#but the fact that jaya is desperate to know more about where she came from

[unravelingwires]

Idioplasmic

Jaya knew one thing about her grandparents on Amma’s side. Her grandfather and her mother apparently shared a hair type.

Jaya discovered this through judicious application of alcohol.

[thepancakeboi]

118. “Forget the douche. He’s a dick. He’s a dickdouche.”

Divergence AU Part IV

Previous | Next (coming 10/17) | AU list | Prompt source

Fanfic under cut

11/22

Leader of the Phantom Thieves Commits Suicide in Custody

No, he hasn’t. The headlines are wrong. He’s alive-

They’re wrong, but he’s not alive. You killed him.

That’s wrong! He didn’t die, I’m sure of it.

No, you shot him in the head! He didn’t survive.

It was a fake. It was Sae’s cognition of him. It wasn’t him!

Sure about that?

Yes. That wasn’t him. He wasn’t acting like he normally does. He would have-

He was drugged, you fool. He’s as good as dead.

“Shut up!”

I sigh, closing my eyes and pushing away the pages of unfinished work as I lean further back in my chair. I hadn’t meant to yell that out loud. These past few days have been...rough, to put it mildly. No one should have to shoot their friend in the head and pretend to enjoy it. The memories are still fresh in my mind. I couldn’t give a shit if the guard had actually died or not, but Ren...

I’ve continuously told myself that everything worked, that he’s still a part of this world. The rational part of my brain tells me otherwise. There had been so much blood...and that fearful look on his face...

He only looked like that because he realized that we failed.

All I want to do is scream if only to silence the voices in my head. Maintaining the charade for so long is taking its toll on me. I open my eyes as I feel something wet sliding down my cheeks.

Am I...crying?

I wipe the tears and the moisture away, disgusted with myself. I can’t let myself cry. Crying is a form of weakness. You can’t let your feelings show like that. It’ll simply get you killed in the end.

This isn’t getting me anywhere. I shove myself to my feet, hastily grabbing my briefcase as I leave my apartment. What I need right now is a delicious cup of coffee and confirmation that my rival/friend/potential love interest managed to cheat death after all.

The hour it takes me to get from Kichijoji to Leblanc in Yongen-Jaya seems to drag on and on. It’s a relief when I finally arrive at the familiar back-alley cafe. The little bell jingles as I enter. There’s no sign of Ren. “Sorry, we’re closing for-” Sojiro starts to say, only to stop when he sees it’s me. “Oh, it’s you.”

“My apologies for coming so late into the evening,” I respond, my voice a little louder than necessary in the desperate hopes that Ren is still alive and will hear me. “I hope you don’t mind, but could I-”

My words are interrupted by someone barreling down the stairs and nearly tackling me as he pulls me into a hug. “I lived,” a familiar voice whispers in my ear, sounding very smug for someone who just cheated death.

“Ren...” I gently push him away, wanting to verify for myself that it’s truly him. Unless the black-haired, gray-eyed boy holding onto me is an extremely convincing replica, it’s definitely Ren Amamiya. He looks remarkably well for someone who had been beaten up and drugged by the police. The very thought of it still pisses me off. We hadn’t expected anything like that, and it really could have messed everything up. I hate that I thought it had screwed us over. Luckily, Ren must have remembered the plan in the end. “Nobody knows you’re alive, right?”

“Other than the Phantom Thieves and Sae, no. Oh, and Kawakami, but she won’t tell anyone.”

“Good.” I don’t know what else to say, so I just say nothing at all.

“I’m heading home now,” Sojiro says amid the silence. “Don’t forget to close up shop once you’re done.”

“Got it,” Ren answers. We watch as Sojiro leaves, quiet for a few more moments before Ren speaks up again, pulling me close to him once more. “I missed you.”

“I know you didn’t see me for nearly two days, but I wasn’t the one who could have died,” I retort.

“Yeah, but I still missed you.” He rests his forehead against mine, for some reason wanting to be close like this. An impish smirk appears on his face as he notices my blush. “What about you, Akeppi? Did you miss me while I was dead? Did you think about me in all your waking moments? Wonder what could’ve been if we just met sooner?”

“Quit being so overdramatic,” I reply with a roll of my eyes. He doesn’t need to know how I haven’t gotten much sleep the past two nights because of him or how he did, in fact, occupy my thoughts day in and day out. “You weren’t dead nor are you currently dead.”

“But I am dead. Drop-dead gorgeous.”

I avert my gaze away from his beautiful gray eyes. Eyes that a couple of days ago had been completely terrified before-no. I shove that thought away into the deepest recesses of my mind. Now is not the time to break down. Not in front of him. “You must be fine if you’re managing to make jokes like that,” I snark.

“What? I am Joker,” he replies back with a sassy grin to match. The corners of my mouth twitch upward. His grin is downright infectious. The grin drops away as he seems to remember something. He hesitates for a few seconds before asking, “So...what are we gonna do about Shido?”

I jolt at the mention of that man’s name from Ren’s mouth. Outraged, I nearly shove Ren off of me as I yell, “How did you find out about him!?”

His hand instinctively moves, covering his mouth. I recognize the motion, a habit of his when he’s anxious or nervous. Whatever he’s about to say, he’s likely worried about my potential reaction. “I had Futaba wiretap your phone.”

So, he was eavesdropping on me, and when I had slipped up and said Shido’s name in the call after having “murdered” Ren, he and Futaba heard it too. It feels like a punch to the gut. I had been planning on telling him! There’s only one reason I can think of for why he would wiretap my phone without telling me. “You don’t trust me, do you?”

“I do trust you!” he replies immediately, fervently denying the accusation. I want to believe him. “But I had to take precautions.”

“Like what, exactly? You shouldn’t have kept me in the dark!” Hypocritical, I know. I had kept him in the dark regarding who Shido was for months now.

“What if something had changed in the plan?” I open my mouth, about to respond, but he cuts me off. “I know you’ll say you would’ve told me, but what if there wasn’t a chance? If something changed while I was in prison, you wouldn’t be able to tell me.”

“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”

“Would you have been able to stand up against Shido?”

What does he mean by that? Of course, I would have tried, but... “I would have fabricated some reason as to why the plans could not be changed.”

“But what if push came to shove? What if he threatened you?” I can feel the blood draining from my face against my will. I wouldn’t put it past Shido. He praises me now, but if I were to try and turn against him, I know he’d kill me off somehow. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be pleasant, either. Ren seems to realize this too. He gently wraps his arms around me, pulling me back into the hug from earlier. “I really did mean it when I said I’d help you. We’re going to change Shido’s heart. Will you join us?”

“I can’t.”

“Huh?” Ren sounds genuinely surprised at my refusal. “Why not?”

“As much as I would love to get my revenge myself, Shido would notice if-”

“Forget the douche. He’s a dick. He’s a dickdouche.”

That gets a hearty chuckle out of me. The way he phrased it is just too amusing. I’m sure he can hear my sarcasm as I reply, “Oh, how marvelous. That was the most profound and articulate statement I have ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“I try,” he says, grinning. “But why not? What’s stopping you from joining us?”

“My schedule is going to be...very busy in light of recent events. I won’t have a lot of free time to be gallivanting with you through his Palace.”

“We can work around it. I know you spent so much time planning this. And I’d love it if you were there by my side when we take him down.”

“We won’t have time to waste. It has to be done before he’s elected.”

“December 18th,” Ren interrupts.

“Yes. You’ll have to be ready for me to say we can enter Shido’s Palace.”

“You know the keywords,” he says. So, he remembers how I hadn’t denied knowing them before. I nod in confirmation. “We have the name and place. But what does he see the Diet Building as?”

“A ship.”

“A ship?” he repeats, making sure he heard it right. I don’t blame him. If I didn’t know that rotten piece of shit personally, I would’ve been stumped too.

“Yes, a ship. He sees himself as the captain of a ship for the elite in a sinking country.” How absurd. “If you go in tomorrow, I would be able to come,” I add.

Ren grins, seemingly happy with this. He then gets this melancholic look on his face. “Our deal’s going to be over soon. Once we change Shido’s heart, that is.”

“No,” I assert, shaking my head. He’s not getting out of this so easily. “I haven’t fulfilled my end of the deal. We still need to prove your innocence in the assault charge. That starts with finding the man who accused you.”

“About that. I...think I might know who it is. I’m not sure, but I think I’m right.”

“Really? Then who is it?”

“...Shido.”

“You’re joking,” I guffaw. Surely he must be kidding.

“Dead serious.” Ren laughs a little, probably because his sense of humor picked up on how he just said he was “dead” serious. So mature.

Once he’s finished laughing, I ask, “Are you telling me that we both were going after the same man this whole time?”

“I guess so,” he replies with a shrug.

I can’t help but chuckle, shaking my head at the sheer absurdity of the number of coincidences that have been occurring between us. “Fate works in quite mysterious ways.”

“Fate’s been good to me. I got to meet you. And we got to fall in love.”

I tilt my head to the left, a little confused. “Where did you get that idea?”

“You told me that you love me.”

“I did not,” I deny, clearly lying. There’s no way he could know. He-

“Did too. It was a week ago. I wasn’t asleep,” he adds, nearly whispering the last part in my ear, sending unexpected shivers down my spine.

...wait. There’s something in what he said that is vying for my attention now. Even if he had heard me as he claims, he said we fell in love. Could he...? I have to know. “Hold on, does that mean...you love me?”

The grin that brightens his face could melt through the coldest of hearts. “Yup!”

“But...I’m a bastard son.” I have no idea where this self-deprecating behavior is coming from. However, I need him to realize that the person he thinks he loves isn’t me. I’m not that polite, pleasant boy he met in June. “I’m an utter disgrace to the world...a deranged murderer. Hell, you could have died because of me! And you...you’re special. Perfect. How could someone like you-”

“You’re perfect just the way you are. I don’t want anyone else. Just you.”

“I’m not the ace detective you think I am. That simpering personality is just a charade to ingratiate me to the public. That’s not who I am!”

“I know.”

“And? You can’t possibly-”

I don’t have a chance to finish my sentence before Ren’s lips are pressed against mine. My breath catches in my lungs. I can only stare, eyes wide with shock. If I could see myself right now, I’d probably also be blushing. The kiss took me quite by surprise. The air still feels alive between us as Ren pulls away from the kiss, pulsing with an energy I hadn’t noticed before. I find myself wanting more. His smile is intoxicatingly sweet as he says, “I love you. I’ve seen the real you, and I love you for who you are.”

“You’re not just saying that because you think it’s what I want to hear, is it?”

“No. I mean it. Just like how I’ve meant everything I’ve said.”

I finally wrap my arms around him. His warmth is so welcome. I didn’t know how much I wanted him like this. I refuse to let him try and save me or fix me or whatever he thinks he needs to do for me. All I want from him is his existence. Nothing more. “I love you too,” I say, resting my forehead against his, much like how he did earlier.

Ren holds onto me a little tighter as he whispers, “Let’s take down the dickdouche together.”

I snicker at his choice of words. “Yes. Together.”

[gwenbrightly]

Ninjago Jaya ~ Blanket Forts

Cross-posted from FF.net, because why not? Just a quick little Jaya oneshot taking place right after Skybound.

She can’t breath – can’t… Something is wrong… she feels like she’s dying. Like someone has thrown acid directly onto her. Her chest burns. In the distance, she can hear someone screaming her name. Sobbing. What’s going on? She’s gone numb… Why can’t she – It’s then that Nya wakes, sitting up, breathing so sporadically that she’s on the verge of hyperventilation. Just a dream. Just a dream… But, oh. Why does this have to be so hard? She's safe. Alive. The poison can’t hurt her anymore, and neither can that djinn. She knows that. But it doesn’t stop her from reliving every last sucky detail of what she faced less than a day ago (in fact, it’s not even midnight yet, so…). She almost… No, it’s best not to think about that… Maybe if she just. Doesn’t sleep? She supposes. But that’s not really a great option, cause then, she’ll be stuck up all night with nothing but her own thoughts to distract her. And she’s not sure she can handle being alone right now. She needs Jay. It’s funny, she thinks slipping from her bed, how she’s gone from actively avoiding the master of lightning, to being desperate to have him near her as much as possible. Love is weird like that. The hallway is dark, quiet. A stark contrast to the locations she’s spent the past few weeks. First, on the run, then stuck in jail, or on an island, then on the run again… Being home is nice. Sort of. Except for the lingering trauma from the past few days. Yeah, the sooner they can recover from that, the better. And for now, the others don’t need to know about how close everything came to being… The master of water quietly slides the door to Jay’s quarters. But… He’s not there. In fact, if his bed still being tidily made means anything, he hasn’t been in the room at all since they finally returned from Styx earlier. So, then… Where is he? Not the kitchen or living room, apparently, Nya discovers upon further searching. Sighing, she makes her way out into the deck – the only other place left to check. And it’s a good thing she does, as it turns out, cause there he is, looking out over the railings, posture tense. A light summer breeze plays with his ridiculously curly hair, making it an even bigger mess that it usually is. Honestly, it’s actually a pretty beautiful night. There are no clouds in sight; she can see millions of stars scattered across the sky.

“Couldn’t sleep?” She asks softly when she reaches him. Jay flinched slightly at the sound, before realizing that it’s her.

“Y-yeah… I couldn’t stop thinking about how…” He says so quietly she almost misses it.

“Me neither. I-even after I scrubbed every last inch of my body, it feels like the venom is still there. Like, I keep forgetting how to breath.. And remembering how much it hurt… And…”

“Oh, Nya…” He breathes, wrapping his arms around her. She bites back a sob as she snuggles into his embrace, reveling in the comfort it brings her. They rock back and forth for a few minutes, trying not to completely break down.

“I'm so sorry we had to go through all of… that. I-you died. It was horrible. And it was all my fault!”

“No. Don’t you dare try to take all of the blame for this. I mean, yes, you definitely made some really stupid choices, but if anyone’s gonna take the responsibility for what happened, it should be me. I started all of this a long, long time ago when I - ” Nya angles herself so that she can see his face.

“Nya, you don’t have to-” He begins to cut her off, but doesn’t get very far. She smiles softly, saying,

“Look. I chose you. I want us to work out, for us to be happy, but in order for that to happen, there are some things that need to be said. First of all, I come with baggage. A lot of it.”

“So do I.” He agrees, still not sure where the conversation is going. She bites back a chuckle.

“I’ve noticed. But… The thing is, before… During the whole fiasco with the perfect match machine? It was never about you. It was about me. For the record, I never stopped having feelings for you… I-I just…” Dragging Jay down beside her, she sinks onto the deck, leaning her back against the railing. It’s going to take awhile to really explain. To lay herself bare like she knows she needs to. Because Jay deserves the truth. They may as well get comfortable.

“I’m not the best at… Being open about my feelings. I’ve always hated feeling vulnerable, and back then? I didn’t really get why… Not until a lot later. When I was forced to become the water ninja, in fact. I was so awful at it, and it made me so uncomfortable – but it also helped me identify some of my self image issues.” She takes a deep breath, reaching for his hand as she continues, “So much of my life, I’ve felt like I had to prove something to someone. In Ignacia, Kai and I both had to prove that we could take care of ourselves. There wasn’t another option, unless we wanted to be saddled with some sketchy babysitter or sent to an orphanage. Then came Kai becoming a ninja, and, suddenly, I got it into my head that you guys wouldn’t take me seriously if you realized that I was samurai x.” She ignores the disgruntled look on the master of lightning’s face – she already knows now that it was a stupid sentiment, “So I didn’t tell you. Even though it probably just made things more dangerous. When Sensei started training me, I felt like I had to prove something there, too. That I was worthy of my mother’s element – even if I hated it and just wanted to go back to being a samurai, something that I was already good at. I got so frustrated that I tried to quite. And that’s when it first started to click. Because maybe some part of me thought that by doing all this impressive stuff, I could prove that it was a mistake for my parents to-to…”

“To leave you behind?” However Jay managed to guess her thoughts, she’s a little grateful she doesn’t have to say it herself.

“Yeah… So, anyway, back when we were still together, you were always so open and sweet about your feelings for me. And somewhere in the back of my head was that part of me that felt like I could never measure up to the person you thought I was and-”

“I'm so sorry! I didn’t realize… I-I only wanted to show you how much I cared. Because I thought that if you realized how special and loved you were… You wouldn't…" Leave me? The words aren’t spoken aloud, but the implication is there.

“I know. I just… I was feeling so overwhelmed, because I did want to be able to tell you how I felt about you – about the whole situation, but I kept talking myself out of it and thinking that if I just added a few boundaries until I reached the point where things felt safe again that… But then that stupid machine came into the picture, and I dunno? It scared me, because what if I was wrong? What if you didn’t really love me and left…”

“I would never.” He assures her, squeezing the hand clasping own. She brings her spare hand up to touch his cheek.

“You wouldn’t. And I was awful to let myself think that. Everything got so out of hand, and I had so many opportunities to fix things, but I didn’t. Even after the fighting calmed down. I didn’t wanna risk hurting you by ruining another relationship attempt. So, I stayed quiet. I came so close to confessing everything on Chen’s Island – but I didn’t have a chance to before we had to run off and save the world.”

“Will it ever not be that way?” Jay ponders. She shrugs.

“The world saving was very distracting. For a long time. Once I finally felt like I was starting to come to terms with what had been going on mentally, having the media get involved dealt me another blow. It was like the world no longer valued me as anything more than a token – an object to be won… But I didn’t want to completely give up on at least being friends with you, so I started trying to talk. But in the end, I just ended up pushing you away even more because I was so concerned about fighting my public image and not letting anyone else decide what I could be or do with my life. And to be honest? It freaked me out how sure you were that we were meant to be. I needed to regain control, and you ended up paying the price. And I can never tell you how sorry I am for being such a jerk! I died! You almost got killed several times because I refused to stop being stubborn and let someone else take the wheel, even for a moment! I-I…” A soft kiss prevents her from saying anything more. How is it that such a simple gesture has always had the power to relieve her pain?

“I forgave you a long time ago… And I never stopped caring about you, either. Even when I was fighting with Cole-which was a pretty dumb move in hindsight. We were both being idiots. And I’m sorry too...”

“I-Okay. Yeah, we kinda were… We’re a hot mess, aren’t we?” Nya exclaims, snuggling against her boyfriend. He smirks slightly.

“Well, we’re definitely hot!” She shoots him a look, which he pretends not to see, instead kissing her forehead.

“And we are a bit of a mess. But we’ve both grown so much. I really think we’ll make it this time…”

“Mm… I love you, Jay Walker.”

“And I love you, Nya Smith. Just don't ever die on me again. I don’t think I could handle that…” They both shudder, moving even closer together, as if afraid that they’ll be torn apart.

“I’m not handling it now…” Nya admits, “I’m sure sleep would help, but… That’s not happening any time soon…”

“Same here. So, what do we do, then?” Jay wonders. She doesn’t answer right away, but then, inspiration strikes her.

“When I was little, Kai used to build these super elaborate blanket forts whenever one of us was upset. Like ones that spanned entire rooms, and had lots of junk food hidden inside. And then, we’d stay up and watch as many movies as it took to calm back down. Do you think, maybe…?”

“Sure. If it’ll help. I’ll grab the cushions and blankets, you get the movies and snacks.” The master of lightning quickly agrees. It doesn’t take long for them to construct their fortress against one side of the deck, using every last spare sheet and pillow they own (and maybe snagging a few from Kai’s stash-that’s what siblings are for) . One and a half movies later, they finally give in to their exhaustion, falling asleep with their hands intertwined. Their joint presence keeps the nightmares at bay until Nya’s brother finds them the next morning. Though concerned about what exactly they’ve been doing all night, he’s honestly just relieved that they’ve finally figured things out. One less source of headaches for him, as long as they don’t go making a habit of public displays of affection like yesterday’s kiss… Which they probably will, but he can yell at them later. They do look awfully cute like that…

[ravensouth]

Vorthos Predictions 10/28/18

I have decided to make a blog to talk about some of my theories and predictions for the MTG story. This way, if I’m right, I’ll have the perfect thing to show people for my glorious “I told you so!” moment. If I’m wrong, thanks to my small (see non existent) following I can just quietly sweep this under the rug and pretend it never happened. That being said I have a lot to get through so let’s get started. 

First off I want to talk about some theories I have to the upcoming show down between the Gatewatch (and their allies), and Nicol Bolas. I’ll start with some characters I expect to show up and get to how I expect the battle to go after that. 

1) Nissa will not show up for the battle. After her departure at the start of Dominaria I think the most likely place Nissa would go is home to Zendikar. When we last saw the plane it was just starting to recover form the damage done by the eldrazi. Originally Nissa was against the idea of leaving with the newly formed Gatewatch because she wanted to help her home heal, now that she has forsaken her oath, I fully expect that’s what she would do. I also expect that she with meet Nahiri there and they will work together to undo the damage, via their mutual ability to manipulate lay lines. While I doubt Nahiri will show up on Ravnica I do think this will lead another powerful planeswalker into the fray

2) Ugin will make and appearance. I think that Ugin will become aware of the Gatewatch’s failed battle with his twin from Nissa and I think he would absolutely show up to help deal with his twin given how many centuries they worked against each other pre-mending. Obviously as Bolas’s closest rival in power and everything if he does show up he will have a huge impact in the fight. 

3) Nicol Bolas with have other allies in this fight, We know that Ral, Tezzeret, Liliana, and Vraska, are all workign for Bolas (for now) we also know that three more planeswalkers will be working with him in Ravinca Alliance, the popular expectation so far is Dovin, Domari, and Kaya, (think this was confirmed in a stream, but I didn’t see it so I might be wrong) I suspect that there will be at least one or two new walkers doing his bidding. I feel like he probably has minions we haven’t met and he will surly be bringing his full force to bare during the end of the current Ravinca block.

4) The Gatewatch will be supported by almost every other known planeswalker. Ajani has been gathering planeswalker allies since he left Kaladesh. That was either several months or a few weeks ago depending on which story you go by, but the fact remains that he has been very busy. He is also well connected thanks to hos involvement in Tamiyo’s story circle. I specifically expect that we will see Tamiyo herself, and Narset (a known member of the circle). There is also numerous planes walkers hoping to see Bolas die who woudl be obvious recruits , including Sarkhan, Samut, and the recently introduced Vivian. Another pair I could see is Saheeli (who would have been a member of the gatewatch if she wasn’t created so quickly before Kaladesh came out) and her new friend Huatli. 

Now that we have our guess of a cast, lets take some shots how this all plays out. 

1) Lots of deaths, on both sides. This is shaping up the be the largest battle in quite sometime, as such I expect several secondary to bite the big one before it’s over, probably on both sides. Given how often Wizards likes to introduce new planeswalkers, they might take this as a chance to clean up the roster a little and off characters they don’t have active plans for. 

2) Niv Mizzet, will play an important roll in the final confrontation. Jace mentioned going to Niv Mizzet as soon as he found out about Bolas’s plans. It’s also been revealed that Mizzet is in hiding preparing for something. It’s not entirely clear what the firemind is researching, but I have little doubt he know’s Bolas is coming and he is going to do something about it. 

3) Jaya will wound Bolas, and be killed for her trouble. It’s been a plot point in both Hour of Devastation and Dominaria, that Chandra’s powers aren’t the best for dragon slaying. I don’t think this has changed, so she will probably being fighting Bolas’s minions and the secondary walkers, possibly killing one or two herself. Jaya on the other hand is a much more practiced pyromancer, and was actually recruited to fight a dragon ( Prossh, specifically) right before she made her appearance on Dominaria. We also know she won that battle so she might be able create a flame so intense that it hurts dragons. I think she will use this to hurt Bolas and he will retaliate against her directly, leaving her to go the way of so many fantasy mentors before her. The synopsis for the upcoming Chandra comics state that she suffers a terrible lose before they start and I think the loss is Jaya. Her death will be the lowest point of the battle for our heroes, but will spur the most powerful of them to take desperate measures. leading to my final prediction for today. 

4) Bolas will fall, but not to the Blackblade. I thank that Gideon will once again fail to hurt Bolas and that the gate watch will find themselves backed into a corner. Until seeing his old friend Jaya killed, Karn resolves to use the powerful weapon he had recovered to fight the phyrexians, the Golgothian Sylex, winning the day, at the cost of all he had done to try to save his beloved Mirrodin. 

That’s all i have for now, I’ll be back soon to discuss my thoughts on where the story will lead after the fall of bolas. 

[helish-archive]

The day was getting better and better with every minute. The more work was done, the more satisfaction Helena felt, and the more energy she had to invest in additional tasks. So she decided that it was time, perhaps, to confront Knoan and finally ask him about that mission, for she was certain he’d withheld important information from her. At this point she had all the authority to bring him in and open an official inquiry, but a gut feeling told her that he’d warmed up to her to an extent since then. Chances were, he’d be more talkative, if she, at the very least, pretended to be civil.

As luck would have it, it didn’t take long to seek out the soldier - he was in the common room near the guard quarters, normally that’d be the first place to look. However, the state in which she’d found him was way more surprising than she’d expect.

Knoan stood in the center of the place, towering over most and drawing all the attention to his mighty stance and booming presence, as usual. Yet he was not giving out orders or lecturing others, no. He was lightly swaying from side to side in the most comical of ways while holding a... tiny baby. His huge arms almost hid the child entirely and he carried it with no effort at all, as if it were a weightless toy. The babe seemed to have enjoyed such a stable hold and was laughing most cheerfully with that awfully annoying high-pitched screech; Hel couldn’t help but wince at that.

Despite her complete lack of empathy when it came to newborns, both curiosity and duty were a force that pulled Helena closer, until Knoan finally noticed her, and his face got distorted by the largest grin she’d ever seen him muster.

‘Little Kara,’ he exclaimed with pride. ‘My cousin’s girl.’

‘Oh, right,’ Helena mouthed, not really interested in the sentiment, but searching through her mind, registering Knoan’s relatives: she did remember watching them arrive for the festival. Meanwhile, as she tried to recall their overall appearance, brief information on what they did and where they came from, the man kept on cooing and making faces at the baby.

Since she did not trust children in any form they came - be it a small new one or a more grown kid, for they had no formed personalities but executed power and influence over grown-ups, often combined with no restrictions to mental creativity, it was not the emotion towards Kara that made the woman smile. The way Knoan, normally a very serious warrior, talented soldier, cold-blooded killer, chose to downgrade himself to a babbling sunny goo near this little girl was what brought a smirk to Hel’s lips. The tiny ones did have power, this only proved her point.

As if intending to make matters more interesting, Jaya appeared. A woman of curt smiles and concealed emotion, she too began laughing and making most idiotic googly eyes at Kara.

‘Hello,’ she sang out in the awfully sugary, most pretentious voice and waved her fingers at the babe.

‘Oh, boy. Seriously, Jay,’ Hel glared in disbelief at her stern team mate, but it seemed like her amusement was about to grow into something else entirely the moment Leevain entered the scene. This kept on getting spectacular.

With a casual question of “what everyone was up to”, the man got himself into the most awkward situation when Knoan, in a fit of raging sweetness, shoved his first cousin once removed into the hands of his best friend.

‘--and here’s uncle Lios!’ he declared, and poor “uncle” Lios suddenly found himself with a child in his arms. He stared at little Kara in shock and it wasn’t long before his eyes grew wide with outright fear, and his mouth fell open, lips twitching like that of a fish in desperate need of water.

‘What? Why?’ he just came up to greet everybody, that was all he intended to do. ‘Why?! What do I do? What---’

‘You hold her!’ Knoan laughed and Jay joined in, just as well. Everyone was very amused, but mostly Helena. She could no longer hide her hysterical cackling, which was directed mainly at Lios and his inability to handle himself around a kid. She bent over and even started coughing at some point, arm over her stomach, as she whispered roughly along the lines of “oh my” under her breath.

‘Really? Really, Helen?!’ This seemed to have annoyed the man way more than the fact that his friends were mocking him too. ‘You think you can do better?’ Everything about the expression on his face showed confidence in this move, and rightfully so, he had spent enough time with the woman to know of her distaste for the young. What he did not account for, was that she pitied the not-fully formed new people more than she feared them. Also, she never really did pass up a challenge.

When he approached her in a few swift steps, with that determined grin, and handed the baby over, he surprisingly experienced dismay and irritation at the fact that Helena took her almost masterfully. Surely the power of observation helped her assume how it should’ve been done, while the certainty she needed came from the desire to wipe any traces of a smirk off the insolent face of Lios Leevain for good.

In that moment though, the whole air around the group had changed. Carefully Hel brought the child up closer and looked her in the eye, growing serious in a way that people have learned to recognise - something important was up. This caused little Kara to stop smiling, and it felt like both were studying each other now, meticulously.

‘Huh,’ the blonde narrowed her eyes and exhaled something that must’ve been a word but no one was able to decipher it. The tension could be cut with a knife and the smiles immediately disappeared. Both Knoan and Jaya felt a tightness forming in their chests. Clearing their throats nervously, they were failing to understand what went wrong, when nothing bad appeared to have been happening. Only Lios read something in Hel’s eyes and tilted his head to the side, watching Kara like a hawk, as if joining in on the process.

Helena kept the staring contest going, thousands of thoughts running through her head. Most important one being, should she tell Knoan that the child looked nothing like his cousin, but instead was very similar to a given someone, their mutual acquaintance...

[kinderwrath]

"Well that was a bold face lie."

Hi! I’m Kinder. I am a avid Magic The Gathering player and a woman in her early mid-ish late 30’s. I am a graphic designer by day and a wannabe writer in my spare time, I have always been a fan of the stories and lore from the MtG multiverse. For some odd reason I have always felt Chandra Nalaar is my spirit animal. Maybe it’s my red hair or that my first ever Magic card was a revised edition Fireball, who knows. But I do know I’m the only one at my local game shop with a mono red Jaya and Chandra BFFs Commander deck. Seriously its hilarious, all burny fire and smart ass flavor text. But I digress, after reading some of the most recent lore stories I found myself intrigued by the “ahem” friendship between Chandra and Nissa. Of course this led to some fanfiction reading. Ok a lot of fanfiction reading and me being rather grumpy when there was nothing left to read. So……

–Let me preface this next bit by saying I told myself this story would never leave that dark corner of my documents folder. I am a liar. Re:See the posts title.–

So I decided to just write my own. Seems innocent enough. A nice little story, all romance with a sprinkle of smut. Yes. Smut. Hey don’t judge, a reader could use a little passion and heat now and again. Nut back to my thought, innocent right?  Nope, now my brain won’t stop inventing new bits and chapters and I’m running out of space to remember things like “Do I need laundry soap?” and “Did I eat today?” I figured as a way to make some space in my head I would leave the story out here for you fine people. 

~Ok the legal bits: Please understand I don’t own anything here it’s all WOTC. If this story were a movie it would have a NC17 rating, NSFW ok? You have been warned. I am also not a professional writer. I would love to be someday sure, who wouldn’t.

 Anywho! Here goes, if you love it great! If you don’t, also great! To each their own. This is just chapter 1, I’m at about 8 right now. I put the rest up on Wattpad http://my.w.tt/UiNb/MxMubtGLnB. But I will keep adding them here too.

So let me just leave this here…

Natures Flame By: KinderWrath

Chapter 1

The battle The Gatewatch endured was more exhausting then Chandra had expected. As she looked in the mirror in Nissa’s small bathroom she finally saw how destroyed she looked and understood the worry she had seen in Nissa’s eyes. She remembered hearing screaming and knowing it was her own voice. There were points where she didn’t know if it was from rage or pain. But it was when Nissa had fallen from the effort to control the leyline that Chandra had felt so helpless and afraid. Since the day they met Chandra had a deep desire to protect and care for Nissa. She was her best friend and closest confidant. She had been in love with Nissa from almost day one. There was just something captivating about the slender elf that made her feel completely at peace whenever she was with her. She had never gotten up the courage to tell Nissa how she felt. Nor did she know if Nissa was even interested in women. She had never seen her in a romantic relationship with anyone. Not that Chandra had a list of names herself. In fact she had no names. She had never been with anyone. She had projected a show of confidence and expertise in that department that was a front to hide her insecurities and self doubt. She had held Nissa so close after she collapsed desperate to protect her from the battle and selfishly because if anything happened she wanted to feel the elf in her arms at least one time before Nissa was gone from this world.

Gideon had offered to make sure Nissa would be safe while she fell back for cover. But Chandra would be damned if she would leave her side now. He came running back to the others, as the crowd of creatures pressed closer.

“I’ll watch over her until she wakes up. You two planeswalk back to safety.” He said.

Chandra, hands ablaze. “Not gonna happen. We’re all walking out of here together, or…” Her bravado faded with her trailing words.

“Or not at all,” Jace supplied. “Together or not at all?”

Chandra gave him a look that answered his question with finality.

Liliana had showed up just at the right time then to help, but just as they were about to shift planes Chandra had caught a unlucky energy ball to her back. She had seen the abomination in its death throes trying to get one last shot in at The Gatewatch. She had encircled Nissa the best she could to protect her but took the brunt of the blow to her back and shoulder as they shifted plains. With a resounding grunt she remembered hitting the ground sprawled on her back on the other side. She as still holding Nissa in her arms and thought ‘Worth. It.’ the pain ripped through her then and everything seemed to go dark around the edges. She heard Nissa’s voice as the elf yelled “She did what!” “She was protecting you” Jace explained his hands in the air as a gesture of peace. Then softer and so very close to her ear that Chandra could feel the heat of her breath. “I swear to Gaea if you don’t wake up ‘Spark’ I will kick your chain mail ass” She could hear the small smile in the animists voice, but also felt something hot and wet on her face as Nissa pressed her forehead to hers. Nissa was crying, she tried to say something back but the darkness claimed her then.

When I woke up I had been sleeping in Nissa’s small bed in the tree house she had created to live in while The Gatewatch had planned and trained. I could see Nissa across the room her eyes closed in meditation. She was ok and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Quietly I crossed the room not wanting to disturb Nissa. I new the place well and had no trouble finding the bathroom to asses the extent of the damage. I was stiff and sore and I could see the bruise across my shoulder under my tank top. The pain was bad enough I almost couldn’t move my arm. I decided I should try to check out the whole area and clumsily tried to take my tank top off over my head. I grumbled and let out a small quite embarrassing squeak of pain. I heard a crash and footsteps, just as I turned around I saw a very concerned Nissa in the doorway. “You gave me a heart attack Spark! I’m glad your up, but what are you doing?” She said as she walked closer. “I was just trying to survey the damage, but I’m a little creaky at the moment. I can’t get my shirt off to look.” I said. “Here let me” Nissa said as she came in closer behind me, and started to untuck my shirt from my leggings.“ I was suddenly flushed and embarrassed, I could feel the pink spreading across my face and to the tips of my ears. “Nis, I… it’s o, ok ah, I can look at it later, no worries” Nissa gently turned me so that I was facing her. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the both of us in profile in the mirror. I looked like complete garbage. My red hair was snarled and coming lose from the braid over my shoulder. There were fresh scratches across the right side of my nose and a purple green bruise on my chin. Nissa looked beautiful as always, her slender pointed ears held a perfect circlet of wild flowers. Her haunting green on green eyes always seemed to dance with energy. And her dark hair made her pale skin look almost luminescent. Today she did look tired though, like a large weight had been pressing down on her. Her normally perfect braid even looked a bit mussed although not nearly as much as mine…wait a minute I don’t braid my hair I thought as my mind wandered. I was suddenly brought back to reality when Nissa softly said my name. “Chandra?” It startled me a bit, I was so used to her calling me by the nickname she had given me ‘Spark’. “Maybe you should lie back down? Where did you go just now?” Nissa asked “You looked like you were in a different world just now.” “No, no I’m ok just a little foggy is all.” I replied with a too obvious fake laugh. Nissa smiled and then reached to finish untucking my tank top. When her hand met my waist again it was like someone had fired the blush cannons and I felt my self trembling a tiny bit under her touch. I silently prayed to the fates that Nissa couldn’t feel it. “Spark? Are you embarrassed to let me see you with your shirt off? Your shaking.” Well screw you too fates, you couldn’t let me have this one? I mentally chided them. “I, I, jussst…” I attempted to stammer a response. “You do know I have seen you completely naked before, right?” Nissa asked. Oh for the love of ale… I had thought I had blocked that night out and more over I didn’t realize Nissa had caught the show. Liliana and I had been matching each other stein for stein one night and when I was good and blurry she dared me to take a naked dip in the stream by camp. I didn’t take into account how much better at drinking the century old necromancer would be. It turned out that Liliana had not only wanted to see me naked that night but other plans for me as well. I couldn’t turn down a dare, my ego is unstoppable sometimes. She had kissed me as we stood in the water. It felt exciting and nice at first I almost gave in to it, but my head cleared a bit and I pulled away. In my heart she wasn’t who I wanted to be with. Liliana had guessed it, I hadn’t planned on telling her. But she understood and with a wink she mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. She had never brought it up again.

“You saw that!?” “Spark” Nissa replied. “Like all of it?” “Spark” Nissa tried again. “Just me naked? Did you…?” “Chandra!” Nissa raised her voice and grabbed my wildly gesturing hand in hers. I abruptly stopped my runaway mouth and tried to meet her eyes with mine. “I was coming back from meditating just over the hill by the stream. It wasn’t like I was stalking you or anything. I saw you and Liliana as you came up from under the water. The sound caught my attention. I saw you kiss and was going to leave to give you two privacy… but you rather quickly headed for shore. You were standing in the moon light, and it was a full moon that night so it was kinda hard to miss.” Nissa explained. Then it was Nissa’s turn to look a little embarrassed. “I, uh didn’t mean to stare or anything, but yes I have seen you naked”. Knowing that Nis had seen me naked and worse maybe had seen me kiss Liliana my voice got very quiet. “Ok, I ok” I said. I turned my back to her and she finished untucking my tank top. My skin felt like fire where her hands brushed my back as she the fabric up over my head and gingerly over my bruised shoulder. I reflexively covered my chest with my arms and gave a small yelp in pain when I moved my bad arm to quickly. “Chandra, breath ok?” I sucked in a shaky breath and let my arms fall to my sides. Nissa ran her fingers lightly over the battered part of my back and shoulder. I was so lost in the sensation I almost didn’t hear her start talking again. “I, this is a little worse then I thought. I couldn’t really see when you were out. I didn’t want you to wake up half naked, but I could only see so much with your shirt in the way.” Nissa explained. I could feel her slender fingers as they ran the length of my shoulder again. Was it my imagination or did it seem like Nis was trying to keep her hands on me as long as possible? When she touched where my shoulder met my arm I couldn’t ignore the pain. “Ow damn it!” I cursed. Nissa froze. “Nis no, not at you. It is just really tender there. Sorry” I apologized. “Spark, it’s ok. But I think it’s out of the socket. I’m not strong enough to put it back. I’m going to have to get Gideon.” She said. I reached for my shirt, I sure as hell didn’t need Gideon seeing me topless. She put her hand over mine to stop me.“But Nis I, I…” I said as I tried to find a gesture to explain my hesitation. “Hold on just a sec, I have something that will work” She said as she left the room. She came back in holding a deep green, very silky robe. I recognized it immediately. I had seen her in it a few times after bathing in the stream, her hair still damp. I had always wondered if it felt as soft as it looked. She placed it over my shoulders and I easily slid my injured arm in the flowing sleeve as she tied the front closed. “I’m not sure how easy it will be to get your shirt on or off after Gideon puts your shoulder right. This will make your injury easier to tend too.” She said. Nissa’s eyes met mine. “Thank you” I said. “It looks nice on you, fitting.” She smiled and then was gone to get Gideon’s help. What was that supposed to mean? I thought and then I shifted my weight and felt the fabric move against my skin. It felt amazing, like wearing water. But the best part was how Nissa’s smell enveloped me. It was like fresh wild flowers and that smell right after a spring rain all mixed together. It made me a little light headed and flush, I actually had to use my good arm to steady myself.

Gideon’s voice shook me out of my daydream. “Chan? You ok there?” He asked “Ya, ya. Just in a bit of pain here Gids.” I grimaced with my response. “Well Nissa said it looked dislocated. Turn around and let me take a look.” I did as Gideon instructed and loosened the tie on the robe so the fabric slid down my shoulders while keeping my modestly intact. Gideon let out a low whistle. “Ya, that’s a bad one. I’m not going to lie kid, this is really going to hurt. You may be out of commission for awhile.” I wanted to protest or complain, but I stopped myself. It didn’t matter, I would do this a hundred thousand times if it meant I had protected Nissa. So I just nodded yes. “Well let’s get to it then” Gideon said as he walked out of the bathroom and into Nissa’s small sitting room. Nissa helped me get the robe back over my shoulders and grabbed my hand in hers. Her eyes met mine again and I could see the worry there. “It’s going to be ok” she said softly. All I could do was nod, I was afraid I would start to cry if I did anything else. We followed Gideon out, but she didn’t let go of my hand. If anything she held it tighter. “Ok sit down here.” He said as he gestured to a chair that looked like it had grown up from Nissa’s vine woven floor. “So Chan your a little to strong for me to do this and hold you down. Nissa, if you wouldn’t mind?” He asked looking expectantly at her. Nissa smiled sheepishly and two green vines from the chair wrapped over my thighs holding me in place. “Well I’m sure that comes in handy with unruly guests, doesn’t it?” Nissa smiled at my sarcasm and I relaxed my arm the best I could. Nissa’s eyes never left mine, neither did her hand. “Ok on the count of three. One, two, three.” Then there was a audible pop and white hot pain flooded over me. I didn’t make a sound, I couldn’t. I saw the tears that filled Nissa’s eyes as she mouthed the words “I’m sorry.” I didn’t want her to know how much pain I was in. “Ok good, it looks like it went back in place perfectly. Ice, rest and try not to move it too much. That will help with the swelling. Nissa, she is going to need someone with her for at least the first few days. I trust I can count on you?” He asked. “Absolutely Gideon, I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She answered him keeping her eyes on mine. “Ok I will check back in soon. You did good Kid and I don’t just mean this.” And with that he was gone. The vines around my thighs loosened and wove back into the chair. Nissa helped me up and back to the alcove where her small bed was.