#cardinal barone

[zhoras-bitch]

The Cardinal of the Church just happened to adopt the one in a billion time catcher whose power is instantly recognizable since birth because of her unique eye color. Uh-huh.

[alaydbug]

lou and siobhan enjoyed being baron WAY too much they were giggling and kicking their fucking feetsies the whole time.

[dluebirb]

So. ABOUT THAT FIC I PROMISED-

In my defence I got invited to a social function with people I want to be around, so what else was I supposed to do-

minor setbacks.

uhhh @justletmereadmycomics @fanatess @theosb0rnway you guys usually like this stuff?? Here ya go lol

This is part of my Cardinal Rules series, but you don't have to read it to make sense of this! Barely. If you want to get caught up on it, it is over here on Ao3!

Fic link on Ao3: Here

----

The Housing Situation

Mikey’s POV

Mikey had recently concluded that living off warm, half-melted food in a tank was not optimal sustenance.

Don’t get him wrong, Mikey was overjoyed to have any food, given that the entire kitchen was barren, but only so much could be done with fruit snacks, pop tarts, and granola bars. He had a sinking feeling that with another meal, somebody might puke, and he wouldn’t blame them. Meals were always after training, anyway.

“What’s on the menu t’night, Miguel?” Leo asked, sheathing his twin katana and stretching on his tiptoes.

“If you say anything involving fruit snacks for the next month, I swear—” Casey Senior growled.

“Well, we don’t not have fruit snacks?”

Casey Senior grumbled, and Donnie’s mouth became a line.

“I’m getting fast food!” April decided and stuck her bat into her bag, zipping it up and slinging one strap over her shoulder.

“Yay, April!” Leo cheered and raised an arm, still holding one of his swords, into the air.

“Anyone got a request?”

“Anywhere but Wendy’s,” Donnie grumbled.

“Starbucks.”

“We’re not getting JUST Starbucks!” April groaned. “I’ll just raid Fred Meyers. Text me if you want anything specific.”

“No cold stuff unless you can buy a cooler!” Splinter reminded her.

April gave a thumbs-up as she stuck her phone in her pocket. “Be back in forty-five minutes, tops. If I’m not, then I’m probably dying.”

“April!”

“It’s a joke!” she reassured as she ascended the stairs to the outside world.

----

By April's return, Donnie was konked out on the couch, battle shell discarded on the ground next to him.

The small spines on his shell were finally uncompressed and puffed out a bit, no longer flattened to the rest of his shell. Soft snores occasionally came from the vicinity, face twitching slightly as Mikey undid his mask, removed his goggles, and set them aside.

“Yeah, baby!” Mikey cheered quietly with a giant grin as he saw April’s bags.

“Everyone say ‘Thank you, April,’” Splinter instructed them from where he was rifling through what little they did have.

A chorus of ‘thank you April’s rang around the room, and she put the bags down on the remnants of a broken table with a soft thud.

“Yo, Dee! Donnie. Wake up, bro,” Leo muttered, poking their purple brother insistently until the soft snores turned to a singular grunt.

“Nardo.”

“April brought food.”

“Finally! Some good news!”

“You’re welcome, Dee!” April called, cupping a hand around her mouth.

“Yes, yes, thank you, and such,” Donnie muttered, not quietly as he stood, and April could tell that he noticed his apparent lack of accessories but decided to let it be in the meantime.

The group leaned in to inspect April’s relatively simple wares and, save for microwaveable pizzas and breakfast burritos, much of the ‘grab-and-go’ variety. But, such was life.

“Reluctant sigh. Who knew that carbonated beverages could taste so good,” Donnie hummed as he downed one, in a move that Mikey thought was highly uncharacteristic for him.

“I did,” Leo retorted. “And so did anyone with taste, bro.”

Donnie gave him a sharp glare and bonked him on the head with the can before dropping it into a haphazardly labeled ‘recicling’ bag.

“This bag says ‘resi-clean’. Recycling is spelled with a ‘y’, dumdums.”

Raph gave Donnie a light glare in return, and with a black marker, crossed out the offending phrase, and wrote ‘ryclicling’.

“What? No! Instead of the ‘i’, not the ‘e’!”

“Oh, come on! You gotta give Raph something to work with, Dee!” Raph explained, and Mkey couldn’t help but giggle as he crossed out ‘ryclicling’, replacing it with ‘reciclyng’.

“THE OTHER ‘I’!”

“THEN YOU GOTTA TELL RAPH THAT!” Raph shouted back, sweat pooling on his forehead.

“UNLESS SPECIFIED, IT’S ALWAYS THE FIRST LETTER!”

Donnie and Raph gave each other equal looks of frustration and desperation, and Raph finally crossed it out, writing ‘recycling.’

“Oh, thank Pizza Supreme in the Sky.”

Ignoring his brothers, Mikey rifled through April’s bags, which, aside from real food, included three air mattresses, Pez dispensers, and parts of a bed set. Mikey took some paper plates from another of April’s bags.

“Protein bars and dried fruit, as the world intended!”

Mikey smiled to himself and arranged a relatively nutritious plate for each of them. Or as nutritious as one could get with protein bars and dried fruit. Contrary to April’s apparent beliefs, they were not as the world intended.

Though, he realized it might be safer for Casey Junior. The guy sometimes could have taken better to actual food as he did to non-perishables like beans or butter. Mikey had no idea how half a stick of butter was less toxic for his stomach than an excellent old-fashioned PB&J., And Mikey was pretty sure he wasn’t allergic either!

“Say, what’s with the air mattresses in the other bags, Apes?” Leo asked conversationally, and April carefully chewed her dried banana slice before answering.

“Figured that since Mike and Junior still don’t have rooms, they might need somewhere to sleep. You feel me?”

“Touche. Alright, let’s think. Who do we have to house?” Leo asked.

“There’s us four, plus dad, that’s five. I haven’t had time to forge documents for Junior yet, so six,” Donnie rattled off.

“I’m moving back in with my mom until my campus is back on dorms,” April said.

“I am still in my human apartment above you,” Draxum supplied.

“I don’t have a permanent residence,” Casey Senior admitted.

“Well,” April began. “Know what’s great about the apocalypse?” Without waiting for a reply, she continued. “The housing market opens up like movie theaters in summer, and prices are about as much as I paid for all this! There’s an apartment a few doors down from me that I’m pretty sure you could get your paws on.”

“You’ve got papers, right?” Donnie asked the ex-Foot General.

“I was born legally if that’s what you mean. The Foot legally gave each recruit an apartment room.”

“First legal thing they ever did, huh? Regardless, that will do.”

Splinter managed to look pensive while eating a bag of Cheetos. “So the six of us remain, yes?”

Donnie nodded. “And with four rooms between us.”

“Well, who’s got the biggest rooms?” Raph asked, and Donnie typed on his wrist computer as he munched on a protein bar.

“The three of us have rooms about the same size,” Donnie explained, gesturing to himself, Raph, and Leo. “We haven’t unpacked everything, so most places are fair game.”

“Either of you got a preference?” Leo asked, and Casey Junior shrugged.

“I can just set one up in the living room; you don’t have to—” he began but was cut off.

“Nope, nope, nope, nope. We are not couch surfers in this house, Future Boy,” Splinter shook his head adamantly, and Casey put his hands up in defense.

“Ooh! Can I room with you, Dee?” Mikey asked, jumping at the opportunity.

“I suppose so, Angelo.”

“Ouch,” Leo smirked, and Mikey stuck his tongue out.

“I still love you, Leo!”

“Yeah, yeah, ditto.” Turning to Junior, he asked, “You got a preference between me and Raph?”

“I don’t mind,” the human said, if not a little sheepishly.

“Cool. I’m stealing you, in that case. You good with that, Raph?”

Raph gave a thumbs-up. “Raph’s all good!”

“How much sleep are any of them going to be getting?” April asked Casey Senior in a hushed tone.

“By the looks of them? Very little.”

“I take offense to that!” Mikey called, and April chuckled.

“You’ll survive, Mike. Eat your canned peaches.”

Leo’s POV

Leo watched Cassandra and Baron Draxum as they watched April as she nearly submerged herself in a duffle bag. She seemingly found what she had been looking for and straightened her glasses.

“All that for a measly shoe?” Baron Draxum inquired, and April nodded.

“It’s a good shoe! Don’t you two have any packing up to do?”

“We do not live here.”

“Huh. Guess not! Well, let’s go! Grab those bags?”

Cassandra shrugged and took two plastic bags, regaining her footing as April nearly dragged her like a corpse down the corridor.

Meanwhile, Leo made a mental note: blowing up two air mattresses should be done after taking them into any room — particularly a room with a narrow doorway.

Well. Better late than never.

“Okay, turn them the long way… Back up… And run at ’em!”

Mikey and Casey Junior took off at a sprint.

“We can just portal them in,” Leo said, throwing his hands up in disbelief.

“Yeah, but this is still better!” Mikey said as he and Casey rammed their mattresses; they passed the threshold. “Yeah, baby! That’s how we do!”

“Well, you did something, that’s for sure,” Leo muttered and helped Casey up.

“Something cool!” Mikey corrected.

“Sure, Mike.”

As it happened, both mattresses had made it around halfway to the unoccupied area of the car.

“Hey, if it works, it works!” April said, and Leo turned to her. The human looked amused, and a bag slung over her shoulder. Cassandra stood next to her with a few old store bags.

“Are you guys heading out?”

“Yeah, we’ll be back tomorrow. Try not to drive each other crazy?”

“No promises!”

As Leo returned to his room, Casey successfully pushed the mattress to the open part of his room.

“Yeah, we should have inflated those after getting them in the room,” he said, more to himself than to Casey.

“Is here okay?” Casey asked, and Leo looked up.

He’d gotten the tall, thin side of the mattress on the ground, with enough space between it and Leo’s more defined space that there was a decent walkway.

“Stamp of approval!”

Casey lowered the mattress down and put his mask on it. Leo looked at the barren area pensively.

“We should probably decorate, y’know?”

“Huh?”

“You’re living here, yeah? Decorate your space, make it a place you want to be in; you feel me?”

“Uh… Sort of?”

“You’ll get it eventually. We’ll grab and work off the stuff you saved from your other room. Dad’s always got a spare Lou Jitsu poster or action figure here or there.”

Casey frowned like it was a never-before-considered novelty to him. Which, Leo remembered as he half dragged the guy out, it probably was.

Casey’s pile of things, stuffed in a bag marked with his name (which had been crossed out at least three times. Raph was many things, but he was not a good speller) was much smaller than the others, containing a few things blankets, some spare clothes that April had dug up for him a few weeks after the invasion, and some books that Donnie had given him as a “housewarming gift.”

“Take this, and sort out where you want your stuff. You know Lou Jitsu, right?”

“Wasn’t he Master Splinter?”

“More like Dad was him. But yeah. I’m pretty sure Cassandra’s a fan, too. I’ll dig up some old merchandise, and we’ll stick it up, m’kay?”

“‘Merch’?”

Leo gave him a look of shock. “Merch. Memorabilia. Posters and stuff?” No reaction. Leo groaned and rubbed the area where his nose would have been if he had been a human. “When you like a book, TV show, video game, movie, or whatever, you get stuff from that thing. I’ll show you.”

He led Casey back to their room and pointed at his ‘Mad Dogs’ flag and Jupiter Jim figure. “This stuff! That’s merch. Mikey and Donnie made our awesome Mad Dogs flag, and we definitely didn’t scam a guy at JJ Con to let us get JJ figures for cheap!”

“Cool,” Casey breathed and studied them from a distance with interest as Leo perused a spare box.

“C’mon, I swear we head one in here,” he muttered, before pulling something out of it. “Here we go!” He handed two flags to Casey. “Your very own Hamato and Mad Dogs flags!”

He accepted the flags and unfolded them. One was the same flag that Leo had pointed out to him, and the other had a black backdrop with the green Hamato symbol emblazoned on it.

“Woah… Thank you!” Casey exclaimed, and Leo grinned, eyebrows raising at his tone shift.

“Cool, huh? Come on, we’ll hang them up.”

Even after the invasion, Leo wasn’t too sure where Casey fit into their gaggle of weirdos, and he was fairly sure it was a mutual feeling. But dammit if he wouldn’t try to make it work.

It would work out — a bit of Mikey’s undying optimism, his own devil-may-care commentary, Raph’s worrying, Donnie’s weirdly helpful cynicism, and whatever the others had, and there was no way it wouldn’t.

It had only taken a half-meal and what Mikey would have called a ‘bonding moment’ with Casey to get Leo feeling like he could have fought the entire Battle Nexus again, and win.

So, walking alongside the newest addition to their family, as if he had read Leo’s thoughts, (and maybe he had, it wouldn’t have surprised Leo in the slightest) Casey smiled wearily, and determinedly looked at the wall as he held out a fist.

“Well, would you look at that?” Leo smirked. “We’re making progress with you!” He met the gesture, bumping his fist against Casey’s, and blew it into an open palm.

Casey made a soft, exaggerated explosion noise, and Leo could only chuckle.

----

A/N: I finished this not 10 minutes ago... Avid I promise your angst is on its way, I have a Bingo Card to fill up and a handful on generally happy turtles >:>

[zayadriancas]

#IRegretNothing

“It wasn’t difficult for me. Scary yeah, but not difficult.”

[mystery-salad]

Shining Cardinal Azadi of the Church of the Dream

The Church of the Dream has an overarching goal of bringing all sylvari back into its warm embrace, giving them purpose and intimately interconnected feelings and thoughts. It is joyous to be given a Wyld Hunt no matter how big or small, to receive a purpose and goal from the Dream. Courtiers are seen as blasphemous, those who lure others to Nightmare are to be disposed of. Those who fell victim to being lured are to be saved and reconverted. The soundless are to be lovingly brought back to the fold from their meditation, taught how joyous embracing the Dream could be.

The levels below Cardinal Azadi (as a whole called the clergy) are as follows:

archbishops (like baron/countess)

bishops (like duke/duchess)

archzealots (veteran knights, being considered for promotion)

zealots (like knights)

devouts (like initiates)

inquisitors (no courtier connection to make, these are specially chosen clergy who go directly after courtiers and are steadfastly devout)

archinquisitors (uh oh!!!)

Members when given a Wyld Hunt are denoted by "Shining" added before their title, showing their honor and devotion to completing the Dream's will.

Those who die in the process of completing their Hunts are promoted to sainthood and honored in a hall of memories, a garden that grows a grandiose bush that has a leaf from each fallen saint grafted onto its branches.

At first the Church honored the Pale Tree as an emissary of the Dream. Though once they were cast out for their extremist views, the view of her turned to a mislead acolyte who doesn't have the will to go as far as the Dream truly needs. Perhaps she's been even tainted by nightmare herself.

[racefortheironthrone]

How did cardinal Wolsey manage to go from being a religious figure to basically our life’s version of asoiaf ‘hand’? Was cardinals the second authority after the king because cardinal richelieu acted like this in france in the next century?

It's not that they were the second authority per se, but since the clergy were the most educated people in medieval society, it was quite common for them to end up in major government posts - especially if it involved specialized skills like knowledge of canon law.

So for example, if you go down the list of Lord Chancellors of England in the Middle Ages, they're almost all archbishops, bishops, deans, deacons, archdeacons, abbots, etc.. It's not until the 13th century that we start seeing barons or judges or justices or lawyers on the list, and even then they are very much in the minority.

[haveyouseenthishorrormovie]

SUMMARY: While awaiting execution for murder, Baron Victor Frankenstein tells the story of a creature he built and brought to life - only for it to behave not as he intended.

It's probably because she loves Christopher Lee so much but for some reason the Creature looks even more babyboy in this film than the 30s version. It's another cardinal sin the mod has committed having never seen a Hammer horror.

[astrolovecosmos]

~Capricorn Season~

Capricorn’s traits tend to be very clear-cut - dependable, pragmatic, ambitious, collected, etc. I’d like to explore some of their most commonly discussed traits to understand this cold, rocky sign. Sometimes called boring, greedy, or materialistic, Capricorn explores themes of power, success, failure, maturity/growth, tradition, and ambition. Earth represents the senses and body, but remember a body has a soul. Capricorn being the cardinal, action-taking form of earth they represent a special contrast and connection to the physical world and spirituality. 

Control/Controlling: One of Capricorn’s most challenging characteristics is being controlling and/or having themes of control and authority follow them throughout life. Moon in Capricorn is associated with strict parents, Mars in Capricorn shines the brightest when they are disciplined and strategic. Capricorn understands control in many ways, from learning how to have self-restraint to trying to control others. There are pros and cons to this, on one hand Capricorn can be a natural manager/leader, being able to utilize others’ skills as resources and recognizes their differences or potential. Capricorn stays organized, is a planner, and knows how to keep others in line or is good at teaching others how to behave. Capricorn’s association with control can also be about trying to control their environment and others out of fear or insecurity. Their controlling side may come from being controlled in the past. Capricorn is the sign of the common person, rags to riches, capitalist, entrepreneur, disciplinary, baron, lord, boss, possibly judge (although Libra represents this too), lawmaker, and law enforcer. Their relationship with control is complex and shouldn’t always be looked at as just a flaw. 

Hard Working/Ambitious: Capricorn is reliable, practical, faithful, and steady. They have amazing consistency in their personal and professional life. Capricorn while sometimes called materialistic or known for being all about status, is not always obsessed with fame or fortune. Capricorn’s great ambition can be towards marriage, family, the arts, or science. Their connection to hard work may come from a strong sense of integrity or responsibility. Capricorn’s association to “hard work” may also be connected to themes of bad luck, hard luck, trials, and challenges that are thrown their way in life - making them “work hard”. From an archetypical character standpoint, this is what can make Capricorn so relatable. They know better than anyone the roughness of life and struggles of being human. They have good instinct towards self-preservation which makes them a survivor but in many cases this can also fuel their ambition. A fear of failure or trying to meet someone else’s expectations may also drive their ambition. Their ambition can also come from a desire for purpose. 

Seriousness/Responsibility: Capricorn can actually be surprisingly witty, sarcastic, maybe even crude at times despite their reputation for class and good manners. But even with a good sense of humor they are ultimately a more somber, stoic, cold, or at least cool-headed person. When looking at Capricorn in places that talk about family and the home, Capricorn is connected with responsibility or burdens being place on them at a young age. Sun in Capricorn or a Capricorn Rising tend to have a lot of personal accountability, they were taught or finds strength or ease in good boundaries, taking care of the self, and always taking themselves or their life seriously. Capricorn is the person that finds themselves making the hard calls and choices, integrity is important to them but their negative or “dark” side uses morals or honor to hide behind selfishness, they can be instinctive with providing and protecting, and they may cling to rules or traditions that keep people, society, an environment, or the self running smoothly. Capricorn tends to be portrayed in a harsh light, but even with their seriousness they can be loving and gentle. 

[charnelhouse]

hiii charlotte! I just finished cardinal sins and i loved the fic version so you can imagine my happiness reading the book and seeing the story expand and progress. I love LOVE the characters (not you liam fuck you) and halfway through it I was soooo anxious because i knew baron would use zara's addiction and the fact that they didn't talk about it against them and the ending got me screaming at my pillow. brilliant!!

ben was my baby back then and that man still has my whole heart! pope, will and gabriel are all amazing and i love their little differences, and I just want to hug zara :( I wish you all the success in the world and I can't wait to read the next book 🩷🩷

Awww thank you!! This means so much!!

[zhoras-bitch]

This man really thinking my MC is gonna side with his abusive bigoted ass when the other option is the hot gay witchy mommy Vesper who does not think MC's very existence is a sin. The audacity.

[howlingday]

Russel: Hey, man, could I get ownership of some land near Upton Snodsbury.

Cardin: Sure thing, man.

Dove: Hey, can I be an earl or a baron or a viscount or something?

Cardin: Whatever you want, buddy.

Sky: Can I, like, just get, like a really cool pig that has, like, freakin' metal wings and eight legs and shoots flippin' lasers and it can grow more pigs out of it for extra pigs-

Cardin: Say no more!

[furymint]

Q. One missed call. Any mix of yours and my characters. go wild. (or just one! your choice. ^_^, and that includes the XVI boys)

wc: 488 | header | minific meme

Elliot’s name was not announced at the party. He knew it from the first: as he navigated the busy floor, dodging dresses and flapping fans, few people hailed him to share pleasantries. Even as he recognized baron, dame, and cardinal, and the music ebbed to open conversation among the guests, there seemed to be an unwarranted shortage of acknowledging glances and how-do-you-fare's.

Faces he knew closer than some scripture welcomed him. Their warmth reassured him, but he did not come for tranquility. When Lady Ottoline began stroking his hand and nattering about squirrels licking icicles, he balanced his champagne flute on a chair back and floated away.

Gustave le Berre. Lucien Tedalgrinche. Adrien Charroix. The names continued. Karoiseka O'dayla.

Almost every soul stiffened. People paused, their heads swiveled, eyes narrowed. Forks returned to plates and skirt bustles dropped from hands. Whether they looked to the grand doorway or not, every person knew the night would be irrevocably different from this moment. The savior of Eorzea--now savior of Ishgard, after a fact--had arrived, and now gossip must follow her.

She didn't look armed. She didn't look decent. But neither of those things were fully true.

In the frame of the archway, the Warrior of Light was small, intense, and beautiful. Even if her eyes could be described as tired, they were striking first, and the blue of them matched her hair in a way that seemed to prove that this was the woman chosen by Hydaelyn. Reports spoke of a crystal-lined bow with arrows that could pierce dragon scale. Still, few could doubt that if it came to magic, she would not be able to cast without a staff.

It was either bold or ridiculous that she wore no armor. A sleeveless gown was out of fashion whether her gloves bore jewelry or not; somehow the lace at her breast and the tall collar were enough to excuse it. The black skirt of her dress rippled without a petticoat or hoop, sliced on one side from the thigh to the floor, and teasing a sight at her leg as she drifted forward. Once again, the thing that mattered was smaller than the whole: her shoes were a flashing, bright silver, with a thin, curving heel and beaded ankle strap. Perhaps, in the same way, what mattered of her was herself and not her title.

A scary, dark, one-eyed rascal of man was beside her, and he did not look nice, so he did not matter. Relations were impossible to escape in all places but the ballroom, and so Elliot would forget--for the next three bells--that the man had whispered to her in a way that seemed to let him kiss her ear.

As the room tried to seesaw back into nonchalance, Elliot chose sensation.

Perhaps, in a different way, she was kind.

He was the first to speak to her, and the first to be seen doing so.

[zayadriancas]

#NotAllMen

“Would you really rather live a lie than know the truth?”

[feralforfeydrautha]

Sparring Partners - Chapter 1

My offering to the Feyd Fanatics. Stay fed out there!

Adults only! 18+, minors don't interact.

It's gonna get kinky in here.

Your cardinal rule was not to mix business and sex. The way he held your gaze, waiting to strike and devour you at any moment, you might be convinced to make an exception. 

You gently press the cloth at the hollow above your collarbone, letting two small rivulets of water trace down below the collar of your stillsuit. If you had your way, you would linger to enjoy the light breeze in the courtyard whispering across your dewy skin. Palace tradition dictates that you treat the luxury as trivial. Three quick dabs across your face, a quick press of moisture on your lips before dropping the cloth on the ground for the beggars to wring water from. Picking up your cases, you follow a servant inside. 

As you walked further and further down the halls, schlepping your cases, you thought this Harkonnen had better make a considerable purchase to warrant having called you here from Carthag. Perhaps some price adjustments are in order to make it worth the trouble. Originally, you had half a mind to refuse the request entirely, but had thought better of starting off on his bad side. Though Feyd-Rautha was reputed to be more cunning than his brother, but you didn’t suppose he would be any less vicious. Better to make the trip to Arrakeen than deal with the potential consequences of refusal. 

Finally, the servant stops in front of a set of doors. She meekly stands to the side, unmoving, gazing at the floor. 

“Do you mind?” you ask, gesturing towards the door handle with one of your cases. She shrinks further back against the wall. Sighing, you set down the case and knock on the door. You pull back your shoulders and lift your chin, ready to get this over with.

The door pulls open, but you cannot see who opens it. To your surprise, it is not a meeting hall, but a bedroom. No wonder it took so long to get here from the entrance. A tall, formidable frame rises from an armchair and slinks towards you. 

“You must be the Temptress,” he softly growls, the hairs at the nape of your neck seem to vibrate. “What have you brought for me?” 

“I’ll be glad to show you, na-baron, if there is somewhere I may set my cases. This is a rather… unconventional place for a meeting.” You pause, raising an eyebrow. There are no tables in the room, save a small end table next to the chair. 

“I thought you would prefer the unconventional,” he smirks, waiting for you to respond. You remain still. 

“The bed will suffice.”

As you lean to unlock the cases, you can feel him approach you from behind. He leans over your right shoulder, close enough for you to feel the heat radiating from his body. He reaches in front of you to retrieve an item from the case in front of your left hip, without making contact. You hate it when clients try to put their hands on you. Though he hasn’t touched you, the proximity has drawn your ire. You glance down at his hand, holding a flogger with metal tips.

“That one is quite a stinger. If you like a sharp, biting feel, I also have a selection of crops in the other case.” Feyd curves around you as you step to the side and click open the latch. With both hands, you pull out a handle with a long, thin reed. Feyd shakes his head. He presses a finger down along the cane, guiding you to put it back. 

“No? Alright. Tell me what you like, then.” You follow his gaze as he scans the toys, not lingering on any particular item. He runs a finger over clamps, harnesses, handles, then steps in between you and the bed, so you have to lift your head to look at him. His leg brushes your inner thigh.

“Is this it?” he asks. “With everything I’d heard about you, I thought surely you would have something I hadn’t tried before.”

 You grit your teeth, trying to tamp down on your irritation. You close one case lid, barely avoiding slamming it closed. 

“How was I to know what you have and haven’t tried before? I can’t carry my whole store here. If you want variety, you have to come to the shop. What a waste of time,” you huff.

You close the second case, and as you start to pull the handle, Feyd presses the case down into the bed. You snap your head to look at him. He’s grinning, mouth slightly agape. 

You yank the case out from under his hand and charge towards the door. He could have held his place, instead he lets your arm to his chest push him out of your path.

“Firey little pet” he calls out, but you round the corner without looking back. 

“Now, that’s something new.”

There’s a knock at your door. You look through your oil lens periscope to see a man in Harkonnen dress, though you don’t recognize him. You slide open the porthole on the door. “Yes?”

“Na-Baron Harkonnen demands you return to speak with him. You will come with me to the ‘thopter. Gather your things.” 

”No,” you say firmly. “If he would like an audience, he can come here.”  You close the porthole and pointedly ignore the incessant pounding on the door. Eventually the man gives up. 

Several days later, you are soldering wires to a circuit board when you hear knocking again. This time, the periscope shows a familiar face, with several Harkonnen soldiers behind him.

“Your men can wait outside.” 

Feyd Rautha saunters in and the door’s vapor seal closes with a damp thwack. HE begins to circle the room, eyeing the displays. When he turns, you’ve placed a chair in the center of the room. 

You tap the chair with your hand. You look at him expectantly and wait. 

Feyd’s eyes lock onto yours. 

An ache grows in your chest, and you realize you are holding your breath. 

Feyd coyly tilts his head, moving his gaze with deliberate slowness to the chair, back to you, then to a display case. 

“It was bold of you to refuse my invitation,” he says, languidly picking up a spiked metal tool from the display. You can feel him tracking you in his peripheral vision, like a predator stalking its prey. It’s unnerving, though you don’t entirely dislike how it tingles the back of your neck. 

“I didn’t have to invite you at all,” he continues, unhurriedly. “I could have just had you taken prisoner, you know.” Feyd sets down the tool.

He turns his eyes back to you. You motion again to the chair, willing yourself not to look away. He slinks towards you, never breaking eye contact, hesitating inches from your face. 

“I could have taken what I wanted, and then slit your pretty throat.” His hand hovers at your neck. Your nerves ignite with anticipation, heat blossoming across your neck and chest. He withdraws his hand and sinks down into the chair, unblinking. 

“Forgive me that I’m not more grateful for your Harkonnen hospitality. I suppose you didn’t have enough time on Lankeveil to learn any manners, so I’ll give you your first etiquette lesson.” You grab metal cuffs from a hook on the wall.

 “I only do business with clients who agree to certain terms. If you want something I have, you must come to me.” You clasp one cuff shut around Feyd’s arm and the arm of the chair. You glimpse one faint twitch of his shoulder. He keeps his arms on the armrests. 

“If you disrespect me, I have to punish you.” You clasp the second cuff shut and engage the lock, the dials clicking softly as you adjust them.

You lean backwards against a table and take your sweet time looking him over. Feyd Rautha is a beast of a man. Imposing. Muscles taut with deadly kinetic energy. You let your eyes linger where they please. He breathes huskily. A bead of moisture pools at the edge of his mouth. 

You straddle his lap. You grasp his jaw, the rivulet of spit gliding down your hand as you turn his head to you. 

“You need to be punished,” you hiss. “How dare you presume such intimacy with me when we had never met. Are you so impertinent with all your business contacts that you invite them to your bedchamber on the first meeting?” 

 You squeeze his jaw more firmly.

“Do you expect them to know your carnal appetites? Or should I have read your mind like some bene gesserit witch?” Eyes flashing, your nails rasp against his skin. Feyd grins, panting. He is ravenous.

You lap his drool off your hand with the flat of your tongue, trailing your hot breath to his ear. “You’re going to sit here and think about how you’ve behaved. When I come back, if you're a good boy and you ask nicely, maybe I’ll show you something you want.”

[bearterritory]

BEARS DOMINATE BIG SPLASH

#4 Cal Earns Largest Win Ever Over #3 Stanford

STANFORD – Closing out the regular season Friday at No. 3 Stanford, the No. 4 California women's water polo team defeated the Cardinal in historical fashion, 11-6 behind huge performances by goalkeeper Isabel Williams and attacker Elena Flynn.

Williams had 15 saves for the fifth time this season and Flynn poured in a Golden Bear career-high five goals as they led Cal to its largest margin of victory over Stanford (16-5, 4-2) since 1997. Along with helping hold the Cardinal to a season low in goals, Williams also became the second player in program history to reach 800 career saves.

Flynn single-handedly outscored Stanford in the opening half, pouring in her fourth goal on her fifth attempt in the final seconds of the second quarter. She tied a season high with five goals, firing in all five from distance.

It didn't take long for the Bears (15-5, 4-2) to take control of the game. On their first possession, senior Maddie DeMattia collected a pass in traffic from Claire Rowell and wrapped it around the defense for a slick backhand goal. The Bears held the lead the rest of the way.

Flynn put Cal ahead 3-0 with back-to-back goals midway through the first. In the closing moments of the period, junior Jessie Rose found senior Reagan Whitney in deep for a composed finish in front of goal, making it 4-1.

Looking to flip the script before things got too out of hand, Stanford earned a penalty on the first play of the second quarter. However, for the fourth consecutive game, Williams forced a penalty miss, remaining in a central position while extending her right arm out to stop the shot in its tracks. The Bears continued to pour it on from there, converting a pair of 6-on-5s with a goal by junior Rozanne Voorvelt and a quick strike from straightaway by Flynn to go up 6-1.

The Cardinal started to get its offense on track with two goals late in the half, but the Bears had an answer on both occasions. Voorvelt found senior Maryn Dempsey wide open on the left side to fire one into the top corner. With two seconds left on the clock, Flynn slotted in another shot from deep center, giving her four goals to Stanford's three at the break.

The second half provided a slow offensive start from both sides, but a pair of back-breaking goals by Rose and yet another penalty save by Williams quelled any chance of a late comeback. Flynn beat the shot clock and rocketed in her fifth goal at the 3:37 mark of the fourth to give the Bears their largest lead of the day, 11-5. She now owns team highs in goals (38), five-goal games (2) and four-goal games (4).

With their upset win, Cal now heads into the MPSF Championship in Indiana as a #2 seed. They are one of the few teams that will have a winning record against other top-5 nationally-ranked teams.  

No. 5 California 11, No. 3 Stanford 6 Cal 4 4 1 2 – 11 Stan 1 2 2 1 – 6 Cal Goals: Elena Flynn 5, Jessie Rose 2, Maryn Dempsey, Maddie DeMattia, Rozanne Voorvelt, Reagan Whitney Stan Goals: Sophie Wallace 2, Christina Hicks, Eleanor Facey, Kamryn Barone, Skyler Jones Cal Saves: Isabel Williams 15 Stan Saves: Maya Avital 6

[fideidefenswhore]

Thomas Stafford was the ninth child and second surviving son of Henry Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford and Ursula Pole. Little is known of his early life, first being mentioned in 1550 as he travelled to Rome, where he associated with his uncle Reginald Cardinal Pole. He spent three years in Italy before travelling to Poland, obtaining the recommendation of King Sigismund Augustus who requested Mary restore him to the Dukedom of Buckingham. Augustus's appeal appeared to have no effect. When Stafford returned to England in January 1554 he joined the rebellion led by Thomas Wyatt; this arose out of concern of Mary's determination to marry Philip II of Spain. The rebellion failed and Thomas was captured and briefly imprisoned in the Fleet Prison before fleeing to France. There, he intrigued with other English exiles and continued to promote his claim to the English throne. On 18 April 1557 (Easter Sunday) Stafford sailed from Dieppe with two ships and over 30 men. Landing in Scarborough on 25 April 1557, he walked into the unprotected castle and proclaimed himself Protector of the Realm,[2] attempting to incite a new revolt by denouncing the Spanish marriage, railed against increased Spanish influence and promised to return the crown "to the trewe Inglyshe bloude of our owne naterall countrye".[1][3][4] Stafford claimed he had seen letters at Dieppe showing that Scarborough and 12 other castles would be given to Philip II and garrisoned with 12,000 Spanish soldiers before his coronation.[5] Three days later, the Earl of Westmorland recaptured the castle and arrested Stafford and his companions. Stafford was beheaded for treason on 28 May 1557 on Tower Hill, after imprisonment in the Tower of London. Thirty-two of his followers were also executed after the rebellion.[6].