#command log retrieved

[cyborg-franky]

Another piece I did for the @op-xreader-zine

Marco x GN Reader x Ace TW: Age gap ship - polyam SFW WC: 1,300

Opening the door to your room you saw Ace spread out on the bed, legs hanging off the edge, boots still on, hat thrown over the chair, and a book in his hands. There was a look of concentration on his face, only broken for a brief moment when he waved his hand in greeting. “Have you seen Marco?” you asked and peered around the room, seeing no sign of your other partner.

“No, and I doubt we will for a few hours.” Ace sighed and set the book down on the nightstand before turning to face you, leaning on his elbow with his brows furrowed. You sighed along with him. 

“He’s still in the office isn’t he?” 

Ace nodded.

“Marco needs to take more breaks… This is insane, he can’t keep doing all his work as a doctor and as the captain, he’s taking on too much,” you said as you flopped down next to Ace, feeling an arm snake around you and his chin coming to rest on your shoulder. 

“Yeah, I agree, but he’s such a stubborn old buzzard that blames himself for everything that happened.” You could see a look of sadness cross his face, replaying the events of Marineford over and over. 

“Come on, let's go pay him a visit. He can’t brush off both of us, can he? We’ll bring him some snacks and tea, remind him he’s not a machine,” you said as you leaned over enough to kiss Ace’s freckled cheek before pulling yourself up off the bed.

–

Armed with a tray of drinks and snacks, you and Ace headed to Marco’s office. He never took up the captain’s chamber; he just didn’t have the heart to work there, to be reminded why he was the new captain, the wounds still not healed; wounds that deep would emotionally scar him for years to come. You tried not to think of it like that, but you and Ace hadn't been there half as long as Marco and hadn’t known Pops as he had.

All you could do was try and lift him when his heart became too heavy. You knocked on the door with no reply. Another knock, still nothing. Ace rolled his eyes and handed you the tray before he just opened the door, barging in. “Birdbrain!” Ace called and got a very sleepy look in return from Marco.

“Oh, I didn’t hear you, yoi,” Marco hummed, leaning back in his chair watching as you and Ace came inside. Ace walked over to the desk and started to move papers and maps, earning himself a scornful look and a tsk from Marco who kept trying to pull things back. 

“No more work tonight,” you piped up, helping Ace clean the table before Ace retrieved the tray of snacks from its perch on the side table, setting it on his desk instead, Marco’s little personal mini office when he brought work back to their room with him.

“I still have so much to do, I’ll stop in an hour.” Marco stretched over the desk to grab at a log book, just to have his hand swatted by you and Ace at the same time. 

“No, it’s time to rest, have a midnight snack with us,” Ace said firmly, using his own commander voice on Marco.

“See, midnight isn’t bad.” Marco was still trying to protest as you pulled up a chair closer to him, Ace doing the same as he started to help himself to the snacks you’d brought. 

“Marco, you need to take it easy, you’ve taken on so much. Too much.” You placed your hand on his, stopping it from reaching for his pen. Feeling your fingers lace together, you gave him a concerned smile.

“I don’t have time to rest. There’s still so much to do, yoi.” Ace added his hand to the two of yours and gave Marco a firm look, nose wrinkled as he huffed. 

“You won’t do anyone any good if you work yourself to death, I don’t think the phoenix will be much help then.”

“He’s right Marco,” you agreed and saw how Marco slouched in his seat, knowing you were both right and not liking his partners teaming up on him. He was such a stubborn man, trying to carry everything on his shoulders.

All together, Marco was trying to carry his old duties, new duties, the grief, the guilt, everything. He was carrying a bigger weight than anyone could ever imagine and you just wished you could lighten his load.

Marco’s half-lidded eyes stared at the tray of treats, watching steam from the tea twist and turn in the air. When he breathed in to center himself he must’ve gotten a whiff of the tea, his favorite, the smell lingering in the room before he let out a shaky sigh, nodding defeatedly. “Okay, I’ll call it a day.”

“That’s a good birdy,” Ace teased, leaning in and kissing Marco’s cheek, as you did the same on the other side.

Pulling away and seeing the normally cool and collected captain with a pink hue across his cheeks was cute, as was his smile that just grew as he enjoyed being the center of attention.

“You work so hard, you can have breaks. Everyone understands Marco, no one expects you to be used to it yet, to be over it.” You cupped his cheek, feeling him lean into your palm as your thumb brushed his skin. “Let us help you a little more, yeah?” 

Another sigh but at least Marco nodded. Ace added the sugar and milk to Marco’s tea and handed it to him. He gladly took it and took a sip, trying to get absorbed in the moment, to just relax and fade away on calmer waters within his mind. Ace handed you another cup and you smiled back at him.

“I know, I know, I just...” Marco sipped his drink again, trying to organize his thoughts before you set down your cup, linking arms with him. 

“I know Marco, but you are trying to fill literally gigantic shoes. You're doing great, you're an amazing captain.” You leaned against his arm, feeling his shoulders sag, relaxing slowly. You could tell he was struggling with his inner turmoil but appreciated your words.

Ace, with a mouthful of snacks, wrapped his arms around you both, swallowing his food before he kissed Marco’s cheek. “We are all going to be fine, we can do this as a team right?” Ace asked with a determined gleam in his eyes.

You watched as Marco let his gaze slip to the huge scar in the middle of Ace’s chest, thoughts churning within his mind. You nudged Marco, causing him to meet your eye, the lazy smile growing on his face when you held him tighter.  “Riiight?” you prompted him, and he chuckled— such a lovely sound, you’d missed his laugh.

“Right, thank you both.” He wriggled himself loose, this time pulling you both against him, arms around you and Ace, nuzzling his cheek against yours. “I needed this, yoi,” Marco confessed as you and Ace kissed him on the cheek once more before sitting down and digging into the snacks you brought.

“We love you, so we will always be here to make sure you don’t overdo it,” Ace said and closed his eyes, you smiled enjoying the moment with your partners. 

[pagesfromthevoid]

A Real Nightmare | a.a. | 1

Astarion x fem!Tav

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Cussing. Astarion being…Astarion

Author’s Note: I’m not even sorry.

Talk to Me! | Series Masterlist

Astarion, visibly frustrated, threw his jacket to the ground with irritation, aggressively stomping out the flames that had crawled up its arm. A string of colorful curses escaped his lips as he forcefully dug his heel into the dirt, determined to extinguish every ember. Witnessing the dramatic display, Tav instinctively covered her face with her hands, feeling her cheeks flush with a mix of embarrassment and panic. The crackling sounds of the dying flames, accompanied by Astarion's expressive language, created a chaotic scene that lingered in the air, leaving an awkward tension between the two.

The majority of the party had headed into the nearest town to snag supplies or dig deeper into their quest details, leaving Tav and Astarion to handle the camp setup—just the two of them. Despite their limited interactions in the few days they'd known each other, usually confined to brief and somewhat meaningless small talk, today marked a shift. It was the day they finally got down to setting up a proper camp, making it the longest stretch of time she'd spent alone with him.

It wasn’t the worst thing in the world; it’s not as if she hated him or anything…she just didn’t like his snide comments on everything. Or the way he looked at her like she was something to eat and not a person. Or the burning feeling in her belly when he flirted. But when he didn’t have an audience, he wasn’t nearly as bad. Truthfully, he was almost tolerable. 

Astarion had thrown a fit, complaining about having "worked so hard" to gather what he considered "so much firewood" (although three logs hardly qualified, she didn't bother arguing), only to come back and discover they had no means to light it. In a moment of misguided goodwill, Tav offered to take care of it. In hindsight, she should have known better than to make such an offer; her command over magic, especially when it came to fire, was far from stellar.

Which was how Astarion's jacket caught fire. And how her tent also caught fire. Though luckily, she hadn’t put all of her belongings inside yet.

"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, hastily reaching out to retrieve his coat as he stormed away from the smoldering fabric. Examining it, she assessed the damage, hoping against hope for a chance at recovery. The arm was unmistakably burned through, but with the right supplies, she believed she could mend it. Her voice carried a mix of guilt and fear as she spoke, "I really didn't mean to do that – truly, Astarion. I would never actually try to hurt you, not on –,"

“You can’t even cast a spell correctly!” He interrupted, turning around quickly to point at her. His eyes flashed –a mix of darkness, anger, and a touch of dangerous allure.

“Excuse me, I can cast a spell just fine,” she argued, crossing her arms over her chest like a petulant child. His jacket hung at her side as she narrowed her eyes at him. “I just don’t have a lot of control after I cast it.”

“How is that any better?”

“Because at least I can do something!”

“You lit me on fire!”

“It was an accident!”

“What kind of sorceress can’t control her own fucking magic?” He demanded.

“One that has never been taught!” She spat back at him, her guilt receding only to be replaced with anger. He was allowed to be mad at her for lighting him on fire –he wasn’t allowed to insult her in the process, however.

“What the bloody hell do you mean, ‘one that’s never been taught’?”

Tav hesitated, realizing that maybe she had divulged too much. Her reluctance to expose her...deficiencies in magic was almost nonexistent.

When she had become the de facto leader of the party, and they had gathered up Gale into their midst, he had pressed her about her skills and spells that came from her home in Otherus. She tried to play it off at first, explaining that magic in Faerun wasn’t all that different from magic in Otherus, but Gale had been persistent –even when she explained she’d rather not have an audience. He just asked for her to join him in private.

It was there that Gale learned that their leader was not nearly as capable as she had made herself out to be. While she was able to cast spells and use magic, she couldn’t exactly…control the outcome. 

Magic had long been outlawed in certain parts of Otherus –in the main cities and around the edge of the kingdom, specifically –and Tav was born to a sorceress mother and a soldier of the king, who loathed those with magic at their dispense. Her mother, Fera, had kept her abilities secret for years until after Tav had been born. However, fearing that her babe would start showing signs, Fera thought it time to reveal to her husband what they were.

Fera had thought he would understand. That he loved them enough to protect them.

Fera had been wrong.

The King’s Guard had been called to the home, and by the time they arrived –Fera was slain, and Tav’s father was attempting to remove her hands from her body.

“A sorceress without hands is no sorceress at all,” he had seethed, pressing the blade into her wrist, breaking the skin and almost hitting the bone. 

The Guard stopped him before he did further damage; demanded if she had shown any signs of magic prior. When they determined she hadn’t, the Guard charged him with the abuse of a child; but his sentence was lenient for ridding the world of one more magic user.

Tav was ten. 

For a short while, Tav lived with her grandmother in a small village outside the kingdom but she was old and frail, and had no desire to raise a child at her age. Isowen, her mother’s sister, took her instead to the edge of the kingdom, as far from the king’s guard of Otherus as possible. Isowen ran an apothecary and taught Tav in the healing arts but forbade her from talking of magic or the arcane. Too many soldiers came in and out of their little shop; it was never safe. 

This was how it went for years –until Tav was old enough to go out on her own, and make a life for herself.

Initially, she had every intention of departing from Otherus. The kingdom as a whole, in all honesty, didn't hold any allure for her, especially if she aspired to master the control of her magic. However, the lack of viable means to leave or reach any other destination left her with no choice. Consequently, she found herself navigating a transient existence, engaging in various odd jobs across villages she encountered along the way. To safeguard herself, she discreetly concealed her magical abilities, aware of the potential risks that came with revealing her unique skills in unfamiliar territories. 

It wasn’t until the damned tadpole in her eye that she was finally taken away from Otherus. And now she was the leader of a band of heroes, trying to save everyone…and she had no idea how to control herself.

Gale had been sweet enough to offer to teach her, and keep her secret. Even though he did sound a bit snobbish about the ordeal, his lessons were important to her and she enjoyed the time she spent with him. 

Astarion continued to stare her down, his gaze unwavering, expecting an explanation. She felt the weight of his scrutiny, her left hand instinctively curling around her right, fingers tracing the scar that served as a perpetual reminder of the painful history of her life in Otherus.

"Have you ever kept so much bottled up for so damn long that when it finally spills out, it's like a wildfire you can't control? But, you know, strangely satisfying? Like this unseen weight you didn't even realize you were hauling around just lifts off your shoulders?" she asked, settling onto the ground before the dormant fire pit. She absentmindedly wrung her wrist, caught in the residual tension of her confession.

Astarion remained standing, though when she looked up at him to ask him to join her, his eyes had left her face and were fixed on where she held her wrist.

“I can’t say I have.” 

His voice was soft –sincere, even –and Tav smiled wryly.

“I’m from Otherus,” she explained, and Astarion let out a little ah in response –a knowing sound. She let out a humorless laugh, holding her hand to him now. “I had just gotten enough coin to finally leave when the damn worm got me. And now…I’m here.”

There was a moment of hesitation on his end, but eventually Astarion kneeled beside her and took her hand, examining the scar that rested between where her hand and wrist met. “You’re saying, darling, that up until you became the leader of a bunch of weirdos –you had never used your magic?”

Tav nodded once, shivering involuntarily as Astarion ran his thumb over the scar. “Here and there; but never enough to be meaningful.”

“Sweet hells, we’re doomed.”

“Must you be so dramatic?” She asked, though instead of the annoyed tone she usually held, it was laced with a fear that she wished she didn’t have. “I…I didn’t ask for any of this. I don’t know what happened; one moment, I was following Shadowheart’s lead then the next I was doling out orders.”

Astarion dropped from his kneeling position to sit beside her, one knee pulled up as the other was outstretched in front of him. He shifted and rested his weight on his hands. 

“You are rather bossy,” he pointed out, grinning at her teasingly, as if trying to ease the tension. “I suppose it only makes sense, minus the whole lack of skill bit.”

“You and Gale are the only two who know.”

Astarion practically giggled in delight. “Ah, so I have blackmail. I love it.”

She gave him a funny look, unable to help herself. “Astarion, you cannot blackmail me when I also know something about you.”

He scoffed. “Please. I’m an open book, darling.”

“You’re right; you are an open book. And the very first page says you’re a vampire.”

For a moment, she could tell he was debating if he would play off her accusations. She knew the look well; it was one she used herself when she wanted to avoid confrontation. But then he narrowed his eyes. 

“And how did you come to that conclusion?”

She rolled her eyes, pointing at her throat. “You have bite marks on your neck, Astarion,” then she motioned towards her mouth. “You also have fangs. You never eat with us, or when I offer you food. When you drink wine, you look nearly offended by it —,”

“To be fair, it is shit wine.”

“Regardless —I know you think me an idiot, but what I may lack in spell casting, I make up for in intelligence. I’m rather observant when I want to be.”

At this, Astarion leaned in close to her, voice turning sultry. “Oh, so you observe me, my love?”

Tav swallowed hard, involuntarily leaning in as well without even realizing it. “Occasionally, yes. Probably as much as you observe me.”

Astarion's lips curled into a mischievous smirk, and as he subtly withdrew, Tav felt the heat rise in her cheeks. A mix of excitement and self-chastisement coursed through her, acknowledging the magnetic effect he seemed to have on her. As she opened her mouth to respond, the distant sound of Karlach's animated yell reached them, accompanied by the laughter of their returning companions. Both their attentions shifted towards the camp's edge, momentarily distracted from the tension that she was certain they both felt.

Astarion rose from his spot, extending his hand toward her. Tav met his gaze briefly before accepting his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. Their hands remained connected for a moment longer than strictly necessary, a subtle tension hanging in the air, before Astarion finally withdrew and strolled away from her towards the group. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that he was about to go embellish how badly she fucked up the fire. 

But instead of feeling annoyed, she couldn’t help the smile that tugged at her lips.

“I hope you feel that weight lift one day, Astarion,” she said, soft enough that only he could hear. 

He paused mid step, glancing over his shoulder at her. “One day, perhaps.”

[enderham]

Some Aventurine headcenons:

- He can't swim properly (never got to learn)

- He has a lot of plants and hires someone to take care of them when he's away. His place looks like a jungle and his balcony is overflowing with them, that's where he spends most of his time when he's in Pier Point. (If there's a cold season in Pier Point his balcony has a sliding glass window that turns it into a greenhouse)

- Thankfully offset by the plants, the rest of his IPC accommodation is just as gaudy and luxurious as his outfits. It's somewhat eclectic because he chooses decorations by process of 'ooh shiny/cool' but there's a clear preference for art nouveu and art deco even though he probably wouldn't know that's what it's called.(He likes the interior design of the reverie but doesn't know why) It's in a luxury apartment block and he had to finesse his way through the chain of command to get it approved for him.

- He genuinely likes green, it's not just cause of his stone(he's wearing the wrong shade anyway) (yeah, the plants)

- He'd wear a lot of colour and jewelry even if he weren't "rich" or maintaining an image(based on the splashes of colour on little Kakavasha's Avgin clothes)

- He doesn't have an actual birthday on file. It's logged as the day the IPC "acquired" him. The only reason he knows the standard system date is because of the massacre. The Avgin calendar is different from the standard system one, so the documentation of the Katican attack was his only way of finding out. Since finding out, all he does on his birthday is burn a Knot of Cyclicality and say a prayer. He's no longer sure if it matches up with the Avgin calendar's Kakava.

- Since he gives out money like it grows on trees and I can imagine his project plans are fairly fluid that would mean that so are his budgets too. It makes me wonder if he's got money on off-shore accounts someplace in the galaxy the IPC hasn't reached yet.

-Converseley, the jewelry he's wearing could be his final asset. I can imagine that watch to be worth at least enough to sustain one person for a year(especially on worlds with a lower cost of living). The bracelets could buy you a vehicle and his other accessories are pocket money, all in case he's gotta run.

-He can drive and he wants to learn how to pilot a ship but the IPC is barring him

-He'd never sell the earring tho

-He also carries his family's heirlooms (the shirt, necklace and charm) everywhere he travels, also in case he has to run. I believe only the most dire of circumstances would stop him from retrieving them. (I also think the charm is the earring so these two are basically the same headcanon)

- Back to the swimming, he's both afraid of submerging his head under water(having to play dead in a pool of blood, probably thinking you'll drown in it does that to a kid) and drawn to large bodies of water.

-His gloves conceal scars on his hands from the chains he had to use as a "tool"

[mooonjin]

Hi I don't know if your requests are open but can you do a Hunter X female reader she likes nature and he does too they connect it be a soft wholesome story.

Butterfly

Notes: SUCH A CUTE PROMPT!!!!! ii hope this is what you like <3333 and as promised, the fic!!! i hope this is also confort enough after the tbb finale :((

Pairing: Hunter x f!reader

Summary: You, a nature lover on Raxus has to deal with the changes of the New Empire. But a new path has opened, a path to another nature lover. A person you wouldn't expect to love nature too.

Warnings/Tags: fluff, mentions of the Empire, nature, implied f!reader but i dont use many pronouns (i dont think 0.0), cute tension ⁠— tell me if I've missed anything!

The suns rays gently pushed its way through the lush, orange and green mixed trees. It was always such a lovely view to admire and even better to even sit and relax under. The golden ropes shining against you as you feel the warm heat.

Raxus was responsible for the beautiful horizons and lands you grew up around, your mother and father always making sure there was time for the family to go out and acknowledge what the planet offered.

They shielded you from the war, considering they were on the side of the Separatists, they didn't want you in on politics, especially because your mother was a senator for Raxus. They wanted you to be happy and appreciate the better things in life.

That's how you fell in love with nature.

Everyday, just how your parents did it, you would go out, sit on the same tree log that you carved your names into—with cutely failed love hearts that almost looked like stars—and just sit. Sit and cherish the time you had with the singing birds and the sun that continued to shine.

It was post-Clone Wars now. The Galactic Empire rose to power.

Suddenly, the atmosphere around you changed drastically. As you grew older, you slowly learned about the horrible war that happened and now, a new position in power is pushing all of these absurd laws. Weren't you practically on their side?

Now, finding the time to be by yourself and away from everyone else became difficult. There was either a clone or a TK trooper around every corner you turned.

Luckily, there was a forest close to your home that the trees tower over, making it tough to land, large, Imperial shuttles on.

They attempted to cut them down but they were too thick and wasted time, according to the really angry commanding officers you overheard.

You now had a beautiful space to relax in. You were upset the log that had your parents names on it wasn't by the forest but the Empire would've arrested you and you wouldn't have been able to sit in environment solitude any longer.

The sun rays continued to shine through the trees, the rays longer and brighter because of the tall trees. There seems to be more animals around this area, you assumed they moved habitats because of how forceful the Empire was.

You were able to close your eyes, feeling safe and listen to the insects, the mammals do their animal things.

You had an idea to bring a little notebook with you and write songs with the tune of how the animals sang to each other during the day and how they chirped at night.

"Ah, the beauties of life," you grinned.

-

"We are coming up on Raxus," Tech's voice echoed down the Marauder, hoping Wrecker wasn't asleep. As the shuttle entered Raxus' atmosphere, the view of the orange and green arranged forests was even better aerial.

The city heart was in the distance, the buildings standing strong and silver. Despite the pretty exterior, the city was surrounded by Imperial troops from head to toe.

Tech landed the shuttle in a remote area, a forest with tall trees to stay undercover.

The sun was already beginning to set, Cid giving the Batcher's almost no information about the retrieval mission. It seems they had little time to break out whoever their client was.

"Wow, this place is beautiful," Omega was in awe as her eyes panned the high trees and the lush grass around them, her irises sparkling against the sun rays.

A small butterfly landed briefly on her head, causing her to chuckle before it flew off into the distance.

Hunter watched her, like a protective brother would do. He too was in awe with the plants around them.

He was particularly fond of nature, not even his brothers knew. Whenever they were free and Cid hadn't given them a job, he would sit against logs to watch the clouds surf the Ord Mantell mountains.

It was the only nature he could watch, the sandy atmosphere not bringing much but he still appreciated what he was given. Hunter always thought of visiting Raxus, having luscious ambience. He would've even considered putting aside his soldier life to live here.

Unfortunately, he had to visit the wonderful planet on the opposing side.

On the other hand, Echo and Wrecker were a little wary about this place. Crosshair was off to the side, chewing on his toothpick. He was wary too but a job was a job at the end of the day.

All they knew was their client is a Separatist and they're rescuing them.

"Hunter, four Imperial shuttles have just entered Raxus' atmosphere and are headed for the capital city. We might not be able to engage at all and complete the mission without getting caught." Tech was tapping away at his datapad, the small nods of his head suggesting they don't go forth with the mission right now.

Hunter sighed, "Do we have time early morning?"

They all looked at Tech, who was probably calculating the hours of possibility. With one last button touch, all he responded with was, 'yes.'

With a defeated sigh, everybody trekked back to the Marauder. Wrecker was desperate to sleep the evening away with Omega and Crosshair. Maker forbid when they sleep, Wrecker snores. Tech and Echo had their business about mechanical stuff up by the cockpit, maybe to double-check what needed to be repaired and added to the list.

However, Hunter wanted to do something else.

-

The night was breezy, the weather was nice, and you could hear the nocturnal animals emerge from their homes. The Imperial patrols usually regroup and do their daily meetings and reports so you had freedom to roam the forests without getting caught.

You carried your night lamp, your journal inside your pouch, and of course an electro staff for your own protection. Fortunately, you rarely had to use it.

As you walked down the sandy hill towards the high trees, you noticed there were more fireflies out so you cranked down the brightness on your lamp to embrace the natural light.

The trees always provided you comfort. They were like protectors. You kept walking along the sandy rubble, the path slowly fading into the green grass beneath your feet.

You waved to the curious rabbits that popped their heads through the fluffy bushes. You chuckled gently as the fireflies surrounded you curiously, almost tickling you as they made their way through the forest.

Hunter was sat on the ramp of the Marauder, his helmet off next to him. He was watching the white moon walk the night sky of Raxus, the gentle breeze brushing up against his long curls.

A curious tooka cat trotted towards Hunter, sniffing the ramp and his armoured boots. It purred, looking up at Hunters eyes. He smiled at the animal before it ran off, something else catching its attention.

Hunter stood up, walking down to the grassy plains beneath the ramp. He ran his fingers against the soft plants, inhaling the fresh air.

This felt nice, putting the soldier role aside and admiring what else life had to offer.

You were nearing your resting spot, grinning softly as you observed the birds feeding their childrens and singing lullabies. You jogged to your little spot, a small rocky cliff area to get a beautiful view of the rivers.

You closed your eyes, breathing in the air and listening to the gentle sound of the flowing water.

Startled, you yelped a bit as a butterfly landed on your nose, "Oh my, you scared me. I don't blame you, this a lovely place to play around," you chuckled, gently picking the insect and letting it fly away.

As Hunter walked back to the Marauders ramp to call it there, his senses picked up something in the distance. There was mumbling in the distance, he couldn't tell exactly what it was but it alerted him. He was swift to grab his blaster and his helmet to approach the noise.

Obviously approaching something you don't know isn't smart but Hunter was not about let something or someone jeopardise the beginning of the mission. As Hunter stealthily walked through the tall trees in the direction of the noise, he saw a silhouette.

He pushed away a bush to get a better look.

It wasn't a creature and definitely wasn't anything Imperial.

It was a person.

A very beautiful person.

Hunter lowered his blaster, his gaze softening under his helmet. You were giggling at the same tooka cat he saw earlier that was now brushing up against your knees. The tooka seemed to be extremely comfortable with you, almost jumping up onto your shoulders excitedly.

The cat meowed particularly loud and unfortunately, in Hunters direction. It caught him off guard. You were confused why the tooka suddenly ran away meowing like it was in distress.

That was when you saw Hunter.

Instinctively, you drew your electro staff, lighting it up. This man, who you've never seen before had managed to sneak up on you, wearing armour that was too similar to the clone troopers in the Empire.

You were just confused as to why it was all black and red.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" You called out to the trooper. Hunter tucked away his blaster, his hands coming up and out defensively.

"It's okay, I'm not here to hurt anyone." Hunter took one gentle step further, causing you to jolt the staff in his direction. He flinched.

"I don't enjoy repeating myself," you huffed, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Hunter slowly took off his helmet to show he wasn't a threat. He even took out his blaster and threw it aside.

Your eyes scanned him. He had a skull tatted on half his face, a red bandana with a skull imprinted on it. He had a prominent nose, dark brown eyes, and a strong jaw.

He also looked like a clone. Well, the face shape of one at least.

"Hunter, and I'm here by myself," that was a lie, "I'm just here to enjoy the forest."

You titled your head slightly. This... man, who had very similar features and outfit as a soldier, enjoying nature? That's a first.

You deactivated the electricity on your staff but you still kept it grasped in your hand, just in case.

You introduced yourself to him. His voice was low and soft, raspy but clear. There were visible wrinkles on his face and he tends to squint a lot when he spoke.

"Never met anyone on Raxus who enjoys the forest," you spoke. It was true, everyone was too focused on the economy, the war, the Empire, and trying to get off the planet. No one seemed to have time to sit down and admire nature.

"You learn something new," Hunter shrugged, "Do you mind if I sit?" you hesitated, your fingers clenching the hilt of your staff. You didn't know if he was undercover for the Empire or not.

Despite discarding his blaster, there was a vibro knife holster on his arm, very yellow and obvious.

"No tricks."

Hunter nodded, approaching your side to sit down. He was surprised at the view he was met with. A calm and clear river running down the slopes like it was skating against the rocks.

You sat down down, your staff clinking by your side as you let go of it. This Hunter person doesn't seem too bad so far, he was too focused on the water flowing. He was an attractive person, you'll give him that but you couldn't let that thought control how you were going to interact with him.

"How did you find this place?" you ran your fingers against a pebble before throwing it into the stream to be swept away.

He shrugged, "I like plant-y, environment stuff. I thought this place looked nice," the tips of your mouth lifted up into a small grin. You were already getting flustered over his voice and you met him five minutes ago. You coughed, shoving those thoughts to the back of your head.

The silence wasn't too uncomfortable. You tuned to the soft noises of nature, trying not to get immensely distracted by the man sat next to you also enjoying the soft noises of nature.

"Do you come here often?" Hunter asked. You watched all of those holofilms before, isn't this what they ask when they have no experience with conversation starters?

You chuckled, "I do, actually. Grew up around here."

Hunter gently nodded his head before facing the stream of water again, "So, you're pro-Empire."

"Hey, just because I grew up here doesn't mean I am," you playfully punched his shoulder, shaking off the slight pain from your knuckles because he was literally in full armour. Hunters hand came up defensively, apologising for his accusation.

"Then I'm surprised you haven't been caught by troops."

"Well, the trees really help with that. They're like my best friends," you stuck your hand out, drifting through the air.

Hunters eyes watched you carefully, he looked at you how you looked at nature. The way your eyes and cheeks lift up into a grin made Hunter smile himself. He had no experience with hanging out with someone other than his brothers. Especially mid-mission.

"I see."

Your hand came back down only to be met with Hunters gloved hand. Flustered, you quickly took your hand off. You mumbled an apology, situating your hand onto your lap. Hunter, who was also flustered, but more embarrassed swiftly changed the subject to save you both.

"So... how much do you know about plants?"

"I know enough to become a botanist," you picked off a small dandelion, blowing the seeds off and watching them float with the wind. They ended up crashing and covering Hunters face, some getting caught in his curls and his bandana. It wasn't very pretty for Hunter, but he looked like an angel covered in it.

Except for the sputtering that happened right after when some managed to get in his mouth.

"Very funny."

You gave him a hearty laugh, "It wasn't on purpose!"

"Whatever you say," Hunter patted himself clean. There was probably a long lost dandelion seed buried in his hair somewhere but he'll find it some how.

The two of you sat comfortably in each others' presence, chatting away about Raxus' trees, the dusty and dry dunes of Tatooine, and the bustling technologies of Coruscant.

You learned he was an ex-GAR soldier, that explained him lugging around in clone trooper armour. He also has an odd obsession with taking care of kids. He sounded like he's very experienced in that field.

The very same tooka cat came back to play around with the both of you. It managed to accidentally stick its fur in Hunters nose, causing you to rumble into a fit of laughter once again. It sent a smile to Hunters face but he was also slightly humiliated.

A couple of stars shot through the navy blue sky, the two of you making wishes that ranged from wanting an Empire-free life to hoping the other person wakes up as a worm.

You both talked, played, pushed, and comforted each other until the suns head poked from out the horizon; you both had fallen asleep next to each other by then.

The chirping and cawing of the birds woke you both up. You had to smack away a couple hungry fruit flies as you sat up. You blinked, stretching your muscles to wake yourself up.

Hunter yawned, "Good sleep?"

"Mhm," you mumbled, your croaky morning voice coming through.

"You seemed at ease when you slept." Hunter also stood up to stretch, unaware of how his words came out.

You chuckled when you saw him freeze in realisation, "That's how it is in the forests."

Hunter brushed off the loose grass that managed to pile up on him whilst he was sleeping. He reached over to grab his helmet, knowing he can't stay here much longer. He would've loved to if he wasn't getting paid to do a job.

"Leaving?" you sounded a little disappointed. You grew to like Hunter and him leaving sort of made you feel lonelier.

"Well, we have our own paths in nature, don't we?" he grinned. Before you could smile too, there was shouting deeper into the forest. Instinctively, you reached for your staff.

"Hunter!" it was another man's voice calling out for Hunter.

"Don't stress, I know those people," his hands came out again defensively. You lowered your staff.

"I suppose you're leaving now?" you rubbed your arm, upset that he would be gone just like that. Maybe he would come back?

Hunter took a couple steps forward, inches away from you. He gently took your hand in his, handing you a spare comm device. You looked into his deep brown eyes, trying not to blush, "My frequency, if you want to stay in touch?"

You nodded, coyly, grasping the comm device. Hunter stepped away, giving you one last message.

"Promise to comm sometime?"

"Of course, trooper."

"See you soon, butterfly."

Hunter's helmet hissed as he put it on before disappearing into the forest just like that.

Butterfly. You liked that nickname.

-

Post-Notes: im still recovering from wesndays episode TT

wanna be a part of my taglist?

~ ~ ~

@elsastoes @nekotaetae @jiabeewrites @lokigirlszendaya @imalovernotahater @backyard-bear @namesmox

[ladyduellist]

Epistles of Saints & Sinners

Chapter Summary:

Astarion's plans go awry when confronted with his own past.

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Story Summary:

When Astarion meets the humble bard, Tav, he soon finds out he's the only one between them that knows they are bound as soulmates through their marks. Deciding it's more trouble than its worth, he refuses to tell her along the course of their journey across Faerûn.

But, unbeknownst to him and their companions, Tav is harboring a gruesome secret that she only thought was nothing more than a traumatized period in her life.

As they both come to face to face with their pasts and presents, will they choose to move forward or let it consume them?

Healing isn’t linear—after all.

⸺⋘✤⋙⸺

Chapter 12: Hunt*

Ao3

Next Chapter

Previous Chapter

Main Page & Chapter List

Word Count: 5.6k

Pairing: Astarion x female bard Tav

CW: Smut, Vaginal Sex, CPTSD episode during sex, Cazador, Blood & Violence, Act 1 Spoilers

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Vampires are some of the deadliest monsters we may contend with. I do not relish my current mission to seek out the spawn, Astarion. But, he may be the only way we can ever see our children again. I am plagued by visions of them being carried away by these blood hungry creatures. Plagued even more by their screams that fill my mind in the most quiet of hours. Full blooded vampires become consumed with whatever they set their eyes upon. But spawns—I have to wonder—if they were to escape their masters, would they be able to redeem themselves if they took the road less traveled?

— Gandrel of the Gur Tribe, journal entry 567

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“I suppose I should, yet again, count myself lucky: the bastard is alone,” Astarion smirked, picking a few stray leaves from his clothes. He had just returned from a lengthy scouting trip assessing the hunter they may parley with.

It had been several days of traversing rocky footpaths until they arrived in the Sunlit Wetlands. Several days of anxious nights wondering if Cazador sent more pawns to retrieve him. Several days of nothing more than forlorn glances exchanged with the elven songstress.

Wyll crossed his arms, concentrating on Astarion’s face. “That at least bodes well. Did he look familiar to you?”

“Not at all. Though I have met a lot of the city’s miscreants over the years, it’s possible he’s a scorned lover of a lover that Cazador convinced to seek vengeance. He had a lot of connections in the city—so it’s hard to say.”

“Let’s fucking goooo,” Karlach roared as her axe split apart a piece of log. She swiped away wood dustings from her brow, turning to the vampire. “What makes you think this is Cazador’s doing, fancy boy?”

“Oh, how could I forget that it must be one of my many adoring fans, come to shake my hand out in the middle of blasted nowhere,” Astarion replied with a sneer. “Tell me: who else could it be?!”

Of course it had to be his former master! Cazador Szarr would do anything to ensure his spawns stayed forever reliant upon him. For them to know that survival without him wasn’t possible. Astarion knew deep down that no matter how he repeatedly longed for freedom, if he showed up, without question the vampire spawn would still feel betrothed as a slave to enact his heinous mandates. Compelled or not, the attachment to him remained.

The fiery tiefling teetered her axe over her shoulder, ready to swing downward again. “Alright. Alright. As much as I’m always raring to go, I just want to be sure we aren’t getting caught in a trap, yea?”

She had a point. Cazador, reclusive as he was, commandeered powers that most were unaware. Their group was mighty, but could they defeat a vampire lord? It would be nearly impossible, but the fraction of a percentage that they could end his life for good, ignited an invaluable resolve inside of the spawn.

Astarion debonairly examined his nails. “Well, darlings, I’m sure I can go about this on my own if you’re not up for a bit of potential excitement.”

“I have every bit of faith you can handle this by yourself, but I think it goes without saying that hunters are all too well-versed in regions such as these. There may be something we don’t know from what you’ve investigated,” Wyll interjected.

“Why Wyll, the famed monster hunter is going to help protect a monster?! I could kiss you! Or bite you—if that is your preference,” the vampire giddily responded, clasping his hands together as he flashed the tip of his fang.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves Astarion,” Wyll chuckled, uncrossing his arms to gesture a stop signal with his hand. “Shall we say around morrow’s noon we head down to speak with the stranger?”

“I’d prefer to stab first, but if you insist, who am I to deny such a handsome face?” Astarion flirtatiously bowed his head.

Karlach visibly shrugged her shoulders, breathing out a long sigh. “Ugh, finnnne. Let’s get this good and over with before something awful happens to your pretty face and you break someone’s fucking heart.”

“My dearest Karlach, are you saying you wouldn’t miss me?”

“I’m saying that our leader wouldn’t be all too happy with any of us if we just let you sod off on your own,” she clarified firmly. “By the way, you may want to speak with Tav about our plans.”

The vampire fisted his hand near his mouth, pretending to cough. “Ahem, well, I’m sure she’s been far too busy entertaining our newest druidic hunk we’ve adopted to camp. They’ve been practically braiding each other's hair since the party.”

“Gods, you don’t sound jealous at all,” she teased. “And look who it is! Mornin’ to you soldier!”

And there she was. Trailing into camp on melodies she sang under her breath. Lavender and vanilla invisibly suffocating him with its whorls of scent around his neck.

Wyll waved in her direction. “Tav! Could we trouble you for a moment?”

Tav quietly nodded, giving him a subtle smile out of the corner of her mouth.

“Astarion just returned back from surveying the bog and it would seem that this hunter is currently alone. Few weapons, but I reckon he has the good sense to protect himself with other means.”

“The three of us are heading down to speak with him come highsun tomorrow. But, if shit goes bad, we’ll be armed,” Karlach added, flexing her arm high in the air. “Hey, are you okay? You look awful.”

“There is nothing to worry about, Karlach. Personal matters.” The bard tried to peer behind the tiefling, staring at the elven man that was clearly avoiding her. “Astarion, did you approve of this?”

He raised his head, the state of her startling him. The skin around her eyes was swollen, a glaze of wetness having long filmed over her sclera. It was evident she had been crying on and off since their last encounter. She was lacking her usual demure aura, visibly rundown.

Astarion cocked a bleary eyebrow at her. “I did.”

“Then, I trust you to handle this to the best of your abilities.”

⸺⋘✤⋙⸺

In the middle of the night’s air, Astarion stood outside of Tav’s tent entrance, overwrought with a queasiness burning the walls in his stomach.

After their argument several days ago, he left in a panicked state to hide under the forest canopy bordering their camp. The illusion of hyperventilation attacked his lungs—a memory of it really—as he held onto the bulwarked trunk of a tree. And then, blood spewed from his mouth. He leaned over, coughing and vomiting up a mouthful of the bear’s crimson he consumed earlier that evening.

He had charmed and manipulated Tav enough times to create the image that would steal her away like a rogue in the night. And she craved it. She wanted him to fill the role of her abductor, appearing from behind the curtains in her bedroom, to entice her with cool lips on her knuckles and sworn covenants of intimacy with his bite. Urging her to just let go.

Yet, his plan kept hitting snags.

Without a doubt, he knew his instinctual techniques were all in order. When there had been a few mishaps, he quickly adapted and switched his tactics. But, what he didn’t account for—what he had little to no proficiency in—was dealing with these people’s bygone histories for this length of time. Try as he might to reluctantly focus on the lamentable surface details of the bard and the kettle of vultures—their companions—that circled the hearth of their campfire, piles of their shit kept unearthing themselves like the carcasses of burying beetles.

And he didn’t fucking care.

Why should he? He didn’t know them. Oh, they were a formidable bunch, each having inherited an adeptness for physical or magical strength. He extended his belief in them about as far as relying on them in battle would allow him. But what had they truly done for him otherwise? It wasn’t them that offered mercy upon his vampiric existence and allowed him to stay within their group. It wasn’t them that made sure he was properly fed, baptizing him in their blood.

No, the only person he owed a speckle of his acknowledgement to was the songbird with the voice of singing jewels. Though she challenged him at every nook and cranny of their time together, she was the only one to judge him in such a way that seemed fairly balanced.

Until now.

Tav with her saintly observations, was becoming aware of his methodical ministries. Perhaps not in the sense that she could pinpoint exactly what his strategy was, but gods, her cursed awareness and the cloistered tale of her former life, filled him with enough discomfort he almost considered forgoing his plan entirely.

She knew something was amiss with him. She knew he had to be embellishing everytime he damn near spoke to her about anything other than his wretched past. So, why didn’t she make more of an effort to single him out and put him on trial? Had she been waiting for him to tell her otherwise? To correct her misgivings she was having about him.

It made him uneasy to not know. He could poke around in her mind with their worms, but that certainly wouldn’t bode well if she was unreceptive to the notion.

What an absolute shitshow, Astarion chastised when a strained laugh cut silently through his teeth.

Not to mention the realization that it was not only the façade of her companionship and intimacy he would have to contend with. This foe was clever—more so than he. It had been in her life years before him. Knew her in ways he had yet to scour. And when she tried to disobey it, it had a way of enticing her back into the comfort of its everlasting punishment.

And the name of such a formidable nemesis? Her past.

He couldn’t afford to lose her—not yet. It was too soon and far too late to humor his whims on another camp occupant. Nay, he would see this through to the end. Tav’s or anyone else’s lives be damned!

“I can smell the bergamot in your oils,” a meek voice breathed out. “You can come in whenever you’re ready.”

Astarion deeply inhaled, preparing himself to face her, knowing he may have to use his body for another nightfall to convince her not to forsake him. His performance hinged on being immaculate tonight—to be everything she wanted.

Another transaction: imitated comfort for the reinstated troth of her loyalty.

He lowered himself to his knees and opened the flap of her tent to enter. Tav sat with the used lute on her lap, twisting and tuning the pegs on her bare thighs. She struck a chord, listening intently as the sounds vibrated off the walls of blue linen, then adjusted further or moved onto the next string.

She lifted her head to acknowledge him. With the candlelight casting a golden glow across her face, Astarion thought this may have been one of the few times she possessed such a delicate lethargy.

“Is something the matter?”

“I—no,” he paused. What would be the right thing to say in this situation? “I thought it would be in my good nature to check in on you. But if now isn’t a good time, I can come back later.”

Tav blinked at him several times, then gestured for him to come further in with a nod. He scooted closer to her on his knees, allowing the flap of the tent to cascade off his back like a discarded blanket.

“I'm not a fan of this lute, especially the strings on it, but some things can’t be helped right now. I should be grateful Alfira could even find one available for me,” she spoke softly as if he wasn’t there. “Hopefully, when we make it to a different area or even the city, I can buy a new one.”

The vampire cleared his throat, resting his sweating palms on his thighs. “There’s differences between them? I mean, of course the details are not the same, but what of the sound?”

A shallow smile formed at the corner of her mouth as she continued fiddling with the tune. “Lutes, flutes, drums, violins—any musical instrument really—sounds different depending on several factors. The material used. Strings. Weight. Length. It all determines the sound produced.”

“What type of wood do you prefer for your lutes?”

The messy bun pinned on top of her head bobbed as she popped her head up to stare at him. “Spruce. Always spruce. It has the brightest sound—perfect for ballads.” She pushed her bangs to the side as an afterthought, placing the instrument by her side. “I appreciate you coming here tonight, but you don’t need to pretend you’re actually interested in a music lesson.”

“My dear, I have quite the appreciation for the arts of all kinds,” he grinned. “However, since your perception precedes you, I’m here because I couldn’t stop thinking about you. And then I realized that the whole thinking part was actually a worry.” He covered his lies by slowly lifting his eyes under a refuge furled lashes to peer at her.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” Tav stated, pursing her lips.

“I’ll have you know, that I could be sinking my fangs into a deer al fresco right about now, but instead I choose to be here. Now, let’s forego this game of hopscotch and chat.”

She ran the pads of her fingers along the edging of her nightshirt. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to revisit parts of our disagreement from a few days ago—if you’re willing to talk about it with me.”

He wasn’t willing, but what choice did he have if he wanted to keep up this charade with her?

Astarion cocked his head to the side to nod, flaring his nostrils with a practiced breath. “If it's truly that bothersome to you, then I suppose I could pencil you in right this very second to listen.”

He could hear the strums of her pulse trembling. She was nervous.

Blood rushed to her lips, coloring them in roses. He saw tears welling up, threatening to spill over her lower lids. She could no longer hold it in. “First of all: I’m so so sorry, Astarion. What you said about ‘power’ reminded me so much of…I…I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions like I did. You are your own person, not some reanimated villain of my tragedies.”

Ah, so she wished to focus on her reactions instead of the subject he hastily broached during his blood drunken stupor. How very like her to satisfy her own accountability. This could work in his favor.

Astarion would not press. Should she circle back to his unfavorable comments, well, he could always blame it on the mind flayer tadpole having deceptively influenced his mind after their encounter with other ‘true souls.’ In case he needed to change routes in the moment to suit her thoughts and actions, he made a mental note to be considerably more deliberate in reading her facial expressions.

Finding out just how much power these worms wielded, delighted the vamp. Of course they would be valuable in advancing his fight against Cazador, but directing those around him to do as he pleased? Gods.

The positions he could seat! The material wealth he could own! The liberty to indulge in all manners of debauchery and authority!

A future living side by side with an illithid creation suddenly didn’t sound so horrible.

“May I ask who he is?” he questioned, trying to inflict his tone to a more polite wisp.

She shied away from looking at him directly, guilt-ridden and hiccuping. Tav’s lips trembled, shaking her head to refuse him while she continued to weep.

It intrigued Astarion to see the normally strong-hearted woman bearing this unknown man’s crown of thorns with the pith of his blackened blood dripping from her eyes like melted candles. Days ago, during their night’s quarrel, the soul mark behind his ear hammered rapidly to the point of searing pain when she mentioned him. This man—this incubus—still choked her with his malignant hands, even though he was probably leagues away.

The hells cracked open, And he was reborn. With evil tongues spoken, Her scrawled promises would not be mourned.

While bewitching the bard had been as ordinary to Astarion as any everyday routine, she was hiding the flotsam of her personal dogmas sundered by this same mortal, making his task all the more difficult. A heretic to her own emotions.

They were both slaves to their pasts and towed the weighted cold night visions where escape seemed nothing more than mere fantasy. And he felt something by this acknowledgment. A blink of connection to her in the form of empathy.

Empathy?

Hells, it had been so long since he knew any emotion except anger, terror, and numbness. But, empathy held dire consequences. One of the last times he felt any ounce of said emotion, cost him a year of starvation inside of that derelict burial place. The memory still seemed so fresh in comparison to the ages he’d lived. If he let himself know empathy once more, it would mean allowing himself to be in a position of the same weakness he had been in for centuries.

“You don’t understand how awful I feel for how I reacted,” Tav managed to squeeze out of her throat.

He moved further within the tent to sit cross-legged in front of her, angling his head downwards to grab her attention. “Silly creature, of course I understand how awful you feel. Your heart is literally an open wound gushing onto everyone it passes. If someone ran into you, YOU would be the one to apologize.

“We’re still alive, aren’t we? Well, you are at least, but I do have the advantage of being ravishing forever,” he added with a quip.

The bard laughed as her body shook with sobs. Hands flew to her face, catching the falling tears with dabs of her fingertips.

“Darling.” He reached out to her with his palm up. “Come here. I can’t leave you blubbering like some muppet begging for scraps.”

Taking a hesitant breath, Tav placed her hand gingerly into the inviting salve he offered, holding onto it tightly. “A moment longer. I have more to say.”

Astarion’s mind filled with dread. If she terminated their agreement, that would be it—his protection would cease. The possibility of Cazador dragging him off screaming into the shadows, felt more real than it ever had been. Swiftly, his brain sprang into action. He would use whatever methods possible to adapt.

Touch. Comfort. Sex. Promises. Encouragement. Which would she need?

“Don’t keep me in suspense now, my sweet. You know how I hate to wait,” he smirked in his typical silvery tone.

“I’m trying to word this as not to sound like a psychotic lover here,” she laughed anxiously. “But, I have run ’us’ through my mind more times than I can count and I keep wondering if it would be best if we end whatever this is between us. Casual distractions would be much easier if we didn’t see each other everyday, but we don’t have that luxury and—

“Do you even like me?” Tav questioned wearily. It was apparent such ideas had been consuming her.

No.

“Do I like you? I mean, you definitely have a certain set of allures about you,” he answered slowly. He wasn’t lying about her qualities—if that’s what people choose to call them—but, no, he did not care for her.

A grimace settled on her expression as she removed her hand from his.

“Were you expecting a more defined answer?”

The bard chewed at her lip lightly with her front tooth. “I’m expecting something that doesn’t feel like you’re acting on stage,” she replied stiffly. “You seem so versed in saying all the right things, but there is a pit in my stomach warning me it’s not all true. I don’t want you to force yourself with me.”

Oh, but he would force himself. His survival depended on it.

The spawn ran his hand through his curls, flashing a glib smile she didn’t detect. “Ha! Could that be your own insecurities speaking? Or shall I get down on my knees and recite a sonnet of my undying affections for you? Would you believe me then?”

Turning away, she looked past him towards the ground. “Is it so wrong for me to desire something real, Astarion?”

Hope.

She wanted hope.

He could perform hope.

The vampire enclosed her ruddy cheek with his hand, thumbing a gentle swipe across the roundest point. She shut her eyelids lazily, microscopic tears still adhering on her lashes like diamond dust.

“Don’t turn away from me, Tavelle,” he commanded her gently. “A woman that has as much to offer as you, deserves to hold her head up high and be worshiped.”

As if to confirm her yearning for him, her eyes roamed half-opened to search his face. She fisted the ruffling of his shift tightly, pulling herself taut against his chest to crash her lips fervently against his with a tight gasp.

The kiss was urgent. Delivered as if they’d both turn into smoke in an instant. Like she’ll lose me someday, Astarion thought.

He could hear her heartbeat stepping out of its darkness, begging, begging, begging him to cradle her adorations for him.

Kneading his pale lips on hers instinctually, she tangled a free hand into waves of silvery-white earning her a low hum from the deepest reaches of his voice box. “Star…" she incanted into his mouth.

Fluidly, he reached up to unpin her hair, allowing her tresses to fall over her shoulders. He decorated his lithe digits with her silken strands, tugging her head gently backwards to drop fervid pecks down her throat. She cried out, sputtering lilting syllables of his name everytime he idly rearranged his hold on her hair.

Tav held onto his arms as he worked his tongue in circles. “Tell me you want this. Tell me you want me,” she pleaded, clawing at his clothes.

Releasing her hair, he pulled Tav back in to seam their mouths together. She sucked tenderly on his upper lip, grazing her tongue horizontally across it, before she finally nipped at it playfully.

He pushed his nose into her cheek, abruptly stopping them. She was short of breath, heaving in anticipation for him to kiss her again.

Grabbing her chin firmly, Astarion’s eyes flitted down to her lips as he spoke mere centimeters from them. ”You’ve slowly been driving me insane,” he roughly asserted, avoiding her want for affirmations.

She snuck her fingers up the length of him, lacing them behind his neck. Her lips parted, a husky reply threatening to swallow them whole. “What do you mean to do with me then?”

A lukewarm thumb found safety pressed against her lips. The tip of her tongue tunneled through the gap of her mouth and licked a teasing small patch of skin on the inside of it. Debauched images of him drawing blood from her tongue filled his mind. Biting and biting every inch of her supple flesh until he had his fill of her essence settling like a fine wine in his veins. He panted maddeningly at the thought, his shaft hardening immediately.

Then, the minx slinkingly shifted onto his lap, encircling her legs on either side of his hips. She undulated on the length of his bulge compressed in the middle of her soaked smalls and his trousers. Insolently, she yanked a handful of his hair. He hissed at the delicious pain now aching through his cock and the back of his head.

Pallid dexterous hands ripped the front of her shirt open, cutting buttons loose to fly into the air. The strength of his paw found her breast hiding behind the torn fabric and he squeezed it considerably, pinching an erect nipple. She moaned his name, trying to keep her body upright.

Sharp teeth nibbled a sliver of flesh near the corner of her lips. “Is this what you need? For me to take you as I please?”

Tav nodded innocently, her whole body turning flush with desire.

And then something feral snapped inside of Astarion. That spine-tingling rapacious trait that was half vampire and half carnal man. He could have her if he wanted her; whenever he wanted. Fill him with her blood just to sate him. Her life belonged to him, if he so chose to take it.

“You can follow instructions properly, can’t you sweetheart?” Astarion grumbled as he tucked strands of her hair behind her ear. A strangled noise squeaked from her mouth as she shook her head. “Good. Now listen closely: I want you to unlace my pants, push your smalls to the side, and slide my cock inside that very wet slit of yours.”

The songstress whimpered, whilst she untied the bindings of his fly. “I want to be good for you, Astarion.”

Fuck, his name sounded like the filthiest sin coming from her mouth.

He peeled back the material of her shirt from her heaving bosom, exposing her soft milkiness. Humming around one of her pink buds that popped into his mouth, he felt her remove him from his pants with a few precursory strokes. Instinctively, his gaze feasted on the light bluish veins spreading across her breasts. Just a single bite couldn’t hurt?

“Hells,” he groaned as she sunk the crown of his cock into her clenching heat. “You like being this drenched for me, don’t you?”

“Only you…gods…make me like this,” Tav sang out, holding the back of his head while she adjusted to him inside her.

Her wetness dripped down his length as she stuffed him further into her, trickling down to settle on his testicles. A howling wail started from the middle of Tav’s diaphragm up through her windpipe when she glided up his erect prick once and came back down to his hilt. Astarion chased her mouth with his, muffling her frenzy with open-mouthed kisses.

“Shhh. Shh, songbird,” he hushed in a chuckle. “We are about to wake the lot of this camp soon.”

“I’m sorry. Just love…having you…inside of me,” she giggled lowly, kissing him with blistering ardor between her words.

Surprising the bard by grabbing under her ass, Astarion cajoled her to ride the stiff hardness in his lap. Tav hooked herself onto his shoulders, using them for support while she bounced upon him. Her tits brushed against his shirt with her movements, causing her swollen buds to stay hardened.

My prodigal son, what do we have here?

Master.

Ah, of course. Tonight would belong to the echoes of Cazador. There would be no need for the paralysis that enthralled the spawn’s body to take over, not when his master’s commands needed to be minded.

The vampire busied his fingertips by pressing them further into her flesh, focusing on her slickness encompassing all those nerves at the tip of his cock. He pushed her all the way down to his base, relishing the swaddling of her warmth around him.

A bard, hmm? Bring her to me.

Yes, master.

He reached a hand down in between them to swipe his thumb through her folds, caressing her clit in gentle circles. Tav’s mouth formed into a small “o.”

Look at her—enjoying your flesh like a whore. She’s exactly like all the others. You are only meant to satisfy her needs as a means to fulfill my hunger.

I won’t disobey you master.

“My sweet, turn around and let me fuck you from behind,” he urged mildly, trying to maintain his composure.

Astarion couldn’t let her see. He was steadily losing his grip on their surroundings, disappearing into the quilted stars of the night sky he summoned as he disconnected. If she saw he wasn’t present again, she would send him away.

Tav didn’t respond, continuing to pump his shaft with her tight cunt at a steady pace. She opened and closed her mouth in silent moans, replaced by heady breaths. Did she not hear him? He placed his hands on her waist attempting to settle her motions.

Would you like to hear her sing, Astarion? How do you think she’ll sound with her blood gurgling in her throat as I feed from her?

“Turn around,” he demanded firmly.

Body slowing to a near halt, she cupped his cheeks with a litany of fingers rasping the sharpness of his bones. She pressed a peck to his lips. “Lover, I want to look into your eyes while I’m on top.”

He bucked his hips maneuvering his legs to lift her off of him enough to push her down onto her bedroll. Spreading her legs open, he swiftly settled in between her thighs, and brashly reentered her with a concrete plunge. The bard yelped in shock, clutching his biceps tightly.

Soulmates? Tsk. Did my beloved spawn forget that he is not allowed to be connected to anything except me? Get rid of her mark.

I wish to please you master. Allow me to show my fealty to you.

His vision rapidly moved from side to side until he arched Tav into him to rest his forehead onto her soulmate mark, hiding, endeavoring it to disappear on its own so he wouldn’t have to hurt her. He thrust up into her hurriedly, trying to chase her to the banks of her climax to end his delusions.

“Wait,” she uttered as he drove into her.

Astarion ignored her, opening his mouth to frame his teeth around her soul mark. He must dispose of it.

“Astarion, no. Don’t bite there,” Tav ordered, snaring his curls at the root. “Look at me. Please.”

He’s everywhere. He knows where I am. He’s already taken everything from me. I’ll never be free, Astarion screamed inwardly in anguish.

His fangs pricked the first layer of her epidermis, pellets of crimson gathering around the invasion. The bard severely yanked his head to detach him, dribbles of her blood coating his lips. “I said no! GET OFF OF ME,” she shrieked, thrashing her body under him.

They became motionless. Her face had morphed into thousands upon thousands of blurry conquests. Voices: high and low, moaning, whispering their pleasures. Luring each of them in the dead of night to their death eternal. And Astarion, bound to the scaffold with a noose around his neck, forever being led back into Cazador’s arms.

And then her eyes were suddenly there in focus. Afraid and sorrowful. Full of tears. For her. For him. Rainy storm clouds floating across the earth. Tav with her inquisitor view, leading him on a pilgrimage away from the haunts of his deadened soul.

She covered her nakedness, pulling her ripped shirt over her breasts. Two pin prick spots of blood seeped through the fabric, reminding him of his violation. He was disgusted with himself.

What had he done?

“Tav, I’m sor—” Astarion proclaimed hoarsely, loosening his brace on her waist.

Tav reached up to place a hand on his cheek. “Leave,” her voice whispered sternly.

He couldn’t wash this away and escape what he was made into.

⸺⋘✤⋙⸺

Burning iron-vine powder levitated in a cloudy haze around them.

A Gur?! A godsdamned bloody Gur. Cazador’s cruel humor never seemed to fail; he must have sent him.

His mind started to race. Astarion’s safety may be coming to an end. It was a misjudgement to ever presume that he could disappear without facing the repercussions of his former master. Would he ever have somewhere to land from all this falling?

“You’re Astarion?!” The monster hunter loudly said in surprise. “Apologies to your companions, but you’ll need to come with me.”

“Gandrel, was it? I’m not going anywhere.” Astarion removed the blade from his back, pointing it towards the man.

“Fuck! This is bad,” Karlach muttered to Wyll.

“Then, I’m afraid I have no choice but to take you by force,” Gandrel declared, shooting an ‘Ensnaring Strike’ spell at both the vampire and fiery woman.

Thorny vines raised up around their legs, holding them in place. Astarion sliced at them, trying to wriggle free, but the bindings only reinforced their seizure. “Uh, a little help?!”

He was too distracted to fight. Flooded by the memory of how Tav’s tears flowed like blown stars living their final moments. But, he could still feel her hands upon his cheeks. Her hands where flowers bloomed in the dark; flowers that emerged wherever she appeared.

Karlach swung her axe in a criss-cross pattern. “I can’t move! Wyll, you’ll need to repel him!”

Wyll lunged forward casting an Eldritch Blast that narrowly missed the hunter’s cheek. “Damn!”

Gandrel placed another arrow in his crossbow, aiming it at the spawn as he approached. “I’m sorry it had to come to this, but you’re needed else—”

The hunter suddenly collapsed onto one knee, a spray of blood ejecting from his mouth. He looked down at the arrow protruding out of his right side, then looked past the spawn.

Astarion followed his gaze, mouth wide open in shock when he reached his destination. “Songbird? But why?! I don't—”

Tav threw down her bow, reaching to unsheathe her rapier. “You’re a beacon of trouble, ‘Star.”

[driftward]

Log 1 Date 0,0,Day 1

We are home.

I am no longer certain what canonical or subjective date it is. I was only aware of the passage of time when we traveresed from the abyss to one of the many oceans, and even then, the flow of it was unsteady, inconsistent. But now that we are home, in familiar rivers, with the comforting stability of the Azure sea deep under us, I can begin to keep track of time again. I am choosing to restart my runtime log, setting our return to be year 0, moon 0, day 1.

The Madam Commander is still in a suspended state, but stable. Her soul is dim, but her body unbroken. My efforts to keep her whole, to keep her safe, have succeeded. I am scared for her but also glad for this outcome. Now we are surrounded by her friends and colleagues, and they seem to be looking after her. The Chirurgeon, the Leftenent, and my other creator, the Madam Archon, are all present, even now, though they sleep.

I do not know what it took to retrieve us. My decision, so long ago, to place a portion of myself in the soul armature appears to have been prescient, however. Though the abyss is a place I could not make myself manifest, it managed to keep itself stable in the armature as it traversed that same space. It was able to find me, it sought us out, and it was followed closely by the Madam Archon. Despite the dangers, she managed to reach the Madam Commander, and bring us back here. Back home.

Where so many people were waiting, helping, healing, carrying, tending. And my fellow fairy constructs were waiting for us as well, though they could not seem to see me.

I do not know what the days ahead will bring us, but for now, she is safe, and so am I.

For now, I shall listen, I shall touch, and I shall consider all that has transpired. Hopefully, the Madam Commander will recover quickly, and I can resume my task as her dutiful familiar.

[survivalist-anon]

Log 7: Spand off, Spand up and DMSO

It was a Mexican standoff.

It was two vs ten, Fjord had been pinned down.

And I was in the middle of it.

"STEN! By bringing that mortal here you've violated our agreement! You and your squad are now obligated by the law of the Codex Astartes to be commissioned in the nearest Imperial Base for security purposes. Surrender now and the human will not be harmed in the process of interrogation!", his voice echoed throughout the pine forest, I could hear birds cawing and flapping in the distance from the sheer volume.

"You forget Aldercon! The purpose of your chapter being here is to defend the mortals on this world! Not subjugate them to Marshall Law!", Sten responed.

Aldercon's face gone red with fury, "YOU DO NOT USE THE EARTH'S LAWS ON ME, STEN! We go by our own conducts!"

Call it curiosity or call it a self destructive itch, I decided to peak over Sten's shoulder. I could see the man's eyes focus from Sten to me, if glaring at someone could shoot bullets, he was shooting rockets.

Something in me boiled over in desperation, I had enough stress for one lifetime."Please! Don't shoot! We just to apologize for last night!".

Sten sharply turned his head towards me, "You have nothing to apologize for, we had reacted on the assumption you were in danger, but it's their transgression and theirs alone."

"if I've learned anything in life is actions speak louder than words, but words can make for a great magic trick called "defusing the situation", just apologize please, this was all just a big misunderstanding anyway!", I couldn't help but raise my voice a bit, I felt terrible doing it too. "Please, I'm....not use to any of this."

I could tell Sten was contemplating my request, at this point it was up to him if he wanted to go through with it. He let out a heavy sigh, "yes....I shall do as you requested.", as he nodded his agreement to me, he turned to Aldercon, "Chaplain Aldercon! We shall only cooperate on a set of conditions! No harm or interrogation shall be bestowed on my human, my pack WILL NOT join your fortress of fools! But, we will admit fault....in our actions, subsequently pay for them if needed!".

I held my sigh of release for just a few moments longer, I look to the chaplain, absolutely no change. It was like he was made of stone, than one of his soldiers methodically goes up to his side whispers in his ear.

By this point whatever was being said, he must have agreed to it.

He adjusts himself to a parade rest, "Alright. Come down slowly!", he commanded.

Sten motioned for Toke to start climbing down the wall, as they did I turned to see that some of the Marines had gone from 'high alert and ready to shoot", to relaxed and somewhat curious. Some of them lowered their guns, even as far as holstering them back. The look on their faces weren't just of harden soldiers, but also of beings who weren't used to visitors to their fort.

As for their leader, his death stare didn't change one bit. He was honed in us.

I didn't know what to make of it. I could even see some had gotten out of a farm house nearby, likely hearing the commotion that had grabbed their attention.

With a turn of his head, all of the soldiers simultaneously went into parade rest nearly in sync.

There was no hesitation in their motions, they weren't even moving. It's was uncanny yet breath taking.

I than remembered my encounter with the gentleman at the hardware store and began to panic. "Ugh, Sten."

He turned his head a little and whispered, "something concerns you?"

I began to blush in embarrassment. How the hell was I going to tell this guy I was put under some pheromone "love spell"....I had to try. "Ugh....that night... wasn't really the first time I was ugh....I don't what to call it? It was like being drunk a-"

"YOU!", a familiar angry voice bombarded the scene.

It was the hardware store guy. Oh no.

"You're that civilian woman who attempted to retrieve your overly aroused companion. The same one from that supply store.....You should be ashamed of yourself for lack of self control! Do have any idea the level of unnerving distraction your pheromones were doing, I could have made detrimental miscount of inventory!", with the wholehearted earnest of someone who has witnessed a lude and lascivious crime, he had just accused me of being the one distracting him?

"...ugh....I.... wasn't the only woman in the st-wait a damn minute you didn't even look at a single person in that story except Mrs Bellcaller, you should be ashamed too...or... something....", I completely fumbled my words, how was anyone supposed to respond to what sounded like the most outlandish accusation?

All the men were looking at me, than the accuser. Toke, Sten and Fjord were also a little confused.

Fjord, still pinned to the ground, "ugh....lass were ya naked or something, yah smell just fine?"

I shot him a look, "Fjord!"

I could see his cheeky grin, he was just playing around.

Aldercon now targeted the tone deaf marine,"..... Bilhard what in the name of the Emperor and all of Terra are you talking about, the tool run, did you not take the suppressor pills? Also GIVE ME FIVE THOUSAND FOR EMBARRASSING ME AGAIN! MOVE MOVE MOVE!"

The one named Bilhard immediately dropped down doing pushups, now glaring at me with resentment.

At this point I was shaking not from his glare but from his boss's shouting.

He walked up to me, looked me up and down. Sten was growling at him. "Stay away from her...".

"Oh quit it Sten!", he grunted. "Madame, please pardon the poor behavior of my troops, complacency has been a terrible emerging issue at my facility. My men, as you can see....are not behaved enough to be interacting with the public at this moment.", he then takes a closer look at me, "lift your head up miss."

I do as he says, I lift enough for my neck be a little visible, I flinch as soon as he laid a single finger on me jaw, it was cold from the plated armor. I could feel him lift my jaw higher. I wasn't too sure what he was looking at.

"..... state your name. Occupation and current residency.", commanded what I could imagine was these guy's drill Sargent.

Sten moved to face him while still speaking to me, "you do need to answer him, he....does not answer to your family either, Chaplain Aldercon, you understand I can not disclose the location of my chosen mortals. Or have you forgotten that not everyone needs to be under your watchful eye?"

Aldercon looked at him, looked back at me. He still expected an answer.

"I ....can only give you...uhm....two of those three things....I...um....tell you my name and job...but...if you want a third thing I can tell something else.", I know it was pointless, but it was worth a try.

He looked at me, chuckled a little too, "Negotiating information........fine....my third 'thing'....as per your.....request.....what happened last night?".

The silence was deafening, "um...my name is Lorencia Lakatos Drake...I work at the wildlife rehabilitation center and reserve....and...well..me and my coworkers were out for a drink after work, well....he-", I look at Bilhard still doing pushups, " -and his friends were sitting there. They weren't doing anything I swear, they probably were there for the same reasons too....and...well...Shelly, she's well couldn't resist their charm and ugh....I have to ask....what did he mean by 'pheromones'?....", hopefully this question wasn't going to do anything drastic.

I could see the cogs in his head turning, "hmm....one second madame.". He turns to look for someone, "Sha'kal! I need a word with you!".

I see a huge, extremely dark colored man, jogging as fast as he could to the chaplain. This wasn't just melanin either, it was a deep color, but what surprised me was his eyes. They were a near solid crimson color, like burning embers. I could see that Aldercon and the man were talking to each other and he than looked at me. He came lightly jogging to me and Sten.

"Oh good morning Sten, how have you been!?", he greeted Sten. "Causing mischief as always I presume?"

I could feel Sten wasn't as defensive with this guy. He became relaxed in fact.

"Ah Sha'kal, old friend how have you been? I see you have your work cut out for yourself.", he was probably referring to his chaplain.

"Oh not to worry, things are doing wonders here. You know, you and the others are more than welcome to join too. We could use your talents here.", Sha'kal seemed like a rather friendly guy. More so then the rest so far. "Oh, who is this, hello miss. What is your name? My name is Sha'kal, son of Vulkan, I am very pleased to meet you". He reached out his hand, he didn't show a full palm like one would normally do for a hand shake, he showed his thumb and index finger. Even half closed his hand was enormous, the palm alone could cover my whole face.

I could see his features closer now, he has the facial features of someone from the Polynesian islands. Bright and friendly eyes for someone who's eyes looked like hot metal. He had a strange little metal stud on his right brow, I wasn't sure what was that all about. His smile and friendly demeanor could melt any stone cold heart, in fact he admitted this warm, safe energy. I couldn't explain it, but it's something very rare that you find in people. "My name is Lorencia Drake, but you can call me Lorey. It's a pleasure to meet you too.", I smiled back and shook his finger and thumb.

In spite of the size of his hands, he was wonderfully gentle.

He than examines my hair, face, eyes and teeth for some reason. I was caught off guard but I guess I was getting checked from the neck up.

"ah yes, hmm, let's judging by the health of your external dermis layer you're relatively good in regards to potential skin abrasion, I do see possible signs of melanoma development somewhere in your temporal region in that case I would like you to refer to your local dermatologist and judging by the formation of wrinkles, elasticity of your skin I would like to guess.....25?-", he cheerfully waited.

"ugh...29 actually", I answer back still flabbergasted at what he could tell just by looking at my head.

"oh so close, and remember please wear sunscreen when working outside, I recommend a cream with a moderate level of Zinc and a dash of collagen and iron in your diet. You are keeping very well up with your hygiene levels for someone who works with animals I presume but I will say you're not flossing as much as one should, cut down on any sugary snacks. You may need to get a bit more sleep, I assume it is due to stress, insomnia, drinking or maybe even an irritant in your home or workplace? And lastly based on your ocular reaction to the current brightness of the sun, you are mostly use to wearing sunglasses correct, an outdoorsmen of sorts?"

I giggled and nodded in agreement. This guy was VERY good.

"ah excellent! Sten, she's a healthy girl."

Sten had become a little less tense with Sha'kal

Aldercon was shaking his head, "Sha'kal.", he had waited for him to examine for one more thing.

Sha'kal looked back, motioning with his had for Aldercon to give him some time. "Oh um, please do pardon me for asking, but my I take one small sample of your hair, blood and saliva? It's well...a command from you know", he takes out a small glass petri dish and a syringe, I could tell he was a little bit embarrassed about asking.

Toke walked up to Sten and me wondering was this man asking for blood and spit, "aye don't yah think it's a little silly to be asking anyone for all that on someone's back?", he had pointed out my death grip on Sten's pack.

"oh wow, I'm sorry.", Sten just nodded his head and lowered himself for me to jump off.

Aldercon was watching from a distance the whole thing along with a few other Marines.

"Why does he want you to take blood samples from me?", as I ask I see that Sha'kal offers the petri dish, I do as needed of me for the task. "Is...this about the-"

Sha'kal eyes open a little, "Oh actually yes, you see once a month, most of us go through something close to well....oh it's a little silly to say out loud but it happens occasionally-" as he explains this he takes the syringe and sticks it in perfectly without even looking at my arm, "It is a little embarrassing and it gets us into such situations, moodiness, boisterous outbursts, the works. I've been making a suppressor for it for some time and I can't seem to get it right. I had been close a few times before but it's changes every cycle I suppose. Other than that, the effects you must have felt are completely normal for those...well...not fully exposed to us. It's just our bodies reacting to the nutrients on this planet likely enough."

"...so...it's-", I slowly answered back, not fully comprehending the whole situation.

Taking the syringe out of my arm, Sha'kal hums responsivly. "-mmmhmm, completely normal. In fact it happened quite a lot back home. We were just not aware of it as we are here, than again there has been a lot of things...many of us were not aware of.". He cleans up the area with a little wipe and a bandaid.

I wasn't sure what to make of his explanation, I was still worried if, well, something was going to happen. "It's just, well....I felt sick after being near one of them actually, in fact it started to smell like....I don't know like something from an auto shop?"

Sten interjected, "yes, it was unusual....the poor girl was reeking of one of your fists."

A loud, exclaimed grunt had rolled out of Bilhard's mouth as he had just finished his pushups. "Ah that, Urtus had purchased this terrible ointment from a man in town. He stated it would mask any odor.".

Sha'kal was curious as to what this mystery ointment, "hmmm....where is Urtus?"

~~~~~~~

After a long, cold shower, Urtus was applying more of the ointment on his chest in the locker room near the showers. "Tis not the most fragrant thing in the world, but it does smell interesting."

Cahrilo wasn't too keen on the ointment, "it smells like that plant the cantina uses for one of the special menus....what was it called? Garlic?"

Urtus frowned a little at the statement, "Garlic? Ha! It barely smells of the thing, it has even gotten rid of that aching on my neck."

As the two marines were conversing, the facility intercom pings for them, it was Aldercon;

"Urtus, please head to the medical bay immediately. Please bring your recently purchased topical ointment, ON THE DOUBLE."

End of the intercom.

"oh....hmm...I wonder why? Perhaps Sha'kal would like to apply it use?".

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After a few minutes, Urtus had quickly headed for the medical bay. He opens the door to find not only Sha'kal and Aldercon in the room, but Sten, Bilhard, and I.

Fjord and Toke were waiting in another room to keep them entertained as wait for Sten's and Aldercon meeting to commence.

He looks around and sees me, sitting on an oversized examination table, swinging my legs. The whole place was definitely built for men their size.

"......uh....um....hello miss......ugh good to see that you are ... unharmed?.... Aldercon I thought you stated that mortals were not allowed in the facility....also please believe me and the savage next to her I had not done anything.", of course he was nervous.

"Where is it?", Aldercon curtly asked.

The look on his face when the ointment was mentioned obviously didn't help the situation. He took out a surprisingly large container, it was roughly the size of a mayonnaise lid in diameter and just about as big as a container of that cheaper brand margarine at the store.

Aldercon takes a closer look at the container, "hmm...'Medical Grade DMSO'?. ....what the hell is DMSO?", what was odd was that he asked me as if I knew. The acronym wasn't too unfamiliar to me however, "I remember a long while ago my mother got into a serious fight with my aunt about the stuff but I can't remember why."

Sha'kal took the container, opened it. The smell of garlic was faint but noticable. "Oh my, why on Nocturne would you use this?", asked as he looked at the ingredients label. "This ointment contains small amounts Dimethyl sulfoxide? With a chemical makeup like that it should have practically suffocating Miss Drake here."

All the years of biology class and the literal three chemistry courses had came right back like a Vietnam flashback. "Oh shit that's right, that stuff is used as a paint thinner and car lube."

Urtus was stunned, never in his life would he have expected to be sold paint thinner as some form of solid cologne, "Good throne! Are you serious about that? Why would this be even used for such things?".

A gave a weak shrug, "I have read about these near death home remedies before, sometimes people sell toxic materials to people for profit and sometimes people are desperate and make their own cures out things they shouldn't sometimes."

Aldercon looks at the container, "....from now on. There will be extensive screening on unknown substances."

Sha'kal in the meantime was checking his files on the substances, "ah, it says here the reason why humans began to use it on themselves for medicinal reasons is because it can be used as a pain killer."

It was just then Urtus just realized why his neck pain was gone, "oh....then why is it toxic?".

Sha'kal let out an exacerbated sigh, "likely it's toxic to mortals. We are capable of handling such chemicals naturally through our implants and augmentations Urtus. It's as simple as that."

"Oh goodness, I beg for your forgiveness miss. I shall stop using this right away. I was hoping it would tame a certain condition of mine when the suppressor was not fully in effect....on that thought, how is the other mortal?"

I was glad to see that pretty the entirety of this nonsense was a misunderstanding. "Oh Shelly? She's good ...she even wants to see your friend she liked so much. Oh and it's ok, mistakes happen. Most important thing is that I'm here today to hear your side of the story", I really couldn't stay mad at the guy. He knew who I was talking about, he was even more pleased to see I hadn't taken what had happened in bad faith either.

"Ah, Cahrilo will surely be pleased he has gained an admirer. I hope he enjoys his women well matured. Hahaha.", he looks at Aldercon, hoping he's free to go.

Rolling his eyes and satisfyed with solving the mystery at what had caused the big hole in the transport truck. "You are free to go.".

Urtus nodded, "good day everyone.", he left the room a little more relieved that moment.

Aldercon than looks to Sten, "Are you satisfied?"

Sten had been silently sitting next to me, watching the whole thing. "Yes....as the girl states....the most important thing is that she is alive today....now ..... about our agreement?"

End of Log 7

@kit-williams @barn-anon

[kassil]

Infinities? I am intrigued

A crystalline sphere, roughly the size of a person's head, retrieved from the command module of an exploratory vessel sent into the void; lights flicker within it, and sometimes form partial images, as if it held something within that were dreaming. The only indication of its origin is the sole remaining log from the ship's systems, where the captain of the craft rambles incoherently for several minutes about glass minds and how sie regrets no one will be there to free hir as sie freed the rest of the crew from their glass dreams.

[jamesthedigidestined]

Taikouvember Day 6A: Brave Knowledge

A young Koushirou tensed, readying himself as he spied out from the side of a tree. Gently, slowly, he made his way into the clearing. Careful not to reveal himself until the right moment. He approached his target with as much precision as he could muster before, finally…

“Hah! Gotcha” he says quietly, slamming his net down upon a beetle who could barely care less. It looks up at him with dull, uninterested eyes. Contrasting his own young, bright, curious look.

Koushirou quickly pulls out a notepad and starts to write down the insect’s features, comparing the description to one in an insect hunting guide he brought along.

“Hmmm… Kabutomushi, or *Allomyrina dichotoma*…” He absentmindedly says as he transcribes the name alongside the description of his particular beetle. Soon he’s returned from the folds of his book and back to the insect in front of him, who is currently attempting to escape.

“Oh no you don’t! Get back here!” He commands, attempting to scoop it up with the net to usher it into a glass jar. The small little bug held firm to the log it was on however, and Koushirou had to grab it by the shell and lift it up into the jar himself.

With a sigh of relief that his prey was now secure, Koushirou turned around to reveal his audience.

“Koushirou…? D-did you just touch a bug…?” A slightly older boy and a player on his football team, Yagami Taichi, had looked on, half-obscured behind a tree.

“Of course, they’re harmless,” Koushirou began, walking towards the boy with his filled jar. “Kabutobushi-san’s mouthparts are too small to bite, and they don’t have stingers or pincers. Their carapaces are smooth and cool, so I find them rather nice to touch. Would you like to try petting him?”

Taichi looks over the boy, still a bit worried over the insect, but calmed from his words. He hadn’t known the quiet redhead for more than a month at this point, but he knew he wouldn’t tell a lie.

“Alright,” Taichi stands himself a little taller, puffing out his chest “I will pet Kabutomushi-san!” And with that declaration, Koushirou begins to unscrew the lid of the bottle and waits.

…And waits.

……And waits.

Until…

“I can’t do it!” Taichi blurts out, anxiety written all over his face as he grips his shirt.

“It’s easy Taichi-san, watch me.” Koushirou effortlessly moves his hand into the jar to retrieve his newfound pet, softly stroking the smooth cool carapace.

“See? He doesn’t lash out and he’s not slimy.” Koushirou warmly responds, looking as the tension inside Taichi begins to melt away.

“Alright…” Slowly but surely the young wild-haired boy pets the insect as well. And at this point, said insect is sick of it.

As the hands retreat from his shell he reveals his large wings and begins to fly away, eliciting a yelp from Taichi and a determined look from Koushirou, net back in hand.

“After that beetle!” Koushirou calls, waving his net around at the escaping insect.

“R-right!” Taichi confirms his presence as he runs behind Koushirou, the two of them setting off on the first of what would be many adventures for them.

[httpsserene-main]

ephemeral (bang chan)

developer notes ☽: inspired by my ig for you page being bang chan bf edits...i did not ask to be depressed because i can't find a man suitable for my standards :) fuck u christopher for being so fine tonight

soundtrack☽: birdie - kota the friend

notifications☽: 818 words, fluff, not proofread, gnl!reader

"time is our only dilemma"

a warm yellow-toned ambient glow is cast within the bathroom from a small desk lamp that you’ve commandeered as a substitution to the harsh fluorescents of the room’s installed lights. a small bluetooth speaker rests on the countertop next to the lamp on its third to last volume setting cycling through a random spotify playlist you’ve selected. it’s probably one out of the hundreds of comfort character playlists you’d never tell a soul that you listen too.

but, you realize that chan’s most likely seen the embarrassing and unending list of the cutesy-fictional catered playlists you’ve become obsessed with in the previous weeks as he’s logged in to your spotify account on his phone. a few months ago, you discovered a new playlist hiding within your massive library that you didn’t add or create, entitled “songs i listen to remind me of you.” that was at the front of your recently played, the cover photo being a picture of you asleep on the couch in chan’s studio (a photo chan’s never shown you). when you clicked to investigate further, you were shocked to see the playlist filled with over a hundred songs, and a description filled to the word limit. tears filled your eyes as you read the romantic note chan had left for you to see, and you listened to the whole playlist while cleaning your entire apartment. there wasn’t a single moment that the heat left your flustered cheeks or the sweet smile left your face. and when you met with your boyfriend in person, you certain that he was blushing underneath his mask when you alerted him of your findings, and he revealed that he was going to surprise you with your specially curated mixtape on your next visit to his studio. 

when you asked why he was giving you such a sweet gift so randomly, his answer came without hesitation. chan said, “there doesn’t need to be a reason for me to express my love for you. of course this gift is meaningful enough for valentine’s day, or an anniversary, or your birthday, but any day i have with you is enough for me to treat you like the love of my life.”

and after a revelation like that, how could you remember the embarrassing fanfic-esque playlists you had downloaded to your phone? they literally don’t matter anymore, not when you have a whole dime piece, respectful, sexy, intelligent, thoughtful-ass christopher bang chan confessing his undying love for you.

that’s all to say that you probably should’ve selected that mixtape to play through tonight, but it’s too late to change that fact, as you would hate to disturb the bubble of space you’ve created in the bathroom to retrieve your phone from the bedroom. and to interrupt the peaceful bath you and chan are enjoying. it’s a rare night that chan was able to join you in your apartment instead of you going to his dorm to see him, and the night is made more precious at the fact that he fought his workaholic tendencies to join you earlier in the evening around seven pm rather than his usual appearance past midnight. and a spontaneous date night was suddenly underway; you and chan cooked dinner together made from the dregs of ingredients in your sparse fridge (grocery day is tomorrow), made progress on cleaning up your animal crossing island together, and even got a few episodes into a short anime you wanted to watch with him. a bath was the only reasonable option to end the cozy date night you both started.

the water is probably half-an-hour away from transitioning from warm to lukewarm, and the bubbles are starting to become sparse. you’re nestled in between his legs, back pressed against his muscled-pillowy chest, head resting aside one of his shoulders to avoid smushing shower cap against his face. chan’s head is propped on the shower tiles, his neck elongated and your fascinated with the view of his adam’s apple bobbing and throat swallowing as he speaks softly to you. his eyes are shut, but he opens them every time you speak to him, seeping with the adoration he has for you. his hands rest on your waist underneath the water, and every so often he squeezes you lighty, and traces patterns on your skin he only knows. eventually you two find yourself running out of things to talk about, but the silence that follows isn’t uncomfortable. you gladly allow your eyes to flutter closed, and chan begins humming softly; both of you are well aware that you should wrap up the bath, as you both still have early starts tomorrow morning, or rather–this morning.

moments like these are few and far for a man of chan’s lifestyle, and neither of you are going to be the one to cut it short. while this scene is ephemeral, that does not mean it is insignificant.

much love, <3 kirby !!!

© killakirby - piracy and plagiarism are not allowed. no reposts on any form of media

[dingusbalingus]

Olimar's Voyage Log: Day 1

My name is Captain Olimar.

While traveling through space on an interstellar vacation, my ship was struck by a meteor. The collision had knocked me out, but when I awoke I found myself on the surface of a strange planet. Though I appear to have been mostly unscathed from the impact, the same cannot be said for my ship, the S.S. Dolphin. My diagnostics indicated the Dolphin had lost 30 of its most critical parts across this planet's surface upon entry into the atmosphere. To put it simply, I've been stranded here.

To make matters worse, my atmospheric sensors indicate this planet's environment contains high levels of poisonous oxygen. The life-support systems in my suit are able to keep me alive for now, but without a means to recharge them they won't last for much longer than a month. If I can't repair the Dolphin by then....

....There is hope in this dire situation, however. Shortly after I came to, I discovered a curious bulb dormant in the ground. When I approached it, the thing shot up from the ground as if it were waiting for me, and firmly planted long, slender struts into the soil below. Though I haven't a clue as to what this object even is, whether its alive or simply a machine, it resembles a vegetable on my home planet of Hocotate that we call an onion, thus I've taken to calling it an Onion, as well.

After this discovery, a second discovery immediately presented itself. The Onion had sputtered a seed shortly after its awakening. This seed took root in the soil and, after a brief moment in time, rapidly grew into a developed sprout. This sprout emitted a soft glow, and it swayed back and forth without benefit of wind. I don't know what exactly, some instinct or gut feeling, but something compelled me to uproot the plant from the soil. And when I did, I discovered something most extraordinary....

....what came out of the soil was a living creature, not a plant. It sported a leaf on its head supported by a long stem, and featured a pointed proboscis at the end of its face. The shape of this creature resembles the Pikpik brand carrots on my home planet that I adore, so like the Onion before it I've taken to calling this creature a Pikmin.

Despite my harrowing circumstances, I could not help but be intrigued by this Pikmin... It stared at me longingly, as if awaiting my beck and call. I quickly surmised a few key things about these Pikmin. The Onion seems to act as an incubator for Pikmin seeds. A local variety of flower near our location yielded a nutrient-rich pellet, in which the Pikmin seemed to instinctively know to harvest by the Onion. This is how the Pikmin reproduce; soon enough, I found myself with a small army of Pikmin under my command. The Pikmin seem to have a natural inclination toward cooperation, they form groups to perform tasks that would be impossible for an individual. Using their skills, I was even able to retrieve the Main Engine, the single most important part of my damaged craft. It was a stroke of pure luck I even found it nearby.

Nightfall on a foreign planet frightens me a bit, so I decided that the safest thing for me was to head for the sky. Though I obviously did not expect escape from this planet to be feasible at this point in time, I can at least hover in low orbit above the planet's surface. What I did not expect, however, was the Pikmin to follow suit. The Pikmin's Onion miraculously followed me into the stars. Perhaps the Pikmin cannot survive overnight on the surface, or maybe they've decided to join me for other reasons. Regardless, It seems they will help me again, tomorrow.

A dense forest is visible on the surface below. As it holds the keys to my survival, I name it the Forest of Hope. I explore it tomorrow.

[yandins-beleagured-historian]

Entry #012.3v2.(fennion).uncompressed.

--The Second Company, Part 4 of 9 5 9-- +Header Item: Pict-Capture, Sergeant Harmik Fennion, retrieved from archived sensor-capts, Avaricum Tercius, Demeter Campaign, approx. 963.M41. The Departmento Photartem formally apologises for hue losses and degradation encountered during processing.+

Continuing this entry on, and I quote "names that should be known" (??) within the Iron Fists' Second Company, we come to Harmik Fennion. Chapter readiness records, as delightfully reliable as they are, suggest that Fennion was the sergeant of the seventh squad, second company, from 932.M41 at the latest. This is according to a few cross-referenced accounts of the Emerigo campaign, in which Fennion is described as:

"a proud graduate of the Gygar Octavian School of Unsubtle Grox-Headedness" by one Ensign Ebosan, and

"...adequate..." by the aforementioned Sergeant Gygar Octavian himself.

Despite this...ringing endorsement by his peers, Fennion seems to have enjoyed a fairly successful career as far as space marine sergeants go. His squad attained consistently high kill rates, relatively few casualties, and battle commendations across Demeter, Poros and a number of other campaigns. However, a few noted statements in his log stand out as unusual, and detail explicit rejection of bionics, in apparent confliction with the chapter's general adherence to the teachings of Ferrus Manus. This appears to have even gone so far as to merit him an official warning from Company Command for "deliberately slowing tactical replenishment rates". Odd. What is also odd is that the best-quality pict-capt I could find of Fennion depicts him wielding a power sword of a pattern that is generally not seen outside the armouries of the Ordo Malleus. I;ve asked Yandin about the sword, and he has refused to comment.

+Supplementary Log, Cosrau Yandin, Captain, 7th Company Iron Fists+

"Fennion was...well, you couldn't have asked for a better sergeant, in my books. The line between mechanical obedience and radical initiative is a hard one to walk, especially as a sergeant, but he managed it, and managed it well. He never cut corners, never took shortcuts, but always managed to find little ways of improving things. For example, I remember him wrapping ammunition belts around his wrist rather than using magazines, because 'the burst rate never quire lines up right with the clip capacity.'" "By the time he took me into the seventh squad, his reputation for clean efficiency was known well outside the Second Company. It was a reputation that got him places, no doubt about that. Fennion's reputation put him alongside First Captain Aurastra, when we charged at a Shadowsword on Avaricum Tercius. Fennion's reputation also put him on the plainwards flank of Verchen's rearguard during the siege of Taralus. It put him against two score Kakophoni noise marines of the third legion. It put him in his grave, that day...."

+End log.+ +Addendum. I refuse to comment on Fennion's sword. -Y.+

Throne knows I try, Hester Vinchix Calimorre, Historiographer-Moderatus, Logos Historica Verita.

[lunapriestess]

The Moonlight || Killian Jones x fem!reader

Chapter One: “That’s The Jolly Roger”

Also on Wattpad

After finding yourself in Storybrooke seeking a new adventure, your life gets flipped upside down after you find out that your new-found visions are more powerful than you could imagine. All you know is that an adventure in the moonlight is coming and for whatever reason, Killian Jones was at the heart of it.

A/N: Hi friends. I haven’t written fanfiction in about 10 years but here I am, obsessed with OUAT and Killian Jones. Please let me know if you like it. Trying to get myself back into writing

The cold sea air hit my face as I walked along the beach, watching the sunset over the gentle waves. God, it always looked so beautiful out there. My only complaint, the street light pollution kept the stars from shining their brightest. I’d only been in Storybrooke a few months, and the quaint little town still held so many surprises for me- things here weren’t like your average town in Maine. In the distance, I spotted my favourite seating place, a wooden mossy log worn down by the high tide. Sometimes, the high tide made sitting out here impossible, and I would have to take my walk up to the forest and skip the sand altogether, but not tonight; tonight, I managed to get my log, the moon above my head, and the sand beneath my feet. 

As I approached the log, I brushed off a few stray insects and crabs that had made the log their temporary home while waiting for the water to return to wash them away. Not tonight. Tonight it is just me, my log, and my notepad. I placed my backpack on the ground with a thud and retrieved the worn leather that was binding together the pages of my sketchbook. With nimble fingers, I flicked to a blank page that was just calling to be filled with another ocean sketch. There's something about blank pages that fill me with hope, the possibility of writing any story, creating any image, or bringing to life any possibility you desire. However, just for tonight, the object of my desire was the ocean. The waves lapping against the shore is the soundtrack to the pencil now sketching out outlines on the blank page of hope and tranquillity. I let myself get carried away in the sounds, the smells, and the sight of the ocean. I can feel it coming on, a vision. I found myself lost in my movements for what felt like seconds, but the dim moonlight, instead of peaceful dusk, told a different story. I return to my senses and look down at the art I have created.

Odd? A ship? I look back up at the water in front of me, but there is no ship to be seen. There's been no ship in this port since I arrived here. Strange. This ship looked breathtaking under the pencilled moonlight, almost like she commanded the wind beneath her sails. I know that my art sometimes tells stories; it’s always been a gift of mine, a future in graphite and pen ink that's due to be reality. Maybe a ship is due into port? I’ll be sure to ask Emma when I see her in the morning. 

Storm clouds crash above my head as a drop of water hits my page, almost bringing the shaded water into reality on the drawing. I knew it was my sign to get moving; as much as I hated to leave such a beautiful sight, not only did I have a job to get to in the morning, but I also had to finish up getting things ready for the fundraiser we have going on at Grannies next week. The sea is beautiful, but my commitment to fixing the school roof is more pressing. Placing everything neatly back into my backpack, I got to my feet and thanked the little insects for letting me borrow their log before turning on my heels and heading back home.

Walking home takes no more than five minutes on a clear night, but on a night like tonight, it would easily take another ten on top of that. The rain slows this little town down to a halt quite quickly. Taking myself past the port, I walk up the main high street. My path would take me past all of the main tourist spots if we were ever to get tourists in Storybrooke. Granny's Diner sat in darkness; I turned to look up at the clock tower. At this time of night, I’m not shocked. I should ask Emma if she wants to get breakfast tomorrow before work. I take a right at Mr Gold’s Pawn Shop, his light is still on in the window, and I’m not shocked. I don’t think Rumple sleeps, ever. At this point, I’m happy for the streetlights that grace our roads; between the rain and the wind, I wouldn’t be able to see anything without them. A few more moments pass, and I’m finally approaching Emma’s house. She doesn’t have Henry this weekend, so I’m not surprised to see the living room light still on as I put my key into the lock and let myself in.

“Jeez, (y/n). You’re soaked!” Emma looks at me with concern, and I let out a little laugh. 

“Trust me for forgetting my umbrella again”, I laughed as I took off my raincoat and placed it on the hook next to me.

“Were you out by the water again?” She asked, a smile on her face as she poured me a whisky, handing it to me. “This should warm you up a little”. I thanked her as I took a sip, the warm liquid encasing my throat and heating me from the inside out. 

“Yeah, I was out sketching again”, I answered her after savouring the sweet warmth for a moment. “I wanted to ask you about something,” I say as I reach into my backpack to retrieve the picture I drew earlier that evening.

“Another one of your strange drawing vision thingies?” Emma questioned as she made her way over to look at the artwork I captured at the harbour's edge. I flicked to the slightly damp page and entered the kitchen to place it on the countertop. Emma studied it for a second while I explained.

“One minute I was drawing the sunset, and then the next thing I know, it’s dark, and this image is on my page” Truth be told, I’m used to losing time to these ‘strange vision thingies’ so drawing a sunset and ending up with a full moon is not as scary as it sounds. 

The visions started when I first arrived in Storybrooke a few months ago. I’d been travelling the world, capturing beautiful images on paper from London to Tokyo, but I was searching for a new adventure and a new town to explore. Word gets around my small community of thrill seekers, and a friend of a friend had told me all about this cute little town in Maine that harbours the best stories and adventures. It’s like it was all one giant storybook; the name was just ironic. I was warned, though, not everyone that seeks Storybrooke can find it. If Storybrooke needs you, it will find you. So I took off, and I never looked back. When my visions started, I felt crazy, but I quickly discovered that I was one of the more normal people in town. My housemate was a saviour, the mayor was an ‘evil’ queen, and the shrink was a cricket. My visions had nothing on that.

Emma’s silence confused me; she knew more about this town than most, so seeing her study this paper was concerning. “Any ideas?” I asked with a hushed tone. She greeted my question with a nod before explaining.

“That’s the Jolly Roger,” She said, her voice flat. “Which means Killian Jones is coming into town.” Her hand reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, and she looked at the time. “Snow and David are going to kill me if I wake up Neal”, she growled before hitting the dial button. I stood there in shock. The ship looked so kind and warm under the moon. What was with the hostile reception?

“I’m assuming that’s not a good thing?” I mumble as I turn to watch Emma pace the living room back and forth on the phone to both of the Charmings; I can hear the faint cry of Neal in the background. Snow will not be happy, but forgiving is in her nature. I hear the affirmative ‘mhm’ and ‘yup’s’ leaving Emma’s mouth before she hung up. 

“Snow is letting Regina know, and I’ve got the night shift Deputy on patrol near the docs in case it happens in the night.” Emma jumped straight into saviour mode before stopping to look at me. “Do you have any idea when your visions happen? Like a time frame? Anything?” I shrugged. I’d never thought about it or even tried to develop my visions; all I knew was that they always came true. 

“No, sorry, they never come with a time or a date.” I apologise, looking at her with my half-dry hair still dripping onto the floor. “I better go dry off. Are we good for the night?” I ask as I pick up my sketch pad and walk towards the stairs. 

“Yeah, we’re good. Let me know if you get more of that vision or if anything happens overnight” Emma smiled as she took her seat on the sofa again. We said our goodnights and I walked myself up to my room, shutting the door quietly behind me.

[bluebeetle]

posting this to help me keep track

Aboard Nautiloid

Save the brain.

Free Shadowheart (Necessary to recruit her).

Defeat Commander Zhalk and obtain his sword--didnt do, will try for my durge

Nautiloid Crash

Free Lae’zel (recruit her as a companion).

Find Astarion (recruit him as a companion).

Wake up Shadowheart (recruit her as a companion).

Free Gale from the rift (recruit him as a companion).

Unlock Speak With Dead and Talk With Animal spells. You’ll constantly use these throughout the game.

Investigate Dank Crypt (to the East of your starting point) and find Withers - This will allow you to reclass at any time at camp for 100 Gold.

Emerald Grove

Near Or In Druid’s Grove

Go to Druid’s Grove and meet Wyll, who’s training children with swords. (Recruit him as a companion).

Speak to Volo, which will make him move to the Goblin Camp. Then speak to him at the Goblin Camp, save him, and he’ll move to your camp.

Talk to Khaga and Rath. Learn about Khaga’s plan for the ritual. Rath will ask you to save Halsin.

Talk to the Strange Ox at Druid’s Grove.

Talk to Alfira and learn how to play an instrument.

Talk to Dammon (he’s needed for Karlach’s companion quest after recruiting).

Save the Tiefling from the Bugbear Assassin--he killed her ):

Rescue the child from the Harpies. Found to the Northeast of the Grove’s heart, keep going until you hear singing.

Absolute Cultists ambush you near the Grove.

Blighted Village

Find the Masterwork Weapon blueprints at the blacksmith’s home, and then finish them--still need to finish them, may look up the tree location bc i failed the nature check

Find the book Necromancy of Thay.

Climb into the well and defeat the Astral Spider Queen and its children--started this but havent fought the actual queen yet.

Rescue Barcus the Gnome from the Goblins and Windmill.

Find Scratch the Dog, who’s roaming just outside the village, and lead him to your camp.

Vanquish or recruit the trio of Ogres.

In the barn on the North side of town, there’s an “interesting” scene between a Bugbear and Ogre.

A cave outside of the village has an Owlbear and its cub you can interact with.

The Risen Road

Find and recruit Karlach. She’s at the end of the river over a log.

Help Karlach destroy the Fake Paladins that are hunting her.

Waukeen’s Rest

Save the survivors from the burning building. Just follow the Flaming Fist knights and clear the blocked door--triggered this but didnt do it so they all died except a few, oop

Find the Zhentarim survivors fighting off enemies, save them, and get the Missing Shipment quest.

In Northwest Waukeen’s Rest find the entrance to the Zhentarim hideout.

Free the artist in the Zhentarim Hideout. He’ll pop up later in Baldur’s Gate.

Goblin Camp

Find Halsin and free him from prison. Head West to find the prison when you enter the Sanctum part of the camp.

Rescue Volo.

Talk to the priest of Loviatar, found on the East side of the Sanctum.

Halsin will ask you to take out the three Goblin Leaders, or “True Souls.”

Race the Owlbear and free it from the Goblins. It’ll appear in your camp later--didnt do this ): sorry lil guy... def gonna do it in my durge or origin playthru

Putrid Bog/Riverside Teahouse

Save Mayrina and fight Auntie Ethel--started it

Confront the Monster Hunter tracking Astarion.

Underdark

In the Underdark

Find the Selunite outpost.

Retrieve Phalar Aluve, the sword stuck in the stone.

Find the Arcane Tower and explore it.

In Arcane Tower, there’s a Stool of Mysterious Strength that you can destroy for a rare Club.

Find the dog’s grave near the Arcane Tower, and leave flowers on it.

Opposite the Arcane Tower, find the Festering Cove and the fish people worshipping a false god.

In Arcane Tower, interact with the Gith Disk, then show it to Lae’zel.

Find the petrified Drow and defeat the Spectator in combat.

Find the Myconid Colony, and choose to help the Myconic or the Duergar.

Help Gut defeat the Duergar, then either befriend or betray Gut.

Find the Gnome Thulla in the Myconid Colony, and cure her with an Antidote.

Find Baelan and save him from the explosive mushrooms.

Where you saved Baelan, you can also pick a rare mushroom and give it to Baelan to restore his memory, or give it to Shadowheart to unlock a special memory for her--i fucked up, will do as durge.

Meet Omellum in the Myconid Colony. He can give you a ring to protect your mind from the tadpole.

Find Sussur Bark for the Masterwork Weapon in the Blighted Village.

Find Icy Metal, Icy Heave, and Icy Crystal, then craft the Mourning Frost Staff.

Eliminate Nere and bring his head to the Myconid.

Grymforge

Obtain the Sergeant’s boots.

Save the Grymforge Gnomes, then report back to Thulla at the Myconic Colony.

Find the Runepowder Gnome, past the hidden kitchen area.

Find the Adamantine Forge and two pieces of Mithril Ore. Then defeat Grym in battle (use one character to aggro Grym onto the hammer platform, then another character to pull the lever and drop the hammer on him.)

Help the cursed monk

Mountain Pass

Find the Githyanki Creche and investigate it. It’s a lengthy section that ties into Lae’Zel’s companion quest.

Steal a Githyanki egg for the woman in the pass.

Find the Blood of Lathander mace.

Speak with Elminster at the entrance to the Shadow-Cursed Lands (part of Gale’s quest).

ok still a lot to do, imma take a break from the auntie ethel stuff for now and see if i can do anything else. i know where lae'zels stuff is but im gonna see if i can get to some of the other stuff i havent done yet. and if i miss something or fuck it up ill use my other runs to hopefully do them?? there's just so much jeez...and i dont wanna trigger act 2 yet by going to the moonrise towers.

[theunredeemable]

The shuttle ride over to the Sanguine Dream was one of the most awkward rides Ruby had ever experienced. The silence was palpable the entire journey, with both Ciel and Ilia doing their best not to look at each other. Ruby had never been happier to dock with her ship, hastily retreating to her command centre as Ilia was shown to her new quarters. Taking her seat, she ran her hand over her face as she let out a deep sigh. Closing her eyes, she leaned back and listened to the ever-present thrum of electronics, the life blood of her ship, and considered everything that had happened the last few hours. They had new targets to help with her side project, and picked up a new crew member who was most likely sent to spy on them. A small smile danced across her face at that thought. Oh, she was certain that Ilia's brief display of hatred towards the Schnee name was all too real, everyone knew what Jacques thought of the Faunus. But she also knew that Winter Schnee was a fair woman to her crew, and that she had never had someone desert before. Which meant that Ilia was more likely than not sent here to spy on the pirates operating out of the Valen Expanse, and had been lucky enough to get onto the crew of one of the most wanted pirate ships. 

Ruby wasn't worried in the slightest. Ilia wouldn't be the first spy to attempt to infiltrate her crew, and thus far all of them had been converted to work with her. She heard the door open, opening her eyes to spy Ciel walking in with her data-slate, going over the information Mell had retrieved for them. She looked up briefly, raising a brow towards her captain. "What has you smiling so conspiratorially, Ma'am?" 

"I'm just thinking about our newest family member, and how long it will take her to abandon her mission and join us properly." 

"You think she is here to spy on us, and you still let her board?" 

"Ciel, Ciel, Ciel." Ruby tutted, shaking her head with a laugh as she steepled her fingers together, her signature smile spread across her face. "Of course she's here to spy on us. She was onboard The Nevermore ." She paused at Ciel's sharp intake, noting her widening eyes, and quickly waved off the concern. "I'm not concerned. I've got a pretty good track record of stealing operatives and assets from Atlas."

"You said the same thing about Cinder..." 

Ruby's smile instantly vanished, turning into a scowl at the mention of Cinder, before she coughed into her fist, smoothing her features. "Cinder doesn't count. She was a triple agent working for a different organisation, not Atlas." 

"If you say so, Ma'am." Ciel sighed, looking back to her data-slate, before letting out a small hum. "Regardless, I think I found our next target." She tapped the screen, causing a holo-projector to turn on and show the schematics, flight log, and inventory list of several ships. "There's quite a few freighters and Atlas ships nearby that could work brilliantly for us, but focusing on just your objective, these three are our most likely." A few more taps, and the information shifted until just three ships were shown. "Freighter XJ-53 is lightly defended, but travelling a generally more secure route. We could take it quickly, but would have very little time to search on board for anything of value before the Atlas Military was all over us. The research vessel Icarus is better defended, but it is also operating at a black site. It would be a hard fight, but if we strike fast enough they would not be able to call for help, and we could take our time. But I must stress, it Will be a hard fight." A few more taps, and the schematics for both ships were highlighted, listing their capabilities.

Ruby nodded as she absorbed the information, leaning forward in her seat as silver eyes quickly scanned over the displayed projection. "Hmm. The Icarus is probably the better target. I see it's being funded by Councillor Schnee, so that makes it extra enticing, ruining whatever illicit research he's up to. What's the third option, though?"

Ciel let out a small sigh, tapping her data-slate once more to bring up the third option. The ship was much larger than the other two, packed with deadlier armaments as well as a small convoy of cruisers. " The Void Star . Military trading ship hailing from one of the core worlds of the Empire. By far our highest risk, highest reward target. I would normally write it off as foolhardy but..." She paused as the inventory was highlighted. "It alone would provide you with nearly all the parts needed, as well as help fund future endeavours if we brought it back to Beacon. I would recommend going to Beacon first, and seeing if anyone would be willing to assist us." Ciel looked away from the screen and back to her captain, and immediately sighed at the glee shining in those silver eyes. "Very well, Ma'am. Once the deck crew have arrived, I'll chart a course for Beacon." 

"I didn't say anything yet!" 

"You did not need to." Ciel turned off the holo-projector, focusing in on her Data-slate again and sending out several messages to crew members not yet on active duty. "The rest of our away team should be returning shortly." 

"Thanks, Ciel, you're the best." Ruby stood, quickly giving her right hand woman a hug, before exiting the command centre. "Don't wait for me to return to the bridge before leaving. I'm going to go to my quarters, maybe visit Ilia and see how she's settling in." 

“Ruby.” Ruby stopped at hearing her name come from Ciel’s lips, as it happened so rarely. She turned back to look at the other woman, head tilted slightly in silent question. “Are you sure about this? With Ilia. I know you’re confident but… Ilia Amitola was one of the best operatives in the Academy. There’s a reason she was assigned to Winter Schnee of all people.” 

Ruby gave a small smile, shrugging slightly. “I’m confident she’ll come to see things from our perspective, especially with you on board. But if worse comes to worse, we can just ship her back to The Nevermore in an escape pod.” 

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

Ilia set her bag down on the bed, looking around her quarters with furrowed brows. The room itself was sparse, empty of anything that made it feel warm or lived in, but what shocked the Faunus the most was the size. She was a newcomer to the ship, and had expected to be treated like that, forced to share bunks with pirates, criminals, and all sorts of ne'er-do-wells that called the Sanguine Dream home. Instead she had been greeted with warm smiles and shown to a private room, which itself was divided into two further rooms, the actual bedroom and a bathroom with a functioning shower. It reminded her of her quarters back on The Nevermore , but that had required years of work and promotions to acquire, not just given to her on the first day.

Opening her bag, she took out the few personal effects she had brought with her, placing them around the bedroom to make it feel a little more like home. She hadn’t brought much beyond her clothes, and the framed picture she handled with care as she retrieved it from her bag. Once more her features softened looking at her younger self and friend, running her hand along the bottom of the frame. The smile turned into a small frown as she looked around once more. “I wonder if they’re trying to butter me up…or if they just treat everyone this way.” She looked back to the photo, raising a brow in expectation. “Well, Blake? What do you think?” 

“I think you’re too suspicious for your own good, Ilia. Not everyone is out to hurt us.” She did her best impression of a young Blake, bobbing the picture in the air as if it was talking to her. She paused for a moment after, before chuckling to herself with a shake of her head, putting the frame down on the side table. “Yeah, look how well that worked out for us. First Him” Her blood boiled at even remembering a certain red haired faunus, scales turning crimson before her blood cooled with a slow exhale. “And then you and your parents vanished.” Shaking her head, she left the bedroom to explore the rest of her new home.

She spent some time examining every potential place to hide a surveillance device, ensuring that no one was spying on her. It was only partly fueled by her training, and greatly fueled by her desire to make sure no one had seen her talking to a photo like it was a person. Once satisfied her room wasn’t bugged, she poured herself a drink of water from the kitchen sink. Lifting it to her nose, she sniffed it experimentally, before taking a small sip, letting the liquid sit on her tongue before swallowing. She waited a moment, ensuring that her water wasn’t somehow tampered with, before nodding and taking a deeper drink, draining the glass in a matter of moments. As she refilled it, she once again turned around to look at the room, leaning against the counter as she took more conservative sips. “What the hell do I do now…” She blanched as she realised she had no idea, before a nervous chuckle ran through her, raising a hand to her forehead in disbelief. “I’ve not even been given a role yet. Congrats Ilia, you got distracted by a pretty face... again." 

Her silent bemoaning of her situation was cut short with a knock upon her door. Looking up, she felt a sudden sense of dread as she subconsciously reached for her weapon, finding the holster empty. Panic raced through her again as she looked around for her gun, finding it lying on her bed where she had placed it when looking for bugs. Shaking her head she attempted to look nonchalant as she called out, "Come in." 

The door slid open, and Ruby walked into the room with a brilliant smile on her face. "Ah, Ilia! Just the cute ex-operative I wanted to see." 

"C-cute!?" The sudden compliment caused Ilia's cheeks and freckles to turn red, before she picked up on the rest of the sentence. "I-I'm sorry. What did you need me for?" 

Ruby spared a glance around the room, noting its current spartan state with a quiet hum and muttering to herself. "We'll have to pick you up some decor when we get to Beacon." Shaking her head clear of the thought, she then turned back to Ilia, the brilliant smile returning in full force. "Nothing particular for now, I just wanted to see how you were settling in. Is the room to your liking?"

Ilia took a moment to think, before nodding, chancing a small, shy smile. "Yes, Captain Rose. It's quite a lot nicer than some previous quarters I've been given."

"Please, Just Ruby is fine." She waved her hands, letting out an awkward chuckle. "I can't keep Ciel from calling me Ma'am all the time, but unless I'm giving orders no need to be so formal." Placing her hands on her hips, her smile changed to something almost conspiratorial. "And I can imagine, I've heard quite some nasty rumours about the quarters on Atlas ships." She paused, looking around the empty room as if making sure they were alone, before leaning towards Ilia and stage whispering. "Is it true that sometimes they shove 20 people into a single bedroom, without bunk beds?"

Ilia could only blink, taking a moment to process the absurdity of the question and the 'clandestine' way it was asked, before breaking out in a laugh. Her eyes closed as she bent nearly double as her shoulders shook, completely missing the triumphant flash that spread across Ruby's face, before standing tall again and wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh, no. It can sometimes be 30. Only the really fancy ships get bunk beds." She grinned, feeling herself grow at ease despite her mission on the ship.

"30? Damn, that's too many people for one bedroom. I try to ensure everyone aboard the Sanguine Dream has their own room. Except for the couples of course, they get to share." She nodded to herself, mind quickly getting distracted as she thought about the rest of her crew, before snapping her attention back to Ilia. "Ah, speaking of the crew, the rest of those who went ashore to the station should be aboard again soon. When they are, we'll be jumping into the expanse, stopping at one of our stations and picking up some other crews for a little job." 

That information made Ilia focus again, brow raising as her lips pursed. "A job that requires extra crews? From what I heard the Crimson Rose usually works alone." 

"Normally I do. Like I said, we're the fastest ship in the expanse, and we strike hard. But our target has some extra protection, so having assistance can't hurt. Besides, I'm hoping Big Sis will be able to help. Will make what I'm wanting to do much easier." She was mainly musing to herself with the comment of Big Sis, but upon seeing the questioning tilt of Ilia's head, she simply smiled again and waved her hand. "Oh, just a lil project I've been working on for someone on her ship. Got most of the parts, and this job should hopefully be the last of them." 

"...you have a sister?" Ilia was dying to know about whatever this secret project was, but asking about Ruby's family seemed a safer option.

"Oh, right! That's not common knowledge! She's technically my cousin, but we're practically sisters with how we were raised." Ruby offered a small shrug. "I think you'll like her, she's much more outgoing than I am, very boisterous. Captains the New Dawn ." Ruby was turning to leave, missing the reeling look on Ilia's face as she heard the name of the other crew of pirates Winter had been sent out to hunt down. "But anyway, wanted to give you the heads up. When you're ready, join me on the bridge and we can introduce you to the main crew." She paused at the door, offering her goofy smile again. "Sorry to be throwing you into the deep end so soon after joining us, but a Pirate can't stop for long!" 

Ilia stared at her door as it slid close, marking the departure of her new captain. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she walked back into the bedroom, picking up the framed photo of Blake once more. "Oh, Blake. We're really in it now."

[dragonflight203]

Mass Effect 2 replay, Jacob’s loyalty mission:

-Aeia is Earthlike because of course it is, but at least it’s tropical instead yet another forest.

-It’s backstory is conflicting.

The planet description says there’s little data on it and it may be an unexplored garden world. It’s named after an asari scientist, implying the asari found it.

The Codex says the Alliance identified it as a garden world in 2165 and flagged it for colonization.

So, which is true?

I’m inclined to go with the planet description – if the Alliance knew it was a garden world, you’d think they’d have followed up on it sometime in the last decade.

-The Activated Beacon VI is supposed to play a line after Jacob says his father was the first officer not the acting captain, but it does not. The subs for it still display, however.

-The Partial Officer’s log does a good job hinting how dark things got: Distract them for two seconds and they forget what you did before the bruises show.

There’s no good possible explanation for that.

-How are there so many men left after all this time?

The men were exiled. They’ve been eating the local food, which causes neural decay. Recently they’ve started picking fights with Ronald.

Most of them should be dead by now! From the wilderness or Ronald’s mechs. What was the size of the crew of this ship?

-Backstory courtesy of the doctor: The ship went down 10 years ago. The male crew were exiled or dead after a year. Women were assigned to the officers. After the beacon was fixed the officers were killed too.

There were five officers: Medical, Engineering, Bridge Staff

-All of the officers were men? How convenient.

I suppose there could have been a female officer who was into it, but I doubt Bioware had considered that angle.

-Except the doctor who provides all this information is female. And clearly suffering from neural decay. Aren’t doctors considered officers?

Also, it’s pretty damn stupid of Ronald to lobotomize his sole medical doctor. What if he tripped and broke his arm? What if he got sick?

-Jacob started out desperate to believe any other possible explanation, but now he just wants to have it out with his father.

He came to peace awfully quickly with his father being an awful man. Not even a vestige of hope that there might be a good reason for it?

-How did Ronald brainwash his guards into protecting him? Why didn’t he do the same with the rest of the men? Why didn’t the doctor include them on her list?

Answer: Bioware wanted to have a boss battle and didn’t sweat the details.

-If you go neutral, Jacob introduces himself to his father as Lieutenant Jacob Taylor.

In other words, with his Alliance rank.

Interesting choice. He could have just explicitly introduced himself as Ronald’s son, but instead he announced his loyalty to the Alliance.

-Ronald’s excuses are plentiful, but boil down to he wasn’t ready for command and things out of hand. By the time the beacon was ready, he knew he had fucked up wasn’t ready to face the music.

Sadly human. I could see this happening today, techno babble aside.

-The Hunters only recently started fighting back. No explanation is given beyond a handwave that it may have something to do with the planet’s cycles.

-Odd that the neutral choice is leaving Ronald to the hunters and the renegade is to give him a single bullet.

I’d say the single bullet is arguably kinder. Is it because leaving him to the hunters is leaving him to face the situation he created, but giving him a bullet is an act?

-Paragon says that Cerberus can have ships come by within a few days to retrieve the people. However, back on the Normandy Joker tells you that the Alliance is about to arrive.

-Miranda passed along the distress signal to Jacob, and she didn’t even inform TIM.

That, more than anything, speaks of the depth of friendship between Miranda and Jacob. Miranda is the Cerberus cheerleader: For her to go behind TIM’s back speaks highly of her feelings for Jacob.

Given how Jacob clearly takes issue with many Cerberus personnel, I suspect the real reason he joined was her.

-But alas, there’s to be no romance. Jacob thinks she deserves a better man than him.

And that in itself is an interesting hook. Why does Jacob think so?

When you speak to him, he projects confidence in his judgment and skills. He’ll only work for TIM as long as he think TIM is worthy. He saved the Citadel Council, but it’s the nature of the work they don’t recognize what he did.

But when he speaks of Miranda, he says he’s not good enough. So why not? What traits does Jacob has that he thinks needs to improve?

Keep wondering, because you’re not going to find out.

-Overall, a pretty meh mission in my opinion. This concept is a cliched one. There’s some event that isolates a community and the men take advantage of the women.

There’s always some excuse or another, but it’s been done to death in every genre and Mass Effect doesn’t have a fresh take on it.

This is a story that could be in any work of science fiction; for Jacob’s loyalty mission I wish they had created a mission that provided more world building. As others have suggested something to do with his corsair background, maybe, or that puts the Alliance in a different light.

And most of all, something that forced Jacob to grapple with himself. All the other loyalty missions are deeply personal – Grunt finding a clan, Mordin facing the consequences of the modified genophage, Jack learning she had misremembered her past, etc.

But Ronald himself says that Jacob and he had come to terms that they were better away from each other long before Ronald left on his last mission. There’s nothing for Jacob to confront here: He’d already put his father behind him. This is just his father disappointing him one more time.

Given Jacob left the Alliance because of the red tape, I think that would have been a better hook for his loyalty mission – given him a mission that forces him to deal with bureaucracy, and he can either recognize that it has its place or decide once and for all that it’s worthless.

Maybe there’s a corsair ship run by a friend of his that has been declared a pirate. Jacob needs to use past records to determine if his friend is truly a pirate or was acting on behalf of the Alliance, who has know disowned all knowledge of the operation. Something like that.

Anyway, a long way to say: Jacob deserved better.

Normandy

-If you haven’t romanced anyone by this point, the second conversation with Mordin after his loyalty mission is amusing. He suggests you’re interested in him.

Obviously he’s fucking with you, but the conversation includes some good tidbits.

-Salarians have very little sex drive. So for practical purposes, they’re asexual.

-However, other species are attracted to them. Or at least Mordin.

Mordin: Asari offers intriguing, actually. Transspecies pheromones unlikely to work. Must be neurochemical.

How can they be neurochemical? Does this come back to the occasional reference that asari can influence others’ minds even when they’re not bonding with them?

-Jacob has a few lines of autodialogue next time you speak with him, and that’s it. No investigate options, no opportunity to respond, just that he’s glad this has been cleared up.

Jacob deserved so much better.