#its been so long that i forgot the ship name nature is recovering

[trying-to-fight-it]

[aryareyes]

***

Title : The way your eyes burn my soul

Pairing : Gruvia

Summary : Surprise!

Spotlights were shinning brightly, illuminating the dark interview hall, but what set the hall on fire was the audience's energetic ovation.

At the center of the hall, the interviewer, a beautiful young woman was smiling ear to ear, in front of her, her guests of the day, the best duo of the Pop world were seated, delighted matching grins on their faces.

- " Welcome to Pep Talk! Today's a very special day for us because we've our favorite Pop duo, Gray and Juvia with us!!"

The crowd whistled and cheered again as the two stars bowed their head respectfully to the crowd.

- " Thanks Mira, it's our pleasure to be here." The raven haired man answered as he flashed a grin to the public, making girls squeal.

- " Gray's right! We're very happy to be here!" The blue haired girl added, clad in her navy cocktail dress.

Again the crowd cheered but it was mostly male public this time. Mirajane smiled at the public and shifted her attention back to the duo.

- " So, Gray, Juvia, first of all, Congratulations for your last album, Icy Waves. It's a mega huge success! But most importantly, your fans—no actually, people who I know that don't like pop are into it after listening to that album. How do you feel about it?"

The female artist waited for the applause to end before talking,

" We are really glad to hear that." She chuckled contently, a glance at her partner before trailing, "Gray and I worked hard on it...and it was our first album together so..."

- " She worked extra hard for it," Her partner added as she shook her head playfully glaring at him. He smiled as he added, " It was her idea, so Icy waves wouldn't be possible without Juvs here." He winked at the girl, earing a smile in return.

- " He's exaggerating, its our team work."

- " Of course not." He rolled his eyes in response.

Mira chuckled at their bunter eyeing them carefully. Let's get my very wanted scoop.

- "I'm sure your fans love your teamwork. Now, let's talk about this particular song..." she started grinning slowly, earning some whistles and the name of the single from the crowd.

- " Looks like they want the same... The way your eyes burn my soul..." The interviewer paused glancing at the young stars who's cheeks were flushing slightly—at least Juvia's—Gray was doing a great job hiding it.

Mirajane Strauss cleared her throat slightly, getting their attention.

" Your voices...the feel in the song is..." she sighed softly looking for the right word, "...Magic...How did that magic happen?" She asked sincerely.

- " You said it, magic. I guess magic happens in music." Gray answered cleverly, shrugging.

- " I think that answer is too vague Gray," Mira chuckled imploring him to continue.

Gray's lips tugged up as he slid in a more comfortable position on the couch.

- " Recently at your album's success party, there were rumors of the two of you dating, so is it safe to assume the magic wouldn't have happened without that?"

Juvia smiled softly, adorable rosy hues adorning her cheeks.

- " Yes, I think it wouldn't have been magic if there's no feel in it."

Gray's smile turned into something genuine as his eyes were fondly looking over his girl beside him.

- "Are we lucky enough to get more details about it then?"

- " it, here means song right?" Gray lifted an eyebrow playfully earning some chuckles.

- " Definitely the song, but Juvia mentioned something about feel." Mira retorted with a mischievous smile, "So, I'd say the magic of the song—or love."

Gray scoffed. The audience cheered louder.

No wonder she was known for the title of the sweet devil.

Nonetheless, he responded with a natural expression. Years of experience of being the center of spotlights learned him to keep his cool in any kind of situation. He knew to give what the public wants to hear without revealing too much about his personal life neither.

- " We've known each other for a very long time. We'd each other's back through the thick and thin of our careers...so our friendship turned into something more, and I'm truly happy with the change."

The crowd went crazy and Juvia blushed slightly. He looked at her with a soft smile who smiled back brightly. God, she's so beautiful. He thought.

- " Heard that you guys! We were right! Our lovebirds here are dating!" Mira exclaimed in delight—she's a gruvia shipper after all.—" I guess it's time to say—excuse me for my language— Fucking Finally! "

People erupted more into cheers and whistles and chanted their favorite pop stars' ship name. Once the audience calmed down, the interviewer started talking again.

- " Well honestly, almost everyone were shipping you two together since forever and your chemistry is just so perfect. We felt it in the song." She stated as the stars thanked her and their fans.

- " So, now that you got your answers and I've my scoop, let's move to the fun part, shall we?" She continued cheerful with a glance at the public.

- " I don't feel it." Gray stated frowning and Juvia laughed at it.

- " The game is called 'tas-quest.' It's very simple. I'll ask you both questions concerning your partner which you've to answer honestly. Same goes with the tasks."

The two of the nodded and proceeded to play the game.

- " Okay. First question is for Juvia. Who's Gray's crush?"

- " Ouch. You sure want our couple to last?" The said guy retorted with fake mock. "I don't have any other crushes than my girlfriend, right here." He blow a kiss in her way but Juvia hit his arm, glaring at him playfully.

- " Babe. What?"

She huffed with a grin and turned to Mira, " He's a crush on his childhood friend."

- " What?! That was years ago! I was eight! And she's married now, thank you very much." He crossed his arms with a huff.

- " It's still a crush." She argued back.

- " She's a point." Mira smirked as Gray glared at her.

- " Your turn, who's the most jealous between the two of you?"

- " Obviously Juvia." The male singer laughed though his companion she gasped offended at him.

Mira bit back a chuckle as she looked at the young couple in amusement. Juvia pointed a finger at her boyfriend, "You got jealous of a fan on our last concert." 

Gray crossed his arms with a roll of eyes. " He was too close."

- " Because he wanted to take a photo." She retorted with a scoff.

- " Yeah right. He invaded your private space and I protected you being the charming boyfriend I am." Gray muttered under his breath, not loud enough for the fans to here but Juvia and Mira did. The latter smirked while the female singer rolled her eyes but allowed a smile.

He was too cute when he was jealous.—She thought endearingly. Without a word she placed her hand on the his that was resting in the bare space between them and caressed it to smooth him. It worked as he gave her a look and she smiled. He turned his aside fighting back a smile of his own.

The reporter cleared her throat to her their attention, "Moving on to the next  quest—oh it's actually a task for Juvia." She set her gaze on the girl who hastily pulled her hand away.

- " Yes ?"

- " You've to admit to Gray three of your secrets concerning him that you never would have told him." That earned chuckles and whispers.

- " Now it's interesting. I'm all ears Juvs. " He crossed his arms in curiosity, a playful gleam in his eyes.

- " Oh god, tell me I've a joker." She groaned in response—"Nope." Gray and Mira said at the same time.

Juvia pouted, "If I tell him my secret then it's no more a secret."

The sweet devil giggled, " That's basically the point of the game." The girl pouted more but turned her body slightly to her partner who was looking at her amused.

- " I've always found you cuter when you're sleeping...because you're messy, relaxed and actually a kid." She smiled tenderly at him as his cheeks tinted slightly. Their fans cooed. "...So I may have or may not have snapped pictures of you while sleeping." It was her turn to blush as he recovered from his flustered state to smirk at her handsomely.

- " Will we get some of them? " Mira interrupted.

- " Absolutely not." Juvia chuckled, "They're mine." The young girls sighed heavily but grinned at their favorite couple.

- " Next secret Wat'drop." Gray raised an eyebrow challengingly.

- " I stole one of your hoodies a few months ago and got to know recently that it's your favorite since you went through your room for it." She admitted with a cute frown.

- " Wait. My Detective Conan?" He asked in disbelief. His girlfriend bowed her head. " Guilty." She looked up at him again, " You're mad?" He rolled his eyes at her cuteness. How could he be mad at her when she was looking like that?

Instead of giving her a verbal answer, he ruffled her hair affectionately. Juvia smiled and promised herself to find him the real one he was looking for—the one he had that she stole (because she missed him too much), was not the one he wanted originally. The stocks wore off as it was a limited edition and he got himself the closest thing to the original. So, she would  buy him the one originally he wanted.

- " You guys are really cute together!!" Their interviewer squealed as she looked at them and the crowd agreed with her.

They thanked her and Juvia proceeded to the last secret with a groan. "Arghh...I can't believe I'm confessing this to you on a live show."

Gray's eyebrow lifted, " That much secret?" He frowned concerned, " You don't need to tell it."

Juvia shook her head, " No, I should play fair." She mumbled as she stared around at her fans and smiled at them. She then squeezed Gray's hand and locking her eyes on him.

- " I had a crush on you from the very first day I met you." Gray's eyes widened slightly, surprise written all over his face. They forgot they got a loud audience as he blinked at her.

- " Really?"

- " Really." She said softly. He leaned to her side, and kept his voice low. The public didn't notice their murmurs as they've gone wild since Juvia's confession.

-" I don't understand...you didn't like me back then..." He frowned. Juvia gave him a look that meant 'later'.

Mira cheered and turned to them,

" Thanks for playing fair Juvia! You're awesome!"

- " Well, it's almost time. I've a last..." She looked at the small card in her hand before looking back at Gray. " task for Gray."

- " Tell us three things you like the most about Juvia." A gentle smile crossed his features as he glanced at his girl before facing Mira.

- " I think the list is long but I'll keep it short..." He held a hand up, enumerating. " She's one of the most talented and dedicated person I know. Whether it's job or studies or other common things, once she gets into it, she's determined to finish it and gives her hundred percent in everything she does. She's a hard worker and I honestly think that's the reason of her success."

Juvia was touched by his words as she stared at the man she loved talking about her so highly and proudly. She knew why she loved him so much.

- " She's a very good friend—she's this kind of friend who you would call if one day you committed a murder and don't know what to do about it. She'll help you bury the body and get you safely out of the mess." Juvia along with others laughed at his statement.— "Not that I'm planning to murder someone." He added and Juvia laughed more, leaning into him before giving him a look that meant, 'call me if you do'.

- " I guess what I'm trying to say is, she's trustworthy and be there for you through thick and thin. The kind of friend everyone needs to have in their life and I'm grateful to have her in mine." He got everyone's heart with that—if he didn't already had—as they stared at him in awe.

Gray turned to Juvia and locked his eyes with hers as he was about to say his last one. " What I love the most about you is how you look at me. You look at me as if I was your world and you love me so freely and so...easily. You accept my imperfections and love me for myself and not because I'm a star..." He held her hand and pulled her up with him as she started tearing up despite trying hard to not cry. Gray smiled lovingly at her—the one he only reserved for her and never showed in public. " Thanks for loving me, Wat'drop."

Without minding the public—because she saw only him—she brought a hand to his face and he leaned in her touch still giving her that loving look. She smiled, her heart and mind racing as her whole being was consumed of an overwhelming love for the man standing before her. She leaned in and pressed her lips against his in a sweet, soft kiss that sent the room shaking in fan's wild ovation.

When the lovebirds departed from each other with matching grins, hands still intertwined, Mira almost fainted but managed to end the show with hearts in her eyes.

*

The young couple was in the back of Gray's car as they were been driven back to their respective homes. Juvia was asleep on his shoulder as he kissed her head and stroked her hair tenderly. She's been working on her new album for the past week when they just finished their album and even before the interview, she was asked in her studio. He knew that she barely had enough for the past months. Gray was grateful to his production house to be on vacation but it's not the case for Juvia. She's to work for at least a week or two before her own holidays. Thankfully, he would be still on holidays by that time, hence he'd already planned their vacation—It was a surprise for her.

Half an hour later, Gray was carrying his girl to his bed in his penthouse slowly to not disturb her sleep. He lied her gently on it and proceeded to take her heals off and stripped himself, leaving only his boxers before climbing up in the bed with her. Juvia almost immediately clung to him like a koala, her head placed on his chest, a leg on his and an arm across his stomach. With a soft smile, he wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her to him.

- " Are you sure you don't want to get comfortable before sleeping?" He whispered after a moment. She only tightened her hold on him. Gray rolled his eyes and ran a hand in her hair as he stared down at her.

- " I know you're awake Juvs."

- " Why didn't you change my dress?" Her voice was muffled due to her position as she buried her face in his neck. "I don't mind it. It's just you."

Gray's heart skipped a beat and he rubbed circles on her bare arms.

- " I respect you too much to take advantage of you while you're sleeping." He murmured.

She raised her head up with a yawn but gave him a sleepy smile. "Gray, changing my dress to make me comfortable on bed is not taking advantage of me. You're my boyfriend so it's basically your right." He returned her smile, tucking a strand behind her ear to stare into her beautiful blue orbs.

His smile turned soon into a gorgeous smirk. Oh boy. Juvia flushed and  shivered in his hold as his hand pulled the straps of her dress slowly. His eyes were intense on her as he murmured, "Why, I don't have a problem stripping you Wat'drop." His fingers caressed her bare shoulders burning her skin as they went by.  "In fact, I prefer you naked around me." His lips trailed from her ears to cheeks down her jaw and Juvia placed her hands on his chest to push back slightly to stare down at him with an adorable pout.

- " You're such a pervert." She murmured. He pecked her lips in response before looking at her innocently. " I'm using my boyfriend rights here." She hit his chest lightly with a soft frown that turned into a smile, wiggled out of his hold ignoring his protests.

- "Close your eyes boyfriend."

- " Nope." Gray grinned back as he found the perfect position to stare at her, his eyes trailing to her bare neck and shoulders as she held the dress to her chest.

Juvia glared at him for a moment and he held her stare before she shrugged. Gray's eyes widened as she let her dress fall and pool around her feet and stood before him, clad only in her undies. He openly gaped at her too surprised to react as he took her in.

Gray knew Juvia was beautiful. He's known her for almost six years now and he'd seen her in daring dresses before.—it was part of the job. But right now, she was actually standing in his room, in his arm length, only in her navy matching underwear. She was a goddess. Before he could even process what was happening, her hand was unclasping her bra and Gray hurriedly turned to the other side, cursing as Juvia's laugh filled the room.

He was a goner if he saw her naked. He wouldn't be able to not jump her after so Gray shut his eyes tight and pushing away the amazing vision he just saw into the back of his mind as he waited for the little tease of his girlfriend to finish changing.

A moment later the bed shook and her arms slipped around his torso from behind as she placed her face on his cheek. He felt her bare legs slipping on his and he knew that she was wearing his t-shirt. He could handle it. He'd already seen her in his clothes and she's very—Stop right there, Gray.

- " Comm'o look at me..." She chuckled, "...I'm not naked—

- " Shut up." He groaned. She placed a few kisses on his cheek with a smile and after a moment, he finally turned on his back. She smiled brightly at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

- " I love you." She whispered and kissed his jaw before tucking her face under his chin.

- " I love you too Wat'drop." He kissed her head squeezing her to him.

- " You said sweet things at the interview." She murmured.

- " I was being honest." He said as he caught her looking at him lovingly—as if he was her world. "And I meant every word."  She was his world.

She hummed happily and closed her eyes. His arms were her safe, warm cocon. Her place.

-" Speaking of interview..." she lifted her head up in question, crossed her arms on his chest and placed her face on it, staring at his face.  " You said something about crush." His lips tugged up and her own tugged hp in a slow smile under his curios gaze.

Juvia cupped his face with a hand and smiled adoringly down at him. " I had a crush on you in high school. Remember our first meet?"

He recalled it with a fond smile, " You fell on me with books dropping on us. There's so much dust and we started sneezing and the old librarian was yelling at us like a mad woman."

The blue haired girl chuckled happily. " Well, I guess I didn't only fell on you that day but also fell for you."

Gray's eyes widened, " You loved me back then?" His heart thumping against his chest and he was sure that she could hear it, judging by her smile.

- " I thought it was a crush at first. You were so handsome and—"

- " Were?" He raised a teasing eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "—are and I just liked looking at you..." her eyes locked with his in a playful gleam. " That is until I knew that you were my rival in everything. Literally everything!" She groaned dropping her head on his chest. "It was so annoying. You always beat me in one point or just behind me in a point. So annoying!"

Gray snorted rubbing her back. " I was not used to have a competitor and I hated to lose." She mumbled before lifting her head to face him.

" You hate to lose too." He chuckled but didn't say anything letting her rant about how annoying it was to be constantly on war with him in high school.

- " But I loved bickering with you. I couldn't spend a day without bantering with you. Really." She looked up at him stroking his cheek. "Then, there's this project in our second year and we were partnered up."

- " We ended it, won the first prize." He murmured as she nodded eagerly. " We became friends during that period..." He trailed tracing his finger on her cheek.

- " We were already kinda friends—frenemies, I guess. I've always admired you. You were the first person I've ever met with so much determination to win." She whispered eyes closed.

- " Hmm, I liked you too. But too arrogant to admit it." She snorted at his statement.

- " Then best friends. We were inseparable by the end of high school..." Gray hummed a nod. " You supported me before my uncle to pursue music career."

- " It's because you were incredibly talented Wat'drop." He said sincerely. She smiled as his finger traced the form of her lips.

- " That's an exaggeration but thank you for the compliment." She opened her eyes to look at him, " Want to know something? " He rose an eyebrow, silently asking her to continue. "You were my inspiration to fight for what I want, to fight for my dream." She kissed his forehead gently, " I won't be here without you, Gray Fullbuster."

- " And I won't without you. You were my only family when things fell apart." He retorted as he recalled his dark period—when Ur died.

" You were my strength and my very reason to not give up." Her eyes glistened as his welled up, and she kissed his eyelids, lingering when lips there. "If it wasn't for you, I'd be in streets."

- " You had all our friends with you. We all had your back."

- " True. I'm grateful for them but you, Juvia, you're special. You held me together." She smiled tearfully.

- " You are special to me too. Always have been."  He mumbled an 'I know' and rolled them over earning a surprised squeal from her as her back hit the mattress.

She stared up at him bringing him closer with her arms around his neck.

- " When did you know you loved me?" He asked gazing into her eyes.

- " Last year, when you were in your world tour." His love brushed the hair of his nape as he leaned his forehead against hers. " It started with little things. Like when I spent weekends in our friend's place watching movies and how you were not there to lean on or throw my legs on..." He grinned.

- " Then, we'd go to get a coffee and you weren't there to know that I don't add milk in my coffee. Then, I started missing your voice. I'd call you and couldn't get you so I would listen to your voicemail to hear your voice."

He leaned back to look at her apologetic, his being bursting with love for her. " Sorry about that. You know we barely have our phones on world tour."

- " I know, don't worry about it. But I yearned to hear your voice." He kissed her nose and lips in response.

- " By the time you were back, I knew I was madly in love with you and I couldn't imagine a life without you."

He could feel the love in her voice as she said it.

- " You aren't kidding—you practically choked me to death when you hugged me once you saw me in the airport." He teased with a grin.

- " Yeah well, I just realized I loved my best friend for years and you weren't there for eight moths. I wanted to lock you in a room and never let you go away from me."

- " It's creepy." He grinned.

- " You wouldn't have minded would you—wait why're you grinning?"

His grin widened and she held his face up and forced his eyes to hers. A moment in silence passed between them. Both of their hearts beating in sync as the realization settled over.

Juvia worded it slowly.

- " You loved me." Her tone was barley a whisper as she remained their eye lock.

- " I've loved you for a long time Wat'drop. A very very longtime that I denied and fought back my feelings."

- " Why?"

- " Because I've just lost Ur. And I've lost everyone I've loved. You, losing you...was unimaginable... I was terrified that my feelings will take you away from me so I fought them back to keep you with me. "

- " You wouldn't have lost me if you made a move earlier, Gray." She took a breath, " I've always denied my feelings for you as a crush and admiration until I really couldn't lie to me anymore..."

Gray sighed in response, "We we're both idiots huh..." She groaned, " We wasted years! We could've been together while we were still in Uni!"

Gray looked up at her, " Hey, we're together now and we've always loved each other without knowing so we're good." He shrugged and pecked her lips as she still had her pout on.

- " I'm a bit worried you...we are no more high school kids. We are popular now, successful stars in industry. And we're dating." Her voice dropped as she looked at him, " Going in public, was it a bad idea?"

- " Do you regret it?" He brushed away her hair, and she shook her head. "I'm just concerned about what it could do to our relationship...as much as I love my fans, when it's comes to their favorite celebrity's love life, they'd go crazy. Especially when two celebrities are dating. They don't see the fact that under the mask of popularity, it's two normal people with feelings and we can't really fault them." Her eyes started stinging as she stared at him. "I can't lose you, Gray."

He quickly reassured her pulling her in a tight hug. " You won't lose me." He pulled back slightly despite her pressure to stay like that. He stared into her eyes, " Didn't you say that I'm the most determined person you know?" A nod, "Juvia, I fight for what I want. " He lifted her chin up. " I'll always fight for you." He swore.

- " Promise?" Her tone was frail, and he smiled at her. " Promise. And you promise to fight for me?"

- " Always."

She brought a hand between them, holding up her little finger, He wrapped his around it and smiled when he saw their tattoos matching as their fingers locked together. Juvia dragged him to the tattoo parlor past midnight to get it in their half drunken states a few weeks ago. It was on the day of the success party of their first album together, Icy Waves. So they got themselves tattooed a drop of water on his finger and a snowflake on hers.

There's no ice without water and no water without ice. And Gray would be damned if he didn't keep that promise.

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

💧❄️ Happy Belated Gruvia day! ❄️💧

[rebelbyrdie]

Random OUAT HeadCanons

Here are some things that live in my head but I’m not 100% sure I’ve talked about before.  

Midas and Frederick/Jim - When Midas got his golden touch, he accidentally turned his wife to a gold statue.  This was, of course, hidden and the Queen was publicly announced to have died of a fever.  He then commanded all magicians, alchemists, fairies, and any magic user to come to his palace to help him find a cure.  The cure was not found in magic, but by the gauntlet he wore. The smith that fashioned it for him, did not want gold.  He wanted his children to have a better life.  His daughter was promised an education and a noble marriage.  His son was given the training and title of Knight.  So Freddy the Smith’s Boy became Sir Frederick.  Midas never forgot the boy’s humble birth and when Abbigail wanted to marry him, he “accidentally” turned him to gold.  So in Storybrooke his name is Smithson.

Queen Eva -  She was noted as from the Northern Kingdom.  What does that even mean?  I have spent a long time designing my version of the Southern Kingdom, so here is my take on the Northern.  While I based the Southern Kingdom on a fictionalized version of Spain at it’s colonial height, I base the Northern off of Imerial Russia, specifically post Peter’s westernization.  Eva, born Avgusta, was married to Leopold as part of her father’s political scheming and dreams of a modern kingdom.  Speaking of, the name of the Northern Kingdom (in translation) is actually the Empire of Mist and Snow, but the Midlanders (the people of the Enchanted Forest) rarely call kingdoms by their proper names.  They centralize themselves, naturally. So when Eva agreed to name her daughter Snow, it was not because of how pale or pretty she was, but to honor Eva’s homeland.  She, like Regina after her, was forbidden to speak her mother tongue and was trained to lose her accent by tutors before she ever married Leopold.

Regina, Law, Order, and Colonialism - 

I have danced around colonialism in The Swan and the Nightingale.  I really can’t spend a lot of time on it, because the plot is already so complex.  Both the Southern Kingdom and many of the Enchanted Forest kingdoms had colonies.  The Southern Kingdom was mostly about resources.  By the time King Xavier passed (was killed by Cora) the kingdom was in dire straits and needed all then gold it could get its hands on.  So the lands (islands with a foothold on the central part of the continent to the west of Aurora’s kingdom) were drained dry and the people neglected.  One year, post killing Leopold but Pre-Curse, Regina had “winter lung” (Pneumonia) and her father took her to the continental colony to recover in the warmer climate.  She was horrified by the damages she saw and swore to never do that as a ruler.  She was drafting up disillusions and reperations for all of the colonies she had power over (They called Leopold the Conquering King in his younger days for a reason) but cast the curse before it could be fully enacted.  Not to spoil my own story, but this law was part of several that would have been colloquially known as “The Queen’s Kindness”: and would have been similar to England’s Magna Carta or the US Constitution - All together it would create a secular legislative body, established universal schooling and funded both a medical and socerer’s colllege.  The colonies would be released, the fedual system greatly reduced, fairies banished from governing decisions, magic made legal, and women given inheritance and land-rights.  It would have been revolutionary, and would have also caused a Civil War.  These laws were (for better and/or worse) disregarded and ignored when Snow and Charming took the kingdom.

Storybrooke’s Borders - 

So if you go by the show, Storybrooke is connected to Maine by road and rail.  However, I think there is a third more reasonable connection.  Storybrooke impots and exports via the water.  There is an island on the bay that acts as a liminal space where Storybrookers can go to load/unload cargo onto outside ships.  The outsiders are effected by the curse just enough to glaze over Storybrooke in their minds.  Its just another stop.  Just another small town in rural Maine.  The USPS, Fed Ex, and even Amazon have a blindspot to Storybrooke that is maintained by this island dock.  The company that handle these delieries is headquartered in Bangor, but the boat runs out of Auburn.  Regina pays a lot of money to keep the service fast, reliable and without questions. 

They could also import/export to/from Canada, but Regina did not want to see how the curse handled international law.

[polpoka]

Neighbor Au

Characters- Kim Rok Soo, Alberu Crossman, Lee Soo Hyuk, Choi  Jung Soo

Ratings- K+

Shippings- Kimrokberu

Type- (Fluff)

Part 4

The symbol did indeed look like a small sun encompassed in a gigantic moon which made the sun pale in comparison, yet the pale yellow shade stood out more than that of the moon which made Kim Rok Soo’s eyes first fall on the sun. The moon on the other hand was as white as milk, with grey spots that resembled craters, or perhaps that’s what the splotches of orange juice gave an illusion of. The starry midnight sky that adorned the outer gap of the sun-filled moon occupied less space and created a small background that faded out, causing the entire mark to look like a cartoonish sketch of an eclipse. It had its own charm of homeliness and peace, yet it felt unnecessarily regal. It was as if his soulmate was once a king... Wait... didn't his neighbour—now soulmate, say that he had his name plastered on several...broadcasts. 

Kim Rok Soo took a moment to let the realization sink in, the same way the orange juice had seeped through the shirt. 

“Haaaaa…”

Kim Rok Soo sighed deeply. A famous person. That was something he’d never wanted to be, nor be with even in his wildest dreams, nor as an impossible to get Christmas present. Well, to be fair, he didn’t expect to have a soulmate in the first place, but look where that got him.

Even though many would assume otherwise, all he ever wanted was a slacker life, an early retirement, that’s all and nothing more. A tiny, and easily attainable dream. Being the soulmate of a rich person wouldn’t hamper his dream but it would put people’s unwelcome attention on him and that was an unnecessary trade off, especially when he could pave his own way to the desired slacker life.

He would rather go unnoticed than be put under the everlasting spotlight of fame. Money did interest him, however being well-known or being the latest hot topic did not. 

That was one of the reasons why he left Deruth and the entire Henituse estate without a fight. It wasn’t like there was any place for him there any way. He got his inheritance which he had in his savings just in case.

Thus he decided that he would just join his hyungs, though that had immediately backfired and he became one of the most famous musicians where everyone wanted him to play the instrument. 

Willingly choosing fame was inherently never part of his nature, he was more of a money oriented person. Yet his soulmate had to be really damn famous, huh.

How did he even get himself into this soulmate mess in the first place?

He always told himself to be as smart as a badger yet he overlooked such a crucial detail. Was it because the man had made him so relaxed that he had completely lost track of his words and was too focused on the sound of his low, gentle and overall lovely voice? 

It made sense, the man in question was his soulmate after all. It would only be natural for Kim Rok Soo to immediately drop his usually high guard down. 

He splashed more water on his face, deciding that he would think about this awkward and unpleasant situation as he was going home. He had a long drive to look forward to anyway. 

He trudged out of the bathroom, his eyes were bloodshot as the result of the orange juice getting in his eyelids and his jacket was neatly folded and tucked under his arm. He was greeted by an extremely dejected and worried man at the door. The man could also be called the one responsible for the sweet and sour liquid going in his eyes.

“Hyung?”

Lee Soo Hyuk turned to him. Kim Rok Soo could tell that the elder man was concerned. He walked in large strides and patted Kim Rok Soo’s body down, looking straight into Kim Rok Soo’s eyes, examining the damage he had done. He frowned, “Should I get you eyedrops?”

“Hmm? Is it really needed? It doesn’t hurt that much.” Kim Rok Soo asked, since his mind was preoccupied with the soul mark he wasn’t really paying attention to the throbbing pain in his eye.

“They might be infected,” said Lee Soo Hyuk while he was examining Kim Rok Soo’s eyes.

Kim Rok Soo realized there were streams of tears as a reaction to the citrus juice only after Lee Soo Hyuk pointed it out.

“It really got everywhere, huh?” Lee Soo Hyuk said, looking at the utterly soaked shirt and the removed jacket in Kim Rok Soo's hands.

He removed a handkerchief and wiped the streaming tears along with the dried ones from the younger man’s face. 

“It’s not that much, they’ll dry up soon enough.” Kim Rok Soo grumbled, only for the disagreement to be pushed aside, like all the other oppositions that had taken place that day.

Lee Soo Hyuk sighed, looking at the tear-stained face. Though it wouldn’t be proper to call them ‘tears’, it was more of a mere reflex, “My bad. I should’ve been less...startled when you told me that your neighbour was The Alberu Crossman of the Crossman family.” he looked at the blank faced man and tilted his head, “Do you know exactly how famous that family is?”

“No,” Kim Rok Soo said, definitely not revealing the fact that Alberu had told him that he was indeed a famous man, and the fact that his words had completely slipped Kim Rok Soo’s mind only because Kim Rok Soo was only paying attention at Alberu’s voice. Little did he know his vacant look was giving him away to the person he’d known for a long time.

Lee Soo Hyuk looked at the other, inspecting his dongsaeng’s reaction,

“Do you even watch the news anymore?”

Kim Rok Soo fell silent for a while,

“I stopped when they started showcasing me as one of the most popular men.” He felt a rough hand on his cheek which then gently tapped Kim Rok Soo there.

“You should really get over that,” Lee Soo Hyuk said as he wiped the other man’s face one last time. It was gentle despite the coarse hand. Kim Rok Soo knew that his hyung was genuinely trying to help him and nuzzled the hand in an unnoticeable fashion.  

“He’s the CEO of the Roan company.” Kim Rok Soo immediately remembered the Roan company. He had heard of it, “The Crossmans are the founders of one of the big corporations with several branches which are humongous even when counted on their own. Recently it was also branded as the longest lasting one.” Lee Soo Hyuk patted Kim Rok Soo’s cheek again and exaggeratedly sighed, “What are we going with you, Rok Soo-ya? You even forgot who runs the company your nephew currently has a branch in.”

Kim Rok Soo’s face turned stoic from the previously blank face at his hyung’s over-the-top reaction, “Henituses were known for their marble and wine branches. But I didn’t know that it was the Crossmans who were in charge. I just remember the Roan Conglomerate. It didn’t concern me after all.”

Lee Soo Hyuk looked at Kim Rok Soo’s now clean yet somewhat red face,

“Do you want to go home? I’ll be driving.”

Kim Rok Soo nodded, since he didn’t want to decline the offer, especially being drenched head to waist in orange juice.

Lee Soo Hyuk led him to their table, as they finally reached there lay a passed out Choi Jung Soo with the three empty glasses and Lee Soo Hyuk’s card accompanied by a paid check on the table. 

Lee Soo Hyuk looked at the younger man, and chuckled, “Look at this rascal.”

He draped Choi Jung Soo over his shoulder, turning to Kim Rok Soo before informing him, “Wait for me in the car. I'll just drag this guy over.”

Kim Rok Soo nodded and exited the restaurant and walked over to the parking lot, and gently slid into his car’s passenger seat since his hyung was driving. He reclined in his seat and shut his eyes, turning the faucet to his thoughts and letting them slowly drip which quickly escalated to a waterfall. He started to think about the entire soulmate thing. He knew very well that even though he had a soul mark, there weren't any requirements for him to date the person in question. He knew several people who had met their soulmate yet never crossed the line of friends. It was wholly possible that even if he didn't get together with Alberu right now, Alberu could find his own love somewhere else, and not with him, yet that thought pricked him. Kim Rok Soo also knew that if he did get with the man, everyone's attention would fall on him. On the other hand, there was also the fact that Alberu was completely his type, not to mention Alberu had a pleasing personality. Even though they were the same kind of people, Alberu somehow felt purer than himself. 

He remembered the panic attack he saw Alberu experience, just this morning. 

He remembered the younger man’s franticness. 

He remembered the other’s anxiousness.

He remembered the desperate way Alberu held onto his hand, as if Kim Rok Soo was his only grip on reality.

He remembered how Alberu’s dark eyebags that adorned his face always sunk deep into his cheeks, even though he had been asleep a minute before.

He remembered how fragile Alberu looked.

 He remembered how he quickly recovered, like he had been subjected to these sorts of attacks for ages. Even though Kim Rok Soo had experienced such attacks a couple of times himself, he could never get used to the feeling of fear overwhelming him like an overflowing cup.

Alberu looked like a broken mirror to him at the time. A broken mirror who no one wanted to spend their time on fixing. Alberu reminded Kim Rok Soo of himself, before he met his hyungs. 

But the brokenness of his soulmate was not the only thing Kim Rok Soo remembered about Alberu. 

He remembered how Alberu’s dark skin and hair shimmered under the moonlight, it was like the moon was calling its brethren. 

He remembered how cute Alberu looked when he was sleeping on that bench, so adorable Kim Rok Soo was tempted not to wake him up.

He remembered Alberu's embarrassed and red face when he decided to call after him that night.

He remembered the way Alberu’s hair wildly and freely flew open when he was on his balcony. It reminded him of a bird that had finally attained its freedom.

He remembered the sensual way the olive puffer jacket refused to slide down Alberu's arms. 

He remembered how inviting Alberu looked glistening with sweat, sitting on his sofa, wearing that pink turtleneck. 

He remembered Alberu's unending laugh at his short and ordinary words, at least that’s what Kim Rok Soo thought. 

He didn't understand why Alberu laughed, but he did remember the sound. It was like a pleasant tune that played on his mind as he sat in the car.

He remembered the relaxingly cool touch of Alberu’s calloused fingertips. 

He remembered everything about this man. 

This astoundingly alluring neighbour of his. It was as if Alberu drew Kim Rok Soo towards himself, like a craftsman would be drawn to the right materials. If Alberu was a cracked mirror then Kim Rok Soo would be more than glad to collect the broken shards and create a mosaic that would resemble a stained glass painting. 

At that moment Kim Rok Soo knew that he was captivated by this man. Honestly, who wouldn’t, it was a terribly attractive offer. To be the significant other of this wonderful person would be an honor. Though a nagging thought pulled at his mind. Would his affection be-  

“-Rok Soo-ya? Are you there?”

Kim Rok Soo’s eyes flew open in surprise. He had fallen too deep into his thoughts, not realizing that the car’s door had opened and closed twice already. He could also see Lee Soo Hyuk’s face painted with a cheeky grin.

“Hyung.” Kim Rok Soo said, rubbing his eyes trying to fall out of the daze .

Lee Soo Hyuk knew that this was an unusual occurrence since Kim Rok Soo wasn’t the type that used to take this much time to respond to his call. Especially since he was alone. Lee Soo Hyuk also knew what Kim Rok Soo would most probably be thinking about right now. He himself had noticed the soul mark but didn’t say a word as he was too busy taking care of his dongsaeng's tears. 

“Are you thinking about your dark skinned neighbour and-” he glanced at the now dried and translucent shirt before he continued, “possible soulmate?”

Kim Rok Soo, still in a muddled state, managed to let the words come out of his mouth, without any filter before promptly catching himself, “Ye- I mean no.”

This mixed reaction made Lee Soo Hyuk chuckle. He hadn’t seen such a slip in ages, especially when it came to matters relating to love. 'It was only a couple of years ago he decided to leave the estate.’ Lee Soo Hyuk sniffled, ‘They grow up so fast.’ He swerved into Kim Rok Soo, giving the younger man a hug and dramatically cried, “You grew up too soooonnnn. Three years ago you didn’t even think you’d ever have a lover, and now you have a soulmate. I’m so prouddddd of youuu,” whilst Kim Rok Soo sat in the passenger seat, stiff at the sudden wave of affection he was receiving, but of course he reciprocated it by letting his free arms gently wrap themselves around his hyung’s back. Kim Rok Soo gently nuzzled Lee Soo Hyuk’s neck. 

He loved Lee Soo Hyuk. His eldest brother, his respectable mentor who had taught him how to play, his elder brother figure, ever since he was young, his only escape from that excruciatingly stuffy residence. He was someone he knew he could confide in, one of the few people he held the closest to his heart. That was a fact.

Lee Soo Hyuk was a respected person, no matter how you thought about it, wherever you go in the opera world,  you would have to hear his name being mentioned whether you liked it or not. He was a famous conductor whose name echoed through the entire opera world with admiration and jealousy.

When Lee Soo Hyuk let Kim Rok Soo go, Kim Rok Soo was sure he could tell Lee Soo Hyuk about the soulmate situation, not that Lee Soo Hyuk didn’t know what Kim Rok Soo was thinking. They knew each other for a long time and naturally had gotten so close to each other that they pretty much guess what the other was thinking. 

Lee Soo Hyuk could clearly remember the first time he saw that small ball that he could tell was filled with gloom sitting in the corner of a classroom. Lee Soo Hyuk remembered passing the middle school class while he was a highschool student by the hallway before that ball of gloom caught his eye. The child was thin as if he hadn’t been fed in days. Lee Soo Hyuk also remembered pulling that tiny hand out of that corner desk and asking whether the boy wanted to eat along with him. And when the other accepted, he remembered the way the boy’s stoic face that was barely ticking out of his arms had changed itself to a more startled expression, that was before it changed back to a less animated one.

He remembered how their seemingly small friendship had continued until his college years where Kim Rok Soo had met Choi Jung Soo. Choi Jung Soo, Kim Rok Soo and him got along well enough. He also remembered how Kim Rok Soo’s eyes shone when he saw the saxophone play in a school band for the first time. Even though Kim Rok Soo would never say it out loud, Lee Soo Hyuk knew that his dongsaeng loved the instrument. The same went for Choi Jung Soo, excluding the fact that Choi Jung Soo was more vocal about his love for the flute. Lee Soo Hyuk too loved conducting operas, even more so when he saw his dongsaengs playing every single time. They were his motivation and his younger brothers that he cherished more than anything in the world. He couldn't believe his ears when he found out that one of them, especially the more antisocial one had found someone. Of course, he didn’t think it was a bad attribute of Kim Rok Soo’s to be antisocial but he was overjoyed that someone as humble and emotionally choked up as Kim Rok Soo had got someone who could love him just the way he was. “Hyung,” Kim Rok Soo said as his arms were wrapped around the other.

“Hmm?” mused a happy Lee Soo Hyuk, finally letting go of Kim Rok Soo.

“I need to tell you something.” Kim Rok Soo’s hands slipped down the man’s back as the man shuffled to return back to his seat. 

“I’m listening,” he muttered, trying to make himself comfortable in the driver’s seat.

Kim Rok Soo knew that Lee Soo Hyuk was indeed paying attention to his words, even though he wasn’t looking at Kim Rok Soo, and so continued speaking, “So, I think you may have already figured it out but I have a soulmate.”

“Mhmmm,” the other hummed, finally sitting without moving around.

“He’s my neighbour, Alberu Crossman.” Kim Rok Soo’s voice was calm, as if he had already understood what was going to happen.

“Figured as much.” Lee Soo Hyuk remarked. He had known ever since Kim Rok Soo told him that his neighbour was Alberu. 

He was surprised, to say the least but he still knew that Kim Rok Soo was not done with the even more eye opening comments on his situation.

“I also need your opinion on something.” Kim Rok Soo said as he seat belted himself.

“Go ahead.” Lee Soo Hyuk said as he started the car. 

Choi Jung Soo had already been strapped in so there was no problem if Lee Soo Hyuk took him to his house.

“Should I date him even though he’s famous?”

Somehow Lee Soo Hyuk wasn’t surprised at his words even for a bit. “Does his fame really matter?”

Kim Rok Soo deadpanned but Lee Soo Hyuk could see his eyes sparkle, “My slacker life takes the first place in life.”

Even if Kim Rok Soo said that, Lee Soo Hyuk knew that the words were superficial, since many a times Kim Rok Soo was prone to choosing the opposite nevertheless, Kim Rok Soo was a contrary man, but a man that kept his promises. That in itself was contrary.

“Wouldn’t a famous person as a lover have higher chances of leading a successful slacker life?”

Kim Rok Soo looked out of the window and spoke, “I would be put under the public eye, and it would be far worse than it is now.”

Lee Soo Hyuk knew the reason why Kim Rok Soo disliked being the centre of attention. He’d been to the Henituse residence a couple of times. And one thing that had struck him so hard that could remember was Deruth’s picturesque display of hospitality. For some petty reasons, some going along the lines of jealousy and disgust of the limelight placed on Kim Rok Soo, the reason for that was the fact that Kim Rok Soo was delicate and the youngest, not to mention, the adopted one and the one who was chosen. 

Lee Soo Hyuk also remembered how the younger brother, who had just been adopted and was clueless about the house’s atmosphere, was admonished and humiliated several times, sometimes even appearing bruised. He remembered seeing Kim Rok Soo’s eyes grow dim whenever he talked to the elder sibling, or even made eye contact with the elder. 

Their age gap was large, spanning about over 10 years, yet it had always surprised Lee Soo Hyuk how Deruth acted. He acted in such petty jealousy of the attention Kim Rok Soo received from their father, he left Kim Rok Soo utterly  traumatized of ever receiving things, so traumatized that he left the house and thought that he was the one at fault, that he was the one who was intruding, that he was better off with receiving an allowance every year without returning to the place of his birth, well not that Kim Rok Soo would want to. The allowance was large, as if it was consolation money. Maybe it was.

Lee Soo Hyuk wasn’t sure but he thought that was why Kim Rok Soo was so obsessed with his early retirement to be peaceful and mainly, not attract any attention. Perhaps, it was because of the years he had spent in that hellhole. 

Lee Soo Hyuk knew Deruth, not that well, but well enough to decide that he didn't like the child’s personality, despite it becoming a little more amiable when he had married his first wife. Only when his first child was born did Kim Rok Soo decide that he wanted to accept the long time invitation of reestablishing contact. It was not much so of regaining contact than it was not wanting his nephew to go through the same things he did, not that he would admit it.

Lee Soo Hyuk and Choi Jung Soo shared some things in common one of them being their extreme dislike towards Deruth, not his children of course, those little rascals were adorable. Lee So Hyuk still remembers the day when Kim Rok Soo had volunteered to babysit the two sons; Basen and Cale.The reason being the fact that  Violan, Deruth’s second wife, went on a vacation to get herself some rest for her upcoming pregnancy, along with her husband, of course. Basen was eight and Cale was eleven. Cale was rather annoyed all the time, until Kim Rok Soo gave him a lollipop, after that his face lit up like a firework on a starry night. Lee Soo Hyuk remembered the small pale child, with flushed cheeks sitting only next to Kim Rok Soo. Cale said that it was because Kim Rok Soo had the lollipops, which he absolutely loved, but everyone knew that wasn’t the case. 

Basen liked Kim Rok Soo because the elder man fascinated him, and he liked the way he played the saxophone. He had all these memories stored in his brain solely because these were joyful instances, some that continued even today. Even when the small Cale had grown up to be a splendid twenty five year old, even when the curious Basen seemed to have matured into a calm adult, they both seemed to revert back to the way they were when they were kids in front of Kim Rok Soo. It was also known how overprotective Kim Rok Soo was of the duo, which then evolved into a trio as Lily was born.

Lee Soo Hyuk was genuinely glad that his dongsaeng had gotten a soulmate, albeit unexpected who the soulmate was, it was good to have his thoughts take form in reality and that someone other than people close to Kim Rok Soo, who all had their own partners to worry about, had dug deep enough to find that the stoic man made a splendid companion. 

Even though it didn’t take that much time for Alberu to crack this seemingly tough nut.  

“So,” Lee Soo Hyuk asked, “Are you going to ask him out on a date?”

Kim Rok Soo looked out of the side view mirror for a second before answering,

“Yes.”

**

Alberu returned to his seat on the couch, after feeding the two cats and washing the cup, still dazed and trying to register what he just saw. 

‘That- that was a soulmark, right? Really? I’m not that sleep deprived, am I?’ He raised his sweater once more to see the mark.

‘So it wasn’t a hallucination.’ 

He sighed in defeat, until he felt a small head purring under his hand, which made his downcast gaze shift and meet the grey cat’s gleaming yellow eyes, “Hmmm?” he hummed in confusion.

The grey cat’s beady eyes seemed to twist into a more annoyed way each time Alberu saw them, or perhaps that was just his imagination.

Alberu leaned over his shoulder, “What should I do about this now?”

‘I do like the idea. Should I just see how it goes before jumping to any more conclusions.’

“What the hell should I do-”

His lamenting was cut off by the shrill sound of the doorbell, which made him scramble to his feet, leaving the two cats startled at this unexpected noise.

When Alberu opened the door, he was finally greeted by the long awaited and familiar face of his college friend and secretary. Alberu looked at the other with a half irritated expression, “You really took your time, huh?”

The taller man, tanned and adorned with two small black stars under his eyes, had a look of nonchalance, his short sun-kissed hair with beach wave nature bobbing gently alongside the wind.

He spoke with little or no care of the standing between the two individuals, despite the other being the superior, with an audible british accent.

“Sir, I was called by Mistress Angelina and Sir Choi Jung Gun for tea a while before you called me to retrieve your keys, which I presumed was an easy thing to not forget, but I suppose even the greatest minds can slip up-”

He was cut off with an annoyed shush by the other, “Could you please stop with the unpleasant pleasantries of yours.”

Taerang took a pause, before scanning the younger man, “How did you manage to get so wet?”

Alberu sighed, “It’s a long story.” 

He heard a small mew near his leg, which prompted him to look down to see the red cat rubbing itself on his ankle. Alberu looked back at Taerang, motioning that they should move locations, preferably to his home, in response to which Taerang simply nodded.

After a sorrowful parting with the cats, Alberu shut Kim Rok Soo’s door and turned to look at Taerang who looked a bit surprised. 

“What’s wrong?” Alberu asked, walking through the hallway.

Taerang’s head slightly tilted, walking at an equal pace, “You’re quite close to your neighbor. Did you already tell him who you are?” 

Alberu flinched, “Not at all.”

Alberu flinching would normally not be noticeable to other people, but Taerang knew Alberu, so he could easily see through him. “Really? I’ll have to report to Miss Tasha either way. You do remember the repercussions of disclosing your identity, right?”

Alberu was silent until they reached his house, “We’ve reached. Let’s talk here.”

**

When Kim Rok Soo returned, he saw his hall exactly how he had left it. He felt the two cats mewling at his feet. He picked the red one up and sat down on the sofa, the other following him and laying herself on his lap.

The rest of Kim Rok Soo’s day was uneventful, except the fact of him planning the confession before he slept. He decided to talk with the other person for a while, and see whether the other thought the same. Going slow would be the best for now, he thought, turning to his side.

But you know life had always been cruel to him, always raising his expectations, only to let him see them come crashing down like a child’s sandcastle built too close to the sea. Again, and again, without any pause. This time was no different.

The next evening  Kim Rok Soo decided to visit Alberu, he wasn’t greeted with the annoyed expression he’d expect from the darker man, instead, he was greeted by a paper stuck on the door that read in big font, 

‘Now on sale! Buy a new flat-’ 

Kim Rok Soo didn’t bother reading the rest. He was too shocked to comprehend the words plastered on the face of the flyer.

[nineteenninety-six]

Can I request for the Mandalorian? The reader is dating Mando and helps him to take care of the child. When quarantine hits, she decides to share her photo album of her baby pictures and because she was so tiny in them, she got the best reaction from him even though he suddenly became more protective of her.

This is my fic Mandalorian fic and I hope it’s okay. It’s also the longest fic I've written in a while :P

It had been her and Mando for a long time until they had gotten the bounty from Greef Karga that sent them to Arvala-7.

There they had found out the bounty was a small little child and despite arguments from (Y/N), her lover had given the defenceless child to the Imps. They had gone back and forth on the journey back from Arval a-7 and to Nevarro, (Y/N) advocating to take the child and run, knowing that the Imps are still bad news, despite the fall of the Empire but Mando disagreed.

He talked about the Beskar and how it would be returned to the Mandalorians and how it could sponsor many foundlings of The Tribe. (Y/N) understood, she really did but she could not side with him this time.

The Razor Crest was filled with such thick tension that even the small green child noticed. She had locked herself away in the section they called their quarters but it really only held a cot and used the excuse that she was recovering from the adventure-filled yet utterly exhausting past few days but Mando knew it was because she was upset with him.

Of course, Mando ended up taking the child back and they had spent the time since then running from Imps and bounty hunters alike. They had settled down in a lovely little village on Sorgan after they had helped them fight off a group of Raiders with the help of Cara Dune.

Their little slice of heaven was quickly over when bounty hunters arrived and since then they had been going to planet to planet, doing odd jobs to get some credits.

They had just landed on a planet, only meaning to see if there was any work available but as soon as they landed they were informed that an illness was making its way through the planet and it was on lockdown and the occupants were quarantining.

They weren't allowed off the planet for the next two weeks and were confined to the Razor crest and the odd trip out to the spaceport for a bit of fresh air.

The first few days were fine, it allowed The Mandalorian and (Y/N) to get some proper sleep. They were always on edge by their nature but here they didn't have to worry about the next place they had to run off to in order to escape the people who chase after them.

By the end of the first week, Mando was over it. He was fidgety, and couldn't sit still for long, always wanting to do something with his hands.

Getting tired of seeing him pace around the cockpit for the millionth time, (Y/N) jumped up from her seat. The Child squealed in excitement at the movement from his place in her arms.

"I can't watch you stomp around for any longer, follow me" (Y/N) made her way out of the cockpit, not waiting to see if he followed her.

"Why?" He yelled out but when she didn't respond, he rolled his eyes from beneath his helmet and let out a huff before he followed her.

He finds her in front of their storage locker, arms crossed with a determined expression on her face. The Child was sitting in his little basket, watching her with his usual big eyes.

"We're clearing this out. It's a mess and we have the time to declutter." (Y/N) motioned to their storage locker.

"It's not a mess, everything in there is important,"

"Din!"

It was rare for (Y/N) to use his real name.

She reached into the locker and pulled out a piece of metal that was so damaged that she couldn't tell what it was originally.

"What would you use this for?"

At the man’s prolonged silence, she let out a victorious laugh before throwing it to the side.

"Do you plan on throwing all of my stuff away?" He grumbles as he starts to pull things out of the locker.

“Just the things you love the most” She jokes as she joins him in pulling out the items that filled the locker.

It took a few hours and a few breaks for snacks and drinks but they managed to get through the mess that filled the storage locker and there was a medium-sized pile of rubbish by the ramp.

“See that wasn’t so bad was it?” (Y/N) asked as she sipped her drink.

Mando shrugged his shoulders and (Y/N) didn’t doubt that the man was also rolling his eyes.

As she took one last look at the locker, a small bag tucked into the corner caught her eye. Confused she made her way over to it and peered inside, letting out an excited gasp when she saw what was in it.

“What wrong?” Mando asked, his worry flaring up.

“I haven’t seen these in years! I completely forgot about them” (Y/N) continued to speak, not answering his question.

“What is it?” He asked again

“Old holo’s from when I was young” (Y/N) pulled out and with a flick, a projection flickered out.

It was (Y/N) as a baby, held in the arms of her father. He was kissing her cheek and she had a hand stuffed into her mouth.

She couldn’t help but tear up as she looked at the image, she missed her parents greatly. She had a good life and her parents were great.

The sound of a coo brought her out of her head and when she looked at where the sound came from, she found The Child looking at the holo.  He looked between her and the holo before letting out another coo.

“Yeah, that’s me” (Y/N) grinned, “There’s some more here as well.”

(Y/N) turned on the other holos and with them came projections of images and videos of (Y/N) as a baby and child.

Mando let out a laugh at one particular projection of her running around with her father chasing after her.

“Adorable.”

(Y/N) covered her face in embarrassment.

“It’s hard to imagine you so tiny.”

At his words, (Y/N) glanced at The Child who was still looking at the holos and found it hard to imagine herself that tiny as he was.

“I’m not so tiny anymore.”

Mando only let out a hum as a response. 

-

A few days later, midway through their second week, (Y/N) began to notice how her lover never let her do anything. Whenever she tried to get something on a high shelf, he swooped in. When she tidied the ship, he would quickly take over. When she tried to feed or entertain The Child, he would take the bowl, pick up the child and take him elsewhere to feed him.

(Y/N) had enough. This was never a problem beforehand but now suddenly it was and she was determined to get to the bottom of it. (Y/N) wasn’t an exceptional bounty hunter like him but she was fully capable of defending herself and the child.

She cornered him in the cockpit after The Child was put down for his nap.

“Din, what’s your issue?” Once again, (Y/N)’s rare use of his name came out.

“What do you mean?” The man grunted from beneath his helmet

“You won’t allow me to do anything. Not even to feed the kid!”

He turned to face her and not for the first time, (Y/N) wanted to curse about that fact she couldn’t see his face.

“The holo’s...you’re tiny.”

Oh god.

(Y/N) wanted to grab him and see if it was possible to shake the dumb out of him. She could not believe that the man had seen the holo of her as a baby and then decided that she couldn’t look after herself. 

“I was literally a baby! I can defend myself and most definitely feed the kid.”

“B-but-”

“Din, you’re sweet but misguided.”

The man let out a grumble before he dipped his head in apology.

“Sorry. You’re right, I overreacted”

(Y/N) patted him on his pauldron, “It’s okay, just don’t do that again.”

“I won’t”

“I mean it! Don’t even dare to think about it” (Y/N) called as she left the cockpit.

“I won’t!”

“Good!”

[arlakos]

You said you were looking for ML writing prompts? How do you feel about writing something short for Kagaminette (Marinette/Kagami ship)? If you’re so inclined, anything will do, but for a more specific prompt what about an alternate meeting between the two of them. Please and thank you if you decide to write this prompt.

“Well, this is certainly an interesting request, and a non-salt one as well! I do admit that I did have an idea for a fanfic involving a Kagaminette moment (that would expand into a rather comedic story involving multiple ships), but I like the challenge of creating an alternate meeting (as it restricts my writing out of my comfort zone. With that being said, lets take this story back to where it all began, with a couple of bumps in the plot…”

Marinette grumbled to herself as she walked down to the school, feeling bummed out today. Thanks to a rather untimely order at the bakery taking so long, she was unable to join the enrollment class for  D'Argencourt fencing school, which just so happened to be the one Adrien was doing fencing at! Sure, she wasn’t entirely there for the actual fencing (If anything she was hopefully just there to see Adrien perform and actually get the chance to be with him for a while), but the point still stands that she missed out! Talk about a bummer…

Still, she refused to let a bad moment bring her down! Despite being wayyyyy to late to join the classes, Marinette went to the College Dupont where the fencing classes were, carrying a bag of freshly baked goods. Aside from Adrien, some of her other classmates were also doing their post-school activities, so she figured she would make a quick stop and give them a couple of snacks. She had a pain au Chocolate for Alya, and apple danish for Nino, and a bunch of other treats for her classmates!

Of course, she left aside a perfectly baked croissant just for Adrien…

Of course, as she was imagining Adriens look of happiness getting a croissant, she ended up colliding into someone.

The bag slipped from her hands and onto the floor, but miraculously none of the treats fell out or got bruised. The same couldnt be said for Marinette as she fell onto her butt, groaning at the mild, yet aggravating pain.

“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Here, let me help you up.”

A hand was raised out in front of Marinettes face, the latter graciously taking the hand as she was pulled to her feet.

“Oof! Its fine, its not the first time this has happened to me. Most of the time it…usually…my fault…”

Marinette finally got a good look at the person she collided with.

At a first glance, Marinette thought she was looking into a mirror, given that the girl in front of her also had the same shade of blue hair. However, that was where the similarities ended. The girl’s face had much more of an Asian look compared to Marinette, and her eyes were brown compared to Marinette’s own. The girl also had a much serious look on her face.

Her serious look however, did nothing to impact her beauty. From the way she held herself in a prideful stance to her perfectly styled hair to the way her eyes pierced Marinette’s soul, the latter found herself gobsmacked by the girl in front of her. Marinette could tell that this girl was proud of herself, but in a good kind. Like the kind who knew she was best and owned up to it with her actions alone.

Despite not even knowing her, Marinette found herself developing a small amount of jealousy for the girl in front of her. Although she didn’t know her, Marinette could tell at a glance was clearly someone who was confident no matter where she is and when. Marinette hoped for a small tibit that she never met Adrien. If she ever wanted to ask him out, she could probably do it in a heartbeat.

“…Miss? Miss!”

“Huh? Wha-?” Marinette said as she was brought out of her stupor.

“Miss, are you alright? Here’s your bag by the way.”

“Oh! Uh, im fine!” Marinette said as she gratefully took back the bag, glad that her bakery sweets were all intact

“That’s good. I was afraid I might have offended you. I’m quite new to the area, so I wasn’t sure where to go.” The girl said without ever changing her expression. She hummed for a moment, then looked at Marinette again, making the latter’s heart almost stop at the intensity. “Say, are you a student in this area?”

“Yeah, sure. Why?”

“I got lost looking for the Fencing school in the area. I was hoping to find it.”

It was then Marinette noticed the fencing sword that was being carried in a duffel bag. ‘So she’s a fencer too?’ Marinette thought to herself.

“Sorry If I am inconveniencing you. Normally I would catch a ride with the family butler, but he was unfortunately sick today. Fortunately I didn’t live that far as, so I thought I’d try to walk. Unfortunately, I have found myself confused by the structure of the roads and streets.”

‘Butler? So she’s a rich person huh? Just like Chloe….’ Marinette thought, the last bit making her want to grimace. ‘And its obvious that she wants my help…’

For a second Marinette was just tempted to just brush off the girl’s obvious ask for help, as there was a good possibility she could be a pompous brat just like Chloe. The thought however reminded herself that the last time she tried that, she blamed Adrien for Chloe putting gum on her seat, and she berated herself for thinking like that. She should give her a chance, especially after the girl took her time helping her up a minute ago.

“If you need some help getting to the school, I’d be glad to help!” Marinette said smiling. “The fencing school is at the same place as my normal school. I need to go there anyways to see some friends, so i’d be glad to take you there.”

The girl looked at Marinette in shock, as though she never thought the latter would go out of her way to help her. When she recovered though, a small smile covered her face.

“Thank you”

Marinette motioned for the girl to follow her, she realized she forgot something.

“Hey sorry, what’s your name by the way.”

“It’s Kagami Tsurugi”

“Alright then Kagami, follow me!”

———————————————————————————————————–

Marinette continued to walk to the school area, with the new girl (now known as Kagami) following her, without saying a single word.

So naturally, Marinette tried to break the ice. “So…. you are new to Paris or just this part of the area?” she asked.

“New in Paris. I have been to other places in France though. It’s how I was able to learn French” Kagami replied

“Makes sense.” Marinette said “So from what i can tell, you don’t go to Dupont, I assume you go to the other lycee nearby?”

“Oh, i dont go to school”

“What?”

“I’m homeschooled. My family doesn’t like me talking with other people, unless they approve.”

“…Oh.”

There was a pause of silence.

“You know…” Marinette paused, questioning whether she should say it, “You remind me of my friend Adrien. He was homeschooled as well.”

“Really?”

Okay, Marinette really didn’t want to continue, but based on the expected look of Kagami, she couldn’t turn back now. “Yeah. He apparently was homeschooled his whole life, and didn’t have anyone to be friends with aside from Chloe, who isnt … exactly a rather nice person.”

“Hmm, it sounds like you don’t like this Chloe very much. Is Adrien like that as well?”

Marinette gasped, “Oh, Nononono. He is anything but that, he’s been so kind to everyone ever since he got here!” Marinette said smiling. “He’d do anything for his friends, and even strangers, even if they dont deserve it. It was how Adrien and I met unfortunately. Chloe put some gum on my seat and Adrien tried to take it off. Unfortunately i saw him, and because he didn’t say it was Chloe I thought it was him.” Marinette said “Yeah… we didn’t start off on the right foot, but we got better afterwards. He’s such a sweetheart.” Marinette finished smiling

“Sweetheart?”

“Yeah! He’s so nice to everyone and kind and charming…” Marinette said half-effortly as she fell into a brieF daydream. Oh she wished she could be in his arms right now!

Kagami looked at Marinette, who just notice the formers presence, and awkwardly returned to her normalcy. “Oh sorry, I don’t usually do that-”

“You love him, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

“You love this boy, Adrien, right?”

“W-Well uh…N-no of course not-”

“You really don’t have to pretend that you don’t. Does he make you…happy?”

Marinette was a bit confused by the question but replied notheless.

“Well… yes, he really makes me happy.”

Kagami frowned for a moment. As Marinette looked into her eyes, she appeared sad. 

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I didnt realize what was going on?!”

“Huh… you do?”

“Yes! I didnt realize that you hadn’t found someone to love as well, and i just ended up bragging about it in front of you! I swear i didnt mean to do that i was just talking about someone that you were similar to and i got off track imsosorrypleaseforgiveme-” Marinette said rushingly.

Kagami stood there a bit shocked. “Huh? Oh no that wasn’t the-”

Kagami didnt get a chance to finish as she felt two slender arms wrap around her. Kagami’s breath started to hitch as she felt Marinette’s body close to her own, with the latter’s head on her shoulders. Kagami realized she was in a hug, but was too shocked to do anything about it

The stood like this for a few seconds before both realized what was going on. Marinette removed herself from Kagami as the latter stood there with a blush on her face.

“I-I shouldn’t have done that. I was just trying to comfort you, but then I realized that we had just met and all-”

‘It’s fine.”

“R-Really”

“Yes. It was just…unexpected.”

“Unexpected. Don’t your family or friends give you hugs.”

“I-I dont have any friends. And my family is not as liberal with giving hugs as you are.”

Marinette gasped slightly.

Kagami smiled sadly “It’s fine… I am used to the lack of-”

Kagami was again, lost for words as Marinette hugged her for a second time. When Marientte finally pulled back, she had a confident smile on her face.

“Well It’s about to change now. I can be your friend!”

“You want to be my friend?”

“Of course. I know that you are homeschooled and all, but we can both be friends. And maybe you can meet my other friends as well. You’ll probably be able to since you are going to the fencing classes here, so once you finish you can hang out with us!”

“Hmm…” Kagami pondered in though, but Marinette could see that she had a small but genuine smile on her face. “Friends… That would actually be nice.”

Marinette smiled back “Great! I am sure people will love you there!”

As Marinette continued on to the school with Kagami following her, she was briefly worried for a second. Despite Kagami’s lack of social friendliness, Marinette still felt inferior around her, as the former carried herself with such elegance and grace that she herself lacked. What if she meets Adrien and decides that she likes him? What would Marinette do then?

Yet, despite her worries, as she looked back and saw Kagami give her a small smile, Marinette began to relax and smile

‘Kagami seems so lonely though… she seemed really happy at the idea of having new friends.’ Marinette though. ‘It wouldn’t be fair to me to deny her that just because of my own crush… I’ve got to help her, despite what might happen… besides…’

Marinette looked foward as she continued on ‘I think everything will be alright.’

————————————————————————————

As Marinette and Kagami came to the school, Kagami turned to Marinette.

“Thank you for helping me get here. I probably never would have found it without you.” Kagami said.

“Oh no problem. So I’m guessing you are here to enrol for training right?”

Kagami stopped, then grinned.

“I never said I was here for training.”

Kagami put on her Fencing mask and grabbed her sabre.

“I never mentioned this. My family comes from a long line of fencers. My family has won every tournament they have been to. Every challenge they faced, they overcame. My family bloodline flows through me, and my must prove myself worthy of that blood line.”

“Then why-” Marinette said, before Kagami cut her off.

“I’m here for a challenge. And I cannot lose. I must not lose. For the sake of my family honour and my respect.”

Kagami turned from the door and kicked it open, scaring Marinette. Kagami instantly starts to walk forward, causing Marinette to unconciously follow. Marinette watched as Kagami strode up to the fencing class, the people inside stunned by her entrance. Kagami looked at Mr  Armand D’argencourt.

“Hey, you! Are you Mr. D'Argencourt, the fencing master? I wanna join your team.”

Armand looks at her in suprise, and huffs in indignation. “Only the best are admitted here, you knave.”

Kagami however was quick to retort “And I was, everywhere I went.”

Marinette, looked at Kagami in slight awe. She knew from a first glance that she was confident, but this…

Armand however, would not take it lying down “Part le fer! This whippersnapper has nerve! All right! I may consider your admission, shall you defeat one of my students.” he says while flourishing his blade.

Kagami walks past Armand. “ Which one of you is the best combatant?!”

The crowd, nervous, shuffles a bit, before parting to reveal a boy. He lifts his helmet, and Marinette see’s her crush Adrien Agreste walking forward to challenge Kagami. Marinette felt a small blush at the sight of her crush, but also a tinge of worry.

Armand however, just grinned. “Adrien, please give our visitor a lesson in chivalry.”

Adrien smiled back. “I shall Master” he says as he lowers his helmet.

As the two get their equipment ready, Marinette’s worries started to increase for the sake of her two friends. It was clear for Kagami that she wanted to win so she could join the fencing team, but she was worried what would it mean for Adrien if he was to lose. 

As the two tested the equipment for detecting hits, the whole room was tense.

D’Argencourt look at the two combatants, then said “Prêt… allez!”

The two fencers lunged simulatneously, and both buzzers went off as the same time.

“Simultané! Par un toucher!” D’Argencourt declared as both went back to their starting positions

“I could have sworn Adrien touched her first…” Marinette commented to herself.

As Kagami and Adrien went back to their starting positions, D’Argencourt readied himself.

“En garde! Prêt… allez!” he declared again. Simulatneously both combatants moved at a speed faster than Marinette could see, and again both buzzers went off.

“Uhh… Abstention!” D’Argencourt said sheepishly

“Huh? Whats happening?” Marinette asked out loud.

A student to Marinette’s left chimed in. “Mr D'Argencourt isn’t sure who won, so he’s chosen to abstain. This is a tight bout.”

Both combatants readied themselves again.

“En Garde-”

“Wait”

D’Argencourt and Adrien looked at Kagami.

“I request that we do it the old-fashioned way. We’ll be much more at ease without the machine.” Kagami declares.

D’Argencourt looks at Adrien. “Adrien?” He questions.

Adrien grins, “Fine with me.” He says, as he unplugs the body cord.

Kagami does the same, and they both ready themselves.

Marinette looks at the student next to her “But how will we know who touched the other one first?”

“By watching very closely.” the student replies.

“En garde! Prêt… allez!”

Without the body cords holding them back, the two start going at it like crazy, both of them simultaneously attacking and defending within milliseconds of each sabre hit. The crowd started to go wild as all who stood there witnessed the unrestrained skill of the two proteges constantly lunging, blocking, dodging, and overall giving neither the breathing room.

“Woah…” Marinette said weakly “Is this what fencing’s all about?!”

“Part le fer! This IS what fencing’s all about!” D’Argencourt said excitedly as the rest of the crowd agree with him in cheers of excitement.

Soon after, the fight started to move up the stairs, causing the crowd to follow at the bottom of the stairs. Marinette, being blocked by the crowd, went to the other set of stairs and climbed up those, allowing her to follow the two fencers into the library.

Both fencers were starting to wear down from the intense speed, yet neither wanted to give up.

“Let’s finish this off.” Kagami declares as she readies another lunge. Adrien does the same.

Marinette watches as both fencers lunge, and both fencers foils press each other at the same time.

Kagami suddenly broke off. “Marinette! Who got the first hit?! Who?!” she said breathlessly as she looked at Marinette.

D’Argencourt suddenly appeared, crawling in pain. “Who touched first? Tell us now!”

Marinette looked flustered, everyone was looking at her. “I-I-I don’t know,” she said closing her eyes in stress.

Suddenly time for her seemed to go to a crawl for her. It was like whatever happened next rested on that decision she made.

Marinette closed her eyes, remembering what had happened. It seemed that both of them had hit at the same time, but Adrien’s foil did seem to bend a bit faster, meaning that he could have hit first, but Kagami seemed a bit faster on her feet. So who won?

Marinette didn’t consider herself lucky as a civilian but in that memory of hers, her Lucky vision seemed to flare up. It slowed the memory to a crawl, but then both foils lighted up in red and black spots at the exact same time they made hits on each other. So it seemed that both fencers had hit each other at the same time after all.

So the question was, who to give the point to.

Marinette knew that Adrien’s father was really strict with him. If she didn’t give him the point, his father could get mad. Adrien would get grounded and in deep trouble, or worse, take him out of school because he wasn’t being perfect with his study and practices! Then she would never see him again!

Kagami however….

My family comes from a long line of fencers. My family has won every tournament they have been to. Every challenge they faced, they overcame. My family bloodline flows through me, and my must prove myself worthy of that blood line.

- I cannot lose. I must not lose. For the sake of my family honour and my respect.

Kagami seemed to be in a similar predicament to Adrien, even more so than Adrien. Sure Adrien did fencing as a hobby, but Kagami’s family took fencing as something important to them, and Kagami herself. If she lost the match, then Kagami wouldn’t be able to join the team, and it would likely be in trouble with her family, if Adriens family was anything to say about rich families.

Marinette made her mind.

Time seemed to resume around her. “Kagami got the first hit.”

The crowd gasped. D’Argencourt was in shock. “Wha- Are you sure?”

Marinette nodded. “Kagami was able to get the first hit in. I saw it.”

Kagami relaxed, and Adrien lifted his helmet to give a smile to his competitor.

“Well, it seems you won that match.”

He reached out his hand, and both of them shook in mutual respect

“Sacre Bleu! It seems that It is a loss for the D’Argencourt Academy.” D’Argencourt said miserably. However, he quickly perked himself up. “However, it is not an entire loss, for today we have a new member in our ranks. The D’Argencourt fencing team would be happy to have you if you would accept.”

Kagami pulled off her helmet, causing some murmurs at the surprising beauty, but she didn’t let it faze her. “I would be happy too.”

Marinette smiled, happy that neither Adrien or Kagami seemed to be in any sort of trouble. Adrien seemed to take the loss with no issue, and Kagami got her wish. Marinette hoped to apologize to Adrien later, but as Kagami, Adrien, and D’argencourt walked off to finalize the former’s entry into the fencing team, she felt that she did the right thing…

Oh, darn, the baked goods!

Marinette quickly grabbed the bag and ran off to where her other friends were having their after school activities. She would give Adrien his croissant later, she had others to deliver to.

———————————————————————————————

Time passed… and Kagami was officially one of the new members on the fencing team alongside Adrien. Marinette managed to give Adrien his croissant after delivering all the other baked goods, which he graciously accepted with a smile. Marinette managed to meet Kagami outside of the school, who was waiting for the family car.

“Hi Kagami.”

“Hello Miss.” Kagami said. “Did you have a good day?”

“Yeah! I managed to deliver the bakery foods to my classmates. Congrats on making the team by the way!”

“Yes, it’s really good,” Kagami said. For a second, she looked a bit forlorn “I have to ask though, did I really win?”

“Huh?”

“Did I really win? Or did you do it because you felt pity for me?”

“Pity?-Nonono I was just trying to help you- No wait that came out wrong as well.”

“…I understand.”

“No you don’t understand. You didn’t lose, it’s just- Look, both of you hit each other at the same time.”

“W-What” Kagami said in shock.

“Y-Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes, both of you were so extremely skilled that you were both neck and neck, I saw both of you hit each other at the same time. I was just pressured to make a choice, so I chose you.”

“But why didn’t you say we both hit? We could have just started over”

“Because both of you would keep going for no reason at all! Both of you are amazing out there, and if i declared that you lost you would have never forgiven yourself for something you didn’t need to forgive!”

Marinette placed a hand on Kagami’s shoulder. “I chose you because I thought you deserved it, because you were really amazing out there and did not deserve one loss to affect your life and self-worth. Besides, now you’re in the team like you wanted, your family would be happy with you and Adrien is fine regardless, I’m sure he’ll be ok.”

“She’s right you know. I still wouldn’t mind a rematch though.”

Kagami gasped in shock and Marinette screamed as Adrien came up behind them with a slight grin on his face

“Sorry if I scared you both.” Adrien said sheepishly.” I just wanted to say congratulations on making the team. And don’t worry, I won’t tell Mr D’Argencourt about the tie, you really deserved to join the team with us, you were really an amazing fencer, miss…?”

“Kagami Tsurugi. And you must be Adrien Agreste.”

They both shook hands like after the fight. Marinette felt a slight twinge of jealousy for Kagami’s confidence but said nothing. She wouldn’t ruin Kagami’s celebration, not after everything.

“And you must have met my good friend Marinette.” Adrien said pointing to Marinette.

And that’s the moment where Adrien Marinette wanted to crawl under a rock. Adrien had called Marinette a friend. Just a friend. She really felt sad inside.

“Yes I did. She helped me get to the school when i got lost.” Kagami said.

“That’s Marinette for you. She really is so kind and helpful.” Adrien replied,

“Yes. She really is.” Kagami said as she gave a smile to Adrien.

Adrien’s car pulled up. “Sorry Kagami, Marinette, I gotta go home. Talk to you later.” Adrien said as he entered his family car.

As Adrien left, the two girls stared at eachother.

“Marinette huh? That is your name...”Kagami said, pondering the name on her lips.

It was at this point that Marinette realised in all the stuff she did today with Kagami, she had forgotten to give her name to her. She gave Kagami an awkward grin.

“Ehehe...sorry. I was just so-”

“It’s a cute name.”

That off hand comment stopped Marinette, causing her to blush.

At that moment, Kagami’s own car popped up. Walking towards the car together, Kagami turned to Marinette.

“Thank you for everything Marinette. It means a lot.”

“Oh uh, it was nothing!”

“Even so, thank you.”

Marinette stood in shock as Kagami moved in slowly and gave a slow gentle kiss on her cheek.

“U-Um, Kagami?” Marinette said flustered.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I though french customs involve kissing others on the cheek?” Kagami said in surprise, although a small part of Marinette said Kagami knew what she was doing.

“W-Well, yes, but its usually on both sides.” Marinette said, who was blushing.

“Hmmm. In that case, let me fix it.”

Kagami moved to the other cheek, and gave it another slow gentle kiss. Marinette felt that this one was even slower than before.

“U-Um, I should mention that it’s usually done a bit faster?” Marinette said, who at this point looked red from embarrassment and the rather intimate action

Kagami just grinned, almost mischievously. “Oh, im sorry then, I’ll make sure to fix it next time.”

Marinette watched Kagami get into the car. “It was nice to meet you Marinette, and thanks for all that you did. Do tell Adrien that I would like to have that rematch with him, if he doesn’t mind.”

“O-ok, I will!”

“And I’ll make sure to improve my greeting next time. I could have done better with that kiss.”

“Oh-Um…”

Kagami grinned and got into the car. Marinette watched it drive off.

“I think she likes you!”

“Wah! Tikki?!”

“Sorry Marinette! I couldn’t talk, there were too many people around.” Tikki said from inside the bag. “But Kagami really took a liking to you. I think she really likes you, thats why she gave you that kiss!”

“H-Huh?! N-No way! W-we are just friends, t-thats all. She just made a mistake with the kiss that’s all!”

“Didn’t she say that she has been to other parts of France? Surely she learned French customs there.”

Marinette blinked for a moment. 

Then she screamed into her shirt.

—————————————————————————

As Kagami went home, she looked out the window with a small smile on her face.

‘Marinette….’ Kagami thought. ‘I hope to see you again soon.’

———————————————————————–

Sorry for the long wait @vitaliciouscreations! I had a lot of stuff to do, and it takes a while for me to write something this big. I tried to make a slight Kagami/Marinette ship, but I didn’t want it to be so noticeable until the end for a slight slow burn! Anyway’s, I hope this Kagaminette fic with the alternate introduction makes you happy!

[thedespairzone]

The last words of Elias Edwards.

Before I share this story, I’ll preface it by saying I am not the author, and nor is my grandfather. After his passing, I found this amongst his belongings. Pieced together from torn and water-damaged scraps of paper were the last words of a man lost at sea. Alongside the tale was a glass bottle. Supposedly, this is the bottle that the story washed up ashore in. I will presume this tale to be real, instead of some elaborate piece of fiction, as my grandfather insisted upon this in his accompanying notes.

Without wasting any more of your time, I will now type out the story to the best of my abilities. Forgive me if some details are inaccurate - the handwriting is already bad, and almost illegible in some places due to water damage. I will use my grandfather’s speculative notes to assist me in places where the water damage is too great. 

Let’s begin: 

To whomever finds this note, be sure to keep it to yourself. I’ve a need to tell someone of my fate, but I wish not for my beloved to know of the tragedy that befell me. I’d rather she believed our ship was capsized, that we all drowned in the frozen hellscape of the Atlantic. I shall surely perish out here. Whether I drown, starve, or be eaten, I hope it will bring me peace. I want not for my own demise, I’ll make that much clear, but I no longer fear it. As a last remark, before I begin, let it be known that I don’t hold a grudge against anyone. I pray their souls feel the same about me. None of us were brave men. Not on that day. Least of all me.

My name is Elias Edwards. I am twenty-six. The year is 1846. I will die at sea, as have all but one of my shipmates. 

We set sail from the Bristol City Docks. We’ve a history of seafaring men in town, and whoever reads this will surely recognise us as the city that bestowed Blackbeard upon the world. With that sort of history, its no wonder we’ve so many fishermen and merchants clambering for a chance at sailing the high seas. We were a crew of one hundred and fifty men, each of us very capable. As our ship was presently the brawniest of the seaworthy bunch at Bristol City Docks, the academics at the University of Oxford had arranged for us to keep watch over a young scholar. He had been developing a device that would revolutionise seafaring, as they boldly claimed. The young lad, definitely no more than twenty-one, was named Henry Clark. 

I had expected Henry to be a meek academic; I’d known the type - scrawny, with such a penchant for all things scientific that he’d be sooner caught in bed with a book than a woman. But Henry gave a different impression. He fit in well with the crew, and we almost forgot that he was there for a reason other than pay. We had all said our farewells and see-you-soons to our betrothed, beloveds, firstborns, and mothers - each man to whomever it was he cared for the most in this world, and so we journeyed out to the Americas. Our ship was well stocked, and we carried with us crates of goods to be sold to the Yanks.

As our ship cleared her path out to sea, and the bustling docks melted away into the distance, a number of the men began a mild teasing of Henry - despite his friendly disposition, nothing was enough to save him from the mockery that one who had not found their sea legs would receive.  Amongst the group was my cousin; he too was a member of the crew. Albert Edwards, a little older than I, patted Henry on the back as the jests subsided. “Happens to everyone,” he reassured Henry. I went over to greet Albert, but stopped when I saw Henry pull a strange box from his pocket. 

My cousin and the others were fascinated by the machine too, and we all began to gather around the scholar. I can’t quite describe best how the machine looked; I’ve no knowledge of steam engines or any other such mechanisms. There were blinking flashes of red and green along one side, and on its front were a series of levers and switches that did only God knows what. A rectangle above the switches showed numbers that changed, six digits that increased and decreased for some reason unknown to me. Albert went to touch the box, but Henry quickly pulled it away. 

“We have to be very careful with this.” 

Henry refused to let anyone else touch it, but was more than happy for us to look. This new mystery device, the one that would revolutionise seafaring, soon became the talk of the whole crew. Many of us speculated upon how it worked, but none of us quite understood when Henry explained it. He told us to rest assured that, one day, nobody would set sail without one. While none of us could understand how it worked, Henry told us what it did. He said that its use was to pinpoint your exact position on the globe, and that’s what the numbers meant. We were all amazed, but after a number of days spent sailing, we carried on with our normal duties and forgot about Henry’s box. 

I shan’t bore you with details of ship life. The next two weeks were uneventful. There were no skirmishes with marauders or freebooters, no gunfights with other ships. Our canons were covered with dust - I wasn’t certain whether they had ever known the joy of firing. The Captain ran a tight ship, but enjoyed the company of a relaxed crew, so we entertained ourselves by playing cards and other such things when our attention wasn’t required. It was also a common occurrence for one or two items of freight to go missing from time to time - this trip it happened to be a few bottles of cider. We allowed ourselves to get merry on the drink we had brought, and every now and again on the drinks we were supposed to be delivering. 

On a night out in the middle of the Atlantic, Albert and I sat on the deck. I’d procured a bottle of cider, and Albert cracked in to a bottle of rum that he had stowed away below deck. We sat, bottles in hand, eyes up at the night sky. The blazes of stars lit the way for our journey, and we marvelled in the beauty of a thing we had seen a thousand times. But both of us, without saying a word, knew that the stars we looked at that night would be the same stars our wives looked at when night came for them. We spent some time watching, drinking, the ambient sounds of the ocean and creaking wood of the ship did well rocking us to relax on that still night.

Some time passed before either of us spoke.

“When we get this far out,” my cousin said, “it’s not nice to be away.”

“We’ve done it plenty of times.”

“You’re right. But I’ve got a boy now.”

Albert and his wife had their firstborn not long before we set sail. As horrid as it made him feel, he had to leave her with with their little William. We all need money - with an extra mouth to feed he needed it more than ever. We spoke about fatherhood; Albert’s newfound trials and tribulations, before Henry came to join us. 

“You should come and look at this.”

We each turned to face him, then followed him to the side of the ship. Henry peered over the side, and we followed suit. Beneath us was the ocean black, a glistening mirage of stars floating on its surface. 

“What are we looking at, Henry?” I asked.

Henry pulled his box from his pocket, the red light flickered and flashed like a flame blown by the wind. It made a repetitive ding, which sounded like the bell of a bicycle or some such noise. He watched the numbers closely. 

“There’s something strange beneath us.” He said. 

By this time, I had just about finished my cider. Henry asked me to drop the bottle into the ocean upon my finishing it. I swigged the dregs of my drink and dropped the bottle into the sea. It splashed against the surface, then sunk rapidly down - and as it did so the waters around it were ablaze with a golden hue. A perfect, fantastic, gold. 

“Wow. That’s incredible. What’s that there, then?” Albert asked. 

We thought about what it might be, before Henry hatched a plan. 

Albert recovered his empty, discarded rum bottle and found some rope, and some of the other men crowded around us to watch. Albert held the rope, and I fastened the other end of it securely to the bottle. We lowered it down the side of the boat and into the ocean. It swung and tugged in the breeze, but Albert held a steady hand. The moment it touched the water, a web of gold echoed about it. A subtle humming filled the air while we allowed the bottle to be filled with ocean water. I gazed upon the returning bottle filled with that flowing, glowing gold, and I felt inexplicably drawn to it. We all crowded around Albert as he pulled the bottle up the side of the ship. Some of the golden waters were sloshed around the outside of the bottle. Coiling the rope in one hand, Albert finally dangled the bottle onto the deck. 

“Nobody touch it.” Henry warned. “We need to see what it is first.” 

The crowd that had gathered grumbled at his caution, myself included. We all must have felt the same pull, the same yearning for the golden water. Albert, who had become quite drunk on his rum, complained that it was his bottle and he should be able to do what he wanted with it. Henry ignored the rabble, and unveiled a second device. Much like the first box we had all seen, this second one was of an equally confusing nature. Extending from one side of it was a glass appendage, which Henry dunked into the top of the bottle. It filled itself with the golden liquid. 

“This tells me what it is.” He informed us. 

While Henry was looking at the device he had kept hidden from us until this point, the golden glow within the bottle, and that which was dripping from its sides, had simmered down. It had faded and appeared as if it were regular water of the ocean. The crowed had lulled, but Albert reached forwards to the bottle, noting aloud in a drunken slur the obvious fact that it had faded. He placed his thumb over the mouth of the bottle, and shook it. Sure enough, the water inside began to sparkle again with that same dazzling gold. So did Albert’s hand, as he took it away from the still-wet bottleneck. The tip of his thumb was bright and golden. A number of the men laughed, and so did Albert - but his laugh slowly grew nervous, before falling silent. He began to scratch at his hand, to try to wipe off the gold, but all he did was spread it to his other hand. Albert scratched and scratched, his breath became snatched. I asked him what was wrong.

“Don’t touch me!” My cousin screamed as both myself and others tried to help him and see what was the matter. He panicked, whirling about, before he began to wail in pain. Alongside Albert’s screams was that same humming chorus - we all heard it, rumbling and ominous. I wanted to help Albert, but was terrified of going near him. I knew that the rest of the crew felt the same. He flailed about, winding and twisting himself around and around as he desperately tried to remove the golden waters from himself, but all he could do was spread it further. Albert’s skin began to bubble, began to pop, and even began to fall off. Flesh dripped from my dear cousin’s arms as he begged God for mercy. One man tried to throw some of his alcohol over Albert to wash away the gold, but it didn’t work. I winced and turned away from the scene. The constitution of my stomach was not enough to behold the sight any longer. In the commotion, with my hand held before my mouth and facing away, I noticed Henry skulking behind the mast. 

“Where are you off to?” I called over the screams and humming, dashing over to him. 

“I told everyone not to touch it. I’m leaving.” He said, flicking the levers and dials on a device of his. I went to reach towards him, to grab him and tell him to explain himself… 

Perhaps it was a mix of the alcohol and all the panic in the air, but I swear I saw Henry vanish before my very eyes. Like a spectre, he disappeared. I know not how, but it must have been something to do with his device. I was stood in shock for a moment, trying to understand how a man could do such a thing. It was as if he flicked a switch on his box, then folded into himself, as if he was being crunched and eaten by some invisible beast. He folded and folded, all within the space of a second, until he was no more. Gone... 

While I was preoccupied being completely dumbfounded by what had happened with Henry, the ship had fallen into complete disarray. The alcohol that someone had thrown onto Albert had facilitated the spread of the gold; and in all of the confusion someone must have knocked the first bottle over. I quickly climbed the rigging, and saw others following in my footsteps. Hand over hand, foot over foot, I scrambled my way up high and perched atop the crow’s nest. Canon fire blared beneath the screaming and humming on deck; and I looked down around at the chaos that unfolded before me.

It was a terrible golden mist that slithered upon the side of the boat, reaching at us and clawing its way ever closer. It moved slowly, yet we couldn’t outrun it; there was nowhere to run to. Slowly, but strongly, the sea spray stuttered and juddered its way above and over the walls of the ship, engulfing the bow and marking men for dead with its gentlest touch. Men with melting flesh climbed to reach me, but fell back to the deck as the searing pain became too much for them. 

As strange as it sounds, there was forever an allure about the golden mist that fluttered in the wind. Though I saw it burn through whatever it met, I felt a desire to reach out below the crow’s nest and touch it. I was wise enough to refrain from doing so, but something about the mist could draw men in. Pandemonium was unleashed below me by the onslaught of the golden mist - which reached just below my perch. I sat terrified as I waited for everything to stop, the screaming, the humming. The canon fire had ceased, likely as soon as the operators realised how fruitless an effort it was to fire a cannon at mist and water. 

The ship began to violently rock, side to side, until I could no longer peek over the side of the crow’s nest for fear of falling to my death - be it the mist or the impact that took me, I desired neither. I hunkered down and crouched hidden, surrounded by the small circle of wood that acted as my final wall of protection. I was wobbled by the rocking of the ship, and I tried to hold myself still, but the rocking soon became so violent that I was thrown back and forth by the assault. I cowered in my hiding hole, too timid to face the horrors below, dwelling upon the thought that my friends among the crew, and my dearest cousin Albert, had by now all but fallen apart by the will of the golden mist. 

X X X

From that point onwards, my memories are terribly ill-defined. I must’ve hit my head while I was being flung by the rocking of the boat. I’ve no idea how this came to pass, but when I awoke amidst the scattered, floating wreckage of the ship, I was still afloat myself in the bucket-shaped crow’s nest. Amongst the floating debris were some crates - gifted to me in them are the parchments on which I have written this message, and the bottle in which I will seal this message. And, of course, plenty of cider to keep me company in my final days - though God knows how much of the beloved stuff we’ve lost to the sea floor. 

Make no mistake: I wish I could have helped even just one soul. But to see a man’s flesh fall from his bones as if he were well-cooked meat is enough to send the bravest of men into a blind panic. Please, cousin, hold no grudge against me for my cowardice; I’m serving my punishment, withering away to nothing while drifting aimlessly through the barren ocean blue. 

I’m growing weary as I write now. I’m sensing that the end is near. Whoever finds this, wherever it may wash ashore, thank you for letting me share my story with you. 

I shall now drink the remainder of that which floats with me. If you would be so kind, have a drink with me as you read my final farewell. 

- Elias Edwards

Unfortunately, a lot is left unanswered by Elias. My grandfather’s notes focus heavily on working out what the “golden mist” was, with the avenues he has explored being related to bioluminescent plankton, various microbes, and even the mythological sirens. He also focuses very intently on Henry Clark, and working out how he “disappeared” - though with the fact that Elias had been drinking and had hit his head, I can’t be certain whether any of this really happened. 

[cheliceraekisses]

Vintage Voidcraft

F/F - android/mechanic - nsfw 18+

A mechanic from the frontier of space gets her dream girl and her dream ship, all in one day.

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26112583

The bell over the door of the hangar rung, pulling Jay’s attention away from the magazine she’d been poring over. She sighed. Customers were good, but she’d been hoping to spend the rest of her day with the latest issue of Vintage Voidcraft. Hopefully they’d at least driven something interesting into her shop, and not another one of those boring, sterile ships Rekko kept putting out. She tossed her magazine on the table, putting on her best customer service smile before leaving the office.

She rounded the corner to the lobby area she’d set up in the hangar and froze, looking at the prettiest girl she’d seen since, well, since coming to Ceres Station, this backwater in the middle of nowhere. Her practised smile fell away immediately. She was short, maybe five feet, and dressed all in pastels, a leather choker with a heart shaped ring at the front topping it off. Her blue skirt went down to mid-thigh, with pink knee socks and plain white flats. Her long white hair, streaked with pink and blue, fell over her shoulders, framing a lacy white blouse. Really, in every way, the opposite of Jay’s black tank, red flannel and half undone overalls. She would have done up the other side, if she knew where the button had gotten to. The pretty girl was looking up at the bell with an amused smile on her face.

Jay cleared her throat to get the girl’s attention, but before she could launch into her usual welcome, she was cut off with a giggle.

“Why do you have a bell on a sliding door?” The girl asked, her voice melodic and sweet and just as pretty as she was.

“Huh? Oh, that. My parents owned a mechanic shop back on Earth, I guess it reminds me of home?” She looked at the work she’d done, attaching a short rod to the door to hit the bell on its way past. “It’s kinda silly but it didn’t feel right in here without it.” She gave an embarrassed chuckle, blushing furiously.

Desperately searching for something to say, her eyes landed on the empty hangar. “So, what brings you in today?” She asked. “Don’t see a ship in here, did you fly in?”

“My ship broke down in an asteroid field a couple parsecs out,” came the reply from behind her. “Had to hitchhike here. I heard you could give me a tow, so here I am.”

“Yeah, sure, give me a minute to bring my ship around and we can go. You can wait in the office if you like.” She gestured to the small building she’d set up in the corner and, trying to hide her blush, fled the hangar far faster than she’d meant to. The dingle of the bell as she left did nothing to help her embarrassment.

The second the door was closed, she pulled out her phone, pulling up the camera and checking to see how obvious her blush had been. Very obvious, apparently, her cheeks almost as red as the old flannel shirt her dad had given her. No way the girl didn’t know she was totally smitten. Worse yet, she realized she’d forgotten to even ask for her customer’s name. Smooth. This run was going to be the death of her.

She took her time starting up her ship, checking the cockpit to make sure she hadn’t left anything embarrassing around. The ship was old and reliable, and she made sure to keep it in good shape despite it’s age. She’d had it since she left earth and never had a problem she couldn’t fix. She was saving up to buy herself a second, personal ship and leave this one for work, but nothing on the market now interested her and vintage craft were always expensive.

The engine sputtered to life, roaring in the commercial hangar full of silent, modern ships. Jay never understood the point, every engine was silent once you got it into space anyway. Besides, how could you drive a ship when you couldn’t hear what it was doing? She just couldn’t get the hang of looking to the screens for every little thing. It took too long, and half the time it didn’t tell her what she wanted to know anyway. She hoped the pretty girl waiting in her office agreed.

The drive around Ceres station took around ten minutes, but it was another five before Jay worked up the courage to step off the ship and find the mystery woman. She found her in the office, reading her copy of Vintage Voidcraft and smiling to herself. She looked up when Jay walked in, dropping the magazine where it was, open to a page on N.A.I.A.D. class ships.

“Paper? Not digital?” She asked, gesturing to the magazine.

“Oh, yeah, the relays out here suck, half the time it’s quicker to get the paper copies in.” It really was, the slow sub-FTL connections completely flooded with the station admin’s traffic. God knows when your data would get through. “Plus, this way I’ve got stuff to leave out for customers to read. It just, uh, you know.”

“Feels like home?” Her voice had taken on a teasing lilt that made Jay’s heart jump into her throat.

“Yeah, that,” she finally managed. This girl was gonna kill her. “By the way, I forgot to ask your name before?”

For the first time, Jay felt like she’d gotten the upper hand, the question making the girl start. “Um, my name? It’s, er,” she floundered for a moment. “Nadia. It’s Nadia.”

“Mine’s Jay,” Jay replied easily, still basking in having made the gorgeous woman flustered. Nadia, pretty. It suited her.

“I know,” Nadia said, the smile returning to her face. She knew? Well, it was on the door, Jay supposed, and it’s not like she had any employees.

“Well, tow’s here. Should we get going?”

“Sure,” Nadia said, moving to the door and ending up very close to Jay. Too close, she thought, looking down at the other girl. Her eyes really were gorgeous, a bright, coppery brown with a vertical line of pale gold cutting through the irises. Definitely robotic.

Her staring was cut off after several seconds by a gentle cough. “Are we going?” She asked, fully recovered and back to teasing by now. Jay jumped, spluttering out an apology and leading the way to the ship.

Jay prepared herself for the worst as Nadia came back out to the hangar, looking at her old beater of a ship. Surprisingly though, Nadia just smiled at it. “You take good care of her, huh?” Was all she said, running her hand over the paint before boarding. Jay beamed, her whole month made by just one bit of praise from a pretty girl.

“So,” Jay said, dropping into the captain’s chair and pulling up a map, “where did you say you left your ship?”

“Just over here,” Nadia said, pointing to the screen.

“Just over here” turned out to be several hours out, and Jay groaned inwardly, realizing how long she’d be spending in close proximity to the prettiest woman she’d ever met. They’d barely met an hour ago, and already she could barely contain herself. The next six hours were going to be rough.

Thankfully, Nadia opened up the conversation and saved her. “So, you like vintage ships too, huh?” She asked with a warm smile.

“Too?” Jay asked hopefully.

“Yeah, spaceflight used to be so much more classy. New ships just feel so cold?”

Jay was over the moon. Not only was this girl damn near exactly her type, she loved old ships. They slipped into conversation easily, swapping stories about the coolest old ships they’d gotten to drive, repair, and even just see in the wild. Before Jay noticed two hours were gone and they’d nearly reached the asteroid field.

“So,” she asked, slipping back into work mode. “What kind of ship are we looking for out here, anyway?”

“Don’t freak out too bad,” Nadia said with a smug grin. “It’s a N.A.I.A.D.-3.”

Jay freaked out. How could she not, the N.A.I.A.D.-3 was her dream ship, the one that cost way more than a frontier system mechanic would ever see and made her consider a career shift to piracy whenever she’d gotten to work on one. That settled it, she had to marry this girl. Guiltily, she hoped the ship would be more than a little damaged, so Nadia would stay around Ceres station for a while. There wasn’t much at the station, but she figured she could pull a decent date together if she tried.

Sadly —no, happily, she reminded herself— the ship appeared perfectly fine from a distance, floating safely behind an asteroid. She pulled her ship up next to it, feeling more than a little jealous parking her blocky old tow ship next to the gorgeous little dart. The N.A.I.A.D.-3 was built for speed, with an engine that purred like a cheetah and a beautiful, sleek profile. Nadia’s ship was in perfect condition too, clearly well-loved and taken care of.

“Before you get the tow hooked up, wanna go over and look around? Engine’s busted but the ship itself is still working fine,” Nadia said, with an easy smile. Not waiting for an answer, she turned on Jay’s short range boarding system and jumped across. Jay didn’t hesitate, jumping out of her chair to follow.

The interior was just as gorgeous as the outside, clearly redone recently. Every surface was polished, onyx panels with gold controls laid out before a black leather captain’s chair. The lighting was warm, easy on the eyes but bright enough to see everything. Standing next to the chair, Nadia threw a jokey salute. “Have a seat, Captain,” she practically purred, laughing. So this was what love felt like, Jay thought, relaxing into the comfiest chair she’d probably ever sat in.

Nadia bit her bottom lip, moving the second Jay’s eyes were off of her. She casually crossed the small cockpit, climbing into the chair and dropping into Jay’s lap, facing her. Jay’s eyes went wide, her cheeks glowing. “Nadia? What are you—”

“Shush,” Nadia whispered, leaning in to kiss her.

Jay returned the kiss enthusiastically, almost immediately realizing something. Nadia wasn’t human. More than just the natural excitement of kissing the prettiest girl she’d ever seen, Nadia’s tongue made her’s tingle, like licking a battery. So she was an android then. Jay spared a thought for a few of the magazines she ordered that didn’t make it to the rack in her lobby. That was just fine with her.

What was quickly becoming a problem however, was that Nadia clearly had no need for oxygen. Jay pulled away from the kiss to breathe, feeling light headed, and before she could gasp down a single breath Nadia was chasing her down, pinning her head to the chair and sucking her tongue, hard. Jay finally had to push her back, just for a moment, to catch her breath.

Nadia laughed, watching Jay intently and worrying her lip while Jay breathed. Idly, Jay wondered if she was one of those androids who were just, well, into humans. She certainly seemed to be enjoying the show.

After a moment, seeing Jay wasn’t going to be done soon, Nadia spoke. “I should apologize, I told you a couple lies earlier.” She reached behind Jay, pressing a couple buttons on the control panel, and the ship’s engine roared to life. “The ship’s not broken at all. I...” She paused, looking nervous. “I brought it here to give it to you. As a gift.”

Jay just stared, all thoughts of catching her breath gone. After a moment, Nadia continued. “I... I fell in love with you a while back. So I brought you this...” She laughed awkwardly, waiting for Jay to say something.

“Do we... Have we met before?” Jay asked quietly. She figured she would have remembered meeting someone so exactly her type.

“Not exactly,” Nadia sighed. She took a moment to gather her courage. “Nadia isn’t my name. I’m the N.A.I.A.D.’s control system. Er, not just this one. All of them.”

Jay had stars in her eyes. She’d met androids before, of course, and she knew the N.A.I.A.D. class ships had a networked control system, but for a whole system like that to wake up as an A.I. was the kind of thing you only ever heard rumours about. “Wait so, how did you fall— No wait, better question. Your name’s Naiad and for your fake name you went with Nadia?”

Naiad pouted, looking away to the side. “Look I... Set all this up, bought this body,” She indicated herself. Er, her android self. “Picked one of my ships, had the whole thing refitted for you, came up with this whole story, I had a lot on my plate. I forgot you humans cared so much about names anyway, and when you asked me I—”

“You panicked,” Jay said, stifling a laugh. Naiad’s pout deepened, and Jay threw her arms around her with a laugh. “So, can we kiss some more?” She asked.

Naiad didn’t bother responding, instead diving right in, shoving her tongue in the butch girl’s mouth. The shocking feeling was stronger this time, nearly making Jay’s tongue numb. She moaned into the kiss. She could get used to this.

At length, they stopped kissing, just sitting together comfortably. “So,” Jay started, “What did make you fall in love with me then?”

“I... My bodies... That is, the ships, obviously they’ve been to a lot of mechanics. Most of them hated working on such old ships, or they were just... Rough on me, or sometimes they’d recommend scrapping the ship entirely and buying a new one. But every time someone brought one to Ceres, they’d get directed to your place, and you always took such good care of me.” Naiad looked embarrassed, and if she could have blushed, she probably would have. “Perfect replacement parts, pretty new paint jobs, I could feel how much you love your job every time I visited. Pretty soon... I guess I wanted to return the favour, and take care of you as well,” she said, her tone making it clear exactly how she wanted to return the favour.

Jay could feel herself getting harder by the second, as Naiad’s tone steadily turned to honey. Of course, she wouldn’t deny being taken care of, but... “Naiad,” she whispered, “How do I take care of you too? Do I just have to do maintenance on the ship while we fuck?” She laughed at the image. She’d never been with an android before, and even if she had she imagined Naiad would be a special case.

Naiad quietly took Jay’s hands, raising them to her breasts. They felt surprisingly real, and the moan she let out was genuine, the hottest sound Jay had ever heard. Her body must have cost a small fortune. All to fuck a mechanic from the backwaters of the frontier. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Well,” Naiad began, pausing to gasp loudly as Jay groped her. “I can feel everything you do to this body.” She started to slowly roll her hips, ghosting her apparently uncovered slit over Jay’s growing bulge. The light tingle between her legs told Jay Naiad had the same electricity coursing through her pussy as through her tongue, and her cock twitched, spurting pre at the thought. “But maybe I bought a few special upgrades for the ship as well,” she gave Jay a lustful look, biting her lip as she slid herself back off the chair and onto the floor, palming Jay’s cock through her overalls. As she did so, a flash of silver pulled Jay’s attention upwards, to a pair of steel tentacles extending from the cabin’s roof. Tenderly, they pushed her flannel off her shoulders hooking their way into the arms and gently pulling it away to fall behind the chair. Naiad smiled up at her, a mischievous glint in her eye, and popped the button on her overalls, pulling them down while the tentacles hooked through the straps of her tank top, tugging it off as well. Naiad’s fingers played softly across her abs, watching in wonder as the muscles tensed under her touch.

It took Jay a moment to realize how quickly she’d been stripped, only registering as she felt the cool air of the cabin on the head of her cock. She looked back down to see Naiad playing with her, bringing her the rest of the way to attention. She smiled up at her lover, searching her face for any signs of discomfort before giving the same half salute she’d given before. “You’re so big, Captain,” she drawled, kissing her way up and down the shaft in front of her, eyes widening with every twitch.

Meanwhile, with a soft sound of metal scraping, the tentacles opened, revealing something akin to suction cups. One attached itself to Jay’s breast, and the other went to her neck, suckling, sure to leave an enormous bruise. She closed her eyes, focusing on the pleasure, trying to think how she could repay the favour.

She got her answer when something bumped against her lips. Opening her eyes in shock, she saw a third tentacle had descended from the roof, this one with an artificial dick not unlike the one she kept by her bed at home on the end. Except for that this one likely cost several thousand dollars more, judging by the sound Naiad made as she excitedly leaned forward, taking it into her mouth as deep as she could and swallowing around it. So she could feel through the tentacles then. She raised a hand to rub the tentacle, matching pace with her bobbing head, trying to draw more noises from the beautiful girl in front of her.

Jay’s pace broke when Naiad’s tongue touched the tip of her length, sending a jolt coursing through her. She bucked her hips, hard, accidentally sinking the head of her cock into Naiad’s mouth fully, locking up, fearing the stimulation would overwhelm her. After several seconds of somehow managing to hold back, her lover turned up the power, flicking her tongue over the head of her cock and driving her over the edge, cum flooding Naiad’s mouth and spurting past her lips, falling down her chin and splattering onto her blouse. She kept sucking, doing her best to draw forth every drop, before sitting back, proud of her work, watching her tentacles roughly handle her love.

Jay pulled the tentacle out of her mouth, giving it a long, wet lick, and reached a hand out towards the android. “Come up here,” she said with a smirk, “Let me undress you.” She pulled the girl into her lap, kissing her passionately, moaning at the taste of her own cum and the tingling sensation that accompanied kissing Naiad. Her hands went to her hips, sliding under the blouse and lifting up, fingers dancing up along her back before pulling the blouse over her head, smearing more than a little cum on her face and hair in the process. Naiad didn’t seem to mind, laughing and running her finger through the cum splattered on her cheek, slowly licking it off.

Next went her skirt, shimmying it down her hips, revealing a cute little patch of artificial hair, pastel pink and blue split down the middle, over a very realistic looking pussy, wet and inviting enough to have Jay stiffening all over again, despite how sore her cock felt. Having the girl of her dreams in her lap and the tentacles, now both on her small tits, sucking away was certainly helping. Naiad’s shoes hit the floor at some point while she was staring, but when the android reached to remove her knee socks Jay reached out to gently push her hands away. Naiad cocked an eyebrow at her, moving her hands to gently tug at Jay’s cock instead.

As Jay relaxed into the feeling of Naiad preparing her cock for another round, she felt a pressure from below her, coming out of the chair she sat in. A moment later, sure enough, a fourth tentacle slipped through the chair, pushing itself up against her ass, already lubed. It wormed its way, slowly opening her up but barely going inside her. Meanwhile, a fifth tentacle slid out, fondling at her balls and the base of her cock. She moaned, grabbing the tentacle still waiting near her mouth and sucking it down into her throat, hoping to provoke some action out of her new girlfriend. Well, hopefully girlfriend.

Naiad moaned, falling forwards to lay her head against Jay’s neck. Fine, if she wanted it so bad, she could have it. All at once, she slid her tentacle inside her lover while dropping her hips down in one smooth motion, taking her right to the base. Rather than waiting for the girl to get used to it, she started bouncing, timing the sucking and thrusting of her tentacles perfectly with the roll of her hips. For the first few seconds anyway. Riding in a body she wasn’t used to yet turned out to be harder than she’d anticipated, and she quickly found herself falling forwards, only for the mechanic’s strong arms to catch her. Jay tried to look as smug as she could with a tentacle-cock in her mouth, moving her arms around Naiad’s hips and steadying her, guiding the roll of her hips and showing her exactly how to move.

A particularly deep thrust had Naiad moaning lewdly again, only this time she moaned through the ship’s speakers as well. She gripped tightly to Jay’s arms, seemingly taking as much pleasure from the mechanic’s manhandling of her as from the fucking. The lights flickered, the tentacles perfect rhythm faltered, and the noises of Naiad’s pleasure came out of the speakers at ever increasing volumes. Several of the monitors around the room flashed warnings, as various safety features, convinced the ship was suffering a catastrophic core meltdown, fired off. Through it all, Naiad refused to give her lover even a second of rest, pulling the tentacle from her mouth and stuffing it between their joined breasts, pushing the suckling tentacles to tug at Jay’s neck and pulling her into a passionately violent kiss.

Naiad finally came with an explosion of sound, as her final cries of “Don’t stop” and “I love you” blasted over the speakers. The tentacles jerkily continued their assault, spraying thick, white simulated cum over the two of them, the power in her body ratcheting up further, the shock coursing through Jay and dragging her over the edge as well, her cock spasming and flooding Naiad’s cunt with her seed. The thought of getting the android knocked up flashed through her mind, pulling her back to the brink, and it seemed the same had occurred to Naiad as she moaned the words into Jay’s mouth, redoubling her efforts despite the orgasm only just finished tearing through her. Relying entirely on Jay’s arms to guide her, Naiad slammed her hips up and down, milking a final orgasm out of each of them before her body’s safety features kicked in to prevent her from literally fucking her lover to death.

Naiad collapsed onto Jay, lying still against her chest. Jay breathed heavily, finally having the opportunity to breathe easily again. She watched as the tentacles retracted, pulled Naiad close in her arms, and let herself drift off.

---

Jay woke up looking around to find she was in her bed at home. She briefly panicked, thinking perhaps the whole experience was a dream, before catching sight of pink and blue through the door to her room. She dragged herself out of bed, finding Naiad on her couch, playing with her collection of old video games. She smiled, plopping down on the couch next to her and hugging her close.

“Morning sleepy,” Naiad said, looking slightly embarrassed at having the mechanic’s arms holding her again. “Sorry, some of us don’t need to sleep,” she shrugged, missing an easy jump for a moon and falling to her death. Cute, they’d have to work on that.

“Nah, it’s okay.” Jay blinked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “So, like, uh... What... Happens now?” She was too tired for this discussion, but she wanted to know sooner than later.

“The ship’s yours to keep, like I said. It’s a courting gift,” Naiad shrugged. “I got it all registered to you when we got home. As for me,” she turned her head to the side, ignoring the sounds of her character getting knocked off the stage by an enemy. “I’m yours to keep as well, assuming earlier meant as much to you as it did to me,” she said, hopefully.

Jay kissed her, deeply, quietly reaching over to move her character out of the way of another pointless death. She pulled back, looking into her gorgeous, coppery eyes, a satisfied, easy smile on her face. “Of course, beautiful. I love you too.”

[roseamongroses]

W.A.L: “A Wizard (And His Stupid Yellow Brick Road) “(7)

Summary:It wasn’t a matter of whether or not they were worthy.It was a matter of who wanted it more. And now they were firmly on the wrong side of history. A history of unfathomable powers and all-knowing immortals, ancient forests and beasts, and a Stranger who wanted to challenge it all.

Vibes/ Tags:time is irrelevent, homophobia who?, magic and beasts, demigods

Warnings: Imprisonment, Mentions of execution, Blood/ injuries,  Mentions of past Death, repression, cursing,

Characters: Deceit(Eden) Sanders, Remy Sanders, Logan Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Patton Sanders, Roman Sanders, Emile Picani

Ship: Roceit

1) (2)   (3)  (4) (5)

(6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11)

---

“Eden?”

…

“...Eden?” 

Eden flinched,  registering Roman’s hand on his face, “Don-” he jerked his head away, “Don't touch me.” he managed to say, hair recovering the scales. 

“I…” Roman’s face fell, “You’ve… never minded before…” he said, “Do they really bother you that much?” 

“Yes?” Eden sighed, “No? I don’t know…not really. It feels… natural at this point. I barely notice them. It's… annoying that I can't control them anymore. The Stranger’s gonna get pissy again when he finds out.”                                                                                                                           

At that Roman hummed, leaning against a tree, “They feel natural now, huh?” he had a curious look, “I don’t think it should be a problem.” he said, “In fact, I’m sure the Stranger should’ve been expecting this.” 

“My incompetence?”

“No,” Roman scolded, “It’s like… It’s like a second puberty,” Roman’s fingers snapped at the revelation. Edens stared at him like he’d grown a second head. 

“No, no really.” Roman paced  about talking with his hands, “You were only introduced-- reintroduced-- to magic like what, a year or two ago? This is a sign that you’re body’s getting used to the changes.” he explained, nodding his head raptly, “It’s pretty common to adopt nonhuman or Goddess traits. It shouldn’t affect you learning how to use magic.”

“That… that makes sense,” Eden accepted, though he didn’t move back his hair, “But…” he twisted his head unnaturally, scanning Roman from top to bottom,  “If it’s normal why don’t you have any?” 

“I, uh,” Roman twirled their hair, “I have a few…” he said, “You shouldn’t really get that many, but my family’s magic is natural and strongly tied to the Goddess, so—stop giving me that look.” 

“What look?” Eden shamelessly checked him out again. 

“Stop that--Ugh I swear,” Roman grumbled, “But…” He parted his thick, red curls revealing delicate, ornate horns, curling against his head.

 It was  a blossoming crown, the smooth silver catching the light with a dazzling elegance, before disappearing into the shadow’s of Roman’s curls. Even though Eden had only just seen them, he found it hard to imagine Roman without them. 

Roman squirmed under the attention, hiding the horns abruptly, “See, it’s perfectly normal,” he said, “And I have a few others...but um,” he looked  embarrassed, “It’s um...private. The Stranger probably won’t be too happy about us taking too long we should go--” he called out, skipping ahead. 

“Knowing him, he’s probably asleep,” Eden said, catching up with Roman, staying a step or two behind. He might have been staring a bit. He blamed curiosity. 

Even though the Stranger had teleported them to… here, they insisted on walking the rest of the way to where they would be staying. It didn’t seem as old as the Hearth, but it was a far cry from the towns and cities. It reminded Eden of the woods around his village. 

It seemed like a memory long since drained. Instead of lush, overbearing forests the trees were sparse and rocks plentiful. Any greenery was obscured by a pervasive tint of grey, effectively making Roman the brightest thing for miles. And the loudest. Lets not forget the loudest.

 It was mainly questions or nonsense which  at least drowned out Eden’s  own thoughts for the time being, so he didn’t mind. As the gravel path became rockier, they saw the vague outline of the Stranger and a cavernous entrance stark with shadows. 

Before they caught up with their mentor, however, Roman slowed. Eden knew without looking they had yet another question.

“Hey…” Roman at least had the decency to look ashamed,  “If you do end up adopting more traits… does this…” His shoulders shook and he covered his mouth. Was...was he trying not to laugh? “Do you wonder what other reptile...traits you’ll get?” 

It was such an innocent question, but Roman’s gaze trailed downward in such a suggestive manner that it couldn’t possibly be innocent.

 Eden blinked, confused. He followed Roman’s line of sight, before immediately flushing and becoming the second brightest thing for miles. 

“Roman.” He gritted his teeth.

“Yes, Eden? ” Roman answered, and the bastard was indeed laughing. 

“Fuck. Off.”

---

They descended into the winding caves single file, steps cautious. 

It wasn’t completely dark, however the slivers of light were only a temporary comfort as day faded into night all at once. Despite this, the caves seemingly came into more of focus. Toothy rocks smiling pleasantly, their drool dripping methodically and gathering in murky pools. 

In the midst of shadows, creatures not quite...recognizable scurried and burrowed. Some with  fur growing in  jagged patches of colors Eden couldn’t name, some had scales lummincent and sliding across their skin. Most had silver eyes. Eyes plentiful, beady, and begging.

While the environment wasn’t...threatening, there was certainly an air of it. As if something commanded respect. Even Roman eventually fell silent.

 At a certain point, the Stranger slowed, turning the address the two, “While we’re here,” his voice echoed, seeming too big for the caves, “You two must be on your best behavior. You may or may not like me or my methods-- I don’t care,” he said, tilting his shades downwards, “Follow my orders and don’t waste my time, ” He pushed his shades up and with a flourish of his hand, the path was illuminated in a spiral down and at the bottom was….

“Oh…” Roman gasped as he peered over the edge, “I thought they were all dead?”

---

It was a village, of what, Eden wasn’t sure.

 He knew they weren’t human. However their bright, wide eyes and bustling interactions in unknown, but familiar tongues suggested they weren’t comparable to the beasts lurking in the caves either.  Something about the way they floated on the air, feet barely brushing the ground, had an air of elegance.Their wings a luminescent trail behind them. 

Eden was sure he’s seen the way they moved before, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“The Aleseners were one of the first, but The Council had declared them dead,” Roman explained softly, as the Stranger led them past stone homes. They weren’t welcomed, but they weren’t turned away either.  Though Eden did feel their stares lingering, and for once he didn’t suspect it was on himself. 

“There will be plenty of time for a history lesson later,” the Stranger’s scowl fell as he stopped in front of one stone home on the outskirts of the village. It was smaller than the rest, lacking any glowing fungi in the windows, or intricate carving in its walls.

Before the Stranger stepped inside an Alesener appeared. Their skin a soft, glittering silver, with matching doe eyes. Her eyes somehow managing to become wider. She clicked something before drifting with purpose to the Stranger. Their wings lifted to embrace the other tight.The Stranger held her tighter. 

Roman squeaked, covering their face. 

“What’s wrong?” Eden asked, averting his gaze as well.

“It...really…” Roman seemed to be getting even more flustered, “It might be a Sanders thing,but wings are sensitive--at least compared to our skin.” Eden waited for him to explain further and Roman did, despite looking like he’d rather be doing anything, but that. 

“It’s...Intimate, for her to let him touch her wings so directly like that…” he said, hugging his arms, “It isn’t necessarily romantic, but it means they’re...close.” 

“Oh…” Eden said, clicking it all into place. The feathery steps, how Roman floated when the watchdog attacked. 

The outline under Roman’s blouse was faint, but it was definitely there.

“Sanders, Eden,” The Stranger called and the Alesener withdrew their embrace, wings tucked behind them along the curve of their spine, “This is Dot. You’ll be staying with her while you study.” 

“Hello,” She smiled wide, her accent tinkling,  “You must be…” she tilted her head, attention narrowed on Roman and in an instant she was behind him, her wide fingers trailing his shoulder, “A Sanders?” She exclaimed, “I thought they were dead?”

“Almost,” The Stranger said, dry, “Apparently their trial is still ongoing.” 

“Aw, poor things,” Dot mumbled, “And he’s so young too? His wings have hardly grown in…” her finger trailed to Roman’s spine, and he jumped. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Roman  said, non too subtly tucking himself behind Eden’s shoulders, despite  being a few inches taller. 

“I forgot Sanders were such modest things...” Dot said, she met Eden’s narrowed gaze,  “You must be His other student,” she said, as if finally registering Eden’s presence. She fluttered around Eden, studying him, “You’re quite pretty, for a... human.” 

“So I’ve been told,” Eden said,  “My name is Eden.”

Dot seemed pleased at that, “A name? He already has a name? Wonderful,” she said, “Eden? Eden, ” she tested out in that curious way of hers, “I believe I’ve heard that before, from a book perhaps? Was it book?” she asked and the Stranger shrugged, “It was a book you gave me, or maybe it was...yes I’m sure of it. “ she nodded,  “Now did he come with that name, or did the Sanders give it to him?” 

“He isn’t my watchdog.” Roman grumbled.

“Of course not, dear,” She cooed, twirling around, making no comment about the Stranger’s disappearance, “Now come along, I’ll show you where you two will be staying. You’ll start tomorrow.”

---

 It was strange to sleep in two beddings, but Eden suspected Roman might want to keep that distance. Aleseners were pretty adamant about keeping most human by-products out, with a couple exceptions, so they were  forced to wear one of Dot’s many backless, silk dresses. 

They weren’t particularly scandalous to Eden, but Roman wouldn’t look him in the eye until Dot gave him a shawl. 

He watched as Roman played with the red fabric, before asking, “So that glowing guy who attacked you was a watchdog right?”

Roman looked up surprised, “Uh, yeah, that’s Patton,” he said, he turned around so he could face Eden better, “He’s a weird one… but I think that’s because he was so close to my brother. It’s not normal for them to get so attached to one Sanders. Usually they go back to their colonies after a couple years of service.” 

Eden squinted, “Logan?”

“No--” Roman shook his head, “Logan never had watchdogs growing up,” he did not elaborate, “I’m talking about Remus. We’re twins.” 

“This Remus isn’t going to be hunting us down too, right?” Eden sighed. 

Roman looked as if he was remembering something, but he soon laughed it off, “If he was, we wouldn’t have a chance,” he shrugged, leaning back and closing his eyes, “Remus is the strongest. If I was born any later....I wouldn’t have had a chance.” 

“I’m sure he isn’t that strong.” 

“Eden,” Roman inhaled, as if the comment itself was blasphemous, “When I was three,  I was still learning how to breathe without falling over. A nurse was practically glued to my bedside until I was like--what? Twelve. When he was three, he dragged a kraken out of the ocean because my pet fish died.” he said, “He only got stronger.” 

Eden opened his mouth.

Eden closed his mouth.

Eden opened his mouth  “Did you keep the kraken?” he asked. 

“We keep it at our summer home,” Roman said with a raised eyebrow, “Though... the council might’ve repossessed it at this point.” 

Eden blinked, not sure if he was still reeling from the pet kraken or the thought of owning a second home, “So… any other people I should watch out for?” 

“Mm, a lot really,” Roman said, “But I’ll keep it simple. Logan is the one with the glasses. Not big on violence, dreadful bore.  Some say he’s the smartest son-- And I guess?” Roman shrugged, “He thinks well, but you think faster. Sometimes if you act stupid you can piss him off real quick and he gets sloppy, but that’s only when Patton isn’t around.” 

Realizing Roman was answering the question seriously, Eden straightened up, attention sharp. 

“Then there’s Patton, the one I hate the least, who’s still the most dangerous out of all of them. Don’t let him touch you. Don’t. Otherwise, he’s pretty quiet.  And then there’s--” Roman frowned for a moment, “I don’t know his name do I? But he’s the frumpy one with a lot of eyes, talks a lot of shit. He’s quick on his feet, but his legs are weak and  he sucks at combat. If he finds a place to hide, you’re fucked. Oh...and some reason he doesn’t like me.” At that last comment Roman’s eyes sparkled, lips curled in a dangerous way.

Eden leaned in closer, “What did you do?” 

“Well...It was the thirdish time they were sent to get me, and they captured me, right ” Roman started, “And I guess Emile-- Oh yeah stay the fuck away from Emile, he makes you talk about your feelings--but he gave them an assignment about the proper way to handling prisioners, right? So me, a prisoner, was prime material--” 

During the story Roman had become a lot more animated, the shawl slipping and gathering around their waist, and him leaning in as well. Around the time they were describing how easy mystery man is to rile up, Roman had somehow acquired Eden’s hands to play with--which did seem to calm him down in a way that made his overly excited tangents more understandable. So Eden didn’t comment on it. 

 Sometime along the way, their beddings were pushed together. At this point Roman was detailing his “extensive criminal history”---which  moreso resembled Roman fucking with the Council, who contiuously couldn’t find an effective way to keep him contained. 

So Eden eventually relaxed, he listened carefully to the stories-- even the ones that were obviously faked-- enjoying the cadence of Roman’s voice. 

Eden knew he should probably be sleeping soon, he should be preparing for tomorrow, he should be planning, he should be remembering why he wanted  this in the first place but…

But… he’ll allow it, for a little while longer at least.

[thatonewannabedragon]

My many horror projects: (I am copy pasting cause its 4am)

I don't think I've ever really outlined my multiple horror projects, and since my love of the genre was slightly touched apon today so I'm gonna do that.

(I haven't named any of these btw)

The Forest:

In the future, after war, sickness, and mass extinction, Mother Earth finally takes a stand for herself. The Earth erupts and Mother Nature relaims everything man has ever touched, but in doing so has warped the Earth's soils to be toxic and angry. Nearly all life is connected with a new mixture of flesh and plants. Everything breathes. Everything feels. Everything is angry. To survive creatures and even humans have warped and evolved for any hope to last another day. Humans have been nearly been wiped out, seeing one is a rarity in itself. The only fragments left of human society is the metal skeletons of cities and towns that have yet to be consumed and disolved.

(The reason I haven't worked on this too much: I plan on it being a physical project, the whole story being told in a research journal of sorts that has passed through many hands. I haven't really had the time or modivation to work on it much.)

The Deep:

Hundreds of thousands of leagues under the surface lays on old structure. Abandoned and not showing signs of being active in a very long time you are sent down to explore and recover any information you can. The structure is barely keeping itself together with many areas severly damaged and even collapsed on itself and filled with water. Light is sparce and the creatures you find and ones science has never seen. You find out why nothing in the facility has seen the light of day, some things just aren't ment to escape the deep.

(Its basically just isolation and giant alien sea creatures, somewhat eldritch in nature, that are attracted to light. Kinda like Subnautica now that I've played a bit of it. I made this idea cause I love ocean horror and when minecraft released glowsquids and copper I wanted to make a map around it. That took a long time to even do a tiny bit of it so I eventually forgot about the project.)

"We Were Never Ment to go Back Home":

In a similar, but more advanced timeline to ours, a program asking for volunteers to go out into the farthest reaches of space is televised across our universe. Using new-ish warp technology the rest of the crew, inclusing many different species of aliens, and you get sent to the end of the known universe into the void like Abyss to see if life exists. It doesn't take long to realize that the program left out ship never had enough energy/fuel to get back home. With hope low and tensions high the only option is to venture into the Abyss and hope that if life exists out there it feels mercy.

(Spoiler alert: it doesn't lol. More ocean eldritch themed stuff hut this time you have to deal with existential terror and dread as reality and your crew mates shreds infront of your eyes, cause after all what's there left to lose other than your sanity? Anyways I haven't worked on this cause I'm lazy and designing and writing a large group of characters is a pain. This one feels like good graphic novel material tho.)

Urban:

(This is my newest project so I haven't really made a story for it yet. It's ment to be told in multiple recordings on old vhs tapes of people reaccounting their experiences with the supernatural. I only really have a vauge idea of a theme but I wanted it to be more urban sci-fi ish? I was gonna have the main character inherit a building of some sorts and find a hidden conspiracy room with most of this stuff. But since he now nows the creatures now know he knows if that makes sense? He has to finish the work of his predecessor and try to not die in the process. I want to make a tumblr side blog for this one lol.)

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon White Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 3]

It’s time for hunting for thieves with Burgh! Long may no one else die in the process!

Team headcount:

Boeing (Latios)

Frogger (Seismitoad)

Ptera (Archeops)

Palm (Shroomish)

I’ll also throw the Miracle Seed on Palm, since I forgot to do that last time.

Hm. This is technically part of the same route Palm came from, but it’s a different area. I think if the randomizer considers it part of a different area, I will too. So if it has something from the outside part, I won’t catch it. If it turns out they both happen to have some things in common, and the first one was one of those, oh well. It was the first one in the area.

Stepping forward to find out if we get a new one or not.

I don’t want it.

This might be a bad idea, but I think I’m going to let Palm just murder it. I do not want an Octillery, and then I’ll still only have one thing from Pinwheel Forest. It might be something I end up regretting, because as of right now, if my team wipes, I have nothing eligible to start over with, but.

Exp gotten, Grape avenged one more time.

So far there is nothing in this forest except for Octillery. What is this hell.

I do not like the Patrat line. I might never like it again. Appropriate that Team Plasma currently seems to do almost nothing else.

Okay, so for future reference, the insides of Pinwheel Forest are counted as a different area by the Randomizer. That future might not be so far off, depending on how this goes. The important thing is that something besides an Octillery can exist in these woods.

I have photo evidence.

Without it, even I wouldn’t believe at this point.

Awesome, recovered the skull. Considering the size, I am not sure how a boy my age manages to do anything with it but not be crushed by it, but thankfully the plot is uninterested in such complications. Skull get.

I have no memory of what that means. I assume it means that if I live long enough, I’m gonna beat you up.

Oh good, we give the skull to Lenora. She’s someone I have faith in to be able to lift it. She is very mighty, and when I don’t think about the consequences of our battle I still am highly appreciative of her.

I basically don’t do anything for the next twenty minutes but run around and let Ptera kill stuff. I am overusing Ptera because Ptera can one-shot everything into oblivion, and that’s a comfort.

But.

There is good news after I remember I have other pokemon.

Boeing

no longer has Psywave.

I’d never really bothered looking up the accuracy, I just was sad when the damn thing never hit. It turns out, in addition to having variable damage, Psywave has 80% accuracy.

I have never hated a move so much.

It’s gone now.

Boeing can murder things.

Together, friend. We will make it to the end of this.

Oh, the bridge! This is the one with the bridge! Bridges, even!

Best part of this generation for sure.

Now we’re in sections I think I remember a little more about. Mostly in relation to how often I ended up lost in this place. It’s not really that difficult, but for many, many years all of the towns and other locations were nice and neat 2D things. You might not know where to go next in some spots, but having trouble figuring out where you were wasn’t really a thing.

Along comes Castelia City, and it’s all “hold my drink,” and I, a mere ten-year-old, trip down back alleys trying to find out what in the heck I’m meant to be doing.

Now I, a mere ten-year-old, will probably do much the same. With an active interest in seeking out any grass.

The real question here is which evolution stone I want. I can’t use Panpour. So I guess... hm. I might as well go with the Fire option? I think I mussed with the evolution settings, so I’m not sure if I need them or not (I shouldn’t need to trade anything to get it to evolve, but past that, it’s one giant shrug). I also don’t have anything in my party that needs a stone yet, and there is no way to guess at what I might find in the future.

What I do know is I have a Grass and a Water pokemon, so let’s just round that out. That’s what the chimp options are there for, after all.

Fire Stone get.

I have zero memory of what’s up with the ship, but boats usually mean trainers to fight. Whatever the case, it is presently plot-locked.

We’re going through the city to try to gather all the Dancer trainers for a squad, which basically means beating up more of the Pan-squad, and a guy in the alley jumps out and gives us Flash.

Pokemon games are the best.

Dance squad assembled. Now that I think about it, I think this might be the version where rotating battles are introduced. I also think that might not be the right name, but the important bit is that three pokemon are participating at once and you can rotate through. I bring this up now because I’m wondering if talking to these guys again will set one off.

...Nope. I do get an Amulet Coin, though. Those are always good to have.

A building full of trainers I didn’t remember! That’s much better than running back to Pinwheel Forest or going ahead for grinding. Too bad this resource doesn’t renew itself.

Oh, nice. The guy to our right gave us Quick Balls and Timer Balls. Those are some of my favorites.

I’m not touching the Gym until everyone’s 30. I already regret that decision, but you know something else I regret? No longer having a Fire type. So yeah, this is the program and we’re sticking to it.

A Hyper Potion and Revive are also in this building. One of those has no use to us, so yay free money. Here’s hoping that we don’t use up the other one right away. I’m already imagining the horror that is the Elite Four.

Also, since I never play these games with the volume on (ancient suspicions about battery life from the era of AAs), can I just say how wonderfully spooky the Scientist theme is?

Heeeeeey. That is a good thing to have.

Time to check if I’m able to go forward, or if my grinding has to be stuck at Pinwheel Forest. As much as I like the bridge, let me tell you my preference.

Forward enough, anyway.

I think there will be some sort of roadblock ahead, but I should be able to come across my next teammate first. And some Fishermen.

Palm enjoyed meeting the Fishermen.

First encounter spotted.

Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever used one of these in a game before. The evolution is never worth bothering with unless you’re shooting for the pokedex entry, and I think by the time you run into its first form, you’ve already got most of your team arranged already.

The real question is if I have something that won’t kill it...

I think Cut might be the answer.

...I am the worst trainer ever, fml.

So. Uh.

The Escavalier is caught.

Apparently it knew something besides Fury Attack and Leer. Funny story, that.

Boeing is dead.

Ahahaha. Wow. I do not want you. You murdered my best friend. You are also now more necessary than you were. So. You need a name.

You’re a dark knight.

First girl on the team is named Batman.

Batman does not kill.

The real challenge of this game is going to be whether or not I can ever have six usable pokemon at a time. Dang. This is much rougher than anticipated. Boeing was one of those beasts I thought would be with me until the very end.

Of course, the same can be said for all that now lie here. I was definitely arrogant enough to assume that I could go through the game with none of you dying.

Serves me right, I suppose.

I really hope I don’t need to teach something else Cut now.

Goodbye, Boeing. We had four levels of being useful together. You taught me to hate Psywave, and your sacrifice brought Batman to the team. In time she will learn to honor that.

Batman is Adamant and loves to eat. That is about the best Nature I could ask for. She isn’t going to be very useful at the moment, but she has the Exp. Share now, so. We’re going to change that.

This run just got much harder. Again.

Apparently Bug is the theme of this desert.

That is one definite disadvantage to starting with a Psychic pokemon. Bug hurts. It doesn’t help that I almost constantly forgot what Boeing’s typing was.

Huh. Geodude also frequent this area.

It’s funny. Out of what’s available, so far I’ve been pretty darn happy with what I’ve ended up with. I mean, I would prefer Batman being a little weaker so I still had Boeing, but Escavalier is not awful. And I’ve never used one before. All praise the randomness.

You know what else is funny?

All the wild Escavalier here need multiple hits even with moves that are effective. All those turns I spent Cutting Batman down to size, allowing room for Boeing’s death, were unnecessary.

Haaaaa. Live and learn.

Unless you’re Boeing.

Frogger’s just going to murder everything in this route while the meager party slowly grows to level 30. Once more I feel my boredom setting in, but at this point I don’t think being less cautious is really a good idea. Getting six pokemon in my party has become something to strive for instead of the expectation.

-checks in an hour later-

Someone save me from this hell.

I think when the time comes, I’m going to take Ptera and Palm back to Pinwheel. The level differences aren’t that great, and ALL the Blaziken kills would probably do them both some good. Ptera can probably take the things in the desert, but his Defense is terrible if something goes wrong (which it easily might) and I’m not so sure about Palm. Either way Palm’s getting the Exp. Share for it, and that’s probably still twenty minutes away, because grinding.

I really wish I hadn’t accidentally killed Timon and Boeing.

You never realize what a useful tool letting pokemon faint is until you can’t. Sigh.

I am going to giggle like a small child every time that question pops up. My only good decisions in this run are their names.

Fun fact: Grinding is boring.

Batman and Frogger are all set, so I did make my way back to Pinwheel Forest in the hopes of helping Palm’s unfortunate Nature out with some better EVs and just generally having him and Ptera fight against things they could kill in one hit.

That’s working out.

This is taking forever.

I refuse to do this for the next gym. Isn’t failure the spice of any challenge?

I don’t even know what the next Gym is... Wait. Is it the electric model one? I think it might be. I remember liking her. I like her pokemon less. Flying electric squirrels are hardish to kill.

Ptera learned Acrobatics. So that’s neat.

Two. More. Levels. Come on. Bring on the massive surge of wild Blaziken.

Have I already pointed out that this is one of the generations where exp is calculated in part by level differential? The more I need the less I get.

At long last. It is done.

In your memory, Timon.

Dude, c’mon. It was going to be touching. I was going to murder all your Bugs and be like, “this is for all the things I accidentally got killed on my way here!” and now you’ve gone and ruined it with your plot interruptions. Sigh.

I’m supposed to go to one of the piers. If I’d been reading the text instead of mashing buttons I probably would know which one, but walking down each option and trying them all in order is fun, right? Right.

It’s always the last one you check.

I remember just enough of the story to say that was one heck of a mistake they done made.

Oh wait, Bianca’s pokemon? Oh. That’s much sadder.

Team Plasma grunt shows up, and it’s time to run after it. After all, I am ten. I am the most reliable aid anyone could ask for in a situation such as this.

I say, brilliant deduction, Burgh!

There is probably art of Burgh and Looker somewhere on the internet. They solve crimes.

Guess who has thirteen levels on Team Plasma like a boss. It is all four of my remaining pokemon. Yay.

They keep bringing up the Seven Sages, and I keep not remembering any of them except for one. My memory was that there was the one guy. And even that guy was pretty blurry. Now there are seven?

I just wanna catch stuff and pick fights hurry up plot.

The plot hears my requests and punishes me with an infodump about pokemon mythology of the region. Why this.

For my current purposes, I don’t care, but I actually like Black and White’s background for Unova. I like stories about heroes and dragons, and having the cover legendaries being relevant in things that aren’t just glamorized sidequests. It’s a fun game.

The monsters are just so much funner.

Let us try this again!

I love all the gyms in this generation.

Our first victim starts with a level 20 Sewaddle and a level 20 Venipede.

Ptera covers his claws in their blood.

...Okay, that one’s a little too dark. The opponents’ monsters aren’t actually dying, just fainting. My guys are the only ones who can die, adding new weight to Batman’s name. She will go into battle for justice, never inflicting lethal damage, yet she might one day fall.

Burgh’s pokemon are probably mid-20s. It’s fair to say I didn’t need to grind as much as I did, and it’s also fair to say I’d do it all over again because the last Gym was traumatic.

I wonder if part of how they decide Gym Leaders is asking them what they’ll do if they get their own building and carte blanche to design it. That should be the new Sorting question: What Type would your Gym be, and what are your thoughts on its interior design?

I think one of them this gen has you being shot through the air with cannons.

We look so serious.

Burgh does not.

First up is a level 21 Whirlipede. I feel fairly confident in saying that Ptera is up to the challenge.

Following that is a level 21 Dwebble. It does not have Sturdy.

Last is a level 23 Leavanny, and if you think these short sentences are a really uninspired way of describing such an epic fight, you’d be right, but they did not have much to work with. Ptera took everything that didn’t have an Ability preventing such acts down in one hit.

His prize.

He has the option of learning DragonBreath, and I normally wouldn’t bother with it, but considering how worried I am about whether or not I’ll manage to have six pokemon in a party at once, AncientPower with its 5 PP taking up a move slot is... maybe not what I want to go with.

On the other hand, Ptera’s a physical attacker and DragonBreath only does 60 with no STAB.

We are abandoning the way of the dragon, Ptera.

That was Boeing’s realm.

Badge get! Now, are we going to be able to leave the Gym without the plot calling?

No. The answer is no.

Look, it’s free exp! I mean one of my best friends!

With that invitation received, our time in Castelia comes to a close. This segment saw our most painful loss yet. Hopefully that has taught me a thing or two about being careful, but those lessons tend to be really temporary with me and video games.

Until next time.

[sakura-cheesecake]

Love

Non-Canon Prompts: Mermaid Merman AU

Request : Can i requests the mermaid AU ♥️ ? This time Sasuke is a merman who fell in love with a human Sakura! Thanksss 

Summary: He was a merboy when she first met him, force teaching him to say her name right. She was a doctor, all grown and beautiful when they met again and fell in love. 

It was summer and she was not happy. The little eight year old had to go over to stay with her grandparents during the summer when her parents went to the US to work with something they said ‘will be the biggest thing in this century !’. They just dumped her with her maternal grandparents yesterday with such hurry that her papa forgot to give her grandpa his sake. The old man had been complaining about his son-in-law to his wife for a day now, and Sakura could just roll her eyes. 

Why do old people love Sake so much? Doesn’t it kills you? Wasn’t it the cause of cancer and other fatal diseases? She swore she would never touch any alcohol in her life ! 

It was boring as hell too. Her grandparents live in a small town in Miyazaki, the very south of Japan with little fun things to do. It often rains too, forcing her to stay indoor with her granny and her cats. Her granny has seven and for some reason, all seven of them seems to hate her and would hover over the old woman protectively whenever she approaches her for a dango or bedtime story. Though, one of them would sometimes be civil with her and let her pet them before turning bipolar and ran away, hissing at her as if she were a dog before chase her to her grandpa with its claws. Good thing her grandpa scares them and the fur balls know that it wouldn’t be a good idea to cross the old man before dashing back to her granny. 

Today was different. Her grandpa brought her to a beach on a bike. He told her that he was going to go fishing with a few friends for some hours and that he wanted to show her the beauty of the ‘Miyazaki’ beach. “Bet’ in Tokyo, there’s no beautiful beaches like in Miyazaki !” He proudly yelled to his only grandchild, paddling the new bike his son-in-law and daughter gave him last year with the eight-year-old to the beach. They pass many shops which surprisingly greeted her grandpa as the duo pass by, even young shop keepers who look as if they just got out of high school knew O’ Haruno-san, the man whose step son married his own daughter years ago. 

When they reach the beach, there was no body there for it was a very gloomy looking day but to her grandpa, it was the perfect day to go fishing with his old pals. 

“ Katsuki! ” An old man shouted from the deck, he ran to his friend, “ So this is yer’ lil’ grand-girl. She’s very pretty despite having you as her grandfather ” The fisher man said. He smiled at Sakura, showing his projecting teeth, all bent and yellow, one was even golden and shiny. 

“ Shut it Yuzuru. You’re just jealous that I married your crush. ” Her grandfather barked, he smirked. 

“ Oi ! I NEVER had a crush on Kiko ! ”  The old fisher man grunted, he drop the little debate and drag the two Haruno on to his big boat. ‘Aoi’ was its name, for it was painted in pure blue, even if it looks as if it was last painted years ago, even a decade. Sakura ran off to explore the ship. The Japanese flag was dancing on the top pole of the ship, it was like the big one she has in her house back in Tokyo. There were lots of boxes, all smell like fish and seafood, it makes her want to stop eating seafood for a month from smelling those captured animals. There were also tanks, large and small tanks, some were laying on the floor, some were stack on one another with tubes and nets. The equipment looks rather brand new compare to the old ship that the old fisherman is bragging its history to her grandpa while he would( or probably ) half-listen to it. 

“ Are you fishing here? ” Sakura went to ask a fisherman who was carrying a few fishing baits on his shoulder while walking by. 

The tan skinned native shook his head, “ Nah, girly. We’ll sail far into the sea n’ fish big fishes there. ” He kindly replied before continuing off. 

‘ Sail off into the sea? ’ The little girl thought, ‘ I don’t want to go into the sea! Even when grandpa will be with me! ’ 

The mere thought of this boat going in to the sea makes her feel sick. When she was younger, she remember being extremely seasick when her parents took her on a boat to Jeju when they were on Holiday in South Korea. It took her an hour to recover but by the time she had, it rained, so they had to cancel going to a fun park and stayed sheltered in a cafe( Though, her mom was fine with it since this cafe was one of the places she wanted to visit since it was a main location in one of her favourite K-Drama )

Sakura went to find her grandpa in the control room with the old fisher man friend of his. It was rather a small room with many buttons like in the many Hollywood movies she had seen but the letters were all Japanese. 

“ Grandpa. Can I wait for you at the beach? ” She tug his pants lightly, her green eyes pleaded him. “ You promised me to show me the beach but since you’ll be fishing, I won’t be seeing the beach ” 

Her grandpa looked at her, “ But who will you be staying with? ” He asked with concern. He wasn’t sure if it was wise to let an eight-year-old play in the shore for who-knows-how-long, fishing could take days to months but this one was made sure to be a one-day thing so he decided to tag along and made a promise( more like a lure ) to his grandchild that he’ll take her to the beach. 

“ I’ll go into a nearby store to call granny when it gets dark. ” She told him, “ And I know which people are not ‘safe’ to talk to too. I’ll be fine ”  

“ You remember granny’s number? ” 

The girl nodded. 

“ Fine. Run along sweetheart ” He sighed in defeat. Sakura beamed happily. She said goodbye to the two old men and ran eagerly to the beach. 

The sea was fighting against the shores, washing white bubbles to the wet sand. It was reflecting the blue sky, but as the waves reach the shore, it turned clear crystal, washing seashells to the shore and some trash. 

Whoot Whoot. 

‘Aoi’ whistled, sailing off to catch fishes for the day. Her old man waved to her as he went further into the sea. She waved back, yelling for him to catch her a mermaid on his way back, despite knowing that such creature does not exist except tales for children( which does not fool her since she’s a big girl !)

When she couldn’t see the boat anymore, she ran. She ran along the shores, avoiding sharp seashells poking from the sand along the way and deeper to near the coast. There was a cave, a wee bit far from the dock. She had spotted the big cave when she was on the dock a while ago. It was interesting and something about it was telling her to go explore the said place. 

So here she was, peaking into the dark cave with nothing to light the place up. Weeds covered some of the stone. She could hear the echo of the waves washing up against the pointing stones and cave walls everywhere, it was relaxing to her, too relaxing that it could make her fall asleep. 

The ceilings of the cave were also stones and rocks, the water reflection made it looks as if there were light dancing on it with blue hue. Seashells sat on the bottom of the stones, all piled around in an odd circle as if someone had place them here. It doesn’t look very natural. 

What if this is a shrine?

‘Maybe a sea shrine for those who were lost at sea’ she thought. She didn’t dare to go any further into the cave for she didn’t have any flashlight or anything that can lit the place. She could get hurt, she knew. 

So, Sakura decided to play near the entrance, running slowly with herself while playing pretend that the cave was her house. She collected pretty seashells from the cave too, making them flowers in front of the cave and some were food. 

Just as she was about to pick more shells from the cave, she spotted a figure from the ocean behind her. It was a boy. 

When he noticed that she spotted him, he quickly went into the sea and didn’t came up. “ Hey !” She shouted after the boy and ran to the spot. 

There was no body under the clear ocean, no trace or clothing of the boy that she just saw, she panicked. ‘What if he had drowned?!’

With out thinking, she ran into the sea while call out to the unnamed boy. She couldn’t see him as she went deeper and deeper. It was then that her head had been the only thing of her body that is poking out of the ocean. Her feet couldn’t even feel the sand anymore ! 

She was afraid. 

She remember purposely holing her goldfish out of the water to pet it for ten minutes before going to school one day, despite knowing that she’s killing it, she just wanted to know what’s it like to pet a slimy fish. It died the minute she put it back into the tank, her mama was mad with her when she came home. That was her mama’s favourite baby fish in the tank, the chubbiest one he rmama ever had ever since she was a kid. 

She felt very guilty. 

Wouldn’t she feel more guilty too if she knew she shock a boy and he drowned ?! 

Haruno Sakura is not going to be an indirect murderer at the age of eight ! The girl frowned. She had decided ! 

She quickly inhale deeply before going under water to look for the boy, she had tried to open her eyes a little by little but it was too salty for her. 

“ !!! ” 

There was something brushing against her feet ! She gasped and went up. Her heart was beating fast and she was afraid. What was that thing that just brushed past her?! A fish? 

It couldn’t be a fish. Before running off the boat, that tan fisher man told her that there was no fish near the shore ! Aside some little ones but they only come out at night !

Maybe it was some trash or clothing that was floating in the sea ! It had to be it. Sakura calmed herself before inhaling deeply again and sink into the sea. This time when she opened her eyes. 

It was the boy she saw earlier, staring back at her with curious eyes. 

She was shock she pushed herself up again and look down to where she saw the boy. He emerged after her and both blinked. 

“ You’re ok! ” She beamed. 

He didn’t respond. 

“ Let’s get back to the shore ” She said and swam back to the beach. When she turn around to find the boy, he was still in the sea but was now closer to the shore. 

“ Why are you still in the sea? ” She asked, tilting her head in a manner her papa always squeals by saying that she looks ‘cute’. 

The boy stayed silent. He just looks at her as if she was a something he doesn’t see often. 

“ If you’re not going to come out, I’m going to drag you out of the water ! ” She demanded. He still sat perfectly still in the shallow water, looking lost at her words. 

The pink haired girl mentally counted one to ten and marched to the boy. She spotted his arms and pull it. His skin was so smooth and cold. It was as if he had stayed in the water for hours already ! Where are the kid’s parents ?!

She pulled him. He merely look confused at her and didn’t resist. It was then as if time stopped itself when the girl saw why the boy stayed in the water. 

He didn’t have legs. He had fins ! 

“ A merman? ” She gasped silently to herself. She couldn’t believe it. She was a girl of science,  she dreamed of becoming a world-known doctor and researcher in the future; thus the reason of her not believing in fairy tales. 

Until today, at least. 

“ Can you speak? ” She asked him, dropping his wrist. 

He still look at her with a blank expression and Sakura smack her forehead internally. ‘Who teaches Japanese in the sea !’ Then, an idea popped up. What if she teach him Japanese ! 

Summer break in Miyazaki now seems like a fun idea. Spending time teaching him Japanese and maybe in the end of the summer he’ll be able to tell her tales of living in the sea for her ! 

So. Sakura sat on the sand. The boy blinked and retreated his body back into the shallow water before setting himself in the old spot again. 

“ Sakura ” She pointed herself. 

The merboy tilted his head in confusion. She then repeated herself, this time going slower, “ Sa-Ku-Ra ” 

“ Aa-U-A ” He said. 

“ Sakura ”

“ AA - U - A ”  

And the day was spent by her telling him how to pronounce her name correctly.

“ Don’t go ” The merboy said to his new found friend. It had already been the girl’s entire summer break. She was leaving. He didn’t want her to go. 

She was the first human being to made contact with him. It was awkward at first, meeting her on his cave. She was playing in front of it while he was inspecting her from afar. She had pink hair, shoulder length that looks like the pink corals in the deep reef near here. Her eyes were green like the sea foams he had seen during the hot days near the surface, sometimes it would be dark as seaweeds too when she seems to be having a bad emotion. 

He had never seen a human with odd colorings before, so it lead to her teaching him Japanese, a human language that is use in this country.

“ I’ll come back next summer ” She told him with a smile, tugging her animal book to her chest. It was already dusk, the sun was already sinking into the dark horizon and she must go home. Her parents will be back to pick her back to Tokyo tonight, and she has to go wash up. 

The merboy frowned. “ When is next summer ? ” He asked. 

“ Next year ” She smiled cheeky-ly 

“ So I have to wait for you for 365 days ” He said. “ That’s too long ” 

“ Not exactly 365 days but I’ll come back before you know it ! Just count for the days and I’ll be back before you can count the 300th day ! ” The pink haired girl gleefully said. She kneel down on her knees and gave him a hug. 

He jumped a little before staying still. 

“ This is called a ‘hug’. People do it to their close ones ” Sakura told him before letting go of his cold skin. His face was a blank as ever but as she had gotten up to her feet his face went from stoic to panic. 

“ Sakura !” The merboy shouted after the retreating girl. She was already too far away from the shore, too far away for him to grab her, too far away for him to crawl on his hands to catch her on time. 

“ See you later, Sasuke ” 

She came back again when she was twenty one. Graduated from the top medical school as a doctor, she chose to work in Miyazaki’s local hospital instead of Tokyo’s, even though the hospital in Tokyo was more well known and better paid, her heart told her to choose her. 

She was spending her day off at the Miyazaki beach, walking along the familiar shore she had run along thirteen years ago, farther away from the population and to the cave she had once played in. 

It was still the same beautiful cave she had played with an old friend of hers. The boy she wanted to sort after ever since she was young but never had the chance to. She wanted to keep her promise but she had broken it, despite wanting to not break it. It made her feel guilty now that she doesn’t even remember his name or his face. 

But she remembered teaching him how to speak and having a little crush on her childhood friend. Yes, he was a handsome boy with dark eyes that sparkle like a starry night sky and same dark hair with deep blue hue. It’s a shame that it’s all she remembers of him. 

“ Sa.. ” It was the other thing she remembers of him. 

What was his name? Satoshi? Sato? Sakamoto? Samui? She wasn’t confident. It could be a weird ass name or other native Miyazaki names she doesn’t know. 

The wind was blowing against her softy, soothing her and making her sun dress dance around calmly. 

It was then she heard a big splash nearby and was alerted. 

She didn’t see anything fell into the sea at all. And she was sure as hell that no big fish would come this shallow near the shore. Her curiosity got the better of her and she marched to where the big splash was. 

It was a boy. 

The same boy she had seen years ago. 

He submerged to the surface with his eyes lock to hers. A soft gentle smile was pestered on his handsome face as he got closer to her. 

“ Hello. Sakura ” He said. 

She blinked in surprise and kneel down on the shore. She wondered why he didn’t come out of the sea or how he manage to make a splash that big and slowly surface as if he was a merman. ‘ Did he canon balled off that cave’s cliff and just greeted me like that? ’ 

“ H-Hi? ” She waved at him weakly. The young looking man came closer to the shore but kept his body from below his chest in the shallow water, showing his fine shoulders and pale white skin like the snow to her. He smiled at her with the realist smile she has ever seen. “ Do I know you? ” She asked bluntly. 

Sasuke’s smile faded instantly. She could see his dark eyes turn from gleeful happiness into blankness and shock in an instant. “ You don’t remember? ” He questioned her as if he was whispering, “ You.. You’re.. You don’t? ” 

“ Are you the friend who I use to play with when I was younger? ” She asked. “ Sa.. “

“ Sasuke “ 

As if time has stopped. All of the childhood memories she had forgotten of him came flashed into her mind. All the times, all the plays, all the books she had carried from her grandparents’ house to the shore everyday and the fact that he was a merman came back at her. 

And the promise she couldn’t keep.

‘ I’ll be back before you can count the 300th day ! ’

“ Sasuke ” 

She’d found him again. 

The waves were washing against the cold sand for winter was coming. It was a good O’ day like for the past week for the doctor on leave. Her swollen belly was really big for a five-month-old pregnancy. She didn’t dare to do an ultrasound at the hospital yet, she wanted to let her husband see their little fish together when their good friend, Naruto, could come and lend a hand in smuggling her big papa fish into her work place. 

A big splash caught her attention as her green eyes spot her husband’s figure emerging from the sea. The last time she had been pregnant, he had brought some of his family to meet her, his mother, who was shock yet excited( too excited ), his brother, who was very calm yet has sparkles in his eyes and his father who was very stoic and refused to speak in Japanese, voicing out in some weird language she assumed was her husband’s mother tongue before excusing himself and left. 

She sat down on the shore, slowly shifting to avoid falling. Sasuke was quick to swim to her and stood his pose in case she fall into the shallow water. 

“ She seems to be excited when daddy’s here. ” Sakura smiled at her round belly, her little guppy had kicked her when she felt her papa’s presence. Sasuke’s cold hand went to touch her round tummy and chuckled. 

“ She? ” He gave her a questioning look. Did she dare to go for an ultrasound already? 

“ Just a feeling ” She gave him a toothy grin. 

“ Papa ! ” Came a voice from behind Sakura. It was their first born running after her in her cute long shirt and long jeans to cover her scale-covered legs. When she reached the shore, she quickly pulled down her pants and jumped into the sea with to tackle her papa. 

“ Sarada ! I didn’t bring you any spare ! ” Sakura shouted at her little girl, but the girl didn’t care and continue to tackle her daddy, showing him her swimming skills with her semi-fins-and-legs. 

“ Let her ” Sasuke said. It was, after all, five years since she had last seen him. She was only three when he took her down into the ocean with his wife diving after them with odd equipment on her face and mask. ( I can’t hold my breath under water nor have marine organs like you ! I’ll die in 10 seconds ! ) 

She had grown beautifully, looking more like him as she grew. “ Can we go visit your family today? ” She asked him. 

“ Mama can’t follow, though. ” Sasuke said as he held his child in his arm. He’d lost his dominant left arm when Sarada was two, when he was coming to visit his family and was caught by a fishing net, unluckily, he was bleeding and it attracted sharks to him. 

Sakura had been too worried since, offering him to not meet them again or come live with them as soon as she can save enough money to buy a house nearby with a pool with sea water in it. It was done just a month ago.

“ What if you guys get into another shark attack? ” Sakura asked. 

“ I’m not bleeding, we’ll be fine ” Sasuke answered her, his sole arm bounced his eight-year-old, making her giggle. “ And my clan’s not far from here, they actually wanted to meet you girls but my sister-in-law just went into labor days ago, so we had to keep moving so the sharks won’t follow her blood scent. ” 

“ So, You’re an uncle now? ” Sakura smiled. She remembered Itachi and his mate, as what her husband has told her about. Merpeople don’t have marriages, but they have mates and they bond. Once it happen, it happened. No changing the mate partner for life, even if one dies. 

Sasuke was not like the majority of his kind, he had asked her to refer to them as husband and wife, wanting to adapt to the human culture more and even refers to his relatives by the human way. 

“ Yes. Three boys. Joy ” Sasuke chuckled. “ Itachi went pale for days ” 

Sarada then wiggled out of her father’s arm and went to dive around him. She was eager to meet her cousins and relatives, even though some of them doesn’t speak her language and speak with weird noises, like her grandpa. Sasuke shouted her to wait and gave his wife a quick kiss. He promise to return their little girl tomorrow morning and went after their first born as the sun was sinking into the orange horizon. 

This is where she met him years ago. Where a lost boy whose first word was her name, now her lover and husband( who, no one but a few of her trusted friends know of ) and a stubborn girl with a curiosity of the ocean met. It was where they parted, where he had waited for her, counted days for her to return. It was where they had met again, all grown up with duties, hers as a doctor and his as the son of a marine clan. It was where they had kissed, made love, had their two little guppies, with one on the way and the other swimming into the deep sea with her papa. It was where her house would be as she had finally saved enough money to buy the land and build their house near the sea, right next to the street and the sand, with a little pool filled with salted water for her husband, in case he wants her to drag him to their house. 

And it would be the beach where their family would grow filled with love. 

Extra scene how they got married and conceive lil Sara-chan is here !

[wanderingstoryteller]

Guild Wars 2: Random Trivia About the Crystal Desert

Hello, fellow lore nerds! I’ve been a busy little Branded this past month: getting back into my college routine, doing a bit more creative writing than usual, and engaging in a fun-but-exhausting new activity my sister calls... “socializing”.

Still, I wanted to find time to cover PoF around here -- I’ve had a couple little side projects cooking, and with Path of Fire just one day away (!!!), I was planning something extra special for you guys. It was gonna be a beginner’s guide to the continent of Elona: background information about the region, its history, inhabitants and whatnot. To make sure everyone’s on the same page, and knows the backstory going in.

Oh, it would have been magnificent. If only Arenanet hadn’t beaten me to the punch by doing the exact same thing, but way better and several days early. 

It put me in a bit of an awkward position. What’s a lore nerd to do when his purpose has been fulfilled? With whom do I share my bounty of knowledge? 

And then I realized what I had known in my heart all along... I don’t need a reason to share pointless trivia about a world I love. To share pointless trivia is its own reward, I say! So, rather than step on Arenanet’s toes by doing the same thing they did, I decided to build on top of it. Because Arenanet’s post, as well-written as it was, didn’t dive into what makes Elona such a fun place to hang around in -- its depth. So many smaller details, not central to the story, but adding that extra layer of uniqueness crucial to making a setting memorable.

So that’s my mission here: show off the more obscure plot elements that make Elona such a cool place to be. Things I hope to see touched on, even if it’s just in a bit of throwaway dialogue. I hope y’all enjoy, and if all goes well, tomorrow I’ll be seeing you on the first ship to Amnoon!

The Junundu

To start with something vaguely relevant: a while back, you might have noticed that the Wurms on the Tarnished Coast were looking a little... different. That turned to be because of a really weird bug, which swapped out the Jungle Wurm model for something else. A model just added to the client.

What is it, you ask? Turns out it’s one of the most feared beasts in all of Elona: The Junundu Wurm.

The Junundu are massive, hardy creatures, one of the few living things able to survive in the Desolation. According to Elonian legend, Palawa Joko tried to tame them, turn them into beasts of war for his conquest of Vabbi. But he failed, so he set them loose across his kingdom. Over the years, though, others have had better luck. During the events of Nightfall, the Sunspears were able to tame a small group of Junundu and use them to cross the Desolation safely. 

Yes, this is the reason I got so excited by the idea of mounts. Who doesn’t want to ride an enormous, all-devouring Sand Wurm? I’d name her Kirby.

The Abandoned Superweapon 

The Crystal Desert is filled with ruins. Before Joko took over, the Elonians were constantly trying to settle the place, drawn to Augury Rock and the possibility of Ascension. Some were killed by the Forgotten protecting the place, but at least one colony destroyed themselves. A civil war broke out over the Crystal Desert’s dwindling resources, and in desperation, one side created a weapon capable of wiping out the entire settlement. Under unknown circumstances, the weapon was activated, and both sides of the conflict ceased to exist. 

What happened to the weapon afterward? Well, for a couple centuries, it just sort of... sat there, in the middle of The Arid Sea. An armed, perfectly functional superweapon, forgotten by everyone. Even Arenanet themselves forgot about it for a little while -- the quest content about the relic had to be cut from Prophecies due to time constraints. And so, for another two centuries, it sat. 

Don’t worry, though -- it was eventually recovered by the Durmand Priory and stored in Special Collections, alongside other lost relics like the Holy Grail, Zhaitan’s tail and Ogden Stonehealer. Tyria is safe... for now. 

Teleporters

You modern Tyrians are spoiled, what with your newfangled Asura Gates and fancy shmancy Waypoints. Back in my day, we had to walk to our destination, and we walked uphill both ways! Unless, that is, we were in the Crystal Desert. Then we kind of had it covered. 

While one Crystal Desert colony was busy constructing the most devastating Indiana Jones reference of all time, another was busy revolutionizing desert commerce. Using magic, they figured out how to transport objects instantly between one point and another -- the same technology found in asuran Waypoints, centuries before the asura were ever encountered on the surface. They spent years constructing a network of these “Teleporters”, making life in the area much easier for anyone that knew how to activate them. When their great work was complete, they proceeded to suddenly and anticlimactically die out, just like all the others. 

Tragically, with nobody left to repair them, the technology behind the Teleporters degraded with time. They now stand as little more than a pretty addition to the desert scenery, and a lasting reminder to us all that humans aren’t nearly as dumb as the asura keep insisting we are. 

Ancestor Trees

Ventari wasn’t the only centaur with a love of nature. Elonian centaurs, like the Veldrunner and Losaru prides, were staunch nature-lovers themselves. In fact, much of local centaur culture revolved around their so-called “Ancestor Trees”. 

According to centaur mystics, the spirits of centaur elders would congregate around these places. Eager to teach the next generation, these spirits blessed the fruit of these trees, imparting their knowledge and wisdom on those lucky enough to get a bite. Somewhat rare, being magic and all, they were highly sought after by Elonians, and vigorously defended by the centaurs.

Most Ancestor Trees were burned or abandoned during Nightfall, when Abaddon’s forces attacked and enslaved many of the centaur prides. At least one survived with help from the Sunspears, but I’m interested to see what happened afterward. Have Ancestor Trees flourished across Elona once again, or has Palawa Joko chosen to uproot them once and for all?

The Order of Whispers

Wait, who let these guys in here!? They aren’t Elonian! 

...Or at least, they aren’t Elonian anymore. 

In the modern day, the Order of Whispers is dedicated to defending Tyria from the Elder Dragons. But few know that this wasn’t their original purpose. The Order of Whispers was originally based in Elona, founded by Turai Ossa himself. Their mission? Guard Palawa Joko’s tomb at all costs. Ensure that he never rises to threaten Vabbi again. And stop anyone who tries to set him free. 

They were good at their jobs -- so good, in fact, that almost nobody outside the Order even knew where the tomb was. But all good things come to an end, and the end came in Nightfall. With Abaddon poised to break free of his prison, the Sunspears needed a way to stop him. The problem? That final climactic battle was going to occur at the Mouth of Torment, smack-dab in the middle of the Desolation. No living thing could cross that sulfurous wasteland intact. But there was one being that knew how they might be able to manage it.

Palawa Joko would tell them. He would tell them all about the Junundu, and how they might be tamed. But first they had to set him free. The Order didn’t like it, but they knew it wouldn’t matter in the end if Abaddon wiped them all out. So the deal was made, and Joko returned. 

A hundred years later, the Order was fleeing for their lives. Vabbi, Kourna and Istan had all surrendered to Joko’s forces, and at long last, his enemies were being purged. To survive, they hopped on a boat and fled to mainland Tyria. There they found a civilization under siege on all sides, and a new purpose. 

But with the path to Elona open once again, I can’t help but wonder... what do they make of their first, greatest failure? And do they plan on setting it right?

The Mordant Crescent

The Sunspears might have freed Palawa Joko, but they didn’t like him very much. The feeling was mutual -- Joko knew the Sunspears would defy him when he made his play for Vabbi, and that’s exactly what they did in the end. Unfortunately, they failed, and for their failure, they suffered the worst of Joko’s wrath. Joko had them hunted mercilessly, one by one, and the hunt was led by an order of his own: the Mordant Crescent. 

Ever a fan of irony, Joko formed the Crescent exclusively out of traitors to the Sunspear Order. He had a lot of them on-hand after the conquest of Vabbi. Many in the Order believed their cause was hopeless, and so defected to the winning side. Some did it for power. Some did it for immortality. Some did it to protect their families. Joko didn’t care about their motivations. As long as they were willing to hunt down their former allies, he would accept them.

All members of the Mordant Crescent are powerful necromancers, and granted far more autonomy than Joko usually allows. This is by design -- Joko already has plenty of mindless minions to go around, after all. What he wants out of the Crescent is something far more dangerous: Heroes. Wandering adventurers that protect Joko’s interests on their own initiative, with the same cunning, creativity and determination that had always been employed against him in the past. 

Much like us? No. Exactly like us. Like the rest of Elonian culture, we too have been reforged in Palawa Joko’s image. 

Tomorrow, ladies and gentlemen, we travel to one of the richest settings in the history of the Guild Wars franchise. For those of us that have been there before, it’ll be a nostalgia trip like no other. And for those of you who have never had the pleasure, I hope this post gave you a little taste of why I’m so excited. 

See you tomorrow, and may the Six Five bless you!

[man-creates-dinosaurs]

Late last month news broke that British sci-fi and fantasy author Brian W. Aldiss (8/18/25 – 8/19/17) had passed away at the age of 92. Best remembered as the author of the 1969 short-story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long,” which the feature film A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001, Dir. Steven Spielberg) was based on, Aldiss, like many science-fiction writers, also occasionally dabbled with the subject of dinosaurs. This includes the short-story “Poor Little Warrior!” originally published in the April 1958 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and two novels, An Age (Faber, 1967 – released in the US under the title Cryptozoic! by Avon in ’69) and The Malacia Tapestry (Jonathan Cape, 1976).

Because I haven’t read either of these novels, this post will focus on the short-story “Poor Little Warrior!”, which I have read, and its curious legacy as the originator of a trope found today principally in kaijū movies concerning the presence of dangerous super-sized exoparasites living on the bodies of giant monsters.  

Falling firmly into the ‘time-traveling big game hunter’ sub-genre which began with Ray Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” (1952) and was initially continued with L. Sprague de Camp’s “A Gun for Dinosaur” (1956), Aldiss’ “Poor Little Warrior!” is closer in spirit to that of de Camp then Bradbury as it is less concerned with the question of the mechanics and consequences of time travel in and of itself and more intent upon using the conceit of man going back into the past to hunt dinosaurs as the basis of a short morality tale – in this case about the dangers of biting off more than you can chew.

The protagonist of Aldiss’ story is a nebbish, hen-pecked man named Claude Ford who has decided to try and shore up his masculinity by traveling back to the Jurassic and bagging himself a brontosaurus. In this one respect Aldiss’ story is like Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder” in that his brontosaurus, like Bradbury’s T. Rex, is more of a giant monster then an actual animal being described as possessing “eyes [which] gleamed with the liveliness of a week-old corpses’ big toe” and breath which reeked of “compost,” the body of the sauropod is seen as the embodiment of biological horror having “come full circle and finally disappeared up its own sphincter.” Naturally such a behemoth is also adorned with super-size exoparasites, lice in this case, described as being as big as crabs and “living in those gray walls and canyons” which make up the dinosaur’s elephantine hide.

After several paragraphs of nervous deliberation Ford finally man’s up and does the deed, shooting the brontosaurus. However as he moves forward to claim his prize he is suddenly besieged by the giant lice! Aldiss, as narrator, describes the scene…

“You [i.e. Ford] struggle and scream as lobster claws tear at your neck and throat. You try to pick up the rifle but cannot, so in agony you roll over, and next second the crab-thing is greedying it on your chest. You wretch at its shell, but it giggles and pecks your fingers off. You forgot when you killed the bronto that its parasites would leave it, and that to a little shrimp like you they would be a deal more dangerous than their host. You do your best, kicking for at least three minutes. By the end of that time there is a whole pack of the creatures on you. Already they are picking your carcass loving clean.”

While an evocative ending Aldiss’ idea that giant dinosaurs would harbor giant exoparasites is pure fantasy. As Brian Switek explains in an article for Smithsonian Magazine, the evidence that lice even existed during the time of the dinosaurs is incredibly slim with only a single fossil having been recovered so far. Significantly however this fossil specimen represented a type of lice that today is most commonly found on birds, thus bolstering the case that dinosaurs and birds are evolutionary relatives. In either case, the fossil louse in question was as tiny as its present day counterparts, not the crustacean-sized monstrosities featured in Aldiss’ short-story.

However, with this tale Aldiss introduced a trope – that of the giant exoparasite – which has continued down to today and found a special home in the realm of kaijū movies. First seen in THE RETURN OF GODZILLA (1985, Dir. Koji Hashimoto), this film opens with journalist Goro Maki coming across the fishing boat Yahata-Maru floating out at sea, seemingly abandoned. Maki boards the vessel and finds the crew dead with the exception of one young man, Hiroshi Okumura, who is injured and in a nearly catatonic state. Suddenly a giant sea louse – referred to in Godzilla lore as a Shockirus – attacks Maki and nearly does him in only for Okumura to come to and save him at the last minute. Eventually it is revealed that the Yahata-Maru had a run in with Godzilla and we are lead to infer that the giant sea louse fell off of Godzilla’s skin and onto the ship where it proceeded to slaughter the crew.

More recently this same idea showed up in both the films CLOVERFIELD (2008, Dir. Matt Reeves) and PACIFIC RIM (2013, Dir. Guillermo del Toro). In CLOVERFIELD, the twenty-something New Yorkers who are our protagonists quickly learn that while the giant monster attacking the Big Apple maybe easy enough to avoid, a much more imminent danger is posed by the German Shepard-sized alligator-jawed parasites which have hitched a ride on the kaijū and are now running through the city’s abandoned subways. Likewise in PACIFIC RIM, skin mites the size of Shih Tzus live on the kaijū. When the kaijū dies the skin mites do as well unless immediately soaked in ammonia.

Aldiss’ “Poor Little Warrior!” has been reprinted numerous times over the years, but collections which would most likely be of interest to readers of this blog include the anthologies Behold the Mighty Dinosaur (Elsevier / Nelson Books, 1981), The Science Fictional Dinosaur (Avon Flare, 1982) and Dinosaurs! (Ace Books, 1990).    Images: 1) Is this fossil evidence that dinosaurs dealt with lice? 2) The Shockirus almost does in Goro Maki in The Return of Godzilla. 3) The dangerous exoparasites from the film Cloverfield. 4) The skin mites from Pacific Rim                           

[trbl-will-find-me]

Every Exit, An Entrance (7/?)

There are two (and only two) possibilities: either she led XCOM to victory and they are now engaged in a clean up operation of alien forces, or XCOM was overrun, clearing the way for an alien-controlled puppet government to seize control of the planet.

She’d really like to figure out which it is, but asking hardly seems the prudent option.

chapter cw: brief, non-graphic depiction of torture Masterpost of all updates available here

She jumps when the doors to the Situation Room open, startled from her nap by a concerned looking Central Officer. “Did you sleep here?”

“What time is it?”

“0800.”

“Just for the last hour and a half, then. I think I know what’s causing the energy spikes.”

“How long have you been awake?”

“It’s the Fog Pods.”

“What?”

“It’s the Fog Pods. I’m almost sure of it. It’s the only answer that makes sense.”

He lowers himself into a chair. “I’m listening.”

“On a hunch, I looked for missions we’d run in a fifty mile radius of the last recorded spike. What I pulled up was this,” she says, sending the footage to the large screen.

“The attack in Buenos Aires. Wasn’t that the one where Bernard---”

“Yup. And, rewatching the footage,” she says, calling up the incident in question. “This popped out at me.”

She replays the moment. “See the Fog Pod Hershel’s behind?”

“It’s one case, Commander.”

She shakes her head. “It’s bigger than that. I started pulling footage from other areas where we’ve seen spikes: Beijing, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Munich, Berlin, DC. The Fog Pods show up in all of the footage, so we’ve got a confirmed presence. We’ve ruled everything else out. We did our homework; we can rule out almost every other alien tech we’ve encountered. The Fog Pods are the one damn thing we forgot. That I forgot.”

“You didn’t forget. Other things had to take priority.”

“I didn’t even instruct our people to keep track of them!”

“If they’re what’s giving off these energy readings, they’ve kept track of themselves.”

“How did I miss this?”

“Weapons. Armor. Medkits. Live captures. Flight computers. You weren’t exactly leaving the research team idle.”

“But this!” She buries her head in her hands. “I have a Doctorate in Biodefense! This is inexcusable!”

“And we’ve been monitoring environmental data for cities where we’ve had active incursions. It’s been clean. If you’re right, we’ve still got time.”

“But we don’t have a pod.”

“Not even in storage?”

She shakes her head. “I really fucked us up.” She groans. “Time to go beg for the Council’s mercy.”

“Not … like that,” he says, eying her over. “Go get some sleep and come back with a uniform.”

“We don’t ---“

“It’s not going to be a pleasant call. It never is. It’s going only going to be worse if you go into it sleep-deprived.”

Her shoulders droop. “What if I’ve just set us back? What if … what if this is something coming? Some delayed onset weapon?”

“They’re not gonna bring that ship back into existence.”

“But what if they’re a bio agent? Those things take years to counter, and that’s assuming we even can.”

“They haven’t activated.”

“But they could. Our last, best hope is to stop them before they do, and we don’t even have one to pull apart. That’s not even mentioning the potential biohazard we take on bringing it here.”

“I’m not debating you on any of that. But your last call with the Council was … not the most productive. This is going to be contentious at best, hostile at worst. You’re not ready for that on … what, four hours of sleep?”

“Four and a half.”

“Point stands. You’ve got a lead now, which is more than you had last night. Get some rest. I’ll make the call and get things set.”

“I’m not winning this argument, am I?”

“No, ma’am.”

“Alright then,” she says, standing. “I surrender.”

“Commander?”

“Yeah?” She asks, halfway through pulling the sweater over her head.

“Isn’t that my shirt?”

“It was.”

He chuckles. “Looks better on you anyway.”

She winks at him. “See you in a few hours.”

“Maybe in your own uniform?”

“Might raise questions if I showed up in yours. Would have to skip the pants.”

She takes no small delight in the flush blooming under his collar.

-- It’s a quiet few days. When she sleeps, she dreams of happier times.

Well, happier possibilities, if she’s being accurate.

They’re not bad dreams, but they leave an ache in her chest when every time she wakes up.  At least in dreams, the aliens lost. At least in dreams, she can call her mom. At least in dreams, she can see the people who had become her dearest friends.

At least in dreams, Central is talking to her.

She tries to focus on the good. She’s really gotten a feel for the dynamics at play among the crew. She knows that Kelly is the one who has Central’s ear, and it’s Wallace and Royston who have Kelly’s. Thomas’s mouth likes to write cheques his performances can’t cash, whether it’s on the range or in the underbrush, but it never seems to dull his enthusiasm. Krieger and Gunda are already a matched set, an optimist and a pessimist united by a desire to take a little blood in the name of all that’s been spilled. Moon and Zaytsev are the jokesters, always the guilty ones when a prank’s afoot. Shen has an almost masterful control over her engineers, while Tygan struggles to keep his scientists in line. Dysfunctional as it is, they have formed their own little ersatz family, and adopted her right along into it.

Then there are the more nuanced factors, the things she can’t quite put her finger on. Royston and Central are at each other’s throats more often than not, but that’s not the whole picture. It doesn’t explain how he makes sure she eats dinner no matter what’s transpired earlier in the day, or the swing she takes at Thomas after he’s thrown around one too many jokes about liver failure. It certainly doesn’t explain the ice he’d brought her, reprimand free, after he’d needed to break up the ensuing scuffle or the sight she’d caught of them in the bar, his head in his arms, and Sally next to him, beer bottle in hand, with a look of worry on her face.

People have always been, and will always be, complex. Alien invaders don’t change human nature.

“Commander,” Tygan calls over the comm. “When you have a moment, I think you’ll want to see this.”

“On my way.”

During their last op, they’d managed to pull a large cache of data off of the ADVENT network. Tygan’s team had been busy perfecting the program to decode it, and had evidently made some progress.

“Commander,” he says, as she descends into the lab.

“Doctor. What have you got for me?”

He gives her a brief rundown of their findings, news on supply and troop movements to some off the beaten path facility. They’re sure it’s important, but they can’t begin to fathom its purpose; perhaps they should devote resources towards learning more about it?

She nods. “I’ll do what I can.” “There’s also the … other matter of what we found.”

Tygan presses a datapad into her hands. “Okay?” She asks, uncertain.

“There are files pertaining to your … captivity with ADVENT. Once the team realized what they were … I didn’t feel it was our place to look. They’ve been localized on the datapad as a means of keeping them off the XCOM network, given their … personal nature.”

She bites her lip. “I appreciate the discretion, Doctor. Thanks.”

“Our work on their encryption has also led us to some potential new ideas on how to handle long distance communication. With your permission, we’d like to pursue it.”

“Of course,” she nods. “My thanks to your team.”

The walk back to her quarters feels like a dream. She doesn’t like to isolate herself, but she’s not prepared to view whatever contents they’ve recovered with an audience.  The men need to believe she’s here and whole, and that means not letting them see when goes to pieces --- as she suspects she’s about to.

She remembers more of her captivity than she likes to think about. In the week and a half she’s been out of the tank, it’s come back to her more vibrantly than she would like. She’s learned to ignore it, to tamp down the flashes, the little things. The crew keeps her busy and she’s eternally thankful to them for it.

When she’d first come to in the holding cell, stripped to her underwear and a hospital gown, it was terror. Overwhelming terror. No gun, no knife, and the only visible exit without any kind of opening mechanism.

XCOM was gone. She’d known it in her bones. Her best hope was that someone had managed to escape, to warn the Council, and that the rest had died without suffering. She’d hoped Royston and Martin got a chance to say the words they very obviously needed to, and that Molchetti and Hershel hadn’t seen one another’s fate.

And Central. John. She remembered tearing up. She wasn’t religious, but she’d offered prayers up to whatever might be out there that it had been quick, and that it hadn’t been one of their own who’d done him in.

She should have told him. She should have said something. Should have should have should have. Too late.

From there, it had only gotten worse.

She remembers the sick horror that had filled her at the site of cells identical to hers, opaque black, but still clearly occupied. Not him, not him, not him, she’d prayed. Not like this not here not him.

The first file on the datapad is a prisoner profile. It lists her name, her date of birth, her identifying characteristics, degree of psionic potential, everything you’d need at a glance. Scanning through, there’s notes about her resistance to psionic interrogation, a talent for resisting mind control attempts.

Extreme will, potentially useful for our purposes, the document reads. Will need to rely on more direct interrogation methods.

She’s not sure if she wants to laugh or vomit.

May be useful in locating additional assets.

Although, drinking herself numb is starting to sound like a better solution.

Subject shows particular concern for John Bradford. Intel indicates XCOM second-in-command. May be useful asset in securing subject’s cooperation or as complement.

You don’t have to do this, she tells herself. You don’t have to go through this at all. Put the datapad down You don’t have to relive this.

Except she does.

The next file is a video. It’s strange to see herself on the table, the device she’d come to hate so ferociously already prepped for intrusion.

“There’s no need to make this hard on yourself, Commander,” the Ethereal purrs.

 “Go to hell,” she spits, voice already raw from screaming,

 “We’re willing to accommodate your ... needs.”

 “Leave him alone.”

“It would make your integration much more efficient. You’ve already developed an admirable system for coworking. Your relationship is well-established.”

“I’d just as soon do us both in.” “Very well, if you’re going to be this difficult.”

A leering Thin Man flips a switch and she screams as the device punctures her cranial cavity.

She sets the datapad down, and presses a finger against the gnarled scar at the base of her skull. Brute force was too delicate a term to describe the process. Yes, she could fight psionic interrogation, but direct stimulation of the neural pathways was a considerably different matter.

The final file is a list of high value assets. Devorah Hershel. Isabella Molchetti. Edouard Martin. John Bradford.

God, she’d kill for a drink. Then again, with her luck, Central would be in the bar, make one wrong comment, and she’d haul off and hit him anyway., assurances to Shen and Tygan be damned. Wouldn’t that just be the fucking cherry on her day?

Wait a second.

Her eyes dart from the datapad to the door and back again. You’re an idiot, she thinks. Central is the person who needs to see this the most. This might be the only thing that gets him to talk to you.

She takes a deep breath, and tries to settle the nausea in her stomach. She’ll need to execute this carefully.

“Sally,” she says, pressing her finger to her comm. “Can I see you in my quarters when you have a moment?”

“On my way!”

The knock on the door comes faster than she was expecting, but she ushers the younger Royston in quickly.

“I have an … unpleasant favor to ask you.”

“Alright, what is it?”

She hands the girl the datapad. “I need you to take this to Central, and I need you to make sure he goes through it.”

Sally cocks her head. “Can I ask why?”

“It’s not locked,” she says, offering the girl a pointed look.

Sally furrows her brow, then nods slowly as the implication dawns on her.

“You got it, ma’am. I’ll make it happen.”

She sends the girl on her way, then collapses onto the bed, burying her face into the pillows. God, she needs a nap.

[mslocavoracious]

ms l -- the last vancouver pirate?

Ms L became the Pirate of the Nelson Park Farmers’ Market two years ago, to be precise.   

That’s Cap’n L to you, mateys!

Arrrrrrr, me hearties!

For 20 years, Ms L was too ill to go to the farmers market right across the street. 

Wistfully, she peered down at the market from on high, but was too ill with fibromyalgia -- she thought -- to attend.  Ms L often slept for 12-15 hours just to be able to stand up in the morning, my blood pressure was so low.

Some days she couldn't even do that, and had to crawl to the kitchen for sustenance.  "Orthostatic intolerance" is the medical term for the dangerously low blood pressure common to many with fibromyalgia.

Though the market was kitty corner to my home, Ms L was too damn weak to shop there, and had to hire someone to buy her groceries -- for decades.  

Then she quit 5 prescription drugs including the near-deadly and addictive benzodiazepines or sleeping pills.  To Ms L’s astonishment, the pills had caused many of the disabling symptoms, and she recovered 80% of my health.  The more toxic chemicals she got rid of in her home and body, the stronger and healthier she became.  

I went from crawling to dancing!

I acquired the money to eat organic non-frankenfoods on my mother’s demise.  I grieved my beloved mother, but enjoyed the influx of cash to purchase locavorganic produce.

My favourite farmers’ market is also known as the Comox Street market.  My disease is variously known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – a misnomer for which I’d like to impale the author on my sword – Post-Mono Syndrome, and Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus, and more recently Systemic Post-Exertion Intolerance Disease.  More names than a bandit!  

Or pyrate!

I credit the Nelson Park Farmers Market and their fabulous healthy food with playing a part in my recovery, and in the creation of my piratical adventures. 

I have a magpie's love for jewellery, and often compliment people on theirs -- adding "If I was less ethical, I would mug you."  I told someone I must have been a thief in my last life.  One of the farmers interjected, "No, you must have been a Pirate!"

Each week the farmers brought me their locavorganic produce, and I brought them a story, each a labour of love.  (It seemed only fair.)   I was told by a favourite farmer I was an ethical pirate; by another, my identity was the Dread Pirate Roberts, the first woman of the name.

[Having completely forgotten the movie The Princess Bride, due to prescription drug addiction, I googled the Dread Pirate Roberts, and discovered that, according to Wikipedia:

Roberts is not one man, but a series of individuals who periodically pass the name and reputation to a chosen successor.

But looking at the photo, darlings what a candy-ass pirate!  Would you hand over your valuables to this man? Not on your life!

I vastly prefer Irish-American pirate, Anne Bonny (1700-1782), a swashbuckling adventuress who left an abusive husband for dashing pirate Calico Jack.  A trifle violent, Bonny reputedly nearly killed an attempted rapist.  I attempted to do so as well with mine, jamming the heel of my hand into the wretched perverts’ nose and screaming imprecations at the top of my lungs.  

I learned those talents -- necessary skills for a pirate -- and to battle my attackers when I was only 6 years old.

Bullies.  I  hate  'em with a passion, having had the rat crap beaten out of my tiny self by school bullies many times for the crime of being the littlest kid in class with a funny accent and big words acquired through reading and elocution lessons. 

I was beaten up for 2 years by them, until my mother, who – when she found me, sobbing my guts out, having yet again been punched in the stomach by a one bully, every day for a month – taught me to fight back.  

A little judo and what my slim short Welsh grandfather referred to as “The Little Kid’s Fight Rules: Get in close, hit hard, run like hell,” and I was prepared for my first fight.  Looking forward to it in fact.  

All day the bully glowered at me, enjoying my fear -- but instead of feeling the usual fear and terror, I felt only anticipation.   It was an act.  Sure enough, he came up to me after school, ready to punch me in the stomach yet again. Instead I got in under his guard, hit him hard in HIS stomach, and ran home, dancing all the way.

In fact, I swaggered.  Tiny Ms L had become a Pyrate.

My grandfather, however, forgot to add one important detail to the Little Kid's Fight Rules: “And shout at the top of your lungs!”  I always adds that, when I tell the story to small children or their parents who might benefit from the knowledge.  'Cause when two kids from high school came after me, I was toast. Had I shouted, people might have come to help a tiny blonde girl being beaten up by teenagers.

[Though her oppressors were much larger and stronger, I  fought back at 6 years old – and won – then took on the school bully at 12.  A true pyrate, little Ms L!  But it left its mark.]

Anne Bonny dressed as a woman on board her own ship, but donned protective coloration --  disguising herself as a man -- when engaged in pillaging and plundering.

As do I.  So well known is my piratical nature in the West End of Vancouver that children recognize me, even when heavily disguised, as the story I next tell will illuminate.  

One morning,  I dressed for the Farmers Market looking elegant -- except for the cloth wrapped to cover one eye.  The night before, I had experienced fireworks in the bedroom.  But there was no hot guy – the fireworks came from my right eye. My retina had detached. Again.  

Most people require surgery for a detached retina, but a kindly nurse told me the eye might reattach if  I would just avoided reading, computers, and TV. She told me to nap a lot, and cover the eye for a couple of days.  As surgery doesn't always work, and can cause pain later, I happily complied.  

So there I was, tripping lightly across the street, looking fetchingly feminine, if wounded.  All long chains, short skirt, and high-heeled sandals. And the rest of the outfit: a striped organic cotton  dishcloth to cover, protect, and baby my annoyingly detached retina.  

Then a young girl of 6 or 8 years old comes up to me and asks confidingly, [DO VOICE]“Are you a pirate?" 

I immediately assume my best gruff and gravelly pirate voice: “Of course,  me lassie. But I’m disguised as an ethical middle-aged-woman. How’d ye guess?”

She pointed to my bandage silently, not wanting to tip off any unwary victims.  I winked at her with my good eye, gave her a silent Thumbs Up, and she walked away, content.  For a while.

But kids are like cats, endlessly curious.   10 minutes later,  she returned, swaggering confidently,  but having to know something.  She asked, “But are you a Real Pirate?"

 I thought long and hard, as I don't believe in lying to children.  But then I remembered my abused past, taking on bullies -- and winning, and replied:

"Of course, me lassie!"

"I got one ship in English Bay, and wherever the BC Ferries sail  -- (loud laugh) -- they’re mine!”  (Pause.)

Later I saw three other children she was conferring with quietly, so the adults wouldn’t overhear, as they knew I was reconnoitering.  The one I'd spoken to glances at me, pointing subtly.  They nod.  The Pirate of the West End Farmer's market had been identified.   I had a new crew.

 Oh, regarding my allegation about the BC Ferries and piracy; that's not a lie, either.

Thirty years ago, a friend drove hell for leather to reach a ferry on time to visit me in Victoria where I was studying theatre.

She arrived at the terminal, only to discover they’d raised the price of the ferry service sky-high. Again! She spluttered indignantly, “That’s highway robbery!”  

The ticket taker smiled, and responded smugly, “No, ma'am… This close to the water – it’s called Pyracy!" 

This spring,  me and my crew are going to take a ferry -- to France -- with the children as walk-ons.  I already asked one of the ferry workers if the ferry would go that far if a pirate were to happen to take over.  I waited, wondering if she was going to call security.  She paused, thoughtfully.   "Yes,"  she responded thoughtfully.   "But spring or summer would be the nicest."  Pirates all, the BC Ferries workers.

So when you think the world is devoid of magic, look around you -- pirates everywhere.  In disguise!