#maybe he keeps the pendant in part as a memory of her

[magicalqueennightmare]

Not Exactly Lying

Butcher pushes about what exactly happened when he left you to watch after Ben....uh Soldier Boy (Reminder that reader has a nickname/supe name of Blaze due to her power being pyrokinesis)

Part 2 to Not Exactly Babysitting

Cursing, Violence, Alcohol Consumption, lewd acts, NSFW, angry sex, angst (I think that's all)

You were having a hard time keeping up with the news where Annie and Ben were concerned. Every other channel had something containing Starlight or Soldier Boy. You were just trying to stay off the radar. You would text Kimiko or Frenchie when they checked in with you but besides that you hadn't had much contact with any of the boys. Well Butcher had called quite a few times but you always managed to dodge his calls.

You'd been hotel hopping, paying in cash and staying anywhere you could for the simple fact Homelander knew you ran with the boys if he got it into his head that you could be used against any of them? Well you weren't taking the chance. You were supposed to meet Maeve for a drop of cash, she'd been helping you but when she texted instead to tell you she'd dropped the envelope off with Butcher at the office you almost decided to take your chances getting money out of the bank instead.

You walked up the stairs slowly, praying that maybe anyone else would be there also. You would kill to see MM or Frenchie hell even Hughie who you knew would never do anything besides listen to Butcher. You stopped just outside the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open. There was two lamps on so the room was mainly in shadows, Butcher was sitting on the leather couch in front of one of the tall windows working on a bottle of bourbon.

No one else was in the room and you felt your stomach knot. He glanced up at you and half smiled "Hello Luv. I'm guessing you're here for what Maeve dropped off?" You nodded, walking past the empty desks to come to stand in front of him "You, Annie and Ben are making headlines. I don't need that asshole deciding I'm worth going after again" he cut his eyes up at your words. The metal of the pendant he wore was a stark contrast to the black button up shirt he had on.

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Your eyes flicked down to his chest, taking in the expanse of chest that was visible. Butcher was a lot of things, unattractive was not one of them. "Ben, huh?" You realized your slip up but shrugged nonchalantly "Him and Annie both kind of have Homelander staying on his toes" he nodded, raising his eyes to meet yours "I never did ask how you and him passed the time when I got you to watch after him"

You refused to let yourself squirm under his harsh gaze, you'd faced worse than an interrogation by Billy Butcher. His hazel eyes studied your face and you knew he was looking for the slightest of slip as to if you were lying to him. You reached for his glass which he let you take, quickly downing the rest of the bourbon. "I read a few books, he watched a few movies. We went through like six takeout place menus and then I took the bed and he took the couch"

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He nodded before standing up. You tracked his movements the entire time, stepping back a half step to give a bit of room between the two of you. The height difference and the way your stomach flipped at the look in his eyes made an entirely different face flash through your memory. "Can I ask one thing then Blaze" you raised an eye at him calling you Blaze instead of your name or a simple Luv or sweetheart. "Ask Butch"

He took a step towards you and you forced your feet to remain in place. You weren't in any actual danger from Billy, you knew that for a fact. He was standing over you, your faces mere inches from each other as he asked "Why was there scorch marks on the bed?"

You knew your features were schooled but your mind raced. Damn Ben had promised he'd make a believable lie. "Don't know, must have had a nightmare" he nodded "That's what he said too" you shrugged "See? So what's your issue here Billy? What's the attitude and the whole sitting in a darkened room waiting on me to show up?" He took a deep breath "Did he hurt you?"

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You felt yourself deflate, the anger you'd felt building quickly dissolved. That was why he'd called you so much, why he had others checking in so much. You shook your head "No Billy. Ben didn't hurt me" He nodded slowly "Did ya fuck that cunt?" Damn, that anger of yours managed to flare right back up in that instant "What?"

He took another step towards you, close enough you weren't sure if the bourbon you tasted was on your own tongue or if it was from his breath. You felt your power threaten to flow out and it took everything in you to reign it in as you said "So let me get this straight, you haven't sought me out face to face in weeks then you sit here all melodramatic and acting like you care if I'd been hurt just to in turn ask me if I fucked him?"

He gave you a slight smirk "I do care about you luv. That's why I asked if he hurt ya. But I know ya too, if ya hadn't fucked him you would've already swung on me" your hands were practically trembling with how angry you were, flames began to dance across your fingertips. "Since when is it any of your business what I do Billy? As long as I answer when you call that's all you give a damn about right?"

He grabbed your hand and you started to snatch away, despite your anger you didn't want to hurt him but the flames weren't effecting him even as they danced over his skin. Your eyes went from your hand to his face "What the fuck did you do?" "Give us an edge over Homelander. Make sure that bastard burns for what he did to Becca, what he did to you"

You snatched away from him finally, shaking your head "You took that temp v shit Annie told me about" He smiled "It works" You shoved him back with both hands on his chest, he slid backwards but not as much as he should've had he not been using that shit. He was a supe, temp or not. Never thought you'd see the day.

"That shit is experimental, you don't know what the fuck it could be doing to your insides! Billy it could fucking kill you!" The bastard had the nerve to shrug one shoulder and throw your own words back at you "Since when is it any of your business what I do?"

Without thinking you swung on him and connected a hard punch to his jaw. He stumbled just slightly and rubbed a hand over his jaw "Damn I'm glad I've never pissed you off bad enough before, would've broke my damn jaw" "I should break your fucking jaw! God dammit Butcher you know better than to fuck around with bullshit from Vought!"

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He smirked "I don't know I've been fucking around with you for a while now" you started to swing on him again but he caught your wrist. You stared him down and noticed how his eyes flicked down towards your lips, was this turning the asshole on?

"That what the issue is here isn't it Butch?" He raised an eyebrow in question so you pushed "You're not mad I fucked Ben, you could give a damn less as long as it was consensual. You're mad I fucked him and turned you down when you got back that day. You're mad that had you kissed me you would've been tasting Ben's cock" considering he still had your wrist you decided to see how far you could push him.

You used your free hand to slip around his neck, pulling him closer to you "That the problem Billy? Do you want to fuck me so bad that you'd go through all the dramatics instead of just asking for a fuck? Or are you worried I'll be comparing you to Ben, thinking about his cock while yours is inside of me"

A sinister grin slipped onto his face "Luv I'd fuck the thought of good old soldier boy right out of ya" "Don't think you're man enough for the job" you raised an eyebrow as you taunted him.

He dropped your wrist in favor of slipping an arm around your waist, pulling you to his chest "Say what you want here Blaze" you pulled him down to where your lips were almost touching "At the moment? I want you" he smirked slightly before his lips crashed against yours in a searing kiss.

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He groaned into your mouth when you tugged roughly at the hair at the back of his head, deepening the kiss. Both of his hands went to your hips pulling a gasp from you when he slipped them under your ass and easily lifted you into his arms. Billy had always been strong as hell but the temp v made it where lifting you was as easy as lifting a feather. You wrapped your legs around his waist, never breaking the kiss as he walked backwards to the couch he'd been sitting on and dropped you roughly onto the cushions.

You pulled him down with you, fumbling for the buttons on his shirt while he found the hem of yours. The two of you broke away from each other long enough for Billy to toss his shirt across the room then pull yours over your head and toss it as well. The look in his eyes darkened even more as he looked down at you, the chain around his neck dangling as he left another kiss against your lips before then across your jaw to attack your neck, kissing and biting across the sensitive skin there in a way that had your hips bucking up against his.

"Easy luv. Don't want ya screaming my name just yet" he muttered against your skin and you swallowed twice before biting back "Don't flatter yourself Butch" when his lips found your clothed breast he bit down harshly on one of them causing you to bite into your bottom lip in an effort to not make any sound yet.

He glanced up at you as he pushed the cloth down off your breast, exposing the skin to his lips. He gingerly kissed the area he'd bit maintaining eye contact with you "I know you better than that cunt ever could. I know everything you like and just how to get you off" You moved your hips impatiently "Less talking" he chuckled darkly as he kissed down your stomach stopping just shy of the waistband of your jeans.

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

He unbuttoned your jeans and tapped your hips so you would raise them off the couch far enough he could slip your jeans off along with your panties. He gave you one of those smiles you'd always hated and loved from him before he lowered his mouth to your core.

The first lick was tentative, teasing but when the bastard managed to pull a whimper from your lips he gripped your hips roughly, holding them down to the couch and effectively keeping them spread. "Easy Butch. You have supe strength" you reminded him breathlessly and his grip loosened just a bit before he attacked your clit, licking and sucking the spot that made your eyes roll back into your head.

You moaned his name as he worked you closer to that edge and damn him when that building tension finally burst and your legs began to shake he didn't slow his movements any. Before you could come down fully from one orgasm he slipped two fingers in along with his tongue and found that spot deep inside of you, curling his fingers to tease over it.

"Fuck Billy" you moaned, pleasure making your vision go soft around the edges as another orgasm washed over you. You felt flames flicker to life on your fingertips but Billy simply moved his hands from your hips to your hands, smothering the flames with his skin as he worked you through your orgasm then finally broke away from your body.

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You stared down at him feeling your entire lower half quivering from his touch "God damn you Butcher" he ran his thumbs over your hands, a slight smile slipping onto his face "You are always such a sweet talker Y/N"

You groaned flipping your hands up to grip his wrist "You want sweet talk? Get your pants off and fuck me like you mean it" he didn't say another word, simply leaned up far enough to kick his pants off then was moving back up your body to catch your lips in a rough kiss that was all teeth and tongue.

You felt his hard cock pressing against your thigh and reached down between your bodies to run your fingers across him, he broke away from your lips to bury his face into your neck "Like that luv"

You wrapped your hand around him, lining him up with your opening "Fuck me Billy" when he pushed into you a low moan escaped you both "Feel fucking amazing" he cursed as he started to roll his hips against yours, testing to see if you were ready for him to move. When your response was to wrap your legs around his waist that must have been the go ahead he needed because he pulled almost all the way out just to slam back into you.

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He gave you a few hard thrusts but when he moved his hips just right the angle meant the head of his cock had found that spot inside of you. He bit down on your neck as he groaned "There's no way you're coming again" you couldn't exactly form a coherent response so you simply moaned "Fuck, just don't stop Butch"

You were so damn close, that familiar knot began to build in your stomach and when Billy slipped a hand between you to rub tight circles onto your clit your vision went white as another orgasm washed over you.

He fucked you through that orgasm and when your head cleared you could feel that he was holding back. You reached a hand up to cup the side of his face, nails grazing his beard "Fuck me harder Billy. You know me, I'm not gonna fucking break. I want you to come"

"Tell me if it's too much?" He asked through gritted teeth and you nodded. His thrusts got harder and deeper, he hooked your legs over his arms giving himself an even better angle. You knew he was close by how his thrusts began to stutter and could feel yourself heading for another orgasm.

When he finally came, burying himself deep inside of you the feeling of him finding his release was enough to shove you over that edge a fourth time.

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He was holding his weight on his arms and your lower half to avoid crushing you as both of you worked to catch your breath. He leaned down to press another kiss to your lips before pulling out. You groaned at the loss of contact but gave yourself a few breaths before you sat up looking around for your clothes.

Billy watched you as you gathered your clothes and headed for the bathroom. You weren't expecting meaningful conversation but neither of you spoke a word.

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Once you were cleaned up and fully dressed down to your boots you walked back out of the bathroom to find Billy standing just outside the door. He had a big envelope in his hand and held it out "I care enough that I don't like the thought of someone hurting you. We may need you when this all comes to a head" You took the envelope and nodded "If Ben's certain he can burn the compound v out that asshole it would be my pleasure to be there when he dies"

He nodded and stepped closer to you "Watch your back and if you need anything call" You half smiled "Is this where I'm supposed to believe you'd answer?" A look of almost guilt passed through his eyes "Am I that bad you think I wouldn't help you if you needed it?"

You shook your head "No Billy. I just know if it comes to vengeance for Becca or helping me I come second. We all know that and have for years. I don't take it to heart Billy. It just is what it is" you kissed his cheek before turning to walk out.

You heard him call himself a cunt under his breath but kept walking. You needed a shower and some sleep.

The next night you were nearly asleep when your phone started ringing. You fumbled for it half expecting to see Frenchie or MM's caller id. When you didn't recognize the number you answered it with a cautious "Hello?"

Ben's voice hit your ears "Y/N, we need to talk" you swallowed hard "Face to face or over the phone good?" You asked and he said "Can you meet me at Butchers office?" You nodded then thought about the fact that you were on the phone "Yeah. Meet ya in twenty" then hung up

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You hadn't expected Ben to look so damn normal. He was wearing jeans, a black t-shirt under a leather jacket with boots. He was leaning against the doorway and pushed off when he saw you "Thanks for coming" you nodded then motioned at the door "I have a key if you wanna go in?" He shook his head "I found something out and it only seemed right to tell you"

You nodded "What is it?" He seemed almost nervous? Which was weird in itself. "They did a lot of experiments on me, took samples of everything. I didn't know what it was for until me, Butcher and Hughie went after Mindstorm" "ok?" You asked and he took a deep breath "He's my kid" "Who?" You started to ask but stopped dead in your tracks, the icy realization hitting you hard.

You stumbled a few steps back from him "That son of a bitch is your son?" He reached for your arm but flames flicked up it, your powers trying to protect you without you even trying "Blaze I'm not going to hurt you" you shook your head "Your kid already hurt me enough. Are you turning on Butcher? On all of us? Are you gonna go save your rapist son?"

He shook his head "Hell no. For one, I'm a man of my word, I said I'd help take him down and I will. For two, I've seen the scars of what he did to you. I'm going to kill him son or not but I wanted you to know" "Why?" You asked concentrating on snuffing the flames out on your skin as he shrugged "Just felt like I should" you nodded slowly "What now?"

"I'm headed back to the hotel I'm crashing at. Are you safe to get back to yours?" You nodded "Yeah" he reached for your arm and this time you let him. When his fingers closed around your arm he used the other hand to brush your hair back out of your face "You'll see him dead. I promise" you finally met his gaze, those green eyes holding you in place "I'll hold you to it" he almost smiled at your words "I wouldn't expect any less out of you"

@deans-spinster-witch

@what-the-hellamidoing

[dracopias-bloodbag]

Bewitched By Bloodlust | Dracopia x F! Reader

Chapter I: You'd Never Want Me To Appear

As a witch you have a duty to protect your coven, the very sisterhood that raised you. When the High Priestess tells you of a prophecy that sees the downfall of the coven as you know it approaching, you're willing to do whatever it takes to stop it. You're surprised to find out that her visions show the leader of the local Satanic Ministry at the center of it all. You're more surprised to learn that he's a vampire; and you can't help but be disgusted at the thought of a creature like him being blindly worshipped by so many innocent people. The task of slaying said vampire is bestowed upon you, and you're more than happy to take on the challenge. You've waited your whole life for an opportunity like this– for a chance to prove yourself to your coven. But what happens when that opportunity is ripped from your grasp along with your freedom, and is replaced instead by mismatched eyes you just can't get out of your head?

chapter content: 3.6k words. 18+ only, enemies to lovers, slow(ish) burn, dark romance but not anything crazy, eventual smut, slight dubcon, blood, blood drinking (duh), kidnapping, canon divergent (ghost is not a band, but the ministry still runs and operates as a functioning church), time period is undisclosed romantic era, leaning towards the victorian era

Recommended Listening:

Witch Image — Ghost

Masterlist ☽𖤐☾ Read on Ao3

The frigid night air seems to wrap itself around you, making your lungs burn as your breaths come in short, shallow bursts. If it wasn’t so cold you might even feel like you’re being suffocated as you try desperately to quiet your mind. The moonlight is the only thing illuminating your path aside from the oil lantern clutched in your shaking palm. Your other hand remains wrapped around the leather reins of your horse, gripping them tighter than usual. Clicking your tongue and tapping your heels against his sides, you gently urge the animal forward through the foggy woods. He nickers softly in response as his ears swivel back and forth, and you just know he senses your unease.

“It’s okay, we’re okay… you can do this.” You’re not entirely sure if you’re reassuring yourself or your horse, but regardless you press on trying to ignore the pit in your stomach that only seemed to grow with each passing moment.

Keep going, keep moving. You can do this… you can do this.

The words repeat in your head over and over again, but whether you want to admit it to yourself or not, the truth is you don’t know if you can do this. Your coven spent so long training you, ensuring you were ready and making sure you understood just how important your mission was. The prophecy had scared them, it scared you; and the reward they offered you if you succeeded was too great to pass up. Yet a part of you still feels ill-prepared, like maybe you are the wrong person to carry out this task– like maybe they had made a mistake.

You lift your lantern, holding it out in front of you as you try to peer through the trees, but the fog is too dense for you to see much of anything. You take a shuddering breath before glancing down at your compass.

“Travel five miles due north on horseback. Then when you’re close enough, go in on foot. Sneak into the abbey, find his quarters, then take this silver dagger and end him.”

The anxiety in your stomach threatens to boil over at the memory of the High Priestess’ words. The instructions were straightforward, almost too straightforward, as if it would be an easy task. Yet something in your gut tells you it won’t be, and at that thought your fingers find the dagger on your belt, as if trying to reassure yourself. Slowly they trail upwards to the matching silver pentacle pendant that hangs from your neck.

“This talisman will protect you. The pure silver will burn him if he touches it. So long as it is around your neck, he will not be able to bite you. You will make it out alive.”

You damn near tug the pendant off as you jump at the sound of a tree branch snapping behind you. 

You whip your head around and thrust the lantern forward as you look around wide-eyed, before your eyes land on the culprit. A barn owl chirps before swooping down to a nearby bush, talons outstretched, no doubt chasing a rat of some kind. You breathe a sigh of relief as you place a hand on your chest, feeling your heartbeat thundering wildly under your ribcage.

No vampires, just owls. No ghouls. Just rats.

You continue making your way through the forest, the chill of the night air turns your cheeks rosy and makes your eyes water. You eventually stop your horse at a stream, allowing him to take a drink while you pull out your map and trace your finger over the weathered paper as you try to figure out where you are.

Your eyes flicker between your compass and the map, and you whip your head up, looking around as you realize that you’re less than a mile from the abbey.

Less than a mile and still no ghouls? 

You had expected to run into at least one patrolling the area. But the forest is still and quiet aside from the usual sounds of the night. There were no signs of life aside from the chirping crickets in the bushes and the owls in the trees.

“C’mon boy,” You pat your horse’s neck, your fingers gently stroking over his black coat to encourage him. “Let’s get this over with.”

You guide him across the stream, through thick brush, under the looming trees, and it's not even five minutes later when you spot the steeple of the abbey in the distance. Taking a shuddering breath you try to harden your resolve.

That’s when you hear it… a low growl coming from the treeline to your right. Your horse reacts almost instantly, anxiously shifting and tossing his head. You pull back on the reins, trying to get him to stop.

Chill out, chill out, chill the fuck out, you’ll only make it worse. You tell yourself.

You shove your lantern forward again, your eyes narrowed as you attempt to glare through the thick brush.

“Who’s there?” Fuck, you meant it to sound confident– but your voice cracks– a dead giveaway to how you truly feel. Petrified– like a child that’s terrified of the imaginary monster in their closet.

Only as you hear a snap from your other side, the devastating realization that this is no figment of your imagination washes over you. You whirl around and peer through the darkness, and then you see it.

One of his ghouls is staring straight at you, looking as if it’s ready to pounce.

“Oh fuck.” You curse, your instincts kicking in, sending your horse flying forward. You race through the forest, your heart pounding as you tuck your body close to his back as you try to avoid getting whipped in the face by tree branches. He soars over a fallen log, and whips around a tree trunk, before you spot the break in the trees.

The worn leather of the reins digs into your palm as you pull on them, turning your horse as you aim for the opening, but just as you think you’re home free– you see him.

And may the Goddess help you he truly is a sight to behold. Your breath hitches in your throat, both out of paralyzing fear and pure fucking awe. Gritting your teeth, everything seems to move in slow motion as he emerges from the trees on his own steed. If it wasn’t for your current circumstances, you might have time to laugh at the irony of the stark contrast of his pale white horse to the obsidian colored one you were mounted on– mirroring his darkness disguised as light, while your own righteous duty could be perceived as dark and taboo.

His face is painted with the signature skull paint you had heard tales of, his mismatched eyes boring into yours. One a bright crimson red while the other is such a bright white you could almost swear it glows. His hair is slicked back and you can’t help but notice the way it’s graying at his temples. A few strands fall in his face, giving him a disheveled look that makes your stomach flip. His black cloak billows behind him in the night air as he emerges from the darkness.

Your horse reacts then, skidding to a halt and nearly sending you flying. You manage to regain your balance, gripping his wavy mane to stop yourself from sliding off his back. The next thing you know you’re throwing your lantern down between you purely on instinct– it's the only thing you can think of to buy you time.

The glass shatters, oil and flame escaping their confines as the brush erupts in flames. Both his and your horse rear up, whinnying and kicking the ignited air with their front legs as your eyes meet his through the wall of fire separating you. The look in his eyes is one of shock, awe but most of all, rage; and you feel a chill run down your spine as you turn your stallion in the opposite direction. Your mission is long forgotten by now, and the only thing on your mind is getting the fuck out of there as fast as you can. You race through the trees you had passed before, your heart beating out of your chest.

Behind you, he dismounts from his horse before handing the reins off to one of the ghouls. He stalks around the flames, slowly, calculated. It’s as if he does not have a care in the world. Why would he? He knows that by the end of the night, you’ll be his. Even if he isn’t the one to do it, he knows his ghouls will catch you and bring you back to him; and he will take your life as easily as he has taken so many others. Even through all the chaos, through all the commotion of your scramble for escape, the only thing he can focus on is the sound of your racing heart beating against your ribcage like a terrified, caged bird.

A small smile tugs at his painted lips as his mouth waters at the sound.

Your horse leaps over the same log from earlier, whipping between the trees as you cling to his mane. You spare a glance back but everything is a blur as the sound of his hooves thunder in your ear in time with your frantic heartbeat.

A ghoul leaps out from the trees in front of you when you least expect it, and your horse rears up impossibly high. This time you’re less prepared, and you lose your balance and hit the ground with a sickening thud before the animal turns and bolts into the surrounding forest.

You cough and sputter from your place on the forest floor, the impact had knocked the wind out of you and you were struggling to suck in lungfuls of air. You claw desperately at the leaves and dirt under you as you try to pull yourself up.

You stumble to your feet as the ghoul stalks towards you, claws extended as he reaches for you.

All of your training comes rushing back to you then, and in one swift movement you catch his hand with yours. He cocks his head, surprised at your strength as you grunt with the effort and throw all your body weight against him, shoving him backward. You turn quickly as he struggles to regain his balance and kick your leg out, effectively knocking his legs out from under him. That gives you just enough time to slip away as you take off running on foot.

Shit, shit, fuck– shit!

Your boot gets caught on a tree root, causing you to stumble. You’re quick to catch yourself, your nails digging into the bark of a nearby tree as you grasp onto it for support. You gather your long skirt in your hands, trying desperately not to fall on your face.

A clawed hand digs into your arm, pulling you out of your thoughts and you yelp as this new ghoul shoves you against a tree.

The ghoul studies you carefully as his eyes flick over you, he snarls, sharp fangs revealing themselves as you wriggle under his grasp. Somehow you manage to wrench your hand out of his and grab your dagger from its place on your belt before swinging at him.

The blade leaves a thin but effective scratch across his face, and he snarls again even as he stumbles back long enough for you to make your escape. Another ghoul runs at you; but you sidestep at the last second, causing it to run headfirst into a tree.

Your breaths are ragged as you press on, running further through the trees. Whether you’re heading towards the abbey or away from it, you don’t know anymore. In your head you vaguely remember spotting your compass amongst the leafy foliage when you fell, and you mentally curse yourself for ever dropping it. You eventually shove through some thick brush and stumble into a clearing, and the sight before you makes you freeze instantly.

He is standing there as if he’s been waiting his whole life for you. He doesn’t look the least bit worried as you step into the clearing, even as the moonlight bouncing off the silver dagger in your hand catches his attention.

“You know why I’m here.” It’s a statement, rather than a question. Good, your voice was surprisingly steadier now, even though your legs felt like they might give out at any moment. 

But your heart tells another story, still trying to beat out of your chest. The sound is the only thing he can focus on, and he has to bite back a chuckle as he counts a hundred and forty-eight beats in a single minute. He can picture your veins shirking in your extremities, as your body prioritizes getting blood flowing to your most vital organs. He wonders how it will taste flowing over his lips once he finally takes that first bite, and it makes him practically growl in anticipation.

Soon. He tells himself.

“Of course, you eh… want to put that,” He waves his hand dramatically, gesturing towards your blade, before pointing at his chest. “Here.”

The way the moonlight makes his fangs gleam as he speaks makes your stomach do a somersault. You can’t help but notice how his thick accent somehow makes his words sound sweeter than they are.

“I was sent here to kill you.” You snap. 

He’s unfazed at your outburst, his white eye practically glowing in the moonlight as he studies you.

“The elders of my coven have seen an ancient prophecy, one that sees you at the center of our coven’s demise.” Your fingers feel for the silver pentacle hanging from your neck. “I am not going to let that come to fruition.”

He laughs darkly, watching you as he slowly steps forward. “And why do you think I care what a bunch of old hags think, eh? Are you vain enough to believe I care enough about what you’re doing out there to go out of my way to hunt down some lowly coven.”

You grit your teeth. “I don’t know why you’re at the center of the prophecy, but I don’t care. I won’t let you get the chance to hurt us. ”

He chuckles at that. “Well, they made a very stupid mistake sending someone like you out here. A scared little ragazza, who can barely put one foot in front of the other. If I knew any better, I’d think they wanted to get rid of you, strega.”

“You don’t know anything about them.” Your voice drips with venom as you take another step towards him.

He laughs dryly, glaring at you through narrowed eyes, and in the moonlight, you can see where the tales the elders had told you came from– why people are so fucking scared of him. The dramatic face paint contrasts those dangerous eyes of his, making them stand out against the painted black eye sockets. The lines on his cheeks accentuate his cheekbones and bring attention to the aged smile lines around his mouth. For a brief moment you wonder what this wretched creature could possibly have to smile about that would’ve caused those to form overtime.

“Then do it. Kill me.” His voice pulls you from your thoughts as he slowly puts his hands up, as if in surrender.

You hesitate, everything in you is screaming that it’s a trap, but as you weigh your options your eyes land on the surrounding treeline. Spotting eight pairs of glowing eyes; you realize his ghouls have you surrounded. If it wasn’t a trap, there was no way out anyway. Kill him and they kill you to avenge their leader, let him kill you and well… that was it. Your heart practically plummets to the pit of your stomach as you realize no matter what you do now, this will be your end.

You take another shaky step forward, rotting autumn leaves crunching under your boot as your hand clutches the cool metal dagger. As you adjust and readjust your grip on the hilt nervously, your eyes flicker back to his.

He’s practically grinning as he watches you shift nervously, and that's all it takes to set you off.

You rush him, drawing your hand back as you approach, poised to strike. He doesn’t move as you approach, almost as if he welcomes death.

Only he doesn’t. 

Of fucking course he doesn’t.

At the last second he grabs your wrist, punching a gasp from your lips as you feel just how strong he is. It’s like being manhandled by a fucking brick wall as he twists your arm and uses the momentum to spin you around so your arm is pinned behind your back. You feel his other hand come up to grab your throat, and you shut your eyes, preparing to run as you expect him to pull back hissing in pain when he touches the silver chain around your neck, but then…

Fuck.

Gloves.

You gasp at the feeling of leather instead of cold skin, dropping the dagger out of pure fear as a scream tries to rise in your throat. You really were going to die.

He chuckles darkly in your ear as his fingers find your necklace, plucking it off of you with ease.

“What’s this, hm?” 

He dangles it inches from your face, chuckling as you writhe and struggle under his iron grip. 

“Did you really think that this would protect you from me, streghetta? Did you think I’d writhe in pain, giving you the chance to escape me?” His voice is low, dangerous, almost a growl as he throws it to the ground. You feel his hot breath on your neck then, and you practically whimper as you realize what’s about to happen. “Think again.”

You make one last attempt at escape, using all your strength to try and wrench yourself out of his grasp. But you can’t, and instead are faced with the harsh reality that the fucker truly is undead, superhuman strength and all.

“Shhh…” He practically purrs in your ear. “This will hurt… a lot, but it’ll be over soon. Then you can sleep for all eternity, cara.”

His fangs pierce the delicate skin of your neck and you cry out in his arms. Every fiber of your being is screaming at you to fight, but every fight or flight instinct firing at the same time causes you to panic and freeze up, utterly paralyzed under his grasp.

He groans gutturally as your blood flows over his tongue and down his throat. Every single cell in his body is screaming your name without even knowing it. He wants desperately to drink you dry, to leave you broken and bloodless on the forest floor. But his senses are overloaded when he tastes how sweet your blood is. 

In all his years of immortality he had never tasted something so fucking decadent.

You can feel yourself growing weaker, your vision swimming as dizziness sets in and the world begins to spin around you. Your chest feels hot and damp, and you realize it’s your own blood running down your collarbone, past your neck, and down your chest.

He pulls away for a moment, and you feel his hot breath on your ear. The coppery smell of your blood on his breath makes you tremble violently in his arms.

“I was sent here to kill you, to stop you from ruining everything The Ministry has built… but how can I now that I have tasted how sweet you are, now that I know your blood sings to me?”

You can only whine as he latches his lips over the puncture wounds again, and the sound he makes is animalistic, and so fucking guttural that it makes your knees weak. He’s practically moaning at the taste of you, as his arm wraps around your torso, caging you more firmly against him. Your body grows heavier and weaker as you lose just enough blood to make dark spots dance across your vision. The last thing you see before losing consciousness is the stars through the trees, and for a moment, you think to yourself, this may not be such a bad way to die. Surrounded by nature, where you felt most at home, under the watchful eye of the Goddess.

It takes every ounce of self control for him to pull away from you as you pass out in his arms. As much as he wants to let greed win, he meant what he said before. He isn’t sure he can let you go now that he’s had a taste. He flicks his tongue over your wounds, as his saliva causes the blood to clot and stops the bleeding. The act is almost tender, a stark contrast to his almost violent feeding only moments before.

He stares down at your limp form in his arms, and he can’t help the growl that rises in his throat at the sight of your blood pooling on the leather of his gloves. The front of your corset is stained with the evidence of what he had done, and your skin looks a little paler than before in the moonlight, and he can’t help but think just how gorgeous you look like this. 

No, he decided. He won’t kill you tonight, you were too special, too valuable for that. Instead, he decides, he will keep you. He will tuck you away from the rest of the world. You’ll be his and only his, doomed to be his little blood bag for eternity.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

I will try my best to post updates biweekly, but if I don't keep up please have some grace, I have a full-time job and usually write whenever I have the time and energy.

Comments, kudos, and reblogs are always appreciated! ‪‪❤︎‬

Translations:

ragazza – girl strega/streghetta – witch cara - darling

Next Chapter...

[cenorii]

RE headcanons again!

PART 2

This time I will add what animals I associate them with. Again I'll write a lot about some and just a little about others to supplement the last part.

Sherry Birkin

— It's hard to say what her favorite color is. She probably doesn't prefer any particular color, she likes dim palettes.

— I'm inclined to think that Sherry could have been Wesker's goddaughter. Birkins could have introduced him to her, and since Wesker has known William since childhood, he trusts him.

— She obviously attended NEST because Annette gave her a G-related pendant. Sherry probably had some instructions for emergency situations in which to use it, but kept it a secret. Chief Irons knew about the secret of the pendant, probably from William himself, because he was bribing Irons. And Wesker also knew about the pendant, it's in his first report.

— I recently rewatched all the clips of Sherry in re6 and noticed how reluctant she is to talk about Wesker every time the topic comes up. She never says anything bad about him, avoiding talking about him. I think that as a child, Wesker treated her well or seemed like a good person, but when she found out who he really was, she was deeply disappointed. She cherishes fond memories of this man, but keeps it a secret, because she will surely be convicted.

— Sherry calls Jake "Jake Wesker" instead of "Muller," even though she knows Wesker had nothing to do with his upbringing. Did she downplay the significance of Jake's mom? No, I would look at it this way. This is further proof that "Wesker" is not a negative word to her. She secretly treats him better than others treat him, so she called Jake by his last name with pride.

— In that moment when the runaway Jake and Sherry were changing clothes, they had a conflict. But I think Sherry was angry not only because Jake's words hurt the memory of her father, but also because they hurt the memory of Jake's father.

— Sherry was in government custody from 1998 to 2009. She was in custody mainly because of Wesker (file "A Deal with the United States" from re6). The government believed that Wesker needed a sample of the G-virus, but it was obvious that he had already gotten it through his own means. Perhaps this is a hint that there is some sort of connection between them after all. He could be her godfather who would want to return what was connected to him, or he wants to using her as research into how viruses are able to enter into symbiosis with humans. Sherry mattered to him in some way, and everyone knew it, including Sherry herself.

— I think she's in love with Jake, but because of little contact with other people and the outside world, is too shy to admit it.

— She has a deep respect for Chris and Claire, and considers the latter as close as if she were her second mother.

— The animal in which I see Sherry is a weasel.

Chris Redfield

— I think his eyes are gray. Gray eyes in real life can appear a different color depending on the lighting. In different photos with different lighting, they can turn brown, blue, even green. So I like to think that the confusion about Chris's eye color came about because of his gray eyes, which are just unlucky.

— For some reason, Chris doesn't like to show his young photos. Perhaps he is embarrassed by the fact that he used to be thinner and "weaker". Perhaps it makes him feel insecure. Or maybe he doesn't like his rebellious nature from the past.

— He's a golden retriever puppy.

Ada Wong

— Ada doesn't use perfume while she's on a mission so she doesn't reveal herself.

— She is black cat.

Wesker

— He hates ties. Maybe he was forced to wear them at some point.

— Wesker gives a fake name in non-serious situations like tailoring or meeting with the hairdresser so people won't be embarrassed or try to suck up to him. His name is more influential than himself, and it's a thing he doesn't like to abuse.

— Perhaps one day he wondered if he should have glasses with an interface.

— His totem animal is a possum. He's so good at playing dead.

— There is a stereotypical opinion of him based only on the outward image he builds for others. Few people delve into the lore or what is behind his fake "cool" image. So many people are susceptible to the halo effect, this is a cognitive bias where a person has a prejudice against someone based on their appearance or certain actions. People subject to this cognitive bias do not look at this person with a broad view, slipping into prejudice. This is why many are convinced that Wesker can't be bottom, and aggressively lash out at those who think otherwise. I, on the other hand, believe that Wesker is flexible in this regard, which is maximally not obvious. Wesker to me is "that" character from the teen shows, who builds himself up to be cool, but at night cries from loneliness or is very vulnerable. He's bottom, but that doesn't degrade his ego, it doesn't make him weak, because "bottom" he's only with those who "worthy" of him.

— Speaking of worthiness, I believe that Wesker is unwilling to use his powers all the time by thinking of other people as unworthy. Only Chris is worthy to stand up to that power.

— Wesker keeps Chris's dog tag.

Jill Valentine

— Jill's favorite color is sky blue, as it was the color she chose for her uniform in S.T.A.R.S. and continued to wear throughout her life. Every outfit Jill wore on any mission had shades of blue in it. It is definitely a color that she appreciates very much.

— Jill is definitely not the best cook, she can hardly cook anything better than scrambled eggs. She share this skill with Chris, who isn't very good in the kitchen either.

— Chris is her best and closest friend, her partner. They mean a lot to each other, but it's always platonic.

— Jill's orientation is bi. She probably liked Carlos, but I won't deny that there could have been a close dynamic between her and some woman too. Jill, like Chris, doesn't have much time for a personal life, so she didn't go into much detail about her preferences, nor did she have an love affair.

— She didn't like Wesker even before the betrayal. Maybe she realized before anyone else that there was something wrong with the guy, so she figured out his betrayal before Chris did, who resisted the information. She is perceptive and able to see through people.

— Her totem animal is a manul.

— In the days of S.T.A.R.S., she was the one who woke Chris, sleeping at his desk, just before Wesker or Chief Irons came in. She would cover her lazy (in those days) friend from trouble, getting the brightest and most genuine smile from him. Wesker knew of their machinations, but turned a blind eye to this childishness.

— She tries not to think of the time she spent under Wesker's control. Her dislike for him has only gotten stronger because of it. Of the horrible things about those years was not only violence, but also being with Wesker and Excella. Excella's flirting with Wesker was repulsive to Jill. She hated every moment of it.

— After 2009 her hair was permanently white, because of this she dyes it back to its original brown color so that nothing reminds her of those days.

[veronicaphoenix]

To drown your sadness in a sea song.

Pairing: Noah Sebastian x mermaid!reader Parts: one - two - three - four - five - epilogue Trigger warnings: none, really.

PART TWO — THE BODY | Words: 1.5k

He’s trying. He wants to be thankful. He got more than what he asked for. The torn notebook page he’s holding in his hand has got a few lines written on it. Mostly about her. It’s more than he’s been able to come up with in months. But he still cannot find the right sounds to go with it, the melodies, and it’s driving him insane. 

He drops the pen onto the coffee table in his living room and gets up from the sofa. Beyond the windows, the sun dips below the horizon after a day cloaked in clouds. The scent of coffee permeates the air in the house. His phone lies abandoned on the kitchen counter, its screen accumulating missed calls and unanswered texts. He feels no compulsion to reach for it. He could easily let it sit there for weeks without so much as a glance. It wouldn’t make any difference to his misery. 

The only pull he’s feeling is towards the ocean. 

Last night, as he lay in bed with his fingers tracing the contours of the glass pendant and the taste of her on his lips, he decided it wouldn’t happen again. 

Perhaps it hadn’t been a figment of his imagination. Maybe she was real. 

The memory of the pressure of her moist lips against his definitely was. 

Maybe he wasn’t crazy, but he would certainly lose his mind if he got attached to her. So, he resolved not to return to that beach, not to seek her anymore. He had sought a respite and he had got it. Time to move forward and get it together. The real world had no room for fairy tales, and certainly no room for salvation through a kiss. 

Yet, he can’t stop thinking about it. 

“Fuck it.”

Noah grabs his keys and strides out of the house. 

The drive to the beach is not more than an hour. As the coastal road stretches out before him, the sun dips lower on the horizon, bidding farewell to its eternal paramour, the moon. 

Arriving at the shore, Noah scans the water, but there’s no glimpse. 

She’s not there. 

She’s not in the water.

He finds her behind a rock, her body curled in a protective position on the sand, damp hair covering her face. She’s naked from head to toe. 

Yes, from head to toe. Her tail is gone, and in front of Noah there’s just a girl curled up in herself, covered in sand and salt, wet, and shaking from the cold. 

 Driven by an instinctive need to shield her, Noah sinks to the sand beside her, checking her up with his eyes first before getting his hands on her and brushing aside strands of hair from her face. He murmurs words of comfort, promising her safety, assuring her that he’s not going to let anything happen to her. 

He takes off his hoodie and covers her body with it, wrapping her fragile form in the little warmth from his body that remains in the piece of clothing. Her lips are tinged with blue from the chill, and tears are glistening in her eyes—whether from the sea or because she’s about to cry, he cannot tell.  

As he attempts to help her up, she instinctively reaches for him, her arms encircling his neck. Holding her close, he stands, casting a fleeting glance toward the ocean, but there’s only darkness, no hints like the one he used to notice the times she was swimming towards the shore, towards him.

She’s alone and he’s the only one to claim her. He cannot bear the thought of leaving her to the mercy of fate. He hopes the sea forgives him for taking her away, for this act of possession. He’s got his own fair of experiences to know that, sometimes, it’s not enough to expect to heal on our own, and he cannot conceive the idea of letting her spend the night laying in the sand, like the corpse of a fish that hasn’t been able to keep up with the tide and it’s slowly dying.

He helps her into the passenger seat of his car and steals a quick glance at her eyes. She doesn’t look scared; a bit out of place maybe, but she attempts to reassure him with a small smile that falters as a shiver wracks her frame.

As he ignites the engine, he cranks the heating to its maximum, unconcerned about what beads of sweat might threaten to cover his body. His sole focus is ensuring she doesn’t freeze on the way to the house. 

It takes him no more than forty minutes to arrive back at his home. Noah’s certain he’s racked up a few speeding tickets along the way. Not that it matters. He stole glances at her during the journey. She was leaned against the window, eyes closed, breath steady, hands clasped together. He notices the remnants of her former self in the bluish-purple scales on her knees, that even though as human as his, they’re an echo of her origins, or perhaps a sign of what she was and no longer is. He cannot tell. He cannot understand what’s happening. 

Upon reaching his doorstep, he opens the passenger door for her and offers to pick her up, uncertain as if she can stand on her own feet and walk. She dismisses him with a shake of her head, opting for just holding onto his arm as she sets her two bare feet on the ground. 

He gets concerned when he notices the debris scattered across the path to his door, dry leaves, pebbles, and dust. Without hesitation, he rejects her headshake and scoops her up once more. A soft sigh escapes her lips, and his heart skips a beat. She rests her head against his shoulder and allows him to carry her inside. 

He directs them toward the ground floor bathroom, where there’s a bathtub that’s never been used. While warm water starts to fill it, he stands before her, meeting her hesitancy. It’s clear she’s not feeling quite herself. She’s grappling with this unfamiliar body she now inhabits. 

She’s never been like this before.

It will take time for her to adjust, but she finds comfort and relief in the way he’s looking at her. His brown, dark gaze was adoring when she was in the water. His gaze is adoring now. If anything, he seems even more enchanted. 

When he softly instructs her, she obeys without hesitation. “Arms up,” Noah says.

Around them, there’s only the sound of his voice and the occasional crack from the house caused by the wind.  

She lifts her arms up and Noah removes the hoodie from her, dropping it on the floor. Immediately, his eyes rack her body up and down. Her human body.

Guilt floods him as his gaze lingers on her breasts and between her legs. She’s captivating, tempting, and mysterious. 

He’s enraptured. 

And so is she even if he doesn’t know it yet. 

He’s sweet, attentive, and handsome. He’s also belted in sadness, and that’s where her interest bloomed first.  

Forcing himself to meet her eyes, he can see her cheeks flushing and he wants to slap himself. 

Her lips are still purple. 

He checks the water and a moment later extends his hand to her. 

She steps into the tub, settling herself as the warm water envelops her body up to her shoulders. This is not the ocean, but it��s where she chooses to be, with him. 

With tender care, Noah washes her, rinsing away the salt and ocean scent from her body and hair. He shampoos the long strands with a product he’s never used. He’s cautious when he touches her skin, especially the tiny scales scattered across her shoulders, knees, and elsewhere. They’re a reminder of what she once was. They’re dulled now without the moonlight’s caress. Yet, he can’t help but still marvel at them. 

As he tends to her, her eyes remain closed, and he adores the way in which she lets her head rest in his big hands while he massages her scalp. She’s never been touched like this, and she can sense his enjoyment in giving so much reverence to her. 

It’s only after some time and with her hair clinging to her shoulders and back that Noah rises from his kneeling position. To retrieve a clean towel from the cupboard, he moves only a few feet away. She follows him with her eyes. 

She swallows. Nerves coil in her stomach. The knot on her throat starts loosening. 

She’s scared but she will try. 

With his return, his tall figure looms over her. He’s offering a warm smile and an extended hand once more to help her stand and wrap her in the towel. 

Worry creases his brow at the sight of her expression. 

He’s about to ask her what’s wrong when she does something that leaves him utterly speechless. 

“Noah,” she says, her voice barely a honey-dripping whisper, but a whisper, nonetheless. 

'PART THREE — THE SADNESS' COMING UP TOMORROW

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

🧚‍♀️ Anon

Is it just me or does Santana and give Tarzan vibes? And it got me thinking about this;

Darling is an ethnologist taken against her will by Stroheim as ordered to take her father’s place as he’s too sick and frail to practice his work

Darling has the same credentials as her father as she learned everything from him (She loves and cares deeply about her father)

Darling only obeys Stroheim to keep her father safe from harm, however she was shocked meeting Speedwagon (But was on his side about being against awakening Santana)

Darling could tell Santana is more intelligent than he looks and was horrified when he escaped from his chamber

Darling unwillingly has Santana’s attention since she has him curious about the items she has near her

Ooh, I've never covered Santana. This'll be fun.

(This is gonna be a bit vauge as my memory on part two is a little weak and I can't really reread the Manga rn as all my volumes are currently in storage)

They were captured a little before Speedwagon was. Darling was used to force their father into cooperating but due to short rashions they've both grown weak.

At first Strohiem plans to have them both killed as their father has stopped making as much progress they want but darling intervenes. Telling him that they've studied under their father for years and can take his place until his condition gets better. They're mocked initially but eventually the deal is struck.

When Speedwagon is brought in he urges them to stop, thinking they're a willing participant. Darling agrees with Speedwagon that it's best the soldiers don't go forward with it but they don't really have a choice in the matter.

Darling struggles to find anything concrete as there isn't a lot of supporting evidence about these creatures, and their father had covered almost everything they could've without an extensive amount of documents of the Olmec to Aztec eras.

Of course darling does ask for more documents to cross reference but this leads to small altercations. Usually getting shoved around or knife being pointed at them but they're placid enough to calm the situation quickly.

When Santana awakens darling is extremely weary of his mannerisms. If his kind could make the stone mask that Speedwagon described then who knows how intelligent his species is. They try to warn the soldiers as they mock him. The laugh it off and grab them.

"Maybe we should throw them in an see what happens" one half jokes before continue in their first language.

"You think he'd tear them apart or try something" they continue with a wink to his mate.

Things change immediately when he's able to escape through the vents. Everyone scrambles around in an attempt to protect themselves.

Something on darling catches his attention (a pendant or pocketwatch) before they shoot him and he kills most of the soldiers before turning back to darling and saying their name. Of course Joesph comes in to save Speedwagon and sometime during this he takes over darling's body like he had with Strohiem and flees.

Darling finds that he's taken them into a cave. And is looking at the heirloom they have. They try to leave while he's distracted but he quickly grabs them. They plead for him to spare them and he tells them he won't harm them. Darling asks why he took them. He's not entirely sure why. They're meant to be his prey yet he kept them alive. He gets them to teach him about the new world and starts to develop feelings for them.

Perhaps he uses darlings body to get essentials both as a means of not getting burnt and making sure they can't.

[amelikos]

First promotional pictures for HZ074 (link here and here).

There is a picture of Diana and Hamber when they were younger. I wonder if they traveled together for a while.. either way, they were close enough to take pictures together at some point in their lives.

Our first look at Rystal. The three adventurers that founded the Explorers are definitely Lucius, Rystal and Gibeon. I like Rystal's design and can't wait to see it in color since the picture is old so it's in black and white. The picture showcases the (potential) personalities of the characters well, too. Lucius and Rystal are both more prone to smiling in pictures, while Gibeon doesn't. Rystal being in the middle of the picture is also a detail I like.

The three of them seemed close friends, if they were taking pictures together and wanted to keep memories of their adventures. Given the flashback that was showcased in the previous episode (HZ073) showing Lucius defending Basagiri from people, it also makes me think that the Explorers shared similar values and were on the same wavelength. I imagine that Gibeon may have been someone who cared about Pokemon just like Lucius and Rystal (I can't imagine Lucius befriending someone who wouldn't care about them?). Maybe Gibeon showed kindness to Pokemon the same way Amethio does to Soublades. I wouldn't be surprised if Amethio was similar to Gibeon when he was younger.

I wonder at what point the three of them met. I think Lucius and Rystal were married, so when did Gibeon join them on their journey? Were they acquainted with Gibeon before that? Is Gibeon someone Lucius and Rystal met when they were looking for Rakua, and they both invited him to join them so he could help them with his knowledge? I am really curious about the kind of dynamics the three of them had.

Taking a closer look at young Gibeon's design.. it seems a bit similar to Amethio's. Similar clothes? He also has that same gemstone? jewelry-like thing? that Amethio has. I wonder if he gave it to Amethio as a gift (similarly to how Diana gave the pendant to Liko). I wonder if Amethio perhaps wants to emulate Gibeon, which is why he wears the outfit he does now.. or if it's just the kind of clothes they wear in their family? Those don't seem to be clothes you'd picture when you think of an adventurer?

At the very least, when I look at Gibeon in that picture, it feels like his clothes could indicate something about his background (refined?). He also seems to be wearing a long coat, which makes me think of "researcher".. I wonder if Gibeon was into research and mysteries, which is the reason he would have wanted to go on a journey. It's also interesting that the current Gibeon wears clothes that are similar to the ones Lucius was wearing in the past. It says a lot about Gibeon's feelings towards Lucius to me. I wonder if part of Gibeon doesn't want to forget about Lucius and wants to keep his memory alive in some form, so he keeps the Explorers name in the current day and wears similar clothing, etc...

Gibeon is the only character in that picture that is confirmed to be alive. Rystal is going to appear at the Crystal Pool which means she's already passed on, and Lucius's status is currently unknown. It adds mystery around Gibeon's existence, who is probably over 100 (which means he's reaching the limits of a human lifespan, etc).. How is he still alive? Probably because of the Rakurium. For what purpose is he keeping himself alive? What is so important to him that he is doing all of this? I wonder if Liko and the others will learn of Gibeon's name in the upcoming episode and Liko will connect the dots with what Amethio told her in HZ065 and realize that Amethio's grandfather is the same person on the picture with Rystal and Lucius. Though they could doubt that because Gibeon would be considered too old to still be alive.

[redwayfarers]

ties that sever, ties that bind

Fandom: Wayfarer Ship: Intellis (implied) Characters: Cassander Inteus, Despina Helena Inteus Rating: Gen Words: 2375 Spoilers: Mild spoilers for ep2! Author's note: this is the final part of a series, though it can be read as a standalone. Read the rest over on ao3! divider credit

Find Zenaida, the agreement goes. Split up and find Zenaida. She has one of those faces you see in the crowd, full of other equally bright, decorated and artificial faces. Aeran whispered to me she seemed more honest than most, earlier, and maybe she is, on the Dareia. But here, in the crowds of nobles? She’s like everyone else. 

When you grow up around these things, it’s easy for one face to replace another. I vividly remember the few events I was invited to as a kid; I was told to not speak to people, to just nod along to whatever they’re saying and sit in the corner, a child-shaped statue. I wasn’t to embarrass the family, Aiantes said. 

So they got me all dressed up, in one of those child appropriate versions of adult serithans, and styled my hair out of the way. A curl or three would inevitably slip, even if the hands that had braided them were very skilled, and I remember Theokleia staring me down. We have the same hair, my mother and I. I knew her hair wasn’t as flawless as she’d pretended it was. 

She never forgave me for that. And for many other things, but the knowledge that the same trait that gave us both a sharp, prominent nose also gave us the same coarse curls was like a cherry on top of a cake of hatred. Her makeup was always well done, gold like her eyes. Her nails were long and pretty, painted to match her serithan. She always wore gold jewelry, rings, necklaces, earrings. 

And me? Gold dangled off of me in much the same way, mismatched and too grown up. The nails were a little too much, but I was allowed a dash of white every now and then. And so we’d pose, my mother and I, show the world my health is just fine for the moment, and I’d be carted off to a seat in the back, with my back ramrod straight, mindful for any movement, sound or word. 

Aiantes wore luxury more effortlessly than his wife. The simple styles of the Vestran elite suited him better than they did Theokleia; they made him look graceful, pristine. Yet he too was dissatisfied; he was rarely allowed to be an eyesore he wanted to be, in bright colors. Too Arathian, I heard him mumble under his breath. Too much, too foreign, too extreme. But he watched turquoise cloth with barely restrained yearning. 

And here I am, almost two decades later, in that same Arathia my father hated and envied at the same time. Mahanin Palace roars around me, proud and loud and unapologetic, and I’m walking amongst the crowds of nobles with my scars and tattoos, dressed in turquoise, with a Wayfarer pendant around my neck. The same curls Theokleia struggles to keep in line are now more defined than they've ever been and braided loosely on my shoulder. 

It’s freeing, in a way. As much as I’m filled with memories that were never mine to begin with, there’s this strange sense of exhilaration about it as well. I am not bound by the same social conventions as everyone else. My lack of magic made sure of that. Instead, I can walk around with the ink on my skin and not worry about jack shit. I can wear my hard-earned scars and not worry about how it may appear to some stuffy asshole who’s never seen any trouble in their fucking life. 

That, and I’m taller than most people I see. Aeran jokes that I’ll spot Zenaida for that alone, and that same Aeran didn’t tear his eyes off me before we joined the throng. That same Aeran kept touching my fingers ever so slightly, whose presence was the soothing balm for the weirdness that is dealing with the aristocracy like this again. 

When he’s gone, I feel plunged into deep, dark waters of my long-lost destiny or some poetic shit like that. People are watching, staring. The Cassander from years ago - the child in the corner, ramrod straight, watching like a hawk for any infraction - rears his little curly head and watches. I am not that kid anymore, I outgrew this! Yet my throat feels tight. My skin feels exposed, but I want them to look. I want their hungry stares and I want to be as unsightly as I can be, just so their worst fears can come to life. 

A Wayfarer, straight from Wayfaring Lands, in their fucking midst. An Inteus, from Vestra, the Red Wayfarer everyone kept whispering about during the civil war. A class traitor, almost. A cursed being. An eternal exile. 

Find Zenaida, the deal goes. She has to eat, probably. Off to the Pavillions, then, as one very rude servant instructed me. His eyes were trained on my pendant. “I haven’t acquired the ability to not eat and survive yet,” I breathed with equal amounts of venom. The guy just turned his back to me and left. Find Zenaida. Zenaida will eat. 

The Pavillions look like a place where people’s marriages fall apart. Nobles mingle, laugh, at ease with each other, so different from the stiffness of the parties in pre-war Vestra. Some give me strange looks - an exotic animal walks in our midst, better drop my eyeballs to the ground from how hard I stare, right? Languages mix in my ears alongside accented Arathian. These people are educated, beautiful, carefree. I could’ve been one of them, in another life. I understand every word they’re saying. 

Suddenly, Vestran hits me like a knife to the gut. I turn my head and spot them, their simple serithans, their loose hairs, their sparse jewelry. They speak with the familiar lilt of Vodena, fast and flowing like the city itself; there are harsh, slow drags of northern dialects and the absolute, nigh incomprehensible mess that falls under the way southern Vestrans speak. They didn’t speak like this when I was a kid. They spoke like the nobility of Vodena. They are relaxed now, so they’re not forcing the fucking issue.

Amongst them is a round, short woman in white. My heart clenches in my chest. She moves her hands rapidly as she speaks, revealing details of pink here and there. Her nails are flashes of dark pink. Her hair is black, wavy and glossy. 

My sister Despina has always had a huge love for pink. She was allowed to wear darker pinks, more graceful pinks, but only in bits and pieces. Pink has always been her statement color. Her serithans reminded me of Theokleia’s, merely adjusted to the body of a developing teenager; she wore the weight of them as much as I did. What a small mercy, I think bitterly, to be allowed to wear a spot of color. To be allowed to express personal preferences. 

When she turns around in my direction, I dig my heels in the ground. She looks like Aiantes, now even more so as an adult. She may have the precocious balance between a curl and a strand of hair and the golden eyes that many elves have, but she’s her father’s daughter. The way she holds herself proves it. She doesn’t let the brief shock in her eyes show but joins her fingers before her instead. She watches me, judging, in the same way Aiantes did, as if her elven eyesight allows her to pierce souls as well as darkness. 

Despina lowers one hand to rest near a plate of sliced oranges. I blink. My legs refuse to stay still and move where they’re supposed to, so I’m slowly walking towards my sister and the oranges near her hand. I vaguely remember someone telling me she used to feed me oranges when I was a baby. I don’t believe it, personally. Sounds less plausible than me suddenly getting magic. 

I reach out to take one. My heart wants to leave my body to convulse and die through my throat. Neither of us are looking away. The chatter of the Vestran delegation dies down. 

Despina moves her hand. Not fast enough, though. One touch and she’s looking away. “Red Wayfarer?” she asks softly, in Vestran. 

“Despina Helena Inteus?” I reply just as quietly, in the same Vestran as her. Mine sounds tainted with Arathian. “I have a name, you know. I am not just a Wayfarer. There’s a person somewhere as well.” 

“Cassander,” she says. She says it differently, though. Kassandros. “Why are you here, Kassandros?”

“I am Zenaida Anaxas’ bodyguard,” I reply quietly. Her eyes blaze, assessing, before she takes one orange slice and bites into it. 

“Whatever happened to Lady Markal?” 

“Dangers are many,” I say cryptically. It almost makes me laugh. And I do, only more quietly than I would’ve normally. Despina watches me, playing with the delicate silks of her serithan. 

“Lady Anaxas has always been a rather odd woman, from what I hear,” she shrugs. “I did not expect her to hire a magianis bodyguard, though.” A pause. “I thought you had died, Wayfarer Inteus.”

She speaks so evenly, so formally, her words accented so precisely I could’ve been reading a grammar. Nobody speaks like that. Aiantes didn’t speak like that, Theokleia didn’t either - not when the eyes of the world were away, at the very least.  She’s barely blinking, her body is tense. What is she afraid of? 

“Fortunately for all of us, I am here to entertain yet again,” I say, more harshly than I intended. “Cockroaches are hard to kill.” 

“I do not find your existence entertaining,” Despina says. 

“Not even when I was a kid? Not even before you knew I was a magianis, not even when you supposedly fed me these fucking things? Do sisters not play with their brothers?” There, an accusation, right at her feet, because otherwise we’d be here talking in circles forever. Her tone does not allow for any acceleration, but for fuck’s sake, mine will. 

Despina purses her lips. Wind blows her hair to and fro, light and breezy, but the way her back straightens is anything but. She is now the ramrod straight, cornered child. Part of me feels horrified. Part of me wants to push, to prod, to ask all the questions that have been on my mind for decades. Where were you when I needed you? Where were you, o’ older sister, where were you when our own mother slapped me across the face and watched me beg and cry on the ground? Where were you when she threw all her rage on me, like a bag nobody wants, where were you? 

Oh right! By her side, laughing, watching, throwing insults as well, immaculate, coward, fucking weak! Anger boils in my very being. The oranges stare at us as a stark reminder of what we had, before nature fucked up. 

“Officially,” she starts cautiously, “that did not happen.”

“Officially? And that never lies!” 

“Truthfully,” she says, as if I never responded, “the line was drawn and I had to choose. So I made a choice.” 

Anger dissipates. She’s the first to acknowledge what’s happened - my parents refused, Aftonio had no idea, Nikias rejected the concept altogether - but Despina.. Said it. Here, in the same empire that loomed over our heads when we were kids, like a demanding mother. Theokleia isn’t here to judge us, though. She is away, she’s somewhere else. 

And in her wake she leaves her eldest children to admit to ancient wrongs. And do what with that exactly? What will I gain by confirmation? What happened can’t be undone. They took my peace years ago. What will I gain by this? It lingers in the air, a dagger to cut the knots of anger and shame or slit your own throat. 

“Do you even care what my opinion of that choice is?” I whisper bitterly. “Not like it’ll change shit.” 

“Not like it’ll change shit,” she echoes, now in a more normal, less proper accent. “I simply felt like you should know. Do with that what you will.”

I eat an orange. It is juicy, sweet and tastes entirely too much like ashes. “I am here on a job, Despina,” I say hoarsely. My eyes are weirdly dry. Maybe my heart soaked all the tears. “Tell me one more thing before I leave - are my orange groves safe and sound?” 

I used to escape there when life as an Inteus became too much. Too bad I didn’t chase that label away when I could, at inauguration. I loved those groves. There were no orange groves at the Spire to escape to, when life as a Wayfarer became too much at times. It’s the only thing I think of fondly when I think of that fucking estate. 

“They are,” she says softly, like a goodbye. I take a look at her one last time - her shiny waves, her made up, long eyelashes, her thinly lined, golden eyes, the curves of her shoulder and belly in her serithan, the dusk of her skin in firelight - and I feel my eyes prickling. 

“Thank you,” I whisper at the oranges. “I hope you treat your heirs better than our mother did hers.” 

We exchange glances one more time, for a mere moment a brother and sister again, and she turns to the rest of the delegation like nothing happened. And me? Rasimira’s talking to a group of nobles. They’re pestering the poor steward about something. There’s no sign of Zenaida, but maybe Rasimira knows where she is. 

My heart feels like a soggy cloth, but I am here on a job. I am a professional. Nothing else matters. Still, part of me hopes that Despina’s children don’t face the horrors I have. Part of me hopes one of them is magianis, so at least a part of me lives in that family. Maybe I will see them in a few decades or so. 

And maybe we can all sit around our parents’ graves and discuss what they’d done to us all. Maybe then we can bury our hatchets, or raise new ones, of our own make. A Wayfarer, Lady Inteus, a Guild mage, and whatever the fuck Nikias ends up as. 

I have a job to do. 

[writingmaidenwarrior]

The Cards We Got Dealt Part 1 - Sin Eaters AU

This is for the OC Kiss Week Prompt "Darkness" and the first part of this little AU. No one needs to know anything about the original WIP. The only thing you need to know is up in the banner are left side Talindra and right side Wynthan, who are the POV characters.

Tagging @cljordan-imperium @jezifster

Minor warning for indirect mentions of sex. Really indirect. Warnings will be added ahead of each part where necessary.

When darkness comes, keep an eye on the light – whatever this is for you – no matter how far away it seem. Jan Berry

The gathering of the clans was always an event no one wanted to miss. All eleven clans came together to forge new alliances, find partners, and praise the gods to gain their favor for the coming years. The clan leaders with their families would always come, along with the young clan members who had no partner yet and a small number of warriors for the safety of the clan leader’s family.

His mother’s laments still on his mind Wynthan entered the gathering place. This was his first time as the leader of his clan after taking over three years ago. His older brother Gilmyrn threw an amused glance at him and even his cousin behind him snickered. Little did they know about his hopes for this gathering.

“I am glad you guys have fun already.”

“It is not our fault you look like you had a run in with a skunk,” Eshfyrr commented from aside after closing in.

“You know he is right. This isn’t that bad. You could also have lost during the fights and be free of this burden, you know?”

Gilmyrn’s tease wasn’t helpful at all. Even less because Melleis walked behind them with the partnerless women as guard and probably heard everything.

“You could have tried a bit more to win. The longer I am leader the more I think all four of you lost on purpose,” Wynthan playful accused his brother but got only a smirk in response.

“And miss mom bugging you to find a partner? No way.”

“You sort this out between the two of you,” Eshfyrr chuckled and vanished in the crowd of the unpartnered men.

“Traitor!”

“I like to stay alive!”

The whole clan laughed and giggled. It didn’t stop when they crossed the open space to reach the usually spot their clan would occupy during the gathering.

Curious eyes of the other clans followed them. Some were weighing in their chances with finding a partner, others curious about the new clan leader.

“By the gods, can’t they be a little less obvious,” Wynthan groaned.

“You mean like the woman over there?”

Gilmyrn nodded towards the camp of their former and usual ally the Sea Dweller Clan. Some spark of a memory ignited itself in Wynthan’s mind as he saw her. This round almost still childish face and those long brunette braids gave him a familiar feeling, but it couldn’t be her. Her horns were adorned with pearl beads and tiny gemstone pendants that gave her already wild gaze more depth, but also was a telltale sign she was either the clan leader or belonged to their family. If you wouldn’t look closer, it would appear she glanced over the place looking for someone and not analyzing Wynthan and his people.

He smirked and licked his lips. It was his plan anyway to reinstall the alliance with the Sea Dwellers since their trading was useful for both sides and maybe he could put his hopes a little higher.

“Find someone who sparked an interest?”

Melleis soft voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Maybe.”

Her gaze followed him, only for her to huff amused second later.

“Good luck, buddy.”

“Good luck?”

Abrupt he stopped walking and made the one behind him walk into him. Melleis just laughed and motioned to keep walking.

“You don’t know who she is?”

“I think, I remember her from the last gathering…”

“Yeah, you should. She was the one who broke your nose.”

Suddenly Wynthan remember it all and suppressed the laughter. The broken nose was only a small part of the story that happened during the fights in honor of the gods. Little did the others know the part that he and Talindra had shared the nights after this. The only thing that confused him was, he never heard about her being the daughter of the clan leader.

“What do we know about the Sea Dweller’s current situation?” Gilmyrn asked much to Wynthan’s relief.

One of the warriors came close and cleared his throat.

“They got a new leader almost two years ago. A woman named Talindra who won against every warrior of her clan.”

“The old leader had no children?”

“None of them wanted to take the role.”

The group reached their camp and started to clear it out from the debris nature left the last seven years and make themselves at home. The small cabins were mostly functional and only needed little mending here and there.

One by one the last three clans arrived as well as the day came to its end and the sun started to settle down. Satisfied with the camp everyone spread out in the cabins, leaving the biggest one for Wynthan, Gilmyrn, Melleis and Eshfyrr.

Still in thoughts Wynthan took the bedroom on the second floor knowing well the biggest one was on the first floor and Eshfyrr might cherish having one with easy access and left him the second bedroom on the first floor. With the knowledge of Talindra being the clan leader of the Sea Dwellers now, Wynthan didn’t plan to bring anyone up here.

He pushed down the annoyed groan. No one knew he hoped to find her again at the gathering, correcting his cowardice from those past years but surely didn’t expect this.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his thoughts.

“You alright?” Eshfyrr inquired with his brows furrowed.

“Yeah, just moaning the past.”

“You are too young for this, Nat. We are about to prepare some dinner…”

Eshfyrr pointed with his thumb behind him. His face held an unspoken invitation.

“I will be right there. Just give me a moment to unpack the adornments for tomorrow morning.”

“Sure, I tell the others.”

The happy grin on Eshfyrr’s face made Wynthan hope his cousin would finally find someone who could keep him happy like this after all the things Eshfyrr did for him those past three years to get used to being a leader.

If Wynthan would have been honest, he never wanted that position, but now he had it, he would make sure he would fill it the best he could.

Done from the journey, filled like a festival pig, and ready to call it a day, Wynthan went for some stroll along the periphery of the gathering place, down to the riverbed and have a moment of peace for himself. Happy he wouldn’t need to wear the horn adornment of the clan leaders until the next when the opening ceremony would take place, he relaxed with a content smile. Leaned against a small dent in the ground he closed his eyes for a moment and listened to the soft sounds of the river at his feet, the sounds of the animals around him either going to sleep or waking up for the night.

His solemn peace didn’t last long. Soft footsteps disturbed his serenity. Careful he listened but didn’t recognize the pattern as someone from his clan.

“This isn’t the best place to sleep.”

The laughter in her voice drew a smile on his face. He would recognize that voice everywhere even after seven years.

“Who says I am sleeping?” he threw back.

“You looked like that.”

With soft ruffles and the gentle chimes of her pendants, Talindra sat next to him and rested her head in his shoulder.

“You look beat,” he stated.

“You look annoyed.”

“You wanna share?”

“Give me the moment to enjoy the fact you remember me.”

Wynthan put his arm around her shoulder, gently rubbed it with his thumb.

“Your new look took me a moment to recognize you.”

Her huff pushed warm air against his cooler skin.

“Yeah, I already regret it. And you?”

“Wonder if I got set up by my siblings. Why do you regret it? I never thought you would have such ambitions.”

With a deep sigh, Talindra curled into his side as the world around them slowly got covered by the mantle of darkness before the stars would shine their light. Right now, and here none of them looked like the leaders they are but more like your common gathering couple who stole themselves away for some time alone like they did at the last gathering.

“I couldn’t let one of the others ruin the clan.”

“That bad?”

“We had the option of scheming idiot who probably will cause a war within a gathering cycle as leader, battle hungry idiot who would cause conflicts just so he can fight, too stupid for own thoughts he would eventually follow the suggestions of one of the first two and my special favorite: only cares for his own pleasure and safety and would run the fields and the clans funds dry in no time. So, tell me how bad it is.”

He placed a kiss on her forehead, knowing she wouldn’t see his smile. Her content rumbling vibrated against his chest.

“Let me guess, now the elders are bugging you to find a partner to ensure heirs for the clan.”

Her laughter rippled through the silence of the night like a deep sounding bell.

“Your mother, too?”

“And my siblings have the fun of their lifetime with this.”

She casted a small fire orb and looked at him in this tentative and searching way Wynthan remembered well.

“The woman you came with isn’t your partner?”

“No, she is my brother’s.”

Glad about the support from the ground in his back he watched Talindra change her position and came to sit on his knees. With a small push she sent the fire orb above their head for just enough light to see each other faces.

He saw her gaze jump around and wondered if she searched for something or tried to decide. The answer came when she raised a hand to his head and aimed for his horn with a heavy breath.

Even if he would love to continue where they left off seven years ago, things changed too much since then, and he stopped her hand.

“You know it is not as easy as the last time.”

“We can make it easy,” she replied.

Her eyes dropped to his lips and her breath heavy and warm on his face, Wynthan wished she was right. Gods knew, they both needed to relief a lot of stress. Instead, he kissed her knuckles one by one and pulled her in a hug.

“Not until the gathering officially started. We are leaders now, and no free clan members as the last time. We need to be the good example. Tomorrow, my fire heart.”

“Tomorrow,” Talindra sighed content and sunk deeper into the embrace.

They knew it was only some stolen time, but they made it last as long as possible. Tomorrow the gathering would start, and it would mean five days of careful maneuvers around the other leaders.

Yes, they clearly will need those nights this time.

[raspberrysmoon]

SOTBAW questions cause they make me ill:

Out of the lords, who’s the most physically affectionate???

what are the lords’ favorite thing to do with kai??

Wiggly’s first reaction upon seeing kai?

POKEY’S first reaction upon seeing kai?

fuck it can you just do 3-4 for the rest of the lords i feel like getting sick

ARE UNCLE BILL AND AUNTIE CHARLOTTE CANNON??? Please say yes…

do the lords celebrate Kai’s birthday?

did Kai keep anything from the black and white?

does Kai know Webby? Auntie Webby?

do Paul and Emma ever find out abt Kai’s past w/ the lords

besties w/ max????

Kai’s fav thing to do with the lords?

is the hair natural or is dyed like in cannon? If so where tf did she get that dye

how tf did the lords survive raising an infant

Does kai ever become a singer like in cannon?? Or at the very least does she sing for recreational purposes

weird question but I’m kinda interested: is Kai’s gender/sexuality same as cannon? Or have the different experiences shaped her attraction differently? Or does she not know what gay people are? Does she know that gay people exist raspy

favorite thing to do w Paul or Emma or both?

Can the Gary ending be cannon pls pls or the one where they all live together pls it’s so sillayyyy

does Kai have sick ass black and white powers™️⁉️

Kai’s favorite memory with the lords/lords favorite memory with kai?

thank you baby for making this fic series off that goofy au i made I am violently ill about it

jfc thats a lot of questions. ok here goes.

1- probably wiggly or tinky. fucking ticklers. wiggly's also one to fall asleep with kai a lot

2- overall i think they just like to teach her things. nibbly likes to teach her about food, pokey has his music, blinky has his.. well. he's blinky. he knows everything. he teaches her the fun parts of life. tinky takes on teaching her about life itself, how to sustain it and how to keep time/do things quickly, and wiggly handles just about everything boring. tinky also likes to play tag with her (he loses on purpose)

3- which time? the first? awe. shortly followed by adoration. the second? fear, mostly. fear that she'll bring him to his knees when hes so, so close to taking what he wants. once he knows she can't (or won't) it's replaced by anger.

4- pokey's honestly kind of apathetic to kai when he first sees her. its a human baby. it cries. why would he get excited about that? the second time, he's angry. of course he is. but he's also terrified. terrified she wont come home, terrified shes hurting, terrified of.. he's not sure what, exactly. (he finds out, when kai starts to scream.)

5- both times nibbly is overjoyed. he quite likes human children, he always has, so he took to little kai easily. the second time, he knows she won't come home to him. he can smell it- feel it- on her. but he saw her again, eyes bright and cheeks flushed, grinning. that was enough for him. even if it destroyed him a little, on the inside.

6- blinky's forced himself to be apathetic both times. it hurts more the second time, but he has a job to do and he can't do it if he's caught up in emotions. no, ignore the fact that he's the most hurt by the lose of her. he mostly pretends its not her, when he has to face her.

7- tinky, arguably, is the hardest to explain. he was.. violently excited, when he first saw baby kai. at first, he was going to treat her how he treated any other human. cruelly. we all know thats not how it worked out. well, not until he saw her again, after it all.

8- sure. i dont see why they wouldn't be. kai still goes to watcherworld with bill and alice, after all.

9- i dont think they understand birthdays. they have parties year-round with her

10- she carries one of blinky's monitors with her. it's small- barely big enough to be a necklace pendant- and long-broken, but its something. she also has a small stuffed rabbit she kept, a gift from pokey.

11- maybe. maybe not.

12- not fully. they know something about her early life is weird, but she doesn't want them to stop loving her, so she keeps quiet about it.

13- absolutely. max and kai are a constant, aren't they? well, until npmd, anyway.

14- she always liked exploring with them. they didn't get to go far, but they went where they could. (where she could. some parts of the black are.. less than friendly, to humans.)

15- probably natural, a side effect of the black. if not, pokey got the dye for her. anything for his little actress.

16- no idea. im not sure they actually did lol

17- she sings for fun! but with the amount of.. stress she's put under, she doesn't have time to do more with it. maybe post-canon, if she makes it there

18- emma has to teach her about gay people. its the worst "talk" she could've imagined giving a child. kai was raised by five ungendered, entirely unlabled things. she has no concept of gender or sexuality, just her own feelings. the feelings are mostly the same as kai cannon, though i imagine she's straight up sex repulsed. can barely joke about it. it's almost body horror-esk for her.

19- she likes to take walks with them and listen to them talk. or watch movies with them. she really likes watching movies they like with them

20- we'll see. the ending is fuzzy for me right now. i have five options though, titled bad, good, love, loss, and awh fuck. "love" is the split custody ending. "awh fuck" is technically the worst, then "loss", "bad", "good" and "love".

21- is she kai drew without some sick ass powers. of course she has sick ass black & white powers

this ones getting split again ;-;

22- kai's favorite memory is the first time they took her out of the black. she was eight, they took her to watcherworld. she fell asleep on tinky before they could make it out of the park.

23- wiggly's favorite memory of kai is clique. the first time she chose him. called for him. not any of the others. she was four, and had fallen. he fixed the scrape, of course, but it was more than that to him.

24- pokeys favorite memory is dancing with her when she was 12. she wrote the song they danced to. it's his favorite, still.

25- nibbly's is the first picnic they took. it was simple, but kai was so.. excited, would be the best word, but it was stronger than that. she was six, and she picked flowers for each of her papas.

26- blinky's is more a collection of memories. if he had to pick, it was the last dinner they had together. pokey put on a show for them, brought kai on stage and made her his princess. their princess. she left about 36 hours later.

27- tinky's is the same as kais. it was the first time she fell asleep on him. he bit pokey to keep her in his arms until she woke up.

im glad you approve of my bullshit :3 hope these suffice !!

[spork-supremacy]

so what if I per se wanted to make another long fic. What If I per se wanted it to have each chapter be inspired and borderline following events from Epic:the musical but it’s Jay’s off screen journey in DR. I’ll outline it saga by saga to demonstrate my idea.

Also no same time frames won’t apply because mentally I could not handle Jay being away from everyone for twenty years. Let alone write that myself. I’m weak and want him living a very full rest of his life.

and pretty much some characters don’t have perfect parallels so they’re very interchangeable.

this is long.

Troy saga- I’m thinking this mostly could have chapters/songs 1-4 be on a field mission Jay is sent to command by the administration. Maybe around or in imperium because they were trying to gain intelligence on the “unethical energy source”.

Also Jay keeps his yin pendant and knows that he’s either married or engaged. He has no clue who but he’s given her a name in his head. For reference sake Penelope.

the issue is my dude has no child. So there is no chance he should mention having one.

Unless he got vaguely stuck with one post memory wipe. Maybe a literal infant at first, but would roughly now be 3-5 by the events of S1. He is left in the administration.

Or we go Nya pregnancy before the merge route, but she found out a week before the merge. They made little cards to tell everyone and he kept it in his wallet that also had his ID. So he knows he has a child, but he has no idea where that is.

because Telemachus doesn't actually know who his father is and I would like to keep that so I can keep the vibe. Acidentally created a need for a child oc, shit.

warriors of the mind would be hard to translate but I could just treat it like a dream sequence. Probably Nya or smth. Maybe she is a figure he thinks he makes up in his head who only appears when he sleeps and he befriends.

he just assumes he’s crazy because realm of madness and all.

cyclops saga- could easily be that second half of that mission where they do find something willing to wipe out his people. However at the end there is this thing where Odysseus is cursed by the cyclops and Poseidon follows him every where. Now because no character is going to be consistent parallels, what if the cyclops was just Ras’s master in hiding for reasons. And also I guess the Poseidon stand in would mostly also be Ras. And one out of three Zeus appearances.

No, I like it so I’m keeping it.

and my good bye could be some dream sequence after he makes it home to his office. It’s of the Nya figure being a manifestation of his own disappointment and is like “okay I’m out”

months have now passed. Maybe a year.

storm saga- Easily could be the entire way back to the realm of madness on the mysterium mission after his appearance in season 2 pt1. People lost their portal devices that day. They make a stop at the cloud kingdom for a deal to ensure safe passage home because writers of fate and such and they give him a thingy/ Euphrasia?. Wind bag. Master of wind. Eh?

Then boom Ras. Shows up like “you hurt my master now I have to kill you.”

people die once more.

Circe saga- I feel that most of it could work out like actually story. Get on island, save men from magic, Hermes is replaced by a helpful messanger dragon of sorts, figure out a way home. Bonus points the witch try’s to prove that all men suck by trying to seduce Jay and he’s just like. “But my hypothetical probably real wife...” That he can barely remember.

point is they’re directed to the remains of the cursed realm or departed realm.

underworld saga- they go to underworld. See parts of their squad. The dead ones. (Bonus points for fitting in an elpeanor moment). Now, tree’s a whole thing with Odysseus seeing his mother. I don’t know if I want it to be that way. Granted grief killing Edna, who was already old, could punch a lot considering he doesn’t even remember her, just vaguely recognises the voice of his mother. Anyway the go see a prophet like. “You can go home this way. And yes you do have a wife/fiancé. However I see her with a very creepy dude.”

yes it’s in the same way as the play.

also the chorus just works so well.

“I see a song of past romance, I see the sacrifice of man, I see tales of betrayals and a brother’s final stand. I see beyond the brink of death, I see you draw your final breath. I see a man who gets to make it home alive. And it’s no longer you.”

Anyway guess who decides to embrace his inner monster.

-thunder saga

Once more very simple one. Go through danger the same way, shit Ras. Thunder bringer is the point where Jay switches sides.

-wisdom saga

this one I have trouble with solely for plot reasons. it mainly because of Telemachus’s role and the suitor plot line. At best I could have it do we can make it the tournament or sources.

I've decided unkown pregnancy route for the kid's origins because it's much easier than the other version. Point is Little boy loves his mother and can't wait to meet his father. Telemachus has a whole battle with antinous over saying natsy shit about his mother, later Athena helps.

Consider this, the kid, still to be named, aged around 6, maybe 7, actually picks a fight with a random child, who disrespects Nya in some way, and who has clearly been raised too violently. At this point the general "punch your way out of this one" conclusion can not be reached but instead replaced with Nya picking up her child and leaving, telling him he should know better than to resort to violence, and instead use his heart.

The entirety of legendary- we'll be fine, for plot aligning reasoning would be the kid feeling akward in the crowded and new environment and being extra vigelant of creeps or general bad people. Also most of we'll be fine probably wouldn't apply well, but we keep Nya telling the child about Jay and how similar they are.

love in paradise would be very hard. Unless....

It's literally a one off where Jay finds himself stuck on an island. Probably stepped on a portal device and is now completely stuck, with no way home. Or even knowing where home is anymore. Instead of regular events, lets say Calypso- stand-in is actually a powerful being that helps him with clearing his mind and healing a bit because the man is a wreck. She's forcing him to self care and he wants to leave. Also I'm gonna give her mind related powers, kinda like neuro.

God games is fun because I could have that just be Nya finding a way to call on the source dragons, specifically energy and begging for some devine intervention. She has to convince many dragons.

Vengance-

I'm not sorry for loving you could either be another dream about Nya that helps him realise she was being genuine. Or It's the calypso stand in who is a shape shifter who tries to convine him to stay by shaping herself into "who he loves most" even though he doesn't know that is and just takes it as a further sign to go and pay the ninja a visit.

The same messanger dragon that helped him with the witch comes by to provide assistance across the sea and to the shore then leaves.

Now this could go down the forbidden Jay route, but here me out, he does find Nokt and the forbidden five randomly and kinda goes off on attacking them. At this point he'll electrocute anything in his way. Then Ras and Arin show up, the tiger man fully healed. Less intentionally and more they all ended up in one place type thing. Fight ensues. A storm approaches.

Arin is encouraged to hide. He actually comprehends the power scaling he's up against and does just that.

During the fight instead of finishing Ras off themselves, the five all stratigically retreat. The strength and at some point they realised you don't want to be on the other end of an electrical shock. Maybe Jay kills the weakest one. for funsies.

He goes for a beaten Ras next, aiming for the kill. He tries his best at least, but doesn't bother to confirm before taking the cloak and hat of one of the five that had been lying on the ground, and walking off to whereever home is.

He notices Arin, does bother much to question the kid on too much, and asks him where the ninja live. Arin just points to the vague direction of the monastery and says "On the mountain outside Ninjago, can't miss it."

And so Jay walks.

thats all I got so far. Until the Ithica saga comes out I guess.

I was very loose with vengance but that saga is all about just getting the vengance.

[luminantrondo]

4, 5, 14, and 15. (I don't know if I sent this or not, my memory is spotty. If I did send something before, ignore it.)

(nah, didn't send smth in before, no worries. Thank you for sending these ones in!)

tales ask meme

4. something you wish to see in future games

Another female protagonist would be cool, esp if they kept her girly but still kicked ass (like Zelda in Echoes of Wisdom lol). I'd also like some interesting antagonists that aren't 1-dimensional like Ve//speria and Ze//stiria's.

5. something you hope never is used again in future games

The Arise-style skits (wtf is this, a comic book?), a "main couple + pair the spares" (...again, Arise), and no Tales traitor. That trope is so overdone and sucks, tbh.

15. a side quest that stuck with you

I have one for Vespy, Abyss, and Symphonia. For Vesperia, it has to be the brionac quest + Hermes' notes. It's the closest we get to Judith lore (in the game) and Judith & Rita's relationship is well done. I also liked the Sword Dancer one, too, if only to see Flynn lose his cool a bit. For Abyss, I like the Tear's pendant side quest, and I remember farming the last bit of Gald just to get it back. If you know me, you know I don't ship these two together, but I think their relationship and how it naturally grows is one of the best in the series. It's so sweet of Luke and a huge change from how he was in Act 1. For Symphonia, it's the Virginia Sage one, where Raine and Genis find their mother again. The voice acting in the scene (in English) is phenomenal, it really caps off Raine's conflict (even humanizes her more), and there's a sweet follow-up skit between her and Genis. I rambled about this scene in a previous post of mine, so I'll spare you my babbling lol...

14. an unpopular opinion

(lmfao. i have so many that i could make it its own post... but i'll go with the one that's been on my mind lately.) (i got wordy, rip)

Flynn Scifo was not a "bully" to Yuri in the beginning.

A large chunk of fandom (or maybe early fandom and isn't so prevalent now) think he was a bully to Yuri in Act 1, "harassing" him to rejoin the knights. In all the pointing fingers at Flynn, I never see anyone look at Yuri or try to see it from Flynn's POV. I know it's because Yuri's more popular and because he's the main character. But Flynn has a point when he calls out Yuri in Capua Nor (or was it Torim? Idfk). What has Yuri changed since he quit the knights? All he's done is sat around in the lower quarter since he left. Yeah, he doesn't know what to do because the knights was basically the "dream job"/ticket in to enact change. But Flynn's right. The reason Flynn keeps asking him to rejoin the knights is because that's what they planned on doing to change the world. To Flynn, Yuri walked out on their hard work, so he's understandably bitter, too. In fact, this is exactly why things are so rocky between them at the start of the game. I also have to wonder if it's a translation thing, too, because I'm aware a lot of lines were rephrased to make Yuri sound more aggressive at parts and Flynn sound more... demanding (referring to Nordopolica scene), for lack of better wording. And before you ask, I can read and understand Japanese, so it's not a "he said, she said" scenario. I think the reason everyone calls Flynn a bully is because he not only succeeded in his dream, but he doesn't beat around the bush when talking to people. Like Judith, whose bluntness people are more aware of, Flynn's blunt. He tells it like it is, and that's probably because he's captain of the knights...? Think back to that one event where he and Yuri stop some thieves, and the little boy that tried to help says he wants to be a knight when he grows up. Does Flynn pat his head and go "wow you were so brave"? No. He tears the fucker down by calling him out on his recklessness, saying that just because he wants to be a knight doesn't mean he will. Granted, he does bandage the wound a little when he commends the kid's courage, but the compliment doesn't come after a lecture. And lbr, no one likes being told the hard facts. No one likes being called out. I think Flynn hit a personal sore spot with the "Flynn's a bully" crowd. Yuri's not the special snowflake, depresso espresso protag that he's praised to be. He's a good character, don't get me wrong, but he's not always in the right. It's just jarring to see when it comes to the romantic side of Flynn and Yuri, there's a heavy bias for Yuri, yet Flynn somehow gets villainized in some form or another. Like the narrative molds itself around the fact that while both characters fucked up, Flynn's the bigger fuck up because in canon he's a "bully." Flynn calling him out isn't to pressure him back into the knights. The way he sees it, Yuri sits on his hands and bemoans how the rich suck ass and should stop being assholes to the poor... but he doesn't do anything about it. He just keeps getting thrown in jail for harassing the Tweedles. Flynn's basically telling Yuri to back up his words with action, and he says the knights because, again, that was the only way they thought they could change things. And no, Flynn does accept that Yuri's way of doing things is ultimately different from his own. You even have a fucking skit to showcase this (the skit where Yuri wears the knight's uniform). I honestly think the whole "rejoin the knights" by act 2/3(?) is said not in the same way it was in act 1, but more of a jest. Because by then, Flynn's seen that Yuri has made changes - more than he has. He's got no room to drag Yuri back to where he doesn't want to be, and it wouldn't make sense for his character to do so. Flynn's got a lot of issues and he's not the sweet, perfect, somft knight boy that he tricks people into thinking he is. But him being Yuri's "bully" is definitely not it, chief.

[fantasies-fairytales-n-fics]

Thranduil and Josie Pt. 170- Gypsy Origins Part 3 of 3

Summary: By the power of 3 times 3, let the truths of Jo's past finally be set free as Josselyn remains hypnotized by Haldir's power of truth. Her buried emotions evolve in a more descriptive manner which may not settle well with her when she is awakened.

*Chapter Warnings* language, angst, infidelity, mentions of child loss, child abandonment, child abduction

Chapter characters: Haldir, Josselyn, Julian, Caroline, Zeddicus, Jareth, Cassandra, Rumil, Orophin Chapter word count: 6,919

Stories Stories Stories Masterlist

Still under Haldir's powerful and unbreakable magic spell, Josselyn was permitted to relax while the Marchwarden tried to wrap his head around what she has revealed so far. What disturbed him the most, besides the revelation of your maternal grandfather, Viktor, the late vampire ruler and most diabolical of all fanged fiends, was yet another monstrous lie involving the witch turned vampire Caroline, your mother...or so everyone believed she was, because Haldir knew exactly where Josselyn's memories were headed. That Cassandra was your true birth mother. Faramir's also.

You would be hurt once again with that knowledge and as much as it crushed the Lorien elf's heart, you deserved every bit of the truth as to who you really were and he was going to give that to you. It had to be done and now... it was time to continue, for he now wanted to know more than ever just how your best friend Sarah became involved and if she could still be alive.

"It is time Josselyn. Continue....and please be discreet with any intimate details."

"I am so happy. I never thought I would see my grandfather again. Zeddicus is the only blood family I have left. This was my surprise Julian mentioned. He did this for me. Julian found him and brought him here. There was a time not long ago that he had left for a week. Now I know why. I love Julian even more now, but he must never know. Caroline will turn on me.

The sun is rising. We are all finishing the stew my grandfather had prepared for us for when we arrived. I am sitting by Julian. Caroline refuses to. She is barely touching her food. She has become withdrawn and when she does speak, it's retorting. Grandfather is across from me, holding a chicken while feeding and speaking to it. I've always believed he could understand animals and they him.

Grandfather wants to speak to me alone. We go for a walk. He tells me he has something for me. He has kept it safe for many years to give to me when I was old enough. He holds his hands out. They are empty. He places his fingers into his palm and magically pulls out a pendant. Dangling before me is a sparkling amethyst stone. There is something swirling inside of it. A mist? I am smiling in awe of it's beauty.

Grandfather...are you really a wizard? Like, a gypsy wizard maybe?

He is laughing and winks, then he whispers his traditional words when he does magic for me.

Hocus Pocus. It will be very useful to you as it has been for me. It must be placed over the heart to use it and it will take you wherever you wish to go in the blink of an eye. It is how I arrived here from the mundane world since I cannot fly like Julian. Be warned though, that you must always keep it safe, for it's one of 6 very powerful runestones and they all are greatly desired by evil hands. Like two of it's companions, the moonstone and the citrine, it can see the present, but this one is extra special because it can also see visions of the past and future. The stone's center possesses a very powerful water from the Lorien realm where it was created. And of course there is a little hint of...hocus pocus...in there as well."

Haldir's brow raised for a moment as he now recalled seeing Zeddicus in Lothlorien centuries ago with Celeborn and the Lady of the woods. He indeed was a wizard just as Josselyn had described him as, but not as powerful as Gandalf. He carried no staff, only a sword. Haldir remembered him as a puppeteer and magician. He communed with animals, had great knowledge and skill with herbs and potions and had the ability to change his image. He also possessed the power of fire and was a healer, even to the extent of limb rejuvenation.

"He then tells me what it does in more detail.

The past and present can be seen at any time, but the future can only be seen at 4 points of the year. The autumn and vernal equinox and the winter and summer solstice. It needs the rays of the full moon or the visions cannot be trusted. Be warned again that just because it holds such visionary power does not mean it should be entertained. There are many things we may end up wishing we did not know. Things like secrets of the past and present or traumatic events of the future.

The next morning comes. Grandfather and Julian are out on a walk. Caroline corners me. She overheard what the pendant can do. She wants me to use it for her to find Cassandra. I...I am clutching it tight. I'm scared of what she will do if she knows. I tell her I'm not sure how to even use it. She snaps at me. She tells me I better figure it out because I had promised to help her with her plan. I close my eyes and go with my instincts. I focus on Cassandra. I ask the stone to show me where she is and then I look into it. The misty swirl inside...it...it is clearing and I...I see her! I...I hear her!! So does Caroline. Cassandra is rubbing her stomach and singing to it. Hush little baby girl, don't say a word. Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird. She is pregnant!!! and she somehow knows it's a another girl.

Caroline is smiling very wickedly and speaks into the stone.

Gotcha. And now I will come to claim what should have been mine!

I am upset. I ask her if she is going to kill Julian's child. Now she is upset. She yells at me.

What is wrong with you??!!

Stupid girl! I am not going to kill MY child because that is exactly what this child will be! A 7th daughter with powers that will also be mine. Now listen and listen good to my plan. I am going to leave for awhile to tuck Cassie away where she will never be found, with a little help from a certain goblin King. And when she is near her due time, I will come for her and take her far far away to give birth. I can't risk Ravenna snatching the baby for herself if she were to find out. All I have to do is summon him. As evil as he has become, this will be one hell of a thrill for him and all I will have to do is give his cock a little something in return.

Julian's evil brother Jareth? You're...you're going to...sleep..with him?

Well there's the lightbulb. You catch on quick. Jules fucked my sister. I will fuck his brother. When I return, I will tell Julian I am finally with child and make him believe I have forgiven him due to our little miracle. With a little dark magic, I can easily make myself appear pregnant. It seems more feasible than turning to gluttony just to become fat.

But...w...won't he think the child is Jareth's?

"Noooooooowah??? I am not going to tell him I slept with Jareth until much later on...years maybe...after he's already bonded with and come to deeply love the girl and then rip his heart out by telling him she is Jareth's. You see, Julian is going to continuously suffer for what he did, because when I'm betrayed, I hold grudges. I hold them forever. Even naughty Narcisse is now on my shit list. It has come to my attention that the wretched warlock secretly visited our solstice party on his travels to return the cheating Catherine to her clueless King in Lake Town. He knew what Julian and my sister did and certainly was never going to tell me and he will pay for it too, so you better not even THINK of crossing me. You will keep your mouth shut about all of this. Do you understand me little girl?? I can always summon Harker to take you back. Now that you're older, he'll probably use you the way he does your mother. You don't want him to be your first time do you?

No! No please, no. I...I won't say anything. I promise Caroline!! Please don't send me back. I'll do anything!!

Good girl. Now, stop you're blubbering. It's unbecoming. I am going to go tell Julian some bullshit that I am going to go visit my mother and think about things. I should have Cassie all shackled in her little dirty dungeon of iron bars in no time and I will see you when I get back. And do not even think of spying on me with that pendant. Ta ta!

Julian has bought her story. He looks sad. She was cruel to him as he begged her not to go. I feel terrible and so guilty. How can she hurt him like this? How can I???

It is the next evening. Caroline is gone. Grandfather is at one of the traveler's camp sites for a party that Julian declined to attend. I stayed home too. I didn't want to leave him alone. Julian is quiet. He is having a glass of wine at the kitchen table. I think he is trying to drown his sorrows. I want to make him feel better. I...I am making myself extra pretty to see if he notices. I ask if I can join him for some wine. He looks up at me. His eyes dilate and he smiles. I think he notices. My stomach drops as if I am falling.

Please, Josselyn. Allow me to pour you a glass. You...you look very lovely this evening. Have you decided to join the festivities?

No...I...I am quite happy right here..with you...I..I mean...I...

I am too frazzled to speak. I feel so embarrassed. He notices that too. He is trying to make me feel comfortable. His lays his hand upon mine.

I understand what you mean. I...I enjoy your company as well.

I know I am turning red. I can feel the heat on my cheeks which he also notices.

Your cheeks are quite flushed love. Is the fire too warm...or could it be that I make you nervous?

He pulls his hand away. The way he is smiling...I...I think he knows how I adore him. He once said he knows many things if they are not hidden from him. I am most terrible at hiding my feelings.

No..no of course not. I..I think I overdid it on the rouge. That's all.

I see. You do not need all of that nonsense on your face. Your beauty is strikingly natural.

You...you are too gracious Julian. I...I am so sorry for what you are going through. You...you do not deserve it. You are the best man I have ever known aside from my father and grandfather.

He is staring at me. I think I said too much. I drink down my wine and pour another. He is chuckling.

I do not think you have known many men to really know that, have you?

I...I do not need to. I don't want to know any other but you.

He is staring again. I should not have said that. It is so hard to stop myself. I...I want him to know but yet I know he shouldn't.

Is that so? You are something special Josselyn. So very beautiful and kind, on the inside as well as out. If only I had met you first. May I...confide something in you?

Of course. Your secrets are safe with me.

My mother forbids love. It is all about darkness and power to her after she was scorned by my father. I am a 7th son. I am supposed to be with a 7th daughter and reproduce another 7th. It is an endless cycle. I have defied the darkness and my mother. I want love because I feel love inside of me. Although my union with Caroline was arranged, I believed I could love her and I learned to eventually, but it still never felt quite right or real. It was more physical attraction than anything. I began to focus on having a child to love. He or she would not be some number to me like I was, but Caroline has not been able to conceive. I was beginning to think that it was myself that was the problem until Caroline confessed something to me yesterday before she left. She had become pregnant 6 times and had miscarried them all. She knew they were girls. She believed I would find her useless to me so she chose to lie to me instead. The only thing I find useless now is continuing on with this farce of a union. I have had much to think about on our journey here and since she left. Caroline was right. I should have known that it was Cassandra I was intimate with. Although their appearance is identical, with real love, one should know the difference for many other reasons....but I did not. I realize more than ever that the only connection she and I truly have, to quite simply put it is....being of witch heritage. It is all quite a surreal awakening.

I...I want to cry and throw up at the same time. I did not know Caroline was going to use Cassandra's story as her own, but I see why she did. So Julian would believe her upcoming fake pregnancy was his 7th child and now, Julian needlessly suffers even more believing he has lost 6 other children. He trusts me and yet I am lying to him too. Would he ever understand why? I am not even worried for myself anymore. I fear Caroline will do something terrible to Julian if I tell him the truth. My love for him is very real. My tears, I cannot hold them back any longer. Julian comes to sit by me. He tilts his head and touches my cheek.

Darling girl, why do you cry?

I...I cry for you. Your pain, it hurts me so. I want to take it all away. You deserve happiness and...true love.

He is staring again. His head tilts the other way. He wipes my tears with his thumb. He cradles my head in his hands and....he...he is leaning forward. His lips...they take mine. Soft and fully. Mine fit and move perfectly with his. Our tongues slowly caress. He tastes of his scent. Apples. The really sweet ones. Am I dreaming??

He pulls back and stares into my eyes once more. I can see my reflection in his. His eyes are torn between desire and worry.

Josselyn, please forgive me...You bring weakness upon me. I would give anything to make love to you right now, but not even a kiss can ever happen again. Caroline's intuition is very strong. She would know and if she ever hurt you, I would never forgive myself. I never knew you would come to mean so much to my heart. I will forever taste your caramel kiss. You must go to your room now. Zeddicus is coming. I sense him.

But Julian...I...I...you need to know...I lo...

He rushes his fingers to my lips. There's a tear in his eye.

No! Do not speak it precious one. Not now. Just know that I know. I have always known. Sweet dreams Josselyn.

I hear my grandfather's whistling. I do as Julian says and go to my room. I silently cry myself to sleep. Damn you Caroline. I want to give the pendant to Julian and let him see what she is doing, but I cannot risk it. I wish I had been left with Harker, for this pain is far worse."

Haldir let Josselyn rest again. This part of her tale seemed to weigh the heaviest upon her. He needed a rest too, for he knew how evil and vindictive Caroline was even before she became a vampire, but what she had done to her own sister and her husband was just appalling to him and his heart even went out to Josselyn. He felt her pain. He knew it all too well for his love of you and seeing you hurting so much.

It was time to move on. He aided Josselyn in giving her some water from his canteen and then asked her to continue.

"The day I dreaded has come. Caroline has returned after 7 days. I am cooking, but listening as she tells Julian the news. He sits down. He looks as if a hole has been punched through his chest. I catch a glance of his eyes. They are sorrowful. He is forcing a smile at her. He is worried she will miscarry again and he tells her so. She is angry that he cannot just be happy they have another chance. My heart is breaking for him.

Month after month goes by. Everyday is the same. Caroline is still a bitch. The only difference is the growing of her fake stomach and my relationship with Julian. He rarely speaks to me now but I know it is not to hurt me. It is to keep her happy and unaware of his feelings.

It is November. Caroline says Cassandra will give birth in December. A 7th daughter only carries for 7 months and the child is always born on the 7th day. Caroline and Julian have been fighting all the time. I just want to hold him, but I keep my distance and go on walks a lot. I love nature....and I watch my mother through the pendant when I am alone. I am going to stop. She is so far under Harker's spell, that it is not even her at all anymore. She looks different. Older. She wears a red dress. There are others dressed the same. The sisters of the dark. My mother is as wicked as Harker is. My grandfather's heart is broken. He misses his daughter. I miss her too. He and Julian are leaving to attempt to bargain with Harker to get her back. I don't like it. Caroline does because Julian will be out of her way for her to "have" the baby. She is the one who coaxed him into going.

Before Julian leaves, he takes me aside. He looks in my eyes. The dear sweet man says he is doing it for me. He wants me to be happy. I tell him I do not deserve to be happy. He says I deserve the world and kisses my forehead. I tell him to stop and talk to me every night at midnight. I will be watching and listening through the pendant. He smiles, whispers the words "faithfully my dearest girl" and leaves. I go in my room and cry my eyes out into my pillow. I never should have told them what I saw. I always ruin everything. If Julian learns what I have done, he will look at me the way he looks at Caroline now. I...I'm curious of the future...my future, now more than ever but it's too late to see it. I heeded my grandfather's warning about it and skipped the open door of the autumn equinox in September. The winter solstice is approaching. I still will not look when it comes. I wish my grandfather never would have given it to me. He said I will need it. I do not need it except for to see and hear my beloved Julian.

It is December and time to gather Cassandra. Caroline and I pack up a small trailer and head to a desolate area away from the other travelers so they will not see us leave through the portal. She has brought two of her henchmen to drive the carriage and for extra protection. They are traitorous warlocks that do her evil bidding. We all sit tight together upon the carriage. I do as grandfather explained and wear the pendant over my heart. I whisper the words "take us to the Goblin King's realm."

I've never seen anything like it. A doorway forms with an illuminated gateway, purple with a swirling mist like the amethyst.

The horses become agitated and do not want to go through it. Neither do I. I am frightened like they are. The drivers each snap the horses on their rears with the whips and they race forward. Just like that, we are there, simply like walking into another room. I am even more fearful now. We are in a dark and dead forest. It smells bad. Caroline says it is the bog of stench that lingers through the realm.

We approach the Misty mountains and upon the summit sits a colossal castle. There are hideous beasts all over the mountain as we ascend on the winding path. Goblins and orcs. They do not bother us. They know who Caroline is. Oh my god, WHO is that?? A man...with eccentric blonde hair. He reminds me of Dracula in his creepy high collared black cape. He is sitting in on an open window ledge of the fortress. He is spinning something in his hands. I think they are crystal balls? 3 of them. He is staring at me.

We all enter the castle as the doors open. There are ticking clocks everywhere as well. All with a 13th hour. It is like a maze of hallways and strange staircases. Some upside down. It is making me dizzy and nauseous. So is the overpowering smell of citrus. The man arrives out of nowhere and kisses Caroline's neck.

Hello Caroline. My my. Quite the beanpole for being 7 months with child. Illusions are thrilling are they not? Speaking of...hello there...Josselyn. I am Jareth. How are you enjoying my labyrinth?

He is leaning over me, staring me right in the eyes. His eyes...one brown, one blue. They are...oddly beautiful just as he is. But he scares me. He's exactly like Harker and nothing like Julian.

I...I...think it is...lovely?

He is loudly laughing. Yes, the gloom and doom IS quite lovely is it not? So are you child. You should be after ingesting the magic of my Queen.

I...I am so sorry! I swear, I did not mean to.

He is laughing again. Relax girl. I am not going to harm you. I find what you did, intentional or not, rather amusing. I can quite picture Ravenna's fearful face as time was running out. Oh how I would so have loved to have been a cockroach on the floor to personally witness it. Wretched woman unnerves me and now, unfortunately she is carrying my offspring which she is ever so undeserving of. I should never have pleasured her after what she has done but...I too have needs. At least....It's a boy! And I can mold him into my image. Speaking of needs. Caroline. Before you collect your....surrogate...I don't think your payment was quite enough for what I am doing for you, so I am raising the price. Join me in my chambers and when I am satisfied, my lips will remain sealed and you may be on your way. Josselyn dear. Have a seat. We won't be long.

Caroline is displeased but does as he asks. She does not sound displeased though as I hear her moaning echoes through the halls. Gross.

All the clocks begin to chime on the 13th hour. It's disorienting. I run outside for peace...and to quickly see Julian while I have the chance, for it is midnight. I believe the placement of the moon over Jareth's time trickery.

I pull the pendant up from my chest and wait. I am shaking with anticipation and lovesick with butterflies. I...I see him. He is sitting in a forest all alone. The moon is radiating over him. He looks like an angel.

I am here my dear Josselyn. I hope you are too. I wish I could hear you, see you...like you can me. Zeddicus and I have had no luck thus far in locating Harker on his travels, but I will not give up. Zed is resting now so I can speak to you. He knows of my feelings. He told me he does not have to be a wizard to know, for it is written all over my face when I speak of you. That is why I have kept my distance and I never spoke of you to Caroline. It is a gutting agony. I miss you immensely beautiful butterfly, for that is what you have become. I still see your bright blue eyes and taste your caramel lips. I can feel your delicate skin and hair of silk. I still hear the pounding of your heart when we touched and smell the sensual aroma of your arousal. You have bewitched me for eternity without even trying. I wish all could be different. I must go now. Until next time sweetheart, sweet dreams. You will be in mine.

He is standing up to leave. I'm sobbing.

No! No Julian, don't go. Wait!

I quickly blow a soft kiss to his image and whisper how much I love him. His hair.... it is taken by it! He looks in the direction of the breeze and closes his eyes. He moans softly and touches his lips.

Mmmm. A whisper and caramel kiss on the wings of a butterfly. Message received. Lightning strikes maybe once, maybe twice and it lights up the night. I see my gypsy.

He blows a kiss back and smiles so wickedly adorable. I feel the kiss in my very soul. Now I know what my grandfather meant when he said the pendant even holds a hint of hocus pocus in it.

I hear Caroline! but it...it's not her.....I run back inside to see the warlocks man handling a dirty and angry Cassandra. She is wearing some odd collar around her neck made of metal. It is tight and it has a small dark gemstone in the center. Cassandra's stomach is huge! Her eyes lock in mine.

You?!! From the forest... help me...help me please!!

Her arm lunges at me as they pull her out the door. I jump back against the wall. There's nothing I can do. I follow them outside. They put her in the trailer and bind her to the bed. I ask Caroline what is on her neck. I...I saw it on my mother once when I was watching her. She says it's called a Rada'han. A warlock's favorite toy per se. It simply appears to be a jewelry piece and something only wicked warlocks use. She says they have different stones in them that serve different purposes. This particular one has an iron meteorite stone in it's center. It is like an iron, salt and silverbane cocktail to a witch, rendering them powerless and it's far more debilitating. The stone is tight against the skin and low doses of the poison are slowly and consistently released and absorbed into the body. The collar can only be removed by a key in which Caroline holds. I worry the poison will hurt the baby. Caroline says the 7th born is protected in the womb. Maybe that is why her stomach is that big for only one child?

Her goodbyes are said to Jareth and we are leaving. I am glad. Jareth's realm makes me feel sick like I did in Ravenna's dark forest. Caroline is fine. I think it's because she has now become dark. We are out of the realm now and we are stopping. Caroline says we will use the portal again. I ask where we are going. She says far far south to a realm of humans, a place where no one knows her or Julian. Minas Tirith in the realm of Gondor. There is an eminent midwife there that she will seek aid from. She serves the wife of the city's notorious steward, Denethor.

We have arrived. The city is a prodigious pyramid of stone placed alongside the White mountains. I have counted 7 levels as we approach it. Just in time too. It is the 7th and Cassandra is in labor.

We are stopped at the gates. Caroline unties Cassandra and removes the collar. She warns her to remain silent if she wishes to live after the birth. I do not think she could speak much if she wanted to. She is in pain and can barely open her eyes.

Caroline puts her hair up in a bun and wears the hood on her cloak. She does not want to be witnessed as a twin. She tells them that we are gypsy travelers in urgent need of a midwife and that she was told by others along the way to come here. The guards hear Cassandra's cries and look in on her. They quickly guide us inside. We are given a room on the first level and told to wait.

Time passes. Cassandra is moaning and crying.

I am patting her forehead with a cool wet cloth. She grabs my hand and squeezes it. I squeeze back and whisper to her that I am so sorry. I feel so bad for her. Caroline is angry and orders me to stay away from her. She wants her to suffer.

A woman comes in. She wears servant attire but it is rather fancy. She introduces herself as the midwife. She goes right to Cassandra and preps. They begin. She tells her she sees the head and to push on the next contraction. Cassandra is cursing and screaming. This goes on for 6 more attempts. The baby is out! The midwife cleans out her mouth, smacks her bottom and she squeals! I am crying happy tears. I have never seen a child birth. The baby has red hair!! Cassandra is crying and reaches for her. The midwife cuts and clamps the cord, then places her in Cassandra's arms. She kisses her tiny forehead and tells her she loves her. They gaze at each other. It' so beautiful.

Caroline is a cold hearted bitch. She pries the child from Cassandra's weak arms. Cassandra cries that she wants her baby. She begs Caroline not to take her and then she passes out. The midwife says she needs rest. Caroline thanks her for her help and gives her a small bag of coins. She tells her we do not have time to stay, that we have a long journey ahead and must get the child home to her father as soon as she awakens. She says she is going to the trailer to clothe and feed the baby, then she will be back. She tells me to stay.

I am sitting by Cassandra while the midwife cleans up. She awakens. She grabs my hand again.

Don't let her take them both.

What? What do you mean both?

The boy. She does not want a boy. She will kill him like she did all of my other babies.

What boy? There is no boy. You had one child. A girl.

There is a boy. Twins...you must take him. Please!

I..I think the exhaustion and the poison are affecting your mind. There is no boy and even if there were, I cannot have a child. Harker, he owns me and will take it from me for Ravenna and I certainly can't just walk out of here with a baby because Caroline would see him.

Cassandra starts to moan and scream again. I jump up in fright. The midwife comes running back. Her eyes widen. She says she is having another baby! I'm in shock. Cassandra was right. I stand and watch as another head of red hair appears. 3 pushes and he is out, instantly screeching. The midwife tries to place him in Cassandra's arms but she refuses and becomes cruel. She tells the midwife she does not want the little bastard and to give him to someone else. I think her harsh words and demeanor is intentional. She is trying to protect her son. She tells the midwife to never speak of this or she will curse her. Cassandra must have gained enough strength to use some of her power after having the collar removed. With a strong glare, she forces the midwife's breath out of her, making her begin to choke. She quickly releases the terrified woman who now understands what Cassandra is.

Now do you see what I am capable of? Now go! Get that thing out of here!

The woman runs out with the baby boy and Cassandra passes out again. I clean her up as I wait for Caroline to return. I am shaking so bad.

Caroline soon returns with the baby girl and her two guards. Cassandra awakens. I think she senses her baby's presence. I can smell the child. It's a strong cherry scent, much like Cassandra's. The boy smelled of sweet apples like Julian.

Caroline places the collar back on Cassandra and the guards force her to her feet. We are on our way once again. Caroline makes me take us back to the goblin realm. We stop in the dark forest and the guards drag Cassandra out. There...there is a hill...and a door at the bottom of it. It is barely visible from all the trees, rocks and brush. Caroline calls it the hole in the hill. She says Jareth has it prepared for Cassandra and it will now be her new home. The door is unbreakable. It can only be accessed by Jareth's ring. No one will ever know she is here. She will be believed dead by all. Caroline wickedly laughs as her sister is pushed inside with the collar still around her neck. I can faintly hear her banging on the door and crying. I am crying. I despise Caroline for this. For ALL of this. If only I had powers, I would handle Caroline. Then I would take the girl and run back to Julian and tell him everything, even if he hated me for it.

We are back at the cabin now. Caroline has the baby all settled into her cradle. She is calling her Josephine.

It is almost midnight again. I am unable to leave and see Julian in the pendant, for Caroline wishes to speak to me. She seems...strange.

Tell me Josselyn dear. Do you take me for a fool?

I...I'm sorry, what? No, of course not.

I find that to be a lie. Something that you are very good at too. The crystal balls Jareth has. They have the power to see just as your pendant does. Jareth showed me something before we left his realm for Gondor. No, no Julian, please don't go!!! Ring a bell??? Daring little girl aren't you?? Or should I say....whore?

Caroline, please...you don't unders...

Liar!! My eyes and ears understand quite perfectly! You desire my husband as he desires you! Go on, deny it! I dare you!

I...I...wh...what are you going to...do to me??

Well unfortunately, I certainly cannot kill you. I don't need Harker coming after me, so I will do the next best thing. You will leave here and never speak of what you know to ANYONE and you will NEVER come near my husband or child ever again. If you do, I will have no choice but to take my chances with Harker's wrath. Grab your things and don't let the portal door hit you in the ass.

But...my...my grandfather! Please, let me wait for him.

I said get out...now! You can spy on him later and find him!

She follows me while I gather my stuff and then watches me as I walk off into the dark cold night. I trip and fall in the forest. I can't breathe. I am crying too hard. Julian, my sweet Julian. I'll never see him again. He'll never know the truth. What if she hurts him for knowing how he feels?? Maybe...I think I know someone who might be able to help. But...I...I could die for it....and I would...I would die for Julian's safety and happiness. I'm still afraid. She could kill him if I betray her. I don't know what to do!

I get up. I put the pendant on and I say the words. Take me to the Dorwinion castle."

Josselyn began to hyperventilate and Haldir quickly attempted to calm her with his emotion control as he took her hand, but it did not work. She was getting worse. The Lorein elf knew he had to bring her out of his hypnotic spell before she forgot everything. He couldn't risk it...or her well being. She still had not spoken of Lola and Sarah and that had been his main goal.

As his dilated eyes relaxed, Josselyn was released.

She toppled over against his chest and he allowed her to lay there until she caught her breath. A motion of his hand told Rumil and Orophin to give her some privacy, for he knew when she came to her senses, he was going to get an ear full of well deserved rage.

"Josselyn. Are you able to sit up? I would like you to drink some more of the healing water."

Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of Haldir's voice and she rolled them up to look at him. Haldir sighed, for her big blue eyes were filled with tears and pain. He never meant to hurt her.

She tilted her head to the side and gazed at him as if she did not know him, but she did. At least she thought she did as she stroked his blonde strands.

"J...Julian? You...you're here. You came for me. I...I love you so much."

Haldir was caught off guard when Josselyn pulled his lips to hers. In his perplexed state, he allowed it. It felt nice to have a woman's lips upon his again, although he wished they were yours. The kiss was full and deep, but Haldir abruptly ended it when her tongue slipped into his mouth.

Josselyn's eyes gaped as Haldir's face came into focus, then her eyes filled with rage.

"You! You son of a bitch!!"

The palm of her hand cracked hard and loud across his cheek and off she stormed through the forest. As Haldir caught up to her, she spun around, still raging mad.

"How dare you!! You wicked little elf man!! No one. No one was supposed to ever know those things!! Do you know what you've done??!! I am as good as dead now! If I had my powers, I would string you up in that tree by your balls!"

Rumil and Orophin arrived and raised their bows at her.

"Baw!" (No) Haldir snapped as he raised his hand at his brothers.

"Your anger is justified. You know why I had to force you. Jo deserves to know the truth. Do you not care about her??"

"What kind of question is that?? Of course I do! I was like a mother to that girl when....arrrgh! Just never mind!"

"I will not never mind. Tell me the rest. Help me help her. I can help you too. I will let no harm come to you. You can trust me."

Josselyn laughs hysterically. "Like you just now let harm come to me?? I have been on my own for so many years and I trust no one! Especially an elf! And obviously with good cause! And don't you think for one minute that I enjoyed that kiss!"

"So be it. Just know, when we return to the castle, I am going to show Jo all of this and she will seek you out for the rest of the answers. Knowing her like I do, she is going to be far more angry than you are right now, for you knew all of this and never told her. I would say you are much better off to tell me now and then I can speak with her and try to make her understand your reasoning."

Josselyn was quiet as she stared at him, then she softly spoke.

"You...you would actually do that for me? Try to help me, even after...after all of this. I mean...I...I kissed you, then I slapped you for one thing."

"I will. I am an elf of my word. As I said, you can trust me. You are safe. I will protect you."

Her eyes were skeptical for a moment and then she sighed.

"Alright. Fine. Have a seat. But you better buckle up elf boy. There's many more twists and turns."

@redeemer46

[leviathanlazarus]

Reaching for Stardust - Part IV

Read Looking For Space here / RFS on wattpad / Playlists

Word Count: ~3400

Warnings: none <3

---

Josh was spending the afternoon with his parents which worked out fine for me–I was determined to find the perfect birthday present for him, particularly considering he’d planned an entire trip on his own and was currently refusing to let me pay him back for any of it. But I also didn’t feel like being entirely on my own so I called upon Bev, who always proved herself to be helpful and discerning whenever I was struggling with the holiday and birthday gifts for my sweetheart. 

“So he really didn’t tell you any of this?” she asked while we browsed that same boutique I had found the iconic bull pendant in. “He just laid it all on you suddenly, like, ‘Surprise! Pack your bags, babe?’” 

I chuckled, gazing over the counters. I hadn’t been inside of the charming little boutique for quite some time but it looked the same as it had in my memory, full of sparkling jewelry, whimsical trinkets, incense, colorful fabrics and fantastical books and artwork. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for. I knew I’d know when I saw the perfect thing. 

“Pretty much,” I told Bev, picking up a small silver box engraved with a wolf, its eyes made from tiny blue gemstones. 

“That seems so unlike him. Like, being spontaneous, sure. But you not being in on it?” Bev mused with a slight shake of her head as she trailed her fingers down a purple and gold scarf hanging from a rack. “Doesn’t sound like Josh. How’d he keep it to himself anyway?”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” I admitted. “He’s always excited to tell me anything. Seems weird that he’d keep this all a big secret until like, a week before it’s happening.” 

“Jesus,” Bev remarked softly. “And you’re still gonna buy him a gift? I’d be pissed.”

“I’m not pissed. I’m kind of nervous though,” I confessed. I looked away from her to the mass of wares the boutique offered, but nothing was jumping out at me. I wanted to find something that captured Josh as well as that bull pendant had, something that represented all of his love and light, something he could hold onto just the same. 

“Why?”

“Well, I told you about how he wants to get married before we buy a house, right?” I said, meandering over to the jewelry counters, looking down through the glass at the dizzying array of rings, necklaces, bracelets and brooches. “And when I brought it up again the other day, he was like, we should keep our options open and figure out where we wanna buy one. As if he’s not certain he doesn’t wanna stay here.”

“I mean, do you wanna stay here?” Bev inquired, peering down at the jewelry right alongside me. “Dual income, no kids. You guys could go anywhere.” 

“Okay, but our families are here. I like it here. Josh does, too.” None of the jewelry was catching my attention either so I moved on, stepping to the back of the shop where more sculptures and trinkets were positioned on shelves. “It’s news to me that he’s seriously thought about moving somewhere else.”

“Has he been seriously thinking about it or are you just assuming he has?”

I sighed. “Fine, maybe I’m assuming a little. But he’s been so resistant to it, now I’m wondering if he really has been wanting to live somewhere else. And I don’t know if I’m ready for that. Like, where would we even go?” 

“Detroit?”

“Yeah, that was my thought. I haven’t brought that up to him yet.”

“So start with that. But this trip to Savannah,” Bev said, raising her eyebrows at me. “Maybe you’ll fall in love with it and want to move there.”

“Doubt it. Besides, Josh wouldn’t. He’s such a woods and mountain boy, not a beach bum.”

“I’m sure there are woods there.”

“No mountains though.”

“And that’s a deal-breaker? We don’t even have mountains here.”

I laughed a little. “I’m aware! But if we moved somewhere, we should move somewhere that’s closer to mountains. At least we’ve got lots of woods and plains here.” 

“You better have this conversation with your boy soon,” Bev said. “But maybe wait until after the trip. Just enjoy it. I wish someone would surprise me with some place tickets.”

I bumped into her shoulder, smiling. “Someday I will.” 

“I’m counting on it.” 

With nothing worthwhile in the boutique, we set our sights elsewhere, deciding on taking a lunch break before figuring out the next stop. Bev was on her phone while I drove, searching for inspiration, expressing the same sentiment that I held in my own mind–we wouldn’t be finding anything special enough for Josh at a place like Walmart or something. 

“Hey, check this out,” Bev proclaimed, tapping the screen of her phone. “There’s an estate sale today on Bennett Street until 3. I bet there’ll be some neat stuff there.” 

The house itself was charming right at first glance. It was small but had a decently sized front yard, with dusky blue siding and an attached garage. The siding was weathered and worn, the white paint on the front door and the garage door was obviously in need of rejuvenation, and the yard was full of overgrown weeds and unkempt flower beds. But stepping inside, the interior was orderly and stable, nothing that needed to be gutted or even repaired from what I could see. Plastic folding tables were arranged in the empty space between the furniture that had all been pushed to the walls, and most of that was decorated with little neon circles depicting numbers, and covered in all the goods for sale. 

“Pretty much everything has to go,” said the woman who emerged from the kitchen, alerted by the sound of Bev shutting the door behind us. She was drying her hands on a kitchen towel as she approached the square table I had positioned myself in front of, then waved one hand over the surface. “I’d hang onto some of these smaller things if I could, but I think she’d actually prefer that some of them could go to better homes.”

I glanced at the walls, my eyes landing on a family photograph. “Was she–?”

“My mom.”

“I’m so sorry,” Bev and I said in near-unison.

“Thank you. She had a long life,” the woman said, then smiled down at the table. “And collected lots of nice things, clearly. Look around as much as you want. There’s lots of stuff in just about every room, furniture included.”

I felt a little crass about asking but did anyway: “I’m curious–is the house for sale, too?”

“It will be soon. I’m trying to get it as empty as I can before I start really making those arrangements. Are you looking?”

“Kind of. Keeping an eye open,” I said, looking around more closely at the open living area. Hardwood floors and lots of natural light were instantly appealing. 

“Mom kept the inside pretty nice. She loved taking care of her home,” the woman told me. “The outside, not so much. When she got older, she decided she’d rather let the yard do what it wanted and she wouldn’t hear any protest from me or my brother.”

“I like it,” I said. “Would make for a great gardening project.”

She smiled. “I think so, too. If you give me your contact information, I could call you when I put it on the market?”

“Really?” My heart skipped a beat at the mere idea of having an “in” like that. “That would be amazing.” She handed me a little notepad and pen and I wrote down my name and phone number, buzzing, fantasies of buying the house and making it into a little haven for Josh and I rippling through my mind.

“Wow, your mom had quite the jewelry collection,” Bev remarked and I followed her eyes down to the round table in front of her, covered in necklaces, bracelets and earrings. “Some of this stuff looks really nice.”

“She had kind of an eclectic taste,” the woman told us. “Never shied away from wearing whatever she wanted. But some of it’s not MY taste so, please, absolutely feel free to take some of this off my hands.”

One piece did catch my eye–a long rope chain of soft gold with what looked like a handmade gold star pendant hanging from it. Or maybe a sunburst–it was hard to tell. It looked like it could go either way, which I felt added to its mystique and charm. And even despite its relatively simple design, the gold itself was brilliant and shiny and the craft of it was impressive–each point of the star or sun was sharp and clean and the inner portion was rounded out with tiny blue, yellow and white crystals. I thought of one thing–Starshine.

I felt proud of and excited for my purchase, which had been folded into a spare tissue and squared away in my bag, and proud of the connection I’d made. A birthday gift for my beloved was one thing; the real possibility of a house together was an even bigger thing. I figured I’d save that news for a while though, at least until after Josh and I got back from our trip. If he could have some secrets, I could have some, too. 

“Happy?” Bev asked me, looking quite happy herself. She’d left the estate sale with some new–or rather, old–jewelry for herself, a vintage silk scarf and a pair of hardly worn black velvet pumps. 

“Very,” I said, patting my bag. “I think he’ll really like it.” 

“I think he will, too.” Bev sighed outside my car, her hand resting on the passenger door. “I wish I could go on that trip with you. I know it might seem super out of the blue and weird, but the more I think about it, the more I think it’s romantic and sweet.”

I clicked the unlock button on my car remote. “Yeah. It is romantic,” I tentatively agreed as I opened the driver’s side door and slid myself inside, waiting for Bev before I gave my final thoughts. “It still bugs me though. You know, that he didn’t just tell me.”

“Sometimes surprises are good,” Bev reassured me, looking down at all her new goodies in her lap.

“Yeah,” I echoed again, turning the engine over and the low rumble felt similar to the rumble in my chest, some brisk ache in my heart that I couldn’t explain. “Sometimes they are.”

–

After I dropped Bev off I found myself driving aimlessly, or so I thought for some time. When the song, the one Josh had played during one of the many nights when we were on our backs in cool grass looking up at the sky, came on shuffle, churning through my car speakers I felt an irresistible pull toward a familiar place. John Denver’s even, calm, tenor voice both soothed and alerted my heart as I drove, the familiar words of the song beckoning me back to where we’d really looked for space together. To where everything began. 

The barn looked as derelict as ever. Falling apart at the seams, so to speak, it sat at a slight angle, weathered to hell with whatever paint had once been on the wood almost entirely gone and what was left was so sun-damaged it was hard to tell what color it really had been. It was broken and splintered and looked so much harsher in the daylight than it did at night. At night, it looked almost soft and somewhat inviting in its gentle gloom, like it just wanted a friend or two to spend some time by it. The grass and weeds surrounding it, rippling over the acres, had gotten longer since Josh and I had last been there; some of it went nearly up to my chest as I walked along the faint path that still remained, finding my way to the main doors that were perpetually torn open. 

I peered inside, inspecting what else might look drastically different when not cloaked in darkness. Cobwebs and dust clung to every corner and surface; rusted equipment sat in broken heaps on the floor; old hay, the smell so much more potent in the afternoon heat, remained in hilly piles above and below and the broken roof with its varied slats and breaking points allowed the sunlight to stream in, almost creating a kaleidoscope in the dank dusk of the interior. 

But it was what remained outside the structure that really called to me. I went back out and stepped around the perimeter, quickly able to find the old tree trunk that felt so symbolic it hurt–it was complete permanence. No matter what had happened in this tree’s past, part of it had remained and would always remain. The roots undoubtedly went deep and hard into the earth, securing it there for life outside of a place that would weather away more and more with time until one day it would be almost nothing. And there, next to the tree stump, was the panel of wood with our initials carved into it. The “JK” was sharp and defined above the little plus symbol and my own initials and the sight made me smile though my heart swelled in my chest, which reminded me of what the whole experience was missing. 

When the song had played during my drive, I knew what I had been coming back to this place for. More than one thing, but one of those things was to complete that past moment–I retrieved the little pocket knife from my jeans and got to work, engraving a wonky but legible heart around our initials. When it was complete, I stepped back, pleased. Even when the final day of the barn’s life came, those etching would always remain in the wood. 

Josh was home when I returned and my heart did a flip when I saw his face again, still reeling from the nostalgia of that first and only love that had begun to blossom so long ago. I shut the door, dropped my bag, kicked off my shoes and surprised him from behind in the kitchen, gathering him up in my arms like he was one single star I could keep down on earth. 

“Oh, hey, darling,” he said, lifting one hand to pull an earbud out. “Didn’t hear you back there. How are you? How’s Bev?”

I rocked us both slightly back and forth, tightening my grasp. “Good. We did a little second-hand shopping. Got lunch. How’re your folks?” 

He took the second earbud out and slid them both into his pants pocket. “Good. They said they want us to bring back a tour guide of Savannah for them.”

“We should find some nice souvenirs for them, too.” I looked down at the counter in front of him, the cutting board laid out and covered with an array of vegetables. “Stir fry?”

“Exactly.” Josh wiggled back against me and I giggled. “But I can’t finish the job without my arms.”

“I can do it,” I told him, releasing my hold to move my arms in front of him, grabbing the knife with my right hand and a yellow bell pepper with my left. “You can make sure I’m doing it right.” 

Josh leaned back, his hair in my face; I moved my head to the side enough to see what I was doing so I didn’t cut myself and ruin dinner. “Doing just fine,” he remarked, then sighed. “Actually, watching you is sort of meditative.” 

“Really? That’s good. We all know you’re the better chef,” I said and Josh laughed a little; I could see his nose crinkling in the reflection of the window above the sink. I had to move slowly and methodically, carefully slicing the pepper before moving onto another, a green one. “Guess where I went after I dropped Bev off?”

“The moon?”

“If only. No, the barn. Our barn.”

Josh smiled in the clear glass beyond us. “Really? That’s so sweet. Or should I be hurt that you went without me?”

“Don’t be. I was thinking about you the whole time.” When it got to be time to actually get the pan ready, I pulled myself aside and let Josh get back to work, leaning against the counter as I watched him. “I found our initials again. I carved a heart around them.”

Josh turned, smiling all white teeth and pure joy so bright I wanted to eat him up. “Yeah? That’s even sweeter. How’d we forget to do that way back in the day?”

“I probably thought it was too cliche and you were probably too nice to fight me on that.”

“Sounds right,” Josh affirmed with a laugh, opening the fridge. “I love that you went back and added that. It’s only appropriate. I need to see it when we go there next.” I smiled at the thought–it had been a little while since we’d been there together. “And what did you get from your shopping adventure?” 

I pivoted over to the drawer with the spatulas and tongs. “Just one thing, actually, and it’s not for me.”

“You’ve got a surprise for me now?” Josh asked, holding a package of chicken. 

I thought of the necklace and the house but mostly the house, with all its charm and possibility. “Yeah, I do. But don’t get too excited,” I suggested, watching him return to the counter, tracing the contours of his face with my eyes. “It’s just something small.” 

“Small is good,” he said, nodding, and sliced through the plastic overlay of the chicken with a steak knife. “I’m small.”

“Small in size, but with a huge heart,” I countered, then sidled up to him so I could wrap my hand around his arm. “And with big muscles.” But really–Josh had always been a bit of a hard-body but now he was the epitome of one, so fit and strong that I doubted his lack of height was the first thing everyone noticed. It had to be everything else that at least some noticed–his dark eyes that held everything in such softness you couldn’t help but find yourself entranced and the dark, strong brows that framed them and that which I envied. The perfect nose, so straight and proportional that it wasn’t even fair, right down to his perfect mouth that enchanted me even further whenever he gave me one of his signature kitten smiles, tongue between his, yes, again, perfect teeth. Being familiar with the small things he did to maintain his beauty only made it more alluring and seemingly unachievable for others, myself included. There was the occasional plucking beneath the arch of his eyebrows, a casual skincare routine, a whitening toothpaste, lip balm. Nothing out of the ordinary, yet everything about him was extraordinary and I was sure everyone else could see it all the time. And as easy as it would be to fall into a pit of my own insecurities, Josh never made me feel less than. He never had. He reciprocated my starstruck and dreamy looks, staring into my eyes like he was looking into a golden sunrise, and still whenever he touched me, I felt sparks shimmer all across my skin.

“I need these muscles,” Josh told me, leaning into my own touch. He emphatically tapped the cutting board with the tip of the steak knife. “And this meal will help them grow. Do you wanna eat inside or outside?” 

I didn’t even fully register the question, too far gone watching every small movement of his body and continuously returning to gaze at his profile. “I really love you, Josh.” 

He turned to me, one of the kitten smiles spreading across his face. “Is that right? Even after all this time, you haven’t gotten sick of me?”

I shook my head, wrapping my arms around him. “Nope. Never have, never will.” 

Josh snuggled against me. “I love you too, darling. Always have, always will.” 

There’s a sentiment some people hold that is the more you say something, the less profound it becomes. I never felt like that with Josh no matter how many times we said those words.

---

Tagging: @colorstreammind (I think you said you wanted to be tagged?? Correct me if wrong lol) @jjwasneverhere

[winterfireice]

Keeper group angst!

taglist: @you-have-been-frizzled @did-i-say-you-could-get-up

@the-one-and-only-aroace @stopstealingtomatoes @amandayetagain

fic is under the cut

Keefe

– – –

I don't know what's happening. 

I mean some part of me must, I know Dex and Sophie have not been at school but I'm not even sure if I have been, I have a faint memory of my dad telling me to stop sulking and get ready for class though I have no idea what happened after that, I feel like I've been floating through these past few days, ever since, ever since Fitz called me, Biana was sobbing beside him, I don't think I've ever seen her cry that hard before, and Fitz, he was sitting there looking like he had lived through three lifetimes. But I guess he did outlive two. 

I didn't hear anything past the third sentence after the word “dead” 

I have never known anyone who has died before, Jolie was gone before I was born and I was barely four when Cyrah died, not at an age where I understood what death was, not that our families were even that close,

God, I wish I could go back to then, not that I want Cyrah to die again but so that my friends wouldn’t be… what they are or so at least it wouldn't hurt this much.

I don’t even know them that well yet, and I guess I never will.

I’m going to have to go to their planting. I don’t know what it will be like if they’ll have separate ones, I don't know if i’ll be able to handle that, I'm not sure i’ll be able to handle one.

I don’t know how I’m going to survive this, but I have to, for them.

Biana

– – –

I didn't know I could cry this much, I've hardly stopped since Dad told us what happened, and that was a week ago, now I'm looking at my few green dresses trying to pick which one to wear to my friends’ funeral without collapsing, I don't think I would have remembered to eat if it wasn't for my mom coming to check in on me and Fitz almost every hour, I keep sleeping in Fitz’s room, I'm not sure why, I think I just need to know that not everyone is dead.

I keep getting these almost flashbacks, his dimpled smile or a flash of her brown eyes, and I keep dreaming of them swimming, it makes me sick but it keeps coming back, sometimes it's them swimming farther and farther out, away from the shore, sometimes they’re fighting to bring their head back above the water, and sometimes I just see their registry pendants washing up on the shore, they’re nightmares and I don't know how to make them stop, Elwin tried to give me something but it didn't work, sometimes I hear them screaming, sometimes it's me that's screaming it just depends on the night.

I also see Sophie just standing there, crying or disappointment lingering on her face. I don't know what is worse, maybe it's that I never did and never will be able to apologize.

Fitz

– – –

I’ve never been to a planting before, I was so young when Cyrah died that mom and dad thought it probably wasn't the best idea to bring me. It was probably the right decision, easier for everyone, but standing here listening to the council spew some dry rehearsed speech I'm wondering if it would be any easier to have had experience with this kind of thing, I just want something to take away some of the pressure that's on my chest, I’m not sure if it really has sunk in yet, I mean sure I know they're dead but I don't think I really realize that I’m never seeing them again, they’re gone forever and nothing can change that. 

I've cried, but it was more of a stress cry, an overwhelming of all my senses at that moment kind of cry than a sob, right now staring at the back of their parents’ heads catching glimpses of the seeds with their dna in them and the looks of Dex’s siblings, It's making me want to sob, it's making me want to run away and never have to be around any of this again, it's like I'm hoping to wake up from some kind of sick and twisted nightmare.

Biana is leaning against me, I'm pretty sure I'm the only thing holding her up at the moment, I feel like I have to be strong but I don't want to be,

I was the one that called Biana downstairs when Dad sat down with Mom and told me he had something serious to talk about, tears were already starting to stream down Mom’s face and Dad looked like he was doing everything in his power to hold back some, I know I've never seen him cry. 

And I was the one that called Keefe to tell him about what happened, I didn't want him to hear it secondhand from someone else, maybe it wasn't the best idea to tell him that two of our only real friends were dead over the phone but I wasn't fully aware of my actions at that time.

Dex and Sophie’s dads just put their wanderling seeds into the ground, I do not see much else, that's when my eyes fill with tears and I feel like my heart is ripping into pieces, I barely register that my parents wrap their arms around us, I can hardly breathe, I'm not sure if that's because of how hard I'm crying or how hard my mom is hugging me but people around us are starting to look, like the fact that the Vackers are openly emoting in public is more interesting than the fact that two children are dead. That two people that were supposed to have an eternity never even got to see their graduation. That I'm never going to be able to see my friends again.

[izavaughn]

it started like any other reaping day: an annoyance.

iza stared into their closet with an almost bored look on their face, sifting through their clothes. not that. not that. definitely not that. maybe that, that's fine. ty always liked that lacy number, and they'd made plans to grab a quick breakfast with a couple of other friends on the way. they didn't particularly care about looking their best for the cameras or whatever, but they did care about looking just a little better than all of their peers and making sure they all knew it, too.

the sky was brilliant, the air just the right sort of crisp, and they weren't worried about anything at all as they fell into step with their siblings and friends, exchanging little greetings before crossing their arms and largely not paying any attention whatsoever to the escort's smarmy propriety and flowery greeting.

but that first name that was read out to the crowd certainly sent a jolt of electricity through their system.

“i volunteer.”

the words weren't so much blurted as they were spoken with an immediate but very resigned sort of finality, adrenaline and panic warring for dominance within iza’s chest. they blinked. not ty. anyone but ty, with his smarmy, boyish grin, perfectly tamed brown hair, those shoulders that were always held as if he carried the weight of the very world upon them and not just responsibility for an orphaned herd of siblings even wilder than iza’s own.

not ty.

the crowd was a dull roar behind the blood rushing in iza’s ears, hands fisting in their clothes, shoving at them– a hand curled around ty’s wrist as they passed him, lips ghosting the corner of his mouth for just a pitiful, short second.

a first kiss.

a goodbye.

an i’m sorry, we’ve wasted so much fucking time– i should have said something sooner- a please don’t forget me, please please please please please– and then it was over, and iza was gone.

they drew in a breath as they clambered up the platform, swaying with dizziness for a moment and willing their stomach to calm. they didn’t spare a glance to the other tribute who joined them, or to the escort. instead, their eyes found their family. daphne, perfect as ever, her composed face white with shock. ezio, who always tried so very hard not to seem as if he cared about anything at all, crumbling. and further back, papa, struggling in dad’s arms, screaming and reaching for him.

and then Iza lifted their eyes to the sun, willing themself not to see anything at all.

the next time they were aware of anything, the world a mess of formless color and indecipherable sound, they were in a room-- and those people they'd already resigned themself to never seeing again were around them.

right. they'd forgotten this part.

it was all too much, and iza couldn't give any of them an answer they wanted. an answer that made it hurt less. telling ty you're just more important, they wouldn't make it without you went over like a ton of bricks, but what probably hurt the people they loved more than anything was how checked out iza was the entire time, silent, unemotional-- brain kicking in to overdrive, trying to keep a body from crumbling. giving out.

pathetic. can't even make it onto the train. i'm going to fucking die.

it wasn't until papa unclasped the pendant emblazoned with their family crest from his neck and put it around iza's that it all sank in and they broke.

they'd never seen him without it-- not ever in their life. every single memory of him that they had until this moment right now, he was clad in that necklace.

and if that wasn't a goodbye, iza didn't know what was.

later, they'd wish they'd left them all with a better parting image than them boneless and sobbing, apologies unintelligible between wails- but it was too late for that.

it was too late for a lot of things.

[faelune-home]

the Lover’s winds

(a/n: after 6.3 gave us more Twelve lore and little tidbits about the differences between the actual gods and the perception mortals have of them and the folk tales and prayers people have, plus the added bonus of introducing Menphina, i had some brainworms i wanted to write that tied in nicely with the lore I had about Fhara’s own beliefs and prayers and connections to her family via the gods, but in a way that’s still flexible with whatever later godly plot stuff that may or may not come up.

ao3 posting later during the weekend.

6.3 alliance raid centric, but no strong spoilers)

Even in the presence of gods, the Omphalos still had a soothing calm over it. Granted, the cute animal forms the gods took made them that much easier to ignore - or even to coo over and forget their almighty power - but either way, the serene gardens became a place for Fhara to retreat to when she needed a moment away from the outside world and all its troubles. She could sit away in the tall grass and let the silence ease her worries, as she did this day.

Although the problem with silence was that one’s thoughts could take over instead, with nothing to distract them. And she had plenty of thoughts about the Twelve themselves.

It was an odd thing, now that she was confronted with the genuine physical presence of the Twelve. She’d never been strongly religious growing up, aside from some brief prayers of strength or comfort during trying times. But she’d never been a non-believer either, only as devoted as the next person. Getting to meet the gods in physical form, to trade blows with them even, hadn’t changed her perception much, beyond a mere surprise at having the idea of the Twelve affirmed as real. What did stir her thoughts was the idea that the gods both somehow were exactly as the people thought of them, and somehow weren’t.

They were, by way of worship and prayer and common belief, which bled into their beings and changed their forms or granted them gifts and familiars according to how people saw them. But they weren’t in terms of the relations between them. Mostly. 

The familial connections seemed to be as the Eorzeans knew them in some parts. The rivalries less so, if Fhara believed Halone’s implications. 

The romantic was even more vague. And it left her thinking.

She held her pendant in hand, an old gift from her father with the mark of the Wanderer carved into it. When she’d stated her intention to travel and become an adventurer, he’d returned with it after a trip to Gridania, a broad smile upon his face.

“If you’re going to travel afar from home, then all the better to let the Wanderer’s winds guide you here and there and everywhere. You can walk the same paths he did, or maybe even paths he never did!...”

It was a more bittersweet memory now, especially in the wake of the Calamity where the only paths she walked were the familiar streets of her village. Those tentative times as the forest was shrouded in grief saw a lot of prayers sent unto the heavens, where silence was all that responded. But it was all people had to keep themselves going from one day to the next.

In its own way, Menphina’s reassurance that they did hear the people’s cries and their prayers was a balm over Fhara’s heart. Just as much for those she knew had suffered around her as it was for herself and her own hesitant inquiries, whispered into dark night while hearing her mother trying to stifle her sobs deeper in the house.

The feeling of fur and breath on her hand made her jump, tail fluffing from the shock and snapping her back to the present, though thankfully her jolt didn’t stop Menphina’s nuzzling, little bunny nose twitching curiously.

“What a lovely pendant! Very simple, but with the traveller’s life, tis easier to carry. You are a follower of Oschon then? Or simply seeking his guidance on your travels?”

“Uuh, yes. Mostly,” Fhara coughed, quickly rubbing her face in case she’d shed any tears during her melancholy. For a blessing, her cheeks were bone dry and her eyes didn’t yet sting. The weight in her chest was already lifting as well.

“Mostly?” Menphina’s head tilted to one side. Fhara’s hand closed around the pendant, pocketing it. Menphina hopped around her, sniffing at the pocket, evidently still curious.

“It’s nothing serious, I promise,” Fhara replied, trying to reassure the other with a smile, “Plus if I’m honest, I’m not sure if it’d be…appropriate, I think. At least to mention it to you, and after learning things about the Twelve.” Menphina nudged at her arm.

“There is hardly anything inappropriate you could tell me. For one, we see much and more as we watch the people below us. If it were anything private, then it is your own decision to make and I would respect that. But if it were something related to us…well, we all understand how humans have come to view us. There’s nothing you could say that would surprise me.”

Fhara hesitated, ears flattening against her head, thinking through her words over and over, and only spurned forth by another nudge.

“The…relations and connections between the gods aren’t entirely as the people believe, are they?”

“Oh,” Menphina hummed, a single paw itching under her chin, “they have some things right, and others not quite. But some of the tales they spin are rather fun.” 

Seeing the thoughtful crease in Fhara’s brow, she added, “It isn’t our place to correct them of course. We only watch. We leave the people free to believe what they may, and let it embolden them as they need. There is just as much power in folk tales as there is in normal prayer.”

“I suppose so. But while familial ties seem as we know, don’t you get curious when people talk about…well…romance?” Fhara asked, cheeks warming as she finally broached the subject. Menphina simply sat, nose twitching. Fhara presumed it an opening to continue, though she wished she had a moment longer to consider her words, or even if she really wanted to ask.

“I mean, I know what it's like to have strangers wondering about your love life,” she started carefully, face already heating up more as memories flashed briefly in her mind of dinners and walks in Ishgard, “Not that you and yours probably think of us as strangers, since you’re clearly very different from normal people. But still, surely…”

She could’ve sworn she heard a faint chuckling from the bun.

“I see,” Menphina nodded, her eyes somehow shining with mirth. Yet Fhara couldn’t bring herself to be put off at the other’s amusement, not when Menphina suddenly hopped fully onto her lap and lifted herself fully to sniff at Fhara’s face before settling again.

“We here are well aware of those stories as well as all the rest. But as I said, the people may believe what they want if it grants them whatever peace or guidance they need. Therefore, if I may ask, what does it mean to you?” Despite the reassurances, Fhara still found herself glancing away, as though the tale might somehow broach a personal boundary for the other.

“The pendant was a gift. When I said I wanted to go out and adventure and travel, my father got it for me. For all the reasons one might expect from prayer to the Wanderer for guidance and protection on the road, but also to connect me to home. If I ever missed home or just needed to think of them for strength, then the bond between Wanderer and Lover would always connect us.” She could feel her face growing warmer, but Menphina simply nodded.

“Tis a lovely sentiment. A common one amongst the miqo’te of the land. I hear it often, in prayer form and folk song,” Menphina sighed, content. Fhara blinked.

“It doesn’t bother you?”

“Not at all,” Menphina giggled, “I think it’s quite romantic, that the miqo’te people will wish their loved ones well on long journeys, and pray that Oschon keeps them safe. Under the guise that he watches over my own children as a favour from lover to Lover, it makes it all the sweeter.”

“But…what does Oschon think?”

“Does it matter? I’m sure he wouldn’t argue against it given the premise behind the thought.” She shook her head, ears flopping about before they straightened upright again.

“I cannot truly speak for him, but I do know that he is of similar mind to us all; he tends to the people and guides them as best as he can, returning their prayers with his own to give them the strength to see through the day and surpass their trials. This is all we can do. So allowing the people to take strength from their tales and assumptions of us is the least we can do. And the belief of your people is honestly one of the more flattering depictions.” She let out another tinkling giggle, but Fhara finally found herself eased enough to return it.

“Does that put your worries to rest?” Menphina asked, motioning with a tilt of her head toward Fhara’s pocket. Fhara hummed as she ran her fingers over the pendant through her robe layers.

“I wasn’t worried so much. But I was thinking about it a lot. It’s…it's different when you just have stories and prayer compared to actually meeting a real god. Seeing how different you are to what we know.”

“Understandable. But don’t let those thoughts consume you. All that matters is the intent your loved ones had in giving you their prayers.” Fhara’s tail twitched, feeling a sense of relief settling over her.

“I’ll remember that. I…I appreciate this talk, Menphina.” She tentatively rested a hand on the other’s back, feeling the tiny trembling body. Menphina seemed to settle deeper into Fhara’s lap, letting out a satisfied huff.

“This is very nice. If you don’t mind, may I stay like this for a moment? But pray keep an eye out for Azeyma. She would fuss something awful if she feels I’m neglected.” Fhara chuckled, scratching between Menphina’s ears a moment while her ears perked up to listen.

Yet there was nothing to hear, as silence filled the plaza. With Menphina’s comforting presence and a fresh wind blowing over the island, Fhara could relax and let her worries drift away.

“If you’re going to travel afar from home, then all the better to let the Wanderer’s winds guide you here and there and everywhere. You can walk the same paths he did, or maybe even paths he never did! But let the love shared between he and his Lover always connect you to home. We’ll always be walking alongside you…”