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moonyasnow · 1 month ago

Note

*spinning the wheel trying to decide who to ask what about for the relationship asks*

How about for leomoe:

Who is the one who fusses the most? Does their S/O mind very much?

Which one of them gives "that look" when they other is acting like a fool?

Artemil:

What's an insecurity they hold about their relationship?

Is there a word or gesture that makes either of them melt?

And Mallina:

Who is clingy?

What is a song that reminds you of the OCs' relationship?

Feel free to pick and choose if this is too many!

Here are all the questions being referred to

Hi Ner~!! Thanks very much for the questions ^^ (I love yapping so much—) And given that I'd already finished answering all those questions my friend challenged me to answer by the time you wrote that comment about it (just waiting to post it until after the Birthday Event is done) It's clear no questions are ever too many for me >:)

And spinning a wheel is a really smart way of doing it! Honestly I myself got a bit overwhelmed seeing the list of all the ships lol

For the Leomoe questions:

Who is the one who fusses the most? Does their S/O mind very much?

And

Which one of them gives "that look" when they other is acting like a fool?

100% Tomoe on both

She is on a MISSION to try to somehow sneak vegetables into any food she cooks for him because they're necessary for a healthy diet. Or she'll tell him to go take a shower after Magift/Spelldrive practice, or she herself will brush his hair so it doesn't get knots. While Leona might act all 'ugh annoying' about it, he's not used to having someone fuss about him like that, at least not from a place of genuine care, so he doesn't mind it. If he did, he would've made it WAY more clear a long time ago.

And when Leona is being particularly rude to someone, she'll put her hands on her hips and pout slightly and just say "Leona!", her way of telling him off if he neglects his manners too much. For as much as she's never minded his lack of manners, she's very aware that at a certain level of rudeness, it's just a conscious choice rather than not paying attention to etiquette. So she does try to stop him when he takes it too far, when he's going out of his way to be rude to someone.

And the better she gets to know him, the better she learns ways to basically trick him into taking better care of himself or being less mean to people; take actions that will lead to him basically having no choice.

It just ends up becoming another 'game' they play with each other, another battle of wits and strategy they engage in on the regular. Though if Leona really minded it as much as he acts like he does, he'd be trying way harder to 'win' said 'games', or just ignore them entirely.

Artemil~

What's an insecurity they hold about their relationship?

For Artemisia, it's her health issues.

She's worried she'll end up another person he'd be forced to take care of, like with Kalim.

When she gets sick, which isn't uncommon due to her weakened immune system, she feels guilty when Jamil takes care of her, and worried she's bothering him, even though how often she gets sick isn't something she can control.

She's trying her best to become more independent, but her frail body isn't something she has control over.

For Jamil, it's the fact that Artemisia is an actual Seven-damned princess.

And he's a slave in all but name.

No matter how much they like each other and get along, and are even good for each other, a lifetime being taught to always serve those of higher rank than you doesn't go away over night. The notion of him needing to always mind himself around her goes away fairly quickly, especially as he learns she likes the real him. But the little voice he hears in the back of his mind when he gets when he's 'too familiar' with her, or he teases her, tells him that he's doing something he's not supposed to. That he's overstepping his station somehow.

And even if they can find a way to be together long term, he could never offer her as luxurious a life as she'd be leaving behind to be with him.

Is there a word or gesture that makes either of them melt?

For Artemisia, it's Jamil calling her any synonym of pretty.

Growing up, before she really knew anything else about herself, she knew she was 'ugly', because she was taught that she was, in the way people would look at and speak of her, sometimes not even behind her back. It doesn't help that her mother never really helped with her self-confidence at all, especially not in that area.

It's so bad that she refuses to have any kind of mirror in her room. She avoids reflective surfaces like the plague. The reason she refuses to wear anything but pastel turquoise and pastel green is because she thinks all other colors in some way draws attention to her features. So her color choices are her wanting to drown herself out in them.

I think at first she thought Jamil just didn't care at all about her appearance; and to her that was good enough, just because she was never really expecting that anyone could actually look at her and think she was beautiful.

So when Jamil says she's beautiful, with a tone of voice as though it's something she should be well aware of, even when she eventually starts getting more used to it she can't help but ask "Really?" just to hear him say it again.

And for Jamil, the thing that comes to mind first is from before he even finds out she likes him; the fact that, whenever she spotted him, her face visibly lit up, and she almost always tried to go over to speak to him as soon as she did.

Sometimes she'd show up in Scarabia, even despite the sun, with Kalim acting as her tour guide of sorts. She'd always look so neutral, but as soon as she saw him it was like there were stars in her eyes.

So yeah I think seeing how happy she always was to see him, and how much she genuinely wanted to spend time with him— and only him, never sparing a single glance at Kalim when she didn't need to— was an important part in him falling for her.

She never seemed that excited to be around anyone else. In fact, she even seemed to want to avoid most people.

And as their relationship progresses, I think what makes him melt the most is the fact that she lets him touch her often, and even likes it. Since she has such sensitive skin and sense of touch, being touched by others is often overwhelming for her and uncomfortable. But when he holds her hand or puts his arm around her, she leans into it.

And finally, Mallina!

Who is clingy?

B O T H

I cannot state this enough

They are both INCREDIBLY clingy with each other.

And in a way, I think that's part of why they work so well together. They're both used to always being the more clingy one in their relationships (maybe with Malleus and Sebek being the one exception) and there's just something so comforting about finding someone who's just as clingy as you. Because for Irina, and probably for Malleus too, they're clingy with things and people they love. So how clingy they are with each other, weirdly enough, makes both feel more secure in the relationship? Because both of them see it as a form of affection, always wanting to be by the other's side.

Irina has definitely had trouble in the past because her friends have called her 'too intense' in showing her love for them or being 'too clingy', to the point where she forced herself to hold so, so much back, just in an effort to make them stay. So to her, this is the first relationship she's ever had, whether platonic or romantic, where that side of her is not even just accepted, or even embraced, but also returned in full.

And for Malleus, Irina clinging to him so tightly is just more proof that she really isn't afraid of him at all.

What is a song that reminds you of the OCs' relationship?

And as for this question...

I always come back to 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri~

Tag list: @another-random-paradise @thehollowwriter @faefum @cactus13-rolloflammesimp @beneathsakurashade

@nyx-of-night @theolivetree123 @babyghoul138 @skibidibabygirl @screamintoad

Please let me know if you wanna be added or removed from the tag list! ^^

#leomoe 🦁x🌻#artemil 🐍x🦢#mallina 🐉x🐰#moony's ocs #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc #🐰irina #moony yaps

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practically-an-x-man · 1 month ago

Note

You've been answering a lot of these and I can't remember anything much on a good day, so I'll leave the who open to you, soas to hopefully avoid duplication.

3, 5, 10

M, R, W

💀 🌍 📝

Thank you so much!

OC/Ship Ask Game: Firsts

I think I'll go with Ophelia for these!

3. First opinion of school as a kid

School was an interesting thing for her: she loved learning and took in information very easily, she was always very smart and academically-minded, but that made traditional schooling honestly quite boring for her. She took to things a lot faster than many of her classmates, even when she began moving into higher-level and advanced courses, and more often than not found herself bored or annoyed as she waited for her classmates to retain a concept she'd already picked up.

She didn't hate school by any means, and she had a few teachers she genuinely liked (usually the ones that would make an effort to keep her engaged, find new projects or activities to start her own so she wouldn't be quite as bored), but as a whole it really felt like a chore to her.

5. First time breaking a bone

She was maybe 8 or so, hanging out at Harry's house while her parents were out of town for an academic conference. Harry dared her to slide all the way down the banister on the staircase ("I've done it loads of times, it's fun! You'll be fine!"), she lost her balance near the bottom and broke her wrist on landing. That was a fun phone call...

10. First time adopting/taking care of a pet

She had tropical fish (and an aquatic snail!) as a kid, but no other pets until she became an adult. It was just too busy of a household to justify a pet with a lot of extended care and upkeep, but she did take very good care of her fish.

____

Hm... I think I'll go with both of my Suicide Squad ships for this one, just for fun

M. First time they introduced the other as their partner

Eris/Rick: In terms of just using the word, it really didn't take long. They were partners-in-arms (hey look it's the ship name!) well before they were romantically entwined, and for a long time "partner" just meant "person who guards my six" to them. Romantically-speaking, though... I don't know when exactly it began to shift for them, it just started to have more meaning as time went on. I think Eris honestly likes the ambiguous meaning of it, especially because Rick to them is a lot more than just a romantic interest or battle buddy.

Nikoletta/Abner: I think it took a while, mainly since they were both a little hesitant and inexperienced when it came to having a partner in general. I feel like Abner would've.... I don't know, "tested it out" in front of one of the other Squad members before he had the courage to say it in front of a stranger (or even in front of Nik, honestly), but once one of them mentioned it the first time, I think that would have broken down the wall and gotten them both comfortable with the word.

R. First time cooking for the other

Eris/Rick: I'm actually writing a fic about this particular event/stage in their relationship, but Eris got very injured (read: got both legs blown off) on the battlefield after a few months of knowing Rick, and he brought them back to his place to heal - which included learning about Eris' nutrient needs to regrow tissues and cooking for them while they healed.

Nikoletta/Abner: I think they did a lot more cooking together than they did cooking for one another at first, unless you count making sandwiches or heating up canned soup for the other when they were sick. Cooking was a skill they both had to relearn after spending so much of their lives in Belle Reve, and they tried to learn it together.

W. First time they realized their relationship is endgame... or isn't

Eris/Rick: I think Eris kind of sensed it from the beginning, but it was really after the events of Vestalia that they both really locked onto the idea - for Eris, it was the fact that they wanted to wait for him instead of finding someone else (I've mentioned before that Eris' love life has always been fairly inconsistent, ranging from diehard devotion to commitment-free flings just for the hell of it); for Rick, it was realizing that Eris was more than just a hurricane on the battlefield, and seeing candidly how much they really did care about him in how they comforted him after his fallout with June.

Nikoletta/Abner: I mean, the events of No Longer Alone are a pretty good indication - not necessarily that they were romantically endgame (their relationship is a bit nebulous, like a QPR), but that they cared about each other and wanted to support each other no matter what.

____

💀 - First time writing character death, and how you felt about it

Answered previously!

🌍 - First attempt at worldbuilding, or a notable piece of worldbuilding you're proud of

Also answered previously!

📝 - Pick a character: first draft of that character + the final version of that character

I feel like I've talked about the background/creation process of most of my OCs before, particularly the notable ones (like Rae and Mira coming from the same first OC, Nikoletta's dramatic changes over time, Eris' becoming much darker and more morally questionable, etc.)

And honestly... for the most part, I don't really have particular "drafts" of characters. Some characters, particularly my more recent ones, I create very quickly and tend to lock in that design once it's made. Others I'll have held onto for a while, and I'll do a revamp of the older ones before I begin writing them (this is the case for Eris and Nikoletta, among others), so I'll have an old version and a revised version but that's about it for the "drafts". And of course, all of my characters end up evolving a bit over the course of their stories, both as they grow and develop from their experiences and as I get better at writing them.

#my friends!!!#witchy-self-shipper #answered asks #ask game #my ocs #my writing #ophelia octavius #oc eris #nikoletta bordeaux

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maccreadysbaby · 4 months ago

Text

Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: potential uncomfortable dialogue about cheating? not sure if people are bothered by that kind of thing

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

oh bentley, its always you. you really thought you caught a break after the bathroom fiasco last chapter

part twelve

❝ A BET ( & CHEATING TO WIN IT ) ❞

SUNDAY — JULY 22 — 10:26AM

ASTEN THREW UP NINE MORE TIMES BEFORE THE NIGHT WAS OVER.

It was seven in the morning when he and Bentley finally settled down into their actual beds, and gratefully so. Asten was asleep before he even pulled the covers over himself, which Bentley did in addition to putting a little trash can up there -- just in case. Although he wasn't sure it was even possible Asten could throw up anything else; he should've been empty about four pukes ago. Bentley wondered just how much he had to drink in order to throw up so much.

Bentley wished sleep came as easily to him as it had to Asten. Sitting in the bathroom floor listening to his best friend cry and puke in intervals had to have been one of the most tediously agonizing things he'd done in a long time. Asten had cried for the entire three hours they were in there, although, after about the first hour, it had shifted from crying because he thought he was a screw-up to crying because he felt so terrible. Which, with his limited hangover knowledge, Bentley categorized as possibly sobering up.

Getting him to drink water was like trying to feed salad to a dog. And usually Asten would've gotten pissy about it, but hungover Asten just cried, which made everything worse. Bentley could handle an angry Asten, or a sick Asten, or a tired Asten. But a very hungover, terrible-feeling Asten crying about Bentley trying to make him drink water just made him feel like the biggest jerk in the whole entire world.

Long story short, Bentley was more than happy to lay in his bed and do absolutely nothing for a while.

He finally decided to force himself out of said bed again at ten in the morning, when he decided he should go check on Bellamy. He hadn't heard much, if any noise from the living area (not that he'd really been listening the whole time.) but, he decided that if Valor, Rockie, and Koa were half as hungover as Asten, they probably wouldn't be coming out soon, either.

So, quietly as to not wake Asten, Bentley tiptoed across their sunlit dorm and swung the door open -- quickly, because it made the creaking quieter.

His eyes immediately flicked to the person on the couch, but now, it was a different person. Bellamy was gone, and in his place was Koa, who was sleeping in a little ball, a trash can positioned near his face and about four half-empty water bottles laying in various places around him. Bellamy's bedroom door was closed.

"I take it your roommate was also pretty hammered?"

Bentley flinched when a voice came from the dining table, whirling around only to meet Varian's big, brown eyes. He looked just about as exhausted as Bentley felt, his hair a disheveled mess, eyes sort of dull. He was playing on his phone. "Koa could not stop puking last night. Which I handled pretty well, until Rockie got home and was puking, too. Which was a new one, because he can usually handle his alcohol. It was a puke fest. I was the puke dad."

Bentley hummed lightly, sending one last glance to Koa before he made his way to the dining table. He plopped himself down across from Varian with a soft sigh. "Yeah, Asten was pretty sick..." He muttered, quietly wondering why getting drunk was so normal to do and talk about. It seemed mostly terrible. "What about Valor?"

Varian shrugged. "Nah. Valor doesn't get hungover anymore. I think he stayed over at Mason's to help with cleanup -- he left again after bringing them back."

Bentley nodded to himself, grabbing his phone from his pocket and mindlessly staring at it for a while. "Have you ever been? To a party like that?"

"Yeah," Varian was quick to reply. "Rockie snuck me into one once -- it wasn't really my kind of thing, though. I know Valor's friend that throws most of them is all uptight about having to be fifteen to come, but sometimes one or two get thrown that we all go to. There usually isn't so much drinking at those. More like a bunch of embarrassing games. Spin the bottle and would you rather type stuff."

Bentley hummed. "What's spin the bottle?"

Varian snickered, glancing up at him momentarily. "You all sit in a circle and one person spins a bottle in the middle -- they have to kiss whoever it points at."

"Oh," Bentley replied, blinking a few times and looking back at his phone. "Do the older kids play those, too?"

"Yeah, and worse,"

"What do you mean worse?"

Varian shrugged. "Games like seven minutes in heaven, where a boy and a girl are locked in a closet for seven minutes to do whatever in the world they want. And drinking games that can get them suuuuper duper drunk."

Bentley glanced back at his phone again, wondering if Asten had played any of those games. He was pretty drunk. By Bentley standards.

"Koa is obsessed with beer pong, which is why he's becoming one with the couch,"

Bentley almost asked what that was, but he decided he probably didn't want to know. He also decided, as curious as he was, he probably didn't want to know what Asten had done at the party, either. That was older kid stuff -- stuff Bentley didn't know much about, and probably shouldn't. Maybe he would when he was older. Or maybe not -- being drunk didn't seem like much fun, based on what he was seeing.

Suddenly, his phone began to ring.

Glancing down at the caller ID, the name Vera was staring back at him.

With a quiet sigh, he lifted it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, red. How are you doing after yesterday morning? I'm staring at your ear hole, by the way,"

Bentley glanced down at his phone, which now had Vera's face on it. It looked like she was in the bathroom -- she had bright vanity lights shining in her face and her phone propped on the counter, intensely staring into a mirror Bentley couldn't see to braid her hair. She already had one side finished. Bentley turned his own camera off.

"I'm fine," He replied. Vera glanced down at her phone and then glared at it.

"Seriously? Camera off? I'm gracing you with my excruciatingly talented braiding abilities."

With that, Bentley clicked his back on, but kept it so she was mostly seeing the ceiling.

"Based on what I heard, I'm guessing you have a good amount of hangovers going on in your dorm this morning," She started, glancing at the camera for only a second. "About half of my roommates could hardly walk back here last night."

Bentley hummed in acknowledgement.

"Anyways, Layla and I are about to go get ice cream, if you want to come. It'll just be us, because Georgia and Summer stayed at Mason's to help clean," She said as she continued to braid her hair. "We always go get ice cream the day before classes start."

"Oh, uh..." Bentley glanced up at Varian, who he expected to be eyeing him but was, in fact, not even listening. "Well, Asten..."

"I can take care of him if he wakes up," Varian spoke up suddenly, not even looking away from his phone. Bentley glanced up at him, and after a moment, he sighed. New friends was something he needed, and skipping out on invitations seemed kind of dumb with that in mind. Besides... he needed a distraction at the present moment. "Well then, I... I guess I'll come, yeah."

"Great!" She chided, continuing to braid her hair. "Come over to our building, we'll come out in just a few minutes. You can wait in the lobby."

"Oh... okay," Bentley muttered. "Do you-"

"See you then!" She smiled, before reaching over and hanging up the phone.

Bentley blew out a puff of air, blinking blankly a few times. Going back into the city after he literally just had an anxiety attack in it the day before didn't seem like a smart idea. Leaving Asten alone hungover didn't seem like a smart idea, either. Going somewhere alone with girls didn't sound like a smart idea.

"That'll be fun. They know the best ice cream place," Varian said after a minute. "It's good you're friends with them — Summer's aunt is the headmistress, so they can get you out of all kinds of trouble. Which comes in handy when four of our roommates enjoy getting blackout drunk."

Bentley cringed, glancing back at Koa, who shifted around miserably under the blanket. "I'm not sure they enjoyed it."

"Oh, they did," Varian replied. "It's just the hangover that sucks. Apparently being drunk is really fun, it's just the consequences that aren't."

Bentley hummed to himself. Had Asten really had fun last night? Was it actually just the hangover that made him so upset?��

He guessed he'd find out if it was worth it, by seeing if Asten ever did it again.

"Well, go get ready. Don't worry about your roomie — I'll handle him if I need to," Varian said with a smile. "Have fun!"

With that, Bentley headed back to his room.

(He really wondered what made drinking worth it.)

—

The lobby of the Columbus building looked exactly the same as the Aristotle building.

Bentley idled near the wall of the lush lobby in his very own awkward way, not looking up at anyone who passed. It was always girls — the whole building was girls, he realized, just like his whole building was boys — and it made him feel even more awkward about standing around in their lobby.

He tapped his fingers on his pants. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans, although he had over-thought it and changed at least three times before settling on what he originally chose. It was so weird — going places without a single Wayne. He legitimately never did that; he always had at least one Vigilante by his side at all times, and now, there were just… none.

It was strange. But it was… cool. In a way. Because Bruce probably would’ve told him he wasn’t supposed to leave campus, but Bruce wasn’t there. So… he was trying new things, he guessed.

He was drawn from his thoughts when two figures passed outside the windows, heading toward the front door. Two figures he recognized — Summer and Georgia. They were both wearing really nice dresses and heels, their hair all done and pretty. He guessed they still looked how they did at the party last night, since Vera had said they stayed at the house to clean.

They made their way to the door, and at the sudden realization, Bentley short-circuited. It would be super duper weird if they walked in and he was just standing in the lobby. What kind of weirdo does that?

He glanced around the room. There wasn’t much besides furniture and vending machines, and only one door, the stairwell.

So that’s where he went — through the doorway and just out of sight, settling in the space next to the doorframe.

He heard the front door open and close when they walked in.

“-got twelve so far!” Georgia was saying, like she was excited about something. Bentley pushed himself tighter against the wall. He didn’t really realize, in the moment, that they could choose to use the stairs. Maybe the heels they were wearing would save him from the potential embarrassment of being found.

“Are you kidding? Twelve? I’m on nine,” Summer replied, with an audible frown. “I think Koa should count for at least two — he pines enough for a whole handful of guys.”

“Exactly — he was an easy kill,” Georgia replied with a snicker. “He’s basically in love with you. Also, he was kissing the floor drunk.”

“He wasn’t that drunk,”

“He’d been playing beer pong for at least two hours!”

Bentley kept himself rooted to his spot, cringing slightly when their voices paused in the lobby — like they weren’t quite ready to get in the elevator yet.

What did they mean when they called Koa an easy kill?

“In fact, I think he shouldn’t count at all,” Georgia continued, and Summer spluttered out an embarrassing array of noises.

“Then-then-then your own boyfriend can’t count, either! He’s an easy kill!”

“We should ask your sister,” Georgia continued smugly, in a way that sounded like she probably crossed her arms. “She’d say Rockie counts.”

“All she said was, and I quote, I bet you two can’t kiss twenty guys each before the school year starts. Nothing about easy kills and boys not counting!”

Bentley blinked. They had a running bet that they couldn’t kiss twenty guys each? Before tomorrow?

No, something about that felt weird. Wrong. Really strange. Wasn't Georgia Rockie’s girlfriend? And she was kissing twelve other guys? Did he know that?

Bentley breathed in and out, suddenly feeling really weird about hearing this conversation.

“They don’t count if you don’t have to work for them!”

“Okay, fine. Using your logic, name all of yours and I’ll tell you how many of them are pining so you can take it away from your score,” Summer ordered, and Georgia snickered.

“Alexander Wright,”

“Pining,”

“Christian Gaines,”

“Pining,”

“Leo,”

“Triple pining,”

“Asten,”

“Quadruple pining,”

“Nu-uh! I had to work for it!”

Bentley’s brain seemed to catch up with what he was hearing a few seconds after the fact, the name slamming around in his skull like the clapper of a massive bell.

Asten had…

But he…

Huh?

“You can not convince me you had to work to get that kid to kiss you,” Summer said, exasperated. “He is pitifully into you.”

“No, no, trust me, I did. He wasn’t drunk enough to fall to my charm, so I just had to do it,” She continued with a small laugh that made something inside of Bentley twist. “He made a huge deal out of it. I thought he was gonna cry.”

I thought he was gonna cry. Bentley blinked a few times, replaying the events of the previous night over and over in his head. I’m such a screw-up, B.

Bentley’s stomach dropped into his toes.

After the anxiety attack, he’d forgotten to tell Asten that Georgia was dating Rockie.

And if he’d found out somehow after the fact…

There was a moment of quiet, before Summer mumbled: “He didn’t… want to?”

There was an awkward chuckle. “Well, I guess not, but-”

“And you did it anyway?” Summer said, lowering her volume.

Georgia scoffed. “You can’t tell me he didn’t really want to. You said it yourself -- quadruple pining.”

“You can get in trouble for that kind of thing!” Summer announced quietly.

“It wasn’t a big deal!”

“Did he tell you not to?”

There was another long pause, and then Georgia muttered: “Uh, well…” She trailed off, never actually answering the question. “I knew he’d be too nice to stop, so I just went for it.”

“You nice guy-ed him into making out with you after he told you no?!” Summer whisper-yelled, a sense of urgency laced into her words. “You can get in real trouble for that! Legal trouble! He’s Bruce Wayne’s kid!”

“He isn’t going to tell anybody!”

“You’d better hope! What if he tells Rockie?!” Summer exclaimed. “I’ve been telling for two years that cheating on him isn’t a good idea.”

“Exactly -- two years, and he still hasn’t found out about any of them. He won’t find out about last night, either,” Georgia growled, her voice suddenly getting more serious, dark, defensive.

She’d been cheating on him with other guys for years?

And he didn’t know?

Summer’s next statement came out quietly -- almost sympathetic, in a way. “He loves you, Georgia.”

“I know,” She replied. “He loved me when we started dating, he loved me when I spent the night at Christian’s house last summer, and he loved me when I was in the closet last night. What he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.”

Bentley stood, utterly flabbergasted. Not a single word crossed his mind. It was all blank.

After another few minutes of quiet, Summer continued: “You’re gonna have to tell him, one day. It isn't fair.”

There was a pause.

“For now, I’m gonna keep having fun,”

The elevator dinged, and Bentley stayed eerily silent as he heard the doors slide open, then close again.

He stood right inside the doorway for what seemed like an eternity, turning over the conversation again and again in his mind. Georgia was cheating on Rockie. She had been, forever, with bunches of guys. One of those guys was Asten (but was it really his fault?). She and Summer had been hiding it for years, and still had no intention of telling anyone anything.

…And, consistent with his terrible luck, Bentley was the only other person who knew about it.

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld ❤️

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @flyrobinflyy @skylathescholar @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun @xiaonothere @beatyoutothatusernameloser

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hopefulvittori · 11 months ago

Text

Birds of Prey - Chapter 4

Stalker!Carlo/OC & Romeo (AU)

Reposting my novel from ao3. Enjoy!

A tragedy struck when the father of puppets suddenly died in an accident. While the whole city of Krat has been mourning the engineer, the son of Geppetto only felt the sweet smell of liberation. What is he going to do now that the source of his hatred is gone?

An AU series where the puppet frenzy didn't happen, Carlo and Romeo didn't perish from the petrification disease. This is the story of a hawk, a falcon and an eagle about finding their purpose while they're uncovering dark secrets behind the origins of Krat's prosperity.

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Chapter 4: Pangs of conscience

The doctor at the sick-bay diagnosed Carlo with a slight concussion. Although Rocco's punch wasn't strong enough to cause more serious injury than an ugly bruise, he hit the back of his head from the fall. The medic suggested that he should rest at least until tomorrow. He certainly wasn't happy about the news. Despite this, it's not like he could've done anything else in Romeo's absence. On top of that, he felt really tired (not that he would've admitted it). With that in mind, the teenager went back to his dorm at the Charity House where he quickly fell into a carnivorous slumber.

While he's been drifting between dream and reality, memories from the past few months came back. The fleeting images were so clear like it happened yesterday. Although his memory was sharp to begin with, it scared him how vividly he saw those recollections of the past.

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"What are you reading?"

What a good way to start the Saturday morning, or so she thought. Vittoria only wanted to spend some fine hours at the orphanage's garden, reading her books in peace. However, a certain boy sabotaged her plans once again. She noticed Carlo's shadow covering her form. He stood there before the occupied bench, towering over Vittoria, questioning her. Before she could give him a proper answer, he kept going on:

"Wait, don't even answer. It's probably dull adult stuff."

"...How old even are you?" She looked at him with an unamused face.

"Hmm, not old enough to appreciate dull adult stuff." Carlo shrugged indifferently. "Why are you even reading this?"

"To kill some time, to learn something about the alchemists, to find a cure for the disease... pick your choice." she said flatly, tilting her head to one side. The mischievous boy blinked at her in fake surprise.

"Do you want to find the cure for the petrification disease? Wow." Carlo's words dripped with sarcasm, as he leant his back to a tree next to the bench.

"I don't know what is the problem with that." Vittoria closed the book, placing it onto her lap.

"Oh nothing at all. I just considered that not even the best alchemists could find a cure." he gave her a bitter laugh. "Why do you think that you're any different?

He's been testing her patience for a month now. He tried to make her upset on purpose. Although she felt insulted from Carlo's constant naggings, Vittoria respected him enough to give proper answers.

She gave him a serene yet sad smile and said: "Every poison has an antidote. Thus, I believe there's one."

The disobedient youth didn't reply. He quietly took a look at her with an unreadable expression. He couldn't understand her. Despite everything, she believed. She enkindled that spark of hope. A whirl of wonder and irritation set in his mind.

'Why does she have to be like that?' he asked himself in exasperation. He acted without a second thought. The boy didn't say anything when he approached her bench and snatched her book. She looked at him with a dumbfounded face as she got up from her sitting place.

"Why you... give it back, now!" Vittoria shouted as she tried to snatch the book back. Unluckily for her, Carlo was faster. He pulled back and dangled it just above her head. She took a deep breath in frustration. "Seriously, Carlo, give it back!"

"No can do. I just want to help with your research." he said with a sarcastic grin. "I'll hand it over if you can catch me though!"

Both of them knew it was a lie. As soon as she tried to make a jump for her book, the boy started running. While he clearly enjoyed himself from the chase, Vittoria couldn't say the same. And although she missed a good reading, she didn't want to get angrier at the mischievous teenager. She gave up after a few minutes then turned her back on the boy in annoyance.

Despite the girl's desperate desire to be left alone, the son of Geppetto couldn't grant that wish.

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It was a sunny afternoon during late summer. The son of Geppetto was waiting for the younger Durante at the entrance of the Monad Charity House. As soon as she saw him, leaning his back at the closed door with arms crossed, she visibly braced herself for the upcoming confrontation. Even if she tried to ignore his words, she couldn't get past without asking him to get out of the way. Argument with the mischievous boy was inevitable. Thus, Vittoria straightened her back and gapped the distance between herself and Carlo. She wanted to say something first. A preemptive strike with kindness would've cut it... or so she thought. While he looked troubled with his inner thoughts, the moment he took an eye on her, the frown slightly eased. He flashed a smug half-smile at her.

"Visiting Miss Sophia again? You really don't have anything else to do, do you?"

"I do appreciate how you're trying to spare me some concern, but I would be more content if you could leave me alone." she said quietly, spreading her hands out widely. Carlo raised an eyebrow aloofly.

"Why? Does the truth hurt so much?"

Ah, she tried to escape. Vittora wanted to get past him by ignoring his presence. However, the mischievous boy stopped her by grabbing her arm. She looked at him pleadingly. "Carlo, please..."

"Ah, but I can see through your act." he said in a quiet yet serious tone. "You can convince Miss Sophia, Master Valentinus or anyone else at the Charity House..." He squeezed her wrist slightly, scowling at her. "But not me. Once you get what you want, you'll just forget about us."

As she hissed in slight discomfort, the girl gazed into his amber eyes with uncertainty. She met with a fiery wall of anger. Like an invisible yet powerful force, it pushed her away. It kept her away because it felt pain - enormous grief - at its core. It didn't want to be hurt ever again. This wall of fire was the true self of an abandoned boy. She couldn't hate, only pity him. Feel immense sadness for the loneliness he had to endure.

Then again, there was that. The words of a wounded heart: 'You'll just forget about us.' She raised her eyebrows in confusion.

" Us or just you?"

The boy quietly gasped yet didn't say anything. This was new to the girl, seeing her tormentor like this. Vittoria looked at him questionly. He tried to avoid her curious gaze.

"For your reputation, you're taking your sweet time just to tyrannize me." She leaned closer to him. "What do you feel when you're doing this to me? Satisfaction? Happiness?"

Her questions met with deafening silence once again. She could feel Carlo's grip getting a bit weaker though. Vittoria knitted her eyebrows and shook her head in sadness.

"...Or do you hate me this much?"

The quietude was a stark contrast of the earlier confidence the son of Geppetto held. He couldn't deny nor confirm the girl's claim. The doubt he had felt almost pierced his heart. He slowly let go of her hand then looked away in uncertainness. The girl gently rubbed her hand. The boy's rough hold left a mark on her sensitive skin. Despite this, Vittoria didn't flinch away from him.

He tried to speak up, but couldn't find the strength to. Although she was surprisingly patient with him, she had finite time within the orpahange's walls. When she saw the futility of making him talk, she sighed in helplessness.

"I thought at least you had a backbone to admit it. Guess I was wrong." Her azure eyes gazed into his amber ones, almost judgingly. She made one more step forward to the entrance door. "I won't forget about any of you. After all, I usually come here to take my mind off certain things." And with that, she gently touched his shoulder to move him out of her way. Surprisingly, the boy didn't show any resistance. He only watched her with confusion and dejectment written all over his face.

Vittoria entered the orphanage, leaving Carlo behind. She couldn't even bother to take a final look at him. He was quite certain that she lost any kind of patience. Although he got what really wanted... then why did his heart ache so much?

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Carlo read all of her stories. Surprisingly, he liked them. Especially the last one, despite the fact that he took her pamphlet before the girl could even finish it. It was about a bird keeper, living beneath the earth. This young man was born crippled and blind. Despite his own hopeless situation, he sought to see the heavens. Even if he couldn't do it on his own volition, his desire was as firm as the earth in which he lived. He carved bird-shaped forms from the mud, then he gave them his breath. The mud-birds became flesh. Their driving force was to see the bird keeper's wish fully realized. Thus, the flock of mud-made birds flew away to find what lay beyond the earthen firmaments. They greeted and said goodbye to many creatures of the surface. The birds learned both the joy of new beginnings and the sorrow of endings. It was a heavy burden which they must've bear. For the sake of their creator, they had to be strong.

'What is the point of being strong...?'

A simple yet sorrowful question was written down at the bottom of the page. The rest of the paper was weary. It looked like the author tried to write the perfect ending for her story, yet failed to. In her desperation, she left the tale incomplete.

For all his stubbornness, the son of Geppetto couldn't stand this. While the author's goody two shoes persona irritated him, her weak-willed side made his blood boil. She reminded him of his own younger self: the shy and weak boy who waited for his father to come home. And despite his son's desperate pleas, he didn't stay with him. He remembered how many times he cried himself to sleep, hoping that his father would console him. But Geppetto couldn't come. This is why the boy had to be strong. And this is why Carlo couldn't accept the abrupt ending of the tale. Even if he was nothing but tyrant to Durante Vittoria, his most mischievous act still yet had to be done:

Finish her story with his own two hands.

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He abruptly woke up with a sharp pain at the back of his head. The boy silently hissed as he slowly got up while holding the pained area. He looked for some lightsource, but only the moon's gentle gleam offered some sorts of. It was around midnight. While he heard some commotion coming from Rose Isabelle Street (since it was close to the Charity House), the usual bustling was done for the night. Carlo's eyes searched for Romeo's form. However, the tall blond boy didn't come back to their shared dorm room. Romeo's bed lay empty at the opposite side of his. Even when he tried to look for him from the window, he couldn't see his friend. The unruly youth knew about how much his secrets meant to him. So much so that Romeo didn't tell any of them. While it hurt him, Carlo respected his decision. It was the Sweeper-to-be's choice after all. He was more than capable of protecting himself. With that in mind, he tried not to worry too much. He fell back onto his bed and closed his eyes once again.

The next time he came around was in the afternoon. Even then, he would have overslept if not for his best friend. Romeo was sitting next to him with crossed legs, roughly shaking his shoulder. Carlo tiredly groaned as he opened one eye. The blond youth was there, bathing in the sunlight. He tiredly smiled then greeted him with a quiet "hey". The brown haired boy frowned at him, pressing his lips in a thin line. He then turned away from him. Even without saying anything, Romeo understood his best friend's grudge. Carlo was worried about him, even if he couldn't show it more openly.

"Sorry about that. I had some intrigues that needed to be taken care of." Romeo scratched the back of his head. The other boy shook his head.

"It's not like I can stop you from doing those... schemings." Carlo sighed deeply. "What about the address?"

He gave him a thumbs up. "That too, was taken care of."

The son of Geppetto slightly nodded. When he tried to get up from the bed, he hissed once again. Seeing this, Romeo wanted to hold him back. Of course, the ever defiant Carlo pushed his hand away. He brushed his bruise with the tip of his fingers. However, even the gentlest touch caused him discomfort.

"Are you okay?" Romeo asked, raising his eyebrows in worry. The shorter boy grunted in affirmation.

"I'm fine. Let's get over with this."

They spent the road to the Durante Household in comfortable silence. By the time they reached the Quarantine Zone, the sun was already setting. While Carlo felt uneasy around the infected, Romeo assured him it was fine. The smaller boy wasn't completely sure. He didn't even know what to think about Vittoria now. She's been moving around the Quarantine Zone on a daily basis. While Romeo didn't tell him about the sudden puppet attack, he mentioned that the Durante girl moved around these parts without any consequences. Maybe he misjudged her on that part as well. In her own way, she's also been a rebellious young girl, trying to fight against her shackles.

By the time they reached Vittoria's home, afternoon turned to evening. Darkness blanketed all over Krat. Street lights and neon signs illuminated the vast boulevards and squares. Despite the light sources, the two boys remained enshrouded in darkness. They stand tall on the storied-house, gazing at the home of the Durante family. The plank laid before them, waiting for bystanders such as them to get across to the balcony. However, they weren't alone. Durante Vittoria was standing at the balcony's ledge, gazing at the moonlit Krat in silent reverie. Carlo was on the edge - quite literally and figuratively. Seeing her in a vulnerable and lonely position made his heart beat a bit faster. Pangs of conscience chew at his core. Every self-confidence he felt went out of the window the moment he saw her. Romeo saw his friend's hesitation. A rascally smirk spread across his face. Seeing Carlo in this state somehow made him delighted. Sadly, he couldn't let him stay like this forever. He needed to act or his friend would never keep his promise. Romeo suddenly pushed him from the back. The brown haired boy let out a small yelp as he tried to stop himself from falling beyond the banister.

"What the hell are you doing!?" he shouted, looking back at his friend. Romeo held out his arms in surrender.

"Sorry, my hands slipped!"

"Who goes there!?" The blond youth did that on purpose so the sudden shouting was heard by the girl. Vittoria looked at the direction of the shadowy storeyed house.

Carlo's gaze darkened as he glared at Romeo. But before he could say anything to his partner in crime, the Durante girl repeated her question. The taller teenager got past the other boy and waved at the direction of their target.

"Why good evening, Lady Durante!" he yelled to her, spreading his arms out in a cheerful way. "Thank you for keeping your promise by showing up."

"Romeo wha...?" She looked at him in confusion, scratching her head. The girl looked past the blond boy suspiciously. "Is anyone else with you or...?"

But before she could finish her question, he leapt out of the shadows. Giuseppe Carlo was standing there next to his friend with an unreadable expression painted all over his face. Whether it was uncertainty or guilt, Vittoria couldn't see it from such a distance. Her breath hitched and glared at the tall boy in silent anger.

'Well now at least they're more upset at me than each other.' Romeo thought in amusement as one of his arms encircled around the mischievous boy's rigid form.

"My apologies, milady, but it seems this young man claimed an urgent arrangement with you." He waggled his fingers nonchalantly. "I'm afraid our conversation will have to wait." After he let go of Carlo, he backed away from the ledge. When he saw the boy's darkened gape, he winked at him. "Have luck, my friend. "And with that, Romeo bowed in a theatrical manner and left the roof as quickly as possible.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the two. While Carlo didn't move an inch, Vittoria's hands were slightly shaking. None of them wanted to make the first step, yet it was necessary. As the boy wanted to absolve his own guilt by apologizing, the girl wanted to know why he came all over here. She was curious yet mistrustful. If he couldn't make his point, she had to do the preemptive strike.

She crossed her arms across her chest, furrowing her eyebrows. "...What are you doing here?"

The infamous son of Geppetto got his tongue tied. He looked at her with unsureness. "I... I would like to apologize."

Vittoria scowled at him in confusion. She wasn't quite sure what the boy said. She shook her head with open arms and said: "Sorry, I couldn't hear that. " She pointed to the plank before them. "Feel free to use that. Come here and you can tell it to my face.

'This woman...' Carlo sighed in annoyance. Despite that, he wagged his head with a small smile. As he made his first steps on the plank, a sudden dizziness came over him. He wasn't entirely sure whether it was from his head injury or the fear of heights. When he gazed down, he saw the narrow streets of Elysion. There was a small garden before the Durante Household's entrance. Two huge black dogs were lying there in chains. Surely, it wasn't the best idea to fall down lest he would've met his end by these canines. Although he was as careful as possible, his vision became a bit blurry. He sighed deeply as he tried to calm himself. Seeing his inner turmoil, Vittoria looked at him with slight worry. He waggled from one side to another. Before he could sway too far from the plank, she quickly approached the struggling Carlo and held onto his hand. She gave it a small squeeze as a way of reassurance. The boy curtly nodded as she led him through the rest of the plank. When they reached the balcony, she let go of his hand and took a good look at him. She squinted at the sight of his bruise. Like a flower, it bloomed in violent purple at the left side of his face. Vittoria tried to reach for the injury, but he backed away until his back felt the balcony's stone ledge.

"...It's nothing." he said quietly, looking away in embarrassment. Although the girl was unconvinced, she bowed her head.

She swallowed a shaky breath, blinking at the boy. "What did you want to tell me?"

Carlo slowly but surely reached for his pocket. He took out the black pamphlet and held it out to Vittoria.

"I would like to apologize."

Hearing that made her world turned upside down. The young Durante girl wasn't entirely sure she heard him right. While she hesitantly reached for her belonging, she stared at him in confusion, tightening her lips. Seeing Vittoria's lack of meaningful reaction, Carlo fakely coughed.

"...I'm sorry."

"For what?" Her voice was quiet yet firm and cold. Her hands were clenched to fists as those were shaking. "For insulting me? Spilling ink on my drink? Robbing me of my belongings?" She bared her teeth in silent fury.

The brown haired youth's breath hitched. Despite seeing her upset so many times, this was a new side of her. He was unsure about what to do with himself. His quickened breathing and hunched posture spoke about his guiltiness, but the girl wasn't easily convinced.

"Do you have any idea how much pain you have caused?" Vittoria's voice cracked a bit, though she didn't show any sadness. She was more bitter if anything.

Carlo swallowed, pacing back and forth. "Vittoria, I... I didn't know about your circumstances. If I knew, I wouldn't have made those jokes about you."

Then out of the blue, she looked at him furiously. She stepped dangerously close to the boy, trapping him to the ledge. "My circumstances!? That doesn't change anything, Carlo! You chose cruelty!" As she yelled at him, her cerulean eyes deeply gazed into his amber ones with vexation. As she took a deep breath to try to ground herself, she chillfully asked: "...Is this how you want to be a Stalker?"

Touché. She hit a sore spot where he didn't expect to. While it was a general knowledge around the orphanage that he really wanted to be a Stalker, the true reason why wasn't. Apparently the girl read him like an open book. Despite his bad reputation, Carlo wanted to help people so no one had to rely on puppet technology. Even if it was out of hatred for his father, he wanted to be kind to those who needed it. But his actions towards a helpless girl was anything but kind. Although he knew that, she questioned him. And that angered him. The boy clenched his jaw, ready to get back at the girl. However, as soon as he tried to tower over her, sounds of dogs' (probably the same ones he saw from the plank) barking interrupted him. Vittoria hissed in frustration as she grabbed Carlo's hand once again.

"Drat, those stupid mutts..." she said with an exasperated sigh. "Let's get inside before they're going to notice you."

The patio door was slightly open before them. He let the girl get inside before him before following her. Once they were inside, Vittoria completely closed the door behind them. Before she could beckon him to sit down somewhere, Carlo looked around her room. It was a small but comfortable gallery room. The warm brown and red colors and the bookshelves already made him comfortable enough. There was a small fireplace at the right corner of the room. That was the only part where he couldn't find any bookcases. Even her bed was surrounded by shelves. She was basically living in her books. Despite the newfound wonder he had felt towards her, he noticed the empty basket next to her bed. It probably belonged to Vittoria's cat. Carlo looked at it pensively.

"That was my cat's place." she said solemnly as she sat down to the end of her bed, hugging herself. "I had to get rid of her..."

"Why?"

"The mutts from earlier? Those were my sister-in-law's dogs. It was either them or my cat." she sighed. "That's why I went to the orphanage last time. I asked Matron to take care of her."

Carlo looked at her with curiously raised eyebrows. "What did your brother say?"

Vittoria shrugged, gazing down in a defeated manner. "...Nothing. I needed to get rid of Pumpkin."

"This is so unfair..." the boy gritted his teeth then clenched his fists in frustration. The girl chuckled bitterly.

"Life is unfair, Carlo."

"You should've said something. Anything."

"You don't know her OR my brother." She narrowed her eyes scornfully. "As soon as they've got married, I'm nothing in their eyes. Just another mouth to be fed."

He swallowed then looked around once more. While the girl had been avoiding the boy's gaze for a while, she pointed at a chair before her desk next to the windows. Carlo pulled the chair towards the bed as quietly as possible and sat down before Vittoria. They've been staying that way for a few minutes, in a less awkward silence. This time, however, the boy tried to break the quietness.

"I... have to admit something." he said hesitantly, rubbing his hands together in his newfound anticipation. The girl looked at him, letting out a questioning "hm?". "I followed you on that day... then I eavesdropped on you talking with Miss Sophia." He gave her a small apologetic smile.

Vittoria blinked in surprise then chuckled a bit. "I see now. You told this fact to Romeo. Then he dragged you all the way here to make your apology official. Because you were afraid to do it on your own."

Carlo puffed his cheeks then shook his head defiantly. "I wasn't afraid..."

He gave her credit for figuring it out though. He, too, judged the book by its cover. Remembering the past two days' events, everything was like a shaggy-dog story. Even the cause of his injury was a foolish joke if anything. Carlo unintentionally grinned at the thought while gazing downwards.

"Romeo is a good friend. I wish I had good friends such as him." Vittoria said quietly, tilting her head slightly upwards.

A silent reverie. Although the girl was still upset with the charming youth for lying, she would've lied to herself if she didn't enjoy his company. The way he spoke and acted filled her with joy. Sadly, the blond boy usually went overboard with his theatrical persona. It was hard to see his true persona beneath all those charms and dramatic flairs. Despite all that, she still wished for friends like him. An orphan boy's companionship. Seeing that she didn't judge Romeo for his social status, Carlo was filled with newfound wonder once again. He pressed his lips together and like an universal truth he said:

"...But you can."

His confidence shaken her. She wasn't even sure she heard that right. But the boy repeated it once again: "You can, Vittoria."

He leant closer then looked at her as warmly as possible. This time, the amber gaze of Carlo didn't hold any mischief nor hatred. This was a gaze of a young boy, elevated from his past traumas - at least for now. Although she still didn't fully trust him, his sudden kindness filled her with warmth.

...But a small kindness couldn't make those hateful voices go away. Even then, she heard Durante Arianne's voices in her head, loud and clear.

' It's not their fault, foolish girl! It's because you couldn't make your little grimalkin behave herself!'

'I only asked you to do this before we're coming back from the theatre! Are you really that incapable!?'

'If you wouldn't have crossed me, your brother wouldn't be disappointed.'

'...Why are you doing this to your brother?'

She ran a hand through her ashen brown hair with a shaky breath. The girl looked at Carlo with an empty gaze. "I... I can't."

"Why not?" He tilted his head, eyebrows knitted questionly. She sighed in frustration

"Because I... to them, I'm just a foolish girl."

His gaze darkened. Clenching his fists, he asked with righteous anger: "Is this what they - she - said to you? Or do you truly think you're foolish?"

She gasped then looked at her hands in a self-degrading way. The burn marks were still hurting beneath all those bandages. It reminded her of her own desperation. Even then, the woman only said "it was the girl's fault to be so careless". So she started to believe it...

...until firm fingers encircled around her wounded hands. Carlo grabbed her more forcefully than he really wanted to. As soon as he heard her hissing in pain, he immediately eased the pressure on her hands.

"If you're an air-headed fool, you wouldn't have this many books." he said quietly yet firmly, looking around her room. "You wouldn't read this much about the topics the alchemists and novelists keep spitting about." Amber eyes gazed into azure ones with surprising tenderness. "An air-headed fool wouldn't write about the things you're wishing for. And it's not a sin to think and act that way either."

"You... read my novels?" She asked with a shaky breath.

Carlo nodded curtly. "I did. Though I'm no bookworm such as you, but I did."

For a moment, comfortable silence surrounded them. While she looked at him emptyly, the boy's fingers tenderly brushed her bandaged hands.

"It's not a sin to wish for a better world, Vittoria. I think your hopes and ideals would make you a magnificent Stalker."

His words echoed in her mind. At that long yet fleeting moment, she didn't hear Aria's spiteful words... but Carlo's encouraging ones. Like a wall of fire shattering those doubts, cleansing those cutting words from her mind. Those flames of hatred she saw in his eyes earlier... Those were sustaining her sparks of hope. With that, like a mantra of some sorts, Vittoria chanted these words in her head:

'She wasn't a waste nor a fool like that woman said so. She had valuable ideals. She can be a magnificent Stalker.'

As that realization hit her, teardrops fell from her eyes. First for her helplessness, second for her anger towards her family... third for her rekindled hope. And this went on and on. Her breath hitched as she quietly sobbed. Her hands suddenly went limp in the boy's gentle hold. Seeing her in such a state, Carlo's eyebrows knitted in concern, lips parted in distress. He stood up from his chair to sit with her on the bed. The boy started to wipe the girl's tears away with his sleeves. One by one, he dried those tears of pain, taking her pain away. His gentleness was almost astonishing.

He couldn't say anything when a sudden realization hit him. They were kindred in spirit by being in a similar situation. As he was waiting for his father, she had high hopes for her brother to save her. Yet, their closest ones made them suffer the most. How both of them desired for their affection - their love. The two of them were trapped in a golden cage, unable to fight back against injustice. Oh, how he despised this feeling....

'Like birds of a feather, huh...?' He thought bitterly.

When Vittoria slowly calmed down, she took a deep watery breath. She looked at the boy with a weak wobbly smile, appreciating his kindness. Seeing the son of Geppetto like this, she realized that she also misunderstood him. He held onto his goodwill after all. Beneath that smug, mischievous layer, there was a gentle soul of a young boy.

When she saw that he was meant to say something, she interrupted him. "It's alright... I'm alright."

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly, eyebrows still knitted in worry.

"Yes. Thank you, Carlo."

He bowed his head in acceptance as he continued to stroke her tear-streaked cheek. Vittoria appreciated his kind gesture by leaning into his touch. They stayed that way for a long time. The silence of the night was comforting. The dogs' aggressive barks were repressed by the overbearing stillness of the dark hours. It seemed neither of the youths wanted to let those moments go. However, just as the Cathedral's midnight bell was heard from the top of the hill next to the city, a realization hit Carlo.

Did he actually stay there that long, comforting the girl until midnight?

Sadly, the teen boy pulled away as his gaze shifted towards the windows. Although dawn didn't come any time sooner, if someone noticed his absence at the Charity House, he would be in big trouble. It's not like he cared too much about the consequences but he already skipped a training day, thanks to his injury. He didn't want to spend the next day with his punishment.

"I need to go." he said quietly. Vittoria hummed in agreement then both of them stood up from her bed. As she reached for the patio door, she looked at Carlo with worry.

"Will you be alright? I mean it IS past midnight."

"Hey, I'm going to be the best Stalker in all of the world." He smuggly grinned. "How could I be the best if they're going to catch me?"

The girl only rolled her eyes with a half-smile then opened the door. A cold wind swept across the room. Both of them felt it immediately.

"Hurry up before you catch a cold." She said with a playfully impatient tone while poking him in the back. He was hesitant to leave just yet. The boy has been gazing at her bandaged hands for almost a minute. "What's wrong?"

He quickly shook his head. "...Nothing. Romeo and I are going to meet up after tomorrow's training. Care to join?"

Vittoria blinked at him in surprise, tilting her head in a questioning manner. She didn't say anything but stared at the boy.

"He really wanted to talk with you, you know. And you said you wished for a friend like him." He continued as he leapt out of the room and moved towards the plank at the balcony. Then he turned back to the girl. "You'll start with us... and I'll start with you, Vittoria. What do you say?" With a new gesture of kindness, he reached towards the girl with his hand.

An offer of friendship. Another surprising act from the infamous son of Geppetto. She wouldn't have trusted him if he offered this before his 'official' apology. He would've pranked her like any other time. However, his honest gaze told another tale. While the offer scared her so much, it also filled her with excitement. A new chance for a start. A spark to her flames of hope. They wanted her as a companion - a friend even. How could she refuse?

She slowly accepted his handshake as a warm smile graced her lips. "Just call me Tori."

Notes:

Can... Can I just vent a little bit? Back in the middle school days (almost a decade ago), there was this boy whom I liked. Sadly, that feeling didn't last long because he started to bully me for years. It was painful but I kept going on, trying to bear it until graduation. I quickly turned into an introverted, reserved, shy fellow. Although I still wear those scars from the abuse, if that couldn't happen, I wouldn't be here, writing novels. My only regret is that I couldn't tear into him, asking the same question as Vittoria did to Carlo. Anyways, vent off. A lot of emotions went through me while writing this chapter. I was thinking about whether I should split it into two chapters, but I think a lot of emotional parts would've lost their edge/importance. Carlo finally reached enough emotional maturity by accepting responsibility for his actions. Although it wasn't clear, there was another reason why he felt so guilty. Ever since Geppetto died, Tori's brother has been overloaded with work. Because of that, he (in his father's place) felt responsible for the girl's trauma... plus another golden opportunity for blaming his old man once again. And although Carlo made a hella lot of effort, Tori still has trust issues. I tried to make the apology part not too hasty yet not too slow. Btw, that part was basically a reimagination of a previous OC x Carlo one-shot I did as a practice. Anyways, thank you for listening to this author's rambling. Of course, any feedback would be much appreciated! :) By finding out about their mutual background, the birds of prey will grow so much more. How far though? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!

#lies of p #lies of p fanfic #lies of p carlo #lies of p carlo x oc #lies of p x oc #lies of p carlo x reader #lies of p romeo #lies of p x reader #lies of p alidoro

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lillxart · 6 months ago

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An Orc named Primrose, made her when I was 12. I wasn't making Skyrim ocs then so I never bothered to bring her into my universe. But maybe I will now? Who knows.

At first it was Ralof because as a lil' 12 year old I had never played an open world game like Skyrim before (I had only played story driven linear games or COD) so I was scared and very much alone. Since Ralof was the first one I saw in game I latched onto him.

Once I realized I could break narrative I did it before to make things easier. Now I just do it on and off when I feel like it since I have different ways of enjoying the game depending on playthrough.

We love our old men and Paartysnax. Seriously, I do love the whole concept of the Greybeards and I wish we could've done more training and stuff with them in game. I especially wanted more dialogue with GILF Paarthurnax since having a dragon we can actually talk to in TES universe is seriously sick as heck. And despite what I think most people believe they aren't pacifists. They just don't think using the thu'um for war and bloodshed is honoring to the Gods, and instead honoring the destructive and selfish nature of man. Yeah they don't wanna have a hand in Skyrim's politics, but does anybody want to deal with all that?

Yes and no. It's a mixed bag and depends on how I feel. When I'm not playing on PC and not using console commands to spawn in money dungeon crawling goes from "Something I do for fun" to "Something I need to do to survive" and there are times where I have to endlessly dungeon crawl for money then very slowly walk half way across the map for hours because the carriage driver is glitched and doesn't let me travel back to Riften so sell all my stolen goods for the theives guild questline--*currently doing that in AE* BUT other times I can go through tons of dungeons and not feel like that, mostly like I said though it's on PC where I can alter my carry weight XD (haven't exploited any of those enchanting glitches yet).

Probably Dragonsbridge. No LoreTM reason, I just think it's cool.

Favorite Jarl is papa Balgruuf the ballin' because of his dialogue and because as a 12 year old I latched onto any nice character because I was scared and alone XD Now as an adult I think he's objectively a good Jarl. Least favorite is Jarl Skald. He's literally just there. There's nothing special about him, nothing really unique, he's just an angry old Nord. In fact do ya'll even know who he is off the top of your head?

I liked the Dark Brotherhood Questline a lot and I wish it was longer and we had more NPC characters added in the Dawnstar Sanctuary. Maybe personal questlines we could do for the surviving members since obvi asking that for ALL the base DB assassins would be too much XD The ability to recruit would've been nice too.

The main questline. We needed more Alduin, maybe even a conversation with him, more Greybeards, and the gravity of Alduin's return needed to be more apparent. I think there needed to be just places in Skyrim that existed solely to be destroyed by the dragons. No quests, just strictly vanilla NPCS that died and buildings that got burned down because of the dragon attacks. Yeah maybe it's considered toothless and lazy to just plop in certain areas in your game that exist just for that purpose but this is Bethesda we're talking about XD so, in the end something would've been better than nothing.

I have a very love hate relationship with Miraak on Adept Mode Skyrim. It took me 12 tries to defeat him. But ignoring self imposed difficulty, my favorite villian is Miraak and my least favorite is Ancano. I wish we got more to his questline, the cultists, and more reward after defeating him. It's an amazing concept to speak to the first dragonborn, and the aesthetic of the DLC was on POINT. Ancano is my least favorite because yes of course plot twist IT WAS THE THALMOR ALL ALONG but while the COW questline is one of my favorites I will admit it's too fast XD and Ancano being a villian would've been so much better if we just had more dialogue with him or had the ability to built rapport with him over time. Like maybe in the COW questline we had an obligated fetch quest with him and by the end of it he like insults and says smth like 'I suppose you have your uses'. From that point on there are other optional quests we can do for him that are menial so we can build a better attachment. When he tries to kill us in the end maybe there's a moment where he considers sparing us for the final fight but then we continue to fight him and blah blah blah we kill the evil Thalmor. ALL THAT TO SAY, COW and Ancano not utilized, typical evil Thalmor villian, so he's my least favorite.

It's ok, like most things I wish it was better utilized. I very much enjoy getting the chance to engage in the politics of Skyrim since I find things like that fun and interesting.

Very cool bois. Wish there were more books or maybe even journals on them in game we could read. Fair mini-bosses.

No not really. In Snow White's situation at that point in her story she's been used and manipulated so much she can't enjoy finally 'saving the world' because honestly it might've been better if Alduin just ate it. She's the hero of the age, and has much more work to do before Skyrim is truly safe.

Skyrim Saturday Ask Game

hey everyone! since its saturday, i decided to throw together some skyrim asks! go wild, i can't wait to see how ppl respond to these <3

Helgen - Who was your first Skyrim character? Do you still make anything with them/play as them now?

Riverwood - Hadvar or Ralof? Why?

Whiterun - Do you tend to do Bleak Falls Barrow before or after meeting with Farengar?

Ivarstead - How do you feel about the Greybeards and Paarthurnax?

Morthal - Do you enjoy exploring dungeons and ruins? Why or why not?

Kynesgrove - What's your favorite non-major city/town/settlement?

Solitude - Who's your favorite Jarl? Who's your least favorite? Why these?

Riften - What's your favorite guild? How do you feel about their questline?

Markarth - If you could rewrite one questline in Skyrim, which would it be?

Blackreach - What's your favorite enemy in the game? What's your least favorite? Why?

Throat of the World - How do you feel about "Season Unending"?

Skuldafn - How do you feel about dragon priests?

Sovngarde - How would your Last Dragonborn celebrate after the battle with Alduin, or would they celebrate at all?

#elder scrolls #skyrim #tes v skyrim #oc #elder scrolls oc #early snow white #snow white #snow white the dragonborn #snowwhitethedragonborn #I know it's not saturday but I can't sleep

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athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit · 4 years ago

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Of Ice and Blood

Part 5

Look who's back with a 5k+ word count chapter?! Me!

I was planning on posting 1k+ at a time but stuff happened and I'm posting it all at once!

Enjoy and I'd appreciate it dearly if you reblog! Thank you!

Edit: Reached the 250 block limit so... The inevitable decision had to be made! Part 5 has a total of 3.42k words! The rest will be in a separate post <3

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: Cursing, Violence, brief mentions of blood and injury.

Overall SFW (but 16+ for language)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 Part 6

The walk back to the school building was quiet.

Or so I thought.

Because it wasn't. At all.

Whispers, mutterings, echoed from the rooms as we passed by.

Are they doing it on purpose, or is my hearing sharper than usual?

"Hey look it's that girl."

"You mean the freak who sat beside the orc—"

"First day of school and someone already got killed. Should've expected him to be a savage."

"You think she wears a mask to hide her identity? Maybe she's a criminal-"

Probably the latter.

I shrugged. There stood a decent amount of distance between us anyway. So it's likely my hearing.

Students were watching us with weird suspecting eyes from a distance behind the windows. Sensing apprehension and outward hate when they saw Tai'chi next to me, his face in a neutral expression. But with my nose at this proximity, he smells pretty annoyed.

Just— why are there so many people,— humans–garnering these feelings towards someone they don't even know! And to even mock him like that! How dare —

"Pearl," Tai'chi called. His rich voice resonating, making the gossips of the students stop for a brief moment before they continued. Most likely slandering my name now. I didn't know I was standing still. Looking up, Tai'chi was a decent 9 meters away, with the staff members further ahead of him. He gave me a wondering look, worry along with his natural fragrance, drifted through me, carried by air.

I straightened up and took long strides, Tai'chi beside me, to catch up with them.

"Yeah, just thinking. I'm okay." Replying, not looking up to him. He didn't ask, but I felt like he would.

************short pov shift************

He was a bit bothered by the change in your scent and looked back when he noticed you weren't beside him anymore. There you were, standing in the middle of the wide hallway, brows scrunched up in aggravation.

He called out to you, probably a little louder than he meant to, but you looked up and hastily made your way beside him, both of you catching up to the rest towards the dean's office. He didn't ask, but you answered, only making him worry even more.

**********first person pov**************

As soon as we entered the main office of the center building, we were greeted with the sight of the dean and David, together with Miss Holson. He was a white fat man, though a bit taller than me, wearing a light grey suit with a few buttons open revealing a white undershirt, and a silly yellow, violet polka dot tie. I barely held back from snorting at the sight.

Mr. Silverstone was fussing over his son, his voice raised in slight panic was heard by everyone.

They went ahead of us then.

"My son! My dear, dear David! Who did this to you?!" he cried out. Once David, that son of a bitch, spotted me, he flashed me that blasted grin of his. He was acting, pretending to be hurt.

I hardly even left a scratch on him for fuck's sake. How I regret not punching him straight in the face.

Reverting to his fake, frightened, and miserable state, he pointed at me. "I-I-It's her father! She is the one who attacked me! Along with that thing with her."

Thing?! That sick bastard!

The dean whipped his head in my direction, eyes scanning me up and down before he diverted them to Tai'chi.

Well, it seems I'll ve packing up sooner than I thought.

My shoulders sagged.

Some professors were alarmed by this, frantically pushing forward to grab his attention.

"Mr. Silverstone, we still do not know what's for certain. We must interrogate them properly and listen to each of their sides before we make a decision." Mr. Dulrik asserted, his voice strained and close to animosity. He was not pleased with what the student had said.

The elder professor from earlier followed up.

"Listen to Mr. Dulrik, sir. We cannot take any risks and ju—"

"Silence!" the dean shouted. "I will not hear your reasoning. My son has told me everything I need to know. Miss Holson supported his claims and that's enough to decide what to do with these criminals."

Criminals?!

"The girl and that orc shall be expelled from this institution immediately. We do not need any murderers or barbarians here. I have always suspected why that Ernestine brat even allowed these monstrosities to be with us. To breathe the same air and walk the same land as we do, endangering our safety no less! A pathetic excuse of a founder she is! If it were me I would've—"

"You would've what?" Words came out before I stopped myself, my voice low, but it was heard still, drawing their attention to me.

"What did you just say?" He demanded, his anger slipping out more. The room was silent, except for the subtle ticking of the wall clock behind me, and the movement of air around us.

I lifted my head and looked at him dead in the eye. "You would've what?" This time, I replied, louder.

Before he could retort I went on, emotion fueling my words as I advanced with every question asked.

"Would've banned every single, non-human race from the university?

"Would've taught every human that they are greater beings and the ones that were different were meant to be stepped on?

"Would've ordered and tolerated bullying on anyone who was unnatural and weird looking?

"Would've put them in their place?

Isolate them? Degrade them? Despise them for being alive?" No-one stopped me as I approached him, the teachers separating and making way. Even Mr. Dulrik was regarding me curiously.

I scoffed. " 'If it were me' you said. You think I wouldn't notice how everyone else, that isn't human, was oppressed and treated like shit in this school? It seems to me that you already did what you would've done, didn't you? You are no dean, you are a clown, a pillock, a dumbass, and you call yourself human? You are more monster than any of us in this room."

I breathed heavily as I stood a couple of feet in front of him. His face grew to a crimson hue, my ears catching the sound of smoke seething out of him. At the back, David and Miss Holson were dumbfounded, shocked into place, shaken like ugly statues.

Finally, the dean spoke, his fists clenching hard as he faced me, almost drawing blood.

I am so gonna beat him up. Hell yeah, I will.

"Keep out of trouble if you can." Well, shit happened Mama, forgive me.

"How dare you speak to me like that! I, a pure-blood Silverstone, a line of royalty! If we were still at war I would've had you executed from where you stand—"

"How about you do it yourself then, oh mighty Silverstone jerk?" I mocked and gave a toothy smile, then I remembered he wouldn't see it. That was all it took to have him launching himself at me, the professors running to the sides to avoid his wrath.

His hands were balled tight, a fist aiming for my face, eyes filled with deadly intent.

Oh, he really wants to kill me.

Before it connected, I sidestepped, causing him to stumble forward. Even so, he immediately regained his balance and reached to grab my hoodie. I didn't dodge this time, but before he touched me, I used my right hand to slap it away. With my other hand, fitted with my crimson knuckle dusters, I met his fist with mine. Almost instantly, he stumbled back and crouched down, his left hand holding his bloodied one.

"You bitch!!!" he screamed in agony.

I think I broke his hand.

I glanced to my brass knuckles, some of the blood covering them, merely visible because of its color.

Shattered it perhaps.

"I will have you killed you insolent brat! I'll kill you!" he cursed.

"Now, now, Silverstone, you will do no such thing." A feminine voice cut through the large room. We all turned to the door to see a slim, tall, tanned woman who seemed to be in her 40s, her slightly wrinkled face showing it. She was wearing a black high-waist pencil skirt paired with a black one-button suit and a baby blue undershirt. The lady also wore classic white loafers and white hand gloves made of leather, with her ebony hair tied up in a bun.

Everything about her screams 'important'. I scented an intimidating yet reassuring aura around her.

I met her eyes and a sense of familiarity fell upon me. I know her and I've seen her before.

Wait. Could it be— she's—

"Madame Ernestine!" A professor exclaimed.

That means she's, "The founder," I said out loud.

She began sauntering in my direction, each step clicking on the floor, carrying herself with grace.

"M-Ma-Madame Ernestine!" The dean, shrieked as he stood up, shaking, his busted hand in his chest, his back facing me. "I didn't expect you to visit this year! We could've prepared for your arrival—"

"You shut your mouth now Welmir." She spoke out, her voice firm and borderline hostile. "I've had enough of your blabbering mug. I made it so that my arrival is unexpected. Leaving my outside duties rather early and rushed this year when news got to me that you, the dean, were neglecting your duties, or so, doing it wrong. Not to mention I had my assistant install extra cameras in... certain places last year and because of that, I saw what you did in the shadows. Maybe not all, but it confirmed my suspicions of you, and so," She clapped her together, "I decided to visit you today. And what a surprise it was to see you get beaten up by this lovely young lady behind you."

Me?! Lovely—

My face warmed from her comment.

"Listen here, brat." he regarded the founder. The founder. "I do not know what you are talking about. I have done my duties and more for this university. I made it so that everyone here is safe and this girl,"— he spat— "harmed me, my precious son, and his friends!"

"And all of you deserved it, severely," she responded flatly. "You put my dear students at risk and antagonized them with your schemes, tolerating the behavior of treating other races like animals, disrespecting even the professors who are different in kind," she glanced at Mr. Dulrik and the others. "You even forced a minotaur, an elf, and a dwarven student to act the part of being in a student council, hoping people wouldn't notice the crimes you did behind our backs. Did you expect me to turn blind eye to this?"

It was all pretend?!

The mere thought of what he did to threaten them to it makes me wanna puke.

"I am furious, Welmir Silverstone. To think I believed you'd change your ways after my father's death with the renovation of the institute. Trusted you to do your job as dean and make the students comfortable, welcomed. But, no. You chose to follow his footsteps, became selfish, blinded by greed and pointless hate. You are a disappointment to all of us."

I smelled her rage under that near non-expressive facade of hers. It was spicy, like fire having an odor of its own.

"You are but a child! You know nothing of this world! This world of ours needs to be purged off of those rats. You cannot tell me what to do!" He yelled as he brought up his uninjured hand to hit her. I was about to step in when Madame Ernestine grabbed his arm and threw a right uppercut, blood spilling out of his jaw. The punch sent him a few steps back, he would have landed on me if I didn't move out of the way before he collapsed on the floor groaning and holding his mouth.

Ooh she's strong! Nice! I grinned.

"You are hereby stripped off of your job as dean along with all of your titles, properties, and henceforth banished from these grounds, together with your son and Emma Holson, whom I found out laid with him, and the abusive acts they had engaged in." Her words laced with poison, disgust and anger as she gave the final judgement.

"Never show yourselves. Ever. Again," she spat. "Take them away."

Out of nowhere, men in black suits came in and apprehended the young instructor, who twisted her heel trying to escape. She yelled at them to let her go, saying she has done nothing wrong. David, the bastard, was held in place by one of them as he struggled in their grasp. The dean— or should I say, Mr. Silverstone, in pain and bleeding, was dragged up by two others and headed straight out of the door. He shouted ;

"Mark my words, brat! I will—"

And the door slammed close.

With my gaze following them, my eyes landed on Tai'chi. I took off my dusters and waved, tucking them back up my sleeve.

He is smiling! And oh wow he's damn gorgeous— wait what?

My attention was drawn away to the lady in front of me. I got distracted by Tai'chi that I almost forgot about her.

"Oh my God I uhm— hello Madame Ernestine." I took one step back before bowing. "It's an honor to meet you. I—"

"Oh dear, please raise your head. No need for such formal gestures. I am Valerie Ernestine, founder of the new Ernestine State University." She stated as she beamed at me.

"I uh- Yes ma'am I know of you. I'm quite a fan actually— I mean! My name is Pearl Blackbell, ma'am."

Oh God, that sounded so stupid.

Then she hugged me.

"Ma'am?!" I squeaked. My arms went stiff, nervous to even touch her. Before I could, she pulled back, a gentle expression on her face.

"Nice to meet you, Pearl Blackbell."

"I- nice to meet you too Ma'am Ernestine!" I stammered, praying my face and ears isn't as red as I feel them to be.

"Please, call me Valerie."

"Ma'am Valerie."

"Just Valerie, dear."

"I'm so sorry ma'am but I can't— my mother will hit me in the head with a frying pan if I forget my manners."

"Very well, then. It brings me joy that you were raised properly by your parents."

"Thank you ma'am, I really am happy to have them, and I only hope for them to be proud of me— oh wait. Uh, ma'am Valerie?"

"Yes?"

"Am I gonna get punished or expelled?" I shrunk, expecting the worst.

"Why ever did you think of that?"

"W-Well you see, I did harm uh, students and they're probably in the infirmary right now and—"

"Oh, Pearl, no." She let out a light chuckle. "You won't be punished or even expelled for that! In fact, I saw how you defended yourself and your friend from them. They did attack you first, sweetie. And what you did was impressive!" She clapped her hands. As I stood there in relief, I couldn't help but shot up when the words sank in.

"Oh, thank you. But how...?"

"Apparently, I had my assistant install some cameras in the forest area for particular reasons. I watched you from the monitor as I made my way here," she replied.

"Oh. Oh, wow. That's actually pretty awesome," I sighed.

"Indeed, it is," she smiled. "Excuse me for a bit."

******pov shift to 2nd person (two characters)*****

Madame Ernestine turned and walked towards the remaining teachers to talk about important matters at hand.

"Greetings, my friends." She beamed at the staff and looked at Professor Dulrik and the woman who supported him earlier. "Hello, Roldo and Amila. I have missed you dearly." She bent down to hug the two of them before she went on. "I apologize for not taking action immediately. To think he did this to all of you right under my nose! Why didn't you contact me Roldo?"

"My apologies, Madame Ernestine. I didn't have any proof to show his plot against you and the others. He was very elusive and kept us very busy in our own offices for the past year with you away. That was until today, with the young lady over there standing up against his son, he snapped."

"It really is a good thing she came here, didn't she?" she whispered.

"Indeed, Madame," Amila replied.

There was a brief silence, before Valerie spoke up again. Her gaze locked at the dwarven professor.

"Roldo, my old friend, I want you to take your place as the new dean of this university. I trust you to do your duty a hundred percent better than that impudent man ever did. Will you accept this responsibility?"

"I- Valerie this is-"

"Roldo, you are wise and have seen things most of us here have not. I will not force you on something you do not want, but I put my faith in you, to help me, along with the rest of the staff, to teach everyone here that all of us stand in equal ground, and that we must respect and acknowledge each individual, regardless of their kind. No one, no student, should ever feel uncomfortable in this haven of mine."

"I understand, Valerie." The dwarf took a deep breath and vowed;

"I, Roldo Dulrik, son of Grol II, son of Frerin, accept the responsibilities given to me as dean of Ernestine State University. I will do my duty to the best of my abilities, and remain loyal to you and to this institution." He responded as he thumped his right fist against his chest.

"I know you will, my friend." Valerie grinned at him, her eyes full of trust and hope.

While they were occupied with discussing certain issues, you tried to sneak away, only to be called back by Madame Ernestine.

"Pearl, my dear."

"Yes ma'am?"

"Thank you."

She had a soft smile, emotions clear on her face, directed at you. The founder, Valerie was thanking you for your bravery, kindness and overall honesty. You simply nodded and grinned from ear to ear behind your mask. You were, however, suddenly nervous when Valerie and the two professors approached you. No, actually, all of them were, but the others are heading out of the office, perhaps to go back to their respective classrooms and start working, they gave their thanks as they went out.

"Pearl Blackbell, a wonderful name!" Professor Dulrik remarked. "May the Gods bless you and shine upon you in all your days," he grinned. Before you could reply, Professor Amila hugged you and whispered. "Thank you, for beating up those idiots," —which made you giggle— "It was the right thing to do, and also I had to defend myself. and thank you, Professor Dulrik."

"Nonsense, call me Professor Roldo, lass." He patted your shoulder as he went past you and out of the office, but not before he slapped Tai'chi's forearm.

"You best protect her if you can, lad. Even so, it is obvious she won't need protecting!" He laughed, and went on, quietly, as if whispering. "...Be her friend, my boy. Her eyes...they show the pain she had gone through. You saw that in her, didn't you?"

Tai'chi simply nodded in response. He knew what he meant.

"Then do what you must. If word ever comes to me that you hurt her, I will hunt you down with me battle axe hidden in my office, you hear?"

This time, he chuckled. "I hear you, Professor. I won't. I swear on the the name of my clan, no harm will befall on her." He told him, his voice firm and true.

"That's what I'm talking about, lad!" He replied as he finally exited the room.

Tai'chi shifted his gaze to you. You and the dean were still talking so he stood there, patiently.

"We best be on our way. We still have a number of things to set straight. We will see you around, Miss Blackbell. Don't get into trouble now." The founder giggled.

"I will try my best, ma'am."

"Oh sure you will, sweetie. Goodluck. And oh, the two of you should start going back. It's past lunchbreak afterall." She said as the two ladies sauntered past you and went out.

"Thank you, we will." You said, mostly to yourself.

**************************************

Part 6 will be posted shortly! Like, shortly shortly. Like, an hour or so shortly. Stay tuned! Thank you for reaching this point uwu✨

Tags: @crackinanutshell @kokokatsworld @mitchiesdungeon <3

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