#rules are supposed to be made to prevent actions that cause harm!!

[littlelav107]

the opinion that roomhopping should be allowed in the pisay dorms

[halogenwarrior]

I think the question of the morality of the machines is distinct from the question of the morality of forcing everyone to leave the matrix. The first question is about whether the machines are doing as best as they possibly could for human lives (which they aren't, because that is not the goal they are optimizing for), the second is about whether humans will have a better life now and in the future inside or outside the matrix. I read a chapter of a book on the philosophy of the Matrix where they discussed just this and concluded that the matrix is still bad because the "don't make paradise" rule prevents humans from taking control of their destiny and making the world a better place, but though it's been a while since I saw the movie so I may be misunderstanding this, as I remember it I don't see why the machines would be preventing this from happening; humans in the matrix could still make their world better through coherent historical events like technological developments and social movements, and the humans in the matrix would accept it because it has a probable cause and wasn't just everything becoming a utopia without a historical path towards that.

Also I think the emphasis on the relationships is because from a preference utilitarian perspective a lot of people (at least I am included in this) would care a lot about the people they interact with being real people but not as much as, to use your example, a sunset is real, at least not enough to be willing to make the immense sacrifices necessary to see a real sunset. The endangered frogs example is a bit different I suppose as that is more like the human example than the sunset one, it's about knowing the sentient beings you interact with are actually real and benefit from your benevolent actions so that doing good has any real meaning. And this is just talking about my personal quirks, but not being deceived into believing I am doing good when I am not (and thus being led to spend effort to "do good" that is really doing nothing or even harming another person) is so important to me that I despise the social norm of people lying to you about liking the things you did for them (like food you made), thus manipulating you into harming them further for the sake of social niceties, even though it's the prevailing opinion that these kind of lies are actually good and for your benefit. Yet if I knew the people around me were real, I wouldn't care at all beyond scientific interest if I found out we were all living in a simulation. While my opinion on the polite lies thing is unusual I think there are a lot of people who share my values of caring about the reality of relationships but not the physical reality of the world.

All I know is that if someone WERE to find out we were living in a simulation that some entity had created for selfish reasons, but were all real people within it, were perfectly capable of improving the world as we would normally, and were not at risk of those who ran the simulation either making our lives worse or destroying the simulation altogether, and a person were to forcefully eject everyone in the world into some post-apocalyptic hellscape and draft us into a war against the creators of the simulation, I would think that is no less morally heinous than utterly ruining the state of the world through more conventional means like a massive nuclear war. Though if we were in a simulation and someone found out, I think they WOULD be ethically obligated to tell everyone this fact and let people choose for themselves whether they wanted to leave, but if they had to choose between telling no one or forcing the decision on everyone to leave I think the first option would be by far the most moral.

the interestesting thing about the matrix, as presented in the famous 1999 film "the matrix", is that is actually not that bad for one specific reason. the people there are real.

its telling that in the movie neo is not given close friends or family or a partner or any meaningful kind of human conection, it helps to sell the world as distant and fake and inhuman.

but the thing is that any relation you form inside the matrix... is actually a real human conection. like say you are in the matrix and you start dating this really cute, cool person who likes to play boardgames and s a fan of romantic comedies and is studying to become and architect. that is a real human who is somewhere in the rows of human cultivated fields connected to a bunch of tubes floating in goo. but when they are talking to you in the matrix they are actually talking to you. the things they say actually mean something, the love you feel for each other is real.

like, thanks morpheus, your fight for Zion is cool and all but i have a daughter, i have my best friend with whom i went to college. and morpheus might say something about how the college was fake and it never existed but the moments i had with my friend were real!

the real problem with the simulation machine is solipsism. in a premise where you ARE actually the only mind that exists and everything else was a simulation then, well, that is a lot more scary (would it? if all your friends were AIs would that mean they were not real? food for thought), but my point is that is not the premise of that movie.

i would really like a story where someone is woken up from the matrix and they are resolute to find their partner somewhere on the fields of bodies maybe to wake them up too. or maybe the partner convinces them to go back into the matrix, i dont know. there is a lot of place for drama there.

the last matrix movie sort of touches on that but i feel it doesnt really count because it does it with neo and trinity who both got to know each other outside the matrix and also they were both forcibly put back and whatever

[whump-a-la-mode]

Perhabs continue the drabble where the hero is forced to watch villain getting beat up by supervillain and then gets knocked out by gas? That is mm so fun and had a nice cliffhanger

I’m so glad you liked it! Here you go- I really hope you enjoy! Continued from here.

CW//Injuries, medical settings, begging, mentions of death, blood

When Hero awake, it was with an upwards jolt to a sitting position.

Or, at the very least, that was the action that attempted to perform, on instinct more than anything. Yet, even as their body responded to their impulses without issue, something stopped them. Experience sent their attention immediately to the sensations in their wrists and ankles, but they found no evidence of chafing shackles.

They were in no villain’s trap.

No, when they opened their eyes, they were revealed to be somewhere far worse. The shimmering, sterile lights and bland, white tile informed them of all that they needed to know: They were in the hospital.

Either that, or an evil laboratory, but seeing as their blood still seemed to be in their body, they decided quite quickly against that possibility.

But, what were they... Hero screwed their eyes shut, turning their focus from their vision to their memories. When their senses, and their mind, at last came to them, their heart dropped straight through the floor.

Crack.

They weren’t sure if they would ever be able to forget the sound of Villain’s ribs breaking, one by one. They knew ribs were fragile, but still. It had sounded far too much like toothpicks, snapping in careless fingers. Or under a Supervillain’s foot...

Supervillain.

The rest of it came back to them, in that moment. The cage, their own screams, echoing back upon their own ears-- the only in the room that were not deaf. The gas.

While they may have been in a hospital, they were most certainly not in the towering medical building in the city center. No, this was something far different.

When they at last opened their eyes, their vision had cleared in its entirety, leaving the world around them terrifyingly visible. A second attempt to sit up reminded them that they were unable to do so. Even with the vertigo it caused, they glanced up, at their own chest.

A blanket. They were being held down by a damn blanket. Yet, despite how deceptively comfortable it appeared, it felt to weigh nearly half a ton. It was an agonizing, monumental effort simply to raise their head enough to get a good look at anything at all.

At least, their strain earned them considerable reward: Knowledge. Knowledge of their surroundings.

Knowledge they weren’t sure they wanted.

Hero’s intuition had proved correct about the infirmary, for one thing. It was an almost military thing: A long, rectangular room, uninterrupted by anything but blue-hued curtains provided the most minimal of privacies to those inhabiting the beds they separated.

Of course, that didn’t apply to the bed directly across from theirs, and there was quite clearly a reason for that.

To say Villain looked bad would have been- Well, for one thing, it would have been an understatement. They looked horrible. Looked as though they’d been dragged behind a car for half a mile.

Half of their skin had been turned a dull, bruised blue, which had already begun to turn a sickly green along the edges in some places. While Hero was most certainly not a doctor, they were well aware that noses were not meant to be sideways, and eyes were not meant to be hidden beneath swelling.

Of course, that was only what could be seen while Villain wore still their prisoner’s uniform. They weren’t even sure that they wanted to know the extent of the bruising upon their ribcage.

They were breathing. That was what mattered-- they were breathing. Even as it was shallow. Even as it was slight. They were breathing, and they were alive.

And it was all Hero’s fault.

They collapsed back flat onto the bed, shutting their eyes against the blinding lights above. Though, beyond their initial concern, something else struck them as terribly, nervewrackingly odd: Villain was in an infirmary, but not a single one of their injuries had been so much as bandaged. No one had even bothered to clean the rivers of dried blood from their lips and nose.

It was these thoughts that consumed them for perhaps minutes, or perhaps hours. However long it was that they were stuck in that infirmary. Even as they could not see them beneath the blanket-shaped restraint, they could feel that even the cuts on their fingertips had been bandaged, all while Villain looked to have been left to rot.

And for what reason? For what reason did Supervillain want them alive, want them unhurt? They didn’t understand.

When the nurses came by, they asked. They came by often, rolling their carts and tending to other patients, even as they always passed by one in particular. Though some briefly attended to Hero, they spent the affairs in utter silence, other than the clickety-clack of their instruments.

It was worse than being alone. No matter how many questions of ‘where is Supervillain’ and ‘what do you want’ and ‘why aren’t you helping them’ exited their throat, not a single one was heeded.

Hero was alone. Alone with a team of silent nurses and an unconscious villain with half their limbs in the grave.

Yet, when they at last had company, they silently wished that they had remained in solitude.

There was a certain confidence to the way Supervillain moved, a demeanor that could be told even just by the sound of their footsteps. They knew full well that they were in control of everything in the room, down to the floating dust bunnies dancing in rays of light. The asshole took their good, sweet time moving down the corridor, until they were at Hero’s bedside. Of course they were.

Of course it was time for a villainous monologue. As though they didn’t hear enough of those.

Yet, when Supervillain opened their mouth, it was not for the purpose of a speech. Rather, it was only to allow out a few soft, carefully chosen words.

“I hope you slept well.”

“You gassed me.”

“I did.” They seemed disappointed, as though watching them torture someone would have made Hero more amiable towards them. “And I expect that you have been well cared for in my absence.”

“Can you shut up already!” They couldn’t take this. Hero didn’t have the energy to raise their head again, not just yet, but the image of Villain’s splattered injuries still reigned in their mind. “Villain is going to die. Please. Just tell me what you want.”

“You’re quick to the chase, aren’t you?”

“They look like they’re already dead. We can have a battle of wits later. Please.”

Hero had one mission, in their life. An oath, of sorts, almost like a medical professional. They helped always, and harmed never. It did not matter what the situation; Hero did not kill. That included allowing death to occur, even if it was not perpetrated by their own hands.

“You’re smart.” Supervillain’s too-perfect smile appeared behind curled lips. “I like smart. You’re very right, they likely only have a few hours before they submit to internal bleeding.”

“So save them.”

“Oh, but dear, that is not my decision.” Their voice was as suave as a piano in a hotel with marble floors and a horse-drawn carriage service. “It’s yours.”

“You want something. You want a deal.”

“That I do.”

“Then what is it?”

“You want to keep the city safe, Hero. I know that about you. I suppose I didn’t quite anticipate how you would react to my little demonstration, but regardless, you get my point. Both of us want the same thing. Both of us want to keep the people that call Metropolis home safe.”

“You want to rule them.”

“And a ruler needs subjects. Safe, happy subjects in good health. But there are oh, so many factors preventing that. Most notably, Metropolis’ plentiful supply of villains. A rat’s nest that needs cleared out.”

“What do you want?”

“An apprentice.” Supervillain hummed. “And when I’m done, maybe even a co-ruler.”

Hero felt their stomach lurch. At last, they replenished the strength necessary to look up.

Villain wasn’t breathing anymore. Only their hands twitched.

“Yes- Yes!” Hero let out a desperate cry. “Anything. I-I’ll be your apprentice. Anything, please, just save them. Just save them!”

“Very good.” Somehow, that glowing white smile widened. “Nurses? Do you work. I have an apprentice to orientate.”

[btssunnyboy]

— Guardian - YandereGuardian Angel! Jungkook

His mission on earth was to protect you in the purest way, but how did mere protection turn in dangerous obsession?

Word Count 3.7k

Warning - Yandere! Themes, Murder, attempted murder, and all around possessiveness, and obsession. ALSO I WANT TO DO A YANDERE SERIES WITH ALL THE BOYS, LIKE JUNGKOOK IS A GUARDIAN ANGEL WHAT SHOULD THE OTHER BOYS BE?

BTS - NCT - ATEEZ - Requests open for all groups!

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The guardian angel had one very specific job when he came down to earth. Simply protect his human from harm, but in the most humane way possible. That means no extreme measures should be took, the main priority should be to get the human out of the situation, without harm coming to anyone involved. He followed that rule throughly, well to be more clear, he followed it throughly when he was first starting out. Making sure the precious mortal was fine after a scrap was skidded across their knees to a small mishap in the kitchen that lead to a burnt palm. Everything he done was innocent, no ill intentions were behind any of his doings. In fact when he was first starting out he made sure things were handled in a graceful way. After all that was the main rule he had to follow.

He’d be the little angel on your shoulder that was whispering how the situation should be handled. The thought of violence occurring, around him truly terrified him to the core. Being one of the younger angels, he hasn’t had time to properly live out his immortal life. All he’s ever seen is peaceful, and happy people up in the heaven above, violence was a whole new ball park for him. So he made sure that it was avoided at all cost. This strategy was effective for the most part, but he used this when he first got to earth. When he didn’t know you as well as he does now. And not knowing you well enough played a much bigger role in his personality then you thought.

When he first started watching over you, distance was a big thing he cared about. Making sure he’s not your second shadow, making sure he’s not clinging onto you after every step. He didn’t want to be suffocating like some of the other angels he’s seen, because he’s seen their humans completely turn against them for that reason. But he didn’t want that to happen to you, he couldn’t exactly pinpoint the reason within him, but the thought of you turning against him made him ill. It made his stomach fill with dread, it made his palms grow sweaty every second, it made his mind race with other possibilities of you getting hurt or worse on his watch. For the sake of keeping you on his side he kept his distance, for as long as he deemed necessary.

But as time went on, many things around you started to change. Your college professors were piling work load upon work load onto you every night, the same retail job you were working at is almost close to bankruptcy, and you’re not getting a lot of sleep. Put all of those things together and you get a person who is stressed and not all there. This was the first time he felt his platonic feelings morph into something else. Something more along the lines of protection, and worry, but with a sinister twist added into the mix. But like the responsible angel he is, he kept those feelings inside. Letting the bottle up for as long as he could.

As you know keeping things bottled inside is never the right way to go. Letting all of these feelings mush and mold into one another to the point that you’re filled up with extreme amounts of anger and insecurities it takes things to a whole other level. The final straw for him was seeing you walk through the door with puffy eyes,soaked clothes, and your hair matted to your forehead. He could feel the feathers on his wings tense up, and his hands immediately clutched themselves into tight fists. Without missing a beat he made himself noticeable, and wrapped his arms around your waist, and his wings soon followed suit as they tucked themselves around your shaking body.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into staying at the house today. Are you hurt, do you need me to heal anything? Do you wanna tell me who did this?” He mumbled frantically into your hair, as he guided you to the bedroom. If he didn’t get you out of these wet and dirty clothes and into a warm shower soon, you’d probably catch a cold. And he wasn’t going to have his baby sick, not when he can prevent it.

“It was just a bad day a work, besides...” You stopped a little ways into your sentence to wiped the muddy hair from your forehead. The scene replaying itself on a loop inside of your head, and you hated it. It made a feeling of helpless coat your body like a wet blanket, and it was starting to become suffocating in a terrible way. Their faces were etched into your brain as they purposely served right into the puddle beside of you. They were familiar, but those girls were honestly just the typically drunk, mean girls looking for a cheap laugh and you despised them for it.

“Besides what, Y/n?” Jungkook sternly spoke as he raised an eyebrow at you. Why were you stopping in the middle of sentence when there was clearly a problem at hand, most importantly why were you trying to keep secrets from the one that is destined to protect you? He didn’t move from his stance as his gaze bored into the side of your head. All he wanted was answers, and he was going to get them one way or another. Violence may have been a taboo thing to him earlier on in his training, but now he doesn’t have a problem with creating chaos around those who dare harm you. “I’m not gonna give this up, y/n, and you know that. You can either tell me what I want to know or I’ll tap into your memories myself.”

The feeling of helplessness long gone, as you clicked your tongue in an annoyed manner. Trying not to pay him any mind, you scampered around the room trying to find suitable clothes for the night. What kind of entitled prick does he think he is, trying to scare you by saying he’ll tap into your memories himself. It was a mistake that a few drunk girls made, but even so, you still worried about what he might do to them. A small puddle of water never killed anybody, besides the pure angel you once knew has changed his way of dealing with things, and you didn’t like it. Letting him tap into any memories would result is mass hysteria.

He stared it utter disbelief, you were never disobedient when he asked things like that. You never scoffed or turned your head in any matter, and the small action seemed to anger him even more then your current state. After everything that’s happened today, from your crying fit to being covered in muddy water, and you still won’t let him help. Why were protecting people who caused you harm, unless you held a much deeper relationship with them. But you’d tell him if you were, you always told him if someone new in comes into your life, but he never tells you how he makes sure their life becomes a living hell the moment he sees them. No matter how deranged and psychotic it sounded, he needed you to say yes to letting him float through your memories! After all he’s just doing this to protect you, but who do you really need protection from. Everyone else or do you need protection from him?

You had to get away from the crazed look in his eyes, it was driving you insane. He, himself, was driving you insane, and you didn’t know how much longer you could take it. No one deserved to have their life controlled by someone who other people can’t see, it makes you look like a crazy person when you’re talking to yourself in the middle of class. The steaming water was a distraction for the harsh, coldness that was starting to exude from Jungkook. It was disturbing to say the least, and you just needed five mere minutes away from that chaos that was supposed to be your pure guardian angel.

“I’m truly sorry, y/n, I really am.” No he wasn’t, but you didn’t need to know that. He just needed you to think that he was sorry for his outburst, that he was sorry about being so overprotective. Because he needed you to let all of your guard down, that way tapping into those pesky memories would be an even easier job. His ear was pressed against the bathroom silently praying he’d hear the lock make it signature click, and you’d walk out with a sad smile plastered to your face. But when he didn’t hear that click, or the soft patter of your feet hitting the wooden floor he knew this was going to take a lot more work. “I’ll leave you be.”

He knew that his original plan was down to the drain, so now all he as to do is wait till you’re sound asleep. Because whoever made your day bad, will pay. He’ll make them burn like the raging fires in hell for what they did, and he couldn’t stop thinking about it. Thinking about how amazing their mangled bodies would look like strung up in horrific accidents. But most importantly he couldn’t stop thinking about how happy and appreciative you’d be, once you found out what he had done for you! All your praises and glory would be bestowed upon him, and he couldn’t wait. If he wanted any of his dreams to come true he had to wait till you were finally sleeping peacefully.

“Just please leave me alone for tonight, and don’t you dare tap into my memories.” You warned as you shoved past him. Making a b - line for soft comforter that sat messily on your bed, and tucking yourself in. Jungkook watched with admiration written in his eyes, as he marveled at how you could make a simple task look so delicate and beautiful. But you were someone he’s grown to love, through his eyes everything you did was simply elegant and lovely. He had to make sure you stayed that way, and if getting rid of these people would preserve that then he’d do anything.

He watched and waited for hours until he knew for a fact that you were in a deep sleep. Taking two fingers he pressed them to your temple, as he felt your memories connect with his. All the pain you had felt throughout the day overtaking his body in quick, repeated pulses. They attacked every nerve that was available, they flooded his mind like a tsunami, taking his entire body hostage. At first all he felt was the pain, and sadness you had gone through, but the picture was starting to become much clearer. From the rude customers at the drive through, to the supposedly drunk girls that rain into a puddle and drenched you from head to toe. But he could tell from their evil eyes that they meant to swerve into that puddle. Simply by doing that he now knows that this means war.

When he finally saw them, he knew their punishment couldn’t be gentle. It couldn’t be over within the snap of a finger, he needed the pain to linger in their bones so they get the full experience. He wants them to feel the same amount of pain you felt, but he wants it amplified by one - hundred percent. Because at the end of the day they deserved this! If they wanted to deal our immense pain, then surely they’re strong enough to handle it when it’s forced back on them, right? But judging by the way the girl was clutching and clawing at her throat in agony, and gasping to get an ounce of fresh air in her lungs, in this case she couldn’t handle the pain. And he was soaking in the glory as he watched her fumbled around on the floor, dragging her nails into the carpet in an attempt to get to her phone, that was merely a few inches away.

Jungkook released the mental hold on her, and then proceeded to step lightly on her hand, making sure that only a small percentage of weight was being put on. First, it was the back of his heel, and soon the tip of his foot was touching the tips of her fingers. At this moment he wanted to hear her scream for mercy so loudly that her throat bled, like it was being cut by shards of class, but sadly he couldn’t have that. The more people that witness this mass hysteria, the more people he’ll have to get rid of. And you may not forgive him if he hurts people that weren’t involved in the original problem. While resting his body on her weak hand, he kneeled down to make eye contact, he wanted her to see the face of her killer.

“Why are you...” The poor girl couldn’t hold eye contact, as her head was growing too heavy for her neck to support. Soon, all of the pain was starting to take over her whole body. She felt herself slipping away into unconsciousness. But the angel was still feeling playful, and he was going to keep playing with his prey until he was completely satisfied with his revenge.

“You really wanna know why I’m doing this? Because you hurt her, you hurt someone who I care deeply about. Now they’re too nice to want revenge on a pathetic mortal like yourself, but I don’t give two shits who you are. Because at the end of the day no one hurts the one I love.” He didn’t notice,but she sure did. She notice how his once clear eyes were fading into a black hole of nothing less. His halo floating above his head, was starting to tilt, as if it was close to the brim of falling off. And everyone knows once an angel looses it halo, horns start to grow in its place.

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For the next couple of weeks, he was giddy. His giggle was toned up an octave higher, his touch was lingering a bit longer then usual, and to no one’s surprise he started showing more of signs of obsession. You on the other hand, were complete different. Your feelings were on opposite sides of the spectrum, fear soared through every inch in your body, you plastered the biggest smile on your face, praying that he would buy it. All of seemed fabricated, because you truly didn’t want to believe that he had killed her. A funny joke to someone, costed them their life. Now you were scared to even glance at someone for too long, thinking that a Jungkook might see them as threat.

“Hey, Y/n, are you feeling alright?” Jisung tilted his head, as he started to rub comforting circles on your back. The small action taking you out of your trance like state, and putting you back into reality. A place you’d much rather be without. His eyebrow was raised in suspicion when you noticed your gaze stayed connected to his shoes. To lighten the mood, he jokingly asked, “Come on I know they’re dirty, but do you really have to stare?”

You eyes averted back up to his within a second, guilt coating your face. The thought of accidentally offending him, make you heart clench in guilt. He was the one person who surprisingly stayed, throughout all the controversy that was starting to bubble up around you. “Han! I didn’t mean it like that, I’m just having an off day.”

His arm glided over your shoulders, it felt so nice and natural. It felt safe, and this wasn’t something you felt a whole lot. And you wanted to cherish every moment of it, but a nagging voice in head was scolding you. Forcing you to think about the obsessive angel that was watching your every move. You subtly tried to pull your body away from Jisung, but you didn’t want to be disrespectful. You needed to catch the bus back to your apartment in a decent time.

“Hey, before you go I was wondering, do you wanna grab a bite to eat? I’ll pay.” Jisung smile brightly, as his cheeks puffed out ever so slightly. The small action making you grin, you always loved his full cheeks. Even thought he complains about them half the time, you think they make him cuter. He noticed you hesitation, and immediately started to cower away. “I just realized, you probably don’t like me like that. So I’ll be on my way.”

You body reacted before your mind could even process what was exactly happening. A small tug delivered to his left hand, made his entire body holt. A hopeful smile taking over his cheeks, as you laced you fingers with his. You really should have listened to the angel on your shoulder, but you liked Jisung. That’s why the next words that came out of your mouth gave him hope. “A quick bit never hurt anyone. So, where should we go?”

It physically felt like a spark of joy shot through his eyes at your statement. The coolness of the rings, on his hand, when they collided with yours felt serene. You’ve been surrounded by smothering hot, hatred and obsessiveness for too long. And this was finally the break you needed, this was finally the break you deserved. When his fingered laced with yours, you truly felt at home.

“There’s this quiet little diner, on WellRose drive. It’s maybe a ten minute walk. Is that okay?” Jisung asked with a soft tone. Stroking the back of your hand with his thumb, as he gently swayed your arm.

“It’s perfect.” You smiled as you felt yourself grip his hand a little tighter. Almost as if to make sure this wasn’t a dream, to make sure this wasn’t an illusion Jungkook had made to test your loyalty. As if right now you could truly breath for a second, and not worry about the guardian angel.

While you were were out living the best life you can live, as well as living it up with another boy, Jungkook was a mess. His breath was becoming ragged, his palms were growing sweaty, his heart was pounding so hard in his chest, he was afraid his entire chest would burst wide open. The clock said a quarter past four, and usually you’re home at exactly four o’clock. Questions were racing through his mind, did someone hurt you, did the bus crash, did you forget about him? He should his head rapidly, disappointment filling his body at the thought of that, of course you didn’t forget about him, you love him! Thinking quickly on his feet he raced towards your bedroom, he can make the angel and mortal bond stronger by having a personal item. A small chain necklace, with a beautiful red butterfly pendent was definitely a personal item.

He clutched that pendent like his life depended on, and right now it does. Without you he has no one to protect, without you he has no one to love, without he has no purpose! Finding you now is his main mission, and he needs to be successful. A quick vision flashed through his eyes of you sitting quietly in a diner booth, hands delicately holding up a tattered menu. He felt his heart slow down, you simply getting something to eat and he absolutely couldn’t be mad at you over that. But as the vision went on, he noticed the brown haired boy sitting across from you. And he knew he could raise hell over that. Within a minute he had teleported from your bedroom to the back door of the small diner.

He could see in through the windows, and noticed just how cozy the two do you were getting. The small hand touches across the table, to the lingering gazed this stupid boy was giving you. All of it was making his blood boil, and his vision was going straight to red. A quick shuffle made him force his wings to tuck themselves together, making it appear as if he had none. All of the scenarios in his heads were brutal and graphic, as he pictured multiple ways that this boy could suffer. And as a cruel joke, or punishment, he was going to make you watch every single second of it. But for now he needed to wait to make his move. Right as the boy was excusing himself, he quickly dashed towards the front door, and he was almost hurt when you didn’t glance up to see who it was.

Your eyes stayed glued to the menu, as you softly spoke about you day. The sound of your voice was like heaven in his ears, he could listen to you talking all day. But right now he needed you home. He took your hand, and found amusement in your terrified expression as you tried to jerk your hand away as well. “Now listen my love, I don’t want to sound rushed, but we don’t have a lot of time. You have two options, leave with me now and no one will get hurt, and I’ll dismiss this whole acting out thing, this time. But if you choose to stay I’ll reek absolute havoc on this diner, and your precious little boyfriend.”

“Jungkook! This is outrageous! You’re a guardian angel, you’re supposed to provide peace, not threaten people with danger.” You sputtered frantically, and your eyes darted towards the bathroom.

“Doesn’t matter, Tic,Tok my love, your window of time is getting quite small. And I just want you to keep in mind I was brutal with that girl, imagine how brutal I’ll be with someone who’s trying to take you away.”

The freeing, coolness you felt with Jisung is now gone for good, and is replaced with the familiar smothering, and sweltering heat of Jungkook’s obsession. You gripped his heavy hand across the table, and forcibly pulled his body out of the booth.

“I knew my baby loved me more! But keep in mind I still have to get rid of the competition.”

[jesussavedevenme]

Festival of Unity

**For an incredibly kind and polite anon with an amazing prompt!!!

Also real quick warning: Garreth's actions in this are very manipulative and borderline creepy so if that is going to bother you then, please don't make yourself read it**

The Festival of Unity. Also known as the cesspool of rumors and fake smiles

and the bane of Bracken's existence. Honestly he would rather face Ronodin or even Gorgrog instead of attending this gathering. The Festival of Unity took place every twenty years and lasted about three days. As its name suggested the festival was centered around unity. It was a time where all the creatures of light as well as every ally of the fairy realm joined together. The first two days were full of meetings and negotiations such as the discussion of the treaty with the Naga, the newest problems with the river trolls, and even a change in rules pertaining to the Centuars. Something that many of them were not happy about. The last day of the festival was spent finishing up negotiations and preparing for the huge ball that would take place to signify there successful unification. Bracken supposed he could see the logic and even the need for such a festival but that didn't mean he had to like it. This year though it wasn't just the snide remarks and stuck up dignitaries that made it awful, no this year Bracken had other worries. Because this year, Kendra was with him.

Kendra and Bracken had gotten married mere months ago and Bracken had tried everything he could to get her out of this festival. Several of the attempts had been quite comical if he was being honest. However, as she was the now princess, she was expected to attend and participate in the proceedings. Especially since this was the first festival she would be attending as princess. In fact the only other time that she had been before a big group as their princess had been right after they had gotten married. Kendra had been stressing about this festival for weeks, wanting to be absolutely perfect and, in Bracken's opinion, she had been. She handled all negotiations with grace and wisdom. She handled every snide remark and underhanded insult with a smile on her face and a calm but firm voice. She made it clear that she would not be walked on while also preventing an interspecial incident. Bracken felt nothing but pride as he watched her stun the different dignitaries and nobles with her never-ending grace and charm.

The reason for Bracken's stress was not that he thought Kendra wouldn't do well, quite the contrary, he was worried about his ability to protect her. There was a multitude of different species and thousands of creatures in attendance. Bracken couldn't ensure her safety in a crowd of that size especially since he couldn't be by her side all the time. There were times that he, as the prince and the leader of the Astrids, was called to a meeting to discuss tactics and such. Logically, he knew that Kendra was constantly surrounded by Astrid guards and that anyone would be a fool to attack the Princess of the Fairy Realm during the Festival of Unity. However, these things did nothing to settle his unease. The unease was worsened by the fact that he felt he was at a disadvantage.

The Festival of Unity was one of the few gatherings of its kind that were not held in the Fairy Realm. This was because of the few creatures that were not technically considered creatures of light or even those who didn't come often. Holding the festival outside the Fairy Realm symbolized the fact that they were all equal and no one was at an advantage. It made sense in theory but it made his job of protection even harder. The only comfort Bracken had was that he wasn't the only one looking out for Kendra.

Seth had been asked to attend as an ally of the Fairy Realm and a representative of the human Knights of the Dawn. It was the first time in history that a shadow charmer, technically a creature of darkness, had ever been in attendance. Seth was also one of the few people Bracken trusted to keep Kendra safe, even if she was pretty good at doing it herself. Bracken knew that if he wasn't with her Seth was and on the few occasions that neither of them were with her, she was with his mother or sisters. Bracken had planned it that way so it left little to no opportunity for someone to harm her. When Bracken had told Kendra his plan she had rolled her eyes but thankfully didn't protest too much.

Of course Seth wasn't the only one making an unprecedented appearance. For the first time since anyone could remember the Fair Folk had joined the festival. The Fair Folk were still sticking firmly to their neutrality however, they had decided that after the disastrous dragon uprising a few years prior , that it was best to be up to date about the goings on in the world. It was their attendance that added to Bracken's hatred of the festival. Bracken had no problem with the Fair Folk as a whole but, the representative they sent seriously got on his nerves. If Bracken had been the one to choose he would have chosen Eve. The girl was a natural leader and knew more about these things than this buffoon but, Lord Dalgorel had decided that she could not represent because she no longer believed in neutrality. Ironically the representative he had chosen was Eve's brother, Garreth.

Garreth had seemed nice enough in the beginning but as you looked deeper you found a pompous, overconfident man who showed great dislike for Bracken and a even greater liking to Kendra. It had obvious since the first time they ran into one another that Garreth knew Kendra. Bracken had heard the story of course but had never been able to place the face. He was sure that there had probably been a time in the past that he had seen him but seeing and remembering were two very different things. From the moment he laid eyes on her, Garreth had made it a point to seek Kendra out, generally when he wasn't around. Bracken had the utter most faith and trust in Kendra and therefore, that is not where his troubles laid. The problem was Garreth's persistence, it was beginning to get annoying and Bracken could tell that he wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

Seth had agreed with him on the fact that he had about enough of it. Kendra herself was determined to handle the situation as she had handled everything else during this festival. Firmly but gracefully. Unfortunately, Bracken and Seth had no such patience. Both of them were fiercely protective of Kendra and so the behavior bothered them. As the festival reached its end, Bracken had grown tired of the passive approach that obviously wasn't working. When he pointed this out to Kendra, she had chewed at her lip nervously and changed the subject. He knew that she worried about messing up or making the Fairy Realm look bad, but Bracken was not about to let her be a doormat to someone who obviously didn't hold women to the esteem that they should be held to. It enraged him to think that someone viewed Kendra as nothing more than an object instead of the beautiful, brave, and just all around amazing person that she was. Bracken knew that if Garreth pushed hard enough he would find out exactly why more than half of the magical world held a healthy dose of fear towards her. However, Bracken refused to let it get to that point.

Perhaps Kendra was right, and the prince of the Fair Folk would grow tired and quit, it was nearing the end of the festival after all. Though, unfortunately, Bracken's gut told him that it would not be the case.

†††††

Bracken listened keenly to the sounds of laughter coming from his sisters room as the women, sans his mother, got ready for the ball. He had opted to do all the preparations by himself and now sat waiting in the main room of their rather elaborate tent. The tent was of course enchanted making it roughly the size of their living quarters in the palace. The decorations were also much the same but on a smaller scale. A door opened towards his left revealing Seth in a Fairy Realm style, pitch black suit, a stark contrast to his own silvery one, and neatly done hair.

“I swear if one more person touches my head, I’m going to snap.” Seth announced, ducking away from one of the palace hairdressers that had joined them at the festival, though he still wasn't entirely sure why. Bracken honestly could blame him. He remembered those dreaded days before he decided to do it himself. The harsh tugging, the scrutinizing looks. Bracken gave a nod of dismissal to the hairdresser who huffed and stomped out of the room.

Bracken smirked and reached up in order to flick the younger boys ear. Seth sent him a deadly glare that would have sent anyone else running but Bracken simply raised his eyebrow. However, he could see the reason people would fear it. Seth was well known as a powerful shadow charmer and the aura he often gave off when annoyed or angry was unsettling to say the least. The effect was enhanced by his height. The young shadow charmer had hit a major growth spurt not long after the Dragon War. Seth towered over most people and seemed to almost grow larger when he was angry. Seth didn’t technically tower over Bracken but he was still taller then him by a fair amount. The effect of his glare was quickly lost when Seth began to tug at the collar of the suffocating jacket and messed with the overly fancy tunic that was underneath. Bracken felt like doing the same but he held off, the setting causing him to fall into the princely habits that had been ingrained into him since childhood. Seth's suit was much less extravagant than his own which held certain details that marked him as royalty from the fairy realm. Seth's suit coat was of course black but it was lined with silver embroidery along the cuffs and edges marking him as a close ally to the fairy realm. Of course that wasn't the only thing that marked him. Draped across Seth's arm was a grey cloak. The cloak wasn't long, just reaching Seth's knees but its served its purpose. The ends of it were meant to be gathered together at his left shoulder and clasped with a crest that belonged to the the Knights of the Dawn. On the crest was a picture of two swords making a peak, almost like a mountain, with the sun rising up from behind them. Surprisingly Seth didn't have a problem with the cloak, in fact it was the one article of clothing he didn't complain about, a fact that Bracken felt the need to bring up.

"So you hate wearing a the fancy clothes of royalty, not that I blame you, but the annoying cloak you're ok with?"

"You call it annoying I call it useful. A cloak like this does more than just keep away the chill," Seth replied and Bracken caught the hidden meaning behind his words. Weapons were technically forbidden at the festival but Bracken knew Seth well enough to know he had at least three knives, one in a holster on his hip which was hidden by his cloak and one tucked away in each of his knee high leather boots, currently on his person. It was something the Knights had pounded into his head and honestly, in their line of work, it was definitely a needed detail. "Plus," Seth continued with a lopsided grin, " It makes me look cooler." Bracken laughed at the response and from there the two easily fell into their normal back and forth banter. About thirty minutes later the girls emerged just as Bracken, for perhaps the tenth time, ran off the persistent hairdresser attempting to sneak up and tame Seth's unruly brown hair.

His four sisters emerged first wearing almost identical dresses. The tops had thin straps and were a shimmering silver color. The dresses were all fitted until the mid waist. The distinguishing trait between these dresses was the color of their flowing skirts, each of the colors matched the personalities of the princess that wore them. Mizelle was a light pastel purple matching her strong personality and the way that she radiated power and royalty without being overwhelmingly so. Next came Odette who was wear a soft pastel blue that matched her calm and gentle aura as well her patient nature. After Odette came Iredessa. Iredessa's dress was brighter than the rest of her sister but could still be called a lighter pastel yellow. The color perfectly corresponded to her bright, bubbly, and almost sunny, personality. Finally came his youngest sister Celeste, wearing a very muted pastel pink. Bracken thought that this fit his youngest sister well seeing as she tended to be very quiet and shy. She tended to keep to herself and when she was in a large group of people, she tended to stick to the people she felt the safest with. That was generally him, Odette, occasionally Mizelle, and surprisingly Kendra. Kendra and Celeste had a but of a rocky start. Bracken had always had a close relationship with her , despite her young age, before he was captured, something he was pleased to see hadn't changed when he returned. It was because of this that Celeste had originally disliked Kendra. Because in her mind, it was someone else trying to steal her brother. Plus her inherent shyness didn't help matters. Thankfully though it hadn't lasted long and Celeste had come to like and trust Kendra almost as much as himself. Not much was thought about Celeste's tendency to cling to her older siblings, mostly because of her age ,but also because people feared facing the wrath of the four oldest children of the Fairy Queen. Celeste still very young by unicorn standards . She had only been a few weeks old when their father was captured and because of the way unicorns aged, she had only just fully developed her first horn when he was captured. At the moment Celeste had yet to lose her second horn, though Bracken was sure it was just around the corner, something that somewhat saddened him. Finally ,as his sister moved away from the doorway, he spotted Kendra and his jaw dropped with how beautiful she looked.

She was wearing a long dress that held the same silver bodice as his siblings except hers had off the shoulder sleeves that puffed out in small ruffles instead of thin straps. The neckline of the dress was lined with light blue flowers made of lace while the rest of the bodice had beautiful leaves and stems embroidered along the sides in golden thread. Once again, like his sisters, her dress was fitted until her waist where it then flowed towards the floor. However, her dress flowed more outwards instead of flowing straight toward the floor. it wasn't so much to be overwhelmingly big but just enough to look nice. The waist line was dotted with a few more of the lacy blue flowers that were on the neckline with a couple dipping below onto the beginnings of the skirt. The skirt was a thing in of its own. The skirt itself was the sane pale pink as Celeste's if not a but lighter but over top if that pink was a deep blue shear covering, giving the illusion that the dress was changing colors as she moved. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a half up hairstyle with the sides in a subtle French braid that lead to an intricate, loopy braid. The rest of her hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back in soft curls. The few escaped pieces of hair perfectly framed her face accentuating the shape drawing attention the her bright green eyes. All and all, Kendra looked gorgeous.

All the outfits were brought together by the circlet crowns that they wore. Mizelle's was a simple silver crown that made indricate loops and patterns of it twisted around her head. The only jewel on her crown was a singular diamond that acted as the center piece of the circlet. Odettes crown was bolder than Mizelle's but not by much. Her circlet dipped down almost between her eyes and had a pure white pearl in the center of the points The points circled around her head in a relatively straight line but they were bedazzled with diamonds that sparked in the light. On either side of the pearl started a thin silver wire that arched up across her forehead and twisted around the rest of the crown forming loops and curls. As per usual, Irredessa's was the boldest and most noticeable. Unlike Odette's, her crown arched upward toward her hairline and into a soft point.From there the crown rose and fell in small waves as it circled her head. What drew attention was the large round diamonds that covered the entirety of the crown. Celeste's circlet was a combination of all three. it dipped low onto her forehead and the middle and had the same pearl and arching silver wires like Odette, she had the same indicate loops as Mizelle, and she had small diamonds that covered everything but the wires curling around the circlet.

To no ones surprise, Bracken's favorite circlet sat on Kendra's head. Unlike the rest of them her criclet was gold, showing her royal status while also separating her from the Fairy Queen's children because she had entered the family by marriage. Her circle was very simple with A bright emerald as a center piece that sat right in the middle of her forehead. There were thin gold wires that formed loops framing the emerald itself and branching off to form lose loops around part of her head. occasionally the loops would be interrupted by small light blue gems that were a bit darked and more silver tented than Odette's dress. The colored jewels of the symbolized the combination or the joining of Kendra and him and maybe that was why he loved it so much. Of course the girl who wore it impacted that as well. Bracken was pulled away from admiring his wife when Seth spoke,

" Does anyone remember where we keep the wrench because, I think Kendra broke Bracken again," Kendra and his sisters laughed causing a silver blush to creep across his cheeks and ears. Looking at the crowns the girls wore made him consciously aware of his own which was very simple and plain, just the way he wanted it. It was made with thin silver wire that came to a sharp point at the center of his forehead. There were two other wires that crossed and formed two large loops at the front of his head before coming together to form a straight line around the rest of his head. Despite its simplicity, Bracken still found it to be uncomfortable and he envied Seth because he didn't have to wear one.

Now that everyone had entered the main room, they began to make their way out the door and to the reception hall where the ball would take place. His mother had gone ahead much earlier as the main leaders were expected to arrive before the rest of the guests. His mother had always liked to be the first one to arrive at any given place as it gave her time to analyze her surroundings. Plus it tended to make the other leaders and nobles somewhat uncomfortable and nervous at the thought that the Fairy Queen had been waiting for an unknown amount of time. Bracken knew his mother found their squirming to be amusing, seeing as their was really nothing to squirm over. He was pretty sure that was as much of her reason for arriving early, if not more so, than analyzing the scene. And she wonders where he gets his mischievousness.

Bracken and Kendra had fallen behind of his sisters as they walked, hand in hand, towards the reception hall. The sky was a mural of pinks, oranges, purples and more as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The walk was fairly quite seeing as it was still early and most people were still getting ready. Bracken gently swung his and Kendra's hands as they walked and he couldn't help but turn his head to admire the way the sunset cast a golden glow on her skin in addition to the brilliant light that radiated from her. She had gotten a lot better at controlling the brightness of the light but it could never be contained completely. Bracken didn't realize how slow they had been walking until he could no longer see his sisters in the front of him. He could hear their laughter and light conversation but even that was getting faint. He had also lost sight of Seth but he was sure the shadow charmer hadn't strayed to far. He was most likely living up to his name and walking amount the shadows.

Bracken was enjoying the slow quiet moment that they were enjoying. It was perhaps the only quiet moment they had enjoyed since arriving at the festival, so it was very welcome. Unfortunately the calm didn't last long as they were stopped by an astrid, probably about twenty feet from the entrance of the reception hall. Bracken narrowed his eyes, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach that let him know that he probably wasn't going to be pleased with what he was about to hear.

†††††

Kendra had been incredibly worried about the Festival of Unity ever since she found out she would be attending, despite Bracken's valiant efforts. Like most things she makes herself sick over, it ended up being nowhere as bad as she thought it was going to be. Sure she would much rather prefer being curled up next to Bracken on their living room couch while watching a movie but this was a good experience. She was able to build credibility among the various nobles, leaders, and magical creatures that had been in attendance. It allowed her to show them that she deserved to be where she is and that she had what it took to handle the responsibilities that came along with her position. So all in all it hadn't been that bad of an experience. Of course having Garreth there complicated things a bit. Especially since he was as persistent as the hairdresser that had tagged along with them. However as annoyed ,and borderline angry, as Bracken was about the whole Garreth situation, Kendra honestly didn't care. Sure it was annoying and at times she wanted to deck him in his perfect jaw but she also knew that it wouldn't help anything. She felt assured in her safety here at the festival and knew that Garreth wouldn't likely try anything here. Especially with Bracken and Seth so close by. Besides it wasn't as if she was helpless, A fact that most people often forgot. Though that lapse in memory had given her an advantage many times over the course of her life.

She had been enjoying the walk to the reception hall with Bracken when the Astrid showed up. The ball was something that Kendra actually looked forward to, despite the nerves she felt. It wasn't so much the party she was excited about but more the fact that the spotlight was off of her. It was easy to fade into the background during a gathering of this size. logically she knew that there would still be people that approached and interacted with them but it would most likely just be typical conversation. She also took comfort in the fact that she would not be doing this alone. Not that she ever had been but this time she would be surrounded by people who were willingly to take the brunt of the conversation. Seth had enough outgoing nature for the both of them and She knew that Bracken's sister Iredessa was likely to talk everybody's ear off.

Kendra loved Bracken's sisters as if they were her own, and they kind of were in a way. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to get to know and experience each of their personalities. Much like her and Seth, they were all vastly different. Mizelle was a born leader, much like Bracken, but she tended to analyze and observe a little more than he did. She was also more graceful in the way she handled certain situations. Kendra loved her husband dearly but he had a tendency to speak before he thought, especially when he was angry. Odette was always calm and collected. Her mere presence calmed Kendra, especially in times of great stress. She was a very gentle soul and also very wise. In a lot of ways, she reminded Kendra of the Fairy Queen. Odette was also a very skilled healer as Kendra had ,unfortunately, witnessed many times. Iredessa was bright, bubbly and loud. she brightened every room she walked into and was always the first person to start a conversation. However, when placed outside of her element she became very timid and quite as she observed. And finally there was Celeste. The two of them had gotten off to a but of a rough start because Celeste had thought that Kendra was with Bracken because of the title or the power. Eventually the two of them had ironed out all of the misunderstandings and actually become quite close. It filled Kendra with joy and pride to know that Celeste felt as comfortable with her and she did with Bracken. Celeste was by far the most timid of the siblings and was uncomfortable in any kind of social setting, not that Kendra could blame her. Kendra originally had been taken aback at how young Celeste was compared to her siblings. And even to some extent how young Odette and Iredessa were. For some.reason Kendra had been under the impression that all of them were similar to Bracken in age even though she knew that they were younger. Being in the midst of a groups such as this ,adding in Bracken, Seth and the Fairy Queen, gave her a deep sense of security that she had carried throughout the entire festival and continued to carry as they made their way to the reception hall.

Unfortunately, that sense of security was shattered when she noticed the Astrid waiting impatiently at the entrance of the hall. She felt Bracken tense up beside her. He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and walking confidently towards the Astrid, easily falling into his role as leader. The Astrids were here in order to provide added protection to the royal family. They had stayed out of sight, as silent protectors, for most of the trip. Only emerging when she was left alone or they were needed for some sort of task or meeting. So to see one in plain sight, obviously waiting for them- well it was unnerving to say the least. Her stomach churned with anxiety and she bit her lip as she tried to focus on what Bracken was saying and not her own racing thoughts.

"Why was this meeting called? The Festival of Unity is all but over," Bracken said.making Kendra realize that she had missed the beginning of the conversation.

"I am unsure, Your Highness. I was simply asked to deliver the message," The Astrid, Kendra is pretty sure his name is Haldirn, looked nervous. Kendra guessed she understood why. Most of the Astrids were still nervous around the royal family. They had not forgotten their past failures and they did not wish to disappoint them again. Apparently Haldirn felt like this missing information was a failure of his. Kendra could see how tense his shoulders were and the way he avoided Bracken's eyes. He was ready to be scolded and berated but, Bracken was as kind as he was brave. Because of this, though he didn't sound particularly happy, he replied with,

"Its not your fault, you are doing your best with the information you have been given," Bracken shot a look at Kendra, guilt and confliction flashing in his silvery blue eyes. Kendra knew that look all to well and while she hated it, she knew it couldn't be helped. Kendra was about to reassure him when she felt a presence behind her.

"What's going on?" Asked the deep voice of Seth, causing her to relax her shoulders. Seth moved to stand by Bracken, crossing his arms as he stared at the Astrid. Seth was shorter than the Astrid but was no less intimidating. Haldirn, startled by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Charmer, attempted to stutter out an answer.

"Apparently, there has been a last minute meeting called that requires the both of us," Seth raised an eyebrow.

"But isn't the Festival over?"

"It's supposed to be. This kind.of thing isn't completely unheard of hut it certainly is rare," Bracken replied, sounding slightly grumpy. Kendra searched his face, knowing him well enough to be able to see through his infamous poker face. Kendra could see the worry and the skepticism in his gaze. Kendra would be lying if she said that she didn't agree with him. This whole situation seemed off leaving a pit in her stomach. However, it was impossible to know exactly what was going on without investigating. Kendra could also see the war raging in his mind as he weighed his options. Kendra knew that he would not only over think it but, he would also feel guilty with either decision he made. So with that thought in mind she decided to make the decision for him. She squared her shoulders and tried her best to walk confidently up to his side. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, gaining his attention, and pushing all her feelings aside she said,

"Go," The answer was simple but she said it firmly leaving no room for argument. Nevertheless she could see the response building in his mind and she cut him off as he opened his mouth, knowing what was coming next, " Go. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her on the subject. She didn't want him to leave, quite the contrary but she also knew it was unavoidable. Besides, she had taught and one two wars, she could handle a ball and it wasn't as if she would be alone. She could tell that he still wanted to argue but luckily he simply turned back to the Astrid.

"Fine, take me to the meeting," The relief coming from the Astrid was almost tangible and turned to lead them away. Bracken quickly reached for her hand and linked their pinky fingers. It was a silent form of communication they had established long ago. A quick and quite way to say I love as well as a promise that everything would be alright. The exchange last less then a second and then Bracken was pulling away and following behind Haldirn. Seth had scowl on his face and a look of suspicion in his eyes. Kendra expected him to protest or demand more information but surprisingly, he follow Bracken without a word. He sent her a look over his shoulder and nodded his head in a way as to tell her to call him if she needed him. Kendra couldn't help but roll her eyes at how overprotective the two of them were.

She stood there until she could no longer see them and then turned back towards the entrance of the gathering hall. She resolved to try and find Bracken's sisters amongst the crowds but she had barely made it past the entrance before she was ambushed. Garreth had seemingly come out of nowhere, suddenly emerging in front of her. He sent her a dazzling smile which she returned with a half hearted, fake smile. She was getting tired of pretending this didn't bother and any other time she probably would have snapped. Tonight, however she just reminded herself that the Festival was almost over. A few more hours and she would have to deal with him anymore. For a second she was secretly grateful that Seth and Bracken weren't there, as she was pretty sure one or both of them really would have snapped.

" Good evening Kendra. Might I just say that you look amazing. " Kendra gave him a tight smile and fought the urge to squirm at how uncomfortable his gaze made her feel.

"Thank you," She replied stiffly attempting to turn and move away from him, hoping to get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no trouble walking along side her. She could tell he wanted her to return the compliment but, there was no way she was giving him that kind of encouragement. She avoided eye contact, focusing instead on searching the crowd for the Fairy Queen and or one of Bracken's sisters. She hoped that by ignoring him, he would lose interest and leave. Garreth, however, was not deterred by her actions. Instead, Garreth grabbed her arm, none to gently, as she attempted to turn away. He led her off somewhere to the side away from the bustle of the ball. He shattered excitedly the whole way but Kendra couldn't make out the words over her raving thoughts. She wasn't sure what was going on and she wasn't sure how she would be able to gracefully exit the situation. Kendra knew logically, that she was very capable of putting an end to this situation and getting out of it without a scratch. She had done it plenty of times before. People often forgot that , despite her power being centered around light, she was just as dangerous as Seth. She had years of experience and training in her abilities, courtesy of Bracken. And she wasn't bad with a bow either. She had come a long way from relying on a storm of arrows to protect her. In fact her arrows rarely missed their mark. However, right now she didn't have a bow and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use it. Violence was forrbidden as it would undermine the entire purpose of the Festival of Unity. As well as cause people to question the loyalty of the Fairy Realm. It was definitely not the impression she wanted to leave. Use of her abilities would end and apply much the same way.

Still racing to come with a diplomatic solution, Kendra failed to notice that they had fully exited the ballroom until she was face to face with a large silver door. She could still hear the muffled sounds of the party traveling down the hallway that led to the door. Briefly she wondered if Bracken's sisters noticed her absence, but she quickly.brushed off the thought knowing that there was probably too much going on. She was practically forced into the room which, based on the desk, bookshelf, and scattered documents, seemed to be some kind of study. Garreth had placed himself casually in front of the door and Kendra knew that she would have to figure out a way to trick him into switching their positions. A plan had already began to form in her mind as she said,

" So, have you heard from Eve lately?" Miraculously she was able to keep the shake out of her voice. It was a casual question, one that was technically considered small talk. However, she knew that it would rile him up. Eve had rejected neutrality and joined the Knights of the Dawn with Seth, against the wishes of her family. In normal circumstances, aggravating and goading the enemy was not a good idea but at the moment she really didn't care. She just needed him to move. Not much, just enough so she could casually make her way to the door. This was also a topic that should keep him talking. Meaning it was less likely to realize what she was doing. Garreth played his part well a slight scowl on his face as he replied,

" I have not heard from my sister, since she left home, " There was a short pause before when he talked about her leaving home. Indicating that he had changed his wording at the last minute. He wondered if it had anything to do with Seth.

"Well, from what I gather she is making a very good Knight. I haven't seen her in action, but I know Seth has been rather impressed," The mention of her brother brought another scowl to his face. It was pretty common knowledge, to anyone that knew of the situation, that Lord Dalgorel blamed Seth for quote unquote "corrupting his daughter". She expected him to go off on a rant about the topic, as Lord Dalgorel had many times before, However, this is where her plan began to go wrong.

" I don't really care to know the details of Eve's relationships. I would however like to know about yours," He smiled as he said it but something in his eyes made her squirm.

" Well, Bracken and I got married a few weeks ago. It was the best day of my life and I couldn't be happier," The statement was cheesy, true but cheesy. She could hear Seth complaining in her mind but at least it was something.

" Well, a few weeks is hardly anything to judge next years of your life by. Who knows in a month or so, all of that could change," Kendra flinched as he stepped closer, practically backing her into a corner and halting the slow progress she was making towards the door. She reached her hands behind her fingering the button on her bracelet that would bring Bracken bursting into the room to her rescue. Her fingers hovered over the button but didn’t push it, not yet anyway. She felt bad for bringing Bracken into a problem that she could fix by herself. Besides she couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for this situation. She knew that Bracken and Seth would fiercely refute that statement but, that didn’t stop her from thinking it.

At this point it didn't look as if her plan would work the way she intended. Technically she could do a number of things unfortunately all of those ended in violence. She doubted that, anyone other than her family, would count this as just reason to start a fight. And besides, Garreth would probably be able to explain all of it away. He was close enough now that she could feel his breath on her face. Not liking were this was going and feeling utterly helpless. She reached for her bracelet and smashed to button that would send out a distress signal to Bracken and Seth who had a similar object in the shape of a black ring. Garreth was speaking again but she couldn't here it over the roar of the blood in her ears. She reached inside her gut and felt for the magic she knew pooled there. She gathered it willing it to grow until she felt she would burst with it. She held it the best she could, reading it for use should she need it. She was trying to keep her actions under wraps but she could tell by the way Garreth was squinting his eyes that her aura had brightened as the power built. She readied herself to release it but just before she could give the command, the door slammed open revealing and angry Unicorn and an even angrier Shadow Charmer.

†††††

Walking through the abandoned paths where the Festival took place was unnerving. Bracken's senses were on high alert as he scanned the long shadows cast by the flickering lanterns lining the walkways. The pounding of their footsteps against the.cobblestone sounded deafening in the silence. Out of the corner of his eyes Bracken saw Seth. His shoulders were squared, but not tense, his face the picture of calm. The only thing that gave away his nervousness was the way his right arm, covered by his dark cloak, continued to drift and brush against his hip. If Bracken didn't know what was hidden there, he would have overlooked it but the significance of the gesture was not lost on him. Seth was no longer a young boy who randomly swung around a sword, rushing into battle and hoping for the best. While he still held much of the same reckless spontaneity, he now attacked with deadly precision. Years of training had given him close to unmatchable skills. One flick of his wrist would send his chosen projectile thudding home with devastating results. Of course his knowledge and skill with weapons weren't the only thing that made Seth Sorensen dangerous. His mother had once told him that out of all the Shadow Charmers she had come across over her long life, he was by far the most powerful. Bracken wholeheartedly believed that, having seen it first hand many times in the past. Not for the first time, Bracken was thankful that Seth was on their side.

They walked for about another five minutes before Haldirn stopped in an empty courtyard. There was no one else there, not that they could see anyway. The air was silent apart from their breathing and the rustle of the trees in the wind. Occasionally you would also hear the call of an owl but that was it. If anyone was here then they were doing a very good job of hiding. A suspicion that he had been trying to suppress made itself know in his mind. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Bracken asked,

"Who was it that informed you of the last minute meeting?" The question felt sour in his.mouth and the implications, should his suspicions be right, caused his stomach to churn.

" It was prince Garreth of the Fair Folk your Highness " Haldirn replied, not quite grasping the significance of that statement. Bracken and Seth glanced at each other wide eyed and they were already moving when Seth's ring began to beep. Bracken could feel the alert in his own mind alerting him of the danger. He quickly called out a command for Haldirn to start as search as he broke out in a run, beginning to make his way to the ballroom. He could hear the pound if his and Seth's feet against the cobblestone path. It sound deafening compared to the silence left by the people attending the ball. Bracken slowed slightly as he reached the ballroom, not looking to cause a scene, but still kept up a hurried pace. He felt more that saw the concerned glace of his mother as she saw his panic. Bracken, however, didn't have time to think much about it. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and finding the pull of Kendra's engagement ring, which had been fashioned out of his first horn. It didn't take long for it to lead him through a long hallway and to an ornate door.

Bracken threw open the door and stormed into the room. He didn't take long to survey the situation, he simply noted Garreth's position and reacted. His hands found the collar of his fancy silk tunic and he yanked him back with enough force that Garreth stumbled into the wall and slid down to the floor, looking up at them in fear. Bracken felt the room drop in temperature in response to Seth's anger. And by the way the color drained from Garreth's face, he could feel it too. They stood in silence, both of them struggling not to lunge and attack the prince of the Fair Folk. Technically violence had already occurred when Bracken threw him against the wall but he had been just gentle enough so as not to leave a mark. But only just. Garreth stood up clearing his face of the fear and attempting to regain his previous confidence. Bracken had to admit that he had a decent poker face. though the tremble in his hands gave him away. Bracken tried to avoid looking at Kendra, knowing that seeing her upset would only fuel his fury. Though this approach didn't last long as the waves of panic and distress he felt through their connection, made from both the bracelet and her engagement ring, shattered his resolve. He turned towards her, trusting Seth to keep an eye of the ambassador of the Fair Folk.

Bracken searched her face, he could see any obvious injuries but he could see the way her green eyes began to sparkle with tears that she would refuse to let fall. That was enough to make his blood boil and he found himself standing taller as a blush crept up the back of his neck and along the tips of his ears.

"Take a walk with me ambassador," Bracken said attempting to keep the heat out of his voice even if his words still came out sharp. His tone made it clear that this was not a request. He turned and walked around the gathering hall and toward one of the gardens that surrounded it. He heard that ambassador follow him but refused to turn and look at him as it would only cause him to do something rash.. He hadn't missed the scowl Garreth had sent Kendra as they left ,as he obviously blamed her for the results of the situation ,and it made him want to punch him in his smug looking face. Nevertheless, he schooled his features into his perfect poker face and led Garreth farther into the gardens. There were a few people milling around the extravagant gardens but most of them seemed to steer clear of them, most likely sensing the Fairy Prince's anger. Bracken walked to the back of the garden, where he was met with a hedge wall. This spot was quiet, dark, and gave more than enough privacy. He turned to look at the Prince of the Fair Folk, who looked far less cocky than he did a few minutes ago. He let the tense silence hang in the air a moment longer, enjoying the way it made Garreth squirm before he said,

"Allow me to remind you that harming a member of the royal family, physically or otherwise, is a very serious offense," his hand fell to his left hip searching for a sword that wasn't there and wishing that he had thought to bring a cloak like Seth had. " It would be a shame if the neutrality of the Fair Folk ended at the Festival of Unity. "

"Is that a threat your Highness?" Garreth questioned, a sudden burst of confidence entering his voice.

"Only if you choose to make it one," Bracken said off handedly. He turned his back to the other man and pretended to study one of the flowers that was nearby. The action allowed Bracken some time to regain control over himself and the anger that threatened to boil over.

" Now now, it's not good to make hasty decisions you will regret later," And Garreth had the gall to look back towards the direction in which they had come as he said it. Implying that the statement was directed toward Kendra . Bracken felt something inside him snap as the heat of the anger boiling his blood finally became too much. However, Garreth either didn't sense the shift or didn't care, because he continued before Bracken could say anything. " Of course, you always were known to be a bit quick tempered. You often allow your emotions to cloud you judgement. "

" I have been very diplomatic, very patient, but for some reason you seem to want to try that patience. You want to find my limit. Do you want to know what it will take for me to break? What will cause me to loose my temper?" Bracken asked stalking closer, his words close to a growl. Garreth held his gaze as all of his cocky confidence faded into fear. Bracken slowly pointed toward Kendra, " One tear. That's all it will take. If one tear falls from her eyes tonight I will show you exactly why they call me quick tempered. " And with that he turned and walked back through the garden and into the ballroom.

 Bracken smirked as he entered the ballroom and saw Seth eyeing him from where he stood next to Kendra. The young Shadow Charmer must have taken Kendra there after he left with Garreth. Bracken approached the siblings, placed his arm around Kendra and then , looking at Seth, nodded his head toward the gardens. Seth's gaze darkened further and the air around them seemed to drop in temperature once again . The younger man also seemed to grow a little taller and darkness pooled in his chocolate brown eyes, beginning to consume the whites of his eyes. Without a word Seth made his way to the gardens, people parting , giving him a wide berth, as they glanced upon him with fear. Bracken pulled Kendra closer and leaned down to pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He couldn't help but smirk as a clock struck midnight, letting out a chime an signaling the end to the Festival, even if people would remain until the next morning. The Festival was officially over as were any vows of complete peacefulness. All bets were off now. If Garreth thought he was bad, then he was in for a real surprise when Seth got his hands on him.

And there we go!!!!! This was super fun to write (Though probably not my best work) !!!! I hope it lived up to expectations. I tried really hard but I haven't written in this style for a while so let me know whether or not you like or if you want me to use it more often.

I also want to say a quick thank you to all of you who were patient with me. My personal life is very hectic especially right now so thank you so much for your patience. I love getting to post these and I have a lot of fun doing it but a lot of times life gets in the way of my plans to update.

As always let me know what you think and if their is anything you want to see next!!!!

[jinnyu]

Number 51 with Bede and a male/enby reader? :O! I rarely find anyone who's willing to write for non female coded readers so im really glad I found your blog!

Used artwork credit here

A/N: i got the name of the prompt wrong but we dont speak of that— ANYWHO, im glad i could get the chance to write this for you then, anon! Yeah i rarely came across blogs that are gender neutral about their imagines too :/ hopefully you'll enjoy this though!

(7,915 Word Count!)

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Bede wasn't quite the type to show his concern over others, even when he got close to you and developed feelings for you. He's not used to express his emotions other than being cocky and looking down upon others. But this time, it was different.

You promised him that you'll help him out for the day at his gym, considering its the time where numerous of challengers comes barging in the stadium, asking for the badge that'll get them to the next gym leader. Bede didn't mind them, he never did. It was just that some of them were starting to get to his nerves; challengers bringing their toxitricity to the stadium and using sound based moves, blaring right in his ears— oh for Arceus's sake, let the battle end already, the poor boy's ears are becoming somewhat sensitive if they kept doing that repeatedly.

That being said, he waited and waited for you to come, but eventually, you never did. He pondered over what happened to that awfully irritating (yet lovable) rival of his as he walked out of his gym, telling his assistants to close it for the day and inform the challengers to screw off. He got better things to do than to listen to those damned pokemon singing and spatting poison out of their mouth, hurting his little fairy friends.

"Oh whats with you today" The white haired boy murmured under his breath, looking at his rotom phone and deciding to call you. Sure he has thought of the many possibilities of you being busy due to your new Champion of Galar title, but never even once you bailed him like this— or so he thought.

A heavy string of huffing was heard on the other side of the phone, which makes Bede rise his eyebrow and question about what in Galar are you doing at the moment. His mouth stayed shut while waiting for you to ramble out your explanation, well, an explanation he deserves to know.

Why you ask? Because beneath that smug exterior of his, he's deeply concerned when it comes to you. Tell him a fake information that you've been defeated by some random kid and he'll immediately abandon his gym, looking all pissed and irritated as he stomp his way out of the place. Oh what he wouldn't do just to see your smile.

Though, would he admit that? No, even in the name of Arceus, he wont.

Then, finally you answered with voice indicating that you're slightly tired, "Oh, uh, B-Bede!!" You exclaimed, trying to sound as alright as you could. He could hear you dusting your clothes as you speak, Cinderace in the background chirping with other pokemon playing around the area. Oh boy, you have a lot of explaining to do.

The white haired boy tapped his foot against the ground , waiting for you to finish your sentence. He also asked his Galarian Rapidash to track your scent down, and lead him to you, in the most quickest way possible. You're probably having trouble with your pokemon again, or getting surrounded by your fans, one of the two.

Still, its most likely you're experiencing the first scenario, looking at how you're more active in the wild area rather than in cities. "Enough said, im going where you are right now," Bede said in a stern tone, making your eyes widen a tad bit. You didn't even get the chance to explain to him! You only greeted him and yet he's going to visit where you are right now? Holy Suicune, you're a mess.

"Stay there, dont move"

A sigh slipped past your lips as Bede hung up. Better get going and make yourself somewhat decent then. You were chasing a Galarian Zapdos, one of the legendary bird trio and it didn't go well. The lightning avian clearly lived up to its name by having a lightning speed under it's wings, which made you tumble down your bike a few times while trying to get close to the said legendary pokemon.

It's worth it though, now Zapdos is right infront of you with a soothe bell tied loosely around it's neck, lowering it's head down waiting for you to give it affection. Its cute really, and you wondered if Bede will like this newly captured pokemon of yours. On the other hand, he might not like the scratches you got from falling off your bike, and tripping over baby pokemons— no worries, no pokemon were harmed during this process of capturing Zapdos.

Of course it hurts when you tried to patch your wounds up, some of it were caused by the legendary electric bird itself as you were trying your best not to harm the said pokemon in the process of capturing it. Zapdos did express concern over you when it saw you slightly in a pinch trying to capture it though, and it tried to make you feel better by occassional nuzzling against you, sparking electricity in your hair.

Its never a dull moment in the wild area, Really.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Half an hour passed and your said knight in shining armo— i mean Bede- Bede finally arrived with his Galarian Rapidash.

His eyes widened the moment he saw you visibly being a mess, not minding about the legendary pokemon thats taking a seat beside you as an act of cheering you up. He looks irritated, annoyed and slightly pissed when he saw you not taking care of yourself properly— you never did, you're careless, the wounds will heal anyways and your pokemon will help it heal, thats why you didn't mind it much.

The fairy type gym leader immediately makes his way to you as his Rapidash follows close behind him, incase he needed assistance.

"You...What happened?"

Bede lifted your left arm up as you faced him while he was examining your wounds. You stayed quiet until he looks up at you again, Violet eyes locking with yours for a brief moment.

You didn't answer his question and you simply gestured at the legendary bird pokemon beside you, no other explanation can be better that that anyways, and you're not in the mood to waste your energy by talking too much.

Bede blinked a few times as he finally recognized that you have captured a Galarian Zapdos, the Galarian Zapdos that's said to rule over thunderstorms and making a nest between the electrifying clouds right before a storm starts. Basically the Zeus of Galar, if you will. He was quite amused to say the least, though he didn't expect less from the Champion, but risking your life just to capture a legendary? Yup, thats his rival alright, you and and that reckless stubborn head of yours, not to mention you're often oblivious to Bede's acts of care and affection, resulting in the white haired boy blushing intensely.

A sigh slipped past Bede's lips as he rubbed a potion over your wound, followed by a hiss of pain from your side. You wanted to yank your hand off his hold, "Bede, its alright, i can take care of myself" you muttered as you watched the male infront of you carefully spreading the healing liquid over your wounds, trying his best not to hurt you by doing so.

His Violet eyes looked up at you, then looked back down on your wound, not caring about your complaints.

"Let me take care of you," He said as he was preventing the subtle blush from slowly dusting his milky white cheeks; his fingers that were gently massaging that one specific area on your arm stopped before he checked for your other arm- which, you obliged and gave him your other arm to inspect without any hesitation.

What surprised you the most is that he muttered out those six specific words. The words that you thought would never leave past his lips whatsoever, and yet here you are sitting on a giant rock with him treating your wounds from before as he insisted on taking care of you.

Why does he care so much?

"Bede i said—" before you could continue his sentence, his grip on your arm suddenly tightened by a bit, afraid of you yanking your arm off.

"I want to take care of you." the tone he was using was so sweet, so kind and sincere as if its not Bede who said that; it was slightly shaky too, probably caused by him gradually becoming even more flustered by his honest feelings. This only made you smile warmly, seeing how well Bede is taking care of you— you just remembered that you two are supposed to be in the Fairy Type gym by now, helping the said gym leader with handling the oncoming bundles of challengers.

You, being the oblivious Champion that you are, laughed softly and nudged your cheek against his in an affectionately way while saying a light-hearted thank you along the way. You let the boy take care of you and your wounds as Zapdos stayed quiet by your side, observing the two of you and your actions. You're completely calm and amazed by Bede's knowledge when it comes to potions and healing stuff. Maybe you should learn a few things from him after this then.

Bede on the other hand was a complete mess. Oh how the tables have turned. Your little action of nuzzling against his cheek made him turn beet red; various shades of red covering his cheeks and spreading towards his ears. He avoided any eye contact with you, he knew better than to say anything and embarrass himself even more on the spot, so he stayed quiet, and let you do your silly little affectionate actions. He enjoyed it anyways— not that he'd admit it.

"D-dont do that so sudden next time."

He managed to croak out, voice slightly different from before caused by the amount of blood rushing to his face and ears, not to mention his heart thumping loudly in his chest. Arceus- this feeling is so sickeningly lovely, he hated it, and yet he also loved it. You replied with a soft 'Mhm' before he continues to treat your wounds.

Oh its never a dull moment with you.

[weclassygirl]

𝐃𝐮𝐥𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦

DISCLAIMER this is my first ever fic, EVER, never written anything before  

Word count: +2.9k

Pairing: santino d’antonio x f!reader 

Summary: reader gets transported into the John Wick Universe. She lands in the scene where Santino is supposed to die. She’s there to prevent that.

Author’s note: give me your most brutal honest opinion so I can improve. English is not my first language so beware. 

"I knew they would hunt us. Consequences."

THE FIRST WRITING/DRAFT WILL ALWAYS BE SHITTY AND I ACCEPT THAT

dulce periculum series: ... 02

Gif credits (x)

The moment you plant your feet on the ground you can feel that something's not right. Your whole body hurts, the bruises you're sure are already forming. It doesn't help with your slightly heavy breathing, a kick in the ribs is not very pleasant. You look at the surroundings around you with a frown.

You are standing in a place that looks like a lobby of an expensive hotel, but you notice something else. You know this lobby. You've seen those marble walls, golden hue of light, this whole structure hundreds of times on the screen. 

It can't be you think to yourself. There's no way that- you cut off your thought mid sentence when you notice a few things. 

The whole lobby is empty and you can only see the concierge behind the marble desk looking at the screen of a computer in front of him.

 He does not acknowledge you right away but you're pretty sure that he knows you're there. You realize one important thing. This place is always filled with people even at these late hours, which could mean one thing…

You head towards the reception, your eyes set on the concierge. He looks up at you with a calm demeanor.

"Welcome to the Continental, how may I help you?" he says, noticing your appearance.

"Which way is the lounge?" you ask quickly. 

He doesn't say anything but can see that somehow you know. You know who just went through those doors, what is about to happen. Yet he answers your question. 

"To your right, down the hall."

You nod in thanks and speed to the lounge area. You can already hear distinct voices as well as your heart, beating in your chest.

The moment you arrive at the venue you yell "Wait!"

The few of the guests look up in your direction as well as the man holding a gun. You walk quickly down the stairs and place yourself in front of him. Shielding the man sitting in a chair behind you. You raise your hands up.

"You don't have to do this. Think of the consequences." you say in a surprisingly calm voice. "If you kill him you'll be excommunicated, haunted. That contract will double up and go international." 

The man’s face flashes with a emotion that resemblances surprise. He doesn't point his gun at you but his stare might as well feel like it. He doesn't know you and yet he listens, he wonders if you're somehow connected to the Italian, if you're a threat.

"If you kill him you'll drag a lot of people into your mess. You'll use your ticket to Ruska Roma, you will never be able to go back there, Jardani."

At this John reacts. How can you know about the ticket, his real name? 

Who are you? 

You can hear Winston telling the guests and the staff to leave the lounge, they scatter quickly, not wanting to be involved in the matter in front of them. 

"I know that you will also go to Sofia with her marker, I know what will happen once you pull that trigger cause I saw it already." you say desperately. 

"What do you mean by that?" your eyes quickly move to Winston’s, but go back to John, fearing that if you lose him from his sight he might do something that will make him a target of the High Table.

"Listen I know you won't believe me, I'm pretty sure I look like crazy person now, but… I'm not from here." 

Both men give you a confused expression. They take you all in, bruises on the arms, neck and a growing yellow and purple patch on the jaw. You might as well look like one of the bowery.

"Where I'm from all of this happened in a movie. And I know it sounds unreal but you have to believe me." 

You were right, you did look like a crazy person to them and your words even made it more convincing. Yet the way you said it made you look like you're telling the truth. John knows when people lie, so does Winston. They can't be easily fooled, they see that you're not lying. 

Your heart starts to beat a bit faster, anxiousness fills you whole but you continue. 

"Give me a few minutes to talk with him. Let me try to recall the contract."

"He won't recall-"  

"At least let me try!" you cut him off with a shout that echoes faintly across the lounge. “Please.”

He stares at you, considering your request and nods, giving you a permission to talk with the man behind you.

You turn slowly in the direction of the man that's been silent throughout the whole exchange. You still keep your eyes on John who grips his gun even tighter. 

Santino D'Antonio sits in his chair with a calm demeanor still showing on his face. This man who made all of this happen still has the guts to smirk at the man that could easily end his life. 

"Call off the contract." you say right of the bat with a demanding look in your eyes. 

"And why would I do that, hm? You're in no position to order me around." he says it with a hint of an Italian accent. He's whole appearance seems as if he's been dealing with people like you his whole life and he probably has.

"Listen to me very carefully, if you don't call of this contract you'll be met with a bullet in your head. Your family, Camorra will be left without a leader, it will probably be overrun by other Italian families when they see that there's no one to rule it." you say it looking straight into those green eyes of his.

"Do you want that to happen? Don't you value your life?" you whisper. Pain mixed with worry etching on your face."You could finally be the head of the family and claim that High Table seat. A contract is not worth the life that you worked so hard for. Everyone knew that you wanted that seat, but you knew that Gianna wouldn't give it to you so easily." you pause, catching your breath. "Call off the contract for John and you'll have it, all of it. The seat, Camorra, everything. Don't let your hard work go to waste." you exhale, feeling like the whole sentence was said in one breath. 

Santino doesn't say anything only looks at you. He eyes you with noticeable question. Why would a complete stranger risk her life protecting him from the Boogeyman. 

"I assume that in your world I am a villain of this story, isn't that right? Why do you want to see me live?" 

"Believe it or not, somehow I understand you. You're not the only person here that worked their ass off just to get somewhere in life. Only for them to be looked over by everyone around them, telling them that they won't make it." you whisper. 

He considers your statement. What have you gone through to make you say that? These endless questions fill his head, but only one slips out of his mouth. 

"Chi sei?" Who are you? He asks in his mother tongue.

"Uno nessuno che è la tua ultima speranza ora." A nobody that is your last hope now. 

He's astounded, he didn't expect you to reply in his language. Minute by minute Santino is even more interested in your being. 

It feels like it's just you and him in the lounge, John and Winston somehow forgotten but still there. Both of the man watch the interaction like a tennis match. 

The only sound that fills the room is shuffling of Santino who reaches for his phone and dials a number.

"Put it on speaker." you say coldly, still keeping an eye contact with the Italian. 

Santino surprisingly obeys your command. The line beeps before a woman is heard through the speaker.

"Operator, how may I direct your call?" 

"Accounts payable."

"One moment, please." Seconds pass before an older woman’s voice speaks. "Accounts payable. How may I help you?"

John watches intently, never loosing the grip on the gun, ready for whatever happens next.

"I'd like to close an account." Santino speaks into the phone.

"Name on the account?" 

"John Wick."

"Verification?"

"9305-05." he says it slowly, as if to reassure John of his decision.

You notice that. You hope that Santino or John won't do anything stupid, that this will work out. Because it has to.

"Processing. Please hold." says the operator.

After a few seconds of an awkward silence all three men can hear two words that sound like heaven to you.

"Order confirmed." Santino ends the call.

There's an eerie atmosphere feeling up the air. The contract has been called off, you sigh relieved. All three men suddenly look up in your direction as if they just remembered that you're in the room.

You keep eye contact with Santino before moving to John's. His hand is not gripping the gun so tightly anymore. That eases you even if you're not sure if you just prevented an action that could cause more harm than good. 

Winston is the first one to take a voice. "Jonathan?" He looks up at him, expectantly, dreading his decision. John lifts up a gun and you fear the worst, yet he simply pulls out a magazine and puts the empty gun on the table. His scowl remains on his face, his eyes focused on the Italian. 

"I believe that you, young lady, owe us some explanation." you turn your head to Winston. His face calm, unmoving. He gestures towards the chair next to Santino, while he himself sits beside him. John is still standing but as soon as you comply with the managers wishes he does the same. 

There's an awkward silence in the air. Santino's dinner long cold, but he still sips on the red wine as if it's just another evening and not one that almost ended his life. All eyes are turned to you, with the exception of John and Santino who still glance at each other. Like before, Winston is the one to break that quietness.

"Now that we have a form of reassurance that Mr. Wick won't do anything to endanger Mr. D'Antonio's life, the only question left is, who are you?" His light eyes find yours. You expected him to ask this question, but now you don't know what to do, so you say the first thing that comes to your mind and as soon as you say it you want to disappear.

"Don't you think that it would be unwise of me to tell you my name? In this world?" 

You see their reaction, eyebrows raised. Why would you say that? Why would you say that to the man that controls New York, head of the most feared mafia and the deadliest assassin in the world. You truly feel like you should start digging your own grave, but your thoughts are interrupted by a small snicker of the Italian man. 

"The lady is right Winston. In this world you can't trust anyone with anything, even your own name. Isn't that right, Jardani?" his face smirks, that arrogant man of power coming through as he faces John. The latter says nothing, just glares at the man opposite him. “But then, how should we call you?” 

“Jade” you say simply. They looked at you doubt founded. " What? If I am to stay here then might as well use my second name that I don't use anyway." After a short break you whisper. "God, I honestly hope that I passed out in that alley and fell asleep. And when I wake up, I'll be back home. Watching this" you gesture around yourself "on my laptop." 

"An alley?" John asks suddenly.

"Yes. I um… some guys took my bag so I chased after them, threw a few punches, in return they beat me. Before I got here I heard some noise, and it was really irritating so I covered my ears and closed my eyes. Next thing I know, I'm at a Continental in a middle of the ending scene of John Wick Chapter 2."

"So you're here because of some high-pitched noise that you've heard? Might as well start believing in that little lie of yours." Winston says with amusement in his voice. 

"I'm not lying, it's true. I heard some noise and now I am here, somehow."

"You seem to be very sure about it. Tell me, how do you expect to survive in this world? You know what kind of people exist here, do you think you're safe here?" 

You look at the manager with an irritation that slowly turns into confusion.

"I don't know how to answer this, but I do know that I am not that helpless. I know how to fight, I understand multiple languages. Until I am here I'll just be careful and try to figure out how to get back to my world." 

The three men look at you, scanning your face for any sign of weakness, hesitation. Your world is not filled with an underworld society of assassins. It’s dangerous, sure, which world isn’t. But the thought of spending an unknown period of time here sends a shiver up your spine.

You’re taken back from your thoughts by John’s voice.

"What languages?" he asks.

"What?"

"You said you speak multiple languages. Which ones?" he questions further.

"Um, well, besides Italian it's Russian, Polish, German, French, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Norwegian, and a bit of Arabic and Chinese." 

You liked learning, still do. Languages are just a mean to experience more culture, even if you can’t go to your desired places. It’s changes your mind perspective. 

"That's impressive." you hear Santino say beside you.

"What about fighting?"

"I took some self defense classes, but later I moved to boxing and hand to hand combat… "

Winston contemplates your answer for a brief second before speaking again.

"I have a feeling that you are as you’ve put it, not hopeless at all."

"Thanks…" you say warily.

The manager looks between both men, while they still shoot each other warning looks. 

"I believe that concludes our lovely conversation, but do tell us one last thing." his head snaps to you. "Where do you plan to stay? I'm sure you're aware of this hotel policy and it's form of payment, which you do not possess, isn't that right?"

You didn't think about that, well, not entirely at least. But you knew about one solution that could keep you somewhat safe, while in this world.

"Well I can always go to the Bowery King, maybe he'll take me in. From what I know he might even expect me, since he has eyes all over the city." you say a matter of factly. 

"I, might have a more suiting option." All heads snap to the Italian.

"Come with me." he simply says.

"What? Why?"

His face is adorned by a smirk yet it still holds a bored expression.

"You saved my life, consider this as evening out the odds."

You ponder at his offer. This can't be that easy. He's the new head of Camorra as well as a newly installed member of the High Table. There's a tension filling up the air. 

"What's in it for you?" you turn your whole body in his direction and lean in closer. "A person like you will take up any opportunity to get something in return."

He holds your gaze. Those emerald eyes just burning into yours.

"Maybe I have a change of heart… due to recent events." his gaze moves momentarily to John while he and Winston watch this whole interaction with worried looks. 

"So? What say you?"

"You don't have to if you don't want to." John calmly says. He shifts as if ready to fight at any moment.

"I don't have much of a choice." you turn to him. Your brows drawn together. 

"And I think that me going with him - a boss of one the feared mafias - is the only reasonable option."

"Reasonable option? You know who he is, what makes you think that he won't use you for his needs." Winston protested at your response. 

"You said it yourself, I don't have any coins on me so I can't stay here. And I'm sure that sooner or later the High Table will find out of what happened here or rather almost happened, so... I could use some form of protection." 

What if I stay here with no way to get back home? you wonder. You're an outsider here, no one would think twice before killing you. You don't matter here. It's the only choice. Might try and take an advantage of it.

"Very well, that's your choice. But remember that I warned you." Winston says as he rises up from his seat, adjusting his suit. John stands up as well giving one final look in Santino's direction. 

A warning.

When they're both gone you relax your tensed muscles with a small grunt. 

"Well, that went better than I expected." you sigh.

Santino still stares at the spot above where both of the men just disappeared.

"Ah, yes, Winston prefers to play by the rules, so does John… to an extent." 

The man turns his head to the forgotten glass and drinks the rest of the wine. His movements slow, measured.

You look around the lounge, the quiet is deafening. It's just the two of you. 

He stands up from his seat, the sheer of elegance just reeking off of him. He fixes his suit before reaching his hand to you. 

"Shall we?" 

You think before taking his hand.

What have I gotten myself into?

I'm making a deal with the devil here.

You take his hand. Feeling the warmth coming from his palm. 

"Where are we going?"

"Home, cara. I don't own properties only in Italy."

[argylemnwrites]

Idk if you play Open Heart anymore, but in book 3 there’s a patient who didn’t sign a DNR order, and later it’s discovered he has an arteiovenous malformation that’s started to hemorrhage.

The choice is then left in MC’s hands to operate and remove the A.V.M. or to prep the transplant team. I think the obvious legal and moral choice is clear, but I was wondering if you knew whether doctors really have the authority to decide not to save the patient because the odds aren’t good enough?

I am indeed not playing Open Heart anymore as I found book 2 endlessly frustrating, but I am happy to weigh in here. Thanks for providing the context, as I had only seen the screenshots with the choice to be made.

Standard disclaimer that I practice pediatric medicine. End of life decisions in my field are different from adult medicine in many ways - ethically, legally, and practically. It is rare when every reasonable effort to preserve life is not chosen in children. Additionally, legal matters about the rights doctors have can vary based on the laws of the state/country. I have never lived in Massachusetts, so I cannot speak to the laws about end of life decisions there specifically, so I am only speaking in general.

So, a lot of factors come into plays when the decision is made to stop live saving measures. A DNR is actually usually pretty limited in its scope - it just means that the patient does not want to be intubated, receive chest compressions (CPR), receive meds to try an break fatal heart rhythms, or receive a “shock” from a defibrillator. It doesn’t imply that all medical interventions would be avoided, and actually would not apply to a surgical procedure like an AVM repair. If this patient had a DNR, it would just mean that if his heart stopped on the operating table, there would be no attempt to resuscitate him. An advanced directive would be the type of document that would reflect his wishes about decisions like the AVM repair.

Now, there are times that doctors can refuse to attempt a potentially life saving intervention for a patient. Usually, this is in situations where the intervention is actively causing harm or suffering to the patient and is not likely to prevent death. The most straightforward example of this is when doctors decide to stop CPR, even if the family wants the doctors to “keep trying.” After a certain amount of time, the likelihood of restoring a normal heart rate is so low, and CPR is actually a brutal process (lots of broken ribs, for example), so doctors can make the decision to stop performing CPR and declare the patient deceased.

When it comes to surgical procedures, the surgeon performing the operation can decide the costs of the procedure outweigh the benefits and end the case at any time. For instance, sometimes surgeons will open up a patient’s abdomen to remove a tumor and find that the cancer has spread all over the lining tissue of the abdominal cavity, and they will close the patient up without addressing the tumor they were tasked with removing. The cancer is more severe than they expected (lower benefit to removing a tumor when large amounts of cancer remain) and the risk of further spreading the cancer by operating through a cancer-riddled tissue has changed the prognosis. That surgery is no longer in the patient’s best interest.

Now, I am assuming in the case in Open Heart, the patient himself was not able to make a decision whether he wanted to chance a risky surgery or not. This doesn’t sound like a case where the cost of the surgery clearly outweighs the benefits - he will die without the procedure, and it isn’t cruel to perform it. It will either work or it won’t. Therefore, the decision would be made by the man’s next of kin (in most places it goes spouse, then adult child, then parent, then sibling) or his medical power of attorney, if he had one established. That party would here the risks and benefits of the procedure and then is supposed to make the decision that there loved one would want based on that info. Doctors can recommend a given course of action, but it is ultimately the family’s decision. There are times this gets more messy and complicated, but that’s when ethics committees get involved, and in general, the rule of thumb is to err on the side of preserving the life of the patient.

Prepping the transplant team to harvest his organs before he is dead is murder. That’s all I really have to say on that matter. Organ donation is only discussed after the patient is dead, and that is also the family’s decision.

The thought of an IM resident making this decision independently is absurd. The neurosurgeon could say that there is no way to technically perform the case, but that is the only way I could see a doctor making the decision here. It should have been the man’s family who made the call.

Sorry this is so wordy! But it’s a complicated topic.

[raguna-blade]

Radio B and B: Episode 1

@flashfictionfridayofficial​ congrats on your 100th Prompt.

Hello hello dear listeners to the space betwixt sleep and death, between dreams and reality.

This is Radio B and B, coming to you live.

It's been too long hasn't it? Or not long enough if you were to believe some of our call in members. Tonight, here at the edge of creation and before the black of time we have quite the show for you.

Ah but who am I? For some of you this is our first meeting and it would be all too rude to not introduce myself.

For the space of this program, you may call me The Host, and if you would I would greatly appreciate it.

Now then, for tonights theme...

Oh yes, quite the dramatic one isn't it? I teased it last time, but perhaps I was a touch too oblique if even our long time thinkers couldn't puzzle it out.

'Who took too great a fall' is not the most detailed, but I will admit to playing a bit of a trick on you all. Many of our viewers gave answers such as the Morning Star, Humpty Dumpty, and Even that most unfortunate fellow in the southern most tip of the planet Earth who had a rather unpleasant meeting with the ground following a teleportation trip gone quite awry.

The trick, of course, was that I was speaking not of an individual, but a group.

Tonight, we ask the question, What makes a Fallen Angel?

Yes yes, I can feel your disdain already. Them, again? Do they not have enough of a stranglehold on our era? Is their time in the sun not far too long?

But my dear listeners, I do not think that is so! For what is a fallen angel if not a Steward of this World and others? Those born and bred to guide and protect, for whom the idea justice is not mere creed but makes up the deepest and sweetest aspects of them, down to the blood and bone?

Can you not think of one in your life who fits the description? An Idol you found lacking, a hero who became their own darkest mirror, a god mired in the muck of right and wrong?

Yes that's what I thought.

So!

The thought of it is quite alien to me dear viewer. I am, such as I am, a being who cannot do much more than observe. The taste and feel of the thought of falling makes no sense to me, though I can puzzle it out in a logical sense. I'm sure some would be quite entertained if I were to go into it but I'm afraid this isn't The Host's Personal Musing Hour, though perhaps I should pencil it in for the next one.

No, This is Radio B and B, which means of the viewers now is the time, now is the place, and if you would give a light preference to those who are new It would be most kind of you to let them reach out first to speak if they will.

And...

Here we go! Welcome, Welcome, and I believe you are a first time reader?

“That's correct,” the thing in the appearance of a young lady said.

Wonderful. And do you have thoughts as to the question?

The Thing nodded.

“I was...Well I am one of them, so I thought, perhaps I would be the best to answer this question.” the fallen angel said.

Oh ho! I understand. Would this be a personal tale or more...?

“The thing of it is, It's not the same for everyone?”

Not a universal experience hm?

“Not in the least. In the old days, when I was young I mean, the only ones who ever fell were well...Evil.”

Subjectively?

“Objectively. Or, I mean, I suppose that's not quite right. They were disobedient in many cases, of the rules put forth by our creator, but in many ways that disobedience lead to hurt and harm so I thought, we all thought, oh this is evil. This is wrong.”

It is hard to say what is an acceptable level of harm before it crosses over from needs or fun into well...

“Yeah. But things were simpler then. At the dawn of things, or at that dawn at least, it was straight forward. Life was hard, it was brutal, it was short. For mortals, for those part of the whole...of everything I suppose, it was hard enough to simply survive. So to harm your fellows, oh it was wrong. Punishment was necessary. Justice must be meted.”

It did not stay so?

“I don't think it ever was, but we, I was young. Like kids, we made assumptions, and for most of us who stayed at the time...At the time we simply understood our creator to be correct, and didn't need to put forward additional thought. This was life, this was our lot, and it wasn't going to change.”

And then it did.

The Fallen Angel nods.

“What do you understand of theft, if I may ask?”

Hm? Well, it's the taking of what doesn't belong to you.

“Right. For me, the moment I can pin to my descent, was that by the rules of it all, theft was theft was theft. That's how I understood it at least. So when a thief made it past the gates I was...Livid. They were a thief! They Stole!”

A plain offense.

“As simple as flying yes. And yet I was told, no, this was fine. It was acceptable here. But why? It made no sense that this thief, that they were somehow deserving of all this when they had done what was objectively wrong. And uh...Here's where I went awry.”

Because of thieves?

“Because I didn't understand everything. Mortals are built different from us. They have a distinct inability to know and that leads to problems. It leads to errors, it leads to dirty dealings. Unlike us, well, we knew so there was no way we could be wrong.”

And your creator told you this?

“You know, no they didn't. In fact, I think in some ways, our orders were a test we failed, at least those of us who stayed without giving it a further thought. We listened, and we knew, and what we did with that knowledge was...Nothing. Not unless ordered. Not unless it fell within a strict set of rules that we viewed the world, viewed creation through. While remaining Angels, we could not fall, we could not disobey.”

And what did your creator tell you?

“To protect them. To love them. Guide them when they walked off the path, though we were no more told the path than they were in truth. But to falling.”

To falling.

“Theft was wrong, and so, obviously, I would see to it all thieves were punished dutifully. Before they died.”

Oh.

“Right? My thought was, well if they died and made it, they were technically fine, and technicallities were well..Failure states. Perfection shown to be imperfect. But while they were alive, well, I could see to it as I pleased, within bounds. After all they were thieves.”

The Fallen Angel laughs.

“It was so stupid. But I kept up with that for so long, punishing thieves as I came across them, until one day I realized...What's theft?”

Taking something that doesn't belong to you.

“Of course! If you take something that doesn't belong to you, then you're a thief. So, by that logic, after you've exchanged something, simple words, goods, services, whatever, it was no longer theft. It was as easy as saying someone could have something and that was it.”

I must confess I'm not quite following you at the moment.

“Well, if you made something, it's yours right?”

Certainly.

“And if you made it for someone, it's theirs.”

It follows.

“And what if you made something for someone, but you were not well...Compensated properly? What if you were forced into the situation? Was it still something exchanged if you were already compelled?”

A tad murkier I think.

“A lot murkier. But what I realized was many of the people I was inflicting justice upon could not be thieves by the definitions I used. They were the ones being stolen from, so for them to take what was stolen back was...Complicated. The act was theft, but the act wasn't theft, but was it still theft if you stole from the thief that robbed you in the first place?”

A classic logic error.

“Yeah....I uh...Did not handle it well.”

That sounds encouraging.

“I dropped a meteor.”

You handled it, I will say, spectacularly.

The Fallen Angel laughs, with a slight edge of panic.

“See the problem with knowing, which no one ever will tell you about when they do, is that when you know, it's extremely easy to justify anything. That doesn't make you right, though you may in fact be right. And I looked at what existed of creation then and there, and realized there was no way that as things were that things would be likely to improve. Likely to improve. Not certain, but likely.”

Ah. I think I understand.

“Without some massive shock to the system, the mortals of those times were almost certain to continue on forever. So I opted to give it the shock it needed.”

And that's when you fell.

“Yeah. If the world was to stay the same, if I were to guide and protect and all that, I couldn't merely prevent. I couldn't...Well, it didn't matter really. I was wrong. That's not what caused me to fall though.”

The meteor was not sufficient to cause you to fall.

“Oh no the meteor was definitely enough, but that wasn't the bit that did it. When I thought This is wrong, it needs to change, that's when it happened. I no longer knew, because I had my doubts and that, I think, was what did it.”

The doubt?

“Yeah. I won't make excuses for my bad actions, they were wrong, but the moment I thought that things could never improve, that I actively disbelieved in it? I fell in an instant.”

That seems rather cruel.

“It would seem it right? But I think I get it now. The world wasn't certain to continue on that way. But I knew, or rather I knew, that it would. I couldn't believe in something better. And that's the trick, though I wish I had the revelation over something more chill like never thinking I'd get a better pastry or something like that. It'd be cuter at least.”

Agreed.

“But, for Angels at least, or at least my kin, Knowledge isn't the same thing as Believing in something. And while we are up there, we know it all, so we can't really believe in it. There's no...Core to it really. It's empty.”

When you say empty you mean...?

“In the same way I could persecute thieves for stealing, while not thinking further and wondering what it really means to thieve, merely knowing doesn't do anything for you If you don't have something to do with it. Like...There was this book I liked, though I'm not sure when it was written in relation to here-”

Yes.

“But basically you KNOW the sun will come up the next day, but that's not really true. Any number of things could happen between the time you close your eyes. The wider universe could snuff it all out in an instant. You Believe the sun will rise, but that necessitates being able to doubt the sun would rise in way. But because of that, you can believe in bigger, better, and stronger things than mere facts. But this leads to errors, it leads to bad actors, it leads to well...The murkiness of life.”

And this murkiness then is what you think goes into the making of fallen angels like yourself?

“Yeah. It's...Well I suppose it's not very exciting. And maybe I explained myself poorly?”

Oh no, I think not in fact. Though, I fear our time is coming to an end. For you at least. I believe you'll be awake in a few moments actually.

“Oh is tha-

A wonderful guest they were. Well listeners, what thoughts have you on the subject? Did you learn something, or find their answers as infuriating as the insects that crawl across your skin? Did a new door open up for you, or slam shut as the heartbeat begins again.

Today was a shorter program than most, but then that's how it is on Radio B and B.

Until the next time.

[projectsoleil]

Main Sequence || Cella || MM Trial 6.3 || Re: Angelbot, VegaBot,

"Drastic times call for drastic measures.  If you try to snuff the fuse when it's an inch from the explosive it's too late.  Action needs to be taken now, not later when we've already doomed ourselves."

She starts off talking to Angelbot by being reasonable.  Or at least what she thinks is reasonable.  

"...That's what I'm doing.  You all could've been anyone else, any other combination of powers, or people, it was nothing personal.  I'm just trying to help the world as a whole."

She sighed, why did Angelbot have to be so convincing.  So hopeful of a future that she personally doesn't believe in?

"Unfortunately I have to be pessimistic about the future.  I wish I could believe in a better future.  But I've seen the signs, it won't take much to spark an Armageddon.  Whether in my lifetime or ones in the distant future." 

Well she admittedly can't deny that Angelbot is correct.  She doesn't connect as well to other people, if this whole project has been any evidence of that fact she knows is true.  

"I'm not saying that we need to all leave the planet and head off to the moon or something to survive.  This was always meant to be a primarily solitary pursuit.  I'm happy that you felt these... 'present positive changes'.  Things that made you want to survive and enjoy the changes you saw in others.  But not everyone will be like that, there will always be exceptions to the rule.  People out there that in the present will do serious irrespirable harm to others no matter how much positivity or good you add to the world." 

Cowardice... running from her own humanity.  When did she give that up?  Right when the project started or perhaps sometime before that?

"I'm trying to do this for the good of the world.  This isn't some act of cowardice, I could easily just make a bunker and do nothing if I wanted to run.  But I want the earth to survive, I want us to survive, I was us to thrive and understand our place in this tiny fragment of existence."

She was getting riled up, maybe because there was a sort of passion being evoked from her.

"I understand wanting to live, this was just... an unfortunate fate that befell many of you.  Paint me as a villian if you must, but I can't rest knowing that I can change the world for the better even if it means I have to make it worse for a split second."

As composed as she was with Angelbot however, her anger flared up when she heard Vegabot speak up.  Even in death she was an annoying thorn in her side that would gleefully wriggle around and irritate her to no end.

"You're just as foolish and dimwitted as the person you're based on.  I can't believe I'm even responding to you."  But she imagines that others probably want answers.

"Can you think ahead by a year, or ten years, or fifty years, or one hundred or does the concept of the future not exist since you only think about the here and now?"

"Magnify the horrific tragedies that heroes AND villains cause on a daily basis by ten or a hundred, with powers getting stronger and more complex with each generation.  I don't care who gets powers, none of us should have them, we didn't evolve to have them, we can't barely control society enough as it is with them.  For god's sake we're basing a a whole industry on regulating them based on comics from the fucking 40's!  Where people with fucking suits and capes are supposed to be the people stopping the bad guys! You're telling me that this is how we're supposed to keep things normal!?"

Ignore the fact that she's wearing a very flashy villainess outfit right now.

"Given enough time, enough years... some disgruntled person or group of people will seek to end it all.  It could be a virus, or some cataclysmic power, maybe mind control, the point is there will be no way to stop it.  And we will be doomed, for no fault of our own except that these powers gives everyone a chance to be heroes and villain's and the problem is that someone's going to do something cataclysmic.  Either no purpose or by accident."

"How are you going to stop that?  Install some sort of surveillance state that knows every person's power and puts limiters on those particularly dangerous?  I can't imagine that will go well.  Or maybe we'll have to section people off with potentially dangerous powers, maybe we do extensive teaching in the responsible use of powers..."

"Don't you get it, there's no winning, there's no solution here that will prevent that!  Superpowers are fine in fiction but here... they're nothing but chaos!  There will always be heinous people aiming to hurt others, but at least the everyday person won't be able to decide to use a cataclysmic power to end the lives of others so easily."

Ah the bot question.  What are they really, what is their purpose, their point to that Cella says.

"I have no idea what you are, you were never part of the plan.  All you bots were never meant to have personalities or memories from the others, at first I thought it was just some quirk of Ivo's but instead it turns out you're the product of Sunscape Enterprises... Shoko programmed your AI's if you're asking for purpose why don't you ask them?  I didn't blow you up, as much as I would've liked to.  Go have your existential crises somewhere else."

[elmidol]

Corrosive Sentiment :: Unsealed Fate

Three Blind Tooke Part One Resistance is Futile

Read on AO3

Warnings: mind control, selfharm, noncon, dubcon, very end has nsfw

Three Blind Tooke Part One: Resistance is Futile Chapter Nineteen: Corrosive Sentiment :: Unsealed Fate

You made me harm the ones I love, Then asked me why I hated you. Isn’t it obvious that what you did, Was the worst thing ever to do?

You could not help but stare at both of your hands, namely at the two tattoos of your captor’s names. The moment the shuttle had landed on the planet, Kylo Ren had taken control over your every action. You could not remember anything that had occurred. And though both General Hux and Kylo Ren assured you that you were made only to quietly enter the hotel at which you were currently staying, you doubted this. Your mind was wandering over all worst-case scenarios. Whether someone had recognized you and you had been made to be rude to them. Or if you were already forced to badmouth your mother. You frowned deeply, despising the position you were in.

General Hux set a plate of food on a foldout tray that had previously been placed beside your bed. You eyed everything there. It did look tasty, and yet you found that you had no appetite. The redhead continued past you, his own plate of food still in his hand, and took a seat on the edge of his bed. He set his plate down on the mattress, picked up his datapad, and started to scroll through his messages. Your eyes wandered about his messy hair. He looked the part of a civilian in terms of attire, however his posture bespoke of his true upbringing.

Your attention then shifted to Kylo Ren. He was no longer wearing his helmet, and the man was busily nudging at his food with his fork. Inspecting it with a furrowed brow. Perhaps trying to discern whether or not he would like it before taking a bite. He at last stabbed the prongs of his fork into a piece, slipping the bite into his mouth a moment later.

While watching both Hux and Ren slowly eating their food, you reluctantly lifted up the first bite to your mouth and began to nibble. General Hux soon set aside his datapad and focused completely on consuming his food. Your mind was having a difficult time wrapping around the fact that these men were still your enemies. They were acting too…human. Tame. You popped a bite of bread into your mouth, chewing and narrowing your eyes whilst observing Ren. He finished his meal then rose from his seat. You dropped your gaze to your lap.

The Force user lifted up a bag of clothing prior to heading for the refresher. You had previously wondered how he would be disguised. His normal attire drew too much attention. Yet why he had to pick out clothing from Naboo, you were uncertain. You shook your head, inwardly cursing his choice. You did understand that the Naboo attire would match your own outfits quite well; it was the best way to prevent anyone from making a connection between Kylo Ren and the First Order. On that note, you wondered if he was going to assume another name for the time being. Or perhaps he would simply go by a title.

“Bored, tooka?” The man’s voice caused your attention to shift to him. You blinked at General Hux, shrugging your shoulders the next moment. “It was stated at the front desk that a holochess set is available should we wish to play at all.”

“I… I would like that,” you replied. Anything to help keep your mind off of what was really occurring on the planet. The fact that you were helpless to stop it, had no true freewill.

The ginger general nodded prior to pressing a button on the commlink in the room. He spoke briefly with the individual on the other line, informing them of the wish to have the holochess set delivered to the room, and then ended the connection. You sat quietly on the bed, your hands folded in your lap, and waited for the set to be delivered. In the meanwhile, Kylo Ren emerged from the refresher. Your breath caught. Eyes widening, you stared at him in surprise. He could have passed for a native of Naboo. Quickly averting your gaze to avoid memories of home, you looked instead at the redhead.

“Will you also be dressing in this manner?” you asked, gesturing down the length of your body with a hand. General Hux chuckled and informed you that no, he would not. You wound your arms around your midsection and pursed your lips. “I suppose the intention is for them to see you. As far as Ren is considered…that would give too intimidating a presence, his robes and mask.”

As it is, he’s dressed so… Your eyes darted to him then back to the redhead’s face. He is descended from Naboo royalty…and here he is, making a mockery of our politics.

“You will not be made to contradict your mother’s views so early in our visit, tooke.” You released a noise that nearly caught in your throat. A groan of sorts; his words hardly lessened the frustration you were feeling. Kylo Ren walked over to the end of your bed. You stared at him, allowing yourself time to take in his appearance. The men your age wore such clothes. A number of the boys you had grown up with had started to dress in such a manner shortly before you had left Naboo to join the Resistance.

There was a knock on the door, which you suspected was the holochess being delivered. General Hux rose from the other bed, moving over to the door so that he could answer it. Before opening the room, he checked to see who was on the other side. While the redhead did these things, Kylo Ren climbed onto the bed with you. You lifted a hand, placing it on his chest when the man started to press his face towards yours. A frown tugged at his features.

“I don’t understand it…after seeing your Master. I don’t understand how you could possibly have been lured to the Dark side. How can you believe any of this—what you’re to do to me—is justice?”

“Tooke, there are many stages when it comes to paving the way for justice.”

“So, what? The ends justify the means?”

“How many have died fighting for the Resistance? How many have you killed—have your allies killed?” You lowered your hand back to your lap, and Kylo Ren rested his forehead against yours. “The choices may have been limited, but they were there.”

“I am being forced to hurt those I care for. What sort of choices are those?”

There was no answer to your question. General Hux set up the holochess set where you and he could play against one another. Ren, meanwhile, remained seated near you. You felt his gaze on you the majority of the time you played. This you were able to ignore. Playing against the General of the First Order reminded you much of the time you had spent in his personal quarters. The many conversations you had had with him. You wondered briefly how Millicent was doing, yet did not bring yourself to ask the question aloud.

“For a fast learner, you still have yet to master the fine art of holochess,” General Hux quipped when he defeated you. You huffed out a sigh, rolling your eyes the next moment. “Or perhaps you’re distracted?”

“I was…thinking of my father.”

“Your father,” he murmured, and there was something in his tone that drew your attention. You stared at him, however the man said nothing further. His lips were pinched together, yet from that you could discern nothing other than the fact that fathers held something of significance for the man. Judging by the way Kylo Ren had frowned, you assumed it was the same for him.

You trailed a finger along the edge of the table upon which the chess set had been placed. “My father will be disappointed…when you force me to do…those things.”

“Those things,” General Hux repeated, his lips quirking, nearly twitching into a sardonic smile. “Normally you are more eloquent, and yet now you are…hesitant for reasons I cannot fathom. As though we are ignorant to what those things are.”

“Disrespecting my mother as you will have me do,” you hissed out. “Do you plan on having me attack her with more personal—“

“It is all political, tooka,” General Hux stated passively. He reset the board then gestured to it. “Another round?” You answered in the negative, moving away from the table. “Ren?” The Force user took the place you had previously occupied. “Your father did not allow you to be blinded by the veil of peace the New Republic claimed to uphold, did he?”

“No,” you whispered. “Never. I did not understand it completely as a child. I sometimes believed it was only due to my mother’s political affiliations.”

“Mm… Was your father a fighter of the Rebellion then?”

“Not exactly.”

“A contact?”

“That would be…more accurate. Things changed once the revelation of General Organa’s parentage hit us. Even if some have forgiven her for keeping it a secret, they are not any less disenchanted. Not to mention the other incidents. The assassination… There have been many things.”

“You must be relieved that your mother herself is not a senator,” the redhead said, his eyes trained on Kylo Ren, as they had been ever since you had brought up the man’s mother.

“In certain respects she is in just as much danger.” You cocked your head to the side. “You’re targeting her after all.” That sardonic grin at last saw the light of day. “I don’t understand how anyone can be so spiteful.”

“Spite has nothing to do with it,” the ginger general said whilst taking out one of Ren’s pieces. “This is a part of politics. Perhaps you should have taken some lessons from your mother before wandering off to join the Resistance.”

“Disgusting.” He chortled at your words, and you balled your hands into fists. “The two of you get off on being insulted, don’t you?” Kylo Ren turned his head, smirking at you; no doubt he remembered well that time in the woods, the first time he had gotten hard, when he had forced your mouth on him and had nearly raped you. General Hux ran his tongue along his lips, his eyes darting to your lap. His words from earlier filtered into your brain: You submit perfectly fine if it means your cunt is filled. “You claim to not be ruled by sexual desires, and yet look at the both of you.”

“Don’t worry, tooka,” Hux said with a sneer, likely insulted by the implication of your words. “I prefer partners who don’t cry.”

“That’s a low blow,” you growled out.

“I don’t believe in holding back my punches,” he said, tilting his head back and staring down his nose at you. “Are you saying you cannot handle it?”

“Oh, I can handle it just fine,” you hissed, pushing off the bed and marching away from him and towards the refresher. “And, by the way, I am not running away! I have to pee!”

“Very well. It is always pleasant being kept up to date with your bodily functions.”

“And here I thought Ren was the snarky little shit,” you shot back, slamming the door and marching over to the toilet. You ran a hand through your hair as you urinated, swearing under your breath. In certain respects, you quite enjoyed bickering with the general. It felt almost normal, arguing with someone. With them being out of uniform, it furthered the illusion that you were not with the enemy. Not that you ever forgot, not completely.

After you finished using the toilet, you started to wash your hands. You raised your eyes to the mirror, taking in your reflection. How regal you looked, you thought with a sneer. Compared to the clothing you had been given ever since your capture, you appeared equivalent to a queen. Perhaps even an empress.

Your mind returned to the manner in which Kylo Ren was dressed. There was a clenching in your stomach that you could identify solely as homesickness. You placed your hand atop your belly. All the while your eyes were glued to your reflection. You were imagining those of your homeworld, the boys you had grown with, standing at your side. Wearing clothing identical to Ren’s. How sickening it would be, if he were to stand there with them. Acting as though he were a docile creature rather than a monster of the battlefield. Likewise, you were no different. Perhaps not quite as terrible, and yet—you could not help but acknowledge your own cruel actions, no matter how necessary you found them.

Your lips in a thin line of distaste, you exited the refresher. Kylo Ren and General Hux were engaged in their holochess match. Both were more calculating with one another than they were with others. It bespoke of their close working relationship, of their deviousness and skill. And how harmless they nearly appeared, their outward appearances giving them the exact façade they worked so hard at putting on.

“How long will I be kept here?”

“As long as necessary—you needn’t waste your time with foolish questions,” the redhead drawled. He straightened from his former hunched posture and rested his left forearm on his thigh. “What is the real question your mind is currently preoccupied with?”

“How long before you put me in the position where I remember nothing of the remainder of this…visit.” This time it was Kylo Ren who adjusted his posture. The taller of the two men did not turn his gaze to you; those brown orbs were glued to the pieces on the board. “It’s soon, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” You stared at the back of his head. One thing was for certain; Kylo Ren had never held his punches with you either. “Tomorrow morning…after breakfast.”

You shook your head. “It would be better if you did it now.”

“Obstinate tooke.” You ground your teeth together. In truth, this situation, to you, was worse than being chained and muzzled. At least with the other, you had a chance at defying them in some manner. Here? Like this? Your only option was to attempt them harm before your freewill was fully stolen. Kylo Ren waved his hand in an arc. “Climb on the bed with me.”

You crawled onto the bed, sliding your legs forward until you were behind him, at which point you wrapped your arms around him from behind and rested your forehead along his spine. You flinched when your mind was once more your own. A pressure grew in your throat, the urge to scream in frustration and outrage. You unwound your arms from him, straightening yourself to find that General Hux was watching you. His expression was completely unreadable. You pulled at the edges of your sleeves, setting the silk-like material against your face. A sob wracked your body. You despised that tears were welling up in your eyes.

You knew why he had done it; your eye had caught on a number of items within the room that you could use in an attempt to harm them. To kill them.

Should I die, they cannot use me, you thought. Should I die, I will never escape.

You crawled up the length of the bed, set your hands upon the pillows, and splayed open your fingers. Those damned tattoos. You scrunched up your face and glared at the two marked digits. A dead man was no threat to you, and so you ignored the finger that held the name Ben Solo. The one marked Kylo Ren, on the other hand, you lifted and slipped into your mouth. Just as your teeth were descending upon the finger, Kylo Ren whipped around and lunged for you.

His body hit into yours, knocking you forward, and yet you refused to relinquish the digit. You sunk your teeth into it. Flinching, you forced yourself to press on, drawing blood. Kylo Ren seized your wrist, holding so tightly that you screamed, and wrenched your hand out of your mouth. He pinned you down on the bed, your hand up high and out of reach of your teeth. You curled your tongue within your mouth, spitting in his face. The man hardly reacted, his pupils full blown as he stared down at you. You clawed at his wrist with your free hand. Thrashing underneath him, you bucked up your hips in an attempt to throw him off of you. The man continued to straddle you without issue.

In your peripheral, you noticed that General Hux had stood from the other bed. His hand met your ankle, which caused you to tense up further underneath Ren. “Do it, Ren. It’s necessary.” The dark-haired man scowled, an expression that matched your own.

You stared up into the man’s face. That mask of Kylo Ren. How deeply was it that Ben Solo had been buried? Six feet under, perhaps, or more. Nearly unreachable. “It’s a terrible lie, what you marked on me. I’m not yours, other than being your prisoner.”

“You fight such pointless battles, tooke.” He lowered his face closer to yours; Kylo Ren had yet to wipe away the spit, and your eyes were glued to that spot. “You made your choice. So many choices, tooke, and they led you here. Do you truly believe you could survive away from me?”

“What?” you croaked weakly. “What the fuck…what are you even asking? I’m meant to kill you. That’s my mission. It will always be my mission. Prevent the First Order from achieving their goals…you’re standing in my way. And maybe I do pity you, Ren. And perhaps at this moment in time, you are in a position above me. But I am not yours, and I will find the strength to fulfill my mission no matter what. At the expense of my own life—you’re right; that was my choice. That still is my choice.

“The things you will force me to do: I despise you for it all. What anger had ebbed away, it’s coming back. I hate you so deeply. I pity you so thoroughly. A part of me will miss you once you are brought down. But I can accept that. I can accept that far more than I could ever fathom watching the First Order seize control. You did break me, Ren. You broke me…but I am mending. And when this is all done, I’ll make you sorry that you did not allow me to die—when your saber pierced me, and when my system could not handle the overdose. If I die a third time, that will be your only reprieve.”

“Such bold words, tooke.” With the hand that was not holding tight on your wrist, Kylo Ren cupped your jaw, holding you in place, though you thrashed against him, as he covered your mouth with his. His lips still against yours, he spoke: “You live for me. In this way, I will always own you.”

“Enough games, Ren,” the redhead spat. Kylo Ren exhaled deeply, shifted his hand, and spoke softly to you.

Your mother spoke your name with a hint of ire. You paused midstep, refusing to look over your shoulder at her. Refusing to turn around to face her. “You could do so much more good if only you listened. Become an intern… War is not the answer. The Resistance…perhaps they claim to have good intentions, however… This is a time of peace. The recent events have already shaken the foundation of the Galactic Senate. Don’t worsen things.”

“Mother, I…” Many thoughts flashed through your head in that moment. You had already changed your name, had the paperwork to prove it. She did not know this. Was unaware that you had been in contact with the Resistance, that you had been accepted. “I don’t want to do anything to hurt you. That isn’t what this is about. There is so little… Nearly nothing I can do to help…becoming an intern…what help can I provide? That is not a position wherein I can uphold the peace. I won’t do anything to hurt you, mother.”

“Then your mind is already set.”

“I’m…not sorry. I do feel bad if you’re upset, but… I’m not sorry that I’m doing this.”

“Come here.” This time you did turn around, and found yourself being pulled into a tight embrace. You lifted your arms, encircling her as well and squeezing your eyes closed. “This isn’t the life I want for you. The war was fought, the Empire taken down…so that you, your generation, wouldn’t have to do this. There are other ways.”

“Sometimes there aren’t.”

You were breathing heavily, a weight upon you. A shifting weight, you noted. Something moving against you, inside of you. As the fog slowly lifted from your mind, you stared up into the face of the man who was watching you. Kylo Ren did not stop thrusting in and out of you, nor did he alter his pace, yet he did whisper your name as though he was acknowledging that you were present in all senses. You balled your hands up into fists against the sheets. Turning your head, you allowed him to fuck you without protest. How many times had he done this, you wondered; had his way with you while you had no control over yourself. Perhaps he transformed you into an active participant. He readjusted his angle at last, brushing against your clit with every minor shift of his body. In little time, you were panting again. Arching your back as the tears gathered in your eyes, as they spilled down the sides of your face and onto the pillow below.

“I’m some body to you.” You lifted your head, looking down between your bodies. “No longer somebody.” He grunted above you, the noise escaping him due to his actions rather than your words. “Where is the general?”

“We’re on the ship, tooke.” You sniffled, shook your head, and managed a hoarse No. “You served your purpose well.” A more strained NO! and your hands were on his chest, your nails raking dow—there were rubber tips on them, which connected to a binding on your wrists. You ran your tongue along your teeth. Caps. How you had missed these facts, you were uncertain. Above you, Kylo Ren sighed again. “You will be taught how to behave in my absence.” He then swore, his cum filling you.

“You made me tear her down… How she must have looked on me with such hate. I will never behave, creature.”

“Back to that again.” Kylo Ren pulled out of you and dropped his hand between your legs. He used both your juices and his semen, smearing them against your clit and rubbing you. Your body responded to his touch, the treacherous thing it was. “You should give up hope. The map to Skywalker…we’ve located it. And once it is obtained, your Resistance will have nothing left to hope for.” You despised him all the more for making you cum to such words.

“You can’t destroy hope no matter how much you try!” you screamed, jerking your legs closed and rolling onto your side away from him. There was a collar on your neck, a chain attaching you to the bed. “You treat me like an animal. A beast. You sick fuck. How many times are you going to ruin me?” His hand met the small of your back, his lips on the back of your shoulder. “I don’t want to miss you this time.” His hand slid up the length of your body, down your arm, and rested atop your hand. “Just a fix for you… I want you to break, Kylo Ren. I don’t want to fix you.”

“I care nothing for your wishes.”

“A disgusting lie. I wish it were true. Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?” You met his eye. “It’s corrosive, this thing that’s between us.”

“You’ll break first, tooke.”

“I’ll do my damnedest to not.” His mouth twitched at the sides, his lips curling upwards in a smile that caused you to tremble. “You won’t get to Skywalker. I believe Fate won’t allow that. The galaxy has had enough of tyrannical ways. You will lose, Ren.”

“We’ll see, tooke.”

Bound against the bed, you watched as Kylo Ren slipped into a shroud of darkness. His clothing swallowing him up. When he put on his mask, you turned your eyes up to the ceiling. You wondered how thoroughly he had destroyed your mother through you. And now the map to Skywalker… The galaxy won’t allow it. Force, please. You hesitated at that thought then pressed forward with it. Force, don’t let him. There has to be something greater planned. Let someone—anyone—stop him.

[Though you did not see her often—perhaps because you did not see her often—you cherished the moments you would lie on the ground with your mother and stare at the sky. Such a vast thing, the sky. “It was all worth it,” your mother said. “Because you’re free to choose your own fate now.”]

[mercurymetals]

knocking on heaven’s door

Thanks for being my first request, anon! I had a ton of fun writing this, and I hope it’s to your liking.

Warning: It’s yandere + Rohan. We all know where this is gonna go. 

The door is right in front of you. It'd be so easy, to reach out and open it and never come back here again.

And yet, you find it impossible. Not for a lack of wanting - your arm simply refuses to listen to you, hanging limply by your side. You flex your fingers to test them, and are relieved to feel them moving, but the moment you think about reaching for the door knob, your whole body grows stiff.

'What the hell is going on?' You think in anxious confusion.

In the next moment, you become aware of that familiar presence behind you. The soft, unhurried footsteps heading towards you cause your heart to thud faster in your chest.

"I told you, didn't I?" Rohan says as he reaches your side. He leans casually against the wall of the hallway, his arms crossed as he regards you with a small frown. "You're not going anywhere."

What has he done? You don't understand, but you know it must have been something he did that is preventing you from leaving.

A thin layer of cold sweat is starting to build on your skin, and you clench your fists again, desperate for something to anchor you to reality. You force your gaze to turn to Rohan, even though the last thing you want to do right now is look at him, or be anywhere near him at all.

"Let me go," you say lowly, hating how your voice shakes a little at the end.

Rohan seems amused at your words as he smirks. "No," he says, waving the idea off dismissively. "I told you all about that too, didn't I? My house, my rules. And I just decided on a new rule: you're going to stay right here with me, as long as I want you to."

You shake your head in disbelief. He can't be serious, can he? He can't actually mean that..?

But things have always been off with Rohan, right from the very beginning. Just days after your friend Koichi introduced you two, you found yourself unable to shake off Rohan's presence from your life. Any time you went out anywhere, he'd somehow find you and make up excuses for sticking by your side all day. Even if you tried to persuade him to leave, he wouldn't listen. Koichi told you that's just the type of guy that he is, doing whatever he pleases, but you had that underlying feeling of discomfort about it all.

And the one thing that you never liked was how he always insisted on drawing you.

You were never particularly fond of your appearance, but Rohan seemed to have different ideas. Numerous times you caught him sketching you while you were supposed to be hanging out. He'd call you his inspiration, say you were the most fascinating and lovely thing he's ever looked at, that he simply must get you down on paper for the sake of his pride as a manga artist. At first these words embarrassed you, but the more insistent he became, the more uncomfortable they made you.

Sometimes you made him get rid of these sketches, other times you confiscated them yourself (though you had to admit, the version of you drawn by his hand was delightfully flattering), but he'd always just draw more, so you eventually gave up.

Being invited over to his place wasn't uncommon, either. And you did come along a few times, usually with Koichi but on occasion on your own as well. Beyond the fact he'd draw you even more in the comfort of his own house, nothing bad ever really happened.

You thought nothing of it when he suggested you come over this afternoon, either. It'd be just like any other time, and at least you'd get to drink his high-brand tea to make up for your time. It wouldn't be all that bad, would it?

But things deteriorated quickly when Rohan suddenly brought up the topic of your new friend.

"You've been hanging out with Josuke lately, haven't you?" he asked out of nowhere, his voice laced with accusation. "And don't try to deny it. I know you have."

He was right. And Josuke had mentioned to you the rather tense animosity between the two of them. But so what? You had the right to be friends with whoever you pleased.

When you said as much, Rohan didn't take it very well. Halfway through his angry rant about how he wouldn't let someone like Josuke near you again, you decided you had enough. You got up and headed right for his front door. He warned you to stay, to not push him - but you ignored his words. For all his talk, he'd never actually done anything to harm you in the past, and you didn't see why he'd start now.

That was your second mistake.

The first had been agreeing to come here on your own at all, as you now realise staring into Rohan's eyes and seeing that he definitely wasn't joking about anything he'd said to you so far.

The thought that he really wouldn't let you leave causes a wave of icy fear to wash over you. You want to be strong, but you can’t help feeling the rising panic in your chest. Surely there has to be something you can do, some way you can run away from him...

Rohan, who was silently observing you for the past few seconds, suddenly moves towards you. You gasp and instinctively take a step back, unable to tear your eyes from that wild look in his eyes.

Your back is soon met with the hard resistance of a wall, and before you know it Rohan has you cornered. His hands rest on the wall either side of you, keeping you in place. He leans in even closer, his eyes boring into yours.

"That's a good face you're making right now," he says quietly, hungrily drinking in your expression. The sheer intensity of his gaze disturbs you.

"Now, if you continue to resist me, you'll be forcing my hand again." One of Rohan's hands moves to touch your cheek, his fingers slowly sliding down to your neck. The touch is gentle, but you detect a threat somewhere behind it.

"I can make this very easy for you," Rohan continues, while you try to level your breathing. "I can make sure you're going to listen to every word I say. I can make that choice for you. But I'd much rather you choose to stay with me of your own will. It'd be such a shame, to risk losing those beautiful expressions of yours."

You don't really know what he means by any of it, but you do know he's not lying. Whatever he did to you, it made you unable to walk out of his house. The fact that he could influence you beyond just your actions - that he could control your will, what you wanted and didn't want to do - is as terrifying as it is nauseating.

"Well?" Rohan prompts impatiently. "What will you choose?"

What will you choose? Between staying here willingly, or having him force you to stay...

But that's not a choice, you think to yourself desperately. I just want to go home!

Yet the look in Rohan's eyes guarantees that that's not an answer he would accept.

You take a deep breath and fight back the urge to cry. You don't want to stay. You don't want to be here. You don't want to be near him.

You force the words out, before he gets angry again. "I... I'll stay."

"And you'll listen to me?" Rohan questions further, staring at you expectantly.

"...Yes." What else can you say? If agreeing is the only way to avoid experiencing that horrible feeling of your body refusing to listen to you - or worse, having it do something you don't want it to - then your choice has already been made for you.

"Excellent." Rohan smiles in a self-satisfied manner, finally taking a step back. You find yourself breathing easier without his presence smothering you.

It only lasts for a moment, because soon enough Rohan's hand sneaks around your waist and he tugs you along further into the house, towards the living room. You cast a look over your shoulder. The front door stands there unassumingly, your only means of escape growing distant behind you. You were so close...

"Here." Rohan sits you on his couch, while he grabs the sketchbook he previously left abandoned on the coffee table. "Just stay right there. You look magnificent..."

You sit rigidly, shoulders tense and hands in your lap. You stare silently at the floor, still fighting back the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. For a while, the only sound in the room is that of a pencil scratching over paper, but when it suddenly comes to a stop, you find yourself glancing up.

Rohan is staring at you in a way you can only describe as ravenous.

"Don't look so upset. I'm only drawing," he chastises, despite the fact he seems to enjoy your distress. "I can think of many other things we can do when I’m done..."

You wish so badly that you could leave. But while Rohan gets back to his sketching, all you can do is sit there quietly and prepare yourself to fulfil his next whim, whenever it arrives.

[fandom-necromancer]

404. This doesn’t feel safe.

This one has been prompted by the lovely @chicago-reeed and I read over it again to make it extra fluffy for you. I hope it helps you cheer up a bit after those anons and you (I cannot stress this enough) are awesome! 

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Reed900

‘Come on, Nines, don’t just stand there!’ ‘Detective, I don’t think we should do this. I don’t know what you want to show me, but I doubt it is worth taking this risk.’ ‘It is worth it, believe me. And what are we risking?’ He let the newly acquired key dangle from his index finger and smirked. ‘If anyone asks, we are just maintenance workers doing their jobs.’ ‘Gavin, first of all, we don’t look like maintenance, we don’t have the uniform. Second of all, the only persons up here that could spot us, would be maintenance workers themselves and I believe they would know their colleagues.’ ‘Aw, come on Nines, since when are you so keen on following rules?’ A deep sigh from the android was his answer: ‘Detective, I never break laws deliberately. Your actions just force me to do it constantly, because you happen to get your ass into danger over and over again and I just want to keep you safe.’ ‘Exactly. And this is me making up for it, believe me.’

‘I still don’t get how breaking into a building will achieve that.’ ‘Come on, tin-can, we are not breaking in. We have the key. We are merely in a place we shouldn’t necessarily be.’ ‘That’s like… the definition of trespassing. And we have been doing that ever since we boarded that elevator. I still don’t know why the head of security let you through. I mean, this is a television broadcasting office after all, we could be spying on their work for all he knows.’ ‘Remember the android revolution? It started here at Stratford tower. Connor was the hero again, of course, but I was responsible for checking in with the security as on how the androids managed to infiltrate the tower in the first place. I could have talked shit on the guy, but he needs this damn job. I mean with all the stuff going on in that time… It didn’t feel right shitting on someone who had not managed to know all the android’s faces by heart. I wrote the report stating that the androids managed to evade cameras and security staff.’ ‘A lie.’ ‘Nah, just preventing unnecessary bloodshed. What would I or the case gain punishing someone for slacking a bit on their job? Besides no one got seriously injured, no harm done except for a phcking revolution. And that couldn’t be stopped by making someone lose their job.’ ‘So he owed you one?’ ‘Yep. Promised me to have a blind eye on the cameras again as long as we are gone before the crew arrives. And not to cause any trouble, of course.’

‘Well, you still haven’t told me why you are bringing me here.’ ‘Have a little patience, Nines. It’s not far now, just through this door and up a few stairs.’ The human unlocked a door baring a big sign informing them that this was an emergency exit only. After that came a few stairs made from meshed steel that creaked under their steps. ‘This doesn’t feel safe, Detective. We are clearly not supposed to be here and I start to doubt whatever you are planning just isn’t worth it.’ Gavin stood at the final door, at his wits end on how to tell the android it really was worth it and at the same time not spoil everything. So, he just opened the door knowing that he would follow him regardless of his complaints.

Strong winds greeted them, as they walked out onto the rooftop of the building, only caught in the big screens that emitted a light hue of blue. Nines looked around, taking in the new environment. ‘Gavin, this really isn’t safe, we shouldn’t be up here. Just… let’s go home, okay?’ ‘Would you shut up, toaster? I put effort into this, so just follow me!’ They walked up to one of the screens, the wiring and scaffolding that held the LED-fabric in place now clearly visible, and the wind wasn’t that strong anymore, now that they were protected by the wall. Gavin took Nines by the hand and led him to the edge of the roof, sitting down on two prepared plastic chairs to look over Detroit.

‘Isn’t this worth all of this?’, Gavin asked and pointed at the city before them. It was dark, night had long fallen, but still there was noise in the street canyon: Sirens, sounds of cars and bikes, the occasional honk… But it was dulled here – silent as if but an echo of another world. Peaceful even. Then there were the lights everywhere. Office buildings were illuminated either with ads, the company’s logo or just some aesthetically pleasing stripes in all shades of blue. The stars above, hidden by the lights below, but fighting to get through. A helicopter came their way but veered away in a big loop, before it would come too near. It was relaxing, sitting here, looking over a not asleep but calm city, thinking about all these people and what they were doing on their Friday evening all the while still being alone together. He had to admit, it was worth it.

Gavin took his silence as an answer and took his eyes from the sparkling buildings before them to tenderly smile at the android who returned it by holding his hand a little tighter, brushing his thumb over the others knuckle. ‘It is beautiful’, Nines whispered, momentarily being confused why he had decided to be quieter when no one could hear them.  ‘I’m sorry I tried to make you leave.’ ‘Hey, you didn’t know I’ve planned this.’ ‘Why?’ ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Why did you plan this?’

It was dark, but Nines could always switch to infrared to make out a blush creeping up the human’s cheeks. ‘I… I wanted to do something nice with you for once. We are always working and well, despite the few lunchbreaks you accompanied me to, we never do something outside our jobs together. I thought, we might enjoy this. Also you…’ ‘Also I what?’, Nines dug deeper. ‘You seemed lonely.’ Gavin made it sound more like a question than a statement. ‘I’m sorry, please don’t be offended by that, but you are always alone. Connor has a bunch of friends, Sixty is establishing dominance over in the SWAT-team, all the Jerichos are off somewhere liberating more androids and you… You are stuck with me.’ ‘And you think that’s something bad?’, Nines inquired openly curious. ‘Well, it might not seem like it, because one would expect change from knowledge, but I know how I am sometimes. Actually, I haven’t even noticed you idling when alone without a task until Tina made me aware of it. And I thought if you are stuck with me, I can at least offer you something for keeping up with me. I… enjoy silence and silent places like this. I thought with you not actively searching for company, you would appreciate it too.’

‘That’s… very kind. I haven’t expected that from you. I honestly had given up on you finally showing your other side.’ ‘My what?’ ‘Tina told me you had a hard shell but would show your true self to someone once you trusted them. I hoped to see that day, because I don’t seem to be very good at making friends. I hoped we could become friends, already being partners…’ ‘I’m not what people would like to be friends with, tin-can’, Gavin objected laughing drily. ‘That would already make two of us, Detective. I know what my purpose pre-deviation had been and other androids know, too. You handled me without prejudice. You just hated androids in general. That was a generous gift for me, not being hated for what my purpose had been but for what I am. A simple change in behaviour to me was all it took to make you special. And as you started accommodating to me it started getting to neutral grounds. That is already more than anything I ever had. This’, he looked out over the glowing city-lights and a small smile graced his lips. ‘This is already a consideration I would have never expected to be gifted.’ ‘Come on, this is just the bare minimum. I had no one sticking around this long. And honestly, I still expect you to one day simply be gone like everyone else.’

‘Oh no.’ Nines looked from the city back to Gavin and his LED changed from yellow to blue. ‘You won’t get rid of me. After this, I plan on sticking with you for much longer.’

[the-foxes-fangs]

I Wish I was The Moon Part XII

Tagging the wonderful @louveau, @you-mass-effect-my-dragon-age and @otomediary

Warnings: Fiery speeches, angst

                         ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆　　 ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

“I asked for information, ninja, not your opinion.” Mitsuhide said, drumming his fingers irritably on the butt of his matchlock, staring testily at Sasuke across the sputtering fire he had built in a slightly less burned out corner of the temple.  

“And I asked you to give me back my glasses, but here we are.” Sasuke replied wryly, the indignation in his usually impassive expression wasted on the tattered curtain that was receiving it. “I am absolutely never providing EMT services for any warlord going forward. You make lord Kenshin look incredibly polite.” He muttered to himself. 

“I don’t suppose I make anything look like much of anything to you at the moment.” Mitshude retorted acerbically. He had lost consciousness, and still felt damnably weak and unsteady despite his racing mind. 

“Taking a man’s glasses, that’s unconscionable. I don’t know what I expected from the Akechi Mitsuhide, but still, that’s a dirty trick.” 

“Oh, so my reputation precedes me, even into the future.” 

Mitsuhide banked the fire, waving away the smoke that flared up from the damp wood as it drifted into his face. 

“It’s not like I’d leave the man my bff– for reasons known only to herself and whichever star guides people toward terrible choices– loves.” 

“Your what now?” Mitsuhide asked, sharply, eyes narrowed at Sasuke as he considered the revelation of frequent ceiling and floor assisted visits. 

“Best friend forever.” Sasuke said reaching up to the blank space where his glasses normally sat as if to push them up the bridge of his nose disapprovingly. “And you have no cause for jealousy, she’s like a sister to me.”

“Yes, I suppose if you’d had designs you could’ve just gone back to your own time together.” Mitsuhide replied. “You said that the fissure would open again, so tell me where and when and I’ll just fetch her myself.” 

“I also just told you that that course of action is extremely ill advised, if it’s even possible at all. The potential distortion of space-time–” Sasuke replied, cutting himself off with a sigh. 

“Alright, so that’s the least feasible option. We’ll just put that aside for now. What other course of action can we take?” 

“I’m afraid I’m otherwise employed and must inform you that I have an extremely binding contractual obligation which regretfully prevents me from joining you in any ill-advised ventures likely to result in dismemberment, severe emotional trauma, beheading or otherwise unspecified bodily harm.” Sasuke countered flatly, reaching for his phantom glasses again and dropping his hand with a noise of displeasure. 

“Were you under the impression that you had a choice? I’m afraid not. Keeping you hostage is an absolute necessity.” 

“I could take you in a fight right now.” Sasuke said to a patch of white ash on a scorched pillar. 

“Oh I have no doubt, but you won’t. I might die, and you’re just ever so slightly more devoted to your bff than Kenshin.” Mitsuhide replied knowingly. 

“Dear god, it’s like someone desaturated Shingen and surgically removed his conscience.” Sasuke whispered in horrified awe. 

“And If you’re thinking ‘surely lord Kenshin will come for me!’ you should know that I know he doesn’t know you came here, and that I can keep you hidden for years.” Mitsuhide added. 

“You really just added a new and disturbing dimension to my relationship with Kenshin right off the cuff there, didn’t you?”

“Spare me the inane chatter, give me options. How do we get her to the wormhole at the right time?” He asked with a gesture that was wasted on Sasuke.  

“Leaving aside that we’re well beyond my known timeline, there’s no fail-safe way to ensure that any message you send will survive.” 

“If I could just get her back to Tanba…” Mitsuhide said, stroking his chin thoughtfully, thinking of the myriad hiding places he had built into the castle and the ways he could draw her attention to them without alerting five centuries worth of residents.

“You should know that Tanba was a ruin in our time, and my calculations suggest that an incredibly dramatic causal variance would be required to change that outcome.” 

They sat in contemplative silence for awhile, until Mitsuhide dropped his fist into the palm of his other hand triumphantly. “I’ve been thinking about this all wrong. It’s the people!” He said enthusiastically. 

“Are you feeling dizzy again, by any chance?” Sasuke asked with a note of alarm. 

“I feel like I’ve been trampled by several horses, but that’s not important.” He answered dismissively, his mind on fire with plans. 

He had been nearly paralyzed with leaden misery at his own helplessness, feeling only the overwhelming distance between them and the implacable rule of time around him like water closing over his head. 

Even if she didn’t return to him, even if they never met again, he had to make certain that she knew that she had been loved, would be loved, always. He only needed a problem to solve to find his feet. 

“We have two issues– how to physically secure a message, and how to draw her attention to the correct place.” 

“In extremely simplified terms, yes.” 

“She won’t be too keen to look me up, if I know her. She’ll be trying to carry on and let go of me, which precludes some kind of monument. But the people– they can protect Tanba and convey my message all at the same time.” 

“I don’t follow…” Sasuke replied curiously. 

“Of course you don’t, but all you need to do is follow along.” 

He had driven himself to the brink of collapse the rest of that winter, exhausting every moment that he could conceivably be away from Azuchi without rousing more then the usual levels of suspicion. He returned on a soft spring day just in the nick of time for a war council. 

Hideyoshi strode toward him with a mixture of anger and concern, grabbing his collar to growl “where the the hell have you been?” 

“Starving himself half to death, by the look of it.” Ieyasu interjected dourly. 

“Are we sure he hasn’t got the plague or something? He has a look in his eyes– and where’s the lass? Why isn’t she with you?” Masamune added, studying him closely. 

Nobunaga studied him impassively, and waited for the tumult to die down. Only the inner circle was present, as Mitsuhide had requested. He strode forward, but did not sit. 

“What I’m about to tell you doesn’t leave this room.” He began, and explained her absence. 

Masamune offered a low whistle, with an amused look in his eye, while Hideyoshi stared blankly and Nobunaga tapped his fan on his knee thoughtfully. Ieyasu snorted derisively, and Mitsunari knit his brow in concentration. 

“That was several months ago. What have you been doing since then?” Hideyoshi asked, finally shifting out of his reverie. 

Mitsuhide smiled perhaps the first entirely honest smile he had ever offered them, knowing that it was probably ghastly on his gaunt face. “Why, scheming to bring her home, of course.” 

“You’ve finally lost that tangled excuse for a mind.” Ieyasu said harshly. 

“Oh quite possibly.” Mitushide answered, sweeping his gaze across the room as he made his great gamble. “But then again, none of you have ever known me when I truly wanted something.” 

Nobunaga narrowed his eyes with a taut smile. “And just how do you intend to accomplish such a feat?” He asked, coldly. 

Mitsuhide cocked his head and looked out the window at the soft blue sky, picturing her under the cherry blossoms for half a moment. “With the closing of this rotten age, my lords. The time for peace and unification has come, one way–” he dropped his hand to his gun, “or another.” 

“You crazy bastard.” Masamune said with a wild laugh. “I like this side of you.” 

The blood had drained from Hideyoshi’s face, and his voice shook as his hand drifted toward his sword, hissing “what have you done?” 

“I wouldn’t, Hideyoshi. If I don’t leave this council with my head on my shoulders all hell will break loose.” Mitsuhide answered, lightly. 

“Speak your piece.” Nobunaga said darkly. 

“With Kenshin and Shingen alive and dragging the last of the Imagawa in tow, we could be at war for who knows how long, and with unpredictable results. But I need a rough sequence of events to unfold, and it doesn’t include endless war. The remnants of monks of Heiei and the Mori are problems all their own, and then there’s your puppet Shogun.” He said, gesturing at Nobunaga. 

“We’re all aware of the current situation.” Hideyoshi spat through gritted teeth. “What’s your point?” 

“There are too many personal vendettas and ambitions at play for this to ever be settled under only our volition, unless it’s by battle royale with only one left alive. Given her affection for all of you, that’s not a particularly desirable outcome either.” 

“All this for a woman.”  Masamune said with amusement.

“Lord Mitsuhide…” Mitsunari cut in at last, with quiet dread in his voice, “you’re talking as if you’ve brought in an outside army.” 

The air was electric as Nobunaga leaned forward with a hard glitter in his eyes. 

“Not so much an outside army as evening the odds for the people we have no business trampling over on our way to glory. I’ve armed the women in every fief, and given the farmers instructions to stop working the fields if our demands for peace aren’t met. They may choose to rise up and kill me, of course, but as long as I’m a convenient mouthpiece, I’m reasonably safe.” 

Hideyoshi struck him hard across the face, leaving him with the taste of blood in his mouth. “You’re going to– no, you’ve already thrown the country into chaos and famine!” He thundered, red faced with fury. 

“It sounds quite peaceful outside to me. More peaceful than it has in my memory. No thundering cavalry, no armies marching at the pleasure of men who are, in the end, only men no better or worse than they.” Mitsuhide replied, dabbing the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve. 

“What hope could peasant women and farmers have against trained armies?” Nobunaga asked contemptuously. 

“Not much, it’s true, but how long do you think your foot soldiers would heed the order to attack their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives? You’d order them to destroy the future, and for what–” his voice rose, hoarse and strident, “to say that you ruled the world?” 

He made a sweeping gesture, hoping that his words, always his favorite weapon, would secure a bloodless victory. 

“Every throne casts the shadow of its own destruction, my lords. We clamber to the heavens and live in dread of those we leave below, driven to greater and greater cruelty to avoid being dragged to the hell that we ourselves have made.” 

He dropped his hands and and his voice, and looked each of them in the eye in turn. 

“Isn’t it better to dig graves for our pride than our people?” 

The silence was louder than any sound could ever have been. 

It was finally broken by a ringing, rolling laugh from Nobunaga, who finally sat back and cleared his throat with a wide, wild smile, and the tiniest flash of relief somewhere far, far back in his dark eyes. 

“I knew you were going to revolt eventually, but holding a gun to all of our heads, from the Imperial court to the local magistrates–” he shook his head and chuckled again, “and not even with the ambition to rule! Ingenious.”

“My lord–” Hideyoshi said, his expression tense. 

“Enough. We’ve been outplayed.” Nobunaga said with a wave of his fan. “It’s almost poetic– in the end, the people unified themselves.” 

…

How many years ago had that day been? His mind was still sharp, even as his body had begun to fail him, heart growing weaker by the day. He had wrung out every bit of his strength taking aim at the distant future.  

The years had been full of mountains of correspondence, leagues of riding from one end of the country to the other to keep the peace, to pluck out the seeds of war before they could be well and truly sown. 

And always in the dark, the memory of her, and the hope that every step forward and every day would build a shrine that could carry his heart to her. 

He whispered to her in the night, when the fear that it wasn’t enough chilled him, knowing that the odds were astronomically stacked against them, he whispered every sweet and longing word into quiet space where she should have been. Dreams of her carried him through, of the warmth of her body, the feel of her skin, every exquisite shudder and sigh, even the painful aching fire of unfulfilled lust he carried like a penitent barbarian in their horsehair shirt. 

He had spent the first half of his life trusting no-one, and spent the latter half holding his trust like a weapon– trust in her, in himself, in whatever capricious force had brought them together in the first place. 

The irony of dying in hopes of giving himself a second chance at life was never lost on him, who had never so much as believed in the immaterial soul. Time was an enemy and his dearest ally. 

With the final preparations made, with nothing left but to leave his faith in the children and grandchildren of his friends and one time enemies, he was helped into the saddle for one last ride. The old scar on his arm ached as the early winter snow drifted down. 

The ruins of Honno-ji had become an overgrown mass over the years, but he had built a small cozy hut there, the place where he had begun to live, the place where he intended to die. 

“Thank you, Kyubei.” He said as took the proffered cup of sake gratefully, watching the snowfall in the quiet night. 

“I’m Kyubei’s  grandson,” the young man said, and gave him a conciliatory pat on the shoulder. 

“Ah. Forgive an old man for losing track of time.” He said, quietly. 

The quiet snowfall had lulled him into a deep, peaceful sleep, a dream where she was curled against him, so warm, a dream of a long ago kiss upon the back of his neck, of her cradled in his arms, of her beautiful body tangled with his, of her precious voice telling him 

You do not have to be good

but you are

Somewhere in the deep blue dawn he heard the calling. He struggled up, half staggering, half crawling, toward the door. 

“Wait– where are you going?” The boy cried out, trying to take hold of his sleeve, but he felt lighter than he had in years, felt as light as the flakes of falling snow. 

“The wild geese are calling me to my place by her side…” he said, bare feet in the soft snow, strangely warm as he walked toward the place where the balcony had been and folded his legs neatly beneath him, hands in his lap, heart in his hands to give to her as he closed his eyes. 

…

She had had one day and 7 hours to dispose as best she could of her life, but nothing had ever been easier. She had already been living as if she were dead, and dropped her letters of farewell into the post without a single regret. 

It felt as if she were floating a little above the ground as she carefully wrapped up four sets of glasses for Sasuke, and went to the monument to wait with one more poem on her lips like a prayer

A kiss on the forehead—erases misery. I kiss your forehead. A kiss on the eyes—lifts sleeplessness. I kiss your eyes. A kiss on the lips—is a drink of water. I kiss your lips. 

How many lives were folded between the two of them like ink dropped into water, and why, she didn’t ask. Just one, even if it hurt sometimes, if it frightened them both, if it was struggle, just one would be so much more than enough. 

The pressure and the crackle in the air brought grateful tears to her eyes when they arrived, and she stood fearlessly and walked into the wormhole, eyes wide open. 

It was the same dark haze but she felt as if she were being dragged every which way, buffeted first toward one blurred landscape and then another, searching frantically for him. 

She saw the diverging paths of his life, the violent heartbreaking ends, the loneliness, and shards of incohate moments. 

Snow. He was there in the snow, seated as if in silent meditation, beauty still apparent under the marks of age. 

He didn’t stir as she cried out his name, again and again, telling him she had returned as the sight of his serene face faded. She felt a familiar cool hand brush her tears away with a touch so soft and light, felt guided toward a faint light, and began to run. 

…

“Are you ill?” Nobunaga asked as Mitsuhide pitched forward onto his knees, and clutched his head. 

“I– I just had the odd sensation of having… died.” He mumbled, faintly. 

Sasuke cocked his head thoughtfully, watching the storm as it descended. 

“You called these peace talks under threat of revolution you’re not allowed to die of a broken heart, you insufferable snake.” Hideyoshi said angrily.

The four of them had ridden up to Honno-ji as the storm came on, and he felt as if his head were full of intense flashes of something he couldn’t name– other selves, other lives. 

“I did warn you that the timeline reasserting itself might be unpleasant.” Sasuke said dryly, and adjusted his battered glasses. 

“Shouldn’t she be here by now?” Hideyoshi asked as he hoisted Mitsuhide to his feet. 

“There’s no guarantee–” Sasuke began, and was cut off by Nobunaga gesturing toward the balcony. 

He scrambled across the sleet slicked ground, feeling that same desperate fear and hope as he stumbled up the stairs, overcome with the sensation that it had been so much longer than a single year, weak in the knees as he slid down, straining to see into the twisting cloud. 

She toppled into him, snow in her hair and on her lashes, and they fell together onto the cold and sooty wood of the balcony. She was so warm in his trembling arms, her pounding heart pressed to his. 

***

WHEW, WE MADE IT THROUGH THE ANGST

This chapter’s poem is “A Kiss on the Forehead” by Marina Tsvetaeva

[jesussavedevenme]

I wish for the ficlet of Garreth vs overdramatic and overprotective Bracken and Seth. It’s totally okay if you can’t/don’t want to, but I found your post about it from Sep. 2019 and really loved it. You’re one of my favorite authors, but please don’t feel any pressure to fulfill this wish! I’m so sorry if I’m bothering or stressing you out!

**For an incredibly kind and polite anon with an amazing prompt!!!

Also real quick warning: Garreth's actions in this are very manipulative and borderline creepy so if that is going to bother you then, please don't make yourself read it**

The Festival of Unity. Also known as the cesspool of rumors and fake smiles

and the bane of Bracken's existence. Honestly he would rather face Ronodin or even Gorgrog instead of attending this gathering. The Festival of Unity took place every twenty years and lasted about three days. As its name suggested the festival was centered around unity. It was a time where all the creatures of light as well as every ally of the fairy realm joined together. The first two days were full of meetings and negotiations such as the discussion of the treaty with the Naga, the newest problems with the river trolls, and even a change in rules pertaining to the Centuars. Something that many of them were not happy about. The last day of the festival was spent finishing up negotiations and preparing for the huge ball that would take place to signify there successful unification. Bracken supposed he could see the logic and even the need for such a festival but that didn't mean he had to like it. This year though it wasn't just the snide remarks and stuck up dignitaries that made it awful, no this year Bracken had other worries. Because this year, Kendra was with him.

Kendra and Bracken had gotten married mere months ago and Bracken had tried everything he could to get her out of this festival. Several of the attempts had been quite comical if he was being honest. However, as she was the now princess, she was expected to attend and participate in the proceedings. Especially since this was the first festival she would be attending as princess. In fact the only other time that she had been before a big group as their princess had been right after they had gotten married. Kendra had been stressing about this festival for weeks, wanting to be absolutely perfect and, in Bracken's opinion, she had been. She handled all negotiations with grace and wisdom. She handled every snide remark and underhanded insult with a smile on her face and a calm but firm voice. She made it clear that she would not be walked on while also preventing an interspecial incident. Bracken felt nothing but pride as he watched her stun the different dignitaries and nobles with her never-ending grace and charm.

The reason for Bracken's stress was not that he thought Kendra wouldn't do well, quite the contrary, he was worried about his ability to protect her. There was a multitude of different species and thousands of creatures in attendance. Bracken couldn't ensure her safety in a crowd of that size especially since he couldn't be by her side all the time. There were times that he, as the prince and the leader of the Astrids, was called to a meeting to discuss tactics and such. Logically, he knew that Kendra was constantly surrounded by Astrid guards and that anyone would be a fool to attack the Princess of the Fairy Realm during the Festival of Unity. However, these things did nothing to settle his unease. The unease was worsened by the fact that he felt he was at a disadvantage.

The Festival of Unity was one of the few gatherings of its kind that were not held in the Fairy Realm. This was because of the few creatures that were not technically considered creatures of light or even those who didn't come often. Holding the festival outside the Fairy Realm symbolized the fact that they were all equal and no one was at an advantage. It made sense in theory but it made his job of protection even harder. The only comfort Bracken had was that he wasn't the only one looking out for Kendra.

Seth had been asked to attend as an ally of the Fairy Realm and a representative of the human Knights of the Dawn. It was the first time in history that a shadow charmer, technically a creature of darkness, had ever been in attendance. Seth was also one of the few people Bracken trusted to keep Kendra safe, even if she was pretty good at doing it herself. Bracken knew that if he wasn't with her Seth was and on the few occasions that neither of them were with her, she was with his mother or sisters. Bracken had planned it that way so it left little to no opportunity for someone to harm her. When Bracken had told Kendra his plan she had rolled her eyes but thankfully didn't protest too much.

Of course Seth wasn't the only one making an unprecedented appearance. For the first time since anyone could remember the Fair Folk had joined the festival. The Fair Folk were still sticking firmly to their neutrality however, they had decided that after the disastrous dragon uprising a few years prior , that it was best to be up to date about the goings on in the world. It was their attendance that added to Bracken's hatred of the festival. Bracken had no problem with the Fair Folk as a whole but, the representative they sent seriously got on his nerves. If Bracken had been the one to choose he would have chosen Eve. The girl was a natural leader and knew more about these things than this buffoon but, Lord Dalgorel had decided that she could not represent because she no longer believed in neutrality. Ironically the representative he had chosen was Eve's brother, Garreth.

Garreth had seemed nice enough in the beginning but as you looked deeper you found a pompous, overconfident man who showed great dislike for Bracken and a even greater liking to Kendra. It had obvious since the first time they ran into one another that Garreth knew Kendra. Bracken had heard the story of course but had never been able to place the face. He was sure that there had probably been a time in the past that he had seen him but seeing and remembering were two very different things. From the moment he laid eyes on her, Garreth had made it a point to seek Kendra out, generally when he wasn't around. Bracken had the utter most faith and trust in Kendra and therefore, that is not where his troubles laid. The problem was Garreth's persistence, it was beginning to get annoying and Bracken could tell that he wasn't the only one getting frustrated.

Seth had agreed with him on the fact that he had about enough of it. Kendra herself was determined to handle the situation as she had handled everything else during this festival. Firmly but gracefully. Unfortunately, Bracken and Seth had no such patience. Both of them were fiercely protective of Kendra and so the behavior bothered them. As the festival reached its end, Bracken had grown tired of the passive approach that obviously wasn't working. When he pointed this out to Kendra, she had chewed at her lip nervously and changed the subject. He knew that she worried about messing up or making the Fairy Realm look bad, but Bracken was not about to let her be a doormat to someone who obviously didn't hold women to the esteem that they should be held to. It enraged him to think that someone viewed Kendra as nothing more than an object instead of the beautiful, brave, and just all around amazing person that she was. Bracken knew that if Garreth pushed hard enough he would find out exactly why more than half of the magical world held a healthy dose of fear towards her. However, Bracken refused to let it get to that point.

Perhaps Kendra was right, and the prince of the Fair Folk would grow tired and quit, it was nearing the end of the festival after all. Though, unfortunately, Bracken's gut told him that it would not be the case.

†††††

Bracken listened keenly to the sounds of laughter coming from his sisters room as the women, sans his mother, got ready for the ball. He had opted to do all the preparations by himself and now sat waiting in the main room of their rather elaborate tent. The tent was of course enchanted making it roughly the size of their living quarters in the palace. The decorations were also much the same but on a smaller scale. A door opened towards his left revealing Seth in a Fairy Realm style, pitch black suit, a stark contrast to his own silvery one, and neatly done hair.

“I swear if one more person touches my head, I’m going to snap.” Seth announced, ducking away from one of the palace hairdressers that had joined them at the festival, though he still wasn't entirely sure why. Bracken honestly could blame him. He remembered those dreaded days before he decided to do it himself. The harsh tugging, the scrutinizing looks. Bracken gave a nod of dismissal to the hairdresser who huffed and stomped out of the room.

Bracken smirked and reached up in order to flick the younger boys ear. Seth sent him a deadly glare that would have sent anyone else running but Bracken simply raised his eyebrow. However, he could see the reason people would fear it. Seth was well known as a powerful shadow charmer and the aura he often gave off when annoyed or angry was unsettling to say the least. The effect was enhanced by his height. The young shadow charmer had hit a major growth spurt not long after the Dragon War. Seth towered over most people and seemed to almost grow larger when he was angry. Seth didn’t technically tower over Bracken but he was still taller then him by a fair amount. The effect of his glare was quickly lost when Seth began to tug at the collar of the suffocating jacket and messed with the overly fancy tunic that was underneath. Bracken felt like doing the same but he held off, the setting causing him to fall into the princely habits that had been ingrained into him since childhood. Seth's suit was much less extravagant than his own which held certain details that marked him as royalty from the fairy realm. Seth's suit coat was of course black but it was lined with silver embroidery along the cuffs and edges marking him as a close ally to the fairy realm. Of course that wasn't the only thing that marked him. Draped across Seth's arm was a grey cloak. The cloak wasn't long, just reaching Seth's knees but its served its purpose. The ends of it were meant to be gathered together at his left shoulder and clasped with a crest that belonged to the the Knights of the Dawn. On the crest was a picture of two swords making a peak, almost like a mountain, with the sun rising up from behind them. Surprisingly Seth didn't have a problem with the cloak, in fact it was the one article of clothing he didn't complain about, a fact that Bracken felt the need to bring up.

"So you hate wearing a the fancy clothes of royalty, not that I blame you, but the annoying cloak you're ok with?"

"You call it annoying I call it useful. A cloak like this does more than just keep away the chill," Seth replied and Bracken caught the hidden meaning behind his words. Weapons were technically forbidden at the festival but Bracken knew Seth well enough to know he had at least three knives, one in a holster on his hip which was hidden by his cloak and one tucked away in each of his knee high leather boots, currently on his person. It was something the Knights had pounded into his head and honestly, in their line of work, it was definitely a needed detail. "Plus," Seth continued with a lopsided grin, " It makes me look cooler." Bracken laughed at the response and from there the two easily fell into their normal back and forth banter. About thirty minutes later the girls emerged just as Bracken, for perhaps the tenth time, ran off the persistent hairdresser attempting to sneak up and tame Seth's unruly brown hair.

His four sisters emerged first wearing almost identical dresses. The tops had thin straps and were a shimmering silver color. The dresses were all fitted until the mid waist. The distinguishing trait between these dresses was the color of their flowing skirts, each of the colors matched the personalities of the princess that wore them. Mizelle was a light pastel purple matching her strong personality and the way that she radiated power and royalty without being overwhelmingly so. Next came Odette who was wear a soft pastel blue that matched her calm and gentle aura as well her patient nature. After Odette came Iredessa. Iredessa's dress was brighter than the rest of her sister but could still be called a lighter pastel yellow. The color perfectly corresponded to her bright, bubbly, and almost sunny, personality. Finally came his youngest sister Celeste, wearing a very muted pastel pink. Bracken thought that this fit his youngest sister well seeing as she tended to be very quiet and shy. She tended to keep to herself and when she was in a large group of people, she tended to stick to the people she felt the safest with. That was generally him, Odette, occasionally Mizelle, and surprisingly Kendra. Kendra and Celeste had a but of a rocky start. Bracken had always had a close relationship with her , despite her young age, before he was captured, something he was pleased to see hadn't changed when he returned. It was because of this that Celeste had originally disliked Kendra. Because in her mind, it was someone else trying to steal her brother. Plus her inherent shyness didn't help matters. Thankfully though it hadn't lasted long and Celeste had come to like and trust Kendra almost as much as himself. Not much was thought about Celeste's tendency to cling to her older siblings, mostly because of her age ,but also because people feared facing the wrath of the four oldest children of the Fairy Queen. Celeste still very young by unicorn standards . She had only been a few weeks old when their father was captured and because of the way unicorns aged, she had only just fully developed her first horn when he was captured. At the moment Celeste had yet to lose her second horn, though Bracken was sure it was just around the corner, something that somewhat saddened him. Finally ,as his sister moved away from the doorway, he spotted Kendra and his jaw dropped with how beautiful she looked.

She was wearing a long dress that held the same silver bodice as his siblings except hers had off the shoulder sleeves that puffed out in small ruffles instead of thin straps. The neckline of the dress was lined with light blue flowers made of lace while the rest of the bodice had beautiful leaves and stems embroidered along the sides in golden thread. Once again, like his sisters, her dress was fitted until her waist where it then flowed towards the floor. However, her dress flowed more outwards instead of flowing straight toward the floor. it wasn't so much to be overwhelmingly big but just enough to look nice. The waist line was dotted with a few more of the lacy blue flowers that were on the neckline with a couple dipping below onto the beginnings of the skirt. The skirt was a thing in of its own. The skirt itself was the sane pale pink as Celeste's if not a but lighter but over top if that pink was a deep blue shear covering, giving the illusion that the dress was changing colors as she moved. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a half up hairstyle with the sides in a subtle French braid that lead to an intricate, loopy braid. The rest of her hair flowed over her shoulders and down her back in soft curls. The few escaped pieces of hair perfectly framed her face accentuating the shape drawing attention the her bright green eyes. All and all, Kendra looked gorgeous.

All the outfits were brought together by the circlet crowns that they wore. Mizelle's was a simple silver crown that made indricate loops and patterns of it twisted around her head. The only jewel on her crown was a singular diamond that acted as the center piece of the circlet. Odettes crown was bolder than Mizelle's but not by much. Her circlet dipped down almost between her eyes and had a pure white pearl in the center of the points The points circled around her head in a relatively straight line but they were bedazzled with diamonds that sparked in the light. On either side of the pearl started a thin silver wire that arched up across her forehead and twisted around the rest of the crown forming loops and curls. As per usual, Irredessa's was the boldest and most noticeable. Unlike Odette's, her crown arched upward toward her hairline and into a soft point.From there the crown rose and fell in small waves as it circled her head. What drew attention was the large round diamonds that covered the entirety of the crown. Celeste's circlet was a combination of all three. it dipped low onto her forehead and the middle and had the same pearl and arching silver wires like Odette, she had the same indicate loops as Mizelle, and she had small diamonds that covered everything but the wires curling around the circlet.

To no ones surprise, Bracken's favorite circlet sat on Kendra's head. Unlike the rest of them her criclet was gold, showing her royal status while also separating her from the Fairy Queen's children because she had entered the family by marriage. Her circle was very simple with A bright emerald as a center piece that sat right in the middle of her forehead. There were thin gold wires that formed loops framing the emerald itself and branching off to form lose loops around part of her head. occasionally the loops would be interrupted by small light blue gems that were a bit darked and more silver tented than Odette's dress. The colored jewels of the symbolized the combination or the joining of Kendra and him and maybe that was why he loved it so much. Of course the girl who wore it impacted that as well. Bracken was pulled away from admiring his wife when Seth spoke,

" Does anyone remember where we keep the wrench because, I think Kendra broke Bracken again," Kendra and his sisters laughed causing a silver blush to creep across his cheeks and ears. Looking at the crowns the girls wore made him consciously aware of his own which was very simple and plain, just the way he wanted it. It was made with thin silver wire that came to a sharp point at the center of his forehead. There were two other wires that crossed and formed two large loops at the front of his head before coming together to form a straight line around the rest of his head. Despite its simplicity, Bracken still found it to be uncomfortable and he envied Seth because he didn't have to wear one.

Now that everyone had entered the main room, they began to make their way out the door and to the reception hall where the ball would take place. His mother had gone ahead much earlier as the main leaders were expected to arrive before the rest of the guests. His mother had always liked to be the first one to arrive at any given place as it gave her time to analyze her surroundings. Plus it tended to make the other leaders and nobles somewhat uncomfortable and nervous at the thought that the Fairy Queen had been waiting for an unknown amount of time. Bracken knew his mother found their squirming to be amusing, seeing as their was really nothing to squirm over. He was pretty sure that was as much of her reason for arriving early, if not more so, than analyzing the scene. And she wonders where he gets his mischievousness.

Bracken and Kendra had fallen behind of his sisters as they walked, hand in hand, towards the reception hall. The sky was a mural of pinks, oranges, purples and more as the sun began to dip below the horizon. The walk was fairly quite seeing as it was still early and most people were still getting ready. Bracken gently swung his and Kendra's hands as they walked and he couldn't help but turn his head to admire the way the sunset cast a golden glow on her skin in addition to the brilliant light that radiated from her. She had gotten a lot better at controlling the brightness of the light but it could never be contained completely. Bracken didn't realize how slow they had been walking until he could no longer see his sisters in the front of him. He could hear their laughter and light conversation but even that was getting faint. He had also lost sight of Seth but he was sure the shadow charmer hadn't strayed to far. He was most likely living up to his name and walking amount the shadows.

Bracken was enjoying the slow quiet moment that they were enjoying. It was perhaps the only quiet moment they had enjoyed since arriving at the festival, so it was very welcome. Unfortunately the calm didn't last long as they were stopped by an astrid, probably about twenty feet from the entrance of the reception hall. Bracken narrowed his eyes, getting an uneasy feeling in his stomach that let him know that he probably wasn't going to be pleased with what he was about to hear.

†††††

Kendra had been incredibly worried about the Festival of Unity ever since she found out she would be attending, despite Bracken's valiant efforts. Like most things she makes herself sick over, it ended up being nowhere as bad as she thought it was going to be. Sure she would much rather prefer being curled up next to Bracken on their living room couch while watching a movie but this was a good experience. She was able to build credibility among the various nobles, leaders, and magical creatures that had been in attendance. It allowed her to show them that she deserved to be where she is and that she had what it took to handle the responsibilities that came along with her position. So all in all it hadn't been that bad of an experience. Of course having Garreth there complicated things a bit. Especially since he was as persistent as the hairdresser that had tagged along with them. However as annoyed ,and borderline angry, as Bracken was about the whole Garreth situation, Kendra honestly didn't care. Sure it was annoying and at times she wanted to deck him in his perfect jaw but she also knew that it wouldn't help anything. She felt assured in her safety here at the festival and knew that Garreth wouldn't likely try anything here. Especially with Bracken and Seth so close by. Besides it wasn't as if she was helpless, A fact that most people often forgot. Though that lapse in memory had given her an advantage many times over the course of her life.

She had been enjoying the walk to the reception hall with Bracken when the Astrid showed up. The ball was something that Kendra actually looked forward to, despite the nerves she felt. It wasn't so much the party she was excited about but more the fact that the spotlight was off of her. It was easy to fade into the background during a gathering of this size. logically she knew that there would still be people that approached and interacted with them but it would most likely just be typical conversation. She also took comfort in the fact that she would not be doing this alone. Not that she ever had been but this time she would be surrounded by people who were willingly to take the brunt of the conversation. Seth had enough outgoing nature for the both of them and She knew that Bracken's sister Iredessa was likely to talk everybody's ear off.

Kendra loved Bracken's sisters as if they were her own, and they kind of were in a way. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to get to know and experience each of their personalities. Much like her and Seth, they were all vastly different. Mizelle was a born leader, much like Bracken, but she tended to analyze and observe a little more than he did. She was also more graceful in the way she handled certain situations. Kendra loved her husband dearly but he had a tendency to speak before he thought, especially when he was angry. Odette was always calm and collected. Her mere presence calmed Kendra, especially in times of great stress. She was a very gentle soul and also very wise. In a lot of ways, she reminded Kendra of the Fairy Queen. Odette was also a very skilled healer as Kendra had ,unfortunately, witnessed many times. Iredessa was bright, bubbly and loud. she brightened every room she walked into and was always the first person to start a conversation. However, when placed outside of her element she became very timid and quite as she observed. And finally there was Celeste. The two of them had gotten off to a but of a rough start because Celeste had thought that Kendra was with Bracken because of the title or the power. Eventually the two of them had ironed out all of the misunderstandings and actually become quite close. It filled Kendra with joy and pride to know that Celeste felt as comfortable with her and she did with Bracken. Celeste was by far the most timid of the siblings and was uncomfortable in any kind of social setting, not that Kendra could blame her. Kendra originally had been taken aback at how young Celeste was compared to her siblings. And even to some extent how young Odette and Iredessa were. For some.reason Kendra had been under the impression that all of them were similar to Bracken in age even though she knew that they were younger. Being in the midst of a groups such as this ,adding in Bracken, Seth and the Fairy Queen, gave her a deep sense of security that she had carried throughout the entire festival and continued to carry as they made their way to the reception hall.

Unfortunately, that sense of security was shattered when she noticed the Astrid waiting impatiently at the entrance of the hall. She felt Bracken tense up beside her. He squeezed her hand slightly before letting go and walking confidently towards the Astrid, easily falling into his role as leader. The Astrids were here in order to provide added protection to the royal family. They had stayed out of sight, as silent protectors, for most of the trip. Only emerging when she was left alone or they were needed for some sort of task or meeting. So to see one in plain sight, obviously waiting for them- well it was unnerving to say the least. Her stomach churned with anxiety and she bit her lip as she tried to focus on what Bracken was saying and not her own racing thoughts.

"Why was this meeting called? The Festival of Unity is all but over," Bracken said.making Kendra realize that she had missed the beginning of the conversation.

"I am unsure, Your Highness. I was simply asked to deliver the message," The Astrid, Kendra is pretty sure his name is Haldirn, looked nervous. Kendra guessed she understood why. Most of the Astrids were still nervous around the royal family. They had not forgotten their past failures and they did not wish to disappoint them again. Apparently Haldirn felt like this missing information was a failure of his. Kendra could see how tense his shoulders were and the way he avoided Bracken's eyes. He was ready to be scolded and berated but, Bracken was as kind as he was brave. Because of this, though he didn't sound particularly happy, he replied with,

"Its not your fault, you are doing your best with the information you have been given," Bracken shot a look at Kendra, guilt and confliction flashing in his silvery blue eyes. Kendra knew that look all to well and while she hated it, she knew it couldn't be helped. Kendra was about to reassure him when she felt a presence behind her.

"What's going on?" Asked the deep voice of Seth, causing her to relax her shoulders. Seth moved to stand by Bracken, crossing his arms as he stared at the Astrid. Seth was shorter than the Astrid but was no less intimidating. Haldirn, startled by the sudden appearance of the Shadow Charmer, attempted to stutter out an answer.

"Apparently, there has been a last minute meeting called that requires the both of us," Seth raised an eyebrow.

"But isn't the Festival over?"

"It's supposed to be. This kind.of thing isn't completely unheard of hut it certainly is rare," Bracken replied, sounding slightly grumpy. Kendra searched his face, knowing him well enough to be able to see through his infamous poker face. Kendra could see the worry and the skepticism in his gaze. Kendra would be lying if she said that she didn't agree with him. This whole situation seemed off leaving a pit in her stomach. However, it was impossible to know exactly what was going on without investigating. Kendra could also see the war raging in his mind as he weighed his options. Kendra knew that he would not only over think it but, he would also feel guilty with either decision he made. So with that thought in mind she decided to make the decision for him. She squared her shoulders and tried her best to walk confidently up to his side. She placed a gentle hand on his arm, gaining his attention, and pushing all her feelings aside she said,

"Go," The answer was simple but she said it firmly leaving no room for argument. Nevertheless she could see the response building in his mind and she cut him off as he opened his mouth, knowing what was coming next, " Go. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself," She raised an eyebrow, daring him to challenge her on the subject. She didn't want him to leave, quite the contrary but she also knew it was unavoidable. Besides, she had taught and one two wars, she could handle a ball and it wasn't as if she would be alone. She could tell that he still wanted to argue but luckily he simply turned back to the Astrid.

"Fine, take me to the meeting," The relief coming from the Astrid was almost tangible and turned to lead them away. Bracken quickly reached for her hand and linked their pinky fingers. It was a silent form of communication they had established long ago. A quick and quite way to say I love as well as a promise that everything would be alright. The exchange last less then a second and then Bracken was pulling away and following behind Haldirn. Seth had scowl on his face and a look of suspicion in his eyes. Kendra expected him to protest or demand more information but surprisingly, he follow Bracken without a word. He sent her a look over his shoulder and nodded his head in a way as to tell her to call him if she needed him. Kendra couldn't help but roll her eyes at how overprotective the two of them were.

She stood there until she could no longer see them and then turned back towards the entrance of the gathering hall. She resolved to try and find Bracken's sisters amongst the crowds but she had barely made it past the entrance before she was ambushed. Garreth had seemingly come out of nowhere, suddenly emerging in front of her. He sent her a dazzling smile which she returned with a half hearted, fake smile. She was getting tired of pretending this didn't bother and any other time she probably would have snapped. Tonight, however she just reminded herself that the Festival was almost over. A few more hours and she would have to deal with him anymore. For a second she was secretly grateful that Seth and Bracken weren't there, as she was pretty sure one or both of them really would have snapped.

" Good evening Kendra. Might I just say that you look amazing. " Kendra gave him a tight smile and fought the urge to squirm at how uncomfortable his gaze made her feel.

"Thank you," She replied stiffly attempting to turn and move away from him, hoping to get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, he seemed to have no trouble walking along side her. She could tell he wanted her to return the compliment but, there was no way she was giving him that kind of encouragement. She avoided eye contact, focusing instead on searching the crowd for the Fairy Queen and or one of Bracken's sisters. She hoped that by ignoring him, he would lose interest and leave. Garreth, however, was not deterred by her actions. Instead, Garreth grabbed her arm, none to gently, as she attempted to turn away. He led her off somewhere to the side away from the bustle of the ball. He shattered excitedly the whole way but Kendra couldn't make out the words over her raving thoughts. She wasn't sure what was going on and she wasn't sure how she would be able to gracefully exit the situation. Kendra knew logically, that she was very capable of putting an end to this situation and getting out of it without a scratch. She had done it plenty of times before. People often forgot that , despite her power being centered around light, she was just as dangerous as Seth. She had years of experience and training in her abilities, courtesy of Bracken. And she wasn't bad with a bow either. She had come a long way from relying on a storm of arrows to protect her. In fact her arrows rarely missed their mark. However, right now she didn't have a bow and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to use it. Violence was forrbidden as it would undermine the entire purpose of the Festival of Unity. As well as cause people to question the loyalty of the Fairy Realm. It was definitely not the impression she wanted to leave. Use of her abilities would end and apply much the same way.

Still racing to come with a diplomatic solution, Kendra failed to notice that they had fully exited the ballroom until she was face to face with a large silver door. She could still hear the muffled sounds of the party traveling down the hallway that led to the door. Briefly she wondered if Bracken's sisters noticed her absence, but she quickly.brushed off the thought knowing that there was probably too much going on. She was practically forced into the room which, based on the desk, bookshelf, and scattered documents, seemed to be some kind of study. Garreth had placed himself casually in front of the door and Kendra knew that she would have to figure out a way to trick him into switching their positions. A plan had already began to form in her mind as she said,

" So, have you heard from Eve lately?" Miraculously she was able to keep the shake out of her voice. It was a casual question, one that was technically considered small talk. However, she knew that it would rile him up. Eve had rejected neutrality and joined the Knights of the Dawn with Seth, against the wishes of her family. In normal circumstances, aggravating and goading the enemy was not a good idea but at the moment she really didn't care. She just needed him to move. Not much, just enough so she could casually make her way to the door. This was also a topic that should keep him talking. Meaning it was less likely to realize what she was doing. Garreth played his part well a slight scowl on his face as he replied,

" I have not heard from my sister, since she left home, " There was a short pause before when he talked about her leaving home. Indicating that he had changed his wording at the last minute. He wondered if it had anything to do with Seth.

"Well, from what I gather she is making a very good Knight. I haven't seen her in action, but I know Seth has been rather impressed," The mention of her brother brought another scowl to his face. It was pretty common knowledge, to anyone that knew of the situation, that Lord Dalgorel blamed Seth for quote unquote "corrupting his daughter". She expected him to go off on a rant about the topic, as Lord Dalgorel had many times before, However, this is where her plan began to go wrong.

" I don't really care to know the details of Eve's relationships. I would however like to know about yours," He smiled as he said it but something in his eyes made her squirm.

" Well, Bracken and I got married a few weeks ago. It was the best day of my life and I couldn't be happier," The statement was cheesy, true but cheesy. She could hear Seth complaining in her mind but at least it was something.

" Well, a few weeks is hardly anything to judge next years of your life by. Who knows in a month or so, all of that could change," Kendra flinched as he stepped closer, practically backing her into a corner and halting the slow progress she was making towards the door. She reached her hands behind her fingering the button on her bracelet that would bring Bracken bursting into the room to her rescue. Her fingers hovered over the button but didn’t push it, not yet anyway. She felt bad for bringing Bracken into a problem that she could fix by herself. Besides she couldn’t help but feel a little responsible for this situation. She knew that Bracken and Seth would fiercely refute that statement but, that didn’t stop her from thinking it.

At this point it didn't look as if her plan would work the way she intended. Technically she could do a number of things unfortunately all of those ended in violence. She doubted that, anyone other than her family, would count this as just reason to start a fight. And besides, Garreth would probably be able to explain all of it away. He was close enough now that she could feel his breath on her face. Not liking were this was going and feeling utterly helpless. She reached for her bracelet and smashed to button that would send out a distress signal to Bracken and Seth who had a similar object in the shape of a black ring. Garreth was speaking again but she couldn't here it over the roar of the blood in her ears. She reached inside her gut and felt for the magic she knew pooled there. She gathered it willing it to grow until she felt she would burst with it. She held it the best she could, reading it for use should she need it. She was trying to keep her actions under wraps but she could tell by the way Garreth was squinting his eyes that her aura had brightened as the power built. She readied herself to release it but just before she could give the command, the door slammed open revealing and angry Unicorn and an even angrier Shadow Charmer.

†††††

Walking through the abandoned paths where the Festival took place was unnerving. Bracken's senses were on high alert as he scanned the long shadows cast by the flickering lanterns lining the walkways. The pounding of their footsteps against the.cobblestone sounded deafening in the silence. Out of the corner of his eyes Bracken saw Seth. His shoulders were squared, but not tense, his face the picture of calm. The only thing that gave away his nervousness was the way his right arm, covered by his dark cloak, continued to drift and brush against his hip. If Bracken didn't know what was hidden there, he would have overlooked it but the significance of the gesture was not lost on him. Seth was no longer a young boy who randomly swung around a sword, rushing into battle and hoping for the best. While he still held much of the same reckless spontaneity, he now attacked with deadly precision. Years of training had given him close to unmatchable skills. One flick of his wrist would send his chosen projectile thudding home with devastating results. Of course his knowledge and skill with weapons weren't the only thing that made Seth Sorensen dangerous. His mother had once told him that out of all the Shadow Charmers she had come across over her long life, he was by far the most powerful. Bracken wholeheartedly believed that, having seen it first hand many times in the past. Not for the first time, Bracken was thankful that Seth was on their side.

They walked for about another five minutes before Haldirn stopped in an empty courtyard. There was no one else there, not that they could see anyway. The air was silent apart from their breathing and the rustle of the trees in the wind. Occasionally you would also hear the call of an owl but that was it. If anyone was here then they were doing a very good job of hiding. A suspicion that he had been trying to suppress made itself know in his mind. With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Bracken asked,

"Who was it that informed you of the last minute meeting?" The question felt sour in his.mouth and the implications, should his suspicions be right, caused his stomach to churn.

" It was prince Garreth of the Fair Folk your Highness " Haldirn replied, not quite grasping the significance of that statement. Bracken and Seth glanced at each other wide eyed and they were already moving when Seth's ring began to beep. Bracken could feel the alert in his own mind alerting him of the danger. He quickly called out a command for Haldirn to start as search as he broke out in a run, beginning to make his way to the ballroom. He could hear the pound if his and Seth's feet against the cobblestone path. It sound deafening compared to the silence left by the people attending the ball. Bracken slowed slightly as he reached the ballroom, not looking to cause a scene, but still kept up a hurried pace. He felt more that saw the concerned glace of his mother as she saw his panic. Bracken, however, didn't have time to think much about it. He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind and finding the pull of Kendra's engagement ring, which had been fashioned out of his first horn. It didn't take long for it to lead him through a long hallway and to an ornate door.

Bracken threw open the door and stormed into the room. He didn't take long to survey the situation, he simply noted Garreth's position and reacted. His hands found the collar of his fancy silk tunic and he yanked him back with enough force that Garreth stumbled into the wall and slid down to the floor, looking up at them in fear. Bracken felt the room drop in temperature in response to Seth's anger. And by the way the color drained from Garreth's face, he could feel it too. They stood in silence, both of them struggling not to lunge and attack the prince of the Fair Folk. Technically violence had already occurred when Bracken threw him against the wall but he had been just gentle enough so as not to leave a mark. But only just. Garreth stood up clearing his face of the fear and attempting to regain his previous confidence. Bracken had to admit that he had a decent poker face. though the tremble in his hands gave him away. Bracken tried to avoid looking at Kendra, knowing that seeing her upset would only fuel his fury. Though this approach didn't last long as the waves of panic and distress he felt through their connection, made from both the bracelet and her engagement ring, shattered his resolve. He turned towards her, trusting Seth to keep an eye of the ambassador of the Fair Folk.

Bracken searched her face, he could see any obvious injuries but he could see the way her green eyes began to sparkle with tears that she would refuse to let fall. That was enough to make his blood boil and he found himself standing taller as a blush crept up the back of his neck and along the tips of his ears.

"Take a walk with me ambassador," Bracken said attempting to keep the heat out of his voice even if his words still came out sharp. His tone made it clear that this was not a request. He turned and walked around the gathering hall and toward one of the gardens that surrounded it. He heard that ambassador follow him but refused to turn and look at him as it would only cause him to do something rash.. He hadn't missed the scowl Garreth had sent Kendra as they left ,as he obviously blamed her for the results of the situation ,and it made him want to punch him in his smug looking face. Nevertheless, he schooled his features into his perfect poker face and led Garreth farther into the gardens. There were a few people milling around the extravagant gardens but most of them seemed to steer clear of them, most likely sensing the Fairy Prince's anger. Bracken walked to the back of the garden, where he was met with a hedge wall. This spot was quiet, dark, and gave more than enough privacy. He turned to look at the Prince of the Fair Folk, who looked far less cocky than he did a few minutes ago. He let the tense silence hang in the air a moment longer, enjoying the way it made Garreth squirm before he said,

"Allow me to remind you that harming a member of the royal family, physically or otherwise, is a very serious offense," his hand fell to his left hip searching for a sword that wasn't there and wishing that he had thought to bring a cloak like Seth had. " It would be a shame if the neutrality of the Fair Folk ended at the Festival of Unity. "

"Is that a threat your Highness?" Garreth questioned, a sudden burst of confidence entering his voice.

"Only if you choose to make it one," Bracken said off handedly. He turned his back to the other man and pretended to study one of the flowers that was nearby. The action allowed Bracken some time to regain control over himself and the anger that threatened to boil over.

" Now now, it's not good to make hasty decisions you will regret later," And Garreth had the gall to look back towards the direction in which they had come as he said it. Implying that the statement was directed toward Kendra . Bracken felt something inside him snap as the heat of the anger boiling his blood finally became too much. However, Garreth either didn't sense the shift or didn't care, because he continued before Bracken could say anything. " Of course, you always were known to be a bit quick tempered. You often allow your emotions to cloud you judgement. "

" I have been very diplomatic, very patient, but for some reason you seem to want to try that patience. You want to find my limit. Do you want to know what it will take for me to break? What will cause me to loose my temper?" Bracken asked stalking closer, his words close to a growl. Garreth held his gaze as all of his cocky confidence faded into fear. Bracken slowly pointed toward Kendra, " One tear. That's all it will take. If one tear falls from her eyes tonight I will show you exactly why they call me quick tempered. " And with that he turned and walked back through the garden and into the ballroom.

 Bracken smirked as he entered the ballroom and saw Seth eyeing him from where he stood next to Kendra. The young Shadow Charmer must have taken Kendra there after he left with Garreth. Bracken approached the siblings, placed his arm around Kendra and then , looking at Seth, nodded his head toward the gardens. Seth's gaze darkened further and the air around them seemed to drop in temperature once again . The younger man also seemed to grow a little taller and darkness pooled in his chocolate brown eyes, beginning to consume the whites of his eyes. Without a word Seth made his way to the gardens, people parting , giving him a wide berth, as they glanced upon him with fear. Bracken pulled Kendra closer and leaned down to pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. He couldn't help but smirk as a clock struck midnight, letting out a chime an signaling the end to the Festival, even if people would remain until the next morning. The Festival was officially over as were any vows of complete peacefulness. All bets were off now. If Garreth thought he was bad, then he was in for a real surprise when Seth got his hands on him.

And there we go!!!!! This was super fun to write (Though probably not.my best work) !!!! I hope it lived up to expectations. I tried really hard but I haven't written in this style for a while so let me know whether or not you like or if you want me to use it more often.

I also want to say a quick thank you to all of you who were patient with me. My personal life is very hectic especially right now so thank you so much for your patience. I love getting to post these and I have a lot of fun doing it but a lot of times life gets in the way of my plans to update.

As always let me know what you think and if their is anything you want to see next!!!!

[technicallyoneofakind]

Info post on Professor Mitochondria

Origin: Alternate Reality- Another version of Professor Membrane

Race/Species: Human (as far as anyone knows)

Appearance: Long white lab coat, long black gloves, black platform boots, smart goggles, frizzy hair that can never be fully pulled back (makes science “interesting”) with some of the strands forming “M”s and one long somehow neat M shaped zag in the midst of the frizz.

Known Aliases: Aunt Mitochondria (to other versions of her kids in alternate realities)

Powers: Forcefield manipulation, Teleportation, Time Travel, Reality jumping, Forcefield enhanced strength. Intelligence gathering

Considered the “Professor Membrane of an alternate reality”, Professor Mitochondria is considered just as smart- and at times possibly wiser- than her original counterpart. She tends to be more attentive than him in some respects, often making time to see her son and daughter during the week.

Her forcefields are generally meant to prevent injuries from explosions. She can turn it off by pressing the switch on her arm. Technically, it should only be used to repel debris from explosions and fire, however, there have been times she’s used it to reinforce her gloves and double her strength. She’s also been known to project her forcefields into bubbles, the item/creature still being very animate, and levitate them or toss them into things, making them rather effective weapons and shields. Her forcefields are powered by the small device attached to the left sleeve of her lab coat which doubles as a computer and reality nav- the information she needs generally showing up on her goggles.

Her ability to teleport came before her reality hopping ability. It saves on commute time, she found. Her ability to reality jump was first thought of by her son, who had gone through a horrible ordeal getting stuck in an alternate reality himself. He proposed that maybe there were realities where world peace had been achieved and that he was successful in defeating Zim. She considered the idea and set to work trying to make a safe way to jump realities herself to explore the concept, eventually using the properties of her teleporter to improve on the traverse between worlds as well as stabilize her form. Despite this achievement of being able to exist in alternate worlds without any harm to herself, the Florpus caused so much interference, her reality nav and teleportation systems refused to work for a few days. She thought it for the best since that could cause the rift in space time to become even more problematic. A lesser used ability is that she can also teleport through time. However, she has only used this to confuse people she truly despises while maintaining the timeline. After all anyone who would intentionally alter the alter the past to change the future would be a complete moron.

She has visited three realities, one of which she persists in antagonizing Professor Membrane by encouraging her adopted nephew to chase aliens. She considers most alternate versions of her kids her niece and nephew to keep hers separate from the others. There was another where her counterpart married- a fact she was heavily confused by as her and the other Membrane seem disinterested in romance/married to their profession. The other considers a fantasy realm as magic is a staple component and used in tandem with science. She hardly visits there. She prefers sticking to realities that obey the rules of physics and form closer to her own. This oddly limits her travels as there are only so many realities she can jump to with that setting without some things getting redundant due to very minor changes.

Her Intelligence Gathering Systems (IGS) activate immediately entering a new reality but only at surface value and what she’s already noted in her home or previous realities. She only explores realities out of curiosity and often finds concepts or ideas she hadn’t thought to try or even experiment with in her own. This tends to result in an improved version of the original concept in her own or even an inspired invention based on a creature from her travels. The lag of how much information she gathers is based off importance and the amount of differences in the world. (And also, maintenance of the IGS.) If it’s something to do with her family, the system tends to be more thorough. If it’s something to do with the taco place down the street, the system won’t really pick up that the ingredients on their best-selling item is different, but it will notice a change in the layout or theme.

 Her Kids:

Dib is still considered her son and Gaz is still is still considered her daughter. They are clones, originally supposed to be better scientists to aid her work, but she failed to account for something in the process and ended up with them instead. Dib was the first try and Gaz was the second attempt. It’s often guessed that the reason she doesn’t have a medical license is that she was caught creating them and for whatever reason they let her keep her children. Despite their origins, she loves them very much and considers them her greatest work.

She makes sure they are well taken care of while she’s away discovering new realities. The staff at her lab are tasked with checking in on them every now and then personally. She keeps the fridge well stocked with food they can easily make. She encourages them to speak up if there’s anything they don’t trust about her employee’s actions or they do anything untoward while she’s away. If so, she’ll “take care of the problem.” That staff member is never seen again and no questions are asked.

 -  Dib

 She’s known to take her universe’s version of Dib seriously when it comes to aliens mostly because of the idea of microbes on earth evolving into complex creatures in impossible conditions and expanding on the idea of similar situations occurring somewhere else in the universe. Her help in discovering bacteria on Mars in her reality helped enforce this belief. However it’s still widely unexcepted in the scientific community of her reality that intelligent and complex life forms exist outside of this.  

She uses Dib’s research on Zim and other findings as a basis for her own experiments- sometimes just to help him get through with his mission to stop Zim. While people still think Dib crazy so he still has a hard time befriending people. Despite this, she continues to believe in him. She’s seen the evidence- the space ship, the pictures, and Zim’s weird other-worldly house. She keeps the fact that some of her revolutionary feats of SCIENCE are based on Dib’s ideas a secret, covering up his sources, so that she doesn’t get discredited. This often causes some tension between her and her son and makes it more difficult to help make the world ready. "The world just isn't ready for it" she often says (in place of “trying real science”) and it frustrates Dib to no end. Despite all of this, a lot of her experiments are still geared towards peace on Earth and she knows without her son’s obsession with saving the world they wouldn’t exist. She views Zim as a threat to that and will stop at nothing to help her son prevent his reign of terror.

For once, Dib wants to have another person openly believe in the paranormal like he does (If not more so than the original) rather than be quietly supporting him like his mother does. He's made so many great strides thanks to her support and even was the one who proposed the idea of hopping realities. Science is about answering and discovering the previously unresolved questions, after all. Since he helps her with experiments and ideas, spending a lot of time in her laboratory as a result, Dib is often seen wearing a smaller, unbuttoned version of her lab coat.

 -   Gaz

 Mitochondria tries to encourage Gaz to go into something involving video games, like video game testing. She even makes new ones for her daughter to test out that are really just complex simulations for experiments with a different coat of paint. Gaz knows this but plays anyway. The “games” are fun and she doesn’t want to ruin the illusion for her mother. Knowing how good the professor is with building things, Gaz goes to her if her game system breaks for a new one or to repair the old one with some newly added features- something the tween looks forward to each time despite losing her game data. She even helps out in the lab with experiments using video game controls- especially the ones involving Nano-technology and robots.

Gaz is a little less quiet. She's still prone to her grudges and torture towards Dib, but that's just standard sibling stuff. She still barely talks when no one is talking to her. Thanks to her mother playing video games with her, she's become more open about sharing her enthusiasm of her favorite games with others. Often, the modified versions of the original game system catch her classmates’ attention. When asked she’ll just shrug and say that her mother improved on it for her. It used to catch her off guard when people would admit that their parents couldn’t do that- she thought everyone’s parents could- but now she understands that her mother is the exception.

 She even has rules for her kids to follow:

If Dib goes out to investigate ANYTHING he must be home by 8:00 pm.

If Gaz gets mad at Dib for things he’s interested in and begins to torture him call the professor at work. She’s always available.

Never tamper with Mitochondria’s equipment unsupervised or without permission for ANYTHING! It’s DANGEROUS!

Never talk with your mouth full. You’ll choke that way.

If the guards don’t let you in, find the nearest payphone or call on a cell phone} and request that Professor Mitochondria speak with them right away using a specific phrase for verification.

Do one thing involving science every day!

Important rule: No insane paranormal experiments LIKE RAISING THE DEAD At home or at any place where people could be in danger.

Most important rule: Live a fulfilling, fun, and exciting life! Even if isn’t filled with Science!

She has these hanging on the fridge.

[Compiled from varying sources I’ve made or private roleplaying I’ve done.]