#maybe I’ll watch arcane next

[kiingbiing]

-

[babygirlwritessmut]

♡︎ part4. let me show you how it can be

MINORS DNI!

・❥・pairing: vi (arcane) x fem!reader

・❥・ summary: you couldn`t sleep and accidentally you woke Vi up, so you decided to confront her about fellings

・❥・ genre: smut + kinda friends to lovers

・❥・ word count: 1.4k

✎ warnings: 18+, smut, dom!vi, oral sex, fingering

WHEN I NEEDED YOU masterlist

you couldn’t sleep, still feeling Vi’s lips on your neck, and the unspoken moment between you made you anxious. it seemed to be around one in the morning, marking the official end of your birthday. Vi lay next to you, her breath warm against your back. carefully turning to face her, you watched her sleep, her face serene and lips slightly parted. sitting up, you took in her form - strong arms and a glimpse of her abs peeking out from her lifted shirt, and in your mind, you kissed every inch of her. your hand instinctively brushed against her cheek, and as you ran your fingers through her soft pink hair, Vi opened her eyes and sleepily asked, “is everything okay?”

“oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just��” you stammered, feeling flustered and unable to find the words to explain your touch. she simply smiled at you.

“I can’t help but touch you either,” she said, taking your hand in hers. you locked eyes and smiled, saying, “you’re really beautiful.”

“so are you,” she replied, kissing your fingers and making your breath hitch. Vi liked your reaction and kissed them again, holding your gaze.

“you didn’t take off the necklace.” her hand reached for your neck, her fingers trailing gently across your skin. her hands were always warm, and it made your body relax.

“I don’t think I’ll want to take it off anytime soon,” you said, your eyes darting.

“and why’s that?” she asked, continuing to trace patterns on your neck.

“it’s a gift from someone special,” you replied, and her eyes studied you closely. “and besides, you fell asleep; I could use some help,” you winked at her.

Vi shifted, sitting beside you. “I’ll help you take off anything, just ask,” she whispered with a seductive tone. your cheeks flushed, grateful the darkness hid it. you didn’t want her to see how easily she affected you, but her words stirred a wave of emotions within you. you placed your hand on her cheek, unable to resist feeling her.

“what did you want to do when you gave me the necklace?” you quietly asked, recalling the earlier moments of the evening.

“put it on you,” she teased, knowing exactly what you meant.

“and then?” you pushed the conversation toward the moment you shared, hinting at potential closeness.

“maybe I wanted to kiss you,” she leaned in, and you felt everything inside you turn. you began to lean closer too, your heart racing with emotions as you pressed her against you. Vi placed her hand on your waist and leaned toward your lips. when you felt her, the whole room began to spin. your lips brushed softly together; she kissed you gently and ran her thumb along your lower lip.

“but that’s not entirely true,” your brows furrowed as you tried to understand what she meant. “yes, I really wanted to kiss you,” she said, leaning closer to your ear and whispering, “but honestly, I’d like to see you wearing just this necklace. nothing else.”

a shiver ran through you, a strong pull in your lower stomach. her hand remained on your waist, and you felt the warmth of her palm.

“we can arrange that, but only if you help me take my clothes off,” you teased back, flirting. Vi’s eyes met yours, filled with desire. it seemed like she had been waiting for that phrase her whole life, and now that she had your consent, there was no reason for her to hold back.

she kissed you again, this time a little more passionately, her tongue entwining with yours. you could taste her, you didn`t want this moment to end. her hands roamed your body, caressing your back and pulling you closer to her. she started pulling your t-shirt off, exposing your breasts.

finally breaking away from your lips she looked you over and breathed out “you're just incredible” she ran her finger across your boobs making you gasp harder. she leaned down and ran her tongue over your nipple making you moan.

“tell me what you like” she continued to shower your breasts with kisses.

"I… I don't know" you hesitated a bit because you didn't understand her question. Vi moved away from you and looked into your eyes with furrowed brows.

"wait, what, you've never..." you were a little embarrassed by the question and confused.

"no, I had sex, but I don't know how to answer your question. I was never asked before” you felt very uncomfortable with the memory of Troy. he never once cared about your pleasure and you were ashamed to tell him about it. only now you realized how stupid it was. yes, sometimes you could enjoy yourself, but you needed time and attention, and he was focused on cumming himself.

“okay” she ran her hand through your hair “then let me show you how it can be. I want you to feel good” she kissed you again and placed you on the bed.

"I want you to talk to me. I want to be sure you're comfortable” you nodded back before Vi started kissing your breasts again. her tongue slid over your nipples, biting. you moaned softly and tried to fully surrender to the feeling of pleasure. her lips trailed lower and lower, fueling your desire. Vi slowly pulled down your shorts with panties and dropped them on the floor next to the bed, causing you to close your legs.

“you shouldn't be ashamed of your body, you are incredibly attractive” she kissed your thigh. you relaxed and opened to her again. Vi slowly kissed the skin around your pussy. with a light movement, she ran her tongue over your most sensitive area. you arched your back and closed your eyes.

“how does that feel to you?” she whispered, the vibration of her voice making you wetter even more.

“I really like it” you whispered back.

Vi smirked and ran her tongue over your wetness again. her fingers began to stimulate your clit, you moaned harder and arched your back again. when her tongue was inside you, your head was spinning, what you felt was indescribable. your hand slipped into her hair, which only made Vi eat you out more actively, playing with your clit.

“tell me, do you like it when I do this?” she slid her finger smoothly inside you.

“yes please” you moaned louder “I beg you don't stop”

your voice made Vi almost lose her mind she started moving her finger inside you when she added another one you had to bite your hand not to wake up the whole house. “I like how wet you are” you moaned at those words, the way she spoke to you cannot be compared with anything. you felt elevated and important in bed.

her tongue trailed your clit as you were moving your hips on her fingers.

“just like this, my girl, take them deeper” you opened your mouth in a silent scream and closed your eyes, her words were better than any drug. she placed her hand on your thigh and helped you move harder.

the pulling sensation began to build and Vi increased her speed. you spread your legs fully, giving her access to all of you. when she pressed the soft spot inside, your body began to vibrate with pleasure. a few movements of the hips and you screamed at the sensation. you came on her fingers, you let out the most dirty moan you've ever heard from yourself. it was the best orgasm you've ever had.

pulling her fingers out of you with a wet sound, Vi placed a kiss on the inside of your thigh before heading to the restroom. you could hear the water running as your thoughts piled up. when she came back, she lay down next to you.

"may I assume you liked it?" she asked with a smirk.

“yeah” your cheeks turned red “a lot” you were a little embarrassed for the way you moaned but you really liked it. you didn't even know that you could forget about everything around you and give yourself completely to a person. Vi kissed you on the lips and hugged you. you slept in her arms until morning.

[nerdnonymous00]

🛑🚨‼️ATTENTION PLEASE, JUST A QUICK READ‼️🚨🛑

hi im angie (she/they)! im a lesbian from the philippines. i’ve been a part of so many fandoms but im usually a silent like-r, reblogger, and supporter. i also make art at my sideblog, @angiedoesthingss. but now, im truly desperate and is currently asking for your help.

yesterday, after years of abuse from our narcissistic, homophobic grandma, i finally fought back and did my best to protect my mother and sister. it was a disaster and my grandma threatened us to leave her house (long story short, we live under her roof). i’ve always planned to move, but now, i need to bring my family to safety as soon as possible too.

we need to move for our safety and happiness by the first quarter of 2025. we’re planning to move back to our childhood home that we’ve currently put up for rent (the current renter is leaving soon - no worries). im planning to bring along my mom, my sister, our two cats and dog with me.

the thing is, im worried we wont be able to move because our funds have been so low. recently, i lost my main job because my boss was a creep. i only have a part time job now that only pays me $170 a month which is barely enough for me, much less my family. my sister just graduated college so she doesn’t have a job yet and my mom can’t get a job because it stresses and tires her out (she also deals with mental health problems - a result of this unstable environment).

my goal is to at least reach $500 to ensure that we’ll have enough money for the move and to sustain us for the next couple of months while we adjust to this new environment and heal. i would be so grateful and would appreciate any amount you can give for me and my family. 

it’s truly crazy how things can just change from one day to the next. a day before that altercation, i was cooking cordon bleu with my girlfriend at their house, watching arcane s2 act 1 - literally in lesbian bliss. and now im on a mission to save me and my family, to give all of us the freedom and life we deserve.

thank you for reading so far! and thank you so much for donating! im thankful too for any likes or reblogs you can give me to spread my little post. im hoping it will reach so many of you. i really hope we get to accomplish this goal.

i’ll be sure to keep updating this post as we reach certain milestones, maybe even reblogging with pictures of our pets! if youre from the philippines as well and would like to help, you can pm me and i’ll send you my GCASH information! again, thank you so much, i cant thank you, reader, enough!

(please click the photo for the link 🥹 if that doesnt work click here! thank you so much)

[water-to-drink]

Be a Gladiolus in a Field of Belladonnas pt12

Familiar Winds

(Summary): After reaching Mondstadt you run into an unexpected hurdle but a few familiar faces are here to help you

Part 1 Last Part Next Part

✧ Masterlist ✧

(Characters): traveler!Lumine, abyss prince!Aether, Paimon, Childe, ???, ???, ???, & ???

(Tags/Warnings): gn!reader, (y/n) used, reader knows some Spanish, cannon typical violence, & blood

(Word Count): 3.2 k

“Italics” = Non human speaking

The boat ride took days to reach Mondstadt from Inazuma, you can’t complain since luckily your boat hasn’t gotten struck by lightning. You haven’t experienced any storms on the trip, but you’ve been on edge since you remembered watching videos of random players trying to reach Inazuma with various methods and all end up getting striked by lightning back in your world. Perhaps Teyvat itself has decided to bless you with luck on your voyage, hopefully that luck continues

With that blessing a little obstacle presents itself. The large mountains that litter Dragonspine. It’s not as bad as it is in Liyue but with the snowy terrain it adds an extra level of danger

You turned towards your companions. “So, how are we going to scale this? I don’t exactly have the upper body strength like you all have.”

“I guess one of us is going to have to carry their Grac-” Childe was cut off

“I’ll do it.” Lumine said

You see the two men wanting to argue with the blonde but you shut it down. “Okay.” Said loud and clear

You get on Lumine’s back and spot the others hang their heads in defeat and start to climb up the side of the mountain

“I hope I’m not weighing you down too much.”

“It’s nothing, I stopped the hand of Everlasting Lord of Arcane Wisdom.” Lumine reminded you of her fight with Scaramouche when he was still a Harbinger

The trek up the mountain wasn’t too eventful, besides you telling yourself to not look down

Eventually you and company make it up and begin to walk to the Frostbearing Tree. During the walk you were surprised to see that the weather wasn’t as harsh as you expected. The wind swirled around you almost as if it was caressing your face

Finally in front of the tree you took a deep breath you put your hands on the tree and felt nothing

Confused, you take your hand off the bark and place it on a different part of the tree. You closed your eyes and desperately tried to concentrate but it felt like some force is blocking you from connecting to the elemental energy.

“Am I doing something wrong?” You said as you pulled your hand away. “I can’t resonate with the tree.”

“Don’t be sad, it might be because you’re tired and haven’t had a proper meal.” Paimon tried to reassure you

“Maybe, hopefully tomorrow will be better.” You said and out of the corner of your eye you see a flash of teal fly overhead

“Your Grace.”A voice reverberated through your head

“D-did any of you hear that?” You asked but was met with confused looks

“Come here.”

“There it is again, you guys seriously don’t hear that?”

“Are you sure it isn’t just the wind?” Aether said

“I know it’s not the wind.” You told

“I have to see you.”

You glance over to your companions who are none the wiser of the disembodied voice you’re hearing. Fed up you slowly make your way towards where the voice is coming from, the twins and Childe hesitantly follow you. Rounding the corner your greeted by the sight of the dragon, Dvalin

“Eek!! What is he doing here?!” Paimon screamed as she flew behind you

The twins and Childe quickly drew their weapon ready to charge at the dragon

“Fear not, for I have no intention of harming their Grace.”

“Wait, guys.” You said as you pushed through your companions. “You know who I am?”

“Of course I do, I would be a disgrace to not recognize the mighty creator of this world. I do apologize for that fool Barbatos attacking you without any hesitation.”

“I don’t hold a grudge against him because my doppelganger uses the gnosis to control him, along with the other archons.” You explained and saw a look of anger and confusion fills the dragon’s eyes

“That insolent fraud! I should go to their floating palace and maul them!” The dragon roared causing your companions to cover their ears

“I get your frustration, but I beg you to not do anything rash. I’m currently in the middle of getting my old powers back and when I’m ready I will confront them and I will need all the help I can get.”

“If you are in need of powers I will lend you some of mine.”

“Are you sure? I just don’t want it to bite you later down the line.”

“Nonsense, it is the least I can do and you won’t get any power from it.” Dvalin gestured his head towards the direction of the Frostbearing tree. “That tree has been tainted long ago.”

You had an inkling that its corruption had something to do with the large pillar floating above it, but decided to leave that topic of discussion for a later date

“Okay, I’ll take some of your powers.”

You hesitatantly put your hand on Dvalin’s snout and you focused on concentrating your hand began to glow a bright teal color, you kept your hand on the dragon until the light stopped

You cup your hands together and started to imagine a small tornado. A little vortex formed in your palms and then quickly dissipated when you separated your hands

“I have a question, does Andrius know about my situation? Like does he know that I’m the creator?” You asked turning back to Dvalin

“Why would he not be knowledgeable about your predicament?”

“Just making sure, I don’t want to get my hopes up and for them to side with my doppelganger.”

“It’s such a sad situation for the divine creator to take such a precaution for fear of death in a world that is supposed to worthship them.”

“Don’t feel bad, some people know the situation, and I have another request, but I don’t want to seem like I’m asking for too much.”

“Nonsense, your request do not bother me in the slightest.”

“If you say so, then can you give me and my friends here a ride to Wolvendom?”

“Of course, your Grace.”

“Thank you so much!” You said and turned towards the others. “I don’t know how much of that you caught, but we’re going to Wolvendom to meet Andrius.”

The twins, Childe, and Paimon shared confused glances at each other but eventually hopped on Dvalin. With flaps of his wings the dragon was off the ground and took flight

Soaring through the skies of Mondstadt, the lights of Mondstadt city could be seen in the distance. You turn your head to see Dawn Winery and remember the servants and Diluc. Especially the kindness and respect they showed you, gossiping with Moco and Hillie, the motherly care from Adeline, and the kindness the master of the house, Diluc. You wish you could go and see what’s happening with them after you were labeled as an imposter, or at least thank them for their hospitality

Before you know it you find yourself in Wolvendom, Lumine offered you her hand to help you off of the dragon

“Thank you Dvalin.”

“It was nothing your Grace.” Dvalin flapped his wings and flew off

“Are you okay? You seem like there’s something on your mind.” Lumine asked

“I’m okay, just thinking about Dawn Winery.”

Before the conversation could go any further a whirlwind of snow suddenly appears and instantly becomes intense, more intense than the winds in Dragonspine. The snowy wind concentrates into one spot to reveal the Great Wolf King of the North, Andrius. The wolf looked majestic in front of you and towered over you and your friends. The air around him dropped several degrees to the point where ice formed around the arena, shivers wracked through your body despite the thick coat you have on

“Greetings, your Grace.”

“Uh, hello Andrius.” You nervously waved at the wolf

“There is no need to be fearful of me, your Grace.”

“Oh, sorry. It’s just very different seeing you face to face, than to how I would usually see you. But I digress, I need to ask you something.” Your expression turned stern and Andrius’ ears perked at the change in your once shy tone. “Can I borrow some of your powers. If you can’t then I’ll understand.”

“The divine creator reborn into a human body was something I did not expect to happen, otherwise if me parting with a portion of my powers means their Grace returns to their former glory then it is a sacrifice I am willing to make.”

Andrius puts his head down for you to put your hand on, once you do your hand glows in a manner it did when you took some of Dvalin’s powers. Your hand stopped glowing you take it away from the wolf

“Thank you, I promise you once this is all over I will give you your powers back.”

“Anything for you, your Grace. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be able to speak to you like this. I owe you my life.” Andrius said and the wind began to pick up and before you could get a word in a gust of icy wind blinds you. “It was good to see you again.”, when the wind drops he’s gone

“He disappeared.” Paimon said

“Maybe he couldn’t keep his physical form since he gave me some of his powers.” You reasoned

“Anyway, see if you got some cryo powers, Paimon’s curious!” The fairy said as she kicked her feet

You look around to your eyes landed on a Flaming Flower Stamen. Raising your hand, you focused into concentrating your new powers until the side of your face felt the cold emitting from your hand. You flicked your hand towards the flower, the blast of cryo quickly dissipate before it can reach the flower. Confused you tried it again but the same thing happened, disappearing as soon as the energy leaves your hand

“Maybe I’m doing something wrong?” You said dishearted

“Try summoning electro.” Lumine said as she studied you intensely

You summon a spark of electro that was much larger than what you originally intended it to be

“Okay now summon some anemo.”

You do what she told you. “What are you getting at?”

“When you use either anemo or cryo the elemental energy flow is slower than when you use the other elements.” Lumine explained

“So what your saying is the powers their Grace got from Dvalin and Andrius is weaker than the elements they go from resonating with the trees?” Aether concludes

“Well it has to suffice since I don’t know long it takes until I can step foot in Snezhnaya.” You said as you put your hands in your pockets. “We’ll decide what to do in the morning, it’s getting late we should retire for the night.” Aether said

“Yeah, he’s right. We should get out of here, ‘cause I don’t want to run into any wolves. The last thing I want is to get woken up by some wolves.” You agreed

After some walk and climbing (well you were on Lumine’s back) you all find a spot that was perfect, it was on the cliff right next to the arena and no knights were stationed there. Best part it gave a beautiful view of Mondstadt city

“Stay here, we’ll gather some firewood.” Lumine said as she and Aether begin to walk away

“I’ll stay here to protect their Grace!” Childe said as he sat next to you

The twins rolled their eyes and walked towards some trees with Paimon following behind them

Once the twins were quite a distance away from the camp site

“So, how are you liking Teyvat?” The ginger asked

“It’s nice, besides everyone trying to hunt me down.”

“Yeah…”

“But I have notice some weird things.”

“Hmm, like what?”

“Mainly the moon.” You said was you leaned back with your hands propped up behind you.

“It’s so weird that the moon is constantly full here.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Back in my world it doesn’t produce light, the sun provides it. It even has stages called ‘phases’, a full moon happens every once a month or so.” You explained as you looked up at the moon. “But I find myself becoming mesmerized by it. The moon was beautiful back home but here, it fills me with a feeling of nostalgia.” You sighed blissfully as you rest your head in your hands. “It’s silly I-”

Suddenly your pulled towards Childe as a ball of fire is hurled at the seat you were once sitting in

You turn to see smoke coming from a giant claymore, wielded by a man with his long firy red hair tied in a low ponytail and some of his hair framing his face to show he’s wearing a domino mask

“Stay behind me.” Was all the ginger said before he charges at the masked redhead

Summoning his blades he makes swings towards his opponent which were expertly dodged by the Dark Knight Hero despite him hauling a giant sword

“Die Fatui scum!” He yelled as he swung his heavy claymore as flames bursts from the great sword

Childe uses his sword to block the attack, but the heat from the claymore quickly evaporated the hydro blade and thus sliced into the Harbinger, drawing blood

This is bad. With Childe’s bloodlust and the other’s hatred for Fatui, you know this will end in one or both of them dead. You got to think of something!

You could use cryo? No, it’s too weak to stop the flames

You could use either electro or pyro, but you can’t fight fire with fire and the electro might hurt Childe

So against your better judgement you take deep breath and yelled. “Diluc!” This caught the redhead’s attention

Shocked and mortified he swung his claymore at you, aiming for your face. You put your arms up to at least block a good portion of the attack. You hear the sleeves of your coat get cut. Blue beams shot past your head

“Your fight is with me!” Childe said as he shot hydro infused arrows at Diluc

Blood still gushing from his arm he draws another arrow and shoots. The redhead uses his great sword to shield himself from the arrows

“Take this!” Two voices yelled out in unison and a large sized tornado hits the masked hero

The redhead was pulled into the vortex and swirled around until the whirlwind stopped, disoriented Diluc tries to pick himself up but his arms fail him. He looked up at the direction the vortex came from and saw the iconic platinum blonde hair and white dress

“Traveler? Then does that mean…?” Diluc turned his attention towards you. “Me- Mentir?!” Diluc gasped, his eyes widen in shock as his eyes trailed down to see the golden liquid flowing from your arms. “Oh my Archons… Y-your Grace.”

You looked at your arms to see a decently sized cut on your right forearm, the left one was lucky cut not too deep. Upon seeing the blood staining your jacket Diluc instantly took a handkerchief and walked towards you but Aether and Childe step into front of you

“It’s alright you two, he means well.” You said as you pushed your way towards Diluc

“It’s not much, but when we get back to the manor, it’ll be treated properly.” He wrapped the cloth around your forearm. “I’m so sorry for harming you, your Grace.”

“You don’t have to call me that, we knew each other before things went sideways.”

“Of course, your- I mean Mentir.”

“Actually (y/n), is fine. Mentir is a fake name a gave you, sorrry…”

“Then what does ‘Mentir’ mean?”

“Funnily enough, Mentir means ‘to lie’ in another language from my world. I freaked out and gave you an obviously fake name, sorry again…” You explained fiddling with the fur on your borrowed coat

“We’ll talk about this more once we’re in the manor.” The redhead said as he gently took your hand and lead you to his home

Your face instantly heated up once you saw his features up close. Fluffy red hair framing his handsome face, sharp eyes with a chiseled nose and jawline

So focused on not drooling all over yourself you all made it to Dawn Winery

“It will be okay, most of the staff has retired for the night.” Diluc reassured as he slowly opened his front door. “Make yourself comfortable while I retrieve the medical supplies. Traveler can you help me with closing the curtains.”

You sit down at the table and watch Lumine and Aether close the drapes, soon Diluc comes back out with a small box that looked well used in his hands

You take off your jacket and the redhead kneeled down in front of you, Diluc makes quick work of your injury. Taking his gloves off he proceeds to remove the handkerchief that was a crude attempt to stop the bleeding. Once in his hands he tucked the rag into his pocket and turned his attention to you. Cleaning the wound with a gentleness that contrasts his scarred and callous hands, then wrapping your arm in gauze with a precision that came from years of practice, careful to not make it too tight on you

“There, that should be good.” Diluc stood up and took your jacket. “I’ll have this fixed and washed for you by the afternoon.”

“Thank you so much.” You smiled at the redhead

“Oh! It’s nothing, it’s the least I can do since attacking you without a second thought.” Diluc reasoned as a small blush crept up on his face

“It’s fine, I should have known, with your situation with the Fatui.”

“Anyway, what about sleeping arrangements?” Lumine said trying to steer the conversation away from the topic

“You can room with me, Your Grace! I can protect you better that way!” Childe smiled. And tonight’s is the perfect opportunity to showcase my stamina I told you about!”

The twin looked the ginger with disgusted looks that mirrored each other’s all the while Paimon looking clueless

“Ugh, can’t you show more respect instead of this degeneracy.” Diluc scolded

“If you didn’t run around playing ‘hero’ you would know a thing or two about bedding anybody, but you don’t.”

“Listen you Fatui scum-” Diluc stormed towards Childe but stopped when you stepped in between them

“Look! I will tell you what I told this one.” You hissed out while gesturing to Aether. “I am not in the mood to play referee between the two of y’all, you’re grown ass men, act like it!” Your eyes catch a glimpse of a wine bottle on the table. “Wait have you been drinking since I’ve been gone?” You walked towards it noticing it hasn’t been opened yet

Diluc turned his gaze towards where you’re standing. “I brought this down to the cellar, I do not know how this got up here.”

“Maybe you accidentally left it up here without realizing?”

“Maybe, but if that’s the case then why hasn’t any of the servants brought it down to the cellar.”

A sudden floorboard creaking catches all of your attention. Slowly creeping your heads towards the source of the noise and your all greeted with the sight of long navy blue hair, an azure eye with a four pointed star as its pupil. Holding an extra bottle of wine in his hand

“Hi…”

“Kaeya?!”

Taglist:

@chuuya-brainrot @creation-magician @tartarsaucechi1de @vvyeislazzy @aludicpoet @undecidingfate @annoying-mary @randomnatics @bore2808 @nickey-diano @transbirbboi @dxprived4-starboys @angstylittleb1tch @esthelily @yurivision @angelamelamela @chocolatekuns @ghost-mint @mmmhyperfixation @legendaryexperthideout @lapinaenmicoche @sinsdumbdrabble @rebeccawinters @imyme20 @nymphsdomain @sun7lowxr @blackcoffex @itz-luna @flowerypesky @land-of-eternity @deathcvltcivilofficial @d4y-dr3am3r @yuriclouds @artwitchh @mercy-not-merci @xyaxyn

[redeemers-and-dragons]

Redeemers: Greenest in Flames! Prologue

Narration: A caravan of brightly painted carriages cuts through the verdant hills, heading for town of Greenest. The air is thick with the scent of pine trees and the chirp of birdsong, and the warm breeze blows through the leaves, creating a tranquil atmosphere. The travelers are eager to reach the sanctuary of Greenest before day’s end, hoping to enjoy a peaceful respite after their journey.

Among these travelers they are joined by a peculiar party of adventurers, newly formed and heading to their first mission together…

Reese: (Goblin Artillerist Artificer. Crime: Mass Destruction of Public and Private Property.) Are we there yet???

Party: *Groan in annoyance*

May: (Dark Heritage Half-Elf Gloomstalker Ranger. Crime: Vigilantism and Murder.) Reese, I promised you already. The second we are there, you are the first I will be telling. Now please… shush.

Reese: But we’ve been traveling forever!

Adam: (Minotaur Champion Fighter. Crime: Insurrection and Banditry) *Growls* It’s only been three days. 

Cinder: (Tiefling Fiendish Pact Warlock. Crime: Soul Racketeering and Organizing a Cult without a Permit.) It probably only feels so long because of your incessant whining.

Neon: (Tabaxi Kensei Monk. Crime: B&E and Assault with a Deadly Weapon) You should, like, totally take a note from Neo's book. She’s barely said anything this whole trip.

Neo: (Changeling Arcane Trickster Rogue. Crime: Grand Larceny and Identity Theft) *Flips Neon off.*

Reese: *Grumbles* Well maybe next time Sir Shiny-Pants should pick a closer quest! Where is he anyways?

May: I think he went off to pray.

Cinder: *Chuckles* Pray for mercy, maybe. Who ever heard of a knight with motion sickness?

Neo: *Makes some mocking dry heaving motions and then conjures an illusion of sparkles flying from her mouth.*

Adam: *Huffs* To think, our fate is in the hands of that human. My soldiers would never let me live it down.

Neon: Meh, at least he seems harmless enough. We could have been put with a real hard ass. I give it a week before we bully him into releasing us early.

Party: *Snickers and jeers amongst themselves*

Jaune: (Human Oath of Redemption Paladin. Duty: Redeeming the Party Before the Eyes of the Law and the Sovereign Gods.) *Jogging up after meditating to calm down his motion sickness* Hey everyone! Did some tell a funny joke or something?

Cinder: Oh just the usual banter. Nothing you’d find amusing I’m sure.

Reese: KNIGHT ARE WE THERE YET?!

Cinder: See?

Jaune: Actually, yes Reese. We should be there in like 10 minutes. *Points over pass them* Should be just over that big hill.

The Party: *Various sighs of relief.*

Reese: See?! I knew it was a valid question!

May: So, what are we going to be doing here?

Neon: Yeah, and how exactly is this “Redemption Quest” even supposed to work? Are we, like, building karma points or something til you let us go?

Neo: *Casts Minor Illusion to create a scoreboard with 100 points above her head.*

Jaune: Well, to complete a Redemption Quest, you six will have to complete a good deed with pure of heart in order to make up for your past sins. I’ll be there to watch over your progress and help usher you to the path of good and get you pardoned for your crimes.

Cinder: And so you’re sending a bunch of convicted criminals to do quests for the state.

Adam: Yeah, what are we, some kind of Suicide Sq-?

Jaune: NO! No. We are “Adventurers”. A group of adventurers who most of which just so happen to have darker paths…

May: That still doesn’t answer the question of why we’re going to Greennest. Is there a quest already decided for us?

Jaune: There should be. We’ll be meeting a man in Greenest that goes by the name Qrow Branwen. Apparently he needs help with an investigation.

Neon: What is he investigating?

Jaune: I’m not too sure. Something about bandits I think? But don’t worry, I’m sure it’s nothing too dangerous. The Church wouldn’t give out something big or important for a “Redemption Quest,” or to a squire of my level. All you will probably have to do is help out however you can and we will get you all pardoned in no time! Simple as that.

Narration: Sundown is approaching just as the caravan crests the hill and spots the town of Greenest just a few short miles away. But instead of the pleasant welcoming town they expected, the Party sees columns of smoke rising from burning buildings, running figures that are little more than dots from this distance, and a dark winged shaped wheeling low over the stone keep that rises from the center of town. The red skies of sunset turn a violent purple as the far off dragon breathes lightning bolts down onto the town.

The Party: …

Jaune: …Well. This may be-

Adam: *Bellows at the top his lungs and charges off towards the town.*

Neon: *Runs after him* I’m getting that pardon first!

Reese: *Runs* Jokes on you shitheads, I’m getting DOUBLE pardoned!

May: *Rolls her eye and chases after them* That’s not how pardons work.

Cinder: *Rushes forward* If you see any extra souls lying around, save them for me!

Neo: *Gleefully runs towards the town to start looting.*

Jaune: *Stands there watching as his half a dozen criminals run into a burning town.* …Boldrei give me strength.

[greenlightbulbonawire]

Misfits (yeah like the Arcane song)

XLI.

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Summary: From the dark musty cell of Stillwater all the way to the very base of Firelights, but where to from there? Guess you'll just have to let fate lead you.

Author's note: I took a break... again... and I'm back now! But I will have to resort to posting once a week from now on, due to me not being able to write the chapters as fast as I am posting them anymore. Well anyway, have a great day!! xoxo previous chapter: Fourtieth chapter

next chapter: Fourty second chapter

Masterlist

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“I made a few sketches, I’ll show you, hang on.” You pushed yourself up off the ground and walked up to your desk quickly, swiping your sketchbook off of it and returning to Ekko, slipping onto the ground next to him again, scattering a few parts of the blown up board in the process. The book fell into his hands and you put the parts back onto the pile as the boy flipped through the pages of paper, looking at the drawing you made in the past instead of finding the sketches you told him about. “You can draw pretty good actually, I had no idea.” Your eyes tore away from fixing the pile and registered what you just put into his hands, you quickly grabbed it away from him, skimming to the page with the sketches and handing it back to him. “Don’t look at a different page than this one, please.” “Oh uh, I mean yeah, sure? Why though?”

Ekko gave you a questioning look, before returning to the drawn on paper page, looking over the sketch, his face displaying various emotions as he went through the thought process of making the sketch a reality. “There’s some stuff in there that I don’t want anyone to see.” “Okay, that’s fair.” He shrugged and closed the book with a snap, giving it back to you and then standing up. You took the sketchbook from him again and looked up at Ekko towering over you as his hand stretched towards you, offering to help you up as many times before. Without much hesitation, you accepted it and stood up too, facing him, waiting for the boy to say something and explain why you were standing now.

“Let’s get to work then.” He nodded to you and turned to the door to leave, and you went to take the sketchbook back to your table. Ekko waited for you outside of your room, and then headed towards the staircase, but starting to descend instead of going up, which surprised you. “We’re not going to your room?” “And how would something as big as that fit into my room exactly?” The boy turned his head to face you as you went down the stairs, following him a few paces behind, a smug expression painting his face, before he tripped and almost fell, catching the railing at the last second to stop himself. You laughed at him, waiting for him to regain his balance and continue walking and then answering him. “Karma’s a bitch huh?”

“Welcome to my… I actually don’t know what to call this room, uh, I make bigger things here basically.”

“Why did I have no idea a room like this was here?”

You asked and walked into the room after Ekko, taking in the many tools and almost finished projects, he really had a taste for mess huh. “Probably because you haven’t seen like eighty percent of the base yet.” “That… makes perfect sense actually.” You admitted, watching as the boy moved through the room, pulling out different parts and gathering them into a box. He mumbled something to himself and pulled the box towards a messy desk, probably the place where he worked on his inventions and stuff. “I’m missing some things here,” Ekko stated as he started to lay out the parts from the box on the desk and looked at you for a moment, quickly returning to what he was doing, before he spoke again.

“so I’ll write you a list and you’ll have to go get them, maybe take Heimerdinger with you, he’ll help.”

Metal bolts clattered as Ekko placed them onto the table, you made your way to him carefully, trying to avoid bumping into anything in the process. Ekko pulled out a piece of dirty paper from god knows where and took a pencil off the desk, scribbling down a few words, then he looked into the box again and added something to the list, repeating this a few times. You were watching with interest, before you realized you haven't answered him yet, you shook your head and blinked a few times.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Great, well here you go, that should be all I hope, and please don’t blow yourself up again okay?” The paper with the material list got swept off the table by the boys hand and he turned his attention to you, looking up from his chair, while handing you the piece of paper. “What, you’ll miss me?” You raised a brow and gave him a smug smile, swiftly taking the list from his hand, fixing your eyes on it and reading its contents.“Oh yeah very.” The boy chuckled softly as you read through the listed materials. “Who else will come and save me when I specifically told them not to?”

[17centurygames]

well, I just finished watching Arcane season 1…

It. Was. AWESOME!!! First off- the animation. Probably the best I’ve ever seen for a tv show (or maybe even ever) This is what Disney’s Wish should have been! All of the character designs are really hot- I mean sleek and awesome. (Silco has my favorite design) Next, the voice acting - sooooo good, I love all of their voices. Silco’s voice is intimidating yet calm, reminds me of Belos from TOH. Haylee does a great job with Vi’s voiced, especially in the emotional scenes. Jinx/Powder’s voice actress makes jinx sound both vulnerable yet vindictive (I can fix her). Finally, the writing and cinematography- very good, but a few details got a bit muddled in my head, probably because I watched it only at my friend’s house, and took like a 3 month long break between. I love how the colors tell what side the characters are on, purple is Silco (or, in the case of the Hexcore, just dangerous in general) blue is Hextech, and green is neutral (I guess, idk). Jinx is blue on the outside, but on the inside, purple. The Hexcore turns from blue, to blue and purple, to purple, as Viktor began being corrupted. anyway, can’t wait for season two, and in the meantime, I’ll be reading Jinx x reader fanfics byeeee!

[trevisos]

beneath the cut is a xarrai/astarion wip i’ll probably never finish but still stands alone as a nice little piece. please enjoy :)

His heart beats in his dreams. It always has, as long as he can remember dreaming - as long as his reverie has been stripped from him, the whole breadth of his unlife. He hardly notices it, the thrum of life beneath his skin, this aberration born of a mind that still aches for life centuries after its end. His heart beats and beats and beats until he opens his eyes and finds it stopped. When he wakes from nightmares like the one he’s had tonight, a twisting mess of shrill voices and red eyes and collapsing stone, the sudden stillness still sends icy panic down his spine. For a moment he lies motionless, unbreathing, until the dream recedes and the last orange embers of the firelight burn through his eyelids and, slowly, he lets the cool mountain air fill his dead lungs.

“Bad dreams?”

Astarion nearly jumps out of his skin at the unexpected voice. He sits up, and there Xarrai is: perched high on a rock, cutting an unusually graceful silhouette against the star-drenched sky. He manages to compose himself, pushing his curls back out of his face and mustering his best indignant huff. “What makes you think that?”

The near-dead fire casts just enough light that his vision can’t properly adjust, and so Xarrai is more phantom than man sitting above him, one knee pulled up to their chest, the other leg dangling off the rock next to their swaying tail. “The thrashing was the first clue.” He doesn’t have to see their expression to know the smug tilt of their lips. “And you look dreadful.”

“I do not!” He reflectively snaps. He starts to turn away, but then they laugh and his eyes are dragged back toward them of their own accord. Even this far apart, the perfume of their skin is overwhelming, all salt and wood and dark vanilla, tempered by the earthy smoke that clings to their hair and the sharp metallic tang of blood. His first, his senses remind him again and again, his first.

“No, I’m just fucking with you,” they lilt. “Come sit a while, if you’re not going back to sleep.”

A glance at the state of his bedroll, with its twisted covers and crumpled pillow, tells him they are not, in fact, “just fucking with him.” He scowls. “You’re just lying to make me feel better,” he sniffs, but it doesn’t stop him from clambering up the stone to sit beside them in the moonlight. The valley below opens up impossibly wide, washed blue by the night air. He kicks a pebble and watches it bounce and roll until it finds the lip of the vast maw and disappears into the blue night.

“Of course I’m lying,” Xarrai says, flicking open the little black and gold case sitting on the stone and retrieving a cigarette rolled in black paper. “But it’s bold to assume I’m doing it for your benefit, sweetheart.” Astarion watches perhaps more closely than he should as they clamp the thing between their lips and light it with a lick of blue arcane flame from their hand. They meet his eyes with a knowing smile. “Maybe I’m just incapable of telling the truth.”

“Oh, that’s not in question, '' mutters Astarion, tearing his eyes from the scar across their cheek, silver in the moonlight. The memory of his heartbeat still buzzes in his chest, and he tries in vain to rub a little warmth into his frozen fingers. Despite the summer heat in the lowlands, the night air is cool and crisp this high into the mountains. “What are you doing up this late, darling?”

“You want one?” They nudge the gilded box toward him and glide past his question. “These ones are only tobacco, I’m afraid, but it’s better than nothing.”

The game the two of them play, this endless dance of deception and seduction, demands Astarion press them for an answer. It demands he chase the lie and pretend it is the truth. And perhaps he would if the sun were up, if his empty chest didn’t ache, if he weren’t so godsdamned cold, if there wasn’t a tadpole in his head and the smoldering ruins of a monastery filled with charred corpses behind him, if, if, if.

He takes the last cigarette without a word. They conjure another arcane flame to light it, leaning in close and resting their other hand on the back of his neck. In the blue light, he sees nothing but dark circles under bright eyes and a dusting of freckles across scarred skin.

This is more honest, anyway.

[smokinsid]

Late Night People

Summer. 2:15 AM. College of Synergetics, Level 3 – REAPER Lab, Rata Sum.

Enid looked wearily at a crumpled pack of cigarettes, then back at her holo-screen. On her desk, a little girl in a big red hat grinned up at her tired face, looking as bright and proud as the midday sun.

For a few weeks now, her research had been chasing its tail. Relative Extraplanar studies- thrill that they were, giving a scientist cause to go sliding orthogonal to the three-dimensional Tyria into realms unknown- were still a headache, at their core. Was a mortal body meant to move that way, or see those things?

“Yes!” Came a low, sonorous showman’s voice from across the room. The attuned crystal in her radio blinked and pulsed in time with every syllable. “And I’ll tell you what else, my friends- if Balthazar can bite the dust, if Kralkatorrik can kick it- then what is there out there for us to worry about? The Arcane Council keeping secrets, hiding things from us? Well, we know why they do that- the slow dissemination of what they really know is what’s keeping them in their seats, after all.”

Smoke Signals with Sidney Figleaf. Venlin Vale Radio, 103.3 K-R-U-E.

The call letters came to her mind automatically. And that voice- “Smokin’ Sid,” on the radio- was her brother.

They hadn’t talked in a while. Maybe she should call him. It had been a long time since the big blowup, after all- and Rucks had turned out alright so far. Still young enough to come back to college.

“Coming up in the next half-hour, we’ll have open lines here on Smoke Signals. Tune your crystals to 1.333.1033- again that’s 1.333.1033, for the Smoke Signals hotline. Call now and get queued up- the subject tonight? Strange lights in the sky! Stranger than usual, anyway. Have you seen them? Tell us all about it. --And now, a word from our sponsors.”

As a jingle played for Royal Kournan cigars, followed by an ad for Oozeley’s Sure-Fire Detergent, she drummed her fingers on the desk and frowned at the blue-gray little crystal in front of her, mounted in a ring of brass.

“Oozeley’s, Sure-Fire,

Made from the goo you trust,

Oozeley’s, Sure-Fire,

For stains, it is a must!”

It was now or never. She grabbed the little brass ring and rotated the pointed crystal within, spinning it like a dial toward the numbers etched into the metal edge. In seconds she was connected, and a pleasant, modulated golem’s voice greeted her.

“You’ve reached the 103.3, K-R-U-E, call-in hotline! Your queue position is currently... SIX. Please hold. Your call will be on the air shortly. Remember to shut down your radio receiver before speaking, to eliminate static and echo. Thank you for calling Venlin Vale Radio.”

Soft jazz rose from the vibrating surface of the crystal, tickling her ear. She set it down on the table and huffed.

She had plenty of time to hang up if she wanted.

“Subject is mysterious lights in the sky- mysteriouser than usual, I should say. Caller number two, you’re on the air.”

Oh, Alchemy. He’s just picking lines at random.

“Am I on the air with Smokin’ Sid?”

“Yes, that’s me. Please turn off your radio, sir, for the feedback. Now, what’s your name, and what do you have to report?”

“Uh, name’s Putt. Work outta Statics.”

“Ah, a fellow Statics, ahem, alum. Wonderful. And what did you see?”

“Well, this was a couple weeks ago, late one night in Brisban- we were listening to the show while we were on stakeout, watching the bandit gangs drift here and there.”

“Ah, sounds like you’re working a security detail. I’d ask you how things are going with the gangs, but let’s focus on the scene overhead.”

“Right, well- me and the fellas like to shoot skeet to kill time,”

“Careful friend, this is radio,”

“Y’know, like clay pigeons, we got some with glow-in-the-dark paint.”

“Ah.”

“And so I was up top of the watchtower, throwing ‘em here and there when I heard the word ‘pull,’ that kind of thing.”

“Putting some lights in the sky yourself, as it were.”

“Mm- so we’ve done a few rounds of this, and I throw another one, and Creidon- big fella, Lionguard, down at ground level, he puts a crossbow bolt through it, sure as sunrise.”

“But...?”

“It got stuck, Sid.”

“In the... clay pigeon?”

“No- well, not as such. It’s like, it punched through the pigeon and hit something else. Something round. Like... shoot, I’m gonna sound crazy.”

“Not on my show, friend.”

“Like a bubble, in the sky. Like someone got a straw under the sky and blew real hard and just... warped it out. The stars looked all stretched and distorted close to the pigeon, got more normal the further out you went.”

“As if the sky itself was... closer, there?”

“Yeah! Damnedest thing I ever saw! Bowed in like the ceiling on a first-floor dorm when the toilet upstairs overflows.”

“Remarkable.”

“The pigeon- and the bolt- just clung to it. And then it sorta... deflated? Just slowly receding until the sky looked normal again. It took both with it! We never got ‘em back.”

“Wow. Not quite what I expected to hear when it comes to lights in the sky, but that certainly is mysterious. Thank you, Putt- the Smoke Signals Research Team will put some time into this one, I’m sure.”

Enid had already taken a few steps away from the crystal, drawing up astronomical charts of the sky over Brisban and running numerous calculations and simulations. A ‘bubble’ in the sky could be any number of things- in her mind, it was some burdensome patch of mist, pushing on the fabric of Tyria. A mistquake? A mist… sinkhole?

“Caller number… six! You’re live on Smoke Signals. Go ahead and turn off your radio, feedback and all that. I need a name, and- what did you see in the sky, lately?”

“…Could’ve been the movement of a human god, they make quite a dent- haven’t heard from Melandru in a minute, have they?”

“Caller number six? Are you there? –Do turn off your radio, please and thank you, for the feedback, then start with a name.”

“Of course, if it isn’t the movement of a god… can we rule out dragons now? Are they done?” She poked at the holo-screen and flipped through archive files.

“…Enid?”

Enid let out a horrible gasp and slapped her radio, then spun away from the screen and rounded on the crystal.

“—Am I on the air? Shoot, I missed it!”

“No, no, you didn’t miss it. Bit of a rocky start, but I’m feeling generous tonight. Now, ah… name, as I said, and, what exactly did you see?”

“Oh, I’m… Enid. I work here on the third level of Synergetics, and…”

“Enid! I knew it was you! Distinguished listeners, we’re hearing live, the voice of my dear sister. It’s been ages. I’m surprised to hear you saw something ‘weird,’ Nid- you always had a pretty high bar.”

In his smoky studio, Sid was secretly reeling. He leaned away from the microphone and pat a box of Shadhavar Wides against his palm to pack them, then fumbled for a little silver lighter. The etching of a bikini-clad human winked up at him as he struck the wheel and took a long, steadying drag.

“Well… hm. What your first caller said caught my attention, so I was in the middle of researching that.

“The- the Brisban case, with Putt? You jumped on it that quick?”

“While I was on hold.”

“Wow. But, ah… do you have your own sighting to report? Something for the audience to chew on?”

Enid tapped her bottom lip and huffed.

“Well, I don’t want anyone to think too much of this, but I have seen something. About three weeks ago. I was up north- in Grothmar, the Charr territory?”

“Beautiful weather up there. Even the storms are nice.”

“Uh-huh. Well, I was studying post-Kralkatorrik brand radiation- the corruption is persistent, you see, and when you have a steady source like a dragon, that’s to be expected. Without it, the flow should ebb and the radiation should begin to decay. But I think that due to the crystalline structure of the corrupted materials, the magic is finding these facets to bounce around on, conserving angular momentum and-“

“Nid, I love ya, but this is dead air. Lights? Sky? We getting there?”

She sighed and rolled her eyes. Right. Sid and Sid’s audience. Lowest common denominator.

“It was a symmetrical cymatic response- that is to say, we used our instruments to mess with the cluster of corrupted material on the ground, and were able to have a second team in the mists check their location with identical instruments. We’d make a tone, they’d detect a tone.”

“More of a sound in the sky, but I’m with ya so far. So this krewe, on the other side of the veil, so to speak, they could hear the sound you were making, and… what?”

“Well, that’s the revolutionary thing, Sid. It’s the first time we’ve been able to accurately, linearly map the coordinates of a location in the mists, as it relates to a location in Tyria! By measuring the offset between the two, we were able to calculate that the mists themselves are at an orthogonal angle to standard Tyria- our North is their West!”

“…Fascinating. And the implications are… staggering, I’m sure.”

Her expression flattened and she ran a hand across her face. Lights. In the sky. Right. Let’s get to that before he moves on.

“So this relates to Putt’s bubble, you see. The fact that it welled up at all, how it moved, where it came from- to your listeners’ great satisfaction, we did see lights in the sky that we couldn’t explain. Not a bubble, no- but I theorize we saw the shear between Tyria and the mists. Sending such a direct signal from one to the other had an effect on the boundary between realms… and somebody, we speculate, didn’t appreciate that.”

“Oh. Oh! Hey, that’s juicy, you should have started with that! No flair for the dramatic, this one. So let’s get into that, specifically- what did you see, that gave ya cause to speculate that?”

“At first we thought that we’d kicked up a storm. Cloud-to-cloud lightning, and lots of it. But… I hate to hand it to the humans, especially after the Balthazar thing, but they might be onto something with some of their gods.”

“You saw one?”

“We saw a hand. Specifically, the underside of one. Curling fingers, drawing across the realm-shear, constructed out of lightning. It was vague at first, but as the digits moved, there was no mistaking it.”

“Wild stuff, sis. I wanna take a shot in the dark here, because I know you- I know there’s more at play here than just you seeing something. Did your krewe in the mists see something too?”

“That’s the kicker. They saw the other side of the hand. They thought they were having tech issues, an overloaded crystal somewhere, until screens started blowing out and lightning started leaping everywhere. Had to evacuate their work camp while huge knuckles made of static discharge just sort of… raked through their whole shop, destroying anything they couldn’t carry out. Made a circular motion, seemed to… stir up the mists? Maybe… froth them back up, after we’d thinned them out?”

“Holy crap. Now that’s the kind of mystery I’m talkin’ about! The nature of the human gods, or whatever they are! Why would it do that? Does this mean that gods are making other lights in the sky? Did a god blow Putt’s bubble? We gotta get some humans on the line- they got experts, right? Like, uh… religious… scholars?”

“Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron?”

“Nid, be nice. We take all kinds here on Smoke Signals. –Speaking of which, our next caller’s been on the line quite some time, waiting for their chance. Boy, but this was a doozy. I’m gonna run a golem down to your lab with my personal number. Maybe the Smoke Signals research team can lend a hand with this, huh? –‘Til next time, though, goodnight!”

“…Yeah, see ya around, Sid.”

“Thank you for calling 103.3, K-R-U-E, Venlin Vale Radio!” A familiar automated voice chimed.  “You have been disconnected! Please wait five minutes before placing another call!”

And then the line went quiet, the crystal dark.

She turned on her radio and returned to the holo-screen.

“—aller number one, you’ve been awfully patient, you must have something reeeeeeally important to share! Turn off your radio and give us your name, if you please.”

As the next caller regaled Sid with tales of a “boat” they saw in the sky as they were hiking in Dzalana, Enid immediately tuned out.

Sid… she really didn’t have any reason to want his respect. In fact, he should be treating a professor of her caliber with a little more deference, when you really looked at the situation from the outside in. But here he was, regionally-famous radio host, urging her to get to the ‘good parts’ of her research and shooing her off the air when he thought she’d said enough.

Why did that cut so deep? As nice as it was to talk, it was painfully one-sided.

She knew he had a good mind. An inquisitive and dutiful mind. He’d volunteered to serve in Orr, after all, and was instrumental in reporting troop movements back to Claw Island over secured channels and providing music to those same troops over unsecured channels, using just deft hands and a junky set of equipment he’d cobbled together.

She was finishing her first doctorate at the time, too young for the Priory to deploy her- and too young for the College of Synergetics to let go of her, besides. When the news came back, she really thought of her older brother as a hero. Silly old Sid, a war reporter.

But maybe he was just a nicotine-stained, slimy, self-serving, cabbage-fucking-

She took a deep breath and shook her head. He had given her a lot of airtime to tell a complicated story, and he was sending along a means to talk privately, finally!

But it was the ‘he had given’ part she took painful umbrage with. How is it that he’s always in charge of these things? Effortlessly, as if it’s his right? There was a real mystery. Lights in the sky are easy to explain compared to that.

She continued to grumble as she prodded at the screen. As the pink holographic text started to blur, she looked away and found herself staring at the framed photo of her daughter, grinning up at her with gap teeth and bright eyes.

“He’s repulsive. Rucks, how did he ever get in your head? If you had focused on your studies, you’d be here in the city with me, instead of…”

She couldn’t remember the name. Some backward human fishing village across the sea.

Enid pulled open a drawer and retrieved a bag of hard candy. It was right next to her cigarettes- Skrittmann’s Menthol Silver Slim 120s. She frowned at the half-full softpack and shut the drawer, then popped a thumb-sized cylinder of blue raspberry into her cheek.

The clock struck 3:00 am, and there was a knock at the door.

“It’s open,” she called out. The interlocking hatch doors slid apart, and a golem stumped into the room, carrying a teal holopad in one hand and a book in the other. She met it halfway and it held its hands up in an oddly childlike fashion, offering both at once.

“This must be the private number, and… what’s this, now?”

She took the book and frowned at the cover, reading aloud in a flat, irritated voice:

“Up In Smoke – One Asura’s Journey from Lowlife to High Life, and How You Can Too.”

Alchemy fucking preserve me, it’s signed.

She scowled at the silver paint-pen signature across the dustcover, and flipped to the first page.

To Spokes- it takes balls the size of honeydews to ride a ten-speed through Malchor’s Leap, and you did it every day. I might have quit radio altogether if you hadn’t brought me those letters from Camp Narthex.

“DEDICATION

To the 113th Ground Artillery Regiment- you guys were a real peach to bivouac with. Sorry about the latrine. You’re welcome for the case of Gorepelt Supreme I found- didn’t take us long to get through those bottles, did it?

To Professor Qlatt, Statics Earthworks Division- sorry I kept putting stuff in my nose, man. I got an attention span you could fit in a teaspoon with room to spare, and you sure were patient. I ain’t coming back, but if you want that homework I owe ya, I eventually filled it out.

To Ma & Pa- I just hope you’re glad I figured out something to do.

And to my sister, Enid. You don’t just make them proud, you make me proud, too. It’s a big ask, but keep achieving for the both of us. When I say you’re Council material, it’s the only time in my life I’ve ever not meant it as an insult.”

Enid swallowed, frowned, and pat the golem on the head, sending it clunking off back into the hall.

“Guess I’ll call him,” she exhaled through her teeth.

“Just… maybe tomorrow.”

She set the book face-down on her workbench and took another deep breath, then turned her eyes back up to the screen.

She’d never admit it, but they both wanted the answer to the same question.

Just what is going on up there, anyway?

[readmyfreak]

New Arcane Oc Alert! let’s gooooo!!! Not smutty or anything, just set up for future works.

——————

They started calling you, Sit. Not immediately, but pretty soon after starting considering how many times Jinx escaped from your, oh so careful, watch.

When you first started, slightly terrified but mostly disinterested in the subtle threats the boss man, Slico, was directing your way with heavy glares and sharp words. Mostly because Zaun is going to shit and you need security. Where better than directly underneath the new boss? His right hand, Sevika, stood to his side, also glaring at you but it felt more like her default face than any concern towards her bosses kid.

Your job, watch Jinx. That’s it. You’d be working as a live in nanny for her until she didn’t not want you around anymore. You are the forth one to attempt the job in the last 2 weeks.

She was testing you. You knew that, Everyone knew that. She knew you knew that. One second, she would be happily tinkering with an explosive that Silco was going to test out on someone who fucked something up in the near future. The next, you’d blink and she’s gone. The chase was on.

The only reason you weren’t fired (or killed) yet was beacause she liked you. She liked that she could show you a sharp dagger, right in your face. while sitting in your lap and all you’d do was nod along and compliment her handy work.

When she went off on tangents that no one really understood, you kept your attention on her the entire time. Asking questions and making sure she’s heard.

When chasing Jinx down, you never hold back. You scale walls, crawl in vents, chase her over roof tops. This is your home too. You know how to keep your footing as her happy laughter leads your way when she disappears around a corner or down a fire escape.

She loves it. Silco loves that Jinx is smiling again. Sevika is happy she doesn’t have to deal with the brat anymore. All is well.

Except the whole inner circle has started teasing you about how much Jinx loses you. She could be actively holding your hand, but when you turn back to speak to her, it’s Lock. Standing there very confused but happy to be involved.

Or, you’ve placed her in the bathroom, making sure she actually showers this time, but when you go to open the door after a few minutes of concerning silence, the grate through the ceiling is open. Because, of course.

“Hey, isn’t it your job supposed to be babysitting? I see you sitting, but no baby.” Ran, the handsome body guard that shadows Silco to the point of only he and Sevika knowing where they are, points out one day after watching you pull a scooby doo, running in and out of multiple doors through the first floor of the bar after the feral rodent that you all called a human child.

You had sat beside them at the bar, breathing heavy and gesturing to Chuck, that’s what Jinx said his name was, to get you a drink.

“Yeah, well. Maybe if they shipped adderall down here, this wouldn’t be such a reoccurring problem.” You chugged down your watery drink of something with an alcohol content and rested your head on the bar top.

Ran huffs a laugh, a pretty thing that’s rings in the air, and pats your back. “I’ll let you get back to your sitting, Sit.” They scurry away from the swipe you lash at them, laughing as they bump into Jinx who has come back, looking for you. The two sharing a look before taking off in the same direction.

You drop your glass on the bar and push yourself to stand.

“Thanks for the drink Chuck. Gotta go catch the idiots.”

“My names actually, Theiram…ok.”

You take off at a run, not acknowledging what was said to you with deep, deep resignation in the man’s voice.

[cora-writes-things]

WLW media plans <3 early 2023 edition

You may have seen my first edition of this post; now that 2023 has begun in earnest, let’s see where I’m at!

Media I’m currently in the middle of consuming:

The 100 (I know that I said that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to watch this show cuz I’m tired of tragic wlw, but a friend suggested we watch it together, so here I am)

Clear and Muddy Loss of Love (an AMAZING web-novel!!! I can’t stop reading it! Clear and Muddy Loss of Love, original title 泾渭情殇 (Jīng wèi qíng shāng or JWQS), is a Chinese GL web-novel by Please Don’t Laugh (请君莫笑). Read and buy the original here (here’s a guide on how to use JJWXC so you can support the author), and the English translation by melts (@meltesh28 on Tumblr / @meltsmelts on Twitter) can be found here (thank you so much for your hard work, melts!))

Nevertheless (solely for the crumbs of Sol/Ji-wan content, and you know what? It’s been worth it, even if the main male lead, Park Jae-eon, makes me want to throw my laptop across the room. Seriously, JAE-EON SUCKS SO BAD. NA-BI, WHAT ARE YOU DOIIIING. DO-HYEOK IS RIGHT. THERE!!!)

Warrior Nun (I started watching this show both because it has wlw AND because Alba Baptista is so gorgeous that I can’t stop looking at her. So disappointing that it was canceled recently :()

Media I plan to start (or continue) consuming:

A League of Their Own (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Arcane: League of Legends (I’ve seen enough gifs and fanart for Caitlyn/Vi that I ship it and haven’t even watched the show yet)

Batwoman (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Black Lightning (ditto)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS was available on Amazon Prime for a while but is now on Hulu, so I don’t have access to it at the moment)

The Expanse (I’m taking a break from watching the show to read the books, but I’m also consuming a lot of other media at the moment, so I don’t know when I’ll get back to it)

The Half of It (the premise sounds so freaking relatable I can’t wait to feel some type of way about the constant sapphic pining I experienced in high school & didn’t even know about at the time because of comphet yay)

The Handmaiden (I’ve been trying to get into more international media lately, as you can see by some of the other pieces of media in this post, and this movie looks too good to pass up)

Killing Eve (up to the finale but stopping before the end cuz my queer little heart can’t take YET MORE bury your gays in the year of our lord 2023. also the book series. maybe)

The Legend of Korra (once I finish ATLA)

The Owl House (currently waiting for the next episode. Also, I’m still so mad this show was canceled by Disney >:()

Paper Girls (science fiction combined with middle-grade fiction and queer characters? Sign me up!)

Sense8 (for the queer vibes in general)

The Wilds (for the canon wlw AND all the wlw vibes)

Yellowjackets (ditto)

Media I might consume but haven’t decided yet:

Huge shout-out to @femslashrevolution (abbreviated as F.R. in this post from now on) for introducing me to a lot of these pieces of media with active-ish wlw fandoms through their reblogs!

Astrid & Lilly Save the World (I don’t know much about it, but the gifs reblogged by F.R. look promising)

Harlem (I’ve heard mixed reviews about the wlw representation in this show, but there’s also a distinct lack of black queer shows out there, so I’m considering trying it out anyway)

House of the Dragon (partially because I haven’t finished GOT yet, but also because I don’t want my heart to be broken by the tragedy)

I Know What You Did Last Summer (this show doesn’t have the best reviews, but the actresses in it are so pretty that I might watch it anyway ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Kevin Can F*** Himself (seems like an interesting premise, I just don’t know if I’ll personally enjoy the show itself or not)

Legends of Tomorrow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen a lot of wlw-centric and wlw-adjacent gifs reblogged by F.R.)

Lost Girl (it's included on a lot of rec lists of wlw shows, I just don’t know if I’ll actually find it interesting)

Once Upon A Time (a classic wlw fandom, but Idk if I’ll find it interesting enough to actually watch it)

Orange is the New Black (ditto)

Orphan Black (ditto)

Runaways (ditto)

Supergirl (ditto)

Willow (Idk what it’s even about tbh, I’ve just seen some cute wlw gifs reblogged by F.R. recently, so why not?)

Media I've already finished consuming:

Couple of Mirrors (SO GOOD!!! A (sadly heavily censored, but still very well-done) GL-based Chinese drama that is slated to get a second season depending on the support, so please go watch and support it! It also has a manhua (read the original here and the English summaries here))

First Kill (campy with pretty horrid music choices, but I still enjoyed the watching experience even though the show was kinda bad. Who doesn’t like a little bit of camp every now and again?)

Girlfriend Project Day 1 (cute, short little fake dating GL K-drama that is slated to get a second season if they can raise the funds for it! Watch it here)

More than or Equal to 75 Celsius (≥75°C) (short GL K-drama, very aesthetic, and the actresses are beautiful! Watch it here)

Zero Photography (short spin-off GL Thai drama that features Ink & Pa from the bigger BL series Bad Buddy. Definitely worth the watch!)

Have I missed any must-watch/must-read/must-consume pieces of wlw or wlw-adjacent media that y’all love? Please let me know in the reblogs and give me your recommendations!

[babygirlwritessmut]

♡︎ part3. birthday sleepover

・❥・pairing: vi (arcane) x fem!reader

・❥・ summary: throughout the night of your birthday sleepover, you found yourself feeling increasingly drawn to Vi, who subtly reciprocated with gentle touches and closeness.

・❥・ genre: smut + kinda friends to lovers

・❥・ word count: 2k

✎ warnings: none

WHEN I NEEDED YOU masterlist

all week, Troy kept his distance. it seemed he was genuinely scared of Vi. you saw him in the hall, but he didn’t look at you once. still, you were nervous about what he might do to get back at you.

things were good at college; you were wrapping up your subjects and spending afternoons at Trish’s, planning your birthday. today, before classes, the two of you were at your house making invitations.

“write that everyone should bring pajamas,” Trish said, drawing stars on the invitations. it was your idea - the stars reminded you of Vi. “and I’m choosing the movie; I don’t want to watch any action films.”

you just rolled your eyes. “fine, but no ‘notebook’. I’ve memorized that by heart.”

you were both laughing when your mom walked into your room.

“the invitations look great. how many girls are coming? I need to know how much food to prepare.” your parents were fine with the pajama party at home; you’d agreed they’d go to your grandma’s to give you the space.

“six - Trish and I, and four more from college.” you counted the invitations.

“but I think it should be seven,” Trish smiled at your mom. “she’s just too shy to invite Vi.”

“Trish!” you pushed her arm.

“why not? it sounds like you two have become close lately. you talk about her all the time. besides, I haven’t seen her since she was a kid,” your mom chimed in.

“exactly! it’s all Vi this, Vi that - all day long,” Trish teased, laughing.

“ha-ha. very funny,” you replied sarcastically. “I don’t think she’d come, though.”

“you'll never know if you don't invite her,” your mom said, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

“could you stop embarrassing me in front of my mom? she already doesn’t believe that Vi and I aren’t dating,” you whispered to your friend.

“no wonder,” Trish whispered back.

you gave in and made an extra invitation for Vi. then, the two of you headed to college.

after the first class, you ran into Vi in the hallway. she was wearing her sports gear, her hair a bit messy, but she looked incredibly attractive.

“hey,” you said, genuinely happy to see her, giving her a big smile.

“hey, how’s it going?” she replied, smiling back. you loved her smile, especially her lips.

“I wanted to give you this.” you handed her the invitation. “it’s my birthday tomorrow, and I’m having a sleepover with some friends at my place. nothing fancy, just movies and a little gathering. my mom will make us a nice dinner,” you said, rubbing your hands nervously, worried she’d say no. maybe it was a bad idea?

Vi looked at the invitation carefully and smiled. “thanks, I’ll definitely come.”

“really? if you have other plans, I won’t be upset,” you started to ramble.

“I’ll be there,” she repeated confidently, reaching out to touch your hand. a warm rush spread through your whole body, and your eyes darted around from the tension. feeling her touch was strangely comforting, and you didn’t want it to end. but somehow, you got self-conscious about your reaction, said goodbye, and hurried home.

that evening, you and your mom decorated the living room and prepared for the next day’s party. spending time with her made you appreciate her even more as you watched how much she cared for you and your dad. once everything was ready, she kissed your forehead and wished you sweet dreams. then you headed to your room, thoughts about tomorrow filling you with excitement until you fell asleep.

in the morning, your parents entered your room with a cake lit with candles.

“I can’t believe you’re growing up so fast, my dear daughter. I thought I’d stop crying after you turned eighteen last year, but I can’t help it,” your mom said, holding out the cake as you blew out the candles.

they wished you a happy birthday, showering you with warm wishes, and handed you a small black box with a ribbon. when you opened it, you gasped in surprise.

“mom, dad, I… I don’t even know what to say,” you whispered, carefully taking out what was inside. in your hands were car keys. “thank you, thank you, thank you!” you hugged them tightly.

after a few more minutes, your parents left, giving you some time to get ready. in high spirits, you picked out your pajamas. knowing Vi would be there tonight, you couldn’t ignore the fact that you wanted to look a little better than usual for a simple pajama party. you settled on short shorts and a tank top - nothing too fancy, but just enough to show off a bit. once dressed, you ran downstairs.

all day, you kept rearranging decorations, setting up pillows and plates, wanting everything to be perfect. in between, you kept answering calls and texts with birthday wishes.

when evening finally arrived, you said goodbye to your parents. they wished you all a great night, and you sat down to wait for the guests. within half an hour, everyone had arrived except for Vi. you started to worry that she might have changed her mind, but Trish reassured you.

“maybe she's just late from practice or choosing your gift,” your friend said, noticing the concern in your eyes.

then, the doorbell rang. you glanced at Trish with a big smile and rushed to open the door. there stood Vi, looking stunning, her pink hair neatly styled, muscular arms visible under her shirt, and a slight smile on her face. your gaze landed on her lips again.

“I was starting to think you’d decided not to come,” you blurted out, unable to hide your worry.

“sorry for being late.” she stepped inside and hugged you, her scent filling the air as you hugged her back. being in her arms felt amazing; her touch stirred something in you, and you bit your lip. “happy birthday; this is for you,” she said as you reluctantly pulled away, handing you a small gift bag.

you began to open it right there, warmth flooding you as you saw a small box containing a star-shaped necklace.

“Vi, it’s amazing. thank you." you ran your finger over the charm. “would you help me?” you took out the necklace and handed it to her.

turning your back to Vi, you moved your hair aside, exposing your neck. she carefully fastened the necklace, and as her fingers brushed your skin, you felt a warm tension low in your belly. when she was done, you turned back to her. “how does it look?”

“you look beautiful” she wasn’t even looking at the necklace, only at your eyes. in that moment, you wanted her to kiss you. Vi slowly moved closer, placing her hand on your cheek, and you leaned toward each other, hearts racing. you held her gaze, neither of you breaking eye contact.

“are you two coming? we’re starting the movie,” Trish called out from the living room.

you blinked, and Vi pulled her hand back, giving you space. “we should go. I wouldn’t want to keep the birthday girl from her own party.”

you looked down and murmured, “maybe the birthday girl wouldn’t mind.” Vi smiled, and the two of you joined the others.

you and Vi sat next to each other on the couch, with the other girls settled on the floor among the cushions. Trish started the movie, and the viewing began. you couldn't focus on the film while Vi was so close, her leg touching yours. you weren’t sure if she noticed, but it sent flutters through you. thoughts drifted back to what had happened by the front door - had your first kiss nearly happened? the very idea took your breath away. what if Trish hadn't interrupted?

then you felt Vi’s leg press closer against yours. without a word, you moved just a little closer to her. you didn't dare turn to look, afraid of how she might react. the girls laughed at a joke in the movie you hadn’t even heard; your attention was locked on your knees, touching hers. then, suddenly, her hand rested on your knee. you held your breath, feeling like the room had emptied and it was just the two of you. checking to make sure no one was watching, you decided to act. you placed your hand over hers, intertwining your fingers and smiling to yourself. you took in her hand, the veins running along her arm, the few rings on her thumb and middle finger - it was a sight you didn't want to let go of.

she squeezed your leg slightly, making you bite your lip. the girls were still engrossed in the movie, oblivious to what was happening. slowly, Vi leaned toward you, tucking a stray strand of your hair behind your ear. she leaned closer, placing a soft kiss in the hollow between your neck and collarbone and whispered in your ear, “this necklace suits you so well.” a wave of satisfaction ran through you from the sound of her voice. you slowly turned to face her, close enough to smell her scent.

“thank you,” you whispered back, making her smile. she looked so good that thoughts filled your mind, and you felt yourself blush, biting your lip again. what is she doing?

the two of you held hands until the movie ended, and then you reluctantly let go. as the girls began chatting about various gossip, you served dinner and invited everyone to the table. during dinner, everyone was animatedly talking, but you kept catching Vi’s gaze across the table. she only looked at you.

“I heard someone beat up Troy at college - is that true?” one of the girls asked, and you snapped your attention to her.

“apparently, he claimed it was a football injury,” Trish added, and you and Vi exchanged a knowing glance.

“do you know anything about it?” all eyes turned to you.

“no, we’re not together anymore, and I don’t follow his life,” you replied curtly.

“what happened between you two?” the girls’ questions made you uncomfortable. you explained that he hadn’t been faithful and asked to change the subject.

after dinner, you cleaned up and returned to the living room. you all stayed up late, chatting while Vi shared stories about her team and games. all the girls listened intently, some even openly admiring her, which made you feel a sting of jealousy. finally, when everyone was tired, you decided to get ready for bed. you set up sleeping arrangements for the girls in the living room, and some chose to sleep in your parents' room. after saying goodnight and getting one last round of birthday wishes, you made your way upstairs.

“where should I sleep?” Vi suddenly asked from behind you. you realized you’d forgotten to set up a spot for her, and all the other sleeping spaces were taken.

“sorry, I just... let’s go to my room,” you said, leading her upstairs. “I miscalculated the spots. you can take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Vi smiled. “you’re going to sleep on the floor in your own room? I’ll take the floor.”

“no way, you’re the guest, and I want you to be comfortable,” you insisted. “take the bed.”

“alright, but only if you do too,” Vi said, crossing her arms. “I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.”

her suggestion caught you off guard, but the thought of spending the night in the same bed as her was appealing.

“alright,” you agreed.

Vi started taking off her shirt, and you asked, “what are you doing?”

“changing into pajamas. isn’t this a pajama party?” she grinned as you tried to avert your eyes from her toned abs. then she teased, “are you going to keep watching, or…?”

you turned around, waiting until she was done. soon you felt her hand on your waist, and she leaned in to whisper, “we should go to bed?”

her touch left you speechless, so you only nodded. you wondered if she felt the same way you did when she touched you. you both got into bed, and Vi asked, “did you like your birthday?”

“I enjoyed it. I’m glad Trish convinced me to do this,” you said, pulling the blanket over yourself.

“glad to hear it. goodnight.” Vi gently traced a finger along your cheek, smiling. “happy birthday, and thank you for inviting me.”

[nicad13]

Swimming Lessons

Summary: “The thing that really gets me, is that I saw you take your helmet off to say goodbye to your kid. You gave us hell for removing ours, but when it came down between your Creed and showing your love for your kid, you chose love. And now you desecrate that love by calling it a transgression! You drowned yourself trying to wash away the sin of showing love to your child and you have no idea how stupid that is!” --- Bo-Katan teaches Din how to swim, reflecting on her own transgressions in the process.

Lifeguarding is more than just swimming lessons.

Tags: Death Watch, Children of the Watch, Regret, Attonement, Religious Discussion

AO3 link in the Source below.

---

I know you’re gonna have it your way or nothing at all But I think you’re moving too fast

TLC, Waterfalls

Bo-Katan Kryze stands at the edge of the shoreline. The sea is calm today, even if the sky remains grey. The day is mild, the air can almost be called “warm,” and the water laps with a pleasant slosh against the low bluff.

A perfect day for a swimming lesson.

Din stands next to her, still clad in the armor. His weapons and ammunition lay on a nearby rock, wrapped in his cloak.

The Darksaber lays swaddled in the bundle as well.

Grogu sits in his pod, ears perked and flared, eager to see what happens next. Bo had shared a quick word with him earlier. “I’m going to put your dad through some challenges today. He won’t like it and he’ll probably make some noise about it, but I promise you that he’ll be safe. Do you trust me?”

The kid had tilted his head from side to side in a way that seemed to say “We’ll see.” About as enthusiastic a response as she could’ve expected from the little guy, but he seemed to understand. The last thing Bo wants is to be on the wrong end of a Jedi-powered temper-tantrum, and she’s done all she can to avoid any misunderstandings.

Here goes nothing.

“This’ll go better if you take the armor off,” she says.

“No.” Din shakes his head. “I’ll be wearing it the next time I get dunked. I need to be ready.”

“Just to start,” she counters. “We’ll start light, then add pieces back as you get comfortable with it.”

Another head-shake. “I don’t want to get used to it without the armor.”

Bo heaves a sigh. She can’t say she’s surprised. The man is just as stubborn as any other Mandalorian.

“But… thank you,” he says, his tone easing up. “I appreciate you taking the time to train me.”

“Don’t thank me till we’re done,” she says. “I’ve hauled your soggy drowning carcass out of the water twice, now. You’re heavy. I’m doing this for my benefit as much as yours.” The words come out exactly as she intends – equal measures of irritation and light-hearted teasing. No trace of guilt.

Because, dear gods, does she ever harbor a load of guilt about this clueless Child of the Watch standing next to her staring down the sea like it’s yet another enemy he has to vanquish.

It had taken her a few minutes to notice, back when they had first crossed paths on Trask. Not until after he had slung his self-righteous accusations about the arcane helmet rules. Only then had she noticed the design of his armor, details that only a select few know to this day. Certain angles of his chestplate. The cut of his T-visor. Subtle features that marked him as a Child of the Watch. Details that she’s pretty sure even Din isn’t aware of.

Not yet, at least.

A Child of the Watch. One who was kidnapped as a child and raised in the Fighting Corps to fill out the ranks to aid Death Watch in re-talking Mandalore.

Hell, she might have even participated in the raid that stole him.

She’s not sure how old he is. She’d only gotten a good look at the back of his head when he’d removed his helmet on Gideon’s light cruiser to say goodbye to the kid, committing the “transgression” he’d held against himself like a blade against his own throat. All she had seen was a mop of dark, unruly hair. Maybe a few flecks of grey, but it had been hard to tell with the lighting. He could be anywhere from ten years older to ten years younger than her, depending on when it had happened and how old he’d been.

But she’d been young. Young and stupid when she’d joined Death Watch. Jealous of her sister’s inheritance of power by simple virtue of being born first. Easily seduced by Pre Vizsla’s words of supremacy and Meritocracy of the Strong. Anyone who was strong enough to take power deserved it. Anyone who could fight hard enough deserved it. And Bo had been strong. Bo had been a skilled fighter. She’d been good at war. And she’d thought that was what made a good Mandalorian.

Until the day she’d watched Pre Vizsla’s end, on his knees at Maul’s feet, his head parting company with his shoulders at the edge of the Darksaber. Even so, his last words summed up the madness entirely.

“Only the strongest shall rule.”

Maul had been the strongest that day. But he was no Mandalorian. Never had been. He was nothing but a criminal. She’d known Vizsla’s alliance with the Shadow Collective was nothing more than calculated opportunism. Vizsla had just mis-calculated.

And she’d been an idiot to follow him.

But not a big enough idiot to swear her allegiance to Maul. Not a big enough idiot to follow whoever was best at swinging a big stick on any given day regardless of who they killed with it.

And thus had begun her journey to determine what it meant to be a Good Mandalorian.

Decades later, she still hasn’t quite figured it out. But here she stands next to a Child of the Watch who is doing his damnedest to be the best Mandalorian who’d ever Mandalorianed, and he has even less of a clue than she does.

Not out of any fault of his own.

Gods, Death Watch hadn’t even taught the poor bastard how to swim. Just like they’d never taught him about the Darksaber or other Ways of the Creed or even fed him pog soup. They’d only taught him what they’d needed him to know. How to fight. How to kill. Nothing but gun fodder. They’d locked him in his helmet to make his life miserable. No shared meals. No intimacy of looking a lover or a friend or even his own child in the eye. So that when his time to die would come, he would welcome it. He would welcome the warrior’s death because his warrior’s life had been nothing but pain and suffering.

The Children of the Watch had been meant to die in the service of reclaiming Mandalore, but the Empire had destroyed the planet before they’d ever gotten the chance. They’d abandoned Concordia like a sinking ship, afraid the Empire would hunt them down there, as well. Din Djarin is just another piece of flotsam, drifting out from the wreckage, and he has no idea.

The difference is she’d known what she was getting into, and even with the benefit of knowing, she had taken far too long to get out. Din… he… well. He’d had no idea. Still has no idea. And the words keep getting hung up behind her teeth. You weren’t rescued. You were kidnapped. You were brainwashed. You may have a lot of sins under your belt – most bounty hunters do – but taking your helmet off isn’t one of them. You never had anything to atone for in the eyes of Mandalore. It is very much the other way around.

But she can’t say it. For a man who knows nothing of Mandalorian history, culture, or food, he has staked every gram of his identity on being Mandalorian. She has no doubt that he would’ve killed her for her heresy on Trask had Woves and Reeves not been at her side. Outnumbered and outgunned, he’d jetted away instead, shaken to his core at the discovery that Mandalorians who were different from him existed. Even now, he clings to the Old Ways because he doesn’t know anything else. He’d asked her the question point-blank, himself. “What do we stand for?”

She’d bitten the answer back. War. Murder. Betrayal.

And then she’d watched him drown, again, as he’d tried to wash away the sin of removing his helmet to say goodbye to the child he loved so dearly.

What did they do to him? The question burns through her. What did they do to him that he thinks that saying goodbye to his child eye-to-eye is a transgression?

She frowns, knowing damn well what they’d done to him. She’d watched them write the book. The transgressions are hers, not his. She wonders if he would kill her if she told him everything. That she’d thrown in with the people who had stolen him and made his existence a living hell. She figures the chances on that are pretty good. She can’t blame him in the least.

So she stands here instead, at the side of a man who is so broken he dare not take the armor off for fear he’ll crumble apart at the seams, and offers to teach him how to swim.

A pitiful reparation for sure, but better than nothing.

“Lesson number one,” she begins, “is to seal your helmet before you even get wet. Don’t just panic and dive in. The two seconds it takes to pressurize first is worth it.”

Din nods his understanding and taps the side of his helmet. The thunk of the gasket closing around his neck and whistle of pressurization are followed by the harsh whoosh of his breaths though the oxygen exchangers. The components sound good. Solid. She had also noticed the kid’s chainmail, earlier. Whoever had built Din’s helmet and the kid’s shirt may have been a cultist holdover, but they’d been a damned good armorer.

Bo points to the water before them. “The drop-off is sharp. It’s three meters deep here.” She points a little to the right. “But that’s a gavel bar right there. Only about a meter and a half deep. See it?”

Din shakes his head. “My gear isn’t equipped for getting readings through water.” His voice is clear through the com interlink in her helmet, but she’s still not quite sure she’s heard him right.

Bo turns to look at him. “What?”

He shrugs. “All of my prior work was on arid planets. Bounties don’t come to lake country to hide out.”

She retracts her prior opinion of his armorer. They may have been skilled, but they had certainly skimped on certain tech. Again, only giving Din what he’d needed to serve their purposes. “We’ll fix that later, then. Just keep the depth difference in mind. Show me what we talked about for treading water.”

He brings his arms up and makes the sweeping motions she’d shown him earlier, moving as if he’s gathering the air around him and pushing it down. “This and the scissors kick.”

“That’s right,” she says. Then she looks back out over the water. “Lesson number two. Always be ready to fall in when you least expect it.”

Her service droid had been standing behind them, silent and motionless until now. It steps forward, and before Din has any idea what’s going on, it knocks him forward. Din lets out a startled “Oop!” flails, splashes into the water, and sinks like a rock.

Grogu pipes up with a whine. He’s not startled. In fact, he’d probably seen that coming a kilometer away, but he gives Bo the biggest, saddest eyes she’s ever seen.

“He’s okay,” she says with half a smile. She wonders if he can sense it through the beskar. “I had him seal his helmet, remember?”

The kid grunts and points out to the water, which is bubbling and boiling with the thrashing Mandalorian submerged beneath.

“Go to the gravel bar,” Bo says, hoping Din can still hear her over the com through his panic. The water stills, then eddies around Din’s armored form as he clambers up onto higher ground and breaks the surface. The oxygen exchangers are still whooshing away and he’s not coughing or choking. So far so good.

“That wasn’t funny.”

“Wasn’t supposed to be. So next time you fall in, what’s the first thing you’ll do?”

“Get to the shallows.”

“Good. Now walk out a little deeper and practice the arm tread.”

He does as he’s told, but shakes his head after a few moments. “I don’t think it’s working.”

“Close your fingers together and cup your hands. Like you’re scooping the water down.”

His helmet tilts as he figures it out. “Oh. Okay. Yeah. Got it.” He rocks to and fro a few times, learning how to push through the water to move himself around. He figures out how to flare his arms so he can push himself up, noticing little bobs of buoyancy with every sweep. At the same time, he notices how the vambraces drag. Sharp surfaces that he’s learned how to use to control his pitch and roll in the air with the jetpack now create resistance in the much denser water, hindering his movement. He rolls his forearms to compensate, but he has to over-rotate his wrists to compensate for that. It feels unnatural, but he’ll have to get used to it. Just like he’s learned to get used to everything else that comes with the armor.

“Ready to get back in over your head?” Bo’s tone is encouraging. He looks up and sees Grogu next to her in his pod, scooted all the way forward and gripping the edge, ears up, eyes wide, ever vigilant.

He’ll have to kick with his legs – he’s not strong enough with his arms to stay afloat. Not with the armor, anyway. He understands now how it’s more than just about the weight pulling him down. The shapes that protect and allow ventilation on the surface pull and drag in the water. Bo’s armor is more streamlined, probably less of a hinderance, more adapted for life on Kalevala with its vast oceans. But the tradeoff is evident. He remembers how well his plate had served in their battle against the Imps when they stole the freighter on Trask, better able to stand up to a full assault than what the Nite Owls had worn.

He's paying the price for it now, though. He steps off the ledge of the gravel bar and sinks before he can even begin to kick. He’s ready for it this time, though, trusting the exchangers in his helmet, keeping his breathing even. His feet hit the sea floor, the water’s surface a bit more than a meter above his head. He pushes off, just enough to get his arms going again and try the scissors kick. The plates on his thighs drag this time, and it takes him a few moments to figure out how to compensate – shifting his body from a straight vertical line to more of a sitting position, bringing his knees up and then kicking down, using the plates to scoop down with them. It’s awkward, but it works, and he eventually makes his way back up, breaking the surface and holding position.

Bo stands on the shoreline, head tilted, arms crossed over her chest. She notes his breathing – heavy but steady, his motions becoming more fluid as he gets the hang of it. “Not bad,” she says.

“What now?”

“Keep going.” She checks the time on her HUD. “Aim for ten minutes.”

“Huh… okay…” His tone suggests that it’ll be a challenge, but he can probably manage it.

“Keep it up for twenty and I’ll make you and your kid some more of that pog soup.”

“Aaaahhhrrrgh…”

“Batu!”

Din makes it the full twenty before he promptly sinks to the sea floor, crawls up the gravel bar, and hauls himself back up onto shore, flopping face-down in the grass and panting.

---

Lucky for Din, Bo had used the twenty minutes of tread time to gather wood for a fire and get it going, sending the droid back to the castle for a fresh set of clothes. Now, he sits by the fire, wearing Bo’s father’s old under-armor gear. The sleeves are short on him and the pants stop a bit above his ankles, but everything is more than roomy. The important thing is that they’re dry, and he watches his own clothes and armor steam on rocks warmed by the fire as he sips soup through a straw. A dull, metallic clunk beats through the breeze as Bo stirs her own soup before taking a drink, her helmet on the ground beside her.

Grogu takes a gulp out of his cup, then lets out a belch.

“Mind your manners,” Din says. His tone is mildly scolding, but gentle.

“Tuu-uu tuu.”

Din sighs. “Close enough.”

Bo smiles at the kid, and Din sees the warmth behind it. So far, she’s been the only person other than Ahsoka and Skywalker to talk to him like he understands what she’s saying. Like he’s a child, not just a baby. Indeed, she had been the one to send him in Ahsoka’s direction in the first place. He takes another sip, savors the warm, kelpy, brininess in his mouth for a bit, then swallows. “How do you know Ahsoka Tano?”

The smile drops from Bo’s face. “Long story.”

Whoops. “I’m… sorry. I thought you were friends.”

The ice thaws a little. “We are… strong allies. Made necessary under adverse circumstances.”

“A story for another day, then.”

“Maybe.”

Din knows a Keep Out sign when he sees one, so he steps clear. “Have you had any contact with her lately?”

Bo raises an eyebrow. “Why do you ask?”

“I just… the last time I saw her was at Skywalker’s school. She seemed concerned about Grogu’s attachment to me. It’s why she wouldn’t train him in the first place. Now that he’s back with me, I’d like to understand it better. Why she seems to think it’s a bad thing.”

“Is his attachment to you reciprocated?” The set of her brow is calculated, now. Searching.

Grogu squeaks as his head swivels up to look at Din. “Eh?”

Still, the silence lasts longer than Bo expects before Din finally answers. “Of course.” His tone is low, warning.

“Have you spoken the gai bal manda to him yet?”

“The what?”

Bo heaves a sigh and Din catches the sight of rolling eyes before she turns her head away from him. “The Mandalorian adoption vow. The ancient tradition of recognizing your foundling as your own child. Your cult never taught you that?”

Again, another squeak from the kid.

Again, a lengthy bout of silence before Din answers. “… No. I was raised in the-”

“The Fighting Corps, yes, I know.” Bo turns to face him again, and her eyes are as hard as her voice. The words almost shake as she cuts him off. “Din, haven’t you figured this out, yet?”

“Figured what out?”

“Haven’t you wondered why you don’t know anything about Mandalore? Why you didn’t know anything about the Darksaber? Why you didn’t know about other kinds of Mandalorians? You’d never even had pog soup! What else haven’t you had? Have you ever had shig tea? Tiingilar? Ne’tra gal? Have you ever seen the art of Veraslayn Kast? Alrich Wren?”

Silence.

“Didn’t you ever wonder why they kept you on Concordia? Why they never let you set foot on Mandalore before the Purge?”

“We were cloistered-”

“We were exiled, Din. Death Watch was banished to that moon because we nearly destroyed Mandalore in the wars before that.” Bo is almost shouting now, voice raised, eyes shining.

Din cants his head with a very slow tilt. “What do you mean, we?”

“I was part of it,” she admits, the tremor returning to her voice. “I thought war was a better measure of strength than civilized society so I joined Death Watch and I waged war on my own family and I got thrown to that moon with the rest of them and we deserved it. They had to dome Mandalore’s cities because we destroyed the rest of the planet with warfare. Why do you think the Empire’s fusion bombs turned the surface to glass? Because we’d already turned it to sand decades before! And we never bothered to teach you any history because we didn’t want you to know you were growing up on the wrong side!”

Unable to look him in the visor any longer, she turns back to the fire. Grogu, finished with his soup and sensing the tension, crawls into Din’s lap. Din picks up his cloak and wraps it around the little boy, who snuggles into it against the chill of the oncoming evening.

Bo pokes at the fire and the flames perk up a bit, radiating more warmth. “I left, eventually.” Her tone is quiet, now. Sad. “But it was too late. My sister led the pacifist government on Mandalore until Death Watch imprisoned her. I tried to save her but I was too late. I lost everything.” She turns her head back to Din, looks him in the visor, looks the kid in the eye, back up to the visor, then back to the fire. “I recommend you get out, too. Before the same thing happens to you.”

The silence is much shorter before Din responds, this time. “Our secrecy was our survival. We survived on Concordia because we were hidden. We survived out in the galaxy because our Way prepared us for harsh conditions-”

“Oh stop with the empty platitudes,” Bo says, her face twisting with disgust. “You survived on Concordia because the Empire wanted to leave witnesses to see what they’d done to Mandalore. They left you to spread the cautionary tales of what happens to anyone who crosses them. And you weren’t exactly thriving when we hauled you out of the mamacore tank on Trask.” She gives the fire another poke, lips pressed into a tight, thin line. “The thing that really gets me, is that I saw you take your helmet off to say goodbye to your kid. You gave us hell for removing ours, but when it came down between your Creed and showing your love for your kid, you chose love. And now you desecrate that love by calling it a transgression! You drowned yourself trying to wash away the sin of showing love to your child and you have no idea how stupid that is!”

Din is very still, but his breathing is labored enough that she can hear it through his modulator. It looks like he’s staring into the fire, but she can’t really tell. She’s pushed him about as far as she dares, but she wants to know one more thing. “Why are you so eager to go back to them? Why are you so eager to go back to people who taught you these things?”

Another bout of silence. Just when she thinks he won’t bother responding, he pulls in a breath.

“… They saved me. My parents were killed when Separatists attacked my village, and the Mandalorians saved me. They raised me as one of their own.”

Oh dear gods he really doesn’t know.

And she can’t tell him. Not right now. She doesn’t dare. She can’t tell him the truth. But she won’t lie to him. She can leave him a trail. A path out, if he chooses to take it.

“When are you going back?”

“As soon as I leave here.”

“They’ll take you back now that you’ve redeemed yourself?”

“Yes.”

“And then what? Back to bounty hunting? Hide in caves and sewers for the rest of your lives? Live happily ever after while they take your kid away and put him in the Fighting Corps? Are you really going to let them seal him up in a helmet? Jam his ears under the bucket? You’re telling me you’re okay with never seeing those big brown eyes again? You’re okay with never showing your face to him again? Are you okay with these things because that’s what you’re used to and you just don’t know any better? Have you really thought this all the way through?”

He turns his head, just a little, away, out toward the sea. She knows he won’t give her an answer. He can’t give what he doesn’t have.

“Do yourself one favor,” she says, before he disengages entirely. “You saw the remains of Sundari. Even you recognized that it was once beautiful. When you go back, ask your Armorer why they had to dome the city. If they lie to you, maybe reconsider your choices. If not for your sake, at least for the sake of your kid.”

Din is still for a few more moments. Then, he heaves a perfunctory sigh, hauls himself to his feet, gets the kid settled in his pod, gathers up all his weapons and armor into a bundle with his cloak, and plucks his almost-dry clothes from the rocks and slings them over his shoulder.

“Thanks for the soup,” he says, and he turns and trudges back up the hill to his ship.

A few minutes later, the N-1 slips by through the clouds. Din Djarin, the man who just today learned how to tread water, flying a ship built on a world covered with oceans, a ship modeled after the rays that live in those waters. He’s still drowning. She’s saved his life at least three times now, but she’ll keep saving him. She’ll save him and his kid every chance she gets.

Because she has her own transgressions. Transgressions that can never be forgiven. Ameliorated, maybe, but not by ritual. Only in deed. Only in action. She spreads the coals out, letting the incoming drizzle extinguish the fire.

“Did you put the tracker on his ship?” she asks the droid.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Good.” Her eyes follow the N-1’s vapor trail out over the sea. “With any luck, he won’t get himself killed before I can get to him.”

Lifeguarding is more than just swim lessons.

[argowrites]

Love and Legacy, Chapter 8!

As the two of them watched Heimerdinger leave, Jayce looked ready to kick him across the room. Viktor couldn’t argue with the sentiment, but he turned into Jayce, putting a soft hand on his arm. Jayce sighed and shook his head, slumping and pulling Viktor against him. The fight had left him. Oddly, he seemed more upset than Viktor was, but then again, Jayce had always had a blinder faith in Heimerdinger.

“We can keep going,” Viktor said softly once Heimerdinger was gone. “Mel will back us up and you’re a councilor now. That’s two votes. Councilor Kiramman—”

“Do you know anyone in the Undercity who will let you stay with them?” Jayce asked, pulling away, face closed.

“What?”

“Anyone below. Ekko maybe?” Jayce said, now gathering the maelstrom of Viktor’s notes.

“Ekko won’t—"

“Or…can you rent something? How does that work?”

“I don’t…what are you talking about?” Viktor asked, shaking his head.

“Anyone you can stay with, V?”

“A...yes, perhaps, but I have not spoken to him in—Jayce, what are you suggesting?” Viktor said, reaching for him.

“Okay, good,” Jayce said, still focused on their notes. “We’ll hide you and the Hexcore there.”

Viktor’s thoughts screeched to a halt. He withdrew his hand. Jayce glanced at him nervously before continuing.

“Just for, um, well, until I know he won’t destroy it, okay? I’ll visit. Can I visit? How—”

“Jayce, this is not the…best idea. My…contact in the Undercity is not someone who should be allowed unlimited contact with the Hexcore.”

Jayce whirled around to face him. He put both hands on his shoulders and hazel eyes swimming in raw, painful grief met Viktor’s wide, golden ones.

“I can’t lose you,” Jayce said in a raw voice. “If this is the only way, the Hexcore, I would…I don’t know. Do anything. Risk…a hell of a lot. Maybe everything. Probably everything. If it meant saving you.”

Viktor nodded and covered one of Jayce’s hands with his own. He understood. The worst part of him would burn Piltover and Zaun and hand Singed everything he needed to fix him if he thought it would work, thought it would give him more time for work and Jayce. He thought of Rio as she had been and as she was now, but maybe he had no other choice. He had kept the doctor at arm’s length before. He could do it again. Besides, he’d already been planning to ask him for advice, without the Hexcore. Maybe it would be fine.

Act IV of my Viktor Quartet

Fandom: Arcane: League of Legends

Rating: Mature

Chapters: 8/?

Characters: Viktor, Singed, Silco, Jinx, Ekko, Jayce, Mel, Heimerdinger, Caitlyn, Vi

Relationships: Jayce/Viktor, Jayce/Mel, Jayce/Mel/Viktor, Singed & Viktor, Silco & Viktor, Jinx & Viktor, Ekko & Viktor, Jayce & Caitlyn, Silco & Jinx, Minor Cait/Vi

Additional Tags: Angst, Viktor-centric, Author knows a little about League lore, Divorce Era (but short)

Next Time: Jayce is bad at politics!

[polarisgreenley]

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Chapter 23: Anemone

Summary: A little finding in the Undercroft, and it's a twin birthday (11/11).

Floriography: Healing & Sickness

Full Chapter: [AO3]//7.1k words

Excerpt Below:

Sebastian sneezed. “We really need to dust down here.”

“You’re a wizard, cast a scourgify,” quipped Ominis.

“Why don’t you do it? You always complain mine’s not as good as yours,” countered Sebastian, his eyes now lifted from his book.

“Because I’m busy, Sebastian.” Ominis lifted his pestle. “And you are interrupting.”

Artemis brought her attention back from the incredibly distracting pool of ancient magic. Ominis had managed to crush the dittany into fine granules after four bowls before the genius epiphany of placing a sticking charm on the mortar came to be. Sebastian had come down at the start of the third bowl, and much to Ominis’ chagrin, decided to stay.

“This looks good, Ominis. Now, stick your fingers in so you can feel the texture.”

Ominis perked up slightly as his porcelain smooth fingers slipped into the dittany.

“Did you stick your fingers into dittany when you learned?”

“Still do sometimes,” hummed Artemis. “Guilty pleasure.”

Sebastian chuckled as he flipped a page, and Ominis even smiled small. They’d poured the varied dittanies into their separate jars; she’d crush the other three thoroughly later. They could prepare for the brewing next session.

Ominis leaned just close enough to whisper. “I’ll be back in an hour.”

“Okay, have fun.”

Ominis huffed a quiet laugh. “As much as one could.”

Artemis watched as Ominis exited and the gate fell with a clang.

Sebastian piped up. “He’s gone to wrap our presents, hasn’t he.”

“Maybe he wanted to chat with the mermaids,” said Artemis.

Ominis was, in fact, going to wrap Sebastian and Anne’s presents. She was on distraction duty, and frankly, it was a blessing in disguise.

“Uh-huh, right,” said Sebastian sarcastically as he closed the book. “But I’ll take it. Now that he’s shown you the Undercroft, we can talk freely without any ears on us. About ancient magic, and where you actually were on Halloween.”

“I was in Hogsmeade.”

“Really. Fig wasn’t pulling my leg?”

“Yes. But… not to study ruins.”

“Go on.”

She bit her inner cheek. She didn’t know how Sebastian would react about Lodgok and that whole debacle, but she had to give him something. He already knew about the ancient magic – it wouldn’t hurt for him to know.

“Ominis wasn’t wrong; I was ill. Just not with a sickness. Being in Hogwarts on Halloween was making me sick.”

“What does that even – wait. Don’t tell me. Let me think…” trailed off Sebastian.

His warm chocolate eyes pierced through her as she could see the gears shift in his mind. His fingers drummed on the book spine. He paced in front of her, back and forth like a pendulum, and sometimes she would catch little flickers of the ancient magic lick his ankles.

Sebastian slowly touched his finger on her hand. “Your hand’s still cold.”

“I suppose.”

“And you hardly reacted when Nearly Headless Nick strolled through your arm yesterday.”

“I…suppose?”

“You didn’t take Garreth’s poisons, did you?” Sebastian asked with an eyebrow raised.

Artemis blinked twice. “No!”

“Hey, just had to get that option out of the way,” said Sebastian with his hands up.

The momentary easy smile slipped as he again paced. His eyes danced with curiosity, but they had limited time that they’d be alone in the Undercroft; she had a long way to go before she could set foot inside without an obvious Calming Draught and Ominis.

“I could offer a different mystery, if you wanted to think on that one for a while?”

“Sure, I’ll get back to you with an answer later,” said Sebastian. “Good mystery?”

“I see ancient magic here.”

Sebastian full on stopped with his eyes widened. “WHAT?!”

Artemis pointed toward the arcane blue puddle. “There, specifically.”

“Since when!”

“Since Ominis showed me last week. But I couldn’t very well do anything… plus, I wanted you here.”

Sebastian stopped his wild gesticulation before he straightened up. The warm chocolate browns now danced with excitement as the firelight from the candelabras reflected along the lens.

“Oh.” He cleared his throat with an easy smile. “Well, here I am. Come on! Let’s find out what it is. It can’t be a statue at least; the ceiling’s too low.”

Artemis chuckled. “Small comfort, that.”

“Can I stand with you? When you do your –” Sebastian gestured. “– thing?”

“Of course.”

The closer she got, the arcane magic welcomed her as it seeped through her ankles and calves.

“Huh, that’s odd.”

“Feel something?”

“Yeah, like taking a dip in the ocean.”

“Hm, not inaccurate. It’s bubbling around our ankles. Just, uh, here, hold on,” said Artemis as she offered her left arm. “When I do this, there’s usually a burst.”

“Aren’t I supposed to be the one offering?” Sebastian offered his right arm with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes with a smile. “Semantics.”

She slipped her hand easily through his arm, resting on the crook of his elbow, and lifted the pool of magic.

The arcane magic sung as it rushed toward a blank wall. Sebastian whipped out his wand as he stepped closer to her, hardly any room between them as both their wands pointed at the shifting wall. The bricks pulled back and apart by the arcane tendrils, and soon revealed a large, brown triptych in the centre of a small alcove.

“Well, that’s new,” offered Artemis.

“You don’t say,” deadpanned Sebastian. “Come on, let’s check it out.”

She didn’t let go, nor he didn’t comment. Their steps fell in stride as they approached the strange alcove, and with a look, she slowly slipped her hand out of his arm and opened the triptych. Most of the canvases were missing; only the left frame’s depicted some sort of hillside mine, and a yellowed envelope with a royal purple anemone wax seal was pressed into the middle frame.

Artemis opened the envelope, and first pulled up a note with a collection of runic symbols drawn with more middle English.

“These look like those buttons down in the Restricted Section, don’t they?” Artemis asked as she passed the note to Sebastian.

Sebastian accepted the parchment as he stood just behind her, his right shoulder just behind her left.

“Huh. It is. Well, we already knew it’s ancient magic related, so this isn’t exactly new information. What else in that envelope?”

“A letter. Hold on,” said Artemis as she pulled out the letter – thankfully, not middle English – and read aloud:

“If this note has been found, that means Liz had done her part of the bargain.

Welcome to my sanctuary. I am Isidora Morganach, and like you, I can see and wield ancient magic.

Sebastian, this is… Isidora made the Undercroft.”

Sebastian whistled low. “Damn. What’s the bet that this Liz is Ominis’ ancestor?”

“I’m not giving you easy money, Sebastian,” tutted Artemis before she continued.

“You have also likely spoken to the Keepers – have been told of how ancient magic works to manipulate the physical world. How it can be used to transfigure the earth, to reinvigorate the land and call forth tempests. Useful of course, but limited.

I am here to tell you that that is not all that it can do. It can do so much more.

This magic can heal people. Heal them in ways no ordinary healing spell...can…”

“Artie… Artie.”

The amount of hope in Sebastian’s voice was shattering. His hands enveloped her shoulders as he shook them in excitement. She couldn’t blame him; her own grip tightened on the parchment.

This could help Henry. If she could figure this out… there was a chance he could walk again. She wasn’t going to let that chance go.

“Wait, there’s more.

This magic is complex, and I did not have the luxury of time nor the resources as desired for this research. I have left a path for you, so that you may learn what I’ve done. I’m loathed to think the Keepers would train you outside of what they deem as ‘proper’. Each location will have a canvas for you to place –”

“– Damn, she’s giving you trials as well? What is it with these people and trials,” grumbled Sebastian as he peered over her shoulder. His hands were still glued onto her. “Are the Keepers teaching you anything?”

She nodded. “Well, it’s a bit slow, and they are focused on honing what I already know. So, Isidora is right in that regard. Let’s see…

Each location will have a canvas piece for you to place, as well as a few of my tomes and journals. I hope that, like me, you will find and develop this new way of using ancient magic for the betterment of people.

Isidora”

A pause befell on them as they digested the information. Sebastian let her go as he paced, though this time his eyes danced with glimmers of hope.

“Artie, this – if Healer Gavin’s consult and everything comes back bad then – then you. You could help Anne,” said Sebastian elatedly.

She could help Henry. Anne as well, of course, but Henry. She took in a deep breath; it wasn’t good to rush to conclusions, not without evidence.

“We’ll need to learn how much she developed this. Then, see how much more work needs to be done to perfect it,” started Artemis carefully before her gaze met his. “But we’ll do it together.”

Sebastian beamed. “Yes, yes we will. I suppose the first place we’d need to look for is where this place is.”

He tapped on the canvas piece.

“I’m not much help there I’m afraid,” sighed Artemis. “I don’t get out of the castle as much as people seem to think.”

“Let me research it – lived in these parts for a long time.”

She bit her inner cheek. This was something a different angle on ancient magic, one that only she and Sebastian knew. She wanted to go with him, but…  

“Alright but, please, be careful,” said Artemis.

She needed to trust he’d be okay.

“When am I not – no, don’t answer that,” Sebastian cut himself off as Artemis looked pointedly. “Don’t you worry. I’ll be back in no time to translate more of that pesky Middle English.”

“Appreciated.” She looked up at the triptych. “How are we going to explain this to Ominis?”

“Explain what?”

Artemis gestured. “The fact that a whole wall just transfigured itself and a triptych appeared? In the one hour he stepped out?”

Sebastian looked back at the triptych, then back at her with a confident smile.

“Leave it to me.”

[3xm-draconic]

Bloodline of the Last Dragon.

Season 1/Episode 5: On the Road Again.

As Mattilda sat and watched the forest for dangers she thought more about her new life in Falkreath, she knew her uncle's friends from her childhood but hadn’t seen them in years…she wondered if they still remembered her?

A twig snapping drew her attention to a man walking out of the woods, a dunmer man in strange red armor “hello succulent little morsel” he cooed, she tried to cry out for Cicero but the man moved so fast to cover her mouth it was unnatural, then she saw his gleaming orange eyes, vampire's eyes.

“Mmm what a delicious meal you’ll make” he looked her up and down “and a cute little thrall too”, he moved to bite her…

Mattilda shoved him and with quick reflexes of her own she used both hands balled into fists to punch into his chest, sending him skidding backwards. She then took a strong defensive stance as she called out to Cicero.

The vampire gawked at her, eyeing her strange movements, his thralls who were waiting in the treeline moved forward one was a burly orc the other a slim argonian “Get Them!” he commanded.

Before the orc even knew what had hit him Mattilda’s foot had slammed into his jaw with a devastating kick that rounded back to the argonian and swiped her off her feet, the orc however was tougher than that and quickly recovered as he lunged for Mattilda.

She twisted and flipped, divided and dogged like a winding striking serpent, her fists and feet occasionally making heavy bone-crunching blows against the orc.

Cicero hearing the commotion got up and like a strike of lightning whent straight after the vampire master, his ebony dagger slashing this way and that like a deadly whirlwind.

With her magicka regarded Mattilda shot twin jets of flame at the orc and the argonian, cutting them down in a torrent of blazing arcane power. Cicero dashed and got behind the vampire, he crouched low then suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder and thrusted his blade upwards into his chest…the vampire gurgled on his own blood before falling to the earth, dead as a doornail.

“CICERO!” she called out “are you ok? You weren't bit or scratched were you?” she ran over to him as he flopped onto the ground wheezing. “Oooh that was quite a wake up call” he chuckled, he looked at himself and found no bites or slashes “Cicero is fine, no vampirism for me!” he squeaked.

As she helped him up Cicero studied her “what was that Cicero saw you do?” he pondered, Mattilda chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck “oh it’s nothing just some self defense stuff my father taught me”, Cicero eyed her “that was pretty amazing” he chuckled.

With the attack on camp over with Cicero offered to take watch next so that Mattilda could get some rest “I’ll make a great breakfast to make up for the night we’ve had” she chuckled as she wished him goodnight.

Cicero took out his dagger and found a thick stick on the ground, he started to whittle at it as he thought about what to do…

“Mattilda is a capable fighter afterall, hmmm…” he pondered “Cicero doesn't want to kill her, she is so kind to him and so helpful…but smart…very smart. She knows Cicero is making oils for mother…it most certainly will be only a matter of time till she discovers who I really am…” he whittled at the stick more aggressively “perhaps I can slit her throat while she sleeps the next time we make camp?...but I still need her help getting my mother home…”

Cicero paused “but…maybe I don’t have to kill her…she said she was going into Falkreath’s main city…perhaps I can lose her there?”

The dawn slowly came and as promised Mattilda cooked Cicero a breakfast of eggs she had gathered from a nearby pine thrush's nest, grilled mushrooms, strips of salted boar, toasted bread slices and some jazbay jam to share from a jar in her pack.

They hopped back on the wagon and continued their travels…

“Hey Cicero” Mattilda turned to him with a bright smile “when I get settled in Falkreath would you like to go out with me?” Mattilda said with a slight crack in her voice.

She had never asked anyone out before, dating in Skyrim was hard so most people usually wore Amulets of Mara around themselves to indicated that the wanted a partner, Mattilda had no amulet…and she wasn’t exactly reddy to say “I wanna be married”

Cicero pondered for a moment, he would have to get the Night Mother settled in first and greet his new family…but…if he had time to spare he would not mind spending time with Mattilda again, her laugh was so unique.

Falkreath lumbered into view, a city buried amongst the forest, full of cozy homes and lumber mills, the great graveyard awaited ahead.

“Would you like me to help you move her?” Mattilda asked him as she marveled at the city, “OH!” Cicero started to panic “No, No! It’s fine I got her, my family here in Falkreath will help me” he did not want Mattilda to be hurt by the brotherhood…he liked having a friend like her.

“So where is your house?”, Cicero had to make something up “we…live in a small home outside the city, it’s a nice little home but it’s a little hidden, you can’t find it easily” he chuckled nervously.

They stopped by a home on the edge of the graveyard, outside of it a burly snow leopard-looking Khajiit was in a rocking chair puffing on a pipe, “Mau’Mau!” Mattilda chirped happily as she leapt from the cart and ran up to the Khajiit. Mau’Mau opened her one good sickly yellow eye and grinned “ah, little sugarbean is all grown up I see, not so little anymore hu?” she raspely purred.

A slim black panther-looking Khajiit woman appeared in the doorway, “SUGARBEAN!” she cried as she embraced Mattilda, “hey Kit’Tay” Mattilda hummed happily.

Mattilda was so excited to see her old family friends that she didn’t even notice Cicero and his cart had slipped away from the crowded city…

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(Falkreath Sanctuary)

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“WE WERE DETAINED, DELAYED!” Cicero wined hoping Astrid would understand…but the bitch had such a big stick shoved so far up her ass Cicero was suprised it didn’t sick out her yapping gob.

“You were supposed to be here 2 days ago” she mumbled, “but-”, “whatever, you and the Night Mother are welcomed to stay here BUT I am in charge” she hissed, “oh yes mistress your the boss!” Cicero nodded “for now” he hushly growled under his breath.

Adjusting to life in the sanctuary was going to be rough…nobody seemed to like him.

Sure Festus Crex respected him…but he didn’t like him, and the rest of them seemed to be the same say for Astrid and her sheepdog husband, they outright mocked him…

Cicero hated this…he wanted a family he wanted the brotherhood…but they are not it…

However…

With him only needing to tend to the Night Mother every so often ment he had a lot of free time on his hands…and Mattilda did ask him to join her for dinner…

“So how are you doing?” Mattilda asked him as they walked to The Dead Man's Drink tavern, “oh well Cicero’s family here in Skyrim haven't seen him in a long time so they need to get used to me…and I to them…” he grumbled, “oh…” Mattilda gazed at him sadly “I’am…not doing too hot either actually” she admitted.

“Oh? What troubles you fair Mattilda?” he pondered as they sat down on a corner table away from everyone else, “well…” she glanced around “can you keep a secret?”, Cicero nodded vigorously.

Mattilda sighed “I’am thinking of going out and gathering supplies so that I can join the college of Winterhold…and by gathering I really mean…” she leaned in “pilfering them from some of the local illegal magic practitioners that live in Falkreath”.

“So you’ll be stealing them?” Cicero pondered, “well…kinda?” she shrugged “I’ll be taking stuff from evil mages, there are a lot of necromancers and warlocks out here so taking magical items from them”.

Cicero cocked his head “what made you wanna be a mage in the first place, Nords seem to hate the stuff”, she frowned “well…”

Mattilda looked at Cicero, if she was trusting him with her plans on becoming an adventure behind the backs of her caretakers…she could trust him with the truth.

“I want to become a powerful enough mage to scour the realms of oblivion and beyond…I lost an important piece of my life” she sighed, “ooh what are you looking for?” Cicero curiously gazed into her silvery-blue eyes, she sucked in a deep breath…

“My Mother”.

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