#magic wrapped around her from ALARM of all things! caution and carefulness and. better set the alarm

[explorerspack]

i. jesus christ. if arcis were anything but an abjurer she’d be dead!

[tsipasce]

Same Difference ch. 15

A/N: this thing fluffier than mf pancakes

That first night Nanami was awoken by the sound of the front door and a heavy sigh from a familiar voice. She glanced at the clock to see it was 2:30 am, a feeling a bit of empathy as she remembered all the 12-hour shifts she pulled, only to return to an empty place and heat up leftovers from the night before. He was probably doing the opposite of ~*saving lives*~ during his long shifts, but the sentiment remained. She heard him walking into the kitchen as the steps on hardwood turned to tile and he opened the pantry then subsequently the microwave. By 3:15 am she heard his shower going as she fell back asleep, wondering how he kept up with this schedule, his consistent grumpy mood suddenly making more sense.

By morning Nanami’s alarm for 5:30 am began blaring and she hurriedly shut it off, knowing they were only a room apart, but not how heavy a sleeper he was. Hoping she hadn’t awoken him, she quietly went through her morning routine and slipped into her workout gear. Since her training, she’d gotten back into running, and morning jogs were the only ones she had the time or energy for. On paper, any kind of jogging sounded tedious, but she found a certain peace in being able to clear her mind and get the blood flowing before beginning her day. Grabbing her headphones and phone, she quietly opened the door to her room before gently closing it. She crept down the hallway, looking back to his room to find the door still closed. He must be asleep still. Better make this quick. She thought before continuing down the hall. The sun was streaming in, but the kitchen and living room lights were off, further strengthening her confidence. As she rounded the corner, she sa— “Aggh!” There he was with his back turned, leaning on the counter. He had on a baseball cap, dust mask, sweatshirt and gym shorts with compression tight underneath, all black.

Overhaul calmly turned his head at the sudden noise as though he’d been expecting it, “You didn’t really think I wouldn’t notice you leaving, did you?”

“Wha—no, way. I was just gonna…” his bored expression let her know that whatever half-baked explanation she planned on selling, he wasn’t buying it, “Ok, you caught me.”

“You cannot be outside alone. What part of ‘there’s a price on your head’ are you not getting?”

A defeated look crossed her features as she realized he was right. For at least a couple weeks, she needed to lay low. It wasn’t an unreasonable request, and she knew it. “You’re right…” She began as she turned to go back to her room.

“Where are you going?”

The question caught her off-guard as she turned, confused, “To change?”

“I had plans to go on a run myself. You can join, if you behave.” He said plainly, as he headed to the doorway to put on his shoes. In any other circumstance she’d complain about being treated like a child, but considering she’d literally just gotten caught trying to sneak out like a teenager, she thought it best to spare him the retort and herself the hypocrisy.

“…Fine. Lead the way~”

“And leave the earphones, you need to be alert.”

“Yes, sir.” She responded simply.

He stopped, quickly turning to her, a dark look in his eyes. Seemingly coming back from wherever his mind went in that moment, he cleared his throat before turning back and adjusting his hat to cover more of his now-flushed face. “Let’s… let’s just go.”

Note to self: The magic words are not ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, but ‘yes sir’. She gulped.

They walked out of the main door and past the courtyard to the street. Looking at his watch he set a timer and they began their jog. The sun was still rising, and the air was fresh as it filled her lungs. The neighborhood was quiet, and the streets were empty, the only sounds being the morning birds and her own breath as they began their third mile.

 Hold up, where is—she thought as she looked over to see him still there. She knew he had to be in better shape than her given the fact that he fought so frequently, but he was running as though they had just begun, not a shred of fatigue on what was visible of his face. It was slightly off-putting seeing someone she knew had a whopping 2 hours of sleep run a couple miles without breaking a sweat. She on the other hand was beginning to tire. Slowing down she breathed heavily as he raised a brow at her questioningly.

“You’re…” She breathed, her hands above her head as she continued, “you’re like an electric car or something… How?” She panted, trying to cool down.

“None of that made sense.” He deadpanned, still jogging in place.

“Ugh, I’m trying to say, how are you not tired yet? I haven’t heard a peep out of you this whole time.”

“Practice and overhaul. Get through 5 miles without being this winded and I’ll consider teaching you.”

“Nothing is ever easy with you, is it?”

“Says the woman who makes a game out of defying me.”

Gasping, she dramatically put her hand across her chest, “Just because it’s true, doesn’t mean you have to say it! Besides, you invite confrontation.”

“I what?” He asked incredulously.

Just as they were about to continue bickering, a voice cut them off. “It’s a bit early to be carrying on like this, isn’t it?”

Seeing the old man from the day before, Nanami immediately felt embarrassed, having shown the stranger a less-than-flattering side of herself twice in such a short span of time. “We’re so sorry for the noise, that was my fault.” She bowed trying to apologize. Just as she was about to check for Overhaul’s reaction, she saw him doing the same.

“My apologies. We won’t be a bother again.” There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm or irritation in his voice and it sounded almost foreign to her.

Well, he does have manners, so I guess it’s not that surprising… she reasoned to herself.

“That’s quite alright, for someone my age, it’s nice hearing you young folk being so spirited.” He looked between them before continuing, “How would you two like to have a morning cup of tea with me?”

Before Nanami could find a way to wiggle out of it, Overhaul responded, “Of course, we’d be delighted.”

They stood back up, the older man already turning to go inside. Nanami turned to him mouth “what the hell are you doing?” as she didn’t want to get the man involved, not knowing how misplaced her concern was. He simply sighed, seemingly resigned to this tea break as he motioned for her to go inside. She could tell he knew something she didn’t, but reluctantly went ahead as he followed close behind through the front gates of the house.

The courtyard was very similar to that of the front house used to enter the base, except it felt homier upon entering. It was quiet and serene, as the melodic clank of the deer scare echoed and a stream of water ran into a small pond, the morning birds sparing an odd note or chirp in the background. Now cooling down from their run, she could feel the fall air crisp in her lungs once again as she took a moment to appreciate the scene.  The wrap-around porch had cushions and a tea set laid out as though he was expecting guests. Nanami was suspicious of the coincidence but couldn’t bring herself to feel threatened with her partner being so calm. At the end of the day, she was confident she and Overhaul could handle an ambush between them, but this didn’t feel like an attack, at least not for her.

“Please, have a seat.” The man smiled warmly as they obliged. Nanami was still unsettled at seeing her lab partner so placid and cooperative with another person. Must be trying to keep up a cover or something… I’ll have to be a barrier to make sure Mr.NoseyNeighbor doesn’t dig too deep and get himself in trouble with bird brain over here. This sweet old man has no idea what he’s gotten into…She thought to herself. The man poured them their cups and she clasped it with both hands, savoring the warmth as she sipped. “So, do you spend this much time with all of your patients or just the ones that are ‘particularly needy’?”

Nanami almost choked, registering the question and possible insinuation. Ok, what the fuck. Not-so sweet, after all... She used the cup as a shield, drinking as she regained her composure to answer, “I’m not sure what you mean, but I take care of all my patients equally based on what their condition demands.”

“Ah, I see. I wish I had a doctor as involved as you. Tell me, what hospital did you say you worked for again, Dr. Watanabe?” He asked innocently sipping his tea, but maintained eye contact.

“I didn’t. It’s funny, I also didn’t mention my name either. People in this neighborhood usually keep to themselves from what I’ve seen.”

“And I assume you’ve seen a lot.”

“No more than someone of your tenure has, I’m sure.” She smiled easily, determined not to lose this quasi-confrontation. She could feel her grip on the teacup tightening until Overhaul cut in.

“I think that’s enough, Pops.” He said, a tinge of exasperation in his voice.

Her head snapped to look over at Overhaul, wide-eyed. “POPS”??

The older man’s stern face and calculating smile were replaced with one of genuine amusement and a hardy chuckle. “Oh, I just wanted to test her mettle a bit. I’ve heard so much about her, but we’ve never had the chance to formally meet.”

“POPS” LIKE A DAD? LIKE HIS WHOLE ASS FATHER??

“Well, here we are. Boss, Dr. Nanami Watanabe. Dr. Watanabe, Boss.” He motioned between them. Her heart still finding time to skip a beat at the sound of him saying her given name for the first time.

Wait, Boss too? I’m… it’s too early for this. She lamented inwardly at her growing confusion before gathering her face, trying to seem unsurprised and unbothered by the introduction, though she was still hesitant. Is this another manipulation tactic?

“It’s alright, please relax, doctor.” He assured, seeing the skepticism on her face, ”I’m fully aware of your involvement in our organization. Though I do appreciate your caution. It puts me at ease knowing your prudence when discussing the Shie Hassakai extends even to me.” He chuckled.

“Oh, my apologies. It’s a pleasure to meet you sir,” she replied, her shoulders relaxing slightly as she realized there wasn’t a crisis to be averted, at least not the one she thought.

“No need to apologize, I’m just grateful to have you over. Chisaki speaks so highly of you, it’s nice to be able to put an in-person face to the name.” At this she cautioned a glance only to see him very preoccupied with watching the deer scare. “Chisaki” huh…

“Oh, does he now? He’s usually so quiet when we’re working together.”

“Except for the occasional smart remark, I’m sure.”

She tried to stifle a giggle, “You really are his father then. If it’s not that, there’s certainly a ‘can’t you be serious for one second?’ thrown in there if I even attempt a joke myself.” She said in her best Overhaul impersonation voice.

The Boss let out a hardy laugh, “Well, we’re not related by blood,” at this a look of surprise crossed her face. “But that does indeed sound like my son.”

Realizing her expression had been misread, she clarified, “Oh no, I didn’t— what I mean to say is that my parents adopted me too, so I understand what you mean.” She smiled sincerely, though there was a fragment of sadness in her features Overhaul noted as he glanced over at her when she wasn’t looking. Wanting desperately to change the subject, she looked around the courtyard, “Anyway, you have a lovely home. I’m impressed your hydrangeas are so lush during this time of year, I’m having a real hard time with mine.”

He perked up, more than happy to explain the ins-and-outs of his gardening techniques. He rose to show her around, the both of them crouching and inspecting the plants in the courtyard as pops gave her the life story and history of each plant. It was odd to think that she was having a casual conversation with The Boss himself, but figured it was best to play it cool and keep things light and genuine. She made sure to maintain a healthy level of respect while addressing him, but the interaction flowed easily. For a moment she was able to forget her situation and just enjoy a morning tea while listening intently as he spoke about all matters horticultural.

Still on the porch, observing the pair, there was a warmth creeping into Chisaki’s chest. Bloodshed, murder, brutality—those were familiar, but this… was different. Not in the mood for self-reflection, he pulled his mask down and sipped the tea, enjoying the view without questioning it. Her hands gently grazed the petals, her gaze soft as the rising sun illuminated her features, a warm smile across her face. He cleared his throat, careful not to articulate the thoughts that crossed his mind. Careful not to acknowledge just how nice it would be to become used to this visage. He made a mental note to create a garden of his own to help facilitate this new wish, but for now, there was work to be done. Like clockwork, his phone rang, stirring him from his thoughts and he knew it was time to go.

After a brief call, he pocketed the device, standing up and walking over to them. Pops noticed and took the cue, “Well, it looks like duty calls. It was lovely to finally meet you, Dr. Watanabe.”

“The feeling is definitely mutual. Thank you for the tea and gardening tips, I’ll be sure to update you on the progress of my green thumb, whenever it shows up.” She gave a small laugh as she rubbed the back of her neck, a bit embarrassed at telling him how many plants had gone to die at her place.

“I look forward to it, and to seeing more of you around here. I know others feel the same.” He glanced over to Overhaul who averted his gaze like a reticent child at the remark.

They gave courteous bows before leaving, heading back in the direction of his house. There was a marked silence between them as they jogged this time. She had a million questions but couldn’t bring herself to ask even one as they arrived and entered the house. Lost in thought, she continued walking until she almost bumped into him as he stopped in the hallway. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed her “You know, there’s no turning back now.”

“I think we crossed that bridge a while ago,” she tittered before looking up to see his gaze soft and almost anxious to hear her response.  “Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.” She assured, referring only partly to her commitment to keep a low profile until the bounty could be resolved. If she was being completely honest with herself, there was an insinuation she hoped he wouldn’t miss; that he wouldn’t reject. Both exhaling a long-held breath, he nodded, heading down the hallway to his room, a faint smile forming behind his mask.

[assassins-and-hidden-blades]

Survival: Part Two

Synopsis: on a mission to place yourselves on the map, you and Ellie seem to find yourselves in a rather sticky situation.

Pairing: ??? x Reader

Warnings: Violence, swearing

A/N: This probably sucks. I’m really sorry. I’m hopeful, though! Hope you enjoy it (the comments give me life, guys. I read them multiple times a day oml thank you so much for supporting me xxx)!

Tagging: @lunariasilver (if anyone else wants to be tagged for this shoot me an ask)

Prologue HERE

Part One HERE

THEN:

He stared at you, emotionless, yet it still pierced your heart with caution and slight discomfort. Your breath hitched in your throats and you brought the telescope away from your face.

“What?” Ellie asked, hearing your slight gasp. “Who was it?!”

Focusing again within the trees, you looked again.

The man had disappeared.

NOW:

But your mind lingered on his face. You hadn’t seen him before. Why had he helped you? Whoever this was, he didn’t give you a good feeling.

“Y/N!”

You snapped out of it. “What?”

“Who did you see?!”

“Oh, um, I don’t really know. I’ve never seen him before.” Your heart strained uncomfortably.

Maybe it was just the look in his eyes.

“Let’s keep going, anyway. He obviously wasn’t waiting for a ‘thank you’, so we can get on with going where we need to go.”

“Which is?”

You looked at Ellie. She was right. You had no idea where you were going.

But there was no way you were gonna tell her that.

“Let’s figure out what we’re doing.” Pulling out a map and the picture your mother provided, you kneeled on the grass.

There must be something that could tell us where to go.

You stared hard at the picture, waiting for something to magically appear. I suppose it was beginner’s luck, because coincidentally, something did.

The man in the picture seemed to be in a decorated crater of a city– or perhaps just a very big town. You thought that that was all the information you’d get, but just before you’d given up searching, your eyes landed upon a blurred sign. It was clear enough to read.

'WELC ME TO DI MO D C TY’

Looking to your map, your eyes glanced over the important cities pre marked. You thanked your parents for making you mark them in the first place.

“Diamond City,” you breathed excitedly. “We need to go to Diamond City!”

“Where are we now?” Ellie asked, looking at the building remains on the horizon. You pulled out the telescope to try and get a clear look.

“Can’t see a thing. Guess we’re gonna have to get closer anyway.” Packing your map and compass away, you tried to hand back the telescope to Ellie.

“You keep it.” She stopped you. “You’re the one leading the way.”

With a grin, you attached your telescope to a loop in your belt and set off walking towards your new discovery.

But you should’ve been running in the other direction.

Walking was beginning to tire on you. It wasn't a short trek to the crumbling remains of a town; if anything it took the better part of a half hour. But that's not to assume you didn't take any detours. Alas, it gave you enough time to think about who mowed down that Deathclaw. There were times in which you decided to change directions since the sounds ahead were quite unnerving. Needless to say, after all the weaving all over the place, you found yourselves at the entrance to the town. "If you find anything, let me know," you told Ellie, trekking ahead with your .44 withdrawn. The town was definitely not in the best shape. Houses had collapsed in on themselves, debris piled on fallen trees. Ellie disappeared into a half standing house. You weren't very concerned; she could handle herself. Looking over various piles of rubble, you saw vaguely useful things, but with a limited amount of space in your rucksack, you couldn't afford to take much junk. Looking through an old desk, you jumped at the sound of Ellie's exclamation of, "Holy shit!" You whipped around. "You okay?!" Ellie ran out the house, holding two devices. "Look!" She gave you one. "Fucking walkie talkies!" "You need to stop with the language, young lady." With a joking smirk, you took one out of her hand and examined it. "Mom never stopped me," she tried, grinning slyly. "Then it's quite unfortunate that I'm not Mom, isn't it?" Playfully nudging her with your elbow, you stuffed the device into the side pocket of your rucksack. "Let's keep looking." Having a walkie talkie meant that you and Ellie could split up further than five feet. You wondered whether she was going to bring it up, but you definitely weren't going to complain if she didn't. Maybe it was your parental instincts to keep her close. You watched her step in between fallen sheets of metal. "Be careful!" You called warningly. She turned around to reply, but fell backwards into a pile of branches behind her. "I will!" She gave you a thumbs up. Laughing, you turned and walked up the deserted street. There was a house on the corner of the road that seemed to be holding up quite well. Stepping inside, you saw how little the fallout blast affected the inside. Only the crockery seemed to be completely destroyed, with shards sprawled everywhere. You saw branded paper on the countertop, with some of them on the floor beside it. With a steady hand, you tentatively leafed through the half legible brochures. It wasn't until you reached the bottom of the pile when you saw writing which you could actually read. EL OM T SA CTU RY H L S . Humming inquisitively, you pulled out your map. "Sanctuary, eh?" Honestly, it wasn't too hard for you to fill in the gaps. Your eyes scanned the main settlements pre-labelled on the paper. In the far North West corner, the settlement shone like a beacon. "Aha!" Circling it, you began to fold the map away. "Y/N/N?"  Ellie peered through the doorway. "I found a path." She lead the way down the road before turning right, through a gap in a chicken wire fence. "Where do you think it leads?" You took out your gun. "Let's find out." You heard a quiet snick, and out of the corner of your eye you saw a glint in Ellie's hand. You realised a moment after that it was a pocket knife. But it was a pocket knife you recognised. It used to be yours, after all. You were introduced to guns and shooting when you were sixteen, but Ellie was still fourteen. That meant she wasn't technically allowed to have a gun (parents' orders), but they weren't going to find out, right? The knife was of a strong steel-- almost impossible to break. You also made sure that Ellie kept it sharp-- maintenance was important (as taught by your parents-- your mother especially). You secretly collected a stash of spare steel in case it wore too thin. You'd rather repair the blade, as the handle of the knife was passed down through generations of your family. It didn't fail them then, so why should it fail you now? You lead Ellie towards the bridge in front of you. Scanning the surroundings, you were about to give the all clear when a snapping twig caught your attention. Whirling around, you tried to spot the source. "Get behind me, Ellie," you breathed. She quickly did as you said. "Stay here." Inching towards the general direction, you saw a small gap between a few shrubs. You quietened your footsteps as best you could before tentatively creeping through. Inside was a clearing. The grass was tall and wild, coming halfway up your shins. Thick trees encircled the clearing, forming a loose ring. Walking forwards, you began to scope out the shrubbery. There was a snap and you stumbled. Before you could react, something wrapped tightly around your ankles, pulling you up instantly, forcing a loud cry from your lips. You would have hit your head if it weren't for something encasing your body. That was the good news. The bad news? You found yourself caught in a net, several metres off the ground. A clash of pans began to ring as you swayed through the air. Alarmed and slightly scared, you braced yourself, praying for you to stop moving. "Y/N?!" Ellie came running into view, looking frantically around. Both your and her eyes spotted your strewn gun cast aside on the ground, and she immediately began to panic. "Y/N!" "Hey!" You smiled reassuringly at her once she looked up. "I'm right here!" "You okay?" she asked. "Yeah, I'm okay." You spotted another loop of rope beside your head. "Hey, this thing has two loops. One for the legs, and another for…" "... More legs?" You snickered at Ellie's confusion, but she was absolutely right. This was an animal trap. "You're right, you know," you thought aloud. “That’s one way to put it, but yeah." Wrapping your fingers against the bindings around your ankles, you gave the rope a tug. It didn't budge an inch. You felt around for the knot and tried to untie it. No success. "You need a bit of help?" You looked to Ellie, who was gesturing at her switchblade. You mentally face palmed. That's a really good idea. Reaching through the holes, you watched as Ellie jumped and threw her weapon as hard as she could. It flew slightly higher than your head. You caught it on its descent. "You're smart, El'." Flicking it open, you began sawing at the rope. "Why, thank you!" And there she stood, grinning to herself. You broke the ropes around your ankles, and was about to start on the net around you when there it was again. Another snapped twig. Your halted your slow movements, and the sudden change in movement caused a ringing. You looked over to it and reached out to sever the cord to drop it. Before you could reach (not that you could), an arrow zipped through the air with a loud ft, landing perfectly and snapping the cord. Your hand retreated violently, eyes snapping to the direction it came from. Strands from your French braid fell in front of your eyes. "Ellie, the gun!" You pressed the blade to the net, violently fraying the rope.

"Don't move."

You froze, a deep voice sending chills down your spine. You were so close snapping free.

An arrow protruded out of the bushes.

Then a bow.

Then a face.

With brown skin and warm eyes, a man stared you down, weapon aimed at you. Ellie made a break for the gun.

"I said, don't move!"

She was staring down the point of an arrow before you could even blink.

That worried you. "Hey!"

The stranger looked up at you. "What the fuck, man?! She's a kid, for God's sake, and you're making her stare down a fucking arrow?!"

The arrow was pointed at you in half a second.

“I don’t take orders from you.”

You shot him down with a glare. “Can I please get down from here? We’re good guys; we’re clean!”

He studied you closely. His eyes went between you and Ellie, judging his options. As soon as he lowered his arms, you continued hacking at the rope above you until it broke. Anticipating a fall, you clung to the side and slowly lowered yourself down (you strong, girl).

“Who are you?” His guard was still up.

“The name’s Y/N.” You smoothly extended a hand. He scrutinised your actions before reluctantly clasping his hand with yours.

“You’re not cool, Y/N.”

“Shut up, Ellie.”

The man tried to hide a smile, amused at the bickering. “I’m Connor.”

“We cool?”

“You’re not.”

You relaxed, laughing. “Evidently not.”

Connor slipped his bow over his shoulder. “Where do you come from?”

“Not far from here, but we can’t go back. It’s just us. What about you?”

“I have a camp with some friends not too far away. Do you have anywhere to stay?”

“Nope.” You shrugged, hiding your slight concern for the future.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Diamond City, I guess. I have some friends there.”

“We’re heading that way too. I know that the rule of thumb in this world is not to trust anyone, but I think we can help each other.”

You considered his offer. “Will you kill us in our sleep?” It was only half a joke.

“I only kill those who deserve it.”

That’s half the bloody population.

“I trust you, Connor. I shouldn’t, but I do.”

“Follow me.”

[gt-adventures]

An Enchanted Adventure Part 2: In Which Something Precious is Stolen [sfw, all ages, fantasy comedy]

[Giants and Dragons and Wizards oh my! A fun for all ages fantasy adventure set in the world of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. You DO NOT need to know what The Enchanted Forest Chronicles is to read this. Just know it is a kinda fun fairytale trope filled world! No content warnings that I can think of.] 

Part 1 is HERE (or on deviantart HERE!) Part 3 is HERE

----

Just her luck! Her first night as a giant’s captive and a thief shows up. Slowly, not breaking eye contact with the thief, she slid out of bed and into some slippers. But, she had to look down, just for the briefest of seconds, to align her feet to the shoes. When she looked back, the figure was gone. She stepped forward a few paces.

A hand went across her mouth and she instinctively shoved and elbow back. With satisfaction she heard a hard OUF and the person stagger back. She wheeled around to see a hooded, leather clad person clutching their stomach with one hand.  

“You must be one of those Jack fellows, a petty thief” Kendria exclaimed, “How DARE you lay a hand on me, I’ll see that Dobbilan eats you!”

The thief hissed a laugh, “I am not” they coughed, “a petty thief, you sniveling princess! And please lower your damn voice”

They recovered fast and, ignoring Kendria, started to rummage through one of the treasure piles.

“Oh really,” said Kendria, shocked by the rudeness, but obeying “what is your name then?”

The thief paused and through gritted teeth, reluctantly answered “Jack.”

Kendria snorted.

“But that’s pure coincidence! Those pathetic Englishmen don’t know the first thing about the art of thievery. They come here and win the sympathy of the giantess and then run off in the night. Where is the challenge or glory in that!?”

Kendria crossed her arms, even though the Jack wasn’t looking at her, “Glory? You snuck in here at night, avoiding the giants entirely. That’s cowardly, you’re no better than any other Jack.”

Jack spun around and waved a dagger in her direction. That had touched a nerve.

“I am MUCH better than them. I am the youngest master thief in the land! No one should even know I was here until I am long gone,”

“I know you’re here,”

“A miscalculation. This giant isn’t supposed to have a princess.” they said, going back to their search.

“Why would a master thief be bothered with stealing from giants?” Kendria asked.

“This giant is currently in possession of an item that the guild wants,” Jack answered, “and I was assigned to fetch it”

Kendria was about to say something but Jack anticipated it

“I bet they are having a good laugh about it back at headquarters, sending young Jack to the giant’s castle. Maybe they are aware of the irony of sending me, maybe not. Maybe they figured someone with the name Jack had the highest chance of survival, either way, here I am.”

Something still didn’t sit right with Kendria.

“How did you get in here? This place is enchanted to the foundations! An alarm should have gone off. There is a reason the other Jacks use the front door.”

Jack had come back over to the bed and was searching underneath it.

“Thief magic is very special, princess, we have very few spells up our sleeves, but we know how to manipulate the spells of others. Give a little shove, a pull, just enough to make room for us.”

“Fascinating,” said Kendria, as her plan to play for time payed off when a loud thunderous THUD reached their ears. Then another, and another.

“Foolish princess! You woke it” Jack cursed.

Kendria huffed, “Well now you will get what’s coming for- HEY- ULK”

A hand on her mouth, a dagger to her to her throat.

“You make a sound and you die! Got it?” whispered Jack, “I am not going to let myself be giant food.”

She managed the slightest of nods against the cold blade, and tears came to her eyes. The hand was removed from her mouth as she was pulled out of the room. It was almost pitch black in the hallway, but Jack moved confidently from room to room. It was slow going, and they could hear Dobbilan searching for them, but Jack was a very good thief, even hindered by Kendria. They stuck to the shadows, running across the open floor only a few times when needed. Kendria's slippered feet made soft pat pat pat sounds but Jack's steps were completely silent. Kendria thought it might be the end of her when Jack maneuvered them under a door, but managed not to cut her.

“Please, let me go, I give you my word that I won’t scream,” she was having trouble breathing, scared to move her throat lest it be sliced open.

“Fine, but if you scream or run you will find this dagger in your back, I give you my word” they said, “And I’m taking these.” her crown was lifted off her head and with a few deft hand movements, so were her earrings and necklace. Then Jack released Kendria who fell to the ground sobbing and gasping for breath.

She finally had the chance to look around, and found they were in the kitchen, behind the cauldron of plenty. Jack was staring at it with disgust and horror.

“What in the gods names is this?” he said, mostly to himself.

“It’s just a magic cauldron,” said Kendria.

“A magic cauldron that could explode the next time someone uses it! It might even go off regardless!”

“No, I just fixed it!”

“Fixed it! The infinity matrix is badly inverted and now it’s overloaded” they said.

“What does that mean?”

Jack sighed, “the infinite magical flow got, jammed, and someone, I’m guessing you, boosted the flow rate.” Kendria just stared. “Like, it’s like water building up behind a beaver dam. It was probably trickling through before you added enough water to flow over it, and but it’s a lot of pressure and it’s gonna break down, spectacularly unless someone does something about it.”

That was bad, “can you do something? Master Thief, Expert at Manipulating Magic”

Jack looked insulted “why should I?”

That wasn’t a no.

“Because If you don’t I will alert Dobbilan to our location,” she said.

“You wouldn’t dare! You promised.”

“Try me”

“Ughhhhh, fine, but no running off” said Jack as they placed their bag down and took out several tools and jars and things wrapped in cloth.

A few circles drawn in charcoal on one side of the cauldron, a dab of honey on the other, where all the steps that Kendria could accurately devise as Jack worked quickly. They placed their hand on the honey and said a few quiet words. The black cauldron glowed red under their palm for just a moment.

A huge weight seemed to lift off Kendria’s shoulders. The magic tension released. Holy crap, that was a lot of build up.

Jack was in her face, they were taller than her and their dark eyes glared into hers.

“You owe me some rare magical ingredients, princess” they spat.

“If you survive this I shall see they are replaced.” she said as they moved on to the next room.

It was a storage room and filled to the brim with all sorts of treasure and all sorts of junk. And licorice allsorts if one searched hard enough. Common and uncommon items abound, every corner was filled, every shelf was in danger of spilling over with the piled up objects. Reinforced with magic most likely.

Jack investigated a pile in the far corner but quickly returned to one near the door and scrambled upon to the shelf. They didn't seem to have a system, but at the same time was confident in the search.

“Hey!” Kendria called up, “what are you looking for!?”

They ignored her, and she pulled up her nightgown and climbed up after them.

She watched as Jack ignored gold, jewels, magic swords, magic amulets, and her. Why did they take her jewelry if they were ignoring the much easier to swipe piles here? A power move? Whatever.

Dobbilan had certainly been telling the truth, his castle was overflowing with treasure. And this thief was looking for just one thing in all this mess. It might not even be here! The castle had several storage rooms. Kendria examined a a very beautiful necklace, and forgoing caution, put it on. Jack had taken hers and she might as well pretty herself if she wasn't going back to bed. Dobbilan wouldnt mind, surely.

The door handle rattled

Jack rounded on Kendria, “what did you do!?” and they kicked her in the chest sending her flying off the shelf. Kendria swore as she fell that she saw Jack slip something into their pocket.

She landed in the hands of Dobbilan who set her back on the shelf. Even in a pompom night cap he looked menacing as he breathed in a celebratory fashion.

“FEE FI FO FUM, I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN, BE HE ALIVE OR BE HE DEAD, I’LL GRIND HIS BONES TO MAKE MY BREAD” Bellowed the giant, his voice an octave lower than Kendria recalled, and she nearly cried with terror. The giant held up a lantern and causing the lights to dance across the room and his face like ghosts. Jack backed up, as did Kendria, but Jack’s voice gave no hint of fear.

“Shows what you know! I’m not English, and I’m not a man!” they shouted.

Dobbilan raised an eyebrow “Then what” he growled, “is your purpose here, human? I doubt you are here for my princess. Though it concerns me that she is with you.”

Jack backed up against bunch of treasure. Kendria saw their hands move so fast with movements were nearly undetectable.

“I am not here for your stupid girl! My business is my own!”

“This is my house, so it is also my business” said Dobbilan, “and careful calling anything that is mine, dumb”

That was the last straw, she was done being treated like a silly little girl by this thief. All fear forgotten, she glared at Jack and then to Dobbilan.

“What should we do with them?” Dobbilan asked.

“Well,” Kendria considered, “they are not English so it would be improper to grind their bones. I could banish them. They might die anyways, I’m not the best at magic”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” said Dobbilan.

Kendria approached Jack and raised her hands, muttering the spell that would send them away. They backed away, or tried but couldn’t go any further into the treasure pile. As she was about to finished the spell they grabbed her wrists tightly and muttered words back. Her spell swiveled, almost knocking her off balance. Jack grinned.

“You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” they sneered.

And the pair disappeared in a puff of smoke.

---

Wherever they landed it was nearly pitch black. And warm. Weirdly warm, for the ground was hard stone. And all around them was stone. Some of those stones glowed softly, ones that were clustered and round. Where were they?

She stood up and was about to examine one of the glowing rocks whena hand grabbed her wrist and jack whispered into her ear, “Princess, we have to get out of here, now”

“Where are we?” Kendria said, not whispering.

“SHHHH!” was all they said as they dragged her down the cave, away from the glowing rocks. Something moved behind them, scraping against the rocks. Sophia looked over her shoulder and saw a young dragon on an outcrop, eyes glinting at them hungrily.

This was a dragon cave! A dragon nest! The dragon smiled, showing off it’s rows of sharp fangs.

“Why did you take us here!?” demanded Kendria.

“I didn’t! You cast the damn spell! I just made it take you with me,” said Jack.

“Idiot! It wasn’t meant for two people, we could have ended up in the wall!”

“THIEEEEVES!” hissed the dragon as it leapt down. It’s tail dragged across the floor in anticipation.

Kendria stopped and turned around “Apologies dragon, we were in a teleportation accident, we are not here to steal”

Dragons like politeness And formality, hopefully Kendria would win it over.

“SUCH BOLD FACED LIES,” it cried and rushed at them.

The humans ran as fast as they could. Jack lead the way making sure to avoid cracks and rocks that they would trip over. Kendria still scraped her elbows and calves a few times, the stones ripping into her nightgown. She could barely see but the way they moved, Jack could. Just like in the castle. Somehow, probably by sheer dumb luck, they made it outside. It was dawn, and they scrambled down the mountainside.

“You need to teleport us again,” ordered Jack, as the dragon roared above them, and more roars responded. More dragons.

“Yeah, ok,” she said, and dived behind a large boulder to quickly prep the spell, keeping in mind that it would be taking two people this time.

She wrapped her arms around Jack, and they were gone.

---

This time they landed on soft grass. Kendria didn’t get up. She couldn't get up. After two teleportations in the space of a few minutes and running from dragons her entire body felt filled with burning lead. She just lay there, taking comfort in the cool fresh air and lack of dragons. Jack looked with wonder around them. They were in the middle of a forest. A wild one, the grass was tall, the trees were vibrant, and there was no space that was not claimed by plant matter. The morning sun shone through the leaves against the dew, glimmering the trails of fairies. The trees provided good cover, and there wasnt a soul in sight. They sat against a tree and took the opportunity to look through their bag, take stock of their supplies and maybe figure out the next step. Kendria groaned and looked up as Jack took something out of their bag. Something like a big, round, rock. “YOU STOLE A DRAGON EGG!”  she cried, pushing herself into a sitting position.

Jack looked sheepishly away. “What were you THINKING!?” Gingerly she stood up to stand over Jack who dropped the object back into the bag. It disappeared inside. “I was thinking," said Jack, standing up to stare down Kendria, “that I didn’t get what I needed from the giant, so I had to improvise. A dragon egg will certainly please the committee and assure that I become a master thief.” “I thought you said you were one!” “Well I’m going to be, when my masters see this,” Jack pulled up their hood. “See you never, princess, I have to get this back to headquarters” and they started to walk away. “Oh no you don’t! It’s your fault we’re in this mess, you’re getting me home!” she demanded and then checked herself. If she returned home with a thief as her rescuer she would have to marry them or be in disgrace forever after. “Actually, you’re going to take me back to Dobbilan’s” “What?” “The giant’s castle! I need to get back!” “Go back? That’s stupid, you’ve escaped! Why on the gods’s green earth would you go back to your prison?” “My father used a hard earned favor to get me in there; I was waiting to be rescued by my true love!” /Pfft/ Jack sneered, “True love? I’m not risking my life so you can find ‘true love’ and have your fairytale ending, deal with it.” “You can’t just leave me here!” “Oh yes I can!” They turned away but paused to take something from their bag, and flung it at Kendria. A dagger stuck in the ground at her feet “There, Now you have a weapon.You’re welcome” And they walked away, Kendria powerless to stop them. She was left on her own. Helpless. The little magic she knew wouldn’t be much help, and she didn’t have the energy to teleport again. All she could do was stand like a statue, until she couldn’t hold it in any longer and fell to her knees sobbing. “Hello?” came a small voice. Kendria looked around, but the world was blurry through her tears. “Who- who is there?” A chipmunk ran out of a nearby bush and up onto her knee. “Dearie me, dearie me, a girl, lost in the forest! Lost, and waiting. Waiting for a rescuerI expect?” it squeaked. Kendria nodded and sobbed harder. “Good thing I came by! Good thing! You cannot stay here, no not here, must keep moving,” it said, very fast. “But, I have no idea where to go!” cried Kendria. “Oh dear oh dear, then we must find a rescuer fast. Can do it! I can! Done it before, yes yes!” it scratched at her dress which was falling apart, and leapt off, disappearing into the grass.

Kendria returned to her private sobbing, until the chipmunk scrambled back onto her shoulder, “found a prince! Told you I am quick!” Kendria looked up to see Jack who was not pleased to be there. She stood up, taking the dagger with her, adrenaline replacing her exhaustion. Fiercely she wiped the tears from her eyes and pointed the dagger at Jack. “That is no prince! That is a thief! They stole me from a giant and then stole a dragon egg!” she shook as she clenched her fist. “A thief with a heart it seems,” said Jack, rolling their eyes, “You aren’t gonna sit there until some monster finds you are you?” “Stole a dragon egg! No NO, BAD BAD” squealed the chipmunk “They will find you! He will help them! He will! You are not safe here, not safe!” Jack looked incredulously at the chipmunk, “who will help who?” The chipmunk climbed onto Kendria’s head and struck a regal pose. “The king! The king! He will help the dragons!” “The King of the Enchanted Forest”

[thanks for reading! please reblog!]

[amytaylcr]

how a resurrection really feels

TAGGING → Janey & Amy Taylor LOCATION → The Taylor family home TIMEFRAME → Monday, October 15, morning

The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty house as Amy went out on a search for the rest of her family members. It was no more than eight in the morning on a Monday in October, and though she knew her parents worked, the house always buzzed with life even when they’ve left. Amy and Aubrey, at the very least, were usually around until later into the morning. Now that Janey had arrived to town with her fiance, one of them could be found hanging around the kitchen, either fixing up breakfast or flipping through bridal magazines for inspiration, but not this morning.

“Mom?” Amy called out in a voice that hasn’t shed all traces of sleep, grabbing a muffin that was set on a tray on the kitchen island. The silence resounded, almost alarming, and not entirely welcome. She continued her pursuit for other occupants until at last she caught the sound of gentle humming from the front lawn.

With the change in weather and dips in temperature, mornings tended to get a little chillier than in the summer, but the vivid burst of warm hues in the treetops still drew people out. The skies remained a clear, soft blue interrupted by the fluffy, cotton-like clouds splayed all over, as the Sun made its trek from one end of the horizon towards the other. She drew the strings of the white knit sweater more tightly around her body, as she stepped out on the front porch and greeted the day. The day, and her mother kneeling just below the porch, picking at the flowers planted there and humming a melody that sounded all too like a Taylor Swift song.

“Mom.” An amused frown pulled at Amy’s eyebrows as she looked down at Janey, hands protected with large green garden gloves.

“Morning, baby,” she responded with a radiant smile, exactly like Aubrey’s. “I was taking care of the flowers, the perennials really need to be taken down to the basement until spring, and I’ve spotted some wonderful bulbs I think will look gorgeous with the house.”

Flower talk. Not exactly Amy’s forte, so she nodded her head and bit into the muffin she brought.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Running errands, going to work, you know how it goes,” Janey explained, squinting up at her eldest. They haven’t really been alone since Janey returned to Wilmington, always something or someone conveniently getting in the way, and Janey wasn’t about to let the chance slip through her fingers. Deciding that gardening could wait until later, she pulled the gloves off and stood up. “Do you want some coffee? I haven’t had my cup yet, and I like having company.”

An answer wasn’t really needed or expected, as she wrapped an arm around Amy’s waist and guided them back into the quiet house, a sense of dread settling in Amy’s stomach the way it always did when she did something wrong, and her parents wanted to talk. 

Janey busied herself with the drip coffee maker as Amy munched idly on the muffins, a clear sign she wasn’t hungry but rather nervous. Shaking her head no to adding milk or sugar in her cup, Amy closed her hands around it and waited for the other shoe to drop. Right on cue, after an entire two moments worth of silence, Janey settled at the kitchen island opposite Amy and the twisted knot in her daughter’s insides tightened.

“Amy, honey, you know… I was talking to Aubrey the other day,” she paused to take a sip, knowing this was a topic she should approach with caution, “and I’m worried about you. What’s going on, what’s got you this way?” The concern in her soft voice was palpable and it grated against Amy’s nerves.

“Mom, honestly, I just got up. I haven’t had my coffee, yet. Can this wait?” She pleaded, but her eyes remained trained firmly on the cup with the brown liquid, the smell of which overpowered any other scents in the room.

“Honey, it’s waited long enough,” was the simple response her mother had given her, love and concern still coating her voice, but there was a firmness in it that backed Amy into a corner. “I know losing Brooks has had consequences on you that we’re only now becoming aware of, but baby this has got to stop. You need to work on it, get through on the other side of it. It’s not too late, you know?”

The magic potion no longer tasted good, not when Amy’s insides churned and bile rose to her throat at the mention of Brooks. A trembling took hold of her slender fingers that not even holding a mug between her hands could settle. Color drained from her face, and her hazel eyes grew unfocused, finding a spot on the wall behind Janey to rest on. She sat there, quiet and stewing, as Janey proceeded.

“I’m worried about you, I’m worried about Bree. The two of you have gone through some big events in your life, and you’ve both turned to the same dangerous habits instead of leaning on us, on your family. You know that we’re here for you, always, no matter what.” She reached across the island to give Amy’s wrist a gentle squeeze, but her daughter pulled it away as if singed by her mother’s touch.

“Don’t,” she warned, her gaze drawn back to her mother’s face. “You weren’t here, you don’t know what it’s been like for me, you don’t know what it’s been like for Bree. You left us, remember?” The accusation in her words was one that had been sitting on her chest since she was a teenager and resented her mother for leaving them. A divorce was a tough pill to swallow (and Amy would know, she’s tried quite a few), but even that she could understand… But moving to another city, in a different state? God, the grudges Amy’s been holding onto reached as far back as to the late years of her childhood, and it’s been clear she’s been tending to them with the same care her mother tended to the flowers in their garden. They were the single constant in Amy’s life, after all.

“That’s not fair, Amy.” The soft, caring voice now shook as she spoke. Good, someone else’s nerves were being struck that day. “I didn’t leave you, your father and I agreed it was better not to uproot your lives and move you away, and I had to find my path. Just like you and Aubrey should find yours now.”

“So, what, should we move away and be on our own? I’ve tried that, mom, it didn’t work. In fact, I’m worse off for doing it. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, things I’ll never forget or forgive myself, and for what? Just to come back crawling here so mommy and daddy can fix me?” The bitterness oozed from her voice as she spat the words at her mother. Resentment saturated her features, and it remained to be seen if it was a sentiment she harbored for herself or the woman that gave birth to her.

“No, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. You don’t need to go anywhere to find what you already have here. We don’t want to fix you, we want to help you. But you need to want that help first.”

“I’ll let you know when that happens,” Amy scoffed bitterly, thinking she was done with the worst of it.

“Baby, help comes in many shapes, from people we least expect. What is it I hear about you and Greer’s brother? Aubrey told me you two had something, that he’s made you happier than she can remember seeing you. What happened there?”

Goddamn it, Bree, Amy cursed internally, the bridge leading into the fortress of her heart raised at the very mention of Cass. Cass, who made her happy, who made her smile. Cass, who she refused to let herself like. Cass, who she pushed away and hurt, emotionally and physically. Cass, who was the first one to make her feel like the woman she could have been had she not shrouded herself in darkness and guilt.

“It’s over.” The shrug of her shoulders hid the torrent of complaints her heart yelled at her gut that kept telling her to push him away.

“Why? From what I understand, he felt the same way about you, didn’t he?”

“Look, mom, I’m not a teenager. We don’t need to talk about boys to feel closer than we are.” She shook her head and laid her hands on the island, getting ready to leave the scene of the crime. “There’s nothing between Cass and me and that’s all you need to know.”

A sad smile sprawled over Janey’s lips as the defenses rose around her daughter, like a hedgehog that curled into a ball, the softness of the inside protected by the hard spines of the outside. Amy took after her mother that way, and Janey always wished she could handle herself better than that. If Amy learned to control it, maybe that would be enough.

“You think we─ I don’t know what you’re doing? What’s happening? Baby, it’s been fifteen years since he died. I know you miss him, God knows we all do, but you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t keep punishing and condemning yourself for wanting to be happy when you deserve it, when he’d want that for you.”

The steel of Amy’s gaze was softened with tears welling in her hazel eyes as her mother spoke with the same cloudiness in her own.

“I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been for you to lose someone you loved so much, but the answer to dealing with that grief isn’t to end your life before it even started.” The older woman moved around the kitchen island to reach the daughter that stood still, unable to so much as blink, let alone move away. “We all have our processes, our ways of dealing with grief, but honey, I don’t think you’ve ever really dealt with yours.” A tentative hand reached out to smooth down Amy’s honey-dipped waves, expecting her to recoil again. When that didn’t happen, she tugged her daughter to her chest, a hand rubbing her back.

“I talked to Lorelai about it the other day. And as much as she loves you as her own daughter, she worries you’ve misplaced your affection, that you’ve twisted it and now you don’t know how to get out of that knot, and─”

“Will you all stop talking about me behind my back,” she all but screamed, pulling away from her mother’s comforting embrace. “I don’t care what you all think, I care what I think, what I feel, and what I believe he felt. I don’t think his dying wish was for me to be happy with another man,” a manic laughter spilled from her lips at that. “We were planning forever together, we were going to get married, I still have the ring he never told me he bought. I’ve sold just about everything I ever owned to get another hit, but I never sold that. Doesn’t that tell you something, doesn’t it?!”

“It tells me you are loyal to a ghost, to someone who is no longer here with us. And to what end? What will your life mean in the long run? What will his, if you’re not better for the love he gave you, for the love he taught you to give?”

The words pierced through Amy’s armor, found a weak spot in her defenses and slammed into them with all the strength Janey could muster to break her daughter’s shell. It started with a brick by brick, but before long entire walls of the fortification around her heart crumbled to dust and fell with the force of Amy’s sobs, a crescendo of ache. Rubble gathered at the foot of Amy’s heart no longer defended by the walls of bitterness and grief, glued together by guilt. All that was left was a heart battered and broken so long ago every beat was a struggle, and a cherished moment of life.

After fifteen years of drowning under the surface with Brooks, looking for his lifeless body in the waves, seeking a way to be dragged to the eternal, black depths with him, Amy broke through the surface and gasped.

She was alive.

Turning to her mother for comfort, she threw herself into the embrace of the single woman she’s missed her entire life, and wept like she hadn’t let herself since that day on the graveyard. Wept until there was nothing inside her but a desire to live.

[rxbxlcaptain]

Luctor et Emergo -- Chapter 1

The Empire reigns over wizarding England, despite the resistence of many brave members of the Alliance. As Jyn Erso enters Hogwarts, she's forced to choose a side: stay in the shadows and allow whatever her father is designing come to life, or stand against the atrocities of bloody purity and fight for what she knows is right?

[Hogwarts AU]

Read on AO3 / Below the Cut

Next Chapter 

(Special thanks to @valcain for the graphic and @wearesuchstuff1 for beta reading! Author’s Note here)

Galen Erso lounged near the open window of his small farmhouse, enjoying the moment of relaxation of a summer day. Little happened in the muggle town of Lah’mu, and even less on their private farm, making it the perfect place for the Ersos to hide from the Empire and the likes of Orson Krennic. Lah’mu allowed his daughter to play freely, as she did now; sounds of her make believe floated lazily through the window. A book, not on advanced transfiguration or wand lore, but on muggle farming techniques lay forgotten on the table in front of him, next to a mug of quickly cooling tea. Galen’s right hand twitched automatically for his wand to readjust the temperature, but he stopped himself. Perhaps this level of caution was ridiculous; Galen was long past the age of seventeen, so no trace followed his use of magic. Still, he and Lyra had agreed; every caution needed to be taken to stay hidden from the Empire and Orson Krennic. He and Lyra retired the use of their wands on a day to day basis and attempted to keep Jyn’s accidental magic to a minimum. More would need to be done before she turned eleven, but until then –

An alarm blared from the kitchen, and Galen shot upright. He rushed to their collection of protective objects – sneakoscopes and foe-glass and alerts connected to the anti-apparation wards outside. To Galen’s dismay, the alarm was not a simple malfunction of one enchantment past its prime, but the entire line screaming in distress. Orson Krennic, accompanied by an entire line of aurors cloaked in all black robes, shone in the face of the sneakoscope.

“Galen.” His wife spoke from the door to the kitchen. “Is it him?”

As he nodded, his wife’s face hardened into fierce determination, but Galen knew her well enough to see the fear leaking into her eyes. “I’ll gather our things. Where’s Jyn?”

In answer to her mother’s question, Jyn scampered through the door, her twin braids flapping behind her. “Mama, someone’s coming!”

“We know.” Lyra led her back into the bedroom as Galen moved towards his study, grabbing his wand as he went. Subtleties served no purpose now. Piles of research he’d kept – out of sentiment or out of some misplaced form of pride – were reduced to flames as he muttered, “ Incendio! ” over and over, tossing each pile into the fireplace as he exited. Next, Galen flicked his wand to unlock the bottom drawer of his desk, which housed the last line of defense for his family: the invisibility cloak given to him by his father, who inherited it from his father before him. Now, Jyn would take it from him – not for pranks or late night trips to the Hogwarts kitchens Galen had used it for, but for necessity and protection.

He hurried back into the kitchen to meet Jyn and Lyra. Across the room, a glowing blue wolf bounded out of Lyra’s wand, trotting around her as she spoke to it. “Saw, he’s come for us. We’ll be there soon.” A message of warning to the man who would be their savior.

Crouching down, Galen whispered, “Jyn, come here,” and took her hands in his. “Remember, whatever I do, I do it to protect you.” She would stay brave, his Jyn, no matter what happened, but Galen needed her to understand. No matter the outcome, he needed her to know. “Say you understand.”

“I understand.”

Jyn’s chin tilted up and her face was set – still a child and so much like her mother already. Though perhaps it was his own arrogance he saw reflected in her words for how could she understand? The ugly situation he had dragged his family into – the mess of political scheming and selfish curiosity – was a stain of adulthood, far from the childhood innocence Jyn still lived.

But he had no time to consider it, pulling Jyn into his arms. His eyes found Lyra’s as he clutched their daughter against him. “I love you, Stardust.”

“I love you too, Papa.”

“Galen.”

Keeping Jyn in his arms, Galen reached for Lyra. Together, they’d disapparate away from the farm house, to hide with Saw Gerrera until more protective charms had been found and another safe house created. Gripping Jyn tight, Galen stepped forward, twisting, expecting to hear the pop! Of disapparation and its trademark disorientation. Instead, he opened his eyes to the same kitchen, neither he or his wife having moved.

With the wide eyes of dawning realization, Lyra growled, “He’s cut off our ability to apparate.”

Galen’s mind flashed through a realm of different escape plans. Floo powder wouldn’t work with the muggle fireplace; any attempt to flee on the family’s dated broomsticks would no doubt be outstripped by Krennic’s men in a matter of minutes. Galen focused on the last possible means of escape: the invisibility cloak in his hands, and a hatch above a dug hole in the ground. Placing his daughter on the floor, Galen steeled himself to the idea.

“Take Jyn,” he instructed Lyra. “I’ll distract him.”

“That isn’t the plan,” she snapped. “We stay together.”

“Lyra.” He pressed the cloak into her hand and glanced out the window where the line of men crested the top of a nearby hill. “We don’t have time to debate this. Take Jyn. Stay hidden. Run until the ward disappears.” He cupped her face with his hands. “I’ll find you. I promise.”

Galen didn’t allow her time to disagree; he marched out the door to meet his fate, trusting his wife to ensure a better option for herself and their daughter. She had never failed him before.

As Papa hurried out the front door of the house, Mama grabbed Jyn’s hand, pulling her in the opposite direction.

“Mama, where –“

“Jyn, stay quiet.” Mama hardly ever yelled at her – Jyn was a good girl who didn’t need to punished often – and this was the sharpest Jyn had ever heard her mother’s voice. Mama’s pull on her wrist ached as she ran, stumbling to keep up. Even crouched low into the grass, Mama moved much faster than Jyn’s tiny legs could carry her.

As they topped the hill behind the house, Jyn dropped to the moist soil beside her mother. She scanned the distant field, like her mother did, and spied a line of men approaching her father. Jyn thought of the alarms that had blared within the house. Did these men cause them?

Then the man in the middle – dressed in glowing white robes to stand out among his darkly dressed companions – caught Jyn’s attention.

“Mama –“ Jyn remembered to stay quiet this time. “Mama, I know that man.” Before Mama and Papa moved her to the farm, they had lived in Hogsmeade. Her father had taught at Hogwarts, and the man in white had worked with him. Some days, he’d follow her father into the village and stay long past dinner and Jyn’s bedtime.

“ Shh ,” her mother quieted her. She stopped to wrap the silvery cloak around herself and Jyn. “We need to keep moving, Jyn.”

Jyn followed obediently down the hill and into the field beyond. Every few seconds, Mama’s head turned back to the house, and Jyn knew she was thinking of Papa, because she was too. Finally, Mama stopped Jyn with an outstretched hand.

“Do you remember where to go? Your father’s hiding spot?” Jyn nodded, thinking of the games Papa played with her, practicing finding the hole from all parts of the farm. “Good. Wait for me there.”

Tears welled in Jyn’s eyes. Mama was being too serious, and Jyn was scared. This didn’t feel like a game at all, anymore.

Reaching behind her neck, Mama untied the cord of her necklace, and moved it to Jyn’s neck. The pendant fell to her throat, cool against her warm skin. She stayed still, confused. This was Mama’s favorite necklace, one she never took off. Why would she be giving it to Jyn?

“Trust the Force,” Mama urged, but her smile wasn’t right at all. Jyn’s mind whirled, unable to make sense of the situation.

“Mama –“

“I’ll be there. Now go.”

Just like Papa had, Mama headed towards the strange men, pulling her wand out from beneath her robes. Jyn continued down her path – she was a good girl who did what her parents told her, after all – but she, like Mama, kept glancing over her shoulder every few moments. The house lay behind the hill now, out of sight, but if Jyn strained her ears, she heard voices. Whether they belonged to her parents or the strange group of men, she couldn’t tell.

Her heart pounded in her chest, struggling against her rib cage. Jyn glanced forward to where the hatch in the ground lay and then backwards to where her parents had gone. Like her Mama, Jyn made a decision. Keeping her father’s cloak secure over her head, she ran back to the house.

All the adults stayed clustered around the front of the house. Her path to the back door was clear.

Jyn sneaked in, careful to avoid the floorboards that creaked, and, still invisible beneath the cloak, she peered out the front window. The scene there made little sense.

The man in white stood fifty yards back from the house, her father nearby. Both faced the house – or, more accurately, faced her mother, who’s wand extended back towards them. Fear flooded through Jyn as she realized the black-clad men had their wands extended as well. Six wands pointed towards her mother. Jyn felt as though she could barely breathe.

Though glass and distance separated her from her parents, Jyn strained her ears to pick up the conversation. Luckily, the man in white spoke loudly, and the wind carried his voice back to her.

“No, of course I’m not. I’m taking you all! You, your child.” Jyn slid down, suddenly afraid the man would see her in the window. “You’ll all live in comfort.”

Mama’s response was too quiet to catch, but the man in white retorted, “As heroes of the Empire.”

Papa reached his hand out towards Mama, saying something softly. The details of his face were out of focus – oh, if only they were closer! – but Jyn guessed the terror gripping her affected Papa as well. Mama’s wand faltered for only a moment at his words before regaining its steady position, pointed towards the man in white.

The next few moments happened all at once.

Mama shook her head. A red jet flew from the end of her wand. The man in white shouted something to his guards, and green lights raced towards Mama. Green covered the entire landscape, shining over Papa’s face and dying the white robes of the man in the middle.

Her body jerked with the force of the impact, and she fell to the ground. Papa rushed towards her and cradled her in his arms, like he’d do for Jyn. But Mama wasn’t a child like Jyn. Mama was strong. She’d get up all on her own…

But she didn’t. Mama stayed still in Papa’s arms and the horrible truth dawned on Jyn.

Tears raced down her face, clogging her throat. Horror clawed at her insides. Her chest heaved, desperate to draw in air, but as Jyn opened her mouth, it was only to release a horrified, pain filled scream. Windows shattered around her, and broken glass hit her face. She didn’t care; she couldn’t care. Green light colored her vision; panic tinted her thoughts.

Mama , she cried inside her head. Mama, come back!

Without thinking, Jyn dropped the invisibly cloak behind her and sprinted towards her father.

Galen spun towards the cry, releasing his hold on his wife. Jyn! She must have stayed too close, not run when Galen had told her to, followed her mother back to where he met Krennic. Galen prayed his invisibility cloak had stayed secure over her, that she hid there – he ignored the voice reminding him how feeble that defense was – when he saw her dart out of the house. The troopers in black rushed towards her, ready to snatch her away, but Galen moved faster.

“Jyn, Jyn,” he repeated as he swept his daughter into his arms. You used to fit here better, Galen thought absently. I used to be able to protect you in my arms. “I’ve got you, Stardust.” Galen examined the blood on her face – scratches from the glass broken by her uncontrolled outcry of magic.

“Papa, Papa, where’s Mama?” Jyn cried, twisting in his arms to see her mother. Galen gently pushed her face into his shoulder, keeping her still. She didn’t need to see Lyra lying in the mud. The image would be burned into his memory forever; he didn’t want it in hers as well.

“Stardust, look at me.” Jyn told him she understood – the situation, her mother’s fear, the need for her to stay safely hidden under Galen’s invisibility cloak – but Galen had known better; she was just a child, thrown into an adult’s game of chess she could not understand. But he needed her to understand now. “I’ll keep you safe, Jyn. I promise.”

Behind him, Krennic snorted. Galen found bitter satisfaction to discover his tone laced with pain from Lyra’s curse. “You’ve done anything but keep her safe, Galen. Keeping her in Hogsmeade would have kept her safe, not cowering like children in the middle of nowhere. Lying to her won’t help now. Just look at what that got her mother.”

Jyn whimpered in his arms, and Galen resisted the urge to growl at the man. Instead, he moved his hands across Jyn’s back, but the movement was too rushed, too jerky to be truly soothing. His mind buzzed with answers for Krennic – anywhere from docile submissions to drawing his wand on the man – but he kept silent for fear of saying the wrong thing and making the situation worse.

“Guards, take Miss Erso from her father. I need to speak with him, and she’ll be a distraction.”

Jyn cried and clung to her father’s neck, but Galen didn’t fight the gloved hands reaching for her. He tried to reassure Jyn, to tell her he’d be right behind her, but his words came out strained and jumbled like his thoughts. Jyn kicked out at the guards, catching one in the shin and the other in the knee.

“Can’t you subdue a child?” Krennic barked at the men. He reached with his uninjured arm. “ Stupefy !”

“Jyn, no!” Galen shouted as the red bolt shot towards Jyn. She crumpled as it collided with her chest, and Galen reached desperately for a pulse. It beat steady – Krennic’s curse hadn’t been damaging to her – but the lazy way her head rolled to the side – just like Lyra’s, too much like Lyra’s lifeless head – sent an unparalleled panic through Galen. How could he allow this to happen to his daughter?

“The less you fight, the safer she’ll be, Galen,” Krennic reminded him. He snapped more orders at the guards and Galen watched them depart, levitating Jyn alongside them. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes, your return to Hogwarts. And the Emperor’s project.”

Galen remained silent for a moment, watching the guards disappear with Jyn. His wife’s body still lay at his feet. The cold dampness of the soil must be soaking into her clothes. She’d be getting cold – if she were alive.

“Whatever you’ve tried to build here has died, Galen. Come back with me. The Emperor will forgive your transgressions in exchange for your work. Your child will live in safety and comfort.”

For once in his life, Galen Erso did not have a plan. He did not know what the next best step would be, nor find a logical way out of this problem. All he understood was the burning desire within him to protect , to ensure Jyn’s safety. If he guaranteed nothing else, he would guarantee that. He owed Lyra that much.

“She’s staying with me, Krennic. I won’t allow this any other way.” Galen met the other man’s gaze straight on, hard as steel, refusing to back down. “You need me to come with you, and I need Jyn to come with me.”

“You know I can’t have the child disturbing your work, Galen.” Krennic’s voice remained honey smooth, as if everything was normal. As if his shoulder wasn’t smoking and Galen’s wife wasn’t lying dead mere meters away. “Though, perhaps…”

Galen bristled at Krennic’s attempt to bait him. No matter how self-assured Galen acted, both men knew who had the upper hand here.

“I’ll compromise with you,” Krennic said – like this conversation was a negotiation and Galen could banter back. “Jyn can stay with you during the summers, while Hogwarts is out of session. During the year, I’ll take over responsibility for her care.” He punctuated his words with a glance back to Lyra’s body, a gentle reminder to Galen of what he could – and was willing – to do if he met resistance.

Every muscle in Galen’s body had gone rigid; his blood ran cold through his veins. Running from Hogsmeade, keeping a low profile on the farm, restricting his use of magic to the bare minimum: what had it gotten Galen, how had it protected his family? His wife was dead; his daughter was to be taken prisoner. And Galen felt helpless against all of it.

“Do you agree, Galen?” Krennic prompted.

Galen bit back a scathing retort at the man’s rhetorical question, forcing himself to remain level headed. For Jyn’s sake, he reminded himself. The job of protecting her fell solely into his hands now. Even this scrap of a compromise Krennic offered was better than no chance at protecting Jyn at all; he had no choice but to agree.

“If she is returned to me in less than perfect condition…

Krennic waved off his frail threat. “No harm will come to the child. After all —” The sinister, arrogant smile returned to Krennic’s face. “— She’ll need to be ready for Hogwarts in a few years.” He glanced back to the house, where the shattered glass turned the windows into deadly teeth. “That’s powerful magic she has already.”

He began walking towards his men, but paused and chortled for a moment. “Yes, she’ll look lovely in Slytherin green.”

[roseamongroses]

W.A.L: “The Last Supper” (28) (ii)

s u m m a r y

Eden was the lowest of the low, a monster, hardly human, and was set to be executed. Roman was on trial, perpetually stuck in time until it was time to atone for his families sins.Neither cared much for staying trapped.So when a Stranger offered freedom, offered peace, offered power, it was hard to say no.Even if it put them on the wrong side of history.

v i b e s

time is irrelevent, homophobia who?, magic and beasts, demigods

w a r n i n g s

Imprisonment, Mentions of execution, Blood/ injuries,  Mentions of past Death, repression, cursing, some  dissociation

c h a r a c t e r s

Deceit(Eden) Sanders, Remy Sanders, Logan Sanders, Virgil Sanders, Patton Sanders, Roman Sanders, Emile Picani, Elliot, Kai, Lauren, Dot

Ship: Roceit

1) (2)   (3)  (4) (5)

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

(12) (13) (14) (15) (16) (17)

Everything was too loud and once again Roman felt like it was completely beyond his control. The forest’s weight was an oppressive entity, seemingly outside of normal nature’s reach. Everything either felt as if it was moving too fast for conscious comprehension or that it didn’t move at all.

He didn’t need to ask to know that this forest was older than time itself. And while plausibly Roman knew that nothing was too beyond a Sanders’ control, something deep within him said that he shouldn’t even try it here.

Even before when the tree-like beast attacked, he knew he had done something unspeakable when he ordered it to unmake itself. At the time he was too confused and panicked to care about the consequences but now...He's still confused, and still had that constant growing panic that made his hyperawareness a curse in itself, but at least he now had a goal.

Several in fact.

Most of which involved him burning The Stranger and The Council to the ground and getting his family away from all of this bullshit. But the key point of that was he had to get to Janus--he had to find Janus.

Larry carried him through the forest rambling about nothing in particular to no one in particular and Roman ignored Dot’s heavy stare. He tried to somewhat memorize where they were taking him, but the forest didn’t make any sense. It was made long before sense was even a concept, but eventually Roman caught on to how it worked.

Even if there was no distinct landmarks, there was an undoubtable heaviness that increased the closer they got to wherever they were going. Roman could feel the magic laying dormant become more and more unbearable, he could feel even his own magic being dwarfed as he realized just how big this “forest” was.

The long branches of the trees seemed to cluster and tangle together locking away the sky until even the faint twinkling of stars seemed to meld into the darkness. And yet they continued forward, seemingly unphased or alarmed by the complete darkness.

Only it wasn’t dark for long. Slowly, but surely, dots of glowing red started to line their path. The unblinking eyes swooping above their heads just out of reach or scuttling just out of view into the hearth.

At one point, Roman felt the pressure increase and realized they were going underground, deep underground--all the while the glow of the Misrae’s eyes grew steadily around him. All attentive and completely soundless aside from the beating of wings. It got to the point where the glow was enough to illuminate the caverns walls and the deep etchings and carvings that swirled across stone in a deeply familiar yet foreign language.

At a certain point a thought came to him that maybe this wasn’t a weird forest or a cavern. Another thought followed with such clarity that Roman flinched at the intrusion.

It wasn’t a forest or a cavern.

It was a tomb.

---

Roman tuned out most of The Stranger’s speech.

It was some long, drawn out thing about his many woes and how the Universe continuously stripped away everything he cared about and how he needed to fix it. At first Roman didn’t understand what “it’ was exactly because while the Council sucked ass, it didn’t seemed like The Stranger was only fixated on that. Some of his issues had to do with the decaying world while others dealt with the fuckery that was human society and how magic folk were being systematically destroyed.

So Roman assumes that fixing it, meant well fixing everything. It meant reconstructing how existence worked until it was all this perfectly oiled machine. And The Stranger planned to do it by bringing back the goddess and some-fucking how Roman was suppose to wake her up.

At that point in the speech, Roman was less bored and more tired because it was absolute bullshit.

“That,” Roman picked at his nails, “Is absolute bullshit,” he said, relishing in how he can audibly hear the bastard's blood spike.

Dot’s wings stretched to curl around The Stranger, but they jerked away, scowl firmly in place, “Of course you wouldn’t understand,”

“Oh I understand,” Roman sighed, leaning back against the makeshift bed, “You’re some old, sad, crusty man who likes taking his shit out on my boyfriend because no one likes you,”

The Stranger had an interesting vein popping in his forehead now, his blue eyes wild under the faint haze of the Misrae’s careful gaze, “I detail a plan constructed over centuries and you trivialize it to loneliness? This is not about me, this isn’t about you, this is about fixing this world and--”

“Are you done?” Roman groaned, hands tapping impatient, “Because I don’t fucking care. You’re holding my loved ones hostage and you want me to revive the fucking goddess so I’m going along with this shitty plan--what else do you want?”

“I want--” The Stranger snapped his mouth shut, a strange flush settling over his face. He cleared his throat, turning to Dot stiffly, “Get him ready,” he gritted, turning on his heel and disappearing to the shadows of the tomb.

Dot exhaled, turning to Roman, “I know you’re upset, but that doesn’t mean you have to upset him,”

“Upset him?” Roman scoffed, “He’s older than dirt he can deal with it,”

“He really can’t,” Dot said. She maneuvered about the room with an uncomfortable ease and grace, sidestepping the oddly place crates and horrifically sized spider webs.

Roman attempted not to flinch as she hefted up a large, wrapped, thing, that, if the smell was anything to go by, was most likely dead.

“What are you doing with that,” Roman said with a grimace, curling himself further against the wall.

Dot hummed, the air stirring with the noise, “Don’t you trust me?”

“No.”

“I…” Dot dropped the dead thing on the crate next to the makeshift bed, “That’s ...unfortunate,” she finally said, wings curling about her waist, “It isn’t personal, I’m just returning a favor,”

“I. Don’t. Care,” Roman said, still eyeing the thing with caution.

“Roman don’t be--”

“Don’t be what?” The air became ice, Roman’s eyes trained on anything but Dot, “Because I know my reaction is reasonable and I don’t appreciate you trying to convince me otherwise-- as if you being nice makes this situation any better,”

“It could be better,” Dot reasoned, slowly unwrapping the thing, “He has no ill will of you as far as I know and if everything goes right, you’ll be safe,”

“It doesn’t matter it’s still fucked up,” Roman felt the makeshift bed crack and he could hear the tomb stirring and it made him al the more uneasy, “And the thing is I know fucked up--Annaliese wouldn't even call me by my name for years and yet somehow you’re even worst,”

At that, Dot had stiffened, her wings dropping at once, “Roman--” she reached out.

“Don’t,” Roman gritted, the command rushing out all at once. Dot’s hand had frozen mid-air, her wide-doe eyes blown wide, body frozen, “I trusted you,” Roman finally said, voice small.

All at once Dot’s body relaxed, as if the taunt string had finally been cut loose.

She didn’t try to touch Roman again.

---

Waking the dead was sort of like reading.

It was picking apart at the layers of a life that wasn’t his and trying to decipher a meaning--trying to reason with the bits and pieces the life had left behind. The coaxing was the easy part, the magic of the dead still lingered in some way. Sometimes returning back to nature, sometimes laying dormant, other times well…

Roman let the smile on his face linger at the thought, memories of Remus’s laugh a comforting relief that was only interrupted by the brief twitching of the creature’s corpse in front of him. He frowned as he watched the brief flickering of life slip away all at once.

He had done it before successfully, sometimes accidental sometimes on purpose. But even the successes weren’t...right. Even though he had never seen the creature in life, Roman felt the wrongness wash over him as they twitched and writhed in their own juices, the stink of their magic flooding the room before quieting--taking their life with it.

“So who’s going to tell the ass that I suck at this,?” Roman grumbled.

“You don’t suck,” Dot said leaning over Roman’s shoulders,” You’re progressing well for such little time,”

“Um... well it's still dead,”

Dot sighed, “It is,” she said, “Technical ability only get you so far, especially with the dead--and they’ll only get more uncooperative if we place it in a vessel it’s unfamiliar with,”

“So how do I make it cooperative?”

“Convince it that this new life will be worth living,” Dot said as if that was easy, “It's fairly similar to how you grow plants, only more complicated, so the energy you’re putting in will affect the outcome,”

“Dot I really hope you aren’t fucking suggesting I think good thoughts to revive a corpse cause that’s pretty fucking hard to do when my family’s being threatened,”

“It would speed up the process,” Dot shrugged, “And you’ve done it before,”

“But before I at least had J- Deceit--” Roman snapped.

Dot didn’t say anything to that, her stare far too heavy so Roman fixated on the corpse in front of him, pushing himself to try again--at least the failure would distract him. The corpse crumpled into ash in front of him and Roman felt his irritation spike--hating himself even more when he instinctively looked up for Dot’s commentary.

The only thing was that when he looked up Dot wasn’t there, and then she was, drifting back into the room as if she never left, a single key hanging from her fingers.

She tilted her head, staring at him expectantly before turning on her heel.

Roman scrambled to follow.