#mardea always has her friends backs

[ferallymine]

Idea that came to me in a dream:

UA decides it has had enough with Katsuki using his quirk in class (not training) so now he has to wear gloves until fight training. They made a big deal about it, always calling out to him if he didn’t have them on. (All Might, of course, was against it, but the other teachers out-voted him)

Mardea thought it was ridiculous, so she and Izuku wear gloves similar to Kat’s except they’re different colors. Katsuki, of course, notices, but is too humiliated by it all to mention it.

Others in 1-A catch on with the gloves conspiracy and soon all of them have gloves on. It spreads to the other classes (Gen Studies, 1-B, Support tech, etc). 

Teachers aren’t happy. The conversation goes like this:

Nezu: The gloves aren’t part of your uniform. Remove them.

Lin: Oh, so Kat can remove his too?

Midnight: No, as he’s been causing trouble in classes with his quirk.

Lin: Aren’t you worried that we’ll cause trouble with our quirks in class? I mean, there’s more powerful and more destructive quirks in this school than ‘Explosion.’ 

Aizawa: Miss Lin st-

Lin: Aren’t you worried that Kaminari will electrocute students? 

Kaminari: Yeah! I’ll fry ‘em!

Midoriya: Or what if I break another student’s arm with my quirk? 

Todoroki: I’ll set the school on fire and throw ice javelins at people who try to escape.

Jirou: I’ll play my music on full blast

Nezu: You’ve made your-

Lin: I could harm everyone and you couldn’t do a thing about it. Aren’t you worried about the disruptions I’ll cause? 

Nezu: Fine! Everyone take the gloves off! Bakugo, you too! Hand them over! 

Back at the dorms, Katsuki corners Mardea and yells at her about being a “fucking dumbass but thanks” 

[ferallymine]

Hiraeth part 5

A/n: I’m in college leave me and my inactivity and my lack of creativity alone ;-;

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The trial went smoothly, all things considered.

Lin’s former adopted parents gave up custody, bringing in their biological children in as witnesses to say Mardea had been an awful child to raise. Cross examination revealed that the kids were told to lie so that they wouldn’t get punished. The judge ruled that the children go into emergency custody with their grandparents while an investigation is conducted on Mr. and Mrs. Lin’s abusive patterns. Mrs. Midoriya got custody of Mardea, much to their delight.

The sunlight blinded Mardea’s eyes as the doors opened upon cessation of the trial. What blinded her further were the flashes of the cameras from the journalists.

“Gen! Tell us about your home life!”

“Miss Gen is the adoption system flawed?”

“Gen the Energy Hero has been thrown out of her home! What message does that send to her capabilities as a budding new hero?”

All Might and Aizawa stepped in front of Lin, ushering her, Mrs. Midoriya, and the boys through the crowd. Lin kept her head down and her hand in Todoroki’s.

“We’ll get through them. Don’t let them get to you.” His voice was soft but reached her ears amongst the crowd.

She just nodded in response, squeezing his hand three times.

All Might opened the door to the car, shuffling in the group, “Let’s get outta here!”

---

Todoroki, Lin, Midoriya, and Bakugo crowded in Lin’s room. All Might, Aizawa, and Mrs. Midoriya were talking in the main room about legal parameters now that Lin was in her custody.

The room itself was still largely undecorated. Lin didn’t have it in her to personalize it when school was close to starting. She’d have to pack it all up anyway. Izzy wanted to take her shopping to get new things, though, since her former parents had destroyed or sold the things left at the house.

“It’s funny, I’ve always thought you were like a sister to me, ahaha,” Izzy tried to break the awkward silence. It helped pierce the thoughts spiraling in her head.

Mardea gave a small smile as she leaned on Shoto. “I’ve always thought of you as a brother, too, Izzy.”

The couple was sat on her bed. Izuku was on the floor and Katsuki sat on the chair by her desk.

“You know…” Katsuki punched his fists together, leaning forward with an antagonizing grin, “If they ever try to come-“

“No violence, Katsuki.” Mardea curled up on her bed, “I don’t wish them harm.”

“But they-“

“No.” And that was the final word on it.

Katsuki rocked back in the chair, “So what do you wanna do now?”

Mardea thought a moment, sitting back up and slouching over, head in her hands. “Honestly, I just wanna go back to UA. I wanna be with the class and start applying more hero lessons.”

“It would get your mind off of this… ordeal.” Shoto placed his hand on her back, gently tracing invisible patterns.

“You can say ‘trauma’ because that’s what it is,” Mardea closed her eyes, attempting to prevent stray tears from flowing out. “That’s two families who didn’t want me.”

“We want you, Mardea,” Izuku sat up, trying his best to console her. He leaned forward, placing his arms and head on the edge of the bed, eyes looking up at hers. “We’re not gonna leave you, or kick you out. You’ve always been a sister to me and nothing’s gonna change that. We’ll be your family.”

Through muffled tears, Mardea mumbled out a thank you. Izuku knew it was genuine. Katsuki reached over to the desk and grabbed the tissue box. He handed it to her, which Mardea accepted gratefully.

“Do you remember anything about your birth family?” Shoto realized his curious words may have been inappropriate after he said them. Katsuki and Izuku’s eyes shot daggers through him.

She shook her head, “Not really. I was in foster care by the time I was able to remember things.”

“So you and YaoMomo were in different foster homes?”

“I suppose we were. I don’t remember seeing her, or being told I had any siblings while in the system.” Mardea reached back and grabbed a pillow to hold in her lap.

“You’ve never really told me about your time in the system.”

“Never felt a need to. Guess I wasn’t ready to talk about it before.”

“Was it bad?”

“No… it…” She thought a moment, eyes staring off into space, “It wasn’t bad- it was just a constant feeling of loneliness. I would make friends, then seemingly the next day they’d get adopted. I had to learn to be okay with people leaving. Guess I’m not anymore.”

“And that’s perfectly okay, Dea.” Katsuki crossed his arms, “You’re allowed to grieve losing others.”

“I know that… it just still sucks.”

“Feelings are complicated.” Izuku smiled, “It’s okay if you feel messy right now.”

[ferallymine]

Someone You Loved

A/N:: Y’all BakuLin has me by the BALLS and I just LOVE these fucking dorks okay so let’s go ((also slight lyric change at the end ehehe~))

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I'm going under and this time I fear there's no one to save me This all or nothing really got a way of driving me crazy 

Katsuki Bakugo was going to be the Number One hero. There was no way he wouldn’t beat everyone in his class. All these losers and damn nerds were just stepping stones to his victory.

Push past the bullshit. Cut through the dramatics. There would be no contest- Katuski would be the best.

…

So why did this blue haired bitch keep knocking him on his ass?

I need somebody to heal Somebody to know

Lin’s quirk was… versatile. More useful than his own, but he’d never admit that aloud. As much as he enjoyed trying to fight against her in each training match, there were days that she was better as an ally.

“Wanna team up for this round?” Lin asked, stretching out her arms.

“Tch, why would I wanna be with a nerd like you?” Bakugo huffed, crossing his arms.

She shrugged, “Alright then, I’ll just go ask Midoriya. He’s not afraid of teaming up with me-”

“GET BACK HERE I’M NOT AFRAID WE’LL BEAT ALL THESE OTHER TEAMS INTO THE GROUND!”

It was strange at first, pairing up with her instead of fighting her. She was still working out how to apply different aspects of her quirk, which gave her fuel for small talk in the City Ruin Arena.

“Did you know everyone radiates a unique frequency?” Lin placed a magenta glowing hand to the ground, “This’ll be an easy rescue job.”

Bakugo raised an eyebrow at her, “You can locate people?”

“Kinda. I’m still tweaking out different applications of my quirk.” She chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Your energy frequency. It’s 420.”

“WHAT THE FUCK ENERGY DRINK WHY’D YOU GIVE ME THAT DUMB NUMBER!!”

“I don’t assign frequencies, Baku!”

“FUCKING HELL, LIN! WHERE’S THE RESCUE PEOPLE?!”

She rolled her eyes, hand still glowing, “Midoriya is southwest of our location. I can’t detect Jirou, so she must be farther than my range.”

Making their way south, Lin kept up the idle chatter, “Why UA?”

“None of your business.”

“Oh, c’mon Bakugo. Is it because All Might went here?”

“Stop talking.”

“The Shiketsu high school has a nice uniform. You’d look sharp in their hat.”

“Shut the fuck up, Lin.”

She stopped walking, “Is there something wrong with me wanting to get to know you?”

Bakugo grit his teeth, “Stop talking as if we’re friends. I’m not your fucking friend.”

He realized the effect of his words when he saw the light in her eyes go out. Lin didn’t speak the rest of the session.

Somebody to have Somebody to hold

“I WIN!” Ashido threw her hands up, left hand still clutching the controller, “Eat your heart out, Calamari!”

“BUT I HATE SQUID!” Kaminari sunk to his knees, defeated.

Kirishima pat the electric boy’s head, “We’ll get ‘em next round. Not like Asui did anything anyway. Mina CARRIED THE TEAM!”

“HAH! ONE GIRL BEAT TWO BOYS’ ASSES!” Ashido pointed, reveling in her victory.

“I’ll wipe that grin right off your face,” Lin snatched the controller from Kaminari’s limp hand.

Ashido’s smile widened, “Alright, Dea!!! Come at me with all you got!”

“Ribbit, you need two players for this game. Who’s your partner?” Asui put a finger to her chin.

Lin scanned the room, “Baku! You’re my partner!”

“EH?!” The blond boy’s face flushed with confusion.

She grabbed his wrist, “No refusals. We’re pummeling their asses tonight. I wanna see the joy of winning crumble within them as we smash their fictional bodies into the floor.”

Lin’s scary vibe got Bakugo to join, “Fine, but only because we’re guaranteed victory.”

Four pairs of eyes were glued to the screen. The rest of class 1-A watched intensely at both the screen and the players.

“NO!!!”

“YEAH!!!”

“HAH TAKE THAT!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!”

“ribbit…”

Ashido sank to the floor, soul crushed, “If you hadn’t taken my sword…”

“We won!” Lin suddenly leaned over, crushing Bakugo in a hug, “Thank you, teammate!!” She let go just as quickly, returning her attention to lighthearted jests with the class.

…

Bakugo didn’t know what kind of warmth he felt in that spontaneous hug… but he wanted another.

It's easy to say, but it's never the same I guess I kinda liked the way you numbed all the pain

 Something was off and Lin could just…feel it. They way Bakugo walked. How hunched over he was. How…more reactionary he was, even for his known dramatic flare-ups.

She waited until everyone was about to head out for hero training before cornering him in the hallway.

“Lin what the fu-”

“Don’t play coy,” Her eyes were crimson, “Something’s wrong.”

Anger flared back, “I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT!” He struggled against her grip on his shoulders, but a glow of energy kept him pinned.

His jacket loosened around his collar, thanks to not wearing a tie. Lin noticed a…

Bakugo followed her eyes, “No it’s not-”

Before he could finish, she pulled him back into the dark empty classroom. In a flurry of motion and glowing energy, Bakugo couldn’t react until he stood shirtless before her.

“BITCH THAT’S NOT FAIR GIVE THEM BACK!” Pink on his cheeks, he lunged for her.

She stepped aside, unintentionally causing him to crash to the floor. No words could fall from her mouth.

His torso…was covered in disgusting bruises.

Bakugo kept his face hidden, screaming at her, “STOP STARING AT ME YOU FUCKING PERVERT. I GOT THESE AT TRAINING.”

“We…haven’t had combat for 2 weeks.”

“I DID SOLO WORK!!” He got up, still not looking at her, “GIMME BACK MY SHIT!”

“Bakugo,” A gentle hand rested on his cheek. Lin slowly raised his face to hers, kind green eyes gazing into angry red ones. His body trembled, fueled by anger and hurt. Knowing he wouldn’t dare whisper about it, Lin resigned her current tactic. She laid the shirt on the nearby desk and simply hugged him. It wasn’t tight. It was gentle, soft. Without saying a word, her arms slid under his own and came to a rest in the center of his back.  

Foreign. It felt so foreign to have this warmth swell in his chest; to have anyone hold him like this. Bakugo froze, not knowing how to process this sensation.

Should he push away?

Should he hug her back?

“…you don’t have to tell me what’s going on,” Lin mumbled into the crook of his neck, “Just…just know I’m here. I’ll always be here.”

 The armor around his heart cracked. Suddenly the sting of his wounds didn’t hurt anymore.

 Now the day bleeds into nightfall And you're not here To get me through it all

 The Villains…they found them…

Blue fire threatened Bakugo’s neck. He couldn’t move, making the situation even more terrifying.

Where is she… where’s Lin… Bakugo’s eyes scanned for her. The Villains said they wanted her, too. So if she wasn’t here, she was safe, right?

Screaming from the left.

Bakugo almost gave himself whiplash, turning to see a Nomu split in half with red energy.

No…

Lin landed in the clearing, crimson firing up.

No please run get away from here gET AWAY

“YOU BASTARDS!” She charged, bolts in each hand.

The man in the top hat cackled, “Finally, we have both packages.”

Bakugo noticed the blonde girl behind her. “MARDEA NO-”

I let my guard down And then you pulled the rug I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved

 The shift from crimson to lilac was instantaneous. The blood flow even more so.

Lin collapsed to her knees, shaking. Eyes wide with horror at the metal speared through her body.

“He he he!” The blonde girl with twin buns giggled delightedly, “Fresh blood for Toga!!!”

The scream caught in Bakugo’s throat as she smashed a rock into Lin’s head. Her body crumpled, unconscious.

Everything faded to purple as they were dragged away into the portals.

…

Bakugo heard nothing of what this flaky skinned bitch had to say. His focus was on Lin, who was tied to the wall opposite him. She was still unconscious, but the villains did manage to bandage her up decently. At least she wouldn’t die from blood loss.

“HEY!” The flaky skinned bitch knelt down, forcing Bakugo to look at him. The rest of the villains moved positions to block his view of Lin, “I’m talking to you!”

“And I’m not listening. Get the fuck away from me,” He pulled against his restraints. Smoke from failed explosions seeped through the cracks.

That blonde bitch who stabbed Lin chipped in, “Oh! Oh oh oh Shiggy! If he’s gonna be one of us shouldn’t we, ya know, take off his restraints? If he gets hectic, I can always stab him, ehehehe~” The…obvious blushing taking over her body was disturbing.

“You have a point, Toga.” Shigaraki took out some keys, “Let’s formally welcome our new member.”

He didn’t wait a second more than being release. Bakugo set off well-timed explosions; crossing the room to kneel by Lin’s side.

“Dea…” He shook her shoulder, attempting to wake her up. Bakugo kept his eyes on the group before him, one hand ready to fire off unwanted advances.

The burnt fucker eyed him, “Of course, you run to the helpless one. How noble of you.”

She stirred, green energy wisping off her body. The bonds around her arms and legs began to glow. “Baku…go…” The bindings turned into pure energy, dissolving into her body. The new surge gave her just enough of a boost to wake up. She leaned on Bakugo for support to sit up properly. Blood seeped through her bandages, yet she ignored it and summoned a green shield around herself and him.

The lizard stepped back, “Shigaraki… yeah you said your sister had a cool quirk but that’s… that’s nuts and it’s not even her full potential.”

Sister?! Bakugo’s thoughts went wild.

“More of a reason for her to be here. Right, sis?”

Lin stayed silent; for fear or stubbornness, Bakugo couldn’t tell.

Everyone tensed when a knock came to the door.

Now, I need somebody to know Somebody to heal Somebody to have Just to know how it feels It's easy to say, but it's never the same I guess I kinda liked the way you helped me escape

 They were in this…ruined warehouse. The night sky was eerily clear, casting bright moonlight onto their situation.

Bakugo held tight to Lin, keeping her from slipping back into unconsciousness. His spare hand put small rocks and debris into hers- easy way to force energy into her body.

Now stable enough to stand, Lin leaned into him for some support. They kept their eyes on the group of villains around them.

“Miss Mardea Lin,” A booming voice from above, “I’ve been looking forward to this interaction for years.” A large man floated high in the air.

“Thinking you can brainwash me like Tenko?” Lin cocked her head, “Bold of you to assume you can control me.”

Laughter, “Of course I can’t control you. I want your power.”

“Over my dead body.” Lin’s stance wavered, forcing Bakugo to hold her tighter to himself.

“That’s the idea.” Red and Black lines jagged out from his fingers.

He moved without thinking. Bakugo pulled Lin into himself, turning so his back faced the flying man. Shielding her from the attack.

Nothing happened.

Bakugo opened his eyes and saw white.

The shield was white. So was her hair. The look on her face was vacant, yet dangerous. Turning around, the lines were broken into uneven shards, unable to penetrate the white surrounding the duo.

“What?!” A furious tone from the flier.

“This isn’t yours to take.” Her voice was a deadpan echo.

More lines shot out, each one shattering upon impact. Again, again, again. The Man visibly became upset with the antics. “STOP RESISTING ME, CHILD!”

Distracted by her, the Man didn’t see someone honing in until a punch connected to his jaw.

Heroes swarmed the scene. The one responsible for the punch was All Might, himself.

“LEAVE THE CHILDREN ALONE!” His commanding voice put shock into the villains’ bodies. Other heroes began fighting against the remaining villains.

An unimaginable mass of ice pierced the night. A shadow jumped it, like a ramp. Everyone was too distracted by the fighting to notice, save for Bakugo and Lin.

“COME ON!” Kirishima held out a hand, screaming as loud as he could.

Tightening his grip on Lin’s body, Bakugo let loose an explosion and flew off towards his friend.

 And I tend to close my eyes when it hurts sometimes

 Bakugo sat in the hospital room, forcing back tears as medical staff went in and out of Lin’s room.

Keep it together, Katsuki… not here not now not ever you’re better than this you’re STRONGER than this you’re not a fucking weak-ass nerd she needs you don’t fucking cry it’s just a little longer-

I fall into your arms

 Bakugo waited until everyone left before going into that room. Lin had woken up the next day, memory slightly foggy and pain only a 7/10.

“Hey, you…” She smiled at him as he walked in, “I was wondering when you’d NGH-” A quick hug cut off her sentence. Something wet streamed onto her shoulder.

Bakugo didn’t dare say a word. It was bad enough his god damn tears broke through; he didn’t need a voice crack ruining his image.

“Thank you, Katsuki…” Mardea placed her gentle arms around his body, “You saved me…”

He pulled away just enough to press his forehead to hers, “I… I was…I couldn’t lose you, Mardea.”

“I’m right here,” Her smile was so reassuring, “I’ll always be here, Katsuki.”

I'll be safe in your sound till I come back around

 When the dorms were built, Katsuki made sure his was near Mardea’s. The class knew something about their dynamic changed, but couldn’t quite place it.

The duo knew they were safe in each other’s presence. After the kidnapping, it was rare to catch one without the other. They liked their unspoken relationship.

 For now the day bleeds into nightfall

And you're right here

To get me through it all

I let my guard down

And you built me back up

I’m so happy being someone you love

[ferallymine]

Swapped Part 2

A/N:: I just really like this idea. Also, for reference:  

Aria is in Mardea’s world  Mardea is in Aria’s world Taeko is in Reylin’s world  Celaena is in Iris’ world  Iris is in Taeko’s world  Reylin is in Celaena’s world

Celaena and Aria are in the same world of Nirn, so Reylin and Mardea just fill their roles and gotta team up with each other and Aria/Celaena’s friends. 

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The dorm room was crowded with 6 teens.

“Wait- you believe us?!”

Taeko pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to not let the annoyance of the situation get to her, “Kids, despite the fact that I have a universe teleporter band on my wrist, I’ve heard so much worse than this. Trust me, a computer world in an abandoned factory, an evil computer virus named XANA, and powers resulting from whatever ‘scanners’ are is NOT that far off the reality spectrum.”

Odd stretched his arms, “Weeeeeell that’s a relief. I thought for sure you’d think we’re bananas or something. Speaking of bananas, I’m hungry-“

“You’re always hungry,” Yumi crossed her arms.

Jeremy held out his hand, “Can I take a look at that band?”

“I can’t take it off, but here,” Taeko extended her wrist towards him.

Jeremy turned her wrist over, inspecting it, “Hmm….”

Aelita stepped next to him, “You thinking reverse engineering?”

“Well, we don’t know what it looks like underneath, nor the internal components, but I think we could run tests on prototypes and hope for the best.”

Taeko smirked, “I remember what it looked like underneath before I put it on. Perhaps I can be of assistance.”

Ulrich raised his eyebrows, “How?”

“I have a perfect memory.” She put a finger to her temple, “Every detail of every single point in my life is in here.”

Yumi’s expression softened, “Sounds…rather tragic if you think about it.”

“Some parts are, but life has more to offer than Tragedies,” A glimmer of sorrow flashed behind Taeko’s eyes briefly, “Anyway, what do you say to ditching this dorm and heading to that factory place? If there’s a computer lab there, then maybe there’s something to help with this band.”

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“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!” A great discharge of electricity accompanied the screaming from Reylin’s throat.

“Couldn’t have said it better than myself,” Mardea’s hands glowed green. A matching energy surrounded Reylin until her electricity stopped, “But we’re out in an open field. Let’s find shelter.”

Reylin looked up, “I’m only teaming up with you until we find a way home. Then I want you to just fuck right off.”

Holy shit you’re Bakugo “Fine with me. I think there’s a town over there.” Mardea pointed to a mass of lights shining in contrast to the sunset.

.

…

……

“You saw… Aria and Celaena… disappear?!”  Aed was in disbelief.

Cicero nodded, too enthusiastically, “The Listener and the Elf were walking and talking and stalking ehehehe~! Then Cicero sees a bright light! The light pulls them in without another word! Then out come two new girls Cicero has never seen before!! They walked and talked and SHOCKED!! OHOHO!!! To Whiterun they go!”

The Spectre toyed with his knife, “Perhaps they need… taught a lesson about who they messed with-“

Inigo stood up, “These girls are our only way to get our friends back. Don’t kill or harm them. Let’s just go have a chat.”

Serana rubbed her temples, “Please, be civil about the matter. Those girls are likely as confused as we are.”

“And if they’re not?” Arissa crossed her arms, “What if they attack us?”

“We capture them. But don’t harm or kill them!!” Inigo’s voice cracked at his insistence of the topic, “They’re barely out of their children years!”

Cicero flipped a coin, “Hmmmmm Cicero thinks they’ll need gold for a night stay… Cicero wants to see them survive one night… save the stabbing for a better night full of rain and stealth.”

“NO STABBING!!” Serana and Inigo yelled at the same time.

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

Iris hadn’t said a single word. Not one. The students in front of her were having a conversation about her without any of her input.

“Taeko is GONE! WHY ARE YOU OKAY WITH THIS?!” The boy had white fluffy hair screamed at the boy with brown spiked hair.

“I’m not okay with this.” The brown-haired boy was calm, but his eyes betrayed his true raging emotions, “But we currently do not have any means of bringing her back. Until then, we don’t need to lose our cool.”

The white-haired boy shoved a chair as he turned away.

A girl with dark purple, roughly cut, hair stepped towards him, “Hey….it’s g-g-gonna be ok-kay.”

He softened at her words, “Thank you, Mikan…”

Other voices from the plethora of people rose up. Deciding she had enough of the conversation she wasn’t allowed in, Iris quietly snuck down the stairs and out the door.

She made it to the beach when she heard the confused screams of the teens. Chuckling to herself, she ran to the cliffs to hide.

---

The boy before her looked young, but he had ancient blue eyes.

Celaena cocked her head to the side, studying him. He remained silent, simply studying her back. The wind picked up, tossing their hair to the side. It revealed topaz earrings dangling from his pointed ears.

“Those are pretty,” Celaena broke the tension, “Where did you get them?”

“Iris got them for me. I’d like her to come back.” Straight to the point.

“Kid, I’d love to go back to my own world too.” She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, hands holding her head, “But we’re all kinda stuck right now. I’m not here to hurt you or Iris. Please work with me and trust me, okay?”

Beep Beep Beep

A blue hue lit up around the band. It projected an image- Iris.

“Hello Miss!” Her voice was slightly distorted through the static. “Is Link alright?”

“Is that the boy’s name?” Celaena smirked, looking up at him, “Yeah, he’s okay- just annoyed that you’re gone.”

“Tell him I’m fine, okay?” Iris giggled, “Oh, The blood moon will be coming up in two days. Make sure you have found shelter by then and do not go out in the night. It’s a dangerous time.”

“Will do, Miss.”

The projection flickered, then shut off.

“Alright lover boy, where’s the nearest town? Iris said to find shelter for the blood moon.” Celaena stood up, hands resting on her hips.

Link stood beside her, realizing just how tall she was compared to his short stature, “Um… The nearest town is Hateno, which is a good hike that way.” He pointed east, “We might run into some bokoblins on our way there.”

“Bo-what?” Celaena shook her head, “I don’t care. If they attack me, they’re dead. End of story. Let’s roll.”