#he loved camilla and let her do what she did with her twin brother after all

[astrum-aetherium]

heyy i got a question do you think henry would get jealous??? and if yes what would he do?

well, as previously mentioned in another post with a similar theme, i don't think henry would be amongst the jealous. in fact, i think he would remain under the constant impression that he is the best you could ever do or even remain indifferent to your other potential endeavors with anyone else. i don't see him as a possessive and envious partner — he wouldn't care enough to be that sort of person.

it'd already be difficult and taxing enough to enter a relationship with him in the first place, let alone make it last. he is far too emotionally unavailable and aesthetically preoccupied for that. even in the case of a relationship between the two of you being struck up, i think his arrogance and condescension wouldn't allow him to perceive any spark of jealousy whatsoever. he wouldn't care enough about that, or even go as far as thinking that you would never even consider yearning after anyone else after trying so hard to win him over (well, true). he'd simply be too self-absorbed and thus not self-aware enough to be jealous. and this is not to say that he doesn't get insecure — he may do so in an academic setting, but not in a romantic one. he simply doesn't care about romantic endeavors enough to pay it all too much mind.

he would be completely and entirely convinced of your loyalty, and even if anyone tried to make a move on you in front of him, he would be the type to not care at all. he would continue behaving himself normally, perfectly aware of your being talked up, but not entirely willing to do anything about it due to knowing you'd never entertain it further — unless the other party gets too pushy and forceful, that is. in that case, then, i think he would approach and establish a firm boundary, employing his protective vein after all (we do have evidence of him being protective over camilla at that one party with judy and her friend, you know, that instance where he had to be held back by six people...). i don't think he would get overly violent, though, just very striking and stern with his words.

of course, he wouldn't be the type to get all handsy with you upon seeing someone trying to flirt with you. in fact, he may not touch you at all. i do think, however, that assuming a firm and cross-armed stance next to you would communicate enough. the most touch he'd employ is perhaps a lingering palm on the small of your back, just to urge you aside or establish comfort. but that'd mostly be it.

if it ever came to you trying to make him jealous on purpose, however... well... that would elicit a stoic, collected reaction in public, but result in profound punishment behind closed doors. specifically if you pushed his boundaries and got overly touchy with someone other than him after having noticed that henry doesn't exactly react to your flirting and making eyes at other people. the physical aspect, particularly if initiated by you, would anger him though. from then on, well... punishment central. roughness, firmness, complete lack of mercy.

[wannabeauthorclive]

The Survivor character intros and moodboards!!

(I would have made a image banner but tumblr has a 10 image max)

First up, Silver Sterling and Captain Black moodboards cause I want them with the rest of the moodboards!

Everyone else is under the cut cause there’s a lot.

Ironside

Real Name: Salia Crotchet 

Crew position: First Mate and Quatermaster

Role in story: important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: lesbian and ace (she/her)

Likes and personality: loves music, plays violin, kind but not weak, will not resort to violence until it’s the last option, loves to travel and see the world, has a huge sweet tooth, 22 years old

Short backstory: her father was a lord and was super strict and wanted her to marry a man and have a heir so his blood line would keep going. She was completely opposed to that and ran away at 14 (she was gonna be married by 15)

Braveheart

Real Name: Anita Nyzio

Crew position: sailing master

Role in Story: important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: bisexual, genderfluid (he/him, she/her and they/them), and asexual

Likes and personality: mapping out journeys, planning, black belt in karate, will always get back up after falling, supportive, looks mean but is a softy, compassionate, 21 years old

Short backstory: Their father was a mapper and was working on mapping out the world, and brought them along to learn. Before Black was Captain, they were captured to help the previous crew sail at night and find the quickest routes,  but after Black became Captain, they became apart of her family. 

Soberski

Real Name: Sam Soberski

Crew position: gunner

Role in Story: important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: straight cis guy (he/him)

Likes and personality: he hides everything behind a smile and laugh, loves to swim, super sharp aim, knows how to use almost every weapon, funny, tries to cheer everyone up, hardly ever knows what he’s doing, 21 years old

Short Backstory: He was a weapon maker and hated it, and when Black and her crew came to port, they bought swords from him and he bargained and asked if he join their crew. He had to fight Braveheart and Ironside, and if got back up again and fought well, he could join. She also put him at gun point and he put her at gun point in return and that was that. If he had the guts to put her at gun point, he could join. And so he did. 

Lakoma

Real Name: Milja Lakoma

Crew Position: Cook

Role in Story: Important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: pansexual and non-binary (they/them)

Likes and personality: bubbly, super nice and welcoming, big ball of joy, dessert is their favorite thing to cook, they love the colors of the sky and the sunset, realistically optimistic, friendly, loves and is amazing at throwing knifes, super smart, 20 years old

Short Backstory: They tried to be a baker, but when nobody bought anything, they had to close down shop. But when their last bake sale happened (to get ride of all the desserts), Ironside bought everything and offered her to be their cook on the ship, with a decent kitchen and food options, Lakoma said yes. 

Tonya 

Real Name: Tonya Gilliespie

Crew Position: Boatswain

Role in Story: important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: pansexual, aromantic, and trans women (she/her)

Likes and personality: always focusing on the then and now, loves jewelry, especially necklaces and anklets, does gymnastics and she jumps on ship masts a lot, RBF, gives super good advice, doesn’t care what others think of her, makes a lot of her own jewelry, 21 years old

Short Backstory: Her parents kicked her out of the house when she told them that she wasn’t a guy. She had to go live at a friends house, but then her friend couldn’t live the pressure that her parents put on her. Her friend ran away and was found dead. Having no where else to go, she sneaks onto a ship parked in port. Lakoma found her hiding in the pantry and told Black. Black was gonna make her walk the plank, but decided against it when she saw the marks on her wrist. Tonya quickly became family. 

Canta

Real Name: Camilla More

Crew Position: Surgeon

Role in Story: Important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: pansexual and polyamorous (she/her)

Likes and personality: loves reading, healing herb potions and medicine, very laid back, loves fall colors, has an autumn personality, will do anything to save someone else, loves her twin brother even thought they fight and bicker, 22 years old

Short Backstory: Her and her brother, Forester, grew up with their parents. Their mother was a surgeon and their father was a carpenter. But they died in a fire and they became orphans. They weren’t able to find work despite their skillset. Walking down the docks, they find Soberski bleeding out. Canta goes into panic mode and starts to stitch him up and heal him. After that, the obvious choice was to let her join the crew. 

Forester

Real Name: Jasper More

Crew position: Carpenter

Role in Story: important side character

Sexuality and gender identity: aroace (he/him)

Likes and personality: He loves adding intricate designs into his carvings, he puts lots of work into everything, he loves the smell of wood, believes that you can fix almost anything with a little bit of time, building and sculpting are his passion, he loves Canta and the rest of the crew as his family, trustworthy, levelheaded, 22 years old

Short backstory: He grew up with his parents and twin sister, Canta, until their parents died in a fire. They would have lived on the streets if they didn’t find Soberski bleeding and if Canta didn’t help him. He only joined the crew cause his sister did and they needed someone to patch up their boat after a big fight. 

Ira

Real Name: Ira Flexor

Role in Story: Important side character, Silver’s love interest

Sexuality and gender identity: lesbian (she/her)

Likes and personality: loves hiking and nature, believes in true love and soulmates, gives off a childish personality but is super mature, enjoys manipulating people, she dreams big, loyal, formal, and encouraging

Short backstory: She grew up with rich parents and met Silver when they were both around 10. Silver stole from her parents and Ira saw but didn’t do anything. They met again and again until they actually talked to each other when they were around 14. As soon as she could, Ira left home and joined Silver on her adventures. 

~~~~

After I wrote this, i realized how many people were ace and aro. Look who’s imposing their sexuality onto their characters and is going to have them be a found family -- not me. I would never. Never. That’s exactly what I’m doing. 

I absolutely LOVE how the moodboards came out!! And I have an overall theme for all of them and I’m all for it! The quote that is by itself or whatever, is their motto/quote thing that I wrote and is going to be referenced all through Over Land and Sea!

WIP Taglist: @baguettethebooklover @a-completely-normal-girl @mel-writes-with-her-dragons @hysteriwah @tiredlittleoldme @the-writing-avocado @vellichor-virgo @radiomacbeth @wildwrites @crowewritesstuff @crystallized-ink​@strangerays​ @authortango (please send an ask if you want to be added or taken off, it’s really hard for me to look through everyone’s tags to see if they asked or not. Thanks!)

[clownistyping]

Hi! Can I request some Castlevania hcs? In which Alucard twin sister always dealt with things and emotions on her own but when she finds Alucard crying on the bed and with the corpses of Taka and Sumi she just breaks, everything is just so much with the deaths of their parents,the betrayal of Hector (her s/o) and the news that she is pregnant with the child of him... Just she comforting Alucard and Alucard comforting her.

I feel like this got..strangely incestuous..i didn't meant too. Maybe I am reading too much into it. Pls don't think this is incest. Its not. I'm sorry

When the two humans randomly showed up with Alucard at the castle you were a little..suspicious to say the least. I mean two humans, just..willingly here and enjoying it? Suspicious..

But Alucard seemed overjoyed from their presences so you held back your accusations. The two seemed to keep away from you, as you did the same. But you often watched them from the castle, as Alucard trained them. Laughed with them. Ate with them. It was nice to see Alucard so calm and happy. But you also noticed the glances Sumi and Taka had when Alucard wasn't looking. 

Your stomach was starting to bulge out, but because of Alucard’s new friends he has yet to notice. However the two humans definitely noticed it one dinner. 

Alucard left early to bathe himself, leaving you with the two visitors. Sumi spoke first, 

"So..how far along are you?" 

You placed the fork back on your plate and crossed your arms, 

"Why do you want to know?" The two side-eyed each other, then Taka spoke. 

"Just a conversation starter." He smiled and you blinked, unamused. 

"Does Alucard know?" Sumi asked, sipping her drink. 

You looked down, hesitant to speak but you spoke anyways. 

"Not yet. I haven't had the chance to tell him since you both came." 

"Is the father another vampire?" Sumi asked and you looked up, your eyes sharpened. 

"Does it matter?" You asked, internally you thought to yourself to keep the baby away from the two just in case. 

"Well..no." Taka said and took another bite of dinner. 

"He's gone anyway..betrayed me for another woman." You said, your voice airy as you looked away from the two. Standing you took your plate and glass, 

"Whatever you two have planned..keep it away from me and my child." You said sternly as you left for the kitchen to clean your dish. 

The two humans looked at each other, they're eyes communicating in a way you couldn't understand. 

You were never close with Alucard, while as children you both stuck close to each other. When your mother died, it all changed. Alucard fought Dracula, saying he was wrong. While you, you didn't entirely know what to think. 

You wanted revenge for your mother, but to wipe the entire human race. Was too drastic. But you knew you couldn't stop your father, or else your head would be on a stake for the crows to eat. So you followed him in his rage and planning, what you didn't expect was to fall for the kind forgemaster. 

Hector was kind to you, he kept you company in the lonely nights of when your father would lock himself away from you. He would comfort you with his reanimated dogs and cats, telling you their names and stories. Hector was beautiful to you. But it all changed when Camilla came. 

She was beautiful, she knew what she was there for and she took it right from under you. She took hector. No, he left you. He willingly followed her, even after the passionate night you both shared. He still betrayed you for her. 

Since your father's death, since the battle that loaded the castle in the Belmont estate. You've been homebound. Afraid to leave, to love. 

So you stuck with your brother, who took sympathy on your manipulated mind and you both agreed on protecting the castle. 

The moon shimmered onto your form as you laid awake in your bed. The window was broken, letting the cool air in. You felt the baby squirm inside of you and you cringed, rubbing your stomach you whispered for the fetus to stay still. The castle was strangely quiet. 

No giggles from the trio, no creaks of the floorboard as they sneak a snack. This made your hair stand up. 

Standing from the bed, you looked out the window. Letting the breeze push past you, it was serene. 

You didn't like it. 

So you left the bedroom, quietly stepping through the halls you peaked into the guest rooms. The rooms were empty, the halls were empty. This isn't right. 

You headed towards Alucard’s room, stopping at the door you pressed your ear against the door. 

"I never lied to you." You heard Alucard’s voice speak softly. Small gagging and gasping was heard along with it and you took in a deep breath. 

Opening the door you covered your mouth in shock. 

Alucard laid on the bed, crucified and wounded. Covered in blood, his sword floated in the air. On the edge of the bed, laid the corpses of the humans. 

You felt bile rise from your thought and you scolded the baby for causing your system to be so weak. 

"Alucard." You whispered, stepping towards him you were shaking afraid of the worst. 

"(Y/N)?" Alucard whispered and you let out the breath you took. 

Quickly you pulled the wire from him, seething from the sting it gave your hands. You managed to free him, grabbing the sheet you quickly wrapped your brother up in it. 

"Alucard..what did they do?" You asked, as he leaned onto your shoulder, he did not answer you. Your face softened as you tried to pick the blood from your brother's hair. 

Alucard was weak and his head fell into your lap, you could only sigh in empathy. You should've never let your brother trust those humans. 

But for now there is no one to blame. You told yourself as wiped the blood from his face. 

"(Y/N)...you're pregnant.." Alucard whispered and slowly sat up. You looked away, then at the bodies, then your brother. 

"I am.." 

"Who is the father?" 

"You don't know him..he was one of father's forgemasters." You felt your eyes start to water, 

"He betrayed me Alucard..just like they did to you." You sobbed, you felt Alucard’s tears drop onto your shoulder as you both sobbed. 

"(Y/N)...I promise..to you and your child..I will protect you. You are my sister, I shouldn't have been so preoccupied with those humans." you look up, 

"You are my brother, and I promise to protect you the same." You both nodded. 

That night you cared for Alucard, treating his wounds as you told him the stories of you and Hector. Ending them with his betrayal which only made Alucard angry. After he was treated, the sun was rising. In his silent anger, he grabbed the corpses that betrayed him and staked them in front of the castle. You watched, Alucard looked up at you and you both nodded. 

Now having the same connection as the humans. You and Alucard were equal. You both knew that in order to be safe, you must never trust another human again. 

[anjanettexcordonia]

The Spare Chapter One: Maldives

Book: The Royal Romance A/U

Rating: Mature (18+); NSFW; some language 

Characters/Pairings in this part: Liam x MC; mentions of Liam x OC; Leo x Madeleine; Drake; Maxwell 

Word count: 3,286(+/-) Future chapters will hopefully not be this long. 

A/N: Some characters belong to Pixelberry. 

Tags: If you would like to be added or removed please let me know. Only tagging those that specifically asked for permatag. 

@yourmajesty09​ @gkittylove99​

“Are you ready for this Brother? You know if you want to back out now, the jet is ready just in case.” 

Leo smirked at his younger brother. “ My brother, the cynic. I love her Li and I know one day you’ll find someone. You have to let what Maria did to you go.” Liam rolled his eyes. 

Two hours later they arrived at the cathedral. It was the royal wedding of the century. Leo and Madeleine were the epitome of royalty. The country couldn’t have been more proud for the reigning monarch and his new Queen. The reception followed the ceremony and the happy couple danced the night away without a care in the world. 

King Leonardo and Queen Madeline were set for their month long honeymoon while Liam handled the country. 

“Listen little brother, if you need anything ask Dad or Regina before you call us. We have a duty to produce an heir and I fully intend on making that happen.” Leo winked at Madeleine. “Liam, don’t hesitate to call.” She rolled her eyes at her husband. “The King here is getting a little ahead of himself, I think.” “Don’t worry about a thing while you're gone.” Liam kissed Madeleine on the cheek and shook Leo’s hand. “Enjoy marital bliss lovebirds, don’t worry about a thing stateside.” 

It was smooth sailing running the country while the King and Queen were away. Liam worked with Constantine to secure Cordonia’a place in the UN. He also managed to get Leo an entrance in the International Trade Exchange. After the royal couples homecoming ball Liam and Leo sat in Leo’s study with a tumbler of scotch in each of their hands. “Thanks for everything you have done, Li.” “That’s what I am here for, Your Majesty” Liam said, with a sarcastic grin. “Sometimes I hate this shit but Madeleine loves it and I love her.” Leo shrugged. “Any news on an heir yet?” Liam asked, as he sipped his drink. “No, we decided to wait a while. Adjust to our positions. What about you? You ready to get back out there?” “Where is out there? I’m good where I’m at.” Liam said, smoothly but he knew he wasn’t fooling his older brother. “Oh here Li, Maddie booked you a villa in the Maldives for a week as a thank you. Take it, blow off some steam. Maybe you’ll meet someone.” “I wish you all would get off my damn back. I’m the spare. Who cares if I’m single? Between you, Connie, Regina and Max, I can’t get a minutes of fucking peace. I’m glad you married Maddie. She’s the only on that doesn’t give a fuck. Learn something from her.” Liam snapped, “I’ll take the vacation, but only the get the fuck away from here.” “Stop being so emotional Li, we just worry about you.” 

A month later, Liam boarded the royal jet destined for South Asia. He decided to take the trip alone with no security detail. The time away from everyone he felt would give him some perspective over where his life was headed. He was the spare after all. Not much was expected of him except to show up when needed. He wasn’t needed to run a country. He couldn’t choose any job he wanted, he was still a figurehead of the Royal family. He didn’t even have a girlfriend. 

“My son, I do hope you find a woman worthy of you soon. You may not be king, but its always beneficial to the stability of the monarchy to establish heirs.” Constantine’s words played on repeat in the back of Liam’s mind. 

“Sir, sir, we’ve arrived.” Liam woke to the attendant shaking him awake. Liam departed the jet and headed to his private villa. Good taste Maddie. The Maldives was quiet this time of year. Not many tourists which Liam was excited about. He wanted time alone. His villa was the most secluded. No one would be bothering him, he hoped. The villa was a large one bedroom bungalow with a glass bottom floor. He could see straight to the bottom of the crystal clear water below. Liam got settled in and decided to stay in and relax with a glass of scotch and a book George Orwell’s 1984. 

Tap Tap Tap 

What the fuck was that? Liam sat up. He was dozing off, the sun outside was setting. He looked down. 

Who the fuck is that? 

A girl was tapping on the glass floor beneath him. She was in a light blue string bikini with scuba gear strapped to her. 

Tap Tap Tap she tapped more frantically. 

She pointed to the hatch directing him to open it. He ran over and opened it and she climbed out. She took the regulator out of her mouth and unzipped her vest. “Ugh sorry. I was following a fish and got stuck. I didn’t mean to intrude. I’m Camilla. Most call me Cami.” She stuck out her free hand for a handshake. Liam just stood in place frozen. He couldn’t move or speak. 

This is the most beautiful girl I have ever seen! What did she say her name was? Camilla? Say something you idiot!! 

“Ummm okay.. I’ll go. I’m only further down the beach. It’s okay if I use the front door?” Liam nodded his head, still unable to speak. Cami started towards the door. “Wait, I’m sorry, I’m Liam. I just didn’t expect to see someone, so beaut… coming through my floor” he ran to open the door for her. “Here I’ll carry that for you.” He reached for her oxygen tank. “No no I got it.” “It’s the least I can do for my rudeness.  Are you within walking distance or we can drive?” “Walking is fine, as long as that’s not too heavy for you?” Cami winked and pointed to her vest in his hand. Liam laughed nervously unsure of what to say. “Lead the way, Camilla.” Cami felt a tingle down her spine at the way her name fell off his full lips. “So, Liam? Right?,” he nodded his head, “what brings you to the Maldives, business or pleasure?” “Neither really, relaxation, alone time, what about you? Are you a local?” “Local?,” she laughed, “I wish, no I am here for R&R like you. Alone time? You’re on vacation alone?” “Yep, just me. That weird huh?” They made it to her bungalow. Six bungalows. Liam thought to himself. “Well this is me” Cami said as they stood at the end of the bridge that led to her front door. “Cami, where have you been?” a girl that looked strikingly like the one standing in front Liam. “Sorry that’s my sister,” Cami whispered to Liam, “I’ll be there in a minute Ans.” Ansley didn’t listen. She came striding right next to Cami. “Who is this?” Ansley asked out loud. She looked Liam up and down. “He’s cute, look at this chiseled abs Cam, mhmm..” “You’re engaged stupid. Go inside.” Cami snapped at her sister. “I’m sorry Liam, you’ll have to excuse my overzealous twin sister.” “Oh it’s fine, she likes my abs. Maybe I should be shirtless more often,” Liam winked at Ansley. “Oh my God, Cam if you don’t kiss him I will.” “Go the fuck inside, Ansley.” Cam whispered, her face turning bright red. Ansley laughed and went back inside. “Well, thanks for not letting me drown earlier, I’ll see ya around Liam.” Cami went to grab her stuff and go inside, but without thinking Liam pulled her into a soft kiss. Cami pulled away. “Umm thanks bye.” She ran inside leaving Liam standing at the end of the bridge. 

“Shut up Ansley. Do not say a fucking word.” Cami slammed the door to her room. She threw herself down on the bed. Her world felt like it was spinning. She couldn't help but think how soft and sensual the kiss was. She had never felt anything like it. 

Liam walked home alone with his thoughts. His hands dug into his pockets as flip flops kicked up the sand behind him. He headed towards the beach to clear his thoughts. He didn’t know what took over his body when he kissed Cami but whatever it was he liked it. The way she tasted, mint mixed with salt of the ocean, and slight smell of coconuts in her hair. He sat on the beach and listened to the waves. It had been nearly 5 years since Maria had broken his heart. He closed himself off after that. He decided being alone was easier than getting hurt. There was an instant connection with Cami. He couldn’t deny the electricity between them. Liam called it a night and headed back to his bungalow. He checked his phone. No new messages. He laid on the bed with a thud, flicked the light off and drifted into a deep sleep. 

Bang Bang Bang “Liammmm are youuuu in there?” Bang Bang Bang 

Liam rolled over with a groan and checked his phone. 3:17am 

Bang Bang “Open Uppp” 

“Who is it? It’s three o’clock in the morning!” Liam yelled. He climbed out of bed and stumbled to the door still groggy from sleep. “Cami?” He said, completely alert at the sight of her. “Heyyyy Liiiiaamm.” Cami slurred, “Can I come in?” “Are you drunk Cami?” She pulled a bottle of champagne she was holding behind her back and handed it to him. “Want some?” She asked, leaning against the door frame. “Sure. Come in.” He ushered her inside and to the large sofa. He grabbed a water for Cami and poured himself a glass of the champagne she brought. “Maybe have some water first.” He handed her the bottle. “So what’s bring you over?” “That kiss.. I thought we could.. try it again..?” Liam looked up. She crashed her lips onto his. She forced his lips apart and into his mouth. The electricity radiated from their bodies. Liam fisted her blonde locks with one hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist and pulled her on his lap. Liam picked Cami up as she wrapped her toned, sun kissed legs around his waist. He carried her to the bed and laid her down on her back, their kiss never breaking. Cami ran her fingers down the elastic of his boxers. “Wait Cami, we shouldn’t. You’re drunk.” Cami knew he was right. Liam rolled on his side next to her. He kissed her on the forehead and wrapped his arm around her. “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

Mmm.. moist.. tight.. Liam woke from his dream. He still felt the sensations he was feeling while he was asleep. “Fuck Cami” he moaned. Her tongue swirled around the tip of his growing cock. She licked the beads of precum. Liam pulled the sheet off so he could watch her work his member. She looked him in the eyes as she took him all the way down her throat. Liam had never been so turned on. “Come here. It’s my turn.” Liam pulled her up and kissed her passionately as he rolled her to her back. He kissed and nipped at her already peaked nipples. He nipped her hip bones and sucked leaving his masks behind. He slid a finger through her moist folds. He brought his mouth to her bundle of nerves. Cami almost leaped off the bed at the feel of his tongue swirling her clit. He continued the lashing of her clit and pushed a finger inside. He pumped in and out curling his finger against her most sensitive spot. He could feel her let go at the pleasure of his fingers. He climbed back up hovering above her on his elbows and kissed her until her lips were swollen and bruised. He grabbed a condom out of the night stand drawer. “Let me,” Cami said seductively. She leaned forward and unrolled the condom to the base of his length. “Fuck you make not want to to wear this, I want you so much Camilla.” He lined himself up with her dripping center. He thrust deep and slow and allowed her to adjust. He groaned at how tight she felt around him. She wrapped her legs around and rolled her hips to meet his thrusts. He took a nipple in his mouth and sucked as he thrust inside her. He felt her walls start to flutter the harder he thrust inside her. “Cum for me Camilla” his words were all it took for her to come completely undone. She screamed his name as his thrusts became more frantic. He gripped her hips digging his fingers into her skin as he erupted inside her. He leaned down and kissed her deeply as pulled himself out of her. He laid next to her and pulled her into his arms. Neither one of them could find the words to say. 

“I leave in a week.” Cami finally broke the silence. “Me too” Liam whispered, “Spend the week with me.” “Okay. My sister is leaving early. Wedding emergency.” 

They spent the next week enjoying each other. They learned everything they could about each other. Liam told her about his family in Cordonia. His brother and his wife. His father's retirement. She told him about Graduate School and the pressures she was facing from her family over choosing a job. When they weren’t talking they were learning everything they could about each other’s bodies. Kisses, licks, bits, moans and screams. 

Six days later after spending the night exploring each other, Liam and Camilla laid in on the glass floor completely naked looking down at the fish below. “Stay one more week with me, Cam” Liam whispered. “I already extended my trip, but it’s just one more week and I have to go,” Liam pulled her into his arms,“Every second with you is everything, you are everything, go on a date with me?” “Okay. But our dinner options may be limited due to the isolated island.” She spoke softly. “Leave it to me my love.” Liam felt her body tense at her words. He didn’t know why he said it. Oh my God it’s been a week you idiot! He screamed in his head. 

Cami woke the next morning to find Liam’s side of the bed empty and cold. She threw on Liam’s tshirt that was on the floor from the night before and headed to the kitchen. A note was leaned against the coffee pot full of freshly brewed coffee for her. 

                                                  Hey Baby, 

                         Enjoy your coffee & meet me at the beach. 

                                                        -L 

                                     P.S.

                                    Wear something you can get wet. 

Camilla smiled and finished her coffee. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She threw on an all white cheeky string bikini and a pair of Ray Bans and headed down to the beach. As she got closer to the beach she saw a large white tent set up with the the corners tied open. Liam was sitting on a thick blanket with pillows surrounding him and a glass of champagne in his hand. 

“Liam?” Camilla whispered. Liam jumped up at the sound of her voice. Her voice was a siren song in his ears. “Hey Baby,” Liam leaned down and kissed Cami on the cheek, “join me?” They drank, ate, and laughed together. Cami felt herself falling. I love you, damn those three words, you leave in two days Cami. Get yourself together. “Liam, we need to talk.” She lowered her head avoiding eye contact. She knew if she looked in his eyes she would get lost, better yet she would drown in those deep pools of mysterious blue. “I leave in two days. I go back to reality on different ends of the Earth.” “I know Cam, we can try can’t we? I can visit New York, you can come to Cordonia.” “No Liam, it’ll never work. We both have obligations.” Liam lifted her head to meet her eyes. “Give me today tonight.” Liam kissed her so deeply it left her dizzy. They spent the rest of the night into the early morning making up for time they didn’t they had lost. 

The day came for them to leave their tropical paradise and their love for the moment. Neither had spoken a word to each other. Neither finding the words. Cami sat on the bad after packing her suitcase. Her flight boarded in an hour. Liam’s flight didn’t leave until later that night. “Cami, can we stay in touch?” Liam sat next to Cami and laced his fingers through hers. “I don’t know if it’s a good idea. I just.. It’s time for me to go..” Cami stood up. Liam stood up and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m not saying good-bye Liam,” she whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. “Then don’t say anything at all,” Liam wiped the tears away as they fell down her cheeks, “I”ll drive you the airport.” Liam lifted her into his arms and carried her to his black Range Rover parked in the parking lot near the villa entrance. Cami stared out the passenger window without saying a word. Liam held her hand in his lap tightly as he drove. He dreaded having to watch her board the plane not knowing whether he would ever see her again. 

They pulled up to the tarmac and Liam jumped out and ran around the car to open the passenger door for Cami. Cami leaned forward and buried her head in her hands as the sobs took over. “Why is this so hard after only two weeks, Liam?” Liam pulled her hands from her face. “I don’t know. We will see each other again. I can feel it, my love.” She got out of the car and he wrapped her in one last kiss. A kiss filled with love and sadness. A kiss that made their world stop turning and everything around them melted away. Liam pulled away and kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and her nose like he was memorizing every inch of her features. “My love,” Cami interrupted Liam, “Don’t say it. Will you text me?” “Every day.” Liam watched as Cami boarded the plane. She waved before the plane doors shut. He watched as her plane took off and disappeared above the clouds. A familiar feeling he hadn’t felt in two weeks, what was almost a distant memory flooded him. Loneliness. She already felt like a figment of his imagination. Liam drove back to his bungalow to pack. He passed by Cami’s bungalow. An emptiness he didn’t recognize creeped into his heart. He walked into his bungalow and pulled out his phone. He needed someone to talk to. Someone to tell him what to do. 

                     “Drake.. Ya it’s Li. Ya sorry I took off for two weeks                                     without telling you.. Everything’s fine. I’ll be home tomorrow. So I’m                                             calling because I met a girl..” 

Liam told Drake everything about Cami. How they met and her sister. How they had an instant unexplainable connection. How he thought he was in love. How he thought she was the one. The One. 

“Listen Li, Go after her. Don’t be a fucking idiot. I’ll be on the next flight to New York, ugh apparently Max too. Do you know where she lives?” Drake asked. 

“I don’t even know her last name. She has a twin sister named Ansley and she’s graduating from Columbia Law next week. And she’s from Manhattan, New York. That’s kinda all I got. I have her number but I am sure she doesn’t want me chasing her down...” 

“I’ll get Bas on it. I’m sure he has plenty of time since Maddie locked Leo down,” Drake laughed, “we’ll find her.”

[halcyonbound]

( SAMARA WEAVING, UNKNOWN, SHE/HER )  We opened the gates to the seelie court for CAMILLA DE' MEDICI and we are curious to see how the DEMON  ( PRINCESS OF HELL ), that is often described as the halcyon, will contribute to the new era ━ are they the hunter, the prey ; or are they just here to search for Cosimo de' Medici, their twin brother? We will find our answers in due time and until then, we hope that they can keep their little secret from getting exposed. It could be dangerous if everyone knew what we know… ( sab, she/her, 23, gmt+2 )

STATS .

( taken ) name :  camilla de’ medici . age :  unknown  ( stopped counting a long time ago ) . birthday : july 3 . nationality :  n.a. / italian . species :  demon  ( princess of hell / formerly angel ) . gender :  non-binary woman . orientation :  pansexual & panromantic . religion :  formerly catholic . moral alignment :  lawful neutral . occupation :  princess of italy /  trained seamstress . location :  cosimo de’ medici’s mansion .

PERSONALITY .

open, caring, compassionate.  she was always a little more ...  humane  than most of her siblings. her deep fascination with everything  living  and  moving  and  changing  extended to humanity - from the moment she first came to earth  ( still an angel then, and naively hopeful )  she had a sort of natural charm, always appearing approachable, friendly, and optimistic. while none of that changed, and she is usually  genuine  in all her feelings, there is a spark of  calculation ,  at times - she’s seen too much of the world to simply accept things at face value anymore.

loyal to a fault.  those she considers  family  are her everything, and she’d do  anything  to keep them safe. camilla generally strives for compromise and peace, for the sole reason that she’s  tired  of the fighting and the conflicts and the sorrows she witnessed in hell, but when the people she loves are concerned, all bets are off. whatever they need, she will provide  —  at whatever cost.

vindictive. it is hard to loose her good opinion  ( or amused tolerance, as it may stand )  but once someone does, they are in  serious trouble .  although she barely showcases her demonic powers, she  does  know how to use them - and to mess with a princess of hell is, quite possibly, one of the worst mistakes one could make. it takes a lot to get her going, but when she does, she’s easily lost in violence.  ( a touch of  hell-ish insanity  is hard to hide when it comes in so  handy  in certain situations. )

free-spirited.  spurns rules and regulations; and bounds of any sort. likes travelling, moving, discovering, trying out new things. incredibly curious about anything and everything and reacts with wholehearted  attempts  and a humorous  ‘ watch me ’  at someone telling her  ‘ you can’t ’ .

perfectionist with a limited attention span;  she has long since stopped trying to wrestle her mind into any sense of order, and tends to give in to impulses rather quickly. usually, they’re  positive  ones - new projects, interests, ideas - and it frustrates her a little when she cannot seem to finish any of them to her liking. it makes for ... interesting situations, however, when she does work for hell.

SKILLS .

trained  ( and talented )  seamstress.  her interest in clothing - and not just wearing, but  making  it - comes from that leftover angelic urge to  create ,  she thinks. it started when cosimo and her were taken in by teresa; the woman was of the opinion that a  princess  needed to have certain skills, and after starting with embroidery, camilla quickly became interested in and learned the other aspects of the trade, and the hobby has remained with her since.

pianist.  another one of these skills teresa so valued was  musical proficiency .  her singing, in their society’s general opinion, is no good  ( not that she cares; she’ll sing as loudly and falsely as she wants if it brings her joy, thank you very much )  and she never quite got the hang of string instruments, but she managed to turn into a passable pianist. then again, centuries of practice will do that.

good mediator.  ( when she wants to be. )

demonic powers.  elevated strength, speed, and agility; possession, levitation, teleportation, and the lot. as she’s a princess of hell, her abilities are much stronger than those of normal demons, although she ranks on the lower end when compared with her immediate siblings, as she does not practice as much and hasn’t in centuries. her powers manifest mainly more defensive aspects, and she has an affinity for telekinesis  ( as  that  is something she actually uses regularly for convenience ) ,  making her able to manipulate a large amount of objects or people at once and with surprising precision.

BIO .

they barely remember their creation.  there was light ,  as it is said, and from  nothing  they became  something ;  one  thing among many. heaven was home, and that was enough  ( for a time ) ,  and they were one with their siblings  ( until they weren’t ) . their fledgling days are a blur, now ;  only a few memories stand out. cosimo and his tales of earth ;  their strive for  making ,  for  being ;  reprimands, restrictions, rules ;  their other brothers’ annoyance - then anger - then fury - with all of it.

falling  is much clearer in their mind ;  mainly because it  hurt .  worth it ,  they told themselves as their wings burned up and their grace shattered and split and warped itself into something  else  somewhere between heaven and hell. they left, less out of malice than curiosity ;  for the need to see, and to  become ,  to be more than heaven’s meticulously directed hand.  corruption ,  they knew their siblings called it.  freedom ,  they whispered as they stretched into their new form,  beyond  what god intended.

except they weren’t free ,  not really ;  there was a  price for everything, even  becoming .  hell was ... much the same as heaven, they found, except viewed through a mirror. the humanity they idolized sold themselves out, but despite sharing their sibling’s curiosity to see just  how far  they could turn, hell’s work held little joy for them. they did not want to see the result - they wanted  the process .  they wanted  life .

rising ,  in turn, was much easier given their position, they remember. at one point they simply left for an assigned task and didn’t come back - creeping through the cracks of the world, looking for ... something .

demon’s didn’t have  true vessels ,  she knew from those who frequented earth ;  but whatever was left of her grace, twisted though it might have been, recognized  something  in the girl. or maybe it was something  around  her - it mattered little when they took possession of the body. they were surprised, though, to reconcile that much with her - they  felt  her fear, her recent loss, her remaining love for a brother long gone ;  a brother they now recognized as their own. they didn’t even need to lie to swear they would protect him above all else before the girl let go.

she became camilla .  after recognizing cosimo’s grace in her vessel’s twin brother, her decision to remain on earth became final. it wasn’t just her promise to the girl ;  she’d missed her brother more than any of her other siblings, and he welcomed her to his side with open arms, accepted her more than heaven or hell ever had. for the first time since creation, she felt ... whole .  human. like she had choices ;  had the  freedom  to choose a home.

eventually ,  they ended up in italy, being  ‘ adopted ’ ,  of sorts, by the ruling family. the situation never ceased to amuse her, but she liked teresa well enough  ( it felt interesting, being  mothered )  and being once again styled  ‘ princess ’  opened the doors for a myriad of new experiences. this  was precicely the  joy of life  she had always craved.  ( and if hell came a’knocking, no one forced her to open the door. )

things took a turn  when cosimo decided to get married and fell in love - unfortunately in the wrong order, she thought then. illyria was … a special case. camilla didn’t particularly care for political marriages  ( the trend of the decade was  romance  and she’d read far too many novels on the subject )  but her brother seemed open enough to the idea. so for his sake, camilla made an effort to befriend her; she was intrigued by the dragon and enjoyed her company with others, but they never quite became confidantes - camilla bemourned her brothers’ heart too much.

when instead ,  he fell in love with one of illyria’s ladies, she was ecstatic - this  was what was meant to be. anastasia makes him happy, and so camilla is happy, too ; conversation was so much  easier  with her, and camilla came to love her like a sister and did everything to make her feel comfortable and supported in her new position as  mistress - especially with a child on the way.

who could have expected neglecting illyria could have such  dramatic  consequences?

good things burn as good things do ,  and when cosimo was called back to heaven,  something  didn’t sit right with her. that fear was validated soon after when ana and aurora were attacked ;  and with no way of knowing when cosimo would get back, she did what she could to help them.  ( it wasn’t much. it, arguably, might have made things worse ;  but it was the best option at the time. the  only  option. )  

when she heard from heaven next ,  however, it wasn’t from cosimo, but someone  else ,  with a very clear message. furious as it made her, she accepted the offered deal ;  but she’d never hated heaven more than the day cosimo returned with memories altered and something ... missing. she lied and laughed and tried to make up for forgotten happiness as much as she could ;  as much as was possible without raising suspicion ;  attempting to return to some form of normalcy. 

CURRENT SITUATION .

centuries later ,  with cosimo’s memories recovered and his family returned to earth safe and sound, they finally found some semblance of peace. camilla tries not to dwell on the past, but her role in all of it weighs heavy on her heart.

now, while they are ... mostly stable  in the fae realm, she tries to keep a low profile  ( fearing the past eventually catching up )  although she grows more and more  antsy  being stuck in the same place for so long.

she’s offered her services  as a seamstress, working from a little house in the village of spring ;  it’s a nice way to stay occupied and keep an eye on new arrivals and the general talk of the town.

IDEAS FOR CONNECTIONS / PLOTS .

LOVED AND LOST :  camilla loves to love. she gets along easily with just about anyone  ( if she wants to )  and collects hearts like other girls do necklaces - but she’s just as likely to give her own away. most of her relationships over the centuries have ended amicably, simply due to growing apart. her one and only engagement is the notable exception to this.

→  WANTED CONNECTION POST : ex-fiancé 

BLOOD OF THE COVENANT : throughout her life, she’s abandoned both heaven  and  hell, and while she still holds some affection for her  siblings ,  she’s stopped hoping for a friendly reception. besides that, she’s angry at heaven and hiding from hell, so that should make for some interesting dynamics.

BAD MOON RISING :  as a princess of hell, she was directly involved with creating more demons. i’d love to explore a connection to someone she met in hell and/or screwed with on earth!

any kind of relationship, really: platonic, romantic, antagonistic. whatever shennanigans you can imagine!

hi all, i’m sab and this is my chaotic friendly-ish demon babe. i’m also writing darcy, who you can find over  here .  if you’re interested in talking / plotting / just starting a thread based off of these ideas, hmu!! i’m always up to chat!

[keyofjetwolf]

@cello-moon submitted:

SO! Submitting as this is long. You certainly don’t need to publish it if you don’t want to!

Tipsy Sumerian/Akkadian Mythology 101 as relevant to Camilla.

Our Relevant Mythological Cast

The Dean - Inanna later known as Ishtar, the Goddess of Love, War, and the Sky

The Death Goddess - Ereshkigal, Queen of Kur, sometimes called Irkalla/Irgal (depending on the translator), the land of the dead

These two are sisters, possibly twins depending on the translation.

(also named dropped are 2 of the 4 members of the Silas Board of Governors - Enki, Patron of Eridu, God of Knowledge, Mischief, and Seawater who is the sentience behind the Library originally and the Owl Lady whom Laf calls as Ukuku, the prophetess of Eridu.)

So mythology backstory as paraphrased from memory (and let me preface this with, scholars argue which of these myths happened first because they both reference the other at some points as if the other one happened first.)

Epic of Gilgamesh - King Gilgamesh (the main character of the Epic) is the 5th King of Uruk - the city Inanna is patron of - and he’s kind-of an arrogant bag of dicks (example: he’s credited with starting the practice of prima nocta). Inanna decides she wants to take Gilgamesh as her lover and consort and refuses to take no for an answer when he turns her down. Specifically, he mentions that she got her husband trapped in the underworld, has generally mistreated many of her previous lovers and he wants no part of her lack of … non-sexual care for her lovers. She goes to some of the higher ranking gods in the Sumerian hierarchy and basically throws a temper tantrum demanding that they hand Gugalanna, the Bull of Heaven, over to her to best Gilgamesh in combat and make him agree to her demands. If they won’t hand Gugalanna over for her to use, she threatens to tear down the gates to the underworld and let loose the dead to devour the living.

One problem here? Gugalanna is Ereshkigal’s husband.

Another problem here? Gilgamesh and Enkidu, his Best Friend/Lover (depending on the interpretation/translation) kill Gugalanna and Enkidu decides to desecrate the body by tearing off the bull’s right thigh and throwing it at Inanna’s head.

Descent of Inanna - there are 2 majorly different version of this poem - the Sumerian one and the Akkadian one.

Sumerian - Inanna decides she’s going to visit her sister, Ereshkigal to attend the funeral rites for her dearly departed brother-in-law, you know, the one Inanna got killed in the Epic of Gilgamesh. This pisses Ereshkigal off so she orders the 7 gates of Kur bared shut and sends her gatekeeper to only allow Inanna through each gate after something is sacrificed/removed. St the first gate, it’s her scepter of power, further gates are jewelry, armor, clothing, ect (all standing for some mastery or strength) and at the last gate she must give up her Divinity to enter Ereshkigal’s throne room - naked and moral. Ereshkigal screams at her, kills her, and chains and mounts her body on a meat hook in her throne room for all the dead to see.

Three days later, Inanna’s handmaiden goes to the other gods of the Sumerian hierarchy asking for help for her mistress. Only Enki agrees to help - sending two divine spirits made from the dirt under his fingernails to help. They retrieve Inanna’s corpse and one gives her their life and the other their divinity to restore Inanna to her original state. Ereshkigal demands a replacement for the no-longer-in-Kur Inanna and, through a series of not relevant to Carmilla events, Inanna’s husband Dumzuid is trapped in Kur forever.

Akkadian - Inanna decides to conquer the underworld for no stated reason other than perhaps shits and giggles and encounters the same 7 gates where she must remove her the same clothing, jewelry, makeup, and divinity. In a rage, when Inanna reaches the throne room, she tackles Ereshkigal and they engage in combat where Inanna loses, is imprisoned in her mortal flesh, and inflicted with 60 diseases. While Inanna is being held in the underworld because she is a goddess of love, no sex can happen on Earth. It takes 3 days for the other gods realize this, come together, and ask Ereshkigal to give Inanna the water of life and restore her to her original state.

Plus, there’s a whole lot of blink (or be unfamiliar with this mythology) and you’ll miss it foreshadowing and namedropping happening even as far back as season 1 indicating that the Sumerian language may be important/relevant, since it just kept popping up in various ways. I’d be happy to point out some of them to you, but I remember from the SU Freezer Friendship Bracelet Shenanigans from ages past that you usually prefer to notice or choose not to notice them yourself.

Hopefully this makes somewhat sense and you can see where the Carmilla authors took inspiration, pulled themes and such, and how it’s similar to what they did in Season 1 with the Sheridan Le Fanu Carmilla novel being a close, but not perfectly accurate record of what happened in the show’s past and what is happening in that season.

(AND HEY! Carmilla doesn’t have to be over unless you want it to! There’s still the movie, if you’re up for it!)

and:

I FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS PARAGRAPH IN THE SUMERIAN SUMMARY! OH GOSH! THE REASON INANNA'S HUSBAND IS PICKED AS THE ONE TO GET STUCK IN THE UNDERWORLD IS BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONLY ONE NOT WEARING MOURNING CLOTHING/MOURNING FOR INANNA. HE WAS JUST SWANNING AROUND IN HIS DIVINE FINERY WHILE SHE WAS TEMP DEAD. SO REGARDLESS OF IF IT WAS GILGAMESH OR HER HUSBAND WHO WAS MEANT TO BE HER BELOVED RAISED BY THE PORTAL, NEITHER OF THEM WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEE HER. YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT DUDE LEAVING HER ON READ.

I need you to know how delighted your conclusion made me. MY SHITPOST TIME WAS WELL-SPENT

All of this was super fascinating, thank you for writing it up! I still can’t stop laughing at the particular Venn diagram for all this, it’s amazing and a full 60% of the charm of the whole thing, I love it. If you’re still moved to do so, please feel free to send me the specific bits you mention in S1!

(I’ll contact you privately on the movie!)

[brooklyins]

BIOGRAPHY

brooklyn was born… painfully average. the (far) youngest sibling out of five, her brother became a well known rugby player, her sister a fashion designer, the twins a surgeon and a pilot and she… well, she was lucky to get cs throughout school. she was her parents’ baby girl, they were getting older and after everything they’d watched their other children succeed with, they had high hopes for her. though never vocalized, it was obvious she was letting them down.

outside of her family, her social life was never thriving either. she was an awkward child, her interests were a little too quirky to be ‘in’, and she wasn’t good at approaching people. she’d even force other people to order for her in restaurants if she could. storm was her first real friend, and she looked at him like he hung the moon. eventually zeki and andi came along, and the four of them became the famous four. brooklyn was thrilled to have people she could count on in her life. she’d felt so alone before them, while storm seemed to grow apart from her as he got older she still clung to their friendship, afraid to lose one of the only people she’d ever truly had.

then came david. and, oh, god, david. he was everything she’d ever wanted and then some. while she loved her friends, when they were together there was always the haunting feeling in the back of her mind that if one of them were to be edged out, it would be her.

but david made her feel special. david made her feel like she was something more than average, like she was beautiful and important. she fell hard and she fell fast. he was the first man she ever dated and would likely be her last. she’d planned to marry him one day. when she found out she was pregnant, she was so excited she could hardly contain herself. she didn’t tell anyone at first. she bought several more tests just to make sure. she wasn’t ready to be a mother but in her head, it was perfect. they were going to stay together forever. she was blind to what everyone else could see in david, she didn’t think anything was wrong, she thought he would be happy and they’d live a long, blissful life together… but her dreams were cut short the very day she planned to tell him about their child.

in an instant she had lost everything. she lost all of her friends. she lost david. she lost any hope she had. she lost herself. after the fire, brooklyn locked herself away in her home. she was devastated. mourning. alone. (tw: miscarriage themes) all of the stress led to a painful, horrifying pregnancy. there were times she was convinced she would lose her child. one morning she woke in a pool of blood and she thought that was it, he was gone, the only thing she had left of david. she ended up on bed rest for months, just crying her eyes out and wondering what she did to deserve this, wondering if the next day she would have to bury her unborn baby as well.

fortunately, mathis pulled through. he was her miracle. the moment that she heard him cry her world flipped upside down. she had a purpose, a reason. she held him in the hospital bed and she sobbed, struck with misery and pain and gratefulness. she knew that she was an even bigger disappointment to her parents now, an unmarried mother, but she didn’t care. from there on out her entire life revolved around mathis. perhaps she was a fool to think she could ever have a happy ending but at least she finally, finally found her reason for all of the suffering, each heartbreak, every decision she’d ever made that led her to this moment in her life. her son.

BASIC INFORMATION

FULL NAME: brooklyn camilla ruiz PRONUNCIATION: brooke-lynn uh-lie-z-uh roo-ez MEANING: one who lives near a brook, servant for the temple, son of ruy REASONING: her parents liked the name NICKNAMES: brook, brookie, b PREFERRED NAMES: brooklyn BIRTH DATE: august 18th, 1989 AGE: 31 24 ZODIAC: leo GENDER: female PRONOUNS: she/her ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual ETHNICITY: spanish, catalan, asturian-leonese, galician

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: uk HOMETOWN: darkwood EDUCATION LEVEL: high school FATHER: isabella ruiz MOTHER: lorenzo ruiz SIBLINGS: seth ruiz, jade ruiz, lorenzo ruiz ii, michael ruiz CHILDREN: mathis walker PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: david walker

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: her job, grocery store clerk SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: the money her parents send TERTIARY SOURCES OF INCOME: n/a CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB OR LACK THERE OF?: no PAST JOBS: n/a SPENDING HABITS: rent, bills, mathis MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: the pictures she has of david

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: 6/10 OFFENSE: 6/10 DEFENSE: 6/10 SPEED: 5/10 INTELLIGENCE: 5/10 ACCURACY: 6/10 AGILITY: 5/10 STAMINA: 5/10 TEAMWORK: 6/10 TALENTS: n/a SHORTCOMINGS: delusional LANGUAGES SPOKEN: english, spanish DRIVE?: yes JUMP-STAR A CAR?: yes CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: yes RIDE A BICYCLE?: yes SWIM?: yes PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: no PLAY CHESS?: no BRAID HAIR?: yes TIE A TIE?: no PICK A LOCK?: possibly

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACECLAIM: priscilla quintana EYE COLOR: green HAIR COLOR: dark brown HAIR TYPE/STYLE: wavy GLASSES/CONTACTS?: reading glasses DOMINANT HAND: right HEIGHT: 5'5 WEIGHT: 115-140 lbs BUILD: slender EXERCISE HABITS: n/a TATTOOS: n/a PEIRCINGS: ear lobes MARKS/SCARS: n/a NOTABLE FEATURES: her always perfect eyebrows USUAL EXPRESSION: resting bitch face CLOTHING STYLE: casual JEWELRY: only earrings ALLERGIES: n/a DIET: if she remembers to eat, it’s whatever is in the cabinet PHYSICAL AILMENTS: n/a

PSYCHOLOGY

ENNEAGRAM TYPE: isfp MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic neutral TEMPERAMENT: melancholic ELEMENT: water MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: undiagnosed SOCIALBILITY: poor EMOTIONAL STABILITY: god awful OBSESSIONS: david COMPULSIONS: n/a PHOBIAS: does ‘trusting people’ count? ADDICTIONS: david DRUG USE: n/a ALCOHOL USE: rarely PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: uhh sometimes

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: sometimes chill, sometimes frantic ACCENT: english QUIRKS: wrinkling her nose when she’s truly happy HOBBIES: n/a HABITS: checking on her son constantly NERVOUS TICKS: n/a DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: mathis FEARS: losing mathis POSITIVE TRAITS: honest, loyal, motherly NEGATIVE TRAITS: cold, neurotic, impulsive SENSE OF HUMOR: witty/sarcastic DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: ye

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: crying sleeping playing with her son ANIMAL: hummingbirds BEVERAGE: pepsi BOOK: you’re mum: a little book for mothers (and the people who love them) by liz climo CELEBRITY: n/a COLOR: red DESIGNER: n/a FOOD: mexican cuisine FLOWER: hot lips GEM: rubies HOLIDAY: mother’s day MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: cars MOVIE: coco MUSICAL ARTIST: she used to be a swiftie, doesn’t listen to music much anymore QUOTE/SAYING: “what we have once enjoyed we can never lose, all that we love deeply becomes a part of us” SCENERY: the night sky SCENT: baby powder SPORT: n/a SPORTS TEAM: n/a TELEVISION SHOW: friends WEATHER: soft rainy days VACATION DESTINATION: paris

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: to see her son succeed in life GREATEST FEAR: losing her son MOST AT EASE WHEN: mathis is asleep next to her or with his head in his lap, she’s running her fingers through his curls, there’s the sound of gentle rain on the rooftop LEAST AT EASE WHEN: mathis is at daycare and she’s away from him WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: mathis dying, being taken from her BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: becoming a single mother BIGGEST REGRET: not saving david’s life MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: too many to count tbh BIGGEST SECRET: that she was there during zeki’s garage fire TOP PRIORITIES: mathis

[mellindi]

Three Days Later. Benali Residence | San Myshuno.

Aahana rushed out to the living room chasing the vibrating sounds from her phone. Someone was calling, no Salim was calling, she knew it had to be him. A huge smile formed across her lips as she thought back on how right she was. Nobody knew that man better than her and just like she told Nura, there was no way he was going to let this little spat between them go another week. She had a doctor’s appointment later that day anyway and he wouldn’t dare miss another one. She picked up her phone, ready to accept his apology, until ... she saw the name displayed on the screen ... wasn’t Baby Daddy. That smile of hers quickly melted into a devastating frown as she rejected the call and tossed the phone on the sofa. 

She plopped down beside it, so angry she could scream! She couldn’t believe he was acting like this, still, after all this time, he was still mad because of a stupid ass argument about his stupid ass girlfriend. He had almost three weeks to get over that shit and here he was still holding a grudge. What kind of example was that to set for their kids? That whenever he’s mad, he’s just going to up and disappear, without a word. Not a call to see how they’re doing or if they’re okay. Not a text to say he misses them or to see if they need anything? Just poof, gone, just like that, just like ... her dad. 

She picked up her phone again, ready to type the first of many angry texts she planned to send his way but paused when she was hit with a familiar feeling, déjà vu almost, except this time ... she was her mom ... and the twins ... they were her ... 

She sat the phone back down and slumped into the sofa cushion as the memory from her childhood replayed in her head. It was something she would never forget ... the day everything changed. She was about eight, hiding in the hallway, eavesdropping on her mom’s conversation. As usual, she was on the phone with her dad, angry about something. She couldn’t hear what he was saying but she heard everything she said. There was a lot of yelling and cursing but the two things that stood out the most were, “I’ll make sure you never see her again” and “if you try to take her, I’ll have your ass arrested”. She knew they were arguing about her because ... they were always arguing about her ... And right after that, that heated conversation, her dad stopped picking her up on weekends and all but disappeared from her life ...

She sat up as the memory faded away. Is that what she was doing? The same thing as her mom? She knows she only wanted the best for her but now that she’s older, she also knows that she was the one who pushed him out of her life. She’s not mad at her for it though, they were a team and her mom needed her. Besides, her dad was fine ... he had his own life with his new wife and kids ... the ones she never got to meet, but she had her mom and that was enough ... most of the time ...

There may have been days when she missed him and wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister, but the babies ... they would be fine because she was fine, but then ... at the same time ... she did want more for them. She didn’t want them to have that same emptiness she had. She didn’t want them to miss out on having a relationship with their dad. She didn’t want them to miss out on the opportunity to be happy and most importantly ... loved by everyone who wanted to love them. She didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t have everything they deserved to have. She just didn’t ... want to be that person .. she just didn’t want to be her mom.

She grabbed her phone and her keys and headed towards the door.

Aahana: [shouts upstairs] Nura! I’m leaving. I’ll be back in a little bit.

Camilla in San Myshuno: Tumblr | Website

[kovecs]

Skyrim: Of Letters and Love Triangles

Dear Reader, this is an excerpt of my Skyrim FanFic (which you can find here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13086567/1/Boundless-Roads). My goal was to novelize a lot of my adventures in Skyrim, so here is the love triangle between Faendal, Sven and Camilla Valerius from the perspective of my High Elf Talos worshiper, Sol. Hope you enjoy.

Out of all of the potential adventures I expected to have in Skyrim, being a part of a love triangle was not one of them. Perhaps what made matters even more unusual was that I was not even one of the members of said love triangle, but rather a dumbstruck onlooker who should have just kept his nose out of things and focused on work at the mill. 

I had been dwelling in Riverwood for nearly a month. The work for Hod and Gerdur had proved sturdy and honest, but there were also some days in which I helped out the local blacksmith, Alvor, with his forge. The folk were kindly enough and I had found myself growing rather fond of the town by the water. 

My average days were spent chopping wood and hauling great logs to be cut by the mill. It was not all that bad. Hod and Gerdur were good employers and my co-worker was, in fact, Faendal the Wood Elf. Our kinship had only grown as we worked the days away in the chill air, and I counted him as a friend. Life had reached a sense of normalcy. 

“Have you met Camilla Valerius?” Faendal asked one day, grinning from pointed ear to pointed ear as he hauled armfuls of logs onto a pile. 

“The Imperial?” I inquired. “Lucan’s sister, correct? Yes, I got that golden claw for them back from Bleak Falls Barrow.” It had been quite the endeavor. I traversed up the mountain, trudging through snow and fighting off bandits. I fought them into the barrow itself and even battled Draugrs. The folk of Riverwood like embellishing it quite a bit. So much so that it is often told around the hearthfires of the village. I suppose many have already heard it, and much like the legends of the Dragons, it needs not be told here.

Camilla Valerius had caused quite a stir in Riverwood. The day she had come to the village from Cyrodiil to stay with her brother, all of the town’s young men, both of them, had stared in awe. She was friendly and pretty, admittedly. But I had no romantic interest in Camilla. I had too much on my mind still to prepare to settle down. 

“Ah, yes. You did get that claw for them. I would say that she is the most beautiful maiden in all of Skyrim,” Faendal said with glee. I fought every urge not to roll my eyes and laugh at his dramatas, but he was sincere enough.

“Really,” I said with a bit of a huff, which betrayed my amusement. “In all of Skyrim? What about the Jarl Elisif the Fair?”

“I suppose she might be. But Camilla is definitely the prettiest maiden I’ve ever seen. Of course, there’s that Sven. But, did you see the way she smiled at me when I talked to her yesterday? By Mara Herself, that smile could melt an Ice Wraith’s heart.” 

The rest of the work day predominantly consisted of Faendal’s romantic ramblings. He told me of plans to win her affections and how they would build a life together. The idealism was rather heartwarming. However, it was not inspiring enough for me to listen to it past work hours. I said my goodnight to Faendal and headed to the Sleeping Giant Inn.

I had been staying in a room there for a couple weeks. Hod and Gerdur had offered to keep me on for a while, but my pride did not allow me to take advantage of their hospitality any longer. Besides, they were paying me a good wage at the mill. 

The inn was owned by a woman named Delphine, though I rarely saw her in those days. She was quiet and mysterious. Most of my dealings were with a Nord name Ordnar, who tended the bar. He was a simple fellow with a gruff, yet not unkind nature to him. Also, among the people of the Sleeping Giant, there was a Bard by the name of Sven. 

Sven lived with his mother in one of the nicer homes in Riverwood. He had blonde hair, a beardless face and fancied himself higher born than those around him. Whether this was true or not, I did not care. He played his lute in the inn, knowing very few songs. As I sat, attempting to eat my dinner in silence, he sang a rather loud rendition of “Ragnar the Red.” 

Oh, there once was a hero named Ragnar the Red,

Who came riding to Whiterun from old Rorikstead

And the braggart did swagger and brandish his blade,

As he told of bold battles and gold he had made.

But then he went quiet, did Ragnar the Red,

When he met the shield-maiden Matilda, who said;

"Oh, you talk and you lie and you drink all our mead,

Now I think it's high time that you lie down and bleed!"

And so then came clashing and slashing of steel,

As the brave lass Matilda charged in, full of zeal.

And the braggart named Ragnar was boastful no more-

When his ugly red head rolled around on the floor!

After the final verse, the bard finally took a break. I was relieved until he sat right beside me, taking a swig of ale. “You’re Sol, right?” he said. “That elf who returned the claw to the Valerius’ store?” 

“Yes,” I replied simply, having found myself a bit sick of the ‘local legend’ mantle some of the townsfolk had given me for such a little favor. 

“Ah, so you’ve seen her,” Sven said with particular emphasis on the ‘her.’ The Nord smiled broadly and sighed dramatically, staring off into some unknown distance. Great, I thought. Another lovestruck idiot. 

“You’re talking about Camilla, I take it?” 

“Oh yes. Camilla Valerius,” he said her name reverently as if it were from some sacred text of the gods. “It’s only a matter of time until she and I will be together. I just need to get rid of that Faendal.”

That statement caused my pointed ears to perk up, and I found myself more interested in the conversation. “What about Faendal?” I asked.

“Faendal,” he said with disdain, “thinks he can woo Camilla away from me. He’s already mine, I keep telling him. She knows I’m the best man in Riverwood. That elf is kidding himself if he thinks she would choose him over me. I’ve seen him sneaking over to the Riverwood Trader to speak to her when I’m not around. He’s wasting his time.” 

“Yes. Two people spending time together never blossoms into courtship,” I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster. To say I wanted nothing to do with any of this was too much of an understatement. 

“Is that sarcasm?” Sven said snobbily. “I’ve heard better wisecracks from Orgnar.” He grunted heavily in frustration before continuing: “Still, you have a point. Camilla letting Faendal visit her isn’t a good thing for me.” 

I downed the rest of my drink, a honey mead brew all the way in Riften. I came to the realization that this was officially a love triangle and I wanted nothing to do with it. As I pondered, Sven reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of folded parchment. 

“Here,” he said, handing it to me, “let me give you a particularly venomous letter. Say it’s from Faendal. That should get Camilla to stop inviting the elf over.”

I had no words to say when Sven handed me the letter, I just simply nodded and headed to my room. I had every intention of just burning the thing and letting sleeping dogs lie. However, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to read it.

Dear Camilla,

I know I have called upon you at your house many times, and while we have been growing close, I need you to put aside any desires you may have for me aside. I am a true-born son of Valenwood, and I could never befoul my bloodline by courting an Imperial. I hope we can remain true friends, provided you understand your people’s place in the Aldmeri Dominion, and respect me as such.

Sincerely, Faendal

I set the paper on the bedside table as I lay upon the straw bed, my head on the pillow. Sven’s words and deeds had frustrated me beyond measure. However, there was still one final straw to break the horse’s back. What was it that tipped me over the edge? It was not the annoying persona or rudeness, but rather the fact that, as I attempted to sleep, I was subjected to four more renditions of “Ragnar the Red” each more terrible than the last. Oh, Camilla will get that letter, alright, I thought blissfully before finally drowning out the noise and falling asleep.

The following morning, I wasted no time. I got up extra early and marched right over to the Riverwood Trader, where the Valerius’ lived and worked. As I entered, Camilla greeted me with a flirtatious smile. “Well hello. It’s a fine day with you around.”

“Good morning, Camilla,” I said, as stoic as I could muster. Having little time to waste, I handed the girl the letter. “Sven wanted me to trick you into believing that this was from Faendal.” 

She took the paper and read it carefully, her eyes widening as she read further. Camilla’s features turned to shock. “Oh my. He…  he wanted me to think Faendal wrote this?”

“Aye. He did.”

“Thank you for telling me the truth. Could you talk to Faendal, as well? I’m sure he’ll want to thank you for standing up to him.”

The sun was rising in the sky and the twin moons were disappearing into blue. I rushed over to the mill, where Faendal had already begun to work. He was carrying a bundle of firewood when I said: “I don’t think you’ll need to worry about any competition from Sven anymore.” I then proceeded to tell him about the rest of the story, much to his joy. 

“Sol, brother, I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am. You know what? If you ever need a bowman the next time you go off on an adventure? I’ll be by your side. The mill will still be here when we return. You’re a true friend.” The sappy words made me smile and we shook hands. “Besides,” he added, “this will be a wonderful story for she and I to tell our grandchildren.” I brought my hand down into my palm and then we got to work.

The final stages of the love triangle were finally finished that night. The work day had been long, from my lack of sleep, and I trudged back to the Sleeping Giant. The night was normal as ever. I purchased some fried salmon and grilled leaks, along with some mead to wash it all down. Then pranced Sven, up to the center, lute in hand. He turned to me and gave a look that was akin to smelling rotten troll feet. “You’re nothing but trouble,” he scoffed. Then he unwittingly found his ultimate revenge: six more encores of “Ragnar the Red.”

[headfullofstories]

Truly Monstrous Luck - part 2

I wake up in a new room, and the first thing I notice is that my binder is off. Fuck. I bolt upright and bring my arms up to cover my chest. Oh no, oh no no no no no. If someone had to take it off of me, then… someone saw my body. I throw up a little bit in my mouth at the thought.

I look around the room I'm in. I'm on a cot, and… oh god, there're my tits. I curl my knees up to block them from sight, and continue to survey my surroundings. The room as a few more cots scattered about, most of them empty. There's a desk at the end of the room, currently occupied by a girl who looks a little older than me, skin the color of volcanic glass - a sort of deep blackish purple, covered in white freckles that look like stars. Her lavender hair is tied up into a bun, and she's wearing a denim jacket. Fuck, she's pretty.

She looks up at me suddenly, corneas jet black and irises a startling silver. If I was still alive I’d probably have a ridiculous blush all across my face right now.

“Oh good, you’re awake.” She lets out a sigh of relief. “Yvonne was freaking out when you collapsed, thought she pushed you too hard with that walk, which was… kind of the case, but c’mon dude, you had to know this was gonna happen if you kept this thing on.” She holds up my ratty old Underworks binder, stretched and worn from years of constant use. I’m not quite sure the last time I took that thing off, whether it was last night or the day before, but my ribs are sore as hell now.

“There’s a recommended maximum time to wear these for a reason, y’know.” She sighs, dropping it onto the desk and picking up a walkie talkie. “Yvonne?” She asks into the radio, “your kid’s awake.”

A few moments later Yvonne runs through the doorway at the far side of the room near the desk, looks around the room for a moment and sees me.

“Oh thank god.” She sighs, walking up to me. “Camilla said it was probably nothing to worry about, but… I didn’t wanna cause you more grief today.”

“You gonna adopt every single fledgling you find, Yvonne?” The girl at the desk grumbles, looking down at her phone. “That’s… five now, right? Over the past 15 years? You should introduce New Kid to the others.”

“Well, none of my other 4 have left, which is a lot more than can be said for a lot of people here.” Yvonne reasons, before turning back to me. “I’m sorry that we had to take the binder off, Victor, but you’re not supposed to sleep with it on. Or do strenuous activity, which is on me, but you really should follow the doctor’s recommendations on these things.”

“I know, but… it’s… too much, sometimes, not to wear it.” I reply cautiously, doing my best to use the right words. “I get sensory overload really easily, and looking at my body makes it… a lot worse, most of the time. Being on T has helped with a lot of the visual dysphoria, but until I get surgery I’m gonna risk it with the long hours.”

The girl at the desk grumbles something under her breath, then picks up her walkie talkie again and mutters something into the speaker. Yvonne looks saddened by this and mutters something about the healthcare system in this country, but doesn’t object outright. After a few minutes Arthur walks into the room, exchanges a few brief words with the girl at the desk, then walks over to me and stands next to where Yvonne is sitting. He sighs and squeezes his eyes shut for a moment.

“Hey kid, what are your thoughts on top surgery?” He asks, sounding a little fed up. “Because what happened today can’t happen again, and if you fuck up your ribs there’s only so much vampiric healing can fix, and you’re gonna have a bitch of an afterlife.”

My vision goes double for a moment as I try to process what I just heard. “T-top surgery?”

“We have contacts at this practice out on Long Island, some people who are… specially equipped to handle people like us.” He elaborates, “We’ll cover all of the medical expenses, so you won’t have to worry about selling your fucking soul to the american healthcare system.”

Against my better judgement, I start sobbing. Arthur looks confused and Yvonne looks worried.

“Hey kid, you good?” Arthur inquires cautiously.

“I'm really sorry,” I manage to blubber out between hiccups, “but… th-that’s the closest thing to good news I’ve had in m-m-months.”

He nods. “I had bad luck when I was your age, too. Broke a rib wearing ace bandages when i was 19, couldn't bind for a year and damn near killed myself. In a fucked up way, dying was the best thing to happen to me.”

I look up at him, wipe my tears out of my eyes, and calm down a little. “You-you’re trans?”

He flashes a demonic looking smile, all teeth and a bit of pride, and lifts up his shirt to flash twin scars sprawling across his chest.

"Came out at the Stonewall Riots when I was 18 years old." He explains, still smiling wide and wild. “Year and a half before I was turned; when that happened I was a little younger than you, I think.”

I look at him in awe. “I’ve never met a trans person that was so much older than me.”

“For real?” He snorts, crossing his arms. “I should introduce you to Liz, then. 600 years old, turned when she was 14, didn't start transitioning until she was 87. I think she came over here on a Spanish Galleon, I'm pretty sure she originally made landfall in Guatemala..."

"Art, I know you're trying to focus, but you keep getting off topic." The girl at the desk yells over.

"Thank you Camilla, I realize that." He growls at the girl. Oh, so she's the Camilla person Yvonne mentioned. "Shit, did I forget to take my adderall again?”

I suddenly realize I don’t know where my backpack is. Oh fuck no, that thing has everything I own in it - my T, my journal, my charger, my spare clothes…

"Where's my backpack?" I ask Yvonne, panicked. I can feel my leg start involuntarily bouncing. “I need it, it has everything I have in it…”

Yvonne leans down and reaches under the cot I’m on and pulls out my ratty jansport, setting it down on my lap. I cling to it for dear life. It’s too late to stop the shaking, but at least it’s not gonna get any worse.

I see Yvonne go to rest her hand on my shoulder, but Arthur grabs her wrist and mutters something in her ear. My vision goes out of focus again as I try to calm myself down.

After a few minutes the shaking stops and I look up at the two now even more worried adults in front of me.

"Sorry…" I mutter, looking at my feet. "I… I need to know where this thing is or I… lose it, a little. It's really stupid, I don't know why it happens, it's super overreactive… my teachers all thought I just wanted attention in school."

“They…” Arthur starts, then hisses something unintelligible before looking at me in the eyes. The eye contact makes me a little nervous, but I do my best to hold it. “You’re not looking for attention if you have big emotions. That’s bullshit.”

I look down at my hands now, pulling at my joints and popping my knuckles. “My parents always said I’m broken and my brother thinks it’s something I can manage. I love my brother, but it’s… hard to get him to understand.”

He nods a little, then looks over at Camilla. “Can you check when Boris is open next?” He shouts over, to which Camilla gives a thumbs up. He turns his attention back to me, and shoots me a quick finger gun. “You need a new bus card, right? And you were going to your brother’s house when you got attacked, did you call him when you were heading over?”

I shake my head. “He was at work when I was heading over, and I have a key to his apartment so I was just gonna head over and wait for him.”

“Do you feel comfortable staying here for the night?”

"I think… that'll be better than going to my brother's house. I’m not sure if I can deal with the subway yet…”

He nods, mutters something to Yvonne, then heads out. Yvonne stretches out her hand, a silent invitation to get up and follow her. I take it after a moment of consideration, suddenly overwhelmingly nervous about my entire situation. What if these people are bad? What if they want to use me? I consider running, but after a moment I start thinking logically again. At the very least, Yvonne and Arthur are good. That’s enough for right now.

I grab my binder from Camilla on the way out, her silver eyes piercing my very soul, a silent warning to bind properly. I put the binder in my backpack, and throw the bag over my shoulder.

Yvonne guides me through ancient looking halls, lined with candelabras fitted with dim mercury light bulbs. I pull out my phone to check the time - 1:34PM. Shit, the day’s still only halfway done. I try to read Yvonne’s expression as we walk, but all I see is worry. No indication of where we might be going or what Arthur was whispering to her about.

Some people look at us as we walk by - some stare for a moment, but mostly they just glance briefly then look away. I keep as close as I can to Yvonne, and eventually we stop in front of a big pair of wooden doors.

“This is the common room,” she explains, gesturing towards the doors. “It has the best wifi in the building, it also has public computers, some books, board games… the works. I’ll leave you here, but feel free to explore around. There are signs at most of the intersecting hallways, so it’s not too hard to get lost around here, but most people will be willing to give you directions if you get turned around. You good with that, Victor?”

I give her a thumbs up, and hang outside of the common room until she disappears down the hallway. I debate going inside for a moment, but decide against it. There’s probably people in there, and people means social interaction. It means people seeing me without my binder on. I subconsciously start hitting the heels of my hands together as I debate what to do from here before deciding to head further down the hallway, away from where Yvonne and I came from. I cross my arms in an attempt to hide my chest, which is a little counterintuitive since it's probably just drawing more attention to that area.

I walk around for a few minutes without really seeing anybody, and after a little while I start to zone out, looking at the ironwork on the candelabras instead of where I’m walking, when I bump into someone. I yelp and jump back out of instinct, and the other person falls to the ground.

“I-I’m sorry!” I squeak as I start to fiddle with my backpack straps. “I didn’t see you!”

The person I knocked down, a boy with black hair and dark brown eyes, growls at me as he stands back up, “Who the fuck are you?”

“Um, m-m-my name’s Victor.” I respond, on the verge of tears.

“Alright, Victor, what the fuck are you? What are you doing here?” As soon as he’s fully upright he starts examining every detail of my face, and I realize that my mouth is still slightly open, so I slap a hand over it to cover my fangs.

“Oh, you’re a vamp.” He grumbles. “Were you one of those assholes who sells their blood to rogues, one of em went too far, threw you out?”

Suddenly I’m crying again. Three times in one day, what the hell? I start scratching my arms to try and counteract it. I try my best to look even smaller.

“Wh- oh fuck, don’t cry! I… fuck, I’m such a dumbass!” He hits his head a couple times. “Look, I’m really sorry, I have really bad impulse control issues, that was just the first thing that came to mind. Uh…”

It takes all of my willpower, but I manage to stop crying, only thing now the stimming is worse. I start hitting the heels of my hands together and tapping my left foot uncontrollably. “Um… thanks for the apology. Most of the time when I start crying I just get yelled at even worse.”

He looks at me, mild horror on his face, which I’m not quite sure if it’s from what he said earlier or what I said just now. “That’s fucked up.” He mutters, then he outstretches his hand. “I’m Adrian. Again, so sorry about what I said, I do not know what came over me. You’ve probably had a really rough day, huh?”

I take his hand after a brief moment of hesitation. His grip is really strong, I think normally I would be a little hurt by it but now it just feels like a very firm grip… wait, can I still be anemic if I'm a vampire?

"Um, yeah." I laugh a little, slightly intimidated by this guy. I'm automatically a little scared of anyone who makes me cry, but… I don't know. "It was kind of a shitty day before, but then with the… getting jumped and everything, and my life kind of being over, it's just been a whole lot worse."

"God, I'm an asshole." He says, a forced grin plastered to his face. "I completely understand if you never want to interact with me again."

"I'll think on that." I respond as I bring my arms back across my chest and start to focus on the wall right next to his head. "Uh, nice to meet you? Kind of?"

"Um, likewise." He responds as he shoves his hands in his pockets and walks off quickly. That was... weird.

[bringmetolife-pwff]

Part One: Chapter Six - A sweet surprise

Its a few weeks later and Evelyn was finally feeling better about everything that had happened.  She knew that everything happened for a reason whatever it may be she wasn't sure yet.  But her head was finally in a good place.  After some reflection and a trip to a small village named Shere, Surrey near London.  She had needed to get away from London and clear her head.  It was a girls trip Evelyn didn't know she needed.

Now she felt refreshed, renewed and rejuvenated ready to get back to work.

She had just come home from work, letting out a sigh as she went through a long day of work.  As busy as it was three weeks ago was as slow as it was today.  Evelyn hated the slow days as it made time drag on.

"Oh my God," Evelyn let out a shriek of excitement as she smiled rushing over to him and hugging him.  "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"

He let out a chuckle as well hugging her back, happy to see her smiling and laughing.

"I told you I would visit you and when I did it would be a surprise."

"Of course," she rolled her eyes playfully and regretfully stop hugging him.  "Well, this is definitely a nice surprise.  Are you doing anything right now?  D'you have time to visit?  I wasn't expecting you and well.... I made plans with friends tonight as well as some of my siblings.  If you wanted to meet them," she told him shyly as she tucked a piece of her blonde hair behind her ear.

He looks down at his Cartier watch to check the time.  He was in his military uniform having come straight from his military base not wanting to waste another minute from being away from her.  They had talked on the mobile every chance he had.  Eric and William had left at the same time but took separate cars.

William had made it to Evelyn's sister apartment thirty minutes ago, startling the blonde student out of her wits as she was on her way to university.  When he told her that he wanted to surprise Evelyn, Vivienne was happy to help and let him in.  Paul was with him at first but later left once the prince told him that he was safe he nodded his head and took the night off.  

"I can do that," he nodded his head happy that she wasn't having him go home.

They had a couple of hours to themselves before the get-together tonight.  William and Evelyn caught up with each other and their lives.  She asked about his military training, his home life and how he's been.  He did the same with her.

"What's your family like?" He asked with curiosity.  He had heard some from Eric but he wanted to know more.

"Well, we're quite close," she said as she was tracing circles on her leg with her finger looking at him.  "I have five other siblings only one sister."

"Five?" The prince's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Five," she clarified nodding her head.  "Jake is the eldest and he has two twin boys with his girlfriend, Mia.  Their sons names are Samuel and David," she smiled at the mention of them.  "Then there's Noah, Eric whom you obviously know, Theo and lastly Vivienne who my younger sister who is in university right now studying to become a midwife at King's College London."

"Wow," William exclaimed.  "I only have the one brother, Harry.  I can hardly keep up with him.  Not sure how you do with five," he said making her laugh.

"Well, they were all except my sister, born before me so it was easier that way."

"What about your parents?  What do they do?"

"My dad is the CEO of his own company called Bennett & Co.  He designs loads of things mostly focusing on now men's cologne, watches, etc.   My mum used to work for his company but now she stays at home.  She would be the one always taking care of us when we were younger.  Him too, but she did the majority of it."

"Bennett & Co. you say?  I actually own a watch by him then.  I didn't realise that was your Pa."

"Bloody hell, you're joking!"

"I'm not," he laughed shaking his head.  "I swear it.  Next time I see you, I'll wear it."

"Alright.  You better.  Tell me about your family."

She was born and raised in London her whole life and yet she never knew anything of the Royal family.  Now she was sitting in front of Prince William as they were discussing their home life and what their families were like.

"Loads of people think they know my family based off of what the tabloids say.  But you know, loads of people can't seem to forget how my Pa was with my mum.  But he's changed and he's happy with Camilla.  So I'm happy for him," he shrugged his shoulders.  "Although, between you and me, I wasn't at first."

"No?" said Evelyn as an eyebrow raised.

"No, Eve," he shook his head.  "There was so much turmoil within that relationship when my mum was alive.  She was the cause of my parents divorcing.  My mum only wanted for their relationship to get better.  There was so much that could have gone better even my Pa admits it now.  It's taken time and things still aren't quite there between Camilla and I, but my Pa's happy so I try to see it from his side."

There was a silence between the pair as she let his words sink in.  The thoughtfulness.  The hurt.  The emotion.  That was all still there and she could see the hurt of the fifteen-year old boy who was walking behind his mum's coffin.  She remembered that day.  She remembered school being called off and the millions of people that were out on the street mourning the death of the late Princess Diana.

She paused before she decided whether or not what she was about to say made any difference at all.  

"You probably wouldn't remember," Eve shook her head.  "I was there."

He furrowed his eyebrows not sure what she was going on about.

"At your mum's funeral," she murmured quietly as a blush rose to her cheeks heatedly.  "I saw how hurt you looked and I remember when my granddad passed away how I felt then.  And so, I walked up to you before you started walking."

"'Course," William looked gobsmacked as realisation dawned on him.  "You were the girl who walked up to me with the forget-me-nots."

"You remember?" said Evelyn just as shocked as William.

"How could I forget?  That was the only part of the day I actually wanted to remember.  The way you just walked up to me gave me a shy smile like you are now.  You were the only one who made me feel better even if it was for a second."

"I just felt so awful for you and your brother Harry.  I could never imagine how it must feel losing your mum at a young age," she shook her head.  "Although I didn't know your mum I know she could make anyone feel better with just a smile on her face."

"She did," William nodded agreeing with her.  "Can I hug you?"

Evelyn scooted closer to William and wrapped her arms around him.  He burrowed his head in her neck and he let a sigh of relief as he closed his eyes.  Evelyn could feel her eyes beginning to water.  The both of them recalling that day they first met.

It was a day that not only the whole country of United Kingdom was in mourning for the late Princess Diana but also the whole world.  She was dressed all in black her blonde hair down in waves as Evelyn held onto her mum's hand.  Natasha and Peter didn't want to lose sight of all five kids in the sea of people.

In the other hand Evelyn was holding a small bouquet of forget-me-nots.

From the distance, she spotted the Royal family as they looked all the more devastating than the rest of the people, especially William and Harry.  She saw what looked to be a letter in Harry's hands as The Queen told them about the formation.

Evelyn let go of her mum's hand hearing her call frantically for her to come back.  

Slightly out of breath as ran up to the young prince, the fourteen-year old did a wobbly curtsy and greeted him.  "Your Royal Highness.  These are for you," she gave him a shy smile as her cerulean blue eyes shown bright on this gloomy day.  She thrust the flowers in front of her.

"T-thank you," he told her with a shy smile taking the bouquet.

"Evelyn," they both heard a frantic shout at the young girl.

He guessed it was her mum as he watched the mum who also had bright blonde hair and blue eyes squat down at Evelyn's level.

"You mustn't walk away like that ever again from me, alright?"

"I'm sorry mummy," she said hurriedly.  "But he looked sad."

The funeral procession had started and the family was off.  He took one last look at the girl as she tried explaining her reasoning as to why she took off like that.  It was never the plan to go up to Prince William and give him the flowers but she had seen how upset he looked that she wanted to make him feel better, even if just for a bit.

"I can't believe that was you," he declared as they now sat up and looked into each other's eyes.  "I thought I would never see you again," William tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

***

It was now time for the get-together as her assistant Sam and husband Hamish were there now along with her model, Alyssa.  They were waiting on a few others as Evelyn was pouring all glasses of alcohol.

The doorbell rang and Evelyn went to open the door revealing her good friend, Ivy.  She was short, dark, and had the most gorgeous set of green eyes.  A real stunner.  Ivy let out a squeal as she hugged her good friend.

"Hello, love," Ivy greeted her as William could hear the strong Scottish accent.

The apartment was full of loads of their friends and some family.  Eric had decided to join after all allowing him and William to have a good chat.  Eric knew that William had been talking and spending more time with his sister and although he was curious about if anything was going on, he was also happy to see her happy; finally.  

Hamish seemed to be in a deep conversation with William about something as Evelyn chatted with Ivy.

"Yer finally lettin' go of that prune and moved onto a prince, aye?" Ivy asked in secret as William was chatting with Hamish.

"No, no," she laughed at her friend.  "We're just friends."

"Well, yer don' seem like 'ust friends to me," she shrugged her shoulders as she took another sip of her drink dancing to music that was playing in the apartment.

"All righ', all righ'," Ivy gave in but gave her a friend a knowing look showing she knew better even if Eve didn't.  "Well, he's certainly good lookin'."

"That he is," Eve had to agree with her.

Evelyn wasn't that blind.  She knew that he was good looking but she just wasn't ready to move on yet.  And who even knew if he was interested in her.  They were enjoying getting to know each other right now as friends and he seemed to fit right in with her friends which was nice.  The night went on and the party started to dwindle down.  

"I had good fun tonight," William said to Evelyn as they along with Vivienne were the only ones left.

"Me too," she agreed.  "I think my friends really like you."

"They're good people.  Much better than Liam and Blair, even though I never met them.  When you find good people like that in your life -- you need to hold onto them."

"I agree.  It's rare to find people who you can trust.  Then, sometimes you think you can trust someone and they turn out to be the exact opposite..."

"That's why you have to unfortunately be very careful who your friends are.  I'm the same way.  I have a very small close group of friends but with the friends I have I know I can count on them for anything and I'm the same way for them," he shrugged his shoulders.  "I have to get going.  Pa's hosting a dinner for me tomorrow with the family.  But I'm hoping we can meet up again soon?"

"Soon," she agreed with a smile.

[astrum-aetherium]

Do you think Henry and Camilla were actually in love?

the question of all questions has finally found its way into my inbox. i don't know how long this will be, but just know that i could write a novel-length essay supporting my opinion. here's a shortened version.

i've spent a long time entertaining this thought, specifically as someone who is undeniably (and evidently) attracted to henry in more ways than one. when i initially read the book for the first time in 2019, i obviously picked up on the clues donna tartt scarcely dispersed throughout the length of the novel (with the glass shard scene posing a final confirmation of her intentions for the two characters), and i must say, out of my naive and obnoxiously teenaged simplicity of perception, i did accept their (strangely established) love and even root for it; especially during henry's last scene — the actual, outspoken confession and the secret whisper — and camilla's consecutive rejection of richard's proposal with the claim she still loved henry.

however, i have matured now, read the book a few more times, and found reason to change my viewpoint completely. no, i no longer believe they were in love per se — let me elaborate. before i do, however, i have to put a TW for incest on here. it is unavoidable when talking of henry and camilla. therefore, beware. lots of mentions of incest-related trauma and the consequences thereof.

the realization that i disbelieve in their love being romantic struck me upon my first reread, because i somehow suppressed the actual outrage of camilla and charles' incestual relationship. of course, i remembered them to be romantically involved with one another, but having read the book anew at a slightly older age, i started comprehending the sheer extent of the trauma that may originate from something like that. there is an undeniable possibility of it having started as a form of abuse instead of something purely consensual (which incest very, very rarely is), and that has led me to believe that camilla, at least in future years to come, would no longer be attracted to men both romantically as well as sexually. this may very well be a response to her trauma.

here, of course, it can be argued that it was all consensual and would thus not result in trauma, but i wholeheartedly disagree with that. incest, being taboo and socially unacceptable for very plausible reasons, would generate trauma regardless of the degree of willingness the participating parties portray. that is, of course, given the parties are aware of the taboo aspect of it in the first place, which charles and camilla obviously were. however much i believe it did not, in fact, start as something consensual (once again — it very rarely does), i understand where one might be coming from with claims that it did, as this is all fiction and we simply have no possibility of knowing for sure.

to cut this tangent short — i believe camilla would develop into a lesbian based on her incest-related trauma and would therefore simply mistake her "love" for henry for devotion to his authoritative and mystifying charms and leadership skills. she would believe to be in love with him because she would simply be unaware of her sexuality just yet, given she was still participating in incestuous activity with her twin brother, and would instead seek solace in the company of another man who she does not have a familial bond with. after all, even she and francis had a small little thing (a kiss from what i can remember), and he himself is openly queer.

as for henry, this is where things get a little more complex. i sort of deride his attraction to camilla, however real it may have been, as she is, after all, the only girl in their circle. of course, i keep thinking, of course everyone will be going after her. that poor thing — not even safe from her own brother.

from henry's point of view, i think he just projected the conventionally instilled idea of finding a partner to settle down onto the first intelligent woman he came across who matched his quite specific interests. and this is not to say that camilla cannot be loved for any other reason, but i simply, honestly and truthfully, find it hard to believe that henry would ever genuinely love someone. i know that we all like to believe that he has a soft side, but i more often than not don't. he does, after all, portray antisocial and even psychopathic tendencies. and people suffering from personality disorders like that are unlikely to ever perceive authentic emotions. i think his supposed love for camilla is a result of a conventional belief being applied to encountering someone who is so similar to you interest-wise that you initially feel like they are the one. he may have felt subconsciously "forced" to find a life partner, as that is the traditional standard for humanity that even his deviant mindset cannot undo.

this is what i honestly think. trauma-induced, misinterpreted, misplaced feelings for an authoritative figure juxtaposed with a misapplied, subconscious manifestation of a conventional belief. perhaps platonic love, but certainly not romantic; strong — yes, may as well, but not romantic or, for that matter, sexual (once again, due to trauma).

i do hope this communicates my position on the matter well. thank you for asking. i enjoyed gathering my thoughts and phrasing them in conclusive sentences at last.

[gentleoverdrive]

After the frenetic struggle faced by the two jogging buddies Alm and Lucina, the first weekend after the school term arrives. As Saturday breaks in, Ephraim finds himself an unlikely breakfast buddy. Will he be able to consume his tacos? And what of his carefully constructed image?

Saturday Morning: At Little Chalphy’s kitchen. (9 AM) Sitting at the cozy table within the kitchen, a young man was trying to help himself to the delicious treats two of his earnest dorm-mates helped prepare for the weekend. Thanks to the efforts of his twin sister and a certain Zofian boy, the tortillas Ephraim McFadden stuffed with delicious spit-grilled pork meat were a feast for a hangover that seems bent on haunting his morning. He felt, however, that the woman keeping him company was most definitely harshing his mellow with her prim and proper demeanor. Something had to be done and, heavens help him, he might have to be the one to do it. “Y’know, teach? If you keep coming here every single day, I’m pretty sure Cory ain’t the only one that’s gonna end up hating you” A delicate, dignified chuckle escaped her lips with the smallest of efforts. “Oh, you are such a joker, McFadden. Why would you dare suggest that my cute little sister does not love me back?” It felt like someone had sprinkled dusted jalapeño directly into his eyes. He absolutely doesn’t have the fortitude for this so early in the morning. “Because it’s Saturday morning, I’m trying to watch my breakfast and eat my goddamn cartoons, that aforementioned cute little sis of yours locked herself in her room and I’m pretty sure you have like 3 classes today in as many campuses. Now can I go back to my tacos?” “A young man eating by himself is just such a sad, sad sight to witness” “Aaaaannnd of course you’re not listening to me. Fantastic” Ephraim put his taco down and got off his seat. “Look, you might want to reconsider this whole endeavor of going after the one guy who managed to kick your ass; like I’m positive he already has his hands full being Anthiese’s super butler or whatever” He added, while looking for something within the fridge. “Plus, carving up his face seems like a very unintuitive way to net yourself a date, if we’re being honest” “Oh? And what would a dating master of such renown like yourself might suggest I do to hone my approach?” “Well, maybe try approaching that person you fancy like an equal? If you say something extreme as ‘Be mine!’ or putting them people in a pedestal, of course that’s gonna turn people off. We’re talking about a person with an agenda of their own, teach; if you treat that person you fancy like they’re either a prize to be earned or a mindless hunk of meat, of course the cold shoulder is the logical result” He grabbed the milk and a banana off the fridge. “Then again, some men love that, so what do I know?” “And yet he has remained every bit the polite gentleman towards me” Ephraim let out a drawn-out sigh while looking at the top shelves right next to the fridge, when he finally happened upon the bowl he was looking for. “That’s just common decency. Now tell me: Has he treated you any differently than he has literally anybody but Anthiese? Because she’s the one that gets the super duper, big, fancy, bells, cowbells and whistles pimped-out special deal, and I’m like… 90% sure that’s not just because she’s his employer” Ephraim placed the milk, banana and bowl right in front of Camilla before quickly moving to the opposite shelves. Slightly bemused at his seeming restlessness, she started following him around with her eyes. “Whatever do you mean? I see no such difference in the treatment he has given me at all when compared to his mistress” It was at that moment that Ephraim bumped his forehead against the bottom edge of the shelf. “D’ah! F—damn!” He briefly complained while rubbing his forehead, before finally chancing upon the thing he was looking for: chocolate-covered cereal; which he quickly placed in front of Camilla. “Are… owwwww… are you one hundred percent sure that you don’t see any difference, whatsoever, in how he treats you, your little sis, yours truly and the rest of the dorm plus however many peeps he interacts outside of here and how he treats the girl that walks with a skip in her step to school and sometimes even does a little happy dance whenever she so much as talks to him early morning?” “I sure wish I had the attention to detail you have” “Oh, for f— how is that information a secret to you?! You’ve been coming here for the past three days to stalk / harass Alm without fail. How—” A slam on the table interrupted him. “I. Am not. Harassing. Him” She closed the distance between them in a second as she grabbed his shirt’s neck, but Ephraim remained unfazed beyond raising his left eyebrow in mild surprise. “Sure, whatever” Suddenly, Ephraim jumped out at a realization. “Ah! You need a spoon and knife” “I don’t care what you think about me” Camilla’s usually easy-going expression had taken a turn for the sullen. “Psshyeah you do” He snorted after saying as much. He quickly made for the lower shelves this time and found a smaller-sized spoon, placing it to the left of the bowl while he looked at Camilla’s right eye. “Takes one to know one, after all; and you, Camilla Krakenberg, are so darn starved for the bare-assest of interactions and basic affection now that your little sis is out in the world on her own and benched your ass, that you’ve been harassing a kid whose only folly on this whole thing is that he interrupted you from unleashing the murder fury on some rapey idiot. Yes, I’m completely on your side in that said shithead probably had it coming. But why did you think that harming the him, not to mention THE CROWN PRINCESS OF A HALIDOM THAT REPRESENTS A CONTINENT THAT’S JUST FINALLY RECOVERING FROM A DEVASTATING WAR WAS A GOOD IDEA?” For a second, Camilla’s right eye betrayed no emotion… until Ephraim’s words found its target. She covered her mouth with her right hand, letting out the faintest of gasps as she slowly lowered her head, looking down at the table and suddenly looking back at her actions in a new, disturbing light. “Oh” “Oh indeed. Hell, you’re so desperate for interaction that you’re allowing a complete jackass to dress you down and smack your emotional ass all up in this bitch” If Ephraim was good at using his self-loathing for something, he wasn’t precisely subtle about it. But sometimes subtlety needs to take a rain-check. “You don’t know me at all” Even with how aggrieved Camilla sounded, hearing her spout that hackneyed phrase only reinforced Ephraim’s stance. “Perhaps I don’t. But this front you’re putting up? This commodity? It ain’t gonna do squat for you in the long term. Worst of all: I’m not telling you anything new, am I? Someone has trotted this out to you, if not verbatim, then at least more or less something similar to this spiel in the past, isn’t it?” In truth, nobody had given Camilla this kind of talk before. Now Camilla was looking down for the count, and Ephraim realized his words’ true weight almost right away. ‘Oh my gods, this is the first actual time she’s been given a ‘talk’ on this level, hasn’t she? Ugh, fuck my life’ His thoughts were now the real mess. ‘Now, whatever you do next, don’t try to comf—’ “Uh… wanna hug?” He spoke before further articulating that last thought. “… I’d like that” Her response blindsided him. ‘NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You idiot! You absolute moron! YOU BIG. FUCKING. PALOOKA! Stop that shit right now. You stop it. StopItStopItStopItStopItStopIt—’ His head was going haywire, even as he tried to play it cool externally as he opened his arms. ‘No! Don’t Open Up! WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, YOU DUMBASS?!’ Alas, it was too late. Now Camilla was letting out choked-out sobs as she buried her face on his right shoulder while her arms found firm comfort around his back. Meanwhile, Ephraim’s left hand patted her head, while his right one rested chastely on her mid-section. “There. That’s fine” When he briefly looked in the direction of the living room, he saw his sister, Corrin and Lucina staring dumb-founded at his current situation. ‘Are you ok?’ Eirika used sign language when she realized she had her brother’s attention. Since Ephraim had one of his hands in a somewhat compromised position, he had to improvise, so he gave his sister a thumbs-up, a wink using his right eye, and finally a combination of both his eyes and forming a rather awkward arrow with his left hand letting them know that the coast was clear and to head for the door. Eirika returned the thumbs up which she followed by tugging Corrin’s shirt so that they could get a move on. Lucina mouthed off a ‘Thank you!’ while Corrin simply waved at him. Once they left, Ephraim let out a sigh of relief. Coming to terms at Camilla’s hold on him not showing signs of stopping any time soon, the normally blunter of the two McFadden twins decided he might as well go the full nine yards and properly hug Camilla Krakenberg. ‘Well, whatever! Let this be my good deed for the day’ With his thoughts offering a respite, Ephraim grinned, not seemingly caring about the fact that his breakfast was getting colder.

Meanwhile… Outside Fjalar Rentals. (10 AM) Hector tried to get himself comfortable at the Rental Agency’s waiting lobby. “Man, these seats just plain aren’t designed for anybody with an actual ass” “Did I hear that just now? Is Hector Kormorane actively complaining about his resilient, powerful body in plain sight? Please, say it ain’t so” “Spare me the dumb quips, Eli” While deadpanning wasn’t his forte, Hector’s stink-eye game was strong indeed. “So, whaddya got there?” “Lemon-flavored and peach-flavored soda” Eliwood revealed two cans of soda. “So, which one’s gonna be?” “Hmm…” Hector deliberated for a moment before shrugging. “Eh, whichever one you don’t want is fine with me, man” “Fair enough” Eliwood hands his brother from another mother the Lemon-flavored beverage. “Pfft!” Hector was barely able to keep himself from guffawing. “Really now” The snickering was rather uncommon for a man who so often appeared like an open book to those closest to him. Eliwood’s eyes often did a lot of the talking for him, and in this case they showed a barely repressed need to smack his best friend upside the head. “So, why are we getting another rental car?” But more important that his need to visit a physical comeback was the query he just made. “Because” Hector’s cursory retort felt like he was dodging the topic. But Eliwood wasn’t having any of that. “Hec, Miss Eirika and Ephraim literally have a car that we can borrow whenever we need to, even if it’s for going on foolish errands; all we need is to do is let them know beforehand” “Dude, they were just being polite. They don’t actually expect us to ask them to borrow their car for reals in the first place” “Are you sure?” “I don’t know, Eli! I’m just saying. Do you think Miss Eirika’s gonna be all hunky dory with the potential prospects of either you or me getting busy in her car?” The quick back and forth between the Lycian league boys left one of them with much to think of. “... maybe?” Or perhaps not, it seems. Eliwood Faeris was, first and foremost, an idealist. “See? That’s your problem, Eli: You’re too much of an optimist” Hector was quick to latch on to that in order to try and get his best bud to be on his guard more from time to time.

“Hello, dears” As the voice that came from behind was a rather unfamiliar one, they both appeared unsure as to know how to react.

“See, I don’t think that’s a pro—AAAAAH!” “Dude, what’s your—G’AAAHHH!” They both went with their gut. An ungraceful result, all things considered. “Calm down, would you? She don’t bite or anything” “Not to be a douche nozzle or anything Ephs, but I think we’re within our rights to be spooked at seeing Teach Krakenberg with you on our day off” “Well, ya’ gotta start rolling with the punches better, then!” Hector slicked back the bangs off his forehead while looking at the person that, earlier in the week, had made an attempt on the life of two of his dorm mates, sighing once he was done fixing up his bangs properly. “I’ve held back my tongue due to Alm asking us to not be too hard on you. Little dude is a fucking trooper” “He is quite the catch, is he not? Hmmmmm… I wonder what will it—” “I was not finished” Hector slapped his left knee. “I’ve only known him and Luci for a little over a week, so I’m not gonna say that ‘oh! Best Friends Forever!’ or any of that sappy-ass nonsense. But I’m starting to get friendly with them; yes, Lucina is a pest of a girl whose constant curiosity drives me nuts, and yes, I sorely wish she would stop putting her foot in her mouth non-stop, but deep down she’s an OK kid. Hell, she very much feels like a little—” “AHHH, found it!” And before Hector could finish his sentence, his friend cut him off. “Dammit, Eli! I am pouring my heart out h—wait, what did you find?” “Remember when I told you that Ms. Anthiese looked familiar?” Hector’s eyebrows spoke volumes for him. “Whaddya mean?” He still felt like inquiring further, however. “Peep this right here” Eliwood shared his phone with Hector and the Ostian youth quickly found out what his oath brother meant. On the screen, a video played, with Anthiese herself appearing to hold a snow-white cat in her arms. Before long, both Ephraim and Camilla were hovering over them. Noticing this, Eliwood quickly rewound the video back to the beginning. The video description read… 366 likes / 5.2k reproductions ZofianCatLover ‘The cute cats of Sailane! Cannot miss it for anything in the world!’ #Traveling #Silesse #Sailane #Weekend #ZofianCatLover #OnePettingAtATime 2 hours ago. “Alm! Look at this plump little boy here!” Meanwhile, the video put her affectionate tones out in front when dangling her fingers above the aforementioned feline, which were rather odd for all three boys to see, especially given how composed the Zofian heiress behaved herself among them. “Isn’t he handsome?” “He sure is!” Even with the less-than-stellar audio, all 4 of them could recognize that voice immediately. For a few seconds after the video looped back to the beginning, everyone kept silent. “Whoa. WHAT? Is that the same ‘ice queen’ Riky has tried to get chummy with?” Among the currently present, nobody could buy just how sweet Anthiese Lima really sounded. Her calm, dignified disposition contrasted so badly with her current actions and tone on display. The biggest surprise, however, happened when the video got to the part where she reached with her right hand at the direction of the camera to grab the device; after a few seconds of shaky movements, Celica had stabilized the camera’s focus while her free arm found itself around the neck of a familiar young man. Alm himself looked supremely awkward standing around with Anthiese’s arm around him. The goofy and somewhat twitchy smile he was sporting while also holding the white cat in his arms spoke of the fact that he was probably the regular behind the camera lens in these videos. All hell broke loose, however, when she rested her head against Alm’s shoulder. “Oh my” While Camilla’s subdued response was expected… “NO WWWAAAAAYYYYY!”  Ephraim, Hector and Eliwood’s exclamation fetched a lot of stares from the people around them, especially so when they synched up their respective expressions of astonishment. Camilla looked somewhat askance by the juvenile outburst demonstrated by the trio of students. “Duuude!” “SWEET!” “You better believe!” Ephraim raised both hands up, which both the Lycian league youths immediately capitulated by high-fiving him. “So, what are the odds that they’re actually dating?” Eliwood’s query did not have a specific recipient. “That’s a 10/11 right there. No-brainer” Yet Ephraim felt confident enough replying to his junior. All of a sudden, Camilla felt even more out of place than before. “Why are you so invested in Alm and little Anthiese being an item?” “Because we’ve been here for a week and in that time we had—drumroll please Señor Ephraim” Ephraim obliged Faeris’ request by using Hector’s shoulder as a makeshift snare drum, while Eliwood and Hector took a deep breath. ♪ “4 insult challenges” ♫ “3 DC probations” ♫ “2 Cook-offs” ♪ “1 bungled kidnapping” In that moment, the trio stopped singing and alternated between tap-dancing and stomping around for a cool 5-second interlude. When their brief dance number came to an end, all three opted to strike a pose, using their left arm to motion a jazz hand in Camilla’s direction. ♪ “And a foiled muuuuurrrdeeer aaatteeempt!” ♫ Camilla was rather miffed at being reminded of the actions she performed a couple of days ago. Since she decided to be a good sport, however, the martial arts instructor decided to indulge the trio by offering a few claps for their attempts. “Riveting”   Before long, however, they were all interrupted by a man tapping on Hector’s shoulder. “Are you Hector Kormorane?” “Indeed! Whaddya got for me, buddy” “Well, given your previously stated satisfaction and user review from your first rental, we’ve thought… well, if you look to your left, you’ll see” Upon chancing a glance at the new rental they were being offered, both Eliwood Faeris and Hector Kormorane very loud, unbridled expressions of shock rendered them speechless for a spell. “It’s—” “A TRUE BEAUTY!” Both 3rd years ran towards the car, feeling as though it was a mirage bound to disappear before they could reach it. “Uh—” The rental agency employee was left feeling understandably stumped at both kids making a mad dash, especially with the key component still being in the palm of his hand. Luckily, one person remained with his feet down on earth. “It's fine, I’ll take the keys” And Ephraim did just that.

[cemaine1990-blog]

Sculpted In Klay: 

https://www.wattpad.com/story/193052466-sculpted-in-klay?utm_source=web&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share_myworks

"Boo, Thompson sucks balls!" Camilla heard the jeer and the distinctively annoying raspy voice coming from the right side of the bar. She squinted through the dim lighting of the ironically named "W" sports bar to see the culprit: a blonde haired man and his two buddies, all sporting Clippers gear. Weird flex for a bar in the Bay Area, but she decided to let it go. She glanced back at the tv, the Warriors were trailing behind. Jeremy, the bartender, wordlessly replaced her empty tequila glass with a new one (extra ice, he knew her too well). She nodded a silent thanks, and they both turned back to the tv screen. It had been a long day, but then everyday for a pediatric surgeon was a long one. However, today was difficult on a whole other level than your typical tough surgery or overpacked schedule. One of her younger patients, Timmy, was doing worse, and she had to have "that" conversation with his parents. There were two conversations every doctor dreaded having. The first one was telling family members that a loved one passed away during surgery. The second one was preparing family members for the fact that their loved one was not getting any better, and that they had to start getting ready for the worst. That was the conversation she had with six-year-old Timmy's parents today. This conversation frequently—and understandably—included many tears, anger, frustration, yelling, followed by more tears and endless "Why?" and "Can't you do something?" questions. Camilla wasn't good at handling tears or feelings. In fact, she spent a majority of her time avoiding and running away from feelings by throwing herself fully into her work. This ensured that she was a kick ass surgeon, but it also left her little to no time for anything else, quite similarly to someone else that she knew.

The cameraman panned to a close up of his face, and she could tell from the way he rapidly squinted his eyes that he was quickly growing frustrated, and almost like a twin, she felt a similar frustration building in the pit of her own stomach. They've been like that since high-school, Klay and her, creepily in tune to each other's moods. When she broke her arm at the age of sixteen during a Big Bear skiing trip, he called her phone almost right away. When she didn't pick up he called her brother Dominick to find out what happened. Klay explained that he suddenly felt a sharp pain and knew something was wrong with her. Nowadays, when she was in surgery and had to miss one of his games (which she would usually watch at the "W" or her home) she would always know, even before checking the score, whether they won or lost. If she felt a warm glow-like sensation spread through her chest, it meant they won and he was happy and elated. If she felt sharp pangs in her stomach, she knew they had lost and he was upset and disappointed. Currently, the stomach pangs were getting stronger.

She took a large sip of the smooth tequila as Curry airballed a 15-footer, an unfortunate and ridiculously rare occurrence that made Golden Boy Steph seem like a mere mortal after all. Camilla sighed as the frustration in her stomach increased tenfold, suggesting that the other half of the Splash Brothers was on the verge of throwing a tantrum. Klay may have appeared like the most calm and down to earth guy on tv, but when it came to his passion he was incredibly competitive and not above showing his frustration. The tv showed Curry chewing on his mouthguard in sheer disappointment, when suddenly Camilla's iPhone screen lit up. A text message from Ayesha. It read, "Girl, this is bad. Really bad." It was accompanied by a crying face emoji. Camilla nodded at the words on the screen. Ayesha was right, this wasn't looking good. The blonde haired Clippers fan proceeded to get louder in his anti-Warriors chants, and Camilla had to talk herself out of going over there and throwing the tequila in his face. Instead, she took a deep breath. "Have faith, we got this," she texted Ayesha back. The Warriors had to go to the finals, there was no other option in Camilla's mind. And she didn't even want to envision the state Klay would be in if they lost.

She grabbed the pistachio bowl that sat at the edge of the bar and pulled it towards her. As she popped a few in her mouth, the first food she'd had in the last six hours, she noticed a handsome man entering the "W" and looking around, clearly searching for someone in particular. She ducked low, but her efforts to go unnoticed failed as he made a beeline for her.

"Cadell!" he called out, trying a bit too hard to sound like he didn't expect to see her. It was a lie, everyone knew this was her place. Not that she was trying to call dibs on it, but she was the one that actually made this place cool back when it was still known as a dump. Before she set foot here, all the medical staff at the hospital turned their noses at the sports dive bar down the street and would instead go to the fancy wine and cheese bar further down the road. She was the first one to come to the "W" and bring her co-workers in for an afterwork drink. And now it was the hot spot for doctors, nurses and anyone else looking to decompress after a stressful shift at work. But upon seeing Steven here, her own frustration increased as she realized that her afterwork sanctuary had now been invaded and compromised. No bar could ever be relaxing with Steven in it. Meanwhile, somewhere inside of the Oracle Arena, Klay had to be held back by his teammates from having the sudden and inexplicable urge to fight someone on the opposing team.

"Steven, didn't expect to see you here," she mumbled as he pulled out the stool next to her and sat far too close for comfort. His leg brushing against hers, his arm taking up her bar space.

"How's little man Tim doing?" he asked. She hated that he called him that.

"Not so good," she replied shortly and continued making progress on her tequila.

"Ah, sorry about that. Is that straight tequila you're drinking?" he asked, not sounding sorry at all.

"Yep."

"Hardcore, Cadell. Hardcore," he laughed, and ordered a long island ice tea. She found that a strange choice, but made no comment. After all, she didn't want to start off on the wrong foot with her new co-worker, but instinctually she knew that Steven was not somebody she could really be friends with. However, for the sake of a healthy work environment, she would give it her best shot.

Steven took a sip of his drink, which to Camilla's amusement Jeremy side eyed while serving, and blabbed on about his old work and how he loved this new job and about his ex girlfriend and on and on. Camilla had reciprocated with nods, where it was appropriate, and simple "ahh's" and "interesting's" where she felt she needed to insert them in order to be polite. But her head and heart was in the game. The Dubs had their backs against the wall, and it seemed to light a fire in them because they were slowly picking up their pace. Camilla popped a few more pistachios in her mouth when all of a sudden the pitch of Steve's voice shot up, meaning he had asked her a question. A question she completely did not hear.

"What's that?" she asked innocently, trying to mask the fact that she hadn't been listening to him for the past fifteen minutes.

"I was saying that you're really into this game, you like basketball?" he asked in a voice that suggested it was strange if she did in fact like basketball.

"I do, Steven. And you don't?"

"Tennis is more my thing, to be honest. But I can get us really good seats if you want, I know a guy," he replied proud of himself, once again putting Camilla at unease. Not only was he crossing professional boundaries now by practically asking her on a date, he was doing it in the most half-assed way imagined.

"You know a guy," she repeated, unimpressed. If only he knew the type of seats she could get them with one text or a phone call. But she decided not to hurt Steven's pride.

"Yeah, a lawyer friend of mine. If you're interested." But Camilla was no longer listening because Klay just nailed a game-tying triple. She smiled, the pangs in her stomach suddenly gone. She knew they were on a wave now, and nobody was going to stop them.

"Boo, hope that asshole breaks a leg!" the blonde man, now well on his way to a blackout state, yelled out aggressively. Camilla poured the reminder of her tequila down her throat, the burning sensation making her shudder for a moment. She pulled out a few bills and handed them to Jeremy saying "no change." Jeremy gave her an appreciative nod.

"I gotta run Steve-o," she said purposely using a name she knew he disliked, "I'll see you at work on Monday."

On her way out she "accidentally" bumped into the blonde man, who was holding a fresh pitcher of beer, causing him to spill it all over the front of his shirt. She smiled as he called her a bitch, and walked out to cheers from fellow Warriors fans. Nobody was going to wish injury upon Klay Thompson in her presence without going unchecked.

Her Lyft driver was waiting for her outside, and ironically had the radio tuned in to the game, so by the time he dropped her off at her loft, she knew the Warriors took the game.

"Evening Jerry," she nodded at the doorman, or the "concierge" as the building management insisted on calling him now. Jerry was in charge of visitor passes, package deliveries as well as hailing cabs for the residents of Camilla's building. Klay had always teased her about being a pediatric surgeon but living in a loft. But her place suited her lifestyle. It was in close proximity to the hospital, which allowed her to get there in less than fifteen minutes in case of an emergency. It was safe and secure, with Jerry on patrol. It was more than enough for her. It's not like she needed a huge house, when it was just her. No family. "Family", the word stung her soul, but she ignored it.

She opened the door and the nearly empty place greeted her. Klay had always made fun of how minimalistic she was, and how un-homey her places tended to be. He didn't realize she did certain things to protect herself. That she needed to keep this place cold and formal for very specific reasons. Her current place was a two story loft, and the base floor was pretty bare. Upon entering and walking through the hallway there was a neat and modern open kitchen to the right. It featured a large black marble island and black leather bar stools. She didn't have a big dining table, after all nobody really had proper dinners here and most of the food she ate consisted of Chinese takeout. Beyond the kitchen, the wooden floors led to a soft beige couch, a glass table and two beige chairs across from it, and further down were doors to a small balcony with an array of low maintenance plants (gifts from her mom who shared in Klay's sentiments about the place feeling un-homey, and who wanted to make the place appear like someone actually lived in it). The stairs across from the kitchen led upstairs into a spacious and bright bedroom featuring a super cozy king sized bed with a luxurious beige headboard and hotel like white bedding, two night stands on either side, and a huge bookcase featuring an endless array of medical textbooks. Next to the bedroom there was a large bathroom with a walk in shower as well as a separate large bath tub. Could she afford a bigger and cooler place? Of course. But this was her spot, this is who she was, and this is all she needed at the moment.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbed a vanilla bath bomb and started to run a bath. As the water filled up the bathtub, Camilla put on a face mask. It had been a long day and she was ready to relax and wash it all way. She walked over to her bookcase, and grabbed a crime thriller novel. After the tequila shots she had, she knew there was no way she could retain any new medical knowledge so she didn't even bother picking up any of her textbooks to read. No, a good Stephen King book would do it tonight. She immersed herself in the warm vanilla bath and started to read. But slowly her mind began to drift to him.

No matter how hard she tried, almost every night that she was home alone led up to this. She just couldn't put a stop to all the memories. After all, he was unforgettable.

The way he looked in his basketball uniform.

Her hand made its was underwater, and gently touched her freshly waxed womanhood.

The way his arms glistened with sweat.

Her fingers gently parted her labia and began to slowly circle the small button underneath.

The way he licked his lip in frustration.

She moaned as she remembered those same lips kissing all over her body, and that same tongue deep inside of her.

His fingers clutching the ball.

Her body writhed in pleasure remembering those same fingers being knuckle deep inside of her.

His voice as he answered post game questions.

The waves of orgasm washed over her as she remembered that voice groaning while cumming inside her.

The second she came, she regretted giving in to these fantasies once again. After all, she was the one who ended things (once again) and she needed to stick to her word this time. Their relationship had unfortunately been highly complicated for a variety of reasons, and fantasizing about their sex life was not going to make this any easier on her. And really, it was time to move on now. It had been months since they'd seen each other, and Klay was probably already dating a Hollywood starlet or an Instagram model. She had made her choice, and she needed to be firm in her decision. But a part of her couldn't help but give in from time to time and imagine a life and a world where they were able to be together, happy. She shook the thoughts away as she slipped out of the bath and washed off her face mask. She turned off the lights and fell asleep almost the second her body hit the sheets.

When she woke up the next morning, she remembered with fright that it was her birthday. She wasn't scared because she was getting older, no, she was scared because she forgot she had two days off which meant she would need to actually indulge the people in her life who had most likely planned something nice for her, like a surprise birthday party. What bothered her most was that she fully realized her attitude was completely ungrateful and bratty, and that many people could only dream of having such caring friends and family. Yet every year, she found herself aggressively dodging any and all birthday wishes. She glanced at her phone and sure enough there were already endless texts from family, friends and even some old patients who had her personal number. She sighed, guilty for feeling burdened by this outpouring of birthday love, and proceeded to send everyone a very grateful text of acknowledgment and thanks. If it was up to her birthdays would not be a thing. In fact, she decided she would look into what it took to become a Jehovah's Witness so that next year she would not have to endure this.

After she answered as many people as she could, she scrambled up some eggs and ate them with avocado toast. She did not do good on days off, it gave her too much free time to think. She thrived in her work environment where she was constantly busy and didn't have time to ponder things like her complicated relationship with a certain handsome Warriors shooting guard. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. She scrunched up her face trying to remember if she invited anyone over, but couldn't come up with an answer. However, the person behind the door was a delivery man, and he was holding a ridiculously large bouquet of red roses, which anyone who knew Camilla would know were far from her favorite.

"Are you sure these are for me?" she inquired as politely as possible.

"Are you Camilla Cadell?"

She nodded and accepted the bouquet, still confused. Once back inside she looked at the note card and it immediately explained her questions about the unfortunate flower choice: Steven. She wondered how the hell he even got her address and made a mental note to ask the hospital staff if anyone gave it to him on Monday. The flowers were not at fault and she felt bad so she put them in a vase and placed them on the kitchen island. She then quickly changed into her workout clothes, grabbed her mat and walked to a local studio for a morning yoga session. When she got back, her phone had a new array of endless messages and missed phone calls. "Great," she muttered to herself and proceeded to first make coffee. She could tackle the new messages with some caffeine in her system. She brewed her favorite kind of medium roast, added a splash of half and half and a dash of sweetener and began going through her phone. She listened to the voicemail from her brother first:

"Yo sis! Happy birthday, you're getting hella old. Like fine wine though. Listen, don't even try to say no to this. I've got a little get together planned, alright. I know you don't like that stuff but you're my only sister and you can't stop me from celebrating you. So...do whatever you want with your day, but meet me at Dover Lane at 7:00pm for come cocktails with friends, alright? Call me back when you get this."

She sighed. Dominick meant well, but the last thing she wanted to do with her night was cocktails with friends. Having to listen about everyone's lives and then endure personal questions about her own. It was tiring just thinking about it, when all she really wanted to do was lay on the couch and watch a movie, and maybe eat some ice cream. But he was her brother, and she wasn't going to deny him the joy of throwing her a birthday get together, so she texted him back to let him know she'd be there. Dover Lane was a fancy restaurant with a booming bar and sick private rooms. At least she knew she would eat some decent food for her birthday.

A quick glance at her closet revealed that she didn't have much to wear for the night as she had recently went on a closet purge and donated most of her things to a women's shelter. She glanced at the clock, there was still plenty of time to go shopping. Even though Camilla was frugal 90% of the time, she didn't mind splurging on things on occasion. Money was made to be spent, after all. Of course a lot of her money went to helping her family, donating, and causes dear to her heart, but at times she didn't mind to make a dent in her bank account for something a little extra.

And now that she was standing in the middle of Barneys on her birthday, she knew it was time to get a little crazy. First, she needed a nice dress. And shockingly, it didn't take long to find one. She knew it was "the one" right away. A sexy, simple and sophisticated black Bottega Veneta made in Italy. Plunging V-neck and sleeveless. When the saleslady saw her try it on she gulped for air, which is how Camilla knew this was the right choice. Price tag: $2,220. Next were shoes. Camilla spent most of her life in comfortable hospital shoes, but today she decided to spice things up and a brand new pair of nude patent leather Christian Louboutin pumps would do it. All for the lovely price of $695. Even though she made great money as a surgeon, she still had a tiny pang of guilt for spending all this money on herself, but she quickly forgot all about it as she moved to the jewelry section. She splurged on a pair of gold earrings and a diamond necklace, and begged the salesperson to not even tell her the total but just go ahead and charge her. As she was fishing around in her wallet, a credit card fell out onto the floor. Not just any credit card. It was Klay's American Express, more commonly known as the Black Card, one of the most expensive and prestigious credit cards. Camilla was caught off guard, she completely forgot she had it. Klay, who was also frugal with his money, yet highly generous when it came to those he loved, had given her the card one day as she was going shopping and told her to "have fun." When she told him she didn't need him paying for things, he made an annoyed Klay face and told her it made him feel good to splurge on her. So she took the card with her, and apparently never returned it. She was sure he cancelled it by now and had a new one mailed, but she decided to FedEx it over to him right after leaving Barneys, just in case. She picked the same-day service, and then went home to get ready for her dinner.

After she showered, shaved and moisturized, she began tackling her makeup. An hour later, her face was properly caked up and ready to party. She then quickly curled her blonde tresses into loose waves and squeezed into her sexy nighttime outfit. Nobody would point to her and believe she was a surgeon. Tonight, she resembled an Instagram model. She laughed as she looked at herself in the mirror, it wasn't often that she had the chance to wear an outfit like this. But sometimes a girl had to feel sexy, and if not on her birthday then when?

After she grabbed a Dior purse to go with her outfit, she ordered a Lyft and made her way downstairs. She had to hold back a giggle when she saw Jerry do a double take.

"Have a great evening Miss Cadell," he called out.

"You too Jerry," she replied. No matter how many times she asked him to call her Camilla, he still used Miss Cadell, so eventually she just gave up.

The scene at Dover Lane was predictable. Girls squeezed into sexy little numbers, rich gentlemen looking to get lucky for the night, and a slew of waitstaff waiting for their shift to be over. Dominick had gotten them a private room, and as the hostess brought her inside a gaggle of her friends and family screamed "surprise!" and shot confetti straight in her face. Camilla felt tired already, and she hadn't even begun socializing. But she put on a good face, and began making the rounds with her friends. She thanked people, she caught up with girlfriends who talked about their babies and husbands, she caught up with guy friends who all wanted to know why she was still single, she thanked her family for surprising her and caught them up on her work and life (which was her work). Her mother asked her when she would be getting a grandchild, to which Camilla directed her to ask Dominick. This question infuriated her, for reasons she didn't want to share with her family, and certainly not on her birthday.

The private room was a great experience. The food kept on coming, the drinks kept on flowing and the party seemed to be never ending. But sometime around midnight, Dominick's girlfriend began puking her guts out, and slowly but surely people began realizing it was time to call it a night. Camilla said goodbye to everyone, and accompanied Dom and his lady home to ensure that they would be okay. After making sure the girl didn't have alcohol poisoning, and putting Dom to bed, she was free at last. She was finally going to go home, get into some comfy pj's and shamelessly watch a few episodes of Law and Order SVU.

When she walked into her building the downstairs desk was empty, which was unusual. But she chalked it up to Jerry using the restroom. She took the elevator to her floor, and got out to find an unlikely scene at her door. Jerry wan wrangling with a very annoyed looking Klay Thompson. She stood there speechless was a moment until Jerry noticed her.

"Miss Cadell, this gentleman has been insistent on seeing you and will not leave. Do you want me to call the police?" he asked eagerly, as if he couldn't wait to have Klay arrested.

"No, no, it's fine Jerry," she quickly responded trying to diffuse the situation.

"You know me, Jerry!" an exasperated Klay exclaimed.

"I knew you when Miss Cadell was seeing you. I no longer know you, sir, and unless she says otherwise, you no longer have access to her floor." Jerry was a tough one. Because Camilla didn't exactly explain the reasons for her and Klay's breakup, he naturally took her side and assumed that like many of the other NBA players Klay had cheated on her with a groupie, and that's why they split up. Camilla didn't bother to correct him. It felt nice to have someone so squarely on her side.

Klay looked like he was about to start arguing or throwing punches, so Camilla hurried to open her door.

"It's okay, thank you Jerry, we're fine for now," she gently instructed and Jerry begrudgingly made his way toward the elevator with Klay mad dogging him all the way.

"Come on in, before he actually calls the police," she whispered. Klay followed her inside.

"What...are you doing here?" she asked, setting down all her birthday gift bags by the entrance and flipping on the light switch. The light illuminated Klay's handsome but tired face. Poor guy needed some time off she thought.

"This," he said, waving a FedEx envelope in front of her face.

"It's your card," she said, not understanding why he needed to come all this way to discuss an old credit card.

"I know, but you didn't have to send it back to me on your birthday. It still works, you can use it you know? Get yourself a birthday gift or something," he said and she realized he was slightly intoxicated.

"I don't need to use your card, Klay. Thank you," she replied gently. She felt so many emotions rushing through her upon seeing him again. First she remembered how crazy tall he was. Then she remembered how nice his cologne smelled. And lastly she couldn't stop thinking about how handsome his face was in person. It felt so good to see him again, but she knew him being here was bad news.

"It's your birthday," he stated. "I...I couldn't not say happy birthday. I couldn't not see you, CC," he said using his old nickname for her. It made her heart flutter. He inched closer to her face and she felt her breath stop. Suddenly, his eyes darted to something on the side of her.

"What the hell are those?" he asked, looking at the bouquet of red roses and marching towards the kitchen island to inspect them. Before she had a chance to make something up he exclaimed, "Steve! Who the hell is Steven?"

"Just a co-worker," she hastily replied.

"A co-worker? Sending you red roses? You don't even like roses, or did that change too?" he asked with a passive aggressive tone.

"No, I don't care for them."

"Steven, wow. You said you weren't leaving me for another guy. You said you weren't even looking for another relationship," he stated and squinted his eyes in that way that let Camilla know he was not happy. "Do you wish Steven was here instead of me?" and for a second he sounded like an unsure teenage boy.

"Of course not. I'm...I'm really happy to see you. And trust me, Steven is nobody to me," she replied, trying to reassure him. He didn't look reassured, but he didn't comment on it any further.

"You look...amazing by the way," he said and suddenly she felt self conscious in her tight outfit. "I brought you a gift. Sort of. I know you don't want it, but I don't want it either and I don't want to take it back. So take it, sell it, give it to a friend, donate it, do whatever you want with it. I just can't hold onto it," he said pulling out a little ring box. She felt her face flush at the sight of it and remembered the night he had first shown it to her, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. That night still replayed in her mind often, and saying "no" to his proposal was the hardest choice she'd ever had to make. And now the ring was back, staring her in the face.

"Klay..." she started.

"Just take it," he said and the tone of his voice left no room for argument. She accepted it, knowing very well that inside was the most gorgeous cushion cut engagement ring she'd ever laid eyes on. It was heartbreaking to think about, because she wanted nothing more than to say yes and be happy with him forever. But it couldn't be so simple, of course not, nothing in her life ever was.

"I hated not spending your birthday with you, and not knowing where you were, and what you were doing, and who you were with," he confessed.

"Klay, you have a game coming up, you have to focus," she said, trying to change the subject because the sight of him was becoming altogether far too distracting.

"I can focus on the game but I need to get you off my mind first," he replied as he closed the space between them. She was too breathless to even try to stop what she knew was about to happen. "I need you," he whispered looking deep into her eyes, and then he pressed his lips to hers.

Their lips met like two forces of nature: strong and wild. She didn't even realize how much she had missed him and his smart mouth. But now she remembered, as his tongue exploring her mouth was the most welcome sensation. His hands traveled further down her back to cup her behind.

"Mmm," he moaned into her mouth and she felt herself getting wet for him. This was bad, this was really bad, but at the speed it was going she had no way to stop it. If she pulled the emergency brake now, they would crash and burn. She had to ride this one out.

Their kiss got more and more hungry and desperate, and his hands began traveling all over her body now, in erratic urgency. She felt an electric shock pulse through her when his finger brushed past her nipple. Klay was the only man who could do this to her, make her completely lose control of herself.

"Oh God baby," she mumbled as the sensations continued to build, and the look in his eyes had her weak. She was completely at his disposal, and would do anything for him in this moment. He picked her up so that her legs were wrapped around his waist, and carried her upstairs into the bedroom. Once he laid her on the bed, with once swift movement he removed his shirt. She loved the way he was built, not skinny but not outrageously muscular either. Just the perfect medium.

"Time to get you out of this sexy little number," he mused, looking down at her little black dress. But first he grabbed her expensive heels and pulled them off her feet, one by one. He then reached around her back and pulled down the zipper of her dress, meanwhile she inhaled his delicious scent. It was a Dior cologne she had bought him a while back, mixed with his own natural scent: a heavenly combination. He pulled off the dress, leaving her in a sexy matching set of black lace underwear.

"This is a sight I could look at forever," he said, then slowly positioned himself on top of her as they began another vigorous kissing session. His tall frame and all two hundred and fifteen pounds of him felt deliciously burdensome on top of her, and she felt herself getting more and more excited with each of his grinds. She also felt his hard manhood press into her underwear. She missed that part of him more than she wanted to admit. Just when she thought she was about to explode from all the overwhelming sensations, she felt his hand make its way inside her panties. She let out a loud moan as his fingers brushed against her sensitive clit, then slowly moved down to her very wet opening. He slid in two fingers with absolute ease, and she was almost embarrassed at how ready she was for him.

"Fuck, you're so wet," he groaned into her ear.

"I need you inside me baby," she begged, the sensation of his fingers driving her crazy. She needed to feel him, all of him, in her. He quickly slipped out of his underwear and pulled off her panties, then pushed his deliciously large yet proportionate cock deep inside of her in one smooth movement. They both groaned in complete ecstasy at the feeling of their bodies reuniting once again in this most intimate way.

He began slowly thrusting in and out of her, and as they looked into each others eyes she knew that she wasn't going to last very long, and by the look in his eyes he wasn't going to either. It had been too long, and the build up to this was too great. As his cock pressed into her once again she felt herself getting incredibly close to her climax.

"Cum for me baby," he begged her and she could feel by his cock growing slightly larger inside of her that he was on the verge of letting go. The thought of his hot cum inside her pushed her over the edge, and she began orgasming in strong pulsating waves, gripping his hard cock and pulling it even further into her. Her orgasm was his last straw, and as he let out a loud groan she felt his cum inside her. He remained on top of her and insider her, letting their breathing slow down. She rubbed his back gently.

"God I missed this," he confessed, slowly rolling off of her and onto his side. She smiled. She missed this and him more than she could ever articulate into words. But with a sad realization, she knew this would have to come to an end eventually. Yet she decided to give them one more night to relive the old times.

"Did you watch the game today?" he asked, switching subjects.

"You know I did." He smiled.

"I always do better when I know you're watching," he confessed.

"Really?" she asked, taken aback and flattered.

"Yeah, I guess I probably secretly try to impress you," he said and she admired his sudden vulnerability, since it was rare for him to open up about his feelings like this.

"I'm always impressed by you. I have been since high school. You know that," she stated plainly. It was true, she always found Klay's athletic ability and drive to succeed impressive. But what she found most impressive was his big heart, the way he loved his family, the way he cared about his teammates. He was a good man, an honorable man, despite the fact that the media would sometimes try to paint him otherwise.

"Yeah, I know mami," he replied and rolled onto his back, deep in thought. Now it was her turn to move onto her side as she nuzzled close to him. What was the harm in cuddling for one night? It was her birthday, after all. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, but she could tell from the expression on his face he was thinking about something. She wouldn't ask, didn't want to start up the subject again and cause an argument. She just wanted to enjoy this last rendezvous for what it was. And it was right when she was on the verge of that precipice, the state between awake and asleep, when she heard him whisper "I love you" into her hair, and she realized that they had just made things a lot more difficult for themselves.

[carebear102279]

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE PART

(I just realized my whole stories aren't posting, so sorry here's the rest of A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.)

Gabby "ok."

Antonio "promise me you're not going to go all gabby Dawson on this news."

Gabby "for fuck sake just tell me."

Sylvie "I'm pregnant with twins. Oh as you guessed you're brother is the father."

Antonio "so you're going to be una tia again. We are still figuring out us."

Gabby "really!! I'm so happy for both of you. Ok I love you both, but I have to go. Tell everyone I said hi."

Sylvie "ok. Love you too."

Antonio "love you too, sis."

The video chat ended.

Sylvie "I miss gabby so much."

Antonio "I miss her too. Come here."

He pulled her in for a hug. Wishing gabby wasn't so far away. But they both knew gabby was were she needed to be.

Sylvie was 6 months pregnant when she was put on office duty at 51. It wasn't the same as being on ambo. But she still got to be with her firehouse family.

Antonio was doing good. Still clean after the day he pushed Eva's attacker through a wall. He was going to NA and going to counseling. He was back at intelligence, a place where he felt like his old self. As close to it he could be.

Antonio arrived at 51 to pick up Sylvie. It was ultrasound day, to find out the gender of their twins. Hopefully the babies cooperate, because they haven't so far.

Antonio "ready to go Sylvie?"

Sylvie "yes."

Arriving at med, they were led to a patient's room. Dr Halstead arrived to perform the ultrasound. He was able to fit Sylvie into his schedule.

Will "ok you two. Are you ready to see your babies?"

Antonio "yes."

Sylvie nodded and grabbed Antonio's hand.

Will "ok. Well your twins appear to be healthy. Now do you want to know the genders of the twins?"

Sylvie "yes we do."

Antonio "like she said."

Will "smart man." Will chuckled.

Will "well you are having a girl and a boy. One of each. Congratulations to both of you." Will handed them the pictures of the ultrasound. "Just remember to keep your appointment with your ob, Sylvie. Again congrats."

Sylvie and Antonio were in the room by themselves. Absorbing the news of their twins. They were still trying to figure out them as a couple.

Sylvie "Antonio?"

Antonio "what is it?"

Sylvie "I want us. I love you."

Antonio looked at this amazing woman. Who was carrying their babies. And she loved him. In spite of the chaos that was his life. Antonio took a chance and leaned in and kissed her. "I love you too. More than you realize. Now will you move in with me? Because I've bought a house that will fit our growing family."

Sylvie "ok. I'll move in with you. We have a nursery to get ready."

While leaving the hospital, they ran into Kyle. Which definitely was awkward. But it was bound to happen sometimes.

Kyle "Sylvie and Antonio, good to see you. Hope all is going well in your pregnancy, Sylvie."

Sylvie "everything is going good. Antonio and are good. We are moving in together."

Kyle "good for both of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to work."

Antonio "well that wasn't awkward at all. He still cares about you."

Sylvie put his hands on his face "hey, you have nothing to worry about. I am completely in love with you. You are the love of my life. It just took our babies to knock some sense into us. I love you Antonio Dawson. If I have to spend the rest of my life showing you, each and everyday. I will do that for you. For us and all 4 of our kids."

Antonio put his hands on her pregnant belly. And kissed her gently. "I love you so much. Let's go home."

Sylvie was almost 8 months pregnant, standing in the nursery. Their babies names were above each crib. She heard the front door open. Rubbing her belly, she spoke softly to her twins "guess what your daddy is home."

Antonio came into the nursery. Holding a dozen roses and a little box. He got down on one knee "you are the best thing to happen to me. You love my kids like they were your own. Will you become my wife? Will you marry me Sylvie Brett?"

Sylvie "yes, but under one condition we get married before the babies are born. Which could be soon, twins are rarely carried to term."

Antonio smiled "of course, I'll make some calls. How about tomorrow?"

Sylvie "sounds good."

Antonio made sure his kids where there. He flew her parents in. Hank picked them up from the airport. Sylvie's firehouse family would be there. Along with intelligence and of course Trudy. Plus some of med came. Sylvie walked through the courthouse doors. She saw her parents and everyone else.

Sylvie "you did all this Antonio? For me?"

Antonio "of course. I'd do anything for you."

Sylvie and Antonio were married in front of their family and friends. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Now was time to wait for the birth of their twins.

Sylvie was 2 & 1/2 weeks to her due date. Antonio was at work and Sylvie was resting on the couch with her feet up. She was really uncomfortable today. The doorbell rang. Since Antonio insisted the door locked. It took Sylvie awhile to get up.

Sylvie "I'm coming." Opening the door there stood Laura Dawson. "Hi Laura, what brings you here. Antonio is at work today. Please come in."

Laura "so when will Antonio be home?"

Sylvie had her hands on her very pregnant belly "I'm not sure. But I can give him a call. He has his phone on at all times. Jay told me he jumps every time the phone rings."

Laura paused "so how are you feeling?"

Sylvie "everything hurts today. I'm ready to have these twins. So hopefully soon." Sylvie grabbed the couch arm, gripping it hard. "Holy shit, this hurts."

Laura "are you in labor?"

Sylvie breathed slowly "yes, I think so."

Laura "well I'm not leaving you here. Where's your bag?"

Sylvie "closet.....by...... the......ummmm..... door."

Laura "we'll call Antonio on the hospital."

Laura helped his ex husband's new wife Sylvie to her car. Something she never thought she'd be doing.

On the way to med, Sylvie called Antonio "Antonio I'm in labor and on the way to the hospital."

Antonio "ok, please tell me your not driving."

Sylvie "no, but you might think differently once you find out who."

Antonio "oh hell, who?"

Sylvie "Laura stopped over to talk to you."

Sylvie put the phone on speaker. Antonio was swearing in Spanish.

Laura "ok Antonio calm down. I wasn't going to leave Sylvie with her in labor. Now just get your ass to the hospital. You can yell at me later, but not now."

Arriving at med Laura helped Sylvie into the emergency room. Laura "hey, I need a doctor now!!"

Dr Rhodes "oh Sylvie." He put Sylvie into a wheel chair. Paging Sylvie's doctor, bringing her up to the ob floor.

Sylvie looked at Laura "thank you."

Laura "your welcome. I'll wait for Antonio."

Dr Rhodes helped Sylvie get to her room. Hooking her up to monitors.

Antonio ran into the ER, running into Laura "where's Sylvie Laura?"

Laura "Dr Rhodes brought her up to delivery. Go, your wife needs you."

Antonio "thank you Laura." His ex wife could surprise the hell out of him every once in a while.

Laura "welcome. I'll call the kids and let them know."

Antonio arrived in Sylvie's room "hey baby."

Sylvie was breathing through a contraction "hey."

Sylvie and Antonio welcome there beautiful healthy twins into the world a girl they named after his mom, little baby Camilla Gabriella Dawson. They were going to call her Camie. There little boy they chose the name Justin Henry. Of course with Hank's blessing. Their extended family came to meet the new babies. Eva and Diego got to meet their new brother and sister. Camilla cried when she heard her new grandaugher's. Gabby met her new niece and nephew over video chat.

Only Antonio and Sylvie were left in the room. Sylvie was holding Camilla and Antonio was holding Justin.

Antonio kissed his wife "thank you for making me a dad again. I love you so much."

Sylvie "thank you for making me a mommy. I love you so much Antonio. I just gave birth to twins naturally by the way. So please come her and give me a kiss.

Antonio chuckled, leaning in and kissing his wife "I'm so proud of you baby. I love you Sylvie Dawson."

Sylvie "I love you to Antonio Dawson."

[thegreatpikminzx789]

Etrian Odyssey Nexus - Overall Thoughts

Amidst all of the plotting and playing of Nexus, I never done a legit review of a game, so I figured I’d give it a try with the recent entry in the EO series, Etrian Odyssey Nexus.

The following will contain spoilers for the game, so if you have not played it, you have been warned.

The favorite thing I’ve recently played the thought with, ever since I touched EOIV was creating a party that felt attached to the world they lived in, and can develop more to the plot than being nameless members who merely want to clear Yggdrasil for fame or fortune. And with a grand total of nineteen classes, along with the pseudo-class of Vampires, and it’s a combination of characters you’d never thought would happen to meet up unless told through stories.

EOV sort of felt that way to me, but even the two remakes of the first two Etrian Odyssey games have a more balanced party that makes you feel attached to them than your own in some cases.

If you wanted to recreate the Hexer, there’s a way. If you wanted to use a few of EO3′s classes even if you have not played the original game, you can do so. You can even replicate the Hoplite class if you subclass the Protector with the Highlander! The amount of classes can make almost any class combinations possible, given you set things up correctly. Heck, the Vampire can even be of use against the Dinogator, given you know what you’re doing.

The fact that this game also has NPC’s that interact with you reminds me of EOIV greatly. Sure, only one really joins you for the first floor, and for the boss of that labyrinth if you allow her to, but there’s enough interaction that makes them feel more noteworthy, even if they merely travel beside you and give you small benefits.

The story is quite interesting as well- two sides (the Seafarers and the Maginians) wanting to find the ultimate treasure that supposedly grants ‘eternal prosperity’. Only to find out said eternal prosperity may not be all that it may seem. There were legitimate moments where I thought things were going to go wrong if I didn’t do something to stop it.

Apart from a few times I gotten a game over, I had an enjoyable playthrough of the main story, especially with my first attempt at defeating the final boss after things seemed to go badly.

Heck, even Makiri and the Forest Folk were such a cool thing to have in Lemuria. And hearing the Lost Shinjuku music in their village is giving me such major EOU flashbacks, I honestly wish we can have an EO game where Forest Folk can be an actual race that can be used for classes.

Now, with every good thing, there’s always a few things I hated. Not that I have to like everything, coming from a gamer/author’s perspective, but there were things that legit bugged me a bit.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Rob when he actually opened up more, but honestly, seeing him telling my characters to just end themselves was really making me want to just put down the game and despise him for all that he stands for. It just irks me whenever a character, or anyone really, tells another to end their life because things would be better for this particular person. That line will always bug me whenever I see him, but I persevered and enjoyed him for what he is.

Kvasir, Kvasir, Kvasir... Even with his hard to pronounce name, he turned out to be waaaaay different when I first met him. His voice is alright, but I really wish he didn’t have to have this creepy personality, and the fact that he admits a few times that he stripped his clothes and getting banned for being nude. I never hated a barkeeper before, but Kvasir takes the number one place in my characters to never mention list. If there was an option to head to a different barkeep/quest giver in game, I would’ve been MORE than content with Kirtida or Cass than listening to this lame excuse of a bartender!

Also the lack of EOV content, aside from two classes and a plethora of enemies and one boss from the game, kinda hurts me a bit, but there’s always DLC portraits to remedy the good old times of EOV. Hell, maybe even the only remaining Arken could’ve been a much more better fit for Lemuria’s Yggdrasil Tree resident, considering the almost out of nowhere reveal of the “Yggdrasil Girl” that was name dropped on ya in the credits, and only appears for the info-dump and True Jormungandr segment.

I know the Arken are considered aliens and are the most plot-confusing things ever since the revelation thrown at you after the Eternal Tyrant boss, but honestly, I find Arken to be more pleasing in terms of design, instead of having to look at a physical-almost-nude-representation of the Yggdrasil Tree itself. In fact, I don’t think it’s ever mentioned how the tree even MANAGED to make a physical form of it’s conscious. It’s just irritating to think of, and I had always wondered when she’ll physically appear whenever her voice clips played. Guess that’s another change to my Nexus series. Just change Arken to be the resident of the Yggdrasil Tree in Lemuria, and you’d have at least one character that isn’t stupid to try and explain what happened in the not-originating-from-EO3-dungeon, the Abyssal Shrine, instead of saving it all for the freaking 5th floor, like what EOV did in its sixth labyrinth. >_>

Hell, even the Abyssal Shrine IS a basic copy-paste of the Empyreal Bridge! No actual plot dump until you reach the final floor! Seriously, this dungeon could’ve been better. Even as someone who has not seen the original Abyssal Shrine, I would’ve loved to see it remodeled. Given the boss theme and the Abyssal Princess’ naming alone, that was such a missed opportunity...

Moving on... I knew Blót was going to be the antagonist the moment I connected the little bell with a class that appeared in EO1 and EO2. But the twin plot twist was something I certainly didn’t expect, and it’s a shame we only see him so much without the Hexer robes and he tries so hard to be so secretive that there’s barely any opportunities to know him or his twin brother that well (who I’m also assuming may be named Blót, considering the Hexer twin Blót dies to Jormungandr, while the Hero Blót gets thrown into the Abyssal Shrine).

Honestly, with this twin plot twist in mind, this certainly makes one idea for a saga of Yggdrasil’s Nexus to be a fun trip to write, given I am given time to do so. Blót is one of those characters that had a missed opportunity to be more explained, both in terms of his twin brother, and for the thought of reviving Jormungandr to begin with. The inner author within me is going to have a little fun with Blót, in hopes of explaining more than what the game tried to convey to its best. (Also missed an opportunity for a Hero/Hexer fight with Blót and his twin brother, like, come on, how can you play Towering Pair and NOT borrow the Ren/Thlatchga fight to make it more interesting?)

Also, Artelinde. Why was she here? I ignored her the first time I saw her and thought “Hey, that’s a nice character, I wonder who she is”. Having gotten around to playing EO2U sometime later in my life, I found myself questioning why she was even here. The game could’ve shed some light on what happened between EO2/EO2U to justify her being here, but it doesn’t... And it just begs why she had to be here other than representation for EO2.

Murdered tons of people all to protect a former guild member turned monster thanks to the Overlord? NOPE, no extending redemption arc/back story for you! You get relegated to being a martyr like character! Ugh... I really wanted to hear her struggles of redeeming herself for what she did, but I guess that idea never made it into the plot draft of Nexus... <_>

Things I disliked aside, the only thing I found myself being neutral on was Enrica.

Despite the massive flashbacks to Camilla from Fire Emblem If/Fates with her fan service boob appeal, I felt she really could’ve been different and not act like a child upon first meeting her. Heck, she’s even a freaking Farmer in-game, if her luck with finding items is any indication. How the heck does a character that has the coding of a Farmer LOOK like that, let alone have plot relevance? I was expecting a Sovereign at least because she mentions ‘becoming a queen’ once she goes back to her homeland, but nope. A freaking FARMER.

Sigh

I don’t hate her that much, she’s just one of those “meh, I can deal with this” type of character.

My overall thoughts are that there’s a strange balance of good and bad things I don’t like in this game. Sure, I wish there could’ve been more classes, some more things explained/justified, and an actual English dub to boot, but the need to get this out before the 3DS era of games come to a close is rather understandable. Even without Mystery Dungeon 2 being able to make it over to the West, this is a great dedication to the series Etrian Odyssey has made itself out to be, and I am personally glad to have bought the game and gotten myself into the series.

This is one game that sends off the EO series on a good note, and though I’ll miss mapping out the maps when the next installment arrives, I’ll be glad to see, make, and enjoy the story of the lore that goes into the Etrian Odyssey series.