#hmm twilight wings pretty

[microwave-core]

The Leon Post

It’s my lesbianism and I get to pick the fictional man to obsess over

I don’t know where to start so I guess I’ll just throw whatever at the wall and see what sticks. Not that I don’t normally do that, but like, more than usual.

Simplest thing that comes to mind: Leon is tired. This man does his best to be a good influence, telling everyone to get a good eight hours of sleep each night. Meanwhile, he only gets about four or five hours on a good day. He’s busy so he goes to bed late, takes forever to actually fall asleep, and then wakes up early. He’s good at dealing with the lack of sleep, at least.

Or he usually is anyway. Every now and then, that sleep deficit catches up with him, leading to him conking out for about eighteen hours straight. The first time it happened, everyone was worried out of their minds because it was three in the afternoon and no one had heard anything from him. Eventually, they just had to send Raihan to his apartment to make sure he wasn’t dead or something.

Being bad at directions is a given, but my opinions on this are… conflicted. In general, he just has bad coordination (dyspraxic Leon is near and dear to my heart), so he does just get lost. That being said, I also think that Leon purposefully gets lost at times just to get a moment to himself. He doesn’t do it often, but sometimes he just needs a second to breathe.

Speaking of naturally getting lost, when that happens he kinda just wanders around until he sees someone he knows or, by sheer luck, ends up where he needs to be. If it takes too long for one of those two things to happen, he’ll resort to texting Raihan or Sonia, or anyone else that would be close by, really.

He loves his friends. He tells them that all the time. That’s it. That’s all I have to say about this. He would do literally anything to help those he cares about, and he goes out of his way to make sure they know that.

HOWEVER. Leon himself is absolutely terrible at reaching out for help. He’s supposed to be the best of the best, he’s not supposed to have problems or issues. So, he just bottles everything up, does his best to work things out by himself, and hopes that things don’t overflow at a bad time. Even when it’s obvious something is wrong, he will take forever to admit it. These things have to be pried out of him.

The whole Eternatus situation weighs heavy on him for several reasons, mainly because he wasn’t able to protect Hop and his friend, but also because it made a lot of people realize “oh, Leon has problems and really needs help” and he hates that. Again, he will deny needing help for as long as he can before caving. Deep down, he feels like asking for help makes him a burden on others, and no amount of reassurance will make him think otherwise.

Speaking on a lighter note, Hop. If there’s one thing I like more than Leon, it’s Leon and Hop. The Postwick bros are incredibly close, even if Leon can’t be physically around all that often. He calls home several times a week, talking to Hop and mum and his grandparents (and Purrloin), just checking in to make sure everything’s okay. He tries to visit whenever possible, but things get canceled often because his schedule suddenly fills up, and even when he makes it home he isn’t around for long.

But when he gets the time to actually stay for a day or two, without any league interruptions? He spends all day with his family. He plays around with Hop and Wooloo, and helps out with farm work, and helps his mum make dinner and deals with the dishes afterwards. He gives Purrloin plenty of scritches and tells all kinds of stories to his grandparents. He’ll even check in with Sonia and Magnolia if he gets the chance. It’s not much, but Leon takes what he can get. Also sends money home all the time.

And on the topic of family, Leon and Iris are cousins. I know that one screenshot of Masters where Iris says that they’re related is edited and not real, but they’re cousins. Canon is my bitch and it bends to my whims. And while we’re at it, he and Hop are descendants of Laventon. 

And because I’m already bending the canon because I said so, Leon and Sonia are still close friends. At least once a week, they get on a call for about 2-3 hours just to chat and catch up (and complain). Childhood friends from small towns are just built differently. I won’t dump all of my thoughts on this right now, but I will at least say that the two definitely grew up getting lost in the forest and hitting each other with sticks.

Let’s break more into the territory of friends/coworkers, gonna start quick firing some of these. He relates to Milo, country boy solidarity. Has high respect for Kabu and looked up to him during his gym challenge. Acts like an older brother to Bea and Allister. Get along fine with Opal, but neither of them can get a good read on the other. Also gets along fine with Gordie. Meloney reminds him of his mum. Oleana still kinda scares him. His feelings towards Rose are complicated.

Going in longer with some because I have more to say. Nessa is within his closer friend group, but she’s, like, a double friend of a friend. They’re both friends with Raihan and Sonia, so they end up hanging around each other pretty often as a result. She hates the cape.

Pretty good friends with Piers because big brother solidarity. They’re obviously pretty different people, but the kind of different that mesh well together. They organized a play-date for Hop and Marnie when they were much younger. Marnie bit Hop. Hop cried. Neither of them remember this. Leon also just likes his music.

Obviously, he’s close with Raihan because they’re rivals and all. They trash talk each other constantly, but there’s no hard feelings and it’s mostly just for show anyways. He tries more than anyone to break down Leon’s walls and help him with his issues, although the effort normally goes nowhere…

But Leon’s closest friend of all is, of course, Charizard. They’ve been together since the start, after all. Their dynamic is closer to that of brothers who annoy each other at times, unlike most of his other pokemon, where he’s more parental. Tends to drag Leon by his cape when he takes a wrong turn, and is also prone to begging for food. He always sleeps on the bed.

Okay, talking some more about his other pokemon. In general, he lets them roam around his apartment when at home. They’re well behaved for the most part. 

Dragapult likes to hide in the shadows and creep through walls, so it’s a good thing that Leon doesn’t get startled easily. Both Dreepy like to float around together and are usually tethered to Leon. Haxorus is a big ol’ baby who likes to be held, and she also likes to sleep on the bed. Aegislash likes to people watch and is also highly curious. 

Whichever starter ends up raising, he will baby, even when they’re fully evolved. He raises all his pokemon with tender love and care. But they won’t be his true baby, that’s Haxorus.

Leon loves his job, even if the constant excitement of battle and roaring crowds drain him, and he loves Wyndon dearly, but he can’t help but yearn for a simpler life, sometimes. He loves the charm of small, sleepy towns and the mundane, stability they bring. He just misses home.

SO, he planned on moving back to Postwick or even Wedgehurst if he were to ever lose  the champion title. Of course, that didn’t happen, because Rose did a little fuck up and turned himself into the police, so he was basically pushed into becoming the chairman in his place. It’s not what he planned, it wasn’t ideal, but he was happy for a change of pace, at least.

But I don’t think he would hold the chairman’s seat forever. I think he’d eventually step down, happy to let someone else take over in his stead and do Galar and her people good. And what do I think he’d do? Set up a bakery. That’s right, I just made you read everything before this just to read my Leon is a Baker Propaganda. 

Leon loves to bake. He didn’t pick up his mum’s cooking skills, but he’s got her baking skills on lock. Whenever he has an off day (or just can’t sleep at night), he’ll whip something up just for the hell of it. That being said, he doesn’t have much of a sweet tooth, so he normally gives the baked goods to his family or friends. He has texted people at 3am asking if they wanted a loaf of pumpkin bread and refused to elaborate. 

Let me tell you, if you’ve never really made headcanons for characters before, sometimes you conjure one up that just, like, festers. It just keeps growing as you put more and more thought into it. That’s what baker Leon is to me, because now all I want is for him to step down as the chairman and open a quaint little baker in Wedgehurst, spending the rest of his days in peace.

It’s such a funny image, too. Imagine walking into a bakery in a small town and the owner was one of the strongest champions the world had ever seen, and he ends up being one of the sweetest people you’ve ever met. Then he sells you a loaf of bread, and it’s out of this world. Incredible. Anyways, sorry for cringe posting, let’s move on.

Leon doesn’t have too many hobbies because work and training takes up so much of his time, but he does spend a good deal of time working out. It’s good stress relief for him, an outlet to blow off some steam. It also gives his team a break, which they more than deserve. In general, he is pretty damn strong. He’s not on par with Milo or anything, but he can pretty easily move, like, furniture and whatnot. He can easily pick up all of his pokemon and cradle them like babies, no sweat. 

I like to think that Mustard’s Dojo doesn’t just teach pokemon battles, but also, like, regular fighting. I choose to believe that Leon’s been taught to throw a punch. Probably owns a punching bag and gets some pretty good use out of it.

He also likes to read. He has plenty of books at home in Postwick, and even more within his own apartment. When he has a slow day and his social battery is completely drained, He’ll curl up on the couch and read something. Fast reader, too, the kind that can get through a pretty thick book in a day if he finds it interesting enough. Fantasy is his favorite genre. He’s also smarter than people give him credit for.

Always wanted to play an instrument when he was younger, but didn’t have the time. He tries to pick the guitar up after becoming chairman, but it takes him a while to get the hang of it because he’s not the most dexterous. When he’s more skilled, he totally jams with Piers.

His apartment doesn’t have a ton of decoration. It’s not a male living space or anything, his mum raised him right, but it’s not super interesting. Except for the hats. My god, the hats. He has at least an entire wall covered in them, not counting the one’s stationed in Postwick, and he just keeps collecting. He also really likes collecting patches. 

Not very good at video games. Never has been, and probably never will be, but he does like playing them with other people. He’s naturally competitive, but he’s also a good sport, so he won’t complain when he loses. He typically prefers co-op, though. I think he would really like Pikmin. I’m not projecting, he told me himself.

Massive nerd. He would absolutely love DnD if he ever had the time to play. When he and Sonia were younger, they’d reenact all kinds of fairytale and mythological scenes that they memorized by heart. It was pretty hard to do with only two people, but they made do. When Hop got a bit older, they involved him, too.

I don’t know if this makes sense, but he feels like “the generational gap between me and my friends who are of the same age” when it comes to his relationship with Raihan, and also Nessa and Sonia to a lesser extent. Which is not to say that he’s out of touch. Sorry if this didn’t make sense I just needed to write it out.

His alcohol tolerance is pretty high. He’s Galarian, after all. Doesn’t drink all that often, much less get drunk, but when he does he gets very touchy. He’s already a pretty affectionate guy by default, but when he’s drunk he’ll practically drape over the nearest person. Terrible with hangovers, but he at least gets some halfway decent sleep when he eventually passes out.

Also as a Galarian, he is a tea drinker, but he also drinks coffee. Coffee is his drink of choice in the morning, tea is his go to later in the day. He would probably drink his coffee black, because he doesn’t really care for sweet things, and I think he would like ginger tea. I’m not sure if I really feel that way or if I just have ginger tea on the mind because of the sheer amount of ginger I have in Sleep, but, uh, you didn’t ask. 

Okay, more romantic things. His love language is physical touch and quality time. He’s naturally a touchy-feely person. He often places a hand on another's shoulder, gives out the best hugs, and is a huge cuddle bug. His free time is pretty scarce, so he revels in what time he has to be around his loved ones.

When I put him in the wife guy (affectionate) section on my wife alignment chart, I knew what I was doing. Mans absolutely adores his partner. Just like Cynthia, he would totally be like “I love my girlfriend/boyfriend with my whole heart and soul” in interviews, and everyone makes posts like “get you a man who loves you as much as Champion Leon loves his partner”. Also, bi king.

He’s vocal about his love, but he also goes to great lengths to keep his love life private. He doesn’t get much privacy, and would prefer to keep the press out of his more intimate life if at all possible.

His favorite pet name is pumpkin. 

Lowkey repressed. He didn’t get into many relationships during his teen years because he wasn’t really allowed to explore parts of himself due to being champion, so he’s not very experienced. Tries his best, though.

Listen, Leon is literally THE quintessential pokemon protagonist. He comes from a home with an absent father whose absence is never brought up, goes on a journey at the age of ten with a very traditional starter, blows everyone out of the water and is a cut above the rest due to being a freakishly good protege, and becomes the champion.

BUT THEN he has to deal with the fallout that comes with becoming the champion at such a young age. His formative years were on display for everyone to see, wasn’t really allowed to be a kid or grow up at his own pace, and couldn’t be around his family or childhood friend as much as he would have wanted to be.

And ultimately, the only person that could stand up to him, the one to dethrone him, is another protagonist, the only other person viewed as a freakishly good protege who just seems to be a cut above everyone else. And when he loses, he just… accepts it. He moves on, and seems happier in doing so. Fucking king behavior..

[maiko-san]

The Chain + TP! Reader (3/?)

< Part 2

Plot : You are Twilight's childhood best friend, who like Twilight can turn into an animal, that is a crow. You just happen to follow Twilight into the portal in your crow form and meet the Chain.

( Fem Reader )

Note : (Y/n) and Twilight are a couple in this fic. Also, apologise that I couldn't include all Links in the conversation but they're there listening.

-----------

"(Y/n)?!" you stand there awkwardly, Link or Twilight stated in shock. "Did you follow me all the way here?!" he asks, you give him a nod as you avert your gaze 'Sorry....' you said. "Oh Hylia...." Twilight sighs as he rubs his temple. The other Links witness the scene unfold as they watch their brother talk to a crow.

"Is it yours, Rancher?" questioned Legend. Twilight takes a deep breath, "Yeah, she's mine" he said as he walks over to you and holds out his hand for you to perch on. You step up his hand as he caresses your head and giving a little scratch on your cheek.

You let out a small coo as you lean into his touch. "You and...." Sky trail as Twilight turns to him, "(Y/n), that's her name" he said. "(Y/n), that's a pretty name. Aw, looking at this reminds me of Crimson and I" Sky said as he smiles at the thought of his own bird companion.

"She has been with me for the longest time" Twilight said, his lips curls up into a smile. "She's my friend" he said, 'and my lover...' he thought lovingly.

"So, it seems we got a new addition in the team huh" chirps Wind, Four and Hyrule smiles. "Well, a friend of Twilight is a friend of ours" Hyrule said. "I wonder how Wolfie will react to this" grin Wild. "I heard that Wolves and Crows have symbiotic relationships! I think they will get along well!" Four chimed.

'Too well...' you and Twilight thought at the same time. "Can't wait for Wolfie to come back" Wind said. A wind blows to your face which causes you to squawk in surprise. You turn your head around to see Epona close to you, 'Epona, you scared me!' you said. Epona snorts and neighs, licking you gently to apologise.

Guess she's happy to see you here. You climb on to Epona's head as you crows, 'It's okay, just don't do that again' you said. "You're happy too huh, girl" Twilight said as he rubs Epona's neck.

.

.

Later that night, Twilight got the first shift. You're still perched on his shoulder as Twilight sits at the edge of the camp so he can talk to you.

"So is this why you didn't want me to come along. They're good people, why didn't you introduce them sooner?" you questioned him, Twilight sigh. "It's not like that..." he said. "It's just, our mission is....much more dangerous and I... don't want you to get hurt...." he said. Twilight was disappointed when you followed him to the portal, but he can't really blame you for it since he wasn't truthful. It would be different if he was honest with you and you would have stayed back in Ordon. He can't really do anything now and has to keep you close to him.

Once the portal to his world opens up, he will send you back home where you are safe from danger, away from evil. Away from Shadow....

"I have a question, Link" you speak up gaining his attention, "What is it, pumpkin?". "Did they really call you Wolfie when you were a wolf?" you asked with a smug look on your face. Twilight raises an eyebrow before letting out a chuckle, "Haha, ah yes they did. They didn't even come up with a better name for me. Dumb isn't?" he said.

"I like Wolfie. It sounds cute" you chirped. Twilight smiles as he pecks at your beak, "Hmm, you're cuter than me, love" he said which causes you to blush. You couldn't help but cover your face with your wing, god why he so romantic?

"Anyways, (N/n). Did you told dad before leaving?" Link questioned, which makes you gasp. "Oh, no! I forgot!" you said, you forgot to tell your parents about leaving to join Link. You didn't even leave a note! They're going to be worried. "Calm down, love. I'm sure your dad understands. I'm sure he knows where you are right now" Twilight said. "Besides, he trusts me to take care of you. He's my teacher after all" he continues.

Twilight notices that his shift is almost over and Four will take over the next shift. He stands up and stretches his limbs, "Time to go to bed" he said. He walks over to the campfire and Four is already awake, ready to take the next shift. "See anything?" Four questioned the rancher, Twilight shakes his head "There's nothing unusual as for now" he said, Four nods as he stands up "Well, I'm gonna stretch my limbs for a bit" he said. "Good night, Twi, (Y/n)" he waves as he takes a few steps away from the camp. He lets you down on the log as he takes off some of his equipment and leaves him only in his tunic.

He doesn't really want to risk taking it all since everyone is out in the wilderness and enemies could attack at any moment, so it's better to leave some on. Twilight lies down on his bed roll as you snuggle yourself on his chest, his hand gently set on your back.

"Goodnight...." he whispers as you reply back, "Hm....goodnight...." you mumbled before dozing off.

.

Click!

Click!

.

You hear a clicking sound, which wakes you up. You open your eyes groggily and let's put a yawn, your feathers puff up doing so as you cuddle deeper in the warmth of Twilight's tunic. It was so warm that it made you doze off again....

Click!

Click!

There it is again.

You snap your eyes open to see Wild holding a slate in his hands, he's smiling and giggling to himself. 'What's up with him?' you thought

Click!

The slate lets out a clicking sound, what is that thing?

"Good morning, (Y/n)" Wild said with a smile, the sun is rising and the first one to wake up was Wild, Legend and Time. You stretch your wings and look down on Twilight, he is still sleeping. He usually wakes up before the sun is up. You were slightly surprised that he hasn't woken up yet, "Rancher went back to sleep since he doesn't want to wake you up" Wild said.

You notice that Wild is cooking breakfast, what is he making? You hop onto the log to see what he's cooking. Seems like scrambled eggs and toast?

"Curious are we? I'm making scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, want a taste?" he said holding out a small portion for you to taste. "It tastes a little bland since I'm running out of herbs" he said.

You smile, 'Heh, herbs you say? Well, I got you covered!' you thought. You spread your wings and fly away, carrying your bag with you. It makes Wild sadden a little bit when you fly away. This causes Legend snorts, "Oh wow, seems the crow hates it" he said as Wild sends a glare at the veteran.

Finding herbs wasn't that hard for you, you managed to pick a beak full of fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, thyme, chives— you name it. You also found a couple of rupees along the way and stuff them in your bag.

When you return to the camp, everyone is already awake and ready to have their breakfast. You land on the log and crows at Wild, the man turns around to see you're back with something in your beak.

"Are those herbs? Did you pick them for me?" he pointed out. You nod, puffing out your chest in pride, Wild smiles "Thank you, (Y/n)" he said, taking the herbs from you. He looks through them and Hyrule leans in, "Oh hey, there's medicinal herbs here too" he said, picking up a herb.

"Did you teach her, Twilight?" Questioned Hyrule to Twilight, the blonde blinks "Ah, not really. She learned it by herself—" he said. "By herself? That's amazing!" Hyrule smiles, he was impressed that a crow learned about herbs all by itself when you were actually taught by your dad, Rusl. "Yeah, it's amazing that a crow learns about herbs. Is it possible for me to teach it to Crimson?" Sky hummed.

Receiving praises makes you feel pleased and happy, slightly bashful. Maybe you should do this more often?

"I wonder what else she can do?" Legend smirks, putting a hand on his hips. "Does she bring back shiny stuff? Like gold?" he questioned. 'Gold?! Where?!' you squawked, looking left and right. This causes Twilight to look away and scratch his cheek, "I think it's better not to mention gold around her" he chuckles nervously.

[ End of Part ]

[ash-arts-a-thing]

Specter Carlo AU events for Chapters 4 & 5! I was originally going to add 6 to this too, but since a lot of big events happen with Romeo in that chapter it would make the post too long 😮‍💨

These two chapters cover more of Carlo’s dialogue as well as the start of the branching conversation and reaction between Truth and Lie playthroughs

[Character Notes] [Chapters 1-3] [Chapter 6]

Chapter 4

• The hike through the mine shafts and Twilight Town remain unaltered until arriving at the tram cart. Carlo will coment once you get on the tram regardless of whether or not Pinocchio uses the stalker salute to get on, though his response will be different depending on the scenario.

• If Pinocchio killed the Atoned, Carlo will comment: “Does it feel good? Killing people? Do you even feel anything at all when you get splattered in their blood?”

• If Pinocchio lied and used the ‘stalker salute’, Carlo will coment: “It’s weird, you know? Seeing a puppet lie, it’s almost like… Hmm.”

• Gemini will still have his usual little spiel, either nervously laughing and changing the subject to something more light hearted in the truth playthrough, or just taking Carlo’s silence as his queue to make a joke.

• Giangio is unaware of Carlo... Right?

• When Pinocchio enters the chapel Carlo will will coment: “This place is swarming with those freakish monsters, things just keep getting better, don’t they?”

• Carlo will coment on Cecile upon meeting her, he will say: “She seems devoted. I wonder what she’ll do if you can’t find that mark.”

• Upon meeting Alidoro, Carlo will have a different response depending on what you tell you him.

• If you tell Alidoro about Hotel Krat he will say: “You told him about the Hotel? Really? The Stalker? You really are a naive puppet.” (Note that he will also say this if you tell him about the hotel when you see him again at Venigni Works).

• If you send Alidoro to Venigni Works he will say: “Can’t believe I’m saying this, but good idea. You don’t know this guy or what he’s capable of. It’s best not to tell him about the Hotel.”

• Carlo will have new dialogue options when summoned before the Archbishop.

These dialogue options are:

“What do you think of the chapel?”

Carlo: “It isn’t my thing. I have never and will never have any interest in religion. They sure spent a pretty penny on this place though.”

“Do you think the Gold Coin Fruit tree actually exists?”

Carlo: “Yeah I do. What? Sometimes it’s fun to believe in something childish. If it turns out to be real I’ll even play you a song on the piano. If I ever get a tangible body, that is.”

“Tell me about this boss.” (He will have multiple responses to this.)

1. “I heard the bishop was obsessed with wealth. I guess it’s true, money really can corrupt anybody.”

2. “We only saw part of what the Archbishop became before he crawled down that hole earlier. Expect the unexpected.”

3. “With that long snake body and messed up… ‘wing’ it looks like he’s going to have a pretty far reach. I wouldn’t stand too close to him, but that’s just me.”

4. “I just know it’s going to smell horrible in there, there’s no way the home of a monster is going to be clean in any capacity.”

5. “I’d suggest using fire. Besides the irony of a holy cleansing flame, he’s still organic. Being set on fire isn’t going to feel good.”

Battle dialogue for the Archbishop:

1. “Oh wow, that is… very hard to look at.”

2. “Who would’ve thought chicken legs could be so strong!”

3. “EUGH! Really?! With its tongue?! Disgusting!”

(Phase 2)

4. “Somehow he’s gotten even uglier.”

5. “Make him regret coming out of his shell!”

6. “God chose you to be an Angel alright. Just not one that roams the earth.”

• If Cecile was given the mark and Pinocchio returns to find the letter and the record Carlo will say: “A killer turned nun, that’s something I didn’t expect to hear. I guess it just shows how much people can really change if given the chance...”

• If Cecile isn’t given the mark and Pinocchio returns and kills her monster form he will say: “I guess that’s what she’ll do. Even the nun isn’t free of sin.”

• Upon heading back to the hotel Carlo will have new things to say should Pinocchio use the mirror in his room again.

• At this point his dialogue will start to branch, certain dialogue only appearing during certain playthroughs or choices.

These dialogue options are:

“What are you thinking about?” (He will have multiple responses to this.)

1. (If you told Alidoro about the hotel) “I still can’t believe you told that mongrel about the hotel. You know it��s going to come back and bite us right?”

2. (If Alidoro comes to the hotel on his own) “I really don’t like that Stalker being here. Don’t get me wrong, I admire Stalkers as much as the next guy, but that guy? Something is off about him.”

3. (If you killed the Atoned) “You know, killing that Stalker at the tram wasn’t necessary. You could’ve lied. Unless you… like killing humans?”

4. (If you lied to the Atoned) “It was smart, lying to get past that Stalker like that. Why have unnecessary blood on your hands. Although, it’s strange that you would care about that, isn’t it?”

5. “Glad that business with the church is over with, that place was making me itchy. I didn’t even know I could get itchy when I’m like this.”

6. “Seeing all those books in the church makes me miss being able to sit down and read. If I could I’d be opening up my favourite book right now.”

7. “Something about that Giangio guy seems suspicious to me, like he isn’t telling the whole story… What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Chapter 5

• Carlo will be unable to coment along the Path of Pilgram due to a lack of reflective surfaces, but rest assured that he is not happy being there.

• Once it starts raining upon reaching the bridge to the Malum District he will be able to talk again, this will trigger a conversation between Gemini and Carlo.

The conversation will go:

Carlo: “Finally, that place was creepy as hell. You always take me to such nice places, don’t you?”

Gemini: “If you hate it so much then why are you here? Can’t you just go somewhere else?”

Carlo: “Despite how much I complain, cricket, I would still prefer to keep both of us alive. I don’t know how many times I have to reiterate that.”

• Carlo will have say something depending on what you choose to do with the Fox and Cat.

• If Pinocchio agrees to have them follow along and after the Cat calls him an idiot, Carlo will say: “You heard him right? He called you an idiot. I’m not gonna lie, I kind of agree.”

• If Pinocchio refuses to have them follow along, Carlo will say: “I don’t think they’d be helpful for very long anyway. Did you see those bells on their jackets? Looks like somebodies eyesight is going.”

• After the youngest of the Black Rabbit Brotherhood has complimented Pinocchio’s looks (and subsequently insults him), Carlo will coment: “She may have insulted you, but at least she has taste when it comes to the looks department.”

• Carlo will have new dialogue options when summoned before the Black Rabbit Brotherhood.

These dialogue options are:

“How do you feel about the rain?”

Carlo: “Why are you asking? Is it because I was complaining about the heat? Well, funny man, I happen to really like the rain, so no complaints here.”

“Are you scared of the monsters?”

Carlo: “Afraid? No. Disgusted and appalled? Yes. Nobody should be subjected to this. Especially not somebody that’s been afflicted by this disease.”

“Tell me about this boss.” (He will have multiple responses to this)

1. “Good thing you summoned me for this one. They were probably planning on making it four against one, kinda makes them look a bit… hmm… pathetic?”

2. “Usually I think Stalkers are pretty cool, they all seem to hold themselves with this sort of… nobility? That might not be the right word. Whatever the word is though, I don’t feel it with them.”

3. “Maybe in another life these guys could’ve really helped people. Then again, maybe they would’ve turned out the same.”

4. “Try focusing on the smaller siblings before focusing on the big guy. I say that because I already know they’ll all going try to dog pile you, don’t let them get the upper hand.”

Battle dialogue for the Black Rabbit Brotherhood:

1. “Ha! What a joke! That’s not a rabbit mask, he looks like a pig!”

2. “Would somebody shut her up already!”

3. “Half of you aren’t even rabbits! Bucket Head over there looks like a dog!”

4. “Oh this guy is the most pretentious of them all.”

5. “How pathetic and you call yourselves stalkers? Don’t bother coming back!”

• The portrait is still collectable upon entering the town hall, if acquired Gemini will still have his original dialogue, but Carlo will also chime in and trigger a conversation between the two.

• The conversation will go:

Carlo: “That’s… an interesting find. Gemini is right, it does look just like you.”

Gemini: “Wow, he actually called me by my name!”

Carlo: “Don’t get used to it.”

• The conversation with Giangio upon finding the Gold Coin Fruit tree stays the same, as well as the cutscene of picking the first fruit.

• Dialogue with Gepetto upon handing over the portrait will also stay the same.

• Carlo will have new dialogue upon speaking to him in Pinocchio’s room.

These dialogue options are:

“About the tree…”

Carlo: “I still can’t believe it exists and I literally saw it with my own eyes. On top of that, I was definitely not expecting it to be in the Hotel garden. I guess… this means I owe you a song on the piano sometime.”

“Why do you look up to the Stalkers?”

Carlo: “Have you seen their swordplay? It’s legendary, well, most of them anyway. I’ve always wanted to be taught how to fight by one of them.”

“What are you thinking about?” (He will have multiple responses to this.)

1. “I was expecting the Brotherhood to be better than that. They claim they’re constantly fighting puppets, yet they get taken down by one? That’s sad. (If it’s a lie playthrough he will add) Uh, no offence.”

2. “I kind of miss all that rain, it was nice. Even when we were slogging through knee deep water. I hope it rains again soon.”

3. (Truth)Carlo: “Why are you so nosy? Don’t you have better things to do than bother me?”

Gemini: “You don’t have to be so rude, you know.”

Carlo: “And you don’t have to be so annoying, yet here we are.”

4. (Lie)Carlo: “Nosy, aren’t you? Well, if you want to know that bad, I’m thinking about an old friend of mine.”

Gemini: “You had friends?”

Carlo: “That’s fair, I can’t knock you for that. There were only two people that could ever really tolerate me. Even my own dad didn’t… Ah, nevermind.”

[hips-like-battleships]

Fireflies - Halsummer SFW Week Day 1

Prompt is Halsin enjoying Midsummer, which I think was supposed to be the holiday and not, like, the middle of summer. However this was the little story the brainworms brought, so it's what I wrote.

This is a sweet ficlet of little Halsin and his mother. A happy, fluffy memory that I think he carries with him as he grows older, and that has shaped his worldview in a lot of ways.

I hope you enjoy! Full short under the read more.

You can also find this on AO3. Previous fic: A Brief Respite (Halsin/Tav, explicit)

“Mummy, do you have a glass jar I can borrow?”

“Of course, my heart,” Halsin’s mother called from the kitchen. “Can I ask what you need it for?”

Halsin was out on the back porch of his family’s home. The house sat in a little glade, with tall stands of woods all around, about an hour’s walk from the small village of Reithwin. “There are fireflies out,” he answered. “Yesterday I saw the children down in town catching them in jars. They made lanterns!”

His mother stepped out onto the porch with the jar in her hand. “Can I watch them with you?” Halsin nodded, and she crouched down next to him and settled her arms around his his sides.

Side by side, they watched the fireflies dance at the edge of the woods. There must have been dozens. The sun had already disappeared behind the trees at the end of this long summer’s day, but the darkness of night had not yet set in. The fireflies came alive in these in between moments of twilight, awakening from their leaf litter beds to glow in the warm summer air.

Halsin’s mother hugged him close and placed a kiss on his cheek. He was still her baby for now, but he was already taller and bigger than the other children his age. This time would be gone before she knew it. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?”

“Yes,” Halsin agreed, awe in his little voice. He leaned into his mother’s hug.

She kept her eyes to the tree line and asked the next question gently, adding a tone of curiosity to her voice. “If you were a firefly, do you think you would rather be in a jar, or would you choose to be free and fly around wherever you wish?”

“Hmm.” He took his time to consider the question before he spoke. “I think I’d rather fly around. Not much to explore in a jar.”

“I think that’s what I would want, too,” his mother answered. “Maybe I could take a nap on my favorite flower, or see if my wings would take me all the way to the top of a tall tree. Or maybe I would just hover around my family and be a fussy mother bug,” she joked and tickled Halsin’s belly. He giggled and folded into her.

His mother placed a hand under his chin, drawing his gaze towards her. “Do you still want the jar?” she asked.

“No, mother.”

“I thought not.” She set the jar in the grass, and they continued to watch the fireflies dance and swirl for a long, quiet moment. She then took his hand. “It’s a very normal feeling, when you see a beautiful thing—a firefly, or a flower—to want to take that that thing and keep it for yourself. But taking a thing for yourself isn’t always the kind thing to do, I think. Besides, isn’t it pretty to watch a creature run free? We wouldn’t see a sight like this if the fireflies were all in jars.”

Halsin stood in the twinkling light of Nature’s gifts and watched.

[ashleyfableblack]

More cuddly romance and art love for my favourite couple of Equestrian gals in human style from the EG portion of The Eternal Courtship.

"Have you told them about us?" Chryssi's deep, multi-tonal voice spoke softly. "Hmm?" Twilights forehead bunched up. "Who? My parents?" Her lips drew into a mischievous smirk. "They already know. You saw to that." She prodded Chryssi's chest playfully and giggled. "You big butt." She continued her poking at her lover's belly and ribs with the kind of aggressive zeal reserved for young lovers at heart. Chryssi laughed and gestured in surrender to the assault. She pulled her lavender treasure closer and kissed the top of her head. "Heh... No. Your friends, lilac." It was her turn to smirk now. "You know, the ones I keep hearing about meeting?" "Erf. No." Twilight huffed and nestled back into her lover's arms, finding her comfy spot again. "Not that I haven't thought about it." Chryssi held her and chuckled teasingly. "Embarrassed of your wild fling of personal growth with a strange woman?" "Of course not. I just..." She sighed and kissed Chryssi's chest. "What do I even say?" She raised her voice an octave. "Hey girls! How's your summer been? Everyone looking forward to another semester of University life? Me, I'm great! Oh- this big gal here? She's my Wife, you know, biker, head of the H.I.V.E. Corporation, Royalty. She's also like a bajillion years old and kind of a immortal succubus." "You left out the part about being good in bed." Twilight tittered. She started to say something but paused. Everyone else had found a significant other years ago. Rarity and A.J were inseparable. Dash and Flutters seemed so happy together. Pinkie somehow made Sunset behave long enough to be a surprisingly good couple. Then again, how anyone could dislike Pinkie was beyond her understanding. Considering the intimate relationships of her friends, maybe she should tell them about that. They did share pretty much everything, didn't they? Besides As much as she probably shouldn't, she, everyone's "quiet bookworm friend" wouldn't mind rubbing her newfound highly physical relationship with a wealthy, altruistic force of nature in a few faces. A wicked smile formed on her lips. The new queen had only begun to spread her wings.

[baxtervalentine]

>.< and ;^) and :^* (is that it?? the my little pony one) + tracy for the cringe is dead ask game!!

>.< - Do you have any xenogender/microlabel headcanons for your f/o?

hmm! I feel like fairies might have different ways of identifying as lgbt but I'm going to have to think about how exactly that's expressed... since fairy women seem to tend towards hyperfeminine presentation and I feel like she doesn't change how she presents herself much after coming out (other than growing her hair out and occasionally wearing casual feminine stuff) I think she might call herself a femmasc bisexual trans woman :]

;^) - What does your f/o do that makes you melt? What about vice versa?

tracy is usually pretty composed around erin, but when she gets excited about something, hoooooly moly is she adorable!!! just seeing tracy get all smiley and energetic while she gushes about something gets erin all flustered and blushy. for tracy, erin tends to sing when they're happy or working on something to pass the time, and she thinks it's really sweet. she loves their voice, especially when they sing love songs!

:^* - Who would be your f/o’s favorite character from My Little Pony and why? What about yours?

tracy likes fluttershy the most! she also kins twilight sparkle but she got SO MAD when she got wings (no it's not personal what are you talking about). erin's favorite is pinkie pie

[writer59january13]

Once again besieged by fruit flies

Pestiferous infestation quite argh apartment unit b44

plagued with plight

analogously linkedin to phenomena experienced within outer limits

of the twilight zone

dark shadows akin to edge of night

opportunistic nuisance might necessitate exterminator

as occurred ofttimes before when writing, living, breathing,

et cetera space affected by massive infestation of Drosophila melanogaster light (scientific name as same itty bitty winged flitting nuisance ignite mentioned in title) besieged, inundated, and thickly swarmed

dost primp and pretty fie themselves (to attract a witty mate) during their 40 to 50 days city, or suburban life cycle long enough to qualify for this quickly written ditty

seemingly overnight a bajillion biz zee

buzzing adults each about 1/8 inch long not to be confused and bigger than no see hmms - the latter officially called Ceratopogonidae, no see ums, also known as biting midges, sandflies, punkies and sand gnats, are small flies usually between one and three millimeters long. They're known to feed on the blood of humans and animals, leaving itchy, uncomfortable bite marks on the skin.

Back to the former insects,

whose webbed, wide world seen thru at least one unusual red eye, which compound eye of the fruit fly contains 760 unit eyes or ommatidia, well nigh hapt tubby one of the most advanced among insects, where Google search for home remedies aye

didst find to exterminate these teeny weeny pests, plus informational pursuit my instantaneous curiosity yielded above mentioned esoteric tidbits, sans accidentally discovered

visa vis helpful good riddance material of household ingredients restraining me to breathe sigh of dollop, and hope to try

one or more solutions, which informed me, an amateur entomologist -

listed forthright as: 1.Create a trap by mixing apple cider vinegar with a few drops of dish soap. 2. Another homemade trap is to pour leftover red wine into a jar. 3. Mash up banana slices in a jar, and cover top with a plastic wrap. 4. Pour bleach solution into bathroom sink.

A last ditch effort involves

housing liberal population of bats, they for heaven's sakes might invite hellcats,

nevertheless both creatures more acceptable

and less indistinguishable

from conservative bureaucrats.

[angelmadethestarz]

Hmm im guessing #2... unless you're tricking me like the evil silly guy you are... (Thanks for tagging me btw <3)

I got into good omens because i had a terrible Twilight hyperfixation (specifically on Carlisle Cullen because I got some weird gender envy from him or something) that led me to finding Micheal Sheen and a good omens animatic that led me to good omens and vavoom...

When I was in fourth grade, I had a valentine for two years straight... but that year I ALSO had another valentine, a girl in 7th grade who friendzoned me but whatever. The other valentine gave me a stuffed bear with wings so its all fine.

I wore the same pair of pink crocs from toddler age to like nine years old and once I got them in a slightly redder color and i got pretty annoyed.

My favorite song rn is Space Girls by Frances Forever

tagging @e1f-boi and @thisgenshinpalyerisgay

NEW TAG GAME!

if you're tagged, reblog with two truths and a lie, guess what prev's lie is and reblog with your current favourite song!

i'll go first:

I play netball

I failed math once

I have cheated on a test

yes its the fyolai song i know

@mike-queerler @elsbianism @cultofsheep @yakkos-warners @your-friendly-neighbourh00d-fag @red-in-revenge @aroacesigma @the-beard-of-edward-teach @runninguplenorahills @silversoulstardust @lookingforgalaxies <3

[cutebutalsostabby]

WIP Saturday

I know it's not WIP Wednesday, but have a cracky snapshot anyway, since a) I have to write a bunch of bridging stuff before I get to this section and I'm way too impatient, and b) this may end up getting edited out if I take a different direction with the plot and/or tone.

Potential spoilers for my current multi-chapter LU fic. Contains swearing, as per usual for me.

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

‘I’m – I’m not that small,’ Legend protested. ‘I mean, sure: by Hylian standards, I’m not huge right now. But compared to other rabbits, I’m enormous.’

‘Tiny,’ Hyrule said intently. ‘Absolutely miniscule. Pocket-sized.’

‘Bite-sized?’ Wild suggested helpfully.

‘What?!’ yelped Legend.

‘Yes! Exactly!’ Hyrule said emphatically. ‘Bite-sized! I could just gobble you up and swallow you in a single mouthful! You! Are jusht! Sho shmol!’

‘Are you – are you actually baby-talking me right now?!’ Legend sputtered. ‘Sh-show some fucking respect for your elders! Sure, I may not look all that impressive right now, but I’m still your damn predecessor, I’m still –’

‘Nineteen years old,’ Time reminded him.

‘He’s only sixteen!’

‘You’re both children,’ the thirty-something-year-old concluded. ‘And in Hyrule’s defence: you cried the first time you saw his fairy form.’

‘I didn’t cry!’ snapped Legend.

‘You definitely cried,’ disputed Hyrule.

‘I…’ Legend faltered. ‘I mean, maybe a little. Not much. I didn’t cry that much.’

‘You cried a lot,’ said Hyrule. ‘An outrageous amount. A medically improbable amount. Frankly, I thought you were dying for a moment there. I thought maybe your brain liquefied and started seeping out through your tear ducts or something. That’s how much you cried. Being the Hero of Legend and all, I guess you don’t do anything by halves, and you definitely didn’t do that whole crying fit by half.’

‘Well – I – that is – perfectly reasonable and measured reaction to – I mean –’ Legend sputtered. ‘What are you even supposed to do in that situation but cry? When your precious little successor, who looks up to you like you’re a worthy and respectable predecessor and not just a giant pile of shit, when he goes from being an already unbelievably adorable puppy-dog-eyed Hylian to a teeny, tiny fairy in a pink dress with a little dandelion poof wand and with cute little antennae and little sparkly wings, what are you supposed to do but cry? I mean: shit’s cute, right? I’m not weird for thinking that. You’d have to be pretty fucked up to not think that. We all love Hyrule, right? Right?!’

‘I do love Hyrule,’ Time agreed solemnly.

‘I also love Hyrule,’ Wild chimed in.

Twilight barked his assent.

‘We all love Hyrule!’ Legend reiterated. ‘I mean, imagine being the kind of person who looks at a sweet kid like Hyrule and doesn’t immediately think, “wow, if anything ever happened to you I’d destroy the whole world and everything living in it including myself”. Imagine being someone as joyless and soulless as that. Couldn’t fucking be me. Am I right?’

‘I do love Hyrule,’ Wild mused.

‘Hmm,’ said Time. Twilight gave a less enthusiastic bark.

‘We all love Hyrule!’ raged Legend.

[bokettochild]

The Worries and Woes of Heroic Hair

Y'all were busting out hair headcannons before I left, so I saved a few and wrote a fic for them.

Featuring:

Pre-maturely grey Twilight

Curly haired Legend

Long haired Four

(As well as a reference to long hair Sky)

Warriors had gained the unfortunate title of ‘pretty boy’.

In a group of beautiful men and boys that literally sent women swooning, no matter what world they were in, he’d somehow been labeled the “pretty” one. Never mind he was more mature looking than half of their number. Never mind that Legend and Hyrule looked like a pair of porcelain dolls hand painted by a master artist. Never mind that Wild literally had half of his world falling heels over head for him. No matter how many women in the War of Ages had gushed about the adult Hero of Time (much to Mask’s annoyance). And sure, let’s just forget that Wars had heard not one, but two princess’s complimenting Twilight’s ass.

Yeah, okay, he was the pretty boy, sure.

Maybe that was because he was the only one in the group that actually had any understanding of a little thing called personal hygiene! Honestly! Had no one introduced the vet to a bathtub when he was younger? Or Wild to a hairbrush? And Hyrule... oh Hyrule...

Honestly, it was a pain, trying to not say something to his brothers that might be taken as rude or offensive. At least his own two boys were a bit better. During the war he’d pounded some sense into their heads after scrubbing their ears clean enough that they could actually hear him when he spoke, and Time and Wind both showed some (although not much more than the others) level of personal grooming, even if it was the basic wash and brush that Wars had required of all of his soldiers.

The others though? He had been beginning to think they might be hopeless, but then he’d had a chance to do something about it.

“Wars?”

“Hmm?” Bright blue darted up from the journal Warriors had been writing in, meeting Wind’s pout with a soft chuckle at his baby-faced brother. One day, Wind would be as grizzled and scruffy as his grandfather (would be his grandfather) but for now he would take him time teasing the kid for his baby-face. After all, it wasn’t like he’d be getting another chance to get revenge on the man who’d teased him up to his wedding day for his “lack of masculine charm”.

“My hair is knotted. In the back.” Wind didn’t even bother waiting for a signal, instead just plopping down in the captain's lap and dropping a brush by his knee. And really, with how the war had gone, Warriors should have expected that.

Any injury that impeded movement meant Wars was helping his two boys with whatever was needed during the war, and near the top of that list had been brushing hair. Broken arm or sprained wrist or whatever Hyrule had diagnosed it as (he’d been a bit too wrapped up in helping hold Wild still so he and Legend could treat the kid’s crushed hand to hear the healer’s final word), he was always happy to help the younger hero sort out his problems.

At least Wind let him help, instead of sending him scandalized looks and rude signs at the mere mention of a bath, like Legend did, or simply darting away like Hyrule.

“Wind,” Sky frowned slightly. “You didn’t have to disturb Wars, any of us would have been willing to help.”

The sailor cocked a brow, leaning back into his touch as he worked over the knot with nimble fingers well accustomed to working through tangled golden curls. “Says the Hero of Eternal Bedhead.”

Crystal blue eyes darted up to messy bangs. “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes.” Sailor and captain deadpanned together, matching grins on their faces as they stared at the Skyloftian.

“Oh feathers.” Sky huffed, running his hands through his hair and looking at the two expectantly. “Is that better?”

Wind snorted. “Sky, you need a hairbrush for your bird’s nest.”

“But,” Sky cocked his head like a confused puppy. “I don’t have a bird’s nest?”

“He means that your hair is a mess.” He chuckled, pausing in his work to pat the ground at his side. “Here, I’ll do you next, ‘kay?” And bless Sky for being a patient and reasonable person, because at the very least the Skyloftian just sauntered over easily and sat hot-cross-buns on the ground beside him, watching lazily as he worked at the sailor’s messy hair.

“It’s not that bad,” The Sailor huffed. “You can’t honestly be taking this long.” The kid wasn’t fooling him though, Wind was leaning into the touch, almost slumped against his chest in a boneless pile of teenager.

“You’re dry as a desert.” He scolded softly in response, rubbing some of the bristly hair between his fingers. “I’ve told you salt water dries your hair out, you need to take care of it or it’ll never grow out properly.”

Wind shifted awkwardly. “I didn’t have time. I did try, I mean it! It just... We’re always so busy and...”

His hands were already reaching for his pack. “You’re lucky mine dries out too. I’ll need to get more in the next town, but I think this oil can last us both long enough to get you some again.”

“Oil?” Sky frowned thoughtfully. “What for?”

“Split ends and dry hair.” Came the practiced answer as he rubbed the substance in question over his hands and began to card it through the sailor’s parched curls. “I suppose you could say it’s like with birds. They have to oil their feathers to stay healthy, right?”

“Oh! Okay, yeah, that makes sense.” The Skyloftian mulled over the concept for a moment. “We need to do that to our hair?”

Long fingers stopped mid stroke, royal blue blinking slowly in the clueless sky child’s direction. “Oh, you poor, clueless bird-boy you, your hair must be parched!”

Wind’s giggles shook them both, but Sky simply looked hurt. “I try. How was I supposed to know?”

Fingers slick with hair oil curled to point at the other hero. “I am massaging this stuff into your thirsty scalp right now. Wind, move.”

The sailor tumbled, giggling from Wars’ lap, leaving Sky to stare down at the captain’s crossed legs. “I’m- Warriors I am not sitting in your lap.”

“I don’t expect you to.” Brush in one hand and bottle of hair oil in the other, Warriors moved to stand behind the Skyloftain. “Just stay right there and let me work, and I swear if someone else tells me to my face that they’re not taking care of themselves- Sky! Look at this!”

The Skyloftian shifted, trying to look for only a moment before huffing. “Warriors, I can’t see the top of my own-”

“When’s the last time you trimmed this?” Brittle tips crinkled under his fingers as he stared at the mess that was Sky’s hair. “Your split ends are horrible!”

“Crimson usually trims it for me.” Came the softly mumbled response, and Wars had to hold back an affronted squawk at the words.

“You’re entrusting the care of your hair to a bird? Sky, my lovely, my dear friend, my brother, what the actual Ladies?”

“He does a good job!”

“If you call this rat’s nest a good job! Honestly, it’s no wonder Legend finally agreed to let you cuddle him, he must feel right at home with this mess!”

“Ouch.” Sky huffed, crossing his arms loosely and pouting.

“That aside,” He began working the first knot out, fluffing Sky’s hair lightly in his fingers. “It’s a good color, nice volume too. Have you ever considered growing it out? Without the split ends?”

“Huh?”

Caramel hair parted easily in his hands, springy and soft despite the brittle ends. “You’d look fetching with long hair, Chosen One. My, imagine what Sun would say if she saw you!” Sky stiffened as the soldier ducked down, voice lowering and eyes glinting with mischief as he whispered in his friend’s ear. “If she wasn’t already swooning at seeing you again, she’d be dizzy at the sheer beauty.”

“Wars!” Long ears twitched, tellingly red as the Skyloftian battled a fierce blush.

But the captain was already lost in his rant, taking pleasure in making Wind continue to giggle as Sky whined softly in protest at his teasing. “I can see it now! You arrive fresh out of battle, sword in hand and hair whipping in the wind, cape swirling like the wings of the goddess herself! She sees you. Your eyes meet. You shoot her one of your dashing smiles and she stumbles back, breathless, and you have to dart forwards to catch her before she swoons away altogether, so bedazzled she is by your handsome visage!” He flourished with a smile, letting oiled locks fall over Sky’s eyes with a laugh as the Skyloftian blushed brighter, not bothering to shift his bangs and instead hiding behind them, trying and failing to hide a pleased smile.

Wind didn’t stop giggling until Sky had had to punch the captain in the leg to make him finally cease the teasing.

“Smithy,” Twilight’s laughter rung through camp as he brushed long bangs out of the smithy’s eyes, the younger hero still smushed against the rancher's side sleepily, headband askew and half hanging in his eyes. The boy’s hair curtained his face, falling back into place the moment Twilight lifted his hand again, producing rumbling laughter form the farm-hand. “Four, you- when in Ordonia’s name did you last trim your hair?”

“’s not that long.” Came the murmured reply as Four pressed his face further into Twilight’s side, nestling closer with an irritable huff. “Leave ‘lone, Twi.”

The smithy might have denied it but... his hair really had grown out.

It wasn’t really that apparent with the headband keeping it back, and Four was decent enough at keeping his hair out of his face. But headbands, no matter how trusty, didn’t stay up forever, and when one was as active as a Hero of Courage, it wasn’t uncommon to find one’s self with their hair swinging loose in battle. Not that most of them minded, Wild kept his hair tied carefully and Legend tucked all of his under a hat, meanwhile the others all had shorter locks that, other than the swishing of their bangs, mostly stayed out of their faces.

Four on the other hand...

Four’s headband had fallen loose into a mud puddle, and until he was able to clean it the smithy had been walking around like a sheepdog, bangs fluffing into his eyes and making the shortest hero huff in an annoyed manner as he kept swiping his bangs aside. Unfortunately, they weren’t long enough to tuck behind his ears, only to hang in his face and send him stumbling over and into all sorts of things with sharp yelps and soft swears as the hero closest to him would have to offer a hand or scoop up the small smithy again.

Wars didn’t say anything, but when Four finally approached him one evening, eyes flickering icy blue as he dashed his bangs out of the way and tugged at the scarf draped around the captain’s neck (the others’ favorite way of getting his attention he had found).

“Hey there, smithy, what’s up?”

“Cut them.” Four huffed, pushing the loose hair back again only to have them drift back over his glinting eyes, and then, as if an afterthought, he tacked on ‘Please?’.

Royal blue darted up to Sky, who smiled on the edge of the campfire, a knowing look in his eyes. “Did Sky tell you I could help?”

“No. I figured that out myself. He just... pushed me.”

Laughter bubbled up in his chest. “Ah.”

“So, can you help? Or do I need to wander around looking like a Mogma?” Sky could be heard muttering across the camp at that, and Four’s ears twitched as he huffed, clearly having taken offense at whatever had been said.

He nodded, a bit unsure why Four glared across the fire at Sky, but willing to help. Oh goddesses, was he willing to help; Four’s hair bugged him nearly as much as Wild’s did, and he had been dying to fix it for the smithy. He wasn’t sure what Sky had said, but he was thankful for the other knight’s willingness to aid him in his battle against poor hygiene, and if he could turn another hero with the power of a good haircut, well! “Anything you have in mind? Just what you had before, or...?”

“Bangs.” Four dropped down hot-cross-buns, just like Sky had the other day, in front of him, arms crossed and expectant as he huffed at his long bangs.

“Right.” His brush and scissors were already sitting at the ready as he reached out to gently push the hair out of his friend’s eyes. “You good?”

“Annoyed.” Four sulked. “I can’t see anything and Twilight has been called me a sheep-dog.” Accurate. “I just want my hair short again, but the last time I cut it, it looked like I was attacked by a cat.” The smithy shivered, clutching at his sleeves as he shook his head, hair falling back into his eyes as he did so. “I just let it grow after that, but the bangs bother me if I can’t push them back.”

“Noted.”

Four’s hair was a bit silkier than the others’, but similarly brittle, although that was likely due to the heat of the forge rather than sea salt and extended time in the sky. He didn’t even bother asking about oiling the locks as he worked, brushing out all of Four’s hair with care and sectioning out the bangs with the same amount of agonizing detail Legend put into his paintings or Wild put into his cooking.

“Hair cut?” Twilight called from across camp.

“You could use one too,” Four huffed, unmoving save for his eyes darted to glance over his shoulder. “Your hair is beginning to look like wolf ears, rancher. Wolfie might take offense that you’re stealing his look and come maul you.”

Chuckles sounded around the camp, Legend wheezing lightly while Time and Wild shared a look. Wars didn’t know what that was about, but he smiled as he worked, humming lightly under his breath as he clipped a bit here and a touch there, releasing the hair to stare at it, adjusting it a bit, taking another section in hand and snipping it, and repeating the whole process.

Four was still as a statue the whole time, occasionally humming along to whatever tune happened to be on Warriors’ mind at the moment, but otherwise as poised and picturesque as a statue as the captain worked over the smithy’s blond locks.

This close up, Warriors was beginning to wonder why they never met any lovely admirers of the smithy, Four was certainly not lacking in the looks department, and had the kid lived in his time he’d find himself having to beat off girls with a stick. Honestly, how was he the pretty boy here?

“Nearly done?” Came the patient hum, and he snapped himself back to reality as he brushed Four’s bangs back into place, trimmed and tidy, along with the rest of his short hair.

“Yep.” The scissors finally came to rest in his lap as he whisked away the cloak that he’d used to catch the trimmed hairs. “My, my, smithy, you almost look as if you were going courting! Legend, lend a man your shield for a tick, would you? Four needs to see his new cut.”

The veteran rolled his eyes, but the shield was offered readily enough when Four trotted his way over, and while the smithy looked a bit surprised that Wars had bothered to braid most of his hair out of the way during the cut, he didn’t look at all displeased.

Wars counted that as a win.

He’d run out of oil a few days ago, and already his hair was beginning to frizz in this thrice-forsaken heat.

Being born with curly hair was nothing of the blessing his mother had made it out to be, no matter how she liked playing with her ‘baby boy’s’ hair. Of course, his beloved liked it too, but he was going to chalk that up to being a woman thing, curls were a pain if they weren’t on kids, especially if they were eon him.

Thank Hylia that Lilith had taught him to straighten it all out, he would have been driven half out of his mind if he hadn’t been able to control it on his way through basic, and the teasing would have been so much worse than it actually had been.

As was, the captain was only too happy when they next came to his Castletown, and after he’d made sure the others were settled in the castle with his cousin, he’d gracefully made his exit and headed out to the town. Getting through the streets was a pain, his armor and scarf giving him away as the hero and practically inviting the whole market to start competing for his attention, along with the hundreds of shoppers who surged close with questions and thanks and admiration. Not for the first time, Warriors found himself thankful that he handled crowds better than many of his fellow soldiers, and even if all the attention was a bit much, he wasn’t overwhelmed like poor Wild would have been.

Oh heavens, the day they finally figured out how to explain the portals and heroes nonsense to the public to excuse the sudden aging of the Hyrulian Hero’s child, Wild was likely going to have to start wearing a hood or something when they went into town.

The dye shop was a way into the market, and it had taken quite the bit of fancy footwork to avoid stepping on anyone as he’d answered questions and received thanks from the enthusiastic, if not slightly push, people of Hyrule. If he closed the door of the shop after him with a sigh of relief though, that was between him and Gyssel, the shopkeeper.

“Back again, Link? Same materials as the last time?”

“If you please.” He nodded with a smile. “Though I might have a bit of a glance around, I’ve a friend in need of a few things.”

The old woman nodded with a chuckle. “Right then. Oh, and if you see those two lovely gents who popped in here earlier, would you be willing to lend ‘em a hand? Poor dears looked lost as two minish in a fairy pond when they stumbled in here, but I’ve been batting a thousand with the customers all day and haven’t had a chance to pop over and offer help. You know the shop same as I do, so, if you have a moment, could you check in on them while I wrap your things?”

“Of course.” He nodded, smiling his best as he moved towards the back wall.

The other voices in the shop were mostly those of tittering ladies and mischief making pranksters, all too young and too high to belong to the ‘lovely gents’ that Gyssel had been speaking of, and it wasn’t hard to trail the rumble of a man’s voice to the back of the store where the hair dyes were. He grinned as he rounded the corner, but froze when he found himself face to face with a startled, and maybe somewhat abashed rancher.

“Twilight?”

“Warriors?”

“Shit, Wars is here?”

Royal blue darted down to meet the snapping violet of the veteran. “Legend? What are the two of you doing in here of all places? Are you lost?”

“No.” Legend huffed, foot tapping agitatedly at the floor as he gnawed his bottom lip, a sure sign of awkwardness if one knew the vet.

“What are you doing- oh.” Twilight’s face faded from confusion to understanding. “You’re the city boy, of course you shop in joints like this.”

He cocked a brow, hands coming to rest on his hips as he stared down the two other heroes. “Says the guy who’s been wandering around looking for something long enough the owners worried. Honestly, what could the two of you even need?”

Midnight and violet glanced warily at each other, and to his surprise, twin flushed lighted his friend’s faces as Legend had crossed his arms and Twi had rubbed at his neck.

“Hair dye.” The rancher admitted softly.

“And shampoo.” Legend had tacked on.

Warriors let his eyes blow wide an overdramatic gasp sounding in the small corner of the shop as he rested a hand on his collar. “Why, vet, you don’t mean to tell me you’re planning on actually taking a bath, are you! My heavens, what next? Will Hyrule somehow produce a wedding cake in time for Time and Malon to announce they’re having a baby?”

“They’re what!?!” Twilight yelped, sounding, ridiculously, like a dog that has just been kicked.

“I’m teasing, rancher.” He chortled. “Trust me, if Time knew of such a thing, he wouldn’t have shut up about it. Miss Malon’s still trim and terrifying as last we saw her; I have little doubt.” At the rancher’s breath of relief, he shook his head. “Honestly though, soap? Vet, last I checked-”

“It’s hot.” Legend interrupted, avoiding meeting his gaze by rolling his eyes.

“And?”

“And in case you didn’t know, our resident vet is a-”

“Don’t say it!” Legend huffed, glaring at Twilight and tugging his blue cap tighter over his head.

Come to think of it, Legend hadn’t taken the baby-blue cap off in ages...

“Is a what?”

Twilight looked down warily at the seething veteran, face twisted up between a playful grin and a wary frown, as if he didn’t yet know whether he wanted to tease and face the vet’s wrath or hold his tongue and avoid making a scene.

“Look,” Warriors sighed, glancing between the two country boys with a sigh. “I won’t tease at all, alright? But the sooner you own up to whatever nonsense you did to yourself, the sooner we can find you what you need and get ourselves out of here.”

The flush on Legend’s face darkened, eyes darting down as the vet shuffled his feet, and Wars found himself being reminded that for all the vet’s snark and sass, he really was as much of a kid as Wild and Wind were, just more accustomed at having to act otherwise.

Thin fingers rubbed at the rings on the vet’s pale hands. “Well, you see- that is- augh!”

Something inside him blossomed with warmth, a smile stretching across his face. Golden Three, Legend really was just an awkward teenager, wasn’t he? He even stumbled over his words when he was embarrassed, just like Time used to. Of course, Time had been twelve and Legend was nineteen, but that was beside the point.

“So-” The vet was nearly pouting as he struggled with his words, fingers rubbing steadily at his rings as he avoided Wars’ gaze. “You know how Ravio has curly hair?”

“Yes.”

“And you know how Ravio and I are- uh, each other's- reflect-”

A laugh bubbled out of his throat unexpectedly as he reached out to ruffle what could be seen of the vet’s frizzy bangs. “You’re a curly top! Why didn’t you say sooner?” Legend glared at him with a huff, but violet didn’t shift to indigo, so he knew it was all just an act. “Wind and I are too, I was actually in here to get some things for the two of us, and Sky too. I can help you as well if you don’t mind, just let me-” He motioned to the blue cap that was pulled snig down to Legend’s ears.

The vet huffed, but reached up to finger the blue fabric. “You won’t laugh, right?” Stern eyes met his own.

“Of course.” He smiled reassuringly.

Legend’s gaze searched his face for a moment, wary, but open, and even if it made him uncomfortable (the odd glint of gold at the edges of the vet’s eyes was a bit unsettling) he withstood it until Legend nodded, seemingly to himself, and pulled off his cap.

Pink curls spilled down to the vet’s shoulders as a bright blush colored pale cheeks. Twilight didn’t make it any better by reaching over to ruffle the vet’s head, chuckling soft and warm and surprisingly fond as Legend hissed back at him.

“Can I- that is- do you mind if I touch? I can help you find what you want better if I know what you need.”

A stiff nod.

The pink hair was just like fairy-floss, but less sticky (still dirty though) and he had to remind himself what he was doing once he got his fingers in it. A quick check at the texture and ends of Legend’s hair, as long as a quick check of the scalp and roots told him all he needed.

“Whatever dye you used to do this messed you up, vet. Honestly, I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re dry as a mulduga’s arse. Did you bleach your hair before dying it or something?” There was a murmur in reply, but not anything he could really make out. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I said that’s me natural color.” Legend huffed, tensing under his hands. “I bleached it blonde a few months back, but no, I didn’t dye this shit, it just happened.”

Twilight, very unhelpfully, giggled.

Warriors blinked. “You have pink hair?”

“Yes.”

He fought the chuckle that built up in his chest, but it did little good as he ruffles the frizzy curls and let Legend replace his hat. “Alright then! Well, I’d avoid bleaching again if I was you. The pinks out and it’s healthier if you give it a rest between dyes. I have to admit though,” He settled his hands on his hips and looked between the two other heroes with a smirk. “I never took either of you two as the sort to dye your hair.”

“Throws off the guards.” Legend huffed, tugging his cap back over his hair and making Warriors wince. Ah yes, Legend’s Hyrule’s guards.

“Fair enough. I can find you something to help with the drying out and dye damage. Twi though...” He frowned, stroking his chin in thought. “Why do you even need hair dye? Trying something new?”

Now it was the rancher’s turn to look embarrassed, rubbing at his neck and ruffling his hair. “No, actually. I jist need- rather- want? I guess? I-”

Legend huffed, patting the rancher’s arm in a rare show of compassion. “He’s been greying early and it’s making him self-conscious. I told him we could look for a dye to hide it, since he didn’t want to go about stealing Time’s position as the resident Old Man.”

Oh. Well, that made sense. “Right! Fair enough. So, you want your natural shade, yes?” At the rancher's nod he pressed on, clapping his hands as he listed what they needed. “So, hair oil, some dye, and shampoo for Legend, preferably meant for damaged and curly hair. Anything else?”

Even though the two shook their heads, they all walked out with a bit more than what Warriors had listed, but despite the fact that Legend complained about it all, no one seemed to mind too much when he pulled the three of them together after the others had gone to bed and helped show them had to use the various toiletries without making too very much of a mess. It cost a pretty penny to get them all sorted, but Legend was clean, Twilight was a brunette again (the silver streaks were rather fetching though, and he’d made sure to make sure Twilight knew that before they dyed it all away) and Wind and Sky had what they needed to prevent their hair drying out again.

And even if it made a sizable dent in his wallet, he’d refused to be paid back. It was worth it anyway, since now he and Legend both had straight hair again (and the vet had actually washed!).

He could see now why Wild and Hyrule liked playing with their respective mentors’ hair though, it was almost addictive.

Time took one look at the three youngest and groaned, and Warriors almost echoed the action.

“What were you three even doing?” His now-eldest huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose with a heavy sigh as he tried not to look at the three teens, all of which were covered in mud and grass stains, and only looking slightly remorseful, despite their horrid clothing and scraped faces.

Had it been anyone but Wild and Wind, Wars would have sat back and watched as karma paid her long overdue visit to the mischievous mask-loving hero, but since it was his kids that caught up in paying back the silver in his own hair, Wars had to stand with Time and try his very hardest not to chuckle at the sight before him.

It took no trouble at all to picture Mask sitting, unrepentant, amid the other youngsters, a challenging look on his face as he dared the captain to even try and ground him for running off again.

“We were exploring.” Hyrule grinned sheepishly, rubbing at the mud that had dried on the side of his neck. “We um-”

“We fell in a swamp.” Wild snorted, wrinkling his nose and shaking some gunk from his hands with a pout. “Even I think we stink.”

Time’s lips twitched, brows struggling to remain in a scowl as he answered, voice wavering with a hint of laughter that made Wars smile to himself. “Is that so, Cub?”

“We smell like boko guts.”

“Or boko crap!” Wind cackled, the only one not soaked in swamp goo but instead spattered with ordinary mud that came from likely tripping and falling in the dirt from laughing too hard.

“Bathe.” Time chuffed, shaking his head fondly. “All three of you. Rivers there and I’m sure Wars has soap aplenty to help.” Hang on, what? Time’s eye met his own, blinking- winking? with a bright and shit eating grin. “Have fun with you sons, dad.”

Oh Ladies, Karma messed up again, didn’t she?

“Mask, I swear-” He growled, glaring at his- was Time his eldest now? His middle child still? The youngest since he’d been the last to join the family?

“Don’t, you’ll set a bad example.” The overgrown forest gremlin chuckled, walking away with a condescending pat of the shoulder.

Some things really never changed, huh?

“Right then.” the captain turned to glare stillness back into the three youngsters, two of which were already trying to sneak away, and the third- of thank Hylia for Wind, the kid was standing at perfect attention with a smirk on his face that screamed ‘I’m the eldest and I’m about to watch my little brothers get scolded and I’m going to enjoy every second of it’, snotty little salt-bathed brat. “Jump in or I punt you.”

Hyrule and Wild exchanged a look, a sure sign of danger, and both sprinted in opposite directions.

He huffed a laugh. Amateurs. Mask and Wind had run him ragged during the war, but once you’ve fought to pre-teens on the daily, there's nothing a pair of teenagers can pull on you that will truly surprise you or throw you off. It was the work of moments to have Wild slung under one arm (wolf pups, honestly, Mask was the same way) and Hyrule by the back of his collar (Wind’s customary position).

“H-how?” Both boys stammered.

“Experience, mud moblins.”

“Do I weight anything to you?” Wild stammered, staring up at him with wide blue eyes.

The grin on his face was easier than usual in situations like these, but then again both teens had given up fighting against him sooner than the last two had ever done. “Hardly. You’ve always been a lightweight.” And with those words he promptly administered a light kick to Hyrule’s lower back, knocking the kid floundering into the stream, and following up with a well-practiced toss that send Wild rocketing in after.

Wind, already stripped down to his shorts and standing waist deep in the water, raised his hands with a shit eating grin. “Six out of Ten, Wild.” The little sea monster called to a spluttering Wild as the kid surfaced, only his face peeking above the surface as he treaded water with a pout. “You need to work on your form, but otherwise- ack!”

A wave splashed up from Hyrule’s direction and Wild sent an appreciative grin the other boy’s way while Wind’s grin melted into a playful one, eyes glinting dangerously.

“Oh, that’s it! You’re just asking for trouble now! Never start a water battle with a pirate, you two, you won’t like how it ends!”

Another, mischief filled, glance was exchanged and both feral heroes descended on the young sailor. It was like watching cucco’s descend on a bokoblin, and Warriors watched with laughter bubbling in his chest as he stripped off his gunk-stained tunic, courtesy of the mud-covered boys he’d wisely decided to pick up, and moved on to his chainmail. The sound of the three youngest heroes' shrieking and shouting sweet music to his ears as Time and the other older heroes made camp just off of the riverbank, teasing each other and generally messing around.

“Wars, why are you- are you joining us?” Wild cocked his dripping head with a curious look as he watched him.

The undershirt slipped off easily as he waded into the stream’s center. “Of course, you two got me muddy too after all, and it’s not like I trust y’all to actually clean up by-” At the slowly spreading grins on the faces of the three, the captain realizes his mistake. “I don’t trust you all to clean up properly, so I’m-”

“Warriors said ‘y’all’!” Wind chortled, eyes glinting madly as a grin stretched over his face. “Oh boy! Just wait ‘till I-”

“Slip of the tongue.” He clipped back, hands settling on his hips as he stared down the three teens. “You tell Twilight about this and I will personally wash your mouth out with soap.”

“You’re the one who said it!” Hyrule pointed out.

“And whoever tells the rancher is committing a verbal atrocity that will only lead to far more in the future.” He huffed. “No one tells, you hear me?”

Wild looked between the others, brows furrowed and lips pursed as he took in Wind’s triumphant grin and Warriors’ scowl. “What’s wrong with saying ‘y’all’?”

The captain staggered back dramatically, hand on his chest and a horrified expression on his face as he stared at his son. “No! Never say that word! That word is an abomination!”

“What word?” Hyrule cocked his head, eyes glinting knowingly, but the captain failed to recognize it in time.

“’Y’all’!” He spat with contempt. “We do not say ‘y’all’ in this house! ‘Y’all’ is a cursed word and the next person who says it is-” - ‘Is on Mask watching duty’ was his go to consequence, but that wouldn’t exactly work right now; Time was a bit old to actually need a supervisor- “is on clothes washing duty with Legend.” He settled on at last, choosing the chore that everyone except, surprisingly, the veteran minded.

“Say the man who just said it four times in a row.” Wind teased, darting out of his grasp with a wide grin.

“Wind! I was trying to see how many times I could make him say it!” Hyrule huffed, pouting at his brother adorably.

“I still don’t get it.” Wild grumbled. “It’s a word? There’s nothing wrong with it as far as I know, ‘y’a-” The captain’s hand was clamped around the kid’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

“Let's just not.” Warriors huffed; he was beginning to mourn Twilight’s mentor position at the moment. Fortunately, Wild was willing enough to still in is hands and not push the topic, unlike the other two who just egged each other on with ever widening grins. “Right.” He rolled his eyes. “First one with a clean face gets the strawberry scented soap; go.”

Silence fell as nothing save splashing rang over the stream as faces ducked beneath the water, all three boys falling for his favorite trick of all time. Heck, even the old man would probably still cave to the offer of strawberry soap, even now that he was an adult, and Wars couldn’t blame him at all; strawberry scented bubbles were the best bubbles and Twilight and his goat-milk soap could go sniff a skunk if they wanted to contest that.

It took hardly any time at all for all three to emerge, fresh faces and glowing, three sets of eyes al sparkling up at him as a warm chuckle blossomed in his throat. Naturally, he gave the promised soap to all three, citing the ‘I can’t tell who finished first so you all win’ excuse that Grandfather had taught him ages ago.

Wind dutifully set about scrubbing himself clean, and in the meantime, he guided the less experienced duo. “Take so much,” He dolloped a generous potion into Hyrule’s cupped hands. “And rub your hands together, yes, just like that, work it up to a nice lather and just scrub it all over. Take care you get the smelliest bits first so you don’t run out of soap before you get there, yeah?” Both forest children nodded, dutifully following his instructions as he moved to help scrub the traveler’s sopping curls.

It was an easy pattern to fall into, scrubbing the two heads with especial care to remove any sticks and twigs he found along the way. Hyrule was the easier of the two, but Wild held still better while he worked, almost melting under his fingers as he messaged suds into his son’s long locks, a light smile playing over both their faces as he worked, content to sit in the cooling water of the stream as the sun began to set, hands buried in his kid’s long hair as he worked out mud and filth and who knows what else.

Rinsing the sweet-scented bubbles started out innocently enough, but Wars was given a front row seat to watching an accidental splash descend into a full-on war on the water as he scrubbed his own hair clean, and well, if he joined in once he was finished, well, someone had to show Wind that he wasn’t the only hero with some experience on the water.

Wars sighed as he watched Time stirring quietly on his bedroll.

Honestly, his middle kid (he’d finally settled on letting Wind retain his position on oldest, since there was no way Time could be the eldest brother with his gremlin behavior) was something of an idiot. Oh, he loved all three of his boys dearly, but Time was an ass and everyone who knew him well knew it (except maybe Twilight, but that guy was an ass too).

Time hadn’t been sleeping recently, and it was easy to see in the dark bags around his eyes and the almost drifting expression on his face at nights. It was for lack of trying either, the kid- man? - the hero would settle down on his bedroll every night same as the others, but even with sharp eyes shut tight and blanket pulled to his ears, the ‘Old Man’ couldn’t lie still for more than thirty minutes, constantly shifting and fidgeting on his bedroll even as the other heroes steadily dropped off to sleep.

It was just the two of them now, the captain on watch and their leader trying to pretend he was asleep with a scowl on his face.

He was scratching again.

“Alright, that’s enough of that.” war clapped his hands against his knees and pushed himself p, staling over to stand over the largest of the bedrolls and staring down at the lump within. “What’s up, Sprout? You normally snore like a hinox all night long, what’s eating you?”

A single blue eye stared up at him wearily. “If I knew, I would have killed it by now.”

Oof, bad night then. “Do you have any idea what it could be?” He was already settling down next to the group leader’s head, hands reaching to grasp Time’s own and bring them down from where he was, likely unconsciously, clawing at the sides of his face.

“No.” Came the frustrated huff.

“Missing Miss Malon?” He suggested, running his fingers through short blonde hair thoughtfully, mind miles away in a two-story house at castle town as he fell into the all too familiar trap of playing with one of his boys’ hair.

“I thought so at first, and while I do, it doesn’t usually stop me from sleeping.” Time grumbled, staring up at the night sky with pursed lips. “It’s not nightmares or visions either, if anything my dreams have been normal for once.”

“Anxiety perhaps? Are you worrying about the others? Twilight, maybe? Wild?” At the questioning glance he received he shrugged. “Kept me up enough nights, even if you two were there. A bad thing happens once and you're not likely to forget it.”

“Hmm.” Time hummed, leaning unconsciously into his hands and settling on his bed-roll, shoulders falling lax as his single good eyes fluttered softly. “Maybe.”

Whatever it was, it wasn’t bad enough that War’s fingers didn’t put it to rest, and time was asleep in mere minutes, soft snores rumbling over the camp as the captain continued his ministrations, eyes and ears sharp and alert for any disturbance near in within the camp, but body relaxed as he kept the steady rhythm of his fingers through short and silky hair.

When his watch was over though, and it was time to wake the veteran to take his, Wars found himself stuck. Time's fingers were curled tightly in his blue scarf, the man’s head resting easy against his thigh, and any motion small of subtle, would likely send majestic blue fluttering open again with an exhausted air.

Ah well, time to be creative.

Legend grumbled, as usual, at being woken by having his feet touched, and the captain echoed his discomfort as he wrings is sore and likely sprained hand. Time was still asleep though, so there was that at least. Now just to figure out how best to position himself so he could sleep.

Soldier’s experience won over logic, and Wars was asleep in seconds, leaving the camp under Legend’s watch and Time snoozing blissfully at his side.

[torterragarden]

24. your favorite team of pokemon you’ve ever had 

28. overall least favorite generation of pokemon

67. favorite animated adaptation

73. favorite pokemon merchandise

24. your favorite team of pokemon you’ve ever had 

Idk if I have one? Like it's pretty much always just the team I finished a game with most recently, which in this case would be my team in Moon. And I did love that team but like. of course I did lol. But anyway it was Incineroar, Lycanroc, Magnezone, Golisopod, Palosand, and Drampa btw if you even care

28. overall least favorite generation of pokemon

hmm tbh tbh it's between gen 6 and gen 2. Gen 6 was always just very forgettable to me, I feel like XY suffers from a lot of the same problems as swsh but without any of the things that made swsh redeemable or at least interesting to me. Gen 2 does have some very memorable moments (I will never forget how cool it was to find Red on Mt. Silver for the first time) but the level and difficulty curve is god awful and the encounter variety is so limited and most of the Pokemon introduced in gen 2 can't even be used for most of the game because they either aren't readily available or they suck or both

67. favorite animated adaptation

uuh I don't really have a single favorite but I like a lot of the miniseries like Generations, Evolutions and Twilight Wings

73. favorite pokemon merchandise

can't go wrong with plushies. love having a little guy next to me

[jeongyunhoed]

8 Stories, 8 Movies from the Golden Age (1930s to 1960s).

It’s the golden age and 8 men are the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. Lights, camera, action!

A tale of love and suspense, Park Seonghwa is haunted by the memory of his deceased wife, a shadow looming over the halls of his mansion. When he marries again, his new wife now comes to realize that even in death, his wife still remains.

Daphne

Warnings: Mentions of murder, death, suicide, and illness. Might have some innuendos, might not. But I’m putting these warnings out there regardless.

Other things to note: There are OCs. I might mention other idols (most likely NCT).

A/N: This has the same format as my Twilight Zone AU “The Other Dimension” where everyone in Ateez is here as well. So yeah, enjoy. Implied smut ahead...sort of, if you squint. But creepy San ahead. 

Masterlist

Part 2 

There she was, standing next to Seonghwa in front of a local justice in the nearest village by the sea later that day. A bouquet of small flowers in her hand, given to her by the children they passed by one moment, Seonghwa buying the rings that would make their relationship officially permanent in the local jewelry shop the next. She figured Seonghwa must have already been planning for this moment since he went to sleep days since their meeting, but she had never felt more certain. After exchanging I do’s with each other, the justice had made them official. She was now Mrs. Park Seonghwa. 

“How do you feel? Regret it yet?” Seonghwa asked her on their drive back to their hotel. 

“On the contrary, I feel like I’m on the clouds” She replied, reaching for his free hand and he kissed the back of hers. “Like I can do anything!” 

Seonghwa smiled, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove them back to the hotel where they now stayed together. They pulled up the driveway and hurried up to the suite where he brought her across the threshold, the two of them exchanging soft kisses that eventually turned into something more passionate. They consummated their marriage that evening and into the early hours of the morning. 

The following month, they were on their way to the Fontaine, the road curved and full of twists and turns that she had to grip the armrest of the car. The wind was hitting their faces and blowing in her hair, and she still felt like she was on cloud nine. They stopped in front of iron gates, with an arch over them that said “Fontaine” marking the path towards the house she had only seen on postcards. 

The path before them was lined with trees and shrubs that looked like they were in need cleaning up, and the blissful mood was met with a more somber one, a feeling of dread washing over her the closer they were getting. She could see the slight change in her husband’s expression the further they went. The loud rumbling of thunder echoed in the skies followed by rain and she put her jacket over her head to cover herself, Seonghwa unable to do the same as he stepped on the gas a little more. 

And there it was, the massive estate that she had only seen in pictures. The Fontaine was a large, white mansion that looked almost like a castle, and there were several other smaller houses that surrounded it. She figured it was the servants’ quarters as well as the garages that probably housed six or seven more cars like the one they were riding in. From the side, she could see that there was a swimming pool. This was Seonghwa’s home, the house he was born and raised in, and the home that the two of them were to live in. It was almost like an heirloom knowing how many generations of his family must’ve resided in the mansion. It was massive, it looked beautiful, straight out of a fairy tale, yet there was something about it that made her anxious. 

They pulled up into the driveway and entered the house, pushing open the doors that led them into the great hall. The lights were dimmed down, with the lamps and the fireplace being the only sources of light. There was a small crowd of the Fontaine’s staff gathered in front to receive them, all of whom looked very pleased, yet she was nervous to approach them. The closer they were, they saw one man, dressed a little differently from the rest of the staff, emerge from the crowd. He had upturned eyes, angular features, and hair that was just as black as Seonghwa’s. He had a stern look about his face and if she let her emotions get the better of her, she would’ve stepped back before approaching him. 

“Hello” She said quietly, dropping her glove, and he bent down to pick it up and gave it back to her. 

“This is Mr. Choi San, or San if you want to get down to more casual terms. He pretty much oversees everything here so you don’t have to,” Seonghwa introduced them. 

“Good evening,” She greeted him again. 

“Good evening, Madam,” He replied with a slight bow. “I have everything ready for you.” 

“Oh, well, that’s very good of you,” She said with a nod. His face betrayed nothing. 

“Will you be going to your room now? Or will you be having tea in the library?” He asked. 

She was still trying to find the words. He gave off a very intimidating aura. “I-well-” 

“The room first, San,” Seonghwa spoke. “Show her to her room so she can get out of her wet clothes, we ran into a storm on the way,” He said, and kissed her on the cheek. 

“This way, Madam,” He turned on his heel to lead the way and she followed him towards the two large marble staircases and up the right staircase and down to the only other door. There were portraits of Seonghwa’s family hung over the walls. San pushed the door open, revealing the room that she would be using from now on. “I hope you will approve of the new decorations in these rooms, Madam,” he said. 

She walked inside, in awe of what the room looked like. It had a large four-poster bed with a red velvet canopy. The ceiling was high and had a chandelier, and there were shelves full of books and a dresser in the corner as well as a large, white gold desk. Everything looked extremely opulent, yet she knew it was to be expected as it was the Fontaine and Seonghwa’s family was a very prominent one. “I-I didn’t know these were changed, what did it look like before?” She asked curiously. 

“It had different hangings, old paper,” San replied. “This room wasn’t used much, except for the occasional guests.” 

“So this wasn’t Mr. Park’s room, originally?” She asked this time. 

“No Madam,” San said. “He has never used the East Wing before. The West Wing has the only good view of the ocean.” 

She nodded, taking in the rest of her surroundings. “This room is very beautiful, and I’m sure I’ll be comfortable.” 

San gave a nod. “If there’s anything you want done, Madam, you only need to tell me.” 

“I guess you’ve been at the Fontaine for years now,” She said. 

“I came here when the first Mrs. Park was a bride,” San replied. 

She nodded again in understanding. “I hope we’ll get along, Mr. Choi, I just have to ask that you be patient with me, this kind of life is new to me and I want to do well here and make Mr. Park happy. At least I now know I can leave all the household arrangements to you,” She said. 

“I hope I shall do everything to your satisfaction Madam,” San said. “I’ve managed the house since Mrs. Park’s death, and Mr. Park has never complained.” 

“In that case,” She looked around. “I guess I could go downstairs now, maybe changing out of these clothes can wait, I want to see more of the Fontaine first.” 

“Of course, Madam,” San turned on his heel again, and she hurried to follow him. She could tell he didn’t exactly like her, but she figured it was because they had never met. Maybe he could warm up to her in time. “The room in the West Wing I was telling you about is on that side,” He gestured to the other room across them. “It’s not used now, it’s also the most beautiful room in the house - the only one that looks across the lawns to the sea. It was Mrs. Park’s room.” 

~ 

It became more apparent just how much San didn’t like her over the next few weeks. He never failed to mention how there had been another woman before her, the first Mrs. Park, the beautiful Daphne Yoo who was supposedly practically perfect in every way. It was clear how much of an influence Daphne had over the staff and understandably so, but even until now, until after her death, her influence remained. Her stationery on the main desk in the study, a letter “D” embellished on the linens, on the books, including the dog she used to own, a great dane named Lucky, who also slept outside her room. 

Even after her death, Daphne was all around the Fontaine, as if she had never left. 

She came down from her room for breakfast, knowing that San had already prepared everything in the dining hall until she skidded to a halt when she saw someone else in the study. It was a man, who looked a lot shorter than both San and Seonghwa, but unlike San, had a more approachable demeanor aside from an evidently handsome face. “Oh, good morning!” He greeted her, getting up from the chair. 

“Good morning” She said, bowing a little in response. 

“You’re Mrs. Park, aren’t you?” He said. 

“Yes, yes I am,” She nodded. 

“My name is Hongjoong, Kim Hongjoong, I manage the estate for Seonghwa. It’s very nice to meet you,” He smiled. 

“It’s nice to meet you too.” 

“A lot of stuff has piled up since Seonghwa was away, I had to get to them right away now,” Hongjoong said. 

“If you need help, you can tell me,” She suggested. 

“Help him?” Seonghwa suddenly appeared from behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist. “Hongjoong doesn’t allow anyone to help him,” He said, beaming as he held her close for a moment before pulling away. “But it’s good that you two have finally met, we should probably go over the estimates now, don’t we?” 

“I’ll get my papers then,” Hongjoong replied, walking over to a chair that had his briefcase. 

Seonghwa turned to her. “There’s a lot of food prepared in the dining room already. Eat a lot, hmm?” He said, pecking her lips with a smile. 

“I’ll do my best,” She said. 

“Later this afternoon, probably, why don’t we take a walk around here? Just you and me, there’s still a lot you have yet to see” Seonghwa smiled. 

She smiled back. “Okay, I’ll be ready.” 

“Good,” He pecked her lips again before joining Hongjoong over to the desk. 

She watched the two of them talk for a moment until she excused herself to leave and enter the dining room. As she had expected, the long table was now laden with a lot of food, from slices of toast to large, silver, pots of coffee that was served in cups that were likely passed down from one generation to another. This was her life now, living in an estate like the Fontaine by the sea, while her husband was often busy with work but promised to make time for her later. It was moments like these that assured her that she belonged here, in the Fontaine, with Seonghwa. 

~ 

As Seonghwa had promised, they were taking a walk around the Fontaine later that afternoon, with Lucky on a leash. He showed her the servants’ quarters that seemed to be as elaborate as the main house, as well as the garage that had his family’s collection of cars, some of which were especially rare models nowadays. A gust of cold wind from the sea hit them, and Seonghwa was almost losing control of Lucky’s leash, as the dog was beginning to get restless. 

“Keep warm, my darling,” Seonghwa said to her while he tried to maintain control of the dog’s leash. 

“I’m trying. It’s not going to rain now, is it?” She asked, trying to help him with the dog and taking the leash from him instead. 

“You can’t be too careful,” Seonghwa replied. 

“It’s really wonderful here,” She said. “I love every bit of this place.” 

The dog had gotten away, making her nearly fall over and Seonghwa catching her for support. “Lucky!” He called out with a whistle. “Lucky! Here! Not that way! Lucky, come back!” 

“He went down those steps by the cliff, where does that lead?” She asked, watching the dog move down. 

“It uh,” Seonghwa paused, trying to whistle again to get the dog’s attention. “It leads to a cove where we used to keep a boat.” 

“Then let’s go down there, Seonghwa,” She said, tugging on his arm. 

“Oh no, no, we don’t need to go down there, it’s not very interesting, just a stretch of sand.” 

“Seonghwa, please, we have to go down there,” She insisted. 

He shook his head slightly. “We’ll go down there next time, not today.” 

They heard a howling from where the dog came from. She tugged on his arm again. “Seonghwa, is that Lucky? There must be something wrong, he probably injured himself.” 

“No, he’s fine. Just leave him be,” He replied. 

“I really think I should go down there and check up on him,” She said, pulling away, carefully moving towards the steps to the sound of Lucky’s howling. 

“Come back! Don’t mind Lucky!” Seonghwa was calling out. “He’s just fine, he knows the way home!” 

Even then, she couldn’t leave the dog behind. What if Lucky really was in danger? At least she would be there to see if he was alright. “Lucky? Lucky?” She called out the closer she got, until she saw the dog in front of what looked like a small cottage. Lucky was scraping and pawing at the door. “Lucky? What are you doing here? Are you looking for something in there?” She said, grabbing the end of the leash again. “Come on, let’s go back, Lucky.” 

The door of the cottage slowly opened, and behind it was an old man, looking down at the dog. “He comes here looking for her,” He said. 

She stepped back in surprise at the sight of him. “Oh! I didn’t-I didn’t know this was occupied-” 

“I know that dog,” The old man said. “He comes from the house, he’s not yours.” 

“No,” She shook her head. “He’s Mr. Park’s dog.” 

“I know that dog, he comes here looking for her,” The old man said again. 

“Who? Whose cottage is this?” She asked. 

“Mrs. Park,” The old man replied. 

“Oh,” She said, and turned back to the dog, tugging on the leash. “Come on, Lucky, let’s go home,” and the dog whimpered a little. 

“You won’t tell anyone you saw me in here, will you?” The old man suddenly asked. 

“You mean you don’t belong here in the Fontaine?” She asked. 

“Yes, but I wasn’t doing anything bad, I was just putting away the shells I collected,” The man replied. “She’s gone in the sea, isn’t she? She’s not coming back.” 

“No,” She shook her head. “She’s never coming back. Come on, Lucky, let’s go home,” She tugged on the leash again, leading the way back to where Seonghwa was. The closer they got, the more she saw Seonghwa already on his way back to the house and she hurried up the steps and towards him. “Seonghwa! Seonghwa! Wait!” She said, the dog now following behind her. Seonghwa stopped to wait for her and she had already sensed that his mood had changed. “I’m so sorry it took a while.” 

“I told you not to go there, you knew I didn’t want you to go there, but you went anyway,” Seonghwa muttered. 

“But why not? There was only a cottage down there, and a strange man-” 

“Don’t go back there again, do you understand?” Seonghwa was stern this time. 

“Why not?” She asked. 

“Because I hate the place!” Seonghwa snapped. “If you had my memories, you wouldn’t go there or talk about it or think about it!” 

“What’s wrong? Oh I’m so sorry, Seonghwa-” 

He sighed and looked down, apologetic as he calmed down and shook his head. “We should’ve stayed away from this place,” He said. “We should never have come back to the Fontaine, it was stupid of me to even think of coming back here.” 

She stepped closer. “Somehow I’ve made you upset, haven’t I?” She asked. “Oh, I can’t stand seeing you like this, I love you very much, Seonghwa, so, so much,” She said, her eyes welling with tears. 

He cupped her cheek. “I’ve made you cry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” He said softly, wiping the tear that fell down her face. “I tend to snap unnecessarily, haven’t I?” Seonghwa sighed and kissed her. “Please forgive me, let’s go home, shall we? We’ll have tea and forget this happened.” 

She nodded. “Yes, I’d like nothing more.” 

~ 

They didn’t return down the path that led to the cottage, and she now knew how upset Seonghwa had gotten knowing that she went there. She had accidentally opened up the past to him, and even if he kept assuring her for a week on how things are fine, there now seemed to be a barrier between them. It was that barrier that made her a little uneasy whenever she brought up the sea. She entered the library to get a book to read, where Hongjoong was, going over piles of papers. 

“Please carry on, Mrs. Park, you’re not disturbing me,” He assured her with a smile. “Let me know if there’s something you’d like to know about the estate.” 

She turned around to face him. “Oh, well, I was-I was down at the cottage last week, and the place seems to be nearly in ruins, in need of repair or something,” She wondered if she could ask it. “Are all those things in there, Daphne’s things?” 

Hongjoong nodded. “Yes, yes those are all Daphne’s things inside that cottage.” 

“What did she use the cottage for?” She was becoming more curious, and Hongjoong was the only one she felt who could tell her. 

“The boat used to be parked there,” He replied. 

“The boat?” Her eyes widened slightly at the revelation. “Oh, that was the boat that she was sailing in when she drowned?” 

“Yes, it capsized and sank and she went overboard,” He answered. 

“Where did they find her?” She asked. 

“Around 60 kilometers away, washed up at another beach, they only found her two months later,” Hongjoong’s tone was a lot more somber now. “Seonghwa had to go to identify her, it was horrible for him.” 

She nodded. “I can imagine so,” She looked down at the book she took out from the shelf. “Hongjoong? Mr. Kim? Please forgive me for being a little too curious but, can you tell me just one more thing?” She asked carefully. 

“Of course, Mrs. Park,” He said with a slight nod. “If I can answer it, please let me know.” 

“Tell me,” She paused, unsure if she wanted to know, yet a part of her wanted to. “What was Daphne really like?” 

Hongjoong sat up, a small sigh escaping his lips as he tried to recall his memories of seeing her. “I guess she was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen,” He said. 

~

Hongjoong and Seonghwa went up to the capital to take care of business another week later, leaving her alone at the Fontaine. It made her realize how the estate still had much to show her the more she wandered around the halls, stopping to look at portraits and photos of Seonghwa and his family. Knowing that he wouldn’t be back until the next day, she took it upon herself to tour the mansion some more, but always stopping short when she reached Daphne’s room, but as day turned into night, she heard voices coming from the West Wing, near her room. One, she knew was San, and the other was of a stranger. 

“I don’t think it wise for you to be back here, Mr. Wooyoung,” He said. 

“Oh, nonsense, it’s just like coming back home,” The other voice said. “I have to say though, I feel like the poor relative, sneaking through back doors. Oh well, bye, Sannie.” 

“Goodbye, Wooyoung, and be careful,” San replied. 

“I will, don’t you worry about a thing,” He said. 

She opened the door, making them look at her. The man who was about to leave through the other door had a grin on his face, while San remained stoic. “Oh, hello,” He said, just as cheerily as she had overheard him. 

“Good evening,” She greeted back. 

“Sannie, your precautions seem to be futile now, the mistress of the house was hiding behind the door after all,” He said, patting San on the shoulder a little too hard. 

“I-I wasn’t really,’ She shook her head. “I just heard voices coming from this room-” 

“Sannie, how about you introduce me to the bride, hmm?” He patted San again. 

“Madam, this is Mr. Jung Wooyoung,” He introduced them, and they bowed to each other in response. 

“Won’t you stay and have some tea? San can probably bring in some for you,” She said. 

Wooyoung chuckled. “That’s a charming invitation. How about that, Sannie? I’ve been asked by the mistress of the house to have some tea.” 

“It’s rather late, Mr. Wooyoung,” He said. 

“Oh, well, you’re right, it is rather late,” Wooyoung said. “And we wouldn’t want to lead the bride astray, now would we? Well, bye now, Oh, Sannie seemed to leave out an important part of our introductions, I’m Daphne’s favorite cousin,” He revealed. “Bye!” He waved before leaving, and she watched him go down the stairs, San following him. 

She turned around as soon as Wooyoung was no longer in sight, and there it was. The door to Daphne’s room. She had long wondered if she should open it and see what was in there, yet a part of her didn’t want her to and only for her to leave it alone. But San wasn’t around, no one else was around, and her curiosity was becoming stronger the closer she got to the door of Daphne’s room. Without another thought, she turned the doorknob and pushed it open. 

She didn’t know what she was expecting, perhaps furniture all covered up in white sheets, dust gathering in the nooks and crannies, cobwebs splayed over some other furniture. Yet it was the opposite. There were fresh flowers in the vase on one table, a silk dressing gown on the chair all laid out along with slippers. She could hear the waves crashing in the sea, and smell the sea air coming in through the curtains. 

The door closed behind her all of a sudden, making her jump and turn around, feeling her heart almost jump out of her chest in surprise. It was San. “Would you like anything, Madam?” He asked. 

“No, no,” She was trying to shake off the feeling from earlier. “I was-I mean, I just came in-” 

San walked up towards her. “You’ve always been curious about this room, haven’t you? Why didn’t you ask me to show you? It’s a beautiful room, isn’t it? The most beautiful room in this house if I do say so myself,” There was something about the way he said it that made her feel so uneasy. “Everything is kept just the way Mrs. Park liked it, and nothing has been changed since that last night.” 

She was growing a little more uncomfortable the more he went on about Daphne, and he walked past the sheer curtains towards her dressing area and opened the door. “This is where I kept her clothes. You’d want to see them, wouldn’t you?” He said, taking out one piece of clothing. “Feel this wrap, it’s very soft, isn’t it? It was a Christmas present from Mr. Park. He was always giving her expensive gifts,” 

She reached out to feel the material. It was incredibly soft. “You wouldn’t think she’d have been gone for a long time, would you?” A chill ran down her spine at his words. “Sometimes when I walk along the corridors, I think I can hear her behind me, her footsteps quick and light, I could figure out that it was her. It’s not only in this room, it’s in all the rooms in this house,” San put away the wrap and closed the door, approaching her this time, but she backed away. 

“I can almost hear it now,” He said, in an almost-whisper as he closed his eyes. “Do you believe  the dead come back and watch the living?” 

She felt goosebumps at his question and backed away some more. “No, no, I don’t believe it, Mr. Choi.” 

“Sometimes, I wonder if she doesn’t come back to the Fontaine, and watch you and Mr. Park together,” San took another step forward, making her step back. “You look tired, Madam, why don’t you stay here and rest? Listen to the sea, it’s very soothing,” He sounded cold. 

“I won’t listen, I won’t, I won’t,” She shook her head, covering her ears in horror. 

[lovemesomesurveys]

Have you ever watched a movie in class/school that made you cry? Yes. I took this adulthood and aging psychology class and I forget what it was exactly the documentary we had to watch was about, but I remember being on the verge of tears because it reminded me of my grandpa who passed away. 

What’s the earliest you could go to bed at night and feel okay about? Uhh, I don’t know? Just whenever I fall asleep.

What is you favorite type of lunch meat? Turkey, salami, and bologna.

What time of the year do you dislike the most? Summertime. 

Do you put ketchup on your scrambled eggs? Ew, no. 

What is your favorite color to wear? Black.

Are you an overachiever? No. Especially not these past few years where I haven’t done anything at all and put like no effort into anything. :/ At least when I was in school and things were better than how they’ve been the past few years I was productive in school and put effort into things and into myself. I’ve just given up. 

What physical feature do you wish you had (i.e. freckles, curly hair)? Perfect teeth.

What fictional character (i.e. Bambi, Scarlette O'Hara) would you marry? Uh, I definitely don’t want to marry Bambi... anyway, I’d say one of the characters Alexander Skarsgard has played.

How long have you gone without shaving (girls- legs, armpits; boys- faces)? I don’t know, a couple weeks or so.

Did you ever go through a phase where you wrote bad poetry? Ha, yeah, when I was like 16 during my emo days. They’re so cringe.

What is your favorite thing about your life? My family.

Have you ever painted a picture of somebody? No.

How many real bfs/gfs have you had? I honestly haven’t had a real, serious relationship.

Did you enjoy your past relationships? With Joseph I did.

Name a comedy that you like. Bridesmaids.

Could you wait until marriage for sex? Yeah, but I don’t plan on getting married.

What’s the best Nirvana song? Lithium.

What was the last thing that impressed you? Hmm. I don’t recall.

When was the last time you were in a pet store? It’s been awhile.

What nationality is your last name? Irish, I think.

What’s your favorite kind of chips and dip? Wavy Lay’s chips with ranch and French onion dip.

Who was the last boy that you saw cry? My brother.

Does your mom know you do surveys? I don’t think so.

Have you ever had a serious injury? Yeah, the one that made me a paraplegic.

What was the last thing you achieved? Uhhh.

Would you enjoy being famous? I have absolutely no desire whatsoever to be famous.

What’s under your bed? Some medical supplies.

Do you enjoy travelling? Yes.

Have you ever belonged to a club? If so, what was it? I was in a couple clubs in high school and the psych club in community college.

When was the last time you drank strawberry milk? It’s been a very long time.

Have you ever managed to collect all the fast food toys in a set? Hmm, I don’t recall. I might have.

Do you have a clock in your room? Yes, apart from the ones on my laptop, TV and phone, I have an actual wall clock as well.

Did you have a good driver’s ED teacher? I didn’t take driver’s ed.

Which of Britney Spears’ songs is your favorite? Hmm. Probably Toxic, Slave 4 U, Boys, and Lucky.

Does mind over matter work for you? Sometimes.

Are you paranoid? I definitely can be.

What is the best thing about winter? Christmastime and the weather. I love that time of year.

Have you ever been truly in love? I think so.

Are you currently planning a trip? No, I wish.

How many plants are in your home? Zero.

What is your favorite possession? All my stuff.

Have you ever felt like you were too nice and way too often overlooked? Yeah. I’ve been used and taken advantage of back in the day for being too nice.

What movies have tripped you out? There’s been a few.

Did you rollerblade as a kid? Do you still rollerblade? No.

Would you ever settle into a relationship that wasn’t right for you? Do you know friends who are in relationships just so they have someone to sleep with at night? I’d like to say no, but I allowed Joseph to use and play me for 3 years, so. I knew deep down he didn’t feel the same way as I did and he didn’t want to be in a committed relationship with me, but I didn’t want to admit it. I liked the attention and the good times we had and I didn’t want to give that up. I would hope that now that I’m older and have experienced that I wouldn’t allow it to happen again. And yes, I had a friend who put up with a whole lot worse for that reason.

Would you take a dirty picture of yourself for someone you are dating? I wouldn’t feel comfortable with that. I don’t want that floating around or existing at all out there.

Do you use earplugs or a sleeping mask when you sleep? No.

What summertime treats do you love? Milkshakes and ice cream.

How picky are you when it comes to choosing who to kiss or not kiss? I mean, I have to be interested in the person and feel comfortable doing so.

What do you hate most about moving? The packing and unloading.

Do you feel that having sex anywhere but a bed is more exciting? I wouldn’t know.

Do you drink 5 hour energy drinks or any other kinds of energy drinks? Just the Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink.

Has anyone ever whistled at you? Not that I know of.

Do you like scarves? No. I don’t like things around my neck like that, it drives me nuts.

Is your father homophobic? No.

Do you take gummy vitamins? No. I don’t take vitamins at all, currently, although I really should.

Have you ever applied make-up on a guy, for any reason at all? No.

Who would you like to meet before you die? I mean, I certainly wouldn’t mind meeting Alexander Skarsgard.

If your dream was to be a model, and a big opportunity came up, but you had to be nude, would you take it? I don’t feel comfortable being nude when I’m just by myself, I certainly wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so publicly. Absolutely not.

What’s the most ridiculous conspiracy theory you’ve ever heard of? There’s been a lot, but of course I’m blanking at the moment. Most are pretty crazy, though.

If Heaven and Hell exists, where are you going when you die? I hope that  go to heaven.

Who is the person that you are afraid of losing, above everyone else? My loved ones. 

What is one thing that pisses you off pretty much everyday? Ugh, seems like just about anything can. I’m so irritable and moody all the time.

Is there anyone you know that you feel should consider therapy? Yeah, me.

Do you like any of the songs on Twilight, or the actual movie/saga itself? I loved Decode and Super Massive Blackhole. 

How old was the first person you kissed? He was 15 and I was 16.

Will you be a strict parent one day? I don’t want to have kids.

Last person to stand up for you? I don’t recall the last time I needed to be stood up for.

Have you been to a baby shower? Yeah, I’ve been to a few.

Who were you with the last time you went to the movie theater? My mom and brother to see Candyman.

What’s your favorite high school memory? I liked the rallies and some of the assemblies.

Do you like relationships, or do you prefer to be single? Being single is best for me.

What is one adventurous thing you’d be willing to do? I don’t know. I’m such a scardy cat.

What subject at school did you absolutely hate? Math.

Italian food or Chinese food? Italian.

Do you like to make flash cards when you study? That wasn’t my usual study method, no. I preferred taking notes.

Has anyone ever told you that you’re a good singer? Ha, uh no.

Do you ever watch TED talks, live or online? I only watched those when they were shown in some of my college classes or was assigned to for homework. I’ve never watched any on my own.

I dare you to write the name of a person you strongly dislike. I don’t feel that way about anyone.

What do you think about Marilyn Manson? I have nothing to say about him tbh. <<<

Biggest trouble you’ve ever gotten into at school? I didn’t get into trouble.

Do you own one of those “professional” DSLR cameras? No.

Does it bother you when you see a 6th grader with a bunch of gadgets? I don’t care.

Did you buy yearbooks every year in high school, or did you not bother? Yeah, I got all 4.

Do you have Restless Legs Syndrome? No.

Jalapeños: yay or nay? I loved jalapenos back when I could eat spicy food. Jalapeno poppers were bomb.

Did you ever play Minecraft? No.

Did you ever have a Club Penguin account? Were you a member? Yeah.

Do you know anyone that seems to not have any common sense? Ha, yeah. 

What do you think is the biggest injustice that was ever done to you? I’m the victim of gun violence that made me a paraplegic at just 7 months old.

What type of person angers you the most? Abusive people and sick, perverted assholes.

If you could change your appearance, how would you alter it? There’s a lot I’d like to change. 

Describe your first relationship? It wasn’t much of one but we had the title, ha. It also only lasted a few months.

Describe your last relationship? He used and played me and then kicked me to the curb when he was done.

Can you honestly say that you always practice safe sex? I’m a virgin, but I absolutely would practice safe sex. That’s very important. 

Why do you think your most favorite film touches you so deeply? You just really feel, connect, and relate to certain things, like the characters and/or plot line and it has some kind of effect on you.

What do you want people you meet for the first time to think about you? Hopefully something good.

Do you feel protective over someone? My loved ones.

What perfume/cologne do you wear? I’ve been wearing this beachy scented body spray. I need to get a new one for fall.

Where did your vehicle come from? I don’t have my own car, I don’t drive.

What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to? I’m totally blanking.

What is your favorite way to eat chicken? Boneless chicken wings and chicken tenders.

It is your birthday. You hope the cake is: White with buttercream frosting.

What do you wear to bed? What I wear during the day, which is either lounge shorts or leggings and an oversized tee or t-shirt dress.

What were you doing at 8pm last night? I was eating dinner and watching Gilmore Girls.

[one-leaf-grimoire]

"the twilight"

For some reason I decided to rework this Dyad chapter into a one shot... enjoy :)

Synopsis: the night before the Royal Knights mission, Lisa steals one last night with her husband.

Tap, tap tap

Julius starts awake, his face lifting off of the pile of paperwork he was in the middle of "working on."

"Hmm?"

Drowsily, he looks around before finally finding the source of the noise. It's me, of course, knocking gently on the window behind his desk, shadowed slightly by the twilight rays. "Oh! Hello there~" With a smile, he quickly gets up and moves to the window, pulling it open. "Would you like to come in?"

"Hmm, I don't know." I wink, still squatting on his windowsill, my new Royal Knights robe blowing in the gentle wind. "It's such a nice night outside, you know? It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

"Indeed... I forgot, you can fly now," he says, his eyes drifting over the small blue wings around my ankles and elbows that I used to get here. "You're still full of surprises."

I grin at the praise, leaning in seemingly for a kiss before suddenly pulling back. I push off the windowsill, do a loop in the air, before coming back to hover by the window. "I was always so jealous, watching you fly around like it was nothing. But it's so freeing, now... I feel like I could do anything!"

The teasing look in Julius's eyes fades away to be replaced by unbridled admiration. Seeing that expression on his face, directed at me of all people, never fails to give me a pleasant chill. Julius is the most amazing man in this world, after all... and yet he chose me to be by his side. "Come on... let's enjoy this night together."

"Sounds like a great idea."

I hold out my hand, which he takes, and I pull him out of the window. His arms wrap around my waist in an instant, holding me close as he speeds us both up, flying into the night. I giggle as he plants a teasing kiss on my neck, and I turn around to admire the view. Look at us! Flying together for the first time. Julius's hand loosens from around my waist, sliding down to my hand instead. "What should we do?" I shout over the wind. "Anywhere you'd like to visit?"

"Ooh!" Julius's eyes light up. "What about the Royal Knights headquarters? I'd really like to see everyone getting ready..."

His voice trails off at the look on my face. "No?"

"Well..." I shrug. "I just came from there... and if I go back, Mereo might make me stay for the night."

"Ah, right, we don't want that now,, do we?" Julius shoots me a little wink before thinking again. "Hmm." He once again grins. "How about Yami?"

"Yami? He's probably taking a shit!"

We both descend into gales of laughter, so much so that I have to hold onto him again. "You know, when Yami was in my squad, I had to hire a weekly bathroom cleaner just so our squad didn't suffer his consequences!"

"You're kidding!" I giggle, even though it's perfectly reasonable. "He was like that as a teenager, too?"

"You know it." Julius sighs and shakes his head. "It was Hell on Earth, almost. He never wanted to wear our cloak, either."

"Yikes... makes me glad that I didn't join the Grey Deer!" I wink, coaxing another chuckle, but there's a strange regret behind it.

"Right... if I had raised my hand that day... you probably would have joined the squad with William." He sighs and shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I'm usually better at sniffing out potential in people, but I didn't catch you until later."

"That's perfectly fine." I squeeze his arm, thinking he looked very handsome with the wind whipping through his short hair. "I was a dud back then, anyway, remember? I had no business being on any squad. And anyway... I'm happy with the way things went. Because of that, we're together today."

"You're right." Julius looks back at me to give me another smile, his fingers tightening through mine. "I suppose everything worked out in the end. I'm thankful for that."

I don't answer, I just let him pull me closer, leaning my head against his shoulder as we fly. Finally, we slow to a stop, dropping down onto a ledge on the side of a valley. "Look at that view-" Julius points out, letting a low whistle pass his lips. The castle and capitol both glimmer in the distance, seemingly worlds away. "Sometimes... I wish we could run away and never come back. It's such a beautiful place... but I don't think I could ever lead it forever. But for now, we're stuck here."

"That sounds fun, though, exploring the world with you?" I snake my arm into his, smiling up at him. "All sorts of new magic..."

"Ah, don't tempt me." Julius shakes his head. "I see enough new magic as Wizard King... even from people I've known a long time. It's great to see them all grow... maybe they'll even outgrow me one day." He lets out a chuckle. "But not yet... I'm not ready to give up this seat."

"Good." I squeeze his arm. "Unless someone forces you to."

Julius raises an eyebrow before turning to look down at me. "What do you-"

His body reacts before he even knows what's happening, pushing him away from me as I fire off Solar Bolt. "Hey! Be careful," he scolds, frowning as I start walking towards him again. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing." I grin and crack my knuckles. "It's been months since we sparred, Julius, I need some practice for tomorrow."

Julius sighs heavily, but can't contain his own grin. "Very well... I'm not going to hold back."

"Good."

This time, there's no restrictions, and I can use my full power. And I need it, too, because Julius keeps his promise. I take flight again, my spear in my hand, letting out a determined yell as I flash towards him. But every attack, he moves out of the way just in time, not bothering to make his counter attack yet. "Ah! Get back here!" Despite trying to stay serious, both of us can't help but laugh as I keep pursuing him, sending everything I have at him. I fling my arm out, letting a volley of accelerated Solar Bolts shoot out at the ground at his feet, forcing Julius to jump into the air. There we go! You're in my new domain, now! I make chase again, following his movements and slowly but surely getting used to his speed. 

"Chrono Stasis."

Ah! That's behind me! I drop down just in time to avoid getting trapped, zooming away from his grasp. Hmm, that's right, if I trap him, I don't even have to land a hit! Feeling a bit better, I discard the spear and form my own Chrono Stasis in my palms before pushing off at him again. My version of the spell is smaller than his, but it will trap him for a crucial few seconds. We flash around each other in midair, both inches away each time from capturing one another. But then, something occurs to me. "Wait! Wait! Time out!"

"What?" Julius pauses, staring at me blankly.

"Maybe we should both avoid Chrono Stasis... A few times there, we nearly caught each other at the same time. If we did that, how would we get out?"

"Hmm..." Julius taps his chin. "I would assume that being stuck in the globe renders your external spells useless... so my Chrono Stasis on you would instantly disappear, and vice versa... or not... I would suggest an experiment, but we should really have Asta here just in case both of us do get trapped."

I giggle a little at the image. "That would be pretty funny..."

"I know, right?" Julius grins, stretching one of his arms across his chest. "Well... I guess you'll have to capture me another way. I'll keep using my own spells, thank you very much."

"Ah, that's not fair!"

"I'm the Wizard King, my word is law~"

"Oh yeah? We'll see..."

And it begins again. I catch up more quickly this time, my movements speeding up. I can feel blood trickling out of my nose, but it's not nearly as bad as it used to be. I really am getting stronger, it seems, my body adapting to the new mana over the six years I've had it. Well... maybe not "adapting." Because right now... the time magic feels as natural as my own.

"Watch out!" I warn, swinging my spear as I think I've finally cornered him. However, Julius simply raises his hand and blasts the spear into smithereens with a precisely placed attack. "Hmm, better luck next time." He shoots up at me, arms spread, and I let out a strangled shriek before zooming away from him as fast as he can. I can hear him cackling to himself, enthralled by the chase. God... I don't remember the last time I had so much fun...

But now I have an idea. I loop around in midair, summoning the spear again. This time... now! I do the same thing as before, pointing it down at him while the attack charges in the tip. Julius smirks, thinking he's got me, but pauses as I start to float up away from him. He thinks it's a feint... but it's not. This is my attack! The spell I've yet to use for you, Julius.

"Mana Zone... Solar Blitz, Overdrive!"

All at once, I feel my own mana connect with the magic hanging in the air around us, concentrating until it's in every particle of the night. Julius... you're surrounded. Try and dodge this! I swing my spear, more of a show than anything, and watch as the mana bursts to life in the form of a million bolts, all around the area, all careening towards Julius. 

"Wow... now this is magic..." Julius smiles to himself, and as soon as it began, it's over. He flashes between the bolts, his afterimage appearing all over the valley, before finally coming back to his original spot. The bolts pound into the ground below, throwing up dirt and dust. That was impressive... but where is she now- He realizes that he can't feel my mana anymore, at least not as strongly as it was before. Did she run away? Or- 

He looks up just in time for me to drop on him, my arms spread and immediately wrapping around his middle. "Ah!" We both go plummeting back to earth, and Julius uses his magic to pad our fall. We roll to a stop among the dust. When it finally clears, Julius blinks his eyes open to see me sitting on top of him, pinning both of his hands next to his head with nothing but my meager physical strength and a grin on my face.

"...got you!"

He lets out a snort of laughter, shaking his head a little. "I... let you do that."

"Did you?"

"Mmhmm."

I don't let him say anything else, I just lean down and press my lips against his, feeling him reciprocate the kiss eagerly. After a moment, he simply tugs his wrists out of my grasp and wraps his arms around me, one hand gently stroking my wind-whipped hair. We stay like that for a long time, completely alone except for each other.

Eventually, he pulls his head back slightly, his breath hitching. "D-Darling, can we-"

"Yes."

I take in a shuddering breath, then lean down and press my forehead against his. The familiar spark comes right after, and I feel my mark start to glow, burning on my head and into his...

But it doesn't hurt, at least not enough for me to feel. In fact, it feels... good. The first Dyad we formed was violent and unstable, and it took everything in me to just survive it. But the years passed,, and my strength grew. This feeling, the feeling of sinking into him and him sinking into me, it used to be so scary and painful, but now it just feels natural... peaceful.

At the end of the day, I was blessed with this power, to share my thoughts, my life, my magic, and my everything with him. And he shared everything with me. 

He's literally my other half...

Sometimes, I feel like I married a goddess.

I love you.

A long time later, we finally break apart, flying home arm and arm. Both of us are dusty and dirty from our little fight (which left quite a bit of damage in the valley, actually...). I yawn and flop into bed with my hair still wet, listening as Julius hums happily to himself as he brushes his teeth in the bathroom. But then, my communicator comes to life with a familiar voice. "Mereo? What's going on?"

"Finally, I got through to you... it was just as we expected, the Midnight Sun already had a mole here to listen in on us. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."

I gulp at the news, but nod silently. "I see... got it. I'll be there before dawn."

"Before dawn?" Julius asks as he sits next to me. "So soon... well..." His hand comes up to pet through my hair. "Sooner better than later... we can put this all behind us and focus on the future."

"...yeah..." I break into a smile, his words comforting me. Yes, I'm feeling extremely worried about tomorrow. I just feel it in my gut, something's going to go wrong. That hungry pit of dread in my stomach from this morning still hasn't gone away. "I can't wait."

"That reminds me, I've been doing a little research!" Julius's voice brightens, and he crawls over to his bedside table and pulls out his notebook. I watch curiously as he flips through it before presenting me a page with a yearly calendar scrawled onto it. There's various dates and weeks marked down on it. "Owen helped me with this, and everything you told me helped, too... so, this-" He points at a week, approximately a week and a half ago, right after we got married. "Judging from when your cramps came, you should have gotten your period that week. So..." He goes a month further. "You should get to that part of the cycle, or whatever, on this week... SO-" He backtracks about a week. "THIS is when we want to be really trying... I marked it down for each month so we can keep track." He hands the book over for me to inspect. "Let me know if I did anything wrong... I just thought it would be helpful to have a plan."

Wow... he's really been thinking about this a lot, hasn't he? I can't help but smile to myself, hope welling up in my chest. "Yeah... it helps. I can't believe you actually went and figured all this out!"

Julius laughs nervously, scratching his neck after putting the notebook away. "I don't know... I was just thinking about it a lot lately. And... well..." He turns back towards me, a comforting smile on his lips. "I'm sure it'll be difficult... but we've accomplished the impossible together before. A baby should be easy compared to that."

For the first time in a while, hope blossoms in my mind without a moment of hesitation.

He's right... as long as we're together, everything will be okay. He's not going anywhere... and I'll survive tomorrow, no matter what! There's too much for us to look forward to.

"We will... I can feel it."

"Good." He leans in to give me another sweet kiss, his lips lingering for a moment longer than he means to. "Do you want to sleep?"

I nod, and he quickly turns off the light before wrapping himself around me like he always does. "Goodnight, darling."

"Goodnight, Julius."

His embrace feels tighter than usual tonight.

Morning comes before I'm ready. I slip out of bed and silently get dressed, hearing Julius's snores eventually fade as he wakes up as well. He watches me silently as I get ready in the dark, the sun yet to rise. I promised Mereo I would meet her before dawn, after all.

Finally, I'm ready. My heart is pounding a bit in anticipation, but my blood fills my veins with purpose.

We're going to win... we have to.

"I'll be waiting here, ready to hear from you after it's over," Julius tells me as we walk through the hallway, a little slower than we mean to. "I doubt I'll get much work done today..."

"That's alright. I'll be back to help you again soon enough." I slow to a stop as we reach my turn. I don't really want to let go of his hand, so we stand there in silence for a few seconds, not a single peep through the whole castle.

"...I'm going to be late-"

"I know."

Julius lets go, only for a moment, before wrapping his arms around me tightly. I squeeze my eyes shut and bury my face in his robe, inhaling his familiar scent, memorizing it for the day to come. Finally, he pulls back to look down at me with his beautiful eyes, looking concerned, a little scared... but also hopeful.

"If you die... I'll never forgive you."

"I'm not going to die!" I scold lightly, managing a little smile. "It'll be over before you know it."

"Right." Julius leans down, surprisingly going for my cheek instead of my lips. He presses that last kiss into my skin before stepping back, his eyes lingering on my face. 

"Good luck... I love you."

"I love you too, Julius." 

I give him one last wave before turning and running off, his eyes not leaving me until I disappear from sight.

And so begins the longest day of my life.

[ends-of-the-wayward-storm]

KH OC Week 2020--Day 7: Summer’s End

Road Trip!

[Hoo boy this turned out long. But that’s how I write, apparently. 😂 This week was real fun as always! I’m hoping one day I’ll get to writing Erica’s story. Of course you can’t rush things like that so we’ll see. Maybe if there’s another OC Week next year I might have a new character idea to use. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! This was real cute to write.] @khoc-week

————

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Erica.”

“We’ll be really careful, I promise. And besides. I’ve been there before.”

“But it goes against the rules. You know that.”

Erica frowned. Summer was drawing to a close, and they had all had a great time so far. But she wanted to do something special before it was over. “But they’ve gone to a different world before.”

“. . .Well, you’re right about that. . . .”

“It’ll just be for a day. Then we’ll head home, I promise.”

The dream eater tilted their head in thought. They knew Erica was careful when it came to these kinds of things. But a lot of things could happen if people from different worlds were to meet. “If anything happens, you have to leave as quickly as you can.”

“I promise.”

Chirithy studied her for a bit before sighing. “All right. Just this once. But after today, no more ideas like this, okay?”

“Yes!” Erica picked up Chirithy and hugged them. “Thank you so much! This’ll be great, I know it will!”

Chirithy held back another sigh. I hope nothing goes wrong.

She set them down. “Now I just have to figure out which world to go to.”

————

Olette stifled a yawn as she waited in an alley in Sunset Terrace. “What do you think’s going on?”

“Beats me,” Hayner said, sitting cross-legged on the ground.

“Her message was pretty vague,” Pence mentioned.

“But why so early?”

Pence rubbed his chin. “Maybe she’s found another wonder here!”

“Maybe,” Olette said. “We’ll just have to wait until she gets here.”

A few minutes later, the others came around the corner. Yet Erica wasn’t with them.

“Any idea what comin’ here so early is about?” Lea asked before yawning.

“Pence here thinks Erica’s found another wonder,” Hayner said, reminding Roxas of the time he had to dodge balls flying out of the wall he had been trying to get to. “But I doubt that.”

“Perhaps this is something she wants to remain between us,” Isa guessed.

“Maybe,” Roxas said.

“Oh, here she comes!” Naminé said. Hayner, Pence, and Olette peeked out from behind the corner to see Erica jogging her way over to them. But her stealing a glance over her shoulder raised a yellow flag for everyone.

“Good. Everyone’s here,” Erica said.

“What’s going on?” Xion asked.

“I have a surprise for you guys.”

“Really?” Hayner said.

“And here I thought something was up,” Lea said.

Erica checked her surroundings again. “Okay, this way.”

Everyone followed her further into the alleyway, and she took one more glance behind everyone.

“So, what kind of surprise is this?” Hayner asked.

“Don’t worry, it’s a good one,” Erica replied. Starlight appeared in her hand, and she faced the wall before pointing her Keyblade at it.

“You’re not doing what I think you’re doing, are you?” Lea questioned. A corridor of light appeared, pulling surprised noises out of Hayner, Pence, and Olette. “Yeah. You are.”

“Hey wait. That’s that portal thing!” Pence realized.

“It’s a corridor of light,” Erica explained. “I want to take you guys to a new world before summer ends.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Lea asked.

“We’ve all been to a different world before,” Roxas said.

“I know that, but . . . this is different.”

“Lea’s right,” Isa said. “This might not be the best idea.”

“I’ve been to this one before,” Erica said.

“That doesn’t matter. It could be dangerous.”

“Aw come on you two!” Pence said. “This could be fun!”

“It’s like Roxas said,” Olette pointed out. “We’ve all been to a different world.”

“And it was awesome!” Hayner added.

“I wouldn’t mind going,” Xion said. “It might be nice.”

“Yeah,” Roxas agreed.

“I’m sure Erica wouldn’t do this if it was dangerous,” Naminé pointed out, and Lea and Isa exchanged sideways glances.

“You guys have to make sure not to say a peep about Twilight Town,” Lea said. “Not everyone knows about other worlds.”

“Got it,” Pence said. “We have to become one with our surroundings.”

“And no wandering around,” Isa added.

“No problem,” Hayner said.

“Then let’s go!” Olette beamed. Erica smiled, and the group entered the corridor. They were met with silence for a few moments before waves brushing against the shore and the smell of the sea welcomed them.

“Woah! Where are we?” Pence asked.

“This is Atlantica,” Erica said. “Well, actually we’re closer to Prince Eric’s castle.”

“Prince Eric?” Roxas repeated, only to remember he had been inside Sora upon first hearing that name.

“You know a prince?” Olette asked.

“Yup, and he’s really nice,” Erica said. “Oh! I think there’s a town here we could go to.”

“Well, you’re our expert here,” Lea said.

As Erica led everyone down a path through a sort of archway of rock, Lea and Isa kept an eye on the group from the rear. Along the way, she told everyone as much as she could about the world (with the exception of what was under the sea. Some things were probably still lurking down there). She also mentioned knowing a seagull named Scuttle.

“He talks?” Xion asked.

“Mmhmm,” Erica said.

“This is like a whole other dimension!” Pence said.

“That’s one way to put it,” Lea commented.

“We should head back to the beach after this,” Olette suggested.

“I wonder what kind of shells are there,” Xion wondered.

“Maybe they’re different from Sora’s world,” Naminé said.

“Heeeeyyy!” someone shouted, making the group stop.

“Who’s shouting?” Pence asked.

“Heeeeyyy!” This time the voice was closer, and moments later wings flapping brought everyone’s attention above them. “Look out below!”

A seagull came in for a rough landing, pulling startled noises out of everyone.

“Boy I really gotta work on my landings,” the seagull commented as he dusted himself off.

“Did he just talk?” Pence whispered.

“Yeah,” Hayner replied. “I bet that’s—”

“Hi Scuttle,” Erica said.

“Hmm?” Scuttle looked up at her before squinting. “Y’know, you look very familiar.”

“It’s me Eri—”

“Wait don’t tell me. It’s right on the tip of my tongue. . . .” He rubbed his chin. “You’re a friend of Ariel’s right? The one with the reeeally curly hair?”

“Yup. That’s me.”

“Is he serious?” Hayner whispered.

“I got it!” Scuttle said. “Erica! Hey it’s been a while!”

The wielder in question laughed a bit. “It’s good to see you.”

Guess he didn’t get it memorized, Roxas thought.

Scuttle finally laid eyes on everyone else. “Woah. That is a lot of humans.”

“They’re friends of mine,” Erica said, and Naminé and Olette waved before the curly-haired girl introduced everyone.

“Nice to meetcha!”

“Nice to meet you too,” Olette said.

“So, what are you up to today?”

“We were going to head to the town to walk around for a bit,” Erica said.

“Y’know what, there’s a shortcut I found just a couple days ago that’ll get you there in minutes.”

“Really?” Xion asked.

“Yeah! C’mon I’ll show ya!” The bird took off in the opposite direction after a couple flaps, and the group exchanged looks.

“You sure we should be trusting him with directions?” Lea asked.

“He can be a bit . . . off sometimes, but we can count on him,” Erica said.

“All right. If you say so.”

The group then proceeded to follow Scuttle.

“I can’t believe birds talk here!” Pence said, trying to keep his voice down. “Are they the only animals that talk here?”

“I know a fish and a crab that talk, too,” Erica replied.

“No way!” Hayner said.

“Y’know, so far this hasn’t been a bad idea after all,” Lea commented to Isa.

“You could say that,” Isa replied. “And taking directions from a talking seagull is certainly something. But, every world is different.”

After a couple more minutes Scuttle stopped before a cave that made a few eyebrows rise.

“We have to go in there?” Hayner asked.

“Are you sure about this?” Erica questioned.

“Positive,” Scuttle replied. “Oh uh might wanna watch your step in here. Y’know since humans can’t fly and all.” He squinted at the cave. “I don’t think I remember it being this dark last time.”

Lea shot the bird a look that went unnoticed before sighing and stepping away. Grabbing two sticks, he checked to make sure Scuttle was still facing the cave before igniting the sticks with a brief fire spell. “Well I have our light. Lead the way.”

Scuttle looked to Lea. “Huh. Fire. You humans really know how to use that stuff.” The seagull went inside, and the group followed him in with Lea right behind him.

“How many times have you been through here?” Roxas asked, holding the other stick.

“Ahh a couple times, give or take. But don’t worry. I got this cave mapped out perfectly up here.” The seagull knocked on his head briefly, and Lea once again gave the bird a look that Isa caught.

The cave didn’t really have much to it other than the dozens of small rocks and pebbles tossed around here and there. Lea and Isa both had a couple inches of room above them, but that really didn’t seem to make them feel any better. But, after a short while Scuttle proved true to his word, and they could hear the sounds of bustling people ahead of them.

“And here we are!” He pulled back fabric that acted as a curtain before squeezing himself through a space between two of the several boards that were shoddily boarding up the hole.

Managing to find a loose board that could be pushed aside to form a way out, Olette made her way through, and she brushed the curtain aside. “Woah! Guys, over here!”

“Huh?” Roxas put his torch out before following after her, and the others followed suit. Lea was the last one out once he put his torch out, and he and Isa could already see how excited the others were.

“Thanks, Scuttle!” Erica said.

“Any time, Erica,” Scuttle said. “I’ll see ya later!”

Once he was off, Xion tugged Lea and Isa along, and the rest finally ventured out into the open. People were going to and fro all around them, some looking at those selling their wares while others simply enjoyed the atmosphere. There was a puppet show going on that was capturing their young audience very well, and a couple stands in the streets were situated at just the right angle to catch one’s eye.

“It’s very different from home,” Naminé said. “But it’s a good different.”

The scent of flowers caught Xion’s attention, and she noticed some very familiar ones.

“Forget-me-nots,” Isa said. “I haven’t seen those in a while.”

“They’re really pretty.”

“Hey can we check out what’s down that way?” Pence asked, pointing at an archway.

“They’re selling paint over there,” Naminé said. “I’ve always wanted to try painting.” Lea and Isa exchanged looks.

“All right, here’s the deal,” Lea said. “We’ll meet back at that fountain over there in two hours.”

“Stay in pairs or groups of three,” Isa said. “And don’t stray too far from one another. Understood?”

“Yes!” Pence said, and he nudged Hayner. “C’mon guys!”

“Wait up, you two!” Olette said before hurrying after them.

“Where’d you see that paint?” Lea asked.

“That way.” Naminé took him by the hand and led him to the stand.

“H-hey!” Roxas said. Isa watched him leave, and he looked to see Erica still with him and Xion, the two girls’ attention already captured by the flowers.

“There’s so many here,” Xion said. “It’s almost hard to pick.”

“Which one did you see first?” Erica asked.

“Those blue ones there.” Xion pointed to the forget-me-nots.

“I have some munny if you want them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Mmhmm.”

“. . . Then, I’ll get them. Please.”

Erica bought the flowers, and Xion’s eyes drifted to the rest of the stand.

“What about those?” She pointed to a few other ones, and Isa pulled out some extra munny.

“You have quite the eye,” he said. The seller gave her a basket for the flowers, and Xion thanked both him and her friends. After the trio moved aside, Xion carefully sifted through her basket before pulling out a forget-me-not and giving it to Isa.

“There’s enough for everyone else, so I thought I could share them.”

He glanced between her and the flower before gently taking it. As for Erica, Xion gave her one of the blue chrysanthemums. But there was another flower attached to it.

“A dandelion,” Erica said. Just the very word reminded her of Master Ava and her friends. It was strange how one word could bring up so many memories. . . .

“Some say you can wish on those.”

“I uh, I think I’ll try to keep it in one piece.” Erica tucked both flowers behind her ear, making sure they wouldn’t fall. “Thank you.”

Xion smiled. “Let’s try to find everyone else.”

It didn’t take too long for the trio to find Lea, Roxas, and Naminé. The blonde-haired girl couldn’t stop looking at the bottles of paint she had acquired, already thinking of what to paint once they got home.

“That’s a lot of flowers,” Roxas said as both groups met.

“They do look nice,” Naminé commented. Xion picked out a daisy for Naminé, an orange chrysanthemum for Lea, and a white one for Roxas.

“Looks just like your hair,” Isa commented as Lea stuck his flower in his hair with pride.

“I bet it brings out my eyes, doesn’t it?” Lea replied, earning laughs from the girls.

Naminé gently picked a forget-me-not from the basket and placed it in Xion’s hair. “You should have one too.” Xion gave her a smile.

Erica looked around the square, but she was unable to spot Hayner, Pence, and Olette. “Um, should we look for the others?”

“You might wanna look over there,” Lea said, gesturing with his head to the trio in question running toward them. Hayner had a sort of box in his hands, and Olette had some smaller things in her hand. As for Pence he wasn’t too far behind them.

“You got excited,” Isa said with a small smile.

“They have pretzels here!” Hayner said. “Oh, and we saw this girl with long red hair. She was pretty nice.”

“Was she with a guy with black hair?” Erica asked.

“Oh yeah. He was nice, too,” Pence answered.

“I think that was Ariel and Prince Eric.”

“That was them?”

“Yup.”

“They looked really sweet together,” Olette said. “Oh! I almost forgot.” She held out her hand, revealing beaded bracelets much like her own and some wristbands. “I got these for us.”

“You did?” Roxas asked.

“Mmhmm.” Olette passed her gifts out.

“You didn’t mention anything about where we’re from, did you?” Erica asked.

“Don’t worry. We kept quiet about that,” Hayner said.

Xion turned her wrist to admire her new silver bracelet. “Thanks, Olette.” Going through her basket, she picked out flowers for Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

Olette looked at her orange chrysanthemum. “These are for us?” Xion nodded, earning a smile from Olette. “Thanks, Xion.”

“So, we ready to head back to the beach?” Hayner said.

“Sure, if you want to,” Lea replied, leading the others to agree.

“All right, then let’s hit the road!”

Lea and Isa held onto the baskets of paint and flowers, letting the rest of the group chat away excitedly.

“Best. Day. Ever!” Pence beamed.

“Yeah this was awesome!” Hayner agreed.

“Heh heh. I’m glad you liked it here,” Erica said.

The redhead’s eyes drifted to the flowers. “Y’know, our home world had a lot flowers there.”

“I remember them,” Isa replied. “I wonder if they’re the same.”

“I figured they’d be, what with the people in that world restoring it and all.”

The blue-haired man glanced to the others, spotting Hayner playfully shoving Roxas, who shoved back. “Perhaps one day we’ll see it again. Properly.”

“And maybe once we find her, we should take her with us.”

“I think she’d like that.”

Eventually the group reached the beach, and the sun was beginning to set. A soft breeze passed through as they sat in the sand, making sure not to sit too close to the water. However, Isa noticed Erica had stayed behind, her distant gaze on the dandelion in her hands.

“Aren’t you coming?” he asked.

“Hmm?” She looked to him. “I’ll catch up in a bit.”

Her usual smile didn’t reach her eyes, but he decided to leave her be. Erica waited for him to keep walking before closing her eyes. She could just imagine herself back at that beach with those other wielders. She could just hear their laughter as they messed around with each other, the leader of the group trying her best not to laugh with them.

Of course, that was in the past. She had other friends that she could share memories with now. And . . . maybe one day they would all meet.

One day I’ll see them again.

Erica blew onto the dandelion, and she watched the wind carry its seeds far, far away. . . .

“Hey Erica! You coming?” Pence called.

“Be right there!” Pocketing what remained of the dandelion, she briskly headed toward everyone else. As she sat down, Roxas noticed she had only one flower in her hair.

“Your dandelion’s missing,” he said.

“I decided to make a wish on it.”

“What did you wish for?” Xion asked.

“Can’t say. I’m hoping it’ll come true.”

“Maybe it will,” Olette said. Once she opened the box of pretzels for everyone, their heavenly buttery scent filled the air.

Pence pulled a piece off of his to pop into his mouth. “Hey these are better than the ones back home.”

“I guess the baker here’s pretty good,” Lea commented.

“They taste the same to me,” Roxas said.

“I think so too,” Xion said.

Olette swallowed a bite. “Do you think we could do this again?” The former Organization members and Erica exchanged glances.

“Uh we’ll see about that,” Lea said.

Naminé looked to the horizon, feeling the breeze against her face. “At least we got to spend time together like this. That’s what matters the most.”

“Yeah,” Xion agreed.

“I guess we’re pretty lucky,” Roxas said. But thunder followed by sudden rain decided to say otherwise.

“Aw man!” Hayner complained, gathering his shoes.

“Q-quick, head for that cave!” Pence said, and everyone collected their things before darting off. Erica couldn’t help laughing a bit, which led to Naminé laughing as well. And luckily the group made it just before the rain got any heavier.

Erica puffed out a brief laugh. “That came out of nowhere.”

Hayner poured some water out of his shoes. “No kidding.”

Olette glanced to Roxas, and she couldn’t help snickering. “Roxas, your hair.”

“My hair?” He parted the hair from his eyes like a curtain.

“You look like a hippie,” Hayner teased.

“Axel’s hair got kind of long,” Xion pointed out with a laugh.

“And Pence’s hair looks like a wilted plant,” Lea quipped, and the group shared a laugh.

“I think our pretzels got soaked,” Pence said. “But at least the flowers got some water.” Naminé laughed a bit only to sneeze.

“I’ll see if I can get a fire going.” It wasn’t very long until a small fire was made, and the group huddled around it as they listened to the rain.

“I hope we don’t get sick tomorrow,” Hayner said. “That’d really be a bummer.”

“Same here.”

Olette readjusted her flower. “Thanks for taking us here, Erica. It was amazing.”

“You’re welcome,” Erica said. “But um, we should probably head home once we’re all dry.”

The group voiced their agreements. They’d get home eventually, but for now, they were going to remain just how they were—gathered around a fire and listening to the rain and the ocean.

Together.

————

[annes-andromeda]

Ragnarök: Asgard’s Twilight

Chapter 10: Foster Through The Looking Glass

N/: Sorry that I haven’t updated in a while. Laziness got to me and school’s been giving me so much work. Anyways, here’s another chapter of Jane Foster in Vanaheim featuring Lady Sif😊

The camp was buzzing with ruckus, rock giants moving wagons of gold to the blacksmiths. They were clanging at the metals, sparks coming from their tools as they worked. There was a board where a sketch had been made for the design of Gjallarhorn. It would be large, with a small hole to blow on, and the bell would be large and extended.

In Heimdall’s tent, the Warriors Three were conducting a plan on how to retrieve the people of Asgard without any casualties “She hasn’t set the castles defenses yet” Fandral noted “With the secret passageways, we may have some leverage against Hela”

“We can’t be sure” Volstagg added “It’s as the Lady Jane said, we do not know the full extent of Hela’s abilities. For all we know, she could be holding the civilians hostage and keeping watch on us as we speak”

Heimdall shook his head “I knew Hela since she was a young girl. She is a proficient sorcerer matching the likes of Loki and an efficient combatant rivaling Thor. But she has no seeing abilities like I do”

“Hela always wanted the attention on her” He continued “And as far as we’re concerned, her attentiveness is on the throne, so that is something we could use to our advantage”

Everyone around him nodded in thought “We could send in scouts to inspect the area and ensure that we’ll be able to go in and out with no issues”

Volstagg pointed at the map of Asgard “This passage here. Near the mountain creek. The scouts could enter from here and go into the city unnoticed where they’d retrieve civilians and bring them to the camp to safety”

“I’ll make sure it’s safe to go in beforehand” Heimdall said “For now, we’ll focus on building the horn and getting the scouts ready. As for Lady Jane, I want the rock trolls to keep watch on her at every moment. I do not doubt my sister, but we cannot take any chances”

Jane looked around the long abandoned structure, her eyes lit with wonder and awe. She wished she had a camera on her to take pictures so she could show Darcy when she returned home. Whenever she’d return home.

Her eyes fixed upon two strange winged creatures who appeared to be fighting for a piece of meat. They batted their wings and flew down from the ceiling, one of them munching at the meat while the other tried to get closer. Jane kept her distance, not wanting to disturb the animals on their meal.

“They’re called Dawn Ripplers” Jane heard Sif from behind her. The woman had a bag in her hand, and she pulled out some more meat for the creatures to eat. It’s smell attracted them as they turned to her in curiosity.

Jane smiled awkwardly “I was just observing from afar”

“Don’t worry” Sif said “They are tame beasts when not provoked. Or in this case, hungry” She chuckled as she threw some meat at the Ripplers and scurried to them, using their small beaks to tear them into little pieces.

“Why are you really here, Foster?” Sif asked without hesitation

A sigh escaped Jane’s lips when the situation at hand hit her once more “I know you’re not exactly fond of me, but I swear I’m not here to cause trouble”

Sif shook her head “I never held any distain for you, Foster”

“But-” Jane began “But when I came to Asgard-“

“That was merely suspicion” Sif interrupted “There had never been a mortal on Asgard. After everything that had happened with Malekith and the Aether, everyone was edge. Including me”

With her mouth forming a small “oh” and her head nodding, Jane twiddled her fingers behind her back and said “Well...that’s good to know, at least”

There was a pregnant silence for seconds until the Ripplers made little chirps, almost begging for more food. Sif smiled and clicked her tongue, reaching into the bag and taking out a rabbit, beckoning for them. She handed it to them, the Ripplers creeping towards her and taking the meat.

Chuckling, Sif stayed on her knees watching the animals eat “I always wanted a Rippler when I was young” she said “My brother wouldn’t let me have them. Said they belonged in the wild and not in some cage”

Jane simply said “mhmm” in agreement “I guess you still wanna know why I’m here, right?”

“That would be nice”

“Well it’s...It’s not easy to explain”

“When has anything ever been”

Jane paused “Yeah ok that’s true, but this is different” Sif turned to her in interest “Back home, shortly after Malekith, I’ve been having these dreams. Not like the ones where you can’t move or speak, but sorta like the strange one you can’t understand. Almost like I’m...lucid, in a way”

Sif listened to her, petting one of the Dawn Ripplers meanwhile “Lucid dreaming is often rare here. Only those with strong minds have control of their dreams”

“Yeah well, it’s not fun back home” Jane stated jokingly “I’d always be in this endless corridor. It looked like Asgard, but I knew it wasn’t.”

She turned to make sure Sif was paying attention. When she got confirmation, Jane proceeded “Then-and please don’t laugh-, I saw this bear”

Sif furrowed her eyesbrows, all the while Jane pointed at her “Let me finish” Jane said “It was a polar bear. Sure, it was transparent, but I’m pretty sure it was a polar bear. Anyways, I’d get close to it, and every time I’m this close to touching it, I wake up”

“Hmm...” Sif said “From your description, this could be the workings of a Fylgja”

Jane blinked a few times and shook her head “A wh-A what?”

“A Fylgja” Sif repeated “They take the form of ones spirit embodied in a certain animal, often depending on whether that person’s nature is tame or not”

The dark haired woman got up from her knees and let the Dawn Ripplers fly away “From what my brother taught me,” she began “The Fylgja lead a person to their destiny or fate. Perhaps the beast in your dreams could be trying to tell you something”

“Question is: what is it?” Jane asked.

Another silence fell before them, but it was interrupted when two rock trolls strode towards the women, their steps echoing within the halls. They looked down at Jane and Sif, imposing yet clearly no threat.

One of them kneeled before the ladies in respect “Lady Foster” he said “Lady Sif. Good Heimdall has ordered us to keep watch over you should anything befall you”

“Could you tell ‘Good Heimdall’ that that will not be necessary” Sif said with her hands on her hips “I am perfectly capable of protecting Foster myself. Therefore, you are excused”

“I’m sorry, my lady” The other rock troll said “But we’ve been given orders and we must abide by them”

Sif shook her head “Gentlemen really, this will not be necessary. Besides, I do remember your finest warrior being cast down by Thor with a single swing last time he was here. What was his name? Korg, was it?”

The left rock troll put his finger up “Do not disrespect the memory of our fallen brethren!” He exclaimed in defense as Sif was taken aback “It was Lord Thor who began that fight and refused to make it fair!”

“Vanaheim was overrun with bandits and raiders!” Sif argued “What did you expect us to do? Sit and watch as you burned down villages and filled your bags with stolen goods?”

At this point, Jane had shut herself out of the conversation. She wanted to roll her eyes at the absolute pettiness of the three aliens-cause let’s be honest, that’s what they were-, but she knew it wasn’t respectful. She looked around the building awkwardly, and that’s when she heard it.

The voice.

She had heard it when she passed out after Hela pushed her off the Bifrost. It had called to her, even knew her name. The Fylgja, she thought. That must be it.

Making sure Sif was distracted, Jane went off on her own to find the source of the voice. She walked through the empty, vine covered corridors, touching the walls with her hands and listening thoroughly. The further and further down she went, the more intelligible the voice became.

Eventually, it led her to a large doorway. The doors were locked when she twisted at the knob. However, in less than a second, the voice seemed to have opened the doors for her. Jane turned both ways of the hall to see if there was anyone. Nope, all clear.

Walking in, the skylight illuminated the room, making the clear water of the fountain in the middle sparkle. It looked like glistening diamonds, and fish with white, flowing fins shined with platinum scales. Aside from the skylight, there were no visible windows and no sign of other wildlife.

Looking down, Jane could see a plaque atop the water. On it were runes unbeknownst to her, and a symbol of a tree. She couldn’t make out what it meant, but the voice called to her once more.

Speak the words, it said.

Jane could only furrow her brows “How?” She asked the empty space

The heart is a powerful tool in the face of adversity.

It sounded foolish. Practically useless. Jane really wished she had brought her phone to use as a translator right now. She had no idea what in hell the voice was talking about.

And then it hit her.

Taking her book from the small pocket of her skirt, Jane skimmed through the pages to find the one where she had studied the Norse runes. There were many that were assigned “N/A”, as much of the Norse culture had been lost. And well, Thor had been busy doing other things so he wasn’t much help either.

Her finger stopped at one of the runes, her mouth agape. Jane placed the book beneath the plaque, noticing one of the runes was the same one.

The rune that represented the heart.

Speak the words, the voice repeated.

Jane withdrew the book back into her pocket, and looked at the plaque once more. She felt like she was suddenly illiterate. But it seemed as if logic and astrophysics wasn’t going to help her with this dilemma.

So instead, she took a deep breath, and just went for it.

“ The start of a journey begins with the shore, but yet there truly is no end.

For like the heart that stays in place, the ocean does not descend”

A growl was then heard as the plaque went beneath the fountain. The rumbling grew louder, the fish swimming away from the growing passage that grew underneath the water. Jane watched as the floor opened beneath her. She stepped back, but she felt her skirt beginning to wet. The water was spilling towards her.

It turned out the passage was far bigger than she expected, and before she had a moment a react, Jane was sucked into the floor, eliciting a gasp and a small squeal out of her mouth. She braced for impact and landed on her back. Jane groaned in pain, grabbing the back of her head that had hit the stone floor. Had the fall been from a couple more feet, it could’ve killed her.

Back above, Sif was running through the corridors trying to find Jane. She was grabbing at the hilt of her sword. Just in case, should it be any of Hela’s goons trying to play a trick on her.

Jane looked around the stone walls, empty and wet from the fallen water above. She got up and tended to her dress, wiping off the rubble and dust, even moving her hair out of her face. Jane’s gaze averted to the walls once more. The fish from the fountain had swam down into the hole with her, reverting back to their regal and peaceful movements.

They grouped together and tread carefully around what appeared to be a long club of rock. Jane was confused at first, but decided that perhaps reason wouldn’t be the most helpful arsenal right now. Walking towards the wall, Jane reached for the club carefully, but then jumped when she heard a voice above yell at her.

“Lady Jane!” Sif exclaimed “Stay there, I’ll get you out!”

Jane put her hand up “No stop, wait!” She said “Just hold on!”

Sif was confused but then tensed as she saw Jane looking at the club “Jane...” She called out. But nothing “Foster, don’t! Jane, don’t touch anything!”

Jane, however, was making no attempt to pay attention. She resumed her previous action of reaching for the club, and held her breath as her hands scraped the wet and cold stone. Jane pulled at the stick, but frowned as it stayed stuck in place.

She pulled harder, even positioning her foot on the wall for leverage. Jane ignored the exclaims from Sif to stop, tugging harder and harder until the wall began to crack. The fish swam away, and all at once, the club detached from its place, sending Jane flying back as the stick landed next to her.

Sif watched the whole ordeal like a mother watching her child disobey her “Foster!” She exclaimed “Are you alright?!”

Jane got up to her feet and looked up, club in hand “Yeah...Yeah I’m fine”

“Stay there, I’ll help you up”

“Not like I’m going anywhere...” Jane muttered. She looked at the large, bulbous stick in her hand. Examining it, she could see there were now small glowing veins coming from the top. Seems like her previous action had managed to crack the stone a bit.

Above her, Sif extended her sword to pull Jane out of the hole. The passage closed up, and the fish swam in the fountain yet again. As if nothing had happened. Confused, Sif looked to Jane for an answer “Forgive me, Foster” She said “My incompetence resulted in your endangerment, and for that, I am most ashamed”

Jane smiled gently and put her hand on the goddess’s shoulder “Hey, don’t worry about it. Either way, those trolls probably wouldn’t have let me leave, so if anything, you were big help”

Sif motioned to the club in the mortals lap “I’m assuming your endeavor wasn’t for naught?”

“Yeah well,” Jane began “I have a feeling this is only the first of my endeavors”

“You heard a voice calling to you, correct?”

“Yup”

“Was it the Fylgja?”

“Nope” Jane looked up to see Sif extending her hand for her to get up, and she took it graciously “I’m pretty sure it was something else. But whatever it was, at least it helped me find this”

Sif smiled mischievously “Oh how lovely. A battering ram gifted by fish. I’m sure the berserkers would enjoy a new recruit, don’t you?”

Jane could only roll her eyes “How is it you never got along with Loki? Honestly, it’s like I’m talking to a clone”

The warrior goddess chuckled heartily “Oh how blasphemous! If anything, I’m more Thor than Loki. But then again, I’m generally more me than me”

“Yeah ok, let’s get off our golden throne now, huh?” Jane saved playfully. The two walked side by side out of the room, closing the doors behind them.

Without their notice, the doors then disappeared, leaving behind an empty wall. Inside the room, the fountain stopped running water, and the fish, almost on command, scurried together and disappeared into thin air. The room was left vacant, as if it was never occupied at all.