#i sent this as asks as well but just in case
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sanarsi · 2 days ago
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Bitter
older boyfriend!Joel Miller x f!Reader
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Summary: You came to make his break more pleasant. Warnings: +18, MDNI, age gap (not specified), old man!Joel, contractor!Joel, there is an introduction to smut, Joel is a big strong man so he can lift reader Wordcount: 0,8k An: This is a part of 24 hour writing challenge by @iamasaddie I promised myself that I wouldn't write anything except unfinished projects, but I saw this moodboard and this challenge and I just HAD TO (but 1k words is definitely not enough for my dirty mind)
A cloud of dust rose behind the car as you sped down the final stretch. The house that stood at the very end was finally starting to look like a house and not like a haunted ruin. All thanks to the man who was standing in the middle of the yard, watching out for anyone who had blown into these backroads.
A wide smile spread across your face as you turned down the radio and pulled up nearby. You looked out the window, sliding your sunglasses down and smiling even wider when you saw Joel in just his jeans.
“What’s up, cowboy?” you shouted, to which he snorted and shook his head in amusement.
You turned off the engine and grabbed a case of drinks. You jumped out of the jeep and slowly approached the man whose chest was shining with sweat more than the Texas sun.
You wrinkled your nose looking up at him and allowed yourself to admire the wrinkles by his eyes for a moment.
“Shouldn't be at work now?” he asked as if he wanted to scold you for it. You just shrugged innocently and moved closer to him and his arms wrapped around your waist without hesitation.
“I’m on a break,” you replied, your gaze sliding down to his lips and chest. “And from what I can see, you could use one too.” You locked eyes with him again as a smirk crept across his lips. You knew that expression too well to believe in his pure intentions as his face approached yours.
��Yeah?” he asked in that damned tone that sent butterflies through your stomach.
“Yeah,” you nodded before his nose brushed against yours. He was playing dirty and he knew it from the moment your gaze fell on his bare chest.
Oh yes, he knew what he was doing to your young mind.
“I don’t know,” he smacked his lips in disbelief, “I have to build ya a house.”
You swallowed hard, feeling your pulse quicken and Joel felt it too; the way your breath bounced off his lips and your body grew warmer from the sun that hitting his back.
Even after all this time, he couldn’t fight the pride he felt when you reacted like this to his closeness.
“But I see ya brought me some drinks, that's so kin—”
“You know what, old man?” you interrupted him, so he fell silent, watching those little fires in your eyes that he adored so much.
“Know what?” he asked trying to hide his amusement. He loved teasing you and even more so the way you looked at him then.
“I have twenty minutes and the house a little more,” you noticed and he didn't even try to hide his amused smile.
“Okay, so here’s the deal.”
You raised a curious eyebrow and allowed yourself to run your hand over his arm. The hard muscles under the hot skin only inflamed your thoughts more than allowed to focus on his words.
“I'll make you in ten,” he whispered with that unholy look of his, catching your attention. “And then you'll put some cream on me ‘cause I burned my back a little.”
You blinked twice before you could understand the meaning of the last sentence.
“Joel, I told yo—”
“In ten minutes,” he interrupted you before you could get fired up with anger. “You can yell at me all you want.”
You fell silent, thinking about his words but it was hard when he looked at you with those big, shiny, brown eyes.
Fucking Joel Miller and his eyes like a wounded deer.
“Damn you,” you cursed under your breath, knowing there was no point in fighting him, because when he wanted to make you, there was little that could stop him.
“I knew we’d understand each other,” he said smugly, taking the case of drink from your hand. You didn’t even have time to blink as he leaned down and lifted you up with his other hand.
You hugged him tightly as he started walking towards the house, leaving the drink on the table with the construction plans on the way.
“Your back,” you noted, a hint of concern managing to reach his ears. He just smiled, glancing at you out of the corner of his eye, and stepped onto the porch.
“You massage like a pro, so I guess you can let me treat you like a princess from time to time.”
You rolled your eyes, but you couldn’t stop the warmth his words brought. “Yeah, bu—”
“Shh,” he interrupted you, reaching for the doorknob. “In ten minutes,” he repeated, looking at you until you finally gave in, sighing heavily. “Good girl.”
Without waiting any longer, you buried your fingers in his hair and pressed a hard kiss to his lips. You melted into the taste of him, allowing yourself a moment of oblivion as the door slammed shut behind you.
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justmymindandstuff · 2 days ago
Note
Hello I have a request for you: can you please please please write jealousCregan again? Maybe he is jealous of Jace because he thinks he can not compete with a prince
Sunrays and Snowflakes - Cregan Stark x MartellReader
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summary: Jacaerys comes to Winterfell to secure the North for Queen Rhaenyra. He is greeted warmly and friendly. But Cregan doesn't like how friendly Jace is with his wife. But what can he say? You are a princess and he is a prince. Maybe this is the match you deserve.
words: 6.425
warnings: jealousy, self-doubt, miscommunication, fluff
a/n: of course I will write jealous Creagn again. Thank you so much for your ask anon. Hope you like it.
English is not my first language // not proofread // Ao3 // no use of Y/N
requests are open // main- masterlist // HotD - masterlist
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You stand in the courtyard of Winterfell. Cold wind and snowflakes swirl around you. Nevertheless, you are not freezing. Your husband has made sure that you are always dressed in warm fur coats and thick fabrics.
When you first arrived in Winterfell, you froze for weeks. You grew up under the hot sun, in deserts, water gardens, and heat. Winterfell is the complete opposite.
Nevertheless, you are happy here. You never would have thought that you could be happy here in the cold North. This macgt began purely politically. After the death of his first wife in childbirth, the Lord of Winterfell needed a new wife. To have another heir, just in case. For House Stark.
Your family needed allies in the seven Kingdomes. To secure independence from the Iron Throne. For House Martell.
So ravens were sent back and forth, and shortly after, you were on your way to Winterfell to marry Lord Stark. A Dornish princess for the North.
It was not easy for you to adjust. Cregan had been distant at first, but quickly thawed out. Not even three months into your marriage, it was no longer a political marriage, but love.
Your stepson Rickon is the apple of your eye. A nice, well-mannered, friendly boy, just four years old, but already behaving like an honorable Lord. At least that's what you think, but you are his stepmother after all.
Excited, he stands next to you and watches the sky. His small hand in yours. He wants to see the prince's dragon. Of course, it's all terribly exciting for him.
"Do you think I can pet the dragon?"
Cold fear runs down your spine at the thought of your little boy approaching a fire-breathing monster. Nevertheless, you smile at him before responding.
"You'll have to ask the prince about that."
Heavy footsteps behind you reveal your husband before you hear his voice. "As far as I've heard, the prince is very friendly so don't be afraid to ask."
Cregan places his hand on your lower back as he stands next to you. A smile immediately appears on your face, and you lean slightly into your husband's arms. For a moment, you simply enjoy being with your little family.
"He is a prince just like you are a princess, right?" asks Rickon with the curiosity that only children have.
"Exactly."
"Why didn't you marry a prince instead of father?"
Cregan looks at his son. His jaw tightens slightly, as it always does when he is angry. But you can only laugh and squeeze Rickon's hand.
"I don't need a prince." you say then.
A restlessness spreads among the guards on Winterfell's walls, and immediately Rickon turns his attention back to the sky.
You notice how Cregan tenses slightly next to you. The next few days, the negotiations with the prince, will seal the fate of your house in this Targaryen war. He must now sovereignly fulfill the role of the Lord.You don’t doubt for a second that he will be successful with this task and lead your family out of this crisis.
You stand on your tiptoes and press a kiss on his cold cheek. You want to say something else, but a shadow flies over you. You look up and see a dragon circling above the courtyard. You are almost relieved when you see the dragon, you had feared it would be larger.Nevertheless, the ground trembles slightly as the dragon lands. Prince Jacaerys slips out of the saddle and lands firmly on the ground.
You sink into a curtsy while your husband and your stepson bow.
"Welcome to Winterfell. It is an honor for me and my family to welcome you here."
You straighten up again and look at the prince closely. Dark curls, tousled by the wind. Noble clothing in the colors of his house, red and black. His cheeks are slightly flushed from the wind and the cold, a friendly smile on his face.
"The honor is on my side, Lord Stark. I am grateful that you are receiving me."
You can hear in his voice that he is unsure, but he is trying to hide it. For a moment, their silence lingers. Jacaerys shifts nervously from one foot to the other.
"You must be cold, my prince. Please come inside, we have warm food and drinks prepared." you say with a gesture towards the castle, fully in your role as Lady Stark.
The prince nods and says a word in a language you don't understand. The dragon behind him takes to the air again and flies away.
"He won't attack any people, will he?"" asks Cregan, his voice controlled but worried.
The prince begins to laugh but quickly becomes serious again at a glance into your husband's face. "No. Of course not. Vermax hunts exclusively venison. Even your farmers' cattle is safe. Should it still occur, House Targaryen is, of course, ready to pay compensation."
You immediately recognize that he has memorized this. Cregan nods, he is not yet fully convinced. Tension runs through his shoulders. Quickly, you force a smile onto your lips.
"Your words reassured us. Thank you my Prince." you say, giving Cregan's hand a light squeeze.
Together, you go inside. The halls of Winterfell are warm. A nursemaid takes Rickon while the Prince, Cregan, and you make your way to the great hall. There, bread and salt are first shared before the servants bring warm soup, meat, wine, and beer.
Jacaerys' insecurity falls away a little and he seems to relax. It calms you a little as well. The Targaryens and the Martells have had a rather tense relationship for a long time. It follows from the unwillingness of your people to bend the knee before the Conqueror and the subsequent dragon attacks. You cannot focus on the past now but must support your husband and the North. So you greet Jacaerys with emphasized friendliness while the usual pleasantries are exchanged. Jacaerys praises the beauty of Winterfell, Cregan asks if his journey was pleasant. However, you notice that the longer the meal goes on, the more nervous the prince becomes.
"You surely know by now what has brought me so far north," he begins after the last course is finished.
"The news of your war has reached us, yes," Cregan replies. You place your hand on his thigh and give it a gentle squeeze. Show him your support.
"My mother's birthright was stolen from her." Jacaerys begins, sounding as if he has rehearsed it again.
"One might see it that way." you respond as diplomatically as possible. You don't want Cregan to go to war for the queen. You want him here with you in Winterfell and far away from the battlefield. The mood is a bit tense again. Jacaerys looks at you for a moment. His gaze is uncomfortable for you. Nevertheless, you smile.
"You want my armies and support for your mother's claim." Cregan's words are a statement, not a question.
Jacaerys nods. "Lady Arryn from the Vale has ..."
Cregan raises his hand to interrupt him. "It is of no importance what Lady Arryn promised."
"House Stark swore an oath. An oath of loyalty to the Iron Throne."
"I know. But House Stark also swore an oath to protect the people of the realm. And this oath is a thousand years older than the one made to your ancestor, the Conqueror."
Jacaerys looks at Cregan, confused. "I don't understand, my Lord Stark."
"It's hard to explain. Accompany me to the Wall. Then we'll continue talking about oath and armies."
The prince hesitates for a moment, then he nods."Fine."
"Good, now that that's settled, my prince," you begin, giving him one of your wider smiles. You want to dissolve the tense atmosphere. "We have prepared a small celebration this evening to properly honor your visit. You probably want to rest beforehand. Your journey was long and arduous."
"Yes, of course, thank you, Princess."
"A servant will show you to your guest chambers." says Cregan, already beckoning a servant over.
"I will take care of that. It is an honor and my duty as Lady Stark to host our guests, husband."
Cregan glances briefly at you, then at the prince. He nods. "Fine."
You rise, kiss his cheek, and then turn to the prince. "Please follow me."
He gets up and you accompany him through the halls of your home to the guest chambers. You both remain silent, but you can hardly bear the tense atmosphere.
"My husband doesn't mean any harm. It´s just that is duties as Lord of Winterfell are very important to him."
"I understand, Princess."
You can understand that he feels rejected about the postponement of the negotiations. "The war, however, is of great importance for the future of the kingdom."
"Of course."
"It probably doesn't interest you.House Martell is, after all, independent."
You're trying not to let the insult, which lingers in his tone, get to you and instead smile politely.
"House Martell, perhaps. But House Stark is my family. We keep our vows."
Jacaerys suddenly stops. "I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry. I'm just." he interrupts himself.
"I can understand that it is a difficult situation. Your house was certainly not prepared for a war against your own blood."
"No, we weren't," he admits. "I don't have much practice being an envoy."
"You are doing well. Come now, my prince. Everything will surely be fine. Have faith in the oaths of the Lords. They all knelt before your mother and swore loyalty."
Jacaerys nods and smiles slightly. "Yes, I'll try."
Winterfell is showing itself form his best side. The great hall is filled with laughter and music. The food was exquisite. Jacaerys followed your husband's invitation and left his honored seat at the high table to walk beside Cregan through the great hall and speak with the bannermen of House Stark. The mood is good. People are dancing, and for this evening, you can also forget the looming danger. The wine tastes you a little too good today, the warm air in the hall doesn't help, and you notice your mind becoming slightly hazy as the wine takes effect.
You are engrossed in a conversation with Lady Mormont and your cousin Elisan Sand when the prince approaches you. "Princess. A dance?" he asks. His cheeks are slightly flushed from the wine, and he smiles kindly.
"Of course, my prince."
You stand up and let Jacaerys lead you to the dance floor. He leads you through the dance steps elegantly.
"I would like to thank you," he begins. His steps are confident. You have to think for a second about your first dance with your husband. He stepped on your feet three times back then. Even after all the years of your marriage, you couldn't turn Cregan into a dancer. No matter how much you love to dance, your husband rarely joins you on the dance floor. Only in the privacy of your chambers, without an audience, does he sway you to the music.
"For what?"
"Your words this noon. Your trust in your husband and in the oaths of the Lords have reassured me a little."
"The realm would fall apart if Lords did not remember their oaths," you say confidently. The Lords of the Seven Kingdoms cannot be so foolish as to risk a civil war among the dragons. The dispute over the throne would surely be over quickly. Who will supports a usurper?
"I hope so." says the prince. "Still, thank you Lady Stark or Princess. What do you prefer?"
"My name."
He says your name as if to try it on his tongue. "Under one condition, princess." a smile flickers across his lips as he sees your confused look.
"Which one, my prince?"
"Call me Jace."
"Jace it is."
He smiles at you. You wouldn't have expected this kind of kindness from him. At least not towards you. When you look at the history of your families, there has always been nothing but bad blood. But neither Jace nor you seem to care about the past. While you dance, you fall into a pleasant conversation. You are surprised by his sharp mind and friendly demeanor. He is well-read, clever, witty, and charming. In addition, his dance steps are confident and elegant. Jace is not at all the spoiled prince you had imagined. He elicits laughter from you with a few of his jokes, the wine you've drunk contributes, and you join in on his banter. You give him a few clever remarks on his jokes, which makes him laugh. He laughs openly and warmly, so you can't help but laugh along with him. Jacaerys spins you around a few times to the music before pulling you back into his arms. His hand lands a little too low on your lower back, but before you can say anything, he corrects his grip upwards. His cheeks turn a little redder, but you decide to ignore the little accident. Before you can resume your conversation, you are suddenly pulled away from Jace. The tight grip is almost painful. Immediately, you tense up and are about to complain, but the sound of your husband's voice reaches your ears. A smile immediately appears on your lips, the sound of his voice is enough to make your heart beat faster. Sometimes you feel sick of yourself because you love your husband so much that your thoughts are cheesy and full of love.
"You excus, my prince?" Cregan reaches for your hand before Jacaerys can respond.
"Of course." he gives you a slight nod and then leaves the dance floor.
You smile at your husband as you begin to dance. He still seems slightly tense.
"Have you spoken with your bannermen?"
"Yes," he replies shortly.
"They are not thrilled about the prospect of going to war."
"Of course not. Winter is coming. It's not time for war."
You almost have to sigh. Winter always comes. "The prince will surely understand if you can't provide him with any or only a few men."
"I honestly doubt that." his voice is unusually cold. "I just hope he won't burn Winterfell down with his dragon if we really turn him down."
"He wouldn't do that," you say confidently.
"Seems like you know him well already." his jaw tightens and he avoids your gaze. You furrow your eyebrows at his unusual behavior. Cregan is a serious man, but he is not suspicious. He trusts a man's word. Because he always keeps his word. That's how the Stark men are, it's in their blood.
The song ends, but instead of leading you through the next dance, Cregan steps back. He gives you a brief nod.
"I still have to talk with a few Lords." he turns away and just leaves you standing there. He didn't even give you a kiss. Confused, you stand still for a moment before leaving the dance floor. Actually, you would like to dance with your husband a little longer, but you can also understand that he has duties to fulfill.
Your gaze sweeps through the hall. Jace is already dancing again. This time with your sister-in-law Sara.
You are surprised to see her here. Normally, she stays away from such feasts, she doesn't like the looks and the whispers that come with her status as Snow, a bastard from the North. Here in the North, bastards are despised. At your home, it's different. You never had a problem with Sara being a Snow and not a Stark and love her like a sister.
You return to your seat and take another cup of wine. Quickly, you find yourself drawn back into a conversation with Lord Karstark and Lady Pole, so much so that you don't even notice how time flies. Only when you interrupt yourself for the second time in a sentence to yawn you decide that the evening is over for you now. You look around for your husband to let him know that you will be withdrawing. But you can't find him. Confused, you beckon a guard over.
"Where is my husband?"
"Lord Stark has already retired."
Without telling you? That's more than unusual. Once again, you are puzzled by his strange behavior. Nevertheless, you smile at the guard and send him back to his duties. Then you stand up and clap your hands. Immediately, the music falls silent and all attention is on you.
"I will now withdraw. I thank you all for your presence and the kindness with which you welcomed Prince Jacaerys here in Winterfell. Please, drink, dance, and continue to enjoy yourselves. I wish you a pleasant night, my Lords and Ladies."
The attendees, except for Jace, bow to you and you make your way out of the great hall. The door is not yet fully closed when the music starts again and the room is once more filled with loud voices and laughter.
You shiver slightly as the cold air surrounds you and quickly make your way back to your chambers. You are worried. Has something happened that required Cregan's attention and he left the feast because of it? Where could he be? Why didn't he let you know?
As you enter your chambers, you realize that your worry was unfounded. Your husband is already in bed. The chambers are dark, only a single candle still burns on your side of the bed. Cregan lies with his face turned away from you, his breath steady.
"Are you awake, Love?" you ask, but get no response. You quietly slip out of your dress and then into bed. The furs are cold, and you shiver again. You are used to falling asleep in Cregan's warm embrace. It takes a long time for sleep to find you.
When you wake up the next morning, the other side of the bed is empty. You stroke the furs on Cregan's side of the bed. They are already cold. You sigh. Why is he acting so strangely? Where is he? Normally, you wake up together, usually stay in bed for a while longer, cuddle and enjoy the morning together for as long as possible before your duties pull you apart.
A strange feeling spreads within you. You push it aside and swing yourself out of bed. You long for your husband. Nevertheless, you call your maid to help you get dressed and make your way to the nursery to pick up Rickon to break the fast with him.
All morning you have been busy with your duties. Rickon is sitting nearby with his nanny and plays. He keeps asking impatiently when you will finally have time for him. You promised him that today you would go with him to the prince and ask if he could pet the dragon, Vermo,or something like this.
Finally, all the important things are done, and you turn to the little Stark.
"Shall we look for the prince?"
His toys are immediately forgotten, and he runs to you. "Yes, Mother."
Cregan had allowed Rickon to call you that as long as he swore not to forget his real mother. You make sure that Rickon visits the crypt regularly. You also haven't dismissed the friends and ladies of the former Lady Stark from the household. You want to make sure that Rickon grows up with stories of his real mother, from people who truly knew her.
You drape a cloak over him before reaching for your own. For a moment, your fingertips hover over the silver buckle with the direwolf. Once again, you are overcome with longing for your husband. You haven't seen him all morning. That is also unusual. Is he so preoccupied with Jace's visit? Why doesn't he share his worries with you like he usually does?
You take Rickon by the hand and make your way to the guest chambers. There you meet Jace. He greets you with a friendly smile.
"What can I do for you?" he asks.
You gently nudge Rickon and smile encouragingly at him so that he gathers his courage. "Prince Jacaerys. I wanted to ask if I could maybe pet your dragon?" asks Rickon with red cheeks and then shyly hides behind your leg.
Jace kneels down to be at eye level with the little Stark. He smiles warmly. "Of course. Come on, Vermax will surely be happy to have visitors."
Rickon's eyes begin to shine, and he lets go of your hand to run ahead. Jace holds out his arm to you, and together you follow Rickon into the courtyard. So his name is Vermax, you weren't so far off with Vermo after all.
"Vermax hasn't been spotted by the guards. How do you know where he is?" you ask curiously. The hatred between your families has made you ignore everything there is to know about Targaryen and their dragons. That might have been a mistake.
"We share a bond. I can feel him just as he can feel me. I can call him and he will come."
The prince is right, only a few minutes after you enter the courtyard, Vermax lands in front of you.
Jace says a few Valyrian words to him, the dragon makes a whistling sound that resembles a melody before it blows smoke from its nostrils. Jace laughs happily and strokes the scaly monster. You recognize strong affection in his gaze. It surprises you. You always thought the dragons were a means to an end for the Targaryens. A weapon to oppress the people and to justify and secure their claim of power. You were obviously wrong.
Rickon jumps up and down next to you. His gaze is glued to Vermax, and he tugs at your skirt. "May I go to him?"
"Jace?" you ask a little uncertainly. The thought of the little one strokes the dragon definitely makes your stomach turn. But Rickon hasn't talked about anything else for days. You don't want to spoil his joy, so you keep your worries to yourself. The little one doesn't understand how dangerous the dragon actually is. He could easily destroy Winterfell.
Jace turns away from his dragon and reaches out his hand to Rickon.
"Come here. No need for fear."
"I am not afraid," he says, but his voice trembles slightly. Little liar, you think to yourself. Nevertheless, Rickon goes to Jace and reaches for his hand. Slowly, the two approach the dragon. Vermax seems to be completely calm, yet you are tense. A snap and Rickon could be seriously injured or even die. You would personally snap Jace's neck if he endangered the boy.
Jace says something to Rickon, he nods and slowly reaches out his hand. When his small hand touches the scales on the dragon's nose, it squeaks excitedly and he quickly pulls it back. "He feels warm." he exclaims, turning to you. His eyes sparkle with excitement and his smile is so wide and cheerful that despite your worry, you can't help but smile too. "Come on Mother, pet him too." Uncertain, you look at Jace. He nods encouragingly at you.
Slowly, you walk towards the dragon. As you stretch out your hand, it trembles slightly. Vermax whips his head around and you flinch back in shock. Rickon giggles joyfully, his fear seems to have vanished.
"May I?" asks Jace, nodding towards your hand. You hesitate for a moment but then nod. Jace reaches for your hand and gently places it on Vermax's nose. You can feel the warmth of his scales even through your glove. For a moment, you hesitate, then you stroke the dragon. Excitement floods through you and you have to laugh. You are petting a dragon. Probably the first person from House Martell to ever pet a dragon. But when Vermax lets out a growl, you quickly step back. You don't want to push your luck.
Rickon pulls on Jace's cloak. "How often do you ride him? How does it feel? Do you have a fear of heights when you fly? Is the saddle comfortable?" he bombards him with questions. Jace and you both chuckle lightly, then the prince kneels again to be at eye level with Rickon.
"I fly with him at every opportunity I get. It is incredibly fun to fly, and no, I am not afraid of heights. As for the saddle, there are more comfortable seats but I'm not complaining." he answers patiently to every question.
"Can I sit on it too?"
Jace looks at you at this question. Uncertain, you shrug your shoulders. You are not sure if Cregan would like it if his son goes this close to the dragon.
"Sure, but it's not my permission that counts."
"Please, please, Mother." Rickon begs, and at the look from his large dark eyes that he inherited from his father, you weaken.
"But only for a short moment and you do exactly what Jace tells you."
"Yes, of course." he jumps up and down excitedly before moving closer to Vermax again. Jace picks him up and approaches his dragon. He lowers his front leg slightly and lets Jace climb onto him. The dragon is completely calm, and you are glad about it.
As the two sit on the dragon's back, Jace begins to explain what all the buckles are for, how to hold the reins, and how he communicates with Vermax while flying using commands and shifting his weight.
You almost have a heart attack at the sight of Rickon on the dragon. You breathe a sigh of relief as Rickon slides down Vermax's wings after Jace's explain him how to do it. Laughing, he runs to you.
"Did you see how I rode the dragon?"
"Yes, of course. That looked really great. Like a real dragon rider," you say to him, brushing a strand of hair from his forehead.
"Do you want to try it ?" Jace asks from the dragon's back.
You quickly shake your head. "Absolutely not." you say.
Jace starts laughing again, but it's a warm laugh, the kind that's so contagious. He is not laughing at you. You laugh with him.
The prince also slides down the wing of his dragon. "Maybe another time," he says then.
"Probably not." you contradict.
"Don't be so sure, I can be very convincing." he winks at you, and you roll your eyes at his banter.
"Rickon." Cregan's voice echoes across the courtyard. You turn around immediately, hoping to finally be able to hold your husband in your arms. Cregan stands on the gallery above the courtyard and looks down at you. Even from down here, you can see his tense posture and his angry gaze. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to let Rickon sit on Vermax after all. "You have lessons."
You pause, confused. You are sure that you did not schedule any lessons for Rickon today. His teacher would not visit him again until tomorrow. But perhaps you messed up the plans with all the excitement about the prince's visit and the organization of yesterday's feast.
"Yes, Father." says Rickon quickly and takes a few steps towards the entrance before stopping and turning back to Jace once more. "Thank you for letting me pet the dragon," he says politely and bows before running inside.
You almost burst with pride for the boy when you see that your upbringing is showing. He would become a fine Lord of Winterfell, you are sure of that.
"Thank you, he hasn't talked about anything else. It's very exciting for him that you're here."
Jace smiles. "Gladly. He reminds me of my little brothers. I miss them."
You nod slightly, understanding the homesickness. "I also have to excuse myself, I have duties to attend to." you want to turn away and go to Cregan to finally have a moment alone with him.
"Please give me just one more moment."
You would prefer to refuse and run to Cregan, but politeness forbids it, so you nod and wait eagerly to see what Jace wants from you. He retrieves something from Vermax's saddle and hands you a small box. Confused, you open it, and a necklace comes into view. Pure gold is intricately crafted into suns with spears and three-headed dragons. The seals of House Martell and House Targaryen. A beautiful piece of work. Probably more expensive than most of your wardrobe.
"My mother asked me to hand this to you to remind you of the friendship between our houses."
She wants support from Dorne. She wants to buy you. It annoys you. Nevertheless, you smile.
"Please give your mother my thanks. I will cherish this friendship. But please remind them that I cannot speak for my brother and House Martell. I am a Stark."
Jace face tenses up slightly and his smile looks forced. To save the mood, you take the necklace out of the box.
"Would you help me?"
"Of course." he takes the necklace and you turn around so he can put it on you. When the necklace falls into place, you turn around again. "Thank you." you say and smile. "But I have to go now. You know, duties and that kind of stuff." you try to joke to get out of this irritating moment.
"Yes, of course."
You turn away and go inside. The necklace feels cold against your skin and is heavy. You will wear it as long as Jace visits Winterfell and then simply take it off. Of course, the necklace is beautiful, but you don't necessarily feel the need to carry House Targaryen's sigil with you. Besides, your husband has given you enough necklaces. All made of silver and with the Stark family crest. You like these necklaces a thousand times better even though they are not quite as finely crafted. They are gifts from your husband. He could give you a leather strap, and you would treat it like your greatest treasure. Just because it is a gift from Cregan.
When you arrive inside, unfortunately, you can't find your husband. Frustrated, you exhale. Maybe the Maester knows where he is. But before you can make your way to Winterfell's Maester, you are stopped by the blacksmith. He has an important matter, so you postpone the search for your husband.
Fate, however, is not kind to you, and so you are constantly pulled from one duty to another, and when you finally finish all your tasks, the sun has already set. But even now you can't give in to your need to search for your husband. Jace comes towards you.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes, to be honest. I have a letter for my fiancée Baela. Could I borrow a raven?" his cheeks turn slightly red as he holds up the scroll. The thought that the prince took the time to write a love letter in the middle of negotiations about troops for the war makes you smile.
"Of course. Come, I'll show you the way."
Hopefully this is really your last task for today. The longing for your husband is terrible. You can't remember the last time you went a whole day without talking to each other. You long to be pulled into his arms, to feel his kisses, to hear his voice.
You enter your shared chambers. You almost worry that Cregan is already asleep again, but he is sitting by the fireplace. A cup of wine in his hand. His long legs stretched out on the furs, yet his posture is tense. As the door behind you clicks shut, he turns his head towards you. His gaze is angry, his jaw tense. Your smile slips from your face.
"What happened?" you ask worriedly.
"Where were you?" he is on his feet and with two steps by you. The air around him almost pulses with his anger. Confused, you have to blink. What's going on? Worry spreads within you. You want to reach for his hand, but Cregan pulls his arm away. Surprised, you stand there.
"Where were you?" he repeats in a dark voice.
"Um, with Jace we .."
He snorts and interrupts you. A little angry, you furrow your brows. What's wrong with him?
"Jace." he says the name like an insult. "Interesting how close you are to the prince."
You almost want to laugh when you finally understand why your husband is acting so strangely. He is jealous. But with that angry look and tense posture, the laughter get stuck in your throat.
"Cregan." you begin in a gentle voice and take a step towards him. His eyes radiate anger, his whole body is tense. For others, that might seem frightening, but not for you. But again he doesn't let you finish. He looks to the side. His eyebrows are drawn together, his jaw is tense.
"You quickly became good friends. I watched you and him. At the feast and today with his dragon and Rickon."
"I'm just being friendly. Like I am with every Lord who comes to visit us." you try to be reasonable. Your voice is calm even though his unfounded jealousy and his doubts about you makes you angry. You don't understand why he has a problem with Jace.
"Not so friendly. I haven't seen you laugh like that for a long time." Now his memory is playing tricks on him.
"That's not true," you say.
"It is." your husband insists. You want to shake some sense into him. "But I can understand you. A handsome prince, of course you're interested in him. He could offer you a lot."
"Do you really think I would care about what he can offer? You give me more than I ever dreamed of. He is a prince, yes. Well, and who cares? How could I be interested in him when I have you?"
Cregan snorts again, avoids your gaze, and crosses his arms over his chest. "He gave you jewelry."
"No! His mother gave me jewelry, he is just the deliverer. The queen wants the support of the Martells, that's why."
"Nevertheless, you strut around with the necklace around your neck as if it were your most precious possession. I understand that. You are used to wearing expensive jewelry and fine gold. The North cannot offer you that."
He is so angry that he doesn't really take in your words. He doesn't want it. He is getting worked up about it. But you know your husband. You know very well that words sometimes don't get through to him. Especially not when he is angry. Cregan is a man of action, not of words. You reach for the necklace and tear it off your own neck. The clasp clinks slightly as it hits the floor, you don't care. You simply throw the necklace into the nearest corner of your chambers. A servant can have it, or it can end up in the trash. You don't care. Who cares about gold necklaces, gemstones, and jewelry?
You approach Cregan, und despite his anger and tension, you are not deterred and simply reach for his hand again. This time he doesn't flinch, but he also doesn't uncross his arms and take your hand. His eyebrows are furrowed, and you can see that his mind is working.
"I am yours and you are mine." you repeat the vow you made years ago before the Heart Tree in Winterfell's Godswood. "Always. Do you really think my love for you is that fragile?" you're almost offended.
"No." Cregan sighs. "It's just. He is a prince. The future king of the Seven Kingdoms. What can I offer you that he can't? You are a princess and you deserve a prince. Even Rickon understood that. A princess belongs to a prince."
You shake your head slightly, reach for his face, and force him to look at you. Of course, he could easily break away from you, but he doesn't.
"Cregan Stark! Who do you think I am? What are the words of my house?"
"Winter is coming," he grumbles as if to make it clear once again that you are his wife. A Stark. Still, you shake your head.
"Not those words."
"Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken"
"Exactly! And so is my love for you. Do you think I would be impressed by a little prince with a pretty smile? Do you really think I would regret my life here? Regret our family? No. This here, Winterfell, you, our marriage is all I need. I am happy here. I don't want all the frills and fuss. Who needs a prince and a ridiculous Iron Throne anyway? I love you, Cregan. You. And your boy and our home."
"Your life with him would be much more pleasant. No deprivations like here in the cold north. You could live in all the luxury you deserve. Like a real princess. Not hidden and far away from everything. I can't give you the live you deserve. No matter how much I want it."
You put a hand on his cheek. Your thumb caress him gently while you look into his eyes.
"Listen to me carefully! I don't want luxury. I don't want a Red Keep, a court, or bended knees. I want you. I love you. Only you. No one else could ever have my heart. It belongs to you. Always. Completely. I love you with my heart and soul. I could never be happier than with you. Do you understand what I'm saying? There is no reason to be jealous of a little prince."
Cregan's gaze is upon you. His eyes dart over your face. Suddenly, he leans forward and his lips crash onto yours. You are startled for a moment but then you return his kiss. The passion washes over you like a wave, your hands burying themselves in his dark hair while Cregan's hands wander to your back and he pulls you closer to him. Breathless, you pull away from each other. Cregan leans his forehead against yours, holding you tightly in his arms.
"I'm sorry. I saw you and the prince and my thoughts got the better of me. I know that I am not good enough for you. I never was, I never will be. I'm sorry, love. I just love you so much." he kisses your forehead.
You smile and bury your face in his chest, breathing in his familiar scent. Love and warmth course through you as he holds you so close.
"Never doubt yourself, my Love. As long as my heart beats, it beats for you and only for you."
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deathworlders-of-e24 · 3 days ago
Text
Thomas, Engineer
Part 4
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sparks burst upwards into the goggles Thomas was wearing, the plasma cutter in his hand burning at several hundred degrees, focused to an incredibly fine point. Holding it in his work gloves was awkward at best, but years of practice had made him exceptional at his job. Sixer and Mace might’ve been better at the finer detail work, Padrino had incredible dexterity after all, but making custom tools was well within his wheel house too.
The two bot brothers had asked him to make a special kind of nano wrench while they ran a ‘memory sweeper’ program through his old translator, the one that had caught that rogue signal all those cycles ago. The group had been working on it in their off time between maintenance requests, and they were finally just steps away from the answers they were looking for. All they needed now was to strip the memory code out of the device, and for that they needed itty bitty tiny nanoscopic tools; ergo, while the twins worked their programs, Thomas got to work making the things they’d need.
He was almost done too, when the comm-link trilled. A patch job in the security chief’s office, apparently one of the terminals was unresponsive and the door was getting jammed up on something. Personal projects would have to wait.
“Roomba, we got a job. You coming with or hanging out here?”
[Statement: you operate at greater efficiency when this unit is present]
“That’s right buddy, but I’m asking what you wanna do,” Thomas said.
“Beep.”
[Statement: I would like to assist please]
“Thanks Roomba, I appreciate that.” Thomas held his arm out and the little droid climbed up to his usual perch on the man’s shoulder. “Look at you, making decisions for yourself. Good for you bud!”
Thomas adored the little robot, and as Roomba got smarter, that feeling only grew. Every day the small cleaning drone was getting more clever, his AI evolving ever further, thanks to the upgrades from Sixer and Mace. Pretty soon Roomba would be as smart as Thomas was.
Maybe I’ll teach him how to play virtual chess, he thought. Or I’ll build him a little controller and we can split screen a blaster battle game or something!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The two made their way through the ship, waving and saying hello to the many people who stopped Thomas to look at the small robot on his shoulder. At this point in their mission, it was common knowledge that one of the humans had made a cleaning drone their ‘pet’, although Thomas was trying to make it clear that wasn’t the case. Roomba was his own person, he just so happened to have very little legs and it was faster to just catch a ride on his human companion. It probably didn’t help that outside himself and the Padrino, nobody else had the hardware to understand what Roomba was saying, so all they ever heard was Beep.
They made it up to the command deck and knocked on the door to the Chief’s office. It opened halfway before getting stuck, hidden gears grinding, and there was the Chief, leaning on his desk with a data pad in his hand. Thomas figured Chief Ducane was kinda cute, what with his scruffy yet trimmed beard and his various tattoos, but macho wasn’t really his thing on guys. That being said, he could see why some on the crew were whispering about him, the man was built. Thomas tried getting his attention through the crack.
“Reporting Chief, you sent a maintenance request?” Thomas said through the gap in the door.
“Yeah, I did,” Chief Ducane looked up. “Oh right, you’re Thomas right? I don’t remember if I’ve introduced myself yet, I’m Danny Ducane. You’re the guy with the domesticated maintenance droid, right?” The Chief got up to the door and pulled it open himself, the hydraulics groaning as it slid open the rest of the way.
“He’s not…” Thomas started, annoyed, but took a beat. Don’t antagonize the guy who can pull apart the doors. “This is Roomba, he has an adaptive learning AI now, like the Padrino on the crew. He’s not a pet.”
Roomba looked up when Thomas said his name and trilled angrily at the idea of being equated to a house cat.
“Beep.”
[Statement: Please inform the other human that I am not domesticated in any way, and would prefer that not get said again]
“He said you’re being rude,” Thomas explained.
“Beep.”
[Sufficiently put]
Chief Ducane looked at the two of them for a moment before raising his hands in defeat.
“Okay, fair enough, that was a dick move on my part. Sorry little guy, didn’t know you were one of the clever bots.”
Thomas nudged his tool bag with his foot, and the Chief took the message.
“Right, my control console is fritzing out,” Ducane said, shuffling awkwardly towards his desk. “The screen blurs every couple minutes, and the door got stuck this morning, don’t know what that’s about either.” The chief stood there, gesturing to his desk with one hand, the other fumbling to put the data pad down where Thomas suspected he thought he wouldn’t be able to see it. It occurred to him that Chief Ducane might not be the most technologically savvy, considering you could read a data pad from either side, and the exact same script was frozen on his console screen. It looked like a checklist of sorts, but Thomas wasn’t here to snoop classified documents. Unless it’d be funny, then maybe.
“Right,” Thomas said, eyeing the chief, “it’s probably just an electrical short, a little leftover from that solar flare the other day. I’ll have to strip some wiring but it’s a quick fix. Though the door might have to be taken out so I can get into the motors.”
“And how long will that take?” Ducane asked.
“Maybe an hour? Maybe more?” Thomas shrugged. “Takes as long as it takes for me to get in there.”
Thomas looked at him a moment, standing there with his hands on his sides. He could hear Roomba’s mechanical innards ticking and whirring as the little bot held onto his perch on Thomas’s shoulder.
“Guess I should let you get to it then,” Chief Ducane said, clapping his hands and heading for the door, but he stopped before he left, like he’d just remembered he’d left the stove on or some such.
“Hey, just a quick question,” he said, turning back to face Thomas. The chief’s hands were fidgeting, hooking and unhooking his thumbs into his pockets. “Are you acquainted with the Sed engineers? Kor and Taren?”
Thomas thought for a moment, then shrugged.
“Sure, I’ve seen them around. Why?”
“They ever seem real busy for unknown reasons?”
“Honestly? Like you want my work appropriate answer or my actual opinion?”
“Both.”
“Well my work appropriate answer is sure, they seem good at their jobs, usually off together on requests.”
“And your personal opinions?” Chief Ducane pressed, crossing his arms and shifting to stand in the doorway, as if he was keeping Thomas sequestered until he got answers to his odd line of questions. Thomas didn’t need to ponder the question that long.
“Honestly? Honestly they kinda suck,” He blurted out, a little more venomously than he’d intended. “Like, okay, don’t get me wrong, you ask them questions and they give the right answers, they know how things work and they know the right tool for the jobs, but work wise? Half the time nobody can find them. I’ve had three repair jobs handed over to me in the last two weeks ‘cause they’re off somewhere fooling around.”
“Fooling around?” Ducane intoned, “as in…?”
“Well we just kinda assumed they were an item. And look, we’re sympathetic, but the work load is insane on a ship this size with this many conflicting requirements. Temperature differences for different races, atmospheric controls bottoming out, I got a guy with four arms for a boss and even he thinks it’s ridiculous how often stuff around here breaks.”
“So you all just assumed they were off somewhere… doing that, while you all just put up with it? Has anyone seen them like this?” Chief Ducane pushed.
“Roomba did,” Thomas said, tilting his head the little droid’s direction, “while we were doing repairs in the air ducts a couple cycles ago.”
“Beep.”
[Please do not disclose this information]
“Huh?” Thomas put the little droid in his palm and let him stand for himself. “What’s up buddy?”
“What’s he saying?” The chief asked, shifting focus from Thomas to Roomba and back again.
“Beep.”
[Disclosure of this information will bring my work efficiency into question]
Ohhhhhhh, Thomas thought.
“He’s just saying how weird what he saw was,” Thomas shiftily explained, patting the little droid on the head. “We were working some repairs in the ducts when Roomba saw Taren in another part of the ship through the grating. He was on a comm-link and Kor showed up with a thing Roomba didn’t recognize, but from what he told me it was some hand tool I think.”
“So maybe they were just on another job and not screwing around?” Ducane questioned.
“Nah, couldn’t be, I was supposed to be the only repair guy in that part of the ship at the time. Everyone else is still supposed to be in the core room making repairs after that solar flare.”
Thomas took a deep breath and looked Ducane in the eye.
“Chief, be straight with me, is something going on on my ship?”
“What do you mean your ship?” Ducane scoffed.
“Trust me, this ship has already gotten enough of my blood, sweat, and tears man. I probably love her more than anyone else on this boat, so yeah, she’s my ship.” Thomas was getting a tad red in the face as he said this, which was fair, as it was slightly embarrassing to voice this odd idea of his. “Look man, this ship might be just a job to you, but it’s not just that to me, okay? So if there’s something happening here that could hurt her, I’m not gonna let that happen.”
How odd that a simple maintenance request could have such an impact on his day?
Roomba reach up and tugged on Thomas’s earlobe.
“Beep.”
[New Task Uploaded: protect Noah. Confirm?]
“That’s right Roomba, that’s what we’re gonna do,” Thomas said, weirdly amped up now. Chief Ducane stood there looking at him incredulously.
“Is every kid in the galaxy just ready to ride shotgun off to war these days? I swear, you younger guys need to do something more productive and fun with all that extra energy you have.”
“Shove it… respectfully, Chief.”
“Well if it makes you feel any better, I don’t have anything concrete that something is happening, not that I could tell you if I did.” Ducane shrugged and crossed his arms again, leaning against the wall. The data pad behind them on the desk trilled, a new file had been sent to it, and before the tones had silenced themselves, Thomas felt as if his neurons had just taken a bolt of electricity across his frontal lobe. He turned back to face the Security Chief with a dread look tacked onto his face.
“Hypothetically, Chief, if somebody had possibly intercepted a weird transmission while outside the broadcast shields, how important would that be?”
Chief Ducane stared at him a moment, then clasped his hands together in front of his mouth before sighing uncomfortably hard.
“I’d say that’d be pretty important, kid.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I thought you were supposed to be smart!” Danny half accused, walking quickly down the hall away from the lift.
“Man, I’m like actually a genius, I have four degrees, but nobody ever accused me of being smart,” Thomas said, shrugging. “I didn’t want to get kicked off the ship if it was nothing, which it probably is!”
“You wouldn’t have gotten kicked off the ship. If I can’t even get rid of Grite, you’re as safe as can be.”
“Oh, okay,” Thomas said sarcastically, “then I totally should’ve spilled it when, while on a space walk, my somewhat illegally jailbroke translator picked up a rogue signal on the long range communications array for the ship I just got a job on. I’ve seen people canned for less, I could’ve been tried for espionage or something.”
“You did what?”
Thomas and Danny turned on theirs heels to see Odis the Galley standing in the doorway they’d just passed, a ‘coffee’ mug in hand. It had a cartoonish drawing of a purple cow on it.
“Oh good, we’re just telling the whole ship now, I guess,” Danny pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m definitely getting fired.”
“Wait wait wait, Odis is cool,” Thomas vouched. “He’s a real stand up guy.”
“What did you do now humie?” Odis groaned, downing whatever was in his mug before sprinting to join them. His shorter legs had to move twice as fast to keep up with the taller humans.
“So you know that project the twins and I have been working on?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah, you’ve been using your off hours for something that’s not video games, of course I noticed.”
“Fired…,” Danny moaned. “Court marshalled even.”
“Quiet big human, the smart human is talking.”
“Oh no, we’ve established that word doesn’t apply to me.”
“Beep.”
[Thank you for not telling the human I fell down the air ducts]
It was a wonder how the entire ship didn’t know what they were doing by then, seeing as they were not exactly discreet as they headed down to the maintenance decks. When the group of them finally made the locker room, more than one set of eyes was watching them, though it was mostly Chief Ducane they were looking at. It wasn’t exactly normal operating procedures for the Chief of Security to walk into their locker room.
“How is it that you humans are always up to something ridiculous?” Odis asked, shaking his bulbous gray head. “I mean, as a Galley, I’m actually impressed with the level of… what’s a good human word for this nonsense?”
“Shenanigans?” Thomas offered.
“Ridiculous words, ridiculous people…,” Odis laughed. “The cows are cool, but the rest of your world is just a mess of weird, huh?”
The humans didn’t respond, though given any thought, they couldn’t have refuted the Galley anyway.
Sixer and Mace stood at their work table, the terminal screen running thousands of lines of code a second. Thomas would’ve loved to comb through it given the chance, but now wasn’t the time.
“Twins!” he called over, “Got it up and going?”
“Almost, Human Thomas,” Sixer replied.
“Hello, Security Chief Ducane,” Mace greeted.
“Yeah, hi guys,” Danny said. “I hear you all have been working a little side project?”
The two Padrino turned to each other and each gave a quick burst of machine speak before turning back to face them.
“Human Thomas, do you believe it is time to inform the ship’s command structure of our findings?”
“You could say that, yeah,” Thomas nodded.
“Good, because we have finished preparations. We simply need the tool you made up and to see if the sweeper program retrieves any data.”
Thomas patted down his coveralls before fishing the nano-wrench from his inner pocket. He handed the tool to Sixer, who turned back to the table and made the final adjustments.
“Moment of truth, I guess,” he said.
“You realize I’m going to be extremely pissed if you got me down here and all worked up for nothing,” Danny said pointedly.
“Understood… sir,” Thomas swallowed hard.
The computer ran its program, thousands, hundreds of thousands of lines of code fluttering across the screen, the Padrino’s speed was impressive to say the least. They definitely had to teach him that sometime.
After a minute of them staring at the terminal in silence, the screen showed a resounding-
“Nothing?” Thomas and Danny said in unison.
“Correct,” Sixer said.
“Unfortunately,” continued Mace, “the translators are not equipped with enough memory storage to log something the size of a communications transmission.”
“So we’ve got nothing?” Thomas said, hands clenched at his sides. He didn’t know what he wanted the signal to be, but nothing was… incredibly unsatisfying, to say the least.
“Did you try to see recipient data?” Odis asked, eyeing the console code.
“What?” Thomas turned to him, confusion distorting the disappointment on his face.
“With the long range array, it’s got recipient data built into the message, so the thing knows who it’s going to,” Odis explained slowly. “Back in the day, we Galley used to strip data out of long range messages to find new planets to… interact with. It’s how we found the humies first, caught all those messages you kept throwing out into space.” Odis rifled through one of his side pockets and brought out something that looked like a key fob with a port on one end. He popped open a panel in the terminal and plugged it in, hitting a couple keys to sync the programs together. Thomas watched, confusion and disappointment morphing into a cautious optimism. Maybe they’d find something after all.
“And here… we… go!” Odis said smugly, triumphantly hitting the execute key. The screen rolled the code again, but this time information began loading, the computer compiling the data for them.
“And you just happen to have this… why?” Danny looked sternly in the Galley’s direction.
“If it makes you feel any better Chief, most of my free time has been spent with the kid playing Terran video games,” Odis snickered. “Don’t worry about what I’ve been up to, worry about whoever is sending messages to the GAIL High Council.”
“What the hell?” Danny exclaimed, leaning over the console to examine the data.
Sure enough, they couldn’t recover any of the message, the data was just too big for the little device to have caught any. However, Odis’s tracer did show that whatever the signal was, it had gone straight to someone by the name of Mons on the High Council of the Grand Assembly of Intelligent Lifeforms.
“Chief, what the hell are we looking at?” Thomas asked, for the first time actually realizing that something could be deeply, darkly wrong on the ship.
“This doesn’t make any sense, communications can’t go directly to the Council, not without going through Captain Skitch and me,” Danny kept looking at the screen, rereading the data from start to finish, over and over again, before pulling out his data pad and copying all of it down, taking photos too.
“What are you doing?” Sixer asked.
“Making sure whatever we have here, there’s multiple copies so we can’t lose any proof later.”
“Do you suspect there’s another agenda aboard this ship Chief Ducane?” Mace followed.
“… I sincerely hope not, but either way, none of this ever happened. Not a single one of you saw any of this, okay? Nothing and no one,” Danny looked at each of them in turn, making sure they understood his meaning, “is going to hear about any of this. And when I call any of you to my office, it’s double time, understood?”
“You got it Chief,” Thomas said immediately, the others following suit, but with much less gusto.
“Beep.”
[Task: protect Noah in progress]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The work shift ended with no more excitement, however Thomas’s heart rate hadn’t declined even a bit in the following hours. The idea that something could threaten the ship, his ship, the ship he’d almost died for already, filled him with some very mixed emotions, not the least of which was apprehension. It did reassure him that Chief Ducane seemed like a good guy, and that he wasn’t going to take any disciplinary measures against the worker crew for anything, but the idea that they could be called on to actually do something was daunting.
Walking to the mess hall, Thomas realized he’d never actually made any of the requested repairs to Danny office. He pulled a comm-link out of his back pocket and sent a quick “sorry, I’ll be right there to fix the door” text, but was alarmed at what the Chief of Security replied almost instantly.
>Someone searched my office while cameras were out of commission. Nothing is missing. They took advantage of the door being jammed and unlocked<
Another message:
>Don’t come up here, it’ll look suspicious for the both of us. I’ll make another request tomorrow. Tell your friends to be careful, and come to me immediately if you see anything at all<
Thomas shakily put the comm-link back in his pocket and headed back towards the Vending Machines. He saw Odis sitting in the corner and joined him after getting his food.
“You ever think someone in the GAIL could do something pretty bad?”
“What, you think you humans have a monopoly on being kind of shitty?” Odis snorted. “You’re not that weird, you know.”
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bouquetface · 3 days ago
Text
Synastry Game: CLOSED
PLEASE READ FULLY BEFORE SUBMITTING
This game is not come first, served first. I will not accept incorrect asks. Sending in incorrectly and then sending a second ask correctly will not be accepted. Please just read the rules before submitting.
For this game, I'll do a synastry read for either someone you know IRL or a celebrity. This is simply for fun - especially the celeb reads, take it as astro based fanfiction.
For a synastry read with someone you irl:
Send your birth time, birth location + birthday. As well as the crush or partner's birthday, birth location + birth time. If you do not know this info for them, it's fine but keep in mind it will affect the read.
For a synastry read with a celeb crush:
Send your birth time, birth location + birthday. You can send the celeb's info if you know it. If birth time isn't available online, it's fine because this is just for fun.
Random names in case you need ideas: Jack Harlow, Timothee Chalamet, Jungkook, Playboy Carti, Harry Styles, Alexa Demie, Miley Cyrus, MGK, Megan Fox,
KEEP IN MIND: This is basically astro based fanfiction. It is just for entertainment!!
I have no preference for whether you choose a personal synastry read, a celeb read from the list or your own celeb crush. Every ask has the same chance of being selected if sent in correctly. To assure you have read correctly, please send in a photo of your celeb crush with the ask. And please promise to leave feedback! It’s greatly appreciated to know you got the reading and your thoughts. I always get a lot of asks and I will not be able to answer everyone. 💗💗
I will be answering throughout the week & possible weekend. Post Date Nov 26, 2024.
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misspelledwordswizard · 12 hours ago
Note
Good morning, afternoon or evening. I saw that your requests were open and I wanted to take the opportunity to make you one with one.
We all know that Time and Twilight are related in some way. So, my request was about how Time and Twi would react to finding out that reader is their descendant with some family and obviously platonic fluff
This is so cute! I believe both would be like "girl dad mode on" hehe Thank you for the request, I hope you like it <3
Tumblr media
I had been in the group for a short time. I’m not sure how I ended up here, or why, I just know that suddenly I was having to hang out with nine heroes from Hyrule who all had the same name. Okay, I can handle a little adventure, I may be a farm girl, but being a hero has always been a dream of mine, it’s in my blood. Literally. 
From the moment that strange group told me their names, or rather, name, and explained that they came from different times, I was already sure that I was related to at least one of them. Well, at least I know that I’m descended from a hero named Link who saved Hyrule. 
The only problem is that I have no idea which of them I’m related to, especially when they all look so similar and the timelines are so confusing! That’s why I decided to keep this information to myself until I knew for sure. 
— Oh, Malon sent hugs to everyone. – Time said, as he read the letter recently delivered by the postman. I’m still curious about how he does it, but I’m more interested in the name unknown to me. 
— Malon? Who is this? 
— Oh, that’s right, you haven’t met her yet. Malon is my wife. – The Old Man answered me, with a somewhat proud smile on his face, he must love her very much. 
— Oh, and she’s the owner of the LonLon Ranch, back in the Old Man’s era! – Wind added, this fact might be nothing more than a curiosity for most, but it ended up meaning more than that to me. 
If Time is married to the owner of a ranch, it’s likely that his descendants inherited it, and over time it may have become my family’s ranch. Could the Hero of Time be my ancestor? 
— Oh, and maybe you’ve already come to this conclusion too, but Twilight also comes from a ranch, it’s not for nothing that we call him Rancher. – The Champion completed, and only then did I realize the obvious. 
But then, which one of them is my ancestor? I could try to find out more details about it, but it would take too long if I did it that way, so I decided to open my mouth, maybe they can help me. 
— Well, then it’s likely that I’m a descendant of one of you two. 
All eyes turned to me, I think the two in question almost broke their necks with that move. Was that really that surprising? Soon everyone was around me, curious. 
— Why do you say that? – Time was the first to ask. Fair enough. 
— Well, I always knew I was a descendant of a Link, I just didn’t know which one of you, and since I come from a ranch too, I think it’s quite likely. 
— Why didn’t you say so before? – Twilight asked, I figured this question would come. 
— I didn’t want to create expectations, or else I might upset everyone and not get any answers. But I still don’t know which of you two are my relatives. 
A silence settled in as everyone looked at each other, as if they were deciding what to say. They knew something. 
— Hm, how can we say this? – Warriors began. – Both of them! 
I blinked in confusion, many doubts swirling in my mind. Both of them? But they were quicker to answer them. 
— It turns out that I am a descendant of the Old Man, so either you are a descendant of him and my ancestor, or a descendant of both of us. – Twilight explained, and then things began to fall into place. Indeed, there were doubts in my family as to whether we were descendants of one or two Heroes, with this the answer becomes clear. 
— In that case, I’m almost certain that both of you are my ancestors, I really wasn’t sure if I was descended from one or both of you. – I explained finally, reaching the final conclusion. Wow, a descendant of two Links, who would have thought. 
They both looked at each other for a moment, they even seemed to be talking telepathically, but it seems that their choices of actions were mutual, because in the next second I was being crushed in a hug by two strong men. I can’t breathe, it’s definitely a hug worthy of a father. 
 I was finally released from the grip and able to breathe again, which I did dramatically, drawing laughter from some of the boys. 
— I can hardly believe this, is this how you felt when you met me? – The Rancher asked Time, with a smile on his face. 
— Hm, basically. Oh, Malon will love meeting you! I’ll write to her about it. – The old man seemed happier than I had ever seen him in the short time I had known him. 
I myself was still processing all of this. I had not just met one of my ancestors, but two of them? Before I knew it, I was smiling like an idiot. It was like I now had two more dads. Even if one of them was almost my age, which was a little strange. 
— Oh, when I can, I want to show you the family books about you, so you can check the information! – I said excitedly and they happily agreed with me. 
— The food is ready! – Wind said, drawing their attention. 
— Come, sit near us, we have a lot to talk about! – Twilight said, guiding me by the hand to the rest of the group. 
— Yes, little one, tell us everything about you and your family. – Time completed, resting a hand on my shoulder comfortingly. 
Who would have thought I would have such a cool family walking with me all this time. 
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mothgirl-number-4 · 3 days ago
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[Five days.] [It's been five days since you woke up for the first time.] [Four and a half since the second time! Haha! …No need to linger.] [You haven't tried contacting your stardust. You. Siffrin.] [Ever since your successful attempt on your own life That only made you loop AGAIN why AGAIN??? WHY??? you've been looking for some quality information.] [It seems you've been made as a near identical copy of your darling stardust due to the fact you only have one eye not the right one AND craft exhaustion. You don't remember ever getting craft exhausted but you might have if you actually esca but it's whatever!!!] [Beau has been surprisingly pleasant company. You started teaching him some more Vaugardian due to someone not being able to speak being a bad conversation partner, and you feel slightly guilty for pushing him to- but you aren't sure that was the best idea.] "Shining One- er-" ["Saffron, Beau."] [He has some of the name troubles you used to have. You did use to have name troubles, right? Not the point. He remembers at least not to call you Bright one.] "Yes, Siffrin! I was going to ask if you were awake, but it seems you are. …Did I wake you?" [He's so anxious it'd be almost cute if it wasn't pathetic. He wants to impress you, you think.] ["Don't worry about it, Beau. It's 8:23 in the evening."] "Ah. Thank you, Shin- Saffron." [As for the name change, it's was initially just so it was easier to pronounce for him, but any difference from your Stardust has become… Thrilling. You aren't about to go throwing everything away- that wouldn't be fair to Beau, but it's nice.] [One of the Housemaidens comes in. You think her name is Edie. Comedy mask on.] ["Ah! Hello, Edie~"] "Edith, Saffron." [Your eye twitches.] ["Sorry, Edie."] "Hmph. Well, you're both good enough to be sent to a benefactor for temporary housing, if you wish."
"Oh! That'd be wonderful, Kind One!" ["I agree with Beau here, the sooner I'm out of this place, the better!"] [You're smiling but it doesn't reach your eyes. You've been dying to get a look at their library. Anything for an explanation.] [The Housemaiden looks you over, she sees right through you. You hate it you hate it you hate it it reminds you of…] [Who does it remind you of? Whatever! What. Ever!!!!] "I'll give you two one day to get ready. We've already got somebody willing to take you in for a time. I'll come along to ensure your healthy arrival and inform your caretaker of the responsibilities they are going to have to undertake with your…" [Her eyes dart over to Beau and back to you] "unique cases, but then we'll be out of each other's hair for the foreseeable future." [The Housemaiden has been trying to get through to you for the whole time you've been here, but they're going up against an expert at this.] […During the third day, she told you about her mother, for some reason. You think she was trying to connect with you over parents but you don't remember yours. Something about half-siblings? You don't care to recollect. You didn't come here for a lecture on Change.] "Isn't this wonderful, Shining One?" [She left- and Beau is talking to you. Comedy mask off, but you do try to be… Hospitable.] ["Of course, Beau. I'm ready to get out of here! I'm ready to sleep, though. Talk to you tomorrow?"] [He gives you a strange stern look, and nods. He lies down, stiff as a dead body.] ["You're not gonna fall asleep like that. What's the issue?"] […] [He sighs.] "Do you not like me?" […Oh. He- …] [It's best if you tell the truth. You've been caught off guard and don't know how dangerous he is.]
["I've had… Bad experiences with protector types. …Part of the reason I'm here, actually!"] [Technically the truth.] "I see… But what about me?" […] ["I don't know. I don't know what I think about you. I thought I hated you but you're just… I don't know. I don't like you, but I don't mind spending time with you. And I'd prefer if I could keep an eye on you for now."] "Of course." [There's a pause. You aren't used to doing feelings talks.] "I can protect you!" [You almost choke on your laughter, you barely manage to stifle it, but he still looks slightly offended.] "What?" ["Beau, I don't know if you know this, but I'm pretty strong, even without craft. If anything, I'd protect you."] [He flushes with embarrassment.] ["But uh… Thanks for talking with me about the fee-fees."] "Fee-fees?" ["Ling-lings~"] "Oh! I see! Very funny, Saff." […A nickname?] "Is that okay? I don't-" ["No no- I liked it."] "Oh. Good." ["Yeah, good…"] ["Thanks, B."] "Yeah." [You sleep, and you do not dream of a twin-headed ouroboros consuming itself, nor being eaten by a star, nor burning up as your friends not YOURS they AREN'T laugh. You dream of pleasant conversations by a favor tree with someone you don't know.]
[Your time is done. You're satisfied.]
[You couldn't take your role back, but that's his fault for leaving you alone. You're satisfied.]
[You're satisfied. You fade at last.]
...
[You feel a thread pulled to its limits. A fire burning hot hot hot and something breaking, failing, rotting. You gag on nothing as starlight beams out of your eyes and mouth.]
[The string pulls, choking you as you attempt to scream, but you have no mouth. You attempt to cry, but you have no eyes.]
[The thread snaps.]
[You feel a pulling in your head.]
[And you feel your heart..
p
o
p
]
[You wake up in a room. The first thing you take in is UNIMAGINABLE PAIN. You scream and scream and scream- there are footsteps. You hear the familiar sound of healing craft as the pain subsides the slightest bit. Not enough to be anywhere near comfortable, but you aren't screaming anymore.]
[You sit up, hands grasping at what you realize far too late are bedsheets. They rip in your hands, piercing craft chugging through your fingertips like the drip drip drip of blood.]
[You're already babbling apologies when]-
"Oh thank goodness you're awake, bright stranger."
[That voice. Not from the healer you don't recognize them but you turn to the neighboring bed- you're in an infirmary? -and see another stranger.]
[You recognize that accent but you don't recognize... Him?]
"[Who-]"
[You cough on your words- Vaugardian, Loop! Try again~]
[The familiar stranger looks at you with wonder.]
"Say- say that again, will you?"
"[What, 'who?']"
"No- what was that language?"
[You don't know.]
"[I don't know. Where am I?]"
[The familiar stranger- you're just going to call him the King, it's too similar to be a coincidence. You've never been lucky enough to even consider otherwise. -looks disappointed before lighting up again. His Vaugardian is rough, but understandable.]
"Ah! You're in the Bambouche house of change! Or uhm... The one closest to Bambouche I think... I couldn't really understand them the best."
[The King looks awkward. How could this pathetic whelp end up as the intimidating monster that killed- Blinding- He's speaking]
"They call me castaway, but I prefer Beau, he and him, please. What about you?"
[Oh this is hilarious. The Change god thinks its so blinding funny doesn't it. You're laughing. You're cackling and guffawing and]-
"[Siffrin, they/them, nice to meet you!]"
"Oh, like the savior?"
[What.]
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tethered-heartstrings · 1 year ago
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hiii! just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I am having gender-affirming surgery next week and will very likely not be on very much if at all as I recover. I will try and have memes and posts scheduled but I probably won't be able to make more when those run out. I'll also up my queue/rb my old posts. in my absence please feel free to check out my ao3/fic masterlist and older memes/metas/etc. or my ko-fi if you like what i make!
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cutie-lumi · 7 months ago
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ATTENTION BOOBA ENJOYERS!!!
i made an account to post BOOBA! it's @lumi-cherries
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feel free to send me asks about femstars boobas and things like that! i'll be posting more suggestive content there as well, so if ur over 18 and wanna see some BOOBA art then follow me there😌💖 thats it thank u for ur attention
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theotherrookie · 1 day ago
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"It could be the cold, or the fact that people used to gather around the fireplace and such. I might have some more books around you can check out, if you want."
She might as well offer, as well as take the chance to remark how vast her collection was just in case it wasn't clear yet.
"Well, I'd tell you I've been losing sleep over this, but that was already a lost cause before." she admitted, "I think what happened to Lucien made us all panic for a bit, which I guess was the point of what they did to him. I'm glad they didn't do the same to Russell. I don't think I could have dealt with the possibility of almost losing both."
She made sure not to mention the poor timing of it. They knew now that what Antonio had done was unrelated and she was more than willing to leave that behind already.
"It was an accident. We all eat stuff that messes with us sometimes and all that." Her blackened feathers seemed to confirm that. "You learned your lesson. And I think lunch could be fun. Food wouldn't be an issue, I think Willow mentioned testing synth-food at some point. We should be able to put together something for Bill too."
Even her mother would make an effort to join in. It was a lovely idea overall that actually brought a smile to Rook's face. That would be something to look forward to while they sorted things out and especially now that Rick was brought up. Simply asking about him was enough to make Rook uneasy.
"Well, seeing as we're throwing stuff at the wall as of now…" She shrugged, "He has sent hunters after me before and when they failed, he tried to recruit Lucien. It was so bad he was one of the reasons Lucien decided to give up on trying to kill me and Russell helped me out, so dad has plenty of reasons to target both."
And she had proof Rick still got up to nonsense, even while he wasn't going after her specifically.
"And I'd be going there for another reason as well. It depends entirely if you're up for it, though. Dad really isn't pleasant to be around."
"Oh, it's actually the opposite for me. It's like that for all of us, actually. Our powers basically renew every Winter Solstice." Rook explained, "I should start feeling a bit a few days before my birthday."
She was looking forward to that more than usual with everything that was going on. Hopefully, they would figure this mess out before the stress of organizing the celebrations added itself to the rest.
"Well, I couldn't resist." Rook replied with a grin, "And it was the only nice moment of that shitty evening. I think that and this breakfast are the only nice notes in this whole mess...the company too."
Rook's wings twitched at that, betraying her apprehension towards the situation. It was difficult to keep up the brave act while those she cared about were getting hurt or fighting each other.
"I know I miss sitting at the table with others. Mum hangs around sometimes, but she can't eat." She set the phone down once both messages were sent and eagerly dug in. "Well, Lucien wouldn't say no to that. He loves getting spoiled."
She clearly didn't mind either. Rook wasn't lying about having more of an appetite.
"I'm glad you two are getting along, though. There's enough going on with those weirdos who are after us as is... Which brings me to the next suspect on my list."
There was another twitch as Rook looked up.
"It might be a good time to check on my dad."
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official-english-major · 2 months ago
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When I liked an extrovert, I could never tell if he was interested or just being friendly (spoilers: it was NOT the first option). It was super confusing all the time bc I kept getting all these signals like prolonged eye contact and inside jokes and not knowing if they meant anything.
Meanwhile with the introverted guy who's been hanging around lately, I've been like, "He stuck around at a social event to finish a conversation with me. Two days later, he sent me a reel on Instagram even though he isn't online a lot. He's gonna ask me out." And I was RIGHT
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johnbly · 2 years ago
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can't stop thinking about how in dmc jack treated james like a dog (whistling when he wanted him to start digging for the chest, the deleted scenes with giving him the other shovel to carry + having him clean his boot) and james takes it first because of wanting to stay by elizabeth but then because he was waiting for his moment to take the letters of marque + either the compass or chest and get his life back
and of course he gets the letters and the heart and gives them to beckett --
only for beckett to treat him like a dog as well ("you summoned me," the sending off/shooing gesture on the dutchman when it was time to drop off the chest, "he'll obey it's what he does") but this time james has to take it because he sees no other path
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tj-crochets · 5 months ago
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I was off work for a month with a concussion and had left my indoor shoes there. A really little kid who was having a Tough Time filled my shoes with water bottle caps which was baffling and hilarious when i discovered that a few weeks later
Little kids are so great! Baffling but hilarious is like my favorite little kid thing
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esteebarnes94 · 10 months ago
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Darby Fanart
Darby is a character from a joint story by @majormeilani (who owns this character) and their sister micechicken (who I won't tag as not to bother her). Anyways, I'll admit when I was on my old account I did come across their story Sunshine and thought it was really cool, so when I made this account I decided to practice my digital drawing skills on Darby!
Goes without saying, but no reposting, editing, claiming (the art, I mean, obviously the OC isn't mine), tracing, or using for any program, NFT, or AI.
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Anyways yeah Darby is super cool I like her.
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gu6chan · 6 months ago
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99% just my autism speaking here but something ive been noticing lately that im sorta kinda 😶 about is when ppl are like "I think you'll like this" but not bc they ACTUALLY think you'll like it, rather they just got into it and want you to also get into it so "I think you'll like this" is a nice personal hook. i love chill stuff as much as any other person ofc but given i don't divulge that EVER, what makes you think my berserk reading, made in abyss watching, drakengard playing ass would like YURU CAMP????
#gu6chan's musings#am i just taking the phrase too literally???? like i appreciate the thought but also.... what agitates me is the fact theres not any#when i say something among the lines of 'i think YOU'LL like this' or 'This made me think of you' like#its bc i think of THAT PERSON IN PARTICULAR or think THAT PERSON IN PARTICULAR would like it#again it's probably just autism brain taking figures of speech too literally but i HATE it bc it just makes me feel like#all the times i shared my interests meant nothinggggg typically i just ask 'neat; what makes you think ill like it?' and ppl start stumbling#and im like :(#whats rlly funny in this case is not only the fact i had only ever established my love of dark fantasy and mystery to this person#but they also flatout asked 'youre not really into modern media much are you' to which the answer was 'not much lol'#and i said the reasons i dont care for 'cute girls doing cute things' anime (re: k-on) is bc if i have the time to watch it then i at LEAST#wanna spend it watching a series that's???? not 'the point of it is to relax :)'??? i can sleep for that#anyways like 2 days later they said they said they think id REALLY like this new anime they've been watching lately and I was like 'oh?'#and it was yuru camp.... and internally i was like 'are you fucking kidding me' but on the outside i was like 'oh sweet what makes you think#id like it? id love some new media recommendations especially if they're newer shows bc ive been having SO MUCH TROUBLE trying to find#something interesting that isn't from 2008'#and they sent me a picture of the most generic anime girl ever and they're like 'it has really cute girls' and then i just wanted to kms#like.... this isn't bc you thought id like it; is it.....#wanted to die internally but i played it cool and was like 'oh no; i appreciate it thoughtfulness and all but i don't think this is for me'#also the time where someone recommended signalis to me and i was like 'oh?' and they were like 'YEAH its SO good the people who made it#were even INSPIRED off of Nier' KNOWING FULL WELL I DIDN'T LIKE IT AND THE AMOUNT MY ENTHUSIASM JUST DIED... i was like#'oh. well that will be a pass then' and they tried backpedaling like 'well it's not SUPER inspired; i didn't know you HATED nier :(' like#my past 15 posts on my twitter werent me realising that the game was absolute garbage and calling it the most regretful thing ive ever spent#money on during my attempted playthrough 😭 i was like 'thanks; but I'll pass' to which they then responded by promptly sending me#signalis memes i had absolutely no idea how to respond to WITHOUT making it seem like i was super annoyed so i was just kinda 😶 and didn't#reply and they were like 'sorry :(' and i was like 'haha it's okay! i just have absolutely no idea how to respond to this joke i dont#understand at ALL'#was probably one of the more awkward interactions ive ever had but genuinely speaking i was so INTERESTED until they brought up that it was#inspired by nier i literally psychically felt all the enthusiasm leaving my body from 'damn; i might actually have to look into this' to#'oh well that's a bullet dodged' did not trust the backtracking either....
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bookshelfdreams · 7 months ago
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I’m bored so I’m on a Asking Spree
who’s your favorite squad?
huh? how do you mean?
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cynicalmusings · 1 year ago
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heizou with a spy for hire reader? They're really good at disguising themselves in a matter of seconds, swiftly avoiding apprehension. Imagine heizou finally catches them but he doesn't have any evidence to tie them to any notorious group or crimes and reader's just playing with him, alternating between acting coy and knowing more than they're letting on and it's almost like a game the two of you are playing and the more it goes on, the more interested he becomes.
Then reader wants to play a game of 20 questions and for every question he answer, reader might answer one of his (nothing too incriminating tho).
Reader is mainly flirting with their questions, asking about his day, his favorite foods, did he know how pretty his eyes were... what he's doing after work... but if he plays his cards right, he might get a vague riddle/clue from reader that he can crack and use to solve another crime/case, sometimes even before a crime occurs.
"Is this the whole 'box full of evidence' trick? Where you say I might as well confess since the... 'evidence stacks again me'?" "I know your tactics detective, I'm too innocent to fall for them."
"Since this is an interrogation, may I ask a few questions as well? It's only fair since you're practically holding me hostage here."
shkrjksjs imagine heizou offers them a deal to get them out of interrogation if they work for him and his cases and reader's like "you're asking me on a date?? I always wanted to go to [restaurant] before and-" or something along those lines they can tease him with
oh, the flirtatious rivals dynamic strikes again…
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