#settled for the snakebites

[climbing-starrs]

"ape." "princess."

[grimmthorne]

i want snake bites soo bad dude but im scared of what they would do to my teeth bc I have teeth anxiety blegh

[comfycozycrossfox]

anyway my next jewelry idea is having all of my facial jewelry different colors and only bright ass neon colors . would this look good ? im not confident bUt it sure would be striking

[frost-queen]

Till it bites you back // part 5 (Male!Reader x Eloise Bridgerton)

Forever tag:@missmelodramatic   , @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22  , @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers   , @merlieve   , @queen-of-books  , @glimmering-darling-dolly   ,@denkisclown  , @wildieflower   ,@meyocoko    , @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl  , @m-rae23 , @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr , @swampthing07   , @melsunshine   @panhoeofmanyfandoms  , @venomsvl , @the-uncoordinated-house-cat ,@rosecentury   ,  @imagines-by-her   ,  @evilcr0ne   , @vviolynn    , @niktwazny303   ,@avada-kedavra-bitch-187  , @markive-m , @thethreeeyed-raven , @anonymous-cat-21 , @lord-lyss , @nameless-flowerr , @hipsternerd9 , @kookietunes07 , @dd122004dd , @ryv-viv , @aquilla6077, @sauron559, @cluelessteam. @czarinera , @korane06 , @luvinyouwasred123, @snakebite-21

Summary: A sudden house call, freaks the Bridgertons out. Out for a stroll, you hope Eloise would be comfortable enough around you certainly now that you have set your mind on courting her. [Series]

Hyacinth gapsed loud, running up to the window. Coming to sit at the windowsill, glueing her face to the window. - "A carriage is stopping at our house." - she called out in excitement. Gregory rushed over to her, trying to shove her away.

Starting to bicker about it. Nudging each other in the side, a push in one's face here and there. Benedict jumped up joining them by the window. He shoved their heads aside with a giddy smile. - "That is a royal carriage." - he pointed out.

Looking over his shoulder to his mother with a smirk. Violet's eyes lit up as she glanced to her daughter sitting beside her. Her entire face lighting up as her hand went down on Eloise's knee. - "What?" - Eloise called out, slouched in the sofa with her arms crossed. - "A royal carriage my darling." - Violet clearified with a cheeky glance. Eloise looked away with a puff. - "Who says it's even him." - she responded. Benedict grinned at her, hand pressed on the window.

"Oh, it is him sister." - he said teasingly. Eloise's eyes widened. Violet stood up with fear in her eyes. - "Dear lords." - she called out in a panic. Clapping in her hands she urged Hyacinth and Gregory away from the window. They rushed away, coming to sit in the sofa. - "He's coming up the doorway." - Benedict called out as Violet let out a yelp of panic. Violet tapped Eloise hard to sit properly.

Benedict moved away from the window. Spinning around mindlessly to think of where he would position himself. Violet orchestrated to Hyacinth to stop pestering her brother and be perfectly still. Benedict settled for the fireplace, leaning against it with his arm. Gregory had taken a book pretending to read it. Violet flattened her dress. The knock on the door made her sit down quickly. The door opened as you were announced. Entering to witness a picture perfect painting.

Everyone looking curious your way, making you feel observed. Violet got up to welcome you. You bowed to her as it made her stare bewildered back. - "Welcome your royal highness." - she said with a curtsy. She cleared her throat loud as her children got up, curtsying or bowing to you. - "We are honoured to have you in our presence, your royal highness." - " she continued warmly.

Reaching back for her daughter, she took Eloise's arm, shoving her to the front. Eloise shot her mother a glare before smiling sheepishly at you. You took her hand bringing it to your lips to kiss them gently. It left Eloise flustered, making Benedict snort loud. Gregory stomped on his foot to silence him. Benedict pressing his lips together to supress a yell. - "Please be welcome, your royal highness." - Violet gestured at the sofa's.

"If you do not mind Lady Bridgerton, I would like to accompany miss Eloise for a walk on this fine day." - you proposed. Violet giggled brightly. - "What a wonderful idea your royal highness." - she answered. You offered Eloise your arm as she gladly took it. With Violet right behind you. Benedict, Hyacinth and Gregory rushed to the window once you had left the drawing room. Wanting to see the departure.

Hyacinth sighed dreamy at the window. - "I want to marry a prince." - she said dreamingly. - "If anyone even wants to marry you." - Gregory teased in a tone of mockery. It made Hyacinth punch him in the armpit. Benedict needing to pull them apart with a deep sigh. Eloise quirked her eyebrow up, looking curious around. Before her question could even be spoken appeared Claude from behind the carriage. Following in line just 6 steps behind you.

Eloise gave Claude a comforting smile as he tilted his head in return with a nod. Violet walked in pace with Claude, admiring her daughter and the prince. - "How have you been miss Eloise?" - you asked to deafen out the silence. - "Oh." - Eloise chuckled nervously out. - "Very well your royal highness." - she answered. Looking away with mockery at herself for sounding so fabricated.

When she looked back at you it was with a nervous laugh. It made you clear your throat, looking away. Something had changed the tension and you didn't like it. Ever since you proclaimed to her you'd want to court her, everything has been awkward. Sometimes you wished it was like before where she was at ease around you. Violet and Claude shared a nervous glance. Guiding Eloise on her stroll towards the park.

Wanting to get away from the streets. Having noticed several eyes focus on you, pointing and whispering. No doubt an appearance would be made in Whistledown's morning's edition. The four of you neared the park as you felt her arm tense a bit around yours. - "Are you comfortable enough? If you'd rather return home I understand." - you told her, wanting to keep her as comfortable as possible.

Eloise turned her gaze up to you. - "I am comfortable." - she replied untensing her muscles. You gestured to a bench as Eloise nodded. She let go of your arm, sitting down. You came sitting down beside her. Hands nervously rubbing over your knees. - "Miss Eloise the last thing I want to be is intimidating to you." - you said. - "Oh but you are n..." - she answered turning more towards you. You didn't let her finish as you wanted her to feel herself around you.

"Please just see me as normal Y/n. Plain Y/n who simply enjoys being outdoors with a girl he likes." - you continued as Eloise's cheeks flushed red. She looked bashful away. To set an example, you leaned back on the back. Sinking a bit down to slouch. Eloise laughed loud as it made you smile. Violet looked at Claude with a spark of hope. Exhaling deep, you gazed upon the lake. - "Magnificent." - you let out at the beautiful scenery.

"It is even more beautiful with you here." - you went on making her smile. Eloise took a deep breath, coming loose. Before you knew it she was talking to you with passion about some subject. Violet stared in horror at her for being such a waterfall with no filter. You chuckled, listening carefully as you loved that about her.

Claude cleared his throat after an hour that it was time. You got up as Eloise followed. The four of you returning to her home. By your carriage you took her hand once more to kiss it. - "I enjoyed today your royal highness." - Eloise spoke with a smile.

"As did I. Shame it has been short." - you responded. She hummed loud. - "I would've loved to hear more about you." - Eloise answered. - "How about an invitation to my home?" - you suggested as Eloise's gaze widened with a slight shock.

---------------------------------------

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[cyberwhumper]

  If Rex had to choose, he’d rather be out of ammo than options.

        Unfortunately, the man upstairs has a habit of not giving the Lone Wolf much of a choice, ever.

        He reloads, growling under his breath, pressing his back against the rough-hewn table he flipped to fashion a makeshift barrier. Montez is panting, eyes wild, the mother-of-pearl inlay on his pistol grips tinged sickly pink with the blood on his hands.

        “Your call, lobo,” he says, craning his neck for a glimpse of the doorway past the table. They’re deadlocked; the posse behind them can’t storm in without getting lit up by a hail of bullets, but the two of them apparently chose the one damn hovel in town with no back door, and it’s only a matter of time before the Sheriff makes the call to smoke them out.

        It’s what Rex would’ve done back when he was on the lawman’s leash, chasing bounties across the desert. Figures. He has all sorts of ideas for how to take the two of them down in this situation, but he’s dryer than a well in August when it comes to getting them out of it. He blames Montez. Kid’s making him stupid by association.

        Not that he isn’t fond of Montez. Well. More than fond. He’s a firecracker, Victory is; damn good with the horses, can cook half-spoilt salt pork into something almost palatable, holds his liquor but never his tongue, and those clever hands know their way around Rex’s body in ways he never thought anybody would. Taking the job of hunting Montez down is probably the best mistake the Wolf ever made.

        ‘Course, if this day keeps going the way it has been, it’ll be the last one, too. A weird sort of peace settles over him, watching the kid run his tongue over bloody lips.

        “Hey,” Rex says, rough but soft. “If we ain’t make it out of here…”

        “Cállate,” Montez shoots back. “C’mon. Just tell me what to do.”

        “Cállate yourself, jackass.” Fondness. Right. Christ. “M’serious. We had a good run, kid.”

        Victory looks over at him, those big brown cow eyes bright with pain. He got winged before they made it under shelter, blood turning the sky blue of his chambray shirt to red-black. There’s a reason the Wolf always wears dark colors, himself. He doubts Montez even knows Rex got hit too.

        “...yeah,” the kid says, quiet. “Yeah. We really did, man.”

        “If you get clear o’ this. Head back eastwards.” Victory starts to protest, but Rex cuts him off. “Get back to Miranda’s ranch, you hear me? He ‘n Ortiz will take care of you. Owes me a favor.”

        “What about you?”

        “If you bite it?” Rex grunts, hefting his bandolier back up onto his aching shoulder. Plenty of lead. No goddamn plan. God help the both of ‘em. “Then they better hope they get a head start.”

[Fic by the exceptionally talented @bxtterflystxtches , who I have the honor of collaborating with for this event. Please show him some love!]

[OC INDEX]

COMMISSIONS ARE OPEN!

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[gay-dorito-dust]

Can you maybe do reader getting her ears pierced and Xavier being there for support. (I just had mine done and yes maybe I'm to big to being crying over it but it hurts😭)

A/n: let me tell ya, I was scare shitless getting mine done too. Funny story though I had my ears pierced the same week I had to go swimming with my primary school.(which was every Tuesday afternoon)Needless to say I couldn’t go swimming for while until my piercings had healed and settled.

Also yes I’m making Ajax have snakebites also this was kinda meh and rushed.

“You’ll be fine y/n, after all it’s just a little pinprick.”

“Just a little pinprick? Xavier, my earlobes are going to be stabbed by a needle! No numbing cream, no nothing, just straight up raw earlobe stabbing.” You told Xavier as you sat nervously in the chair whilst the woman who’d be piercing your ears was collecting the necessary materials for the procedure; You’ve wanted your ears pierced for awhile now but after reading up on scenarios where something went wrong as you were in the midst of preparing yourself for your up coming appointment; your desire for getting your ears done quickly turned sour in your mouth.

Xavier sees that you were genuinely second guessing your decision and reaches out to hold your hand tightly within his. “It’s going to be okay baby, Your in safe and professional hands, they know what they’re doing and besides,” he leant towards you as though he’s sharing a secret, just between the two of you, “i think your very brave for getting them done.” He says as he leans back against the chair humbly provided for him. “Really?” You asked, still a little unsure of yourself. “Oh yeah! I don’t think I could get my ears pierced or, god forbid, get tattoos.”

You giggled at his over exaggerate attempts of cheering you up because it was defiantly working to some extent. You were grateful that Xavier decided to tag along because if he hadn’t, you would’ve for certain bolted out of the room and straight back to Nevermore with your tail between your legs. Having Xavier with you, sacrificing his hand as your temporary stress toy whenever you got short glimpses of the needle that would be prodding holes into your ear lobes.

You honestly didn’t know how you got through life at this point without Xavier being there to calm your overreactive mind and sooth your worries with his logic and reassurance; Yet sometimes you can’t feel as though you let him down for being the way that you were, even after he tells you otherwise. You still get that feeling within your chest that one day he’d grow annoyed of having to console you about everything and tell you to grow and deal with it like everybody else; However you knew this to not be true as it wasn’t in his character but that didn’t mean you feared for the nearby future when you wouldn��t have Xavier by your side. As for now you chose to appreciate and love him whist you still had him in your life, by your side to do so.

After your laughter subsided you gripped Xavier’s hand, smiling softly at him. “Thank you for coming here with me Xav, I honestly don’t think I would’ve made it past that doorway if it weren’t for you.” The long haired boy only huffed playfully as he leaned into once again, though this time it was to press a kiss to your forehead. “Don’t sell yourself short, sweet cakes for your a lot stronger then you believe yourself to be.” He utters into your hairline before pulling away. “I mean you haven’t bolted out of that door yet. So that’s an good thing!”

Just as he says that, the woman doing your piercings came back to the room with a selection of jewelled ear accessories ranging from small studs to ear stretchers alongside the needle and some materials to sterilise it so that you wouldn’t get infections or any other complications. The nervousness came back with a vengeance as the worst case scenarios came flooding back to the forefront of your mind as your breathing bang to pick up erratically; your grip on Xavier’s hand only increased in grip as your chair was pulled out flat as a board and you were instructed to lay down and to get yourself comfortable but with your body being bombarded with internalised panic, your movements became rigid and stiff that it too you longer then it probably should’ve to lay yourself down.

“First time?” The kind woman asked, flashing you a smile as they began to set up. “Yeah. Is it that obvious?” You responded, still a little rigid with fright. “Your not the first person who’s came in here for an piercing. I remember there was a Gorgon kid who came in here the other week asking for snakebites.” You and Xavier shared a look of mutual confusion. “The Gorgon’s name wouldn’t happen to be Ajax Petropolus by any chance?” Xavier asked as he gave your hand another reassuring squeeze. The woman looked over at him with raised brows, “yeah, how did you know him?”

Xavier shrugs, “he’s a friend of mine. After he got his snakebites he had nothing but high praise for your professionalism, which is why we’re here today.” The woman only smiled at the compliment, “that’s how I keep my business running,” she say before turning back to you. “You ready champ?” You breathed a heavy sigh before looking over at Xavier who only smiled at you encouragingly, lifting up your intertwined hands to show that he was still here for moral support. You looked back at the her as she patiently awaited your answer that you replied with confidently, “I’m ready.”

[is-the-snake-video-cute]

how did you get so much experience with snakes? like did you volunteer or intern somewhere like a zoo or herpetological center? and where did you go for a herpetology degree? (<- asking as someone who is curious and intends to pursue a similar career path!)

I started out with a Bachelor's (I triple-majored in herpetology, wildlife conservation, and French literature because I'm the biggest nerd in the world), then I moved onto a Master's in herpetology. Many undergrad schools don't offer a herpetology major; you'll want to pursue any biology-related field and you'll be fine. I won't share where I went to grad school because I'm getting my doctorate with them too, and I've been published with them and it would be super easy to find my full name and other personal info, but any research university will have you covered.

All that school is well and good, but most of your experience in the field will come with internships, volunteer work, and research projects! You'll do lots of field work in college; never skip an opportunity to pursue research projects that require you to work with real-life snakes. I interned at a venom lab in undergrad - that is a chance you do not to want to miss if you can take it, it's an incredible experience (check out the KRZ's internship program for an example of a great one to look for; it's paid and provides research opportunities. don't settle for less!). I did another intership with the African Snakebite Institute in grad school and it was so wonderful! While I was in school, I volunteered with the wildlife center I now work for, and I got a full-time job there after graduation. In this line of work, volunteering and internships are a great way to get your foot in the door!

So, yeah, a mix of a lot of school and lots of field work! The best way to get better at working with snakes is to do it, so don't neglect field work whenever the opportunity presents itself.

All the best to you! Please do let me know if you have further questions, it's always great to hear from a future colleague! :)

[oh-surprise-its-me]

Jake knows he feels too much, he’s felt too much for years.

Hangman.

Christ. If only they knew he had lists in his notes app for allergies, likes and dislikes, favorite foods and birthdays.

Hangman.

Yeah. It’d be more fitting if he had been the one to leave the other behind. But no, he was flying with Snakebite and the asshole left Jake behind but hadn’t done the move right. So Jake pulled forward and ahead and Snake had to abort.

Hangman.

He wishes he could take the persona off, but it settles on his shoulders like a jacket. He finds some comfort in it. Jake knows that Javy can see through it, why Jake always sticks close to Javy and doesn’t ask too many questions. Has the confidence in himself when he really hasn’t had any since his father kicked him out at 15.

Hangman.

He sits outside the hard deck in the sand, he hears someone come up behind him. It’s probably Javy. The only person whose ever come to check on him in 20 years.

“You good Jake?”

Oh. Oh. That’s not Javy. That’s Bradley.

He sniffs, “yeah what’s it to you Roo.”

Bradley lands on the sand next to Jake, he sits close enough their shoulders touch. “Saw you leave. But I also saw you start crying. Figured I’d check up on you.”

Jake let’s put a wet laugh, he scrubs at his eyes. Jake, such the fucking cry baby look at you now.

“Jake come on what’s up, are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I get Javy?” Jake shakes his head, “no let him have his night. It’s stupid anyways. I’m just a bit drunk.”

Hangman.

“Can’t be that stupid if it made you cry.”

Jake falls back into the sand, it’s easier this way, he can just stare at the stars instead of looking away from Bradley.

“Nat almost drank coconut rum.”

Bradley lays back in the sand next to Jake. “Not sure I follow. But keep talking.” Jake shakes his head. “She’s allergic. No one saw but me so I reminded her. She told me to fuck off, and that if she wanted a lecture from her mom she’d call her.”

Bradley let’s out a puff of air. “Shit. I didn’t know she was allergic.”

Jake laughs again. God this day can’t end fast enough. “Not dead allergic just enough it bothers her. She mentioned once a few years ago.”

Bradley nods, “you notice things about people. You care.”

Now it’s Jakes turn to nod, “reason I came out here was I figured no one would notice I was gone. Got too loud in there.”

“I notice.”

Now Jake turns to look at Bradley, he’s not sure what he’s expecting to see but the look of, caring? God Jake might even dare to say love? In Bradley’s eyes are a startling image.

“You always let Payback have shotgun because rarely gets car sick, you let Javy have all your pickles because he loves them. You remembered Nat is allergic to coconut even though I’ve known her for years and she mentioned it to you once.”

Bradley takes a breath sitting back up. “God Jake I think I notice everything about you.”

Jake is shocked that Bradley has been apparently watching him for years. Shit maybe his crush isn’t just one sided. He sits up, twisting to face Bradley head on.

“You care?”

Bradley smiles, “please god punch me if I got this wrong Jake but I more then care.”

And then he kisses Jake.

Bradley Bradshaw is kissing Jake Seresin.

Merry fucking Christmas in July to Jake.

Jake pulls away. “I’m a lot Bradley. I feel too much. I cry when dogs die in movies. I get angry around father related holidays. I have a weirdly dependent relationship with my best friend. I get it if you want to run away.”

Bradley takes Jake’s hand, he brings it up to his mouth kissing it and then using it to drag Jake into a hug. “I like a lot Jake. I’m grabby in the mornings. I take 30 minute showers. I cook but maybe not to the best level. I go full out at any holiday but I’m insufferably overkill around Valentine’s Day. I’m not running if you aren’t.”

Jake presses a kiss into Bradley’s neck. He feels tears in his eyes but for different reasons now. “Well I guess there’s only one way for me to know about the grabby morning part huh?”

Bradley laughs, he stands in one motion, and sticks a hand out for Jake to grab. “Wanna find out?”

Jake smiles up and grabs Bradley’s hand.

He’s not letting go. And he’s going to remember every damn moment of tonight.

[powderblueblood]

eddie, ronnie and lacy go to a party and jason, carol and team have something to say about it. lacy will of course stand up for them and eddie is gunna be like ‘yeah she digs me’

god (and i mean this literally) but of course it’d be the christian pipsqueak.

so sayyy it’s a post steve and nancy breakup harrington rager and they’re in that weird nebulous stage where they’re like, ‘we can be friends, right?’ and nancy, naive is like, sure! and steve, desperate is like, totally!

so naturally nancy guilts lacy and ronnie along for moral support. and naturally still, lacy and ronnie go next to nowhere without eddie attached plus it’s a business opportunity for him.

lacy’s nervous, like white light white hot nervous, so she makes this whole to do about getting ready at ronnie’s trailer… not least of all because this is kind of her and eddie’s first major outing as a couple. as much as she doesn’t need to make a statement, she needs to make a statement.

and the statement is, ‘i love this man!’

she helps ronnie pick out a sufficiently gay little outfit, because you never know, and lacy herself emerges in a hot little something something that’s tight and glam and nipped in the right places.

(“i bet a lot of people are expecting you to show up in chains and fishnets.”

“well, a lot of people expect girls to trade out their entire personalities to match the person they’re… and that’s not me! so.”)

anyway, cue eddie groaning into a throw pillow soon as lacy steps foot outside of ronnie’s room. that’s the kind of reaction we’re looking for. a little commotion for the dress.

touching down at harrington’s compound, two different kinds of nerves hit. lacy’s, seeing as how she hasn’t been here since carol clocked her one and eddie’s, who grabs lacy’s wrist before they go in and looks at her wide-eyed and honest to god says, “do i look okay?”

“do you look okay?”

“yeah. just… yeah. i don’t know.”

“when have you ever worried about wh—“

“lace.”

so she looks at him. really looks at him in his tone-perfect cartoon character uniform getup, no different than always. then, oh. her heart ka-chunks. oh.

her fingers web tight with his and her head shake-shakes, but there’s a wicked grin on those snakebite scarlet lips.

“hey. munson up for me, wouldja?”

inside, your average outlet mall-styled bacchanal. jello shooters galore (you wonder if steve makes them himself). leading the charge, you maneuver toward the kitchen—and funnily enough, find that ronnie knows more people here than you thought.

“what? band’s crazy good for networking.”

but before any peace settles over the land and you can make you and eddie a triple whiskey something, a caw slices through the room.

“sorry—freak brigade doesn’t have jurisdiction here.”

jason carver. jasonnnn carverrrr, aryan nation incarnate with a real spotty saviour complex to boot.

eddie, over your shoulder, is twitchy. “told you this was a shitty ideaaaa…”

because, of course, eddie is used to lingering on the outskirts of parties like these for a quick escape, lest the very nature of his presence summon a beat down.

but fuck that, lacy thinks. they have just as much a right to be here as anybody else. more, even—nancy asked.

“carver, don’t you have some freshmen to proselytise to? i see the whole glory for god bit isn’t keeping you from scamming on your girlfriend.”

for her sake, you hope chrissy’s kept her curfew.

“you got a problem, slut?” like, is that his only line?

lacy nudges ronnie on the shoulder, pointing a painted finger at carver. “see? takes one to know one.”

“what did you say—“

he lurches toward them, barely restrained by patrick and carol. lacy throws her palm up—her free hand, because her other is locked tight in eddie’s. not letting go. putting herself between the them and the him.

“ah, ah, ah. who do you think you’re going for here—him?”

carver’s eyes flick to eddie, who hasn’t even said anything yet, he’s so goddamn tense. lacy pouts, shaking her head.

“please. you gotta get through me first, bible banger,” her voice drops, just so a snarling jason can hear. “and between you and me? i’ve learned some things.”

“i bet you have,” he spits, shuffling around a couple come on, dudes and they’re not worth it.

“better listen to your buddies, jase. go play ball!”

snarling, faltering, retreating. lacy catches an extra dirty look from carol as they move out to the patio, which she receives with a wink. woo! powerful!

ronnie hooks an arm around her neck, presses a kiss to her temple. “gee whizz, lacy, my hero! i would’ve liked to see you kick the shit out of him in those boots, though.”

and eddie, well. eddie’s no longer got that shelter dog look. eddie’s looking at her like she’s god.

“you,” he grabs her other hand, “you,” he hoists them into a waltzing position, “you…”

flush against eddie’s front, well. lacy can feel how appreciative he is.

“enough about me,” she purrs.

“bathroom?”

“please. master bedroom. they’ve got a water mattress.”

[generic-whumperz]

Get to Know Tag

Big thanks to @clairelsonao3 & @mj-iza-writer for tagging me! I really like getting to know everyone more, and aw shucks, y’all included me in on the fun!

Rules: Tag 10 or more people you want to get to know better

10?! That feels like a lot for me, so I’ll gently do a no-pressure tag to some homies & mutuals I interact with often (+ if you see this and would like to join, please feel free!): @whumpyourdamnpears @rainydaywhump @drawing-dinos82 @dresden-syndrome @snakebites-and-ink @whumble-beeee @little-rat-dragon

Relationship status: Married for soon-to-be six years! Surprised? Not more than me, I assure you that! (He’s not on social media and not a Tumblr Baddie, nor is he a Whumper, but he listens to my insane bullshit, so shoutout to him for being a wonderful and supportive partner and letting me be able to let my freak fly freely—try saying that three times fast.)

Favorite color: Blue. Oh, I love all the blues, from cobalt, to ultramarine, to turquoise, to navy, baby, royal, sky, azure, and indigo.

Song stuck in my head: Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You by Engelbert Humperdinck (this name sounds fake and like it would belong to a snooty banker from A Christmas Carol.) There are several versions of this song, but for some reason, this is the one that permanently invades my mind.

Last song listened to: I was listening to oldies this morning on my walk, so: It Had to Be You (Big Band and Vocals) by Harry Connick Jr.

Dream trip: Is this a trick question? You think I can pick one place? I love the tropics, but considering that I’ve already been to Hawaii & Costa Rica, I’d take a trip to the Mediterranean (yes, I’m basic and would love a trip to Italy, Spain, Greece, or even a quaint little French countryside) over the tropics without hesitation. However, I am also drawn to Peru and Ireland, New Zealand (I would love to go to the locations where LOTR was shot), and Thailand.

Last TV show/movie: (Not counting Star Trek TNG I fell asleep to last night since I know no rest without being properly lulled to sleep by a Star Fleet Captain) The Boys! I finally started watching it and downed all of season 1 yesterday like the TV addict that I am.

Spicy/sweet/savory?: I dare say spicy, although my guts can’t tolerate much of it anymore (I was a hot sauce fiend in my youth, quite literally had a bottle of Tabasco and/or Tapatio on me at all times—yes, I even went so far as to keeping bottles of it in my locker at school), so I will gladly settle on savory.

Last thing I googled: All hail the Piano Man himself

[batrogers]

@recalled11 Forehead kisses Sky/Sun fic

Aftermath of Snakebite fic, from Sky's POV

[Also on AO3]

IIII

It was only after Legend returned that Link felt like he could breathe again.

He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, he’d done the right thing... but it was hard to really feel it when it had so obviously caused so much pain. He could swallow his and step back with a sigh of relief as Legend and Ravio retreated to cling to each other on the far side of the camp, but as he sat down himself he knew he wasn’t the only one still hurting.

Zelda (his Zelda, his wife, his companion the last three years) watched Ravio go with her own pain.

“You can talk to him after, I’m sure,” Link said. He settled himself by her side, shoulder to shoulder as the other men sat in a near mirror of them by their things.

Zelda jumped, flashing from pain to guilt to a blank smile of her own as she turned to face him.

“I know,” she said. “And I don’t want to remind them so soon...”

But, Link thought, unlike him Ravio wasn’t going to be dangerous if her pulling him away from his lover wasn’t addressed immediately... and Legend was.

“It’ll be soon enough for him,” Link repeated. He leaned in closer, and Zelda – in her nervous state – tilted her face down away from the kiss.

She didn’t want that comfort, not now. Link let her and tilted his head up instead, and his lips pressed gently into her forehead, her hair at his jawline. After a minute, she relented and he felt her give and lean closer into his chest of her own volition.

She would let him give that much, and Link wrapped his arms around her until she was tight against his chest.

There would always be time for more comfort later. It was as true of the two of them as it was of her and Ravio, and Link looked across the fire and saw to his relief and surprise, Ravio was looking back at them, his lover her mirror (as much as that ball of fire could ever mirror his Zelda) in his lap.

[melissamasakari]

Confessions you didn't notice

Chapter two. Birthday mess.

Sam's birthday went according to plan. In the morning I managed to catch her on the way back from training (and I even managed to cover my ears and not go deaf from Paulie’s screams!) and gave her a gift.

“Wow! Is this a ’snakebite’?! I didn't even dream of it. You're an angel!”

“Glad you like it. Evening plans are still valid?”

“Of course. That will be me and you only. Phyllis is on duty today, but I'll take her out for lunch. And Cap,” she turned around, looking at the dust slowly settling after her boss flew past, winding another circle, “had let me go early today”.

“What a generosity!” I deliberately clasped my hands. “Are we sure we’re there will be no one else?”

“I didn’t plan it. Remy is on Patrol around the abandoned ruins, Arlo, as usual, has carloads of papers and reports for the evening. And he also was talking about a bunch of commissions for materials. Well, he probably just came up with an excuse,” she shrugged with annoyance.

“Oh... that will be mine commissions, it seems. The poor fellow will completely drive himself away at this rate.”

“Don’t worry, he’s crazy like this every autumn. Just another week and he will calm down. He’ll just become an ordinary grumbler again.”

“With some itchy feet,” I couldn’t help but add quietly. Sam burst out laughing and ran off.

We had a great time in the evening as expected, collecting a ton of tokens from Django’s. I think we even emptied his entire prize pool till next year. He looked annoyed at first, but then he expressed his joy out loud and called us walking advertisements for an arcade.

Two days later I was persistently reminded that it turned out to be my birthday. Even pa sent a postcard from somewhere in his wasteland. Just amazing! He should have dispatched it at the beginning of summer for it to arrive in time. Ginger sent me a great necklace by the mail. I don’t usually wear this type of jewelry, but she will definitely be pleased if I come to a party in it. Gust sent... what is this, an umbrella? And with my signature stamp? He is crazy or something? By now the whole city should have noticed that I really hate umbrellas! And those hats are also dumb! And just then it started to rain, how predictable!

From time to time appearing at home between trips to work, I was surprised to observe the endless flow of townspeople at my fence gate. They looked around very funny, leaving boxes and parcels at the mailbox. Many gifts were without signatures or cards, but it was not difficult to guess the giver. In the mailbox there was even a note with threats and a demand to sell my workshop and get out. Probably Higgins...or those loser scammers. Well, let's see what kind of loot I’ve got. There is food from Emily and Martha, a cool warm jacket from Carol (I've been meaning to order it for a long time!), a carpet from Gale, another carpet from Sonya, a cool pot of flowers from Alice. Oh, what else is there? The box contained exactly the same black dress as I wore on that ill-fated day. The sweepingly and beautifully signed card read: “Shine bright too! I love you. Antoine!” Wow. ‘Black glow’? That’s unheard of. Well, okay, so there will be a spare one if I screw up somehow. And this is where the boxes end. And letters, too. Oh, wait. At the bottom of the box was a letter from Petra with blueprints and congratulations. And a very official paper from the Civil Corps with an apology for the delay of my commission and hopes for patience and calm. Damn red-block-head! But at least he definitely didn’t eavesdrop.

Sam found me late at night diligently threshing punching sacks. We had a nice chat and exchanged news. She handed me a cool roomy bag with the logos of Flying pigs stitched over as decorations. Hand sewn, that’s amazing!

“Do you like it? I wasn't sure since you didn't answer my question.”

“Amazing!” I couldn’t contain my delight and hugged her tightly. “Where did You get it? There are so many pockets, you are a miracle!”

“I bought the basic one from Carol and spent a long time fiddling with the decorations. It turned out a little clumsily, but I...” She drawled guiltily.

“Are you kidding?! In fact, it’s hard for me to imagine you doing needlework and here it is! When did you found time? No one has ever bothered like this for me before. Well, mom, maybe. And it was very long time ago so I almost don’t remember her.”

“I'm glad I guessed right. Cheer up, kid, I need to run further along the route before anyone notices that I’m skiving.”

Having assured that all the urgent work was going as it should I crawled away to rest. The weather was pleasant in the morning; the mud from yesterday's downpour had even dried out. After reporting on the projects to the guild, I decided to take a leisurely jog around the pond to relieve some turmoil from my head. Relieve, however, did not happen – obsessive thoughts followed me around. We even didn’t have a proper conversation. It's a pity. Maybe I should seek him out again? Come on, that's bullshit. I have much more important things to do. Gale has generously piled me with interesting work again, so I’ll try to throw myself into it and just wait till the rest of the fall. Apparently I made the wrong wish on the Day of Memories when I was releasing a flying lantern into the sky.

Until next Friday I honestly kept my promise to immerse myself in work. I fulfilled several large orders, took inventory, went through a bunch of paperwork, and, while making another small commission, decided to beat up my training dummies.

“Are you training?” out of surprise, I jumped abruptly high in the air and in a turn stroked the visitor with my knee in the shoulder.

And Arlo didn't even wince.

“Didn’t anyone tell you that sneaking is bad? And you have to knock!”

“Somebody once told me. And I knocked. Your fence gates are always opened anyway. Great shot, by the way!” He rubbed the bruised area, shook himself off and continued. “So just how busy are you?”

“It depends on what do you need me for. Are we expected to save the world again?” Remembering the last episode with the sewer repair I asked cautiously. I really didn’t expect that he would show up in person! Finally!

“No, it’s not that bad. I just got a little carried away and broke my training dummy. Can you make me a new one?” He nodded towards my equipment for blowing off steam. “I see you already know how – you don’t even have to look for blueprints. Will you take my commission?”

“Wait a minute. I made one for you recently. What did you hit it with, a hammer or something?”

“As it turns out I need something sturdier.”

“Okay, just how urgent is it?” And why do I keep thinking that I’m missing the chance to ask questions that are of much more interest for me?

“Can you have it done before the Snowball Battle? I don't want to miss my training for so long.”

“I have one condition. No, two.”

“I'm hanging on your words!”

“You still need to have a break from your training. You have been delaying my orders for the third week a row!”

“Sorry, something happened,” he shrank guiltily.

“I know what could have happened to you!” I blurted out, shaking my fist at him. Is it just my imagination or is there someone giggling there from behind the fence?

“What is the second condition?”

“I want to challenge you to a snowball battle. I have already beaten you in land run, but in the martial arts tournament I consider it was a technical draw.”

“A draw? You knocked me out of the finals! I didn't even understand how it happened. Twice.”

“So, you remember. And then Russo almost broke all my ribs. I should have left him to you. Or at least get some proper sleep before that fight...”

“Come on?! No preparation and you just rushed to thrash the butler. And if it’s of any consolation I didn’t have a chance against Russo either. He used to be a Civil corps leader after all.”

“Don't change the subject. I still have to invent an arlo-proof dummy, you know.”

“Yes, sure. I don't usually do snowball fighting, but why not? I haven’t done anything other than work and training for a long time.”

“Well, before I forget. How did your exams go?”

“It’s better not to ask,” he immediately drooped. Was it really THAT bad? He was running around like crazy all month.

“It's a pity. Sorry. So my lucky fist-holding didn't work. Next time I'll cross my fingers for you. They say it works better,” I made an appropriate encouraging gesture.

“It’s okay, I’ll survive. Looks like I'm still not good enough.”

“Then they are all blind there if they think so.”

Putting on an air of importance he cheerfully said goodbye and disappeared again into the landscape behind my fence gate. Just like deja vu. Looking for clues for the task he had given me I decided to visit Petra. We spent all day brainstorming and finally came up with a plan. There's just a little bit left to do – I have to get everything done in a week, unless urgent problem is rushed onto me. I had to hang around in the ruins all weekend and replenish supplies of materials; if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to start testing my arlo-proof-something by Wednesday.

On Tuesday morning Arlo reappeared on his own out of the blue. Sure, I don’t usually immediately notice if someone is looming around the fence, since it's such a common thing. There is always someone running around my place as if it is some tourist attraction. And almost half of the heads usually sticking up over the fence here are all red, well, including my own. I perfectly fit into the picture here, nothing more to say.

Why is Arlo acting so strange? So very weird. He just walks back and forth in front of my fence gate but for some reason he doesn’t try to come in or knock. So I decided to hail him myself.

“Arlo? Hey, come in, don’t circle around there or you’ll trample a hole in the road!” I shouted from the height of the second floor of the assembly station. Zero reaction. What's wrong with him? “Sky to the Captain, do you copy?! Captain Arlo, confirm the operation status! Repeat: confirm the operation status, Captain!”

“I asked you not to call me so!” He pouted, but at least he restored his touch with reality. I'll save this feat for the future.

“Come in, I said. I’ll come down soon,” I pointed with my hand into the yard, “or, if you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for me in the house.”

At the second offer he somehow stretched himself out with some nervousness, shook his head negatively, and in a couple of jumps found himself near the workbench. Having finished assembling another very important thing, I went to find out what was going on felling intrigued.

“Are you’re looking for your dummy? I planned to finish it tomorrow, well, Thursday at latest. I still need to test it, at least minimally.”

“Are you going to hit it with a pickaxe?” Hinting at the obvious difference in strength, he nodded towards my rather battered punching sacks hanging near the stable. “But no. That's not what I'm after.”

“Then what's up?” I wiped my hands with a rag and inquired.

“I was thinking. Maybe we can go somewhere together? Tomorrow.”

“Are bandirates invited to this party? Or maybe an ensemble of jumping dancers? An honor guard from the city administration? We seem to have agreed on a fest on Friday.”

“The festival is still valid, of course. But I would like to do something, well, more tranquil.”

“For example? Just don’t offer to go jogging and training!” I wonder if I’m daydreaming again, or is this a date? Judging by what I know, it’s definitely not his promotion party.

“How about we go to Django's? Then we can book an arcade hall or take a walk to the beach.”

“Beach in winter? Your tastes are little specific, you know.” I pointed out slightly sarcastically as I was trying not to show my excitement.

“I would suggest a haunted cave instead, but it’s slippery there now. And also cold. The atmosphere is the best, of course. It's creepy and disgusting. You may get sick, and instead of having fun you'll end up with a full pack of new problems”.

“Fair point. So tomorrow, a restaurant. In the evening?”

“Yeah, let's go in the evening. In the morning the hall is packed. At lunchtime there are always some of the bosses present. This will be no rest either.”

“Then where do we meet and what about the dress code?”

“I can come to fetch you. By seven. Is it fine?”

“Are you ignoring the second question on purpose, or is there some hidden meaning?”

“On this matter I am only a so-so adviser. I'll leave it you. Just make sure you're warm and comfortable enough. I know you’re still not very used to the snowy winter.”

“Acknowledged. I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow,” we bumped fists in goodbye.

In joyful anticipation I cheerfully completed most of the work planned for the whole week. I even managed to go and report on everything urgent. All that was left was that arlo-proof dummy. Sam caught me finishing it the next morning.

“Wow, what a monstrosity you are building here!” Her delighted voice came from behind the fence.“Can I check it out?”

“Come in, just don’t touch anything yet. It's not really bolted. I still need to tighten it up a little more and check it. And just then it will be ready to be screwed to some fairly heavy stand. So I just drove it into the ground so far. For tests.”

“Did you call a tester?” Sam inquired busily and patted her boxing glove with her hand.

“Let the owner test it himself. I really hope that at least he won’t hurt himself in the process”.

“This thing will be moved to the headquarters?”

“Bingo! Certainly. I'm already working on the second design.”

“What a colossus!”

“Yeah, I’m very interested to see how he’s going to get this thing uphill. I have never seen any transport usable to moving up the ice slide that the ramp in the park has turned into.”

“He'll figure it out. For the sake of resuming training he will do just everything. I was surprised that he even cleared away all the papers! Has he sent you all your materials? Or was I running around for nothing?”

“As far as I remember I still need leather and fur. I managed to get some for urgent orders myself. So, I'm not worried yet. But if there’s some lying around at the headquarters, just whistle and I’d better come and pick it up. Oh, by the way. Your order is ready too, I was going to catch you tomorrow. Wait a minute. And pass me that metal thing, please.”

“Oh, great. Glad I dropped by.”

“Are you in a hurry? I could use your help.”

“Not too much. What’s what you need?”

“A trivial girly thingy. I've nothing to wear.”

“Now that is interesting. People don’t usually come to me for something like that,” she laughed.

“I’m not going to ask Antoine for help and then be unable to get away from him. He gifted me a dress, can you imagine? And even signed a postcard.”

“Come on?! Show me!”

As we entered the house together I opened the closet and invited my friend to rummage through it while I washed myself off after the dirty work.

“So how do you like my booty?” I went out in my usual home attire, preparing to inspect my scarce selection of clothes.

“Here is plenty to choose from. So what’s the occasion and plan of the event?”

“I would have liked to know the occasion myself. I've been told it will be a restaurant and a walk. The sequence is arbitrary. Also I don't want to suffer from frostbite. And I don’t want to look like an unwashed miner either. As such, everything is as usual.”

“Okay. Then let's try this out” Sam surprisingly quickly put together a cool set for me. Then another one. And another still. How come I’ve got so many clothes?

As I’ve tried out everything offered, we looked at the clock and found that lunch was almost over. So we had to finally choose and we settled on a practical classic. As result two almost identical girls, a blonde and a redhead, looked at us from the mirror, smiling provocatively. The difference was in the details and some little things. My jacket was warmer and longer still, bright blue – made of Slurpee leather. And the jeans were perfect – gray, with a lot of pockets. My only warm and non-slip boots also fit well. I’ll even wear my new necklace with these. And also I’m going to take with me my current favorite bag.

“You are my savior! Drop by on any weekend – I’ll treat you to home-cooked lunch.

“Splendid! They say you almost beat Django in the Cook off. Sorry I missed everything. Usually that competition includes a lot of my favorite dishes.”

“Let's catch up then. And here's your order.”

To pass time til the evening I decided to tinker with the paperwork that I usually do on Saturdays. However, Arlo did not appear at the appointed time. Nothing new. I was about to go “test” his order, and I even got to made a couple of test kicks when I heard noise from behind the fence.

“Look what the cat dragged in! You can arrange transportation for your new toy,” I began instead of greeting and waved my fist invitingly.

“Oh can I try it out?”

“Just without zeal. I already thought you wouldn't come at all.”

“Sorry. I was sorting out complaints from one workshop. It turns out that you are accused of stealing a pickaxe. A bronze one!”

“What kind of jerk took a risk? I have had only iron ones for a long time. You know that.”

“Yeah, well enough. That's why the investigation took so much time. I had to collect evidence in the first abandoned ruins in order to prosecute him for libel. He will be an eyesore for me until the end of the week in the jail now,” he said indignantly but rather threateningly, and made a couple of test blows at the dummy.

“It was Higgins, wasn’t it? Ugh, I'm sorry. Consider yourself forgiven. And as such you already punished yourself for being late.”

“So generous. And this toy turned outto beexcellent! I had no doubts, of course. You’re a great builder after all. But you managed to exceed all expectations.”

“Are you sure you don’t have a basement anywhere? Otherwise it might, uh, break through the floor or something.”

“Don't worry. I won’t put it on the second floor, but it’s the clinic where there is a basement, not our place. Are you ready?”

“If you are ready to give up trying to break this monstrosity. At least until Sunday.”

“Yeah, sorry. Let's go. We should practice together sometime.”

“No way.” I closed the house and checked the gate.“I won’t spar with you anymore.”

“And why is that? It was great! I enjoyed it very much!”

“Because I still plan to beat you in the tournament next summer, of course!”

“And just how will joint training interfere with this?”

“You will be ready for my surprises that way. That's not very interesting.”

“Do you have any other strange techniques up your sleeve?”

“Just you wait and see.”

“We've arrived.” Arlo opened the door, letting me in first. Well, that's nice.

Oh, a cozy little fenced-in nook. Seems like a good spot, not too close to tables intended for large groups or business meetings, but, to my sorrow, uncomfortably close to the entrance and also in a draft. That's where we headed. Why am I so nervous? Well, I only dreamed about this for almost a whole month. Cheer up, girl! So, I allowed myself to be pampered a little tint bit, and we sat down opposite each other. The distance seems to be decent. Calm down, Melissa, breathe. Nothing is happening yet.

“You said that you come here often.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Then explain such abnormal excitement around.”

“You think so? It seems like it's always like this.”

“I don’t know how to put this. Usually when I get here, that’s either Sam who pulls me out into a noisy crowd of people or I just hang out alone at the counter and sometimes discuss new recipes with Django if he's not too busy. And now it feels like as soon as we entered the entire staff dropped what they were doing and began circling nearby.”

“If you hadn’t pointed this out I wouldn’t have noticed. For some reason such a stir happens every time I come in.”

“So it's clear. This means that in an hour at most the whole city will already be gossiping about seeing us here together.”

“And so what? Just let them say and think what they want. This doesn't bother me at all. Does it disturb you, maybe?” To my surprise he really guessed it! It’s unlikely that he’s always hanging out privately with the girls here. Otherwise Sonya would have already told everyone. Now she’ll definitely talk about this little visit of ours, oh crap.

“Not that much. Maybe on the contrary it will be beneficial and yield more orders,” I said, putting on an overly cheerful appearance. It’s also quite possible that those Nora of his will bite me in the face later. Who knows what these church apprentices are up to?

“By the way about orders. I mean what are we going to order?”

“Let me think. Will we have separate account? I'm quite happy with today's dish of the day, a couple of crepes for dessert, and some hot tart drink like tea or coffee.”

“If it’s more comfortable for you, let’s have separate.”

It is not at all surprising that Sonya was hovering somewhere nearby and instantly materialized as soon as Arlo waved his hand. We said hello again I told what I wanted and discussed the conditions. Then it was my companion’s turn and he immediately ordered a total five of his least favorite dishes. I was terribly surprised and immediately tried to talk him out from this dumb idea.

“Wait, you don’t like sweets. And you’ve said SO many times that you can’t stand steamed potato fruit. Are you sick by any chance? There are also three sweet dishes and even a dessert. Arlo, what's wrong with you?”

The waitress chuckled softly. Really, she knows better than anyone in this small town each persons preferences in food. There is nowhere else to go here to be honest.

“I was quite healthy this morning, thank you. I don't know I just wanted to try something new. Or give this food a second chance, something like that.”

“Okay, we’ll always have time to add something else.”

Sonya accepted our orders and finally left, smiling mysteriously and gracefully swaying her hips.

“So, how it is? Do you regret moving here yet?”

“No way. Apart from this cold winter and an excessively humid, rainy summer, I am quite okay. I'm not swallowing sand each time I need to go outside. And the skin does not crack if I forget to hide it from the sun. And my job is really interesting. I even have made some friends! And there is a small but pleasant bonus: my aunt can’t reach me here and has finally stopped trying to micro-manage my life.”

“How‘ s that?”

“Well, you know. She breathed down my neck all the time with her advice. Don’t talk with these people – they’ll teach you all bad things! Just tie the knot and be fixed for life. But you’re not allowed to be friends with this guy and that gal. Blah-blah-blah and stuff like that. She was so overbearing that she even distracted me from studying and working normally.”

“Understood. Sorry for asking.”

“Come on. Here I can at least breathe normally and be myself. Do what I want. Talk to everyone I like, and not with those who passed Kendra’s selection.”

“Do you think I'd pass?”

“Well, it's a good question. I didn't even think about it this way. Besides, I just don't give a fuck anymore. If she’d not like you, that would be her problem! It’s quite enough that I like you. But if you insist I can speculate what it would look like. Just for fun.”

“Try it, I’m curious, if it will not make you sad.”

“Well considering what I've heard about you from others... Hmm. I suspect she would be over the moon that I have a friend like you. Kendra would brag to all of her friends, driving away their ugly, boring momma's boys. But I just won't let this happen, okay? I only recently stopped receiving trainloads of letters from her demanding to account for every step. “

“Well, I haven’t seen something like this before, and it’s hard for me to comprehend it right now. I won't ask again, I promise.”

“Agreed. It’s like we came to have fun, not to pick at sores.”

“Exactly,” he was still noticeably saddened, even hovered a little. Somehow the conversation wasn’t going well, and I started to get even more nervous.

Our order arrived. Predictably, as Arlo never liked sweets, he turned even sourer. And he also flatly refused the offer to order something tastier or at least filling. Oh, damn it, what to do with him? I should have confessed to him near the house and found out everything! There are too many extra ears here, and it feels like they are all crowding around. I can’t ask about exams as he would have told me about work himself. In a fit of panic I fidgeted with my bag, I don’t quite understand what I was trying to find there except for keys and a set of tools. A first aid kit, maybe?

“Wow, what a cool bag do you have here. Did you do it yourself? I want one too!”

“No, it was not me. And there will be no repeat, this is a one-off.”

“Why is this?”

“It’s a present. Handmade. So it’s really hard to repeat.”

“It's a shame. Wait, a gift? From whom? Was there an occasion?”

“I won’t say from whom. But there was an occasion, yes.” I tried not to dwell on my disappointment from that day about how my “best friend” didn’t show up and didn’t even congratulate me with a postcard.

“I missed everything, right? How long ago?”

“In the fall,” Sonya came to put away the dishes, eavesdropped and tried not to giggle. I'll discuss it with her later. At least not in front of Arlo.

“Sorry. You were probably waiting, right?”

“Let’s just say, I hoped. At least that we could just meet up and chat. I definitely didn’t expect an apology for the delay of my order that arrived by mail. I missed you, by the way!” Oh, that was too loud. It seems like a couple of plates broke somewhere near, just a little short of reaching the kitchen.

“Can you pinpoint a date? I understand that I should have known this myself, but it has had totally washed out,” oh, what a guilty tone his voice has. I almost liked it.

“Not surprised. You were completely absorbed in the upcoming test. Twenty fifth.”

“Exactly. That was the last three days of preparation and run-up for the training ground. I utterly screwed up,” he hit himself on the forehead with his palm.

“Do not worry. I usually don't celebrate. This was I think the first year in the last... ten, or such that I had some festivities”.

“What kind of gifts do you like? Well, for the future,” have he perked up or something? It's nice.

“It’s hard to tell right away. I usually like something practical. The girls gave me a whole bunch of warm clothes. Now there is something to wear for work in and something fancy for special occasion. Just in case, I’ll tell you right now if you haven’t figured it out yet. I DO hate umbrellas! Anyone who dares to bring me an umbrella or any other thing that resembles it as a gift is at risk of getting it back, stuck up their ass and opened!”

I heard the door opening and the completely indecent laugh of Sonya and her group of friends three tables away. Antoine cackled louder than anyone, even the chandelier above them swayed. Well, guess who got here... I think I have problems. It's probably too late to leave. I shrank all over in my seat and tried to pretend to be a decoration on the wall, checking the situation with my peripheral vision. The laughter can still be heard, but it seems that the storm had passed. Gust walked past with a poker face and disappeared somewhere at the entrance to the arcade hall. His pig jumped funnily after him. Now it was I who had to hold back my laughter. Arlo without any reaction to Gust calmly continued:

“Do you have any wishes?”

“About gifts, or about this evening?”

“Both.”

“I’m not going to the arcade now, okay?” I nodded towards the person who came in. “I don’t want to see him with his sour face. It will ruin the whole mood for me.”

“Understood. Let's bug out then? “He winked conspiratorially and helped me to get ready to leave. Just in case I left a generous tip for my part of the order. I hope my hint will be taken.

We walked out into the refreshingly cool, clear night. The city had not yet begun to decorate for the winter festivals, it was quiet and calming. The yellow lanterns shone comfortably. I was really proud of making them! The shops had long been closed, and on the way to the Central square we didn’t even meet anyone. Sam's light wasn't on – she was most likely on duty. I was very relaxed so I didn’t even notice how we ended up at the swing near the school. But why not?

“Do you want to swing? New competition?” Arlo perked up noticeably and cheerfully sat down on the second swing nearby, as soon as I sat down on mine.

“You wanted quiet leisure time. Don't overexert - you'll fall out. Or wind will inflate your head,” I slowly began a test swinging, “I have a light form of motion sickness.”

“Then why did you do such tricks at the land run?”

“I had to quickly dust off my rusty skills. I have a complicated relationship with horses. And that stallion, moreover, was rented and too nasty. But it was fun!”

“Never DO that again. No one would even notice in time that something went sideways! You looked so confident.” I can hear rising anger in his voice. “And for your skills, we’ll come up with something if you wish.”

“Personal riding instructor? Sounds tempting. But first I will have to fix the issue with the stable and look for an opportunity to buy a horse. I need to wait until that tame filly I noticed at McDonald's grows up,” I said and then immediately imagined how ridiculous it all would look. Crap.

“Maybe you can start with something more trivial? Llamas are quite good for taming.”

“I hope this isn’t a veiled insult about my petite size. It's enough that Sam teases me about it regularly. But she's allowed to.”

“Why should I tease you? I like the way you are. And, by the way, why should Sam tease you? You two are almost of the same height.”

“It’s not really about height,” I jokingly pushed him under the elbow with my palm, slightly disturbing the balance of the swing. “We quickly befriended, and I got tired of her calling me builder. It was too formal. She called me “little fella” or “kid” one day and it stuck. Strange, because it’s not much shorter than my actual name. But I didn’t argue anymore.”

“Understood. Don't push me, or we'll get swings twisted.”

“Come on, I don’t have the strength to move you.”

“But you still managed to win a spar.”

“I’m still convinced that you gave in.”

“I wouldn’t have thought,” he got from the swing and walked around me from behind and grabbed the chains of my swing right above my hands. Satisfied, he looked down at me and offered to swing me. Starting to blush deeply, I nodded in agreement. For some time, only the rustling creaking of the rig was heard from above. I need to come back here sometime soon and oil all the bearings.

“Is it okay? Not too fast? Not frozen yet?”

“Fine. And what?”

“You look so good with such a blush on you, you know. It's getting late. Do you want me to lead you home?”

“Only if you come up for tea,” the swing gradually stopped.

“I don’t want to abuse your hospitality. Let's leave the tea for another time, okay?”

“Deal,” I got off my seat, and we headed towards the stairs.

Having climbed a few steps up, Arlo turned around, waved his hand at me and said: “See you Friday, sweetie!” and sped up the hill.

I'm looking forward to it. Wait, how did he call me? I definitely misheard!

[99griffon]

Dezi Lore!! Done on mobile, bear with me!

Dezi - She/They

Old World Ghoul, aged approx. 227

Dezi grew up in the OKC metro area, though they refuse to go into specifics on their background, including their given name. They ran away when they were still a teenager. Luckily, they found their way to the Rainbow Garden when they were fourteen, having heard about it while bouncing around homeless camps in the city. And, boy, when I say lucky, I mean it. A young teen on the streets of a post-recession Oklahoma was very dangerous. They had their fair share of scares and close calls before making it to Arcadia with the help of some hitchhiking. When Dezi made it to Rainbow Gardenz, Jolene took the kid in, gave them food and shelter.

Russ was living there on and off at the time, eighteen at the time, and assisted Kenny in educating Dezi to the best of their ability. They weren't teachers, by any means, but they worked with that they had. Dezi learned how to help care for the animals on the property, goats, chickens, barn cats, and a dog. They took an immediate shine to the animals, and it was nigh impossible to miss how much living surrounded by nature helped them. They came out of their shell before long. Dezi called the Garden's residents "uncle" and "auntie" often, though Jolene had the coveted title of "mamma" from the teen.

Dezi learned more about politics as they grew, unsurprisingly, most interested in environmental issues. From ages sixteen to eighteen, they were engaging in protests with some of her Auntie Gray and other friends of the Garden. When Dezi turned eighteen, however, they took on their biggest challenge.

A public park, previously funded by the city, was to be turned into a Chinese internment camp by the US government. Protests lasted for weeks, with the gov refusing to give way. As the protester numbers began to dwindle, Dezi decided they'd had enough. There was a champion tree in the park. While it wasn't the tallest in the world, it was among the tallest in the state. Dezi gathered up some gear and headed up into the tree, set on staying until the project was canceled. Jolene was not entirely on board with Dezi's plan but wasn't going to leave them on their own and ended up sending up supplies on a line when she could. All in all, Dezi was up there for two years. Eventually, the state governor set up another place for the camp to be built. By then, though, Dezi was exhausted and returned to the Rainbow Garden instead. They didn't attend protests for a year, allowing themselves time to recharge. However, during that year of rest, the war began and ended within a single day.

After the war, Dezi was relieved to see the people who had sheltered in the house had lived, including Jolene, Auntie Gray and her family, Russ, and Betty, as well as a few others. Kenny wasn't there, however. Due to that, Dezi stepped up and helped Jolene rebuild the best they could. Kenny returned by the time the illness had come around. Radiation sickness, brought in by the winds, had taken hold of the hippies in Rainbow Garden. The animals that had survived were suffering, too. Casualties began to spike, yet Dezi lived. Dezi had become a ghoul.

Dezi was relieved to see that wildlife had survived, as mutated as it was. They continued to care for the livestock. Their near-famlial bonds continued to hold true. As things settled on the surface, Dezi began to explore, finding their way to the dog food plant (gotta come up with a name) in the nearby suburb of Edmond. The place was overrun with dogs, but also had all sorts of odd equipment. This sparked a curiosity in Dezi and planted a few ideas in her head-- idead that quickly led a desire to learn a thing or two about science. They had Russ gather whatever surviving books he could during his outings to the city, and the older ghoul was happy to oblige, glad to see his little pupil eager to learn once more after the tragedies they had seen. When Snakebite joined their happy crew, they were able to vanish for longer periods of time and, with the help of the horses Snakebite wrangled in for them, was able to travel longer distances to other facilities.

Due to Dezi's severe lack of combat knowledge, however, they were not able to explore those locations themselves. Despite that, Dezi took note of the facilities and what they hoped they could learn there. They want to be able to allieviate the pain mutated animals must feel-- after all, two heads can't possibly be comfortable! Dezi isn't quite sure how they would do it. They know their goal is lofty and unlikely to come to pass. The animals will never be the same as they once were, anyway, but they still want to do research. After all, maybe someone, someday, could use their studies!

Until then, Dezi takes care of the animals at the house and the dogs at the factory. They also assist Kenny with making medicine, though they're still learning in that department, they're doing their best! They're good friends with the newer human folk that moved into the garden, as well as Melon the super mutant.

In a hypothetical game situation, the player would be able to help Dezi learn more about biology and chemistry, and as a result, gain access to the dogs in the factory as well as Dezi's trust and appreciation.

Extra:

Dezi spent their younger years on a reservation up until the courts decided that the state needed to have control over tribal land in order to gain more control over Oklahoma post-recession. It was sometime after that change that Dezi had been removed from their home and placed with some people with views far different from their own. Dezi was forced to change for a long time until they decided to finally run away.

[rvend]

character sheet.

FULL NAME. Rue Emmanuelle Fairchild. NICKNAMES. None. PRONOUNS. She/her/hers. SIZE.  5'3. AGE. 35. ZODIAC.  Virgo. SPOKEN LANGUAGES. English. French.

physical characteristics.

HAIR.  Naturally a dark brown, but Rue has dyed it black since she was 14. She's gone through a lot of styles over the years but currently it's settled on longer and layered, past her shoulders, with bangs that are growing out. EYES. Grey. SKIN TONE. Incredibly pale. She'd make Snow White jealous with how fair-skinned she is. However she is absolutely covered in tattoos. They are all eldritch horror themed and while there are gaps of skin showing, there isn't a spot on her body that isn't tattooed (save for her face). There are even tattoos on her breasts (edges from the larger pieces on her ribs or shoulders). BODY TYPE. Ectomorph. Lithe and thin, very slender. VOICE. Deeper than one might imagine a girl of her stature would have, or maybe it perfectly fits someone that's edging on adult alternative grunge-goth. DOMINANT HAND.  She's ambidextrous but primarily uses her right hand. POSTURE. She's such a sloucher. She stands more upright but not proper posture at all, and she sits like a gargoyle when she's doing graphic design work or forging. SCARS. Various scars from accidents as a child and the occasional scar from needles. Nothing substantial, however. BIRTHMARKS. A few beauty marks here and there. MOST NOTABLE FEATURES.  Tattoos and piercings galore. She has double snakebites in her bottom lip, two piercings in her right brow, one piercing in her left nostril, her tongue, a double helix piercing, conch piercing and two lobe piercings in her left ear, an industrial piercing in her right as well as one in her lobe (no gauges), a VHC and triangle piercing in her genitals and two piercings in her right nipple (in an X shape), and one in her left (standard horizontal bar).

childhood.

PLACE OF BIRTH. Marseilles, France. HOMETOWN. Chesapeake, Virginia. Manhattan, New York, New York. SIBLINGS. None. PARENTS.  Cecile Fairchild (deceased; 38). James Fairchild (deceased; 39). RAISED BY. Lenore Fairchild (45).

adult life.

OCCUPATION. Freelance graphic designer. Forger. CURRENT RESIDENCE.  Manhattan, New York, New York (verse dependent). CLOSE FRIENDS. TBA. FINANCIAL STATUS. Upper class. DRIVER'S LICENSE. Yes but she hates driving. CRIMINAL RECORD.  Minor infractions for drug offenses and alcohol. One count of breaking and entering, loitering, and assault as a juvenile. MILITARY RECORD. None. SKILLSET. She's an incredibly talented forger. The kind of menace with a computer graphic program that got notoriety as a teenager. VICES. Smoking, occasional drug use, sex addiction.

sex & romance.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.  Heterosexual. PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.  If you ask her, none. But she needs someone whose not going to abandon her and willing to stick around and prove it. She's difficult and spiteful with a lot of walls. However she is a giver and when she does care, she cares with everything she has. PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.  True switch. She will be completely dominant with one partner and easily switch to total sub for the next. It depends on her partner's preference. TURN OFFS. Complete narcissism, talking too much, lawful-good personalities. TURN ON'S.  Sarcasm, a good power struggle (verbal or otherwise), someone who gives back just as much as she gives. LOVE LANGUAGE.  Acts of service. Quality time. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.  She's incredibly difficult but once someone breaches her walls she gives them everything she's capable of. Despite her many thorns and spikes she is actually a very giving individual and has a lot of love ot give the right and patient one. However it's been nearly 20 years since she's been in a real relationship so she's a bit ... rusty.

miscellaneous.

HOBBIES TO PASS THE TIME. Making memes, listening to music, sex, photography. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED. Right brained. SELF-CONFIDENCE LEVEL. She was really eccentric in her teens and honestly has never once given a single fuck what anyone thought of her (appearance, personality) which means she is very self-confident without coming across as smug or narcissistic. EXTRA. Rue suffers from a congenital birth defect known as CIPA - Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. In essence she physically cannot feel pain, and her body unable to tell hot or cold sensations. The anhidrosis makes her unable to sweat. She wears something akin to an iWatch that keeps track of her body temperature and has alarms that ring if she needs to adjust to be cooler or warmer. She performs self-checks multiple times a day to ensure she hasn't hurt herself in her sleep or doing any sort of activity. She's been hospitalized for injuries or illnesses before with no outward tells to what's affecting her. As such, she has a close relationship with various doctors. Much of her excellent medical care is thanks to her aunt, whose wealth and influence assured she was always cared-for.

[abellinthecupboard]

Postcolonial Love Poem

I've been taught bloodstones can cure a snakebite, can stop the bleeding—most people forgot this when the war ended. The war ended depending on which war you mean: those we started, before those, millennia ago and onward, those which started me, which I lost and won— these ever-blooming wounds. I was built by wage. So I wage love and worse— always another campaign to march across a desert night for the cannon flash of your pale skin settling in a silver lagoon of smoke at your breast. I dismount my dark horse, bend to you there, deliver you the hard pull of all my thirsts— I learned Drink in a country of drought. We pleasure to hurt, leave marks the size of stones—each a cabochon polished by our mouths. I, your lapidary, your lapidary wheel turning—green mottled red— the jaspers of our desires. There are wildflowers in my desert which take up to twenty years to bloom. The seeds sleep like geodes beneath hot feldspar sand until a flash flood bolts the arroyo, lifting them in its copper current, opens them with memory— they remember what their god whispered into their ribs: Wake up and ache for your life. Where your hands have been are diamonds on my shoulders, down my back, thighs— I am your culebra. I am in the dirt for you. Your hips are quartz-light and dangerous, two rose-horned rams ascending a soft desert wash before the November sky untethers a hundred-year flood— the desert returned suddenly to its ancient sea. Arise the wild heliotrope, scorpion weed, blue phacelia which hold purple the way a throat can hold the shape of any great hand— Great hands is what she called mine. The rain will eventually come, or not. Until then, we touch our bodies like wounds— the war never ended and somehow begins again.

— Natalie Diaz, Postcolonial Love Poem, 2020

*a cabochon is a precious stone with a smooth, non-faceted hemispherical or oval face **a lapidary or lapidarist is someone who cuts and engraves precious stones ***culebra is Spanish for snake

[cobalt-cop]

💍Would they ever get married?

🛏What is their favorite bedroom activity to do with their partner?

🔮Do they believe in soul mates?

♦️Are they concerned with the social status of their partner?

💍: “I can’t have ties like that outside of No Zone. And seeing as I don’t romantically like anyone here… It’s not happening. Its too long of a project that’d get in the way of my work anyway.” He said simply, not looking like it bothered him one way or another.

🛏️: Zonic gave the question some thought and settled on; “Maybe cuddling and talking? I’m a pretty boring person… Maybe sex if one thing leads to another…” he mumbled with a blush.

🔮: The blue cop almost laughed. “Of all the Zones I’ve seen, how vast the multiverse is and the sheer number of people in it that you’ll never meet, if soulmates existed, which I don’t believe they do, the odds of finding one are too small to note. Zails could probably calculate it, but I don’t want to ask. Even even if there were rules that your soulmate has to be in your zone somewhere, it’s still impractical.”

♦️: Zonic gave an almost exhausted sigh. “It’s not their social status that concerns me, its their moral status that does. Rich, poor, high/middle/low class, i couldn’t give a shit either way, but if I have reason to lock you away in No Zone, I’m really not likely to like you.” He paused. “I don’t care if you moral compass is as fixed as mine, but if it’s not, I really don’t want to see a lot of crime… clearly it’s not my thing.” He gestured to his uniform. “Snakebites is… different. So this doesn’t apply to him.”