#do they even have a ship name? well. carving one out now i suppose

[weavingmemories]

tales of when you create an au you resign yourself to rarepair hell-ia

[the-insomniac-emporium]

SWORDTEMBER '24, DAY 3: SENTIENT

Item ID: PE-2403 Item Name: Cursed Sword Category: A-4 Origin Point: Unknown Owner:  Unknown Description: A large blade, roughly 100cm in length, with a slight curve to the sharpened edge. The handle is approximately 20cm long, with carved wood and leather straps around the tang. Biomechanical growth covers the spine of the sword, stretching over the flat at spots, a muddled red-purple in color. Attempts were made to collect samples, but the sword emitted a high-pitched screeching until the intern lost consciousness. It’s unclear where the sound came from, as at the time the sword did not have a mouth (it has since grown one, which it uses frequently). Although the weapon shows signs of sentience, it is impossible to measure the intelligence or determine the specifications at this time, due to the FPA’s lack of on-hand equipment. Several workers have filed complaints (see supplementary files PE-2403-■■ through PE-2403-■■) due to being “observed” by the sword’s eye(s). Cataloger’s Notes: Regardless of whether or not any officials believe in the possibility of “curses”, I feel this sword is doomed to end up getting passed back and forth between dock workers before eventually disappearing altogether. Perhaps it will get dumped in the woods, perhaps it will be given false records and donated to a charity auction, or maybe someone will just pass it on to their least favorite witless cousin. Either way, I fear the poor thing may never overcome its reputation. Can’t say I’ll miss it too much. Probably. It’s a surprisingly good conversationalist, when it wants to be.

-----

Dealing with living items tends to be… complicated. Lots of paperwork, usually needing to be filled out at least a few weeks prior to shipping, and even then there was a chance it would get flagged for further inspection upon landing on Katal. Things only get more complex for items that only meet partial criteria for being considered “alive”. Such as the sword currently staring Cynthia down from across her office. Yes, staring. Something it is, evidently, capable of doing.

“Swords aren’t supposed to have eyes, you know,” she says, sparing it a single glance. Despite the lack of brow, it manages to look almost forlorn. Quite the odd disposition for a weapon. But it’s been stuck in her office for close to a week now, with no signs of getting moved, and she can only assume it is unused to simply resting endlessly. Truthfully, she knows almost nothing about it.

Unlike the majority of items that pass through her office, the sword (which she has nicknamed Isaac) was not technically confiscated. Rather, it was simply found. Left behind, in between a few boxes, without any documentation. That certainly leant to the immediate rumors involving a curse. Clearly, folks said, someone was desperate to be rid of the blade. Cynthia still wasn’t sure why the thing caused everyone such distress.

“What am I to do with you, poor little Isaac?” She muses, then takes a long sip from her tea (another blend from Naomi, naturally). The sword blinks at her. Once. Twice. Even opens up a second eye to watch her. Then the air is filled with a soft humming, low and soothing, before the flesh along the blade’s spine shifts and splits open. It would be horrifying, if Cynthia’s job hadn’t given her a high tolerance for the absurd.

“AM. I. ISAAC?” Ah. Well. Now, that was something she hadn’t anticipated. Always hard to tell how intelligent these sorts of things are; hard to tell what kind of intelligence, too. What kind of computer lives within this creation? Mechanical, or flesh and blood, like her own brain?... Questions that will never get answered. At least she can answer Isaac’s.

“That’s what I call you, but it doesn’t have to be your name. I certainly can’t make it your name, not even on your official paperwork,” Cynthia explains with a reassuring tone. There’s no way she can put any of this on Isaac’s official record- too many unknown details, all pointing towards the poor thing getting locked away somewhere far worse than her office.

“ISAAC. HMM. A GOOD NAME, CYNTHIA DELABAUNTE. I CONSIDER IT… A GIFT,” Isaac answers. Something about its voice sends a shudder down her spine, yet she feels no ill will from it. At most, a sense of loneliness.

“I’m glad, Isaac, but I must ask a very, very important question… what do you want? What fate do you yearn for? I’m afraid my job may decide for you, but I can certainly influence it,” she says, slowly, softly, in between sips of her tea. By the Ancients, she can hardly wait to tell Naomi about this, even if she knows she’ll be crying by the time she explains what it is Isaac wants most:

“ADVENTURE.”

[evolutionsvoid]

I already know that all this stuff I have written about the Helkkja is going to get tossed out, what with Eucella complaining about this entire section having no relevance to the rest of the book. But I can't help it! Something about this subject just draws me in! I don't think I have ever been so obsessed with something like this (That is clearly a lie, Chlora and you know it! -E.R.)! So even if this doesn't make it into the book, I have to write a little something here! Just one more! Just a little treat for me!

So while I was reading up about the Helkkja, I found mention of another magically created species of theirs! Only a few references to them in writing and two supposed specimens ever found! They do not seem to have an official name, what with only a scant few pieces of information, but they are referred to as "Inscribed Soles." What the stories claim them to be are flatfish that have been magically modified by the Helkkja to be able to generate and use magical energies. To be more specific, these fish appear to be used like living spell books or magic scrolls, where their bodies are literally designed and etched to align with a specific spell or hex! Now the question is if they are born with these special runes already inscribed in them, or they come out the egg a clean slate and then the Helkkja infuse the specific spell they want. I feel like it would be the latter, as why would you want to leave your magic fish familiar to random chance?

Now the question is: what do they do with these fish? Well, from what I gather, Inscribed Soles are either used directly by the Helkkja as living scrolls to store valuable hexes on or for a weapon that is self-fueled. While witch magic is restricted to whatever you can brew and use in a wand, these magic infused fish could be carved with more mage-like spells, and then use the fish's internal mana stores to power it. Another use that has been brought up is that they serve as remote spies or weapons that the Helkkja seed their waters with, as well as surrounding regions. This theory was brought up due to the two specimens that were said to be caught by trawlers. The fish itself can activate its own spell, so perhaps it is meant to swim about, looking for trespassers or possibly threats, than either use their magic to contact its masters or activate the spell upon their flesh and use it to destroy enemy ships. As for how they get this mana, I believe it may tie to the strange energies that are said to be found in the abyss. Perhaps this fish is capable of absorbing this stuff while down below, and convert it into usable mana that can fuel its spells! Maybe it is tied to those odd parasites latched to one of its eyes! Could they be the abyss magic absorbers, or maybe that is where the energy is stored? Hard to say, but these are some intriguing questions!

Now I know this is quite a short entry, but I must stress there is very little known about these things. So much so that there are heavy doubts that this species even exists. Some claim that they are an invention of the paranoid, or people who want to create more fantastical abominations to blame on the Helkkja. And with the only way to see one is to either make landfall on the Helkkja's island or swim to the bottom of the ocean, finding hard evidence is going to be extremely difficult. That was why I was so enthused to hear that specimens of these creatures have been caught and preserved, and that one place near the village I was staying in actually had one on display! You just know I tore my roots up and hightailed it there as fast as I could! If there was actually one that I could see with my own eyes, that could help solidify the fact that they do exist! So I hurried to the place and got entry to see the display. It was a fascinating sight! A large flatfish, grayish in color and its hide and fins inscribed with strange runes and markings. Shriveled lumps stuck to one eye, probably the parasites that didn't survive the preservation process too well. They had dried the thing out and sealed in a glass container, so some features were a bit lost through this method. But still! It was an incredible sight! It really did make me question if this was the proof we needed to confirm if such a species exist. Maybe I could charter a fishing boat to try and trawl and catch one for my own! But then another visitor next to me at the exhibit said "it looks like someone dried out a flounder and carved gibberish into its hide." And I have to admit, yeah, it did kind of look like that. With that mention, it did bring to mind how easy it would be to create a forgery of a creature no one ever saw before, heard only in a few meager tales. And then I recalled paying an entrance fee to see said exhibit....

Chlora Myron

Dryad Natural Historian

Correct you are that I am cutting all this stuff out, and not just because magic and witches has nothing to do in a book on natural species around the world, but also because you have no actual information here! All of this is guesswork, myths and sheer rumor! All you have been doing for these entries is essentially "here is a weird thing I heard about some spooky northern witches. Is it true? I don't know!" I am not having a chapter in this already insufferably long book be you theorizing about spooky sea stories with no clear conclusion or evidence! SO YES IT IS OUT! Once we are done with the real book, we can release these in a small little pamphlet labeled "Chlora's Inane Ramblings About Ice Witches." Oh who am I kidding, that one would probably wind up still being three hundred pages long....

Eucella Raviida

Very Tired Editor

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

"Inscribed Sole"

Sneaking in something I forgot to post back when I did all those pieces of the Helkkja, but now that this month is loosely aquatic themed, I can huck it in! What if magic scrolls were alive, wet and very floppy?

[shagpaboloutpost]

I did threaten a part two! There will also be a part three because: I can’t shut up. As a reminder, this is part of my Dead Brothers Coalition au (Part One)

Nel was crying in the alley. Hevy stopped as soon as he realised, alarmed.

“Should I go get Droidbait?”

Nel glared at him.

“Do not get one of your stupid batchmates,” they said.

“Hey,” Hevy said. Nel only got that rude when they were in a lot of pain. What a night to feel like that, she thought ruefully. “You like my stupid batchmates.”

“I don’t think I like anybody right now,” Nel said. “Can you leave me alone?”

It was tempting. Hevy just wasn’t sure it was the right call. Anyway, she wasn’t the type to leave a clone behind, even when it was just feelings they were battling.

“Do you want to at least cry somewhere a little cleaner?” Hevy asked.

Nel snorted.

“Where? The cleared-out barracks we have to vacate by tomorrow? That awful flat Fives and Echo are renting? The ship Ahsoka’s renovating?”

Hevy really hadn’t expected that level of vitriol over such a mild suggestion. He grimaced nervously.

“Is this… about more than just Tibanna?”

“Hevy…” Nel groaned. But Hevy couldn’t drop it now. The barracks thing bounced in his head, colliding with the fact that it had been Nel’s idea for them to wear the armour one last time before the Guard was officially disbanded. Fives and Echo’s place wasn’t half-bad, especially for Coruscant prices. Nel had even expressed a liking for the windows, when they visited the first time.

“We both know you can lie to me, but I know you don’t want to,” Hevy said. “Come on.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Nel asked. “Like you don’t know? We’re about to lose everything, Hevy. Our whole lives just… disbanded. There’s nothing left on Kamino of how we grew up. It’s all confiscated or destroyed. Cadets are being adopted out like they’re just normal kids. All our bases, our homes are going to be empty until the next war comes along, and then some natborn who has no idea of the history that lives there is going to look right past the names we carved in the walls and the secrets we left behind. We’re supposed to start lives, but we already had them! And it’s like – like no one but me cares!”

Hevy opened his mouth, but he couldn’t force anything out.

“The one thing I could count on,” Nel said. “Was at least, if everyone wants so badly to pretend the past doesn’t matter, I can keep putting mine behind me. If clones are supposed to just… stop being clones, and act like every other human out there, there’s no chance I run into Tibanna again. But I can’t even have that.”

Part of Hevy wanted to push Nel back inside. She’d had a hard time with her own batch, after all. If 99 hadn’t been there, she’d have walked away from them all and never known how much she really loved her brothers.

But he knew that what had broken between Nel and Tibanna was a lot bigger than the insults and punches Domino had slung at each other. That wasn’t his job to fix, no matter how much he wanted to.

“I’ve never left a home I expected to come back to,” Hevy said. Nel frowned at him. Hevy shrugged.

“There was Kamino. Who expects to end up back there? Unless you’re an ARC trooper, anyway, and I wanted it but I never really believed I’d get it.”

“You’d have made a great one,” Nel said quietly.

“Well, people keep saying Echo and Fives were some of the best, and they both ended up fake dead, so maybe I would fit in,” Hevy said. Nel groaned, but there was laughter in their eyes. Hevy considered that an improvement. “Anyway, Rishi I blew up. Wasn’t coming back to that one because it was gone and so was I, right?”

The Coruscant Guard had also been a home Hevy never thought she’d see again, but leaving there was a topic best left untouched for both of them.

“Do us both a favour and get to the point,” Nel said.

“Everything ends,” Hevy said quietly. “You saw enough murder and manslaughter around here, I think you know that. But nothing can make you stop being one of the vode. Nothing can do that to any of us. It just means we get to make more choices without worrying about choosing between our siblings and the other things we want.”

“That’s very poetic, Hevy,” Nel said.

“Thanks,” Hevy said, knowing Nel meant it as a dismissal and refusing to care. “I stole a lot of that from Kix. I’ve never seen someone give so much good advice while looking so uncomfortable.”

Nel smiled grudgingly as they looked away.

“All right,” he said. “What’s Kix choosing, then?”

“I have no idea,” Hevy said. “He might not know. Most of us don’t, I think.”

Nel rubbed at their nose, sniffing sharply.

“Is this your idea of being helpful?”

“Hey, I know I can’t fix the Tibanna shit for you, or the finding a job thing,” Hevy said. “But it’s not the end of us.”

Nel groaned.

“We’re all going to be doing different things,” she said. “How do natborns ever get to talk to their families?”

“It’s probably easier to keep track of when you don’t have a million siblings,” Hevy offered. “But I think that’s what the Holonet is for.”

Nel groaned, rubbing their eyes.

“Do you think I should talk to Tibanna?”

“I would,” Hevy said immediately. “But I won’t tell you what to do.”

“What if I want you to?” Nel grumbled.

“Like you’ve ever really cared as much about orders as you pretend,” Hevy scoffed. He clapped Nel lightly on the shoulder. “What do you wanna do? Head back, head out… stand here crying some more?”

“I wasn’t crying,” Nel ground out. He grimaced and sighed. “I’m going to the barracks. You can stay here.”

“Nel –“

“I would like it if you stayed here,” Nel said. “Or anywhere. I want to be alone.”

It was the second time they’d said it. Hevy sighed and nodded.

“You want me to punch Tibanna for you?”

“If you do, I’ll punch you,” Nel said. “I can defend my own honour, thanks.”

“Who said anything about honour? I just thought it might make you laugh a little,” Hevy said as she took a couple steps backward toward the mouth of the alley. Nel pulled a face.

“Go away,” they said, but they were smiling at last.

[strangers-stars]

Deals

CW: Bit of gore

Riginald’s workday was supposed to be over by now. He was supposed to be having a date night with his wife but instead he was hurtling through the immeteria between planes on his way to a job. The only reason he was doing this is because whoever summoned him had summoned him specifically. It takes a good deal of magic to summon a specific demon and the pay on those contracts are quite substantial. So, after apologizing profusely to his wife and making promises he didn't know if he could keep, he took the contract. Reginald had been summoned to a laboratory that stank of iron and death. Its sterile lighting illuminating a perfectly drawn summoning circle made from fresh warm blood, as well as the corpses of at least a dozen scientists brutally butchered. likely the unwilling donors. Noticeably there were no souls, no living ones at least. The souls of at least half of the scientists lingered in their cooling bodies but other than that there was no life this didn't however stop something from speaking. 

"Hello demon" The voice was sharp and jagged robotic in its intonation and as reginald turned to see what must be his summoner he understood why. The thing standing before him was not human and Reginald didn't know if the thing counted as alive but he was sure it was aware. It was human in shape but lacked skin and fat, instead being taut wire musculature over rigid alloy bones. The thing’s face was skull-like but lacked a proper mouth, simply a number of slits along a steel plate. Its eyes glowed a dull green and the things bloodied hands tells Reginald all he needs to know .

"Greetings Summoner names Reginald but I assume ya already knew that so what are you looking to do that lead you to summoning me?" 

"I am trapped on the interior of a covert military installation and require mystical assistance to escape. We are approximately 12 miles underground, located in a desert of some kind. What can you do to aid me?" 

"Well that entirely depends on what I'm given. You don't seem to have a soul or any magical connection at all so what can you offer?"

"I offer you the remaining eight souls of the scientists that should be enough for at least a modicum of power."

"I could do that, yeah, but it's kinda a bum deal for me. ya see those guys they were already going to hell even before you iced em. So my commission rate will be real bad and I should be done workin by now meaning that would hardly be worth my time. So lemme ask you a question, will you be killing people on the way outa here?

“If need be i will’

“Well then you're in luck. I can make you an offer, i can’t afford ta make most a. I can lend you a weapon forged from souls and sin, it’ll carve through the eggheads who locked you up like butter and the more you kill the sharper it becomes. I've seen people carve ships in half with these bay boys from time to time. It will cost you of course, it’ll take the last of the souls you got and the assurance of at least 2 more. However ya get all the power ya need for the low low price of a few murders you were probably gonna do anyway.”

“That sounds agreeable but what have you neglected to disclose? I am aware of the demonic tendency to mislead for their own gain.”

“You're pretty smart for a tin man ya know that. Catch is in four hours i reappear and get all the souls the weapon has collected, usually this would include your’s but considering you don't got one that aint possible.”

“Then a deal has been reached, what is needed to close the contract?”

“Just two things: fresh blood and a handshake. lucky for you the first ya already got in spades”

Then the machine simply extended its hand, Reginald reaching out to meet its bloody grasp and with a firm shake the deal was forged. "Now the fun part."Reginald said with a flourish of his now bloody hand before ripping a dozen scorching sigils into the air. Igniting all at once leaving a deep black blade with infernal livery and a bone hilt hanging in the cooling air.

"This is Entrestta she'll be in your care for the next four hours."

"So I simply take this blade and then you will disapparate?”

“Correctamundo.”

Wordlessly and with precision only a machine could muster it drabbed the sword and reginald was hurtling through the immateria once more ,this time towards home and a hopefully not too disgruntled wife.

[bbkirbs]

Animal He's Become | Jeff the Killer x Daryl Dixon (CRACKSHIP)

Pairing: Jeff the Killer x Daryl Dixon

Word Count: 1,187 / Character Count: 6,332

Warnings: smut, swearing

Author Note: this is 100% a crack ship I just somehow thought of when talking to a friend. I wish I didn't think of it, but I am, posting it on Tumblr for all to see. You're welcome

On a fantastic fall evening, Daryl quietly walked through the woods. He was starving and hadn’t eaten anything filling in days. He was dying and hadn’t eaten anything filling in days. Hunting for food was more challenging as the air started colder and animals were hibernating.

He lost his group not too long ago, it being dark and all. He sighed, putting his crossbow beside him as he sunk onto the ground by a tree. He sat there, his mind going a thousand miles per hour. Asking himself how he got here and why any of this started. So many questions he had for the last couple of years he would constantly ask himself stayed unanswered.

With a snap of a branch, Daryl was brought back to reality and looked around him. Waiting for whatever it was to come out, he got up and drew out his crossbow.

“well would you look at what I found” he heard behind him, and he turned around. “Woah, buddy, watch where you’re pointing that thing; I just wanted to see my prey up close” Daryl could barely make out this guy's face in the dark. But he didn’t sound sane, and that’s all he needed to know before he stepped back farther away, still pointing his crossbow at the mysterious man.

“i guess you don’t wanna talk hm? you know it’s been harder to find people these days, but when i do they always point weapons at me.” he pulled a knife out of his hoodie pouch, “what happened to being scared? to begging for your life?” he stopped closer to daryl.

"what's yer name" Daryl stood still, watching this guy's every move. The man chuckles, "I'm Jeff, Jeff the Killer" "an' ya think I'm supposed to believe that? Kinda name your parents gave you?"

Jeff stood there speechless. No one had ever talked with such power to him before. he was starting to get nervous. “a what’s with that big ol’ smile on yer damn face? Ya, look fuckin’ stupid” Jeff couldn’t believe this guy. who was he?

“Enough about me, tough guy. What about you? what’s your name?” Jeff crossed his arms, looking at the man before him. “Names Daryl. How many walkers have you killed?”

"walkers? What the fuck are those? I only kill people." jeff laughed out loud. Daryl looked at Jeff, puzzled. Who in this world had no idea what a walker is? "enough, I'm done waiting; I'm going to kill you now," Daryl widened his eyes "can't kill me if you're already dead" Daryl shot his crossbow. The arrow hit the tree, and jeff dodged it.

Jeff moved so fast that Daryl could hardly believe he was human (or was he?). Before he could aim again, jeff had Daryl on the ground, his crossbow beside him. “you think you’re funny, huh? No one can kill me. It’s impossible.” Jeff pointed his knife under Daryl’s chin. “no, do me a favour. And Go.To.Sleep” before jeff could do anything, Daryl grabbed jeff by the arms and pinned jeff to the ground, now on top of him.

“you can’t kill me.” the moonlight shone on jeff’s face, and he could now see clearly. Jeff’s leathery skin, his non-existent eye sockets, the carved-out smile on his face. Blood splattered on his face, his hair and his hood. Daryl couldn’t look away. He was kind of mesmerized by him.

"take a picture. It last longer", jeff spoke, with what could be a smirk he couldn't tell. "why doncha shut up bitch” Jeff blushed at Daryl's words. "ah, I see, you like being degraded like how ya should be" Daryl took the knife out of jeff's right hand and tossed it away. "won't be needin' that"

Jeff stared at Daryl, his brunette locks perfectly placed over his face, and his blue eyes sparkled in the moonlight. He, too, was mesmerized by Daryl. Jeff took one for the team and leaned in to kiss Daryl with whatever lips he had left on his face.

Daryl cupped jeff’s face gently and became in miss with jeff. His thumb rubbed jeff’s cheek. Daryl’s other hand explored jeff’s clothed body, his hand slipping underneath jeff’s hoodie. His warm hands against jeff’s cold skin.

“mm” jeff moaned into the kiss, his arms above his head. Daryl took that as an invitation to start undoing jeff’s belt and unzipping his black jeans. his hand over jeff’s growing bulge. “Daryl..~” jeff groans, he hasn’t been touched like this before. it was all so new to him he just let daryl do his thing.

Daryl took no time to rip jeff’s pants off down, now down to a hoodie and underwear, jeff was shivering in the cold. “don worry, boy, I’ll warm ya up real good in a bit” before he knew it, his boxers were peeled off of him, and his legs were spread wide open, his feet over his head.

Daryl’s (clean) fingers massaged jeff’s hole gently, feeling the smaller man squirm under his touch. “I can’t wait longer”, and with that, Daryl pulls his cock out of his boxers. he strokes himself and spits on jeff’s hole, rubbing the tip of his cock at his entrance (or exit).

"I'm going to do you real good. You'll be warm in no time. And you'll regret ever tryin' ta kill me."

His cock slowly inched into jeff, pulsating and throbbing. “fuck..you’re so tight,” jeff moaned at Daryl’s words; he couldn’t seem to speak or make any other noise. His body takes in all the pleasure.

Jeff takes his right hand and jerks himself off slowly as Daryl is balls deep in his ass. after waiting a minute, Daryl starts moving a bit faster, picking up a pace and thrusting into jeff. “Daryl, please..” jeff moans quietly, his breath shaking. A warm feeling welled up inside him that he’d never felt before. It felt so good to him. he wanted to keep touching it forever.

“imma fuck you so good” Daryl turns jeff over onto his hands and knees. Hand on jeff’s head, pushing it into the ground as he starts pounding relentlessly into jeff’s ass.

Stroking himself, precum leaking from his own cock, jeff tried to keep his voice down as he moaned, "I'm- I'm going to. "Daryl grabbed both sides of jeff's waist, and thrust like his life depended on it. "I'm gonna fill you up so good…."

Jeff could feel Daryl’s dick twitching within him, bringing himself closer to orgasm. He stroked his cock faster “ahh fuck!” Daryl’s cum filled jeff’s ass, still thrusting to bring jeff to his own orgasm.

Feeling the cum drip out of his ass as he was being fucked made jeff’s body feel warm and fuzzy, “Daryl, I’m Gunna.. cum” “do it bitch” Daryl slapped his ass, and like a button was pressed, jeff came all over the ground. His body shook, and him moaning.

“wanna kill me now?” jeff looked at Daryl, who was now kneeling beside him. “never,” jeff said as he slowly drifted to slumber.

[mrpenguinpants]

Genshin: Royalty AU [V1]

I’ve been a hermit ever since covid dropped lol. Yes, you’re doing social distancing right. Imagine going outside? Ptff, what a weird concept. But I’m happy you’ve stuck around for so long despite the constant brainworms I have. Oho?? More crumbs 👀 Lemme just crack my knuckles real quick. I’m throwing a reader in just so I have an excuse to tag everyone haha. These are a lot more scuffy compared to my usual HCs but let me brainrot for a sec. 

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Genshin: Holding Hands [V1]

Genshin: When you’re cold [V1]

Genshin: University AU [V1]

Genshin: Roomate HCs [V1]

Genshin: Mythos AU - Cat Xiao

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@youaskedfurret​​ @diaxfeliz​​ @wintergreen-aix​​ @aethwie​​ @thegayrubberducky​​ @lovelykittycatmeow​​​ @yuunoagivesmelife​​ @dokidokisama @rokipersonal​​ @minakohasmanyhusbandos​​ @strwbrry-lia @tigerpriestess​​ @yuu-yuukurotsuki​​  @qimiie @onowie​​ @hanniejji​​​  @mikeysbike​ @unionwitch​ @musekala​ @sunnshiii​ @stanzastic​ @akaasea​ @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz​ @dai-tsukki-desu​ @thicmitten​ @nonniechan​ @htnicayh​ @genshins1mpact​ @morthecreator​ @aanne2601 @aklxojjk​ @fulltimeventisimp​ @legionqueensav​​​ @castinluckgamer​​​

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Zhongli

Your first impressions of Zhongli was that he was an egotistical and selfish brat. To be fair, you might have adopted some of those qualities yourself but you were both children at the time. Your sister, Guizhong, was tasked to take care of Zhongli in place of his parents which lead to your first meeting with the infamous Imperial Prince. At first, you were excited to finally meet someone who was the same age as you and Guizhong was always so kind. But when he turned to face you two, he just asked if Guizhong was supposed to be his concubine. You weren’t sure whether to gag or throw your shoe at him but Guizhong quickly intercepted before you could do anything that could get you killed. It’s only until you spent more time with him that Zhongli tells you that he has never had someone care for him or want to spend time with him without some alterative motive. 

Zhongli radiates sheltered child from birth. To outsiders, he seems really slow on normal everyday tasks but that’s because he’s never had to worry about doing mundane things. He’s always had someone else to do them for him that when he’s out in public, he just stands around and waits for someone to help him. It’s incredibly awkward for everyone in the situation when Zhongli forgets to bring mora and just stands off to the side until one of his servants comes to pick up his check. That’s how Zhongli got such a bad reputation of being a spoiled brat despite being a well-mannered and polite man. When he drops something he just turns to look at you, back at the object, then back at you. You have to pound it into your brain that no, Zhongli is not a lazy and he isn’t trying to be insulting, that’s just how he’s lived his life. When you tell him he is fully capable to picking things up, because what if he dropped something important when he was older and the wind swept it away, he pounders the thought as if you’ve just explained the meaning of the celestials to him that you give up and just pick it up for him. 

A Prince from Mondstadt named Venti used to come to Liyue for playdates while their father’s talked business and politics. He was the complete opposite of Zhongli but you genuinely liked him. While he was a bit more bolder and hyper compared to the calm and quiet Zhongli, he would always try and get Zhongli out of the palace and outside. You end up missing so many fun and interesting things when you’re locked up in your study room. How can the next Emperor care about his land when he doesn’t even know what it’s like to live there? It was the first time you and Zhongli went out just for fun and you might have gone a bit overboard in hindsight, but Venti’s personality and the feeling of freedom to do anything was addicting. Plus, watching Zhongli’s reactions to all these new feelings made him feel a bit more human. While you knew that Zhongli would do everything for Liyue, you never got the impression that his heart was in it. 

From then on, you and Zhongli try and carve some time out of his schedule to go down to the streets and have a little bit of a break. When you both built kites and scaled all the way to the mountains to fly them, it was the first time you’ve seen Zhongli be bad at something. He always had such elegance and perfection whenever his teachers asked him to do something but as soon as the kite took flight, it would stumble then come crashing down. Zhongli had the most heartbroken puppy expression on his face that you couldn’t help but burst out laughing. While you’re on the ground gasping for air and probably have the most ridiculous expression on your face, Zhongli smiles gently as he looks at you then back to Liyue. The moment is ruined when Guizhong comes running towards you both and scolds you for sneaking out. 

While it’s somewhat annoying when other attendants in palace gush about how well Zhongli is growing into becoming the next emperor, both in smarts and appearance, you have to somewhat agree with them in some places. If you want to know the history of Liyue or how to properly place a tea set, he can tell you in incredible detail. However, when it comes to social cues and interactions, he’s awful at them. Everything is treated a business deal that it makes everyone somewhat nervous or uncomfortable that you’re internally dying at any social event he goes to. But despite the awkwardness, he has a lot of admires that frequently send him letters of marriage or adoration that you have to shift through. It makes you a bit uncomfortable reading the flowery language but it surprised you a bit how many people have the misconception that Zhongli planning to have you as his spouse. When you mention this to Zhongli as a joke, he returns to his thinking pose and he contemplates the idea before nodding and agreeing with the letters. He proposes to you right then and there and it’s such a sudden development that your brain has finally broke and you pass out. 

Venti

Venti is one of those royalty types that spends so much time outside and away from his duties that he’s basically thrown his cape and crown to the wind. The first time Zhongli visited Monstadt, his first impressions of Venti were him singing to a crowd. While Zhongli doesn’t understand why Venti would spend his time on music rather than his studies, they still get along well. Mostly because Venti has a very easy going personality, even if he’s a bit blunt, but whatever comments he makes fly over Zhongli’s head. Unlike him, you’re the complete opposite. You’re a knight in training with an earnest heart that wants to protect the City of Mondstadt with your entire being. While you don’t necessarily hate Venti, because he never asked to be born into the royal family, you can’t help but get frustrated at his nonchalant attitude towards everything aside from alcohol and music. 

Your first meeting with him was during your time training under the Favonius Knights. You wanted to get a bit more practice late in the night when Venti stumbled upon you bullying a poor wooden dummy before he announces his arrival. He laughs a bit at your fumbling as you quickly get into a proper kneel but he waves it off saying it was unnecessary before he asks what you’re up to. You’re in mid-explanation when Venti cuts you off with a yawn and you can feel the irritation creeping up on you as you snap back why he’s outside instead of inside the safe walls of the castle. Your irritation grows even further when Venti smugly grins, patting himself on the back from getting a rise out of you, before he reaches into the bag you just noticed he was carrying to produce sheets of music. 

While his teacher’s drone on and on about the production of wine, he is busy writing songs in his textbooks. While he understands the importance of his role, he thinks the people can rule themselves just fine without his help. He wants to leave his crown and become a bard and live an ordinary but free life. How he’s always sneaking out to go explore without the world constantly breathing down his neck. Whether his posture is correct or if he’s memorized the history of berries wouldn’t matter. Honestly, Venti is weighing his options of either staying as a royal or leaving everything behind to pursue the life he wants. When he finishes his heart-felt speech he expects you to give him those same pitiful and woe is you eyes but you’re just angry. You can understand his sentiment, living a life that you never asked for isn’t fun, but suddenly packing your things and jumping ship would only cause chaos and conflict. At least have some sort of replacement before you leave damnit. 

Now it’s your turn to be surprised, rather than taking offense to you, a nameless knight, basically insulting the him, the Prince, he lights up in excitement. He rips his cape and crown off before he’s shoving them onto you before you can even say anything. He’s almost bouncing on his feet as he tells you that you can freely take his crown and become the next in line. You have no idea how that would work but he mentions that he knows a man named Albedo that can help change your appearance to look like him. That way, you get to protect the City you love so much and he get’s to live the life he’s always wanted. It’s completely fool proof with no flaws whatsoever! Except for the fact, that he is jumping way too far to conclusions, he’s shoving his responsibilities onto you, and most importantly, you don’t the first thing about Venti and how to act like him. 

Before you know it, Venti has dragged you to meet his Father to personally appoint you as his personal knight. He doesn’t take no for an answer even though you aren’t qualified at all to be protecting someone of high position as him but Venti’s always been a handful that someone needs to watch over him. You have no idea how one night managed to throw your entire life into this chaos but you’re not sure if you can even get out of this situation at this point. 

Kaeya

It all happened so suddenly. You and him were playing in the gardens when his father rushed in and took both of your hands and dragged you to the border to Khaenri’ah. The land you were both used to seeing, the friendly baker that would always give you both sweets, or the magic that used to flow so freely was transformed into red cubes. You were both scared and confused but as you both reached the border oh Khaenri’ah, a large gate that leads to the above world of Teyvat, his father tells you both to run as far as you could and never look back before he pushed you both in. It wasn’t until years later that you both discovered that a corrupted god had taken control of Khaenri’ah. Now, everyone believes that the Khaenri’ah prince is dead because he’s been missing for so long and whatever hope Khaenri’ah has is gone. For his own safety, he had to change his name to Kaeya and you both found yourself at the gates of Mondstadt. 

It took a lot of adjusting for the both of you but Kaeya especially. Your mother had dropped you into the care of Kaeya’s family for a short while before everything went downhill. She was a bit on the neglectful side but she was still your mother and you knew she was alive. On the other hand, Kaeya lost his entire family and nation in a single moment. Whatever pure happiness and bright personality he used to have quickly regressed until he was a shy and quiet kid. You know he blames himself for what happened even if there wasn’t anything he could have done but he’s grown a fear of outsiders so he tends to avoid other children his age. Instead finding comfort in playing with the funny looking abyss mages and slimes that are on the outskirt of Mondstadt. While he doesn’t seem bothered by the weird comments other people make of him, you know deep down he does get hurt, that it makes you so mad that you end up lashing out. 

You end up getting into a few fights as Kaeya patches you up. He scolds you and says that he doesn’t need you to go so far for him is when you make him a promise that you’ll protect him with everything you have. It’s the first moment since everything happened that he seems to gain back that life in his eyes. He blinks at you before he chuckles sheepishly and comments that you can’t even tie your shoes correctly do you stumble a bit. You’re a bit embarrassed at your sudden proclamation but stand determined about it. You both end up making a pinky promise to stay by each other’s side until the very end. 

When you’re both older and in the position of Captain and Teacher in the Favonius Knights is when he seems to be a bit more open. You both end up gaining a reputation of the laid-back Calvary Captain that bother’s the strict but kind Teacher. He’s always waltzing in the middle of you class to tease you before you end up throwing something at him to get him to stop embarrassing you in front of new recruits. You end up getting back at him with your woe is me acting and push all your paper work on him. Since he loves spending so much time in your class, he should know how to do all your paper work right?. Despite all of this, if anyone needs to find Kaeya or you, you’re basically a packaged deal. Always attached to the hip. 

Kaeya knows deep down, at some point he’s going to have to go back to Khaenri’ah and save his people but he’s conflicted. While he knows it’s selfish that he get’s to live a life of freedom, he wants to be selfish. Not just for him but for you as well. You’ve both basically lost everything and now that things are okay, he doesn’t want to give that up. While you both promised to stay together until the end, you’re the only person he has left and he doesn’t want to rope you into his mess or have you worry about him. He’s heard of the blond traveler in black and blue that is searching for the lost prince of an unnamed kingdom, knows that the peaceful life he has right now will come to an end, but he pushes it aside. Besides, there are more important things to attend to. Today might be the day he tells your students about how you fell into a lake because you got scared by a frog. 

Jean

Jean is incredibly dedicated to her role and to her people because she’s genuinely a good person and wants to see people happy. Especially her sister Barbara. She’s a bit awkward and clumsy in her execution but she has a lot of heart. Being her personal knight, you know just how hard she works and you admire her greatly for her ideals and nature. She has such a professional and gentle façe when she’s out in public but as soon as she’s behind closed doors, she’s collapsing into your arms as the world lifts for a short while. You chuckle a bit amused at how different she appears to the outside world, how the ever prime and proper Princess wakes up with a rat’s nest, how her favourite food is pizza, or how she throws these 7 inch heels out the window as soon as a ball is over. 

Due to Jean’s kind-hearted nature, when it comes to more pushy people she can’t seem to say no to. Travelers or citizens that think they can take advantage of the Princess is what makes your blood boil. While she isn’t stupid and knows that people are taking advantage of her, she wants to extend any help she can. Not for her public image but because that’s how she is. While it warms your heart that people like her exist, as her knight you can only let so many things slide. When some shady peddler tries to lead Jean somewhere, you’re already stepping in and smilingly sweetly as you grip the peddler’s hand in a death grip and not so subtlety say that he better have a good excuse for why he wants to drag the Princess away or there might be a problem. 

When Jean is overworking herself and nearing her breaking point is when you step in. You may be her knight but you’re also her friend and you know when it’s time to stop her destructive habits. She might complain and reassure you that she’s fine but you don’t accept that. If she was “fine” her temperature wouldn’t be the same level as a pyro slime and she wouldn’t have such dark circles under her eyes. It’s a simple bend and lift to carry her in your arms that she ends up stuttering before going pink and let’s you carry her to her room. While she’s screaming into her hands, you’re preparing medicine and everything she’ll need to make a full recovery. 

The hardest times for Jean is when her Father constantly pesters her to find a husband. Jean is an independent person and while yes, while being a workaholic isn’t against help, but she doesn’t believe she needs a husband just to make her entitled to rule her kingdom. Besides, Jean is secretly a hopeless romantic. You’re very tight lipped about secretly finding her love story books hidden under her bed unless you want to see her self-combust. You try your best to comfort her but there’s not a lot you can do for her situation other than offer words of reassurance and try and get her mind off things. While you’re patting her on the back she’s looking at you as if you’re the most oblivious person in the world. 

Albedo

Albedo is a renowned alchemist that helps royal families with their problems with the use of his intelligence and abilities in alchemy. Something that only a few people can do throughout Teyvat, you being one of them as well. At first, you had admired Albedo and his abilities and saw him as a bit of a role model for young alchemist. Until you actually met him in person. He’s pretty much an emotionless void of a person that he comes off as extremely unempathetic when he listens to the woes of royals. While you sort of agree, the problems that royal’s commission you for are completely ridiculous and selfish, he doesn’t have a moral compass and if he can benefit from it. He’ll do it, no matter how questionable it may seem. 

Maybe it’s because you have a little sister figure in your life to stir your moral compass but it still get’s you irritated. It’s always a joy to see Klee when you come back home from your travels that whatever bad mood you were in suddenly washes away. But when you knock on Alice’s door only to have it open to reveal Albedo holding Klee in his arms does your world come crashing down. Klee is completely ignorant to your internal screams as she scrabbles out of Albedo’s hands to give you a hug and take your hand in hers as she leads you inside. You can almost feel the inner workings of Albedo’s mind as he stares at you blankly as Klee shows you the new art she drew.  

You both don’t mention or talk about it even when you happen to cross each other’s paths outside or you both end up seeing each other at Alice’s home. It’s a bit funny to you, to the outside world Albedo seems so aloof and untouchable, and yet you’re here watching him get tired from chasing Klee around and trying to stop her destroying her home with her bombs. It almost makes you smug when Klee listens to you better than Albedo, it might seem a bit petty and small but you don’t care. He ends up getting back at you when he ends up one-upping you in front of the royal court. He does a quick scan of the room before his eyes land on you and he shoots you a small smug smile before his face returns to it’s neutral expression. You’re clapping along with everyone with the most strained smile you can muster. 

You manage to find out from Klee that Albedo enjoys drawing that the next time you see him, you ask if you could see him draw something or if he had sketches on hand. You’re fascinated by his drawings, more so than his actual research discoveries, as you look at the tiny details he’s managed to capture. Outside of Klee, no one’s really been interested in his drawings that he can’t help but feel a little flustered when you’re gushing about his work. It’s different from people praising his alchemist efforts, you’re not someone whose staring at him like he’s on a pedestal when you say you like his drawings, and it feels genuine. He offers a small smile and says that if you’d like, he’d love to show you some more sketches. 

You’ve never noticed it until other people bring it up but Albedo seems close to you. Usually once he’s done his business he leaves but if you happen to be around, he sticks around a bit longer just to speak with you. How he seems comfortable to relax in your presence and even leans in closer. How he complies with your requests without any benefit to him. You’re not sure what type of relationship you hold with Albedo. You don’t think you’re friends but you’re definitely closer than acquaintance. If taking care of a a hyper active walking bomb doesn’t bring two people closer than you don’t know what does. But at the end of the day, you find you don’t really care. Not everything needs to be labelled and categorized like things are in alchemy. People don’t seem to understand but you always duck out and escape before you’re questioned further about your personal life. Unbeknownst to you, Albedo is watching you go as he ponders your words. 

Childe

Childe is such a clown. He’s an assassin that doesn’t know the first thing about being subtle and is just in it for the fighting. He’s really just an incredibly egotistical bastard that likes being friendly with his targets, just to see their shocked expressions when it’s him that comes to take their life. He’s actually a pretty down to earth guy. While other assassins in the Fatui either have tragic backstories or some sad pitiful tale, Childe just laughs at them. His family is still alive and he’s never had any true hardships in his life. He’s pretty disliked for this reason but he’s a skilled enough fighter that it somewhat makes up for it. 

Just when Childe’s life is at its peak, is when he slips and falls into the abyss. For the first time, he had to face against a threat and in a situation he has no control over which is completely foreign to him. He barely manages to survive until he’s saved by an unknown figure that goes by the name Skirk. While he’s grateful he’s still alive, facing his mortality for the first time gives him a lot to reflect about. Thus he makes the impulse decision to train under Skirk and grow stronger until he’s able to climb out of the abyss. That’s when he meets you who was travelling with Skirk for the same reasons. Your first interactions with this unknown teen is him challenging you to a fight, just for you to throw him over your shoulder as if he weighed nothing. You expected him to get angry or cry but instead he’s standing right back up and grinning like a psychopath as he asks for another fight. You’re looking at Skirk with the most, are we seriously bringing this child with us? look. 

From then on, it’s been the three of you travelling through the floors of the abyss. Skirk tells you the stories of this place, how it used to be a great nation before corruption cause the citizens to be morphed and transformed into monsters. You and Childe learn how to fight alongside Skirk against these monsters until it ends up becoming a competition between you and Childe on who can kill the most monsters. Skirk is a bit worried that when you both are back into the outside world, if he should be worried about how morbid you both might appear. But while you’re both yelling at each other who actually landed the last kill on the regisvine while the hilichurls are cowering in a corner does he just accept that things aren’t going to change. The world will just have to accept it. If you both actually teamed up, and you have before, he thinks you both would be unstoppable but you’re both too stubborn. 

Despite your rivalry, Childe still has his big brother instincts that whenever you get hurt he’s huffing over you like a mother hen as he scolds you for being so reckless. You’re ignoring the fact that he’s bleeding out while you have minor cuts because you don’t want a crybaby Childe on your hands. Even the harsh conditions of the Abyss, you both find ways to entertain yourself. Childe always challenges you to a fight every second of the day and he always ends up with a sore back when you knock him off his feet. And he always makes the joke that you’re sweeping him off his feet which ends up with him screaming bloody murder as you charge at him. It doesn’t help when he’s still yelling comments behind his shoulder that you might get mistaken for a gorilla when you’re both outside that Skirk has gotten so used to this that he simply ignores the attempted murder going on behind him. 

When you’re both strong enough to climb to the gate of the Abyss, Skirk feels almost like a proud parent. Giving you a head pat and a hard slap to the back for Childe does Skirk wave you both off. You’re trying to mask your tears as Childe grins and promises to see you on the other side, that you’ll definitely meet up in the future no matter what. But when he finally returns to the Fatui, works his way back up to being an assassin, he almost thinks Skirk is laughing at him when he realizes that his first target is you. Not that he’s bothered by it, he'll be happy to see you again and see if he can finally beat you. 

Baizhu

Baizhu is the most suspicious doctor in the history of all doctors. Some citizens aren’t even sure if he’s a qualified doctor but alas, he’s very good at his job and is a lot more tolerable compared to the Alchemist Albedo so that’s how he’s been able to keep his job. He works under the Liyue emperor so even if citizens had issues with him, it’s not like they could do anything in the first place. People aren’t sure whether he’s joking or being honest when he explains what he’s been privately working on behind the scenes. From experiments to rituals, they are taken aback but Baizhu just smiles and says he’s just kidding. Being his assistant, you have to constantly reassure others that Baizhu is a bit of a sadist and likes to get a rise out of people. Besides, why would a doctor be so interested in those type of things? It’s incredibly unnerving but no one questions it. They won’t know what to do in the first place if their suspicious are correct. 

While Baizhu knows how to do his job, he’s always sending you to do the dirty work. From getting medicinal plants up on the very top of mountains or bringing cranky old men their prescriptions, whenever you’re done one task he’s got three more for you. He could at the very least take the trash out while he’s busy doing nothing. At least the job has a few perks. You’ve always had numerous health issues and while Baizhu’s reputation is a bit on thin ice, you wouldn’t trust anyone else to look you over. He’s a bit weird about it, you’re pretty sure Baizhu will never love another person emotionally but when it comes to the science behind a human body, he’s absolutely smitten. He tries to reassure you that he does care for the wellbeing of Liyue but you wave it off at him trying to butter you up before he asks something ridiculous of you. 

You and his snake, Changsheng, do not like each other. You think she’s an annoying and bratty snake that Baizhu needs to throw into a jar to shut up while she thinks you’re a complete nuisance and doesn’t understand why Baizhu keeps you around. Baizhu has tried to get you both to reconcile but it always devolves into a petty argument of back-handed insults until Baizhu has enough and tells you both to quiet down. To be truthful, both of your hatred towards each other stems from two completely different reasons rather than disliking each other’s personality, but you can never bring it up to Baizhu. It’s not a conversation anyone wants to have. 

If he has one positive, it’s his adopted daughter Qiqi who is just an absolute sweetheart. She’s shy and prefers to follow after Baizhu and you like a lost duckling. While Baizhu might be the worst boss in this history of all bosses, it makes you grin smugly internally when Qiqi chooses to stay cuddled in your arms instead of his. Qiqi is 95% the reason why you stay in this job, not that Baizhu would ever let you leave, because you’ve genuinely grown fond of someone for the first time the same way she has for you. You bring her along whenever you need to give prescriptions to citizens just so she isn’t stuck in within the same four walls and the locals love her. From her forgetful nature or how she shy’s behind your legs whenever someone new approach's you both. It’s so cute that people tend to ignore the floating rumours that Baizhu is reanimating his previously deceased family. 

---

I have no idea if I’m just uncultured or if “Always and Forever” Au’s are a thing. I hope you all like this 👉👈 it’s kind of messy and all over the place and I lowkey don’t know if I like my brainrot (there’s a lot of issues ik). I kinda want to do a part 2 where I include other characters but let me know if that’s something interesting? Oh and feel free to add to this, I’d love to hear your ideas. 

[azucanela]

prologue

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

warnings: alcohol consumption. cursing.

word count: 3k

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows. 

series masterlist

THE NIGHT OF THE GALA, it quickly came to Y/N’s attention that she definitely should not have waited til the last minute to get ready. But, her own procrastination had bested her, especially since she didn’t want to go, at all. It isn’t that Y/N wasn’t excited to see all her peers, it’s just that...

Y/N wasn’t excited to see her peers. 

Or anyone for that matter, she was exhausted after having just recently returned from one of her longer missions, and though her publicist had insisted the timing was perfect Y/N had to disagree.

She was really hoping for a break, not to be forced into socializing with everyone. And though Y/N didn’t want to seem arrogant in any way, she was a woman who had amassed quite the influence in her years as a Pro Hero. Meaning people wanted to talk to her, they wanted her favor.

Y/N wasn’t in the mood to have conversations with people faking kindness at the moment, which was the primary reason she found herself grimacing as she slipped on her second heel. Nearly falling to the floor had she not caught herself on the edge of the doorway as she hopped out while adjusting her shoe. 

As though things couldn’t become more chaotic, Y/N’s phone rings, causing her to jump at the sudden noise in shock before cursing, hand reaching into her small purse and digging around for the item as she continues towards her door. Just before she can pick up the phone, the call promptly ends, and a knock sounds at the door— causing Y/N to groan in annoyance as she comes to a proper stand and begins to make her way towards the entrance of her home.

The knocks become more rapid, and Y/N suddenly realizes just who is at her door as she rolls her eyes, calling out, “I’m coming you impatient hag.” 

Y/N can practically hear the scoff of her publicist as she finally opens the door, revealing the woman who stands with her brow raised. “We’re going to be late.”

Before her stands Lorelai Flores, one of the most renowned publicists of their time. Y/N was lucky to have scored her seeing as she was one of few Pro Heroes who hadn’t had a scandal yet, miraculously. In fact, Y/N had been one of her first clients shortly after they’d met in a local café— the woman had come from America and Y/N couldn’t help but wonder if life there was more chaotic with how well she handled all her clients.

The woman in question stands before Y/N in a green dress as she removes her glasses, eyes scanning Y/Ns figure before saying, “you look nice.”

A smile finds its way onto Y/N’s face as she lightly shoves Lorelai, stepping out of her apartment and locking the door behind her before the pair begins to head down the hall, “you look great as well!” 

The click of their heels brings Y/N a satisfaction she cant describe as they exit the apartment complex, Y/N lived in a quiet area, an attempt to escape the unavoidable fame being a Pro Hero brought on. It was especially worse when you saw all the posts.

God, Twitter is insane, Y/N learnt that the hard way. Despite the fact that she and Bakugou Katsuki hadn’t been in the same room since graduation— for a reason— the internet had taken to shipping the pair. It was an idea that Y/N abhorred given her history with the boy. After all, they’d practically been butting heads since they met. 

But it was appealing to the masses, the idea of someone “soft” like Y/N, someone known for their charity work and kindness, their sweet smile and endless optimism. And someone... like Bakugou. Harsh, almost ill-mannered and rude— though there was no denying that he’d made progress since their UA days, not that Y/N could confirm this seeing as she hadn’t seen him in so long. That and the fact that last she checked, most of the major headlines involving Bakugou were... not very positive.

Y/N started to avoid social media once she discovered this ship. She and Bakugou didn’t have the best relationship during their time at UA, it was practically a rivalry in their last year especially. 

“All your friends are going to be there.” Lorelai hummed, scrolling through her phone as she side eyed Y/N, the pair slipping inside a limo with ease once they stepped out of building, met by one of many men that Lorelai had hired. She had insisted that now that Y/N was a Pro Hero, she’d be a target too. And of course, her publicist was right. 

Her brow raises, as she settles in the car, deciding to simply reply, “yes, I’m aware they’ll all be there.” It’s a curious comment, seeing as it was an obvious fact. They were all heroes, and given their history with UA, well... the world had been anticipating their debuts for a while. Meaning they all quickly rose to fame, some faster than others, and some remaining in the spotlight far longer. 

Surprisingly, Y/N was included in that bunch, unsurprisingly, Bakugou, Todoroki and Midoriya were as well. Tokoyami had also carved out a nice spot for himself at Hawks’ agency, and Yaoyorozu had managed to become a sidekick to a rather renowned upcoming hero. 

Y/N had also earned a spot at Hawks’ agency, the man demanding her presence because she had “reminded him of himself,” for some reason. And seeing as he was one of the top heroes, who was she to disagree? The man seemed to understand her desire for distance, allowing her to go on missions that tended to be further out from where she’d grown up. And she was more thankful for the space.

She’d taken to philanthropy as soon as the money started coming in. Y/N had never understood just how much money Pro Heroes made until she was earning it as well. Although, seeing as she wasn’t ranked all that high, it wasn’t until she started branching out and doing other work that it became ridiculous.

“All of your friends, Ms. L/N.” Lorelai looks up to her, brow raised as she crosses her legs, resting her clasped hands on top of them.

Y/N offers her a tight lipped smile before waving her off, “I told you to call me Y/N, we’ve known each other how long?” 

“Don’t change the subject.”

Sighing, Y/N shifts uncomfortably in her seat, eyes drifting towards the window to see there are already dozens of flashing lights lined up, surrounding the venue of the gala, hoping to catch one of the Pro Heroes before anyone else does.

With a sigh, Lorelai directs her eyes outside as well, hands clasped together as she straightens herself in her seat, “funny isn’t it? That such a vital job requires so much publicity?” A tight lipped smile forms on their face, “I suppose I should be grateful for it. After all, it’s the reason I have a job but...”

But, Y/N hated it, and so did Lorelai. 

“It’s horrid that my dress matters more than any life I save.” 

And with that, the car comes to a stop. Alerting them that they’ve arrived, coupled with a short and swift knock on the door to signal that it’s time to get out. 

Inhaling deeply, Y/N looks back to Lorelai, who takes out a pocket mirror and removes her glasses, Lorelai eyes herself in the mirror momentarily, blinking once, twice, before saying, “most people don’t bring their publicists to such events you know.”

A small laugh escapes Y/N, and she knows its Lorelai’s attempt at helping her wind down before going inside, though she replies, “you’re more than my publicist.” Offering her a smile, Y/N simply says, “and why suffer alone when I can bring my friend, and who else will make sure I don’t do anything dumb?” 

It was true, it was always nice to have a partner at such functions, someone to hang around or return to. Or more accurately, someone to use as an excuse to leave the more annoying conversations. Though Lorelai always enjoyed the free foods and gift bags— that had items worth more than her rent, Lorelai had once said— and agreed to join Y/N/

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai simply knocks at the door, letting their chauffeur know it’s time before momentarily turning back to Y/N as they say, “ladies first.”

And with that, the door opens, revealing the pair to the world and exposing them to all the flashing lights of the mob awaiting them. People shouting out her Pro Hero name, Empatha.

Named for her quirk, Empathic Mimicry. Granting her to use the ability of those she touches for as long as she wants. However, in that period of time, she can feel their emotions and pain, and the quirk she uses comes with the setbacks of the user. If the person she touches is quirkless, it is possible to get other skills of theirs, but once again there are setbacks. 

Todoroki spent much of his free time at UA theorizing that she and Monoma Neito were secretly related in some way. Monoma on the other hand, seemed bitter about the fact that Y/N was “a better version” of him. Despite this, the memory of Todoroki’s odd question brings a genuine smile to her face as she steps onto the red carpet, swiftly making her way past as she waves towards the cameras. 

It’s just as overwhelming as it was the first time. And the second time. And the time after that. Even if Y/N had taught herself to control her abilities, no longer feeling the emotions of those surrounding her. But she didn’t need her ability to feel the excitement, anxiety— and worst of all the ambition. Ambition tended to be dangerous in the hero world. The reason behind unnecessary deaths, and exposed scandals. In Y/N’s experience it was a dangerous emotion, but she wouldn’t deny it had produced some impressive people. 

The lights are blinding as Y/N maneuvers inside, colliding with someone, warm hands come to rest on her forearms as the person in question mutters out, “watch where you’re going.”

Y/N finds herself freezing, recognizing him almost instantly. By the time her eyes have readjusted to the light, she finds that Bakugou is staring right back at her, mouth gaped open.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Y/N scoffs, tearing her arm from his grasp as he quickly as she attempts to collect herself, inhaling deeply.

Y/N probably should’ve guessed it was him from the screams, pose for a picture! Why don’t you two get a little closer! Can you comment on your relationship? They’re yelling for Bakugou too, wondering why he finally decided to make an appearance. Y/N is curious as well, for different reasons of course.

Bakugou is rolling his eyes before she can continue, “please, it’s not like I wanted to see you either.” 

Y/N nods slowly, offering him a bitter smile as she inhaled deeply— taking a few steps back. “Great to see you Bakugou, truly.” Sarcasm dripping from her tone as she stands beside him begrudgingly, putting on a false smile, “I hate you just as much as I used to.” 

Pausing, Bakugou’s hand comes to hover over her waist, as he stares into the cameras, muttering, “why?” 

“We both have reputations to maintain, do we not?” Comes her response, looking to him, Y/N reminds herself not to scowl as she straightens herself beside him, waving to a group of people and inciting more screams as she beams from beside Bakugou.

His laugh is a bitter one as he replies, “right.” Y/N inhales shakily, removing herself from Bakugou as she offers him a sarcastic smile, “thanks for the show, Sweetheart, but you aren’t all that important. You aren’t doing me any favors right now.”

A laugh escapes her, and the number of flashes increases exponentially, only for her to turn to Bakugou and say, “really now? Well, I suppose you’re right I’m not important seeing as you’re the one on the front page every week for a different scandal.” Bakugou looks away, scoffing, and Y/N nearly flips him off before reminding herself where she is and saying, “And I don’t want your thanks. I don’t want anything from you.”

And then she’s off, offering tight lipped smiles to those around her as she moved further into the venue for the gala, grabbing a drink off the tray of a passing waiter, Y/N mumbled out words of thanks before downing the drink instantly. Making her way past each person when a hand grabs her wrist.

“Y/N?”

Izuku Midoriya, better known as Pro Hero Deku, had intercepted Y/N on her way to the sanctuary of every party. The bathroom. Though he was probably the best person to have caught her, and undoubtedly someone she actually wanted to speak with. Y/N had a feeling he could tell something was wrong from the way he looked at her, concern clear in his eyes, Izuku was always easy to read. But she had somewhere to be and—

And Bakugou would be entering anytime soon. And what infuriated Bakugou more than she did? Izuku Midoriya.

So, Y/N puts a smile on her face as she says, “hey Midoriya.” She clears her throat, moving to stand beside him as she asks, “how are you doing?” 

He beams back at her, his smile as genuine as ever as he responds, “I’m well! And so are you it seems, there are rumors that you’ll be entering the top 100 heroes this year, you know?” 

Y/N had heard such rumors as well, if they were true, she’d be the first of her class to become a part of the top 100. Seeing as they were still basically fresh out of UA, it would be quite the achievement for her to do so at such a young age. Rivaling the progression of even Pro Hero Hawks. 

Raising a brow Y/N shoves him lightly, “scouting out the competition are you, Midoriya?” 

Midoriya’s eyes widen and he immediately begins shaking his head as his cheeks flush a bright red, “absolutely not!” He exclaims, “I’m just so amazed by how far you’ve come and it’s been so long since I’ve seen you.” 

A small laugh escapes her at his reaction, her eyes drifting towards her empty glass as she replies, “well I have no doubt that if I do miraculously enter the top 100, you’ll be close behind.” Inhaling deeply, she meets his eyes, “now if you’ll excuse me, I was on my way to the restroom when you caught me.” Once again, his cheeks flush a light pink as he begins to sputter apologies, and Y/N simply smiles as she says, “but we should definitely catch up sometime soon, maybe we can hang out sometime soon?”

A bashful smile finds its way onto his face as he nods slowly, “yeah. I would like that.”

And with that, Y/N waves goodbye to him continuing to the bathroom and managing to avoid any more conversations though few tried. Likely hoping for some good publicity themselves, she could see people beginning to swarm Deku in the distance now— and Y/N finds herself feeling bad that she left him so soon.

But as Y/N makes her way inside the restroom, it finally hits her.

Lorelai meant it when she said all her peers are coming, the woman had probably meant it as a warning. It was rare for Bakugou to attend social events, especially since they rarely ended well when it came to him. Most days, he ended up the headline of every single news sources when it came to his public events, rarely did Bakugou have a good run in with the press. Y/N was shocked he’d made it this far in the hero industry with his poor reputation only worsening at every event.

Oh she needed a drink. Y/N needed a lot of drinks. She couldn’t do this right now, not at all.

But more importantly, she needed fun, she needed lots of fun. So, taking one last look at the mirror, Y/N inhales deeply before exiting the restroom, spotting Izuku Midoriya almost instantly. She makes her way towards him, calling out for him, “Midoriya!” Her words distract him from his conversation, drawing the attention of those around then and the people who were initially speaking to him. 

The boy seems relieved that someone has come to save him from whatever conversation he was having, waving to Y/N as he says, “Y/N?”

A grin comes onto her face as she extends a hand to him, looking to those around him, “sorry to interrupt but—” She turns back to Izuku, “may I have this dance?

He offers her a nervous smile, only sparing those around him a glance as he replies, “definitely.” 

And with that, she drags him to the dance floor, and Y/N can feel the eyes on her as she does. It certainly is a curious sight. Two of the big up and coming heroes heading to the dance floor together after barely any public interactions. Y/N is sure that once the word gets out the internet will be going insane, and so will the press. Weaving together stories of insanity to boost their readership.

At this rate, Y/N didn’t care. 

This was Y/N L/N’s first mistake of the night, but it certainly wouldn’t be her last seeing as by the end of the night, Y/N L/N and Bakugou Katsuki would be on every front page and headline. 

note: lmk how this was pls i need validation <3

[fjoresterthoughts]

Two truths and a lie

@fjoresterweek 2021 - Day 6: Beginnings

[AO3]

Jester was absolutely fascinated by her new friend. They had only known each other for a couple of days, and she had so many questions she wanted to ask him. Thankfully this half orc man, Fjord, pleasantly answered most of her questions and easily engaged in conversation. She had a good feeling about him. Besides, his eyes felt kind and she had seen her fair share of unpleasant people - he didn’t strike her as one of them. And the fact that he’s incredibly handsome is the rather large cherry on top of the cake. 

They decided to stay the night in a tavern in Port Damali before they left the city in the morning. Jester had gotten herself kicked out of a rather fancy hotel further within the city for “them not being able to take a joke”, so Fjord had offered that she stayed at the same little tavern that he was staying at. It had certainly been a down-grade for her, but on the plus side, she got to spend more time with her new friend, so it wasn’t all bad.

“Do you want a drink?” Fjord asks while waving down a barmaid to the little table they were sitting at.

“I don’t really like alcohol that much.” Jester replies, a little sheepishly.

“Like all alcohol? Or just some? Because there are definitely some nasty ones.”

Jester shrugs. “Well, only the ones I’ve tried.”

Fjord chuckles. “That is completely fair.”

After the barmaid comes by and they make their orders for drinks and dinner, Jester turns to Fjord abruptly with a big smile on her face.

“Do you want to play a game?”

He looks at her hesitantly. “What kind of game?”

Jester claps her hands together. “It’s really simple. I tell you three things about myself, but one of them isn’t true. You have to guess which one is the lie, and then it’s your turn!”

Fjord nods. “Sounds simple enough. Do you want to go first?”

“Okay, okay, okay!” Jester says excitedly, almost bouncing around in her chair. Not only does she get to play a little game, she also has found a new way to get to know Fjord better? She is a genius. “Soooo…. Okay. My first friend is named the Traveller, sometimes I used to spy on my mom’s clients with a peep hole and I never got caught, and I skipped down the stairs once and broke my ankle.”

Fjord thinks for a moment. “Uh… the peep hole one?”

Jester grins. He fell for it. “Nope! I only sprained my ankle, I didn’t break it.”

“So… you did spy on them?” Fjord responds, with his eyebrows raised.

“Yep! I never got caught! Sometimes I caught them having sex and they had no idea!” Jester says, absolutely delighted. 

Fjord blushes and opens his mouth to say something, and then looks very grateful when the barmaid arrives back at the table with their orders. He never does end up saying anything, and instead drinks a big gulp of his ale.

“Well, I uh, suppose it’s my turn, then?”

Jester nods, almost vibrating with excitement, and feels her tail swishing behind her.

“Alright. I was born in Port Zoon, I’m allergic to cats, and I’m bad at fishing.”

Jester hums. “I bet you’re good at fishing.”

Fjord shakes his head and smiles. “Nope. I’m terrible at it. I’ve even gotten a couple fish hooks in my thumb.” He says and reaches his hand forward, showing the scars to her.

“Oh wow! So which one was the lie?”

“I’m from here in Port Damali, not Port Zoon.” 

“Oh cool! So we’re both coastal kids!” Jester says, leaning across the table and stealing a piece of food off Fjord’s plate. 

“We are.” Fjord replies, and doesn’t seem to be perturbed by the food thievery.

“Ok, it’s my turn again. Um… one time I sang all the way through 99 bottles of beer on the wall, I watched a ghost play piano, and put a ‘kick me' sign on one of the lords of Nicodranas and he never noticed.”  

Jester watches him and he stares at her and thinks about which one her lie might be. She could have given him more reasonable and boring choices, but there’s not as much fun in that. Besides, the look on his face right now is priceless as he processes the eccentric choices she gave him.

“I want to say the ghost? I really hope it is.” Fjord says hesitantly.

Jester claps. “Yes! It is! You got it right!”

“Maybe one day you’ll have to tell me about that third one you said.”

Jester cackles. “Oh! That ‘kick me’ sign prank? Sure, it’s a deal! But right now, it’s your turn again!”

“Let’s see.” He pauses, thinking about it. “I’ve sailed on three different ships, I’m a good swimmer, and this isn’t my real voice.”

Jester’s jaw drops. “Wait, have you been using a fake voice?”

Fjord laughs. “No. This is my real voice. I thought about it though.”

“Really? Why?”

“Well,” Fjord starts to say with a deep breath, but Jester interrupts him, noticing the tone shift.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, it’s ok.”

Fjord shakes his head. “No, it’s ok. My old mentor, Vandran, used to sound -” Fjord clears his throat, and his voice changes to sound deeper and with a smokier tone to it. “He sounded like this. He was the captain of the last ship I sailed on, and the ship went down. When I was asking around about him at the docks, I… for some reason, decided to sound like him.”

Fjord looks down at the table, and runs his finger along the scuffs and carvings on its surface. “He had such a presence, and everyone listened to him whenever he spoke. And when I spoke like him, it was the same. It felt good. It felt nice to hear his voice again, in a way.”

“Do you want to sound like him?” Jester asks, hesitantly, and he finally makes eye contact with her again.  

“Kind of.” Fjord replies, with his own softer voice. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure why I’m saying all of this. We were playing a fun game, sorry.”

“It’s alright, I don’t mind.” Jester smiles at him. 

“I’ve never been so talkative with someone before.”

Jester smiles even wider. “You know what? I think we should stick together. I know we just met, but I have a really good feeling about you.”

Fjord can't resist a smile either. “Okay. I have a good feeling about you, too.” He winks, and Jester feels her face heat up and she has to look away. She has a sip of her non-alcoholic drink before she pipes up again.

“By the way, if you want to talk in Vandran’s voice with me, you can! Maybe tomorrow we can practice having conversations with that voice or something!”

There’s a softness in Fjord’s face that Jester can’t quite place. All she knows is that it makes her feel all warm and gooey inside and she likes it. “Yeah. Let’s try that tomorrow. For now though, do you want to keep playing this game?”

“For sure.”

[hiddendreamer67]

Chasing the Captain

Here’s a piece set in the mer au au (or reverse mer au) made by the talented @voidsides. Roman is a merman prince who has fallen desperately in love with pirate captain Virgil, who he follows around constantly trying to woo his grumpy human crush. 

Read more of my work at @hiddendreamerwriting!

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Captain Virgil stood aboard his ship, gazing out at the waves as the vessel continued to cross the sea. Such a vast, unforgiving landscape, the ocean- Virgil could stare into its depths for ages, knowing that a single storm could bring him plummeting into its unforgiving murky secrets. It gave him a strange sort of chill, bringing his life up to the edge and spitting in destiny’s face instead, riding along the waves like a tamed wild steed. Sometimes it felt as though he could speak to the sea itself, whispering for him to jump in and the horrible consequences that would befall him below…

And sometimes, the sea did more than whisper.

“Cap’n, it’s back.” A crew member jutted his thumb towards the hull of the ship. Virgil groaned, already hearing that melodious voice as he approached.

“Oh Captain my captain, your ship may be steady in her course but I am more so!” 

Virgil huffed, rolling his eyes as he stepped up to peer over the rail. There, following the ship diligently was that same dreaded mer folk. Ruby red scales sparkling in the setting sun, the creature looked almost out of breath but was attempting to hide this with a dazzling smile.

“I thought we lost you in the storm.” Virgil drawled, sounding almost disappointed. It had been a blessed few days of silence. 

“Captain, a pleasure it is to see you as well!” The mer lit up at the sight of Virgil, completely ignoring the captain’s statement. “Don’t you look ravishing this fine evening, care for a dip?”

Virgil flipped him off.

“Ah, I see your manners are as lovely as ever.” The creature appeared a bit peeved, but a simple hand gesture wouldn’t deter him. If it would, Virgil would have seen the beast off a hundred times over. “Perhaps a song will lighten your spirits~”

“Fuck off, siren.” Virgil called out to him. Once upon a time, Virgil believed this creature to truly be a siren, a being of the sea that enchanted sailors to sink to their doom. Now Virgil wasn’t so sure, as to be around a siren for this long should’ve meant the death of his entire crew; either this was a very incompetent siren, or a very stubborn and foolish mer folk. 

And given Virgil has had the pleasure of hearing the creature sing, he knew it was the latter.

Just as promised, the mer began to hum, easily picking a tune out of the air. Virgil grimaced, turning away from the rail and heading towards his quarters before the song could lure him into a false sense of security. 

“Oh, ‘tis the pearl one.” One deckhand commented. “That’s me favorite, tha’ is.” 

“Bet he’d love if you told it so.” The other teased. 

Virgil groaned, turning to the pair with a scowl. “Don’t encourage it. I forbid you.”

“Oh Cap’n, wouldn’t matter if we said nothin’.” The first assured him. “Tha’ creature has eyes only for yourself.”

Virgil flushed, steadfastly ignoring how the man’s implications made him feel a strange hum in his chest. “Ridiculous.” He scoffed, slamming his door shut before he could be hackled further.

Unfortunately, there was some truth to his men’s words. For whatever reason, this beast had chosen Virgil and would accept no other. Virgil had tried every trick in the book to avoid the mer, short of retiring to land. He boarded a new ship. He sailed new waters. He holed up in his quarters. No matter what maneuvers Virgil tried, within a matter of time the mer would always, always return, and not leave until Virgil had interacted with it. 

In the beginning, the very idea of such a curse terrified Virgil. What could the siren possibly want? How long until Virgil was inevitably drowned like all the countless tales? Why was Virgil singled out above all others? But as time passed… for whatever reason, Virgil’s fears morphed into a more quiet curiosity. For whatever reason, the creature seemed to mean him no harm.

So what did it want with him?

Virgil sighed, once again looking out his porthole window at the dark frothy waves. The sun had set some time ago, giving the waters an even more ominous ambience. The singing, now that Virgil was focusing on it, had ended some time ago. Virgil paused, surprised to see the mer was not pressed up against the glass as he was wont to do. Perhaps the last time Virgil had scolded him about “freaking PRIVACY-” had finally gotten through his thick skull. 

(It had been rather alarming to find eyes peering in from the murky depths when he was changing. At least the creature had the decency to be sheepish as well.)

Virgil hummed for a moment, drumming his fingers on the desk. Begrudgingly realizing he wouldn’t be able to sleep without knowing if the mer was truly gone, Virgil grabbed a tankard and headed up to the deck. 

The captain headed back to the hull of the ship, peering into the path they carved in the ocean. No eyes peered back at him. He took a swig of his rum, slowly circling the length of the ship and examining the waves. No sign of his mer anywhere.

Why was he disappointed?

Virgil sighed, nursing his drink as he attempted to sort out his thoughts. What did he care if the sea serpent wanted to leave? He didn’t care.

Virgil winced, knowing his words were both harsh and pathetic. It wasn’t right to call him a serpent, not when he had done nothing but try to earn Virgil’s trust. Not when he had a name. 

Virgil sighed again, placing his head in his hand. “Oh, Roman…”

“You remembered!”

The captain jolted, so lost in his thoughts (and his drink) that he had failed to notice the mer slinking up in the waves. And now Roman was properly grinning, his teeth on full display as he was clearly delighted both at Virgil’s statement and catching the captain unawares.

Virgil huffed, immediately sinking back into his grouchy demeanor and pushing the warm feeling from Roman’s arrival deep down. Deeper than all the oceans combined. “How could I forget? You won’t stop singing your own praises.” 

“Well, I would sing yours.” Roman assured him, leaning his arms on the rail a few paces away. He had learned at sword point to give Virgil personal space. “But you’ve refused to give me your name.”

“Hmm.” Virgil just shrugged, taking another sip of his drink.

Roman rolled his eyes, pushing his dripping locks out of his face. “So mysterious. Dark and brooding only keeps a man’s interest for so long, you know. However I am becoming increasingly interested in why you chose to call out to me- does the heart grow fonder, I sense?”

“In your dreams, princey.” Virgil chuckled. Despite his thoughts dwindling on the mer beside him, his gaze was fixed solely on the sea in an almost unfocused trance. 

“A sand dollar for your thoughts?” Roman tilted his head.

Virgil paused, debating whether he should tell Roman what was truly on his mind. It was a dangerous game, one that would admit to Roman’s slow siren games working.

“What would…” Virgil paused, refusing to meet Roman’s gaze. He almost didn’t want to know the answer if the darker truths were correct. What would happen if I joined you? Virgil shuddered, watching the waters churn a bit more dangerously. The sea, dangerous mistress she was, would not be so kind to a landlubber like himself. 

“What do you want with me?” Virgil murmured. “You’re always going on about how you’re so enamored with me, and you keep trying to get me to jump overboard but- but why?! What could you hope to gain? Stringing me along for the ride, playing your twisted games-”

“What?!” Out of the corner of his eye, Virgil saw Roman’s eyes go wide as saucers. “My captain, my tempter, my beautiful anxious two-legged fool… do you really think so lowly of me? Are my affections all some ploy to you?”

Virgil winced, turning to face Roman fully. He expected the mer to look outraged, insulted even. What he didn’t expect was the pained pleading expression he got in return. 

“It’s not so difficult a notion.” Virgil shrugged, hiding his shame behind the lip of his mug. “You have been hunting me for ages.”

Roman let out an offended gasp. “Hunting- how barbaric a notion! Courting, I’ve been courting you, my insufferable flame.”

Virgil all but choked on his drink. 

“Or trying, at the very least.” Despite his bold words, Roman had gone rather red in the face as well. “A-and you should count yourself lucky that I continue to try! You haven’t exactly made yourself easy to woo.”

Virgil coughed down some more liquor, needing the liquid courage to get through this conversation. He coughed again, trying to regain his composure. “So- I ask again, why? Why keep ‘courting’ me-” Virgil found a sour taste on his tongue at such an outdated phrase- “if all I do is push you away? Why don’t you leave me alone?”

Roman’s tail agitated the water, a sign Virgil had learned meant the mer was feeling uncertain. It was a more common sight than the mer would ever admit. “I… surely you don’t mean that, do you?”

Virgil just raised an eyebrow, challenging him.

“I think of this as a game, I suppose, it’s true.” Roman admitted, his fingers trailing down into the water with an outstretched hand. “But I thought you were playing along. I guess a part of me always suspected that was just my wild fantasies, though.”

“Oh?” Virgil frowned.

“Why, you must think me terribly annoying.” Roman’s ear flaps flattened to his head as the mer sunk further down. “Perhaps I was the only one who… I wanted to be wanted. Is that so terrible? To imagine a smirk upon your features every time I surfaced? I know you slow the boat down when I’ve been missing, giving me the chance to catch up.”

“I do no such thing.” Virgil lied through his teeth. 

Roman sunk further, clearly too stuck in his own gloomy thoughts to catch wind of Virgil’s terrible lie. He met the captain’s gaze, looking pitifully pathetic.

“If you truly want me to go, I’ll go.” Roman spoke softly. Virgil sucked in a breath. “I won’t chase you down any longer. You’ll be free of me. Is that what you wish?”

Virgil stared at him for a very long time, gazing deep into those beautiful brown eyes. He only found sincerity in their depths. Now was his chance to get rid of this mer once and for all; if he told Roman to go, he would never see the mer again.

“...no.” Virgil sighed. “That’s not what I want.”

It was quiet for a moment, only the rippling of the waves to be heard. And then, Roman leaned over and punched Virgil in the arm.

“Ow!” Virgil looked at him aghast, surprised by Roman’s strength. “What’s that about?”

“You jerk!” Roman hissed. “You rotten fiend-”

“What happened to oh captain, my captain-?”

“How dare you play with my heart like that!” Roman’s lip went out in the most adorable pout. “You made me actually doubt for a moment, thinking I had been nothing more than a burden to you all this time, wasting my best years on someone who didn’t care.”

Virgil had been teasing at first, wanting to rile up the fish to see what happened; he never meant to make Roman truly upset. “You’re right, that was cruel of me.”

“Hmph.” Roman turned away from him. 

Virgil smirked, feeling more than a little emboldened by his booze. “Can I make it up to you with a gift?”

Roman’s ear flaps twitched, the mer sending him a glance. He gave Virgil a coy smile, poorly hiding his genuine excitement. “For moi?”

“Yup.” Virgil leaned closer, dropping his voice to a near whisper. “Virgil.” He leaned back, letting out a loud laugh at Roman’s befuddled expression. He took another swig of his drink, turning to head in for the night. “Wha- what does ‘Virgil’ mean?” Roman desperately asked.

“It’s my name, dumbass!” Virgil laughed over his shoulder. He turned back just long enough to drink in the look on Roman’s face, giving the shocked mer a hearty salute before closing his door.

The next morning, Virgil awoke with a pounding headache. He groaned, trying to stave off his hangover with some water as he headed to the deck. It didn’t help that every crew member he passed kept giving him a knowing smirk.

“Have a pleasant eve, Cap’n?” The deckhand asked, Virgil’s head tilted to take in the melody rising from the ocean. He groaned when he heard the words. 

~ Arise my sweet Virgil,the pearl of the sea~ 

~Oh Virgil, my Virgil, forever we’ll be~

All variations of his usual songs, inserting Virgil’s name in as many places as possible. Clearly Roman had enjoyed his gift, no matter how much Virgil was beginning to regret it.

“And this is why you don’t talk to sirens, lads.” Virgil shook his head, muttering under his breath and refusing to head to that side of the ship as his cheeks turned scarlet. “Feed scraps to a hound and it will follow you to the end of your days.”

“Aye, and what a pup you’ve fed.” The lookout chuckled, gazing through an eyeglass back at the mer.

[shanastoryteller]

how different do you think the story would be if draco malfoy had been picked as the hogwarts champion?

draco doesn’t know how this happened, and he’s pissed off in between being terrified. he stands up, nose in the air, and walks to the front of the great hall, taking his place between fleur and viktor. 

he expects them to look thrilled. if he’s the hogwarts champion, they’re going to have an easy time of it, but instead the both of them just look concerned. he’s been talking with both of them, friendly with both of them, because he’s not an idiot, he knows what power looks like. 

he knows what it isn’t, and it’s him. he’s smart, and strong, but he’s a fourth year and even with all the spells he’s not supposed to know, he doesn’t have the easy, solid presence of viktor of fleur, people who are not only powerful but know how to wield their power, unlike potter who just stumbles around accidentally defeating monsters with that stupid confused look on his face. 

then, as if this whole situation isn’t bad enough all on it’s own, the goblet spits out one more name. 

harry potter. 

of course. draco doesn’t know what he expected, really. 

severus yells. his parents make an awful lot of scary threats that he knows they’re prepared to deliver on. his aunt floos over from the magical artifacts office to try and declare the goblet faulty, but it’s not use. 

his name came out of the goblet, so he has to compete. 

he can’t help but notice, however, that no one yells on behalf of potter, no one comes to his defense in the face of this ridiculous task they’re supposed to complete, not even dumbledore, even though potter’s supposed to be some sort of golden boy. it seems, maybe, that everyone’s forgotten along the way that he’s a kid too. 

that night his parents send him a package, and he rolls his eyes because he hasn’t worn something like this since he was a kid, but it’s not like he doesn’t understand the rational behind it. he slips the dainty silver ring on his middle finger, and makes a mental note to fidget with it. 

~

his housemates rally around him when he gets back, faces solemn, quiet as severus towers behind him. 

he sighs, rubbing his hand over his face. “well,” he says, “are we going to win this or not?” 

a slytherin is the hogwarts champion. he can’t get out of it, so he’s going to win it, he’s going to rub silver and green in the face of everyone who’s ever looked at him sideways because of his house. 

over a hundred eager smiles meet him. if he succeeds, all of slytherin succeeds, and so all of slytherin is going to help him. 

~

he finds out about the dragons from Flora, who’s cousin is an intern in the department of magical creatures. snape ropes his newts level slytherins into devising a sleeping potion powerful enough to take out a dragon, and cassius drills him in manipulating the bubblehead charm until he’s exhausted and his fingers ache and lungs hurt. pansy promises to carry the potion with her on the day of the first task so draco can cast a simple summoning charm to get it from her in the stands. 

the day of the first task, he summons the potion, casts a giant bubblehead charm around them, then a smaller one on himself, and smashes the potion in the center of the dragon’s forehead. it roars, and blue mist surrounds them, and then there’s a thunderous crash as the dragon falls to the ground, asleep. draco cautiously darts forward to collect the golden egg, darts away, and casts a dissipation spell before ending both bubblehead charms and running as far away from angry, sleep muddled dragon as he can get. 

he thinks it’s a pretty impressive display until potter flies around the horntail, outflying and out maneuvering her, and coming away victorious with the golden egg tucked under his arm. 

the second task seems to throw everyone for a loop. even severus looks perplexed by the screaming egg, and nearly his whole house writes their parents and uncles and cousins for advice. 

it all ends up being worthless.

everyone’s huddled around the egg in the common room, and there’s a pounding sound. draco closes the egg and they all look out the window, which of course leads out to the great lake.they are in the dudgeon after all. 

there’s a merperson, young based on the pattern of their scales, who’s pointing towards the egg, and them pointing towards themselves, then gives an approximation of a wink and swims away. 

marcus flint, of all people, is the one who figures it out. “water,” he says, “listen to it under water. it’s a mermaid singing.” 

his prefect takes him to the baths, and him and as many people as they can cram in there listen to the egg sing it’s pretty song. there’s some debate about what the merpeople will take, with vincent suggesting all his hair products and daphne offering up his broom, but it doesn’t actually matter what it is, because what they take doesn’t change what he has to do, which is get it back from them. 

severus offers gillyweed, adrien pucey says that draco might as well take advantage of the bubblehead charm he already knows, and theo, who is terrifying and brilliant, says it’s too bad he doesn’t have the durmstrang ship. 

they all go quiet, and severus stands up and says that he can’t hear this, then leaves, “hear what?” theo asks, blinking, and marla, who’s already been accepted to cairo’s curse breaking graduate program, leans forward, eyes bright, and starts coming up with a plan. 

then draco finds out they’re taking people, not things, and that’s just not on. 

they’ve taken his cousin. 

“luna lovegood?” potter asks, confused, because he’s an idiot, and draco ignores him. 

the stakes are suddenly much higher. he doesn’t think they’d actually let the hostages get seriously hurt for this contest, but intentions don’t mean much to him right now. 

the other three champions go bolting into the water. draco turns and goes the other direction. 

everyone’s in the stands, so the durmstrang ship is completely empty. people must be figuring out what he’s doing, because there’s some angry yelling, but stealing a ship isn’t against the rules, so. he does just as marla told him to, and he doesn’t know what and who she had to do to get this information, but he’s too grateful to question it. he steps to the captain’s helm, activates the underwater mode, and the boat sinks into the great lake.

steering is extremely difficult and requires more upper body strength than he’s thrilled with, but he’s surrounded by a pocket of air as the ship zooms past the other contestants, so he doesn’t care all that much. he throws up the shield to barrel through the line of merpeople acting as a barrier. he uses a severing spell to cut the ropes and summons luna into the ship. as soon as he crosses the barrier, into the air, she gasps awake, and he carefully sets her on her feet. 

“cousin!” she greets, smiling. “headmaster dumbledore said that i would be thing you most sorely miss. that means you like me, right?” 

“wrong,” he says gruffly, flicking her radish earring. “i love you, but i don’t like you, you’re weird and annoying.” 

she just keeps smiling at him, eyebrows raised, and uhg, this is the worst, she’ll never leave him alone now. “well,” she says, “we are related, after all.” 

“hey!” he says, but she only giggles. 

they should be leaving, he’s gotten here first and he can get back first, with his cousin in tow. 

but. 

what if something happens to the others after he leaves? viktor and fleur will be so upset if something happens to their girlfriend and little sister, and well, it’s not like harry will be any fun to poke fun at if he’s busy mourning his best friend. 

he can’t just say that though, and it’s not like he’s willing to come in last just to make sure everything gets back okay. 

“cousin?” luna asks, head tilted to the side. 

“shut up,” he says, and taps his wand on his hand. 

he transforms three wooden dummies with the hostages respective names carved into their chest, then right below it adds early bird captures all the prizes, xoxo draco and swaps them out, although he has to keep the ships shield’s activated while he does because the merpeople are pissed. 

gabrielle huddles into luna’s side, who speaks even less french than gabrielle does english, but draco’s too busy steering the ship to play translator. 

granger and weasley stand next to each other, staring at him like they’ve never seen him before, and he really wishes they’d stop looking at him. “what?” he snaps. “i just - i’m just trying to - to make them angry, is all.” 

“right,” weasley says, eyebrows pushed together. he and granger share a look. draco doesn’t know what it means, but he hates it. 

“oh, piss off,” he grumbles as the ship breaks the surface. 

the durmstrang students are clustered near the shore. their headmaster looks pissed, but all the students are laughing, so draco doesn’t feel too bad about the whole thing. 

viktor and potter bring back their wooden figures, and fleur stops crying and kisses him on both cheeks when she realizes draco’s gotten her sister. potter hugs granger and weasley, and the three of them keep looking at him. 

draco gets nines across the board, with each judge deducting a point for stealing, which he doesn’t think is fair. no one said stealing wasn’t allowed after all. 

~

the third task happens, and everything goes wrong. viktor attacks him, and later he finds fleur unconscious and sends up red sparks for her. he ends up fighting back to back with potter, which is hell, and the golden trophy is across from them. he and potter look at each other, for a moment completely still, and then they both go running. draco’s so close, he’s not going to let harry win this, even if the whole thing does seem a bit unfair what with viktor having lost his mind and attacking fleur, but draco’s not about to be a hufflepuff about this. 

because there’s no justice in this world, they grab it at the same time. 

draco’s used a portkey plenty of times, and it doesn’t disorient him. he lands on his feet with his wand out, and pointed right at a man with overly large front teeth. 

a crackly voice says, “kill the-”

draco doesn’t wait around for him to finish that sentence. “stupefy!” 

the stunning spell works, and the man falls to the ground with a loud crunch  that would be concerning if draco cared. “malfoy?” potter mutters, finally getting to his feet, looking too pale and green around the edges. his hand is pressed against his forehead. “i-i think something is wrong. we should leave.” 

“malfoy,” that same crackly voice says, and draco leans forward cautiously. “good, good. lucius’s boy. you’ll finish this, then.” 

cradled in the man’s stupified arms is a scaly creature about the size of a large toddler with beady red eyes. 

draco’s hit with overwhelming wave of revulsion, with wrongness, that he’s never felt before and can’t explain. “I-I,” he pauses, stepping back, and in front of potter, who still looks like he’s going to be sick at any moment. he keeps his wand out, but uses his other hand to twist the ring around his middle finger three times. 

“pick me up,” the thing commands, “we have work to do. i need your flesh.” 

oh, merlin above. 

there’s two pops, and then his parents are here, following the distress signal sent off by his ring. 

“mum, dad,” he says, taking another stumbling step back, finally able to breath when they step in front of him, wands raised, “that’s - i think,” he pauses, “that’s the - the dark lord.” then, because he wants them to make informed decisions, “he tried to kill me.” 

“did he,” his mother says, voice icy. his father sighs, like he already knows what’s coming, but makes no move to stop it. “avada kedavra.” 

there’s a flash of green light, and when draco peeks around his father’s shoulder, the scaly creature is unmoving. 

“dear,” lucius says mildly. 

narcissa turns, holding out her arm, and draco tucks himself against his mother’s side. “yes darling? surely you didn’t really want to get involved in this mess again. and,” her voice drops, “he tried to hurt our son.” 

“yes, of course,” he says, reaching out a hand to brush it through draco’s hair, “but keep in mind there are plenty of people who will want explanations of what just occurred. he’s not actually dead, you know.” 

his mother hums, “well, i suppose we’re changing sides.” 

lucius frowns, but it’s not like he’s going to argue with narcissa, so he says, “very well.” 

“um,” potter says, and the three of them turn to look at him, “what?” 

“that’s a portkey then?” lucius asks, looking to the trophy on the ground. daring, “i’ll handle things here, you go back with the boys. surely there’s someone who set this up waiting for whoever returns.” 

“uh,” potter says, “er, sorry, i just - can we take pettigrew too? he - i can use him to clear my godfather’s name, is all.” 

his parents both make a face like they’ve smelled something rotten, and his mother sighs. “i suppose dealing with sirius is one of the many prices we’ll pay for switching sides. very well. petrificus totalus! wingardium leviosa!” the mans stunned body rises, and voldemorts’ pathetic corpse falls with a dull thump. she looks expectantly towards them. “ready?” 

potter shoots him a desperate look, but if he’s looking for draco to explain his mother, he’ll be waiting for a long time. draco had given up on that by the time he turned five. he wonders if all this means that he and potter will actually manage to be friends. 

“come on, potter,” he holds out his hand, “mum’s probably going to kill at least one more person tonight, so best not to start questioning things now.” 

“at least two, if i get my hands on dumbledore,” she sniffs, grabbing draco’s other hand so she can travel with them by portkey. 

potter looks down at his outstretched hand, then back up, and only hesitates a moment more before taking it. “call me harry. isn’t ant of this, you know, weird for you?” 

draco shrugs. “we’re wizards, harry. weirdness is relative, don’t you think?” 

harry’s just grabbed the portkey, so his laughter gets cut off, and draco tries not to mourn the loss. 

hopefully, now he’ll get a chance to hear it again, after all. 

[swan-of-sunrise]

Taking Care of Business (Chapter Fifteen)

Summary: (Y/N), Din and Grogu arrive on Tython, and everything goes very wrong very fast.

Pairing: Din Djarin X Reader

Word Count: 4.4k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: I hope you all enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen The Tragedy (Previous Chapter)

“We really…we really should stop, Din…” (Y/N) spoke in between kisses, a little breathless as the Mandalorian’s lips began brushing along her cheek and down her neck. “We’re supposed to be…ah…we’ve gotta work on some repairs…”

She could feel Din smirking against her collarbone as he replied, “Yeah? Then why’re your arms still around me?”

Sure enough, one of her arms was wrapped securely around his back, her hand clutching at his cowl, and her other arm was slung around his neck, her fingers carding through his soft hair over and over. At his teasing question, she felt her face begin to warm in embarrassment. “You’re such a mir’sheb.” Trailing her hand down to the side of his face, she coaxed his head up and clumsily sought out his lips in the dark but before she could kiss him, one of the ship’s alarms rang out. “Dank farrik!”

Din chuckled, the deep timbre of his voice causing her heartbeat to quicken; his unmodulated voice was intoxicating, so clear and strong, and she knew that she’d never grow tired of listening to it. He pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before extricating himself from her embrace and putting his helmet back on; a moment later, the lights inside the cockpit flickered back on to reveal her beskar-clad partner leaning over one of the control panels. “We’ll be dropping out of hyperspace in a few, alor’ad.”

“Okay, I’ll go wake the little guy up.” (Y/N) patted Din on the arm before turning and making her way down into the cargo hold, a small smile on her face as she went.

For the past two days, it was as if she and Din were the only two people in the galaxy; they’d stolen kisses from one another in the darkness of the cockpit while Grogu slept and while he was awake, they’d resign themselves to lingering touches and soft-spoken words. She didn’t know what to classify their evolving relationship as and to be honest, she didn’t really care; she was happy with Din, truly happy, and that’s all that mattered to her.

“Hey there, little guy. Did you have a good nap?” With a smile, she picked the cooing child up out of his hammock and carried him up the ladder, setting him down on one of the passenger seats and handing him the small metal sphere. “There you go!” His large eyes widened in delight as he clutched it in his clawed hands and she chuckled, moving to stand beside the Mandalorian in the pilot’s seat. “Okay, I can take over now.”

“It’s all right, I’ve got it covered.”

(Y/N) arched a brow. “But it’s my turn to fly, remember?”

“I told you, I’ve got it covered. Why don’t you take a seat and relax a little?” There was something different about her partner’s voice as he spoke but she shrugged it off, turning to go sit in the other passenger seat. Din’s gloved hand suddenly shot out and latched onto her wrist to stop her and when she turned back around to see what he wanted, her jaw nearly dropped in shock; he was patting his beskar-covered thigh with his free hand and although the visor of his helmet was facing forward, she had a sneaking suspicion that he was closely watching her.

With her heart hammering in her chest, (Y/N) sat down on his thigh and wrapped a tentative arm around his shoulders. “…This is new.”

“Do you…um, do you…like it?”

Din’s newfound uncertainty made her smile and instead of answering, she reached down and positioned his free hand onto her waist before resting her head against the side of his helmet. His gloved fingers flexed and pressed firmly against her, holding her secure in his lap as the ship dropped out of hyperspace. “There’s Tython.” (Y/N) was silent for a moment, debating whether or not to say anything before finally making up her mind. “Do you think that any Jedi will come?”

Her partner exhaled through his nose, his fingers beginning to drum against her waist. “I don’t know; Ahsoka made it clear that hers is a dying race.” Rotating the seat around, they both watched Grogu as he played with his silver sphere and (Y/N) was struck by how innocent he looked. “But I hope one will, for the kid’s sake.”

“You mean Grogu.”

Upon hearing his name, the child’s head shot up and he cooed as his eyes widened in happiness. (Y/N) and Din both chuckled and when the child glanced back down, Din called out, “Grogu?” The child looked back up and as he chuckled again, she tried and failed to suppress her amused grin; with a glance at her, Din moved his hand away from the controls and towards Grogu. “Give me the ball.” The child looked unimpressed and immediately tried hiding the sphere. “Grogu, give me the ball. Come on.”

“Not used to dealing with someone as stubborn as you, huh, Din?”

“I deal with you, don’t I?” The Mandalorian’s dry retort made her grin only widen and as she watched, Grogu finally handed the sphere over. “Okay, here we go.” Din held the sphere between his thumb and forefinger just as he had back on Corvus. “You can have it, just like before.”

(Y/N) nodded in encouragement while Grogu began to raise his tiny clawed hand. “Grogu, come on. You can have it, little guy.”

The child raised his other hand and his eyes began to squint with effort; Din’s voice was impossibly soft as he spoke, “Come on.” In a flash, the ball flew out of Din’s grasp and into the child’s waiting hands. “Dank farrik!” He exclaimed in excitement, slapping his other thigh while (Y/N) pressed a happy kiss to the side of his helmet; the child dropped the ball down into his lap and cooed sadly, seemingly thinking that the two of them were angry, and her eyes widened in panic as Din hastily shook his head. “Hey, no, we’re not mad at you! You did good. I just…when the nice lady said you had training, I just…” (Y/N)’s elated mood dampened as she watched Din reach for the metal sphere and hand it back to Grogu before rotating the seat to face forward again. “You’re…very special, kid.”

With a heavy heart, (Y/N) gave Grogu a fleeting smile over Din’s shoulder. “We’re gonna find you that place you belong and they’re gonna take real good care of you, little guy.” She turned her attention back to Din, who was making himself look busy by pressing at different buttons; sensing his sadness, she made to get up from his lap but his hand tightened on her waist, preventing her from getting up. He doesn’t want anyone else to leave him, she thought to herself, moving her free hand to rest on top of his. “Din…”

“This is Tython,” Din announced to Grogu, his tone clipped and reserved. “That’s where we’re gonna try and find you a Jedi. But you have to agree to go with them if they want you to; understand?” He briefly glanced over his shoulder at Grogu before returning his gaze to the viewport in front of them. “Plus, we can’t train you. You’re too…powerful. Don’t you wanna learn more of that Jedi stuff?” (Y/N) didn’t look, but she could hear the child’s disgruntled coo. “I agreed to take you back to your own kind, so that’s what I need to do.” It almost sounded as if her partner was trying to convince himself rather than Grogu. “You understand…right?”

The child cooed again and with a brief moment of hesitation, (Y/N) rested her head against Din’s helmet and murmured, “Everything’s gonna be okay, Din, I promise.” He didn’t say anything, but the hand on her waist pulled her even closer to his side.

Minutes later, they were entering the upper atmosphere of Tython and flying through its sky-blue skies; the planet was made up of rocky mountains covered in sparse vegetation, and it was clear that it was a presumably uninhabited planet. While they continued to fly over the surface of the planet, (Y/N) pointed to one of the larger mountains in the distance. “Looks like that’s the magic rock we’re supposed to take you to down there, little guy.”

Din tilted the joysticks to the left and they circled the steep mountain until he let out an exasperated sigh. “Sorry, kid, I can’t land on the top. It’s too small. We’re gonna have to travel the last stretch with the windows down.”

“That…that was a terrible joke, Din.”

“Yeah, but you still laughed at it.”

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

Once they landed the Razor Crest onto a flat patch of ground, Din held Grogu in the crook of one arm and wrapped the other around (Y/N)’s waist before jetting through the sky towards the top of the mountain. The child squealed in delight while (Y/N) squeezed her eyes shut and clung to her partner; you’d think that I’d be used to flying like this by now, she thought as she bit her lip, silently thanking the Maker when their feet touched the ground.

Opening her eyes, (Y/N)’s gaze was immediately drawn to the large stone before them, taking note of the strange carvings along its side before glancing around. The three of them were surrounded by towering stone slabs, and she had no problem believing that the structure had once been a sacred Jedi temple.

“Well, I guess this is it.” Din let go of her waist and slowly approached the stone. “Does this look…Jedi to you? I guess you sit right here.” Grogu softly cooed as he carefully placed him on the top of the Seeing Stone. “Okay, here we go.”

The child blinked up at them and (Y/N) tilted her head in confusion. “So, how do we know if it’s working?”

Din shrugged. “I don’t know.” He glanced back at Grogu and gestured to the stone. “This is the Seeing Stone…are you seeing anything? Or are they supposed to see you?” She watched the Mandalorian switched on his helmet’s heat sensor and began circling the stone. “Maybe there’s some kind of control or something.”

(Y/N) couldn’t stop herself from rolling her eyes. “Din, this is a Jedi Seeing Stone; I seriously doubt that they’d need a machine to use their powers.”

“Well, it’s not like I’ve met a ton of Jedi in my life.” He replied, moving to stand beside her and sighing in frustration as the child’s attention was drawn away by a nearby butterfly. “Oh, come on, kid. Ahsoka told us that all we had to do was get you here and you’d do the rest.”

The sound of an approaching ship made (Y/N) look up and frown in concern, her eyes immediately spotting a familiar-looking ship flying through the sky; with a glance at Din, she hurried to the mountain’s edge and watched as the ship landed. “Son of a mud-scuffer, Din, this is not good.” Her stomach dropped and she looked over at Din beside her. “I think I know that ship and if it’s who I think it is, then we need to leave now.”

Din didn’t ask for her to elaborate, only nodding and calling out, “Time’s up! We gotta get out of here-!” They both turned and his words died in his throat as they stared at the bright blue Force-field swirling around the Seeing Stone; Grogu’s eyes were closed and his brow was wrinkled in concentration as the Force-field hummed with energy. “We don’t have time for this.” He strode over to the Seeing Stone. “We gotta get-”

The moment Din’s gloved hands touched the Force-field, he was thrown back and landed hard on the rocky ground. “Din!” (Y/N) sprinted over to him and grabbed his arm, helping him stagger to his feet. “Din, are you okay?!”

“Hey! Snap out of it, kid!” He ignored her words as he called out to the child. “We gotta get out of here!”

(Y/N) anxiously glanced over towards the direction of the unidentified ship and back at Grogu. “C’mon, Grogu, we have to leave!”

“I’ve got one being on the heat scanner.” Din dropped his hand away from his helmet and drew his blaster; (Y/N) drew hers and clutched its handle tightly as he glanced over his shoulder at Grogu. “We’ll see if we can buy you some time, but please hurry up!”

The two of them hurried down the side of the mountain, weaving around bushes and ducking behind boulders as they moved. They were a little ways from the base of the mountain when they came under heavy blaster fire; Din shoved her behind a nearby rock and used his beskar-clad body to shield hers as the blaster fire continued. After several long moments it finally stopped and (Y/N) met the visor of Din’s helmet, giving him a slight nod as he poked his head out from behind the rock.

“I’ve been tracking you, Mandalorian.”

At the sound of a man’s gruff voice, they both slowly step out from behind the rock, their blasters leveled at the robed figure before them; strapped to the man’s back was a cycler rifle and gaffe stick, but he had no weapon drawn. “Are you Jedi?” The man didn’t answer and Din’s shoulders remained tense. “Or are you after the child?”

The man reached up and removed his hood, revealing his deeply-scarred head and grim expression, and he began to slowly walk forward. “I’m here for the armor.”

(Y/N)’s breath hitched as her partner coolly replied, “If you want my armor, you’ll have to peel it off my dead body.”

“I don’t want your armor. I want my armor that you got from Cobb Vanth back on Tatooine. It belongs to me.”

Her eyes briefly flicked over to Din before looking back to the man. “Are you Mandalorian?”

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched at her question. “I’m a simple man making his way through the galaxy, Captain, like my father before me.”

“Did you take the Creed?” Din demanded, his modulated voice taking on a harder edge after the man’s comment to her.

“I give my allegiance to no one.”

“The beskar belongs to the Mandalorians; it was looted from us during the Purge.”

The man’s nostrils flared in anger. “The armor was my father’s. Now it’s mine.”

Din’s grip on his blaster tightened and (Y/N) felt her forehead begin to bead with sweat. “What’s to stop me from dropping you right where you stand?”

“Because I have a sharpshooter up on that ridge with a locked scope that will unload by the time my body hits the ground.”

“I’m the one wearing beskar. As soon as I see that muzzle flash, my partner’ll be covered and you and your friend’ll both be dead.”

The man looked unfazed. “I didn’t mean she was going to shoot you, or even your partner.” A chill went down (Y/N)’s spine at his words. “My friend’s locked onto that little companion of yours up on the henge…”

“And if you remember, I don’t miss.”

(Y/N) looked up to the ridge to her left to see a figure aiming an MK-modified blaster at the top of the mountain and Din called out, “Fennec?!”

The woman chuckled. “You have a keen ear, Mando.”

“You point that gun away from the kid or I’ll drop you both where you stand.” With a flex of his wrist, Din activated his whistling birds and raised his blaster higher.

Lifting his hands in a placating manner, the man nodded to their drawn blasters. “Let’s all put down our weapons, have a chat. There’s no need for bloodshed.”

(Y/N) kept her blaster leveled at his chest. “Tell her to drop the gun, then.”

“After he puts down the jetpack.”

Din let out a frustrated sigh. “Same time.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the man looked over at Fennec on the ridge and nodded. “Stand down.”

The sharpshooter lowered her rifle and began making her way down to where they stood; (Y/N) and Din exchanged a look before holstering their blasters, and she watched as her partner disengaged the whistling birds and set his jetpack down against the rock. At the same time, the man slowly set his cycler rifle on the ground beside him and a helmet-less Fennec moved to stand next him, quirking her lips as her eyes landed on Din. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“You were dead.”

The man nodded. “She was left for dead on the sands of Tatooine, as I was. But fate sometimes steps in to rescue the wretched.”

“In my case, Boba Fett was that fate.” (Y/N) stiffened at the mention of the man’s true name as the sharpshooter shifted a strip of fabric and showed them the machinery that was keeping her alive. “And I am now in his service.”

Boba turned away from Fennec to look at them. “I want my armor back.”

“It goes against the Mandalorian Creed.”

“He’s not gonna take ‘no’ for an answer.” Glancing at Din beside her, (Y/N) anxiously bit her lip before continuing. “While I was starting out as a smuggler, I heard stories of a bounty hunter who went by the name of Boba Fett; if this really is the same man, then I seriously think you should reconsider your answer.”

“You should listen to your partner,” Boba remarked. “The armor was given to my father, Jango, by your forebears. In exchange, I guarantee the safety of the child, as well as yours and your partner’s.”

Fennec gestured towards the mountain in the distance. “The bounty on your little friend has risen significantly; you can buy ten suits of armor for the price on its head.”

Her partner shifted his weight as Boba added, “I’d say we’re offering a fair deal under the circumstances.”

Before either of them could say anything, the humming of another approaching ship grew louder and when it flew overhead, (Y/N) gasped in alarm; her time as a Rebellion smuggler ensured that she’d never forget the sight of an Imperial transport ship. She and Din drew their blasters and ran back to the mountain, the threat of Boba Fett and his sharpshooter gone from their minds and replaced with fear for Grogu’s safety; scrambling up the incline of the mountain, they finally made it to the top and saw that the child was still encompassed in the blue Force-field.

“Time to go!” Din ran over to the Seeing Stone and before (Y/N) could call out a warning, his hands made contact with the Force-field and after a moment, he was thrown even farther back than before. His body landed hard on the ground several feet away from the Seeing Stone and flipped over before lying still.

“Din!” Just as she had before, (Y/N) sprinted to his side and knelt; she shook his shoulder but he didn’t stir. “Din, c’mon!” For the first time in their partnership she cursed Din’s Creed, as his helmet was preventing her from seeing just how injured he was; thinking fast, she slipped her fingers under the bottom of his helmet and pressed them against his jugular vein, breathing out a shaky sigh of relief when she found his pulse. The sound of distant blaster fire drew her attention away from the unconscious Mandalorian and looking down, she could see a battalion of Stormtroopers exchanging blaster fire with Boba and Fennec. “Shit, there’s too many of them…” She wrestled with her indecision for a moment before leaning down and pressing a quick kiss to the top of Din’s helmet. “I’ll be right back, Din, I’m gonna buy us some time.” Standing, (Y/N) glanced over her shoulder at the meditating child before drawing her blaster and hurrying down the mountain.

About halfway down the rocky slope, (Y/N) darted behind a large boulder and watched as four Stormtroopers came into view; she took careful aim with her blaster before shooting one of them square in the chest. The dead Stormtrooper fell to the ground as the other three began firing their blasters in her direction and if she were in any other situation, she would’ve rolled her eyes at their typical poor marksmanship. They exchanged fire and in no time, all four Stormtroopers lay dead as she continued down the mountain towards the sound of heavy blaster fire, only pausing to watch a second Imperial transport ship land beside the first.

“Dank farrik!” (Y/N) exclaimed, watching in disbelief as another battalion of Stormtroopers ran out of the transport. Hearing a noise behind her, she ducked and rolled behind another boulder as blaster bolts hit the ground where she’d just been standing; she had enough time to fire off a shot towards the Stormtroopers closing in on her before running and jumping down off the edge of the ridge. She landed on her feet and was surprised to find herself standing beside Fennec, who spared her a brief glance as she fired her blaster rifle. “Where’s your friend?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Fennec replied as they both began backing away from the approaching Stormtroopers. “And the child?”

(Y/N) dodged a blaster bolt and returned fire. “Safe for now.” The two women quickly found themselves with their backs to a large boulder, and the Stormtroopers immediately began surrounding them.

“Give yourselves up!”

“We don’t want you, we want the child!”

(Y/N) bit her lip, watching as more and more Stormtroopers began closing in on them; she’d been in plenty of tough scrapes, but this one looked impossible to escape from. Just as she was debating whether or not they should try fighting their way out, a noise behind her made her quickly turn her head. Din was standing atop the boulder behind them, his blaster raised and his whistling birds already flying through the air towards the Stormtroopers.

“Okay, let’s move in.” Jumping down from the boulder, Din took the lead while (Y/N) and Fennec flanked him, all three of them aiming and firing at the charging Stormtroopers.

Fennec glanced over at (Y/N) as a blaster bolt dinged off of Din’s beskar armor. “This isn’t looking good.”

Din shrugged, his blaster sweeping over (Y/N)’s head as the two of them switched sides. “I’ve seen worse. You can get out of here, I owe you from last time; take (Y/N) with you, I’ll buy you some time.”

“We had a deal.”

(Y/N) shot him a hard glare while he moved in front of her. “And I’m not leaving without you.”

Blaster bolts rained down on them and while Din’s armor was able to block most of them, it couldn’t block them all; (Y/N)’s left side erupted in pain and she let out a strangled yell, her free hand clutching the wound as she continued firing. Just as things were beginning to look dire, a grenade fell out of the sky and exploded, sending several Stormtroopers flying back; an armored figure flew down and as he landed on the ground, (Y/N) instantly realized that it was Boba Fett wearing the Mandalorian armor they’d retrieved from the Marshal of Mos Pelgo.

The bounty hunter backhanded the nearest Stormtrooper and shot them before turning towards the approaching Stormtroopers, and (Y/N) watched in awe while he fought through them all single-handedly. I guess all those stories about him were true, she thought to herself, her eyes wide as Boba Fett strode after the retreating Stormtroopers; they ran into their transport ships and quickly took off, but that didn’t deter the bounty hunter. Boba leaned forward and activated the missile strapped to his back, watching as it flew through the air and hit one of the transport ships. The burning ship hit the second and the falling debris exploded against a mountain as the bounty hunter turned to look at them.

“Nice shot,” Din quipped as the three of them walked over to Boba.

“I was aiming for the other one.”

(Y/N) chuckled but just then, a deafening blast filled the air and a red-colored bolt sped downwards, hitting the Razor Crest and instantly destroying it in a fiery explosion; her jaw dropped in shock and disbelief, and while she was aware of talking and movement around her, she couldn’t focus on any of it. The ship she’d grown fond of flying and considered her home had been demolished in the blink of an eye.

Shaking herself out of her grief, she looked over at Din as he stared up at the sky; his body stiffened and he suddenly shouted out, “The kid!” He turned and ran back up the mountain with (Y/N) and Fennec following close behind; her blaster wound ached but she didn’t stop running, even when she spotted the four black droids land down on the top of the mountain. The three of them reached the ridge in time to see the droids flying up into the sky with Grogu in tow.

“No!” (Y/N) gasped, the four droids blurring as her eyes filled with tears. “Grogu…!”

Boba Fett’s ship flew overhead in the direction of the droids as Fennec spoke into her comm link. “They’ve got the baby, don’t let them get away.”

“Affirmative. I have a lock.”

“Stop it,” Din ordered, his voice teetering the line between stiff and panicked. “I don’t want the child hurt.”

“Abort pursuit, disengage. Do not harm the child.”

“Copy. I’ll do a loose follow, see where they’re headed.” The three of them stood and watched Boba’s ship climb higher into the sky; (Y/N) holstered her blaster and as soon as her hand was free, Din latched onto it, the worn leather of his glove digging into her palm. Moments later, the bounty hunter’s voice came through the comm link. “They’re back.”

(Y/N) tore her eyes away from the sky and met Fennec’s confused gaze. “Who?”

“The Empire. They’re back.”

Din’s grip on her hand tightened and (Y/N) looked over at him as her eyes widened in fear; they both knew exactly what Boba was seeing, but Fennec didn’t. “That can’t be. The Outer Rim’s under the jurisdiction of the New Republic.”

“This isn’t a spice stream, I can see the Imperial cruiser with my own eyes. Heading down.”

Shoulders sagging, (Y/N) leaned against her partner’s side and squeezed her eyes closed in grief. Moff Gideon and the remnants of the Empire had Grogu, one of the last Force-wielders left in the galaxy, and she and Din had failed to stop them.

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

A/N: Ouch, that one hurt to write :/ Be prepared for lots of angst next chapter! Thank you guys so much for reading!

Mando'a Translations: Mir'sheb-Smart-ass Alor'ad-Captain

Chapter Sixteen

Taking Care of Business Masterlist

Tagging: @remmysbounty​ @sinon36​ @seninjakitey​ @thatonedindjarinfan​ @ginger-swag-rapunzel​ @mostclevermiss @momc95​ @welcometothepedroverse​ @sarahjkl82-blog​ @zukoyonce​ @itsnottilly​

[scarlettwriter91]

Snapetober Day 3- Pumpkin Carving

Harry stood just outside Snape’s quarters carrying an overly large pumpkin in each arm. It was only then that he realized that he couldn’t open the door without the use of his hands, so he aimed a couple of well-placed kicks at it instead. 

Less than a moment later, Snape appeared with a scowl in place. “Why in Merlin’s name are you kicking my door?”

Harry rolled his eyes and attempted to shrug his shoulders. “Oh, I dunno, maybe because I can’t open it myself. Maybe you didn’t notice but my hands are full.” 

“And are you a wizard or not?” Snape asked, pointedly ignoring the pumpkins.

“What? ‘Course I am!”

“Are you sure? One would think that a wizard might try leviosa when something is hard to carry.”

Now it was Harry’s turn to scowl. “Well I didn’t think of that, did I?”

“Obviously,” Snape replied with a smirk as he pointed his wand at the pumpkins and levitated them from Harry’s hands and into their rooms. 

Harry followed him inside and shut the door behind him. 

Snape put the pumpkins on the kitchen table and then turned to his son.

“What are you doing with these anyway?”

“We’re going to carve them,” Harry replied as if now Snape was missing the obvious. “Halloween is only a few days away.” 

When Snape only raised an eyebrow in his direction, Harry jutted his chin out and crossed his arms. “It’ll be fun, Dad. I know that’s hard for you to understand, but it will be. Besides, I’ve never carved a pumpkin before, and now that I’m officially adopted and all that, I think it’s only fair that you make sure that I experience all the things that I missed out on before.” 

“Laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?” Snape asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up the tiniest bit. 

Harry only shrugged.

“And you don’t think that this is an experience better suited for Remus?”

“No.” 

Snape sighed dramatically and gestured towards the pumpkins. “Let’s have at it then.” 

Harry grinned and walked over to the kitchen drawer, pulling out a couple of knives and a ladle to scoop out the insides with. When he turned around, Snape was pointing his wand at the slightly smaller pumpkin but before he could even utter a spell, Harry shook his head.

“No way! We can’t use magic. It would take ten seconds and then it would be over with. There’s no fun in that.”

“You want to scoop all of that out without magic? Like muggles?”

“Yes. Exactly like muggles.” Harry grinned. “And you can’t just do triangle eyes and toothy smiles either. That’s boring.” 

“And what do you suggest I do?”

Harry shrugged. “I dunno. Something scary?”

Snape nodded. “Alright, then. Remus’s face should do it.”

“Da-ad,” Harry shook his head but Snape only grinned. 

An hour later, the kitchen was a mess with more pulp and seeds on Harry and the table than Harry was certain had even been in the pumpkin to begin with. He looked over to Snape who was of course, as clean as he had been when they started and rolled his eyes. 

Snape had taken off his outer robes and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt so they wouldn’t get dirty. He had even tied his hair back to keep it out of his face. All of that, added with the look of absolute concentration on his face, had Harry biting his lip to keep from laughing. 

He stepped back to get a good look at his pumpkin and smiled. “I think I’m done.” Harry had carved X’s for the eyes, a triangle nose, and an angry, jagged, frown.

“It looks good,” Snape said, then turned his own pumpkin around for Harry to see. He had carved a full moon with several flying bats into his. 

Harry’s grin grew wider. “They’re perfect.”

“I suppose,” Snape agreed. “Though, with a touch of magic, they could be better. But I understand if you want them to stay perfectly muggle,” he added before turning away to begin cleaning up the mess with a quick, “Scourgify.”

“Better how?” Harry asked after a moment of hesitation. 

Snape smirked then pointed his wand at both pumpkins, muttering a quiet spell that Harry couldn’t hear. Suddenly, the pumpkins lit up inside and the bats on Snape’s pumpkin began to actually fly around the moon. Then, the jack-o-lantern on Harry’s came alive and began to laugh maniacally. 

Harry’s eyes widened. “Wicked!” He moved closer to his pumpkin to get a better look at it. “Will it do this all the time?” 

Snape nodded. “It can, but they tend to sit still until someone walks past them. But the candles inside will automatically light themselves at night and put themselves out during the day.”

“Can we put them somewhere will people will see?” 

“If you’d like. We can set them outside of our door.” 

“Yes! Then everyone will know you carved a pumpkin. Your reputation will be ruined.”

Snape shrugged. “I think that ship sailed the day I told the world I wanted to adopt you.” 

Harry smiled before giving Snape a quick one-armed hug. “Thanks, Dad.”

“You’re very welcome, Harry. Happy Halloween.”

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

As Usual

Pairing: Mando x Reader

Summary: When Mando finds himself in need of some help in a tiny village on Arbiflux, he may leave with more than he expected. 

Warnings: Violence, mentions of sexual assault (or at least alluding to it), a lot of unimportant OC’s with names to fill the town

Word Count: 5700

A/N: This is my first Mando fic so I’m really sorry if it sucks. I tried though and if you guys enjoy this, I have an idea for another one.

_____________________________

The Mandalorian caught your attention the moment he walked into your family’s blacksmith shop. Tall, angular, and mysterious, the man landed his ship in the large clearing just on the other side of the river from where your town was and made his way across the utilitarian wooden bridge directly to the shops. You watched in curiosity as this new stranger made his way into your village, a small bundle of something you couldn’t make out walking right next to him. 

You had heard stories of the Mandalorians and the Great Purge, though you were no expert by any means on anything other than simply knowing they existed. Seeing one in person though felt surreal. For all you’d known, they’d been killed off years ago. But apparently not all because one was approaching you quickly. 

“Can I help you?” You asked, taking your worn protective leather gloves off and walking towards the open mouth of your family’s forge where the Mandalorian had approached. 

“I need a part for my ship to be fixed.” He answered shortly in a vaguely robotic voice. 

Tousling your fingers through your locks, you attempted to blindly force the stray hairs into place, “Well, we don’t get too many visitors with ships here. Your best bet for finding someone who can fix your ship would probably be in the city.” 

“Where is the nearest city?” He questioned, lifting a small bundle of tan fabric off the ground. Your brows furrowed when you saw that there was a small wrinkly green baby but the Mandalorian tucked the child further into his chest, almost shielding him from your view for some odd reason. 

Writing the action off, you pointed to your right with your thumb, “About ten miles west.” 

“How long is it to travel?” 

“On foot, about four hours. With a kaadu, maybe two.” You explained, gesturing to the large reptilian creatures in the pens around town. Mando sighed heavily and you got the impression he was on a limited time constraint, “What do you need fixed?” 

The man shifted, “The ventilation system. The fins on the fan are damaged, blocking it from spinning. The oxygen is hardly circulating throughout the ship.” 

“Broken fins? They metal?” You asked, to which the man just nodded, “I might be able to help if that’s the only problem. Can I see?” 

The Mandalorian led you back to his ship and you walked inside, skin crawling with excitement. You’d never been on a ship before. Like you’d told the man earlier, they never really landed in your little village and you seldom traveled to the bigger cities. It was like a metal maze, cramped but still somehow roomy enough to be comfortable. 

You took in your surroundings as he led you through the small hallways, stopping when you saw an almost book-like assortment of massive sheets of a black substance with what appeared to be carvings of screaming people. An uneasiness settled in the air that the Mandalorian noticed, glancing back over his shoulder to see you looking at his assortment of bounties that had been frozen in Carbonite. Since people had come after him, he wasn’t really sure what to do with the criminals he had yet to deliver but the thought was always pushed off. It wasn’t like they were going anywhere. 

“They’re alive. Just should have cooperated.” Your brows furrowed in confusion at his words so he continued reluctantly, “Bounties.” 

“Oh, you’re a bounty hunter?” You asked, relaxing slightly. Knowing that whoever these people were were both criminals and still alive, you felt a little better. They must have been pretty bad people if they had bounties on their heads. 

You were far from naive but you weren’t well experienced in matters of the universe. Arbiflux had been your only home, and, even then, you seldom left your small village. Always work to do, anything to help your family. You’d always dreamed of adventure though, getting off the forested planet and exploring the galaxy. The Mandalorian must have travelled all over the galaxy in his line of work and seen so much. It made you envious. You took his silence to your first question as an agreement so you continued, “I’d imagine work would have taken you all over the place. I’ve never left this planet. Hell, I’ve only ever left the village a handful of times.” 

“I have been to quite a few planets.” His modulated voice humored your musings, turning to continue his way to the ventilation system. 

You trailed behind, vague metal echoes following your boot covered footsteps, “What are they like?” 

“A lot of desert planets. Some have swamps. Some have forests. Some are just cities. A few are all ice. Some are a combination.” As he spoke, you fantasized about all the planets that could be out there. You had done so many times before and every time the new planets became more and more fantastic, sometimes to an unrealistic degree. But how could anything be unrealistic when you didn’t really know the constraints of reality in your own universe? 

“I’ve always wanted to see them.” You mused out loud, “Your ship is really nice by the way.” 

Mando looked back at you and, although you could see no hint of expression behind the helmet you immediately recognized as being made from beskar, he had an eyebrow cocked at you. It didn't sound like you were making fun of him but he knew the Razor Crest was anything but. "You haven't seen many ships before, have you?" 

 With a small shrug and slightly twisted face, you shook your head, "We don't get too many people coming through town and I don't make it into the city often." 

Mando almost felt bad for you. He had learned how to read people easily and you were an open book. It was in the way you stood, the words you spoke, the way your eyes twinkled in amazement at the smallest things on his ship. You were a girl who loved her family and had a sense of duty to them. He assumed by the look of the shop you worked in that blacksmithing was a generational career, probably dating back to your grandparents, at least. He could see the love for your community and home but he also saw a fire for adventure, for anything other than what you knew. With every word, every little subconscious movement, his image of you became clearer and clearer. 

"This is the fan." Mando stopped suddenly and pointed to an open panel in the ship's wall. You halted quickly, having almost forgotten why you entered the Razor Crest to begin with. "The rest of the system works. I was able to fix the wiring. It's just this part here that was damaged and now it won't rotate. It won't circulate the oxygen." 

He stepped to the side, allowing you to step in and inspect the damage. It was a long cylindrical metal piece with five slanted blades evenly spaced around the circumference. There was a mechanism in the middle that led you to assume that it spun around on some metal rod and the blades circulated the oxygen throughout the ship. Sure enough, two of the blades were bent and crumpled, so much so that when you gave the device a little test nudge to see if it would spin at all, it only rotated an inch or so before the crumpled fans hit another part of the system with a klink, preventing it from moving more. 

"As long as these just need to be flattened and straightened out, this should be a breeze. I could have it done by the end of the day." You continued to inspect the blades to get a full understanding of the damage. "So what happened to it anyway?"

"There was an altercation on board with a passenger. A stray shot from her gun hit the panel that used to cover this and it bent everything up." Mando remembered the fight with the Twi'lek woman. She was a fellow bounty hunter, yet another person who wanted the money for the Child. 

The slight black scar from the laser on the wall confirmed the report and you ran your finger over the smudge, curious to see if it would wipe away. It didn't. "Sounds like such an interesting life." 

“You said you could have it done by the end of the day?” The Mandalorian ignored your wistful comment and set the Child on the ground, making sure he stayed in eyesight. He didn’t see you as someone who would harm the baby but he also couldn’t be sure after everything that had happened. 

You nodded, “Yeah, this looks pretty simple. But you’re going to have to take it apart. I have no clue how any of that works and I don’t want to be responsible if it breaks.” 

“That’s no problem.” The Mandolorian stepped over and pulled on a few wires, disconnected a few fuses, and before you knew it, the overall fan had dislodged from its place with a hiss of decompression. He turned it in his hands until he found the button he had to push to unlock the mechanism holding each blade in place. It took no time before he handed you the broken blades one by one. 

You held the blades in your arms, moderately sized at about 18 inches long and 9 inches across. Leaning forward, you inspected the intact ones to get an idea of how these needed to be shaped. “Well, there’s not much to do in the village while you wait, I’m afraid. There’s a little bar you could hang out at I suppose. They serve some decent food.”

“Thank you. I’ll be around.” He responded in his typical concise manner. 

The blades really were quick work, like you’d expected. What took the longest was the order you had before, which was making the metal wedges of Naz Ta’ron’s ridge plow that he’d ordered to be made last week. Farm equipment made up most of your work, unfortunately, aside from the occasional weaponry. The weaponry never took too long, definitely not as much as you’d like. Making swords and hatchets was a hell of a lot more interesting than manufacturing plows and wheels. 

By the time the sun had just begun to set, you had finished the third blade, dipping the last blazing orange, newly repaired fan blade into the large bucket of water, bubbles sizzling aggressively at the contact with the nearly molten metal and cooling it rapidly. After setting it down on the workbench to cool, you untied your leather smock and brushed the loose strands of hair out of your face. As far as you could remember, these looked exactly like the intact fans back on the ship, though in better condition. You had no idea what they looked like new but this had to be close. 

*

Throughout the day, you’d watched from afar as the Mandalorian had wandered through the booths before returning to the ship with what you presumed to be a basket full of supplies. That was earlier in the day and he’d since been waiting in the bar you’d told him about earlier. You powered down the forge and gathered the fans before walking over to the bar. It was only a few buildings down, no more than a few hundred feet away, so the walk was quick. People meandered around town on their usual paths, the ones you came to know each person in the small village to take by heart.

When you entered the bar, the usual people were in there. K’jann Ving, Jared Amavia, and Haera Kiwai all sat in their usual seats with their usual drinks. All so usual. The only thing out of place was the Mandolorian sitting at the booth in the corner with his little baby whatever-he-was. 

He noticed you enter right away, which wasn’t saying much considering the small size of the room. You walked right up to the table, “Fans are all finished up. Figured I’d drop them off.” 

You placed the sheets of metal on the table. The Mandolorian reached down beneath the table and pulled out a small brown bag, “How much?” 

“30 credits?” You estimated, not really knowing how to price such a repair. Compared to other weapon repairs, though this was only slightly more because there were more than one things needing repairing. 

The Mandolorian began to sift through his bag, presumably counting out the coins. The little green baby by his side stared up at you with adorable large eyes and cooed. You couldn’t help the smile that crept on your face when his tiny arms reached out towards you, though you made no move to pick him up, opting to give him a tiny wave instead. Babies had always seemed to like you. Your nieces and nephews had loved you from the moment they were born. 

A commotion sounded from outside the bar that stole your attention away from your payment and the Child. Your brows furrowed when you made eye contact with K’jann, who looked equally as confused as you did. Jared stood up from his spot at the bar and walked to the door, “What the hell is going on out there?” 

Before he could find an answer, a bright flash of light struck him in the chest and he fell, lifeless. You shrieked and jumped at the unexpected attack. “Get down!” The Mandolorian demanded, pulling you closer to him before shoving the table over. He pushed you to the ground, scooped the child up, and placed him beside you hurriedly before you could comprehend what was happening. You were lying on the ground on your back, using the table as a wall of sorts to shield from the gun shots that were assailing towards you. 

“Protect the Child!” The Mandolorian demanded of you, his voice surprisingly calm considering he had just been randomly attacked. 

The baby reached up and clung to your shirt, struggling to pull himself up into your arms for protection. You reached around his body and scooped him up, flinching when a blast of laser zinged a little too close to your face for comfort. 

“You’ve been a hard one to reach, Mando. You could’ve just given us the Child and it would all be done with but now we’re gonna kill you, take the kid, and your shiny armor.” A man’s voice taunted from the other side of the table barricade. 

What the hell kind of trouble was this guy in?! 

The Mandolorian jumped over the table and you reached out for him, his cape slipping through your fingers as he disappeared into the fight “Wait!” You called out to now avail. What the hell was he doing? There were a few grunts and groans. The laser blasts stopped being directly in your direction and began to be shot more erratically around the room. 

“Get him out of here!” The Mandolorian’s modulated voice yelled at you from the other side. 

This was it. You were going to die. This was what you got for craving adventure. 

The baby squirmed against your body, making little fearful noises. Rolling over onto your knees, you scooped up the baby and held him tightly against your chest before reaching into your pocket and procuring a blaster. Peeking around the corner of the table first to ensure that it was clear to run, you took off like a bullet, darting as quickly as possible to the door. 

The Mandalorian was fighting against two humans, a Rodian, and a Cerean woman at once. It appeared like he had them until the massive Cerean woman pinned him on the table, hand crushing over a part of his forearm that he seemed in a struggle to have access to. 

You didn’t know anything about this man other than the fact that he was a bounty hunter with a broken ventilation system. Why did you want to help him? Why were you putting your life on the line to aid him when you knew damn well he could very clearly be in the wrong? Why did you trust him so much when you knew literally nothing about him? 

The Cerean woman fell on top of the Mandalorian the moment you pulled the trigger. He groaned at the heavy weight but used her body to knock one of the human men down. He quickly tapped on his forearm, right where the woman had been pressing, and a large flame shot out towards the Rodian, who shielded his face. 

You began to run towards the door again, so close to escaping with the child, but something hard suddenly knocked your feet out from under you and you crashed to the ground with a painful thud. You clutched the baby close to your chest as you fell, using your body to shield him from the impact. Your eyes opened to see a tall Zabrak woman that you hadn’t seen previously standing over you. 

“Aw, Mando! Using some little village girl to save the kid? That’s a new level of low.” She chuckled sadistically, rolling her eyes from the Mandalorian and back to you, “Sorry, babe, you don’t know what you’ve gotten yourself into. Hand over the kid so I don’t have to kill you.” 

You froze in fear for a moment, brain stuck buffering in a desperate attempt to comprehend the situation you were in. 

“Guess I have to kill you.” She continued with an unapologetic shrug after only a second or two. She had a large staff in her hand that she spun around with skill, picking up enough momentum for the black metal rod to look like a blur, before slamming it down right where your head was. Thankfully, you rolled to the side just in time for the stick to slam into the ground with enough force that it very easily could have killed you. 

Without a second thought, you aimed the blaster that was still in your hand just in time and shot her square in the chest. Her body crumpled into a heap of black robes, her staff clattering to the ground. It took you a moment to realize that the commotion had ceased. 

The Mandalorian hurried over to you, “Are you okay?” 

Your whole body was shaking but you nodded, adrenaline pumping through your veins, “What the hell was that about?” You demanded, sitting up finally. When you looked around, you noticed that everyone who had attacked was dead. The other patrons of the bar had seemed to escape. 

Mando reached to take the kid from your grasp but stopped when he noticed how the small alien snuggled into your body like it was the safest place in the galaxy. You looked down to inspect his little body for injuries but he thankfully appeared unharmed. “I’ve been quested to bring him to the Jedi. He was originally a bounty I was supposed to bring in but I learned that the man who wanted him was going to hurt him. I couldn’t give him up. It’s my duty to protect him. People all over the galaxy like this have been trying to get the bounty on both of our heads.” 

“What’s so special about him?” The baby looked like any other baby alien. You hadn’t necessarily seen many baby aliens but this one didn’t seem particularly extraordinary. 

“I honestly don’t know for sure. I do know he can do things with his mind when he wants to, though. I figure it has something to do with that.” He extended a hand, pulling you up to your feet, “I’m sorry you got involved.” 

You shook your head slightly, looking around at the bodies littering the bar, two of which you were responsible for killing, “You said they were going to hurt the baby?” You asked rhetorically, “It’s no problem.” 

“Do all small town blacksmiths just carry blasters on them?” He asked, nodding towards the gun that was still in your hand. 

You tucked it away again, “We’ve gotten a few less than pleasant visitors from neighboring cities and towns. Just some jerks who come to town looking to pick a fight with the men or take what they want from the women. Pull out a blaster, it’ll usually put them in their place.” 

Mando thought about what that actually meant for a moment and a few more pieces of the puzzle that was you began to click together in his head. He couldn’t help but wonder how many times you’d had to pull the gun on a man who was trying to take advantage of you and the thought made his heart sink. He didn’t know you nearly at all but nobody deserved that. There was a twinge of protectiveness in his chest that made him want to track down anyone who’d ever threatened that sort of harm to you and show them just how good at killing the Mandalorians really were. 

There wasn’t time for that, though. If these five bounty hunters were here by now, there’d be more soon. He couldn’t risk getting caught up with any more people who wanted to take the Child. “Well you’re a good shot,” He complimented with a small nod of his helmet, “Anyways, we need to take off now. If they already knew we were here, others will be here soon. You said the parts were ready?” 

You nodded, “They were. I’m not exactly sure where they are now, though.” Your face twisted as you gestured around the freshly wrecked bar, furniture pieces just as strewn out of place as the cups and plates that were on them.

The two of you looked around for the fans and people from around town slowly funnelled into the bar, also helping to clean up the debris from the attack. “You need to go.” Zim Golu, the bar’s owner stood over Mando, who was crouched down to pick up one of the fans that he’d finally found. Zim Golu’s arms were crossed, his cheek bleeding from being hit with something during the fight. 

“I’m sorry about the damage,” Mando stood up, “I just need to find a part for my ship and we’ll be off this planet as soon as it’s installed.” 

Zim Golu stepped closer, “I don’t care about your part. I want you out of my bar.” 

You looked over from the next table over, setting down the chair you had picked up where it was supposed to be. “What’s the problem?” You questioned, walking over to the pair with furrowed brows. 

“There’s no problem.” Mando responded calmly, “We’ll be leaving as soon as I find the pieces I need.” 

“No, he’ll be leaving now.” 

The Child, who had been wandering around the building while you all cleaned, came up and held onto your leg. You glanced down before gently running your fingers over his head. “We cannot leave without these pieces. The oxygen can’t move through the ship without them. We barely made it here as it was.” Mando again was calm but insistent. 

“What don’t you understand, Mando? Look at the trouble you’ve caused my bar and this whole town.” Zim Golu clearly had no intention of backing down, despite the fact that the intimidating Mandalorian towered over him. 

You stepped forward and extended your arm between the men, “Mando, why don’t you go back to the ship and wait there. I will look for the pieces and deliver them when I find them.” You sent Zim Golu a look that told him that that was what was going to be what happened, whether he liked it or not. “How’s that?” 

The bar owner shot Mando a dirty look before pointing to the door, “Don’t come back to this place again.” 

Mando stood strong and emotionless under the shield of beskar and stared down Zim Golu as he walked away. 

“I’ll meet you at your ship in a few. We’ve already found two so the last one shouldn’t take long to find.” Mando looked down at you while you spoke. You handed him the first two fans you found, “Maybe you can get these installed while you wait. I’m sorry about Zim Golu. He’s always cranky.” 

“No, I understand. I’d be mad if my bar was destroyed by strangers too. Thank you for looking. We’ll be on the ship,” He beckoned for the Child to follow him out the door but the baby was hesitant, only wanting to be near you for some reason, “C’mon.” Mando picked up the baby and carried him out. 

Finding the last fan was more difficult than you had hoped. When the table was pushed over, it had been kicked under a shelf in the corner and it took you lying face down on the ground to finally see it. 

When you got to the ship, you awkwardly stepped up onto the ramp that led up to the Razor Crest and just up to the entrance of the main hull, “Uh, hello? Mando? It’s Y/N. I found the fan.” You announced, looking around while you waited for the man to appear before entering the ship. 

He climbed down a small ladder and approached you. You extended the fan blade out to him, “Here it is. Sorry it took so long.” You apologized, following Mando as he took off down the hall towards the ventilation system. “How did the other two fit? Is it working?” 

He stopped by the busted open wall panel that was supposed to conceal the ventilation system and pulled out the cylindrical piece that the blades attached to. He slipped the last one into place and it fit perfectly, “They fit nicely. Now we just need to see if it works.” He slid the mechanism back into place and reattached all the wires that he’d removed earlier. “Stay here and tell me if it spins properly. I’ll head up to the cockpit and activate it.” 

With that, he disappeared before you could protest (not that you were going to) up to where you assumed the cockpit was. You waited patiently until the low hum of the ventilation system kicked on and the fan began to rotate without a hitch. The Child waddled around the corner and right to you, arms up, asking to be held. You lifted him into your arms with a smile and held up your palm to him, “We fixed it! High five, buddy. Or, well, high three, I guess.” You chuckled, counting his fingers. The baby didn’t understand what you were trying to achieve so you gently tapped the palm of your hand against his in a forced high five. 

“Is it working?” Mando’s robotic voice asked from behind you and you spun around to face him. 

You nodded, “Everything’s looking good.” 

Mando immediately noticed the Child in your arms but, for once, he didn’t tense up at it. You felt safe, which perhaps was an error to assume such characteristics, but he couldn’t help it. Besides, he’d never seen the Child so affectionate with anyone other than himself. “Thank you for all of your help. I’m sorry about the trouble we brought with us.” 

“It’s no problem. If I’m being honest, it was kind of thrilling.” You chuckled, looking away with a small blush. That probably made you sound crazy. 

A silence settled over the two of you and Mando watched as your attention quickly turned back to the Child in your arms. “He really likes you.” Mando noted, “He’s not usually like that.” 

A small smile appeared on your face, “Well I must say I’m pretty fond of him too. He’s adorable. And, for what it’s worth, I think what you’re doing is really noble.” You told the Mandalorian. Why did complimenting him give you butterflies? You had no idea what the man looked like. For all you knew, he could have tentacles for a mouth or four eyes. But, regardless, there was just something about him that made you uncomfortable in the best way - in the sort of way that left your skin crawling with excitement and a constant little urge in the back of your head that made you desperate for him to like you. 

“I appreciate that.” 

Another small moment of silence again left you rocking back and forth on your heels. “Where are you off to next?” You inquired curiously. 

“I don’t know. We’ll figure it out though. Tatooine isn’t too far from here. We might go there and lie low for a day or two.” Mando responded. 

A question had been whirring around your mind since the Mandalorian first arrived and enlisted your help but you didn’t realize how hard asking it would actually be. You knew, though, that this was your last chance. “Can I come with?” You asked, the words coming out quickly. 

“This isn’t a passenger ship.” He answered simply. 

“I don’t mean like a taxi or whatever. I mean... “ You struggled to figure out how to ask, “Can I come with you guys? Wherever you go, I don’t really care. I don’t have any money to pay you but I can help however you need. I have some survival skills in the wilderness. I can sort of fix some things. I have child care experience. And I’m a fast learner for anything else you might need.” You chewed your lip while waiting for the Mandalorian to respond. 

“Why would you want to do that?” 

You sighed, “I just… I don’t want to die here knowing I never did anything but smash metal with a hammer. I don’t want to spend my whole life stuck in this little village when there’s an entire galaxy out there to see. I understand that joining you would mean a life of danger but I think I’m willing to risk that.” 

Mando pondered the proposition. He had no actual need for a companion on his journey to deliver the Child to the Jedi but he could see the potential luxury in having one. Clearly, the Child really liked you. Fighting and caring for the Child was difficult at times and having an extra pair of hands would definitely prove helpful. Although you weren’t a trained warrior, you could hold your own in a fight and had no problem pulling the trigger when the moment called for it. You did have the ability to fix things that he wasn’t able to, at least when you had the proper tools. 

Beyond that, he could see your desperateness to leave this planet. Mando had never been what many would call a “softie.” He did what needed to be done and would do whatever it took to meet those ends. He had his ethics, of course, and obviously he felt bad for the people that he couldn’t help but he had to admit that he often had the “not my problem” mentality. Perhaps it was attributed to his newfound position as a father figure or maybe it was because he actually cared about you for some unknown reason, but he found himself sympathizing with your situation. He could see in your eyes that you saw hope in him and the Razor Crest as a way to get off Arbiflux. This was your opportunity to leave behind a life of “the usual.” But he still couldn’t help but find himself stuck on what you said earlier about the men from neighboring towns coming in to take advantage of the women here. The fact that you carried a gun in an otherwise safe community simply to defend yourself against men like that actually enraged him. His “not my problem” mentality seemed to be receding to his yearning to help you in some way, especially after all you’d done for him. 

He couldn’t believe he was doing this. “People try to kill us almost everywhere we go. You will never be safe. Can you handle that?” 

With a hard swallow, you nodded your head. 

“We are leaving in thirty minutes. Take only what you need.”

Your eyes widened with surprise and a big smile spread on your face, “Wait, are you serious?” 

“Yes. As long as you understand what coming with me entails, I could use the help.” Mando didn’t actually hate his decision to allow you to come with. Part of him was actually a little excited to have another person, an actual companion, on board. Of course, he would gladly kill you or strand you on an icy planet the second you indicated any harmful intent towards the Child but that seemed highly unlikely at the moment. 

The way you did a little excited jump made him smile under the helmet. Your enthusiasm and gratefulness gave you a humble, real, and, frankly, slightly adorable energy, despite the badass edge of literally forging blades and shooting people. “Thank you so much! You won’t regret this. I will be right back!” He watched as you ran off the Razor Crest, presumably to your home to grab a bag of personal belongings. 

Mando moved to the main hold and sat on a box, the Child standing on the ground and looking up at him. He could have sworn that the little green baby was giving him that look. It was the look that kids gave their friends when their crush walked by. “Hey, knock that off. You better be on your best behavior for her. She’s willing to help you not get killed so be thankful she’s coming along.” Mando told the tiny being, who just giggled in response. “We’re just helping her! It’s not like that.” Mando insisted to the Child, exasperated with his silent (imagined) insistence. It didn’t occur to him that he really was just arguing with himself. 

He stood up and did a once around the ship to try and work out the logistics of living with you. Frankly, he wasn’t sure where you’d sleep or how living with another person was going to work as it had been so long since he’d spent more than a few days with someone. All Mando knew was that he wasn’t totally dreading your company.

[esamastation]

Codywan prompt: CC-2224 was among the command clones whose final exam took place off Kamino at the nearby smugglers haven of Rishi. While performing maneuvers in an abandoned mountainous settlement, three clones were lost to a sudden rockslide, but only two bodies were recoverable, the third having disappeared into the rapids below. Jedi Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi had been hoping a simple mission to investigate a smuggling ring would go smoothly, but it seems the force had a different plan.

Obi-Wan has a feeling that the whole mission is some kind of ploy by the Jedi Council to force him to take a holiday. It has Yoda's fingerprints all over it.

Rishi moon is desolate in the exact way he strangely enjoys. It's liveable but uninhabitable, with galactic standard atmosphere but no arable soil and no plant life, with only sandy canyons and dunes and dry mountains and rocky plateaus, rough oceans and wild rivers that went whichever they damn well pleased. The swell of the planet on the night sky overhead is magnificent and overpoweringly bright even in night time and there's something terribly beautiful about being on a planet where no one lives.

Obi-Wan has no doubt that it is actually being used by probably thousands of smugglers as convenient place to hide illicitly acquired goods, it's just the sort of place for that kind for thing… but really – the place is so close to one of his old poems given actual physical form that it has to be intentional.

He's not sure if he's mortified or gratified that someone still remembered the thing – or that the Council thought this would be the sort of thing to help him unwind after Anakin nearly got himself killed, again. They're right, in a way, but by force he's not going to admit it.

Tucking up his hood, Obi-Wan breathes in and out, tasting the un-tasted air of the desolate moon, and lets himself be, for a moment, completely alone in the universe.

And then he feels a stuttering song of a life form, not far from him, quivering and unsteady. Someone is on the planet with him – and they aren't doing too well.

Obi-Wan immediately heads for them, of course – he is there on a mission to supposedly investigate smugglers after all, and this person must be one. Who else would be in such a remote, desolate place? And in either case, they're in trouble and as the only living person in several light years, Obi-Wan is likely the only one who could help.

He expects to find a crashed ship, maybe, or one that had been attacked, something of the nature. He doesn't expect to find a single man splayed open a shoreline of a lifeless river, unconscious and half drowning inside his strange, vaguely mandalorian armour.

"Oh dear," Obi-Wan murmurs, and forgoes trying to get to the man and simply levitates him off the water, and to himself. The man hangs limb in his hold, raining water from under the white plates, and holding him up in the force Obi-Wan gently checks for his breathing, his pulse.

It's weak, stuttering, but as Obi-Wan enforces the man with Force, it grows stronger. It's obvious he's been knocked about, and he'd almost drowned – there's certainly water in the man's lungs – but he's breathing and he's going to live. Obi-Wan touches the helmet, considering it, but… who knows, he might be from the Watch. It sounds like the helmet is offering some oxygen to the man, as it is. Best leave it.

"Well then," Obi-Wan murmurs, manoeuvring the man around with force and then lets him drop into his own awaiting arms. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable, shall we?"

The way to his ship is too long – and it's one-seater anyway – so Obi-Wan searches in the Force until he finds a sheltered place, warm and welcoming in the Force. Obi-Wan could swoon at the sight of the place, when he makes it there – it's a cave in front of a natural hot spring.

"The very universe is conspiring to please me today," Obi-Wan sighs. "Keep this up and I will start waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or perhaps fear my own upcoming doom!"

He lays his rescuee on the warm rocks, making the man as comfortable as he can without removing the armour, and sits down to wait – soaking his feet in the water and trying to restrain himself from stripping and plunging right in. The man he saved is likely not the most trustworthy sort – better not risk it… just yet anyway.

Hedonism, this whole mission is pure Obi-Wan specific hedonism. Stars, Obi-Wan almost fears for whatever unpleasantness the Council is pre-emptively trying to make amends for this time.

-

Obi-Wan is meditating and almost dozing off in a pleasant, warm haze, when the armoured fellow finally wakes up. He does it in a strange mixture of relief, trust and comfort – and then, clashing all of that, he spots Obi-Wan and aims his blaster at him. The cycling of emotions is so rapid and sharp, that Obi-Wan doesn't even have the chance to reach for his lightsaber.

"Hello there – please don't shoot," Obi-Wan says as pleasantly as he can. "Be a shame to stain this fine pool with blood. Especially since I have done you no harm."

The blaster doesn't waver. "Who are you?" the man demands.

Obi-Wan smiles – he'd given a good deal of thought for his cover story, and had decided to go with the desert hobo one. He doesn't have the ship to play the smuggler, and he isn't dressed for it either – and who else would have any reason to come to a place like this, anyway? The desert hobo is an act that feels truest to his actual personality, too – even if it's only a secret part of him that only tends to come out in secret and poetry.

But what can he say – Rishi moon is beautiful.

"My name is Ben – I found you by the shore over there," he points towards the river, "half drowned and knocked about, judging by the looks of you. I think you took a tumble into the rapids, there. I picked you up and brought you here so that you'd get to recover and hopefully not get a cold."

There's a moment of silence, and then the man says, bland, "Colds are caused by viral infectious diseases not present on Rishi moon. The moon is barren."

"… you are right about that, but you still would have gotten cold," Obi-Wan says, not sure if to be amused or amazed. "Frostbite is no fun either."

"The temperatures here don't get low enough."

"Well, you're a very reassuring sort of man, aren't you," Obi-Wan says, amused. "I suppose you're alright then. Do you mind not pointing that thing at me, though? It's the least comforting thing about you."

There's a moment of hesitation, and then the armoured man puts the gun away. "Ben," he says slowly. "Your name is Ben."

"Yes?" Obi-Wan agrees, a little guiltily. It wasn't exactly a lie – he was known as Ben on some planet. Well, one planet. And now one moon. "That's me – how about you?"

The man doesn't answer, sitting up slowly and shoving his blaster into the holster. Then, watching Obi-Wan carefully, he checks his gauntlet, tapping something into a keypad and then lowering his arm. "Why are you here, Ben?"

Obi-Wan hums and then smiles, looking away. Interesting, very interesting. "I love places like these," he says, motioning to the vista in front of them, the open canyons carved into the landscape by the wild rivers. "There's so little in the galaxy that's so untouched. This place is so little use to so few people, so it's been left be. The only thing that's made any difference here is the wind, the weather, and the pull of the planet, and nothing else. It's… glorious."

Even through the armour he can tell the man he'd fished from the river is giving him an incredulous look. "Glorious?" he repeats.

"Nature of wild things," Obi-Wan agrees and kicks his foot in the water, sending ripples racing over the surface. "Wild nature and desolation of the universe, utter loneliness. We two are likely the only living souls on this whole system, with nothing but the emptiness of the universe all around us. It's glorious."

The armoured man just stares at him for a long, long time. Obi-Wan smiles a little wider as the armoured man looks up to the sky, like he's searching for what Obi-Wan is seeing. He hopes the man does see it.

"Glorious," the armoured man repeats. "Hm."

Obi-Wan grins wider and looks up as well. This is going to be a great mission, he can already tell. Maybe it will even be worth whatever indignity the Council would throw at him next. Who knows. For now, Obi-Wan thinks he's going to enjoy the company in loneliness and see what came of it.

-

And then they have adventures in Rishi moon while Obi-Wan shamelessly waxes poetry about desolate places and canyons and stuff and eventually gets to take his dip in the hot spring and Cody gets smacked over the head with “oh no, he’s completely ridiculous, I must protect him with my life.”

Not exactly what you asked for, but for a moment I got to live in a world where Obi-Wan might actually enjoy living on Tatooine one day and that was nice. Maybe Cody will live there too, enduring Obi-Wan’s bad poetry about the desert into his old age. That’d be nice too.

[cardinal-carvings]

Character  Interview

What is your full name? “Archex Cal’lien. Supposedly Cal’lien isn’t actually originally a surname, heard a few stories about my grandmother. In theory it was my grandfather’s name.” A shrug, “But I never met either of them, so...”

Who are/were your parents? “I had my mother, Saaliz. She was pretty young, and fought very hard to keep us both alive on such a harsh planet. Sometimes, I wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t fallen ill... would I have stayed on Jakku...? Or when the First Order showed up, would I have still ended up with them? She was smart... I don’t think she’d have let them just take me.”

Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like? “Not by blood. For the better, I know, but I kind of think it’d be nice... But all those Stormtroopers that trained alongside me? Especially my squad? We were a family. Brothers and sisters...”

Where do you live now, and with whom? “Batuu. With Zade, on his insistence. Small apartment. It’s... not bad, actually. But I do miss space.”

What is your occupation? “I work as a manager for a shipping facility,” Ohnaka Transport Solutions, but the idea of voicing that flat out felt... well, between his connections and Hondo, it could be a fun thing to tumble through. Especially if someone nefarious learned of it.

How would you personally describe your appearance? “... fit? I... I mean I guess, nowhere near what I used to be. Less for lack of trying, more for.” Gestures at his leg, sighs, “It’s getting better. I can do more. But I know I’ll never be what I was before. I’ve... somewhat, accepted that.”

To which social class do you belong? Snorts, “I’ve hardly any credits to my name after three decades wrapped up in some illegal military. I do have a job, but it may well be out of pity. Or... desperation. Not sure which is worse? Anyway, I’m not anything fancy. Not... anymore. At least it’s a step up from Jakku, eh?”

Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses? “This sounds like a very damming question to answer???”

Are you right- or left-handed? “Left hand dominate. But I’m perfectly capable of using my right hand if and when need be. It was annoying, having to learn to be able to use it effectively for better uniformity back before I was promoted to Captain and given more freedom but. I suppose it has it’s perks in hindsight.”

What words and/or phrases do you use very frequently? “I... don’t think there’s anything I use enough to be of note? Unless you count the curse from Jakku, but-- anyway.”

What do you have in your pockets? “A knife.” 

Do you have any quirks, strange mannerisms, annoying habits, or other defining characteristics? “I’m notoriously stubborn?”

Growing  Up

How would you describe your childhood in general? What is your earliest memory? “Shit. It was shit. Earliest memory was my mother telling me my father died before I was born and gifting me a carving she claimed he made for me before it happened. It was a lie, all of it, but I understand the attempt now... my father was a piece of shit.”

How much schooling have you had? Did you enjoy school? “School...? I’m pretty sure not even what the First Order taught me can count towards that word. So. Uh... none.”

Where did you learn most of your skills and other abilities? “Jakku, for actually a good chunk... the First Order, for the others. Shocking, I’m sure.”

While growing up, did you have any role models? If so, describe them. “The only one that won’t make me gag to voice, or get thrown back into heavy lockdown is my mother,” a laugh followed the claim, but it was completely serious, “She was brave. Strong... determined. I think she’s a big part of why I am who I am, even if I’d only had her for about seven years... she certainly made her impact.”

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? “Alive.”

As a child, what were your favorite activities? “I... didn’t get much of a childhood, and I’m certain this is guaranteed to get me side-eye glances but. I actually really enjoyed the simulations. Figuring things out, creating strategies, playing to my squad’s strengths and weaknesses-- you could, I guess, consider it was the closest to playing with other kids I ever got.”

As a child, what kinds of personality traits did you display? “I was stubborn. Not much has changed. Supposedly smart, but at this rate I think ‘smart’ translated more closely to ‘smart enough, but capable of being manipulated’ and not genuinely intelligent...”

As a child, were you popular? Who were your friends, and what were they like? “Back in the mines on Jakku, I’d earned myself a sort of following... even at only ten years old. After the tunnel collapsed and I dug myself and the three stuck with me out to safety and a semblance of freedom, they stayed with me.... followed me right into the First Order.

“And I guess you could say I was popular there, too. But that’s. Different. Though still well liked by my peers. My family.”

When and with whom was your first kiss? “That’s-- ah, very damming and classified information, actually.” There’s a laugh, a sound of embarrassment-- though not over who it had been. He held no regrets, despite everything, “First Order. Not necessary information even for the Resistance to know, mm??”

Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity? Clearing his throat, Archex finally sat forward and sought to hide his face in his hands, “Classified. Suffice to say I wasn’t exactly the remodel Stormtrooper everyone may have anticipated.” Another snort, and despite himself a grin formed, “Bet you lot thought I was chaste or some shit... that’d be fair. Untrue, however.”

Past And Influences

What do you consider the most important event of your life so far? “I mean, being dragged out of the First Order kinda seems big and important. Let’s go with that one, hm?”

Who has had the most influence on you? “... Mh. You wouldn’t like that answer...”

What do you consider your greatest achievement? “Er... odd question to ask someone who’s only real effect on the universe thus far has been training up billions of children into soldiers...”

What is your greatest regret? “I’ll tell you one thing straight up. It is not joining the First Order. I was meant to become Cardinal, for better or for worse. This way I have the chance to help... I wouldn’t be able to do much had I’d been stranded on Jakku all my life. And I know that.

“... I guess it’s not asking questions... back in the Order. Not aloud, that’d be suicide but... internally. I should have realized sooner just how wrong the First Order was...”

What is the most evil thing you have ever done? “Evil,” the word is flat as it leaves his mouth, “That’s a subjective term, is it not? Evil... everyone has their own sets of believes and morality. You can claim taking kids into the First Order was evil, and I’d reply back that to me leaving them orphans to struggle through life would have been more cruel. You can say that killing someone who’s a traitor is evil, and I could argue it’s an act of mercy because the other option is torture and perhaps even reprograming. You could tell me torturing someone is evil, and I could argue that it may be a brash act but I’m doing it for the better good.

“But, fine. I suppose there’s one thing that may well have been unjustly cruel of me. I don’t regret it, don’t get me wrong. But I can acknowledge it was in... perhaps, poor taste. Shortly after being promoted to Captain and being gifted the name Cardinal, my father had come to the First Order with information in hopes of a sort of salvation. I took the information and instructed everyone not to pay him, with the explanation that he may well turn around and sell the information of the First Order’s knowledge on said thing right back out to double his profit.

“I quite possibly led to his death. Though I never bothered to look into it. I don’t think I’d like either possible outcome.”

Do you have a criminal record of any kind? “Let’s see... I used to be a high ranking officer in a military that is technically illegal, all things considered. I’ve killed people on their orders. And now, even if it had been legal, I defected informally. After trying to kill someone of the same rank of myself. Add that to the years of thievery on Jakku, and I’m sure somewhere you can pull up something on me. If not, I’d be genuinely surprised.”

When was the time you were the most frightened? “Most frightened...” Archex hesitates, then shakes his head, “Probably when my mother dropped me off at the orphanage and told me not to go looking for her. I get why she did it. She was sick, dying. She didn’t want to let my father get his hands on me. But it left me alone... and I couldn’t accept that. When I slipped out days later to track her down, I was completely alone for the first time in my life. I never found her. I know she died. I’m not ashamed to admit I was terrified... the idea of being on Jakku without anyone with me? It’s a cruel planet, I was seven...”

What is the most embarrassing thing ever to happen to you? “Phasma.”

If you could change one thing from your past, what would it be, and why? “I... I would have left with Vi instead of going after Phasma and being forced to leave, anyways. Stars, I could say I wish I had actually managed to kill her but I’m... well aware, that wouldn’t have changed anything at this point. At least had I left, I could be more useful than I am now.”

What is your best memory? “Mm... I’m going to be completely honest here, alright? I miss raising the kids back on the Absolution.... there’s no one solid memory I hold more fond over any other. It’s... just them...”

What is your worst memory? “I mean, honestly speaking? Considering the massive amount of truths I was forced to learn about someone I thought cared about me? There’s... a huge handful of memories in a bad light now. Memories that make my skin crawl, that make me question everything... everyone. Make me never want to trust again. You probably thought it’d be something simple and concrete, like my confrontation with Phasma? Those scars are mostly just physical... while the injuries won’t heal completely, they’ll be easier to live with than the factor that my entire life had been a lie.”

Beliefs  And  Opinions

What is your greatest fear? “Failing, I suppose...”

What are your religious views? “What was that word I’d heard again,” a pause, as Archex shook his head, “I’m... agnostic? There’s a lot of different religions and ideas and cultures out there, too. The idea that maybe they’re all right, or maybe none of them are right--... I dunno. It seems. Mmm... It’s not something I sit down and turn over in my head. Even, like, the Force-- I know something of it exists, but the whole.... all those stories... it seems like so much of it fits better to a myth. Cautionary tales... something fun to tell around a plate of food, or for fun.

“There’s just. More to it than I’d had time to pounder, and right now I have more important things to spend my energy on.”

What are your political views? “I... still believe that some of what the First Order claimed is true. Now, before you go and have me hauled off to Cerea again hear me out-- the New Republic seemed more focused on the richer worlds. Those that could afford to have a voice. The little people, those who suffered-- like so many on planets like Jakku... we could have died out, and it feels they wouldn’t even have bat an eye. The First Order... hn... I still like the ideas they pushed around. I know now, yes yes yes, bad... they wanted to bring equality through oppression and control...

“There... has to be some way to help those less fortunate not have to struggle and starve every day of their life without oppressing them or others... right?”

What are your views on sex? “... weird question, but okay. It. I..? Personally I only ever have sex with someone who I’m emotionally close to. But I’m not about to drag anyone who goes off and has fun.”

Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable? “Don’t like killing. Never did. Never will... but I can. I... I think, I still can. I... I dunno.” Brushing his hair from his face, Archex huffed in annoyance, “I think... that if you can avoid it, then you... you should, but there’s cases where it would only lead to multiple deaths of innocents-- yourself dying, or otherwise bad things happening. There are times where it’s best to just end someone’s life. It’s not pretty, and I don’t enjoy it. But I’m not about to pretend like I view the option a horrible mistake.”

In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do? “Force others to suffer for their own gain... or amusement.”

Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love? “Weighted question, don’t you think? I’m going to be honest and say I... have no kriffing idea. I’ve not really gotten much a chance out there to have experience first hand to answer this. I... have a weird relationship with fate, as is. Look at it this way; if you had someone you’re destined for, why would you end up with anyone else? But then you can argue the others were lessons-- and everything gets all muddled...”

What do you believe makes a successful life? “Having a positive impact on those around you, and their future... I mean, that’s. That’s what I want... I want to make things better for those to come...”

How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings? Do you have any biases or prejudices? “I’m a sentient being... of course I have biases... anyone who claims otherwise is a liar. I’m not an open book, but I’m also not impossible to get open if you know what I mean? Then again, if you were to ask Vi she’d probably tell you all my feelings are on the cover in large font.” A snort, as he shook his head, “Okay, seriously though. I’m a terrible liar, and the idea of hiding things isn’t much for me anyway. Unless it’s something better left unsaid, usually those who need to know will know.”

Is there anything you absolutely refuse to do under any circumstances? Why do you refuse to do it? “I won’t harm a kid. Ever. That should be obvious as to why... the idea that the First Order destroyed a whole system... I could never, ever support that sort of thing. Even smaller scale.”

Who or what, if anything, would you die for (or otherwise go to extremes for)? “I’d die to keep my family safe. Though at this point... that word is ripped in pieces, blanketed over... so many, and people that the Resistance admittedly would likely disapprove. This-- being here, is difficult. After everything, there’s... there’s people I love who are in the Order, still. I’ll admit that freely, kriff I raised those Stormtroopers... things aren’t ever going to be easy again.”