#like on paper im not against how things turned out and what happened in empire of death etc

[fagoutboy]

the more ive sat and thought about it the more dissatisfied i am with that doctor who finale

[shyvioletcat]

ooh holiday rowaelin prompt where they accidentally mix the name labels up at a gift exchange so a scandalous gift is opened by an unintended recipient

Firefighter Friday is back! And it’s holiday themed! Enjoy. And big thanks to Em for helping me on this one.

Striking Matches Masterlist

~~~~~

Aelin locked her door before heading up the hallway to her boyfriend’s apartment. Tonight the Moonbeam twins were holding a little Yulemas party for the team at their apartment and they had very graciously invited Aelin along. It wasn’t anything fancy so she had dressed in a sweater dress and black leggings so she could be comfortable while lounging around.

She didn’t bother knocking before walking into the apartment and caught Rowan just as he was coming out of his bedroom, looking casual but very handsome. Throwing her jacket on his table she waited for her boyfriend of 3 months to greet her.

“Hello you,” he said, walking right up to Aelin, hands going to her hips before kissing her.

Aelin couldn’t help but hum in happiness against his lips. “Hi.”

“You look nice,” Rowan murmured, not breaking the kiss. “I like this colour on you.”

“I thought you would,” Aelin said as she pushed him away. “You ready?”

“Yeah, I just have to get my phone.” Rowan let her go to head back to his room. “Can you grab Lorcan’s present from the table?”

“Sure,” Aelin said unenthusiastically.

Lorcan had ended up being the one who Rowan had to get a gift for in the Secret Santa. In Aelin’s opinion he didn’t deserve a thing, the sullen prick. They were yet to make any sort of connection or progress when it comes to being friends. They were both content about their mutual loathing anyway. Aelin picked up her coat finding two wrapped presents underneath. One was hers she knew, Rowan’s extent of Yulemas decorating was the tiniest of trees on his small table and that was where he put his presents, but she was under strict instructions not to snoop. Putting the jacket on top had disrupted the tags, the two pretty much lying on top of the one present, checking them Aelin found the one for Lorcan on the bottom and moved the other back onto her present before slipping the small box into her bag.

By then Rowan had come back, smiling at her. “Ready?”

Aelin nodded. “Ready.”

~~~~~

Rowan tried, but he couldn’t really help it. Maybe it had been a mistake to ask if he could bring Aelin along, because it turned out he couldn’t pull his attention away from her. He hadn’t been lying when he said she looked good in what she was wearing. If anything, it had been an understatement. The dress she wore was basically a long knitted shirt, hugging her curves softly and in his favourite shade of emerald green. The low V of the neck was modest enough, but just a glimpse of collarbone and neck and he was already gone. Then Aelin went and made it all the worse when she had bent over to put the present under the tree, making sure to catch his eye first. The shirt gaped a little revealing a glimpse of bright red lace. Rowan had swallowed before his eyes darted back up to hers, and she gave him a wink. Gods, this woman would be the death of him.

When Rowan had asked if he could bring Aelin along almost everyone had been on board. The twins had agreed straight away, Vaughan hadn’t cared either way, Gavriel hadn’t minded at all even though their relationship was still a bit odd over him being the estranged father of her cousin. Lorcan had been the one to oppose it. He and Aelin didn’t get along and he reminded everyone that it was a celebration for the team. Fenrys had called him a miserable bastard and told him it was his home and he could invite who he wanted. But Rowan had to admit that Lorcan at least had a bit of a point, Rowan wasn’t paying attention to any of them but her.

Right now she was perched in his lap, Connall gathering the presents together and reading out Lorcan’s name before passing him the present. Rowan was twirling a strand of golden hair around a finger while Aelin chatted to Vaughan, knowing he should watch for Lorcan’s reaction. But as he brushed her hair away from her neck, running his finger along her collarbone, Aelin’s body shivered. He was contemplating if he could get away with kissing her neck when he heard Lorcan say, “This isn’t for me.”

Rowan’s head snapped up, confused at Lorcan’s words. Then he saw what exactly sat in Lorcan’s lap.

“What do you mean it’s not for you?” Fenrys scoffed. “It was addressed to you from Rowan.”

Lorcan only said again, “It’s not for me.”

Rowan felt sick, trying to figure out how this had happened. The presents had been on the table, both wrapped in the same brown paper but clearly labelled, one for his girlfriend and one for Lorcan. Aelin had picked it up… and somehow she must have mixed the cards and now Lorcan had Aelin’s present, looking as if it had burned him. Confused by it all Gavriel peeked over and Rowan just wanted to die right then and there.

“I’m getting another drink,” was Gavriel’s only explanation as he got up and headed to the kitchen, obviously having no desire at all to see how this panned out.

Rowan looked at Lorcan, silently begging him not to make this worse. Lorcan was looking at him like he was just simply asking why, why him?

Aelin’s interest had been piqued. “It’s not very nice to refuse a gift, Lorcan.”

Lorcan just said drily, “I don’t think it’s my size.”

Aelin turned to Rowan, her expression confused. Then she took in Rowan’s panic stricken face and put all the pieces together. “Oh.”

He had been hinting at getting her something particularly risqué for Yulemas, he just never in his wildest imagining thought it would end up in the lap of his boss. “Full stop, I would walk into a burning building right now and not come out,” Rowan admitted.

Then Aelin started grinning, and Rowan knew it was moments before she lost it completely and started laughing. Already her shoulders were starting to shake.

The curiosity was too much for Fenrys and he snatched the box from Lorcan’s lap before Rowan could stop him. He opened the box, his eyes going wide. “Well, this is unexpected.”

Rowan couldn’t stand it anymore, he shifted Aelin off his lap onto the arm of the chair and reached over to grab the gift from Fenrys, but all he succeeded in doing was knocking it out of his hands. Scraps of gold lace landed on the floor. It was Vaughan who poked at it, lifting it with the end of a discarded spoon, just demonstrating how little fabric that was actually there.

Aelin broke, cackling so hard she had to sit on the floor before she fell off her precarious perch. Fenrys joined in, as did the others, all except Lorcan who just looked thoroughly disgusted.

“I don’t need to know what she wears under her clothes,” Lorcan said.

That only succeeded in setting Aelin and Fenrys off again. Both of them lying on the floor, Fenrys holding his stomach as Aelin wiped away tears. Rowan couldn’t handle it anymore, and face burning he picked up the items and put them back in the box then stood awkwardly not knowing what to do with them now. He stepped over a laughing Fenrys as he finally tried to get his breath back, and went to the dining table and stuffed it in Aelin’s bag. Returning to the living room wasn’t an option now, especially when a new raucous round of laughter started. Instead he went to the kitchen where Gavriel had a drink waiting for him.

That was where Aelin eventually found him, sitting on a stool nursing a drink. She pulled the other stool right up next to his so she could lean her chin on his shoulder when she sat down. Rowan took a sip before looking at her, those turquoise eyes still dancing with mischief. He just groaned and looked away.

“Rowan,” Aelin said and kissed his jaw. “Come on, it’s very funny.”

Rowan made a noncommittal sound that made Aelin giggle.

“You’ve still got your present to open, and Vaughan double checked it. It’s definitely not lingerie,” Aelin said, very desperately trying to keep a straight face. It didn’t work, within seconds she was beaming at him, then tucking her bottom lip under her teeth. Rowan turned away again but Aelin stood, making him spin around to face her. She stepped between his legs, arms loping around his neck. “Come on. After presents we can go home and I can put on whatever you stuffed in my handbag and you can unwrap me.”

“That does sound nice,” Rowan admitted, kissing her once.

“It does, doesn’t it,” Aelin agreed.

“Are you upset about having your Yulemas present spoiled?” Rowan asked as he stood.

Aelin shook her head. “Not at all. It just means now you have to buy me something else.”

Aelin grinned at him, and Rowan grinned right back. He already had a few ideas, things he would make sure they opened alone, the tag with Aelin’s name on it stuck down with as much sticky tape it could handle.

~~~~~

This probably could have used one last edit but I just don’t have time right now.

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[oh-for-fic-sake]

Trophy Chapter Eight

Masterlist

You become confused and start to question your feelings whilst Henry tries to be romantic but Stephan manages to fuck things up.

Warnings: Obsessive Behaviour, Implied Smut, Mentions of Murder, Mentions of Rape, Mentions of Torture, Dark themes, Yandere, Swearing, Daddy kink, Spanking threats, Angst?, Violence, Dark fluff(even I don't bloody know)

A/n: its quater past 11....I should be sleeping...my cat is littarily meowing at me to got to sleep but im not so here have chapter eight!!! so this chapter is mostly plot no smut unfortunately but the next one will be 1000٪. I have finally finally got the entire plot to this fic finished and written, I actually have some scenes for the next three chapters done to! But as I said mainly plot I intendedthis to be a little confusing from y/n perspective I want you to get a sense of what y/n is going through juggling her feelings and all that apart from that I really hope you enjoy this one xx

Taglist: @havenoffandoms​ @aphrodites-punch​ @charlieferret​ @thatgirly81​ @two-unbeatable-beaters​ @fitnees-motivation-2020​ @viking-raider​ @iloveyouyen​ @black-ninja-blade​

Gif not mine but the divider is xxx

Stephan was at a loss, sitting in the cheap b and b room he rented, papers strewn across the floral bed spread he had been going through his contacts agents. Friends. Investigative journalists. Anyone and everyone he could think of hoping someone somewhere would give him a break, a lead something anything! A way for him to distract Henry enough so he could slip you away from him. Fuck sake at this point he'd pull him in for a fucking parking violation just to get this barstard alone in a room for five minutes!! But no one was willing to help they were all in until the name Cavill was mentioned. He couldnt really blame them Cavill did two things to people who investigated him ruined them or off'd them.

Just last week another agent who'd been working undercover as one of the handlers of his prostitutes was found by the bay death by necklacing. A grusome death something he hadn't seen used in America before, usually it was a shooting or stabbing, necklacing was a brutal ,loud and mostly used in places like Africa and Brazil. Execution and torture all in one. It may be one of the cruelest ways to kill someone but it was in all honesty simple to do, hell anyone could do it which is why they couldn't pin it on Henry specifically, hands bound to your chest; in this case with wire and a tire full of petrol placed over you holding them still trapping them, doused in more petrol and set alight. Its a slow agonizing death that takes around twenty minutes, her screams would have been loud but no one in the area had heard or see a thing he bet they had and were just to frightened. He couldn't blame them he saw the girl before she'd been taken off to autopsy, agents; professional, trained to deal with anything agents,onscene were being physically sick from the sight and smell unused to this type of violence. The poor agent had suffered even before that. Autopsy showed she had been raped beforehand she was described as cut and torn up in the report, but they must have used condoms of some description as there wasn't any dna evidence. Or if there was it had been burned away like her charred skin, her body had been in such a bad way that there was nothing to go on. Without evidence they can't charge or formally question a suspect.

Safe to say everyone was shaken up, some left completley requested reassignment and all the ones who came before him were either dead of terrified of the man. Not only that word of Stephans fuck up had got out and he was now a laughing stock. Stephan was supposed to be a honey trap, go undercover seduce a woman of intrest to do one of two things one, prob for information, if she had some great! Stay and use it and If she didnt dump her move on to the next job simple Or two, find a woman to maintain a close connection to the target in this case that was you. It was believed that there was a connection between you and Cavill.

The mobster out of the blue was trying to buy a block of flats in a shitty area. Now Cavill owned property,  lots of property but never flats and never on that type of estate. He owned fancy restaurants and night clubs stupidly high class bars that had dress codes and the residential properties were allways four beroom three bathroom houses worth millions with fucking suanas and shit. Bottom line it was out of character and the man was trying to rush through the sale. The higher ups had hoped with the way he was acting; so out of character and flustered, that he would fuck up. He a mobster kingpin with litteraly billions to his name was trying to buy a building that was falling apart, in a run down poor area, wasn't for sale and was willing to skip negotiations and overpay... 

The only possible connection to it all was you. They knew Fletcher had dealings with Henry and knew Henry used the cafe for his smaller business meetings. That was the most infuriating thing they knew so much but they just couldn't prove it!. So Stephan was called in to see if you was privvy to Henry and his empire and if you was willing to be an informant. Simple. Until it wasn't and feelings got involved. He wasn't supposed to fall for you but he had and that had cost him the assignment. He was supposed to drop it but he wont, so he had to sniff around himself he knew Henry kidnapped you, he knew Fletcher set it up and he knew he was going to save you. With that in mind he decided to do something he never even dreamed. Stephan was going to go rouge.

Henry was content albeit impatient,  he waited at the bottom of the stairs waited for you his wonderful little princess. He had arranged a night out in one of his top restaurants, he figured now that you were here willingly he could begin to spoil you, lavish you with the luxury you deserved and you had been good these past days you deserved a treat. Tonight was about showing you just what it means to be his, the respect, the glitz and glamour. He was hoping that he could begin to sway you more, he knew you were questioning youself and him, his intentions and as you were questioning he saw a change you were more compliant. He paced slowly his head of security Luke was there beside him stiff as a board, Luke thought it was a mistake flaunting you around so early. But Luke could go fuck himself, Luke was not in charge and Luke should keep his opinions to himself.

Henry was begining to get tired of the mans bitching it was clear that his head of security had something against his sweet pet. It may have been the fact that Henry; seeing the bruises on your wrists after your escape that was definitely not made from handcuffs, had investigated and watched the security footage seeing the way the gruff man had manhandled you dragged you through the house after taunting you, thrown you into your day room on the day you'd escaped. Yes Henry ha found out and promised the man a grizzley end if it ever happened again. The only man to leave marks on your soft skin was him. Luke was bitter over the fact you'd escaped further then the garden on his watch, well thats what Henry put it down to.

"If you sigh again I will stop you breathing altogether!" He finally snapped over his shoulder to the man. 

"Sorry sir I just think-" Henry spun on his heel pointing at him.

"I dont pay you to think! I pay you to do as your fucking told! To protect our investments and you didnt! Incase you haven't noticed your on thin ice as it is, theres a line of others who would take your place in a heartbeat Luke so I suggest you start pulling your shit together unless you want an early retirement." The words were hissed a snarl he couldn't help the thrill that came from Luke's shocked fearfull look. Luke knew poeple didnt retire from his position, not the in the masive pay out and a sipping pinacolada on a sandy beach sense. The only retirement he would see is two foot wide and six foot deep if he was lucky. Henry watched steely eyes burning into the man before him, the guard finally looked away gulping nodding slowly.

"Y-yes sir..I will go make sure the car is ready" Henry smirked crossing his arms 

"You do that! Be the most usefull thing you've done all day." Luke cringed at that but could say nothing he simply left the house out towards the drive shuting the door with a quiet click. Henry shook his head as he watched Luke descend the few step of the porch. He was going to have to do something about him soon.

He pulled his thoughts away from the dark path they had traveled and glanced at the stairs again then began his pacing from side to side once again looking at his the rolex upon his wrist. You were taking your time. Sighing he turned again looking expectantly at the stairs. Its not like you had to decide what to wear he had laid it out! He had done the hard bit all you had to do was hair and make up. He grunted making another lap of his choosen pace route. You better not be up there pouting, if you were he was going to be very annoyed. Five more minutes. He decided five minutes then he would go check and if you was being a little madam and pouting he would blister you ass with the belt at his waist and drag you out anyway dressed or not. He moved finally standing at the stairs hand gripping the banister in a white knuckle grip hissing through his teeth. 

Then he heard it heels tapping on the marble floor slow and unsteady, you were coming. He held his breath waiting for you to turn the corner at the top of the landing. When you did he had to swallow dryly, you were a vision, stunning you were made to be on his arm there was no doubt about it. You made your way down the stairs trying not to topple over in the high heels, which you suspected he had put you in so you couldnt run. Well you could try but you have to unbuckle them first which would be a dead give away. 

You'll admit the dress was beautiful and comfortable considering how figure hugging it was. A deep royal blue velvet ,thin spaghetti straps and a low open back stopping just at the swell of your bottom, the front had a soft swooping neckline showing a hint of the very top of your breasts. It was a fine choice, henry definitely had an eye for these things. Every outfit he put you in since being here was always well thought out and this was no exception. You had to be careful tonight, he had provided a dress, stockings garterbelt even jewellery and some new lipsticks! but no panties. It made you nervous, it was one thing to always be around the house in skirts with no undies but to go out? You had to be wary, the small mercy was that it was a knee length dress so hopefully no accidents. However that being said with how form fitting it was and the way it pushed up your boobs there was more chance of a nip slip then a lip slip.

There was a complete set of expensive looking Jewellery that each had been packed in blank leather jewellery boxes and was presented on purple velvet. The necklace was three long strings of diamonds one a choker then longer to your collar bone then the final resting just below your dress' neckline the middle string holding one single large diamond in the center, the weighty rock made you dread to think of the cost and matching small dangling earrings and a bracelet...And anklet he had insisted you to be head to toe in diamonds. 

For your hair you had styled it up and away from your face in a sleek sophisticated look,your make up was light, you didnt want to go all out and make him think you were trying to impress him, although in some respects you did want to impress him but for now you would ignor that. You had settled for a light face of make up and one of your new lipsticks a dark nude shade between a peach and beige the last thing you wanted was for him to get angry about not putting in effort which was a real possibility with how the slightest things could trigger a mood swing.

You'd found the past week since you had....Assisted him in the livingroom something had changed, a subtle change at first. You found youself stealing quick glances and smiles at him, he had caught you staring a few times and winked making you flush and stutter. He still had his moments but it seemed your 'admission' of not wanting to leave and wanting to try to stay and fall in love with him had calmed him down significantly. Sure you'd been given a few punishments when he got insecure here and there. You had been finding yourself participating in all of the intimate moments he was forcing onto you, when you did things with him you could barely speak let alone think the throws of passion was an escape. To your own confusion and shame you now admitted to yourself you enjoyed him lathering you with attention it was becoming to easy to melt into his embrace, to tempting to kiss the man back and cuddle up to him as he soothed the burning prints he left across your skin. You were frightened at just how much you began to crave him and need him, you still tried resisting but it was few and far between. In reality you were giving in to him and you didnt exactly hate the change. despite everything it sill felt a little wrong to let him get his way but that bad feeling was becoming easier to ignore.

But don't get things wrong, you had no desire to stay here permanently you had just resigned yourself to it for the time being...You think things i  your...Relationship were confusing at the moment you liked the man but hated how this had all come about. You tried reasoning that your feelings were changing in some sort of survival technique or something. That subconsciously you had to pacify him, make him believe you was slowly falling for him so he wouldn't hurt you or the ones you loved. But at this point you wasn't entirely sure. I mean if that were true and you did this all for Stephans life shouldnt you feel somthing for the agent. But in reality all you felt was abandoned and betrayed by him, but it didn't hurt not like the loos of a friend or lover as you thought it would have. Maybe you was just weird? or maybe you didn't really love him? What ever it was you was thankfull for it as you could concentrate more on yourself and what you had to do to get out of this alive, sane and single. You were not falling in love with this mad man no matter what he did and said you shouldnt fall for it you shouldnt fall for him. But you were slowly realising that just because  you shouldn't didn't mean you wouldn't.

Henry's face lit up as you slowly made your way down the steps on wobbly feet unused to the heels that brought the top of your head up to his eye line. Seeing you struggling he smirked meeting you half way up the stairs linking his arm with yours. You flinched almost pulling back knowing you should but his grip was firm and you needed help. His voice was low and playful when he spoke.

"It seems you will need my help with walking tonight before you've even touched a drop of wine my love. Thats no matter, more of a reason for you to cling to me and I do enjoy you wrapped around me pet." You gave a quick glance, so you was in these ridiculous heels for a reason. You forced a smile letting go of the banister as he walked you down the stairs over to the door.

"You look stunning! I have the best table in the place reserved just for us but first" he moved spinning around you and just like a magic trick his hand appeared from behind him with a small ring box, he moved pulling up your left hand kissing the back of it. You shivered as he maintained eye contact feeling him smirk. You cursed yourself wanting to contorl your reactions but couldnt seem to. He spoke a cheeky grin his voice was playfull. 

"Here something to complete the outfit I wont have my little girls hands bare~" You gulped as he pulled back the lid of the small box revealing an obnoxiously huge rock sat embedded in what looked like a silver but was most likely white gold band. You tugged at your hand and winced when he dug his thumb in your palm tugging your hand out hashly.

"Daddy! That's to much-I'm not one for rings please everything else is enough. " He blinked his face dropping.

"You don't like it? Whats wrong with it?" You eyed him carefully and shrugged.

"No-nothing I just..." he interrupted you growling at you scowling

"You don't want it? I had it made for you and now you don't even fucking want it? I just wanted to treat you baby? You've been so good and now your going to start acting up? When I'm trying to reward you for being so good. Just trying to have a quiet night out with you, I dont have to take you out, I could fucking keep you here day in day out" You could hear it, that of hectic insanity. Frantic undertones. You quickly shook your head.

"No no I want it! I do want it I'm just worried...It looks...Ive never had anything that looks that expensive" you moved forward to him placing a hand on his chest rubbing slightly, youd learned fast that initiating intimate gestures help calm him a little.

"I-i'm frightened that I'd upset you if I loose it especially if we dance..We are going to have our first slowdance tonight aren't we? I was hopeing we could..Tho people will laugh I've never danced like that before." It did the trick he calmed blinking slowly then beamed at you.

"Oh little one thats sweet of you to worry about daddys feelings like that..But baby I wont be upset if you lost it Id just get you another one pet... Now come here and keep still like a good girl" you sighed in relief as he calmed down you cringed and twisted your hand as he tried to place it on your ring finger, his eyes flicked up to you in warning.

"Its...thats bad luck I'd rather not.." he grunted and took your right hand placing it on your ring finger. You shuddered as you realised it fit perfectly. He moved back placing one parting kiss.

"That is your first warning tonight, daddy doesn't want any games...You ruin tonight and I will be very displeased and you will not like the outcome" you nodded takig a breath.

"Y-yes daddy I understand...I'll be good" he gave a quick look.

"You better now lets go" you released a breath tho calmer he wasn't happy youd argued, disagreed you wasnt supposed to do that.

Henry playing the part of a gentleman opened the door to the car for you. Once inside he set off out of the gate, you shivered a little trying not to glance at him. He moved his hand to your leg patting it softly rubbing the soft nylon of the stockings he groaned subtly to himself as he continued down the road, you cringed a little moving to pull the hem of the dress down not wanting him to take advantage of the rising skirt and your bare pussy merely inches above. He squeezed lightly feeling you tug the fabric down under his palm cutting off the contact. He rolled his eyes biting his lip to stop the comments on the tip of his tongue. No he wont ruin this night before its begun, anything that happens he can rectify later when you were restrained and withering one your final treat. He licked his lips as he thought about the nights festivities and hopefully what the outcome will be. He was pulled from his devious thoughts when you wriggled uncomfortably still trying to get used to wearing half a set of underwear... And lets face it stockings and garter belts aren't exactly the norm any way. It was after ten minutes of sighing, huffing and squirming that he spoke pulling you out of your thoughts.

"Whats the matter little one?" you snapped you head to him and smiled going to brush him off he removed his hand from your leg wagging a finger.

"Ah ah come on no lying that will be your second warning and we aren't even there yet~" you closed your mouth giving him a heavy pout he rose an eyebrow letting his hand land back in your lap.

"Its...Well I've never...I'm getting used to the stockings...Never worn them before and its strange under the dress...especially not having any panties on....I'm covered but not " he through his head back and laughed as he pulled up to a red light.

"Oh love! you should have said baby...I thought you were having a paddy! I was getting ready to take you back home and tann your naughty backside with my belt." you snapped your head in his direction gulping knowing full well he would have.

"Oh little one don't be so tense..I promise tonight I'm going to spoil you this is a treat baby girl a night of fine food,  fine wine and even finer company" you smiled forgetting your underwear situation for a moment twiddling your new bracelet wanting to take your mind off things. You were going to try and enjoy the night try and forget everything just for one night. You smiled up at him shyly.

"I'm looking forward to it..But I get the feeling your taking me somwhere fancy and I've neve done fancy... think the fanciest place I've been is your house"he chuckled looking forward to the road cheking the lights then moved to face you.

"Our...Its our house pet you live there to now remember.. and don't worry I own the place so no one will say anything if you make a little slip up...Okay little one and if anyone does upset you ,you tell me straight away..I wont have my babygirls night ruined by anyone" you didn't want his words to effect you but they did, the idea of him caring enough to make sure you enjoy the night was sweet.

"Y-you mean it?" he nodded giving the lights another quick glance then focused back on you

"Of course! tonight is all about spoiling my number one! you can have anything you want and that includes a doggy bag of deserts to bring home" you smiled at him hopefully giggling.

"Deserts sound good! I'm excited now do they have cheesecake?" he pursed his lips thinking for a second wanting to prolong your cheerful mood.

"Yes, three kinds and I assume you'll be having a slice of each?" you nodded at him with a cheeky grin, Henry smirked at you leaning in playfully tucking his hand by your knee tickling the back making you giggle and squirm pushing at him. 

"Well my love three slices..Now that is a big ask and deserves a pre-payment I think...Three kisses should suffice" you grinned shaking your head at him and squealed as he leaned over playfully growling stealing three sweet kisses then leaned back in his seat , he was gobsmacked when youd followed him placing a peck against his cheek. You froze realizing what you did and jumped back holding your lips in surprize. What the fuck was that? He smirked moving the car into drive as the light changed. You righted yourself in the seat leaning back choosing to forget that little slip up. But still felt optimistic maybe tonight would be a fun night out even if it was with Henry.

YES! it had paid off, a few days he had spent watching waiting but finally there was movement. he had been waiting here at the main road leading to the mobsters house. Parked next to a motel mainly used by truckers who stayed overnight, Stephan quickly climbed to the front seat of the car watching as the Aston martin drove past him, not just any Aston martin Henry's Aston martin, the only custom db11 in the city. He quickly pulled his binoculars out to see...Fuck yes!...He couldn't believe his luck! you were in the passenger seat and dolled up... He took a breath you looked incredible and to his utter despair and confusion you looked happy?.

Henry stopped at the intersection Stephan fumed as Henry laughed at something you said then moved his hand out of sight making you roll your eyes and press him away playfully laughing he didn't pull back instead he quickly leaned over kissing you, and the thing that cut Stephan most was that you let him, you seemed to enjoy his attention. Stephan's heart clenched seeing you like that, you were supposed to hate him...You were a captive. You couldn't possibly like the man could you?. He shook his head of course you didn't a mad man like henry? you were playing a part, hopefully a part that you could retire from tonight. He flicked on the ignition throwing down his binoculars if he could follow you both...If he could get in he had a chance, could give you a chance to escape! he could save you.

He took a second watching again as you moved you were smiling giving him a quick peck, he couldn't bare to watch anymore he closed his eyes gripping the steering wheel tight swearing. Could he be to late? He loathed to think of just what he had put in your head what he could have convinced you to do. The light turned green and car pulled away, he waited a few seconds then pulled out making sure not to be to close or be caught by the lights. It only took the disgraced agent around fifteen minuets to realize where you were being taken. It would seem Henry was taking you on a date? trying to romance you, wine and dine you but then what? there had to be a reason, and ulterior motive. Stephan held back watching as the Aston martin pulled around the front of the hotel, Henry exited the car and walked around holding your door for you. He felt a rush of anger as Henry helped you out of the car then tossed the keys across the car to the valet. Stephan stared gulping, you really did look amazing even if you were struggling to stand in shoes he knew you wouldn't have been caught dead in if you had a say. He must have forced you in to them, so he could have you wrapped around him, leaning and clutching at him as you wobbled about unsteady. His blood boiled as Henry moved offering you his arm when you took it he felt..betrayed almost asking himself if you were worth it now, it looked like Henry had got to you. He seethed watching you climb the few stairs to the hotel entrance linking arms with your captor ,you looked up at the mad man smiling nodding as he spoke completely at ease.

Something was very wrong with this image, a kidnapped woman going out on the town with her kidnapper? on what looked like a romantic date?. You hadn't seemed like one of those shallow golddiggers who'd do anything for a bit of bling or money, but Stephan couldn't help but wonder to himself at that point. You looked happy if not a little nervous? shy? you looked like a love struck teenager. But Stephan couldn't help himself he couldn't doubt you, you needed him to get you out, to save you. You needed him to try. He moved pulling the car around the back, thankfully as this was a hotel people were coming and going all the time so it'd be easy enough to get in, he was coming for you. Tonight he will save you and it will look like nothing more then a lovers spat! a perfectly realistic situation that would have no repercusions. Once he had you, you could testify against the mobster and this would all be over. Henry would finally be behind bars where he belongs.

You took a breath seeing the long line of people waiting to get in the restaurant each in expensive looking glad rags,you tucked your head down akwardly as Henry strode past the long line of people each making a fuss at the two of you. Some did not knowing just who the man on your arm was. Henry cut to the front interrupting the guest at the front.

"Is everthing ready?" His voice was bored as a woman quickly scampered over ready to let the owner in much to the anger of the other guest. The two at the front tried capturing his attention to give him a piece of their mind but Henry ignored them.

It wasn't long before you were in the high end restaurant in one of the towns two five star hotels that he owned. It was nice the restaurant was about fifteen stories up a dark blue almost black marble looking floor,  tables all coverd with pure white table clothes that felt like some stupid 800 thread count material ,high back black leather chairs ,single white roses and candles on each table dotted around. The focal point was a huge wall with intergrated tropical fishtank that seperated the regular tables and vip area which was raised slightly. The set up was split in two, one half all centred around useing the veiw courtesy of the floor to ceiling windows looking over the town the other half had the fish tank to look at..It was clever really the fishtank gave you a faux sense of privacy a perfect divider that let light flow to the other half of the seating area.

Henry walked you straight past the fish tank to a high private table in the corner of the vip area a huge bouquet of roses sat on the table. 

"For you babygirl" you couldn't help but smile brightly as he slid them to you. You leaned in smelling the roses slowly running your finger across the curve of the soft petals your heart warmed and for a moment you truley felt... Special? Cherished?.

You cast a sweeping gaze across the seating area admiring it whilst empty knowing it wont be for long, it was the most expensive place you'd ever been to eat. As you looked around you noticed that the other geusts were slowly trickling in being seated by smartly dressed servers. You looked slower taking in the decor more carfully. Henry wasnt lying when he said the table was the best in the place  it had a uninterrupted veiw of the city and the restaurant.

"You like it?" You nodded looking around the decor was black and gold giving a art decor gatsby vibe. He moved pulling out your chair letting sit then sat himself across from you smileing as you pulled the roses across the table placing then on the corner out of the way blushing. 

"Yes I was right it is a fancy place...A little daunting but exciting...And I can't wait for my cheesecake its my favourit and I haven't had it in sooo long!"

"Any thing for you my little one...But only good little girls who eat all their dinner get a desert you know that...ah ah no pouting!"

"But tonight's supposed to be a treat daddy" he gave you a stern look across the table at your pouting 

"Yes and if your a good girl and ask nicely we would eat out like this everyday, but you were naughty to begin with and daddy has to be strict and have lots of rules...And one of those rules is no desert before dinner now enough pouting don't be ungrateful" you blushed stupidly enough you agreed with him in a way you'd come to enjoy some of his rules, they made you feel...accomplished in a way youd never experienced before, you had something to work to and when you did as he asked he praised you which always made a warmth in your chest blossom. You tucked your nose in a rose you'd plucked from your bouquet grinning softly.

"Im sorry Daddy...Thank you for the roses they are very beautiful" he smiled holding his arms out in a exasperated gesture tilting his head for emphasis

"Well at least you will accept flowers with out a fuss little one...Thats one thing I can now be sure of" You looked down still feeling scolded even if his tone was light you cursed the feeling in your chest. Like rocks had been stuffed in your ribcage making your chest heavy, he was obviously still bitter about the ring you could tellfrom how pissy he was being. You fidgeted worrying just what that would mean for you during the night.

Almost immediately after you sat down you were served a sweet smelling dark wine by a fairly handsome man who popped the cork with ease handing it to Henry whilst giving you a nervous smile you smiled back to him unaware of Henry's face turning sour he nodded and gave the young man a gruff grunt to proceed, the wine was acceptable apparently you watched as the server moved pouring you out a half glass with shaking hands well aware of Henry who was glaring daggers at him ,you smiled to thanking him. Henry must have taken it wrong as he snarled a 'fuck off' at the man who quickly placed the bottle on the table and practically ran out of sight.

"Hen- da I...what was?...I was just being polite please can we just enjoy ourselves...Please." he sat back regarding you one elbow on the arm of his chair twiddling his fingers, his gaze was unerving. He paid no mind to a waitress placing a bottle of bourbon and a glass finally he clicked his tongue smirking enjoying makeing you squirm. He smiled quickly leaning over pouring his own drink casually.

"I'd be carefull pet, you've got one warning left tonight it'd be a shame to have to reprimand you here and trust me daddy has no qualms of upending you on this table and giving you a sound thrashing" you jolted opening your mouth unable to find any words you settled on nodding quietly sipping at you drink meekly he rolled his fingers in a smooth motion until it was a loose fist.

"Answer me pet you know I hate you ignoring me unless you want to be made an example of here? want everyone to see your cute little bottom turned pink over daddy's lap as you kick and squirm like a naughty little girl" you squinted your eyes cheeks tniging pink at his words, deciding it was best not to test him you quickly slapped the drink down a few drops jumped from the glass staining the crisp white table cloth. You froze watching the dark liquid seep across the fibers.

"I-I'm sor-ry please I didn't mean-" you panicked and began begging looked up and could have cried for some reason he was keeping you on edge tonight more so than usual. He was smiling playfully into the rim of his glass, he had been toying with you...had he? you had hoped you knew his mind games but he was in an unpredictable mood tonight.

He moved slowly plucking the menu curling a finger calling a waitress over and ordered for the both of you. You sat twiddling your fingers unsure of what to do, he had seemed happy in the car but in here...It was like he wanted to keep you on a short leash, make you understand although you were out having a treat you were not free to do as you pleased. You settled on people watching moving to get a view of the other couples, they smiled and curled around one another so happy in love. Free.

You looked down blinking away tears, was this worse? Being out and seeing what you'd never have? In the house you could ignore it but here watching them be so genuine. No matter how much you fell at this mans feet you'd never have that freedom to feel, to be so careless in your love. You'd always be controlled be pressed into what ever made him happy...

Your purpose was to make this beautiful monster happy. But you'd agreed, was it wrong to let yourself go under? To fully succumb to his dominance and try to enjoy him. To find comfort in him and accept him as the beautiful yet cruel man he was?you would have to eventually so why wait? It'd save you heat ache in the end. And as the days blurred into weeks and months you knew that it would be easy. He was vindictive and spite full. He was ruthless and cunning yet to you he was almost kind, it would be easier if you swallowed your pride and let yourself fall for him. Life would be easier and you was slowly accepting that it was the obvious choice, you moved casting a glance at the couples around you. Could that be you? Could you have that happiness in the end with him? the frightening thig was. Yes. you could already feel that your feelings were changing slowly but surely, were you in love with him? no did you care for him? Yes.

You hadn't realised he moved until he had made his way arohnd the table holding ut a hand palm up below your down turned face. You jumped snapping your head up confused he furrowed his brows slightly pressing a hand to your cheek wiping away a few stray tears.

"Dont cry pet...Not here no one should see your tears but me, no one should put them there but me. Here come on take my hand" you quickly moved wiping them away once your face was free of tears he grasped your hand. Pulling you up slowly, you followed docile as he pulled you towards a large dancefloor at the back of you space just behinde the bar. You saw there were a few couples were already slow dancing you tensed.

He spun round to face you as the song changed to one you recognized, No peace by Sam Smith played loud yet soft through the speakers it was one of our favourite's but this time the words had a much deeper meaning. He held your back his palm hot against the bare skin he stepped forward pulling your hand up near his shoulder you held him softly. Swaying slowly you'r eyes darted around eyes were on you from those who knew Henry, guests and staff alike.

"Look at me...Forget them little one they are just curious its rare for them to see such elegance up close, and I must say you look divine...More of a little lady then a little girl" you flushed at the compliment trying to follow his skilled movements as he placed his feet expertly without a thought to it as he spun you around in smooth steps across the floor, you swore looking at your feet as you stepped wrong capturing his toes. He chuckled and lifted you effortlessly off his foot  an inch or so and placed you back to the floor

"Sorry..I don't mean to..I've never danced like this before...Not very good on a normal dance floor and I'm ten times worse at this, these heels aren't helping...I must look like fucking bambi on ice" he chuckled smoothing his thumb across the skin of your back. Enjoying the backless dress pressing his hands into you feeling your shivers the ripples across your back as he smothered you in his huge frame, letting you feel small in his embrace. He quickly and subtly lifted you up once again as you nearly stood on him again.

"Bambi is a very fitting name I may steal that one" you gave a shy smile smirked spinning you aubruptly then pulled you back skillfully tugging you a little closer. He tilted his head down talking in a hushed baritone voice. 

"Your doing fine...Just let daddy lead, daddy will look after you I promise" you gulped and nodded he spun you again this time making sure your bodys touched, slipping his feet between yours using them to move yours guiding your steps.

He settled you to him as he moved prompting you to lay your head on his shoulder he spun you both slowly bringing you near the center of the floor to make sue no one bumped into you. You sighed humming along quietly whispering the lyrics suddenly there was a lump in your throat you swallowed hard pressing your head into his neck. It looked intimate. It was intimate. You listened as he picked up where you left off humming he lyrice into your ear low and relaxing. You whined moving your hands holding him around the neck breathing a shaky breath into his neck. He moved pressing a sweet kiss to your head song changed and you was thankful, pulling your head up to see his eyes staring at you there was a fondness he gave a lopsided grin.

"Are you okay my love? Your very tearful tonight." You blinked shaking your head at him.

"I'm..C-Can I speak truthfully....without?.." he tensed as you trailed off, you wanted to speak freely without consequences. He mulled over the idea unsure if he should shoot you down, he decided against it if he halted you now you may never be honest with him again. He nodded to you giving you his undivided attention as he slowdance with you in the crowd. You took a deep breath unsure if it was the right time to have this conversation. He had given you permision but you will still be careful with your words.

"I'm confused... You confuse me Henry...Being here like this I..."You looked to the other couples wistfully then back to him.

"I want that...I want that love that freedom and...And I...We feel like a couple ,like we could be a normal couple like them ,but you frighten me, the things you say and do and I...I'm unsure of whats right and wrong now...Normal couples don't do what we do they dont threaten spanking's on dates!" he hummed in response mulling over your words for a few breaths, could everythinghave been his fault? You didnt understand the type of relationship he had with you therefor you dont know what he wants from you or what to expect, is that confusion why you were fighting so hard?

"I'd hoped you were finally accepting things now. I'm glad you were honest with me about being confused love and I'm proud of you. We feel like a couple because we are.... But normal? No we are not we are a bdsm couple, we live a bdsm lifestyle which suits both of us. Your mine and I am yours we are soulmates. You are just finally catching up to that and soon we will feel like this all the time, this happiness this relaxed and playful. I know its all still quite new now but soon you will be used to me being your lover, your daddy, your dominant ,your one and only and in time I will be your husband and father to your children. We will be like this for the rest of our lives. I apologize that I'm only just explaining this now and I can see why you were so reluctant and scared going form a normal vanilla and quite innocent relationship to being in this...very strict and quite demanding, sexually fueled one can be daunting. I was just so caught up wishing you would ajust quicker but matters of the heart can't be rushed and now I see that is what I was trying to do. I am content for now. Soon this will be normal, the jewellery the luxury anything you desire will be yours when you finally admit to loveing me back, when you succumb to your true feelings." He moved looking to the others around you then back to you smiling.

"You will be just as happy as them..If not more you will be the most treasured and spoilt woman in the city, the world even I promise and when that day comes you will make me the happiest man on the planet" he moved solidifying his statment with a kiss, a promise he words sounded like vows in itself. You sighed and pulled back he took a deep breath as you did.

"I'm trying I...Its a lot to take in and I'm glad I spoke to you...I think I understand a little more now...Your You dont mean to frighten me you just...Get excited? okay I can live with that...I've never been in love before its frightening" he smiled twisting you around pulling your back to his front holding you close placing a kiss to your shoulder.

"I know you are trying love, what do you think this is tonight? This is your reward for your week of good behaviour. I am patient I will wait for you neither of us are going anywhere. And in the end everything will be worth it you'll see" 

You stood stock still freezing as you looked out into the now full restaurant.You spoke as you cast your eyes to the male in the crowd. He was glaring at you making your chest go cold.No. What did he see? What will he think? You dropped you hands from henry's arms your breath was a whisper.

"Stephan?" Henry brought his head up abruptly going rigid he hands wrapping around your waist tighter almost painfull as if you was going to run to the other male. He looked around growling low and dangerous searching for him finally he honed in on him. Was hair dye all someone needed to bypass his men? He seethed as you trembled in his arms he held his breath. Moving closer to your ear.

"You want him? you want to run to him? Do you? You can I will let you but he will be dead before you touch him!" His words were a hot hiss in  your ear.

"No...I-I want him gone" the words were out befor you could catch them he hissed in your ear.

"Y-You what?" he turned you abruptly trying to sniff out a lie but you just held his gaze firm he swallowed his mouth going dry he covered his shock well then glared

"We will see...Come lets go see our dear Stephan shall we?" You tried struggled to keep up but he continued storming across the floor toward him. Henry half dragged half marched you through the dancing couples as you staggered in the stupid fucking shoes!. He turned to you slowly as you gained on Stephan who either bravely or stupidly stood his ground. Your heart beat faster tho you was unsure why you were worried but for who you couldn't say.

"Just remember our arrangement and he will leave here alive" you took a deep breath humming in response before hissing out an answer.

"I'm not leaving Henry" After what felt like an eternity to stood face to face with him, the one you could have seen yourself with on the arm of the man you were forced to be with.

"Y/n..." you looked to him blinking slowly 

"Leave" you had to do it, to send him away Henry would hurt him. You wasn't sure if you were just saying that or not, maybe you wanted to stay with Henry. But that was a thought for another day.You swallowed standing tall looking straight at him, you will not have this mans blood on your hands and you will not be used by him again you had enough sorting out your own shit and trying to figure out Henry at this point Stephan could go fuck himself you will forget him. 

Stephan, Fletcher and Henry all three were the cause of this. It was a mans game and youd somehow become a pawn for all three. You had to choose a side.

"Yes I think you should leave, this is reservation only I'm afraid." Henrys words had a bite to them anyone watching would assume Henry was just dealing with a gate crasher, no one other then the three of you would know how truley volatile the situation was.

"You? No..y/n I'm here for you! To take you back! Please I'm sorry give me one last chance? I love you baby I can't live with out you please?" You froze everything stopped what was he doing? What the fuck was he doing? Making a scene people watched as Stephan made a wild plea for you to take him back. He made a perfect storm, a brilliant and well thought out display.

Henry tensed holding you. You could feel it he wasn't prepared for this. Had Stephan just out witted the king himself in his own building. You held your breath unsure of what to do If he had was there a chance?. Could this be it? Your escape even if you didnt love stephan could you use this ruse to get away? To go into some form of witness protection?

"Ha! Honestly Stephan you think she hasn't heard?" You took a step back to Henry holding his wrist. No you wont take that chance not now. You have to settle, to just accept your lot with Henry for your own sanity. You had only moments ago realised where you stood and now had some understanding of what this was!. And if you was honest with your self you wasn't willing to trust Stephan he was to little to late.

"You've lost your job, your home everything! What could you possibly offer her? Safety? Please" you faltered at Henry's words were all but laughed out mocking. He lost his job? If so it wasn't safe you picked up on the hidden meaning to his words. You would not be safe. Stephan would not be safe. Not if you took this chance.

You placed a hand to Henry's chest and swallowed your throat closed up as tears sprang to your eyes. You looked stephan dead in the eye his face dropped. He knew. Before he could speak another word you gave your answer through trembling lips.

"I-I said leave! Your a liar! You played me I was a job Stephan and I will not be used again...Leave and don't ever come back. I-I'm with Henry now, we are happy and planning a future and I don't need you around trying to ruin what we have." You shuddered tears rolling down your face. Henry pulled you closer, you just hoped Stephan realized that you did this of our own accord, that henry was giving you a choice and the fact of the matter is you chose this beautiful dastardly man.You had to turn away from him tucking yourself into Henry's side.

"You heard the lady, she chose me now leave" 'while you can' those three words went without saying, hanging in the air. Stephan stood his ground trying to plead with you that he had somewhere to take you, somewhere safe but you just shook your head. 

"No! I dont want you! I dont need you! Im happy with how things are and I can't believe youxd do this after all this time?!" You were trying to get through that he was to late the damage was done and youd already made up your mind, your reasons were unclear even to you but he doesnt need to know that all he needed to know was that you were staying exactly where you were.

"But baby you don't understand I was trying-" you shook your head at him desperately wanting hi  to stop youd made your decision.

"Enough! Stephan...Ive moved on its to late now go! And dont ever look for me again!" You moved wanting those to be your final words. You turned your back on stephan and looked up to Henry and leaned in to him whispered below your breath.

"Make him leave, please daddy" Henry felt a warmth spread through him as you made the request. You wanted him to intervene to make this boy leave. He would definatly help, protect his babygirl. He acted quickly.

"Security! See to stephan here escort him out" you tore your head up watching as three men apprehended him dragging him through the space to the entrance whre he was destined after that you didn't know. You took a deep breath looking around slowly  everyones eyes were on you. Henry growled and snapped at them making the restaurant begin the nights festivities. You stood hugging him a few seconds more then pulled you back slowly.

"Good girl...Such a good girl you did the right thing. My little love. The right thing." He pulled you in pressing his lips against yours slowly not forcing anything just happy to let you remain there in his arms. He moved slowly escorting ou back to yur table where a waitress brought out your meal after a few moments.

After the incident you found it hard to relax and only did so once back home. The rest of the night was overshadowed by it dread rolled in your stomach Henry was tense. And that normally meant bad things for you. If henry was angry with you he hid it well through dinner and you both tried salvaging the evening in your own ways. But even hree slices of cheesecake couldnt lift your spirits completely.

Once in the house he slammed the front door it echoed down the halls. You flinched and turned to him But he bypassed you and shouted loudly into the house standing tall shoulders back he was itching for a fight ou could tell he wanted to break somehing. Someone.

"LUKE GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OUT HERE!" Within a few short moments Luke came running stuttering.

"Hen-Sir I didn't know but we have him in-" he was knocked clean off his feet as Henry swung for him. No warning nothing just one fast powerfull fist connecting with his jaw. You screamed jumping back, the commotion got kals attention as the huge dog came barreling in to the foyer barking and growling on the defensive. You ignored the usually sweet now frightening canine watching the scene before you unfold shaking head to toe. Youd never seen henry hit someone before...not like that, he meant that he wanted to cause real damage then.Once his victim was on the floor he crouched wagging a finger at him.

"Hair dye...Thats all he needed to avoid you....your really loosing your touch about as quickly as I'm loosing fucking patience....This fuck up, your fuck up ruined my night! What was supposed to be our first date down the fucking drain because you let it slip A-FUCKING-GAIN! I don't care where he is, infact I don't want you to tell me but you get the info out of him and release him...Do not kill him" Henry stood at his full height hissing looking to you then clenched his jaw. Brilliant! Fucking brilliant you were shaking in terror just how he wanted the fucking night to end! Not! He sighed running a hand acros his face then looked to the man still on the floor.

"Tell me that you've atleast set the room up for us and this night isn't a complete waste" the man on the floor nodded cupping his jaw that was hanging at a funny angle it looked broken. You tensed Henry was powerful muh more powerull then he looked.Henry sighed he didnt move he didnt want you to bolt.

"Love... I'm sorry I just...i know its scary but you know daddy would never ever hurt you...Not truley, please love stop looking at me like that... Could you come here please?....That's it good girl I'm sorry little one good girl just like that" you moved slowly past the man withering on the floor. And stood before Henry it took everything not to flinch from him as he moved to hold your waist and made his way to the stairs pulling you with him. You didn't fight him, you were scared stiff you doubted that even kal would protect you from his master. He walked you right up stairs to the bed room you winced seeing that things were out...Toys. He moved past you huffing and swearing leaving you to just stand and wait. He made his way into the bathroom tense he was angry, furious even. You shook unsure how to tread it had been a while since he was this angry and you wasn't sure who he was angry at. You, stephan or luke...You hoped it wasnt you.

You leaned on the dresser undoing the buckles on your shoes sighing once the sore soles of your feet hit the cool floor. You looked to the bed the sheets were changed. A dark purple satin with matching pillow cases a single black rose on your side of the bed and petals scattered about the place. It was romantic. Well until you saw the contraptions attached to the chair facing the bed which was intended for you to be placed upon. A large purple cilindrycal arch placed on the seat and..Well there was a very satisfying looking dildo sticking right up in the center and a small bobble textured silicone mat just in front of it, there were cuffs attached to the two back legs of the chair that would make the 'toy' take your weight you shivered unsure if you wanted to do this is he was in a mood. You shook your head best get to work calming him down.

You moved slowly to the bathroom he was hunched over the sink he looked up meeting your gaze in the mirror. you blinked moving behinde him hugging him from behind he froze in your arms hands still braced on the marble.

"Thank you daddy...tonight was fun even if he tried to ruin it" you pressed a kiss to his shoulder. He turned abruptly grasping your chin making you look in his eyes.

"You..you had fun..I thought you was upset?" you shook your head at him he sounded angry but you'd thought it was at you aparently not.

"Of course it was our first date...and we had our first dance I just...I wanted you to know that I'm greatfull" he blinked shaking you 

"LIES! How could you possibly? you wanted to go with him! to leave me! I LOVE YOU I FUCKING ADORE YOU AND YOU STILL WANT TO LEAVE ME! WHY? WHY DO YOU FUCK AROUND LIKE THIS? WHY DO YOU TRY TO MANIPULATE ME? MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME IM YOUR LOVER YOUR SOULMATE! IS THAT NOT ENOUGH?!" you screamed struggling as his nails broke the skin of your arms."NO!-NO PLEASE I DIDN'T- I WASN'T PLEASE DADDY DON'T!" you cried out loud trying to grab him as he spun you around slamming you to the door making it close with a slam the sound ringing in your ear

"ADMIT IT! ADMIT TO ME WHAT YOU REALLY WANTED! YOU WANTED HIM YOU WANT HIM!" you shuddered as his eyes searched yours but found only tears you shook your head trying to pull back from him.

"P-ple-ease your hurting me..Daddy I'm here with you-I chose you. I-I want you daddy, pl-please let go" your crying seemed to get more out of control as you now struggled to speak breathing was difficult. He blinked your painfull whimpers cuting him deep as he realized he was the cause. It snapped him out of it as he saw that he had infact hurt you he let go taking heaving breaths. 

He expected you to run but all you did was stay still sobbing your heart out before him clutching your bleeding arms. he moved a hand to you you managed not to flinch but he could see it you wanted to. You wanted to run from him. He swore and quickly wrapped you in his arms.

"Oh my god my love, my heart I'm sorry..I'm so sorry love please shush its okay your okay...shh shh I'm sorry daddy is here, come here my baby..My sweet sweet girl" he pulled you close and just like that he was soothing you again rubbing your back. you trembled and clutched onto him sobbing he took a deep breath.

"I-I'm s-sorry But I didn't I didn't want to go...I wanted to stay with you...He lied he used me im here..I decided to stay with you" he closed his eyes he knew you were coming around. He was just so angry. At Luke at Stephan and at himself. He had fucked up from word one he knew that. This wasn't the plan. He had so desperatly wanted to make tonight THE night. The meal and danceing having fun then bring you back to a romantic room and make love to you. To get your consent, to toy with you untill you were dripping begging for him and finally. finally spend himself inside you. And wake up tomorrow morning with you wrapped around him happy. tonight was supposed to be the first night of the rest of your lives. the introduction to your new life.but now that seemed the last thing that was going to happen, after manhandeling you like that he was sure you were now going to try and reject him completely. that this whole shit show was going to set the relationship back a good few weeks. you looked up cutely blushing.

"The..The bedroom is sweet...I like the sheets and...And the roses its romantic" he smiled down at you seeing that you was trying to overcome the little spat. He hummed grinning rubbing his hands across your back slowly feeling you unwind.

"You did ,did you? well I shall remember that" you opened you mouth then closed it slowly

"What is it? you looked like you was going to ask something very important then little one" you shuddered squirming under his gaze he noted you rubbing your thighs together.

"W-what is that thing? I-in there on the chair?" he smiled at your innocence and began ushering you to move so he could open the door guiding you out.

"That my love is a gift..For you mostly but I will also get some enjoyment out of it..It is called a sybian...Just think of it as my little babygirls very own rocking horse." he chuckled noticing you froze on the spot, he pressed you forward making you take step towards it.

"It rocks?" Henry laughed moving you closer.

"No my little love it does not rock, I have no doubt however that you will be once your on it...Not tonight tho I've my outburst has ruined our night already" you blinked you couldn't help being curious of the thing you blinked tilting your head, you might aswell start enjoying yourself afterall tonight youd made it clear you was going to stay of your own accord maybe its time to just take a leap of faith.

"No I want a go...And you did say its mine and that youd spoil me tonight...I want to play on it" his jaw dropped. What? Were you seriously initiating sex? It was the first time you'd started anything or even showed any real interest. He gulped looking from you to the expensive vibrator then you again. Could him clarifying your relationship have caused this change? Or was there something more at work, were their feelings involved. He wasn't sure but not one to kick a gift horse in the mouth he smiled nodding making you blush brightly and move forward running the tips of your fingers over the slim dildo inspecting it naively. Oh yes the night was back on track and Henry couldn't be more thrilled.

[mazarinedrake]

So I recently got back into Warhammer 40k, and have been doing what I always do when I get interested in big, decades-old canons with mountains of lore...First I spend 36 hours straight on tv tropes and the fandom wikis, and then I inflict my insomnia-gained knowledge on my closest friends via discord.

Gallus:  Guilliman is the Hades of the primarchs

Gallus: the only one who knows what he's doing and therefore VIOLENTLY boring until he decides to do something trollish to a deserving party

This inevitably turns out to be the BEST possible decision I could have made.

Drake:  a lot about the Imperium could be summed up as "but y tho" "cause HASHTAG AESTHETICS!!!!!" and then someone declares Exterminatus on your planet

Gallus:  Techpriest: Whatcha got there? Cherub: A kNiFe! Techpriest: NO!

-

Gallus:  roubotte has had  'y tho' distilled into it's purest emotional form and produced to such excess from the imperial shenanigans that it's replaced his blood and he now runs on pure incredulity

Roubotte, Banging a pair of baking sheets together over Lion: WAKE UP MOTHER FUCKER i'M NOT DEALING WITH THEM ALL BY MYSELF.

-

Gallus:  Im writing Roubotte and Lion as having like something approaching normal brother dynamics in spite of everything because it confuses the living shit out of everyone else

but them just Ye Ancient memes (T-Posing at each other for mock dominance) random bouts of cain instinct, resulting in one just.  Slapping the shit out of the other with a holy reliquary or something, just for shits teaming up to back eachother up on random shit before going back to trying to nurple eachother

Lion, leaning over Roubotte:  bothering roubotte just to annoy him

Roubotte; Go be a furry somewhere else. 

some imperial carndinal or whatever in the room: ...go be a wHAT?

-

Drake:  the Imperium Secundus is hilarious though

Roboute, Lion, and Sanguinius are in ultramar when they get a bunch of garbled messages that Horus has gone totally off his rocker and declared war against dad, everything's on fire and everyone's screaming, and then

they lose contact

with Terra

and get stuck on the wrong side of a huge warp storm

so Roboute decides that the only sensible thing to do in this situation is declare a new empire and make Sanguinius the Emperor

Gallus:  ...In that scenario, assuming earth is gone is not unreasobable

-

Gallus:  Drake 

Drake being the emperor is MORE WORK 

and he has so much already 

also everyone already loves Sangria 

from an admin standpoint this is AMAZING marketing that will save him many headaches later

-

Gallus:  maybe they rock-paper-scissored for it and sanguinus lost

-

Drake:  intentionally or not Lion is AUTISTIC AS HELL

-

Gallus:  what I'm hearing tho is that Lion didn't trust himself to be Emperor and Roubotte didn't want to so they mutually bullied the most emotionally manipulatable sibling into it

-

Gallus:  they're gonna steal Lion out of the monastery somehow 

for some extremely stupid reason 

possibly with the intent to Weekend At Bernies him for a bit 

 Until Lion actually wakes up while like 

sitting at the breakfast table on The SpaceBoat Castle Fuck Mountain 

 it was the smell of bacon that got him 

He's very confused also hungry 

There's a Pigeon though they don't usually hang around danger 

oh Dad there's the hangover

also: Roubotte and Lion causally referring to His Holiness The God Emperor as "Dad"

-

Drake:  one of the first things Roboute did after waking up, in canon, was go to Terra and visit the throne room

nobody knows what happened in there but he emerged with new determination to fix all this bullshit

I mention this entirely so he can pull the "Dad said I'm in charge" card on Lion for petty bullshit

-

Gallus:  Presumably he went in, saw the state of things, wne "FUUUUUUUUUCK" for like 2 hours then decided that since Sanguinus is dead HE has to be the respeonsible child now so GUESS IT'S UP TO HIM NOW

-

Lion: I want to listen to Space Celine Dion 

Roboute: Well Dad said I'm in charge so we're listening to Space Kansas instead.

-

Gallus: [OC] has Chaotic Stepsibling Energy

Drake: But not Chaotic Chaotic because that would be bad

Gallus: troo

chaotic with the smol c

Drake: there we go

-

Drake:  Chaos is why half the brothers are permanently uninvited from Family Game Night

yes that especially includes you Lorgar

you know what you did

-

Gallus: what did lorgar do

Drake: Everything.

Gallus: kinky

-

Drake:  you know how some Christian rock music could be mistaken for gay love anthems if the names were changed?

Gallus: uh oh

Drake:  now imagine if Jesus is standing right there on the stage and only likes you as a friend

Gallus: oh no

Drake: also he considers orbital bombardments a valid communication tool

-

Gallus:  yeah this might inspire a mentally unbalanced superhuman do go do space murder heroin

-

Gallus:  this whole thing reads like an unusally genocidical episode of Jerry Springer

[ask-de-writer]

DARING DO and the ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE! : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 4 of 21

Return to theMaster Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

DARING DO and the

ADVENTURE of the X'IBIAN VASE!

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck) @ask-de-writer​

And

Carmen Pondiego @askcarmenpondiego​

Cover Art by

Doctor Dimension

52630 words

© 2020 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 08/26/15

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge.  I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.  

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Horsetense looked up from reading a romance novel, to judge by the cover art.  Smiling, she replied, “I really did not expect to see you again, after yesterday’s little upsets!  Here, let me send it up!”

She took Daring Do’s envelope and put it into a vacuum cartridge and dropped it into a tube.  With a whoosh, it was gone.  In a few minutes there was a whoosh and clunk as a cartridge returned.  It held a copy of the original document and a note:

“This is the ONLY acceptable agreement.  We will not back you at all if you do not sign!

Isa Robber

Mystic Overthrow

Crule Tyranny”

Reading the note, Daring smiled and wrote across the Document in deep soaking indelible marker, “These terms are the sort of toxic trash that the composting facilities will refuse!  I do too!  Find another sucker!  D.D.”

Horsetense looked sour as she returned the document with a clack and whoosh.  She observed, “The Partners won’t like that!”

Daring Do patted her hoof and replied, “They don’t seem to like anything that is honest.  I hope that you find a better position than this one soon.”

She turned on her hoof and was leaving when the system did its whoosh-clack.  The note in it said:

“Our generous offer is withdrawn.

Good luck in your year long wait to sell your latest major find to the Royal Museum! R.O.T.”

Daring Do smiled serenely, showed the receptionist the note and told Horsetense, “See this? You might find the noon news amusing!”

She sauntered out, the note safely in her saddle bag.

She was about to return to the Adventurer’s Guild for a nice luncheon when her brows drew down in a V of concentration.  Not only the waiter’s news but many other things began to fall out of their accustomed places, making a mess of her orderly mind.

It was a feeling that she knew well.  It had led her to almost all of past expeditions.  When things are not as they should be, the first stop is the Royal Library.

As she climbed the steps, she admired the allegorical carving of the doors.  The sun and moon arising together over the field of knowledge.  The doors, obeying an ancient spell, opened impressively for her.

Inside, she was greeted by the wonderful odor of books, scrolls, manuscripts, codices of many sorts. This was the scent of her true heart.  

Lurking in the overall scent, was the recent addition of fire proofing and extinguishing spells. They were a wise precaution whose necessity was shown by the Golden Oak Library disaster of Ponyville.  Some still wondered how one of the most magically powerful beings of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, could have forgotten something so basic as fire suppression spells, just when she most needed them.  That, however, was not germane to her visit.

She walked up to the research desk and presented her Royal Pass, personally sealed by both Luna and Celestia.  “I need full access to the Closed and Sealed Stacks, please,” she smiled at the young librarian.

Wide eyed, after staring at the pass, she turned and almost galloped to a Senior Librarian.  She whispered, pointing back at Daring Do.

The senior came over and asked, “Reason for your visit, Antiquarian Do?”

“I have come across some discrepancies in research concerning the ancient X'ibian Empire.  I already know, from previous work here, that the answers are not to be found in the ordinary open or closed stacks.”

The senior took Daring Do’s pass and inserted it into a spell reader.  It chimed.  The four nearest Closed Research Stacks simply faded away leaving a huge pair of doors appearing to be iron bound ancient oak.  Daring Do was not deceived. She knew that the reality behind the glamor spell was four tonne Military Armor Grade steel, sealed from forced entry or exit.  She also knew that there were excellent reasons for being sealed against both!  This was not a library for the faint of heart!

Resuming her pass, she asked, “May I have Apprentice Librarian Blendin to assist my studies, please?  He and I have worked together before this.  I have found him to be an excellent assistant.”

Before setting the opening spell, the Senior Librarian made a note and called over a Magic Net system, “Apprentice Librarian Blendin to the Canterlot Main Doors, please.”

It took a few minutes before the signal that he was present lit.  The Senior Librarian tapped the opening spell.  The great doors did not swing or retract, as one might expect.  They became a thin seeming vapor.

Daring Do trotted through it without any problem.  She smiled at her half brother and said, “We have a fun one!  The Heart of Discord not only might be real, it might even be something that belongs here or in the Warehouse!”

Blendin’s brows shot up.  “I would be laughing right now, Sis, if it was anypony but you who said that.  What brings this on?”

Daring Do snickered and replied, “Disorder in what I thought I knew and a conversation with somepony from an organiation that I ran into while searching for the Darkling’s Tomb.”

Showing a side that was rarely seen when he was off work, Blendin promptly asked, “The Ancient Guardians?”

“Exactly.  One told me today that they lost the location of Im Farst’s tomb during the Chineighese invasions of a thousand years ago.  In short, THEY are certain that the Heart of Discord is there.  They just don’t know any longer, where, exactly.”

Blendin’s eyes got a far-away look to them as he dug through the encyclopedic knowledge that even an Apprentice Librarian needed.

“Where do you want to start, Sis?”

“At the beginning.  With the death and funeral of Im Farst.”

Blendin nodded briskly.  “That is easy, then.  There are only three contemporary documents of it. They are followed by the wall painting but it is later.  It will take a few to access them.  Are you willing to use a Twilight Closed Reading spell to keep from disturbing the actual documents.  They are very fragile.”

“If you recommend it, Blendin, yes.  What are they?”

“One is an actual scroll painting on lotus root paper.  It is likely the most delicate.  It is a traditional Xibian landscape with a weeping dragon and a eulogy to Im Farst.  The eulogy is signed Wisdom.  The other two are thin sliced bamboo fold books, both with fire damage.”

He actually went to an OLD physical card file and leafed gently.  Puzzled, he checked again.  “I wonder how long ago this happened?” he inquired of empty air. “There are FOUR things here.  I found two cards stuck together.  I will have to speak to a Senior Librarian about that.”

Daring Do overheard him and looked up from her magically generated pages of perfectly duplicated documents.  They WERE fascinating in their own right.

“What did you find, Blendin?”

“A carved stone inventory made at the time of interment.  It is cracked across but otherwise intact. I assume that you want it?”

“Absolutely!  Also, any provenance or location of finding!  Not only the stone, but everything known of it!”

Blendin smiled sadly and gave her a thin file.  “The stone was found in a Chineighese open air market about eight hundred years ago and given into Royal Care.  Not much help there.”

He did develop the copy spell, giving Daring Do all of the visible surfaces of the stone, top, thin sides and back.

Daring Do began to scan the stone, her brows knitting now and again as she found and solved an ideogram that was new to her.  She pulled out a magnifier for much of it.  The ancient engraving was surprisingly small and tightly compacted.

Blendin watched his half sister’s reading with awe.  “How can you do that, Sis?  I know at least a hundred scholars of Ancient X'ibian and not one of them can just snap out the meaning of a new ideogram like that!”

She looked up for a moment. “It’s really not too hard, Blendin.  The construction of ancient X'ibian ideograms follows a rigidly logical system from about a hundred bases.  Once you know those, the rest follows, except for bad handwriting, of course.”  She grinned.  “That is nothing new at all.”

Blendin nodded agreement and then brightened up.  “I need to do an advancement paper in the Library.  Mind if I take that tip and develop it?”

Absently muttering, “Be my guest,” Daring Do returned to her study.

“Pardon, Sis.  I need more space for you.”  Blendin grabbed the end of the Library table and pulled.  It stretched out another three meters, growing extra legs as it did so.

Daring Do raised her eyebrows as she watched.  “Handy trick, that!”

“You know it, Sis.  I needed the space to set out the more modern works, you know, from four hundred PNW to the End of Exile.”

“Four hundred Post Nightmare Wars?  Nothing earlier?”

“According to the Master Index, nope.  A long dry spell there.  Then the liter-ature explodes.  All the mystical shit and such.”

She nodded and returned to deciphering the fold books and the painting.  She was nearly done with the painting when she asked, “Can I get modern paper copies of these old documents?  I just spotted something curious.”

“Not a problem, Sis.  I will do a contagion duplication on them.  You will be able to take those copies if they pass the Security of Information checks.  I did not bother looking at that info when I set them up for you.”

Blendin was systematically setting out the later documents by date when he stopped cold.  

“This makes no sense at all, Sis.  Check me on this.  When Im Farst was buried in his hidden tomb there was no trace of the Heart of Discord.  

“Then, IN EQUESTRIA, the tales of the Heart of Discord begin to show up in print about four hundred PNW.  The wall painting that is the only known documentation of it was not found until 653 PNW.  

“It gets worse.  The tomb that the painting is in dates quite exactly.  It was made 150 years after the death of Im Farst but not found until 653 PNW.”

Daring Do stared at Blendin’s work in rising excitement.

“It makes perfect sense after all!  Who was the wife of Im Farst?”

Blendin actually took time to consult the Index again.  “Her name was Wisdom.  Legend says that she was a dragon.  How does that make any sense at all?”

Daring Do took a sheet of paper and a writing brush.  Inking it professionally, she wrote a character.

“First, remember that there were no male or female names in ancient X'ibian.  This thing called a SHI was added to a surname or single name to indicate female and left off for male names!  It was silent in ancient X'ibian.

“Now look at this!”  She quickly drew another character.  “That is the ancient character for Wisdom.  This one is Discord, the Dragonequis.  Add a Shi to Discord and what do you see?”

Blendin stared at the two characters in consternation.  “Wisdom!  Discord with a Shi and Wisdom look the same!”

“Right!  Im Farst really was married to a dragon.  Eris, the female form of Discord.  

“The Vase of Wisdom is in all of these inventories!  A hundred and fifty years later, on a tomb wall, the vase was named without the Shi and the Heart of Discord was born!”

Blendin looked carefully at his time-line of publications and written down tales.  He thoughtfully accessed the Index again.

He added a whole selection of more material from the Last Nightmare War onward.  

Softly, he said, “Here she is. It all begins with the Tales of Aleax the Blind.  This dates to only 115 PNW.  Eris, the Dragonequis, is asked if ever she knew love.  Her reply is, ‘In a land far to the East, I left my love a vase that I made.  I left my Heart in his tomb.  Im Farst was his name.’  She shed a few tears and asked what reward was wanted for bringing her that memory.”

Daring Do sadly offered, “That explains so much.  Blendin, I need these inventories, including the stone’s upper surface and that landscape painting with the Im Farst eulogy on it.”

Blendin went to the Index and lifted a very modern Magic Net mirror up from a concealed pocket.  He tapped codes and looked carefully at the results.  Grinning, he tapped a whole set of new codes.

“They will accept my paper on the reading of Ancient X'ibian ideograms!  They also cleared modern paper copies of the things you asked for.  They are now locked to the papers that they are on.  Feel free to take them, Sis!”

Returning, Daring Do saw the enormous steel doors simply go to mist again.  She paused long enough to say, “Best of fortune on the paper, Blendin.  It is going to keep you busy, I promise it.”

With a grin, he replied, “I know, Sis.  I do know.  Thanks for the tip.”

Daring Do walked out to the Research Desk and Logged out, showing her copies to the Senior Librarian.  There was no sign behind her of the massive secret doors. Just the ordinary closed stacks.

If Daring Do was walking like nothing of any importance had changed, her mind was racing!  It WAS real!  The Vase, the Heart of ERIS, rather than Discord, was there. The tomb of Im Farst was a fact!

She was pretty sure how to find it too!  That, she had failed to mention to her half brother, Blendin.  Best not to give any possible rumor a root to grow.

Ensconced in the Adventurer’s Guild’s secure communication room, Daring Do tapped up codes on the Secure Magic Net Mirror there.  She was greeted by the surly face of Count Umber.  He still had a plaster on the bruise over his right eye from their earlier altercation.  He reached to cut off the call.

With a smile that could have flash frozen a polar bear, Daring Do said serenely, “Please do, Count.  Princess Luna audits all incoming calls.  When she finds that you cut off a Private Antiquities Emergency call, you will be in so much hot water that you will be lucky to retain your County.  Luna herself gave me this code after the debacle of the Golden Necklace of Pharow Underrock.”

Putting the knife in deeper and twisting, she added, “That was at the same time that she gave you your present work.  It is amazing how much better the Museum Acquisition Policy has become.  I have already been paid for the balance of the Pharow Underrock Collection.”

With a growl that would have done credit to hungry bear, Count Umber put her through.  Princess Luna was sitting in a bath up to her withers, gently fanning her wings in the warm water.  There was a squadron of blue bath duckies hidden by lumps of bubble foam.  They were preparing to ambush a similar squadron of yellow bath duckies.

She looked up from her bath game and said, “What is the problem with the Underrock Collection? Umber has noted that you are calling about it.”

“With due respect, your Highness, he is absolutely wrong.  I am calling about a thing connected to the legal firm of R.O.T.”

Princess Luna sat up suddenly, water cascading off her shoulders.  “COUNT UMBER!  GET OFF THIS LINE!  ALL CALLS ON THIS CODE GROUP ARE ABSOLUTELY PRIVATE!  You were given strict instructions about the call system.  YOU HAVE VIOLATED ONE OF THE MOST BASIC ONES!  We will discuss your position in Canterlot when this call is done!”

She tapped a few codes in her bathroom mirror.  “There.  The nuisance is removed.  By Royal Guards.  Now we are private.  What do you need to discuss?”

“R.O.T. is mounting an expedition to X'ibia, in the far desert regions of the Chineighese Empire.  They are searching for the Heart of Discord.  Their care with priceless antiquities  was shown during the break in at my University office.”

“There have been many expeditions to search for the Heart of Discord, Daring Do.  None has ever succeeded, lending much credence to the notion that it is legendary.  Why are you so concerned now?”

“Because, your Highness, today, doing research at the Great Library, I discovered that the Vase of Wisdom is perfectly real.  Wisdom was Im Farst’s wife, the Dragon Queen of ancient X'ibia.

“How well do you know the writing of that ancient land?”

“Excellently, my dear.  So, what you found is the connection between Eris now and Wisdom, the Dragon Queen then?”

“You do not seem surprised, your Highness.”

“Only saddened that it will arouse such heartbreaking memories in my friend.  We must tell her that the secret is out.  How much more do you know of this matter?”

“I believe that I know where Im Farst’s tomb is.  Wisdom painted a landscape with a weeping dragon and inscribed her eulogy to him.  I have a copy from the Library.  I am fairly sure that it shows the tomb’s hidden location.”

Luna sort of sank into her bath. “You are correct.  We must tell her.  Now.  Together.  I cried with her for many nights when he died.”

Stiffing up, Luna tapped some other codes to the mirror.

The call was answered by an amazingly lovely pony with one perfectly centered cyclops like eye. “ERIS, Inc.!  How may I direct your call please, Princess Luna?”

“Hello, Cy.  I hate to interrupt whatever Eris is doing but I have urgent news for her. Just tell her that Wisdom has been found.  She will know what I mean.”  

“Wisdom has been found.  I will tell her.”

Almost instantly, the mirror switched to show Eris, wearing the silken robes of the Chineighese. An eye as trained as Daring Do’s saw that they were in the style of ancient X'ibia.

There was a copy of the Wisdom Eulogy to Im Farst hung to the wall and both incense and tea being offered before it on an ornate, low table of black wood, richly inlaid with natural woods of many colors.

Eris asked mildly, “Luna, if it was any but you calling, I would have required them to wait.  What do you mean that Wisdom has been found?”

Daring Do spoke up.  “A Shi is supposed to be silent and only indicate gender.  A Shi added to Discord, the dragonequis, makes Eris, that is you.  It also turns the ideogram into Wisdom, the name that you used when you lived your life with Im Farst, whom I see that you still love.”

There was a small tear at Eris’ eye.  “That is true, all of it.  What do I need to know beyond the fact that you found it out?”

“The law firm of R.O.T. is mounting an expedition to X'ibia to locate the Heart of Discord.  Of course, THAT really is legendary, the result of twisting the words of Aleax the Blind to say that you left a Vase, your heart, in his tomb. That is where the legends of the Heart of Discord come from.

“Even with the trickery that they use, they have begun to set up the expedition.  R.O.T. could find the tomb.”

Eris said softly, “Their care with Antiquities is amply shown by the break in at your office.  I see.  What do you need from me?”

Daring Do smiled and replied, “Two sorts of things.  One is your permission to open the tomb and conserve the things in it.  The other is a little more personal. Anything that you can think of that might mess up the R.O.T. expedition and throw them off the trail.”

Eris began to smile hugely around her fang.  “Doctor Do, I know your reputation in detail.  I will trust you to open my love’s tomb and conserve all as well as it can be done.  Expect my document of permission within the hour.  Cy will deliver it in person.

“As for your other request, let us say that I will consider it favorably.

“Now, I have much to attend to, including letting my love know that you are coming.”  The mirror blanked.

Luna’s bath duckies were all joined into a large squadron, attacking the bath bubble foam furiously!  She looked up with a serious face.  “While you were talking to Eris, I set it up with my sister, Celestia.  We are putting your Expedition under the Royal Wing.  

“You mentioned being able to manage the cost.  You will not have to.  We will cover it all with letters of credit and passage permissions that are being prepared now.  Celestia has summoned the Chineighese Ambassador to prepare your documents for free travel and official assistance.  All the papers should arrive in a few hours.  They are addressed to you at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Thank you, your Highness.” Daring Do blanked the mirror and emerged from the room.  The waiter from this morning was there, tears in his eyes.  “Our long Guardianship is over.  We have heard from the most exalted one. Wisdom herself has put us at your disposal.  What then shall we do for you?”

Daring Do gave him a deep formal bow and replied, “We will need you still.  There are more than Im Farst to guard.  If you will come with me, I will show you what I mean.”

Deepest concern in his voice, brows drawn in honest worry, he asked, “What will become of Im Farst and all of his things?”

Daring Do replied honestly, “I do not know.  I will gather him and all of those things and they will be given to the Most Exalted Wisdom.  She will then decide what may be kept for study, placed in museums on display and what she will keep for her own.   All will be a gift of my Princesses to Wisdom. This plan has been made and will be kept.”

He needed no thought.  “This is the best that can be hoped for.  He will be reunited with Wisdom. May they find all the joy that can be between Mortal and the Dragon.”

<== Previous  Next==>

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[hereforlukescruff]

ok where do i start babe. im in class so lets pull this shit. imagine Luke being your TA in history class or some shit (i dunno fam i'm durnk dont @ me) and its one of those things where he was a one night stand and you peaced out the next morning without leaving any info and then you showed up first day of class to see he's your fucking TA. like. what the fuck. and he notices you for sure. its a small class. and now he's going to be marking your papers and shit and you're like holy fuck 1/?

and then, to make it worse. he’s your TA for your discussion class too where you talk about shit with only like 10 students and a TA and he takes roll call the first morning and says your name and you’re just like holy fuck because you can’t avoid now and all the other TA blocks are full. and he’s gorgeous and you’re like first: why the fuck did i peace out that morning and second: if he’s my TA does that mean i can’t fuck him again. and he’s your fucking TA so after the class ends 2/?

he asks you to stay and you can’t just say no in front of all these other students so you stay and he’s just like, “didn’t think id be seeing you again.” and you’re like fuck cuz you know you owe him an explanation for leaving that morning without even saying goodbye or leaving a phone number and you’re just like… “sorry. i uh… didn’t want to make it more than what it was.” and he’s like “i mean. i guess i can understand that.” and he lets you leave and you think thats going to be the 3/?

end of it but every class he’s so beautiful and he’s so smart and you find yourself falling harder and harder. you don’t know it but he’s totally falling for you too, especially reading your assignments and stuff, he’s starting to learn more about you and is like woah she’s actually really cute. so one day you show up to the small TA session and you’ve been drinking (#ME AM I RIGHT?) and you’re super impatient and he can tell you’re drunk so he asks you to stay after class and once everyone 4/?

is gone he turns to talk to you but you just kiss him. you can’t help yourself any more. and he leans into the kiss. lifting you up and setting you on the table as he goes between your legs and kisses you like his life depends on it. “i can’t stop thinking about you.” “you’re drunk.” he sighs but you are just like “maybe so but… it’s the truth.” and he believes you because he hasn’t been able to get you out of his head either. besides you’re not even that drunk anymore and you feel so good 5/?

and he’s just like fuck it and kisses you again. he pulls away and you whine but he just locks the door because at least one of you still has a brain. and then you just fuck. and im too drunk and in class to talk about it but it’s your turn babe. work your magic. FUCK ME UP MIRIAM. okay. im done now 6/6

……………………………………………………………………………………………

who’s fucking up who cause i’m choking djfdlsjkdlsjk

but imagine walking in to that class and you guys noticing each other and you’re both just like “fuck” in your head cause you’re not supposed to be his student and he’s definitely not supposed to be your teacher. you guys would quickly avert your eyes before the other students noticing what’s going on since you’re still trying to be professional. but now everything is awkward cause you’re the one who left that morning and when he asks you about it, you don’t have much of an answer other than the fact that it was just a fuck and he’s kinda taken aback but also like whatever he gets it, not like he was expecting you guys to fall in love or some shit. 

it gets harder over the semester though cause now he’s your TA and he’s gorgeous and this is your favorite subject so you have this man who looks like the greek sculptures of old talking about how society’s decrease in ethics and morality made the fall of the roman empire predictable and how the effects of it are still echoing in today’s society. like okay he’s gorgeous and smart?? you have no chance of not falling for him. it’s especially difficult sitting in class cause every time you look up at him you just remember his lips sucking on your neck and his tongue swirling on your clit so you have to keep looking away before it’s too much. 

you have no idea that he’s struggling just as much though, that every time you look at him or answer a question all he can think about was how wet and warm your pussy was when he was fucking you and that his pants start to get a bit tight which is why he goes and stands behind the podium for the rest of class. and then he sees your assignments are actually really well thought out and you’re raising points that none of the students even noticed so now he’s falling in love with your mind too? you both know the consequences of what would happen if you guys actually do this but at same time, it’s like the 10th week of the semester and you just can’t anymore

he’d know you’re a bit drunk when you walk in that day cause you’re louder than usual and your eyes aren’t as focused when he talks. but when class is over and everyone’s already left before you, your almost to the door when you stop in your tracks and just say “fuck it”. luke looks up at that and sees you coming towards him when you wrap your hands around his neck and bring his face down and smash your lips against his. his initial reaction is to grab you by the waist, bringing you closer to his chest. you gasp into his mouth when you feel his tongue at your lips but then he’s pushing you off. “we can’t do this, im your TA”. “i can’t stop thinking about you” you’d tell him breathless. “you’re drunk” he’d push away from you, running his hands through his hair. “not really and it doesn’t make it not true. i know you’ve thinking about me too.” you say walking closer to him. he looks you up and down, sighing, “if we do this….no one can know.” you smirk at that, knowing that you convinced him. “well then i guess you better lock the door” you’d say, walking towards the desk. 

moving the loose papers to the side, you lift yourself onto the desk. luke goes to the door, making sure it’s locked and that no one is in the corridor. when he turns back he sees you sitting on the edge of the desk, your skirt bunched up at your hips, and legs spread as you wait for him. he feels his cock get hard at the sight of you, one hand behind your body to hold yourself up as the other is rubbing your clit over your panties. there’s nothing slow about it when luke comes over to you, his hand on your chest as he pushes you down to lie you against the desk. he’s already gotten your panties off when he moves his hand through your folds, it’s the build up of over two months frustration coming to a peak.

“all this for me?” he’d ask you when he feels how wet you are already, barely having even touched you. “i’m always wet for you” saying that has luke dropping to his knees in front of you, moving your legs over his shoulders as he goes in. his tongue at your clit when he says “still taste just as good as i remember”. you feel two of his fingers slip inside you as he sucks on your clit, you’d arch off the desk making his arm snake over your chest to hold you down. “oh shit” coming from your lips has luke working harder, knowing you’re about to cum which was right cause a few seconds later you cum over his tongue, moaning as you fall back against the desk. breathless, your hands fall away from luke’s head as you try to slow your heart rate.

getting off the ground, luke’s hands go to undo his belt as he stares at you. you look a mess with your eyes shut and your head against the desk. your skirt is bunched up over your hips, legs spread open with your pussy out. Luke wants this view imprinted in his brain cause he knows that it’s the hottest thing he’d ever see. “take off your shirt” he’d say as he pushes his pants down. opening your eyes you see luke standing in front of you with his cock in his hand as you quickly do as youre told. 

with your shirt over your head and bra removed just as fast, luke bends over to catch a breast in his mouth while his hand goes to play with the other. your head falls back as his tongue rolls over your nipple. you snake a hand between you both to grab his cock in your fist, he moans against your breast as you start stroking him. your fingers are swirling the precum over the tip when he grabs your hand to stop you “if you don’t stop i’m gonna cum and i’d rather do that inside you, sweetheart”

luke would pull you from the desk and spin you around as he pushes down on your back so that your chest is flat against it with your feet on the ground. what you didn’t expect was a smack to your ass when you pressed your head against the desk but the vibrations go straight to your pussy, making you ache even more. after spanking you, luke would grab your ass rubbing his hands over it to soothe the pain before moving his hands to your hips and sinking into you with no warning. 

your hands are flat against the desk as luke is fucking into you, the grip on your waist so tight you know there’ll be marks when you finish. “fuck baby, you take my cock so good. can’t believe we waited this long to do this again”. when one of his hands goes down to rub your clit as he continues fucking you, you let out a loud moan making him pull you up to his chest by the throat, his hand covering your mouth as he whispers in your ear “you have to be quieter than that, darling, we don’t want anyone to know how dirty you really are.” his hand stays over your mouth as you whine against his palm, not being able to hold the sounds back when he hits your spot.

you feel your orgasm build as you start clenching around his cock. when he rubs your clit and hits the spot right one more time you come undone beneath him, a string of “oh fuck” is all you can say. he’s still fucking you as your orgasm rolls through you, getting sloppier as he chases his own release. a few more thrusts and you feel him still inside you as he cums with a groan against your ear. his hands falls from your throat as you catch yourself with the desk, your knees weak. pulling out of you, luke sees the mess you both made as he looks for napkins trying to clean you up. 

as you both get dressed, making sure that you don’t look like you just got fucked, you head to the door when you feel a hand grab your arm. luke pulls you to him as he tilts your head up and kisses you softly, “i’ll see you in class. you might wanna read chapter 6 for the assignment” you feel him smile against your lips. shaking your head at him when you push away from his chest “now isn’t it unethical to help me out?” “probably not as unethical as it is to fuck you” he’d smirk as he unlocks the door and leaves before you say anything else. 

[paladin-andric]

An Even Game

Hey, everyone! After finishing Blackheart I had a few ideas for some shorts, so I think I’ll be posting some! This one’s about a bunch of mercenaries taking some time off to play some rather elaborate games...

Sofia’s entrance into the company hall was far from silent, but with the boisterous shouts coming from the table, it might as well have been.

None of the group of five could hear her coming as they laughed and complained, the sound of rolling dice and shuffling paper being heard.

“It’s nonsense is what it is!”

“You’re just mad you’re losing!”

“Hey, I’m only losing ‘cause you stacked the game, you rat!”

The woman was a member of the Drakebloods, a mercenary company that had been successful enough to found their own hall. While small, as the company was, it was a pretty massive achievement for them.

It appeared several of the members were using their downtime to play games at the hall, all of them crowded around the round, wooden table and sat in cheap wooden chairs.

Sofia, a soldier within the company, chucked her things onto an empty table as she made her way to the end of game room. Ahead of her they sat, a massive map, a mess of cards and papers, and dice and miniature figurines taking up the entirety of the table.

“Hey boys,” she said casually, most of them turning to look at her.

“Oh, hey Sofia!” David answered, a notable chipperness in his voice.

David was one of three humans at the table, the others being Michael and Emanuel. The fourth member of the group was a koutu, one Sofia knew very well as Con. Though his true name was Conchobhar, enough of the company called him by the simpler nickname that he was now known by both.

The final man at the table was a saalik, one of the lizards from the desert kingdom across the seas. He was Bahim, one of the largest and most intimidating warriors in the whole company. His great size, plainly apparent strength, and frightening reptilian visage did little to show his true nature.

Emanuel smiled at her. “Hey, wanna join? We’re short a player!”

“Pona Federation’s still not taken,” Michael added, sounding a touch irritated.

“Uhh, actually I’d just like to watch, thanks,” Sofia answered, hands on her hips.

“Come on!” David said, trying to egg her on.

“We’d love if you joined us!” Conchobhar said cheerfully, clutching onto a slip of paper.

“Really, thanks but I don’t want to. I don’t even know what you’re playing.”

“We could teach you,” David said softly, a playful grin on his face.

“That’d take ages.” Michael’s voice was low and carried frustration in it. “This game’s already an hour in and we’ve barely done anything. Can we get a move on?”

“Hey...if she doesn’t want to play, we shouldn’t make her,” Bahim’s voice was quiet and meek, as it usually was. Quite a mismatch for the brutish-looking warrior.

“Tsk, whatever,” David said with a roll of his eyes, “If you say so…”

Sofia pulled a chair from another table and joined them, leaning over the massive map and piles of papers. “What in the world is this game, anyway? What needs THIS much work to play?”

“Deacan Kings!” Conchobhar said excitedly.

“Deacan Kings…?”

“You mean to tell me you’ve never played it?” Emmanuel asked, his tanned face staring at her in confusion.

She shook her head. “Never heard of it.”

“Wow…I thought everyone in the whole damn company played this at least once,” David mused.

“Not me. What IS it, anyway?”

“Deacan Kings is like playing history!” Conchobhar cried. “Err...well, like playing how history could have been, anyway. You pick a nation and try to manage your kingdom, and build up the administration, deal with court intrigue, and conduct politics with other plays, forge alliances, scheme, and try to conquer all of Deaco! It’s wonderful!”

Sofia crossed her arms and frowned. “Manage politics and administration? Sounds complicated.”

“Oh, it is!” Bahim said, a sort of shy happiness dancing on his face. “B-but it’s really fun! Once you learn everything, there’s just so much you can do! There’s so many different paths for you to take your nation! There’s dozens of laws you can change your stance on, and nation get their own bonuses, and your ruler gets personality traits that change things and limit what you can do, and how the game goes…” The large lizard stared off into the distance, lost in his joyful recollection of the rules like a child telling his parents about his favorite play.

“Hey, speaking of ruler traits…” David tapped the map. “Turn 20. Time for everyone to get one.”

The group all grabbed for a stack of notes in the corner, each taking one off the top one by one. As they looked at what trait their ruler now had, varying reactions came from all over the table.

“Oooh, I got workhorse!” Conchobhar said excitedly, “Yes!”

“Ah, whatever,” Michael said angrily, tossing his card to the table.

“What, what'd ya get?” David asked.

“Soft-hearted.”

“Hey, that’s not bad at all!” Conchobhar said, “That’s amazing for the endgame!”

“Yeah...for when you have a massive empire,” the irritated human said, “I’ve got two regions, man. TWO. All cause David’s mad that I’m better than him.”

“Aww, what are you talking about? I thought you were GOOD at this game!” David laughed mockingly.

“Literally no one plays the kobold tribes, you ass. They get annexed by turn three, tops.”

“Michael’s the best Deacan Kings player, basically ever,” Conchobhar explained to Sofia in a low whisper, “Whoops everyone here every time we play. David complained so now he’s handicapped.”

The woman nodded, now understanding why Michael seemed so annoyed. He was too good to play with, so they had given him a nation so outgunned it would be hopeless to win in most other players’ hands.

“Oh, and soft-hearted boosts happiness and lowers unrest in every region,” the birdman added, “Pretty amazing when you’ve got dozens of places to keep under control.”

The woman nodded, becoming more interested in the game. “I see…God, this is complicated. Interesting, though...”

“And yet here you are at turn 20. I don’t see what you’re complaining about…” David was grinning like mad.

“Cause you’re BAD,” Michael said, flashing a grin of his own, “Five thousand tribal warriors, and you just can’t stamp me out.”

“Tsk. You got lucky!”

“Nope. Learn about terrain and maybe your massive army could beat a couple of kobolds with sticks,” he shot back.

“I’m gonna kick your ass!” David shouted, “Just wait til ya-”

The man’s eyes went wide as he stared down at his card, his mouth freezing in place.

“Oooh, I think he got something good,” Emmanuel said, looking over at the other man.

“What? What did you get?” Conchobhar asked, trying to peek over his card.

“...GENIUS!” David announced triumphantly, “King Bohem is now a genius!”

“Horseshit,” Michael grumbled. The others all chattered in excitement as he tapped the table, deep in thought.

“That’s a good trait, I’m guessing.” Sofia said, the others turning to look at her.

“Are you kidding?! It’s the best trait in the whole game!” David answered, still ecstatic.

“It lowers civil unrest, boosts tax and trade revenue, increases your military command, gives a nationwide boost to prosperity, and makes you able to change laws three times as fast!” Conchobar explained giddily.

“I haven’t seen anyone get genius in a long time,” Emmanuel said quietly, “Speaking of which...I’ve got agriculturalist now.”

“Aww, come on!” Michael complained, “Did EVERYONE but me get a good trait?!”

“Soft-hearted’s a good trait, just-”

“Just not for the current situation, yeah yeah yeah,” the increasingly frustrated man cut Conchobhar off, “I know.”

“A true ruler serves the people,” the koutu said with a sly grin.

“Chieftain Stonebark giving his slaves hugs doesn’t really matter when they’re all about to die, does it?” Michael said with a roll of his eyes.

“...ah.” Bahim’s eyes rose from his card, a sullen expression on his muzzle. “Err...cheer up, Michael. Stonebark’s got it better than the Sultan.”

“Oh dear. Get one of the negative traits?” the man replied.

“Ahaha...you know how David got the best trait in the game?” the large lizard smiled sheepishly. “Err...Sultan Venhim is now...insane.”

There was a brief pause, the entire room bathed in oppressive silence for a moment...before everyone erupted into laughter.

Sofia watched them all lose it, confused by their reactions.

“O-oh, God!” David slapped his thigh. “Oh, WOW!”

“Rest in peace, Abinsil,” Emmanuel said, trying not to laugh.

“Oh dear...that just leaves the kobold tribes as allies to the Koutu Kingdom,” Conchobhar said with a notable amount of worry.

“Tsk...sounds like I might need to sail down there and take a few regions, Bahim,” Emmanuel said.

“W-what?! Aww, come on!”

“Hey, my back’s been against the wall this whole game! I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do,” the human answered back.

Michael’s anger seemed to have evaporated. “Huh. I guess things really could be worse…”

“Uhh...why are you all talking like he’s just out of the game?” Sofia asked, “Is it really that bad?”

“Yes, and he basically is,” Conchobhar answered.

“Insane makes you roll the dice at the start of every one of your turns,” Michael explained, “If you roll lower than 20, every one of your actions, changing laws, moving troops, diplomacy and troop movements...is decided randomly by rolling to see what happens.”

“Insane rulers basically flail about doing nothing until their entire nation is wiped out, since they can’t even move their troops to defend or attack anything,” Emmanuel added.

“That sounds...really, really dumb and unfair,” Sofia said, rubbing her chin.

“Yeah, but it makes civil unrest skyrocket too.” Conchobhar flashed a scrap of paper with lists of names and traits. “If they survive long enough there should be a civil war, and since the player usually can’t respond in any way they’re beaten and overthrown quickly...not that anyone should TRY to keep an insane king in power! Once they roll for their new monarch they can start playing again.”

“Ugh...PLEASE don’t invade me,” Bahim whined, “I don’t wanna get kicked out now!”

“I don’t know…” David gave the lizard a predatory grin. “You’ve been developing your regions SO well. They’re so rich…”

“Aww, come on! Don’t! Pleeeaaase?”

“Hmm...I’ll send you a marriage proposal!” Conchobhar announced, “Then we can form an alliance and I’ll take the heat off of you!”

“R-really?! Wow, thanks!”

“Don’t thank him yet, your loony king still has to roll to accept,” Michael noted.

“I’ll just keep trying til we succeed!” the koutu said happily, “Then I can deploy in your regions!”

“Hey, now everyone’s in a coalition against me!” David cried, “No fair!”

“Hey, you’re the one who picked the overpowered nation,” Michael said with a grin, “It’s only natural.”

“Bah! I’ll just deploy dragons against you all!”

“Once my capital gets to the next prosperity level I can summon dragons too,” Michael said, “You’d better watch out…”

“Argh! I won’t let you live that long! I’m attacking you!”

Michael shifted miniatures as David did the same, the two of them moving their “soldiers” into lines across their borders.

“Better hope that this doesn’t end up like the last assault…” the kobold player said with a grin.

“Whatever!” is all David, the Geralthin player managed in response, grabbing a sheet of paper. “Pah...forty to one, you see that?! You’re hopelessly outnumbered.”

“Than it’s an even game.”

Sofia leaned back as she watched them all go, everyone shouting encouragements and playful insults as the two players prepared for battle.

Perhaps I should learn how to play, too…

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination, @disheveledcorvid-deactivated201, @reya-writes, @bexminx

[ayafoxheart]

The Close of Merchant Marine

An old RP Post that has never made it to Tumblr. This was my concluding RP post at the end of Verad's ( @dubiousduskwight ) Merchant Marine storyline. (Original Post)

Background: 'Ace', is a Limsan Information Broker and Underworld figure, who aided Aya during the Merchant, Marine plot.  He's a childhood friend of Aya's during her brief time in Limsa Lominsa as a refugee. (here and here)  This post is he and Aya discussing the events of the plot, and their conclusion.

"Ah, good, you made it."

Aya smiled to her old friend, 'Ace' as he's now known.  She'd approached him from the right, his good side.  The recognizable smile put her at ease.

For him, the hooded woman was still a welcome sight.  Though, ostensibly, she obscured herself behind a cloak, she had a manner of revealing nearly everything else in her effort to avoid recognition. The short skirt, the thigh-high, sharply heeled boots that emphasized shapely legs.  The open bodice that invited and tempted, rather than deflected attention.  For those who knew her it was impossible to not recognize her - and maybe that was the point.

"Of course," she answered with a breathy softness.  The Ishgardian accent upon her tongue still struck him with strangeness.  When they had been friends in childhood it was an altogether different accent that graced her voice.  It still took some getting used to.

"I couldn't disappoint an old friend could I?"

He let out an amused breath of his own, a smile curling upon the good half of his face despite his best efforts to restrain his emotion.  "I didn't imagine you would."

She stepped up to the railing, stopping beside him before turning her eyes toward the inky blackness of the sea.  Gentle swells lapped against the pillars of white stone that stood firm against the battering sea.  

She casually dipped slender fingers fingers into her open bodice.  Nowhere could provide surer keeping for a valuable gift: out she drew a small, thin rectangular tin several ilms across and in one smooth gesture offered it to him.

He furrowed his brow, his one good eye focused on the unexpected, though familiar item as she held it his way. "Go on." She added, a pleased smirk drawing across her carmined lips.

With a moment’s more hesitation he reached for the proffered gift, handling it for examination. It took a moment, but the smile of recognition that he offered was exactly what she'd hoped to see.

"Well, this is certainly a fine 'thank you', isn't it?" He grinned admiringly, clicking the tin open with his fingers.  Deft fingers he drew out the paper-wrapped cylinder and quickly flicked it below his nostrils, breathing in deeply the fragrance of the smokeweed.

"The finest available. And your favorite - if I am right."  She tossed her hair, and turned her brilliant grin out to sea as if to obscure her self-satisfaction.

"The Emperor himself has no finer smoke."  Purred the Miqo'te with delight.  With the cigarette squeezed between two fingers he offered the smoke back to Aya, "I'll share, you know."  

She demurred with a gentle rise of her hand, "I have my own vices, mon ami.  This one's for you."

He laughed, sliding the tin into a coat pocket before fishing out his auto-lighter.  "Where'd you get ‘em?" He asked, with his lips pressed together.

"Escrow and Sons.  I thought to save them for just such an occasion."  Her grin, still directed out to the sea, grew ever brighter.  

"Mighty fine, mighty fine." He replied with some admiration, before lighting the smoke and drawing in.  "One hell of a 'thank you'," he repeated himself with immense gratification.  

She chuckled lightly, keeping her enigmatic gaze upon the sea.  She had a way of projecting contemplation - an expression that belied the shallow and careless persona she normally adopted.  

He took in another breath, letting it out with a sigh of fulfillment.

"What do you think?" She finally asked in a soft tone.

"Think?" He eschewed, glancing her way before lowering himself down, elbows resting on the railing against which they stood.  "Think about what?"

"All of this."  She answered softly, he had known exactly what she meant, but her lack of specificity still irked him.  "All that's happened these past few weeks.  Everything since Leeds."

He nodded, idly flicking the ashes off the end of the precious cigarette -- the amber glow disappearing into the brine below.  "Ah. That."  

There was a pause while he enjoyed a few more draws upon the cigarette.  No sound intruded upon them except the lulling sea and the muted preparations of a Maelstrom vessel docked nearby.

"Not much."  He finally answered, lips wrapped around the smoke.  "Not much at all, I think.  The entire thing could have been scripted."

"Scripted?" She turned her gaze toward him.  His good eye met hers as he offered an almost imperceptible nod. "Aye.  You know pirates: short-sighted, only after their next share of loot, and hatin' to let anyone else tell ‘em what to do. They don’t like authority, never have.  The Maelstrom's only pirates in better uniforms."  He pulled the smoke away from his lips, turning his eyes out toward the readying ship.

"Those mutineers are no different than the rest, really.  Don't like being told what to do, and filled with nostalgia for sea’s full of pillage."

"Nostalgia?" She asked with a hint of confusion - though she'd recognized the sentiment in her very first contact with the Gloam-bound privateers, she'd never heard it upon another's lips.

"Aye.  They remember how they thought it was when they were young.  Or have been told."  He waved his free hand out toward the ocean, "Before all of this.  When the sea seemed free, at least to them who didn't know better."

He grimaced, a bit, "O' course it was ne'er like that. They just don't know any better.  Thought they could ha'e it all again.  That they could find somewhere they'd never have to listen to anyone else’s orders again."

She nodded, "I suppose you're right... They'd rather face their problems their own way.  On one hand, they want to escape those who feel they can tell them what to do, on the other hand they're running from responsibilities to anyone other than themselves.  They're just looking for a place to call their own, to live life as they wish.  But that's never as easy as it sounds."

He offered her a side-long glance, "O' course, you know, 'venturers are the same as pirates, right?  They tend to chase a different booty, that's all.  They also don't see the day after tomorrow, and can't stand it when someone tell's 'em what they've got to do."

She listened. She knew better than to disagree.

"So, you put all these sorts together. Pirates seekin' booty or freedom.  Adventure's all the same. And a’ hungry Empire with its own to gain.  And what do you get?" He gestured with his hand, "Lots o' mates tellin' each other how they got to do it.  And naught of 'em listenin'.  The strongest and cleverest win, at least temporarily.  And 'ere we are again. Its the Limsan way, ever been so."  He nodded with some satisfaction. "Like one of those show-plays I hear you did, aye?"  

He turned that good eye back upon her as she listened, "So you don't think it could have gone any other way?"

"Oh, it could have gone many ways.  But it'd only have been a difference o' degrees.  Nothin's really changed. All a bunch of noise and ruckus makin' for no end.  Maybe it'd have been worse to have a Garlean island out there, but it'd be a problem for the Maelstrom more than us."

"About the Maelstrom, what about all the trouble they had? The riots, the court martials and all?  You don't think any of that's going to matter?" She asked, eyes fixed on the preparing ship.

"Well.  The Maelstrom: they were just a bunch of pirates.  They're still just a bunch of pirates.  All that's different is they're smarter than they used to be: they decide things by figurin' out who'd win the fight, rather than actually killin' each other.  Saves a lot of wasted effort and ships and makes the Admiral look like a genius."

He waved his hand, "And, yeah, tension with the Foreign Levy, right?  But here's the thing: they never really did trust the Foreign Levy.  Always a thorn in their side, just a necessary thorn.  I don't think that's changin'.  They're willin' to shame one of their own to keep the Levy happy, but that's about as far as they'll go."

"What about Captain Hellfist and the other Privateers?"

"I don't know, really.  She's just another dead pirate.  I mean, what do you want?  You tell someone pirate's get into trouble, and the Syndicate's wicked, and they're already gonna know exactly what you mean. One kill’s the other and how's this been any different?" He let out a dark laugh, "Hell, if the Captain had known what was going to happen she'd probably have done the same damn thing.  Pirates are proud like that.  And as long as the Maelstrom can keep them in line, nothin' changes.  So far, so good. Probably all the better for Limsa, in the end.  We've got more than enough problems as is."

"How did you know about the Syndicate’s involvement?" She asked with surprise.

He laughed, "You don't give me much credit, do you?  Not like its hard to figure out.  Just think about the circumstance, its obvious whose interest it was in. That pirate boy S'imba had nothin' to gain by killin’ ‘er, really.  And as we seen, he's no ally of the Maelstrom.  If anythin' I wager he was on Hellfist's side.  I'd have liked to seen the looks on his eyes when they accused 'im of killin' her!"

She focused on him with narrowed eyes.  He'd peeled the onion with surprising deftness.  She thought about delving further, but instead shifted the question again, "And what about Gloam?" she asked.

"What about it?" He repeated.  "Its a pirate haven.  There been dozens of them before.  The Maelstrom put an end to most, turned 'em into bases for their own operations when they brought the pirates to heel. This one's just a place out of time.  And it'll end jes' the same."

"Yeah?  How's that?"  She asked, unsure of exactly what he meant.

"They'll draw attention.  Bringing in even more pirates who don't like bein' told what to do.  But, in the end, there's only one way to settle things: the strongest get their way.  They'll fight, with each other, with others. Power will shift one way then another.  Finally, they'll piss someone off too much, be it Maelstrom or Garlemald, and they'll be snuffed out 'afore anyone even knows what's happenin'."

"You think they're doomed?" She asked; he felt a pang of sympathy in her blue-eyed gaze.  

"What can I say?  They don't have many options do they?  Survive raidin' eastern independents?  Even then the Empire will get tired of it eventually.  Can't raid Eorzean vessels, can't raid Garlean without invitin' another expedition.  The Empire, o'course, learns its lessons well.  This time there won't be any question o' the result."

She nodded, letting out a breath, perhaps he was right.  "Even if they don't, I wonder what we've really gained in Gloam..."

"Good question.  Places like that aren't really as nice as they sound at first.  They're only as nice as the strongest gun-arm lets them be.  That's the way with pirates, always been.  All those idealistic paeans you 'eard were just that.  They can't survive in reality.  They talk about 'freedom' as if they could find any such thing out there.  Squeezed between the Maelstrom and the Empire, with no one but the biggest guns to decide what's right.  That's no freedom, not really."

She sighed with sad admission, "I know you're right about that... " She'd never really liked pirates. She could respect many of their desires, their valor, and bravery. But at the end of the day, they were people who survived through pure violence.  Violence against each other, and violence to prey upon those weaker than them.  Its why she'd chosen not to live among them.

"The damned thing is that they've already forgotten the lessons Limsa Lominsa learned the hard way." He added with the flick of the diminishing cigarette, "The Maelstrom didn't come out of nowhere.  Its an adaption to changing times.  The old ways are dead for a reason, and there ain't no revivin' 'em.  A bunch of besotted pirates can't fight against reality, can't fight and win, at least."

She sighed, hanging her head momentarily.  "I know... I'd always wondered what their end game was.  I was sure they'd never give up their Garlean protection, where can they go now?  It is hopeless isn't  it..."

He nodded.  Its obvious she'd cared about the cause - or, perhaps, not so much the cause, as those who had fought for it.  "That's just the damned thing isn't it.  To 'ave any real sense of freedom, they'd have had to give it all up.  Lose-lose.  Better to die trying, which I guess is what ol' Slaeglac did in the end.  Just went better than he'd expected."  He bit his good lip for a moment while looking for a way to change her depressed tone, "Still, it was somethin' at least to beat a Garlean squadron.  They'll be lickin' their wounds for a while."

"Of course..." She nodded very slightly, lowering her gaze.  "The trouble is that it means the Empire won't underestimate the Maelstrom next time."

"O' course," he nodded in agreement.  "That's truth, and I'm sure you know what it means." She nodded in agreement before he continued, "We've given away the element of surprise in exchange for respite, for a near-worthless little island.  Not perhaps the best play for the Maelstrom"

"Its not worthless to those there, at least..." she countered, thinking of the Osric, Leanne, and others who'd rallied to the cause of those on the island.  "And in the end, they did stand up to the Empire."

"Truth again.  And in full honesty, it ain't exactly worthless, except when lookin' at it from the Admiral's perspective.  Someone out there's makin' a pretty penny off it, no doubt.  Its gonna be a growin' concern for some time.  And whoever's makin' the pennies is a clever one, I'd wager. He's not puttin' many back into it."

He nodded to himself, "There's your real winner, if you were lookin' for one."

She just watched the sea.  "No doubt..."  she stated in a distant, soft voice, while her mind wandered to Edda and her father.  

"O' course there are other winners. In Limsa, no one's goin' to remember a riot a week later.  But, reputations 'ave a way of stickin'. And more than a few 'ave been made and lost 'ere.  Slaeglac's name is near legend, can't say how long that will last, but that's a man who won't have to pay for his own rum for a while.  Seems there are a few other Officers who've earned themselves promotion too.  That Holkstymm, for example.  Word is he's gonna found some new Maelstrom judicial branch, or somethin'.  I don't know if I care for that, pirates is still pirates in the end."

"And, a few others have lost theirs, I doubt its necessary for me ta mention the names, but they're out there on the streets."

She knew just who he meant. Her thoughts wandered to Anstarra, Yheli, and others. For some it wasn't so much that they'd lose their standing with the Maelstrom, as the Maelstrom had lost its standing with them. Zanzan, Khunbish - and no doubt more who would never look upon their membership in the Levy quite the same way, if they did not resign it completely.

"Those are the sorts of things that stick with us - effect the future in ways no one can know yet.  That'll wind up mattering more than Gloam, I'm sure."

She looked at him, curious, if unconvinced.  

"And, o' course..." he turned to her, a direct gaze she couldn't help but return, "There are a couple of sailors alive who wouldn't have been otherwise.  That's somethin', aye?"

A smile played over her lips, she could see the old friend she remembered - in there somewhere beneath that cynical crust of an exterior.

"It is..." she readily agreed, thankful to think of something more positive.

"Savin' those that didn't have to die.  That's something to take home with you and put in your pipe for a good smoke."  He turned back to the sea, nodding.  "Maybe it'll mean even more someday.  Depends what the lads do now, I wager."

"We can hope."

"Aye... if hope's worth having'."  He seemed unconvinced, and paused for a moment as he enjoyed the quickly dwindling cigarette.  

"That reminds me, there's also a certain Miqo'te privateer that made fool of himself several times over. He and that mate of his, 'Troublemaker', 'Problemsolver', whatever it is."  He flicked his eyes toward her with a hint of accusation, as if he knew of her friendship with S'imba and Osric, and her time on the Sultana's Revenge.

She turned her eyes back toward him.  "That's somethin' likely to stick for a while too.  More bad, than good, for him I'd wager."

"Speakin' o' the 'Revenge'," he started, "I heard a strange rumor.  The crew's sayin' they had some sort of blonde goddess aboard out at Gloam."  He offered a brief glance her way, as he knocked the ash off his nearly finished smoke.  "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

She turned to him, lips slightly parted as she avoided a straight answer.  He flicked the bud of his cigarette into the briny deep.

"That's what I thought." He stated with a laugh while pushing back from the railing.  Turning to walk away he waved an empty hand back to her, "I'd stay far away from Gloam if I were you.  There aren't enough real goddesses to go around, as is."

She sighed.  That was that then...

[explodingdisgust-blog]

The Muran Hordes I

Following on from: https://plus.google.com/114999809330885155321/posts/cXHoqpEPMYy (archive[dot]fo[slash]PN6WJ)

@marshax-marshmallow

I’ve said this before, ill say this again. On my Tumblr, or nowhere. I will address your points there, since it’s a place i’m active on and the formatting is better for me to debate things.

Sorry, did you forget something? Your old 'this is the internet' excuse? As I've said before, I don't give a fuck about where it happens. And since you bill yourself as being so 'controversial' and partisan in the particular way that any reactionary does, you are a fucking weakling by your own standards. Don't tell me that I don't know about the pride that contrarian reactionaries have when invading new spaces of discussion and spaces of thought: it's happened to liberal talking points (even in academic circles: is Peter Singer not an example of someone who is dangerously close to biological reductionism, the kernel of racism?); it's happened to 4chan (/pol/ was filled with Swarmfront shills); it's happened to YouTube with the rise of the 'skeptics' who have accelerated rightwards. So okay, LET'S FUCKING SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT. I’ll turn up in both places just so you don’t run away from what I’m saying.

Remember, though: you don't go to see reality; it comes out of nowhere and gives you a punch in the face - so don't cry about how you've got a nosebleed in this metaphorical sense. It is just like how I had completely forgotten that you were on G+. But here I am, dealing with you anyway.

People who are reading Birdie’s G+ most often aren’t here to read some rando’s papers on Marxism and Sexual freedom, and I bet Sophia doesn’t want these things spamming her notifications. My blog is where I express those kinds of things, some people read it, either out of hate or genuine interest. I agree that you want discussion and I want too, and thats why i’m saying we should take this somewhere its most likely to happen.

All you're telling me is that people don't want my walls but that says NOTHING about what they contain. Who's the fucking contrarian now, Marsha? Huh? Who's on the side of what you - and if you're right about them, all the others - want to repress? Again, so much for being so radical.

I know that this is not a dedicated thread in any sense besides the fact that I have set many of the topics but I don't care because I am here, right now, discussing this. If you really want discussion, you'll do it here with me right now. I can fuck off to Tumblr, yes, but you should know EXACTLY why I continue on G+.

You want to go into my pathologies? Fine, I'm one step ahead of you. I also do this right here because people are obviously going to see how ridiculous I seem. I mean, what the fuck? I'm posting small essays in several comment threads underneath posts which are associated with some pubescent lolcow's pathetic attempts at being funny, edgy and critical. Of course I'm going to seem like I'm a mug. THAT IS THE POINT. But you can't get rid of people like me and what I'm saying: I know that it will haunt all of you. I want you to go further and fill in what I haven't. You don't like my calls to discuss because you want 'fun' in your online bubble, but the very reasoning behind why something is 'fun' isn't a settled matter and I will confront you on that.

After all, even if I balloon into a major lolcow (if I'm not already one!), I know what might happen. Some of the users refer to some lolcows as 'cultcows' because they gain a cult-like following from their particular stalkers and trolls. You know being a cultcow can be turned to one's advantage with some major sacrifices, right? Like how Chris-Chan retains their fame? I have the pathology of a sort of 'sacrificial catalyst'; that is why I stay here. Not quite a martyr (so you won't see me getting the equivalent of '72 virgins' any time soon; I have much better things to do than submit to a disgusting cult and waste everything that I have), but far more willing to do something for what I believe in than cowardly little you. I have so many kinks to work out and numerous torturous self-imposed programmes to go through. I don't want any of your fucking guilt, but I can turn your own pathologies against you and watch you cry as I exceed your ability by your own standards. So go on, fucking outdo me. Have a great time. Make it a special occasion. ‘Controversial’ my arse.

So please, take your arguments there or stop talking to me, cause I won’t answer. Hell, you can even copy paste what you’ve said here so we can continue, but please. You dont even need to use your account afterwards.

You think I don’t know how this works? You’ll set your sex-obsessed friends on me and when you have no arguments left, you’ll spam the fuck out of me and then introduce me to all sorts of horrible people who’ll do their best to shut me down. I don’t even care any more to some extent. Prove me wrong, I dare you.

But of course, now that I’m here, you’re gonna have to actually tackle my earlier points. You don’t get to run away from those, either. And if you do get your friends involved, neither do they get to run.

Earlier posts from the G+ thread (first post first):

@marshax-marshmallow​ :

im glad you're finally standing for what you believe in, birdo everyone in this goddamn community thinks all dark humor makes terrible things look cool but it couldn't be farther from the truth, if you dont actually believe in what youre saying and treat everyone with respect, you're fine. also, if you have a rape fetish that's okay too, because as long as everything is in your head, you're not harming anyone. rape is a fetish because it's taboo, and if you think all rape fetishists think rape is okay in real life you are so terribly wrong. i cant express how proud i am of you

@explodingdisgust​ :

WELL, WELL, WELL. If it's not the contrarian little shit that I've been monitoring for the last few weeks. I've seen what you do and I've archived your precious Tumblr; do you think you can get away from your bullshit? Not when I'm around. "everyone in this goddamn community thinks all dark humor makes terrible things look cool but it couldn't be farther from the truth" Their sensitivities and lack of appreciation for the critical part of your contrarianism is not an excuse for the rest of your contrarianism to be upheld. You have made a serious position out of the 'opposite' of common Western-liberal-enlightenment values of 'decency'. I've seen your at-least-ironic racism in the first few pages of your Tumblr and I wonder whether you've changed at all. Of course, I remain quite pessimistic about that considering your 'innocent' and nonchalant response to RibChills telling you to stop sexualising her fursona. These fuckers throw the baby out with the disgusting bathwater whereas you cling onto both. I'll get to your excuses soon enough; don't think that I won't utterly demolish your entire worldview. "if you dont actually believe in what youre saying and treat everyone with respect, you're fine." Right, because respect is reducible to maintaining standards of decency while maintaining fetishes and horrific pathologies in one's own private space? And where did such ideas for such thoughts, pathologies and fetishes come from? You will tell me that it is 'human nature', that it is innate, but no biological structure (including the brain) can account for the limitless quantities and qualities of thoughts that we could possibly have. In fact, if you were to say that you were actually and inevitably controlled by brain chemicals or anything else that isn't you as a rational individual, then this idea of what you've said would be owed to such chemicals - but there is no proof that the brain structures or anything else that isn't at the level of reason itself can account for it and has simply been left hiding for all these thousands of years that human thought has been changing for.   ANY FETISH IS ABOUT REASON ALONE, and the particular manifestation of this one is contrarianism - a love of what one is denied by those who follow and construct the most dominant values in societies. But because reason is intersubjective and comes from other subjects - after all, no ideas are innate, they are all communicated otherwise right now we would be able to understand the greats of philosophy in our toddler years - it cannot be something that's simply private. It can get into the 'private' domain and it can run out - ideology is reproduced memetically by us as rational subjects. Everything becomes framed in terms of rape or whatever fetishes become dominant. Rape becomes accepted and eventually it seems inevitable (just like capitalism) to the extent that it would be easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of that social phenomenon. But if people 'accept' the conditions of hypersexuality which come with the rape fetish, this is not necessarily a free choice because they are in the chains of what is socially-expected of them. Even though we are not conclusively-determined by our biology or by the laws of atomic physics, we ARE determined by movements in the social field which we too determine. The social field is inescapable and all-encompassing for rational beings (in our time, humans)! I advise you to read the works of Lacan and other psychoanalysts in matters like these. ALL of your empirical evidence about 'rape fetishists being decent people' or whatever's relevant that you want to prove only impresses those who uncritically accept the bourgeois-liberal idea of the split between the public and 'private' domains. Again, as I have shown, there is no such split. This is known to Marxists, who understand that we are not reducible to 'individuals and families' as Margaret Thatcher was an idiot to suggest. At the very least, a particular fetish is the dark reflection of the society in which one is brought up - and we are indeed brought up in a society where postmodern contrarians - neo-reactionaries and fascists of all stripes, 'progressive' or not - are in a frenzy of rebellion against ageing and self-destructive liberal values. Their solution is your solution: the uncritical acceptance of the simple negative of the old values. 'Sex is only a bit of fun, like you say, but we should embrace that instead of being all serious like you say!' And so it is with outright racism, sexism, all sorts of other things. You and the other cunts are the flies who buzz in the face of the old liberals - you are at war with yourselves over which of your identities can win out (e.g. Tumblr 'SJWs' and 'neo-Nazis' from 8chan would have serious disagreements over which groups' identities matter the most but they agree with the basic premises of a general segregationism; they feel that people are intrinsically hard-wired to behave in certain ways, for example). The paradox is that this is a very serious position for you. Yes, contrarianism is a conversion of an initial critical reaction to a  given set standards into another standard position which is the simple negative of the old one. You put all your weight behind supporting 'what exists and should not exist' instead of changing the field entirely and being too contrarian for your own contrarianism. Liberals cede political ground to such identity politics because they are forced to defend free speech and uphold the domain of the 'private', which is part of the excuse that the new reactionaries use against them. But you are not reading the words of a liberal here, Marsha. I AM A PROUD AND PARTISAN MARXIST and I am not afraid to hold you or anyone else responsible for what you say as a rational subject. I seek to qualitatively-change standards, taking the best from everything in a similar way to Lacan's borrowing from other philosophers. I know that 'standing on the shoulders of giants' is what we need to do rather than 'forget everything and go full reverse gear'. This is infinitely more horrifying for you than the old conservative 'get it out of my face' mentality: I HAVE FOUND REASON TO BE BORED OF CONTRARIAN FETISHES, EVEN THE CRITICAL DIMENSION THAT THEY MIGHT HAVE. The upshot is that you are throwing VERY DANGEROUS IDEAS into childrens' minds, stripping the ideas of all critical content that they might have while branding whatever remains as hip, contrarian and critical. You want people to accept what they are trying to repress and embrace it as if it won't do anything. Sorry, Marsha. IT FUCKING WELL WILL, and you know it. Go and fuck right off from this place or be ready for another wall of text. You're not going to get away without someone shattering your excuses one-by-one. I guess it's just the internet, huh?

@marshax-marshmallow :

can you speak common english? I understood half of what you said because you feel the need to constantly bring up the Big Boy Political Labels instead of calling things for what they are, not to mention the 'holier than thou' language you parade. No, me defending free thought isn't "a spit in the face of the old western liberal contrarian ideals" or whatever and you being a PROUD, PRO LACAN AND PARTISAN MARXIST has nothing to do with any of this. Cut that bullshit, go straight to the point. And if you want people to engage in your debate, make it easy and precise for them to understand, especially since this is *Birdie's Google+* Do that, on my tumblr, and i'll try to debate with you. But I doubt you could do that without getting off your high horse

@marshax-marshmallow :

+RainbowDashie Artist Wikipedia doesn't bring up unrelated issues and neither does it use long and eloquent speech redundantly

@explodingdisgust :

So because people have NO FUCKING CLUE as to how to use dictionaries, literature and videos, I'm going to have to fucking explain everything all over again. Fucking shoot me, I do not like doing this but I consider myself ethically-bound to do so not only because I am a Marxist but because I have to try to give a bunch of kids a critical leg-up, as it were. But I will remain here to remind you that your arguments ARE DEAD and there are no two ways about it. "can you speak common english? I understood half of what you said" Right, because you can't even use one of those dictionaries that's been written by liberals let alone confront the vast tomes of thought that I am currently studying. And of course, you can't even be bothered to tell me what it is about my post that you don't understand - your only hint is that you're unfamiliar with the terminology. To everyone who isn't mentally-handicapped or a bourgeois ideologue - this is precisely the laziness of the neo-fascists! If you're serious about your position, why the fuck aren't you gonna make a much harder and more detailed defence of it? "because you feel the need to constantly bring up the Big Boy Political Labels instead of calling things for what they are," You'll be shocked to hear this but I am indeed "calling things for what they are". I am doing my best to step away from much of the horrific psychoanalytic and political terminology in my explanations of such terminology when I do include them in my work so that I'm not appearing to tailspin in the dense bodies of thought which I have confronted over the years. For example, do you not know what I mean when I make the distinction between the 'public and private domains' given the ubiquity of this sort of liberal concept? It should be very clear that the 'private domain' is simply the social world of humans (or more generally, of rational beings - a category whose only known members are humans) at the level of individuals. Come on, did you understand my use of the Margaret Thatcher quote - her erroneous judgement that society is simply 'individuals and families'? Is that 'Big Boy' enough for you, huh? What about the 'simple negation' of Western-liberal-Enlightenment values - or more simply put, of 'conservative' values? I mean 'simple negation' here in a sense that anyone who's understood Hegel, Marx and Engels in even the slightest fashion can understand it: it is simply a particular 'not' of the prevailing values around a preconceived axis - that instead of rape fetishism being a taboo, 'it's fine and doesn't even harm anyone'; that instead of ironic racism being unspeakable, 'it's nothing like that; it's absolutely fine and it's just a joke'; that instead of repressing and trying to minimise sexuality and confining it to the private space of desire, 'it's completely fine to be hypersexual and it's fucking fun too'. It is not a complete change of values, taking the best from both the proposed worldviews and discarding parts of them where they are 'both worse' and constitute a 'double blackmail'. Your particular 'simple negation' accepts much of liberal philosophy and comes to reactionary, fascistic conclusions: the hypersexual and supposedly-hedonistic libertinism (look that up) of the private domain is to be brought into public view and then celebrated as something inevitable and fun, even among children. To go a bit Zizekian: the opponents that you recognise, the conservative defenders of 'decency', have taken the blue pill because for them 'none of this overtly-sexual rubbish should happen' and it represents the degeneration of Western values; you have taken the red pill, seeing 'reality' for what it is and celebrating it. The bluepilled and redpilled consider themselves to be opposites of one another. Marxists, meanwhile, do not recognise even many liberal conclusions which both the blue and red pills depend on: we construct and take a third pill even if it's just from bits and pieces of the red pill and the blue pill - it's something more than simply the two combined. For Marxists, the private-public distinction is very weak because the very stuff of reason that 'private individuals use' is shared between people - after all, how was much of it given to them? Were they born with it? If so, where is your empirical evidence about this and how does it prove that it can be owed to something that they were born with? If I'm wrong here, toddlers would say that they understand neurobiology or quantum physics without any intervention from us! Show me a study which says that they can do that. My claim otherwise is contrapositive (in a formal-logical sense and not a dialectical one); it is based on the lack of evidence for the opposite claim. See how far I'm willing to go to drive my points home to someone who essentially claims is that I am like an arrogant priest who is speaking to the hopeless and stupid laity? Frankly, if you don't understand my points, it is because you don't fucking want to understand them and you are consciously going out of your way to not investigate. You are also involved in this excuse of a discussion whether you like it or not. 

"not to mention the 'holier than thou' language you parade." Fucking hell. You are serious when you say this? We are in dark times. MOTHERFUCKER, ANYONE CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT I AM SAYING IF THEY CONFRONT THE WORKS THAT I HAVE DRAGGED MYSELF THROUGH; I AM NO FUCKING PRIEST. I DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO SOME SACRED TEXT THAT ONLY I HAVE THE SPECIAL ABILITIES TO DECIPHER. Because I have done what I can think of to explain myself, the onus is on you and the other boring contrarian ARSEHOLES to get the fuck over to the literature of the traditions that I identify with and use in order to understand 'the other half' of what I'm saying. If I knew that you would never be able to approximate what I'm saying, why would I bother to explain myself instead of condescendingly passing by and sneering at you for subscribing to an 'inferior' worldview? In fact, why would I even be here at all? And no, before you fucking pipe up about how I want to 'indoctrinate children' and throw other stupid accusations in front of me, I do not want you or anyone else to take what I'm saying as scripture. I want you to critique and extend what I'm saying; I want to construct a dialectic here. I am willing to spend hours of time flooding you with oceans of text not because I wish to wave my pride before you but because I want to discuss things and explain what I'm saying. I want people - including children - to be empowered using philosophy, science and all the other kinds of knowledge and standards of reason. "No, me defending free thought isn't "a spit in the face of the old western liberal contrarian ideals" or whatever and you being a PROUD, PRO LACAN AND PARTISAN MARXIST has nothing to do with any of this." WRONG. The traditions of Marx and Lacan do concern themselves with matters such as sexuality, ideology, 'free thought', small-scale politics and all of that. If sexuality, for example, was not a concern of Marxism, then there would be little or no discussion of it among Marxists. So why would Engels, not only a Marxist but one of the founders of Marxism, write THIS? marxists.org - Origins of the Family. Chapter 2 (IV) And why would Freud, a psychoanalyst who had much to say about sexuality, have his work incorporated into political theory many times over by the Frankfurt school of Marxism if Marxist politics have nothing to do with sex? And in Lacan's case, what about his 'equations of sexuality'? Go on, go to Google, Bing, DDG or whatever search engine you want and type in 'lacan equations of sexuality'. Even besides that, you are telling me that none of what I'm saying matters, but what I am discussing entirely relates to how best it is to consider sexuality. It is not separate from politics at all - the sexual IS political, it IS a performance, it's not simply a matter of 'up-and-down movements'. Why would we question why we fuck at all? Why would we even do it in the first place if it's just a load of movements? You can try to argue that it's a matter of biology, but one can ask: 'why should we humans reproduce? Why should society be about biological reproduction?' So no, SEX IS NOT OUTSIDE POLITICS, and it is thus the concern of Marxist politics and of political philosophy in general. In fact, the great irony about your sentence here is that it is a political statement even as far as discussing sexuality is concerned. I mean, seriously? Are your understandings of philosophy and politics THAT bad? Then again, I know that you are nothing short of a troll if your insistence on repeating your boring humour (e.g. ironic racism) and your recent Discord 'raids' are anything to go by - so you have a vested interest in not sitting down, shutting the fuck up and understanding my words. Never mind that the greatest troll is to seriously engage with my arguments and leave me with the much bigger task of having to find more material. Of course, what are you actually trying to say here? You are no 'free-thinker'. Instead, you are another boring contrarian who viciously upholds the seemingly-permissive, seemingly-inclusive 'simple negative' of prevailing ideas of decency! That is as far as you will go in being critical of the current state of the world. 'Accept your sins!' you scream. 'They are inevitable and natural! Why do anything to stop them? It's the internet, for fuck's sake!' Meanwhile, here is a Marxist asking for something much more radical - and it is going to horrify you to no end. MAKE SEX BORING AGAIN. I am no enemy of the freedom-chasing power of contrarianism; I encourage its use. But contrarianism is not free enough; it is still in the chains of thinking that it's the only possible opposition to the current ruling order. So in a way, it is not me that's holier-than-thou, IT IS YOUR CONTRARIANISM ITSELF, because it fails to unlock a new critical dimension and sneers before any attempts to go further than its own particular opposition to the status quo. But it also concerns Marxism in another way because it concerns (Marxian) Communism, the unique proletarian movement which seeks the end of class divisions and the end of capitalism. You want us to accept the logic of the private space, the fantasies of domination and mindless experimentation. Do you know what this is, Marsha? IT IS THE LOGIC OF THE BOURGEOIS CLASS. Nothing is off limits for the rulers of the world besides Communism. If they want to fuck a child, for example, they can bloody well go ahead and do it without being questioned. This is outrageous! We are allowing these people to do whatever the fuck they want regardless of the very real consequences including the social blackmails and lack of real choices that people are faced with despite legally being able to do many more things? Yes, Marsha, if something is recognised as being 'legal' by a government, it does not make it right. And even if a choice is 'guaranteed' by a given legal system, it is not necessarily put in place. If people are allowed to have rocket launchers and while one person can buy a rocket launcher and another who is otherwise the same as the first person can only afford a slingshot, who is more likely to destroy the other in a fight with their weapons? The politics of freedom is the politics of tearing apart the divison of the 'private' and public domains so that we no longer fuck around and do things without criticism. But in fact, this also frees the once-bourgeois in a sense because they can move on to do better and more effective things as dictated by reason, which does not represent the will of a particular person but all people including themselves. The bourgeois defence of what they believe to be this closed-off private space is nothing more than a defence of stupidity which is supposed to be 'kept away from the masses' but never truly is.

"Cut that bullshit, go straight to the point."

Sorry, Marsha. In trying to explain my points to you, I AM OBLIGED TO TYPE OUT THESE GIANT RESPONSES in case you misunderstand what I'm claiming if you

do

decide to engage with the arguments that I bring against you. There is so much to go through that you are going to have to sit down - perhaps for years - and read the works of those who are in the same traditions as I am. Worse still, you will have to read the works of others outside such traditions to compare and critique the various ideas which they discuss. Nothing is truly simple in the world whether you like it or not. Unfortunately, we live in times of clickbait, woefully-short attention spans and a lack of self-discipline (this is true even of myself!). You are going to confront your laziness even if you want to argue your own case in an effective way.

"And if you want people to engage in your debate, make it easy and precise for them to understand, especially since this is

Birdie's Google+

"

And what the fuck do you think I've been trying to do? Again, why would I even bother turning up? Get this: I know that I don't seem credible in the eyes of the hundreds of children who read her posts and I don't necessarily give a fuck - so if you accuse me of doing this to wave my fucking pride in front of you, you're dead wrong.

You can try to give me an Encyclopedia Dramatica - style diagnosis about 'the

real

reasons why I'm here' but anyone can say what I'm saying regardless of their psychology. I could've come here with a great big beaming smile on my face. I could adopt the same contrarian snark that you have. That you are confronted with an angry, grave and seemingly-parental scumbag is

irrelevant

because it subtracts nothing from the vast majority of what I'm saying. Motherfucker, do you know what an 'ad-hominem' fallacy is? Attacking a person rather than an argument which anyone can make does not attack that argument. If I said 'you're Brazillian and you come from a degenerate nation, your opinion doesn't matter', I would be making a stupid claim because I wouldn't have actually said why what you're saying is wrong - at most, I would've said something about the real social forces which led you to adopt this reasoning. So don't come to me with any ad-hominems of your own without engaging with my points themselves because it's not going to fucking work - even for your pride, especially now that you've tried to position yourself as a defender of freedom with all the dignity that comes with it.

"Do that, on my tumblr, and i'll try to debate with you."

First, I do not have access to a Tumblr page or account and I do not want to create one. Second, why NOT discuss shit here? Come on, what gets added to my arguments if I bugger off to Tumblr? Besides that, I am here because I would like to make a great big example out of you. You are 'sinfulmarsh', are you not? A crusader for 'free thought' and open 'acceptance' of (hyper-)sexuality, yes? Lover of all that's taboo, uncomfortable and other shit like that?

Well, fuck you. I am proud to turn up on some 'random' corner of the internet (which, in reality, is NOT 'random' at all but one that I've consciously-selected) and fire walls of text in your direction. If you don't like that, remember that 'it's the internet' and anything can happen; *

BY YOUR OWN STANDARDS OF REASONING

**, YOU SHOULDN'T BE MOANING SO MUCH. So much for being a contrarian, eh, Marsha? Where's your fucking 'free thought'?*

"But I doubt you could do that without getting off your high horse"

Your accusation is laced with with irony considering how your anti-intellectualism is itself an arrogant denial of my words having any worth whatsoever. You don't even bother to ask me any questions relating to the arguments themselves; do you think I won't spot that? FUCK YOU, Marsha. I am at least one step ahead of you because I know what it's like to be a contrarian; I've passed through this phase and I've become even 'worse' since. I know the tricks and the blind spot of your contrarianism; at its most general, it is the same as my own, and I am quite far beyond it as someone who seeks that 'third pill'. In fact, I am far more contrarian precisely because I seek to change values and standards. I have learned to weaponise my contrarianism! That is what is so unsettling for you about Marxists: we are you and more; we can emulate your modes of thought. We seek to take the best out of everything and turn it into something more.

---

@explodingdisgust​ :

Ah, look at this! Is 'eloquent' not a Big Boy word? Look at this motherfucker betray her own rhetorical standards. No shame, huh? And so the snake eats its own tail; the beginning of Marsha's dissonance is here. Meanwhile, for those of us who aren't busy trying to uphold degeneracy and soft forms of servitude:

https://www.revleft.space/vb/threads/195805-SL-cultism-exposed!!?s=d2444b96573a3897b1e106ae6f9bf772&p=2873207#post2873207

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3bBreSgaik

---

@explodingdisgust​ :

And before anyone says that I've misunderstood them, remember that you don't get to choose how your statements are interpreted unless you craft your words very carefully. If I missed something, point it out. If not, explain yourself or get lost.

---

@marshax-marshmallow

I’ve said this before, ill say this again. On my Tumblr, or nowhere. I will address your points there, since it’s a place i’m active on and the formatting is better for me to debate things. People who are reading Birdie’s G+ most often aren’t here to read some rando’s papers on Marxism and Sexual freedom, and I bet Sophia doesn’t want these things spamming her notifications. My blog is where I express those kinds of things, some people read it, either out of hate or genuine interest. I agree that you want discussion and I want too, and thats why i’m saying we should take this somewhere its most likely to happen. So please, take your arguments there or stop talking to me, cause I won’t answer. Hell, you can even copy paste what you’ve said here so we can continue, but please. You dont even need to use your account afterwards.

[fipindustries]

third week at the book store

is like the universe realized i’m doing this and decided to increase the amounts of zanyness in my life just to give me material, for example:

there is a guy who sits to play the acordion at the entrance of the book store every day and today it was when the season hit it stride and the clients where are it’s most demanding, so my morning was basically me on a frantic haze in the middle of a crowd chasing book while a silly little acordion tune was playing in the background and i realized i suddenly was in the middle of a movie montage.

but anyway, let’s start.

on scatological happenstances:

i literally, no bullshit or embellishment, crapped my pants in the middle of my job (must have been something i ate). I cannot believe such a sitcom situation could have happened to me and yet it did. Luckly i live five minutes away of my house and one of my bosses was understanding enough to let me go and change my pant without having to really explain any embarassing details, i just had to mumble something about an emergency change of clothes and she allowed me to discreetly leave my position, though i did hear her mutter under her breath as i walked away “this is the first and last time this happens”

more about understanding bosses:

this is a nicer anecdote that could have ended much worse.

i usually have the bad impulse of getting in the middle of a sale that another employee is having with a client if i think i have pertinent information and i have done it with my manager in more than one ocassion. And he warned me that if i ever did that again then he was just going to dump the client on me regardless of if was already busy with something else.

so, one day he is talking with a client and the client mentions a book that i remembered seeing in the deposit room a few days ago, now my boss was just about to explain that the book wasnt on the store but i interrupted and said that we did have the book.

my manager gets understandably annoyed by this and, as he promised, he dumps in me the responsability to go find the book (which he is convinced it’s not there) just to set me up to fail and then having to explain the client that i had lied to him.

now this sounds like the typical story when the spunky and wide eyed young employee proves his worth to his old and stupid boss, right?

wrong, i was actually really ashamed of my self and worried i had angered my boss so i go look for the book (and find it) and then i check the database and i realized what happened was that the database showed the book as nonexistant even though we had it and that was why the boss thought it wasnt there. this doesnt change the fact that the boss is angry at me so, in a very contrite manneri go back and try to explain what happened, to which my boss answers that i had to explain the client that we couldnt sell the boo to them.

i take this as the boss trying to make a point on me so that i dont make the same mistake again, i have a quick debate of whether i should ignore my boss and sell the book anyway but i decide it was not worth risking making my boss angrier, so i put down the book, tell the client we dont have it and send them away.

then my boss starts to explain in a very condescending tone about how we should mind our own bussines and not interrupt in the middle of a situation we dont understand and then a thought cames to me, could it be that he still thought we didnt have the book?

so very timidly i explain i did found the book and he stops and looks at me confused, and then he looks at the book whichj i am holding in my hand and with the most doumbfounded of expressions he asks “then why didnt you tell me?” i explain that i did tell him and it turns out he misheard me saying the book wanst on the database.

and then the weirdest thing of all happens, he actually apologizes for his mistake, even though in a lot of ways it was my stupidity which ruined a sale that could have happened he still apologized to me. and it it was at that moment i realized i had been reading far too many stories about cartoonishly unreasonable bosses and that was what i had taken him for.

funny how life works out.

(the book was tales of earthsea 3 by ursula leguin, btw)

one more about me being a terrible employee:

my coworkers started noticing that i’m writing these notes down and when they asked me what they ere for i answered “for my blog”

so one particularly slow day where no clients where showing up my boss decides to kill time by asking him to show him my blog. this blog. on this blue hellsite. a danger everyone on the internet always jokes about and yet i never thought could actually happen for real.

cue the steamed hams sequence.

thankfully everything was in english and i hadnt rebbloged porn or any other weird pictures in weeks so everything my boss saw was a bunch of english posts he didnt understood.

dodged that fucking bullet.

some other anecdotes that had nothing to do with my job

part a, my grandfther:

there was a time, as a teenager, where i actually went every week to have lunch and my grandparent’s house after school. in many of these visits i would talk to my grandma (the more talkative and amenable of my grandpas) about what i had done at school.

so one day im talking about some programming that i had done, computer talk, i’m trying to talk in terms as generic as possible because i know she doesnt really follow the subject that well when suddenly, out of nowhere, my grandfather asks me “but... how does a computer store all those things inside? how does that work?”

now keep in mind a couple of things, first, my grandpa almost never talks, and never at all about computers, he doesnt even have a cellphone, not even an old model, he never did,so i dont know where this sudden interest comes from.

secondly, i have no idea where to even start explaining this shit to him, specially considering i dont really have that good a grasp on it my self.

so there i am, trying to juggle in my head things such as flip flop logic gates, binary data, adressing, memory allocation and etc when from out of the ether a moment of pure inspiration come to me and i say

“well, it like how a battery holds electricity inside, right?”

now i know this is not actually quite how it works but the things is that i tink i still did a pretty good job conveying the idea of how we can store huge amounts of abstract energy into a very small physical support, like you see a flashlight and you may wonder how is it possible that such a small recipent can contain so much continuous light?

anyway, my grandpa just nodded and made no further questions

part b, a D&D story:

now excuse me if this dont reach the hilarity levels of a mcelroy podcast but anyway.

this was the third time ever that i was playing D&D and i wanted to play an elf, but not just any elf, a 25 year old elf, esentially a little kid. and i really play to it, i acted naive, innocent, childlike, you get the gist.

so eventually got into the grimy bussiness of a combat encounter, as one does, my party got ambushed by a group of cultists and we started kicking and stabbing and killing and eventually we managed to whittle them down to one single guy. And in line with my young innocence i try to the very last moment to negotiate and talk things through, so when there is just one guy left i sort of stop and ask him desperate “stop! we’ve already killed all you comarades, we are more than you, what are you expecting to get out of this!?”

so the cultist just up and kills himself in front of my poor little character traumatizing him for life and the funny thing is that on some level it got to me, i honestly said that in the hopes that the DM would just stop and give us a chance to interrogate him and that move caught me completly by surprise.

so that was fun.

me being a revolutionary fighting against authority:

a lot of my job involves taking peoples credits cards and identity documents so that they can pay for the book without actual cash, i always have to remind the clients to give me their papers so that i cant actually perform the payment.

one time a cop came to buy some books and i had the rare chance to flip the tables and ask a cop for his documentation.

it was exhilarating

thoughts on books:

i believe that we (and by we i meant those with an actual brain on their heads), we all wish for a world where books are more beloved and respected by everyone, but we forget what happened last time a book became too loved and respected.

that’s right, that book is called, the bible.

(as i was trying to jot this silly little joke on a piece of paper i was interrupted by a client who came to buy a bible, this is not a coincidence because etc)

more on the good book:

these are very real mangas about the old and new testament that we sell in our book store, now im not surprised that these exists as much as i am surprised by the fact tha my very noirmal and serious book store sells these right next to real official bibles like it’s no big deal.

now some actual serious thoughts on religion:

two interesting and opposite situations in which christianity triumphed despite overwhelming odds against, told by someone with a very feeble grasp of history:

first with the roman empire, the romans were the undisputed supreme empire and the christians were a small nation of desert dwellers who existed only to be crucified or fed to the lions, yet eventually the whole empire turned into the chatolic apostolic roman church and were in fact the main reason it spread so far through the world.

on the other side there is the afro american communities taking into slavery on the emergent america. Even though slaves had every reason to hate and curse the god of their slavers the fact is they actually clinged on to christianity pretty hard, to the point that in the long run the black communities became a staple of american christianit, what with gospel and such.

christianity seems to be infectious regardless of it being the champion or the underdog.

thoughts on loosing weight, though it can be applied to other things:

there are two options:

either you dont do it because you can’t or because you won’t.

if you can’t then there is no shame to that becuase it would be unfair to ask the impossible.

if you wont, you can pretend you could if you only wanted to, and this is you choosing not to and there is no shame on that either.

[justtextmeoppa]

❝ He’ll save us. ❞

Plot: Hoseok is a mafia boss and  you're suddenly kidnapped by one of his rival/enemy and he tried to save you. 

Pairing: HoseokxReader 

Words count: 2,3k+

Genre: Mafia!Au 

For anon, Hope you like it! - M. 

Gif isn’t mine, credits to the owner! ♥

"See you later."  

With that phrase you bowed to him and caressed his cheek with your lips, ripping one of those smiles you adored.  

Jung Hoseok struggled to smile since he had had to take over the reins of the father's criminal empire. Before it was totally different, he was aware of the father's affairs but it was always far away. He always smiled and you fell in love with that smile every day, but without confessing to him what you felt for fear of being rejected.  

Then the change. Hoseok had gone from being an incredibly solar and positive guy to being a ruthless leader of one of Seoul's most influential mafia associations. He was the only one with whom Im Jaebum, the most feared boss, had narrowed a strange but functioning alliance.  

And from that day he had stopped smiling.  

It was strange to you to see that change happen, but that didn't stop you from loving him. You were the daughter of her father's right arm, you grew up together, that life didn't scare you anymore.  

At the delicate touch of your mouth, he grazed your forearm, but leave his eyes onto the papers he had in front. You didn't mind he's not paying attention at that time, you knew what problems were on the horizon and you didn't want to bother him too much.  

"I love you" You whispered in his ear, returning to an upright position and with a small nod of the hand you greeted his "bodyguard". Not that he needed it, but he was still happy to keep a ruthless serial killer close by; for any eventuality. "Bye Yoongi" You added gently moving the hand and the boy didn't smile, but a little smirk drew on his lips and you giggled because it was the only way he saluted her.  

Without saying more you came out of his office and with tranquillity you found the exit of the great mansion where you lived for three years.  

"Y/N!"  

You turned to the voice that had just called you back, smiling at Jimin who was walking a quick step towards you; "What happened Jimin??"  

"The boss told me to come with you. You know, he's a little worried. "  

The idea of having a bodyguard didn't surprise you, but without arguing you accepted that situation and you would be in the car once he opened the door to you.  

Park Jimin was what Jung Hoseok was no longer. Despite being a member of the mafia as his husband, still hard to believe that you had married your lover a year earlier, Jimin kept a certain sweetness; Both in his lines and in his behaviors. For this was he who was often assigned to your escort; because he was the one with you were more comfortable with.  

"Are you worried, Y/N?"  

"For Hobi.."  

"The boss will not let that idiot of Minjae ruin everything that was built in these years." He tried to reassure you, but the sense of nausea caused by anxiety didn't disappear; "Y/N, would you love him more if he wasn't who he is?"  

"Jimin I grew up with him.. What he's, doesn't identify who he is. "  

Your sincere answer made the raven black haired boy, who sat by your side and drove quietly through the streets of Seoul, smiling. You failed to understand why he smiled so openly and gently, so you turned to him and watched him carefully.  

That was the last thing you remembered before everything became dark.  

~ ~

"J-jimin.."  

A headache woke you and the neon lights that throbbed at the time didn't help that pain, even they worsened it. Your first thought was the guy who was with you. The memories, however, didn't seem to come back, because the last image you could bring to mind was Jimin who smiled gently.  

"Jimin.." You whispered again and at the same instant, the door opened. You hold your breath, frightened to death, but the two men in front of you violently threw a body almost inanimate at your feet. And those hairs, those clothes, the little tattoo on his neck, you would have recognized them everywhere.  

"Jimin!"  

"Sh.. I-I'm fine.." He was not unconscious, it was a relief to you, but he wasn't at the best of his beauty or strength. Only then you realized you had your hands tied behind your back and your feet tied to the legs of the chair, thus preventing you from helping him in some way. He spat a lump of blood on the ground and staggered up, but fell on his knees in front of you. Trembling he recovered a knife hidden in his left boot, destroying the ropes that kept you tied. However there was no way out, that room was without windows and with a single door as an entrance.  

As soon as the weight of the ropes around your wrists loosened you rest your hands under Jimin's arms, supporting him trying to stay calm. Gently you made him sit and he bent his head backward, revealing a face full of cuts, bruising, and lividity. They had to have tortured up to that moment.  

"Fuck Jimin.."  

"I went through w-worse.. But I didn't say n-nothing.. "  

You kept from giving him a slap because to protect the organization he had beaten himself to blood. Your hand ran to the pocket of your jacket but, of course, it was empty. No one was stupid enough to leave a phone to call some kind of rescue.  

"Hobi will find us, Jimin.."  

"I'm sure.." He murmured with a dirty smile of blood while looking around you noticed a first aid box. Enthusiastically grabbed her, realizing only after a few seconds that it was empty.  

"GREAT! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK." You cursed and this your sudden yelling made him smile more, who just leaned forward holding a hand on his right flank.  

"I never heard you scream like th.. Fuck.. "He began to say, lamenting when breathing caused yet another pang to his flank. You immediately approached him, kneeling and lifting the white shirt now red because of the blood. A huge hematoma covered most of his flank and the breath blocked in your throat because it didn't look good.  

"It'll be all right, jimin."  

But you couldn't believe your words either.  

~ ~

Hoseok's pov 

"Sir, they found the car three blocks from here."  

"Thanks, Yoongi.. Go tell Namjoon to get ready, along with Taehyung and Jungkook. "  

The mint haired boy nodded with a small nod, coming out of the door without making the slightest noise.  

Your gaze rested on the only photo you held on the desk, you and Y/N on your wedding day. Trying to calm the anger that flowed through your veins was becoming difficult for every second that passed, you only wanted to find the person responsible for what was going on and torture him to death.  

They had taken your wife and the boy who, despite trying to avoid, you considered a brother. No one would have stayed alive after a similar stupidity.  

"Sir."  

Three of them were calling you to the attention and you got out of the chair, slipping your two guns into the holsters hidden beneath the black jacket. "Do you think you come with us, sir..?"  

"I didn't tell you to talk, Jungkook. It's my wife, come on. " You silenced him with a frosty tone and he immediately bent his head to apologize, as you crossed them and walked out of your office with a quick step.  

You knew that routine, but you never would think that every second passed the life of the woman you loved was always in danger.  

~ ~

" HEY. LET US OUT! YOU'RE MAKING A BIG MISTAKE!"  

"You won't intimidate them... With.. That face.. You seem a lost puppy... "  

"Don't talk, you might have broken ribs and talking you could risk of letting them move and pierce a lung."  

"Comforting.." He chuckled as he returned to relax on the bed near the window, however executing that order you had just imparted.  

Despair now was so intense that the desire to destroy everything was the only thing you could think of. You couldn't count how long you were locked up in that room, but while your brain used to make those calculations, the door opened, flooding the room with an annoying light.  

Immediately, despite the pain, Jimin rose from the bed and dragged you behind, covering and protecting you with his own body.  

"The boss wants to see you."  

"Your boss can go fuck himself" You spit with anger those words, while Jimin shook his hand on your wrist and kept you looking to be silent.  

"Nice mouth, lady Take them. " He ordered to two giants behind him, and neither you nor Jimin could fight them. One of them put you on his shoulder to dead weight and despite the punches, the screaming and the kicks you were trying to pull him he kept walking as if nothing was.  

"SHIT, JERK! LEAVE ME! YOU'RE A MINDLESS GORILLA, LEAVE ME! "  

And he left you, in a very rude way, by beating your right flank against the concrete floor. Due to the impact with the ground, the breath was less, while a pang of pain spread throughout the injured part.  

"Y/N!" Jimin screamed, but he wasn't treated differently by you.  

Your sight blurred because of the pain, but you recognize the person in front of you in a few moments. Kim Minjae. That you at that time classified as the number one idiot in the world.  

"Just in time. We're going to have guests. " He murmured with an amused tone, while because of the pain you were still lying on the ground, with besides an equally sore jimin.  

"This is your conception of "Don't hurt"?"  

That voice was unmistakable and hear it made you almost smile, while the weight on your chest quickly began to fade like snow under the sun.  

Looking up you finally saw him, alone at the center of the big salon in which you were, finding it incredibly strange that at least Yoongi wasn't with him.  

Your eyes met and a flash of rage flashed in his, provoking you a shiver of fear that crossed your spine.  

You had never seen Hoseok so angry and for a miserable second, you felt almost sorry for Minjae. But only a second, then the satisfaction of knowing that he would pay for his mistake-filled your chest, making you just smile.  

"I'm sorry Hoseok, let's say your girlfriend was making a lot of mess."  

"Wife." Hoseok corrected him and despite the situation wasn't the best, your heart melted in hearing as he immediately had corrected him.  

"Oh, sorry. Let's talk about business, now?? "  

With an effort you dragged up to Jimin, who could no longer speak because of the pain, starting to caress his hair to distract him in some way. Your words of comfort and that little gesture seemed to work because he returned to breathing more normally and to open his eyes to observe the situation.  

"Yoongi..?" He asked with a trickle of breath, while you shook your head in denial. He lifted his gaze and noticed a figure that ran quickly on the parquet that surrounded the saloon, the one used to reach the shelves full of books of the highest part of the wall library. "They'll kill them all." He added with a neutral tone and you didn't look up, you didn't want to show anyone and then put the "mission" at risk.  

"Minjae what I told you the first time I met you?" Hoseok asked, with an icy tone, while his gaze was resting on the man before himself, sitting against his desk with a casual look.  

"That sooner or later I would pay for my stupidity."  

"That day has come."  

It was a moment, then Minjae's man began to fall on the ground as skittles. A bullet hole right in the middle of the forehead. He, incredibly frightened, observed how the men who were to protect him were dying and tried to recover the gun resting on the desk when a blow pierced his hand. His screams of grief filled the huge room while you watched Hoseok with the gun pointed at him, a quiet smile on his soft lips.  

"You've practically dug your pit by yourself, Minjae." And with that last sentence, the nth shot was shot, killing Minjae..  

A sigh of relief escaped from your lips and immediately the worried figure of Jungkook was at your side, taking Jimin into his arms and running out to be able to bring him from Seokjin and make him heal.  

It was all over and finally, the shock began to do his job, you started trembling and hot tears took to slide along your face just filthy blood.  

"Hey..."  

You flinched at the touch of Hoseok's hand, turning your gaze towards him and going immediately to hide yourself in his arms. He settled better on his knees, embracing you to himself and starting to slide his fingers through your hair and rocking you gently.  

"Hobi.. H-Hobi.. "  

"It's all over baby, it's all over. Our home is waiting for us."  

You couldn't answer, so without waiting much he took you into his arm like a bride, leaving the salon while Yoongi immediately flanked you along with Namjoon.  

You knew you had to thank them, but your voice seemed completely disappeared while you hiding your face against Hoseok's neck and trying to calm your nerves too tense.  

"J-Jimin.."  

"He'll be better, don't worry baby."  

"I didn't want you to kill him... You never killed anyone.. "  

"Not personally. But he deserved it, Y/N. He touched my family and that's what happens when you do it. "

[swimteamweirdo]

The Long Forgotten Arch Angel: Part 2

Pairings: None for now. Sam x Arch Angel!Reader (later)

Warnings: Violence, Kind of Awkward Dean Summary: Lucifer was cast from Heaven, and spent the majority of his time trying to find your soulmate. Only to find out that it’s him, but he doesn’t want you to lose everything and everyone. So he makes you believe that it was Sam who freed you from your stone prison. You sparked something in him that made him help his little brother for the first time in a very long time.

“Father please. If I can’t access her how will I find the person to undo the stoning process? I beg you please let me take her with me. I’ll keep her somewhere safe so that she won’t get vandalized. It’s unfair how you let Castiel and Gabriel see her, but you won’t let me.” God turned quickly, “Enough of your complaining! I understand that you miss her, but until you get close to her soulmate you will stay in your prison.” Lucifer let out a growl, “You’ll regret this. Oh yeah you’ll regret it.” With a swift flick of the hand from God Lucifer fell from Heaven to Hell.

—————————————–

Over hundreds of centuries Empires rose up and fell just as quickly. Lucifer spent the majority of his time skipping from vessel to vessel while looking for your soulmate, but to no avail. He finally did what he hadn’t done in at least a century. “Castiel I know you can hear me. I need to talk to you. I need your help.” The sound of wings swooping down behind him he turned to find Castiel and Gabriel. “What do you want Lucifer?” Castiel asked with an annoyed look on his face. “I’m still looking for her soulmate. I’m getting close I can feel it, but I just need your help.” Castiel shifted on his feet slightly uncomfortable, “I have a feeling about a couple of people, but Im not sure.” Lucifer paced, “ I want to meet them.” Castiel looked at his feet, “You already have…One of them is your vessel.” Lucifer followed Castiel back to Bobby’s place and he stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room. Dean swaggered in holding a beer in one hand and holy water in the other. Lucifer rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender, “Im not here to fight. I’m here, because a friend of mine is in trouble.” Castiel moved infront of Lucifer, “She turned herself to stone over 3,000 years ago when her lover was murdered. Lucifer took it upon himself to look for the reincarnation of her lover, but I think he’s stuck in hell. I think her soulmate might be one of you two.” Bobby chimed in from the kitchen, “Sounds like the worlds longest fit.” Lucifer just kept his head down, “I just want her back. I don’t need the snooty little responses or the rude comments. I genuinely need your help.” Sam looked at Dean, “Yeah I’ll help.” Dean rolled his eyes, “Fine.” They all headed for the door and Lucifer stopped and turned around, “One thing I should probably warn you about if one of you does wake her up. She’s the only angel with black feathered wings.” Castiel looked up at him, “Um…How are you going to get to her if she is in Heaven, and how can you see her wings? Only an angels soulmate can see their wings.” Lucifer turned towards the door, “Because she isn’t in Heaven. She’s in a garden in north Texas… I believe. Dad moved her before he disappeared, and I’m not her soulmate. Only good souls can have love. I’m not a good soul, besides she wouldn’t love me… Actually can’t love me. If she does she’ll lose everything she knows. I don’t want that.“ Castiel clears his throat, “Good to know you aren’t going adter her, because I don’t want you to hurt her. If you ever do…” Cas’s eyes began to glow blue, “You would be in big trouble.” Lucifer chuckled, “Oh little brother. That’s adorable, but two can play at that game.” Lucifers eyes began to glow red, “I think I win…For now.” When they got out of the house Sam walked up next to Lucifer, “So have you loved her since you met her, or is it a new thing?” Lucifer took a deep breath, “Listen Sam. (Y/N) was a good human, and now she’s an even better angel. I don’t want to ruin her good name with having a reputation as being Lucifers girl. I would even rather see her happy with Dean before I would want her happy with me.” Sam looked at Lucifer sadly, “But why? If you love her, why let her be happy with someone else?” Lucifer dropped his head, “I don’t want her to lose everything she worked so hard to get. Besides you’re my vessel that’s basically the same thing right?” Sam put a hand on Lucifers back, “You’re touching me…And it’s not because you want to beat me up. It’s an odd sensation…I’m not sure I like it.” —————————– They headed towards Wichita Falls, Texas and arrived a little past midnight. “Okay Lucifer, where are we going?” Lucifer came back to reality, “She is in a personal garden. Here is the address.” He handed Dean a piece of paper with an address written across it, “Who lives there?” Lucifer looked up, “Her name is Kazdy. She’s a lackey of mine.” At one in the morning they pulled up to a mansion, and outfront a woman with blonde hair and green eyes waited for them. She met Baby as it pulled up into the driveway. “Lucifer, it’s been a long time.” She held her arms out for a hug, “Kazdy this isn’t a social call. I’m here for, (Y/N).” She pouted and put her arms down, “Fine. Follow me.” As they started to walk towards the garden Dean looked at Lucifer. “She doesn’t look like much…She doesn’t even seem like a demon.” She stopped and turned to face them, “I can assure you I’m hard to get along with.” Her eyes glowed red, “She’s in there. Can’t miss her, she’s the only bloody statue I have. I’m gonna have to get a new one now.” They all pushed passed her and into the garden, “Damn. How long ago did this happen?” Gabriel flapped down out of nowhere, “All you have to do is touch her. Since Castiel and I are here preferably only the arms. We do hate people who disrespect her.” Dean stepped forward and hesitantly put his hand on your shoulder, but nothing happened. He shrugged and walked away. Sam still looking at her in a sort of daze, “I can see her wings. They’re beautiful…And big.” Sam stepped forward and tried a different approach by putting his forehead against yours and resting a hand on the side of your face. You let out a gasp, but nothing else happened. Sam stepped back, “Am I the only one that heard her gasp?” A voice from behind the boys laughed, “I love the little scene, but I have business with you boys.” They turned to find a demon holding a demom blade. Lucifer stepped forward, “You are to go back to Hell and wait in the throne room for me to get there.” The demon laughed, “I didn’t come alone…” About a dozen demons came out of the shadows one of them carrying Kazdy, the demon from before. He dropped her in a bed of flowers next to him. The first demon caught Lucifer off guard, and swatted him to the side where he layed unconcious. Gabriel had already been long gone so that left Castiel and the Winchesters. Dean drew a salt pistol and shot at the first demon who dropped like a sack of potatoes, but he was taken down by a female demon. He was out cold and in an attempt to protect him Castiel fought the female demon, and took her down. After a while of fighting he was taken down by two male demons. They then turned to Sam who stood frozen like a deer in the headlights. He looked around at his friend, his brother they were both down, and Lucifer who had disappeared. The 10 demons that were left over started to close in on him. He waited to feel you against his back, but he walked right over the pedestal you were on. He started turning around rapidly looking for you and Lucifer. A demon went to strike him, but you interrupted by slicing him in half with your angel blade. You defensively spread your wings, and made your eyes glow blue. “Does anybody else wish to challenge me?” You drew a second blade and swung both blades in a circular motion on each side, and got into your battle stance. The only female demon left out of the group backed down, and left the garden. The other eight males moved in when Lucifer reappeared and drew his own weapons. He moved in next to you, “It’s been a while since I’ve heard you threaten someone. It sends shivers down my spine.” You looked at Sam, “How about you join the fight. This’ll be fun.” You and Lucifer both chuckled, “Let’s do this.” You lead the attack taking down four of them while Lucifer took down three, and as you finished with your last watched as Sam took down the last. You looked over and saw Castiel unconscious, “Castiel! Oh my goodness!” You ran over to him and picked him up bridal style. Dean came into consciousness right before you picked him up, “Damn. How strong are you?” You winced, “I’m actually very weak right now.” You carried him over to a patio chair, “I do not know if I complete the process. You’ll have to take what I can give to you.” Your hands drifted 3-4 inches above his body and every injury he had began to glow blue. This was taking alot of your energy and a bead of sweat fell down your cheek. Lucifer must’ve sensed your weakening, because he helped you finish healing Castiel. When the process was done he looked up into your eyes, “He’ll be fine. You did good, (Y/N).” You smiled, “So who freed me?” Lucifer looked at Sam, “It was Sam.” You stood up and hugged him, “I thank you, Sam. I am at your disposal. When you are in trouble call upon me, my love.” Sam smiled and embraced the hug a little more. “I thought I was only meant to be Lucifers vessel. I didn’t think that I was actually meant to love someone.” You backed away, “I’m sorry, pardon? You’re Lucifers vessel?” Sam nodded, and you looked around for Lucifer but he was gone. You looked back at Sam who had his hand out reaching for yours. He took your hand in his, and walked you around the house to a car that Dean called “Baby.” You shared the back seat with Castiel who protectively kept you in his arms, and you departed from the house to go back to Bobby’s.

[georgeluz]

Hi! I have shoulder length brown curly hair and brown eyes. I'm whiter than paper, pretty short, and a bit chubby. If you could do Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Band of Brothers, that would be great. And ship me with a guy. Thanks!

OMG IM SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG… you are a sweet person for being patient!

The Character I See You As: Princess Leia! My sweet, adorable, but also badass princess. Knows how to save the world by throwing punches AND being insanely smart and witty. (Also screw canon this is gonna get weird in terms of friendships i just?? for got too tbh)

Your Three Best Friends: Luke, Padme, Rey

The One You Don’t Get Along With: Anakin Skywalker. 

Who I Ship You With: Finn! Funny, charistmatic, but needs to be pushed sometimes to get the job done faster (don’t get me wrong, he’ll do it, and when shit goes down he’s the guy to trust, but he’s also HESITANT), but he’s so caring and gentle. 100% good bf.

Wildcard: Daughter of an Empirical diplomat turned rebel.

———————-

The Character I See You As: John Hall! I love him. I really hate that we didn’t get to see more of him. Cute chubby cheeks, killer eyes, adorable and always willing to go where needed? He’s amazing.

Your Three Best Friends: Alex Penkala, Smokey Gordon, Shifty Powers

The One You Don’t Get Along With: Joe Toye, maybe Bill Guarnere? Anyone that gives you a hard time unnecessarily.

Who I Ship You With: DICK WINTERS. First of all John and Dick were super adorable, but secondly Winters is the “jack of all trades” when it comes to being a significant other. 

Wildcard: Private First Class. Rifleman. 3rd Platoon. Easy Company.

———————-

The Character I See You As: Meera Reed!

Your Three Best Friends: Samwell Tarly, Brienne of Tarth, Arya Stark

The One You Don’t Get Along With: Literally this is insanely difficult because in GoT it’s easier to say who you would get along with, but I’m gonna have to put Cersei Lannister for this. She’s exactly the opposite of what you stand for you and more.

Who I Ship You With: Robb Stark. Okay, who can turn this handsome boy down? 

Wildcard: You’re the Mormont heir to Bear Island!

With Winter fast approaching, your father had been looking to make a match for months. You were absolutely terrified of the idea, pacing about like a caged animal. You weren’t afraid of marriage so much as you were afraid of your future husband disappointed you, or you disappointed your future husband. And that risk of that was high with arranged marriages, especially when it looked as though you could be married off to someone from the South willing to sit beside you on Bear Island. You knew one thing for sure, you weren’t going to give Bear Island into the hands of an outsider.

You didn’t mean to give your father hell, but he griped and grumbled about making the match. Every which way he turned you had something to say about it, and eventually he sent you and your sisters off to the Starks for a few months so he could be at peace while he decided what to do. For once you didn’t have any complaints about that. The second your feet hit the icy snow at Winterfell, you ran straight into the arms of Arya, who was cheering with delight. The girls at Bear Island were raised in a far less “dignified” manner, as many liked to say. But you knew your courtesies as well as any; you just also knew how to swing a sword.

You knew all of the Starks well, even Jon and Robb (despite the boys being a little wary of you). You and Arya spent a lot of your time climbing trees with Bran, Rickard crying every once in awhile because he couldn’t join in. You liked that dynamic just fine, and you were fine with the fact that Sansa found your roughhousing a little difficult to understand. You older than her and by all means you were supposed to be a calm, collected lady. That, however, hadn’t happened.

It was a little difficult, you had to admit, to squeeze into the dress that Sansa gave you for Arya’s birthday. You preferred wearing breezy dresses, or to the redhead’s horror, breeches. But you did it for the sake of appearances and spent the night chasing Arya down, trying to squeeze her into a dress as well. It was a miracle you both showed up to the dinner, especially Arya to her own celebration. She hated it, but you poked at her and tried to give her a reason to smile. And at the end of the night, when the dancing began, you were surprised to receive an offer from Robb out of the blue.

You were spooked, your heart thudding against your chest as you grabbed your hand and looked back at the Arya (and Sansa, who had rushed forward with the biggest grin on her face). “I’m afraid I have two left feet,” you lament nervously as he sweeps you forward, his hand firmly rested on your waist.

“That’s alright, we’ll stay in the middle where no one can see if you get off beat,” he whispers in reply, steadying your shaking hand. “I appreciate you entertaining Arya so much. It’s good that she has a friend, you know how her relationship is with Sansa.”

You nod, your feet stuttering beneath you a little. Robb quickly corrects the motion with a knowing smile and you balance yourself on his arm. “I admit, I think I scare Sansa.” You’re joking because you’re nervous, but Robb doesn’t seem to notice and he laughs right along. You start to feel heat rush to your cheeks. You can’t jerk your eyes from his, but you can feel Sansa still staring at the two of you. You know that she lives for this kind of thing. “I like her, you know, but I think she’s afraid I may lose my temper one day and swing a sword at her.”

“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought of doing that once or twice,” he counters with easy as the song dies down, a twinkle in his eyes. He drops his hand from your waist, but ghosts his hand across your wrist, as if he wants to pick it up again. You curtsy, avoiding his gaze and praying you aren’t as red as you think you are. His gaze drops from your’s to the floor, and then a crooked smile takes the place of his distracted frown. “Your feet don’t look to be both left. I think one’s right after all!”

[ask-de-writer]

Daring Do and the Adventure of the X'ibian Vase : MLP Fan Fiction : Part 4 of 21

This link leads to the whole tale

Return to the Master Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

Daring Do

and the Adventure of the X'ibian Vase!

by

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

And

Carmen Pondiego

Cover Art by

Doctor Dimension

52630 words

© 2015 by Glen Ten-Eyck

Writing begun 08/26/15

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author.

//////////////

Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions, provided that such things are done without charge.  I will allow those who do commission art works to charge for their images.  

All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fictions is actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

Horsetense looked up from reading a romance novel, to judge by the cover art.  Smiling, she replied, “I really did not expect to see you again, after yesterday’s little upsets!  Here, let me send it up!”

She took Daring Do’s envelope and put it into a vacuum cartridge and dropped it into a tube.  With a whoosh, it was gone.  In a few minutes there was a whoosh and clunk as a cartridge returned.  It held a copy of the original document and a note:

“This is the ONLY acceptable agreement.  We will not back you at all if you do not sign!

Isa Robber

Mystic Overthrow

Crule Tyranny”

Reading the note, Daring smiled and wrote across the Document in deep soaking indelible marker, “These terms are the sort of toxic trash that the composting facilities will refuse!  I do too!  Find another sucker!  D.D.”

Horsetense looked sour as she returned the document with a clack and whoosh.  She observed, “The Partners won’t like that!”

Daring Do patted her hoof and replied, “They don’t seem to like anything that is honest.  I hope that you find a better position than this one soon.”

She turned on her hoof and was leaving when the system did its whoosh-clack.  The note in it said:

“Our generous offer is withdrawn.

Good luck in your year long wait to sell your latest major find to the Royal Museum! R.O.T.”

Daring Do smiled serenely, showed the receptionist the note and told Horsetense, “See this? You might find the noon news amusing!”

She sauntered out, the note safely in her saddle bag.

She was about to return to the Adventurer’s Guild for a nice luncheon when her brows drew down in a V of concentration.  Not only the waiter’s news but many other things began to fall out of their accustomed places, making a mess of her orderly mind.

It was a feeling that she knew well.  It had led her to almost all of past expeditions.  When things are not as they should be, the first stop is the Royal Library.

As she climbed the steps, she admired the allegorical carving of the doors.  The sun and moon arising together over the field of knowledge.  The doors, obeying an ancient spell, opened impressively for her.

Inside, she was greeted by the wonderful odor of books, scrolls, manuscripts, codices of many sorts. This was the scent of her true heart.  

Lurking in the overall scent, was the recent addition of fire proofing and extinguishing spells. They were a wise precaution whose necessity was shown by the Golden Oak Library disaster of Ponyville.  Some still wondered how one of the most magically powerful beings of Equestria, Twilight Sparkle, could have forgotten something so basic as fire suppression spells, just when she most needed them.  That, however, was not germane to her visit.

She walked up to the research desk and presented her Royal Pass, personally sealed by both Luna and Celestia.  “I need full access to the Closed and Sealed Stacks, please,” she smiled at the young librarian.

Wide eyed, after staring at the pass, she turned and almost galloped to a Senior Librarian.  She whispered, pointing back at Daring Do.

The senior came over and asked, “Reason for your visit, Antiquarian Do?”

“I have come across some discrepancies in research concerning the ancient X'ibian Empire.  I already know, from previous work here, that the answers are not to be found in the ordinary open or closed stacks.”

The senior took Daring Do’s pass and inserted it into a spell reader.  It chimed.  The four nearest Closed Research Stacks simply faded away leaving a huge pair of doors appearing to be iron bound ancient oak.  Daring Do was not deceived. She knew that the reality behind the glamor spell was four tonne Military Armor Grade steel, sealed from forced entry or exit.  She also knew that there were excellent reasons for being sealed against both!  This was not a library for the faint of heart!

Resuming her pass, she asked, “May I have Apprentice Librarian Blendin to assist my studies, please?  He and I have worked together before this.  I have found him to be an excellent assistant.”

Before setting the opening spell, the Senior Librarian made a note and called over a Magic Net system, “Apprentice Librarian Blendin to the Canterlot Main Doors, please.”

It took a few minutes before the signal that he was present lit.  The Senior Librarian tapped the opening spell.  The great doors did not swing or retract, as one might expect.  They became a thin seeming vapor.

Daring Do trotted through it without any problem.  She smiled at her half brother and said, “We have a fun one!  The Heart of Discord not only might be real, it might even be something that belongs here or in the Warehouse!”

Blendin’s brows shot up.  “I would be laughing right now, Sis, if it was anypony but you who said that.  What brings this on?”

Daring Do snickered and replied, “Disorder in what I thought I knew and a conversation with somepony from an organiation that I ran into while searching for the Darkling’s Tomb.”

Showing a side that was rarely seen when he was off work, Blendin promptly asked, “The Ancient Guardians?”

“Exactly.  One told me today that they lost the location of Im Farst’s tomb during the Chineighese invasions of a thousand years ago.  In short, THEY are certain that the Heart of Discord is there.  They just don’t know any longer, where, exactly.”

Blendin’s eyes got a far-away look to them as he dug through the encyclopedic knowledge that even an Apprentice Librarian needed.

“Where do you want to start, Sis?”

“At the beginning.  With the death and funeral of Im Farst.”

Blendin nodded briskly.  “That is easy, then.  There are only three contemporary documents of it. They are followed by the wall painting but it is later.  It will take a few to access them.  Are you willing to use a Twilight Closed Reading spell to keep from disturbing the actual documents.  They are very fragile.”

“If you recommend it, Blendin, yes.  What are they?”

“One is an actual scroll painting on lotus root paper.  It is likely the most delicate.  It is a traditional Xibian landscape with a weeping dragon and a eulogy to Im Farst.  The eulogy is signed Wisdom.  The other two are thin sliced bamboo fold books, both with fire damage.”

He actually went to an OLD physical card file and leafed gently.  Puzzled, he checked again.  “I wonder how long ago this happened?” he inquired of empty air. “There are FOUR things here.  I found two cards stuck together.  I will have to speak to a Senior Librarian about that.”

Daring Do overheard him and looked up from her magically generated pages of perfectly duplicated documents.  They WERE fascinating in their own right.

“What did you find, Blendin?”

“A carved stone inventory made at the time of interment.  It is cracked across but otherwise intact. I assume that you want it?”

“Absolutely!  Also, any provenance or location of finding!  Not only the stone, but everything known of it!”

Blendin smiled sadly and gave her a thin file.  “The stone was found in a Chineighese open air market about eight hundred years ago and given into Royal Care.  Not much help there.”

He did develop the copy spell, giving Daring Do all of the visible surfaces of the stone, top, thin sides and back.

Daring Do began to scan the stone, her brows knitting now and again as she found and solved an ideogram that was new to her.  She pulled out a magnifier for much of it.  The ancient engraving was surprisingly small and tightly compacted.

Blendin watched his half sister’s reading with awe.  “How can you do that, Sis?  I know at least a hundred scholars of Ancient X'ibian and not one of them can just snap out the meaning of a new ideogram like that!”

She looked up for a moment. “It’s really not too hard, Blendin.  The construction of ancient X'ibian ideograms follows a rigidly logical system from about a hundred bases.  Once you know those, the rest follows, except for bad handwriting, of course.”  She grinned.  “That is nothing new at all.”

Blendin nodded agreement and then brightened up.  “I need to do an advancement paper in the Library.  Mind if I take that tip and develop it?”

Absently muttering, “Be my guest,” Daring Do returned to her study.

“Pardon, Sis.  I need more space for you.”  Blendin grabbed the end of the Library table and pulled.  It stretched out another three meters, growing extra legs as it did so.

Daring Do raised her eyebrows as she watched.  “Handy trick, that!”

“You know it, Sis.  I needed the space to set out the more modern works, you know, from four hundred PNW to the End of Exile.”

“Four hundred Post Nightmare Wars?  Nothing earlier?”

“According to the Master Index, nope.  A long dry spell there.  Then the liter-ature explodes.  All the mystical shit and such.”

She nodded and returned to deciphering the fold books and the painting.  She was nearly done with the painting when she asked, “Can I get modern paper copies of these old documents?  I just spotted something curious.”

“Not a problem, Sis.  I will do a contagion duplication on them.  You will be able to take those copies if they pass the Security of Information checks.  I did not bother looking at that info when I set them up for you.”

Blendin was systematically setting out the later documents by date when he stopped cold.  

“This makes no sense at all, Sis.  Check me on this.  When Im Farst was buried in his hidden tomb there was no trace of the Heart of Discord.  

“Then, IN EQUESTRIA, the tales of the Heart of Discord begin to show up in print about four hundred PNW.  The wall painting that is the only known documentation of it was not found until 653 PNW.  

“It gets worse.  The tomb that the painting is in dates quite exactly.  It was made 150 years after the death of Im Farst but not found until 653 PNW.”

Daring Do stared at Blendin’s work in rising excitement.

“It makes perfect sense after all!  Who was the wife of Im Farst?”

Blendin actually took time to consult the Index again.  “Her name was Wisdom.  Legend says that she was a dragon.  How does that make any sense at all?”

Daring Do took a sheet of paper and a writing brush.  Inking it professionally, she wrote a character.

“First, remember that there were no male or female names in ancient X'ibian.  This thing called a SHI was added to a surname or single name to indicate female and left off for male names!  It was silent in ancient X'ibian.

“Now look at this!”  She quickly drew another character.  “That is the ancient character for Wisdom.  This one is Discord, the Dragonequis.  Add a Shi to Discord and what do you see?”

Blendin stared at the two characters in consternation.  “Wisdom!  Discord with a Shi and Wisdom look the same!”

“Right!  Im Farst really was married to a dragon.  Eris, the female form of Discord.  

“The Vase of Wisdom is in all of these inventories!  A hundred and fifty years later, on a tomb wall, the vase was named without the Shi and the Heart of Discord was born!”

Blendin looked carefully at his time-line of publications and written down tales.  He thoughtfully accessed the Index again.

He added a whole selection of more material from the Last Nightmare War onward.  

Softly, he said, “Here she is. It all begins with the Tales of Aleax the Blind.  This dates to only 115 PNW.  Eris, the Dragonequis, is asked if ever she knew love.  Her reply is, 'In a land far to the East, I left my love a vase that I made.  I left my Heart in his tomb.  Im Farst was his name.’  She shed a few tears and asked what reward was wanted for bringing her that memory.”

Daring Do sadly offered, “That explains so much.  Blendin, I need these inventories, including the stone’s upper surface and that landscape painting with the Im Farst eulogy on it.”

Blendin went to the Index and lifted a very modern Magic Net mirror up from a concealed pocket.  He tapped codes and looked carefully at the results.  Grinning, he tapped a whole set of new codes.

“They will accept my paper on the reading of Ancient X'ibian ideograms!  They also cleared modern paper copies of the things you asked for.  They are now locked to the papers that they are on.  Feel free to take them, Sis!”

Returning, Daring Do saw the enormous steel doors simply go to mist again.  She paused long enough to say, “Best of fortune on the paper, Blendin.  It is going to keep you busy, I promise it.”

With a grin, he replied, “I know, Sis.  I do know.  Thanks for the tip.”

Daring Do walked out to the Research Desk and Logged out, showing her copies to the Senior Librarian.  There was no sign behind her of the massive secret doors. Just the ordinary closed stacks.

If Daring Do was walking like nothing of any importance had changed, her mind was racing!  It WAS real!  The Vase, the Heart of ERIS, rather than Discord, was there. The tomb of Im Farst was a fact!

She was pretty sure how to find it too!  That, she had failed to mention to her half brother, Blendin.  Best not to give any possible rumor a root to grow.

Ensconced in the Adventurer’s Guild’s secure communication room, Daring Do tapped up codes on the Secure Magic Net Mirror there.  She was greeted by the surly face of Count Umber.  He still had a plaster on the bruise over his right eye from their earlier altercation.  He reached to cut off the call.

With a smile that could have flash frozen a polar bear, Daring Do said serenely, “Please do, Count.  Princess Luna audits all incoming calls.  When she finds that you cut off a Private Antiquities Emergency call, you will be in so much hot water that you will be lucky to retain your County.  Luna herself gave me this code after the debacle of the Golden Necklace of Pharow Underrock.”

Putting the knife in deeper and twisting, she added, “That was at the same time that she gave you your present work.  It is amazing how much better the Museum Acquisition Policy has become.  I have already been paid for the balance of the Pharow Underrock Collection.”

With a growl that would have done credit to hungry bear, Count Umber put her through.  Princess Luna was sitting in a bath up to her withers, gently fanning her wings in the warm water.  There was a squadron of blue bath duckies hidden by lumps of bubble foam.  They were preparing to ambush a similar squadron of yellow bath duckies.

She looked up from her bath game and said, “What is the problem with the Underrock Collection? Umber has noted that you are calling about it.”

“With due respect, your Highness, he is absolutely wrong.  I am calling about a thing connected to the legal firm of R.O.T.”

Princess Luna sat up suddenly, water cascading off her shoulders.  “COUNT UMBER!  GET OFF THIS LINE!  ALL CALLS ON THIS CODE GROUP ARE ABSOLUTELY PRIVATE!  You were given strict instructions about the call system.  YOU HAVE VIOLATED ONE OF THE MOST BASIC ONES!  We will discuss your position in Canterlot when this call is done!”

She tapped a few codes in her bathroom mirror.  “There.  The nuisance is removed.  By Royal Guards.  Now we are private.  What do you need to discuss?”

“R.O.T. is mounting an expedition to X'ibia, in the far desert regions of the Chineighese Empire.  They are searching for the Heart of Discord.  Their care with priceless antiquities  was shown during the break in at my University office.”

“There have been many expeditions to search for the Heart of Discord, Daring Do.  None has ever succeeded, lending much credence to the notion that it is legendary.  Why are you so concerned now?”

“Because, your Highness, today, doing research at the Great Library, I discovered that the Vase of Wisdom is perfectly real.  Wisdom was Im Farst’s wife, the Dragon Queen of ancient X'ibia.

“How well do you know the writing of that ancient land?”

“Excellently, my dear.  So, what you found is the connection between Eris now and Wisdom, the Dragon Queen then?”

“You do not seem surprised, your Highness.”

“Only saddened that it will arouse such heartbreaking memories in my friend.  We must tell her that the secret is out.  How much more do you know of this matter?”

“I believe that I know where Im Farst’s tomb is.  Wisdom painted a landscape with a weeping dragon and inscribed her eulogy to him.  I have a copy from the Library.  I am fairly sure that it shows the tomb’s hidden location.”

Luna sort of sank into her bath. “You are correct.  We must tell her.  Now.  Together.  I cried with her for many nights when he died.”

Stiffing up, Luna tapped some other codes to the mirror.

The call was answered by an amazingly lovely pony with one perfectly centered cyclops like eye. “ERIS, Inc.!  How may I direct your call please, Princess Luna?”

“Hello, Cy.  I hate to interrupt whatever Eris is doing but I have urgent news for her. Just tell her that Wisdom has been found.  She will know what I mean.”  

“Wisdom has been found.  I will tell her.”

Almost instantly, the mirror switched to show Eris, wearing the silken robes of the Chineighese. An eye as trained as Daring Do’s saw that they were in the style of ancient X'ibia.

There was a copy of the Wisdom Eulogy to Im Farst hung to the wall and both incense and tea being offered before it on an ornate, low table of black wood, richly inlaid with natural woods of many colors.

Eris asked mildly, “Luna, if it was any but you calling, I would have required them to wait.  What do you mean that Wisdom has been found?”

Daring Do spoke up.  “A Shi is supposed to be silent and only indicate gender.  A Shi added to Discord, the dragonequis, makes Eris, that is you.  It also turns the ideogram into Wisdom, the name that you used when you lived your life with Im Farst, whom I see that you still love.”

There was a small tear at Eris’ eye.  “That is true, all of it.  What do I need to know beyond the fact that you found it out?”

“The law firm of R.O.T. is mounting an expedition to X'ibia to locate the Heart of Discord.  Of course, THAT really is legendary, the result of twisting the words of Aleax the Blind to say that you left a Vase, your heart, in his tomb. That is where the legends of the Heart of Discord come from.

“Even with the trickery that they use, they have begun to set up the expedition.  R.O.T. could find the tomb.”

Eris said softly, “Their care with Antiquities is amply shown by the break in at your office.  I see.  What do you need from me?”

Daring Do smiled and replied, “Two sorts of things.  One is your permission to open the tomb and conserve the things in it.  The other is a little more personal. Anything that you can think of that might mess up the R.O.T. expedition and throw them off the trail.”

Eris began to smile hugely around her fang.  “Doctor Do, I know your reputation in detail.  I will trust you to open my love’s tomb and conserve all as well as it can be done.  Expect my document of permission within the hour.  Cy will deliver it in person.

“As for your other request, let us say that I will consider it favorably.

“Now, I have much to attend to, including letting my love know that you are coming.”  The mirror blanked.

Luna’s bath duckies were all joined into a large squadron, attacking the bath bubble foam furiously!  She looked up with a serious face.  “While you were talking to Eris, I set it up with my sister, Celestia.  We are putting your Expedition under the Royal Wing.  

“You mentioned being able to manage the cost.  You will not have to.  We will cover it all with letters of credit and passage permissions that are being prepared now.  Celestia has summoned the Chineighese Ambassador to prepare your documents for free travel and official assistance.  All the papers should arrive in a few hours.  They are addressed to you at the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Thank you, your Highness.” Daring Do blanked the mirror and emerged from the room.  The waiter from this morning was there, tears in his eyes.  “Our long Guardianship is over.  We have heard from the most exalted one. Wisdom herself has put us at your disposal.  What then shall we do for you?”

Daring Do gave him a deep formal bow and replied, “We will need you still.  There are more than Im Farst to guard.  If you will come with me, I will show you what I mean.”

Deepest concern in his voice, brows drawn in honest worry, he asked, “What will become of Im Farst and all of his things?”

Daring Do replied honestly, “I do not know.  I will gather him and all of those things and they will be given to the Most Exalted Wisdom.  She will then decide what may be kept for study, placed in museums on display and what she will keep for her own.   All will be a gift of my Princesses to Wisdom. This plan has been made and will be kept.”

He needed no thought.  “This is the best that can be hoped for.  He will be reunited with Wisdom. May they find all the joy that can be between Mortal and the Dragon.”

(to be continued)

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