#maybe if the legion were more ceremonial

[moodymisty]

Request: Guilliman showing off his new kid to some other primarchs

Author’s note: Here, has a cute snippet. <3 Cranking these out like mad, I hope people don't mind some of these being a bit shorter.

Relationships: Guilliman/Fem!Reader

Warnings: None

Guilliman doesn't have many opportunities to talk to the primarch of the Salamanders, and so he takes a moment to enjoy the peace. The two may not see eye to eye on every single thing, but he will appreciate the man's nature. He doesn't start fights, bicker and bellow; Treat everything like a hit to his honor, like many of the others.

"Life seems to be fortunate for you, since we last met on Terra."

Guilliman watches with caution as his Ultramarines curiously come to greet their primarch's new son. You've been on bedrest on Terra for a good while now, and other than hearing that you were both alive, his legion has seen nothing of you for all that time.

Thiel has firmly parked himself beside you, shoving off Ultramarines who get too pushy. Funny, how they are so strict yet seem quite eager to give their Primarch's son all of the greetings they thought needed. A little ceremony just for his son- Vulkan can see the pride that gleams off of the new father in waves. No matter how stoic he might come across to the unfamiliar.

Even a few Salamanders had come over to say hello, though despite prickled Ultramarines, you treated them all the same and smiled. Vulkan watched on as well, pleased with his sons compassion.

"We have had more than our fair share of ups and downs. I'm glad to have this moment of peace."

Vulkan can tell that even in Guilliman's stalwart, stoic expression, there's always a hint of softness whenever he looks your way. He is glad that one of his brothers found such love; He hopes more are that fortunate one day.

Maybe even himself, if he allows himself to be so greedy.

"Have you chosen a name?"

Vulkan watches another one of his sons come up to you, one of his captains, towering over you with a soft smile while Thiel stands close. Guilliman adjusts the front of his robes.

"Konor. After my father."

Not much longer after saying his new child's name you start to walk towards them, shuffling as fast as you can go. You're still tired, Vulkan imagines.

"Hello primarch Vulkan," You smile at him. "I wanted to say hello before I went to put the baby down to bed."

While Guilliman doesn't move to pick up your baby, he does lean down to gently brush their head. The primarch beams with pride; Alongside hesitation. Vulkan imagines that his size causes him to hesitate. It was so easy to hurt you, an even smaller child only increases that worry. He'll learn to control his strength better with time, Vulkan had to do the same.

"You two get plenty of rest, before you return to Ultramar." Vulkan turns to look at Guilliman with his peaceful, welcoming expression. "If either of you have need of the Salamanders, you need only ask." Guilliman puts a friendly hand on his shoulder, confident.

"I will keep it in mind. You are a good friend, Vulkan."

[thevoidscreams]

Omg your writing is exactly what I want and need <3 Maybe some breeding? Guilliman or the Lion (it seems it would fit them the best). Wanting to claim and curious about if their seed could knock up a regular human. Keep up the good work ^^

Day 17

I love blueberry man

Pairing: Roboute Guilliman x reader

Warnings: a bit of fulgrim existing, breeding, you get yoinked, your dad sells you to the imperium wattpad style, arranged marriage

The mirror reflected my image back to me as the serf did up my corset.

“You're a very lucky woman. Marrying the Lord Guilliman.” she cooed.

I hadn't felt all that lucky. I'd barely known him a month before I stood at the altar with him.

I could see my father's face in my mind's eye telling me that my husband had been chosen. As his daughter and the princess of our world it was my duty to keep our world from ruin.

--

“If you don't do this, they will force our world into submission.”

“But he'll take me away. I'll never see you again.” I'd been crying as he sat me down and hugged me.

“He will be a good husband and this marriage will give us some favorable terms under the rule of the emperor of Terra. He promised us this and he is a good sort of man.”

“I haven't even met him yet.”

“You will tonight. He's our guest of honor at the banquet.”

I fought back tears. This was my duty, my people needed me.

--

“Oh don't cry my lady. You'll streak the blush.”

The serf gave me a reassuring pat.

“I'm just so worried that I'll never see my family again.” I admitted in a wobbly voice.

“Oh dear, you'll have plenty of family once you marry Lord Guilliman. He has thousands of sons. And I'm sure there will be a few more along the way now that you're here.”

She said conspiratorially.

“I'm sure you're right.” I admitted.

He was quite fetching I had to admit. Lord Guilliman was a very handsome man and any woman would feel lucky to marry someone like him.

Besides, this marriage would be good for your world. The protection it would afford you from those awful xeno raids was just another thing you couldn't afford to give up.

“What's he like?” I asked absently, my mind wandering. I'd only met him twice now and both times had been with chaperones from both sides.

“Lord Guilliman is very noble, my lady, and he's honorable. Smart as they come too. He's quite gentle with us all as well. Doesn't put us littler baseline people down either.”

She nodded and began fixing my hair.

“Do you suppose he'll be a good husband? A fair one?”

“Oh he'll be the best no doubt. When he's not busy mind you.” I nodded.

“Of course. He has much to do.”

“Aye, he does. Now give us a turn. Let us see you.”

I gave a slow turn and all the assembled hand maids and serfs ooo'd and gushed.

“Well isn't she just the loveliest thing you ever saw?” One of them cooed. They were all so kind and it helped ease my nerves to know that I would have them to help me.

The ceremony had been grand, by all standards, even for someone from my station.

The Ultramarines, my new ‘family’ were giant men in giant suits of armor, my new husband introduced me to so many my head spun.

But my husband and his sons were not the only giants to attend. My new brother- in-law had come to see this, apparently, an odd occurrence.

They varied in personality vastly. But they came bearing gifts and well wishes. Their sons, who I was beginning to understand, were called legions, joined us as well.

Sanguinius and Vulkan had been the sweetest.

I adored them. They did a good job reassuring me as well that I was in good hands. That their brother would be a dutiful husband and that he would not mistreat me.

They did more to put aside any fears I had than everyone before. I couldn't help but trust them.

I looked to my husband who was speaking to another man in purple.

He was lovely, with violet eyes and long silky white hair. He seemed to be teasing his brother and I smiled thinking of my own family.

Hopefully, I'd be able to have a few children soon, it would soothe the ache I knew I would feel.

“So brother, your wife is a darling little thing isn't she?” Fulgrim chirped, I knew it was the set up to something more and I downed my wine.

“If you have something to say Fulgrim then just say it.”

He pouted and lounged in his chair more dramatically.

“I'm surprised you didn't marry her off to one of your captains, or one of your other sons. But I can't say that I blame you.”

“Her father would not accept anyone from a lower station, he was..adamant.”

Fulgrim laughed, it was a silvery sound. “Oh brother, you are so lucky you got to this world instead of me. I would have grabbed her up in a heartbeat. Perhaps I should marry again. To have a sweet little thing to warm my bed.”

“I didn't marry her just to deflower her.” I felt the scowl darken my face.

“Naturally not. But you will, will you not? As her husband you will have to perform and be dutiful. A wedding is only half concluded until it is consummated.”

My cheeks grew hot. “I am not going to discuss my bedroom activities with you Fulgrim. I will do as is expected of me as her husband. But I will mto be a lecherous pervert and run around giving away everything. If you're going to be disgusting, do it elsewhere.”

Fulgrim shook his head at me and sighed.

“Well how about this? Do you think you'll be able to? Will you be able to even make her a mother?”

I was about to reply with some very heated words but stopped. The question shocked me.

“I will do as my duty demands.” I told him simply.

I looked at my wife, she was much smaller than me. Half my height and so…delicate. Sex would be a minefield to navigate. I may not have known her well. But she had been kind, and I felt certain of her good character.

“Pardon me.” I pulled myself away from the conversation and went to my wife.

“They're about to make the speeches. We should return to the table.”

I turned to look up at my husband and nodded.

He offered me his massive hand and I went with him at his side.

“Have you enjoyed your evening my Lord?” I asked softly, he looked at me quizzically.

“I am your husband, there is no need for formalities. Call me Roboute.”

“Ah. Right.” I blushed. “Have you enjoyed the evening so far, Roboute?”

He smiled. It was a gentle gesture and my heart fluttered like a bird trapped in a cage.

“I have.”

People went up to a podium, one by one, giving their admiration and care in the form of stories and well wishes. I learned much from the stories told about his time on the battlefield.

His older brother, Horus, gave a very moving speech before he addressed me personally and wished me luck dealing with his stubborn blood.

People laughed and it was all in good fun. Even Roboute laughed and stood to embrace his brother.

My own family spoke, proud as anything and I felt teary eyed again as my mother wished me luck in my journey as a woman. Telling me how much she loved me.

A few tears did fall and my husband touched my back softly.

After the festivities, people either left or broke into smaller groups to talk.

“Where will we be staying tonight?” I asked Roboute.

He looked down at me and answered in a polite and quiet voice.

“My flagship. The Macragge's Honour. Your belongings will be moved there so we may leave in the next few days.”

I nodded.

My hearts hammered as I realized I would have to sleep with her in my bed, and we would have to at least try for a child.

Oddly enough, it wasn't embarrassment or discomfort that I was feeling. It was a rush like the thrill of the battle before it began.

I was anticipating this new turn in my life.

I swept her up. Careful of her dress and carried her in my arms. “Roboute?” She squeaked.

“Is it not a tradition to carry your wife over the threshold of her new home?”

“It is, but your ship is still in orbit. It'll take some time to get there.”

“Then I will carry you all the while.”

I could feel her heart racing, the same as mine. Was it excitement that made it beat so fast and so loud, or fear?”

I could only hope it was the former. I did not want my own wife to be fearful of me.

That anxiety was laid to rest as she placed her head on my chest relaxing into me. Some of my brothers whooped and cheered as I carried my bride away.

“Have fun brother.” I heard Fulgrim laugh. Oh I would..I hoped.

Roboute carried me the whole way just as he said.

His ship was the biggest thing I’d ever seen.

And his room was bigger than the main banquet hall of my father's castle.

He set me down and touched my cheek softly.

“I want you to be comfortable. Please if this is not something you want, I need to know. But otherwise I am intent to do my duty as your husband. And consummate our marriage.”

I shivered, he was being so kind. I'd heard so many horrible stories of new husbands just forcing that contact on their wives, but here he was offering me a choice.

“I would like..” I thought for a moment, trying not to imagine anything too lewd.

“I would like to try.” I breathed and he nodded.

“Shall I have a serf help you prepare? I am not so experienced in undoing clothes and hair.”

I shook my head. “Let me undress, then perhaps we could bathe and.. get used to one another.”

“A sound idea.” He agreed and began to undress.

His body was amazing. Perfect even. I couldn't help but stare as he revealed his body to me. Laying his clothes over a chair neatly.

“Are you going to undress with me?”

I stared at him dumbfounded and nodded.

He chuckled. “Is the view really all that good.”

My mouth moved before my brain and I blurted, “Oh yeah.”

Roboute blushed, and not lightly either. His cheeks were like the blood angels battle plate.

“I- um, thank you.”

I nodded.

I fumbled a bit gracelessly for the strings keeping my corset together.

I managed but I felt foolish.

I dropped the dress and stepped out of it, moving on the pins holding my hair. Quite aware of his gaze on me.

She was lovely, I hadn't imagined such a thing of beauty would be under all of those clothes. She rivaled even the most masterfully sculpted statues of my home.

I wanted to reach out and touch her skin, it looked so soft.

I resisted, not wanting to be too forward.

“You are very lovely.” I breathed and snapped my mouth shut, having not meant to speak the words aloud.

Her eyes sparkled, just as magnificent as the rest of her.

“I will take you to the bath.” I told her, lifting her until my arms. She gasped and I nearly put her down again.

But get arms snaked around my neck. I find that anticipation returning along with the question Fulgrim posed to me.

Could I give her children? I would have to try.

The bathroom was spacious and the tub would have more than enough room for us both, it could fit several of my brothers and I for a communal bath. But for tonight it was just us.

I ran the water, setting my little wife down on a bench.

“Shall I bring some oils? They feel wonderful after a bath.”

“I've never used them before.”

“I will help you.” I assured her.

Once the water was to an acceptable depth I stepped in, offering her a hand into the hot water.

The water was deeper than I had anticipated, it was like a hot pool.

Roboute took me into his lap and I felt like I was going to faint. He was my husband, but I'd never been alone with a man, other than my father, much less naked with one.

And here I was, sitting in his lap, naked as a bird and feeling all sorts of ways about it.

His hands ran over my skin, massaging soaps into my back and arms.

He was bathing me, like I was a kid.

“I-I can wash myself.” I stammered, he chuckled and it sent rippling little waves through the water.

“I know, but I want you to relax.”

“Oh.”

My hand reached for the bottle and I poured some into my hand, rubbing down his chest, my fingers brushing through the very fine blond hairs there.

He hummed and his hands scrubbed lower.

We spent our time like that, rubbing and bathing one another, I moved closer to reach his shoulders and found myself against something hard under the water.

“Hmm?”

He coughed and apologized.

“Why are you apologizing?” I giggled still confused.

I reached down to try and move the thing out of the way with my hand, grabbing it. Roboute groaned and it dawned on me just what I'd just done.

“oh….” I mumbled and slumped against him. “sorry…” his hand rested on my back.

“Don't be. It's yours to do with as you please.” He mused.

It was, wasn’t it? I ran my hand up and down the length of it. Exploring the velvety softness.

“It’s big.”

“What did you expect?” He breathed, seeming to enjoy the touch.

“Well, I'm not really sure. This is all new to me.”

Roboute sank into the water washing the soap from our bodies before standing.

“Let’s get dry, I’ll rub you down with that oil.”

His towels, like everything else, were massive. I got lost in the plush fabric and my poor husband had to help orient me towards the bed.

I sat on the edge and pulled the towel down to look up at him. He was actively drying his body and I followed his example.

While I was drying Roboute vanished back into the bathroom. He returned with a clay vase of body oil.

“Lay back.”

My body moved, I found myself unable to disobey the command.

He knelt on the bed next to me, his body causing the bed to dip. I had to put out an arm to keep from rolling.

Roboute kneeled between my legs, pouring oil into his open palm.

“Just relax and let me work.”

I nodded.

His hands ran over me bare chest and down my stomach, the oil felt warm applied by his hands.

The big pads of his finger tips massaged my thighs and I moaned as he worked the tension out of my muscles.

He was skilled with his hands.

I was so lost in the feeling I didn’t notice him bending low until his lips were on my throat, kissing and nibbling. My fingers combed through his hair, holding him closer.

“Roboute~” I gasped.

“Yes, my wife?” He purred back. His fingers sliding between my thighs, pressing to my womanhood.

His lips touched mine, one oil slicked finger pushing in. The oil acts as a sufficient lubricant to ease his way in, making me squeak.

“Shall we begin the consummation of our marriage my husband?” I asked, my voice tremulous.

“That was the idea, yes.”

I looked down at her, her body soft under my own. I had certainly made up my mind on the matter. I would bed her as frequently as I was able. We had to make our way back to Terra now, so that I could present her to my father. That would provide ample time to see if our biology was compatible. I was surprised to find that I was beyond hopeful that it was. She was a good woman and I was sure she would care for a family well. I’d also taken her from her home and her family. If I could not provide her with children.. The thought killed me inside. I slipped my finger in as far as I could, watching her writhe under me. Her breaths quickening as I pet her inner walls. The oils mixed with her natural slick. I was fascinated by the way her body pulled my finger back in after I pulled it back. Taking the oil I poured more over her. Tending to her gently. I felt pride with each sound I drew from her soft lips.

“The oil..” She sat up and I felt a rush of worry, was it hurting her? Was I hurting her?

“Yes? What about it?”

“May I see it?” She held out her palm to me and I understood, lifting the jug to pour some into her hand.

“What are you-?” I choked on my own breath as she grabbed hold of my cock, stroking me and kissing my lips.

“Is this good?”

“Very.” It felt good, being touched in that way. The strokes were a bit uncertain at first but steadily grew with confidence as my own voice joined hers.

“I need to prepare you to take me. May I push one more in?”

She nodded and kissed me softly. “Yes, please.”

My ring finger joined the middle and I felt her body stretching to accommodate the width of both. I watched as her face scrunched with pain.

“Breath, deep breaths, it'll help ease the pain.”

She obeyed readily, and my manhood twitched. Would she always obey so well? If so, we were probably going to be doing this even more than previously assumed.

“Good girl. Taking me so well. ” I praised, my fingers pulling out and pushing back in. I added a bit more oil and kept the pace slow and steady, letting her body acclimate to the affection.

I had her there for all of two minutes before her body tensed and her walls clamped around me, my fingers suddenly became a lot wetter and stickier.

“Good girl,” I crooned again, “cum for me, just like that.”

Her hand was still lazily holding my cock and I watched as a thick pearl of precum dripped onto her lower lips. I pushed it in with a thumb.

“I need you, my darling wife.”

Her eyes focused on mine and she reached up for me. Grabbing at me and smiling dreamily. “Then have me.”

I did, lining up my cock and pulling her onto it inch by inch.

If I had thought his fingers stretched me then I hadn't felt anything yet. His cock was thick and filled me completely.

I felt my head fall back and I cried out, but the preparations from before made it not only bearable, but after a point, completely mind blowing.

His cock pressed all the places he'd been petting before.

Making my already tingling nerves shout at the new source of stimulation.

Sunk to the hilt he stopped and I whined reaching up to take his cheeks into my hands.

“I will give you time to adjust, don't worry.” He promised.

I felt myself grumble, grumpily.

“I don't need time to adjust.”

He looked down at me, confusion morphing into understanding, then amusement.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.” I whined again.

“Is my princess in need. Does she want me to make the burning ache go away?”

I did. I very much did.

“Yes, I need my primarch to make me feel good.”

His mouth descended on mine and he kissed me hard, his cock pulling out of me before thrusting back in.

“Like that?” He teased.

“Exactly like that.” I panted under him.

He wrapped his arms around the oil from my skin brushing off onto his.

He kissed me, his hips working a steady rhythm.

His body was hot, like the bath water and it kept me warm in the big room. His cock was also hot inside me. I wanted more of this, more love, more touches, more everything.

He seemed to be feeling the same, his eyes were closed tight and I kissed the tip of his nose. He faltered in his pace and I laughed, as he smiled and returned the gesture.

Neither of us lasted very long that first round. I came hard on his cock and he gave me the first of many loads.

The room was quiet, except for our breathing.

I laid in Robute's arms, kissing him over and over.

“I think they were right.” I spoke, breaking the silence.

“Who was right about what?” He asked, puzzled.

“Your brothers. I think you will be a wonderful husband.”

He hugged me tighter and pressed her forehead to mine.

“I will try.”

A month passed on our journey back to Terra. I had awoken the past two days feeling ill. Roboute took me to the Apothecaries on the third day. Fearful I had contracted some ailment while aboard the ship.

We'd been active almost everyday for that month. Except the past three and I was feeling needy again.

The apothecary came rushing in from the lab looking at his father and I with a look of awe in his expression.

“What is it?” Roboute demanded. His son stared at the database and he grinned.

“Congratulations, father.” He motioned to me and I thought I began to comprehend.

“Our mother is with child.” He announced.

Before I could speak Roboute had me up in his arms. Kissing my cheeks and face, laughing and cheering.

“Please, my son. May I have the results. Send them to me.”

Later that night Roboute called his brother.

“Brother! How is married life?” Fulgrim asked delightedly and sipped his wine.

Roboute sent the results to his brother. And watched as the fuzzy green image spat out the mouthful of wine and coughed.

“I guess we have our answer now. Don't we? Good night brother.”

Roboute terminated the connection and went back, intent on celebrating with his wife.

[scotianostra]

On March 1st 1910, David Niven, actor and author, was born.

Despite his lifelong claim to have been born a Scot, in Kirriemuir, he was actually born in Belgravia, but let’s not take that away from, who wouldn’t rather be Scottish than English? 😉 The actors Donald Crisp and James Robertson Justice were two others who although pinned there colours to Scotland, were actually born in England. Niven though served in the Highland Light Infantry, (despite asking for any regiment but the HLI) in the early 1930s.

Many of you out there will be of Scottish descent either researched, known or simply because you have a Scottish name, one of my friends has a broad English accent but was born and brought up near Inverness and a lot of people up the north of Scotland claim to be “more” Scottish than those in the south, what a load of nonsense that is.

Niven wanted to be Scottish and that’s good enough for me and the same goes for any of you out there. Being Scottish, as well as being born here can be a state of mind in my humble opinion. Niven’s Scottish heritage came from his paternal grandfather, David Graham Niven, he was from St Martin’s, a village in Perthshire, and was killed in WW1 during the Gallipoli campaign.

He resigned his commission in the army in 1933 and made his way to the USA, where, still chasing the Scottish connection, spendingt time as a whisky salesman, then joining a rodeo, before arriving in Hollywood in the mid 1930’s. Early appearances in films include Barbary Coast and Mutiny on the Bounty, but blink and you’ll miss him. His first starring role was in Thank You, Jeeves! as Bertie Wooster

Other films include A Matter of Life and Death, Around the World in 80 Days, The Guns of Navarone and The Pink Panther. My favourite was The Bishops Wife and he played Bonnie Prince Charlie in the film of the same name.

At the outbreak of World War II Niven returned home and rejoined the army, the Government at the time advised actors to stay in Holywood at the time, and he was alone in refusing this advice, he was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred into the Commandos, his training was at Inverailort House in the Highlands. On his return to Hollywood afterwards the Americans awarded him with Legion of Merit, the highest military award that can be given to a non US citizen. Niven never talked much about his time during the war, but did see action a few days after D Day and at Battle of the Bulge.

He is also well known as the author of the bestselling autobiography, The Moon’s a Balloon. His career fluctuated in the 50’s but he endured that and came back bigger than ever, he played Bond in the original Casino Royale, but his greatest achievement was winning an Oscar in the film Separate Tables, becoming the only person to win an academy award while hosting the ceremony!

So David Niven maybe not “Scottish” in the true sense of the word, but certainly Proud to be seen as a Scot.

[funficwriter]

Some random lore for Tartaglia x Recruit!Reader AU

Hellooooo, my lovely readers. First of all, I'm so sorry for the long absence, college is whopping my butt. Yesterday, I tried to find comfort in thinking about one of my favorite AUs (gee I wonder what it could be) and thought up some random lore!!

If you remember my first full fic, "An Attempt to Escape", I mentioned an oath more than once. What would it look like if it was a little more fleshed out? Who gets to recite it?

We don't know much about the Fatui's system, so here's how I imagined it: Each two seasons or so, a new cadet class is taken. It takes a while to graduate them, because the organization is very strict on their quality. Simply put, the Fatui are the best. In order to keep it that way, the recruits must be the best.

You see, most of the cadets graduate as typical recruits; They are managed by middle-ranked captains, they do usual patrols and the like. Some may be less keen on fighting, instead immediately graduating as diplomats. As we know, they're very useful to the Fatui, and there's actually a shortage of them (I HC Pantalone graduated like this), because you have to be super persuasive and charming, enough to make up for the lack in other skills. It could even call for a talent that you either have or you don't. This is already seen as prestigious, but another type reigns over.

This is the rarest, but every few cycles or so, a couple of very exceptional cadets make it to the Harbinger legions. They'd have to be crazy good at being at what they do for a sliver of such a chance. These squadrons are generally composed of experienced recruits, who probably spent years sacrificing their blood, sweat, and tears to be there. It's no joke of a position. To graduate into one of those is the ultimate honor and responsibility, and usually a sign that the recruit will score something huge for the Fatui, and by extension, Schneznaya as a whole.

You, for example, were personally handpicked by Childe, who kinda likes the cadets. Not in any way that he'd recruit them more, mind you. He thinks they're cute in a sense of reminding him of his cadet days. He, too, was remarked for his talents early on. Perhaps that is part of the reason he kept an eye on you during your cadet days. Talent knows talent.

These special cadets attend an additional ceremony to pledge their loyalty to the Harbinger in question, which happens immediately after graduation. Oops, you're gonna miss some partying.

This takes place in a designated courtroom. Present are higher ranking officers and the Harbingers, but Tartaglia is in the middle of the room, with Pulcinella who generally officiates it. The small table holds your badge, each legion having a different one. There's rumor of the Tsaritsa watching from some hidden corner, maybe somewhere up high, but it doesn't have enough proof to be fact.

Your future Lord hides it well, but he's excited, too. You're so adorable and useful, a dangerous double combo.

After Pulcinella introducing you, dare I say, praising the prodigy, you walk in to claps, hardened smiles as if saying: "Good job, kid.". You make your way to them and raise your right hand. Your left one is on the table, and Lord Tartaglia puts his on top of yours. This is supposed to symbolize hierarchy and the new leader-recruit bond; Though he's higher in rank, you're needed. You're important.

This is gonna sound unofficial, but there's rumor of you avoiding Lord Tartaglia's look at first, because you got bashful. Whether that be due to his looks or status...

Pulcinella asks you to recite your loyalty oath. Here's how it goes:

I will remember this winter night as my coming-of-age. I am no longer a cadet child, but a Fatui recruit. And I am not just a recruit, but one honored to be in Lord Tartaglia's legion. So here I make a promise to him, the Tsaritsa and Schneznaya.

I will heed his orders, even at my own risk. I will place him above all but the Tsaritsa herself. I will fight until my hands are bloody raw, persuade until I have used all human language, if that is what he wishes to see.

I swear, upon my Fatui-granted prowess, honor and that of my future legion: I will serve my Harbinger Lord beyond my capabilities. He will be my leader, my priority, my calling and I will be his finest tool as he sees fit for the Tsaritsa's will.

It took a lot not to shiver or say a word wrong. As more claps emerge through the room, adrenaline pumps into you. You're important because you're exceptional.

Pulcinella shakes your hand and steps aside for Tartaglia. He takes the new badge and pins in on your top, close to the heart as per tradition (of course, you can change its placement later). Something tells you he's enjoying this part; For one, you're supposed to look at him now. You also felt the heat on your cheeks, meaning he can clearly see it.

No one else can hear it but you, and maybe Pulcinella if he has good ears, but he chuckles and whispers: "Congrats, cutie.".

Don't blush challenge, level impossible.

When the badge is finally fastened, you salute and more claps emerge. You can't help the huge smile on your face, but your instructor told you it's okay during the rehearsal. A good sign, even.

Speaking of the badge, I HC that Tartaglia's has a whale on it. It's designed in a very sleek way; This shade of blue doesn't clash with your clothes and shines just right. Enough to make itself seen, not so much that it's tacky.

Your Lord will be VERY insistent that it's visible. Most recruits wear it close to the heart, some on their hip like a vision... He doesn't care about where in specific, as long as it's on your person, so it's clear who you belong to. There was one time he was complaining and exasperatedly said: "He could wear it on his ass for all I care, just do it!". You laughed a lot once the meeting was over.

There was one time you showed up without the badge. You love wearing it, really, but you woke up late and got ready in a rush. That evening, he was a little ominous about it:

"Loyalty is the most important thing to me, as a Harbinger and as a man. Especially when it's sworn. I expect it out of the best of my officers."

"Ah, you mean the badge. I'm so sorry, my Lord! I woke up late and was rushed-".

"I know you wouldn't do it on purpose. It's okay. It happens, sweetie. Just make sure this is the last time. Wouldn't want anyone forgetting to whom you've sworn yourself."

[dariusult]

FFXIV Write Day 23- On Cloud Nine

"I believe congratulations are in order, Cyrus."

Cyrus smiled politely at the remark from Jorinus rem Nobilis, his commanding officer. It was a rare occurrence for the Ninth Legion to grant leave for its soldiers to return to the capital, and rarer still for those soldiers to take it. But on occasion it was both extended and accepted, and this had been one such occasion for the young soldier, Cyrus pyr Itineras, who had taken leave extended to him as an opportunity to return to the capital and propose to his long-time sweetheart, Cecilia dus Munatia.

Cyrus and Cecilia had known each other since they were kids, and they had rarely interacted while they were growing up. It would've come as a surprise to any who had been acquainted with the two to see them together like this. Cecilia was practically beaming from ear to ear, and even Cyrus was wearing a smile despite his typically stoic manner.

As Jorinus looked over the two, he smiled softly. "We will have to make sure that Cyrus can take leave again for the ceremony, won't we?"

"I suppose I can't just hog him all to myself, now can I?" Cecilia replied with a chuckle. "But thank you very much!" She then turned her attention to her brand new fiancee, her smile widening even more. "I know you're going to be busy, so I don't want you to worry yourself over planning anything."

"I can't make you do everything." Cyrus replied, still smiling faintly. "I should at least-"

"It's really no trouble." Cecilia insisted. "As long as you let me know what you do or don't want at our ceremony, I can take care of the rest. Work out the food, the guest list-" The Garlean woman's eyes widened as she had a sudden realization. "Oh, that's right. How should we invite your parents?"

"Just invite both of them." Cyrus replied. "As long as they don't sit together, it should be fine."

Cecilia studied Cyrus's face for a moment, trying to get a read on whether it was actually fine or if he was just saying so. Seemingly satisfied with what she saw, Cecilia nodded. "Okay, that should be easy to work out... Oh!" She seemed to have another realization. "We'll have to make sure your brother knows too and can also get leave. He's with the Fourteenth, right?" Cecilia smiled and sighed. "It's been an age since I've seen Darius! Do you think he's gotten any taller?"

"Probably not." Cyrus replied with a chuckle, something nearly imperceptible flashing behind his eyes for a moment.

"It should be easy for him to get leave from the Fourteenth." Jorinus said, chiming into the conversation, smiling crookedly at Cecilia. "Cyrus is the one you're going to have to worry about."

"I said I'd share him with the Ninth, not fight them for him!" Cecilia exclaimed, flashing a grin to match Jorinus' own. "But if I have to, don't expect me to hold back!"

The officer chuckled. "Such fire! Maybe we should forget Cyrus and take you, instead!"

Jorinus' comment elicited a full-on belly laugh from Cecilia, who clamped onto Cyrus's arm and smiled widely at him. "Well there you have it, Cyrus. I suppose I could send you to the Senate as a scribe in my place, then!"

Before Cyrus could give an answer, a sharp whistle sounded across the platform, signaling the train's impending departure. Cecilia smiled apologetically to Cyrus. "Oh, that's me." She released her grip on her fiancee's arm and straightened the sleeve of his uniform. "We have an invitation to dinner at my parents' place tonight, we can go break the news together."

"Alright." Cyrus said, smiling at Cecilia. "I'll meet you here after work, then." He then leaned down and gave her a chaste peck on the forehead. "Better hurry, now. Don't want to miss your train."

Cecilia smiled brightly at Cyrus and hurried off towards the doors of the train. Quickly hopping aboard and turning to face him just as the doors slid shut with a gentle hiss. No longer having the ability to speak directly to her fiancee, Cecilia opted instead to mouth 'I love you' through the window, waving as the train began to pull out of the station.

Cyrus smiled and waved back, watching as Cecilia rode out of sight. Once she was gone, he stood in silence on the emptying platform until only he and Jorinus remained. Cyrus slowly turned to face his commanding officer, his pleasant and practiced smile being met with a cold blooded glare.

"What a pitiful display..." Jorinus said coolly, regarding Cyrus with a look of utter disdain that made his pleasant demeanor mere moments before seem like a distant memory. "That girl has no idea."

Cyrus's smile faltered, but only for the briefest of moments. "I'm afraid I don't follow, sir."

Jorinus rolled his eyes. "Please, Itineras. You know as well as I do... That woman isn't in love with you, she's in love with the mask you wear." He paused, his own expression remaining utterly impassive as Cyrus's smile faded from his face only to be replaced by a cold, smoldering glare. "There he is..." The Garlean glanced down the tunnel the train had disappeared into. "The poor girl was positively elated. I imagine she'd been hoping you'd propose for some time."

"Enough." Cyrus interjected. "If this is your idea of a joke, it's in poor taste."

Jorinus sighed and threw his hands up in an exasperated shrug. "The only joke here is your insistence on perpetuating this farce in my presence. You're a miserable actor, Itineras. I expect that your fiancee is only taken in by your performance because she wants to believe it." He took a step towards Cyrus, who firmly held his ground. "When I first recommended you for the Ninth, it wasn't because of your loyalty or your martial prowess. It's because I recognized what you really are." The legionnaire paused, keeping his eyes locked with Cyrus. "You're not a soldier, Itineras. You're a killer. We can recognize our own."

Cyrus's glare didn't falter as Jorinus elaborated to him. The Legionnaire was right, but Cyrus didn't know what his angle was. So he was a killer too? What did that matter? The young soldier's scowl deepened. "Is there a point to this?"

"That's actually my question for you, Itineras." Jorinus replied, a grin playing across his face. "I know you don't care about that woman, it's writ on your face plain as day. So that raises the question, why are you engaging in this nonsense with her?"

Cyrus's eyes narrowed, Jorinus had read him like a book, and he did not care for it. Whether or not Jorinus wanted to frame this analysis as identifying a kindred spirit or whether he was trying to blackmail Cyrus didn't matter—it was a problem no matter the reason. The Soldier slowly shifted his hands, reaching for the knife under his coat.

As Cyrus began reaching for his knife, Jorinus suddenly made a move, stepping into Cyrus and grabbing his subordinate's hand, placing it onto the hilt of the knife. Jorinus held Cyrus's hand there, tightly around the hilt of the knife. "Go on." He said, goading the soldier into drawing the blade. "Do it. Show your mettle... Prove you're a man of the Ninth."

Cyrus hesitated, his grip tightening around the hilt of the weapon, but he didn't dare draw it, not here.

"Tell me, Itineras..." Jorinus began, turning his head and glancing at the soldier out of the corner of his eye. "What is the motto of the Ninth Legion?"

Cyrus turned his head, his gaze meeting Jorinus's. "It's...Omnes Legioni..."

The Legionnaire's gaze intensified as he tightened his grip on Cyrus's hand "That's right. Omnes Legioni. All to the Legion. Which begs the question, Itineras—if you're going to run off and get married, how exactly are you going to be giving your all to the Legion?" He waited for Cyrus's answer, but got none. "If you're not willing to give your all to the Legion, then maybe you don't belong here. Maybe you should run off to the Fourteenth with that brother of yours."

That did it. Cyrus ripped the blade out of its sheath and took a wild swing at Jorinus, who quickly leapt back but still caught the blade across the palm of his hand as he pulled it away. The legionnaire chuckled as Cyrus held the bloodied blade out, ready to strike, eyes wild. He clutched his hand into a tight fist, holding it out and letting the blood leaking between his fingers drip onto the train platform. "This is the only truth there is, Cyrus. The shedding of blood. Within conflict, all is laid bare. You understand this."

Cyrus tightened his grip on his knife, stifling the primal urge surging through his veins—the urge to rush forward, plunge his blade into Jorinus's neck and gouge it out, to shut him up for good. He couldn't. Not here. Not now. He slowly inhaled through his nose and re-sheathed his knife, taking a step back from the precipice.

Jorinus kept his arm extended, more drops of blood falling to the train platform. "I don't begrudge you your mask, Cyrus. We all must wear one." His expression softened. "But I've seen too many men with great potential like yours let themselves rot behind their masks—growing accustomed to the hollow facades they'd built for themselves, not realizing that those very facades were hollowing them out in turn." Jorinus slowly lowered his arm. "You don't need to answer me, Cyrus, but you do need to answer yourself. Are you a killer, or are you the lie you tell the world?"

With that, Jorinus slowly turned and left the platform, leaving Cyrus alone with only the distant noise of the station above as company. What was he? What was it that truly made him happy? Where did he belong?

He knew the true answer.

[the-world-annealing]

Twelve classes to remix and replace the current ones (you know what system I'm talking about)

The Occultist is the most scholarly of the classes; your typical delver into Things Not Meant To Be Known. The mechanical heart of the class is knowledge gathering (this is the guy with all the lore skills) and divinations (with some necromancy and conjuration on the list); combat strategies range from raising legions of undead, to crafting a big golem bodyguard, to summoning fiends: much like 5e's cleric this class derives a lot of its identity from the subclass you pick.

The Conduit is your basic charisma-based arcane blaster, but with constitution elevated to a secondary stat. Energy spells, telekinetic thrusts, light, darkness, your odd bit of summoning or planar travel. Subclasses don't denote origin, but specialization: a trio of conduits whose power derives from an efreet, a devil, and a red dragon might all choose to specialize in pyromancy (giving actual fire-themed utility abilities, as opposed to 'uh spells of this type do more damage') and get their origin represented as a lower-key low-level feature more like the warlock's pact boon.

The Witch specializes in enchantment and nature-flavored magic, with a side order of potion brewing, protective charms, and of course a familiar. All very subtle, with that feel enhanced further by mechanics to suppress verbal and somatic components while casting spells. Intelligence-based, with wisdom secondary. With traditional druid and ranger gone, this is actually the place where all the animal-befriending stuff goes too.

And on the flip side, The Harlequin is all about big, flashy effects. Illusions are this class's bread and butter, but so are shields of force, teleportation, levitation; basically stage magicians as a class, with 'visible, external magic' as their hat. They get all the social skills on their list, as well as some performance-based features (merely casting a visible spell can already count as a 'performance'), and are charisma-primary, but don't get the bard's plethora of enchantments: their skills with people is based in mundane showmanship.

The Priest is the default divine caster with status removal and holy blasting and such, given some more identity via a 'ceremony' mechanic where appropriately god-honoring deeds and rituals get rewarded with minor mechanical boons (with a focus on increasing exploration-pillar utility). The nature domain is fine now that it's not competing as heavily with our druid-replacement, but 'war clerics' were a silly idea eating into conceptual space that paladins filled just fine. Medium armor, maces, crossbows, the deity's favored weapon as part of an effort to make deity choice matter more.

The Vessel is a dexterity-primary wisdom-secondary class that incorporates all those parts of the monk, rogue, barbarian and cleric that no longer have a home class. Lightly armored or even unarmored, reckless damage-focused combat style, limited casting, can grant partial control of their body to a possessing celestial/demon/devil/etc to increase combat prowess. Transformation is largely limited to surface-level features (and glowing eyes, of course) but unlocks a lot of new mental and spiritual abilities as well as heightened pain tolerance (represented as temporary HP). That last thing is good because possessors tend to drive your body as if it's stolen (which, y'know).

The Shifter is the druid except focused on the shapeshifting that makes druids unique, starting with humanoids or animals and eventually escalating to big monsters and strange chimeras. Minimal divine casting, maybe some heals or buffs, but none of this 'master of many forms AND friend to beast and plant AND capable of dropping a tsunami on you' that leaves druids way too broad to properly balance. Explicitly tie the fluff to the natural shapeshifting abilities of things like fey and werewolves, rather than ambiguous 'nature spirits' that no setting ever dares to commit to. Constitution-primary (lack of armor balances out the high HP), wisdom-secondary.

The Sworn is your typical holy warrior type: heavy armor, big god-powered weapon, defender of the weak etc etc I'm not even gonna pretend this is more than a paladin with minor touchups. Vows are more mechanically relevant; I don't want to bring back 3.5's ever-present threat of falling and losing everything, but the binder class from that same edition might be a good place to look for inspiration; small restrictions with small penalties for violating them, but lots of flavor.

The Scoundrel is the rogue, except it no longer needs to accommodate every single martial concept that involves being useful out of combat. Things like lockpicking, browbeating, and sneaking still go here, but if you want to play a detective or manipulative nobleman then this is no longer your best bet. In return, the class gets a more varied array of combat tricks than 'backstab, backstab, cunning action to gain advantage and uhh backstab again'.

The Expert, to make the pitch in a single sentence, is the class that tries to make skills and tools useful inside of combat. Strong intelligence focus, perhaps with the ability to use it for attacks/damage/AC, lots of little skill-related tricks to pull inside and out of combat. Ideally, gets unique uses for skills that other classes can't simply imitate by maxing out their modifier. This is also where characters who are first and foremost defined by their skill at alchemy/crafting/cooking find a place. The closest approximation in an actual edition might be 3.5's classic factotum/exemplar builds?

The Warlord is a solid warrior who also gets attack-granting, clever little positioning-based benefits, and yes, nonmagical inspiration-based healing. Intelligence is a secondary stat alongside charisma, and this class has unique abilities catered to situational analysis (where would I hide a secret entrance to this dungeon? when will that dragon return to its roost? what patron does the barkeep seem most afraid of?). Also some social skills and mounted combat stuff here.

Finally, The Weaponmaster is the game finally admitting you should be allowed to do cool things with a sword. Lots of weapon-specific paths with unique abilities: if you've ever had the thought "I wish I could make a viable whip fighter" or "I wonder if anyone made handaxes work", the weaponmaster presumably has something to offer. Incorporates some of the monk's enlightenment/transcendence seeking, and gets to pull anime nonsense at least on the level of 3.5's warblade and crusader. Gets features that are actually relevant during the social/exploration pillars, but still flavored as weapon mastery.

[leagueofgardens]

Where's All This Lore From, Anyway?

Do I kin Fumi? Maybe.

I've blogged about a fair bit of Assault Lily lore by now, and plan to blog about more, and it wouldn't hurt to explain where all this information actually comes from.

For some settings this would be straightforward, but for AL it isn't. You'll see why in a moment.

The Stories

The most obvious sources of Assault Lily lore are the stories themselves.

That is to say:

The anime, Assault Lily Bouquet (Fruits is incredibly silly and should probably be considered non-canon. Except for the episode where Riri and Yuyu hold a wedding ceremony. That one is canon.)

The gacha game, Assault Lily Last Bullet, which contains a bunch of visual novel-style stories. These stories are direct sequels to Assault Lily Bouquet.

Happy birthday, Kazuha.

The stage plays. As of this writing, there are 11 plays, along with several more of questionable canonicity (theatrical games of Werewolf that feature AL characters and such.)

The manga. There are two of these: League of Gardens -full bloom- is an adaptation of the League of Gardens stage play, and Secret Garden is a series of fluffy one-shots, some of which are explicitly non-canon.

The novels. There are four of these so far.

Now, the fun part is that these stories quite often contradict each other. Team Hitotsuyanagi, for example, comes into being in a different way in every story that shows it happening: you can see this for yourself just by watching Assault Lily Bouquet and then reading the translated portion of the Full Bloom manga. (Full Bloom has some major differences from the stage play it's based on, too.)

Contradictory events aside, the details of the setting sometimes change as well. For example, in the oldest stories Lilies couldn't take part in the Neunwelt Tactic unless they had awakened their Rare Skill, but this is no longer true.

Fans used to deal with this by interpreting each of the various stories as taking place in their own parallel universe, but then the stories started more directly referencing each other, making this difficult to do. It's a thorny and unresolved problem to this day, not helped by the lack of official statements on the matter.

Other Books

There are some Assault Lily books written in the style of guides, rather than stories.

The oldest of them, Assault Lily Setting Materials, was only ever published in print and I don't have access to it. It was reprinted recently but sold out within hours before I could order it.

There were a series of articles about AL posted on the website Dengeki Hobby Web in 2020-2021. Some of these were later also printed as a book, Mashima Moyu's Arsenal Workshop.

Another book, Assault Lily Setting Materials: Special Feature on Radgrid, was published digitally. This book contains a few pages about every member of Team Hitotsuyanagi and is our main source of information on their families.

There are a few others, but these are the most important.

The Doll Pamphlets

"Kaede is a well-rounded and rational person whose only shortcoming is her obsession with cute girls." — Kaede's doll pamphlet

Most of the dolls come with info sheets. Although only one page long, front and back, these are absolutely packed with lore.

There's a little problem: in what is kind of an ongoing theme for Assault Lily, a lot of the info on them wildly contradicts everything written and shown elsewhere.

Tazusa's pamphlet, for example, claims that she was born in Tokyo (newer sources say she was born in Shizuoka,) that her mother is dead (newer sources say her mother's identity and whereabouts are unknown,) that Takamatsu Shiera negotiated with GEHENA to have her released (newer sources say Legion Rossweisse broke her out of a GEHENA lab,) and strongly implies that she has a crush on Yuyu (there are close to zero signs of this being the case anywhere else.)

The Special Feature on Radgrid repeats a lot of the character info found here, and I think that book probably exists in order to clean the lore up and make it cohere to the newer stories. Some CHARM and miscellaneous setting information is still only found in the doll pamphlets though, as well as much of what we know about some characters who aren't part of Team Hitotsuyanagi.

Lily's Time

The Assault Lily YouTube channel hosts occasional "Lily's Time" streams every month or two on average. The main host is Akao Hikaru, Riri's voice actress, along with various guests. Obanazawa Kenei, the original creator of Assault Lily, is often a guest. Each stream has a topic, sometimes one or two of the characters, sometimes one of the Gardens, and sometimes entirely different subjects like the IRL Assault Lily live concerts.

These streams have a tendency to just repeat info that's already been mentioned elsewhere, but they've told us new stuff, like that only Lilies are capable of seeing magie, from time to time. They've also "canonized" some dubious info from the doll pamphlets.

Fumi's Twitter Account

Last but definitely not least, we come to the most unique source of Assault Lily lore: Futagawa Fumi's Twitter account. (Sorry Elon, I refuse to call the website "X".)

Fumi has been tweeting since February 2013, seven months before the first-ever Assault Lily product (the original 1/12 scale Yuyu doll) was released. She's made nearly 16,000 tweets over the course of the decade since. Many of those tweets are to advertise AL goods and things like events in the gacha game, but on certain days, Fumi will log on around midnight Japan time and invite her followers to tweet questions about Assault Lily with a hashtag that translates to "Please tell me, Fumi-chan!"

She'll then answer those questions as she sees fit. Occasionally, she also launches into explanations of AL lore on her own initiative, such as when she told us about the top seven legions at Herensuge Girls' Academy.

An early tweet by Fumi. The Google translation is reasonably close to the mark.

And there you have it. Compared to a lot of settings, Assault Lily's lore is kind of a mess, but personally, I find it fun to piece together.

I don't cite sources for info I write about because it would make my posts twice as long and twice as difficult to write, but you can find most of the same stuff on the Assault Lily Wiki, which does have citations.

If you're curious about the provenance of anything specific, feel free to send me an ask about it.

[overland-defender]

06/06/2022 - Day 3

78 years ago today marks one of the most important campaigns of WW2 and it won’t involve too much driving today either. We were in for another potential treat providing Carl Liversage can sort something out apparently.. what that is we don’t exactly know but sounds exciting.

Todays agenda

Museum of the Battle of Normandy

Surprise

Jerusalem War Cemetery

Ver-sur-Mer (British Normandy Memorial)

Museum of the Battle of Normandy

Literally a stones throw from the Château is the Musee Memorial de la Bataille de Normandie (Museum of the battle of Normandy) and this will be the first stop of the day. Upon arrival we notice a cemetery on right (Bayeux War Cemetery) which appeared to have some big event going on with diplomat plated Mercedes parked up at the entrance and Royal British Legion tents etc… maybe this is the ‘surprise’?

We regroup and walk past a few WW2 tanks M4A1(75) Sherman tank & a Churchill Mk VII Crocodile Flamethrower Tank towards the entrance of the museum. There are others tanks but these in particular were what I consider more interesting.

The museum it without doubt is one of my favourite museums that I’ve been to, having a vast amount of exhibits with detailed descriptions of how what and why etc. I would highly recommend a visit when in Bayeux.

Bayeux War Cemetery Ceremony

I’d previously mentioned we had noticed that there was a ceremony going on in the Bayeux cemetery… well we were informed after the museum visit we’d be attending. This was honestly an honour as we were will be allowed to sit behind veterans whom served on the D-Day landings and listen to them recite poems and stories of fighting alongside their friends and servicemen, prior to this we were even fortunate enough to witness a fly over by a spitfire and hear the bellowing 1700hp V12 Merlin engine. I mean this is pretty awesome given the context of the event.

Jerusalem War Cemetery

Our last bit of green lanes of rural France leads us to the Jerusalem War Cemetery. Just another cemetery you are probably thinking reading this. But this cemetery does have some significance in fact all do but this one in particular has the youngest allied fall soldier Private Jack Banks of the Durham Light Infantry who fell on the 21st July 1944.

His regiment, the Durham Light Infantry, had advanced around 20 miles into France. After six weeks had surpassed the battalion commander required three volunteers to take out an enemy machine gun post which was situated inside a farmhouse near Caen.

One of those volunteers was Jack and of course two servicemen, sadly these men were tragically struck and killed by enemy mortar fire when attempting their objectives and are buried together.

Ver-sur-Mer (British Normandy Memorial)

Being honoured to attend the ceremony earlier there another at The British Normandy Memorial that were also attending. It stands just outside the village of Ver-sur-Mer overlooking Gold Beach, one of the two beaches where British forces landed on D-Day. The memorial which was opened in 2021 records the (22,442) names of all those under British command who lost their lives in Normandy between 6 June and 31 August 1944.

The Memorial was for the first time the focal point of the commemorations in Normandy, as a place where people could come together to remember and reflect. This was televised around the world, again there were more veterans some from earlier and a couple others who had landed on gold beach 78 years ago today. There was a military band playing Elgar - Nimrod and The Last Post among others I’m not so familiar with but build such an atmosphere.

As dark clouds close in on what has been a fantastic day, the trip was topped off with a flyover by a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (Dakota) and again to reiterate it’s a surreal experience to hear those WW2 warbirds. Now we say our goodbyes and head back to good old Blighty which is around a 9 hour journey (including ferry) to go back to normality.

The trip has been incredible, the agenda was spot on as well as the stories curated by Kieth Bowen as well as the rest of the team (Carl Liversage & Nick Gage).

Be sure to book a trip with

https://www.battlefieldsby4x4.com

[mejomonster]

Chapter 79 fuck I'm so close to crying. The end? How Luo wenzhou explains how life is because of the Meaning we give these things. A huge contrast to fei dus learned view of the world of life as this ever changing uncontrollable thing and death as the only reliable thing. How fei du maybe needed to hear that. How Luo wenzhou still knows so little of what fei du hid and feels, but he could sense Enough know fei du well Enough to know that kind of statement should be at least explained to fei du. So fei du will understand Luo wenzhous pov.

Then wenzhou ending that with the whole - you asked me how I was when you called from the hospital. That was a ceremony. One of those things that has meaning because we view it as meaningful. And that must've hit fei du in the heart- fei du DID Call and ask how he was for askings sake. Luo wenzhou explaining also how this now is him giving fei du a chance to make up for being closed off earlier, and how both of them can't return these decisions, these actions that have meaning, these "ceremonies" have occurred and now their meaning has affected them. It's this emotional and existential explanation, and more small scale an explanation of THEIR connection and effect as part of each other's lives. And it was lovely to see that given TO fei du.

From resting his eyes, he shifted right into a light sleep.

 

As he dozed, perhaps remembering and perhaps dreaming, in his half-sleeping, half-waking state, he thought of something that had happened when he’d been a teenager.

 

At that time he really hadn’t wanted to live with others. He’d dismissed all the housekeepers, but he didn’t know how to do anything himself, so he had to regularly go to Tao Ran’s house to scrounge some food. That day he’d gone to the police station as usual to wait for Tao Ran to get off work. While passing through an estate, he’d encountered an altercation between the property management and the property owners. They were all talking at once, about to break out into a brawl; the cops had been called to break it up.

 

The cops were Luo Wenzhou and Tao Ran. Fei Du saw them from afar. He saw Luo Wenzhou, standing like a male model among the babbling middle-aged and elderly representatives of the property owners and property management, like an actor from an idol drama who’d mistakenly ended up in the cast of a domestic sitcom, unusually awkward and out of key.

 

The two young police lackeys tried to cajole the community dispute to a resolution, running up against a new problem as soon as they’d solved an old one, pushed and pulled back and forth by both sides. Restrained by his position, Luo Wenzhou bore with it for five minutes, then presumably had borne it up to his limit. He exploded into a rage, wading into the battle as a third party, one against two, launching an indiscriminate attack while Tao Ran sweated in the background.

 

Because the great scoundrel’s combat strength was unsurpassed, the two sides that had originally been fighting each other had no choice but to temporarily reconcile, presenting a unified front. Luo Wenzhou had unexpectedly achieved the result of “resolving a civil dispute.” When Tao Ran had dragged him away, Luo Wenzhou turned back and called from a distance, “Go register a complaint! Don’t be cowards! If you don’t dare, you’re a bunch of losers. Grandpa’s badge number is XXXXX—”

 

Tao Ran, filled with dread, covered his mouth. Unable to speak with his mouth, Master Luo had to put up with second best, sticking up his middle finger at the legion of old ladies that had dared to hinder him.

 

Walking by at a distance, Fei Du could still hear him heroically announcing to the heavens, “Nothing but trifles all fucking month, and they want to order me around—what the fuck am I doing being a cop, I don’t wait on people!”

 

Tao Ran said, “You can’t throw away your work ID!”

 

He hadn’t finished the sentence when across the street a pickpocket snatched a girl’s wallet. Luo Wenzhou entirely forgot that he’d just thrown his work ID into a garbage can. Like a well-trained Great Pyrenees, he howled, “Stop!” and gave chase, enveloped in the flames of war.

 

Afterwards, the thief had been caught, and the girl who’d lost her wallet treated them to skewers—Fei Du scrounged a meal. He didn’t know why he remembered it so clearly; he could even clearly see the order the dishes were served in… Perhaps it was because the food had been so inedible.

 

In the twilight glow, they were surrounded by boasting people with bottles of beer in their mouths. The scents of cumin and chili powder wrapped in recycled cooking oil floated for ten li around. All around was the noise and smoke of humanity, all the people sitting there sweating like rain. As usual, Fei Du hadn’t wanted to talk. He’d had something to drink, then sat quietly to one side playing on his game machine.

 

Right, supposedly Luo Wenzhou had been the one to buy that game machine. No wonder he’d looked at it quite a few times.

 

Luo Wenzhou had distastefully passed him a mushroom skewer. “Tao Ran, going out for skewers is a grown-up pastime, what are you always taking him around for? Hey, you eat mushrooms, right? You shouldn’t be here. You don’t fit in.”

 

Don’t fit in.

 

Fei Du smiled. He didn’t want to fit in.

 

After they’d said goodbye to the owner of the stolen property, history’s most unreliable people’s police officer Comrade Luo Wenzhou ran grovelingly back to the scene and exchanged a helpless look with the garbage can that had swallowed his work ID. Making a face that could have amused Fei Du for a whole year, he tried his luck for three minutes, then pulled a length of iron wire from his pocket to pick the garbage can’s lock…

 

The sound of the picked lock clicking open seemed to ring in his ears. Fei Du woke up a little. Just then, a draft passed over the back of his neck, and he froze at once, looking over in disbelief, stupefied to find that Luo Wenzhou, who had gotten into his car and driven away, had returned, and he had a length of iron wire in his hand.

 

Fei Du: “…”

 

This guy really was an experienced burglar.

 

Luo Wenzhou stuck the wire in his pocket. “I said I wasn’t going to knock again. Get out of there.”

 

Seeing Fei Du frozen, not making a sound, Luo Wenzhou, brooking no argument, charged in and lifted him to his feet. “What time do you call this?”

 

Fei Du answered instinctively, “…six-thirty.”

 

Luo Wenzhou choked at this answer, raising a hand to smack the back of Fei Du’s neck. “Do I need you to tell me that? Can’t I tell time? You’re still sitting here meditating at this hour? Haven’t you eaten?”

 

Fei Du had been sitting too long. His legs were rather numb. He tottered the whole way as Luo Wenzhou dragged him, then was even more shocked when he saw the side dishes on the dining room table, along with very complicated-looking noodles.

 

The noodles cooked in the little pot were still steaming. The kitchen, purely decorative for ten thousand years, had actually opened for business. The desolate first floor was filled with strange cooking smells, turning the whole atmosphere of the haunted house strange.

 

“There aren’t enough of your lousy supermarkets around here. I had to drive around for ten kilometers to buy groceries. What’s the benefit of living in this damn place aside from acting like a prick and flaunting your wealth?” Luo Wenzhou picked up a bowl and asked, “Do you eat water-cooled noodles?”

 

Fei Du hadn’t yet had time to nod when Luo Wenzhou issued a viewpoint in his place. “When you’ve just thrown up, you’d better make do with something hot.”

 

Fei Du: “…”

 

Then why did you ask?

 

He’d thought he had no appetite—every time he’d been tormented half-dead by being sick at blood…or other things, he’d gone to the hospital to be put on an IV drip. But he took the bowl from Luo Wenzhou’s hands and accidentally ate all of it. The noodles had been cooked to moderate firmness, a little chewy, but not hard to digest. He felt warm when he swallowed them, the ice-cold stone in his stomach quietly thawing.

 

“You… Hey, wait, I don’t…” Fei Du put down his chopsticks and was about to say something when Luo Wenzhou uncompromisingly took his bowl and refilled it.

 

“When you’re finished eating, come back to work overtime with me,” Luo Wenzhou said. “No rest this weekend.”

 

Fei Du: “…”

 

Luo Wenzhou raised his eyelids and looked at him. “Do you have any objections?”

 

Fei Du quietly took the bowl. “No, none.”

 

“Based on my experience, when you’re unsatisfied, eight or nine out of ten times, there are two basic reasons,” Luo Wenzhou suddenly said after waiting quietly for him to finish eating. “The first is that you haven’t had enough to eat, and the second is that you haven’t slept well.”

 

Fei Du stared.

 

“Drinking sugar-water and taking sleep aids doesn’t count.” Luo Wenzhou looked at him meaningfully. Before Fei Du could react, he added, “The remaining one or two times, the circumstances are rather complicated.—This is what I wanted to tell you last time in front of Su Xiaolan’s box of ashes. Later I forgot.”

 

Fei Du indicated that he was all ears.

 

“Go wash the dishes. Don’t use the dishwasher for a lousy couple of dishes like this,” said Luo Wenzhou. “I’ve put dish soap and a dishrag there. First wipe away the grease, then rinse it with water. Do you know how to?”

 

Fei Du: “…”

 

“If you don’t know how, you can learn slowly,” Luo Wenzhou said. “The person who cooks doesn’t do the dishes. That’s a basic principle.”

 

Who knew whether Fei Du had ever washed a dish in his life? He hesitated, then went. Luo Wenzhou wasn’t worried about him dropping a dish and breaking it—anyway, he had the money.

 

“When a person’s been burned to ashes and become about the same as a piece of apatite, there’s nothing there worth revering. So why do we treat it like a big deal?” Luo Wenzhou crossed his arms and said from behind Fei Du, “Why are there holidays to mark the beginning and end of each year? Why do you have to make a public confession and stroll around in the streets together before getting in bed with someone? Why, to live together legally, in addition to needing a certificate, do you need to invite your friends and family to a useless ceremony? Because life and death, dark and light, partings and meetings, all have the meanings people have endowed them with. You can’t see them or touch them, you don’t know what use they have, but the difference between you and me and a lump of chemicals lies in those bits of meaning.”

 

Fei Du paused.

 

Luo Wenzhou reached around from behind him and took his wrist, guiding him to put the clean bowl back into its original place. “If you don’t understand, I can tell you later slowly. You called me, and that’s a ‘ceremony,’ too. I gave you the chance to repent. Now it’s too late for returns.—Come on, let’s go back to the City Bureau.”

[avatarvyakara]

Honestly I kind of assumed (and this is how it was set up in Golden Gleam) that the Saporians…okay, so it was a bit complicated, but:

(Continued under the cut because it’s a bit of a long read)

The Saporians were the original inhabitants of Corona way back when, we’re talking millennia ago here. They called it Saporia in relation to the borakh (singular porakh) or wooden watchtowers that bordered the land, and honoured both the Earth itself and the Sunbloom (considered mythical but it’s their sacred symbol).

The Myonotian Empire who followed called the place Corona Occidentalis, the Crown of the West, and propagated the worship of their saints but left worship of the Sunbloom mostly alone. It was around this time that a Saporian named Demanitus took a hike east and got stuck in a tree for a while. (He still called the place Corona Occidentalis, though, for personal reasons.)

Those throwing off the yoke of the Myonotians after a particularly nasty plague called themselves Saporians again, and were the staunchest believers in the old ways, the old rites, the old flower language. They also, because this was in effect caused by a mutiny in the local Myonotian legion, styled their (hereditary) leader as General (dúcos, plural dúgos) rather than Emperor or Empress. (This is still a courtesy title of the King or Queen Consort in modern Corona, who usually has either military command or combat success or both.) They weren’t the majority, though—more like a group which styled themselves as populist while simultaneously continuing the previous imperial system on their own terms.

Those who became rather ticked off by this business—and especially those who found salvation in the Mandate of the Heavens, in particular worship of the Sun, brought from the Far East by a few wandering warrior-priests in caravan convoys but decidedly popular among those who didn’t much like their current deities’ (having) faces—decided to fortify under the banner of the new faith and the new(er) name, Corona, and a chosen king, Herz der Sonne (history has thankfully forgotten his full name, Herzbert, although it survives in the courtesy surname “Fitzherbert” given to all orphans without known kin in Corona). The “heroic conflict” between Herz, skilled in magic, and his childhood friend, General Shampanier, started over the settlement of the Coronan “rebels” on an island held to be sacred to the Saporians. (Being fair to the Coronans, it wasn’t like they could settle in Corona proper, now Old Corona, at the time—the Saporians were using it as a base of operations. And it did stave off attack for a bit. The tunnel-digging was an absolute no, though. That was a definite desecration of the earth.)

Herz and Shampanier’s reconciliation and eventual marriage led to the almost full-scale conversion of the people in their kingdom of Corona to the Mandate of the Heavens—but with certain caveats. Ceremonies with absolutely no link to the old ways, for instance, certain traditions that most definitely weren’t traditional if any priest asked. (The Gopher Grab? Still an important ceremony for keeping away demons in the minds of superstitious peasants, you just don’t need to read the gopher’s entrails anymore after you catch it.) Herz was buried in a Saporian barrow with undead protectors; his wife was entombed in Corona Castle under a working model of the solar system with her weapons ready and waiting; both of these were intended to keep angry folk who disliked the “common ground” approach from desecrating their tombs. (…nice job, Rapunzel.) What this means, though, is that in effect the Coronans are still, bar a few immigrants from elsewhere, Saporians. They’re just Saporians who don’t follow the militarized approach, maybe keep their old language going in some homes or certain professions, and prefer following the Sun to seeking the Sunbloom. (Besides, there’s stories about an immortal witch who stole it for herself, which rather dampens the likelihood that it could be used to help anyone.) The Kingdom maintains the older traditions, so long as they don’t hurt anyone and fit in with the Mandate—incidentally giving them access to other countries as well, from Neserdnia to the Dark Kingdom.

Of course, the Army—or rather a deserting faction led by Shampanier’s second-in-command, Andrew—wasn’t too keen on these newfangled heathens muscling in and putting up a king instead of choosing leaders based on merit. (And if the offspring of the previous Generals almost always happened to succeed their parent, well, that was just good training on their part. Obviously.) So they kept themselves to themselves, striking where they could, switching to the guerrilla tactics that had served the Coronans well in their rebellion against them. If a fair few seem darker-skinned than a lot of the population, that’s the Myonotian influence again—the influence of the once-powerful empire which quite ironically renamed the kingdom. Their aim is to take back the country, purge the Sunset Isle of its infestation, and clear out some of that stupid superstitious nonsense the Coronans used to trap the sheep into compliance. (The Sunbloom is just a symbol, a representation of Saporia’s immortality, but they ain’t got time to investigate daisies for miraculous healing properties, not when there’s a war on.) Merely following old festivals or speaking Saporian instead of Heavenish isn’t enough; one must be regimented, dutiful, cunning, ruthless, and in sync with the natural world rather than the cold Heavens above. They’ve never been very many, but the Saporians keep the influences of Myonotia and Old Saporia, and would do anything to bring their beloved prodigal subjects away from the nauseating Crown and back to the Tower where they belong. Anything.

And it probably don’t help much what’s happened in the last few decades. The Sunbloom was finally found—and immediately plucked up and turned into soup for the Queen. (Not that anyone remembered the incantation but it’s the principle, Fred, dammit.) And then the immortal witch stole a newborn baby, and eighteen years later it turns out that the heir to the kingdom and the bearer of what has for about three thousand years effectively been God was locked away in an ancient tower. Crime has been punished more harshly than ever. There’s a stronger bandit presence than ever before—so many mercenaries for the Army to hire for raiding and pillaging. The tunnels are still there, waiting to be used against the Coronans but oh so despised for all that. Balloons are useful, but the Saporian love of the Earth means that for the very religious, aping the path of the sun by travelling through the Heavens (as opposed to merely sending up prayer by lantern-light) is a very real and very blasphemous possibility. And everyone insists on being an idiot about this.

…of course that may be stretching things a bit. But while the Saporians may have a good reason to exist, I ain’t completely convinced it’s a nice one.

Other people have articulated this better.  But god the black and white way canon paints the Separatists of Saporia makes me so frustrated.  Like, I get it’s a kids show.  But the subtext / underlying implication speaks to such a systemic problem.  A problem that they have every reason to be angry about. 

It’s the “legitimate cause underplayed by extreme violence, especially toward children” trope.  And I just have a lot of bitterness for that.

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Here's part two of my breakdown of the Mars plots and my theories about them:

Then we have the Legion and the person they're chasing. Now this is interesting, the Legion has been following them since earth and they've been specifically following Conner. The Legion seems to have the exact opposite mission statement from Bart's in season two. They are actively trying not to change anything. (I've seen a lot of people say that they went back to save Conner from Gar. I don't think that's correct. Without the cave in Gar wouldn't have ever known about Conner's current weakness and thus probably wouldn't have focused on Conner's wellbeing during his break down. Also J'onn would've been present at the altar building ceremony, meaning that he could've helped calm Gar down) The Legionnaires were not happy that Irma fixed Gar's mind, something that could cause a butterfly effect, but Irma's response is even more damning. "Maybe we always intervened" They are so confident that they won't crash the mode that they think that this time travel mission has always happened, will always happen and is a part of their original timeline. Even the 'one big thing' they're supposed to change, doesn't seem big enough to them to actually crash the mode.

The villain that they're after is the one with the heat vision. I don't think we've seen this villain yet. I'm not even entirely sure that they are a villain to begin with. So far this person has a) non lethally cut Mars off from earth and b) non lethally blown the Legion's cover. The fact that this person knows about the Legion points to them also being a time traveller. Likely, stopping the other time traveller is the entire reason for the Legion's mission. Given that the Legion specifically seems to be protecting Conner, I'm going to assume that the person they're after wants to either a) kill Conner, b) take Conner to the future, c) brainwash Conner or d) get Conner on their side before the Legion can get him on theirs.

Whoever this person is, they're incredibly strategic. They could've gone after Conner at any point in his life but they waited until he was isolated from the majority of his friends and family, far away from any real backup, and almost completely depowered. They furthered the isolation by blowing up the zeta tubes and Mars' satellite, making it impossible for Conner to call for help or escape.

They've also somehow managed to completely avoid any and all psychic detection despite being extremely close to M'gann when she was actively searching for nearby minds.

So ask yourself, what's the one kind of mind M'gann hasn't been able to detect? Non-organic, machine based minds. We see this from her very first episode, M'gann can't sense Red Tornado, Mister Twister or Ivo's minds because they're mechanical.

I don't know about you but when I think strategic, machine based time traveller from the future who's after a Kryptonian, I think Brainiac Five.

I don't know why the Legion would be after him, but maybe they disagreed about something. Brainiac Five wanted to grab Conner from the past or he wanted to change the last and the Legion went after him because it was against the rules.

As for the heat vision, I don't think it's a coincidence that in the same episode they identify for sure that it was heat vision, they also show a clip of Jon Kent developing his heat vision. Now, I'm not saying it's Jon, but I am saying that I think it's a Kryptonian (or possibly Mon-El). The Legion has a history of recruiting Kryptonian's in the comics after all. Mon-El, Kara Zor-El, Laura Kent, Chris Kent, grown up Jon Kent, they all seem like viable options to me.

Simply put, I think that Brainiac and a Kryptonian are working together to get Conner.

Now a huge part of me thinks that the Legion is secretly working for Vandal Savage. Vandal is trying to build up an army of superpowered people to fight Darkseid and the Legion is... A superpowered army. It's literally his dream, the Legion is what Vandal has been working towards since day one so I have no problem believing that he's pulling the strings here. Maybe Brainiac Five and the Kryptonian found out about this and are rebelling? It's a possibility that I like ngl.

Now, of course, this is just a theory. It's possible that Darkseid sent someone back in time to mess with things but that explanation just seems so messy to me. Why here? Why now? Why wouldn't he go and change a million other things if he had the ability to send people back.

[scotianostra]

On March 1st 1910, David Niven, actor and author, was born.

Despite his lifelong claim to have been born a Scot, in Kirriemuir, he was actually born in Belgravia, but let’s not take that away from, who wouldn’t rather be Scottish than English?  ;)  The actors Donald Crisp and James Robertson Justice were two others who although pinned there colours to Scotland, were actually born in England.  Niven though served in  the Highland Light Infantry, (despite asking for any regiment but the HLI) in the early 1930s.

 Many of you out there will be of Scottish descent either researched, known or simply because you have a Scottish name, one of my friends has a broad English accent but was born and brought up near Inverness and a lot of people up the north of Scotland claim to be “more” Scottish than those in the south, what a load of nonsense that is.

Niven wanted to be Scottish and that’s good enough for me and the same goes for any of you out there. Being Scottish, as well as being born here can be a state of mind in my humble opinion. Niven’s Scottish heritage came from his paternal grandfather, David Graham Niven, he was from St Martin’s, a village in Perthshire, and was killed in WW1 during the Gallipoli campaign.

He resigned his commission in the army in 1933 and made his way to the USA, where, still chasing the Scottish connection, spendingt time as a whisky salesman, then joining a rodeo, before arriving in Hollywood in the mid 1930’s. Early appearances in films include Barbary Coast and Mutiny on the Bounty, but blink and you’ll miss him. His first starring role was in Thank You, Jeeves! as Bertie Wooster

Other films include A Matter of Life and Death, Around the World in 80 Days, The Guns of Navarone and The Pink Panther. My favourite was The Bishops Wife and he played  Bonnie Prince Charlie in the film of the same name.

At the outbreak of World War II Niven returned home and rejoined the army, the Government at the time advised actors to stay in Holywood at the time, and he was alone in refusing this advice, he was assigned to a motor training battalion. He wanted something more exciting, however, and transferred into the Commandos, his training was at Inverailort House in the Highlands. On his return to Hollywood afterwards the Americans awarded him with Legion of Merit, the highest military award that can be given to a non US citizen. Niven never talked much about his time during the war, but did see action a few days after D Day and at Battle of the Bulge.

He is also well known as the author of the bestselling autobiography, The Moon’s a Balloon. His career fluctuated in the 50’s but he endured that and came back bigger than ever, he played Bond in the original Casino Royale, but his greatest achievement was winning an Oscar in the film Separate Tables, becoming the only person to win an academy award while hosting the ceremony!

So David Niven maybe not “Scottish” in the true sense of the word, but certainly Proud to be seen as a Scot.

[thecandywrites]

Burn Without You Chapter 14

Yeah, I know, cliffhangers are mean, but fun! And the reprise is oh so sweet while also giving more dimension to this situation. Oh and that’s General Thobin bottom left corner. 

Also important music that was used to inspire this story and this chapter specifically. “Legends Never Die” by Fight Against The Current and “Safe and Sound” by My Indigo “Without You” by Ursine Vulpine featuring Annaca and then of course ‘Many Are The Stars I See But In My Eye, No Star Like Thee’ Again by Ursine Vulpine featuring Annaca. 

Burn Without You 

Chapter 14

“Oh are you fucking kidding me? He’s half lame and deaf too?” Serhan breathed in the common tongue in a hateful whisper since she had watched as Lukher had a hard time walking up the stairs as you looked behind you to her and gave her a look to shut up before the whole army stood more rigid and in only two steps seemed to have surrounded the other brides protectively as Thobin looked over at Sunco with a pointed look as she ducked her head to avoid his gaze and anyone else’s gaze before you looked over at Sunco who would not look up at you and then to Huda and the rest of the envoy who all looked away guiltily as you felt betrayed once again. Here you vowed to tell the truth with them and they had told you that they would tell you the truth too but yet, something this big was kept from you. This changed everything yet sadly, nothing right now. 

This was really why he didn’t talk to you via the messengerari- is because he couldn’t have been able to hear you as you realized, depending on the angle of the injury, if Lukher had been facing whatever it was, it would make sense that his jaw and then his ear canal just behind his jaw, would both be damaged by a projectile of some kind. This was the other reason he didn’t talk to you. And yet, no one in the envoy mentioned any of this, when learning nadasi, they never taught anyone the sign language form of it as even Ashurah was having a hard time figuring out what each gesture meant as you felt panic rise in your chest as the stoned necklace that was pinned underneath your bridal jewelry as Thobin immediately picked up on your panic as you gave him a meaningful look as you used your free hand that was visible to him at your side and made very subtle hand gestures that were only taught to the brides that were based on the orc’s native tongue. 

‘Be prepared for evacuation’ you signed to him as he gave you a subtle nod and you couldn’t see it but you could feel how those in your own legion were getting into defensive positions. 

Now it made sense why Sunco was so interested in the healing properties of the stones. You were an uncollared bride, you had no healing capabilities and the stones could only do so much and by your estimate, and from the looks of Lukher, these injuries were already at least half a year old, if not older. You were mere minutes away from marrying a man who you had no way of communicating with other than passing a note. Three months of learning nadasi and it was practically useless because you couldn’t communicate with the one person you wanted and needed to communicate with the most as you felt tears prick your eyes but you forced them back, you could not cry right now. This was the wedding ceremony for crying out loud and you could not show weakness or show how betrayed you felt.   

However, you had told Sunco earlier that you would accept Lukher as he was, and if you backed out now, your word would be useless and any trust you had built up would be broken. It was too late, you could not back out now, the future of Dorierra and Yekmeni were riding on this single moment and you needed to go through with this.  

That would also explain the over abundance of gifts, maybe he was trying to make it up to you for his lack of…health, or looks or whatever the case may be. Over a hundred wedding suit options and over three hundred sets of jewelry. And yet none of it could ever be enough to buy what you wanted. The truth. The whole truth. And a complete understanding. 

So you did the only thing you could do, you stamped down your panic, forced yourself to remain calm and steady, squared your shoulders, stood as tall as you could, held your head up high and steeled your resolve. He was your mate. As perfectly imperfect as he was as you felt him give your hand a tentative squeeze before you squeezed back and looked back at him and still noticed there were traces of sadness and apology in his gaze before you tried to give him the most reassuring and calming smile you could. 

You could feel his own anxiousness roll off of him but yet, now in his presence, granted he looked thinner than you remember him being, his features perhaps a little gaunt. But his eyes and most importantly, the sweet kindness in his eyes, remained. And you believed that the eyes were the windows of the soul and you reminded yourself that this was why you had said yes in the first place, not for a crown, not for riches, not for comfort, not for a warrior and a champion or a hero, but for a friend, a companion, a kindred spirit. Because your soul saw his soul and had said yes. And right now, it was still saying yes and that’s all that mattered. 

Well, it looked like you would be wearing your tethering stone a little longer, because you were going to need it to learn this sign language to communicate with him better.  

Then came the vows where you had to face Lukher as you held both of his hands with both of yours as it was Lukher’s turn to say the vows to begin with as he struggled to say them as the interpreter stood behind you so they could sign the vows for Lukher to say as your heart broke at hearing him struggle with the words as his jaw was misaligned and crooked and seeing it motion really convyed how injured he still was, but you did your best to give him an encouraging look before he managed to finish before you repeated your own vows in nadasi, his language now flowing off your tongue in beautiful eloquence as you wondered if Lukher could actually hear any of it and the look on his face portrayed that he barely could and you wished with all your heart that he could hear them and know that you meant every word despite everything going on around you.  

After the ceremony, you were were both given headdresses, much bigger and grander ones than before and he did in fact pick you up and carry you over the threshold, although rather shakily as you prayed he wouldn’t drop you and possibly embarrass himself in front of his whole nation as you held on tightly to him and then barely past the threshold he put you down as gently as he could. 

“Now, you will heal him- yes?” Clan Chief Wardeen immediately insisted and that was your breaking point as the panic came back full force, as did your anger and betrayal which was immediately felt by Thobin and the rest of the army who were on the verge busting all of you out of here, fighting their way out if they needed to. 

“General Sunco, you and your envoy and Lukher’s family, and my own general and captains, we all need to have a talk immediately.” You ordered firmly as there was a fire that burned in your eyes as your own facial expression became stoney while the other brides looked at Sunco and the rest of the envoy with disgust at being betrayed too as they passed them as it was clear that all of them were pissed at this revelation that the potential groom was grossly misrepresented.  

“Yes Savia.” Sunco nodded as tears were already welling in her eyes as she brought everyone and even the other brides and Ashurah into the private room. 

“Oh, does it need to be done in private? The healing? Is there a ceremony that needs to be performed?” Lukher’ s mother Auralu asked. 

“General Sunco, do you, by a miracle, have the original marriage offer on you?” You asked her. 

“Yes.” Sunco answered as she pulled it out as you took it and rolled it out over the table in the room before you read it out loud. 

“Clan Chief Wardeen is seeking a competent, and willing moura bride for his son and future Warchief and if he survives that post who will then inherit the station of Clan Chief of the Aki-Aya clan. She will live with him in the Yekmeni fortress in the Aurninna mountain range of Nirari. All her needs and wants will be provided for, a monthly allowance of a hundred gold drakars will be granted to her along with a suite of rooms within the fortress and servants of her choosing. If she is a respectful, pleasant and capable wife and bears at least one son who is of good health who lives to adulthood, she will have a long and comfortable life.” You read in nadasi, the words now having a lot more meaning to them because competent and capable must have meant powerful and magical ability as well, at least to them. 

“So where in this offer does it say that I need to heal him?” You asked as you gestured to the marraige offer Wardeen and the rest of his family. 

“Isn’t that what all moura women are? You are capable of being magical healers who can shapeshift into phoenixes and breathe fire?” Wardeen asked as Daon served as Lukher’s translator. 

“No.” You shook your head no as the others in your group all shook thier heads as did Thobin and all your captains.  

“So you can’t heal me?” Lukher asked, his words loud and not clear before Daon repeated what Lukher asked. 

“If I could, I would Lukher, in this instant. But it’s not a matter of will or will not, it’s a matter of can and can not, I can not heal you. I have no such power or capabilities, and neither do any of them. All of you need to understand that there was obviously a mistake in the translation of this offer. Competent and capable, are very vague and broad terms and can apply to anything and everything, it’s like saying I’m capable of picking up rock. I can pick up a small rock that will fit in my hand, I am not capable of picking up a boulder of rock the same size of myself. I am capable of some medicinal healing, but only the same way any doctor using normal medicine is. But nothing more. So it is not just the powers you are alluding to. Heavenly moura can do the things your father has described because they are pure blooded mouras. Dorierran mouras, are not pure blooded. When a pure blooded moura breeds with a non moura, the first ten generations, will have the best characteristics of both species and something called a moura collar. Selkies have sealskins that help them shapeshift from seal to person. For early mouras, those in the first ten generations, of breeding with pure blooded mouras, they have a feather cloak, that grows from the collar. It’s the collar and the cloak that hold all of the moura’s magic and abilities. Without a collar, a moura is no different than a normal human. At the 11th generation, the collar becomes smaller, instead of going around the whole neck, it only goes on the back of the neck and the feather cloak is only half as long and the gifts and abilities and magic are only half as powerful or capable, they are called half mouras. At 20 generations and beyond, they are called late mouras and once at that stage- there is no collar, no magic, no gifts, no abilities, only this mark on the back of the neck and after 21 generations the mark shrinks and once the mark is gone, it is a sign that all moura genetics are gone, that they faded out like a stain in clothing after being washed. I am the 52nd generation of my family with the moura genes I am beyond twice the distance to even a late moura, I am lucky to have even a small moura mark on my neck to show I’m moura at all. There are millions of Dorierrans who are only a tiny pinch of moura. And only 12 people in all of the whole country have a collar, and almost all of them are very old and feeble men who are on the verge of death and never could have made this journey to come to heal you, they would have died trying.” You explianed as you looked from Daon’s signing to Lukher and then to Warden and his family to see disappointment on all of their faces.  

“Dorierrans try to trade with the heavenly mouras for new heavenly moura people, new, fresh genetics to restart this cycle and there is only one thing that a heavenly moura would ever want from the surface and it is something that only another moura can give them and it is extremely painful to give it and the heavenly moura demand a price too high for just anyone to afford. A moura born with their collar, if they are killed just to attain their collar, their collar turns to dust when they die. It is impossible to get a collar, from anyone, anywhere in the whole supersphere, it is not something that can be made, it is only something that one is born with. And without a collar, what you see me as now, is all that I will ever be, I can not magically heal, I can not shapshift, and I can not breathe fire or any other power you have heard that pure mouras have. I’m sorry this very important detail got lost in translation, neither I or anyone else that came with me can heal him the way you want us to and the way you have been expecting. If this was your reason for wanting a moura bride. I’m sorry, but it’s impossible for me or any of them to give any of you what you want. No matter how great our desire to give it to you. I have sworn an oath to General Sunco and the rest of the envoy and even the other brides and my translator to only speak the truth, the whole truth with them. And I still hold true to my oath, ask anyone here and they will only confirm what I have said.” You bravely informed them as you gestured to the others. 

“She is right, she only speaks the truth, and the whole truth. Because we all read the offer as we were learning nadasi and so because this was not in the offer, because of the broad terms used, none of us realized that this was what you meant. If we had known, we would have immediately told you the truth about our lineage. I am a 54th generation moura. I am lucky to even have a small mark too. And what she says about the collars is true, once a moura dies, their collar can die with them.” Ashurah confirmed as the other brides nodded in agreement before they too gave their generations, ranging from 48-57. Well beyond the reach of even a late moura. 

“What about the stones?” Sunco asked in a panicked and desperate tone of voice. 

“Stones? What stones?” Wardeen asked. 

“These stones.” Thobin said as he pointed to the stone on his forehead. 

“They are mind control stones, I wear the biggest stone, and with my mind I take over the control of the entire army, my mind controls their bodies, all of them. The stones were a gift to the crystal angels, of the highest heaven and are pieces of thier sphere, they were given to Dorierra at the birth of the nation to let us protect them, when thier own abilities fade over time. And while they give the wearer a measure of immortality while wearing them. And while they can heal to a degree, the longer it has been since the injury, the less the stones can heal, no matter how big or how small the injury however even these stones have limits of what they can do. When did Lukher get wounded?” Thobin asked. 

“About half a year ago.” Wardeen answered. 

“Than we are half a year too late, the stones usually only work best if the injury is only seconds, minutes, maybe even hours old but the moment those hours turn into days, much less weeks or months- the more time passes- the less they can do. But by now, Lukher has probably already healed all he can heal. I can try to stone him, but he will lose his individuality and his control over himself and his mind and body while the stone is on him and it would take time for the stones to try to work. Hours, maybe even days. I can not promise or guarantee in any way that it would work, or that they can help at all.” General Thobin explained. 

“Shit.” Sunco cursed as you looked at the envoy and you could see the very real fear in their eyes at the dawning realization that they too failed in thier mission. 

“Grand General Sunco, when I made my oath of truth to you the first time you ate with me and my family in our home, and you told me that you would speak the truth to me as well, how come you didn’t tell me about this? How come you hid the hid the truth of Lukher’s injuries or his expectations of me magically healing him from me? If you had told me the whole truth in the beginning, I would have told you the whole truth about myself and the others and saved you the trouble. Have I not always spoken the truth to you? Why have you decieved me and everyone else from Dorierra for the whole journey?” You asked her, hurt and betrayal bleeding into your voice as your eyes finally shed thier tears. 

“And it was only pushing and prodding from me that you told her that he was injured at all only hours before the ceremony, she only found out he was deaf as the wedding ceremony started. You never once mentioned that he was deaf, you and your envoy never even hinted that I or anyone of them needed to learn sign language to communicate with Warchief Lukher. And for three months, all of the brides have made multiple efforts to reach Warcheif Lukher and his family and none of you ever told them what the true circumstances of Lukher was and no one in the bridal party could hold any face to face comminucation through messengerari with Warchief Lukher, all the calls were dismissed. You have done all of these innocent women disservice and dishonor especially when they kneeled at the feet of a truthsayer with a needle dipped in poison that would immediately kill them if they dared to lie. They put their lives on the line to tell you the truth. How come you and the rest of your envoy could not do them even the courtesy of telling them what they were really walking into? They feel ambushed and betrayed right now and they all have every right to feel that way. This is grounds for any treaty, any trade agrement to be null and void if not grounds for war for this. The purposefull deception of a moura bride so that she is set up to fail the expectations of her destination it was in the contract that was signed which I have right here.” Thobin said as he produced the contract and laid it next to the marraige offer before he came and put his arm around your shoulders. 

“I am sorry Clan Chief, I have failed.” Sunco knelt down at his feet as you could see Wardeen looked mortified yet pissed and outraged as he stared down at his sister like he was ready to behead her which scared you and the other brides as once again, Thobin and the other captains formed a protective cocoon around all of you but you managed to get through them before you approached Lukher. 

“Lukher, if the only reason you wanted to marry me and chose me to be your Savia, is because you thought I could magically heal you. I understand if you withdraw that from me, or if you want to get our marriage annulled and break the treaty and trade deal off with Dorierra, I understand.” You offered as you too took on Sunco’s posture and knelt at Lukher’s feet. 

“No!” Lukher immediately said as he reached down and practically picked you up to stand on your own feet again as panic gripped his chest as he realized his gorss error. 

“No! When I look in your eyes, it is my soul that sees your soul and says yes. And I already know that your soul does the same to mine which is all I care about and all I will ever care about. I love you and only you. Because when you see me, you don’t see my injuries or failings or see how I’m incomplete and extremely imperfect. You said that you accepted me for me, as I am, even when you didn’t know the truth and you prove that over and over and over again and it is time I prove that to you. You are my wife, my Savia. You always will be. Nothing will change my mind or my heart or my soul about this. Collar or no collar. That doesn’t matter to me. You are here, you are safe, you are well. And I will try everyday to be the best husband to you that I can be. Period. Please let me make this right. After the banquet, we can try this stoning thing tonight. You are my bride, this is your wedding day, you should be happy without measure. You should never have to kneel at anyone’s feet, especially mine. You are my equal, if not my superior in all things and this is not your fault, it’s my fault. All of this is my fault. Mine, not yours, not Suncos or anyone elses. Mine. and mine alone.” Lukher signed, having Daon say what he was signing. 

“Sunco has told me of all the things that have gone wrong so far and how you have fixed things that were not your problem or responsibility to fix but that they were in your power to help and so you did, without hesitation or reserve. I believe you. That if you had this power, you would heal me and you just being here, is doing more good for me than anything ever has. This was a misunderstanding and a loss in translation in the beginning and since then has been my deception. That is all. This is not a mistake that you need to make right. It is my mistake that I need to make right. You have always been honest and honorable with us, I need to be honest and honorable with you, all of us do.” Lukher began as tears started streaming down his face as his own shame ate him alive. 

“You have earned our trust and respect in all things, you have every right to feel angry and betrayed and ambushed because you have been and I’m so sorry. As your husband it is my delight and duty to protect you, not hurt you, not betray you or ambush you or threaten you in any way. And I have already failed, our marraige is only minutes old and I’m failing miserably and you deserve better. I am so sorry. If you change your mind about me, I will understand. You only found out hours ago that I was injured. You only found out minutes ago that I was deaf and can barely talk and barely hear you, yet you did the honorable thing and not withdraw, you stood by me, so maybe there is still a chance and still hope. Your honor exceeds mine. I ordered Sunco and the rest of the envoy to keep the truth of my health condition from you and the others, so they are not to blame, for this, they were only following my orders. Because I thought you could fix me and it wouldn’t be a problem but I was wrong because I didn’t understand. It still isn’t a problem, it is simply the reality, and one that I will learn to live with but you shouldn’t have to. I’m so sorry, I never should have done that. And I’m so sorry I did not talk to you sooner about this, I let my fear and intimidation of you and your own perfection override my sense.” Lukher continued to sign as Daon continued to translate.  

“It is not your fault that our expectations were not realistic and that we were not informed of what the reality was and it is my fault that you were not informed of my reality. The guilt and burden lays with me for that, for not being more specific and not being more honest and forthcoming to you and the othrs. You have every right to be angry and upset and resentful and mistrusting and you have every right to do as you please and if you wish to withdraw from me, it is I who will understand that I made this mistake and have sinned against you by purposefully withholding the truth from you, making others lie to you because I was a coward and couldn’t face you and trapped you like a bird in a snare and I feel shame for this. Please, forgive them, they were only obeying me. Forgive the rest of my family, who also misunderstood. We are the ones who are at fault and who are unworthy of your forgiveness. But I will understand if you do not forgive me. You vowed and took an oath with your life to tell the truth because you are brave, courageous and righteous, and a much better person than I am in every way, I need to kneel at your feet, and beg for your forgiveness.” Lukher signed as Daon said what Lukher was signing before Lukher kneeled and bowed his head at your feet which was shocking to everyone especially to you before Wardeen offered you a dagger. 

“He has dishonored himself and you, you have the right to kill him for this.” Wardeen offered but you refused the offered dagger and instead knelt back down on the floor in front of Lukher and reached out and reverently held his face so he could look at you, seeing the tears well in your eyes but giving him a sympathetic look, feeling where a jaw should be on one side and where his ear lobe should be too, feeling the scars under his beard as Daon knelt with you but behind you so he could sign to Lukher what you were going to say.  

“No,” you shook your head. 

“You said we are equals, so if you you kneel, I kneel. I understand that fear of the unknown, especially when that unknown is rejection by someone you hold in high requard, that fear can make even the bravest warrior cower and run. Your soul sees mine, my soul sees yours, not the imperfect body that your soul is in and the imperfect body that our souls are in shouldn’t matter, we just got married and are now one, we should stay that way because that’s all we need. Give me time to learn this language from signs from the hands so that I can communicate with you easier. If the stones can only take away any pain you feel from your injuries, then that’s all I can hope for and we will learn to live with it together. We are in this together, as man and wife, that’s all we are and all we need to be right now. Fuck everything and everyone else. I love you and only you. It is your wedding day too. You should be happy without measure too. So celebrate our wedding with me. And help me learn the language of your heart. Which is the only language I need to know and should speak, even if I have to use my eyes instead of my ears to hear it.” You insisted as Lukher looked from you to Daon, catching what you were saying before he gathered you up in his arms and kissed you desperately before he hugged you tight as you did the same before his hands left your back for only a moment to sign his answer to his cousin before hugging you tightly once more.  

“If that is what you want, that is what you will get.” Daon repeated as you nodded into Lukher’s shoulder as everyone collectively blew out a breath of relief as the captains took a step away from the other brides so that they could be seen once again before Wardeen helped his sister up to her feet. 

“You and I will talk later.” Wardeen said to his sister before he let Auralu take his arm and escorted her out of there while Davkee followed closely behind and Rubati followed behind her before Lukher stood and happily put his arm around your shoulders and escorted you out of the room while the others followed behind you before Wardeen made an announcement. 

“Lukher’s Savia has travelled a very long way to come to heal Lukher, but because of other factors and the secret nature of her moura healing process, she only has enough power to heal only a little bit and only once but that is her best and her all, and will do so to Lukher tonight, but can never do it again. We are supremely grateful for even this much. Mouras are mysterious creatures that deserve our utmost respect and Lukher’s Savia deserves our best, for she will be doing hers and that is all anyone can ask of anyone. Let the feast commence!” Wardeen announced to the whole group that was already in the dining hall and seated according to rank before you were seated at your own special table with Lukher and while you knew it was technically a lie, apparently Wardeen was doing his best for you to save face because apparently the whole nation was under this previous understanding and for now, it would suffice before the feast was brought out and while the foods were new, they were quite delicious as Lukher and yourself both fed each other the feast as you were practically snuggled into his side before Seyda disappeared and reappeared with your superbook and the gift to Rubati in her possession to honor Kingu as you wrote down a note. 

‘I have something for Kingu’s mother to honor Kingu and a song composed in his honor, would it be appropriate to give it to her now or should I wait?’ You wrote down in tauni and showed it to Lukher. 

‘You do as you wish to. Rubati will be honored that you would wish to honor his memory, in no matter how small or large a way you have prepared. Rubati is to give you a wedding present after the feast, you can exchange gifts if you wish to.’ Lukher wrote back. 

“Seyda, can you please arrange for all the musical instruments that we have brought with us and the score of music that we made for Kingu’s memory as well as all the other scores of music be brought and put with the other musicians and the other gifts for Wardeen’s other wives. Rubati is to give me a wedding gift after the feast, I wish to give her the gift and I will sing the song in Kingu’s memory.” You told her. 

“Of course.” Seyda answered as she left the gift that had been prepared for this occasion with you and stopped by the other table that Serhan and the others were taking up and told them that the plan to honor Kingu and Wardeen and his other wives was still on and when it would be expected to be performed as they all nodded in agreement. 

‘My family started this once we learned of Kingu’s death and that it was his death that was the catalyst for this marriage to begin with and myself and the other brides have been working on this over the last three months, according to Sunco and the rest of the envoy’s information they gave us about her.’ You wrote down before you let Lukher peek at what it was inside it’s special box that had been carved and inlaid with shells that had been collected from the sea voyage. 

“She will be happy that you even think of doing such a thing. But my own mother, being the mother of the groom will also want something too.’ Lukher warned you. 

‘I have that covered too.’ You reassured him as you looked from him over to the others. 

“Yeah, as far as I’m concerned, she can keep him and all that comes with him. They could have killed us because of this misunderstanding, we should leave as soon as we can.” Merrattah murmured to the other brides in marinai, hoping others wouldn’t hear and understand them. 

“Tomorrow we can ask such things, it would be improper to ask such things tonight. Let Audrey have tonight, she is owed that much for putting up with such disrespect and betrayal and surely she only thinks of Dorierra for going through with it. The fact that Lukher hid his real condition from her all this time, makes me wonder what else he is hiding, no one here is to be trusted.” Serhan insisted, keeping to marinai for the same reasons as their captains stood behind them protectively, watching all who approached their brides, a stony look on their faces. 

“The last three months of hard journey and learning a language we won’t use, what a waste.” Ashlighn spat out in disgust as she ate the feast provided. 

“Well at least we have our griffins.” Lila noted. 

“True, but still, a griffin with only a single chick? Who knows what their lineage and genetics or whether we can even breed them and make more is questionable.” Lavena noted. 

“Well you are all welcome to leave, I told Audrey I would stay and unlock the fortress for her. And who knows how long that could take,” Ashurah offered.

“What do you think the fortress is really sitting on?” Serhan asked. 

“A gate to another world, one that doesn’t have five planets of peoples all converged onto it with finite resources. Once I unlock the gate, I’m getting it open and bringing every taunston still in Dorrierra out of here and follow where the last taunstons who held this fortress went.” Ashurah answered. 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for. And I hope Audrey can find at least a little satisfaction in what she’s gained, as damaged and broken beyond repair as it is.” Serhan offered to Ashurah.  

“But what about a colony? Surely this is a mountain range? Maybe they have a collar?” Ashurah realized. 

“No, the reason there were colonies to begin with is because collars are poached from those who are born with them and those mouras thought the practice was unfair. They would rather die than give up a collar and especially hand one over to orcs. Colonies still have all the prejudice Dorrierra does. There’s no way they would let a collar go. They might heal Lukher but for a very steep price and one that none of us could ever offer or afford. They are independent and self-sufficient and if they are in the same mountain range, they most likely have adani and the breadseed and everything else Yekmeni has. There’s nothing that could be offered.” Merrattah argued.  

“True.” The others had to admit. 

“Poor Audrey, she’s mated to a wreck who ordered everyone to lie to her face and get her under a false pretense. She’ll be lucky if he lives another year or two or even gets her pregnant, look how thin he is, he’s wasting away, literally. Like Thobin said, we’re half a year too late. I’ll be surprised if the stones can do a damn thing. Audrey made her bed and now she gets to lie in it, at least Maisarra is taken care of, at the cost of her sister.” Lavena just shook her head. 

“Both our sisters too.” Merrattah had to admit to Serhan who nodded in agreement. 

“Still she does seem to put on a show of happiness for everyone else. I could feel her anger and disappointment in the betrayal, she hides it well.” Merrattah noted. 

“That she does. And that was a good line about her soul and his soul, almost had me convinced.” Serhan huffed a laugh, albeit a bit derisively. 

“She does have a way with words. So a toast, to Audrey for taking this hit for Dorierra and the rest of us.” Merrattah offered before the other girls clinked their glasses before they drank the wine in them. 

‘What are they toasting to?’ Lukher wrote down as he nodded over to your bridal party. 

‘I don’t know, I can ask.’ You wrote down before you got Ashurah’s attention and gestured for her to come over. 

“What were you toasting to?” You asked her in nadasi when she came over. 

“To you, for diffusing what could have been a catastrophic situation and despite the misunderstanding, putting the needs of the many in your homeland and even your sister and Serhans and Merrattah’s sisters over your own future. The other brides wish to leave for home as soon as they can since Lukher declared he will only have you, there is no future for the rest of them here. So they would like to go home to Dorierra as soon as possibly convenient.” Ashurah conveyed in marinai which you were grateful for her choice in that.  

“I will do what I can when I can, I still don’t know how long this celebration may last, it may last a week or something, but I’ll see what I can do when the time is right.” You reassured her you offered in marinai back. 

“Thank you.” Ashurah nodded and went back over. 

‘They were toasting my ability to diffuse our private meeting earlier with your family. For a Dorirran moura bride to not meet her destination’s expectations can have disastrous results and could have resulted in death and a war and a break with peace, alliance and trade, they were grateful that this one didn’t have any, at least for me or any of them.’ You wrote down for him. 

‘Again, I am sorry, let me know what I can do to make it up to you and for them to make it up to them too.’ Lukher immediately wrote down, grateful that he could have this somewhat ‘private’ conversation with you at least through writing. 

‘They actually already have had a request. Since you said that you will only have me, they see that they have no need or future here, they want to go home when it’s convenient and won’t cause any disrespect to you or your family.’ You wrote down. 

‘They can leave at the end of the week. This celebration feast has many stages over many days that they are required to attend. I do not wish to keep them here if they do not want to stay, they have only agreed to meet me, that is all, now that they met me and I have made my decision and they have made theirs, the terms are satisfied. They are free to go wherever they want to, with gifts to make up for any hardship they suffered in coming all this way and for the misunderstanding and deception.’ Lukher wrote down. 

‘Just a misunderstanding, let’s leave it at that’ you wrote back.

‘However, that is very generous, thank you My Love’ you took a chance and wrote that with a smile before Lukher simply reached over and kissed you again, relishing in the pure blissful moment to be able to finally kiss you after three months of of only having a single recording of you to play over and over for himself. 

“Love you too.” Lukher whispered since his voice wasn’t necessarily needed for that.

“Love you too.” You whispered back as your hand came over his and your thumb stroked over the back of his hand before you initiated a small kiss yourself. 

“You need to eat Lukher.” You urged him as Lukher turned his head to put your mouth over his good ear so he could strain to hear you as you were relieved he was trying to hear you. 

“You need to eat, you have lost weight, you need your strength.” You urged him, using your hands to create a tunnel from your mouth to cover his ear so that he could hear just your voice as Lukher strained but was rewarded when he could hear faintly, the sound of your heavenly voice and understand what you were saying. 

‘I only want to sexually eat you, in bed right now.’ Lukher wrote down with a smoldering look that ignited a hunger in yourself as your mouth watered at just the thought of such a thing. 

‘After the feast and after we try to heal you with the stones, then you can sexually eat me all you want’ You wrote down. 

‘Ok.’ He wrote down before he let you feed him more as you chose the softest foods for him to eat with the ‘good’ side of his mouth as much as he could. 

“Gods, look at her work. She has him literally and figuratively eating out of her hands. She’s good.” Serhan appreciated from her spot, still keeping to marinai. 

“Well I think we’ve all improved by imitating her example.” Ashurah admitted. 

“Yeah,” they all nodded in agreement since over the last three months you had had an improving affect on all of them. 

After the feast, then came the parade of gifts, the first being from Wardeen and Auralu, which was a crib and other supplies for a baby which you appreciated before you gave Wardeen and Auralu your gift, which was a very special good luck charm the size of a large dinner plate, carved out of wood. 

“It’s a good luck charm to be put over the bed, so that when the two of you sleep in the bed, you are protected against nightmares, find peace in your sleep and reach satisfaction in all activities in the bed.” You tried to delicately explain as you offered it to them as Auralu giggled salaciously as Wardeen barked a loud laugh. 

“Thank you.” They happily accepted. 

“And here is my gift to you.” Davkee offered, her pregnant belly already large and looked ready to pop, again, more gifts for a baby which you offered her and all of her little ones protection charms on necklaces as you bent over to be eye level with them as you gave them the same kindness and affection you would give your own younger siblings which considering these little ones were Lukher’s younger half siblings, they were your new siblings too before Rubati reluctantly came forward and handed you a simple dagger. 

“To protect yourself, when all others fail to protect you.” Rubati said simply as you noticed that she was still dressed in dark, and simply embellished clothing as you could practically feel her deep sadness still radiating off of her as Wardeen seemed to take in a deep and measured breath. 

“Thank you. I also have a gift for you, that I hope you will accept, it was started by my family when we found out about your loss of your eldest son Kingu, then it was continued by myself and the rest of my party. It’s an epitaph for Kingu. Since we know that it was his original dream for a moura bride to come from Dorierra. We are all very sorry for your loss and only wish to honor you by honoring him and his sacrifice for Yekmeni’s peace, and thriving future.” You offered as you had Lukher had to hold the box before you reached inside and took it out and unfolded the very large banner with Kingu’s name and all honorifics sewn into the fabric in nadasi in the colors that Sunco had told you would be appropriate and appreciated as Rubati looked at it, granted it was rather humble compared to what could be made here in Yekmeni, but it showed careful thought and it showed that you cared enough to try which pleased her greatly. 

“Thank you. I am honored.” Rubati offered as she took it from you. 

“Her needlework could use some improvement.” Auralu muttered to Wardeen from a safe distance away. 

“She made an effort, that’s what matters.” Wardeen quickly defended. “She’s been through enough, the last thing she needs is criticisms, especially from you.” Wardeen warned Auralu through a smile of gritted teeth, to keep himself from crying because even he was touched by the gesture and appreciated not just the thought but the sentiment as well as he left Auralu’s side to come up next to Rubati as he put his arm around her and gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze as he hugged her from the side and kissed her temple which she appreciated and reciprocated.

Auralu tried to fight her frown and sting that Wardeen’s attentions had transferred from her back to Rubati, even on the day of Lukher’s wedding, her first born son who should have been the first born son period. And yet once again, Rubati and Kingu stole Wardeen’s heart and attentions once again, no matter how many times she had tried to keep his mind and his heart to herself, no matter her station or place in this clan. She was losing again. On today of all days as she folded her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the back of Rubati’s head which Lukher caught and gave his mother a pleading look and a subtle shake of his head to discourage her from making a scene which Auralu begrudgingly let her arms drop to her sides and relaxed her posture as she realized that doing so would not be a the best impression she could give to her new moura daughter in law. And it would take away from Lukher’s joy, even in the face of disappointment that his hopes of being healed and return to full health had already been dashed to pieces when he and the rest of the nation had been looking forward to them and counting on them for all this time. She was proud of her son for the way he reacted to you and the sentiment that he expressed was sweet, impractical but sweet, and romantic. 

Then came for the musical accompaniment to all the gifts as you started with the song that had been composed for Kingu’s memory in honor of him and Rubati and Wardeen- titled ‘Legends Never Die’ which the entire assembly there practically boomed a cheering applause when that song ended in honor of Kingu then ‘Safe and Sound’ for Davkee and her children with Wardeen and then “Without You” for Wardeen and Auralu and just for Lukher, even if he could barely hear you, you performed “Many Are The Stars I See, But In My Eyes No star Like Thee” which went over very well, all the songs did before the wedding cake was brought out as you and Lukher cut it and ate the first bites of it. It was extraordinary and quite delicious and soaked in some kind of sweet liquor which you quite liked. 

“Well at least her vocal talents are much better than her needlework.” Auralu tried to praise as she sat and ate her slice of cake from her throne of a chair next to Wardeen. 

“Auralu, enough, no backhanded compliments, no criticisms. All things considered, this is a victory, enjoy it. Not all is lost and there is still something to be gained. This is Lukher’s wedding day to his Savia for the god’s sake. I know you still carry resentment for the way our wedding didn’t go according to plan and you have made Rubati and I pay for it every day since, no longer will any more be tolerated from this moment on. Don’t take away from Lukher’s by being critical of his Savia. She is doing her best to deal with an almost impossible situation and is still doing her best to be gracious and honorable in the face of deception and disrespect, the least you can do is give her respect and dignity the way everyone else gives you respect and dignity. You are her new mother and she will look to you as an example of how to be Lukher’s Savia. Be a kind, understanding, sympathetic and caring one, not a critical one, I expected this from Rubati, not you. And it’s disappointing. Please, Auralu, no more. Enough. If you can not say something nice, then say nothing at all. Or I’ll just sit with Davkee and leave you and Rubati to do what you have always done and bicker.” Wardeen threatened lowly. 

“You wouldn’t dare! This is our first born’s wedding, you owe it to me and to him to stay by my side for this. Lukher would be embarrassed even more than he already has been. Don’t do that to him.” Auralu hissed. 

“Then stop making it difficult for me by bitching about little details that are inconsequential.” Wardeen offered in ultimatum before Auralu simply huffed and turned her attention back to her cake, this was not a fight worth fighting right now. But she would win it tonight because Wardeen was going to spend tonight with her and she would put that charm you gifted her to good use and hang it over her bed and if Wardeen wanted to enjoy it, he would have to come to her. 

Then as the night wore on and you got sleepy, did Lukher finally retreat with you as you asked for Thobin to come with you for the stoning as Seyda had your other attendants walked you to your suite of rooms while Thobin waited outside the door until Seyda would call for him. 

“Welcome to your new home My Lady.” Seyda introduced you as she showed you around the suite of rooms and repeated what she had been informed of earlier before she helped you get undressed from your wedding suit as Lukher happily got undressed himself but kept on a simple tunic that could easily be taken off if need be as the incense had just been lighted but was already starting to take effect before you came out from your dressing room dressed only a small nightgown but covered in yet another robe, with the makeup washed off of your face and your hair down in soft curls. 

“Lay down My Lord, you should be lying down for this.” Seyda urged Lukher as you got into bed with Lukher but moved the pillows around so that he could lay his head in your lap.  

“Relax Lukher, you’re with me, I have Rubati’s dagger, no harm will come to you while you are asleep under the stone.” You urged him as you pulled the dagger out of your pocket and laid it beside you on the nightstand and simply let him rest his head in your lap as you began to massage and pet his head, running your fingers over his scalp to relax him. 

“Will it hurt?” Lukher tried to ask. 

“No, it will feel like falling asleep.” You reassured him leaning down to speak into his good ear. 

“Seyda, show Thobin in and then once it is in place, let Lukher’s family it is done and that we are not to be disturbed until the stone has done all it can.” You urged her. 

“Of course My Lady.” Seyda said as she curtsied and left and Thobin came in only a moment later. 

“Which stone will you use?” You asked Thobin. 

“This one.” Thobin showed you the stone, the best one in all of the stones that were given to him. 

“Very well, give it to me.” You requested as you took the stone and touched it to your own tethering stone on the necklace you still wore so that you could take control of it too and tether him to you. 

“Close your eyes My Love, this won’t hurt, I’ll be right here when it’s done.” You reassured him before he closed his eyes and you waited until he took a deep, relaxing breath before you placed the stone over his forehead as Lukher was instantly put into a coma as you read the colors of the stone, an orange color, not fatal, but not a light wound either.  

“Undo all previous healing that was not healed right and then heal to restore him the way he was before any injuries seven months ago.” Thobin ordered the stone in his language.

“Heal as much as possible.” You said to the stone in marinai before the stone turned a deep indigo before you reached out your hand to Thobin who took it and squeezed it comfortingly. 

“Pray to every god that will listen for this to help in any way it can.” You whispered in marinai to Thobin. 

“I will.” Thobin nodded. 

“You should also rest Audrey, today could have been a disaster but you handled it better than most ever could.” He praised, keeping to marinai for your sake. 

“Thanks, I did my best. But even I know when I’m out of my depth. What if it’s not enough? Won’t everyone blame me?” You whispered as tears began to flood your eyes. 

“No, the way Wardeen phrased it. Even if it does very little or next to nothing, it can be explained away easily enough and you are never to blame.” Thobin reassured you. 

“But I also want you to know that I am very proud of you. You faced your problem head on and kept your head and your wits and diffused it flawlessly, and even barred your heart, even when you had cause to close it off. Lukher is lucky to have you.” Thobin praised. 

“I know Lukher feels that way and his opinion is the only one I care about right now.” You confessed with a bittersweet smile. 

“I felt what the other brides feel, they feel he’s a hopeless cause. And honestly…I’m relieved they think that way. I get to keep him to myself, at least for now. And right now is all I have and all that matters.” You insisted, your voice barely above a whisper. 

“Now you should go and make sure Sunco is ok, surely Wardeen will find out that she knew only a few days outside of Dorierra that none of her brides had healing properties yet I sincerely doubt she told tell anyone, not even her own kids about it and I don’t think anyone here will take kindly to the fact that she kept Lukher’s secret from me while also keeping the truth about me from them either.” You ventured. 

“Yes, I feel her stress from here. I will go and make sure she is ok.” Thobin answered before he saw himself out. 

“Please stones, I’m begging you, heal him.” You cried, your benar tears fell onto the stone on his forehead only to be picked up by you and put aside while the wet tears surrounding them were wiped off by your finger a moment later before you let your hands travel down to rest of his face and head over his wounds, tracing the wounds before you pressed your fingertips into his flesh a little deeper and smiled in relief to feel the muscles and bones on the injured side of his face start to undo themselves only to come together and align again, very slowly but still going. 

“Oh praise all the gods.” You breathed in relief before you carefully manuvered out of place and put his head on a pillow and took off your robe and simply put his arm around you and cuddled into his side, falling asleep, your head over his chest listening to his heart beat steadily in his chest as his breathing was slow and steady, safe in knowing your Captains and their Commanders were practically baracading the door inside the fortress and the balcony outside of your suite of rooms. 

You were so close yet so far from what you had imagined and hoped would be happening in this moment in time. But if you had waited three months to be face to face with him, you could wait another night to be intimate with him, you could be patient and you wanted him to enjoy you at your best when he was at his best. 

“Please, gods, heal him.” You whispered once more before you fell asleep yourself.

[josefavomjaaga]

So I finally get to use this image. It’s the one painting representing Auguste’s and Eugène’s wedding, the civil wedding on January 13, 1806, at 1 PM to be exact. It was commissioned by Napoleon and painted by François Guillaume Ménageot. Dominique-Vivant Denon, Napoleon’s visual art director, wrote about this painting on August 15, 1808 (Napoleon’s birthday, as I just realize 😊):

This painting has the merit of being true to the scene the artist had to represent; but, as this painter, a member of the Legion, ex-director of the Ecole de France and professor at the Ecole de Paris, and who held his place in the French school after M. David for a long time, lost some of his talent through a stroke of the head, his painting lacks harmony and is not reminiscent of the works that made his reputation.

So, obviously the painting was not deemed quite up to par. However, it is possible to guess who is who for some of the people represented in it.

Denon’s correspondence can be found here: https://www.napoleonica.org/fr/collections/denon/search/

There is a small explication of the painting here: https://histoire-image.org/de/comment/reply/5114

By the way, opinions were divided on what kind of ceremony was actually taking place at this occasion in the »Green Gallery« of the Munich Residence. Something like a »civil wedding« simply did not exist in Bavaria yet; a wedding was held in front of the priest at the altar, period. This ceremony did not happen in a church, so it couldn’t be a wedding. According to the natives, this was more like an extended betrothal.

And as such even queen Karoline would refer to it, writing to her mother Amalie (who else?) in Baden on the morrow:

Today will be the wedding. I already felt so moved by the engagement yesterday. [...] I haven't told you about Auguste yet. For your reassurance, I must tell you that she amazes me - she has a happy disposition - ...

Sounds as if at least the bride has gradually come to terms with the matter. Or started to realize that in some aspects, this may not have been a change for the worse. She had already been a little annoyed by the lack of attention of her former fiancé Karl von Baden. And lack of attention was surely not was she was experiencing from this other guy. To the contrary! According to Mlle Avrillion, Eugène wooed her by every trick in the book, as if things had not been settled already and as if he had actually had to win her approval first. So, maybe Auguste was already pleasantly surprised to find out that suitors also could act quite differently from what she had known so far.

It did not keep her from dutifully joining her step-mother’s misery about the broken-up former betrothal, however:

Yesterday she wept hot tears with me. This is how Prince Eugène found us, immediately after the very solemn engagement ceremony.

What I wouldn't give for someone to have captured the expression on Eugène's face when he, in search of Auguste - to whom, according to French opinion, he was already married - walked straight into Karoline's living room and found his new wife there in tears... However, it seems Auguste's despair did not last long this time either:

Gradually she calmed down again and at dinner she was of the best mood in the world. When there is no cause for emotion, she always looks content. The prince has a handsome figure and bearing, seems tender-hearted and kind ... Adieu ...

Yes, bye, Mum! Karoline has no more time for her correspondence now, she needs to dress for tonight. At 7 PM will be the actual wedding. In church. No more excuses now!

[pyraelia]

October 12 Day 24: Revelry/Denial

They had met during his first assignment. She’d ducked into a Military tent in Orgrimmar, she couldn’t remember why now, but Aerden been sitting inside. Talking together had been a nice break from the uncertainty of what life was throwing at them with the Legion invasions. A few weeks later she’d lost her arm trying to defend Dalaran and he’d been sent off to do his job, but they stayed in touch.

Pyraelia was so happy to see him now — still the same person she’d made friends with those years ago, but so different. A little more confident, certainly, but at times the gravitas that came with his experiences would make itself known in subtle ways. Promotions and medals like this always came with a price.

That’s how it went with life, wasn’t it? Time for grieving and celebration often went hand in hand.

He hadn’t said himself what he had experienced, not to her at least, but to hear the triumph recounted wasn’t surprising. That was who he had always been: selfless and courageous, even if he didn’t believe it much himself.

As callous and dark spirited as it might seem, she certainly thought today was worth a little revelry — selfish as she was, he’d survived and she certainly wasn’t ready to be robbed of him yet. Five years was still a beginning, he had so much more ahead of him. That was clear to everyone, wasn’t it? It was good, she thought, that he had Pollux as a mentor and father to help with the aspects of the career that weren’t glorified.

She’d managed to reign in the impulse to hug him afterwards; it hadn’t been too hard to pick up that he’d been injured somehow and she certainly didn’t want to exacerbate whatever it was, but she couldn’t help the kiss on the cheek. Proud, she was so proud of him.

And thrilled.

And quietly, privately, maybe a little turned on. There were plenty of men in uniform around for the ceremony, but none of them were Aerden in a uniform. That was particularly special. She just hoped her blush wasn’t too apparent — even if Khaeris’ little smirk let her know that at the very least her best friend had caught it.

Even still it was hard to hide her joy; being able to celebrate a truly wonderful accomplishment with three of her favorite people was something worth cherishing.

@aerdendios / @polluxhale / @kharrisdawndancer/ @daily-writing-challenge

[talkcloneshipstome]

This is not the proper one word format, but could I request Echo/Fives/Tup, maybe newly ARC!Tup being welcomed back from training? 💙

Almost surprisingly, writing this prompt took nowhere near as long as I had expected it to, especially given the fact that I just started it... Oh, an hour or less ago. If it feels rushed and weird, I apologize and blame it entirely upon that. But thank you for the prompt! I absolutely adore this ship, as you well know.

This takes place in an AU where Revenge of the Sith either doesn’t happen, happens much later than it does in canon, or happens differently. Fives didn’t die, Echo was rescued and rejoined the 501st, and they both got married to Tup at separate times through all this. If you have questions about specifics, because I think making the whole thing work is really fun, feel free to hit me up! I hope you like this <3

Ten minutes.

That’s hardly any time at all. Just ten more minutes, and he’ll be back. He’ll be off this ship and back where he belongs. With his legion, his company, his husbands. He’ll be home again.

Oh, Tup is so ready to be home. He’s been missing his brothers and riduur’e something fierce.

It’s been six weeks that he’s been away from them. Six weeks of what Tup can really only describe as Hell. No, it wasn’t all bad. But ARC training isn’t supposed to be easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it.

But they don’t. It’s not for just anyone. It’s for the best of them. The soldiers who’ve proven themselves, gone above and beyond. It’s the second most rewarding kind of torture that Tup has ever experienced, right after the long months in which he pined silently for the men who would become his husbands.

And yikes had that taken a while.

After six weeks away, one would think that Tup could handle another ten minutes. You’d think he wouldn’t be so keyed up and nervous. Six weeks away is an insane amount of time. Anything could have happened between then and now, and Tup wouldn’t know. Okay, maybe that’s not quite true. Tup would have heard about anything important. They weren’t completely cut off during ARC training. In fact, they were actively encouraged to talk to their squads and the vode they’d left behind as much as they could. Within reason, of course.

Truth be told, Tup hadn’t expected that. But after the first few days, he realized why it was encouraged. There wasn’t a lot of free time in when training to become an ARC, mostly because if you weren’t drilling, studying, eating, or being tested, you were probably sleeping. That’s about all the energy Tup had left in his downtime. He slept and when it finally felt as if he’d struck up a good balance of feeling rested without sleeping constantly, then he and the other candidates found their own ways to entertain themselves.

(Tup has played so many impromptu games of hide-and-seek and hidden in the smallest and strangest places, he’s pretty sure he could fit himself into the tiny duct in Torrent’s barracks and never be found.)

The point is, he found time to stay in contact with Fives, Echo, and Rex. It took a bit of time to get figured out, but it happened nonetheless. But he hadn’t had the energy or time to miss them in the past weeks, being as busy and exhausted as he as been. It was sort of nice, in a strange and painful kind of way. It felt less like the world might end at any given moment, despite the fact that he’s aware it wouldn’t have stopped, even if he was at ARC training.

So with only— five minutes left to go, Tup thinks he’s about to vibrate right out of his seat. There’s a buzzing under his skin that he can’t get rid of. No amount of pacing or fidgeting with calm the nerves he feels riling up in his stomach. Sure, he may be an ARC now with more muscle than he’d left with, but he’s still Tup.

Tup is confident, but he’s always been a little bit of a worrier. A nervous kid, as far as clones go. Not for himself, but for others. His batchmates, the members of his squad, his fellow troopers in Torrent company. He worries about his husbands. Yeah, Tup grins easily and plays pranks with the best of them, but he’s nervous, too.

Becoming an ARC didn’t train that out of him. Comes with the territory of having loved ones, Tup supposes.

He’s so lost in thought that he hardly even recognizes when the shuttle lands in the bay. His head jerks up and he shoots from his seat again, eager to get out of the small space. He doesn’t have to wait long. After a second, the door opens with a hiss, folding downwards and ramping to the durasteel floor of the main hangar.

Tup breathes a little easier, seeing Rex standing a few feet from the ramp, waiting for him. He’s not alone, but there’s a twinge of sorrow in his chest when none of the paint matches with the two people he wants to see the most.

Still, he grins seeing his captain and vode again. Tup strides confidently down the ramp, all too aware of the extra weight on his shoulders and hips that his brand new kama and pauldrons have added. His armor is all new and white, freshly painted with Torrent’s ever darkening shade of blue paint. He keeps his helmet tucked securely beneath his arm, even as he comes to a halt in front of Rex and salutes him.

“Captain,” he says, smirking a lopsided grin. Rex returns the look and salute.

“Welcome back, ARC trooper Tup,” the blond man says. It stirs something in Tup’s stomach to hear his captain address him like that. Tup swells with pride, puffing his chest out and titling his chin just slightly higher.

Tup returns to a more relaxed position after that. Torrent new has stood on very much ceremony.

Tup can’t resist turning his head side to side, looking for the two people he wants to see most.

“So how was it?” Rex asks.

“Hell,” Tup responds cheerfully. Rex chuckles.

“Yeah, I remember. Was it as bad as we all made it out to be?”

Tup catches Jesse’s smirk as he comes up and leans into Rex’s shoulder, proudly wearing his own kama.

“No, no,” Tup says with a wave of dismissal. “It was much worse.”

That gets everyone around them busting out in fits of laughter. Tup can’t help but join in, even through his disappointment as his partners not being there to welcome him home.

Finally, he plucks up the courage to ask what’s on his mind. A part of him is worried that he won’t like the answer. Worries that he’s come home to broken pieces that need to be picked up and glued back together again. Assuming there are any pieces left to mend.

“Where are Echo and Fives?” he asks, casting another curious eye around the hanger. They have not magically appeared.

Both Rex’s and Jesse’s faces turn downwards in odd facsimiles of sad frowns. Tup narrows his eyes at them. He doesn’t think they’re about to lie to him, but those aren’t the faces of two brothers with bad news. Those are the faces of two of his brothers who are up to something and trying to convince him that they’re not.

“They’re out on a mission, actually. It couldn’t be helped—”

Tup quirks a brow up at them, shifting his weight to the side and cocking his hip out, full of as much sass as he can muster.

Given the amusement that flashes through both their eyes, Tup isn’t sure if he’s succeeded or not.

“Really? Because I think—”

Two sets of boots clatter suddenly into motion behind him in the same moment two extremely familiar voices cry out in excited greeting. Tup finds himself swept off his feet by two pairs of strong arms hardly before he can even react. Which is slightly embarrassing, given how he has literally just gotten back from ARC training. You’d think he’d be ready and equipped for this!

But he wasn’t. His feet are no longer touching the floor, and he has to throw his arms around someone’s — Fives, he’s pretty sure — shoulders in the hopes of not finding himself on his ass in a few seconds. Echo crushes him between the two of them, squeezing the living daylights out of Tup in a giant bear hug.

Tup wishes he could say it hurts less than it used to when they were both stronger than him. It doesn’t they have perfected this ambush-hug of theirs so that it always takes him off guard. He’s not actually hurting, because neither would really hurt him, but they do knock the breath from his lungs for a second.

Both Fives and Echo are saying things at him, talking loud with cheer in their voices and bright smiles on their faces. They do set him down after a second, but the hug doesn’t end. Tup finds that he hopes it never ends. He’d happily just stay right here, squished in between his lovers for the rest of his life, if he was given the choice. Nowhere has he felt more loved, happy, or accepted than in their arms.

He can’t help the relieved, happy tears that gather in the corners of his eyes, threatening to wet his cheeks.

Six weeks since he’s seen them last. Six weeks since he kissed them. Six weeks since they hugged him.

Six weeks without either of his riduur’e.

It was unacceptable, and Tup hopes to never have to be separated from them for them long again, no matter how irrational that hope may be.

They notice his tears almost before Tup does himself. The hug gentles into something tender and grounding as they both coo praises and love and reassurances at them.

Tup absolutely thinks they’re both dicks for trying to make him think they wouldn’t be here to welcome him home, but that hardly matters. It doesn’t matter because even with their concern and through his tears, Echo gets him to laugh. The three giggle together, they wipe away Tup’s tears before they can spill over. His husbands take turns kissing him over and over again until he’s smiling at them and feeling a little boneless from the love seeping into him even through the plastoid of his armor.

And, okay, maybe he’s still tired, too.

“We missed you,” Echo promises into the back of Tup’s neck after a moment. His hands have found their way into Tup’s half-loose hair. It’s braided back in some not at all intricate design, but it’s still much fancier than when he throws it up into the tight bun he usually prefers.

“I missed you, too,” he says back. Fives smiles at him, brushing the pads of his thumbs over Tup’s cheekbones.

“Look at you,” he says. “Tup, our husband. An ARC trooper.”

“Bet you didn’t see this coming when I was just a shiny on Umbara,” Tup jokes, wiping at his own eyes. “I told you I could do it though.”

Fives’ eyes are so soft as he gazes lovingly at him. Tup feels himself melting just at the expression.

“I always knew you could.”