#light: *just generally being creepy and insistent on getting on the task force*

[delimeful]

the end of being alone (2)

donation drive commission for @bumblebeekitten for the next chapter of TEOBA, with the prompt: patton & virgil fluff! hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it!

chapter 1

warnings: miscommunication, false impression of a very bad situation for like .5 seconds, recklessness, sometimes you just gotta have a good cry

-

The next sunrise, they set out again, this time with considerably less weaponry and considerably more snacks. Roman held point again, since he was the one with the most practical experience in tracking. 

There had been a somewhat tedious argument on whether or not Patton should come, one that Roman had thoroughly lost, since it was Patton’s quick thinking and emotional attunement that kept the previous cycle’s encounter from descending into disaster. 

He had acquiesced in the end under the combined force of Logan’s reasoning and Patton’s disappointed look, but that didn’t mean he had to be happy about it. After catching barely a wink of sleep between restless nightmares, he was feeling more grumpy than generous. 

Still, his own irritation faded as they grew closer to the rocky cliffs where he suspected the Human was, shifting into an intense concentration on the task ahead. It was a miracle that their initial encounter hadn’t gone sour, a miracle that this Human seemed young enough to be somewhat nonaggressive, and while he hoped that whatever they had said to scare the young kit off hadn’t irreparably damaged their budding acquaintanceship, he wasn’t counting on it.

He had his underarmor on for a reason.

The other two didn’t quite share his concerns. Logan’s arms had been in an excited, information-gathering flurry practically non-stop since they set out, and he and Patton had been discussing the plants and insects in the nearby forest that were relatively non toxic to them (and so would probably be no issue for a Human), and how many nutrients they would provide. None of them knew how much or what a Human needed to eat, but Patton seemed firmly of the opinion that whatever the kid was eating, it wasn’t enough. 

“Fledgelings need plenty of food and the proper nutrients to grow up healthy! A lone child in the middle of one forest can’t possibly have all the variety they need in their diet,” the Ampen insisted, feathers fluffing up at the mere idea of a kid going hungry. 

“Another important factor to note is the planet itself is not the child’s home, and so may not have the necessary nutrients available at all, let alone in one localized area,” Logan added. 

“You two have enough variety in those packs to weigh down a mountain,” Roman interjected, “so how about we focus on not scaring the kid off before we even reach them. Human senses are ludicrously strong, enough so that they’ll hear you two yakking a parsec away.” 

They agreed to be stealthier, and just in time, because Roman was pretty sure he’d found a more solid trail than the ghost-like faded prints that seemed all to trek over the place. He gestured in Crav’n sign for the two of them to stay put and stay quiet, and then followed the fresh tracks until they came to the mouth of a small cave amongst the crevices and steep drops of the pale cliffs.

He slowly stalked into the cave, keeping his movements light and quiet even as the light grew dimmer and his vision more restricted. Before it could grow too dim, however, his gaze caught on round, un-rock-like silhouettes. 

It took a moment to identify the shapes as small, limp Humlilts, all piled up around the larger Human. He nearly physically recoiled at the sight. So, this was why the small creatures had gone missing: slaughtered en masse at the hand of a Deathworlder. Not for food nor shelter, not in defense of itself or others, just for the sake of the callous cruelty and disregard for life that Humans were apparently born with. 

Humlilts were small, but Patton was scarcely bigger. Once the Human got tired of playing at mimicry, would it try to add the Ampen to the hoard of bodies?

He wasn’t going to lose another family.

Almost against his will, a low, near-subsonic growl rumbled out of his throat. He took one advancing step forward, and then… 

And then, a tiny head poked up from the pile, small dark eyes staring at him over a long snout. 

Roman nearly tripped over his own feet, astonished. There was still a living Humlilt in there? 

Before he could even finish his thought, another head appeared, and then another, until there was a sea of fluffy faces and huge ears all pointed in his direction. The undersized ungulates were fine, each and every one of them. They had simply been sleeping, all cozied up with one of the most dangerous species in the universe. 

Roman felt a strange and overwhelming mixture of relief and shame, his scales flattening down guiltily. It was too late, though, the movement had already rippled through the group until it reached the Human. Their creepy mask was absent in rest, and they pawed at their eyes sleepily as they sat up to see what all the commotion was about. There was a red mark on one of their cheeks from where it had pressed against the cave floor.

The moment they saw who stood at the entrance of their little nook, all the color drained from their face. The Humlilts shifted uneasily, and Roman found himself bracing to have thirty miniscule sets of horns charging at him. They couldn’t really hurt him, but they were persistent little things, and Patton and Logan would not be happy if a bunch of Humlillts tried to drive them away from the Human before they’d even properly spoken.

Instead of siccing the plethora of tiny mammals on him, though, the kid whistled a few notes in a perfect echo of the Humlilts all-clear call, settling them down. They carefully detangled themself from the pile, trailing a few stray twigs and leaves behind them in the process. Roman wondered absently how long they’d been building the collection of plant matter that covered them. 

A few parting trills later, the kid was in front of him, holding their bony shoulders firm but unable to conceal the tremor in their legs. They raised their chin up in what looked like a friendly Crav’n greeting, but attitude-wise seemed more along the lines of a challenging stance. 

“No hurt,” they said firmly before Roman could say a word. “No hurt small--,” a few words in their own language here, “--small good. No hurt. No hurt. Yes?” 

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Roman tried to reassure them, “I swore, remember?” 

The kid stomped their foot once in… some kind of emphasis. “No hurt,” they started again with deliberate slowness, and then ended with the Humlilt whistle-greeting. Many of the Humlilts whistled back from where they were still observing the two of them. The small cavern echoed with the sound eerily. 

“You don’t want me to hurt the Humlilts? The small creatures?” Roman asked, gesturing to the pile of fluff and hooves, and was rewarded with the kid seeming satisfied. 

“Yes. Small good. Good good small. No hurt.” 

Roman extended his hand palm up for another oath. “I vow not to harm your small good friends,” he intoned solemnly. The kid patted his hand twice, bobbing their own head in a curious motion. Roman could only imagine the sort of notes Logan would be taking. 

Oh, right. He’d left the others in the bushes. 

“I brought my friends, too,” he informed the kid, who blinked up at him. “Logan and Patton, remember them? Little critter?” 

He said the last words in the chirps of the Ampen language, only a little strained by his accent, and the kid visibly brightened. “Little critter!” 

“Wait right here, and I’ll get them,” Roman instructed, lowering a flat hand to convey wait. The kid probably didn’t really grasp it, but seemed content enough to stay put, shifting from one foot to the other. 

It took no time at all to find Patton and Logan, who had progressively edged closer to the cliff face as he’d taken his sweet time in there. 

“Okay, so,” he started, “I know where all the missing Humlilts went.” 

---

Virgil shuffled his feet slightly, feeling the cool stone under his toes. 

He should probably leave now, because even if the fluffy chirp alien really was there, they knew or at least suspected he was a human, and aliens hated humans. All of them, even the ones that looked soft like birds or cool like dinosaurs. 

A soft, velvety nose poked up against his hand, and he squatted to gently pat the strange little singing puppy-antelope that had parted from the group to check on him. He couldn’t help but smile a little bit as it bumped its snout against his knee, sounding like a windchime. 

Okay. Maybe not all aliens. 

He looked up at the clitter-clatter of talons on rock, and then the fluffy chirping alien really did careen into view, feathers all puffed up like that very angry owl that had roosted outside his window for three whole hours one time. The other two bigger aliens came in only moments later.

Virgil couldn’t help but shrink back slightly from where he was still crouched, because aliens were weird and sometimes they did weird things that he didn’t really… get. Typically, this would be right before they started getting really mad or shaky, and screaming at him. 

Before Fluff-Chirp could get any closer, though, the puppy-antelope had charged between them, planting its little legs and lowering its head so that the little horns were pointed out in warning. Virgil went still, eyes darting between Fluff-Chirp and the little creature, who he was pretty sure was the one with the white spot on its forehead, the one he’d named Susan after his nice neighbor. 

The cool dinosaur alien had promised not to hurt them (he was pretty sure), but would it count if the puppy-antelopes attacked them first? 

Fluff-Chirp stepped forward a little bit, and Susan let out a shrill cry like someone blowing really hard on a flute. Virgil clapped his hands over his ears as he attempted to whistle the calm-down sound, but Susan would not be budged, even as the other two aliens got all tense and twitchy.

In front of it, Fluff-Chirp stopped advancing, and instead plopped down on the ground with a soft thump. They ruffled in their bag, and Virgil was struck with the fear that they would pull out a space blaster gun to shoot Susan for trying to protect him. Hurriedly, he crawled forwards and threw his arms around the puppy-antelope (puppylope?) and hugged it close to shield it from any laser gun beams, his eyes squeezing shut.

There was a grunt-grumble from the cool dinosaur, and the click-click-click of the bunches of arms of the blue one moving around, but all he heard from Fluff-Chirp was shuffling, and then—

“Hello good morning,” the fluffy alien said. Or at least, that was what Virgil thought the birdsong-like words meant. 

Fluff-Chirp always said it when waking up in their little camp, and Virgil had said it back, because that was just basic manners, especially when someone gives you stuff. Fluff-Chirp had given him a bunch of sweet sliced up fruit, kind of with the feeling of mangoes and the taste of strawberries. It had reminded him of home. 

It… kind of smelled like Fluff-Chirp’s fruit now, actually. 

—

Patton watched hopefully as the kid slowly opened one eye to peek over at them. 

He hadn’t meant to scare the poor little guy by rushing in, he’d just been absolutely delighted to hear that not only would he get to see some Humlilts after all, but also that the kid seemed to have some company after all.

Some very loyal company, if the one threat-displaying at him was any indication. Patton was careful not to engage, particularly since further back in the cave, he could see a whole assembly of tiny, reflective eyes. Roman would probably just hold him up in the air if there was any real danger, but it was the principle of the matter. He didn’t want to upset the little guys! 

Or the kid, who had finally spotted the dishes of fruit Patton had set out. 

“You wanna come eat with me, little critter?” Patton offered, patting the ground near him. 

“Little critter…,” the Human murmured. Their face was much more expressive now that it wasn’t mostly concealed by wood, and the kid looked painfully young. Probably no more than seven or eight sun cycles. Patton’s hearts twanged in sympathy.  

Slowly, like they were waiting for the rug to be yanked out from under their feet, the kid scooted forward enough that they could grab a few pieces of the dana fruit, setting one down in front of the Humlilt to distract it. Patton eye-crinkled encouragingly, and took a piece of his own to nibble on. 

“Do you remember me? I’m Patton. Patton,” he emphasized, ‘pat’-ing his own chest in example. 

The kid paused mid-bite, and then swiped their wrist over their mouth before mumbling, “Patton,” back. Patton glowed with happiness. 

“And that’s Logan,” he said, bolstered by one apparent success. Logan obligingly stepped forwards and gestured to himself. 

“I am Logan,” he enunciated clearly. 

The kid, who had stopped eating to focus wholeheartedly on this new task, scrunched his brow up. “I am Logan?” 

“No, not quite,” Logan corrected gently. “Logan. I am Logan.” He cast a meaningful look to Patton. 

“And I am Patton!” he added cheerfully, gesturing between the two of them. “Logan! Patton!”

“Logan,” the kid mimicked, looking at the Ulgorii and then the Ampen, “Patton.” 

“You got it! Good job!” Patton noticed that the kid was very careful to keep their hands in their lap, and wondered if Humans were normally this withdrawn, or if exposure to other aliens had caused this reticence. 

“Good job?” the kid echoed, wide eyed. They looked to Roman curiously, though only for a moment before dropping their gaze. 

“I am Roman,” Roman surprised them both by beating them to the introductory punch. 

“... Roman?” the kid offered, and got a chorus of nonsense praise for their effort. They bared their little teeth and clapped their hands together, and it took the three of them an alarmed pause and exchange of glances to realize that they weren’t, in fact, being threatened by a youngling. 

“Joy? Or perhaps, contentment?” Logan was mumbling to himself. “The skin around the child’s eyes folds much like an Ampen expression of happiness, so…” 

“It would make more sense to be happy after receiving praise, right?” replied Roman, who had gotten a bit bristly from nerves for a moment. Patton resisted the urge to elbow the both of them into not saying long, confusing sentences. Luckily, the kid seemed too occupied with their own thoughts to notice. 

“Patton, Logan, Roman,” they recited, looking at each of them in turn. Then, very carefully, they reached up and patted their own chest. “Virgil. I am Virgil?” 

There was a brief moment of stunned silence, and then Patton trilled in delight, clapping his hands in an echo of the Human’s gesture, in hopes that it would convey his own happiness and pride in the kid’s quick learning. The kid jumped, but then did that teeth-bearing smile again.

“Virgil!” he tested out, not quite getting the Human tones right, but that was okay because he could practice! “Virgil Virgil Virgil! Yes! That’s you!” 

“I am Virgil!” the Human was practically bouncing in place as they matched Patton’s energy, and Patton couldn’t help but dart forward and try to bump his head to the Human’s affectionately. 

Roman hissed something exceedingly panicked, but Patton was already using one of the Human’s bent legs to reach, and then he was brushing his antenna to the kid-- to Virgil’s forehead, and then the Human was lifting their arms slowly and curling them around him, and okay now Patton was a little bit concerned, but. 

But, all Virgil did was lean into him slightly, arms bracing but not suffocating, and sniffle once, like they were holding back tears. Any resolve Patton had to not give his teammates stress ulcers faded away like dust in the wind, and he leaned in carefully and wrapped his arms around as much as he could reach of the kid’s shoulders and neck, which Roman would tell him was stupid dangerous because necks were weak points on Humans and they would absolutely react defensively-- 

Virgil promptly burst into tears, their chin coming to hook over Patton’s shoulder as a stuttering little wail worked its way out of their system. Patton made soothing nonsense croons and sung Ampen lullabies as the kid shuddered their way through a good cry, and tried not to feel too alarmed that unlike Ampens, Humans apparently leaked emotions while they cried.

Once Virgil had more or less settled down, they seemed completely wiped from the outpour of emotion, eyes drooping, body tilting to one side. For the first time since they’d arrived, the kid looked too wiped out to be nervous. Sure enough, only a few moments later, they shifted to curl up on their side, falling asleep on the cold stone easily.

Patton looked up at his teammates from where he was sitting in the center of the curled c-shape of the kid’s body, and offered them a sheepish shrug. “Well. Now we know that Humans can experience touch hunger?”

[outofangband]

Maedhros in Angband which makes me realize I have not written much of the aftermath lately and I need to do that soon because I like writing that and I know a lot of you like reading those things Features Thuringwethil being a creepy little bat child though not nearly as creepy in my story which is actually centered on her which I'm honestly very proud of as a horror fan.  more specific warning under the cut

this one is actually pretty long yay

warning for implied abuse of all kinds and force-feeding not graphically described and without an emphasis on actual food because I know that does make a difference for some people it's more like magical substance force-feeding but it's still you know not pleasant. 1 vague reference to sexual assault which I'm probably making worse by even pointing out but again I still want to warn just in case

He had not meant to. Truly, he had not. He had hardly any idea why he had reacted in such a way as for so many months, he had been able to keep such impulses to himself. But it seemed that even in this weakened, ill, sleep deprived state, Maedhros still had limits and these limits had been crossed long, long ago. So, here he was, hanging by his wrists, feet barely touching the ground in what seemed to be a supply closet of some sort. He was not sure. The situation had gotten out of control very quickly; Mairon was gone, Maedhros did not particularly care where or why, but some lesser being, maybe another Maia, he was not sure had reached out to touch his hair as he was being dragged from one cell to another, (for reasons he was not sure of, he presumed it was Mairon’s orders) and he had snapped, whipping around and throwing her hand away. He had already endured days of her chattering about how pretty he was, how much she wanted to play with him if only the Masters Of The Fortress would let her. It was merely unsettling at first, for her words seemed to be those of a child speaking about a doll, or maybe a horse, rather than the true cruelty he usually encountered. He did not know whether to feel pity, annoyance, or confusion and this made him hesitate to strike back, even after he was presented with the opportunity to with Mairon gone.

But, his patience wore thin and inevitably it tore apart. He had pushed her hand away and she had screamed, truly like a child threatened with harm and Maedhros froze, for a moment overcome with guilt and concern. This gave the nearby guards enough of an advantage to drag the weakened elf away. Even after Maedhros came to his senses and begun to fight again, he was already overpowered by three or four others. He was brought here, to this tiny space and chains were attached to his wrists. He had no idea how long he waited until another guard came in to inform him that, by Mairon’s orders, he was to remain there for four days until the Maia himself came back to deal with him. Truly, this was more irritating than anything else and Maedhros had expressed this irritation even more foolishly, by spitting at him. The guard left after backhanding him across the face, hard enough for the coppery, sickening taste of blood to permeate his senses. Several hours later, he returned to tell the elf that Mairon had added the added punishment of no food or water until his arrival for the previous act of insolence. Maedhros bit his tongue to avoid worsening the situation further with yet another display of his frustration and merely glared as the guard left after hitting him again for no real reason.

Maedhros spent the next few days in relative silence. For many hours at a time, (he assumed these were some kind of working hours) there would be much commotion and noise outside the locked door. When there was none, however, he risked speaking and singing to himself quietly. He knew he was lucky, that these isolated hours, as boring and uncomfortable as they were, would be a mercy compared to what would come when Mairon or worse, Melkor required his presence again.

Perhaps it had been four days, perhaps more or less. Mairon seemed to be in a cheerful mood, which could not mean anything good.

“So, I leave you alone for two days and already such trouble you have caused!” the Maia remarked, amusement in his song like voice. Maedhros clenched his jaw and counseled himself to be silent. Antagonizing Mairon would not help at all, would only make things worse.

“You must be starving,” the other smirked, as though there was ever a moment in Angband when Maedhros wasn’t starving. He was rarely given food, barely of a substance to sustain even one of the Eldar.

“How long am I to go without this time? Four more days? One week? It hardly matters,” Maedhros snarled, ignoring his previous warnings to himself. Mairon’s smile widened.

“Oh, no, no, no,” he crooned in that saccharine tone Maedhros so hated, “That is not at all what I meant, darling, for I come bearing relief.”

That couldn’t be good. Mairon approached the elf until their faces were mere inches apart. Never taking his eyes off the other, the Maia reached up with one hand to loosen the chains on Maedhros’s wrists so his feet were more steadied on the ground. With the other hand, Mairon reached into his robes and produced a small bag, fiddling with the string ties until they were opened. Taking advantage of Maedhros’s nervous gaze on the container, Mairon gripped his chin, pressing fingers painfully into his lower jaw.

“Open up now,” he said softly. The elf shook his head. This command almost always prefaced something horrifying and even though though they were in a different position than usual, Maedhros had no reason to believe this encounter would end any better.

“I said, open your mouth,” Mairon whispered dangerously, “For this will be the only chance you get to eat for quite some time.” I care not! Maedhros wanted to snarl, but instead he grit his teeth, resolved to doing everything he could to prevent whatever foul substance the Maia held from entering his mouth.

Mairon sighed and moved closer to him, gripping the back of his head with his spare hand. Maedhros’s eyes watered in pain as Mairon tugged spare locks with brutal force. He managed to remain silent until finally the other pulled his head back and let go, knocking the elf against the wall behind him. Unable to soften the blow with his hands bound as they were, Maedhros yelped in pain as a wave of dizziness rolled over him and sparks lit in front of his eyes.

Seizing this opportunity, Mairon shoved a small greenish object into the other’s mouth, immediately pressing his hand over it and returning his grip to Maedhros’s hair to hold him steady as he was forced to swallow. The elf was unsure what he had just been given for it tasted vaguely like sage but had the consistency of…caramel? Or something else chewy and sticky. He could only assume it was some potent herb that Mairon had cultured himself and dreaded to think of what effect it would have on him. He did not have to wait long, for the Maia seemed quite willing to explain.

“Do not fret, dear. This is not your dinner. In a little while, you will fall asleep and when you awaken, we will get you some proper food. How does that sound to you?”

How did that sound? Confusing, was the honest answer. Why on Arda did Mairon wish to drug him now? So rarely was the elf given any substance that took away his consciousness, and almost exclusively when he became so unruly that Mairon wished to subdue him strongly enough so that he could be left alone somewhere when the Maia was called off to a different task. Would he be taken somewhere else again? Mairon rarely seemed to have the need to subdue him during transport; chains and other guards were usually enough. The elf tried to glare as the telltale signs of induced drowsiness washed over him and he blinked repeatedly. Mairon reached out to stroke his face. Maedhros managed to turn away before his head fell against his chest, the weight of keeping it up making him blindingly dizzy.  The Maia reached up to undo some the bindings on his wrists, allowing the other to weakly fall forward. His bruised cheek brushed up against Mairon’s tunic and then it was dark.

When Maedhros woke up to dazzlingly white lights and a general feeling of cold, he knew immediately where he was and groaned aloud in despair. As he came more and more into his senses, his suspicions were confirmed; he was indeed strapped to the cold metal table in Mairon’s quasi infirmary room. The Maia stood over him, pouring one vial of a dark liquid into another beaker of a clear, almost  sparkling substance.

“Ah, Maitimo. Welcome back,” he said cordially, not looking away from his task.

“Why am I here?” Maedhros muttered sleepily as memories of the last hour or so before he fell asleep swam behind his eyes. Unsurprisingly, Mairon laughed.

“Do you not remember? I said I would feed you once you woke up. I did not want to waste time dragging you here, not when you have been so starved for vital nutrients!” He brushed Maedhros’s hair off his face, noting the elf’s eyes still on the beaker set to the side. Maedhros was still confused. The Maia had never before gone to such efforts to give him food. In fact, Mairon was never the one who did; usually some guard tossed him a piece of bread, or shoved a small tin of water through the door of his cell. The other seemed to notice his confusion.

“This is a special occasion, Maitimo,” said Mairon cheerfully, “For not only will you be taken care of but I will have the opportunity to test out a new substance of mine. It has taken some time to convince my master to allow me this opportunity, he is so Keen to have you returned to him. It should very much come in handy should you continue to insist on being stubborn! One dose of this and you will not require more than water for several weeks! Easier on everyone, do you not think?” Maedhros suppressed another groan. He hated having to test out the various concoctions and medicines that Mairon put together, hated being the subject for the other’s invasive, unpleasant, and often quite dangerous research. Mairon smiled again at the other’s dismay.

“ Let us not waste more time!” he said brightly, returning his hand to the elf’s hair, pulling it off his face and holding his head still. Maedhros was still too nauseous to struggle against this grip, much to his horror as Mairon took another metal device from the tray beside him and held it against his lips. Maedhros had already experienced it before and his heart rate sped up. Carefully and easily, Mairon forced the two thin, metal bars into the other’s mouth until his jaw was forced uncomfortably open. The device was attached to straps on either side of his head and tightened yet again.

Mairon stood back to admire his work, smirking at the outrage and indigence in Maedhros’s eyes. As he strode over to the other table to retrieve the beaker, a few drops of saliva fell onto the table beside the elf, only adding to his humiliation. Mairon also pulled up a chair beside his bound captive so he could better access what he needed.

“Remember, if you had not been so unruly, this need not have happened,” said Mairon sweetly as he dipped a spoon into the beaker and placed it on Maedhros’s tongue. He groaned incoherently, the concoction tasting nearly unbearably bitter and burning as it ran down his throat. Unable to shake his head or move away due to the tight straps, Maedhros screamed in protest as Mairon brought the utensil back into the container.

“Hush now,” the Maia said absently as he gave the elf a second spoonful of the horrid mixture, “If you are good, I will give you something nicer afterwards.”

For the next ten minutes, Maedhros continued to endure the humiliation of being spoonfed by his enemy. Yes similar things that happened which he did not wish to dwell on especially not now but this was even more blatant. He did not know how many helpings he was forced to swallow. It was at least nine when  he finally succumbed to the bitterness, spitting up a few ounces of the vile liquid. His face burned with shame as Mairon so sweetly wiped his cheeks and chin with a cloth, adjusting the gag so he could swallow more easily.

Finally,  when it was done, Mairon returned the beaker to the smaller tray and removed the metal device from the elf’s mouth.

“What was that?” Maedhros gasped out once he had relaxed his aching jaw enough to speak clearly.

“Were you not listening before, darling?” Mairon asked, returning to his chair beside the other, “It’s a special concoction I created that will give you the nutrients you need without having to argue every day when you refuse to eat. You should be grateful.” With his remaining strength, Maedhros glared at the other for speaking of him like he was an unruly child who refused to sit still for dinner.

“Would you like to wash that taste out of your mouth? Do not look at me like that, Maitimo, I know you would,” Mairon purred, seizing the elf’s chin, yet again, “Now open your mouth,  elf.” Tears of shame and self hatred burned in Maedhros’s eyes as he opened his mouth long enough for the Maia to pour a few drops of a sweet, fruit like substance in. It certainly did remove the disgusting taste of the other potion but the look of delight and triumph on Mairon’s own face burned in his mind. What he would give to avoid his enemy having reason for such glee!

Maedhros rested his head down dejectedly as Mairon stood up, apparently to leave. As nice as it would be to have some peace from the depraved being, Maedhros still did not really appreciate being left strapped naked to the freezing metal table. At least, if the Maia was correct, this particular punishment would not be one he would be forced to endure again for quite some time

[real-jaune-isms]

RWBY Volume 8 Chapter 3 Review & Rundown

Oh boy oh boy, this sure was a heck of a time wasn’t it? Not quite as panic inducing and chaotic as last week with the Hound playing fetch with Oscar’s body, but I still felt a great deal of dread and unease as things took a turn for the negative. Hopefully I can properly explain how.

We begin on a black screen as Ruby pants and groans in a way that made me worry I had put on the wrong video. But no, she’s just winded from riding the tube up to Atlas, and we see her stagger out to see the rest of the group awaiting her. Nora is being painfully held by the ear for what she did to Weiss last episode, but she defends herself by saying it was the kind of thing you only get to do once in a lifetime so she should be happy about it. Blake is the last one to pop out of the tube, and she seems to have had a real bad time coming up. Hair a mess, a little of balance, out of breath, she has good reason to want to NEVER do this again. May asks Penny for directions through the base, though she calls her “robo-girl” when she does it which isn’t the greatest nickname. Penny does a 3D scan of the base and pulls up a map for reference, or something cool and digital to that effect, its more of a visual thing than something you can explain. She gives a rapid series of perfect directions, much to everyone but Ruby’s wide eyed amazement. Ruby is just smugly impressed that her gal pal can do this sort of cool thing. Penny also takes this chance to assert that she would much prefer being called by her actual name. Ruby gives a smug “heh” that May is getting told off, to which May scoffs. Kdin herself has commented that this was meant to only be indignation at being chided for the nickname, not any annoyance at Penny being insistent on what she is called. Personal identity is something May understands well, and she does call her Penny from that point on. So it’s nothing to go insulting or slandering May over.

May puts up her invisibility bubble, and they head off. We see them standing around in an elevator waiting to reach their floor, a very relatable bit of comedy, before taking a few hesitant steps back as it stops on an early floor and two soldiers get in. These two are outside the bubble so they can’t see our girls, but it’s still a tense situation. They get to their floor and sneak around the soldiers while they’re busy talking about how creepy Salem’s horde waiting in the air is, and Nora plays a little prank by hitting every elevator button on the way out. The soldiers are so confused and annoyed! Reaching a door with a security checkpoint, Penny pops one of her fingertips off to reveal a USB insert that she plugs into the terminal to use Pietro’s credentials without his hand print. Ruby is quite impressed by this cool new tool, as would be expected of the weapons buff. May asks which way to turn, and Penny informs them that next they will need to go directly through the central command room. There are a lot of people crowded together and walking around, and May’s Semblance is not equipped for that kind of navigation. Fortunately, we get an answer in the form of what I’d like to call the Pennydex. She explains, with a fun cartoony visual, that Ruby’s Semblance allows her to do much more than just move fast, she actually breaks down to a molecular level so her mass can be negated and she can move faster. So, as we saw briefly in episode 1 of Volumes 4 and 6 with Nora and Weiss respectively, she can do the same to other people and transport a group since the mass of a whole group wouldn’t matter if they’re all just flying molecules. TLDR: We were misinterpreting Ruby’s Semblance the whole time and she can use it to get them through the crowded room easily. And judging from Ruby’s look of shock and confusion, she’s been misinterpreting her Semblance too. Harriet did say that her power is unlike anything she’s ever seen before back in V7... Blake continues to be the funniest member of the group by pointing out how Penny knew this was possible before Ruby did, and all Ruby can do is remind her (and us) that Penny also figured out Blake’s faunus identity before Ruby had. Not exactly painting yourself in the brightest light if your only rebuttal is further proof you’re not that perceptive... 

With the opening of a door we shift scenes to Ironwood explaining himself for being tardy to... whatever it is he’s doing, and blaming it on how busy today has been. Meaning he’s probably killed someone else offscreen. The only thing that pisses me off more than that idea is whom he’s talking to: Watts, working for Ironwood to try and hack Penny under threat of execution from two armed guards. Point all the guns you want, Jimbo, this WILL backfire on you in a tremendous way. As quickly illustrated in a podcast about this episode by an IT professional, it is VERY bad business to hire a malicious hacker who has made no efforts to prove his stance with your security or what he will do with his skills has changed. If you can’t understand the jargon on his screen, he will use your ignorance to stab you in the back and turn this in his favor. But it is at least fortunate for Ironwood that Watts is here, because he points out that Pietro’s credentials are in use within the compound and it’s a little uncertain if the general would have noticed that without someone there checking the system. Naturally, as the paranoid man he is, Ironwood declares a security breach and a code red lockdown, authorization to use lethal force granted. Hey, I said this was fortunate for Ironwood, not for our heroes! The girls are of course panicked and worried, Penny checking the systems to see the tubes have been sealed too so they can’t leave how they came in. May is ready to swipe an airship for them so they can bail immediately, but Penny is resolute that the mission can still be achieved. Nora gets a good idea on how to make this work, and we see May sneak into the control room while cloaked to trip a guy walking by with a cup of coffee. His mug, labeled #1 Dad Dud, flies through the air and the hot coffee spills on a coworker’s computer and lap. This poor guy Bill who just wanted to drink some good bean juice, gets screamed at by another employee while the victim of the spill runs screaming out of the room to change pants. Bill is apparently notorious for not heeding the sign they have pinned up to say no food or drinks in the control room, and while the angry guy lists off his misdemeanors Ruby swoops up the rest of her friends and zooms through the room towards their destination while everyone is occupied with Bill. There’s a theory Bill is actually Velvet’s father Will Scarletina, since according to Before the Dawn he does work in Atlas, but considering the kind of guy Bill seems to be I would kinda hope otherwise. He microwaved salmon, for Christ’s sake! Unforgiveable!

The girls, minus May who went elsewhere to get a ship for their departure, emerge from Ruby’s petal blur safe and sound... except Blake. Penny, Weiss, and Nora have all been carried by Ruby before and are used to it, but this is Blake’s first time traveling Air Rose. So while the others look very proud of a triumphant Ruby, Blake is panicked and trying to steady herself. We next see them walking along an ominous looking bridgeway to a door with an electrified field in front of it. Penny does her USB insert thing to take down the electric barrier and unlock the door, and the others ready themselves to fight whoever might be on the other side. Instead, they find an empty room with several terminal pillars, a couple chairs, and one central interface computer that Penny will be using. After the door closes, Nora notes that the electricity started up again. Penny sits down at the terminal, and after taking a moment to breath and prepare herself notifies Pietro over whatever comms they use that she’s ready to start. It’s cute that she calls him dad, reminds me that yeah they are a family. What’s much less cute is that Pietro then remotely takes control of Penny from all the way at Amity so he can use her to perform the complicated process they need to make the launch plan work. The size of her irises and pupils changes, as does the color of her irises from green to yellow. Makes me very wary of the fact that her eyes were briefly red in the intro... especially since Watts is on the job to try and hack into her. Knowing her being remotely controlled is already possible in how she is programmed is TERRIFYING. Ruby is understandably a bit confused and taken aback by Pietro’s voice coming from Penny. “Penny” starts the complicated task as Ruby watches and probably has no idea what she’s looking at, and we cut over to Nora as she looks around the room. She passes by Weiss and Blake, and Blake is the one to voice her concern for Yang’s group. Makes sense she’s so concerned, she’s an only child worried by the fact that Ruby and Yang butted heads like that. Weiss is a sister so she knows what it’s like for siblings to fight like this, she knows it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other less or are on opposite sides. They just have different ideas about what’s right. Clearly she’s drawing from her own feelings on going against Winter at the end of Volume 7. Nora also tries to reassure Blake by talking about how strong and talented Jaune and Yang are and how much Oscar has grown as a fighter. Blake and Yang both seem impressed and reassured by this appraisal, while we the audience know this is very far from the current truth, since Oscar has been stolen away and Yang was unable to protect him. But what is also noteworthy is that she said nothing about Ren. She notices her own gap in information and tries to offer something but... she has no idea what Ren is right now. She hates feeling like she’s losing him, like she has less and less of an understanding who he is than ever before despite the years they’ve spent together, and she’s unsure if she should blame him or herself for this. This time Blake is the one with sage advice pulled from her own bittersweet experiences. When you’ve been at someone’s side for as long as they have, your identities become intertwined and you can lose track of what is really you vs what is a part of them mixed in. It’s important to keep a firm grip on who you are, to be your own person outside of that other person. Clearly, this is a warning to not make the mistakes she did with Adam, for Nora to not blind herself with obsession and attachment to this partner she trusts so much. They don’t say this flat out, but we can read between the lines. It’s a very nice moment from Blake, but it only worries Nora more. She’s had Ren in her life for so long, she really doesn’t know who she is as an individual. That’s a bit sad to think about, but Weiss tries to look on the bright side and says this can be an opportunity for Nora to do some self discovery and find who Nora Valkyrie truly is on her own. All Nora can think of to define herself though... is the value of her strength and her destructive capability. That’s all people expect of her, and she is finally getting a chance to prove herself beyond that.

Before Blake or Weiss have a chance to reassure her, they hear some promising beeps from the computer and rejoin Ruby and Penny. Pietro explains through Penny that he’s cloned the imprint of Ironwood’s computer signature onto Penny, so when they run the launch sequence for Amity the system will connect to her to get clearance instead of going all the way to this terminal to get it from the General. She finally returns to being herself, and says she’ll be sure to rejoin her friends once the launch is done so she can help finish the evacuations, buuuut Pietro has a different idea. He wants her to stay on the tower with him and Maria, but Penny wants to be here and help her friends who need her. Ruby does her best to be diplomatic about this, but she has to agree with Pietro. If Ironwood was right about the tower being unreachable by Salem’s forces then it will be the safest place for the Winter Maiden powers until Salem is beaten or leaves. So maybe Penny should stay there, at least for now? Weiss agrees, while Blake tries to change the subject and say they should head to the hangar and GTFO. Penny unlocks the door while lamenting how often folks are having to do things they would rather not. Appropriately enough, the Ace Ops are waiting on the other side looking for a fight our girls would probably rather not be having. With all the authority of a neighbor at your door to ask for their vacuum back, Harriet insists they’ll be bringing Penny “home” now. RNBW are quick to draw their weapons in defense, and it becomes a verbal spar instead. Surprisingly, it’s Vine who steps up with the speech to convince Penny. And just like the General, its full of negging and gaslighting to make her think she only thought she’s been doing what’s right but really she needs to do what Ironwood says. That she’s not protecting people unless she’s getting the relic for Ironwood. Which is, of course, bullshit because 60% of the people are in Mantle and the General has expressly stated he wants to abandon them to die in favor of keeping his already well fortified 40% up in Atlas safe. Penny tries to defend herself and her position on things with Mantle, but Hare and Elm have a pretty damn backwards way of remembering the end of Volume 7 because they call Penny ungrateful and blame her for Winter being in critical condition. Let’s try to imagine how that dramatic climax would have gone without Penny being there, hm? Winter wouldn’t have been able to get through the arctic vortex Fria was creating without dying of sheer cold, Cinder would have burned through with rage or spite or just been closer when Fria finally collapsed and died. Penny saved Winter’s life twofold and delayed Cinder long enough for Ruby to come in and make the Fall Maiden panic and leave. Get bent, bootlickers...

Marrow and Harriet try to rapidfire good cop bad cop Penny into backing down and surrendering her access of the vault to them, but Ruby uses actual logic and says boosting Atlas into the sky won’t stop Salem, it will only harm more people and delay the inevitable. Or at least, she tries to but hot tempered Hare yaps at her to shut up or she’ll get arrested just like Qrow. Threatening Ruby is more than Penny is willing to allow, and she takes the clear bait to step out of the server room only for Harriet to close the door behind her and leave the other girls trapped behind solid steel and deadly electric current. Penny uses her Maiden powers and her sword array to put up a good fight, but it’s still 4 vs 1 and their teamwork starts to overwhelm her, especially when Marrow uses his trump card Semblance to immobilize her for Vine to put cuffs on her. Meanwhile Weiss tries to use her Summon Knight to break down the door and even the odds, but the electric field is too much. She and Ruby lament how unfair this is and hope Penny can last a little while, but we are seeing how poorly that goes. Nora decides she has to step up for the clutch play, repeating the only 2 things she thinks she can do. “Be strong, and hit stuff...” So she jabs Magnhild into the power source on one side of the door and starts absorbing all the electricity into her body, screaming like Goku going Super Saiyan 3. And the analogy fits, because lightning runs across her skin in cool jagged bolts of pink and her hair stands on end. With a swing and a scream, she bashes the doors in and knocks the Ace Ops back a bit before they can cuff Penny. But all things must come with a cost, and this blows through all her Aura and she passes out with a momentary glassly look in her eyes. Not only that, the pink faded but the lightning patterns are still on her skin as an extensive set of scars consistent with the Lichtenberg figure observed on people actually struck by lightning. In terms of predictions for future consequences, serious electrocution like this has been documented to result in paralysis to some limbs, brain damage or memory loss, and sometimes even blindness. I worry those last two could be possible, since she was already having a hard time determining who she was without Ren so now she might completely forget who she is altogether, or she might lose her sight completely. I don’t know if RT would dare to do that, but we do have Yang’s arm as an example of their willingness for consequences... Regardless, the heroes are now down a woman but they’re still ready to fight for their friend. 

Ironwood bitches and moans about losing the chance for the odds to be stacked in his favor since he can’t win this encounter otherwise, but Watts has a new plan for the Ace Ops. Harriet doesn’t like the new orders, but Marrow is ready and willing to obey. Elm quickly swipes RWB over the edge of the walkway before they can do much to fight back against the already winded Atlesians, and by the time Ruby can scoop up her teammates with her Semblance (thank goodness she learned to do that today), the damage is done. Harriet maneuvers behind Penny and yanks one of her swords out of her back with a heart wrenching pluck of the connecting string. Like pulling off a butterfly’s wing... especially since in this world weapons are supposed to be like an extension of your soul. With the sword yoinked their job is done here and they all bail, though Marrow has a remorseful look back at the teens as if he knows he’s trapped on the wrong side. Guess we know why he agreed to this plan so quickly, it was a grab and go rather than a total takedown of their former friends. Blake is the first to point out how incredibly sus this behavior was, but they don’t have time to fully ruminate on the situation because they’ve also done what they came to do and they need to GTFO. Carrying Nora, they meet May in the hangar where her jaunty greeting is cut short by the sight of the ginger girl’s injuries. They need to get her somewhere safe, so they violently bust out through the doors. While in the open air, Penny says her goodbyes and they reveal the ship can be a convertible so she can fly away. Ruby and Penny share a tender but deep hug, and Ruby promises they’ll see each other soon. I just worry when they do it will be on opposite sides of the battlefield, and this worry is not helped by the final scene. The Ace Ops deliver Penny’s sword to a satisfied Ironwood, though Harriet would have been happier taking all of those meddling kids down. Watts cryptically implies that with a piece of Penny’s tech they can make her join them, and anyone who doesn’t trust him immediately knows by “them” he means Salem. And that’s the worrisome note we end on this week. Will next week be better? With the element of future knowledge/ the curse of this review being a week or so late I can say NOPE.

[mrwinterr]

Follow You

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: A song fic inspired by the song “Follow You” - Night Riots

Warnings: Fluff. Stalking? Mentions of sex and maybe masturbation (but only if that’s how you judge the actions in this story, nothing graphic). Reader is also not related to anyone in this story, just in case that question should arise in one’s mind.

A/N: This is a repost as I’m getting settled on this new blog. This was and still stands as of right now, my only Bucky Barnes fanfic. I swear the song isn’t as creepy as it sounds. It’s nonetheless a jam, so if you need music recommendation, check the band out! 

It’s not usual for the common area to be empty, especially in the morning as almost everyone in the building is an early riser. Bucky’s eyes gloss over the span of the room, not seeing any sign of his teammates, until they caught onto an image printed on the front page of today’s newspaper.

He recognizes your face on the print as part of the medical team within the building. He’s seen you a few times in passing or attending to any injuries and the occasional company events, but nothing more. He didn’t even know your name. He studied your features carefully. Your hair was all over the place, you had a small cut on your cheek, and you were clutching your left hand, which was visibly wounded. What kind of tussle did you get yourself into?

The full story revealed you helping fight off an assailant targeting his teammate Sam Wilson, who’s slowly being recognized as the new Captain America. This would explain where everyone might be. Taking place at night, you weren’t too far from the compound with Sam, but the person was clearly on a mission. It was a surprise attack. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The appeal of the story was how a civilian was able to hold her weight against someone who was trained to and purposely cause harm. Much like the paper, Bucky was enamored by the act of bravery. He read the story over and over, stared at every photo you were in, but he wanted to know so much more. He was captivated.

I saw your face inside the newspaper You saved your brother but your hand got burned

The training room was usually empty when he visited it, except that day he found Sam sparing with you. Unfortunately, your courageous story created unwanted attention. Secret intel revealed there was a threat by the previous attacker’s organization. It changed your life. You were forced to take extra steps in precaution, so he was helping you strengthen your defensive skills. The moment Bucky stepped in and looked at you, his breath got caught in his throat.

You turned your head in his direction as Sam called out his name. Bucky stood there unmoved, eyes only trained on you, and Sam took this as an opportunity to crack a joke. Bucky slightly shook his head and mouthed a quick comeback to which earned him a laugh from you. His body loosened up at the sound of your voice and he managed to give you a small smile. He found that laugh to be one of the sweetest things he’s ever heard, and it led his mind to wonder what else he could do to be able to find out how other noises would sound like coming out of your mouth.

Your hair was wild just like a lion’s fur I wanna laugh with you and make you purr

Your image never left his mind. He finally learned your name and your role on the medical team. He saw firsthand and already had a general sense that you could take care of yourself, but the attacks opened a can of worms. It could only get worse. In fact, within a few months, the next several attempts at your own life and anyone that seemed suspicious, Bucky would be there to divert danger away from you. He took them all out. He discovered you lived alone a couple of miles away from the compound. He felt a need to keep you safe, so using his stealth techniques he commits to your routine and remembering the route to your home. He was following you.

I will follow you home Cause I know where you live You’ll never be alone Cause I know where you live

It becomes more than that for Bucky. He takes a new course in the compound ensuring that he passes by the big glass window that separates him and the medical team just to see if you’ve made it to work alright. Sometimes he lingers a little longer than usual and catches your gaze through and between every staff member walking about doing their respective jobs, each time causing him to almost lose his composure and knocking the wind out of him, like a head-on-collision. He was wrecked.

I drive by your work almost every day That big old window shows me everything I saw you look at me through the glass Your eagle vision almost made me crash

He’s almost sure you don’t notice his close eye. If you did, you don’t act any different from the first encounter with him. For all you knew, no one was threatening your life anymore and they’d forgotten all about your story. He finds you just as friendly and caring, and it all just digs deeper into him. He had progressively initiated conversation with you given the opportunity. You’ve taken on to attending any discomfort Bucky has brought by missions or his arm and in return he helps you train when you have the time or keep you company during breaks. You were perfect to him. Everything you said or did, never elicited a painful memory caused by his past.

By now he’s discovered the perfect spot across your apartment to continue his watch. One night he slipped. You had returned from a night out with friends. He could tell you were slightly intoxicated as you carelessly slipped out of your dress with the curtains still drawn open, a bad habit of yours. Bucky couldn’t bring himself to look away. He knew it was wrong and extremely invasive. His bottom lip trapped itself between his teeth as his eyes scanned your mostly naked body. You casually stretched and he could sense you letting out a sound of pleasurable relief. His gaze never tore from your figure until you finally had the sense to close your curtains. He should’ve felt great shame. He tried to hold back but he was far too gone and could only imagine how you would look and sound like reacting to him worshiping you. He was weak.

No shame, I will follow you home No shame, you’ll never be alone

Things almost fall back into routine for Bucky even with the added task of ensuring your safety. He’s suddenly frantic as you weren’t where he expects you to always be. You’re not standing at your usual post in the medical lab, your curtains don’t open again, and you’re barely seen throughout the compound. He double checks his research and doesn’t see any sign of suspicious activity or you resigning and departing from the city. The attacks have actually lessened since they’ve become futile with him in the way and you never once mentioned leaving. He inquiries about you from your colleagues, who insist they don’t know of your whereabouts. He was scared.

He thought about how he wouldn’t see you flash him that smile, the way one side of your lips slanted upwards and eyes shined, just for him. He thought about the sound of your voice, especially your laugh. It made him melt. He thought about things he wished he could have made you feel. He thought about how he wouldn’t be able to do any of that if you weren’t around. You really had a huge affect and it dawned on him. He was in love.

No shame, I believe I’m in love with you, I’m in love with you

You weren’t in danger at all. You recently took up following Bucky, observing him as he tried to observe you even in your absence. You couldn’t believe it. You didn’t when Sam told you what Bucky had been up to. He noticed his new behavior before anyone else and took it upon himself to figure out what or who changed him. He was actually relieved to find out that he wasn’t doing something self-destructive but instead he was harboring a crush and was protecting you this whole time. Granted what he was doing involved an invasion of privacy, but surprisingly you weren’t angry, and you didn’t understand why you weren’t. Any normal person would feel some sort of animosity, but you didn’t. You liked Bucky and his company. You knew of him before working in the compound but you were enthralled by Bucky since you officially met him in the training room and continued to be the more you interacted. You were hooked.

You felt bad watching Bucky pull at his hair, frustrated as he thought you were in any kind of crisis, but you couldn’t wrap your mind around how he would want to willingly go through all this trouble to keep you safe. What made you special? You were just like every other person in the world that needed to be protected by Earth’s heroes. Yet you were still here, and it was because of him. You had to make sure it wasn’t just a phase. Why did he feel the need to protect you? If he had no one to look after, would he still care? You found out a lot about Bucky by observing him. Bucky’s watch was no joke, that much you learned. It took a real toll on your body and mind. It was harder on your end because you were making sure your absence was solid, full-proof, and at first you thought who were you to believe you could successfully spy on a former assassin? Luckily, Sam aided you on that one for a while. He just didn’t know you were still following Bucky and you didn’t either the longer it played out. You were falling.

Following you home, I’ll follow you home

It was time. You couldn’t stand to watch the look of defeat on Bucky any longer. He continued to stop by your apartment, cameras revealed he was still walking through the medical floor at the compound and asking if you’d return. You knew Bucky’s routine now and when you found the right moment, you set it up. You opened your curtains, left the lights on, and the door open just in time for his next stakeout.

As expected, Bucky walks right into it. He didn’t even think much about it but the last few weeks had him on edge and he almost immediately sprang into action when he saw any sign of life. He entered your apartment and looked around to find it seemingly empty, until you closed the door behind initiating confrontation. He turns around and he looks almost paralyzed. You knew he could tell that this was it. You caught him. You knew and you let him know. You cried because no one’s ever gone through that much for you. You told him you weren’t angry and he didn’t have to worry anymore because you weren’t ever in harm’s way. Not now and not then because of him. Bucky’s not much for words but he knows, unlike any normal person, he felt no shame for what he did. He knows you weren’t ashamed of what you did either. What he was doing couldn’t have gone as long as it had, but he’d try. He did and would do everything to protect you. He knows he’s in love with you and you knew you were in love with him too.

No shame, I believe I’m in love with you, I’m in love with you

A couple of nights after the revelation, the relationship has definitely progressed, he’s no longer watching you from across your apartment building, instead he’s inside watching you. He stands frozen, eyes locked as if he’s hypnotized by you. You’re shedding your clothing one by one and slowly walking up to him, almost with a predatory gaze. Bucky doesn’t realize he’s holding his breath as you lean up and kiss him. The both of you have grown increasingly close and the idea of taking things slow fly right out of the window. Bucky knew that idea was pointless the moment he first laid eyes on you.

I like to sneak around and hold my breath I lie awake just to watch you undress

The contact breaks the hypnotic spell bound on Bucky as he quickly reacts by applying more pressure to the kiss, losing control. He helps you rid of the remainder of your clothes, running his hands up your arms, collarbone and neck until they cup your face, making sure you don’t pull away soon, afraid this will just be all a dream, and you don’t. Not even when your back hits your mattress and more skin is revealed. When his shirt came off, he didn’t feel ashamed of you seeing his scars, he never felt any shame with you.

Your bodies seemingly both on autopilot as you lose yourselves in the throes of passion. You were giving him everything he wanted. He reveled in the sounds he used to imagine would come out of you. He took pride in watching as your body moved against his and your grabby hands because it let him know you wanted him just as much and that he was the one to make you feel that good. You only ever made him feel immense and genuine happiness. He was committed to making you only feel the same and more, a lot more. He wanted to make sure you knew how much he loved you. The emotion that radiated throughout the room was something he knew he wanted to keep with him for the rest of his life. He was devoted to you.

Tip-toe to our bed like an animal You let me kiss you till I lose control

It’s late one night and he’s just outside the compound staring at the open field thinking about you. He’s hesitant at first but he’s starting to feel better about letting you go home alone. The both of you have been taking the relationship at your own pace, learning more about each other and trust. He’s about to get up and head inside when he doesn’t catch an attack on him, but it’s soon thwarted off when he notices a second movement from a few feet away. It’s you. You saved him this time. He looked at you mesmerized because at that moment you resembled the same look you wore when he first saw you in the newspaper.

The scene around you both became nothing but background noise as the rest of the team and your other colleagues gathered around. You caught up to Bucky and he welcomed you with sore but open arms. He asks why you’re out this late and you, without any shame, tell him you wanted to make sure he was ok. You followed him here, unannounced and unashamed. If he ever had any doubts to if you really loved him in return, you always reminded him how much you did. You were both prepared to follow each other forever. The look of admiration never fades from his eyes. He was always in love with you.

No shame well I believe I’m in love with you, I’m in love with you

A/N: I kind of cringe at this now, but I still want to share and keep it. Let me know what y’all think! Thank you for reading! 

[orderofthedyingstar]

RECAP: SESSION 10.5

SESSION TEN PART TWO

Rhododendron and Jun have been arguing about whether or not they should go back and talk to the hag, occasionally yelling for input from Inigo and Verrix across the spike trap. They go back and forth for another minute before Rhododendron, feeling like they’re just going in circles and wasting time (which Jun is doing on purpose) turns back around and confronts Auntie May about knowing her name. Auntie May gives several vague threats and cryptic responses before Rhododendron finally decides to ask about her bow - but gets no answers. Rhododendron asks if she can shoot the pool of water in her room, but Auntie May says she’s ‘growing a good crop of bacteria’ in there and doesn’t want Rhododendron to mess with it. 

Rhododendron: “Look, I don’t think a bow can kill bacteria, I think they’re too small. It’ll probably like, go around them.”

Auntie May finally lets Rhododendron shoot the pool of water after extracting some of the nasty green plant/algae/whatever growth out of it. The bow acts as it has before in these temples, gathering light at the arrow tip and revealing a staircase after the water evaporates. The hag isn’t impressed, and tells Rhododendron that’s she’s only just revealed her basement, which she uses for ‘storage’. Jun, who’d been watching at the entryway, finally joins Rhododendron as she descends the last staircase, and when Rhododendron lights one of her torches both of them see a small room full of rotting clothes and skeletons. Jun immediately turns around and leaves and after a moment of disappointment Rhododendron follows.

Auntie May: “Well, I did you a favor, yes? I let you shoot my pool and kill everything I was working for and now I’m going to be set back another decade.” 

Rhododendron: “I - I guess.” 

Auntie May: “Good. And now you can do me a favor.” 

(WIS ST 8) Auntie May touches a finger to Rhododendron’s chest, where a dark red stain blossoms from, enveloping Rhododendron’s entire body before disappearing. 

Auntie May: “Okay, you’ll do Auntie May a favor in good time, my friend. YOU WILL NEVER HARM AUNTIE MAY.” 

Rhododendron: “Okay…seems like the favors aren’t equal…” 

Auntie May: “WHEN THE TIME COMES AND YOU FIND MY LITTLE LOST ITEM, YOU WILL GET IT AND BRING IT RIGHT BACK TO ME, NO QUESTIONS ASKED. NOT ONE. That’s all. Good-bye.” 

Rhododendron: “Oh boy. Oh no.”

Jun is horrified, staring open-mouthed at the two of them. Rhododendron and Jun finally leave Auntie May, collecting a still-poisoned Verrix and Inigo on their way out. The rush out of the temple, Verrix landing on his face as he falls out of the window. They barely manage to make it out in time for Jun’s spell to end, with people trying to break down the front door with renewed force. Jun warns that the spell protecting the temple is fading now that Rhododendron’s removed the barrier, and doesn’t want to stick around when the rest of the adventurers finally get inside. Rhododendron is worried about the hag killing people, but Jun doesn’t want any of them to be associated with Laoteng’s temples, and insists that it’s someone else’s problems. 

Rhododendron: “Why don’t you care?” 

Jun: “I do, about - about us being connected to these temples and being able to open places that haven’t been opened for a long time. And to creepy hags, one of which you’ve made a Pact with.”

Now that the immediate danger is behind them, the group now focuses on purging the poison from Verrix and Inigo. They head towards one of Nyvarstra’s temples in the town, planning on paying a cleric to cast Lesser Restoration. In El Canje’s temple to Nyvarstra, they find a cleric and a fully armored (very tall) woman, who is making it very obvious that she’s bored with all of this. Rhododendron tries to work her charm on the stranger, who says that she’s a paladin that’s been tasked with guarding this temple in spite of the town being relatively safe, and seems generally unimpressed with everything Rhododendron says to her, mostly responding with ’okay’ and ‘sure’. The stranger says that the cleric can cure their poisoning, but then whines that it isn’t impressive because she can too. After quite a bit more persuasion/flirting, Rhododendron manages to convince the paladin to cure Verrix and Inigo for 300 silver. 

Marlee: “I’m getting paid to stand here, and I’d really like to continue that. The paid part.” 

Rhododendron: “But you’ll also get paid outside.” 

Marlee: “That’s true. Tough choice. Think I’ll pick standing.” 

Rhododendron: “Wow, that’s so brave.” 

Marlee: “Ya. You know me, haha, brave. (Scoffs)”

Rhododendron properly introduces herself, and the paladin spends several minutes wondering about the rarity of Rhododendron’s name and its origin before remembering to say her own name: Marlee. She finally agrees to help the party out after a little more persuasion from Rhododendron. Rhododendron brings Inigo over to Marlee first to get healed (Verrix: “I guess I’ll just die here.”)

Marlee: “Damn, you look, like, real short. I didn’t realize how small you were until, like, another person stood next to you, and like…you know, heels are not that expensive. Oh, but not for spider killing. Boots, maybe?”

Rhododendron: “I’m wearing boots.”

Marlee slaps Inigo across the face, using Lay Hands and healing his poisoning, she does the same to Verrix, who immediately sits down after getting slapped. Rhododendron tries to ask Marlee about how much longer she’s supposed to be stuck at the temple, and a little about the cleric she’s working with. 

Rhododendron (about the cleric): “So is he like a dick?” 

Marlee: “Oh, no. He’s just, like, boring, you know? You talk to him and he talks about, like, Nyvarstra. And it’s like, you know. Cool. I guess. Like, I get it. Dragon, goddess. Alright.” 

Rhododendron: “Not so easily impressed?” 

Marlee: “It’s fine, whatever, you know?”

When Rhododendron asks what there is to do around town, Marlee says that they’re better off just leaving and heading to Dynafell. When Rhododendron mentions that Marlee seems unsatisfied with standing in one spot in the temple for the rest of the foreseeable future, Marlee scoffs, mentioning that the only other option she has is ‘adventuring with people she doesn’t like’. Rhododendron offers to take Marlee with them when they leave the town, while the rest of the party scoffs about her flirting skills (again). Marlee flat out admits that she doesn’t think Rhododendron is as charming as she seems to think she is, and that adventuring is too disgusting to be worth it. Marlee also says that her armor, that she doesn’t want to mess up, was a graduation gift, but doesn’t want to get into the specifics about why she ‘sort of’ got the gift for herself. 

Rhododendron: “Doesn’t it count as shitty paladin-ing to not do anything good with you gifts?” 

Marlee: “No, I like just did a good thing today. There were these two dudes who were like totally poisoned and I, out of the goodness of my heart, just like healed them for no reason.” 

Rhododendron: “You were paid.” 

Marlee: “Yeah, that too.” 

Rhododendron: “And you think the source of all of your abilities is satisfied with that mere sacrifice?” 

Marlee: ”……Yeah, I still feel magic flowing through me so I guess it’s chill.”

Marlee says that she’s okay doing nothing with her skills, planning on saving up the money to retire from the ‘adventurer life’ and open a bakery in ten years. She gets annoyed/bored with her conversation with Rhododendron, and turns around to start ignoring her, especially since Rhododendron keeps saying that Marlee is lying. Rhododendron tells Marlee that her plans will probably fall through, to which Marlee says that her negativity is unwanted in a ‘place of healing’. As Rhododendron tries one last time to convince Marlee to join them, Marlee says that she likes being an ‘edgy loner’ (Verrix: “Cheers.”). Marlee tells them to try looking for a mercenary in one of the local taverns instead, since they love adventure. Rhododendron compares Marlee to Verrix a few times, and Verrix tries to look cool by putting his feet up on a seat in front of him - not realizing that he’s in the first row of pews, so they just kind of…hover in the air. Marlee also accidentally reveals that she’s only been doing the paladin thing officially for six months, and was stuck in an unpaid internship for two years - living in Calden before this and a mountain town before that.

Rhododendron asks Marlee if she’ll be in the tavern later, but Marlee says that she goes to bed at eight pm after reading a book, since she wakes up at four am - she says she needs her beauty sleep, although Rhododendron can tell that Marlee hasn’t combed her hair in days. Marlee admits that she loves romance novels, and when Rhododendron doubts that she’s ever been in love, Marlee says that she’d liked someone once but it hadn’t worked out. Rhododendron tries to convince Verrix to talk to Marlee to persuade her to join them, but the rest of the party expresses their doubts since she doesn’t seem to like any of them.

Rhododendron: “How long did it take you to like me?” 

Verrix: “I don’t know, how long did it take my leg to heal?”

When Verrix is reluctant to try to talk to Marlee and Inigo doesn’t want to flirt with her, Rhododendron tries to rethink her strategy, reminding the rest of the party that they really do need a healer. Jun hands Rhododendron a pen and some paper and suggests that she try writing Marlee part of a romance story - when Rhododendron asks him why he doesn’t write it himself, he says that he can’t love. 

Rhododendron: “Do you not know anything about love?” 

Jun: “No, I do not. I cannot.” 

Rhododendron: “W-what?” 

Verrix: “You can’t love?” 

Jun: “Oh, no.” 

Rhododendron: “What? Why not?” 

Jun: “I feel like we’re getting off topic.” 

Rhododendron: “No, I feel like we’re one hundred percent on-topic.” 

Jun: “I don’t have a heart.”

(Jun definitely pretends that he doesn’t know how he lost his heart.) When Rhododendron asks if he’s sure that he can’t love, he says that he’s sure he can’t, and that his heart was taken a long time ago. He isn’t concerned about it at all, despite Rhododendron trying to make him see the importance of it. Inigo says that Jun probably isn’t missing out on anything important, since ‘heartbreak probably sucks’. Jun says it’s convenient not to have emotions, since it lets him focus on magic, and really doesn’t understand why Rhododendron keeps trying to convince him that he should feel emotions. Verrix says that as long as it isn’t hurting him it should be fine. Jun does admit that he was a little upset about giving his heart away/having it stolen (uses both phrases) at the time but that it helped having it gone, since he was crying about ‘being scared and separated from his parent’ before it was taken. (He does lie about when it was taken, and the circumstances surrounding that.)

Rhododendron finally says that she can’t deal with that line of conversation anymore and moves on to writing the romance story for Marlee. She initially wants to write about the moon, but after Jun says that is probably blasphemous she changes the story to be about a baker and a prince. Rhododendron purposefully ends the story on a cliffhanger, and writes Verrix’s name on the book as they plan to get him to give the story to Marlee. Verrix goes over to Marlee and asks if she can read the story, and despite her noting that the way he asked her sounded vaguely like a threat, she agrees to read it since Verrix looks particularly desperate. She leaves, telling Verrix that she’ll get back to him in three to five business days. When Rhododendron asks how the conversation went, Verrix mentions that Marlee implied his author’s lifestyle wouldn’t be enough to feed his family and take care of his kids, causing the party to go off on a tangent that leads both him and Inigo into wondering whether or not they have children. Rhododendron promises to look for the kids when they go to find Jun’s heart.  Despite Verrix’s protests, Rhododendron also manages to convince him to follow Marlee to her hotel room and bother her in the morning about the story.

The party goes to the only tavern in town (named Tavern), asking around for information, and find that while adventurers were able to get into the temple, there is no one that has heard of the hag. Verrix goes over to an edgy looking stranger and attempts to make small talk, but somehow gets convinced that the stranger stole his children, and ends up making him cry. The stranger, in tears, tells Verrix that he has no idea where his kids are. Verrix says that he’ll leave the stranger alone as long as he doesn’t try to steal any children before returning to the rest of his party. Rhododendron investigates some of the rooms upstairs but isn’t able to find Marlee at all, she gets Inigo to talk to a bartender she’d already bothered to get a room for the party that he ends up overpaying for. Verrix wakes up at four in the morning, sulking, and stands out in the hallway to keep an eye out for Marlee - he awkwardly tries to ask her about the book, and she hands him a very detailed sheet of notes, saying that the book has potential but desperately needs an editor. Verrix goes back to the room and wakes up Rhododendron, attempting to tell her that their plan sort of worked.

Verrix: “WAKEUPWKAEUPWAKEUP. She read your thing. The thing you wrote. She read it.” 

Rhododendron: “What? I don’t read.” 

Verrix: “I know.” 

Rhododendron: “Who is she? I’m the she…” 

Verrix: “Big armor? The person with the big armor read your book.”

Rhododendron: “Big armor…? He’s gone, Verrix. But we’re gonna get him back. It’s okay.” 

Verrix: “Shut up - you mean Raz??? No! I don’t think Raz read your book.”

After he gets nothing out of a sleepy Rhododendron, he tries to wake up Jun to get him to read Marlee’s notes to Rhododendron, which Jun immediately refuses without opening his eyes. Verrix then wakes up Inigo, who is immediately completely alert.

Verrix: “Can you read this?” 

Inigo: “What are these, words?” 

Verrix: “I think so, yeah.” 

Inigo: “Oh. Then, no.” 

Verrix: “Oh. Huh. I’m going back to sleep.”

When Rhododendron finally wakes up, Verrix tells her that he got Marlee’s thoughts on the story, to which Rhododendron says that he was supposed to befriend her and try to persuade her to join their party. Verrix makes Jun read the review to which he says it’s pretty harsh, saying that she goes on and on about spelling and grammar errors, a cliché plot, and overused tropes. There is a little doodle at the bottom of the page depicting the prince from the story. Rhododendron remains optimistic, saying that it shows Marlee cared enough to read the story all the way through. Jun and Rhododendron both grill Verrix over his interaction with Marlee, and he balks a little under the scrutinization as they try to get any useful information out of his interaction with her.

The party goes off to bother Marlee, finding her taking her lunch break right outside the temple. After a few minutes they realize that she isn’t kidding when she says that she actually liked the story, and she returns the story to them completely covered in ‘annotations’. Marlee, while still standoffish, is a lot nicer to the party (read: Verrix) and humors them a little before finishing up her lunch break and heading back inside of the temple. While the party discusses strategies for trying to persuade Marlee to join them, Inigo leaves to go get flowers, returning with six huge bouquets and saying that he spent all of the rest of his money.They go inside the temple, handing Marlee to flowers, which she mistakes as a donation to the church. 

Marlee: “Nyvarstra appreciates your sacrifice, and whatever prayer you had will be addressed in like, you know, however long. Seconds, days, weeks, years. Like, whatever. (Hands the flowers to the cleric) These are like a really nice donation, I guess. The church needs some sprucing up, ya.”

Rhododendron: “Nonono, they’re for you!” 

Marlee: “Oh. For what?” 

Inigo: “You…won!” 

Rhododendron: “No!” 

Inigo: “No? You’ve lost. I’m so sorry.” 

Rhododendron: “Oh, gods no. Go back to ‘you won’.” 

Inigo: “Oh? We faked you out. You won! (Got ‘em!)”

Using Inigo’s flimsy excuse for the flowers, the party continues to try to persuade Marlee to go with them, but she’s still extremely reluctant. Marlee is very confused about whether the party wants her to join them as an editor or an adventurer, and tells Verrix that splitting his focus between two careers isn’t very fair to his children. Rhododendron tries to show off Cure Wounds to Marlee to display some of her capabilities, to which Marlee calls her ‘impulsive’ and ‘weirdly dramatic’. Marlee still expresses her displeasure about monsters and dungeons, saying that she’d rather not die or get hurt. She doesn’t trust the party to look after themselves properly, let alone her.

Marlee, looking between Verrix and Inigo: “Clearly the rations are not being split equally.” 

Rhododendron: “All of his calories just go to his enormously fat ass. Turn around, Verrix.”

Marlee, after some more hesitation, finally agrees to join the party but says she doesn’t want to be friends with any of them. She then quits her job on the spot and immediately leaves the temple. The party gathers up all of their stuff and leaves El Canje, heading towards Whitwood. Rhododendron, unsurprisingly, easily navigates the road there. They cross over the river Yulong’s Laugh a few hours outside of Whitwood, and Rhododendron tells the party not to call her by her name while in the town, putting on a disguise. Verrix and Jun are both a little miffed that Rhododendron is still very obviously hiding something from them, but neither calls her bluff on any of her badly concealed lies. They disguise her to look like Marlee, who says she’s fine with it as long as their names don’t match. Marlee names her ‘Lorka’, after the first sound that popped into her head. 

In Whitwood, Rhododendron keeps pretending like she doesn’t know where anything is despite constantly correcting the party when they look around. She runs into quite a few people she’s grown up with, but manages to stay disguised and unrecognizable from them. (She and Verrix also switch cloaks, much to Verrix’s dismay.) The party stocks up on rations and supplies for traveling in the mountains. While Verrix and Jun keep making asides to each other about how weird Rhododendron is acting, Jun says that he can’t really criticize her for going around in disguise under a different name. As she’s pointing out the different buildings, Rhododendron explains that everyone is homeschooled here with no formal education, making it the ‘longest game of telephone you’ll ever play’. After stocking up the party goes to a tavern to have one last real meal before heading into the mountains, with Rhododendron taking time in particular to endorse the ‘honey roasted pine cones’ (Marlee is more than a little alarmed at how big they are). 

Verrix: “My friends and…….Lorka would like to order.”

Waitress/Owner/Cook (Aleena): “Well, that’s a weird way to exclude someone!”

While they have dinner, Marlee expresses a displeasure for small towns and Verrix attempts to intimidate one of the townsfolk staring at them, maintaining eye contact for two straight minutes before the guy finally looks away. When Inigo keeps forgetting Rhododendron’s fake name and says it’s weird that she has one, she tells him to pick out a fake name; he chooses ‘Verrix Three’ and doesn’t understand when they ask what happened to Verrix Two.

Rhododendron: “What about you Inigo?” 

Inigo: “Hmm?” 

Rhododendron: “Thoughts?” 

Inigo: “Oh. No.”

Both Verrix and Marlee crunch on the honey covered pine cones in front of a disapproving Rhododendron. Verrix comments that the pine cones are at least a little better than giant worm legs. Rhododendron puts some of Marlee’s leftover pine cones into her bag, disgusting Verrix when she just sticks them in there, not covering them at all. The party leaves a generous trip and then departs from Whitwood - but before they go Rhododendron peaks into her parents’ house, seeing them eating a quite family dinner. She slips a note under their door, telling them that she’s left Dynafell and has gone traveling, and that she loves them. 

The group embarks down Elfslayer’s Run, and Rhododendron makes the mistake of letting Jun talk about the history of the area, which all of them tune out. Rhododendron asks Marlee where she’s from, and she tells the group that she was born in Peligro and moved around a few times in her childhood after spending a good portion of it in a quiet mountain town. Rhododendron asks Marlee why she chose to be a paladin and Marlee just says that she would rather do that than be a cleric, since they’re ‘losers’. She also mentions that she became a paladin at the same time as her sibling, who moved to Terminus last she heard.

Marlee: “Sometimes, (voice crack) we send letters? But I’m, like, really forgetful, so like I forget to send my letters all the time so the last time I got a letter from them was like………two months ago. But it’s like, whatever, you know? They can take care of themselves.”

Rhododendron asks Marlee if she heard a dragon roar prior to the appearance of the silver dragon in the skies a few weeks ago, but Marlee says that she didn’t. She does supply her sister’s name: Morgan. After Marlee doesn’t really provide any more answers, Rhododendron checks back in with Jun, who’s still in the middle of an impromptu history lesson that no one is listening to, which she tells him. Rhododendron brings up his heart again, asking why he never tried looking for it, and he tells her that he hasn’t seen the point since he doesn’t need it and ‘can’t sell it’. Jun brushes aside talking about his heart, instead launching into a very dry discussion about different applications of Evocation magic in daily life - like the exact temperature necessary to boil tea (Rhododendron does not pay attention, disgusted with the ‘boring academic talk’). They rest partway along Elfslayer’s run, taking their time since none of them are familiar with the area - Rhododendron has never been this far North and Jun took a different path out of So’Joh when he ran away.

Rhododendron: “…I miss the people in this group that were actually my friends. Not you, Jun, but oof - you’re exhausting right now. Are you having book withdrawals or something?” 

Jun: “Hmm...Actually, I think I’m excited to be here I’ve never been to this part of the country.” 

Rhododendron: “Ugh, get a hobby.”

[thepetulantpen]

Circus/Class Swap

(Here’s barbarian Molly and bloodhunter Yasha for day 2 of @mollymauklivesfest !)

The first day Molly and Yasha meet, Bo and Gustav are dragging his heavily bleeding body towards camp.

He looks like he tried to take on a pack of gnolls by himself and paid the price in a collection of bite and claw marks. Even bleeding and clearly in pain, he struggles against their help, something bright and restless and untrusting in his eyes as he fights mindlessly against them. Yasha has to hold him down to let Ornna do some first aid and she strains to do so when he puts all his strength against hers. She thinks she only wins because he’s lost a lot of blood.

His first words to her are a series of angry growls and her first words to him are “Stop fucking scratching me.”

It gets a little better, after that. After they’ve stopped the bleeding, after the anger has faded from his eyes and left him exhausted by the campfire.

They eat in silence, Yasha having been tasked with watching him since she’s the only one who could hold him if he decided to lash out again; he has freakish strength for someone as lanky and probably underfed as he is. He devours whatever is placed in front of him, despite Ornna’s cooking being incredibly shitty, and Yasha feels she understands him a little better, seeing all the signs of a traveler who’s been alone on the road for far too long.

They don’t speak- him because he can’t and Yasha because she doesn’t want to- and that works for them, creating a language of grunts and gestures for the days it takes for his voice to return.

They’re walking together, off into the forest and away from the troupe, and hunting down rabbits or any other edible meat when she hears it first.

“Watch out,” he grabs Yasha’s arm, getting her attention in case his quiet, raspy voice couldn’t, and gestures to the ground, “Ivy.”

She nods and walks around it. They don’t talk anymore, and her new friend seems grateful for the lack of questions.

He’s a good hunter, they both are, and it’s a lucky thing for the troupe, since rations can only go so far when they get lost between towns and everyone else is too squeamish to hunt their own food. Yasha has been living off the land for as long as she can remember- which is, admittedly, not long- and the tiefling seems just as experienced, easily falling into a pattern with Yasha.

She’s glad the rest of the troupe doesn’t join them when they’re out here, so no one is around to insist that they make small talk or answer personal questions. Or have manners or stop being creepy or-

Be normal. It’s easier to breathe out in the open air with only the sounds of the forest and their own footsteps to accompany them.

The sound of crunching leaves- many crunching leaves- ahead of them and to their right makes Yasha and the tiefling tense at the same time, moving behind the nearest cover and crouching. Yasha takes out her swords and hands one to the tiefling. He weighs it in his hand and frowns but holds it ready anyway; Yasha assumes, from the strength she’s seen him display so far, that he’s more accustomed to heavy weapons.

They watch the silhouette of something in the near distance lumbering around, flattening bushes and knocking into trees. Yasha hopes it’ll pass them by and shifts to press herself flatter against the tree. The tiefling moves to do the same but he must trip over a root because he nearly topples over and has to grab a low hanging branch to keep from landing on his ass.

It snaps, of course, and lands in the bush underneath it, shaking the leaves loudly and releasing several startled insects.

The shadow turns toward the sound, giving Yasha an opportunity to see it properly: the head of an owl affixed to a massive bear shaped body. It must see her as well, forgetting its meandering path and making a beeline for their position.

Yasha curses under her breath and stands to meet it, but the tiefling is a few steps ahead of her, leaping over underbrush and bounding into the creature’s space.

He holds his borrowed sword in two hands- though it’s so lightweight the stance is unnecessary- and it spans the space between him and the owlbear, it’s point just brushing the beast’s beak.

The bear roars with the shriek of an angered bird, but louder, sharper than a single owl could ever be, so loud it makes Yasha wince, even from beyond the combat. The tiefling seems unbothered, not flinching when the air from the sound blows his hair back, and his face contorts into something definitely angry but also... passionate, energetic, thrilled.

Enraged.

He roars back at the beast and Yasha expects it to come out just as hoarse as his voice was earlier, but he surprises her with a strong, steady cry that carries a sharp edge in a hiss as it trails off, like a snake with doubled lung capacity.

He bears his fangs in what could be considered a grin, if one were to be generous, and lunges forward, sword clashing against claw. The tiefling fights like a wild animal, striking recklessly at every opportunity and taking hits without hesitating. None of the owlbear’s strikes, most of which hit the tiefling’s unarmored form, seem to do as much damage as they should and only make the tiefling angrier, bouncing back from every hit with twice as much energy to put into the next one.

Yasha hoped the owlbear would have left by now, figuring they weren’t worth the trouble, but it seems intent on staying, on finishing this, so she should take it seriously too. She spins her sword around and slides it against the back of her neck, where many other scars from similar moves are engraved. It glows, crackling with energy, and, when she concentrates, forms a line of ice shards, stronger and sharper than they look.

She wields the jagged thing deftly, moving fluidly to lunge at every unguarded spot she sees. It’s different than the tiefling’s brute force approach but ultimately gets them the same thing: more strikes against the owlbear than it is able to get on them.

In a last ditch effort, the beast throws its body at the tiefling, choosing to focus on taking at least one of them down. It would have succeeded in tackling him to the ground if Yasha’s quiet arcane words hadn’t made its blood boil and leak out over its eyes, blinding it and sending it off course enough for the tiefling to step out of the way.

The owlbear crashes to the ground and the tiefling spins, slamming his sword down in a killing blow with enough force that it dents and bends the blade.

Definitely used to heavier weapons.

He turns towards Yasha with a smile, that feral rage in his deep red eyes lighting up his face. It’s a deeply violent and slightly disturbed expression; blood speckled on his cheeks that rise with his wide smile of sharp teeth.

Yasha gets it, sort of, supposing it’s a bit like the thrill of her magic in her blood, thrumming out a forbidden rhythm she doesn’t fully understand.

The light fades from the tiefling’s eyes as the poise of battle leaves his tense shoulders, adrenaline and rage draining. He hands her back the sword, bent at an angle that makes it more useful as scrap metal than as a blade.

“Sorry.” His voice is even more scratchy now, abused from his earlier battle cry, and he tries to dampen his smile enough to look guilty.

He fails, but Yasha accepts the sword and the apology anyway.

“That’s alright. I’ve been meaning to get a new one.”

...

“Ok, you got it? One, two, three... lift!”

Yasha grunts as she takes up the other side of the pole, one of the heavy pillars that’ll hold up their tent. She’s strong, but not quite as strong as Molly, who lifts it onto his shoulder easily.

Now that they’ve been in town for a few days, he’s back to full health and full strength, decent food and a real bed making him feel better than he has in a long time. As intimidating as he can be when he’s ticked off, everyone seems to enjoy having a barbarian around to set up circus tents and move supplies from the carts.

They’ve made him a part of the family, no longer a dangerous stranger or a charity case. He’s gained a voice- courtesy of plenty of practice with Yasha- and a name- courtesy of Toya.

It takes Yasha and Molly half as long to set up the tent as it took Yasha when she was doing it alone, which gives them plenty of time to relax in the afternoon. When everyone else is practicing their acts, they sit on the banks of a nearby stream, washing clothes in the clear water.

Molly takes off his coat, the one he’s having specially made of those bright fabrics he’s become so fond of, and takes extra care in washing it. It leaves his arms bare, exposing the scars that litter his arms and torso, some from battles he remembers and others from battles he wasn’t around for.

Molly’s scars are varied, clearly from distinct enemies he came across in his travels- both before and after his memory cuts out. Yasha’s are different, all straight lines from the same cut of the same sort of blade, crisscrossing over every available surface.

Despite the differences, seeing the scars makes Yasha and Molly feel at home, a little less like freaks and more like warriors. They’ve lived through so much and they wear it on their skin as they fight side by side.

Molly looks up at Yasha with those unnerving red, pupil-less eyes and Yasha looks back with her mismatched, too bright eyes. They both smile, happy to be in each other’s company and feel at once understood and undisturbed. There are no secrets between them because they’d never ask, and there’s no shame because they’ve walked such similar paths.

Anybody who’d look at them would think they’re opposites- colorful, happy, angry Molly and dark, calm, creepy Yasha- but they fit together perfectly, totally at peace.

“You ready for the show tomorrow?”

Molly is slowly drying his coat as he talks, testing out his voice more and more these days. Yasha doesn’t mind, not like she thought she might, since helping out her friend has started to outweigh her need for silence.

“Yeah, you know, it’ll be fun. Your first show, it’s quite the experience.”

“So I’ve heard,” he pauses, thinking, then says, “I suppose we’ll be the muscle then?”

“That, and I do a bit of juggling at the beginning.”

Molly puts down his coat and stares for a second at the tall goth at his side, trying to determine if she’s joking. Her face doesn’t move to indicate she’s messing with him, remaining as deadpan as it always is.

“What, really?”

Yasha laughs and bundles her laundry up, standing as Molly scrambles to follow her.

“Yes, really.”

“You have to show me.”

Yasha bites her lip, not wanting to show off but... Molly looks so hopeful, tail swaying back and forth behind him.

“Alright, alright, take these.”

Molly takes the laundry easily, shifting the piles so they don’t obscure his view. Yasha unsheathes both of her swords, takes a few paces back and tosses themin the air, settling into a simple rhythm for a few rounds before dropping them back into her hands and bowing dramatically.

Molly’s eyes are shiny with wonder and Yasha thinks he would clap if he didn’t have his hands full.

“You should teach me sometime!”

Yasha smiles and takes some of the laundry back, looking off into the distance, where the other performers are gathering for the procession. This is just the first show of many with Molly and Yasha hopes every one of them feels as special as this one.

They’ve got a long journey ahead and she’s glad to take Molly along with her. Once a traveler, always a traveler.

“Definitely.”

[sashawritesstuff]

The Shortcut

(Short Story)

“Robert? Robbie!”

He heard the desperate calls but the air had been knocked out of him. No matter how hard he tried to answer, he couldn’t manage more than helpless gasping for breath. Rain was falling on his face, small cold drops washing away dirt and blood. His blood. Robert shifted and winced at the sharp pain in his right ankle. The afternoon couldn’t get any worse.

Blasted root! How was he even supposed to see it under this blanket of dried leaves? It was hardly his fault to trip over it. With a nasty crack in his ankle he had fallen on all fours before he overbalanced and rolled down the slope.

“Robbie, Robbie! Are you all right?” His younger cousin James emerged from behind the trees, awkwardly running downhill, towards him. He looked pretty unhappy at their current direction, wishing nothing but to return home. Robert stifled a laugh. It seemed he wasn’t the most miserable one after all.

“What do you think?” He asked harshly, struggling to his feet.

“You look fine.” James started to snicker and Robert shot him a glance that silenced him immediately. He might have been thrilled by his cousins company before, but he certainly wasn’t in the mood for his impish remarks now.

“You’re bleeding. There …” James noticed the deep cut on Robert’s forehead where he met the ground only moments before and reached forward. Robert leaned back to avoid the touch and hastily swatted James’ hand away.

“Whatever.” He rolled his eyes, “Let’s just return home.”

“Yes, at last!” A huge smile spread across James’ face as he headed to the slope and started making his way up. “I can’t believe we’re finally on the same page!”

Robert tried to follow close behind, but a soon as he shifted the weight on his right leg, the pain in his ankle doubled. He cried out in sudden agony and fell to the ground, cursing and clutching his leg.

“It seems like you could use some help!” James offered him a hand.

“I don’t need you!” Snapped Robert, but his eyes softened. He accepted James’ outstretched arm and the other pulled him up. Then leaning on his cousin, he made a few uncertain steps. With extreme cautiousness not to burden the injured leg there was a possibility he would be able to limp on the generally flat terrain, but there was no point climbing back uphill. In the meantime his right ankle noticeably swelled  up, now beyond a shadow of a doubt badly sprained.

Though it would do Robert more harm than good, they had no choice but to move on. Having the curfew before the sun went down, they were already late. Leaning on his cousin, Robert picked a way among the trees and they hurried forward. It wasn’t an easy task for any of them. Robert could only limp as fast as his injured leg allowed and was exaggeratedly anxious about hurting the healthy one as well, which made it harder for James who now had to support even bigger part of his weight.

As the evening darkened, the small rain droplets turned into bigger ones. Robert wondered how could not notice the sudden change in weather before, but then they weren’t very observant. When the rain caught them, they were already deep in the forest where the tree branches prevented them from clearly seeing the sky. Even if  they tried, they couldn’t judge it.

By the time they found the path, they were already dripping wet. Soaked clothes clinging to their skin and the wind whipping their faces made them shiver as the heavy rain blurred their vision.  They were cold, wet and hungry, without a true sense of direction.  The downpour didn’t show any signs of stopping.

Robert felt wretched. It was he who suggested coming out here in the first place.  Had he not been so bored by the computer games James has engaged himself in all morning, he would have never even thought about going out. He was tempted to give his cousin a piece of his mind, upset by the lack of attention he was receiving, but in the end decided against it. Instead he came up with this idea. Why couldn’t they just stay inside? James was clearly against leaving from the very beginning, complaining about the dirt, nettles and spiders. Robert remembered him pointing out how horrible the weather is, but the only image that came rushing back was the one of a perfectly clear sky and a shining sun. James’ definition of bad weather obviously differed from his. It took him a lot of convincing and begging to finally drag him outside. His cousin simply wasn’t the one to resign himself to his fate without a fight, eventually giving up only because Robert’s mother threatened him that otherwise he’ll have to wash the dishes.

He should have listened to his cousin more. If he did, they would have never found themselves in this situation, but at the time it seemed like a great idea. It was all his fault.

Drowning in self-pity , his eyes fixed on the ground, it was a surprise to him when James suddenly came to a halt. He lifted his gaze. “What now?” He asked in annoyance. The pain in his ankle was increasing rapidly and he could barely stand, due to the shakiness of his healthy leg. He wanted nothing more than to stop and sit down right where he was, yet he knew he wouldn’t be able to rest until they reached home.

“What now, what now? You tell me. I don’t know this forest.” James returned the annoyed look, raising his voice, “And hurry up!“ He added as an afterthought, “I don’t want to miss the dinner.”

“Then move!” Robert shot back. He was injured and all his cousin thought about was what? Eating?

“Where to?”

For the first time Robert followed James’ gaze and stared into the dark. Only now he noticed what was bothering his cousin. They were standing at the crossroads. “To the left I suppose.” He shrugged.

“Why left?” James wanted to know. “What’s wrong with this shortcut?” He pointed to the right.

“I don’t remember it. Besides, how can you possibly know it’s a shortcut?

“It’s narrower. Also if you never saw it before it must be recently built.” He explained, “And why would anyone make a new path if not to get somewhere quicker?”

“It looks pretty old to me.” Robert insisted.

“Still… I vote we turn right.” James made a determined step forward.

“And I,” The other one pulled him back, “ vote we turn left!”

James merely scowled. “Don’t be ridiculous, Robert! You want to get out of the rain or not?”

“Of course I do, but…”

“Shame! Looks like I outvoted you.” He interrupted. “Now, less talking and more walking!”

Robert wasn’t finished yet. “Shortcuts make delays!” he argued.

However, James didn’t mind him. Dragging his defeated cousin behind him, he made his way along the narrow path. At first the ground was rising steadily and their progress was hardly visible. Robert’s leg was giving him trouble, causing him to stagger backwards several times. Every single time he had to shift his weight on it to save himself from falling on his back and every single time it sent a wave of pain up his body like an electroshock coming from the ground. They both knew they wouldn’t be able to continue like this for much longer when the path in their relief suddenly dipped. They carried on with an ease when Robert suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. It caught James off guard and he tripped over.

“I don’t understand.” Robert murmured to himself. “Even though I never went that way before, I’m pretty sure we should have been out by now. The forest is not big: two miles in each direction at the most!”

He had an eerie feeling about this path. He had run through this forest his whole life and he knew it like the back of his hand: he knew every rock, every tree, every leaf, he knew every path and yet he had never to this day stumbled upon that one. Had James not insisted on following it, he would have suggested turning back. Anything but this!

James looked around. “So where do you think we are?” he asked, standing up.

Robert didn’t answer at once. He felt an odd tickling on the back of his neck as if someone was watching him closely, but turning around there were nothing but trees. A shiver ran down his spine and the hair on his arms stood up. The fear awoke his stomach. “I have no idea.”

James laughed, not noticing his discomfort. “That fall did some damage to your head after all! He patted his cousin on the shoulder, ”Stop worrying! Like you said: we should be out any time now.”

They continued without another word. It was getting late and the trees they passed started to get darker, thicker and dryer until there were barely any leaves left on them. The naked branches swinging and cracking in the wind were giving an impression of sickness and death. In the air there was a stifling smell of decaying undergrowth. Robert stopped watching the trees and turned his attention ahead of him. The light haze was moving in a strange direction, like it was trying to gather. In some places it already looked like a mist. He froze. The haze was all around, moving slowly as normal but the misty clouds gathered together in a thick foggy cloud of creepy unrecognizable shape. The foggy shape wasn't moving at all. It seemed like it was staring straight at him and waiting what he’s going to do.

Before he could protest he was pulled through it by his cousin who marched forward as though he hadn’t seen anything unusual in it or just didn’t care. Both options were equally possible.

Robert shuddered as the sudden chill engulfed him. For a moment, he couldn’t see anything but the white smoke surrounding him, the only evidence of his cousins presence being the pressure of his arm around his shoulders. He took a deep breath. It was no use. The feeling reminded him more of breathing the ice-cold steam. It forced him to cough.

As his sight returned, everything came back to normal. Relieved, he threw his glance across his shoulder, but the misty figure vanished like it was never there.

Robert shook his head and let out a deep breath he didn’t realise he was holding. His fatigue was playing tricks on him! And he didn’t like it one bit.

As the evening drew on he grew more and more restless. The fear that had filled him when they first came across the narrow path only increased. It sickened him to the point he could barely breath, while also triggering something horrible within him. They should have never come here. If it had not been for James they wouldn’t have. He wasn’t to blame! It was all James’ fault!

He was about to point it out when he noticed his cousin staring down in confusion. “What is it?” He asked, afraid of what he might hear.

“Where is the path?” James responded with another question.

He was right. The path was gone. Leading them to the tiny clearing it all of a sudden ended, fading into the turf.

James pointed his finger in Robert’s face accusingly, not giving him time to reply. “ This shortcut of yours isn’t any good!” he shouted, “ What is the use of it, if it only leads this far? It can’t just leave us here!” Defeated he threw his arms in the air.

“ Firstly,” Robert began angrily, making a step back, “This isn’t my shortcut! And if my mind serves me right, you were the one insisting on turning right.”, his voice gradually gaining on volume. “And secondly, it might have escaped your notice but it did, in fact just leave us here!”

“ Thank you for the summary!” James matched his tone.

“Don’t get snappy with me now! It is I who should be enraged!”

“Oh, and what gives you the right?”

In an instant Robert lowered his voice. “ Hush!” he whispered sharply, one index finger over his mouth and the other one pointing in the air. Both listened. Their furious shouts fell as if muffled by a heavy curtain. There was no echo or answer, but the forest seemed more watchful than before. Another loud sound of flapping wings drew their attention and they glanced at the trees encircling them.

Engaged in their quarrel they had been completely oblivious to the flock of birds flying by and landing on the tree branches to rest and observe the happening. Because of the dark Robert couldn’t tell of what exact breed they were, but their round minuscule bodies of lighter colour pointed out they were probably sparrows. How was that possible he couldn’t imagine. He didn’t even dare to think what were they doing, stopping at the same spot he and James did, much less at night!

In the contrary to his opinion, the sparrows were quite fascinating to his younger cousin. Though he wasn’t able to explain their strange behaviour either, James still didn’t feel any discomfort at the sight or found them suspicious. When it became obvious their argument has been finished, the birds started to sing. At any other time and in any other place, Robert might have described it as happy, but right now, in this situation the word intimidating felt more right to him.

Robert focused on the sounds around him. He did not trust a single one and wished his cousin was more cautious as well. The whistling wind brushing against the trees, swaying the branches making them crack and the leaves on the ground rustle with the occasional drip of moisture falling to the ground. It was ironic: not too long ago he would have been just as thrilled by the forest as James and perhaps he still would have been if he hadn’t felt so uneasy. The forest seemed restless too. The singing of the birds suddenly stilled and no other sound but the thumping of his racing heart was heard. The rain stopped and the wind stilled. What kind of place was that?

For a split second nothing moved and then in a blink of an eye the entire flock of birds leaped in the air. The silence passed and was now replaced by their panicked screeching. The boys stared after them in astonishment as they vanished behind the trees and their voices sank in the depths of the woods.

“Well that was funny!” Commented James, obviously greatly amused.

However, Robert did not feel the same way. His heart was in his mouth. All his senses were alert and there was a tingling on the back of his neck; a warning of – something or someone. It send cold shivers down his spine. Fear clutched him with icy claws. His ears were erect, alert to every sound.

Somewhere in the distance, yet not too far away a twig snapped so as to confirm his fears. The snap was followed by another crack this time closer. Robert turned his head in the direction of the oncoming sound and waited. The sound drew closer and closer and it became clear that they were footsteps. Whose, he didn’t want to know. He covered his mouth with his arm to supress his shallow breathing, but the loud thumping of his heart against his chest gave him away. The footsteps stilled by the bushes no more than five feet away. Robert couldn’t swear it, but there in the dark he saw a black shape move.

“Calm down, it’s just an animal.” James whispered to him, clutching his sleeve, but Robert really didn’t think so. The blood-freezing scream that pierced his sensitive ears in the next moment settled it for him.

He pushed James away from him and ran. Forgetting about his injured ankle, he plunged among the trees and ran and ran to get away, to wake up from this nightmare. In this moment he cared only about himself. James didn’t matter as much as he did. If anything, he wished the thing would see his cousin as a weaker target, chasing after James first and buy him some time to escape. How glad he was to be the faster runner now. The panic overwhelmed him, preventing him from thinking clearly. He had no idea in which direction he raced off or where was he headed now. He might as well be running in circles. As he ran by the tree branches swayed, grabbing and reaching after him like claws, even though there was no wind. From time to time, right in front of him roots sprouted from the ground to trip him and the shadows stretched out to slow him down. He never stopped. Jumping lightly across the roots and avoiding the shadows he zigzagged past the trees. They seemed like they were watching him. At first with disapproval which soon deepened to anger and even animosity. They thickened as if gathering on purpose to block him. Now and then some of the most angered ones dropped down  a smaller or larger branch right at him and Robert had to be extremely careful and quick to avoid it. As if murderous trees weren’t enough snapping of the twigs from behind continued. Someone or something  was still on his tracks! He speeded up not feeling any exhaustion or need to halt, but it wasn’t good enough. He could feel its eyes on his back and its breath on his neck. It was too late. He heard another shriek that froze his blood and gave up. He couldn’t hide. It was over.

Pale as a sheet and trembling like a leaf, he pushed through the thick vegetation and a cold shock of fear shot through his body once again. It drove the air from his lungs and stilled his heart. He couldn’t even draw enough air to cry out as he collapsed, waiting for his inevitable doom.

“Jesus, Robbie!” At the unexpected voice above him Robert twitched. “Stop crying, will you!” It wasn’t until then that he recognised whom it belonged to. James came running from behind the trees moments after him and was now bended over, trying to catch his breath. He was doing his best furious expression, still Robert recognised the fear behind it. Even through the dark he could see how red James’ eyes were. His cousin had been crying and he couldn’t hide it, no matter how hard he tried.

Robert slowly sat up and took a look around. The relief hit him. They were out, they were safe. Not long ago he was prepared for a violent end to his short life and now he was here. Sitting on the concrete, the road illuminated by the familiar street lamps. In the distance he saw the peaceful city, he heard the car noise. As much as he normally hated the traffic racket, it was like music to his ears now.

Minutes passed and James’ breathing steadied. He straightened up and shoot Robert a glare. “Care to explain what just happened? You left me behind!” He scowled, motioning the other to stand up.

As Robert did so, the pain in his right ankle suddenly erupted once again. He gasped in agony but managed to keep his balance and stayed on his feet. How was it possible for him to run this fast? And this far! Where did the pain go? Until now he didn’t even realise it was gone! It must have been the adrenaline.

“So? What was that?” James raise his eyebrows.

“I …, I’m not sure. Back there, there was s-something. It was so dark, James! I …, I couldn’t see it. But I could feel it. And, and hear it. Why couldn’t you?” Robert stuttered, his voice almost an octave higher than usually.

James nodded in reassurance, “Oh, I heard it just fine. What I heard were the high-pitched screams caused by my overly dramatic cousin with a vivid imagination! You’ve seen too many horror films for your own good!”

Crossing his arms in defence, Robert snapped back, ”If you weren’t scared, then why were you crying?”

The question caught James off guard and his eyes widened in shock, “I wasn’t …” He started to argue, but then decided against it. It was a lost battle. He wouldn’t have won. Instead he returned to the topic, “Besides, that’s not the point. What I’m saying is that you’re just an ordinary coward, this or that you were, for some unknown reason, trying to scare the life out of me. Good job, because you’ve succeeded!” He probably expected an apology  but got none. What he didn’t know was that Robert too, was boiling with rage. He had enough of his little cousin acting all superior.

“I’m telling your mom.” Stated James, as he crossed his arms, “If I remember correctly you were supposed to look after me.” His voice shook slightly and his lower lip quivered. An unchecked tear escaped the corner of his eye and slowly rolled down his cheek.

Robert almost gave in the temptation to punch him when the sudden movement in the bushes not too far away made him lower his hand and turn around. The branches shivered again and moved apart just a tiny bit. Right there in the middle, two eyes appeared. They were glassy, grey and cold – like those of the dead and Robert’s heart fell. With a sharp intake of breath he darted into a run, not daring to look back. He was terrified of what he might see. He didn’t want to see!

Robert ran and ran as fast as his injured ankle allowed, his ears spying for any suspicious sounds, but beside James’ desperate calls of: “ Stop! Please, just stop! I can’t do this anymore!”, as well as his own footsteps, he heard nothing. Despite the unbearable pain he didn’t stop until he reached his doorstep. There he didn’t have to wait long. James came soon afterwards, clutching at his side and trying to catch his breath with his face seemingly a bit green. At first Robert  believed it was from the light coming through the window, but when his cousin bended over and threw up right in front of his feet, he realised his mistake.

“I’m dying.” James whined quietly, hugging his stomach. He raised his gaze and noticed Robert staring at him. “I won’t tell if you won’t tell.” He added, trying to sound strong and vanished inside the house.

Robert shuddered. It didn’t really matter if his cousin believed him or not as long as his mother didn't hear how he had left James behind, while he alone ran away in a seemingly irrational panic. James could have tripped and got lost in the forest. Robert felt his cheeks turn red in shame at his own cowardice, but at least he finally learned, even if the harder way, why he never saw another local in this forest before.