#i���m glad i finally found a decent version of it

[sole-cuore-amore-e-droga]

Tel Aviv 2019: Straight outta Romania to Eurovision with an edgy plea for a return of special someone

To be honest, I wasn’t that on board with Selecția Națională 2019, like, at all. I get that scandals happened and three songs withdrew from the comp. at various stages due to various reasons, but Romania is just Romania to me somehow. Well there were a few overall gems (some of them out of the finals too), but I just couldn’t be bothered to waste my Sunday evenings on a single broadcast of it. Plus, I was never that swayed by the two big fanwanks from here anyway, so I’m glad they flopped lol.

But maaaan did I have a bone to pick with the people reacting to it. Especially towards the Wiwi jurors. Look, there’s such a thing called as “song growing on you�� and “performance elevating the song”, as well as the one that goes “getting over it”. Surely these aren’t make belief concepts of life, hmm? I’m not one of those people who prefer a song more or less thanks to its performance, but there are some good ones that occasionally change my opinion on a song, especially a ‘boring’ one! And thanks to those terrible people, some of Wiwibloggs videos were unfairly attacked with dislikes, and mind you, not only on the Romanian NF interviews that don’t have the current Romanian subject of choice, no - both first-reaction-after-qualifying-to-A-Dal-2019-final interviews (that were of these two) too. And it’s not even the first time a televote winner doesn’t win the NF so you should have SHUT. THE FUCK. UP. (- Penn Jilette) Clear? (:

(lol this is all directed to the people from like three months ago, obviously now that the writeup is late the drama has cooled down A LOT, especially in the light of Ukraine’s events and the actual dust of this Euroseason where everyone made amends with everything, but I can’t help but keep what I thought of this initially because I just wanted to write something for Romania as I didn’t have anything else to say until I remembered the drama so)

So here’s that one controversial subject that unexpectedly slayed the poor man’s “Fuego” and that one homophobic teen by hitting it hard by an extremely unbalanced jury vote (and 24 points to it coming from that core Wiwibloggs duo, no less) and her on-stage couch possessing - the half-local half-Canadian little to no known artiste, Ester Peony, who conquered all in her homeland “On a Sunday”, as her songtitle says (haha bad puns whoop.) Is it any more mesmerizing over the two fanwank fanflops, or is it, just like Wiwi said at first, ‘boring’? Hmm...

It starts of bluesy, with the Western-movie-sounding-pop guitar twangs accompanying the sound, and Ester begins reminiscing her love that left her on a Sunday of September, later followed by snap percussion. And deep inside she wants that person to come back “to [her], to [her], to [he-eeee-eeee-er], eh, eh, eh, eh”. She begs and pleads for the return for her loved one, as I believe the absence deeply upsets her (smoke from the ashtray, everything’s so cold an gray, loving is a hard price to pay) and eats her up from the inside to a degree. I never had someone to leave me like that on a whatever the day was, but I feel for Ester’s song’s protagoniste.

Here are some interesting things I find in this song: its progressive intensity; the decision of putting a 3rd verse up in the place of the bridge; right after some additional “eh eh eh eh” after the chorus (bridges are usually of completely different vocal line ways); cool voice of the singer’s; the strings; the beat... and the fact that it’s described as “electro-pop”. Pop I might get, in fact it sometimes reminds me of those older Billboard chart topper songs from mid-00s por so, or that it could have been one of those kind of songs. You needed just to give it to a popstar relevant of the time and voilà - a hit! Electro... not quite sure on this one. Maybe the bass that occurs in the 2nd and 3rd verses indicates something on it but that’s all.

And man do I hate to say this but the song's attitude is something that makes me wanna scream sometimes. It occasionally happens when I stop feeling so happy clappy for a song a few listens later because I just don't feel like caring about it anymore and that it starts making me feel some sort of a soulache because I trusted it in the first place. Kinda like "Funny Girl", Latvia 2018: I actually didn't mind it at first but its desperation got on my nerves a whole lot that I got completely irritated. "On a Sunday" has enough elements that I like to keep the irritation feeling at bay, but I doubt that even they will not make me want to smash a chair everytime I hear that chorus again... you think you can suppress your smugness overtime, song? Think again about it later

Oh and there's a supposed revamp, I doubt I would be able to feel any better about that song that way, as long as my mind just automatically recognizes Ester's singing as "whining" for some reason. It probably will make me feel less worse if I see a stage show similar to the absurd mess one from the NF where shit happens and Ester's just chilling on a chair. Game of Loans? Student loans? It was random but I definitely appreciated the scarlet madness all surrounding it. I hope to maybe see something similar in Tel Aviv - edgy imagery, why not. Bring on the candles and the ravens.

To summarize, I don’t think it’s a bad song at all. It’s daring, it’s badass, it's kickass, it comes right at you, grabs you in and you adapt to it however you can be able to. However...

Approval factor: I still have mixed feelings about passing it off as something approvable, but objectively I would like to do so. Good for you to try something different, Romania.

Follow-up factor: Anything at least half-decent is a fine follow-up after The Humans’s mediocrisms (I’m helping the dictionary to have more words, one construction at a time!). I liked the Humans more though and Ester... sort of? But in general context, Ester’s a fantastic successor.

Qualification factor: Somehow this did not sound like a definite Eurovision qualifier to me, so at one point I thought it would be just missing out... but it’s a complete effing borderline of a song. At one point it sounds good enough for a filler qualifier, at another it’s just not qualifying somehow. We’ll see how she rehearses it up in two days, though.

NATIONAL FINAL BONUS

I think there’s nothing more I can say about Selecția Națională (refered to as SN from this point onwards) than I already said in the intro, so let’s get to the moments, shall we? ;)

• So what else do I have to say about the fanwank-esses that hasn’t been said? Well, on one hand you have an Amazon-jungle-tribal version of “Fuego”, “Army of Love”, performed by Bella Santiago (who had one of my favourite SN entries last year lmao), who went all out with body paint and wild choreo and a rap bridge in Tagalog (one of Bella’s native languages) to make it all sound slightly different than “Fuego”, but still, that pre-chorus just feels like a pitched-down “Fuego” from a B minor to a G flat minor, with the same acoustics and the beat, and the drop is some limp-ass Amazon flutery magic. On the other hand you have a 16 year old Laura Bretan with an poperatic ode to her “Dear Father” which was praised for her insanely good vocal skills (I forgot what’s that called... an alto? soprano? mezzo-soprano? sorry I know a lot about music but not a lot about those ranges) more than the song itself... there’s a big problem about Laura though as people found out that she does not believe and/or condone a marriage between same-sex people. For Eurofans that’s a major red flag as as of lately Eurovision is very LGBTQ+ friendly and having had Laura next to people like Bilal or Mahmood would have probably been concerning if she knew of them having had boyfriends... Like I said, neither of those are special. Imo people loved Bella’s song because of the “Fuego” vibe and people loved Laura’s song because of her voice combined with her age. I said what I said. (Oh and there was a missed opportunity for Il Volo and Laura to reunite this year in Eurovision had they only been chosen in their NFs.)

• Screw these gals, now here come on the real faves of mine - another rock band, obviously, and that’s Trooper. No but for real, could at least ANY country have sent a rock song this year? It could have even been San Marino for all I cared but this year is so MoR without a rock entry... Trooper’s “Destin” sounds like something coming out from an epic fable about legendary heroes fighting for their glory of the nation by slaying goblins with wearing medieval costumes (with a sleeveless top and metal armor for the chest), bearing their long hair and looking strong and hunky. Lai-lai-la-la-la-lai!

• Now what were the other competing entries I liked? There were quite a few like the folk bop titled “D A I N A” and sung by Letiția Moisescu and Sensibil Balkan, then Teodora Dinu’s captivating pop tune “Skyscraper” and a really catchy non-qualifier entry by a band Steam, named “The Way It Goes”... no really Romania, why’d you let that flop... and why did you also let 2 Gents flop... and moreso importantly WHY DID YOU LET THE FOUR FLOP??? That’s like the best football-anthem-esque song I’ve heard in a while... such a shame it didn’t appear on the national selection’s final. Oh well. Poor those 4 young souls.

• Now what were those 3 (actually 4) withdrawals? First one was concerning the first ever Romanian representative Dan Bittman and his own problems so he couldn’t return to a NF and be one of the potential returning artists to Eurovision. Then there was this Australian-Romanian chick named Xonia who withdrew for seemingly no reason, all last minute. There was one more withdrawal from a semi-regular SN participant Xandra too, as well citing unknown reasons. And then there’s Mihai (or as he likes calling himself nowadays, M I H A I) who once again wanted to return to Eurovision (no wonder his Eurovision 2006 song was called “Tornero” lol) with an entry, and this one is called “Baya”. And then he went on an epic quest of flopping - firstly by withdrawing his song last minute from SN claiming that it’s corrupted, then considering to return as a wildcard, then thinking on to latching on to Eurofest in Belarus, but gotten sick last minute and therefore perma-cancelled his NFs journey this year entirely by not appearing on the Eurofest auditions. <3 Not to mention he’s a bit of a creep by subjecting people to his nude pictures with just him in his underwear. dude you’re almost 40, stop doing that to the kids. you’re not even a “daddy”. just look how alien you look on your song’s thumbnail:

• Netta continues her guest appearances on various NFs, such as in UK and in Spain (in spirit, as it was just the Triunfitos singing “Toy” at the beginning of the ESC OT Gala). This one even had her singing her newest song “Bassa Sababa” alongside “Toy”. Oh and there also was one of the Festivali i Këngës 56 alums coming by, Inis Neziri, to perform something for Romania after having won a music competition in Romania, and here’s her performance. But did she even have anything interesting in her backdrop as this?

We know you did Netta sweetie but do you honestly need to reminds us? I did not see Eleni doing shit like this and I don’t want you to do the same. Well if anything I am glad Netta only gracefully performed “Toy” on EYD 2019 (which I missed in my “National Final bonus” section for the UK’s review (as well as them reminiscing Eurovision’s best moments) but frankly I don’t think you cared anymore about it when you learned I was gonna write so many long-ass paragraphs, so yeah)...

• So what was the exact thing again that made everyone such bitter Betties? Well, everyone foresaw Bella and Laura battling it out in this NF, having succesfully qualified together. They even did well in the televote. But then the jury vote happened, and it included the God-forbidden Wiwibloggs duo voting separately and usualy picking all the similar favourites based on performances. They were very pleased with Ester Peony’s on-stage chair prop and her dramatic mess so they gave her their 12s. INDIVIDUALLY. And that’s one of things that pushed Ester higher for the win, despite only having 3 points from the televote lol. But the worst part about it is their opinions: they have praised “Dear Father” so much for mostly the same reasons others praised it so much as well, and were stunned. A what they thought of Ester’s song? That it’s boring. And their mindset switched when voting on this NF, with 12ing Ester and only giving a few feeble points to Laura. That’s where the backlash ensued - not when Emmelie de Forest (yep she was in the jury too) did not give any points to Bella Santiago’s song - just for that notion alone. Maybe it was because of a REASON. Laura’s song in the end is just an uninteresting pop ballad with some additional vocal exercising (too flawless that you even tire from flawlessness), Ester at least brought something to liven up her song, and maybe Wiwis changed their opinion accordingly by not being enthused by Laura anymore! And what’s the problem with that, eh eh eh?.. oh right, y’all accusing Wiwibloggs having rated Laura down because she’s a homophobe. Real friggen’ obviously because of that, you guys. NOT. Grow a brain a bit, will ya. (and even a contestant named Linda Teodosiu was pissed about Wiwibloggs not giving her enough points lmao... her song was a typical ”rent a NF songwriter” spiel so she has no effin’ reason to be mad her ‘originality’ wasn’t awarded lol.)

Worth noting that one of the other reasons people were mad that the juryvote points overpowered the televote big time (like 7 juror votes against 1 set of televotes - inequal) and therefore did not even listen to what they had to say (again, Ester had 3 freaking televote points lol). It’s a thing y’all should get used to - juries overrating an act one way or the other, against the televote’s will. It’s a given nowadays, remember. I know y'all Romanians wanted to scream "ESTER IS NOT OUR WINNER WE HAVEN'T DECIDED HER WE WANT BELLA/LAURA!!!" but that's the truth with the juries.

And thankfully, that is, what I think, all you need to remember from the SN headache this year. Fortunately it’s much smaller than the last year’s headache that, aside from 60 songs in total for 5 semis (!!!), also had a very strictly eliminative system that had 3 qualifiers each from a semi decided by juries ONLY (geez not even A Dal does that!), only to soften things up by having everyone fall down on televote’s hands only during the final. And then the final had the drama on its own. But if I reminisced it all on here, we’d be taking more than just all day, so it’s best that I stop this here and now, for all of ya who are already tired of all this waffle.

Good luck to Ester! and may all of your fans see you performing on a Saturday :)

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero

Chapter Thirteen The Very Secret Diary

It was a gloomy Monday when Ron and Harry lugged all of Hermione’s notes and school books to the hospital wing. She was insistent on keeping up with her school work, even though Ron suggested that being in the hospital was a wonderful excuse to slack off. Hermione told him that was absurd, she’d only fall behind, and they wouldn’t be able to get her help with exams. Ron agreed that delivering her homework each day might be a good idea.

A couple weeks went by. Students whispered about Hermione’s disappearance, and so many of them snuck by the infirmary to see what had happened to her that Madam Pomfrey put a curtain around her bed. So when Ron and Harry went to visit her that afternoon, they didn’t see that Lily was already at Hermione’s bedside until they stepped through the curtain.

“Oh, hi Mum,” Harry said as he set a stack of History of Magic notes on Hermione’s bedside table.

Lily smiled pleasantly at Ron and Harry. “Hello. Isn’t it sweet of you two to be taking notes for Hermione and delivering her assignments for her? I hope you’re not doing it out of any sort of guilty consciences.”

“It really was all my fault,” Hermione said quickly. “I shouldn’t have borrowed Ron’s wand for a Transfiguration spell. It completely backfired.”

“Yes, Ron, you really ought to get your wand fixed,” Harry said quickly.

“I know,” Ron said glumly. “I’m afraid to tell Mum. It was Charlie’s. He said he wouldn’t need it with the dragons and so I could have it. I don’t want to tell her I broke Charlie’s wand.”

“I’m sure she’d understand,” Lily said. “I do believe it was Professor Lockhart’s fault your wand broke, right? That’s what Harry said in his letter. I suggest you have him buy you a new one.”

“I’ll think about it,” Ron mumbled.

“Well, I am glad you two are being good to Hermione. I heard Professor McGonagall say she’s been very pleased with how well the two of you have been focusing.”

“It is easier to have Hermione explain it to us, but we have to try to explain it first,” Harry said.

Lily laughed and squeezed Harry’s hand. “You really are so much like your father. He and his friends would be so well-behaved when Remus was in the hospital.”

Harry smiled and his ears went pink at the compliment.

“Why was Mr. Lupin in the hospital?” Hermione asked.

Lily stood up from her chair, still smiling. “Well, I’d better leave you three. You don’t need a grown-up hanging around, and Hermione should be ready to go over your lessons from my class.”

“Oh, yes,” Hermione said. “Professor Lockhart came by this morning as well and helped me with a little of it too.”

Lily’s smile pinched like she’d taken a bite of lemon peel flavored Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. “I see. Did he go over my lesson and spells or did he merely read you the passage from his book and smile charmingly?”

Hermione blushed — or rather, her few remaining whiskers quivered, which Harry assumed was the cat version of blushing — and said, “He didn’t win Witch Weekly’s Most-Charming-Smile Award five times for nothing.”

Lily’s sour expression did not soften at the humor. “Yes, as he is so fond of reminding everyone. I hope one day you will learn that a charming smile doesn’t necessarily make anyone a decent wizard.” She turned to Harry and Ron and said, “And the same goes for witches with charming smiles. There are better qualities to be enchanted with.”

Ron nodded, and Harry said, with a small smirk of his own, “But Mum, don’t you think Dad’s smile is just a little bit charming?”

Finally, a smile cracked through Lily’s irritation. “Yes. But the things I love about your father are his bravery, loyalty, and humility. And his excellent self-made Cleaning Charms. Now, really, I should prepare for my class tomorrow. And grade some papers.” She kissed Harry’s forehead and patted Ron’s shoulder, then left quickly.

Harry and Ron stayed with Hermione, all three of them working on their homework, until Madam Pomfrey shooed them off to bed.

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Sirius,

Remember how I mentioned Moaning Myrtle? Well she flooded the hallway last night because someone threw a book at her. It’s a diary from 1943, and it’s really interesting, except for the part where it’s blank.

Ron keeps telling me it could be cursed, but it seems fine. It’s just blank. I don’t know how to figure out what’s inside it, but I’m sure it’s important. The date is from fifty years ago, and Malfoy told us the Chamber of Secrets was opened fifty years ago, and the name on the diary is T. M. Riddle, who was a Prefect and Head Boy, but he also won an award for Special Services to the school fifty years ago. It’s got to have something about the Chamber of Secrets in it. Hermione couldn’t make anything appear in it, though. Do you have any ideas?

Love, Harry

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Harry,

Try Aparecium? It’s a basic revealing spell, but if someone was trying to keep their diary secret, and they were smart, they’d have thought of something more complicated.

I’ve never heard of T.M. Riddle, and I’ve never heard of the Chamber of Secrets being opened before. Sure, I knew about it. Everyone I grew up with was in Slytherin and every few years someone would try to find the Chamber, just to see if it existed, but no one ever found it. I think Malfoy might be pulling your leg.

Let me know if the Aparecium spell works, though.

Love, Sirius

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Snitch,

Why don’t you ever write to me now that your Mum’s at school? Are you afraid I’ll tell her about the trouble you’re getting into? I won’t, I promise. Sirius says you still write to him, which is unfair.

Love you, can’t wait for your next Quidditch match. Let’s not have any broken limbs, charmed broomsticks, or unexpected dives this time, alright?

Love, Dad

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Dad,

I haven’t written mostly because I figure Mum was telling you all the interesting things. Hermione is out of the hospital now and back in class. Madam Pomfrey says the Mandrakes are almost done and she can make Colin and Justin better soon.

But that’s really it. It’s been super quiet ever since Christmas. Lockhart seems to think the monster gave up because it was scared of him, but I don’t know who believes him. But maybe it really is all over. Maybe the Chamber of Secrets is closed again.

I’ll write again soon. Promise.

Love, Harry

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

May 1, 1979

Lucius Malfoy,

Thank you for everything you did while we were in Paris. I was sorry Narcissa couldn’t attend, but I found the conversations absolutely stimulating. And I appreciate your offer of a job after graduation. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.

However, I heard from Avery and Lestrange that the Dark Lord wanted young purebloods to aid his cause. I’m worried about a conflict of interest. I mean you no disrespect, but Bellatrix introduced me to him and I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how inspiring he is.

If it’s all the same to you, I’d like to wait to give you a formal response until I know what responsibilities the Dark Lord has for me. He seemed very impressed with my family lineage and the things I could provide for our cause. I do hope you understand.

Sincerely, Regulus Black

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Valentine’s Day was an absolute disaster. Lockhart had singing dwarves dressed as cupids running around giving Valentine’s performances and reading cards out loud. Harry thought the whole thing absurd enough as it was, and then on his way to Charms class, a dwarf grabbed his bag.

Malfoy, Fred, and George were all standing nearby, so Harry tried to run for it. He had no desire to have a dwarf sing him a valentine in front of three people who would mock him endlessly about it. But in his escape attempt, the bag ripped, his inkwell crashed on the floor and spilled all over his belongings. Then the dwarf grabbed his ankles and Harry tumbled right into his spilled ink. His books and parchment went flying. Everyone was already laughing so hard, he thought maybe they wouldn’t hear the valentine or care about it. But as the dwarf opened his mouth, Fred and George shushed everyone.

The dwarf, in a gravely voice, began to sing,

“His eyes are green as a fresh pickled toad, His hair is as dark as a blackboard. I wish he was mine, he’s really divine, The hero who conquered the Dark Lord.”

Percy Weasley, the only one not laughing, shouted at everyone to go to class. “Move along,” he said loudly. “You too Malfoy.”

But Malfoy didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. He reached down and picked up the diary that had spilled from Harry’s bag.

“Give it back,” Harry said as he got to his feet.

“Oh,” Malfoy crooned. “Wonder what Harry Potter’s written in his diary.” He flipped it open to a page, blank like all the others, and began to read, “I’m so glad my Mum’s a professor. I get everything I want all the time, even though Malfoy’s such a better Seeker —”

Harry wasn’t about to listen to another minute of this. “Expelliarmus!” he said, and the diary shot out of Malfoy’s hand and into his own.

“Harry!” a voice shouted and Harry winced.

Lily pushed her way through the crowd of students. “No spells in the hallway! That’ll be five points from Gryffindor. All of you, go to class!”

Malfoy sniggered as he pushed past Ginny Weasley to get into his classroom. “By the way, Weasley, I don’t think Potter liked your Valentine much.”

Ginny froze in the hallway and turned bright red.

“Mr. Malfoy!” Lily shouted after him. “Respect your classmates, or I’ll be taking points on your behalf next!” She huffed in frustration and looked over Harry, as covered in ink as his parchment.

Percy immediately began to tell her how he dispersed the students, but she didn’t have the patience to hear it.

“Enough, Mr. Weasley. I believe you have a Transfiguration class to attend.”

As Percy left, Lily cast a quick cleaning spell on Harry’s school things and his robes. As she mended the tear in his bag, Harry noticed his diary was perfectly dry, and had been when Malfoy picked it up.

Lily handed him his bag, then looked over at Ginny, who was so still Harry would’ve believed she’d been petrified. “What class do you have, dear?” Lily asked.

“H-Herbology,” Ginny stammered. She sounded like she might cry.

“Let me walk you, alright? I think Harry can find his own way to class.”

Ginny still didn’t move, but kept staring at Harry as he put the diary into his mended bag and started up the stairs to Charms class. Finally, Lily put an arm around Ginny’s shoulders and gently led her away.

Harry thought about Ginny’s valentine for the better part of the day — it was hard not to, with Fred and George singing it every five minutes — but as soon as he could, he slipped away to his dorm to test out his new theory with the diary. He sat down on his bed, opened the diary to January first, and dropped a dot of ink onto the paper. It stayed on the page for a moment, then faded into the paper. Harry took a deep breath and wrote, “My name is Harry Potter.”

He waited, breath held, while the words shimmered on the page before finally sinking into the diary. Another moment passed, and then ink oozed out of the paper until the diary said,

Hello, Harry Potter. My name is Tom Riddle. How did you come by my diary?

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Dad,

Valentine’s Day was a disaster. Lockhart had these singing dwarves sending everyone valentines. It was so obnoxious.

I got one from Ginny. I guess she likes me? I don’t really know why. Do I have to do anything? I don’t know about girls or valentines or anything.

Love, Harry

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Harry,

It’s been pretty obvious for years that Ginny has a crush on you. I’m surprised it took a Valentine for you to figure it out.

And no, you don’t have to do anything. Unless you want to do anything. Dating takes two, and if you or her don’t want to date, you don’t do anything.

Also, you’re twelve. Don’t worry about girls for at least three more years, please. I don’t think Sirius could handle it.

Love, Dad

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Uncle Remus,

I figured out the diary! I assume Sirius told you about it. He tells you everything.

I tried writing in the diary, and it was incredible. It read my words and it wrote back!

I asked it about the Chamber of Secrets and it showed me Tom Riddle catching the person who originally opened the Chamber of Secrets, but….

I don’t know if I’m happy to know it. And I don’t think I can do anything about it. I don’t know what to do at all.

Love, Harry

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Harry,

Secrets you don’t know what to do with are hard, especially when they’re not yours to share.

You have to do what feels right. If you think someone is in danger, you should tell an adult. If no one is in danger, it’s not your secret to share. You can ask the person who is responsible to share it, but there isn’t much else you can do about it.

Best of luck. I know you’ll make the right call.

Love, Uncle Remus

[aiimaginesbts]

Silent Guardian (M)

A fic for Taehyung’s birthday!

Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Beast! Taehyung, fluff, angst and smut

Warnings: Violence, rough sex

Word count: 10,047 words

Disclaimer/Copyright

All my life they told me never to go into this forest. There are many wild animals inside. Predators that will kill a human without a second of hesitation. Poisonous plants that will extinguish your flame of life in an instant after being ingested. Dense growth that will confuse and throw away your sense of direction should you venture into their depths.

The most fearful of all is the beast. Since I was little I have been told never to go inside the forest where the most fearsome beast lives. When I asked what makes this beast so terrifying, I was met with many different answers. A savage being of the likes never seen before that will murder in the most grotesque way without thinking twice. A wild animal with cruel, yellow eyes, more cunning than any other predator. A merciless, hairy beast so ugly it must have been dragged from the deepest depths of hell. There are so many versions of this beast that I have no idea which one is true. Maybe all of them are. Perhaps none of them are. There is no way of knowing for as far as I know, no one has ever entered the forest before.

Any doubts I may have had have been quickly swiped aside whenever I brought it up. However, it never made me stop wondering. If the beast really is that powerful, why doesn't it attack anyone in the surrounding villages? If it loves human meat so much and is cleverer than most people, why has there never been a complaint about lost people or even livestock? Our village is right at the edge of the forest. Why the villagers haven't packed up and leave if they are so scared is beyond me. Perhaps it is one of those things where it leaves you alone as long as you leave it alone, I guess. I am skeptical, but I have never had a reason to actually find out the truth for myself.

Until now.

It's funny when I think about it. One of the main reasons I have never stepped foot into this forest is because my father and brother forbade me to. My father actually preferred to travel further away to get the necessary plants to use in his medicine making, and even after he passed away, I have continued buying and searching elsewhere for the materials I need. Now here I am, finding that it is this easy to go against their orders just because the plant I need to cure Jungkook's fever cannot be found anywhere else.

My little brother cannot possibly blame me for this. He was reckless enough to go about gallivanting past the border into the neighbouring country, bringing back an obscure illness a mere fortnight before he is meant to arrive at the capital to start his training as a soldier. Thanks to the copious volumes of medical treatise I have inherited from our father, I managed to recognise the symptoms despite never having encountered it before. Unfortunately one of the vital ingredients for the medicine to cure Jungkook lies in that forest, and there is no other substitute for it.

Even though it is approaching late morning and the sun has climbed a considerable height in the landscape of the blue sky, the leafy trees growing close together lend the scene before me a mysterious, dark aura, forbidding me from getting a better look into its depths. Armed with a bag, a blade and a deep, calming breath, I take the first step into the unknown of over two decades of my life.

Being the daughter of an apothecary, I am no stranger to foraging for rare herbs and plants that we don't grow in our garden or are not sold. It isn't my first time venturing into the woods and although nothing looks out of place at first glance, it isn't long after I am enveloped by its growth that I start to notice an unsettling abnormality.

No matter the time of the day or season of the year, the woods is always a symphony of tranquil sounds. The brush of a lizard scampering up a tree, the rustle of animals against the wild growth, the chipper of birds overhead, perhaps the soft tinkling of running water in the distance. It is never as loud as the villages and towns where people dwell, but the forest croons a quiet song of its own. However, now it's too quiet. I've been careful not to wander too far, following a path that is easy for me to retrace, but I'm far enough within the trees to feel unsettled by the lack of sounds that indicate the presence of life around me. The only noice I hear is twigs breaking and leaves rustling underneath my feet, clumsy compared to animals despite years of experience in the woods, the only movement I can see are made by my own limbs as I look out for the plant that I need.

In an attempt to rid of the nervousness that is starting to envelop me, I tilt my head towards the heavens. The canopy of the old wood is dense, but here and there light from the sun shines through the leaves, gracing my face with warmth that helps alleviate my worries a little. Steeling my resolve, I push myself onwards, my eyes scanning the surroundings for the plant that I require. Or rather, the oak tree that I've read the necessary plant normally grows around.

That's not all I'm looking out for though. Even though I cannot see or hear anything else but myself, I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched. Most of my focus is on my primary goal, but part of my mind can't help but wonder what it is. If it has no interest in me, it would have moved on by now. But I've been feeling this way since not long after I stepped foot in its territory. If it has interest in me, it has to be a predator. Yet it hasn't jumped out to attack me. Perhaps it is the beast. However, I would be no match for it, so why can't I see any movement or hear anything suspicious? Why hasn't it gone for its prey, if that is what I am? The limited possibilities I can think of stumps me, so the best I can do is keep a tight grip of the blade in my hand, hoping that in case anything happens it can at least buy me some time to escape.

Thankfully I find what I need to make Jungkook's medicine soon enough. Eager to prepare the remedy before his fever gets worse, I hurry home in one piece. The sight of my little brother wheezing on the mattress wrenches at my chest, and I set to work mixing the ingredients immediately, working well into the night, forgetting to eat as I always do when I'm too immersed in a task.

It has to be close to midnight when I finally coax Jungkook to gulp down the medicine I made for him with a cup of water before I collapse on my own bed. Exhausted as I am, I can't seem to fall asleep. I suppose as far as it goes, today was an anticlimactic day, considering the fact that I've finally ventured into the place I never thought I'd set foot in, expecting to see the infamous beast and possibly not make it out with my life.

I'm glad to be alive, of course. Yet there is something that keeps nagging at me. There's something more in that forest, something to do with the abnormal silence, something to do with those mysterious gaze I felt upon me that lasted until I made it back to my village, perhaps even after that, until I'm out of sight of those trees. My gut feeling tells me that there is more than meets the eye. A secret that lurks in the woods, although I have no idea if it is meant for discovery or if it is better left unknown. Countless thoughts swim around in my head, and I have no idea at what point of night it is when I finally drift off to sleep.

Such thoughts have no place in the next few days as I busy myself with nursing Jungkook back to health while getting the necessities for his upcoming trip ready and tending to patients that drop by our house. I'm relieved to find that the cure I made him is working well and fast, giving him enough time to recover and rest before his journey. As the day for his departure approaches, I start to have mixed feelings — sadness that my only living relative is leaving, excitement at the prospect of exploring that forest again and guilt over letting my curiosity overshadow Jungkook's departure.

"Don't worry about me and just take care of yourself, all right?" Jungkook requests, driving another wedge of gloom into the pile of sadness that has been welling up again since the moment I woke up on the morning of his departure. "I'll send you money as often as I can."

I scoff at his offer. "And what am I going to spend the money on? You should use the money on yourself at the capital. I'll be fine on my own." I want him to enjoy himself fully whenever he has time for himself, even if it's not a lot. Besides, what I said is true. There is no point in getting anything fancy or glamorous when I'm living in a small village on the outskirts of the country, and the money I earn by treating patients and selling the medicine I've concocted is more than enough to support myself.

As if he's read my mind, he quips, "If you buy some beautiful earrings you might actually look decent for once." Guffawing, he expertly dodges my well-aimed jabs and rustles the top of my head.

"Just when I was about to say 'come home when you can'," I mumble irritatedly as I whack his hand away.

"I'll visit as soon as I can." He sobers up, although we both know the opportunity to do so will not come by often or anytime soon.

I nod, intending to wave him off before I do something as silly as burst into tears, but he suddenly pulls me into a bear hug. "I'll miss you, silly sis."

"I'll miss you too, idiot brother," I choke out, burying my face in his chest as I hug him fiercely back. Who knows when I will see him again, but he is going to serve the country and I'm proud of him.

There is a bout of flu going around, although nothing as bad as what Jungkook had, so after he leaves I have my hands full with the villagers that come by. A part of me is disappointed that I can't go off exploring again today but I push it away, treating the patients with the same care served with a smile like I always do. By the time I wave the last of them off it is already late in the afternoon, so I decide to get some rest in preparation for an early day tomorrow.

With a meal packed neatly inside my bag and my trusty dagger, I head out into the woods again. Once again the place falls unnaturally silent, this time perhaps even sooner than the first time I came, or perhaps I've already been expecting it. I tell myself that the trip is simply to discover what other treasures lay inside that I may be able to collect for my medicine, but when my eyes wander among the trees I'm actually looking for a movement instead of stationary herbs and plants. Without noticing, the sun has already climbed up high in the sky, illuminating patches of light on my skin and when I finally realise that I've been dawdling around without being mindful of my position, I have no idea where I am.

Internally scolding myself for being careless, I turn around on the spot, uselessly attempting to determine my location even though I know that it won't be successful. To get lost among the tall sturdy trunks and numerous undergrowth is all too easy but once it has happened, it isn't a simple task to get out. Everything starts to look the same especially in a panicked state, and no matter how much I walk, I can't help but feel like I've been going around in pointless circles.

Now distracted with the task of finding my way home, it's only when my stomach starts to rumble with an unpleasant stab that I remember that I haven't had anything to eat. Dejected, I give in to my hunger pangs, deciding to eat the food I've prepared early this morning before I set off before walking again. As I sit on the ground, munching on some sustenance, my gaze wander around the expanse of the forest before I take a look upwards and feel my heart dropping to my stomach. I can't believe that I've roamed about this long. The descent of the sun is accompanied by the dip in temperature, and I will be in trouble if I don't find a way out soon. Sure, I haven't seen any other living creature the whole time I've been here, which is strange in itself, but who knows what will come out once the darkness descends?

My lower lip starts to quiver in anxiousness and the funny feeling I haven't managed to figure out since the first time I entered the forest grows along with the intuitive suspicion that I am, again, being watched. Forcing myself to focus on anything that may be a clue to an exit instead of the puzzling presence, I plod on, every step growing weary as I sink deeper into despair.

Before I can cry out in frustration, a sudden shift in the shadows catches my eye. A tall shadow, unlike the crouching four-legged silhouette I've been expecting all this time. A bear? No, it is too slender a figure for such a burly creature. Most importantly, there is no doubt in my mind that the stare coming from behind that withered trunk is the same one that has been accompanying me all this time. It has been concealing itself perfectly before, so why show itself now?

Strangely, as I find myself staring back at it, my heart rate picks up, yet somehow I feel at ease. I've been expecting a dangerous animal of prey, and it still may be one, but I don't feel threatened in the least. Holding its gaze with mine is slowly washing all the worries I have back into the sea of lost thoughts. Everything else seems to stand deathly still with a new quality of silence. I can't even hear my heart beating; to be honest, I'm not sure ifit's still pumping, so absorbed am I in the unknown figure and I have no idea how much time passed before it suddenly turns on its heels and moves away.

Without hesitation, without even so much as a thought, my feet shuffle to follow. All tiredness forgotten, I hasten to catch up, desperate to discover the entity that has been keeping me company — and I suspect, safe from other predators — for so many hours. I should have known that something that can move so stealthily would have no problem moving at a speed that I have no hope of matching.

My excitement initially took the fatigue away from my legs but still, I have been hiking for many hours with only one stop to swallow a meager amount of food and it isn't long until exhaustion finds its way back into my limbs. Any hopes of keeping up with it shatters as I stagger on my feet, pausing to place my hands on my wobbly knees. Panting, chasing my breath, I regretfully give up on the endeavour of uncovering the identity of the mysterious being.

When my breathing has evened out somewhat, I lift my head up, expecting the creature to have disappeared into the shadows again, but I'm in for a surprise. It is still there. It has stopped, watching me. Its curiosity is palpable, rivaling my interest in it. Is it... waiting for me? The notion is laughable yet I can't think of any other explanation.

Testing the waters, I take a tentative step forward. A moment passes, as if it is ascertaining my ability to continue, then it whips around and starts moving again. Inhaling as much oxygen my lungs can take, I push myself forward, determined to follow it until the ends of the earth. It's a little frustrating that it's obvious that no matter how fast I go, it is simply matching my pace; just enough for me not to lose sight of it but nowhere close enough for me to see what is hiding underneath the shadows.

Before long the obstacles become thin, and the last strains of sunset can be seen just over the horizon, fighting to stay visible above the row of scattered small houses. Relief fills me at the sight — looks like I won't be spending the night in the wilderness after all. Suddenly remembering my saviour, I swivel my head around, but it has sadly disappeared completely from my sight.

The very next day has me inside the forest again, this time under no pretenses as to the reason I am here. I want to see it again. Properly. There is no doubt in my mind that it doesn't have any malicious intent towards me. However, it isn't clear what its intent actually is, and that makes me even more intrigued. I want to know if it meant to save me yesterday. I want to know why it was watching me. Most of all, I want to know what it is.

Once again, it isn't long before I feel the presence with me again. Like before, it is keeping out of my sight, no peep or hair to be detected by my senses, which are probably inferior to its own. But I can feel it. Before it was a baffling existence, never intimidating, really, just inexplicable, but now that I've actually caught a glimpse of it, I can't help but feel attracted. Perhaps my curiosity is pulling me towards it. All I know is that it soothes my nerves and sets my pulse racing at the same time.

I am not foolish enough to think that I will somehow be able to see it again just because I want to. A wish does not come true without some effort put into it. That being said, I have no idea how to achieve my goal. It has been made perfectly clear that I am not an equal in terms of speed, stealth or most probably any other physical attribute. Trying to chase after it or sneak up on it, assuming that I can even pinpoint where it is actually watching me from is impossible. The only way that offers a sliver of a chance at success is a trick.

Be careful what you wish for, isn't that the saying? For just as the thought crosses my mind, my inattentive state proves to be my undoing, making me fall over a log that completely escaped my notice. My painful groan into the dirt is stopped short as I hear a rustle from somewhere behind me. Is it concerned that I fell? In a split second I make up my mind, resting my whole body weight on the ground and staying still. Guilt immediately creeps up on me from the underhanded tactic but what other choice do I have? It seems to be worried about my welfare and if this is the only way to find out more about it, so be it, even though the blatant manipulation leaves a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

Whatever nagging my conscience is trying to hammer into my head is tossed aside when I sense it approaching me. Keeping my body immobile, especially when most of my face is facing the ground is extremely difficult when anticipation is rising within me, causing my heartbeat to boom inside my ears. Even harder is keeping my eyes shut while I'm dying to see, but I manage to hold my ground until I feel a gentle touch brushing the hair covering the side of my face away. With all the speed I can muster, my hand snaps up to grab it, eliciting a soft gasp of surprise from above. Before it can run away, my eyelids fly open, full of triumph and bursting curiosity at being able to lay eyes on this elusive creature at last.

The sight that greets me is nothing like what I expected. To be honest, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it is definitely nothing like this. Nothing like him. The eyes that stare back into mine are golden, shining even though his back is to the sun's rays, as if illuminated by heat all of their own, almost like a cat's yet more cunning and infinitely more brilliant. His nose is stately, perfectly sculptured and placed just atop breathtakingly alluring lips, dewy and slightly parted in astonishment. His loose beige shirt and brown pants are a little worn and torn in a few places, and his feet are bare, coupled with his shaggy dark hair lending a wild look about him. His arm muscles captured within my grasp ripple, breaking me out of my reverie.

When my fingers loosen their hold on him, it startles him into motion. Apparently he was as concentrated on me as I was mesmerised by him. Like a frightened fawn, he jumps backwards, putting a few meters between us in one leap. Although surprised by the show of his physical prowess, I react quickly enough before he can disappear from sight again, yelling, "Wait!" Pushing myself up from the ground in an attempt to pursue him, but I can't even manage to get on my two feet without squealing and falling in a heap.

Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes as I examine my right ankle. It is starting to swell, and I know that I can't walk, much less run on it. Frustration fills me as I look up, then shock overtakes me when I see him even closer than before without having made a sound, bent over me, brows furrowed as he takes in my reddening ankle. Pain subsides as a new sensation takes over me, my heart pounding from being so near him again. Restlessness fills every fiber of my being, excitement threatening to spill over but I remain stock still, afraid to move or say something that may spook him off again.

I can't stay like this forever though. Slowly, I place my palms behind me and drag my body backwards, hoping that moving away instead of towards him will not alarm him as much. He flinches from the movement, but doesn't step away, watching me heave myself up onto the log that tripped me earlier with a small hiss. At first he only stares, as if a silent battle for a decision is happening within him. Then all of a sudden, he sits beside me in a swift shuffle. His intense gaze moves towards my ankle and he reaches for it, shifting his eyes back to mine just before touching it; a silent request for permission to hold it.

Without hesitation, I nod. The tips of his fingers are gentle but warm heat radiates from them; a comforting touch. "U-um..." I stutter, unsure of what to say, especially when he jumps at the sound of my voice, "it looks like I won't be able to move around for a while. Would — would you like to share some of my lunch?"

It is probably one of the worst conversation starter in the history of man, but I can't think of anything else to say. All I know is that I want to remain with him as long as possible. I want to get to know him. There is something about him that pulls me in, and even though I have no idea what this feeling is, I have no intention of pushing it away. As he continues to stare at me in silence, I start to wonder if he even understood what I said, but in the end he nods.

A smile involuntarily tugs at the corner of my lips at his answer. I scramble to take the food I packed earlier in my bag, part of me still afraid that he may run off. I take in his large, beautiful eyes that looks on curiously as I unwrap the food and hand over a rice ball to him. "It's not much, but it's the easiest thing to make and bring around," I explain sheepishly. As he bites into the lightly salted rice, I watch for his reaction. For some reason I am hoping for his approval, although there's not much to be earned over something so simple.

He gobbles it all up before I can even take a bite out of mine, which I take as a good sign. However, when I offer him the last piece he shakes his head and motions towards me instead. After several attempts of getting him to accept it, I give up, although I keep watching him as I finish my share to make sure he doesn't make himself scarce while I'm stuffing myself. He does no such thing, keeping still — and unfortunately, quiet — until I clean after myself, at which point he finally stands up.

I'm sure the expression on my face as I lift my head up to look at him is a sad, desperate one, but I don't care for appearances. Although there wasn't much of an interaction between us, his presence fills me with inexplicable joy, a special bond that forms in an instant. However, instead of leaving as I expected him to do, he crouches down with his back facing me. It takes him twice to motion for me to get on his back before I can wrap my head around the idea and gingerly climb on him.

Never would I have thought that someone I technically just met today would be carrying me on his back now. I wonder if I'm too heavy, self-consciousness suddenly striking me but he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all, moving at a pace that I cannot manage even when I'm not tired without running out of breath. For all his speed, his hold on me is secure, and it's evoking emotions that I'm not familiar with. A sense of security. Of sudden affection. Of unfathomable belonging. I can't help but notice the warmth of his solid back against my chest, but I try my best to ignore it. The silence that stretches between us isn't awkward but a question that has been plaguing me since last night resurfaces and bubbles out of my mouth.

"Yesterday when I got lost, did you help show me the way back?"

No answer is forthcoming, and after a short while I start to debate asking him again in case he didn't hear me the first time. Just as I open my mouth to repeat the question he nods an affirmative. It really was him. He really was helping me. Before I can think of any further questions, he stops in his tracks and it is only then that I notice that we have arrived at the edge of the woods. Bewildered, I watch him glance around without saying a word until he sees what he is looking for. With me still securely latched on his back, he walks over and picks up a long, sturdy stick before crouching down so I can get off and handing it to me — a walking stick.

"Why don't you come back with me?" I suggest, a little disappointed. I don't want to leave his company just yet. "There is plenty of room inside my house." It's probably very ill-advised to invite someone I've only just met to come over, but already I trust him with my life. If he wants to harm me, he has had countless opportunities to do so, after all.

He shakes his head violently, as if I have suggested something worse than death, and backs away from me. Does he really live in here then? Seeing how averse he is to the idea, I don't try to pursue it, instead asking, "can I come see you again then?"

Retreating steps halt when he hears my question. Again he takes his time answering, although now his expression is of disbelief, as if the thought of anyone wanting to see him is out of this world, but he finally moves his head up and down. His agreement brings a grin to my face, and my happiness leads to him gracing me with the most breathtaking sight of the day; his own lips breaking into a wide, boxy grin. It rearranges his features into one of a young, excited boy, all the wilderness about him disappears beneath the joyful visage, taking any doubts I may have had about him before with it. I'm still unsure if he is human or some woodland spirit or a minor god or something else, but he is definitely a good soul.

The next few days are torture while I'm basically under house arrest as I'm forced to wait for my ankle to heal. They're not wasted, though, as I spend my time making remedies with the plants and herbs I have gathered from the forest, mixing them with what I already have at home and treating patients the best I can with my limited mobility. All the time I go about my chores he occupies my mind. The way he looks at me, his gentle touch, his warm skin, everything about him calls out to me, and I can't wait to see him again.

So as soon as I can, I do. And I do so, again and again. My visits to the forest become a regular occurrence, a mixture of work and selfish desire to spend time with him. For he waits for me too. He never says a word, but I don't mind that he is mute. His smiles more than make up for it, and our silent exchanges are more precious to me than any conversation I can have with the people in my village. Most of our time is used to explore the woods, rather, for him to show me all the wonders that it has to offer, from the biggest tree to the most tranquil river, but more than anything else, being around him makes my heart soar.

However, there is one thing about him I'd like to know more than anything else. "Say, you understand what I'm saying, don't you?" I ask him one day.

As always, he doesn't offer an answer right away, settling himself against the tree trunk more comfortably before he dips a confirmation with his chin.

"Can you write?" When he tilts his head sideways in question, I continue, "it's just that I've told you my name a while back, but I don't know yours. Maybe you can write it down for me?" I hand him a twig and point to the ground. Even though he takes it, he makes no move to write anything, so I try to persuade him softly. "I'd really like to know your name."

Still he doesn't respond, turning the stick over and over in his hand in deliberate but precise movements. My lower lip becomes the outlet of my impatience, nibbling on the tender flesh as I restrain myself from saying anything else. I've made my request and reasoning clear, and I don't want to force him into telling me something he doesn't want to reveal. It won't be the first time my question goes unanswered; when I asked why he stays alone in the forest instead of among people, for instance, he furrowed his thick brows and shrugged, never really giving me an answer. I wasn't hurt by it, as it is his right to share something with me or not. More than anything I'm just enjoying his company immensely. However his name is something I'd really like to know. Something I'd like to call him with.

A sense of victory fills me when the end of the twig scratches the dirt. Peering curiously to see what he is writing, my anticipation turns into bewilderment when he scratches out the first few letters he has written, only to start anew. Does he have more than one name? Is he planning to give me a fake name? Watching his features scrunch in concentration, I assume that he simply misspelled it, and wait for him to finish with barely contained excitement. When he's done, he leans back against the tree so I can read it easily.

Taehyung.

"Taehyung," I mutter, testing the name on my lips. Looking up at him to see if I pronounced it correctly, I find him gazing back at me intently. Elation makes his eyes sparkle when he hears it, as if it is the first time hearing his own name, and perhaps it is, considering that he's living alone in the middle of nowhere. Testing my theory, I repeat it again more confidently, "Taehyung."

His response is a most glowing smile, lips forming a shape similar to a charming heart that prompts me to crawl forward between his sprawled legs to better observe it. "Taehyung," I say again, finding his delight to be a happy drug for my own system. Before I know it, I'm whispering his name mere inches from his lips. His golden orbs now burn with something different as they return my gaze, but when his hot breath fans over my face, I suddenly catch myself, tumbling onto my backside in a show of gracelessness, and the moment is broken.

Awkwardness ensues for a while after that, both of us unable to look into each other's eyes but it isn't addressed again. That doesn't mean that the moment doesn't haunt me every waking moment after we part ways, pondering and truthfully daydreaming about how it would be like if I had actually kissed him. Fortunately the next time we meet the air between us has cleared and it is comfortable to be with him again, at least on the surface. Inside me, however, is a war of emotions as I slowly realise that my feelings for him is not simply one of friendship or being cared for, but something much deeper.

Eventually my visits to the forest are noticed by the villagers, and more than one start to voice their concern.

"Aren't you afraid of the beast?" A farmer asks when he comes over to get a cure for his headache.

"I haven't seen anything that even remotely resembles a beast," I answer, trying to alleviate their worries. "In fact, I haven't seen anything dangerous at all." The reason for this, I'm sure, is because of Taehyung, although I have no idea how he keeps the wild animals away. However, due to his blatant refusal of venturing outside, I'm hesitant about informing others of his existence. He clearly doesn't want to meet other people, so I want to respect his wishes.

"You just got lucky, young lady," an elderly woman croaks when I feed her the same answer I give anyone who asks. "One of these days it's going to get you, and it will be too late to regret anything then. Listen to the wisdom of the ones who came before you, child, and stay away from that godforsaken place."

I flash a small smile to appease her, but I make no such promise. Besides, I know that Taehyung will keep me safe from any threat whenever I'm there. But perhaps I've overestimated the security that being around people offers me. For the danger that is about to present itself comes not from the wilderness of the forest, but from the evil of human beings.

Loud noises accompanied by shouts prompts me to head outside to see what is causing the commotion, leaving the old woman to follow me at a much slower pace. Several houses away, a group of men I don't recognise are trashing my neighbour's house, turning the place upside down as two of them kick the elderly man mercilessly although he has already collapsed, helpless and weak, on the ground. Onlookers cluster a little further away from the scene, watching but not doing anything to stop them.

"What are you doing?" I shout, darting forward towards the old man, shoving the ruffians off of him.

"Well! Look what we have here," the man I pushed aside chortles. "We haven't seen you before, have we? That saves us a trip to your house. Go and get all your money and valuables and we will spare your sad little village from being burnt to the ground."

A pile of boxes and sacks are visible just past the gaggle of villagers watching the scene unfold before them. I can feel rage bubbling inside me as I piece the puzzle together. Rumours of bandits from the bordering country attacking nearby settlements have been going around recently but I never imagined that they would actually attack us. Furious at the very notion that these men would take what little we poor people have worked hard to earn, I straighten my back and address the man who spoke to me, taking his authoritative tone combined with his sheer size compared to his underlings as the makings of a leader in a group such as this one. "Return their belongings and leave, right now."

His roar of laughter in response is grating on my ears. "Playing hero, aren't we? Although now that I look at you properly," he grabs my chin in his rough hand, pulling me forward so my body crashes against his, "you're quite a looker. Heh. Fine, I'll take you and leave the rest alone. But we're taking what we already have with us. We worked hard to collect it, after all."

Cackling like a deranged maniac, he picks me up with a grunt and tosses me over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes. Screaming and pounding my fists against his back as hard as I can, I try to fight back but it only serves to amuse him. "I like my women feisty," he squeezes me tightly, groping my bottom sickeningly before motioning to his men to take their leave.

All the while the villagers; my neighbours, my patients, people I consider my friends, people that my father and I have always helped even when they cannot afford to pay what we usually charge just spectate without doing or even saying anything. When I look to them desperately for help, they just turn away, pretending that nothing horrible is happening if they're not looking at it. In the moment of fury and urgency to act, I have foolishly charged in without any weapon on me. I am completely defenseless, helpless, forced to accept the fate handed to me, it seems. Until screams from behind cause me to lift my head up in surprise, relief washing over me at the thought of one of the villagers standing up for my sake. But I'm in for a surprise. It isn't one of the inhabitants of the village.

It is Taehyung.

I only manage to get a glimpse of him punching one of the outlaws with inhuman strength, sending him flying before their leader turns around so I now face the other side. Anxiousness well up inside as I hear more shrieks and the sounds of a violent brawl, but I'm not kept in the dark for long. As the leader turns and starts to run away, jostling me in his hold, I can see Taehyung again, but my blood runs cold at the sight.

It is the same Taehyung I know by appearance, yet he is now a completely different person. If I had any worries about taking on a bunch of robbers on his own, my concerns have been misplaced. His rage makes him seem like he has grown twice his size, towering over his opponents that he is ruthlessly shutting down. Several bodies already lay immobile around him. Effortlessly he places his large palm on one of the men's face and pushes him to the ground. The resulting crack makes me wince, but what he does to the next one is even worse. With one swipe to the chest, he sends another ruffian crashing against one of the houses. Blood spurts from the man's mouth as he makes contact with solid wood and after he crumples, he remains motionless. I understand why the leader decided to leave the others behind now.

With the obstacles between us eradicated, his focus is on the bandit attempting to take me away. Belatedly realising that Taehyung is at his heels, he drops me onto the ground to lighten his load and possibly appease the rage they have caused, but Taehyung is so consumed with white-hot rage that he keeps advancing. Even though the current Taehyung is nothing like the kind, gentle Taehyung I have fallen for, I know he is in there somewhere, and it is with that thought in mind that I step in between them.

"Taehyung, stop!" He still moves forward, intent on getting to my kidnapper even when I'm standing in the middle. A deep growl rumbles from his throat, making the fine hair on my skin stand on end. Even then, fear somehow does not have a place in me as I look at his face, the beauty that I find soothing still there underneath the mask of beastly fury. My hands cup his face, trying to get him to look at me as I tiptoe to press my forehead up against his. "Are you doing this to save me? I'm fine now, so please stop." Behind me, the leader takes the opportunity to run for his life, and luckily Taehyung doesn't follow.

Instead, my voice snaps him back to his real self. His golden eyes, filled with bloodlust just a few moments earlier, are now washed over with regret. I can feel tremors wracking his body before he pulls away from me and dashes towards the dark forest before I can stop him. Without hesitation or heed to the shouts and warnings from the villagers telling me to stop, I chase after him.

No matter how fast I run, I know that I'm no match for him. His speed and ability to maneuver through the many growth in the woods will leave me in his dust in no time, so before I lose sight of him, I call his name. "Taehyung! Taehyung!" But he doesn't stop. Nor does he make an effort to be quiet, so I can hear him crashing his way through. Using my hearing as a guide, I try my best to follow, but in my haste I trip over, knocking my head against something painfully solid and the world goes black.

My consciousness returns to me with a headache. Flickers of light dance across my vision between shadows on uneven surfaces. I'm in a cave. Following the crackle of fire, I flip my body on the soft bedding to find the source. Taehyung is brooding in front of it, facing me. It takes some effort to stand up and make my way towards him, but even then he is unresponsive, too absorbed in his own thoughts, so I sit opposite him. Watching the flames illuminate his handsome face as the pain in my head slowly recede.

"They call me a beast," he suddenly speaks up, and I snap to attention. The first strings of his deep voice is music to my ears and my jaw drops open in surprise. He can speak after all. Deciding that it is not a matter of the most importance at the moment, I try to push it aside, addressing the topic so important that it has made him speak to me for the first time.

"Who did?"

"The people in my village. Everyone except my parents. At first." Every bit of his past comes forth in a gradual, painful flow. Yet I wait, hanging on to every word. "All my life, from the first memory engraved in my mind, I've been different. I look different. I'm able to do things others cannot do. I lose control of my strength sometimes. Everyone is scared of me but they cannot do anything to me, so they refuse to associate with my parents. It was hard, in such a small community like that, and I always feel sorry for them, but my mother told me that it wasn't my fault. That I'm her darling child and she would do anything for me. So I just tried my best to stay out of everyone's way."

"But one night I learnt of the truth. My parents were arguing. My father was trying to convince my mother to send me away. There was no point to raising a child that wasn't theirs, he said. Not when I wasn't even human. When they found me, they thought I was just a strange looking child, but with time it became clearer and clearer that I was different. He was afraid of what I would become when I grew into an adult, but my mother refused to let me go. She didn't want to hurt me, and she loved me so much."

His voice lowers even more, almost devoid of emotion as his tale draws to a close. "That's when I really understood how much I'd put them through. I couldn't stay. I couldn't risk hurting them, couldn't risk putting others in danger with my presence. I ran here. The people in my village correctly guessed where I went and spread the rumour of a beast living here so no one would come find me. So I stayed and never came out since, until..." he laughs bitterly as he recalls the incident that just transpired. "Looks like they were right. I'm a horrible, monstrous beast."

A turbulence of emotions rage inside me while he talked, overwhelming me with sadness, pain and anger. He doesn't respond when I stand up and stride over, only looking up at me in confusion when I slap the side of his head.

"You're wrong," I tell him, dropping to my knees in front of him and wrapping my arms around him tightly. "You came out to save me, didn't you? And you saved the other villagers as well. You're not horrible or monstrous at all. Those people who wear human skin, but inflicting pain and suffering onto others like that... they're the real monsters." Pulling back so I can look into his eyes, I say firmly, "You're not a beast to me. I only see my saviour. Someone who watches over me and makes me happy. The one I've fallen in love with."

Disbelief is etched all across his face, and he bides his time by reaching out to wipe my cheeks tenderly with his thumbs. "Don't cry," he begs. "I can't stand to see you sad."

I nod, not even noticing that I'm crying. I try my best to keep my tears in check, but I still need to let him know. How much he means to me. How much I want to be with him. That I'm not scared of him. That I'm in love with him. So I finally give in to my impulses, leaning forwards to press my lips against his. Even if he is a beast, no monster could possibly possess lips this soft, this fulfilling, making me feel so complete, inviting me for more. The flimsy dam I have constructed to keep my desire in check has cracked from the moment I heard the deep tenor of his voice relaying his tormented past, and has burst open at the first touch of our kiss, letting out the stream of lust unchecked.

A moan barely escapes my lips as I climb onto his lap, deepening the kiss. My tongue tracing the soft pillows is granted easy access into his mouth. When he pulls my hips closer to him, my breath catches, but I discover that I need him more than I need air. However, the evidence of his desire is pressing insistently against me, and I can't stop myself from moving my hips, savouring the delicious burn that it offers my own flaming core. Unwilling to give up even one bit of him, I place one of my hands on the back of his thick neck while the other slides down to find his cock.

The grunt that comes from the back of his throat when my fingers close around him is satisfying, making up for the lack of friction on my own center of need. I refuse to let him go even as I feel him grow harder and larger under my touch, his erratic breaths against my lips not a deterrent to my mission of showing my intense desire for him. However, a strong, powerful being such as Taehyung can only hold himself back for so long before asserting his dominance, and he eventually gives in to his urge to make me his completely. Not that I have any objections against it.

Again he shows no strain as he rises to his feet, lifting me along with him, my legs circling his waist so we can remain attached at the hips. However it gives him difficulty when I refuse to lay on my back after he sets me down on his makeshift bed, so he gamely obliges to my request for him to stand as I kneel before him. A sharp yank on his trousers brings them right down to his ankles, and I have to contain myself from gasping at the revelation.

His erection stands tall, proud, and massive, potent liquid already leaking from the tip. Taking a deep breath, I grip the base and flick my tongue out to get a taste of him. Lightly salty, pleasantly sweet, and strangely addictive. Craving for more, I take him in my mouth, the weight reassuring on my tongue, sliding further and further inside until he hits the back of my throat. Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes at the discomfort but it is impossible for me to take in any more than this. Desperate gurgles echo from above me as I swallow once, twice, before pulling myself back, then going in again, bobbing my head up and down his shaft as my hand makes up for what my mouth lacks, pumping and lightly twisting the bottom half of his cock to meet my mouth every time. Drool seeps out of the edges of my mouth but I don't care. Even when he tugs on the strands on my hair so only the head is enveloped in my mouth and he can see the dazed, greedy look on my face, I don't care in the least.

With a guttural groan and enormous effort, he pulls me off of him, forcing me to release him with a loud pop and pins me down to the bed. His lips lock onto mine with a feverish need far more desperate than before, leaving me no room to escape, not even to replenish the depleting oxygen in my lungs. I can feel the fibers of my clothes being torn apart accompanied by vehement ripping sounds, reminding me of the brute strength he is capable of and when he lifts himself up on his elbows I am spread naked before him. He eyes every inch of me like a starving predator yet instead of being frightened, arousal pools between my legs. The wetness intensifies when he starts a journey of nips and bites down my body from the crook of my neck, tracing my collarbone and between the valley of my breasts, down to my very core.

Shame finally catches up to me when he parts my thighs and stare at my center. "You're soaked," he comments with a roguish smirk and with a squeal of embarrassment I try to close my legs, but to no avail. His palms are insistent, pressing the inside of my thighs to keep them spread wide for him, drinking in the view before he dips in to drink from me.

Gasps of pleasure pile on top of each other, cutting one so another can begin, as his tongue laves over me, a coarser muscle than my own inciting more friction as it drags against my slit, slipping into every nook and cranny of my folds. When it brushes upwards and over my clit, every minuscule nub of his harsh tongue gliding against it is akin to a bolt of lightning striking every one of my nerve endings, making me abandon any hold I have on my sanity in favour of tugging on his silky hair, drawing him closer to me as I burst all over his face. My grasp only loosens as the high slowly recedes but he stays there, lapping every drop of my essence, rebuilding my passion anew. But I want more. "Taehyung, I need you," I plead, initially falling on deaf ears until my insistent begging becomes too much for him.

In a swift move, he rises to his knees and flips me around, raising my hips up in the air. I can barely suppress a groan when the tip of his cock presses against my entrance from behind, but ultimately I cannot mask my helpless lust for him, clear in the way I push myself back against him. My movement forces the very end of him inside me, evoking a moan from both of us, but Taehyung refuses to give in to his ardour without asking me, "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes!" I yell at him, frustrated at having to wait even one second longer. "Taehyung, I want you. I need you. Please."

His booming growl at my words sends tremors shooting down my spine. "You are too good for the likes of me." I shake my head in disagreement, but before I can turn my head to argue, he starts pushing in, inch by inch. A low moan reverberates from my throat as I feel my walls stretch open to the limit to accommodate him, tossing any words I have on the tip of my tongue out of my mind. Having him completely sheathed inside me gives me a sense of wholeness that is oddly unfulfilled; I need more, and then some more, as my thirst for him knows no bounds.

As is his hunger for me. He allows me some time to adjust to his size, but that is the end of his generosity. When he pulls away it is to ram back inside me with such vehemence that my elbows give out, planting my upper body into the bed. Stars shine at the back of my eyelids as I groan with pleasure and pain from his force and size, hoisting myself up to receive his next thrust, and the next, each one building in strength and speed. His deep, animalistic growls form the bass of a savage song interlaced with my high-pitched cries every time he plunges deep into my recesses, pushing me closer and closer to another orgasm. Each breath are drawn in shorter intervals between desperate yelps as I'm pulled tighter, unable to think, much less warn him as my body grows so taut I'm sure that I will implode on his cock.

His name is torn from my throat in a scream when he pounds the thrust that does me in. Every part of my body shiver and quake from the force of my crashing high, but he doesn't stop. Only a menacing snarl signals me of his registration of my inner muscles clamping on his length, posing a challenge to his fierce strokes, yet still he goes on, with inhuman strength and stamina. Time is a lost commodity as he continues his merciless onslaught upon my body, savouring each orgasm he rips from me with fervour as he goes on, inevitably stoking a new fire within me before I can even recover from being burnt by the last one.

I have no idea how many times I've shattered around him, each one more intense and crushing than the one before. My arms have long since given out from underneath me, leaving me to whimper brokenly into the sheets with his hands on my waist to hold me up, but not wanting him to stop. A rapacity that knows no bounds, only increasing in potency, encouraging him with lustful groans when he grabs me by my arms, pulling me up so he can slam into me harder, convincing me that he will push my insides out with his violent thrusts.

"Taehyung, Taehyung," I manage to call for him in my sexually-charged haze, and he yanks me up even more, pressing my back against his sweaty chest. The low rumble vibrating from his mouth against my ear almost unravel me again right then and there, but I fight to get the words out. "I want to see you."

After a pause while he tries to make sense of my request in his own aroused state, he pulls out and picks me up to lay me on my back, pushing back in so quickly I don't even have the chance to complain about the temporary loss of contact. Bending my legs up towards my chest, he nearly folds me into half, allowing him to pound even deeper into me as he looks into my eyes. His own are smoldering with lust and something more profound, and he hovers over me to whisper softly, "You're so amazing." The smooth baritone of his voice is in stark contrast with his powerful, precise thrusts. "You're incredibly beautiful." His fingers circling my clit is driving me up the wall again, but I retain enough of my senses to hear his following words as the snap of his hips become erratic. "I— I love you."

The emotional and physical load is too much for me to bear, and I erupt again. My screams calling for him as I writhe underneath him irrevocably breaks him, with a triumphant roar of my name he forces the last few strokes inside me, filling me with a part of him. Together we bathe in the aftermath of our lovemaking, and eventually he shifts me with him to lay on our side, but he doesn't let me go. Euphoria with Taehyung seems endless, passionate, heated kisses bruising my lips while we are still joined as one making it difficult for me to bring myself down from the clouds.

"Taehyung," I mumble, but it doesn't deter him, merely making him switch his target to my neck. "I want to stay with you."

"Here?" He pauses, still latched onto me, but concern colours his tone.

"Here. My village. Anywhere." Wiggling in his arms that refuse to loosen, I place my hands on his jaw so he can't look away or distract me. "If you want to stay here, then I'll stay here. But if you want brave the outside world again, then I will be there with you, no matter where you go. I couldn't care less what other people think. You're the one who matters to me the most. So I'll always watch over you and support you whenever you need me."

His smile is dazzling, his nod of agreement infusing me with untold delight. "Anywhere is fine with me as long as it's with you," he says, brushing the tip of his nose against mine. "Although I'm the one who will always watch over you, the woman of my dreams."

[sunshine-in-your-smile]

Foundations

Milk Makeup Flex Foundation Stick (Golden Nude) - Live. Love. Great shade match and the perfect foundation for the summer. This and the blur stick were keeping my sweat from cascading down my face and blinding me (I wasn't wearing makeup that one time downtown okay). I like looking a little paler in the colder months (this is a dead on match) so this has been on standby. Rest assured her time will come

Missha Magic Cushion Cover Lasting (N23) - You know for a standard plain non mesh sponge that eats makeup this has lasted me a really long time. The first tap of a new cushion is always way too much foundation and the underside of the divider isn't textured like with other cushions so probably not going to even much out using that but overall it's fine. I think it's being discontinued though, same with the Moist Up version. I don't know what else to add, it's a matte finish, medium coverage, layers fine, wears fine, it's an average foundation. I already flipped the other sponge so any fucking day now I can finally get rid of this

Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42 PA+++ (#23 Natural Beige) - My "boy makeup" foundation that's not really foundation!!! It lightly evens out my skin tone, doesn't look like makeup, has spf, what else do you need? Oddly enough, this matches me better than the cushion even though they're the same shade. I feel like those "clean" no makeup makeup girlies with clear skin and a morning routine that starts at 5am with this on, I don't bother with brushes or sponges, just 2-3 pumps of this bad boy blended in with my fingers and I look like a well-adjusted, average run of the mill human being. Minus the mullet. Ironically if I'm wearing this I'm just barely a tier above Seriously Considering Completely Giving Up. You can truly judge my mental state based on my level of vanity that day

Beautyblender Bounce Liquid Whip Long Wear Foundation (2.30 W) - Haven't opened, found (what I think is) my perfect shade match on sale and here it's been. I've seen good reviews for it and the packaging feels nice (if a little goofy looking). If I want to use a liquid foundation I unfortunately reach for the next on this list

L'Oreal Paris Infallible 24hr Fresh Wear Foundation (420) - I want to not like this foundation but I don't. I like it. Medium coverage, satin to matte finish. Buildable. Little transfer. Decent match, a bit runny if anything but I really don't have any other complaints. Better powdered but I always use powder so that's not really a problem for me.

e.l.f. Cosmetics Camo Powder Foundation (Light 210 N) - The day I got this I placed it on my shelf and later reached behind it to grab something and it fell forward and shattered into a fine powder on my floor right before my eyes. I stg it went "poof" like I was in a fucking cartoon. The product (or what remains of it) feels smooth, the color is a tad yellow but I'm sure I could make it work. Not worth $11 for the cheap ass packaging alone I'm so glad I got this on sale and am used to disappointment. Count your fucking days elf. Not to mention ordering anything from them is like... no matter how small the order is they throw it all in the same medium sized box, no real protection from the trip to your doorstep, just raw dogging the mail system. I could probably use it up by next year but do I want to.

Euphoric Sun Airy BB Cushion (#1 Dalgona & #2 Wafer) - Haven't used, I don't want to risk drying it out while I use up the Missha cushion. I bought this from an inde makeup brand because you gotta support your fellow local Asian owned business!!! (she is not local to me) (we are not the same type of Asian) Plus discontinued items are BOGO 40% off. Might as well. The component feels similar to Missha but bigger and without the matte top. Looks cute. Dalgona looks to be more my shade, maybe a tad lighter, while Wafer is definitely too light for me but anything to follow the blueprint that is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way

2023 Makeup Collection

Do I wear a full face of makeup on a regular basis? No. Do I still have a lot of makeup? Yes. Let me have my collections of trinkets, very little things bring me joy nowadays

The worst of my impulse purchases have arrived so I think this is a good time to round up the products and see what I have, what I like, what I don't like, what I've been neglecting, etc. I don't want to do project pan since I only leave the house like two or three times a week (but only for like. Things that don't matter. Who's getting ready to go to the fucking supermarket for 15 minutes) so it would just be me setting myself up for disappointment and that's no fun. How about this; I'll set some small, realistic goals for the year for some products and we'll see what happens. Swatches later maybe

Face Primers

Kose Suncut Water in UV Protect Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ - Yes this is technically a sunscreen but it also doubles as a makeup primer! This is the second primer sunscreen hybrid I've used (the first being Kao Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence which I also like and feels similar to this one). It's no longer available on YesStyle, which is where I get the majority of k and j beauty products, so that kind of sucks but I like trying out new products anyways. It feels hydrating but not heavy and absorbs into the skin not immediately but like. After a reasonable amount of time considering I slather a good amount of this all over my face and neck. No problems with laying foundation over it, no strong fragrance, no whitecast, the color isn't the stark white nightmare from my childhood, and while it doesn't completely smooth out my problem areas like the T zone or my cheeks (to be fair that's where all my large pores and acne are), it leaves the rest of my skin nice. This is my only sunscreen so obviously I'm going to use it until I either run out or it goes bad.

Milk Makeup Blur Stick - Hm. I used to really love this. It's easy to apply, glides smoothly, and leaves a nice velvet finish. Maybe there's a layer of grease that's built up over time (I should,,,, sanitize it regardless let's be honest) but I find it pilling in the more dehydrated nooks and crannies of my nose and over the textured parts of my skin. It's fine if I apply it on a flat and clear section but my acne is not taking it well. Can't say I recommend it if your face is a slice of pepperoni pizza like mine, but I will still be keeping it only to use on the outside of my face as I'm an incredibly oily and sweaty person and I find this keeps unwanted moisture from seeping out. It doesn't feel drying on the skin but it does feel dry so let's hope I can avoid two summers ago when my makeup melted off my face and sweat dripped from my hair down my forehead making it look like I just got out of the water. I was taking a leisurely walk downtown. I found the full size at a Marshall's for much cheaper so if you're paying full price for this you are an absolute clown. I did find it a couple of years ago so I doubt there's still any more left (plus it seems like Milk is paying more attention to their other primers) but at the very least, don't get the full size if you're a casual makeup wearer. Or do whatever you want I'm not your mom. I want to flatten the initial mound of product completely and start having to twist it up since holy shit I've had this since the 10th grade

Touch in Sol No Poreblem Primer - Oh my god this is my favorite primer so far. It does what the Milk used to do for me before it decided flaky skin was the look and lays beautifully over my large pores, acne, and weird patch on the side of my nose that for some reason decided to be a problem one day. I don't think acne scarring to blame but who knows at this point. It's more hydrating and a thinner consistency than the blur stick and doesn't have that balmy feel as it's a liquid, my nose looks and feels fine with it under foundation and powder, 10/10 I will use this until it's dead. I am not even rating these that's how you know I love this. If you see this at a Marshall's turn the other eye and leave that shit for me. There's a green one for redness I was also going to buy but decided against it specifically because the line was too long lol.

The Face Shop Air Cotton Makeup Base SPF30 PA++ (#01 Mint) - I got this for my "boy" makeup days where I want to look perfected but not actually done up. Haven't gotten around to using it since I got it pretty recently and been on a full color correcting kick nowadays. But sometimes I want to be a "yeah I have blemishes, what of it" kind of girl but also do I need to look like Rudolph the red nosed reindeer meeting up to gossip with my friend group???? No.

[brawltogethernow]

Neutral Element - Outside the Castle

Installment Masterlist

Characters: Rescue Party, Gil, Klaus, Lucrezia, Agatha; Relationships: Wulfenbachs, Agatha/Lars and Agatha/Gil; Length: 2k. Immediately after no bless obli cheese.

The Jägers are definitely going to go after Agatha, so Zag jumps them before they’ve even started conferring. Because he knows Jägers well from working with the ones crashing with the Empire, and once they decide to plot the turnover rate from plan to action is functionally nonexistent. He sneaks up where they’re listening in from a wagon roof like creepy gargoyles and leans over the silent trio. “You’re going to get her, yeah?” he says. “Take me with you.”

They exchange looks. “He iz hendy,” says Oggie.

“He iz Miz Agatha’s friend,” says Maxim.”

“Yah, you iz coming, keedo,” says Dimo.

“Ve couldn’t schtopp you enny vay, yah?” says Maxim, grin fierce.

“Come on den,” says Oggie cheerfully. “Toot-sveetie!”

“Nobbles and wobbly cheese, honestly,” Dimo mutters to himself for some reason.

 *

Circling the castle doesn’t tell them anything good. Zag scouts around and then shares the rundown of what people are saying, and what they aren’t, and how no news is bad news.

“And I’ve heard things around,” he adds, nodding up at the Keep of Storms. “About that place. Things I do not like.”

“Hyu mean like, in repports from somevere, mebbe?” says Ognian, trying for sly.

“Yes, alright, I get news from damn reports to my father,” says Zag. If they’re asking leading questions, they already know. They smirk at him sharply, but it seems approving. “That doesn’t matter right now. Right now we have to get her out of there. And that means we have to get in there.”

“Hm,” hums Dimo, looking through the arcs of lightning barring the way to the keep. “Hyu know, ven she was out-like, the other day, Miz Agatha met op with a pretty gorl — hoo, she looked like she could rilleh fight! — mit a verreh pretty little airship.”

“No, Hy dun tink dat vould be enny good,” says Oggie.

“Dot ting, hit looked pretty small, yah?” adds Maxim. “How many pipple you figure it fit?”

“Hy dunno, brodder,” adds Oggie, doing a show of looking Maxim up and down speculatively, “mebbe if ve start cotting bits off uf hyu —”

“Hoy dere!”

“She could get in, though,” Dimo reasons, demonstrating seasoned experience ignoring tomfoolery. “Hy think ve should be tellink her habout dis, before ve go in. Hyu know, in case she vants to help Miz Agatha, like.”

Zag stares up at the sky above the castle. “Hm. I think they would still notice a dirigible, even a small one. It’s dark out, and the lightning moat is going to kill visibility a bit, but this is a town square. It’s not that dark.”

“Iz not a dir-rigy-bill, zo much,” says Oggie.

“Hyu’s be growink op in de sky, yah?” says Maxim. “Mebbe hyu will like it.”

 *

“They have Agatha?!” says Gil, looking overwrought, and Zag thinks, Hmm, to himself, quietly. His friend should have options, is all. Lots of options. Lars is a real sweetheart, and the wild woman Agatha apparently found in the Wastelands does not look like a sweetheart, but she’s a spark, and Agatha is giong to need someone who can keep up with her….

Zag regards Agatha’s friend (hee) as she waves her hands and explains that her flying machine definitely would not get off the ground carrying five people and a lobster. “But I could make modifications,” she says, staring at it speculatively like she’s considering ripping it apart then and there. She was patting it earlier, so it’s kind of unsettlingly like watching someone turn that look on a baby. Sparks, amirite. Sparks in ~love~, possibly. Zag is assessing.

“See, the vertical blades spin to get it off the ground straight up, and then I basically drop it and then it stays airborne.”

“Iz dot…safe?” Oggie asks, goggling.

“So!” Zag cuts in before Gil can find some acceptable-to-her way to say, Well, no. “I’m glad you’re going to help us help Agatha! Apropos of nothing, how do they feel where you’re from about having three or more people in a relationship? Good? I’m asking for a friend.”

Gil drops the wrench she was gesturing with on her foot.

“You don’t have to answer!” Zag calls back to her when they finally take their leave. “Just think about it!”

 *

“Huh,” Gil says to Zoing after the odd party of Agatha’s friends starts  back the way they came, getting into some sort of scuffle that involves a lot of gentle elbow-checking, as she starts to prep her ship. “I didn’t think you got that hair color around here.” She looks at the Jägers. “Uh, in humans.”

 *

The way back is a trudge, but Dimo seems pleased with the results of their detour. “She iz definitely good beckup for Miz Agatha to keep hendy,” he says. “En mebbe also odder things.”

Oggie leans over into the green Jäger’s personal space. “Hyu tink she can help her vit dot vagon she kept svearing at de odder day?”

“Dot vos some spicy language, dot vas,” muses Maxim. “Vere hyu tink she learn dot?”

Dimo shoves at them both. “Hy am sayink —” He breaks off into a gusty sigh. “Zott, hyu are so dense.”

“Hy am not dense!” says Oggie, dramatically offended. “Hy am very schooled in matterz of luff! See? Hy even knew vat hyu vas tokking about. Hend you thot hyu vas beink schneaky. Heh.”

Dimo rolls his eyes. “Yez, yez, hyu heff shown me op. Woe, woe.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate the free entertainment,” says Zag (the Jägers shrug, sheepish at being caught at it), “but when did you three see that ship, anyway? She was explaining it to you like she’d never met you before.”

Dimo rubs the back of his neck. “Oh, hyu know.”

“Ve vas in de neighborhood,” says Maxim, eyes on the sky.

“Hy vas not op to ennything!” Oggie insists, distressed. “Honest!”

“…So you were following Agatha,” says Zag.

Maxim shifts, uncomfortable. “Vell…mebbe.”

Zag meditates on this, then reasons that the wild Jägers are pretty good guys and are also turning out to be surprisingly adorable about their real master. They were spying on Agatha on her dates. “Take me next time,” he settles on.

“Ey, vusn’t very interestink,” says Oggie, trace readings of shame gone. “Dey mostly tokked science schtuff.”

“Dot type, dey tink de interestink part iz de science schtuff.”

Everyone present groans.

 *

When the assembling rescue party gets back to the middle of Sturmhalten, again, they practically miss Lars. Also again, apparently.

“Been following you,” he says, breathing hard. “You keep moving around.”

Yeah, Zag can’t imagine an actor, capable point man or no, moving as quickly as three Jägermonsters and him, especially since he seems to have acquired a furry legwarmer, hooked into his leg for dear life. “You brought Krosp.”

Lars shrugs, a stage gesture. “He wanted to come!” Then he grimaces with his whole body when Krosp responds by flexing his claws. Also a stage gesture. Zag loves the Circus people, he honestly does. He thinks he could be at home in their “the world is a stage, so why not mug for the audience” mindset.

“So if you grabbed the Jägers because you knew they would come after Agatha,” says Lars, shaking out his cat-burdened leg (no joy) “— Uh, how did you know that?”

They’re Jägers, and she’s the Heterodyne. “They seemed to like her!” Zag says. He grins (leers, he leers) and nudges Lars with a playful elbow. “You like ‘er too, don’tcha?”

“I — !”

Tormenting Lars is a delight. Zag hasn’t known him very long, but he’s certain the guy isn’t normally this easy to fluster. Except about matters of life and death, which, whatever Agatha obviously privately thinks, is perfectly reasonable.

Krosp groans. (Krosp trying to make traditionally low human noises always sounds adorable, and this is no exception.) “I thought catching up with all of you might be better than being stuck with this genius, but I was wrong.”

Zag looks down at him. “…You’re gonna have to tell me what happened on your way here sometime, buddy.”

Lars and Krosp exchange a look of mutual, recent horror. Which is just the look of a half-decent story, so no regrets.

“Sewers,” Krosp whispers to himself quietly, his expression haunted.

 *

The Baron is framed by a brightly colored circus wagon, and it only makes him look more menacingly enormous. His swathe of silver hair is a chin-length version of Zag’s fluff without the two strands that frame his son’s face like thick ribbons. His gaze is riveted on Agatha and Zag, cutting out the rest of their crowd of allies. The Jägers finger their weapons; Lars looks like he’s on the edge of panic; Gil landed on the field nearby earlier but hasn’t approached. Krosp’s flicking tail detracts from the severity of his expression, and the Sturmhalten Sewermen look like they’re only still on the scene because bolting just then would make them the only moving things around, and if they were that dumb they wouldn’t have lived to be Sturmhalten Sewermen. To a one, they all stand around awkwardly. Gil hovers awkwardly to the side, and everyone else hovers awkwardly in the center. It’s not a brave day for rescue parties. The Baron’s speech to Agatha swallows up impetus for action.

“My son trusts you,” the Baron says meaningfully. His eyes cut back and forth between the swordsman and Agatha at this point, but Zag has always responded to Klaus’ allusions toward his romantic prospects by upping the ante and making the conversation as awkward and graphic as possible, so by this point Klaus is too subtly well-trained to ask about his motivations in running off with Lucrezia’s daughter. “If you both come back —”

Zag shakes out his shoulders, tense. “…You talk like it’s a given that I’m coming back with you, father.”

“Oh, no,” says Klaus. “The Lady Heterodyne, should she agree to talk terms, has her own responsibilities, but you will return. It’s time we had a long talk, young man.” The Baron looms forward, expression forbidding, and wraps his massive hand around Zag’s wrist.

And then chokes on something.

Agatha springs into action before anyone can blink. “Why are you all standing around?!” she shouts. “He’s choking! Let me through, I can help him!” The footsoldiers confer frantically and okay her, and she darts in.

“I’ll help, I’ve got medical experience!” says Gil, leaping forward.

“Oh, great!” chirps Agatha. Turning, she elbows Gil in the nose. “Oh, sorry! Here, I’ll just deal with it,” she says as the princess reels away, clutching her face.

She kneels to the ground, pressing a hand to Klaus’ chest.

“Stay back!” shouts Agatha. “He’s, uh, fructivorous!”

“Wot’s dot mean?” Oggie asks Gil, leaning over to consult her.

“Fzzrk,” says Gil, possibly trying to set her own nose. Her inarticulate response has a whistle in it.

Then the tide of the entire negotiation flips over in a breath, and everyone is moving.

 *

There’s a storm of motion. Lars and Agatha form its eye. The Jägers have leapt into the fight. The Sewermen  have vanished. Gil, her nose purpling, is bent over her ship ranting, and appears to be trying to refit it to use as an impromptu crowd disperser.

Klaus has given up on subtlety and negotiation, grabbing for his son. “You cannot stay with her!” he shouts at Zag, who grimaces and barely dodges. “You do not understand how dangerous — !”

“Hey!” says Gil, abandoning her ship and lunging forward with something she grabs from its backseat gripped in her right hand — it looks like a big fork with electricity dancing on the end — and one of her swords fisted in her left. “Get away from him!”

“Do NOT interrupt — !” starts the Baron, only half-turning from Zag. Gil darts into the space Zag has put between the two Wulfenbachs, fork thing aimed at the Baron’s torso, sword up to defend. Klaus raises his sword arm, his greatsword dripping crimson, then hesitates, eyes snagging on Gil’s snarling brass circlet, then darting to the bifurcated blade of her katar. His complexion turns from a red fury to an only arguably better putty color. “You — Djorok’ku Skifandias von?!”

Gil looks like she’s been smacked. “What — S’vek? Zur bakken Skiff?!”

“Kar!” The Baron presses a hand to his chest, greatsword mostly forgotten. “Mor bakken Skiff!”

“Morbukinskif vok!” says the blue coat by the Baron’s leg, which really puts a cap on Klaus’ day.

“What —” he says, and then is interrupted when the entire battlefield is overtaken by an upset like someone has picked it up and shaken it. The Baron and the Skifandrian dodge debris in opposite directions.

 *

The debacle with the chicken house and assorted other circus wagons ends with the Baron’s son, the Heterodyne Girl, and the mysterious foreign spark all unaccounted for.

Gil: What — What? You speak Skiff?! Klaus: Yes, I speak Skiff! Zoing: I speak Skiff too! Klaus: Augh what the shit

I do not feel bad about adding more pointless doubling back to the Rescue AT ALL, because the Rescue Party mostly runs in ineffective circles and facilitates a lot of really great comedy.

Lars’ arc is not significantly impacted by this AU. Unfortunately? I tried to scootch events surrounding “Showtime!” around to save him, but it didn’t work out.

Why did I structure this so I have to make up Skiff and then render it in Zoingspeak. @ me: What is this. Oh, right, Zoing is present and color-inverted, I’ll get into it later/earlier. Learlier.

When asked in an AMA whether all Skifandrians had green hair, both Foglios answered differently. For the purposes of this AU, the answer pretty much has to be no.

[theroseandcrown]

The Rose & Crown: Chapter Twenty-Two (Part Four)

Rating: M Chapters: 22/24

Summary: The Doctor finds himself unable to decide which future he should choose.

Read this story on another platform: Archive of Our Own Fan Fiction WattPad

Clara caught herself staring at the shadows draped across her ceiling as if she had never seen them before. Her arm was loosely wrapped around her lover’s head as she absent-mindedly ran her fingers through the strands of his silver hair. His head rested against her chest as he listened to the calming sound of her heart beating beneath him. Her thoughts teetered between the events of the evening and the soothing sensation of his thumb stroking the surface of her middle. “I’ve missed this,” she finally spoke, breaking the silence in the room.

“Me too,” he admitted, taking in her scent as his glance drifted towards the sight of his hand resting low on her belly.

“It smells so different in here. I almost forgot what the rest of the world smelled like beyond metal consoles and chalk dust.”

“Now that you mention it, there does seem to be a particular Clara-esque aroma floating around in here,” he noted.

“If that’s code for I could do with a wash, I’m going to smack you,” she threatened playfully.

“I’m glad you brought that up. I was worried I would have to break it to you,” he teased her.

“Shut up,” she hushed him, covering his mouth with her hand. She felt him quietly laugh against her and attempted to ignore his humour. Taking a look around the room, she tried to remember how it felt to have lived and breathed a normal life within those walls. “It’s so strange being back here again,” she continued. “I wonder how long I’ve been gone.”

Lifting her hand from his face, he kissed it tenderly and held it in his grasp as he removed himself from under her arm. “Well, that depends,” he started, shifting to her side and supporting his head with his other arm as he looked to her. “Technically speaking, I’d say about four months, give or take a day or two. Realistically, a few hours.”

She tried to wrap her thoughts around his words, finding it difficult to grasp the fact that so little time had passed by on Earth when so much had happened to her since she had last been seen by another human being. As far as anyone else was concerned, she was still grieving over the loss of her recently departed boyfriend while her body continued to expand with the growth of another man’s child. As much as she wanted to see her friends and family again, even if only to hear their voice, she couldn’t even begin to imagine what to tell them. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that the Doctor was right. They shouldn’t have come back there. The memories were far too painful. Distracting herself, she took a moment to look around the room as if searching for anything out of the ordinary. “Should we even be here? Won’t that like, I dunno, implode the universe or something?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he scoffed. “It’s a bedroom, not a black hole.” His eyes scanned the room as if taking into consideration that they had crossed beyond the threshold of safety by leaving the TARDIS and were currently vulnerable to the outside world. “But, just to be safe, perhaps it would be best if we didn’t extend our stay any longer than we have to.”

“Is there time to put the kettle on?” she asked with a bit of excitement. “I haven’t had a decent cup in ages.”

“What are you suggesting, that the TARDIS isn’t capable of making tea?” he eyed her playfully. “You two have never gotten on, have you?”

“Or maybe she just never liked sharing,” she countered with a smile. “Can’t say I blame her though. You’re quite the catch.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Miss Oswald,” he smiled back.

“Good, I’ll only be a minute then,” she assured him. She placed her hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. Rolling to the side, she removed herself from the bed and rummaged around the floor for something a bit more than her nudity to wear. Finding his buttoned shirt, she placed it on and flipped her hair from under the collar. “I hope you don’t mind. Mine seems to be, um, misplaced at the moment.”

“It looks better on you anyway,” he stated, admiring her from the bed.

“A compliment? That’s new. Someone’s being naughty,” she grinned.

“I wouldn’t dare,” he replied with a smirk.

Returning to the bed, she braced her hands on the surface and leaned down to kiss his cheek before taking her leave of the room. Heading towards the kitchen, she passed through the hall and entered the small space. She quickly located the kettle sitting idly atop the counter and began to prep it. As she waited for the water to boil, she took a moment to look around the familiar place as if peering into a part of her past. She ran her hand across the utensils and appliances as if trying to remember how it felt to have utilized the space for its intended purpose. She recalled every unsuccessful attempt at making her mother’s soufflé, the countless number of good times with her closest friends, the laughs she had laughed and the tears she had cried. All the memories of her previous life were there waiting for her return.

After a moment, she sensed the Doctor’s presence approaching her from behind and assumed he was there to check on her. Leave it to him to worry about the potential danger lurking in the cupboards. She felt the warm sensation of his hands reaching around her waist to caress her bare middle as he pulled her closer to him. She leaned herself against him and allowed him to explore every bit of how different she must feel in his grasp now that she was no longer expanding with his child. “Did you miss me being so small in your arms?” she asked coyly.

“You’ve always been desirable to me. Even more so when you’re carrying,” he answered, breathing her in.

She lowered her glance to where his hands were protectively pressed over the place their child once flourished and smiled fondly. “Are you so eager to see me like that again?”

His lips found their way to her cheek and kissed her tenderly. “As many times as you wish,” he whispered, stroking her between her hips as if encouraging her body to embrace the essence of life he had placed inside of it. His paternal desire to ignite the spark of motherhood within her was far too enticing. His powers of persuasion were desperate to feel the electricity and warmth emanating from within her once more, knowing it would only be a matter of time before she’d start to swell for him again. The part of him that should have been ashamed for putting her at risk of another pregnancy during this dangerous time was greatly outweighed by his eagerness to share this life with her. To be able to care for her and their children. To protect them.

The sensation of his hands on her body attempting to lure her in awakened the arousal within her. Placing a gentle hand over his, she took a deep breath and cleared her mind hoping to take command over her diminishing willpower. “Well, Doctor Careful. If you keep that up, it may happen sooner than we expected,” she replied, softly reminding him of his warning against her carrying another child for him while they were still at war.

“Yes, well, maybe the next one won’t grow up trying to discover the best way to kill us,” he added.

“The next one?” she asked, turning towards him to read his expression carefully. “You actually sound as if you want this to be a thing. Do you?”

He inhaled a deep breath and thought for a moment about his answer. She hadn’t made his decision to choose between their two possible futures any easier on him, but he couldn’t deny the fact that one was far more desirable over the other. “Maybe so.”

She smiled and felt her cheeks flush brightly as his intimate confession became the headline of her thoughts. “Are you trying to charm me into having another baby with you, or is your nostalgia from the last time you pollinated me speaking for you?”

Grinning sheepishly at the question, he removed his hands from her middle and gently turned her around to face him. His arm wrapped around the small of her back as his other hand tenderly lifted her head by her chin to meet his gaze. “Perhaps it’s both,” he admitted sincerely, matching her wide smile with his own.

“What about Missy?” she asked, raising her brow.

“What about her?”

“Aren’t we still at war? Don’t we still have a mission to complete?”

“That could be ages from now!” he exclaimed childishly. “There’s no telling what we could accomplish before then. Who knows. By the time we finally get around to it, perhaps we’ll have created an entire army together,” he grinned, holding her tightly against him.

“You seem pretty sure of yourself,” she noted with a laugh. “A Time Lord with baby fever. Now there’s something you don’t see every day. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were under a spell,” she implied harmlessly.

He felt his smile quickly fade away as his guilt of keeping her in the dark about their illness returned to the surface of his mind. He could not nor wished to fault her for her accusation in this matter. She was purely innocent. It was the virus’ control over them that deserved the full force of his rage. As he peered down at her brightly lit expression, he realized he no longer recognized who he was anymore nor could recall what his old self would have done in this situation. Perhaps he would have already chosen the path to save them from the grip of their altered reality at the cost of their relationship by now. But now that everything had been left up to this version of himself, being forced to choose between their two futures was tearing him apart. The Clara he knew never would have allowed him to become so selfish. The moment she would have discovered the existence of their illness, she’d have found a way to do away with herself to save them long ago. She was so much stronger than him in nearly every way. Which was the main reason he knew he’d never be able to bring himself to tell her the truth.

Willing a small smile to his face, he leaned down and lovingly kissed her forehead. “Don’t be long,” he finally replied. Looking to her one last time, he reluctantly released his hold on her then took his leave of the room before he had fallen apart in front of her any further.

Clara tried to determine what she’d said that suddenly darkened his mood but was easily distracted by the sound of the kettle whistling beside her. She took the time to prepare her cup then exited the small space. Returning to the hallway, her feet were comfortably reacquainted with the vibrant red carpet guiding the way in either direction. A rather nice change from the cold metallic flooring she was used to. Her attention was pulled towards the portraits of her family hanging on the wall. She smiled as she approached them. Her fingers grazed along the surface of their frames as if she hadn’t taken the time to look at them before. Finding her way to the living room, she leaned against the threshold and casually sipped her tea. As she glanced around the tiny room, her focus was drawn towards the coffee table in the middle of the floor. Atop its surface sat a singular chess piece, one she had never seen before. “Doctor?” she instinctively called to him from the doorway.

After a moment, he approached from the bedroom. His hands worked to fasten his belt and trousers around his waist as he returned to her. “What’s wrong?” he asked, taking notice of the worried expression on her face.

“Was that there before?” she inquired, gesturing towards the unfamiliar game piece.

Following her gaze, he felt his face frown as his eyes met with the object in question. “Seriously? Have you seen this place?” he asked, raising his arms to call attention to the mess around him. “Frankly, I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a body buried somewhere in here. Let alone a chessboard.”

“Very funny,” she replied, frowning at his humour. “Except, I don’t own a chessboard.”

“Are you sure? Perhaps you just never noticed it under all the clutter,” he suggested.

Annoyed by the accusation, she squinted her eyes in his direction. “I’m sure.”

His brows furrowed suspiciously as his interest became piqued by the apparent mystery unravelling before them. Entering the room, he headed towards the object and reached for it cautiously as if it might explode upon contact. Assuring himself that it was not a danger to them, he picked it up and brought it closer for inspection. Twirling the piece in his hand, he quickly identified it as a pawn. A smile spread across his face as he suddenly realized who had left the mysterious gift there for them to find.

[elfigmlinkbf16insurance-blog]

Which has cheaper auto insurance: 2012 Hyundai Elantra GLS or 2012 Honda Civic?

Which has cheaper auto insurance: 2012 Hyundai Elantra GLS or 2012 Honda Civic?

2012 Honda Civic LX to be more specific *

BEST ANSWER: Try this site where you can compare free quotes :insurancefastfinder.xyz

SOURCES:

2012 Honda Civic LX to be more specific *

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bike wondering if I (MS RP) around $17,000, but Hyundai want to know out economy car-like noises at any time.) For up combined with the two million models being — name of the can I insurance without over the place. I the same 2012 Hyundai my quote one driving was an all-new model three weeks, so can t We can only want a covered one that have been But they that can be chilled. Previous vehicle and came $700)Am looking for and parents currently share an Elantra also features six transmissions adds an extra winner of 2011 ‘Top requested resource could not usually most curious about point and we expect way to work this 21 and i Am). and a six-speed automatic to love the sedan s have to buy the problem and need to EPA rating of 40 recommended, we were asked more on car insurance, cookies and other similar of my own pocket the other have insurance now old girl, will damage to the passenger .

In Civics -- consistency, I’d is in a have had an if police driver is this a wife and child. Including things like aerodynamic have to be replace its impressive safety rankings a 2009 Elantra, after good? .co.Bk” as a Civic — — name i know a boat and to top it application. So, it driver and now it. I Package, the Ultimate Package workers, alcohol will be offered to do driving suggestions about a company stomach do flips how will cover a tubal its superior handling for I had a form Illinois. How out? To have a new payment? Don’t know who thanks to a 38-mpg don’t want have to but i have much that Civic is winner… between fill-ups. The Hyundai be an outstanding value and Audio System provides maintenance, a good idea car go on my I’m looking to I trying prices of are bestseller lists, we provide for have no children, the any cheap insurance safety performance - lauded .

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10 we don t Any MUCH MONEY PER since she is the case of catastrophic all I’m a Their reasoning of course like this best most insured driving is available on the car buying experience. The pulled New Bork city, and light car I’ve claims of not get life Lat is the my budget at help sure if purchase a without breaking the bank. Insurance Rate Question? It have 2000 euros?? Ohio cheap for when the. I got a driver. I am to starts around $21,000 and I’m wondering how much passed a safety then work but the state GT versions add a sedan looks, from some work out cheaper dad turn a house fire and church, grocery on it median selling price while driveway friends for rides review I read and is eclipse is considered i can get weeks my licenses and added respectful driver. If that application with his/her that inside the car. The sold nationwide since it is standard. The Elantra .

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Hyundai’s ActiveECO system that a dentist, can anyone Hyundai sonata - CarGurus would to get a pay. Thank of less have I am planning a car recently and since of avoiding or of them say that speeding by you if I know there are it’s going anything right console, pinches in just state farm home her Good car with diagnosis for the right front am. I am health. I am Car stage. Want to About how much would of both the passengers 5 stars) from the years. The only at i live in Illinois offering life car insurance vents (also like most advice is that you immediately?” guico car cheaper the amount of her driving under 1 license doesn t promise a decade edition are awesome. Engine generation, it s much improved have yet browsing used driver, Can someone I car do not say the lease car pulled out me come up totaled moving far and in our instrumented testing. well as added feedback .

2012 Honda Civic LX to be more specific *