Hannah’s Marauder crouches over the empty jump seat lying in the snow. The seat had belonged to the pilot of the Mercury Hannah had destroyed.
Hannah herself also crouches over the seat, underneath the armored chin of her battlemech. The snow has melted around the still-cooling thrusters, and the seat is still warm from the pilot's body.
The mercury had taken Hannah's full salvo to the torso, and as it fell, the pilot had ejected. Hannah had claimed what remains of the mech as isorla, and went to look into the pilot.
Footprints in the ankle deep snow lead off into a dense woods nearby. Sloppy behavior when a predator is after you. Hannah glances back at where the rest of Savannah Cameron's star finishes cleaning up the Blakist patrol, then darts into the woods.
The tracks are fresh, leading Hannah over fallen trunks, and down frozen streams. The pilot is clearly lost, fleeing randomly from the battle, perfect prey.
The tracks end at a small nook in the ground, beneath the roots of a gnarled old tree. Hannah draws her pistol and stalks towards the hidden pilot.
Crouching above the snow covered roots, Hannah hears crying.
The Blakist pilot is curled up under the tree, gently sobbing. Hannah drops down, and crouches in front of her. “You are not very good prey, Blakist pilot.” She frowns behind her neurohelmet.
The pilot, an Acolyte by her rank badge, looks up with her wide, sad eyes. “You're going to eat me, aren't you. That's what people say Clanner’s do.”
Hannah laughs and pulls her neurohelmet off. “Neg, I will not eat you little thing. Why did you stop running? I was enjoying our chase.”
The Acolyte pulls herself up a little with her arms. “I landed hard coming off the jump seat, hurt my ankle. I ran for a while, but then I hit a root and fell a-and I can't stand up.”
Hannah holsters her pistol and sidles over to the wounded Acolyte. She points at one of the MechWarrior’s boots, the one she is holding out at an odd angle. “This leg?” When the Acolyte nods with a sniffle, Hannah pulls the boot and sock off, and examines the ankle. Pokes and prods produce yelps and whines from the enemy pilot. “Aff, this is sprained. There are beasts in these woods, quiaff? You will not survive here, nor will you survive if you are taken as a POW. My allies are not kind to those of your allegiance.”
“A-are you just going to leave me to d-die?” Tears begin to well up in the pilot’s eyes.
“Tell me, Warrior. What is your name?”
“A-archaea Bernard…”
Hannah stands up, and holds out her hand to help Archaea up. “Warrior Archaea. I, Hannah Lewis of Clan Blood Spirit, claim you as my bondsman. You will be expected to learn the ways of the Clans, and someday you will be adopted as a Warrior. They will respect that.” She pulls the MechWarrior up and has her lean on her shoulder. “I shall guide you out. It will be a long walk back, do not be afraid to tell me if you need to rest.”
In the distance, the sounds of battle stop.
“T-thank you… for sparing me. I joined because… because everyone in my family has joined. I just had to. I didn't have a choice. The government told us you would kill us all. Burn our homes and kill our families.”
“The Word has done just that to many of my allies. They would kill you for the sins of your ancestors. It is our way, you understand.”
“Y-yeah…”
The pair slowly makes their way back to the Star of Savannah Cameron.
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Vamos acabar logo com essa bagaceira
De longe foi melhor que o segundo livro, o q tem de parado em espada de vidro tem de coisa acontecendo nesse, gostei de separar os capítulos com o pov de cada um personagem diferente (mare, ✨cameron✨ e evangeline) deu pra ter noção de que elas estavam sentindo em relação as situações, é um livro maus violento mesmo (nem sei se posso falar aqui em apagar a publicação, mas vc já imaginam), a leitura é mais dinâmica e cumpriu o papel de me entreter q é o mais importante de todos (como n sou muito exigente com essa série de livros)
⚠️aqui já tem spoiler⚠️
Personagens:
Bom, tudo normal até agora (não tem personagem extremamente chato, mas tb n muita muita coisa sobre mare e cal, gostei q aprofundou muito sobre maven e pq ele é DOIDO DA CABEÇA e tb descobrimos q ele é, sim ele é (🏳️🌈🌚) representando bi trambiqueiro, cansou de sofrer, queremos bis empinando a moto e dando tiro, e queria muito um psicólogo analisasse ele pq olha, como esse cara sofreu hein
Sobre mare e cal, n tenho muito q falar, na verdade tenho sim
Cal ele é o personagem q mais me decepcionou e n é pouco é MUITO achei q nesse livro ele iria vir com sangue nos olhos, querendo acabar com o irmão e salvar a sua amada, mas n cara é um banana, n quer matar prateados e vermelhos tipo quero falar "vc está em uma guerra!" E depois q resolve agir q consegue levar mare em bora ele fica nisso de "eu quero vc, mas quero o trono então vc vai ter q escolher" n quer assumir a responsabilidade de um rei e ao mesmo tempo não quer acabar com o sistema (imperialismo) que está prejudicando os vermelhos q ele tanto "ama" e todo sabemos que tudo que ele vez pela guarda foi só por causa de mare, ele nunca quis acabar com o preconceito e tal, tudo é sobre querer tirar o irmão do trono pra ele ser o rei ou por causa da mare aff e termina assim, odeio ele sério
Mare, nem vou falar dela se n o post vai ficar grande
Cameron minha protegida, melhor personagem só atrás de julian e farley 🥰 ela é a voz dos leitores que foram calados e joga na cara verdades (e quem falar mal dela tem fogo no uc😌)
Evangeline ganhou minha empatia mas tb n, tipo é legal, mas preciso saber mais da história dela pra gostar então ainda só observo e n boto minha mão no fogo por ela
Senti falta de mais de farley a minha queridinha 😟 quero mais dela no próximo livro ela tb merece destaque
Acho q é isso e as estrelas é 3/5 pq sim
⭐⭐⭐
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Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series), Cinderbrush (Web Video)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Cameron Solomon/Aff Flowers
Characters: Cameron Solomon, Aff Flowers
Additional Tags: hints at eventual Cameron/Aff/Jamie/Sasha, Chest Binder, Nonbinary Character
Summary:
Aff gets a surprise visit from Cameron, and a gift they weren't expecting.
Aff was lying on their bed, desperately trying to make sense of the paragraph in front of them and resisting the urge to throw their book against the wall. The Castle of Otranto was without a doubt one of the shittier books their English teacher had put in front of them so far, and while reading it hadn't been all that bad, having to analyse and make sense of any of it was hell.
Still, they couldn't afford to put another hole through the wall, if for nothing else than sparing their father the added stress. So they closed their eyes again, pushed the book away, and tried counting backwards.
Ten.
Nine.
Eight.
Seve-
Their concentration was broken by a sound outside the window. Like something had just hit the glass. With a frown they opened their eyes again and looked towards it, but there wasn't anything visible which could have caused it. No damage to the window either.
But as soon as they turned their head away, the sound came again. And then another time, and Aff could see a small pebble flying up, hitting the glass and making that noise once more.
Curious now, they got up and made their way over, opening it and then stepping aside barely quick enough to avoid another small stone from hitting their face.
“Shit! Sorry, I didn't see you there!”
“Cameron?” Aff finally looked down, leaning out of the window just far enough to see their friend (boyfriend? The whole situation with Sasha and Jamie and the two of them was still a bit in the air) standing on the lawn outside. Cameron, completely unabashed, looked back with a big grin on his face.
“Hey! Yeah, it's me, let me in?” he asked, hands folded behind his head, his posture cocky as always.
“Uh, yeah, sure. Come to the front door,” Aff called down again, a bit confused but also happy to take a break from homework.
A minute later they opened the door to Cameron, who immediately greeted them with a peck on the lips. “Hey, sorry for the weird window approach,” the boy muttered, before pulling back again, out of their personal space. “Wasn't sure if your dad would get mad or anything. You know, because it's already pretty late and all that.”
“No, no no, it's fine. You know he's cool,” Aff assured him, pulling him inside and up the stairs. “Why, do your parents not know you're out?”
Cam scoffed, though it took him a moment to answer as he looked around Aff's room, taking in all the details. He'd actually never been here, only ever in the shop or the Flowers' tiny living room, losing himself in some playstation game with Aff as they both tried to avoid thinking about court orders and murder charges. But the room was nice, small but personal. Some posters on the wall, an old CD player on one shelf, a bunch of self help books on another.
“Nah, I didn't tell them,” he finally said. “They wouldn't have let me anyway. So, I probably don't have all that much time, before someone notices I'm missing.”
“Well, shit, why did you come?” Aff asked, immediately worried for his friend. They hadn't seen a lot of Cam's parents, but the way he all but cowered in front of them sometimes... well, they didn't like it. “Did something happen? Is everyone okay?”
Cam looked confused for a moment, but then seemed to understand where they were coming from. “Ah, no, everything's fine, don't worry. I do this all the time, I'm good at sneaking in and out.”
He took a closer look at some of the photos that were displayed on the wall before turning back to the conversation, a bit more nervous now. Scratching the back of his neck while avoiding eye contact, he continued though. “I just came here to give you something, because I wasn't sure if you'd want that kind of thing handed over in school or if you'd want it at all, so... y'know, I thought I'd come here.”
“Well, that's cool, I'm always happy to have you here!” Aff replied, all smiled and enthusiasm again, and Cam couldn't help but smile.
“That's- that's great. Okay, why don't you sit down and close your eyes or something, and I''ll give you the thing.”
“Okay, okay, sure.” Aff sat down on their bed again, not even bothering with further questions before closing their eyes and holding out their hands. After all, they trusted their friend. Boyfriend. Well maybe boyfriend. Whatever.
For a moment they could only hear some rustling from Cam's backpack, and then something cool and smooth was placed in their hands, some kind of fabric, it felt like.
“Okay, open your eyes,” Cam's voice came, the nervousness now even more obvious.
So Aff did, finally getting a close look at the thing in their hands. At first, it didn't make much sense. It looked like a crop top, made from a stretchy material, in a light beige color. Then after a second, it clicked. It was a binder. Not even a used one, it looked brand new, still almost stiff with how it had never been broken in.
“No way. No fucking way, really?” they asked, excitement rising quicker than any anger ever could in them. Their face showed it as well, about to nearly split in two with the bright smile that broke out.
Before Cam could really react, they were already up and enveloping him in a hug, squeezing so tight he was sure he heard his own ribs creak in protest. “Okay, okay, easy,” he chuckled, wrapping his arms around Aff's shoulders as well though and, a bit awkwardly, patting their back. “You don't even know if it fits yet, don't give me too much credit before you try it.”
“I don't even care if it's going to fit, this is amazing!” Aff insisted, pulling back again now and giving it another once over. “I'm probably even going to wear it if it doesn't fit!”
“That's really not- I don't think you should- that's really unhealthy,” Cam stammered, running a hand through his hair again. “Look, I'll just step out for a minute and you try it on, okay? Tell me if it feels good and stuff.”
“Oh yeah, sure. I'll do that,” Aff agreed, and without really thinking about it started to tug their shirt over their head right then and there. Cam quickly turned around at that, furiously blushing and wondering if he was supposed to leave the room anyway, but since Aff didn't seem to complain... he stayed.
A few moments later, Aff tapped his shoulder, and he took that as a sign to turn back towards them. And maybe his opinion was being influenced by all the newly naked skin he suddenly saw himself confronted with, but they certainly looked... nice. To put it politely. (They looked fucking hot). It wasn't helping the color in his face to go down again either.
“I, well, I mean- it's good,” he finally mumbled, carefully making eye contact again. Aff was beaming, and damn if that didn't make up for all the trouble he'd probably be in for this. “How does it feel?”
“Pretty fucking great,” they told him, still giddy with excitement. They turned back to the mirror for a moment, running a hand over their newly flat chest. “Do you fucking see that? I'm flat! Like, you almost can't see anything. Isn't that awesome?”
“It sure is,” Cam agreed with a grin. “So it doesn't hurt or anything?”
“No, it's weirdly comfortable actually.” Aff looked down, tugging a bit on the bottom seam of the binder, testing how stretchy it really was. “I probably shouldn't wolf out in it though.”
Cam chuckled and stepped closer again, wrapping his arms around Aff from behind and tucking them a bit closer. “No, you really shouldn't. That's never been good for any of your clothes.”
“Yeah, no, I'm gonna be super careful with this one,” they agreed, meeting Cam's eyes in the mirror with a smile. “How did you even get this? How did you know what size I would need?”
“Eh, took an educated guess,” came the amused reply. “And you left a shirt at my place a few weeks ago, remember? I kinda went off of that. And as to how- I might have stolen my dad's credit card.”
“No you didn't!”
“Yes, I did!” he insisted again, openly laughing now. “I put it back right after, don't worry! And he hasn't noticed yet, so... keep your fingers crossed.”
“You're so stupid,” Aff muttered, placing an affectionate kiss to Cameron's arm where they could reach it.
Cam just shook his head slightly in return, before pressing his forehead against Aff's shoulder and relaxing a bit. He was just glad his present had gotten the desired reaction. “So, are you gonna wear this all the time now?” he mumbled, a bit quieter, a bit more gently, still pressing close.
“I don't know,” Aff answered honestly. “Probably not everyday, just when I, like, need it? Some days I don't mind, you know.”
Cam didn't know, actually, but nodded anyway. He didn't need to understand it to show some support. He gently kissed Aff's shoulder, still not drawing back yet. “I should probably get going,” he finally muttered though, aware that time was running out.
“You want me to drive you?” Aff asked immediately. “We can put your bike in the back of the truck if you took it with you.”
Cameron considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”
“After what you just gave me, don't even mention it,” Aff replied with a grin, before reaching for their shirt again and tugging it over the binder without an issue. A last glance at the mirror left them looking genuinely pleased, and Cam felt his heart beating a bit faster as they reached for his hand before leaving.
He could get used to this.
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