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be-ace-write-crime · 4 years ago

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Lovely Bride (Ch4)

The search for the stone is on as time gradually slips away for you and your husbands. If you cannot find the stone in time, your husbands will be forced into a thousand year slumber, while your mortal self is forced to perish.

Whatever happened to this Santana they speak of? What project is so important it has been consuming all of Kars' daylight hours? Is time really the only enemy still working against you?

“Wamuu! Come, I have something to show you!” you said, a grin almost splitting your face as you took his hand and guided him towards the river bank.

“Has your training born fruit so soon, beloved?” he asked, following obediently as you’d requested. You had been practicing your hamon while your husbands were out and while you couldn’t really say you’d gotten better at it in the two days you’d had it, it was getting easier to use.

“Well, rather, there’s a trick I wanted to show you,” you said, focusing your energy and stepping onto the water. You sank in about an inch or so, but were effectively walking on top of it.

“Incredible,” Wamuu breathed, his voice filled with awe as he continued to follow you. “You have advanced to the point of such a divine feat already!” he gushed.

“But this isn’t even what I wanted to show you!” you said, pulling him close. The water was up past his knees, and while the stream didn’t hinder him at all, he couldn’t tread on top like you did. You were almost smirking when you tilted his chin up with a single finger and got to lean down to press your lips against his.

The warm chuckle you got when he realized what you’d brought him here for made you giggle right back. “All this for a kiss, my darling? You could have just asked,” he said, his arms draped around your hips when he moved to hug you closer.

“This is more fun,” you said, pecking his forehead. He let out a deep sigh and you felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders.

“I wish I could stay with you longer like this,” he said, leaning in to rest his head against your chest. “I fear for you out there by yourself in the daytime. Humans are no less vicious than vampires if given the chance.”

“I won’t be alone,” you whispered softly, carding your fingers through his hair. It wasn’t nearly as soft as Kars’ flowing mane, but the short, bristly strands felt so nice running between your fingers. Their height, Wamuu’s especially, was an obvious part of what made them so glorious to behold, but something about holding your lover this way and having him let his guard down because he felt safe in your arms just filled you with warmth.

“Right, Aries will be a worthy companion to you on your journey, beloved,” he agreed. “I’ll see to it a meal is ready for you when you return. Please be careful,” he warned, lifting you onto your horse’s back and seeing you off before he returned to the temple.

You were dressed inconspicuously for this journey. Your clothes were of a finer make, but modest and plainly colored. You had finally gotten Aries to submit to your reins and a saddle and the massive black horse should deter anyone from trying to get too close.

You had enough money to simply purchase the stone, as it would be considerably harder for you to steal it than it would be for your husbands. You took great care to hide the money you had and disguise the jingling of coins in your purse to avoid being robbed.

Plenty of women in the capital were left unattended by their husbands if their husbands were traveling merchants, sailors or soldiers, but they would usually have a chaperon or at least a handmaid to escort them. You didn’t feel unsafe per se, but you knew a rich woman by herself, carrying a great amount of valuables, invited trouble.

The ride to the capital was easy enough. A well beaten path led the way and no one paid any mind to yet another stranger on a horse. At most some children looked and pointed at the massive steed, but no one stopped you. Aries might have been better suited for one of your husbands to ride, given his size, but he responded well to your calming presence and went wherever you guided him.

There were plenty of merchants selling jewelry by the side of the road and you stopped to examine their goods a handful of times, but you had seen enough gold and gems by then to tell these were mostly just trinkets and given their quality the red stone couldn’t possibly be among their wares.

You’d made it down to the docks with no luck, telling various lies as to what you were looking for and why. “My husband has been commissioned by a senator to create a great art piece.” “My father’s estate was stolen and the stone is a treasured heirloom.” “A servant stole it and my husband will be furious if I do not retrieve it before he returns.”

It didn’t help. No one knew of the red stone and while they could point you to the parts of town where you might find such a pricey gem, they had never even heard of an Aja.

It was late afternoon, going on in the evening, when you tied Aries down to rest and drink for a while before returning home. Everyone around you seemed to be gathering in anticipation of the departure of some imperial vessel, so you were left alone.

“I’ve never been here. How will I find some jeweler who is wealthy enough to have the red stone…?” you pondered out loud, sighing tiredly. “The stone isn’t just beautiful and rare. It’s a weapon in its own right. Like master Esidisi said, it would garner attention if anyone were trying to sell it, so why hasn’t it?” you mused. Then a thought hit you and you almost smacked yourself because it was so obvious.

“They’re not trying to sell it. It’s already been sold to someone who intends to keep it for themselves! Someone rich and powerful enough to wear such a gaudy and massive gemstone…” you said, grinning at Aries. “No merchant will know about it, except the one that sold it, because it is no longer for sale! It’s sitting in the collection of some affluent statesman or scholar,” you concluded, untying Aries and mounting his back as soon as he had finished drinking. He could rest all night once you had returned to the temple to discuss your findings.

The crowd of people parted easily for a horse his size as you made your way back to the main road, passing the caravan that was to be boarding the large roman war vessel that docked a few minutes prior.

“The stone is with someone powerful and rich who could afford to buy something so precious and also wear it without getting killed for it. Someone… Someone like…”

You were passing the lead of the caravan’s formation now, a group of soldiers riding horses that matched Aries in size to bear the weight of them and their armor, when your gaze was met by the coldest, most vicious eyes you had ever seen on a human.

Time almost seemed to slow to a crawl and you needed every second of it to tear you gaze from that icy, indifferent stare, for it to land on the very stone you had been searching for. It was the brilliant, glittering center piece of an amulet larger than your palm and there was no mistaking what it was, or who it belonged to.

“Someone like the emperor of Rome…”

When you returned you passed through your village first, finding your husbands there, rather than at the temple where you expected to find them.

“It is already dark. You are late,” Kars said.

“Lord Kars was becoming worried,” Esidisi said, noticing the way you flinched at being scolded. You could tell some of Kars’ more obvious signs of nerves at this point. His sitting on the edge of his seat, tapping his fingers, the pinch in his brow that made the markings around his eyes look sharp and threatening. He would sooner express his concern for you through discontent than affection, but you saw it for what it was and weren’t offended.

“Aries was tired. I didn’t want to push him too much,” you explained, glad an abundance of hay had been laid out to feed him already.

“If he is tired, that means he has served you well today,” Wamuu said, petting the horse’s flank. “How was the capital?” he asked.

Before you could answer Kars stood and scooped you into his arms, carrying you over to sit on his lap, making you smile. “It was fine. No one tried to hurt me, masters,” you assured him.

“They better not, or their head would roll before the next sunrise,” your master huffed bitterly at the thought. He pressed a soft kiss to your cheek and you returned the gesture in the hope of calming him down.

“I have… some good news and some bad news,” you started.

“Let’s get the bad news over with first,” Esidisi sighed. He probably figured you had found nothing, as they had found nothing for the past few days. He couldn’t fathom what the good news might be.

“The red stone has left the continent by sea…” you answered, noticing the harsh shift this statement brought in their demeanor. Something anxious and bordering on the rage they never wished to show you, but you had their full attention now.

“How do you know this?” Kars asked.

“I saw it. The stone is part of an amulet worn by the emperor now. I watched him board an imperial vessel and was told its destination was to be the city of Alexandria…” you said, wringing your hands together nervously. If only you could have taken the stone then and there, but obviously you would have been killed if you had tried that.

“Are you sure it was the red stone?” Wamuu asked. You nodded.

“I wouldn’t have said this if I wasn’t completely sure. It was a super Aja the size of my palm at least. The way it shone, it couldn’t possibly be anything else…”

“It would explain why we found no one advertising such a treasure… But the stone departing by sea is the worst thing that could have happened,” Esidisi groaned.

“We can traverse land far more quickly than any humans so long as we can avoid the sun, but to cross the ocean we would be bound to the speed of a human made ship. It is impossible to swim across the ocean to Alexandria in a single night and there would be nowhere to hide from the sun... “ Kars said, near shaking with rage.

“It takes a week to sail from Rome to Alexandria,” Esidisi said.

“It takes only five if we depart from the southernmost point of Sicily,” Kars said, standing up.

“Aries isn’t fit for that journey tonight and I see no other way for (Y/N) to keep up,” Wamuu said. Neither of you wanted to leave him behind, but your poor boy was exhausted after a full day of traveling.

“I have a solution for that. Prepare to depart within the hour,” Kars announced, vanishing to retrieve whatever the four of you might need on this journey.

“Will we be coming back here?”

“Unlikely,” Esidisi answered, looking up at the temple. “Best you gather anything you would like to see preserved. This may be the last time you see your home at all,” he professed gravely.

You swallowed a lump in your throat and asked Esidisi to bring you up the mountain. Your belongings already consisted of very little. Of course, of the treasure your husbands had gathered you wished you could bring all of it, but you wouldn’t have much use for wealth. It was so jarring to think you might never see your home again. Some other humans would find this shell of a village and move in eventually, but a thousand years from now, would any of it still be there? Would anyone know about your people?

You gathered all the things that had become significant to you. The wreath you had been given by your people, the dagger you got from Wamuu, the scrolls detailing the use of hamon and your people’s history from Esidisi, and the vial of antidote from lord Kars. That and whatever clothes you deemed worth packing. Kars emerged from his chamber with a large bag hanging from his shoulder, a single stone mask with a hollow fit for the red stone and a small wooden box. Your candle barely shone into his large bedroom, but you could see the faint glittering of gold and the numerous maps and tapestries that he left behind.

“Have you gathered all you needed to?” he asked. You nodded, holding the somewhat heavy bag with both your hands. It felt like a lot to bring along and yet far too little if it was all that was going to be preserved of your entire way of living. You kept reminding yourself if only you could find the stone in time this wouldn’t be the end.

“Are you sure you don’t want to bring anything else?” you asked, just to be sure.

“I remember everything that is written in those scrolls and drawn on those maps. If we are forced to sleep those would turn to dust before we return and we have no use for material goods like humans do. I am only bringing items that may serve a purpose or cannot be easily replaced,” he said, taking your bag and slinging it over his shoulder as well.

Esidisi had gathered up enough money to buy a small country and a single change of clothes for Wamuu and himself. None of them were very sentimental about worldly possessions it seemed. It made sense, given their immortality, to not get too attached to material things, but your little mortal self still felt a pang of hurt leaving the temple and all that was left there behind.

“Is there anything else in the village you wish to bring, dear (Y/N)?” Wamuu asked. He’d made the effort to gather roughly a week’s worth of food for you on your journey and the supplies to care for Aries, but your boy still looked tired and ready to get his saddle off and rest.

“No, there’s nothing here that would be sensible to bring along. I’ll miss it, but it’s alright,” you said, forcing a smile.

“Lord Kars, you had a way for Aries to endure the journey to Sicily tonight?” your first husband asked. Kars opened the box he’d brought along, showing a very different stone mask from the ones you’d seen before. One made to fit the face of a horse.

You stared at him for a moment, slack jawed. A vampire horse?!

“I’ll ask your permission, but really, you’ll need a proper mount for this journey and either you let Aries be transformed, or you’ll have to leave him behind,” he said, holding the mask out to you. The stallion still liked to nip at your master or try to when he got too close. He preferred Wamuu and yourself as his caretakers.

“That’s alright,” you said, stroking your horse’s neck and ears. To you it didn’t matter much if he was transformed. You’d feel guilty for depriving him of the sun, but in exchange he would remain by you and your husbands’ sides forever as an immortal creature of legends. If he did have to eat meat from living things you wouldn’t mind, so long as he didn’t turn his appetite on good humans. “I love you so much, sweetie. This will hurt for a moment, so please forgive me,” you said, placing the mask over his face. Esidisi kindly spilled just a few drops of blood on it and a series of spikes dug itself into his skull with a loud crunch.

Aries staggered and cried. Wamuu pulled you back and you winced in sympathy for your sweet boy as his hooves slammed down like a sledge on an anvil and he shook off the mask. His teeth were razor sharp and he seemed even bigger and more imposing than before. There was a clarity in his now blood red eyes, like he understood he had been changed. For a moment you were scared, thinking he might turn on you for allowing him to be hurt now that he was a vampire, like the wretched old man you’d been forced to kill, but Aries settled and bowed his head, nudging you gently like he’d done the night you first met.

“The transformation went over well. Better than I expected,” Kars said, reaching over to stroke the horse’s head, but Aries still snapped at him and now he could have likely taken several fingers off. Your master yanked his hand back and scowled. “Still as temperamental as ever, I see… He retained his overall memories and attitude. He’ll have the stamina and speed required for this journey now. Are you all ready to leave?” he asked.

“Yes, my masters. I’m ready,” you answered.

Truth be told, you were tired. You’d been up before sunrise and out all day, but sleeping was the furthest thought from your mind right now. Hoofbeats came down like rolling thunder in the night's darkness. The new moon left the path enveloped in shadow, but Aries galloped straight ahead wherever he was led to, never hesitating or fussing to show fatigue. You were hardly guiding him; you didn’t know where you were going, but you could sense your husbands nearby, even in the dark. Brief flashes of light or warmth, or the wind whipping unnaturally, told you they were close.

“Are you alright?” Wamuu asked you at some point. You’d completely zoned out for a while now, only focussing slightly when you passed through the occasional village. You were aching from how long you’d been riding for, even with hamon to ease the strain on your body, and exhaustion was taking its toll.

“Are we almost there?” you asked back. It felt like you were going so fast you might be, but you wouldn’t get your hopes up too much. You jerked as you felt yourself being suddenly lifted out of your saddle, but calmed down quickly in the familiar embrace of your husband’s arms. He’d taken your place as the rider, cradling you in his arms instead. “Isn’t both of us too heavy?”

“Normally, yes, but Aries is a vampire now. He can easily carry both of us,” he assured you. Esidisi had once told you the strength of a vampire was between five and ten times that of a human. If the same applied to vampire horses carrying both of you shouldn’t be a problem. He was certainly big enough for Wamuu to ride as well. “You seem tired,” he pointed out.

“I am,” you sighed. “But more than that, I’m nervous,” you said. Being held in his arms eased the aching of your legs and back, but you couldn’t relax completely just yet.

“Come what may, my shining dawn, we will persevere,” he said, pressing a kiss to your forehead. “Very soon we will reach the ocean to cross onto the island of Sicily. We will travel along its shore until we can go no further and from there we will take a ship to Alexandria,” he explained, helping you sit up. You knew the plan already, but still couldn’t keep a grin off your face.

“You want to show me the ocean?” you asked. You did remember asking before, but you’d almost forgotten about it already.

“I realize it’s not exactly what you intended, but I would like you to enjoy it regardless,” the wind god answered. “I remember first seeing the ocean myself. Lord Kars and Esidisi hadn’t bothered to explain it to me and proceeded to laugh when I asked which way would take us around this lake the fastest. My brother Santana tried to drink from it. That was a very unpleasant surprise,” he told you, making you laugh. “Lord Kars says a great thinker should be able to imagine an ocean from seeing a single drop of water. I suppose that is why he is a philosopher and a scientist and I am a warrior,” he added.

“You possess wisdom in different walks of life, my love,” you said, leaning your head against his chest. “Whatever happened to your brother? You’ve mentioned him before, but I’ve never seen him. Where is he?”

You couldn’t see very well in the dark, but you could tell Wamuu’s mood fell instantly with that question.

“Lord Kars killed every member of our tribe who rejected his views, nearly all of them. Most because they sought to bring him down, but many simply because he didn’t deem them worthy if they only strived to wait out eternity underground… Santana and I were children when this happened and for many years we resided where our tribe had once lived while lord Kars sought to perfect the stone masks. Eventually he came to the conclusion mere stone would not suffice and we would leave in search of a catalyst that would perfect his creation and us in turn. Santana and I were… adolescent at that time, he was younger than me by a thousand years or so, but old enough to make his own choices,” he explained, voice tinged with sadness. “When lord Kars said we would cross the ocean and not return, he rebelled, deciding he would rather remain by himself in the ruins of our old tribe by himself. He and lord Kars had grown somewhat indifferent to our training in favour of their… our pursuit of the stone… Master Esidisi thought it a childish rebellion. He persuaded lord Kars to wait for his return… We waited on that shore for a decade. The human population was dwindling. We left and that was the last I saw of him. About 3000 years ago,” he explained.

You swallowed a lump in your throat, bracing yourself to ask the next question. “I-Is he alright? The sun… were there hamon users on this continent as well…?”

“Hm? Santana was young, but strong and smart enough to stay out of the sun. There were no hamon users there and enough stone masks that I am sure he is alive and well!” he said, although he sounded like he was trying to reassure himself as much as you.

Aries pace began to slow. Over the sound of his heavy breathing and the trot of his hooves you could hear the subtle lull of waves dragging over the shore. “Best not mention this to lord Kars or master Esidisi. They will deny it, but the loss of my brother has caused them great pain.”

You nodded, standing on shaky legs as you were let down onto the sandy shore. Kars had killed all who didn’t share his views, yet he waited on Santana for ten years. Clearly this testified to some sort of greater love, even if they hadn’t chased him when he left. If after ten years he didn’t come find them, he likely wouldn’t have changed his mind about the search for the red stone if they had. Even you knew Kars wouldn’t be dissuaded from his plans, so perhaps it really was for the best that he stayed behind somewhere familiar. You hoped the stone masks meant he had some kind of companionship, although you were pretty sure Wamuu meant to imply he had plenty of vampires to turn into food.

“I warned you riding that horse would slow it down,” Kars said. You could just barely make out his face in the dark, but your eyes were caught by something possibly more beautiful than that. The ocean was as smooth as a mirror and the stars illuminating the sky reflected off the pitch black depths like an infinite cosmos.

“Forgive me, lord Kars. Our dear bride looked like she needed some company,” Wamuu explained, followed by a sound like a whip cracking and an uncharacteristic sound of surprise from your first husband. You were sure you’d never heard him gasp for anything, but that’s what it sounded like.

“Don’t use her as an excuse, Wamuu. You were the one craving company,” his master corrected him and you snorted a laugh while he put a hand over his sore backside where he’d been struck.

“Hah! You have not resorted to physical reprimands in a long time, my lord. Don’t be so harsh on him. I’m sure he just wanted to spend some time with someone a little closer in age,” Esidisi said and you bit your tongue hard to a barrage of comments and questions to yourself. You usually prided yourself on being able to keep secrets, but this was a lot to take in, let alone keep it there.

“He can do so without telling lies. There is a ferry that will take us across to Sicily. From there it will be about two more hours to the southernmost point of the island. We’ll need to secure a ship before dawn breaks, so don’t waste any more time on pleasantries,” he warned back.

“Understood, master,” Wamuu said. “I’ll recover the time I wasted by blowing wind in your sails. I’ll swim across easily,” he said. You could only make out this ‘ferry’ by the sails blocking out the stars in one spot.

“It’s impossible to blow wind in the sails when you’re on the vessel with us?” you asked. “I mean it seems unlikely, but the god of wind…”

“His control of wind is a physical ability, not some divine magic from human myths. It might create some motion, but more likely it will damage the mast,” Kars answered, picking you up and lifting you onto the ship.

“I still don’t fully understand your powers or what you are. You’re not the gods of legend I was taught to worship. Since your arrival, I don’t know what to believe anymore,” you said. You were hurting all over and couldn’t see a thing, so that was probably best you let yourself be carried. It would also give you a brief window to talk to Kars away from Wamuu before you would be confined to a ship together for a week. Aries made the leap aboard almost as easily and Esidisi was right behind you when a sudden torrent of wind disturbed the mirror-like surface of the ocean and the ship jerked into motion.

“We were born from two parents each, just like humans. We were always immortal, living vicariously through the living things around us, but the masks I made gave us the powers you would call magic or miracles. We have seen hundreds of human communities, all worshiping their own gods and sometimes worshiping us as well. We never did encounter any of your human ‘gods’ and in many cases they seemed to worship perfectly natural things as miracles. I for one don’t concern myself with any gods, unless they should attempt to stand in my way,” Kars explained.

“And there is no one else like the three of you?” you asked. You didn’t expect him to give a straight answer, but you didn’t expect him to lie either. You were curious either way.

“There is one more like us. A youngling by the name of Santana, who still resides on the continent we hail from,” Kars answered, pausing for a moment. “Perhaps you will meet him when we have obtained the stone. Besides him there is no one,” he said simply, handing you off to Esidisi before you could ask anything else. “The crossing will be swift, so restrain yourself. The horse has done enough to bruise her loins tonight,” he warned, making you blush.

“My loins are perfectly fine,” you insisted in a huff.

“I could fix that,” your second husband promptly offered. Luckily he could see your flustered expression in the dark and just laughed. It was true it was your legs and back that were hurting, but you were in no mood to spread your legs in any capacity. “You were wondering about Santana?”

“Yes,” you admitted. “Wamuu asked me not to press the matter, but if you’re the only ones left from your kind… Even lord Kars said that once you have obtained the stone…” You trailed off as your hand was brought up to your lover’s face and you could feel the hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

“I treasure him and Wamuu as I would my own children, dear (Y/N),” he murmured, clearly holding back worse tears. “He was becoming so strong and I had nothing left to teach and he took this as neglect… When Kars decided we would depart from our homeland where we were worshiped as gods in search of some way to further advance the masks it was the last straw… Ten long years we waited, but he never came around… I knew in my heart of hearts he lives, but…” Esidisi trailed off, his shoulders shaking with heaving sobs and you quickly hugged him, letting him soak the fabric of your dress with tears.

“Esidisi… my king of flames, you will see him again… Soon you will have the stone and when you do-”

“Will he still want us in his life after all those years? Will he forgive us for leaving? It’s been so many years, he’ll have grown up and I will never get those moments back~!!!” he sobbed, partially muffled against your chest.

You gently pat his head, shushing him softly while he wailed.

“He’ll still love you. It’s true you can’t change the time you spent apart, but you can’t change the centuries you spent together either…” you tried to remind him. You didn’t want to tell him to stop crying. He had never once told you to stop crying, and you had cried a lot. However, you weren’t supposed to bring this up and now Esidisi was in hysterics.

The ship jerked to an abrupt halt, the wooden boards creaking from the amount of force dragging the vessel onto the shore.

“That was quick…” you noted, blinking in surprise as Esidisi’s crying stopped just as abruptly.

“Ah, yes. It is a short distance and Wamuu’s winds are exceptionally strong. Thank you for allowing me to vent these thoughts and emotions with you, my darling,” Esidisi said, standing and lifting you up with him. “I am glad to have you, my dancing flame, to ground me when my emotions run too high.”

“Y-You’re welcome? You calmed down very quickly,” you said, a little confused. You winced as you were lifted back into your saddle. This ride was not going to be a pleasant one.

“Relieving pent up feelings through crying like that keeps me in control of my emotions when I need to be. Now is no time for crying or we won’t make it before sunrise. Come on, let us hurry!” he said, a light smack to Aries’ rear spurring him into a gallop as he gave chase to your husband.

“Shouldn’t we wait for Wamuu to catch up?” you asked. Riding along the beach shore would be easier. The sand was easy to ride on and the water’s edge gave you a rough idea of where you were headed, instead of riding blind.

“That would defeat the purpose of the head start he gave us. When we arrive at our destination, we still must secure another vessel and hope the wind turns more favorably,” Kars answered.

Logically you knew it would be alright. Even if you didn’t make it before dawn, you would reach Alexandria in a few days. Finding the emperor of Rome shouldn’t be too hard and you had no doubts your husbands could take the stone easily.

Still, you were uneasy. What if you didn’t make it in time and your husbands got burned in the sun? What if something happened while you were out at sea? What if you had made a mistake, and you wasted your husbands’ time for a gaudy piece of red glass? What if you didn’t find the stone at all?

These uneasy thoughts plagued you. If this all turned out to be for nothing, you would have no one but yourself to blame. They would have no one but yourself to blame.

The coming day colored the distant horizon a pale blue and the stars flickered out one by one against the dark sky. The threat of sunlight loomed in that distance and you were so ready to just collapse.

Exhaustion began feeding into your worries. They hadn’t made you a vampire so you could help them find the stone and what good would you be if you failed at that?

Esidisi might have had the right idea about crying the way he did, but crying to him about this would mean openly admitting to your worries and fears. You would have to tell them and you simply couldn’t bring yourself to, so these feelings stayed cooped up inside you.

You could already see clearly when you made it to a harbor town on the southern cape of the island. Fishermen were getting ready on smaller boats and you and Aries followed your husbands at a calm trot as they slowed to board the largest vessel on the small dock. It was another ship belonging to the imperial navy and it was guarded, but your husbands walked almost right through them onto the ship. You still flinched seeing it, those soldiers didn’t even know what hit them before they died.

“How much do you know about sailing a ship like this?” Kars asked you as he and Esidisi began preparing for departure like they had owned it for years.

“My family didn’t think I should be outside of the kitchen. I don’t know a thing about sailing…” you answered. Why would they teach you anything about finding your way if you were never supposed to leave your little village?

“Right. I expected as much. You see where the sun is rising? That’s the direction we’re heading in. By noon the sun should be behind you. We can teach you how to properly navigate later,” he sighed. You wanted to sigh back at him, because you needed to rest. You could go a single night without sleep, but not a night like this one.

“Yes, master… Do you not get tired at all? Ever?” you asked, standing at the ship’s helm.

“I get tired of waiting,” Kars remarked snidely. For someone who supposedly didn’t get tired then, he sure sounded like someone who hadn’t had his coffee after four hours of repeatedly interrupted sleep.

That being said, you were getting worried. The sun was almost up and there were no mountains or trees, or anything that would provide shade for them to walk safely.

“Is Wamuu going to be here in time?” you asked, looking for reassurance.

“If I’m being honest, he might not be here before dawn,” Esidisi said, getting Aries settled below deck and out of the light. You jerked and sputtered for something to say, but they both laughed.

“Wamuu has been working on a new technique to get around his vulnerability to the sun’s light. He wanted to surprise you with it, but I suppose it would be better to tell you now than to have you fear for his life once the sun rises,” Kars said, joining Esidisi in the shadow of the ship’s hold. You were stunned at how casually they brushed off the risk, or rather the inevitability, of their companion burning in the rays of the sunrise.

The ocean current and a strong breeze were already pulling the vessel away from the shore and you had no way of controlling its pace, only its direction. The horizon was set awash in a blaze of red and gold, sunlight reflecting off the surface of the waves to the point where it was almost blinding. The light was warm, but all you felt were cold chills as you clutched the ship’s wheel to stay upright, looking out across the beach where you still didn’t see Wamuu.

You felt yourself about to start crying again, when your tired, bloodshot eyes noticed something moving rapidly towards you. At first it looked like it was just the wind, carrying a gust of dry sand with it, but it was too oddly shaped. It took until the strange creature leapt into the air, over you, and onto the main deck that you understood what was happening. Wamuu had encased himself in a tempest strong enough to have the vapor in his currents refract and reflect light away from him, essentially creating his own shadow from wind. While it certainly wasn’t the glorious sight of the morning sun washing over his bronze skin, to have him stand beside you in the daylight made your heart leap with both relief and utter joy.

“I-I’m so glad you’re safe! That’s incredible! You’re incredible!” you almost yelled.

“I’d say that puts us even for yesterday morning,” he chuckled.

“Heh, only if I get a kiss!” you said with a big grin.

“Later. Best not to break these winds in the light of day,” he said, a little gust of wind dancing through your hair and making your skirt flutter like a playful caress before he went to join the rest of your little family in the dark hold of the ship.

Relief from having him safely in your care was enough to unwind the knot of anxiety in your stomach and you could finally relax somewhat. Your already shaky legs were getting used to the rocking of the ship. There was something slightly surreal about being the only one on deck like this, watching the sunrise, steering a ship of this size.

It was also a little surreal to think of the three pillarmen and the vampire warhorse below deck as your family. You made an odd combination. Three man eating demigods, a forsaken sacrificial bride, and a carnivorous horse, but you couldn’t have wished for a better family looking back.

Thinking about family brought back the memory of your sister and her two girls. Your nieces. You had no way of telling what they were up to right now, or if they were okay. Your sister was a fighter, always had been, but it was one thing to keep herself standing as a widow in your village and another entirely to be all alone in the world.

The day seemed to drag by slowly and when the sun was high you had grown hungry. You locked the ship’s wheel in one position and headed over to the hatch that led down into the hold. Your husbands had created a den of sorts that bordered on a massive nest in the area that would have been designated for a crew to sleep in.

You had no cargo to move and no crew, so the hold was spacious enough that Aries could stand and walk around and your husbands could lounge around on the extra pillows and bedding like kings.

“Hungry?” Kars asked knowingly. You nodded and grinned when you noticed Esidisi holding a steaming pot with some kind of soup. For a second you worried he might burn his hands, but then you realized he was probably the reason that the pan was hot in the first place. Probably a good idea not to start fires inside a wooden cargo hold.

“I wanted to ask something,” you said between bites, scarfing down half the meal in record time. Your husbands didn’t eat very gracefully either, and putting it all in your mouth looked sort of odd to them whether you minded your table manners or not. “After we find the stone… Would you mind if I tried to seek out my sister and her children? By now you must be sure I won’t leave you and even if I can’t convince them to swear allegiance to you after what happened, I would like to see them again,” you asked, looking up shyly and waiting for a response.

“Hmm? You’ll be free to pursue whatever your heart desires once we have obtained the stone. Go wherever and do whatever you want, within reason,” Kars answered, returning his focus to a new stone mask he was carving.

“Within reason?” you asked. Your definitions of reason and reasonable had become incredibly flexible in recent weeks, given the invasion of vampires, marrying three gods, learning to fight vampires, walk on water, riding a hoofed demon to the end of the continent in pursuit of the roman emperor to steal a magic stone, etc.

“Avoid things like orgies or stealing humans, killing human monarchs unplanned, that sort of thing. Meeting with your sister isn’t counted among such things, obviously,” Esidisi said.

You almost choked on your food and snickered. “Oh, and I had such great plans!” you joked. “I just hope they’re okay… They’re the most precious humans in the world to me and I miss having them around…”

“They’re ours as well, dear (Y/N),” Wamuu said. “As far as humans go, they’re important to us as well, right after you of course.”

More so than even the meal, his words made you feel warm inside. To know that what was important to you was important to them was such a blessing.

“I’d like to have a larger family again,” Esidisi said cheerfully. “Say, do you think our family will continue to grow?” he asked, his gaze falling on your stomach and you took a solid five seconds to process the implications of that question.

You hadn’t even considered you might get pregnant. You hadn’t really thought much beyond the month you had been given on the night you got engaged, but obviously you were planning further ahead now.

You should probably not indulge that line of thinking before at least six hours of sleep, but the idea was in your head now. Could they get you pregnant? How long would that take given how long they lived? Would you be raising a child like them or would it be human? Would it have to live in darkness with them or would they be putting a stone mask on a baby? You had slept with all three of them, so would there be a way of telling whose child it was? Would that even matter? Was there a chance you were already with child?

“C-Can I even… We’re not exactly the same species, right?” you asked. “Lord Kars?”

If anyone would know it was him. Kars seemed to be as caught off guard by the question as you, looking up and staring almost blankly into space for a few moments, but then looked back down to his work, his brows pinched together as he tried to regain his focus. “No, you won’t,” he answered simply.

You’d been a little scared of the prospect at first, but somehow being told that it was impossible to bear any of your husbands’ children was worse.

“Why not?” Esidisi asked, pulling you into his lap. He felt hot all around you and you guessed this was another way in which his emotions showed.

“Is there nothing you could do to make it so?” Wamuu suggested, a tinge of hurt shining through in his own voice.

“Our species aren’t incompatible by any means. The child would be most similar to us, before we were changed by the stone masks, however -” Kars explained, casting a harsh look at them. “No child of either species responds well to blunt force trauma or extreme heat while it is in the womb. You can’t expect to father any offspring through battering and boiling her insides,” he scolded them, making the three of you flinch collectively.

“But if… uh… maybe…” you trailed off, unsure of what you were really asking.

“You’re in good health and if you don’t attempt anything more violent than what you have done so far, you’ll be able to bear as many children as you please when the time is right,” Kars assured you. “In the meantime, try to practice your hamon. It is the best way for you to endure mating and remain healthy. If you wish for a child, you shall have it, but by the stars don’t ask me to give you one right now,” he sighed, having too much to deal with already. You chuckled and nodded.

“I understand. Thank you, master,” you said, Esidisi dragging you onto his lap to cuddle. “Now would not be a good time for me to be pregnant. It might actually be better if it doesn’t happen until we’re in agreement it’s a good time.”

“The fact most humans don’t even consider that is the reason they’re such an invasive species,” Kars mumbled. “If we are forced to sleep I expect the population of humans will have grown tenfold across the globe, if not more,” he huffed.

“That many?” you asked. “There are already so many who starve and wars over territory…”

“And those will be even greater by then. Trust me, humans are more persistent than rats in that regard,” he said. You wanted to argue, but were unsure how. You couldn’t exactly disprove his claims, but it was hard to wrap your head around what he’d said. You’d seen so little of the world before and lived such a short life in comparison to them.

“Whether we sleep or find the stone, we’ll live long enough to see,” you decided eventually, figuring he’d either be right or you could tell him he’d been wrong later.

“If we find the stone and become gods I fully intend on culling the worst of the human population. Starting with its greedy oppressors and ending with each and every one who so much as looks at a dog wrong,” Kars muttered. It sounded harsh enough to make you flinch, but you couldn’t disagree with the types of humans he’d want to get rid of. Being a god it really was his call to make.

It was a strange process, coming to accept this, realizing there really was no one who could stop him or challenge his authority on who he was allowed to live. It was hard, but the more you got to know the three of them the more you trusted him to actually make that call.

Your people worshiped several gods who had done worse things than wipe out a single village that opposed them like yours had. If they did conquer the sun and decided they would decapitate the emperor before his senate, what else was there to be done, except bow to their wishes?

“I can’t help but notice, beloved, that you said we ,” Wamuu pointed out.

“If you’ll have me that long, I’m sure you’ll find a way for us to stay together,” you said with a small shrug. “I trust you.”

Those words brought smiles to their faces. It was a comfort to know you no longer feared them the way you had when you first presented yourself as their bride and you finally viewed yourself as being worthy of your status as their bride.

“You should get back on deck and adjust our course. The ship has been pulling north. After sunset we will take over and you’ll be free to sleep,” Kars said.

You groaned loudly and leaned back against Esidisi, who’s unnatural warmth was beckoning you to fall asleep for a while now.

“It’s an important job that only you can do,” he said, moving you from his lap, which felt like the height of treason. Would he also push a tired kitten off his lap?!

“Hmm, I know. I’m going. Maybe before becoming immortal, you should be mortals for a day. Just feeling tired and having headaches from not drinking enough water and inexplicable stomach gurgles from eating the wrong thing, like the rest of us,” you said, relishing in their expressions of absolute horror and disgust as you climbed the stairs.

“Maybe we’ll give you a stone mask and you can live hiding in a cave like the rest of us,” Kars yelled after you in retort, but you knew he wouldn’t.

“With my three husbands who can still go outside and 200 vampire servants? I’m in!” you called back jokingly, letting the hatch fall shut as a means of ending that debate.

You wouldn’t want to become a vampire, but if your husbands were going to be keeping you awake for two days straight while dragging you around a thousand miles, you might as well remind them the sun was the only part they were missing out on in the human experience.

You were so ready to sleep by the time the sun was setting you didn’t even speak to your husbands for the rest of the day. You were offered the captain’s quarters, but refused, choosing to sleep in the nest they had constructed in the hold. You thanked the stars you were apparently the kind of person to not experience sea-sickness easily, actually finding the rocking of the waves very soothing as you went to sleep.

It was almost dawn when you woke up, feeling infinitely better than you had the night before. You climbed out onto the deck after you had changed your clothes and fixed your hair, surprised to hear a faint sound of music.

Kars was laying back on the railing, plucking the strings on a lute with his eyes closed like he was Apollo himself. Wamuu was the one standing at the helm and Esidisi was seated at the opposing railing with a fishing line cast.

“I didn’t know you played music…” you said. Kars opened one eye and chuckled.

“These past millenia would have been awfully boring without it. There are many things you don’t know about us,” he said, while you leaned against the heavy wooden railing.

“Such as?” you asked, watching his fingers carefully dance along the strings in a playful melody.

“Esidisi is an excellent poet,” he offered, to which the fire god nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Don’t tell her that! In our language, yes! But certainly not in this one!” he complained.

“I could translate! Why don’t I tell her what you were saying while she slept before?” Kars said, smirking like the evil bastard he was.

“Do NOT tell her that!” Esidisi yelled, which only made you more curious.

“Lord Kars is especially fond of birds and dogs,” Wamuu interjected. “And he was the first to devise a compass, many centuries before humans thought to. Why don’t I show you how to read it while our masters coordinate their serenade?” he suggested, picking you up and taking you out of the crossfire that was about to ensue between his elders.

“An excellent idea, Wamuu. Esidisi, get over here!” Kars called out.

You felt a little bad for abandoning him, but your curiosity won out. Besides, you needed to learn how to navigate properly. He pointed out which stars in the sky to follow to your destination, how to read the compass and then went into which ropes held up which sails and when to lower or raise them. You’d have some serious calluses on your hands by the end of this trip, but you were still grateful to learn.

The lesson was interrupted when you noticed something had taken the bait on Esidisi’s fishing line.

“Were you fishing for me?” you asked curiously.

“You can have it if you’d like, but that wasn’t the main reason I wash fishing, beloved,” he answered, gutting the struggling fish that was about the length of his forearm. He dumped the blood and guts overboard and it expectedly drew some larger predators to the surface near the boat. A shark made the mistake of leaping out of the water and was promptly caught by your husband through the use of his extended veins.

“Aries! Dinner time!” he called out, hauling the shark onto the deck. Aries gracefully ran over and bit into the still struggling shark. You’d never heard the noise a shark made. You weren’t sure how to describe it, but it made some kinda noise as the horse consumed it whole, the entire ordeal accompanied by Kars’ upbeat strumming in the background.

Wamuu and Esidisi snickered at the shocked expression on your face as you began to sputter something about your horse devouring a shark. They ignored most of your indignation, you’d get used to it, and Esidisi asked if you would still like to have the fish before the sun came up.

You listened to Kars play for a little while longer at the top of the hatch as you ate and watched the sunrise. Esidisi recited some of his poetry at your request and Kars translated. It sounded beautiful the way he said and according to your master it meant something along the lines of how the blazing sun looked so gentle in your eyes and like the sun his love would burn eternally. You hid your grin behind your hands, blushing bright red at the explanation.

“He’s quite the romantic,” Kars chuckled, getting hit with a pillow by Esidisi, who looked so red that pillow might catch fire.

“Please return to the helm, if you would, my lovely flame? Lord Kars and I have something to discuss,” your second husband instructed, to which you nodded and ran off, giggling like a little girl.

If this was how the rest of your journey would go, you’d be alright.

For the most part it did. With little you could do in the lay of training and nothing else to occupy your time you found yourself with your three husbands vying for your attention throughout most of the nights. During the day you had taken to copying the scrolls detailing your people’s history, planning to leave the originals at the library of Alexandria when you arrived there.

You knew your husbands had noticed, but they hadn’t stopped you. Maybe they saw some value in preserving your people’s history and ways, or maybe it was just a small show of sympathy to you personally. It was reassuring to think the good things you had experienced with your people wouldn’t be lost forever and you could do them this small service.

You once told Esidisi maybe it was right for you to pass on as your people had. Maybe that was more fair. He’d called it survivor’s guilt and insisted you didn’t need to justify your survival, least of all to people that would have sent you to die, but the feel still gnawed vaguely inside of your chest.

Throughout the night it would be a contest for who got to have you to themselves. Kars liked to veto your attention whenever it looked like you weren’t busy, so you had to try to look busy with your first two husbands. It wasn’t all that hard, Esidisi was happy to let you touch his hair or cuddle, so was Wamuu but you would normally just sit in his lap or talk about animals.

You in turn had had your hair braided in all sorts of ways and would talk about flowers or animals that were only around during the daytime.

When Kars had you, he would have you read to him as you sat in his lap or as he read aloud one of Esidisi’s poems. Shamelessly stealing his partner’s thunder in that regard. Many of his scrolls were in languages that you couldn’t read and he would translate for you, so that you might learn some of the wisdom they had gathered over centuries.

At your master’s suggestion you had also taken to learning more intimate practices from them. Wamuu didn’t have much to contribute there except second hand knowledge. You were his first as he was yours.

Esidisi had more to add, and in a stolen moment of private time, he taught you the proper techniques of pleasing them, aided by your hamon breathing. It helped that he didn’t mind when you choked or the one time to actually gag and bit him. You could only marvel at his patience with you. Something both the other pillarman lacked as they disturbed you in several compromising positions repeatedly, at which point you threatened to get off and walk to shore come sunrise and finally you were allowed to finish.

They didn’t mention it directly, but Wamuu took great care to remind you he was always glad to help you ‘practice’ in any way.

You wrote down what you learned from them. The history of your people gaining a new chapter about the erotic arts that could be performed with hamon and the techniques to please your immortal lovers. Future generations might get some use out of them. You took care to keep these texts and illustrations separate though, as you didn’t want your history to end up burned and have your tribe labelled as obscene.

On the fifth night your husbands emerged after sundown and Kars perched himself on the bow of the ship without a word.

“What’s happened now..?” you asked worriedly. You could tell something was up, but it was safer to ask your companions first.

“The winds have not been in our favor this journey. We should have made it to Alexandria by now. It’ll be another day at least…” Wamuu explained. You knew this well, as you had been the one single handedly hoisting and lowering sails and steering the ship during the daytime. You could heal the blisters on your hands, but not the calluses that roughed up your palms and the pads of your fingers.

“The imperial vessel that departed from Rome will have travelled a different route and had a head start by a good 16 hours. It may have arrived already,” Esidisi agreed.

“He’ll be easier to find once we do reach our destination,” you tried to reassure them with a soft smile.

“We know, darling. It’s just that with what seems like the final leg of our journey approaching, we can’t help but grow restless,” Esidisi explained, flexing his fingers. “My joints are growing stiff. That’s always the first sign. The petrification of our flesh will set in about a week from now if we do not uncover the stone.”

The idea itself made you shudder. To slowly turn to stone while you were powerless to stop it.

“It won’t come to that,” you said with all the conviction you could muster. In the distance on the horizon you could see nothing, but Kars’ shifting gaze told you there were likely other ships and sandbank islands you passed.

“Your determination is admirable, dearest (Y/N). Thanks to you, we will soon have the stone at last,” Wamuu said, kissing your forehead.

Food was starting to run low on the ship too. You hadn’t really thought about it, but staying awake as much as you did had led to you eating more without even realizing it. You were also getting a slight cabin fever from sharing such close quarters. On the ship you were always within earshot, given their heightened senses and they never slept. Their presence didn’t make you feel anxious the way it once did, but a week without any sort of privacy was wearing you down.

“Maybe you could distract Kars from his worries a little while?” Esidisi suggested, kissing your cheek and taking over at the helm.

You approached the bow of the ship quietly, but Kars knew exactly where you were and what you and your other husbands had been saying.

“I don’t need your attempts at comforting me. I’ll be perfectly content once I have the stone…” he huffed once you were a few feet behind him, not bothering to look over his shoulder.

“Standing there won’t get us to Alexandria faster,” you pointed out.

“Neither will your creature comforts,” he responded, staring out across the dark ocean impassively. “I promise you, you will spend eternity in my arms as a goddess, but I can’t afford to lose my focus now,” he said, finally casting a look over his shoulder. “You should go take the antidote now. You have waited long enough. I don’t question your devotion.”

These words went through your chest more violently and painfully than having your wedding ring forced into your heart in the first place. Was he doubting himself? No, that was far too unlike Kars. He’d wanted you to keep the ring as a physical proof of his ownership of you, of your bond. You had plenty of other tokens now, but none as powerful as the one inside your heart. The one that would take your life in ten more days.

“I don’t need it,” you said, climbing the bow with him.

“Stop being petulant. There is no sense in carrying around poison in your heart.”

“Then why do you?!” you asked sharply, glaring at him. Before he could answer you jumped overboard. You couldn’t see the water’s surface, so you still ended up getting wet.

“What on earth are you doing?” Kars demanded.

“Helping!” you responded, grabbing a rope and focussing your energy as much as you could to solidify the water’s tension. You felt like Sisyphos pushing a boulder uphill, trying to pull the ship forward. Maybe it was fitting. A punishment for hubris thinking you knew better than a god. It kind of worked, much to your shock.

“(Y/N), stop this nonsense immediately!” Kars yelled, pulling at the other end of the rope to haul you back on board. You tried to keep pulling, but that tug of war game was never going to turn out in your favor and you ended back right where you started.

“I’m tired…” you complained, nearly in tears.

“Then go to sleep instead of wasting your energy trying to pull this ship like a stubborn mule!” Kars scolded.

“I’m tired of chasing that damned stone, Kars!” you clarified. “I know it’s important… That it’s the most important thing… It is to me too. How could it not be when it determines if we’ll have a future together, but… If we only have one month, I don’t want it to be dictated by the hunt for the red stone constantly… I want to be with you… I want us to be happy together in the time we have… I want you to look back and think of me fondly when I’m gone…”

Kars sputtered, expression flitting across his face in rapid succession, ranging from sorrow, sadness and pity, to pure unadulterated rage. He trapped you between his arms, gripping onto the railing of the ship so tightly it splintered in his grasp.

“I… love you… and I don’t fear dying as you do, but I fear eternity without you more than the sun itself…”

“Same difference,” you said, tears running down your cheeks. Gods, you hated arguing and arguing with Kars was the absolute worst. Why couldn’t you just scream and be angry? Why did you have to cry? “Death would be eternity without you. Of course I’m scared…”

“Which is precisely why we need the stone…” Kars hissed like you weren’t understanding. “I wouldn’t mind sleeping another thousand years. I’ve lived this long already! I could have gone to sleep after exterminating your wretched kin if you hadn’t made me love you, you naive beguiling witch…” he spat, the floorboards under his feet cracking as well now. “I can’t give you the life you deserve if I fail… One mistake and I’ll lose you forever… I already treasure you beyond what any poetry could describe. Don’t give me these tender moments to long for if I fail you…” he pleaded, and for the first time ever you heard his voice crack with grief and uncertainty.

You threw your arms around his neck and by now Wamuu and Esidisi had been hovering just behind you, ready to step in, but you waved them off.

With Santana Kars could be sure he was alive and safe somewhere. With you he didn’t have the same luxury.

“What did I just tell you not to do, you defiant little welp…?” he asked.

“I’m positive we both feel fucking awful and there are no fond memories to be made, so I can hold you as much as I want, you headstrong, ill tempered brute…” you answered, fisting a hand in his hair and standing on your tiptoes for a kiss. “You won’t fail me… Kars you are a god to me and I have absolute faith in you, no matter what…” you insisted.

He let out a long sigh, holding you against his chest.

“My glorious, foolish little sun… Come here...” he murmured. “I hadn’t intended to give you this so soon, but to know you have it would ease my mind greatly,” he said, bringing you back down into the hold with a lantern Esidisi had lit for you. “I have been working on this since the night you recovered the Aja your people had tried to keep from us,” he said, opening a box to reveal a small stone mask of smooth marble, with far more delicate features than the ones you had seen. At the center of the crown like headpiece across its forehead rested the Aja you had offered him so many nights ago. The mask was carved from the slab of marble he had ripped from the god’s throne in his rage.

“The stone is too small to be of any use to us, but you are smaller, more delicate, and your body is already receptive to the light of day,” he explained. “This mask shall grant you eternal life, without taking the sunlight from you or forcing you to feed on the life of others,” he explained, closing the box and putting it away. “The catch is that I haven’t tested it yet. Decidedly few human women have ever been subjected to the stone mask at all and the brain is a delicate organ,” he explained. “I wouldn’t wish for you to change. It is your kind and merciful nature that compelled me to fall for you. If you were made to be any less than the goddess you are right here and now it would be on par with killing you and I could never forgive myself,” he explained.

You could feel yourself trembling where you stood.

Kars was ruthless, cold and dare you say selfish in nearly all his endeavors. Yet here he offered you every single thing he had dreamt of for the tens of thousands of years he had been alive. The power he sought for himself, which he’d struggled, fought and killed for, and before it was even within his own grasp he was giving it to you.

“I love you,” you whispered, almost reverently. “And I trust you,” you assured him. “And when you’re ready I’m sure it will be perfect.”

It took a day longer than it should have to arrive in Alexandria, and the sun hadn’t set by the time you arrived. You couldn’t dock the boat alone and certainly not without arousing suspicion, so you lowered the sails and put an anchor out a mile or so out from the coast. Once the sun set you would walk to shore and deliver the scrolls to the library of Alexandria to preserve them and your husbands would find the emperor and claim the stone.

You would meet by the lighthouse come morning and with the stone they would become the pinnacle of creation.

“The time of ascension is almost upon us. Can you feel it, beloved?” Wamuu asked. He was in good spirits and it was a relief to see some glimmer of hope restored to them now that their goal was within reach.

“I can’t wait,” you agreed, gathering the scrolls you had dutifully copied.

“Once we conquer the sun, hamon will be of no consequence to us,” Kars said, watching you roll the parchment and stow them in a bag.

“Well then, maybe once you do, I’ll have something to teach you,” you offered. Kars startled by the idea and Esidisi and Wamuu laughed.

“I suppose that might be possible. Could you imagine, lord Kars? The three of us, hamon users! The fathers of the future hamon tribe!” Esidisi announced.

“Well, you’re not wrong. And I should like the future generations of hamon warriors to be raised to have some respect,” Kars agreed, planting a kiss on your lips. “The sun is setting, my shining dawn. When we meet again, the world will be at our feet,” he whispered. With a flourish he leapt from the hatch, diving into the water with barely a ripple to suggest it had been disturbed, as he shot like an arrow towards the shore.

Wamuu and Esidisi followed with the same divine grace and you led Aries to a small lifeboat, which you could easily pull towards the shore while walking on water. You could see the lighthouse where you would meet at the end of the night and felt a thrill of anticipation.

The library lacked any sort of formal guards, but you received some strange looks when you entered. You were dressed like a wealthy roman woman and they were never unaccompanied, but no one made an effort to stop you. All around scholars were lighting candles to continue pouring over their texts into the night and you knew right away you would be here all night as well, less you were dragged out.

“I have come to submit these pieces to the library,” you said softly to a man behind a desk once you saw him welcome a returning patron.

The man quirked a brow at you, but gestured for you to present what you had brought.

“Family history? Trade records? Poetry?” he asked, thankfully speaking in Latin as well.

“Transcripts on combat and historic records of a tribe that was recently vanquished by the wrath of gods,” you explained, using the most official sounding phrases you could come up with on the spot. The man’s mouth dropped open, but he clacked it shut just as quickly and started unrolling some of the scrolls you had brought.

“These… wouldn’t happen to be from the hamon tribe, would they?” he asked, eyes flying over the parchment as he spoke.

“Yes!” you said, glad he was taking an interest in them. At least you knew the scrolls would be in safe hands and your history would be preserved. Now that your husbands were about to claim the stone, the task had lost its urgency somewhat, but you were thankful to know you were not alone in saving the legacy of your people. News of their demise must have traveled faster than you realized if the scholars of Egypt already knew.

“I had someone… show in interest in such texts… just today…” the man said, plucking at his beard as he spoke and scanned the text. “I will go fetch someone to bring these into our collection officially. Please hold on to them while I do, my good lady,” he said, rushing off and leaving you alone with the scrolls. You tucked them back in your bag with a grin and started browsing different texts to pass the time. Most were in languages you didn’t know and even fewer were very interesting, but in a collection of this size that made sense. You knew you’d spend more time browsing than actually reading, but if you would actually be reading, but if you would soon have eternity to wander around whatever library you pleased, it didn’t matter.

You felt a tap on your shoulder and turned around expecting the old scholar, but who you saw instead nearly had you leaping into the shelf with a loud yelp. Standing there with her beaming smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes and dimpled her cheeks was your older sister. With another cry of joy and relief you fell into her arms, hugging her with a vice like grip.

You’d feared you’d never see her again. Of all the people in your tribe, she and her daughters were the only ones whom you missed and longed for every single day. You’d prayed for her safety to your godly husbands and whatever ethereal gods might still reside in the skies above, and your prayers were answered!

Now as everything was about to fall into place, fate had brought you back together!

“Oh, my sweet mayflower…” she whispered, cupping your cheek and wiping away tears of joy, even as she began to cry as well. “I’ve been so scared for you… I never should have let them send you away. I never… Oh, but you survived and I’m so glad I get to see you again!” she whispered. “And you saved us… That brute who came to…” she sobbed, wiping her face of tears. You couldn’t help but laugh. Clearly your sister would need some time to get used to her new in-laws.

“When he had us exiled, a few others knew something was off… We’re not alone, sweetheart,” she said, proudly hauling the bag of scrolls over her shoulder and taking your hands.

“W-Wait, what? There’s more who survived?” you asked, the implications of that not yet sinking in through the veil of elation. Whatever made your sister happy would make you happy and Kars did say hamon would soon be nothing to them. You might really have it all now. Both halves of your family forever, you thought until the overjoyed smile your sister wore perked into a full on smirk.

“Quite a few! We warned the emperor before he departed when someone saw you questioning jewelers in the capital,” she laughed, pulling you closer into a hug once more. “Those wretched creatures will never have their stone. Come on, (Y/N). Time to go home to our tribe!”

#JJBA #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #jojo's bizzare adventure x reader #jjba wamuu #wamuu x reader #kars jojo #kars x reader #esidisi #esidisi x reader #sfw #chapter 4

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anditwasntworthit · 4 years ago

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writeblr beginnings?

Maybe. I’m sure I’ll fall off of maintaining this damned thing again - but while I am back, I figured I’d use this for something more productive. Mostly, I totally fangirl over shows and books and their ships and character dynamics. When I’m not lazy reblogging things that inspire me for my own writing projects, I’ll try to remember (and work up the courage) to post snips from them. I also have a Pinterest board for aesthetics and inspiration for my project. I currently have two projects, one long-time pet project and one on the side that I started earlier this year. My main focus right now is my pet project, The Warrior’s Second, which I’ve been working on for around 5 years. I’d written this horrible first draft with the vague idea and then scrapped to start fresh. After shelving the project for two years for plotting and planning, I’ve recently started working on it again. I have maybe 10 chapters left before I complete what I hope to be the first of three or four books, depending on how long the events of the third play out. The side project, jokingly called Crab Dip for now, was started earlier this year. It’s something that I tried to put a lot of me into. I put a lot of bits of my life, places I’ve lived, references to groups of friends I’ve once been a part of, behavior or hobbies of my own, what I believe to be my worst traits, and emphasis on roles and relationships that are very important to me. CD is currently shelved as I believe it needs the same time, love, and attention that I’ve given into plotting and planning TWS. I have a story, I have my characters, but I have a lot of work to do.

The Warrior’s Second - Centuries after the fall of modern civilization, TWS follows two characters on their intertwined paths navigating their rise to leadership in the New Dark Ages and the rising tensions between the Ravagers of the east, and the Augustans of the West. This series comes with a map for reference, and a character guide as there is an ensemble cast and relations.

Raelin Kissinger is a long way from home. After surviving a harrowing raid by the barbaric eastern clan, Rae has spent a year in captivity, enslaved as a laborer in their southern capitol city. With her desperate escape, Rae proves that she is willing to do anything in her attempts to return home to her people, no matter if it means killing others or even herself. When she finds herself an unlikely, begrudging guide to the safety of the Free West, Rae sets on her path to glory and honor, love and betrayal, and learning of the lost history of the Kissinger family, the Bloodhairs of the North.

Jack Beaumont just wants to be. Son of the leader of one of the fastest growing villages and apprentice to the Chief of all the Free West, Jack’s grief has led him to abandon all expectations of leadership to traverse nomadically through the wilds as a ranger of the Western Guard. When an annoyingly curious, self-sacrificing bloodhair is dragged (literally) into his path claiming to have a message for their leader, Jack is forced to make his return to face the life he left behind. As he desperately stalls the journey home to avoid making the decision between leading a village and leading a nation, Jack is reminded of the importance of honor and the joys of the companionship he’d long since abandoned.

Crab Dip - Avery Quinn only wants one thing - to be alone. Daughter of a secretive man in Baltimore, sardonic and reclusive Avery has enclosed herself in a life of solitude and keeping her few friends at arm’s length. Her life as she knows it is ended when she learns the truth of her father’s ‘military career’ - and that he’s disappeared while on a job in Dubai. Avery is recruited by IRIS, a high dollar faction of elite mercenaries, under the guise of helping to locate her missing father, their founder. The search for her father proves to be elusive and dangerous as operatives begin to go missing when jobs are sabotaged by a rival faction, Aegis. Avery finds herself on a journey, becoming strong and brave, facing her demons and learning to allow herself to feel for others, and traveling to the most beautiful cities in the world on contract with a team that has one mantra: work hard, play hard.

#writeblr

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invincible-selfxmade-punk · 4 years ago

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There and Back Again: Going back home

My hometown is a lot bigger than the place I currently live in and it's not just bigger in population, it's spread out it sprawls from miles but there's nothing there. There is nothing but street after street and miles and miles of abandoned, boarded-up, and decaying buildings. All of them are relics of a time when the oil field was booming and people actually stayed and made families there.

The oilfield picked up in the 2010’a again, but no one seemed to put down roots. They chase the money, leaving homes, pets, and friends scattered in their wake. There are hundreds of abandoned auto garages, abandoned wholesale dealers, empty boarded-up motels, theaters and stores, parks where no one plays in anymore.

This is nothing new. When I was a child and Mom would drive up 2nd Street to my grandmother's house, we would pass this old garage. At one time it was called the Elite but all the letters had been worn off of the name painted on the side, so the only thing visible was E,l, t,e. For 40 years I thought it was the El Te garage, before going back and reconciling what was left of the sign with my childhood memories.

The place where my grandmother's house used to be is overgrown with willow trees-- or what look like willow trees at 45 mph. Nature has completely reclaimed it and you could not tell any buildings were ever there.

That's another thing I was astounded at: how much greener the place looked than the last few times I came there. The area I live in now is baked to a cruise after osp with a few scraggly weeds breaking through the dried cracked up soil. In my hometown I passed houses with yards full of deep green grass.

There is a sadness that falls on me like a damp blanket whenever I come and whenever I leave again. Like a young person committing suicide, my town had so much potential. but it gave up and died.

But to the untrained eye, my hometown, while abandoned, is absolutely verdant.

The They Call Me Big Deuce EP, the solo effort from a rather young rapper who’d founded HollywoodUndead, is the perfect soundtrack for any time I go back. The inner-city rap stuff goes well with the sprawling squalor and squandered potential that permeates the air.

Yes, my hometown is like a young girl that dies at her own hands during puberty: glorious potential and beauty forever lost with only memories and relics remaining. It is a harbinger that consumes whole families like my sister Terri’: her husband and daughter committing suicide 15 years apart, and in the meantime she loses weight, sanity, lung function and the will to live. Her meth addicted, ex-convict youngest daughter left to carry on alone, causing everyone, including herself, to wonder why out of everyone, she survived.

My sister’s death lives in the majority of the lyrics of that album. Highway 87 runs the length of town from the turn off outside of town that leads to the house I grew up in, to the business my grandfather built and left to my father,that died with me when I left town in search of something better, and finally running out of town and past the cemetery where Mom, Dad, my paternal grandparents, and my beloved niece LeAnn are all buried. I would dive the length of that highway from end to end screaming out the lyrics of Sometimes at the top of my lungs, as full of angst and confusion at 45 as I ever was at 15.

Sometimes I feel like I'm falling in this mes Somehow I still feel so upset Sometimes I feel like the world was gonna end Somehow I feel like i was wrong

There is FM 700 that goes around the past the hospital where my mom and sister died, where I would spend a week with pneumonia right after Terri’s death, laying naked under that crappy hospital gown, tubes running everywhere, too weak to even use the restroom on my own with the lyrics:I took my whole fan base back, I managed to get myself back up, Back to rappin' looped in a never ending stream through my head until I was able to be released.

FM 700 also took me to my first teaching job at, what 30 years previous had been the best school in town, but now was deep in the hood. It took a good 7-8 minutes to traverse the town every morning and the song I chose to fortify myself with as Blood on my Hands.

I got blood on my hands And these streets keep gettin' colder But I won't stop for nothing, no Forty four, man, tuck them gone There's blood on my hands And these streets keep gettin' colder But this time it's me and Truth, we gettin' down Cause in the land of the deaI wear the crown

I would come screeching into the parking lot at 7:15 am, my baby gangsta rap mixing with the hardcore rap booming from the cars of tattooed, packing, gang member, drug addict and dealer parents, screaming and cussing at their kids among the cacophony of rape, robbery and murder coming from everyone else’s speakers. My HHR pumping out Deuce seemed positively quaint.

After work I would start to unwind with the Foo Fighters and I would cruise down 3rd street as far as it would go,then turn around and come back up 3rd, turning on to the North Side where I would eat dinner at the Spanish Inn and then cruise 87 again, this time listening to Breaking Through, trying to remember every time over the last 40 years that Terri and I had hung out, and how she and her daughter LeAnn were the only two people who ever had my back for so many years. But most of the time grief clogged the pipeline of my memories, and all I could do was roll the windows down, throw my head back and sing:

Fight, fight with me We'll make it through, through again now I see Where I'm gone Gone to find my home Lonely Crawling through these dark walls Finding hope if hope still existsF But I can see the things you put me through I felt this way, I felt this way for so long And all the pain I felt in this life Gone in this

Five years later as I write this, I still feel it all.

My sister has no grave. She was cremated and who knows what was done with her ashes. I leave town with one more drive down 3rd street. I take one more look at Lou’s Bar, drive past the pile of rubble I always called the El Te garage, the huge building with washed burgundy paint where you can still make out the words STEREO WAREHOUSE, the old skating rink, the rock house where my best friend used to live. When I was a child across from Mimi’s house was a huge, green piece of land rimmed by a bright white fence. Outside was a sign with a Hereford cow painted on it. Five years ago, when I left town, the fence was still there, the sign was faded and there was a Confederate flag waving defiantly in the wind. When I left this time,there was nothing there but mesquite trees.

You would think it would be liberating to take to I-20 West, and watch my hometown disappear in the rearview mirror. Leaving feels as sad and empty as arriving does. I am leaving a handful of friends, many graves, ghosts and memories. and my niece, whom for better or worse i mos the last connection to my mom and sister.

The End

#essay #home #family #Deuce #travel #going home #death #loss #grieving #abandoned #west texas #spilled ink #Call Me Big Deuce

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ariana-maryse · 5 years ago

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Ghostbusters Headcanons

Dating the Ghostbusters

(For anon)

Peter Venkman

He doesn’t take anything seriously and that would definitely reflect in your relationship.

He’d occasionally grab you and dance around the room in an overly dramatic manner or sing a silly song that he made up about you.

Shows that he cares about you in low-key ways; displaying a gift you gave him in the open for people to ask about, berating anyone that insults you (especially if you aren’t around,) etc.

Would definitely use the fake-out and pretend that he forgot about a special day to plan a surprise for you (ex: for your birthday, an anniversary, a promotion, or any big occasion.)

Ray Stantz

He’d be a big fan of pet names. Mostly toward you, but he won’t shy away from you calling him babe or some such thing.

Very cuddly when you’re home alone. Not so much if you’re moving around or doing things, but if you’re vegging on the couch, he’s gonna lay on you.

Likes playing board/card games with you, regardless of the outcome. It could be anything from Uno to Encore.

He’d want to keep some sort of souvenir with him that reminded him of you for good luck.

Egon Spengler

He really won’t know how to act in a relationship at first. It’ll take him some time to adjust and develop the mannerisms and habits that come with having a partner.

Not very affectionate toward you, but would adore it any time you held onto him, gave him a quick kiss, etc.

He’d let you handle your business, but he’d be surprisingly protective toward you.

Gifts toward you would be very tailored to your tastes. He’d rather get you nothing than something he wasn’t certain you’d love.

Winston Zeddemore

He’s so chill in nearly every situation. If you’re ever worried about anything, Winston will be there to help.

So supportive of you. He’d always want to hear about your ideas and passions - even if you repeat yourself or think you’re rambling.

Enjoys trying new activities together. Whenever he sees an ad for an event at a garden or a new restaurant opening up, he’ll want to go with you.

Easily the most expressive with his feelings toward you out of the group. He’d openly tell and show you that he cares for you often.

Abby Yates

Not one to tell you how she feels; she’d definitely rather show it. That goes for any emotion; anger, love, happiness, etc.

Enjoys playing games with you (air hockey, fighting video games, etc.) Low key competitive.

Would use your stuff a lot; your shampoo, detergent, milk, whatever else she needs and is nearby. If you don’t like it, she’d make a conscious effort to try to stop, though.

If you’re ever uncomfortable on the phone or speaking up about something being wrong, she’ll step in and handle the situation for you.

Erin Gilbert

Absolutely the, “text me when you get there” type. She’s not controlling, she just wants to know you’re safe.

She’d look to you for reassurance a lot. She can get nervous about things and it’d help to have you near her when she’s feeling worried.

Lives for “corny” couple stuff; photo booths, matching items, all of it. Whatever will announce to the world that you’re together.

Really likes to show you off even when you aren’t around. She wouldn’t force it into a conversation, but if there were a way for her to segue into talking about you, she’d jump on the opportunity.

Jillian Holtzmann

Non-traditional af. The two of you probably wouldn’t go the “normal” route of meeting, dating, etc. More than likely you’d just sort of... stumble into the relationship.

Would rarely get tired of being around you. She could hang out with you, work with you, and live with you all the time and she’d be fine with it.

She’d let you try out her new gadgets as long as it wasn’t something that would kill you if you misused it.

More affectionate that you’d initially think. She’d want to have her arm around you or be close to you pretty often.

Patty Tolan

She’s an honest person so she’d always be open with you about pretty much anything; opinions, news, etc.

She’s not great at hiding things so if you’ve always wanted a surprise party, you’re both going to have to be lead astray or she’d definitely slip and tell you it was happening.

Will always step up to the plate for you, even if the one bringing you down is yourself.

Loves being out and about with you. Even if it’s running errands or grocery shopping, she’d enjoy traversing the city together.

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atomic-taco-muffin · 4 years ago

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The Lost Princess Chapter 15

Warnings: fluff/angst

Rating: SFW

In the Small House, you and the others carried on with your conversation.

“So, you delivered that book? That navigation gummi’s installed and ready to go. You find another one, you bring it to me. I threw in a warp gummi for the heck of it. Now you can jump to worlds you’ve been to before. Well, better get back to my real job. What’s my real job? You’ll see. See me at the First District,” Cid said.

“I’ve been thinking about the bell in the Second District,” Aerith said.

“That one that rang a bit ago?” you asked.

“The one above the gizmo shop. There’s a legend about it, you know,” Yuffie said.

“But it’s all boarded up. Nobody can get in there,” Aerith said.

“Heck, go check it out. Ring it three times to see if anything happens,” Cid said. The four of you left and entered the Second District, battling Heartless on the way to the roof of the Gizmo Shop. The four of you took down the wooden boards of the bell tower and Sora rang the bell. The mural in the fountain in the square below changed and the empty fountain filled with flames. You rang the bell and the mural changed once more, the fire dissipating and the lights above the fountain blinked on. When the bell tolled the third time, the lights shut off and water spurted out of the fountain, the mural changing finally to butterflies surrounding a flower, which then revealed a large Keyhole. The four of you jumped down to the square and approached the fountain when the Guard Armor dropped from the sky. You and Sora began attacking the torso of the Heartless while Donald and Goofy went after its legs. It spun its arms wildly and with a few more hits, it crashed to the ground, motionless. The four of you paused, watching as the armor twitched. It reformed its body and fell forward, its arms digging into the ground. Its torso and legs flipped over, and the toes of its hammer- like feet curve inward, forming hands. Its helmet opened and its yellow eyes stared blankly at you four. It lunged forward and met the blade in Sora’s hands. The Opposite Armor continued to tackle you four, floating in midair. The Heartless soon split itself in half, the helmet and arms going after you, and the feet and torso found their targets in Donald and Goofy. Donald summoned a Thunder spell with your help, sending bolts of electricity into the armor. The helmet swirled around between the arms, almost taunting them, before its body reformed. It moved to tackle you four again, but mid-tackle, you striked, knocking its parts everywhere. Nearly defenseless, the four of you destroyed its appendages, leaving just the torso and helmet. It turned its torso sideways, staring at you four with its glowing eyes. A ball of energy shot out from inside it, and it targeted you and Sora, who dodged away. Another ball of energy shot out, and this time Sora was ready for it. He blocked with his Keyblade, sending the orb back to the Opposite Armor, which began to shake violently. The helmet fell inside its torso and a large glowing heart floated out into the sky, before the armor disappeared. You and Sora walked over to the shining Keyhole, and Sora locked it. The Keyhole shimmered and broke off, disintegrating into pieces, leaving only the butterfly mural and a gummi block. You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy return to the First District and met Cid behind the Accessory Shop.

“Hey, now that was quick! Now you know. I’m in the gummi block business. Workin’ on your gummi ship sure was great. Come again and I’ll give you a big discount,” Cid said. You handed him the gummi block.

“Go ahead, take it. It’s a special giveaway,” he said. The four of you showed him the gummi block you found at the Keyhole.

“Hey, got another navigation gummi there, eh? I’ll bet you want it installed,” he said.

“Yeah, please,” you said.

“Hmm... Looks like this is another one of those blocks that come in sets. You gotta find the mate to this one.” He returned the gummi block to you four and the four of you entered the Accessory Shop, seeing a small boy on the floor near the counter. Jiminy Cricket jumped onto Sora’s shoulder (i always forget that he’s there).

“Well, well, as I live and breathe! If it isn’t Pinocchio!” he said. The cricket hopped down to the boy and you and Sora were surprised to see that he was entirely made of wood.

“Oh. Hi, Jiminy,” Pinocchio said as he looked up.

“What in the world are you doing down here?” Jiminy asked.

“Um... Playing hide-and-seek.”Jiminy started pacing around.

“I just don’t believe it. And here I was, up all night, just worried sick about you. Why of all the—” he looked up at Pinocchio, shocked.

“Pinocchio!” he said. Pinocchio stared at his nose, which had magically grown longer.

“Pinocchio! Are you telling me the truth?” he said, sternly.

“Yes!” Pinocchio said.

“Then tell me, what is this?” he asked as he pointed to an item on the floor beside them.

“It was a present,” Pinocchio said.

“No fibbing, now! You know you’re not supposed to tell lies. A lie only grows and grows, ‘til you get caught! Plain as the nose on your face!”

“But if you want something, why wait? Why not just take it?”

“Oh, my! Who told you that? You need some advice from your conscience!”

“That’s right! You’re my conscience, Jiminy! I’ll never tell lies as long as you’re around.” Magic surrounded Pinocchio’s nose and it shrunk to its normal size.

“You need to be good so you can become a real boy. You promised Geppetto you would be, right?” Jiminy said.

“Oh! Do you know where Father is?”

“He’s not with you?”

“Jiminy, let’s go find Father!”

“Now, hold on! There are all sorts of dangers and temptations out there! I’ll go find Geppetto, so you just wait here. These fellows here will be helping me.”

“We will?” You and Sora asked. Pinocchio stood up.

“Well, shall we go?” Jiminy asked.

“You could’ve asked us first...” Sora said. The four of you left Traverse Town and traveled to Olympus Coliseum, where you all competed in the Phil Cup. After making your way up the tournament, you spoke to Phil and Hercules.

“I never thought you’d do it. Not bad,” Phil said.

“Phil, you’re just as stubborn as ever. Don’t pretend you’re not happy for them!” Hercules said.

“Ahem! Now, kid, you’ve still got a long way to go. The next round’s startin’ soon. Next time it’ll be the real thing.” The four of you left for the world of Agrabah, where a tall, thin man in robes walked through the streets with Maleficent.

“And the Keyhole?” she asked.

“The Heartless are searching for it now. I’m certain we’ll find it soon enough. So that just leaves...” the man said. Overhead, a brightly-colored parrot squawked through the air loudly before circling down to land on the man’s pointed shoulders.

“Jafar! I’ve looked everywhere for Jasmine. She’s disappeared like magic!” he said.

“The girl is more trouble than she’s worth,” Jafar said.

“You said you had things under control,” Maleficent said.

“Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in. But why worry about Princess Jasmine? With her or without her, surely this world will be ours when we find the Keyhole.”

“We need all seven princesses of heart to open the final door. Any fewer is useless. And let’s not forget that a spirit has risen. We need that girl’s powers to make the plan complete.”

“Well, if the princess is that important, we’ll find her. Along with that spirit.” Bandit Heartless appeared behind him, brandishing swords.

“Find Jasmine and the spirit and bring them to me at once,” Jafar said. The Heartless followed Iago through the streets.

“Don’t steep yourself in darkness too long. The Heartless consume the careless,” Maleficent said. Jafar laughed proudly.

“Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary,” he said. Behind Maleficent in a watermelon stand, a worried young woman overheard their conversation. She was no commoner, as her jewelry and her clothes are obviously expensive. You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy arrived in the Plaza to find Heartless roaming the streets of Agrabah. The four of you took out the Heartless as you made your way into an Alley. Sora gasped, when he saw someone staring at them from behind a pile of crates.

“Who’s there? Hello?” she asked. The girl came out of hiding and spoke to you four.

“I’m Jasmine. My father is the sultan of Agrabah,” she said.

“Uh... So that makes you a princess,” Goofy said.

“But he has been deposed by Jafar, who now controls the city.”

“Jafar?” you asked.

“You haven’t heard of him? He’s the royal vizier. He’s gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He’s desperately looking for something— something he calls the “Keyhole” and a spirit. Jafar caught me trying to escape, but he helped me.”

“Who helped you?” Sora asked.

“We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to take care of something... Oh, I hope Aladdin’s all right.”

“Aladdin? Where might I find this street rat?” The five of you looked toward the voice and saw Jafar on a high ledge.

“Jasmine, allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear princess. Same with you, pretty spirit These little rats won’t do, you see,” he said.

“Jasmine, (Y/N), run!” Sora said. You took Jasmine’s hand the two of you ran into the city and the three revealed their weapons.

“Ah, the boy who holds the key,” Jafar said. Jafar summoned Heartless, who dropped down and attacked them as Jafar escaped. They defeated the Heartless and walked through Main Street, finding an entrance to a loft. Inside the loft, they found an ornate rug trying to pull itself out from under a chest of drawers. They moved it off of the rug, who stood in front of them on two tassels and bowed in gratitude, before magically flying out the open hole in the wall.

“The carpet flew off toward the desert. Let’s follow it, Sora!” Donald said. They made their way to the vast desert, sand and sky as far as the eye can see. The magic carpet flew towards them and landed. It motioned for them to come along, and they rode it to a sandpit, where a young man and his pet monkey were trapped in the sand. A horde of Heartless appeared and they were forced to fight them before reaching the young man. More Heartless surrounded them.

“Gawrsh, not again!” Goofy said. The man managed to get himself free, pulling out a rather old and dirty oil lamp.

“Genie, get rid of these guys!” Aladdin said. He rubbed the lamp and held it into the air. Magic sparks appeared from the lamp followed by blue smoke, and a large genie erupted from it with a yell.

“Wish Number One, coming right up!” The Genie said. He snapped his fingers and the Heartless vanished around them. Later, they stood in the desert as the magic carpet flew overhead.

“I see...Thanks Sora!” Aladdin said.

“Aladdin, what’re you doing out here?” Sora asked.

“Same old stuff. Hunting legendary treasure. Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders.” The carpet landed next to him.

“I found that magic carpet, and this lamp,” Aladdin said as he held up the magic lamp.

“Legend has it that whoever holds the lamp can summon the—”

“Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional. The one and only GENIE OF THE LAMP!” The Genie interrupted as he rubbed the lamp

“Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted.” He bowed and flew over to Aladdin.

“Today’s winner is...Aladdin! Congratulations!” he said. Genie made confetti rain down on him and shook his hand.

“Any wish?” Donald asked.

“Patience, my fine feathered friend,” The Genie said. He split into three genies, each holding up three fingers.

“Any three wishes ! A one wish,” he said as he made one figure disappear.

“A two wish.” Another figure disappeared.

“A three wish. Then I make like a banana and split!” The third figure disappeared.

“Our lucky winner made his first wish—” He reappeared next to Sora.

“And let me tell you, what a doozy that wish was—” He split into two back-to-back genies.

“So he has two left,” he echoed. He popped out and zoomed back in, turning his smoky tail into a microphone.

“So, master, what’ll you have for Wish Number Two?” he asked. He spun and dropped a spotlight on Aladdin, who put a hand on his chin.

“Hmm, how about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?” he asked.

“Oooh! Money! Royalty! Fame!” The Genie said as he pinched the air and bowed.

“Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels loaded with gold!” he said. He started dialing on an imaginary phone, holding his hand up to his ear.

“Just say the word and I’ll deliver it in 30 minutes or less, or your meal’s free,” he said. He flew over to Aladdin, putting an arm around his shoulder.

“Hey, I’ll even throw in a cappuccino!” he said.

“No, thanks!” Aladdin chuckled.

“Okay.”

“I think I’ll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah.”

“Uh, why a prince?” Goofy asked.

“You see, there’s this girl in Agrabah named Jasmine. But she’s a princess, and I’m... Aww, she could never fall for a guy like me,” Aladdin said. He looked toward the sand.

“Oh. Princess?” Donald asked.

“Jasmine?” Goofy asked.

“Oh, that’s right! She’s in trouble, Aladdin! And so is (Y/N)!” Sora said.

“Who’s (Y/N)?” Aladdin asked.

“She’s my best friend.”

“What? Well, c’mon, let’s get going!” They boarded the magic carpet, and started flying back to Agrabah. Genie flew alongside them.

“Ah, fresh air! The great outdoors!” he said.

“I guess you don’t get out much, huh?” Sora asked.

“Comes with the job. Phenomenal cosmic powers. Itty-bitty living space. It’s always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I’m lucky to see the light of day every century or two...”

“Say, Genie, what if I use my last wish to free you from the lamp? What do you think?” Aladdin asked.

“You’d do that?” The Genie asked smiling.

“Genie, it’s a promise. After we help Jasmine and (Y/N).” They flew to the city and entered Aladdin’s House.

“So, Jafar is after Jasmine, (Y/N), and this “Keyhole.” Why does he want (Y/N)?” Aladdin said.

“(Y/N) has the power of a spirit but I don’t know why Jafar wants her,” Sora said.

“Keyhole and a spirit, eh? I could swear I’ve heard about those somewhere before...” Genie said.

“Really? Where?” Donald asked.

“Now, where was it? It’s only been 200 years...”

“Well, anyway, we’ve got to stop Jafar before it’s too late,” Sora said. They entered the Palace Gates by way of a high ledge and saw Jafar standing at the gates with Princess Jasmine and you. They jumped down to your level, alerting the vizier to their presence.

“Setting your sights a little high, aren’t you boy? Back to your hole, street rat. I will not allow you to trouble the princess any more,” Jafar said.

“Sora!” you yelled.

“(Y/N!” Sora yelled back.

“Jasmine!” Aladdin shouted.

“I’m so sorry, Aladdin,” Jasmine said.

“Me too, Sora,” you said. Jafar held out an arm to block you and Jasmine, while Aladdin pulled out the lamp behind his back.

“Genie, help Jasmine and (Y/N), please!” Aladdin said as he rubbed the lamp. Jafar turned and his eyes grew wide, seeing Genie carrying you and Jasmine.

“One wish left! You’re making this really easy, you know,” Genie said cheerfully.

“So sorry, boy. I’m afraid your second wish has been denied,” Jafar smirked. Iago flew over to Jafar with the lamp. Aladdin looked at his hand, seeing it empty, and knocked the cap off his head in shock. Iago gave Jafar the lamp.

“I’m sorry, Al,” Genie said. He disappeared and you and Jasmine fell through the air with a scream, landing in a clay pot which suddenly grew legs.

“And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!” Jafar said. He disappeared as two pots exploded behind them, revealing the front and back of a Heartless. Sora attacked the front head, and its antennae lit up with a burst of electricity. It swung them around wildly, striking Sora in the face. He reeled back as Aladdin searched around for you and Jasmine, who were desperately calling out for help among the clay pots. Several of the numerous pots had grown legs and were walking around the area toward the large Heartless. Sora watched as the Pot Spiders joined with the head and tail, becoming a Pot Centipede, which began to walk toward the desert, gathering more Pot Spiders and growing bigger. You and Jasmine’s cries became fainter and they ran after the Pot Centipede, searching for you and the princess within its body. As it raced away from them, its tail bursted with darkness.

“Courage!” Sora said. He held a hand to his heart, summoning with all his might. He gathered energy on the end of his Keyblade and thrusted it into the air, magic swirling around him. Up from the ground came a large figure with glowing eyes. It stepped forward and its golden fur and large mane came into view. The lion gave off a mighty roar, which filled the air. Simba jumped toward the Pot Centipede and bellowed, sending various Pot Spiders shattering. When two pots were left, the Centipede gathered it up and started to run faster. Aladdin raced after it and with Sora’s help, the Pot Centipede was defeated. Aladdin ran at it, but it disappeared, leaving nothing.

“Jasmine!” Aladdin said.

“(Y/N)!” Sora said. They heard an evil laugh emanating from the desert.

“To the desert! Come on, let’s move!” Aladdin said. They took the Magic Carpet to the Desert. Suddenly, something burst out of the sand, spinning violently toward them. It landed two giant feet on the ground, clawing at carpet, who dodged frantically as Sora gritted his teeth. The four of them toppled out of the carpet as Kurt Zisa turned its six-armed body in their direction, summoning two orbs of energy in its hands. The orb canceled their magic summoning abilities and Sora moved in to attack its feet. As it walked closer to them, the mechanical crunch echoing through the desert, it stared at them with its snake-like head. Two of its other arms held long curved scythes, which was spinning wildly, slicing at them. Sora and Aladdin eliminated the magic-cancelling orbs and Donald sended a Thunder spell, sending it falling to the ground. It’s head reared up out of its body on a long elastic neck, attempting to bite them, before it jumped back up, summoning large dust devils, tossing sand everywhere. Goofy charged it with his shield, but missed as it spun through the air toward Sora. Donald healed him (that’s a first) as it sended fireballs toward them. With several more critical strikes, Kurt Zisa stumbled forward. They ran away from it as its arms crashed down in the sand around them. Aladdin summoned the Magic Carpet and it swooped down to grab them as the Heartless fell over completely. A large glowing heart rose up into the sky as they flew away towards the end of the desert, watching as the Heartless vanished in the distance. They reached the sandpit where they found Aladdin earlier and dismounted from the carpet. They stepped forward and the sand in front of them lurched upward. The ground quaked as an enormous tiger head heaved out of the sand. Its mouth opened, heat and flame emanating from its depths, and its eyes glowed. An evil glow, one of dark purpose. They approached its mouth before it reeled upward, blasting them with a hot torrent of sand. Heartless appeared and they realized the tiger head was under their control. Sora began thrashing at the Heartless before a beam of energy striked Aladdin in the back, knocking him over. Donald healed him and Sora saw that the beams were coming from its eyes. After he destroyed a few Heartless, the tiger head buried its mouth in the sand, and Sora jumped onto its nose, because it released a spray of sand from its mouth. Sora attacked its eyes before a Bandit Heartless flipped onto the top of the tiger, almost knocking Sora off. Goofy climbed up the side of the tiger head and shield Sora from more flying Heartless. Sora continued striking the eyes until the power of darkness was driven from the Cave of Wonders. Once everything settled down, they entered the cave. Fighting Heartless through the labyrinthine halls of the Cave of Wonders, they dropped down to a watery level and Sora destroyed a pillar with a Fire spell. Meanwhile, in the Lamp Chamber, Jafar stood next to an enslaved Genie as you and Jasmine laid unconscious on the stone floor. Jafar tapped his snake staff on the ground and held up the magic lamp.

“My first wish, Genie! Show me the Keyhole!” Jafar said. Genie looked over, despondently, and snapped his fingers. The rock wall bursted open, revealing pillars and a Keyhole beyond. Jafar cackled evilly. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin made their way past the Treasure Room and into the Lamp Chamber, where they found Jafar speaking with Maleficent.

“That boy again?” she asked.

“He’s more persistent than I expected. Why not explain the situation to that boy Riku? Doing so may actually prove useful to our--” Jafar said. He was distracted by footsteps, and turned to see Sora and company arrive.

“Wait a second. Are you Maleficent?” Sora asked. The witch vanished without a word.

“Jafar, let Jasmine go!” Aladdin said.

“Not a chance,” Jafar said. You and Jasmine laid at his feet in front of the Keyhole. Sora noticed that you had an faint energy radiating off of you.

“You see, she’s a princess—one of seven who somehow hold the key. And she is a spirit. The very last of her kind who can control time if she wanted to. Both of the them hold the power to opening the door,” Jafar said.

“Open...” Donald said.

“...the door?” Goofy asked.

“But you fools won’t live to see what lies beyond it. Genie! My second wish. Crush them!” Jafar said. Aladdin gasped as Genie hung in the air.

“Genie, no!” Aladdin said.

“Sorry, Al. The one with the lamp calls the shots. I don’t have a choice,” Genie said. Jafar lifted his snake staff into the air, and its eyes glowed, creating a magic barrier around the room, blocking the exit and the Keyhole. Jafar began chanting a spell and he sent a beam of heat from his staff at them. Aladdin ran forward and attacked Jafar, who teleported to a platform on the other edge of the room as Genie floated toward them.

“I’m really sorry about this. Run!” Genie said. He swiped at them, but they dodged his attacks and followed Jafar. Sora caught up and began thrashing with his Keyblade, causing Genie to cheer. Jafar chanted another spell, causing a giant hailstorm in the center of the room, trapping Donald and Goofy. Aladdin struck from behind while Jafar was distracted and the vizier pulsed with energy. Lightning crackled around him and he screamed. Sora and Aladdin ran over to you and Jasmine, but before they could reach you two, Jafar got an idea.

“Genie!” he said. They turned to see Jafar floating in the center of the room, holding up the magic lamp.

“My final wish! I want you to make me and all-powerful genie!” Jafar said. Genie covered his eyes and looked away, pointing his finger at Jafar and releasing as small amount of wish energy as possible. It struck Jafar, who began to glow and the floor crumbled beneath him, revealing a large pool of lava surrounding stone platforms. Jafar descended towards the pool and they stared down into the frightening, gaping maw. They jumped down into the cavern, searching around for Jafar, when suddenly he burst out of the lava with a great laugh. He gazed down at them evilly in his red genie form, brimming with power and malice. Iago flew by them, holding a coal black lamp.

“The lamp! Get Jafar’s lamp!” Aladdin said.

“Iago! Keep the lamp away from them!” Jafar said.

“Yeah, yeah, I hear you!” Iago said. Jafar began throwing molten rocks at them as they went after Iago.

“Nag, nag! It’s all he ever does!” Iago said. The air was dense with heat, making it hard to breathe. They cornered Iago on a faraway platform as Jafar rose up to meet them. Sora sent a Blizzara spell at him, bu he shrugged it off.

“Ugh! Is it hot in here, or is it just me?” Iago said. After attacking Iago for a while, the bird finally landed.

“Water! Water!” Iago said. He took back the lamp and continued flying around with it. The platforms rose higher, allowing them to knock the lamp away from the bird. It dropped to the ground and Sora grabbed it.

“Okay, Jafar! Back to your lamp!” he said. He held it up and Jafar screamed as magic whipped around him, pulling him into the magic lamp. You and Jasmine watched slowly from above, before hearing footsteps behind you two. The two of you turned around slowly and was taken. The magic carpet brought Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin back to the keyhole, but you and Jasmine were nowhere to be found.

“Jasmine? Jasmine!” Aladdin said

“(Y/N)!” Sora said. The Keyhole glowed in the presence of the Keyblade and a curtain of gold sparkles covered it with a loud locking sound. The cave began to rumble and Goofy covered his head with his shield.

“Jasmine!” Aladdin said. They pulled Aladdin onto the magic carpet and it sped them out of the Cave of Wonders. They flew back to Aladdin’s house.

“So, Jasmine and (Y/N) are no longer in Agrabah. Sora, let’s go find them. I know how much (Y/N) means to you,” Aladdin said.

“Sorry. I can’t take you with me,” Sora said sadly.

“Wh-Why not?” Aladdin asked as he sat down.

“I sure wish we could...” Goofy said.

“But we can’t. If we take him to another world, we would be...” Donald said.

“Muh... Mudd—”

“Meddling!”

“Aladdin, we’ll find Jasmine. I promise,” Sora said.

“Uh, earth to Al. Hello? You still have one wish left. Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you,” Genie said as he patted Aladdin’s back.

“I...I wish...” Aladdin said. Genie rolled up his imaginary sleeves.

“For your freedom, Genie,” Aladdin said.

“Al!” Genie said surprised. Magic swirled around Genie, who’s smoky tail split into two legs, and the golden cuffs on his wrists disappeared.

“A deal’s a deal, Genie. Now you can go anywhere you want. You’re your own master. But if you can, it’d be great if you could go along with them and help Sora find Jasmine and (Y/N),” Aladdin said. Genie turned away, crossing his arms.

“Sorry, Al. I’m done taking orders from others. But... A favor, now that’s entirely different,” he said. He looked back at him, smiling brightly.

“I guess I could give that a try,” he said. He leaped over, putting a hand on Aladdin’s shoulder.

“After all, we’re pals, right, Al?” he asked.

“Genie...” Aladdin said.

“Just leave it to me!” Genie said, smiling. Aladdin runs a hand through his hair and chuckles.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N). I’m coming,” Sora said.

To be continued...

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdom+hearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+imagines #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts+x+reader #kingdomhearts+imagines

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soybeantree · 5 years ago

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pairing: do kyungsoo x (reader) genre/warning: kinda fluff...if you squint real hard. description: you’ve convinced yourself of these truths. standing firm on them every day. time goes on and with it comes the promise of his return. a/n: april installment of our ‘trying to write a kyungsoo story for every month that he is in the service’ series. check out the other’s here.

Marrying Kyungsoo came with three certainties.

The first certainty was that Kyungsoo had secrets.

Kyungsoo moved to your town when he was twelve to live with his “uncle”. His “uncle” lived in the old mansion at the edge of town. Lights never shone from the window of the mansion, smoke never rose from the chimney, and if anyone went in and out, no one in the town had ever seen them.

Kyungsoo moved into the house with his “uncle”, and a light shone in the third window from the right corner every night at sunset. Smoke rose from the chimney every day after school during winter. Kyungsoo would leave the mansion at seven on school days returning by six, at ten on Saturdays returning by noon, and never on Sundays.

The whole town gossiped about him and his “uncle” who never made an appearance. Your mother would comment about his home life at the dinner table, and your father would grumble telling you to stay away from him.

You sat behind him in school. Everyone did. He sat at the front of the class. His attention fixed on the teacher or his workbooks. When the rest of the class chatted with each other or went out for breaks, he sat at his desk continuing his work. You also sat at your desk, but your attention always drifted to him. You watched him mouth the words of the questions which stumped him and hold his pencil poised above the paper as he worked the problems out in his head before committing them to paper.

One day, you gathered your courage and placed a drink on his desk. You walked into the classroom, the drink shoved up your sleeves, and as you passed his desk, you slid the drink from your sleeve onto his desk. The exchanged occurred in silence, and you never broke stride as you headed for your desk. Heart thudding, you settled in your chair and watched. For three agonizing minutes, you watched until he reached forward and popped the top off. The next day you found a drink on your desk.

Gift giving led to word exchanges which led to conversations and eventually friendship, but friendship never included access to the mansion. Kyungsoo made only one change to his schedule with the advent of your friendship. He would leave the mansion on Sundays. You two biked through the woods and traversed waterfalls and cliffs in your exploration of the world surrounding your town. You would sit under the shade of ancient oaks and talk until the crickets started chirping.

When you were sixteen, Kyungsoo left. His “uncle” wanted to move to the city. The gossip spread through the town. You asked him if that was the truth, and he nodded. You nodded too. Even though, he cleared his throat after he said it like he always did whenever he bluffed during poker.

The second certainty was that Kyungsoo would leave.

He left that first time, and six years passed before you heard of him again. He moved back to town while you were still attending college. Coming home that winter, everyone mentioned it to you. They asked if you had heard about it, seen him, talked to him. Yes, no, and no. The answers rolled off your tongue by the third day. The question no one asked but which you asked yourself every night when you saw the light in the third window from the right was “did you want to see him?”.

After he left, he disappeared. The letters you sent to his supposed address returned to you undeliverable. The phone number you had saved told you the recipient could not be reached. When frustration brought you to tears, you climbed on a bus and travelled to the city. The address he gave you was a house with boarded up windows, graffiti covering two thirds of the exterior, and a missing roof. The only way Kyungsoo could have been clearer was if he told you to your face that he never wanted to see you again. And yet, he had come back.

You spent that holiday with your family. You visited friends. You walked every inch of your hometown, except for the section at the edge of town. Kyungsoo left the mansion every Saturday at ten returning at noon, and you made certain you were always busy during those two hours of the week.

That summer you returned home a fresh graduate ready to begin the next chapter of your life or almost ready. As a kindergarten teacher, the next chapter would begin with the fall term, but the summer brought time for preparation.

You rented a house near the school and spent your time repainting and decorating the interior. You righted the chaos which had overtaken the yard. Your efforts led you to the local hardware store at 11:34 am on a Sunday, and that’s when you saw Kyungsoo for the first time since he left.

The next year, you tend to skip over in your memory because it was awkward and uncomfortable, and you would much rather focus on the end when Kyungsoo asked you to marry him. The middle bit between him abandoning you and proposing to you was a constant source of gossip for your town. They lapped up every interaction like a new episode of their favorite drama while you suffered through a tumult of emotions.

Kyungsoo never explained why he left the way he did. You asked several times, and each time garnered the same response which was no response. When you eventually broke down and asked him with a face swollen from tears, he told you that he had secrets he could not share. No matter how your relationship progressed, no matter how much he loved you, the secrets would remain secrets. You could leave and return to a life absent him. The option sat there waiting for you, but you ignored it and continue to ignore it.

After you married, Kyungsoo left again. However, before he left, he gave you a book and promised to be back before you finished. The book thudded onto your coffee table, threatening to break the legs. A phone book would have provided more entertainment, but every free minute you had, you spent reading. True to his word before you reached the last page, Kyungsoo returned.

The next time he left, he gave you a tomato plant and promised to return before you plucked the last one. The plant bloomed all that summer. You made marinara for your pasta and homemade pizzas. Slices topped your salads and filled your sandwiches. True to his word before you plucked the last one from the stem, Kyungsoo returned.

This last time Kyungsoo left, he gave you a kitty. The baby mewled when you picked him up. His paper-thin claws clung to your shirt as his bright yellow eyes pleaded with you for safety. As you petted his long black coat, you waited for Kyungsoo’s promise, but this time, he kissed you, scratched the kitten’s head, and left.

Since then, the little fur ball who curled up in your hair has grown into a hat which covers you from ear to ear. His sweet mewl has become a yowl which you hear once in the morning when you wake up and once in the evening when you return from work. You named him Goose, and he is a great listener. No matter how much you complain about work, about the town gossips, about his missing father. He listens patiently and pipes in with his own opinions.

Sitting in your favorite chair by the study window, you layout your lesson plan for the coming week. Spring is around the corner, the buds on the trees and the chirp of birds in the morning attest to its return. You are hoping for an approval to take your class to the community garden, so they can each plant a seed and watch it grow through the season. In the meantime, you will stoke their curiosity with their daily lessons.

As you finish typing up the lesson plan, you hear Goose’s familiar yowl. He ate when you came home, and despite being a fat chunk, he has grown out of the habit of asking for snacks. “Goose?” You call. Hearing no responding yowl and without the arrival of the fluff ball, you stand up and head towards where you heard the sound.

Walking into your kitchen, you stumble over your feet and nearly fall to your knees. The chance is still high as your legs have turned to jelly. Crouched beside Goose and scratching behind his ears is your husband. “Soo?” You choke out as tears threaten to smother you.

He glances up at you, and your breath hitches in your throat. His eyes sit sunken in his face framed by dark circles. An angry red scar runs down his chin disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. Despite the havoc wreaked upon his face, he smiles. The expression transforms his face, and you can see the young boy with whom you fell in love.

“What happened?”

“It’s a secret.” His deep voice washes over you, cementing his presence and confirming he is no illusion.

You accepted his secrets before you married him and knew they would continue, but seeing him like this after being gone for so long, you want to rage and scream and threaten whoever caused all of this. Swallowing your anger, you crouch beside him. Goose rubs himself against your knee, but you ignore him as you trace your fingers across your husband’s face and commit each new scar to memory.

Kyungsoo watches you as you continue your scan of his person. His hands twitch at his side, and when you meet his eyes with your assessment complete, he reaches out and pulls you to his chest. You can feel his ribs through his shirt, and your arms fit too easily around him. That can be corrected though. With time, your Kyungsoo will return. But even as you make plans, the thought creeps in.

“How long before he leaves again?”

No matter though, because your third certainty is that Kyungsoo will always return.

#do kyungsoo #kyungsoo #exo #kyungsoo drabbles #hmw #exo drabble #exo fanfiction #kyungsoo fanfiction #kyungsoo collection #d.o.#g: angst #g: fluff #kyungsoo drabble

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tctails04 · 6 months ago

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sparkie96 · 5 years ago

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💗 danteleon??

It had started off as casual meetings as friends. Leon meeting up with Dante in front of Devil May Cry before going to the local diner for dinner and sundaes or Dante stopping by to take Leon out to lunch during Leon’s breaks. How they met was another story entirely, but the one chance encounter in Spain as well as a promise for dates followed them for months to come.

It was just hang-outs between two friends...but it slowly started becoming something more than that. The hang-outs started becoming a bit more...romantic. Either Leon or Dante would stop after saying something or recalling an event, seemingly staring at the other, admiring them. Or Dante would stray from the conversation and ask about “Ada”. Leon would blush and quickly explain that there wasn’t much between them. The tension was starting to build. There was something more between them.

It got to the point that they dreaded the ends of their dates, but were relieved when the other scheduled more in the future. And boy, did they look forward to each and every one.

The texting and phone calls even got a bit more flirtatious than before, texting one another either late at night or early in the morning and sometime in between. Dante and Leon anticipated, or well, more like hoped for, an “I love you” from the other one of these days.

Like right now, they had done something a bit different for this date. They had gone to an aquarium that was located in the riverside region of “Bumblefuck”, as Dante jokingly put it, but it was somewhere Dante had never been before. So to Leon, that made it all worth it. It was new, and he had a feeling Dante had never been here before.

“It’s not so bad.” Leon chuckled, “A bit of a drive, but the view is worth it.”

“True, the miles of cities and the view of the rivers does make the long drive a bit better,” Dante mused, turning his nose at the overwhelming scent of tobacco and the hint of alcohol on the other people around them, “Though, I can’t say the same about the crowd. All this plaid is hurting my eyes.”

Leon nodded with an amused smile, “True, but not everyone can pull off leather like we do.” He said in a playful manner, motioning to his black and white leather jacket and then to Dante’s long red-jacket, black and red pants and boots, “That and they’re most likely here for the concert at the stadium nearby. It’s supposedly some sort of “Country Music” thing.”

“Well, I was never one for country music.” Dante admitted, “But I’m hoping we didn’t drive all the way up to New Jersey just so you could torture me with bad music and badly dressed red-necks.”

That made the agent laugh out loud, “Technically, up this way they would be considered “HillBillies”, but they’re most likely not at all red-necks or hillbillies. Most of them are college kids on Spring Break and some older people here for good music. We’re actually going to the aquarium.”

Leon offered a hooked arm to Dante as they got off of the ferry, Dante accepting it as they stepped off onto the dock before walking over to the big white building with the domed roof. The crowd that they had boarded the ferry with went in the opposite direction, confirming Leon’s theory that they were here for the Country Music Concert. He felt the taller man relax slightly, guessing that it wasn’t the plaid that unnerved his companion, but most likely the size of the crowd itself. He would have to get the elder a strawberry sundae as an apology later on.

They got their tickets and went inside, a girl in a bright colored staff t-shirt stopping them and offered to take their picture. Dante and Leon exchanged looks before Dante shrugged and Leon nodded. They stood close to one another and gave small smiles, the girl snapping a photo of them before handing Leon another ticket.

“You can stop by Guest Services on the way out, or any time really, and pick up your photo! Have a nice visit and welcome to Adventure Aquarium!” She beamed before handing them a map and letting them on the escalator.

They stepped on and Dante leaned into Leon’s ear, “So, do they pay them to be that happy and cheery or are they genuinely like that?”

“Maybe a bit of both?” Leon suggested with a chuckle, “Though I would be ecstatic if I was working at an aquarium. Beats working as a government agent.”

“You telling me working for the dude in the White House and kicking ass isn’t the best damn job in the world?” Dante asked as they made their way into the first exhibit.

Leon shook his head, “Not really. Kicking ass isn’t as fun as it used to be...and being the President’s Lapdog isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. ‘Specially since I really didn’t get a choice in the manner.”

Dante gave Leon a concerned looked as they traveled into a wide corridor filled wall to wall with tanks that were huge. Glass ran from floor to ceiling, and even higher and deeper than that. Inside, fish of all shape and variety swam around through the caves and the fake shipwreck. There were even some Nurse Sharks in the bigger section of the exhibit. Dante got in close, looking at the various creatures with what seemed like disinterest...but Leon had known him long enough to know that his eyes were what gave away his true feelings at times.

For example, right now, the half-demon’s eyes were alight with interest and curiosity. Although he tried not to show his excitement, Leon could tell Dante was genuinely interested in what he was seeing. Leon let go of his arm, watching with a smile as Dante pressed his hands on to the glass and looked up, watching as sea turtles and stingrays swam overhead.

Leon moved in closer to his companion, looking up with him, “It’s pretty cool, dontcha think?” He asked, “And this is just one small section of the aquarium.”

Dante turned to look at Leon as he showed him the map, “It is, actually. Never really got to do a lot of this when I was a kid...how big is this place anyway?”

Leon smiled as he gently took Dante by the hand, traversing through the rest of “Shipwreck Cove” before leading him to another area. “Sea Turtle Cove” was printed in big yellow letters above the entrance, Leon leading Dante over to some windows that looked like portholes in a ship or a submarine.

Dante went to lean in and get a better look, placing his hand on what he thought was a flat surface. The devil hunter made a “Whoa!” noise as his hand kept going, the window actually curved outward and for an inside look into the tank.

Leon narrowly caught him around the waist as he sat beside him, giving a small chuckle, “Probably should have warned you that the surfaces weren’t very flat.”

Dante couldn’t help but chuckle as well, fixing himself and sitting upright, “It’s alright. I probably could have been more careful.”

Leon held on to him as they both leaned forward to look up at the various sea creatures. They could hear the tour guide for a bigger group telling everyone facts about the turtles and fish in this section. Leon was only partly listening and watching the fish, his gaze mostly on Dante. Eventually, Dante let his emotions show on the outside, and Leon couldn’t get enough.

It wasn’t long until Dante was the one leading the way, the devil hunter wanting to see more of the wonderous exhibits. Leon chuckled as Dante held his hand and pulled him along, his own heart fluttering as they went to the various exhibits. Watching Dante genuinely enjoy himself made him feel good.

“I just...stick my hand in?” Dante asked, looking up at the guide as they stood by the stingray tank.

“You can pet them with two fingers.” The guide chuckled, the little old man sticking his hand in as a stingray swam by, “See? They like it! It is like petting a cat or a dog.”

“But slimy.” Leon added with a wink, his hand already in the tank as he pet another stingray.

Dante looked between the two of them before doing the same. The little stingray by the guide’s hand swam over to Dante, little beady eyes looking up at him before swimming just out of reach. Dante pouted at the little creature, but stayed nonetheless, watching as the ray swam back around. A startled noise left the white haired man as the stingray rushed at the side, splashing him. Dante jumped back before he could get soaked, Leon and the guide laughing, but not at him.

“That means she likes you!” The guide reassured, the little ray circling where Dante had been, “She is a very playful girl.”

“She’s playing hard to get.” Leon chuckled, looking down at her.

Dante inched back toward the tank, looking down at the little stingray, who pushed herself up against the side of the tank. He tentatively reached down and tried to pet her again. She pulled away and swam around the tank, but when Dante went to pet a different stingray, she would swim up at full speed and splash him again.

“She’s a brat.” Dante replied with a smile, “How do you get them not to swim away?”

The guide laughed, “I sometimes have to bribe them. Other times, they just want to be petted. They are very friendly.”

Leon chuckled as the one he was petting circled around his hand a couple of times before swimming under his fingers again. Dante gave a determined look, reaching in, but not moving or looking directly at her. The stingray swam back and forth before circling his hand once more. At long last, she finally let him pet her.

“There you go!” The guide cheered.

Leon smiled as he watched Dante, the elder looking very proud and excited all at the same time as he pet the sea creature. After they were finished here, they thanked the guide and Dante promised to see the little stingray later before going to the handwashing station.

“Alright, ready to go pet sharks?” Leon asked, now carrying his jacket.

Dante froze, looking at Leon with confused eyes, “...You can pet sharks?”

Leon gave a smile and a nod, “They even have a bridge here where you can walk over a tank full of big ones.”

“...Take me to this magical place.” Dante said, making the brunette laugh, taking Leon’s hand in his as Leon led the way. ___________“Okay, so...this is a lot scarier than I thought it was going to be.” Dante said, looking over the few people in front of them in line at the netted bridge, “And I fight demons.”

Leon squeezed his hand in reassurance, his own heart thudding in excitement as they watched the group in front of them walk across. He wasn’t scared at all, just excited. Dante squeezed his hand back in anticipation as they watched the netting and the bars supporting it move slightly. Leon gave his hand another reassuring squeeze as they inched closer and closer to the bridge before they stopped right in front of it, waiting until the people in front of them were all the way across.

“These sharks were fed already, right?” Dante asked the guide, still holding on to Leon’s hand.

The girl with the black hair exchanged a knowing smile with her coworker, looking back to Dante, “Maybe.” she replied, “At least I think so. They were fed this morning, right?”

Her coworker, a petite red-head tapped her chin, “...I think so...I hope so.” she said with a wink, “Alright! Y’all are next!”

Dante took a deep breath as he and Leon listened to the instructions, following the red-head as she led the way. Dante let Leon walk in front of him, staying close to his back as they walked across. Leon could see out of the corner of his eye that Dante was looking down through the holes of the net, most likely to see where the sharks were.

“We’ll be fine.” Leon said, “They don’t eat much.”

Dante raised a brow, but chuckled, “How do you know?”

Leon glanced back at him, playfully bouncing and making Dante holding on tighter to the netting. The half-demon begged the younger to stop bouncing, saying that they could fall through and into the tank. Leon chuckled, saying that they would be okay and that the bridge wasn’t moving, which meant it was structurally sound. He then asked Dante if he could imagine if they did fall in though.

Dante followed, still holding on, “Forget what I said about the stingray. She is a sweetheart. YOU are the brat.” ________Once they had gone through the whole aquarium before heading to the gift shop. They picked up their photo at the Guest Services, Leon excitedly showing Dante the photo. The white-haired male asked the people behind the counter if they could get another copy of their photo, surprising Leon. Dante said it would liven up Devil May Cry a little bit, though secretly he was going to keep it on his bedside table. Leon had also gotten Dante a t-shirt that said “I Survived the Shark Bridge” while Dante got Leon a stingray plush.

“Because you’re both brats.” Dante said with a smile, playfully bopping Leon on the head with the stuffed animal before handing it to him.

Leon gave a playful pout, “I resent that!” He said, holding Dante’s hand as they waited for the Ferry, both eating Strawberry Ice Cream Cones from the food court.

Dante chuckled, “Well, lucky for you, I like brats.”

“Yeah, but unlike Miss Stingray, I don’t play hard to get.” Leon said, looking up at Dante with loving eyes.

“...really?” Dante asked. Leon nodded, “Not if I really like the person and love spending all of my free time with them.” He admitted.

Dante raised his brow, “Even if they live a million miles away?” He asked.

Once again, Leon nodded, “I would travel a million miles just to be with them because they’re worth it and I hope me being with them makes them very happy.”

“You do.” Dante admitted, looking down at the agent, “Hey, you got something...here, let me get it.”

Leon leaned up while Dante leaned down, both of them meeting halfway for a sweet kiss. Leon felt like there were butterflies in his stomach and Dante felt something electric between them. The odd “firework” feeling Patty had read to him from her fairy tale books finally made sense to Dante. He felt like fireworks were going off while he was kissing Leon. After a few moments, they had pulled away, both blushing and smiling, looking off at the riverfront. The ferry arrived and they got on board, but a tragedy had occurred, Dante getting nudged by an overly eager group of teens who had knocked his ice cream out of his hands and sent it into the river. Dante cursed as his ice cream fell, giving a sigh of defeat as he sat next to Leon on the bench.

Leon leaned into him, offering his ice cream, “I don’t mind sharing.”

Dante gave a small smile, leaning in and licking the ice cream cone while Leon held it for him. The brunette kissed him on the cheek before wiping the corner of the man’s mouth, licking his ice cream while they watched the sun set.

#danteleon #DantexLeon #LeonxDante #Leon S. Kennedy #Dante Sparda #send me asks

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d0gdaze · 5 years ago

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read on ao3

wc: 2120 warnings: mild crude language

__________________________________________________

Richie listens to Eddie ramble on about personal protective equipment, stringing his words together with such urgency that they're constantly clashing and stammering to the point of it being nearly nonsensical, and wonders boldly if he's ever going to get tired of hearing it.

It's mid afternoon and they're all down in the barrens, having escaped the worst of the day's heat by taking refuge playing board games at Richie's house, air-con blasting, – Maggie had made up frozen watermelon slices for them and they'd gorged themselves. Now, still all sticky from where the juice ran down their chins and their hands, they're making up for the lost hours by attentively scouring the thick brush near where the barrens border the city landfill, looking for anything remotely interesting. Most of it's just random junk, but occasionally they'll find new furniture for the clubhouse, or dead electronics that they can take apart, or broken televisions with intact fibreglass screens they can sling rocks at and shatter. Sometimes they'll hit a goldmine and find a tangled but otherwise functional yo-yo or cassette tapes that still work when they run back home to try them out. It's not really about the finds, though. It's just, plainly put, something to do.

Beverly's knee deep in shrubbery, kicking at a doorless microwave to see if she can dislodge something, and Mike and Bill are flipping through an old playboy magazine thats pages have gone wavy from water damage, and the cover is so sun-bleached that it's nearly completely white. Stan stayed back at the edge of the clearing when the rest of them moved further into the brush, concerned about bugs and poison ivy and blackberry bushes and content to do his searching in the shallow parts. Ben's the furthest in, and as far as Richie can tell he's not doing much other than looking out over the dump and probably dozing off on the fallen log he's sat upon. Richie himself is squatting down, using a long stick to poke through the contents of a garbage bag he's ripped open. It's just household trash, and it smells rather bad, but it's a way to keep his hands moving while he zones out. And Eddie's managed to get himself up onto a low fork in a tree, sitting with his back up against the trunk and legs hanging on either side of the thick branch, idly kicking at the air as he rants about why what they're doing is dangerous and the precautionary measures they should be taking, but without actually suggesting they stop doing it, or making any attempts to leave.

The air is filled with that kind of quiet, static warmth that leaves you pleasantly tired all the way through your body, – the kind that makes your shoulders slump and your gate slow, and the minutes seem to stretch on for hours for the seven of them. It's one of those days where nothing much happens, one that won't ever be memorable or out of the ordinary in any way, where they'll go home sleepy and satisfied, and when their parents ask what they did all day – those of them whose parents care enough to ask – they can say 'nothing' and mean it. And that's just fine by them. They'd all take an uneventful, boring day like this over some of the days they'd faced before – the ones that left scars and gaps and nightmares, the memories of which seem to fade with each passing week and it's all fuzzy and disjointed and – no, today is good. That's all that matters.

Richie feels something small bounce off the space between his shoulder blades and looks up, only for something else to hit him right in the middle of the forehead as Eddie looks down at him, very obviously trying not to grin so the corners of his mouth twitch, and when they lock eyes he bites his lip and throws another piece of tree bark. This one taps Richie's cheek and falls to the ground in front of him, and Eddie snickers like it's the funniest thing he's seen all day.

“You're gonna get splinters if you keep that up, dipshit,” he says, smirking as panic flashes across Eddie's face, though it quickly dissipates into a scowl, and he continues flicking pieces at him, more rapidly now.

“Asshole. Why the fuck would you say that?” he spits, and Richie has to hold his arms up to shield himself from the onslaught. “You're the one who's gonna get fucking splinters.”

Richie stands, picking up his stick and turning his back to the tree. He manages to hook the end of it on a particularly gross looking wad of paper towel from the pile of trash, and when he turns back around and makes a jabbing motion towards Eddie, the other boy screeches indignantly and falls off the branch. He lands with a thud on the ground and immediately scrambles to his feet. Richie lunges at him again, cackling, as Eddie starts spewing insults and hollering disgust. He picks up an empty tin can and throws it, landing somewhere a couple feet to Richie's left.

Something about it leaves Richie with a vague feeling of deja vu, but that happens so often these days that he doesn't think much of it.

Eddie backs his way out to the clearing, creating whatever distance he can by throwing whatever his hands come across, though he hardly lands any hits, and Richie taunts him the whole way up, never intending to do more than tease, never planning on causing actual harm.

(Eddie knows this, of course.)

Stan starts to lecture him too, though far more calmly, more comprehensible. Tells him not to be disgusting, tells them both to shut up and knock it off. He's smiling though, Richie can tell, even when he tries to hide it.

Here's to nothing ever changing, he thinks.

Later, when the sun isn't bearing down as heavily and a relieving breeze starts to flow in from the east, they find themselves traversing away from the shady greenery of the barrens towards the open bank along the Kenduskeag, where the water is fast-moving but shallow enough that Bill doesn't roll his jean shorts up even though they fall down a little past his knees. He's right out in the middle of the stream, eyes trained steadily downwards as he takes slow, calculated steps, looking out for crawfish tails peeking out from under the rocks. Eddie's next to him, mirroring his actions though seemingly less focused, as he keeps letting his gaze drift over to the others. Stan's about fifty feet upstream, talking to Mike and occasionally gesturing animatedly at the tree line. Mike laughs heartedly at something he says, and the sound floats drifts all the way across to where Richie is busy pulling out clumps of grass and flinging them into the water, and Ben is sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, his attention fixed on Beverly, whose found a flat-topped rock that's big enough for her to lay down on, albeit with her legs hanging off the edge. She's on her back, her hair splayed out over the stone, which fully exposes the fading bruise that starts in the outer corner of her eye and curves in patches down the side of her face.

He lets out a deep sigh and buries his face in his arms.

“Careful Benjamin,” Richie says, reaching over and sprinkling blades of grass onto his hair, “you're being obvious again.”

Ben blushes, slaps his hand away and tries to shake the grass off. The action gets rid of some of it, falling back onto the ground or his shoulders, but there's still bits of green sticking out here and there. Richie grins, and shuffles closer so his knee knocks against Ben's shin.

“I keep tellin' you to just go talk to her,” he continues, “save us all from this will-they-won't-they crap.”

“I talk to her all the time,” Ben replies in a way that fails to acknowledge the point, and Richie repays it with another fistful of freshly pulled grass. He shakes it off again, sputtering as some of the pieces fall into his face.

“Ah, you know what I mean,” Richie wipes his hands off on his pants and leans back on his elbows, looks back across to where Bill and Eddie seem to have recruited Stan and Mike, and Mike's got a stick that he's using to pry the rocks up so that Bill can look underneath. Stan and Eddie are talking over each other, and a little too far away that he can't quite make out what they're saying. Eddie starts laughing at something Stan says, and Richie laughs too, though under his breath and without really meaning to. Ben looks at Richie, then over to the others, and back again.

“I just think, Haystack,” Richie continues, hesitantly tearing his gaze away to meet his, “that if you really like someone, you should sack up and tell 'em. No point brooding over it forever.”

“I think you shouldn't say things like brooding and sack up in the same breath.”

“What can I say, I'm an intellectual.”

“You're a hypocrite is what you are,” Ben says, and Richie scoffs, “what, you're saying you ain't ever liked someone and just kept it to yourself?”

“I never liked anyone, period,” Richie says defensively, sitting up again and resting his chin in his hands, “'cept maybe Eddie's mom.”

Ben sighs softly. Richie instinctively looks towards Eddie again, but his attention is all Bill's at the moment, who's actually managed to find one of the mudbugs and is holding it tentatively just above the water as the other three crowd around him. Stan's talking in that quick, steady way that Richie knows to mean what he's saying is somewhat informational, and Mike appears to be petting the damn thing as it sits in Bill's hands.

“Bull,” Ben laughs, just a beat too late for it to flow properly with the rest of the conversation. Richie frowns at him.

“Whaddaya mean, bull? It's the truth,” Richie insists, but Ben just looks at him, exasperated. “Or, fine. Whatever. Maybe I like one person but,” he starts picking at the grass with one hand, continuing to hold up his head with the other, his elbow digging into his knee, “it's different.”

“How's it different?”

“I don't know,” he groans, “it just is.”

“Who-,” Ben starts, but is cut off by Eddie as he calls out to them from across the way.

“Richie!” he yells excitedly, “Ben, guys, come get a load o' this thing Bill found!”

Richie can hear Bill telling him to turn down the volume, sees Eddie poke his tongue out at him then continue waving over to them with a sense of urgency, as if anything could be so urgent these days.

Richie sticks his hand up in acknowledgement, flings one last bunch of grass into Ben's lap and heaves himself up onto his feet in one clumsy movement. He starts to jog over to the group, until they're all flinging their arms at him and telling him to slow down, to stop kicking up so much water, until Eddie's voice has gone up an octave as he begins another tangent and Richie brings his leg back as if he's going to send a tidal wave flying at the lot of them, but doesn't follow through with movement.

Ben watches, for a moment, the way Eddie gravitates to Richie even while scolding him, sees how Richie almost subconsciously reaches out to touch him, pulls him closer like he's practiced it a million times before.

(He has, of course.)

If Ben realises something, he won't say it. He's hit with the feeling that maybe Richie hasn't yet, not fully at least.

Beverly, roused by the calamity, leaves her perch and joins them, not before pulling Ben to his feet with a smile playing at her lips. Her hair, though slightly dishevelled, has fallen back to it's natural frame around her face, obscuring the bruise once again. There's a slight pink tinge left over from last week's sunburn, overshadowed by the freckles that are more vibrant than ever now. Even from the small, modest contact of her hands on his, he can feel the sun radiating off her skin, and already knows he would bask in it forever if she'd let him.

By the time they reach the rest of them, Bill's already let the crawfish back into the water. It scurries back under the rock where they found it.

It's doesn't matter too much, though. It's summer, and they're kids, and days like this are countless.

tag list:

@reddie-to-go @reddietofall @thecastlebyers

#writing #reddie #reddie fic #benverly #it 2017 #you CAN go back to childhood folks

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gibberingcultist · 4 years ago

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The Dream-Eaters

We just received our last mythos pack of the Dream-Eaters cycle so we will be starting this campaign very soon. A dream come true if you will. We will be playing both the waking and the dream world scenarios as a interconnected 8-part campaign, switching back and forth between the two sets of characters. But first I must read The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath by H.P. Lovecraft (along with the other Randolph Carter short stories). To help set the mood. Find my thoughts on those at the bottom of this entry.

Designers: Matthew Newman, Daniel Schaefer Artists: Lots and lots! Cover image by Cristi Balanescu. Playtime: 60-120 minutes per scenario. BGG Weight: 3 / 5 (based on 2 votes. Ugh!) Mechanisms: Action Point Allowance System, Cooperative Play, Deck / Pool Building, Hand Management, Role Playing, Variable Player Powers

Prologue

It’s Friday the 13th! Uh oh. “Something odd was happening in Arkham, Massachusetts (That’s like every day in Arkham).” A writer by the name of Virgil Gray submitted a story to the Tales from Nevermore (ode to Poe) magazine in regards to his experiences within the dream world. Others start to write in, confirming they had similar experiences. Experts believe it’s a result of some sort of shared mass hysteria brought on by Virgil Gray’s writings; many of which are convinced to undergo therapy at the local (insane) asylum. In the end, nobody really knows why dreams happen or how they function let alone shared dream experiences. My group of investigators all decide to recreate Virgil’s dream experiments and check it out for themselves. Luke and Calvin will enter the dreamworld and will be watched over by a …rookie cop and a researcher. Sounds good!

Dream World (Alpha Team)

Luke Robinson: The Dreamer (Lead) Luke Robinson seems like he is a pretty powerful investigator. Catherine will be playing him. She got a taste for the Mystic class after playing Norman Withers in the Return to the Dunwich Horror campaign. Luke's Gate Box, which starts in play, will allow him to pretty much escape from any amount of monsters hounding him and will allow for Luke to traverse the board as he see fits. That is until Gate Box has been depleted of charges. She has incorporated many of her favorite attack spells as well as a few spells that seal unwanted chaos tokens. I only hope Calvin Wright is equally capable.

Calvin Wright: The Haunted We probably shouldn't have brought a man referred to as The Haunted into the dreamworld. In fact Calvin is the only investigator not from the Dream-Eaters expansion. Perhaps I should have brought Tony Morgan instead. But I felt like Calvin was more thematic and would seek out Luke in order to keep what ever dreams he may have, under control. Calvin is an interesting investigator, and frankly quite terrifying to play. He starts with zero stats and only acquires +1's to these nonexistent stats when he suffers physical or mental damage. So the more damage he receives, the more powerful he becomes. Due to this strange interaction between pain and strength, he is weak to begin with but slowly grows to be very strong near the end of the scenario. But also he could die at a moments notice. I incorporated the two spirit cards that allow for one last hurrah before being eliminated; Ghastly Revelation and "I'll see you in hell!". Along with a "I'm Outta Here!" card....just in case.

Awake World (Bravo Team)

Tommy Muldoon: The Rookie Cop (Lead) Tommy is one of my favorite playable characters from Mansions of Madness as he starts with Becky, his dependable rifle, equipped. I only wish Tommy started with Becky in hand from the start in Arkham Horror LCG as well. I was spoiled with Ashcan's Duke in the last campaign. Tommy will hopefully act as protector and monster mitigation for Mandy as she focuses on clue gathering. Tommy will focus on upgrade cards for Becky (and for other weapons) and will stock up on as many asset cards that soak damage/horror for a potential future resupply of income or ammo for Becky. A Backpack and a Prepared for the Worst will help pull Becky out of his deck faster, especially with Mandy's presence adding to the number of cards that can be searched.

Mandy Thompson: The Researcher The researcher will be our devoted clue gatherer for the waking world. Mandy is a new Seeker investigator for my girlfriend to try out. She chose the starting deck-size of 50(!) cards with Rogue as her secondary class. It's a pretty thick deck and is rather hard to shuffle. Mandy placed as many "resolve when searched" cards into her deck that will hopefully combo well with her special ability. Having 50 cards to search through will make them less likely to appear but the treacheries will be less likely to appear as well. Catherine is heart-broken that she won't be able to take Leo De Luca along with her though. Having her Seeker cards being split between Mandy Thompson AND Luke Robinson of the dream world, will be an added challenge for her when it comes to deck-building and determining which upgraded seeker cards are best for which investigator.

My Shitty Analyses of Randolph Carter’s Short Stories

The Statement of Randolph Carter was good. Although I question the validity of anything undead that would still retain the use of it’s vocal chords. Or knowledge of telephone operation. I would certainly consider Harley Warren a jokester; knowing full well, feeble Randolph Carter couldn’t possibly lift the slab back over the sarcophagi all by himself. B+

The Unnamable has Randolph Carter and a Joel Manton debating and sharing stories amidst a graveyard, their back to a tomb, when they get jumped by a Jello monster. Both characters wake up battered and bruised in a hospital uncertain of the events that befell them. I shall call the creature Bill Cosby. Easy! D+

The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, the longest of all the short stories featuring Randolph Carter. A younger Randolph goes on a rather lengthy adventure within the Dream World, to which he seeks out an Elder God on the peak of Kadath. Makes me wonder how they are going to pack all of this in to four scenarios. Just know that Randolph traverses a near infinite universe, full of alien cities and vast wastelands filled with strange sentient creatures from all the waking worlds. As if the dreamworld is a place of convergence for all known locations and beings throughout all of time; past, present, and future. Cats seem to be the best guides and protectors of those in need within the dreamworld. I will keep this in mind whenever I see a cat in need of a saucer of milk or a good petting. No man may kill a cat! C

The Silver Key is a decent story. Randolph Carter speaks of growing up and being chained down to adulthood and having all mystery slowly drain out of his world. Until the rediscovery of a special key that unlocks Randolph Carter’s dreamworld. Aka his immense imagination. If Lovecraft used Randolph as a fill in for himself than this story has a lot of insight into how Lovecraft truly felt about the world around him. B+

Through the Gates of the Silver Key is … just too boring to finish. Zzzz

#Arkham Horror LCG #dream-eaters #ffg #h.p. lovecraft #Living Card Game

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electronicdelusionstarlight · 6 years ago

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A brief recounting of the events of Elder Scrolls Legends, and of the Forgotten Heroes that saved the Empire when no one else could.

The Argonian, The Myth, The Legend...

SWIMS-AT-NIGHT!

SMUGGLER, WAR HERO... AND THE MOST LOYAL OF FRIENDS.

Self-Proclaimed "Greatest Smuggler in Tamriel," Swims-At-Night was just a simple smuggler during the Great War, stealing his cargoes from the Thalmor controlled Cyrodill, traversing the treacherous seas to later sell it off to either the resistance in Hammerfell or the Thalmor themselves, to them at 5 times the original value and at half the quality, not really out of any patriotic duty as much as for the cold and shiny siren call of gold. A daring, dangerous life, that made him make contacts with all sorts of people, that however ill fitted his true calling.

For you see, for while he was indeed without equal in his smuggling and his ability with poisoned blades was without match... Swims-At-Night was a lore nerd at heart. Especially if he could turn a tidy profit from said lore nerding.

But let's keep things in order.

Everything in Swims-At-Night's life changed one fateful night, during that same Great War he was profiting from... When he met two figures.

One, was Tyr.

This Beefcake of a Nord was one of the few remaining blades, captured by the second in command of the Thalmor Warlord and Daedric Follower Lord Narafiin, and left to Rot and fight for his life in one of his dungeons/daedric lair/underground arenas, only to one day escape with the help of another... mysterious figure.

THE FORGOTTEN HERO! WAR CRIMINAL! BACKSTABBER! MASTER OF DISGUISE! GENERALLY GREEDY ASSHOLE! THE WORST OF FRIENDS! DID I MENTION BACKSTABBER, LIKE, SERIOUSLY, THIS FUCKER BACKSTABS A LOT.

Basically TESL Robbie Rotten. At least he hates Nazi elves tho.

Anyway, back to that one faithful night. Tyr and the Forgotten Hero, from here on TFH, had recently escaped their captivity, and were searching for a lift to reach Skyrim, so to warn the emperor, who had retreated there after the fall of the imperial city, of Narafiin’s Daedric Dealings, and also so they could scoop up a friend of Tyr along the way, so that she could shine a Light upon this mess.

So, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a Port patrolled by Thalmor Justiciars searching for both them and the Argonian’s stolen Cargo, Tyr and TFH decide to steal Swims-At-Night’s boat...

RIGHT. FROM. UNDER. HIS. GILLS.

Needless to say, it was friendship at first sight.

After discovering the 2 vagrants trying to steal his shit and a quick sword fight with the Forgotten Hero, the Trio is found by one of the aforementioned Thalmor Patrols, and therefore, seeing how they too were being hunted down by the Nazi Elves, he goes “what the hell, the enemy of my nazi enemy is my new best friend, let’s go guys, this trip is on me!”, scoops them up on his ship, and departs from the port toward northern shores.

They later shipwreck. Because dude might be the “Greatest Smuggler in Tamriel,” but I challenge you to steer a ship during one perfect storm with one bloodthirsty Breton pirate ship trying their best to board them and sink his ship at the same time. Not even (spoilers) Sails-Trough-Storms herself could do it, I say.

Anyway, they shipwreck, have some zany adventures in High Rock with some mudcrabs and some spriggans, find a wolf cub TFH might or might have not abandoned to his fate rather than take in and nurture as his new pet LIKE THE ASSHOLE HE IS, and finally, in the middle of a ancient ruin, surrounded by angry goblins who had just come in and killed the cultists that were trying to kill her...

She appears, in all her majestic might...

LAANETH! MISTRESS OF MAGIC! SCHOLAR AND RESEARCHER AMONG THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGES AND MAGES GUILDS IN ALL OF TAMRIEL, AND EXPERT IN DAEDRIC ARTIFACTS AND LORE!

Anyway, they save Laaneth from a Goblin assault straight out of Goblin Slayer, and she informs them that her latest research was around a semi obscure prophecy called The Culling (II), a cautionary tale about how people shouldn’t standardize and destroy their Battle Royal Games for greed and get rich schemes, and about how, during a particular cosmological event, the veil between worlds will be weakened, and will be easily breached by anyone committing a sacrifice big enough (Like, for example, the entirety of the Imperial City Population) to reawaken the now forgotten Oblivion Gates, so that the maws of Oblivion will be able to be opened one last time, to unleash hell upon Nirn, so to hasten the deterioration of reality and the breaking of the world, thus destroying creation and possibly but most definitely not allowing the Thalmor to ascend to godhood in the ensuing chaos.

You know, standard Nazi Elves plans.

This is even more concerning of Lord Naarafiin simply having Dremoras and other Daedras in his armies, especially after it is revealed that some major entity, perhaps even a Prince, must be edging their bets on this thing happening, so they decide to quickly reach the Emperor’s Camp all together to give him the grave news, and see what to do next.

(If i may take a moment, I would like to point out how Swims-At-Night, his ship destroyed and his cargo now in the seas, without a single prospect of coin in sight, is still there, ready to fight and die for his newfound companions and freedom, because he might be a scoundrel and a Smuggler, but he is a Honest Smuggler goddammit, mass genocide and daedric outbreaks are a big no no for him.

He also probably already knitted some new best friends sweaters already for him and his bros and is already probably preparing one for his new nerd elven friend, and probably didn’t want them to go to waste, so there’s that).

Anyway, our heroes got to Skyrim. Some more shenanigans ensue, a bar fight, some imperial deserters, a High Elf Merchant that was trapped by giant spider and had NOTHING TO DO WITH THE THALMOR TFH might have just been plain old racist too and left for dead rather than help, the ghost of another merchant asking for revenge against some other, human bandits that killed him and his family for their gold, and all that...

Anyway, they reach the Emperor’s Camp, where we meet the last members of this ragtag bunch of misfits...

GENERAL CASSIA! SECOND IN COMMAND DURING THE GREAT WAR UNDER EMPEROR TITUS MEDE II, AND MOSTLY THE ONE WHO HAD TO DO THE DIRTY WORK FOR HIM IN THE FORM OF DISCIPLINING DESERTERS AND ALL THAT NASTY SHIT.

Anyway, a plan is formed. Our Heroes must return to the Imperial City, disguised as Gladiators, and will use a secret passage near the Arena, the SAME passage the Hero of Kvatch used all those many years before to escape the imperial prison, courtesy of Swims-At-Night, the History Nerd him, to reach into White Gold Tower, and steal the greatest treasure of all.

THE ORB OF VAERMINA!

For you see, Lord Naarafiin indeed had the help of Daedric Princes, ready to spring up at the occasion of the walls of reality getting thinner, and Vaermina was among them. The Warlord was using the Orb to spy on the Imperial Troops movements and plans, easily outwitting them and laying waste along the country, committing one atrocity after the next, reading the field play for the final sacrifice, and our heroes needed to get the sphere away from him, so to better prepare a effective attack plan against the city before it was too late.

So, our heroes reach the Imperial Capital, passing as gladiators, and go into the secret passage, now swarming with perilous undead after many years from the 3rd era...

And with a mysterious altar, appeared out of nowhere, whose burning light, as bright as dawn breaking upon the fields, shone against the undead hordes, aiding our heroes in their time of need as it scorched them to a crisp.

For it seemed, not all Princes were in favor of Naraafiin’s plan of destroying the world.

Or maybe Meridia just wanted to scorch some Mummies, who knows with her.

Anyway, our heroes reach the highest floor of the Tower, where the Orb is left unprotected...

And where they are promptly ambushed by Naarafiin second in comand!

REIVE! THE BLADE MASTER! THE PAIN-SINGER! THE LORD OF THE ARENA!

He was him who had captured Tyr and TFH back at the start, and with a swift move, he has now taken Tyr Hostage, the gleaming point of his blade ready to slash the man’s manly and muscled chest at a wrong move.

BUT THAT’S NO ORDINARY BLADE I SAY!

(Yeah, only found this image for the card art, sorry)

THAT’S GOLDBRAND! THE SWORD OF BOETHIA, DAEDRIC PRINCE OF PLOTS! FATHER OF MYSTERIES! MOTHER OF SHADOWS! AND A BUNCH OF OTHER VARIOUS TITLES WITH OTHER VARIOUS GENDERS! AND THE REAL DAEDRIC PRINCE BEHIND THIS MESS!

For what better plot, than to plot to destroy the world, after all?

TFH has however been also fast, and has already nicked the Orb for himself, the kleptomaniac little shit. He is now presented with a choice. Keep the Orb, and watch his friend and companion die... or Give Reive the Orb, and get his friend back... “unscathed.”

And TFH, the absolute bastard and backstabber... chooses to keep the Orb.

(I mean, yes, technically, you can decide to spare Tyr... Except dude still dies during the ensuring fight as he shows his massive balls of nordic steel and SMASHES A DAEDRIC ARTIFACT TO PIECES RIGHT IN FRONT OF A ANGRY HIGHER DREMORA, and it is canon that TFH used the orb at least 10 times in his life if we go by Achievements, which he couldn't really do if he let Tyr smash it, soooo...)

Anyway, Tyr dies, Reive is Angry (And so are Laaneth and partially Cassia, like, dude was Laaneth’s friend more than he was anyone else, they had HISTORY, she is understandably angry with TFH, and he was working in close quarters with Cassia due to their ranks in the imperial army and shit...), and a battle ensues. TFH manages to overpower Reive and kill him, thus gaining the favor of Goldbrand and perhaps Boethia’s Themselves given their great betrayal and show of strength, since that’s how Boethia Rolls...

Anyway, They daringly escape the Imperial City, everyone a bit more somber after the whole ordeal, even despite the victory, and reach the Emperor’s camp nearby, reading for the next day siege, right in time for the Culling... BUT OH NOES! A Thalmor assassination deep cover team (which is composed entirely by Bosmer for some reasons... what, are Kahjiits not stealthy enough for your deep cover assassinations?) has attacked the Emperor in the night!

The assassins have been repelled, and Titus Mede II is safe, but the Emperor is now no longer fit to ride the next day. This will surely be a deep blow to the morale of the army, even now that has been bolstered by new and fresh recruits from Skyrim, and Cassia isn’t sure anymore they are going to pull it through...

And it’s here, that our “hero” truly unleashes his inner Robbie Rotten, as a dastardly plan is formed, I’m 99% sure after Swims-At-Night’s Counsel.

The emperor will remain in his tent, in the middle of the camp, unseen and unheard as he rests, as TFH wears his armor, and rides into battle on the front lines with his army, disguised as the emperor, keeping the Morale High as he valiantly fights of the Nazi Elven Scum, his Golden Blade in one hand, his mystical sphere of dreams in the other, as he conquers more and more ground, his friends leading 3 other different fronts in a 4 way attack on the imperial city, crashing trough to stop the massacre from happening...

And yet.

It’s too late.

Naaraafiin has already killed the entire population of the Imperial City, and the Gates of Oblivion are opened. He meets what he thinks is the emperor, his personal guard at his side, as all manners of Atronachs and Dremora are unleashed upon the city, and soon the world, as the Oblivion Gates open once more and the walls of reality are weakened.

TFH has to think fast, and so, attacks the Warlord, who easily counters TFH with his magic, now overpowered by the think layers between realms and his own, general overpowered Final Boss Magic, blasting shit left and right at a frankly insanely low magicka cost...

And yet, perhaps, this overpowered magic will be Naaraafiin’s Downfall, for the Orb of Vaermina cannot just enter the dreams of your enemies to spy on their plans, but can steal mirages of powers and creatures from your opponent mind, and use them against them.

And so, witnessing his prowess with the sword, and finally recognizing Goldbrand as Goldbrand, and the “Emperor” as the one who had killed Reive, as he steals one of his massive blast right from under Naarafiin’s mind, and uses it against its own master...

Naaraafiin falls. Pushed by his own arcane magick, perhaps still alive, perhaps not, inside one of the holes in reality his culling had created, the link between him and the fracture of reality severing, as the Dremoras and Daedras vanish into Oblivion, and the gates close.

The battle is won. The Imperial City is taken back, if destroyed and with little to no population left.

And the Thalmor are retreating.

TFH and his friend go back to the emperor, who congratulates with them about the victory, for the man really knows when the delegate, and gifts TFH his armor, as the 4 companions depart, each for their own road, perhaps to never meet again...

And so the story ends, with a empire saved from the brink of destruction, yet irreparably damaged, a friendship betrayed, and terrible memories people will never forget.

But when the story ends...

Another begins.

For to paraphrase Marvel:

SWIMS-AT-NIGHT WILL RETURN...

In Elder Scrolls Legends III: Return to Clockwork City!

(Tho there’s the Fall of the Dark Brotherhood first, probably going to do that first, gotta show you just how much of a Asshole TFH can be).

#tes #tesl #the elder scrolls #the elder scrolls legends #tes lore #long post #wanted to do this in a while #swims-at-night #the forgotten hero #(don't really know how else to tag it really)#elder scrolls legends #elder scrolls

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