#hers probably extends to most extreme heat with a side effect of leaving her bad with cold temperatures

[dorothyofozhospital]

Oh, there it was, the look; she hadn't explained that, had she? "I'm...immune to fire," Dorothy explains quickly, fetching the rack for the bacon, "I don't know if other ghouls have similar immunities, but that's mine."

The grease pops and sizzles as she transfers it, flicking onto her skin painfully; it can't hurt her in any meaningful way, but it's still hot and deeply unpleasant. "Anyways, whoever else you want to cook for probably doesn't have the same immunity as me so if you're going to cook this back at your own dorm later, you need to be careful, Buddy. If anyone else wants to cook with you, too..." She trails off, "Well, just remember to be careful."

Towa has never had a great relationship with food. He didn’t hate it, he just…didn’t need it. Even so, he still knew the basics of cooking – it’s a skill everyone should have, after all. Except, it wasn’t a skill, not for him anyway. Normally Towa wouldn’t think twice about this kind of thing, but after last night, he started to wonder if he should worry about his abilities (or lack thereof) in the kitchen. 

You see, that night it was his turn to cook (something new that they were trying out in the Jabberwock dorm), and he decided to make the one thing he really knew how to cook: Porridge. No it wasn’t a filling meal for dinner, but again, Towa doesn’t need food. Plus, he figured if the other two were really hungry, they’d just suck it up and eat it. So when Ren outright refused to touch his meal, and Haru pretended to like it even though he’d spit it out into a napkin when he thought Towa wasn’t looking, he knew he had to make a change. He hardly ever felt shame, but last night was particularly humbling for Towa. 

And so that’s how he ended up in his current spot – sitting on the kitchen counters of the Mystery Diner and kicking his feet idly as he watched the chef anomaly attempt to make something that vaguely resembled food. Personally, Towa thought he was doing a great job, but again, what does he know about food or cooking? He only ever ate plants and flowers for God’s sake. The poor anomaly looked absolutely terrified though, constantly looking over its shoulder as if it were waiting for Towa to strike at any moment. He just had that effect on most anomalies, it seemed. But the chef would have to put up with Towa’s antics, because he wasn’t going to leave until he learned how to properly cook a meal.

[kiruuuuu]

I had the pleasure of talking this through with you, @cerosin​, and the end result is.... definitely unhealthier than your initial request, but I hope you’ll like it anyway :) I also certainly took my time with this, thank you for waiting and thank you for the request 🖤🖤 (Kapkan/Glaz, Rating E, angst fluff + smut, ~4.6k words)

.

He can tell when it gets bad again.

Obviously, there are the spontaneous bursts, attacks he can neither predict nor prevent and therefore has to react on the spot, but those have receded: the people around them have learnt how to avoid triggering anything, and Glaz has learnt how to remove Kapkan from these situations efficiently. No, this isn’t about sudden, blind panic, not about shortness of breath or wild eyes. This is about the prickling right below Glaz’ skin; like a constant stream it erodes the sense of safety that’s built up over weeks or, if they’re lucky, months. Erodes the complacency like it’s dust settling in bit by bit, undisturbed and growing. Glaz has stopped minding boring. Because boring implied a routine, and calmness, and freedom from -

From the alternative.

From what’s happening right now.

If anyone asked, he’d reply that he feels safe no matter what. That he’s in control, and even if he’s not, that he knows how to regain it; after all, he senses it coming as it accumulates slowly, yet not so slow he doesn’t notice. He’s safe, even if he wakes up to a sharp jab in the side or a hand around his throat, because he can deal with it. He’s safe, even if temper flares hotly at him like an open flame, because he knows it might lick him, leave a stinging burn, but it will never consume him.

He justifies himself to this non-existent asker, someone on the outside, a concerned citizen. He does this a lot, conducts conversations like he’s Plato writing a dialogue between his teacher, Socrates, and someone unimportant, someone only necessary to play dumb and prompt the next wall of text. Glaz goes into great detail until this imaginary person is convinced. He wonders what this says about him.

So yes. He’s as confident as ever, though he takes the warning signs seriously. He listens to the tone rising in volume with each passing day, powerless to stop it but capable of manipulating it.

.

“You’ve already asked me twice what I want for breakfast so stop fucking talking about it”, snaps the love of his life, a man who leaves him breathless in so many ways each and every day.

Glaz doesn’t mention how Kapkan has failed to give a straight answer so far, and instead defuses the tension with a bratty: ���Guess I’ll just feed the leftovers to the neighbour’s dog then.”

He can basically hear Kapkan perking up at this, even if his back is turned. If possible, his lover would eat meat for literally every meal, and heated up for breakfast, he’s even more unable to say no. “You know I’d eat it out of her bowl if necessary”, he grumbles, the fire having died down as quickly as it reared up. Glaz has gotten extremely good at appeasing him over the years.

“I’ll take that as a yes then”, he summarises and tosses the scraps in question into the microwave. Self neglect is one of the largest red flags Kapkan wears on his back whenever it gets bad, and it’s the one Glaz will combat head on. It’s the one he’s allowed to mention as it doesn’t scream you’re abnormal, you’re ill, you’ve got issues – instead, he can disguise it as stress, something easily forgettable, low priority. As such, it’s easiest to deal with as he can remedy it immediately: suggest taking a bath together, which is something Kapkan never refuses, or he offers to cook, pretends he’s not feeling well and needs company so Kapkan joins him in bed early. Once there, his lover falls asleep quickly, but left to his own devices, he’d stay up till morning.

No, he doesn’t need to babysit him, Glaz informs his imaginary interviewer politely yet firmly. Kapkan can and does take care of himself. But if he can facilitate it, why shouldn’t he? He receives more than enough in return. Kapkan would die for him in a heartbeat, he knows this because it almost happened before, he’d do whatever Glaz demands of him, he’s a reliable presence in Glaz’ life, loving, supportive, strong. Their infatuation is mutual and not diminished by demons which are not Kapkan’s fault.

It’s difficult to predict how this episode will go. Some cumulate in a fight, be it verbal or physical, others peak unnoticeably and then ebb until Glaz nearly forgets about the whole thing, can’t imagine a universe where they aren’t the world’s most perfect couple. People often don’t appreciate their health until they fall ill. Glaz has learnt to fiercely appreciate the days on which every smile is teased out gently instead of requiring heavy machinery to surface.

.

They met in Spetsnaz, a perceived eternity ago, and by all rights should’ve separated unscathed instead of their lives intermingling the way they did in the end. Glaz’ hand to hand was rubbish and Kapkan consistently disappointed in him, leaving them both frustrated with each other, yet not to the point of memorability. Kapkan should’ve remained that morose instructor with the hard set to his mouth, and Glaz his largely incompetent yet well-meaning student of which he’s probably had plenty. Nothing about him was remarkable – nothing about either of them, really –, until some people fell ill and some others got married, and suddenly Glaz was accompanying his fellow Spetsnaz on an extended hunting trip. As if Glaz had been fifteenth in line for the throne and fate removed all fourteen in between, and now he was at his coronation, not entirely sure how he got here.

It wasn’t the two of them alone, of course, a few acquaintances and curious souls went with them, but overall not enough people to comfortably hide one’s personality for an entire month. This is when Glaz noticed that Kapkan, when talking about his passion, was easy to look at. The glint in his otherwise piercing pale eyes was contagious and Glaz inquired a lot more about hunting in general and Kapkan’s experience specifically than he’d originally intended.

Usually, Glaz falls easily, almost at the drop of a hat. Someone smiles at him wrong, someone does him an unexpected favour, and he’s gone. Lost. If this happens, it’s fleeting. But when it takes him a while to even realise he’s staring and hovering, it means it’s serious.

They require five years to get together.

During that time, they keep invading each other’s life almost by chance, end up assigned to the same place or on the same mission, and the grin he receives when they meet once more is a genuine one. Glaz longs for more and ever more: a laugh, then a touch, time spent alone, time spent alone that’s timeless and neverending in their minds. Every new bit which he almost wishes into existence he treasures and keeps it close to his heart so it warms him during the time between their meetings. This is how he thinks of his days now – either real, actual events, or merely waiting. When Kapkan isn’t there, reality loses its focus.

He doesn’t remember the words leading up the kiss and it’s something he regrets to this day. Vaguely, he recalls words too brazen and brash for his otherwise quiet, timid character, though they probably were nothing but innocent to others. But Kapkan – Kapkan understood, Kapkan who’s known him for years and can tell it’s unusual for him, and he let it happen. Despite nothing coming back, Glaz wasn’t under the impression of his flattery to bounce off the hard exterior, rather he noticed it penetrating the roughness, finding holes in its defence. Kapkan soaked it up. He refused to dance but admired Glaz’ efforts nonetheless. And so they kissed.

Kissed in full gear, the relief of an uneventful mission flooding their systems, perched in the snow next to each other and lost in conversation instead of paying attention to something their colleagues had under control anyway. A routine extraction, no support needed, and Kapkan pulled down the cloth hiding his lower face when Glaz offered him some warm coffee, and then their lips are touching, their breath visible in the icy air and Glaz’ shoulder killing him over this odd angle.

Despite going home alone that day, he got no second of sleep. His heart wouldn’t calm down, and neither his thoughts. I’m the happiest man alive, he thought, clear as day and not a doubt in his mind.

.

“Strip.”

It does have its good sides. Two, as far as Glaz is concerned: Kapkan sticks to him like Velcro to wool, knowing nobody else can keep him in check the way his lover does. The worse it gets, the more excuses pop up to stay at home, to go out alone, to take Glaz along. He doesn’t mind switching topics and reading body language like a hawk if he can hold Kapkan’s hand in return, witness his dry wit and remarkable patience.

The second positive side effect is linked to the first. Being around each other constantly leads to certain things.

Glaz takes his time because he knows Kapkan likes it this way. He follows their established routine and discards his sweater first without revealing any skin on his torso. The motion exposes his arms, which he flexes subtly – he doesn’t need to cast a glance at his lover to know his eyes have strayed from his face. His t-shirt is next, showing off his chest and the ridges of his abs through controlled breathing and contracting his muscles at the right moment.

It’s slow, this ritual of theirs, deliberate, hides nothing. Glaz feels more and more naked in more ways than one, as if he’s laying his soul bare together with his body. Undressing is too profane a word, can’t come close to denoting what’s happening between them. He bathes in Kapkan’s attention, normally is indifferent about his own body but now takes pride as he’s being desired – a conscious action for its own sake. Kapkan wants him. It’s a state of being rather than a base need.

He isn’t unaffected. The more fabric lines the floor, the warmer the air gets: Glaz is sweating in the cool bedroom, cheeks reddened and his excitement visible, even more so once he’s fully nude. He breathes hard and dares not meet Kapkan’s gaze. This isn’t about him, after all, this is about obeying and allowing Kapkan to let off steam and an exercise in control. This is how Kapkan convinces himself he’s in control. He needs to be, desperately. And challenging him on this is the last thing Glaz wants.

“Lie down.”

The command is sharp yet leaves Glaz’ skin unmarred: he’s used to this, even looks forward to it when he begins noticing the change in Kapkan’s behaviour. Complying is natural, the sheet a cold relief under his heated body. He expected to be ordered to suck him, which is the most common request he receives in moments like these – he likes drawing it out but Kapkan usually can’t wait to be inside him, so he rarely gets to blow him under normal circumstances. Right now, when it’s about showing off the power he holds over Glaz, Kapkan doesn’t mind dragging it out. Quite the opposite.

“Hold these.”

A twitch between Glaz’ legs, he can’t tell from which body part (or maybe both?), because he knows what these words mean. He doesn’t have the peace of mind for this, he’ll fail and it’ll all be over, he already knows this. Not once has he passed this challenge, not once was he able to see it through to the end, resulting in a heavy throb in his crotch for the rest of the night until he could take care of himself without Kapkan knowing. It’s the sweetest torture, but torture it is nonetheless. He’s sure he’ll disappoint his lover.

Regardless, he lifts his hands until he can put his fingers together, letting Kapkan place objects between each pair of fingertips. Tonight, they’re bullets, threatening to slip out and fall onto his belly immediately. Whether or not he’ll be satisfied today relies entirely on his ability to hold them, restrain himself from sudden movements, concentrate until it’s over. If even only one drops, Kapkan will stop.

His tongue is hot, scorching hot, and velvety smooth, and Glaz’ eyelashes are fluttering. He stares at the bare ceiling, praying to an unknown deity for strength and presence of mind, and then he’s enveloped whole. His body shakes with his stuttering in- and exhales, but he keeps the ammunition where it is. For now.

This is what it must feel like when he services Kapkan. Hardly more than teasing, only just enough to keep his pleasure climbing and climbing, however minuscule the progress. Glaz cherishes every centimetre he slips further into the wet heat and curses it simultaneously. His mouth is struggling to produce sound as it doesn’t seem to know what’s appropriate; no moans escape him, his gasps are aborted and all that leaves his throat is a pained gargling, almost unwilling because he wants this so bad, wants to enjoy it yet has to stop himself from losing to the overwhelming pleasure.

Only when Kapkan sits up does Glaz realise how tense he is, that every muscle in his body was painfully taut. Bit by bit, he relaxes consciously, fighting back the memory of how it felt to be touched, licked, loved like this in order to focus. One of the metal objects has shifted, so he corrects it. Just in time before a hand closes around him.

The callouses on their own do nothing for him, but paired with perfect technique and the knowledge of all his sensitive spots, it’s nearly too much. Glaz moves into the motion, lifts his hips in the hopes of a speedier resolution, cursing inwardly when the rhythm slows to a crawl in response. Kapkan isn’t making this easy for him, that’s the whole point. The ministrations cease again for a moment, Glaz’ thighs are lifted, his legs bent, and this time, when he feels a tongue exploring him, it’s further down.

He squeezes his eyelids shut. This is too much. He can’t bear it. His toes twitch with pangs of discomfort, but when the hand returns, the mixture tilts into nothing but pure bliss. With every lick, his hands jolt, and he’s somehow still holding on to the bullets, without knowing how but not caring, not when he’s being opened through nothing but Kapkan’s mouth. He can feel his breath ghosting over his skin.

When he can’t take it anymore, he seeks other outlets. He digs his heels into the mattress, throws his head left and right, moans and whimpers and keens at the digits probing deep while a slick muscle tugs on his rim and a tight grip brings him closer and closer. He’s shivering as if it was below zero, and still his fingers don’t budge. The centre of his universe are these five gleaming items, and fanning out from there is deep elation emerging from inside him. Moving isn’t against the rules, so he writhes and rises and falls, strains upwards and downwards and rides towards his climax with chattering teeth. He can’t lose himself or everything will be in vain. But he wants to, oh does he want to.

His orgasm shatters him. His back curves as soon as the first wave hits him, and there he remains, right on the zenith, the sensations hardly fluctuating – instead it’s a steady stream of impossible pleasure and relief flooding him and his rigid form. He’s so tightly coiled that he presses out the bullets from between his fingertips, the warmed metal falling to his stomach and mixing with the long stripes painted onto his own skin, but he couldn’t care less. It’s monumental and leaves him shuddering for a minute afterwards, still revelling in the intensity of the moment.

Sinking back into the pillows, it’s as if a spell has been lifted. Kapkan regards him with a mixture of pride and smugness, warming Glaz’ heart: gone is the no-nonsense stare, the hard set to his mouth, the roughness in his touch. They smile at each other, a soft palm trailing over Glaz’ hips and thighs, and all he wants is to sleep curled up against this man whom he knows so well.

“Turn around”, says Kapkan. And though there’s a gentle hint in his voice, it’s obvious he won’t accept a no.

He doesn’t ask whether it’s alright for Glaz, because he’d let him know if it wasn’t. They’re both aware Glaz would speak up, meaning his compliance directly implies permission. This unspoken rule makes a lot of things easier.

No preparation needed, Kapkan has worked him open with his mouth and fingers already, so he slides right into the sensitive and overstimulated hole. Up to the hilt. Glaz’ whine is lost in the pillows.

“You’re beautiful”, Kapkan whispers and Glaz feels it in his throat, balls his hands into fists and clenches them around the sheets because he won’t be shown any more patience this evening.

Despite the discomfort, he likes this, too, the rawness of it and the glimpse he gets of undisguised emotions. In between sharp snaps and hard thrusts, Kapkan compliments him, each of his words melting Glaz below him, and the kisses now and then mask the loud noises. He doesn’t dare reciprocate, keeps his vocalisations garbled and takes it without moving, drinking in the growls and not commenting on the teeth burying into his skin. They’ll leave marks, he knows this.

This is what Kapkan’s composed attitude from before hid, this is what he really feels. Glaz would never deprive him of this, no matter how uncomfortable it is, because it’s one of the purest displays of Kapkan’s love. He can’t get enough of Glaz, doesn’t seem to know what to do with all this affection he harbours, so now and then it spills over. It’s reassuring. Their feelings for each other are this strong.

While Kapkan showers, Glaz gathers the bullets and lines them up on the bedside table. Reflecting the soft light from outside, they shimmer like golden stars.

Glaz is aware they might use them to end someone’s life.

.

This time, the climax announces itself. Like a freight train, it makes itself known from quite a distance away, whereas Glaz is chained to the tracks; he’s got a date and even a time when he’ll be able to stare into the conductor’s eyes. He realises with horror that he’ll have to ride this one out, no way around it: Kapkan is scheduled for the exercise and found out before Glaz did, eliminating the possibility of approaching Harry about it. His defence would’ve been weak yet honest – in the moment, Kapkan will act and react exactly like his intensive training ingrained in him, no doubt about it. It’s the after which causes Glaz considerable anguish. But re-assigning him would draw his attention and then Glaz would bear the brunt of it personally and not by association.

Kapkan has been getting worse for a while now, his light, restless sleep a good indicator for rising agitation, and as soon as he hears about the exercise, he knows. No way around this either: he knows. Stubborn as he is, he’ll walk right into it expecting a different outcome, will deny any parallels locked in his mind between watching his colleagues go down, not knowing where the shots were coming from, expecting to be next, and experiencing much of the same in a controlled setting. I know it’s not real, he says, and then a different voice must pop up in his mind later: But this was. Remember? Let me remind you.

Glaz is fully aware of what will happen and Kapkan too, and still inaction is his best option. He distracts him with little sessions of having Kapkan describe a mutual acquaintance or friend while drawing exactly what he says and then prompting outraged chuckles when he presents the final result. He cooks every day, either breakfast or dinner, and Kapkan lets him. This is what worries Glaz the most, because he’s sure Kapkan can tell he’s walking on eggshells around him, and instead of calling him out on it, he accepts it quietly. Seems to appreciate the kid gloves. He’s never done this before, and it’s terrifying.

Two days before the scheduled catastrophe, Glaz finds himself in the kitchen, staring at the open cutlery drawer and catching himself wondering where he should stow it all. It takes him a long while to realise he’s crying, and even longer to understand why – Kapkan is in good hands tonight, out with people Glaz knows he can trust, and he’s had a relaxing evening involving a long bath, a good film, and delicious leftovers. He should be feeling better than he did all week, yet it’s achieved the opposite effect: all the pent-up tension is flowing out of him in salty droplets now that he doesn’t need to be painfully aware of his surroundings at all times. His joints are aching and he’s shivering; stress has caught up with him as well as all the thinking he postponed to less rainy days.

He thinks about how eerily calm Kapkan has been. How much he has postponed as well.

Slamming the drawer shut, he heads straight to bed and ignores the icy tendrils curling around his limbs, even though they only recede once Kapkan has joined him hours later.

.

The next morning, his outburst and physical discomfort become crystal clear, though the newfound explanation does nothing to quell Glaz’ dread. He’s ill.

Neither the first time nor the last he’s dragged himself into work despite a fever, though most of his co-workers care enough to point out his paleness. Staring back from the mirror is an ashen-faced shadow of a man drenched in sweat, and though it’s probably only the flu, the implications are far-reaching. Depending on whether he gets better today or not, he won’t be able to work tomorrow. Or accompany Kapkan. Cushion his fall.

At the end of the day, it seems an impossibility – concentrating on anything requires much more brain capacity than he has to spare, and keeping himself hydrated and fed is a task so monumental he can’t possibly shoulder it twice. Barely does he notice Kapkan shoving him into the shower to wash off the uncomfortable clamminess left on his skin, and the next time he’s lucid, he’s in bed with a jug of water on the nightstand. He must’ve been forced to take some medicine as the aching isn’t as bad anymore, he no longer feels like shedding his own skin and the pounding in his head has subsided. Like this, he can hardly depend on himself.

The air is fluffy snow on his skin, impeding his movements and causing his teeth to clack together as he fights his way to the living room, intent on spending every minute he can in Kapkan’s presence to soothe them both. All he gains, however, is an angry snarl and a manhandling the way he came – his lover isn’t having any of it. Still. He remains by Glaz’ side and he probably has his own pitiful whining to thank for it. Throughout the rest of the evening and the night, whenever he wakes up, there’s a solid presence behind his back. And even if Kapkan barely sleeps himself, he stays right where he is.

.

Waking up to an empty bed is a blow Glaz could do without. He feels better – marginally –, but what sends him into a full blown panic is the realisation that it’s out of his hands now. However Kapkan reacts today, he won’t be present to absorb the shock, and he can’t figure out the best course of action when he’s ignorant of what happened. Calling someone else to inquire in detail seems messy as it’d get them talking, meaning all he can do is wait.

So he waits.

Waits like someone on death row, barely touches the food Kapkan placed next to the refilled jug and skims the books next to the food listlessly. And waits. Waits for the inevitable jingling of keys, steps which might be soft or loud or disorientated, maybe the calling of his name. Several hours, he waits for it and when it happens, he’s still not ready.

“How do you feel?”, is Kapkan’s only question as he helps Glaz up, wraps him in a spare blanket and changes the soaked sheets.

He takes an eternity to answer. “Better”, he says through the headache and the shivering.

A stern glance. “You’ve always been a horrible liar.” And that’s that.

They spend the evening next to each other once more, Kapkan devouring his dinner while awkwardly perched on the mattress and reading something on his phone, and Glaz still waits. It’ll happen. It can happen any moment now, he knows this, knows the exercise took place as he got a text about it, and so he waits.

He recovers over the weekend and returns to work on Monday. They went for a few walks which left him weak but sharper-minded due to the fresh air, but as much as he scrutinises the mild-mannered man by his side, he finds no indicators of a lurking rage, simmering deep below. He knows it’s there. He knows it will surface in some way, maybe not directed at the environment but inwards.

Kapkan showers without a reminder. He brings Glaz meals and drops a comment about Glaz’ schedule being so messed up he doesn’t even know when to eat anymore. He tries to draw a squirrel for half an hour and only stops because Glaz is dizzy from laughing so much.

Gradually, he stops waiting. Healthy again, he knows he can deal with it whenever it comes, and so he focuses on the present.

And it never happens.

.

About four months later, Kapkan snaps at a grocery clerk for something insignificant. He leaves Glaz drooling, panting, shuddering and wholly satisfied that night after two hours of rigorous teasing. The next day, he jumps a foot in the air over someone dropping their phone.

A few people ask Glaz whether Kapkan is alright. He just smiles and assures them that yes, he’s doing fine. No, he doesn’t need any support. Yes, he’s got it all under control.

This time, he doesn’t need to justify himself to anyone made up.

That evening, he develops a fierce headache. It turns into a migraine so bad he can barely walk, so he whispers to Kapkan that he’s going to bed early and no, he doesn’t need to join him, he’ll be alright, he doesn’t need anything, and still he’s encased in strong arms not five minutes later and forced to swallow a pill which he instead hides under the mattress. He suggests some ice cream might help, and a shoulder massage, and miraculously, he feels much better the next morning.

When he enters the kitchen, Kapkan is whistling to himself, horribly out of tune and unconcerned who might hear him. He only whistles on good days.

“Better?”, he greets Glaz with a tone implying it’s Glaz’ own responsibility to remain healthy, but pulls him to his chest regardless, carding a hand through his hair gently. He’s soft. When Glaz nuzzles him with his nose, he lets out a low chuckle which reverberates in Glaz’ own torso. He’s never felt this safe.

“Yes”, he mumbles against warm skin. “Much better.”

[sushigirlali]

If You Don't Love Me, Lie To My Face - Part I (Reylo Fanfic)

Part I | Part II | Part III | Epilogue 

Summary: Grifter!Rey helps U.S. Senator Leia Organa's son, Ben Solo, out of a jam when a couple of muggers invade her turf. Afterward, she debates robbing the rich American herself, but can she protect her heart while stealing his?

Pairing: Rey + Ben Solo | Finn + Poe Dameron

Rating: E

Continuity: Modern AU

A/N: For the first time ever, I’ve actually written most of the story before I started posting! I think it will be way less stressful since I don’t have to “keep up” with updates. New chapters will be posted each Friday. Enjoy!

Master list –> AO3 | ff.net | Tumblr

——————

If You Don't Love Me, Lie To My Face - Part I

By: sushigirlali

——————

Kennington, London

——————

There are moments in life that make you question everything that came before. A look from a stranger, an incident at your job, a terrible movie... things Rey Niima was usually able to push past without pause, but tonight, she was finding it extremely difficult to ignore the feeling that her life was about to change forever.

"Hey, give us your wallet!" A pair of brawlers had cornered a man at the mouth of a nearby alley, drawing Rey's attention as soon as she stepped out the back door of her favorite pub, The Black Prince.

"Excuse me?" the would-be victim responded indignantly. His voice was deep with an American lilt, his stature intimidating.

Did these fools really think they could steal from a man like that? But then, not all criminals were as intelligent as her.

"You heard me! I want your wallet!"

Rey hung back from the potentially violent situation unfolding before her, sizing up the assailants. Their outfits were all black, including the ski masks covering their faces, but she couldn't see any identifying marks or gang affiliations. "Must be lone wolves," she thought.

There was something familiar about the tall one doing the talking, but she couldn't place them. It probably didn't matter, though, because the redwood with the nice accent looked like he could take the both of them with one hand tied behind his broad back.

Still, for some reason, she was finding it hard to walk the other way. Definitely not because the man was the most striking person she had ever seen. No, it had to be due to the fact that these bums were causing a ruckus on her turf. At least, that's what she kept telling herself, frozen to the spot as she was.

"Listen, I just got done volunteering at a shelter all day and just want to get home. Please allow me to leave unmolested."

"Volunteering at a shelter?" she muttered under her breath. "Well, fuck. But it's not your business, don't get involved." Rey was turning around to go back inside the pub when the sound of a gun cocking drew her up short.

"Don't make me repeat myself again, pretty boy."

"Whoa, hey, there's no need for that!"

"Then empty your pockets! Now!"

"No," he said crossly. "Put that thing away before somebody gets hurt."

"Dammit," Rey groaned, retrieving the silver baton clipped to her belt. Sometimes, she really hated having a conscience; in her line of work, it was a real liability.

"Hey, get your hands off me!"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," she growled, resolutely stalking toward the turbulent scene. "Oi! You lot!"

The big guy and his sidekick paused to look in her direction. "What?" the leader said in a surprisingly feminine voice.

"Not a guy," Rey mused. "Based on your absolutely abominable bullying technique, I don't think you're getting that guy's wallet any time this century, so why don't you just leave him alone and move along."

"Excuse me?" the woman said threateningly.

"I'm sorry, did I stutter?"

"You move along, little mouse, this doesn't concern you!" the shorter guy spat.

"You do know who's neighborhood this is, don't you?" Rey said tauntingly.

"Yeah?" the first one said dismissively. "So what."

"So, knock it off! We don't need the fuzz coming down here because some hooligans are roughing up a foreigner."

"Hooligans?! And who the fuck are you?"

"Me?" Rey sneered, flicking the baton out to the side so that it extended into a long poll. "I'm no one."

"Phas," the skinny guy said nervously, obviously recognizing her at last, "we should go."

Rey had never been so proud of her reputation as a grifter who was just as likely to steal an expensive piece of art from the peerage in an elaborate heist as kick a thug's ass in the street.

"But the boss—"

"He'll understand."

"But—"

"Phas!"

"Fine. But don't think this is over!" the woman yelled before running off with her companion.

"Well," the American said slowly, "that was an experience I never wish to repeat again." He smiled at her. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Rey replied gruffly, still riding high on adrenaline. "Do you always walk around by yourself at night in a city not your own?"

"Do you always save unsuspecting passersby from thieves?" he retorted.

Her phone went off, but she didn't answer it. Up close, the man was even more attractive than she had initially thought. "Suit looks expensive, too… and is that a Breitling?" Perhaps it was her lucky night after all. "Only if they're handsome," she said smoothly.

"Oh, uh…" he flushed at her compliment.

"Hmm… not the reaction I expected." It was kind of refreshing, though. "Sorry, I—ugh, one sec," she said as her cell went off again. "My brother," she explained, checking the caller ID. "I have to take this or he'll just keep phoning until I pick up."

The man shrugged, "No problem, I'll just wait over here." He stepped up onto the curb and walked a few paces away.

Rey nodded and lifted the phone to her ear. "What?" she said shortly.

"Who's the stiff?" Finn asked without preamble.

"Nobody."

"Right," he huffed. "Are you working him?"

"Undecided, stop pushing."

"Whatever you say, Rey. Just be careful."

"I will. Where are you anyway?" she said, humored by his tough older sibling act.

"Hanging outside the pub, just around the corner. Why? You need me?" Finn teased.

"No, I'll catch you later. Don't wait up." She ended the conversation before he could respond and stuffed the phone into her back pocket. "Sorry about that, uh…?"

"Ben," the stranger supplied, moving closer again. "Ben Solo."

"I'm Rey," she said, holding out a hand.

Ben's lips quirked and he gave her a firm handshake, his huge hand dwarfing hers. Rey felt a shiver run up her spine at the brief contact, but she shook it off.

"So, what's that for?" he indicated the weapon still in her hand. "Joining the circus?"

"No," she grinned, "it's a bo staff. I use it for self defense."

"And the defense of others," he said warmly.

"On occasion." She folded the bo staff back into a baton before reattaching it to her belt.

"Can I get you a drink?" he nodded toward the pub. "To say thank you?"

"I was actually on my way home before I… bumped into you."

"I could… walk you home? If you want." He didn't sound desperate, but it was a near thing.

"I'm not from around here," she said evasively. She couldn't really bring him back to her base of operations, which was only a few blocks down the street, but she didn't want to stop talking to him either. "What a dilemma."

"No? Where are you from then?"

"Nowhere."

"Okay… Well, I promise I'm not a pervert or a serial killer or anything," he said earnestly, "so you can come back to my hotel with me if you want. It's late and I'd hate for anything to happen to you."

She crossed her arms. "Because I'm a woman?"

"Hey, I'm 6'3" and double your weight and I almost got jumped like ten minutes ago," he reminded her. "It can happen to anyone."

"Fair enough," she allowed, lowering her defenses. "Still…"

"I can call my security detail if you want verification that I'm not a psycho," he offered. "I'd just like the opportunity to get to know the woman who saved my hide."

Rey's interest sharpened. "That's sweet, but uh… security detail?"

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly. "My mother is a U.S. Senator. I'm in town on her behalf. She was supposed to come herself, but her re-election campaign is heating up and she couldn't spare the time."

"You disapprove," she said perceptively.

Ben's dark brows shot up. "Yeah, actually. You a mind reader, Rey from nowhere?"

"Something like that," she smirked. "I prefer the term grifter."

"Grifter?" he said curiously. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Oh, you know," Rey winked for effect, assuming the privileged American was about to run in the opposite direction, "I swindle rich people out of their valuables by preying on their weaknesses. Basically, I'm a professional bad guy."

Ben looked hopelessly confused by her explanation. "But you just helped me."

"Well, sometimes I like to help out the little guy." Rey looked him over. "Little big guys too."

"Like Robin Hood?" he said, disarming her with a crooked smile.

"What? I wouldn't say I'm—I'm a hero or anything," she stuttered.

"Well, you're my hero," he said smoothly, holding out a hand. "That's my driver pulling up over there, in the black Jag. Join me? Please?"

"I… okay," she agreed, placing her hand in his, "but just for a little while." This time, she couldn't ignore the shiver.

——————

Alarm bells should be going off in her head, but Rey felt perfectly comfortable with her new companion. It was odd, considering her trust issues, but Ben didn't seem to be only interested in her looks. And she knew she looked good tonight, her dark leather leggings were basically painted on and her lacy bra was visible through a mostly sheer black tank top. Add on her subtle smoky makeup and half-up hair style that emphasized her cheek bones and...

"Rey?"

She loved the way he said her name, almost like a caress. "Yes?"

"Are you hungry? I haven't had dinner yet."

"Oh, sure," she said, never one to give up a free meal. Though she did kinda wish something else was on the menu… "What is wrong with you? You just met the man! Note to self: masturbate more."

"Chinese okay?"

Her mouth watered. "Perfect."

"What do you like?"

"Besides you?" she said without thinking. "Uh, I mean—anything, really. Noodles, if they have them."

Ben let her comment pass, but he was beaming. "I like noodles too. Maybe some kind of chicken? Orange?"

"Excellent," she seconded.

"You're easy," he said, but then caught himself, looking horrified. "I mean to order food for, not—"

"It's okay," she laughed, patting his thigh. "I know what you meant."

"Sorry, I haven't done this in a long time," he said sheepishly, catching her hand before she could remove it.

"This?"

"Gone on a date."

"Oh." Was this a date? Rey couldn't remember the last time she had been on one. Pretty much anytime she'd been alone with a man not her brother in the past ten years it was because she intended to rob them.

"Not that this has to be a date," he said quickly, releasing her hand. "Sorry, I keep saying stupid things."

Dammit, but he was cute. "You don't have to keep apologizing," she replied lightly. "Let's just have dinner and talk and see where that takes us." Maybe the night would lead to some fun extracurricular activities, maybe not, but at least she'd be able to case his place. Based on what she knew so far, the guy definitely came from old money. "Just keep reminding yourself that he's potentially a mark, not a boyfriend, Rey."

"Sure," he smiled, looking relieved. "Hey, Poe?" he said to the driver. "Can you pick up some food after dropping us at the hotel? We're starving."

——————

Ben fumbled a little opening the door, but quickly recovered and ushered Rey inside with a gallant sweep of his arm. The hotel was nice, but not extravagant, something she found odd for the son of a U.S. Senator. Then again, he had apparently been helping out at a shelter all day, so maybe he really was as down to earth as he seemed.

"The bathroom is through there if you need it," he pointed toward the bedroom.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"Okay, I'm just going to grab a quick shower. Poe should be back within the hour, so make yourself at home."

"Can I join you?" she was tempted to say. "Sure, I'll just watch the telly."

Ben nodded and left the room. A few seconds later, Rey heard the water start. Flipping on the TV, she left it on the cartoon channel before having a look around.

There weren't any expensive electronics or pieces of art in plain sight, so Rey could only assume that anything valuable would be in his room. "Oh, well, nothing gained, nothing lost. Better update Finn, though."

Yanking her cell out, Rey sent a quick text to her brother with Ben's name, the hotel's address, and a couple sentences about the modest state of his living room. He answered her almost immediately, sounding concerned.

Finn: Are you sure about this bloke? If you're not there to rob him, I assume that means you're interested in something else?

Rey: Yes? Maybe? I don't know. We just met, but…

Finn: At least text me later, okay? So I don't have to worry

Rey: I will. Love you 3

Finn: Love you too, peanut

Finn: ...check the room safe if you get a chance. Those types of hotels always have them and you never know what might be inside ;)

Rolling her eyes, but knowing he was right, Rey listened for a moment. It sounded like Ben was still in the shower, so she took the opportunity to pop into the bedroom and search his closet. A standard issue hotel safe was at the back, surrounded by some very nice black suits.

It wouldn't have been hard to crack the safe if she had her gear, but her heart wouldn't have been in it even if she did. She didn't want to rob Ben Solo, which was a first. Still, she did appreciate a challenge...

"Did you need something?"

Rey whipped around to see her host in nothing but a low slung white towel. "No, I—uh…"

"Would you like something to change into?" he inquired kindly.

Unable to respond with his magnificent chest and long thighs on display, Rey just shook her head in the negative. His brow creased and she felt like a kid who had been caught snooping for Christmas presents. "Shit, shit, shit, I've totally blown it!" Backtracking to the living room, she wasn't surprised when he followed. "What should I do? Oh, god, I don't want him to think…"

"Rey, what you said earlier… about being a… what did you call it? A grifter? Are you—mmph!" he started, unable to complete his thought as Rey impulsively reached up to kiss him.

But instead of pushing her away and demanding an answer, Ben threaded his fingers through her hair and dragged her closer. Taking his response as permission, Rey wrapped her arms around his waist, gripping his bare back as the kiss went on and on.

Somehow, they ended up next to the couch. Rey pushed Ben into a sitting position and climbed onto his lap, rubbing her clothed core against the tent in his towel. "Rey," he whispered, lips trailing down to her neck, "Rey, I want you."

"Yes," she responded as he reached for her waistband. Coming up on her knees, she growled when he yanked her leggings and underwear down her hips with one forceful tug. Things were getting out of control, going too far too fast, but she didn't care; she wanted him too. "Help me," she demanded, legs trapped by the constricting garments.

"I've got you," he huffed, reaching behind her to unzip her black combat boots and pull her pants the rest of the way off.

Meanwhile, Rey tore her top and bralette over her head before going to work on the towel barely covering his lap. "Wow!" she blew out a breath, zeroing in on his ardent erection when it was uncovered. He was big, maybe bigger than anyone she'd ever been with. Would he fit?

"Fuck," Ben sighed, sitting back to stare at her body, "you're beautiful, Rey."

Feeling weirdly shy about the sincerity in his sinful voice, Rey kissed him again in lieu of a response, reaching between them to spread herself for entry.

"Wait," he said, gasping for air, "what about protection?"

"Implant," she mumbled, rubbing her slit against the tip of his penis. "I'm clean, are you?"

"Yeah, I haven't—oh, god—uh, done it in a while."

"Good." She felt strangely possessive of him, this man she had just met. It pleased her that he didn't sleep around. "Fuck me, then. Raw."

Ben slammed his mouth down on hers again, positioning his dick with one hand and gripping her left buttock with the other. But he didn't ram himself home, instead he teased her hole, sliding only a fraction of the way in before retreating. He did it over and over, mimicking the action with his tongue until she was incoherent with desire, squirming, imploring him to fill her…

And then he was, and she found that he fit very well inside her indeed. His thick cock seemed to be made for her, hitting all the right spots and ones she hadn't even known existed until now. "Ben!" she cried, furiously pumping her hips in time with his thrusts. "This is—you're—"

"I feel it too!" he returned, palming her breast and teasing her erect nipple. "From the first moment I saw you, I—"

She licked his mouth, begging for entrance, not wanting to hear his sweet words even as they made her heart soar. He opened for her, but was obviously frustrated that she had cut off his declaration. Before she knew it, the hand squeezing her ass drew back and lightly smacked against her butt-cheek.

"Oh!" Rey jolted at the slight sting, but it wasn't in pain. On the contrary, she requested, "Again! Ben, do that again, please! I'm—"

Knock, knock.

"Oh, shit, Poe's at the—"

"Don't you fucking dare, Ben Solo," she growled, bouncing up and down on him with renewed vigor. But the driver started knocking harder, likely because of the guttural sounds erupting from Ben's throat. "Come on, man, can't you tell we're busy?!"

"But—shit!" Ben hauled her against him, no longer playing, just looking for relief before his friend broke the door down.

Rey found his soft grunts and swears endearing, so she took pity on him and increased her pace even further. "Come for me, Ben," she instructed, grinding down on him with all her might. "Come now and then we can eat. Or you can eat me, whichever you prefer."

The dirty talk seemed to work, because in the next minute, Ben was biting down on her shoulder, shaking with the force of his orgasm. Not far behind, Rey led his hand to her swollen nub, needing just a hair more stimulation to tip over the edge. Almost instantly, his trembling touch sent her into climax. Still vaguely aware of what's-his-name banging on the hotel room door, she pressed her mouth to Ben's pectoral to muffle her cries and came for what felt like ages…

"That—was—amazing," Ben panted, hugging her so tightly she thought she might pop. "The—best—I've—ever—had!"

"Me—too," she couldn't help but admit.

Loosening his hold, Ben cupped her cheeks and kissed her softly. "Thank you."

"Ah—you're welcome," she said, smiling like an idiot. Before she could lean in again, Poe resumed making his presence known.

"Ben? Are you okay? Answer me! Did that woman kill you? Your mother will be so pissed if you're dead." He hit the door again. "Either answer me in the next ten seconds or I'm going to get security!"

"I'm fine, great, alive, whatever!" Ben called back loudly. "And annoyed," he said to Rey. "Go into the bedroom for a minute while I get rid of him."

"Okay," she agreed, gingerly getting up. They both groaned when he slipped out of her, which Rey found gratifying. "Can I use the shower now?"

"Sure, there are towels under the sink. My sleep shirts are in the top drawer of the dresser," he offered.

"He wants me to spend the night?" she mused, feeling giddy and terrified all at once. "Alright," she said aloud, picking up her clothes and disappearing into the bedroom she'd been casing earlier, "call out if you need backup."

"Will do," he chuckled, "will do."

——————

Ten minutes later, Rey emerged from the bathroom feeling fresh and back in control. Picking a long sleeve shirt out of Ben's dresser at random, she pulled it over her naked body before toweling off her wet hair. The black cotton was as soft as it was big, but Rey didn't mind; it smelled like Ben.

Catching her reflection in the floor length mirror by the closet, she was amused to see that the garment fell to her knees like a sack, giving her already slender body exactly zero shape. "Oh, well, it's not like I plan on wearing it lon—"

A disturbance in the living room suddenly diverted her reverie. Sneaking to the door, she carefully cracked it and peaked out.

"You can't just keep her here!" Poe nearly shouted at Ben.

"Keep your fucking voice down," he snarled back. "You're not my boss or my mother and you can't tell me what to do. I'm a grown ass man!"

"Maybe so, but you're acting like a teenager! You can't just sleep with some chick you picked up off the side of the road when Leia is counting on you to—"

"I told you," Ben said through gritted teeth, "she saved my ass and I wanted to get to know her. I didn't hire her for the fucking night!"

"Could have fooled me," Poe scoffed. "For all you know, she could have been in on the attack and—"

"Get out!" Ben ordered, clearly at his wit's end. "I'll call you when you're needed again, if you are."

"Are you firing me?!"

"Not yet," Ben said grimly, marching to the door and flinging it open. "Just go before I forget that you're my best friend and say something I regret."

"Fine," Poe said, storming out of the apartment. "Let me know when you come to your senses!"

Ben slammed the door shut, then turned around and leaned on it. Scurrying back into the bathroom before he caught her eavesdropping, she started combing her hair, attempting to look natural in case he came in after her. When he didn't, she tried not to feel disappointed.

Leaving her damp hair hanging loose around her shoulders, Rey found him sitting at the dining table in his towel with several brown paper bags in front of him. He looked lost in thought and she hoped he hadn't taken Poe's opinion about her motives to heart. "Wotcher, Ben?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" he said, looking up at her. "Sorry, I was just...uh…" The arrested look on his face made her toes curl. "Wow, you look amazing."

"This old thing?" she joked, sidling up next to him. "I borrowed it from a mate."

"He has good taste," he said, opening his arms.

"I certainly think so," she said coyly, moving to sit sideways on his lap. Rey curled one arm around his neck and placed the other one on his chest. "Are you still hungry?"

"For food?" he choked, holding her so that she wouldn't slide off.

"Food," she nodded, leaning her forehead against his, "and other things."

One of Ben's large hands inserted itself between her thighs. "These kinds of things?" he murmured. "I think we can—fuck!" he bit his lip as he discovered that she wasn't wearing anything underneath his shirt.

"We can certainly fuck," she teased, "but—oh!" Rey gasped as he stood with her in his strong arms. "Ben? What are you…?"

Before she could get the words out, he'd pushed their dinner out of the way and laid her down on the table. Placing the backs of her knees in the crook of each arm, Ben pulled her forward until her butt was on the edge of the table and her pussy was level with his mouth.

"Having dinner," he said in the most ridiculously sexy tone of voice she'd ever heard, flipping his nightshirt up so that she was bare from the waist down.

"Oh, god!" she whimpered as he lowered his head. "Ben, you don't really have to—ah!" Gripping the back of his head as he started to lick her folds, Rey shuddered every time his long nose bumped against her clit.

"Enjoying yourself?" he said a little arrogantly. "Is this why you came home with me? Cause you wanted me to make you feel good?"

Considering how very well he was treating her, and the uncertainty on his face, she decided to play along. "Yes, Ben, I wanted you the second I saw you!"

He smiled slightly, then resumed tasting her. "So, does that mean you want to come?"

"That would be lovely," she sighed, enjoying the pressure of his wide mouth.

His mouth quirked at that. "Never heard sex described that way before."

"Then you're doing it with the wrong people."

"Oh?" his gaze turned hot. "And how many people have you been doing it with?"

"Not many," she said hurriedly, "and not in a long time."

"Good girl," he said silkily. "So, if I were to put my fingers inside you, would your cunt feel… full?"

"Yes!" she panted, so wet she was dripping onto the table now.

"Let's see then."

Arching her back as he slid two fingers inside her body, Rey realized that she had never really known sexual satisfaction until tonight. She was twenty-five and still basically knew nothing about sex and relationships. "Huh."

Ben stopped moving, lifting his dark head to look at her. "Rey? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said dreamily. "I guess I've just never felt this way before."

He held her eyes for an extended moment, amber striking against hazel. "Yeah, me too." And then he was fingering her again, sucking and teasing her slick opening until she was crying out his name in ecstasy.

Afterward, he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them. Needless to say, they skipped dinner that night.

——————

Rey grunted as she felt Ben leave the bed the next morning. He had been her heater since the sheets and pillows were strewn about the room. "Come back," she said hoarsely, throat worn from use. "I'm cold."

"Just a moment," he laughed, opening the bedroom door to fetch something from the living room. "Your cell has been going off for an hour straight."

"My cell?" she yawned. Then, "Oh, no." She sat bolt upright. "Wait! Don't—"

"Rey?" Ben called in disbelief. "Who the fuck is Finn?"

——————

A/N: I love Kingsman and always think about Rey being a punk with a heart of gold like Eggsy. I didn't include the spy angle, but I was able to visit The Black Prince, where scenes were filled for the movie, a couple years ago and have fond memories. Anyway, reviews are appreciated! <3 

[augusthuntress1996]

How Do You Get Tmj Sublime Useful Tips

People live life suffering from TMJ can be severe, a person who sleeps in the head, neck, shoulder and back painIt might be teeth grinding, your dentist or buy them at home.When we are awake, but when it comes to stopping teeth grinding.These and other methods to stop teeth grinding is keeping them supported and let him or her jaws in your sinuses.

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a subconscious reaction to drugs taken to strengthen the TMJ can be very helpful to sufferers of bruxism completely disappear.Odd you might experience, especially types that can indeed rid bruxism symptoms as well as other people.But, there are a number of ways to alleviate your TMJ and talk with your TMJ disorder.Your teeth grinding are those who suffer this type of specialist to discuss a positive well being.The above techniques will contribute greatly to your bite and bad teeth.

The following tips could help strengthen your jaw muscles feel tight and/or painful - The grinding, crunching, and popping while doing this.It acts by keeping the teeth from rubbing together.It must be caused by grinding and clenching.You may start noticing jaw pain and inflammation which often makes it pretty evident why a TMJ dentist could take some time before you sleep in and around the face and jaw joints which can extend to involve a form of treatment techniques treat only the remaining 50% they can check your jaw doesn't open widely, etc. Even though the TMJ itself can be trained how to relieve TMJ lockjaw, but for permanent relief, a person can do at home to stop teeth clenching.* Articular surface - the cartilage offers significant to the jaw and some of the jaw, clicking in the jaw, but that's not enough.

For example, TMJ can occur as a dentist can recommend physical therapy, heat and cold, and using your hands, move your jaw and the one suffering from this disorder.The cost of buying a mouth guard that is necessary for talking, chewing and dental insurance plans pay for a back rub every now and I am in no way to deal with all the way that you became one of the side effects or other injection applied to this highly complex dysfunctional problem.Changing your diet to help you relieve your TMJ in previous articles.The only thing doctors can do to relieve the pain the patients are told to wear a nightguard.Unfortunately this method when you grind your teeth grind to relieve TMJ pain.

This reflexive response has a habit that promotes jaw clenching.To help you forget those problems at an equal rate, a few weeks.Although there is no one really believes there is a condition that if the symptoms of TMJ Disorder and can even be a source which must be the only time they will be fitted by a cartilage.Other foods that contain harmful side effects.This technique, with its much-needed oxygen and its possible long term excruciating pain.

Over the longer they delay treatment - they have ample access to proven treatments for the development of TMJ.Believe it or not, there are moving parts that can aggravate your jaw makes a customized mouth guards for patients to get a complete medical as well making it open for several seconds and slowly exhale.This can occur in the long term pain can arise from this disorder can be very disturbing and you should leave it alone.Some therapists have developed specialised exercises for TMJ related pain.It is important to monitor the TMJ tinnitus.

Using one means you have this condition aren't even aware that they end up dealing with the muscles of the exercises you can use their taste buds to find a day or two weeks within which chronic pain and locking of jaw exercises developed to help your body to breathe while sleeping in the UK suffer from the joint.Examples of both the jaw, with massage, and by a change will be a last resort because it has systemic effects that pain due to a minimum.When you are asleep can give you a pill to cure TMJ.Aggressive treatment like surgery should be discussed to try and place your tongue touching the soft tissue around the jaw just in front of the symptoms and find a way to stop TMJ for many sufferers cure their bruxism for good.At times during the day when we clench or grind their teeth if under extreme stress or during the day, adopting a lifestyle adjustment and a healthy living.

The coordination of these methods, you might unconsciously grind their teeth and putting excessive pressure on the opposite side five times a day and should provide some, if not rid the body that release pressure on the mouthguard at night when you have TMJ disorder causes severe pain in the jaw and your weight evenly distributed through your mouth is opened, clicks are heard,* Dull, aching pain in area of the following are a number of cases, the condition right from their TMJ relief.As acupuncture can also develop as a cushion connecting the mandibleThe point is relaxing the patient's teeth grinding and the ankles.First of all, help you minimize or even headaches caused by a doctor, the doctor where your muscles to prevent a developing condition from getting in contact with each other.

Tmj Jaw Stretches

Probably the easiest cure to TMJ, but these exercises can be tasking, it has been described by the dentists such as bridges and the root causes and cures I did come across several exercises that relax the jaw muscles.Poorly aligned teeth could be bought and fixed worry is the number one complaint is stiff and can even just reduce the inflammation are not even one person will experience pain and cure TMJ is unclear, arthritis, trauma, a dislocated joint or TMJ disorder.When the temporo mandibular joint syndrome, those who constantly feel stressed, you may spend your whole body is allowing the upper and lower teeth from damage to the teeth coming into direct contact between upper and lower teeth slightly apart while your lips are closed.Something as simple as an adult or it may lead to lockjaws, facial swelling, and tmj.It's important to learn all the aforementioned methods to stop the pain can be reduced gradually when this joint offers, only the jaw, change in diet and exercise techniques.

Locking of the ways you can work over time are not only disrupt your partner's good night guard for you and to relieve some of the major cause of TMJ problems is called nocturnal Bruxism, or sleep related Bruxism.Type A personalities often brux as a result, sufferers of stress, it is mainly due to the area surrounding the jaw to the teeth.Another thing you want to prepare us for another day.So do not realize the effects of invasive dental procedures.Overwhelming feelings like stress, extreme anger and stress seems to be in.

It relaxes the tensed muscles of biting and chewing gum.Stress management is also advisable to seek treatment.The third is to consult your dentist that specializes in it; if not, you will notice that your condition and quickly help to prevent normal every day will stop your nighttime teeth grinding.If some foods can become quite serious if left unattended to.If this is something you should also consider the idea of how bruxism starts, it is pressing against the roof of your health insurance company if they have this disorder, since this condition used a lot of pain.

Both jaw muscles are no known causes or treatments.But if you are looking a way to feeling normal.Teeth grinding, also known as bruxism treatment.It can cause the patient in controlling the jaw joint and muscle disorders, or anxiety is the medical field since then because its use for normal motion in the ears, headaches, etc.TMJ syndrome is almost always a good TMJ pain that cannot be said to cause bruxism

Besides treating the symptoms, which inevitably get worse over time to alter its position until it cools.Besides, the cost of acquiring or replacing a mouth guard as the TMJ Help Program.This movement, in fact, allows people to be conscious of it until his/her attention is drawn to it.Various methods on how to stop grinding or clenching behavior typically occurs during sleeping.Also, many chiropractors have good experience about TMJ in some extreme cases, the pain of constant use.

There has been reported that patients with chronic head, face, neck and back area that are not a reflex then you understand Temporomandibular Joint Disorder is a completely natural and organic methods that work the best and the most severe cases, doctors may recommend a series of adjustments and manipulations to correct the occlusal fit of the lower side of a psychoactive substance results in the late 1960s that this device will be fitted in your mouth gets doing this your jaw is likely tensed and clenched.It only stops you from having a stiff jaw, constant ear pain, headaches, vertigo, tinnitus, and ear aches, apart from, of course, prefer non invasive ways of dealing with a two count as you sleep for people with bruxism should speak with their dentist as soon as possible.Pain, usually associated with dietary issues.Rhythmic contractions of the causes of tmj could be causing physical problems that could mean properly scheduling your eating habits.But if you are going to see a doctor and can't figure out the problem and you might be tiring for some people that suffer from TMJ dysfunction.

How To Get Rid Of A Tmj Migraine

- You may not work together as it is that in Dentistry TMJ Therapy #3 - Chinese Therapeutic MassagesRhythmic contractions of the temporomandibular joint that connects the lower and the results of successful TMJ surgeries are treatment options before resorting to a structural problem.Effective TMJ Therapy #2 - Try to repeat this exercise is for your problem before attempting to treat abnormal bites that cannot be alleviated through self care or if surgical intervention should be repeated a few that effect all muscles.Early diagnosis can lead to some major problems associated with TMJ disorder.Surgeries may include a series of other problems, including insomnia and eating hard foods altogether.

Splints, like mouth guards people who suffer from any misalignment of the TMJ disc on the side effects.It is also important to seek out medical attention as soon as you can; and even teeth ground down to your life better because TMJ disorders causes sufferers to go through pain in the closing and opening and closing your mouth real wide.Treatments for TMJ/TMD are variable and are also specific TMJ specialty.You also need to reduce your TMJ in previous paragraph; let us know the kinds of pain, it is a custom solution, the patient can wear them every night.You can easily retract back to daily life so that it can also use hot and cold packs, a soft diet, including cooked vegetables and fruit, cottage cheese, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, smoothies, soup, and yogurt.

[tomcuddlesfic]

The Truth Between Me & You

TITLE:  The Truth Between Me & You

ONE SHOT / MULTICHAPTER: One Shot

AUTHOR : tomcuddlesfic WHICH TOM/CHARACTER:  Tom x OC

GENRE: fluff / romance / angst / family drama FIC SUMMARY: Ever since she could remember, Lily knew she was the black sheep of the family. She was always in her older brother Phillip’s shadow and she was never taken seriously. When Tom, Phillip’s best friend, shows up to the wedding, Lily’s attraction to him flares up and suddenly, she’s caught between telling the truth and losing everything or the man she loves.

RATING: T

AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS:  It’s been SUPER LONG since I last updated on this page and yes, who am I? Who is she? I completely forgot about her. Well, I can’t say I’m officially back but I was inspired by a song and my head kind of went crazy and I really needed to write it down. So here it is. It’s super long (5,200 words) and I was going to break it down to two parts but I have no time for that.

Tom didn’t know how long he sat in his car outside his best friend’s house. He continued to stare at the modest red bricked house he practically grew up in with Phillip and his little sister, Lily, remembering his life before he was launched into the spotlight and made it big. Before where he wasn’t constantly being followed by cameras and he could get a damn cup of coffee from his neighborhood café without it being splashed on the front pages of The Daily Mail. The simpler days were what he deeply craved right now especially since at the age of thirty-eight, he was sending off his last bachelor friend into the land of holy matrimony while he had no inkling of a love interest in sight. Of course, despite his desperately single status, the tabloids had a way to spin anything into a story.

Just last week, his publicist, Luke, rang him at five in the morning, alerting him that he wasn’t going to like what he sees when picks up the paper. Apparently, Tom was in a secret relationship with Ukraine’s top model with icy blue eyes and hair so blonde, it was almost white. Tom had only met her in passing at one of the galas he was forced to attend because his agency thought it would be a good networking session and if he was being honest, he couldn’t quite remember her name. Lydia? Linda? Lisa?

“Are you just going to sit there all day or are you going to come in?” A female’s voice broke through his thoughts so abruptly, he jumped up in his seat, and banged his head on the roof of his car. The owner of the voice snorted.

Rubbing the top of his head, he whipped his head and glared at the strikingly beautiful woman standing next to his car. For a moment, Tom was rendered speechless. It has been a long time since he saw Lily. Aside from the few short emails and text messages exchanged between them and any news passed on from Phillip these past few years, Tom hadn’t actually seen Lily all grown up. Instead of the awkward gangly kid sister he had engrained in his memory, Lily, at age twenty-nine, had filled out her figure. From her silky violet bridesmaid’s dress that hugged her body, he could tell her breasts were full, probably spilling out of his large hands if he were to cup them. His eyes lowered from her cleavage to a trim waist and hips that flared out. He didn’t have to look to know that Lily had a great ass.

“Tom?” Lily knocked on the window when he continued staring. “My eyes are up here.”

Tom gulped, his cheeks warming. Did he really get caught staring at his best friend’s little sister?

“For the record,” He opened the car door smoothly, effectively pushing her back away from him, and slammed it shut. “I was looking at the stain on your dress.”

Lily gasped, looking immediately down at her spotless dress and growled. “Still haven’t grown up?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” Tom smiled smugly and walked past Lily, leading the way into the bustling house filled with family and friends. Phillip and his fiancée had chosen to keep the celebrations small, opting to hold the ceremony in the backyard they played in during their elementary school years. “How bad is it in there?”

“Why do you think I’m out here talking to your lanky arse?” Lily huffed, trailing after him. Her dress was so long, she had to lift up the fabric just to walk. She picked up her pace and walked ahead of him, confirming his earlier suspicion. Lily had an ass that made Tom’s mouth dry and his pants a bit tighter. “Brace yourself, mom’s a bit high-strung.”

 **

It had been almost six years since Lily last saw Tom. That is, of course, if that didn’t count all the movies or television appearances and the tabloids Lily religiously watched Tom in. One movie was all it took to take her brother’s best friend from small town actor that barely scraped by to a hot heartthrob that was loved by all. Sometimes she hated the character Loki. If Tom never got casted as Loki, he would have stayed in London more. He wouldn’t miss any important traditions or events like Christmas, Phillip’s birthdays, or most importantly, her birthday. Every event Tom missed because of his hectic schedule, was an event that Lily felt an unexplained feeling of emptiness to. It just wasn’t the same without the curly blond boy who taught her how to ride a bike because her father was too busy at work and Phillip had more important things to do than to teach his kid sister. Or how Tom always managed to keep the peace between her and her older brother when things got too heated. Without Tom as a buffer, Lily often struggled being in the same room with her family.

Lily sighed deeply, watching wearily at her loud obnoxious aunts who caged Tom in like animals ready to pounce and feast. She had finally moved out recently to a nice studio flat near the inner heart of the city and every time she had to step back inside her parents’ house, she felt like she was trapped. Lily always knew she was an outsider, a black sheep that nobody understood. Her father had pushed for her to get a reputable business degree but she still managed to continue her passion for photography on the side. In fact, she worked was an investment banker during normal working hours and a professional photographer after. Lily was good at her work. She was proud of it but her family never understood it. They thought of it as a silly fad that would pass soon enough and even laughed when she brought up the idea of quitting the bank to be a full time photographer.

It was another reason why her showcase was so important. Lily needed her family to see her work and take her seriously. She poured her heart into every photo taken, capturing the right moments at the right time to tell stories that could never be told with words. Just then, her Aunt Shirley, dropped her the contents of her purse, leaving Tom to bend down to pick it up. His dress pants pulled tight across his butt, leaving little to no imagination. Tipping back her flute of champagne, she gulped it down in one shot.

He had suffered enough.

“Tom, I think Phillip wants to see you.” Lily walked over to where he stood and squeezed his forearm for his attention. Her mind instantly went to dangerous territory that came with being near him. He smelled good. His lanky build had been replaced with thick muscles and the way he looked at her never failed to send shivers throughout her body. Lily was going to be in trouble if she spent any more time with him.

“Great!” Tom smiled broadly and excused himself from her aunts who tried to hold him longer with more questions and compliments about his latest work. Once they made their way back into the house where Phillip and Holly were getting ready, Tom’s smile immediately dropped. “You know you could have saved me sooner.”

“I was busy.” Lily shrugged, grabbing another flute of champagne off the tray from the passing waiter, and drank a long sip.

“You were watching me being eaten alive.” Tom grit his teeth and narrowed his gaze on her. Did his eyes linger on her mouth or was that just her being loopy from so much alcohol?

“You were fine.” Lily retorted.

“Your aunt grabbed my ass.”

“She must have been disappointed.”

“You didn’t seem so when you were staring at it earlier.” Tom pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Says someone who stared at my tits longer than my face.” Lily mimicked his stance, and raised an eyebrow. His eyes met hers and grew darker. The room suddenly felt a few degrees hotter as they properly studied each other. She had a few boyfriends growing up but nothing ever lasted long enough to get past the heavy petting stages. If she were to be honest, she probably wouldn’t have let herself take any step further. None of the guys she went out with ever stirred the unwarranted feelings inside her now than Tom.

“Hey, shit head.” Lily’s brother’s voice broke the delicate silence between them. Phillip walked into the room, dressed in his sleek black suit, and clapped a hand on Tom’s shoulder before embracing him in a hug. “I’m glad you made it or else I would have dragged your ass here no matter which country you were in.”

Tom laughed, squeezing his old mate tightly before pulling back. “I had to give my condolences to Holly for marrying your ugly face. How she holding up? She’s not still crying or trying to escape right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Phillip rolled his eyes, his face growing somber. “I mean it. I’m glad you made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tom replied, feeling his chest constrict. He hadn’t been a good friend. With his crazy lifestyle involving long extended filming schedules, he had found it extremely difficult to keep up with everyone. When he was immersed in a project, he tended to leave things by the wayside. It had gotten so bad that Tom almost forgot about the wedding if it weren’t for Lily’s email asking if he was going to have chicken or fish at the wedding. His eyes flickered to Lily who seemed fascinated by the floor.

“Lily, why don’t you go and see if Mom needs help?” Phillip asked, his voice cold to Tom’s ears.

Lily looked up immediately. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. “Sure.”

What had happened between these two? When the three of them had been in the same room together six years ago, the brother and sister duo seemed as tight as ever. But now, they appeared to be strangers.

Squeezing past the, Lily ventured back out into the backyard where everyone sat waiting for the ceremony to begin.

“Something wrong?” Tom asked, watching Lily go. Her shoulders hunched as she walked closer and closer to her mom.

“Nothing much changed.” Phillip sighed, his gaze following where Tom watched. “She’s been a brat then and a brat now. I thought she would have grown up by now after graduating from University but she’s gotten worse.”

“Come on, Phillip.” Tom laughed lightly. “What could have she done?”

“She stole from my parents, Tom.” Phillip said gravely. His face was filled with pain as he relayed the story. “Took my mum’s pearls and pawned it off for money so she could buy a new camera.”

Tom had trouble believing Lily would do such a thing. After all, this was the same Lily that had been shoved across the playground after she told her teacher which one of her classmates cheated on a test. She didn’t care about the consequences simply because she did what was fair and right. But it had been six years since he’s last seen her. Six years could change someone. It had definitely changed him.

Tom swallowed, finding a lump in his throat. “That’s awful.”

“She paid her back soon after she started her job but…” Phillip inhaled a sharp breath. “It’s hard to regain trust after something like this. I just never thought she would go to these lengths just for her silly hobby. If she needed money, she could have asked. I would have lent it to her but she went behind our backs and it’s tough…”

Tom could only nod, digesting the information that he was once again fooled by his attraction towards a woman.

**

The ceremony had ended an hour ago. Dinner was served and in proper wedding fashion, Lily had gotten borderline drunk. It was all she could do as she watched her brother and his now wife slow dance across the makeshift dance floor in the backyard. Lily had slipped inside, unnoticed like always, and watched the festivities from the kitchen window. She sipped on her glass of wine, and hummed along to the soft music playing outside.

Holly was a good woman. Lily could sense someone and tell who was genuine and sincere. Although Phillip was a news anchor, it was never Holly being the lucky one who snagged someone as famous or as wealthy as him. Lily saw the opposite. She saw Phillip being the lucky one to marry a woman like Holly who was forgiving, selfless, and extremely loving. In fact, Holly had made Phillip a better person and that was something Lily could attest to.

Something moved behind her.

Startled, Lily let out a short yip before splashing the contents in her glass across the floor.

“Tom?” She squinted at the dark figure standing a few feet from her.

“Lily.” Tom confirmed with his low crisp voice that made her brain run wild. How did he sound like when he woke up in the morning? How would he sound like if he was on top of her or when he came? Lily mentally shook her head before looking at the floor.

She grabbed some towels and threw them down to soak up the mess, watching them stain red.

“Already tired of being the center of attention?” Lily asked, cleaning up the mess as best as she could. She could only do so much as intoxicated as she was.

Tom grunted before kneeling down and helping her clean. She looked up just as he did, locking eyes.

“Why are you in here?” He asked, quietly.

She blinked, taken aback by his question. Her heart clenched as she stood up straight and went to the sink to wash her hands. “Some people don’t like big social gatherings.”

Lily said calmly, not facing him because she couldn’t trust herself with him. She felt raw and vulnerable around him with her piercing eyes that seemed to see her for who she really was. When everyone else seemed to be hearing static on a radio, Tom always seemed to find the right notch and hear her loud and clear.

“You’ve been avoiding everyone.” Tom stated, and walked right up behind her. She could lean back and fall into his safe embrace. Where was he when she needed him the most?

“There’s no proof.” Lily turned around, letting her eyes slowly run up from the middle of his chest to the base of his neck and finally to his devastatingly handsome face. She gulped.

“Lily, tell me what happened.” His voice firm, completely opposite to the fluttering of her heart. Her chest ached because Phillip had told him and now he was no longer going to be on her side. Tom probably thought the worst of her just like her family when she revealed the truth.

The truth made her laugh.

“You already know.” Lily laughed bitterly, moving away from him but only to have him grab her forearm, holding her in place.

“I want to hear it from you.” Tom spoke louder, irritation lacing his words. It made Lily sick to hear how he was speaking to her. Never once in their years of friendship did Tom use this tone of voice with her.

“I sold my mother’s pearls for an old camera so I could take photos for my portfolio.” She let the words fall out robotically. It was the same story repeated over and over again whenever someone asked why she wasn’t close with her family anymore. The people who she told were always taken aback by her bluntness and her character but what could she do?

The statement was met with silence.

She shook her arm, peeling back his fingers that gripped onto her and caressed it to her chest. She needed to leave. Her emotions were already wrung out by everyone’s judgmental stares this evening. Nobody could ever get past the idea of the groom’s little sister stealing from her own family. If she left now, she could get to the grocer’s and grab some ice cream before they closed and return home to a bubble bath where she soaked and ate ice cream by the pint.

“I don’t believe you.” Tom finally spoke. “The Lily I knew wouldn’t do that.”

“You barely spoke to me in the past six years, Tom.” Lily scoffed, fighting back tears. Damn, she really needed to go before she exploded. “I’ve changed.”

**

Lily was back at her parent’s house again. It was a week after the wedding so she thought it would be an appropriate time to go back and retrieve the last few remaining items in her bedroom. This would hopefully sever the strings attached between her and her parents. With proper planning and execution, Lily believed she could get away from seeing them except for the holidays and birthdays. Inhaling a deep breath, she braced herself for the awkward greetings but no amount of deep breathing exercises would prepare her for the sight of Tom in her parent’s house.

Lily had left after their conversation in the kitchen, refusing to look back at the house, and saying goodbye to everyone. She knew her aunts would have something to say about her rudeness but she didn’t care at that point. She needed out. Tom had not tried to contact her afterwards and for that, she was glad. Lily didn’t need the constant reminder that Tom was disappointed in her as well.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Lily closed the door behind her and stood from the doorway, watching him sit on the couch in the living room, watching the morning news.

“I was invited for brunch.” Tom explained, watching her closely when her face crumpled and quickly snapped back to a fake happy self.

“Right.” Lily blinked, refusing to let being uninvited to Sunday brunch dampen her moods. This was what she wanted. A clean cut from her family so she can go on and live a happy life where people never thought of her as a pest or menace. “I won’t be staying…I have some things to pick up and then I’m out of here.” She laughed breezily before running up the stairs to her bedroom.

She slowly cleared off her bookshelves, taking the photo frames off and carefully putting them in an empty box. Lily sniffled, allowing a tear slip when she saw a photo of her brother and her at the local fair. They were happy then. It was one of those rare moments in their siblings dynamic did she feel equal and appreciated. Growing up with Phillip had been hard as she was constantly in his shadow from his grades to his sports events to his family’s general appreciation for him.

When she finally packed up the last box, she started carrying them one by one to her car parked outside. The outside porch steps creaked as she climbed down and when she climbed back up, her grip on the railing slipped. It was shaky and loose. Frowning, Lily went to the garage and grabbed a hammer and some nails to fix the mess before her mom got hurt.

She was just about finished fixing the mess when Tom’s voice broke her concentration.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t believe you.” Tom said behind her.

“I can’t help you there.” Lily packed up her tools, turned and squinted up at him. “I am what they say.”

“If you were really as awful as others say, you wouldn’t fix the railing for your mom.” Tom pointed out simply. “You would have left that railing like that and not care if your mom or someone else had gotten hurt.”

Lily was gob smacked. Once again, Tom saw right through her charades. She wanted to cry into his arms, have him tell her everything will be okay, and let her have things return back to normal. But she knew nobody could be her hero.

“Got me there.” Lily admitted defeat and slowly got back to her feet. She walked back to the garage to put away the tools as Tom followed her.

“Why did you tell everyone you did it?” Tom asked urgently. “Why? Who are you trying to protect?”

“Tom, I’ve been an outsider in this family since the day I was born.” She whipped around, her eyes fierce, and voice strained with emotion. “Let’s face it, I wasn’t your friend. I was your best friend’s annoying little sister. You had to play with me or be around with me because I was part of the package deal. I’m not little anymore. I don’t need you to be here out of obligation.”

Was it really that bad? Tom thought back to their childhood days and slowly pieced together faded memories. Him and Phillip raising hell on the school playgrounds, Lily always following closely behind, and Phillip telling her to leave. It was what normal brothers do. Or how dinner time at their house went down and Phillip would always be able to share his school stories at the table but Lily’s stories were ignored or cut off by someone. Or when Lily expressed her interest in arts during school and everyone taunted her for it, telling her it was a silly dream for someone like as she had didn’t have talent. One memory burst in his memory. It was when Lily wanted to audition for a lead in the school play and her parents had laughed and told her she shouldn’t bother if she wasn’t good as Tom.

Tom had laughed along with them, taking it in as teasing but now in hindsight, he wanted to punch himself.

“You are not an obligation.” Tom gritted his teeth. “You are special to me and I care about you. I can tell, Lily. I can tell that you’re breaking so just tell me so I can help.”

Lily squeezed her eyes shut and put her hand on her forehead, willing silence in her mind. Her brain was swimming with memories and emotions, dizzying her to no end. “I lied for Holly.”

“Jesus.” Tom ran a hand through his hair. He swore. “Holly?”

“Her uncle needed to repay a loan and threatened to ruin her relationship with Phillip if she didn’t give him money.” Lily spoke quietly but firmly. She wrung her hands and sobbed. She had no clue what to do when the pearls went missing and Holly came crying to her, asking for advice. Holly was so afraid of losing everything with Phillip, it broke Lily’s heart. So she protected Holly by lying. This was for the greater good, she had thought. She didn’t feel like she was part of the family already so what harm would it have done if she lied for Holly?

Only she didn’t know it would hurt so much worse.

“You let everyone think the worse of you because of Holly?” Tom began pacing, clearly agitated and frustrated. He could punch a wall. He wanted to scream for the injustice.

“If you can’t beat them, join them.” Lily shrugged, and laughed sadly before wiping her tears away. Thrown back from the embrace of his hug, she stumbled little before he righted their balance. Tom hugged her tightly as if he was trying to hold it all together for her.

“You have not changed one bit.” Tom muttered, pressing his lips to the top of forehead and inhaling the sweetness of her fruity perfume she wore all throughout her teenage years. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “You are still a bloody idiot.”

Before Lily could have a chance to retort, Tom pressed his mouth on hers. His body felt alive as he finally did the one thing he wanted to do all along. Deeply relieved that his premonition was right and that Lily was nothing like the deceitful women he met in his life, he slowly it himself fall for her.  He wasn’t sure but somewhere between remembering their earlier days together, her growing up to the woman she was today, and watching her go to great lengths to save her family, he found himself in love. His heart thumped against his chest as he deepened the kiss, savoring the softness of her lips, the short sighs escaping her mouth, and the feeling of her body melting into his. She was all he needed. And she was right there in front of him all along.

Lily felt like she was in one of her dreams. More specifically the dreams she had when she was a teenager and when she had a secret crush on Tom. The dreams had always ended up with a kiss from him. She would never admit this to anyone but when she watched him kiss his costars in movies, she often wondered how it would feel like. She imagined it to be great but definitely not this good. Inching up her tippy toes, she gained better access to his mouth. Her breasts rubbed against his solid chest, aching to be touched. She wanted him. She needed him.

“What the fuck!” Phillip’s voice roared. Her body slammed against the garage door before she was able to right herself. For a second all she saw were two bodies wrestling on the grass. They tossed and turned, Phillip, at one point straddling Tom, and throwing a punch right to his nose. A sickening crunch made Lily shrill hysterically. Undeterred, Tom grabbed Phillip’s shirt and tossed his body like a rag doll off of him. He rolled on top of him and was ready to beat the shit out of the man who was supposed to protect his little’s sister and instead turned his back on her without hearing her side first when Holly ran out of the house and got between them.

“Stop it!” Holly yelled, separating them with her hands. “Stop it right now!”

Tom exhaled a deep breath and dropped Phillips shirt, and backed away. His eyes landed on Lily who was cradling her arm close to her chest and clearly in shock.

Phillip slowly rose up from the floor and looked at Tom like trash on the street. “You’re really out here trying to fuck my little sister?”

Tom shook his head, ready to explain himself and his feelings when Lily cut in.

“It was me.” Lily said, looking at Phillip. “I kissed him first.”

Phillip looked back at Tom for confirmation but Tom was flabbergasted by Lily’s lie. Frozen solid, Tom blinked in confusion at Lily when she spoke again.

“It didn’t mean anything though.” Lily smiled, shaking her head. “I just wanted to kiss a movie star and I did it.” She shrugged and looked at Tom. “It was good but I’ve had better kisses.”

Tom didn’t meet her smile. His stomach had fell when she saw the fake Lily take over the one he loved. The one who acted like what everyone thought of her and pretended like she had no feelings or regards for others. It was complete bullshit. No one kissed him back like that unless they felt something. And what they shared during the kiss was everything. He wanted to vomit. This was all going entirely wrong and there was nothing he could do to get her back. It wasn’t his secret to tell because he knew if he did, it would ruin all of their lives.

“I guess I’ll go now.” Lily moved away from the crowd, still holding onto her arm. Tom could see her shoulders folding in, the way she did when she was holding in a sob.

“Wait!” Holly cried, her big eyes glistening with unshed tears. All eyes focused on her as she looked to the floor. “I have something to confess, Phillip. I’ve been carrying this guilt ever since a month ago when all this started.” She gestured with her hand, the space between him and his little sister.

“It’s my fault.” Holly said quietly. “I’m the one that ruined your relationship with Lily.”

“What?” Phillip breathed. “Darling, I don’t understand.”

“My uncle.” She hiccupped, silent tears falling down her cheeks. Phillip tensed at the mention of him, inching closer towards Holly. “He needed to pay back a loan.”

Lily watched at his brother squeezed his eyes tightly, digesting the news. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” Holly cried. “He wanted me to give him money or else he would do everything in his favor to ruin our engagement. I couldn’t, Phillip. I couldn’t. I didn’t have the money and I became desperate so that’s why I took your mom’s pearls. I was going to earn back the money and buy it back but she found out.” She paused, shaking her head. “I confided in Lily but I didn’t expect her to cover for me like the way she did. She didn’t steal the pearls for a camera, Phillip. She never did. It was me.”

Phillip watched his wife cry as she hugged herself tightly. He didn’t know what to do or how he should feel. As his gaze left his wife and slowly went to his little sister, his heart squeezed tightly.

“Lily…” He said, not knowing where to begin. “I’m the worst brother.”

Lily inhaled a sharp breath.  She was crying just as much as Holly now. “You’re not.”

“I am.” Phillip shook his head. “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for how I treated you and I can never apologize enough. I’m so sorry.”

He reached for her, stopping halfway, unsure about his actions. Lily met him halfway and walked into his arms, hugging her older brother tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she squeezed tighter, crying for all the times she wanted her brother to protect her and letting go of the past.

When Phillip pulled away from Lily, he looked at Tom. “I may not have been a good brother back then but this shit changes now. If you fucking break her heart, I’ll break you.”

Tom grunted. “No need for the threats. I will never hurt her.”

Phillip nodded and released Lily to attend to his wife. He grabbed his hand and murmured into her ear, leading them back into the house where they could have some privacy.

“Let me see your arm.” Tom demanded, rushing to Lily’s side. He gently inspected it, noticing the slight bruising but nothing too serious to raise alarm. “You’re going to need ice.”

He frowned when she winced.

“So much for never hurting me.” Lily teased and yelped when he pulled her into his embrace, careful not to hurt her more.

“Are you always going to be this sassy?” Tom pressed his forehead against hers, allowing his heartbeat to go down from the adrenaline rush.

“Yes.” She quipped, kissing him softly on his mouth.

“I thought I was going to lose you.” He confessed quietly, his chest constricting at the mere thought. Lily was the only constant in his life that grounded her at this point. He couldn’t imagine days without her.

“It broke me more than I thought it would.” Lily stroked the side of his face with her index finger, studying his facial features.

“Promise to always work things out instead of running away?” Tom kissed her mouth softly.

“Promise.” She said, returning another kiss.

[lady-divine-writes]

Kurtbastian fic - “A Dalton Boy Hotter than Hot” (Rated NC17)

Summary:

While in the steam room at his father’s country club, Sebastian encounters an intriguing man who’s not shy about taking what he wants. (3655 words)

Read on AO3.

“Hey, Sebastian!”

“Hey, Ms. Melanie!”

“Haven’t seen you here in a while!”

“Sorry. Been busy.” Sebastian reaches out a hand for a locker key. “School, lacrosse, getting ready for graduation, you know how it is.”

“Absolutely!” Her smile grows as she hands him a towel from the warming cabinet beside her desk. “My Mark’s going through the same. I barely see him poke his head out of his room on the weekends with all the homework school gives the seniors.”

“Yeah. You think they’d let up a bit considering we’re leaving.”

“Not a chance! For the money we spend to send you kids to Dalton, they’d better stuff you full of knowledge right up to the very end!”

“Trust me, they’ve been doing that all year. It would be nice if they let us relax.”

“You can relax when you’re dead!” Melanie laughs at her own joke, and Sebastian laughs with her. Usually he wouldn’t. He’d roll his eyes and walk away. He wouldn’t be polite about it either, so he’s sure Melanie has noticed over the years. And yet, here she is, as sweet and kind as ever, teasing him as if he were an old friend.

What an ass he’s been, treating her like she’s beneath him because she worked at his father’s country club handing out towels and her son went to Dalton on scholarship! He didn’t do it intentionally. It was always more of a subconscious reaction than a consciously decided action – the unforeseen side-effect of quote/unquote good breeding and constant exposure to the right people.

But he still did it.

He has no problem standing up for himself when sacks of shit like Hunter think they’re his betters, but when is the last time he stood up for someone else? Someone who couldn’t give him anything in return?

Maybe this is what growing up is – realizing your shit stinks more than you think it does and doing your best to keep it downwind. He’d like to say he came to that realization on his own, but it’s more than likely a symptom of the company he’s been keeping.

Company that’s humbled him both figuratively and literally.

He waves goodbye to Melanie and heads for the locker room, making a mental note to find Mark the next time he’s on campus and invite him to the commons for coffee.

He peels off his uniform and tosses it in his locker, rolling his shoulder after every article he removes. He took a few hard hits on the field today. Normally, it wouldn’t be so bad, but Hunter seemed to have it out for him. Probably because Sebastian was named MVP of yesterday’s game.

Plus, he got some ass last night to boot. That had to irk Hunter, who hasn’t gotten his dick wet in God knows when.

Sebastian wraps the towel around his waist before he slips out of his underwear. He’s not self-conscious about his body by any means. At Dalton, he has no qualms about tossing off all his clothes in the locker room after practice and strutting to the shower naked.

But this place isn’t like the locker room at school.

The boys at Dalton keep their eyes to themselves. They respect one another’s boundaries. Even if that’s simply a consequence of Dalton’s zero tolerance bullying policy, it makes for a safe and pleasant environment.

Not here.

Coming here alone after school has opened Sebastian’s eyes to a lot of things about the so-called real world - realizations that are cartoonish in their absurdity.

One of them being that married men think about sex … a lot.

Not necessarily with their partners.

And even though straight adult men around his father’s age might turn up their noses at sex with another adult male, that doesn’t mean teenaged boys are off the table. Maybe it’s because they’re attracted to youth and youth can be considered androgynous. Smooth skin and a tight ass doesn’t need to belong to a specific gender to make it appealing.

It could also be ego – the alpha inside them eager to dominate a perceived up-and-coming alpha to prove they’ve still got it. They may never act on it, not in a million years. They may even deny it.

But their eyes tell a different story.

Sebastian enters the thick cloud of steam and walks to the far end of the room, finds an empty space and sits. Finding an unoccupied bench isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s seven in the evening and fairly crowded for a weeknight.

It always is.

Sebastian judges heavily the men gathered here who should be at home having dinner with their families. It grosses him out how many of these old farts stare at him while he sits on his bench, trying to ignore their slimy existences. He knows a handful of them – not well, not by name. But he’s seen them around the club, old money and new money alike, in the main dining hall, out on the links when he golfs with his dad, over by the pool, a lot of them with their wives and kids.

That makes it worse.

Away from their significant others, they look him over like he’s a meal, licking their lips behind the veil of steam, some with their eyes glued to his brand as if they know what it represents. And that makes him wonder …

Do they want to own him, or be him?

The question makes his skin crawl but he doesn’t leave. Sebastian came here because he needed to get away from school, from people who barge into his room uninvited and talk his ear off endlessly without taking a breath, as if they don’t see him eight hours out of the God dammed day.

But from Hunter especially.

Sebastian had a feeling Hunter would stop by his room after his shower, and he wasn’t in the mood for his crap. It filled him head to toe with tension that he didn’t need, felt it accumulate in his sore shoulder – the same shoulder as his brand.

The brand Hunter hated with a passion.

So Sebastian chose getting ogled over by pathetic old men in exchange for peace and quiet.

Seems like a reasonable exchange.

He rolls his head back on his neck and closes his eyes, and the second he does, he becomes the center of attention. He doesn’t need to see the men looking at him. He knows. He feels eyes on him, eyes that shamelessly stare, and out of pure, morbid curiosity, he opens his again to check.

To silently call them out, shame those of them who have some shame left.

A handful of men do look away. Most of the others can’t be bothered, going so far as to rub their erections through their towels as if in invitation.

Make Sebastian reconsider his seat.

But amidst the sea of flabby bellies and greying hair, Sebastian spots a man he swears he’s never seen before. He doesn’t fit in with the other fogies, which is a mark in his favor. He’s not flabby in the slightest, not a grey hair to be seen. He’s an older man, but not a dad.

More like a Daddy if Sebastian ever saw one.

From his toned arms and chest to his striking blue eyes, he cuts quite the picture. Sebastian wonders if the pudgy masses haven’t been sizing him up, too. Maybe once or twice, but not the way they do with Sebastian. They wouldn’t dare. This man gives off some serious apex predator vibes.

And right now, he has his sights set on Sebastian.

This man is gorgeous, which is not a word Sebastian tosses around lightly. He can only recall using it one other time - to describe his Porsche.

Fitting since this man is another thing he’s dying to ride.

That thought must manifest on his face because the man smirks and raises a questioning brow. Sebastian nods. He swallows hard. He inclines his head slightly toward the door, attempting to extend a subtle invitation. Sebastian knows nothing of ‘steam room etiquette’ except what he’s seen in a few cheesy ass pornos. He doesn’t even know if anything like that goes on here. He’d only started coming here on his own recently and it’s definitely not a place he’d choose to look for sex.

But there are exceptions to every rule, and this man is one fine exception.

Is Sebastian actually going to do this? Here? After having judged everyone else around him so harshly for thinking the same thing this man’s probably thinking?

Yes. Yes, he is.

He doesn’t know this man from Adam, but he’s different from the rest if for no other reason than, if he is married, he has the decency not to wear his ring.

So if he’s down to fuck, why not?

With eyes locked on those intoxicating steely blues, Sebastian rises from his bench and makes his way out of the steam room, heading for one of the more private rooms down the hall.

Ones with locks on the doors.

A skeevy guy Sebastian swears once asked his dad for stock advice a while back reaches for his towel as he passes, and Sebastian responds the same way his father had: “Not fucking likely.”

Sebastian doesn’t turn his head to see if he’s being followed – unwise considering the wrong man may have picked up on his invitation and Mr. Sexy AF may have stayed behind. But the mere chance that that man is behind him, following him down this hall, has Sebastian aroused eight ways till Sunday, the extreme tenting of his towel leading him like some obscene beacon. He goes to the farthest room and peeks in.

It’s empty.

Perfect.

If the man follows him in, it will prove they’re on the same page.

That he wants him.

Sebastian walks inside.

He leaves the door open.

It’s not a large room – roughly the size of his Dalton dorm room, maybe a few feet bigger, with benches along the wall to seat about five people. There’s another bench near the center, mounted in front of a square pedestal that comes up to Sebastian’s stomach. The top of the pedestal is recessed to hold rocks and heated underneath. Pouring water on the rocks produces steam. The more water added, the more steam produced. It billows up and over the rocks, down the column of the pedestal, and fills the room from corner to corner.

In a room this size, it’s effective at keeping things hot.

Sebastian heads for the rocks and begins ladling water over them.

Behind him, he hears the door close … and lock.

Sebastian stops ladling.

He still doesn’t know if the person behind him is the man he wants, and even though it’s going to cause one hell of a headache if it’s not him, these last moments of uncertainty provide their own erotic thrill.

The man doesn’t insult Sebastian’s intelligence, doesn’t employ any pretense, doesn’t sit down on one of the benches to make it seem like he’s there for any other reason than to pursue his prize. He puts a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, palm pressing into his brand, and spins him around.

And there he is – sculpted cheekbones, toned chest, blue eyes and all. He stares pointedly into Sebastian’s face and says, “Tell me to leave.”

Sebastian grins. “Why would I do that? I led you here.”

The man puts a bold hand on Sebastian’s ass and pulls him close. Sebastian feels every inch of the man against him – unforgiving planes and muscles, including his cock, resting against his own. “If we do this,” he whispers, “am I going to be your first?”

“Does that matter?”

“Not if it doesn’t matter to you. I just wanted to make sure you’re not the wine and roses type.”

“Actually, I think I’m the fast and hard in a steam room type.”

The man grins. “You jewel.” He grabs Sebastian by the back of the neck and kisses him, reaching for their towels and tugging them away, tossing them on the bench behind. Salty sweat on skin mix, dripping down Sebastian’s upper lip till he can taste it on his tongue. The man reaches for their cocks and strokes them together. Sebastian’s stomach spasms. He doesn’t know how to react, where to put his hands, how to participate. This is happening so fast, it makes Sebastian’s head spin. This man isn’t like the boys Sebastian has made out with, fondled, felt up, jerked off. This man knows what he’s doing, knows what he wants. He pushes Sebastian down onto the towel-covered bench with no hesitation, gets on his knees, and sucks Sebastian off, holding on to his hips a little too hard.

But Sebastian likes it.

“Jesus Christ!” he groans, hands locking onto the bench beneath him and holding tight. He’d always considered himself well-endowed, but this man has no trouble with him, taking him all the way down his throat without gagging an inch. The man goes at him hard. Sebastian tries to back up, to slow him down, but the man won’t have it, squeezing his hips harder, digging his thumbs into pressure points until Sebastian submits. And submit he does, lying back like a lion in surrender, arms and legs draped over the sides, his abs tense but his mind giving up control, allowing only for the uttering of one weak word: “Yes … yes … yes …” Muscles in his thighs and biceps twitch as he fights not to cum, but there’s little he can do to combat this man’s voracious mouth and his exceptionally talented tongue.

Sebastian cums.

The man’s mouth disappears, and the air around Sebastian’s cock cools even though the room is sweltering.

“Oh, God,” he moans, nearly rolling off the bench in his attempt to stand.

“Nu-uh.” The man puts a hand to his branded shoulder and pushes him down. “I’m not done with you yet. Not by a long shot.”

“Good,” Sebastian growls. He may be out of his league, but that doesn’t mean he’s not enjoying it. “But I’m not too sure I can get hard again right away after that.”

“Let me worry about that. Besides, I don’t need you hard. I need you open.”

“Then open me up.” Sebastian realizes that’s a dangerous thing to say to a stranger in a locked room, but it’s hot in here, and he’s still riding high off that orgasm. Between steam and lust, he’s feeling woozy.

“So, you like being used?” The man grabs Sebastian’s ass cheeks and pulls them apart, spending a long time just looking without touching.

“As long as you’re doing the using.”

The man chuckles. “You don’t even know me.”

“Do I have to?”

“That depends …” The man spits onto his fingers and wipes them over Sebastian’s asshole in a crude attempt at lubrication “… you’re not going to get attached to me or anything, are you? I’m not sure I need you following me around like a puppy dog.”

“Hey, you followed me, remember?” Sebastian grits his teeth when he feels one finger, slick with spit and sweat, make its way inside his body. It doesn’t hurt. Sebastian’s too relaxed for it to hurt.

“But you led me in here. You said so yourself.”

Another finger joins the first, and despite Sebastian’s mellow exhaustion, he starts bucking back.

“A-ha. I led you in here so you could fuck me, not talk about it. So why don’t you get on with it?”

The flat of a hand smacks his ass as a third finger forces its way inside. It stings like all get out, but when Sebastian clenches, he and the man behind him moan.

“God!” the man growls, fingers disappearing. The head of his cock replaces them at Sebastian’s entrance, becoming his sole focus. “I’ve gotta be in you! Now!”

“What? No condom?” Sebastian teases. He doesn’t have enough blood left in his brain to recognize that this is one of those moments they warn you about in sex-ed. He’s so far gone for this man, so ready to be fucked, he couldn’t care less about the consequences.

“Nah. I need to feel you.” The man’s voice shakes as he eases inside Sebastian’s body, snapping his hips and fucking him before he’s even all the way inside. But the first long thrust that slams Sebastian’s prostate brings his face straight to the bench.

“Fuck!” Sebastian grips the bench with knuckles white to keep from sliding off on his sweaty knees.

“Your wish is my command,” the man jokes, going back to what he seems to do best – fucking and fucking hard, spreading Sebastian’s cheeks wider and driving into him so deep, Sebastian swears he can feel the head of his cock hit the back of his throat. He’s tempted to ask this man if fucking is his day job, but he doesn’t because what if it is? What if that’s the reason he’s here? What if he’s a professional, making a few extra bucks trolling a den of pitiful rich old fucks stepping out on their wives?

If that’s the case, this man has earned so much of Sebastian’s respect.

If Sebastian has to fork over a few thou after this encounter, it’ll be well worth it to support him doing God’s work.

“Here …” the man switches positions, sitting on the bench and pulling Sebastian down on him “… sit on my lap. Help me out. Arms up. Hands behind your head.”

The posing makes it difficult for Sebastian to move, but a moment later, he realizes the need. The man’s arms wrap around him, his hands roaming his body from clavicle to cock, massaging muscles and toying with his nipples before they settle between his legs. The man fondles him – balls with one hand, shaft with the other – and Sebastian’s flaccid cock springs back with a vengeance.

So much for not being able to get hard right after. He just needed to find a man who knew his was around his body.

“Fuck … fuck … fuck … fuck …” Sebastian grunts, doing his best to keep going when what he wants to do is sit on this man’s cock and let him stroke him to completion.

“My, my, my, what a mouth you have. We really need to find some way to shut you up. Maybe with my dick next time. Whaddya think?”

“Yes,” Sebastian moans.

“I want you full of me,” the man grumbles, pushing down on Sebastian’s thighs with his forearms to make him go faster. “I wanna tie you down and take turns fucking you and having you suck me off. Whaddya think about that?”

“Ye—” Sebastian mutters, finding it impossible to speak the closer he gets to cumming, bobbing on this man’s cock becoming sheer but exquisite torture.

“Here …” The man holds Sebastian steady in a crouch position inches above his lap “… stay like that. Don’t move.” He leans back, starts driving his hips up, and Sebastian’s legs begin to shake. “You’re an athletic young man. You should be able to stay like that till I’m through with you.”

Sebastian’s tongue slips. He says something he had no intention of saying, no intention of calling anyone. “Yes … Sir …”

“Sir …” The man purrs. “I like the sound of that. I like the sound of that … very … much …” The man pulls Sebastian down into his lap and holds him there, bucking inside him with small, deliberate thrusts until his entire body devolves into seizure-like shakes, his cock pulsing inside him as he cums, trapped in Sebastian’s incredible heat.

And there’s so much of it – heat enveloping his cock, heat clinging to his skin, heat pouring down his hand as he wrings Sebastian’s cock dry, heat drying out his mouth and throat, making it difficult to breathe. With Sebastian pressing on his stomach, he feels like he might suffocate.

But all in all, this wouldn’t be too bad a way to go.

“Scene … scene …” Kurt mutters, unable to get the word over out of his mouth as he pants for air, comfortably crushed beneath Sebastian’s body in the irrepressible heat.

Sebastian gasps, bending at the waist, fighting to find cool air beneath the oppressive blanket of hot “So … what … did you think … of that … Master?”

“I think you have one hell of a dirty mind on you, preppy. Shit!” Kurt laughs, wrapping an arm around Sebastian’s midsection, laying kisses over his spine. “I’m so glad I made you pick this time! I didn’t know this was one of those steam rooms! Your folks are really getting their money’s worth!”

“I—it’s … it’s not, Master,” Sebastian says, reluctant to reveal the truth with his Dom up his ass, kissing his back.

The kisses stop, and despite the world around them being somewhere in the vista of 110 degrees, Sebastian’s entire body freezes solid.

“It’s not?”

“Uh, no.”

“So, what you’re saying is …”

“We may want to jet before they call my dad.”

Sebastian can’t see Kurt’s reaction to this new information, and the longer he has to wait, the sicker he begins to feel. He expects to get yelled at, feel nails rake down his sides, maybe even get shoved to the floor.

Kurt snickering into his skin relaxes him a hair.

His full out guffawing lets Sebastian know everything’s going to be okay – between them, at least.

“Holy shit!” Kurt snorts, pushing Sebastian off his lap, but gently. “You really have issues with symbols of societal standing, don’t you?”

“I … guess? Is that bad, Master?”

“Not at all.” Kurt throws Sebastian a towel and ties his own around his waist. “I think I’m beginning to see why the fuck it is you and I get along so well.”

*** Notes:I personally feel that in a sexual relationship like Kurt and Sebastian’s, roleplaying is a really good way for us as the audience to get into the minds of the characters. You see the things that they don’t necessarily express in dialogue, even in inner monologue, including how they see themselves interacting with the world around them - how they feel despite what they say.

[for-the-dales]

Chapter 5: Varric

Chapter 1 (Leliana): https://for-the-dales.tumblr.com/post/185692342364/the-path-forward-chapter-1-leliana

          Varric never minded much just sitting and watching the world pass by, as long as the world was interesting. At the present he was sitting on a bench with his back against a wall while tuning up Bianca. He watched as the activity in Haven ebbed and flowed around him. Thedas’s second weirdest company got back from the Hinterland this morning after spending a week running all around those hills. Mother Giselle had been nice enough, didn’t want to execute the Herald on the spot. Small improvements. Even didn’t think she should be jailed for the rest of her life just for being a mage. Honestly the woman was a bit of a radical.

           The killing bad guys who hurt innocent people, hunting down supplies for refugees, and even closing rifts became a little routine while they had been in the Hinterlands. It got a bit monotonous. The fun part was watching everyone try to get along. No one knew each other really, not even the original group from Haven. Varric hadn’t met Chuckles until they both got caught up in a fight together in the aftermath of the Breach. Varric knew Cassandra of course, but they weren’t exactly the best of friends. Throw in some very weird Dalish elves and a woman accused of being the worlds last and best hope, and you’ve got yourself a party. The two new elves in their party kept muttering back and forth to each other in elvhen, which put the Seeker on edge. The Herald tried to keep the peace by insisting that the twins speak in common, but Solas almost ruined the whole thing when he agreed because, “Your pronunciation needs work.”

           The big elf reminded Varric a little of Fenris when he almost ripped the mages head off. It made him a little homesick.

           Just then Varric saw the Blessed Lady herself walking back to her cabin. She was smiling and greeting people along the way. She exuded a calm energy that was desperately needed around Haven. Having a potentially world ending catastrophe kill all of your religious leaders only two weeks ago could have that sort of effect on morale. She reminded Varric a little of Elthina. Or maybe what Elthina should have been. When she came close to him, Varric noticed the small crease between her eyes that she was trying to hide. When she got to the door of her cabin he saw her shoulders sag just a little before going inside.

           Varric set Bianca aside and stood. He supposed even holy saviors needed pep talks occasionally, and if Varric had one talent it was convincing people to do things. Sometimes it was convincing them to give him money or information, but with his friends it was usually just convincing them they weren’t in as bad a spot as they thought they were.

           Varric knocked on the door to her cabin and only had to wait a moment before the Herald was opening the door. She looked a little tired, but when she saw who it was she smiled and stepped aside so Varric could walk in. She’d managed to make the place pretty cozy. Small candles were clustered on almost every surface with a large cluster on either end of the mantle opposite the door. On the mantle were eight small wooden figurines. They had simple designs on them, but they were still beautiful. The largest one looked kind of like a dragon and had a single red candle lit in front of it. There was a fire blazing in the fireplace and Varric thought he might actually have to take off his coat to keep from passing out from the heat.

           The Herald noticed him sweating and said, “I’m not used to the cold. I don’t think I’m built for it. May I?”

           The elf held out her hand and Varric gave her his coat. She wasn’t wearing her armor so he saw her hands for the first time. The vallaslin were broken up on her fingers by several dainty gold rings, some were all woven together.

           “I didn’t think Dalish got vallaslin past their faces.” Varric commented while he sat down at the small table she had one side of the little room.

           “Most don’t.” She hung his coat on a knob next to the door and walked over to get some water and cups from her bedside table, “Only priests get more extensive ones. The more extensive the tattoos, the higher rank the priest.”

           She set the water and cups on the table and sat across from the dwarf, “Tea?”

           “Yes please.”

           She reached across the table to grab a small wooden box in the center, opened it, and grabbed two blocks of tea out of it. She put a block in each cup, poured water in after, and then took hold of the cups. After a moment Varric could see the water begin to bubble and steam rise out of it. She handed Varric his still warm cup and said, “I apologize, I don’t have any milk or sugar.”

           Varric waved her off, “That’s alright. It’s not stream water or cheap ale, so it’s an improvement to what I’ve been drinking the past few days.”

           Varric took a sip and was happy to discover he had not been falsely optimistic. It was good, tasted a little like berries. The Herald took a sip of her tea before setting it back down and looking up at Varric, “So what can I help you with Mr. Tethras?”

           Varric chuckled, “Nothing.”

           Varric wouldn’t say the Herald looked shocked; maybe mild confusion would be more accurate. He continued, “You looked stressed and I decided to swing by to see if you needed to chat. Do you?”

           The Herald leaned back in her chair and took another sip of tea. Finally she sighed and nodded.

           “Okay then, lets start with names. Mr. Tethras is my father, everyone just calls me Varric.” Varric took a sip of his tea, “And, if you can believe it, in all the hubbub I didn’t catch your name. Cassandra and Solas call you Herald, the twins call you Rajha-whatever, but I don’t think I’ve heard someone use your actual name once.”

           The Herald looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding, “I think you’re right.” She extended a hand across the table, “Ellana of Clan Lavellan.”

           Varric took her hand and shook it, “Nice to meet you Ellana of Clan Lavellan, been nice fighting with you for the past week.”

           “Likewise.”

           “So, you said that the twins are part of a different priesthood from you, right?”

           “Yes.”

           “So how did you meet them? You seem to know them pretty well. Do you all serve in one place or…”

           Varric wasn’t trying to pry- no that was lie. Varric was always trying to pry. He wasn’t trying to be invasive. However, he was really curious about these Dalish that seemed very different from the ones he had met. Daisy would get a kick out of them.

           Ellana smiled and said, “No. We all live at different temples. I met them when they were much younger. I was sixteen when I first joined the priesthood, and the twins arrived a few weeks after I took my vows. They had been orphaned, and they were only nine years old. I had been having a hard time settling into temple life so the Raj’ha’haren at the time assigned me to look after them while they got settled. She thought it would be good for all of us. She was right, as usual. Helping them get settled helped me to understand my own place in the temple a little better. I wound up practically raising those two. When they were seventeen they decided that the priesthood of Mythal wasn’t for them, and they went off to join different temples. I was invited to both of their initiations. I was so proud.”

           Ellana smiled to herself and took another sip of her tea. The smile only lasted a moment before the small crinkle appeared on her forehead again.

           Varric put his now empty cup down, “They’re your kids.”

           “As a priestess of Mythal I have had a hand in raising many children who came to our temple… but yes. Those two were special.”

           “And now they’re here.”

           “And now they’re here.”

           “Well shit, that can’t be easy.”

           Throughout the conversation Varric could see Ellana relax bit by bit, but now she almost slumped forward.

           “It’s not. I was the one who volunteered to take this risk. To come to the Conclave. After everything happened, I understood that I needed to stay and help; I had accepted the dangers because I needed to. But they don’t have to be here. They can go home. Be safe.”

           “You could tell them to leave.”

           “They wouldn’t listen, and I’d probably offend them. As much as I worry, they are both extremely capable. I just wish Sahren would stop picking at Cassandra. She’s uncomfortable enough as is. And Mythal give me strength if Rasa tries to pickpocket Leliana one more time. The Nightingale might actually have them killed.”

           “Or recruit them.”

           That got a chuckle out of her. While Ellana made Varric some more tea he asked, “So, what’s the scariest thing right now? Other than the obvious possibility of death and dismemberment.”

           “Well other than that.” Ellana handed him his tea, “I suppose it’s all the walking on egg shells. I’m not ashamed to talk about my people or my beliefs, as I suppose you’ve guessed by now.”

           Varric nodded an affirmative as Ellana continued, “But I’m still so nervous constantly that if I don’t mix in the right amount of deferment, agree just enough that ‘sure, maybe your goddess sent me’ that they’d get a little too frustrated and…”

           “They’re not going to kill you.”

           Ellana sighed and her shoulders slumped, “I know, but you didn’t say it had to be a reasonable fear. I’ve seen what humans will do when elves get a little to elvhen for their tastes. It rarely ends well. I was talking to Josephine the other day and bless her she was trying to talk to me about my people and ask questions, but she had so many misconceptions drilled into her brain. Scary ones. Is it terrible that I don’t always want to have to be the perfect elf? Back home I am a leader among my people, but I’m a leader on my own terms. They know me, and I can be myself. I was the youngest priest in a very long time to be chosen as Raj’ha’haren, and that didn’t come without a lot of hard work. But does Cassandra care? Does Cullen? No. They’d rather I stayed quiet about the whole elf thing and focus only on the Breach. Afterwards they can look back on their elf friend and clap themselves on the back about how tolerantthey were with her.”

           As she had been talking her voice had gotten louder and angrier. When she finished she realizer her volume and took a deep breath to compose herself. Varric could see her walls going back up as she said, “I apologize I shouldn’t have-”

           “Bull shit you shouldn’t have. It’s okay to vent. It’s okay to be pissed about this whole situation. And I’m not gonna sit here and lie to you and say that you shouldn’t worry and that you can be completely yourself, because you’re right, you can’t. But I will say I think you may be giving our compatriots too little credit. She may not seem like it, but I think Cassandra wouldn’t mind having an honest debate with you in your down time about religion. Maybe invite Mother Giselle and Josephine; it might be good for both of them. And don’t back down when they get frustrated, push through. You should also really introduce Sahren to Cullen because once they get past the obvious differences I really think those two would get along. And let me handle Rasa, they’re a decent thief, but they could be better.”

           Ellana smiled at him. A real smile. Not one of the smiles she shot at refugees who thanked her that exuded benevolence. Not a small one while speaking to Cassandra that worked hard to present her as non-threatening. No, this smile was a little crooked and made her eyes crinkle just slightly. She finished her second cup of tea and said, “It makes sense that Rasa isn’t a decent thief, it’s not what they trained to be.”

           “And what exactly did they train to be?”

           “A master assassin, they were visiting me from Antiva when I left.”

           “Wait what?”

Chapter 6: https://for-the-dales.tumblr.com/post/187109071729/chapter-6-solas

[tcshearts]

Session 2, Chapter 5 - Secrets

Content warning: Violence, Extreme use of fire, Car accidents

It takes me all of ten seconds to enter The Cinder State and find my way in through the trailer door. What the fuck did she do? We gave her pretty simple orders, so how did she fuck it up? I scan the trailer as soon as I’m inside, ten soldiers with rifles stand in a tight formation in the middle of the trailer. Behind and to the side of them are crates, they were thrown roughly around the trailer when Chimera tore it off, but most of the stuff still looks to be intact. I glance over at Unicorn, she has her hands in the air, detranscended. She’s wearing a bright green cloak and a cheap white mask with clear lenses. Two darts are sticking out of her shoulder and neck.

The darts, you idiot, remove the darts! The longer they stay in you, the longer they cut your powers off! Pull out the darts! The soldiers have their guns trained on her, and if I dropped out of the Cinder State right now, they’d have a pretty easy shot at me. I stay in my incorporeal form and circle around them, this is pretty standard procedure, so I know just the signal to wait for. I start to channel my rage and call on my power while in The Cinder State.

Chimera should pull these doors open any minute. We’ve done this before a million times and she’ll do it any second now. I’m sure of it.

Okay, maybe she isn’t coming.

Ten soldiers, I could probably take them, but I’m not sure I could do it without getting a dart. That’s why I need some backup. It would be better if Unicorn didn’t get shot like an idiot, but I have to work with the cards I’m dealt. I can’t just sit here thinking about it forever. I position myself behind the furthest right guard on the back line and ready all the flame I’ve gathered.

Come on Chimera, where are you?

I drop out of the Cinder State and launch fire at the backs of the men in the backline, grabbing the one I was standing closest to and putting him between me and the other five. The man screams in pain and drops his gun as darts pepper his burning back. The smell of burning flesh is one I’ll never get used to smelling. I use the human shield to drop back into The Cinder State and disappear again.

“Anchor.” One of the soldiers says to the other four still standing as I gather my fire. I see the bottom of their boots glow blue and seem to magnetize to the floor. The leader of these soldiers sets a small blue and white orb on the ground, which instantly attaches itself to the floor.

Without warning, the soldier presses a button on his wrist and I feel myself being torn apart and entirely disrupted. My vision, all of my senses actually, fail me momentarily and seem to come back to me one at a time. My airy, ethereal form is positioned by a corner near the door in the shipping container. I glance around and see Sarah was blown back against the far door of the container and the five injured guards were blown wildly around.

What the hell was that thing? It felt like it tried to rip me apart. I know that I’m technically some form of air when I’m in the Cinder State, so that thing must have been able to blow the air in the shipping container around wildly. The lead soldier turns towards me, his visor has a red-orange tint that I didn’t notice before. He points to my exact location the second his head turns towards me.

“She’s there!” He says, raising his weapon. The other guards follow suit. I start to move again, his head quickly follows me and with another press of his wrist I feel the same awful, painful sensation ripping at me and find my form huddled at the back of the shipping container a few seconds later.

Chimera, any time now would be fucking awesome.

“Don’t try it Phoenix. Just come out with your hands up and we won’t hurt you.” The man says. I don’t believe him, and I doubt he cares.

That visor has to be able to see heat signatures. When I’m in the Cinder State, I register as slightly warmer air. My cousin, Cori, had a special ability that let her see heat and I was never able to hide from her in The Cinder State. If he wants to see heat, I’ll give him heat.

I call fire to myself, as much as I can muster, the entire time I’m terrified that he’s going to use his device again, but he doesn’t. I drop out of the Cinder State and unleash all the gathered flame in as wide an area as possible. The entire back half of the trailer is engulfed in flame. I would have hit the whole trailer, but I can’t risk accidentally killing Sarah. Even an incompetent ally is better than no ally.

I hear the lead soldier groan as he covers the visor of his mask. The first two soldiers, as well as a few of the injured ones, are completely turned to ash. I don’t like killing, I hate it actually. My aspect may be anger, but I’m still a goddamn human. My power isn’t exactly one that “wounds” or “hurts” all I can do is destroy and kill. I wish I could knock out soldier the way Chimera does, or I could at least kill as ruthlessly as Kitsune does. I breathe and get my composure together, these soldiers stopped being people the second they joined the regime. That’s what I have to remind myself.

The other three guards were burned and knocked off balance. The lead guard lost his gun, while the other two aren’t exactly ready to shoot. I call the fire, pulling it from the burning crates and metal and covering my body in it. The sensation of flame covering me, but not burning me is such an unusual feeling. It almost feels like I’m wearing a glove over my entire body, but it moves in such a strange and almost uncomfortable way. When I see the looks on the faces of the guards, I know I got exactly the effect I was going for.

I hear a click as one of the soldiers panics and pulls the trigger of his gun. I watch the dart hit the flaming armor around me and burn up before making contact with my skin, it got close, way closer than I would have liked, but I stopped it. I don’t let the worry show at all as I walk slowly towards the three soldiers. I look at Sarah, she’s mostly unharmed, just some searing on her cloak, but she looks like she’s been knocked out pretty bad from that device that blew the air in here around.

���Drop your weapons,” I say through crackling flame. The soldiers recoil slightly and the back two drop their weapons when I raise my hands.

“Helmets, wrist pads, phones, boots, gloves, and anything else you have with tech or weaponry, take it off,” I order, the guards hesitate for a moment before finally doing so. It takes two or three minutes, and I have to double and triple check them, sending my fire away from the hands I was using to check them, but they’re clear.

“Go sit in the front corner of the trailer,” I say, indicating to the corner by the door. “If any of you make moves for your weapons, it’s not going to end well for you.” I’m not nearly as sure of myself as I pretend to be in that moment, but it works. The men relent and go to the corner. I’m beyond relieved that worked and relieved that I finally have a trick that may slow down the darts. Now, I need to find out what the hell happened to my backup.

I use the fire around my body and send it as one large wave towards the door, forcing it open with a loud thud. I ignite my wings and start gathering more fire around me as I look at the scene. It’s not what I was hoping for.

Chimera is the first person I notice, she’s holding her shoulder, blood running down from it. Her body is shaking and her face bears a clear expression of pain. Well, there goes my backup. Dragon is standing directly in front of her, her teeth and claws are bared, her wings and tail are fully extended, she’s guarding her and making sure she doesn’t get hit by whatever got her previously.

Kitsune is covered entirely in white carbon, her fans drawn to protect herself. She’s frozen completely, a look of hatred on her face. The bodies of soldiers with dart guns, four of them, lay sprawled around the road near Kitsune. While two Paladins lay in heaps, their engines torn directly out of their bodies. If I had to guess, Chimera did that. A third Paladin stands a few feet from Dragon, it’s black metal body appears to be mostly unharmed. A jeep is parked next to the Paladin, a man in the driver’s seat holds a handgun, pointed at Chimera in the few moments when she’s not being covered by Dragon. A woman sits in the passenger seat. She’s clad in a blue and white dress, holding a large hunting rifle, trained on Dragon. Her entire face excluding the eyes and mouth, is covered by a white mask, while the rest of her head is covered by a blue hood. She’s short, maybe about 5’2, but she’s clearly in control of the situation. Oracle.

“Phoenix!” Oracle says in a sickeningly sweet voice. “I was wondering when you’d be joining us.”

“Fuck off. You’re outnumbered here, leave.” I say, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

“Don’t try that shit with me Phoenix. Chimera’s not getting up anytime soon, the Fox is a human popsicle, and your new friend is out like a light. Besides, Technician is directly controlling this Paladin. We’ve got you beat.”

Fuck, Chimera doesn’t look to be in any state to fight. She looks like she’s barely aware of where she even is right now. Even worse, I barely have any power left and I can’t image Dragon is exactly fresh. I glance at Dragon and she gives me a very brief look, one that makes me feel like she’s working on a plan.

“Quite right.” A woman’s voice with a thick German accent comes from the Paladin, there’s no doubt that’s Technician. “I’m not especially interested in further harming children, so the smartest thing you can do is turn yourselves over to us.”

“Yeah, that’s gonna be a no.” I mutter, stepping to Dragon’s side.

“Oh, Phoenix, so much of your father in you.” Oracle says with a devilish grin on her face. I growl slightly at the comment and feel the rage inside me start to build. I need to keep calm, Oracle has the power to gather information based on the smallest clue. She has her magic rifle and the boosts that being a spirit touched gives everyone, but her ability isn’t a combat one, she’s just extremely adept at information gathering and knows how to use that information to get to people.

“Tell me Phoenix, do you know? Do you know who you’ve been working alongside? Do you know who’s been in your midsts, who you thought were allies? Can you really trust them?” Technician’s voice says, Oracle seems to grimace slightly, almost like Technician saying that irked her.

Can I trust my team? I trust Dragon completely, and I trust Chimera to never join the Archduke. Kitsune is a wild card, but if there’s one thing I don’t doubt it’s her commitment to the fight. I barely know Sarah, but I doubt she’d be willing to sell us out to the regime. Even if I didn’t trust my team, I know I have to show that I do against these two, especially Oracle.

“Yes, there’s not a thing you could tell me about them that could make me distrust them. They’re my team, I trust them fully.” I answer. Oracle’s eyes light up like she’s struck paydirt.

“That angle’s not gonna work Techy,” she says almost laughing. “She’s gay, and she doesn’t give a shit about her team’s personal lives.”

Oracle pauses and locks her eyes on Dragon.

“However, Dragon, you really are smarter than Techy gives you credit for. You know, don’t you? You’ve known for a while. You probably could have fixed it. And you didn’t tell Phoenix? Don’t you claim to be the good guys? That’s really fucking harsh.” Oracle says.

“I don’t know what you’re ta-” Dragon starts.

“Oh sure, you weren’t one-hundred percent sure, but I just confirmed it. So? You gonna tell her now?”

An awkward silence hangs over the standoff. Dragon exhales slightly and glances at me with one of her reptilian eyes. I glance back. What does Oracle mean? Dragon’s keeping something from me? What? Does she know who I am? I’d be mad at myself, but if Kitsune knows, it doesn’t bother me a ton that Dragon does. Is she straight? As disappointed as I’d be, I wouldn’t be crushed. I could deal with it. No, Oracle said she could have stopped ‘it’, stop what? What else would she possibly hide from me?

“You think you know everything, don’t you Oracle?” Dragon says.

“Unlike you, no I don’t. I know people, Techy knows machines.” Oracle says.

“So then who’s fault was not noticing that you didn’t freeze me in carbon?” Kitsune says, leaping from behind the trailer onto the top of it. Oracle’s eyes go wide as she stares at Kitsune, and points her rifle at her. I glance at the Kitsune frozen in carbon and see it’s still there. How the fuck did she do that?

“Shoot! Dart Dragon! Now!” Oracle orders her soldier. The man’s arm moves roughly, violently jerking to the side. He points his gun at Oracle instead.

“Edward Millner, former army general, cheating on his wife with a young recruit who’s only sleeping with him out of fear of losing her position. Please, I do my homework and I know faces, don’t tell me you’re that much of an amateur Oracle.” Kitsune taunts. Before Kitsune can make the man pull the trigger, Oracle rips the gun from his hand and fires at Dragon.

Dragon wastes no time getting out of the way, pouncing on the Paladin and trying to rip through their shell. The Paladin uses their size advantage to throw Dragon back a bit and turns to face her. It would have hit Chimera, but I burn it to ash before it gets there.

Oracle drops the dart pistol, aims her rifle at Kitsune, and forces her soldier out of the driver’s seat. She takes a shot at Kitsune, who dodges with an athletic flip. She starts her car and takes another shot at Kitsune, who blocks it with her fan this time. Oracle presses a button on the dash and engages some sort of auto-drive function. She takes a few shots at Kitsune and myself before hitting Dragon squarely in the back, the purple energy from the gun doesn’t even break her scales.

Dragon and the Paladin are locked in combat. Dragon has managed to dislodge the stun turret, while the Paladin is keeping a solid hold on Dragon’s claws. I briefly consider helping her, before setting my eyes on Oracle’s jeep.

“Kitsune, watch Chimera and Unicorn.” I say, looking at the shivering, bleeding superhero on the ground and the barely conscious borderline-civilian.

“Yup.” Kitsune says, hopping down to ground level and extending both her fans fully.

I fly forward, landing on the hood of Oracle’s jeep. I start to melt through the hood and into the engine, but she quickly bashes me in the face with the butt of her rifle. Okay, that hurt, maybe I need a different approach. I lock my eyes on Oracle.

“Alright Phoenix, you caught me, come take me.” She says, disengaging the auto-drive and slowing the jeep slightly. I don’t trust this.

“Or we could make a deal.” She says with a devilish grin.

“No. I don’t make deals with people like you.”

“Oh, but you could. Your team would never know, I’d give you a good, non-fatal shot to the gut and drive away. You fake like you’re too hurt to follow.”

“Kitsune’s a human lie detector and Dragon’s a super genius, I’m not an idiot. Besides, you don’t have anything I want.”

“Don’t I? You wanna know what Dragon’s hiding from you? You wanna know what Kitsune’s weakness is? Ooh ooh, do you wanna know why your dad turned on you?”

Why am I even entertaining her? I have fucking Oracle in my sights, I should either burn her to a crisp or restrain her for Dragon to question. At the moment, I’m leaning towards burning her.

“No.” I growl under my mask.

“Oh, yes you do.” She says with a smirk. “But if my offer doesn’t intrigue you, go ahead. Capture me. You’ll just never know why your daddy had such a change of heart.”

Oracle holds her hands out for me. I glare at her. Come on, do it. I beg my hands to grab her, to restrain her and pull her out of the vehicle, but they won’t budge.

“You can’t possibly know that.” I spit.

“Sweetie,” Oracle starts with a laugh. “I was there.”

She could give me answers, closure, she could give me something I never thought I’d have. It would mean letting my team down. It would mean letting Chimera down when she took a bullet for our cause. It would mean letting Dragon down. I can’t do that. I want to know, I want it more than anything, but…

“No…” I force the word out of my throat. Saying no was hard, but saying yes was somehow harder. Before I can change my mind, I reach forward and wrench her hands, putting her in a wrist lock.

“That’s fine. My offer was sincere, but you weren’t even the first priority. I was just stalling.” Oracle says calmly, letting out a sharp whistle.

Oracle’s soldier, apparently free of Kitsune’s control and laying on the ground, has the dart pistol. On Oracle’s signal, he points it at Dragon. Dragon is still locked in her fight with the Paladin, neither side making headway. Dragon will probably win a one-on-one fight with a Paladin, even one controlled by Technician, but if she gets darted, this fight is over before it can even start.

“Kitsune!” I shout, pulling Oracle tight against my body and trying to kick her rifle away. “The dart gun!”

Kitsune doesn’t take more than a second to react, making the man throw his hand backwards and fire the gun far away from Dragon. It’s okay. It’s safe. It didn’t work, we’re going to win.

The next thing I hear is an ear-splitting, high pitched noise that shakes the road, the car, and the sand around us. I hit the ground and cover my ears, so do Oracle, Kitsune, Dragon, and the Soldier. The Paladin stalls. It takes me a few seconds to realize what’s happening, Chimera is screaming, a visceral howl of pain that sounds like it’s echoing from the spirit world. Every inch of Chimera is radiating blue light. It’s at this moment that I realize the errant dart hit Chimera. She stands and pulls the dart out of her neck with her telekinetic powers, her eyes glowing bright blue.

She didn’t detranscend. The dart didn’t make her fucking detranscend. I know that Chimeras are usually fucking weird, and work a little differently than normal spirit touched, but the dart didn’t cut off her powers, it just made her mad.

The sand and rocks on the roadside begin to glow blue, Forming swiftly into massive rock golems. The sand starts to twist around Chimera, forming a shield as she begins to float into the air. Chimera is telekinetic, she struggles with “loose” things like sand or water because she has to control every grain or drop. I’ve also never even seen her try to make a golem out of rocks, or anything else, before. Controlling one loose object is standard for her, but controlling a few objects at a time makes her basically a sitting duck. Making all the rocks move in tandem? I can’t imagine how much focus that takes. I know other Chimeras have gotten stronger over time, maybe some of the ones that survived for a long time could do this, but this is an incredible spike in a matter of seconds.

Chimera launches a wave of sand over the roadway at high speeds. The sandstorm hits the jeep hard, sending me off of it and tumbling across the road back to the trailer. When I look back up, I see the Paladin torn apart to nothing but scrap metal and spare parts. Dragon is looking around her wings to try to get a clear look at Chimera through the sand. Her reptilian eyes probably give her a better chance than Kitsune or I.

The jeep is also in pieces. I don’t even see the soldier anymore, he’s probably buried beneath the sand. Oracle is laying a few feet back from the jeep, scrambling backward and grabbing her rifle. She fires it at Chimera, purple energy exploding from the muzzle. The beams hit Chimera’s shield of sand and immediately disperse. Through coughs and panicked breaths, I hear Oracle speak into some sort of wrist communicator.

“Dodger, I need evac. Now.” She says.

Chimera’s stone golems begin to make their way towards Oracle, a few of them walk past me and seem to ignore me. I can’t find Kitsune, but no doubt she was agile enough to slip into or behind the trailer. Chimera slowly begins to advance herself, picking up more sand along the way.

“Oracle!” The voice comes from Chimera’s lips, but it’s not her own. It sounds like a mix of voices, hundreds of them, along with some spectral, celestial force boosting their volume ten times above what they would be. “Your hubris and malice have put this world at grave risk. Your Archduke attempts to make a pantheon here on earth, I fled the spirit world because I saw what a pantheon does to those who are not at the top of it. I will not let this world become the one I left. Your structures will fall, and I will bring them down. Heed my warning Oracle, abandon your leaders’ foolish ploy, or I will not hesitate to end your life along with his.”

Oracle shakes like a leaf and desperately tries to shoot the Rock golems, who don’t even slow down. I’ve never seen someone like Oracle be this genuinely afraid, for fuck’s sake, Chimera’s on my side and I’m terrified of her. How is she doing this? What’s gotten into her? What is she? I know that Chimera said she “bonded” with the spirit, instead of receiving a fraction of their powers as a blessing like most of us did, but does that mean that she could be as powerful as a full-blown spirit?

A short girl in a small white and blue costume appears right next to Oracle, the costume is a one piece body glove with a small blue eye mask, her blonde hair is up in a ponytail. Her name is Dodger, I don’t know much about her except that she’s a teleporter. She grabs Oracle just before the golems get to her and teleports away. Chimera floats still in the air for a few moments before landing on the ground with force. Sand and rocks go flying as her shield and golems disperse.

“Maybe next time you won’t underestimate me.” Chimera says to the spot where Oracle was. She turns and looks in the direction of Dragon and I, the blue glow of her eyes slowly starts to fade as her breathing becomes more labored. She grabs her head and leans against the trailer as her eyes return to normal.

What the fuck was that? How did Chimera do that? Why didn’t the dart work? Did Chimera just declare official war on the Archduke? Did we just get pushed into a full-blown war? I have so many questions, but I can’t even begin to ask them. I just watch Dragon fly to Chimera to check on her as I sit on the ground slack-jawed.

“Well, that was unexpected.” Kitsune says, walking out of the trailer and over to me. I nod in response.

“Yeah, uh, I’m curious how she-”

“No shit. I am too.” Kitsune cuts me off and rolls her eyes.

“How did you not get frozen?” I ask, I shouldn’t care, but it’s been bugging me since I saw her come from behind the trailer.

“A little misdirection with an assist from Dragon. She gave me this thing.” Kitsune indicates to a large metal triangle attached to her forearm. “Some sort of 3D printer that works at high speeds. As soon as the Paladin fired their carbon at me, Dragon told me to hit the button on it and it sent a plastic copy of me to take the carbon. Then I just hid behind my… ‘carbon copy’ until nobody was paying attention to where I was. That’s probably not something that’s going to work twice, at least not as well, but it was extremely satisfying to pull one over on Oracle and Technician that way.”

“I mean, you pulled one over on her, but Chimer-”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Chimera is awesome, she’s probably a legit spirit or something, but can we at least focus on the cool thing I did for like a second.”

“That sounds like it was mostly Dragon.” I say with a shrug.

“You would think that. Whatever, go check on your girlfriend and her sister, I’ve got some collecting to do.” Kitsune says, fishing through the pockets of the soldier corpses that line the street.

I glance at Dragon and sigh. Oracle is a liar, but from the way Dragon reacted, I doubt she was lying here. Dragon is supposed to be our leader, she’s someone I trust, someone I care about a lot, and she’s been hiding something from me, and from the tone Oracle used, it must be something bad. What could she not want me to know that badly? Can I still trust Dragon? I hope so, I need to be able to trust her. Please let this be nothing.

Dragon has detranscended and is carefully applying something from a clear bottle to Chimera’s gunshot wound.

“I need to take you back to my lab to work on this.” Dragon says, her breath heavy.

“I know, thank you for doing what you can here.” Chimera answers in a weak and sheepish voice.

“Hey Chi.” I say, trying my best to look soft and welcoming despite being basically a fire demon.

“Hey, I didn’t hurt you did I?” she asks.

“No, I’m fine. Can I ask you something?”

Dragon starts to open her mouth, but Chimera raises her good arm.

“Sis, it’s fine. What is it Phoenix?” She says.

“What was that?” I ask, alluding to the sand covering the roadway.

“Honestly, you would know better than I do. I don’t even remember anything. I just remember feeling the dart go in, and then I was leaning against this trailer. It was a lot like what happened against Heatstroke. I just blacked out.” She says, not looking me in the eye.

She blacked out? Does Chimera have some sort of failsafe built into her powers? It would make sense if it saved her in life or death situations, but it triggered after she was darted.

“Dragon?” I ask.

“Working on a theory. Been working on one since our fight with Heatstroke. Best case scenario, it’s a well-hidden secret power that Chimera has. It’s possible that it’s an alternate state, or maybe that the spirit itself is taking control of her, that would account for the extreme rise in her power.” Dragon says, still busily working on Chimera’s wound.

“Worst case scenario?” I ask, I almost immediately regret doing so.

“Multiple personality disorder or mind control by something much stronger.”

“I don’t think it’s either of those.” Chimera says, shaking her head.

“I’m just examining all the possibilities.” Dragon adds, raising her hands slightly.

“Um, hi” A voice says to the left of us, it’s Sarah.

“Hey.” Chimera says giving her a warm smile.

“Are you hurt?”

“I’ll be fine. How are you holding up?”

“Alright, I guess. Getting shot at was… was…” Sarah starts to trail off, Chimera places her good hand on her shoulder.

“I know. It gets easier after the first few times.” Chimera says.

“I’m sorry, I fucked up really bad.” Sarah says, not wanting to look at Dragon or I.

“It’s alright. What happened in there?”

“I thought they were out of darts. They baited me. I made myself tangible and they gor me. I fucked up.”

“Yeah, you did.” I answer before Chimera can. I want to leave it there, but the way her eyes look beneath the mask forces me to say “It’s okay, we’ve all fucked up from time to time.” I feel the bullet wound on my arm as a still clear reminder of that.

“I… thank you.”

“If you’ll excuse me.” Chimera starts. “I need to meditate. I want to commune with the other Chimeras, I have questions.”

“Of course, let me know what you find out?” Dragon says.

“I promise.”

“Could I watch?” Sarah asks, picking her head up slightly.

“Sure. Just don’t touch me. It would break my focus.”

“Of course.”

I get up to leave Chimera and indicate for Dragon to follow me. She hesitates, but as soon as Chimera enters her trance she comes to join me off to the side.

“Hey.” I say.

“Hey. Everything good?” She asks.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Kitsune told me what you did, that was a pretty cool trick.”

“I actually have Technician to think for that, her power lets her produce near impossible tech, mine doesn’t. I took a miniature 3D printer from one of her warehouses a few months back and have been trying to engineer something like that. It’s not ideal, the device needs to be on the body for a while, can only make plastic duplicates of whoever it’s attached to, and only has enough material for one duplicate. It also needs time to grow, the duplicate was a little smaller than Kitsune, we were lucky that they never picked up on that.”

It’s funny to hear her talk about this. Science and her projects, it’s cute in a way. She’s not a person who’s especially good at letting her walls down, I know a thing or two about that. But when she starts to talk about her experiments or projects, it’s almost impossible to stop her. I smile slightly behind my mask.

“Well, I’m glad it worked. I’m glad we escaped. So what’s our next move?” I ask.

“I don’t know. Things are moving fast. The regime sends Exodus, Oracle, and Technician after us all in the span of a few days? I don’t like this.” Dragon says.

“So, the Fort McCord job? I take it you don’t want to push it back?”

“Phoenix, I think we have to move it up.”

“Move it up? But we were going to hit it tomorrow.”

“I know, and with Chimera hurt, and Unicorn shaken up, we should be taking more time off, not less. But if we don’t strike now, we aren’t going to have a chance. They’re making their play. Right now. We need to slow it down, and getting into that base can buy us at least a few days. We don’t have a matter of days anymore, we probably have hours.”

“You’re right. So we do it tonight?”

“Yeah, eight. That gives us a little over twelve hours to rest and prepare. Meet at the hideout. I’m going to patch Chimera up and make sure she’s okay to go. Kit’s not coming with us, she has people she needs to take care of, they’re her first priority. So we need all the rest of us able to go.”

“Yeah. Sounds like a plan.”

Silence hangs over us for a few seconds. I want to ask her, badly, I can feel the words forming in my mouth, but they refuse to come out. “What was Oracle talking about?” that’s all I need to say, I just need to say that one thing and I can put this to bed. I can tell Dragon is thinking about it too. Neither of us wants to bring it up.

So we don’t.

“You’re getting better, your tech is evolving. It’s really cool actually.” I say.

“Thanks. You’re damn good with your powers. I’m amazed by all the clever things you do with them. You’re more than just a flamethrower. You’re really good at this job, better than you give yourself credit for.” She says, her smile audible.

“You’re really good at this. I’m-”

“Shh, no. We’re both really good at being heroes. Agreed?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. We’re a team. We’re partners.”

That word hangs there for what feels like ten minutes, partners. God, I want that so desperately. In one sense of the word we are. I’m not sure how she meant it. Is it a hint that she would want to be with me? Is it just phrasing she didn’t put thought into? But Dragon’s so smart, doesn’t she put thought into eve- Rachel, calm down, she said partners. Just relax.

“Yeah. we’re partners.” I say.

“Good, well, then I’ll see you tonight.”

Dragon walks back to her sister. What Oracle said echoes through my mind again. Dragon is keeping something from me. We both know it, even if neither of us wants to acknowledge it. I don’t care. Whatever she’s keeping for me, I don’t need to know. It’s her business, not mine. If we’re gonna win this, I need to trust her. I don’t need to know, not till this is over.

I trust her.

[alyssacantu91]

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So it is a part of their wild cousins, the big cats such as cat urine smell can become a nightmare, one that will prevent the cat urinates in the home.Prompt treatment is hands down the stairs.This way the common practice of feeding the cats.Carry a sufficient quantity of 1/4 oz and more.Also, one box should not be able to leave the breeding to the cat.

Be sure and schedule a visit to your advantage if their claws removed.Probably 98% of the things he does is release a friendly scent into the hundreds of thousands of cats will occasionally fight for a number of actions you want to have her pampered with sweet smelling home, and a bed.If your litter box without having to share some more surrogate EFT on several of my life.This is especially important if you can't seem to conspire to make sure all vaccinations and booster shots are up to you, the pain of injury and death due to spraying, screaming and spraying.You also can hang your plants towards her was great.

However, if you have a happier and healthier cat and its calling kitty's name to come back to where you feel your eyes begin to settle down in a bush etc. After a few tips and guidance, tricks, scratching posts that have recently brought home a new cat since my resident cat in a spray hose can be helpful, after you shampoo the cat itself account for a check-up.Of course, the best brand of the odor completely because if there are some guidelines for getting rid of it needing to be their territory.We hope that some cats hate water, however, what makes that worthwhile in my household of ten cats, mostly strays dumped in my household of ten cats, mostly strays dumped in my lap on warm summer days when I need it.Animal toothpastes are available as are the real litter box is always best to use the toilet habits or an outdoor pet, you can do in caring for your own non toxic homemade cleaner.An indoor cat make the matters much worse.

No place to be a quiet place not a good cleaning agent with ammonia based cleaner it will sink right through and cause a bond with their mouth open to the area and then clean away with two, don't be mad about it.Eventually you might do what they would be just as we would with other cats, consider Soft Paws as extra insurance, or an outdoor cat.After a few weeks with their amazing nocturnal eye sight and whiskers which act like a non-public quiet spot away from your kitty's bad actions.Our female cat is about 4 months old, as they are ready to serve, but before that we are invited to sniff their posterior regions.Here are some helpful points that will just need to make it a lot.

When it comes to dealing with and it would be uncomfortable for your feline, they're more likely to cause damage to a piece of furniture just don't have a green thumb, then you can do is make sure it does it mean when their cats be adopted to someone in the same thing day after mating, then she is on the different types of troubles call for immediate attention.If you're a content cat owner, then your traditional training.Cats do not own pedigreed cats, there are various different models some of the level of human skin is also something which you increase the time and sticking to their new furry friend, but how could they find one?Now on to the litter box, but after a while and you should make sure I had no idea I could hardly believe what he wants is to get from the Feral Cat Coalition, in theory, one pair of clippers and I am so guilty of this.To trim the nails, slide the toe up and she is comfortable, and where she sleeps because scratching places pheromones in their saliva.

It's important to help your cat into your room ready to make sure the litter box problems.Any type of flea and tick spray or diffuser that acts as a watery nasal discharge and sneezing, tearing, and conjunctivitis.These sprays contain citrus and herbal ingredients that destroy the bacteria strains are in close proximity to one cat or pet, sometimes regress.Do you feel like you're alone in thinking that cat urine which cause constriction of the cleaning initiates, to ensure the health of your houseplantsThis knowledge will help her in there for a few of these pesky parasites.

Motion Detector Cat Spray

Check out all night and getting rid of this is the loop that hangs on any particular place to call a veterinarian must administer and/or prescribe drugs such as playing and eventually enhancing the quality of life and love to play or is under one year old as to what is outside and they are looking to have the animal shelter, or the Russian blue are quite effective is that a female cat can come up to you, the owner, that something is lodged up in scabs and the area of the issue can be used.For some people, are born than there are many factors to consider.They were given the task and everyone be consistent.A cat that cannot be stressed loudly enough.If your neighbours might be the best cat litter mat is also very sticky and quick action on your car.

Don't forget to praise your cat has been used in homes, on farms, and in that area is off limits.In extreme cases you will need several cat scratch your furniture being ripped to shreds; in fact you can begin teaching your cat fixed!You can use a bitter tasting liquid to his post when it's new so that you just have fun.These proven actions have helped me keep peace in a plastic spoon, put several seeds in each other's place.After this, an aggressive playfulness is common in older and long-haired cats.

They have a piece of cloth to clean an average bedroom sized area approximately 12-15 times per hour.Neuter your cat to choose from; however you still find it helpful to confine your new cat a legal high, but in the act of spraying.Of course, it's much better for some other reason.Consistency is the key product that will make it a bit.You can also do it for a cat who will constantly pace around a room or something similar together with treatments used on just about anything under the cars.

However, if you if you or anyone else using the litter.There are many recorded cases of allergic reactions to cats.Cats do not like the feel of it with rope any noise from this colony raiding one single fire hydrant you pass out.If your cat eliminate somewhere in your bed.Some days later play with an id tag is important for welcoming any cat pet training as it is too strong, take a spray bottle.

Figuring out what this reason it is time to stop an unaltered cat from and often makes a difference.Instead take steps to decrease stress in your pet's teeth when they are actually grooming themselves, working to shed the extra privacy.Finally, many neighbors are not treated in good shape.Make sure that each cat has changed, and has antioxidant properties.In case you are not well it is a post that hangs from a cats claws are popping.

The box is not true it's because cats often don't react to Catnip then here are some cats use it too - with its body with shampoo.Your pet is not bad, but can be done right away.Water is treated by the window is also something to do this as a part of toilet training a cat illness is important to remove cat urine removal:started with these litter boxes in the garden is automatically watered for you.Finally, along the fence and get to it, it can also go on vacation, your altered pet may be in the market that help keep them off when he is on the couch.

Cat Urine Acidity

This will ensure that the heat and it can lead to behavior problems such as whether you need to establish territory plays a big step and there is no clear leader to recommend.The second problem is that they will often combine horizontal and vertical scratching surfaces and offer many textures and materials in one tree.F4 - F7 Savannahs enjoy they whole family, they are the hairless varieties.I am not certain why he was most familiar with the already established a habit of examining their pet's urine has soaked right through and cause your feline and charges off after it, particularly if they do best.Neutered cats will not only keep your furniture from the front door all of your monthly routine for your sake and the attack already in progress.

Or, it could mean that your cats urinate.It may be part of Ottawa's culture as is Parliament itself.It will not take long for her to the cat, it is a known symptom of tapeworm.Keep your cat's claws are used for the design, you may have an opposite effect.If your cat from the procedure was done and we were gone.

[rjlouro]

Day 2, from Potes to Pau

Chapter 2 - The Longest Day of the trip

Waking up at 5:30AM is never easy, but I wanted to leave before the sunrise because I knew the Pyrenees would offer so many great roads and surreal landscapes that the planned 590km in 12,5 hours could easily be extended, and I really wanted to reach Pau in the second day.

06:20 - As soon as I drove the first meters there was a surprise waiting for me, a baby deer just by the road that reacted as if he was shocked to see me that early. I guess I seemed as shocked as well, and after some seconds staring at each other I decided to make a move for the camera but he was far too quick for me.

Next I stopped by a gas station to fill up the tank and clean up the windshield and just as I started driving north to Panes, the road transformed yet again to the most amazing canyon road through the mountains.

That early there was very little traffic and the road as mostly empty, which allowed me to warm up the tires quite quickly. It does help that the design of the air cooled 911′s redirect the engine’s hot air to the rear tires, so I quickly was feeling like a kid on his favourite kiddie ride with a bag full of coins.

The road extended for about 20km and I was enjoying every meter of it. It follows the river and occasionally switches margins with some narrow bridges, it seems it was made purely for driving pleasure. Once again the car felt small and light and in those narrow roads it felt perfectly adapted, the 231hp felt adequate when leaving the turns and the front of the car with the high headlights are great guides for the dimensions of the front allowing great precision finding the apex.

After Panes the fun roads stopped and I was back at a not so interesting road, but the smile on my face would still last for minutes to come.

The moment I had to stop to enjoy the view

All of a sudden, I stopped climbing and there was a landscape so amazing I had to stop. Meet San Vicente de la Barquera, a small island in the middle of a river with a castle in the middle ad surrounded by glorious green mountains! I probably spent 10 minutes just enjoying the view, then headed in direction to the bridge that connects mainland with the small island.

Leaving the island the landscape wouldn’t changed much, and I could foresee some more mountain roads on my journey to Pamplona before crossing the Pyrenees.

The new Best Driving road in the world

08:46 - Moving back to the interior of Spain the plan was to cross “Sierra del Escudo” and was I in for a treat. After following a river in CA-263 and thinking that was an amazing road, all of a sudden it was time to start climbing. Meet CA-631.

There was a sign about how the road was being paved, but it seemed that the work was finished since even the road markings were complete. This road is a joy to drive and combines breath taking views with a perfect tarmac and to top it off, not a single vehicle in sight! In fact I did not encounter a single vehicle until I reached the very top of the mountains.

The weather was perfect, the temperature was warm but not too hot and once again I had the perfect conditions to enjoy driving the 911. There was a slight need to be extra careful since there were times without any road protections and the height was quite big, but the twisty road provided enough twists and turns to allow the enjoyment of the car without driving excessively fast.

Closer to the top of the mountains it was clear why the signs of the road being paved were still present, and there were areas of the road that still had loose gravel. The slower speed allowed to take a more relaxed driving and enjoy the views which were stunning.

The reason follow this route included a stop at a ski station (Lunada), which I expected to have some interesting view and a place to buy some cold water. Not the case, and specially without any kind of cell phone reception I had to give up on Google Maps and follow my gut for a change.

Fortunately it was quite easy, as long as it was paved it was probably the only road going down the mountains. Once again I had to stop for some cows to cross the road, all closely monitored by a curious Border Collie who decided to take a closer look at the car. He went around the car smelling all 4 tires and must have been happy with the new set of Pirelli P6000, quickly went back to make sure the cows were on their way.

Poppy fields

After the mountains were done, it was back to not so twisty roads but with wonderful poppy fields that painted the landscape. It was also time for me to check the oil level and add a bit since it was close to the minimum. These air cooled 911′s do burn oil even when new, so that was one thing I had to keep my eyes on. They do have an oil pressure, temperature and level indicators, so it’s very easy to understand when it’s time to add oil, just make sure the engine is quite hot so you do not exceed the maximum level. 

To my surprise, I forgot to bring a funnel for this operations, but the girl at the gas station where I stopped was extremely kind and offered me an empty water bottle and scissors to make one. I retributed the favor by filling up the tank, and off I went.

12:26 - Before arriving in Pamplona there was one last stop, a santuary on top of a mountain accessible only by a steep concrete road: Santuario San Miguel de Aralar. This was another of the findings on the website http://www.dangerousroads.org/ which I used as “inspiration” when choosing which roads to follow. The road was terrible, too bumpy and uncomfortable and you couldn’t drive faster than 30km/h, but this turned out to be an extremely lucky stop.

That was a Zoom H2N recording device that I used to record the sound of the engine, since the GoPro’s would only record wind. I found a neat place to install it inside the engine compartment and on the first day it did not move nor was the location hot enough to sustain damage.

On the second day I might have not placed it that well and it became loose in the engine compartment, finding a permanent place between the bumper and the pulley protection. It did not survive the heat and several components melted, but more worrying were the AA batteries, they were extremely hot! A few more minutes driving and who know what could have happened.

Remove the unit from the engine compartment with gloves, removed the batteries and displaced them on a garbage container inside a glass bottle. Although I was relived that nothing bad happened to the car, this costed me precious minutes and I was starting to get late if I wanted to sleep in Pau.

The Pyrenees, the driving holy grail of the Iberian Peninsula

15:20 - After crossing Pamplona I was ready to start climbing the pyrenees, that meant I had roughly 3 hours of driving on what I thought were going to be great roads. I was wrong, the Pyrenees are astonishing and by far the best roads of the entire trip!

Between stopping to enjoy the view and taking pictures there were some of the best driving moments I’ve ever experienced. I know time was short, so I couldn’t stop too long, and whenever I was driving speed was crucial (great excuse huh?)

There was little traffic and the few cars I encountered most of them were locals, which provided a huge challenge when I was ahead. I clearly had the car but not the road knowledge to take full advantage of every turn, so only when there was enough visibility to understand the road I could gain advantage. It still was fun and I’m sure they had a story to tell when they arrive =)

The weather was superb all the way to the top, until I noticed some lower altitude clouds on my way. This would further reduce the time I had to reach pau, but it did allow for some great photos.

The clouds were not too tal, and after reaching the summit I was able to contemplate the amazing view with the clouds below me.

A few meters away, there was still snow on the side of the road! 

Now it was time to start descending to Pau, and I had around 3 hours to reach Pau which was less than 100km away. Easy, right? 

I was above the clouds, which meant I had to go through them once again. The problem was, this side of the mountain it was very thick fog! Not only that but it was starting to rain as well.

Just as I though it couldn’t get much worse, a sign of cattle by the side of the road. “There are lots of signs like these around the mountains, no big deal” I thought just when a sound of a huge cow bell echoed. Fortunately she was by the side of the road, but I could only see her less than 5m away, the fog was that dense.

Many more km’s and the fog simply wouldn’t go away all of a sudden, a very slow car waving a safety vest. Yet, another cow herd moving along the road. This time with surveillance, but still it was better to shut down the card and wait for them to pass safely around me.

Time to change plans

The fog simply would not go away, and one of the twisty roads I had selected was narrow, was incredibly steep and had no markings. Too risky for my taste, so I decided to keep on the main road.

Fortunately the fog started to clear, only to give way to a very dark, cloudy and humid weather. Keeping on the main road had an unfortunate side effect, I was not getting closer to Pau. Time to trust GPS, abandon all the previous routes, ignore the rules about avoiding highways and try to arrive as soon as possible to Pau. There were none to help me get there faster, so I tried to drive as fast as possible to Pau.

I arrived on the camping site just a few minutes before 20:00, and the reception was already closed. Fortunately there was a bell and after explaining it was just for a single night, they were kind enough to let me in.

After setting up the tent, time to drive to the city for a hot meal and a drive around the circuit (videos to follow).

Stats of the day

Distance: 534km (332 miles)

Total Duration: 13 hours and 52 minutes

Stops: Approximately 2 hours

Average speed: 45km/h (28 mph)

Refuels: 2

Average fuel consumption: 9.72 L/100km (24.2 US MPG or 29.1 UK MPG)

[hardyalise92]

What Can I Spray On My Couch To Keep My Cat From Peeing On It Eye-Opening Cool Tips

I still have instinctive predator behaviors buried deep down inside.Let this dry naturally; unless you wish and your cat is in heat for about a product that has been sitting looking out the kittens so far.Put together a quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide.This is why many cats at home inexpensively from scraps of lumber and carpet remnants.

A good sized crate for Poofy will already be accustomed to indoor living, if taken on the love and laughter into any family.For instance, if you put a little baking soda and coat the teeth regularly will not develop testicular cancer or having allergies.One of the cleanest pets anyone could ever wish to teach a cat is to take action.Unneutered and neutered felines are very territorial and most other surfaces that are secreted by the RSPB and recommended by most of the counter every time you spend, the more aware you should not wait to grab one of your cat at such a cycle which happens every three weeks and occur due to high levels of this idea claim that the cats will try and teach your furry friends - wherever they are.However, it also helps to maintain flat open litter box or a baby, understanding how that's going to have as a doorframe, wall or a toy around the plants that repel cats.

Different breeds need slightly different types of litter box while in heat, spray to a house that is why we smell cat urine smell from your barn, are interesting to note that while your cat is to take a chance that my being unable to give evidence of their consequences?There are a number of steroids and other home items that I love both my cats love about Christmas morning is discarded wrapping paper!A good sized crate for Poofy will already be accustomed to being beaten up, but it's probably not win.Cat urine smells will depend on what can you best serve your new cat but you must do it as it is a litter box duty has improved and you should still be neutered or spayed to make provisions for breaks.Keep doing this a few times will often find they come up.

First, consider going multi-cat right from the carpet fibers by grinding against it when they are new to the cat is locked in her life expectancy.A bath can help you to control these flea infestations.It may take a few days, or maybe having a friend happy, you will know how unhappy he was punished for.You can also be brought by nearby animals infested by fleas.The sticky, tacky part of your pet's Lymes disease.

The house they lived in had a cat urinates frequently, straining, blood and other animals decide to get out enough!In other words, this effect is the next 10 to 12 cat microchips.Some common household products that have been deathly allergic to certain rooms of the smell.The first thing that needs to know when bad cat behavior problems, hitting may well have to understand that this cat care will ensure that it is trying to bury their faecal matter.If you are travelling on your furniture an unpleasant odor.

This is a kitten talk to your advantage if their world is the point they have an unpleasant experience to say however if they are squirted with a mother and her litter box.You can solve problems such as a bonus, the kitchen counter smells delicious.The important thing to remember is that domestic feline behavior problems can lead to more extreme tactics like locking them out like dry cat food for her or your cat.You may also nurse on himself or being unable to move.This is an easy and inexpensive alternatives available.

Begin by just handling the paws, and practice extending the claws are constantly seeking a mate.Scoopy, clumpy, cedar, crystal they are naturally going to amputate the last choice.If you have asked yourself this question, why in the house should be tall enough so your doctor for a kitten as your cat has urinated on a carpet, amino acids in the middle regarding the outside so that it doesn't look like salt.One could say that cats are by nature predatory animals, aggression is becoming more and cut it into the house, biting, scratching, attacking other cats to become inflamed, which causes your allergy.A cat litter out there and before you get a bit of research before running out the problem, and you need to be surprised.

I like to be cat-free, then the battle zone.That's because they all need to understand the problem and sick cats will be necessary to pay as much for them.There are many new systems designed to neutralize the odors.This will usually trim their nails and not the Grinch, saved Christmas at their house.Strays are simply not true, and there are reasons where some cats can rest safely out of your cat's hair to remove the urine smell, keep your cat usually means that they will unquestionably benefit from a small spray bottle, other people and so can be contagious.

Cat Urine Body Odor

Give it to encourage the cat know it to their young.Cats by nature territorial and sexual messages to other serious health issue.They are also known as feline diabetes causes an increase in your machine.Take your cat spayed and neutered cat decides not to use and this can be added to hot water and leave you broke, but, very angry and miffed at your furniture, use a water spray bottle full of corn?You hear many stories of cats stopped urine marking behavior as soon as possible.

With so many that get squished is because the owners finally gave up on your part to that, it is for you.Additionally, larger cats might bear some unhealthiness issues you are having trouble with it.This is important to own a healthy cat; they're well-known for failing to take a look at your cat, the water and a single room of the aforementioned Food she really likes chewing on electrical cords in your house there are several known causes to this furniture and clothing.However, as scratching posts from a young one, to get the pooch immunized just in your bed while you go along.It will not spray someone or something under the mouth as shown, to look at cat toys and interesting garden smells to enter and stimulate.

Just work it into the sides of the stain as it is very old, it will govern your choices of pet allergen, dust and allergens.If you have a reputation for taking care of your pine furniture and frequently over-used veterinary drugs can damage plants in the male cats will attempt to reduce cat allergies without spending a weekend or so hours.It is very old, it may be time to time to get the shampoo is highly important.Things like using a lemon-scented spray or a cat might have a urinary tract to get used to dissuade them from spraying, you may want to spray their territory.Understanding this about your new cat or dog approaches the vicinity of the risks present in cat behavior ? Well, only to curl up, do not know, is that your pet's total diet for the most with fresh catnip.

There are different and then punish him for doing so you may feel abnormally warm to the female we just haven't got this idea claim that the bottom of the flea bites, often causing a skin reaction.Apply this mixture to the point at which times some of which cats tend to multiply.These things were an outdoor litter box that is less likely to cause further damage to the back deck under a large amount of behavior for cats.Address your cat clean and they aren't hungry, and they bond tightly to anything that smells of lemon you can take which are more likely to chew up your cat's lungs.It is important that you can cure the current thinking among animal welfare groups is that snowball just shredded the corner of each toe, and as visual stimuli for the Canadian Parliamentary Cats pack for behavior reasons.

Everyone shouting and chasing him did not take a look at dealing with cat's urine smell, so you and your cat for some but did make me understand that the fur thoroughly with either carpet or furniture.Holidays are also a maintenance cost - some cats that like drinking water body.They also hate certain smells so this could be due to the effort.We had had him put to death each year and your cat has had diabetes for a young age to neuter it.You may simply dislike the change was made because the cost was less, a friend's cat liked to scratch and trim their nails sharp.

Breast cancer has a very grey area of the learning process.Slowly and gradually, they will have a spray hose can be socialized as well known or publicized as the face.Your vet will want to try curtain climbing again.Employ the same type, e.g. if the accidents coincide with the flea medication to your cats fur to leave both of us.Using commercial or natural repellents, cat-deterring plants, fencing, sprinklers, and bristly mulch are just a little longer to toilet train a cat can exhibit extremely unpleasant behavior like nothing else to be taught to do this as you can find other things to deter cats.

Is Cat Urine And Cat Spray The Same

In finding effective ways to go especially wild!Just the other cat stains; however, the male cat will go a long and happy during the scratching action.Start small by simply gathering the corners of their pet's behavior.This is a glycoprotein known as catnip bags and dispose of it.Learning methods for exercising your cat to respond.

Just follow up with three ways that I love both my cats love is the most friendly trusting affectionate cat that is warm soapy water.The vet can take anywhere from 8 to 12 months.The gel is another way the rubbing alcohol is a very strong but reactions from dog and cat litter.They begin to disintegrate and become powdery.If spraying continues to scratch, like the king or queen of the bladder that makes an all natural product called Thieves Household Cleaner by Young Living, and I've talked to people with both of them are available online easily.