#like she has people who are close to charming and not hiding anything. like Lizzie!

[imissthembutitwasntadisaster]

And as a side note it is fascinating to me how Austen consistently says if someone has completely impeccable social graces they are probably hiding something. I don't have an interpretation of this, I just think it's neat.

[onegayastronaut]

First Kiss (Hope Mikaelson x Reader)

Requested by anon:  could you write some fluff with hope mikaelson?

Word count: 1804

Support me on: Patreon OR Ko-fi

When you first joined the Super Squad, you were just excited by the fact that you would be fighting monsters up close and personal instead of running and hiding along with the rest of the students. Being best friends with MG just meant that you were dragged into vampire business more often than you would have liked, but at the end of the day, you couldn’t really complain since MG had been there for you more times than you could count.

Being a member of the Super Squad also meant that you got to spend more time with the one and only Hope Mikaelson than ever before. Every time she came into the same room, you had to contain your excitement and look away before she noticed. Kaleb rolled his eyes every time he saw you blush and muttered something about you and MG being two peas in a pod when it came to the girls you liked. There came a time when enough was enough, and Kaleb thought it would be best to help his less awkward friend get a date first. As you were setting up an event with MG, Kaleb finally cracked and decided to call you both out on what he saw as a major flaw.

“Why is it that I’m the one stuck with all the charm with the ladies? Watching you two try to get it on with the girls is like watching a penguin try to run.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Kaleb? Not in the mood for games today.”

“This ain’t no game, (Y/N)! Look at you! Look at MG! Both of you are cool ass people and yet, when either Lizzie or Hope come around the both of you turn into fools.”

“Listen, I know what you’re talking about with MG, but I’m no fool. Hope and I are just friends. Don’t know what you’re going on about with me.”

“Oh, you two are just friends, huh? Is that why your face gets hot enough to set half the school on fire whenever you see Hope?”

“It absolutely does not! I can be cool too.”

“Mhmm. Sure.” Kaleb looked unconvinced as he turned around and looked for a blood bag. Who knew trying to be nice and help other people would make him so thirsty?

------

Just as Kaleb was trying to help you get it on, Lizzie decided to channel her energy towards helping her newfound friend find love. She knew that her being friends with Hope was something that no one else saw coming, but in her humble opinion, that only made their friendship more special. Her romance with Sebastian opened her eyes to the kind of person that truly deserved her love and attention, and it was only fair that her friend found someone who treated her the same. Preferably a shy, new vampire that had been too shy to make the first move.

“Hey Hope, I have a new idea.”

“If this new idea includes me dressing up in some weird costume again, the answer is already no.”

“First of all, none of my outfits look weird. I have the best style out of everyone at this school, and I know how much you love coming along with my plans. Now listen, I believe it’s been way too long since you’ve had a girl in your room for something other than actual studying, and I’m here to help make that happen.”

“Are you sure helping me isn’t just another way of avoiding talking about your own feelings about Sebastian staying behind in the prison world?”

“Well, luckily, we’re not here to talk about my love life, are we?” Lizzie took a moment to straighten out her jacket and looked around. “How about we choose someone who’s worthy of the famous Hope Mikaelson? Like (Y/N) over there? She’s cute.”

“She is, but I don’t think she likes me all that much.” Hope sighed in frustration. “I don’t know what I did, but every time she sees me she runs away.”

“Hope, please know that I’m asking this with love in my heart, but are you daft? It’s obvious that she likes you! Don’t tell me you haven’t seen her blush whenever you’re around. She hangs on to every word from you like you’re a prophet or something. You know, Sebastian used to look at me like that.” Lizzie looked into the distance wistfully before bringing herself back into the present. “Don’t worry about it, you beautiful tribrid. I’m going to ensure that you’re going to have a date by the end of the week.”

“Lizzie! Lizzie, no! Don’t bother her.” Hope hissed after Lizzie, but the blonde just ignored her as she strode over to talk to you. Being friends with Lizzie was going to be the death of her, she could feel it.

-----

“Heyyyyyy (Y/N)! How are you doing? No wait, don’t answer that, I know of a way to make your day better.”

“Good morning to you too, Lizzie.” Even though you and Lizzie were close friends, you weren’t really in the mood for whatever scheme she had in mind today. This entire week seemed to be kicking your ass, and you didn’t know how much more you could take.

“Okay, I know you’re tired from classes and MG certainly isn’t making things better by trying to drag you into one of his many schemes. I have something that will make your life infinitely better.”

“I’m listening.”

“So you know how much I hate that garden gnome with a sad excuse for a mophead, right? He has been trying to get his nose in with Hope, but I think I have a better person lined up to make the tribrid happy.”

“And who might that be?”

“You, you idiot. For someone who is usually so smart, you can be incredibly thick sometimes. Can’t you tell that Hope is waiting for you to make the first move?”

“There’s no way that’s true, Lizzie. I’m afraid you’re wasting your time.”

Lizzie let out an irritated sigh as she got up. “You know I’m right, (Y/N). You will realize in time the depth of your feelings for each other.” You rolled your eyes as you watched Lizzie walk away. You were glad that Lizzie seemed better after the whole situation with Sebastian, but not if it meant embarrassing you in front of Hope.

------

Pining after Hope would have been much easier if Lizzie had just left you alone. However, she was insistent that both you and the tribrid find love. Once MG knew about the plan to get the two of you together, nothing could have stopped him from getting involved.

“MG, you seem to know (Y/N) best. What would be the best way to get her to tell Hope about her feelings?”

“Well, you know as well as I do that (Y/N) needs more than a little pushing to get her feelings out there. So what about we help do that for her by setting them on a date?”

“You know what, that’s the first good idea I’ve heard all day. I’ll set things up at the Mystic Grill, all (Y/N) has to do is show up.”

“I’ll make sure she’s there.”

“She’d better be, MG. The happiness of one lonely tribrid is counting on it.”

-----

You stared at your reflection, not sure if this was the look you wanted to go for tonight. MG had told you that there was a special event happening at the Mystic Grill later tonight, but stopped short at giving any details other than dressing up for the occasion. You didn’t think it was anyone’s birthday today, but you could be mistaken. Anyway, it was always better to be a little overdressed than underdressed for whatever occasion this might be. With a final fix, you started heading out the door.

When you got to the Mystic Grill, one thing that stood out to you was how quiet everything was. Normally if there was a celebration, there would be a lot more people gathered around, but tonight was different. It was too quiet, and all of your senses went into high alert as you stepped into the restaurant. When you walked inside, the only person you saw was Hope standing at a table with a note in her hand.

“Oh, there you are. Did you know anything about this?” Hope handed the note over to you.

“It says we have a date tonight, here at the Grill. This has Lizzie written all over it.”

“I suspected it might have been her too. Well, since we’re both here, did you want to sit down and grab a bite to eat?”

“Sure, I’m ready whenever you are.”

As soon as you sat down, Kaleb seemed to pop out of nowhere with two drinks in his hand. “So here’s a peanut butter blast for my favorite tribrid, and here’s a soda for my favorite vampire other than myself. Now, you both know how much I love to cook, so I’ve got something special whipped up for you guys. I’ll have that up for you and then I’ll leave you to it.” As he was walking out, he made a gesture at you, causing you to blush and look away.

Much to your surprise, Hope was extremely easy to talk to. The more you talked, the more it seemed as if you had known each other for a longer period of time. Before long, it had turned dark and Hope was walking you to her car. As she drove back to the school, the two of you sat in silence. It wasn’t an uncomfortable kind of silence, but a quiet that made you realize you had officially met someone special. Hope’s hand inched towards yours, and the two of you held hands in the car for the rest of the way home.

When you arrived at school, Hope insisted on pulling the door open for you and walking you all the way back to your dorm room. When you got there, Hope seemed awfully shy all of a sudden. “Would it be okay for me to give you a kiss before I leave?”

“I think that would be more than okay.”

Hope leaned forward and up as she gave you a chaste kiss. “I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too.”

“I’d like to see you around more often, if that’s okay with you.”

“I’d like to see you too. Don’t be a stranger.” You gave Hope a kiss on the cheek and Hope blushed as she walked away.

After you closed the door, Hope leaned against the wall and tried to breathe. The girl of her dreams had just given her a kiss back, and everything was right in the world.

[owlsbride]

Icha Icha and Prejudice: The Book Club

Chapter V: A Suitable Marriage

"So…" Sakura answered, arriving at an obvious conclusion observing her cup of sake "now you have to go all way to Suna to solve Naruto's mess."

"Yes," Kakashi nodded, looking at the empty space behind her "I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but it's my job after all." He concluded finally directing his gaze to Sakura to look at her big furious green eyes. He suppressed an inner smile.

"But why? Why don't you send Naruto back again? He was the one that asked the Kazekage an extra train program to be a better Hokage" Sakura started annoyed "And Gaara accepted. What was he thinking? Besides, they both made this mess together."

It was infuriating. Gaara, the most collect man she has ever known, all so stoic, silently analyzing everything around him with his sharp mind. Separated from the world, absorbed in his thoughts with his celestial eyes always directed to the horizon, protecting his village. She couldn't understand it.

"Maa, Sa Ku Ra, calm down" Kakashi spoke with his soft tone, guessing what was going on inside her mind "Gaara may be the Kazekage, and a great one, by the way, a fine young man, but inside he's still a child. I think he's still trying to figure out what human relationships are all about, and when being too friendly or solicitous is too much. I guess he couldn't say no to a friend." There was so much tenderness in his words that Sakura sighed leaning back in her chair a little less angry.

"God, he's worst than Sai." Sakura agreed finally most to herself than to Kakashi thinking about the problems that the young man with black hair suffered and caused due to his lack of social empathy.

"Trust me Sakura, if I were to choose between them both..." Kakashi left the phrase hanging. He was not mad at the Kazekage nor Naruto, he was just tired and resigned with the last one. Naruto would never really change.

"Still..." Sakura began again "I don't know why you can not solve this problem from here. Was it that bad?

"You couldn't just start to imagine."

"But this weather..." She was less angry but pushier now.

"If I didn't know you better, I would think you don't want to let me go, Sakura" he spoke in such a suggestive way that Sakura trembled under his gaze "but I'm sure is not the case, right?"

"Of course not Hokage Sama" she was blushing, a lot "I'm just worried about the security of our leader." Sakura finally answered, wrinkling her nose. Kakashi laughed at her face.

"Relax Sakura, I'm not just an old useless politician".

"I guess you are right... you are not a politician" Sakura said, sticking out her tone.

"Careful Sa Ku Ra, the cat may eat your tongue someday" Kakashi answered her with a deep dark tone licking his own lips, or at least that's what she believed. Again the warm feeling forming in her low stomach, now she was sure, it was not her chakra.

"Yeah... anyway..." she tried to hide her excitement and shame at once adopting a much more professional stance, "I think I should go with you." She finished crossing her arms on the table.

"And that could be because...?" Kakashi leaned back on his chair taking distance from Sakura, eyeing her suspiciously, he had seen this coming. He knew that Sakura was going to ask her to go with him.

"I think it's pretty obvious Sensei." He hated the honorifics, but he just stopped fighting it a long ago with Sakura. It was just a mannerism, a way of speaking, not particularly a sign of respect or distance. It was merely their ways, and it was ok, strange and alluring at times, but ok.

"Go on..."

"I believe that the company of a nin doctor in this weird mission of yours, trying to recover Suna from the Tsunami named Naruto, could be of much help." She finished matter of factly.

"For what? a heatstroke?" Kakashi wasn't going to fall in her charms.

"Stop mocking me, Sensei" Sakura pouted. Now she was feeling hurt.

"I'm not mocking you." He smiled. She was cute sometimes. "I'm just saying that there are no risks in my short journey to Suna. It's a safe trip. Only three days and I'll be back; besides, you forget something."

"What?" Sakura asked in confusion

"You are on vacations."

"Yes, a vacation I didn't request for." It was evident that she still felt horrible about that decision.

"And yet, here we are. Having dinner in your second night of" Kakashi said raising his cup, even if he was not going to drink it with Sakura watching straight to his face.

"I guess..." Sakura did drink her sake and started again with all the Suna issue "So, you are going alone? Who is going to be encharged during these days?"

"I asked an old friend to help me here. Luckily she said yes. Having you not accepting the recess and Naruto trying to put his last training in practice is too much of a danger to leave the village alone. And no, I'm not travelling by myself" Kakashi gave her a wink.

"Hey! I'm not that bad. I'm not going to break the rules Hokage Sama". Sakura was starting to feel offended. She was not a girl anymore. He had to stop seeing her like one "I'm not a gir..."

"A girl. You are not a girl anymore." Kakashi finished for her "I'm well aware of that". Eyes darker.

"So, Who is this friend of yours and with who are you travelling with?" Sakura asked incredulously. She didn't know Kakashi had friends except for Guy Sensei and Genma, (who were definitely not suitable for cover him in these three days) less a woman. Why was she a bit jealous, and why was Kakashi noticing it? He laughed a true-hearted laugh.

"Easy Sakura, Lady Tsunade is going to take my place these days, I think she is more than capable, don't you agree? He was genuinely asking her opinion.

"Wow!" Sakura said in surprise "She must really love you like to say yes."

"Doesn't everyone love me? He was such a Drama Queen. "And about the travelling arrangements, I'm going with Shikamaru."

"Well..." Sakura pondered "Shikamaru is really capable, and he is your advisor. I think he is the most suitable for the job." Sakura concluded.

"Yes," Kakashi stated. "though, I think he has his personal agenda on this journey."

"Oh... You mean..." Sakura didn't want to talk more words than necessary. She didn't know how much information Kakashi had about Temari and Shikamaru's relationship.

"Of course Sakura," Kakashi spoke as it was the most obvious thing in the world "The princess."

"So you know..." It was not a question.

"Sakura, I'm not the Hokage for nothing, you know?" There was fun in his voice. "I've seen how they look at each other, I've listened when they talk at the phone. I've been there when they fight together side by side at the Fourth War. It was just a matter of time." He finished almost with longing.

"Like us" Sakura whispered to herself not expecting Kakashi to listen.

"Like us, what? His eyes were gleaming. Sakura felt nervous.

"Just..." she had to think quickly. "Just like the rest of us, you noted the romance coming back then too." That was closed. Kakashi shifted his mouth uncomfortably under his mask, wrinkling his nose. He wasn't buying it.

"Yes." Disappointment in his words. "Anyway... I think a wedding is coming soon and it will become most profitable for both villages. Suna and Konoha united forever. Shikamaru and princess Temari, we couldn't ask for more." Kakashi spoked low.

A cold chill ran down Sakura's spine upon hearing Kakashi's words. It was the Hokage who spoke: cold, distant, calculating. She wasn't sure if she liked this version of Kakashi. Yes, she has witnessed terrible decisions that he had to make as the village leader, she had seen the horrors of the war and what makes people do. But why this bothered her so much? Was it because she had lost sight of the fact that he was the Hokage after all and not just his partner, friend, and secret fantasy? Was she so in love that, now, only one sentence about the convenience of marriage was enough to make all the bandages fall off?

Kakashi hadn't actually said anything about fixing a marriage, but that's what it sounded like, and inside her, it seemed painful.

"What's wrong, Sakura?" Kakashi asked full of worry. He had just realized after his lazy conversation that something had bothered Sakura.

"Is that how you see us?" Sakura began without looking at him "only as exchange goods, potential political deals or war unions thanks to a good marriage and the lineage that can come out of it?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura, but I can't see the problem there" Kakashi answered in all honesty.

"Sure..." Sakura said dryly in a mocking tone "then maybe I can go for the Kazekage. What do you think? I'm sure that is highly beneficial".

Kakashi was confused, but he was not going to recoil.

"Well, Sakura, good luck with that, cause I don't think Gaara is into girls..." He started doubting "Actually, I think he is into nothing at all, but that's your choice." Why was he getting angry? "Now, if instead, you would like to set your eyes on the brother, Kankuro, that could be something entirely different."

"You can start making the arrangements then, and as Hokage, you can walk me down the aisle." Sakura suppressed a tear.

"That would be your father´s job. I may be old, but that´s not my place" Kakashi retorted angrily, but without racing his voice.

"My parents lost faith in me long ago, I don´t think they are interested in my wedding, they think I´m already too old for that" She was sad, resigned. They have stopped talking to her when she refused to marry Sasuke, another suitable arrangement.

"What the hell are you talking about? I'm not one of those characters of that stupid book of yours, Lizzie."

Sakura looked down, suddenly she was feeling a bit ashamed. She avoided his eyes at all cost, and she was safe by the waitress announcing that the restaurant was closing. Kakashi paid the bill without saying anything, and they both started walking home, strangely taking the same path.

Sakura was the first in breaking the silence.

"You are reading the book, eh?"

"Hmmm" Kakashi hummed as the only answer.

"Already bored?" She was watching at the stars.

"Actually no" Kakashi began "Even if I don't know yet what to think about it, debating my self between if it is a good manner manual or a statement of the women position in the society, I have to recognize it's quite interesting."

"You haven't read enough yet" Sakura was acting childish. How was it possible that he still didn't realize that the book was actually an ode to true love.

"I supposed." He closed the conversation.

They continue walking a few more blocks before arriving at Sakura's door. Finally, they face each other.

"Sakura, listen" Kakashi needed to clear some things before parting to Suna "What I meant earlier" he swallowed hard "I would never jeopardize the happiness of any of you for the good of the village. You are my priority. The marriage between Shikamaru and Temari is indeed a benefit to Konoha, but that does not mean that I'm directing your lives from a desk. All of you already risk enough every day out there. I would not take love out of your hands."

Sakura nodded with her mouth dry, she needed a drink, a strong one. She finally locked eyes with him and smile much more relaxed.

"Are you going to send me a text as soon as you arrived Suna?" Sakura asked in a happy tone.

"Of course" he simply answered, hands in his pocket.

"And are you going to send my regards to the Kazekage and his brother?" Now she was teasing.

"If that's what you wish..." Kakashi left the phrase got lost in the air. The storm menacing again once more the Konoha's sky.

Sakura laughed heartedly.

"Good night Kakashi Sensei, have a good trip." Sakura said, turning her back to him.

She suddenly stood frozen with her keys trembling in her hands.

Warm breath sifted through the mask ran down her neck and the lobe of her ear. Kakashi hadn't gotten to touch a single hair of her, but all of it rose on her body. Her breath stopped for an instant that seemed like hours, his words tickling as he spoke.

"Have a good night you too, Lizzie." And just like that Kakashi disappeared.

Inner Sakura was going to be happy.

Notes:

So many things to say

1- It´s getting really really late here but I wanted to post it anyway

2- A little bit of tension is not that bad

3- Next chapter we may know, or not, what Naruto has done at Suna. Also, I´m pretty sure that the virtual chat is coming back.

4-Kakashi is making his homework after all.

5- I like the idea that Gaara may be a bit of asexual, though the story shows us different.

6- You Know what to do.

7- If there is anything else you would like to know, please write to me

8- Can somebody be so lovely and helpful and explain me how to link the chapters for making it easy to read? I'm almost as stupid as Kakashi with tech

[citrusityy]

Pride & Prejudice - Chapter 7 : Careful What You Wish For...

Each week, Catherine reads through an annotated chapter of Pride & Prejudice and shares her thoughts with the interweb until it’s done. Or until she gets sick of Jane Austen. Whichever comes first. This week : Chapter 7.

‘Oh! I am not at all afraid of her dying. People do not die of little trifling colds.’

Last time, we saw Mr Darcy (no first name given) develop some non-detestable feelings towards Lizzy at yet another party, but her distaste for him is made clear when she refuses a dance he offered at Sir Lucas’ (first name given, strangely) behest.

Today, Austen chooses to open the chapter highlighting how simply being a woman at the time of the book locks the girls out of getting a penny of their father’s inheritance when the time comes, with it all going to some distant male relative. This is one of the few times so far that Austen has used the third-person narration to be so overt in discussing her themes. Personally, I’m all for it.

For whatever reason, we completely pivot from the politics and the Darcy-Lizzy-Bingley-Jane plot-line to focus on the younger Bennet sisters - Catherine and Lydia - as they make their way to their mother’s sister for what might be the third time that week. With so little to do with themselves, this mundane experience has been an education for the duo as Mr Phillips (their uncle) often paid visits to soldiers. The sight of these men appears to have flipped a switch in the two of them, as they are described as effusing with words on the soldiers. Whether this is the product of a potent respect for the military or a crush on poor Captain Carter, I’m not too sure, but since everything in their lives is about the pursuit of a husband, I’m inclined to say the latter.

In any case, this constant chatter of captains proves a little tiresome for Mr Bennet, and Mr Bennet’s chatter about his daughters’ chatter proves tiresome for Mrs Bennet. If you’re new to this series, let me reiterate my point on these two being ciphers for the unhappiness of married life for the upper-class couples Austen was familiar with at the time. First, they do not have names, not even Mrs Bennet, which is unusual considering almost every woman in the story has one. Second, whenever the two of them are sharing a room, page or paragraph, they argue. He seems to be amused by it all, but she is constantly at the peak of frustration for her husband’s far from inappropriate behaviour.

She flatters the two of them in the hopes of shutting him up and proceeds to dominate the conversation with talk of how good all the girls’ “silly” chatter would be if it led to them getting a rich colonel as a husband. This woman has one job and she is quite determined to always be doing it. Catherine and Lydia thus try to turn the chat back to fixating on the soldier’s personal lives, remarking on how some of them seem to almost be hiding from the girls in their host’s library.

Funny, that.

Before the conversation can be mangled by further topic management, a letter arrives at the house, taking us on an epistolary trip. Did I say we were pivoting away from the main plot today? I lied : the letter is an invitation for Jane from Bingley’s sister, who has taken quite a shine to her. The family argues on whether Jane will take a horse (nature’s bicycle) or a carriage, but since the horses are busy working on the farm I presume the Bennet’s use for paying their upkeep, she takes a lone horse for the journey. Mrs Bennet prays for rain to strand her child there so she and Mr Bingley can grow closer, closer, closer still���

Wouldn’t you know it? It rained.

Before the Bennet matriarch can cartwheel off the walls the next day, a servant arrives with a letter. This one is from Jane and gives the sad news that she got caught in the rain and will have to stay in bed at the manor for a few days, with the doctor coming to check on her soon.

As Mrs B frets about carriages and Mr B gamely points the finger at her, Lizzy, our protagonist, enters the fray and decides to do an altogether protagonist-y thing - going to Netherfield on foot, with the two youngest sisters accompanying her for the first leg. There’s probably a lesson here about ounces of prevention and pounds of cure, but it’s not like the farm needed those four around anyway. 

The three reach Merryton and two part to meet the wives of their favourite officers, which is weird under my preferred reading of their thoughts on Captain Carter, but does give some weight to them just being obsessed with the military in a more platonic way. Lizzy goes on to reach Netherfield “weary ancles*, dirty stockings, and a face glowing with the warmth of exercise.”

Now, this journey would be a bit much for Jane to make in her condition, but I do wonder how the servant delivered the letter, and why he couldn’t wait for Lizzy if he took a carriage, which is probable considering his clothes were not given such detail.

In the house, Lizzy is met with envious spite from Bingley’s sisters for her troubles, silent judgement from Mr Darcying Darcy himself (does he have a life or house of his own?), and dull ignorance from a Mr Hurst, who’s still having breakfast. After a little effort, she convinces the household to let her check on Jane, who is in a “feverish” state, afflicted with “a violent cold” according to the doctor. What a lot of melodrama for a sniff! Of course, I’m forgetting that medicine at the time is not what it is today, but even Mrs Bennet didn’t assume the worst when she heard!

Many hours later, Lizzy and Jane engage in a little game of etiquette. The aim is to convince the other person that you do want what you most sincerely do not (going back home, in Lizzy’s case), while they make a show of supporting her choice while nudging you to what you really want. Jane wins, and Lizzy stays the night at the manor, with a servant sent back home to get her things, which makes me question why they don’t just shove Jane in a carriage and send her back home if they’re so close to each other. She can’t exactly charm Mr Bingley while coughing up phlegm, and she isn’t in a fragile state - it’s a cold!

Thoughts

I remember this chapter quite well from the last time I tried P&P

So much drama over a cold! She could get home in an hour by foot!

Mr Darcy is in the book even when he isn’t significant to the plot. He is truly omnipresent.

Good contrast between him and Hurst, whoever that is.

Will the girls’ obsession with soldiers will go anywhere?

* : I do not know whether ‘ancles’ is an archaic spelling of the word, or simply a spelling error in my edition, but just wanted to point out that it’s completely intentional for the eagle-eyed amongst you.

If you liked what you read, don’t be afraid to tell me, or anyone you think would like it. Maybe grab a copy from World of Books or something to read along with. Quite a few to choose from. If you didn’t like it, let me know that too. I’m not in this for validation or anything. Come back next week for Chapter 8, where Mr Bingley finally shows up in his own house.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Oh! I had no idea asks were open. On the header it says closed. I hope you don't mind if I spam you questions and asks lol. I mean, I'll do it in moderation of course! For this one, I'd like to know what your house, patronus and factor like favourite character/s is! And may I also known your hcs for the school aged BB characters' houses? Thank ya! Muah!

I should really fix that; anytime the askbox isn’t closed, asks are open! Gonna see if I can change up my header so it’s less confusing :)

Also, anytime it’s open, you can ALWAYS spam me with asks!!! :D

I hope I’m understanding the question right here! SO, I think my house would definitely be Hufflepuff! The quiz I took says my Patronus would be a swan! And does this mean my favorite Harry Potter character? Because that would absolutely be Snape!

And here’s some headcanons for ya, I can’t believe these got so long!!

I didn’t do all the school age characters because I felt that’d be a LOT for one post, so I ended up doing Cheslock, Ciel, Clayton, Edward, Joanne, Lizzie, and Soma! Feel free to request more if you wanna see others, once the askbox is open again!

This was really fun and thought-provoking, it took me a while to get done but I loved it! I was really into Harry Potter as a kid so revisiting the world in a new perspective was so great!!

Cheslock

Gryffindor for sure! Although he’s undeniably bold, and can certainly be brave, Cheslock tends to be an example of the other side of the Gryffindor coin; he’s reckless and impulsive, and often pulls pranks on other houses. ― And sometimes on the people he doesn’t like in his own house.

He’s a half-blood, with his genes being split, unusually, about 50/50. His father is a high-ranking individual with a perfectly pureblood lineage, and his mother is a muggle with no wizard heritage whatsoever.

While he’s generally good at heart, there are many other Gryffindors who can’t stand him because he’s forever costing the house five points here, ten points there… he’s also brilliant at bending the rules, toeing the line between an upstanding student and a rebellious troublemaker.

He doesn’t really excel in any of his core classes, but he gets good enough grades that he’s never flunked out of any of them. When he gets into second year, he joins the Quidditch team as a beater, and as soon as he’s able to add it in, his extracurricular of choice is, of course, music. He still loves the violin more than anything.

Legend has it he once got transfigured something on a teacher’s desk (it could have been a pen, it could have been an apple, could have been a wand, whatever suits the story better) into a flask of whiskey. Without getting caught!

Ciel

Slytherin, natch, if only because he’s very shrewd and, if necessary, will do anything he needs to. Though his personality isn’t popular with a lot of the other students, even in his own house, everyone acknowledges that he’s actually a very good leader.

He’s definitely a pureblood, or at least he has so little muggle blood in his heritage that most people consider him so. Both of his parents were wizards, but there is some muggle blood a few generations back on his father’s side.

Curiously, he doesn’t care much about social standing or competitions or the like. That said, he still manages to earn Slytherin a lot of house points just by doing the things he’s good at and scoring exceptional marks on tests.

In his first year especially, he struggles with flying quite a bit, and he never really grows to be that skilled on a broom despite doing well enough to pass the class. What he lacks there, he makes up for in charms, and later, the study of ancient runes. He often needs a tutor in his other classes in the first year or two; in his later years, though, he becomes a tutor to younger students, especially for charm spells.

His housemates will vouch for the fact that he seems to get an awful lot of mail from his household back home. Some of it is letters. A lot of it is just candy… which he doesn’t even share!!

Clayton

This boy is a Ravenclaw through and through! He places a high value on intelligence and is here to learn as much as possible. The Sorting Hat seemed to mull over for a while whether he ought to go in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. He’s surprisingly popular with his housemates, probably for his great intellect and his cool, focused demeanor.

He’s a half-blood, though with more wizard heritage than muggle. His mother is a near-pureblood, with most of her ancestors being pureblood wizards, and his father is a half-blood, with most of his parents also being half-bloods.

A good percentage of Ravenclaw’s points come from him. He performs well on exams, is an excellent tutor to the first- and second-years, and, though he can certainly be sadistic, typically doesn’t act on it or do anything that might cost them points.

He starts out being one of the best students in potions �� and in his later years, graduates to being among the top three in alchemy. As he matures in his classes, he also elects to take magical theory, which goes on to eventually be his chosen area of study during his wizarding career.

There was a year wherein he dated every single one of Prefect Lawrence Bluewer’s sisters in succession. Depending on who you hear the story from, Lawrence either is still pissed, or gave Clayton his blessing. Either way, awkward.

Edward

Absolutely Gryffindor, as if there was ever any doubt! He was sorted in record time, and he’s the other side of Cheslock’s coin ― a gentleman who always does the right thing, who aims to serve, a courageous young man with the heart of a lion. (That said, however, he and Cheslock are very much close friends, so he often gets swept up in his housemate’s nonsense.)

He’s very close to being considered a pureblood, if most don’t already think of him that way. His mother is a pureblood, and his father is a half-blood who’s more wizard than muggle.

Is constantly trying to make up points that getting involved in Cheslock’s aforementioned shenanigans has cost Gryffindor. At the very least, Edward usually manages to break even, so it’s as if said tomfoolery never happened. Ah, he gets sick of it, but he keeps letting himself get dragged along!

He’s an absolute wiz at flying, (pun very much intended), and starting in his second year, he eventually becomes Gryffindor’s star chaser in Quidditch. He could well make a living doing that in professional leagues. Instead, he also focuses on academia; excelling in charms and defense against the dark arts. Reportedly he’s one of the very, very few who also enjoys the lectures on the history of magic.

The younger students say they’ve seen it for themselves that his wand is outfitted with a sort of false bottom that hides a plain knife. They all wonder why that kind of wand would have chosen a fellow like Edward, or indeed why it exists in the first place!

Joanne

He’s a Hufflepuff, and proud to be! Similarly to Edward, it didn’t take very long at all for him to be sorted. He’s on the shy side, especially for his first few years, but once he starts coming out of his shell, he makes a lot of friends… even in other houses! He still feels most comfortable around other Hufflepuffs, though. They just get him!

One of the handful of rare students who’s a full pureblood with very little, if any, discernible muggle blood in his heritage. Both of his parents are purebloods, which seems to surprise people, because despite his gentility, Joanne seems to struggle with the more intensive magical concepts.

He’s not all that concerned with points, because he’s pretty much just interested in his coursework. However, like Ciel, he tends to earn house points for Hufflepuff anyway simply due to the fact that he tests well, he’s always there to help someone if they need it, and he follows the rules.

It, er… takes him a while to get the hang of flying during his first year, and even then, he tends to stay off a broom if he can help it. His favorite of his core classes is herbology, and during later years, he absolutely blossoms when he starts studying the care of magical creatures. He’s just got such a soft spot for taking care of things. He’s also fond of arithmancy, which boggles people’s minds ― they think a difficult class like that would stress him out!

Whenever he can’t sleep, he often hangs out with the Friar. The two of them (along with possibly another Hufflepuff ghost or two) will just sit in one of the common rooms while Joanne reads, and sometimes the Friar will stay even after Joanne falls asleep in a chair.

Lizzie

Nobody better have anything bad to say about Hufflepuffs where she can hear it!! Unlike her brother, the Sorting Hat took a little bit with her, waffling between whether she would be a better fit for Hufflepuff or Gryffindor. Her undying loyalty, sweetness, and strength eventually got the choice made. Other houses might think them strange, but Lizzie is a very bubbly young lady and has made wonderful friends with nearly all her housemates!

Her similarities with Edward lie in their heritage. Most people think of her as just one step down from a full pureblood.

Although she doesn’t take competition too terribly seriously, she still wants to earn as many points as she can for her house. She’s very like Joanne in that she earns points by being very kind to everyone and helping where she can, and putting as much effort into her exams as possible.

Don’t let her petite stature and sweetness fool you ― she is a beast of a seeker once she works her way up there! Quidditch is just her hobby, though, as she much prefers charms and is shockingly very adept at potions. She also takes apparition lessons in her sixth year, and dabbles for a short time in divination. She also at least considers joining Joanne in the care of magical creatures, even if she might not end up doing it.

The fact that she’s dating Ciel, a Slytherin who is seemingly her opposite, is just incomprehensible to most people. There are those who say he must have slipped her a love potion or done some other spell on her. These rumors, however, are untrue. She simply adores Ciel, and that is all there is to it.

Soma

Many of his classmates are stumped as to why a prince was sorted into Hufflepuff! Then… they meet him, and it all makes sense. He’s made of sunshine and is astonishingly devoted to anyone he decides is his friend. And, well, he sort of attaches himself like that to everybody. Strange, everybody thinks? Maybe… but these are his people!!

He’s a half-blood, with a bit more wizard blood than muggle. His father is actually not pureblood; instead, his father is a muggle whose parents were both half-bloods, and it’s Soma’s mother who is a near-pureblood, a witch whose parents are a half-blood and a pureblood.

He’s rather unconcerned with the house points, preferring to concentrate on everything he can learn in his classes. There’s so much he doesn’t know! He often costs Hufflepuff points with some oblivious behavior, as well as his exam scores not being the best, but he also often earns just as many points with kind behavior toward other students.

He enjoys his astronomy class in particular, and seems to do very well in herbology even though it’s not his favorite. He joins Edward in being thoroughly fascinated by the history of magic. He also loves transfiguration, consistently getting the highest marks in that class. It might surprise everyone that he takes muggle studies as an elective ― that interests him too, okay! In later years he’ll probably need a lot of counseling to figure out what he wants to focus his attention on.

His friend and protector Agni literally kind of followed him to school because their bond is so strong. Agni’s a half-blood who works in the kitchen at Hogwarts, and lives on the grounds, so whenever Soma needs him, he’s there. Soma loves this! All his friends in one place!

[doyelikehaggis]

Person A tries to get their friends to kiss under the mistletoe, and they completely forget about their crush on Person B until they both end up under the mistletoe. This is peak Kizzie content.

Being acutely observant is something that Lizzie likes to pride herself on. At least, when the thing she's observing is important and manages to find its way into her spacial bubble.

It's easy for her not to spare things a certain glance, something that Josie has pointed out recently she needs to work on. But sometimes those things nag at her, forcing her to pay attention.

One of those things happens to be Kaleb.

She's noticed him a lot more lately and been ignoring the growing feeling in her chest at the same time. Avoiding another epic rejection and humiliation is high on the list of things she wants for this year of positivity.

Crushes are great, but she just can't risk her healing mental health right now. Especially with Sebastian now roaming around the school thanks to Kaleb and MG figuring out how to free him from desiccation. They're friends, but nothing more. There's already enough drama in her life as it is with Malivore's monsters making a return. 

Strangely enough, her reason for noticing Kaleb at this particular moment has nothing to do with the feelings she is choosing to pretend don't even exist. Her eyes narrow as she watches him across the library from the chair she's been curled up in for the last hour, having taken a break from the decorating committee.

He's currently helping them out, to her surprise, but she supposes as a member of the honour council, it's sort of a requirement. He's balanced on the edge of the bannister stringing up a set of the lights that they spelled during Chemistry of Magic to work without any additional electricity. 

Except, he's doing it rather slowly. His eyes aren't even on them despite his hands moving, wrapping them through each little loop. She follows his line of sight for the third time and it once again comes back to the table below, tucked into the corner.

Landon and Josie are sitting across from each other, using their decoration break to figure out how to uncharm the tinsel that one of the coven witches decided to bring to life.

Trying to help them is Hope, flicking through a book and throwing out suggestions.

She can see the awkward tension between the three of them; finding out their history without really remembering it definitely helped with that.

Hope isn't exactly back at the school, only helping out for the holidays since she isn't sure she can go back to New Orleans just yet and isn't able to sleep at Mystic Falls High.

Things almost feel like they used to before Malivore. She keeps to herself as much as she can. Except Landon and Josie both know their past thanks to everything being thrown out into the open a few weeks ago, and Landon doesn't seem to want to let it go, even if he doesn't remember all of the details. 

They seem to be stuck in the same cycle, Lizzie's noticed. Landon sees Hope by herself, invites her to hang out with him and Josie while Josie gives a halfhearted protest before doing the same as Hope and reverting back into the pre-Malivore version of herself. It's almost always awkward whenever Lizzie sees them, exchanging quick looks between the three of them.

It's also frustrating to watch. But no matter how many times she tries to talk to Josie about it, she brushes it off and says she doesn't want to talk about it. A bad sign, for sure.

She even denies it when Lizzie catches her shooting glances at Hope that hold the same subtle, suppressed feelings as it used to. If Lizzie didn't know better, she would say that not remembering Hope has only given Josie the chance to fall head over heels for her all over again.

But of course, Josie won't admit that because she's even more stubborn than she likes to admit, won't get over her brief jealousy, and somehow thinks that it's a betrayal to Landon.

It's as if she can't see that from the moment Landon found out he and Hope used to date, he's gotten all flustered and dorky around her like he used to.

Then again, Josie doesn't remember how things used to be. None of them aside from herself and Hope do.

Which doesn't explain why Kaleb keeps looking over at them like that, and even shaking his head like he's doing now, even rolling his eyes.

Sighing, she closes the book she's been reading. It's Christmas-themed, the third in a series of fantasy books, and a special edition for the holidays.

Her mom sent it over a week ago because there isn't a single bookstore in Mystic Falls and the nearest one is in Richmond.

She supposes she can leave it until her next break. If she forces Hope to work with her instead of sitting around getting all gooey-eyed over Landon and Josie, she might be able to get her part done with faster.

She leaves the book in the chair and walks around to the other side of the library, smiling at MG on the passing.

When she glances behind her, her eyes following him, he's pulling a string of lights from the box in his arms and handing them over to Sebastian. One requirement of him staying is he has to be a team player, and that includes helping out with decorating.

He doesn't seem to mind so much when he's helping MG.

Rolling her eyes, she just continues until she's standing by the table of decorations that Kaleb is currently using. There aren't many left, mostly just a few more strands of tinsel, but once they're done with the library, they still have a few of the classrooms and possibly the study hall and the secondary common room assuming that the other four people on the committee haven't gotten too far on their own.

She picks up a piece of gold tinsel that shimmers a faint purple, glittering with magic. Not a single one of their decorations aren't spelled with magic. Even one of the menorahs has an air of it to make sure the candles can't be blown out too early and to make the oil smell of cinnamon and gingerbread. A treat for the younger ones.

"What are you doing?" she hears Kaleb ask and looks up to find him staring down at her, raising an eyebrow. 

"Asking you the same question," she replies, still pulling the tinsel through her hands, and mirrors his suspicion. "Why do you keep staring at those three when you're supposed to be decorating? This place has to be completely ready for the holidays. That's why we have allocated break times, and you agreed to help out."

Kaleb rolls his eyes. "Do you not see me on this bannister with these damn things? I've strung up at least four of them, and they keep trying to electrocute me. I think you witches need to check out the spells you're using, 'cause I'm not sure they're supposed to do anything other than light up."

"Maybe it's because you're putting them up wrong," she says bluntly.

She eyes the lights in question pointedly, hanging down lower on the second last loop. Only those soft glowing bulbs are flickering, the rest all staying at full brightness. He glances at them and groans, rolling his eyes again.

"Shouldn't you be on your break right now?" he asks, reaching back up and starting to undo the lights, fixing them. "You were hanging decorations for, like, two hours."

Lizzie finally puts the tinsel down, but only to pick up a strangely-coloured reindeer. It must have been one of the ones the younger kids decorated during their art class. It's cute, even with its bright yellow nose and green body.

"I should be," she agrees. "But then you staring at my sister and her hobbit forced me to cut it short. So, I repeat, what are you doing and why does it involve those three?"

Kaleb pauses, sighing as he lets go of the lights. All of the bulbs are glowing now, not even the slightest flicker, coiled perfectly from one end of the beam to the other.

She glances down the rest of the beams and finds the rest of the lights the exact same.

It's a little impressive, she'll admit, as someone who admires good organization and decoration. She's been told she gets it from her mom.

"Why do you care?" he asks, and waves a hand at the table. "I'm nearly done."

She shrugs. "I'm curious."

He stares at her for a moment, but she simply flashes him an overly-sweet smile, refusing to leave. He seems to realize that, and sighs again before hopping down off of the bannister, landing beside her with the ease of a vampire.

"Fine. Landon's just having some issues and he's been talking to me and MG about them." He scans over the remaining decorations for the next most important. "I've been tryna help him out since MG's preoccupied with Dracula over there."

Lizzie snorts at the comment, surprised. She wasn't aware he had much of an opinion on Sebastian, though it's becoming increasingly clear by the twinge of mocking in his voice at the nickname that he's not his biggest fan.

Probably because of MG since everyone else has had no problem falling for his charm as she did and still does, aside from Josie and Hope.

"Help him how?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowing with suspicion. 

"Nah, not happening," he says, shaking his head with a chuckle as picks up the tinsel she had been playing with before. "I'm not breaking his trust like that."

Lizzie rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, but he's stubborn and loyal, and she knows he won't give in.

She glances back over in Landon's direction.

Josie's shifted her seat much closer to Hope's, reading something that she's pointing out in a book situated between them. Landon's watching them with those slightly wide eyes, and his inner struggle is written all over his face and into the soft fondness he's doing a terrible job at hiding. 

She straightens up, her face lighting back up. "Are his issues perhaps centred around my dear sister and his ex?"

Kaleb lifts his head, glancing from her to the three of them. He opens his mouth as if to protest, but she waves a hand.

"Don't worry, you didn't accidentally give anything away with all of your incredibly obvious staring," she assures him, and he presses his lips together, looking mildly unamused. "Josie's been having the same issues. As has Hope. Of course, neither of them are willing to talk about it because of that whole weird awkward thing they've got going on what with everyone's memories still erased."

"So it's not just Landon then," Kaleb says, apparently dropping all pretence as he throws another glance at them.

"No. Honestly, you'd think it wouldn't be that hard for them to work out the very clear solution to this whole mess for themselves," she says, shaking her head along with him. "They're all just too worried about ruining something or someone hating them for them to actually make a move. It's sad."

As she says it, a little voice in the back of her head that her therapist has been trying to help her get better at blocking out points out her mild hypocrisy. For once, it's not entirely wrong. That doesn't mean she's listening to it.

"And that's why I said I'd give Landon a helping hand."

Lizzie's eyes narrow as she turns back to Kaleb only to find him grinning. There's a strange, mischievous glint in his eyes.

"What exactly does that mean? Actually—" she quickly holds up a hand as he starts to answer, "—never mind. I do not want to know. This is a... partially drama-free year for me, and I will not get involved in whatever the hell this is."

"Alright," he says, shrugging it off just like that as he turns back to the decorations. 

She doesn't leave. She watches him pick things up, clearly searching for something. Her mind whirs, and she can't help her eyes darting back to Josie, Landon, and Hope, doubt creeping in.

They could use some help. Maybe just a little push. And she does like the idea of being a Christmas cupid. 

"But, out of curiosity, what did you have in mind?" she asks.

Kaleb chuckles at her quick change of heart but he doesn't address it. 

"Well, seeing as how it's the holidays and all," he says, and nods to the table pointedly, "I was thinking that one of the oldest tricks in the book could work. I don't know what yet. That's why I keep staring at them as you said."

He then nods to the three of them.

"I'm tryna figure out what they'd fall right into without figuring a way out of it."

He pauses, turning back to her with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Do you think truth or dare is too obvious?" 

She makes a face, her eyebrows furrowing. "Yes. Probably, if your plan is to jump right in with it, especially considering the way we play truth or dare. They wouldn't be allowed to lie to any question you ask. As much as I love brutal honesty, I'm not sure that it's the best way to go with this."

"What about charades?"

"Chara—what book are you getting these from? My mom?"

She rolls her eyes and ignores Kaleb mirroring her.

"Why don't you just use mistletoe?" she asks, partially joking. "That's the oldest trick in the book. Trap them with a holiday-themed social convention that's always brushed off, giving them the perfect opportunity to give in to their feelings while also pretending that it's all in the name of holiday spirit."

Kaleb's face lights up. Her eyes widen.

"I wasn't serious," she says, having thought that that was very clear.

She waves a hand in Josie, Landon, and Hope's direction.

"They will never fall for that. Even if you got a witch to spell the mistletoe like they did last year so that they can't just walk away without at least a peck on the cheek, they'll be looking for it everywhere so that they can avoid it!"

"I don't know, I've watched Landon nearly walk into a wall twice and get a bauble stuck in his hair already," Kaleb says, shaking his head with genuine doubt. "They might fall for it."

"Maybe Landon would, but Josie and Hope wouldn't," she counters. "And — what's the plan, anyway? Trap all three of them? Mistletoe doesn't work like that, and honestly, it might be the most awkward thing to force anyone nearby to watch."

Kaleb makes a face at that and doesn't disagree. She's almost smug. Almost.

"Nah, we'd just have to get two of them," Kaleb says as if it should be obvious. "Then, assuming it works and they kiss, they'll end up talking about it with the other one 'cause they don't want anyone feeling bad about any guilt or anything, and then they'll confront their feelings for each other. And then my job is done."

He smirks at her in a way that would usually infuriate her. It does a tiny bit. But at least he actually has a right to his smugness because he makes a good counterargument. She scowls.

"You know that that entire plan revolves around the two that you catch with it not being Josie and Landon, right?" she asks. "And it's about a fifty-fifty chance that any of them would actually talk about this sort of thing. Basically, your plan relies on good timing, them having some sort of moral conscience, and I'm assuming a touch of magic."

Kaleb nods without missing a beat, his smirk never slipping for even a second. 

"Pretty much," he says. "Wanna help?"

Lizzie scoffs, shaking her head at him, the thought completely absurd. Josie is her twin sister, and she trusts her. She couldn't just do something like this that could hurt her or put her in any sort of uncomfortable position. 

Her eyes happen to stray back to their table, making her falter. Josie's relaxed a little more, still beside Hope. They're both grinning now.

It probably has something to do with the glitter shining in Landon's hair as he nods slowly, his unamused expression slipping as he clearly tries to bite back a smile. 

On the other hand, Josie probably wouldn't mind too much. For the first half-hour or so, she'll probably be furious.

But if it really does smooth things out between the three of them and puts an end to the internal conflict and turmoil Josie is clearly suffering through, maybe the ends justify the means in this one particular case.

She sighs but holds out her hand. "Where's the mistletoe?"

Kaleb grins from ear-to-ear. "MG's got it. Gimme a second."

She waits as he walks over to MG while he's in the middle of handing Sebastian another string of lights that he seems to be having some trouble figuring out. He's back in seconds and waving a sprig of mistletoe, biting his lip, his amusement shining.

She rolls her eyes but takes it from him. This could be their worst idea yet or the solution that everyone who's had to spend more than a minute in the bubble of awkward is desperately needing. 

The plan is simple enough. They debate for a few minutes over the best place to hang it; Kaleb insists that the front door is the best, most logical place, but Lizzie argues that either of the entrances in the library makes far more sense since they'll need to use them at some point.

They settle for the main doorway into the first common room. 

Lizzie waves her hand, levitating it into the air. It's easier than attempting to find a ladder. She carefully positions it to hang right in the centre, laying in wait for any unsuspecting couples to walk past. 

"Fun bonus is that it won't just catch those three," Kaleb says as she tilts her head, making sure it's perfect. "We all good? Or you gonna put some fancy invisibility spell on it like you did last year?"

"No, I think it's fine like this," she decides. "It was fun last year, but I don't think we need it. Plus, there would be more chance of Josie getting mad at me for this, especially if it happens to be Hope and Landon who get caught in it."

Kaleb almost winces with sympathy. "Yeah, smart move. Maybe don't tell here you had anything to do with it. At all."

"Oh, trust me," Lizzie turns to him, smirking, "this is all on you."

"Throwing me under the bus?" he asks as he eyes her, feigning insult. "That's how we're playing this?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Lizzie says without so much as batting an eyelash. "Your idea, your responsibility."

"That's why you don't wanna put a spell on it, isn't it?" Kaleb asks, the realization clearly dawning on him as his eyes narrow.

Lizzie decides to play innocent and shrugs, turning and walking down the hallway to head back to the library. Her mouth curves as she hears him follow her, unable to bite back her smirk no matter how hard she tries.

"You knew that Josie and Hope would automatically assume that it was you who did it," he goes on. "Whereas this way, they won't suspect you at all. Giving you the perfect opportunity to tell them it was me without them knowing you had any part in it."

"Okay, I know I'm dramatic and all, but this wasn't some high-stakes heist," she scoffs as he falls into step beside her.

"Says the one who won't have two witches mad at them for tricking them," Kaleb retorts, and Lizzie rolls her eyes. "And, weren't you the one who came up with this plan? I said truth or dare and charades. You suggested mistletoe."

"As a joke!" Lizzie protests, looking at him now. "You're the one who thought it was actually a good idea. Which, I still stand by my initial opinion of it being predictable and has a slim chance of working, especially on—"

"Wait, shh," Kaleb quickly cuts her off, a hand flying out to her shoulder to halt her in her tracks.

She glances at him in confusion to find his eyes wide and a familiar look on his face. It's the one all vampires get when they're listening to something that no one else can hear. 

"What?" she hisses, her eyes darting down the hallway. "Kaleb? What the hell—"

His eyes grow even wider. There's a strange lurch in her stomach like the breath being sucked from her lungs, and then a split second later, she's no longer in the same spot. When she blinks, she's facing down from the end of the hallway that had previously been on her right, half-hidden in the doorway. 

She faintly registers Kaleb's arm half-strung around her for just a moment before it drops, though his hand remains on her shoulder.

Her confusion quickly disappears as Hope, Josie, and Landon come into view, walking down the hallway as they talk. Thankfully, they keep going. For a moment, Lizzie thinks they've gone another way entirely, but Kaleb isn't moving.

She then hears Landon chuckling before he appears again, now just beyond the doorway with the mistletoe hanging in it. 

"I don't know," he says, turning to face Hope and Josie who stop alongside him. "I wouldn't underestimate the power of an evil Santa Claus. I've read about Krampus before. The thing is terrifying. You would really wanna face that?"

Hope rolls her eyes. "We didn't say we would want to. Just that we think we could. I mean," she glances at Josie, the two of them sharing a look between them as she huffs out a partial scoff, "what could it really do?"

"Throw presents at us?" Josie jokes as she grins, and Hope laughs.

"Okay, what part of half-goat, half-demon aren't either of you getting?" Landon asks, throwing his hands out at sides, but his exasperation only seems to fuel their amusement. "It could maul you! To death!"

"As opposed to mauling us to sleep?" Hope questions, tilting her head with mock seriousness.

Landon throws his hands up as it only sets Josie off into laughter. 

"You can joke now, but you won't be when Krampus shows up here on Christmas Eve," he warns, even pointing a finger at them. 

Lizzie scoffs under her breath and turns to look at Kaleb as he arches an eyebrow, a look of puzzled amusement passing between them. She thought that Landon was already weird, but somehow he continues to find a new level.

Kaleb quickly nods for her to turn back and she does, just in time to watch Landon walk forward. Through the doorway.

Josie shrugs. "I still think we could take him."

Hope almost giggles as Landon stops and turns back around to stare at Josie as if she's grown two heads. 

"You two are both insane," he declares, earning him a roll of Josie's eyes as she steps forward.

Lizzie holds her breath, her eyes widening as she and Kaleb watch them.

Landon's already too far into the common room to be successfully caught in the mistletoe unless he decides to move back over to them. He stays where he is, though, as Josie lingers in the doorway, the mistletoe hanging right above her head.

"Come on," Hope says, and finally takes a step closer to them. Right beside Josie.

Excitement flutters in Lizzie's stomach as she glances to the mistletoe. 

"You really think evil Santa Claus is worse than any of the monsters we've already faced?" Hope asks. "We've literally had a small army of them come after us at once. I'm pretty sure we could handle one goat-demon."

Landon starts to shake his head, groaning. "It's not just a goat-demon, though! I mean, it sort of is, but—"

"Hey," Kaleb calls out, cutting him off. 

Lizzie's eyes widen impossibly further, quickly turning to stare at him as if he's just turned into the goat-demon Landon's going on about.

He doesn't even glance at her, though, a smirk on his lips, ever the epitome of casual nonchalance as all three more sets of eyes turn on him.

"Might wanna look up," he says to Josie and Hope, his eyebrows raising.

Confusion flickers across their faces, but Landon's already taking his advice. Hope and Josie quickly follow at his slightly stilted intake of breath.

Their eyes land on the mistletoe and Lizzie can see them both stiffen, going completely still. She's not even sure they breathe for a good few seconds. 

They slowly look back down until their eyes lock. The hesitation and uncertainty is written all over their faces as they don't make a move. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all, Lizzie thinks, considering how well they were just getting along compared to how utterly quiet and awkward they are once again.

"It's a dumb holiday tradition," Hope says, shrugging as she offers a small, clearly forced smile. "We don't have to."

Lizzie groans quietly under her breath. Thankfully, neither of them notice as Josie falters, her lips parting but no words coming out.

"I knew I should never have let you talk me into this," Lizzie says, turning to Kaleb. "It sounded like a bad idea, and surprise, surprise, it was. I should have just let you play your game of truth or dare."

"Let me once again remind you that I never talked you into this," Kaleb says, shaking his head. "You offered. And," his eyes dart back to Josie and Hope, "look! It's not that bad. I think it might actually be working."

"Did you two set this up?" Landon asks, his eyes narrowing at them in disbelief, clearly hearing just about every word. 

"Of course not," Lizzie says, but he's still staring at her with that look on his face, and she caves, rolling her eyes. "Well, someone had to do something! You three are so awkward around each other that everyone else can feel it, and it's driving us all crazy! We just thought you could use... you know, a little push in the right direction."

"So much for throwing me under the bus," Kaleb mutters, a smug note to his voice. 

Lizzie turns her head to glare at him.

"Then here's a push for you," Josie now says, a slight smirk to her lips. She moves her hand in a familiar motion. "Look up."

Lizzie's stomach drops. She and Kaleb both listen, staring at the frame of the doorway. A green leaf starts to materialize as if out of thin air, and then there's a full sprig with white berries hanging right above them, now uncloaked.

"Did you know that was there?" Kaleb asks without looking away from the mistletoe.

"No," she says. "I didn't."

Her heart has changed its pace, no longer a slight jump of worry at Josie being mad at her, but hitting against her ribs as the realization comes crashing down on her. A flurry of what she can only describe as wings starts up in her stomach, pressing against every little nervous button inside of her. 

She groans in her head. Of course this is happening. She got so momentarily caught up in helping him with his plan, with helping Josie, and Hope, and Landon, that it was so easy for her feelings for Kaleb to slip to the back of her mind instead of pulling at her for her attention like they've been doing everytime she sees him.

The possibility of accidentally ending up under the mistletoe with the guy she likes somehow never crossed her mind. Too much really has been going on lately.

Her eyes dart back at Josie just as Hope leans in, pressing a light kiss to her cheek. It sends Josie's eyes wide, and she practically freezes.

Lizzie scowls. Of course they would go along with it. Now she can't back out of it.

She forces herself to look at Kaleb to find him already watching her. That does nothing good for her heartbeat. 

Raising a shoulder in a shrug, she offers a smile that she desperately hopes doesn't convey the mess of feelings inside of her right now.

"See? Oldest trick in the book. It even got us."

Kaleb chuckles at that, nodding as he glances away. Her heart skips a beat as he bites his bottom lip for a split second.

When his eyes move back to her, she quickly holds onto them, refusing to look anywhere else. She has been doing so well for the last few weeks. A damn plant can't be about to throw her whole promise to herself and plan about no crushes away, surely. 

"Just a social convention, right?" Kaleb says, a smile playing on his lips. She tries not to focus on that.

"Yeah, totally," she agrees, smiling back.

He nods once then pauses for just a second before he starts to lean in. Air catches in Lizzie's throat, and for another split second, she thinks that maybe this won't be a big deal. Maybe she's underestimating herself.

She meets him halfway, her eyes closing before she even moves. The second their lips meet, she knows she's screwed.

Maybe if he wasn't a good kisser or if her skin didn't immediately heat up, feeling as if it's catching fire. But for the few seconds that it takes for them to pull apart, the mistletoe still hanging tauntingly above them, Lizzie knows her feelings weren't all in her head.

She pulls back slowly, letting her eyes open. Kaleb's already looking at her. Or gazing, she supposes, as her stomach ties itself in a knot and her heart beats like a butterfly's wings.

"Not so bad, was it?" he says, his tone joking but a genuine smile curving his lips once more.

"Not at all," she breathes softly and shrugs. "All in the name of the holiday spirit." 

Kaleb raises an eyebrow. "I thought people only said that when they're pretending it's not a big deal? Your words."

"Yeah, and I was right." 

She doesn't wait for the realization to kick in. She winds a hand around to the back of his neck and surges back in.

There's a time-stopping moment of worry on her part and surprise on his when her lips are on his and she questions what the hell she's doing.

Then he's kissing her back, not just for the mistletoe that's already starting to disappear again, its goal achieved. Her entire plan goes out of the window.

With the chance of rejection decreasing with every second that Kaleb doesn't pull away, she thinks that maybe she doesn't need to refrain from a relationship for the rest of the semester. 

Kaleb isn't Rafael and he isn't Sebastian.

There's no reason that this can't work out.

She curses in her mind at the realization that she might have to give credit to a freaking plant and those three oblivious idiots who have already left, laughing their asses off.

[fallout4holmes]

Nuka-World 3

Since we were meeting leaders, we headed to the one next door first. The Disciples called the maintenance area under Fizztop Mountain home, so we headed around to the employee entrance. The guard didn’t have any trouble seeing us, despite her face being completely covered. “Watch yourself, ‘boss,’” she threatened, “cuz we sure will.” Holmes did not deign to comment.

The inside of the mountain was the typical sort of decor I expect from raiders, but the Disciples took their fondness for dismembered body parts on pikes to an extreme level. It was one of the more unsettling locations I’ve been in, and I once followed Holmes through a serial killer’s art studio. The person we were here to see wasn’t going to ease that sensation.

A woman with a bit of a drawl to her voice was talking to another woman wearing a bladed helmet, like an apocalyptic valkyrie, while a man in a spiked helmet stood to the side. All the Disciples kept their faces hidden at all times, and these three were no exceptions, the helmets doing the job instead of hoods and masks.

The gist of the conversation was that the Disciples weren’t too pleased with Gage’s plan and choice of new leader. The lady in the bladed helmet said they were giving Gage one last chance, and if this scheme of his didn’t work out, she’d kill him. No wonder the guy was eager for Holmes to be on board, his life was counting on it.

Holmes approached the valkyrie after she dismissed the other two. “So,” she said. “You’re Gage’s little pet project.”

Great start.

“If you mean I’m the one he tricked into becoming your Overboss,” Holmes said with a warning tone, “then yes.”

She shook her head, “The Overboss title doesn’t mean anything. Hasn’t for some time. Everyone knows Gage wanted Colter dead. Of course, if I’d had my way, it would have been a slow and painful process. But whatever.” She sighed, “Let’s get this meet and greet over with. I’m Nisha. I lead the Disciples.”

Holmes introduced himself, last name only, and decided not to mention the synth standing just behind his shoulder. That was fine with me; I wasn’t in any mood to chat, and the more mystery we could keep around us, the better. At least until we had something resembling a plan.

Nisha was calm and smooth, with an edge. Seems the Disciples only had one rule, to keep the peace of this little alliance between the gangs, which really just meant “don’t get caught.” Nisha was smart enough to know that her odds weren’t great if her people had to fight two rival gangs at once. Otherwise, she figured rules went out the window when the bombs dropped.

Holmes disagreed, “The world needs rules. Otherwise, we’ll never recover.”

“Rules are dangerous,” Nisha countered, “because people start to trust them. Colter thought some sort of rule or code would make him untouchable, but he found out he was wrong—the hard way.” That sounded like a problem of ego instead of rules to me, but I doubted she’d appreciate the difference. "Although I could give him a little credit,” she continued. “He built the Gauntlet after all. Of course it was total shit at first, no imagination, but we spiced it up a bit.”

She was pleased with herself. Holmes was not amused. “How many lives has the Gauntlet claimed?”

She shrugged, “Who’s counting? At least enough to keep the traders busy. We like to send them in to clean out the bodies whenever things get ripe in there.” She smiled, savoring the fact. “They don’t always make it out alive, of course. The Gauntlet never sleeps.”

She was trying to get under Holmes’s skin. Hell, she got under mine. But Holmes is nothing if not practiced at keeping his emotions in check. “Impressive,” he said flatly.

Nisha seemed amused. “I may let you keep that pretty head of yours on your shoulders after all. I just hope Gage is right about you. He made a lot of promises to get us here and never followed through.” Her voice sharpened, “So you better not screw this up, because I’m not about to tolerate another round of bullshit.”

Holmes raised an eyebrow, “I assure you, I am the very best at what I do.”

“Disciples don’t make idle threats,” she warned. Maybe sensing she was alienating a potential enemy, she backed off a little, made the case for why Holmes should help the Disciples take over the park instead. The Operators are spoiled brats, the Pack are a bunch of animals, the stuff you’d expect rival leaders to say about each other. Finished her speech with a gem; “Do right by us and everyone in the Commonwealth will know your name.”

Holmes almost laughed. “They already do. However, I will consider your proposal.”

That wasn’t the reaction she’d expected. “Aren’t you sure of yourself,” she huffed. “Well, consider this; how much do you value your life?”

“You’ve made your threats perfectly clear,” Holmes didn’t quite roll his eyes but he obviously wanted to. “I’ve yet to meet the other leaders, but you’ve given me a great deal to think about. Do you mind if I look around?”

“Of course not,” she said, back to quietly pleasant. “See what we do here. If you decide you want to help out, come find me.” She headed up the ramps winding up to the top of the mountain.

“Charming woman,” I muttered. We had a look around, scoping out the place. Didn’t find much except confirmation of the Disciples’ sadism. I ain’t the kind to ever wish harm on another person, but I was getting pretty damn close to making an exception for those people. We made our way out, back into the welcome sunlight.

Heading south through the park brought us to the Parlor next, a former dinner theater turned headquarters for the Operators. We’d overheard a couple Disciples ridiculing the Operators for caring about things like personal hygiene, which was a mark in their favor in my book. Add the fact that according to Gage the Operators cared most about caps, and I had the idea that a couple centuries ago these people would have been right at home in the mafia. Or the stock market.

A guard wearing armor over a suit stood outside the door, “You can head on inside, Overboss.”

We found a handful of Operators idling in the theater’s lobby, chatting or smoking a cigarette. They all eyed us curiously, but kept to themselves for now. Holmes stopped us just outside the open doors to the main hall. Just out of sight, someone was talking, and it didn’t take long to figure who the gossip was about.

“Sorry, boss. All that’s turned up is that he’s got that Pip-Boy on his arm.”

“So,” a woman spoke, “our new Overboss is a vault dweller.”

A different man from before added, “Or an iced vault dweller.”

Holmes and I shared a look. Had they heard of Holmes? Gage had made the Minutemen connection, but Holmes being on ice wasn’t always a detail folks were aware of. The woman considered this, and dismissed the messenger. We took our cue to make our entrance.

A platinum blonde with armor over a plaid suit stood by the stage, a bearded man next to her in the same sort of armor over a fancy suit of his own. “Well,” the woman said as we approached, “I guess we all owe you for taking down Colter.” She looked straight at me, kept her face neutral (which isn’t something most people can do the first time we meet), and ignored me. After some further critique of the former Overboss, she asked Holmes what it felt like when he killed the guy.

"How did it feel when I killed a madman in an electrified suit of armor trying to kill me?" Holmes responded. "I suppose the same adrenaline rush and ensuing relief that comes with any fight for my life."

It wasn't the answer they were looking for exactly, but the lady moved on and finally got around to introducing herself. "I'm Mags. This is my brother, William."

"Pleasure," he said like this was anything but. The feeling was mutual. Something about these two bugged me, a fragment of a memory just a bit too hazy to make out.

“Along with our co-conspirator Lizzie,” Mags continued, “we run this crew. We call ourselves the Operators.”

Mags’s big pitch was that the Operators were interested in one thing; money. Their methods were a touch more bloodthirsty than what the founders of Nuka-World had in mind, but what better place to make all the caps you can want? No lunatic bloodlust or animal instinct, just cold rationality and a willingness to do literally anything to make a cap.

“Then let me assure you,” Holmes said, “that enabling trade is my primary concern here in Nuka-World.”

That answer pleased William, but Mags was still skeptical, and rightfully so. Still, she said she was looking forward to it and told us to feel free to look around and speak to her if we were interested in lending a helping hand. So we looked around. Holmes wanted to meet their co-conspirator. Me, I was still wondering where the hell I’d heard the names Mags and William Black before.

The old dinner theater wasn’t in the best shape, but it could have been a heck of a lot worse. We found Lizzie in the kitchen with a chemistry setup. A quick glance through her terminal revealed a series of disturbing experiments on some sort of “persuasion formula.” Get settlers to do anything you tell them to, and I mean anything. Also made the connection of where I’d heard of them before.

“Valentine, these people lived in Diamond City,” Holmes looked at me like I’d been hiding this fact.

“Yeah, I see that.”

“You don’t remember them?”

“The names seemed familiar, but I haven’t been able to place them. Would have to have been decades ago, I’d think.”

Holmes’s curiosity had been piqued, so he set about trying to find more information. In typical Holmes fashion, he decided the most efficient way to do that was to break into the only locked door in the place.

It was Mags and William’s room. I wasted no time looking at the terminal while the nosy “Overboss” made sure no one gave us any trouble. Mags had a handy list of players in the park, details on all the gang leaders and people to be aware of. More interesting to us at the moment was the holotape from her mother on the desk.

“Now I remember!” I said. “The Blacks were an Upper Stands family, twenty years or more ago. Maggy and Bill were rowdy terrors, ran around with their friend Lizzie causing trouble. They were exiled when one of their classmates was found… well, it wasn’t pleasant.”

“Come now, Valentine—”

“Let’s just say I’m not surprised they turned raider, alright? Mr. and Mrs. Black left town soon after their kids were exiled, scared for their lives. My guess is they could see their children’s vengeance coming. Lizzie Wyeth… don’t remember much about her folks, if she had them, but she always seemed like a real smart kid. Guess she put that to use.”

“Then they must know who you are, surely?”

“That’d be my guess. Wonder what they make of the old synth from back home they used to make fun of, running around with a vault dweller.”

“I’m not in a particular rush to find out,” Holmes said and we made a quick exit back to the park.

“I’d like to talk to some of the traders next, if possible,” Holmes said as we walked. “I don’t think I can take interviewing the leader of the Pack just at the moment.”

“I don’t blame you,” I chuckled, “but I doubt the traders are going to make for cheerful conversation either.”

We headed to an enclosed space in the courtyard, which graffiti informed us was the market. Inside we saw stalls set up all along the walls, the familiar shouts of traders a little bit like home. Or they would have been, if it weren’t for the red light on the collar of every single one of them. Their customers were a handful of travellers who had somehow managed to make it here and pay whatever price necessary to not get killed. Raiders watched from scaffolding in the middle of the market, making sure business went smoothly. We made our way around, more to see the state of the traders than any interest in their goods. Came across a handyman named Chip who’d been in Nuka-World so long he wouldn’t know where to go even if he did get free. He talked about restoring power to the old park. After being here for twenty years, he hoped to get her running again somehow. It was kind of inspiring and damn depressing all at the same time.

Then we found the clinic. Dr. Mackenzie Bridgeman used to live in a settlement west of the amusement park. When Overboss Colter offered her a deal—work for him and he’d leave her settlement in peace—she agreed. The doc was naturally curious about the new guy in charge, and took a leap of faith when Holmes let slip he wasn’t too pleased with his new position. “Then this might be your chance to make some changes around here.”

“Such as?” Holmes asked.

“The gangs that call this place home are already at each other's throats.” She leaned closer. She couldn’t have looked more conspiratorial if she tried, but none of the raiders on watch seemed to care. “Now, you could risk your own neck and try to keep them from tearing each other apart, or you could do the right thing and put them in the ground. When it's all said and done, you're still running this place from your fancy house on the mountain over there. Except now, you won't have to sleep with a gun under your pillow.”

Holmes regarded her quietly for a moment. “I think you have the wrong idea about me, Dr. Bridgeman.”

Poor lady nearly had a heart attack, “Okay, okay, I get it boss…”

“Holmes, could you not terrorize the locals?” I scolded.

Drawing attention to myself had the intended effect; she was too startled to be scared. Holmes, for his part, was doing that sigh he does when he realizes he’s been a jerk. “I wasn’t trying to. Dr. Bridgeman, I fully intend to make the ‘changes’ you suggest, however it will not be for the purpose of ruling unchallenged from on high.” He waited for a raider to pass, and whispered, “I simply want to help if I can, and go home. Any advice you can give to help me do that would be appreciated.”

The doc breathed in relief, “Oh. Good. Well, if you're serious about this, then you'll have to take down the leaders of the gangs. That means putting a bullet into Nisha, Mason, Mags and Mags's brother, William. Once you do that, the gangs will collapse and Nuka-Town goes back to being a free trading post.” She looked around nervously, “I should uh, probably stop talking about this out here.”

Holmes smiled a little, “I think that would be wise, doctor. I make no promises, except that I will see what I can do.”

"Kill the raider leaders, restore power to the park for the traders," I muttered as we left the market, "sounds like a plan."

Holmes scoffed, "Not much of one.

“Heck of a lot better than what we had before.”

He smirked, “A fair point. It is progress, at least.”

Up next was the Amphitheatre, where the Pack was based. The guard informed us that “Mason’s been waiting for you,” and in we went. At this point, we felt ready for just about any variation on raider the park could throw at us.

We were not ready for a zoo.

Shouldn’t have been a surprise, really, with the Pack’s penchant for animal masks and costumes, but I definitely did not expect to see a caged ghoulish gorilla, a two-headed gazelle… and people. Dogs, mongrels, and mole rats walked around free, apparently tame, while a cage fight went on to spectator cheers between a dog and a mole rat. Watching over all this spectacle from his throne on the amphitheatre’s stage was the man that had to be Mason.

“Now that I get a good look at you, not sure I’m buying this new Overboss thing,” the mustachioed raider said. It was kind of hard to take him seriously in his furry pants and vibrant facepaint, until you remembered that there was a cage full of humans just across the way.

“I’ll send you my resume and references,” Holmes drawled, tired.

“The fuck’s a resume?” Mason demanded, then changed his mind, “Don’t matter. Name’s Mason, The Pack’s Alpha. This here is our side of town. You might be Overboss, for now, but I’m the boss of the Pack, and it’s gonna stay that way. Long as you don’t go forgetting that, we’re gonna be fine.”

Mason at least didn’t sound like he was giving us a sales pitch right off the bat, just questioning the new guy and a little show of bravado. He was also willing to talk a little about Gage and Colter, and made pretty clear that everyone knows Gage is the power behind the throne, and no one is happy about it. Holmes did ask eventually what exactly the Pack had that the others didn’t, apart from their fashion sense. Mason’s answer? “The Pack are the meanest sons of bitches you'll ever meet. We do whatever it takes. And we're fiercely loyal. The Operators will cut your throat as soon as they get what they want out of you. And the Disciples? Who the fuck knows what those crazy bitches want. There's something wrong with them. And you just can't trust someone who ain't willing to show you their face.”

I thought his opinion was probably on the mark, which was a surreal feeling. Always good to keep in mind that folks are often a lot smarter than they look. The last meeting of the day finished, we scoped out the backstage area of the amphitheater for the sake of thoroughness. The Pack’s living area was decorated with colored lights and animal trophies, a fine alternative to human body parts. Apart from the yao guai in a cage with three dead people around it.

By now the sun was setting, so we headed back to our, uh, quarters. Gage was waiting in the Overboss’s bar, and headed straight over to the lift when he heard us coming up. “You’re back, good. So—”

“Mr. Gage,” Holmes was in no mood, “I have just endured a day of kidnapping, fighting for my life through an obstacle course of deadly traps, and spending the entire day engaging in conversation with people I would rather see eaten by a deathclaw. I am going to sleep. We will discuss your plans in the morning.”

Gage didn’t like it, but he didn’t protest. I followed Holmes into Colter’s former quarters, and wondered if the man had been suffering from some sort of hallucinations when he decorated.

“You’ll stand watch?” Holmes asked as he removed the bulkiest pieces of armor.

“You have to ask?”

He smiled a little, “No. But I do anyway.”

I put a hand on his shoulder, let him come to me. Behind closed doors, he could let it all go. Fell against me, held me as close as I held him. I still have to fight back the fear that I’m gonna hurt him, metal isn’t made for cuddling, but it gets easier every time. “We’re gonna get out of this, partner,” I whispered.

“Of course we are,” he said with a hell of a lot more confidence than I think he felt. “It’s simply far more exhausting than I expected.”

“The hard part’s still to come.”

He sighed, “We’ll see what Gage expects from me next tomorrow morning, and make our plan from there.”

I kissed him lightly, and nudged him toward the bed, “Rest up. I’m watching over you all night, just like always.”

He managed to fall asleep eventually. I did exactly as I promised.

[nicolasnelson]

Sebastian/MG fic - Mystery Never Breaks

Title: Mystery Never Breaks Relationship: Sebastian/Milton Greasley “MG” (Legacies) Additional Tags: Enemies to lovers Chapters: 1/? Words: 2,555

Summary: Sebastian tries to charm MG into helping him. It almost works.

[AO3 LINK]

“No, I am very real. And I need your help...”

MG couldn’t think clearly. Too many thoughts were crashing through his head at once. Sebastian was real. Lizzie wasn’t crazy. He’d made her think she was seeing things. And now his competition, who he should hate by definition, wanted his help. No freaking way.

“We can talk somewhere private if you are concerned that fellow over there will think you a madman,” Sebastian said, smirking.

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you!”

Wade stood up and glared at him, shoving his belongings into his bag.

“Sorry, West. I didn’t mean you. I meant my friend Lizzie. She did a spell to turn herself invisible. See?” He gestured vaguely at Sebastian, who wore an amused expression.

“Whatever. And how many times do I have to tell you, my name is Wade.” He stormed away from him.

MG turned to glare at Sebastian. “Look what you’ve done.”

“I believe that was entirely your fault,” Sebastian said, raising an eyebrow. “Now if you would show me to your quarters, we could avoid another such encounter.”

“Quarters? You know I’m not a servant, right?” MG said, highkey offended. “I’m a student here, just like everyone else.”

“Of course. My apologies. I should have said chambers instead. I merely meant the location in which you sleep.”

MG groaned. This guy was really starting to bug him. But he didn’t want rumors to spread that he was talking to himself, and the invisible Lizzie excuse wouldn’t hold up if she was mute too.

“Follow me.” He led Sebastian through the halls towards his dorm room.

The old-fashioned vampire’s eyes roved over the paintings on the walls, the candlesticks, everything, like he was studying this place, trying to memorize it. MG wondered if it would have been smarter to take Sebastian somewhere else. He didn’t know what his intentions were or how much he could do while he was invisible. Hopefully he was as harmless as Lizzie believed him to be…

They reached MG’s room. Sebastian glided in after him, and MG shut the door, clicking the lock shut.

“Why are you asking me for help?” MG demanded, crossing his arms.

“You are friends with Elizabeth, yes?”

“Well, I was before you decided to go out with her without mentioning she was the only person who could see you. You made her think she was hallucinating. Now she won’t even talk to me.” MG picked up his jacket draped over his desk chair and put it on, unable to bear looking at Sebastian for a moment longer.

“That was not my intention, I assure you. I thought we were quite alone all the times I spoke with her. I was not expecting a hooligan to be lurking in the trees.”

MG raised his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m the hooligan? That’s funny because I’m not the one who lied to her.”

“Deceived,” Sebastian corrected. “And it was not without reason. I only needed to get close to her, to gain her trust, so I could ask her for this favor.”

“The same favor you’re asking me now. Without getting close to me or gaining my trust. Can’t you see how that makes no sense?”

“Well, I am getting quite desperate. I have been trapped a long time, and I am eager to be free again.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question. Why me? Are you planning to use me to get close to Lizzie?”

“Ah.” Sebastian had this look on his face like he understood MG on a deep level. His mouth twisted into a sly smirk. “Elizabeth is indeed a charming woman, but I do not have my heart set on her. After all, there are many dance partners at a ball. Why spend your time dancing with only one?”

It felt like his eyes were boring into MG. He wasn’t sure what Sebastian meant, but it sounded a bit flirty. But, no, that was stupid. MG must be imagining things. It was that old world charm that made everything he said sound like a proposition.

“Okay then,” MG said. “But you could have asked literally anyone else at this school.”

“I made a connection with Lizzie. It broke, yes, but I thought I would do well to reach out to someone who knew of my existence. That way I would not be starting all over again.”

“Lizzie’s already blabbed about you to all her friends. Why didn’t you pick one of them?”

Sebastian grinned, looking quite pleased with himself. “I never had the pleasure of meeting her other friends, and rather than go with the unknown…”

“You went with the known?”

“Precisely. And I do not regret my choice. You are quite the specimen.”

“Can you stop talking about me like I’m some science project?”

“As the known variable, it seemed to be a fitting word to describe you, but I can see how it could be dehumanizing. I did not mean to offend you in the least. I could just as well have said you are quite the Adonis .”

MG gave him a funny look, unsure whether that was an insult or a compliment. Adonis was someone from Greek mythology, wasn’t it? MG couldn’t remember anything about him though.

Sebastian frowned, looking a little bit hurt. He seemed to be expecting some reaction from MG that he wasn’t getting. He smiled tensely and spoke again, laying on the charm even thicker this time. “Someone with your gorgeous mane and your fine-cut figure must be used to attention, yes? I am sure you are very popular with people around here.”

MG snorted. Was he making fun of him again? “I don’t see anyone lining up to be your friend. And it’s pretty dumb of you to ask for my help. I don’t know anything about you.”

“Forgive me. We have not been properly introduced. My name is Sebastian.”

“Yeah, I know that.”

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “And you are?”

“MG. Look, I still don’t know if you’re actually real, or if my head is just messing with me. You’re going to have to tell me more about yourself than just your name.”

“I am a vampire, as I’m sure Elizabeth has already told you. I was born in the fifteenth century. I led a simple life before being turned. My family became afraid of me and sought a way to hide me away. They succeeded, and I have been hidden for hundreds of years, locked away in a box somewhere, dessicated. I only seek an escape to this unending torment.”

MG gripped the edge of his desk to steady himself. That was a lot for him to process. He had been convinced he was imagining Sebastian, but he wasn’t sure his own mind could make this up.

“Hypothetically, if I were to help you, what would you need?”

“That depends,” Sebastian said, his gaze flicking to MG’s mouth. Or wait, that couldn’t be right… MG was definitely tripping. “What manner of creature are you?”

“I’m like you.”

“Ah, I thought you were a witch.” He looked disappointed for a moment, and MG could swear he saw him lick his lips. “Oh, yes, Elizabeth did say some of her closest friends were vampires. I take it that would include you.”

“You take it correct,” MG said, then shook his head. “Wait, that came out weird. I just mean, yes, I’m a vampire. And you’re a vampire, but your parents locked you in a box and starved you, so now you’re like extra dead or something like that.” He made a disgusted face, looking Sebastian up and down.

“Something like that,” Sebastian agreed, his voice lofty.  “I would need you to find my body in that box somewhere around here.” He waved vaguely. “And with some human blood, I shall be restored.”

“And where is this box?”

“That is for you to discover, my friend.” It was clear MG wasn’t getting any more answers out of him. Damn mysterious guy.

“You know broody vampires aren’t really popular anymore. It was great ten or twenty years ago, but now girls prefer vampires who are straightforward.”

“Have you considered that I might not be trying to impress a girl at the moment?” Sebastian lifted an eyebrow. “But I am curious to know what you would suggest in order to impress someone.”

MG didn’t really know what to say. “I don’t know what you should do. But you need to get with the times, bro.” He punched Sebastian’s shoulder, trying to act casual, even though he was lowkey freaking out at Sebastian’s comment.

Sebastian grabbed MG’s wrist and twisted it behind his back. Pretty fast for a vampire, and that was saying something. “I am not your brother,” he said between gritted teeth.

“No, that’s not what it means. It’s like saying ‘dude’ or ‘man.’ Like hey, man, let go of me.”

Sebastian released his grip. “Ah. So this ‘dude’ and ‘man’ are the modern day equivalent of ‘good sir’ then?”

MG rubbed at his arm. “Yeah, that sounds right. Wow, you are really strong for an invisible guy.”

Sebastian inclined his head. “Why thank you, bro.”

MG suppressed a laugh, covering his mouth with his hand.

“What? Did I use it incorrectly?”

“No, it just sounds weird to hear you say it with all the formal speech. Maybe hold off on the slang for now.”

Sebastian nodded, looking relieved. “That is perfectly agreeable for me.”

“How long were you a vampire before, you know, the box thing?” MG asked. “If it was for a long time, then you’re really creepy. You know Lizzie is only sixteen, right?”

Sebastian rubbed his chin, considering. “I was a rather new vampire. I would say I was only roaming freely for about a year before I was locked away. I was eighteen when I was first turned, so even with my year of roaming, I am still a teenager myself.”

His shoulders relaxed. “Well, that’s a relief.”

Sebastian walked around the room, studying all of MG’s belongings before settling on his video game system. He pressed every button except the one to turn it on. “This thing you want me to call you... Emgee. What does it mean?”

MG snorted. Sebastian said his name like it was some mystical title. “It’s my initials. Didn’t you have those in the fifteenth century?”

“Ah, yes, we signed many a letter with them. What is your first name, if I may ask?”

“Milton.” MG made a face.

Sebastian smiled, displaying all his teeth. It was honestly a bit dazzling. “Milton. That is a marvelous name. Why do you choose not to use it?”

MG shrugged. “It sounds so old-fashioned and ugly.”

“Quite the contrary. Your name is beautiful, Milton. I knew a lovely place in England that bore the name. But if being called by your name makes you uncomfortable, I shall endeavor to call you MG.”

“It’s okay. I don’t mind too much.” And he really didn’t. It felt okay when Sebastian called him that. It would feel stranger for him to call him MG. “What about you? Do you have any nicknames?”

“Oh, yes, my friends call me Sebastian the Insatiable. Or they did…” His voice trailed off as his gaze shifted to the floor.

“That’s kinda long for a nickname,” MG pointed out, ignoring the fact that it was a terrible nickname. Who wanted to announce that they were hungry all the time? Or maybe it was a sex thing… No way was he calling Sebastian that. “Usually people pick something shorter. Like Seb, Sebby, or even Bash.”

“Bash. I quite like the sound of that. All right. You may call me Bash if you so desire.” Sebastian grinned at him.

MG itched his head. “Sorry, I, uh, I need to go clean my shoes. See you later, Bash.”

Sebastian gave him the most alluring smile and a wave. “Until next time, Milton. I shall fiddle with this interesting contraption some more.”

“Sure, just try not to break anything.”

“Got it,” Sebastian said, smiling. “When you return, we can work out the details of our arrangement.”

“There is no arrangement. I still haven’t decided if I’m helping you yet. Look, I’ll ask my friend Kaleb in the morning for advice. If he thinks we should help you, then we will.”

“Ah.” Sebastian’s fist closed around the remote, shattering the plastic. He dropped it to the floor. “Well, that might be a problem. I am not the best at waiting. You see, I have done far too much of it in my time.”

MG bit his lip. It was taking everything in him not to attack Sebastian. This guy was pinching his last nerve. “You better learn fast then. ‘Cause we’re doing things on my time.”

A nerve feathered in Sebastian’s chiseled jaw. “I have tried to be civil, but you make things very difficult,” he said, his voice strained. He looked two seconds away from tackling him to the ground. “Milton, you are insufferable.”

MG scoffed. “Yeah, well, you’re instandable.”

“That is not even a real word, is it?”

“Sure, it is. It means I can’t stand you.”

Sebastian rubbed his forehead. “Goodness, the English language has suffered greatly in my absence. And you do realize that insufferable means the exact same thing, don’t you?”

“Yeah, of course I knew that. That’s why I said what I said.”

Sebastian laughed, looking like he’d finally cracked some big mystery. “Oh, I see. You’re an idiot. No wonder you need the aid of your friend to decide whether to help me or not. You cannot make the decision for yourself.”

“That’s not true,” MG said, his tone biting. “I could make a decision myself. If I wanted to.”

Sebastian pursed his lips and shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

“No, I see what you’re doing here. I’m going to let you trick me into agreeing to help you. Asking a friend for advice is the smart thing to do. It would be stupider--more stupid--for me not to.”

“Ah, not as dumb as I thought.” Sebastian closed the distance between them with one stride, getting right in MG’s face. “But not the sharpest knife in the drawer.” He smirked, wicked, teasing.

MG fought a strange mix of urges in his stomach. “I’m gonna go fix my shoe. When I get back, you better be gone. We’ll talk in the morning, okay? Otherwise I’m not helping you at all.”

Sebastian leveled him with a glare, his eyes cold and sharp. All the charm had gone out of him, and he just looked like a viper, poised to strike. “Well, you no longer have permission to call me Bash, you bloody turnip.”

MG rushed out of the room and slammed the door shut, hoping Sebastian wouldn’t follow him. When MG reached the bathroom, he closed the door behind him and leaned against the cool wood. He tried to shove down his feelings to where the sun don’t shine, but they kept clawing their way up as he remembered Sebastian’s brilliant smile, his subtle hint that he might be interested in someone other than Lizzie. How the hell did Sebastian manage to simultaneously infuriate him and allure him?

MG knew without a doubt this boy would be the second death of him.

[boogiewrites]

Choking On Sapphires 69

Title & Song: The Boy I Love

Characters: Alfie Solomons x Genevieve (OFC)

Word Count: 5000+

Summary: Gen takes a job with Tommy and Alfie, as always, sticks his nose into it. Coming to an agreement to put the bad blood between them to bed, Tommy gives Alfie and Gen a more official sort of job to do together.

Warnings/Tags: Language. Canon-typical violence. 

**Chapter song is The Boy I Love Is Up In The Gallery (very old song, don’t know the origin. It’s on Spotify.**

Click on my icon then go to my Mobile Masterlist in my bio for my other works and chapters. (Had to do this since Tumblr killed links, sorry.)

You give curt nods to the boys in the bakery, your feet moving fast towards Alfie's office.

"Does he have a spare moment Ollie?" you ask sweetly, a smile that's always relieved at your presence comes over the tall boys face.

"He does, go on in." he gives you a nod, going back to taking his pen to the papers.

You give a knock and open the door. "I'm looking for Mr. Solomons but you're far too handsome to be him." you giggle and shut the door behind you. "You've had your spring trim early, darling." you chirp, moving to him as he stands, his beard trimmed and tamed, his hair shorter on the sides, no longer the messy and unruly nest it had been.

"Gotta keep up wif you now don't I?" he says, leaning down to kiss you as you hold his cheeks.

"I do love you looking much like a beast but this version is unfairly handsome as well. Before I wanted to eat myself silly and hibernate with you and now I want you to take me out to a nice dinner and then make me be unladylike behind closed doors." you give him a giggle, your tongue peeking out from between your teeth.

"I can do both, love." he laughs as you scratch his face gently. "What do I owe the pleasure, pet?" he asks, his arms moving to wrap around your waist.

"I was on the way out of town. Wanted to see you before I left."

"Where ya goin'?" his brow lowers and he gives you an accusatory look.

"I have a job tonight, remember?"

"Ah. Yes." he nods slowly.

"Well at least I know you won't have me followed since you forgot." you laugh.

"Can't very well send me men after you if you don't tell me where ya goin'."

"Well it's a job, sweetheart, you know I don't tell you my paid work. Business confidentiality and all." you give him a shrug and kiss to his grumpy face. "I'll be home in the early morning I believe. So you can come over for afternoon tea and we'll spend some time together, yes?" you tilt your head up at him, trying to butter him up. Your hands run up and down his chest as you coo sweetly at him.

"I suppose I could come see ya. Workin' on Shabbat though." he tsks and grins.

"We've both done far worse." you wrinkle your nose affectionately at him. "I think I can be excused as it's money to put away for the wedding." you say with a bashful smile.

"Ya savin' up are ya?"

"I am." you nod. "I've been taking some extra jobs to give us a good nest egg to start with."

"I thought I was supposed to be the one supportin' you."

"We are untraditional and modern in our approach, Alfie. If I work hard, it'll only make us richer. You aren't expecting me to stay home and do nothing but wait to have babies are you?"

"'Course not, don't be daft, love. You'd never go for that. No matter if I wanted it or not." he grins and leans down to kiss you.

"Is that what you want?" you ask with a surprised tone in your voice.

"Not realistically no. But let an old man have his fantasies, eh?" he chuckles and kisses your cheek.

"I can play a good little wife and mum for you. Don't have to worry about that." you nuzzle into him. "I couldn't go about my regular criminal work while pregnant anyway, could I? So perhaps you'll get to live your fantasy for a bit, hmmm?"

"Comin' home to you in such a state is somefin I've given more thought to as of late." he speaks softly against your skin.

"Is it now?"

"Been puttin' together plans for an engagement, a wedding, gets a man thinkin' 'bout what might come after ya know."

"I do adore it when you speak of a future together." you hum contently. "And as much as I'd like to sit and fantasize with you I must be off, darling. Perhaps we'll indulge in it tomorrow night?" you say cheerfully, hands back to his face to swipe your thumbs across his cheeks.

"Gimmie a proper kiss before you leave now, pet." he playfully pouts and you laugh into the kiss you share before he pulls you close and runs his fingers through your hair.

"With kisses like that I may very well want to stay home and have you try to put a baby in me." you laugh and he gives you a charming grin. "I love you, darling. No need to worry, won't be in any danger tonight. So rest well and say hello to the pup for me. I'll see you both again soon."

"Not soon enough." he gives your bum a good squeeze and taps his finger to the tip of you nose. "Love you Genny Bee, you be safe, yeah? Don't take any shite from anyone."

"Do I ever?" you say with a confused tilt of your head before blowing him a kiss and giving him a wink before leaving.

Alfie sits back at his desk, putting his glasses back to his nose. "Give you lads enough time to find out where she's goin'?" he asks gruffly as Ollie walks into the room.

"You did." Ollie nods.

"Talk about marriage and babies with her and she'll titter on. Almost feel guilty for it. Too easy." he grins.

"Well, you do plan to-?" Ollie asks with concern.

"OF COURSE I FUCKIN' DO!" he shouts. "Don't be so bloody thick, lad. Not that it's any of your concern." he shakes his head, face looking disappointed. "So where's she goin'?" his voice returns to normal.

"A job in Birmingham, sir." Ollie informs him. Having one of the boys talk to your driver to find out where you were headed. He wouldn't have you followed without prior knowledge now, but he wasn't going to be left in the dark about where you were going.

"Fuckin' Birmingham?" he says with a snarled lip, looking over to the other man.

"Yes. A Shelby job apparently. She's off to the Garrison." he informs.

"Fuckin' Shelby's." he grumbles. "Don't trust 'em, mate. Don't fuckin' trust that Tommy." he shakes his head and rubs between his eyes.

"Should I ready the car for a trip to Birmingham sir?" Ollie says knowingly, hiding a smirk.

"Yeah. I ain't leavin' her in Tommy's hands. Don't care if he's a fuckin' member of Parliment now or not. Don't trust the lyin' gypsy. Give her time to get outta the city. Let me finish 'is and we'll go." he waves him away and returns to the contract he was looking over.

----------- Tommy had given you a call to do a quick kill in his hometown for him. He was a member of Parliment now and didn't want to get his hands dirty personally, even though he had personal qualms with the man. The man, as was all the men he asked you to kill for him, was known to hurt women. You perkily accepted, feeling like it'd been too long since you'd gotten to take down an abuser.

"Hello, darling." you say as you lean in to kiss his cheek before sliding to stand next to him in the back room of the Garrison. "Did the wife and baby get the gifts I sent?" you inquire when he gives you his signature subtle smile, the best you would get from Tommy.

"They did. Lizzie sends her thanks." he gives a slow nod looking out across the bar.

"So is this gentleman here?" you ask quietly, your hands clasped in front of you.

"He will be shortly. I knew some people who wanted to see you before you had to work and leave."

"Oh, who's that?"

He turns and gives you a smirk before turning his face back towards the door. "They'll be here in just a moment. If they are in fact on time." he gives a quick look to his watch. "It is nice to see you though, Gen." he gives a calm nod your way.

"I'm happy to see you as well. You look well." you motion to his pressed new suit. "Work and the new family suiting you it seems." you give him a sweet smile. You wanted to let him know you would never hold it against him for moving on from Grace. You would support Lizzie and Ruby just the same as you did him and Charlie while they were solo. You were happy Charlie got a little sister to care for, the boy was rather sweet and she should have a constant playmate.

"It's going just fine, Gen. I could ask the same of you." another smirk comes across his face.

"So you have heard then?" you say with a smirk that suggests the same.

"Everyone has."

"And anything you'd like to say now so I can work out my anger for your snide remarks later in the evening?" you joke.

"No." he presses his lips together, his face still calm and collected.

"That's all?  No?" you put one of your hands on your hip. "I pair off with one of the big scary London boys and that's all I get?" you chuckle.

"I did know it was bound to happen. You two living together and all that." his words are smooth and omniscient. "I did help you secure his trust if you recall."

"I do and thank you for that. It's helped ease my mind tremendously."

"You do look happy though." he finally shifts his eyes to meet yours, a more sincere look shared.

"I am happy."

"And that's all that matters, eh?" he quirks a brow.

"You know that is entirely not the truth."

He hums in amusement. "Good to see you still have your wits about you."

"I may love the stubborn beast but I am still very much aware of who I am as an individual and my place as a woman in this life we lead, Tommy."

"Reassuring, that." he gives you another nod. "So it's love now is it?" another smirk.

"Yes. We're in love." you say in a defensive but playful way. "No one was more surprised than I was about it." you huff out a laugh.

"And what of marriage?"

"We've discussed it and I'm waiting on him to ask formally. Seems I've rubbed off on him, says he wants to do it properly in a fashion I would approve of."

"Knows to keep his woman happy." he nods. "Perhaps there's hope for him yet." he grins and you see him raise his glass to someone across the room.

Before you're lifted in the air, triggering a squeal from you as you hear the deep throaty voice of Arthur making a happy roar as he squeezed you.

"GENNY! LOVE! I THOUGHT I'S NEVER TO SEE YA AGAIN!" he says sitting you down and moving you in for a proper hug.

"Hello my darling peach." you coo, patting his face and giving him a kiss to the cheek. "I didn't know you would be here!"

"We all try 'n come to the Garrison from time to time since Tommy's a big man now 'n all. Keep up appearances he says." he gives a nod as you straighten his jacket back.

"And you," you say with a big grin. "Did you get the gifts I sent for Esme and the new baby?" you ask as you wrap your arms around John's neck.

"We did, they send their thanks. As always." he says with a shake of his head. "Mrs. Solomons." he grins.

"I am not yet a Solomons. But it would seem I will in time. Don't jump the gun on that." you wag a finger at him and give him a scolding.

"I heard you two's been snuggled up like a couple 'a pups in his club. Snoggin' away and drinkin' wine. Who knew the old man had it in him to have a good time." Arthur laughs.

"Old man? You're the same age, Arthur." you snort out a laugh. "How would you like it if I started calling you old man?"

"I'd fuckin' agree!" he laughs.

"Well none of you look old in these new suits, I must say." you praise and they peacock a bit.

"Come with the new territory. Like fuckin' henchmen nowadays." John snorts and shoots a look to Tommy.

"So same as always?" you say with a sassy smile and they both grumble and smile at you.

"Heard you's here for work, sweetheart?" Arthur asks.

"I am."

"Anyfing I can help with?"

"No, this is a Shelby hands-off production I'm afraid. Just a little woman defending herself from a big drunk, handsy bloke." you say with a delicate delivery.

"Anyone that knows you knows 'ats a lie."

"Good thing I don't know anyone but you boys here then, hmmm?" you grin. --------

The man eventually shows and you sit and titter about and gossip with the boys, letting the man get good and drunk. Not only would it make fighting easier, but the more belligerent the man got the more your story would check out, and the higher the alcohol content in his system the faster he would bleed out. So it was win-win really. You got to catch up with your boys, getting to meet Michael who had been overseas and spend some time with Finn who hadn't been out on jobs as he'd been too young, but he seemed to be coming up nicely, despite the company he kept.

Once you had a moment alone with Tommy, you go out for some air, the smoke getting to you as you weren't accustomed to it, seeing as Alfie didn't allow his men to smoke in the bakery due to the explosive nature of the bread. You share a cigarette with Arthur, him making fun of your coughing but you wanted a boost before you offed this fellow.

"Do you recognize that car over there Arthur? Look but don't be obvious, please." you say taking a drag.

"They all bloody look alike anymore don't they?" he laughs, having a stretch and taking a look.

"Much smoother than I thought that was going to go." you snort.

"Oh fuck off, Genny I do have grace when I'm able."

"My apologies, dear." you grin.

"I don't recognize it. But the fellow has those little curls like your people dunnit he?"

"I noticed that as well." you say, passing the cigarette back to him. "Looks as if my misses might be in a spot of trouble with me if that's what I think it is." you say with an annoyed look on your face.

"Anyfing wrong? Need me to go run 'em off?"

"No, no." you shake your head. "Could be nothing. Don't know why any Jews would be here though. We don't own anything in this area. Smells like pig all the time too." you laugh. "We'll wait it out. I've got a job to do." you say with a  pat to his cheek and moving back inside the Garrison.

"Tommy." you call out calmly. "I might have visitors."

"Eh?" he says turning to face you.

"There is a car that is vaguely familiar and I see a Jewish gentleman in it outside. I do not recognize him but just in case they hear a ruckus and come in to help me, you can have someone at the door to hold them off."

"Why are they hear and why would they come in?" he asks with a low brow.

"Alfie has the tendency to have me followed so I don't get kidnapped or hurt."

"Smart man."

"I knew you'd say that. You two are alike in the most controlling, annoying sort of ways." you roll your eyes. "I'm assuming he found out I was here, although I didn't tell him as to avoid such a thing. But just in case..." you shrug. "I wanted to let you know. Could be nothing though." you say reassuringly.

"I know no other reason but you that there would be any of your people up here."

"Those were my thoughts as well. But I'm being transparent with you."

"Yes." he nods. "And what if it's Solomons himself eh? Come to save you from the devious Shelby?" he smirks.

"Oh hell," you grumble. "If it is perhaps I'll need you to do a bit of lying for me. An act of solidarity between us to ease his stubborn arse and suspicions?"

"How many bullets are in that gun of guilt of yours Genny?" he gives you a subtle smile.

"As many as it takes." you return the expression.

------------------

It was entirely easy for you to have the man come onto you. You removed your fur coat and let your red dress flash and catch his attention. The man was large and had drawn attention as you slapped away his big greasy paws as they tried to touch you. It went all as usual with these types, telling him to stop or you would defend yourself. Some crude comment on your appearance, wishing you would come at him. You warn him again, telling him he will not like what you will do to him. He ignores your words. You shout out that you are going to act in self-defense if he does not cease, and a handful of men around the pub look your way. Mostly drunk and slowly comprehending what was happening, not moving as their glazed eyes got distracted by your brightly colored appearance.

"Have it your way." you say, reaching back and grabbing a bottle, breaking it over his head, only to daze him. It would take a good bit of effort to finish off a man this big, but with his hands touching you and his crude words too near your face and too close to threats you let the knowledge of his previous harm to women fuel you and you take him down. Slashes about his face with the broken end of the bottle, before jabbing it into his neck and twisting, taking him down as you growl out declarations of vengeance for the women that couldn't fight back.

You stand, a splattering of blood across your face and you set the makeshift knife on the bar top where it's taken delicately by a barkeep who hands you a towel.

"Well then." you nod give a nod and take a deep breath, standing back up straight and looking out in the crowd of faces still in shock. "That's that." you say with a cheerful disposition and the crowd breaks out into messy applause. You laugh and see Arthur leading them on, clapping loudly.

"Show 'em no one fucks with ya Genny!" he hollers, and whoops, revving up the crowd.

"Fuckin' 'ave 'im lassie!" you hear loudly and take a little bow and curtsy that leads to whistles and you let out a charming laugh.

"Whayyyy!" men cheer as you sit perched on the bar, taking shots and getting high off attention and drunk off gin like the old days. It'd been so very long since you'd had this sort of male attention and you were feeling terribly nostalgic. The piano is playing and drinking songs are sung by the men, a glorious time was being had all around.

"Play the one I used to sing in the pubs with her!" you shout to Tommy. He knew exactly who and which you meant. A smile that reflects less sadness than it used to is shared between the two of you.

"The boy I love is up in the gallery." he says to the man at the piano, a nod as he sighs and takes a drink. He raises his glass to you and you do the same, handing it off to a random man close to you as you stand up on the bar top.

"I'm a young girl and I've just come over..." you begin with a big breath, eyes shut and singing loudly, feet walking across the bar with men looking up at you and you putting on a show. This moment of showmanship, lost so entirely in the attention of a crowd must've been why you didn't see Alfie walk in. The crowd doesn't pay him much mind, even though his wide hat and scowling, ready to be defensive face set him apart from everyone else.

He sees you and quirks a brow and huffs out a laugh. So much for you being in trouble, he thought. He could tell you were drunk, but you did have a lovely singing voice and he hadn't seen your face this certain kind of happy before. He sees Tommy from across the bar and gives a nod that they share, he then motions with his hand to you and Tommy shrugs, giving a smile.

As you spin to walk down the bartop facing the other way you open your eyes and see the boy you loved. "And amongst the boys I've got me a lover..." you say with a big bright smile that he has to work hard to not give back to you. He keeps a scolding face and you stay bright and cheery, walking over to the end of the bar closest to him and pointing and singing to him. He pretends to be annoyed, he wasn't used to this sort of behavior in you and even if you did look lovely and were being very doting he wasn't sure how to handle it. He was among men and had an image to keep up. But what sort of man would he be to ignore the affections of a woman like you? "The boy I love is looking now at me..." you bat your lashes and put your hand to your chest and laugh, making another walk back and forth, having to mind to stop singing due to his appearance. "The boy I love they call him a baker, but he is not a baker allow me to state." you give a big corny wink to him and you see Tommy hide a laugh into his glass as you change the words to the original to better suit him. You hear John and Arthur's laughs above the crowd, sat on a table in a booth that held an amused look Michael and Finn. "Alfie is a tradesman and he works in the borough..." you slide and spin, changing the name to his as he gives you his signature scowl, lip disappearing under his mustache. You continue the song, singing straight to Alfie who is giving you a side eye. "Now If I were a duchess and had lots of money, I'd give it to the boy that's gonna marry me." you tap the end of his nose and he swats your hand away as your nose wrinkles in a giddy and delighted expression. His scowl softening but lips still tight. "But I haven't got a penny so we live on love and kisses." you blow kisses his way and the man he's with is now chuckling and looking at his boss. You stand and sing dramatically the last lines, lifting your arms and belting it out, the men in the crowd now singing along. "I'm afraid the boy I love has come to break up the fun!" you say to the crowd who gives a playful and very drunken noise of disapproval.

"Come down ya mad, drunken little bird." Alfie gruffs, shaking his head and holding his hand out to you.

"Goodnight you lovely boys!" you say, moving to bow and slipping on some discarded liquor as you were about to step down. Alfie moves quickly and catches you, your wide eyes meeting his lovingly disapproving ones as the crowd shouts 'whhayyyyy!" in celebration again.

"My hero!" you giggle and wraps your arms around his neck, kissing his cheek and leaving lipstick on his face.

"Ridiculous." he grumbles, a small smile showing through as he carries you to the booth the Shelby's were sitting in.

Tommy holds back and watches Alfie with you, seeing him hide his adoration as you wiped the lips prints off his face with your bright and adoring eyes sparkling at him. He sees you truly did love him and he did you. He was touched for the briefest of moments. The music and singing in the bar not having been around since Grace, seeing you happy which was something his Grace had always wanted for you. He takes a deep breath before walking over to join you in the booth.

"Some fuckin' job 'is is, eh?" he says, holding your chin and examining the state of your eyes.

"She already did her part of the deal. I was letting the lass have her fun." Tommy says.

"I'm relieved she is not workin' as a showgirl for ya, yeah?" he says with pursed lips in his usual gruff delivery.

"You followed me up here you naughty boy!" you say patting his cheek.

"I did. Because 'a you doin' somefin fuckin' mad like 'is, love." he says obviously sighing and putting his arm around you as you snuggled up to him. "And because frankly, I don't know if I trust you, mate." he wags a finger at Tommy.

"Darling, you can."

"Can I? After what he tried to do to you?" he says looking down at your pouting face.

"Perhaps its time we came clean, Gen." Tommy says, looking over to you.

"Perhaps." you say sitting back up straight.

"What the fuck is 'is?" he grunts, his brow lowering and mouth frowning.

"I have known Gen longer than you, yeah? I feel protective over her in a way, as it is what Grace would've wanted," he says quietly, Alfie's face turns slightly confused at the mention of Tommy's deceased ex-wife. "I told her not to trust you," he states clearly. "For reasons, I'm sure you understand." he snarks.

"Yeah, and?" he gruffs out.

"So I suggested a plan to test your loyalty to her."

Alfie blinks. "Ya fuckin' wot?"

"I knew what your weakness would be if you were not to be trusted. So I played off of that and Gen agreed to it."

"I had to know if I could trust you, darling. Women don't get second chances in this line of work." you say, your eyes large and full of apologies.

He sighs and grits his teeth, looking back over to Tommy. "I told her I'd test you for her. As a means to make it up to her for losing the egg."

"He owed me." you say with a smirk to Tommy.

"I did. And I knew she was starting to like you, eh? I didn't want her getting hurt. In either business or a personal sense."

"Grace would've come back to haunt him if he let me get hurt I'm certain of it." you smile and sigh, fondly remembering her worry for your choices in lifestyle, particularly after she married Tommy.

"I'm not entirely sure you're wrong." he says with a nod before returning his eyes to Alfie.

"You 'n your gypsy nonsense." Alfie grumbles and you poke his side hard.

"I know you've held it against me. But I have some business that I'd like both of you to be involved with and I'd like to be able to put this misunderstanding behind us. As long as Gen is with you, I will be an ally to you, Alfie."

"And what if we aren't together?" he lifts his chin and narrows his eyes.

"Then we can go back to fucking each other over can't we?" he smiles with his eyes in response behind his gold-framed glasses.

Alfie grunts, his eyes narrowed in consideration, staring at Tommy who doesn't flinch until he turns his face to you. "You didn't trust me?" he asks, no hurt about it in his face.

"Would you have trusted you if you were me?" you ask with a tilt of your head and a press of your lips.

"Mmmph." he nods, continuing to stare at you.

"When I told you that night..." you lean in to whisper. "In the bathtub. I meant it. Because I knew I could. All that was true. I couldn't give myself over or open up to you fully until I knew the truth. Everyone was telling me not to trust you. And your track record is shit. Even you must admit that."

He nods and thumbs his nose.

"I have to protect myself as a woman and a business owner. As someone with a lot to lose. I couldn't have some man come in and make a fool of me. I'd never forgive myself. And I trust you now." you put your hand on his stomach and give him a look that you know to soften him. "I couldn't let a man take away all the rewards my hard work have given me. And you are not known for your loyalty, Alfie."

"I hear your reasons." he gruffs out, eyes moving across the table, showing uncertainty. "I'm not thrilled with your means of action but..." he shrugs and returns his face to yours. "We aren't alotted room for error. Especially not a woman." he agrees, lips tight.

"And I trust you now. I hope you trust me as well."

"I know." he answers simply. "Wouldn't be with you if I didn't, yeah?"  he raises his brows obviously. "You innit the only one with somefin to lose."

"That's why trust is so important." you say sweetly.

"And it was your doin'?" he turns to Tommy, his arched brow high and intimidation set face back.

"Yes." he nods once and keeps a straight face. "In the spirit of trust, I have some information I'd like to share with you both. If you're willing to hear it, Alfie."

"Alright." he picks at his beard. "I'm listenin'."

"Arthur." he motions his head to his brother who is standing by the archway to the room. He pulls the curtains to. "I can't tell you this in any official capacity. But I'm sure you've heard of the fascists trying to start their party and get footing here in Britain." he says with a quiet voice and serious face.

"Aye." Alfie nods, his voice cautious, you elect to nod in agreement.

"In Germany, as I'm sure you've heard, the Nazi party is gaining power and starting to reach out to like-minded individuals here. Teaming up with the fascists and trying to get power here under a different name, but the same sort of ideas."

"Aye." Alfie gruffs out, fully aware and as always full of thousands of years of rage for the mention of antisemitism.

"There is a man who is being a bit too public with his connections to Germany and the Nazi's for my, and many others in my positions liking. We cannot be linked to anything. As I'm sure you understand. But I thought you two, being who you were... might be interested in helping us out."

"Go on." Alfie groans.

"This man is trying to get in with Osley, and with the people already starting to make noise about him, we'd like to put an end to this so we only have to deal with Osley and not bring the Nazi's into it as well. We don't need Germany involved."

"I'd fuckin' say not." Alfie muses and shifts his weight.

"So would you be interested in sending a very, very clear message to this man and his supporters here in Britain?"

"How clear of a message?" you give him a smile.

"Painfully clear."

"Deadly clear?" Alfie grins.

"Painfully, bloody, deadly, no room for misunderstanding clear." Tommy speaks slowly and clearly. "I can give you men to help. I can give you everything you'll need to do it, all the information as to what club he owns and can tell you when his supporters will be there. I will have to give you that information at another time, as our inside men can only work as fast as the information is given. But I thought it suited to give two Jewish forces first shot at it."

"They'll be comin' after the gypsy's too ya know." Alfie says, lowering his chin.

"I am aware of that Alfie." Tommy says, sitting back in his seat. "But I believe they have been more vocal about your people."

He nods.

"So?" Tommy asks

You and Alfie both look at each other. "Wanna kill some fuckin' Nazi's love?" he grins, knowing the answer.

You turn to Tommy with a wicked smile. "Consider them already dead."

@fangirlfreakingout @jaegeeeeer @cosettewinchester @lookuptheskyisfalling-blog @brianaisasongbird @cry5t4l-w4rri0r @iliveonchocolateandnetflix @jess2464 @hardygal69 @thegarrisonpublichouse @a-flock-of-angry-pigeons @pootle @negansdirtygirl22 @musingsby-night@wtf-is-wrong-with-this @shine-dont-shadow @inkinterrupted @vale0413 @lafayettes-baguettes-1 @sxlomons @aphnxrising @emerald-bijou @elaenom @give-jack-a-lightsaber @anrm1 @ultrablackwidower @tinastarkandco @arrowswithwifi   @marvelgirl7 @they-are-not-just-stories   @ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes

[douxreviews]

Pride and Prejudice - ‘Episode 5′ Review

“But afterwards, she seemed to improve on you. I even believe you thought her rather pretty at one time.” “Yes, I did. But that was only when I first knew her. For it has been many months now since I've considered her one of the handsomest women in my acquaintance.”

In which Lydia runs away, Lizzy comes home, everyone is distressed, and Darcy mysteriously pops up in London. Contains spoilers.

My favorite part of this episode (and the reason I begged ChrisB to let me do this one) is the conclusion of Lizzy’s trip to Pemberley. It contains some of the loveliest, loviest moments between Lizzy and Darcy. Sensing the connection between the two, Miss Bingley lashes out and attempts to divide them with snide comments. Brava, madam. Brilliant plan. Darcy’s reaction to her snark is to openly contradict her (as he does in the lead-in quote) or to get away from her. Darcy’s reactions border on rudeness; only something as strong as his love for Elizabeth could get the irrepressibly formal Mr. Darcy to behave so to his best friend’s sister.

We finally meet Georgiana Darcy, and isn’t she adorable? Georgiana provides great insight into her brother’s character. He virtually raised her and she is the picture of sweetness and kindness. It speaks well for big brother, don’t you think? She also reveals how glowingly Darcy speaks of his love interest. Her comment about his never exaggerating indicate he is not frequently seen exulting in the charms of others, making his comments about Elizabeth strong evidence of his love. Elizabeth does not play flawlessly, to be sure. In comparison to the highly accomplished women Darcy associates with, Lizzy’s musical skills are probably quite minimal indeed. Still, Darcy tells his sister that “he rarely heard anything that gave him more pleasure.” This is perfectly in line with Darcy’s character. He’s not lying or exaggerating by praising her music to the rooftops, but he is admitting that he loves to listen to her.

Unfortunately for Lizzy, she is soon dragged back to reality by Lydia’s elopement. Lydia’s running away makes Episode 5, by far, the most (melo)dramatic episode of the series. It and the events it sets in motion are, it could feasibly be argued, very close to being over the top. Jane Austen typically disdained melodrama and frequently satirized novels that used it. The situation with Lydia is saved from being labeled ridiculous by its importance in the novel. While the elopement itself is not the most important thing in the book, it does serve to conclude certain plot points and bring characters together.

This is the only version of Pride and Prejudice I’ve seen that includes scenes of Wickham and Lydia in London. They are not in the book. While it might be a tad jarring to see new scenes added to one’s favorite book, it serves the plot beautifully. Lydia’s role in the elopement is solidified. She didn’t run off with Wickham to live in sin, she ran off to be married to him and still expects that to occur. She is not so much of a ‘scarlet woman’ as an idiot. It also sets up Darcy’s heroism which will be fully realized in episode 6. By setting it up this way, Darcy’s rescue of the Bennet family’s reputation does not come from out of the blue, as it does in the book, but it does lessen the drama of finding out Darcy is the one to whom the Bennets owe their thanks. I also like these scenes because we see that Wickham is already annoyed with Lydia. It’s going to be a long life, Wickham, and it serves you right. The punishment fits the crime.

From a character standpoint, it’s interesting to watch the different members of the Bennet family react to Lydia’s elopement. Mary uses the opportunity to be tiresome and severe, Kitty doesn’t understand the consequences of Lydia’s behavior, Mr. Bennet feels guilty (as he should), Mrs. Bennet is ridiculous, and Jane is optimistic. As for Elizabeth, although she is worried for everyone involved, Darcy is ever-present in her thoughts. She worries what Lydia’s running away has made him think of her and her family and realizes that she has no hope of him now. Why would he want to connect himself in marriage to a family containing the man who nearly ruined his sister?

Mrs. Bennet really has her shining hour in this episode. Her ridiculousness has never been more obvious. Her worries over Lydia’s predicament include: Mr. Bennet will be killed in a duel with Wickham, resulting in the entire family being turned out of their home penniless, Mr. Bennet will not fight a duel with Wickham, resulting in the complete loss of Lydia’s character, and that Lydia does not know the proper places to buy wedding clothes. Ridiculous, indeed. She blames both her husband for not letting the entire family go to Brighton and the Forsters for not looking after Lydia (who is not the kind of girl to do this sort of thing when properly looked after). Conveniently let out of the blame is she, herself. She is the one who had the largest role in shaping Lydia’s character, the one who indulged her in her silliness and boy craziness, and the one who helped pressure Mr. Bennet into letting her go in to Brighton. Still, in Mrs. Bennet’s mind, she never trusted Wickham and bemoans that people didn’t believe her when she protested that Wickham was not to be trusted. Oh, Mrs. Bennet.

Historical Context:

Because Lydia is under 21, there are only two ways she can marry Wickham without the consent of her parents. She can go to Scotland, or marry with the use of the banns. A couple published a public notice of their intention to marry three successive Sundays in the church with the expectation that if the couple did not fulfill the legal requirements for matrimony (i.e. age), someone would come forward to prevent the marriage. Because London parishes were so large, a couple with no relations in London could easily marry without detection in this way.

While everyone’s reactions to Lydia’s elopement may seem over the top to modern audiences, her actions really would have a devastating effect on the family’s reputation. Mr. Collins tells Jane, Elizabeth, and Mary that Lydia’s death would have been preferable. This was actually a frequently given sentiment at the time.

While not common, duels still occurred at this time. People very rarely died and often both parties escaped without injury.

Bits & Pieces:

In the scene where they meet, Lizzy and Georgiana’s dresses are strikingly similar.

We get to see how quickly gossip moves. Mrs. Lucas finds out about the situation and tells her daughter who tells her husband who tells his “esteemed patroness,” who, it can easily be imagined, tells everybody.

Favorite Moments:

The way Darcy looks at Elizabeth when she plays at Pemberley.

Elizabeth rushing to Georgiana’s aide after Miss Bingley brings up Wickham and the subsequent look of love shared by Elizabeth and Darcy.

Darcy’s concern for Elizabeth after she hears the news about Lydia.

Darcy storming out when Miss Bingley starts to criticize Lizzy yet again.

Kitty hiding from Mr. Collins.

Elizabeth cleverly manipulating Mr. Collins into leaving them by insinuating that he should have nothing to do with them, for propriety’s sake.

Darcy: man of action.

sunbunny

[peakyblinders-au]

Eleonora Changretta

Tumblr Url & Your Real Name: babyblinder.tumblr.com - Tash

Character Full Name: Eleonora Audrey-Cecile Changretta

Nicknames/Alias: Ele, Eli, Rory

Backstory for nicknames/alias/names: All her family and friends call her Ele\Eli quite a girly name, but her dad calls her Rory, a more boyish name, because he always wanted a boy

Gender: Female; she\ her

Gender Role: Ele was raised both as a lady and a killer. She knows her guns, her traps, her escapes, how to negotiate, how to win in almost any situation. Her dad taught her how to shoot and where to stab to make sure she knew how to defend herself if she ever needed to, mostly because of the family name. Also, as I said Luca really wanted a boy, so he pretty much treated self-defense training as a hobby. Her mum taught her to play piano, sew clothes and bake.

Sexual Orientation: Straight

Age: 22, looks 18

Birthday: 11th June (idk the year I can’t count L)

Birthplace: London, England

Ethnicity: Mixed – Sicilian by father and Creole by mother

Family Members: Luca Changretta (father), Vincente and Audrey Changretta (grandparents), Angel Changretta (uncle)

Children: None

Face shape: Visible cheekbones

Eye colour: green eyes on the outside, brown on the inside

Hair colour: dark brown, almost black

Hairstyle: She’s mixed, so curly, shoulder length hair.

Skin tone: Light brown

Height: 5’5

Weight: 133 lbs (60kg)

Breast size: 36DD

Scars/Birthmarks/Prominent Features: a scar on her right elbow that she got when she fell from her horse.    

Preferred hand: Rightie to do anything (eat, grab things, open doors, write), but she learnt to shoot and sign her name with both hands

Health: no issues

Phobias:  falling in love, heights

Addictions: Wine, rosé or red. That’s her shit.  She loves a good party\event\wedding and maybe addicted is not the word, but she will never turn down an occasion to drink.

Attitude: A rebel in everything she does. She’s the flirtiest, she loves making all the men wish, but everything is always in the basis of a joke or strictly physical\sexual attraction. When it comes to feelings, she’s the ice queen and claims to have none, Michael is the only one that stirs up something inside of her. She makes everyone believe she doesn’t care about anything and always just does what she wants??? She gives 0 fucks. Her attitude only and exclusively changes towards kids, she loves them and cares for them sooo deeply.

Expressions: She’s Italian come on, she talks with her hands and face. She throws her hands in the air when something goes wrong, she extends her arm and points at people with her palm and pretty much any typical Italian gesture, SHE DOES IT. She shrugs to everything, as to say ‘what you gonna do about it?’.

Residence: She lives in London with her mum, though she often goes to America to see her father and his side of the family. She went to surprise her dad in Birmingham when she found out he came to the UK and didn’t tell her, just to realise he was here for business. When in Small Heath, she stays at her grandmother and grandfather’s place.

Political Affiliation: She has little to no interest in politics

Friends: She’s so damn friendly, she will be friends with the old lady down the road and the 7 year olds playing in the fields. She can befriend anyone in the AU. I feel like Polly would love her rebel, adventurous nature and she’s probably the one that gets Ada in trouble by dragging her out all the time. She knows Lizzie liked her uncle Angel and was prohibited to see him because of gang rivalry, so she confesses her feelings for Michael and they bond on the fact they had\have the same issue, as the Changrettas will probably never allow Ele to be with Michael.

Enemies: OK idk if she should be enemies with the Shelbys after they beef her family and kill her father, or if she actually wanted them to kill him??? So I’ll leave that up to you; though I’d love her to have a hate\love relationship with them and especially Michael, where she likes him for all the wrong reasons.

Boss: Though he never involved her in any gang activities, her father is her boss; anything she does, wants to do or dreams of has to be run and approved by him. Or at least that’s what she makes him think. If she was ever to do any ‘jobs’ she would definitely be loyal and work for her family.

Pets: None in London, she has a black horse called Cenere in Birmingham that lives at her grandparents’.

Finances: Upper class gang-rich but has to hide it, or at least not flaunt it

Marital Status: Single

Sex Life: I’m very comfortable with her being subject to smut, and so is she (we ask, cos consent is everything). She has only ever slept with her ex, but she’s trynna get MICHAEL

Lovers: She’s had a boyfriend in London, an Italian boy her dad set her up with, but he was never really her thing. She’s a flirt alert: does it with anyone and everyone for the (her own) fun and amusement, but would never just sleep around. Michael caught her eye and she’s trying to show him that when she flirts with him it’s something real.

Turn-ons: A dom man. DIRTY TALK and MOANING and just being LOUD AF. Loves it when other people hear it and even acknowledge it (she used to be loud just to piss her dad off, but she found out she actually loves it).

Winking: they’re such small signs that say so much. Being physical, e.g. tickles, poking, slaps, hugs, grabbing, squeezes, anything involving him touching her and vice versa in public (and not). Big rough hands, broad shoulders and chest, muscly arms.

Turn-offs: Any sort of mushy smushy cutie pie things like bringing flowers (buy her diamonds instead) and slow, sweet love making

Dom or Sub: Sub but knows what she wants, and can potentially become dom. She grew up being spoiled af, everything always provided, always a receiver, so she expects the guy to give it to her. But when she feels like it, she can easily become dom, just to remind him who’s the boss.

Fantasies: Anything her with Michael would be great. Maybe she fucks Tommy to make Michael jealous\piss him off??? She never has sex at random but she likes Mikey so much that she even goes to those lengths to make him realise he likes her.

Occupation: A trained gang leader that doesn’t lead a gang. If she doesn’t get a fixed place in the family business, she’d like to be a painter.

Income: All from her father and family. She often has to hide her wealth: Luca doesn’t want anyone to know (tbh almost all the Italians in London know who she is, cos duh they’re Italian) that she’s his daughter as it might bring dangers and honestly, discrimination.

Work Experience: Luca refuses to let her take part in the family business, however she secretly followed him countless times when he went to ‘get jobs done’ and learnt a lot by watching him. She volunteers to teach kids how to write and reads stories at an orphanage in London. When in Birmingham she teaches the kids at Tommy’s Institute painting techniques and literature (this could be after all the beef with her fam and the pbs is done).

Religion: She believes in a God. She doesn’t even come close to religious, but her family taught her that there is a God of creation out there and someone to look to, if she ever needs it, though they rely more on Saints.

Criminal Record: Her dad said no

Morals: She breaks the rules and does whatever her dad tells her not to, what can ya do? She would only do illegal things for family, loyalty and vengeance. I kinda want her to learn to forgive, unlike her family???

Main Goal: She went to Birmingham to surprise her dad, but after learning his business with the Peakys she begs him to let her get involved, to which he finally agrees. He puts her charm to use by making her a ‘bait’ to get information and distract the boys. After she meets Michael she questions her role and involvement in the job

Ambitions: She wants her paintings to be displayed in an art gallery one day, as painting is the one thing that no one taught her or gave to her, it is something she found and cultivated herself.

Regrets: Na, she ain’t got time.

Secrets: Ofc all the times she rebelled against her dad’s disapproval of something and did it anyway, and the times she secretly followed him while he was doing business.

Ah yes, she shot one man in her life… who is it??? idk is it Luca??? no?? yes??

Best memories: Travelling to the US to see her dad and her cousins. 

Worst memories: Being discriminated against for being mixed\of colour. Feeling lonely at times, because most of the Italian kids knew who her father was and didn’t want to be her friend.

Hobbies: drinking, breaking rules, painting, teaching kids

Skills: Painting, shooting with either hand, sewing clothes, making men want her

Likes: attention, being in company, children, partying, pissing her dad off

Dislikes: being alone, showing emotions, being vulnerable and not in control of a situation

Superstitions: She doesn’t believe in the ones that say ‘bad luck if’ but she believes all of the ones that promise good luck

Guilty Pleasures: Baking, I know I said no mushy cutie pie stuff but she loves to bake

Strengths: 1) She can make anyone comfortable around her in no time 2) extremely manipulative and convincing 3) has a fearless sense of adventure 4) could charm a snake 5) has a small emotional depth, so feelings for people are never a problem, until ofc Mikey 6) hiding sensations, others can’t tell how she feels about things

Weaknesses: 1) Michael 2) isn’t always her true self, she puts on this over confident outlook she then has to keep it up 3) easily gets bored and can be very inconsistent 4) entitled when it comes to men 5) children make her melt

Languages: Fluent in Italian and English (I can totally send you Italian words and phrases)

Accent: London accent, but quite posh

Voice: Suave, like she’s constantly flirting while talking. It has a lot of tonalities (singy-songy) like Italians talk.

Reputation: Will get you in trouble, but extremely fun to be around. A rebel. Loyal.

Backstory:

Eleonora’s mum (Jeanette) and dad (Luca) met in NY and fell in love, but interracial relationships were extremely stigmatised, so when Jeanette fell pregnant, he moved her to London, where she gave birth and relocated permanently. Ele’s mother ‘works’ (not that she needs to, Luca maintains her well) for Alfie, where she passes as a single black mother to cover up her real identity as Luca’s love. Ele’s father and his family absolutely adore her, but refuse to bring her to the US permanently because of the higher dangers with Al Capone, and the discrimination she and her mum might face because of their mixed-race relationship with Luca (he might just start a killing spree otherwise).

Ele grew up being trained to kill by her dad and occasionally her grandfather; she begs to be involved in the gang, although her family refuse to let her do any work related to that.

She brings the party wherever she goes and is extremely fun to be around, but doesn’t open up to anyone but her mum about her feelings, emotions or even issues, though most of the time she just deals with it all herself. She has a very stable and happy life, so good that she hates how boring and easy it is to get things, so she rebels, completely ignores any instructions from her father and does whatever she pleases anyway. As a child, Eleonora and her mother would go to Birmingham and sneak to see her grandparents, and though people saw her here and there on the streets a few times, no one knew she was related to them. Before going to surprise her dad, she hadn’t been to Birmingham for about 7 years.

[shestillhasherquill]

All’s Fair in Love and War (1/?)

At the time of a brewing battle, there are tough decisions to be made, alliances to be forged. The Princess of Misthaven has no choice but to comply with the demands of the Council and wed the Prince of Camelot. But what happens when she falls for his half-brother, Killian? A war like never before.

A Reign-esque twist to an Enchanted Forest AU that no one asked for.

This is for my most fav person, @accio-ambition​. It was a long time coming, and I hope you like all the Daddy Charming-ness in this. You’re the best, and I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life, Mags <3

Thank you @ussjellyfish for looking over this chapter, and thanks a ton @welllpthisishappening for all you beta-ing <3 You’ve been a great help!

AO3 / FF.net

King David sat perched on his throne, the room dark save for the lantern placed at his foot. He leaned back in contemplation, the plush upholstery of the throne a luxury against his weary back, his deep sigh echoing through the cavernous space; his was face weathered by age and laugh lines. It was times like this that he felt a sharp pang in heart, missing his late wife beyond belief. Elizabeth was a wonderful stepmother to his daughter, but Snow would always be her mother.

He clutched the missive in his hand, not knowing how to break the news to Elizabeth. Despite promising to never hide things from her, this was news he knew would break her. He couldn’t bear to see her in pain, watch as she lost herself in her grief, much like he imagined she would. They had both been broken when they’d first met, a marriage arranged between their two kingdoms, him agreeing because of pressure from the council for an heir, and her because of her father’s coercion. Neither entered the marriage sharing love, but with changing time, so did their feelings. Even though Snow will never stop being his True Love, never stop having a hold on his heart, he had learnt to move on from his grief. There were many days he still missed her, the pangs in his chest just as painful as the day she left them; but he knew that this was what Snow would have wanted. For him to find love again, for him to be the King only she believed he could be.

Ever since he’d re-married fifteen years ago, Emma had been fully supportive, understanding not just the political pressures and need for a male heir to the throne, but how much he craved the intimacy that existed only in such a relationship. She had been so strong in the face of her mother’s death, supported him during his grief - which had seemed endless - in his anger, his pain. Stood by him at every moment, offering the support in a way only Emma could. And over the years, she blossomed into a wonderful young woman, one he was proud of, and knew that Snow would have been too. Despite having lost her mother at such a young age, Emma never resented Elizabeth, the both of them sharing a very special bond, much like two friends. He couldn’t help but smile, thinking back to all the times he had fallen prey to the wiles of those two women, combined.

David was drawn from his reminiscence when he heard the large doors to the throne room creak open, his expression softening as he watched his Queen approach him, draped in her dressing gown, her eyes puffy from sleep and her mouth set in a thin line, her raven hair in tumbling curls down her back – a woman much different than the one she revealed to anyone else. This gentler, walls-down version was reserved only for him and Emma. He smiled, holding out his hand for her; Elizabeth pulled herself up the dais to the throne, taking her designated seat next to him. He wished to hold her close, hoping to stay in this moment for relative peace, before he was forced to reveal the real cause for his turmoil. And once he did, he was sure to lose her.

“Must you steal yourself from our bed in the middle of the night, Your Majesty?” Elizabeth asked, her voice soft and teasing, breaking him from his wild thoughts.

“Apologies, my dear,” he smiled endearingly at her, squeezing the hand he still held in his own. “I seem to have lost track of time.”

Her brows furrowed in worry, turning to see him properly.  The low light of the lantern throwing shadows across his face, his laugh lines more prominent, the whites in his short stubble glowing red. “David,” she began, her tone reflecting her concern, “What troubles you? This isn’t like you.”

“I heard back from the physician,” he relented, feeling her tense next to him, and turned more fully to face her, eager to reassure her. “It’s going to be fine, Liz,” he soothed, his free hand cupping her cheek. “It will be fine. I promise you.”

“What did it say?” she demanded, her expression stony, and her grip on his hand tightening. “Was it what we-”

“Yes,” he answered her before she could finish the sentence, not ready to hear the words out loud. His eyes burned with sudden tears, watching as she struggled to hold back her emotions, always the strong one. “Liz...” he began, unable to form the right words to comfort his wife.

“I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice rough like gravel. “We expected this news, David. I am prepared to deal with whatever comes next.”

Elizabeth’s hand slipped from his, his heart clenching as he watched her close herself off from him. “Don’t do that; don’t pull away from me,” he implored, getting up to follow her.

She whirled around, her eyes shining with angry tears. “David, I need a moment, and I would be grateful if you could grant me that,” she snapped, her hands clenched at her sides.

“No. You’re my wife, and you’re in pain,” he protested, stopping her with a hand on her arm. “I will not lose yet another person I love.”

“You’re not losing me, David. I am right here, aren’t I? I am by your side, despite everything. But right now, I need a moment. I did what was right all those years ago. I love you, but I don’t love only you. Just like I’m not the only one to hold your heart. You must understand, please.” Her voice went from stern to pleading, breaking at the end with barely restrained pain.

He felt a flash of hurt at her words, but remembered how she never let it his enduring love for Snow bother her; if anything, he owed her that much. He swallowed thickly, letting her go. “I’ll have a carriage ready for you at dawn, then,” he promised.

Elizabeth smiled despite her pain, drawing him towards her and wrapping her arms around his neck. “Thank you for understanding. I-I cannot thank you enough for this, David.”

He held her closer, already feeling like her heart was far from here. “Always, darling. I do love you.”

“I do love you as well,” she whispered. She pulled back, “What are we going to tell Emma?”

“Why can’t we tell her the truth?”

“Not about this, David. We talked about it. She can’t know about it,” Elizabeth sighed, weary of having the same conversation.

“She wouldn’t think any differently of you, I promise. She loves you,” David tried, but she just shook her head.

“I must go and pack. We will tell her I need to visit with a friend, and leave it at that.”

David couldn’t help but feel conflicted, watching as his wife left him alone once again.

-/-

“Oh, do you really need to go, Lizzie?” Emma murmured, hugging her stepmother tight. “I shall miss you!”

“I’ll be back as soon as I can, darling. I promise you.” Elizabeth squeezed her tighter, before pulling back and wiping the tears from her stepdaughter’s cheeks. “Now, you better not miss any of the council meetings. With me gone, you should help your father with the council, yes?”

Emma rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “I really hate those meetings. They bore me to death with the politics.”

“You’re the Crown Princess. Remember what I’ve always told you, follow your heart-”

“-but not at the cost of my people, I know,” Emma sighed. “It’s really unfair. They will look to me, with you gone. I’m not sure I’m up for the task.” She ducked her head, her blonde ringlets falling to cover her face.

Elizabeth lifted Emma’s chin with her finger, her other hand, pushing her hair away from her face. “Never hide yourself away, Emma. You need to believe in yourself, because your father and I do. You’re smart, strong and beautiful. We couldn’t be more proud of the woman you’ve become. And when the time comes, you’ll make a wonderful Queen.”

“But not to our people.” Emma muttered with a frown, remembering the ruling of the council against a woman taking the throne.

Elizabeth looked impassive for a moment, her lips spread thin, before she smiled tightly, “You never know what life holds in store for you, darling. All I know is, you, Princess Emma, are meant for great things, grand adventures and all that,” she waved her hand in a flippant manner, making Emma’s sour look turn into a grin. “Chin up, alright?”

“Yes, stepmother,” she replied, albeit a little sardonically, earning her an eyeroll from Elizabeth.

“I shall miss you, and your shenanigans, Emma,” she chuckled, pulling the younger woman into her arms for a last embrace, before she climbed into her carriage. “Take care of your father,” she added, shooting a glance at her husband, who stood brooding behind Emma, his arms crossed and brows pulled together. But when he noticed her stare, his glare softened, and he raised his hand in farewell.

And at that moment she knew, while he may have his apprehensions about her leaving, and might even want to stop her, he understood. Because he would have done the same if it had been Snow. David may not have been her first love, and she may not love him as deeply, but she loved him nevertheless, and leaving him, even though it was her decision, made her feel a heavy weight in her breast. But instead of running back to him, much like she longed to do, her longing to visit her old friend was just as fierce. So, she simply smiled, waved and rode off, leaving her husband and stepdaughter behind, looking back until they were too far to see.

-/-

Emma sighed, turning back to her father, sharing a bittersweet smile with him and walked back inside. David watched as she went past him, his throat constricting because of the news he’s been keeping from her. Protecting the women in his life from bad news seems to have become a pattern now. He knew that she had a right to know, it was about her life after all, but a big part of him avoided telling her, seeing her still as a young child, not as a woman grown of four and twenty years.

Elizabeth had told him the sooner he’d confessed to Emma, the less likely she was to react in badly, but he simply pushed her concerns aside, hoping he could reason with the council. Alas, it had been two months of negotiations, and the end result was the same – Emma must be married or at least betrothed by the end of the year. Then, and only then, would the crown remain in the family - with Emma ruling alongside her new husband in the event of David’s death. Otherwise, the council would be ‘forced’ to appoint a new successor.

David and Snow had fought against this rule from the day they were wed, wanting to allow some leniency for their heirs, but as archaic as the council was, the plea was swatted aside, never to be tolerated no matter how many times they’d brought it up. And when Snow passed away, the council backed away from his personal life for a while, focusing more on the land and policies. But they came back, urging David to remarry, to produce a male heir to take over the throne. Now they were back again, like hounds in pursuit of the fox, bloodthirsty and looking for any signs of weakness.

Ever since Snow’s demise, Emma had become very reclusive, closing herself off from love, believing that that would be the only way to protect herself from feeling that same pain he’d gone through. She hadn’t left his side, refusing to leave him alone, needing the constant reassurance that her father was still with here, the sudden loss of her mother too much of a shock for her young heart to bear. And in many ways Emma’s need to be close to him, saved him from drowning in his own grief. Emma grounded him, made him want to live on, and bring her up the way his late wife would have wanted – the life she’d wished for Emma, all the confessions she had made to him in the cover of the night, the shadows dancing on her face from the crackling fire; the whispered conversation about all her hopes and dreams for Emma still remained etched in his memory.

All those years ago, he’d made a promise to Snow – and later to Emma, when she’d come of age – that he would never allow the council to gamble with Emma’s love. And for so long, he’d fought tooth and nail to keep that promise.  But the more support the council garnered, the more tenuous became his hold on the crown. He’d be damned if it fell in the hands of the Duke of Estiven (the Northern Lands of Misthaven), Bravian, who also happened to be the President of the Council of Misthaven, the representatives of the Crown selected by the people. It was the regime that the Late King Leopold has brought in, and David wished to honour it. But with men like the Duke, a cunning man with a taste of power, it was harder to understand the reasoning behind King Leopold’s decision. David always believed that a man who sought ultimate power was far more dangerous than a man who sought ultimate riches. Power was an enticing mistress, addictive and relentless, leaving you wanting more with no regard to the consequences.

He couldn’t let a man like him control the land that remained in his wife’s family for centuries – one that his late father-in-law had died protecting, one that Snow had worked tirelessly for. If not for himself, he owed to his family, both past and present – and his people – to protect them from a tyrannous ruler. Even if it meant doing something that would disappoint them.

David let out a shuddering breath, looking up at the cloudless sky, the blue stretching endlessly. With Elizabeth gone away, and the weight of his guilt, he couldn’t help but wish for some of Snow’s everlasting hope. He could use that now; use her light to guide him through this very bleak and dark period. He’d vowed his allegiance to this land the day he’d married Snow, and he feels like he’d let both Misthaven and Snow down.

“What do I do now, Snow?” he breathed out in a broken whisper, with silence the only thing he got in response. The part of him that’d always felt that Snow was watching over them seemed to diminish with every passing day.. He shook his head, clearing his mind and went to find his daughter. He had something to tell her, after all.

-/-

Emma flipped through her stepmother’s daily planner, noting all the duties that she was expected to take over in Elizabeth’s absence. Although she had been trained to take over at a moment’s notice, it was still jarring now that she had to actually do it. As glad as she was to still have her father to rely on, she was also extremely unsure about her own ability as a leader. As a Princess, most of her duties were basal, nothing that would require her to make imperative decisions for the people.

But if she hoped to ever be a good Queen one day, even if not the people of Misthaven, she must learn how to be one. Just as she decided to venture back to her suite and plan for the upcoming weeks, unsure about when Elizabeth would return, the doors to opened, her father’s head peeking through the gap.

“Papa.” She smiled warmly. “Can I help you?”

“Hello, Sweetheart.” He grinned back, walking over to stand next to her. His eyes trained on the planner she’d been looking at; David’s fingers tracing his Lizzie’s neat and curling hand across the parchment.

“I need to tell you something, Emma; and I’m afraid that it’s not very pleasant.” He sat heavily on a nearby chair.

Emma’s posture stiffened, dread curling in her gut. “Whatever it is, you can tell me, Papa,” she assured, raising her chin regally.

Emma already had a feeling about what it could be. She knew that there was a lot of friction between the council and her King and Queen. In the meetings that she was allowed to sit in on, she could gather that it had to do with her unwed status. In this land, a lady of four and twenty who had still not a found a husband was unheard of, much less when said lady was a Princess. But she’d hoped to all the Gods that it wasn’t the case. She couldn’t bear to give up on the one thing she had a freedom to choose - love.

“I tried, Emma. I did my best, but we just received a missive about King George gaining more power, he’s roped in the Southern Isles, and more than ever we need to stand united, all of us in the North of the Enchanted Forest. We need more manpower and-”

“Father,” she interrupted, her voice cold and expression stony, making David suck in a sharp breath. “We both know what this builds up to. The council wants...” She let out a heavy breath, swallowing down her disappointment. “You want me wed.”

“Emma, darling, no. That is not true. I want you to have your free will, you know that,” he protested, rising swiftly from his seat.

“I meant you, my King, not the part of you that is my father,” she clarified, moving closer to him, her hands grabbing his. “I know that as my father, this is the last thing you want. But as a King, you should have married me off to a stronger kingdom ages ago. We need the power to fight this war, and I do respect that.”

David’s vision blurred, his eyes searching his daughter’s, the same glass green ones she’d inherited from Snow, seeking to find any sign of resistance, any sign that Emma was not fully alright with this. But she looked back at him, almost defying him to question her decision, her walls up and locking him out. Not for the first time, he wondered just what he was getting his daughter into. He wished she would trust him enough to tell him how she really felt, but Emma had always been the kind of person who would never willing let anyone see her weak, not even her own father. He squeezed her hands, “You don’t have to do this,” he whispered, his gaze never leaving her daring ones.

She cleared her throat, her posture becoming less rigid and her expression softening slightly, allowing him a glimpse at her own turmoil, breaking his heart. “I do,” she sighed. “Mother would have wanted that, too.”

“Never,” he protested vehemently, his voice rough with guilt and disappointment at himself, for being weak, for letting his family down. “Your mother would sooner fight in the war herself than allow you to marry for anything but love.” He pulled her into his arms, his one arm tight around her shoulder, while his unoccupied hand cradled the back of her head, much as he did when she was a child. “I am so sorry for putting you in the position, Emma.”

“We all need to pay our dues, father. This is what is expected of me. I do however have one request, before I agree,” she added, standing to her full height. David’s heart squeezed with pride at the wonderful leader his daughter had grown into.

“Anything.”

“Allow me an audience with the council, papa. Perhaps they might listen to reason from their princess than they would from their...tenacious king,” she tried, smiling as he grimaced at the word ‘tenacious’.

“Darling, if you could charm them into changing the law, then by all means. I shall set up a meeting at the earliest. However, you need to know how these men think-”

“Father, you grossly underestimate me. Who said anything about charming them? They are men of law, are they not? Well, we have the biggest library in all of Misthaven, and we have Belle, who knows all of the laws like the back of her hand. Between the three of us, perhaps we could change this archaic rule.” And in that moment, with Emma’s eyes full of hope, he saw the answer he was seeking from the skies outside. Snow wasn’t anywhere outside, she was here, living and breathing, in their daughter.

“My darling girl, you never cease to surprise me,” he chuckled, leading her out of the room and towards the library. They had a bit of research to get to, after all.

-/-

After an entire morning spent looking through the heavy volumes on the laws of Misthaven, Emma took a respite, excusing herself from the company of her father and musty books. Now that she had sent word to Belle to return to the castle, she could await her arrival, knowing that Belle's unparalleled mastery of all legal matters would be of immense help in their endeavour.

She walked towards a broken-down greenhouse, which encompassed a now decrepit garden. Emma’s fondest memories of her childhood were spent in this garden, especially in spring time, back when her mother had still been alive. She loved spending time with her mama here in their own little nook of a garden, far away from the castle grounds, something which was all theirs and theirs alone. This had been a tiny haven for Snow to shed the airs of a Queen, and simply revel in being a mother.

The garden had flourished under Snow’s care; Emma could still hear the ghost of her mother’s laughter echo within the enclosed space as she knelt down at the stone marker her mother had placed there, mere weeks before her untimely death. A reminder for my darling girl, she’d claimed, when young Emma has questioned her about it.

Emma’s fingers trembled as she traced the letters etched into the stone, a lone tear slipping down her face.

“To my darling girl, let it forever remain spring in your heart.”

When Emma saw the bright petals beginning to fall on a cold, autumn day, the colours all fading to brown, the little girl cried, hugging her mama’s leg, thinking that the colours were gone forever. Snow laughed despite herself, the mind of her child fascinating her beyond anything.

She picked up Emma, twirling her around the leaf strewn garden, until her tears of sadness turned to those of laughter.

“Mama, stop,” Emma shrieked, her arms tight around Snow’s neck. “Mama!” She giggled as her mother kept spinning her around.

“Alright, alright, my sweet girl.” Snow chuckled, finally stopping and putting her down. She bent down to Emma’s level. “Now, I know that you’re sad that the colours are gone. But if they never go away, you’ll never realise how much you love them, right?” Snow smiled softly at a slightly subdued Emma. “Cheer up, honey. They will always come back, but remember, it will always remain spring, right here,” she pointed to Emma’s heart, before tickling her and making her giggle again.

Emma shook herself from the memory, brushing the tears away from her face. There was a reason she rarely came here; most of the memories she could recall with her mother were spent in this garden. That was why she’d let it go, watching as her mother’s beloved garden withered away, much like her own memories of Snow did.

For so long, Emma had thought that avoiding this place would help her deal with the loss of her mother better, but being back here after so long, brought up the guilt that she always felt whenever she came here (as infrequent as her visits might be). She swept off the dried plants from the stone marker, vowing to bring spring back there.

“I’m sorry, mama,” she whispered, and she could swear she felt the wind pick up for a moment before everything was still again. This was the sign she didn’t know she needed, a sign that her mother would always be with her, no matter what.

[forevercaroline]

The heiress and the prince part 2

The second part of my Klaroline au week day seven Drabble. Where the Mikaelsons are king and queen of England. And Klaroline have been hiding their relationship from the people for five years and decided to reveal to the nation in a very un royal way. For @caritobear and @mscaroline-forbes who when I was giving them a summaries of a couple Drabbles I have to finish they were really excited. Xxx Caroline rolls over from snuggling with Klaus and feels someone watching her. She has become accustom to the feeling living the life she leads but she doesn't like it when she's asleep and a little bit hungover from last night. She cracks an eye open and sees two five year olds looking at her a blonde and a brunette. " Hi." Caroline squints at the five year olds "Hello." " Are you a princess?" " I'm an heiress." She points to Klaus asleep next to her " He's a prince. Princesses are down the hall go wake them up." "What's an heiress?" "Why isn't he wearing his crown?" Caroline stretches in bed still keeping the covers over her naked body. " Too many questions this early in the morning. I'll answer your questions if you give me that shirt and those shorts." The twin girls nod and go and pick up the items Caroline pointed to. " Thank you." Caroline manages to get the shirt on with out them seeing anything. She nudges Klaus in the side " Nik put this on." Klaus still asleep mumbles " Usually you ask me to take something off not put on." " Wake up and put this on we have company." Klaus still has his eyes closed " Tell Tyler he's fired for being a creep." Caroline smiles down at him she's glad she isn't the only one who thinks Tyler is a creep " No it's not Tyler wake up and look on my side of the bed." Klaus opens his eyes and looks over at the two five year olds " Those are kids." Caroline caress his face " It's a good thing your pretty." Klaus glances up at her and she pecks him on the lips and hands him his boxers. " These kids have questions for us." " This early in the morning." " I know that's what I said." " So what do they want to know." "Why you are not wearing your crown and what's an heiress." Klaus looks over at the twins again with sleepy eyes " It's too pointy to sleep in." Caroline doesn't really know how to explain what an heiress is to them "My parents work with diamonds and when they leave this world I get their money and business well my brothers and I do." " Do you have a crown?" Klaus stretches in bed " Yes it's with the other Crown Jewels we only bring them out on special occasions." " Is he your Prince Charming?" Caroline looks over at the equally hungover shirtless prince " I guess so yeah." The twins satisfied with their answers go to leave when Caroline leans up on her elbows " What are your names?" " Lizzie and Josie." They go past the table and see bottles of alcohol from last night " Is that soda?" Both Caroline and Klaus jump out of the bed " Stop, that's poison the evil aunt who is trying to steal the kingdom sent it don't touch." Both blondes sit on the couch still tired " Are you sure your a prince?" " Yeah I'm pretty sure. Why?" " You don't look like a prince." Klaus looks over at Caroline with the same expression i am so done with these kids. " Ok... That's it come with me Josie and Lizzie in the palace." Xxx Both blondes lead them out of the room a couple minutes later they find Tyler " We found these in our room. What part of security detail don't let anyone in didn't make any sense." " What am I supposed to do with them?" Klaus has his arm around Caroline's shoulders her head is on his shoulder they were out last night at a club with the others and didn't get in till late. " That's not our problem your the security try asking Alaric." Xxx As they are walking back to their room Esther, Alaric and Ayana come out of the Queen and kings wing. " I see your not getting dressed today." Caroline looks down she's just wearing one of Klaus shirts and Klaus is in his boxers. " We are but we were awoken by two five years olds who found there way into our room. And kept asking us questions." " Your highness where are my children?" " We left them with Mr. Lockwood who I am firing for being a terrible bodyguard. Plus he keeps staring at Caroline's breasts." Esther looking up from her day planner Anya is holding " Niklaus you can't keep firing bodyguards. Your going to have to put up with him he's not hurting anyone." " Mother he pulled a gun on Caroline." " I will talk with him. And you and Caroline have that interview at 3 to properly announce your relationship." Klaus groans he doesn't like talking to the press that's more Rebekah's thing. " Why do we have to do the interview we already told the nation we are dating. That's what the garden party was for." Esther sighs and rubs her temple " Niklaus for the last time the garden party was for the people to meet us, shake our hand, and for us to mingle. I am still getting calls everyday a week later about what each of you did at the garden party. You made a fool of yourself and Caroline for your little performance last week." Xxx After his mother leaves Klaus turns to Caroline " What do you want to do my love. Go back to bed, sex in the throne room, have a little vacation of our own, or go prepare hours before a interview neither of us want to do." Caroline smiles up at him and kisses him and she wraps her legs around his waist and he begins walking to the throne room. Xxx An hour later as they are coming out of the throne room with missed up hair Katherine comes around the corner " Oh honey don't you know sex in the throne room is so last week." Caroline laughs and turns to her best friend "Meaning last week you and Elijah were in there." "Right before I heard you were here. It's one of his favorite spots." " I knew something was up when I saw you last week your hair was messed up You would never think that Elijah likes to get down in the throne room he's always so proper and gentlemanly." Katherine smiles at her best friend " Yeah my Elijah is kinky which is why we work so well together. Also I want you to be my maid of honor." Caroline squeals and throws her arms around Katherine's neck " of course, I'm so excited." Xxx They return to their room and the room is spotless "I see mother sent the housekeepers to clean the place up. I'm surprised she didn't lay out the clothes she wants us to wear for this ridiculous interview on the bed." Caroline laughs and pulls him towards the bathroom. Xxx Two hours later Klaus and Caroline both showered and changed for the interview both of them don't want to do. Esther arranged for the interview to be in their bedroom on the couch. For the interview Caroline choose a white sleeveless dress with a black beaded neckline that stops mid thigh and her thigh high boots there is a little gap between dress and boots. Klaus is just in black jeans and a dress shirt. "Your highness it is a pleasure. Thank you for inviting me to the palace and sitting down with me." Both Klaus and Caroline nod. "How long have you and Caroline been a couple?" Klaus and Caroline are holding hands looking very civilized and proper looking very Royal, Caroline has her legs crossed at the ankles. " We have been together for five years." "With both of you leading very public lives how did you manage to keep this a secret for this long." Klaus and Caroline both look at each other before Klaus answers. " Being a prince and and an heiress you get a certain reputation that we are out of control, like to party a lot but when you would take pictures of us in the clubs dancing with each other it wasn't just because it was Tuesday and we were bored so we decided to go out. Whenever you took pictures of us we were on dates." "Caroline you have two older brothers how do they feel about you dating England's most popular playboy?" Caroline smiles at Klaus they came up with cover stories to hide their relationship from the public Klaus's was he was England's most popular playboy, hers was she was a ditzy partying heiress. " They are fine with it. Klaus, myself, my brothers, his siblings all grew up together. So when we started dating he was already accepted by my brothers." "So after being together for five years is there wedding bells in the future? Caroline are you ready to become a princess?" Caroline and Klaus share a look they've have never talked about marriage. " I'll let Klaus answer the first question but as for the second question if he asked me yes I would be ready to become a princess and if I had any questions I would ask Rebekah and Freya who I love like sisters." Klaus looks down at their hands " Maybe some time in the future but right now we are just happy being together plus I don't want to take the spotlight away from my older brother and Katerina's upcoming nuptials." "While we are on the topic of the upcoming nuptials of Prince Elijah and soon to be princess Katerina do you each have a role or are you guests." Caroline smiles she is so happy for her best friend she couldn't be more proud of her. Katherine has been her best friend for as long as she can remember before her parents moved their children to the palace (Caroline's parents were friends with Mikael and Esther) Katherine was her next door neighbor. Katherine lived in the estate next to theirs and they would always play together. Then when Caroline and her brothers moved Katherine asked her parents if she could visit Caroline at the palace Katherine would visit three times a week and become friends with all the Mikaelsons. " I'm the maid of honor" "Best man." "That was all the questions I had thank you for sitting down with me. I know you both are busy." Caroline and Klaus nod and the reporter let's herself out. Xxx Klaus leans his head back against the couch and Caroline lays her head on his shoulder " That went well even though we both hated it." "I hate reporters." Caroline looks up at him "What do you want to do Nik? Have a little vacation of our own, go tell your mom that the interview is done and that it went well and we didn't start a crisis, hangout with the others?" " All I want to do is this." Klaus leans down and passionately kisses her.

[bookishgryffindor1x1]

Character Development

Elizabeth

01 / BASICS

Full Name: Elizabeth Kenna Argyle Nickname: Lizzie, only used rarely by people close to her Sex/Gender: Female Birthday: 4th May 1963 Age: 16 Astrological Sign: Taurus Occupation: Student at Hogwarts Spoken Languages: English, some Scots Gaelic Sexual Orientation: Straight Birthplace: Inveraray, Scotland Relationship status: Single

02/ PHYSICAL TRAITS

Race: Human Ethnicity: White British Hair Color/Style: Red, straight, reaches to her mid-back; is usually kept in a ponytail Eye Color: Blue Accent: A fairly broad but relaxed West Highland Scottish accent. Height: 5′4″ Tattoos: None Piercings: One in each ear. Unique Attributes: Elizabeth is heavily freckled across her face, arms and legs. Defining Gestures/Movements: She tends to tuck loose strands of hair behind her ears as a fidget, and keeps her arms folded most of the time when talking to others. Posture: She usually stands up straight, but sometimes slouches when she’s tired or unhappy.

03 / PERSONALITY TRAITS

Pet Peeves: People taking her things without asking, or just hiding them so she can’t find them. Hobbies/Interests: Elizabeth is a member of the Chess Club, enjoys any games that can be played with a pen and a bit of paper, and is a founding member of a small informal club that plays games with a ball and assorted charms - the basic aim being to keep the ball moving between players by bouncing it off walls, floors and the like, while using any charm they like to affect the ball as it moves. Also, like her brother, she has been learning Scottish dance and fencing from a young age. Special Skills/Abilities: Excellent hand-eye coordination, has something of a knack with animals. Likes: Thunderstorms, teasing her brother, Muggle clothes shops Dislikes: Purists, the cold, deep water Insecurities: Mainly she’s worried about messing up her exams. Quirks/Eccentricities: She has a habit of swearing in Scots Gaelic, and will stop to pay attention to any cat that crosses her path. Strengths: Confident, helpful, and gentle Weaknesses: Hot-headed, stubborn, emotional Speaking Style: She tends to talk fairly quickly and clearly, though not particularly loud. Temperament: She’s very friendly to anyone who seems willing to talk, but she does not take well to anyone giving offence and can flare up very easily.

04 / FAMILY & HOME

Family:  Glen Argyle (father), Kenna Argyle (mother), Jason Glen Argyle (brother), Micheil Argyle (paternal grandfather), Jean Argyle (paternal grandmother), Rory Macmillan (maternal grandfather), Ealasaid Macmillan (maternal grandmother), Fergus Macmillan (maternal uncle) How does she feel about her family?: She’s a bit of a daddy’s girl, and although she gets a bit irritated when her grandparents tut at her tomboyish ways, she appreciates that they just want what’s best for her, even if that’s not necessarily what she wants. She adores her big brother, and although he’s just as protective of her as the rest of the family, she gets her own back on him by being an annoying little sister whenever he’s smothering her too much. How does her family feel about her?:  As the baby of the family, she’s always been wrapped in cotton wool and a little bit spoiled. Her parents try to encourage her to be a little more independent, but this makes little headway against her overly protective grandparents. Her Sorting into Slytherin was quite a shock; she doesn’t have quite the same loud, vocal drive and ambition that put her brother in there, but they have relaxed on seeing that she is still the same cheery young woman they know and love. Pets: She got a black kitten as a pet when she started her first year, and named him Lonan. He’s fully-grown now and a regular mischief-maker in he common room. Where does she live?: When not at school, she lives in the family home on the outskirts of Inveraray, Scotland. What is it like there?: It is far enough away from the main town that the environment is reasonably quiet, and with the loch close by the entire area is tranquil and comfortable. Description of her home: The old stone house is reasonably spacious for its age, though this is partly due to having been expanded a few times with magic. It has a garden surrounded with a low stone wall and hedges at the back of the house. Inside, it’s furnished in a cosy, old-fashioned style, with lots of old furniture and dark wood, but the decor is light enough that it doesn’t feel too cramped. Description of her bedroom: Despite being pretty small, it’s very cosy, decorated with warm reds and yellows. The solid wooden bed against one wall has a thick, bright yellow quilt, and the heavy wardrobe is against the wall at the foot of the bed. A desk, covered with books and scribbled-on papers, sits under the window, with a bookshelf next to it.

05/ THIS OR THAT

Introvert or Extrovert?: Extrovert; although she’s not loud and boisterous, she does enjoy spending time around others and loves to meet new people. Optimist or Pessimist?: She’s somewhere in the middle; while she likes to look on the bright side, there’s a streak of cynicism that stops her from getting too carried away. Leader or Follower?: She’s definitely more of a leader type. Confident or Self-Conscious?: Usually she’s quite confident. Cautious or Careless?: Cautious - although she has a quick temper, she’s reasonably good at controlling it most of the time, and doesn’t just leap into situations. Religious or Secular?: Secular - she wasn’t ever raised in a religion, but she attends church sometimes for significant holidays. Passionate or Apathetic?: Passionate. She picks and chooses her causes, but she gives herself to them 100%. Book Smarts or Street Smarts?: Book smarts. She’s been sheltered enough that she’s not really as streetwise as she could be. Compliments or Insults?: Depends on how she’s feeling, but she’s usually more likely to give someone an affectionate insult than a compliment. Pajamas or Underwear?: She prefers pyjamas or nightdresses rather than risk someone walking in on her less dressed.

06 / FAVORITES

Favorite Color: A really bright, sunshiny yellow is her favourite. Favorite Clothing Style/Outfit: When she doesn’t have to wear her school robes, she’s usually wearing Muggle dresses, mostly with floral patterns on them. Favorite Bands/Songs/Type of Music: She doesn’t have a favourite; she’ll listen to pretty much anything people are playing. Favorite Movies: She’s never seen any. Favorite TV Shows: She’s never watched TV. Favorite Books: She likes to curl up with a set of children’s books about the adventures of a group of Animagi named the Creature Crew. Favorite Foods/Drinks: She loves roast lamb dinners and sausages, and her favourite sweets are Fizzing Whizzbees. As far as drinks go, she’ll happily curl up with a cup of tea or a glass of pumpkin juice. Favorite Sports/Sports Teams: While not as avid a fan as her brother, she’s a supporter of the Quidditch team Pride of Portree. Favorite Actors/Actresses: N/A Favorite Time of Day: She likes evenings, as she’s definitely no morning person. Favorite Weather/Season: She likes sunny days, and summer’s her favourite season because it’s the warmest. Favorite Animal: Her beloved cat Lonan, but she likes most animals.

07 / MISCELLANEOUS

Fears/Superstitions: She’s terrified of kelpies; when she was about six, a kelpie in the local loch tried to attack her, and it was only due to Jason’s intervention and accidental magic that she got away unharmed. She also believes in a number of superstitions, having grown up in an environment full of them - white heather is lucky; you should never place new shoes on the table; if you spill salt you should throw some over your left shoulder; rowan wards off evil (this one is particularly significant to her, as her wand is made of rowan wood). Political Views: She isn’t much for politics, but if she thought about she’d probably say she leans towards the liberal side of things. Religion/Philosophy of Life: She believes that there’s some greater power out there, probably, but it’s not something that can be relied on to help and she’d rather try to make a better world herself. Allergies: None. Addictions: None, fortunately. Best/Worst School Subject: Her best subject is Charms, whereas her worst used to waver between History of Magic and Transfiguration and is now Potions. How does she get money?: Her parents give her an allowance, which is generally sufficient to buy the things she wants. How is she with technology?: She’s never interacted with it much, but it does make her a little curious.

08 / PAST & FUTURE

Fondest Memory: One warm summer evening when she was about nine years old; her parents and grandparents were all out in the garden enjoying a meal cooked over a little campfire they’d set up, and she and her brother were playing at camping with a tent they’d rigged up out of an old blanket. Deepest, Darkest Secret: She’s not really got any terrible secrets - the worst is probably letting Jason take the blame for a valuable piece of china that she broke. Dream Vacation: She’d love to go to the Caribbean, or some other tropical seaside location, and just explore for days. Best thing that has ever happened to this character: Passing her OWLs. Worst thing that has ever happened to this character: Being attacked by a kelpie as a little girl. What does she want to be when she grows up?: She wants to work with animals - at present her intent is to join the family business. Perfect Date: She’s never really thought about it much - mostly because she’s still at the stage of “all the boys I know are morons and I can’t imagine going out with one” - but she’d enjoy a day out somewhere pretty.