#how have your family and friends reacted to your attempts to introduce them to Young Royals?

[groenendaelfic]

So I finally convinced my mom to give Young Royals a try.

A few minutes ago she calls me, all emotional and asks me how much longer that poor boy will have to suffer.

"Well, it is a drama," I say, "But it's well worth it for its beauty and depth and there are many lovely moments. I promise there will be a happy ending."

"But it's so sad!" she says.

"Well, how far did you get?" I ask, so I know how to best reassure her and also I'd love to talk about some of the scenes, especially the tough ones.

"Well, he and his brother just arrived at the boarding school a few minutes ago and now the choir is about to sing."

" ... "

Mom, I love you. Please never change.

In other news, mission make mom2 go on an excursion to ABBA The Museum to conduct some research for The Upgrade: Museum Drift was a complete success.

She took a high school friend who she only recently reconnected with and had a blast, and in turn I got minute by minute updates of them reliving their teenage years during peak ABBA times in more detail than I might have wanted, but I also got all the pics and now have a good idea of how I want Wilmon's date at the museum to look and go like, so yay.

[greensaplinggrace]

So you mentioned in another post that you have some strong thoughts on Baghra, especially about how the story frames her as one of the good guys. I would love to hear about it.

@youremotionallystablefriend: I would love to hear you rant about Baghra if you feel like it (and haven’t already)! Personally I don’t think she gets enough constructive critique in the fandom for being the one that brought Aleks up and for the way she treated her pupils and especially Alina :/

Anon: Hello! I love your thoughts on the grisha books. I'm actually interested to hear your take on Baghra

@misku-nimfa: If you are up for it, I would love to read your thoughts on Baghra or your full critique of society in the Grishaverse. Your analysis is really well structured and interesting! ^.^

Anon: Hi! I saw your recent post and was wondering if you'd share more of your thoughts on Baghra?

---

Hello everyone! I was honestly very surprised to see so many people interested in my thoughts on Baghra? I'll share what I can, but please know that this is by no means a full breakdown of her character! It’s just some Thoughts I’ve had, and they’re mostly centered around show Baghra because that’s how I was first introduced to her character. Although IMO book Baghra might actually be even worse.

I’d like to preface this by saying that many of my issues with the treatment of Baghra as a character in fandom come from the wild double standard there seems to be regarding her and the Darkling. Darkling Antis and a vast majority of the people in this fandom who don’t like his character have a disturbing habit of absolutely ripping into the Darkling for all of his faults and then turning around and treating Baghra as some sort of pristine mother figure for the exact same shit.

They’ll talk about how badass she is, how strong she is, how they sympathize with her past (although they’ll continue to dehumanize the Darkling and refuse to sympathize with his own past) and sympathize with the fact that she has to deal with the Darkling (who’s always referred to as a monster she must corral or control, as if he is inhumane and beastly. These particular comments always take on the very distinct tone of victim blaming as well). They’ll laud her for all of these “powerful girlboss” moments as if they aren’t carbon copies of the Darkling’s own behavior - as if they aren’t things Baghra herself taught him. Which is why this is the wildest double standard of all to me, because every horrible action they praise Baghra for is something she taught the Darkling, and something they cannot stand to see in him as well.

It’s as if there’s a disconnect between their consumption of the literature when it comes to the two characters, and I’m of the opinion that it’s largely because Baghra is a woman and a mother and therefore infantilized in the fandom quite a bit. In fact, Bardugo herself often infantilizes many of her female characters in her writing. This is mostly through the process of excusing their terrible deeds, not allowing them to do anything remotely dark, or brushing any morally grey actions under the rug without ever touching upon them. Which puts me in the strange position of knowing I’m supposed to sympathize with Baghra for having to deal with the monster she’s created, and instead feeling resentful of the fact that this bitter woman is held up as this wise old strict teacher instead of the abusive mentor/mother she should have been.

Now, here’s what I said to make so many of you send me asks:

Last note, in reference to your first line, and also probably a pretty unpopular opinion. I do not like Baghra. And it legit has nothing to do with the Darkling or with Alina, I just don't like her "I'm going to hit you and berate you and emotionally abuse you and manipulate you and act like the good guy at the end of it" vibe she's got going on. At least Aleksander is acknowledged as the villain within the narrative. Idk wtf Baghra is on but it's absolutely wild to me that people aren't more critical of her actions. Which is, rather fortunately for you, another rant I will save for another post if anybody ever wants to hear it lol. (but like kudos to Baghra's actress. I loved the character as a character, I just don't like the way she's framed as a good guy. Weird. Uncomfortable. She literally set bees on the kids she was teaching).

This basically summarizes most of my thoughts on Baghra as a character and how she’s portrayed. I touched on it a bit above, but the way she’s able to get away with so much and not suffer under heavier critique is honestly baffling to me. There should be a lot more criticism of her out there in the fandom. This is the woman who abused her students and neglected her son. Although to be honest I don’t even know how to quite describe the emotionally neglectful yet unhealthily codependent bond she fostered in him from a young age. IMO, Baghra’s behavior around Aleksander is creepy, and I know she has a history that makes it more understandable, but it’s still incredibly disconcerting to witness.

But let’s get back on track! First of all, her students. Whom she physically, emotionally, and mentally abuses. She’s derisive, she’s insulting, she’s belittling. She works hard to strip them of any self confidence they may have. She uses pain as a means of triggering powers. And the strict teacher excuse doesn’t fly. The “it’s only a training method!” excuse is even worse. This is literal abuse she’s heaping on her students and it’s wretched.

The first thing she does to Alina when they first meet is insult her. Then she hits her. Then she kicks her out.

Second time they interact is a montage. Baghra hits Alina multiple times. She shames her. And then when Alina actually calls a light she tells her it’s not nearly enough, effectively wiping the smile off of her face and every sign of self confidence that had been building. Then we see the door to Baghra’s hut shut in Alina’s face. So now she has been bruised, battered, berated, stripped of all self confidence, and then banished again. As training methods go, this is not only entirely ineffective, but it’s also just abusive.

Then we get this interaction between Alina and her friends:

Marie: One time, Baghra released a hive of bees on me. Nadia: Worst part is, it worked. Marie: It really did. I could summon at will after that.

Which is fucking horrifying and not talked about nearly enough. That goes beyond hitting your students. Baghra used a fear tactic on a young girl to activate her powers. She literally tortured Marie to make her powers work.

Alina throughout this conversation is looking very disheartened. She’s lacking in any self confidence and the comment about the bees has clearly affected her. For someone who’s first words to Alina were “Everyone believes that you are the one. Come back when you believe it too,”  Baghra doesn’t exactly seem keen on Alina actually believing she’s the one. If she did, she wouldn’t be stripping her of every positive emotion associated with sun summoning.

Let’s not forget that Baghra demeans Alina multiple times for her status as an orphan. How she utilizes what she knows of Alina’s emotional weaknesses to provoke her and discourage her and make her angry.

And then Baghra drugs her without consent. To take advantage of any information Alina gives her in that state. To use the way Alina reacts for her own ends.

Because why else would she say this?:

Alina: We planned to run away together. Baghra: You had plans. Perhaps he never did, because where is he now?

Which is, strangely enough, the same sense of isolation and separation from Mal and her past that Aleksander is attempting to foster. Weird how mother and son are both using the same manipulation tactics.

In fact, why does Baghra never tell Alina about the letters until she’s already engaged with Aleksander? Baghra must have known he was taking them. Alina talks about it enough. Baghra must have known he was isolating her from Mal. How could she not, when it’s revealed later that she has spies in the Little Palace collecting information on him? How could she not, when she knows he’s the villain from the beginning - when she knows he’s manipulating Alina?

Baghra knows, and yet she keeps the same lies Aleksander does and furthermore uses that information to make Alina feel even more isolated and weak. Baghra literally just piggy-backs on Aleksander’s manipulation and then exacerbates it. She wants Alina to feel no attachments to her past because she wants to use Alina as well. But for some reason, because this manipulation and treatment of Alina as some sort of tool is done by the woman who opposes the Darkling, it’s suddenly okay. As if it still isn’t the same terrible shit but with a different perpetrator. I mean damn, at least Aleksander feels something for Alina. Baghra’s just cold.

So, point by point. Baghra mentions how Mal doesn’t care for Alina, she mentions Alina’s failings constantly, she mentions Alina being an orphan, she constantly hits her, she guilts Alina about orphans dying, she works to instill a sense of isolation from her friends and her family.

And when Alina finally comes to Baghra, having decided to abandon her attachments to her past and her attachments to Mal, the words that ring in her head are Baghra's words - “needing anyone else is weak.”  Which is honestly just a horrible sentiment in general, but an even worse one when considering how hard these people are working to detach Alina from anybody who can help her or give her an outside perspective.

Strangely, it’s also similar to this line:

The problem with wanting, is that it makes us weak.

...which is spoken by Baghra’s son. You know, the Darkling? Our big bad villain? The one Baghra raised?

Which gives me the impression that Baghra’s teaching methods with her students are really not that far off from the teaching methods she used on him as he was growing up. It’s a horrifying thought, and leads into my problems with her relationship with Aleksander.

First of all, show wise. What the fuck.

Aleksander: They’re punishing us for being Grisha. Baghra: Punishing you. You made him afraid. Now he wants you to fear him. Aleksander: I won a war for him. Baghra: And in doing so, started a war on us.

I get that she’s trying to convey how the king feels here, but it still feels incredibly victim blamey from a narrative standpoint. It isn’t Aleksander’s fault the king fears him when he used his powers under the King’s banner to help him win a war. Aleksander trusted this man who betrayed him and then betrayed his people, and we get a line from his mother, entirely unsympathetic, talking about how it’s his fault all of these people are dying.

Baghra: Where’s the girl, your healer? Aleksander: Dead. She died because of me. Baghra: She died because they always do. They’re not as strong as you and me.

Baghra’s use of the term ‘girl’ and ‘healer' here instead of Luda is pretty telling. She either doesn’t like Luda or doesn’t care for her. Either way, this is the woman her son loves, and Baghra talks about her so dispassionately. Then he comments on Luda’s death and there’s no reaction except to say that they always do.

Like, her son is literally broken up over here. Grieving. Desperate. Run ragged. Caged and hunted. Feeling guilty as hell. Mind running through a million different ways he could possibly save all of these people. And Baghra offers him nothing except a paltry “people die, get over it, we’re better than that, she didn’t matter anyway.”

Honestly, how is Aleksander even still functioning at this point? He has no support system and he’s working against a king and his army to protect a group of civilians he could easily abandon to save himself. The sheer amount of responsibility and mental strain keeping track of a group alone entails is already monstrous, but adding in every other factor? The recent death of Luda, the fact that they’re cornered and they’ve been hunted down while fleeing across the land, the fact that he was just a couple hours ago forced to his knees and entirely at these men’s mercy, begging for Luda’s life. And here his mother is, if anything a negative support system. Offering no other ideas, telling him to give up hope, not even offering the barest smidgeon of emotional support as he grieves, putting everything on his shoulders.

It pisses me the fuck off.

Aleksander: You’re the one who taught me how to kill, mother. Their blood is on your hands as much as mine.  Baghra: I taught you so you could protect yourself. Not them.

Once more, Baghra highlights how he needs to protect himself. How he should abandon the people he’s protecting. How he shouldn't help others and only ever himself. Once more, she says it’s my way or the high way. There’s zero effort to work with him. Zero effort to sympathize or compromise. She’s constantly pushing him to take the one option she knows he won’t take. The hell did she think was going to happen?

Also, Baghra taught him how to kill. Not necessarily great parenting, but understandable given the circumstances of his upbringing. But the level to which she takes it is honestly concerning. Like, look no further than this woman to see where Aleksander got it from lol.

Baghra also forbids him from using Merzost. Which is great and all, she gets to claim the moral high ground. But she doesn’t offer a single alternative except to flee and let everybody die. There was legitimately no other option to Merzost except for torture and death. If there was, Baghra sure as hell didn’t help Aleksander come up with one. Aleksander, who - by the way - is in no fit emotional state to be making any kind of decision right now.

So anyways, that’s just my tv show grief regarding Baghra, and it’s not even really all of it. I don’t want to make this an hour long read though lmao. But I’ll go over a few other things.

First of all, Baghra’s whole “We’re the only two that matter. We have to do whatever we can to protect ourselves,” mentality is one that she actively touts to Aleksander on a regular basis when he’s incredibly young. It’s honestly a wonder he grows up to care about other people at all. But the mentality itself is something Aleksander still heavily internalized in regards to protecting himself and those he deems worthy at any cost.

There’s a moment in the books when Aleksander is attacked and nearly drowned by some kids who wanted his bones (one of which was a close friend of his). He uses the cut in self defense and then blames the nearby Otkazat’sya village. Baghra knows he’s lying, and yet she allows an entire village to get slaughtered for harming him. This is a disproportionately violent act that Baghra approves of, and Aleksander as a kid is definitely internalizing that mindset.

Also, Baghra’s behavior around Aleksander has always been weirdly possessive and controlling. Especially when it comes to the people he loves. Her actions often come across as her trying to isolate him in order to keep him by her side, even when the relationships he has are clearly intimate. Which... is especially strange for a mother to be doing to her son.

She was also an extremely emotionally neglectful mother. Based on the show and what I gathered from her actions there, I’m actually half convinced she was physically abusive as well, in that “I think I’m being a stern, good parent figure when in reality I’m actually harming my child” kind of way. She fosters codependence with her son and then refuses to provide for any of his emotional needs. She drives it into his head that everybody dies, that he’ll always be alone, that love is useless and power is everything. She denies him the opportunity to be soft and works to harden him at a young age. She tells him he must never allow people to touch him, except she doesn’t work to supplement those physical needs in any way. She essentially abuses him.

Honestly, I could go on. But in reality the simple fact is that I just don’t like her. I think she’s a hypocrite. I think she’s abusive. I think she’s a terrible mentor and an even worse mother. And I think the fandom and the books are willing to brush aside so many of her faults simply because she opposes the Darkling.

I’m sorry if this isn’t what you guys were looking for! It sounds like a lot of you wanted a more of a sophisticated breakdown, but my thoughts on Baghra come with a heap of emotional baggage lol. It feels weird to say this now, but I actually do like the character as a character, I just,,, don’t like her in every other aspect. My feelings on Baghra are just a bit personal, to be honest. But hopefully this was at least comprehensible??

[cassanovancats]

felicitate. one.

WARNING: JJK spoilers. canon-typical violence.

prologue < current > two

Nov. 2016

“Didja hear about the new transfer student starting today?” Panda asked, poking his head into your room. You push him out of the doorway and lead the way outside where you collect Inumaki and Maki to walk to class together.

You hummed slightly before answering, “Not really. Nii-chan said he wanted to surprise us with him.”

“He stuffed four - four, you guys! - of his classmates into a locker.”

“Killed them?” Maki asks, shifting her weapons case to sit higher on her shoulder. Inumaki leans over, interested.

“Nope! Only ‘severe’ injuries,” Panda explains, using his claws to make quotation marks around the word severe.

“I wonder what his lineage is. If he’s a transfer then he probably doesn’t have an inherited technique. Maybe we both can train together!” Your steps get a little lighter at the thought of adding to your harem. Maki glares at you as if she heard your thoughts and gives an audible hmph.

“If he’s cocky about being the strongest at some bumpkin junior high, I’ll rough him up.” Maki declares. “I bet you’re too tired to even train today, (y/n).”

“Salmon.”

You gasp dramatically. “Even you, Toge-kun? I can’t believe my favorite partner would do me like that. You both know it’s a Monday, I only did five kilometers this morning, thank you very much. And if you would actually join me sometime, you would understand that’s an easy distance.” You toss your hair and point your nose upward sarcastically.

Inumaki rolls his eyes, “Bonito flakes.”

“What he said,” Maki nods. “It's bad enough you convinced Gojo we have to run laps to warm-up before training.” You pout at such blatant rebuffs. Another failed attempt to get a workout buddy. Not that any of your classmates were weak, quite the opposite, they just kept training to what they saw as most essential - cursed techniques and fighting.

“You wouldn’t want them on your run anyways,” Panda says, trying to cheer you up, “You’d just leave them in the dust and end up alone on your trail anyways.” You chuckle at the annoyed noise Maki makes and move to enter the classroom first. As always, you claim the desk furthest from the door and closest to the window. Inumaki sits next to you, a habit from when you both met as children at clan meetings, Maki next to him, and Panda by the door.

You toss your jacket across the back of your chair and breathe in relief. The terrible things were so heavy and while it was great in the winter, November was still too hot to be covered in fabric. You smooth your skirt across your thighs to cover more skin and turn to ask Inumaki a question about the homework when Satoru slams the door of the classroom open. “Transfer student incoming! Let’s get this party -,” he trails off seeing the bored look on everyone’s face, “-started? (y/n), explain why you’re not totally pumped.”

You raise an eyebrow, “Are you asking as my brother or my teacher right now?”

“I heard he’s a punk. I have no interest in being nice to that kind of guy.” Maki interrupts.

“Salmon.”

Satoru pouts when you nod and Panda remains silent. “Whatever.” he turns and cups his hand around his mouth to yell at the closed door. “Come on in now!”

A deep sense of dread settles in your stomach when the door inches open. You and Inumaki share a look and he is already reaching to push up his sleeve and pull down his zipper. The boy who walks in is hunched in over himself and would be cute if not for the enormous curse hanging onto his back. The monster sneers with elongated teeth over his shoulder while he makes his introduction. Although neither makes an offensive move, every student makes one choreographed movement to circle around him in a defensive measure. Maki thrusts her blade into the blackboard behind Yuta Okkotsu. “Don’t you know you’re cursed?” She sneers at him down the staff, “We learn about curses here. It’s not a place for people who are cursed.”

Satoru doesn’t move an inch when he begins the spiel you’ve heard a million times: where curses originate, how sorcerers exorcise them, and how Jujutsu High trains each generation of sorcerers. It’s clear he didn’t explain this to Yuta, as the already pale boy becomes almost translucent. You take a step back, still hesitant about what must be a special-grade curse, but trusting that your brother would never endanger you. Well, at least not to the point of possible death. If he brought Yuta to your class, there must be a reason.

But then two giant arms emerge from the blackboard to grab Maki’s weapon from her hands. An ominous voice that makes you suddenly nauseous warns, “Don’t bully Yuta!” The arms swipe your friends onto their backs in one smooth movement. Panda thumps against the wall and Inumaki slides across the floor, hitting his head on an upturned desk. Maki stumbles backwards, shocked at the easy strength of the curse.

“Stop!” The technique you borrowed from Inumaki forces everyone in the room to freeze and you fall to your knees coughing, suddenly exhausted. Your brother breaks your hold and moves away from where he leaned against his desk when he first entered the room to offer you a hand. You stand on shaky legs as he explains how Yuta came to be cursed. Satoru allows you to clasp both hands onto the one still supporting you, allowing his technique to be borrowed and releasing the hold you had on your classmates.

You move to stand with them in solidarity as they gather to their feet. Maki takes the role of your pillar, allowing you to stand slightly behind her and grip the back of her jacket, while Inumaki hands you a cough drop from his pocket. You nod a thanks, still unable to speak. God, you need to train with his technique more. He can get at least three strong commands out before being incapacitated.

“They’re going through a rebellious phase, so let me introduce everyone. First is my precious lil sister, Gojo (y/n). She copies techniques by touch, so ignore how handsy she gets.” Satoru smiles and winks behind his blindfold, “Maki Zen’in. Cursed tool user; she uses special tools to exorcise curses. Cursed speech user Toge Inumaki, (y/n) copied his technique in that little show. His vocab is limited to rice ball ingredients. And Panda.” He points at each of you as he travels down the line. Yuta moves to join where the four of you had previously stood united against him. “Wow! Five first years! That's the biggest class in a while. Yaga must be so jealous the great Gojo-san can recruit so many talented young ones.” Satoru mimes wiping a tear from his blindfolded eyes and you roll your own at his self-praise. Yuta nervously (maybe curiously? nervous is the most common reaction) eyes Panda.

By now, you can mostly stand on your own, but gesture for another cough drop from Inumaki. He indulges you, though reluctantly. You make a mental note to buy a pack to refill both your own and his pocket stashes. But first, an afternoon practical where you’re paired with your brother. A pairing which means you two will just take the Gojo family card for a trip around whatever district you’ll be traveling to. Not that you’d ever complain about that. Inumaki and Panda are paired together, which leaves Maki and the new kid. Yuta moves to stand in front of Maki (and you, by default, since you’re still slightly hidden behind her) and says quietly, “I’m, uh, looking forward to working with you.” He manages a shaky smile.

Maki narrows her eyes. “You were bullied, right?” He visibly shakes but doesn’t respond. “Thought so. You’re totally bully-able. Probably because of the curse. You act like such a good person but it feels fake; it feels gross. You’re being protected, why act like a victim?” You elbow her side with a frown but she carries on. “I bet you’ve been passive your whole life. No goals. No aspirations. Jujutsu High ain’t that easy.”

Panda takes a step to stand firmly next to Yuta and places a giant paw on his shoulder. “That’s enough, Maki.” Inumaki agrees sternly.

“Fine. Whatever,” she scratches at her head, embarrassed at being reprimanded by each of her classmates. She is the first one to leave the room, not waiting for Gojo’s dismissal. Not like each of you don’t know the routine for missions.

The class begins to trickle out slowly and you hesitate before grabbing Yuta’s wrist to tug him gently back into the room. “I wanted to apologize. Maki isn’t always nice, but I promise she’s one of the kindest souls I know. I’m glad you joined our class, Yuta-san.” You smile in a way you hope reassures him. You walk away quickly, hoping to still have time to grab a pair of shorts from your dorm. You think you might just let a curse kill you if you have to fight in a skirt again after accidentally flashing your underwear at Panda last mission. Due to leaving so fast, you miss the sight of Yuta’s frozen body burning up in a deep blush.

The six of you arrive at an elementary school without any more fights in the car. Just a thick, awkward silence. Yuta seems sweaty and is constantly wiping his palms on his pants as the group approaches the building. Gojo-sensei gives the usual mission brief, explaining how children have recently started going missing and two curses are responsible. Team Panda will be responsible for one, Team Maki for the other. “And what will Team Gojo be doing?” Maki asks, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.

“Keeping an eye on the perimeter, of course! (y/n), if you will.” You nod and begin the chant to create a curtain.

“W-what is that? it’s turning to night!” Yuta yells.

“That is a curtain. It’ll make you guys invisible to the outside world and reveal the curses inside.” Gojo-sensei pats Yuta reassuringly on the shoulder. You follow him to stand outside of the curtain. Before it closes your classmates in, Gojo adds, “Don’t go dying on us now.”

You snort and hit your brother's arm. “You shouldn’t scare him like that. Poor boy looked like he was going to faint. So, are we leaving or actually keeping an eye on them?”

“I’m curious about how Rika will react when Yuta is in actual danger. Let’s wait,” he replies. You nod and move to sit cross-legged on the hood of the car while Satoru leans against the side. “...This also gives time for your precious Nii-chan to catch up on gossip. Has sweet Toge caught onto your crush yet?”

You flush and cross your arms across your chest. Moving to angle your body away from him, you pout and petulantly say, “There’s no crush. We’re just good partners. He's the only one of my classmates I can actually take a technique from, so of course I spend time training with him!”

Satoru smiles and hums, “No need to be so defensive. You know I approve if there was a crush though, right?” You just nod, relieved he was letting it drop so easily. “Although, your poor brothers might get jealous if we get even less time with you. We’re your best partners ever, after all.”

“Of course, Nii-chan. You know Team Gojo is undefeatable,” you say. Suddenly, both of you startle and whip your heads towards a point behind the curtain. Even without copying Satoru’s six-eyes, you can see the sudden burst of cursed energy. The wave of power makes you so nauseous, you turn your head and gag slightly.

“Freaky,” Satoru chuckles. “So that's the true identity of special grade cursed spirit Rika Orimoto. Women sure are scary.”

“If he lost control of her, something must be wrong,” you hop up from your seat and step forward to dismiss the curtain.

Yuta steps through the curtain right as your hand reaches out to dash the veil away. The sight startles you. He's covered in the usual grime from missions but it’s how he collapses on top of two children he obviously carried out and the unconscious Maki draped over his back that scares you. You move to untangle the limbs and check Maki for injuries while Satoru steps forward, in teacher-mode again, and says, “Welcome back. You did it.”

You stick your hand out impatiently gesturing for the first aid kit kept in the car. When Gojo places it in your hands, you rush to tourniquet Maki’s leg where there’s an obvious gouge in the flesh. Gojo continues to talk with Yuta, likely a debrief, while you move onto the two children. Neither has any wounds that you can treat - they’re obviously cursed but that requires Auntie Shoko’s technique. You report all of this to your brother and he instructs the driver to be sure to take everyone back to school. He tells you to be sure to help ‘Ieiri-san’ with the children, and while you wrinkle your nose at the formality (Auntie Shoko has never separated her role in your personal life from her role in your training), you easily agree. With some effort and not much help from an exhausted Yuta, you manage to get all four into a car. You slide into the passenger seat and nod to signal the driver to start the car.

After copying her reversed healing cursed technique, the pair of you don’t take long to heal the children and Maki. Maki regained consciousness while you were working on her, nearly kicking you in the face. She gave you a short debrief of what had happened and, knowing she was now okay, you took great delight in teasing her for messing up her first chance to impress your new classmate. “Oh man, Toge-kun is going to love this. I can't believe Miss ‘I’ll rough him up’ got swallowed! You completely fucked up a first impression,” you cackled and dodged her kick. Shoko gave you an exasperated look from across one of the kid’s hospital beds.

“Leave my patients alone, (y/n). Go tell your idiot brother everyone is fine.”

taglist: @rowanthefox

[crystallized-shadow]

Follow Up For: Day 31 Pairing: Madara/Tobirama Rating: M Word count: 1337 Original Prompt: “What did you just say?" Warnings: Dark Tobirama, Dark Madara, Dark Uchiha family, casually discussing murder, swearing

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

They had only been dating for about 5 months when Madara had invited Tobirama to meet his family at the monthly gathering the Uchiha held. Tobirama had agreed without giving it any real thought, but now that he sat under the stern gaze of Madara’s parents, his younger brother, and a distant cousin with way too cheery of a smile, he was starting to regret the hasty answer.

“He’s prettier than the ones you usually go for,” Izuna comments with a smirk, making Tobirama frown, the brat had been making offhanded comments since they’d shown up, “I’m surprised you kept him around. Is he that good in bed?”

“Izuna,” Madara’s mother Midori scolds, though Tobirama can tell her thoughts are very similar to her youngest son’s. It made Tobirama wonder if they knew Madara was really a serial killer. Surely they couldn’t, no parent’s love could run that deep. “So how did you two meet? Madara has been very stingy with the details.”

“Not my fault you lot are fucking gossip hounds,” Madara mutters, though he is ignored as everyone looks at Tobirama, clearly demanding an answer.

“I uh…” Tobirama trails off as he rubs the back of his neck, it usually made him look innocent and young rather than the cold-blooded killer he was, “my friends ditched me and Madara was kind enough to give me a ride back to the university.”

“Okay now I’m curious,” the cousin, Kagami, states, his eyes darting from Tobirama to Madara, “you never keep your prey around longer than it takes to fuck them!”

“They know?” Tobirama mutters with a frown, there was no way that comment could be about anything other than Madara’s tendency to murder hitchhikers. None of the Uchiha are surprised by Kagami’s statement, which meant they all know but Madara had withheld the information from him and would be paying dearly later.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Madara chuckles before he gestures to the fan stitched into all their clothing, “in order for someone to wear our crest they must have intentionally killed someone and not gotten caught.”

“I see he bears our crest,” Tajima states, an unreadable expression, “so you’re either marking him for the kill or he’s a killer.”

“Everyone meet my copycat,” Madara says, his smirk too wide to be friendly, “he attempted to kill me when I picked him up.”

“Holy shit,” Izuna mutters, his eyes widening slightly as the entire family had heard about the ballsy killer that had copied Madara’s signature knife, “you’re marrying him, right?”

“That’s true love right there,” Midori says, stars in her eyes as she grins, “lord knows I wouldn’t give Tajima the time of day until he had a knife at my throat.”

“You make it sound like you didn’t have one against my spine the entire time,” Tajima chuckles and Tobirama gets the sense the Uchiha family really put the fun in dysfunctional.

“Do I even want to know how you two meet?” Tobirama mutters as he looks between Kagami and Izuna, who just share a knowing smirk.

“I thought he was cute,” Kagami admits, “and tried to jump him outside a bar.”

“He ended up in the trunk of my car and we’ve been together ever since,” Izuna grins, pulling Kagami into a messy kiss while Tobirama just stares at Madara for a long moment.

“Your family is fucked up.”

“You’re going to fit right in then,” Madara laughs, and Tobirama can’t help but agree.

It takes Tobirama 2 weeks, but he finally gets his revenge on Madara in the form of inviting him to meet the Senju family. In favor of fair play, he withholds one key piece of information, everyone in his family are cops; he couldn’t wait to see how Madara reacted to meeting his older brother.

“You must be Madara!” A voice booms as the two step in the door, a body tackling Madara into a hug.

“Get off me!” Madara snaps, trying to shove the clingy man off while Tobirama stands to the side, laughing his ass off. The Senju knows the instant Madara recognizes his brother as he goes rigid in shock.

“Get off him Anija,” Tobirama orders, side-stepping the hug Hashirama tries to catch him in, “this is why I don’t bring anyone home.”

“I’m sorry,” Hashirama pouts, a depressed aura falling over him that doesn’t even phase Tobirama as he steers Madara through the house.

“Is he bipolar?” Madara mutters and Tobirama shrugs.

“Probably, Father wouldn’t get him tested.”

“Your brother is just dramatic,” Butsuma states as the two make it to the living room where he and Tobirama’s two younger brothers are waiting for him.

“You’re…” Madara trails off with wide eyes as he stares at Tobirama’s father. Shaking off his shock, an easy grin stretches across his lips. “I’m sorry, Tobirama failed to mention his father was the Chief of Police.”

“Really Tobirama?” Itama mutters with a raised eyebrow, “when are people's reactions to our father going to stop amusing you?”

“This is why your boyfriends always dump you,” Kawarama states and Tobirama frowns, hating that his family feels the need to gang up on him as soon as he walks through the door.

“At least I know why you’ve been so nice,” Madara chuckles, kissing his partner’s cheek, “you’ve been planning this since I introduced you to my family, haven’t you?”

“Turnabout is fair play,” Tobirama reminds the Uchiha with a smirk.

“I knew there was a reason I liked you besides your pretty face.”

“Tobi did you…?” Hashirama trails off with wide eyes as he looks between his younger brother and Madara, “did you actually manage to find someone with as much snark as you?”

“If you’re going to keep interrogating me I will leave,” Tobirama states, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

“Since you’re finally here, let’s eat before the food gets cold,” Butsuma says gruffly, leading the men into the dinning room.

“How did you two meet?” Itama asks, finally breaking the awkward silence that has fallen over the group.

“Found him hitchhiking,” Madara admits, figuring that will get Tobirama scolded at the very least, “and we had a decent conversation on our way to his school so I gave him my number.”

“Tobi!” Hashirama exclaims, his face pale, “tell me you haven’t been hitchhiking again!”

“I’m not going to lie to a police officer,” Tobirama states, his tone unremorseful.

“How many times do I have to remind you there’s a serial killer still on the loose that kills hitchhikers!?”

“How many times do I have to remind you I can take care of myself?” Tobirama shoots back, making the entire table sigh.

“Tobirama,” Butsuma states, his tone icy, “I don’t want to catch you hitchhiking again or there will be consequences.”

“Hitchhiking is perfectly legal as long as I’m not on a major highway,” Tobirama points out, “and until I’m unlucky enough to bump into the serial killer there is nothing you can legally do to stop me.”

“Tobi…” Kawarama sighs, “must you be so difficult?”

“Yes, until you pricks decide to stop looking down on me for not being a cop!” With that Tobirama storms off and Madara is left staring at an empty seat. After no one moves to follow Tobirama, Madara stands up, wanting to go check on his boyfriend, only to stop when Hashirama catches him around the arm.

“If you hurt my brother I will use every bit of my influence to make your life hell,” the eldest Senju growls in Madara’s ear, his grip tightening to point Madara knows he’ll have a bruise later.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Madara mutters, elbowing his way past Hashirama. He finds the albino pacing restlessly in the front yard.

“I just want to leave,” Tobirama states before Madara can say anything and the Uchiha smirks.

“Of course, we can even pick up some dessert on the way home.”

Tobirama just smirks as the two get in the car, hoping someone is foolish enough to be hitchhiking tonight.

[a-sweet-pea]

💥🔪💔 for character(s) of your choice!

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

Let's go with Marcus from Refuge, we haven't checked in on him in a while.

REGRET/GUILT.

As rich as his family is, many of the peers he grew up around had tiny pets, and that dynamic was normalized for him at an early age. As such, it wasn't until an encounter with a tiny in his mid teens that his eyes were opened about the nature of their sentience and the horror of their enslavement. It is somewhat understandable then, that his unwavering commitment to the Magpie organization, and their mission of rescuing tinies, is partially an attempt to make up for his years of ambivalence and tacit acceptance of the status quo. He remembers handling tinies belonging to his school friends (carefully socialized to be docile and complacent) and blames himself for not realizing they were autonomous creatures worthy of dignity. He imagines how many tinies he could have rescued from toxic homes if he had started sooner, and he believes no amount of time or money that he pours into the Magpies' mission can ever fill the gaping pit of shame in his chest (but he's going to keep trying anyway).

🔪 KNIFE - how do they react to injury / misfortune befalling their loved ones (significant other, family, friends)? do they put themselves at blame?

I think this one is good for Jeeyah from Humans are Megafauna.

As Captain of the Charys, she sees the crew as her family, and herself as the head of that family. As the head of the family, it is her responsibility to keep them safe, and any accident or injury that befalls them in the line of work is indicative of a failure of her leadership. This attitude is no doubt informed/reinforced by her strong maternal instincts.

Relevant Note Regarding Cytan Biology/Society: Cytan are not sexually dimorphic, in the sense that there is no meaningful physical distinction between cytan that take on either role in the process of reproduction, so gendered pronouns refer instead to the status of fertility, with the 30% or so of cytan that are fertile being referred to with female gendered pronouns and the rest with either male or neuter. Jeeyah is not fertile, but uses female gendered pronouns as an indicator of her desire to raise young (a practice not unheard of in cytan culture; fertile cytan who do NOT wish to raise young are known to use male pronouns to indicate this fact).

💔 BROKEN HEART - what could their partner do that would absolutely break their heart?

Hmmmmmmm, lets go with...June from Junebug.

She's romantically unattached at the time of the story, but let us imagine a future relationship. I can envision a scenario in college wherein she is asked out by a handsome young man who compliments her, makes her feel beautiful, makes her laugh. Maybe they go on a few dates together, have a lovely time. Then he introduces her to his friends. And he's every bit as loving a friendly as he always is. But he's clearly been...playing up how big she is. His friends are sociable, she's the center of attention, but no one is asking her about the horses she's learning to care for, or how difficult her anatomy class is, they're asking her if she's always been this tall, if she's ever thought about being in the movies, does she think she could introduce them to her famous father. No one is cruel, but no one seems to consider that there might be more to who June is than being tall. And her partner doesn't seem to understand why she is upset. "I thought you wanted to make new friends," he says. "They all loved you." But did they? Does he?

(curse you for making me imagine this, I just want to give June a big hug now).

[ddarker-dreams]

Yan Giorno Giovanna - Tarot Card Asks

i’ve actually done some of the tarot cards for giorno but i wanted to revisit how i characterize him as a yan, and therefore we’re doing all of them again bois ! i might do this for bucciarati, mista, narancia, josuke and jotaro too! but my fav is up first

here’s a link to all the tarot questions! 

The Fool - How deluded is this yandere when it comes to their darling? Are they self aware on any level?

His fears don’t come from an unfounded place. Being Don of Passione puts you in danger merely for being associated with him, Giorno well aware of the fact. When he tells you he’s protecting you he means it, frustrating as it may be. That doesn’t mean he prides himself in cutting you off from others, it hurts to know you’re lonely when he’s not around.  

The Emperor - How much of their darling’s life does this yandere dictate/want to dictate?

Giorno feels that he doesn’t take more than he has to. There’s a lot of things you’re able to do, plenty of rooms set aside filled with equipment for your hobbies. The catch is that you’re either with him, or with no one at all. Other than keeping you in a certain, secure area, you’re allowed to do as you please as long as it won’t harm you. It’d make him feel better knowing you have some level of autonomy. 

Strength - How outwardly passionate is this yandere around their darling?

At first, he came off as impersonal to you. Giorno gave you space and allowed you to come to terms with your situation, not imposing himself upon you other than checking in. You can feel how he cares for you in his actions more than his words. From the way your room is decorated with your favorite flowers, to how you fall asleep in the study only to wake up tucked carefully into bed. Eventually he’ll grow more comfortable with you, sprinkling in words of heartfelt affection. 

The Hanged Man - Is controlling their darling important? Or do they want their darling to love them willingly?

It’s natural that he does want you to return his love, but he’s patient and cunning. Giorno will give you small pushes, but never outright forces you to say or do anything for him. It’ll be much more gratifying when it comes from a genuine place. He’s not a pushover though -- if you’re being disagreeable, he’ll leave to cool off as not to aggravate the situation further.

The Tower - If this yandere saw their darling in danger, how would they respond/react?

It would require a lot of planning for anyone with nefarious intent to get close to you. The only plausible way is if they’re a Stand user. If Giorno is with you, he’ll take care of the person with detachment. Your safety is his first priority, any wounds you may have sustained being treated with GER. He’ll take this experience as validation for his concerns. Expressing to you later that this is why he has to protect you, once you’ve calmed down. 

Judgement - Would this yandere ever open up to their darling?

He wants to truly be himself with you, but these things take time. Giorno isn’t sure how to open himself up to you, and doesn’t want to reveal too much at once. It’s a vulnerable feeling, and he’ll only ever attempt it once you’re more accepting of your situation. With enough encouragement he’ll start to show more sides of himself to you.

The Magician - How would this yandere use their abilities/status on their darling?

Anything is at his disposal, given his position in the mafia. He prefers to lavish you in luxury rather than punish you. Gold Experience allows him to create an assortment of rare and beautiful flowers to impress you with. Giorno wants to have positive experiences with you, but given the nature of what he’s doing that isn’t always possible. If you were ever harmed in an attempt to escape, he might hold off on healing you as you know he can as a “lesson”. It hurts him to do so though.

The Hierophant - Could this darling’s yandere fool them easily? Or be manipulated by them?

Hah no way. Giorno wouldn’t have made it this far without being able to tell when a person is acting genuine or is lying. To make matters worse, he has already memorized most of your behavior. Any signs of lying will be picked up on with seamless grace. Whether or not he calls you out on it with a smile depends on what it is you’re lying about. If you’re trying to manipulate him, he might play along to get more information. Or if he feels he’s had enough, he’ll tell you outright with an unimpressed expression that he’s disappointed. 

The Hermit - Is this yandere more relaxed, or capable of being more relaxed?

When you’re acting as you should, Giorno is pleasant to be around. He listens to you, is attentive to your needs, and truly adores you above all else. He’ll even go along with most things you ask for, within reason. You mention a craving for a certain dessert lately? He happens to know one of the best chefs in Italy who’ll make it right away. One of your favorite books came out? You’re getting a signed copy. Be good to him and he’ll be good to you.

Death - Would this yandere ever kill their darling? If not, would this yandere “kill” undesirable traits of their darling?

Giorno would go to hell and back for you, he wouldn’t even entertain the thought of killing you. He’s lost so much in his life -- friends, family -- he couldn’t bear the thought of losing you on top of that. Everything he’s done has been to ensure your safety, after all. Unless you have a habit that’s extremely self destructive, he’ll let you be yourself. He fell in love for who you are. 

The Star - How would this yandere deal with their darling’s loved ones?

There are a few possibilities with this. He might introduce himself to your family at one point, dazzling them with his charisma in hopes of further cementing himself into your life. Giorno doesn’t have any sadistic desire to hurt people more than necessary, that extends to them as well. If you’ve been acting up for too long, he might dryly mention paying them a visit. That’s normally all it takes for you to quiet down. 

The World - Would this yandere ever give up on their darling?

Giorno is nothing is not determined. Once he has a goal he will accomplish it. It’s not a question of if, rather, a question of when. He’ll have a preference for less malicious methods, but he is a member of the mafia. Getting his hands dirty doesn’t make him flinch. It’s just that when it comes to you, he’d prefer to give you the option to give him before he goes to more extreme lengths.

The High Priestess - What expectations does this yandere have for their darling?

He wants you to be as you were before. Giorno expects the initial combative phase, but doesn’t want it to last forever. He’ll do anything to make you feel at home, so that you can be yourself around him once again. Expect lots of encouragement to return to your hobbies and previous interests, he wants you to thrive in your new environment. 

The Lovers - How would this yandere deal with their darling being in a relationship with someone else?

Unfortunate as it is, he will be mercilessness with his methods. It’s what comes to mind when you almost find yourself giving into his abundance of charm. How blatantly abhorrent he is with your former partner. It pains him to even give them that label. Expect a very mafia style death, of a set up accident or worse. It depends on his mood. It’ll be messy and cruel no matter how the orders are carried out to remove that obstacle. 

Wheel of Fortune - Would this yandere’s behavior stay the same over time? If not, why do they remain the same?

Growing closer to you will change how he acts, even if it’s only in the small things. He’ll be more open about his interests with you, taking pleasure in deep discussions about nature where he can showcase his knowledge. Before he could almost seem clinical at times, like every touch and word was calculated. He becomes more of himself once you accept him, less rough around the edges.

Temperance - What made this person yandere for their darling?

Your benevolence. In his life he has rarely been on the receiving side of it, the world dishing out tragedies to him one after the other. Your disposition is in stark contrast with the cruelties he’s witnessed. From giving people the benefit of the doubt, to actively going out of your way to assist your friends... it draws him in. He wants to both protect this rare part of you, and keep it all to himself. 

The Moon - Is this yandere sensitive to what their darling says or does? If not, why don’t they care?

It’d be hard to tell that your words upset him. With a watchful eye you’ll be able to pick up on the humanity that slips through his carefully crafted mask of indifference. Giorno’s hands shake, even if only the slightest bit when you detail your hatred for him. Beneath the surface is an abundance of hurt. Why is it so difficult for you to understand he’s made these hard decisions for your well being? 

The Empress - Would this yandere want to have children with their darling in the future?

Family has never been a luxury he’s gotten to experience. He wrote off his parents at a young age due to their treatment of him. You presented a new opportunity to him, one of correcting the wrongs of the past with new beginnings. If you’d be willing, he’d love to have a family. Whether it be adoption or his own kin. Giorno would love to have a boy and a girl, spoiling them and giving all his love. 

The Chariot - What freedoms would this yandere allow, and take away?

Contact with anyone other than Giorno is taken away. There are staff and bodyguards where you live, but they’ve received special instruction not to speak to you (unless there’s an emergency). He doesn’t want to admit it to himself, but a dark part of him wants for you to depend solely upon him. He can provide you with anything, so he assumes it’s not like you need anyone else anyways. 

Justice - Does this yandere ever feel conflicted about what they’re doing?

While Giorno isn’t as relentless as the previous Don, to be in his position means to have a muddied moral compass. It hurts to see you crying and upset, it truly does, but he reminds himself of the greater picture. He’ll never feel seriously split over what he’s doing, resolve too firm to budge. It’ll be impossible to ever convince him to stop. 

The Devil - What taboo things would this yandere do to their darling?

Most times when you hurt yourself he’ll heal you up without any hesitation, hating the thought of you being in pain. It’s a different story if you injured yourself in an attempt to escape, or after you managed to escape. He’ll take care of anything life threatening, but other than that, you’re on your own. He’ll remind you with an icy gaze that this is what happens when you defy him, and his good intentions.

The Sun - When would this yandere feel content with their situation?

The day you wake up and return his affection wholeheartedly. He might be so ecstatic that it’ll bring him to tears honestly. Giorno will swear himself to you again, in a way remnant of wedding vows. He’ll dedicate every breath of the remainder of his life to making you happy, and protecting you, his most beloved. 

[klynn-stormz]

Written in the Stars

Hi everyone! Today is my day to drop my January Joy fic!! It was only supposed to be a one shot, but that didn’t work out so well, lol. I have split it into two parts and the second part should be posted within the next two weeks! So without further ado, here we go, I hope you enjoy it!

AO3: 1 |

Summary:  Emma Swan is enjoying her small town life in Storybrooke, a place where she can raise her son, practice her magic, and lead a relatively normal happy life. What she doesn’t expect is Killian Jones moving to town for business and turning her quite life up on it’s head. She’s not about to let some stranger interrupt it, easier said than done when everyone, including her magic, seems to push them together 

Part 1:

The snow-covered meadow glimmered under the full moon, a layer of untouched smooth snow had crossed the expanse of the forest Emma had walked through. There was something about the way the new snow shined brightly against the dark wood of the trees that made her think she had gone through a portal to a new enchanted realm. Under the watchful eyes of the moon and stars, Emma made her way to the middle of the meadow and took a moment to breath in the cold air. This was her favorite time, the sun had set long ago, the sound of the night animals was quiet and soothing, and not another soul was in sight. This was a time when she could be herself. She set her basket on the ground, it was already brimming with the herbs she had collected from the forest, and brushed the hood of her silvery white cloak off her face, then went to work on her favorite ritual.

 The set up was easy; the symbols drawn in the snow, much easier than in the dirt in her opinion, the herbs needed laid on the outer circle, she stood with a goblet in the middle and uttered the enchantment into the still night. It was a little later this year than she normally preformed, but her duties in town kept her busy until nearly 10 days after the New Year. Henry had finally put his foot down and insisted she preform it tonight, seeing that it was affecting her so. Preforming it late wouldn’t stop the renewal ritual from working, as it always did, she had just felt off until she was able to perform it. The coven in town had performed one on at midnight of New Years, but she rarely participated in the coven activities, preferring instead to keep to herself.

 Storybrooke was the perfect place for her and her son, from a young age her abilities had made it hard to stay in one home long. Left on the side of the road as a newborn she had been sent through the foster system, placed in families until her powers scared them to much for her to continue living there. Many hardships and trials had been sent her way, and each time she picked herself back up again. Eventually ending up in a quiet town of Storybrooke, finding others who practiced as she did. She wasn’t close to many of them, but they and all of Storybrooke had snuck their way into her heart and become family. Henry had taken to Storybrooke quickly, finding friends on the first day of school and worming his way into the hearts of all of the people there. His happiness at their newest home was what sealed her decision to stay, he needed stability and he needed a real home. Now, 5 years later, they were well settled in.

 The ritual completed, the spell seemingly hanging in the frigid air, Emma breathed a deep sigh of relief. A feeling of comfort washed over her as the cleansing and renewal ritual did its job. She carefully picked up her basket and walked to the edge of the meadow, waving her hand the grooves she had created in the snow disappeared as if she had never stepped foot there. Making her way back through the woods to a cozy cottage at the end of town, one she was lucky enough to have a view of the forest and the ocean in, she could never have realized how the new year would change her life.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“You’re completely blowing this out of proportion!” Ruby complained.

 “I’m really not.” Emma rolled her eyes while popping an onion ring into her mouth. She was having lunch with a few of her friends at Granny’s. Ruby was insistent on talking about the disaster that was Emma’s dating life, a topic that seemed to be a favorite among her, Mary Margaret, Ana and Elsa. “I’m not doing it again; I will not go through another Walsh incident.”

 “That wasn’t my fault!” Mary Margaret exclaimed, flushing slightly. “How was I supposed to know that he was a creep? He seemed so nice as the bank! Besides, I’m sure that this new man, his name is James, will be much different.”

 Everyone at the table stared at her till she muttered something about Emma becoming an old maid. Normally Emma would be put off and make them promise to stop setting her up, this would be met with mumbling and no eye contact. Normally. Today was different though, it was a cold fresh February morning, and there was something in the air today that made her feel content and almost… safe. It was a rare feeling for her, even in Storybrooke she rarely felt that way. She wasn’t quite sure she could trust the feeling, not one to get her hopes up.

 “I think we should get back to talking about Ruby’s date.” Elsa suggested. She was reserved, much like Emma, while her sister Ana was the most people person Emma had ever met. She gave Mary Margaret a run for her money on talking and gossip.

 “I’d rather talk about the new ship that just sailed in!” Ruby deflected.

 “Storybrooke has a fairly large port, why would a ship be anything special?” Ana paused, then hurriedly continued. “Not that ship isn’t special, I mean everyone is special so that must make it sort of special. Although, if everyone is special no one is right? Wait no, that’s from the Incredibles isn’t it, I need to stop falling asleep watching movies. What I’m trying to say is what makes this particular ship interesting? I’m sure it’s very interesting, but we do get ships in and out of port all the time, and they are all interesting too, especially the ones that trade in magic, but you never want to talk about those ones. I think that we need to discuss—”

 “Okay, that could go on for awhile so I’ll just answer your question now. The Captain and his brother are major hotties and we definitely need to find out more about them.” Everyone at the table was aware that once Ana got started it was best to interrupt her before they spent an hour listening to her ramblings. The current record was actually an hour and twelve minutes before they couldn’t take it anymore.

 “Of course, it would be because you think they’re attractive.” Elsa rolled her eyes at Ruby’s wiggling eyebrows.

 “Oh, believe me, if I wasn’t in an exclusive relationship, I would eat them up.”

 “I knew it! I knew you and Victor were finally serious.” Mary Margaret’s gleeful cry made Emma’s ears ring.

 “As fun as this is, I better get back to work.”

 “Emma you’re the sheriff you can make your own hours, it’s a Monday, nobody wants to work on a Monday!” Ruby whined.

 “And as the sheriff, it’s my responsibility not to spend three hours talking about potentially hot newcomers at lunch and instead protect and serve.” She responded drily. Turning towards the door, she was met with a loud chuckle and vivid blue eyes staring into hers.

 “I assure you, love, I wouldn’t mind if you continued to talk about my attractiveness.” The man gave her a grin that might have stopped her heart, she wasn’t quite sure at the moment, to lost in his eyes. His dark hair brushed over his forehead, she wanted to run her fingers through the strands and brush her palms against the stubble lining his jaw. When she got ahold of herself, she prayed that she hadn’t been staring to long.

 “As I said, I have better things to do.” She sniped, her defenses up, even if they felt different. Normally her magic would be on edge with a stranger near her, but now it seemed to lean towards him.

 That was ridiculous, she was just imagining it.

 She hoped.

 “Well, then it’s best I introduce myself to the law enforcement of this lovely town. Killian Jones at your service.” He bowed slightly and her eyebrows went up.

 “Planning on needing the Sheriff’s department anytime soon Mr. Jones?”

 “Only if the Sheriff is the one to respond.” His wink sent a shiver through her that she worked hard to keep hidden.

 “Emma Swan then,” Forcing her voice to sound clipped and uncaring. He reached down and took her hand; the reaction of her magic was immediate. Bursting around her in little near fireworks that only she could see, she panicked and attempted to reign it in. Her magic never showed itself to other people unless she willed it to; not even Mary Margaret, Ruby or Elsa had ever seen it, though they knew she had it.  He didn’t help any by lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. The magic continued to burst around her until he dropped her hand.

 “I should be going.” A quick mumble and a nod of her head was the last thing he saw before she rushed out the door.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 For the rest of the day Emma stewed over her magic, it had taken her a long time to come to terms with what she was, and even longer to learn to control it. As light magic was magic that was inherited and based on emotion, it was harder than dark magic. While dark magic took practice, research and patience, it did not require emotion; Emma’s magic was some of the strongest that Storybrooke had seen in a long time and they relied on her control over it to keep their little town off the radar of those who would exploit it. The local coven worked hard to protect the town, and expected her to do the same.

 She needed to know why her magic reacted differently to him. A flash of Neal went through her mind and her stomach curled at the memory. A man who had taken advantage of a young girl all alone in the world, who had made her believe she was special. The only good thing she had gotten out of that relationship was Henry, and Henry would always be her top priority.

 “Hey mom!” Henry barreled through the door, eyes bright and full of his adventures from school. Her shift finished, she grabbed her jacket, phone and radio, and hugged him.

 “Hey kid, ready for some dinner? I was thinking pizza.”

 “Works for me! We have a new project in English, we get to write a short story.” He dumped his backpack on her desk, then sheepishly picked it up at Emma’s raised brows. “I was thinking I could interview you about some of your magic and—”

 “How about we get some dinner, go home and you can tell me your story over dinner?” Emma asked, grabbing the phone to order.

 Later at their apartment, while they ate their dinner and had the tv playing in the background, Henry told her about his idea. He had gotten nearly to the end when he paused. “I don’t want to spoil the whole story for you.”

 “I thought your teacher said you were supposed to write a short story kid.” She teased him, impressed with his imagination. He’d always had such a wonderful view of the world; Emma was pretty sure she would be buying copies of his books one day. “Why do you need to interview me?”

 “Well, if the princess, Evil Queen, and Dark One are going to have magic I need to know how to write it! I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

 “Alright, tell you what. You get all of your homework done on Friday, and on Saturday and Sunday we will go through a few basic.” He grinned and hugged her tight. When he was all tucked into bed and Emma was reading in her room, she couldn’t help but think of blue eyes and dark hair. Her magic sparked again, a light skittering across the room. She would worry about everything tomorrow. Banishing thoughts of him, she willed herself to sleep.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Killian Jones had seen much of the world in his days, he had seen wonders and mysteries, magic and mayhem, good and bad people, and most everything in-between. As a Captain in the Navy, before he lost his hand in a tragic storm that he nearly lost his brother in, and as a sailor building a business with his brother when they left the Navy. He had been everywhere he’d ever dreamed. Yet, none compelled him as much as the blonde haired, green eyed sheriff that had magic bursting around her as he kissed her hand.

 He’d heard the lasses at the table talking about him and his brother. The long-haired brunette excitedly exclaiming their attractiveness and looking for gossip about them, while the blonde goddess rolled her eyes and looked for an excuse to leave. Seeing her had nearly stopped his heart, he was quite sure of that, only to have it pounding in his ears when their eyes met and time stopped. He could have stared into them forever, wanting to lean closer and brush his lips over hers. He wanted to gather her in his arms and find a private room to kiss her till neither could breathe, after all he wouldn’t need air so long as he had her. He was brought back to himself by the sound of her voice, a bored tone with a hard edge, as if she was putting on a show with it.

 Her eyes shined out at him and he was sure she felt the same as he had, though he was no less embarrassed at where his thoughts had gone immediately. He reigned himself in, flirting just enough with her to get her name. Emma Swan. Fitting, he mused, she had the elegance and grace of one, with high enough walls he knew he’d get pecked if he pushed.

  He didn’t think he’d mind much.

 The moment his lips touched her hand, the white sparks of magic had lit around them, fascinating him. He would have asked her what they were, but for the panic in her eyes when she realized what was happening. He pretended he saw nothing; it could wait till a later date. He had a feeling it would be long till the next meeting.

 When she was gone, he’d ordered at the counter, found a table and waited for his brother. All of his thoughts revolved around Emma.

 “She’s totally single you know.” Came a voice from behind. He turned in his chair to see the group of woman Emma had been with staring at him, a little bit of mischief in their eyes. The one who spoke gave him a wolfish grin. “In case you were wondering.”

 “The sheriff?” He clarified.

 “That’s the one, utterly single and refusing any sort of set up.” The woman with a pixie hair cut and the kindest eyes he’d every seen, replied. “She’s naturally suspicious of people, so you’d have to try pretty hard if you wanted anything to happen.”

 “That is,” Now a woman with frost in her hair and ice in her voice spoke up. “If you’re planning on sticking around.” He smiled at that.

 “My brother and I recently moved our business headquarters to this town, as it’s a good port and unique. We’ll be here for a long while.”

 “Oh that’s just lovely! Emma takes awhile to warm up to people, but you’d definitely want her on your side since she’s the sheriff. Just don’t break any laws and annoy her and you’re good to go.” The final woman had a voice that sprinted instead of walked, he wasn’t sure her mouth was even moving at the speed the words came out.

 “Thank you, ladies, for the advice. I’ll take it into account.” His brother walked through the door then and he was distracted greeting him, nodding a farewell to the women as they left. He smirked slightly when the icy woman ran into his brother and uttered a quick apology, the moment couldn’t have been more than ten seconds and his brother looked starstruck. Looks like they’d both have better reasons to make Storybrooke their new home.

 Liam and he spent the next hour going over some of the logistics of moving the company. It was almost done, the last thing to deal with was selling the old building they’d had back in England. The move to Storybrooke would be better in the long run, while the port wasn’t as big as the one they’d been at, most of their business and suppliers were closer, saving them money in the long run, and they’d just signed three new contracts with new contacts.

 Having heard of Storybrooke’s… unique circumstance, they were drawn to wanting to experience it for themselves. Their mother had been open about her magic from the time she had met their father, he had never really liked it, but dealt with it to be with her. She raised Liam and Killian to believe and practice as well, and though she had died when both were still young, her lessons had stayed with them when their father did not. Neither Liam nor Killian practiced regularly, feeling there were others much more talented that could keep the balance better. However, they preferred a place where they felt comfortable and free. Both had stepped off their ship onto the Storybrooke dock and could feel the rumors had merit. There was magic here, and it seemed to welcome them.

  “Well little brother, it’s time to find some housing I believe. I’ve scheduled a meeting with a realtor tomorrow who will walk us around some of the houses they have here.” Liam clapped his brother on the back, heading towards the back that led to the Bed and Breakfast rooms they’d booked for the week.

 “You mean younger brother,” Killian corrected. “and as long as you know I’m getting my own place then that should be fine.”

 “Of course, you’re not living with me anymore. It’s time for you to stop mooching off of me and get your own space.” The teasing tone made Killian roll his eyes as he bumped into his side a little harder than necessary.

 “Goodnight Liam, see you tomorrow.” Killian went to sleep and dreamt of green-eyed swans and magic.

[dennou-translations]

Violet Evergarden Gaiden: Chapter 6

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The Postal Company and the Auto-Memories Doll

   The current times were labeled as the era of postal business flood.

Within a continent that congregated small countries, the people who operated in the mail industry competed ruthlessly against one another. Putting it very simply, the situation of postal companies throughout the continent was of stealing each other’s customers.

Clients chose their mail agency of use and requested deliveries on their own. The reasons for the choices would be fees, deliverable areas, and of course, even the postmen’s degree of courtesy was a subject of deliberation. Taking all of those into account, they would pick one postal company from somewhere.

At present, as the management structure of postal corporations was becoming devoted to carrying the side-business of amanuensis “Auto-Memories Dolls” rather than only delivering mailed items, others were unable to establish a position in the market if their work leaned towards the latter. The more the competition increased, the more obvious the differences in services would become, and, as the superior and inferior ones would grow evident, the losing side would inevitably close down their company.

Within such harsh rivalry, in a certain country named Leidenschaftlich, located in the continent’s southern coast, there was a postal agency so-called CH Postal Service had boomed its name throughout the industry. Although it was a newly introduced company that had but a few years since being founded, its reputation was exceptional. The degree of customer satisfaction was high, and there was abundance of re-users.

On a general view, there were two motives behind its good results.

The first one was that the CH Postal Service had no restrictions to its areas of delivery. Should a client desire, it would deliver to any part of the globe. Of course, fees were imposed for remote places, yet that was the first attempt in the industry of pulling such a feat. Even existing postal agencies disputing for a leading position in the industry had determined delivery areas. The CH Postal Service delivered even to regions of conflict, therefore being a great help for customers whose family members or lovers found themselves in battlegrounds. Its patrons increasing in numbers was something logical. However, succeeding in doing such a thing as though it were extremely natural was terribly difficult for ordinary companies. The CH Postal Service was in condition to go anywhere for a client’s sake, as it had assembled the personnel and system capable of making it possible – therefore, it had managed to do so.

The second reason was that there existed a top star in CH Postal Service, who had come into sight in the Auto-Memories Doll business like a comet. Seeing her walk around the city would cause people to do double takes at her looks, and hearing her voice would paint their cheeks red out of fascination. She was a perfect beauty that seemed to have come out of a mythological legend. As of late, a play that the famous dramatist Oscar had written using her image had been announced and gained popularity, making her renowned even outside of the industry as per synergy.

People probably envisioned just what type of woman she was. Mostly, their expectations were betrayed in good ways. She was a woman that surpassed the categorical components of imagination.

Her name was Violet Evergarden.

The largest trading place of the continent was a port that served as a gate from and to the sea. It was a national interest of Leidenschaftlich’s, as well as a trigger for wars. Countless other countries had attempted to invade it, seeking its abundant resources and a privileged location.

Although the city was at financial ease with the prosperity of its economy, scars of old battles remained in some places. The symbols of long military service from the past had not been etched solely in protection walls or stone-paved roads. It could be said that the fountain built in the capital Leiden during the celebration of Leidenschaftlich’s hundredth anniversary was its most well-known marking.

Consisting of a total of nine goddess statues holding water vases on their shoulders, it worked in a way that groundwater poured out them. Despite it being a gem made by a nationally employed artist, the goddesses had their necks chopped off. It remained unfixed, for the sake of not letting anyone forget Leidenschaftlich’s disgrace in authorizing the invasion of another country’s castle town.

In spite of being a major commercial nation, it was a military state. There were armed soldiers amidst the lively cityscapes even during times of peace.

The members of the CH Postal Company had such country as their home.

“Oh, what’cha doing?”

“My.”

“It has been a while.”

Under a beautiful autumn sky, a group that rarely gathered met in front of the headless goddesses’ fountain. They were two women and one man.

“If it isn’t Cattleya and V. Have you come out to welcome the great me, unable to wait for my return?”

Leaving his motorcycle parked by the roadside and heartily eating grilled chicken was a postman clad in a glass-green shirt. His slender boots of cross-shaped heels gave out a devious sex appeal. Hidden behind sandy-blond hair, his light blue eyes were provocative. His unmanly, soft facial features were not gentle. It was Benedict Blue, who worked at the CH Postal Company.

“What’re you saying? I’m gonna ask again: what’re you saying? T-There’s no way I’d come pick you up! I just went out shopping as an errand for my beloved President. Violet, say something too. To this platform shoes man. Nobody called for you.”

The one who spoke as if to smooth things over with a moody voice was a beautiful woman of gracefully wavy dark hair. She had amethyst eyes and an hourglass shape. Brimming with enough sensuality to enslave the opposite sex, her body was enveloped in a carmine dress-coat with a waist ribbon, yet was about to burst out of it. She was Cattleya Baudelaire, who also worked at the CH Postal Company.

“You two, you are being too loud out in the street.”

Reproaching the duo with a voice of silver bells was an elegantly beautiful girl dressed up like a porcelain doll. Said person had a hairband made of embroidery lace sitting on her hair as it spread out in waves and was wearing a one-piece with plenty of such lace sewn to it, along with a chiffon trench coat.

“V.”

“Violet.”

She was Violet Evergarden, the top Auto-Memories Doll of the CH Postal Company, whose blue eyes enthralled those who looked at them, as did the emerald-green brooch sitting on her chest.

Benedict and Cattleya turned toward Violet, changing the addressee of their impressions in unison.

“What’s up with you?”

“Really, Violet, you’re pretty fired-up. You’re letting your hair down? Are you on a date?”

Pressed on by the two, the Auto-Memories Doll that the CH Postal Company had pride in, Violet Evergarden, cast her gaze to the ground. “Lady Tiffany... someone from my home arranged everything, but is it that strange?” Her voice sounded slightly embarrassed.

Cattleya observed Violet with a gentle look. “It’s not strange. You’re cute enough not to lose to me. Are you going to see the major?”

“Yes. It is still early for the meeting time, so I was going to buy a book for me to bring along.”

“That’s great; you’re looking forward to it, huh! Hey, she doesn’t look weird, right, Benedict?” Cattleya rejoiced without restraint.

“Tch,” Benedict clicked his tongue.

It had truly been a long while since the three of them had last gathered. That was only natural. At the CH Postal Company, everyone worked industriously every day. There were sporadic occasions in which they would be grouped on duty, but that was only when they managed to miraculously coordinate their schedules. They were mates who had been hired by their president at about the same time, so to say.

Benedict threw away the bones of the meat he had just eaten onto the road, peeking at Violet’s face while licking off the oil remaining on his hand. “Hu~n, well, isn’t it fine? Nice work.”

Although their faces were close, Violet stared back at him with her huge orbs without bending backwards.

Benedict flatly thrust a fingertip at her forehead in-between one big eye and another. “But the one who gets to walk you around gotta be me. As your older brother part, I can’t accept my little sister part getting eaten down by an old man. I’m better. ‘Cause I’m young and cool.”

It could be said that someone who had the nerve to say such a thing so imposingly was quite a rare type even amongst humanity.

With an aspect of irritation, Cattleya interjected, “A third party is gonna be telling you this, but Mr. Gilbert is super wonderful, is an adult man and I know Violet’s head-over-heels for him, so you’re the one who’s uncalled-for here!”

“What does ‘head-over-heels’ mean?” Violet immediately reacted to the term she was unused to hearing.

“It’s like being obsessed. Didn’t you say that the major was the only one for you?”

“I did say that, indeed.” Her brows furrowed as if she were troubled, her blue eyes slightly moist. She was most likely “embarrassed”. Perhaps becoming unable to say anything else, Violet wound up turning her face away.

The feeling of affection for that awkward girl, the envy towards her happiness and the complicated emotions from having a friend taken away by a man traveled across Benedict and Cattleya’s minds. Therefore, in order to dismiss it all, the two silently decided to ball their fists, pushing and kicking Violet left and right.

“Shit. Don’t go acting cute. You’re just a battlefield maniac.”

“Really, it pisses me off. You’re as strong as a bear! But you’re adorable.”

Perhaps not feeling any pain, or perhaps trying to figure out how to deal with such a situation, she resigned quietly and accepted the unwarranted violence. As seen from the sidelines, it looked like something close to bullying, but Violet was actually the one with highest combat capacity amongst them. When the physical strength of the three was put together, that sort of thing was no more than playing around.

“Listen, don’t let him touch you carelessly, all right? This is amazing, though. You’re like a fluffy dog. Cattleya, you try touching too.”

“Hey, don’t you go carelessly touching her with those hands either! Even the insolence of getting meat juices on a maiden’s hair has a limit! Stop it!”

“It’s fine, ain’t it? It’s not like I just got outta the toilet.”

“Eh, does that mean... you never wash your hands!? Right? That’s what it is, right? No waaay! Violet, hey, come here. Benedict, don’t you get near us! It’s my turf from beyond this point! I’ll beat the hell out of you for territory violation if you come over!”

As Cattleya swung her legs, enveloped in Suède boots, to draw a line on the ground, Benedict opposed to it in a level as low as the next person, not losing to her. He picked a dead branch from the root of a roadside tree and did the same as she had. “Haah~? Then I’ll make everything beyond this point into my turf! Speaking of which, the way to your beloved president’s head office is behind me, so don’t you go back to it either!”

“Ah~, that’s unfair! It’s. Not. Fair!”

“It’s not unfair~! You’re the one who came up with it first~!”

It was a child-like action for members of society to take. Violet, the youngest one, regarded them with interest as if she were watching a dispute between animals of a new species.

That was a short-lived period of peace before an uproar occurred.

   At the same moment, in the same country, within the same city, time flowed peacefully inside the head office of the CH Postal Company, nobody aware of the nightmare that would approach them a few minutes later.

The business firm was erected in an alley away from the main street, projecting itself in the very sense of the word over rows of small shops. It consisted of a spire with a light green, dome-shaped roof and a weathercock on display, a deep green roof that spread out as if to surround said spire, and outer walls made of red bricks that had been sunburned into a tasteful color. The iron plate on the arch-shaped front gate made known the name of the company with letters printed in gold.

Should one open the door, a cheerful-sounding bell would announce the arrival of a customer. Upon coming in, one would soon find the counter, which was the sector where the reception of postal items took place. The building had three floors, with the first being the reception desk, the second being the office and the spire in the third one being the president’s residence.

No matter how far it was from the main street, the building was quite expensive. Its owner – an individual referred by the members of the CH Postal Company as “President” and “Old Man” – was drinking black tea with brandy at a balcony that had an unbroken view of the city.

“I’m so brilliant that it’s scary.”

He was a lady-killer good-looking enough to display self-indulgent behavior. His age was around the thirties. He had droopy grayish blue eyes, red hair grown slightly long, a manly build, and although he was not young, he had soft facial traits that exuded sophisticated simplicity. His appearance seemed to earn the envy and jealousy from other men of the same generation as him. His leather boots shone lustrously without a single stain, polished perhaps out of obsession.

“President Hodgins!”

The one who had yelled into the room was a girl of innocent features. She was the possessor of velvety, evenly cut lavender-gray hair that stopped above her shoulders. She had large eyes, a small head and a petite body. It was still the physique of a young child, but the heterochromatic orbs from behind the glasses she wore bore a stunning suspiciousness that was mysterious even. She was a person who the word “lovely” fit perfectly.

“Please say so after you’ve finished work!”

However, her conduct had presence as the secretary of a self-centered chairman.

Hodgins retorted mildly, “Little Lux, what I need right now isn’t brutal working hours but relaxation time feeling the gentle autumn air and drinking tea.”

“Even if you say that with a nice voice, it sounds like nothing but running away from reality! Please; if you at least put the stamps, I’ll bring you as many cups of tea as you want! Tomorrow is the deadline! We have to clear up most papers today and submit to the concerned parties in lots of places tomorrow! It’s the Flying Letters all over again!”

“You’re already my Miss Secretary through and through. I’m so happy. You used to look like a scared little rabbit when you arrived here, but aren’t you a fine working lady now? This feeling that I was the one who raised you is exceptional, huh?”

“President Hodgins! Please! Take the stamp! If you hold it, I can move you to stamping it... I’ll also read out the documents to you...”

“Then, Little Lux, doesn’t it make no difference if you’re the one doing the stamping?”

“I’d do it if I could! All that’s left is the stuff that demands the president’s confirmation, so just get on with it!”

“That ordering tone with formal language coming from a teenage girl is giving me unbearable creeps... Hm, Little Lux, hey. You don’t look bad with a shirt-blouse and a long flared skirt, but why don’t you try changing your outfit? I think I’d recommend a black apron dress over a puffed sleeve shirt, black tights and red enamel shoes.”

“Please listen to what I say!” The figure that had once been worshiped as a demigoddess at the headquarters of a cultist organization was absent in Lux Sibyl – what was there instead was the figure of a half-crying subordinate attempting to convince her vain superior.

Lux had been working serious and untiringly ever since being brought over by Violet and hired into the CH Postal Company. Perhaps having incorporated a methodical personality, she was now entrusted with even the duty of president’s secretary, yet she always had a hard time with said easygoing president.

The competence that the man named Hodgins had for business was unquestionable, yet his self-amusement principles were extreme and he would not stop fooling around even when having piles of work to do. Keeping his day-by-day in check was Lux’s role. In worse times, she would have to search for him and pick him up at brothels in red-light districts.

“If you don’t put the stamps, the one who will die isn’t you, President, but myself.”

Lux was tired of it.

“No way. I’ll put the stamps. I’ll put them, I’ll put them. Don’t make such a depressed face. Little Lux, you’re too pessimistic. Also, you take everything too literally. I told you that eighty percent of the things I say are random, right? Poise yourself more at ease. Let’s enjoy everything. Even the troublesome stuff.”

“President... you seem like you’d say this even if you had a hole opened in your stomach... I’m jealous.”

“Thanks. I’m the type that grows through getting compliments.”

She had wanted to convey something that was no compliment, yet it did not turn into words as Lux wound up having her attention stolen by something else. Lux’s golden and reddish heterochromatic eyes caught a strange thing in the skies against the beautiful cityscape that was visible from the balcony.

“President Hodgins... Over there, something is...”

At the same time as she spoke, Hodgins forcefully dragged Lux’s body, held her up and jumped to the end of the room. Lux was squeezed tightly against Hodgins’s chest, not allowed to even scream or raise her voice in confusion.

A few seconds thereafter, the sound of an explosion ensued.

   “Do you not hear some sort of noise?” Violet’s leveled voice eventually came between Benedict and Cattleya, who were having a scuffle fight. Her blue orbs were looking up at the sky, sighting a black object that passed by in a flash.

And it struck one of the classy buildings among the cityscape of Leiden.

“The head office is under attack!” No sooner than she said so, Violet bolted from the place. She slipped through people standing still with their mouths open, their attention taken away by the explosion sound that had reverberated through the idyllic early afternoon.

“No way, no way! Eeh?! What about the President!?”

“Get on, you idiot.”

Benedict had mounted on his bike before long. After whispering lowly, he swung a hand around Cattleya’s back, all too easily lifted her up, sat her on his knees and simultaneously turned on the engine, taking off.

“Wai—! Doing that all of a sudden is scary! It’s scaryyy!” Cattleya shouted, clinging to Benedict’s neck.

“Move! Move! Y’all are in the way!”

A young woman who was selling flower bouquets with a mobile catering fell on the spot, the horse of her carriage letting out a neigh. Ignoring the situation of the traffic in the street, Benedict rampantly chased after Violet. He gradually got closer to her figure, which had already become the size of a bean grain.

Benedict stretched out his hand. “V!”

Violet had been running at an astonishing speed, but upon hearing Benedict’s voice, she nimbly hopped onto his motorcycle. The two of them, who had a mutual understanding without the invitation of “get on”, exchanged words while paying no mind to the scandalized Cattleya.

“That sound was of Leidenschaftlich style artillery.”

“Did you see the cannonball’s firing position?”

“There is no mistake that it came flying from the west side of the city. Look, smoke is coming out of the head office’s third floor. If we suppose that it was shot from somewhere just as high, we can restrict the location, right?”

“It struck Old Man’s apartment, so there’s too many suspects.”

“How can you be so calm!? The President might’ve died!” Cattleya glared daggers at Benedict and Violet, yet the expressions that two had on were different from normal times. She quieted down without thinking.

“No way we wouldn’t be worried, right...!?” Benedict spoke even for Violet’s part.

The motorcycle that the three of them rode let out a roar while going up the slope.

   Caught under a bookshelf, Hodgins was straddled over Lux with his hands so as not to squash her. Lux looked up at him, dumbfounded.

“Little Lux, you can... you can take it slow, but sneak off from under me.”

The glass of the windows had shattered and scattered all over the place. The president’s desk, which was an order-made one designed by a master craftsman, had been smashed to fragments. The carpet had turned into ember and the room was starting to envelope in flames.

“President Hodgins... I-I’m sorry!” Lux crawled out, attempting to somehow lift the shelf with her powerless arms. However, it did not even budge.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Man~, I’d been skipping push-ups lately so this is taking a toll on me... Heave-ho.”

The instant he put on strength and lifted the bookshelf all at once, he rolled away and escaped from being crushed. He was the bearer of a considerable muscle strength.

Hodgins stood up and looked around the room. The look in his eyes was no longer the earlier one of a slacker chairman.

“Sorry; you okay?” Only the gentleness in his voice was the same as always.

“Why are you apologizing, President?”

“‘Cause this was an attack aimed at me, no matter how you think of it. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t have any excuse to give your parents.”

“I don’t have parents.”

“That’s right. Then, I wouldn’t have any excuse to give you. Now, we gotta check if the other employees are all right...”

“Anyhow, let’s go downstairs; we’ll both burn to death if we stay like this!” Making a snap decision, Lux ran to the stairs that led to the lower floor.

Planning to go down through the balcony’s emergency stairs, Hodgins desperately called out to her, “Little Lux! Wait up!”

However, before Lux flew out the door, it opened automatically. Hodgins saw a brusque arm stretching before his eyes and taking ahold of Lux. She was dragged into the darkness and her frame disappeared.

“Little Lux...?”

By the moment that Lux reappeared before Hodgins, whose lips twitched, there was as a muzzle aimed at her temple. The one who pushed her forward while holding onto her shoulder was a man clad in a completely black suit. Six other men dressed the same way revealed themselves in succession. Hodgins’s gaze gradually became grimmer.

“How do you do, Claudia Hodgins?” The man referred to Hodgins by the name that he made sure not to call himself by. It was the name his parents had come up with while convinced that he was going to be born a girl.

Breaking into a distorted smile, Hodgins replied, “You’re truly one refreshing shitface, Salvatore Ridaudo.”

Salvatore smiled sarcastically as well. His hair was fixed with balm to the point there was not a single disheveled thread. He was the possessor of wood-brown droopy eyes, thick lips and skin as pale as wax.

“So, what is it you wanna do by shooting a cannonball into my office and thrusting a gun at my secretary?”

“My, good job figuring out that it was our doing.”

“I have a rough idea of it, but can’t you tell me… Mr. President of the Salvatore Postal Company? All that comes to me is that my academic background in the Military School was below yours.”

“How modest... What are you, an up-and-coming entrepreneur whose name everyone knows in the mail business nowadays, talking about? It’s very obvious what I’m after, right? The Salvatore Postal Company and the CH Postal Company. Two agencies competing for deployment in Leidenschaftlich. The fact that the other party is a nuisance certainly applies to you too, but I’m the one who’s been in this industry for the longest time. I can’t contain my frustration. Your way of doing things is... Anyway, I want you to obediently come with us. I wish to have a talk at a quiet place. If you do that, we’ll go home without inflicting a single injury on this cute lady and the rest of the employees.”

For someone running a postal firm, he was a disturbing individual. Calling him an underground chief would be more frankly agreeable. The men in all-black under his control did not seem to be respectful individuals either.

“Think you’ll get to live in peace after doing something like this? The military police’s coming over soon.”

“Seems like you have contacts in the military, but I myself have strong connections too. The military police monitoring this area won’t move an inch. I had them promise that they’d pretend not to hear anything the whole day, no matter how much noise we make. Claudia... Excuse me; is it okay to call you by your first name?”

Hodgins gritted his teeth to the point they let out a creak. “Go ahead. It’s the name that my beloved parents gave me.”

“Then, Claudia. If we keep talking so leisurely, we’ll both scorch. I want you to come along with us on your own feet.”

“Got it, I’ll go over there. But leave my secretary here.”

At those words, Salvatore went blank. He cast his gaze at Lux, who – perhaps from too much fear – had tears naturally welling up in her eyes, and broke into a smile that was rather merciful for an enemy.

And then suddenly punched her on the cheek.

His eyes open wide, Hodgins’s expression visibly dyed itself in rage. “You...! You laid your hand on a woman!!”

A man from the back gave her support as she seemed about to fall to her knees.

Side-glancing Hodgins as he shouted angrily, Salvatore wiped off the blood on his fist onto the sleeve of one of his subordinates’ suit. “I loathe women who think things will somehow work out if they cry. Sorry.”

His voice sounded as though he had not an ounce of pangs of conscience.

By the time that the trio had arrived, the people of the neighboring shops were helping put the flames down together with the firefighters.

Seeing that, Violet whispered quietly, “It is almost as if they knew there would be fire, isn’t it?”

Indeed, just as she said, the fire department’s performance was too well-executed. Thanks to it, only the third floor of the CH Postal Company received damage.

“You three! Over here!”

As they turned around upon being called, they found uniform-clad office workers of the CH Postal Company standing outside with burns showing and in a horrible state. A middle-aged man, presumably the oldest of that group, was waving his hand.

“Anthony, everyone, you okay? What’s all this?”

Anthony, the section manager of the reception desk at the CH Postal Company, had genteel facial features. He spoke with a demeanor and manner of talking that matched said features, “Every employee who attended work as of today is fine. However... the President and his secretary Lux have been taken away.”

“No way!” Cattleya let out a cry similar to a scream.

Benedict looked at Violet. She blinked several times. Her long eyelashes swaying widely displayed “shock” amongst her scarce emotions.

Her hand reached out to her brooch and gripped it tightly. “Who... and where... is the culprit...?” she asked in a low voice, still gripping it and not letting go, “Who... and... where?”

Her tone was an absolute zero.

It was so low and cold it went to the point of making whoever listened to it hallucinate that their temperature had dropped for a second. The air about her was bizarre, further enhanced by her usual robotic aspect.

Only one person moved within that freezing atmosphere. “V,” echoed the affectionate nickname by which Benedict alone called her.

Violet turned her head to the side.

“It’s okay.” That was a tone so gentle it was unimaginable coming from Benedict. “I’ll do something about this no matter what.”

Those words were almost like the ones that a true older brother would tell his younger sister.

Violet’s eyelashes once again flapped flutteringly. “I will do it.”

“You can’t. If we’re doing something, we’ll do it all together. Your plans for later gonna be okay?”

“The plans... No problem; Major will understand. Besides, Major would probably order me to rescue President Hodgins and Lux.”

Perhaps unamused by Violet’s attitude in demonstrating unwavering trust, Benedict ruffled her hair roughly. “Ah, that so?”

Her feathery, wavy streaks expanded even more. Unlike earlier, Violet protested with a “please stop” using her normal voice. The instability that had given a glimpse of her former self as a girl soldier was concealed and everyone in the surroundings exhaled relieved sighs.

“Hey, enough; I’m gonna ask about the rest. Anthony’s troubled, ain’t he?”

Having her shin kicked, Violet finally nodded.

Anthony resumed speaking, “The perpetrator is the Salvatore Postal Company. Its president who has the looks of a vampire and his followers dressed in black did this to the office… I tried to notify the military police with a detailed report of the circumstances, but they would not listen. It seems Salvatore has enormous support. I can’t think of anything other than information manipulation.”

Meaning that Hodgins and Lux had been taken by Salvatore and their whereabouts were unknown. It would seem that the employees left behind were first and foremost concentrating themselves on digesting the situation.

“When departing, President Hodgins told us, ‘I leave the rest to you’.”

“I’m so glad! They’re okay for now, huh!” Cattleya patted her own chest and welled up with tears.

“Salvatore’s the place that dispatches those postmen with black uniforms? If I’m not wrong, their head office was in Leiden, yeah? Those guys once went claiming a boundary to delivering territories, so I beat them into a pulp. Could it be… this was my fault?”

“Eh, what? The name sounds like a tongue-twist so I can’t remember just by hearing it one time. Salva… Sal… Salfa…”

“'Salvatore’, Cattleya.”

Imitating Violet, who pronounced it slowly, Cattleya uttered it as well, “'Salvatore’, 'Salvatore’… okay. Gotta be able to say it right. They’re the ones we’re knocking off into hell, after all. Well, when does the blood festival start? Of course, we’ll settle the accounts, right? We’ll go save the president and Lux, right?”

It was a crude statement, yet the people present nodded at Cattleya’s suggestion with an aspect that bore no sense of displacement whatsoever.

“Please pummel them.”

Benedict broke into a villainous smile at Anthony’s request. “Oh. We’ll do that. Old Man will be fine even on his own but we gotta save the midget.” Benedict vigorously hit his own chest with his fist.

Anthony let out a breath of relief at that attitude. “You three, what should we do, then? Should we call over the other employees? The Salvatore Postal Company owns countless branch offices, even abroad. Is this all right?”

Violet said after raising her hand, “We shall seize them simultaneously. In the national offices, there should be a spot by the windows with nothing but the reception desk. The three of us will take it over… However, the priority is to strike the head office first. Let us suppose that the location the two were kidnapped to is where the leader is. Depending on whether the people at work recruited as combatants are available, please notify them that we are seizing our neighbor agency, the Salvatore Postal Company. Hold a transmission for the combatant employees to grasp the entirety of the situation. We will entrust the information convergence… to you, Anthony.”

“Understood, Violet.”

She was the expected of a former warrior. With that, the chain of command was made clear.

Looking at Violet, Benedict asked, “V, ain’t you kinda coming back to being a soldier?”

Violet had on the same composed expression as always, yet the things she said were uncouth.

“I am not. However, counterattack for justifiable motives is permitted even during travels. We are merely going to resolve a quarrel between fellow post offices. The third floor is the one burning, right?”

Violet had a reason for confirming that.

   The trio stood in front of a thick iron door inserted unnaturally in the red brick wall at the back of the building. As Benedict squatted on the spot and dug up the ground, a small box covered in dirt appeared within not even a few minutes’ time. Inside it was a bronze key. Once he reverently brought it into the keyhole, the door greeted the visitors while ringing out a rusty sound. They took a built-in lantern and went down the stairs in the thin darkness. Soon, they arrived to their destination.

The basement illuminated by the faint light stored equipment that should not possibly be gathered in an ordinary company. They were firearms, swords, spears, axes, bows, shields and other fighting tools of all kinds. Even if that were the president’s hobby, such assortment of goods was not something an amateur could attain.

“He saw something like this coming and was getting himself ready, huh. He’s got actual self-awareness that people have a grudge against him,” Benedict said as if in admiration.

“Ah~! President got the tonfa that I said I wanted! The whip too!”

“One fist’s more than enough for you, ain’t it? Don’t go taking any more dangerous weapons other than that. V, what’cha picking? We got this opportunity so I’m gonna take the ones I’ve never used.”

“I...” Looking around the hidden weapons of the CH Postal Company, Violet reached a hand out to something wrapped in a tattered rag set against the farthest wall. “I have decided that this will be my weapon. Benedict, Cattleya.” Violet raised the object that was as tall as her with hand movements that did not allow one to perceive its weight. “Let’s go as discreetly as possible.”

The three stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“Impossible, ain’t it? I’m pissed.”

“Impossible, isn’t it? With this group, that is.”

“So that is really the case.”

As the result of a discussion, they arrived at the conclusion that leaving the enemies half-dead without killing anyone was passable.

   Salvatore Rinaudo stared down at Claudia Hodgins. The person he detested was currently on an imported bear leather carpet of his personal choice, feeble and with wrists tied.

They were in a room encircled with black furnishings. The fact that said room was decorated with the personality of its owner was apparent one way or another. There were portraits of himself and bookshelves with double glass doors that did not seem to be opened often. There were also butterfly specimens and vases filled to the brim with fresh white flowers. Quiet violin music was playing from a gramophone, but it did not relieve the restless atmosphere in the slightest. Having her cheek punched and swelled, Lux Sibyl was seated on a chair, but one of Salvatore’s underlings had a gun thrust at her head.

Lux was constantly concerned about the outdoors. From the balcony, she could see Hodgins’s office at just the same height in the far distance. Black smoke rising from it, the structure of the CH Postal Company’s headquarters and of that building were awfully similar.

There was one more thing to note about the balcony. It was the artillery that seemed unlikely to have been placed there as an antique.

“Shall I tell you the reason why I despise you?” He stretched his arm as though to embrace Lux, caressing her, who had her right cheek swollen, almost as though soothing a pet cat.

As the cheek that had been hit still throbbed, Lux shuddered as if in pain upon the touch.

“Above all, it’s you yourself. You were born to a well-off merchant family, and used to belong to Leidenschaftlich’s army. Even though you were promoted up to the rank of major, you quit the military immediately after the Great War ended and founded a post office next, succeeding splendidly at it. People like that do exist, huh? The kind that can carry out anything just fine no matter what they do. In most cases, they stomp over others’ efforts with the sole of their shoes. And with a nonchalant face, to boot. I may have all this, but I’m one of the people who face hardships, so I detest those like you.”

“If me being superior is a sin, then go complain to God.”

“My second reason for hating you is that you rebel against the principles and rules that our predecessors established. ‘The CH Postal Company delivers to anywhere’? You make me sick.”

Hodgins shot Salvatore’s hand a blazing glare. “High quality at a low price for the costumers... That’s the basics of business, isn’t it?”

“Won’t you just crush those who can’t do the same if you turn this into a standard?”

“You get tripped up because you sit on your hands like that. Y’know, I just happened to think back when I was a soldier that a post office like this would be great and am simply making it into a reality. Letters that can be sent to any sort of battlefield. Postmen who can deliver them. Auto-Memories Dolls who can come to you if you so wish, even if you live at the heart of a sea of trees. What’s so bad about doing something I like with my own money?”

“There are still other bad things... What’s that building? Isn’t it almost like claiming that you’re going to replace the Salvatore Postal Company? The fact that only the weather face stands high up is also irritating.”

Salvatore’s hand moved from her cheek to her silver hair, which emitted a glossy luster.

“Don’t touch my secretary... Yeah, that’s right, I declared war on you. I’ve known you before getting into the industry. You’re all over the country I protected, doing stuff that doesn’t favor it.”

“What, for example?”

A bundle of hair picked by Salvatore’s fingers flowed in-between them, producing a smooth sound.

“The fact that you’ve been selling weapons behind the face of post office... You were selling national weaponry abroad, weren’t you?”

“We’re a postal company that has gentleness and courtesy as our selling points, so we do deliver anything that people request. However, I don’t recall delivering anything to the North.”

“That’s not the issue. Even if you didn’t sell anything to them when battles were going on, it takes just a bit of thinking to figure that this kind of stuff makes rounds, right? It was so unbearably weird... How come the enemy had weapons made in Leidenschaftlich? How come my comrades were getting shot by the enemy with them and dying...? I finally got to investigate that mystery after the war.”

Lux’s had her hair forcefully pulled and her neck bent backwards. Her scarf was taken off, her collarbone peeking from underneath her blouse.

Salvatore took the gun from his underling and pointed it at her chest. “If you know this much, you also know that part of my proceedings went to the military, don’t you? It’s not something that I alone wished for. Some people from your country, which you’d devoted your life to, merely wanted to increase their retirement pay a little. Isn’t that a commonplace story? Can’t you drop the moralist act? It disgusts me.”

“I’m no moralist—hey... how many times do I have to tell you not to touch...”

“Claudia, it’s not like you have a respectable life style either, is it? You wagered your whole fortune on war gambles and earned a large sum, wasn’t that it? Funds gathered from gambling are a hotbed for underground organizations and black market groups. With those funds, they sell off weapons, drugs and abused women and children. Even if you’re on the side that just milked it out, from the moment you placed a bet, you also made rounds and became someone’s assailant.”

“That’s why I said... I’m no moralist! I did all of it because I wanted to. You and I are both pitch-black at heart. But y’know, my secretary over there is a respectable girl. Didn’t you hear when I told you not to touch my secretary?! If you get anxious unless you’re touching something, just hit me or whatever!”

Perhaps because such statements rubbed him the wrong way, Salvatore did as Hodgins proposed, leaving Lux and kicking Hodgins’s face with his shin. Crimson hair swaying, Hodgins collapsed onto the floor.

Regardless, he grinned. “Thanks; should I take my clothes off while we’re at it? It’d get you excited, right?”

Salvatore grabbed Hodgins’s collar with rage. “How filthy. Your company is your human nature itself. I’m a victim. I want you to give me back the clients, routes and everything that you’ve stolen from me. I think being a soldier suited you better than being a businessman. Lying on the ground like this is fitting of you. Why... I’m just going to have you write your name on a document. Promise not to trespass my routes... It’s hard to do stuff with you loitering around. Lots of stuff, you see.” He let go abruptly, Hodgins’s face banging onto the floor.

“President!” Lux’s tear-mixed voice leaked.

Hodgins immediately raised his head and smiled at Lux. He went as far as winking at her.

Salvatore harshly told his underling to call over the official scrivener who would bear witness to their contract. He most likely intended to crush Hodgins’s post office through leaving behind a legal document with unequal contents.

“Tepid; you’re tepid.” Hodgins’s tongue licked off the blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Compared to back in the battlefields, you really are dull...” As he coughed curt and subtly, his voice reached Salvatore. “My company isn’t just mine.” Hodgins looked out the window. He checked if something was coming and waited for it.

   “Salvatore Postal Company identified ahead,” Violet whispered.

Benedict was driving his motorcycle, Cattleya behind him. Holding onto Cattleya’s shoulders, Violet was standing on the edge of the passenger seat. Running through the cityscape in the early afternoon, the motorcycle carried not only three people but also uncovered armament.

“Hey~, there’s a huge tacky cannon in the balcony~.”

“All~ right, I was thinking about forcing our way through the front gate but change of plans. V, go off on that balcony,” Benedict said with a lightheartedness that one would invite another to go shopping with.

“Understood. Cattleya, please give me support.” Violet took into her hands a thick, long cylindrical object that had been placed on the motorcycle’s luggage carrier. It was something that could be called both a rifle and a rocket launcher. She rested it on her shoulder atop the running vehicle and determined her target.

Once Cattleya clung to her legs as to secure her body, Violet shot without mercy. Explosion sounds echoed throughout the city of Leiden for the second time that day.

“Impact confirmed.”

Pigeons fled into the sky, the townspeople darting their eyes about in search for the source of the noise. Meanwhile, the motorcycle that the trio was riding on gradually drew closer to the Salvatore head office.

“Sca~ry! But ama~zing! I also wanna shoot tha~t!” Cattleya shouted in joy upon seeing the balcony destructed.

“Won’t let ya no matter what.”

“You cannot no matter what.”

Benedict and Violet shook their heads in sync. Both comprehended that it would be dangerous to let such a naïve woman hold onto firearm.

“What’s with that~?! I also wanna go wild big time~! Isn’t it okay?!”

“Then, let Cattleya be the first to charge in. Please be contented with that.”

“What’re you deciding on your own? The first at anything’s gotta be me.”

“You follow me from behind. ‘Cause the one who’ll save our captive princess of a president is going to be me. A~hn, wait for me, President! Where are you!?”

“You... As if such a huge dude could be a princess. What kinda princess is that?”

“If you were as tall as the President, you wouldn’t have to wear those heeled shoes, huh.”

“You’re wrong! That’s not why I wear them! It’s because they’re cool! You... Imma make you cry later! I’m dropping by your place today, so get ready for it!”

“Yo... Yo-Yo... You idiot! What’re you saying in front of Violet?!”

Silently listening to the exchange between the two, Violet slowly took from the luggage carrier the handle of the weapon jutting out of the tattered cloth. “Then, I shall take this opportunity and go.”

They had no idea what opportunity she was taking, yet Violet nimbly jumped midair after saying nothing but that. As she landed on the ground, the motorcycle also stopped right in front of the head office with good timing upon scoring an ostentatious drift.

“Here I go, Major.”

The one taken into Violet’s blue eyes was the Salvatore Postal Company – a building that looked exactly like the CH Postal Company. Although it was a weekday, a “closed” sign hung on the door and five postmen clad in black frock coats stood by the entrance smoking cigarettes.

The stunning woman, the man mounted on a motorcycle and the beauty behind him appeared before their eyes. Ashes fell down in lieu of their surprise at the mystery trio.

“Wh-Who’re you?!”

While the men froze on the spot at her exposed unpainted face and moonlight-colored hair, Violet swiftly tore off the tattered cloth wrapped around the weapon in her hands. A battle-axe of a size unfit for swinging around in a city road revealed itself.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am an Auto-Memories Doll from the CH Postal Company; my name is Violet Evergarden.”

The name of the battle-axe wielded by that woman as ominously beautiful as a witch was Witchcraft. It had a silver blade, and the red rain that it dyed itself in from the number of people it had killed was a manifestation of its ill-omened existence.

“Apologies for you are in the middle of work, but could you allow us upstairs? Ever since our company’s president and secretary disappeared into your agency, we have not known of their whereabouts.”

As she held onto it, illuminated by the afternoon sunlight, her frame gave off quite a sense of misplacement.

“If you will not listen to our request, we shall exercise brute force based on the guiding precepts of our company.”

But as she wielded it, her figure looked appropriate. Rather, it was the contrary.

Raising the gigantic battle-axe blithely, Violet pointed the blade at the men. Instead of opening their mouths, the men took pistols out of their coats and pants and aimed them at Violet.

“The guys from the CH Postal Company are here! Don’t let them pass no matter what!”

“Violet!” Cattleya’s scream reverberated through the city roads.

However, the beautiful Auto-Memories Doll moved at the same time as the opponents readied themselves, dealing a preemptive strike in the blink of an eye. “Negotiations broken.”

A single blow from the battle-axe brushed away the postmen. It was an attack that did not cut them and merely struck their vitals using blunt weapon essentials, yet it caused three of the men to hit their heads against the outer wall of their company and collapse.

The remaining two men, who had dodged the appearance and disappearance of the axe, frantically aimed at Violet and pulled the triggers. Without any change in her facial expression, Violet twisted the battle-axe around and repelled the bullets with its blade. Switching hands, she pointed the tip of the handle at the opponents. It produced a ringing noise.

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

The flower bud ornament decorating the tip of the handle flew out together with a long chain. It knocked the two men’s pistols off their hands. She did not give the men, who held their hands down due to the collision, any opening to straighten their postures. This time, Violet rammed the battle-axe’s arm against the surface of the building’s wall and anchored it. While extending the chain and spinning midair, she dealt a flying kick to the face of one of them, made his face into her stepping stone and roundhouse-kicked the man next to him. There was no hesitation or mercy in her series of actions.

“Bu-But I was supposed to be the first one!”

“That was me!”

Indignant, Cattleya took a sack fastened to the luggage carrier, which contained her weapons. After thorough indecision between the tonfa, whip and other armory, the one she had chosen were iron knuckles.

Before anyone noticed, Benedict’s hands were gripping two pistols. He disabled the safety catch with practiced hand movements. “V! Don’t get too serious! If you’re angry, I can get angry for you!”

As if the people inside the Salvatore Postal Company had foreseen that someone would come raid it, postmen peeked out from the windows of the floors above with rifles in position. Bullets from Benedict’s pistols pierced their arms as he spoke, creating a rain of blood splashes.

“If this is the emotion called wrath, I want to rid myself of it quickly. Cattleya.” Violet pointed with her finger at the rocket launcher that had no more remaining ammo to Cattleya, who had put on her iron knuckles.

Agilely grabbing its handle with one hand, Cattleya threw it with heightened rotation speed after drawing it back once with much vigor. “One, two, the~re!”

Together with her adorable shout, the rocket launcher struck the postmen who had turned up in the upstairs floor, breaking through the window glass. Its destructive power was the same as a bullet shell.

The one who had flung it jumped up and down on the spot as if delighted. “Kyah~! I hit them~!”

It was not a deed that an average person, let alone a young woman, could normally manage. She was the possessor of tremendously strong arms.

“As expected of the Stupid Woman – or more like the Stupidly Strong Woman.”

“Shut up, Platform Shoes Man.”

“Ah, you on?”

“What, are you?”

The ringing of the chain on Violet’s battle-axe Witchcraft drowned out the duo’s little quarrel. One of the men screamed and threw himself out the window, falling onto a flowerbed in front of the company.

“Benedict, Cattleya. By the looks of it, the President and Lux are unmistakably inside this building. President Hodgins told me that he imitated Salvatore’s agency when our company’s office was under construction. If that is the case, then the highest position is probably the uppermost floor – the third floor. I am counting on you to follow the procedures.”

The two nodded in reply to Violet’s words.

“Let’s kick their asses at once and go celebrate.”

“We’re bothering the neighbors, after all.”

Before anyone realized, the city had gone quiet.

The Salvatore Postal Company was located in a completely ordinary shopping street in the city of Leiden. However, the passersby had fled within a few minutes, and the shopkeepers of the nearby buildings, as well as the buildings next to those, had closed their shops’ windows – the so-called display windows – and pulled down the iron shutters.

The fast action stemmed from their understanding that the city had become involved in the maelstrom of a fight. It was a particularity of citizens from a country that had long been shutting off invaders ever since its foundation. The people were silently waiting for the conflict to end.

“Well, then, let’s go in.” Violet’s figure as she gave the command with a clear voice was different from usual.

   Inside the chairman’s room at the top floor of the Salvatore Postal Company, the scenery visible from the balcony – an autumn sky where cirrocumulus clouds drifted high up and Leiden’s cityscape – had looked like it was inserted in a picture frame. Yet such beauty was something of a few seconds before, and now the artillery enshrined in it had received great damage from a sudden explosion attack, smoke rising from it.

Once ornamented with delicate sculptures, the rails were crumbling, and the balcony was in a state where one could fall straight to the ground if they put a foot on it. If the artillery were loaded with ammo, it was most likely not the only thing that would have been destroyed.

In that situation of settled chaos, Salvatore Rinaudo’s pale face went even paler and his mouth fell open as he spaced out, while Claudia Hodgins bit the inside of his cheeks to kill off his own laughter and trembled in opposition.

“What have they done?”

“Ahah—AHAHAHAHAH! Aah, I can’t anymore! Can’t hold back! This is the best!” Hodgins convulsed with laughter upon looking at Salvatore’s face. “What you so surprised about, Salvatore? Isn’t that what you did to us? Well, but... you wouldn’t think we’d do the exact same thing as you, huh! There’s no helping it! Ahahahah!”

Even Lux, who had all along been shaking with a darkened face, lit up with a sparkle of hope and laughed a little.

“Is this the work of you people from the CH Postal Company?”

“Who else is there? Our corporate philosophy is ‘an eye for an eye’.” Hodgins was in such a good mood that he seemed like he could break into song right then.

A few of Salvatore’s underlings went down to the floors below. Gunshots and screams soon echoed again. The fact that the screams had come from Salvatore’s subordinates increased his anxiety and impatience.

“They’re doing this even though you might be injured... What kind of training do you use on them?”

“Basically a principle of liberalism. Most of the personnel I gathered back when I was building my company happen to be guys with nowhere to go that I coaxed and took in... Don’t know if my preferences are biased, but it turned out that lots of them were absurdly strong fellows. The ones who’re here right now are definitely two of the Auto-Memories Dolls that were off-duty and... probably a postman that was scheduled to return to town today. They’re elite of the finest kind even among us. Salvatore, since it’s you, weren’t you supposed to investigate me through and through?”

“Your company’s employees are former soldiers and mercenaries, right? If that’s the case, so are our postmen...”

“They aren’t just former soldiers and mercenaries. Benedict is an ex-mercenary who had the nickname of ‘Battle-Hungry Freak’ in another continent. Cattleya was a boxer. She has arms so strong that no one can beat her by using force. And that beautiful girl whose name you can even say everyone knows in the Auto-Memories Doll business... my adorable Little Violet, used to be Leidenschaftlich’s most powerful female soldier. It’s in the past, though.” Hodgins smiled at Lux. “By the way, my secretary is a former demigoddess.”

“‘Leidenschaftlich’s most powerful female soldier’?”

“Didn’t your patrons tell you anything? Well, she was treated as a secret in a way, so it isn’t impossible for civilians not to know about her. The military went as far as creating a troop just for her and made her work for them, but they never gave her recognition or ranks. She didn’t have a surname back then and it seems people just called her ‘Violet’. My friend found and raised her... She was the leading figure of the Great War in the shadows.”

Salvatore reminisced to the photos of Hodgins’s employees whom he had made his underlings investigate. One that had been engraved in his mind remarkably vividly was a beautiful woman. She was a girl of exquisite, suave facial features. Even if one declared her to have been the strongest female soldier, nobody could believe it right away.

“How did you make a woman like that yours?!”

“She’s not mine.” Hodgins smirked defiantly. “And she doesn’t belong to the military anymore either. From the very start, she... Let’s stop here; telling this story to you is a waste.”

The battle’s tune gradually grew closer to the top floor. By the looks of it, the fuss was escalating to a direction where even angry yelling was ensuing. It seemed the owner of the voice was a young woman. Even amidst gunshots, the conversation between those two people did not cut short.

Hodgins’s smirk deepened, Salvatore’s face becoming grim.

“You guys, give polite greetings when coming in.”

Salvatore’s underlings readied their guns all at once. The tension reached its peak, everyone inside the room paying attention to the door. However, it was time.

“Lux, please cover your eyes,” a beautiful voice that did not match such a place, which had converted into a battlefield, could be heard from behind the staff members.

A black lump jumped from the balcony. It looked like a beast at first. A stunning and terrifying beast that moved its limbs gracefully and trampled over its enemies.

No matter how much the “hunters” who had taken notice of the beast’s existence made bullets rain on it, its feet did not halt by a single inch as it bared its fangs. It steadfastly ascertained the battlefield even as it danced in the air, wielding its weapon with astonishing precision, bringing everyone to the ground.

“A-Aaaah!!”

The arm released from the battle-axe pierced and gouged the shoulder of the man who had been thrusting a gun at Lux. The beast swung the battle-axe and stationed Hodgins and Lux to behind itself.

Salvatore took a few steps back, and exactly two factions stood in position separated at his right and left sides.

“Major Hodgins, we apologize for the wait.”

“I’m always telling you that it’s ‘President’, aren’t I, Little Violet?”

The beast – rather, the woman – shot a cold glance at the one that she perceived as the enemy.

“You—What are you?” Salvatore vented his confusion at the sudden intruder who held onto the completely red battle-axe.

She had white and smooth skin like that of porcelain dolls. Her blue eyes were as glass balls. Her hair of gold seemed to waft with a sweet fragrance. The girl was beautiful to a rare extent, but that was not the only thing that made one’s eyes widen at her.

A living legend that Salvatore did not know was standing there.

“Violet.”

The loveliness he had seen in the picture was concealed by a shadow, a turbulent atmosphere similar to madness surrounding her instead. An air of lethargic strategizing as to which of them would move first flowed by, but the stagnancy soon shattered.

“PRESIDENT———! LUX——!”

“OLD MAN!”

Callings could be heard in unison from outside the room. The massive door was then broken through as if it were as thin a paper sheet. The one who stepped onto the door as it collapsed with a tremor and entered the room while holding by the collar an enemy that she had defeated with her silver iron knuckles was Cattleya.

“Aa~hn! You two~! Found yoou!” She tossed the prey that she had nearly killed toward Salvatore and his group. Being able to fling a human being as if they were an object meant her arms were simply that great as blunt weapons.

Following her, a gun barrel appeared first, and after bullet sounds ensued, Benedict revealed himself. It was a shot meant for delivering the finishing blow to Cattleya’s offensive.

Shooting the legs of all the men in black except Salvatore, Benedict clicked his tongue at the gruesome scene inside the room. “What’s this? Hasn’t V eaten out most of them?” Together with a sigh, he threw away the gun he had been holding, taking out another one. “Old Man~, we’ve left only this important-looking old dude~.”

“Lux! Violet is protecting you, right? President! You’re tied up!” Cattleya ran towards Hodgins, who lay on the floor. Without cutting them with a knife, she ripped off the ropes that had been restricting him using the iron knuckles and embraced him boldly.

Hodgins patted her back with taps and hugged her lightly. “Sorry, Cattleya. Didn’t my adorable young lady get hurt?”

“I didn’t!”

“Atta girl.” Hodgins left a kiss on Cattleya’s forehead with a pop.

Cattleya’s cheeks flushed red and she turned her back to him looking embarrassed, stamping her feet onto her happiness on the spot.

Benedict tore Cattleya away from Hodgins and stood between them. Contrary to being angry, he aggressively hit Hodgins from face to torso, confirming that the latter was alive.

“Ouch, ouch, what’s this? A new way of expressing love?”

“You’re fine, huh, Captive Princess?”

“You were worried about me, Darling?” Hodgins merely replied with frivolous talk to Benedict’s cynicism, looking delighted.

Briefly biting his lip, Benedict faced the ground. Hodgins had a feeling that the eyes Benedict had directed at him before casting them downward were moist, and was inwardly surprised.

——Huh, could it be he really was worried?

“Hey, Darling. Benedict.”

His sandy-blond hair rubbed into a mess, Benedict finally resisted energetically as if to say, “Quit it”. Nothing that resembled tears could be seen in his eyes anymore.

“Who’s that ‘Darling’, Old Man...?!”

“Could it be you were pretty worried about me?”

He was fully convinced that Benedict would deny it.

“I was. Don’t make me.” Yet the latter directed his sky-blue eyes straight at him and said, “I was hella worried. Don’t ever make me worry again no matter what!”

As it was much too blunt, after Hodgins was taken aback, his face slowly turned red. He had anticipated they would come save him, but right now was his first time learning he was cherished to that extent.

“Ah... that so? S-Sorry, okay?”

“Damn... Don’t go getting kidnapped when you’ve got that huge body! Is Captive Princess #2 all good?”

“Fairly. Little Lux needs first-aid...!”

Violet undid Lux’s binding. The latter’s body, which had been trembling in fear, and the sound of her heartbeats, which had grown noisy, were regaining their calm.

“Thank you, Violet.” Enduring the pain in her cheek, Lux smiled at the friend who had come for her rescue. “I thought you were some noble prince.”

Violet furrowed her eyebrows as if troubled. She then resentfully held Lux’s hands and helped her up. “My apologies for not being able to protect you. But I will not let you go through terrifying times anymore.” Just like a knight, she made Lux retreat to behind her.

Albeit gripping his gun, Salvatore remained unable to fire a single shot at the mere three people who had taken control of his company. As he shifted his gaze to the side, he could see his underlings collapsed and moaning in the open corridor. “There was supposed to be... fifty of them,” once he opened his mouth, his voice shook.

“Ah? Your minions? Even if the numbers are big, it’s no use if the quality sucks. Actually, were there that many of them? I was counting, but... Stupid Woman, how many did you take down?”

“Stupid Benedict! Erm... ten. I probably beat up about ten people.”

“I got twenty. The rest was V, huh?”

“I simply came here by climbing the outer walls, so other than the beginning and now...”

“Didn’t anyone run away? The math ain’t adding up.”

They were chatting carefreely, yet the contents of the conversation were the number of people they had defeated. In addition, there was an overwhelming difference in combat power, for they were unharmed and not even their clothes had scratches. That was also a difference in corporation power.

Biting his lip as if in frustration, Salvatore barked at Hodgins, “They came late, and that’s why you’ve lost! I already had you write the contract! The official scrivener went to submit the contract we exchanged to the government office so that it’d serve as a demonstration of formal legitimacy. It’s probably already been accepted... Take your leave as you please. But I’m billing you for the internal damage caused by your subordinates and the injuries they inflicted on mine!”

Salvatore had intended to wreak both psychological and bodily pain on Hodgins for a while, instilling terror on him and making him lose the will to fight back, but now he had given up on it. What he desired most – the unequal contract – was in a state of legal effectiveness. As long as he had it, regardless of what anyone could say, the fact that Salvatore had the advantage would not change.

“Salvatore Rinaudo. What’re you on about?” However, Hodgins had a facial expression that denounced he was helplessly puzzled.

“As I said, your company can no longer enter our routes...”

“So?”

“No matter how much brute force we used, that’s nothing in the face of a validated official document!”

“Again... so what? The papers were indeed filed. Seems like they also were submitted before help came. What of it?” Claudia Hodgins, president of the CH Postal Company and former major from Leidenschaftlich’s army, generally had an easygoing personality, as well as a cheerful and frivolous attitude. However, he was now glaring at Salvatore without breaking into a smile, letting a glint shine sharply in his eyes. “Isn’t it a matter that’ll be solved if we crush down your company?” He rolled up his shirt’s sleeves and took off a wristwatch that one could tell was a high-grade product. Next, he squeezed the strap with his fingers so that the watch’s case would be on his knuckles.

Anybody who was used to fighting knew. If one was battling without a weapon, the object called wristwatch was an overly useful thing.

“Salvatore, if only you hadn’t hit Lux, I wouldn’t be this angry.”

Salvatore fired at Hodgins when the latter swung up his hand, yet it did not even graze him. Oddly enough, the bullet that had failed to kill a person shot through the middle of the forehead of Salvatore’s portrait sitting inside the room.

“S-Sto...” The word that Salvatore uttered were the end of it.

The fist swung by a 194cm-tall man who weighted 85kg struck into Salvatore’s face with a wind-cutting sound. As his nose was broken without mercy, Salvatore shed a large amount of blood. A few of his teeth tumbled onto the high-quality carpet as well. He had convulsions for a moment, but eventually became completely motionless.

“Did you kill him?”

At Benedict’s question, Hodgins put his ear against Salvatore’s chest, shaking his head after simply checking the other’s heartbeat. “He’s alive. Let’s leave him be.” By the instant he turned around, Hodgins had gone back to his usual self. “Everyone, you did well. I’m so happy; my employees sure are the best. And I’m also the best for having chosen you!” Hodgins sang praises gesturing exaggeratedly, embracing the employees who had come for his aid all at once. He then came closer to Lux’s side, planting a kiss on the cheek that had not been punched. “I’ve made you go through a lot, huh. I’m really sorry, Little Lux.”

“No, I’m the president’s secretary, after all.”

Seeing as she did not appear too bashful, that sort of kiss was likely not a rare action. As the thread of tension broke, Lux crumbled and shed large tears. Hodgins frantically apologized again.

“That’s not it... I’m frustrated... It’d be great if I were like everyone else, and also had strength to protect the president. If I hadn’t been taken hostage, things wouldn’t have turned out like...”

Cattleya gently caressed Lux’s arching back as she was unable to stop crying. “What’re you saying? Lux, you have it good exactly because you’re a normal fragile girl. Ah, but it’s not like I’m not normal either. I’m strong and pretty, but I’m a super normal girl...”

“Cattleya, what you say is inconsistent.” Violet handed Lux a silk handkerchief.

Perhaps due to their heights being about the same, despite their faces not resembling one another and their body types being different, the figure of the tree as they nestled close to each other strangely made them look like sisters.

“Seeing girls huddling together is kinda nice, right, Benedict?”

“Old Man, just hurry and do something about this place.”

“Should we huddle too? Shall we?”

“Don’t play around and give the instructions!”

As Benedict dealt him a strong lateral kick to the rear, Hodgins ceased joking. “Eeh~, then, all dismissed...! That’s what I’d like to do but I have a request. Anyone who doesn’t have any plans for later, please help me destroy Salvatore’s company!”

“He~y, Old Man.”

“What is it, Mr. Benedict?”

“You haven’t checked things out so you don’t know what’s been made of it, but we left the international offices to the rest of the fighter staff. The guys who stayed at the main office contacted them. Since it’s those fellows... they’ll take them out without worries.”

“Amazing! But we don’t have fighter staff! It’s not like I hired you with that intention! Well, since there have to be people who can go into battlefields, I didn’t not have that intention, but...”

“From the very start, that was our purpose, President Hodgins. So that there will not be such happenings after this, we believed that laying waste to everything and thoroughly annihilating them was a good plan.”

“Scary, scary. Your expression is getting scary too, Little Violet. Smile! It’s ruining your cute face!”

“President~! I want you to buy me a new choker after we’re done. Look~! The pearls on it got torn off... It was my favorite too.”

“Okay, Cattleya. Be it chokers, clothes or anything, this uncle will buy it for you!”

“Hum... President. What should I do?” the non-fighting staff member Lux tightly clutched her skirt, looking nervous.

“Little Lux, let’s go back to the head office. I’ll have you be treated there too. It’s all right; everyone in the head office contacted the other employees, so there should be people gathering there. It’s safer than you coming with us. Benedict, take Little Lux to the head office, and then regroup.”

“Roger; leave some for me to mess with too.”

“We aren’t sharing cake slices... Now, Little Violet and Cattleya are going with me to crush the branch offices just like this. Let’s decide on the rules for one. No hitting girls. Hitting bastards is fine.”

“Understood.”

“‘Ka~y.”

The members of the CH Postal Company continued their strategy meeting without paying mind to the people that they had defeated lying on the floor. When they were done at last, they exited the building while making so that those of Salvatore’s postmen who had stood up once again would be beyond recovery.

Lighting a cigarette, Hodgins started walking with it in his mouth, and everyone followed him as well.

On that day, within Leidenschaftlich, gunshots echoed throughout several areas of the capital Leiden, yet no one attempted to keep them under control. Additionally, the military police did not make a move regardless of how many reports it received.

   The nocturnal darkness deepened late into the night.

The lights were brightly lit in a bar at the corner of a business district. “Fully booked for the day,” said the clumsy letters on a paper pinned to the menu board in front of the shop. The figure of a seductive female dancer was drawn on said board. By the looks of it, that was a place where people enjoyed shows along with their meals.

The voices of people laughing pleasantly and lively music could be heard leaking from inside the bar. It seemed to be the feast of some company. The men and women were at a one-one ratio. Their ages varied and all of them differed in skin, hair and eye colors.

Even amongst them, there was an attention-catching few.

A young man was displaying splendid steps on a table with heeled boots that looked like womenswear. The dancers swayed their bodies together with him and danced purely as they pleased.

On another table, a beautiful woman was smiling while arm-wrestling with a man of fiendish facial features and plentiful muscles. Seeing as she twisted his arm in a matter of seconds, it could be that he let her win on purpose. However, the man who had lost rubbed his seemingly hurt arm with a strangely believable face.

A silver-haired young girl with a big gauze on her cheek was playing a card game with a blonde person of terribly tattered appearance. It was most likely poker. She looked troubled for not being able to read the other’s expression. While everyone else was emptying bottles of alcohol, only the two of them were making cups of tea into their nighttime company. Each was fixated with their own victory, playing in earnest.

“Ah~! I won~! I won enough to buy a kinda nice pair of shoes! Ah, Lux, aren’t those winning cards?”

“Women who can dance sure are great. V, you suck at playing this, don’t you?”

Benedict, who had had enough of dancing, and Cattleya, who had grown tired of arm wresting, came to sit at the peaceful table as if to intrude on it.

Lux put the cards that she had been hiding up to her lips on the table. “Want to quit poker, Violet?”

“That is right. The cards in our hands have been busted by a third party, after all.”

They did not have the will to get angry. If anything, Lux was so happy for being able to return to that trifling daily life with her companions that she wound up laughing. Perhaps due to the spot where she had been hit aching when she laughed, she arched her back with an “ow, ow, ow”.

“Are you okay? Is it not better for you to rest already...?”

“Yu~p, but I think it’s safer to be with everyone for the day... President Hodgins is here too so I can’t go home.”

Cattleya quickly reacted and looked at Lux’s direction with momentum. “What do you mean?”

“We’ve decided that I’ll be with the President today. See, it’s because the President’s home was in the company’s top floor. We have nowhere to sleep tonight, right? I also had that experience with being kidnapped... He was worried and got me a room at a hotel in the city. It seems President Hodgins will also be staying in it for a while. Until this mess is over, I’ll also be working from there. We’re going together today, so I have to wait for him.”

While Violet replied agreeably with a, “That is reassuring”, Cattleya became beet-red. One could tell from her face what she was imagining. She grabbed Lux’s arm and shook her violently. “You! Do you get what you’re saying?”

“E-Eeh? Our rooms are separated, y’know?”

“Cattleya, Lux is injured.”

“Not a chance. Dunno how many years it’ll last, but not even he is that shameless.”

“Hey! Don’t meddle into a girls’ talk!”

“Ah, you’ve said it. Then don’t barge into when I’m talking with the Old Man no matter what.”

Since another fight had decidedly began, as an accustomed form of coping, Violet and Lux left the two and started their conversation afresh.

“Speaking of which... Violet, are you okay? You’re dressed pretty cutely today... Could it be you were going to meet up with that person... with Mr. Major?”

The moment she received such question was exactly when Violet’s gaze had fixed on the bar’s entrance. “I am fine.”

Someone was heading her way.

Perhaps due to having come in a hurry, said person was out of breath. His sweat-dampened forehead was a proof of the efforts he had been spending until arriving there. He was caught by Hodgins and came to a halt, but even so, he aimed at and went toward her as fast as possible.

That person had soon spotted Violet from the bar’s entrance, and Violet had frozen in place the instant he had arrived as well. It was almost as if there were gravity between them that drew one to the other.

Violet stood up naturally and rushed to him.

——Ah, Violet.

Lux could tell.

——I see, so that’s how it is.

Anyone who was close by would be able to tell.

——The two of you are already like that.

After all, it was as though the air about her had changed completely the moment he had appeared.

“Colonel.”

The one standing there was Colonel Gilbert Bougainvillea from Leidenschaftlich’s army. Perhaps because he was on an off day, he wore only a jacket of fine tailoring and a shirt. Inquisitive stares from the people making a ruckus in the bar fell upon him all at once.

“Violet.”

After all, he was a man rumored within the company for moving the army in order to protect Violet. His existence was made known during the hijacking incident of the Intercontinental train, after which a year had passed not too long before. Of course, that was a story only told internally and Hodgins was publicly regarded as the main leader of such strategy.

The members of the postal company who had gathered up to save her had seen in person the man who came running while carrying her princess style. Back then, they had also witnessed Benedict being entrusted with Violet, his mouth open as if he had grown senile.

“Colonel, my apologies... I ended up breaking our arrangement.”

Her cottony hair was ruined. The outfit chosen for her and that her body was clad in had become like ragged cloths. Everything she had prepared for him had been reduced to misery today.

Nevertheless, seeing her dressed-up caused Gilbert’s heart to beat louder.

“You...”

“You look beautiful” was what he had started to say, but upon noticing a stare of pressuring quality to a fierce extent from the side, he trailed off.

Benedict seemed extremely unamused. He clicked his tongue as their eyes met.

“Anything the matter...?”

“Not really. There any law that says I can’t look at the bastard who snoops into V’s general area every once in a blue moon ever since that incident like he’s a rare sight?”

“You helped me out holding onto Violet back then. I’m grateful... And, I don’t know about any such law, but if it’s about putting up a watchdog act, I’m the one on top.”

Something like an electric shockwave ran between the two of them. Benedict remained not toning down his distrust regarding Gilbert until now, peeved by that man who seemed like he could become a love rival for Benedict’s significant other had he been in the same workplace as them.

“This was the curtain rise of their muddled battle!” just as the two had opened their mouths again, Hodgins cut in with a foolish commentary.

Silence. The two simultaneously glared at Hodgins as if looking at something deplorable.

Hodgins himself broke Gilbert and Benedict apart, coming in between them, putting his arms around each and laughing stridently, “Don’t fight for me! Man~, I wanted to try saying this once.”

“Shut up, Old Man!”

“Stay away, Hodgins. You’re reeking of booze.”

It was a conversation with a magnificent explosive power. By the looks of it, Gilbert and Benedict did not seem like they would get along, but their attitude towards Hodgins was similar.

“Old Man, tomorrow will be terrible for you if you drink too much. You’re at that age, aren’t you?”

“Darling... you’re saying that because you’re worried about me, right?”

“Hey, stop. Stop. I’m not a woman.”

As Benedict stepped away from Hodgins, who was attempting to give him a kiss, Gilbert and Violet were at last able to lock eyes with each other again. Violet had a face that denounced she had gone through a hellish time.

“Any injuries?”

“Minor ones. The same level as scratching a knee.”

“That’s good...” He was truly saying so from the bottom of his heart. Seeing Cattleya and Lux anxiously observing the two of them, Gilbert spoke further, “You too, any injuries? Aah... you need a medic.”

“No, no, I’m okay.”

Lux had already received treatment, yet it seemed like her wound might open the next day.

Perhaps always carrying it in his person, Gilbert took a fountain pen and small notebook from his jacket’s inner pocket, handing her a paper sheet that contained a certain address within Leiden. “This is the clinic where my home doctor is. You don’t need to pay if you give my name, so go there another day. You’ll probably need painkillers for a while. Even in the hotel you’re staying at, please give my name to the hotelman if you need anything. We’re on friendly terms, so he’ll treat you well.”

Lux acted uncertain when accepting the paper. “Ah. Thank you very much. You’re very generous... Could it be... that the hotel reservation... Mr. Bougainvillea, erm... Colonel Bougainvillea, was made by you?”

After glancing at Hodgins, who was entangling himself with Benedict, Gilbert nodded. “That thing asked me for it. I can’t say this aloud but I’ve also disposed of... the documents submitted to the government office in the name of your company. When I use my influence in places outside of my jurisdiction... I end up losing one card that I could otherwise use in the event of an emergency, but...” Perhaps as if remembering something, he furrowed his brows a little and chuckled. “Hodgins took care of Violet. I also won’t spare any efforts for you all in case something happens. If there’s any worrisome matter, it can even be through Violet, but do tell me.”

“Y-Yes.”

Cattleya and Lux mutely let their cheeks dye pink. Was there any girl whose heart would not throb at Gilbert as he displayed adult-man-like reliance in a different way from Hodgins?

“Colonel, you’re so cool.”

“Colonel, you are wonderful.”

No, there was not.

For whatever reason, the two had their fingers interlaced in front of their chests and were striking the same pose.

Gilbert replied levelly, “You aren’t my subordinates so you don’t need to refer to me by my rank.”

Violet pulled the hem of Gilbert’s jacket ever so lightly. “Colonel, hum... would you like to sit down? You must be tired.”

“Aah, no. I’m sorry but I’m taking my leave. You too, Violet. The two are at the Bougainvillea house and we’re making them worry. I already contacted them to say I’d bring you back, so come along. It stopped by a place a little far away, but I have a carriage ready, so let’s walk there. Miss Lux. You... were together with Hodgins for today, right? Miss Cattleya, what about you? We can send you home if necessary.”

“Y-You know my name?! Mine?!”

“Of course; I heard it from Violet. So, what will you do?”

Perhaps due to extreme happiness at that, Cattleya slapped Violet’s back with quite strong vigor countless times, making merry. “I’m fine! I’ll be here with everyone until morning today!”

“It’s probably better if you’re in big numbers. Well, my apologies since we’re in the middle of a pleasant talk, but I’m taking her along. Thank you... for always being so close to Violet. Let’s meet again somewhere else. Please let me at least treat you to a meal.” Gilbert all too naturally took off his jacket and placed it over Violet’s shoulders. He began escorting her away just like that.

“Ah! Bastard! Hold on! V is my little sister part!”

“Everyone, good night. Benedict too.”

“Wait! V~! Hey—Old Man!”

Binding Benedict’s arms behind his back, Hodgins sent Violet a wink. It was true that he was drunk, but his tactic was probably to keep Benedict away from Gilbert. He might have been paying for the sin of making the two of them miss out on the time they had to spend with each other because of his kidnapping.

Hodgins and Gilbert merely exchanged short goodbyes such as, “I’ll call” and, “See you”.

“Benedict’s had an overwhelming defeat, huh.”

“Old Man!”

“Man, he’s rivaling you... but he’s also not.”

The two young women left behind spoke while still staring at the bar’s entrance.

“To be honest, the President told me a lot about Violet’s past after that incident, and I didn’t not wonder if someone like him was okay for her... but, when you meet him, y’know...”

“Yup, its different when you get to meet him, right?”

“It’s because he really did cherish her that he made many mistakes, did his best to take back a lot of things, and now they’re like this, huh,” Lux whispered, deep in thought.

   Treading through an autumn night in which the nocturnal winds were gelid robbed the two a little of the body heat provided by the warm interior of the bar. Violet, who Gilbert had put his jacket over, looked at him with only his shirt on as if to question him.

He soon noticed her gaze and their eyes met. He then smiled at her. “Aren’t you cold?”

Just from him simply throwing those words at her, as Violet was still unused to it, her heart raced. “No; Major, what about you?”

The times that the two of them met up were still at a point where they could be counted with one hand, and during such instances, the restraint brought about by his long absence would manifest itself in the form of agitation. From the perspective of others, that could almost not be perceived. After all, her facial expressions were generally emotionless.

“I’m fine. I’ve run around and sweated a lot today, so I’m still warm.”

“My apologies, Colonel.”

“It’s nothing to apologize for. I did that because I wanted to. Violet. It was also for Hodgins’s sake.”

“All right, Colonel.”

“Let’s walk a little slower. Once we get on the carriage, the way home will last a blink of eye.”

“Is that bad...?”

The one who had made the request was Gilbert, and the words Violet was about to say wound up dying out before they could take form. That was because he sweetly added, “I don’t have enough time with you”.

“All right, Major.”

Her eyes spoke more eloquently than her expressionless self. Violet’s blue orbs were glued to Gilbert’s emerald ones.

“I want to chat a little too. Is everything okay with that young man called Benedict?”

“By that, you mean...?”

“He seems to favor you.”

“He has another woman that he fancies. It seems they are in a relationship, and they themselves are hiding it but everyone around them knows.”

“That so?”

“Yes, he is... in an older brother-like... position regarding... my person, he told me.”

“Told you? That man?”

Their eye and hair colors were certainly similar, and the man could be said to be an androgynous beauty, but his speech and conduct were much too different from Violet’s.

“He himself was saying so.”

“Aah, he indeed called you his ‘little sister part’... Should I interpret that as him showing affection for you...? But it doesn’t look like we will get along very well.”

“Is that so?”

“It will probably be difficult.”

As Violet had heard the story of Hodgins and Gilbert’s past, she estimated that such assumption would be disproved. Gilbert and Hodgins were also a duo that one would not think got along well.

“It seems he’ll get in the way when I’m with you.”

Since Gilbert made a face as if he had swallowed a bitter-tasting bug, Violet did not voice her opinion in the end. “Major.”

“What is it?” As Violet called him, the middle of his brows immediately softened.

“If you had managed to meet with me as planned today, where did you intend to go?”

“Aah, I had actually made an arrangement for us to go horse-riding.”

“Horses.”

“You can ride army horses, and I think long rides aren’t bad if it’s on fine autumn weather days... Did you not like it?”

“Colonel, there is nothing that I dislike if I am in your company.”

“That answer makes me happy, but I do believe I want to learn about your tastes little by little. Kukuh.”

As Gilbert suddenly laughed aloud, Violet tilted her neck. “Is something the matter?”

“You... probably haven’t noticed it, but you’ve been mixing up ‘Major’ and ‘Colonel’ when referring to me.”

As he had been promoted from major to lieutenant-colonel and from lieutenant-colonel to colonel, it could be said that referring to Gilbert with a lower rank was terribly inappropriate.

Violet corrected her posture and apologized again, “I... am sorry. My apologies, Colonel.”

“No, that’s not it. I’m not angry... Ever since you were little, you used to call me that. The first word I heard from you was this one, too. I’m saying that if you can’t get used to it, I don’t mind the ‘Major’.”

“‘Colonel’... Colonel, I will not mistake it anymore.”

Her figure as she attempted to memorize it, in order not to forget it, was lovably stubborn. Gilbert caught a glimpse of her past self from that immature aspect of hers.

At the beginning, the two of them had had an inept exchange. Almost like how children would do it, they had told each other their names.

“Ma... jor.”

“Can you understand what I’m saying, Violet?”

“Major.”

After learning words and coming to know discipline, she had become his weapon.

“If that is Major’s order...”

“It’s not an order...”

“If... it is your desire...”

He had wound up loving the girl-weapon.

“Major’s eyes are here.”

“I wonder... what this is called.”

It had been a one-sided love.

“I will become your ‘shield’ and ‘weapon’.”

“I shall protect you.”

“Please do not ever doubt this. I am your ‘asset’.”

Even so, he had loved her.

“I love you!”

“I don’t want to let you die! Violet!”

“I love you, Violet.”

The girl-weapon had wept that she did not understand what she had been bestowed with.

“What is... ‘love’?”

No one had taught her about it.

“What is... ‘love’? What is... ‘love’? What is ‘love’?”

“I do not understand, Major...”

She had also not understood why he had said such a thing to her.

“What is... ‘love’?”

She had searched for the meaning of those words and for him, who had disappeared, encountering them by chance at last.

And so, they had reached the present time.

“Violet.” Gilbert took her artificial fingertips as she stood still.

Her index finger made screeching sounds.

“Since we’re at it, won’t you call me by my name?” He pointed her finger at himself.

The fingertips that used to be soft and have body temperature in the past did not anymore. The same applied to one of Gilbert’s arms.

“I am Gilbert. Gilbert Bougainvillea.” He pointed at Violet next. “You are Violet. Violet Evergarden.” He moved the finger both ways, saying, “Gilbert, Violet... Gilbert, Violet.”

The two who had ended up with mechanical part had grown and changed. They were not parent and child originally. Not siblings, either. They had also ceased being superior and subordinate.

“Lord Gilbert.”

At Violet’s predictable response, Gilbert smiled bitterly. “The ‘lord’ part... isn’t necessary.”

He had supposedly spoken gently, yet Violet showed him an aspect of disconcertment. “My apologies... Have you... come to hate me...?”

“No. I don’t know how to feel anything but affection towards you... It appears that...” while thinking that it was also valid for himself, Gilbert stated, “hum... you become insecure about it every now and then, but I’ll never hate you.”

“How come?” Violet asked.

How great would it be if he were able to show the insides of his heart to her? Presenting with a form that “this is love” would be so simple. However, it was due to not being able to do such a thing that people uttered words to proffer their love.

“Because I love you most.”

Violet started searching for that term within the sea of words embedded inside her. “‘Love... most’...” As they rolled out of her tongue, what appalling yet passionate words those were.

There was no other sentence more fitting of Gilbert Bougainvillea.

“Love me... most?”

“I have eyes for nobody but you. You’re the only one I’m fond of.”

“That is... to love most?”

“I will hold you dear for eternity, and continue to love you.”

She did not ask “That is... to love most?” a second time. Violet’s cheeks were rose-dusted, her heart started palpitating to the point of aching, and her field of vision blurred. She was unable to look at Gilbert’s face. Unwittingly, she cast her head down, yet he wound up peering at it. The distance between their faces was just about enough for them to kiss.

It was currently nighttime and the two of them were alone in that place, so whatever they did, no one would be looking. Maybe they could manage to keep it a secret even from God.

“I had a phase of... liking you... then I fell in love with you, and now, it turns out I love you the most. Do you understand?”

“Does it never diminish?”

“The affection?”

“The love.”

“I wonder. But I don’t want that to happen and will probably reconfirm whether I do love you numerous times, so it’ll likely intensify, not decrease. You fill me up with it.”

“With love?”

“Yes. The reason why I believe I love you is because you granted me that feeling.”

Violet Evergarden, who had been learning and copying from him – from people –, was able to take in the meaning of those words.

“I do that to you, Major?”

Again, her manner of referring to him had changed. Gilbert thought it was fine either way.

“You do that to me.” Gilbert silently planted a kiss not on Violet’s cheek or lips but on the fingertips that he was holding onto.

Silence.

Those were artificial fingers. She was unable to feel anything from them. Her arms were gone, and would nevermore return.

Placing a kiss on such a spot could transmit nothing.

Even so, he had deliberately kissed it in an affectionate manner. For some reason, that action – Gilbert’s feelings – caused Violet’s eyes to grow hot as if burning and produce tears.

Violet attempted to stop them. Those were incomprehensible tears. Why were they flowing at that moment? They would definitely trouble the man in front of her.

Nevertheless, tears were already pooling in her moist eyes until, finally, a single drop spilled down. Sure enough, the round tear that had fallen from one of her eyes left Gilbert distraught.

“Violet.” Seeing her reaction, he promptly let go of her fingers. “I’m sorry.” He stepped back, raising both hands as if to have her understand that he would not do anything else. “I’m really sorry.”

Violet did not answer. She stared at Gilbert without even wiping off the tear as if spacing out. Her attitude was not of anger. Her aspect was not of sorrow, either. He had no idea what she was thinking. She had the gaze of someone who seemed to be having a dream.

The two of them had lived separately, and he had thought that her facial expressions had become richer ever since they had reunited, but once she clammed up, he could not read her. Her lack of expression and well-featured doll-like traits did not allow Gilbert to study her emotions. However, the one thing he could fathom was that his action just now had been foolish.

——What am I doing?

He had told her that he would wait however long it took. The kiss on her fingers might have been a violation to that promise. He should have been the best gentleman for her, but he may have lost that right.

When she was by his side, she was unbearably endearing. The love towards her that lit up within his chest wound up overflowing.

“I swear I won’t do it anymore...”

The army colonel of Leidenschaftlich was losing face in front of the girl he was enamored with.

“Violet...”

What face was he making now? What did she think of it?

“Major, I...” Violet called him with her wind chime voice. She grabbed onto Gilbert’s fingers and took one step forward. The distance between them had shrunk once again. And then she took another step.

She was close enough to be embraced by Gilbert.

“Violet...”

“Major... please.” Violet peeked into Gilbert’s eye.

The emerald-green orb that had unchangeably borne beauty, kindness and a little bit of loneliness ever since they had first met was right there. Violet was now reflected in it.

Violet was inside his world.

“Do not swear so.”

Gilbert’s eyelid blinked at her straightforward words.

“Please, do not swear... that you will not do it.”

Seeing tears well up in Violet’s eyes once again, Gilbert impulsively reached an arm out to her. He caressed her golden hair as if to soothe her, earnestly listening to what she was attempting to tell him.

“Major, you explained it to me, right? That to love is to think of wanting to... protect someone the most.”

He wiped her tears with his fingertips.

Violet entrusted her cheek to his hand and shed more tears. “This has... applied to me since forever.”

She was attempting to replenish her lacking life. Rather, the truth was that the two of them could have done that from the moment they had met, for it was almost as if they made up for each other’s unskillfulness, but they had missed one another countless times and had not intersected well.

Violet’s chest was now being filled up with a warm feeling that she was experiencing for the first time.

“It always, always has, since long ago. I merely... did not know it...”

——This loud throbbing in my chest, this ecstasy, the fact that I end up swayed by your every action...

“I...”

——...the reason why I cried that I wanted to be by your side and asked you not to leave me anymore...

“Major... I...”

——...the reason why I am crying now...

“I, as of now...”

——...is that, once the “like” and the “love” fell and piled up like snow, and I became unable to melt them down, I had wanted to let you know that I wished the same to be valid for you.

“...have a feeling that I...”

People would declare it as if offering a prayer.

“...understand it better than before.”

“I love you”, that is.

[kaweeella]

The Torment Doll

Thank you @awxward for the character suggestion! I hope you enjoy it!!!

Warnings for violence!!!

~~~

Chikage stands in front of the Mankai theater building. He’s been planning this. The destruction of the company. Revenge for a wrongdoing.

All he needs to do is get in.

“Great! Welcome to the Spring Troupe!”

He’s in.

They go back to the dorm building. Is it really this easy?

“Meet the new member of the Spring Troupe!”

“I’m Chikage Utsuki. I work in the same company as Itaru.”

“Welcome, Shitty Elite.”

“Yuki!” Izumi scolds the boy. “At least wait.” This is gonna be fun.

“I’m the costume designer here.” He looks Chikage up and down before pulling out a pad and pencil and writing something down. “Decent outfit,” He looks up at him. “Take your glasses off for a second?”

“Okay…?” He does and Yuki writes something down. Chikage puts his glasses back on before Yuki walks away. He looks at what’s written on the pad and he reads “Costumes need glasses.”

Well. Doesn’t matter. He doesn’t need to worry himself with what they think. That’s not what he’s here for.

“Welcome, new esteemed friend!” He’s grabbed around the shoulders and his glasses almost fall off.

“Homare, please don’t scare away our new member.” Tsuzuru sighs.

Chikage pulls out of his grip and adjusts his glasses. Yuki’s comment definitely not getting to him.

That’s when he sees him. Who he came here for. Napping on the couch. Not a care in the goddamn world.

“Hey.” He greets the silver-haired man. Nothing.

“Oh that’s Hisoka. I’m Tsumugi, by the way. He doesn’t really do much besides sleep. Here, I’ll get him up so you can talk to him.” Tsumugi tosses a marshmallow and Hisoka catches it in his mouth before he even opens his eyes.

“Hey,” Chikage tries again.

“Oh… hi. I’m Hisoka…” Don’t try to be so casual about this.

“I’m Chikage. I’m going to be the new member of the Spring Troupe.”

“That’s cool. I hope you like it here.” … he’s asleep again.

It’s not surprising. Of course he wouldn’t want to blow his cover. Though after several days it starts to get on Chikage’s nerves. Not even when they were alone. He won’t drop the act. It’s infuriating.

One day while they were by themselves he’s had it.

“Alright December, stop playing dumb.”

“December…” He thinks for a moment.

“You don’t just get to turn your back on us like that. We were your family. August was your family.”

“August…”

“I’m sure you already know why I’m here. You ruined my family. Now it’s my turn to ruin yours.”

There’s a few seconds of silence before a small blue plush doll lands on Chikage’s head.

“What the-” He tosses it to the side. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll make you watch as everything you love falls apart around you. Just like you did for me.”

Chikage turns and leaves Hisoka to wonder what he said. Neither of them notice the doll glow.

The next day, Chikage puts his plan into action. Or at least he tries to.

As he leaves his room he sees the blue haired man, they never got formally introduced, grumpily scaling the building. He also sees a little red haired boy riding down the sidewalk on a skateboard before falling off and eating it. He doesn’t seem too concerned about it though.

Unimportant.

“Izumi, would you like to go shopping today?”

“I’d love to, but we have practice today.”

“Wait you said we’d have today off.”

“Sorry, we can go tomorrow.”

“Alright.” Just one more day then. Whatever.

He goes about the motions again. He’s not paying attention. It’s curry again. It was curry yesterday. He’s not complaining though. The others are, but he enjoys curry. Izumi makes good curry. He has to admit that.

The next day he leaves the room. The blue haired man scaling the wall again. The redhead skating and promptly eating it. Unfortunate.

“Izumi, would you like to go shopping?”

“I’d love to but we have practice today.”

“You said that yesterday.”

“Sorry, we can go tomorrow.”

Whatever. One more day.

He goes through the motions. Curry again. He loves curry but can’t it at least be something different? The past three days it’s been beef curry.

The next day he doesn’t see the blue haired man, but he does see the kid fall off his skateboard again. You’d think he’d learn.

He feels a sudden sense of danger before the blue haired man jumps down in front of him.

“Is it you?!”

“Is what me?”

“The time loop! I’ve been losing all my triangles!”

Time loops, triangle man that scales buildings, a whole troupe of thugs, what’s up with this place?

“Yeah, maybe it is. What of it.”

“I told you what of it! I’m losing my triangles!” Is that really it? “Who is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Who’re you fighting with? The time loop will never end until you make up!”

“I’m not fighting with anyone. Everyone’s been pretty nice so far.” He lies like a rug.

“Then that means someone must be upset with you!”

“Is that how this works?”

“Yeah! You two will continue to loop until you get along! So who is it?”

“I have an idea.” He sighs. He goes upstairs with Misumi following behind. “Which one is Hisoka’s room?”

They go to the appropriate door and he knocks. Nothing.

“Homare said he’s gonna be out today, so it might take a while.”

“Not as long as you might think.” He leans down and starts to pick the lock. Click. “Alright December let’s talk.”

He’s still sleeping.

“Come on get up already!”

“Mng…”

He throws a bag of marshmallows at him. “Wake up, damnit.”

“What do you want?”

“Apparently we’re in a time loop.”

“We are?”

“You haven’t noticed the past three days being the same?”

“This is how most of my days go. I thought I was just having a good week.”

“God stop the act already!”

“I’m still not sure what you’re talking about.”

Chikage groans in frustration. “Whatever.” He quickly turns to leave.

Misumi watches in disappointment. “What happened, Hisoka?”

“... I’m not sure.”

“You guys have to make up soon, okay?”

“I’ll try…”

The next day Chikage leaves his room with a sigh. He sees the redhead eat it again. He also sees Hisoka leave his room and hop over the railing.

“Let’s talk.”

He stares wide-eyed. “Oh so you’re ready now?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright then let’s talk about how you killed August.”

“I didn’t-”

“You betrayed us.”

“I-”

“You ruined my family!” Chikage punches Hisoka, who stumbles back.

“Ah! Chikage! What are you doing?!” Izmui asks.

Omi goes from tending to Taichi to trying to stop their fight.

“I didn’t kill him.”

“Maybe, but you abandoned him. You abandoned us!” He swings again.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“Oh yeah, you accidentally faked your own death and abandoned your family!”

“Chikage-” Izumi starts.

“August changed what was in our flasks. I drank it and it-”

“Shut up already!” He punches him again. “You left him there to die. You don’t just get to go and make excuses now.”

“Chikage-” Izumi reaches out to him, which he turns and hits her over the head, knocking her over.

“Izumi!” Omi and Taichi rush over to her. Hisoka socks him in the head.

“Don’t hurt her. Punch me all you want, but don’t-”

“Oh is that how it is? How about this?” He kicks Omi in the ribs.

“Chikage what are you doing?!” Taichi scoots away.

“I’m putting him through the hell he put me through.”

With all the commotion everyone else came out to see what’s happening.

“What the fuck?!”

“Chikage why are you doing this?!” Sakuya asks, tears welling in his eyes. It almost hurt him to look at but no, he can’t grow feelings now.

As he sees the young boy start to cry, he feels a sharp pain, and the world goes black.

The next day he wakes up in the dorm room again. Outside he watches Taichi eat it again.

“Chikage.” Hisoka lands behind him. “Let’s talk properly this time.”

“Right. Sure.” He practically hisses.

“Do you have your flask?”

“Maybe. What about it?”

“Can I see it?”

“Why?”

“So I can show you that August changed them.”

“How so?”

“When I drank it, I blacked out and when I woke up I couldn’t remember anything.”

“You drank it?!”

“Yeah. Wasn’t even sweet.”

Chikage goes and grabs his flask, looking it over. He opens it up and smells it. He’s right. It’s not sweet.

“Hey guys.” Itaru and Citron join them. “It’s not even noon yet and you’re already drinking?”

“Fun! What is it?”

“Uh… not sure.”

“How do you not know what’s in it? Did you fill it while hammered?” Itaru laughs.

“I didn’t take you for an alcoholic.”

“Here, let me see it.” Itaru grabs it before either of them could react. “I know my alcohol.”

“Wait don’t-”

Before either of them can say anything, Itaru waterfalls it.

“Tastes kinda like whiskey.”

“Are you alright?” Hisoka asks.

“Yeah, I can hold my liquor.” He hands back the flask and pauses for a moment. “You know what? I’m not alright.” He falls over.

“It gilled him!”

Omi looks over from where he was attending to Taichi. “What happened?”

Chikage goes down to his side. He’s still breathing. His heart is still beating. That’s good at least.

“He drank some of Chikage’s stuff!”

“What is it?”

“According to Chigasaki it’s whiskey.” He attempts to lighten the mood.

Hisoka pokes his face. “Come on, get up.”

After a minute, Itaru stirs.

“Where… am I?”

“You’re alive!” Citron goes to give him a hug, but Itaru moves to avoid it.

“Who are you?”

“Citron!”

“Yeah that doesn’t help.”

“Does he have amnesia?” Taichi peers around Omi.

“Chigasaki.” Chigake kneels down beside him. “What do you remember.”

“That my name is Itaru Chigasaki.” He looks around confused. “What is this place?”

“It’s like when Hisoka first got here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah we found him sleeping at the front door.”

Is it really that easy? Did he even need to bother with a formal audition?

Chikage gets up and goes into his dorm, suppressing the urge to slam his head into the wall. He slams the door behind him, startling everyone.

“What’s up with him?” Itaru gets up with Omi and Hisoka’s help.

“We need to talk to Izumi.” Omi says, worried.

“Who’s Izumi? Do they know what’s going on here?”

“Alright let’s go.” Omi picks him up bridal style and carries him off, Taichi following behind.

Hisoka goes back to his room. Hopefully when he wakes up it’ll be this morning again. He hopes that Itaru will still have all of his memories. He can’t deal with ruining two peoples lives.

Chikage lies on his bed and sighs. He’s going to have to think about what that means, but not now. That’s a tomorrow problem. Because if he thinks about how Hisoka was telling the truth it would actually be tomorrow and Itaru would have really lost his memories.

Why does he care? Why does he care about what they think about him or how they feel? He came here to destroy them. So why does it hurt so bad?

As he ponders this, Chikage falls asleep. When he wakes up he immediately looks around for Itaru, who’s playing games on his little couch. Good.

“Hey dude.”

“Hey.” Chikage leaves and sees Taichi skate by.

Just before he falls Chikage grabs the back of his shirt.

“Oh! Thanks Chikage!”

“Don't mention it.”

Hisoka jumps down to his side.

“Chikage. Let’s talk.”

“Right.” He pulls Taichi to properly balance and lets him go.

“Oh is this adult talk? I’ll be going! Seeya guys!” He grabs his skateboard and runs off.

They stand in silence for a minute. They know they have to say something, they just can’t find the words. It stays like that until Misumi joins them.

“Have you guys seriously not made up yet?”

“Well we would have done it yesterday but if we did Chigasaki wouldn’t have his memories.”

“I didn’t realize you cared, Chikage.” Hisoka gives him a smug smile.

“I- well- I- yeah, alright? I do care. I guess these idiots grow on you after a while. Like a goddamn mold.”

“Yeah. And you can never get rid of them.” His smile becomes more fond.

“Come on, Chikage,” Itaru leaves their room. “We’ve got practice.”

“Well, see you around, you two.” Chikage and Itaru go to the practice room together.

“You’re doing great, Chikage!” Sakuya comments when they’re done.

His improvement is in part by doing this three or so times already and in part actually caring this time.

When they leave, Chikage finds Hisoka napping outside the practice room. Chikage stops for a moment

“Are you coming?” Itaru asks.

“No, I’m hanging back.”

Itaru nods and leaves. Chikage sits next to Hisoka. When they go by later they see the two napping on the floor together, peacefully.

[almostkoo]

Destiny | Park Jimin

pairings: park jimin x oc

summary: having a green thumb is a blessing that you didn’t seem to have, the working theory was that plants hated you and tending to your aunts garden seemed to prove that but maybe the handsome young man that keeps finding his way into your aunts garden can help you whip it back into shape

word count: 2.9k

warnings: unedited, language (of course )

author’s notes: it’s another portion of my spooktober story collection, i was kinda of excited to write this one but still and yet very nervous as always i hope you all enjoy it :)

You trudged on your worn out boots ,letting out a sigh you ran back your plan you set up for your day. Weeding out the garden, checking on the hydrangeas, and planting the tomatoes. You thought back those three things over and over again. Feeling like you were forgetting something. 

Over the few weeks you had been watching over the garden, your aunt's garden to be exact it seemed like everything managed to go straight to shit. Your aunt had fallen sick and with you two being each other’s only remaining family you went back to her house to watch over her until she got better and watching over her meant her house also… and the garden. It just seemed as though the soil underneath you hated you. Trying everything you could find on the internet, talking and singing to the plants, using special growing techniques and tools that promised growth, but nothing happened. When your aunt finally gets better and sees that her beloved garden had just about washed down the drain you didn’t know how she was gonna react.

You had to figure out something and figure it out fast.

Resting back on your knees you wiped away at the sweat above your brow. Something was wrong with the hydrangeas, something new that you couldn’t exactly place what it was. Or even where to begin attempting to figure out the problem at hand. Letting out a breath in frustration you chucked the small gardening shovel out of your hands. 

“Fuck!” you shouted, shaking your head. You dropped your head, when you heard a small “ow”. You looked up and you were faced with one of the most beautiful men you had laid eyes on. You jumped up to your feet quickly, you realized the man that seemed to have a glow around him (most likely from the sun) was a few inches taller than you, soft brown eyes met your own and a cute button nose and plush full lips curved around his smile. He was a slender young man dressed in all white, the dirt from the shovel you threw caused a small brown scuff mark to appear on the toe of his fresh white shoes.

“I am so sorry I didn’t mean to hit you at all. I didn’t even know you were standing there.” you quickly apologized. The man threw his hands up, causing you to pause your rambling. 

“It’s okay.” his voice came out smooth and deep. “It’s nothing that can’t wash away with a little bit of soap and water.”

“I just..I didn’t see you there. I’m getting so frustrated with these flowers and this garden I just don’t know what to do.” you rambled, dropping your hands down to your sides. The man took a step closer to you, tilting his head to the side examining the purple hydrangeas that seemed to wither further the way you stared at them. 

“I’m sorry how rude of me I didn’t even introduce myself. I’m Jimin, I live next door. I’ve never seen you around here before.” he stated. 

“Oh I’m just here watching over my aunt while she’s on bedrest. I have to take care of the house” you threw your hands up gesturing to the various plants that surrounded you two. “and subsequently the garden too. I’m convinced the flowers saw me coming and just decided to die on the spot just to do something different besides growing nice and pretty for my aunt.” Jimin let out a cute laugh, eyes crinkling up into crescents.

“You seem very frustrated as if the shovel against my foot wasn’t enough indicator.” Jimin said.

“I just” you sighed. “I have no clue what I’m doing and my aunt loves this garden so much that I just don't want to let  it fall apart in her absence but I’ve tried everything to get this garden together.” Venting your frustrations to this stranger, Jimin came easy and made you feel better in the process. But still and yet the garden itself was a hot mess. You loved a challenge but hated feeling incompetent. Tending to the garden made you feel dumb as a rock. As if the garden was trying to communicate to you but you both were speaking two completely different languages.

“Well I have a garden of my own that I tend to and I think it’s coming along pretty well. I usually come over and sit with your aunt while she works around here. We have many of the same plants too. I can help you if you want.”Jimin offered, smiling again. You thought about it briefly. Your aunt hadn’t mentioned Jimin to you before and she normally told you all of her daily happenings and people she ran into. But Jimin seemed to have an air of comfort around him, maybe he knew what he was talking about.

“Sure, but my phone is in my pocket so no funny business or I’ll call the cops.” you stated sternly pointing a finger in Jimin’s direction.  He smiled, kneeling down in the dirt in front of the hydrangea. He didn’t seem to care about his white slacks getting dirty. You watched as he examined the tools and Miracle Gro you had sitting out and then the flower. He held one of the flowers from the bush in his hands, softly rubbing his thumbs over the petals. Jimin seemed to be talking to himself as he looked the flowers over. He picked up a handful of soil, leaning in and spreading it around the bottom of the bush. Then reaching for the watering can, sprinkled water over the top. Then back to the soil at the bottom and patting it down, he sang as quietly as he seemed he could. He stood up dusting his hands clean of the soil.

“All done!” he exclaimed. You made a face of disbelief at him. 

“That’s it? That’s all you’re gonna do? Really?” you put your hands on your hips.

“Didn’t you just see all that? The hydrangea is gonna prosper and grow now.” Jimin pouted.

“You didn’t do anything more than I did!” you shouted.

“Well you just wait. Give it a few hours and when you come out here in the morning, you’re gonna see all of what I did. I just have a certain touch and a language that speaks to the plants.” Jimin said.

“Jimin, I’m not gonna lie to you this seems like a crock of bullshit in all honesty.” Jimin’s lips parted.

“Alright, I see. I’ll be back in the morning. If nothing happens then nothing happens. But if my methods worked. I want a glass of iced tea.” he stated.

“A glass of iced tea?” you asked, cocking up an eyebrow. Jimin made a face as if he was thinking

“You know what?” he snapped his fingers. You waved your hand signaling for him to continue. “I want it sweetened. Extra sweet, with sugar cubes on the side. Maybe a lemon if I’m feeling a little zesty.” he said, turning to walk away. 

“I mean it,” he called over his shoulder. “I’ll be back tomorrow.” You looked down at the hydrangea that remained in the same screwed up condition you found it in this morning. The nerve of that guy. Never trust a stranger, you thought to yourself, returning to examine the floral bush in front of you.

The next morning when you woke up, repeating the same routine you had been settled in for the past few weeks. You trudged out to the garden again completely ready to accept defeat against the flowers and various vegetables in the garden. Morning sun beaming down at you, forcing you to pull your floppy hat down further. Walking up to the hydrangea bush your lips parted in shock. The bush that was there yesterday, browning and withering instead, was lively, the purples and whites bright. You knelt down on hands and knees staring at the bush as if you were attempting to find a hidden camera of some sorts. 

“What the fuck?” you mumbled under your breath.

“Well I see it worked.” immediately recognizing the voice from behind you belonging to Jimin. You hopped up, dusting off your overalls. Jimin stood cocking his head to the side with a slight smile on his face. The outfit he wore was different than yesterday, all blue instead of all white he wore a soft baby blue, his brown hair framing his face perfectly, parted down the middle. 

“I.. I don’t know how you did it, this is crazy. What’s your secret?” you asked. Jimin threw his head back, shoulders shaking from his laughter. 

“I can’t do that. There’s no way to.” Jimin smiled. You felt your brows furrow in. A look of confusion was probably making itself home on your features at this point. 

“What do you mean? You literally didn’t do anything I didn’t do.”  you sighed. 

“That’s what it seemed like?” Jimin feigned like he was thinking. You shoved him playfully. 

“I guess I owe you some iced tea.”

“With the sugar cubes on the side please.”

You and Jimin returned to your aunts back porch looking over the garden placed in the far left corner of her vast backyard. He sipped on his iced tea that turned into sweet tea after he dumped half the container of sugar cubes in it. Taking his first sip inside at the kitchen counter, relaxing into a closed eyed smile. While your face turned up in disgust at the sight. 

“So what are you?” you questioned, breaking the silence. Jimin choked on his sweet tea, spluttering and ending with a cough. 

“What are you talking about?” Jimin squeaked. 

“You must be a botanist or something. Right?” you asked, confused about Jimin’s reaction. He hesitated before answering, as if the cogs were turning in his head he snapped his fingers.

“Right! Sorry about that, the tea went down the wrong pipe. I own a flower shop with my best friend. I just love plants so much. They’re so easy to maintain and care for. It’s so easy to pour love into them and reap the benefits of it. It’s the best way to physically see love you know?” Jimin smiled yet again. His smile was pretty, it seemed to make him glow, you almost felt like you were being spoiled by getting to see him smile so much. 

“I get it. Plants seem to hate me, but I remember once when I was a child my aunt took me to these botanical gardens and the flowers were just so beautiful. I wish I had a green thumb like she did. I feel like it would better my appreciation for them.”

Jimin scoffed, placing his glass down on the bannister. “The plants don't hate you. Look I know this may sound crazy but plants sometimes can be selective to who they bloom for. You have to be able to understand them and them understand you. It’s a hard language to speak, but everyone has to learn it. You have to have a certain touch” he reached out gently grabbing your hand that was resting at your side. “You have to have the correct amount of gentleness and a subtle warmth to your hands. It’s having a good balance of peace and harmony. They have to feel that.” You looked down at your intertwined hands, a slow heat creeping up on you as you looked up catching Jimin’s glance. Your phone started ringing loudly from your pocket. Jimin broke his hand away from yours first as you stammered trying to reach for your phone. Your aunt was calling you, asking you if you could bring her a snack. 

“I’m sorry” you apologized to Jimin. “I have to go real quick, my aunt wants me to get her something. I’ll be right back if you can wait.” Jimin threw his hands up, waving them. 

“That’s alright. I have something I want to give to you. I’ll be back this evening with it.”

“Is it a diamond?” you joked. Jimin looked at you confused. “It must be a big diamond.”

“I can assure you it’s not a diamond. But something worth that if not more.” he grinned. 

“Well now I don’t know what to expect but it must be something grand. My hopes are up now, Jimin. Just so you know.”

Instead of it being later that day Jimin ended up returning a week later, with you seeing him but without him returning with whatever it was he wanted to give. With a wheelbarrow in tow hauling a small tree in the soil. You stopped the rocking chair you sat in, jumping up out of it you ran over to Jimin, who had pulled the wheelbarrow into the right corner of the backyard. 

“What is that?” you asked, walking around the wheelbarrow. 

“A cherry blossom tree. I just loved them so much, I had to give you one from my shop.” he stated. 

“Jimin a cherry blossom tree can’t grow here. You have to do so much work before planting them. I thought you would’ve known that. It’s gonna die.” you said with a frown.

“It’s not. I promise it won’t. Don’t worry you’ll see.” he smiled. You glanced at Jimin feeling worried. The garden had seemed to start coming back to life with Jimin’s help but the tree? Far away from the soil of the garden had you feeling anxious. You didn’t want your aunt to see the tree failing either.

“Cherry blossoms take forever to grow.” you pouted. Jimin walked over to you wrapping himself around you from behind, rocking back and forth.

“Y/n” he said in a sing-songy voice. “I said don’t worry.” You could hear the smile in his voice, it felt contagious you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling.

“What are you gonna do? Work some more of your Jimin magic?”

“Something like that.”

You sat back and watched Jimin plant the tree. Moving slowly with patience. Every so often he would hum a tune or sing a little bit as he worked until he was finished.

“So that’s it?” you asked as Jimin stepped back to look at the small two foot tree in the ground.

“That’s it!” he clapped. You looked at the tree sideways, then up at Jimin who had his arms outwards pointing at the tree, the glow that settled around him seemed a little brighter than the last time you saw him.

“I-“ you hesitated. “you’re very odd. You come around here with your crispy clean monochromatic outfits and glowing skin and gardening secrets. I don’t get you and I don’t think I will.” you sighed. Jimin looked at you searching your face for any trace of emotion. Then you broke out in a big smile that he returned.

“Actually I have a confession to make.” Jimin admitted with a drop of his shoulders.

“What’s wrong?” you perked up, sitting up straight.

“I’m gonna be going back.. into the city permanently. This might be the last time I see you. That’s why I wanted to gift you the cherry blossom tree.”

Your lips parted into a “o” shape. “You’re leaving?”

“Business is booming and Taehyung can’t handle it all alone.” Jimin spoke as if his words were rehearsed, coming off a little flat. “the tree will always give you something to remember me by.”

“Jimin” you scoffed. “if you’re just going to the city this shouldn’t be goodbye. We can visit one another and you can give me more introspective gardening tips.” Jimin shook his head.

“It’s much deeper than that. It’s far too much to explain. I’m sorry.” he said. You looked into his eyes and they seemed glassy almost as if he was gonna cry. You didn’t understand why Jimin didn’t want to visit you anymore. The city was only a 45 min drive away. It didn’t have to be permanent.

“I- Well- Maybe-“ you stammered. “I guess, Jimin. If you say so. Never say never our paths can intertwine again.” you smiled. Jimin gave you a solemn smile, before looking back to the tree.

The next morning after Jimin’s departure you woke early that morning, like there was something tugging you out of your deep sleep. You groggily headed down to the kitchen preparing your coffee. You glanced out the window briefly, something huge and pink doing a double take you looked harder out the window squinting at the sight of the cherry blossom tree Jimin planted the evening before. It now stood tall and huge, blossoms covering every branch as if it had been there for years. You ran outside to the tree, running your hands along the bark as you walked all around it. It just didn’t make any sense. It was actually quite impossible that the tree grew that rapid overnight. You were shocked, no proper thoughts coming to mind to wrap your mind around the tree. How was you gonna explain this to your aunt? You stood back from the tree before noticing a folded sheet of paper at the base. Bending over you picked it up unfolding it.

“Hopefully destiny will cross our paths again

-Jimin”

[thetypedwriter]

Cemetery Boys Book Review

Cemetery Boys Book Review by Aiden Thomas 

In true Halloween fashion, I decided to pick up Cemetery Boys to get me into the festive mood, along with pumpkin spice everything, Harry Potter movie marathons, and sweaters I don’t need as southern California is still a million degrees. Currently on the New York Times Bestseller’s List, Cemetery Boys is author Aiden Thomas’ debut novel about, you guessed it, boys in a cemetery. 

Although, in a way, the title is a tad deceiving as the book contains much much more than boys loitering in graveyards and lying next to mausoleums (anyone catch the reference?). In fact, said boys don’t spend much time in the cemetery at all. 

But I digress. 

The short novel starts off and surrounds our main character Yadriel, a Latinx youth from East Los Angeles that is struggling with the death of his mother, the looming festivities of Dia de Muertos, getting his family to accept his true gender and name, the sudden disappearance of his cousin Miguel, and you know, the casual summoning of a hot dead boy with too much energy and a wicked smile that makes Yadriel feel like he’s on fire. 

But it doesn't matter because the boy Yadriel summoned on accident, Julian Diaz, resident bad boy extraordinaire, is dead right? He’s just a ghost. 

Or is he?

Yadriel and Julian, with the help of Yadriel’s best friend Maritza, spend the few days leading up to Dia de Muertos in hot pursuit of what happened to Julian in the hopes that it will reveal Miguel, allow Yadriel to finally convince his family and his community that he is indeed a brujo, a male servant of Lady Death, the Goddess of their lives and religion which allow them to speak to spirits and perform other magical abilities like healing and even raising people from the dead. 

Yadriel is convinced that if he finds Miguel and severs Julian’s spirit ties, sending him to the afterlife, his father and the rest of the brujx will have to see him for what and who he truly is after years of being denied and called the wrong name and gender. 

However, Yadriel quickly finds himself way over his head as Julian turns out to be the most annoying, most hot-headed, most alive spirit he’s ever met. Not to mention that he’s developing feelings for him, feelings which soon are returned. 

Yadirel is then faced with a bigger dilemma: does he lose everything he’s wanted-acceptance from his father and his community and his true place as a brujo, or Julian-the dead boy he’s fallen for?

In what is probably the most frightening thing of all-cliffhangers-I won’t give away the ending this time people. You’ll have to read Cemetery Boys to find out. 

What I will do though is give you my breakdown on this very sweet, very young, fictional novel that is quite honestly the furthest thing from being spooky. 

Firstly, the best and most wonderful thing about this novel is representation. Trans, gender fluid, and intersex characters are still wildly bereft in the young adult fiction world, especially as main characters, so a new novel with the main character being trans is wholly welcomed and appreciated. 

Yadriel is an anxious, but relatable sixteen-year-old with problems that many of us face: fear of isolation, desire to belong, and feeling like an outcast. It was so relieving and enlightening to hear from a character and experience the challenges and emotions they faced while attempting for the world to understand and accept them for who they were. 

In addition to Yadriel, you had other representation in terms of the Latinx community, other trans characters, gay characters, foster youth, homeless youth, and even small side delves into veganism and much bigger issues like deportation, medical care, and runaway children. 

This book was short, but man did it pack a punch in terms of the social issues it revolved around and introduced into its story. 

In addition to the wide cast of characters with myriad backgrounds and circumstances, the focus on Latinx culture in particular was very strong and very saturated. Throughout the whole novel you have characters speaking Spanish, a plethora of food specific to certain Latinx cultures, and the sometimes heavy handed explanations of certain customs and traditions unique to Yadriel’s community and ancestors. 

On the one hand, I really enjoyed this. I love it immensely when authors bring in their own background to further expose readers to different cultures and customs, especially as it pertains to the main character and their experience. 

However, oftentimes in Cemetery Boys it came across a little too burdensome. It was like I was reading a pamphlet on Dia de Muertos instead of a young adult novel. I wholeheartedly understand Thomas’ vision and goal of Latinx inclusion, but the way it was written was not always seamless.

 It often dragged me out of the book and irritated me when the flow of the story was interrupted for a whole page so that Dia de Muertos could be described, or so paragraphs of Latin foods could be listed out. 

Once again, I love this representation, but the writing could sometimes be a little too chunky and repeatedly it was too long and too obvious for it to come across seamless and natural. 

Speaking of natural, the biggest criticism I probably have of this book is that it comes across much younger than presented. Even though Yadriel and the other characters are sixteen, they often felt much more immature to me, especially with how the story unfolded and Thomas’ writing as a whole. 

This is not itself a criticism, but I would definitely recommend this book for much younger consumers than it is currently targeting. 

As a teacher, I could see this book being recommended for middle school in order to teach children about trans youth, the importance of acceptance and love, and of course, for the representation that is abundant throughout the novel. 

I personally think this would be too juvenile for high school and above. 

I certainly found it juvenile as a 26-year-old-woman. 

Once again, this does not mean it’s not enjoyable. I still enjoyed the book and had an overall good time reading it. But it also means that there were several parts that I found predictable, exaggerated, or as I said before, heavy handed in how certain aspects of the novel were displayed and organized. 

The plot for instance, was laughably easy to predict. I think I had the entire ending down when I was about ⅓ of the way through with the book. Does this make it a bad read? Of course not. But books that have unpredictable endings or that manage to surprise me end up leaving more of an impression on me as a reader .

In addition, often the way Yadriel and Julian, especially Julian, would react was very childish in my opinion. Simply how they processed emotions, handled their problems, and dealt with high-stakes situations were very reminiscent of characters much younger than they were. 

Most of all however, the juvenile feeling of this book I would attribute to the writing. Thomas is definitely not a bad writer, but nothing about it came across as young adult to me. Some scenes were a bit cheesy, but the writing itself was very easy, uncomplicated, and very straightforward. 

There were some scenes I felt like were not dealt with enough (aka Yadriel losing his cousin and thinking about it once or twice and the whole Julian running away and Rio being like meh, Julian is Julian). Some scenes just seemed....odd and out of character and others needed to be expanded upon more. 

I want to reiterate that these are NOT BAD THINGS. 

Overall, I found the novel very cute, very refreshing, and a wonderful addition to the literature world. All of Thomas’ characters are likable, the representation is amazing and nuanced, even if it is a bit arduous in certain parts, and the story is interesting and action-packed, keeping readers on their toes and never bored with what is going on. 

As a whole, Cemetery Boys is quite honestly a lovely little read that is perfect for the Halloween season. You might not be frightened, but you will get a cute story, some very welcome representation, and wholesome relationships and themes that, while simple, are not to be overlooked or underrated. 

Score: 7/10

Recommendation: Put on Hocus Pocus, light your pumpkin scented candle, make yourself some tea or hot cocoa, snuggle up with a blanket (either because it’s actually cold where you live or because you have the AC on like me) and delve into Cemetery Boys for some lighthearted fun, some magic, some ghosts, and of course, a whole heaping of good feelings where love wins and the world is a better place for it. 

[oni-bag]

It Don’t Bite (Pt.1)

Pairing: Male reader x Kim Namjoon

Summary: Most witches have a natural distaste for werewolves and Kim Namjoon is no exception. There weren’t that many werewolves in the city but leave it to Jungkook to find a group and bring them around his shop. 

Wordcount: 1205

Note(s): Watched people react to Twilight, watched some vines, thought of this idea. Not really sure where I would be going with this as a series if I stick to it but we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Halfway through writing this I dyed my hair. 

******

For a witch who didn’t have a proper magical education in a city filled with mostly humans, Namjoon has done pretty well for himself. He has his nice little shop and gets enough customers to pay the bills. 

During the three years the shop has been open, Namjoon has encountered all kinds of people. Those who want him to make a love potion, voodoo dolls, and even those who wished to be transformed into animals. From humans, to fellow witches, and even fairies from time to time. But never in the three years of this shop has a werewolf dared to step foot inside. 

Until now that is, and of course there’s more than one. And of course Jungkook is leading the way inside.

“So you come from a family of witches but you’re human? How does that work exactly?” the short blond one asked as their group entered. 

Jungkook shrugged as he skipped up to the desk Namjoon was currently positioned. “I dunno, witches do magic and stuff. They could’ve done something to me.” 

“Extremely unlikely,” you responded admiring some of the dream catchers that hung on the shelves. “Witches are the most power hungry supernaturals so for them to change someone from a witch to a regular human is very out of character.”

Namjoon took a deep breath before loudly clearing his throat to gain everyone’s attention. He plastered a customer service smile on his face before leaning down to talk to Jungkook. “Jungkook-ah, you clearly did not pay attention in school during the supernatural lessons. Who are your friends?”

“Ah, sorry man, Kook didn’t tell us he was taking us to a witch’s shop,” the blue haired one spoke up. “We would’ve said no, I swear on it.” 

Jungkook looked back and forth from the gang of wolves and Namjoon with a confused look on his face. “I don’t get what’s going on. What’s wrong with bringing you guys here?” 

“Witches and werewolves don’t get along,” Namjoon answered. 

“Witches for some unknown reason have a disliking toward werewolves, it has been going on for ages,” you corrected as you browsed the shelves of what the shop had to offer.

Jungkook pouted, “Well, hyung, these are my friends. This one is Jimin,” he pointed to the boy with blonde hair, “the other one is Taehyung.”

You stuck your hand out from the shelves so the others knew where you were at.

“And that’s Y/n!” Jungkook finished. He then turned to fully face Namjoon. “Hyung, these are like my closest friends, I need you to get along with them,” he whined. 

“Well....” Jimin spoke up, “he’s probably mostly having a problem with Y/n since is the only actual werewolf. Tae and I are just shifters who happen to turn into wolves.”

“But we’re in Y/n’s pack,” Taehyung pointed out.

“Ah, true.” 

“I thought packs didn’t really happen anymore,” Namjoon questioned as he moved to sit down on the stool behind his desk.

“For the most part yes. But now packs are less of a family thing and more of ‘you are really close friends so why not’? Plus most werewolves have an urge to be in a pack even if it can be easily ignored. We also made it when we were really young. If we formed it now I would’ve fought to be the alpha and not Y/n over there.”

“That is a fight you would’ve lost both verbally and physically, Taehyung,” you called out.”

“Perhaps.”

“Anyway!” Jungkook shouted to bring the attention back to himself. “I need you to get along with these guys, hyung. ‘Cause you’ve been my closest friend since I was young and I really look up to you. But these guys are also my close friends so naturally, I wanna hang around you guys at the same time!”

“Jungkook-ah I never said I wouldn’t at least try to get along with your friends,” Namjoon replied. “But bringing people here without any warning was not the best idea. Especially since I’m working right now and no one here is a customer.”

“Actually,” you emerged from one of the shelves holding a key chain, “I would like to buy this.”

You and Namjoon both stared at each other from across the shop. He didn’t say anything for about a minute and you began to regret saying anything before he slowly gestured for you to come to the desk. To avoid touching him you placed the key chain on the desk and slid it over.

Namjoon took the key chain and recognized it as one of his favorite talismans to enchant. It was a crescent moon with an eye so the design was simple but nice to look at. “It’s enchanted to help the owner find whatever they need, even if the person does not want or realize they need something.”

“What Y/n needs is a boyfriend,” Jimin attempted to whisper to Taehyung who snickered.

“At least someone to give him a little sucky sucky whenever he’s in a mood,” Taehyung joked back equally as loud.

You pretended you didn’t hear anything as you watched Namjoon carry on to activate the talisman magic. Jungkook, meanwhile, was busy trying his best not to laugh.

“You never introduced yourself to us,” you brought up after the male finished softly chanting. 

“Kim Namjoon,” he responded before telling you the price of your item. 

“Y/n really likes magical things, hyung,” Jungkook said.

“Yeah! He has a collection back at his apartment!” Jimin added on. 

“It doesn’t count as a collection if there’s only two things,” you replied with an embarrassed huff as you slid the money over.

“Well, this would be the third one, right?” Namjoon asked as he took the money. “Collections typically start at three,” he added as he handed you your new talisman.

“Right,” you said before you cleared your throat before turning away from Namjoon. “We should go, don’t want to bother this man longer than we have already. Tae, Jungkook, you guys mentioned wanting ice cream on the way here. We can go get some now,” you pressed on before any of them could complain. 

However, before they could respond you started to head toward the exit, expecting them to follow. 

The three took the time to bid Namjoon goodbye before following you out of the shop.

-

“Dude, I wonder what that charm thingy is gonna bring you,” Taehyung said when they caught up to you. 

“It’s a talisman,” you corrected as you clipped it on your jeans. “and I do too. Hopefully that hoodie I lost at work will turn up.”

“He said it’s something that you need,” Jimin reminded you. “So maybe it will bring you some form of companionship other than us. Maybe you’ll find a stray kitten! I would be over at your place all the time if that happens.”

“Or maybe it will help Y/n find out he doesn’t have to live off the big bad wolf stereotype all the time,” Jungkook joked.

“You can pry that character trait out of my cold dead fingers,” you snapped. 

Taehyung laughed, “Woah there, Jungkook, I don’t think that charm is strong enough to even do that.”

“Talisman,” you corrected again.

“Whatever.”

[capricornus-rex]

A Shadow of What You Used to Be (4)

Chapter 4: Brother, Brother | Cal Kestis x Irele Skywalker

Requested by Anon

Summary: There is another! Years after young Anakin Skywalker departed Tatooine, his mother Shmi delivers a second child—this time, a daughter. Whilst the circumstance of the girl’s birth remains unexplained, Irele Skywalker has yet to choose the true path between those laid out for her.

Tags: Fem! OC, Irele Skywalker, Force-sensitive! OC, Anakin’s Younger Sister, Skywalker! OC, Darth Vader’s Secret Apprentice, Long-lost Sibling

Also in AO3

Chapters: Prelude – 1 – 2 | Previous: Part 3 | Next: Part 5 | Masterlist

5 of ?

They arrived at the moisture farm, the exact one that Watto told them. The domed abode stood out across the surrounding dunes, behind it were the suns hoisted in its point for high noon. As Anakin and Padmé approached, a dark-colored figure got into their better view—little did the Jedi knew that the figure posted outside was the droid he had created years ago.

“Oh!” startled, the droid turned around to face the visitors. “Hello, how may I be of service? I am C—”

“3PO?” Anakin squinted some more, unsure whether the sunlight was playing tricks on his already narrowed eyes.

The droid paused, its photoreceptors processing the face of the young man before him, and then it dawned on him.

“Could it be? The Maker!” the black droid exclaimed. “Master Ani, I knew you would return! Oh and Miss Padmé, oh my.”

At least Padmé was delighted to have been remembered by the droid she has not seen in a decade.

“Bless my circuits! I’m so pleased to see you both.”

“I’ve come to see my mother,” the droid’s maker said in the same steely tone he used when speaking with the Toydarian, affording no moment for the droid to celebrate this small reunion.

C3PO stuttered, unsure how to begin responding to that purpose.

“Yes, well, I do believe it is best I bring you inside.”

The droid stiffly turned around, expecting the human pair to follow, and they were escorted into the ground floor of the Lars homestead.

From the kitchen, Owen could hear C3PO speaking like a tour guide. He had figured it might have been the person he thought would come, he just didn’t realize it’d be today. Out of common courtesy, he—along with the Whitesun girl—came out of the kitchen to greet their guests.

“Master Owen, might I present to you the two most important visitors.”

“I’m Anakin Skywalker.”

“Owen Lars. And this is my girlfriend, Beru.”

Beru managed a smile to both visitors before softly saying “Hello.”

“I’m Padmé.”

“I guess I’m your stepbrother,” he swallowed. “I had a feeling you might show up someday.”

Anakin didn’t take that kindly, he had no emotional reaction to it—he’s just here for his mother.

“Is my mother here?” he demanded, stepping away from his apparent stepbrother.

“No, she’s not,” a gruff voice drew everyone’s attention to its direction, followed by the soft whirring of a hoverchair.

Cliegg had aged, though not quite well, given what had happened in the past. He extended a hand as he introduced himself.

“Shmi is my wife,” he added. “We should go inside. We have a lot to talk about.”

Owen quickly came to his father, taking the two handles protruding outward from the backrest of the chair.

“Where is your sister?”

“She hasn’t come back yet,”

“Well, she better come home quick.” Grumbled the elder Lars only within Owen’s earshot.

They all gathered at the dining table. Cliegg began with how he met Shmi, how he bought her, and eventually freed her. The old man chuckled once as he studied the boy’s features while he was listening in carefully, even while he stares at his hands clasped together.

“You know, it’s funny,” he began, the remark caught Anakin’s attention. “I never realize that you and Irele have the same eyes—but I think she resembles Shmi’s the most.”

Anakin’s eyes shifted shakily, his lips parted but no words escaped from it; he looked alternately between Cliegg and Owen, wordlessly demanding some clarification to what Cliegg said. Anakin blinked once, dramatically so, and finally managed to let out the words: “I… Irele?”

Everyone on that very table exchanged looks, but the other party was more confused and perhaps curious on who’s this Irele person that they don’t know of. Cliegg’s last words also got to Anakin and he decoded it quickly—but as he solved the minor riddle, more questions piled up after the answer. Has his mother given him a sister without his knowledge? Why hasn’t he felt her through the Force? Is she not gifted with the same abilities as he is?

“W-Where… Where is she?”

“She’s probably out in town with the other children her age. Irele is coping, you see, but I don’t think it’s not doing her much good. Overworking, finding and taking one too many odd jobs—more than she can handle—”

“Coping?” Anakin asked for elaboration.

Cliegg guessed there’s no way of sliding his way out of that question. They will come to the point in the conversation on what had happened to Shmi. The mood in the dining room changed significantly. A gloomy silence befell Owen and Beru as they waited for the head of the house to begin the tale.

“Your mother went out early—just before dawn—to pick mushrooms, like she always does. But this one time, she was ambushed by the Tusken Raiders, they had been prowling by the ridge waiting to raid the farms when there’s no one looking—but they saw your mother. They attacked her and took her with them, kept her hostage. And your sister, well…”

The elderly man sighed, taking and then letting out a deep breath, he attempts to continue.

“She left the house to search for her the moment she got out of bed. I found her woken up by a cold sweat, then she insisted that something was wrong. I trusted her, believed her, and let her go find her mother in the fields. She came back empty-handed, I had already prepared a search party. Those Tuskens walk like men, but they’re vicious, mindless monsters. About thirty of us went, only four of us came back. I’d be out there with them, but after I lost my leg… I just couldn’t ride anymore until I heal. I don’t want to give up on her, but she’s been gone for a month.”

The silence was distrupted by the sound of light footsteps, the only noise that rung across the homestead apart from their voices.

“I’m home!” a girl’s voice announced. “Dad? Owen?”

Her voice and her arrival caught the attention of both her family and the two visitors. Anakin stood up and stepped out so that he can see—and be seen—the rotunda. Just a meter and a half away from him was a girl of ten years—nearing eleven—standing from the stairs from where he came when he himself arrived in this house.

Irele was immediately taken aback by this stranger, not because it was a new face—but because she was bothered by how familiar he looked and felt. A good minute has passed and it dawned on her. She knows who this is.

Anakin examined the girl: black hair tied back into a ponytail, donning a woven scarf to protect her from the sands, and a pair of earthy hazel eyes hooded with a somber, unreadable gaze—nearly similar a hue to Shmi’s eye color. Looking at her was like seeing Shmi in her girlhood, for Irele could perhaps grow to be the spitting image of their mother. This is his sister, he thought, but he wasn’t sure what to do or how to react and interact with her—neither of them have known much about the other. And they’ve only just met! To Irele, it felt like she had waited a lifetime to meet him; she always had that feeling, perhaps over time, she didn’t anticipate him as much.

“Irele…?” Anakin uttered.

“H-Hi…” she stuttered shyly, reacting to her name.

Cliegg spun his hoverchair, “Irele, this is your brother. Your real brother.”

Irele’s brows furrowed, she blinked several times as she examined Anakin’s features. Perhaps she could not spot any resemblance yet, but eventually she would have—if she gave it time. As the siblings stared at one another; thoughts, questions, and even comments about each other’s appearances flood their minds.

What does she know about me? Did Mom ever tell her about me?

There’s something I feel about him… though it’s making me too nervous. It’s almost like it’s something bad… or maybe because he just looks a little mean.

Before giving a proper reaction or even speaking a single word, she sprang to her heels and fled to her room, flimsily holding her satchel loosely by the strap, dangling just inches away from the ground as she ran.

The adults dismissed it as bashfulness and also surprise. Anakin did not go after her anymore and went to the direction of the front door.

“Give her time,” Cliegg advised.

“Where are you going?”

Anakin’s eyebrows slightly pulled, but Owen did not notice, “To go find my mother.”

“Your mother’s dead son, accept it. There’s little hope she’s lasted this long.”

In fact, he didn’t. He could never ever. Then Cliegg sighed in defeat, knowing that this boy might be just as stubborn as his little sister. He reached for Anakin’s forearm and clutched it weakly, slightly startling him.

“If you can’t do that… at least talk to your sister.”

The sky had burned into a golden orange hue, sunset was nearing. Night will be upon them soon. Anakin found Irele in the workshop, he recognized some of the apparatus to be Shmi’s—apparently, she had brought those with her when she and Irele were bought.

As he was approaching her, he caught a glimpse of what she was doing—she was piecing together a sort of tech that seemed familiar, along with a little help from her friends in town.

“Irele, I…”

“She told me about you,” Irele matched her brother’s firm tone of voice, though the hint of uncertainty rang along her words. She did not look at him, she spoke to him while keeping her eyes on her handicraft. “A long time ago. I just didn’t think we’d meet at this time.”

Anakin got close enough to get a better look at her tinkering, he examined the small machine and discovered that she was retrofitting a podracer’s dashboard.

Attempting and hoping he’d establish a connection with her, he caved in to listen on what Irele has to say.

“She told me that you were a great racer. You won against Sebulba.”

“Sebulba? He still races?”

Irele turned to Anakin, not exactly surprised that he still remembers the cheating Dug, though a decade’s worth of not knowing anything happening in Tatooine would at least fog his memory. His sister nodded slowly and then returned to fixing the dashboard.

“No, it’s…” she trailed off when she got too focused on arranging the wires. “It’s from a customer in Anchorhead. I used to be in a podracer’s pit stop entourage, when I was like six.”

“Do they still race?”

She shook her head, and answered the question she knew was coming, “Accident. Can’t drive a pod with just one arm, huh?”

Her posture straightened, she moved the magnifying lens away from her, and then secured the dashboard in a leather sleeve before settling it down neatly in the center of the workbench. Irele finally afforded a good long look at her big brother.

Big brother… kinda weird to call him that.

“Ani,” she uttered, though she meant it as a practice of getting used to addressing him when talking to him. She didn’t really intend to call him, but he looked at her anyway. There was a pause before she continued.

“How much did Dad tell you—about Mom?”

It slightly baffled Anakin how casually she called Cliegg her father, he cannot blame her anyway if this is the father figure she grew up with.

“Just enough for me to know,” Anakin answered.

She hummed. Then Anakin decided to ask the question that has been lingering in his mind. If this was his birth sister, was she born in the same way he was?

“Irele, perhaps you can tell me something,” he began.

Detecting the seriousness in his tone, she swiveled the chair to face him, propping her elbow on the table. Staring back at him with those hazel eyes that he cannot gaze upon without remembering Shmi—because he could definitely see his mother within his sister—he licked his lips before speaking.

“Cliegg isn’t really your father, is he?”

His sister stared at him some more with squinted eyes, bobbed her head to the side as she got the idea of his question. She wordlessly shook her head; when she did, then Anakin’s presumptions have been realized—she was exactly like him. Within their moment together of just conversing, he could feel the Force flowing in her, although it was faint and seemingly dormant. In that case, her Force-sensitivity might be still untapped—what seemed to be a small stream on a quiet summer morning will eventually turn out to be a powerful, raging dam. And so it begs the question: will he report her to the Jedi Council?

“He told you about the Tuskens, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Oh…” Irele’s eyelids drooped as she looked randomly on the floor, avoiding her brother’s gaze. Another moment passed, both siblings were inept in speaking to  one another casually—unlike how Irele is to Owen—but then she lifted her head again, and this time, she looked at her real big brother with pleading eyes, suggesting a sense of longing for their mother and sadness. The latter being a dangerous emotion to dwell on. “You’ll bring her back, won’t you… Anakin?”

Then at that moment, Anakin was both determined and burdened to keep such a promise. He was confident and hopeful that he would rescue Shmi, but with such a motivation fueled by the fear of loss, Irele was beginning to sense something ominous from him. In the back of her head, she was regretting what she asked of him. She saw a shadow loom over Anakin, as dark as his long robes that sweep the sand as he strode. Her heart pumped slowly and heavily, it suffocated her and made her nervous.

There’s something not right with him. Something… bad. She thought to herself, her fingers twitched with anxiety. It’s too late to take that back. Anakin has sealed a contract forged from her behest—which was also his. Now she wanted to stop him, because she know something bad was going to happen—executing the same foresight she had for Shmi.

“Anakin, are you alright?” Irele asked, and that seemed to snap him back to reality.

He stammered as he answers, “Yes. I… I just blanked out, I guess.”

“Right…” she groaned with a growing suspicion. “Just… Just don’t lose sight of what you came for.”

Her vague warning would allude to the preceding events. Anakin took her words to heart, and his being a Jedi gave him the advantage to read people better than most, to analyze their motives and desires. Hearing Irele say something like that hints her Jedi-like abilities: her foresight, which was something Qui Gon had noted of Anakin himself when he was still a child.

“I won’t,” he said with conviction, and then he managed a smile in the hopes of easing her spirits. “Don’t worry, I’ll bring her back.”

Irele’s thin lips pursed and watched her big brother turn around to leave her be in the workshop. When his back turned to her, that smile instantaneously melted away; her stomach slightly churned at the sight of his robes shadowing his figure—he looked broader and more intimidating, and quite ominous.

She had a bad feeling. A very bad feeling about this.

[fanficsforheartandsoul]

Must Have Been The Wind | [Fem!Reader x Ben Solo] | Star Wars

Notes: This piece was inspired by Alec Benjamin’s song with the same name. I recommend you listen to it while reading, it’s beautiful :) Also, this is kind of an AU where Ben did turn to the dark side but Luke was able to persuade him to come back, so he never met Rey. In the end he decided to give up his life with the force and moved to Coruscant.

Fandom: Star Wars

Warnings: Abuse, Slight Gore, Violence, Swearing, Angst, Fluff

Summary: Ben Solo decides to complain about the noise upstairs but instead falls in love. But Y/N has a boyfriend and dark secrets.

Word Count: 10′105

© Fanficsforheartandsoul 

--------

Voices woke him up. He sighed. The neighbors upstairs were going crazy. Again. 

He contemplated if he should retaliate since this was now the sixth time they screamed him awake, but he decided not to. At least not at... His eyes traveled to his nightstand. Not at 3 am in the morning. And they seemed to have calmed down. 

He turned on his left side with a relieved sigh, but then they returned to yell at each other. It was incoherent because the walls muted the noises at least a little, although not enough for him not to know when they had a fight.

He would go up tomorrow. He would complain. Tell them to keep it the fuck down. And then they would shut up. Because if they didn't, he could still use the force to threaten them. Although he had decided to never use it again, this was an emergency. His sleep was at stakes. And without sleep, he could turn into a real monster. He would definitely intimidate them for his precious 8 hours.

But when he took the elevator to the 13th floor and knocked on the apartment the next morning, he didn't expect the person who opened the door.

"How can I help you?"

In front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She had dazzling e/c eyes with h/c hair, and he felt as if the whole planet paused just to give him more time to savor her beauty. A thousand thoughts rushed through his mind. She tilted her head in confusion, and when she waved her hand in front of his face, he blinked and said breathlessly: 

"H-Hi."

The corner of her lips twitched, and his heart fluttered. There was an awkward silence where he just gazed at her openly while she returned the eye contact. When she lifted an eyebrow - a perfectly shaped eyebrow - he coughed and stammered:

"I uh... I'm living in the apartment below yours and... I wanted to t-to..." 

She saved him from his weak attempt to speak, but he didn't like how she had flinched. She hid it well; nonetheless, he had seen it.

"I'm so so sorry! I know it's been loud at night in the past few days. My boyfriend came over." 

Two years ago, he would have never guessed that his heart would be crushed by one word. Boyfriend. Makes sense. She looked like a goddess and her voice... 

"Well, it happens, I guess." 

Sith, what a great response. NOT. 

"I'm Ben, by the way. Ben Solo."

She smiled and stretched out her hand. He clenched his fist into his side, hoping that any sweat that might have appeared would magically go away, then he shook her hand while she introduced herself.

"My name's Y/N L/N, nice to meet you, Mr. Solo." 

He cringed when she said his last name. She obviously didn't mean it, but Mr. Solo just sounded mocking. How would she even know that he was single? Also, in regard to any friends? They have never met before.

"Please call me Ben, I'm not that old."

The comment caused her smile to widen, and his heart beamed when he saw how her eyes turned into crescents. He almost didn't want to let go of her hand, which was really soft, by the way, but he didn't want her to think he was a creep, so he almost ripped it out of her grasp. 

"Well, Ben," Holy Sith, how she pronounced his name, "let me apologize for the noise with some Jogan fruit cake I just made. Are you free right now?"

He nodded profusely. 

"Yeah, of course, totally. T-That sounds great, I love Jogan fruit."

His awkward way of speaking got a giggle out of her, and when she opened the door wider for him to step into the apartment, he felt like he was the luckiest man alive. When he passed her, he could smell a fragment of her shampoo or perfume, which only quickened his heartbeat. He would probably die of a cardiac arrest. 

"Just walk down the hallway, the kitchen is on the right around the corner." 

He hesitantly followed her instructions while he sensed her presence behind him. It seemed like his sweat pores had decided that it was time for a celebration flush today, and when he reached the kitchen, it felt like he had crawled around on Mustafar. 

Y/N showed him the table where he could sit down while she prepared some cake slices, and he took the seat facing the kitchen counter where he was able to see her. 

He didn't quite know what he was doing here. He had planned to lecture his neighbors, but now that she invited him in and showed that she was a kind and beautiful human being, he had no idea how to approach the whole noise thing again. She did apologize, but he still wanted something more. 

A relationship sputtered his virgin brain, and he had to reprimand himself that he was indecent. He needed a confirmation that they would keep it down starting from today. 

"You only recently moved in, right? I'm sorry I was too busy to come and welcome you."

She set a plate of Jogan fruit cake and a fork in front of him and then sat down, so they faced each other. He dismissed her apology with a wave. 

"It's fine, I didn't expect anyone, and there are so many apartments in this complex so it would be a hassle to say hello to everyone."

She only hummed, but it seemed to him as if she wanted to disagree. But when Y/N didn't say anything, he didn't comment on it either. She started to eat, and he followed. 

"Wow, you're really good at making cakes," he almost let a satisfied moan slip past his lips but was able to catch himself in time. 

"Thank you! I have quite a lot of time to practice my cooking skills, so..."

He smiled at her, and they began to talk about their lives on Coruscant. Ben didn't realize at first, but then he noticed that the young woman seemed to avoid any topic involving her boyfriend. So when he brought the noise up again, she only apologized once more and promised to be quieter from now on. He didn't pry even though he really, really wanted to know what the yelling was all about. 

Two hours went by, and when Y/N glanced at the clock, her expression changed, and she explained to him that she needed to start to work again. He nodded and let himself be escorted back to the door. 

"It was nice meeting you, Y/N. Let's talk someday again."

She returned the smile and pointed to the floor.

"Yeah, I feel the same, and since I live right above you, we can do that any time."

The young woman laughed, and his heart got hit by an arrow again. What was she doing to him, holy Sith?

"I will knock, alright?"

She demonstrated her knocking skills on the wall, and he grinned. It felt like they had become good friends in the few hours they had spent together.

"Let's make that our signal."

He repeated the rhythm she meant, and they just knocked on the door for a few seconds. Ben was the first one to stop their band rehearsal.

"Thank you for the delicious cake."

Her eyes lit up, and he could see the happiness in them. The compliment meant a lot to her.

"Next time you come by, I'll have some of your favorite foods prepared," she joked, and his mind couldn't stop a dirty comment.

"That would be awesome."

With a wave, he walked to the elevator, and Y/N closed the door. While he waited, he couldn't get the comment out of his mind. I would prefer to eat you.

Were his pick up lines really that bad? Cringe.

-

They began talking over their holocoms, and it was so much fun. For Ben, who had lived with strict rules and never proper puberty, it was a welcome change to chat about trivial things like the coffee from one of the cafés in CoCo Town, or what kind of holo transmissions they regularly watched. 

Y/N recommended shows and music for him, and while he listened to her favorite artists, he thought of her beautiful smile and kind eyes. 

He began to understand why she liked the husky voice of the lead singer. And while the band of Twi'lek men continued singing about unknown planets and adventurous journeys to find the love of their lives, he imagined himself as a powerful and elegant Jedi who could save the young woman upstairs from her worries. 

It was childish, but he couldn't stop himself. The songs just stimulated his imagination. And since he had a lot of free time besides his part-time job at the beginning of the week, he let his mind wander. 

But she wasn't the only visitor. He thought about his mother and how her force signature cried out in happiness when Luke had brought him back home. He was often reminded of her tears and how her weakening arms had embraced him with surprising strength. Ben's love for her and his father never stopped, but it had been concealed by all the pain and betrayal he had felt.

He wasn't ready yet to tell this to his uncle, but he was so glad that he had taken Luke's hand and returned. Their relationship was still rocky, but after he had listened to the stories of his mother about her brother, he was able to understand why the Jedi reacted the way he had back then.

But the relationship he had with Luke was better at the moment than the one with his father. Han Solo was surprisingly cold when his only son returned to the light side of the force. It hurt Ben, badly to tell the truth, but he didn't have to courage to say it to him. The smuggler had turned gruff and bitter through the years when he believed that he had lost his son forever. 

It was probably precisely the fact that Ben was his son that both of them couldn't approach one another because they didn't know how to start. Talking about their feelings was never a strength of the men in the Solo family. 

He wanted to share these things about his family with Y/N, but he felt like he would overwhelm her and potentially scare her away if she found out that he was the guy who had tormented the galaxy with the first order. Of course, it was in the past, and he had repented for it, plenty actually, but there was a reason why the noise from the apartment upstairs hadn't been the only thing that kept him awake at night. 

So he kept these things to himself, saying he could talk with his therapist about it while their friendship continued to grow. 

Y/N knocked on the floor every evening before she went asleep. It became a ritual, and he would knock back with the help of the robot arm that he still hadn't re-attached to his service droid. 

From time to time, Ben would ask himself if Y/N's boyfriend minded their interactions. He never met the man, but he knew he would always come over for four days in a row. He knew because these days, the woman upstairs would knock softer. 

The man seemed to naturally be a loud person. Ben could often hear his laughs and shouts through the thin walls when he watched a holo transmission. He not only appeared to be noisy but also short-tempered. 

There were times where he had to listen to their arguments. He never knew what they had been about, but it bothered him greatly. The noise less than the fact that this man screamed at the woman he was supposed to love. 

If I was him, I would never yell at her. 

When his brain first spewed out that thought, he was shocked. What was he thinking? Firstly, he had no right to judge that guy since he didn't know him at all, and secondly, why did that even cross his mind? 

He didn't want to admit it to himself, but maybe he should. Nothing good would come out of it if he didn't.

.

That's why he called his mother 4 months after his first meeting with Y/N. He told himself he was only calling because Ben wanted to thank her for the care package with sweets she sent him, but he couldn't deny that he also wanted to talk about, well, feelings. Unique feelings, to be exact. Love. 

Sith, he couldn't believe he wanted to share his thoughts about Y/N with his mother, but he would rather cut off his own arm than contact his father. They were still ignoring each other, so Han Solo was a no-go. And his uncle Luke also wasn't an option. So he would embarrass himself a little and let his mother swoon about his emotions like that one time where he had confessed that he planned to marry the neighbor's girl when he was 5. 

"Ben, Sweetie? How lovely that you contact me first! How is my son?"

She began to call him that again when he had broken down in her arms a few days after Luke had brought him back to his mother's house. At first, it bothered him a little. He had been a merciless killer, and sweetie wasn't a title a person like him deserved, but he never told her off. To be true, it made his chest warm up, and it reminded him of his childhood.

Leia Organa Solo never lost her loving attitude towards her son, and she didn't even hold herself back when she was in diplomatic meetings, and he suddenly called. She may be a politician, but she wasn't cold towards her family. Thankfully she was at home when he called this time.

She seemed to sit in the living room on one of the sofas with a cup of tea in her hands and her hair was tied in a loose knot. Her posture was relaxed, and Ben could feel her calmness in the force.

"I'm fine, Mom. What about you?" 

Her eyes didn't lose their kind look through the hologram, and she leaned forward, putting the cup on the small table out of view. He noticed a blanket in her lap, and he immediately recognized the ugly carpet, how he called it, that his father bought his mother when he was younger. The green color looked like puke according to his younger self, and he still agreed. 

"I'm enjoying the quietness in the house. Han is buying groceries with Chewie. I don't want to tell you too much, but your father doesn't have the best digestion anymore." 

He furrowed his brows, and when he saw her mischievous expression, he made a face. He didn't want to know that. His display of disgust caused his mother to chuckle. But soon after, she watched him carefully.

"Are you doing alright with your part-time job? You know if you ever need money we-" 

He interrupted her softly but with serious eyes: "It's okay. I make enough to pay my bills." 

He didn't have the heart to tell her that he disliked his unfriendly boss and how he was ordered around like a slave when a new customer arrived with their battered spaceship. But it was true that he received enough money. The work environment may be shitty, but the job in Kai's Repair shop paid him enough. It was alright. He had already complained about it with Y/N. 

"So did you receive my package? It shouldn't take this long, but maybe one of the transports had troubles. It's still not safe on some trade routes." 

Ben shook his head and glanced at his side, where the box with the sweets laid. Most of the candy was already eaten. Since he was living alone, no one could stop his sweet tooth. 

"No, I got it. I wanted to say thanks. They were delicious."

"You already ate all of them?" 

Her raised eyebrow and teasing tone made his ears turn slightly red. If she had seen how he watched one of Y/N's recommended space series two hours ago with a bowl full of candy in his lap and how he absently filled his mouth with a piece every minute, she would have probably scolded him.

"Mom, I'm already 32 years old. I'm not a child anymore, and I can eat what and how much I want."

The defensive answer only proved more that he couldn't control his sweet tooth at all, like so many times in his childhood. His father didn't use to call him a cookie thief for nothing.

"I know, I know. But my adult son still needs his Mom to instruct him on how to wash clothes, or am I wrong?" 

Ben could only roll his eyes. That was one time! Or two... Well, it didn't matter. While he tried to ignore the rising heat in his cheeks, he fiddled with his fingers and tried to get the courage to tell her.

She noticed he wanted to tell her something, and her voice was soft and calm when she asked: "Do you want to ask me something, Sweetie?"

He took a deep breath and then raised his head to look her straight in the eye. 

"I-I think I've fallen in love."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she opened her mouth, surprised. Saying it out loud made him cringe. I feel like I'm going to regret this.

"Ben, that- that is wonderful! Who are they? How did you meet?"

His mother's curiosity and sparkling eyes embarrassed him, but he told her the truth:

"She lives in the apartment above mine. Her name is Y/N, and we uh, met when I wanted to complain about the noise."

Leia furrowed her brows then raised them as if she remembered something. She leaned forward and asked: 

"You mean she's the neighbor who keeps you up at night? The one you complained about last time?"

The way she said keep you up at night made him clench his teeth, and his ears turned even redder. He nodded. He may have talked some shit about Y/N before they met, but that was because they had been very loud.

But not anymore. After he talked with Y/N about it, there hadn't been any problems. Or at least they shifted their arguments to daytime. 

"Really? The one you said and I quote "They are as useless as bantha shit, and the force would do us all a favor if it killed the-"

"Yes, Mom! It's her. And I regret that I talked about her like that no need to say anything else!"

He knew she was just teasing him, but he could feel that he was already red as a tomato from embarrassment, so it was time to stop.

"B-But I..." he tried to find the right words, "I- she... she already has a boyfriend."

He let his head hang low, and his black locks covered his face. His mother wasn't able to see his dark expression, but she could read his body language, and she immediately stopped giggling. Her eyes turned soft, and she sighed.

"Oh, Ben...I'm so sorry."

Why did she apologize? It wasn't her fault. It was no one's fault. Y/N was already taken, and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't have the right to do anything. All these years, he was never properly confronted by love, but he knew enough about it from things he saw and got told. 

"It... It hurts", he spoke without thinking but was the truth, "my chest. Why does it hurt? I don't know her for that long and- and I never... Why does it hurt like that, Mom?"

Leia watched her 32 years old son turn back into the little boy who was shy and quickly cried, the boy she had hugged so much in his childhood, the boy who had treated the world around him with gentle and soft care, the boy who had gifted her a four-leaf-clover and told her to stop crying after she had had a frustrating talk with some idiotic politicians. She could see the lonely boy in his hunched posture, and she regretted her decision to send him off with Luke to become a Jedi. 

"Love is, how should I say it... it influences our minds and our bodies. It can be amazing but also painful, sometimes both at the same time. The pain you're feeling right now will fade. We cannot choose who we fall in love with. The heart decides, and sometimes it decides wrong. That is not your fault." 

He knew that she didn't really answer his question, but Ben realized that she tried to comfort him. The calmness she radiated through the force engulfed him, and it was as if his Mom really was in his apartment and gave him a hug. He believed he could smell her perfume faintly. His tense shoulders relaxed slightly.

"I feel stupid. I mean, she told me she had a boyfriend when we first met, but I still wanted to continue talking to her. Okay, that might also be because I know literally no one else in the apartment block, but still..."

He ignored that he basically just told his mother that he had no friends, not even acquaintances. Too bad, it was the truth. 

"Well, what do you like about her?"

She crossed her legs and folded her hands to listen to what he wanted to say. He thought about it for a bit. Obviously, the first thing he noticed about Y/N was her stunning appearance. She was attractive, and her stare made his heart flutter. But when they got to know each other better, he found out that she was also kind. Kind and good at making desserts. 

The Jogan fruit cake wasn't the only thing he received from her. Over the last 4 months, she had put some boxes with dessert and sweets in front of his door. Or left a bag with homemade cookies, and all of them had been delicious. A customer once told him that love goes through the stomach. If that was true, Y/N reeled him right in with her skills. 

Then there was the way she talked. She was carefree and outright, but he liked it. She said what she was thinking without taking shit from anyone, and that intrigued him. Also, she had an excellent taste for music and holo transmissions. He had watched one of her recommended series in 2 days and then watched it again and again. 

She was fun and talking with her about the shows or his work, or her friends was enjoyable. Surprisingly, he loved it when she told him stories about her work life and what gossip was going around. 

But Y/N was also understanding and knowledgeable. When he complained about that one guy who couldn't understand that his ship needed a hyperdrive to travel at light speed, she widened his perspective and showed him that not everyone in the galaxy had left their planet before. 

And something crucial, especially for him; the silence between them wasn't weird. Sometimes they would just call and let the holo com on while they continued doing their own things or chores. Once Ben was so tired, he just took a nap while he could hear Y/N humming in the background cooking something. 

Or another time, when her boyfriend didn't come over, they went on the balcony and watched the stars, and she dropped a can of soda with the help of a rope. It was an awesome night, and his heart couldn't stop beating fast that evening. 

It was true that his chest was hurting whenever he thought about Y/N and her boyfriend or when she talked about him, but there were so many moments where he was overjoyed. If he had to feel the pain to receive good memories with her, it was worth it. He could endure it. The pain was nothing to him.

But unfortunately, it wasn't the same for Y/N.

-

"You stupid bitch!"

His palm grazed her cheek again, and the speed of his slap flung her head back. Pain spread across her face, and she clenched her teeth.

"I'm so sorry, B-Babe. I'll fi-fix it immediately."

She wanted to kneel and collect the shards of glass when another sharp pain struck her body. 

Y/N couldn't stop a small cry escaping her lips as Cain stepped on her hand, pressing her palm right into the sharp broken glass. His weight caused the shards to tear her skin, and she could feel how they drew blood. The pain caused tears to prick in her eyes, and she whimpered.

"Fix it? You already fucking broke it! Clean it up and get out of my sight."

He shifted his weight to make himself even heavier, and she sobbed, her other hand grasping his ankle:

"Stop. you're hurting me, please, stop!"

Usually, she wouldn't plead like that, but in the last few days, their arguments turned worse and worse, and Cain's temper was always boiling. She didn't dare to talk back or curse at him because she worried that he would break up with her. And she couldn't let that happen. Too much was at stakes. 

He finally stepped back and turned away to leave. While he went to the living room, he muttered: "Fucking useless piece of shit."

She stayed in the kitchen, kneeling on the floor with her hand a bloody mess. Tears rushed over her cheeks, and she cried silently. It's alright. It's just a phase. It will get better, his job is just annoying him, it will be fine.

That evening she didn't knock on the floor. She didn't want to risk it. Cain didn't know anything about Ben yet, and he definitely wasn't in the mood. Besides, he quickly got jealous; that's why she refrained from telling him about her friendship with her neighbor at the moment.

Instead, she laid on her side of the bed and listened to the steady breathing of the man next to her. She could sense his body heat, but it was as if he wasn't there. She felt cold and lonely. 

What went wrong? 

Their relationship started out great. She had felt like he was her soulmate, the man she wanted to spend her life with. His laugh had filled her chest with warmth, and his kisses made her heart flutter. He took her to the most beautiful places, murmured lovely compliments into her ears, and supported her dream of working inside a bakery. It was perfect.

He was polite and proper, the way he treated her sister was so kind. He disregarded her disability, and Y/N felt like she found an angel. Family was the most important thing for her, and Cain wanted to pay for her sister's surgery. 

His kindness was incredible. Unbelievable, yes.

As it turned out, there was another side of him. A scary one. 

She turned around to face her boyfriend. He looked so peaceful, so different from the angry man he was in the last few weeks. It was the fault of his friends, she knew. He was friends with some shady people, and Y/N had realized there was spice involved, but she ignored it. Closed her eyes. After all, the money he got would help her sister. 

If somebody heard her thoughts, they would probably think that she only stayed with him because of the money, but that wasn't true. She hoped, no, knew that under all that anger and bitterness rested the man she fell in love with.

She lifted her hand and traced the lines of his face. His breath tickled her skin, and she smiled weakly. Tomorrow will bring change. With that thought, she pressed a kiss on his hair and then cuddled closer to him. 

She didn't notice the blinking red light coming from her nightstand where she had put her holo com.

.

When she woke up, his side was empty, and the bedsheets were already cold. Y/N rubbed her eyes and frowned. Where did Cain go? He didn't need to work today. It was Saturday. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and checked the time on her alarm. 08:41. 

That was way too early for him. Usually, he wouldn't wake up before 10, so why...? She heard the slam of a door, and it only took her 5 seconds to jump out of bed and run to the front door of her apartment. He was gone. His shoes, his jacket, even the ugly ass sweater that hung on the coat rack which hadn't been touched for ages, was gone. No, no, no, NO!!

Y/N opened the door and rushed down the corridor of the 13th floor. 

"Cain! Babe, wait! Where are you going?!"

She saw him standing in front of the elevator, and the fact that he carried almost everything that he had stored in her apartment let her blood run cold. His head whipped around, and he watched how his girlfriend rushed towards him. 

"Go back in, Y/N." 

His voice was threatening, and she stopped in her tracks 3 meters away from him. She gulped and searched his face for any clue. What happened?

"W-Where are you go- are you leaving me again?" 

The words that left her lips were nothing but a mere whisper, but he heard them anyway because he responded. And his answer left her devastated.

"Yeah. But this time for real."

The ground shook, and her legs crumbled. If she hadn't grabbed the wall at the last moment, she would have crashed to the floor. Her chest was tight, and it was hard to breathe. He just watched her, his expression icy. It was totally uncharacteristic for him.

"W...Why? Why are you saying this?! What did I do?! Was it because of yesterday? Or the day before? I apo- I already asked for your forgiveness! You said it's fine! Why-" a sob interrupted her, and she gasped, "why are you always leaving without telling me anything?!"

Her voice got shrill towards the end, and she realized in the back of her mind that her neighbors would probably complain, maybe Ben too, but she didn't care. Not after he wanted to pull the same move again. "I can't do it anymore, I'm fucking leaving!" It wasn't the first time where he just threw in the towel of their relationship and left. 

"This- This is not how people solve fights, Babe. We can talk about it, alright? Let's talk it out. Please. Please!"

The elevator door opened with a ding, and Cain gave her a look. He stepped inside without saying a word. When her boyfriend turned to face her, his eyes were the ones of a stranger.

"Don't contact me."

It was as if the door closed in slow motion. Y/N wanted to rush inside, but her feet didn't move. Her body was frozen. She could only watch through her tears as the elevator closed and vanished. Just like her relationship. 

"Fu- Fuck."

Her crying echoed through the corridor of the 13th floor.

-

Ben had just left his apartment for groceries when he received a message on his comlink. He opened it and let it play while he locked his home, and it confused him a little that there was only silence. At first. Suddenly a voice spoke, and he paused in his tracks.

"Ben, Son... Hey."

He almost dropped his bag. Thankfully there was nothing in it yet. 

"My- my..." 

Stars, was that his Dad?! He continued listening attentively, and he could hear some background noise on the recording. He would recognize the humming anywhere. His father was in the Millennium Falcon. 

"It's late here... Listen, I don't really know what I wanted to say- I forgot. Planned this whole thing, but uh... It's gone now. Your father is an old bastard."

Ben slowly walked to the elevator, still listening to every sound coming from his comlink. He absently minded pressed the call button and waited. Han Solo sighed into the recording, and the familiarity from it almost made Ben laugh. 

"Uh, so... I'd like to... to see you again. Maybe you want to join me- and Chewie of course - on a.. a trade deal? We could talk... I would like to know, uhh, how you're doing, and everything."

The message was not a holo, so he couldn't see his father, but Ben just knew that he was squirming in his seat when he had said that. He could practically see it. The awkwardness that the recording transmitted... It made him cringe. But in a good way. If that made sense. 

It just showed that his Dad was just as awkward and shy about their relationship as him. A warm feeling bloomed inside his chest, and he recognized it as hope. Maybe the father-son bond from his childhood could be restored.

His father continued to speak right when the elevator appeared, and he stepped inside. He immediately felt the weird atmosphere inside. A man with curly brown hair and an angry expression on his face stood in the corner. He had a big bag slung over his shoulder, and the force was screaming around him in anger. 

"...and uh... I love you, Ben."

His eyes and the stranger's met. The man raised an eyebrow, and he just gave him a nod. He wanted to press the button for the first floor, but it was already lit. So he turned around and faced the door. 

The recording stopped, and he pressed the button to mute his comlink.

"Was that your boyfriend?"

The fact that the clearly pissed off man wanted to start a fight with him shocked him more than the insinuation and the mocking tone. What's that guy's problem? I just walked in. He rolled his eyes.

He contemplated if he should just ignore the man, but the spikes of anger in the force told him not to. The fact that he remained calm, while the man clearly antagonized him, showed how therapy was helping him. 

"That was my Dad."

The familiar term rolled over his tongue with ease, and it made him smile. He didn't realize until now that his father just ended his message with a demonstration of his feelings. He still loves me. It finally sank in, and boy, did it feel good. He had to lower his head because his eyes got a little wet. 

"Love. What a joke", mumbled the other guy under his breath, and that's when Ben noticed the smell. 

It was faint, but for his sensitive senses strengthened through the force, he could clearly identify it. The warmth in his body disappeared almost immediately.

He turned around and wanted to speak when the elevator bell indicated their arrival on the first floor, and the door opened. The brown-haired man just walked past him and ignored his open mouth. Ben shifted his head and watched how Y/N's boyfriend left the building, his fists were clenched to his side.

"So, that's him." 

The boyfriend. The lover. The screamer. The bedmate. The asshole. The soulmate.

Sith, how his blood boiled. His jaws clenched.

Almost instinctively, he reached out with the force and felt Y/N's presence in the building. The weight of her sadness and shock almost crushed him.

What the hell happened?

After the first meeting with the boyfriend and the realization that Y/N and that guy had a fight again, it was pretty hard for Ben to continue his journey to get groceries.

But he couldn't go to the 13th floor and comfort the person he liked. It would be weird for her. Maybe she would think that he was a stalker. How else would he know about her sadness and the argument? So he gritted his teeth and also exited the apartment block.

Shit, it would've been better for him if he never met the guy. 

He contemplated whether he should contact Y/N later or if he should wait a few days for her to calm down. When it came to the whole relationship topic, he felt like there was a wall between them. She rarely talked about her boyfriend, and he realized that he didn't even know his name.

Maybe he wasn't even that close to the young woman in the apartment above his. His thoughts were grim, and the joy about his father's invitation to hang out and talk got pushed back. His strides were big, and the scowl on his face made the people on the street give way for him. Ben was so buried in his thoughts, that he didn't even realize how he parted the pedestrians like a blade.

-

A week passed, and he almost turned crazy. The fact that Y/N didn't even mention the fight and just went on with a fake smile painted on her lips not only hurt him but also made him angry. 

They had shared many secrets, and Ben really thought that their friendship was deep. But apparently, it wasn't deep enough for situations like this. Or she didn't want to talk about her boyfriend with him, because she fucking knew that he was in love with her he was a man. 

That seemed like a plausible reason; therefore, he tried to ignore the fake happiness and waited desperately for her to spill her thoughts. But she never did, and her sadness only grew.

Their conversations turned superficial, and he had problems to hide his concern. The dread in the force pained him, and it physically challenged him not to storm up the stairs and knock her apartment door down. 

Why aren't you telling me anything? 

The thought spiraled in his mind every evening. He held the robot arm of his cleaner droid in his hands and stared at the ceiling. There were already marks from where he hit the roof with the metal fingers. 

10 days after the fight between her boyfriend and her, Y/N stopped replying to his knocks. 

Ben didn't give up though. He knocked every day. With the force, he was able to sense her in the room above, but she never responded. 

Sadly, he got a lot busier with his work, and the upcoming meeting with his father distracted him enough to forget to knock one day. And when he did. It was a grave mistake.

.

He was on his way back to his apartment after an awesome day with his Dad and Chewie. He whistled in happiness and reminisced about the day he spent in the Millenium Falcon. They went on a trip to Corellia to get supplies and parts for the Falcon. It was a relaxing and calm journey, but Ben couldn't be any happier.

 He was in his favorite place with his father, who still loved him and his best friend since childhood. It was like paradise. At least until he walked through the front door of his apartment complex.

The dread had turned into something Ben could only describe as depression. And it hit him hard. He knew this emotion, and he couldn't believe Y/N was feeling it now. 

So he obviously didn't hesitate to press the elevator button to the 13th floor. When he arrived, the air was heavy. He knew that the young woman wasn't force-sensitive or anything, but the intense emotions of any living being could influence the force. That's why he was so shocked. The disturbance was greater than he would've expected. It made it hard for him to breathe. 

Ben had already knocked on her apartment door, even though he didn't even know what to tell her. He was literally covered in sweat and some oil stains after he had helped his Dad to do some repairs on the Falcon. 

He checked his appearance in the metallic apartment plaque and frantically tried to get rid of the black stain on his cheek. 

Please don't open the door yet, please!

His rubbing only caused the stain to smudge, and now he just looked dirtier.

Great, just great. 

A sigh escaped his lips, and he let his head hang low. What should he even tell her? "I know you had a fight with your boyfriend because I can sense what you feel, and it's breaking my heart." Ha, as if.

He took a deep breath and then lifted his head. 

Only now did he realize that quite some time passed since he had knocked. And still no sign of Y/N. But she was clearly at home. The cocktail of sorrow, regret, and heartbreak was proof enough. 

He knocked again. This time louder and it was accompanied by a few words: "Y/N? Hey, it's me, Ben... Do you... uhh, do you have some time to talk?"

Silence.

Then the light sound of footsteps coming closer.

The clatter of a key and then the click of the door opening. 

Ben straightened his back and watched how Y/N slowly opened the door.

The first thing that immediately caught his eye was the absence of the cheeky glim in her eyes. He only stared at her, and she did the same.

The dark circles under her eyes and the exhausted expression made his heart clench. He could feel how his own face turned into a frown.

"Hey..." she mumbled, not even trying to hide her unhappiness anymore.

"We need to talk. About this." 

He gestured at her, and the corners of her mouth slightly lifted. She opened the door wider, and like the first time they had met, he walked past her, but this time the only thing that he could sense was her mental exhaustion. 

This was only the second time he entered her apartment. But thanks to their holo conversations, he knew how Y/N's flat looked like. She followed him into the living room and pointed to the sofa, an invitation for him to sit down. He did, but he was stiff. 

She leaned on the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest as if she wanted to create a barrier between them. Ben took a deep breath.

"Listen, I... I know something happened, and I can't bear to see your fake smiles anymore. You know... To see you like this... it hurts me."

His voice was hesitant, and he fiddled with his fingers, something he always did when he was nervous.

The young woman stared at him with wide eyes, then she seemingly slumped.

"So you knew..."

He scoffed.

"How could I not. You're not exactly good at hiding your sadness... kinda like A'tak."

The mention of their favorite character from Smuggle Kings brought a real smile to her lips, and he relaxed slightly. It was a relief that he could still make her smile, even when it was just faint. 

Y/N sighed. It was deep and long, and he could feel the weight of her thoughts in it. She slowly walked over to him and sat down on the sofa. There was still a significant distance between them, but it was smaller than before. She sat on one end of the couch, and he on the other. 

Ben faced her, and she pulled her legs closer to her body, embracing them and hiding her face in between her arms. 

"You know... My boyfriend... Cain and I broke up."

What? He exhaled slowly. WHAT?! 

That wasn't what he had expected. Okay, he knew that her boyfriend - no, ex-boyfriend was leaving that day, but he thought it was only temporary.

"Uhhh... Can I ask why?"

She raised her head and gave him a look through her hair that has fallen into her face. He regretted his question immediately. 

"Forget it... You don't have to talk about it, I'm- I'm sorry... that was, uhm... not appropriate."

He was just so surprised. His head that was already filled with the emotions he could sense from her got filled with some more. Anger, worry, and a small flame of... Hope?

She shook her head and leaned her head back. He noticed how her eyes watered up. 

Oh, wow, man, you're an asshole he told himself and mentally screamed. 

"We- We had problems... For a while now and... well, two weeks ago, he took all his stuff and", she lifted her hands in defeat, and her voice was almost inaudible when she continued, "left. He just left without an expla- explanation."

There was so much bitterness in her voice, the force lashed out, and he had to gulp. Sith, he wanted to kill that asshole Cain. 

Anger welled up in his chest, and he clenched his fists. If he ever saw that man again...

His fury distinguished as fast as it came when tears finally spilled, and Y/N's cheeks got wet.

She huffed and groaned, wiping the falling tears away.

"Ahh, I hate crying... I cried so much in the last few days, I'm really tired of it." 

She laughed, but it sounded as fake as it was, and her breath was shaky. She looked into Ben's eyes, and he could see the pain in hers. 

"I'm sorry... For not telling you. It's not that I don't trust you. It's just... I- I  don't like it when people see me all weak and vulnerable."

Y/N stretched out her hand, and he watched her for a second. Her expression was still pained, but there was a hopeful look inside her eyes, so he grabbed her hand and sat closer to her. The moment their palms touched, she pulled him into a hug. He froze at first, but when her body shook from a sob, he put his own arms around her and sighed into her hair.

“It's okay. I understand..."

They stayed in that position for a while. Ben embraced Y/N while she held onto him and cried. 

Fuck, it hurt him so much to hold her, knowing that she was crying and yearning for an asshole and not him. 

But the fact that she let her guard down and cried around him, also kind of made him proud. It was apparent that she considered him to be trustworthy enough to show him her vulnerability. 

"You know... My Mum told me that love can hurt, but the pain will eventually go away with time. You probably also heard that from your friends, bu- but I really believe it's true."

His cheeks turned red when he remembered the holo conversation with his mother. Then Y/N told him something he wouldn't have expected:

"You're actually the first one who knows that we broke up..."

He blinked.

"Re-Really? Oh, wow... I uhhh... didn't expect that."

Her grip around his torso tightened, and he could feel how she smiled into his shirt. 

"Well, maybe I knew that you're a good comforter?" 

His heart skipped a beat. 

Oh, stars. 

Wait, was she able to hear how his heart was pounding fast right now? Please, no. Nooo-

"Is your heartbeat usually that fast?"

Her tone was slightly teasing, and she finally- sadly? - let go of him and backed away to look into his eyes. Ben averted his gaze, heat crept up his neck, and he was pretty sure that his ears were as red as her cushions on the sofa.

"Uhhh..."

She only laughed and wiped her eyes again, this time with her sleeve.

"I apologize, I might have decorated your shirt with uhh... my snot."

He grinned and dismissively waved his hand.

"It's fine. Not like I'm already covered in oil and dirt."

She studied his face, and her sharp gaze only embarrassed him further. 

"You really have an oil stain in your face," she commented, and he sighed.

"Yeah, uh... I met my Dad today."

Y/N's eyes widened, and she excitedly clapped her hands.

"What? Really?! How was it? Have you made up?"

He nodded. He realized that she seemingly wanted to change the topic, but he kind of didn't want to let her.

"We did, and it was really fun, but I... we..."

Ben really didn't know how to steer the conversation back into the direction of the breakup, but the young woman apparently picked up what he wanted to tell her.

She opened her mouth to speak, and her expression was somber: 

"I never told you, but I actually have a sister. She's six years younger than me and... disabled. Can't see and uhh... I've been working my ass off to pay for a surgery for her eyes. But it's really expensive. I can tell you, Coruscant is for the rich. Not that it isn't obvious or anything..."

He knew she was beginning to ramble, but he let her. He had to process her revelation first.

"But well, my boyfrie- ex-boyfriend... Cain... He wanted to pay for the surgery. He really likes - or at least liked Liah very much, and he had a steady income, so I... I really hoped he - uhh, you know..."

She avoided eye contact and looked down on her hands. 

"would pay for it?" he finished her sentence. 

Y/N nodded. He could sense her shame in the force, and he cringed. He didn't want her to feel like that, he could totally understand her thoughts. If his Mum or Dad... 

"But that's- that's not why I stayed with him while he was so, so angry, I just... Although he hit me and insulted me, I just- I really loved him - still do, and it just, fuck, Ben, it hurts so much."

He exhaled slowly through his nose.

What. What. What? What?

"He hit you...?" 

His tone was indifferent, he didn't even realize that he asked a question, too buried by his racing thoughts.

"Yeah, but- but he's not a bad person, just... He has terrible friends, and his work agitated him, and sometimes when he drank, it... it just happened.  But it wasn't hard, like, just a slap, actually, nothing serious, okay?"

Her voice was shaky and panicked when she tried to defend the man who had abused her.

Ben slowly stood up.

"Wha-What, Ben, hey, are you... where are you going?"

I... Dunno, just... home... I...

He turned and slowly walked to the hallway, Y/N hurried to her feet behind him and followed him bewildered.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?"

She stepped in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders.

"I gotta... That asshole, I have to-"

He couldn't form a normal sentence, he was so out of it. The black-haired man couldn't even feel his anger. There was a void inside his head, and the only thing that he knew at the moment was that he was going to kill someone. 

"Ben, no, hey. You don't have to do anything, alright? It's over. It's over between Cain and me."

"He hurt you."

Y/N paused, a little taken aback that he seemed to care so much about that.

"I know... But he won't anymore."

His eyes, who had rigidly faced forward, now landed on her. 

"Really?"

Her grip around his shoulders tightened, and she smiled weakly. She added:

"Yeah..."

The void cleared a little, and suddenly he could sense an emotion he wouldn't have expected in her force presence. It was relief? What for?

He slumped slightly, and Y/N, all of a sudden, stumbled, losing the strength in her legs. Ben caught her with his hands, and suddenly, she was pressed to the hallway wall. 

Their eyes connected, and both breathed in slowly.

"Sorry, I- I feel a little light-headed..."

He only nodded. His heart was pounding loudly in his ears, and his eyes were forcefully drawn to her lips. 

Fuck, he wanted to kiss her so badly. 

But how could he do that after she had just revealed that she had been abused by her ex-boyfriend? 

She stared at him, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. 

A realization washed over her face, he stepped back and abruptly let go of her as if he had burned his skin. 

She blinked, her hand still raised when he muttered an apology and stormed to the end of the hallway, and left the apartment.

"Sorry, I'm..."

Y/N stayed behind a lost expression on her face. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor. Her hands clasped over her head, and she snorted disbelievingly.

"Is Ben... with me...?"

-

As soon as he had left the apartment, he stopped. Did Y/N realize? Did she find out? 

An icy feeling welled up in his chest, and he heaved. 

"No, please, no."

He gripped his shirt and breathed in torturingly slow. There was so much going on inside his head. 

He hit her. She has a sister. She wanted him to pay for her sister's surgery. Probably stayed with him because of that even though he hit her. They broke up. She's single again. He abused her. I never knew. Never knew.

Ben ran his hands through his hair and grabbed a few strands harshly. The pain cleared his mind a little. 

Mortification hit him like a brick. He had listened to their arguments countless times. How many times had he just listened to Y/N being abused? 

"Oh, Stars, please..."

The sudden waterfall of emotions caused his eyes to prick, and he gasped in shame. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

His breath was shaky when the first tear spilled, and he gritted his teeth. 

What kind of friend was he?

He loved her and gazed at her often. How did he never realize? How did he not see?

"I'm so pathetic..."

He gulped and wiped the tears away.

I have to apologize.

He turned and walked back to Y/N's apartment door.

He didn't even knock this time, just straight up walked in.

"Y/N, I am so sorry for not reali-"

Two lips crashed onto his, and his words got swallowed by them. His eyes widened in shock when Y/N latched her arms around him, and he saw her face from so up close. Her cheeks were wet again, and he could taste salt on her lips.  

His hands grabbed her arms, and he returned the kiss clumsily. The knot of emotions in his chest exploded, and the world around him swiveled. 

Y/N tasted like soda, stardust, and Jogan fruit cake. All the things he had shared with her and loved. 

His heart seemed to have left his body because its pounding was so loud, it sounded like the drum of their favorite Twi'lek band. If this was a dream, he wanted it to never end. 

Until he noticed the echo of sadness in the force. 

Ben placed his hands on both sides of her head and slowly stood back, although he couldn't bear to part with her.

Both of them gasped for air as soon as their lips separated. Y/N slowly opened her eyes, and they were cloudy with emotions.

"What... What was that for?" he breathlessly asked, his tone timid.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out, and he bit his lip.

"Listen, Y/N, I- I like you. A lot."

"Yeah, kinda felt that just now..." she stammered, but her expression surprisingly lit up. 

Ben gulped. The thing he would say next would hurt him. But he had to say it. Otherwise, it would just hurt more.

"But I... I don't want to... I don't want to kiss you when I know that I'm not the only one in your heart."

She paused and slowly let go of him. Her gaze avoided his.

"I know I- I didn't kiss you because you're a replacement! I just... the look in your eyes and I..."

She stopped, seemingly knowing how she would only make it worse. She grabbed her own arm, and her fingernails dug into her skin.

He felt shame again. It was Y/N's. 

"I've fallen in love with you," his confession spilled over his lips seamlessly. 

Y/N raised her head abruptly, her expression a mix of surprise and shock.

"And I- this kiss I- I can only hope and pray that it means the same thing for you like it means for me."

"I-," she began, but he pressed a finger to her lips, tilted his head and smiled.

"But I don't want to rush anything. You just broke up with Cain, and I know your feelings aren't sorted out yet. I don't want you to regret anything, and I..." he lowered his head, "I also don't want to get hurt... Or hurt you."

She nodded.

"So... Can we take this slow?" he asked with a small smile. 

Y/N watched how he stretched out his hand and offered it to her. Her fingers intertwined with his. Her eyes turned into small crescents.

"I'd like that..."

.

.

.

3 months later

Loud voices woke him up. He sighed. Then he jumped out of bed.

"Y/N!"

He struck his holo com and deactivated the weather forecast transmission. 

Today is the day! 

Hastily, he grabbed the metal thing on the ground and stretched it up to the ceiling. A loud thudding rhythm echoed in the room. A few seconds later, the same rhythm could be heard from upstairs. Ben grinned from cheek to cheek and walked out of his bedroom. 

The remains of their movie night decorated his living room, and he carefully avoided standing on the popcorn on the floor. He would clean the mess up later. He went to shower and rushed through his washing routine.

The relationship between Y/N and him had changed after their sudden kiss. But it progressed slowly like Ben had asked for. She was truly not over Cain yet and had to figure out her feelings first. The young woman was thankful for the time he gave her. 

Although, he had begun to worry that she found out that her actions that day had been a mistake in the heat of the moment. 

But it apparently wasn't the case, and both of them together mended Y/N's broken heart, and it took her a while to realize that Ben had fixed it. Not through the power of love but through his friendship. He was understanding and patient, and the way he treated her with respect and adoration caused her heart to flutter.

"It happened!"

Was what she told him one day, and while he dumbfoundedly watched her, she just laughed and pecked his cheek. He turned beet-red almost immediately, and he couldn't hide his happiness. 

That day he wanted to hug her so badly, but he restrained himself. He had seen the way she flinched when he suddenly touched her and didn't want to risk it. The abuse she suffered may have caused only a few physical wounds but her mental scars were deep and would hurt for a long time. He would let her approach him first, just to be safe.

And Y/N did.

"Let's go on a date," she had whispered a week ago, and her breath caused shivers to rush over his spine. They decided to go on the weekend and now it had finally arrived.

Ben changed into the white shirt his mother had recommended him - yes, he told her about the stuff that had happened - and checked his looks in the mirror. 

His black hair was still damp from the shower, and he could feel a slight stubble on his chin, but all in all, he was happy with his appearance. The fact that the dark circles under his eyes had long disappeared satisfied him greatly.

He watched the clock on the wall, and his eyes widened in panic. 

"Uh oh."

With an inhumane speed, he rushed out of the bathroom, took his keys and black jacket, grabbed the basket on his kitchen table, and hurried to the front door. It only took him a few seconds to lock his apartment, press the elevator button, and step into it, ready to conquer the heart of the woman he loved. 

When he pressed the button to the 13th floor, he smiled. 

7 months ago, he stood in this elevator, ready to punch whoever decided to yell at each other at 3am in the morning. Now he was going there to take said neighbor on an awesome first date. Oh, how the tables turned.

The elevator pinged, and the door opened. He strutted to Y/N's door and knocked using their significant rhythm. 

A few seconds later, the door opened and in front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

"H-Hi."

The corner of her lips twitched, and his heart fluttered.

"Hey, Ben."

[thecorteztwins]

Something I’ve noticed in fiction and RP backstories is that when a character is LGBT, the parents/family react only one or two ways: Total acceptance with no issues, or rejecting/disowning/beating/attempting to kill their kid/etc And both these things do happen in real life. But what’s also very common, and which I rarely see represented or discussed, is a lot of places between the two extremes. For instance, many families are homophobic, but don’t want to lose their child, and the child wants to be themselves but not cut contact with their family. So you get scenarios like having bachelor Uncle Ted and his also-bachelor roommate Rob, who has been his roommate for 20 years, and may even get invited to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Everyone refers to him as Uncle Ted’s roommate or his friend, and Uncle Ted introduces him that way too, and it’s not until you’re 25 years old that you realize “oh, fuck, Uncle Ted is gay and Rob is his partner!”  As bizarre as that scenario seems, it’s a VERY common story. Again, a great many families will, for the sake of keeping the peace, just reach an unspoken agreement that they won’t acknowledge it or bring it up, and that will do the trick. Another common scenario is that Uncle Rob and Ted have been together for 20 years, but you never knew because in this version Ted was never introduced to you, let alone invited to Thanksgiving and Christmas. In this version, the family will still accept Uncle Rob, but he has to do more than just say Ted is his roommate, Ted can’t be in the picture at all and Rob can’t mention him to anyone, especially not his parents or to you kids. You don’t find out about Ted till you’re an adult and between homes and need a place to stay and shack up at their place. It’s totally surreal but it happens. It happens a lot.  There are also many parents who will be fine with their kid being gay in theory, but upset at the idea of the kid bringing home a partner. Or they’re fine with that, they just can’t let the partner meet the grandparents or extended family, who aren’t as accepting as the parents are, that’s very often the case. They may also “accept” when their teen or twenty-something comes out, but that’s because they expect it to just be a phase, and become concerned when it proves NOT to be. Or, if the kid is bisexual, they may assume they were proven correct when the kid brings home an opposite-sex partner. There are also parents who have nothing against homosexuality or bisexuality or being trans in themselves, but who have concerns related to what risks their child will be exposed to because of it. I once read an interview with a black lesbian who came out to her mother, and her mother’s reaction wasn’t to condemn being gay itself, but it wasn’t positive either---her mother said “You’re already black and a woman, why do you want to add being gay on top of that?” Her mother’s concern was the oppression her daughter would face. Likewise, a family might love their gay son no matter what, but be worried when he comes out as gay because they believe that this means he’s very likely to get AIDS, and they don’t want that to happen to him. My mother’s very accepting of ALL people on the LGBT rainbow, but she has said to me that she is less worried about me as a lesbian in this regard than a gay man, because STDs are harder to spread between cis lesbians. Speaking of my parents, they’re about the most accepting pair I could ask for. My sexuality is a non-issue to them, and they support all forms of gay and trans rights. But they’re also in their 60s, and not part of the LGBT community itself, and certainly not actively following how rapidly terminology and ideas are evolving now in the age of the Internet; the accepted view and words used around trans people, for instance, have changed really radically just in the past 10 years. So, my folks do hold some ideas that modern Tumblr would deem “problematic” such as my mom feeling that gay men are inherently more artistic and nurturing, because that’s what the gay men she’s known were like. Also, while she does NOT believe this anymore, she used to believe that men became gay because their fathers were bad or absent, because that’s what was the common view when she was a young woman in the 80s, and matched the situation of the gay men she met. She likewise asked me if I was a lesbian because sex with women was more gentle. Again, she knows you’re born gay NOW but in the past, those were common ideas, and the ideas that she therefore was exposed to. It didn’t make her hateful or bigoted, she was accepting of gay people even before I was born, let alone before I came out, but it did make her incorrect and going off stereotypes that corresponded to her own experiences and perceptions. So maybe your character’s mom didn’t have a fit and throw them out, but maybe she did also think that now her son would want to go shopping with her or that her daughter would want to take up golf. Also, while both my parents are very accepting of sexuality, they do get a bit more problematic in terms of how they judge gender expression. My mom is uneasy with butch women, and my dad kind of scoffs/is amused by femme men (yet oddly, has no issue with trans women, nor does my mom have an issue with trans men) This is another VERY common viewpoint I encounter---people not having an issue with the idea of same-sex activity and relationships in themselves, but in how “flamboyant” the person is. With many people, they disapprove of flamboyant gay men and butch women, but oddly in some cases it can go the other way around too; there are people who are just fine with the idea of flamboyantly gay makeup artists, drag queens, talk show hosts, fashion gurus, and hairdressers, but are more uneasy at the idea of perfectly “normal” businessmen or soccer moms who just also happen to be queer. There’s entire articles (probably essays) out there about how gay men in particular are marketed by shows like Queer Eye as basically being cute happy helpers to straight people, the cliche Sassy Gay Friend who just exists for the sake of supporting his female friends, etc. I’ve often wondered if lesbians don’t get the same media presence because we’re not seen as “useful” to heterosexual people in the same way (not that it’s any fun for real gay men to be pigeonholed that way either) So your character’s family may accept them but also start expecting stereotypical behavior from them, like giving their girly-girl daughter a tool kit after she comes our, or they may not BELIEVE them when they do because they’re NOT stereotypical, and that’s the only exposure to gay people that they have from media. You’ll notice I’ve thus far given examples only for a kid being gay or bi. That’s because I’m going off things I’ve personally encountered or heard of. I don’t have a lot of stories on how people react to their kid coming out as trans, but I imagine there’s just as much variation; I would check places like AskReddit for coming stories if you’re looking to find examples of reactions that are likewise somewhere in between total acceptance vs total rejection. For people who are asexual or non-binary, I reckon the biggest issue is just that the parents don’t know what the heck that even is, or don’t believe it exists, but I may be wrong, since I also don’t have much experience with this nor heard much secondhand either. Again, I’d seek out real stories from people and see what ideas you can get from those. Everyone’s coming out story or story of a family member’s coming out (or how said family member never came out, etc) is a little different. I hope this was helpful!

[blacklister214]

Illusions, Chapter 2: Summoned

L.A. 1982

A room of nothingness. Was this the Hell his mother had predicted when she'd caught him kissing the gardener's son? It wasn't quite the raging inferno he'd been told to expect. Still, after a few hours sitting here, he'd begun to fear that it was. His own personal torture, to be locked away with no audience. With nothing to do but ponder the mistake that got him here half a century early.

He'd known the trick was risky. His manager had begged him not to chance it. To wait until he was sure it was ready. Unfortunately it had been too late. Caleb had promised his fans something spectacular and losing their admiration frightened him far more than the prospect of his own death. And now here he was, stuck, potentially for eternity, in a pit of darkness.

Abruptly the universe split open and Caleb plunged downward. He landed in a heap on what seemed to be an extremely thick brown carpet.

"Behold, Cottonball has returned! Let's have a big hand for the birthday boy!"

Caleb raised his head and found himself staring up at a man wearing a black cape. A familiar looking black cape. It was in poorer condition than when he'd seen it last, but he'd recognize the embroidery anywhere. This man, whoever he was, was wearing one of Caleb's old costumes.

Glancing down, Caleb saw he was clad in the outfit he'd worn for his final performance. Black hat. White shirt with black vest. Black cape with silver buttons and a piper embroidered in gold with a shimmering purple lining. Silver ring and bracelet. All of it was in spectacular condition. There were no messy reminders of the trick that had gone awry, thank goodness. He may be dead, but at least he looked good.

Caleb leapt to his feet. He seemed to be in a modestly sized living room. Not a hovel, but certainly nothing like the mansion that had been Caleb's primary residence before his demise. Adults were scattered along the back of the room, in the strangest attire Caleb had ever seen.

Many of them, including the women, were wearing the kind of pants he'd only ever seen before on cowboys and miners. And their hair...good God. No sassy bobs, or even more formal buns for the women. No, these women wore it down, at shoulder length, and teased until it's volume was equal to their heads. And the men? Some of them didn't look like they even bothered with combing, let alone styling. One of them had his hair cut short in the front, but long in the back. What would possess anyone to do that to themselves?

Small children populated the space in front of adults, four or maybe five years old, and dressed just as strangely as their parents. Caleb shuddered as one of them shoved a finger into his nostril. Delightful. He squatted so he was directly in front of the offending child.

"BOO!" Nothing. Not a flicker of fear. Caleb raised himself from his crouch and dramatically gestured with his arms. "Abracadabra!" Not a single person in the room reacted. He was invisible. He wasn't sure if this new set of circumstances was much of an improvement on the old. Alive or dead, Caleb was a performer. Without that, without an audience, he was...nothing. Suddenly from behind him came a high pitched, surprisingly powerful scream.

Caleb whirled to find the source of the sound. A boy with a blue paper crown on head was pointing a wand directly at Caleb. Caleb could make out the dual Cs engraved into the rod's metal tip. The child's eyes were boring directly into his.

He barely had time to register this surprise before the other children began to contribute to the cacophony. The room seemed to split between the shriekers and the sobbers. Various parents rushed to comfort their offspring. A man picked his way through the chaos and physically carried the original crier out of the room.

Caleb decided to discreetly follow the pair. He hovered around corners, not wanting the boy to glimpse him again. Footsteps informed Caleb the child and the man were headed to the second story. Caleb slowly padded up the staircase after them. When he heard a door close he risked stepping into the upstairs hallway. He followed the sound of muffled voices until he was standing outside the bedroom door. He leaned to the keyhole, straining to hear the conversation.

"-hell's the matter with you?! Screaming your head off like that, so loud that whole neighborhood's going to be calling me? Well?" Caleb blinked in surprise. Not exactly the coddling he'd expected. Caleb couldn't say he was ever particularly fond of young children, but this seemed a bit harsh.

"It...it...wa-was a man. In a cape. He scared me." The boy's voice was much softer now. Caleb could barely make out his words. Certainly a contrast with the bellow the child had given when he'd seen Caleb.

"I'm paying a hundred bucks for that bozo to entertain you and your friends! And you scream in his face and embarrass yourself and me in front of everybody?" At the word "embarrass" Caleb felt a thrum of anger. An echo from a time when Caleb's father had used similar language on him. Well he'd shown the old bastard, hadn't he? Become one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Of course, after that he'd died gruesomely, predeceasing the miserable prick. You win some, you lose some.

"I'm sorry." The boy sounded so forlorn it even melted Caleb's heart. Just a bit. The father's snort indicated he was not equally moved.

"I'm sending everyone home. You're staying in here until you can act like a normal kid." The door opened and before Caleb had time to react the man walked right through him. A disconcerting experience to say the least.

Once the father's footsteps had faded, Caleb turned his attention to the open doorway. He could simply step through, but he didn't want to trigger more yelling. He attempted to knock on the doorframe but his knuckles moved through it. Damn. He wasn't a fool, he knew he was incorporeal. Still he also knew he wasn't sinking through the floor at the moment, despite being solely composed of...air? Light? Electricity?

He shook his head. That was a puzzle for another time. Right now his objective was to establish contact with this child. Figuring out how and why he'd been seen was of paramount importance. He focused on his hand thinking of nothing else. He made a fist and deliberately rapped twice on the wood. Success! Elation shot through him.

"Who's there?" The child sounded terrified, but Caleb could hardly blame him. As far as the boy was concerned a man had materialized out of nowhere right in front of him. A man no one else could see. In his position, Caleb would be frightened too.

"It's the man in the cape from downstairs. May I come in?" There was a long pause from inside the room. Caleb willed himself not to be impatient. He needed the boy's cooperation if he hoped to get any useful information out of him.

"Okay." Caleb put on his friendliest smile and stepped through the doorway. Examining his surroundings, he took in the yellowish-brown wood paneling covered by various baseball pennants. Dark blue carpet. Hideous.

As his eyes travelled around the room they were drawn to a calendar hanging on the wall. It wasn't the picture of the baseball player that his interest however, but the year. 1982. 1982?! Granted he'd assumed time had passed based off of the truly bizarre fashions he'd witnessed, but over fifty years?! He'd been sitting in that room over 50 years! How could that be possible?

A small sniff drew Caleb's focus to the boy sitting on a bed. He was squeezing a teddy bear to his chest, his large hazel eyes tracking Caleb as if he were a tiger that could attack at any moment. Caleb stopped five feet away, not wanting to overwhelm the child.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry I frightened you." The boy bit his lip and then nodded once, accepting the apology.

"I'm sorry I yelled. My Daddy says I shouldn't have acted like a baby." Caleb was rapidly developing an intense dislike for that man. Perhaps it was because he was reminded too much of his own father. Caleb's dear papa had been a much more sophisticated specimen than the lout downstairs, but when it came making his son feel small, they were identical.

"I assure you that if your "Daddy" had seen what you did, he would have yelled much louder and for much longer." Caleb's smile widened as he considered all the things he'd like to do to the man, provided he mastered the skills ghosts were rumored to have. He'd demonstrate to the boy's bully of a father who the "baby" in the family really was.

"He didn't see you?" The boy seemed surprised by this statement, slightly relaxing his grip on his stuffed animal. Clearly he wasn't used to spotting individuals invisible to his family members.

"No one else saw me. Just you." Why might that be? Was the boy a medium, like so many charlatans in Hollywood had professed to be? Was it possible that Caleb was merely the first ghost that appeared in the boy's presence? How rare were ghosts? And why had Caleb appeared here and now after over fifty years in that limbo?

Had that two-bit dilettante downstairs summoned him somehow? The amateur conjurer did seem to possess any number of Caleb's personal effects, including his wand...which the boy had been holding when Caleb had appeared. That couldn't be coincidence. Somehow the child's holding the wand had pulled him here. With all the questions he had, of that he was certain.

"Are you a...a..." Caleb braced himself for the inevitable encore of screams, "Imaginary friend? Some of my friends got those." He released a breath he no longer needed. Imaginary friend? Caleb supposed that was better than "ghost." Less frightening. Less likely to make the boy's parents decide to send the child to an asylum. Still, Caleb took issue with being called "imaginary."

"Let's go with "invisible friend" for now. Let me introduce myself: Caleb Covington." He tipped his hat to the boy. "And who might you be?" The boy gave a small shy smile and brushed a lock of his ash blonde hair from his eyes.

"I'm Alex."