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sirowsky-stories · 1 year ago

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Temple of Love

Sirowsky's 600 & 700 Followers Celebration

Submitted by @bilibiche Prompt #12: How did you do that? Prompt #15: I swear I'm not drunk. Character: Pero Tovar

Rating: Mature 18+ONLY Warnings: Pero Tovar x Gender Neutral Reader. AU. Meet cute. Pero has no right to be this hot while twirling deadly weapons around like chop-sticks, okay! Sexual tension galore. Highly suggestive narrative. Soundtrack: Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love Word Count: 1570 Masterlist of the Celebration Sirowsky's Main Masterlist

You’re late for the first class, rushing into the building where you find no staff at the front desk who can direct you, so for a moment, you just stand there looking around, wondering which door you’re supposed to take. There are only three people working here, all of whom are instructors, so the front desk is only manned in between classes or when one of them doesn’t have anything on schedule.

A whiteboard behind the desk shows which classes are available today, and at which times, but it doesn’t say where each one is. So, you’re just gonna have to peek through the doors at random, hoping you won’t disturb anyone. Fittingly, the first door you crack open leads to a cleaning and maintenance room, both of which you should really apply to your own life so that you might regain some order.

Opening the second door on the same side of the hallway reveals what looks like a lunchroom for the staff, and now you’re getting seriously frustrated with yourself, so you move to the other side of the corridor and click the closest door open. It’s the wrong room but you end up frozen on the threshold as the sight that meets you leaves you breathless.

A man is training alone in there. You’ve never seen the actual man before, but his picture is on the wall in the reception, so you know that his name is Pero and that he works here, but that’s also all you know about him. You had no idea that he’s apparently an expert swordsman. While you stand there, mesmerized by the rapid glimmer of the lights reflected in the metal as the man twirls and swings in perfect synchronicity, you can hear how the swords sing.

Without even knowing it, you’re drawn into the room, carefully closing the door behind you, not even glancing away from the hypnotizing display before you. But you remain right by the wall just inside the door, afraid to get too close and even more afraid that the guy might get angry at you if you disrupt his routine. So, you just stand there, like a statue, trying to work out how he can do any of this without cutting himself to pieces.

Then suddenly, he stops. It happens so abruptly that you flinch at the sudden lack of motion, when just half a second ago you were having trouble keeping up with the lightning-fast movements. He’s not done, though. He seems to be ending one routine and starting another, and if you’re not mistaken, you see his eyes momentarily lock with yours when he steps to the side to turn on some music, before he starts going again.

And amazingly… impossibly… he’s moving even faster now. Building speed as he goes, finding the rhythm to Temple of Love, he’s now using the entire floor, whistling past you at a mere three-foot distance, leaping into the air and flipping around in what looks like impossible maneuvers to your eyes. He’s not just fast, he’s crazy agile too. And you feel like maybe he’s showing off. Just a tad.

Not that you mind. You’d happily watch this all day.

Sadly, it soon ends, when he returns to the center of the room and once again becomes completely still, this time even dropping to his knees and putting the swords down. It isn’t until he’s gotten up, turned the music off and is walking towards you that you remember why you’re even here.

“S-sorry… I was looking for…” you try, but your mind goes blank when he pulls his white t-shirt off and starts using it as a towel on his literally dripping wet neck, chest and arms.

“Yes?” he softly prompts you to continue, and you could swear that you see a small smirk in the lines around his mouth as he watches your eyes follow the contours of his muscles.

“Um… I was looking for the self-defense class.”

“That’s at the end of the hall. Another three doors down,” he politely directs you, and you know that you should leave, that you’re already way late, but somehow your legs aren’t moving.

“You should put some numbers on the doors, or something,” is all you can think to say, and he smiles and nods.

“We’re waiting to have them repainted with chalk paint so that we can write on them.”

“Oh. That’s clever,” you dumbly reply while your eyes once again drift away from his, tracing the slow movement of a single drop of sweat, trickling down his Adam’s apple and then briefly stopping in the little dip between his collar bones, before continuing down his sternum.

“Find something interesting?” he asks, snapping your attention back to his face, but thankfully finding him only bemused by your ogling.

“Well, uh, I was just wondering… How did you do that?” you manage to say, despite your growing shame at your own lack of restraint.

“I first learned as a young boy. And as with anything you want to master, it takes thousands of hours of practice, first with sticks, then blunt blades, and finally the real thing. But what I teach here is more basic. Usually, actors who need to learn not to look useless holding a sword in a movie or tv-show.”

“That seems like a waste of talent, if you don’t mind my saying so.”

“No, that’s alright. There isn’t much need for my level of skill in the real world. I don’t do this as a way of fighting, it’s more like… meditation,” he explains, and you’re a bit surprised at the admission that he might need that kind of soul cleansing.

He notices your slight reaction, but it only makes him smile.

“I have plenty of reasons to need meditation. Everyone does. And most of us do find our own way to it. Some play golf, some play video games. Others walk dogs or ride horses. What’s your thing?” he finishes by turning the topic over to you, and you’re momentarily stunned.

“I don’t know… I like to read, I guess. That usually helps me relax.”

“Good,” he nods approvingly, but then his smile turns a bit sly. “Still not great at reading the time, though.”

“Oh, shit!” you gripe, remembering your class. “I’m so sorry I bothered you, sir.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he kindly offers, and you finally manage to coax your legs into turning you around.

But as you turn, you stumble down from the thin mat which protects the floor, and people’s limbs from breaking, and you’re about to fall on your face when he catches you.

“Careful, there. It’s easy to snag the soles of your shoes in the added grip of the mat.”

Afraid that you’re just gonna embarrass yourself even more if you try to speak, you just smile and nod before heading for the door. You hadn’t even realized that you’d stepped onto the mat at all. When had you done that? The question becomes moot, however, when you go to open the door, miss the handle and end up walking straight into the wooden frame.

Instead of stepping back, you just rest your forehead against the door, putting your hands on your hips in pointless defiance of your own stupidity, trying to bury the humiliation by just not looking at him, because you know that he saw it.

“I swear I’m not drunk,” you grumble, surely looking like a complete idiot but too far gone to care.

“I didn’t think so,” he replies, and you can hear the smile in his voice. “Still… maybe I should drive you home.”

You lift your head away from the door and drop your arms down your sides, frowning deeply as you try to ascertain if he actually just said that or if you merely imagined it. Your own brain is too unreliable right now, so you turn around to look at him in the hopes of finding an answer, but he’s just standing there, as leisurely as ever.

“What?” you try, and after a moment, he smiles again.

“I said that maybe I should drive you home. You seem dangerously distracted.”

“Well, I wholeheartedly and unapologetically blame you for that. No one should be so talented and look that good,” you retort, before mentally chastising yourself, because you might as well be drunk.

You never talk like that to strangers. Not ever.

He steps closer then, until he’s crowding you against the back of the door, and his smell hits your senses like a sledgehammer. Sweat, of course, but remnants of deodorant as well. And when his hand comes up to brush a stray hair back into place, you can smell the metal and leather of the handles of his swords.

“If I do take you home,” he starts, and his voice is honey now, deep and low, “then I’ll need to come inside and make sure you get to bed alright. So, with that in mind, I’ll ask again: Do you want me to drive you home?”

You try to think rationally, to weigh the potential dangers against the potential benefits, but if your mind wasn’t working before, it sure as shit ain’t working now. All you’ve got is how you feel, in this moment right now, and there’s no ambivalence present. You know exactly what you want. For once, it’s an easy answer.

“Yes. Please.”

THE END

Massive thanks to @bilibiche for putting the image of a sweat-soaked Pero Tovar showing off with shiny swords into my head, cause that's gonna take a hot minute to scrub out! XD Seriously though, this was a hoot! Thank you, love.

@pedrostories @harriedandharassed

#Sirowsky's 600 & 700 Followers Celebration #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pero tovar fanfiction #pero tovar x gender neutral reader #pero tovar x reader #modern!pero #modern!au #au fic #the great wall fanfiction #the great wall au #halloween writing #halloween fic #spooky season fic #spooky season #sirowsky stories

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akira1509 · 2 years ago

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Another normal day in Gray Raven dorm, I suppose?

Warning:- Reposted from Twitter- All of this are just ideas, not actual fanfic with polished writing- Non-cp, female skk- Some of the minor changes can be found

The story happened when Liv wondered why there had been more female skks wandering around their dorm since Lee changed his frame to Entropy.

Lee said he came across some skks asking for his numbers before, but he hadn't seen many skks walking around the dorm. Lucia explained that every time there were a skk asking where Lee was, their skk would always be the one greeted them and bragged about how handsome she was.

That made some female skks disgusted and ran away. However, some didn't give up and still tried to ask for Lee the next day. Liv then asked how Lee became so popular, because she hadn't seen so many skks outside their dorm like that before.

"Ah, it must be that day..." - skk seemed to remember sth, and started to tell Gray Raven about that day when they joined the beach simulator with Kamui.

"How many pictures have you taken Commandant?!" - Lee tried to cover skk's camera, his face turned red. "Ehe, just thought you are so beautiful bae" - skk made a tehe pero face, and took her camera from Lee's hand. - "But really, beside that image we took after that big mission, we don't really have any more you know...That's why I want to take this chance to take as many photos as I can, for our memories!"

Skk winked again, and looked at Lee with puppy eyes. "Please, Lee, I have already taken photos of Liv. It would be a shame that we miss one member in our photo album." "..." "Pweaseeeeeee" Seeing skk like that, Lee couldn't help but sigh. "Just one more, okay?" "OKAY!!"

After a long time selecting poses, skk finally took the perfect picture.

"This is gonna be reaaaaaaally worth money hehe" - skk thought, the sinister dirty old man smile on her face made Lee shiver.

At the evening "Hey look, someone just posted on Lee Protection Squa-OMG WHAT IS THAT???!?!" "It's Lee photocards....AND HES IN A FCKING SWIMSUIT?!?" "The price for one combo is a bit high though..." *the sound of someone who just transferred 700 RC for 5 combos*

"So you are telling me....that you sold my photos to earn BC, huh?" - Lee's face got darker. "It's just a little business you know, I needed money to buy you guys some presents too!" "Do you know how much trouble I had when I had to turn down every single commandants' letters?" "Don't worry Lee you looks great in the album" "Lucia I don't think that's the right thing to say in this situation" "I actually have one combo too." "No please Liv, not that." "Com-man-dant"

Right before the possible Civil War could happen, the doorbell rang. Lee stood up and opened the door. "Who's tha-" "OMG THIS LEE, MY PRINCE!!" The girl shouted so loudly that Lee had to turn on sound-cancelling for a few seconds. Behind her was a crowd of skks of all gender, waving their penlights and fans with Lee's photos on them. "Lee-senpai can I have your sign?" "Would you mind wearing your swimsuit again, I want to take a picture for scientific purposes." "LEE STEP ON ME!!"

"Commandant, can you hel-WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING??!" Lee tried to call for help but skk, Liv and Lucia already ran far away. After that incidence, Lee refused to let skk take photos again and only allowed Liv and Lucia to touch the camera.

#punishing gray raven #pgr #pgr lee #pgr lucia #pgr live #i am so sorry for my sense of humor #swimsuit lee is cute ngl #not the underpart tho it's haunting me #but i appreciate kuro for that fanservice #i'm shameless #but if we have another photoshoot event please lemme join you guys #imma bring my future Dances of Ripples Lucia coating to join you guys

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ladysophiebeckett · 2 years ago

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So, what do you think would have happened if Betty had indeed ended things with Armando? Outside of El Meson de San Diego, he tells her: We're through then, is that it? If she had said yes, would Armando have respected her choice? Would he try to convince her to give him another chance? Request a definite explanation as to why she had changed so much and ended things? Or maybe be would've accepted it? This is one possibility that he gave her, but I don't think he was prepared for the worst tbh it's also interesting that Betty didn't choose to end it right there and then because for her it was already over, right? I'm curious to know since when you think she buried the relationship.

It's also interesting that Armando didn't choose to end things at Mario's place. It just hit me while reading your comments that Betty intended on ending things that night at his apartment (she had also tried to end it before and urged Armando to mend his relationship with Marcela instead), I never saw it like that before, but now I'm seeing this scene on a different perspective. This was the perfect escape for Armando tbh he never would have known about her first time which only made him feel even worse, and their second night wouldn't have happened which had a huge impact on him. The fact that he never even looks at another woman after this night is actually insane, the hold it had on him? Their first night also meant a lot to him, but he continued to be a flirt and the way he behaved with Adriana Arboleda and treated Betty indicated he hadn't changed that much. After their second night, he only got kinda flirty with the models the day he hits Nicolás outside Inesita's house, but other than that it was obvious that he was crazy over Betty. He was also over the top flirty with Alejandra, but I always saw it as a move to make Betty jealous and show her that he wasn't indifferent to this beautiful woman and neither was she. When he rejected her advances afterwards, that was the definitive proof that he had changed for good.

As always, reading your comments is such a delight. Sorry for the long ask.

dont apologize for the long ask. you've given me a lot think about.

lets go fm the top--if betty had tried to break up with him at el meson, would he have accepted it? no. he would have demanded an explanation bc fm his end, in his mind, he hasn't done anything wrong. i dont think betty would be able to give him an explanation that doesn't give her away and we know she doesn't intend to tell him that she knows the truth. so even if she did try to end things, no he wouldn't have accepted it.

let's revisit what actually happens in canon--they have a huge fight outside the restaurant. he accuses her of having a thing with nicolas, which she does not take well. she throws in his face his treatment of her, how he didnt want to be seen with her and he says that that's not true. he tries to kiss her and she rejects him and then he calls her out on it-- 'me tento todo el tiempo alla en ese sitio si? a que la besara, a que la acariciara. y ahora no quiere que la bese? pero yo si quiero besarla. me muero, me muero por besarla'

--in his mind betty's sending mixed signals. and when she finally gives in to his kiss, to him its confirmation that she still wants to be with him. but her verbal rejection of him, he doesn't understand it. and he kind of refuses to look deeper bc the next day he's like 'i need to know if that kiss means that we're gonna continue on as we always have been'. even the card he writes doesn't quite acknowledge what really happened that night; he says it was a beautiful night because he got to kiss her again but doesn't understand why she left him. no acknowledgment about why they fought or how he treated her for the majority of the evening.

i think it's clear that something is definitely wrong but armando vehemently refuses to see the bigger picture.

I'm curious to know since when you think she buried the relationship

Not 'buried' but more like 'ended it and didn't tell him about it'.

Unfortunately, i have to talk about the letter.

Note: this is my interpretation of things from Betty's pov. Feel free to disagree.

The letter maims Betty but what really kills her is watching Armando read the letter. It's overhearing his conversation with Mario. It's Armando saying 'si, yo hago todo al pie de la letra. sabe que? usted es mi heroe'. We see her watching him read the letter, not acting shocked by it, we see her watch him rip it up as the instructions asked. We see her holding back sobs. That is what kills her.

From that moment on, I think Betty mentally breaks up with him. She doesn't let him take her home anymore, a boyfriend privilege he didn't know he had. She tires to reject him, doesn't want to kiss him. Doesn't want to go on dates with him. Why? Because he's not her boyfriend anymore. And leaves it up to him to figure it out.

When he says 'entonces terminamos?!'---she already did. The times she gives into kissing him, is Betty relapsing on a ex that will not get the hint that it's over. And Armando doesn't realize how over it's been until la junta directiva when he sees the letter in his folder. (side note, he says post junta directiva that he understands now why betty was acting the way she was acting and i just want to say, no he doesnt get it yet but that's another type of post)

re their second night:

betty gave him an out and he refused to take it. like many times before. the conversation they have at mario's place, when she points out all reasons why a relationship like theirs, out in the open, would never survive. all the things he himself has thought of, in regards to his own image, his class, his family. It pains him to see her talk about it, to hear her talk about herself in such a way. In addition to knowing that he made her feel like she didn't matter to him (the arboleda incident wasn't just a case of jealousy it was about betty feeling like she wasn't enough to keep him or his attention). he could have let her go that evening. he could let her end it. when she tries to leave, he panics (foreshadowing) and stops her. that is all armando. that is his free will. he can't let her go thinking she doesn't matter to him. she matters far too much to him now that it's too late for him to turn back.

armando and his ability to be faithful to betty vs marcela--i have an ask to respond to about that in more depth but the short answer--he wants to be faithful to betty bc her jealousy doesn't come from a place of possessiveness. it's comes from betty feeling inadequate. and he doesn't want to be a reason for her to feel less than. he wants her to know that he desires her, that he loves her (and only her). after the arboleda incident, he better understands her and wants to reciprocate how betty makes him feel. (like he is special to her, like he's the only man in her life that she loves).

I can't speak on the Alejandra scenes bc....I dont like to watch him with her. I can't give you my interpretation, whether i agree or disagree bc just watching Betty and everyone tell her about her makes me sad. I will have to refresh myself on that. but yes, his rejection of her is proof not only that he changed, but that the love he feels for Betty, despite her indifference and his time away fm Bogota, it's still there. And no other woman can sway him, even if given the opportunity to move on.

#ysblf #betty la fea #anon #ask

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gayhotpriests · 2 years ago

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hello hi bursting into your office (ask box) with comically large binders that have papers falling out (so many questions about spanish)

first off, thank you for the post, and the collection of people in the post willing to help out! super duper appreciate it. I can tell when Spanish sounds odd or forced in a fic, but I don't know enough to fix it so- midnightsbuck, you're my only hope.

So, first, could Eddie call Tia Pepa, just Tia? It's a thing in my language to have custom labels for each family member, that are meant to be more affectionate than just, like, Aunt Cassie, so I was wondering if it would carry over okay into just Tia.

Also, I have her calling Eddie, "Editto" and "Mijo", which, I know the second one is technically, my son, but it feels more, like, my kid or kiddo, vibes? idk you tell me if im off here.

3. “You said we were going to the nursery! I came in work clothes!” Eddie protested, but Tia was having none of it. “Sí, yo dije, pero first, brunch! Look how nice Buck is dressed up, que linda!” - This section, I tried blending a bit more Spanish into English, which is something my mom does often with Urdu, so the speech patterns felt right for the language blend.

4. Would Tia Pepa call Buck "Evanito"? I've seen a lot of that, and I can't think of a way to turn 'Buck' into a nickname. Conversely, would it be approriate for Buck to call her Tia Pepa, or is there a more respectful alternative?

5. “Aw, no, mirame, Tia, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.” - Does this work for "look at me" from Eddie?

okay that was so much many apologies - thank you for offering your knowledge!

Hi!!! thank you for coming in, have a seat! it's my pleasure actually, so lets see what we got here💓

1. yes, it is fine for him to just call her tía instead of just saying tía pepa all the time. i personally feel like he wouldn't just call her "pepa" because it's not common to call your older relatives by their first names, you say their "title" first, idk if im making sense. i have met people who do that, but it's not common bc it's seen as disrespectful.

2. and for her to call him eddito- absolutelly. i feel weird when my aunts call my by my outside world nickname hahaha i feel like pepa might call him eddie too (or even have her own nickname for him), though abuela would stick more to eddito. you're right about mijo though, it's not exclusive to parents and their children, aunts and other relatives do also say it.

3. about this little excerpt:

“You said we were going to the nursery! I came in work clothes!” Eddie protested, but Tia was having none of it. “Sí, yo dije, pero first, brunch! Look how nice Buck is dressed up, que linda!”

there's a couple of things! don't forget the possesive, add the his before tía, because tía isn't a name but a title(?) i don't know how to explain it hahah it's like saying "but aunt was having none of it", it doesn't work in english! if you're replacing the noun you have to keep the same grammar rules. in spanish it would be the same too.

the "i said" part, i would translate as "dije eso" (i said that), in spanish we tend to erase the first person pronouns (and pronouns in general when they're kind of redundant bc the conjugation already implies first person), but to only say "dije" doesn't work. and finally, remember words in spanish are gendered, so adjectives end in A or O if you're describing a woman or a man (YES is a big problem for non binary speak). and lindo translates to pretty or cute, so if you're looking for a word that means "handsome" that's guapo. if you're angling for pretty, lindo works just fine! (pero first is a thing in spanglish as far as i know! good on that).

to sum it all up, it would read better like this:

“You said we were going to the nursery! I came in work clothes!” Eddie protested, but his Tía was having none of it.

“Sí, dije eso, pero first, brunch! Look how nice Buck is dressed up, que lindo!”

4. i have personal beef with Evanito tbh KSDJKSLSJ i'm more of an "Evancito" myself. you add ito/ita to make the diminutive, but when a word ends in a consonant, you add cito/cita. so it makes more sense to me and feels more natural that they'd say evancito. buck is a nickname on itself so i don't think they would change it.

5. finally! on this part:

“Aw, no, mírame, Tia, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

one thing you have to know about spanish is that we have like three different ways to say you, the informal, formal and a third form used only in spain hahhaha so the informal tú is used for friends, siblings etc anyone on your same or lower levels of hierarchy(? but you would use the formal usted for people in higher hierarchies, like your boss, teacher, or older relatives. this can also change with trust levels! i say tú to my mom but usted to my aunts, although in some countries they are a lot more traditional and also use the formal version with parents (eddie would say usted to his dad, for example).

so, in this case "mírame" is "look at me" but it's informal, when speaking to his aunt in spanish he'd probably say "míreme" which is the formal conjugation. so it would look like this:

“Aw, no, míreme, Tía, I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”

i hope this all made sense!! i tried not to go too hard on explaining grammar rules but i tend to overexplain all the time ;-; hope this helps and thanks for coming into my office! you're welcome any time<3

#jj.mail #spanish beta #spanish in fic #they-reap-what-we-sow #jj speaks spanish #answered asks #spanglish in fic

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yournocturnaloverthinker · 1 year ago

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been looking over our pictures and videos and i can't help but think nga best foot forward ka lang sa una. very ma effort. after 1 year, wala na dayon? why? bcos i'm just your lowkey girlfriend nalang? it makes me feel like you're not in love with me anymore. we used to video call all the time, even when i'm studying, even when you're sleeping. what happened? kabalo ka gid bala love nga time lang gid kag effort ginapangayo ko simo. you don't even have to spend money. kasakit lang nga sagay ko hmbal sa imo, himuon mo lg kaisa dayon the day after kalimtan mo na dayon.

tudluan ta pa ka paano? can't you find a way? don't you love me enough to do it? bcos "pag gusto may paraan, pag ayaw maraming dahilan", right? indi time management problem sa imo, it's commitment. if you're really my boyfriend, please act like it. i know you have a life outside this relationship, i know you have you priorities and responsibilities and whatever. pero gin miga mo ko. that should mean something. i'm important, too. and i hate that kinanlan ko pa ihmbal sa imo nga ari ko di para lang madumduman mko.

as a friend, this is my advice:

1. indi ka katawag kung ara si kuya mo sa kwarto mo? then gwa. may tawo gyapon? find a fucking place then. find the time. is a 30 minute undistracted video call too much to ask?

2. when you invite me to do things with you but forget? ibutang sa notes mo, set up a reminder. kesa magtulukay lg ta mag vc, bisan 30 min nalang napangayo ko hu, make it worth it man.

3. love language: quality time. how? hagara ko maglntaw ta movie and actually finish watching it. vc while doing our own thing. play online games. set up a time maka vc ta and talk together, bisan 30 minutes lang. learn to play the games i like bcos i play with you and your friends.

4. pay attention sa mga ginahmbal ko nga gusto ko that way kabalo ka sang ihatag sakon sunod. a bracelet? really? if it isn't obvious to you yet, i'm a sentimental person. bisan bato lg ginhatag mo sakon pero ginhmbal mo nga may significant meaning na, i would've liked it more. there wasn't even an explanation as to why you gave me a bracelet. you just assumed i would like it bcos it's jewelry and i'm a girl, amu na? an example of a gift: maco had plans to give a girl a necklace with a pendant that has a picture of her and her dog. why? bcos she loves that dog and maco knows that. another example: me giving you a wallet bcos you complained yours was old & damaged and you needed a new one. i don't even need a wallet or a necklace. give me a shell and tell me it reminded you of me and i'd keep it forever. it's the THOUGHT that counts. panumduma mn ko.

5. set a time na makastoryahanay ta without any distractions. is that too much to ask? you reply slow and i notice it. bisan mag vc ta ga scroll ka. you're not giving me your 100% undivided attention and it hurts. gaka tempt ko magbalos. how? example: 10 minutes before ka nagreply, okay so ma reply ko sa 30 min after. yes hungdon ko dugayon magreply to see if magkalabot ka, pero wala. another example: ma scroll ka? oki me too. then nd ka pagsapakon sa call.

6. no conversation starters? talk ta sa gab'e and in that day, ilista sa notes mo ang mga natabo sa adlaw mo nga gusto istorya sakon. is 30 min of undistracted talk too much to ask? am i that boring that after every reply masaylo ka dayon sa lain na app until you forget to reply to me? if you're talking to someone and they keep looking at their phone, isn't that rude? indi man sakit nga indi interesado ang ginastorya mo sa imo? ubusa nalng anay tanan mo nga scrolling time kag tanan mo nag ulubrahon. i'm saying okay lang nga ipaulihit mo ko pero tani nd man ko pagkalimti. you spend too much time sa everything else, you forget about me. daw mabalos ko. gamay nalang gid nga push mabalos nako.

7. i do not feel seen. why? do you not feel the cold replies? the slightest changes? are you that oblivious or do you not just care enough? PAY ATTENTION. ask what's wrong with me. ik it's my job to communicate to you how i feel kag nd ka manogpakot, pero tani mn lg ma notice mo that not i'm not okay and care enough to ask. also, kadamo bala sakon gina send sa imo na post tapos isa lang sapakon mo? bisan react nalang tani. huhu. gaka hurt ko na daw wala mo ya gina sapak bisan amu nalang na. yes, ik it's a small thing. yes, oa ko. can you handle it or not?

8. if you care enough, ask about my cycle and also keep track of it. so you'd know when to not piss me off.

9. when you say you'll do things with me or anything related to me, ibutang sa notes mo para indi mo malimtan. example: naghmbal ka mahmbal ka na if ma post ka kpop girls, was that a one time thing lg? from the conversation we had daan abi ko many times mo himuon. MAKE IT CLEAR. yes it's a small thing but doesn't it say something nga nadumduman ko gane pero ikaw wala? CRAZY. another example: the notes i gave you, i thought you were going to open one everyday. scam? nalimtan naman? exactly what the notes/reminders are for. use it.

10. it's also crazy that you keep planning things na himuon ta maglagaw but magkitaay na ta gani mangkuton mo naman ko ano gusto ko himuon. if ginhagad mko, plan the fucking date. and make sure YOU HAVE THE TIME. kasakit paasahon. yes i still can't get over the time na ginpaasa mko. why? bcos you haven't make up for it.

11. you offered to be my "pahuway", then be one for real. when i'm with you, gusto ko ikaw na ang bahala sa akon. i want you to comfort me. i want you to be present. i want you to pay attention. i want you to care. ipabatyag man sakon nga palangga mko. anhon ko na mga i love you mo kung wala ko man gakabatyagan? just bcls you love me doesn't mean i feel it.

12. EFFORT. ATTENTION. TIME. tani wala ka nalang nag super effort sa una, para indi nako sagay reklamo subong. consistency, love. you know that's how i fell in love with you. you shouldn't have set the bar that high. subong kung ano nalang makwa ko simo, bisan bare minimum, g nlg gyapon ah. AT LEAST, diba?

13. take pictures. of me. of us. candid. posed. how? care enough to find out. check the pinterest board we share. yes, this is me asking to do the extra mile.

do i need to call you out everytime you mess up?

as your girlfriend, all i can say is that i don't want us to be over. i don't want our relationship to end. amu na grabe gid pilit ko simo magtadlong. pero even that sounds wrong, bcos if palangga mo gid ko, ngaa kinanlan dal'on ka pa sa pilit? basi indi mo lg gid ko guro amu na ka palangga para mag effort as much as you did before. ano kulang ko love man? ano gid ang wala sa akon love haw? anong sala? ngaa daw nd mo gid ko kaya palanggaon the way i needed to be loved? am i too much? sobra2 gid ginapangayo ko? nakapoy ka na sakon? nakwa mo na tanan na gusto mo sakon? natak'an ka na? indi mo na ko kaya? gusto mo nga mag break na ta? ako gid bala nagpakita sa imo kung ano ang tuod nga pagpalangga? na crush mo gid mn ko sang elementary? importante gid man ko sa imo? nahadlok ka man nga madula ko? do you really care about me? ga stay ka nalang kay naluoy ka sakon? kadamo gid pamangkot sa utok ko love. despite that, nd ko kaya bayaan ka. nd ko kaya nga ako naman mamaya. nd ko kaya nga ako una masuko. so i won't. indi tka pagbayaan. i'm staying. i'll take the risk. bisan sakit. bisan kapoy. kay palangga taka. kay palangga ta gid ka.

i'm sorry if this is too much.

0 notes

hellysriggs · 2 years ago

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✨ let's play 10 Qs for GK! 🎆

1- fave character besides harvey/twoface? 2- fave harvey/twoface scene? 3- fave dynamic between 2 characters? 4- best character development? 5- most memorable line? 6- fave plot twist? 7- what did you think of twoface? 8- something you loved about the creation/design? 9- anything you would change about the season 1 plot or characters? 10- what did you think of the season 2 setup?

💌 thanks for sharing the love! #GothamKnights 🦇💋

SLAYYYYY i love quesitons about htingsss this is how i look rn answeirng these btw 👇🏽

in addition to harvey/two face (because he really was showstopper sawwy to the knights), but i reallyyyyy adore duela. not only was she hilarious, her character arc/development throughout the show was great. always enjoyed whenever she was on screen i was like omfgggg my bestie !!

where do i even begin......the one that sticks out in my little brain of mine is when harvey overdoses on his anxiety meds and meets face to face with harv/fugue!harvey. that was absolutely incredible and i replay that scene in my head like a rotisserie chicken bc those writers put their whole pussy into it

at first i was going to say duela and carrie because their dynamic was soooo much fun but after 1x13, harvey and duela pulled my heartstrings like damnnnnnn i did ackshully tear up at that monologue naurrr don't let my mutuals know that. honorable mention are the row siblings because WAHHHHHHH 🥺😭 they mean so much to me

i mentioned duela's development in my first answer and i am not very eloquent with words if we're being honest but the way that she gained a sense of purpose and wanting to actually help gotham through all the trials and tribulations that were thrown at her...really wish we got to see more of that

it's a toss up between "big dent energy" and "guess who rode of the bat wang" .....honestly anything that comes out of duela's mouth is funny as hell who let her be that way

hmmmmmmmmmmm my fave was def harvey being duela's dad. did i call it from a mile away? yes, but it was absolutely satisfying to be right. i actually cheered out loud and punched the air MWAHHH

gosh, when we finally got to see his whole entire face, that shit was absolutely terrifying in a good way. interesting way of how rebecca was the one to toss that acid on his face. sadly, as much as it was all scrumdillyumptious, two face had like a total of three minutes of screentime and we will more than likely never see him again....does anyone have james gunn's number i need to ask him for a favor,

im not following any of the cast and crew of gk pero i have seen some of their tweets and the level of dedication these people put into the show....anyways, everything was so well thought out,,,i nominate the bat cave that shit was really cool. loved the water concept since it wasn't done before in the dc universe

LOL ermmmm, *scratches neck* is this thing on.....NOT to be mean or anything but i wish there was more action. as much as i luv the pauses for breath, i also luvvv ffight sequences. also a part of me thinks the show dragged a little. i know it was only 13 episodes but 18 would've been better. and though i loved the funny bits, sometimes i wish the show took itself seriously. they tried to target to gen z but mannn, at times i had to kinda duck my head bc it was embarrassing and i'm not even gen z. idkk i cant be too harsh on the show bc they did what they could and i enjoyed it overall!!

where is the s2 blueprint ik they're sitting somewhere in the producers' houses....but yeah, i actually liked how gotham knights ended! it works well ffor a mini series. the ambiguity of it all is ripe with possibilities for the fans to gnaw on. turner being trained to become the next batman, the gotham knights putting their boots back on to save the city thinking turner is gone for good, harvey allowing harv to take over with the potential of becoming a major problem....tag me in any stories you write, you guys 👍🏽❤

#ask #omgggg thank you saurrrrr much for sending me this ask i had a blast answering these <333 #everyone go watch gotham knights right neowwww if my dad who owned a comic book store enjoyed it you will to ^_^

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benefits1986 · 2 years ago

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The Talking Dead

When waking hours and even ungodly ones turn to silent huddles with the dead, you can’t help but feel weird and wonderful. TGIF and a few more weeks before Juno! But, first, let’s zoom in on how the dead end convos with my departed loved ones have been my OD on sanity pills. No alcohol for now because vaping is on its mightiest. Dad has been noticing that I am losing more weight. I always calm him by saying that I fucking need my collarbones back before I hit Siargao. No sugar rush as well except for my go-to Serenitea Taho because we don’t want to spike and spiral. I’ll reserve the mega dose of rum x cola and the works in Siargao, I guess. It can wait. The Talking Dead are my therapy sessions involving sending DMs to mom, V and C. Somewhere in my dark mind and heart, I want to see SEEN and even a reply is welcome. A few nights ago, I re-read V’s message. I knew years back that he is really in deep shit. He has been RELAK all throughout which means he downplayed his truest feelings. One of the very few DMs I had with C is about how he’d need to stop buying big boy toys like replica robots because he is settling soon. C died before 40. V died before 30. Both these men may seem really chill, but they died young. :( Of course, no SEEN status in any of my DMs. Sigh. I keep mother dragon’s messenger because I don’t want it to perish or be used to spread fake news and myths. Whenever I have something important or something worthwhile, I send the links, the screenshots and whatnots to her DM. What’s weird about The Talking Dead episodes is that I find myself revisiting the conversations and connections. More than the memories, I am also allowing the feelings to come through, maiba naman. So far, there’s no major cry fest. Instead, I feel like my cup is half-empty and half-full. It’s like tea time minus the fancy set up where I’d actually let them do the talking while I listen intentionally. What’s wonderful about The Talking Dead is that I get to take a break from The Dying World of the Living, too. It’s a reminder that death will actually come and I just have to let it happen on its own pace. While in the waiting room, I can choose to curate more and more stories that may be of help to those I come across with. These days, embracing the idea of death is not merely about fantasizing about its arrival which is my departure. These days, embracing death means unearthing life and love lessons of The Talking Dead. While this is another crazy shit thought fart, the truth is that we are but a bundle of stories. We are but faces that come and go. Given our limited time on this universe, what stories do we want to be? What stories do we want to leave behind so that just in case those who remember us indulges in their own versions of The Talking Dead, they might find these sessions worth living for, right? PS: Tatay kong pakitong-kitong tuwang-tuwa sa Lazada find niyang ambilis madeliver. The package has two bike shirts. Isang Dahon at isang Brompton. Tapos alam niya nga na inis na inis ako about it, pero ngiting tagumpay siya. He also rode MatchaME more times than me and may gasgas na rin. :D ‘Wag na raw mag-bike skin. Aywawwwwawww. Hahahahahaha. Kidding aside, tutuwa rin naman ako kasi talagang big boy toy niya bikes. Sana lang sumunod na siya sa akin na magpa-PT kasi medyo kumakalas na tuhod niya because aging. Parang need ko na talagang putulin ang Netflix neto para ‘di mawala sa hulog. Tapusin ko lang ‘tong araw na ‘to bago kami mag-tuos.

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timidloner · 2 years ago

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I have a couple guesses. One is an actual guess and the other one was my first thought which would not leave me

Ok el primero sería Camazotz, el cual es una criatura tanto de la mitología maya como de la mesoamericana de acuerdo con Google, y tiene lazos con el Inframundo. Es una de las criaturas más letales de acuerdo con las dos, señor de los murciélagos y que acabó con uno de los héroes gemelos Hunahpú e Ixbalanqué (I mean he was revived but the point still stands)

And the other one is a xoloitzcuintle lmao. Idk why the idea plagued me like that but its so funny to believe he would just be. D o g

Gracias por participar y por no dejarme mal, jaja! Planeaba responder en español, pero como voy a explicar en qué animal me basé, lo escribiré en inglés para que los demás entiendan.

Please bear with me, I have a lot of thoughts about this topic! I'll write them in English as well. Or skip to the end to know what I'm planning for his "monster form".

The first guess is super thoughtful, you even had me second-guessing myself about my actual choice! But when I started searching for inspiration for Joren (even way before giving him a personality), I focused on animals, not creatures, so I stayed away from Gods and mythical beasts (at first).

I thought about snakes, then I went for bats, I considered the quetzal... And I chose the jaguar (adivinaste, segundo anon!!).

The jaguar is all over Latin America, but it's also a very iconic animal here in Mexico. It's the largest cat species in the Americas, and it was very important in a lot of prehispanic cultures, like the Mayan and Aztec civilizations.

While it has some ties with the Sun, the jaguar is also heavily associated with the underworld and the dead in Mayan culture. The spots on their fur also were believed to represent the starry sky, and it was a symbol of political and military power.

In the Aztec culture, it was a symbol of their most powerful warriors, who they called Jaguar warriors.

It was also the totem animal for Tezcatlipoca, a deity associated with the night sky, temptation, discord, and sorcery (and a lot more). This god also was the rival of Quetzalcoatl, the god of life, light, and the lord of the day.

Here's Tezcatlipoca depicted in jaguar form:

In the myth of the "Five Suns", it's said that there were four cycles of creation (we're living in the fifth cycle), and in each, the human race was created from different materials. These ages (Suns) always ended in the destruction of the world, since Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl are always fighting with each other for control over the creation.

They are even brothers! Sounds familiar, right?

Another reason why I decided to stick with the jaguar was because of the Dzulúm (to desire death). This is a legend from Chiapas, and it's said that there's a beast that no one has seen, but it's believed to have the form of a grey jaguar. His victims are usually women, who find this creature irresistible and follow it back to the jungle.

Joren is, technically, a werecat (werejaguar???). But I'm not going for the classic look, I'm deciding between the Dzulúm or the black jaguar appearance (for the main inspiration).

And, of course, he doesn't change into a literal animal. I want it to be more monstrous! Like this image taken from a Hellboy comic (B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: THE LONG DEATH):

Also, Joren as a xoloitzcuintle is way too funny! That would have been iconic on my part, but I've always seen xolos as sweet animals, and I wanted something scary... Though all dogs have the potential to be scary, once I got chased by a chihuahua, I'm not even kidding.

Y porque no me resistí, aquí un meme:

Some context for everyone else: Xoloitzcuintles are a breed of hairless dogs that, according to indigenous cultures, act as guides for the souls in their journeys to the underworld. People also ate them in the past, but now they're very expensive pets.

#ask away en español #ask away!#from lon to you #the stranger lore #if i werent stuying to be a nurse #i would have studied to be a historian

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tshihiro · 3 years ago

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"HE'S MINE, YOU MAY HAVE HAD HIM ONCE BUT I GOT HIM ALL THE TIME"

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ〄 gbf ng filo!4town

⛥ no gender specified

ROBAIRE ୧

𔘓 girl bsf na feeling gf

laging pinopost ung mga pics nila 2gether with captions like "loveu bestfriendd" tapos laging naninira ng date niyo bc "you're too close to eachother"

Nagmemessage from time to time, not for favors, questions, pero para inisin ka lang

usual convos consist of her sending full body pics ans saying it was an "accident" and that she was supposed to send it to Robaire

Lakas ubo kapag nagiging touchy kayo ni ro kala mo may sakit

Always clinging onto him, sometimes you'll just want to greet your boyfriend in the hallways and then you'll see that bitch clinging onto him and pouting like some kid

ㅤㅤㅤ

JESSE ୧

𔘓 girl bsf that "knows him better"

always wants to tag along in your dates. At first, it was completely fine, you didn't rlly mind. But it started to get annoying when she would do it every. single. time. she knew.

Just like Robaire's, she always clings onto him. She whines like a child, pulling on his arm towards a shop whenever she sees something she likes

It was as if you were invisible to her, she'd put her hands all over Jesse, standing on her toes as she tries to reach his lips, Right fucking infront of you

You confronted her about this once, asking her politely if she could keep distance from your boyfriend

She called you possessive, saying that they've always been that close, and that you were only inscure and paranoid that she'd "steal" him away since she's known him longer

She caused a scene once and made him choose between you and her he picked you ofc

ㅤㅤㅤ

AARON Z ୧

𔘓 girl bsf na "one of the boys"

Rlly touchy, Z has already told her about how he felt about those touches, saying that he doesn't feel comfortable with it, especially now that he has a partner.

Ofc, She'd agree with this, only stopping the touches for no more than a day and going back to wrapping her arms around his neck whenever his team would win dw, he pushes them off, even when you're not there to watch hshshsjshjs

When she found your socials, she ran STRAIGHT to the your dms, somehow thinking she did something by sending you "He's mine" lyrics pinagtripan mo once, sinabayan mo, duet kamo HAHAHAHA

HAD THE AUDACITY TO WEAR HIS JERSEY IN A GAME ONCE- SHE MADE SURE YOU WERE WATCHING TOO "tangina kaya pala nawawala un jersey ko."

maacm xia bes

ㅤㅤㅤ

AARON T ୧

𔘓 girl bsf na parang bsf tlga, kaso nakakairita parin

isa pa tong babae na kala priority kasi mas matagal pa daw sila magkakilala

maacm (1)

Eto nmn parang ung malakas tumawa sa joke ng teacher para mataas grade

Isa pang nagsesend ng "He's mine, you may have had him once but I got him all the time"

ITO UNG LAGING MAY CAPCUT EDIT NG SARILI NIYA/PIC NILANG DALAWA SA MYDAY

Not as annoying as the others, pero still

ㅤㅤㅤ

TAE YOUNG ୧

ok ik I never made him filo in my filo!highschool!au but I just rlly need him in this one TT TT

𔘓 girl bsf na delusional

Actually, d xia girl bestfriend, she's just a girl he bumped into while having trouble w directions when he first came and lost T

And when I say she's delusional, I mean she's DELUSIONALLL

It was fine at first, she wanted to get to know Tae better since he's an exchange student and Korean

But then it kinda got weird, she was clinging onto him like a parasite in only a few days :')

It got even worse when she found out he got a partner. When she found out you are his partner

isa pa tong kinoconfronta ka on messenger, saying the most ridiculous shit you've ever seen in your entire life

She was basically spamming your inbox, rapidly sending you multiple messages of "I've known him before you, he likes me more" worded differently with each one.

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just-here-for-the-moment · 3 years ago

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FRIEND!!

May I humbly request Pero Tovar and "every inch of you is the most beautiful thing God ever created."

Heat level up to you.

Thankyou!

YES!! You absolutely may request it, and I hope that you're okay with me turning it into Part 2 of The Innkeeper's Daughter, because, damn... I'm loving that man!!

The Innkeeper's Daughter, Part 2

One MILLION "thank yous" to @fandom-blackhole who let me take inspiration from This Ask for the original Anon and This follow-up Ask from me, and let me run wild with the premise of Pero Tovar falling in love with a woman who works at an inn.

The Innkeeper’s Daughter, Part 2

Part 1

Word count: 3000+

Rating: Explicit, 18+ only

Outline: Pero Tovar x “You” (OC cis/het female reader, “blank canvas”/no physical description/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: Reader’s first time (but this is NOT meant to be a ‘virgin kink’ fic); mature and vulgar language; euphemisms; slow-burn; Pero Tovar being super sexy and caring; kissing; vaginal fingering; oral sex/F receiving; unprotected P/V sex; a little bit of morning-after insecurity on Reader’s part

You broke the kiss and leaned your head back against the wall, breathing heavily and thoughts running wild. Pero’s face was still so new to you, up close. You were learning to read him better. His stony scowl seemed to make up the bulk of his expressions, and other than the pure hatred and anger that had twisted his face after the other man had called you a ‘whore,’ he only seemed to have a softer version of the scowl. On anyone else you would have called it a frown, but on Pero it practically registered as a glow.

You looked up into his eyes as he brought one of his broad thumbs to your cheek to sweep away a tear.

“I have to finish serving the customers. I can’t leave Father alone on a Saturday night.” You kissed him again, and then another before you found the strength to pull yourself away again. “But I want to see you tonight. After I’m done.”

Pero nodded and tilted your chin up with his calloused fingers. “Tonight. I will come to your room.” He kissed you deeply, then scattered a trail of kisses up your nose to your forehead. He pressed his lips to the top of your head and then murmured. “Until then, mi alma.”

You broke the embrace reluctantly, steadying yourself with a sigh as you walked away, smoothing your apron down. You looked back once at Pero where he stood at the end of the hall. His face looked soft, and the hint of a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth as he gazed at you. You fought the urge to abandon your post and run back to him, and you lifted your fingers in a little wave as you re-entered the barroom.

Thankfully all of the guests had returned to their own affairs, resuming their raucous drinking and eating, the bar brawl entirely forgotten. Your father looked at you with an arched eyebrow and you smiled and shook your head, reassuring him that you were fine. You busied yourself with attending to customers, tucking coins into your pockets and ferrying empty plates and mugs to the kitchen.

Your chest ached every time you inhaled, desperate for the evening to end, to see if Pero would fulfill his promise of coming to your room. You weren’t nervous, far from it - you were eager and willing and excited. You weren’t a high-born lady, required to keep her maidenhead intact in order to form an alliance with some prince. You just hadn’t had the opportunity yet. None of the young men in the village had been interesting enough for you to want to steal away to a hayloft or secluded part of the forest with. But Pero… he was different. Mysterious and well-traveled, closed-off until he had bared his soul to you in the back passage. You were ready, well past an age where you could make up your own mind, and you had said yes, grasped the opportunity to lay with a man who excited you.

You weren’t sure exactly what would happen after tonight, whether Pero would stay in the village or leave, ask you to come along with him or insist that you stay put. You dared not think too far ahead, letting your immediate tasks occupy you as the conversations of the guests flowed, filling your head with a buzz that blessedly distracted you from the clenching and throbbing in your gut.

Finally, after what seemed like eons, the last customers dribbled out of the door, laughing and shouting their way down the lane. You washed the final stack of dishes, wiped the tables, and handed Father the last of the coins from your pocket. Your beaded brow had nothing to do with the exertion of your labor, and everything to do with thoughts of the handsome Spaniard who had promised you a visit.

You fairly flew to your room at the top of the stairs, discarding your soiled apron and dress. You poured fresh water into your basin, adding a few dried summer wildflowers from the sachet in your drawer, and used part of a cake of fine soap that Father had gifted you at Christmas. It was nothing like the exquisite ointments or fancy perfumes that ladies used, but when you were done your face and body were scrubbed clean, and you were certain that Pero would be enamored of your efforts. He had noticed your dress, after all.

You donned your cleanest nightdress and then hesitated. Should you get into bed, or sit in your side chair? You decided to tuck yourself under the covers and read for a bit by the lamp. You heard no noises from the rest of the house, though you listened with eager ears, only half-attentive to your book. Time dragged on interminably. Just as you were growing a bit drowsy, you heard a tap at your door. Your pulse raced and you swung your legs out of bed, dashing the few steps to the door.

“Who is it?” You whispered.

“Pero, mi alma.”

You swung the door open, beaming up at him. You reached one hand out to take his and pulled him into the room, almost not believing that he had come. But as you closed the door and he crowded you against it to kiss you again, you sunk into the reality of it. He was here, he was real, he was yours.

You felt a sense of urgency, the desire to pull him into your bed immediately and get right to lovemaking. But you fought against the urge to hurry, tried to memorize every one of Pero’s kisses as he held you tight between him and the door, one large arm wrapped around your waist while the other cupped your jaw tenderly. You found yourself almost whimpering as he kissed you, his tongue sweeping your mouth with passion. This was heaven. If this is how men made love, you could get used to this.

At length, Pero pulled away from you, gazing deep into your eyes. “Mi alma… you are a maiden, yes?”

You nodded, feeling suddenly shy. He had guessed as much in the hall downstairs, telling you that he would show you everything you needed to know, show you how to please a man. Now that it was a matter of actual discussion, your lack of experience felt like a burden. Would you be able to please him? Would he still be in love with you if you were clumsy or awkward?

Pero tilted your chin up and spoke low, serious in tone. “I will be gentle. It may hurt at first, but after that you will feel great pleasure. I will make sure of it.”

You breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Pero’s question wasn’t meant to embarrass you, but rather to ensure that you would be comfortable and safe. Your shyness ebbed away, replaced by a glowing pride that you had chosen such a careful man to be your first.

“I trust you, Pero. I am ready.” You smiled and leaned up to kiss him once more. He stepped back and you took his hand to lead him to your bed. He sat on the edge and you paused for a moment.

“Should I put the lamp out?”

Pero shook his head, that gentle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth once more. “No, mi alma. Leave it lit. I want to see you.”

And there was that eagerness again, your heart pounding against your ribs as Pero took your hand and pulled you to stand between his knees where he sat. He placed both hands on your hips and gazed up at you with the same expression of hunger that you had seen on his face downstairs when he professed his love in the passageway. A quiet moment stretched long and sacred between you.

Pero dropped his hands to the hem of your nightdress and lifted it, looking up at you for permission. You nodded and he pulled it higher, skating the material against your thighs and hips, until it reached your waist. You took the fabric in your hands and lifted it up and off your head, dropping it on the floor at the foot of the bed. You felt as if you should be shy, but you couldn’t find it in yourself. The way that Pero gazed at you, the way his hands stroked from your thighs to your hips to your waist, the fact that you could see his erection straining against the thin material of his trousers - it made you feel powerful and special.

Pero wrapped one of his hands around to cup your butt, bringing you closer against him. You draped your hands over his strong shoulders. He cupped one breast and brought his mouth to the nipple, licking and then suckling against you, his tongue hot against your skin. You felt desire stirring, a throbbing between your legs that mirrored your heartbeat. You tangled your fingers in his hair and moaned softly.

“Oh, Pero. That feels wondrous.”

He let go of your ass and brought his hand to your front, softly stroking your thigh and nudging your legs apart. He cupped his hand there, holding it firmly against your sex, and you nearly wailed at the sensation, the delicious contrast of Pero working his mouth at the same time that his hand was touching you so intimately.

You closed your eyes and threw your head back, feeling his fingers explore you. He stroked your center softly with his largest finger, bringing wetness forth and then pushing it back between your folds. You felt your pleasure building, something below your navel twisting itself higher. Then Pero’s finger found your sensitive bud and he began circling it, building the pressure until you felt the dam burst. You brought the back of your hand up to your mouth and stifled a moan as you felt your cunt throb and quiver, stealing your breath and sending your head reeling.

As the sensation began to slow, you felt Pero stroke you again and then insert his finger up into your folds. It felt amazing, like it belonged there. He probed you gently and then pushed it further in. You felt the breath return to your lungs and then you looked down at him. He released his mouth from your breast and placed a kiss to your stomach.

“Is this alright, mi alma? Am I hurting you?”

You shook your head. “No, Pero. It felt good. It feels good.”

He smiled and then released you. “Lay down for me.”

You lay in the center of your small bed, looking up at him expectantly as he stripped his tunic off. You nearly gasped at his beauty, his golden skin marred by scars, his broad shoulders muscled after hours and hours of fighting. And when he peeled his pants down from his narrow hips, you were astonished at his cock, bobbing proudly up and erect. You wondered again at your lack of shyness, finding only that you felt womanly, proud of the way that his body was making his desire for you so apparent.

Pero kneeled on the bed next to you and surprised you by peppering kisses across both of your ankles and shins. His soft scruff tickled your skin, and you giggled at the sensation of it.

You reached a hand out to touch his shoulder. “Pero, what are you doing?”

He paused and looked at you, "Every inch of you is the most beautiful thing God ever created." Pero laid a kiss to one kneecap and then the other, continuing his trail up your thighs. “It would be a grave sin if I failed to worship every inch of you with my lips, mi alma.”

He kissed across your belly and ribs, your arms and breasts, and finally came to a stop at your lips. When you tangled your fingers in his hair, he brought his hand once again to stroke your sex, bringing a moan from you that he matched with his own deep growl.

He pulled away and positioned himself near your knees.

“Open your legs for me. I want to kiss you there, mi alma.”

You smiled at Pero and shifted your knees apart, watching his face grow darker with lust as your legs fell open. He whispered a few words in his native Spanish and licked his lips before leaning down. The first laps of his tongue were gentle, and you watched him close his eyes in satisfaction. His tongue grew more insistent, and you soon closed your own eyes, biting your lip to keep quiet as you tossed your head back in ecstasy.

Pero worked his tongue across your sensitive bundle of nerves, pausing only to insert two fingers into you before he continued to lick you with vigor. You felt your climax building again. With a few strokes of his fingers inside of you, Pero brought you to the precipice before your pleasure overtook you, throwing you over the edge as you clenched hard around his thick fingers.

When you opened your eyes, you found him gazing up at you, lazily stroking your hip before dipping his head to place a kiss there.

He shifted himself to kneel between your legs, stroking his proud length a few times. You looked up at him through your haze of desire, reaching your arms up to circle around his neck where he leaned over you. He dipped his head to kiss you once.

“Open your legs very wide for me, hmm?”

You nodded and propped your feet wide apart, knees bent up. You felt Pero position himself against your folds, then a slight pressure as he entered you, stopping just inside. He searched your face as you took two deep breaths and nodded up at him, encouraging him to continue. He slotted his mouth against yours, tongue working deep into you as he slid his cock inside of you the rest of the way. You inhaled sharply through your nose as Pero continued to kiss you. It did feel painful, but the feeling lessened as he moved inside of you and back out.

Pero pressed his forehead against yours. “Are you alright, mi alma? The first time is the worst. After this you will only feel pleasure.”

“I’m alright, Pero,” you whispered. “It did hurt but it’s getting better. Keep going, my love.”

He kissed you again and kept his pace even, thrusting into you again and again. As the pain ebbed away you started to feel another pressure building, and this time you knew what would happen when the dam broke.

You closed your eyes and let the feeling of Pero’s cock brushing against your sensitive bud carry you into your third climax. At the first throb and clench, Pero buried himself deep and stayed there, reaching one hand down to thumb at your clit. The thrumming in your core intensified, and a deep groan issued from Pero’s throat at the feeling of you squeezing around him. This third climax was the best one yet, slow and steady, and you felt it from your scalp to your toes. You wanted it to last forever, and you were sad when it burned itself out with a whisper.

Pero kissed you deeply, then nudged your chin up with his nose to place kisses along the column of your throat.

“Better, mi alma?”

“Yes,” you whispered. “So good.”

Pero hummed against your skin and then thrust into you a handful of times more before he unsheathed himself and sat back on his heels. His face was intense, almost a scowl as he stroked himself to completion, catching his spend in his open palm.

He unfolded his legs and crossed to your basin, wiping his hand on your damp linen washcloth before coming back to where you lay on the bed.

“Do you want me to stay, or to go, mi alma?”

You sat up and reached a hand out to him. “Please stay.”

The next day dawned bright and sunny, the light from the thin curtains streaming across your face. You smiled at the warmth of it, mirrored by the warmth of Pero’s bulk pressed against your back, his solid arm slung over your midsection. Were it not for waking to his presence, last night might have been a dream.

You rolled over to face him, finding his face relaxed. You pressed a kiss to his soft mouth.

“Pero,” you whispered. “Wake up.”

He cracked one eye open and grunted at you. You laughed softly and kissed him again.

“Was I good?” You whispered to him. “Last night, I mean? Were you happy?”

Pero opened both eyes in surprise and regarded you with confusion. “Yes, mi alma. But why are you asking me that?”

You felt a bit shy but answered him honestly. “I was worried. I thought that if I was not experienced at coupling with you, that you- well… you might not be pleased, and you would fall out of love with me.”

Pero sat up and pulled you to rest against his chest. You heard his heart beating and closed your eyes. He would not be doing this if he were displeased. He would not have stayed the night with you.

“I told you in the passageway, mi alma, that I had fallen in love with you. But that was not the truth.”

Your breath caught in your throat. If that was a lie, then why had he come to you in the night? Why had he done those things with you?

Pero continued, “The truth is that I fell even more in love with you last night, when you gave yourself to me so openly and let me bring you pleasure. If you will let me, I will spend the rest of my life between your legs, mi alma. I want nothing more than to pleasure you every day for the rest of my life.”

Tears sprang to your eyes. Was he proposing marriage?

“Pero, I-”

“Mi alma, if you will have me, I want to be your husband.”

You drew your head back and looked up into his deep brown eyes. His face was the most open and relaxed you had ever seen it, the scowl entirely wiped from his visage.

“Yes, Pero. Yes.”

He released a breath you didn’t realize he had been holding, and then Pero rolled you down into the sheets to kiss you with abandon.

---

Pero Tovar character masterlist

Main Masterlist

“Everything bagel” tag list: @quica-quica-quica @anaaaispunk @justanotherblonde23 @gracie7209 @nicolethered @honestly-shite @driedgreentomatoes @dihra-vesa @1800-fight-me @the-queen-of-fools @juletheghoul @kesskirata @honeymandos @silverwolf319 @mourningbirds1 @greeneyedblondie44 @spacedilf @maxwell–lord @anxiousandboujee @cevvie @sherala007 @writeforfandoms @libellule2001 @deadhumourist @mandoalorian @javierpinme @eri16 @mandocrasis @pilothusband @bastillealmighty @eri16 @jitterbugs927 @babiiface95 @toomanystoriessolittletime @yespolkadotkitty @fisforfulcrum @prettylilhalforc @mswarriorbabe80 @littlemisspascal @wildemaven @coreychick @castleamc @coreychick @astoryisaloveaffair

#pedro stories #pedrostories #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal fic #pedro pascal fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pero tovar x you #pero tovar x reader #pero tovar fic #pero tovar fanfic #pero tovar fanfiction #the great wall fic #the great wall fanfic #the great wall fanfiction

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el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle · 3 years ago

Text

Calderón AU— Part 5

Same warnings as ever! You can find all the ptevious parts by clickling the "Calderón AU" tag!💕

((Good lord i hate me cuz i have finally found the draft for the Calderon AU i did like three months ago and I missed A BIG STEP. I hate me for this. Imma pretend I did it on purpose and add it here lol))

“En realidad, Betty, usted me gusta mucho,” says Mr. Mario, still standing at the other side of her desk, in the dim light of the her desklamp. There is a slight, soft smile on his face, but his eyes are dark under the little light of the suffocating room.

Needless to say, Betty is speechless.

It is quiet obvious, when she thinks about it later that day, because what other reason would a man have to keep bringing her gifts like these?

In any case, right now, Betty is shocked in silence. Mr. Mario chuckles lightly, in a way that any other woman would have found charming, before speaking again.

He says he can see she’s surprised, and he gets it; it was a shock for him too when he first realized. It was strange to imagine a man like him being actually in love.

It probably didn’t help, either, that he actively made efforts to hide his feelings, he says. He just… didn’t know what to do or how to act, he says to Betty.

Truth is, the “i didn’t know how to handle my long-held feelings so I hid them” is actually a good excuse Mario has used a few times when suddenly he got interested in a specific woman that before didn’t catch his attention enough. Play it off as a “i was just repressing my feelings, that’s why you didn’t notice. I was actively trying to hide them”

This is a tricky technique, 50 50 chances of working… but due to Betty’s (presumed) inexperience, Mario thinks it will work.

He’s not totally wrong, but also, not right, either. Betty’s just confused.

He can see that, so he continues: “perdóneme, Betty, si la tomé por sorpresa, es sólo que… no quería sefuir ocultándoselo. De verdad, usted me gusta mucho.”

Betty at this point realises that she probably needs to say something, and so, she lets out a nervous laugh, and stops looking at him as she answers. Yeah, she’s surprised, she says. She would have neber guessed and…

And… what? Calderón realizes Betty doesn’t know what to say. Clear indication it is not reciprocrated. Okay, then. Let’s go smoother.

“Yo entiendo que esto fue muy repentino, Betty pero… por favor, déjeme demostrarle que le digo la verdad. Permítame llevarla a su casa.”

Betty immediately rejects the idea, but Calderón takes it as a sign of absolutely bothersome modesty, because this a-hole of a man cannot comprehend the idea that a an ugly woman truthfully rejects his advances.

He is quickly coming to realize just how annoying her stubborness is, but his annoyance is well hidden under his prince charming's facade. It's not the first time he's dealt with way too modest women, after all.

Truth is, obviously, that Betty isn't being modest. She genuinely doesn't want mr Mario to drive her home.

Somehow, he ends up winning at the end. Betty's only request is that they wait a little before going out together because, apparently, she still has stuff to do. Mario assumes this is because of Armando, and he's right about it, but pretends he doesn't know and agrees

It's better for him that way. He trully doesn't want to be seen with murcielaguín.

By the time they leave, Armando (and the rest of the ppl, but Armando is the only one who actually matters to betty, Mario thinks) has already left Ecomoda.

The car ride is awkward for Betty, starting with how Mr. Mario opened the door for her. It is a nice gesture, very gentlemanly, but she can't stop thinking how she wishes it were Mr. Armando who did it.

During the ride, Mr. Mario tries to make conversation and eventually gets Betty to talk more than in simple short sentences.

For Mario this is all very annoying. It's not hard or awkward, just boring. There is no fun in the chase if you don't really want to catch the prey.

It's all the standard questions: how did your day go, what do you think about X, do you like Y. No real chemistry anywhere, but Betty wants to think, eventually, that it's at least a sort of naturallly flowing convo. He even let her choose the music, she thinks to herself trying to be positive in a very uncomfortable situation.

Once they reach Betty's house, Mario stops in front of her house and turns to look at her. He asks for forgiveness if he's pressuring her, and says that he can feel her uncomfort. He asks if they can be friends.

Betty reluctantly agrees

Mario smiles as softly as he can and tells her that, if she doesn't mind, he could continue to drive her home at night

"Yo sé que usted es una persona muy privada, Betty, y no me gustaría incomodarla poniendo su vida privada al aire. Si gusta, podemos repetir lo de hoy y esperar a que se vaya la gente para salir," suggests Mario, praying that she accepts. He doesn't wanna be seen with Mostrichátala and scare away all the beautiful models or ruin his record. "Se lo digo para evitar rumores o malos entendidos con otras personas, Betty, nada más."

Betty of course, agrees. She doesn't rwally want to be driven home, but Mr. Mario looks so insistent, and she knows he's her boss's best friend, and on top of that, the Vice President. She feels obligated to say yes, so that's what she does. She tries to tell herself that keeping him as a friend is not a compromise.

Don Mario once again tries to open the door, but Betty refuses, fearing that her father can see them.

"No, don Mario, no se moleste," she says, "es que mi papá podría estar viendo y no quisiera que lo malinterpretara."

Mario insists (and good lord, he's so fucking tired of begging this woman for everything), saying that there is nothing wrong with this, but Betty, this time, doesn't concede. When it comes to her dad and his image of her, Betty is much more adamant. Mario notices this, and saves this knowledge for later

Mario waits until she goes inside before driving off.

Now, this whole thing may sound very similar to how it was with Armando in the show, but it's not really. Armando was evidently tense, awkward, and just internally screaming that he didn't want to be there. The car rides were filled with tense silences. Mario is none of this things, and the car ride was filled with falsely enthusiastic conversation and soft jazz music. He is lying completely, but he's not awkward or tense about it. Anyone who saw him would absolutelt believe he's fine, calm, happy, and mote importantly, genuinely interested in Betty.

He knows Betty is smart and he needs to put up an absoljtely perfect show, or otherwise, she'll notice something's off.

Good Lord, how exhausting. No wonder Armado didn't want to do it!

Sooo! Here it is! Finally part 5! Sorry it took so long haha what do you think about this part and the developments it's taking?? Please comment and share🥰🥰

#calderon au #ysblf #armando mendoza #yo soy betty la fea #betty la fea #beatriz pinzón solano #beatriz pinzon solano #betty ysblf #armando ysblf #mario calderon

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thera-daydreams · 4 years ago

Text

INDAY

± A Trese Fic ±

[Crispin/Basilio/Maliksi/Dominic x Skymaiden!Reader]

01: Noon at Ngayon (✓)

02: Ang Kambal na Anak ni Datu Talagbusao, Diyos ng Digmaan (Link)

03: Ang Prinsipe ng Mga Tikbalang (Link)

04: Ang Pinuno ng Mga Aswang (Link)

05: (Link) 06: (Link) 07: (Link)

01: Noon at Ngayon

Back then, long before you were born, your mother used to work as a katulong of the Trese Family and was very close to its matriarch, Miranda Trese. Coming from the province, she was no stranger to superstitions—even more so after knowing the work of Miranda's husband Anton Trese, who was actually the Babaylan-Mandirigma of Manila.

Years later, after giving birth to you around the same time Miranda gave birth to her twins (one a stillborn, unfortunately), it was you and Alexandra who became best buddies instead, as different your personalities were. You two had practically grown up together and you yourself heard countless stories of the supernatural from your Tito Anton. It wasn't that hard to believe when he and his sigbin companions would sometimes come home tracking blood prints on the floors (which you'd helped your mother clean up). Heck, you'd even met Señor Armanaz, the Great Stallion himself and the ruling tikbalang of the Armanaz herd. That pretty, white-haired diwata seemed extremely fond of you, too, which was evident when you'd sneak in with Alexandra to Tito Anton's meetings and she would smile (even wave) at you happily.

You had absolutely no idea why the fae-like lady was so nice to you, but you weren't complaining at all!

However, in spite of your experiences with the supernatural, you and your mother always believed that you were normal humans. In actuality, that was who you were for the majority of your childhood. It was only until Miranda herself saw a vision of you—a much older you—fighting the monsters of the Underworld alongside her own daughter. During dinnertime, Miranda told your mother that she saw you blessed by the heavens with powers that would aid in the battle against evil.

It sounded absolutely ridiculous, right? Yeah, your mom thought so, too.

Your mother only laughed it off as she placed a steaming bowl of tinola in front of Alexandra's brothers, who instantly dug in like they haven't been fed in years.

"Boys! Dahan-dahan lang," Anton reprimanded his sons. "Or else you'll choke and the soup will come out of your noses!"

"Okay, Papa."

"Grabe ka naman, Miranda. I doubt that anything like that's going to happen to my daughter," your mom chuckled, watching your little hands try to feed Alexandra with a piece of chicken. "Unlike you guys, our lineage isn't anything special. Ordinaryo lang ang lahi namin."

Miranda sighed, looking at you and her only living daughter enjoying your time being kids, "I guess you're right. Baka panaginip lang talaga 'yun."

Anton glanced at her knowingly. Although he was aware that you and your mom didn't dabble in magic or anything like they did, he knew that whenever Miranda—one of the Seven Seers—had such vivid dreams, it was something of great importance. But he decided to say nothing, understanding how much your mother wanted to let you live as normal of a life possible in this household.

That was when you were seven years old. One year later, Miranda died fighting against a group of aswang who decided to betray Anton. Said man found the eight-year-old Alexandra hiding in a corner behind the waterfalls, scared and holding Sinag close to her heaving chest as she tried to hold her tearful sobs in.

Of course, a few days later, you and your mother attended the funeral with the mourning Trese family. All the brothers had done their best to stay strong, especially for their little sister who didn't fully understand yet what just happened. Little you ran towards Alexandra, holding her hand tightly as her mother's casket was lowered. Around you were various comrades, both human and non-human, paying their respects to their bereaved allies.

That day, as you turned your back to return to your mother's arms, you knew you would never forget the feeling of numerous unearthly eyes following your every movement.

Even they could sense that there was something about you, a so-called regular human child. You smelled human and had the aura of one, but there was something they couldn't place. It was like a tiny rock getting into your shoe, not coming out at all.

Much changed after that, but you and Alexandra remained close together. To your dismay, just after you graduated elementary, you and your mother had to move back to the province to stay with your sick grandparents. The last thing you could remember was kneeling in the back of the car, looking sadly through the rear windscreen as Alexandra and her brothers waved goodbye to you.

More than a decade had passed since then. You used to write letters to Alexandra, but after Hank told you she had to undergo the trials of the Puno ng Balete, you haven't heard from her (although Hank did disclose that she'd managed to come home safely, which was a great relief to you). You didn't blame her; you knew Tito Anton had passed away in the five years she was gone and that she had to take over the title of Lakan, as well as the Babaylan-Mandirigma of Manila. It was a demanding job! You remembered Tito Anton sometimes staying up all night—breakfast would be served and he would still be in his study, going over paperwork. On other days, he would be gone for consecutive nights handling cases all around Manila. You could only pray Alexandra was fine.

Your life had continued on, as well—you took care of your ill grandparents until they died, helped your mother in the province, went to a good highschool, then earned your degree in another prominent city that wasn't Manila.

Your mom actually recommended that you go to school somewhere else, given the constantly rising number of attacks in the capital of the country. And so you did. Life was hard, but normal until then.

The funny thing was that, when you reached the age of twenty-one, you finally understood why those supernatural creatures kept looking at you weirdly as a kid (and why Lady Diwata liked you so much).

What was even funnier was that the dramatic revelation came to you when you weren't in the Philippines. It was after you freshly graduated college, when you were traveling all over Asia to volunteer in charity projects. It was always your dream to one day expand your horizons not only beyond your province, but the Philippines itself, while also doing good in the world.

And here you were, walking that path you dreamt of.

The organization you luckily managed to become a member of provided everything you needed, and every few months, you would move from country to country. Because of that, you'd already been able to travel to so many places. First it was Thailand, then Indonesia, China, South Korea, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, and currently, you were in Vietnam. Visiting those places was fun and gave you a whole new perspective of the world you lived in; it was a... learning experience, too.

Still, that incident happened when you were in Thailand, when you were the last one in the rented apartment balcony taping up the boxes for the donation drive tomorrow. Yawning, you cut more duct tape and stuck them to the open boxes tightly.

"Inday," someone said from behind you. You didn't bother turning around, thinking it was one of your fellow volunteers looking for you this late at night. Probably your roommate. She was the only one who usually called you by your nickname instead of your real name.

"Hmm?" you hummed, taping up more boxes. "Papasok na ako sa kwarto, Lyn. I just have a few more boxes to close. Alam mong mapapagalitan ako kung may hindi madidistribute bukas."

"Hindi ako si Lyn."

You paused, then slowly turned around, flinching at the sudden bright light that shone right against your eyes. For a moment, akala mo namatay ka na at hinaharap mo si San Pedro.

It was a glowing figure in white whose face you couldn't clearly see, which frightened you even more.

"Ay, mama!" you exclaimed, shielding your eyes and falling to your knees. Then, you gasped loudly, patting your body and panicking with closed lids. "Oh my God, am I dead? Nasa heaven na po ba ako?" Your lips wobbled. "Ngayon pa nga lang ako nakaalis ng Pilipinas... I haven't even done all the things I've wanted to do! Hindi pa ako nakapagpaalam sa nanay ko—aray!"

You'd felt something hit the back of your head. Hard. It was the glowing figure in white, but now you could see their unimpressed face scowling at you.

"Kalma lang, Inday. Hindi ka pa patay, pero makinig ka nang mabuti," they shushed you urgently (you weren't sure if they were male or female). "Do not be afraid. I am a messenger from the heavens, and I bear great news!"

"Great news...?" you trailed off, then your eyes widened excitedly. "Like, nanalo ba ako ng lotto? Isang milyon? Bilyon? Hala! Wait, is this a Mama Mary moment? I'm not ready to be the next immaculate conception!"

They glared at you, making you shut up instantly. "Sorry, I'll shut up now," you apologized with a mumble. This person (thing?) was kind of... strict. Whatever did you do wrong? You were just sleep-deprived and running on energy drinks (as well as kape).

"I have come to tell you that you are the vessel of the last skymaiden," they revealed, arms wide open. The light around them seemed to grow even brighter, making you squint. You felt like you were about the go blind! "Ikaw ang huling biraddali, Y/N L/N."

At ayun, zero brain cells remaining. Tunay na nagloading screen ang brain mo. Nag-error at nagcrash pa nga siguro, eh.

"... Ha? Ano?"

You blinked, completely speechless—as seen by how wide your jaw had dropped open. It wasn't that you were unfamiliar with the biraddali, it was just that you'd only heard of them once when you were just a young child. Your Tita Miranda had mentioned they were long gone from the world of the supernatural.

"Oh no, me? A biraddali? You're joking," you stuttered out, pointing at yourself. "Aren't they extinct or something? And, uh... not human?"

They nodded, "Yes. It is correct that everyone in the mystical world thought that the biraddali were long gone, even before the colonizers came to conquer the native lands. However, before the skymaidens all disappeared, the youngest and most powerful one among the seven sisters sealed her soul away to the rivers of time until the strength of a heavenly being was needed to help purify the evils of the world." The figure floated closer to you. "That last biraddali's soul, along with its corresponding power, traits, and knowledge, had chosen to reside deep within you the moment you were conceived."

Honestly, how were you even supposed to react? Your life was nowhere near ready for something like this. Was this a prank by your friends? Your colleagues? The light around this person seemed too authentic to be fake, though.

You stayed in shock for an entire minute, silent. The being in front of you only waited for a response.

"Ano 'to, Sailor Moon? Winx Club?" you whispered to yourself, before slapping your own cheek and scolding yourself. A stinging red mark was left on your face. "Inday, kakamanhwa mo 'yan! Nasosobraan ka na ata, matulog ka na!"

Sighing heavily, you rubbed your face tiredly, still in disbelief that you—according to this stranger—were apparently some old soul from a species of ethereal beings that were long gone. It sounded like something out of those reincarnation webnovels you got addicted to. What now, you were the MC? Wattpad ka, girl?

"Look, this is a mistake. I still have to wake up early tomorrow to give out the donations," you spoke to the glowing being (or whatever it was), laughing nervously. "I'm sorry, but I think you have the wrong person. Either that or I must be hallucinating from sleep deprivation, because I'm definitely not a divine creature. You're probably just a product of my imagination. Sorry, I'm going to bed."

Bang!

At that moment, the power in the building went out. The only thing you could see was the thing who assumed you were a biraddali (they were so bright they were like a flashlight in the dark for you).

"Brownout?" you blinked. It felt wrong, though. It was eerily silent. "Did a fuse blow up?"

"Nagsimula na ang iyong unang pagsubok, Y/N," they announced seriously. "Creatures of the dark have already begun to take over this building. You may not have noticed, but all throughout your life, you have always been helping and giving. It is your nature as a being descended from the heavens themselves, and now, it is time for you to accept your destiny."

"Hoy, sandali lang! Sandali, sandali!" You were absolutely wide awake now as you heard the sounds of strange whispers around you. It was terrifyingly creepy, much creepier than whatever you'd seen back in the Trese Residence (and you'd seen a lot in that house). You did not want to be a part of a horror movie-like lifestyle. "Don't I have a choice in this?! I—I don't have any training or fighting skills! Hindi ako Alexandra Trese o Babaylan-Mandirigma! I'm not ready for this, holy sh—"

The candescent creature raised a brow at you, "Inday, I just told you that you have the power of a lost mystical being. And tell me, if you had the power to save your companions in this building from the forces of evil, would you save them?"

You were silent, knowing the answer.

"Well?" they prodded.

You bit your lip, "Oo naman. I'm not heartless!" But you were a little impulsive. And apparently, insane.

"That's what I thought. I just need you to believe in yourself," the being encouraged, gentler this time. It transformed into something smaller and rounder—like a ball of light. "Ikaw ang huling biraddali, Y/N, at marami kang kapangyarihan. Isa dito ay ang pagtulong sa mga nangangailangan, lalo na laban sa masasamang nilalang."

Bestie, what had you just gotten into?

You swallowed apprehensively, then nodded in determination, "Sige. So, how do I save the people in the building? Biraddali were said to be able to shapeshift, right? If I remember the tale correctly. Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening to me right now."

"That's just one of your abilities, but I'll teach you. I'm actually your guide," they replied confidently. "With me, you'll be able to master your powers and exceed your capabilities in no time!"

"Wait! Anong pangalan mo?" you asked breathlessly, following them as they speedily flew out of the room. "Grabe, slow down! I'm not athletic! I haven't even exercised this week, goodness."

"... Gabay. Ako si Gabay."

Despite the adrenaline and fear running in your veins, you still grinned up at the ball of light, "Okay. Nice to meet you, Gabay."

This was just the beginning of your supernatural combat training abroad. When you returned to the Philippines three years later, you were stronger, faster, and more powerful than you'd ever felt before. It was crazy.

Oh, that guy who tried to rob you when you came back to Manila was crazy, too. The two identical-looking men in dark suits and white ties—you wondered how they were surviving the heat in that attire—could only watch in awe as you chased down that man who stole your bag while doing acrobatics and parkour.

"Uy, Kuya Crispin, sino kaya 'yun?"

"Ewan ko, Basilio."

"... She's kind of pretty. Type ko. Type mo rin ata."

"The more important question is, paano niya na nahuli ang magnanakaw?"

"Oo nga, no? One in a million chance 'yan dito sa Maynila, haha! Ang astig ni ate!"

(Next Chapter.)

± Author's Notes ±

Ayieee, type daw tayo ng kambal! 😌

How the hell did I write this entirely random thing in one day? 2k+ words? Ano daw? 😃⁉️

You know, this was supposed to just be a Trese one-shot or a bunch of drabbles for the characters I'm currently simping for... but it turned into a full-blown, shameless self-insert slash crackfic. Kakacellphone ko 'yan. 🤦‍♀️

Nagresearch pa ako ng articles about Filipino skymaidens because I wanted something similiar to the Japanese celestial maidens (tennyo). Very random idea but why not? Gusto ko ng badass Y/N na hindi takot lumaban sa mga mumu! 👻

Also, pagbigyan niyo nalang ang matandang 'to kasi ilang taon na akong hindi nagpopost ng mga writings ko. May track record pa naman ako bilang author na hindi nagtatapos ng mga fanfic, hehe. I also haven't read the comics so please forgive me for any inaccuracies and of course, misspellings/errors. Gusto ko lang matapos 'to para makakabalik na ako sa Jujutsu Kaisen. 🥲😗

Anyways, comments and constructive criticism are welcome! Hit those heart, reblog, and follow buttons for updates! Just comment if you want to be tagged in the next chapters. ❤

#trese #trese netflix #trese 2021 #crispin #basilio #maliksi #dominic #x reader #kambal x reader #crispin x reader #basilio x reader #maliksi x reader #dominic x reader #trese x reader #thera.writes

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sirowsky · 3 years ago

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The Lonely Castle

My fifth fic, and I'm obviously still in the Pero Tovar pit. Welcome to the story! I hope you'll enjoy it, and that you'll let me know if you do, although I'll love you just for reading it :)

Chapter 1 – Strangers

Chapter Summary: As with most first chapters, this is an introduction to our two main characters, but it's still a pretty eventful start to this story. We kick off with a bear-attack, a death in the family and running from authorities!

Author's Note: I'm transferring some of the @'s from Driving Mr. Tovar, so just let me know if you want me to remove you from this.

Rating: Mature 18+ONLY Warnings: Blood, bear-attack, angst, loss, inaccurate history knowledge. Word Count: 7703 Masterlist (this story) Author's Masterlist

Her mother’s shoes could be heard long before she entered the back shed where her daughter was toiling away with today’s labour, despite the soft wet leaves that coated the damp soil. But only because it was a sound most familiar to the ears that it reached, much like she could always recognise her parent’s voices in a crowd.

“Ember?”

“Yes, mother?”

“I need more willow bark for your father. Will you go and get some for me?”

“I’m not done with the latest order. Aren’t they coming to collect it today?”

“They can collect tomorrow; your father’s medication is more important than coin.”

“It’s the Royal Guard…”

“I know. Please… Just get the bark, it’s a bad day for him. I will deal with the Guard.”

“Yes, mother.”

Ember left the shed moments later, having only picked up a knife and a basket. She headed into the woods, moving briskly because of the late hour, and the distance to walk down to the river. It was already midday, and she had an entire batch of arrows left to make for the Royal Guard, which wouldn’t have been a problem if she’d had all day to keep at it. But even if she rushed parts of it, this walk would take at least an hour, and that was time she just didn’t have to spare right now. Her mother was right, in some respects. Her father’s life was worth more than coin, of course it was. But without their income, they’d struggle to survive the harsh winter, and failing to complete an order in the agreed upon time, would not be seen with kind eyes by a customer like this, and that would scar their reputation as the finest fletchers in the land. Truthfully, it was her father’s reputation that was at stake. Ember had had an interest in her father’s craft ever since she was a child, and he’d been kind enough to teach her even though it was inappropriate, which was fortunate, because it wasn’t long until his hands had begun to bother him. Aches and pains that came and went, until they just didn’t go away any more. She had started helping him make the arrows that actually went to sale, before she was even fifteen years old, and it hadn’t taken long before her father simply couldn’t work anymore, leaving his daughter to take over his craft completely. And while a woman working with crafts was no strange thing, a woman making weapons most certainly was. Therefor, it was necessary for her father to pretend to have done the work, and take the credit, and for Ember to pretend that her living at home still, at the ripe old age of thirty-two, was due to the fact that she was the one that was ill. She didn’t mind, though. Her father was to be credited all the same, as he was the one that had taught her the skill so masterfully that she could pass it off as his own, and allow him to keep his good name from falling out of favour. Her own was already largely ruined, anyway. She was a spinster, and the town’s folk loved to tattle about her, whether she was close enough to hear or not. But she never responded to their attempts to insult or belittle her, and as a result, they had grown uncomfortable around her instead. An unnatural silence spread in the streets where she passed, as though a cloud followed her, forcing all sound to dampen, and this had of course led folks to re-name her amongst themselves. A name that was now so frequently used, and well known to the town, that she had even adapted it to be the name she gave when asked by strangers these days. It was only her parents that still called her Ember. Her father’s hands were not yet bad enough that he couldn’t mask his ails when needed, provided that the willow bark brew was always available to him, to ease his pain if necessary. If today was a bad day, then it was extra important that he had some relief, because if the Guard noticed him being unfit for labour, they would start asking questions to which the family had no satisfactory answers. So, Ember ran down to the river, slowing only to catch her breath when she drew near to it. She was no stranger to running, and her body was perhaps not shaped the way one would consider suitable for a woman, as her work required cutting down branches, and sometimes even climbing trees, among other things. And since her father was unable, it was also she who cut down the trees and chopped them into firewood. It was she who skilfully handled the bow she had made for herself to hunt, when their coin was low, while her mother tended to the garden and crops, and took care of the house, and made clothes for them all. It was a strange household indeed, where only the women worked, and it was fortunate that they had settled themselves outside of the town, and away from judgemental eyes. But the strangeness of their circumstances was no fault of her father’s, and she had no blame to lay on his shoulders. He was a

good man that took pride in the fact that his family was able to support themselves, even if he did feel useless most of the time. He had learned how to help where he could, and would assist his wife with the cooking, and keep her entertained by singing to her while she knitted or sewed in the evenings, which helped him feel as though he was at least contributing. She reached the river, and the abundance of willows that grew there, and set about cutting down branches and placing them in her basket. The bark would be stripped later, so that it would be fresh as it was placed in the pot for brewing. She was so focused on her task, that she forgot to maintain a vigil eye on her surroundings, and when she turned to place the last branch in the basket on the ground, letting the knife fall down with it, she found herself staring into the eyes of a large brown bear, about fifty yards away, and she froze. The animal was still, but there was something about its posture, and the way it looked at her, that was unsettling. It was a female, but it had no cubs that she could see, so there was no reason why it would consider her threatening out here in the open. Her heart pounded as she forced her gaze away from those brown eyes, and slowly started moving backwards. She’d encountered bears many times before, but never had a problem with them. For the most part, they would walk away, or merely stay still as she left them to their doings. But this one followed. For every step Ember took backwards, the bear took two towards her. There was no use in running, so she just stopped and kept staring at the ground, hoping that the bear would grow nervous and leave, but alas, fortune had decided to turn the other cheek, and the animal charged. Still, running would only entice the bear more, so she held her ground and waited for the impact, knowing it would hurt and that she might die from it, but seeing no other option. The small knife wasn’t enough to kill the beast, and more likely just trigger further anger and desire to protect itself, so she made no effort to reach for it. The bear did ram her, and the force that threw her backwards was tremendous, but aside from the pain of the impact, she wasn’t damaged. Although, she did have the wind knocked out of her, and was gasping for air when the animal returned to her, growling as it slowly approached. She tried to remain still but the need for air forced her up to sitting, and the bear didn’t like that. But the scream that filled the air when the animal’s paw ripped into the skin of her right thigh, was enough to drown out its own roar, and that seemed to frighten the bear. Suddenly uncertain, it backed away, and when the screaming sounded again, it finally ran off. The pain was unfathomable, so consuming that it even did something to her head, stripping her of thought and reason and filling her with a fear so powerful that it felt like rage, as it coursed through her. She could feel blood dripping down her leg as she rose to her feet and started running, ignoring the hellish burn from her waist all the way down to her ankle. Had her mind been working, she would’ve checked which direction she took, both to ensure that she was headed home, but also to avoid running into the bear again. Her mind wasn’t working, however, and she ran blindly into the wilderness, not knowing that she was in fact running away from all that was known to her, and it wasn’t until she reached a large lake, forcing her to stop, that her mind woke up again, and thoughts returned to her. She’d never seen this place before, and realised that she had no idea of where she was. But at least her head was working again, so she knew that no matter where she was, she couldn’t sort out how to get home without first tending to her wounds. The mad sprint through the rough terrain had left her right leg throbbing, and her heart was pounding so hard and fast that she feared it might burst. But she also feared that if she sat down now, she’d never get up again. The sun had gotten

low, so she needed to find shelter first of all, and as she looked around, a shape that wasn’t part of the terrain, caught her eye despite the early evening dusk. On a small island close to the edge of the lake, stood an old castle. It looked long since abandoned but still intact, so it should keep her safe until morning. The walk there was longer than it had first looked, and by the time she reached the partly broken bridge that connected the island to the mainland, she was struggling to stay on her feet, because the injured leg no longer took her weight. One section of the bridge was submerged, and the wood had grown slippery under the water, causing her to lose her footing. They were well into autumn now, so the water was icy cold against her warm skin when she fell into it, and she nearly lost her breath again with the shock of being fully engulfed by it. It did soothe the worst of the burning pain, though. Panting with the added effort and now shaking with cold, she got back up on her good leg, and was able to get herself across the bridge, through the wildly grown grass, and up the stone staircase to the door. It was made of thick wood, but old enough now to be completely dry and therefor not very heavy anymore. The hinges groaned with the lack of oiling, leaving metal scraping against metal, a sound surely loud enough to alert any other visitor to her presence. But none made themselves known to her as she preceded inside, even though she called out in greeting, so she inferred that the place was empty. She entered into a large room, with an old and cracked, but still sturdy, dining table taking up the centre. To the left was a small kitchen, to the right a staircase leading up into the next floor, and further into the dining room was the fireplace. She stood very still and listened closely for a moment, because she saw firewood that was much fresher than all the other wood in there, neatly stacked next to the stone opening. It was possible that it had been chopped some time ago, by another visitor that had merely used the castle as shelter, and left what wood they didn’t end up needing, for the next poor soul to use. But it was equally possible that someone had taken this run-down and abandoned place as their home, which would make Ember a trespasser. While she tried to think of what to do, her body succumbed to the weakness and cold, draining her last bit of strength and making her dizzy and faint, so she ignored the potential danger of an unfriendly occupant, and leaned heavily on the long table as she made her way to the stack. Her fingers shook badly when she tried to beat the two rocks together to create the spark that would light the fire, causing her to drop them several times, but she eventually managed it. She was so preoccupied with her task that she didn’t notice the figure moving through the ever-deepening shadows of the room, as the sun had now dipped below the horizon.

The man that had taken this castle for himself, had intended to chase the unwelcomed trespasser out, until he discovered her to be a woman, and thus less of a threat, prompting him to merely observe instead. It had been years since his last encounter with another human, and none of the fairer sex had crossed his path in the last year that he had still worked, so he would not deny himself the chance to at least look upon one such creature again. She was neither pale nor feeble, she didn’t whimper at the shivers that coursed through her, didn’t even grimace at the pain she must be in with how bad her limp was, nor stand frozen while waiting for another to aid her. This woman was not afraid of labour, or unaccustomed to the rougher sides of life. She was strong and able and entirely unlike any woman he had ever seen. And he’d seen some truly skilful and remarkable ones. A hint of worry creased his forehead as he saw the angry red blood that covered her lower right leg and boot, and the long tears in the skirt of her dress. Only a bear could have caused such damage, and he was impressed to think that any woman would stand up to such a beast to the point that it would leave her alive. He was not a heartless man, although his former profession would lead most to think so. He had little regard for those that had earned the bounties on their heads, upon which he’d made his coin, but he would never harm a good man, and sooner cut off his own hand then let it fall on a woman with the intent to harm. But, when this woman began to disrobe her soaked garments in order to warm herself, he left the deep shadows of the alcove in the six-foot-thick wall, where the little window sat, and quietly left the room. No woman should be looked at without her approval, and even if he should like to ask her for it, she would not take kindly to finding him sneaking through the shadows before announcing his presence. He knew nothing of her character, beyond what her appearance could reveal, so he didn’t know if this strange woman might be able to fend for herself (like Commander Lin and the other women on the wall), and if he might have to fight her if she decided that he’d been rude or improper. He had no desire to fight her, except possibly in the tussle between sheets, but that was not for him to decide. She didn’t notice him leave any more than she’d noticed him walk in, but if she decided to explore the next floor, he would have to chose more elaborate hiding spots.

She squirmed out of her cold dress and shoes, sitting in front of the fire in only her under-shirt, but she could see no other garments anywhere, so there was no other choice but to dry the clothes as quickly as possible and put them back on. She draped the dress over a chair and placed it, along with the boots, close to the fireplace, while she tried to keep only her damaged leg in contact with the cold floor, to keep the throbbing pain from worsening. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the damage didn’t look quite as severe as it felt, but even though the cuts weren’t much deeper than the length of her thumbnail, they were still bleeding. She reached for the dress again. It was a simple brown peasant’s gown, made of wool, that her mother had made, but the tears in the side of the skirt were big enough to permanently ruin the garment, so it would be of no consequence if she tore it up even more. It was harder than the bear had made it appear, ripping wool that was so well woven, but a trip to the kitchen to look for a knife would’ve meant terrible pain, and she wasn’t sure if she even had the strength to get there in that moment. So, she toiled away with her fingers until they ached with the effort, but the result was good enough. She used the strips of fabric to make a bandage over the cuts, gritting her teeth and holding back growls of pain that threatened to rip through her throat when the exposed flesh met the rough material. But once it was done, her body was finally utterly spent, and she collapsed on the floor in front of the dying flames.

He snuck back downstairs a few hours later, just to make sure that the woman was still alive, and he was relieved to find her in some manner of clothing at least, even if it was only a white undershirt that left little to the imagination. He only glanced at her form, but clearly saw the bandages she’d managed to scrape together, and he knew right away that they wouldn’t be enough. Dirt would’ve gotten into those cuts on her journey there, and if her body couldn’t expel it, she would go sick with fever and might die despite her bravery. The foreigners at the wall had taught him about infection, and how to protect from it, so he knew that all it would take was some tree-sap, and clean dressings. He stood by the foot of the stairs for a moment, trying to ascertain if this unusual woman’s life was of any significance to him? If he should bother to help her at all, or merely wait for her to either die or leave? He didn’t concern himself with other people’s lives anymore, and there were reasons for that. He didn’t know this person, didn’t owe her his help or anything else for that matter. What manner of misfortune had led her here was of no interest to him, nor did he care to learn more about her beyond her being in his dwelling, because he had no desire to grow attached to anyone, and familiarity had a way of making one care, regardless of desire. But… As far as he knew, she was an innocent, and leaving her on the floor to die of cold or infection, like a useless animal, would be cruel. And while he could be cruel when it was needed, he had never liked to be. He was a hired sword, and little else, so he had grown accustomed to death and danger and hardship. But it had never been something he’d longed for, or relished in, like so many other men he’d encountered over the years. What he longed for, was peace. Not chasing coin, or sleeping out in the cold, or listening to men plead for their lives, or scream in pain. Not being hungry all the time. He didn’t have the patience needed to be a truly good hunter, and while he was excellent with his swords and knives, he was rubbish with a bow, so his hunting relied on getting close enough to his prey for a dagger to reach it, by the strength of his arm. And that was more difficult than it might sound. He sighed, realising the decision concerning the woman had already been made, and went back upstairs to retrieve his coat and a few other things he’d need to collect the sap.

When Ember woke up, the first thing she noticed was how warm she felt. She could no longer feel the cold hard floor, and no shivers rocked her body. The fire sparkled strong in front of her, and the pain in her leg had significantly lessened. But the most surprising discovery her sluggish and disoriented mind came to, was the fact that she wasn’t alone. There was a man watching her from the corner between the back wall and the fireplace. He looked tired and worn, but not so much from labour, even though he looked like a man that was good with his hands, and unafraid of using them. It seemed to be life itself that had brought the sadness to the lines around his eyes, and the indifferent set of his mouth. His hair and beard were long, obscuring his face to the point where she nearly missed the scar over his left eye. She had never seen a man that looked so cold and hard, and yet seemed so broken and delicate. There was something almost… beautiful… about him. Hidden away somewhere deep inside those dark brown eyes. He didn’t move or speak even though he clearly saw her looking at him, and he seemed like he was waiting for something. Slowly, her mind started to put the pieces together. He couldn’t have shown up here after her, because it had been dark when she fell asleep, and people here didn’t travel after dark. But also, because he just looked at home there. This man knew this castle, and everything in it. Everything except Ember. She sat up slowly.

“Please, forgive my trespass, sir. It wasn’t my intent, I swear.”

He didn’t move, just kept on watching her, and she couldn’t read his face well enough to know if he was just curious about her, of if he, like a hawk, was studying his prey. But the more time passed without him giving any response, the more she started reflecting on herself instead. And as she did, a few things became clear to her. Firstly, that she was lying on top of a bear-pelt that most certainly hadn’t been there before, which was why the floor no longer chilled her. Secondly, that her undressed body was covered by a wool blanket of fine quality, much too fine to belong to such a simple man, unless he was hiding here from a past that held more significance than ordinary men. And thirdly, that the bandages around her leg were made of something much softer than what she’d put there herself the previous evening. Meaning that this man must’ve changed them, which by extension meant that he’d seen and touched the exposed skin of her upper leg, with nothing to stop him from exploring further. Her expression must have given away her train of thought, because he finally shifted where he sat, suddenly looking uncertain and perhaps even apologetic, despite the deep scowl that his face appeared permanently trapped by.

“I touched only what was necessary to ensure your wounds would be clean and heal properly.”

“I could never know if you speak the truth, so why should I trust that you have?”

His face hardened, but not in a mean way, as far as she could tell. He seemed almost hurt by the mere suggestion of any indecency from his part.

“You’d do well not to question the conduct of the only person for leagues that can help you.”

“I have not asked for your help.”

“A bear’s claws are not clean. Without my help your leg would’ve been even worse now, and perhaps never healed.”

“And just what difference would that make to you?”

“None. Other than your dead body becoming my burden.”

“Well, I have no intention of dying, so you needn’t concern yourself with my body.”

“Are you always so ungrateful, miss?”

“I know nothing of your character, so why should I be grateful to a man that might have taken advantage of my helpless state, out here where there is none to stop you? Because I can hardly imagine that many women come this way, and a man starved is a man wanting enough to take even what has not been offered him.”

He couldn’t fault her thinking. She was right to be suspicious of a man like him, especially when she was in such a vulnerable position. But it still stung his heart to have his honour questioned in this manner. He took his eyes from hers and looked at the flames instead, trying to let their soft edges smooth away his irritation.

“I can’t prove that I have done nothing to defile you, but I give you my word that such a thing would offer me no pleasure. I may not be a good man, by any measure, and I have stolen things my life, I will not deny this. But people are not things, and I would never take from you what is not freely given. You may have no reason to believe me, but my words are true, all the same.”

He turned his gaze back to her, and she seemed somewhat less confrontational, though still guarded, as she rightly should be.

“Where are you from, miss? There are no towns near here, and no one ventures this far into the woods, through such difficult terrain, unless they’re forced to. I have not seen another soul in years.”

“I came from Boden, the small town on the road to Weston.”

“Boden? That’s leagues away… An entire day’s walk at a brisk pace, at least. You couldn’t have come from there on such a bad leg, unless you walked through the night.”

“No, actually, I ran. I encountered the bear yesterday at…”

She broke off when she realised that she’d left her house at noon, and arrived by the lake at sundown. Had she really been running for half a day? If so, the man was right, and the return journey would indeed take more than twice as long, particularly with a leg that would no longer bend properly as the swelling had set in.

“You ran on that leg? That is not possible.”

“I wasn’t in my right mind. I don’t remember much of the journey at all.”

He seemed to study her closely for a moment, but she couldn’t make out what he was thinking.

“Clearly not. But if you wish to get home today, you will need my help.”

She considered that. Did she really want the help of this strange man, living out here all alone, seemingly by choice, suggesting he was actually trying to keep away from people? She wasn’t sure if he was being intentionally gruff and unfriendly, because he was angry at her for some reason, or if he just wanted her to leave for the sake of his own comfort. He spoke with a strange accent she wasn’t familiar with, and there was a hard edge to his voice that revealed much of his inner harshness. It was a type of voice that she’d heard plenty of before, from soldiers and hunters of men, frequent customers of her craft, which led her to believe that this man was, or had been, a hired killer of some sort, and that maybe he’d exiled himself there, out of guilt. She had no desire to remain beyond necessity, regardless of his manners, because she was anxious to see her parents and know that they had been alright without her. She had slept away many times before, especially while hunting in the depth of winter, sometimes tracking for days before finding her prey, but those excursions had been planned, whereas this had been unexpected and chaotic. Her parents wouldn’t even know that she was still alive. The man did appear to be a genuine sort of person, though, and she was prepared to believe that he hadn’t touched her in any indecent manner. Her dress and shoes were dry now, and if he really was offering to help, she’d be happier to go home than remain in the castle with him for god knows how long, until she could move on her own.

“I apologise for my accusations regarding your manners, sir. I’d like to get home as soon as possible.”

“Then get dressed. I will help you, and we will both be free of each other.”

Without another word, he got up and went back upstairs to get a satchel and put together some things they might need along the way. Strange and unusual. This woman was nothing like anyone he’d ever met before, and he was unsure of whether he liked that or not. She was interesting, but also maddening, simply for the knowledge in his mind that he would never be able to fully understand such a creature. How could anyone hope to? What he did understand about her, was that she was brave, and very strong, clearly in both body and mind, and that was impressive for anyone not trained or hardened by combat, regardless of his overall comprehension of her. He returned to the dining room when he felt enough time had passed for her to get into her damaged dress, and he entered just in time to stop her from falling over a chair with her attempt to walk on her own, from the fireplace to the table. He managed to catch her before she hit the stone floor, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his chest to let his back take up her weight, rather than try and hold her upright with only his arms. A movement which brought her face to mere inches from his. She was half a head shorter than him, but with his head bent down, and hers looking up in surprise, it made no difference. Her eyes were brown too, but a light golden colour compared to his dark hue, and her hair was the same brown that he remembered seeing in the cups of the foreigners on the wall. A brew they called chá, made from leaves and herbs that coloured the water a deceptively dark brown, but which was much brighter when it left the darkness of the cup. Similarly, the woman’s hair looked dark in the shade, but much less so under the light of day. She was beautiful. Dangerously so.

“Did I not say you can’t walk alone?”

He pushed her back and shifted himself to her side so that he could lower her down onto a chair, but this didn’t sit well with her, and her face was a picture of annoyance when she responded.

“Did I somehow fail to make it clear to you that I’m not inclined to believe the words of strangers, upon no merit beyond their own assurances?”

He glared at her, but it wasn’t her insistence that he couldn’t be trusted which soured his temper, only her stubborn inclination to act without thinking. It would surely lead to further complications.

“It’s not my word you need to listen to, escéptico, only your own body. Now, can you wait for one moment without doing something rash, while I get some things from the kitchen which we will need for the walk? Or must I tie you to the chair?”

She gave him a positively murderous glare.

“I am not rash. And if you’re going to call me names, the town’s folk have already dubbed me in accordance with their perception, one which I’m sure you’d gladly agree with.”

Once she fell silent, she averted her gaze from him, as though she suddenly remembered that this was a topic she didn’t wish to pursue, so he left her side and went to the kitchen to pick up some fruits and dried meat for their journey. With the satchel slung to his right side, he lined his left side up to her right one, put her arm over his shoulders, and hoisted her up to standing, and without another word shared between them, they set off.

It was a clear and sunny day, and it had climbed high in the sky by the time they stopped for their first rest. Not yet noon, but close. By then, Ember was well and truly suffering. Her leg seemed to protest each movement even more than the previous, and although her grumpy companion was strong and sturdy enough to keep them both upright, she couldn’t just leave him to carry her, or he’d soon be spent, no matter how strong he was. He helped her to sit down on the trunk of a fallen tree, before reaching into his satchel for a bit of food and water, which he handed to her without so much as a sigh. To his credit, he hadn’t complained all that much, not in any language she understood, at least, despite what she was sure could only be a terrible strain on his body, and it wasn’t as though he actually had to do this. He could’ve just kicked her out, or let her stay at the castle, but ignored her. He could’ve chosen many different ways of either helping, hindering or simply abandoned her, but he’d chosen the path that was of greatest inconvenience to himself, which said a great deal about his character.

“How much further is it?”

“We’re not quite halfway yet. But we’re making good time, we should be there by nightfall. How is the leg?”

“Um… worse than I’m letting you see. But the bandage is holding up good.”

“If we had less of a distance to travel, I wouldn’t keep such a punishing pace, but we need to get there before dark. How did you manage to run this way on that leg?”

“I truly have no answer for you. Right now, each step is like a burning sword cutting in to me, and I struggle to believe that I could’ve just ignored that for half a day.”

“People are capable of many things that defy belief.”

Something dark crept into his voice as he said that, and she knew that he spoke from experience. She glanced at him, to find his face even harder than she’d seen it before, as though he was trying to expel some terrible memory by turning himself into stone. But he also seemed to be failing, because he looked more and more angry the more time passed, until he finally huffed and closed his eyes.

“What did you mean about the town’s folk and your name?”

She felt a rush of irritation course through her at his question, because surely, he knew that this was not a subject she enjoyed, or he would’ve asked back at the castle. Why would he suddenly care what names she carried? But his expression told her that this was not a planned question, and rather a blind grasp at something to change the subject of their conversation before his anger overtook him. His own less than elegant way of asking for help, and it wasn’t like she could refuse, what with how much he was helping her.

“I’m not... My life is not what any other person would call normal. People around me find me frightening because I don’t do what’s expected of me, so they make sure I know that I’m different and unwelcome in their presence. They call me Snow, because of how cold and silencing it is when it covers the ground, and how obnoxious it is to get rid of.”

He huffed a small laugh, but there wasn’t any real amusement in it.

“I might agree with the last part.”

She couldn’t really fault him for that. He hadn’t asked for her to stumble into his presence and claim his time and effort, in order to be free of her. Still, despite the multitude of times she’d heard it before, even from this stranger, it stung to hear that she was unwanted. They pressed on through the afternoon, at the same pace as before, both of them back to not speaking anymore, content to focus on their footing, until they passed the river bank where she’d met the bear, and found her basket and knife to have been picked up by someone.

“This is where it happened. The bear. We’re close now.”

He didn’t respond, beyond taking a firmer grip around her waist, and pressing on towards the town. But she recognised her surroundings now, and guided him to the outskirts of the settlement, where they reached a house in the woods which he presumed was her home. Darkness had just fallen, but light was shining from inside the cottage, and he felt the woman press forwards, eager to get home.

“Mother, father, I’m back!”

She called out before they reached the door, so her parents would know they weren’t thieves or thugs, and at once there was a ruffle from inside, followed closely by the door opening and a woman that could only be Snow’s mother, stepping aside to let them in. He helped her to the table in the kitchen, and set her down on a chair, while her mother fussed over her leg and tried to ask a dozen questions at once, which the younger woman did her best to answer shortly.

“When I found your things on the river bank… I thought someone had taken you…”

“I’m alright, mother. This kind man helped me get home. He’ll need a bed for the night, the journey is too far for him to turn back now.”

“Of course. I’ll find you some pelts and a blanket, sir.”

She disappeared into another room before he could even object, so he turned back to Snow.

“I can find my way in the dark, you don’t need to house me for the night.”

“Gruff as you are, unknown man, you have helped me when it served you no benefit to do so, and I would feel unjust to send you on your way without attempting to repay you. A night’s rest and fresh bread for your journey wouldn’t harm, would it?”

He hadn’t tasted bread in many years now, so that alone was enough to persuade him, but he was also getting curious about this family, now that he was there. No father or brother had come to great him, as was customary when a stranger walked in, and when the mother returned with the pelts and blanket, he noticed a worry on her face which seemed out of place for a woman that had just gotten her daughter back.

“Is there no man in this household?”

He was addressing the mother, but it was Snow who answered.

“There is, but he is ill.”

The mother arranged the bed for him on the wooden floor in front of the fireplace before she came to properly greet him.

“Forgive my manners, sir, I was very worried for my daughter. My name is Ethedred, and I welcome you to our house. And may I say thank you for any aid you’ve offered my daughter. She is… invaluable to this family.”

There was a nervousness to her that had nothing to do with Snow having been gone, or an unknown man standing in her kitchen. She was truly frightened about something, and trying very hard not to let her daughter see it. If the father was ill, that explained much about Snow’s circumstance. He guessed that in the absence of a son, she had become a replacement for her father, which would clarify her unusually strong body as well as why such a beauty was still unmarried.

“My name is Pero. And you’re welcome.”

He could see that she was curious about him, but in a strangely desperate kind of way, which puzzled him. There was something she wanted to ask him, but was too afraid to for now, so she turned her gaze away, and headed for the kitchen.

“You must both be starving, let me make you a late dinner before you go to bed.”

But Snow had noticed her mother’s strange and nervous behaviour by then, and it was making her increasingly anxious.

“Mother, look at me.”

Ethedred tried to ignore her, busying herself with preparing some vegetables.

“I know you; I know something’s wrong, just tell me. Did the Guard come to collect? Did something happen?”

The Guard? As in, the Royal Guard? What would they come to this house for? Her mother sighed heavily, and appeared to shrink before she turned to face her daughter, no longer making any effort to hold the mask of normalcy in place, revealing a torturous grief that was living in her heart.

“They came while I was out looking for you. Your father… he tried to explain, but they wouldn’t hear him.”

Her lower lip began to tremble, and tears suddenly spilled from her eyes.

“H-he was still alive when I got back… but…”

Snow slumped against the back of her chair, and Pero could see the pain and grief hit her like a falling tree. But her mother gave her no chance to let the pain take hold, before she crossed the room and kneeled in front of her child, fixing her with steely eyes, and a sudden harshness to her frame which could rival his own.

“You have to run. He told them enough to make them see that you’ve been helping in his deception, that we both have. And since neither of us were here, they’ll be back, they’ll come for us. I had hoped that this man could perhaps protect us, but not against the Royal Guard, that’s too much to ask.”

She got up, and came towards Pero, with the desperation and fear now on full display, nothing hidden or held back anymore.

“Please, sir… please, take her away.”

“Mother, no! I’m not leaving you here to be slaughtered by soldiers for no crime at all! We haven’t harmed or stolen from anyone, we’re good people, this is madness!”

But her mother kept staring at Pero, and he knew what it was she saw in him. The experience he had, the knowledge. He knew exactly what she was asking, and even though he’d come here only to rid himself of a disturbance to his life, he knew that she was right, and that he wouldn’t be leaving emptyhanded. He offered her one short nod of understanding, before he stepped over to Snow, and pulled her to her feet, despite her protests.

“No! What are you doing?! Mother!”

She tried to fight him, tried to claw her way free of his relentless hold on her waist as he dragged her to the door, but to no avail.

“Let go of me, I’m not going anywhere with you!”

But as he reached the door, Ethedred came to bid her daughter farewell, and he paused on the threshold as Snow stilled, and a tremble settled into her body with the burgeoning understanding that this was beyond her strength or skill to fix.

“Mother, please… come with me. If there’s no hope for us here, then let’s go together.”

“No. When the soldiers come, I’ll tell them the truth: that I was out yesterday looking for you, and found that you’d been attacked by a bear. I’ll tell them you disappeared, and that the beast must’ve taken you. My grief is real, they’ll believe me, and you’ll be free, my darling.”

“I’ll be alone… I have nothing but you, I’ve only ever had you and father.”

Ethedred once again turned to Pero.

“Promise me that you won’t abandon her. She’s not like other women, I know, but only because she’s better than them. She can cook, sew, clean, but also hunt, cut wood and make weapons. She’s the finest fletcher in the land, her father made sure of it. Promise me that she won’t be alone.”

She knew exactly how big of a promise she was asking of him, but she was a mother. She had to ask. He had no obligations to either of them, and none of this was his burden to bear. But he hadn’t hauled the woman several leagues’ throughs the woods, only to deliver her to her death. His was a solitary life by choice, and he had preferred to keep it such. But to his knowledge, the woman in his arms had done nothing to deserve a death-sentence, and even if he didn’t particularly care for her, there were few things he hated as severely as seeing women being punished, or treated badly, for no reason beyond their perceived inferiority.

“I promise. I will protect her with my life.”

Ember stared at him, and then at her mother once more, unable to believe her ears, and much to pained to speak another word.

“Goodbye, child. Don’t ever come back here. Now, go!”

She didn’t fight him anymore as he dragged her away, but she didn’t help him either. As though all reason for existing at all had suddenly vacated her body, she turned into a motionless statue in his arms, clinging to his shoulder as she tried to watch her mother until the trees swallowed the view, and the thick darkness of the forest engulfed the fleeing pair of misfits. And even though they both knew where they were headed, neither of them knew anything about what their lives would be from now on. Like a ship setting sail to the horizon, they were moving into the unknown, and the only thing they could say with any certainty, was that nothing would ever be the same.

***************

Link to Chapter 2

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