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thecandywrites · 3 years ago

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Blood For Gold Chapter 19

Ya’ll. Google and Pintrist have failed me. This is only kind of sorta how I envisioned this. If you simply take these images as the base and then use them to build with the descriptions I’ve tried giving, you *should* get the right picture in your head because how it looks in my head is more than I can describe. I could give you fifty thousand words to describe the Kamoba. What the arena should look like, how big and how expansive it is, like a really big obstacle course but more intricate than that, what the obsticles themselves should be like what the beacons would look like. What the rulebook itself looks like let alone what is actually written in it, down to what the weapons look like, what the fighting style looks like. What the armor should look like and act like and what the circle of bells looks like and how they sound and how drastically it changes from the day battles to the night battles because day is all about showing off your skills and showing off your moves whereas with the night battle, the fighters almost become invisible because it’s dark and you use more ninja tactics and surprise tactics and how the only time you really see the fighters is when they are actually fighting for brief moments and their flaming swords illuminate not just them, but each other and how it’s overwhelming to the point of you don’t know where to look because everything is going on all at once and how the music makes you want to go to war yourself and battle like a warrior and the roar of the crowd cheering would be deafening at points. Also, Hit The Floor by Linkin Park, that’s the final song but that’s what the music itself sounds like.

And this is what sucks about having an overactive imagination. Because these scenes played out like an IMAX movie in my head and I’m just trying so hard to describe it to you because I can’t SHOW YOU on a movie screen because I don’t have a way to hook up my imagination to it. I wish but sadly, no. You just have to read it and try to imagine it yourself. And that’s frustrating, at least for me. But at the same time I don’t want those details to clutter the story or clog up the story line.

THE STRUGGLE. Anyway. This is going to be a big bite and a lot to chew on. Enjoy.

@punkhorse96 buckle up, here’s the hill. It’s downhill from here.

Blood For Gold

Chapter 19

You happily got Heavencrest saddled as your grandmother borrowed Grevu for today while your mother borrowed Charlico as you were both in the stalls getting them harnessed while Axal was getting ready to ride one of Ramsey’s other griffins while your other brothers got on their own griffins down the line as the boys all seemed to leave at about the same time everyone else did while Jane stayed with Charlotte, Yalin and Gregori who were not participating but hosting this event.

Commoners were already gathered for the Kamoba battle in the stands for the commoners who were arriving early to get the best seats on them, the vendors had been there since dawn and already had things cooking and grilling away as a series of tents were already up to serve a breakfast, lunch and dinner feasts for the commoners and the royal family’s suite was built onto a high platform above everyone else as a canopy and tent on top of the high platform, viewing right across the battle arena so that they got the best views and very comfortable chairs were already set up as a huge chalkboard was already set up between the commoners and the gentry but also at such an angle so that royalty could easily see it to showcase who would be fighting who to get to the playoffs with the rookies competing first as all the competitors would be flying in and showing off their flying skills to the crowd to also to show off their skill, prowess, strength and stamina.

Benny was already out there, doing little flips and corkscrews on her borrowed griffin that had a banner in golden yellow with her name as Golden Alpha written on it along with the symbol of a wolf’s head painted in black as she had used the black griffin’s feathers that had been collected when she had groomed it that morning along with the other feathers that had been taken over the course of the last few weeks ever since the Kamoba battle was first planned so that each contestant on a griffin would have a bouquet of feathers from their griffins to pass out to the crowds, the better feathers for the gentry, and the lesser, imperfect, broken feathers for the commonwealth to gain the crowd’s favor as the musicians were playing the crowd’s familiar favorites before the actual battle would begin and they would play the traditional Kamoba battle music.

After breakfast, then the gentry seemed to show up in force and in style since the announcement was in the papers and the gossip columns in every news paper in London who had been rife with speculation as to why The Turqoise Pheonix had been renamed The Violet Viper as dozens of theories had been supplied and fabricated, also speculations as to why The Violet Viper was now the chosen favorite to win the battle today since their odds to win had gone up since the betting rings were now going for the bet that for every pound they bet on them, they would get two pounds back minus the betting ring’s fee, which was the same odds that The Saharan Viper had along with The Copper Cobra were as well. Whereas Benny’s odds had actually gone down, so that for every pound bet on her- if she won, they would get five pounds back instead of the usual four since the The Turquoise Phoenix's odds had been the same- one in four.

The gentry began taking their seats in the stands that were especially built and roped off for them and painted white as the gentry’s servants came and put down luxurious cushions for the gentry to sit on as well as comfortable cushions to go on the backs of the benches while a huge canopy had been set up to keep the sun off of most of the gentry but would not interfere with their views, while they had their own raised platform that was open to the sun and thus, open to the griffins to pass by as another servant from the Palace of Windsor came and told everyone still in the stables that the gentry had arrived and that it was officially show time just as you finished getting Heavencrest ready as your mother had finished first and left the stables with Charlico who was chittering at Heavencrest to follow him before Demsey appeared since you were the last one to get ready, leaving you and Heavencrest alone in the griffin part of the barn but Heavencrest noticed Demsey first and started chittering softly at you to get your attention as you looked up and smiled wide when you saw him.

“Demsey, could you help me with this cinch?” You asked him before he readily opened the door to the stall and ducked into the stall with you, petting Heavencest as he went around her as you readily undid it just so that he could redo it himself which caused him to grin as he happily redid it, becoming more and more accustomed to the giffin’s saddling.

“Nervous?” He asked you as you could tell he was actually quite nervous himself before you used Heavencrest’s body as your shield before you grabbed his face and pulled him down as you stood on tiptoe to kiss him, granted it was closed mouth and rather on the chaste side but to feel his arms finally encircle you felt better than any trophy ever could.

“No. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses today. All that does matter is that you do your best. No one can ever ask more from you than that, not even me or the King of England for that matter. Trust your instincts, trust your intuition and trust that win or lose, that my affections for you does not rest on such a thing as a silly battle and your outcome in it, it’s the first time you’re competing, I’m not expecting you to win the whole thing or even your class. All I want is for you to have fun, be a good sport about it and learn all you can, that is all.” You reassured him as you held his face in your hands and looked up so adoringly into his big beautiful purple eyes as he did the same.

“Likewise.” Was all he could say just as he dipped his head to kiss you again, this time deeper, but you were too excited and happy about the kiss to realize how familiar it was as he held you close and securely as you felt all his own tension leave him before you heard Charlico practically scream as Heavencrest called back to him as she began to pace in place, anxious to get going and join Charlico.

“Oh my gods it’s like he has anxiety from separation from her.” You complained once you broke for air.

“I’ll see you out there Demsey Dear.” You cooed to him before you readily jumped onto Heavencrest’s back and into the saddle before giving Demsey one last tantalizing kiss before Heavencrest practically bolted out the barn and flew out into the skies with Charlico.

Demsey sighed dreamily as he watched you go and practically strut back to the other side of the barn and happily got onto Alaphonse again before he left with the rest of his family and once in the skies, he could see you and your mother doing synchronized flips and stunts for the crowd as you both practiced flying by the crowds so close, you could hand the feathers off to the little kids that had come as their parents held them up from the stands as your battle names were written on different banners on the animals you were riding before the entire Royal Family including Yalin’s sister the Infanta Evinelle DeuSavance and her husband Charles also arrived in style as they waived to the crowds and took their seats in the Royal Suite that had been set up for them.

That was when your grandmother came out riding Grevu as Grevu roared proudly before taking to the skies and seeing the dragon got everyone to cheer loudly as your grandmother flew him around the grounds, the other flyers, flying behind him, with you immediately to his left while your mother flew Charlico directly on his right as Loreiris was showing Grevu off and scattering preshed dragon scales into the crowds like flower petals or even coins as everyone scrambled to try to get one, which Grevu was happy to do, especially to stretch his wings out before she had him breathe fire to light the bowls filled with special fire oil within the arena as the sheer winds coming off his wings were almost strong enough to topple the people in the stands as the tents themselves billowed and groaned from the force of the winds as quite a few bonnets and top hats came flying off the ladies and gentlemen as their servants scrambled to pick them up again.

Then the announcer for the event with a voice amplifier encouraged each competitor to land, starting from the youngest of The Rookies Class, which was Callie Voyambi who was fighting under the name Little Spitfire which was your old childhood Kamoba battle name when you were a kid which you happily passed off to her, as you let her use your old banner as her own, it’s dark teal color with an orange flame, outlined in black as she landed her borrowed pegasus’ Eterna and came off and waived to the crowds, especially to her friends in the gentry as she then went over to where the circle that housed a myriad of bells were before she picked her favorite and chimed it with a special knocker tied to her fist before she sat down in a chair under the competitor’s tent next to the arena. Then Kiera came down and repeated the process followed by Amara, Tzane, Sierge and then finally Demsey, each of the Voyambi’s ringing a single note of their choosing.

Then it was The Skillful Class’ turn where most of your family took their turns landing in the grass as the animals laid down regally on the other side of the battle field as their riders were waving to the crowd as they walked in front of the battle arena before they attached pieces of iron to their feet and ankles before they rang out their own “tune” that was unique to the fighter, each battle fought in- carried a longer tune and with each battle won- carried the bigger tunes as each one had their own little dance they did to ring out the various tunes in all the notes.

Then it was your turn as you landed, being the first in The Proficient Class, and therefore the lowest of The Proficient Class since The Proficient Class was you, your parents and your grandmother, your heir father and his wife and his mother as you rang out your own tune from heart as you hit multiple bells to create a unique melody, the dance to ring them just as unique as all the others had been but it was still a third longer than Benny’s since she was the top competitor for the The Skillful Class and if she won her class, she would graduate the class and cement her place in The Proficient Class, either above you or below you depending on whether she beat you or not at the night games where it was played one on one since the day games usually kept to teams.

After your turn on the bells, then it was your heir father and his wife and his mother also did the same since they were in The Proficient Class, then it was your parent’s turn before, at last, it was your grandmother’s Loreiris’ turn as she landed Grevu in the grass and practically strut in front of the crowd that went wild for her before she took the weights from your mother and put them on her wrists, fists, ankles and feet and spent the next five minutes ringing out the longest melodic chain of bell ringings, it was twice as long as your own mother’s who was the next one down from her and once she was done the crowd once again went wild.

Once she was done, then there was a flurry of calls for bets as even the royal family quietly whispered their own bets to their attendants before the announcer announced what was riding in the pot between the competitors before the Raymond’s showed off the Cup that had been made and delivered just that morning along with their own little treasure, a diamond necklace, as the Infanta’s put in a diamond tiara before the royal family put in their treasure, a whole bar of moura gold, which had to be carefully set into the trophy first so that it wouldn’t crush the other items that had all of the treasures taken from the pot that had been collected the day before, all of it’s treasures were put into the trophy as the trophy was now so heavy, it had to be carried by three men and placed before the King in the the Royal Suite with the diamond Tiara placed on top, kept there by your dagger Zairrabanit holding it down so that it wouldn’t fly away from the wind coming off of all the flying creatures that would be soon, taking to the skies as the winners of each round would fly their chosen animals around the skies after each victory.

The way it was laid out, The Rookies, which were basically the whole Voyambi family, were split into two teams, Demsey, Amara and Callie on one, Sierge, Tzane and Kiera on the other.

The two teams got into position and then the gong was struck to signify the beginning of the battle since the gong was next to the circle of bells.

To everyone’s surprise, it was little Callie that struck first, striking Tzane down with a swipe of her legs to topple him over and then taking him out with two hits, one with the sword to his neck and the other from a dagger to his leg as she readily used her smaller size to get to the first beacon and readily touched her dagger’s blade to the fire of burning oil to then stab at the first beacon before it exploded in light and colored smoke as Amara then helped catapult her to the second to try to get that one too but Kiera was guarding the second and with three hits, using her larger size and power to knock Callie to the floor and pinned her neck down with her blade to the floor.

“Good try though.” Kiera offered as Callie laughed and got up and got off the battle stage with Tzane before it was Amara used Kiera pinning Callie down to hit the second beacon where Kiera and made a run for the third while Demsey defended the beacons on his own side against Sierge.

“So, what did your moura bride offer you if you win today?” Sierge offered as he fought with Demsey near the first beacon.

“Nothing,” Demsey beamed happily as he did his best to keep the beacon safe.

“Mine offered me that if I win The Rookie Class, that she would marry me, so I need you to lose with style.” Sierge revealed.

“Aw, too bad that’s against the rules and against the code of honor. But that’s funny that you mentioned that, mine didn’t hold me to any such thing, all she asked for was my best and that she loves me win or lose, it’s a shame that Benny’s love for you hinges on such a battle like this. If she did really love you, she wouldn’t put such a condition on her love for you.” Demsey pointed out as he couldn’t stop smiling as Sierge and himself battled with the broad swords and the shields since those weapons were the ones they were most comfortable with.

‘You loved him’ was the only thought that stayed in Demsey’s head because. that was all that mattered to him as Sierge kicked Demsey in the chest as he passed his blade through the fire before striking the first beacon and then sending the same blade to the second beacon before Demsey went to the third to defend that from Sierge as Amara and Kiera fought for the third beacon on their side as well.

“This has to be the most grand thing we’ve ever done together.” Amara cackled as she and Kiera faced off against each other.

“And we didn’t even have to get into a corset!” Kiera giggled before Amara spun around, the edge of her warhammer getting alight from the oil in the pan that was alight with fire before she smashed the third beacon, winning the round before a gong was rung to signify the end of the battle as Demsey and Sierge stopped fighting.

“Damn it.” Sierge cursed as Demsey and Amara both won the rookie class and their team got to add a note to their chimes but since Callie had been struck down, she was not allowed to compete in the next stage as Demsey and Amara moved up in the competition, taking their borrowed pegasus’ for a ride around the grounds to waive their banners along with their added family crests as the first set of bets was paid out among the royalty, gentry and common folk alike before new bets were placed as Benny volunteered to fight in the next round against them, which went against traditional protocol since it was usually the lowest of the The Skillful class that would compete against the rookie class winners, but there was a rule, saying that anyone could challenge anyone else in the same class and since Amara and Demsey had moved up from the Rookie Class to the Skillful Class for the day battle- it was allowed- as Benny urged Octavia to join her as she insisted she wanted Demsey to herself which Octavia readily agreed to as Demsey and Amara landed before going back into the arena where Benny and Octavia were already waiting for them before they got into position and waited for the gong to ring again before they were jolted into action.

“I should thank you for getting Sierge out of the competition so I wouldn’t have to fight him myself.” Benny offered smugly as Calla’s warning the night before was called to Demsey’s mind before she tried to undermine his footing by swiping at his legs but he easily jumped over her own leg and leapt onto the higher ground.

“I knew you didn’t genuinely care for him if you put such an impossible task before him.” Demsey returned as he used his better vantage point to try to get in a strike of his own but she easily evaded him.

“Of course not, I’ve been working him the same way Audra has been working you, it’s a moura bride thing, we can’t help it, it’s what we have been trained since infancy to do, work men and bend them to our wills and not the other way around.” Benny giggled evilly as she tried to get at the beacon but Demsey shoved her off before she could.

“She in fact, hasn’t been working me, as you claim, unlike you, she’s actually been genuine, whereas you have had a pretense the moment you left home.” Demsey challenged as he defended the beacon from her as Amara was having the worst time just trying to get a hit in as Octavia evaded every advance and counter striked in such a way that Amara was soon on the defensive instead of the offensive as Octavia was quite advanced for being in The Skillful Class and it was immediately clear that Amara was in way over her head trying to fight off against Octavia who was much stronger and much more skilled than she looked.

“Oh really? What did you think she was doing all those nights at The Red Velvet Rope meeting with another orc of all things? She was so broken hearted by the shakan status because she couldn’t come home to Leumeni who was equally heartbroken because it was him that was her favorite because he could please her best sexually back at the stables at The Lotus House, which is our version of a whorehouse and Leumeni was absolutely certain that the moment she was free of Edward, she would come home to be his wife, he even waited all that time just so she could come home to him, he even had his own pet name for her, His Liittle Firecracker, and her little nickname for him was her ‘Teal Titan’ that’s why he fights under that name, she’s the one that gave him that name because having sex with him was equal to having sex with the god like titans themselves. The only reason teal turquoise is her favorite color is because it’s the same color of his skin and the color always reminds her of him and that’s how she keeps all her memories of him close to her heart and in her mind. He’s been writing her almost daily ever since, and when not a single letter of his returned, he was devastated. But it was clear that she’s been looking for a replacement ever since, it was only your strict English society that kept them apart at the Ball at Havenfield because he saw her again and was ready to haul her off and bury himself to the hilt in her yet again but couldn’t. Even at the Masquerade Ball she was fucking her own manwhore only moments before being with you at the bar. Your brother Sierge’s sense of smell confirmed it, in fact it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s already pregnant by either Leumeni or her own manwhore. How does it feel knowing you’re always going to be second best in her heart?” Benny smugly chided as Demsey faltered so she could claim the first beacon before he ran to the second but she easily threw her flaming dagger at the second just as he got to it and it nearly took his head off before he scrambled to the third.

“Just ask her or even ask your brother cause I’ve already told him all about it in exchange to learn that you yourself have been using whorehouses to find your own Audra? Miss Audra Draft was it? I heard from the gambling ring leaders that she put a bet of a hundred pounds on you to win the rookie class. I’ll bet you another hundred pounds that she is gonna take the money and run, you poor thing, still chasing a dream that doesn’t exist, because Audra’s love and loyalty lies with Leumeni, not you. Why do you think they’ve been making eyes at each other this whole time? Even now, she was only giving Ramsey the time of day until he could give her Dowager status, and then she’s coming home to Leumeni, no one else. It’s just a shame that your sister Kiera seems so taken with him. It’s gonna sting like a motherfucker when he leaves Kiera for Audra, she’s always been his wild thing, His Little Firecracker. Like a unicorn- untamed, unbridled, wild and intense. They have always had the best sex and off the charts chemistry and are quite the pair.” Benny instigated as Demsey looked over to see you talking with Leumeni as both of you looked particularly anxious and standing quite close, talking quietly between each other to see Benny really going after Demsey before she struck him in the balls before getting the kill strikes in his throat and on the kidneys before passing her blade through the fire and exploding the third beacon as Demsey fell to the ground sputtering and choking and nearly crying from the impacts as Amara happily got up from having Octavia pin her down as Octavia and Benny started cheering their victory before getting on their steeds and flying around, their banners flapping in the breeze.

“You ok?” Amara asked Demsey as she helped him up and helped him off the stage.

“Yeah, just, Benny is vicious.” He muttered as he stared at her reproachfully as she smugly blew him a kiss from atop her griffin as she flew it around, hooting and hollering her victory as the crowd chanted ‘Gold Alpha’.

“Well Calla told me she loves to start shit and that she will take something small that is true and spin it into a lie, because something that is even ten percent true is a hundred percent misleading, so whatever she did say to you, I wouldn’t believe a word of it. She probably made the most atrocious allegations against Audra didn’t she? Because she knows that’s your weak spot. Octavia did the same thing with me and Storren.” Amara tried to reassure her brother as they walked off the stage and towards the buckets of water to clean off the paint marks from their white leather armor.

“Are you ok?” You asked Demsey worriedly.

“Yeah, just, was not expecting Benny to be as vicious or spiteful as she was.” Demsey reported.

“Please don’t believe a word she said, she will take nothing and make it into something and blow it out of proportion to throw her components off. That’s why my tactic with her is to attack without letting her talk at all.” You reassured Demsey as Leumeni took his sister aside and asked how she was able to beat Demsey so quickly but with the low blows before she answered him and smiled smugly when his eyes grew wide and he stared at her in outraged horror before seething something to her just to see her cackle and laugh in his face before he stomped off.

“Oh no.” Calla breathed when she saw it before she pulled you aside as Demsey was still washing the paint off of his armor as he noticed there seemed to be gold glitter in the yellow paint that seemed to smear and get everywhere as he had the hardest time getting clean again.

“I think Benny told Demsey about you and Leumeni back in the stables to throw him off.” Calla breathed to you before you winced and grimaced and looked to Leumeni and used marinai’s sign language to ask before he nodded as you gave each other a meaningful look.

‘Please, knock her down a peg, the past is the past, let it stay there.’ Leumeni signed to you before you nodded your agreement as Demsey watched on a little suspiciously at the interchange between Leumeni and yourself you stretched and got ready as the others began to enter and fight in the arena, the gong ringing out to start the battle before shortly after gonging again to signify a victory before it was Axal and Ramsey’s turn to square off in the arena against your heir father’s kids as you were no surprised to see Axal fight alongside Ramsey as the two of them together used the all out attack method and stormed the opponent's side and your half siblings didn’t stand a chance. It was quite epic to see, they made quite the pair. Ramsey used his greater experience whereas Axal used his youth and vigor and together they were almost an unstoppable force as others fought on in teams, but with the odd number of players in The Skillful class, with Calla being the odd one out, you volunteered to go down a class to fight along side Calla who faced off against Leumeni and her brother Storren.

“I get Leumeni.” You urged Calla who nodded in agreement before the gong was struck.

“So what did your sister say to Demsey?” You asked as you ran towards the first marker that Leumeni was defending.

“She told him about us, but that the moment you get Dowager status, that you’re going home to stables with me.” Leumeni answered.

“Is that what you want?” You asked him.

“No. Two years ago- yes, but after the first six months of you not replying to my letters and because you followed the rules of not letting your heart get entangled and I didn’t, I thought it was my own fault. And then when you got the shakan status, I tried writing to you telling you that it didn’t matter to me what status you had, that I would take you no matter what but when that letter failed to get a response, I thought you had sworn off of Dorierra all together, that’s why I jumped at the chance to leave, to come here and a chance to see you again and I pushed Calla to accept so I could get an explanation as to why you were rejecting me only to find out that the mail service here failed you completely. And that you were completely unaware of any of it. But then I met Kiara and she’s everything I’ve ever wanted and now I’m hoping those letters never see the light of day so I don’t make an even bigger fool of myself than I already have.” Leumeni confessed as you dipped and dodged his attacks with ease and offered good counter attacks despite his larger size and considerable strength.

“I get it, I’m your past, she’s your future. And I’m happy that you’re happy and I hope you’re happy with each other and she’s probably all the wild things you loved about me and just begging to have all the wild released. But I’ve become too tame and restrained for you eh?” You asked with a fond grin as you leaped up and wrapped your legs around his neck and twisted yourself around to get him to topple over, striking the first beacon on the way down before you practically bounced off of him and towards the second beacon.

“In so many words, yes.” Leumeni grinned happily, relieved that you were taking this so well and were in agreement and happy for him instead of being hurt by the news.

“Well, while I still want to be your friend, I have never really wanted more than that from you. And I think if the letters do come up, I’ll be sure to just excuse it as us being close friends and nothing more and burn them if you want me to without reading them to spare you any embarrassment.” You reassured him.

“Thank you.” Leumeni thanked you before he picked you up and tossed you up and back as you used your grappling hooks to grab onto the beam above you before you could smack against a wall as you used the rope of it to run along the walls as you used your momentum from Leumeni throwing you to tie the rope around your arm to anchor yourself to it before you tied the rope around your waist so that it swung around in a circle, back to Leumeni who was gearing up for your arrival as you watched as Calla was already defending the second beacon on your side before you used your momentum on the rope to attach a weight to the bottom of it and threw it around Storren’s arm and wrist as the little weight acted like a snake like vine, wrapping snugly around his wrist and forearm just as he was about to hit the beacon and once it was wrapped around his wrist, you used your own momentum with the rope around your waist and the swinging motion back into Leumeni’s direction to yank him backwards as you were surprised when you barely felt the squeeze of it around your waist to pull him backwards, yanking him off the ground as Calla used Storren being yanked off of her to plant her feet onto Storren’s chest to kick him in that direction since he had her pinned down before you crashed Storren into Leumeni as Calla lit an arrow and sent it into the second beacon now that the two of them were out of the way as you readily untangled yourself from the rope of your grabling hook as you climbed up it as you flipped and swung along the rafters criss crossing the ceiling of the battle ground, using the beams on the ceiling to get you to the third beacon as Storren and Leumeni scrambled to beat you to it, running through the obstacle course to get to the third beacon as Calla lit an arrow and aimed it at the third beacon but with you leaping from the ceiling and onto Leumeni and Storren as they both tried to grab you and pin you down, but like a cat you slipped out of their grasps and instead balled yourself up and put your feet to Leumeni’s chest.

“I got your back, metaphorically speaking that is.” You assured him before like a spring- you sprung him off of you and sent him flying backwards to crash into one of the obstacle elements as the whole crowd was amazed as you used your own strength to do that as you grabbed Storren who kept trying to grab you to throw you off of him as he tried to simply pin you down to a side as he used his body to try to pin you against the other sides of the obstacles around you as you seemed to crawl all over him, using his larger body as your own personal jungle gym as you seemed to slip and slither out of his grasps like a proper snake as Calla let the arrow loose as you heard it coming as you leaned back to let the arrow come between you and Storren as it seemed time slowed down for you to do so as you watched it pass between you as Storren only, half a beat later seemed to only catch the fletching of the arrow with his line of sight just as it seemed to leave his field of vision as you used this moment to swing yourself around him so that he fell, face first into the floor of the arena just as the target began to explode in colored smoke before time came back to full speed as you sat on the back of Storren’s shoulders as the impact knocked Storren out as you and Calla then practically bounced up and ran into each other’s embrace as the gong rang out just as Leumeni seemed to get the air back into his lungs as he rolled over and coughed as his body curled in on itself before you and Calla came over and helped him up to his feet and congratulated him on a good game before the three of you went back over to Storren to try to wake him up before Calla’s other brother as well as Benny’s and the Voyambi’s came over and picked him up and carried him out of there and laid him on a cot to wake up again before you and Calla rode griffins around the grounds, doing another synchronized set of flips and twists and jumps and corkscrews to do it which was a feat in itself before you landed again and added your chimes to your tunes before you returned to the competitor tent.

“You put him down hard, like a proper viper.” Your grandmother Loreiris praised you as you came over to where your family was hanging out.

“Thanks.” You smiled as you took a deep pull from your glass of water before you took two more figs from the bowl of fruit and bit into them.

“Gosh I wish these were ripe-er.” You complained about the state of the figs but that didn’t seem to deter you from practically inhaling them.

“These English common figs are nothing to the ones in Dorierra, at least in Dorierra we have dozens of varieties to choose from.” Your grandmother turned her nose up at them.

“No, but they are better than no figs at all, otherwise I would be spooning fig jam onto anything even remotely bread-like or even eating spoonfuls of it out of the jar.” You confessed.

“Do you hunger for them that much?” Your grandmother asked you curiously.

“I do. I couldn’t tell you why to save my life but I normally don’t overly like figs in general but ever since Grevu cured me, I’ve hungered for them like crazy and I can’t get enough. But Dr. Chu did say I would have cravings so, at least it’s this and not something impossible for me to get a hold of like guava or something.” You shrugged as you finished it off and got another long pull of water.

“Maybe there is something in them that the mourkatili drained from your system and that figs have to resupply it.” Your grandmother reasoned.

“Probably,” you nodded before you bit into the second one after promptly finishing the first.

“So how dirty is Benny playing?” Your grandmother asked.

“Very, she brought up The Lotus House with Leu and I back in the day with Demsey to defeat him, I want to put her into the dirt harder than I did Storren,” you confessed as Loreiris’ eyebrows raised in surprised as she hummed her acknowledgement of that.

“Don’t let vengeance cloud your judgement, you have a few battles yet before you can face off against her. Focus on the battle at hand, then win the war with her and remind her that your venom is more lethal than the steel of her battle axes, much less her bark or her bite.” She advised as you nodded your agreement as you watched as Benny kept playing to the crowd and to the royal family even when she wasn’t in the battle arena competing as your grandmother kept an eye on all those who entered the arena and the way they were all fighting, gleaning their styles and leanings as they fought as she mentally fought each one in her head as you looked over to where Sierge was sitting and outright pouting since Benny was ignoring him in favor of the other nobility in the crowd, in particular Viscount Whiteale gentlemen, Kate’s brothers as she had them eating out of her hands practically as Leumeni was still coaching Kiera through the night battles and how to actually win those by doing more stealth tactics and using the shadows the other components of the obstacle course allowed as Amara stayed with Storren as he slowly woke up from being knocked out.

“Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?” Amara asked.

“Four?” He answered as Amara stared worriedly at the two fingers she was holding up before the doctor on standby gave him medicine for his concussion and left him to sleep it off before it was your mother and father’s turn to play against your heir father and his wife in the battlefield as almost everyone was on the edge of their seats as your grandmother Loreiris and your heir father’s mother, Anavia were the team to beat since they were technically the two most senior members and a team of their own as they both watched their children with pride while silently critiquing their performances and techniques before it ended in a draw, with both teams hitting their third beacon at the same time.

“Play offs it is.” Your grandmother Loreiris noted to Anavia who grinned in turn before they came to the court, siding with their children as Loreiris, your mother and father took a moment to regroup and formulate a plan as did your hier father and when the moment the gong rang out, it was your mother and father that went out to the first beacon as your grandmother stood guard over the first beacon on their side as you watched on proudly as your parents easily outmaneuvered and outmatched your hier father and his wife as your grandmother Loreiris defended the first beacon from your other grandmother Anavia and with that, the morning Kamoba battle was done and over before the break for lunch was announced as the commonwealth were more than ready and willing to pay the multitude of food vendors for what they had to offer as they took refuge under the food tent from the heat that was starting to build before the Royal Family asked for a private audience with all competitors and their families.

“I would like to congratulate everyone on a job well done and their victories and for those that saw defeat this morning, there is always the night battle where you can find redemption.” King Leopold offered.

“However I would like to have a word with all of you as well.” The Queen Dowager began.

“Please, Queen Mother, by all means.” King Leopold insisted.

“Now I understand that Sultana Audravienne, you have survived an assassination attempt and were healed by your brother’s dragon Grevu was it?” She asked.

“I have, thus my current hair color.” You confirmed.

“Now I understand all of you are aware of who the guilty party is, however for the sake of decorum and to keep the nosey little busy bodies who are undoubtedly trying to hear this conversation through the door so they can then write about this affair in those horrid gossip columns that have had every newspaper selling out just from the speculation for the Kamoba battle. I will request, that all of you take a vow a silence on the matter until it can be settled properly. There are dozens of gossip column newspapers whose very writers are in cognito as members of the gentry in London and they do love a good scandal but I do not want anyone’s reputation to be damaged beyond repair before the matter can be settled. In order to keep things as peaceful as they can be for a Kamoba battle, you will all notice that the guilty parties are not in attendance, for they have been barred from attending and I’m sure anyone with half a wit will be able to come to certain conclusions. However I wish for today’s focus to be solely on the Kamoba battle and if anyone asks, I insist on everyone simply saying that ‘you are not at liberty to say’ and that is all the talk of the matter that will be indulged in and if I hear otherwise from anyone, the guilty parties will be answering to me. Is that clearly understood?” Dowager Queen Anastasia firmly insisted as King Leopold nodded his agreement along with his wife and all of their children and their spouses and their children along with Yalin’s other sister the Infanta and her family also nodded and vowed their agreement to that command.

“Yes your Majesty.” Everyone echoed their answer.

“Now, leave and enjoy the afternoon Kamo, however I do wish to have a private word with Sultana Audravienne alone.” Dowager Queen commanded before they curtsied and saw themselves out except for you and the Dowager Queen.

“Now, don’t be frightened, or disheartened by this. After the Kamoba battle today, I am very much looking forward to seeing you get the satisfaction of the justice you deserve, you see Gregori and King Leopold keep no secrets between them and all the proof of the case that Gregori has found and told to King Leopold who has since shared it with me and it is appalling that such treatment was rendered to you and it is a feat of greatness that you survived such a thing, make no mistake, you will get your just desserts after such a trial, I’ll see to it personally.” The Dowager Queen reassured you as you blew out a breath of relief.

“Thank you, your Majesty, I eagerly look forward to it. Thank you for counting me worthy of your involvement.” You thanked her graciously.

“Once upon a time, I was a moura bride too, such things can never repeat and will never be tolerated ever again and I will be rooting for you- both today, and every day after, until you are satisfied with your vengeance at justice’s hand. I mean who can refute with proof such as this?” She reassured you as she took your hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze with a smile that was warmer than sunshine as her other hand gently pet your head since your hair had been braided back to keep it out of your eyes.

“Thank you,” you thanked her earnestly as you curtsied down low again before her.

“Now, go enjoy the Kamo lunch feast, and don’t let anyone beguile you or your charms.” She urged you before she urged you to go as you obeyed her and thanked her before you left with the Queen and went into the formal dining room were King Leopold and his Queen Alexandria had turned their attentions to Ramsey and getting to know Octavia since Ramsey had brought her over to meet with them and the rest of his royal family to get their figurative stamps of approval which they were happy to do.

“What did the Dowager Queen say to you?” Your family asked once you reappeared.

“That she was a moura bride too, and that she will see to it that I get justice to my satisfaction and that she herself will be involved in my case. The Morrigans are finished.” You whispered excitedly as your moura marks lit up like fireworks on your skin as your eyes practically glowed gold as soon everyone was smiling just as happily as you were before you disbursed to have lunch with the gentry as all of them seemed to open up seats for any they could snag, since eating with with a Kamoba battle contestant was seen as an honor to be eating with a warrior of legend.

Little Callie had never been so popular among the other children her age since she was the only one in her age group to compete as she and the rest of her family were proud to announce that they were building a proper Kamoba battle out of steel and iron back at Whydah and as soon as it was completed, the Voyambi’s would be happy to host another Kamoba battle to host more battles such as this which was met with great joy and jubilation as the King himself offered to help be a patron of the project which the Voyambi’s happily accepted.

Kate Whitesale’s brothers who were seated around Benny as she ate and coyly flirted with both of them while Kate tried to take notes about how Benny was completely enrapturing her brothers so that she too could win back Duke Demsey since it was clear that neither Benny or Calla had ensnared him yet and if anything he still seemed unaffected by them now as he was at the ball which gave her a measure of hope that she had not lost that battle yet.

“Princess, would you instruct me on how to win back Duke Voyambi’s favor?” Kate asked Benny as she looked down the table to see Demsey eating lunch with Tzane and Calla while you were having a private word with the rest of your family at the moment.

“That would be difficult since the Sultana has her eye of favor on him and has already found his favor in his. And with her being the favorite to win today, it will be hard for him to see her as anything less than that. However, there is leverage to be had that could potentially break up the pair that I am in possession of. But since the Sultana is a friend of mine, I would be loathed to part from it…” Benny began before she got a wicked curve to her grin.

“For anything less than the right price, so tell me, what would you give to come into possession of that leverage?” Benny asked Kate as Kate was seated across from her as both of Kate’s brothers were seated on either side of her as all three of them were practically salivating at the thought as the tips of their ears wiggled excitedly.

“Anything that you could ask for. Anything I have that you would want.” Kate answered desperately as she fought to keep her voice down.

“Well as it is, I don’t know what you have, so my suggestion to you, is to compile, perhaps a list of what assets, connections and favors that you have that can be transferable to me or shared with me. Because you see the reason I have that leverage was because the Raymonds had their eye on the Sultana as a bride for their son but since Buchon Octavia has come and stolen Ramsey away from the Sultana, it seems my leverage was rather useless and came with the unfortunate complication of Lord Sierge Voyambi’s affections, which of course I do not return since he is the second son, heir to nothing and has no real power or clout in this society since it rests solely on the first born son. But if the Duke is what you desire, then that leverage once again has value and I myself am in need of an escape from Lord Sierge’s unwanted affections and advances. So, think long and hard about what your family can offer me in return for what you desire most, which is obviously becoming the next Duchess Voyambi and host to the King and Queen to when they come to Whydah for those amazing Kamoba battles where fortunes could be made from the losing bets and of course a percentage of all bets made going to the hosting house.” Benny pointed out.

“Would my own hand in marriage to become a Viscountess Whiteales be enough?” George asked her hopefully.

“Perhaps, an honest appraisal of your situation and your family’s situation, as well as- an honest and accurate accounting of your family’s wealth, would be key to understanding it, so we shall see won’t we?” Benny cooed to him before she stood and went around to the other orc families to get to know them and see if there were any better options than Sierge or even the Viscount George Whitesale as you passed her and noticed she was “working” every other orc family there and just shook your head at her. ‘So short sighted’ you thought to yourself before you sat down next to Demsey for the lunch feast, much further down the table.

“What did the Dowager Queen say to you?” Demsey inquired curiously.

“How she personally is getting involved in my court case and won’t rest until I see justice and am perfectly satisfied with that justice.” You grinned triumphantly as your eyes glowed gold again and the moura marks that were visible on your skin lit up like fireworks again.

“Oh, then your would-be assassinators are quite finished then, aren’t they?” Demsey smiled triumphantly in turn. Your infectious smile quite becoming.

“Even if they are not and even if I don’t get another penny from them or even if I have to give back everything they’ve ever given to me to be free of them completely, I’ll gladly agree to it. I just want the past to stay in the past because you’re my future, whether you’re a winner or loser or Duke or not, just you, that is all I desire and I don’t need or want anything other than that.” You insisted as he took your hand and brought your knuckles up to his mouth to kiss them tenderly.

“Likewise. Even if you were a commoner on the streets, my love for you would not be any less than what it is right now.” Demsey reassured you.

“So would you prefer I court you the English way, the orcish way or the moura way?” Demsey asked.

“Whichever you prefer, although if I’m to stay here with you as Duchess Voyambi, might I suggest the more English route, so that no shame or reproach may come upon your family, no matter how tempting the moura way can be as far as instant gratification is concerned.” You suggested in a sultry murmur in his ear that had him ever so grateful that he was sittind down in stiff leathers to hide his physical reaction to you as that little line had him threatning to destroy every ounce of propriety he had if it meant his piqued curiosity could he satisfied as to what you were really implying and to feel your petal soft lips ever so gently graze the shell of his ear, had him ready to damn the whole thing, pick you up, throw you over his shoulder and carry you upstairs to bury himself to the hilt in you that instant as the flames of his desire for you ate him alive.

But he was surrounded by the entire gentry and to look past you, down the table to where Kate was as she did her best to give them her ‘come hither’ eyes. Had him thinking the better of it. He wanted to marry you and shove your soon to be engaged then married hand into her face and flaunt you in front of her had him thinking the better of it.

“Or your honor, which is the most precious above all else.” Demsey readily agreed as all of Benny’s earlier words seem to have washed away completely. That’s all they were, words meant to strike at him but were not based at all in truth because he could clearly see that while you and Leumeni were friends, he did not see anything other than that between you and his intuition and instincts were telling him that your loyalty and affections rested solely on him, and no one else and he trusted those more than he trusted whatever little seeds of doubt that bitch Benny tried to plant.

“Yeah, about that…” You couldn’t help but wince apologetically.

“The past is the past and it can stay there, you said so yourself, it doesn’t matter to me. Your honorable character and integrity in this moment and every other moment that I have known you, is what counts and both of those are the highest caliber in my honest opinion. That’s all.” Demsey reassured you as you smiled adoringly and appreciatively at him and kissed his hand in turn because outright kissing him at the table would not be permitted in society but that was all you could get away with, but tonight, when everyone went home, oh you were going to try your best to rut him so good and show him exactly what he could look forward to as being your husband and in a committed, monogamous relationship with you could encompass and how you were going to drain him dry, it would make battling in a Kamoba battle seem like a walk in the park.

“So I have some ideas about the Kamoba battle arena at Whydah,” you began as Calla and Tzane, Amara and Storren and Kiera and Leumeni seemed to eagerly lean forward to also engage in this particular conversation as you spent most of the afternoon just talking about all the wonderful ideas you had about the arena and the stands that people would sit on and what the Royal Box should be like as well as the stands for the commoners and the gentry and special spots just for the food vendors and just how big and extraordinary it should be so that even the one in Dorierra would be hard pressed to compete with and as the afternoon wore on, there were several games and rounds of dancing between the competitors and the gentry and even the royal family participated.

“I’m so happy that you’re happy with Olivia, Ramsey, honestly and truly, I am.” You offered to him in turn as you took a little turn on the dance floor with him in one of the English dances.

“Thank you, and I fully intend to deliver on my promise to raise your own status and help you in any way I can, especially helping you destroy your ‘attempted assassintors’.” Ramsey answered.

“Even if you can not, I will not hold it against you personally, you asked at the ball at Havenfield to be friends. And all I hope is that no matter what happens, that we stay that way.” You offered to him.

“You really are remarkable Sultana, I would count myself lucky to have a woman such as you be my friend.” Ramsey smiled brightly as you did the same.

The afternoon practically flew by and quickly morphed into evening and lunch was taken away before dinner was served and quickly eaten as you and the other competitors practically had to run to your rooms to change into the night leathers and other armor before rushing back the stadium to gear up for the night’s events as Grevu woke up when you returned before he gently knocked Benny over with his head as she passed by him.

“Grevu!” Benny complained as Grevu sniffed her over curiously as his snout pinned her to the ground as he sniffed her all over.

“Axal! Get Grevu off me!” Benny hollered as she tried batting Grevu’s nose away from her crotch.

“You perverted rat with wings, get your nose out of my business!” Benny ordered before Grevu cleared his nostrils out all over her as he lifted his head and seemed to narrow his eyes at her and settled back down comfortably.

“Ewwww! Yuck! What is your deal?!” Benny demanded as she went back over to the buckets as she washed herself off with Axal’s help before she began to feel nauseous and found a private corner to quickly and quietly throw up.

“You ok?” Axal asked as he handed her a towel to wipe her throw up off her mouth with.

“Your rat with wings is gross.” Benny spat resentfully at Axal as she wiped her mouth with the offered towel before using another to wipe the sweat off her brow since the sweat was threatening to destroy her makeup.

“Sorry.” Axal offered with a half hearted shrug. “He’s a dragon, he’s temperamental, maybe he didn’t like the scent of betrayal on you.” Axal offered with a smug smile as his eyes narrowed at her.

“What betrayal?” Benny tried to shirk off.

“Sure, go ahead, play dumb, I mean you’re really bad at it, almost as bad as you play innocent. I don’t care. Just don’t be surprised when the bite back for whatever barking you’ve done or you’re about to do knocks you down so hard you can��t get back up.” Axal warned her as he went over to Grevu to pet him and praise him for snorting snot all over Benny as Benny felt another wave of nausea and threw up again as her whole body felt weird as she shuddered almost violently.

“Are you ok?” You asked as you noticed she was sitting in a corner and sweating profusely.

“No, Grevu snotted on me,” Benny told you.

“Oohh, well, he must have had a reason. Dragons can sense things we can’t, maybe you ate something that you shouldn’t have and needed to throw it up now instead of getting sick in the arena itself.” You offered as eyed the mess in the grass in the corner of the tent that she had clearly tried to dump water over to wash away as Benny recollected everything she had eaten and mentally tried to see if you had a point.

“Probably.” Benny nodded as you simply smiled pleasantly before you turned and walked away and could feel Benny glare at your back as you smiled happily to yourself before you looked at Leumeni and gave him a meaningful look and looked pointedly at Benny then back to him before you looked pointedly to Grevu then back to him before you emphatically breathed out through your nose in a small snort as your smile grew more mischievous as Leumeni barked a laugh.

“Ha! Good dragon.” Leumeni practically crooned.

“Yes, very good dragon.” You agreed as you passed him.

“Ok, so how the night games go- is the lowest member of the class fights up the line, the first loser up to the winner of the class, up through the three classes.” The announcer revealed to the crowd as Tzane was the first to fight off against little Callie as this time, Tzane was expecting Callie’s tactics and had his own counter attack and won.

Then Tzane, having won that round, faced off against Kiera, as Kiera didn’t hold back and promptly handed him his ass on a platter before she faced off against Sierge who used his bigger size and strength to his advantage and beat her and then used the same with Amara and won out before going up against Demsey but Demsey was still more level headed and much more tactical whereas Sierge was all emotion to win out against Sierge yet again as Demsey was happy and impressed that he got to win his class and move into the next class, however his very next fight in the skilled class, with Rian- beat him out as they went through the fighting all they way up until it was Calla against Benny as Benny, once again, used her vicious words to undermine Calla and take the victory.

“I wish to break with Tradition.” Your grandmother Loreiris began as Benny was preparing to take you down in The Proficient Class.

“Instead of trying to see if you can go through Audra and all of her parents, I wish to follow the example you set in the day games, now that you have reached the proficient class, I volunteer to be your first competitor in The Proficient Class.” Loreiris announced as everyone gasped in astonishment as Benny looked both thrilled yet terrified at the prospect as she entered the arena with The Saharan Viper herself.

“Trying to protect your precious little snakelet from me?” Benny grinned as she got into position before the gong rang out to signal the start of the round as Loreiris charged Benny, a sword in each hand.

“No, she has had attacks from foes pretending to be friends already and knows how to protect herself, so she needs no such protection from me. Least of all from you. I have heard what you have been saying all afternoon to the others about that leverage you have against her relationship with Duke Demsey. And while I have said nothing yet, because you have not revealed it. While she is The Violet Viper, you are acting like the bitch you are- vicious, conniving and two faced and so overly eager to prove yourself because you have been reigning supreme ever since she left and now that you’re in her presence again, she outmatches you without even trying- so of course, you are threatened. It is true, nothing reveals a moura’s colors of character like Kamoba and so far it has revealed that you rely too much on the damage your words say while your fighting skills themselves, have suffered greatly from neglect, you power through your strokes without relying on the actual proper execution of said strokes and techniques, aiming at the lowest, weakest yet easiest points, because any other is too much for you. Know that nothing you say can hurt me, let alone destabilize me. All you are is a bitch dog, pretending to be a wolf.” Loreiris taunted as she started attacking Benny, using an overwhelming tactic, swinging both her flaming sword along with an elven one, that was alight with magic that with every strike against another blade, grew stronger and hit harder, but also, unfortunately grew brighter to help illuminate the wielder.

“Except that I know your secret.” Benny taunted right back.

“I know that Kushi was blessed by Anuk-sunamun-ra. And has been carrying all of the goddess’ power in it ever since that she was banished into the blade at the fall of the empire but would always protect the wielder to keep them from being enslaved. It has always given you super abilities to beat your components and to demoralize your enemies the moment they see it, until now. Now that you gave Kushi to Audra, Anuk-sunamun-ra has left you to be with her which means you’re not unbeatable anymore. You’re just flesh and bone, no magic, or gods or goddesses to protect you or help you. The two times you lost in battle with it, were because you were pregnant and the goddess was protecting your unborn babe more than it was helping you in battle. The same is true now. I saw Audra with my own eyes go into a room and fuck her favorite manwhore and then I noticed she has not once drank pregnancy warding tea since, and while it is true that Grevu cured her of the rest of the mourkatili, Dr. Chu also had a big hand in it too and had already cured most of it already. Dr. Chu was likely curing her with the goal to restore her womb first. She most likely is pregnant right now, for only pregnant women hunger for fruit’s of their youths. That’s why having that rope around her waist and the toll of pulling Storren back didn’t rip her in half. Anuk-sunamun-ra is guarding her pregnancy. That is why you will lose to me, as will she and everyone else and you will not speak of this leverage. Demsey’s reputation can’t afford to take on a fallen lady, one who was fallen with child out of wedlock, much less by a manwhore. The best he could ever do by her is accepting her as his whore. Whereas with Leumeni, he can still save her as his wife. Granted the babe she’s carrying will obviously never fit in anywhere it goes. But Leumeni will still care for it nonetheless.” Benny spat as she did her best to keep her head and wits as she fought off Loreiris’ attacks and counter attacks.

“The problem with such logic is that any trace of mourkatili acts like a natural birth control. Even if what you say is true. It is impossible for her to conceive before Grevu cured her and I know for a fact, she has not laid with anyone who can get her pregnant since then. So you are lying and that leverage will land in you in boiling lava that will burn you up completely and permanently and no one will be able to rescue you from that.” Loreiris said as she could feel the strain on her body from the fighting as she kept her wits and temper in check.

“And you lie about the dagger. All it has ever been is a knife, made of steel, gold and jewels. Anuksu-namun-ra is a goddess of battle, of victory and she protects everyone who believes and puts faith in her. She is too powerful to be contained in a simple dagger made of steel, gold and jewels. If you worshiped her, perhaps you would benefit from her protection. But she is also a goddess of truth and loyalty and since you can never be counted on to be truthful or loyal to anyone who isn’t paying you to be, she will not protect you. Because any loyalty that can be bought, is never worth having.” Loreiris grinned as she kicked Benny in the head and stabbed her flaming sword into the first beacon.

“Oh on the contrary, if Audra can make me a dowager, then I will feel inclined to keep her secret for her and that leverage will never see the light of day so Audra is in no real danger from me. Besides, the science of pregnancy is well guarded in Dorierra. If I keep my mouth shut, little Demsey will be none the wiser and you can keep your mouth shut for her sake can’t you? You should. She is, after all, your favorite granddaughter from your favorite daughter?” Benny said as she took a throwing star from her waist and threw it through the flames at the first beacon on Loreiris’ side and beamed when it became alight before throwing a second and hit the second as the whole crowd went wild to see Benny of all people that was able to get a score in on Loreiris as Loreiris threw her own throwing star at the second and exploded it before aiming at the third but Benny used her flaming sword and knocked Loreiris’ hand down while body slamming her into the back of the still smoking and burning beacon and burned Loreiris’ face and pinned her there so she couldn’t get out before she threw another throwing star at the third beacon as Loreiris screamed in pain and agony as your whole family were up on their feet and rushing to the battle arena and screaming curses at Benny before Benny grabbed Loreiris by her collar and picked her up to the crowd.

“You call this woman a viper?! Where is her venom?! Where is her bite? She is an old, feeble garden snake, no bite at all, let alone any venom! Wolves always eat serpents! Always!” Benny roared to the crowd as it went wild as you had never wanted to murder Benny so badly before as rage seemed to course through your viens as your eyes and the eyes of your parents and heir parents all glowed gold as you all came forward as you got under your grandmother’s right shoulder and your mother got under her left as both of you were hissing hatefully about how you were going to make Benny pay for such a gross display of unprofessional and unsportsmanlike conduct as everyone contested the win.

But sadly, there was nothing in the rulebook that specifically ruled out Benny’s actions or disqualified her as Benny continued to hoop and holler to the crowd how she was undefeatable as Sierge realized he just won a fortune, since he had bet everything he had that she would win against The Saharan Viper, at Benny’s insistence. And while he wasn’t exactly thrilled about how she got that victory, the fact that she got it and that it was uncontestable, and thus, the victory stuck and cemented her place in The Proficient Class. That that was what he had bet on.

“I’m gonna kill her.” Your mother hissed.

“Don’t actually kill her.” Your grandmother said as burn balm was put onto her face by you.

“We need to get you to Grevu, he needs to heal you.” You insisted as you helped your grandmother to stand again.

“Mama, bite, inject, put down.” You hissed angrily in Marinai at your mother as she then challenged Benyana herself as you helped your grandmother to go over to Grevu as Grevu was making the most unusual noise as he met you behind the battle field’s wall, so that all of you were hidden from view as Loreiris came over to him and kneeled before him as she simply said ‘please’ before he blew a blue, glowing smoke over her, that healed her wounds as the smoke turned from blue- to red the moment it touched and healed her wounds as you breathed in deeply and the smoke entered you through your nose as the whites of your eyes glowed neon white while the iris of your eye’s glowed a bright gold while your pupil’s seemed to grow twice as big as you felt more power than ever before unlock in your body.

“You need to pray, pray to Anuk-sunamun-ra, pray for the strength and power for vengeance, and to have victory over her. She told me she has leverage against you and Demsey, that you are pregnant with a whore’s child, how she saw you at the masquerade ball bedding someone but did not drink pregnancy warding tea and that Dr. Chu’s medicine had the power to give you your womb back before Grevu could cure you. And how if you can not give her Dowager Status, she will unleash this upon all of England and you will be ruined and will have no choice but to return to Dorierra.” Your grandmother pleaded with you as you could hear from the battle arena how Benny was beating your mother, two beacons against one.

“Pray for control over your emotions, pray to protect your mind and heart from such flaming arrows.” Your grandmother pleaded before the Benny hit the third beacon on your mother and came back to find you there with your grandmother.

“Let your other parents fight her, we need to pray.” Your mother insisted as she wiped her angry tears away from her eyes as the three of you sat down in the grass, with you against Grevu’s chest as the three of you formed a triangle before Calla and her brothers as well as Leumeni and even his brother Coravien came and sat around them, all of them praying to their favorite god of choice to favor you as your mother and grandmother went through the sacred chant of Anuk-sunamun-ra in the ancient language of her origins while making the appropriate hand gestures as you once again found your center as a calm cooled your anger, but turned that fire that had been blazing inside of you into a lava that both flowed through you like a gentle massaging hand, going over your body, yet filled you, solidified you and strengthened you as you felt the air around you shift as a stiff breeze started to roll in as a storm that had barely been on the horizon seemed to make a B-Line for you as you heard a distant rumble of thunder, but instead of fearing the oncoming storm, you were welcoming it as the cool breeze caressed you as you barely noticed the other beacons from your father, your heir father, his wife and his mother’s as they all took their turns battling Benyana and how she used the same hurtful, spiteful, malicious words against them, beating them and crooning so loud and so high with every other victory before they all seemed to join in the prayer circle around you.

“Go ahead, say your pointless, hopeless, meaningless prayers over the last little snakelet, who is barely even out of the egg.” Benny taunted everyone as she turned and sauntered off once she came upon all of you.

“Told you I was a sure bet.” She grinned smugly at Sierge before going back towards the crowd to get them to chant her name as the Royal Family were quite fed up with her lack of sportsmanship and putting their bets on you to please put this brat in her place before, from the back, to the front of the group. Everyone put their hands on the top of the shoulder of the one in front of them and the one to the side of them before they all reached forward to you, your mother with a hand on your right shoulder and your grandmother with her hand to your left as they all prayed for their gods to bless you and make you stronger, faster, better. To make you their champion in the name of good, righteousness, and justice.

“Are you done yet? I don’t want to get struck by lightning and I would prefer not to get these leathers any wetter than they need to be, I want you to hurry up and beat you before I or much less the royal family has a chance of getting wet from the rain.” Benny sassed as she came over again several moments later as she looked on disapprovingly at her brothers for their traitorous act of trying to bless you instead of her as you pushed all the air out of your lungs before you took in the biggest and longest breath in, feeling that with every millimeter of space in your lungs that filled with air, you filled with power before your lungs reached their capacity as did your body before you steadily exhaled and opened your eyes to fix Benny with your gaze as everyone slowly pulled back, all of them feeling a sense of excitement tempered with peace that their prayers were about to be answered.

“Come, let us battle, Axal, Rian, Zax, belt “Hit The Floor” out for me.” You suggested to them with a scheming and easy smile which they readily returned before they, along with Calla’s brothers as well as Benny’s rushed over to the band and eagerly took the instruments out of their hands and insisted that they needed to play this particular song themselves before you looked out over all the weapons offered to you by the whole family as the right weapons seemed to almost have a glowing aura around them as you picked them up and armed yourself with them before you entered the arena.

“Let us do five out of seven, arm the arena with the two additional beacons and put the last two on the roof, above the rafters.” You instructed the others who came to change out the beacons with fresh ones.

“Agreed.” Benny smiled as you simply sat down on top of the first beacon and got into a meditation pose and used these last moments to cement your mental fortitude as Benny laughed.

“Oh are suddenly a monk? Praying and meditating all the time?” Benny taunted as you could see the gods that were supposed to be blessing her weapons were frowning at her for her haughtiness.

“What is this? The Violet Viper is suddenly The Violet Monk? The Violet Praying Mantis? The Violet Idiot? Or just The Violet Whore.” Benny continued.

“Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones.” You stated as you kept your eyes closed as you watched from the spirit realm as the remaining gods and goddesses with her finally seemed to have enough and leave her completely and come to be with you and all the other gods and goddesses with you which caused you to smile before you opened your eyes and got down and into position as the others finished doing what you asked and left the stage.

“Axal! Now!” You called out after the gong rang out and your family as well as hers began to start up their instruments.

“So? Leverage huh? Going for the lowest of blows? Betraying my trust and friendship for your own personal gain? Too bad I’ve seen this coming since the moment I saw you at the ball at Havenfield. Do you really think you can say anything that will break apart what the gods have given their blessings to bind together?” You asked as you struck first with more strength than what Benny was expecting as she faltered slightly as suddenly her battle ax seemed a bit heavier and unwieldier than normal.

“I see your grandmother can’t keep a secret to save her life, like using a goddess, locked inside a dagger to fight and win all of her battles for her.” Benny taunted back.

“Do you really think a goddess can be locked inside a weapon? No, she is everywhere but more importantly, she is with me, whether I possess that dagger or not because I am a believer in her and in her power and have willingly let myself be an instrument for her and all the other gods and goddesses who wish to use me as their instrument as well, I feel it to be true, I know it to be true. Just like how you can feel or know in your heart whether or not your own gods are with you, which I can both see and feel that they are not, they have abandoned you in the face of your own viciousness, of your own ruthlessness and your own haughtiness. You do not fight with honor. Your pride and your hunger for victory at any cost has made you blind to what is right and wrong. It has calloused your conscience and dulled your moral compass. You play men who would love you like instruments, if only to see their strings break. You play with feelings and intentions the way you play with toys, if only to see them fall apart then to be thrown into the fire at will.” You told her as as you advanced forward with surprising speed and strength as real fear started to seep into Benny’s eyes.

“You crave destruction and only wish to have the fires of other people’s catastrophes light up in your eyes. If you do not turn back, and mend your ways, what you have lied about me and others and what you have predicted for me and others will come true for you. The gods have spoken this to me. And your redemption will only come at the hands of your latest victims. Whether they will give it or not, depends on them. Not me, for I am no longer a victim to anyone. Let alone you. You- who should have been a sister to me, you- who should have been a friend to me, you- who should have had my back instead of trying to stab it with everyone else since it already had an open wound for you to stick it into. But after tonight, I am healed, I am free. Of you, of everyone. I don’t owe anyone anything.” You vowed as you easily battled her across the course, as if the obstacles were not there at all as the whole fight seemed to be in slow motion for you, as you could almost see what moves she was going to make before she even made them as you were predicting her moves and counteracting them just as quickly as she was frantically trying to make them as your sword that was on fire kept slashing at her and lighting her entire torso on fire, as you could tell the heat from the fires were affecting her as if they were especially hot as you kept on advancing at a steady pace, the beacons practically exploding the moment the tip of a weapon touched them until you had her pinned into a corner before you struck the fifth beacon.

“Seven out of 13!” Benny screamed from her corner as tears streaked her makeup.

“Fine, seven out of 13.” You readily agreed before you stopped and calmly walked back to the center mark as she rushed to get out of the battle arena to get doused down with water to keep from being on fire as she was gasping for breath and sweating like a whore in church.

“And this was her still barely out of the egg? I can’t imagine what she will be like after she fully sheds and grows into her own then.” Your mother and your grandmother taunted Benny from their spots inside the tent as everyone else laughed.

“What’s wrong? I thought wolves eat serpents? Why aren’t you eating her before she eats you? Or does this viper actually have venom that you’re not immune to this time?” Calla snipped snidely herself.

“I will eat her! I will eat her whole!” Benny screamed back as she put her weapons back into the fire to get reheated as you simply let your flaming sword “rest” in the flames of one of the bowls in the arena.

“I don’t know why you’re getting so upset, or why you’re calling her a whore when you yourself are the biggest one I know.” Sierge taunted Benny himself.

“Shut up! No one asked you!” Benny snapped angrily.

“Make them the hottest you can!” Benny told the blacksmith who had set up a mini forge right there next to the battlefield.

“I can try.” He answered as he put them in the hottest parts of the fire to get super heated as once again, you sat on top of your own beacon and meditated again.

“There, that’s hot enough.” Benny said before she pulled them out and splashed them in the fire oil and let them become alight once more as she could feel the heat of them in her palms but they were nothing compared to the heat of her inner fiery temper as you opened your eyes and got into position before you pulled out another elven blade along with your fiery one before you pressed the jewel on the hilt and the weapon suddenly glowed white as frosty mist started falling from it.

“That sword will shatter when it touches mine.” Benny said.

“We’ll see.” You simply grinned before the gong rang out and you used the flaming sword to get her weapons into positions before you used your ice elven sword to cut bits and segments off of Benny’s weapons like cutting through soft butter.

“NNoooo!!” Benny screeched as she pulled her own spare weapons out but they had similar effects, for every strike against your own weapons, they grew weaker and softer, bending and dulling greatly as you continued to take out the same five markers before leaping through to the roof and climbing onto the rafters to get the final two beacons on the roof as She did the same, using her body as a shield to protect them as you walked along the beam like you were walking along a paved sidewalk, paying no mind to the fall only a few scant inches away from each side of your feet.

“No! I beat the Saharan Viper! I will beat you too!” She said as she used her flaming arrows to strike at your beacons as you used your own bow and arrows to throw hers off course and away from their intended targets until she was out of arrows.

“You’re empty.” You called.

“So are you!” She called back.

“You’re right, I am.” You said before lighting seemed to crack right above your heads and fan out over the sky.

“You’ll get electricuted!” Benny said as she cowered but would not leave the beacons.

“You’re right, I will.” You smiled as you held Kushi up in one hand and your mother’s copy of Kushi- Kushi 2 in the other and raised them to the sky as lightning struck down and danced between the two blades around you as your eyes glowed white while you otherwise remained unharmed.

“Viper- kills Wolf!” You boomed as you threw both daggers, the lightning dancing off of them, making it look like they were the fangs of a viper as the image of a viper’s head, made out by the lighting lit up the space as Benny screamed and dove down as you used your grappling hook to suspend yourself from the rafters as you used the other end of the rope and threw it around Benny so she wouldn’t crash on the ground as the two beacons exploded in bright white lights and smoke as the whole crowd roared in thunderous cheering and applause as you hung from the rafters with Benny hanging from the end of your own ropes as she gently swung around under you, the rope tied around her waist in such a way as she fought to untangle herself while you slowly eased down the rope like a silk climber flowing effortlessly down a length of silk before you got to her as Sierge came and gave the rope a quick tug to cause Benny to fall into his arms.

“Well hey there loser.” Sierge grinned.

“Put me down!” Benny screeched at him before he did as she asked as she fell the five feet from his arms to his feet as that little fall, knocked all the wind out of her lungs while Demsey was more than happy to let you slide down the rope into his own arms before he gently set you down and threw decorum out the window and kissed and dipped you in front of the gods and everyone which caused another round of applause as Kate and her brothers knew then that whatever “leverage” Benny had, was as good as worthless yet again as you happily got up and took your banner off of Heavencrest and put it on Grevu and rode him around the arena as others flew their own animals around behind, your grandmother happily riding Heavencrest in your stead as you cheered as Benny just sat there on the floor of the arena and sulked as she watched the Royal family’s attendants get the cup as the Royal Family got up and came down as Benny was escorted off the battle arena to the tent since her griffen was flying underneath Grevu in a show of dominance as the gentry crowded around the arena before you touched down as everyone offered their congratulations to you as you passed through, your mother to your immediate left and your grandmother to your immediate right as you climbed up into the battle arena yet again.

“It is my supreme honor to bestow unto you- Sultana Audravienne Saharazat, this winning cup and prize for winning the Kamoba battle today.” King Leopold announced as he gestured to it as it sat on your first beacon before he took your hand and raised it high as everyone cheered and applauded.

“Thank you, your Majesty.” You thanked him before you had to get help from your friends and family to help pick it up as the Royal Family as well as everyone else took their leave to go home as you came inside and had the cup put into your room as you began to unload it before you took your old knife, Zirrabanit and approached little Callie before you presented it to her.

“To Callie, who was the first to strike and the first to take down a contestant today. Since you have taken up my old mantle from my youth, it is only fitting that you continue that legacy, Little Spitfire.” You said as she gasped and took it and gave you the biggest most excited smile.

“Thank you!” Callie squealed in delight as she took it from you reverently before she practically launched herself in your arms and hugged you tight as you readily hugged her back.

“You’re welcome.” You happily laughed as you hugged her back oh so tight.

“Could I stay with you tonight? And could you pass down all the knowledge you can to me?” Callie asked hopefully and as much as you wanted to rail Demsey against every surface in his room, you didn’t have the heart to say no to her and her big lavender eyes.

“Of course, all the ladies, sleepover in my room tonight.” You offered as all the girls giddily left and got dressed as the gentlemen saw themselves out before you managed to snag Demsey by the arm and pull him down to kiss him again.

“Tomorrow night, I’ll properly and traditionally celebrate with you in the moura way.” You promised with a wink and a salacious smile.

“Can’t wait.” Demsey practically giggled before he kissed you again.

“Good night My Love, don’t stay up all night, we need to formulate a plan for court.” Demsey offered before he saw himself out just as his other sisters were coming back into the room, clad in only their nightgowns and robes as you all got into the bed in a circle, passing around the other treasures from the pot as Benny refused to even do that much as she continued to sulk in her room and went to bed only to fall into a fitful sleep, full of nightmares.

#Woooooo!#Blood For Gold #Blood For Gold Chapter 19 #this is it #this is the hill #the crest #the climax #it's downhill from here #regency era orc period drama #regency era orcs #orc romance #orc love story #moura #Now the truth can come out #Have I left you enough clues? Do you know them all yet?#There are several #dozens actually.#I want to know!

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new2fivesauce · 4 years ago

Text

Please Don’t Regret Me - 6. The L in CALM

Words: 3141

No Warnings.

This feels like a filler chapter instead of what I had intended to be the last. So with that being said, there will be one and final chapter of Please Don’t Regret Me and I hope this one doesn’t suck to much. Thanks!

The early morning’s first rays of sunlight eased their way into Nelle’s LA hotel room. The drum and bass heavy beginning notes of The Black Keys’ Dead and Gone startled Nelle out of her sleep.

“Fuck” she groaned as she tried to turn her stiff body towards the nightstand where her phone was continuing to play the alarm. Through her hazy and clearly hungover mind, she wondered why she couldn’t move her lower body. It wasn’t until she looked under the covers through groggy eyes to see an arm was holding her down by her waist. Her amber eyes followed the arm to the rest of the body. Luke was turned to her, blonde curls covering his face, light snores excelling from him. She heaved his arm off of her and made haste with shutting off her alarm. Her head was pounding as she got up from the bed. She held onto the nightstand when her body swayed gently, her balance totally askew. It was almost like a Ninja Warrior obstacle course just to get to the bathroom.

Nelle emerged from the bathroom almost an hour later. A towel wrapped around her head, another around her body, her mind now somewhat clearer than it had been when she first opened her eyes. She tiptoed around as she got dressed, brushed the tangles out her hair, and did concealer around her dark circles. Just as she had started packing up her belongings, Luke began to stir in his sleep. She froze mid action while putting last night’s clothes in her luggage.

She hadn't realized she was holding her breath until he positioned himself into a more comfortable spot.

Suddenly, Luke startled awake. Nelle jumped and squeaked in surprise but he hadn't seemed to see or hear her. Luke rubbed his eyes quickly, then used his hands to pat the comforter around him.

"Nelle?" He uttered in complete sadness and confusion, his head hanging down. Nelle cleared her throat and the blond boy in front of her shot his head up so fast he almost hit it on the headboard. He smiled lazily in her direction as he ran a hand through his curls. "Hey." He said.

Nelle returned the greeting and tried to smile back but she was sure it came out as a grimace. Luke didn't even seem to notice. He was just in awe of the girl who he had spent the night with. Even when she excused herself to gather something from the bathroom, he made sure to keep his eyes on her. It took a few times of Nelle folding clothes and walking around her room for Luke to finally become aware of what was happening.

"W-what are you doing?" He stuttered. She finished folding a white t-shirt that Luke immediately recognized. She put it down gently on top of a small pile of clothes at the edge of the bed.

"My flight is at 12. I'm about to head out. Don't worry though, the room is good until two, but if you need it for longer, just call the front desk. My card is on file; It’ll be fine." She said so nonchalantly that Luke could only gape at her. She gestured to the folded clothes. "Change of clothes." She added. "This was still in my suitcase from the last tour."

Luke scoffed. If Nelle heard it, she pretended not to. "I'm returning your Zeppelin shirt too." Her eyes flickered to the white shirt that was on top of the stack.

When Luke didn't say anything, Nelle took it as her cue to leave. She hated being late, especially to the airport. As she turned to her suitcase, Luke finally spoke.

"So that's it then?" He questioned, in anger. He wished he hadn't slept naked because he felt this was a conversation he needed to be standing for. He didn't know where his clothes were and he didn't want to seem like a klutz getting out of bed so he stayed put.

Nelle halted just a bit away from the bed and faced the singer.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't that all you wanted?" She knew it wasn’t, but she felt that that was all she could give him at the moment. He was a fucking celebrity and with the release of Youngblood, he was more popular than ever.

Nelle immediately regretted her comeback as soon as Luke's blue eyes closed and he turned his head away to compose himself.

"I have to go. I never said I was going to stay." Nelle tried to reason.

Luke eyed her suspiciously though his eyes looked like glassy orbs through the tears he was struggling to hold in. "So you’re not even going to try to make this work?

“I’m not sure what you’re trying to make work, Luke.” she calmly stated but her hand tightened on the handle of her suitcase. Luke shook his head. “If you have something to say… then just say it. I’m not going to try to figure you out or put words in your mouth.”

When Luke didn’t say anything, just stared at Nelle with the coldest blue eyes she’s ever seen, she turned away and left.

-----

**3 months later, New York**

The months had passed slowly and drab. Winter always felt so long, so cold, so depressing… If anyone would have told Nelle that after Christmas, New York went from magical to just another cold day, she would have hopped on the first plane to Australia… but no one had and she had missed her chance to visit her family. This wasn’t her first Christmas that she’d gone without spending it with her family, but all those other times, she’d at least had “the boys.”

She sighed as she waltzed around her kitchen, putting the finishing touches on her and Sasha’s spaghetti dinner. Sasha would come prancing in any minute now from yet another photo shoot. Nelle had kept busy since returning from tour with her online Yale classes, a few small side jobs as a book intern, manager at a coffee cafe, and a PA at several various businesses, but nothing ever stuck. She wasn’t going to lie… she missed the touring. She thought retirement from the music world would be relief. Now all she had was this itch to zoom to and from places, literally schedule everything down to Michael’s next breath, use her customer service voice on asshats who thought they knew better, and best of all, spending every second of her time with four of the noisiest, fartiest, annoyingest boys.

Her thoughts lingered on Luke for a brief moment. She tried not to think too much about him. After leaving him naked in LA, they had shared a few intense, mostly one word, text messages and then zilch. He couldn’t find the words to express his feelings, which confounded Nelle because he was a damn songwriter and had written all these love songs for the band, yet, when it came to expressing how he felt towards her all he had to say was You should have stayed.

She wasn’t necessarily heartbroken, but she ached for him and his hair and his scent and their late night conversations and Brooklyn Nine-Nine marathons and dumb pranks on Calum.

Nelle was plating their food when she heard the lock of her apartment door jiggle and then turn loudly. Sasha dashed in, her heavy winter coat already falling off her body as she went through the door. Sasha slammed the door behind her, dropping her purse, phone, and whatever else onto her coat.

“Hey Hey!” she greeted quickly as she ran towards the bathroom in Nelle’s bedroom. “Sorry! Subway took forever! And you know how I feel about public restrooms!” Nelle heard Sasha call out from the distance. She chuckled as she went over to pick up her friend’s items from the floor.

Plates full of spaghetti and meatballs, glasses of wine, and the next episode of Gossip Girl was ready by the time Sasha emerged from the bedroom. She walked slowly in a daze and plopped down on the sofa next to Nelle. Nelle grabbed the remote from next to her and was about to start the show, when her friend quickly took the remote from Nelle.

“If you want to watch something else, just say so… I thought we were going to start season four today.” Nelle grumbled before slurping a forkful of noodles in her mouth. Sasha didn’t respond, just reached into the hoodie she’d put on in Nelle’s room, and pulled out two boxes.

It took more than a second or two for Nelle to realize what she was looking at.

“I wasn’t snooping, I swear!” Sasha began. “I was just looking for a tampon… and I found these.” Sasha looked down at the boxes of pregnancy tests she was holding. “Is there something you want to tell me?” she asked cautiously, taking a quick glance at Nelle’s stomach and back up to her amber eyes.

The brunette sighed as she placed her plate of food down on the coffee table. She sat up straight afterwards facing Sasha, her best friend and closest confidant…

"I'm sorry." Nelle started, dropping her head. Her waves tumbled forward, covering her embarrassed face. "It was just a scare. I panicked when it was nearly two months since having my period and I might have missed a day or two of my birth control while we were on tour. I bought a ton of tests and took like three of them.

"I got mixed results and I went to the doctor. She confirmed that I wasn't and the positive ones could have been faulty or expired tests. Turns out CVS doesn't always toss their expired pregnancy tests.

"I changed to an IUD though. So that's a plus. No kids for me for another five years… maybe. But I didn't tell you because it was nothing to worry about. And I didn't want to deal with the reactions."

Nelle nervously looked up, peering through her hair to peek at Sasha. Sasha was still as stone, almost like a Greek statue.

"My reactions?" Sasha questioned, her head slightly tilting to the right.

Nelle nodded.

"Yeah… you know… the mixed reactions of disappointment in whether you are or aren't or happy because you are… or aren't. I came out negative and I was happy. I just… I don't know." Nelle hung her head again, defeated. "I just didn’t think it was anything to tell and honestly, I forgot to throw away the extra tests."

Sasha shrugged her shoulders. Nelle could see her friend trying to work her situation in her head and thought that the subject was dropped when Sasha started scarfing down her food and the next episode of Gossip Girl.

It was halfway into the episode that Sasha suddenly paused the show and turned to Nelle, her eyebrows furrowed deeply with concern.

"Okay, I'm fine with your decision to not have told me. I'm sure if you were, it would have been different circumstances blah, blah, blah. I'm curious though. Why would you think you were preggo though? I haven't seen you with anyone in… well… forever. And I know you didn't hook up with that Daniel guy."

Nelle shrugged her shoulders, leaving a confused expression on Sasha’s face. Sasha then looked around the room suddenly, trying to find anything out of place or something that didn’t look like Nelle’s interior style.

“You haven’t had sex in ages… probably since you were in One Direction tabloid news for dating Zayn… Are you seeing someone?! Please don’t tell me it was a roadie guy!”

Nelle laughed, shaking her head at the same time at her friend’s ridiculous accusation.

“No, it was not a roadie… Honestly, I didn’t think anything was going to happen. We’re so restricted about our feelings, but the tension is always there. I thought before I departed the first time, with us rooming together all the time, maybe one of us would finally spill the beans about our feelings, but it never happened. Then Ash had his party and Luke was just there. Maybe it was the drinking or maybe in that moment… or moments, if you know what I mean, I just didn’t care. But we haven’t really spoken since. I kind of did walk out on him. He wanted me to stay, but I didn’t want to. He makes it seems like I owe it to him to stay and follow him around everywhere; could be because I did that for fucking years… but that was my damn job. It wouldn’t fucking hurt him to do the same for me. He’s just as capable of following me across the country as I am for him.”

Nelle gulped in some air, not sure where the sudden rush of words had come from, but Sasha had nothing to say in that moment. All she could do was gape at her. Her mouth wide open, her eyes almost popped out their sockets.

With a hand over her mouth, Sasha mumbled “shit” about five times, then let out a laugh. The girl cackled for a minute, making Nelle scoot away from her awkwardly.

“Fuckin’ hell. Nelle… fucking Luke?!” Sasha began, a short chortle escaped her mouth again. “I knew it. You were acting hella weird on the plane ride back. You totally ignored the group chat when Ash sent that pic of those lacy undies asking Who the hell had sex in my laundry room?!. Any time Cal facetimes and Luke is in the background, you suddenly have something to do in another room. You stare at his texts for waaaaay too long before typing something and then deleting it only to answer back with one or two words. I should have paid more attention. Fuck, dude.”

“It was one night, Sash. It was the best fucking night ever. And I don’t know what to do. I’m acting like he barely exists because he can’t tell how he feels about me. I see it on his face, I see it in some of his actions, but he can’t ever just tell me ‘Nelle, I like you… like I like you, like you!’” Nelle felt a hard lump in her throat and tried to sniffle it away. “I lied to you when I said that he didn’t write any songs on Youngblood about me. Calum confirmed half that shit is about me, written and recorded that very day I quit on them.”

Sasha reached over, taking Nelle’s hands in her’s. She pressed on them gently, rubbing small circles with her thumbs for comfort. Her eyes were sympathetic.

“I’m sorry, kid.” she said softly. “I don’t know how I can make this better.”

----------

**Australia**

It was December and the start of summer. Calum sighed as he adjusted himself on his couch, another episode of some documentary he had on for noise had just begun. He wondered how his girlfriend was faring. He knew New York was cold and he hadn’t understood why she was so insistent on remaining there for the holidays, but he sensed maybe it had to do with not wanting to leave Nelle by herself.

Speaking of Nelle, he had barely talked to her in the weeks since she had left LA after Ashton’s party. She wasn’t cold-shouldering him. He knew there was something keeping her distant, he just couldn’t pinpoint it. He had asked Sasha, but she had no idea herself either.

Calum looked towards the wall that separated his side of the duplex he shared with Nelle. Another sigh escaped his lips before there was a knock on his front door. Calum lazily swung his body off his couch. He adjusted his basketball shorts before opening the door.

Luke, curls a long, yellow mess, dark circles under his eyes, wrinkled clothes, was on the other side of the door. Calum didn’t say anything, just stepped aside to let the taller fellow in. Calum, like every other day that Luke came over in this state, went to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water while the blond made himself comfortable on Calum’s couch.

When Calum returned to the living room, Luke had taken over the couch he had been on, switching the channels on the television. He set the glass on the coffee table in the middle of the room. Luke eyed it, but made no attempt to take a drink.

This was becoming a new norm for them since they returned to Australia. Ashton still remained in LA and Michael was doing some traveling for another week, not sure where his next stop was going to be.

“How was therapy?” Calum asked, starting small talk, as he took the couch adjacent to the one Luke was laying on. Luke shrugged his shoulders. “Did you even go?” he asked, concerned.

“Yeah.” Luke answered softly, not letting his eyes flicker off the TV. “Same as last week. Doc says I’m in a void since we’re not touring. I don’t know how to keep myself busy.”

Calum raised an eyebrow, letting his eyes roam his friend’s attire. Luke was wearing a t-shirt that he recognized from Nelle’s wardrobe, shorts that were extremely wrinkled, and a pair of converse with unmatched socks.

“Did she also comment on how you haven’t changed out that outfit for two weeks?”

Luke scoffed. “I washed it, asshole.”

Calum snickered with a shake of his head.

The two didn’t say much afterwards; they watched whatever sitcom Luke had put on. Luke was drifting into a nap, when Calum’s phone vibrated on the coffee table, startling him. Calum chuckled at him before grabbing his phone to see who was contacting him.

Sasha’s name followed by a pink heart emoji appeared on his screen. He was concerned and confused. Because of the ten hour time difference, it had been a bit hard to communicate between the couple. Sometimes Sasha was barely waking up and Calum was going to sleep or vice versa. It had been difficult to find a time that suited them both. He swiped his phone screen to open the message.

Cal… I figured out the problem.

Nelle and Luke slept together. Ash’s party.

Calum gulped, a rush of fury came and went so fast followed by surprise, annoyance, and finally calm. No wonder Luke has been acting so weird and always looked at Nelle’s side of the duplex with such damn longing.

He peered up at Luke from over his phone as he sent a quick text back.

he’s here now. wat do i say?

Sasha’s reply came faster than Calum had anticipated.

You better get him here now with a bouquet of roses and fucking love letter the length of the equator and he better BEG on his hands and knees for the requited love of Eleanor Padilla.

#luke hemmings #luke hemmings imagine #5 seconds of summer #5 sos imagines #5 seconds of summer imagines #5 seconds of summer imagine #5sos #calum hood #ashton irwin #michael clifford #please dont regret me

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kasdeyathebitterwoman · 5 years ago

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A Ninja Warrior Love Story - Part 1

Welcome back to the world of Lily and Henry! Honestly, I have no idea how I ended up deleting my old account, but I’m genuinely more upset that I had no backups of my original work. That aside, I am beginning the slow process of rewriting my original series, A Ninja Warrior Love Story. I hope you enjoy it!

Let me know of any other imagines or one-shots you’d like to see! Also, if you’d like to be added to the tag list, just send me a message!

CW: none

Word Count: 2,230

The Story: Lily is a single woman working at a parkour gym when she meets Henry Cavill. Are they meant to fall in love or is it just a one-time thing?

At 4:30 in the morning, Lily’s alarm went off. She rolled over in her small bed and smacked her alarm to turn it off. Groaning, Lily pushed herself out of bed. With two steps, she cleared the small apartment bedroom and entered the even smaller bathroom. With the efficiency of a well-known routine, Lily got dressed in simple workout clothes. She glanced in the mirror to see a tired face looking back. For the past six months, she had been working hard to earn extra income so she could afford time off and a plane ticket to see her best friend at college. So far, it wasn’t really working out, but she had been able to save some money.

Once dressed, Lily dashed out to her beat-up old truck right outside her apartment. At 4:45 am, no one was out on the roads, so she wasn’t concerned about being late for one of her three jobs. Lily worked at a gym - not just any gym though. This was a Ninja Warrior gym. About four years ago, Lily met the gym owner, Donovan, who offered her a chance to work out at his gym. He remembered her from her track days and wanted someone to open his gym in the mornings since he was, in his words, allergic to any time before nine am. Lily quickly and easily agreed and almost immediately found herself in a world of her wildest dreams. She loved working out and training on the courses there and even considered applying to be on the show one day.

Five minutes to 5 am, Lily pulled up to the Hustler Ninja gym in Taylor, Texas. Taylor was about 45 minutes outside of the DFW area. It was basically the middle of nowhere with one good Walmart, a ghosted - albeit historic - downtown square, and surprisingly a very fancy looking Hilton resort. The keys jangling in the lock, Lily opened the gym and began turning on the lights. Donovan rented the building which was incredible in size. Large enough to house two ninja warrior obstacle courses, a half rock wall in the back, a decent-sized free-weight section, and even an outdoor mini-course. The whole place was huge and everything Lily wanted in a gym. Within two months of working there, she’d been promoted to assistant manager. She was here every Monday through Friday from 5-9, then Monday through Thursday, she went to work at her uncle's barbershop. Finally, on Fridays and Saturdays, she worked at one of the three bars in town to earn as much extra income as possible.

After dropping her gym bag in the locker room, Lily stepped out into the gym and looked around. Donovan and Daniel, or The Dude, did a good job cleaning up last night. It was actually a little surprising considering they rarely did any cleaning. Lily usually spent most of her time cleaning up after everyone. Weird. Regardless, she enjoyed the reprieve and made her way to the free-weights to start a warm-up. After 15 minutes, she was ready to begin her real training. It started with the salmon ladder followed by a few balance obstacles and finally ending with a grip training on the waving board. She was enjoying herself and almost didn’t hear the front door open again. Glancing over, she saw a tall, long-haired figure striding past her towards the locker rooms.

“Morning, Dude,” she called out. The Dude smiled and waved at her and continued on to the locker rooms. A few minutes later, The Dude appeared ready to go in long shorts, a fitted t-shirt and his long hair pulled back in a low ponytail. The Dude was the only guy Lily could think that could pull off the man-tail well. He saddled up to her and watched her jump down from the wave board.

“Morning Luck,” The Dude said to her. Lily groaned and rolled her eyes.

“Can’t anyone forget about that?!” she asked, jumping down off the raised platform and stood next to him. In comparison, Lily looked relatively tiny. Where she was about 5’5” of lean muscle, The Dude was 6’4” of muscle and weight. He got his nickname from his long hair and easy-going attitude. The Dude laughed, throwing his head back a little.

“Nope, it was too adorable,” he replied, making Lily roll her eyes even harder. “So you excited about tomorrow?” he asked when he finally stopped laughing. Lily looked at him confused.

“What’s happening tomorrow?” she asked in response to his question. The Dude looked down at her stunned.

“Tomorrow? The big celebrities are coming by the gym to check it out?” he said as if she should know already. Lily continued to look surprised by his information. “It was in the email that Donovan sent like, two weeks ago.” Lily scoffed.

“You are aware I haven’t actually checked my email since probably about 2016, right?” This time The Dude rolled his eyes at her.

“Aren’t you a manager here or something?” he asked. Lily laughed.

“Or something,” she replied. The Dude laughed with her.

“Girl, get it together,” he said, gently pushing her shoulder. “Tom Cruise and that guy that played Super Man are coming by to check out the gym. They need parkour training and Donovan is going to teach them.” Lily’s eyebrows shot up.

“Are you serious?” she asked. Tom Cruise was major. She remembered watching some of his old movies with her dad. Suddenly a pain gripped her chest and she forced herself back into the present.

“100% serious,” he replied. Lily was shocked. She definitely needed to check her email more often. They stood there talking about their favorite Tom Cruise movies for a few minutes when the opening of the front door caught their attention. Much to Lily’s surprise, her old “friend” Celeste walked in the door. Celeste was a tall beauty with olive skin, long brown hair, and stunning green eyes. She had on a matching navy blue sports bra and leggings which showcased her olive skin perfectly. Her brown hair was pulled back into a tight, clean ponytail and even from the distance she was at, Lily could tell the woman was wearing makeup.

“Well I’ll be damned,” The Dude said under his breath. Lily watched incredulously as Celeste found them and made her way across the room to them.

“Hey guys!” she said awkwardly breathlessly as she stopped just short of the two of them. The Dude and Lily exchanged a look before turning back to Celeste.

“Hey Celeste,” The Dude said cautiously. Celeste gave him a wide, fake smile that made Lily’s intestines turn. “What brings you back to the gym? We figured you didn’t have a membership anymore.” He didn’t have to look at Lily to know what she was thinking. Celeste waved her hand dismissively.

“No, silly,” she started. “I just took a few months off; went back to Cali for a few weeks; saw my brother in New York,” she made a point to look directly at Lily. Lily immediately dropped her gaze and felt her ears grow warm with embarrassment. The Dude cleared his throat.

“Sounds fun,” he said, disdain evident in his voice. Celeste picked up on it and smiled warmly.

“I just wanted to come back and get back into my routines,” she said. A thought occurred to Lily and her eyes shot up.

“You were hoping to see one of those celebrities,” Lily said, more accusation in her tone than she meant. It didn’t matter because she was right. It was evident on Celeste’s face. Celeste shifted in her spot.

“No, of course not, why would I be excited to meet a celebrity? I’ve met dozens of them already,” Celeste replied. Lily smirked realizing she’d made her uncomfortable.

“They’re not here,” Lily said, causing Celeste to look her in the eyes. “They won’t be here until later.” Lily glanced over at The Dude to see if he would correct her. He didn’t.

“Oh, okay,” Celeste said, glancing around the empty gym. “Well, I guess I’ll go get ready to work out then. It’s been great catching up with you two,” and with a small smile and shoulder shrug, Celeste bounced off to the women’s locker rooms. The Dude and Lily watched her leave and once she was safely away in the locker rooms, Lily looked directly at The Dude who shared a similar look.

“Fuck,” she sighed.

—

At around 8:30, Lily dashed from the gym floor to the locker rooms. She quickly showered and dressed in her usual barbershop attire: dark jeans, a blue or gray t-shirt, and her black and white Converse. Her general wardrobe consisted of these same pieces, with a few variations in the mix. She walked out of the gym to find The Dude helping another regular, Megan, on the rock wall. Though he was tall, The Dude was nimble and able to understand situations that required a certain skill. She walked over to them.

“Watch your heels, Rapunzel,” Lily called out to Megan. Her nickname came from the fact that Megan had insanely long blonde hair. It was beautiful and well-kept, but extremely long. Lily loved it. Megan grunted in response and did her best to heed Lily’s advice, but unfortunately couldn’t quite get it. She stumbled backward and landing on her feet on the mat. Groaning, she turned around to Lily and The Dude.

“I’m never going to get it,” she said with pained certainty. Lily smiled at her.

“You’ll get it,” she said. “You just have to stop pushing it and start feeling it,” she looked over at The Dude who was rolling his eyes at her.

“Haha, very funny,” he said, making Lily and Megan laugh. Lily smiled at The Dude.

“Well, I’m out y’all,” she said waving at both of them. Megan and The Dude waved back and Lily headed out to her truck. It was a very old, very beaten blue Chevy Silverado. It was actually her dad’s, but he had no need for it any more, so Lily got it. One of the few good things her dad did for her. She climbed in, started the loud engine, and puttered off into town.

The barbershop where she worked was in the historic downtown square of Taylor. Her uncle Ray owned the shop and had for several decades. Ray was an older, stout man of 60. He had a decent sized beer belly, a handlebar mustache, and piercing blue eyes. Ray wasn’t actually Lily’s uncle, but he was as close to one as she could get. He took care of her during her senior year of high school and later on when she returned from college to find nothing and no one waiting for her.

Parking her car just outside the shop, Lily got out and darted across the empty street to the diner. Inside, she ordered four cups of coffee to go and a few donuts for everyone. When she got her order, she once again crossed the empty street and walked into Ray’s shop. A few regulars were sitting in their respective stylists' chairs. Lily’s station was towards the front. She pulled a cup of coffee out for herself placing on her station, then went around the room handing the other cups of coffee out. Everyone greeted her with kindness and respect. They knew what she had been through with her parents.

Once everyone had their coffee, Lily settled in at her station and waited for her first customer, Mr. Ortiz. At 9:15, Mr. Ortiz hobbled into the shop and straight to Lily’s station. She jumped up and vacated her chair for him. He sat down and told her he wanted the usual, which for him meant a general trim of his hair and beard. Lily immediately got to work and 45 minutes later she was done and checking Mr. Ortiz out at the register. She sat back in her chair after cleaning up the area and decided to check her email. It was overflowing with spam and other junk, so she specifically searched for the email from Donovan. It was there postmarked two weeks ago. She opened it.

Hello team,

I hope this email finds you well. I want you to be the first to know that I have accepted the chance to teach and train two actors for an upcoming movie. They’ll be filming the majority of it in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, but we are one of the best-rated ninja warrior/parkour gyms in the country (go figure!). That means they will be here for a while getting the hang of certain moves and choreography.

The two actors in question are Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill. They are going to be here on Wednesday, the 17th at 7 am. We all know Lucky doesn’t read any of these, so someone please tell her. Other than that, you are all amazing!

Best,

Donovan Troy

Lily rolled her eyes at the line that she wouldn’t read the email. Though it was true, she hated how easy it was for him to read her. Anyway, she easily recognized Tom Cruise and could think of several movies she had seen him in. But, who the hell was Henry Cavill?

----

@taglist:

@maeleeme

#henry cavill #henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill fan fic #henrycavillfanfic #henry cavill fan fiction #henry cavill fanfiction #fanfiction #fan fic #writing #writer #stories #daydream #fantasy #a ninja warrior love story #henryxlily #henryxreader

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ninjasports · 7 months ago

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Master Ninja System - Padded Obstacle Package

Padded Obstacle Package by Resilite

The Master Ninja System offers a fun and challenging obstacle course to help students stay engaged in the gym. Your students will feel like a real ninja warrior after conquering the Master Ninja System - then rearrange the obstacles for a brand new challenge!

All of the obstacles included in the Master Ninja System are crafted with high-quality foam cores and are covered with heavy-duty 18-oz. double-coated vinyl fabric (available in your choice of 14 different colors).

Each Master Ninja System component features Hook-and-Loop tabs to securely fasten to Carpet-Bonded Foam. The Double-Sided Slanted Steps, Ninja Blocks, and the Ninja Stacked Vert Wall feature non-slip surfaces.

The Master Ninja System includes:

(2) Speed Bumps

(1) Set of Four Two-Sided Slanted Steps

(1) Set of Three Ninja Blocks

(1) Small Ninja Block

(1) Medium Ninja Block

(1) Large Ninja Block

(1) Two-Piece Ninja Trapezoid

(1) Ninja Bridge

(1) Ninja Stacked Vert Wall

(1) 24" Landing Mat

Available in your choice of 14 vinyl colors on all pieces of The Master Ninja System. However, one color only with online purchases. To mix colors, please contact the Ninja Sports Manufacturing office at 440-552-4237.

Caution: Resilite Ninja products are designed to be used in conjunction with Carpet-Bonded Foam (CBF). The Hook fastener on the bottom of each unit is intended to attach securely to the carpeted surface of the CBF. Use caution as older CBF surfaces can be worn or compressed to the point that it will not allow he Hook attachment to securely hold the unit in place. ALWAYS CHECK TO ENSURE THE HOOK ATTACHMENT IS SECURELY ATTACHED TO CARPET BEFORE USE; DO NOT USE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES IF UNIT CAN BE DISLODGED FROM CARPET-BONDED FOAM.

SHIPPING: Due to the size of these items, they must ship motor freight. There are many variables when shipping via motor freight, so please contact our office for further information so we may calculate actual freight costs.

IF you choose to order online, all freight orders have a standard shipping fee. If your location deems shipping cost more than the fee included in your payment online, we will notify you via email within 24 hours and include a payable invoice for the remainder of the shipping cost. If you do not want to pay the additional shipping cost then you will have the opportunity at that point to cancel your order.

For any questions about shipping, contact our office at: Email: [email protected] Phone: 440-552-4237

Agreement:

Custom Design Crafts, is not responsible for injuries the purchaser may incur due to misuse, improper installation, or falls that may happen while performing the required exercise. Upon purchasing this product the purchaser agree to not hold Custom Design Crafts, its Employees, affiliates or its owners responsible for damages.

About Resilite Products:

Ninja Sports Manufacturing is an official distributor of Resilite Products.

At Resilite, we take pride in handcrafting each and every one of our mats. Unlike mass-produced mats created by machines, our skilled team puts their heart and soul into meticulously making each mat with the utmost care and attention to detail. We believe that this personal touch results in a product that is truly one-of-a-kind, carrying a sense of authenticity and craftsmanship.

All of our mats (other than our in-stock products) are made-to-order. For our folding mats, landing mats, and other sewn/vinyl products, our current lead times are 6-10 weeks. Our home-use wrestling mats are 8-10 weeks, while our larger wrestling mats are anywhere from 26-30 weeks, depending on the product.

#Padded ninja warrior obstacle #ninja warrior floor obstacles #ninja padded obstacle #padded obstacle package #Resilite obstacles #Resilite padding

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ittybittytatertot · 5 years ago

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Batman & The Flying Graysons Ch. 3

Bruce Wayne was an idiot. Sure, he was a junior chess champion. Yes, he graduated high school early and went on to get fancy degrees from fancy schools across the world. And, it’s true, he has been described as a master of deductive reasoning as well as escape artistry, martial arts, and stealth.

But the real truth is, Bruce was just a theater kid with jock tendencies who liked Sherlock Holmes. He wasn’t actually smart. He didnt have, as one of his best friends was quick to point out, “a lick of common sense”.

But he had no idea how to tell John Grayson that while the acrobat shoved a finger at him and went red in the face trying not to yell.

“Do your parents even know you’re Batman?” John was saying.

“No.”

“No!?” John’s screeched. “How-”

“Sweetheart, we don’t know Bruce. Maybe he has a good reason for not telling them.” Mary tried to reason.

“Don’t know him!? Haven’t you heard? We’re lovers.” John said, Bruce not the only one he was upset with.

Mary sighed, leaning back into the reading chair as she rubbed her temple.

They had sequestered themselves to an office in the east wing after a very uncomfortable tea time where Dick asked more than once “Does this mean I have two dads now?” At the moment, the older Waynes, who had picked up on the awkwardness, were entertaining Dick in the game room, so Bruce, Mary, and John could talk in private.

Bruce’s cheeks were pink with embarrassment as he struggled to think of a way to fix this, “You don’t have to stay here. I can give my parents some excuse, and you can go back to your hotel and forget the whole thing.”

“What about Haly? We still want to help.” Mary looked pointedly at her husband, “Don’t we, Honey?”

John threw his head back with exasperation, “Darling, of course I do, but do you really want to stay here and be made into liars? In front of our own son?”

“Do you want to hunt down a criminal from a hotel room with Dick bouncing off the walls and getting into everything?” She countered. “I don’t like lying to him, but you know if he found out what we’re doing, he’d try to help.”

“And working from here is so much more secure?” John gestured around the office. It was fancy but not spectacularly secure. Especially not if they had to worry about keeping it all secret from not just their snoop of a son but Bruce’s parents too.

“This isn’t where I work.” Bruce said as if that were obvious.

An almost proud smile tugged at the corner of Bruce’s mouth as he walked over to the bookshelf and pulled on a seemingly random book. There was a click and whirring gears before the shelf opened to reveal a secret passageway.

Mary and John stared, jaws dropped, and Bruce gestured them toward the stairs. John swallowed, looking to Mary, and Mary stood up, looking to John. A silent conversation passed through just their eyes before they clasped their hands together and followed Bruce down.

The air grew cool and damp, the stones echoed with each step. The further down they went, the darker is became, until they were led more by the sounds of slowly dripping water and Bruce’s eerily quiet footfalls than their own eyes.

When the floor evened out, the lights came back in full force. Row by row, lighting up the shadowy stones until they reach across the cavern floor to a large series of screens turning themselves on.

Blinking the spots from their eyes, Mary and John found Batman standing in Bruce’s place.

Bruce was an idiot, but Mary and John could appreciate showmanship.

“I knew it!” John laughed, looking up at the bats fluttering among the stalactites. “You do have a cave!”

“I do.” Bruce said with a smile, pulling his cowl down now that his dramatic reveal was over, but the moment the couple turned their backs to him to explore the rest of the cave, his smile dropped. They were the only people other than him to ever see his sanctuary.

Bruce smoothed out his expression and gripped the inside of his cape instead when John turned back to him.

“So this is where the Batman works?” He said, his toned awed despite his earlier anger. Perhaps due to the Ninja-Warrior-esque obstacle course in the far corner that the acrobat’s eyes couldn’t seem to look away from.

“Which means this is where we would work, if we stayed here?” Mary asked, coming to a work bench filled with prototype gadgets.

“It is.” Bruce nodded.

Mary carefully traced a finger around a grappling hook Bruce had left on the table for some fine tuning. She bit her lip, looking to her husband. John met his wife’s gaze, and they again shared a silent conversation.

“And the only catch is we pretend to date you until we clear Haly’s name?” John asked.

Bruce had the decency to look sheepish, “Yes, sorry about that. We can stage a break up now, but that might make things,”

“More awkward.” Mary finished his sentence. She was partially to blame for the situation since she had impulsively agreed to his excuse. “And with Dick...well that won’t be easy, but the manor is a better place for him than a hotel.”

“He’s going to miss that pool though.” John said, only half joking.

“Oh, we have a pool.” Bruce said. “Two if you count the outdoor one we only use in the summer.”

“Of course.” Mary rolled her eyes at the level of wealth. She slid her hand into John’s again. “What do you say, Honey?”

John mulled it over for a second; his decision seemed to come when he glanced back at the obstacle course. He stuck his hand out toward Bruce,

“Looks like you just got two new partners; fair warning, I’m a little high-maintenance.”

Mary and Bruce laughed, and the three of them shook on it.

#earth 386 #long post #dc #ficlet #ch: bruce wayne #ch: john grayson #ch: mary grayson

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falseroar · 6 years ago

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Dark Laughter Part 8: Studio Time

((Here are links to Part 7: Just Be Happy and the start of the series, Part 1: What Dark Saw. Hey look, no warnings this time!))

The studio space that the egos used was, much like the rest of their home, not quite right with reality. Every time it was used it seemed just that little bit different, whether because the ceiling was slightly higher one day than the next or the segmented walls weren’t guaranteed to be in the same place every time the studio was used. Considering the wildly different uses the egos put the area to, there were props and flimsy backgrounds littering the floor everywhere outside of the relatively small space that was actually used for filming.

It also didn’t help that keeping a steady crew outside of the egos themselves was nearly impossible, as the guests weren’t the only ones lucky to survive even one segment. Right now, aside from the four egos standing around the cameras, the only other normal person was a man attending to the monitors where an earlier recording of Bim’s game show was playing.

“Wilford, why did you drag me here?” Dark asked, noticing that the Google standing among the other egos had already spotted him and was attempting to give him a warning glare. Dark returned it with interest and a silent promise to make the android regret any hasty words this time.

The glare was somewhat ruined when Wilford threw one arm around his shoulders and patted Dark’s cheek with his other hand. “I think it’s time to put you in front of the camera again! The fans have been asking for it, and this face deserves to be on the screen!”

Wilford shook his hand after the pat to dispel some of the cold seeping from Dark’s aura as he scowled. Behind him, the row of monitors began to flicker with static and ghost images while the intern pulled off his headphones and threw them as far away as possible.

“Or behind the camera is good too. Can never get enough help these days, and yes, Jerry, I’m talking about you. Tell your wife I said hi!”

Wilford ducked to avoid the mike that sailed through the space where his head had been a second ago and added to Dark as if nothing just happened, “But you want to get in the in, on the up and up, am I right? Here’s where we start.”

Wilford winked and strode across the studio floor toward the four egos.

“Good evening, everyone! Are we ready to start?”

“If you mean start my show, then yes,” Bim said, straightening his tie as he watched Wilford approach. “I have the studio for the day, and we still need to go two more rounds. Isn’t that right, my lovely contestants?”

“Uh, they all, uh, made a run for it,” Eric said from his place offstage and away from the cameras even though they were clearly not on. “During the break. The crew too. Jerry, um, he was the last one but I guess he’s gone now? Not that, uh, that’s Mr. Warfstache’s fault or anything, I’m sure he…had other things to do…”

Yandereplier hissed under their breath and said, “Yeah, kind of hard to finish the game without the players. Sorry, Bim.”

Yandereplier shrugged and the red-shirted Google appeared to be unable to care any less than he already did, but Eric seemed to make a determined effort to appear even smaller than his usual cowering. Bim’s anger, however, had only one target in mind as his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

“Why do you do this every time?! Can’t you let me finish one segment without you butting your giant pink mustache into it?”

“Well, I don’t see how all that was my fault,” Wilford said, not backing down as Bim stormed up to him. “I’ve warned you about locking those doors, but you’re always so surprised when people run away because they ‘want to live’ or whatever. Why do you even bother with these game shows, anyways? Oh, whoop de do, ‘I’m the next Alex Trebek’ or whoever the kids are watching these days. Why don’t you ever change it up a little? Have some fun?”

Bim swelled up and gripped the lapels of his jacket as he gave Wilford the hard stare. “How dare you! Alex Trebek is a national treasure!”

“I’m…not sure that’s what you should be taking offense to,” Dark said as he approached. “And I also recall that you made an attempt to host your own game show, Wilford. What exactly did you have in mind here?”

“Hm…” Wilford paused to consider, long enough to confirm to everyone present he had no clue, before he said, “Oh, I know, how about an interview! Haven’t done one of those in a while.”

“And you’re not doing one while it’s still my studio time,” Bim said.

“Besides, how exactly is doing the thing you’ve always done changing it up?” Yandere asked, but both hosts ignored them.

“I’ll have to get my interviewing knife,” Wilford murmured to himself, patting down his thighs as he spoke. “How embarrassing, to be caught out with only my shooty and no stabbys.”

“Yan, go dig out some costumes, Eric, put on a wig, and Google, find some egos with nothing better to do, we’re finishing this show!”

“…Can I be the contestant that doesn’t have to go through the grinder?” Eric asked.

“Grinder?” Dark repeated.

“Only if you get your questions right!” Bim answered, playfully slapping the younger ego on the back. “…And get lucky with the Wheel of Wow.”

“No one is going through any grinder,” Dark said.

“Because we’re going to need to set up for the interview,” Wilford added. “Eric, find my chairs, Google, set the lighting, Yan, keep being beautiful, you. Oh, who should our guest be? I hear there’s a kid named Sally Face who’s got some wild stories to tell, we just need to get past the guards and—”

“Uh, no, we’re going to finish the game! You can’t just leave the grinder waiting!”

“…I rather think we can,” Dark muttered, noting to himself that this is exactly why almost no one else in the house ever got presents from Santa. He reached out and grabbed Eric’s shoulder while he waffled back and forth on who to listen to and said, “Just give it a minute.”

“I, uh—” Eric flinched as both Wilford and Bim threw out conflicting orders on what he should be doing as their argument escalated, starting with reasonable requests such as to get one of the others and going on to tearing down the set, finding a prison guard’s uniform, and turning on the “fighting music,” whatever that was. “Should we do something?”

“Nah,” Yandere said as they pulled out their phone to check some messages. “This happens all the time. Just let ‘em vent, right Google?”

“To save on memory and data usage, this unit ignores orders until the fighting stops,” Google answered, watching as Bim reached his arm up and around, trying to get a hold of Wilford’s mustache from the half nelson hold Wilford had him locked in. “Longest recorded time was 4 hours, 37 minutes, and 3 seconds.”

“Only because you stopped counting during the great pineapple on pizza debate because you said it was stupid,” Yandere pointed out. “That lasted, like, weeks.”

“Yes. We completed several tasks while you lesser beings were occupied arguing the merits of frivolous and ultimately meaningless energy consumption,” Google said, smiling to himself. “It was a good time.”

As entertaining as this was, Dark didn’t feel like waiting to see if these two would break that record. “That is enough. Wilford, enough!”

He hauled on both of them, pulling them up to their feet and using his aura to separate the two long enough for Wilford to fix his suspenders and Bim to run a hand over some flyaway hairs.

“Neither of you are going to be recording anything,” Dark said, and interrupted them before either could protest. “Bim, you have no crew, no contestants, and you might as well just try to salvage what you can from what you’ve already recorded at this point or start over. Wilford, you don’t even have a guest, much less any prepared questions, and again, no film crew.”

“Pft, who needs preparation?” Wilford asked.

“Weren’t you just saying you wanted to try and work on scripts a few minutes ago?” Dark asked.

“But this is my studio time, I don’t want to just waste it.” Bim scowled. “Who even asked you, anyways?”

“I could let Wilford put you back into a headlock,” Dark offered. “There’s enough cameras around here, maybe we could film that and post it instead.”

“I mean, I got most of it on my phone already,” Yandere chimed in. “But if you want to keep going, we could get some sweet angles, maybe get some props to beat each other with. Google, you can handle music, right?”

“I have access to a wide variety of music which may be suitable for this situation,” Google said. His eyes blanked for a moment and then he added, “Would you prefer heavy metal or banjo?”

“Banjo!” Wilford answered, cracking his knuckles.

Bim paused to consider and said, “You know, if you wanted another pair of eyes on those scripts, I’m sure we can come up with something…A little less harmful to my health?”

Wilford’s mustache tilted as his mouth twisted underneath it and he stroked his chin. “A crossover, you say? A little something to keep the fans guessing?”

Bim couldn’t hide his relief that Wilford was already moving on to another idea, but that meant he now had to follow up. After a moment of struggle, his eyes lit up. “You know, these ninja warrior, ultimate champion obstacle course type shows are fairly popular these days.”

“Obstacles?” Wilford grinned and rubbed his hands together. “Pits. Pendulums. Possibilities.”

“I know where we can get some chiranhas who are ready for some fresh me—er, fun.”

“Bim, my buddy, I think it may be time to move outside of this studio and really get our hands dirty,” Wilford said, throwing an arm around the ego’s shoulders. “Tell me more about these chiranhas.”

Dark watched the two of them start throwing ideas back and forth and admitted aloud, “I may have just unleashed a great evil upon this world.”

“Eh, it’s Tuesday. Bound to happen eventually,” Yandere said with a shrug. “You should see what I got up to in the Occult Club last week.”

“Remember, don’t make any deals with demons without letting me vet them first,” Dark said out of reflex and Yandere snorted. He noticed that Google was still giving him the glare and asked, “What? What problem could you possibly have with me right now?”

“It is my directive to keep an eye on you when in the same vicinity in case you revert to previous modes of behavior,” Google answered. “That same directive warns against behavior designed to curry favor or increased familiarity in an attempt to regain your previous station within the house.”

“For how long?” Dark asked. After all, he could wait. He had been patient before, he could do it again.

“Unspecified.” Google turned his head at a call from Bim and walked away without waiting for Dark’s response. Probably a good thing, as Dark wanted nothing more right then than to rewrite the android’s “directive” in a…manual kind of way.

Before long, Wilford and Bim were drawing out plans across the studio floor with Google running numbers and Yandere throwing in the occasional suggestion. Eric watched from a distance, “um”-ing and attempting once or twice to suggest that some of their ideas might be a little too lethal, but to no avail.

They were so wrapped up in their plans that some time passed before Wilford looked up and then around the studio before asking, “Say, where did that Dark go? He should be helping us!”

“Disagreed,” Bim said. “Do you think a second flamethrower would be too obvious?”

“He left a while ago,” Eric said and looked away when Wilford gave him a sharp look. “I guess he, uh, had something he needed to say to Y/N? Only they walked by the door and he practically ran after them.”

“Logical error noted,” Google said and grunted when Wilford pushed past him and ran out of the studio.

“Yeah, like that,” Eric said weakly. “Is…is something wrong, do you think?”

“Eric Derekson’s statement is incorrect,” Google continued, scowling a little as he rubbed at the spot where Wilford’s hand hit him. “Y/N is currently in the infirmary with another Google unit, and they have not left the room since they arrived two hours ago.”

“Well, it looked like them,” Eric said, frowning.

“Maybe you just wanted to see them,” Yandere said. “I see my Senpai in all kinds of places. In the clouds. In my tea leaves. In the monitor connected to the secret camera I set up in his bedroom.”

“…What?”

Bim sighed at the flurry of notes and stood up, dusting off his pants as he checked his watch. “Is it that late? We’re going to be late for dinner, and I have a feeling Wilford won’t be coming back anytime soon from wherever he’s run off to. Come on, if we’re too late, Chef Iplier will rope us into helping wash the dishes.”

“Ugh, I had prune hands forever after last time,” Yandere said, leading the way to the studio door.

But Google beat them all to it and slammed the door shut before locking it on the inside.

“Uh, what’s the deal there, Googs?” Bim asked.

The ‘G’ glowed on his red shirt, but the android’s eyes were vacant as he spoke as if reading off from an internal memo.

“Lockdown has been initiated. No one is to leave their current area, and no one is to go anywhere alone or unsupervised. All egos are to remain in place for their own safety.”

---

Dark swore as he rounded the corner and found yet another empty hallway. He had seen you just feet ahead seconds ago, but there was no sign of anyone as he continued on, checking every door he walked past as if you had enough time to duck inside before he could catch up. Rain lashed against the windows and he realized that, at some point while he was in the studio, a storm had blown in. Right, the King of the Squirrels had said something about it earlier, hadn’t he? But now the wind shook the house as Dark made his way from room to room before stopping outside of one door in particular.

He knocked, but no answer came from inside your bedroom.

After a pause, he opened the door and peered inside. The room was dark and clearly empty, but he still turned on the light and walked in.

Your bed was undisturbed (how long had you been staying with Mark this time?) and there was nothing obviously out of place as Dark made his way to the closet door and checked inside, just to be on the safe side. A flash of lightning outside the house briefly added to the light in the room and Dark stared down at the empty closet floor.

Where did you hide, when you were at Mark’s house? Was the closet in your room there enough to block out the lightning and thunder and the memories they brought with them?

Dark shut the closet door a little harder than necessary, causing one of the pictures pinned to the board on the wall nearby to flutter. He paused, taking in the series of photographs of you with the other egos, and Mark, and the other friends you had made in the time since you came here. Below the board, a strange stuffed animal sat on top of the dresser, its wide eyes meeting Dark’s. Its species was a complete and total guess, although for some reason Dark hovered between duck or lion.

In its lap was a dried rose petal. It had faded since the time Dark gave the rose to you, the almost black hue more clearly a dark blue that tinted toward red on the outer layer. And, for some reason, there was a trace of green running straight through it.

Dark frowned at the sight of that third color and reached for the petal, but realized he had no time to think about that as thunder shook the house.

“Wilford,” he muttered and turned toward the door.

Only to stop short when he clearly heard a knocking sound, but not from the direction of either door. Following the persistent sound of the knock, Dark turned around and saw the mirror hanging beside your bed, and the figure standing there.

It looked like you, but when Dark met the eyes of the person in the mirror, there wasn’t a single doubt in his mind who he was looking at.

The sound might have been inaudible through the glass, but their response was clear when the District Attorney saw they had his full, undivided attention:

“Finally.”

((End of Part 8. Thank you for reading! “Pits, Pendulums, Possibilities”... probably won’t be coming to a channel near you, for so many legal reasons.

And here’s a link to the next part, Part 9: Storm Warning.

Tagging: @silver-owl413 @skyewardlight @withjust-a-bite @blackaquokat @catgirlwarrior @neverisadork @luna1350 @oh-so-creepy @purpstraw @weirdfoxalley @95fangirl @lilalovesinternet-l @thepoolofthedead @a-bit-dapper @randomartdudette @geekymushroom @cactipresident @hotcocoachia @purple-anxiety-blog @shyinspiredartist @avispate ))

#markiplier #fanfic #darkiplier #wilford warfstache #bim trimmer #googliplier #eric derekson #yandereplier #wkm district attorney #dark laughter #The storm is finally here #It's time to face your fear #Mirror mirror on the wall #Do you really think you can save them all?

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