#no I will not stop being annoyed that now even the Erins are spreading further misinformation
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since-times-long-forgotten · 3 months ago
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does anyone get unreasonably aggravated when they see someone calling a normal split-faced tortie as a chimera? like it literally couldn’t matter less, but it matters to ME, so I feel an overwhelming need to explain how no, that is NOT a chimera, that is a normal tortie, cat genetics just do that sometimes during x-inactivation because of bilateral symmetry. yippee!
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screamingatanemptyroom · 4 years ago
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Restricted Magic Arc 3 pt 8
On October 13th, 2018 I wrote a short story based on a Fictober challenge. That ended up turning into a 3 arc fantasy adventure story of Erin and Gerald, and my first ever long running series on this blog. Before that I had pretty much only done short stories. Unfortunately about a third of the way through the last arc, I hit major writer’s block, and abandoned the story. 
Until now. 
2 years later, I’m posting a new part. I won’t promise steady or frequent updates to this, but I am going to definitely try to finish this story. It was one of my favorites, and I want everyone to be able to enjoy it to the end with me. 
Masterpost is linked here. 
Arc 3 pt 7 linked here in case you want a quick refresher on where I left off.
Enjoy!
_____________________
“We’re running out of time.”
Elsinore whispered to herself, crossing her arms across her chest as she shivered with cold. Her fingers dug into her arms, the skin breaking along the tips of her nails. Rivulets of blood ran down, soaking the sleeve of her prison uniform, the pain of the injury dulled by her inner panic. Pacing back and forth around her cell, she stepped in the fluid dripping off her clothes, tracking red footprints on the well-worn floor.
The illusion of Sophia sat on her bed, watching her with a bored expression. “Pretty sure we have nothing but time, living contained in a cell like this.”
“SHUT UP!” Elsinore glared at her sister’s image. “You heard her! Erin is going to MERION!” She threw up her hands. “Merion! Why would she do this to me? I swore never to return there!”
“Is that what happened?” Sophia tapped a finger to her cheek, “Why do I seem to remember that you were banished?” She grinned, jumping to her feet and walking towards her. Her ghostly image tracked over the pooled blood without disturbing it. “But sure, you can pretend it was your choice to not return. Definitely not your punishment for betraying the country… and selling me to the Devil.”
Elsinore clutched her head, trying to ignore the voice of her dead sister, knowing it was her own illusion magic, her own delusion. “Roderick is planning something… why else would he bring her there of all places? No! We have to kill him before its too late!”
“Is that what you told my daughter?”
“She’s betrayed me.” Elsinore paced faster, her eyes wildly looking around the room. “She’s lost focus. So many years. So many sacrifices. And now she’s forgotten everything and abandoned me?!”
“You mean she’s finally looked to a future beyond killing her father? Wanting to survive, get married, have a life that’s about more than just one horrible man?”
“IT’S ABOUT AVENGING HER MOTHER’S MURDER!” Elsinore screamed at the figment of her imagination. “AVENGING YOUR DEATH! THAT’S ALL THAT MATTERS!”
“Elsinore…”
“SHUT UP!” She waved a blood stained hand, unsure if the dripping fluid was real or not, her gaze focusing inwards. “I haven’t lost sight of the goal. If she won’t kill him.”
“Sister…”
“Then I will. “
There was a moment of tense silence, broken finally by the screams of the guards outside.
“Fire!”
“The whole building’s burning!”
“Here, this way!”
The door to her cell opened, several armed men ran in, their eyes wide, staring at nothing. Elsinore smiled, spreading her hands widely.
“Why thank you, gentlemen. You’ve served your purpose beautifully.”
The men looked at each other with confused expressions, that slowly changed into ones of horror as their minds fell prey to her magic.
“The witch escaped! Don’t think you can run away!” Facing off, they drew their weapons, each striking the other accurately, and slumping to the ground. Even as they died, their faces were confused, unsure of what was real and what was not.
“Illusion is so close to reality, isn’t it.” Elsinore chuckled, stepping over their quickly cooling bodies and walking out the door. “You really shouldn’t be fooled by such simple lies.”
“You’re one to talk!” The image of her dead sister snorted with laughter, but she ignored her.
“Let’s go.”
She walked down the hallway, her pace casual, unhurried as if she were walking in her own home on her way to tea rather than a bloody hellhole.
Along the way she was attacked several times. They never got near her, striking uselessly in the air as they were caught in her magic again and again. One man brushed passed her, and slumped with shock as she restricted his magic. He had time to scream in fear before dying under the confused attacks from his fellow guards.
The building was burning around her, the heat singing her hair as she passed by.
Elsinore passed by the bodies, the carnage, the destruction of her captors, and she quietly began to laugh.
“Sister…” The illusion of Sophia tried to reach out, but Elsinore could no longer hear her as her laughter grew louder and louder.
She walked out of the door, turning briefly to enjoy the sight of the government building that had been her prison going up in flames.
The fire burned brightly against the quickly darkening sky, the smoke filling the area. Elsinore watched it with fascination, unsure if it were truly burning or not. The guards had fired multiple blasts of flames, it was possible that one of them had begun it accidentally, destroying her former prison. But it could still be her illusion magic, Elsinore simply wasn’t sure.
Not that it mattered either way.
Beyond the crackle of the flames there were no other sounds, everyone else beside Elsinore was dead. She leaned her head back, taking a deep breath to calm herself as her laughter died out.
“Roderick… I’m coming for you.”
Finally he would pay for his sins.
Only then would she truly be free.
_____________________
Olivia and Frederick sat in the front car of the magical transport, each enjoying the trip in their own way.
Olivia was looking out the glass window, watching the scenery as the large metal locomotive moved forward, skimming across the sand as if it were as slick as ice. Resting her chin on one palm, she was a picture of calm. However, every once and a while she would shoot an annoyed glance further into the metal car where a banging noise could be heard.
“Frederick I swear, if you break this transport and we have to walk to Merion, I will destroy you.”
CLANG!
An even louder noise filled the small space, as if to mock her threatening words, and a grease-stained Frederick poked his head up from a small compartment in the floor where he had been happily working.
“Really, you will destroy me?” he grinned. “You and what army?”
Olivia studied her nails, ignoring his sarcasm. “It’s strange…I seem to remember during our last sparring session one of us being defeated… badly.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Like, so badly it was humiliating.”
“Ugh, please don’t…”
“I wonder who that was again?” Her grin was vicious.
Frederick glared. “Fine. Point taken. But keep in mind, I’m not breaking anything!”
“Really? That banging noise I heard was you just passively observing?”
“No, but all I’m doing is trying to get a closer look at this mechanism.” His eyes brightened. “It’s incredible to see a magical artifact like this, something so huge but it moves so smoothly!”
With one hand gesturing further down into the space below the floor, he continued to excitedly explain. “A level 5 earth artifact like this is the stuff dreams are made of. It actually combines several different magics involving the connection between the vehicle and the ground as well as speed adjustment, terrain variability…”
“STOP!” Olivia gave up. “It’s so boring. Please don’t make me listen to another hour long lecture on the wonders of artifacts!”
“This isn’t just an artifact!” He argued back. “This is a work of art!”
“Still boring.”
“How about we compromise? You listen to me gush about how awesome this artifact is, and in return, I’ll let you talk as long as you want about a topic you want.”
“Fashion.”
He winced at her immediate answer. “Really?”
“It’s that or we talk about the many horrifying and disgusting ways the human body can break down and how to fix them with healing magic.”
“…” Frederick sat their silently with a pained expression.
“Well?”
“I’m thinking, I’m thinking!” He gave a long sigh. ”Fine. Fashion it is.”
Olivia rubbed her hands together. “This will be fun!”
“Okay, but first I get to talk about this artifact.”
“Deal.” She stuck out her hand, which Frederick grasped and shook briefly.
“So, the first thing I love about the mechanism of this particular artifact…”
“Hey you guys!” Christopher interrupted Frederick’s impassioned words as he walked into the car with a pleasant smile. “Enjoying the trip so far?”
Frederick and Olivia didn’t turn to face him. Frederick looked back down at the hatch with a frown, while Olivia pulled out a filing board and began touching up her nails. Neither bothered to respond.
“It looks like you were studying the engine?” Christopher noticed the open hatch in the floor, his cheerful expression fading a little. “That could be very dangerous, I really wouldn’t advise that.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Frederick snorted with laughter. “I know what I’m doing. If I want your opinion on something that you actually know something about, I’ll ask for it.” Rubbing his head with one hand, a trail of grease was left on his forehead.
Olivia pulled out a handkerchief, cleaning him off. “That’s bold of you, assuming he knows something about any topic.”
“Don’t be silly!” Frederick flinched at her scrubbing, but rolled his eyes and finished letting her clean off his face. “He knows a lot about a ton of different subjects!”
“Like what?”
“How about flirting with everything that moves like a dog in heat?”
She nodded solemnly. “You’re right! How could I have forgotten?”
“There’s also harp playing.”
“How about fiancé stealing?”
“Puppy murdering?”
“Hey!” Christopher broke into their back and forth with a frustrated groan. “I thought we had agreed to put that awful nickname behind us?”
Frederick nodded seriously. “You’re right. It was getting old. We need a new one anyways.”
“That’s not what I…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Never mind. I’m looking for Erin. Where is she?”
Olivia and Frederick glanced at each other, and then answered simultaneously.
“She died.”
“Who’s Erin?”
Christopher’s face was twitching, he seemed to force himself to hold a friendly expression.
“Guys, can you tone down the hostility? I’m her fiancé. It’s not like I’m trying to hurt her.”
“You think this is hostility?” Frederick laughed. “That’s cute.”
“I’m really a friendly guy once you get to know me.”
Olivia laughed. “Just keep telling yourself that, Kitten Killer.”
“Ooh I like the new nickname!” Frederick politely applauded.
“I thought the alliteration would give it a certain flair.”
“It certainly did.”
“WE’RE GETTING OFF TOPIC!” Christopher’s voice was raised. He paused, seemingly shocked at the crack in his normally impervious polite mask. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he continued in a more reasonable tone. “Look. I’m just asking a simple question. Do you know where Erin is, or not?”
Olivia stood up, her face grim. “I’ve been wanting to say this for a while.” Her finger raised in the air, poking Christopher’s chest hard enough to force him to step back. “Erin is a better person then you or I will ever be. She’s my best friend in the whole world and I would crawl naked over broken glass before betraying her again. So no, I don’t know where she is, I will never know where she is.” She glared. “At least as far as you’re concerned.”
Christopher stared back at her, confused. “What do you mean again?”
“Olivia, you don’t have to tell him…” Frederick tried to interrupt, but Olivia quickly took over.
“No. He should understand this.” She turned back towards the golden haired young man with a frown. “I made a mistake. I let myself be used by Erin’s enemies. I used an artifact to steal other people’s powers and let her take the blame. I even kidnapped…”
“YOU USED WHAT?!” His earlier calm completely erased, Christopher reached out and grabbed Olivia’s shoulders, shaking her back and forth, silencing her. “You stole other’s powers, leeched their magic, and she FORGAVE you?” He snorted derisively, his face still red with rage. “Impossible. She must not have realized what you were doing! Otherwise she would have left you, there’s no way…”
BAM!
Frederick had moved, almost faster than the eye could follow, and pushed Christopher away from Olivia, slamming him back against the wall of the transport. His fist slammed against the wall, fire magic blazing around his fingers.
“Don’t. Touch. Her.” Frederick looked calm, but his eyes showed the anger just underneath the surface.
“What, no quippy jokes?” Christopher raised an eyebrow, seemingly unconcerned by the burning fist mere inches away from his face. “How unlike you.”
“Just keep going in this direction, and I’ll give you something to laugh about.”
The young man sighed, looking tired. “Fine, fine, I can take a hint. I’ll go away. You can stop threatening to set my hair on fire.”
Frederick stepped away slowly, the flames around his hand sputtering out, and Christopher turned and left through the door towards the next car without another word.
“…” Olivia stepped forward, a complex expression on her face. “Thanks for that.”
“No problem.” Frederick shrugged with a grin. “It’s not your fault you’re so weak that you get bullied by everyone else… but it’s more fun if I’m the one who gets to do it.”
“…”
“Olivia?”
BAM!
“OW!”
_____________________
“You okay?” Gerald reached over from his seat across hers and held Erin’s hand between his own. They had grabbed their own passenger car after Frederick loudly complained about their public display of affection blunting his cynicism and hatred for the world. Erin had rolled her eyes at the time, but was now appreciating the space. The car was quiet, with only the low rumble of the engine moving the transport to break the silence.
She shrugged, staring out the window as the land raced past.
“I’m not sure what’s ahead, but worrying about it won’t change anything. We have to face it.”
“Hey at least the worst is behind us.” At his words, she turned to look at him incredulously.
“What do you mean?”
“EXAMS ARE OVER!” He pumped his fist in the air, a goofy smile on his face. “I’m so happy we survived.”
Erin sighed. “Even ignoring the fact that you somehow have placed exams as the worst thing after we have faced murderers, assassins and entire ARMIES together… you do realize we still have to take final exams at the end of the year before we can graduate?”
“…” Gerald stared at her, looking shocked.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
His only answer was a sad groan. Chuckling, Erin patted his cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you prepare.”
“Well at least there’s that.”
They sat in companionable silence for a few moments, both watching the scenery from the window.
“Gerald, I’m worried.” She leaned her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in his warmth.
“What’s wrong?”
“I think I’m starting to lose control.” She rubbed her forehead. “It used to be easy to keep things hidden, keep things restricted, but now… It’s like something is unbalanced inside me. How many times have I destroyed whole buildings since we’ve returned?”
“I mean, I’m just saying, if your father and that brat of a fake fiancé would leave you alone you could stop rearranging the school architecture, …”
“Maybe it’s from using Aunt Elsinore’s magic for so long… maybe it’s something else. I don’t know…”
“Well maybe we can ask her… have you heard anything from Aunt Elsinore?” Gerald asked her quietly.
Erin shook her head. “No, not since our last conversation, even though I’ve tried several times to contact her.” Her hands curled into fists. “Do you think…”
“Think what?”
“Think my father got to her?” She closed her eyes. “She’s never been out of reach before… and now I worry…”
“Erin…”
“That she’ll end up just like my mother.”
“ERIN!” At Gerald’s shout her eyes sprang open. The window next to them was cracked, the seat around her torn to shreds. It looked as if a storm had raged in the tiny passenger cabin. Erin stared around her, feeling shocked.
“You see?” She reached out, gently touching the cracked glass. “Ever since we fought that army, even the artifact isn’t doing much anymore.”
Gerald sighed. “Your magic flows a lot more easily now then it ever did. With my level 5 Insight you glow like a sun. The amulet holds back less and less each day.”
“It was always supposed to be a temporary solution. But I need it to shield things for a little bit longer. A foreign country is not exactly the best place to confront my father.”
She sighed, placing her head in her hands. “I think he suspects my true powers already.”
“Well, I’ll contact my parents, ask my people to look into what’s happened to Aunt Elsinore.”
Erin smiled at his attempt to comfort her. “Really? It would make me feel a lot better to know she’s safe.”
“Of course! I’ll call them as soon as we arrive.” His head snapped up as he finished talking, seeming to sense something, as he turned towards the door of the cabin with a furious expression. 
“No need.”
The words were spoken quietly, barely audible within the passenger car, but the effect on Erin and Gerald was instantaneous.
She leapt to her feet, her face pale and angry, every muscle in her body tense and ready for a fight. Gerald also stood, putting his body partway between Erin and the new arrival, his posture clearly communicating an intent to protect as hers was to attack.
General Roderick smiled, the expression causing cold chills to run down Erin’s spine. “Sit down. We’re not going to fight here.”
Reluctantly, Gerald and Erin sat back, down, this time on the same side. Slowly, her father walked closer, sitting across from them, casually looking around, ignoring the increasingly tense atmosphere.
“What did you mean by ‘no need’?” Erin’s mind was racing as she thought back through their conversation. What had he overheard? How long had he been standing there?
Gerald squeezed her hand reassuringly beside her, and Erin calmed down slightly, with his insight there was no way her father could sneak up on them easily.
“Your inquiries after your aunt.” Roderick’s smile widened. ��I’m afraid she’s no longer to be found in her government residence.”
“You mean her prison.”
He ignored her interruption, continuing. “She burnt the whole place down, killing all of my men.”
“…” Gerald and Erin stared at each other in shock.
“I assume you will see her soon enough, so need to waste the time looking for her.”
“What do you…?”
“She’ll be on her way to kill me.” Even as he discussed her aunt’s murderous intentions, he seemed… bored. “I expect her sometime in the next few weeks.”
Erin stood up again, struggling to hold in her magic as anger took hold. “You could be lying. She might be still imprisoned, injured, or…or dead…”
“Oh, Éirinne.” He threw back his head, laughing. The sound filled the room, filling her with unease. His eyes met her own and she nearly stepped back at the sense of danger. “I have no reason to lie. She means nothing to me. Her hatred, her desire for vengeance, mean even less to me than yours.”
At these words he turned to leave the room, almost running into Christopher.
“FINALLY! Erin, I’ve been looking for y…” The golden-eyed young man trailed off as he stopped in front Roderick. His face paling, he sketched an elaborate bow. “Pardon me, General.”
Her father frowned, stepping back away from him as if wary of being too close. “Be more careful in the future.”
With that, he was gone, and Erin could breathe once again.
“Well, at least you’re good for something!” Gerald grinned, although the expression was strained. “Driving away nuisances like General Roderick.”
Christopher shook his head, looking offended. “I didn’t drive him away! He was already leaving.” Hesitating, he took a step towards Erin, who stared impassively back at him.
“Erin, can we talk alo…”
“No.” Her answer was short, she turned away from him to face the window. Undeterred, Christopher stepped forward again.”
“I just need to…”
“I cannot tell you how very little I care for what you want or need to do.” Her gaze met his, and Erin didn’t bother to hide her rage. “Leave me alone, and you can still leave in one piece.”
“…” A silence came over the room. Gerald stood at Erin’s side, arms crossed. He didn’t comment but his posture made it clear he supported Erin’s words.  Finally, Christopher sighed.
“FINE.” He threw up his hands. “Just bury your head in the sand, try to pretend the world isn’t ending. I’m trying to save it, but you are so wrapped up in hating me, that you can’t see it!” His face for once did not hold his pleasant, masklike smile but a snarl of frustration. “You know what? Forget it! I’m tired of all of this. You can come crawling back to me when you regret it, and hopefully it won’t be too late. ”
He turned to walk out, but paused to say one last thing.
“How could you be so different from your mother?!”
And with that he was gone.
Erin felt her head spin, and unsteady, sat down, clutching the edge of the window for support. The seat cushion underneath her began tearing, the wood groaning under the strain as her poorly controlled magic bent it away from her. The spider web cracks deepened on the window, the frame warping around it.
“Erin, are you okay?!”
After a long, uncomfortable pause, Erin looked up at Gerald, trying to take deep breaths, to control her emotions, her magic.
“How does Christopher know my mother?”
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nate-santos · 5 years ago
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Clamie Bit My Finger || Nate & Alain
Location: The Hospital Time: Shortly after Alain lost a dear finger Parties Involved: @deadicated-nate, @carbrakes-and-stakes, One very rude coughing patient zero for the coronavirus
Throbbing pain, constant and sickening. Alain felt as if he was going to either throw up or faint. He didn’t remember anything from the ride to the E.R. other than Cassie and Erin speaking and him clenching his jaw the whole time.His jaw was probably sore, but he did not think too much of it. It was only as a nurse spoke to him that he spoke, slower than usual, taking deep breaths between questions. The news that he would be given painkillers came as a relief, although he was concerned to hear that they wouldn’t stitch his would immediately, and rather put a bandage to stop the bleeding. He understood that they had a lot of injuries to take care of, but he would have thought his injury would be more urgent than that. He supposed that he probably should be relieved about this, but he was just annoyed. “Are you fucking kidding me,” he groaned, shuffling across the hall to get to the waiting room, now dressed in clean, dry scrubs. Sitting next to a guy who was not coughing or close to any children, Alain sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair.
One of Nate’s go-to places was the ER. Not that he actually hurt himself often, but he ended up asking for medical advice much more often than his general practitioner would allow. So here he was, sitting patiently in the waiting room, settling himself in as far from any of the sick or contagious people as he possible could be. He opened up the book he brought, knowing it may take a while to get to him. One of the downsides to having to come through the ER- long wait times. Especially when the week White Crest was having had resulted in many more...strange injuries than normal. Nate looked down at the small scrape on his elbow, hoping that he’d managed to get enough neosporin on it to prevent any major infections, but his inspection was quickly interrupted by a man sitting down much too close for his comfort. He was holding his bandaged hand and Nate felt his stomach churn when he saw the blood. “Hey uh...what...what happened?” He nodded anxiously to the man’s hand, hoping he hadn’t just been chased by some giant lobster that he happened to lead right into the waiting room.
Alain looked at the guy sitting next to him after a couple of seconds which was the amount of time it took him to register that he was actually speaking with him. Great. Now he had to endure small talk, after what he had just been through. “I can sit somewhere else if you can’t stand the sight of blood,” if it took him a while to realize that they spoke to him, he could still read a face, especially one he’d seen often in a mirror. Anxiety. He took a deep breath. Truth was, he was feeling stressed too, about his finger, of course, but mainly because he wouldn’t be able to hunt for a while. He needed this hand to fight. “I lost my finger,” he finally replied, swallowing his saliva and realizing that he was too suffering from his own anxiety. That ball of stress stuck in his throat was growing. Rubbing at his face with his left had, he sighed. This was going to be a long wait. “What about you? Why are you here?”
Nate’s eyes flitted back and forth between the man’s hand and the door, wondering if it was too late or too rude for him to bolt. But then he wouldn’t be able to get his elbow looked at. His face was pained as he weighed his options. It was his own fault that he was now in a conversation with a man who had lost a finger and while he had a burning need to know how, Nate also wasn’t entirely sure he did want to know. “N-no, I’m ok with blood.” Nate stared at the man apprehensively, only a little bit relieved that he didn’t seem to be afflicted with anything contagious. “I’m more worried about uh…” he nodded over to a woman who hadn’t stopped hacking her lungs out since she arrived two hours ago. She refused to cover her mouth and it was honestly an achievement that she hadn’t actually expelled a lung. “Oh, I uh…” Nate sheepishly rubbed his elbow. His injury was much less dire than losing a finger, but the threat of infection was real. “I’ve been exposed to potential infections and I wanted to get some antibiotics.”
Alain still decided to move his injury to his left, resting his wrist against his shoulder. It was not very comfortable, and he would probably end up back with his hand close to that guy, but at least he’d tried, unlike that rude woman, he also had noticed, coughing her lungs out without caring one bit for the rest of the patients. “Hey,” he called her out but she didn’t seem to even listen, “hey,” he repeated, already annoyed. Must have been that he had been through a lot of shit today, right? Right. “You think you can cover your mouth when you cough? Is it something you can do?” His eyebrows raised as he watched her roll her eyes in response. “Quelle connasse,” he muttered to himself, sighing. He glanced back at his chair neighbor and listened to him instead. Was he talking about HIV ? Well that sounded more serious than losing a piece of your finger. Alain could live with that, at least. “Wow, you’re okay?”
Nate cringed when the man raised his voice, but a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. Nate wasn’t the kind of guy to yell or stand up for himself in any way, so he’d been silent for hours when the woman was not only being rude but hazardous to literally everyone else in the room. He nodded at the woman, who was far from the only perpetrator in the ER. “I’m not sure she has the capability to understand basic manners. She’s been doin’ that for over two hours.” Every cough or sneeze had Nate jumping and clutching his chest, but for the most part this was just an average trip to the hospital for him. “Oh, yeah...hopefully.” He shrugged, trying not to show how nervous he was and sounding all the more forlorn. “Are you uh, french?” He tried to change the subject, falling into awkward small talk. “That’s lame...and weird, sorry. Just, the accent. And the french words.”
“Probably not. Maybe the cough got to her brain,” he commented, and, attempting to cross his arms in discontempt, winced and held his hand back up. “I hope they won’t keep me waiting two hours, I feel like coughing is not an emergency,” Alain rolled his eyes. People using the ER as some kind of doctor appointment pissed him off. What part of “emergency” did they not get? Apparently his grumpiness was contagious : a soccer mom with her son started to complain to the woman as well. “Yeah, well hang in there. I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he would have patted him in the back, but pretty sure that no one would want a wounded hand near them, decided against it. “As a matter of fact, yes,” his eyebrows raised. Were they going to talk about that for the following… eternity waiting? Alain rarely went to the doctor, and had forgotten that waiting rooms were small talk hubs. “It’s fine. Call me German and you’ll have a nose to fix too, however,” he smiled and shook his head, laughing through his nose. Heh, maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad.
Nate laughed nervously, knowing the guy was probably joking, but also knowing that whatever illness that woman had may have actually affected her brain. He leaned even further away from her. “You’ll probably be seen soon,” he nodded at the blonde nurse behind the counter. “Elise is working, she usually gets people in and out pretty quickly when they have more urgent injuries.” An awkward smile appeared on Nate’s face. He felt a little guilty, as his potential infection might not be seen as an emergency to most, but that’s why he was waiting patiently despite being surrounded by a cornucopia of contagians. He raised his hands in defense. “Promise, I won’t call you German. But uh...what should I call you? I’m Nate.” He wrapped his arms around himself as if to make it abundantly clear that he would not be shaking anyone’s bloody, fingerless hand.
“Elise? She’s a friend of yours?” Alain glanced at the man sitting next to him, his attention diverted once again by the coughing woman. He pinched at the bridge of his nose. What would be the point of getting into an argument now ? “You can call me Alain, he replied absent-mindly, leaning forward to have a look at the magazines scattered on the coffee table in front of them. They looked like they had been here for a while, and he decided against grabbing one when he saw unidentified stains on one of them. Now this was disgusting. When he glanced back at Nate, he noticed that he’d tucked away his hands. Maybe he’d get along with him. He was not fond of touching people either and only very few people respected that. “What do you do for a living, Nate?”
“Yeah, I’ve known her for a few ye-” Nate flinched as the offending woman continued to cough. “Years.” He frowned, curling in on himself even more. Eyeing the new group of children who were being ushered into the room by one seriously overwhelmed parental figure, Nate reached into his pocket for one of his many on-the-go hand sanitizers. He glanced over at Alain and saw the other man debate picking up one of the borderline crusty magazines and decide against it. He smiled a bit and held out the hand sanitizer. “I’m an uh- architect? It’s...more exciting than it sounds.” Nodding to the man’s bloody hand. “Does that happen...often in your line of work?”
“Oh come on,” Alain called her out once again, raising his voice further. “Cover your mouth and stop spreading your microbes or get out of here, you are annoying a whole room of people who are already worried or in pain,” he raised his hand up to show her his bandage, and leaned back in his chair, hoping that this would be his last time lecturing a fucking grown up. Blowing air through his nose, he had a look at his phone for a moment. He probably should message his employees and tell them that he wouldn’t be around for at least a couple of days, he told himself. Typing the message proved to be difficult, and he did not bother correcting a few typos that had slipped in there. “I’m a mechanic, that’s… how I lost my finger,” he shrugged at the next question and instead took an interest in the architect. “That’s pretty exciting, what are you talking about. What are you working on right now?”
Nate jumped as Alain raised his voice once again, smirking to himself. If only he could be so bold. He used to be. It was comforting to see another person as anti-germ as he was, even if he was a bit more bristly than Nate. He almost asked if the guy needed help texting, but figured he probably wouldn’t want someone who might have a deadly infection touching his device. “Oh- I’m sorry...Do you think they can sew it back on?” He squirmed in his seat. “Oh uh...nothing special. I just did a walk through of an old house out in the Outskirts, something about proving it was in disrepair due to age rather than...supernatural means?” He shrugged. “Other than that, I’ve just been drawing up a lot of new roofs thanks to the whole fish situation.”
Alain shook his head. He had never been good with lies, mainly because he hated lying. Seeing all the things he’d seen, you grew to have quite the imagination skills. “I don’t think so. I was unable to retrieve the thing,” not a lie. It was indeed impossible for him to open the clam after it died. “It’s okay. This kind of shit happens,” he shrugged. Well, he was actually more worried than he let it transpire but since shit happens had become his motto over the years, he was getting used to it too. “What do you mean supernatural means? You think ��� those things exist?” His eyebrows raised in surprise. One of the hardest part of his job was not to kill vampires and zombies, but rather convincing people that they did not see what they saw. “You must be pretty busy. I had my roof replaced a couple years ago, so it’s holding up pretty well so far. Fingers crossed.”
Nate winced, feeling a shiver run down his spine. He couldn’t imagine losing his finger with no hope of reattaching it and being as calm as Alain was being. Then again, if he worked in the more physical aspect of building houses instead of just working with paper and math and hypotheticals, maybe he would be more used to that sort of thing. As it was, however, Nate continued to shiver. “Oh...I’m really sorry. You’re taking it a heck of a lot better than I would be.” Nate glanced up, wondering if it was a trap. He knew lots of people in town didn’t believe in the supernatural, but he knew enough of it existed to not doubt the existence of so much more. “Oh, well you know. I think ghosts exist, and I wouldn’t put it past this town for more weird stuff to be real too. But the whole point of that inspection was to really prove that ghosts did not live in the house and were definitely not responsible for people getting hurt.” Nate smiled lightly, his head lifting. “That’s good! It should definitely hold up for a while longer. And if something does happen, you can reroof first, which would save a lot of money and a big headache of replacing the whole thing.”
“So you believe in ghosts then,” he raised an eyebrow, faking concern as he’d done it so many times before. No matter how hard hunters worked, people always seemed to suspect something about the town. “Why would someone ever want to buy a house where someone had to come to prove it’s not haunted is above my understanding, but hey, to each their own.” How this was the job of an architect, Alain was not sure about that one either. Architecture school probably did not give classes on haunted house. “So your job as an architect is to play Ghostbuster ?” Clearly, this was confusing. Or maybe he had lost too much blood and the medicine they had given him minutes ago was starting to work really well. Alain cleared his throat and looked away from Nate for a moment, his eyes glancing at his bandage, at his hand. He had mostly avoided to look at it since they had entered the room, and he was not feeling very well, looking at it now. A shiver ran down his spine and he felt his anxiety rush back up his throat, building its nest there, and forcing him to take heavier breathes. He had really lost a finger out there. Absentmindedly, he managed to reply to Nate that reroofing seemed like a good idea.
Nate shrugged. “I’m not spiritual per say, but yeah, I think ghosts are real. I’ve never seen one or anything, though.” Shaking his head, Nate ran his hand absently over his scraped elbow, flinching at the slight pain. “I couldn’t tell you. People in this town are weird. I don’t uh...I definitely am not a Ghostbuster. I just sometimes go check out old buildings and prove that any odd happenings are due to structural instability and overall lack of upkeep rather than because some ghosts took up residence.” His eyes flickered down to the man’s bandaged hand, an influx of blood spreading out through the gauze. “Uh...do you- I’ll be right back.” Nate stood carefully, eyeing his waiting room companion. “Hey Eloise, could you uh...would you mind bumping up this guy on the list? Alain- he said his name was?” Nate looked back at the man, his brow furrowed with worry as if it were him who had just lost a finger. “Hold on there, man. They’re gonna get you in ASAP.”
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erineverly · 6 years ago
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                         ˗ˏˋ❤ˎˊ˗┊𝓗appy 34th Birthday, Axl !!! / @thornrosed
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            Not even in her wildest dreams did Erin think she would ever get to celebrate Axl’s birthday again. Watch his angelic features contort as he focuses on making a wish right before blowing the candles on his cake out, see the brightest of grins when he’s carefully unwrapping each of his presents, feel his warm, loving arms around her as a silent thank you — it all seemed surreal, it still does. Too surreal to even hope for. Life isn’t a wish-granting factory, it’s not a fairytale and yet here she is, feeling like she’s just won a lottery and making sure to turn February 6th, 1996 into one of the most memorable days in Axl’s life. It just has to be unforgettable.
             The most delicate tints of yellows and reds fill the sky over Malibu all at once, reflecting off the oddly at this time of year peaceful ocean. The sun rises as a ball of gold, bright amid the blue, bidding the very few stars to take their daily rest. Silvery wisps of clouds are scattered across the sky, highlighted by the pinks and oranges expanding along the horizon. The white linen curtains, stretching from the ceiling all the way down to the bedroom floor, billow as a rather brisk and chilly morning breeze comes in through the open window. If today was a day like any other, just another unimportant Tuesday, the curly-haired woman would already be tugging at her boyfriend’s arm and whining for him to get up. However, today is supposed to be anything but ordinary and for once in her life, Erin doesn’t mind letting her boyfriend get as much sleep as possible. Staying in bed a little longer suddenly seems extremely appealing even to someone who’s such an early bird.
             “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.” Erin might no longer be a teenager but somehow her voice is still rather babyish and almost bashfully quiet. It’s filled with more than just an ounce of joy nonetheless. There’s something incredibly carefree and cheerful about these few sweet notes as they fall into the cool air around them. Dulcet tones creating the most precious melody that comes straight from the girl’s loving heart. She leans in just an inch or two to be even closer to her boyfriend’s ear, rosy lips tickling his porcelain skin. Dainty fingers combing affectionately through his long, fiery locks, brushing them out of his forehead with utmost delicacy almost as if she was trying to wake up Heaven’s favorite angel. And perhaps that’s true, maybe he really is a beautiful creature with invisible wings. “Happy birthday dear Axy, happy birthday to you.” Pressing a small kiss to the top of his head as she concludes the adorable song, Erin can feel her heart expanding with an immeasurable amount of love. She never thought feelings as strong as the ones swirling around in her chest now were real and could happen outside of fairytales. “Good morning, birthday boy.”
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             Softly murmuring something incoherent under his breath, the redhead slowly wakes up to the soothing sound of her girly voice. There’s a shy smile creeping onto his features even before his eyelids have a chance to start twitching and emerald eyes flicker open. He’s lazily bringing his muscular arms from underneath the blankets and wrapping them around her neck, pulling the petite girl into his embrace. He makes heart swell, makes her feel more alive. Safe in their little cocoon and protected from all the worries of everyday’s life, she’s melting like never before. Her stomach flutters at the feeling of his body pressed so tightly against hers and she can’t help but sink even further into the warmth of his side, appreciative of the simple albeit incredibly special gesture. “Good morning, my lion man!” Wasting no time, Erin immediately begins showering his dimpled cheeks with sweet kisses. She knows exactly how grumpy the redhead gets in the morning and how he dislikes making a big deal out of his birthday, but she has a strong feeling that things will be a little different today. It seems to her that he’s nowhere near being grumpy now. “It’s your birthday, handsome angel,” a soft coo emits from the brunette as she keeps bathing in the kind of warmth only his body can provide and pecking his cheeks. “You don’t even know how happy I am to be here with you today. I’m one lucky girl to have you in my life. You’re my greatest blessing.”
             Being the kind of person who always pays a lot of attention to the detail and appreciates all the little things other people do for her, Erin happily stayed up late last night to decorate their bedroom once Axl had fallen asleep. She just couldn’t leave it bare and dull-looking. It’s not like her to be lazy and choose the easiest way when it comes to important things like making her boyfriend feel loved on his own birthday. So, now there’s at least a hundred blue and white balloons, floating above their heads and a giant, homemade sign with little roses and paws ( because he’s always been and still is her Simba ) around the bright, glittery letters taped to the wall that says — HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE LION ! She didn’t forget about the flowers, either. There’s a glass, beautiful in its simplicity, vase standing on top of the drawer. A bouquet of red roses and sunflowers, something to symbolize not only her love for Axl but the unity between their souls as well. The sunlight, coming through the window, makes the colors seem even more radiant, tenderly kissing each petal and shining upon the foliage of deepest green. Their gentle aroma brings back all the happy memories to Erin. All the bags and boxes wrapped up in blue and red paper with white bows on top are waiting for the birthday boy in the kitchen. Erin’s planning on making him chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast while he’s busy unwrapping his gifts.
             But right now, she’s taking her time and making sure Axl knows just how much he means to her, how special and how beautiful in every way he is. She doesn’t want him to feel insecure today, like he’s not manly enough or something just as ridiculous. It’s his day, after all. It’s all about what he wants and how he wants it. “I love you more than you’ll ever know. I’ll love you forever-ly.” Giggling softly at the old joke of theirs, Erin cups his cheek and begins affectionately stroking his soft skin. “Gosh, I never want to miss your birthday again. February was horrible, and I mean horrible without you.” Plump lips pressing tender, lingering kisses to whatever part of his body they can reach — dotting his jawline, gracing his chin, spreading all over his cheeks, falling onto his nose like rose petals, covering his temples, even his neck and prominent collarbones aren’t forgotten. Manicured fingertips roaming all over the taut skin of her boyfriend’s stomach, affectionately tracing the outlines of his abs. “Happy birthday, my sweetest strawberry,” Erin whispers in between the kisses for what already feels like a millionth time today. She can’t help it, though. There’s nothing that should be treasured and celebrated more than the gift of life and that’s what she’s trying to do. Wrapped up in the warm blankets, surrounded with soft pillows and their love, it feels like they’re in their own little paradise. The world has stopped for a brief moment, so that the two of them can just be together and not worry about anything. Not yet, at least.
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              There are exactly thirty-four strawberry and chocolate cupcakes with vanilla icing tumbling over the plate that sits on the bedside table, patiently waiting for the birthday boy to be fully awake and enjoy their sweet taste. Each of them is covered in rainbow sprinkles ( these are Erin’s favorite but she knows that Axl loves them too ) and has a red candle stuck in the middle. Their aromatic fragrance overpowers every other scent, lingering in the room. Even the roses don’t really stand a chance with that many freshly baked cupcakes. “I wanted to do something different,” the brunette explains, seeing just how surprised the redhead is. A joyous smile gracing her lips as she reaches out to take his lighter. She picks up one of the muffins and fixes the annoying strap of her nightgown, the one that just refuses to stop falling off her shoulder. “Now you can make one wish for each year you’ve been alive because just one? Really? What? That can’t possibly be enough. You deserve more than that.” Chuckling, it might seem like a joke but Erin is actually far from kidding as she carefully lights up each of them and encourages Axl to come up with all sorts of wishes. Finding her childish giggles contagious, the singer starts laughing along with his crazy girlfriend and has no other choice but to sit up, tuck his hair behind his ears and blow out all these candles. Somehow managing to make a long list of things he hopes can come true. He’s always been a dreamer and no matter how far he’s come, he still has a head full of plans and ideas and he still believes in magic.
              He doesn’t know that yet but Erin’s about to drop a huge amount of magic onto his shoulders later today and she’s not sure how he’ll react. She can only pray that he won’t start freaking out. It’s something he’s wanted for so long, but sometimes you never know, right? Everything changes, after all.
              Chest tightening, heart pounding in her chest, the brunette doesn’t want him to sense the sudden fear settling in the pit of her stomach and she’s quickly getting up. “I have something else for you! Wait here!” She cheerfully exclaims even though her voice is on the verge of cracking. Disappearing behind the door only to come back a minute or two later with a birthday card. It’s this tiny part of his gift that she made herself. She remembers giving him a similar one on this day just ten years ago, when they were just friends or maybe not even that. It was a few days after they’d met but she knew, she knew even then that this boy was going to change her life forever. It seems to be a tradition of theirs by now, these birthday cards. The front is messily decorated with all sorts of colorful doodles; balloons, a big cake, flowers, swirls, hearts and the most important part — a lion and a butterfly. The two of them. Inside, there are birthday wishes written in cursive by the blue-eyed girl. Dear Ax-el, thanks for being my Ax-el, thanks for being the best snuggle buddy ever !  I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am that you were born thirty-four years ago today. Not a minute goes by that I don't count my blessings that I only have in my life because of you. It feels like just yesterday you were taking that funny picture of me on the beach and threatening to drop me into the ocean, and now here we are. Crazy! Thank you for being the most important part of my life and for all the adventures, I know there are many more to come! You are so special in every way, shape and form. You are smart and incredibly talented. You better believe me what I say that you can do anything you set your mind on, my strawberry babe. Always reach for the stars even though you’re the brightest of them! Here’s to a million more years and birthdays together. Here’s to more love, more laughs, and more beautiful memories with your Erwin. Happy Birthday, Axy Baxxy!
              After a few more sweet and unhurried moments in bed with hugs and kisses, Erin finally decides that it’s about time they eat breakfast. Two more hours and they will have to call it lunch. She finds a large bowl and whisks together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. While she’s doing that, Axl sits down on the counter and begins opening his presents — a brand new watch made from stainless steel with a brown croco embossed strap, a Versace blazer, three T-shirts, a few big rings because his old ones got kind of ruined back in August, these effortlessly cool Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses that always remind her of their younger years ( and Top Gun ), ripped jeans that she likes to call dad jeans, a bottle of her HIS favorite cologne and last but definitely not least a rubber duck resembling the one they lost somewhere years ago. She wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t try to add a little more humor to his gifts. Erin almost burns the house down, paying more attention to his reactions to these gifts than to cooking. “Yummiest pancakes with no coal thanks to my cat-like reflexes for the birthday lion coming up,” the brunette chuckles, using a spatula to put not one but five heart-shaped, chocolate chip pancakes on his plate. She sets them down in front of Axl and takes out maple syrup and fresh blueberries.
              It’s late afternoon when she tells him that it’s not the end of surprises for today. The mere thought of what she’s about to do makes her heart palpitate erratically, chest spasming with emotions that shouldn’t even be here. She asks him to get dressed nicely and puts on her strapless red dress with a pair of high heels to match. When they get in the car, Erin feels like she’s about to throw up. Squeezing Axl’s hand, she makes him promise that no matter what he won’t freak out and scream. All it probably does is confuse the redhead but he’s lacing his pinky finger with hers anyway. Erin uses his old bandana to blindfold him, saying, “It’s a surprise. It won’t be a surprise if you can see it the second we get there.” She drives them to Beta’s house and helps him climb out of her Jeep. They somehow manage to do this without scraping their knees. Leading him to the front door, Erin’s heart is pounding in her chest. She carefully opens it and wraps her arm around his waist. “I love you. I love you so much,” she whispers and once they’re in the living room, slowly begins to untie the bandana.
              Two months ago, Erin began begging Beta to tell her more about Stephanie’s family and where they lived and the Brazilian woman eventually gave in and shared all her knowledge. The curly-haired girl had a plan — she was determined to bring Dylan back to Axl’s life, give her husband something he’d always wanted. His only son back. It wasn’t easy to convince Beta or anyone ( not even Sebastian and Maria wanted to help her ) to take part in Erin’s insane plan. “It’s madness! Madness! You’ve lost your mind! It will never happen, you’ll only do more harm.” She’d heard it all but there was no harm in trying, right? She’d even threatened to just do it all on her own a few times, leaving Beta no choice.  They grabbed a few old pictures,
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              Dylan’s favorite dinosaur and took a trip all the way from Malibu to San Diego. Kelly was rather surprised to see the two women at her doorstep one January afternoon but she turned out to be nothing like her sister. She let them in and heard them out, showing nothing but empathy and compassion. That’s when Erin invited her and Dylan to Axl’s surprise birthday party. “I’ll think about it, okay? I promise. Leave me your number,” was all Kelly said. It was an even bigger surprise when just a few days later she did make that call. And somehow here they are now —
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              A five-year-old with a head full of blonde hair, dressed in a polo shirt with black and red stripes on it, is sitting on the couch right between his aunt and former nanny with a Maltese puppy on his lap. His little fingers are carefully stroking the dog’s soft fur, caressing the big bow wrapped around his neck. The boy’s bright eyes flicker from the floor and find Axl’s the second his blindfold comes off. Beta clenches her jaw, glancing from Kelly to Dylan to Axl again and again, in a manner that means she’s incredibly stressed out. Erin’s heart comes to an abrupt halt as she nervously whispers, “Surprise.” And before anyone else can say something, Dylan’s lips are parting and three, slightly choked out and hesitant words emit from them, “happy birthday, dad.”
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dsmadmin · 3 years ago
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#KeepinItNTheFamilia
Written by Miguel Galindo and @StaunchZeal
Miguel -Sederica Palomo had become his soft spot to forget his mother's death and the troubles that seem to plague him. The bitch of a psychiatrist who'd failed his mother was now rotting in an unmarked grave in the desert. It killed him to know he'd failed Dita like this and he'd keep pushing, looking into every possible lead to figure things out. He'd given Nestor orders to stop at nothing and Nestor never let him down. Looking down at Palomo spread across the black satin sheets writhing with desire he concentrated on making love to her pushing everything else out of his mind. Things were going to get worse before better he knew this and these little "sessions" would keep him sane enough to ride out the storm. Her body was so damn soft and the woman never raised her voice or tried to demean him like his wife had a habit of doing. Strong and confident just like Emily but more class and a way of getting what she wanted without talking like gutter trash. Although he did enough roughing Emily up, it was amazing how wet she got when held down. At that moment Palomo cried out his name and he followed down in bliss.
Holding her until almost dawn before he gathered his clothes and got dressed. He had some concerns over the MC's and wanted to make sure they were holding together not tearing each other a part. Not that he really gave a shit about any of them save Alvarez but it was a means to an end. The crackdown at the border was messing with the cartel's bottom line and that did not sit well with him. Just last week a major tunnel was filled with concrete and at least one of the coyotes had been trap inside and essentially buried alive in the shit. Tunnels took time and money to get dug, he needed to look at some alternative routes. Hopefully, the new U.S. politicians in power kept their end of bargains they were a den of snakes but a necessary evil to get the job done. Human trafficking was on the rise and he was not a fan of it. Seeing his mother be dominated so completely by his father and having received the brunt of his father's brutality he did not want in the middle of this shit but the U.S. state department wasn't going to roll over and let him go legit entirely, no the bastards needed someone on the inside. Which reminded him of Adelita was still locked up by them, but he was working to get her back and keep her alive. He'd never met a stronger woman, she was truly exquisite. Getting into the car he told the driver to take him back to the house he needed a shower and breakfast, then... he would take care of business.-
Emily: 
Blue eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand. Watching as each second ticked by. The annoying sound taunting her as it counted down the minutes, then the hours that she lay there alone. Things with Miguel had been anything but perfect of late. But then again, when had their marriage ever been easy? There was always something pulling them apart, yet they always found their way back. That was, until now.
Dita’s death had affected Miguel more than he cared to admit. Add the break-down of the Agri-Park deal and the closing of the border on top of that. And it had ultimately turned him into a nuclear bomb just waiting to explode. Of course, Emily was trying her best to play the part of the dutiful wife, but even she had her limits.
And Erin’s arrival hadn’t helped matters either. Her younger sibling and her quick temper had Emily teetering on the edge of insanity. Wondering which one was going to break first. Her husband or her sister. It was no wonder her morning coffee had been replaced by a glass of wine when this was what she had to deal with daily.
Since the border shut down, she’d became somewhat of a recluse. Always having abuse hurled at her whenever she stepped outside the sanctuary of her home, so why bother to leave it? She knew everyone blamed her for all of the shit that had gone down. Even Miguel did. Something he made no secret of expressing to her whenever he felt the need to hurt her. It was no wonder she couldn’t sleep with so much going on in her mind.
Then there was Miguel. He seemed to have an excuse not to be at home with her more and more of late. Did he despise her that much that he couldn’t even be in the same room as her? Be in the same bed? Emily couldn’t even remember the last time he had made love to her. Sighing all too loudly as she attempted the math in her mind. It had been way too long. And no wonder why she was frustrated all the damn time.
Kicking her feet free of the covers, her head-turning to the left to look at the clock for the umpteenth time. Expelling another sigh as she slapped her hand to the cool cushions to the side of her. Where the hell was he now? How many more lies would he fabricate just to stay away from her? Hoisting herself into a sitting position. Dragging her fingertips through her unruly locks as the faint sound of tires, crunching against the gravel on the driveway grabbed her attention.
Emily was up and out of bed in less than a minute. The house still masked in silence, save for the sound of her bare feet hitting the cool floor below them. Sadly, it wouldn’t stay that way for much longer. Not when her body was primed and ready for a fight.
Arms folded over her chest, tapping her foot against the bottom of the stairs. Her gaze focused on the front door. Willing it to open. Waiting for the lame-ass excuse her husband would undoubtedly give her. Sadly for him; he’d be wasting his breath. She was done being walked all over. Being made a fool of. Today was the day they would finally have it out with him and stand up for herself once and for all.
Miguel: -He yawned deeply, he needed sleep but he also needed to talk to the MC and see what could be done to increase revenue. Getting out he said goodnight to Nestor and went up the stairs, putting his key in the lock he pushed opened the door and then shut it. Resetting the security system he turned and caught sight of Emily's blonde hair and defensive stance. Letting a breath out he walked towards her.- Shouldn't you be asleep? You need to rest, our son will be up soon and since you fired the Nanny he's going to need you to care for him.
Emily: 
"Where the fuck have you been?" The blonde was certainly in no mood for his bullshit at this hour of the morning. Hands balled at her sides as she stepped closer towards him, nostrils flaring with anger. Was that perfume she could smell on him? Surely he wouldn't be that much of a fool. Then again, it was like these past weeks he had turned into a different person altogether.
Scoffing with a roll of her eyes. "That is all you have to say to me?" God. She was trying so hard to keep that anger at bay right now, but with every word that fell out of his mouth, the more she wanted to slap him across his face. Wipe that smug look off his face once and for all.
"Cristobal will be perfectly fine. He has Erin to take care of him. Or did that suddenly slip your mind, hmm? That you think that I'm so incapable of taking care of our child? That I need my sister here to help?"
Not even caring how early in the day it was, Emily waltzed towards the drinks cabinet to pour herself a tumbler of whiskey. Waving it around in his face as if daring him to challenge her.
"You know why I fired the fucking nanny. She let Paloma walk in here and talk to me like I was nothing. Like I was the one to blame for the border shut down when we all know that was your fault." Taking a healthy gulp of the amber liquid before continuing. "If anyone is to blame, Miguel it is you. You and your need to be in control of every little thing. Well, well done Jefe. In your need to be King, you ended up screwing us over."
Miguel: 
• -Thumb and forefinger traced his beard as he watched her theatrics, he let her ramble on. Once she'd finally stopped he leaned against the wall with a faint smirk on his face and looked at her.- La alma... is this how you will handle yourself and others when comforted with something? All that fuego... yet it's all humo, nothing real or tangible done. Are you Emily Thomas? Or are you Emily Galindo? You have the power within your grasp have you realized now that not all fights can be won fairly, that you have to rise up and throw the first punch? You blame me but really, one man... -Shakes head- You're smarter than this mi amor, stronger than this. Tossing insults at me will not fix the problems or find a way around them. So... shall I treat you like a mere woman or the lioness I married? Your choice. I'm going to take a shower and come find something to eat it's been a long day.
-With that he turned and went up the staircase feeling calmer than he had in days, maybe it was knowing the psychiatrist had been dealt with.-

Emily -
"Are you kidding me right now?" The blonde stood opened mouthed watching her husband through narrowed eyes. That smirk and his nonchalant demeanour only making her want to lash out at her further. With a shake of her head, she set the glass down before the urge to hurl it at him, overwhelmed her.
"I know all about not winning fairly. Or have you forgotten the lengths I went to, to make sure I got the Agro-Park deal in the first place? And has it also slipped your mind that the only reason I won the bid was that I was counting on shipping the materials from over the border?"
There had been no doubt in her mind then about who she was. She was a Galindo through and through. But what the fuck did that matter when the whole situation was impossible to fix? Turning away briefly, just enough to give Miguel the excuse he needed to leave her standing there. Or so he thought.
"Don't you walk away from me, this is not over," she shouted after him. Bare feet slapping against the floor as she followed behind him like a lost little puppy. Reaching out with her left hand when she was close enough to wrap her fingers around his arm. "You still haven't told me where you were. But by the smell of the cheap perfume on you, I would hazard a guess at a strip club." Sniffing the air as she spoke to emphasise her point.
Miguel -
-Stops at the top of the landing to look down at her.- You like to fight with me don’t you Emily... instead of instigating a fight why don’t you take a shower with me huh? Maybe it will relax you. This attitude has to stop, I’ve got enough to worry about from the outside. I don’t need to be at war with my wife as well.
Emily -
He had a point. She did enjoy the fighting part of their relationship. Pushing his buttons until he reached his breaking point, resulting in mind-blowing makeup sex afterwards. Hell, maybe that was the whole reason she had pushed him so far. Especially given their sex life had been dried than the Shahara, lately.
"Fine," was all the blonde said as she pushed by him. Making sure to nudge her shoulder into his side harder than need be as she did. Casting a single glance at him over her shoulder as she reached the threshold of their bedroom. "Are you coming or not?" She questioned before vanishing into their bedroom.
She needed this. They needed this. If this marriage was to survive then they needed to learn to work together again as a team. To be that unstoppable force that no one would dare question.
Discarding her nightgown as she stepped into the adjoining bathroom, listening carefully for her husband's footsteps. Making sure he was indeed following behind her. When she was satisfied she reached into the shower cubicle, turning on the hot water before standing under the spray.
Miguel -
-Loosening his tie as he followed her into the master suite and then into the bathroom, they'd come a long way in their lives. Growing up differently but still managing to be two sides to the same coin. He admired her fire and tenacity but at times he also hated it. She challenged him in ways most wouldn't dare. Unbuttoning his shirt he watched the water hit her naked body, she was something out a magazine. The swell of her breasts, the dimples on her lower back. The way she cried out with unhindered abandonment rolled up in a sharp mind and ambition... She may be faltering at the moment, seeing the very real hostility of the people of San Padre but it would make her stronger. They'd survived the FEDs and many who'd tear them down just to say they could but yet, they were still here. And they'd need to tighten edges because much more was coming. As the last of his clothes dropped to the floor he got in behind her. His darker skin a stark contrast to her pale, running his hands over her body the evidence of his arousal against her back. Hand splayed he slid it down to cup her mound possessively. Curling his fingers to run against the grain of her manicured pubic hair, his free hand massaged her left breast teasing her swollen nipple-
Emily -
Emily: There was only one man who knew exactly how to touch her, where to touch her. And that was Miguel. God. She hadn't realized how much she had needed him until he stepped into the shower cubicle with her. With her back pressing to his front, she could feel his erection pressing firmly against the base of her spine. And as his hand traveled further south and between her legs, Emily knew all the waiting would be worth it.
With a hiss, she rolled her lower lip between her teeth as his hand connected with her breast. His long skilled fingers, toying with her nipple causing a gasp to fall past her lips. Her right hand clamping down over his, pushing his fingers deep inside of her. But it wasn't enough. She needed more.
"I've missed this. I've missed you," Emily whispered, turning her head to the side slightly to pepper several kisses against his bare jawline. "I miss the beard," she said matter of factly as she turned back away from him. Rolling her hips to send his fingers deeper as she sucked in a breathe. Her heartbeat pounding erratically behind her ribcage as his skilled fingers went to work. And as good as those fingers were, she craved him in another way.
Miguel - • 
-Wet and willing her softness kickstarted the fire that burned within, left hand went into her hair and pulled back as he ruthlessly fingered her a few times before shoving her up against the expensive tile. Palm clasped her underneath her thigh to left her leg up clearing the way for his cock. She was at just the right height, that once he drove in, he'd be in the perfect position to thrust without much effort or difficulty. And that's what he did, savage thrusts as his hand encircled her neck and held it tight. Getting off on the fact she was at his mercy and should he choose she'd take her last breath. With the information of late on her and EZ he wanted to kill her for betraying him, beat her till she didn't remember who Reyes was but for now he'd play the game a little longer. They'd find out soon who's side Alvarez was on and he'd be rid of Ezekiel for good. The fact she'd run to him infuriated Miguel even more and he closed off her ability to breathe. Grieving and being betrayed were messing with his mind and it was only getting worse.-



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andmynewlymeltedheart · 7 years ago
Text
Open to My Eyes
CHAPTER 3
Read Chapter 1 here
Read Chapter 2 here
She glanced around the room again, hoping to see him. She didn’t.
The final chapter! Let me know what you think. 
Written with love, 
Erin
Natasha stood still, breathing heavily.
She looked toward the bar, but decided against it.
She looked toward the dance floor, but didn’t feel any reason to enter it.
She glanced around the room again, hoping to see him. She didn’t.
She picked up her dress and walked out of the tent, her feet carrying her to she-didn’t-know-where. As she walked she dug her toes into the grass and felt the dew coat them, bracing and soothing. She wandered further and further across the lawn, the sounds of the reception fading as she moved, turning into a low hum.
She came upon the small hill that lead downward to the pond, sat, and looked up. Taking in the brilliant twinkling of the sky above, exceptionally clear and exceptionally beautiful, she picked through planets and pulsating cepheids, and searched the heavens for answers. She watched the clouds, gathering in greater numbers than they had in the day, pass quickly over the moon, and noticed that once they cleared, the moon was particularly vibrant and scintillating this evening, casting a light in the darkness that was so beautiful, tears began to brim in her eyes.
Natasha wondered how she could have been so ignorant of her own feelings. She thought back over the past year, and began to recognize every ache she ever felt; the particularly tireless fear she felt in the weeks he was missing, every time he left her after a day spent together, every time she couldn’t describe to him what she felt-- she recognized them all as aches of dissatisfaction, the kind of ache that originates in one heart that yearns to beat together with another, knowing full well that it cannot happen, that it is not the time. A heart that yearns for love.
Love growing from a dear friendship is always unexpected. It is sneaky, taking its time, working the quiet hours, weaving itself into every late night conversation and stolen glance. But the more she looked back over everything, the more Natasha realized that, though she hadn’t realized it before, she had been in love with Pierre for a very, very long time.
She closed her eyes and breathed in deep, the air crisp in contrast with the warm afternoon they had been lucky enough to have. She shivered, noticing acutely the bareness of her arms
Ten minutes went by. Then twenty. Then thirty.
And as Natasha rose to go home, she noticed a silhouetted figure walking down by the pond, coming to the water’s edge and sitting down, the somewhat distant sound of cracking joints accompanying the action.
Pierre.
She stood for a moment, unsure of what to do, but quickly found that once again her feet were making the decision for her. She made it soundlessly down the hill, carefully avoiding the crunch of fall leaves and fallen twigs, and was about to approach PIerre when her mind regained control.
He doesn’t want to see you, Natasha. He obviously wanted to be alone.
A flood of embarrassment filled her, turning her face hot, causing her to turn quickly, roll on her ankle, and topple to the ground. She yelped as she fell, and Pierre’s voice called up to her.
“Hello? Who is that, are you okay?”
Natasha laid there for a moment, face down, and she chose not to answer, hoping he wouldn’t be able to see her. The sound of his footsteps jogging up to check on her, however, let her know that wasn’t going to be the case.
“...Natasha?”
“Hi, Pierre,” Natasha said, her face still positioned downwards, knowing that her embarrassment would be all too evident on her face.
“Oh my goodness, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. My ankle hurts a little. My dignity is doing much worse,” she grumbled as she spit grass out of her mouth.
“Hm. Come on, let me help you out.”
Pierre offered his hand and helped her into a seated position, and then sat next to her, his joints cracking again, noisier than before.
“You don’t mind, do you? If I sit here?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she said, patting the patch of grass next to her.  
“Why are you out here?”
Natasha looked down toward the grass and tucked her feet under the skirt of her dress. She gave a shrug.
“Are you alright?” he asked again, his voice dripping with concern. Natasha found herself slightly annoyed.
“Why did you--...never mind,” she huffed, folding pulling her knees into her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her chin.  
“What?” he asked earnestly. Natasha looked over at Pierre, and his eyes bore into hers.
“Why… why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” She said, changing her mind.
“Oh. It was an impulse decision. I was walking around the block, just kind of doing a lap, clearing my head, and I realized I...I shouldn’t be missing this. And I felt okay, I felt good even, so I started walking back over. I was halfway here before I realized I hadn’t messaged you. I’m sorry.”
She looked away again, and this time placed her forehead on her knees.
“What?” Pierre asked again, realizing that Natasha was still upset, “What is it?”
She took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, bringing her head back up, looking straight ahead at the pond, being very careful not to look at Pierre, knowing she would lose her nerve if she did.
“Where did you go? Just now after… why did you leave? I thought…” she trailed off, “...I don’t know…”
“Ah,” he replied. He re-adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, searching for the words.
“I thought…” he started, blinking furiously, his cheeks hinting at damask as he continued, “I don’t know I... thought that...I made a bit of an idiot of myself. Dancing. And with the song and… I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking, and if I made you uncomfortable I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I just--”
“You weren’t,” Natasha said, cutting him off. He stared at her, bewildered.
“I wasn’t…?”
“You weren’t making an idiot of yourself” she clarified.  
Their gazes locked on each other.
“Oh,” he said, understanding.
After a few moments of silence, Pierre spoke again.
“You look cold,” he said, noticing the goosebumps that were raised prominently on Natasha’s arms.
“Oh,” she said, her eyes still locked on Pierre, “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Here,” Pierre offered, and he pulled his suit jacket off, placing it gently over her shoulders. His arm lingered for a moment. As it did, Natasha moved closer to him, pulling herself under his arm and settling her head on his chest.
He let out a soft sigh.
They were quiet for a short while.
“The sky, the moon. Everything is incredible tonight,” she mused, turning her head upward.
“Yeah...it is,” Pierre managed.
Natasha lifted her head, and saw that he was not looking at the stars. Her eyes met with his again, their faces inches apart, and Natasha felt the tip of her nose touch Pierre’s.
“Tasha?” a voice called out, “Tasha where are you? If you left without saying goodbye, I’ll noogie you I swear to GOD.”
“I’m fine, Nikki, I’m still here, I’ll be back up in a moment,” she called back, remaining exactly where she was.
“Good. Wouldn’t be cool of you to duck out on your brother on his wedding day, just saying,” she heard Nikolai chuckle, and he turned and walked back into the tent.
Pierre and Natasha were still unbearably close.
“We’d better go back up,” she said quietly.
“Right...right,” was all Pierre could manage.
Another moment passed.
“Right…” Natasha said, and abruptly stood up. Pierre remained on the ground, and Natasha leaned down, offering a hand. He accepted it, and as he stood up, her hand began to leave his and she started walking away. He gently tightened his grip and pulled himself toward Natasha.
“Tasha, wait,” he said, loosening his grasp, “I’m sorry, did I hurt your hand?”
“No, but what did you--”
“Could I just...could I ask you something?” the words rushed from his mouth so quickly that they almost didn’t sound real to him.
“...sure….”
“I don't know if this is the right place to ask you this...but I swear if I don't say something soon…” he took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully.
“Look, Tasha,” he began, his voice shaking “I know I'm an idiot--"
“That’s not true--”
“Please. Tasha. I just have to say this all at once or I never will.”
Natasha nodded, urging him to continue.
“I’m an idiot. I am. I’ve wasted so much time. So much. But... I have to ask if… hypothetically...if a man like me...loved you...and he told you that he loved you... could...could you love him?"
A soft smile passed over her face.
“Pierre…” she whispered.
She looked him over; he was breathing shallowly, his jaw was locked, his hands were fidgeting.
She let out a small, quiet laugh.
“...I already do.”
“Wait, what?” he asked, shock and disbelief coursing through every vein in his body, pulsating, telling him that can’t be true. But she smiled again. And she shrugged.
“Sorry,” she said, her smile growing, threatening to take her over, “Nothing I can do.”
Pierre laughed, nervous and shaking, and Natasha joined him, an infectious joy spreading between them. After a moment, they became quiet again.
A small strand of hair had fallen in Natasha’s face while they laughed, and he tucked it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek.
He leaned forward, cautiously, slowly, and Natasha did the same. They stopped, barely touching, their lips grazing each others. Both of them were breathing heavily, warmth and contentment passing between them. Everything, Natasha thought, was just as it should be in this moment, and as Pierre closed the gap, every ache in her body dissipated, replaced by that same feeling she felt during their dance. She was flying, and the movement of his hand on her face, down her neck, down to her waist pulling her in closer to him, every beautiful second of his lips on hers propelled her, an Icarus flying higher and higher with no sun to bring her down.
The whole world was only the sky, the moon, the stars, and Pierre, flying with her.
He pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, the pair breathing in time with each other.
“God,” he said between breaths,”You don’t know how long…”
She kissed him again, softer this time, and brought her forehead back to his.
“I do,” she said. “We should...go back up…”
“Right, but just, really quickly--” he said, and leaned back down once more, kissing her slowly, his lips spreading into a wide grin on hers, the two unable to keep themselves from laughing every now and again. Pierre pulled apart from Natasha once more.
“Okay, now we can go.”
Natasha laughed and started up the hill, her hand still in Pierre’s. They crossed the field, the sounds of the reception growing louder and louder, light returning brighter than ever.
They weaved through the many guests, searching for Marya and Nikolai, Natasha asking Pierre to peer over the hordes of people that packed the tent.
“He’s by the cake,” he told her, and she walked forward still, her hand still in Pierre’s, fingers now interlaced, leading him over.
“Pierre!” Nikolai yelled, noticing his head bobbing about the crowd. As Pierre came closer, Nikolai noticed Natasha walking in front of him. As he did, Marya began to hit his stomach, glee present in all of her features. Natasha saw Marya lean to whisper something in Nikolai’s hear, and as she did a grin began to spread across his face. He gave Natasha the same knowing look he had earlier on in the day, only this time Natasha’s only response was to grin back at him.
“I was afraid you’d left, Tasha. And Pierre! I thought you were only stopping in for a moment, didn’t know you stayed.”
“Yeah, I stayed...” Pierre responded, still in a happy daze.
“Well,” Nikolai continued, “Our ride’s about to be here. I trust you’re both in good hands for the night?” he asked, his grin turning sly.
“Do either of you need a way home?” Marya inquired, ignoring Nikolai’s mischievous question.
“No,” Natasha said, “Pierre walked here and… I mean, my apartment is on the way so... I’ll just walk with him.”
Marya smiled, glancing at Pierre for confirmation, and as he nodded she turned to Nikolai.
“Well, husband, I think we’ve done all the damage we can do here, don’t you?”
“I’d have to say so,” Nikolai replied, and as he kissed Marya, the DJ announced the arrival of their car.
“Head on out to the driveway to say ‘bon voyage’ to the bride and groom!” she said, letting the music fade.
Pierre and Natasha followed Nikolai and Marya, pushed lightly by the crowd toward the front of their home.
As they got into the car, Natasha could faintly hear their conversation.
“Finally,” Marya whispered, unable to contain her excitement.
“It’s about time, to be honest,” Nikolai replied, and as they leaned out of the limousine window to wave, the car pulled away, taking the newlyweds off toward their bliss.
Natasha and Pierre’s hands were still clasped firmly together.
“Where to now?” he asked, his eyes crinkling as he smiled.
Natasha stood on her tiptoes and kissed him once more, the rest of the world and their opinons insignificant to her compared to the look in Pierre’s eyes. “Anywhere. If you’re there, I’m there.”
Pierre beamed, and kissing her forehead, turned toward the path that lead away from the old Rostov home.
Hand in hand they walked forward, chatting and laughing, moving happily into a new life.
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screamingatanemptyroom · 6 years ago
Text
Fictober18 Day 16
Original Fiction
Prompt: “This is going to be so much fun”
Continuation of Erin/Gerald story. Part 1/ Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 links
“We’ll return to the school dueling grounds.”
Gerald’s voice was uncharacteristically serious, as he carefully gathered up their purchases and walked towards the road leading to the school.
Frederick laughed, crumpling up the challenge sashes in a clenched fist.
“Why not here and now, Prince? Worried about fighting me outside the safety of the academy? Need the teachers to watch your back while I beat your face in?”
“So angry!” Gerald laughed lightly, reaching out to grasp Erin’s hand while continuing to walk towards the school. “It’s nothing so dramatic. I just don’t trust you two. Even if I beat you, you’re the type that will claim it was a surprise attack rather than an official match.”
He turned towards Erin with a grin. “We still haven’t gotten dessert yet. Want to come back to town after I humiliate him?”
“Sounds good.” Erin kept her tone easygoing as well, enjoying the obvious rage of the two student council members at not being taken seriously. She looked down at their clasped hands, raised an eyebrow, briefly considered pulling away, but in the end kept her hand in place.
“This is just too tragic.” Wilhemina jumped in, walking behind the two with a bitter expression. “Prince Gerald had the capabilities to truly excel in this academy, but now he’s being dragged down by the school’s garbage.” 
Frederick laughed along with her, but once he realized that the target of their mocking was ignoring them, grew sullen and silent.
“Your boyfriend is going to regret standing with you today.” Wilhemina hissed, moving faster to get to the school ahead of them. 
“We’ll see.” Erin sighed at their persistence. This really was getting annoying. She glanced over, only to do a second glance as she saw Gerald smiling widely.  “Why are you so happy?”
He squeezed her hand. “You didn’t correct her when she called me your boyfriend.”
“Idiot. Just focus on your fight.” Erin looked away, but heard him chuckle and knew he had seen her embarrassed expression.
“Yes ma’am. “ Luckily he was smart enough not to comment further, and they traveled the rest of the distance to the academy in silence.
 Once they had found a teacher to stand witness to the duel, they assembled on the practice grounds to begin. Erin stood on the sidelines, clutching the bags containing her birthday gifts and their purchases from earlier, feeling nervous. It was strange, she had no problem facing these people in fights by herself, even knowing she was going to lose due to her restrictions, but watching Gerald face the same danger was… disconcerting.
The boy in question did not seem to share her concerns, giving her a wink and a grin before heading to the center of the field.
“Wish me luck?”
She rolled her eyes. “Try not to embarrass yourself.”
Gerald turned, bowing in her direction. “Your wish is my command.”
“Stop screwing around!” Frederick’s face was livid as he took his stance.
“Hush, this is important flirting time, don’t interrupt. It’s essential to the royal courting process.” With a laugh, Gerald turned back towards his opponent and also took a ready position.
The teacher stepped forward, briefly stated the rules, and waved the sashes, signaling the start of the fight.
Frederick shot off two blasts of fire right away, a light forming at his feet as he activated physical reinforcement magic. Gerald stood still, watching every movement the other boy made intently, finally moving a step to the right at the last minute to avoid the ranged magic.
Undisturbed by the two failed attacks, Frederick continued to fire off shots continuously, while closing the distance between them. Gerald did not return any fire, simply staring at him as if trying to memorize every detail.  When Frederick got within ten feet of him, Gerald shot a single spell of water magic onto the ground, freezing it, tripping his opponent up. Caught unawares, the boy fell to the ground on his back.
“No!” Wilhemina let out a cry of dismay while Erin cheered. Much to their surprise, however, Gerald didn’t take advantage of Frederick’s fall and instead used the opportunity to increase the distance between them.
“Coward!” 
Frederick’s eyes were glazed over with rage as he raised up boulders from the ground with earth magic and flung them forward. “Stop running away!”
Gerald shrugged, continuing to dodge the fire and earth attacks with a calm expression. “I don’t have physical reinforcement magic like you, so I see no reason for me to place myself at a disadvantage of a close quarters fight.”
With a scream of anger the student council president leapt forward, minimizing the distance between them in one shot. He grasped the prince’s uniform, lifting him up in the air and flinging him a good forty feet away.
Erin, standing on the sidelines, didn’t call out, didn’t jump forward, despite her desire to do both. Her hands clenched into fists, the nails digging into her palms, the pain keeping her head clear. She broke out into a nervous sweat, seeing her friend cornered by the older boy.
Now at an advantage, Frederick intensified the speed of his attacks. Gerald was now only barely avoiding the worst of it. Already several spots of his uniform were singed, the sight of burned flesh underneath turning Erin’s stomach. A large cut marred one cheek from where a stray rock had struck him, blood slowly trickling down from it to stain the collar of his uniform.
“Admit it, you’ve lost!” Frederick crowed, his berserk appearance glowing in the light of his magical flames.
Gerald had been forced down to one knee, but despite the obvious disadvantage he was at, a broad grin spread across his face. Contrary to the atmosphere, he began laughing, startling Frederick into halting his attacks briefly.
“What’s so funny? You enjoy losing that badly?”
 Gerald stood back up to his feet, spitting out some blood that had run into his mouth. “No, but I really do love winning, and now that I’ve had enough exposure to completely grasp your magic, this fight is pretty much over.” He gestured for the other boy to come at him. “Let’s go, Frederick. I’ll show you the true terror of a catastrophic level Insight ability.”
“SHUT UP!” Screaming angrily, Frederick tried to leap forward once more, only to find that his feet were stuck in the ground.
“Also, you’re not the only one with high level earth magic.”
“Argh!” Unable to move, the boy then sent out wave after wave of fire magic, even stronger and faster then before. This time, Gerald didn’t dodge the attack, simply standing in place with a peaceful look.
“That won’t work anymore.”
Each one of the fire attacks was met with a water spell. Typically when opposite elemental spells hit each other, the stronger of the two would win out, with only one attack moving forward and the other disappearing. To Erin’s astonishment, however, each time Gerald’s water attacks struck, both spells would disappear instantly.
“They’re perfectly matched.” Erin whispered, amazed.
“That’s impossible! There’s no way to determine a spell’s power that quickly, and to calibrate your own spell’s power to match it… there’s no way!” Wilhemina glared at the practice field. “He has to be cheating.”
“He has level 5 insight... he doesn’t need to cheat.”
Frederick was obviously panicking; every single fire spell he tried was immediately smothered. His attempts at earth magic were met with earth spells of equal force, the boulders smashing each other into dust. Every move he made had already been seen through and matched easily.
It was quickly becoming a one sided fight.
“Ahh!” With a cry of dismay Frederick fell to the ground. The earth spell which had bound his feet down to the ground had now encased his legs. As the boy watched with horror, it made its way all the way to his hips, trapping his hands to the ground as well.
Quietly, with a polite smile, Gerald walked over to stand near his fallen enemy.
“Now, lucky for you, I’m a forgiving person.” He counted off his fingers. “The times that you mocked me, attacked me when I wasn’t looking, interrupted precious date time… I can live with that. I forgive you for that.” He sighed loudly.
“There’s just one problem.” 
His smile turned cold. “You called Erin names, burned her skin, and insulted her mother.” His boot came down to rest on the other boy’s elbow. “Turns out, when it comes to people who hurt her, I’m not so forgiving after all.”
He stomped down, and Erin winced at the sound of cracking bone.
Finally, unable to take it, Frederick cried out with pain, and Gerald lifted his foot briefly.
“I know she can handle you, and doesn’t need my help. But since I’ve got you here, I’m going to give you some advice for free:” 
He leaned forward quietly speaking in the Frederick’s ear. Erin only barely caught it from her position at the sidelines.
“Stay away from Erin. Because if I catch you hurting her again, you’re going to wish she had killed you first.” With that, he stomped down again, breaking the other arm.
He stepped back raising his hand and looking at the teacher. “Teacher, Frederick is incapacitated. Can you declare the result of the fight?”
Pale, the teacher glanced at the now unconscious boy, and then back at Gerald. “The winner is Prince Gerald.”
Erin walked up, staring at him with new eyes.
“What’s up with that look?” He asked with a grin.
“You were a lot more… decisive than I expected.” She admitted, biting back the word “cruel” at the last minute.
He nodded. “I’ll put up with a lot, but if it comes to protecting the people I care about… I’m willing to do whatever is necessary.” Looking around he sighed. “Is our date over?”
“Yeah, I think so. It’s a little late to go back to town for dessert.” She shrugged, looking as the teacher and Wilhemina carried Frederick’s still form off to the infirmary.
“Well, I guess there’s only one thing left to do then…” he grasped her hand. “Will you marry me?”
Erin groaned, pulling her hand back. “You promised not to propose…”
“During the date. Which we just agreed had ended.” He gave her a pleading look. “So... how about it?”
“Nope.”
“Oh well, maybe next time.”
“Stop fooling around and heal yourself, please?” 
They sat down near the path, and Erin watched over as Gerald took the time to meditate and heal his injuries. As the last of the lacerations and burns faded away, the sun had almost finished setting. He sighed, his relaxed posture signaling that the process was done. Erin helped him to his feet, and they moved back to the path. 
They had just started walking back to the dorms, when a wind communication spell caught them both in their tracks.
- Guys! 
Olivia’s voice came out from the small paper artifact that flew by their heads.  
- There’s been another student attacked! Meet me by the magical theory building.
The two stared at each other silently in shock, their faces dyed in the colors of the fading sunlight. Finally Erin shook her head.
“Come on, let’s go check it out.”
Gerald sighed. “This is going to be so much fun.”
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