant bear hug. You laughed and hugged her back with an equal amount of force, giggling.

“Oh my god I missed you!” She said, her voice muffled by your shirt.

“I missed you too!” You beamed, a bit out of breath. She finally released you from the crushing hug and stood back, looking over at the man who’d driven her here and waved him over.

He was tall, lean, and had probably the most gorgeous hair you’d ever seen. He seemed confident, which is something you’d liked in a guy, but maybe a little overtly so. His sneakers crunched against the concrete as he headed your way. Once he arrived, he stuck out a hand for you to shake. “Steve.” He said simply.

You obliged, shaking his hand and introducing yourself.

“Steve and I went to high school together.” Robin smiled, “This is his first year as a counselor too, so you two can share war stories later on.”

You laughed, then hopped out of the trunk of your hatchback, “We ready to go check in?” You asked.

The two of them nodded, so you shut your trunk and walked with them to the main pavilion, chatting and catching up with Robin on the way there.

Once you were all checked in and ready to go, the three of you walked back to the parking lot to grab your luggage and head to your respective cabins.

You arrived at your car, lifting the trunk and lugging your two overly-packed suitcases out of the trunk before going to your front seat, grabbing your backpack out and slinging it on your back. You waited for Robin before the two of you walked to your cabins, Steve trailing behind the two of you.

He stopped at his cabin first, and Robin insisted that the two of you pause to head in and check it out before you continued to yours.

Steve unlocked the door and walked in, rolling his suitcase into the small room by the door where he’d stay before walking around. There were eight beds, excluding his own, a bathroom with two showers, and a center vanity with drawers and a large mirror.

You smiled and bumped Robin’s hip, “Remember when we stayed here?” You asked.

“That was in seventh grade, right?” She asked. You nodded, remembering the time a wasp flew into the cabin and the entire bunk of girls screamed while Robin just walked up and killed it.

“Well, this is home for the next two and a half months, huh?” Steve smiled. “You guys want help bringing your stuff to your cabins?” He asked. Robin nodded, and the three of you headed out, walking further down the little road to where the two cabins you’d be staying in sat. Steve offered to help with one of your heavy suitcases and carried Robin’s backpack on his back as you walked. Your cabin was first, and you invited them inside.

The layout was the same, but backwards. You and Steve rolled your suitcases into your area before you smiled at Robin, indicating that you’d wanted to go see her cabin. Her layout was the same as Steve’s, and she looked around for any bugs before giving a thumbs up, making you laugh.

Eventually, the three of you separated to get unpacked before lunch and training began at noon. You unpacked all of your clothes, folding them and putting them into the drawers in your tiny room that was open to the rest of the cabin. In order to have a little privacy, you’d brought an extendable shower curtain rod and cute curtains, something you’d seen your counselors do over the years. You set that up, then made your bed, flopping onto the twin mattress for a moment before sighing and getting up to finish decorating.

You turned on the small radio you’d bought, tuning it until you found a radio station that reached this far out into the woods, not really caring what music was playing but just enjoying the background noise.

You decorated your room first, stringing up lights so you wouldn’t have to use the overhead lighting, then hanging up a couple cute posters. You’d be living here for a few months, so you’d wanted to make it as homey as possible.

You then moved on to decorating the rest of the cabin, keeping it simple. A cute string of pom-poms over the mirror, a poster on the bathroom door with some encouraging words. You’d also brought dry-erase markers so you’d be able to write on the mirrors. You sat on the drawers in front of the giant mirror of the makeshift vanity area and got to work, drawing some cute little pine trees and writing ‘cabin 11’ in a cursive font. You made space to write the weekly schedule of activities for your campers, leaving it blank for now, as you hadn’t gotten it just yet.

You stepped back and smiled at your artwork. You weren’t the most amazing artist in the world, but you could make some pretty cute little doodles.

Before you knew it, it was nearing 11:45, and you heard a knock on your cabin door. Robin walked in, looking around. “Oh my god, your cabin is so cute!” She smiled, moving your curtains aside to look into your room, “Woah, it looks like you’ve lived here your whole life.”

You chuckled, “I wanted to make it feel like home!”

“No, I love it! I will definitely be hanging out in here.” She smiled, “But are you ready to head to the dining hall?” She asked.

You nodded and grabbed your lanyard, which held a spot for your name badge and you had your cabin key clicked into it as well. You’d also grabbed your backpack, which you’d packed with sunscreen, bug spray, an extra pair of hiking sandals in case yours ever broke, a mini first aid kit, and a few other small things that you’d need.

The two of you walked down to Steve’s cabin and picked him up, then trotted down to the dining hall together. You’d felt like Steve kept glancing your way, but you ignored it for the time being.

Training went by smoothly. They went over the map of the camp, handing out a few copies to every counselor, then ensured that everyone had their CPR and AED certifications up to date. They went over some housekeeping things like camp rules, the general schedule for meals and pavilion times. Then, they handed out the camp shirts for the year, as well as your schedule for the week, and the blank white flags your campers would get to decorate.

You and Robin swapped your schedules, looking them over. The two of you had the exact same schedule this week, and you likely would all summer since your cabins were connected by a deck and they typically grouped counselors by their location. She bumped your shoulder and smiled, and you smiled back, excited to spend the summer with one of your favorite people.

Once training let out, you and Robin linked arms and went to the lunch line, ready to eat the meal they’d provided. The two of you chatted about the schedule for the first week, excited to swim in the lake and ride horses.

Steve had made conversation with another male counselor, who apparently was his cabin buddy for the summer, so you and Robin ate your meal just chatting alone.

Once lunch was over, Steve walked up to the two of you. “Ready to head back?” He asked. Robin nodded and you followed the two of them out, making the familiar hike back to the Woodside cabins.

Robin spotted a bunny up ahead, so she made the two of you pause while she went to go investigate. The two of you watched as she slowly walked up to the tree line further up the road, wanting to check it out.

You heard Steve chuckle beside you, “She’s an interesting one.”

“Don’t go getting any ideas, man.” You said. Robin had actually come out to you first. She figured that if you would’ve freaked out, she wouldn’t have to deal with any repercussions back home, as you lived in a different part of the state. But when you ensured her that you loved her either way, she cried and hugged you. That was really the moment that solidified your friendship.

“Oh, I know.” He said, looking over at you, “Robin’s probably like, my best friend.” He hummed.

You nodded, trying not to giggle when Robin almost scared the bunny off by nearly tripping over a rock. “She’s definitely… really smooth.” You joked.

“Are you, like, into her?” He asked, not knowing your orientation.

You shrugged, “Well, we have made out a couple times, but it wasn’t serious. I kinda don’t have a preference, if that makes sense.”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. You could practically see the smoke coming out of his ears from the gears turning in his head. “So you’d say yes if I asked you out?” He said, raising an eyebrow. He’d definitely noticed how pretty you were. Even though you were in your camp clothes— a large tee shirt, shorts, hiking sandals, and a headband—he still thought you were good looking.

You felt a bit shocked. He said it so candidly. He also seemed a bit arrogant, which you had never been a fan of. “I don’t know you, dude.”

“Do you have to?” He said a bit suggestively, the old King Steve persona, that you had no idea about, peeking out a little.

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, kinda.” You walked ahead a little, going to meet Robin. You turned backwards as you walked, “Stranger danger, and all.” You scoffed and turned back around, jogging up to your friend and linked your arms together to keep walking.

She frowned, your movement making the bunny walk away, “Hey!”

“I gotta talk to you.” You said, speed walking towards your cabin and pulling her along, kinda grossed out and really wanting to get out of this situation.

Once you had dragged Robin into your cabin, you shut the door and stormed into your room, flopping face first down onto your bed, “Ewww.. ew ew ew” you groaned into your comforter.

Robin trailed behind you, moving to sit on the bean bag you’d put in the corner of your little room, “What?” She asked, not aware of what just happened.

You sat up, kicking your shoes off and sitting crisscrossed on your bed, facing her, “Steve asked me out.” You frowned.

Robin only laughed, and you frowned, which made her try to surprise it, “And the tally begins.” She said, making a mental note to write it down when she got back to her cabin.

“What?”

“Steve… well, he’s a great guy and all, but he’s a bit of a player. Well, more of a reformed one?” Her statements only made you more confused, so she continued, “Steve dated half of Hawkins in high school. He was real hot shit. But since he graduated, he’s changed. He’s a lot nicer, and I think he’s looking for something more serious, but he doesn’t have the game he used to… we work at a Family Video, and I have a running tally of how many times he’s gotten shot down.”

You burst into peals of laughter at that, and she joined in. “Sorry,” you said between giggles, “You keep count?”

“Yep. And it looks like you’re his first victim of the summer. Probably because you’re the only person who knows his name right now.” She chuckled, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “You’re a victim of proximity.”

“That makes me feel a little better, I guess.” You shrugged, moving a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

“But, listen, if you do change your mind about him.. he’s a good guy. He’s one of my best friends, and I’m not trying to shit talk him or anything. I’d totally support it. He means well.” She sighed, relaxing in the cool air conditioning of the cabin.

“Boys are gross.” You teased, wrinkling your nose in disgust.

She nodded, “Agreed!”

The next couple days were spent in more counselor training, going over the safety precautions for each activity within the camp, as well as getting to know the entire team in the process.

By Monday morning, the first round of campers were arriving by 8am. You sat in pavilion, helping check campers in and pointing them towards their respective counselors. You even checked in one of your own, introducing yourself to her, as well as her parents. You pointed to where your cabin was gathering in the pavilion, saying you’d meet them over there in a little while.

Once all campers were accounted for, the camp director did introductions to the camp and herself before dismissing the cabins to go grab their stuff form cars and meet in their respective cabins. You led your group of preteens and their parents through the camp, giving a bit of a tour as you walked to the Woodside cabins. You helped get suitcases in the door to the cabin, then watched as your kids hugged their parents goodbye for the week.

You helped your girls get settled in, getting to know them. You wrote the schedule for the week on your mirror, then pulled out the blank flag and markers, sitting down with them to decorate it. Each counselor carried their flag around, making it easy for campers to spot their counselors, as well as having something unique to that group of campers. They ended up drawing out a little cabin in the woods, you finding out that one of your campers was an amazing artist, and they all drew little trees and birds, as well as writing their names at the bottom. You wrote ‘Cabin 11’ at the top in a cute font.

Once you were finished, you held up the flag, and all the girls nodded in approval before you grabbed the small PVC pipe that would act as your flag pole, and you slid the flag onto it, then stuck it by the door. You looked at your watch, and it was about time for everyone to gather at the pavilion again for the first games of the week before each cabin was dismissed for their first activity. You had arts and crafts today, so it would be a chill day to start off the week, which was nice.

You instructed the girls to get ready to go, and you did as well, putting your shoes back on and grabbing your backpack, as well as the flag. You stood by the door and once everyone was ready, you walked out, having them sit on the little benches on the deck while you knocked on Robin’s door. She smiled and opened it, ready to go as well. The two of you gathered your campers and started the hike back to the camp’s main pavilion.

“Should we teach them our favorite song?” Robin asked. You smiled and nodded, then the two of you walked backwards and led them through a song you’d leaned at this camp, showing them all the arm movements that went along with it, laughing all the way as you watched your campers open up and bond with each other quickly.

At the main pavilion, the camp director introduced the camp-wide competition, then started the first game: a weird version of rock paper scissors with body movements instead of just hands. The campers competed in their cabins first, then once the numbers dwindled, cabins competed against each other until one camper was victorious, winning 10 points for their cabin.

The two finalists were one of the girls from your cabin, and a boy from Steve’s, because of course it was. The entire camp cheered them on, and your camper emerged victorious, your cabin standing up and cheering excitedly. The director marked down the points as your camper ran back, your girls group hugging her. You looked over at Steve and smirked, feeling like you’d gotten him back.

This was the beginning of a beautiful rivalry.

Tag List: @mcueveryday @bebe0701 @emma77645 @edsforehead @manda-panda-monium @nina211544 @wendyfawcett @whisperinthewoods07 @aysheashea @emxxblog @shotgunhallelujah @theanxietyqueen17 @isabel-ffl-xoxo

[until-the-brahmin-come-home]

Day 4: Strange Hoofbeats

Roadkill first rides Biscuit under...less than ideal circumstances. 646 words

Roadkill stared at Biscuit.

Biscuit stared back.

“Steady, girl,” Roadkill muttered, carefully reaching out a hand, palm up. Instantly, Biscuit reared up on her hind legs, then turned and galloped away. Roadkill cursed and dropped her hand down.

“I grew up on a horse ranch,” she muttered. “How the hell does Omen control that beast?”

“I didn’t know you grew up on a ranch!” came Omen’s chipper voice, causing Roadkill to jump in surprise. Roadkill turned and glared at the courier, who just smiled in return.

“You don’t even know my birth name,” Roadkill said.

“I didn’t know Roadkill wasn’t what your parents named you!” came Omen’s genuinely sincere reply.

“Really?” Roadkill asked, bewildered.

“I don’t exactly have any room to talk, now, do I?” Omen said, shrugging. They whistled, and Biscuit easily trotted over to them.

“Fair enough,” Roadkill muttered, watching as Omen fussed over the horse’s tack and saddlebags. There were plenty of weirdos in the wasteland – Roadkill certainly counted herself among them – but  Omen was easily one of the weirdest. What kind of idiot offered water and a ride to someone obviously dressed in prison garb? And yet, here they were, several week’s later. It had never felt like a good time to split, and Omen seemed content to be Roadkill’s travel buddy.

“I’m sure she’ll warm up to you eventually,” Omen said, giving Biscuit one last pat on the snout. “She just needs to know she can trust you.”

“I know that,” Roadkill said, counting the ammo for her messenger’s gun. Omen did the same with their own weapons. The mission was simple: clear out a den of radscorpions. In and out.

It was not in and out.

“Fuck! Fuck! Motherfucking poisonous bastards!” Roadkill screamed, aiming her shotgun and nearly vaporizing the last radscorpion in her rage.

“They’re…venomous…” Omen breathed, slowly bleeding from several puncture wounds in their gut.

“Not the point!” Roadkill snarled, crouching down to heft Omen’s arm over her shoulder. Omen slumped uncooperatively, and when Roadkill turned to check, she realized they had fallen unconscious.  “Damn it.”

Roadkill dragged Omen’s limp body to the cave entrance, then froze. Off in the distance, but certainly way too close for comfort, was a deathclaw. It was sniffing the air curiously, and Roadkill knew it was only a matter of time before the wind changed and it noticed them.

Twenty yards from the cave entrance, Biscuit stood.

“Biscuit!” Roadkill hissed, adjusting her grip on Omen. The horse huffed. “Biscuit! Please! Omen is in danger!” Biscuit tossed her head, before trotting closer. She stood remarkably still as Roadkill rooted around in the saddlebags for stimpaks and antivenom, both horse and bandit keeping an eye on the deathclaw all the while. The second Roadkill was sure Omen was relatively stable, she hauled them onto the horse before following, grabbing Biscuit’s reins.

The horse froze, and for a terrifying moment, Roadkill was sure she was going to buck both her and Omen off.

The wind changed.

The deathclaw roared.

“Hyah!” Roadkill shouted, snapping the reins. In an instant, Biscuit took off, Roadkill barely hanging on. Roadkill peered over her shoulder and watched the deathclaw give chase.

“Come on, Biscuit, come on!” Roadkill shouted, squeezing the horses sides. Biscuit, impossibly, galloped faster, the cracked earth flying beneath them. Roadkill pulled a grenade from her belt and threw it, half-blindly, behind them. The deathclaw roared in pain, and when Roadkill looked behind her again, she saw that she had caught its leg in the blast. The injury gave the horse enough time to gain a solid lead, and within minutes Roadkill lost sight of the beast.

Once she was absolutely certain the deathclaw was far behind, Roadkill slowed Biscuit down to a stop. Sighing deeply, she turned to check on Omen, only to find the courier propping themself up.

“See? I knew you two could get along!”

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

This is all i have 😭

159

    *

Holding the icepack to his busted knuckles, Levi’s anger was barely contained. At the opposite end of Hannes’s sofa sat Reiner, the fucking model fucking patient while Hannes stitched the alpha’s split eyebrow. Personally Reiner had gotten off lucky as far as Levi was concerned, had Armin and Erwin not separated them, Reiner would be in a body bag. Kenny was gone. Grisha wasn’t answering. And Eren had taken Renee and goddamn disappeared right in front of them.

  His omega had taken a phone call. Stupidly, Levi believed it’d been from Grisha seeing they’d been trying to contact him. When Eren hadn’t gotten through, he’d that his mate’s father must have called back. Barely an hour later, Eren had simply taken Renee and walked out. He’d said nothing. Left no note. No parting words.

  “Can someone please explain this so I can understand? You said Eren’s gone missing”

  Levi’s glare tripled after Armin’s question. Erwin had been the one to call the pair, Reine slogged in the face the second he was in Hannes’s living room. Bitterly, the alpha spat out 

“Ask you friend there. He’s all buddy buddy with Historia Reiss”

Sighing heavily, Reiner stuck to the same shit he’d been spewing. Levi wanted to throttle him within an inch of his life. His mate had been upset because of the blonde giant, and now he was gone…

“I told you I don’t know anything”

  Snarling, Levi didn’t care if his distemper was showing. Kenny had fucked off, yet Levi highly doubted his uncle was to blame for this shit

“Bullshit! Eren believed in you, and you went and did this! He was suspicious enough when he came home, but I told him he was overthinking things. Now he’s fucking gone! My mate and my fucking daughter are gone”

  Armin sighed. Erwin hadn’t told him anything, only that he was in town if Armin and Reiner would be interested in coming for dinner. Levi would have left to track the pair down himself, but fucking Eyebrows had taken option away

“I’m just going to put it out there, is there any way Eren left on his own? Like to see Grisha? I mean, we all know how they get along…”

“Tch. Because we didn’t fucking think of that”

Armin raised his hands in surrender, the normally annoyingly perky alpha looked exhausted. It wasn’t his fucking mate that was missing 

“Okay. Okay. I’m trying to narrow down what happened”

“He fucking happened. He shows up and Eren goes missing…”

  Reiner let out a growl, smacking Hannes’s hand away from his face

“I had nothing to do with this. We met for lunch, Eren was tired so Armin drove him home. We were supposed to meet tomorrow so I could give him his mail. That’s all that happened”

“Then why the sudden visit? Kenny gets shot, he wakes up, and you come walking back into our lives”

  Ever the annoying arsehole, Erwin clapped his hands

“That’s enough. None of this is getting us closer to finding why Eren left and where he went. My team is tracing Eren’s incoming and outgoing calls. Now, there’s no way Kenny could have orchestrated this, is there?”

  Yes, the questions needed to be asked, but every single question was only making Levi madder. What Erwin didn’t know was that Kenny’s shitty hat being left behind indicated his uncle would be back

“No. He ran when you showed up. He warned us something was about to happen”

“I’m aware of what both you and Eren said. I’m also aware that as far as we could find, Historia isn’t communicating with Reiner. Now, realistically, Kenny is more of a suspect than Reiner”

“Kenny likes Eren enough to do him fucking favours. If Kenny was going to take Eren, he wouldn’t take Renee with him. He can’t stand her crying”

  Eren hadn’t take any of Renee’s things, he hadn’t been dressed warmly enough for the night either. All of this stank to high heaven of Historia’s shit. Erwin gave a sympathetic sigh

“At least that narrows down things”

They didn’t need to narrow it down, they needed to go storm Historia’s fucking manor and get Eren back 

“We know who took him!”

  “If it was Historia, she had to have a reason, right?”

Armin was only thinking out loud, Levi rubbing the heels of his hands into his eyes. The kid was the smart kind of dumb if he couldn’t see what was right in front of him. Reiner was connected and he knew it. He fucking knew it. Hannes hefted a weary sigh 

“If Historia is involved, it may because she thought Kenny told us something he shouldn’t have. You both told me you have a deal with her for your protection”

  So Eren had said. Then he’d called Erwin over, well, over Reiner and caused Kenny to flee. Historia had to have known it was a high possibility and if she’d wanted Kenny that badly, then she should have made her move before now

“Obviously she’s made up her mind that we can’t be trusted. Grisha’s been meeting with her behind our backs. He wanted to hand Kenny over immediately to Shadis. He knew what that would mean”

  Armin sighed heavily

“I’m so confused right now. But, Reiner was with me, and he didn’t make any phone calls. Whatever was said was dire enough for Eren to drop everything and leave with Renee… What if he was commanded to? Alpha commands can work over a phone, but then again Eren carries recessive genes…”

A command. Levi felt angry all over again. He’d worried about a command from Kenny, not from an outside source over the phone. He hadn’t even… and Eren was susceptible 

“He dropped to being full omega after the birth of Renee… Commands work on him, even before he shifted to full omega… but…”

  Erwin picked up where Levi’s sentence trailed off 

“Historia can’t give commands as she’s also an omega. Ymir can. In any case, it seems I need to meet with Historia. Reiner, you’ll be staying here. I’m not accusing you of anything, and of course you are at liberty to leave. Armin, you’ll also remain here with Levi and Hannes. I’d like to talk with Grisha if you can arrange that. He hasn’t answered the phone…”

That was right. Grisha hadn’t replied to Eren’s attempt to call him… but if Grisha had given Eren a command, it wouldn’t have worked seeing he was Eren’s father 

“Eren called him too and got no answer. Shit. Fuck. He’s probably made a deal with Historia over Eren”

  Erwin merely raised an eyebrow. Levi knew he wasn’t being rational, but Eren had a knack for finding trouble and this time Renee was caught up in it too. He wanted to protest going with Erwin, his alpha angered that he’d even consider waiting at Hannes’s, but if he did go with Erwin, he might just wind up with another trumped up charge of assault. Eren hadn’t even taken a jacket, or anything warm… He should have stopped him. He should have been in the room, then Eren couldn’t have walked out

“Tch. Don’t fucking look at me like that. I know I’m staying put”

“I didn’t say anything”

“But you were thinking it”

    *

Watching Grisha board the private jet back to Marley, Eren held Renee tight to his chest. He was beyond furious, Grisha had tried going behind their backs winding up with him being detained by Ymir and Historia for his own good. Now he owed both of them even more, even if Ymir had put a damn command on him to get him outside the house and into the waiting car.

  Morning had long risen the light of the day stinging his sleep deprived eyes. They’d tried to have talk some sense into his father about the dangers of poking around, Grisha going on and on about how he couldn’t let Eren get any further involved. His damn father had gone and caused a metric ton of shit for all of them, Grisha begging him to come to Marley as if he didn’t have a life right there in Shinganshima with Levi. And despite Historia’s initial lack of wanting to be in her situation, she seemed pretty damn fine with it now. Shit it all. He wanted to go home. Renee didn’t belong out on such a cold morning, she’d cried herself to sleep in his arms and he felt like a terrible parent that she’d be so upset.

  “Eren, we’re leaving”

Nodding at Historia, all he could do was follow. He highly doubted this would be the last of the trouble caused by his father. The man didn’t understand a thing. Renee should have been at Hannes’s, warm and safe where they could all fawn over the little girl when she wriggled around and kicked, figuring out her own movements.

  Climbing into the back of the sedan with Historia, Ymir climbed into the front driver’s seat. He and Grisha had been under guard on the drive out the airfield, so the change up in company left him with a little more air to breathe. He’d have to go home and explain it all now… Levi would be panicked, probably thinking that Kenny had something to do with his disappearance. Leaning over, Historia readjusted Renee’s beanie

“Eren, you understand why I did this, right?”

“It’s a little late to be asking that. You put a command on me”

“It felt necessary. What is also necessary is your help”

“Then cooperate with Erwin. Or even Shadis, not that I trust him as far as I can throw him”

“They’re not you. You and Levi put a lot of powerful people in a bad position. I may not be able to protect you… I need your expertise”

  Eren highly doubted that. Historia had warned him, Grisha hadn’t listened, and now he was stuck

“And if I said all I wanted was quality time with my mate and daughter?”

“Then I would need to remind you that you owe me. Especially considering you sheltered Kenny”

“Because he showed up bleeding to death at our apartment without explanation. Historia, I want to be done with all of this”

“And you think I don’t? Kenny’s actions…”

“Wait. I don’t know anything about them. I don’t want to know anything about them. Kenny was only there because he owes Levi some answers”

“Nonetheless, my protection would be a different story should you be working for me”

“And then what? Levi and I risk jail? Risk losing Renee? Don’t give me that, Historia. If you want out, Erwin can get you out. He can get you, Ymir and your child, away from here. I’m sick of paying for doing my job. Just how much more do Levi and I need to lose before this over?”

“Eren they know your name. They know your face. Most of my father’s friends got shortened sentences because they could afford to pay through the roof for them. You’re not seeing the big picture here”

  Letting out a sigh, Eren kept his attention on Renee

“So I come work for you? Then what? Are you asking me to build a case on what I see? I’m not a detective anymore, I’ve resigned after what happened with Floch and I’m not sure I trust my judgement anymore. I’m a guy just trying to raise his daughter and keep up with his alpha”

“Kenny killed a small time group to keep you and Levi safe. He…”

“He acted on his own. I’m sick of cleaning up other people’s mess”

“You caused all of this. Whether you meant it or not. You can keep Kenny, and in return you help us”

  Historia was pushing too hard, showing that side of her Kenny had warned against. Not that he didn’t know it already existed. Now she was threatening not to help them… Maybe coming back to Shinganshima hadn’t been the best idea after all? All he wanted was to throw his past out the window and be happy with his family, and not have everyone’s shit continually pushed onto him 

“Look, Historia. I’m exhausted. I’m worried about my alpha and I’ve just had my idiot father sent away before he ended up with a bullet to the brain. I’m not in any position to make any kind of agreement”

“We’ll give you one week. Think about it seriously. This city is on edge and I can’t retaliate for any actions against you and your family at the moment. Think of Renee’s future. Erwin is waiting at the estate, we’ll have him take you and Renee home”

  Great. Just Great. Levi would be pissed and he’d have to explain to Erwin what happened… Shitty alphas and their damn shitty commands. He was so very sick of this shit. At least Ymir hadn’t put another damn command on him, Eren could feel her eyes on him, almost as if she wanted to skip giving him a choice. They’d both been offered a perfectly legal way out of their situation and their testimonies would have kept them out of jail, now Historia was acting like her father, and not the same girl with this all thrust upon her.

   Dropped off and picked up by Erwin, who was dismissed with a wave of Historia’s hand, Eren followed Erwin to his waiting car. Half of him had expected Levi to be there, and the other half feared why Levi wasn’t there. With no car seat for Renee, Eren opted for the back seat, buckling the belt around both of them. Too much had happened in too short of a space of time. Erwin not giving him a moment to recover, before the inevitable questions started

“What happened and what did Historia want with you?”

  Yep. There it was. Not even the faked courteous asking of how he and Renee were

“Grisha came sniffing around. She’s sent him back to Marley”

“Alive?”

“For now. What are you doing here?”

“You went missing and it seemed a fair bet you’d be here. Levi’s at Hannes’s with everyone else”

“He thought Reiner was involved, didn’t he?”

“Yes. I’ve left the two of them to resolve things. Did she say anything else?”

“She’s no longer going to protect Levi and I. Nor is she interested in turning witness on the dealings of her family. Kenny killed a group of small timers already, but if you read between the lines they’re Rod’s friends. I guess a year in prison didn’t change their minds about anything. They want blood”

  Erwin sighed as he started his car

“You do know how to make friends, don’t you?”

Eren cursed the day he’d ever accepted the assignment. All this shit should have been in his past, not continuously fucking dragging his family down 

“Don’t look at me. I don’t want any part of this shit. I just want to take Renee home and pretend that we’re not in danger of being murdered in our sleep”

“I think they’ll have to get through Levi first”

“If he doesn’t murder me. All of this shit is too fucking much. Wake me up when we get back to Hannes’s”

   Renee’s serenade on Erwin’s driving prevented Eren from dozing. Eren hoped Erwin was taking it personally. All of it had put him in a bad mood, especially falling victim to yet another damn command. He’d walked straight out the damn door with Renee. If he could have left her at home, he might have been able to handle the situation better. Still, Ymir knew exactly what she was doing, and what would shake him the most. He’d been naive to think that her being a parent would translate to any form of parental compassion. She’d sacrifice him and Renee and not a shed a single tear over it all. His daughter was goddamn innocent in all of this, and again he was left to wonder if he shouldn’t send her to be raised by Isabel given his track record since her birth. Quitting his job hadn’t lead to freedom, nor had biding his time. Historia was shaping up to be every bit as messed up as Rod, and now she was “letting them keep Kenny”. The very man they’d all been forced into lockdown over. What was Kenny supposed to do? Team up with him? Yeah. Because that would look great in front of the tribunal. His life was blowing up as Kenny had warned, but he hadn’t said he was the very hand grenade that’d cause the explosion.

  Parking in front of Hannes’s, Eren was out the door before Erwin could force him to talk. The front door opening, with Armin and Levi rushing out. His alpha looked ready to murder, a look Eren disregard as he walked straight up to him as slumped against him. Levi careful to take Renee from him, before kissing Eren on the shoulder. His mate smelling two seconds away from going apocalyptic on the world, but at the same time, smelling relieved more than words could say 

“It was her, wasn’t it?”

“Yep and we’re royally fucked”

“When aren’t we?”

“This is true. Fuck, I know I owe you an explanation, but I’m dead on my feet here”

[happyocelot]

Hi! I'm not sure if you're still doing the first sentence prompts but I hope you're still taking these asks.

“What do you mean by leaving?” for NaruHina

Thanks!

Send me characters/pairings (and setting or anything else you want to see) and the number to one of the following first lines:

I wasn’t expecting any more requests! Lol.

“What do you mean by leaving?” Naruto yelled, his hand clenched against Tsunade’s desk.

The poor, long-suffering Hokage sighed. “Naruto, please list out the people on Team 8.”

He squinted. “Uh...why?”

“Just do it,” Tsunade said, not as sharply as she could have and should have been, considering how annoying Naruto was being.

“Okay, then...” He began counting on his fingers, “Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Kurenai-sensei?”

“Exactly. Do you see the name Uzumaki Naruto anywhere on that list? You can’t complain about not being on a team mission you have no connection to." Tsunade went back to her reading, what looked to be a long, rambling tirade from her newfound war buddy, the Raikage, about how hard it was to rein in a foolish, impulsive, and headstrong jinchuuriki.

Tsunade gave the pouting, fuming Naruto a side-glance.

I know exactly what you mean, Raikage, she scribbled down in response.

“But...but you can’t just send them all off on a long-term mission without telling me, ya know! Hinata was just telling me about the new ramen-eating record she broke when you called her team in, baa-chan!” At this point, his eyes were sparkling with theatrical tears.

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged a look of chagrin, glancing at the piles of pending missions stacked on the desk, eyes landing on one particularly stupid D-rank to catch a cat. If Tsunade recalled correctly, according to Sarutobi-sensei’s notes, this was the one mission Naruto always did hate more than any other.

Should I? she mouthed at her apprentice. Someone needs to do it, and Naruto can’t go on any big missions until his next medical check-up.

It’s a good idea, Shizune mouthed back. Besides, he needs to cool down for a bit and not overload his body so soon.

Tsunade nodded in satisfaction, then looked back up at Konoha’s resident village idiot.

“Very well, Naruto. If you want to go on a mission with Team 8 that badly, you can.”

“YEAH! That’s what I’m talking about, baa-chan! So I was thinking that S-rank missions might be too much right now with my arm missing, but – ”

“You’re absolutely right,” Tsunade broke in, trying her best to hide her smirk. “I’ll get you something lightweight this time.”

She passed him the mission details, taking glee in the shocked widening of his eyes.

His shout could be heard echoing miles away, but no one could figure out whether he was yelling in delight or horror. It was a mystery for the ages.

All anyone knew was that Naruto and Team 8 were assigned cat-catching missions for a long, long time, and Hinata was always packing some extra ointment for all the scratches Naruto kept sustaining.

***

It’s true that they’re a massive headache,Tsunade wrote in her missive to the Raikage. But I know just how to deal with them.

[mandareeboo]

You asked for drabbles, and lo and b3hold I do have a few. If you decide to keep asking, I'll send more sporadically if that's okay.

The Centaurs ask Horse what her equipment is and is for. Horse has trouble explaining that it's to accomdate and carry Rider, since the Centaurs don't know what a "Rider" is. They offer to take it off of her, but she isn't ready for that yet. Instead, they offer to take turns carrying it, so Horse doesn't get too tired.

"Rider and I... we're like one of you guys," Horse explained, watching out of the corner of her eye as Glendale bent her hooves to drink from a river. "When we're together, we're like a centaur. This stuff is to help her stay on me."

"So, you, like, piggyback them?" Zulius' eyebrows shot up. "That's a lot of work to try and replicate art. I kinda respect it."

"I run faster than Rider. It's just logical. And, besides- I like being able to keep my eye on her." She shook her head, reins jangling. "Though, I guess that didn't really work this time, huh."

Ched rapped a feathered fist on her chestplate. "Gonna be real, I just assumed these were, like, weird scales. To go with your weird face."

"They come off.... when Rider wants them too." Horse shrugged sheepishly. "Still don't have those opposable thumb dohickeys you all seem so fond of."

Glendale stood up with a jerk, accidentally splashing water her way. "Oh, I could keep those in my tummy for you! I get to hold onto things not my own and feed the gaping portal hole in me, you lose those you hold dear, it's a win-win."

Horse's ears flattened as she turned instinctively. "Absolutely not. Rider's going to need these when I get back to her!"

A soft pink hand on the back of her neck had her stiffening, but Wammawink didn't force the issue, gently patting her. "I'm sure your Rider person will understand if you want to take them off here and there. She wouldn't want your fur to get all matted, would she?"

"I... guess not. She always hatred it when I got rashes because we rode for too long."

She hooked her index finger under the side of her rein. "Let mama Wama carry the burden for a bit, huh?"

"Only if you promise to never call yourself that again."

"No promises," she sing-songed, and Horse rolled her eyes but bowed her head willingly.

Horse hadn't rode with a bit in a very long time now, but it was instinctive to smack her lips as the rein left her face, testing the sides of her mouth. Wammawink carefully wound the fabric around her arm and left it there, almost like a makeshift bracelet.

"Alright," she said. "Chest scales next."

"Ooh, ooh, can I wear them?" Durpleton raised both hands and made grabbing gestures. "I want weird chest scales!"

Horse looked at him, then his broad shoulders. "I don't really think physics is on your side there buddy, but go ahead. It's basically impossible to break these things." She moved to the side and gestured to a latch with her hoof. The plates unhooked and shifted outwards to make it easier to pull over her head. "It's heavy at first, but once you get used to it you'll never wanna take it off, promise."

A hand on her stomach made her jump, but Julius happily continued to unbuckle the saddle. "Gimme. I bet this will make my butt look even better."

"Guess that leaves the back scales for me," Ched hummed. The idea was undoubtedly daunting for the centaur bird, but he puffed his chest out. "Lay it on me, long-nose."

Glendale raised her hand. "Oooor I could wear it. On my body. Not in my portal tummy. Unfortunately."

"Oh thank glitter," Ched said. "Yes, please."

"You- you realize that's part of my saddle, right?" she asked. "I mean you could probably pry it off if you had to, but it's not supposed to seperate."

Zulius held the item up, scoffed, and tossed it to Glendale. "Oh, gross, nevermind."

The gentlest of breezes buffeted Horse's spine, and some instincts just couldn't be ignored. She hit the ground with a resounding thud, rolling and flailing her hooves in the air. Itches aplenty seemed to appear all at once, quickly vanquished with wiggles and whinnies of enjoyment.

"That's the stuff," she sighed, eyes fluttering closed with a smile. "Maybe Rider won't mind too much after all."

Wammawink ran her fingers over the worn leather and hummed. "I'm sure she'll understand."

[c-r-ash-crash]

New Life Chapter 4

Etho pushed himself to his feet, using the cave wall to steady himself. He rubbed at his face groggily. God, he hated moving to new servers. Especially if that server included permadeath. He slipped his mask on, and clipped his sword and makeshift scabbard onto his waist. He pulled on his gloves and rubbed the sleep from his eyes one last time. Up and at ‘em.

He marched out into the main room of the little shelter he and Bdubs had constructed the night before. He slipped silently into the small tunnel connecting the shelter to Bdubs’ tiny closet of a room. He stepped into the room and saw Bdubs passed out on the bed, sprawled out awkwardly. Etho couldn’t help a small smile at the sight. Then his hand brushed against his sword.

It would be so easy to kill Bdubs right now. His abdomen was completely unguarded, and there were no weapons within sight other than his own. It would be smart too. If what everyone else said was true, Bdubs was also on four lives. Taking one and knocking him down to his lime green life wouldn’t be a bad idea. He wouldn’t go red just yet, but he’d also be easier to take out if need be.

Etho shook his head, letting his hand fall back to the side. What was he thinking? He and Bdubs were allies. He couldn’t kill his fellow hermit. He wouldn’t kill him. Besides he wasn’t a red life yet. He wouldn’t be allowed to kill him. Not yet, at least.

Gently, Etho reached out his hand and shook Bdubs awake.

Grian rode through the forest, reins draped through his fingers. The horse he had found was a beautiful steed, snow white and muzzle speckled with spots of black and dark gray. His search for caves last night had been fruitless. But when he had found the horse, he had found a set of diamond armor tied to the creature's side. Part of Grian wondered if it was a gift from the universe. Most of him really, really hoped it wasn’t.

Suddenly, he heard two voices drifting through the trees. One was male, one was female. He recognized Scar’s voice instantly, and after a moment, he also recognized Lizzie’s. Quietly, he dismounted and wrapped the horse’s reins around a tree. “I’ll be back in a minute, buddy,” he murmured. Then he set off.

After a moment, the trees cleared to reveal a small river side beach and a cave plunging into the side of a small hill. Scar was sitting on the edge of the hill, and Grian could see a bright pink and blue smudge just inside the cave that must have been Lizzie. “You know, I’m actually the boogeyman,” Scar was saying. “So you should definitely give me a life.” Grian froze.

“Scar, don't joke about that!” he blurted out before he could stop himself. Scar leapt to his feet and Lizzie scrambled to see over the hill. “Oh, hey, Grian,” Scar said, grin growing wider. “Didn’t see you! Did you hear what I was telling Lizzie?” “About how you’re actually the boogeyman?” Grian said, eyebrow raised. “Do you even know what the boogeyman does?” “Well of course!” Scar said. “Then you know that if the boogeyman doesn’t kill someone in nine days then they become a red life?”

Scar’s face fell momentarily, horrified. But then his eyes lit up with mischief. Grian swore under his breath. “Of course I knew that,” Scar said, turning back to Lizzie. “Which is exactly why you should give me a life, Lizzie. If you do that then I won’t kill you this round.” “But why’s that such a big deal?” Lizzie asked. “I have plenty of lives to spare. It doesn’t really matter if you take one. Besides, this is just a game right?”

Grian flinched back, and Scar’s jaw tightened. “No, Lizzie,” he said quietly. “This is not ‘just a game.’” “Lizzie,” Grian explained, voice slightly pained. “If you lose all your lives, then you're dead. Like, permanently. It was a miracle we survived last time. I don’t know if the universe will let us come back this time.” The mood sombered. Lizzie simply stared as she processed what Grian had just said.

Then, suddenly, Scar clapped his hands together, startling the others out of their thoughts. “That’s exactly why you don’t want me to kill you, Lizzie,” he said. Suddenly, Grian had his arm caught in his grip and was pulling Scar into the trees. Scar stumbled along behind him, spluttering indignantly. Once they had reached the spot where Grian had left his horse, he shoved Scar up against a tree.

“This isn’t a game, Scar,” he growled. “Lizzie is a friend. And if she dies, she could die permanently. Don’t ever threaten people like that again. Our actions have actual consequences. This isn’t just some harmless scam you’re pulling. This is people’s lives, Scar. Do you not see how messed up that is?” Scar’s gaze hardened. “Grian, let me go. Now.” Grian didn’t move. “Grian,” Scar warned, much more firmly this time.

“Promise me,” Grian said, voice small and almost defeated. “Please, Scar. Promise you won’t pull a stunt like that.” “I promise,” Scar said. Grian didn’t notice the way he crossed his fingers as he spoke. Grian released his hold on Scar. Suddenly, Scar sprinted away and began untying Grian's horse from the tree. “What are you-” Grian said, but before he could finish the sentence, Scar was already galloping away.

Bdubs pressed his ear closer to the wall, listening for the tell-tale sound of lava. His brow furrowed, but then he pulled back. “This wall should be clear,” Bdubs said. “Who knows, maybe we’ll even get lucky and it’ll open into a cave.” Etho nodded silently, then gestured for Bdubs to move.

Bdubs stepped back as Etho raised his pick and brought it down on the rock face. A minute later, he had broken through the wall. He brushed away a few stray pieces of stone, and Bdubs tucked the item drops into his pocket. “Well, shall we see what’s on the other side?” Etho asked. Bdubs nodded, and slipped through the opening.

There was indeed a cave. Quickly, Bdubs propped a torch up against the wall, and scanned the area. He saw a few veins of iron and coal, but otherwise, nothing truly useful. “No diamonds in here,” he called back to Etho. “There’s some iron though if you want that.” “I think we’ve got bigger problems,” Etho said from right beside Bdubs. Bdubs jumped. “Geez,” he muttered. “How long were you standing there?” Then he noticed Etho was staring intently at a darkened corner of the cave.

Bdubs followed his gaze to see Tango and Skizz standing in the corner, hands on the hilts of their swords. “Oh, hey guys,” he greeted. “How long have you been in here?” “Couple hours,” Tango said evenly. “Stayed here once we heard you guys coming though. You might want to consider being more careful. After all, we only have so many lives.” Bdubs’ hand strayed towards his sword. “We do,” he said, a hint of threat creeping into his voice. “I would be pretty careful if I was you.”

Suddenly Etho broke in, trying to diffuse the tension. “So, how’s the resource gathering been going, gentlemen?” “Pretty good,” Skizz, still slightly cautious. “We found a couple of diamonds.” “Oh, really?” Etho said. Bdubs could practically see the gears turning behind his eyes. “How many?” “Four,” Skizz said with a shrug. “That means two each.”

Before anyone could blink, Tango was entangled in spider webs, another cobweb item floating in Etho’s hand. “Well, gentlemen, it’s wonderful that you’ve found some diamonds. But let me explain how this is gonna go,” the ninja said, calmly, tossing the cobweb from hand to hand. “One of us is the boogeyman. If you want to escape with your lives, you’ll hand over those diamonds.” “We don’t even know what the boogeyman is supposed to be,” Tango scoffed. “That’s hardly a threat.”

“Oh, I’m happy to explain,” Etho said. “You see, the boogeyman is someone randomly chosen by the server every nine days. And guess what? They get to kill people regardless of how many lives they have.” Bdubs felt sick. Etho was literally threatening to kill their friends. Did Etho know Bdubs was the boogeyman. If Bdubs really thought about it, his strategy was a good one. Someone on the server was allowed to kill, and no one knew who it was. Using that fact to get better resources was a good move. Bdubs tried desperately to ignore how vulnerable Tango was right now, how close at hand his sword was.

Skizz’s hand crept towards his sword. “Ah ah ah,” Etho warned. “There are two of us. One of you is trapped, and one of us is allowed to kill. I wouldn’t try anything Skizz.” Bdubs’ stomach began to turn. It would be so, so easy to kill Tango right now. He shoved the thought down.

“What’ll it be, gentlemen?” Etho said. Bdubs’ hand brushed over the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, he drew it, and Skizz and Tango flinched back. He cut the webs away from Tango. “Get out of here,” he ordered. Tango and Skizz didn’t protest, sprinting out of the cave. Bdubs watched them go. The headache from yesterday was returning. He ignored how feverish his skin felt, ignored the growing nausea in his stomach. He should have killed Tango.

Pearl added another layer of stone to the small platform she and Scott had made. He was a few blocks above her, scanning the nearby forest for any signs of other players. She glanced up, ready to ask him what he was seeing, but stopped when she saw his expression.

He was sitting despondent on the edge of the platform, twisting his crown between his hands, rubbing his thumb over the rim. The poppy he had picked earlier was sitting by his side, seemingly forgotten. What had happened between him and Jimmy earlier. Clearly they had been friends, at least once upon a time. But it was clear that wasn’t the case anymore, or at least Jimmy hadn’t wanted that to be the case. She watched as Scott’s fists curled around the crown. He looked as if he wanted to fling it away. But after a moment, he relaxed. Pearl sighed affectionately, and began clambering up the tower.

Before she reached the tower however, she heard the sound of horse hooves, and glanced down to see Scar riding a beautiful white horse. “Hey, Scar!” she called down. Scar startled, but then he too called down to Scar. “Hey guys!” Scar called up. “What’re you up too?” “Just a quick break,” Pearl said, dropping back down to the lower half of the platform. “Nice, nice,” Scar said. “Say, Pearl, I can’t help but notice you’re on your dark green life.”

“I am,” Pearl said, not missing the way Scott’s hand drifted to the bow slung across his back. “Well, that means you have a few lives to spare,” Scar said. “You know, we have a give life command now, so you can just transfer lives to each other.” “Oh, really?” Pearl said. “And I assume you want me to transfer you a life?”

“Well, of course,” Scar said. “But if you need some extra incentive, I’m also the boogeyman.” “What does that mean?” Scott asked warily. “It means I’m allowed to kill you.” Pearl froze. Casually, Scott unslung his bow. “Lot of good that does you,” he said. “It’s two versus one. Besides we’re up here and I have a bow.” Scar’s face fell. Then, they heard the sound of soft humming drifting across the clearing. A few minutes later, Jimmy appeared at the edge of the little field. Scar’s face lit up. “You may be safe but Jimmy’s not,” he said. “What?” Jimmy asked, startled by the sudden acknowledgement of his presence.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Scar greeted. “Have you heard of the wonderful give life command?” “I have actually,” Jimmy said, pleased. “I bumped into Grian earlier. He told me about it.” “Well, then, surely you already know how to use it,” Scar said. “I’m not giving you my life Scar,” Jimmy said. “Would it convince you if I told you that I’m the boogeyman?” Scar said, a bit of menace creeping into his voice. “I could just kill you if I wanted too.”

Pearl didn’t miss the way Scott instantly loaded an arrow and aimed it at Scar’s head. “I’m not giving you a life, Scar,” Jimmy said again, a bit more nervously this time. “‘Cause then I’ll be on my red life, and I really don’t think anyone wants that. I have a spyglass, though.” There was silence for a moment, but then Scar shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll accept that.” Jimmy tossed it to Scar, and scampered off as quickly as he could.

Pearl didn’t miss how Scott waited until both Jimmy and Scar were out of sight before he let himself relax.

Grian clambered up the hill to the enchanting table that marked spawn. He opened the book that lay in the center of the table, and smeared lapis dust across his sword. He began to speak the enchantment, but suddenly, he heard something hit the ground behind him. He whirled around, brandishing the sword but relaxed when he saw Etho.

“Man, Etho, we really need to put a bell on you,” he joked. “Please don’t” Etho said lightly. “That sounds like it’d be a nuisance.” “Yeah, but you couldn’t scare the rest of us half to death all the time.”

Etho rolled his eyes, and tossed a crafting table to the ground. “Bdubs, where are you?” he called down the hill. “I’m here, I’m here,” Bdubs complained, appearing as he spoke. “Cool,” Etho said. “You can get our stuff enchanted after Grian.” Bdubs nodded. “Tables free,” Grian said, resheathing his sword. “I see your resource gathering has been going well.” “Yeah,” Bdubs said, rubbing lapis across his and Etho’s swords. “Took us a while to find diamonds, but eventually we did.” “Nice,” Grian said. “What are you making, Etho?” “Jukebox,” Etho said, tossing the item to the ground as he did so. “Yeah, we found this really cool music disc earlier.”

Etho slipped the disc into the jukebox and eerie music began to echo throughout the night. “You know,” Etho said. “Whenever you hear this, someone’s about to die.” Grian burst out laughing. “Oh man,” Grian said. “Please tell me one of you is the boogeyman so we can make this happen.” “You’re correct,” Bdubs said.

Suddenly, a sword was slashing across Grian’s chest. “Wait what?” Grian said stumbling, fumbling to draw his own sword. Before he could do anything though, Bdubs made another thrust at him, piercing his shoulder. Grian turned tail and spirited away. He reached the edge of the river, and was about to jump into the water when a sword plunged into his back and through his chest.

Grian was slain by Bdoubleo100.

[keioseth]

The Gilded Hearts

Ey yous, ye yous wit da dumb look on yous face. It's Valentione's an love is in da air. But are yous alone dis Valentione's? Do yous got no one? Gonna spend da night at home, alone, cryin? Nah, don't worry, buddy. Da Gil Tribe's got your back. 'Cause comin' up, we's got a SPECIAL Fight Night. Just in time for Valentione's an all yous lonely hearts out dere.

Gilded Hearts offers somethin a little extra den just da glory an cheers a da crowd for winnin, see? Three of our best have offered demselves as da prizes dis time around. Win da fight, win a date! Dis is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Not every day yous get a chance ta go on a date wit someone from da Gil Tribe.

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

OOC: On the 21st, we will be hosting our fight night as normal, but with the additional incentive of offering a date with a member of the Gil Tribe to the winners! G'okudo, G'iltless, and G'uido are the available dates to fight for. Little bios about them are below, under the cut. If you wish to participate, please sign up for who you'd like to fight for, either by contacting one of us before the 21st, or on the day of. As usual, we'll be opening at 9 est and beginning fights at 10!

The winners of each date will be contacted and a time worked out. Don't expect anything actually romantic, though, and don't be weird. Like most Gil Tribe things, the dates will mostly be comedic little mini-events, just centered around one Gil Tribe member and the winning contestant.

Name: G’okudo Tia  Profession: Gil Father’s Right Hand Nickname: Kudo/Okudo

About:

Always-dapper G’okudo is the embodiment of Gil Tribe principles (or so he thinks). One of the Gilfather’s oldest friends, he now attempts (and fails) to rein in the new Gilfather's more rambunctious behaviors, while also acting as both aide and bodyguard if need be.

Ideal Date:

His ideal date would be a night out, a candlelit dinner at an expensive restaurant. Classic date material. ------

Name: G’iltless Monhi Profession: Goddess of the Gilded Stage Nickname: Gilt

About:

In the center of the Gilded Markets rests the Gilded Stage, and dancer G’iltless Monhi captures the hearts and minds of her audience through her skillful, sensual performances. But there’s far more to this young woman than meets the eye! In an official capacity, she’s a dancer, waitress, and occasional mixologist, but behind the scenes, she puts her plethora of other talents to good use.

Ideal Date:

This kind-hearted diva is ready for a night out on the town! Dinner, dancing, and if you're lucky, a kiss on the cheek could very well be in store for the end of the evening. Think you can keep up? Prove yourself in the pit!

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Name: G’uido (Hank Mcoy)

Profession: Bodyguard

Nickname: Guido

About:

G'uido was one of the first non-tribespeople that G'en hired once he took over as the Gil Father. His accepted the position within the Tribe because of G'en's want to better the neighborhood the Tribe controls rather than exploiting it. He has a kind heart, often bending over backwards to help all those he can. That said, do not cross this gentle giant, he is an expert at hand to hand fighting and more than willing to tear a head from it's shoulders.

Ideal Date:  "A visit to a museum or a place of learning is always nice or even a simple night under the stars. Something mellow and intellectual, I have both brain and brawn after all."

-----------

Name: G'iletta Vito

Profession: Underboss

Nickname: Letty/Letti

About:

Do you like beauty? Money? Power? Well, this terrifyingly shrewd woman will not only dazzle you with her intelligence, she'll enchant you with her alluring demeanor. Fight for your life to try and prove you're worthy of a date with the first female Underboss in Gil Tribe history! The Gilfather's second in command has decided to take time from her busy schedule just for you.

Ideal Date: Something nice. Classy. A fancy restaurant, maybe? A night out on the town. Treat her right. Or we’ll break your legs.