#but she's decided Forte gets a free pass

[fayeandknight]

Short clip of my coworker's girl, a dutch x acd, and Forte playing. He lets her set the pace of and isn't offended or put off that she's a vocal player. I often refer to their play as bumper Belgians.

It's super cute to watch them play because Forte frequently slows himself down to match her speed and waits for her to rejoin the game when she stops to hunt for stray kibble. She in turn is very tolerant of him being a gross/super sniffy boy.

[sissyndfw]

St. Patrick's Day Fun

I went out with my girlfriends last night to celebrate St. Patrick's day. We hit a club by my place in downtown Fort Worth and got kicked out at closing despite offering the bartender a blowjob, his loss. We walked back to my place empty handed since all the boys decided to drink to much. Allie and Sarah passed out on the couch and Leigha called an Uber. I walked her out when the car came. I saw it was a really cute black guy driving so I gave her a long kiss and slapped her ass as she got in, we really need to find another group of black guys to gangbang us I said out loud so the driver would hear. I watched them drive off, my little caged cock twitching to the thought of Leigha cumming on that guy's big black dick.

I walked back to the entrance of my building and realized I left my key and phone inside. Fuck, I thought to myself as I slid down the door and sat on the ground pulling my knees up to my chest. I could feel the cool night air on my ass cheeks as my mini skirt hiked up. I reached down and felt the wet spot on my thong where my little clitty had leaked some pre-cum from thinking about that Uber drivers bbc. I licked my finger tasting my own cum when I suddenly heard a guy ask if I was okay. I looked up to see a very cute muscular cowboy standing in front of me.

I explained what had happened and that I needed back into the building. He looked down at me and said, I would help you but how do I know you're not up to no good? I pushed my knees together and spread my feet so he could see my cute little neon green thong. I promise I'm a good gurl I explained as I licked my finger and then reached down rubbing my boipussy. I could see his bulge building in his jeans as I reached up to touch it. Maybe I can do something for you if you help me out I offered.

He pulled me to my feet and pushed me back against the door, he started kissing me, I bit and sucked his lower lip as I moaned, mmm. My girlfriend got drunk and was acting stupid so I took her home he explained, maybe we can help each other as he placed my hand on his throbbing bulge. Sounds like she fucked up I replied as I rubbed him through his jeans. I know a great spot inside the entrance I said as he opened the door for me. I pulled him by the hand as I made my way around the elevator to the emergency stair case, my heels clacking on the tile.

I shoved him up against the wall and popped his belt buckle free, wow, you're good at that he exclaimed. This is Texas and I love sucking cock, I replied. Ohh fuck, I gasped as I undid his pants and pulled his massive cock out. I couldn't even get my hand all the way around it and it wasn't even hard yet. I kissed him and then looked down at his heavy cock in my hands, that's not going to fit in my mouth sir, I said in a slutty voice.

I dropped down and held his thick cock in front of my face. His big round tip was bright pink, he had the most beautiful cock I've ever seen. I wrapped my lips around his cock head and started sucking as I pulled his shaft toward me. I lifted his cock and dropped it on my face as I licked his big swollen balls, so full of cum I thought as I licked my way up the bottom of his shaft to the tip. I pressed my mouth around his big cock as he slid into my stretched mouth hitting the back of my throat. That was as deep as it would go, so I held him there and rubbed the bottom of his dick with my tongue. He grabbed the base off his dick and pushed forward causing his cock to stiffen and throb in my mouth. I couldn't belive how fucking big this guy was as his cock swelled up inside my mouth. It made my jaw hurt. I slid my mouth off his cock, drool running down my chin. He held it there in front of me as I admired his beautiful pink tip and veiny shaft.

I want you to fuck me, I said as I stared at his shiny cock covered in my thick saliva. I stood and walked over to the stair rail pulling the cowboy behind me by his cock. I lifted my skirt and pulled my thong to the side. I spit in my hand and smeared it right into my asshole, I pulled his fat cock and pressed the tip against my tight little sissy asshole. I arched my back and pressed back as he slid into me. Ohh fuck I cried out and I moved back and forth on the tip of his dick. It was stretching my tight little ass so much. I reached between my legs and caught the wet spit that was trying to escape and rubbed it around his rock hard cock as I pulled him further into me.

I braced myself on the railing as he grabbed my hips with his strong hands and slid balls deep into my boipussy. He thrusted against my ass driving that big tip of his to areas I didn't know existed. My eyes rolled back as my little caged cock started squirting into my panties. He held my hips tight as he continued to thrust balls deep giving me the biggest orgasm I've ever had. I was crying out at this point, ohh fuck, ohh fuck, your cock is so deep, fuck me, I want you to fuck me, please Mr. Cowboy I begged and arched my ass up as high as I could.

His grip tightened on my hips as he pulled back and then slammed his massive cock into my eager asshole, I went limp as he drove into my skinny ass, pounding the fuck out of me. His huge balls were slapping into me turning me into a complete sissy bitch. My balls retreated inside causing my cage to fall off and my limp little clit flopped around, a stream of cum leaking out as I was having one big orgasm that wouldn't stop.

He pulled his giant cock free, and aimed it at my wide open gaping asshole. I felt a massive blast of cum hit my stretched hole as he plowed back into me pumping me full of hot cum. With every thrust huge amounts of cum would leak out around his cock and run down my legs. I could hear myself breathing so hard, I moaned out, ohh fuck as I tried to squeeze his cock with my ass but I had no control at this point.

He pulled out of me followed by a river of cum pouring out all over the floor. I turned to sit on the steps because I could no longer stand and looked up at him, that was fucking amazing, cowboy, I exclaimed. He stood there with his big fucking dick covered in cum. A big thick drop hanging from the tip. I stuck out my tongue and licked it from his cock, mmm, that tastes good I said. His cock was still throbbing hard and I opened wide as he grabbed my head and slid his creamy cock into my mouth.

Mmph, mmph, mmph, he thrusted into my mouth. His big pink tip leaking cum across my tongue as he thrusted in and out. I reached up and grabbed the base of his cock with one hand and wrapped my other hand around his veiny shaft. He held my head as he face fucked me, thick drool pouring out of my mouth and all over my limp dick. I felt his balls tighten as he asked, are you ready for another load? I just moaned louder, mmph, mmph, mmph as he thrusted harder. His cock surged as a huge blast of cum filled my mouth, I tried to swallow but it was way too much as cum sprayed out of my mouth and all over me. I gulped as another stream of cum flooded into my mouth, this time getting most of it down my throat. I pushed forward letting his tip hit my throat as the next 5 big squirts went right into my tummy, filling me up. He pulled out of my mouth and grabbed the base of his cock thrusting one final cum shot onto my face. He picked my panties up, which had managed to come off somehow during this whole ordeal, and used them to clean his cock off. He tossed them at me as he zipped up his pants and walked off saying, that was fun, maybe we can do it again sometime.

[littledollll]

Can I please request a Larissa x English teacher reader. R has mental health issues and had a habit of isolating themselves when it gets bad but because of having Larissa they haven't done this in a few yea

R ends up having a really bad week (they overheard students or teachers making fun of them/their teaching) because of this they end up isolating for a few weeks causing people to be really concerned.

Larissa eventually finds r hiding in a fort they made in an abandoned part of the school with a pile of books they've been using to escape their thoughts.

Ends with Larissa comforting r while they explain what's been happening with them and Larissa tells them how perfect they are and that they are valuable and that she loves them?

Comfort crowd

Larissa weems x teacher!reader

A/n: Im so sorry this took so long, writers block is kicking my ass recently Omg. I kinda like this though and I hope you do too! Thank you for your request.

Warnings: self isolation, students being little shits (but they love u) idk what else.

Mental health had always been an issue for you, something you’ve learned to handle over the years but Larissa had never seen you like this. One of the many reasons you fell inlove with her was because of how she made all your problems feel so much lighter, you felt safe and understood by her and she was always more than happy to help and support you through anything.

Lately it’s been getting worse. The pressure around you was too much and the new batch of students this year really did a number on you. They were impossible to deal with, and you’ve overheard them openly complain about you and your class. It’s never unusual for students to complain but never had it felt so personal, they were directly criticizing the class.

At first you ignored it, you kept showing and doing your classes but the more tired you seemed the more they decided to misbehave and make class impossible. It felt like they were directly trying to upset you, round of applause for them because it worked. One day you just stopped showing up.

At first the students were happy, who doesn’t love a free hour? But as the days passed they started getting concerned, they never really hated you all that much, but it was fun to mess around and not get work done, and maybe have a laugh whenever you were visibly frustrated. After a week of not hearing from you they came to Larissa about it.

She mentioned she was already aware and currently searching for you since you stopped meeting with her for your usually lunches together and date nights.

It wasn’t long before she found you, hidden away in the old and abandoned music room, the lights worked but barely. You had a comfortable little spot set up, books everywhere, a kind of fort sent up with the chairs in the room effectively hiding you from anyone who didn’t look too close. There wasn’t much around you but it was clear this is where you had been for the past week.

Larissa didn’t want to disturb the peace you had created for yourself, but she was concerned never had she seen you run away, much less completely disappear. Yes sometimes you’d take days off and keep the rest of the world out but back then you still let her in, so what happened that caused you to shut her out too?

Her hand raised and she knocked on one of the chairs announcing her presence, snapping you out of your concentration as you sat on the floor reading one of the many books with you.

“You’ve built yourself quite the hideaway.” Larissa was first to speak, you were met with that trademark beautiful and comforting smile only she seemed seemed to have. Nodding, you have her a sad smile back, though in your eyes she saw relief at the sight of her.

She looked to the space next to you, silently asking to be let in to your little comfort bubble, again you nodded, and as soon as she sat down her hands cupped your face, trying to get a good look at you, you hummed, leaning into the warmth of your touch.

“What happened, my love?” The dreaded question. How could you tell her the job and kids she loved so much were eating away at you. Draining you until you simply couldn’t show face. “The students were asking about you, some made their way to your room trying to check up on you as well.”

“They sure didn’t act like they cared how I was when I was present, they don’t care for the class and certainly don’t respect me, I hate to admit how much it got to me.” You sounded bitter, but more than that just hurt. She only pulled her hands away from you to wrap you in a hug, which you happily sank into, God you missed her.

“Why didn’t you tell me if they were acting up?” you sighed and hid into her chest. “What kind of teacher can’t get their room in control so bad they need to call in the principal.”

“Oh many, most of them really! If they aren’t rude and tough from the get-go the students will drive them insane. You are not the first and will not be the last. But they have no real intent to hurt you, I promise you that. I can’t tell you the amount of students who started asking about you on day two of your secret hideaway.”

You looked at her questioningly. Was she being serious? She gave you a nod and continued. “They trust you. They talk to and about you like you’re a friend, sometimes that causes issues, there’s a line that they cross alot. And when you act like more of a teacher than their friend it makes them upset. They’ll get used to it, and we will talk to them.”

“Riss, they make me feel like any attempt I do at doing my job is horrible. How come no other teachers have this problem if it’s so common?” You countered with a sigh.

“Some of them are, some of them did and their solution was to cut being friendly and start being overly strict, and with that you get the issue of being the class after the strict teacher. They get to talk more, have a little more freedom and it makes them lose control.”

You do remember hearing them complain about how the biology teacher would take away points, quote “any time we breathe too loud”. You always thought teachers like that were horrible.

“You are doing nothing wrong, my love. They need to learn control and respect and we will work on that together. You are an extremely valuable member of this school, to staff, to your students and most of all to me. You don’t need to hide from me darling, I’m here to help, support and love you. Allow me to do so.”

And just like that Larissa Weems yet again, made all your problems feel lighter. You didn’t have to handle anything alone, not as long as she was here.

[my-little-loverboy]

I had to restart his save since it got corrupted- which means it’s time for a new ref!!

I’ve committed to the fact that this man dresses like an 80s dad in any modern au.

Tries very hard to read as the ideal paladin, good morals, strong sense of justice n what have you. He is unfortunately full of trauma and identity issues, fear of his god is a HUGE THING and breaking his oath accidentally is a perpetual anxiety too.

I’ve also decided he has the shittiest, patchy ass beard. Usually he’s clean shaven bc he doesn’t like having facial hair but he’s not quite adept enough with a dagger to shave with one and tries exactly once to shave (failing miserably, much to Astarion’s entertainment) before giving up until act 3 when he buys himself a new razor.

I really should draw him holding the blood of lathander more but that mf is agonizing to draw man there are, so many layers to it.

I finally remembered to draw his glasses on his ref, yippee.

I’m making him an actual dnd character sheet so I’ll probably attach that once it’s done

I’m side tracked I’m supposed to be talking about his lore huh

Whoops

Anyway, tw for abandoment (passing mention) emotional abuse, death (of a parent + en masse,) mental illness that’s being ignored, chronic pain and illness (also being ignored until he can’t)

His actual like- lore lore is below the break.

Born in the underdark, his mom fucked off with him bc the underdark isn’t a great place to live generally speaking, and she had the means. His dad decided last minute to stay in the underdark.

Taken in by the temple of lathander in elturel bc his mother was chronically ill and not expecting or able to be making this kind of journey on her own with a very small child. Ended up being moved from the temple to a hospital after it was determined that she probably wasn’t getting better.

Charlie ended up being mostly raised by the temple, went to school there and was taught how to read and write + basic math. But spent most of his free time working to pay for his mother’s (and soon his own) medication.

Turns out the of the myriad of issues his mother delt with (migraines, persistent nausea and dizziness, chronic joint issues) were genetic, so by time he hit puberty he was working his ass off to pay for it.

You may ask me “cake, didn’t that aggravate his joint issues?” Yes. Badly. He was not given any other options, the fact that they were alive at all was a godsend (I use the word godsend intentionally, he believes, strongly, that lathander is keeping him alive for some reason beyond his understanding, that is the root of his devotion.)

Did you order mommy issues? Hope so bc he has them in spades. You can only be hear your dying mom say she regrets saving you life as a literal toddler so many times before it starts fucking you up, and she said it (and other delightful(/sarc) things) plenty in the months leading up to when she died.

Shortly after her death, and suddenly needing to work way less (his medication was significantly cheaper than his mothers) he devoted himself to the temple, and was eventually approached bc some kids he went to school with to see if he wanted to join their little class thing. The temple liked to train their folks in groups of 4, in hopes of building strong teams should they choose to stay together.

He agreed, and found out that the temple would pay for his medication in exchange for dedicating himself fully to his training and his studies (and occasionally them using him as a scout, being small, naturally stealthy, and decently quick had its advantages.)

Took his oath with one of the other people he was trained alongside when he was 17, and they were collectively sent to continue their training at the nearby Fort Morninglord.

Things were solid, until he was sent along with a group of seniors to Baldurs Gate as a sort of test to see how he would do on a longer mission before officially joining the Order of the Aster.

He did well, all things considered. Unfortunately between him leaving and returning is when Fort Morninglord got eaten by the shadowfell for some reason. (That’s a canon event btw)

So, with all his friends presumably dead, maybe worse, and all his shit left inside a heavily guarded, very cursed fort. He did the reasonable thing, and fucked right off.

He ended up joining one of the seniors he went to Baldur’s Gate with in going to Waterdeep, while they didn’t particularly need another paladin. The temple of lathander in Waterdeep accepted them both until they were able to find stable employment.

Charlie mainly did small jobs for merchants, working as a guard for high value stuff, moving cargo on/off boats, mostly physical labour. It didn’t pay particularly well, but he could afford a little room above a tavern, and his medication.

That’s where he was, and how he lived for almost 130 years until he got wormed.

May or may not be blindly devoted to Lathander bc of… all that. literally any bad thing to occur to him is swiftly written off as a test of his faith, surprising to damn near everyone he is not one for converting people. (He definitely reads like he would though, it’s the theology special interest, there are few gods he won’t speak extensively on. He just defaults to lathander)

Fr though? Having trouble finding a god to worship? Ask him, he will give you an answer or more accurately- a list.

Yknow when you sprinkle random facts into your characters to make them less flat? Yeah my man collects maps, particularly outdated ones.

The only reason he’s not fucked post-worm is bc it fends off the worst of his usual symptoms. He has conflicted feelings about it (on one hand, being able to put honey in his coffee and not feel like his brain is exploding is nice, on the other, what the fuck what the fuck what the fuck.)

Post game he is left in a… state. He’s gotten used to life with less pain and is absolutely bedridden for a WHILE bc suddenly he’s being hit with his usual pain n symptoms but he’s not used to it anymore so it’s absolutely destroying him.

[hugsandchaos]

Takes place in an AU that now, thanks to the lovely @leefl00f, has a name; Earthbound AU! Credit to @leefl00f for the ideas for both this scenario and the name of the AU!! Thank you so much!!

J picked up another chair and walked over to Tessa’s bed. The chair nearly covered her view, but she was able to see around it thanks to the dim lights of the few night lights decorated around her destination. One of the night lights was a rainbow, that did indeed give off multicolored light, and another was a soft yellow duckling. The third was shaped as a sun and gave off the most light. She stopped in front of the foot of the bed and glanced over at Tessa, who was pulling a folded blanket out from one of her drawers, one that was dark blue with yellow stars. She squinted her eyes slightly and hummed.”A little bit closer, please.” She said. J took a single step closer to the bed. Tessa smiled and nodded.”That’s perfect!” She said.

J smiled and set the chair down just as V came over with a second chair, which she placed to the opposite side of J’s chair while still at the foot of the bed.”Should we use books to hold the blanket down?” V suggested. Tessa finally got the blanket out and began unfolding it, but slowly incase she needed the blanket partly folded for when they use it as a roof for their fort.”That’s a great idea!” Tessa agreed. Once she decided to leave the blanket folded only once, Cyn grabbed one end of the blanket and Tessa moved her hands to hold the other. J and V moved out of the way as they both walked to the bed and chairs, setting one end of the blanket on the bed and the other end on the seat of the chairs. The corners and sides of the blanket slipped and fell off one of the chairs and nearly brought the rest down with it, but Cyn and Tessa still had their grips on it. V began walking towards the door to leave Tessa’s bedroom.”I’ll go to the library and see what I can find.” She said.

Cyn turned her head to V as she moved closer to the door.”Wait, I have an idea.” She said. V stopped and turned around. Knowing that she now had her attention, Cyn voiced her request.“Can you ask N if he wants to join?” She asked. J turned her head to Cyn with a look of slight surprise.

N wasn’t exactly rude or anything, but he was a very odd worker drone. The most obvious examples of this were his height, tail, and how his legs and arms were built compared to literally everyone else. Ever since his arrival, when James brought him into the manor after going out for a walk, N has also acted strangely, with an aura that seemed to follow him everywhere he went that said “Don’t get too close”. Cyn noticed J’s expression and immediately continued speaking to defend him.”He’s not so bad. He’s actually really nice!” She said. She looked back at V. Some who don’t know Cyn might not understand it since her expressions often look the same to newcomers, but V could tell it was a hopeful one.

Truth be told, they were all trying to get along with N, and Cyn had been spending a lot of her free time trying to bond with him. Even though it was a bit difficult since he was mainly nocturnal. Anyways, now that she thought about it, V agreed that this could be an opportunity for everyone to get to know him.“Sure, I’ll ask him.” She said. Cyn’s smile grew wider and her fangs were now visible.”Thank you.” She said. V smiled back and waved them bye as she left the room.

V walked down the dimly lit hallways and was fairly surprised, but also not surprised at the severe lack of other drones that would usually be moving through nearly every hall. It was rare for the manor to be so quiet and empty feeling, but that wasn’t saying it was terrible. Louisa and James had gone out to catch their flight for a business meeting that would last about a week, so many of the worker drones were taking the time off and were probably in bed by now. Of course, some of them still made sure to keep the place clean and tidy. After all, who likes a dirty space?

As she passed a window, she paused and took a moment to appreciate the last bit of light from the sun before it vanished from beneath the horizon. After that, V continued down the hall and took a left to enter the library. She turned on the light switch and the entire library immediately lit up. The red carpet split into three different directions — forward, left, and right. V knew where to find the bigger books and continued straight, passing under signs such as “ACTION”, “MYSTERY”, “THRILLER”, “HORROR”, and more. Once she reached the “HISTORY” sign, she took a right towards the many shelves. It was usually the history and literary books that were the biggest, so she’d definitely find some books heavy enough to hold the blanket in place nearby. If those two didn’t work, she’d move onto the biology section since she’s spotted a few very big books containing tons of information about prehistoric life there. Very quickly, however, V found the first of the four heavy books she’d need. The only problem was it might be a bit too high for her to reach and she didn’t see the ladder anywhere.

V reached her arms up, but it didn’t work. She stretched even higher and used one arm to grab the shelf the book was on, but the other could barely touch the book. Even when she stood onto her “toes” and slightly groaned from how much she was trying, she still couldn’t do anything more than grace her fingers across it in poor attempts to get a grip and pull it closer. Finally, she let herself stand normally again and let out a frustrated sigh as she began to turn around.”Where is the ladd—!!” V cut herself off with a startled yelp when she saw N standing next to her. N took a short step back away from her and looked surprised himself before quickly calming back down. V also calmed down and smiled, relieved that it was only him and not some intruder.”It’s just you, N. You came out of nowhere!” She said. N didn’t give her a verbal response and his expression didn’t really change. Instead, he simply took a step closer and reached up to the book she had been trying to grab. He didn’t have too much trouble as he pulled it off the shelf with one hand and offered it to her. She had to hold it with two hands since it was a little heavy.”Oh, thank you!” V said. N simply nodded and turned around to begin walking away.

V instantly remembered Cyn’s request and continued talking to stop him.”Oh, since you’re here, I have a question.” She said. N stopped and turned around.”We’re building a pillow fort and wanted to know if you wanted to join. I’m sure it’ll be fun!” She said. The odd drone looked at her confused, as if he didn’t understand what she just said. After a few seconds, she elaborated.“A pillow fort. You know, when you build something out of pillows and sometimes blankets?” She said.

N still looked confused, but nodded in agreement.”Great! We need three more books to hold the blankets down, so let’s go find some.” V said. As she started walking down the aisle to find three more, N turned back around and sprinted off. V was confused for a second, but assumed that he was just doing what she requested and was going to get another book. She smiled to herself as she continued slowly walking down the aisle of shelves, scanning them carefully for a book about as big as the one she held. She was happy to soon find another one at a shelf she could reach and picked it up, placing it on top of the one already in her arms. When she turned back, N was there again and holding two books that looked around the same size.”That was fast.” V commented. She walked past him and smiled.”Come on, let’s head to Tessa’s room.” She said.

N followed her out of the library and into the hallway. As they walked hall, V noticed how uneasy he appeared. His digital yellow eyes were slightly wide and remained fixated on what was ahead, as if he was expecting something to jump out. This was a small issue with many new drones who come into the manor; they’re sometimes scared and anxious. V certainly was. She remembered what it was like for her, and that made her determined to help N feel comfortable as well. She didn’t like the way he backed away and glared at her when they first met.

“Read any good books recently?” She asked to try to ease the tension. N briefly glanced at her, then at the floor, and then shook his head and looked forward. They took a turn towards Tessa’s bedroom.”Maybe I could recommend one for you if you want.” She offered. N waited a bit before nodding again.”Alright. After this, how about we go back to the library and see what you might like?” V asked. N once again nodded. For a split second, V thought she saw a small smile begin to creep its way onto his face, but it vanished before it had fully formed. Knowing this was a small step in a good direction, she smiled at him.”It’s a plan then.” She said.

V entered the room first and immediately noticed the change that had occurred while she was gone. There were two more chairs, the seats facing the opposite of the first two chairs and placed paralleled with the first ones. A second large blanket was draped over the backs of the chairs and remained in place, and was big enough to hang a few inches next to the seats of the second pair of chairs, and probably the first chairs as well. The height of the new addition looked twice of that of what V had seen before leaving. Before N entered the room, he paused just before the doorway, glancing between all four of them. V stopped walking when she noticed him freeze and turned to him.”What’s wrong?” She asked. N was silent for a bit before shaking his head and walking into the room with her, which was even more confusing. Still, V walked in and smiled as J, Cyn, and Tessa finally noticed them. Cyn’s smile seemed to grow bigger when she saw them come into the room.”How nice of you to join us, N!” Tessa said. N gave them a small wave in return. He glanced at the fort and his expression shifted to one of confusion. V walked over to the bed on the left side and placed one of the books on something.”You three added more to the fort while I was gone?” She asked.

“Yeah! That way, we have a bigger section for games and the smaller one can be for anyone who wants to just relax and enjoy a bit of quiet time!” Tessa explained, pointing at the different sections as she spoke. J picked up a pillow from Tessa’s bed and walked over to the entrance, where Cyn was sitting down.”As quiet as they can get, at least.” She bent down and handed it to Cyn, who turned around and crawled into the blanket fort with it. N walked silently past J and moved to the other side of the bed, watching and copying V’s actions with the books he had been carrying. Now the books held all four corners of the blanket on the bed and the seat of the first two chairs.”Thank you.” V said. N nodded and moved out of the way as J grabbed the last remaining pillow from the bed and handed it to Tessa, who took it and crawled inside as Cyn came out.”We’re almost done!” She cheered.”We just need a few more pillows.” She said.

“J and I will take care of that.” Cyn said. J nodded in agreement and they both left the room to go to one of the closest holding spare pillows and blankets down the hall. N looked at the fort again and glanced back at V.”Come on, let’s go see the inside!” She said before moving to the front of the fort and lifting the blanket slightly to get inside. N slowly walked to the front and looked down hesitantly. After a few seconds of inner debating, he crawled inside.

He sat next to the chair to his left, out of the way of the others and the entrance. The inside of the fort was... new to him. Inside, there was an odd glowing thing he believed was a “duck night light” illuminating the space and multiple pillows lining the edges of the walls, all similar, but still slightly different colors and patterns. The blanket hanging from that chair to the other to make a wall barely touched his back, so no one freaked out and thought he would accidentally cause it to fall down. Everything looked so... comfy? It felt almost unreal to him. Tessa clapped her hands and slightly startled N from his thoughts.”Once J and Cyn get back, we’re all going to play a game!” She said. V scooted next to N as Tessa crawled to the other section of the fort, which was surprisingly split into two by a third blanket, folded and hooked around the spaces between the chairs’ backs.”Have you really never seen a pillow fort?” V asked, trying to keep the worry from her tone. N shook his head and glanced at the plushies on the floor.”We never even had pillows. Or blankets.” He whispered. That wasn’t what V was expecting. Sure, some humans were bad enough to not allow their workers to have proper living space sometimes, but to go their whole life not having one or the other? N pointed at a nearby golden retriever plushie.”Or whatever those things are.” He added in a hushed tone.

“Those are plushies. They’re originally made for kids, but it’s not unheard of for adults to have them.” V explained. She picked it up and held it as if showing it to him, even though he’s already seen it.”They’re very soft.” She said. N slowly lifted his hand and touched it on the head, and once he did, he seemed to calm down a little and nodded in agreement. Before V could say anything else, Tessa came back with a cardboard box. She placed it in the middle of the fort.“This is an old board game called The Game Of Life, from the early 2000’s! Would you like to play?” Tessa asked. N shook his head. V was a little saddened that she had only gotten him to talk for a short bit, but at least she had finally heard his voice. She was happy about that. She smiled and set the plushie down.”I’ll play.” She said.

N turned his head to outside the fort just before the three of them heard the door open and close. He slowly lifted the blanket and saw J and Cyn returning with the last pillows needed for the fort.”Did we miss anything?” Cyn asked as she climbed inside, mumbling the word “crawl” to herself. V shook her head as J soon followed Cyn into the second section.”No, we were going to wait for you two.” She said.

“Do you two want to play The Game Of Life?” Tessa asked. Pretty soon, the two came back and took their seats; N and V on the left side of the fort, Tessa and Cyn on the right side, and J sitting in front of the entrance to the other section. Now that everyone was there, N would be lying if he said he wasn’t starting to feel a little claustrophobic since he still wasn’t entirely comfortable around them, but he still wanted to see what was so fun about it.”Yes!” Cyn replied. She already knew which character she’d pick.”Yeah, I’ll play.” J agreed. Tessa opened the box, and after setting the board out on the floor and everyone got their characters, the game started.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“Again?!” J asked angrily. Cyn and Tessa both had their mouths covered and fought to surprise the urge to laugh at their friend’s dramatic reaction at landing on yet another tax space.”Why me?!” She asked. N looked slightly uncomfortable with her outbursts, but still stayed and said nothing. He could understand why she was upset, anyways. V, however, accidentally let a few giggles slip out. J glared at her.“Are you laughing at me?!” She asked.

“Snrk — No! No, I wasn’t laughing!” V said, smiling almost uncontrollably. J grabbed a pillow from right next to her and crawled outside of the fort, careful not to mess up the board.”Grab a pillow, V!” She said as she left. Tessa and Cyn looked at V.”Oh, you’re dead.” Tessa said. N’s eyes widened and he turned to V as she grabbed a nearby pillow.”Yeah, I know.” She said. Before she could leave, N reached an arm up in front of her and urged her to sit back down. V raised an eyebrow in confusion.”What are you doing?” She asked, but N didn’t move his arm or respond.”Can you please put your arm down so J and I can have our pillow fight?” She asked. N looked at her confused.

“Pillow fight. You know, you just hit each other with pillows, but not hard enough to do actual damage, just irritation.” V said. N stared at her for a few seconds before putting his arm down to let her go outside. V took the pillow and crawled outside, and N glanced over at Cyn and Tessa.”This happens sometimes, it’s harmless.” Cyn said, sensing N’s slight discomfort at the idea of an actual fight. Tessa, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to this as she grabbed a nearby pillow with a big smile of her face.”Have at thee!” She cried as she rushed out of the fort. Cyn looked at her slightly disappointed.”Some people are just a little competitive.” She said. They both soon heard grunting and the sound of pillows striking each other from outside the fort.

“Apologize!” J demanded. The following soft thud gave the impression that she just hit V with her pillow.

“I did!” V said.

“Apologize again!” J said.

“Surrender, villain!” Tessa chimed in, presumably going for J judging by the repetitive pillow strikes and J telling her to stop.

“Yeah, get her, Tessa! Ow! Wait, you’re supposed to be on my side!” V said.

“I’m on my own side, V!”

After a moment or two of pillow fighting, Cyn sighed and used her solver to pick up a pillow.”If you can’t beat them, join them.” She said. With that, she left the fort to also join the fight, leaving N to think.

He thought about what he’s done leading up to this point and what he should do next. These people have been surprisingly nice and understanding of something they didn’t even understand, even when he was very rude and lashed out at them for getting too close. He hadn’t been forced into any terrible training or sparring matches, but was instead often asked to do favors when he was awake, such as helping to put tables away for example. N wasn’t sure what exactly to think of everything happening, but it seemed to be safe. At least, compared to back at the facility. The only real threats seemed to be Louisa and the heat of this planet, and he could handle both of those problems. Listening to the others fight outside — the mixture of light thumps, giggles, and half hearted threats — N started to want to join them. It sounded a lot like wrestling or play fights, but on a softer level than even them. Slowly, he lifted the blanket to peek outside the fort.

J was using herself to shield Tessa from Cyn, who used the solver to pick up two pillows and throw them at the two. V was hiding under a desk and using her own pillow as a barrier, peeking out with a nervous, but also happy look. N let the blanket fall back down and looked at the pillows inside the fort. Should he join? How would he ask? And most importantly; how much strength should he use? The last thing he wanted was to accidentally ruin the fun by causing serious harm. N grabbed the pillow and peeked out again. J had grabbed one of the pulled Cyn threw and lightly smacked her with it.

Just enough to cause irritation.

N had made his decision, but he wasn’t going to strike just yet. He was going to do the same thing he’s been doing all along; watch and wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~

J stood in front of the other three proudly, holding her pillow at the fallen drones and human like a sword.”Anyone want to try facing me again?” She asked smugly. Cyn opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped when she noticed something. Behind J, N slowly crawled out of the pillow fort with a pillow in his hand. He noticed Cyn looking at him and put a finger up to his mouth with a small smile. Cyn nodded and looked back up at J.”I won’t.” She said, admitting defeat. Tessa shook her head and also noticed N creeping up behind the supposed winner, not making a single sound as he walked. She knew immediately what she had to do and played along.”No, I think you’ve beaten me this time.” She said. J glanced at V, who also caught on to what was happening. By now, N was almost right behind her.”You’ve beaten me, too.” She said, holding her hands up in surrender.

J let out a small laugh.”Looks like I win.” She said. N raised the pillow with one hand and tapped J on the shoulder. J hummed in confusion and calmly turned around, thinking someone had come in without her noticing. Instead, she saw N standing very close with a pillow in his other hand. Before she could lift her pillow up in defense, N had already hit her on the head with it. The whole thing caught her off guard and made her stumble a bit, but before she could recover, she tripped over Tessa’s foot and fell down on top of her. N’s face changed from slight mischief to surprise and leaned closer, looking pretty worried. Tessa soon started laughing and hugged J before she could get up, but that didn’t stop J from looking at him pretty surprised.”Where did you come from?!” She asked. N blinked and his shoulders shook a bit as he closed his eyes, like he was trying not to laugh. J fought in Tessa’s hold.”You dare laugh at me?! Tessa, let me go! This is war!” She said. Tessa couldn’t hold her for long, especially while laughing with V and Cyn, so J soon got out and picked up the pillow she had dropped during her fall.

She quickly started hitting N with the pillow repeatedly, but N appeared almost unbothered by it, simply trying to swat at her pillow and protect himself. He had stopped laughing, but still held back a smile the best he could. Despite it, though, the corners of his mouth twitched upwards multiple times. The entire time, the stinger on his tail would occasionally flick rapidly from side to side, almost like a dog wagging its tail. Soon enough, he dropped his pillow.”Ha! You’ve dropped your weapon! Admit defeat!” J shouted, holding her pillow up near his neck with both arms as if it was an actual weapon. N covered his mouth with one hand, definitely smiling now, and nodded. J gave him one last smack to the arm for good measure.”Good. Remember, I’m the pillow fight champion!” She declared. N nodded again and J set the pillow down.

V stood up and helped Cyn up.”Now that we’re done, how about we watch MLP?” She suggested. Tessa gasped and clapped her hands in excitement.”Yes!! I’ll go get it started! V, you go get the batteries!” She said, and before anyone could say more, she had sprinted out of the room to go find her father’s laptop. N raised an eyebrow and glanced between them.”I will explain it.” V said as she began to walk out of the room. N followed her.

As soon as they left, Cyn looked at J with a smile.”See? I told you he’s not that bad.” She said.

[spicysix]

long story short (part 2/3) | eddie munson X reader

this fic is part of a series: masterlist

summary: “I’ve thought about you every day.” He whispered, his eyes were deep into yours. “For five months?” You doubted. “For five months.” He stated. “I’ve thought about your laugh. About your eyes. Your cheer uniform.” He smirked, and you rolled your eyes with a smile before he went serious again. “Your kiss…”

warnings: fem!reader - no physical description. no use of y/n. post s4 - canon divergence. spoilers, i guess: max is not in a coma and eleven killed vecna and closed the portals because i said so. angst with a happy ending.

word count: 3.3k

a/n: is it considered a slow burn if they've kissed before? 👀 i'm sorry i'm too wordy on this. this is not betaed! english is not my first language. if there are any absurd mistakes please let me know. if you enjoy, please reblog and comment! 💞 this story also has a playlist!

day five

08:31 a.m. You felt like absolute shit.

The promise you’ve made to Eddie had been broken. And it obviously wasn’t even your choice.

After Eddie woke up and the officers called the doctors, you stayed on the hallway paying attention to everything you could hear through the almost-closed door. Wayne also passed you some information after it was over. But Eddie had been in pain, of course, he was basically eaten alive by interdimensional bats, and after being assessed by the doctor - Eddie would stay one more day in ICU and then be transferred to a normal room - the painkillers made him sleep again.

You even stayed longer than that, past sunrise waiting for him to wake up so you could talk again, but then Hopper showed up with the police this time to explain Eddie’s… criminal circumstances. And you wanted to stay until after they’ve cleared his room, but Hop told you your mom was waiting for you back in the hotel and that it was indispensable that you be there as soon as you could.

So you went, of course.

And you couldn’t come back to the hospital because your mom simply rented your ears off (and Will’s, and Jonathan’s, and Eleven’s) to explain that she and Hopper were now a thing - wow, shocking! - and you would all move in together (talk about fast pacing). She asked Jonathan to take the kids to the Wheeler’s and to make sure they were safe at all times. And she took you on a race to find a house that rose up to hers and Hopper’s expectations.

And that took you both three whole fucking days. Because after seeing a few houses in Hawkins on day one, your mom decided she actually didn’t want to stay in Hawkins anymore and move to Fort Wayne instead (it was still close to and bigger than Hawkins, but not nearly as big as Indianapolis). And then you had to stay with the kids on day two, allowing Jonathan to spend time with his girlfriend, while your mom and Hopper found the perfect house. And on day three, as Hop came back to work, you went with her to Fort Wayne to close the deal on the house.

Yeah, that was exhausting.

When you were finally free to come see Eddie again, you had to get his new room number with Dustin, and you bought chocolates and flowers to bring with you. You hoped he liked chocolates. And flowers. And you hoped he wasn’t too mad at you.

As you reached his floor, there was now only one officer guarding his room. And he said that more than one person was allowed now. Wayne was in there already, of course, and Eddie was asleep.

Standing by the door, you greeted mister Munson and he turned to you at the sound of your voice. “Oh hello. There’s his angel.”

“His what now?” You asked and he chuckled.

“He keeps saying you’re his guarding angel who woke him up to ‘see the light of life again’.” Wayne made air quotes. “Both me and that curly kid tried telling him you were very much real, but he wouldn’t take it because you’ve promised you would come back to see him. And you hadn’t.” His expression wasn’t exactly stern, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either.

The guilt bubbled up in your stomach once more. “I’m really sorry, mister Munson, my mom dragged me to some family matters. I wish I could’ve come sooner.”

“I’m sure. You just gotta tell him that.” He looked at Eddie one more time before collecting his jacket from the armchair beside the bed. Only then you’ve noticed Eddie also wasn’t handcuffed anymore. Thank god - and Hopper - for that. “Don’t worry, he’s a forgiving guy.”

Wayne smiled softly at you before leaving the room. You walked further into the room, set the flowers and chocolate on his nightstand, and sat down in the armchair and took Eddie’s hand in yours.

His skin wasn’t cold anymore.

09:49 p.m. You were glad you had taken a book with you, because it took Eddie a while to finally wake up. You saw him stirring in bed from you peripheral before marking the page you were at and closing the book, tucking it back into your backpack on the floor. He was rubbing his eyes with his fists, and you adjusted in the armchair - only then he seemed to notice you.

He turned to face you. “Oh, pantry girl… You’re finally back?” His remark was dripping sarcasm, but his smile was friendly. You smirked back at him.

“I’m really sorry, Eddie. Mom dragged me with her to buy a house.”

“Oh, fancy!” He reached for a cup of water on his nightstand. “Look at that, thank you! Love expensive chocolate. And the flowers smell good from here.” He commented before drinking the water, and you smiled. You thought he would keep talking after drinking and setting the glass back on the table, but he didn’t.

“Did Dustin explain something to you? About… me?” You asked, playing nervously with your own fingers.

“He tried to. Gave me the basics, your brother is his childhood friend, yadda yadda. But I wanted to hear the full thing from you, princess.” He tilted his head as the nickname rolled out of his tongue, and you couldn’t read if he was still being sarcastic. If he was still pissed.

You sighed and closed your eyes for a second before dragging the armchair closer to his bed.

“Well, let’s get back to 1983 then.”

“… so, three months after the whole mall situation, with the help of doctor Owens and the FBI, we were moving halfway across the country to a town called Lenora Hills, California.”

It took you nearly forty minutes to recount everything to Eddie, from who you were, to what started when Will went missing back in november of 83, to exactly what had happened leading to you and your family moving away. He knew most of it, because he’s been told when he was dragged into all this mess after witnessing (and being blamed for) Chrissy’s death, but you still had your personal intakes.

He hadn’t interrupted you once.

“But one day before we moved… that’s when I met you.” You hadn’t been looking at him for a while now, trying to run from his gentle eyes because you really didn’t want to cry. But you had to look at him to talk about meeting him. “My, well, basically only friend dragged me to that party as a goodbye. And I was kinda having a nice time until she left me, just for a few minutes, to make out with some guy. It was enough to trigger my anxiety attack. I’ve never been a social butterfly, but after everything with the Upside Down and the constant fear of being killed or having my family killed, my anxiety problems got bigger and bigger. So all of those people and all of that noise… set me off. I knew the girl’s house so I knew the best place to hide. And you were there.”

You paused for a minute. He was staring deep into your watering eyes, his expression now showing some concern, but not pity. You voice was shaking, and so were your hands, because talking about all that was never good for you. You kept wishing none of that had ever happened. Wishing you could wake up at any moment now and it would all be a bad dream.

But you never woke up.

“Honestly, Eddie, you have no idea how much you’ve helped me that night. I couldn’t come back home without my friend, she gave me a ride to the party and she promised to give me a ride back too. And she did! After I left the pantry and she lectured me for being missing for a few hours.” You chuckled and Eddie smiled at your comment. “But I had no one to call, my mom had already canceled our phone plan and that was the only number I had memorized.”

“I’ve already told you that night, but it was my pleasure, sweetheart.” There it was. Sweetheart. Not princess, no, that was too teasing. Sweetheart was genuine.

“But I’m going to keep thanking you. Because if it weren’t for you being there, stealing cookies, I probably would’ve spent those hours crying, and in panic, and terrified. But I’ve spent them smiling, and laughing, and calm. With you. Because of you.”

His face softened and he extended his hand to you, and of course you grabbed it. His fingers were calloused and his palm was rough, but it was still the most comforting thing you could’ve wanted right then and there.

You weren’t finished, though.

“And when you asked me if we could see each other again, I wanted to say yes. Because I genuinely wanted to see you again, but I couldn’t. But I also, selfishly, didn’t want to tell you why. So I said I would love to see you again because it was true. I did want to. Then I wouldn’t have to explain everything and ruin our great night with some terrible talk.”

“And you left without telling me your name.” He completed for you and you just nodded. You could sense in his tone that he wasn’t angry anymore, at least. “I had no idea who you were. Couldn’t even search for you, ask about you. I really thought I had, dunno, accidentally snorted some cocaine and made you up in my head.”

You couldn’t help but snort. “Great hallucinations you have.” He nodded enthusiastically. “But I am truly sorry, Eddie.”

“It’s okay. You’re here now.” He squeezed your hand in his before sliding his fingers up your wrist, up your arm.

His gesture sent a shiver down your spine and you slid further into the edge of the armchair, closing in the space between you and Eddie.

“I’ve thought about you every day.” He whispered, his eyes were deep into yours.

“For five months?” You doubted.

“For five months.” He stated. “I’ve thought about your laugh. About your eyes. Your cheer uniform.” He smirked, and you rolled your eyes with a smile before he went serious again. “Your kiss…”

You couldn’t help but lick your lips at his mention, and his gaze followed your movement. His hand was rising up your arm, a certain pressure on his fingers, and he looked somewhat as nervous as you felt.

His eyes adverted to yours again.

You held your breath as you reached forward.

Someone coughed behind you.

Eddie immediately let go of you arm and you sat up straight in the armchair before turning around to see who had interrupted you.

Hopper had the tiniest of smirks on his face and the Hawkins police uniform was lose on his body. But the sheriff hat was still perfectly fit for his big, dumb, grumpy head.

“We’ve got a press conference to attend, Edward.”

12:22 p.m. Hopper gave you a ride, since you were already there. He explained to you that the talk with his FBI contacts went well, they’ve all talked to Eddie and the rest of your party too, and came up with the best cover up story. So they had a press conference and public city audience to explain, both to the journalists and the Hawkins residents, how Eddie Munson was not only innocent, but a victim.

It went well. As best as you could think.

You watched it all from the sidelines, Will and El holding onto your hands beside you. The rest of your family and friends were also there. Mister Munson had been dismissed from work to stand beside his nephew on stage. Eddie looked terrified to be there. On a wheelchair, not completely recovered from all his injuries. Standing in front of people who really, really thought he was a vicious murderer. People who actively tried to make justice with their own hands, people who tried to hunt him down for crimes he didn’t commit.

The woman that had dropped your mom, Hop and Murray - Ellen Stinson, you learned her name. She did all the talking. Apparently, doctor Owens was indisposed? Whatever that meant.

So Ellen was the one that explained how, actually, Eddie was not with Chrissy the moment she died (he was) because he went to get something from his van (he didn’t). That’s when Jason Carver, Chrissy’s boyfriend, who had been following her out of worry and jealousy (he wasn’t), got into Eddie’s trailer and killed her (he didn’t). When Eddie came back Jason threatened him, so he ran away. That’s when he became a suspect and a fugitive.

And even though you (and your friends) knew Jason was actually at a party, celebrating the Tigers’ win, no one else in that party could assert with complete certainty they saw Jason, because everyone was already too drunk or drugged to be considered undoubted witnesses.

About Fred, they claimed Jason was still around the trailer park after murdering Chrissy, and Fred saw and confronted him about the blood on his clothes. So he also became a victim. Jason was also the only other person besides Eddie present on the time Patrick died. Eddie being the only optic victim, he claimed his innocence.

Ellen and the FBI claimed Eddie’s wounds (who, again, no one else besides you, your friends and the doctors who worked on him knew the details about) were caused by Jason, still trying to kill Eddie as he was the only witness to his previous murders. And, lastly, Jason’s - cut in half - body was found in the same room (now destroyed by the ‘earthquake’) as Max’s. Max, enduring the same broken limbs and injuries as the other victims before her, being held tightly by a weeping Lucas, there as another witness to tell the paramedics and the police that his own injuries were caused by Jason - probably the only truth in all of that story.

Some other people on the audience asked questions in the end, but both the FBI and Hopper had all the answers needed. They really covered all their bases, took no chances to be discovered. You were thankful for that. And Eddie too, if the look he gave you at the end of it was any indication.

Hopper and his FBI contacts followed through with your suggestion to frame Jason. And even though it all fit nicely, and you were relieved to see Eddie’s name clean, and it was your idea - the guilt in your stomach still bubbled up again.

Because Jason’s parents were crying in the back of the audience, claiming how they had no idea their son could do all that. And that broke your heart. Because their son was not a murderer, but they would never know that.

11:11 p.m. At the end of the day, the Munsons had a clean hospital bill, a financial compensation granted by the Hawkins city hall (indemnity for, you know, being hunt down by some rural-city handmade inquisition that the police forces, for some reason, was unable to stop), and the scriptures for a nice cabin in the woods - in need of restoration, so Hopper gave them a friendly discount.

They obviously couldn’t move to it yet, because of the aforementioned hole in the ceiling, but at least now they had a home to return to once it was repaired. In the meantime, they would stay in the same hotel as you and your family - Steve offered his home, but later learned that the only time he needed his parents gone, they would be there, still judgmental and not so welcoming to the town pariah and his uncle.

You ordered pizza for celebration again, and ate in silence this time, just enjoying the quiet and calm after the stormy hurricane.

You sat beside Eddie the whole time. Your thighs against each other’s, looks and smirks traded, an occasional pinky finger interlace. Wayne affectionately patted you on the back when they left for their room, and Eddie hugged you tightly. His hair still smelled like the same citric shampoo.

That was hours ago. You still couldn’t sleep. Again.

At least this time you weren’t alone. Jonathan and Argyle were giggling in the bed beside yours about something probably not funny at all - they had previously escaped the room for a few minutes, so you knew they were high. Will was on the desk under the window, doodling on a notebook with his headphones on. You could listen to The Clash all the way from your own bed.

“I’m getting hungry, my dude.” You heard Argyle speak louder. You had your eyes closed, trying to rest at least a little.

“Yeah, I’m feeling that too…” You brother answered. You couldn’t help but to snort, high people was always a funny thing to watch.

“I’ll get you something from the vending machine. You got cash?” You asked, already getting up from the bed. It was the perfect excuse to get out of the room. Jonathan fetched his wallet and gave you some notes. “Will, want something?” Your little brother just shook his head no in response so you went out the door.

Not before hearing Argyle’s “You’re my hero!” from inside the room.

The vending machine was at the end of the hallway, and as you got closer to it you heard a door opening behind you. You didn’t turn to look, but heard steps coming after you, and as you stopped in front of the machine so did the steps. And that citric scent invaded your senses.

You smiled.

“Fancy seeing you here, my lady.” Eddie’s voice was way closer than you thought it would be and you shivered. “What are your suggestions on the menu?”

You giggled as he came to a stop right beside you. His arm brushing yours. “Well, Doritos’ a classic.”

“Hm. I’m a Frazzles guy myself.”

“Frazzles suck, man.” You countered and he snorted as you put in the money and pressed the buttons on the stuff Jonathan asked for. “Okay, for a drink?”

“Duh, new coke.”

“What? No! Classic coke all the way, what is wrong with you?”

He tilted his head at you. “I’m, sorry, princess, I’m a man of taste.”

“Bad taste. Dessert?”

“Time Out.” You both said at the same time, and high-fived at your sync. Eddie noticed how the stuff you had actually bought were none of the ones you or him had mentioned. You watched as he lifted an eyebrow.

“These are for my brother and his friend. Their tastes are even worse than yours.” His hand to his heart in the well-known gesture for offense, and you rolled your eyes as you turned to face him completely. He did the same. “How are you feeling?” You asked, on a more serious tone.

He shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Relieved. A little guilty. But mostly happy.” You nodded at his response. He grimaced before continuing. “My tummy bites still hurts a bit.”

Your fingers twitched, wanting to touch him, but you were able to refrain yourself last-minute. He seemed to notice, though, and smiled as he caught your hand in his. Fingers intertwined.

Your heart in your ears. A sharp inhale.

He took a step closer. You took a step closer.

He licked his lips.

“Where’s my food, dude?” Argyle yelled at the end of the hallway. You took a step back.

“What the fuck!” Eddie protested and you smiled before letting go of his hand and bending down to get the boys’ snacks from the vending machine.

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” You bid your farewell.

“See you soon, sweetheart. Good night.” Eddie smiled gently through his frown. His big, adoring eyes on yours. You could drown on them. Anytime now.

[guilty-pleasures-and-dead-doves]

[Free Wolf, She-Wolf] Chapter 1

Chapters post

[Chapter 1] Right of First Refusal

After the events in Volsinii, Texas' return to her old-new life Lungmen felt more like a working vacation than a return home. Like trying to put on a favorite jacket that no longer fit.

Lungmen hadn't changed; she had.

Making deliveries by car and by foot, navigating underworld hostilities and public niceties, crushing mobsters and dodging cops... It still kept her busy, kept her distracted.

But she no longer needed distraction. She wasn't running from her past, anymore; she'd buried it. She wasn't waiting for the bill to come due, anymore; she'd paid it.

She'd made a pleasant life for herself in the past seven years, but she'd also deliberately put certain needs on hold. She wasn't her own woman, and she could barely bring herself to care whether she lived or died.

She'd allowed herself friends, and to be a friend, but could never give a certain one of those friends anything more than that.

But now, Celinia Texas was finally free.

That actually made her feel a little afraid, but more than afraid...

Hungry.

======

"Croissant, when are you going to stake a claim on Bison?"

Texas's out-of-blue question shocked Croissant into choking on her beer. The lupo nonchalantly took a sip of water while she waited for her friend to recover. Texas had made sure it was just the two of them for this conversation.

"Where'd that come from?!"

"You must have considered it. He's a good kid, and smart, tough, wealthy, connected. He's a business man, you're a business woman, and you're both forte from Minos living in Lungmen."

Croissant mumbled something unintelligible down to the table.

"You don't have time to be indecisive. We aren't young forever and we're not getting younger. That's leaving aside how many women are looking to jump ahead of us in line."

"Wait, 'us'?"

Texas kept her face unreadable by habit, but she stared directly into Croissant's eyes. "If you're not going to take him, I will."

Croissant's only reason to suspect the admission embarrassed Texas was her certainty that the Siracusan wasn't bluffing. Texas never bluffed about starting a fight, and she knew her friend saw this as a kind of fight.

"What about Sora?"

Croissant watched… 'something' flash across Texas's face for a moment; a nervous shifting of weight, increased tension in her shoulders.

"I want children, Croissant. My own children. I want to have a family that doesn't kill each other and a home I don't set on fire."

Croissant winced, but her faced cleared up with an expression of enlightenment. "That's what this's about. Yer deal with Zaaro and Bellone is done, and ye seem to have finally settled matters with Lappland, Giovanna, and Silicia. You had a sword hanging over yer head all this time, but now yer a free woman."

"Free, but running out of time."

"But why keep Sora waiting around that long fer nothing?"

Texas's lupo ears flicked towards the back of her head for a moment, and Croissant briefly wondered if she regretted making those her last words. The moment passed and she realized the former assassin's ire wasn't meant for her, but she decided to not press the issue any farther.

"You let me worry about Sora. Right now, it would be a bit of a moot point if Bison isn't fair game."

Croissant appreciated that Texas valued their friendship enough to let her have the right of first refusal. But she wasn't ready to confront the question, and she had her own ideas. "I'll be honest, I would have thought you'd consider that Leon guy."

"No," Texas said instantly. "The famiglie would think we're just starting a new famiglia, and between the two of us we accidentally just might. I'm not giving up on Nuova Volsinii, but I still want out. A clean break. Bison can get me out of the familigie and still let me stay in contact with the new Siracusa."

Croissant couldn't argue with that, but remained silent as she tapped her finger on the table. Texas recognized it as one of Croissant's Poker tells; her friend felt stuck in a losing position.

The forte sighed. "Yer right, I ain't getting any younger. And I've thought about it. He's a tasty meal and a whole package deal. But in a way, it's also too easy."

"Since when have you ever thought sealing a deal was too easy?"

"I'm not talking about taking him by the horns. I'm talking about marrying into money.

"I know you grew up in money, even if you threw it away. I know yer comfortable with having nothing for yerself, and ye'd make it work one way or the other. But ye'd prefer to raise yer kids up with money, too, yeah?"

Texas leaned back slightly in her seat. Croissant knew her friend's Poker tells, too; she'd actually surprised the lupo with an insight into her own motives.

"But I came from smaller means, and I've worked and fought fer everything I've got. It's not much compared to Mountain Dash, but it's mine. I know how to make it, how to lose it, and how to make it back.

"Iffin I have mah own kids…" She stopped, and corrected herself. "When I have mah own kids, I'll know how to raise them like that. Wheeling and dealing on the street, in the warehouses, and on the road."

She rocked back in her chair. "Hah! Besides, I don't think I could stand all of those fancy rich-people parties, or the politics."

Texas smiled in her own show of humor. "Yeah, those suck. But like you said, I grew up with that, so it's 'whatever' to me."

"Well, more power to ya." Croissant lifted her beer in a toast. "At least as far as Bison goes, you have mah blessing."

Texas answered the toast with her own glass of water, downed the rest of it in one gulp, and turned to leave.

"Whoa, that fast?"

"No; Sora first."

Texas was already moving too fast, too far away to hear, but Croissant wished them both luck regardless.

"Wait. Wouldn't this mean losing one of our own to our biggest competition?"

====

Chapter 2: Wish upon a falling star

[nicascurls]

Strangeness and Charm - Part Five

Word Count: 2.3K

Summary: Season 1 AU where Andy and Kyle arrive at Charles Lee Ray’s old house before Tiffany leaves with Junior and Nica and ultimately save them. Set in 2017, two weeks after Cult since that's when the show was originally mentioned to be set and in my opinion, makes the most sense.

Notes: I did it! I've been caught up with Uni work recently and have exams over the next week but after that I should be free to write more! Yes, I did decide to keep Nathan Cross alive, mainly cause I absolutely despise Lexy's mother in the show and don't want to write her. Also, I had to bring up Andy being a bad driver again, I feel like that would be something brought up frequently amongst the siblings. XD

Tags: @streets-in-paradise @losersclubisms @cult-of-dollbabies @silvershewolf247 @cornerofhell

Before they knew it, Kyle was entering the house with Junior and Caroline in tow. The three made their way past the living room and into the kitchen where Andy and Nica were still sat.  

As they entered, Andy got up and made his way over to the kids, Nica following. 

Junior crouched down to Caroline's level before introducing them, "Caroline, this is Andy and Nica that we were telling you about. They're our friends, OK? They know about Chucky too and they can keep us safe."

"Chucky's bad." Caroline responds matter of factly. That statement alone caused a brief sense of calm to wash over the adults, with Andy hearing Nica breathe an audible sigh of relief behind him. At least they didn’t have to worry as much about Chucky trying to get Caroline to play any of his ‘games’. 

“Exactly, but they already know that and they can keep us safe from Chucky. That’s why we’re going to stay here with Nica,” Both Junior and Caroline looked at Nica as she gave Caroline a small wave which the young girl returned with a shy smile. "Whilst Andy and Kyle will go and help Lexy, Jake and Devon and then they’ll come back here too.” Caroline moved her gaze from Nica up to Andy before turning back to Junior in confusion, “But what about the movie? Me and Lexy were supposed to watch the movie with Mommy and Daddy.”

“I know Care, but we need to be here whilst they stop Chucky to make sure he doesn’t do anything bad there.”

“Maybe once Lexy and the others are back, you could watch the movie here?” Nica suggested, sitting forwards in her chair so she could talk to the girl, “It could be a special surprise for them since they are busy now.” Caroline, nodded eagerly at Nica, with a smile spreading across her face.

“Yeah, we could set up the living room whilst we wait for them.” Junior began to lead Caroline further into the house, “Come on, I'll show you where the blankets are, we could make a fort.”

Nica watched them disappear from sight with a small smile before turning back to the siblings. Kyle had now passed Andy a pair of leather gloves matching the ones that she now wore.

“We better get going,” Andy began “the longer the kids are alone, the more time Chucky has to fuck with them.” Nica gave a small nod of agreement.

“You sure you're gonna be okay with them?” Kyle was now facing Nica, gesturing to the living room where they could hear Junior entertaining Caroline.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. You guys definitely have the more difficult job.”

“I dunno about that, I’ve heard blanket fort construction can be pretty taxing stuff.” Andy’s joke caused Nica to smile wider before following them to the door, her nerves for the others beginning to grow.

"Junior gave me the number of the home phone so we will update you when we can." Kyle informed her, checking her gun once again.

“Good luck!” She called just before they closed the door but the siblings got the real message, ‘Please, none of you die.’ Nica took a final deep breath before turning around and wheeling herself over to join the two kids.

"The kids are hiding in the space behind the movie screen." Kyle still insisted on driving to the theatre so Andy was reading the messages from the kids to her and they made their way over. "There's no sign of Chucky or Tiffany from there but Tiffany had a doll with her when she first arrived."

"Right." The two siblings slipped back into a comfortable silence. Andy's mind began to drift back to his past encounters with Chucky, trying to save himself was one thing. That added with multiple kids, rather than just the one one like back at military school, needless to say it felt like much greater weight on his shoulders.

"-anything else?" Andy's head snapped up once he realised Kyle was speaking to him again.

"Sorry what?" 

"Nica. Did you find out anything more about Chucky from her?" 

"Not really, it's difficult for her to work out what's happened the past few weeks. The most intel she really has is the stuff Tiffany told her and that was all delusional bullshit about her liking Nica better than Chucky and calling them a non-traditional couple."

Andy looked over to see Kyle wearing a strong look of shock and disgust.

"Yeah," Andy responded to her expression "somehow Chucky managed to find someone even more deranged than him."

"So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's why Nica was so worried about Junior?"

"Uh huh." With that, Kyle pulled into the parking lot of the theatre, spotting the truck and then Tiffany's car. Good. At least they knew they were still here rather than causing chaos somewhere else.

"You head to the kids, I'll catch up." Kyle instructed, heading in the opposite direction.

"Why? What are you doing?"

"Just trust me on this. I have a plan to make sure he and Tiffany stay put. I'll be there before you know it."

Andy gave a sigh and began to move toward the theatre entrance, "Fine, just don't get killed. Please." He saw Kyle give a thumbs up before moving to meet the kids.

Upon entering, he turned and headed down a corridor to the side. The walls looked bleak and neglected, definitely an area of the building that the guests weren’t meant to see. Andy took in his surroundings as he slowly made his way down the corridor, reaching for his gun so he could have it ready. There were too many shadows, too many places for Chucky to hide.

As he made it towards the end and was met with a door on his right, he deemed it safe to call out, “Kids?” The sound echoed around the empty space for a moment before he heard a voice travel from the left turn at the very end of the corridor.

“Andy? Is that you?”  He quickly made his way toward the sound and was met with the three teens as he rounded the corner. Andy let out a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding and put the gun away.

“Are you three alright?” 

“Yeah, we’re okay. Where’s Kyle?” Jake responded quickly.

“She had a plan to make sure Chucky and Tiffany don’t go anywhere else. She’ll be here soon. Have you seen either of them?”

Devon turned to Lexy who was keeping a watchful eye on the crowd from the side of the screen, especially her parents, before turning to Devon and informing him with a shake of her head. “Not at the moment, just the guests for the movie.”

“I told dad Caroline didn’t want to watch the movie and I would keep an eye on her, so at least that’s handled for now.” Lexy added.

“Chucky’s got to have something else planned, Tiffany wouldn't have had a doll unless there was some part of the plan we don’t know about.”

“Yeah, and the truck would have already left.” Kyle added entering the room. “At least we know Tiffany won’t be now.”

Andy turned to his sister with an intrigued expression, “What did you do?” 

“Just fixed the engine of her car… So, it won’t start.” Both siblings gave a smirk as Lexy looked at Kyle with fascination. “How did you do that?”

“She has a vintage car, sure it looks cool but it's easy as hell to get into without a key.” 

They were interrupted as a scream pierced the air, soon followed by more and the sound of panicked footsteps. 

"Shit!" Andy cried as the five of them began to head to the front of the building to access the cinema itself. 

All of them were soon fighting against the hysterical crowd forcing their way out of the building. As they continued to force themselves in the opposite direction, Lexy turned her head and was able to spot her mother safely outside. But not her father. That was when Devon turned and saw Lexy frozen, he gently grabbed her arm and pulled her with him. "Lexy, come on. The best way to make sure they are safe is to stop Chucky." That got her moving again and they both followed the other three into the now, mostly empty room. That's when Lexy heard Jake's voice, "Mr Cross?!" Lexy looked up to see her dad trying to hobble out of the room, blood pouring from one of his legs.

"Dad!" Lexy cried as she ran over to him and put one of his arms over her shoulders.

"Lexy?" 

"Dad, it's gonna be okay. We can get you help, we'll get you to hospital-"

"Lexy," Her dad said again.

"Caroline's safe, Junior's watching her and-"

"Lexy, what about you?" Lexy stopped her rambling and looked at her dad.

"Are you safe?"

Lexy looked at him with tears forming in her eyes, suddenly the reality of what Chucky did to her friends became all too real for her. "Yeah, I'll be fine dad. I just need you to be too."

Kyle made her way to the other side of the man and helped him move and turned to Lexy, "Come on, there are ambulances outside."

That was when it dawned on Andy, where Chucky must be. He quickly signalled to the boys, letting them know where the doll was and the two teens crouched down and looked under the seats, with Andy holding his gun ready. Jake suddenly caught a glimpse of the ginger doll running toward the aisle and Lexy and Kyle helping Nathan out.

"Lexy! He's coming, go!" He called out to them and they quickly picked up the pace and disappeared out of the door.

Andy caught sight of the red hair and ran towards him as he began to retreat and scurry between the seats once again.

All in all, the face off was over far sooner than Chucky anticipated. He never wanted the kids to find out who Andy was or what he knew. Needless to say the team up of two of the kids he targeted and and the first kid he terrorised as a doll was far to much for only one of him to handle, bringing Jake's asshole of a father into the conversation and insulting his boyfriend went too far and Jake ended up killing the doll with is own bare hands. Needless to say Andy was thoroughly impressed by how both boys handled the situation. It had been taken care of by the time Kyle and Lexy returned. 

Lexy herself was looking a bit better, calmed down by the fact that her father was on the way to hospital with her mother.  They all took a minute to catch their breaths before moving on to the next part of the plan. 

“Okay, what are we gonna do about the truck?” Kyle asked as they made their way to the front of the building.

“I’ve got it covered.” Andy responded in an instant.

“What? You’re gonna commandeer the truck?” Kyle chuckled, clearly meaning it as a joke and then quickly went silent when Andy didn’t join in. “You can’t be serious.”

“Have you got a better plan when it comes to getting rid of 72 Chucky’s without causing suspicion?”

“With your driving?!”

“For fuck sake, this again?!”

“Yes, this again!”

“Okay, by your logic would you rather my driving be used to transport 72 Killer dolls or three living teens?” Kyle stayed quiet for a few seconds before giving in, “Fine, but Andy I swear you better be back at the house before tomorrow.”

“Yes, mom.” he responded sarcastically before sneaking over to the truck as Kyle ushered the kids back into the car.

The three teens watched with fascination from the back windscreen as Andy knocked out the driver and threw him out of the vehicle before driving past Tiffany and giving her the middle finger.

“Awesome!” Devon exclaimed as they heard Tiffany scream in frustration and fail to start her car, as the car they were in began to speed off. 

It was around 15 minutes later that they arrived back at the Wheeler's house, inside Caroline was gleefully adding the finishing touches to the fort, Junior had even ventured into the attic to find some fairy lights from the Christmas decorations for her. The distraction was more than welcome for him, the living room had made him feel far too miserable since his mother died. For the time being he was in the kitchen with Nica, helping to prepare snacks after getting a call from Kyle letting them know that they were on their way back.

“Care?” Lexy called out as the four of them walked through the door. “Lexy!” the girl called out as she ran past Nica in order to meet her sister, followed quickly in tow by Junior.

Nica then made her way to join the rest of them as Caroline excitedly explained to her sister and the rest of the teens about what they had been up to and the plan for the rest of the night. She looked around, amused by the girl’s enthusiasm before realising the absence of one person.

“Where’s Andy?” She asked, doing her best to mask the panic in her voice.

“He’s taking care of the truck of dolls, he promised to be back here before tomorrow.” Kyle informed her, “Don’t worry, if he isn’t i'm gonna go and drag him back here myself.”

“Oh, I wanna see that!” Junior called from the living room, causing everyone to chuckle.

“Anyway, he’ll be fine.” Kyle confirmed. 

That’s when Nica heard it, ‘Unless one of me gets to him first.’ ‘Shut up, Chucky.’ 

“Nica, come on. The movie is gonna start.” Junior called to her from the living room.

[eyelessfog]

House Moon

Summary: House Moon is a manor on the edge of a village. They're small, but they're hardy, and they don't trust very easily. In this story, we see just how difficult it is to be trusted in House Moon. From the Head, to her husband, to the traitor of Fairy Forest - the Leaders of House Moon aren't always liked by their subjects.

———

House Moon was established a long, long time ago. 

The mansion has been renovated many times over the years, always keeping it modern and grand. It was once in the center of a fort, but the walls came down a couple hundred years ago, around the time the Shadow Queen first took the throne. 

Nowadays, the mansion is protected more by those that live around it than by the walls that surround the village. The walls have been under threat of canons for years now. 

When it comes to the inhabitants of House Moon, it’s always been left to the eldest of the House to take over as the head. The first resident of the House was a man who’s name was lost by history. Known as leader to a large pack of wolves, he was a single father to the girl he adopted as his daughter. 

From then on, it was decided that the eldest child would inherit the house, whether they were the eldest child by blood or by paper. 

Years and generations pass before the beginning of this story - we start with the current head of House Moon: Pearl Moon. 

Pearl Moon took over the house at only twenty, after her parents died. An assassination, it was understood as. Most likely (and later confirmed as) being in hopes of convincing the younger and less experienced new head of the House to give up the land surrounding House Moon to the Southlands. 

Unfortunately for them, Pearl Moon refused, and later explained that she also knew who they used to kill her parents. If the Southlands didn’t want to suffer the same fate as the very ones they got assassinated, they would cease their attempts at trying to get the land of House Moon. 

At twenty four, only a year after the negotiations with the Southlands ended, Pearl Moon got married to a pen pal of hers from another continent. The backstory was suspect, as House Moon is entirely land locked, and they had very few messengers that would be able to get a message to another continent, but House Moon trusts its heads. 

The husband was Scott S. Major-Moon. Eight months after the marriage, he was convinced to remove the Major from his name, and House Moon accepted him, finally, as one of their own. 

Gaining the trust of a place like House Moon is difficult. When any new person could be a spy for some other kingdom that’s attempting to take over the property, newcomers are generally treated with distaste. When Scott Moon didn’t replace his birth last name, most of the property took it as a sign of distrust for them, distrust that they would return to him. 

While trust came easier to them after the full name change, many still stayed on the edge about him, scrutinizing everything he did. 

In this time, Scott had helped Pearl set up a mutual agreement with the assassins that killed her parents - a group called Team Best. The agreement made it so that they would not kill anyone from House Moon, but they were more than free to take other jobs against House Moon. Such as theft. The agreement held, and House Moon was reasonably well protected. 

When Pearl was twenty six, and Scott twenty seven, they sent out an announcement that they were married for convenience and for the sake of sharing the household. They are not, and will never be, lovers, though this does not change the fact that they are stronger together, and are happy with the state of their partnership. 

In simpler words: Pearl and Scott Moon may be married, but they are not in love. They are still friends though - close friends - and the announcement is not to signal a divorce, but a deeper look into their existing relationship. 

When Pearl Moon is twenty nine, she dies. 

She is found by Scott Moon and Grand Knight Ren, in the arms of the Shadow Queen, blood dripping from her neck and shoulder, where the Queen bit her and ripped her open. 

She dies, and a terrified and lonely Scott Moon goes home, with bitter news on his lips. 

All of House Moon goes into mourning. 

The white, green, blue that House Moon is known for turns into grey, blue, black. The walls of the fortress are turned thicker. Any sign of the Fairy Forest is reacted to with full hostility. House Moon closes off. 

House Moon protects itself. 

Scott Moon becomes Head of the House by default, and is begrudgingly accepted by the citizens of House Moon. He has never been as beloved as those raised in the House. 

Many still don’t trust him. 

Many believe that this distrust is rightful, when he takes in someone from Fairy Forest. 

Meet Lady Cleo, the ex-advisor of the Shadow Queen, and new partner to Scott Moon. 

———

Being new to House Moon is decidedly very difficult. That’s one of the first things Cleo learns during her stay in the manor. 

She knows how to take care of herself. She prefers to do as much as she can on her own. But servants have never given her quite the same looks as they do here. The servants have never avoided her the way these ones do. 

Cleo has always been the type to thank servants for their work - she remembers being one of them and she remembers the anger under her skin at how little they cared for the way she worked her ass off. In Fairy Forest, they always became flustered after her thanks, unused to it, but happy nonetheless. Here, thanks is regarded with suspicion and narrowed eyes. 

She doesn’t get it. 

So Cleo does what she thinks is right, and she goes to the door of the man she’s pretty sure can explain it all. 

Scott Moon has the largest bedroom in the manor, with tall doors and intricate designs carved into them. Candlelight flickers under the doors, and Cleo decides that she feels no guilt in disturbing him. He’s awake anyway. 

She knocks on the door. 

“Who is it?” Scott calls, voice muffled.

“It’s Cleo.” 

“Come on in then,” Scott says, and Cleo opens the door. 

Scott clearly wasn’t about to go to sleep soon, as he’s sitting in the large chair by the window, a book on the armrest. He leans on the other armrest, looking almost bored. 

“Hello Cleo.” 

“Scott,” Cleo greets, closing the door behind her. “I have a couple questions.” 

Scott lights up. “I do like questions.” 

“Don’t say it like that. I’m not looking for a game.” Scott deflates a bit. “I was just wondering about the servants.” 

Scott looks her over, eyes narrowed in consideration. After a minute: “Why don’t you move away from the door? Let’s sit at the table.” He gestures to the small coffee table and the couches around it. 

Cleo sits, watching as Scott slowly grabs a bookmark and marks his page, then folds the blankets that he had over his lap neatly. 

“Are you stalling?” Cleo asks. 

“Just a bit.” 

Cleo quiets again. 

Scott sits, finally, crossing his legs and resting his hands against one of his knees. “Alright,” he begins. “Questions.” 

Cleo leans back, almost bored. “I was wondering, mostly, what you gain out of getting the servants to spy on me.” 

Scott blinks at her. “Oh, they aren’t spying on you.” 

“I’m sure you can understand why I don’t believe that.” 

Scott laughs. “I do understand why, yes! They’re all quite suspicious of you, I assume. All avoidance and glares, I’m sure.” 

Cleo frowns, furrowing her brows. “Yeah. Exactly.” 

Scott gives her a sad smile. “It’s because you’re not a Moon.” 

He says it like it explains everything, but Cleo just stares. “I’m… Not. This is true.” 

“Those who live under House Moon - and this includes those in the village surrounding the property - are generally very suspicious of newcomers. We’ve had a fair share of people trying to wiggle their way into weaknesses in the walls and in the people. It takes a lot of time to make people trust you, here.” He gestures to the entirety of her. “You’ve only been around for a couple months.” 

“But you welcomed me here,” Cleo says. “I’m a guest of the Head. They can’t-“ 

“Sure they can,” Scott interrupts. “It was eight months after my introduction to House Moon - which is to say: my marriage - that the population began to trust me. Pearl trusted me enough to marry me, but until I changed my last name entirely to become Moon, it didn’t matter. I wasn’t enough of a Head to have the trust of the people.” 

Cleo scratches uncomfortably at her jaw. 

“I need your trust, though. If we’re going to get through the plan-“ 

“Cleo. You have my trust. And I’m afraid neither of us are going to have the population’s. As the Head, I have the power to make the preparations. And we’ll both get our revenge. We can get through it. Together.” 

Cleo recognizes the phrasing as a threat - she won’t be able to do anything without him, but he will be equally unable to do anything without her. Still- while they’re in the walls of House Moon, he’s more powerful than her. 

“I get it,” Cleo says. “I think that’s all.” She pauses halfway through standing, and sits herself back down. “Actually… What do you mean by neither of us having their trust? You’re the Head now.” 

“And I let Pearl die. They’ll listen to me, and they trust that I know what I’m doing, but they don’t like me.” Scott places a hand over his mouth, looking very much like he'd just noticed something. “Ah. With me as the sole Head, I suppose I’ll have to start looking into an heir…”

Cleo stands, no hesitance this time. “Alright. You can get on that. Thank you, Scott. I’ll be back soon.” 

Scott smiles at her, seeming very suddenly exhausted. “I look forward to it.”

Cleo leaves, making sure to shut the door as quietly as possible. 

Fuck.

Having the trust of so few people is exhausting. Cleo hopes she can get through it. 

(She presses a hand against her chest, where her heart is. The blood doesn’t pump.)

She has to. She has to push through if she wants to kill the Shadow Queen and BigB.

[driftward]

Title: FFXIV Write 2022 - 26. Break a Leg Characters: Zoissette Vauban Rating: Teen Summary: A bad turn of luck during the calamity Notes: Content warning for animal injury

She woke up to white and cold and silence and panic.

She took several deep gulping breaths, and tried to orient herself, rolling, trying to free herself, trying to determine which way was up, and then she found it, and punched her way free, her head breaking out into the air where she took several deep, gasping breaths.

"Halonaicolle!" she cried out as she pulled herself free of the snow. She had to find her chocobo, and fast. After that snow slide, she was uncertain at where he could have wound up or how far he would've gone.

She took many more deep breaths, the ice biting her lungs.

"Halonaicolle!" she called out once more, and this time she was rewarded with a weak 'kweh' noise, strangled and weak, but present.

She ran over to where she thought she heard the noise, and began to dig deep down into it, ignoring the cold in her fingers as she went, not even sparing the time for the simple cantrips she had been using up until now to keep herself warm. She paused only to breathe and glance up, trying to figure out how far they had fallen, trying to see if she could determine where they had started when the snow and ice had decided to begin to slide. Shaking her head, she pushed it out of her mind, and began to dig again. Chocobo first, investigation later.

She broke through the snow, or perhaps he did; she was uncertain, but his head popped up out and he looked at her with eyes and his feathers dirty and mussy and ruffled and caked with snow.

"Hang on, boy, I'll get you out of there," she muttered as she quickly dug around him, and now she stopped to think. She looked, and was gratified to see that her kit had survived the tumble with her. She dug through it quickly, pulling out the last two reagents that would be needed to make Hearth's Warmth, and quickly mixed them together, pouring out the liquid into the gap in the snow. The snow melted wherever the liquid touched it, and a gentle heat began to come up from where it landed.

"Alright, alright, you got this, you got this," she said to Halonaicolle as much as to herself. The chocobo did not help her much, only weakly flapping his wings, but that was okay. The snow was loose and powdery, and she found she could sweep it away in large armfuls. It was perhaps half a bell until she had him uncovered enough that she could reach in and just pull him up to the surface.

As she did so, he immediately collapsed onto the snow, shivering, and she went to his side. He made pitiful kwehing noises at her as she tore off her gauntlets and passed her fingers through his feathers, patting him down gently, seeing if he was injured, and if so, how badly.

She stopped when she found his leg broken.

Halonaicolle had gone still while she had been searching him over for injury, and now that her fingers were near where the break was, he kweh'd pitifully at her, and rested his head on the snow, one eye watching her carefully. She pulled her hands back and ran her fingers down her neck, making soothing noises at him, even as she shifted her gaze to look down the ravine.

She had no idea how much further it was. The ice sheets had formed so quickly and changed the terrain so fast, burying familiar landmarks and shifting the landscape into an unrecognizable wasteland of ice and snow. She looked up, and could see stars, beyond the clouds drifting by overhead.

The smart thing to do would be to abandon the chocobo.

Almost every instruction in every lesson she had gotten on how to survive situations like this insisted that the bird was a loss. Some minor injuries could be dealt with. A broken leg was right out.

And there were so many people relying on her now. Sick and injured, back in the valley around Riversmeet, waiting on her, their hopes and prayers with her, that she would make it to the fort and be able to find help.

She looked back down at the chocobo, and he leaned his head into the snow, his eye going half-closed.

It was out of the question.

She reached into her bag, and pulled out a vial of enchanted ink. She set her shield on the snow, setting it down flat. She opened one of her many notebooks on top of it, smoothing out its pages so it would lay mostly flat. Then she dipped a quill into the ink, and then, holding it carefully between her thumb and two of her forefingers, and using her pinky as a fulcrum, she carefully twisted her wrist and arm around to draw a circle.

A few more circles and some lines, and she had drawn a rudimentary arcanist's focus. Her arcanima was not as well developed as she would have liked, and the conditions out here were less than ideal. To cast the common physick spell would have needed more practice, better surfaces to draw on, and probably more ink, but she could manage a simple geometry that would help focus her aether.

With that, she reached her hands out near where the break was, and gently touched her fingertips to the chocobo. Slowly, carefully, she massaged her fingers into his skin, feeling around feathers, tracing muscle and tendon, and she closed her eyes.

The path to a heretic's death was rarely a few big things, she could hear Rose telling her. It was more often a lot small things. Small, innocent things. A misaimed prayer, not attributed to Halone or one of her saints. Missing one too many days of sermon to help your family or friends, instead of tending to the lessons of the church.

And small hedge magicks, like the kind she'd learned from Lavender. Like the one she was practicing now. Normally she did not trust them overmuch. Arcanima had rules and logic, while hedge magick was more intuition and feelings. But at the moment, she knew the simple parts of Lavender's methods, and didn't think she could use her own, so.

Hedge magick it was.

She concentrated, pulling from the land's bounty, as Lavender called it, and letting it flow through her. Feeling the connection between her and Halonaicolle. Connecting the pulse of life between them.

Well, if this was heresy, then she'd commit it gladly. And for all her talk, Rose knew of Lavender's hedge magicks and witch ways, and never said anything of it to the church. And Rose and Lavender were both gone now. Lavender to calamity, and Rose to grief.

It was just her out here, now. Her and Halone, and Halone could judge if she wished.

She began to feel the magicks as they worked. Slowly, she began to feel the break as surely as if it was in her own fingers, and it spread, feeling cracks spread up her arm like the cracks that had appeared in the ice sheet mere moments before it had collapsed under the. She gritted her teeth. Her fingers and arm were not broken, of course. It was just what Lavender called sympathetic magick, the sharing between beings. She pulled her hands back, and clenched her fists, shaking the feeling free.

Halonaicolle just lay on his side, panting, trying to rest, to conserve his strength.

Well. If there had been any question before, there was none now. It was definitely broken, and she would have to set it before she went further.

She scooted over, to reach out and pat down the feathers on Halonaicolle's neck, and pressed her head to his. She made soothing noises at him as she smoothed her fingers through her feathers and cradled his head in his arms. Then she made her way back down to where the break was, and planted one foot against him even as she grabbed his leg below the break with both hands.

"I'm so sorry," she said, and she pulled.

To his credit, Halonaicolle did not kick her, though she would not have blamed him if he had. Instead he shot his neck out and pulled it back in many times in rapid succession, flapping his one wing as he let out loud warbling pained noises, before turning his head and slamming his beak into the ground nearby several times. She held the break steady, though, until, his chest heaving, his thrashing subsided, and he lay his head back down on the ground. His eyes rolled gently in his head as he quietly, weakly, clicked his beak several times.

As soon as he was still, she was back in motion. She quickly retraced her arcanima lines, and then had her fingers deep in his feathers once more, feeling around the break. She made soft cooing noises at him as she once more sought out the sense of touch between the two. She massaged her fingers into his skin, moving slowly and carefully, and the living connection slowly came to her once more. This time the pain did not come in sharp and disjointed. Instead it came in warm and achey, knotting up in her forearms.

She could bear it, though. And she closed her eyes as she continued to slowly work the magicks, feeling the energy flow, feeling the poor chocobo's pain as though it were her own even as fingers seemed to knit together muscle and bone. She shuddered and gritted her teeth, her eyes shut tight, and she continued the movements. Gentle massaging, gently guiding aetherial veins and living streams. Slowly restoring the chocobo.

At long last, she felt she had done all she could do, and she broke the connection, pushing off with her feet to pull away from the chocobo, and falling on her back in the snow, gasping and panting. She could still feel the heat radiation from her forearms, the echoing ache of bones broken and muscles torn. She had not fixed the broken leg; not fully. That was well beyond the reach of hedge magickry. But the bone was set, and it was well on its way to healing. Halonaicolle would not be able to put his weight on it, but if she was lucky, he would be able to limp along, using her as a crutch, and they'd both make it out of here.

She just had to take a few minutes first. Let the connection fade away. Return to herself, and let her arms remember they were hers and not his, and let her pains be her own. As she lay there, she felt a gentle nudging in her side, and opened her eyes slowly, turning her head to see that Halonaicolle had pulled himself over to nudge her in the side with his beak. He looked at her with a large watery eye and warbled a 'kweh' at her as he saw her eyes open.

She chuckled, and weakly reached up a hand to scratch the feathers on his head.

"I'm supposed to be the one looking after you," she said, weakly.

After a few minutes, she was well enough, she supposed, to get up to her feet, and she did so slowly, unsteadily. She leaned against her knees as she stood, and panted a bit, becoming once more aware of the cold air and the precariousness of their situation. She pulled her water flask off her side and took a swig, and frowned at how much ice had formed in it in so short a time. She shook it, once, twice, hard, and then tipped it back into Halonaicolle's beak, letting him drink thirstily from it.

Once he was done, she stoppered it back up, and she crouched next to him.

"Think you can help me get you up, boy?" she asked. His head bobbed as he nodded, and she nodded back. "Good," she said, planting herself under him.

It took them a few tries, but at last, she managed to heave him onto his one good leg. He tried to move the other one experimentally a little bit, and she watched carefully as he found he could just barely touch it gingerly to the ground.

"Easy, boy, easy," she said. "Don't put any weight on it. I'm right here. You can lean on me. We'll get down from here together."

He flapped the wing she wasn't under and kweh'd at her, and she smiled as she planted herself more securely under him, and the two began to make their way down the ravine. Down towards the fort.

Hopefully towards help.

"You know," she said, as they went along, "You're named after the Saint of Travels. Halonaicolle."

He kweh'd at her.

"It means follower of Halone, in the old tongue. The name was meant to be good luck."

He ruffled her hair with his beak.

"If we die down here, I'm changing your name."

He made a disgruntled warble and nipped at her ear, and she stopped to give him a mock glare before continuing on.

"Okay, fine. If we get out of here alive, you can keep the name."

He warbled at her again.

"Well don't blame me. I didn't break the world."

He kweh'd loudly in her ear, and she winced.

"Well, how should I know, you're the one with the name that means follower of Halone. Go ask her."

She continued to talk to the chocobo as the two headed further into the ravine and, hopefully, closer to safety. And despite it all, Zoissette felt that everything would turn out alright, in the end.

All she had to do was keep moving.

[ausetkmt]

Young Black Voters Motivated By Issues, Not Candidates - Capital B Atlanta

It’s a late Saturday morning at Fort Valley State University, and Jayden Williams is sounding the alarm like Dap Dunlap in “School Daze.”

“Knock knock! It’s time to vote!” the 19-year-old shouted inside a residence hall just before noon in mid-September. Williams serves as the youth and college division president for the Georgia NAACP. He and his team members spent about 20 minutes venturing through the building’s third-floor corridor, knocking on every door.

Several drowsy students wearing scarfs, bonnets, and du rags cracked open their doors and poked their heads out. FVSU freshman class president Kennedy McIntyre was there to greet some of them. Moments later, dozens of students flooded a first-floor common area before making their way outside and across the lush, freshly landscaped campus during the hot and sunny day. Williams, McIntyre, and campus NAACP president Aniya Warfield led the way.

Their destination was a grassy field across the street from Wildcat Stadium where voter engagement activists from the Black Voters Matter Fund, the NAACP, the ACLU, Represent Georgia and Georgia Stand-Up, among other groups, had set up tents and tables to catch the attention of people who came to watch the school’s undefeated football team take on the Allen University Yellow Jackets.

A DJ blasted southern rap music while some students stood in line for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Others couldn’t resist snapping selfies in front of the eye-catching Black Voters Matter charter bus parked nearby. FVSU’s Blue Machine Marching Band and drill team members strolled down a nearby street as volunteers passed out Black Voters Matter T-shirts, drawstring backpacks, bracelets, and other swag to students and alumni.

This was day two of the Black Youth Renaissance Tour, a collaborative, nonpartisan, get-out-the-vote effort organized by Black Voters Matter and several of its local grassroots partners.

The goal of the five-day caravan and charter bus trek to six HBCU campuses across the state — beginning a day prior at Albany State University on Sept. 16 and ending at the Atlanta University Center on Sept. 20 — was to register and energize as many Black students as possible before Nov. 8.

All of the fanfare — the fancy bus, the music, the ice cream, and the free apparel — is designed to attract crowds, particularly young, Black potential voters.

Georgia’s last gubernatorial matchup in 2018 was decided by fewer than 55,000 votes. Since then, at least 1.6 million more people have registered to vote across the state. An additional crop of potential new voters resides at the state’s HBCU campuses. FVSU alone has a population of more than 3,000 students, most of whom are adults between the ages of 18 and 34.

That demographic group of young voters cast ballots in record numbers in 2020 and last year, helping Democrats in Georgia secure landmark victories in the process. Young and rural Black voters are expected to play pivotal roles in the outcome of this year’s midterm contests as well, despite being among the least motivated groups.

Violent crime, COVID, monkeypox, lack of affordable housing, low-wage employment, hospital closures, student loans, higher utility bills, and overall inflation are some of the major issues disproportionately impacting Black Georgians this midterm election season.

BVM’s Georgia state organizing manager Melinee Calhoun is one of the activists who’ve worked tirelessly in recent years to mobilize the state’s rural Black population. She acknowledged that Black voters she’s encountered this year aren’t as energized as they were during the past two election cycles.

“People aren’t as motivated right now, but that’s why we’re pushing hard,” Calhoun said.

Represent Georgia Executive Director Kimberlyn Carter also recognized the frustrations that Black voters she’s encountered this year have expressed. Many voters in rural parts of the state voted for the first time ever during previous election cycles, only to have problems plaguing their communities get worse during the pandemic economy.

“Every presidential year, we go, ‘This is the election of the lifetime,’” Carter said. “We have gotten voters to the point where, ‘OK, we’re tired of hearing that.’”

Focused on issues, not candidates

Many students who participated in the voter engagement festivities said they don’t usually follow politics closely. Some were only vaguely familiar with household names like Gov. Brian Kemp, Stacey Abrams, Raphael Warnock, and Herschel Walker.

But most were aware of and concerned about the issues affecting their state and local communities. One major issue was the recent reinstatement of Georgia’s 2019 abortion restriction law following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade, which had a galvanizing effect on young voters this summer.

“Once those rights have been taken away from you, it kind of makes it harder on you,” said Albany State University sophomore Chasely Sellers. 

Some time before Election Day, BVM will mail those pledge forms back to those who signed them to remind them of their promise and the campaign issues they said they care about the most.

BVM also works with volunteer residence hall captains on campus to ensure students have what they need to vote on or before Election Day.

“If they need a ride to the polls, their hall captain is going to ensure that,” Miller said. “If they need to vote by mail, their hall captain ensures that they get that vote by mail application.”

Freshman BreAnna Mitchell, 18, was one of the FVSU students who registered to vote for the first time. The nursing major said addressing gun violence is her top issue this year following the fatal shooting of her cousin in Atlanta three years ago.

Mitchell recalled Kemp enacting a law earlier this year that made it legal for “lawful weapons carriers” to carry concealed handguns without a permit.

“It should be illegal to carry a gun,” she said. “Even if you have a license, you just shouldn’t have it.”

Addressing gun violence was a recurring desire for students and activists throughout the five-day tour. One of those people was FVSU freshman Tynika Howell, 18, whose family moved from Buffalo, New York, to nearby Warner Robins, Georgia, about five years ago.

Howell recalled a 13-year-old boy being arrested and charged in Warner Robins last year in the fatal shooting of his own mother.

“When I was in high school, there were 15-year-olds with guns,” she said. “There is no reason anybody 13, 14, 15 should have a gun in my opinion.”

‘We have no jobs’

Catholine Walton, 31, was more focused on getting her new podcast idea up and running than who’s running for office when BVM activists did some door-to-door canvassing in her Buena Vista neighborhood on Sept. 18.

The Blessed Crown Beauty Supply store she opened in March 2020 recently closed due to slow business caused by the pandemic, she said. Walton suggested financial literacy and entrepreneurship are better paths to empowering Black folks than politics.

“If we are not out here being a part of the system making money, putting jobs into the community, I mean, what do we really benefit from whoever is in [office]?” she said.

Like many Black residents in Buena Vista, Jade Kendrick sees the poor local job market as a major concern. The 26-year-old is a stay-at-home mother of two who said she’s been unemployed for about a year after dropping out of nursing school at Valdosta Tech to take care of her children amid the pandemic.

“We have no jobs for moms down here who don’t have help,” she said. “We need more babysitting. We need more income, period, for moms who don’t get it.”

An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll from September showed Abrams receiving about 80% support from Black voters who were surveyed. Black voters tend to favor Democrats by an overwhelming margin in most elections. Abrams received 93% of the Black vote during her first matchup against Kemp in 2018. 

Georgia and beyond

The largest crowds on the bus tour occurred at the AUC in Atlanta on Sept. 20, where hundreds of students from Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College participated in National Voter Registration Day festivities. 

Members of a local Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. chapter led a step show in front of CAU’s student center during the early afternoon.

Louisiana native Rayven Bryant, 19, is a sophomore at Spelman who said she plans to vote absentee in her home state’s midterm elections this year. She’s most concerned about abortion rights after a Louisiana judge blocked a trigger law from taking effect in July following the Supreme Court’s overturn of Roe v. Wade.

“Just being on campus with women, it’s always very hard to continuously see us be oppressed,” Bryant said. “My heart is still in Louisiana. … I want to be an active part of those politics and changing those issues as well.”

Several of the students who showed up for the fun were already registered to vote in other states, which Miller said is common at HBCU campuses.

“They don’t have to change their voter registration because they still are impacted by issues in their home state, but what we do is we give them a plan and a pledge to vote wherever they are,” she said. “Hopefully, a majority will choose to register here. Most college students stay in the state where they went to school or graduated from college.”

Morehouse senior Jalen Curry is a Rock Hill, South Carolina, native who plans to vote absentee in his home state.

“I think right now it’s very hard just to live,” he said. “It’s hard to go to school. It’s hard to get a job. It’s hard to find somewhere to stay. It’s just hard to exist.”

[pesterloglog]

John Egbert, Roxy Lalonde

Act 6, page 6450-6451

JOHN: hello?

JOHN: is uh...

JOHN: anyone inside that thing?

ROXY: who goes thr

JOHN: don't worry, i am not a villain.

JOHN: i'm just passing through, looking for someone.

JOHN: i was told to find a girl named roxy.

ROXY: roxy huh

ROXY: sounds like a babe

JOHN: heh.

JOHN: yeah, maybe.

JOHN: do you know her?

ROXY: kinda

JOHN: really?

JOHN: have you seen her??

ROXY: nope not in a while i am fraid

JOHN: darn.

ROXY: i could help you find her though

ROXY: w a series of vexing riddles + clues

ROXY: each more bewildering than the last

ROXY: each less infuriating than the next

ROXY: for i am the sphinx of this pyramid and that sort of coy bs is the shit i get up to ery day

ROXY: (all pyramids have sphinxes i decided j now)

JOHN: no, that sounds really dumb.

JOHN: i would rather just have some straightforward information as to her whereabouts.

ROXY: ummmmmmmmmm

ROXY: *strokes sphinxly chin enigmatically*

JOHN: can you at least tell me what she looks like?

ROXY: well the thing is

ROXY: shes hard 2 recognize lately

ROXY: she started wearing a mask for some fukin reason

ROXY: maybe so as to avoid detection from snoopy boys??? ;)

ROXY: (just wonked @ u fyi)

JOHN: you just what?

ROXY: nothin!

JOHN: alright, well...

JOHN: can you tell me where and when you last saw her?

ROXY: heck yes

ROXY: it was last time i looked in a mirror

ROXY: theres no mirrors in jail though

ROXY: which is a shame

ROXY: could use an eyeload of that stone cold fox 2 get me thru the long nites

ROXY: hardest time i ever done :(

JOHN: oh my god.

JOHN: it's you!

JOHN: how could i possibly fall for such a stupid prank.

ROXY: ell em ay friggin OH

ROXY: youre almost as gullible as english

ROXY: how perf is it that thats some kinda family trait

JOHN: what?

ROXY: you must be john right

JOHN: yes.

JOHN: how did you know that?

ROXY: because jake rambled about meetin you a bunch of times

ROXY: also u sound like him

JOHN: oh.

JOHN: it seems like you have me at a disadvantage then.

JOHN: which is impressive, considering you are in jail, and also in a little green pyramid thingy for some reason.

JOHN: did you...

JOHN: did you actually build that thing?

ROXY: f yeah!

JOHN: that's cool. it's like a little fort.

JOHN: i built a fort once in my room. i made it out of a bed sheet, and some cruxite dowels.

JOHN: then my friend threw it in a bottomless pit.

ROXY: hahah

ROXY: thas awesome

JOHN: it was alright.

ROXY: no but 4 real dont wreck my fort or i fuck you up

JOHN: i wouldn't dare.

JOHN: aren't you going to come out so i can see you?

ROXY: i would but

ROXY: ive been tryin to concentrate on something

ROXY: so i built this sick pyramid deal to help focus my brain chi and spiritual majyyks and if at all possible to blitz my chakras out the yin yang

JOHN: is it working?

ROXY: no

ROXY: but at least its nice and dark and quiet in here and free of distactions

ROXY: or it was until a guy came along lookin for some chick

JOHN: what are you trying to do exactly?

ROXY: i have to make a spikeball appear out of thin air

ROXY: but all i can make are these lame cubes

JOHN: you made all these cubes??

ROXY: yup

JOHN: that's a neat power.

ROXY: ty

ROXY: i also made some pumpkins

ROXY: cubes n pumpkins

ROXY: the manifestations of amateurs

ROXY: theyre basically freebies for void players i think

JOHN: i remember making some of those cubes with my alchemiter.

JOHN: i think that's what a blank card makes? so yeah, they're super primitive.

JOHN: but making pumpkins is pretty impressive. they're like... these big ol' vegetables.

ROXY: no dude

ROXY: pumpkins are helllls o primitive

ROXY: voidwise theyre like the middle square on a bingo card

ROXY: drummin up a dumb gourd aint nothing to write home about

JOHN: well, if you're really having trouble...

JOHN: i know a thing or two about learning to use god tier powers.

JOHN: maybe i could help?

[deeptrashwitch]

Third part! Now is Sergeant Jackson Blackwell!

Lights, camera, action!

The beggining (part 3)

The trip was long as hell, almost a day if they had to be exact and shifted more than once to drive, but finally arrived to Norfolk. Alicia ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, it was a long day. Luke on the other hand looked as he wanted to kill someone right that instant, but tried to pretend being somehow sane.

As the same as in Fort Jackson they were guided to another conference room, watching the aircraft carriers as they walked by. This time an hour and a half passed before they heard the door being open. Sergeant Jackson Blackwell arrived and froze for a second when he saw the black-haired woman sat beside the red-haired man.

Yet he composed himself and salute both of them until Alicia told him to rest.

-My apologies, sir, ma'am-said trying to remain firm-I was attending some recruits who hurted themselves during training

-It's fine Sergeant-muttered the woman-take a seat, do you know why we called you?

-Negative ma'am

-You see, she's Captain Alicia Marchant and I'm Lieutenant Luke Michaelis-explained the man as he saw how the blonde one got tense-we were looking specifically for you, because of your habilities. Some people told the Captain about how you manage yourself in the battlefield and how quickly you treat wounds during crossfire. Pretty impresive if you ask me

-I...need to ask, but, have you read my archive?

When he said that unconsciously scratched his neck, giving a hint to both of them. The woman straightened up and put her hands up when the blue eyes filled up with a visceral fear.

-We did-claimed as she left her hands over the table-and I understand that you feel uncomfortable being under my command and working with me. Yet I want you to understand something, if we are here it's because I think you are one of the best in your workfield and want you to be part of our team

-I see, I'm flattered you think that way about me, Captain-he whispered with his fists clenched-but even with that, I-I don't feel able to work with you. Even now I can barely treat my co-workers

-Then we can give you an option-said Luke calmly-just do it for a month, come work with us for a month and if you can't bear it, you're free to come back here. No strings attached. Can we give him that, ma'am?

-That's right, I won't make you stay if you don't feel comfortable around us, we need a team that can trust eachother blindfolded and hands tied-claimed and then smiled a bit, trying to calm the medic-we might not find another medic as good as you, but it still your decision

-What's the trick?-asked the blonde SEAL

-None, give it a month and then decide, that's it

-...If I say yes, when should I start?

-Today is friday, let's say we arrive to Black Tomb on Saturday...by Monday would be fine-muttered Alicia to herself-do you agree Lieutenant Michaelis?

-Completely ma'am

-With that said, tell me Sergeant, do we have a deal?

She extended her hand just waiting, not expecting anything. For her and Luke's surprise...Jackson shook her hand, even if his was trembling a bit.

-I'll be there, Captain

-We'll be waiting for it, Sergeant

Some minutes later both of them were walking back to the car, both thinking about the reunion they just had.

-You think he'll handle it?-asked the green eyed, curious

-Cannot talk in his behalf, Michaelis, but I hope he does

-I wonder what happened to him

-Maybe it's better not to know-said Alicia as they get into the car-whatever it was, still keep him terrified. The past haunt us, let's just leave it inside each mind

-That sounded bitter, Captain, bad past?

-We're military, Lieutenant, we all have a bad past at this point

-Fair enough

After that the car took direction back to Black Tomb, but Luke glanced at the woman. Her eyes now were dark, filled of something he didn't recognized at first. Then he noticed regret, a deep one, but said nothing and a second later it was gone.

Three months later

-I have to say, I'm surprised-said Luke while watching Jackson working in the medic bay

-Agreed, I was already looking for a replacement

-Glad that's not the case

-Yeah, but really, I never expected he would work with me

Luke nodded before just stare at the view of Black Tomb, frowning a bit when he took a glance of the enormous plane. He knew who was inside and he was divided. The talent of their pilot was a big one, but he gave him a weird feeling, he's...too quiet. Even Wraith was suspicious once the Captain told her about him.

But maybe was his fear taking the lead. Even if there have passed months, almost a year, it was a bit difficult to hop inside of a plane without evoke the images of his last time. And yet he does, go foward and do the mission, they don't have other option.

-A cent for your thoughts-said the woman as she took a crayon out of her pocket

-Just thinking about our new member...is that a crayon? I thought it was a joke

-Still not trust Eager?-asked as she keep the red crayon between her teeth and laughed-I don't know what you mean, Michaelis

-Can't say I do and you know that if Jackson catch you eating that crap he'll scold you, right?

-It's not that bad

-Is that a crayon?! Are you nuts, Captain?!-screamed Jackson and both jumped for the surprise

The woman practically spitted the crayon as she saw the pissed off face of the medic, and Luke just started cackling trying to breath.

-You're gonna get yourself killed if you eat that! Are all the Marines like this?! For fuck's sake, you'll get poisoned!

-It's edible damnit!

-Is it?!-asked both of them in awe

-Yeah! I mean, we're not stupid!

The silence just made the woman to role her eyes, it was a good joke, but God...

[jimbleswrites]

"And then, I found the church."

A/N: This is a backstory for my current D&D character, Judge. They are a warforged paladin, and this is the story of how they started this journey. The only real context is that this is in the eberron setting, and is after the Mourning.

Judge sat in silence. The wind blew through the trees as they sat just off the path of the main entrance to New Cyre. There was a faint background noise as they sat there, people bustling about and moving things around. The camp was still in its early phases, with people resting in temporary tents outside the few buildings in this town. Judge was currently on guard duty, watching the roads into town. There weren't any real threats, just more refugees looking for a place to rest. The war was over, but things would not be back to normal for a long time.

Judge looked down at the axe and shield strapped to his pack. The ax’s blade was sharpened and cleaned, and the wooden shield was recently polished. Judge normally had to clean his weapons regularly, but now they stay strapped to their pack like novelties. These weapons once had a definite purpose, to help Cyre win a war. But now, there was no Cyre. Judge thought back to the mourning as they watched the road. They was a moment of peace as they captured fort zombie, then a mist rolled in from nowhere. It seemed harmless at first, then the magic effects took hold. Some people transformed into creatures, others simply fell over and never got up.

Judge looked into a small puddle next to them, with their reflection staring back. It was the same stern expression they always wore, but the crystals in their eyes were dimmer than they once were. Judge found their new freedom to be boring. With no war, Judge was now without a purpose. Sure, other warforged they had fought with had no issue moving to other work, but Judge found other work to be too mundane. It was busywork that let their mind wander to the purpose they used to have, and made Judge unsure of what the rest of their life would be.

“Excuse me! Is this New Cyre?” The question caught Judge off-guard, with them quickly looking back to the road. There was a group of 4 people, 3 in simple brown robes and one girl in a red hood in front.

“Yes. I apologize for being distracted.” Judge straightened up, their deadpan tone contrasting the bubbly voice she had.

The girl smiled. “No problem, we were just looking to speak with Oargev. Do you know where he normally is?” She bounced in place as she spoke, clearly ready to go.

“There is a city hall just a mile down this street. There are plenty of signs to guide you, should you get lost.” Judge pointed to a cluster of buildings past the farmland.

The girl laughed, which confused Judge. “Ok, thank you!” She exclaimed as she ran by, followed by the other people. Judge wasn’t sure why she had laughed at them, but they shrugged it off. People had always acted a little strange around Judge, maybe because they were a Warforged or maybe because their voice was more impassive than the normal person’s. Judge sat alone with their thoughts, waiting for the guard change as they watched the empty road.

***

The next guard came by after a few hours, letting Judge go back into town. Judge didn’t have any plans for the rest of the day. With no need to drink, eat, or sleep, a lot of time normal people spent fueling and resting was free time for Judge. They decided to go to the local tavern to look over the bounty board again. It was empty this morning, but maybe something came up while Judge was on guard duty. They passed by the various tents and buildings on their way, with people buzzing about. The whole town was in the process of expansion with the new refugees flowing in, so there was always some construction or some new face for people to deal with. Judge worked their way through the bustle, approaching the Second Chance tavern.

It was a small place, just with simple food and drink, but it also currently held a large board for jobs and help. Judge walked through the open door frame, to see the barmaid wiping down the counter and no one else inside. They crossed the dirt floor, approaching the board.

“Don’t bother, no one has come by today.” The barmaid yelled from across the place. She seemed annoyed as she continued to clean. “I swear, you just come in to kick up dirt and take the jobs before anyone else.” She pointed her rag at Judge as she ranted. “You don’t even order anything, you freeloader.”

Judge didn’t consider this to be freeloading, but she had a point. They never ordered anything there, just came for jobs. Maybe this could help them kill time. They approached the bar and sat uncomfortably on the wobbly stool.

“My apologies. Please let me order one drink.” They asked, awkwardly hunched over the bar.

“Didn’t realize you guys ate and drank.” The barmaid scoffed, quickly pouring a pale ale into a tankard and sliding it over. Judge put down some coins, and sipped their drink. It was weak, mostly water but had some bitter aftertaste. Judge quietly sat there, sipping their ale. This just made Judge feel more empty. They sat there for a while until someone sat down at a stool next to them.

“Can I get a drink please?” The voice sounded familiar. Judge looked over to see the same girl from earlier, red hood down as she got her ale. Her blond hair was cut short, barely covering her ears. She sighed, clearly upset with something. She looked over to the hulking construct next to her. “Oh hey! You’re that warforged at the gate!” She said, grinning.

“Yes. My name is Judge. I was on guard duty.” Judge replied.

“I’m Vesperia Song! Nice to officially meet you.” She held out her hand, and Judge shook it gently. “I came in with the other friars, but they didn’t want to see the camp, so I’m exploring it myself!” Her excitement was obvious, even as she grimaced through her drink.

“Friars? Are you part of a church?” Judge asked. Several people of faith had come through New Cyre for reasons of their own, but normally they were older people, looking to set up churches or temples in the new area. This girl seemed much younger than her peers, and more energetic as well.

“Yeah, me and the others are part of the church of the silver flame. We were sent out to tell people about the church and all that.” She looked down into her drink, clearly thinking about something.

Judge pondered this. “This must be an important task to the church. It is a compliment that they would trust you with this mission.” They said, hoping to ease her mind.

“I guess…” Vespira sighed. “Sometimes I feel like… I dunno…” She trailed off, kicking her feet against the stool. “Can I ask you a personal question?” She randomly asked.

Judge nodded. Vespira looked up into their eyes. “Are you religious?”

Judge paused, thinking. “I guess not. I never had to consider it during the war.”

Vespira looked confused. “Never considered it? It never came across your mind?”

“I was a soldier. I was given orders and I followed them. Any free time I had, I trained to be a better fighter. That was my purpose.” Judge explained.

“How about now?” Vespira pushed on, waving down the bartender for another ale.

“I… do not know.” Judge answered honestly.

Vespira smiled as the bartender dropped off 2 more ales. “That’s OK.” She sipped one and slid the other towards Judge. “To be honest, I struggle with my faith too.”

Judge was surprised to hear a friar say this. “But it is your purpose. Why wouldn’t you feel reassured?”

“I guess it’s the difference between us.” Vespira clinked her glass against Judge’s arm, with a metallic thud. “You were built and given a purpose. I was born and had to find one.” She pulled a small stuffed rabbit out from her travel pack. It was a ragged thing, with old worn fabric and dulled buttons. Vespira pointed to several burn marks on it. “When I was really young, My village was attacked by bandits. Everyone was attacked and scattered, and I barely made it out. Just me and my stuffed buddy here.” Vespira pushed the animal into Judge’s arm, leaning it against it. “Eventually I found a traveling caravan, and after a lot of moving around, I found the church. But now, they just send me to wander the world and tell people about the silver flame. I just wonder how much good this really does.” She had slumped down, chin against the bar as she spoke.

Judge looked down at the rabbit against his arm. This woman had clearly been in dire straits, and was looking for some resolve, but Judge wasn’t sure how to reciprocate. He found emotions unwieldy, and was normally very reserved. But Judge did know a little about the church of the silver flame, and he did have an idea.

“Your church has a group of people for dealing with monsters, correct?”

Vespira sighed. “The Templars, yeah.”

“Are you proficient in battle?”

Vespira looked up, confused. “I know some magic, but that’s nothing special.”

Judge nodded. “Maybe a change in your duties would help. I normally found that a new mission brought new challenges to overcome.”

“That seems dangerous. But there is a contract for some monsters nearby we were going to call in.” Vespira perked up, but then got sad again. “But I can’t do it by myself, that’s too much.”

“I will help you with this.” Judge gently put a hand on her shoulder. “Between the two of us, we will complete the contract.” To Judge, this was a win-win. They got a job to slay monsters, and Vespira would see a new experience, which would help her with her struggle.

Vespira smiled. “Alright, we’ll give it a shot.”

***

The night seemed to move by quickly after that, with Vespira and Judge agreeing to meet in the morning. Vespira disappeared to rest up, and Judge took time to clean his weapons and armor. They were both excited to get out there, and the journey was simple. They spoke about the specifics as they walked. There was a group of bandits stealing from merchants moving to and from New Cyre. Those that managed to get away told the local guards that they were using undead to ambush them a few miles up the road. The town wanted to send someone out, but couldn’t spare anyone from the guard. Vespira tuned her fiddle as she talked about her bardic magic, Judge listening intently as they approached the area.

The last attack was at a crossroads, with some sign of the struggle still there. A broken wagon had been dragged off to the side of the road, with nothing left inside. The report from the guard specified that a caravan leaving New Cyre left with a few people, and only one made it back to the town. Judge quickly surveyed the wreckage, looking for trails leading away from the site. There was no obvious evidence, and with the crossroads right there, the footsteps were too plentiful to pinpoint any specific path.

“The area is too well-traveled to track them by footsteps.” Judge said aloud. “Maybe we could comb over the nearby woods.” Judge turned back to sing Vesperia staring at a bird’s nest in a nearby tree. She watched intently as the bluebird hopped along the branch, picking at a bug nearby.

“I bet he knows something.” Vesperia quickly chanted something, moving her hands in a rhythmic fashion, with a flash of magic bouncing between her hands. Judge realized she must be using magic to speak with this animal. Vesperia waved to the bird, grabbing its attention. “Hi! Do you know what happened to the people in this wagon?” The bird chirped back, swinging its head towards the woods nearby. “OK, thanks!” Vesperia turned back to Judge. “They were taken to the woods there, but they didn't see where.”

Judge nodded. “Speak with animals? This will be useful if we encounter more dead-ends.” Judge began to walk forward into the woods, with Vesperia skipping along behind. The forest here was dense with apple trees, and plenty of smaller plants covering the ground.

Vesperia grabbed an apple and began to dig in. “So, do you enjoy hunting monsters?” she said between bites.

“I am very good at fighting.” Judge responded, still focused on looking for a trail to pick up.

“Yeah, you said that already. But do you enjoy it?” She persisted.

Judge stopped for a moment. It was like asking a cauldron if they like making potions, or asking a spellbook if they liked magic. “I was designed for this. Fighting enemies and protecting people are my purpose.” Judge replied. They continued to walk as they continued.

“Come on, I opened up about my fears. I can tell you have more to say.” Vesperia retorted, tossing the apple core to the side.

Judge considered this. Maybe talking with someone could help. “I am not good with emotions. However, you are right. I am afraid of something.” Judge turned back to look at Vesperia’s face. “I worry if I do not have a purpose, I am expendable.” Vesperia looked on with big eyes, waiting for Judge to continue. “My purpose is over. I am not used to making big decisions. That was a job for a general or my superior officer. But now… I am in charge. And I am afraid of making a bad choice.”

Vesperia looked upset, empathic to Judge's struggle. Before she could say anything, voices could be heard in the distance, coming closer. Judge pulled Vesperia behind him, and crouched low into the brush.

A few bodies came out of the trees, showing a figure in a patchwork cloak followed by two undead bodies holding a chest. The figure was speaking into a sending stone, laughing about something. “Alright, I’ll be back in a second.” he laughed, putting the stone away and coming to a stop at a nearby tree. He didn’t seem to notice Judge or Vesperia, and quickly moved a blanket of moss to the side, uncovering a trapdoor. He descended down, followed by the undead servants.

Judge slowly stood up once the people were gone, with Vesperia still behind him. Judge pulled out his ax and shield, ready to follow. He turned to Vesperia, only to see her moving past them to the trapdoor. She pulled the door open, looking down into the tunnel. Judge stood next to her, staring into the unknown. Vesperia nervously pulled out her fiddle, shaking as she did.

Judge looked over as she did, noticing no other weapons on her. “You did not bring a weapon?” he questioned.

“Didn’t think about it until now.” Vesperia stammered, her fiddle making small noises as her shaky hands kept touching it.

Judge pulled out a small tube from their pack, handing it to her. “This is a javelin. Pull the pin here to expand it to full size. While it’s meant for throwing, it will serve as a decent staff if needed.” they explained. They put a hand on her shoulder as she pocketed the javelin. “Do not worry. This is what I was designed for.” Judge took the lead, walking down the stairs, with Vesperia following behind.

The tunnel was decently lit, with lanterns on wooden supports lining the small hall. The two followed the path for a short while, eventually finding an open area with the person from earlier. Judge stayed out of view, holding Vesperia behind them, listening to their conversation.

“You only got one chest? We ain’t gonna have enough for the boss!” A human holding a crossbow was arguing with the cloaked figure they had seen earlier.

“We’ll get enough, I just have to grab the next poor sap who comes by and shake em down.” The cloaked figure removed their hood, revealing a half-elf with burns across his face. He pointed to a large pile of chests and various stolen items, surrounded by four undead servants. The two continued to argue about what to do, as Judge turned to Vesperia.

“I can take a head-on approach to these bandits, but you are not a fighter. Perhaps you can stay back and provide ranged support.” Judge offered.

“Yeah, I know some spells to help, but I'll need to play my fiddle to focus.” Vesperia took a deep breath and began to play, an energetic song that filled the cave. The six foes in the cave began to glow with a violet outline, with them confused at the blinding lights and song that surrounded them.

Judge walked around from the corner, brandishing their ax.”This is your warning. Surrender now, and no one is hurt.” they announced. The two figures quickly dove away, with the undead running forward. The song continued as Judge began their assault, cleaving into the undead. The zombies swung wildly at Judge, but to no avail. Judge was in their element, blocking the swings with his shield and swinging back with the ax. The first undead fell, cut in half as Judge shoved back another with their shield. The second collapsed into shambles after being shoved into a wall. Judge slammed their ax into the head of the third undead, swinging it into the fourth, dealing with both in one move. Judge then turned to the bandits, only to be hit with a black beam of enervating energy. The half-elf had shot a ray of enfeeblement, sapping away Judge’s strength.

“You’re kidding me, who sent the living weapon for a couple of bandits like us?” He screamed, trying to put more distance between himself and Judge. Judge felt weaker, but was still able to fight. They moved closer to the wizard, swinging their ax and missing. The half-elf used this miss to summon necromantic magic into their hand, pushing it directly into Judge’s chest. Judge yelled as this magic wracked through their body, inflicting wounds all over their body. Judge kneeled over, feeling close to passing out.

The half-elf smirked as he walked past the warforged. “Guess I overreacted. Just a hunk of metal after all.” Judge tried to stand but found his strength sapped.

“Look who else I found.” The other foe, the human, had disappeared in the struggle and found Vesperia, now holding her at bowpoint. Vesperia struggled, trying to escape. Judge felt despair as they watched Vesperia being hurt by their actions.

“Perfect, we can ransom her off for the rest of the money we need.” The half-elf laughed as he pulled out a small dagger.

Judge wobbled, then stood up shakily. “Your fight is with me. You leave her alone.”

“No, I think you’ll leave us alone. Or else your little friend here is hurt.” He pointed the dagger at Vesperia.

“You think that will stop them?” Vesperia stammered. She was fumbling in her belt as she spoke. “We are Templars of the Silver Flame, and we will always fight evil.” Judge felt inspired, and felt a presence of something, as their armor began to smoke, a silvery mist emitting from the metals that protected them. Judge realized this was the power of the silver flame itself, and felt reinvigorated.

Out of instinct, Judge pointed to the wizard. “Approach.” Judge commanded, magic flowing from their voice. The half-elf walked forward, fighting his own body as he approached the warforged. Vesperia took the opportunity to surprise the human holding her, unfurling the javelin and stabbing it into his foot, breaking herself free. He tried to grab her again, only to meet the other end of the javelin as she slammed it into his face.

The wizard finally stopped taking steps, only to be face to face to Judge. The warforged was like a wall of metal and armor, smoking with a silvery mist, staring down on him with yellowed crystal eyes.

“You will surrender now, or I will end this.” Judge stated. It was a simple demand, but effective.

“Alright, you win.” The half-elf conceited. “I surrender.”

***

The journey back was simple after the encounter. Judge and Vesperia led the criminals back to New Cyre, and handed them off to the guards. Vesperia told the other friars what had happened, and they were happy that the threat was dealt with. They were leaving soon for another settlement nearby, and it was time for things to continue onward. Judge decided to see them off, and wanted to speak to Vesperia one last time.

“Vesperia, I wanted to thank you for letting me help with this contract. I hope you also got some sense of purpose from this.” Judge bowed his head in gratitude.

“Maybe not the way I thought though…” Vesperia responded. “I’m no fighter, but I appreciate learning first-hand how dangerous things can get.” She held out the javelin. “But what will you do now?”

Judge closed her hand. “Keep the javelin. I have decided to travel to the church of the silver flame and learn more about becoming a templar. This seems to be a good fit for me.”

Vesperia smiled. “I think that’s a great idea.” She began to turn, then quickly grabbed something out of her pack and tossed it to Judge. Judge caught it, and found it to be the stuffed rabbit that Vesperia had showed them earlier.

“Why are you giving this to me?” Judge tried to hand it back, only for Vesperia to close their hand.

“A reminder. It will give you bravery when you need it, and I don't need it anymore. I’m not afraid of anything if you’re out there fighting evil.” Vesperia smiled.

Judge nodded. “Then this will be my oath.” Judge held the rabbit to their chest as they spoke. “I vow to fight evil, by any means necessary, and help those affected by their evil misdeeds.”

Vesperia was grinning ear-to-ear. “Then when we meet again, I want to hear all the stories of evil you’ve stopped and people you’ve helped.” The wagon began to pull away, and Vesperia waved as they moved on to another village in need. Judge waved, then attached the rabbit to their pack. They turned to the other trail, ready to go. Flamekeep was a long walk from here, and who knows what would be on the horizon?

[j-graysonlibrary]

Fort Heaven Chapter 28

Title: Fort Heaven

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 69K

Genres: Suspense, investigative, drama, LGBT+

Available on: Kobo and my website

Synopsis: Some call it a hoax. Others claim it’s a cult. But, to Evon and his friend Yasmine, two online journalists, Fort Heaven is the subject of their latest story. Along for the assignment is cameraman and not-so-secret crush of Evon’s: Russet. With a drunken, murky night in their recent history, things are especially tense between them but, of course, personal matters take a backseat when the interviews start. The trio speaks to ex-members of Fort Heaven and, while some of the accounts are shocking, the job remains just that: A job. That is until one of the women they interviewed, along with her daughter, goes missing. It soon becomes clear that not only is Fort Heaven a real threat but Evon and his friends are being watched. And what started as a simple cash-grab article is now a matter of life and death.

Full chapter 28 under the cut

Chapter 28

The images from the computer were projected onto a large, white sheet in front of Evon, Russet, and Yasmine. Jackson and Nichole had been withheld from the so called “meeting” since the both of them only appeared in small portions of the videos. As the footage went on, it became clear to the guards that the three of them in particular were involved and was the reason they were being questioned as a unit.

They’d viewed these videos days ago and were just now playing them in front of the trio almost as a torture in and of itself. It wouldn’t be easy to dispute certain facts or try to sugar coat things when they had possession of hard evidence to the contrary.

While—technically—nothing in the footage suggested malicious intent, there was still a lot of negative talk and a biased outlook on Fort Heaven.

The last clip played and it had been filmed just about a week ago. Their voices were quiet but still audible as they discussed their plans concerning the threatening letter that led them to be captured.

Even if it had been only a handful of days ago, they looked on in agony as it felt like at least a month had already passed them by.

In that video they were scared, yes, but they had yet to be branded. They didn’t yet know what it was like to sleep on the ground in the cold or to only have one meal a day. In comparison, it was definitely a more desirable time.

“Ring any bells?” Cameron, the guard closest to them that had been the one mostly in charge of their interrogations thus far, asked. He held a baton in his hand and used it to point to the sheet. “Would you still like to attest that you didn’t have the intent of attacking our church in your documentary?”

None of them looked at each other—Yasmine and Evon looked down while Russet stared at the man with cold eyes.

“I want to know whose idea it was,” the man continued, “who was the one who initially wanted to start this crusade?”

There was no answer.

Yasmine knew she had to answer. It was her fault, she felt, since she had convinced Evon of it and Russet was strung along because Evon pulled him into it. So, she decided, she was responsible.

But before she could confess, Evon spoke up. “It was mutual. We all thought of it.”

Cameron chuckled to himself and tapped the end of the baton against the palm of his free hand. “Trying to stick together, huh?” He shook his head. “That never lasts long. Eventually you’ll turn on each other—I’ve seen it many times.”

“ No we won’t,” Evon snapped back. He locked eyes with the man and didn’t waver. “We’d never turn on each other.”

“Oh? Well then…” He turned to look at one of the guards standing by the entrance to the tent. “Get me a bucket of water.”

“You…are you going to water-board us…?”  Yasmine asked the question the two men were thinking.

“You’ll see.”

“It won’t make any difference,” Russet said quietly. “We won’t betray each other.”

“Mhmmm, sure.”

After a short break, the other guard came back with a bucket of water in his arms. Some sloshed out of the sides which caused the man to visibly stiffen with discomfort. By his body language and the expression on his face, the water in the bucket was very cold.

So it was to be water-boarding in ice water, Evon thought. Surely it would add a more stressful element to it but he was prepared to endure it. Even if his pain tolerance was low and he was scared out of his wits, he would persevere.

The two guards whispered back and forth before Cameron nodded and approached the trio. He didn’t say a word before he threw a small wave of water on all three of them. It instantly drenched them but, worse than anything, was the shock of the cold.

Evon let out a yell as it felt as though a million tiny daggers were thrust into his skin all over and all at once. Yasmine shivered violently and Russet just looked shocked.

“Now get out and go back to your tents. Your meal for the day will be ready shortly.” Cameron looked between them with a smile.

“That’s it?” Russet asked, sounding much more put together than he felt.

“Yes. That’s it.” The smug grin only grew bigger.

Even though they were let go, there was no relief. Outside, the chill of the wind hit them and their wet skin and sent a painful sensation through them that was close to crippling. Yasmine clasped her arms across her chest desperate for warmth, feeling the effects possibly worse than the other two—not that they weren’t suffering as well.

Back where they had spent most of their time and where they slept, they found Jackson and Nichole. The two were in the middle of a conversation but stopped upon seeing them walking closer. Nichole’s eyes darted between them, trying to find sign of injury and Jackson focused more on Yasmine.

“Why are you soaked?” He asked as she knelt down beside him.

“He threw a bucket of water on us,” Russet answered and then winced. Water droplets streamed from his hair down onto his neck.

“You have to get dry fast,” Nichole said with worry in her voice, “I’ve seen this before. They’ll soak people down and leave them wet all through the night. It can be deadly if it you’re not careful.”

“It’s not like we can change,” Evon mentioned and took after Yasmine’s example and crossed his arms. “Or start a fire.”

“We’ll just have to huddle together,” she replied.

“No. You’ll get wet too.”

“I don’t care.” That surprised him. Not that Evon assumed she was heartless or anything but because he didn’t realize she cared for them enough to do that.

“Come on,” Jackson whispered, already on board with the plan. He pulled Yasmine closer to him and wrapped an arm around her. He hardly had enough muscle and body fat on him to warm himself but he wanted to share it anyway. As much as Yasmine had done for him, he wanted to give back.

“Evon on the other side,” Nichole directed. She had him sit beside Jackson so she could be between him and Russet, offering each a side of her that was, at the very least, dry.

The cold and wet press of the fabric and skin against their already cold bodies was unpleasant to say the least but, eventually, a bit of warmth formed between each of them. It wasn’t much but it was something to focus on when a new chill would come over them.

It lasted until morning. There was no conversation between the group huddle and also, for the first time, no visit from Willow in the middle of the night. It was quite concerning but their current situation kept them from wondering too much about it.

Maybe she’d just fallen asleep or had been moved to an inconvenient shift. She was in the best position among them so they didn’t worry all too much. And, especially, not when the trio was taken back to the same tent as the day before.

The footage was shown again from the very beginning and the same questions were asked. If their clothes and hair weren’t still a little damp then they may have started to question having déjà vu. Evon was confused and a bit disoriented while Yasmine just wanted it to end and willed her consciousness to leave this place. Russet, however, had a slow and painful revelation.

This was going to happen on a daily basis until one of them owned up to being fully responsible or if they ganged up on each other. He kept it to himself—even after another bucket of water was splashed over them.

His theory was proven true on the third day when his videos started once more from the beginning. This time, Evon and Yasmine also realized what was happening.

“Come on…” Yasmine pleaded, not caring if she sounded pathetic. Her skin had turned a pale purple compared to her normal dark complexion and she knew it was a matter of time before something irreversible happened to her body. “Just stop. We’re not going to cave.”

“I thought you might say that,” Cameron retaliated with a smirk. He seemed to truly enjoy hurting them—something none of them, especially Evon could wrap their minds around. Sure, they were bad people in the view of Fort Heaven but the whole situation remained ineffable.

Cameron walked to the entrance of the tent, stuck his head out and waved before retreating back in. After a few seconds, another person entered.

Willow.

She didn’t seem all too well herself but her face went grim when she saw who was being tortured. She didn’t move or say anything as the male guard placed a flog in her hand.

The straps on it were longer than what one could find at a sex shop and the material was definitely not as gentle. Thin leather strings with shards of sharp plastic edges weaved through them were definitely not something anyone would willingly consent to being slapped with.

Willow looked down at the tool in her hand and her stomach dropped. It felt more like a test than her presence during Cindy’s torture and she was afraid if she failed this time that it would her undoing. Yet, to not fail, she had put effort into hurting the people who she wanted to save.

“Let’s add an extra element today,” Cameron spoke and walked back in front of the three. “Water…” His eyes flickered back to Willow, “And some lacerations.”

Russet narrowed his eyes at the man and spat, “fuck you.”

Naturally that only worked to please him. He grabbed the bucket of water he’d set to the side since they arrived and paused. The reactionary flinch from all of them made him chuckle and, the second Evon glanced back up, he threw the water.

It was hard to hold back the screams and Yasmine felt herself breaking down into tears.

“Now…anyone willing to confess to being the mastermind of this project?”

After their mutual silence, the man looked to Willow and nodded. She gulped, forcing down any feelings of hesitation. There was no way to apologize or even warn them before she made the first strike but she hope they understood.

The flog sliced down across Yasmine’s back. The woman fell forward and screamed—blood immediately rose to the surface despite how chilled her body was.

“Nothing?” Cameron asked as he kneeled down closer to their eye level. His gaze shifted from her to Russet. “What about you? It was your camera. Maybe it was your idea too?”

Before he could respond, Willow was signaled to act and she brought the flog down onto his back. Her teeth clenched together hard as his body jerked in response to the pain. He was still trying not to react and to keep it together but everyone could see that he was breaking.

“Well if not you then…” the man settled on Evon and Evon tensed up. He knew it was coming and, judging by the reaction of his friends, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to bear it.

“WAIT!” Russet screamed before taking a ragged breath. “It was me—you were right. I thought the whole thing up, I used them by saying they could use it for their blog but I really wanted it for my film career.” The words spilled out of a mile a minute.

Cameron grinned and rose to his feet. “Well, well, I have to say…I didn’t think you’d be the one to break.”

“He’s lying,” Evon said with a pained expression. He was clearly close to tears and his limbs shook from both the cold and his nerves. “It was me. He—I made him come along…”

“Shut up, Evon—don’t try to be a martyr…”

“That’s exactly what you’re doing!”

Russet shook his head. “It was me,” he said, much more calmly to Cameron, “Do whatever you want just don’t hurt Evon. He never had any ill intent with the church it was all me.”

Again, the man laughed at his pain. “Don’t hurt Evon, huh?” His eyes darted up and he gave Willow the look she was dreading.

With a sharp inhale, she offered a silent apology and flogged the man in the middle. His scream mixed with Russet’s own and Yasmine’s sobs crushed her on the inside. She was sure she’d continue to hear it in her head continuously—possible for the rest of her life.

“Alright,” Cameron said suddenly and with his eyes on Willow, “help me grab him and take him to the main building. You two are free to go back to your tent mates.”

Willow grabbed one of Russet’s arms while Cameron took the other and they pulled him up to his feet. She avoided looking at any of them—she couldn’t. Especially not Evon.

“Don’t take him…” Evon pleaded, “Please, don’t take him there…Russet—Russ…” His words whittled down to soft sobs and begging as they took Russet out of the tent. He attempted to get up and follow but his body wouldn’t cooperate with his will.

They all knew what going to the main building meant—Willow more than any of them. Evon knew it was where the individualized torture happened and Yasmine knew that every prisoner that she saw go in there never came back out. Russet knew those things too but he hoped his sacrifice wasn’t in vain and that they would focus on him instead of the other two.

Being killed was a risk he was willing to take to save someone he cared for.

Willow assisted in shackling him to the wall in the basement and was then dismissed. The interrogation and torture probably wouldn’t continue until the next day—she had found that they preferred to make the prisoner a mental wreck by having them wait alone overnight. The anticipation and dread of the following day kept them from sleeping or even shutting down their mind enough to rest.

She gave a look to the man as she left the room. Her colleague was with her so she still couldn’t say she was sorry. She simply had to hope that she could convey it with her eyes.

[whythewords]

Sure, You Can Love Me (But Can You Please Take Me Home?)

On and on we go through this messy, sometimes great, sometimes fucking exhausting life, right? Again, I don't know how to summarize the goings-on since the last post, I only know about a few landmarks of the last month and how they made me feel.

I went on that vacation to Nova Scotia....it was breathtaking. My pal Damion and his wife Katie put us up in their absolute unit of a home, it was gorgeous and new and in a quaint, sparsely populated area of the province. A dream. And he planned quite the itinerary for us. We did a night at a fancy, cottagey AirBNB right on the water. We went tidal bore rafting which I agreed to before knowing fully what it was, but look it up, it's wild. We did a winery/cidery tour. We bummed around Halifax, I bought a travel guitar, and we also hit the Halifax waterfront. I ate my fill of lobster and just great seafood in general. I finally got to meet his adorable two year old daughter and experienced the great pleasure of my heart melting each and every time she called me "uncle Joe."

The trip was everything. But it was also what it was supposed to be: a vacation. There was no networking and looking for jobs and opportunities while I was out there. There was none of the "research" I convinced myself I was gonna do. It was, more than anything, a chance to catch up with an old friend, which is exactly what it needed to be.

Over the course of that week and into the intervening weeks...I decided to do another dating app blitz and stunningly, it paid off. I have gotten more traction on these apps than I have ever gotten. I'm up to four different woman I'm talking to and I haven't met a single one of them yet but the conversations are seemingly staying afloat, and I may have a date this coming Saturday. All of this happened to fall on a month that's already wall-to-wall loaded with other plans and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It keeps me distracted, keeps me happy. Another open mic on Wednesday, my friend's hockey game on Thursday, a night at the drive-in on Friday.

And yesterday I was in Fort Erie, an old friend who lives in New Jersey now was out there visiting his parents, and they all used to live in our old neighbourhood in Mississauga. It was nice catching up, and I had forgotten how much his mom "gets it." Without having seen each other in several years, she knew inherently after a brief catch-up session exactly where I was at. The predicament with my folks and wanting to move out...and how that may be effected by where we all are in our lives. "I worry you may have been prematurely thrown into a caretaking scenario." She said that and it was as if she was staring into my soul. A wise oracle assessing my situation with a glance.

My mom had gotten a little sick while I was on my trip. She's much better now, thank goodness, but the whole "moving out East to find a new life" thing sort of flashed before my eyes. My dad is 80. My mom is not too far behind. Their health is okay but they're not without their issues. If I'm not taking them with me I gotta stay close, and that fucking stings. Not because I don't love and appreciate them and want what's best for them, but because it seems like I'm now at the point where it's been decided for me. I have no choice in the matter.

My brother is not up to the task of taking care of my folks if I go away, he can barely take care of himself. To draw at least some inspiration from Nova Scotia, Damion had brought his mom out east to live with him after his dad passed. She's got a walkout basement apartment while he, his wife and his daughter have free reign of the top two levels. Maybe that's solution for me too. Maybe this is just my lot in life now. We have to go in on something together. My dad floated the idea by me before and it's not a bad one really, but it feels in many ways like true independence is always going to elude me. And it's STILL really fucking expensive. Maybe part of me was influenced by the sudden influx of dating prospects that sticking around here wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. Unfortunately that doesn't change its price, both emotionally and financially.

There's these two parts of myself that have constantly been at odds these last few weeks: the lonely and longing romantic, looking for love and companionship, and the low-key, introspective recluse, just waiting for the opportunity to seize his independence and finally have a place he can truly call his own. Those came together to form a song as part of my monthly songwriting challenge, late as always but one of my favourite things I've written maybe of the last two or three years. Must be because it's so painfully fucking true.

But writing it, and playing it, and singing it they all make it sting a little less. They calm me down and remind me that while this is a shitty hand I've been dealt, it is not an impossible task. I can and WILL figure this out eventually.

Fuck, thank goodness for music, huh?

Here's a very rough and scratchy demo of the song I mentioned, it inspired the title of this post: