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arnoldjaime13 · 4 years ago

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Blog Tour- BETRAYER by @ANConway With An Excerpt & #Giveaway! @RockstarBkTours

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the BETRAYER by Nicole Conway Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: BETRAYER (The Dragonrider Heritage #2)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: February 23, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

The darkest secrets of Murdoc’s violent past may be their last hope.

As pressure mounts to find the Tibran witch, Devana, Thatcher and his companions struggle to regroup after discovering Phillip’s bitter betrayal. Forced into hiding while they await a new plan of attack from Prince Judan's network of spies, tensions rise and threaten to tear their company apart. Murdoc knows every second they linger risks another attack from the vicious Ulfrangar Assassins or Phillip, but Reigh is determined to stay and await new instructions.

With two of his closest friends now locked in a battle of wills, Thatcher is caught in the middle—until a surprise assault by the Ulfrangar drags him into the darkest depths of their brutal order. Faced with a life-and-death race against time, Murdoc is the only one who might be able to save him now. But for Murdoc, taking up an assassin’s blade again to fight the same order that trained him will also mean facing the worst demons of his past.

Can Murdoc finally rise above his bloody past and save his only friend? Or does destiny have a new path in store for an assassin-turned-hero?

About Book 1:

Title: HUNTER (The Dragonrider Heritage #1)

Author: Nicole Conway

Pub. Date: November 24, 2020

Publisher: Broadfeather Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

One boy must earn the trust of a blind dragon and hunt down an elusive sorceress before she can rekindle the war that nearly destroyed their world.

As the Kingdom of Maldobar emerges victorious from the brutal invasion of the Tibran Empire, much of the land is left in utter ruin. With his home destroyed and family gone, 16-year-old Thatcher Renley has no one left to turn to. And when he’s mistaken for a Tibran soldier and banished to a wartime prison camp, Thatcher knows his only hope for freedom lies in appealing to Queen Jenna directly.

But getting out of the prison camp might be the least of his worries— especially after he stumbles across a feral dragon locked in an iron cell.

As far as dragons go, Fornax is a lost cause. The battle that killed his rider also left him blind and too aggressive for any knight to control. But Thatcher can’t deny feeling drawn to the beast. Does he have what it takes to calm Fornax and join the proud ranks of Maldobar’s dragonriders? Only time will tell. And with a bloodthirsty Tibran witch threatening to rekindle the chaos of war, everyone’s time may be running out.

Excerpt

PART ONE

Murdoc

Chapter One

Thatcher Renley was, by far, the biggest idiot I had ever met in my entire life—and that’s saying something, because I’d also met Prince Reigh Farrow. He was in a close second. But at least he had enough common sense to know that this so-called hunt Queen Jenna and Jaevid Broadfeather had sent us on was essentially a glorified suicide mission. We were charging straight into a fight with a largely unknown Tibran witch, armed with only fragments of information about her abilities and location. And if that weren’t enough, there were only three competent fighters among our group—dragons included.

Granted, Reigh could manage decently against common enemies. He’d apparently been trained in combat by the Gray Elves, and their scouts had recently improved in their fighting ability. They must’ve stumbled across someone with an actual brain who was now training their scouts and warriors. Knowing that, Reigh had probably held his own fairly well in Luntharda. But we were a long way from the wild jungle, and sooner or later, that temper of his was going to cost him.

Phoebe was … well. Hmm. Perplexing, I guess. She fluttered around with her mad storm of red curls flying, bubbling like an excited child about the projects she was working on, and radiating a relentless optimism that sort of made me sick to my stomach after a while. Not that she annoyed me, really. It was just strange to be around someone that persistently happy all the time. Happiness wasn’t something I’d had much experience with.

Which brings me back to the biggest moron of them all who, unfortunately, was now both my primary concern and the bane of my existence. Thatcher was astronomically stupid. Honestly, it was staggering he’d survived as long as he had without someone following him around, smacking his hand whenever he was about to try something dangerous. He’d volunteered for this mission without having any combat training of any kind. He was a farrier’s son, for crying out loud, and was essentially the human personification of a dandelion puff. Short, scrawny, wide-eyed, and baby-faced—he didn’t have a prayer of surviving this mess unless someone watched over him constantly.

How, by all the Gods and Fates, I had wound up being that person was still beyond my understanding.

Ugh. Fine, fine. I’d done it by choice, I suppose. Sort of, anyway. I mean, sure, I could have left him there in that alleyway in Thornbend to die along with most of the other peasants and villagers. Maybe that would’ve been kinder in the long run—especially if we were all soaring toward a gruesome death right now. Still, in that moment, with all the world swallowed up in flames and that pitiful kid on the ground at my feet, I’d looked into his eyes as he spoke to me, offering me a different path I’d craved for so long. And I’d realized … no one had ever talked to me that way before. Like I was someone and not something. No one had ever treated me that way. No one had ever looked at me and regarded me like … a person.

So, I’d made a rash and irrevocable decision. A mistake, probably. But then again, I’d been swallowing back hopes of escaping that life—the life of an Ulfrangar assassin—for as long as I could remember. That night in Thornbend had been my first real opportunity. The only catch was, of course, keeping the baby-faced kid who kept calling me “friend” alive, too.

Thatcher treated everyone that way, though. It’s like there was no room in his mind for the possibility that a person really could be evil. Shocking, considering the vacant way he stared at me sometimes—like you could pass a twig through his ear and it would come out the other side and not hit anything in between.

At first, I’d just assumed he was incredibly sheltered or naïve. Maybe he was. But after our experience with Phoebe, finding out that she had been a Tibran, I’d expected him to reject her entirely. Anyone else probably would have. Whether out of shame or fear, she’d kept that information from everyone.

But Thatcher had insisted on helping her. He’d forgiven her without a second thought. He was stupid, yes. But he was also far kinder than anyone could ever deserve.

Least of all me.

He still called me his friend like it was nothing. He laughed and chatted with me as though he genuinely enjoyed my company and wanted me around. He kept chasing after me whenever I tried to put some safe distance between us. Didn’t he get it? Couldn’t he sense it at all? I was not a good person. I never had been. I’d accepted a long time ago that no matter where I went or what I did, the pack—the Ulfrangar—would always own me. They’d carved their mark upon my soul from the very beginning and nothing could erase it. Deep down, I would always be one of them.

Even now, sitting behind Reigh astride his lithe green dragon, the weight of their presence crushed down over my body from every side. They were everywhere and nowhere. They moved in shadow, lived in anonymity, and thrived on the constant stream of the world’s darkest secrets. There was no place I could hide, nowhere I could go that they wouldn’t be able to reach.

The more I thought about it, the harder it was to justify why I’d let Jaevid set me free—even if I knew the answer already. Because of Thatcher, the idiot. No one seemed to know what he’d done to provoke Devana and her new monstrous minion, Phillip. Maybe nothing. And honestly, I didn’t care. It didn’t matter. They wouldn’t put a hand on him if I had anything to say about it. He’d called me a friend—someone who was like a brother to him—and that was enough. It was more than anyone else had ever done for me my entire life.

We cruised, riding the strong winds coming in from the sea along the eastern coastline. The tower of Eastwatch faded behind us, and far below, small villages and towns dotted the hills. Most were a safe distance from the steep cliffs that dropped into the toiling dark ocean—places where wild dragons liked to nest. But the farther we flew to the north, the more the cliffs gave way to rocky beaches. Fishing towns were built right up against the banks amidst the clusters of odd, hexagonal basalt columns and massive trunks of washed-up driftwood from Luntharda’s giant trees.

Dayrise stood just a few miles inland, stretching all the way to the sea where a large port was packed tight with big merchant ships. The vessels cruised in from the open sea, white sails puffed and banners fluttering high as flocks of seagulls chased them in. Most were probably owned by merchants happy to be sailing their trade routes again now that the Tibran war was over.

Not that I’d ever been to Dayrise myself, honestly. The Ulfrangar network spanned far beyond Maldobar’s borders, but the territory I’d been assigned to work was back down on the southern tip of the kingdom. I’d never had any reason to journey this far north.

Too bad it didn’t make me feel the least bit more secure.

A glimmer caught my eye far in the distance off our right side—the tell-tale flash of sunlight over glossy scales. A dragon. He was far off, maybe three miles on our tail, and had been since we left Eastwatch. From so far away, I couldn’t tell much else. Maybe it was just a security escort from the dragonriders keeping an eye on us from afar. Maybe it was a curious wild drake that’d caught wind of the dragoness in our group and was interested in her. I didn’t know.

And when it came to being followed, I hated not knowing.

The sight of those faraway scale flashes and the faint shape of great dark wings flapping put a pang of dread like a cold iron spike in my gut. I looked away and set my teeth against the rush of adrenaline that made my skin tingle and my heart pound like mad. I’d have to mention it to the others eventually. But not yet. I needed more information, first. To be sure this wasn’t some arrangement Jaevid had put in place because, well, he now knew what I was. He had every reason to be concerned and to want to keep a close eye on things.

Or on me, rather.

Reigh started our descent as we neared the city’s outer limits. I had no idea where we were supposed to go or who Jaevid Broadfeather had waiting for us. Hopefully not another noble with an estate we might accidentally burn down. Well, sort of accidentally, anyway. And technically we hadn’t been the one doing the burning, but I digress. Whatever. Burned is burned, I suppose.

Unlike Eastwatch, the city of Dayrise wasn’t one visited by dragonriders on military orders on a regular basis. There was no towering spire meant to house soldiers and mounts looming over the rooftops, and no high city walls topped with battlements. Not that we got any strange looks as our dragons circled outside the city’s outer limits. In fact, there were more than a dozen sizable inns crowded around the main roads leading in and out of the city’s tightly packed streets. Many of them were flanked by massive barns two or three stories tall intended to house dragons.

Reigh chose one closer to the port on the western side of the city and guided his green dragoness into a smooth landing. She cupped her wings and stretched out her hind legs, landing on the grass as elegantly as a swan on a pond.

Thatcher’s much larger orange drake landed next to us, shaking his black-horned head and puffing unhappy snorts through his nose. The dragon curled his long, striped tail around his legs and bristled, small ears turned back as those milky green eyes darted around.

I frowned. Thatcher trusted that beast wholeheartedly. But I’d seen it drag him across the horizon like caught prey once already. Thatcher had been lucky to walk away from that ordeal—luckier than anyone else seemed to want to acknowledge.

“Let’s get Vexi and Fornax settled here and find our contact,” Reigh called back to me as he straightened in the saddle. He pulled off his helmet, nearly slapping me in the face with the end of his long, sweaty braid in the process.

“This is an old city,” I muttered as I studied the road ahead that led into the narrow cobblestone streets. “Places like this tend to be dangerous after dark, and there’s only a few hours of daylight left. We should go quickly.”

He unbuckled and dismounted first, then stood sorting through his saddlebags while I climbed down. “I agree. Which is why I’m leaving you in charge of this.” Reigh took out a small drawstring purse, poured a few gold coins into his palm then tied it shut again and tossed it in my direction. “Our contact is supposed to meet us at the sign for the Crosswall Docks. They’re probably already waiting on us. Think you can find it? Taverns with dragon accommodations are harder to come by here, and we need to keep a low profile—meaning, we stay away from the ones farther into the city. So, I’ll settle up for the dragons here and meet you there.”

The purse jangled when I caught it, as though there were still quite a few coins tucked away inside. “You expect that to take a while? We need to stay together.” It wouldn’t take that long, of course. I knew that as well as he did—meaning he had another motive for wanting a few minutes alone.

“I’ve got some letters to send back to Luntharda. Shouldn’t take me more than an hour,” he replied, bowing his head to hide his face as he crammed the handful of coins into his pocket. Reigh’s emotions ran so close to the surface, it was ridiculously easy to read him even with his face angled away. Judging by the scarlet color his ears were turning, these must have been personal letters. Letters to a girl, most likely. Love letters. Ugh.

He would’ve made a terrible assassin.

“And who is it that I’m supposedly looking for at the docks?” I pocketed the bag of coins and ran a hand through my hair, trying in vain to get it out of my eyes. Months away from my former life had allowed it to grow out longer than it’d ever been before. I’d have to fix that soon.

Reigh’s expression scrunched as though he were trying to think—emphasis on trying. Complex thought didn’t seem to be one of his stronger qualities. “He didn’t say specifically. Just that we’re looking for another Broadfeather. His brother, probably. I can’t recall his first name, but I met him briefly after the war ended.”

“If we go on ahead, how do you intend to find us later?” I arched an eyebrow.

He shrugged. “Looking for someone named Broadfeather at Crosswall Docks? That’s plenty to go on. I’m sure someone can point me in the right direction.”

Fair point. A last name like that was one people generally remembered, after all.

“Did you see all the ships?” a sing-song voice chimed suddenly. Phoebe practically fluttered over to stand beside me, her red curls bobbing around her and her big, blue eyes shimmering with excitement. “Aren’t they beautiful? Can we go see them up close?”

Reigh’s entire demeanor soured as he stood straighter. “Didn’t see enough of them while you were sailing around with the Tibrans, conquering other kingdoms and slaughtering their people?” He growled every word through his teeth as he leered down at her.

She shrank back some, almost like she might duck behind me if he made a move toward her. “O-Oh, um, well, no. I mean, yes, I did have to sail with them. But Lord Argonox didn’t allow me to leave my cell or go up onto the deck during—” She stopped short and went quiet. Her brows drew together as she flicked speedy, nervous glances around everyone. “I-I’m sorry,” she stammered at last, as though she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Reigh didn’t respond. Instead, he glowered down at her with his mouth mashed into a tight frown. His light amber eyes flashed with a mixture of wrath and what I could only guess was withheld terror.

I’d seen that look before from my Ulfrangar handler whenever I’d challenged or defied him, as though for the briefest instant he wasn’t sure if he should hold his ground or flee. And while I could sympathize to a degree—after all, Phoebe had apparently been the one in charge of all the magical experimentation for the Tibran Empire—she was about as threatening as a freshly-cut daisy on her own. She probably weighed seventy pounds to his one hundred and fifty or so.

Awkward silence hung in the air until Thatcher drifted over to join us, sporting his usual, blissfully vacant grin. “Are we staying here for the night?” he asked cheerily. “I’ve never stayed at an inn before. I thought Jaevid had arranged for us to stay with someone in the city?”

With a tight sigh, Reigh spun on a heel and gestured for Thatcher to follow him. “He did, but we’ve got to get the dragons settled and I’m betting yours will need extra assistance. So, come with me. Murdoc, you can take her and find our host. We’ll catch up.”

Phoebe didn’t say a word for a long time as she followed along close beside me. Lugging her bag of gear over my shoulder, I tried not to look her way more than necessary. According to Thatcher, I gave the impression that I was glaring whenever I stared at someone for too long. No need to make it worse.

Besides, one glance was all it took. The distant fogginess in her eyes as she stared down at the sidewalk put an uncomfortable tightness in my chest. I should say something, right? That was the normal thing to do. Wasn’t it? Gods and Fates, how was I supposed to know what normal was?

“You should stop apologizing,” I blurted before I could change my mind. My tone came out much harsher than I intended, as usual. Curse it all. I should have kept my mouth shut. Silence was always safer.

Phoebe tripped over an uneven stone. She staggered, and I snapped my free hand out. I seized her arm to hold her steady.

She let out a scream. Not a surprised little yelp—a real, primal, utterly terrified scream. Phoebe went completely stiff in my grasp, blinking up at me with her entire body trembling.

What? Why would she look at me like that—like I was about to do something terrible to her? I’d never raised a hand to her. Was it because she knew I was an Ulfrangar now?

Before I could ask or even say a word, her entire expression suddenly went blank again. Her body relaxed and she glanced around, seeming confused for a moment. “O-Oh! Murdoc! I-I guess you startled me.” She blinked up at me, face flushing almost as red as her hair. The forced, twitchy smile on her lips looked almost painful. “I’m so sor—um, I mean, thank you.”

I slowly let her go. “I … I didn’t mean stop apologizing in general. I meant stop apologizing to Reigh.”

Phoebe swallowed hard. Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she fidgeted with the embroidered hem of her long tunic as her mouth scrunched up. “I, um, well, I mean he is right to hate me. I did—”

“I know what you did,” I interrupted as I began walking again. “Most everyone does now, right? But Queen Jenna forgave you. The Court of Crowns absolved you. You’ve apologized to everyone over and over, including Reigh. You’ve made changes to your life to become something better now. No one can ask any more of you than that.”

“But he still hates me, doesn’t he? He’d probably kill me if you and Thatcher weren’t here.” She trotted to catch up and fall in step next to me like before.

“There’s nothing you can do about that. You can’t change your past or erase what you’ve done. And because of that, some people will always hate you. Even if you do everything right from now on, it still won’t matter to them. They will never be able to see you as anything more than what you were,” I tried to explain without biting every bitter word through my teeth. “But that doesn’t mean you should go on groveling for forgiveness. You’ve done your part. Forgiving you is Reigh’s problem now. So let it go.”

She didn’t respond right away. For a few more blocks, she followed along in total silence while we wound our way through the city’s narrow streets toward the sea. Then I felt the pressure of her wide, blue-eyed gaze on me again. It hit me like the glare of the sun, making my skin tingle. “Aren’t you afraid that people won’t forgive you for being an Ulfrangar?”

I paused at a corner before a broad, open square. In the center, a white stone fountain sprayed ribbons of water around the bust of a man in battle armor. He stood tall and proud, his eyes seemingly focused right on me, with a helmet under his arm while his other hand rested on the pommel of the sword belted at his hip. A dragonrider, most likely. But not one I recognized.

“That’s different. I don’t expect them to forgive me, so it would be pointless to ask for it,” I confessed as I held the statue’s frozen gaze. “The people who know what I’ve done could never truly forgive me. Like King Jace. And the ones who don’t understand only offer their forgiveness because they don’t know any better.” I flicked a look down at her. “Like Thatcher.”

Her mouth scrunched into a dissatisfied little frown. “What about Lord Jaevid, then? He knows, doesn’t he?”

I couldn’t keep the irony from my tone. “No. Not really. He’s gotten a small taste of it, so now he’s suspicious. But he doesn’t understand the extent of what I am.”

“Well, I forgive you, Murdoc,” Phoebe announced, a rebellious crease in her brow. “So which am I, then? Someone who understands? Or someone who doesn’t?”

I had to think about that.

The Tibran Empire had paid hefty sums to hire out Ulfrangar assassins and spies throughout the war. Phoebe had probably seen others like me before, if only in passing. She’d certainly seen all of the evil and unbridled cruelty that could come from a man like Argonox. In fact, she had probably witnessed and experienced more of it than even she could remember. But did she really comprehend what I was? What I’d done to survive up to this point?

“Could you forgive Argonox?” I countered. “Or any of the soldiers who were in charge of keeping you obedient? What about the ones who put those marks on your skin?”

Her face slowly drained of color. “B-But you didn’t do tha—”

“I’m no different from them,” I cut her off quickly. “You strip away the emblems and the banners, the flags and the creeds, and you’re left with the same thing. At its roots, evil is evil, and it doesn’t matter what you dress it up in. That’s why deep down, I’ll always be what the Ulfrangar made me. I’ll carry their darkness in me until the day I die.”

“You really think that?” Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. “You truly believe you’re evil like Lord Argonox was?”

I set my jaw and looked away. No matter how I turned the words in my head, none of them sounded right. I couldn’t bring myself to answer. It wouldn’t matter anyway. Clearly, she couldn’t understand. We were nothing alike. Phoebe hadn’t chosen to become a Tibran. She hadn’t chosen to do all of the things Argonox had forced her to do. But there had been moments in my life, a few vile moments steeped in malice and blood, when I had. I could have rebelled then. I could have let the Ulfrangar kill me for my defiance and ended it there. But instead … I’d accepted that fate. Wanted it. Thrived on it.

Sometimes, I’d even enjoyed it.

That was the part of myself King Jace would never trust—the part Reigh, Thatcher, Jaevid, and Phoebe should have been disgusted by. But they didn’t know.

And I had no idea how to tell them.

About Nicole:

Nicole is an award-winning, #1 international bestselling author from North Alabama. With a passion for relatable, authentic characters and exciting, fast-paced plots, Nicole is best known for her series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES. Other published works include THE DRAGONRIDER LEGACY SERIES, SPIRITS OF CHAOS SERIES, MAD MAGIC SAGA, and THE DRAGONRIDER HERITAGE SERIES (Coming Winter 2020).

Subscribe to Nicole’s Newsletter!

Giveaway Details:

1 lucky winner will win a signed finished copy of BETRAYER & swag, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:

2/22/2021

Jaime's World

Excerpt

2/23/2021

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/24/2021

Westveil Publishing

Excerpt/Instagram Post

2/25/2021

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

2/26/2021

Lady Hawkeye

Excerpt/Instagram Post

Week Two:

3/1/2021

A Dream Within A Dream

Excerpt

3/2/2021

Declarations of a Fangirl

Excerpt/Instagram Post

3/3/2021

Jazzy Book Reviews

Excerpt

3/4/2021

Books A-Brewin'

Excerpt/Instagram Post

3/5/2021

Lifestyle of Me

Review

3/5/2021

Hurn Publications

Excerpt/Instagram Post

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wincore · 5 years ago

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wayv + sci-fi!au

a/n: i dont have a lot of time but i do have a lot of ideas so here’s my attempt at a bullet scenario!! i also wanted to write sci-fi aus which are not post apocalyptic so here’s my best and i know these are all like really far fetched and maybe a little cliched but it was fun writing them!!

doctor!kun

a doctor for mutants!!

so kind and steady, he pretty much won you over the first time you met

when you find yourself crying by the side of the street after being kicked out of your apartment

you did not expect a man with kind eyes and sweet smile to show up and offer you water and some tissues

especially an attractive man with an angelic voice

even the unblemished white of his jacket adds to the whole angelic look

you’re so out of it after the whirlwind of events that the slightest of kindness makes you even more emotional

you start bawling your eyes out when he offers to listen

and you actually want to tell him everything

how you just naturally attract trouble, especially with your strange powers

how you’re not trained enough to control them and you’re just sort of clumsy

how you really hate yourself for being born this way

but you can’t - you know he’d freak out, and you’d lose the last shred of kindness left for you

the serious look in the man’s face takes you by surprise

‘you’re...you’re a mutant, are you not?’

your eyes widen as you feel alert

he’s not part of the government, is he? he’s not trying to take you those horrible labs, is he? - oh god

you sit frozen in shock and no idea what to do

‘don’t worry!!’ he reassures you when he notices your obvious discomfort

‘i won’t harm you! here, i’ll stay five feet away if that makes you feel better’

he gets up and moves away, putting his arms up to emphasize he means no harm

you shy away from him but he stands still in his place

‘please don’t be afraid. i’m just like you.’

you raise an eyebrow at that and when he signals you to come forward, you do, albeit reluctantly and cautious

he takes your arm, careful enough to be gentle and presses his palm against the burn mark you got last week

you hiss at the contact and he mumbles a sorry before letting his palm rest for a few moments

when he removes it, your burn marks are completely erased like they were never there

you stare at him agape and he breaks into a wide smile

‘i’m kun. and i was wondering if you’d join our school for mutants.’

‘i’m sorry, what?’

‘it’s to train people like us for the world. how to survive and pass off as a normal human being’

kun seems serious about this, and you can’t help but feel a certain feeling of trust towards him - he’s like you, after all

well, not as messy as you are, though

which is why you agree, and find yourself in front of a large yet old brick building - it’s so large, you’re sure it could house over hundreds of people!

there’s a giant courtyard behind the first entrance, and the housing lies on the other side

the top floors of the housing building, lined with bay windows, catches your attention with how comfortable they look, how inviting

and the numerous people of all ages - children, teenagers, adults - present in the courtyard doing their own thing livens up the atmosphere of the entire place

you feel yourself smiling as kun gives you a tour around the place

unfortunately, you don’t listen to any instruction he tells you

when you look at kun, the stern expression he gives you makes you freeze

‘you didn’t listen, did you?’ he frowns

‘i...uh...ho-how would you know?’

‘i’ve seen enough kids on their first day’ he loosens up and gives you a smile

‘wait how old are you?’ you ask, puzzled ’don’t tell me you’re like 50′

‘do i look 50 to you?’

you laugh at his expression, all sour, and despite you barely learning anything about the place, you’re hopeful again

the next few weeks are the difficult part

you have different trainers for controlling each aspect of your abilities - defense, cover-up, intensity control

very occasionally, kun takes your defense classes and boy is he good at martial arts

the entire point of the defense classes is to defend yourself without getting your opponent hurt

you kinda suck at it but you have never seen anyone move so easy to find but so difficult to get a hold of, almost as if he’s untouchable

you wonder if you’ll ever be able to do that

there’s lessons on how to behave too - the ones you hate most

but those are probably the ones you need the most, you think disdainfully

the worst part, however, is that you don’t get to see kun very often

he’s always busy tending to the kids and other patients (particularly, these two kids called yangyang and chenle) or taking classes for other students in his free time

and while you have your own schedule, you really wanted to spend more time with kun

shhhhh no you totally don’t have a crush what

surprisingly, kun barely ever uses his abilities - just for really young kids to amaze them or if it’s a serious injury

he’s gone through med school, and you’re sure he possesses superhuman memory too with the way he has every part of the human body memorized

he’s really kinda cool to you - the way he works systematically and thoughtfully

the night your sleeplessness is at its worst, you walk hesitantly towards kun’s office, hoping he could give you some mild sleeping pills

and maybe get to talk with him with that excuse

but instead, you eavesdrop on something you’re not supposed to

‘the government?’ kun asks the figure in black, sitting opposite him in his room

‘yes. they’re saying they know our location. but they want us to peacefully surrender ourselves.’

‘they’ll never find this place. sicheng’s invisibility barriers are the strongest ever known. plus, you’re good at masking. you know that.’

‘yes, but aren’t you worried? they’re not usually this bold.’

‘taeyong. you know this is the safest place we have. if we were to have been breached, we already would have.’

the figure called taeyong relaxes into the chair and there’s a quiet pause

‘yeah, you’re right. there’ll always be threats. i just got worked up.’

there’s silence for a while and you hold your breath for fear of being caught

kun has his eyes focused on taeyong

and you think he’s about to say something when his eyes suddenly move to your form behind the door

you freeze, a shiver running down your spine at the strong gaze you’re met with before scrambling away

you sneak into a narrow space between two walls, suddenly afraid that you’ve done something you shouldn’t have

you try keeping a watch on the corridor, looking out for any shadow or figure

you don’t wanna be caught eavesdropping by kun - he’s pretty strict about keeping meetings confidential

and when you’re sure enough time has passed, you peek your head out to find an empty corridor

you sigh in relief and push yourself out of the narrow cramped space to take a deep breath

‘you know, you should really focus on the sounds you make if you’re going to sneak around.’

you jump at kun’s voice and take a step back on reflex only for your back to hit the wall

‘i’m- i’m really sorry i- i didn’t mean to- i’m sorry’

kun doesn’t say anything, only draws closer till you wish you could fall through the wall for some space between the two of you

judging from the deep frown, you’d say you’re in for quite some scolding

but all you get is a long silence

instead, he presses his hand gently against your cheek

‘how’d you get that cut?’ he asks, looking concerned

you never noticed but now that he mentioned it, you feel a low burning on your cheek

you rack your brain to find an answer to when you could possibly get a gash like that

but instead of waiting, kun just draws his thumb along it

and the burning falls numb

you look at him, confused

you thought he disliked using his powers

‘why did you- why did you do that? you could have just sent me to the infirmary. a band-aid would have been fine.’

‘that’s okay. it’s fixed either way.’

‘i thought you didn’t like using your gifts.’

‘it does take up the better part of my energy, yes, but i’m off to bed now anyway.’

kun takes a step back and you finally detach yourself from the wall

‘kun?’

you call when he’s about to turn away

‘hm?’

kun looks at you with the same warmth he had when he brought you here

‘thanks. i’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.’

he laughs, his brow up in a confused twist

‘i just want to keep you safe.’

kun presses a light kiss to your forehead, so soft you almost don’t feel it

‘good night’ he says and walks away

leaving you blushing deep red in a lonely corridor

gamer!ten

when you find your ex-boyfriend at the city aquarium, you feel the urge to crawl into some hole and wither away

you just wanted a day to relax and have fun, but it looks like fate doesn’t want you to

your ex hasn’t noticed you and you quickly hide behind one of the corners to avoid confrontation

you sigh when he leaves in another direction, and turn around to get back on your little tour

your heart almost leaps out of your chest when you find a puffer fish staring right back at you

you’re so sure there wasn’t any exhibit behind you - it was just a wall, wasn’t it?

when you look around and back at the glass enclosure, there’s suddenly a tiger shark there instead of a round little pufferfish

you’re honestly starting to freak out

you slowly back away from the shark staring at you, but when you bump into someone, you let out a scream

‘JEEZ you’re so loud!’

your eyes meet another’s and they stare at you with a calculating sort of expression

‘i uh hi...uh...sorry......about that’ you stutter

he stares at you blankly

‘oh,,,uh, it’s okay’

there’s an awkward silence before he opens his mouth again

‘wait a minute you’re real aren’t you?’

you knit your brows together

‘i’m sorry?”

he cocks his head to the side and the expression on his face changes into a mortified one before he looks back to you

‘okay don’t freak out’

and of course you turn around to see what he saw

and it’s a fucking blue whale in a tank that’s probably not meant to hold a blue whale

your eyes follow the slow cracking on the glass, every new vein kicking a bout of fear in you

but the guy beside you wastes no time in grabbing your hand and bolting before it all comes crashing down

at least one of you knows what’s going on

you’ve barely reached the exit, when water rushes in from behind and the grip on your wrist tightens

‘this is gonna be messy’ he warns with a grimace

and you’re hit with a giant wave of water

great you’re gonna drown in an aquarium full of weird sea creatures who may or may not try to eat you

and the blue turns to black but you don’t feel the grip on your arm loosen, safely anchoring you

you wake up in an empty convenience store when bright daylight streams in through the windows

‘where the hell and fuck am i’

‘oh my god you’re awake i didn’t know if you could respawn i thought you died FOR REAL-’

‘what’

you see the guy from the aquarium, dark hair all mussed and wet, sitting with a towel around his neck and he passes one to you, which you take reluctantly

‘you really don’t know?’ he asks

you glare at him as you stand up and walk closer to him

do you look like you’re joking?

‘okay okay. you’re in a video game. i have no idea how you got in though. last time i checked glitches aren’t sentient.’

huh okay

at least it explains the shape-shifting fish and why an entire aquarium came crashing down on its own

you try to not think about the obvious madness of everything so far

‘i’m ten, by the way. and you’re welcome.’

‘for what?’

‘for saving your life?’ he answers with an incredulous face

you’re both quiet for a while before he sits down in front of you, still drying his hair

‘did you really not suspect a thing till now?’ he asks

‘i mean,,,,uh,,,,,when i saw my ex something had to be wrong’

he snickers as he adjusts something on his watch

you look at him expectantly

‘so are you going to explain why i’m here or why my ex is here or why everything feels so real’

‘oh right. have you ever seen those drones around your neighborhood?’

‘the round black ones?’

‘yeah! those are our scanning drones. we wanted the game to be as realistic as possible!’

‘so you spy on people?’

‘no’

it takes ten a full fifteen minutes to explain that this is just one of the new releases from his company and he’s a beta tester (or avid gamer, if you may) looking around for glitches in the background to report them before missions and enemies and other details can be added

you might live in one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world

and you know times are changing from phone screens and ar/vr headsets but

never in your life would you have thought virtual reality could get so real that you confuse it with actual reality

‘what are you doing?’ you ask as you eye ten tap away on his watch

‘reporting that glitchy fish’

‘glitchy fish’ you repeat

that’s one way to put it

when he’s done he looks up and stares at you for a while till it gets on your nerves

‘what?’

‘i still don’t know if you’re a glitch or a player, darling’ he says with a hard stare

you gulp

he’s not going to leave you behind, is he?

‘you have any idea where your real body could be right now? maybe we could disconnect you from the server’

you shrug. you don’t remember starting or even purchasing this game

‘the game’s not even released to the public though, i have no idea how you’d get the game.’

you sigh. this isn’t getting anywhere

suddenly ten seems to realize something as he stands up straight

‘maybe your save files got deleted! that’s why you have no memory.’

you nod along without fully understanding

an explanation’s better than none

‘and? what do i have to do to get out of this game?’

ten scratches the back of his head sheepishly

‘haven’t figured that part out yet’

you sigh into your hands

‘we’re not giving up yet don’t be so sad’

you look back up to be greeted with a thousand watt smile

‘i, personally, think that sentient glitches are kinda cool’

‘i’m not a glitch!’ you protest

you can’t be. you just don’t know how you got into the game that’s all

‘well then let’s get going!’ he says as he pulls you up

you stumble behind him trying to steady yourself with his walking pace as you both exit the store

‘where are we going?’ you ask

‘you have a place to live, don’t you?’

‘but it’s,,,,,a simulation’

‘so are we now let’s get going, glitch’

‘i’m not a glitch, dickwad’

ten hesitates for a moment before nudging you to lead the way

‘we can try jogging your memory tomorrow’ he shrugs

‘if it doesn’t work, i’ll go back and try searching for your save files’

and you trust him on that

virtual sunsets can’t be so pretty, you think as you walk towards your apartment, your only hope lying with a stranger

maybe this video game isn’t so bad

secret agent!winwin

uhh more like intergalactic secret agent

as someone from earth, you’re not happy with how things are going

illegal activities have grown in numbers, with crime rate off the charts

and the worst yet, the government is desperately trying to hide that everything is going wrong

so of course they want to send agents on covert operations to solve some of the problems

and man, being one of earth’s best secret agents is a pain in the ass

because you get sent to bring down an illegal kaiju fighting ring all on your own

if those monsters are let loose, you can’t even begin to comprehend the damage

you have no idea how they even made those - and they even established a command link with them!

it’s like mankind is itching to drive themselves extinct

as for your plan

getting in is easy for you with your disguise as a spectator

you’re gonna thank the face sculptors you borrowed from the labs, but the rest was all you

in all honesty, the plan you made is easy

sneak into the team chambers, make sure the kaiju are put to sleep, and destroy the command links

and then of course, you make sure the ring is irreparably destroyed

should be easy enough - you have all your limbs and vital organs, what else can you need?

turns out having a few more eyes or blades on your spine or being as big as a skyscraper would also be cool

the near death experience you have in the spectator area makes you wonder why people come here at all

the creatures aren’t fully limited to the ring - sometimes their deadly sharp tails shoot into the watching bay

perhaps someone forgot to give you the memo

but you regain your composure as you sneak out while the crowd goes wild with their eyes glued to the monsters

seriously, how could anyone enjoy monsters tearing each other apart?

when you’re in a team personal room, you take down the players easy enough

but you hesitate when you look at the giant creature in the glass container

it sleeps so peacefully, even if its programmed to be controlled, to kill

just plug the poison in and they’ll die just as peacefully, you remind yourself

you get a horrible feeling in your gut though

all these years you’ve managed to keep your missions almost casualty proof

and the first murder you’ll be doing is of innocent creatures tainted by mankind to kill

but of course, you think again, they’re a threat to other life if freed

you’re about to plug the driver in, when an arm snakes around your waist and twists you to the ground

you groan in pain but retaliate with a kick nonetheless

the figure dodges it by a hair’s width and tries wrapping a hand around your neck

the fight continues and you’ve never felt so drained in your life - this guy really knows hand to hand combat huh,,

you’ve never sparred with someone who moves so fluid, almost feline in how his footsteps never make a sound

you can never predict his next move

it’s difficult to fight him so you settle for restricting his movement as much as possible

you have him pinned for a while, as you demand an answer of him

while most of his face is covered, his eyes are not and you’d find them pretty if they weren’t from a person so dangerous

in all your years of training, you’ve never encountered an enemy this skilled

‘who sent you?’

he doesn’t answer, and an almost satisfied look passes across his features

in a flash, your positions are reversed and he cuffs your wrists with magnetic locks

you groan

this is not how you’re going out

you watch him as he sticks three patches on the container and it makes you wonder

they can’t be,,,,teleportation patches,,,can they

you thought they were just rumors

‘what are you doing?’ you ask, desperate to enough to distract him in any way

he raises an eyebrow and walks slowly towards you with a hard glare

‘putting things back in their place’

‘okay,,, and how’d you sneak in?’

you admit you’re a little curious - he doesn’t look like he’s been using face sculptors or presence erasers

he looks like he got in way easier than you did

‘you’re only the best on earth’ he says with a scoff

‘you know me?’

‘i know everyone who works for earth’s government. your firewalls are primitive’

you crinkle your nose at how casual he looks saying something so condescending

‘do you mind explaining what you’re gonna do with them?’

‘i told you. i’m putting things back in their place.’

‘what you’re gonna put them back in a test tube?’

he stops to look at you for a moment

‘you really don’t know?‘

you shake your head

why does he look at you with so much disdain?

‘a race of thieves pretending they’re pioneers,,,huh‘

‘now you’re just being mean :(’

you’re starting to form an idea of who he is, and it isn’t any less interesting than who he might be

‘how do you think you humans started breeding them?’

‘so you’re telling me,,,they were stolen?’

‘yes, and now they’ve been genetically modified to only fight. it’s sad’

‘sorry to break it to you buddy but human beings kinda suck’

he tilts his head

perhaps that was not the response he expected from your arrogant little race

he continues walking around the glass, analyzing the creature

‘they’re from a less developed planet under our protection. they’re going to die out if we don’t restore the natural order‘

you sit still, curious about the whole situation unfurling

he looks at you one last time, eyes unreadable again

‘i hope you stay out of my way. i’ll take care of the creatures‘

‘let me help you‘

‘i’m sorry?‘

he has an eyebrow raised in disbelief

‘i’ll help you. you wanna get them home, right? i want to help‘

it is a better way to get rid of them - that way you won’t be committing mindless murder

‘well, i need to get them to the labs first to rewire their bio codes, and then get them home‘

‘so you’ll let me help‘

‘i’m not used to,,,a partner‘

‘you wouldn’t tell me all of that unless you wanted me to help‘

you see a ghost of a smile across his features even if his lower face is masked

‘you’re going to wear a freezer bracelet in case you try something funny‘

you groan

‘we literally want the same thing - a little trust would be nice‘

‘you talk like a rookie too much to be a good agent‘

he walks up to you and removes the magnetic cuffs only to put the freezer bracelet on you

you massage your wrists and shoot him a glare

if you’re offering to help him, he could at least be a little nicer

in the next second, he pulls down his mask and extends a hand towards you

you’re almost a little starstruck by his face, honestly

his expression is strictly business when he speaks, a little uncaring even

but there’s a hint of a smile in his voice

‘i think it’d be a win-win situation for us to work together and get all these kaiju home’

time traveller!lucas

you go to the old park early in the morning not because you’re fond of waking up at ungodly hours

but there’s something about the silence of dawn that really helps you focus on your work

of course you do skip some days, it’s normal

but you like to be at the top, ahead of your own anxieties

on the fated day you don’t skip

you certainly weren’t expecting to find a boy hanging upside from a tree branch right in front of your face

a lot of people don’t know about this place - only old couples and little children and dogs owners come visit

definitely not college kids

and it’s even emptier at this hour

the boy is startled by your presence, which isn’t good for him

because he ends up on the ground in a crumpled mess clutching his arm

the weirdest part is you recognize him from your classes, nanoscience maybe?

you’re sure he’s one of the more popular kids,,,,wong yukhei, is it?

you’ve seen him laugh with a giant group of friends in the hallway before

‘oww,,,,’

that snaps you out of your thoughts and you quickly kneel down beside him

‘are you okay?? did you hurt your arm?? do you need help??’

‘i’ll be fine!!!’ he squeaks when he sees you so close to him and shoots up

but something else catches his attention as he mutters an ‘oh boy’

and takes off in another direction

you look behind you but find nothing and scratch your head trying to figure out what’s up

what a weird boy

and you’re about to take your regular spot on the bench with your laptop

when the boy sudden materializes beside you again nearly giving you a heart attack

‘you’ve gotta come with me’

and suddenly you’re pulled by the arm into a strange darkness

like you’ve fallen into a lake of the murkiest waters, everything there and not there at the same time

but it lasts only a few seconds

and when you’re able to see again, you’re not in a park

in fact you’re not in any place familiar

and there’s a horse cart coming right at you

you’re about to scream when you’re pulled to the side into an alley, almost tripping over the cobblestones

and you fall back into that murky water

light shines back again when you’re suddenly in a sort of desert

‘is that a fucking dinosaur?’

instead of an answer, you get arms wrapping around you and you’re back into murky waters

you take a breath of life in a dimly lit place

but it’s a different sort of darkness - more like someone turned the lights off instead of something that pulls you in

‘what the fuc-’

‘i’m sorry! i really am! but the situation is,,,,,,really bad’

you glare at him and a sliver of satisfaction crosses you when you see him stumble back at your gaze

‘i’m yukhei hi,,,,,,,and i’m also in your nanoscience class’

‘you know me?’

you don’t see his ears turn red in the dim light as he nudges you forward into a more lit area

‘we’re in 3145’

‘what? where’s that?’

‘no- that’s the year’

‘WHAT?!’

yukhei winces at the rise in your voice as you look at him for answers

in all honesty, he looks like a guilty puppy trying to avoid its owner

‘i’m so sorry i had to pull you into this!! but i didn’t have a choice, okay? the agents were after me, and they saw you too! and there was no way letting you be was okay-’

‘yukhei’

‘yes?’

‘tell me about the agents part’

‘oh right i’m supposed to deliver some information to the president of earth in 3145 but the old earth colonies sent them to get it from me’

‘.....okay’

he grins sheepishly

‘don’t worry, okay?’ he says, eyes round and words firm

‘i just have to get this to the president and report the agents - and it’s finished!’

yukhei walks off in another direction and you follow nimbly behind him

the first sight that comes into view is the giant glass window on your left

there’s no wall - only a view of the city

and you swear you’ve never seen anything grander

it’s night but the lights are so bright it might as well be day at certain parts

there’s no being afraid of the dark here - humanity seems to have built empires to keep out their fears

drawn to the view, you walk closer to the glass and peer down

‘i can’t see the ground!’ you exclaim

yukhei turns around to look at you for a few seconds confused before coming to stand by your side

‘yeah! we’re like on of the tallest buildings ever built in human history! and this isn’t even the top floor’

your jaw drops as you look around at the rings you assume are roads with the vehicles moving on them

they have a sort of grace as they glide by at an incredible speed

there are rings after every few storeys and the bright lights nearly blind you when you try to look directly at them

the buildings themselves are of varying shapes, but they’re mostly black with lined windows emitting differently colored lights

you can see a tower in the distance, stretching out into skies you’ve never seen before, lights sorting out the texture of the clouds

you never thought nighttime could be so wonderfully lit

you turn your head to find yukhei grinning at you

‘i was totally dazed too the first time’

you find yourself smiling as yukhei points out certain things in the distance he finds cool

he’s so enthusiastic about all the places you feel yourself drawing closer, curious with certain questions

‘yukhei’ you ask suddenly ‘where are you from?’

‘the same as you! i was born in 1999, and i’m a university student- i mean, you know that,,,,,,,because we share a class together,,,’

he looks outside the glass

‘i don’t know why i took up this,,,,,,,,,,time traveling messenger job,,,,,honestly,,,,,,but it’s more fun when i’m not alone’

his shoulders sag but he straightens in a moment, like he refuses to be discouraged

‘anyway i gotta do this quick i’ll be back’

and you watch him run towards the end of the long corridor after shooting you a grin

the hallway is tremendously large and he disappears into the dark soon despite the bright lights from the windows

now that you think about it, it’s quite difficult to make out the ceiling - the corridors seem to be made for giants

you look back out the glass, wonder filling your senses again

you hope yukhei succeeds in his task quickly

would he ever mind giving you a tour of this place?

or just walk around with you here

it’s like every video game illustrator’s dream come true, this place

but yukhei comes back distressed after only a few minutes

‘i need a plan b’

turns out he forgot about the dinner party tonight - and there’s hundreds of thousands of guests beyond that door at the end of the corridor

there is no way to meet the president without greeting a horde of people

‘yukhei no’

‘i promise i’ll pay you back! anything you want!’

‘i am not sneaking into the president’s chamber while you distract the guests’

but you sigh and give in when you’re met with puppy eyes and pouty lips

where the hell did he learn that?

‘okay my face should be enough to distract people but just in case’

you roll your eyes as yukhei procures a black coat with gold embroidery and changes into dress shoes

he tries to comb aside his bangs as best as he can with his fingers but the strands make their way onto his face anyway

he then taps a button on his watch and his hoodie and jeans change into a dress shirt and formal pants in a blink

‘okay can’t believe that came in handy’ yukhei whistles at his garments

you, on the other hand, aren’t as calm

the president? of the entire earth? in the year 3145?

you can’t even dream up something this wild

and as yukhei drags you towards the door while you’re chewing on your nails

you pray nothing goes wrong in this plan

as you hide behind a large silver chair, you’re amazed at how good yukhei actually is at distracting

you can’t decipher the garbled nonsense that’s coming out of his mouth - you think it must be a different language, an alien language maybe or a new earth language

the guests look at him enamored and gleeful and with laughter

and you think he must have that effect on everyone he meets

well he certainly is charming, although in a weird way

with one last look at him and the crowd around, you sneak from table to table

till you reach the door at the corner

you wouldn’t even have noticed it with the way it’s so well hidden - only at a certain angle can you make out the outline of the door, which is oddly circular

who knows maybe circles are back in fashion in the 32nd century

you push the door at one side

and walk right into the presidential chamber

honestly, you expected a lock at least

it’s not as intimidating as you thought it’d be - in fact it looks like a normal office

well except for the techy stuff you can’t quite figure out

the lighting is soft blue and the mild smell of fresh flowers wafts through

it’s almost like a normal present day office

just keep it on the desk and go back just like yukhei said

you do just that and go back to the entrance

except the door is locked on the other side

you tug at it - it’s supposed to be rotating door, sort of like a spinning coin

but it’s wedged on tight

you slide onto the floor and hug your knees as you weigh the situation

what happens when the president finds you in her chamber? or worse, her security personnel

the president is a just but kind lady, yukhei had said to reassure you

but will you be prosecuted for trespassing? do laws even apply to you when you’re not from this era?

you swear you’ll have a mental breakdown right there

when yukhei walks in with trouble written all over his face

‘okay so,,,,another change of plan?’

there’s loud knocking at the door as yukhei scrambles around to seal it

‘okay the guards figured out i’m not the prince from some planet and we can’t go out now’

the terror on your face is obvious

‘well? what do we do?’

‘....wait for the president? she knows i’m supposed to be here’

you sigh into your hands

this is taking far too long and in a place far too closed for your liking

you find yourself having difficulty breathing

but when yukhei notices, he starts talking to you in halting words and laughter - his stories of where and when he’s been and all the dumb situations he got himself into

and even though the lilt in his voice gets loud

it helps you calm down

and you end up resting against his shoulder

you don’t know how you fell asleep but yukhei shakes you awake by the shoulder

‘the president’s here!’ he notifies

and you immediately jump up to stand straight

and when yukhei relates the events to the president in fumbling words,

you notice how dignified she is, especially with the stark contrast against yukhei’s awkward form in front of her

you almost giggle as he flusters over incorrect word usage

and your bumpy journey is over as soon as yukhei passes a small device to the president

‘good work’ she says with a smile and you’re escorted to a new room in a flurry

‘a gift’ one of the guards hands yukhei a small device

‘oh man! the latest one? this looks so cool!’

the bright smile on his face radiates excitement

your heart freezes when yukhei walks over to you, his smile still stretched across his face

‘let’s go home’ he says

you take his hand and smile back

and the murky waters aren’t as suffocating this time

you’re by the park bench again like you haven’t been gone for a few hours

there’s an awkward air between you and yukhei as you try to part with a goodbye

and you’re about to sit alone on your bench again

when yukhei turns around to jog back beside you

‘hey,,,,uh,,, do you wanna hang out in 3145? i know some really good cafes and gaming joints,,,’

you break into a livened up smile

‘i’d love to’

therapist!xiaojun

but like,,,,a therapist for cyborgs,,,,

he mainly works with newly made cyborgs and helps them get used to their new body parts in one way or another

you’re actually one of the first long term patients he gets

and you’re,,,,well,,,,a special case

on one hand, you’re technically still human

but your brain has been replaced with processors to help your body function

the only patients he’s ever helped are ones with more outer cyber body parts like arms and legs and eyes

they think the same way, and it’s just adjusting to related physical activities that they need help for

he’s a little scared to admit that he might not know what to do, how to distract you from associated difficulties, how to help you completely adjust

but he’s going to give you his best shot anyway

all you know is that a car accident left you with irreparable brain damage

and this was the only way to save you

you know who you are because that information has been fed to you

you know who you are but you just don’t think the same

in a way, you’ve gone back to thinking like a child because of the reset

learning things little by little

but it wasn’t good enough for you to get back to where you were

it’s like you understood things but stopped feeling them

a sort of hollow shell for a computerized mind

and of course, you were having trouble getting used to processing things at an abnormal speed

the amount of information in your environment sometimes gave you a nasty headache

so your family had to call in a specialized therapist

xiaojun is kind when he first meets you

he’s a little awkward in movement but he still smiles at you

and he’s genuine in the way he speaks

even you can tell him apart with your limited intuition

but you don’t talk to him - can’t talk to him even then

maybe you’re still afraid (with whatever remnants of fear left with you)

that the more you adjust to this, the more robotic you’ll feel

so the first three sessions you keep your mouth shut

but xiaojun doesn’t get exasperated with you, or groan or click his tongue

the simplicity of the room saves you a headache - the reality simulator of the room probably adjusts to the patient’s comfort

but honestly you wish you got one to get out of there

xiaojun is still kind, you think

he smiles when he asks you if you want to hear a song

you nod - whatever harm could a song do?

maybe it’s how he helps the other patients distract themselves from their sudden changes

and so he brings the guitar from the corner of the room

and plays you a song

it’s a sweet song at that, about gardenias and love

you want to hear it again, but you don’t want to speak

what if the voice that comes out is not your own?

so you settle for smiling at him and quietly appreciating the soft strumming of guitar

and at the end you thank him and leave

but on the fourth day, when he asks you a question you answer it

‘what’s your favorite fairy tale?’

‘it’s peter pan’ you answer without thinking

it wasn’t your favorite before the accident, but you’ve come to love it now

reading it over and over again, you’re sure the words are saved perfectly in your memory

especially when you have a computer for a brain

what would it be like to become a lost boy?

run away to a place where you felt freedom?

it’s one of the nicer thoughts you have, really

and to your surprise

you find yourself talking to him easily and freely

maybe it’s his warmth, maybe it’s how he smiles

maybe you just like being in his presence

even if he’s just a therapist for people who aren’t quite human anymore

and you feel happy

you didn’t think your new brain would give you the chance to feel that

in fact, you’re feeling things so much that you start to dread the end of the therapy sessions

you tell xiaojun what you feel after a lot of internal debating

‘í’m not stupid i just can’t think the same way anymore’

xiaojun looks up at you

‘i know that. that’s why you’re here‘

‘no, you don’t get it - i used to be someone who worked a lot, right? but i don’t wanna do that anymore! i want to be more free, and you know, do less’

xiaojun has his full focus on you like every day

but something feels different

‘that’s perfect then. you’ve identified your problem,,,and well, there’s nothing wrong if you want to sit back and rest‘

‘but- but my family needs me to work!’

‘you know they don’t. you’re being unreasonably harsh on yourself‘

‘because i’m not the same anymore!‘

xiaojun leans forward at the rise in your voice

‘everyone who walks in here have changed in some way or another. everyone who hasn’t come in here are also the same. people change. that’s what they do, right?‘

you stay quiet for a few moments and see a flicker of worry across xiaojun’s face

‘but i’m not a person anymore, right?’

he frowns

‘well you think and you feel. i think that’s enough to feel like a person’

‘i’m afraid i’ll stop feeling with this- this robot brain i have‘

xiaojun smiles again

‘but you’ve been feeling the past few weeks? and you’re feeling afraid now?’

you nod

‘then you’ve already proved your brain lets you feel’

he’s right, of course, you try to reason with yourself

‘but what if i just stop feeling again?’

‘then you’ll start feeling again too’

you start to think again

you’re still feeling now

fear is still the primitive feeling in your headspace

and maybe that’s what’s holding the humanity in you

you sigh and sit back

‘maybe if you try to let go of fear, you’ll have space for other feelings too’ xiaojun says with a smile ‘but that’s advice for everyone’

he checks the time on his watch and breathes out, signalling the session is over

but before you can leave, he comes and sits beside you

‘i know i’m your therapist, but can i speak to you as a friend for a moment?’

you’re a little taken aback but nod a yes nevertheless

‘when i was a kid, i had an accident too‘

you’re curious at the sudden words

‘and i had to get parts of my brain replaced‘

you look at him as he plays with his fingers

‘i decided to help people in an unbiased way, get them back on their feet‘

‘i didn’t feel for a very long time honestly. in fact, not until i met you. i felt understood after so long - and i wanted to thank you for it‘

‘since the sessions are ending, i just wanted you to know’

you feel a little embarrassed when xiaojun rubs his neck and awkwardly smiles at you

‘so if we’re friends, does that mean i can talk with you anytime?’ you ask with a shy smile

xiaojun smiles, warmth ever present

‘anytime‘

android!hendery

the moment the delivery bot dumps a fully functional android at your place, you know something’s wrong

‘i haven’t ordered this...gosh, i don’t even have the money!’

‘don’t worry. it’s already paid for.’

you knit your eyebrows together as you scan your finger over the delivery bot’s tablet and look at the giant box now in your living room

you walk around it, scrutinizing it when a note catches your eye

thought you might be bored of living alone, so here’s a cutie - xoxo, 10

what the fuck

ten really has nothing better to do huh

you immediately call him and his holographic image shows up on your living room in that damn posh suit

‘ten just what is this?’

‘huh?’

the look of feigned ignorance on his face pisses you off even more as you adjust your camera to focus on the box

‘that!’

‘oh it’s an android!! the latest from our labs’

‘and why is it here?’

‘it’s an early birthday present, darling’

you groan as a smirk makes its way onto his face

‘i mean he might be having the feature too but i’d have sent a sex droid if that’s wh-’

‘ten i will personally march into your office and slaughter you with every weapon possible if you continue talking’

he laughs at your repulsed expression for a good few seconds before standing up straight to face you

‘who’s gonna run the company if i die? besides, i personally helped with instructing for this one. i’m sure you’ll like him’

you sit on your couch and sigh

you definitely won’t if ten designed it

your best friend might be the ceo of a leading tech company but he’s still so annoyingly childish

‘well activate him! actually wait you know what i’ll do it myself cause you’re a prick’

‘ten no-’

there’s a sudden whir from the giant box sounding dreadfully like the booting up of a system and you stand up alarmed

‘oh wow it’s darker than i thought it would be oh boy.....and way more bubble wrap’

you freeze at the unknown voice

‘have fun, darling!’ ten says and disconnects after blowing a kiss at you

you groan and hesitantly make your way to the box which is surprisingly stagnant considering there’s a whole robot inside

your shaking hand presses the unpack button and inside stands a rather confused figure in standard android black, but it’s a hoodie and jeans instead of formal attire

with stretched and destroyed bubble wrap by his feet

but when he steps forward to greet you with a bright ‘hello!’ you swear it’s the prettiest boy you’ve ever seen

you’re at a loss for words for a few seconds

before you remember you really don’t want anyone else running around your place

‘hi uh,,,,’

you read the tag on his hoodie

‘hendery. hi. uh. i don’t know how to say this but,,,,is there any chance you could be returned? like you could be with ten maybe?’

his smile drops to a sad frown

‘you don’t want me?’

‘no. i mean yes! no wait! it’s not like that i just don’t- i don’t know- i’ve never had an android before. yes, that’s it!’

you grimace internally at your own words

he’s just an android - he’s not a real person! why are you getting so nervous?

maybe it’s the look of a kicked puppy that’s all across his face right now

you sigh and decide far too hastily that you’ll keep him for a month

but you’ll talk to ten as soon as possible

‘um,,,,so like,,,,what do you do?’

‘you have to calibrate me with your bio readings!’ he says with a regained smile

‘uh what’

hendery raises an arm out and looks at you expectantly

‘give me your hand. only if you want. since i’m your personal android, i have to do this, you see?’

you look at him quizzically but give him your hand nonetheless

he clasps it with both his hands and goes still for a few seconds

you’re about to freak out when he moves again, the same polite smile on his face

‘my sensors are pretty accurate, but i think a saliva sample would’ve been more helpful for analyzing your dna’

‘i’m sorry? what?’

he presses his index finger against his lips to think (or pretend to think? do androids think like that?)

‘your permission for a kiss will get me the sample?’

you swear the smile on his face turns devilish as he winks

you step back with a glower trying to sputter out a response while he breaks into laughter

did ten include flirting in hendery’s code?

oh you are so going to kill him

‘that was a joke!’

you scramble back to your room with one last glare at hendery when he starts following you

‘did i say something wrong?’ he asks, the innocence on his face surely fake

it’s weird how your days adjust to hendery’s presence in them

he’s helpful, yes, but he’s also programmed with an annoying sense of humor

no, his jokes are not funny, you convince yourself every time you find yourself almost grinning

he’ll do what you ask him to do if you ask nicely

and he’s a little protective perhaps

he never lets you go out without the companion band, which transmits location and biological data to him

it makes you feel safer in your neighborhood if you’re being honest

but of course, all of that is in his code

he could be modeled after ten for all you know with the way he gets on your nerves

but something about him is not like other androids - he’s a companionship android but you’ve never seen one so human

it’s unnerving to think he’s not human

only sometimes is he a little snarky with you

because apparently he’s programmed with common nineteen year old adult behaviors

and all that’s well and good but

the thing with hendery is that

he never

stops

talking

anything and everything - he just shoots off at the mouth

here you were thinking androids were made to be emotionless and fully catered to their user

but it’s his experiences hendery loves to talk about

what he feels when he sees things for the first time

and maybe it’s because you’ve been so used to living alone

that the lively talk gets too much sometimes

‘hendery! just,,,,please stop,,,talking’

you massage your forehead trying to figure out the answers to the latest problems your professor just posted

when you turn to look at him, he’s staring at you with big doe eyes and you’re already starting to feel bad

‘i’m just,,,,not used to another person being here’ you explain

‘oh but i’m not a person!’

you frown at the nonchalant expression on his face

right. he’s right

not a person

but it doesn’t sit well with you as you get up to sit beside hendery

he’s not a person maybe, but he’s treated you nicer than anyone you know

‘i’m sorry. for snapping at you. and not welcoming you here.’

‘that’s okay. i’m an andr-’

‘no, no that’s not reason enough. i know it’s your code and i should thank ten, but thank you for being here with me.’

hendery smiles, and you wonder who put the twinkling lights in his eyes

‘i didn’t think i’d ever be treated as a person’ he says

‘even if i’m intelligent enough to learn and feel’

you smile at him, it’s all you can do to reassure him

‘thank you’ he mumbles as he wraps his arms around you, a warm scent engulfing you

when he pulls away, his bright grin falls to a sudden frown

‘your data said you like warm hugs!! why are you so red and panicked?’ he asks, worried

your heart beats faster at his words and you scowl

gods he’s stupid for the latest AI

he presses all his fingers against your cheeks and furrows his eyebrows

‘your surface temperature isn’t right!’

he presses two fingers against your neck

‘neither is your pulse! i need to do a scan- oh’

his face breaks into a cheeky grin

‘don’t say it’ you glare

‘i wonder why you’re flustered,,,,,hmm’

‘hendery i will ship you back to ten’

he pouts and you throw your head back and laugh

you’ll be keeping hendery around for longer than a month after all

alien!yangyang

when you see the building suddenly collapsing a few blocks ahead of you, you think ‘shit this is it this is how i die fuck fuck fuck-’

you certainly did not expect to wake up in a weird room lit by dim blue lights, or even wake up at all

and the first thing you see is a boy at the corner, hugging his knees and dozing off against the leg of the bunk bed

you sit up on the bed, your head still feeling fuzzy and dangerously close to shutting down altogether

you steady yourself, and try taking in your surroundings

the walls are probably white, but they appear blue under the lights - in fact pretty much everything in the room is white that way

however, one of the walls seems to be a giant mirror, and you stare back at a very dazed version of you

even your clothes are white, you look unhealthily pale, a little skinnier and your hair is a mess

‘how long have i been here?’ you think

you absentmindedly get off the bed to walk towards the mirror, and that wakes up the boy with a start

he looks surprised for a moment to see you there, but it quickly turns into excitement as he rushes towards you

you register light brown hair and warm eyes, and a giant smile

but barely because your brain is still mush

‘omg are you real wait a minute are you really human??’

you’re suddenly bombarded with a lot of questions your weakened state can’t answer

and you find yourself getting a headache, to which he appears really confused

‘if i had my watch right now, i’d know what’s wrong with you ://’

‘i,,,,ow,,,,my head hurts,,,,,,stop talking’

‘oh,,,,’

you gaze incredulously at the boy - has he never heard of a headache before?

‘aren’t headaches eradicated yet on earth?’

he looks so genuinely curious that the mystery of everything around you just worsens your headache

you just continue staring with a ‘huh??’

he suddenly looks startled before looking back at you

‘i’m so sorry for my manners!! my name is yangyang. what’s yours?’

you look blank trying to register his words but manage to respond with your name

‘you don’t look too good,,,,,’

you almost snap with a ‘yeah no shit genius’ when the giant mirrors part and two people walk in wearing thick black suits and a black helmet

you can’t see their faces and they carry a weird looking item that remotely resembles a gun

but the moment the doors open, your headache suddenly resides and you take in a large gulp of air

‘step forward’ one the guards demand, pointing the gun-like device towards you

you jump up in panic, and take a step forward when yangyang grabs your arm

‘they’re not going anywhere till you answer us’ he says, pursing his lips

‘we are not obligated to answer you.’

yangyang frowns but continues nonetheless ‘well,,,,’

he suddenly wraps an arm around your neck and bends it at an uncomfortable angle while pinning your struggling arms together with his other hand

‘you better take me to the commander of this ship unless you want their neck snapped in half’

the guards take a step towards you but increased pressure on your neck causes them to stop

they hesitate before agreeing and yangyang holds you close to him as you both follow one of the guards while the other stays behind you

you take a few turns like this before yangyang lets go of you subtly and kicks the guard behind in the chest and grabs their gun while they’re still in shock

when the front one turns to react, yangyang shoots without thinking and a beam appears knocking them unconscious

‘this does that?’ yangyang scratches his head before dropping the gun

you stare at him frozen but stumble backwards when he walks towards you

‘where are you going?? i’m not gonna hurt you!’ he defends

‘oh yeah? it didn’t look that way when you were ready to choke me to death!!’

‘that was just to get out! you’re obviously important for them to not have killed you and chucked you in with me’

‘and who are you?’

‘uhhh’

yangyang looks away at the doors sliding open at the other end and a look of panic temporarily crosses his face before he looks back at you with pleading eyes

‘please come with me. we don’t have much time’ he rushes

you look confused and worried at the same time, running over the options you have and their possible outcomes

‘it’s either me or them’ he points towards the guards who have a slightly modified version of the previous guns you saw

and in a split second

you choose yangyang

you don’t remember exactly what happens next - there’s a lot of running involved and the rush of adrenaline, and a lot of dodging deadly laser beams aimed at you

and by the end, you’re sitting in a rather small spacepod with yangyang frantically analyzing the buttons before the pod finally takes off with some clicks and whirs

yangyang sighs in relief when the thing accelerates, almost grinning like an idiot when your surroundings change to a blur

you look at him quizzically and he shrugs - ‘what? i like the speed’

and when it finally slows down, you’re in some remote corner of the universe with a complete stranger, and not sure if you’ll ever get home

‘uh,,,yangyang,,,do you wanna explain everything now?’

yangyang hesitates at first but begins anyway

and you’re dizzy with the sudden influx of all the new information but it also excites you

‘,,,so you’re the prince,,,,,,of a whole planet,,,’ you repeat

yangyang nods, suddenly a little shy

times are hard for your neighboring galaxy, he tells you, after one of the more military advanced planets declared war on the others in an attempt to conquer the entire galaxy

and if they wanted to move onto earth too, it’s major trouble

the ship you both were on was just a spy ship, which means they’re just exploring earth and not setting conquest on it just yet

and you were probably a main test subject

however, he says he has full faith in the alliance between the three ruling planets of his galaxy and hopefully, this war will be the last

yangyang, in the meantime, was supposed to not get kidnapped but,,,,well,,,,,that happened

and now he’s not sure it’s safe to go back to his planet

you stay quiet for a bit before an idea strikes you

‘wanna visit earth?’ you ask

yangyang’s eyes light up as he turns to you

‘really? you’ll show me around?’

‘well, i can’t promise every place,,,but definitely around my city,,,’

and yangyang smiles the brightest of smiles at you, before turning to the controls and punching in earth’s coordinates

you grin back at him, dizzy with a sense of adventure

321 notes · View notes

jovialyouthmusic · 5 years ago

Text

Silver Service

A Royal Romance Au fanfic sequel to Protect and Serve

We go back into the past to learn about one of Bastien’s former lovers

Word Count 4150

A/N Warning - character death NS*W - if threesomes aren’t your thing, read no further. NO UNDER 18S PLEASE

4 Two’s company, Three is more fun

Bastien crawled out from under the table, which had shielded him from the blast. His ears rang and his eyes stung from the acrid smoke and the horrible smell of charred flesh. It was dark to start with, then the emergency lighting kicked in. Lisa was most definitely not going to answer any more questions, judging by the mangled body on the other side of the table. The room was black and he realised that the wetness he felt running down his neck wasn’t blood, but the sprinkler system kicking in. It wasn’t needed as the smoke quickly cleared and he hit the off switch on the wall.

He made his way swiftly to Parker, lying in a heap against the door. His leg was bleeding heavily but seemed to be otherwise intact, if stunned. Judging by the scraps of plastic nearby, he had managed to shield himself from the worst of it by diving behind one of the bucket chairs. Normally it was bolted to the floor but the blast from the explosives concealed in Lisa’s phone had blown it clear off.

Bastien said a silent prayer of thanks that his reflexes were still fast enough and he had escaped injury. He carefully rolled Parker away from the door and opened it. His ears continued to ring but he could hear now. There was shouting from the corridor outside as the other guards made their way to the room to assess the situation.

‘It’s okay, it’s safe to come in’ Bastien shouted ‘Lisa had explosives in her phone. Who the hell let her in with something like that, how did it get past security checks?’ He turned to Parker, lying on the floor and coughing weakly ‘Get help for him. Lisa’s dead’ He retrieved his cane and walked out into the corridor. He was almost knocked by someone running full pelt into him and before he knew it, Sophia was holding onto him tight, her voice high with anxiety.

‘Bastien, what happened? I was coming down to the kitchens to talk to chef and I heard the explosion’ Other members of staff, white faced and shaking, were appearing. Bastien kept hold of Sophia, squeezing her tight to reassure her he was alright, and spoke loudly.

‘Evacuate the staff wing, now. Make sure Liam and Regina are safe – take them to the panic room if they’re not already there’ He called James over and turned back to Sophia ‘Go with James, I need to make sure she’s not left any devices anywhere else’ he said calmly. He nodded to the other man ‘Take her to one of the safe houses – don’t tell me which one until I contact you’

‘No’ said Sophia firmly ‘You said no more active duty. Let Lewis do it’ James looked at him, and he sighed heavily.

‘You’re right of course, I don’t need to be on site. We need sniffer dogs – evacuate the building and call the army to help sweep the Palace. If Lisa smuggled that in, who knows what else she might have managed. She can’t have been innocent. She claimed she’d accidentally found the code to Constantine’s safe, but it didn’t sound right. I suspect she was far more than just a maid. I think this was a snap decision of hers to prevent us finding out any more about who she was working with’ Just then Lewis arrived. He had been off duty and had dressed quickly and come from his apartment at the other end of the building – as a precaution his quarters were as far as they could be from Bastien’s and the security suite.

The two men decided that the Palace wasn’t safe, so they arranged a total evacuation in case Lisa had managed to smuggle in any other devices. Thankfully the Palace was the only place she’d worked so other locations were most likely safe. Bastien was angry that security checks hadn’t come up with anything when she was first employed. Liam and Regina were taken from the panic room and sent straight to Applewood, and all the other nobles were escorted back to their rooms to pack their belongings and told either to go home or follow the royals to Applewood. Palace staff were told to go to families or into hotels in the town until the Palace was declared safe, while others were to go to Applewood.

Lewis was to stay at the Palace in a cottage in the grounds while it was being examined, and Bastien had his rooms examined before he and Sophia went back to pack things for Applewood. Sophia remained pale and quiet throughout and was reluctant to leave his side, so he was indulgent and made sure she stayed with him.

The explosion was played down as a kitchen accident, and the evacuation kept quiet by announcing that the Palace was undergoing renovations. Although Bastien had asked for the Army to go in and help make a thorough security sweep, again this was explained away as an unscheduled exercise, facilitated by the Palace being empty. After that, Liam’s arrangements for the Charity tour diverted attention away from the incident. Nobles and commoners were invited to present cases for worthy causes and projects so that the Council of Nobles could select and approve them and work out an itinerary.

In his office at Applewood, Bastien received intel that Justin had left the country and was beyond his reach, so he decided to call on Interpol to help trace him. When they came back with a list of specialists, he raised his eyebrows and picked up his phone, assaulted by a series of memories.

------

Five years ago, Bastien was chasing Crown Prince Leo around the world. He was getting wilier and wilier, and after getting bored with exploring Europe, he ended up in New York. Bastien had at last caught up with him, and luckily this time he had one of his men with him, a younger man called Lewis who showed promise. He was tasked with watching over the Prince in his hotel room while Bastien took the night off. The Royal Jet was en route to the city bringing reinforcements and would be taking them all back to Cordonia the next evening.

Bastien changed out of his work clothes into something more casual, throwing a black leather jacket over a shirt and sweater with black chinos. He really needed some proper R and R. His usual preference was to go camping or fishing, but that wasn’t feasible in the city and he didn’t have time to go further afield, so he found himself out on the streets letting his feet take him where they would. Before he realised it, he was walking through the door of a dingy back street club, the thumping beat of music audible from outside. It was the kind of place he’d never have gone to out of choice but he’d followed Leo into similar places so many times he’d started to like them and feel at home there. Normally he liked Jazz or classical music, but tonight he needed something more primal. He needed jostling bodies and sweat and a willing partner.

He found himself at the bar with a cold beer, sizing up the dancers on the dance floor as the music throbbed and battered at his eardrums and coloured lights swept across the swaying crowd, in thrall to the beat. It was hot from body heat and smelled of sweat and deodorant and perfume and alcohol. His eyes, ears, nose and tongue all sent signals to his brain and he didn’t need to think or plan or do anything he didn’t want to.

‘Hello handsome’ Despite the noise Bastien was aware of the intrusion before the brunette approached him from behind to lean in close and greet him ‘You don’t look familiar’ She was young, skimpily dressed, and he could see straight down her ample cleavage. Glitter was scattered across her chest and her perfume was heady, intoxicating. Before he could answer, someone placed a hand on her shoulder.

‘Back off Gina, go find another mark. This guy doesn’t want to wake up tomorrow morning with an empty wallet and a nasty rash’ She pouted at the new arrival, stepping back from Bastien and shrugging the hand off.

‘Hey Nazario, a girl needs to make a living.’ He was younger than Bastien, Latino, with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes. He wore a brown leather jacket and black jeans, his shirt open at the neck to reveal smooth skin which he guessed under natural light was a soft caramel colour in contrast to his own olive slightly tanned Mediterranean complexion.

‘Well go and make a living somewhere else – beat it or I’ll take you in.’ he carried on. She flounced off and Bastien took a swig from his bottle and stared the newcomer down. ‘This is where you say thanks for saving you from a nasty experience’ he said, tipping his head to the side.

‘What makes you think she’d have taken me in? Just because I’m not from round here doesn’t mean I’m green’ Bastien said. The other man rolled his eyes and went to turn away, but Bastien reached out and grabbed his arm. He looked down at his hand, then up at Bastien. He didn’t flinch, but kept hold of him for long enough to convey that he wasn’t backing down, then his expression softened. He flicked his head toward the barman ‘Get this man a drink’ he commanded, letting go.

The barman poured another beer – obviously Bastien’s self styled saviour was a regular at the bar. Bastien reached out and they shook hands. ‘Bastien Lykel’ he said shortly

‘Damien Nazario’

‘NYPD?’ Bastien asked

‘I guess you got that from me threatening to take Gina in’ Bastien nodded

‘Yes, but I can always tell someone from the same kind of business’

‘Oh yes? So where are you from? That accent’s not local – it’s not even from this side of the Atlantic.’

‘The other side of the Atlantic is accurate enough’ he said ‘I work in security. I’m here on business, just a short stop’

‘Have you seen the sights?’

‘I didn’t have time’ Another girl, a petite redhead, made her way up to Damien, snuggling into him and nodding at Bastien.

‘Who’s your friend, Dames?’ she looked him up and down appraisingly and bit her lip.

‘A transatlantic acquaintance’ he replied. Before they could exchange any more words over the noise of the music the beat changed, and she jumped up and down

‘Oh I have to dance to this – come with me, Mr Transatlantic’ she cooed, and grabbed his arm, tugging him to the dancefloor. After only a moment’s hesitation he allowed her to lead, and she started to bob and gyrate with the rest of the dancers. The music was so loud it pounded in his chest and it felt like he was swimming in it. It wasn’t long before he allowed his body to go with the flow, inhibitions loosened by the beer and the anonymous location. Here no-one knew who he was and he could let go, as he did from time to time out of situation. Many who knew him as the stony faced head of the Kings Guard would not recognise him, simply because his conduct was totally opposite to his usual professional demeanour. He shook his body loose, letting go of the frustrations of the last few weeks. He may not be able to dance like Lord Maxwell, but he had a good sense of rhythm and was agile and light on his feet from his martial arts training. His quick moves gave off an impression of power and stamina. The girl watched him intently, still spinning and bobbing with the music. He leaned closer

‘I didn’t get your name’ he shouted ‘I’m Bastien’

‘Carmen’ she replied. Damien appeared behind her, and she looked back at him over her shoulder coquettishly, biting her lip. She pressed herself back into his body and swung her hips, rising and falling and reaching back to caress him, all the time looking at Bastien.

She reached out to take his hands and drew him near, putting his hands on her hips as she leaned into Damien. Again her hips swayed and he both watched and felt her sinuous movements, his hands staying on her for a few moments before she threw them off and started to turn and pivot between the two men, staring at and engaging first one, then the other until he felt dizzy. Damien fixed his gaze to Bastien’s - he felt heat in his belly and gazed back at him keenly, from time to time flicking his gaze to Carmen’s face. He wasn’t sure which one attracted him more, though the redhead was a little too petite for him. Still, small women had surprised him in the past so she still might be interesting.

‘I want you – both of you’ she said hoarsely, leaning toward him ‘Have you got somewhere we can go, Mr Transatlantic?’ He frowned slightly and Damien picked up on his reluctance. They were close enough that the volume of the music allowed them to make themselves heard without shouting too loud.

‘You can come to mine – I had the cleaner in today, it’s cool’ Bastien’s head swam, but caution won out. This could all be a sting, his instincts told him Nazario was most probably NYPD, but a good con man could easily give that impression.

‘I need to make a call’ he said, and the other man nodded in approval.

‘Whatever you need to do’ he replied, and Bastien left them dancing, stepping outside the back door of the club where the smokers went, and texted Lewis to get him to do a security check. Within minutes the other man’s details came back, complete with his NYPD ID photo. He checked out as legitimate, and Leo was secure so Bastien dove back into the club. The fresh air had given him a chance to think twice about what he was doing, but he hadn’t changed his mind. He’d been led a merry dance by the prince for some weeks, and he needed to destress before he returned to Cordonia to report on his movements. These few hours were his, to do with as he would.

Damien and Carmen were still dancing, and he joined them again. Carmen smiled and turned her back to Damien, grabbing the front of his jacket, which suddenly felt too hot, too confining as she drew him closer, swinging her hips and allowing her breasts to brush against him. The music got hold of him again and he let himself be swept away. Carmen was steering him to the edge of the dancefloor and Damien followed. He felt himself growing hard as Carmen pushed him against the wall at the edge of the dancefloor and pressed herself against him. Har hand wandered down between their bodies and he saw her eyes go wide.

‘Oh Mr Transatlantic, you are a special man’ she said, at discovering his size. She turned away to Damien and spoke in his ear. He looked at Bastien, grinning, and reached in his pocket to retrieve his house keys, dangling them on his fingers. He came closer to Bastien.

‘I think we’d enjoy ourselves more somewhere private’ he said. Bastien nodded – he had limited time and he found both of them attractive. He patted his jacket pocket, checking he had his supply of condoms – a brand that he knew fitted him comfortably and were reliable. Carmen disappeared to the ladies’ room and the two men waited for her. Damien looked at him ‘You’re happy to go with both of us?’ he asked, and Bastien nodded

‘I don’t discriminate’ he answered ‘but I call the shots’ Damien nodded

‘Only fitting, as you’re a guest in our city’ he grinned. ‘It’s not far to mine, we can walk’

------

It only took fifteen minutes to walk to Damien’s apartment on the third floor in a non descript block, neither a slum nor a penthouse, somewhere on the cheap side of respectable. Carmen held on to Bastien’s arm all the way, chatting about nothing in particular, trying unsuccessfully for her companion to tell where he came from, or any personal details.

Damien let them in, and as soon as they were inside, Carmen was on Bastien, pushing him against the wall and crashing her lips to his. He responded hungrily as she tore at his clothes. Damien laughed

‘You two get started, Carmen knows where the bedroom is’ He disappeared to the bathroom as Bastien spun her round so she was the one pinned to the wall and it was easier for him to strip. They left a trail of clothes to the bedroom and she squealed as he threw her naked onto the bed, pressing her down, his mouth claiming hers, hand smoothing over her belly and between her thighs.

Some kind of magic happened between the three of them that night. Few words were spoken as he went down on her, tongue twirling and probing. Carmen gasped and spread her thighs wide, hands twisting into his hair and encouraging him on. Damien joined them and with a few deft touches they manoeuvred so Bastien lay on his back, Damien wordlessly working on his hard length with hand and mouth – taking what he could into his mouth and wrapping his hand around the base of his shaft. He certainly knew how to give a good blow job, and with the added stimulation of Carmen lowering herself onto Bastien’s face so he could finish what he started, it wasn’t long before he came, Damien swallowing and Carmen bucking as she came to her own climax.

The two New Yorkers were eager to try Bastien for size, but Carmen rode Damien first as Bastien retrieved his condoms and watched them, stroking himself ready for action. They rose and fell together, Carmen watching Bastien and switching when he was hard enough and had pulled on a condom. She took her time lowering herself onto him until she had taken as much as she could. Damien watched and stroked himself while Bastien rolled her over onto her back and set up a slow steady rhythm until she was moaning and pleading for her release.

Bastien could tell the petite woman wasn’t coping well with his size, so he pulled out, and again with a few touches and directions, Damien lay on his back for Bastien to slowly inch his way into him, helped by liberal amounts of lube. Bastien directed that Carmen should ride Damien once he was comfortable. She mounted Damien, facing Bastien to kiss him and press her breasts to his chest. The three of them moved slowly together, the room full of their moans and gasps. Carmen slowed and switched so she faced Damien to kiss him, and Bastien was rewarded by the sight of her rounded buttocks, Damien’s length disappearing into her.

They cooperated to slow and quicken the pace, rising and falling, thrusting and gyrating until with a guttural cry Carmen came noisily, setting off a chain reaction that resulted in Damien coming first, closely followed by Bastien. Carmen slid off to the side, Bastien carefully withdrawing with the condom, and she padded off to the bathroom to get cloths to clean up.

Bastien asked if it was okay to use the shower when Carmen had settled, eyes fluttering sleepily. Damien followed him and watched as he lathered himself up, eyes roaming over his body.

‘You’re in good shape’ he said admiringly ‘That was a blast, hope it was okay for you’ Bastien lifted his chin to invite him in to the shower cubicle, generously sized in the small apartment to make up for the lack of a bath.

‘It’s been a while, but yes, it was good, I don’t often get to be with two people. Carmen is remarkable – is she your partner?’ Damien lathered Bastien’s back as he turned, his hand smoothing firmly over his shoulders and firm buttocks.

‘Not as such, we hook up every now and again. I don’t think she’ll forget tonight in a hurry’ He stood to let the water rinse him clean.

‘Glad to be of service’ Bastien replied ‘Can I take your number and we can meet up if I’m back – I do come this way once or twice a year’ Damien started to let the water cascade over him and Bastien admired his body, not as taut as his or as hirsute, but enough to want to visit him again. His member was not as thick as his – few were – but was cut and almost equalled him in length.

‘Sure’ Damien agreed ‘I’d like that – with or without Carmen?’

‘Either’ Bastien replied with a grave expression. Damien lathered himself and he helped, his hands sliding over Damien’s body. ‘Things were a little uneven for you’ he observed, noticing that he became hard under his ministrations. Damien only moaned in answer and leaned against the cubicle wall, Bastien wrapping his soapy hand around his member. He brought his hand up, thumb swiping around the tip, then down, his hand twisting on the way.

Damien leaned back as the older man carried on sliding his hand up and down and round, leaning forward to nip at his neck and ear, pressing his own hard body against him. It didn’t take long before his hips bucked and rocked and his semen mingled with the water that cascaded down from the shower head. Bastien slowed and came to a stop, making sure Damien was okay as he came down from his orgasm before getting out of the shower and drying himself.

‘You can stay the night if you like’ Damien offered.

‘I’d like to but I have to be back early’ he said

‘Carmen’s a cuddler’ Damien said with a soft smile ‘Though she’s probably out for the count right now’ Bastien thought things over as he retrieved his clothes from the floor, all dropped in the haste of passion and overlooked by Damien. He went into the small lounge diner and stepped back into his boxer briefs. He shrugged into his shirt, folding his pants and sweater and hanging his jacket on the back of a chair. It seemed a shame to end the night like this.

‘Let me double check’ he said. Lewis might be fatigued watching over Leo. He texted him and got a reply straight away. The jet had arrived early as Constantine had insisted his son return to meet a delegation from Monaco, and already there were two more of his men there to take care of things. They would be leaving mid morning rather than the evening, so he had more time than he had hoped for. He could sleep on the plane as three other men, two of them fresh, should be enough to curtail any ideas Leo had of gaining his freedom. He told Lewis to get some sleep and expect him for breakfast. He turned back to Damien.

‘I can stay for a while. Do you have any liquor?’ Damien nodded and went into the tiny kitchenette to get a bottle of bourbon and two glasses, which were passably clean under Bastien’s scrutiny. They drank and talked for a while, avoiding sensitive information and sticking to the perils of their profession – and a few amusing anecdotes. Bastien was pleased to find how easily they related to each other – it was unusual and refreshing to be able to talk about work without letting his status as Captain get in the way. He kept his location and the identity of his employers vague and Damien didn’t question it. He turned as he heard a noise at the door. Carmen stood there wearing what was obviously one of Damien’s shirts, her expression sleepy, her hair tousled.

‘Hey boys, I’m kind of lonely’ she purred ‘Somebody come and keep me warm’ She laughed at Damien’s expression ‘Just cuddling, promise – unless either of you had other ideas’

‘Sleep sounds good’ Damien replied ‘Bastien, like I said, you can stay if you like’ The guard looked at his smartphone, working out how long it would take to get back to his hotel, and set an alarm accordingly.

‘Thankyou, but only to sleep’ he asserted. The bed was a generous size, which made Bastien wonder how many times there had been multiple partners in the bedroom. He lay on his back with Carmen nestling into his side, her small frame not quite fitting properly, and Damien lay behind her, an arm thrown over her hip and straying to Bastien’s belly, at which he felt a twitch of arousal. He dismissed it and before long had drifted off to sleep with Carmen’s scent teasing his nostrils.

Next chapter 5 Memories of another life

#protect and serve #silver service #bastien lykel #trr bastien #sophia x bastien #OC x Bastien #the royal romance au #royal romance fanfic #trr au fanfic #trr

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carnistcervine · 4 years ago

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For the WIP game: touched or water (or both👀👀👀👀)

Hello Pandora, welcome to box. :3

Zuko Foster Care AU Outline *Unsurprisingly, Zuko blows up at his psychiatrist, Joo Dee and sets her office on fire. Her smile is unnerving, and it doesn't fade or flinch as she calmly uses waterbending to put the fires out before security comes in and gives him a shot of something that suppresses his firebending.

Platonic Soulmates Gaang AU Outline *When Katara starts to waterbend, Kuruk mentors her. Being dead, he cannot waterbend himself, but he can at least pass his knowledge unto her.

*Every soul has a specific color unique to it, but each nation has a hue/hue range specific to it. Water Tribe - Blues, ranging from deep navy and sapphire to electric blue. Earth Kingdom - Greens, ranging from deep emerald to neon yellow-ish green. Fire Nation is Golds, ranging from dull golds, to brilliant, intense golds. Air Nomads is Grey, ranging from shining silvers, to a whole variety of light and dark greys.

Phoenix Chaser AU Outline -At first the people of the Southern Water Tribe are terrified of the angry, burned firebender. Then he starts asking about some mythical Fire Nation creature, and they can barely contain their laughter. Has no one told this idiot that phoenixes aren't real? And why would he think he could find one at the SOUTH POLE? They stop laughing when his fists catch fire.

-Incidentally, he does come to investigate the prison ship after the earthbenders revolt and leave, finding Katara's necklace. He remembers the Water Tribe girl wearing that exact necklace and wonders what she was doing on an earthbender prison. He decides to return it to her as he does owe her for getting her pest of friend to leave his ship.

-His uncle insists upon checking out a pirate ship. Zuko must concede that being well traveled, the pirates may know a thing or two about phoenixes. While Zuko is desperate enough to believe in phoenixes, he's not gullible enough to trust pirates and understands very quickly that their just trying to make a quick coin off him. However, he does overhear the pirates conversing about a stolen waterbending scroll, and an air nomad. The waterbender!

-Zuko laughs because this is obviously a joke, right? How is he supposed to teach firebending to an airbender. The airbender claims that he's the Avatar. Zuko doesn't believe it. The Avatar disappeared a CENTURY ago, this kid is obviously still a child. The waterbender says that the boy(Aang) is absolutely the Avatar, he can also bend water, and has gone into the avatar state more than one time. Zuko still doesn't believe it.

-Much to Zuko's surprise the waterbender and the airbender decide to show off to Zuko and, the airbender is actually the Avatar!

-When they aren't looking, Zuko makes a break for it. The waterbender freezes his feet, but he manages to melt the ice before they can get the ropes out and promptly runs off.

-The Gaang manage to find Zuko in time to watch his ship explode. They fish his unconscious body out of the water and Katara heals him. He's still injured, but he'll at least live. With his uncle's blessing they take off with an unconscious Zuko in tow.

ATLA Modern Highschool AU Outline *He(Aang) ends up rooming with the prince and princess of the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Prince at the prestigious United Elements Academy.

DarkAvatar!Bolin AU Outline -Bolin is concerned, but convinces himself that it's just stress and nightmares. After all, he's just an earthbender, it's not like he's somehow become the new Dark Avatar. Then, one day while he and Korra are messing around, she splashes water at him and he bends it.

Avatar Zuko AU Outline -Eventually a small rag-tag group of Water Tribe kids are discovered with one of them airbending. The world assumes that the airbending Water Tribe boy is the Avatar(he's not but shhh). Zuko latches onto this, see he's not the Avatar, that kid is. Iroh knows that it's entirely possible the boy is just a lost airbender dressed in Water garb, but humors his nephew anyway. It's an opportunity to get an airbending teacher if nothing else.

-In the Southern Water Tribe, a young airbender named Ara receives a vision about the identity of the Fire Nation Avatar from the spirits. At sixteen, he'd only just mastered airbending and the spirits were demanding him to locate and teach the new Avatar. With the blessing of his elders, he departs from the Southern Water Tribe with his two friends, Katara and Sokka. He accidentally blows his cover as a non-bender when he airbends to defend Katara.

-In this AU, there are hidden airbender sects in the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes. They managed to evade death by pretending to be non-benders and regular nomads.

-When they get to the North Pole, they initially attack because Zuko is Fire Nation, but stop when he starts airbending at them. Zuko didn't mean to airbend, he was trying to firebend, but air responded instead and the Water Tribesmen, seeing as this is actually the Avatar, just start laughing at him.

Another Avatar Zuko AU Outline -The airbender, Avatar Aang dies when he drowns at sea. The waterbender, Avatar Korra dies protecting her tribe during the southern raids. The earthbender, Avatar Xin Hu perishes alone in the Si Wong desert. By the time he draws his final breath, the firebender, Avatar Zuko is born into the world.

-When he struggles with his firebending, they step in to offer help or advice. When Korra offers to show him a few moves, he gives her a look. She's obviously a waterbender, what in the world could she teach a firebender? She just smiles at him and says that if he weren't so cute, and she weren't incorporeal, she probably would have decked him for being so oblivious.

-Iroh remains Zuko's firebending master, and a call goes out for the other three masters to teach the Avatar. Pakku becomes Zuko's waterbending master, a Dai Li agent named Kyun becomes Zuko's earthbending master, and a strange sage from a secret airbending sect hidden in Ba Sing Se named Youra becomes Zuko's airbending master.

Avatar Sokka AU Outline -Aang dies in the ice, and Sokka is born to the Southern Water Tribe.

-Far as he's concerned, he's just a normal guy and all this spiritual, water-magic stuff is just a bunch of balogna. He doesn't even believe in spirits.

If Sozin was a good person AU Outline *Aang is found by the son and daughter of the Southern Water Tribe's chief.

*The people of the Water Tribe are all surprised to see a living airbender. The world seems to be under the impression that they all vanished with the Avatar. Some theorized that they either floated off into the aether, or maybe just died from a sudden plague.

*While touring the place, Aang notices a large crowd gathering around the docks. He makes his way through to find a Fire Nation ship. Aang wonders what the Fire Nation is doing in the Southern Water Tribe, when he overhears them talk about looking for the Avatar.

*Aang manages to convince the Water Tribe sibs that he's not the Avatar, but still refuses to confront the Fire royals. Aang's skittishness makes Katara fear the worst, and she promises to help protect Aang from there.

War Erasure AU Outline -It doesn't take too long for word to reach the Air Temples of a young airbender afflicted by a terrible madness. Apparently, said airbender is traveling in a group with a blind earthbender, and two Water Tribe kids. The Nuns plot to drug the group so that they can be sent off for treatment. Zuko overhears the plan and the group escapes, but only barely.

Thoughts of Reason, Thoughts of Treason Chap 6 “Uh, er… It’s a term that refers to firebenders. Like, a compliment. For firebenders, the sun is the ultimate source of our bending and our life.” Zuko touched a hand to his chest, over his beating heart. “To say that a firebender holds the sun, is to say that they are warm hearted and full of light. There’s also a saying that firebenders with really gold eyes, like mine, hold the sun in their soul.”

“The Avatar’s right.” Zuko rasped, attracting the attention of the Water siblings. “The movements of a real airbender are much more deliberate. Like someone who can actually control the air.”

The Calm Before Outline *Aang demands to know who the spirit is. The spirit tells Aang that he’ll give up his identity if Aang has a little bit of the food and water.

*Without the war, the Southern Water Tribe is gorgeous, prosperous. Utterly, unspeakably beautiful. Much like the northern one.

*One day he and some other monks are helping an old lady that lives in one of the villages down at the base of the mountain/island. The group is walking across a dry riverbed when there’s a sudden flood of water. Acting quickly and on instinct, Aang uses his water bending to divert the water flow and save the old lady’s life.

*Katara tries to distract herself by practicing her waterbending with the fellow master benders of the south and hanging out with her mom.

*Sokka devises a plan that involves Katara’s waterbending skills. They secretly, slowly store more and more supplies in a hidden boat. Then when they’re finally ready to go, Katara bends the snow and whips up a snow storm. While everyone is distracted, the duo make their way to their boat and Katara bends them out of there.

*Of course Katara takes this time to study more waterbending forms.

*They debate as they fly over to the Sea of Lost Souls. The water is murky and the coral hands seem to be moving, the remnants of cosmic energy spiraling around in the abnormally dark waters.

Zuko's Invisible Friend Outline *Zuko has a difficult time comprehending this concept and asks Agni if he’s ever sad that no one can celebrate his birthday. Agni is genuinely caught off guard by the question. He fine with not having a birthday, because the mortals do have holidays in his honor, but he can’t help but feel a little touched at how sheerly empathetic Zuko can be.

*They go down so Katara and Aang can practice waterbending.

*So Aang goes right back to waterbending with Katara.

*Zuko tries to ask Agni what he means when he’s pulled back into his body because he got completely soaked by cold water and all of their supplies have been “practiced” away.

*Having his connection to Agni suddenly cut with cold water like that means that it’ll be a hot minute before Zuko can communicate with the ancient spirit again.

*Zuko figures that since he found himself on the fire lion turtle, maybe his friends are on a water one.

*However as soon as they reach the north, the waterbenders imprison Zuko for being Fire Nation.

*The water warriors scour the city for the lost firebender, and the Gaang act all mad that they lost the Avatar’s firebending master.

Raging Spirit AU Outline *The water warriors are suspicious of Iroh, but the Gaang vouch for him, so they decide to trust him.

*They all take on soldier uniforms to disguise themselves as they enter into Fire Nation waters.

*So finally, she goes and everyone eats together like a Water Tribe family and it’s so fucking cute, I can’t take it.

*The thriving settlement looks much more like the North Pole, especially with all the waterbenders running around.

*Tanokka offers to tutor Katara on the old ways of Southern Water Style.

*Tanokka says that it’s a side effect of dream bending. Nothing in the dream is real, so the water lacks the weight it should have.

~Katara practices Southern Water Style under the tutelage of Tanokka.

A Testimate To Good Publicity and Societal Forgetfulness Outline *After that, he(Wan) gained air, water and finally, earth. And the Avatars following him were also born into the cycle by the order of the elements he learned.

The Lady in Alabaster Chapter 1 A massive inferno greedily chewing up the dainty little home while the Water couple who lived there watched on, the orange of the flames even consuming the blue in their wide eyes.

Legend of Korra REwrite Outline ~By age sixteen Korra’s mastered water, earth and firebending. But has shown no aptitude for airbending.

~They enlist the help of the Fire Nation, and both Water Tribes, who happily oblige.

Korra vs Amon REwrite Pain surged through her body as he took control of the water in her muscles, causing them to spasm as they were pushed and pulled against the wills of her nerve impulses.

Okay, so maybe going after a bloodbender on a full moon was a bad idea, but she’s a waterbender too!

(You get the whole paragraph bc fug it) “Amon of the Equalists.” The Avatar spoke, voice layered over by another that was feminine, but distinctly not Korra. “Or shall I say Bloodbender (Amon’s real name I dun remember lol) of the Water Tribe, son of Yakkone.” Her tendrils ripped the mask away and wiped the make-up clean. His followers gasped at the truth. “You have demonstrated a lack of regard for not only the balance of this world, but also it’s keeper.” Her voice was calm, but still somehow betrayed a seething rage. “And for this crime, I shall strip you of your power, forever!” The burning white spread from Korra’s eyes and enveloped her being, then spread to Amon.

Badvatar AU Outline -At the age of twelve, having mastered airbending, Aang ends up finding out he can waterbend too.

-What happened was a terrible storm hit the temple, and one of the younger students with weaker bending had been hit by a powerful gale. He would have been fine, but the ground was slick with water and he was going to fall to his death. Aang didn't think he could get the elder's attention in time so on pure instinct he reached out and suddenly an arm of ice had ensnared the boy and the torrential rain, seemed to slow slightly.

-Toph lives a quiet, repressed life with her oppressive and neglectful parents. In secret, she sneaks out many nights to participate in Earth Rumble fights. Then one day, her interest is piqued when she finds an airbender in attendance with the supposedly "kidnapped" son and daughter of the souther water tribe. The two kids seem happy enough, it must be a situation like hers, where their parents think that their kids are helpless and just assumed that they had been kidnapped when they willingly ran away.

-At the festival, Zuko meets an odd group. An air nomad, two water tribe kids, and an earth kingdom girl. It clicks to him that these are the "kidnapped" children he heard the servants gossiping about. He is almost caught by Azula, but his new friends help him give her the slip and he officially joins the Gaang.

-Meanwhile, in his cell, Aang had become sullen and withdrawn. The monks who came by to give food and water would try and speak to the young Avatar. They found that he was engaging with them less and less. They worried that the Avatar's condition may have been worsening.

Catching the Embers Chapter 1 His(Aang's) waterbending companion was defending him.

She coated her arms with water and lashed out at him with water tentacles.

Until finally, she broke through his fire and roped him with her water. Zuko felt himself lifted up and then thrown across the cavern into another pool of water. The water quickly rose up and encased his body.

“I trusted you.” The waterbender hissed. “I thought you had changed!”

“You thought wrong.” With a charged up blast of fire, he blew out of his watery prison.

The icy cold water slammed him right against the hard cavern wall, but if he was being totally honest, it didn’t hurt that bad.

Catching the Embers Outline *She just shrugs and leaves a bowl of water for him, saying that she figured he was thirsty.

*Despite being very thirsty, Zuko doesn’t drink the water out of spite.

*Once he tries to get up, the family doctor looks Zuko over. He makes him drink some water and gives him some broth to drink, but overall gives him a clean bill of health.

*Iroh remains silent, he wants to test the waters a bit. Thinks this over, maybe see if Zuko will listen.

*Suddenly there’s a flash of lightning, and Zuko and Aang are standing across from each other in a pool of water.

*Aang’s expression is blank, his eyes hollow. Crimson blood reaches out into the water around him.

*The sages have the guards drug Zuko’s food and water, so that he doesn’t try anything when they look him over.

*As a peace offering/apology for what his(Iroh's) forefathers did to Katara and her tribe, he gifts her with as much of the Water Tribe loot that the Fire Nation took as she wants.

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dukereviewsxtra · 4 years ago

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Duke Reviews Xtra: Dumbo 2019

Hello I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Another Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Continue Our Look At Disney

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And Last Sunday On Duke Reviews, I Reviewed Dumbo, So, Since I Looked At The Original On There We Might As Well Do The Remake Here...

Directed By Tim Burton, This Movie Sees A Family That Works At A Failing Travelling Circus That Encounters A Baby Elephant With Extremely Large Ears Who Is Capable Of Flying Which They Use To Help Save The Circus...

But When The Circus Attracts A New Investor (Played By...)

They Soon Discover His New Plans That Conceal Dark Secrets...

Will The Family Stop The Investor And Save Dumbo?

Let's Find Out As We Watch Dumbo...

The Movie Starts In 1919 As The Medici Bros. Circus Packs Up And Gets On Board Their Train, Casey Jr. To Go On Tour To Various Locations...

Stopping In Joplin, The Circus Sets Up As We Meet Milly And Joe Farrier (Played By Finley Hobbins And Nico Parker, Who Is Honestly The Worst Thing In This Movie, I'm Sorry But The Girl Just Cannot Act)...

Whose Mother Died From The Flu While Their Father, Holt Farrier (Played By Colin Farrell) Fought In World War 1 And Is Returning Today..

But Unfortunately He Lost His Left Arm In The War And Is Unable To Do What He Used To Do In The Circus But Asking The Owner, Max Medici (Played By Danny Devito) For A Job...

Wait A Minute! 1st Off Since This Is A Tim Burton Movie, Is Danny Devito Playing The Same Ringmaster Character He Played In Big Fish Or Is This Ringmaster A Different Character? Because I'm Confused...

And Second, Danny Devito And Michael Keaton In The Same Movie? All We Need Is Michelle Pfeiffer To Go...

And We'd Have Ourselves A Batman Returns Reunion!

So, Unable To Give Holt His Old Job Back As He Sold The Horses Holt Uses To Get Money For The Circus And Because Of Holt's Arm, Max Gives Him The Job Of Taking Care Of The Elephants Including One Named Mrs. Jumbo Who Is Pregnant...

The Next Day, Mrs. Jumbo Gives Birth To A Baby Elephant With Abnormally Large Big Ears. Feeling He Got Ripped Off, Max Orders Holt To Get Rid Of The Ears Before The Public Can See Them...

However, The Baby Accidentally Reveals His Ears In His Debut Performance And The Crowd Laughs At Him And Names Him Dumbo While Pelting Him With Peanuts....

Horrified And Enraged At Her Son's Mistreatment, Mrs. Jumbo Races Into The Ring And Causes Extensive Damage, Collapsing The Big Top Which Results In The Death Of An Abusive Handler Named Rufus...

Afterwards We Get The Baby Mine Scene...

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Before Max Decides Sell Mrs. Jumbo To Avoid A Public Relations Disaster...

What The Hell, Burton!

How Could You Have This Happen In This Movie! And The Sad Part Is Nobody Does Anything To Prevent It! Not Even Colin Freaking Farrell..

Who In My Opinion Is The Worst Character In This Movie As Ever Since He Got Back He Hasn't Acted Like Much Like A Father To These Kids...

Talking With Dumbo In His Cage, Milly And Joe Comfort Dumbo And Discover That He Can Fly By Flapping His Ears And That Feathers Are The Key To Get Him To Do It...

So, The Next Night, Dumbo Plays The Role Of A Firefighter Who Puts Out A Fire With Water From His Trunk But When The Performance Goes Wrong And Dumbo Is Trapped On A Platform Surrounded By Flames, Milly Risks Her Life To Deliver A Feather To Dumbo To Give Him The Confidence To Fly...

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(Start At 1:32, End At 2:27)

Hearing The News About Dumbo, V.A. Vandevere, Owner Of Dreamland Amusement Park Visits The Circus And Proposes A Collaboration With Medici As His Partner And Circus Troupe Employed To Perform At Dreamland...

However, Later Vandevere Demands That Dumbo Should Fly With His Trapeze Artist College Marchant (Played By Eva Green)...

In A Role That For Once Requires No Nudity From Her...

On Dumbo's Back...

Later That Night We Get The Pink Elephants Sequence Of This Movie And While Alot Hate What They Did To It, I Kind Of Like It...

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(Start At 0:10)

I Know That Some People Are Going To Say That I'm A Sell Out But Imagine You Were At A Real Circus And You Saw This, I Would Be Astonished By What I'm Seeing...

This Leads Up To Their Debut Performance Which Has A Cleaver Introduction From Michael Buffer Who You May Know From Saying This Most Of His Life..,

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(Start At 0:09)

And In This It's..,

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(Start At 0:39, End At 0:45)

Anyway, Their Debut Goes Horribly Wrong With Collette Nearly Falling To Her Death (Thanks To Colin Farrell Saving Her After Realizing She Didn't Have A Net Under Her Like She Did In Practice) And Dumbo Barely Hanging On And Trumpeting For Help...

But After He Hears His Mom's Call, Dumbo Finds A Feather And Flies Around The Arena Before Exiting To Go Find His Mom In A Place Called Nightmare Island, Eventually Finding Her, He Is Taken Away From Her By Vandevere And His Men As The Kids And Holt Realize That The Elephant On Nightmare Island Is Mrs. Jumbo...

Telling This To Vandevere, He Feels That Dumbo Is Better Off Alone As That's How He Grew Up, He Orders Jumbo To Be Taken Away And Killed Before He Fires The Other Members Of The Medici Circus Troupe Believing Them To Be Pale Imitations Of The Acts They Have At Dreamland...

As They Go To Say Goodbye To Dumbo, Vandevere Right Hand Man, Sotheby Clears His Conscience By Telling Holt, The Kids, Collette And The Troupe About Vandevere's Intentions To Kill Jumbo...

Wow, This Has Got To Be The Biggest Betrayal To A Character That Michael Keaton Has Played Since Alfred Showed Vicki Vale The Batcave...

So Utilizing Their Various Talents, The Medici Troupe Decides To Break Jumbo Out Of Her Enclosure While Holt And Collette Guide Dumbo To Fly Out Of The Circus With Help From Max When He Realizes What's Going On...

In Attempting To Stop Them, Vandevere Starts That Is Triggered By His Bad Handling Of The Electrical System Which Spreads And Destroys Dreamland...

Taking Dumbo And Jumbo To A Port, Everyone Says Goodbye To Dumbo Before Him And Jumbo Board A Ship Back To Their Native Land...

With Vandevere Arrested For Arson Through Misconduct, The Medici Brothers Circus Is ReEstablished As The Medici Family Circus Which Is Flourishes As Dumbo And Jumbo Reunite With A Herd Of Elephants In The Jungle...

And That Is The Remake Of Dumbo And Despite Everyone Hating This One, I Liked It...

I Admit When This Came Out I Didn't Like The Way It Looked, I Wanted Dumbo And Jumbo To Look More Like Real Elephants Instead Of CG Ones...

I Didn't Like Danny Devito As The Ringmaster In This Because As I Said He Played A Ringmaster In Big Fish And I Thought People Would Get Confused Between That Ringmaster And This One...

I Didn't Like The Fact That They Didn't Have Any Of The Other Songs From The Movie In It And I Didn't Like How It Wasn't More Like The Movie...

But Looking Back At The Original Movie I Realized Not Only That Making It Like The Animated Movie Would Have Been Wrong And That Unlike Snow White Pinocchio And Fantasia That Came Before It And Was Longer, Dumbo Is Shorter Than Those Movies And It Can Be Expanded On And Added To...

I Also Understand Why They Didn't Have Any Other Songs In The Movie Because Having When I See An Elephant Fly And Not Have It Be Sung By The Black Crows (Despite It Being Racist) Would Have Been Wrong...

But I Still Would To Have Heard Pink Elephants On Parade During The Pink Elephants Sequence (Even If They Just Make It A Musical Score) The Same Could Have Been With Casey Jr. At The Very Beginning Of The Movie But I Do Like The Scene Where Danny Devito Sings It...

Also I Would Have Liked It If They Used A Real Elephants In Some Scenes And CG Elephants In Others Instead Of Just Going Full CG...

But Despite Those Complaints And Realizations I Liked The Story For What It Was I Liked Most Of The Cast (Except For Colin Farrell And That One Girl Who Played His Daughter) The Visual Effects Were Amazing And I Just Honestly Enjoyed It So This One I'm Saying See It...

Tune In Next Week As We Look At Bambi 2, Till Then, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

#disney dumbo #dumbomovie #michael keaton #eva green #danny devito #Colin Farrell #alan arkin #Tim Burton #danny elfman #disney #disney +#disnerd #disney live action #Disney Live Action Remakes

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blackjack-15 · 5 years ago

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Whale Be Clamming for Clues — Thoughts on: Danger on Deception Island (DDI)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: DDI.

The Intro:

First off, let me apologize for the title of this meta. Much like Bess, I couldn’t resist the pun.

Second off, let me just say that DDI is a game that deserves its status as an Iconic Nancy Drew game. If you don’t have access to MHM, TRT, or SSH, DDI is probably the next best place to start the series (while CAR is a great game and should definitely be played, it’s less good as an introduction to the series).

DDI’s got Bess and George, the Hardy Boys, quirky phone characters, incredible atmosphere, fun puzzles, a few suspects, and herrings (red or otherwise) galore. DDI looked at every Nancy Drew game at that point and decided to play the formula straight while doing it nigh-perfectly, and it’s a joy to play.

Its soundtrack should also be of special note; it’s immediately identifiable as being from the Pacific Northwest (the land where HER hails from) and it helps build the incredible atmosphere while still feeling a bit friendly and welcoming as only sea shanty-inspired music can. Special props should go to the music that plays when Nancy encounters Hilda for being particularly touching.

The only real place that DDI falls off a bit is with a couple of its characters — most specifically Katie and Andy. Sure, those are the two you’re supposed to suspect the most, and so they’re a little less fleshed out so HER didn’t give anything away, but there’s not really much to like about either one of them. Holt and Jenna are less divisive and can be a breath of fresh air when the player has dealt too long with the Twin Whale Watching Terrors, but there’s not too much to like there either other than being better than the other two.

It’s one thing to have a cast that is made up of suspicious or even brusque suspects, but it’s quite another to have a cast made up of mostly unpleasant people who hate the others. Normally there’s at least one character that Nancy can touch base with, but outside of her phone contacts, there’s no safe haven in Snake Horse Harbor.

There is one person who does make the game friendly, mysterious, and a little bit wistful, but we’ll talk about her more in the Suspect section.

Ultimately, Danger on Deception Island is really a game to more be experienced than it is to be spoken about (Hilda notwithstanding, who is excellent to talk about) as its simplicity and logic is undermined by the lack of need to explain it. For a game with superlative atmosphere, beautiful music, appropriate and good puzzles, and possibly the best one-off phone contact of all time, DDI is an appropriate, if not flawless, ninth entry into the Nancy Drew games series and a game that demands to be played on those misty, foggy, slightly mysterious days.

The Title:

Let’s be real here, “Danger on Deception Island” is a fantastic title. It’s moody, sounds exciting, definitely establishes a sense of mystery, gives us our location, and is vague enough to be enticing to the imagination while not so vague as to frustrate the player.

It’s also pretty literal; there is danger, and the island is called Deception Island (though, knowing that’s a bit of a hokey name, they do refer to Nancy’s location mostly as “Snake Horse Harbor”, after the Nessie knock-off that’s said to haunt the waters near the harbor). It’s kind of a classic pulp-type title for a mystery, and it fits the sense of heavy atmosphere and nasty suspects that DDI features.

It’s effective enough that there’s not much more to say here, so let’s move on to the reason behind the Danger on Deception island.

The Mystery:

While Nancy’s called out to go on a whale watching tour with Katie, a friend of George’s (though how she and George are friends, we have no idea), she encounters a case of sabotage almost immediately, and gets to work ferreting out justice — though she does get a tour with Andy, Katie’s rival.

Nancy is then set to explore Snake Horse Harbor on bike (helmet on, please, as they somehow magically deter crashes) and meet the locals, dig for clams, discover the difference between male and female crabs (the difference being about 150$ and a jail sentence), explore an old lighthouse, talk with a librarian about hard wood, and enjoy a great soundtrack perfectly encapsulating the Pacific Northwest.

The Suspects:

Katie Firestone is George’s friend and the first person Nancy meets upon her arrival to Deception Island. She’s also the victim of some sabotage and threatening notes, as Nancy discovers when she arrives, per her unpopular stance to take the orphaned orca and bring it to an aquarium where it can be cured of the illness that Katie theorizes that it has and can be studied further.

Per her job as a marine biologist, Katie is the only one with a permit that allows her to get up close and personal with the orphaned orca for whale watching tours, which makes her (very understandably) unpopular among the residents of Snake Horse Harbor. She’s also not the friendliest of people, which leads her to be even more unpopular.

As a suspect, Katie is sort of a mixed bag. The game plays her up just enough to keep her a suspect without playing her up so much that it’s obvious that she’s not. She never acts as Nancy’s “detective buddy”, but isn’t opposed to helping her – or keeping her busy. All in all, Katie has both the makings of the obvious victim and possibly as a clever suspect using their unpopularity to throw people off the scent.

DDI also throws in the fun little twist of pretending to reveal Katie as the villain before Nancy spins the chair around to reveal that she’s been tied up and duct taped by the real villain. It’s a pretty good “gotcha” moment and definitely fooled me the first time I played it (though I was quite young at the time, it should be noted).

Jenna Deblin is the owner of the Hot Kettle Café where economics don’t matter and Nancy can eat as many bowls of clam chowder as she wants for free. Friendly, chatty, and a bit of a gossip, Jenna fills Nancy in on the happenings in town — and on how much she dislikes Katie. A staunch conservationist, Jenna believes that the orca should be returned to its pod as soon as possible, and heavily disagrees with Katie’s aquarium plan.

She’s the kindest out of all of Nancy’s suspects and is cleared the earliest when her Café gets robbed and she and Nancy discover the tunnels under the Café used for shanghaiing sailors in the past. Jenna also would bring Hilda groceries when everyone else avoided or distrusted her, putting her firmly in the “good” category of suspects.

As a suspect, Jenna’s made to be the one that Nancy (and the player) can feel the most on the level with. Even with the underground tunnels, there’s really nothing frightening about either Jenna or the Hot Kettle Café, and the puzzles and information that they supply are fun and a little whimsical. The only thing suspicious about Jenna at all is her hatred of Katie, but having dealt with Katie for a good portion of the game, the player really shouldn’t consider that unusual or grounds for sabotage.

As a side note, Jenna is the first Native American character in the HER interactive series, a fact not hidden in the game, but also outright confirmed by HER themselves. While she’ll be joined in this later by SHA’s Mary and TOT’s Debbie, it’s a good thing to, in a setting so defined by its Native population, include a character of Native origin.

Holt Scotto is the rough ‘n’ gruff mayoral candidate for the next election in Snake Horse Harbor and owner of a pointlessly suspicious bag. As a veteran fisherman, he hates that the orca is disrupting the economy (as fishing is ubiquitously the number one vocation on islands like Deception Island) and making it more difficult for fishers to work.

While he seems to be friendly with Jenna (and at least on good terms with Hilda), Holt doesn’t much care for tourists like Nancy and makes her work for each and every bit of information that he has. Holt is the second most friendly person on the island (once again, discounting phone characters) in that he really doesn’t care what Nancy does so long as she doesn’t disturb Deception Island’s ecosystem and fills out the little survey he gives her.

Holt is a caricature in nearly every way that HER could make a caricature, but he’s still enjoyable and gives a few fun puzzles. He’s mostly there to round out the cast, but his voice acting is decent and his visual character design is absolutely spot on.

Andy Jason (whose voice is none other than now-regular HER voice actor and my personal hero Jonah Von Spreecken) is the friendly neighborhood rival whale-watching guide, but without Katie’s cozy little permit that lets her exploit the whale for money under the guise of Academia. While kind of friendly, he’s pretty ruthless in his business dealings, and owns the world’s worst plaid shirt.

As DDI’s resident villain, Andy makes the best suspect. He fails at being friendly or charming, but is barely a blip on Nancy’s radar through the first half of the game…apart from one horrible misstep on the part of HER, where his business card is found on Katie’s boat.

Because he and Katie are rivals (and because Katie’s generally hated), there’s no reason for his card to be on his boat, and it’s obvious that he’s the one who sabotaged Katie’s boat. Since Nancy Drew generally doesn’t have two main villains, the person who sabotaged her boat must be the villain, and thus Andy must be the villain.

There’s a nice little moment where Nancy sees Katie sitting in a chair, her back to Nancy, down in the Big Bad’s lair, that implies that Katie’s the one behind it. Of course, when the chair spins around, Katie’s duct taped and captive in the chair. That moment of doubt is effective, but it’s a good thing that HER resolves it within seconds, because it wouldn’t hold up any longer than that.

Andy is a little bit threatening in his last attempt to prevent Nancy from exposing him to the world — though the way Nancy takes him down is hilariously roundabout; one would think an air tank to the head via Nancy would be more effective than an air tank to the head via orca would be — but as a slightly weak character, his ending is a bit more of the same.

Hilda Swenson, like Miles in CAR, isn’t really a suspect, but does have to be included here for her sheer impact on (and subsequent elevation of) the game. An ex-movie director turned ex-mayor, Hilda’s a bit of an eccentric who lost her husband a few years ago and moved off the island, but still influences both the island and the events of the game.

Deciding that things are Not Going Well and that suspicious Things Are Happening, Hilda sets up a seek-and-find for someone smart, resourceful, tenacious, and curious — aka, Nancy — to find and contact her so that they can save the island together.

Hilda is definitely a little odd (though not really by Nancy Drew character standards), but what makes her really magical is that she really doesn’t care what others think of her and lives the way she thinks is best, cackling along as she sprinkles her good deeds along the shore.

She’s an oddity among Nancy Drew characters in that her presence is so strong without ever seeing any bit of her. She’s not out for or against Nancy, she’s just out to make sure her Harbor is saved, and her world goes on before and after Nancy. She really makes Snake Horse Harbor feel like it’s not just there for Nancy to solve a mystery in it, and that feeling is part of what makes DDI remarkable.

The Favorite:

Even with the Hardy Boys present and attentive, the best character of this game is Hilda, no contest. I’ve said all I can about her, so we’ll move on…mostly.

Embarrassingly after that paragraph, my favorite moment of the game is a Hilda moment — or rather, a moment right after a Hilda moment. Hilda sends Nancy out on a kayak for her clues, speaking to her for the last time. She hangs up after wishing Nancy good luck, and for just a few beats, the moment hangs in the air. It’s misty out in the ocean and Nancy’s alone, holding the weight of saving the harbor and exposing wrongs and ensuring the right thing happens for the orphaned orca

My favorite puzzle is prolly collecting all of the things Hilda left behind and assembling them. It’s a fun little series of fetch quests, culminating in a great moment out on the water, and they’re just really enjoyable as they help build the world.

The Un-Favorite:

I’ve discussed Katie and Andy earlier, but they definitely deserve a place in this section, as their presence does drag down the game just a bit from where it could have been.

My least favorite moment in the game is probably the part where Holt catches Nancy outside the lighthouse, purely because it makes me jump every time. DDI really doesn’t have any sour note moments, so this qualifies because I give a little shrill scream whenever it happens.

My least favorite puzzle is definitely the male vs female crab dilemma. These metas have talked before about my visual processing not being the greatest, so that’s probably the reason, but even when I have a picture of both of them side-by-side, I always end up guessing wrong and getting Thrown in the Brig. It is a mark of how well-integrated the puzzles are that none of them feel really clunky or like a pain.

The Fix:

So how would I fix Danger on Deception Island?

I’d really only do it by refurbing Katie and Andy a bit so that they’re not so……well, blatantly horrible and flat people. There’s always room in detective stories for nasty characters, but not ones so flat as those two. Give them relationships with everyone in Snake Horse Harbor — Andy especially, since he’s been there longer than Katie — and you’d be well on your way towards fixing the problem.

Maybe Holt knew Andy’s dad, who was an old friend of his who disagreed on everything with him but they were drinking buddies, so he watches out for Andy. Meanwhile, Jenna doesn’t much care for Andy, but they both hate Katie, so they band together out of pure spite and teeth-clenched teamwork. But, in a twist, Andy does have a bit of sympathy for Katie as a newcomer because years ago his dad had an apprentice of sorts who came to the island but was bullied into leaving.

Maybe Katie, meanwhile, disagrees heavily with Jenna but is so addicted to her chowder that she goes when Jenna has someone else (her Aunt Iris, perhaps?) covering the shop, only to develop a crush on the temp, so she subtly sabotages Jenna so that she has to leave the Café more and more often, which makes Jenna angrier. Let’s say Holt doesn’t mind Katie being a newcomer, but hates the temp Jenna gets to cover the Café, and knows Katie’s behind it but can’t prove it. Maybe even make it so Katie does feel guilty about using her permit to make money off the orca…but not guilty enough to stop doing it.

Just those simple tweaks going on in the background, referenced a few times, give the characters even more of a sense of existing out of just the game and helps balance them out against characters like Hilda who are more developed with severely less screen time.

Relationships are the quickest way to build characters, and while DDI has an incredible amount of atmosphere, fleshing out its two most suspicious characters would go a long way to perfecting this already awesome game.

#nancy drew #clue crew #nancy drew games #danger on deception island #nancy drew meta #DDI #video games #my meta

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magicmitch-eats · 5 months ago

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youtube

I'm taking on a cheeseburger challenge that's smothered in loads of pot roast gravy! This is my third "preseason" food challenge, in preparation for my Australian food challenge tour!

✨ Support my content & unlock awesome perks: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/magicmitch

🌏 Australian Food Challenge Tour: Day 3 / Challenge 3 🌏

📺 Watch this entire tour here ➡ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyc8PEyVWPbfsWN0TYumuUzJzCjMgXXvS

✨ Subscribe for more videos ➤ youtube.com/magicmitch?sub_confirmation=1

Location 📍 Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille (Valparaiso, Indiana)

🌟THE I.R. BURGER CHALLENGE 🌟

- Giant cheeseburger, made with (4) 1lb beef burger patties 🍔 - Layered with cheese 🧀 - Burgers are covered in 1lb of their "Double Shift" pot roast gravy - Side of sweet potato fries 🍠 Time Limit ⏳ 1 hour

🌟 Rewards for completing this cheeseburger challenge 🌟 - Free meal ($39) 💰 - Free t-shirt 👕 - Your photo up on their Wall of Fame 📸 - Possibly the "mother of all bellyaches" 😵😂

🌟🌟🌟 MORE FOOD ADVENTURES 🌟🌟🌟 🍔 QUADRUBLE

🥞🍦 Huge Pancakes & Ice Cream Dessert - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS3o1X4f2Ho&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbdXuMakZ-PNXmFms7KVQY5J&index=7

🍕 144 Pizza Rolls - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJWTJ0vQZ3g&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbfYjaKQj8DyW12PYmGAfCCM&index=2

🍛 Jumbo Japanese Curry Challenge - https://youtu.be/aRpc2OYjg10

🐟🍟 Fish & Chips Challenge in New York - https://youtu.be/QielFWpLreU

🥪 Epic Grilled Cheese Sandwich Challenge in Chicago - https://youtu.be/if4SfEKQFIs

🍕 2-Foot Calzone Challenge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX4S79ku0kc&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbfYjaKQj8DyW12PYmGAfCCM&index=3

🍳🥓 Huge Irish Breakfast Challenge - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41nvSmNBuxQ&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbdBA3HPeLgF8kFUTy5Ef5DB&index=22

🍖🍗 BBQ Challenge in Scotland - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-GDQbsiLyI&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbdXuMakZ-PNXmFms7KVQY5J&index=4

🤢⚠ THE WORST RESTAURANT FOOD CHALLENGE I’VE EVER DONE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omvx115nh84&list=PLyc8PEyVWPbdXuMakZ-PNXmFms7KVQY5J&index=34

I'm Magic Mitch, The Food Adventurer! I embark on epic eating adventures and battle various food challenge monstrosities all over the world! I also review these challenges in terms of the set up (rules, prizes, etc) and taste! I also discuss the strategy I used against these beastly portions of food! If you enjoy epic food eating adventures, be sure to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/c/magicmitch?sub_confirmation=1

#foodchallenge #manvsfood #magicmitch #foodadventure #food challenge #foodie #youtube #competitive eating #eating challenge #foodporn #big burger #giant burger #huge burger #eating contest #Youtube

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awesomeshefalimulye-blog · 5 years ago

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5 best international destinations to visit post COVID – 19

The COVID – 19 pandemic has devastated humanity as never before. With multiple countries under strict lockdowns or restricted movements. It has caused a severe blow to the economics of many countries. Multiple businesses and industries worldwide have been badly affected (though some continue to prosper even through this pandemic). One of the worst hit is of course the tourism industry comprising of airlines, hotels and other hospitality related services such as transporters, embassies and visa related services, restaurants and many other ancillary service partners. Having said that tourism is resilient and will bounce back for sure just as it did post the SARS in 2013. The biggest question is what will one’s travel itinerary in the future look like and which regions in the world will be safe to travel in the future? Some of the factors which will perhaps determine this will be – proximity to home, airline capacity, especially to bring back home in case of any eventuality, destinations which were less impacted and/or have better health facilities and also insurance covers.

I am listing down some international destinations that maybe explored post COVID – 19 taking into account multiple factors that work in favour of these destinations. For those who are ‘travellers’ and are looking at continuing to travel once airline services resume and it is safer to travel, here goes –

Country Total cases Active Cases Deaths

New Zealand 1499 45 21

Taiwan 440 35 7

Vietnam 324 61 0

Thailand 3031 118 56

Hong Kong 1056 27 4

New Zealand:

As on date New Zealand has reported 1499 active COVID – 19 cases with around 21 deaths and 93% of the infected cases have recovered successfully. New Zealand has a definite advantage over many other countries. Constituting 268,000 kms of total land area and a population of approximately 48 lakhs spread out between the North and South Island and any neighbouring inhabited island – It is not a large country and is fairly sparsely populated and yet has the comforts of being a developed country.

Ø Known for its surreal natural beauty, few destinations can boast of so many natural wonders and experiences packed into such a small area. Snow capped peaks, rain forests, coastal glaciers, large geothermal areas in Rotorua with bubbling mud ponds and hissing streams – New Zealand has it all. Queenstown is a hotspot for adrenaline filled sports such as white-water rafting, luging, jet boat riding, skydiving, hiking, mountain biking, heli hiking, bungy jumping at the Bloukrons Bridge (one of the highest bungy jumps in the world)– the list of outdoor activities is endless.

Ø With options of self - drive vacations as well as seat in coach holidays, one can find a wide variety of accommodations ranging from budget to luxury as well as quaint bed and breakfasts.

Ø For the sports lovers, the cricket season in New Zealand will start from July with matches with West Indies followed by ICC T20 on Oct which could be something to plan for. Oct onwards is a good time to travel to New Zealand right through till the beginning of March, to experience summer in New Zealand.

Ø With simplified e visa processes, correct documentation and timely application of visas, obtaining the New Zealand visa can be a breeze.

Ø Well connected with multiple airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Malaysian Airlines, Thai Airways, Air New Zealand and Emirates as well as low cost airlines such as Jet Star, it is a destination which can combined with a stopover in a South East Asian hub as well.

Ø Considering the size of the country and its population, social distancing should not be a challenge when travelling through New Zealand.

Ø New Zealand has around 40 public hospitals spread across the country in cities and larger towns. Both public as well as private health care in the country is excellent.

Ø All the major insurance companies offer multiple type of travel insurance products for New Zealand and are expected to offer products inclusive of COVID -19.

Ø Best time to visit: September to November (Spring) with temperatures averaging between 13 – 20 degrees, December to February (Summer) with temperatures averaging between 19 – 25 degrees

Taiwan:

Considering its geographical (not to mention lack of political) proximity to China, Taiwan has done an exemplary job of managing COVID 19 and its implications. While relatively unknown. Taiwan offers wondrous vistas, lively traditions and cultures. This year in 2020. Taiwan celebrates ‘the year of mountain tourism’.

Ø Shaped like a leaf, the island covers 36,000 square kms with 23 million people living in it. Though not a very large country and while it is fairly densely populated, its immediate action and advanced deployment, sufficient availability of PPE for medical personnel and effective use of technology has helped the country tremendously in successfully handling this global pandemic far more effectively than most other countries.

Ø Some of the popular ways of discovering Taiwan are trekking in the magnificence of the cliffs at Taroko Gorge; taking a ride on the Alishan Forest Railway and experiencing the breathtaking sunrise and sea of clouds; hiking up to the summit of Northeast Asia's highest peak, Yu Mountain (Yushan). You can also soak up the sun in Kending (Kenting), Asia's version of Hawaii; stand at the edge of Sun Moon Lake; wander through the East Rift Valley; or visit the offshore islands of Kinmen and Penghu – overall a lot of fun family activities after being confined to our homes for so long.

Ø For true shoppers at heart, Taipei offers many night markets where you can combine a very satisfying shopping tour with a street food tour and try some amazing local fare and even a unique shrimp fishing experience.

Ø You can enjoy a cycle tour near Sun Moon Lake as well a sample local wines and tea made from pure spring water.

Ø Well connected with many airlines’ ex India such as Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Airlines and low-cost airlines like Air Asia, connectivity is easily possible from many Indian cities though fares are a little towards the expensive side.

Ø Taiwan has emerged as a hotspot for medical tourism with sophisticated medical technology, well-trained medical professionals, strategic geographical location, stress-free VISA process and most importantly affordable cost-effective quality treatment. With a wide range of government and private hospitals spread across the country, makes it an ideal destination to travel to even as we wait for a vaccine for COVID – 19.

Ø Popular among both business and leisure travellers, Indian nationals can now travel to Taiwan with a free visa, which can be applied online, thus simplifying visa processes.

Ø Best time to visit Taiwan: November or the first half of April. The weather is cooler in November while in April you will get to see nature in its full bloom.

Vietnam:

Vietnam has been another interesting statistic in so far as battling Coronavirus is concerned. With only 288 cases and no deaths till date, inspite of a relatively weak healthcare system and a low budget for combating the virus, Vietnam is a case study in how this virus can be beaten against all odds. Effective 23rd April 2020, Vietnamese government has lifted social isolation rules and allowed opening of many non- essential services including restaurants. Domestic flights have resumed operations as well. Though Vietnam has limited and not necessarily international level medical facilities, I have still continued to include the same in my list on account of close proximity to India especially for those on a relative budget and looking for a short break. Vietnam boasts a variety of experiences for families as well as couples and can be an expensive luxury holiday or a relatively basic holiday if looking for a budget one, though airfares can be a little bit of a deterrent sometimes even if booked well in advance

Ø Vietnam follows a very simple, inexpensive online e visa process for Indians, which is not complex and does not need to be planned weeks in advance.

Ø One of the most underrated destinations in Asia, Vietnam is popular for its amazingly beautiful beaches some of them relatively unexplored, national parks, historical monuments and bustling nightlife. Cities as vibrant as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh , overnight on a junk boat at the dazzling UNESCO World Heritage site of Halong Bay, hiking through Cat Ba Island, visiting and staying with locals in some of the most spectacular rural villages in North of Vietnam, visit the world’s largest cave in Pho Nha National Park, enjoy relaxing cycling expeditions in Hue or Ninh Binh as you walk around or drive past karst peaks and sail pas Tam Coc’s rice fields, meet up with local tribes in Sapa or find romance in its love market, see the recently opened Golden Hands Bridge in Da Nang and enjoy its French flavours or head on a food trail in one of the cities in Vietnam – the list of experiences is endless.

Ø Combining a trip to neighbouring Cambodia is also a wonderful option as you will get to see the massive and most important archaeological site in South East Asia – Angkor Wat temples.

Ø The best medical care in Vietnam is in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, though most medical concerns can be treated competently in many smaller towns and cities. ... SOS International has clinics in Vung Tau, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, providing good but expensive outpatient medical care

Ø All major insurance companies offer multiple products that cover Vietnam.

Ø The best time to visit Vietnam is during December through February when temperatures are milder and rain is minimal. Vietnam's long, narrow shape means that the three primary regions (north, central, and south) experience different types of seasons and weather events throughout the year.

Thailand:

Thailand is perhaps the most ‘been there, done that’ destination in this list. Nonetheless I am including the same as I feel that the destination has great potential on account of a lot of unexplored experiences it has to offer.

Ø Fantastic connectivity PAN India with option of more expensive full service carriers as well as budget LCC carries combined with amazingly tourist friendly and well organised seat in coach as well as private service and a wide range of accommodation options, gives one a wider price range to choose from depending on budget.

Ø Apart from the pristine, dreamy beaches, ancient monasteries and coral reefs, food trails that are a treat for your taste buds, adventurous water sports, historical sites and of course a flourishing night life– there is still a lot undiscovered by many Indian travellers.

Ø Bangkok, the capital, in central Thailand, is regarded as a modern hub of various cultures, faiths and experiences. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai to the north cater to those looking the quiet countryside and to spend time in the wild. Down south, beach destinations such as Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui and island resorts in Khao Sok or Koh Yao Yai and many others, offer some of the best tropical experiences by the sea. On the western end, the Hua Hin region is popular for resorts where one can relax luxuriously. Finally, towards the east, Ubon Ratchathani is a spiritual and historical escape where one can immersively learn about Buddhist and Thai culture.

Ø Generally speaking, the standard of medical care in Thailand is good. Thailand has world class international standard hospitals in the larger urban centres, with reasonably good medical facility in rural Thailand.

Ø Normally I do recommend Thailand as a year- round destination as the countryside is stunningly beautiful in the monsoons and though it rains, it will not disrupt your plans largely. Having said that if you are looking for a perfect weather to travel in, then November through till April is a dry season with temperatures ranging from 29 degrees to 34 degrees.

Ø Before the COVID- 19 pandemic, Thailand was offering free e visa on arrival. Butan update is awaited on the same from the Thailand embassy. The process of obtaining visa before departure is fairly hassle free and does not take more than 3- 4 working days under ordinary circumstances.

Hong Kong:

Considering its proximity and accessibility to China, this is another country that has done a remarkable job of managing the pandemic. One of the 1st countries to be hit by the same, Hong Kong is today one of the most ‘almost COVID – 19 free’ countries on the list. What makes this remarkable further is that the city-state has achieved this without the kind of de facto police-state curfew that India has resorted to. While people did work from home and some of the theme parks as well as attractions are closed to avoid community transmission, eventually restaurants opened, people continued to go to parks and favourite hiking routes but nearly everyone wears a mask and maintain social distancing.

Ø Bustling streets, mouth-watering authentic cuisines, nature reserves and teetering tower blocks, old world markets amidst neon jungles, diversity in its various contradictions - Hong Kong is by far one of the most dynamic, overwhelming city I have ever has the opportunity to visit, A great pick for a family destination, Hong Kong offers a wide range of attractions for all age groups combined with all the privileges and comforts one can enjoy in any well-developed country. Apart from child friendly attractions such as Ocean Park and Disneyland, this multi culture destination also hosts many world class sports events especially rugby and horse racing.

Ø It is only an hour’s ferry ride from Macau, a mecca for those interested in casinos and night life and Las Vegas style hotels on ‘The Strip’ with internationally acclaimed shows. Just perfect for those who cannot make it to Las Vegas as yet!

Ø Hong Kong is extremely well connected to many major airports in India. The airfares as well as hotels are a little on the higher side and I would recommend booking the same early.

Ø Critically, Hong Kong has one of the world’s best public healthcare systems, experienced at dealing with challenges such as the avian flu in 1997 to the H1N1 in 2009.

Ø Once again, an all year-round destination, the best time to visit Hong Kong is from October till April. For those who enjoy cultural experiences and local festivals and food, I would recommend considering a trip to Hong Kong in January & February though.

COVID – 19 is not yet a thing of the past globally nor is it an issue we can ignore, So it is time we start working around it and figuring out solutions to stay safe when travelling. Airlines, hoteliers, transporters – everyone involved in the business of hospitality are figuring out solutions in terms of contactless travel, regular sanitisation, norms of social distancing and many other issues which are likely to come up once all of them are allowed to operate as usual. There is definitely a new ‘normal’ that we all need to adjust to while travelling in the future. In a business where human touch and conversation is all about hospitality, be it on land or in air, we may be looking at reduced human touch just to be able to stay safe and travel. So be it then!

#stay safe #stay healthy

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fuckyeahjeremyclarkson · 6 years ago

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The Grand Tour special: Jeremy Clarkson and co on returning for a new series of globetrotting high jinks

“Buckle up, world, we’re ready to rumble again”

Steppe brothers: fraternity was in short supply in Mongolia, where Clarkson, May and Hammond had to build a small off-road machine to get them back to civilisation To make the new Amazon Prime series of The Grand Tour we went to China, Sweden, Arizona, France, Doncaster, Finland, Detroit, Mongolia, Spain, Azerbaijan, Colombia, Georgia, Doha and Scotland. China was the worst. It was a nightmare. The location was Chongqing, which, with more than 30m people — if you count everyone in the metropolitan area, — is the biggest city in the world. And don’t feel embarrassed: I hadn’t heard of it either. It’s known as the furnace of China because in the summer the average daytime temperature is well above 40C and the sky is a constant, dripping-wet shade of grey. It’s like being in a hot bath and, hilariously, the air-con in James May’s crummy old Mercedes S-class was broken. This made him very cantankerous.

Take the high road: the three plot the route for their Scottish drive

Richard Hammond was also cantankerous because he thinks it’s weird to eat fish. So he was completely flummoxed by the local dish, which is a cow’s tendon cooked at the table in a bucket of chilli-infused napalm. And lived for eight days on nothing but rice. I was also cantankerous because in Mandarin there’s only one word and it’s no. After six months you finally get a permit to film on one side of the road but when you arrive it’s obvious that you should actually film on the other. It makes no difference to anyone. Nobody would care. But when you ask for permission the answer is no. God knows how they have a problem with overpopulation. And there’s no point shouting because the Chinese regard us in the same way that we regard slightly fat insects. Three days in and I was tearing my hair out. I’d love to say that despite the issues we came back with a gem of a film. A masterpiece. But the truth is it’s a turd. We’ve polished it, of course, till it gleams and sparkles with handsome panache, and it is fun watching May literally melting. But it’s still a turd. Detroit is the opposite. It’s bloody great. All of us tear around that post-apocalyptic backdrop in three muscle cars. And muscle cars, as I say in the film, are like power-rock ballads. If someone asks if you like Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, you’ll huff and puff and say, “No, of course not.” But if you are driving alone on your own and it comes on the radio, you will turn it up and sing along. Yes, you will. Don’t argue. So it goes with the cars we were driving: a 700bhp-plus Ford Mustang RTR, a 840bhp Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and the 1,000bhp Hennessey Exorcist Camaro. Stupid cars. Stupid noises. And stupid names. I mean, RTR stands for “Ready to Rock”, and how infantile is that? Very, and I don’t care. I loved all those cars and I loved racing them in the derelict factories. It’s one of the best films we’ve done in years. And one of the most enjoyable to make. Detroit is coming back. You can find a restaurant that serves dumplings in a goose broth right next door to a blood-spattered crime scene. And you can buy a four-bedroom house for £1,800. I know, because we did. And that was one of the lighter moments. In Colombia a spectacled bear ate my headlamp; in Arizona I was trapped on the roof of a moving and driverless recreational vehicle; in France I chased down a De Tomaso Pantera GTS — and all that’s before we get to the track stuff and the McLaren Senna and the Alpina, and the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 and the new Lancia Stratos. It’s been one hell of a year, and there hasn’t even been time so far to mention how we filled Lincoln Cathedral with anoraks or how I drove a Lamborghini Urethra up a ski slope. Not even Sir Attenborough does more in a series. And not even Tom Cruise travels further on his impossible missions. But the best bit, for me, was our trip to Scotland. The idea was simple. In these days of escalating classic-car values, even a Ford Escort Mexico will cost you more than £60,000. So we decided to see if there are any old, interesting and pretty cars out there that can still be bought for sensible money. Pretty soon we had a Fiat X1/9, a Lancia Gamma and an Alfa Romeo GTV6. And all we needed then was somewhere to test them out. We settled on Scotland because one of our producers is from north of the border. Which meant we could show the rain and the heroin and the midges and he’d be livid with us. To begin with, everything went perfectly. It was terrible. The weather was miserable, my Alfa broke down, the houses looked as if they’d been deep fried in batter, there were speed cameras everywhere and every view had a rusting oil rig in it. “This is not at all how it looks on the shortbread tins,” dead-panned Hammond.

Off-road included on water in Mongolia But then our plan went wrong, because we somehow ended up on the A835 from Inverness to Ullapool and, let’s not beat about the bush, it was spectacular. We’ve travelled the world in search of the best road and we’ve come across many contenders. There’s the Transfagarasan Highway in Romania, the road from Davos in Switzerland to Cortina in Italy and the Hai Van Pass in Vietnam. There were snow-capped mountains. There was sky the colour of an Icelandic girl’s eyes. There were slate-grey lakes and linking it all together was a twisting and turning ribbon of grey with absolutely nothing on it. Almost every great bit of road these days is ruined by cyclists huffing and puffing in one direction and coming at you like gristle missiles in the other. But not the A835. There were none. There weren’t even any police patrol cars because they’re all on the so-called “North Coast 500”. Described by Condé Nast Traveler magazine as possibly the best road trip in the world, it’s become a magnet for Subaru and Mitsubishi Evo enthusiasts. And Plod, who likes to pull the cars over to look at their engines and fine the drivers. There’s none of that nonsense on the route we found and as a result the drive I had in that Alfa was up there alongside a trip on gravel roads through the Northern Territory in Australia in a BMW M6 Gran Coupé and another through the Atacama desert in Chile in an on-its-last-legs Range Rover. I shall never forget it. If this were the last series of The Grand Tour, I’d go to the vegetable garden with my pipe and slippers a happy man after a drive like that. But contrary to what you may have heard, it isn’t the last series. You’ve got us for a few more years yet — starting on January 18.

#Jeremy Clarkson #Richard Hammond #James May #The Grand Tour #Sunday Times

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distant-rose · 6 years ago

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Carousels and Pretzels

Notes: @welllpthisishappening is an amazing person and I will never forget the day we met and started chatting and realized we know a lot of the same places. This is a dumb and purely indulgent fic that is full of Albany/Capital Region references most readers might not understand but admittedly, they’re only meant to be understood by one person and that’s Laura. She’s a phenomenal person, literally one of my favorite people and just an all around amazing human being who doesn’t get enough recognition for just how perfect and wonderful she is. Anyway, this was going to be a much longer fic but I kinda ran out of time. Also, Druthers has better pretzels than Brown’s, fight me. Summary: Emma Swan takes a job at Hoffman’s Playland with the hope of not running into anyone she knows from UAlbany. Instead, she runs into Killian Jones, a former lacrosse athlete whose tragic accident she covered as a story back in February. Word Count: 2,000+ Rating: T+

Hoffman’s Playland wasn’t Emma’s first choice of summer employment. If it were up to her, she would have been working for the Troy Record all summer, but their internships weren’t paid, and Emma had to rent to account for and she refused to hike all the way up to Lake George to work the depressing lunch shift at King Neptune’s again.

It wasn’t the worst place in the world to work. Though she was forced to wear the ugliest combo of a polo and cargo shorts and the staff break room constantly smelled of Subway, her coworkers were pretty okay and was only a thirteen-minute commute from her apartment in Troy. Furthermore, it was monotonous enough that she could spend her days plotting how she was going to run the Inklings magazine this year and whether or not she should apply to grad school or try to apply for a job at the Times Union while she’s finishing up her last year.

Another plus was no one knew her at Hoffman’s aside from Mary-Margaret. It made everything easier, especially after her huge breakup with Neal and the amount of rumors of drug use that circled around afterward. They had broken up not longer after his dorm got raided and he tried to pin his stash of pot on her, nearly getting her expelled from the school. The last month of Spring Term was awful and she was lucky that most of her newspaper and literary magazine friends stood by her or else she wouldn’t still be in school, let alone have made it as the sports editor of the Albany Student Press and Inklings in the fall.

Still, the way things went put a bad taste in her mouth and she hoped that it would too stale for anyone to care about by the time that September rolled around. With most of the clientele of Hoffman’s being families with small children, she’s highly doubted that she would know anyone who went there.

Until she did.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely true.

Emma didn’t know Killian Jones personally, but it was a name and face she’s gotten to know well over the past three years. While she had never truly met the guy, it was imperative that she knew of his existence as a staff writer for the student paper and then later on as the girlfriend of Neal Cassidy, the starting lacrosse goalie.

His name wasn’t one that was said with fondness, but usually disdain. The name Killian Jones was generally premised by the use of the word “fuck”, “screw” or any variety of obscenity. There were three reasons for this hatred: 1) he went to Siena, UAlbany’s cross-town rival, 2) he played lacrosse and 3) he was good at it.

At least he used to be.

In February, he got into a car accident in Troy, a mere three streets away from her apartment. It has been a nasty one, which ended in the loss of not only his girlfriend’s life and his hand, but also his lacrosse career. She remembers quite clearly writing up the article on it for the Albany Student Press and then later on the party that had been thrown by Neal in celebration of his fallen adversary. Neal had hated Killian with a passion and the two of them had gotten in a fight during a game last year, which ended with a picture of Killian punching Neal square in the face on the front page of the Times Union sports section.

Emma, on the other hand, felt bad for him. Despite the fact she had attended Neal’s horrible party, she had argued that it was in poor taste. Killian might have been “the enemy” but what happened to him was horrible and alongside reading a very sympathetic article on his behalf, she had even sent a condolence card.

Since then, Emma hadn’t so much of heard or seen anything on Killian Jones until he was standing in front of her, wearing a green Siena lacrosse sweatshirt and jeans in the middle of July and holding the hand of a small blonde girl no older than six.

She was so stunned by the fact he was standing in front of her that she did little more than stare at him for a good few seconds. She completely forgot to give her greeting and safety spiel.

Luckily, she was saved by his little companion.

“Hi!”

“Um, hi.”

“You’re pretty.”

“Thank you. You’re pretty too,” she replied, laughing at her awkwardness. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Alice! What’s yours?”

“I’m Emma,” she smiled. “Would you like to go on the ride?”

“Yeah,” Alice beamed before tugging roughly on Killian Jones’s hand. “Uncle Killy, give her a ticket!”

“Right,” he mumbled, fishing through the pockets before handing her a crumbled ticket.

She deposited it in the proper container before starting up the ancient carousel. The old music croaked through the speakers as it slowly started to move, but Alice didn’t seem to mind. It’s obvious to Emma that she’s pretending that the horse she’s riding was real, and the sweetness of the scene filled her made her smile.

Still burning with curiosity, she glanced back at Killian. He was standing a few lengths away and watching his niece with his forearms practically stuffed into the front pocket of his hoodie. As if sensing her glaze, his eyes shifted in her direction. Despite the urge to look away, she often him a small smile instead. He didn’t return the gesture.

When the ride stopped and Alice hopped off, he took her hand and left without a word. Only Alice turned back to give her a wave. Emma returned it tentatively, wondering if she upset him and swallowing her questions.

She didn’t know why she cared so much.

Much to her surprise, they return the next day. This time, he was wearing a pair of khaki shorts and a leather jacket despite the fact was nearing a ninety-degrees. Again, he didn’t speak much, letting Alice do all the talking. They show again the next day and the day after that; each and every time Emma had tapped down her inner journalist to keep from asking questions that were burning in the back of her throat. What happened to you? Why do you wear long-sleeved shirts? Why do you keep coming to this ridiculous 1950s amusement park?

Following Wednesday was a cloudy and humid day and there was only a handful of people in the park and none of them seem interested in riding the carousel. Emma fought the urge to play on her phone. Despite the horrible weather, Killian and Alice showed up yet again. The little precocious girl handed her a fistful of tickets.

This time Killian stood closer to the operator stand, practically hovering over her shoulder. He and Alice had been coming every day for nearly a week and a half now, and never before he had stood so close to her. She did her best to ignore him, focusing all of her attention on the little girl on the painted horse.

“How many times do you think she can ride that thing before she throws up?”

She nearly jumped at the question, turning to face him with surprise. He wasn’t looking at her, his eyes trained on Alice, but Emma could tell he was waiting for a response.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “Depends on how strong her stomach is, I guess?”

He nodded. A few beats passed before he spoke again. “You look tired.”

“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she admitted. “I don’t have any air conditioning and my room in my apartment is kinda like a hot box.”

“That sucks. We don’t have AC either, but we’ve kinda be taking to sleeping on the porch since it’s screened in.”

“I don’t really have the option. I live in Troy.”

“Oh? Where? I’m familiar with it.”

“Let me guess? Bootleggers?” Emma asked sarcastically, without thinking. Bootleggers was a well-known college bar a few blocks away from where she lived and it was known to be frequented by obnoxious underage Siena students with fake IDs. It was constantly being shut down and reopened.

Killian laughed, a loud and boisterous sound that caught Emma by surprise once more. She had never seen him look so animated.

“Maybe, when I was a baby freshman, but I would like to think my taste level has gotten better since then. So, yeah, you located? Lansingburgh? North Central? The Hill? Sycaway?

“Downtown. Third street.”

“By Brown Bag burger place, right?”

“That’s on Fourth street, but yeah, pretty close. More by the Ruck.”

“I love that bar. They have great wings.”

“They do and they’re less expensive than Brown’s. One of my roommates is a bartender there. David. He may or may not give us free pitchers occasionally.”

“Brown’s is expensive, but it’s good beer. I love their oatmeal stout. Their pretzels with the honey mustard are amazing.”

“They do have good pretzels but the one at Druthers are better.”

“Druthers? Isn’t that in Saratoga? It’s a bit hike, isn’t?”

“No. There’s on in Albany on Broadway,” she responded. “It’s not too far from the Pump Station and Old English.”

She was almost embarrassed about the fact that she often referenced locations by the bars in the neighborhood. In her defense, she had lived in the Albany area for nearly three years and have been involved in more Birthday tours than she could count.

“You’re a bit of a foodie, huh?”

“I used to write for the local eats section of the Albany Student Press my freshman and sophomore year before they switched me over to a different section,” Emma chuckled. “Needless to say, it was a bitch to keep off the freshman fifteen when you’re eating at every cool and exciting places across the Capital Region every week.”

“Sounds like a hardship.”

“For my scale, yes, it was,” she laughed.

When they ran out of tickets, Emma wasn’t sure who was more disappointed, Alice for no longer being able to ride the carousel or Killian for having to end their conversation. He reach forward and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

“You here tomorrow?”

“Same time, every day.”

“Good. I’ll see you then.”

He didn’t disappoint. This time not only bringing his niece, but also a large Dunkin Donuts coffee as well. Emma stood in shock as he handed it to her.

“I figured that you would like this since you’re not sleeping lately.”

“You didn’t have to do this.”

“No, but I wanted to.”

“Why?”

“Because you treated me like a person and not some wounded animal,”

“Oh…” She didn’t know what to say to that. “We just talked about food.”

“And it was the best conversation I’ve had in a long time,” he responded, lifting up his arm, which was once more covered by a Siena lacrosse hoodie. He pulled it back to expose the scarred stump left behind by the accident. “Yesterday was the first time I talked to someone aside from my niece who didn’t mention or talk about my accident. I felt normal again. Coffee is the least I could do.”

“You’re welcome, I guess. Seriously. Thank you. It’s the nicest,” she said, taking a sip and giving him a small smile.

Growing impatient with the conversation, Alice tugged her uncle’s sweatshirt.

“You didn’t ask her yet,” she told him impatiently, not at all impressed with her uncle. He looked amusingly chastised for someone being told off by a six-year old.

“I was just getting to it.”

“Well, ask her so she’ll let me on the ride.”

“Okay, okay, Miss Pushy,” he responded with a roll of her eyes before giving Emma an apologetic grin.

“Ask me what?” Emma prompted him with a question.

“Well, if you’re not doing anything later, would you mind going to Druthers with me and, you know, having some pretzels and comparing them to Brown’s?”

“Just pretzels?”

“Well, and a beer or two? Perhaps maybe even dinner?”

“He likes you and wants to be your boyfriend,” Alice stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest and huffing at Killian.

“Well, that’s a good thing because I like him too,” Emma laughed. “And, yeah, we can go to Druthers and depending on whether or not, he agrees Druthers has better pretzels, maybe, just maybe, I’ll be his girlfriend.”

#cs fic #cs ff #captain swan #cs fanfic #does this even count as cs though #it's more just self-indulgent albany fic #I have no shame #I love you laura #I hope you enjoy the absurd references #you're the best #carousels and pretzels #my fic #my shit

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