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theoneeyedgoldenwolf · 2 months ago

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Old friends not worth keeping

Whumptober 2024, Day 3: Set Up For Failure, Fingerprints, Wrongfully Arrested, "I warned you."

Summary: Legend’s past has come back to drag him into something he had thought to have left behind him. Time is not going to let that happen and he’s ready to risk his life to keep his boy in the new life and path he’s gained.

CW: Blood, getting beaten (both good guys and bad guys), framed for a crime, toxic friendship, cursing, threatening one’s family, murder, kidnapping, held hostage, fear of needles,

Notion: - Time does NOT have Fierce’s markings. He’ll get them MUCH later. Yet, he does have lost his right eye and there’s the scar over his right eye. - I am throwing in lot of stuff by police TV series as well as my own common sense. I have no idea if any of this would hit true or wise but it just seems like something that Time would certainly find worthy of doing to keep his boy safe and sound and have evidence of specific conversations and such. - Luck Bird = Siberian Jay - Expanding my (in AO3) story's “Snippets for Ranch Family” number 27: “I thought you, of all people, would understand why I did what I did.”. It changed a bit but in overall same stuff.

Legend’s name’s explanations: - Tariku means "his history, his story" in Amharic. (With this I thought about the word “legend”) - Derived from French, Beaumont translates to ‘beautiful mountain’, suggesting origins from a picturesque hill area. This surname likely originated from individuals residing near such scenic landscapes.

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Time stood up straight from aiding Wind with his homework when he heard the front door opening and closing. “Just in time. The dinner’s ready in a moment.” He called while heading towards the door to check on the second boy he had adopted. Legend had been out with some friends but he had promised to return for the meal. None of the residents of the Lon-Lon Ranch wanted to miss Wild’s cooking.

The one eyed male jerked and gasped in shock the moment his gaze fell into the youngster. “LEGEND!” He screamed out and dashed over to the boy before already crouching down to get a better check on the bloodied face of his. “Dear Goddesses! The hell’s happened?!” He almost shouted while gently moving the younger one’s head to see the damage.

“T-Time…” Legend whispered with broken voice while crying.

“Sssh, you’re gonna be okay.” The owner of the ranch whispered before getting up. “Twilight, you’re in charge! Everyone stays inside until we’re back!” He commanded straight off while already grabbing his keys and jacket. “And you’re going to hospital on this second.” He stated out while getting swiftly ready to leave the house with the bleeding boy in the entry of the house.

“T-Time, please, no…” Legend begged while grabbing his arms. “Y-you gotta listen…” He pleaded before flinching as the sound of alarms of police cars approached. “I’m framed! I didn’t...!” He exclaimed before flinching again as the car doors were slammed shut. He jerked and hid behind the taller male when there was a very rough knock, almost like banging, on the door.

“Open up! This is the police!” The call came from the other side.

Time almost growled as he stood up. “Stay behind me.” He commanded while gently but firmly taking hold of the boy’s arm. He glanced behind when the four other youngsters came over in worry and slight fear. Their guardian swiftly showed to stay put before turning his notion to the door. “If you wish to get inside then calm the fuck down!” He commanded very roughly while knowing he certainly startled the people on the other side of the door.

Time very carefully opened the door before straight off backing away and making sure his wounded boy was behind him fully and thoroughly. The police opened the door roughly before their hard gaze already fell into the youngster hiding behind the one eyed male. “You’d better talk or I’ll sue you all for trespassing and cornering a wounded boy.” The ranch’s owner snarled and managed to snap the three guy’s gazes up into him.

“We are here to arrest Link Tariku Beaumont.” One of the men stated out.

Time almost smirked at that. “Sorry, no-one by that name lives in here.” He stated out firmly. “The kid you’re harassing at the moment is named as Legend LonRan. And he’s going to hospital and not to jail.” He started firmly while almost snarling the last line.

Legend was trembling behind his guardian while he got ready to leave the house. “Touch him and I’ll sue you all for harassment, assault, deprivation of liberty and denial of his guardian to stay by him.” He stated out roughly while glaring at the trio by his doorsteps. “Get the fuck off the way or I’ll add blocking one’s doorway into the list.” He growled while letting his harsh glare go from one police to another.

Surprisingly the trio moved off the way and let Time and Legend through. “Twilight, lock the door!” He commanded before pushing the door shut. He kept close check on the trio while making his way to his car and keeping Legend behind him.

“One of us rides with you two.” One of the police commanded.

Time couldn’t really do anything else than nod. Yet, his rough gaze almost froze the policeman to his place as he followed the duo. “Land your hand on my boy and I will defend him.” He warned with deathly cold voice. The policeman nodded in understanding and slumped beneath the one eyed male’s gaze.

“Don’t say a word, Legend.” Time advised as they got into the car and started to head out of the ranch. “We’ll need more people to hear your words so it won’t be just word against word.” He explained while feeling very slightly bit grateful when one of the police cars drove before them and one was behind. “Your friend better be leading to a hospital or you’re all in huge fucking trouble.” He told and the policeman on the backseat just nodded silently.

The police did escort them to the hospital and Time stayed by Legend whole time while making sure the police didn’t get anywhere near the youngster. He pushed his fear of needles out of the window and forced himself to stay still and not trembling and flinching as the wounds were being stitched. After all, it wasn’t him being fixed but his boy and he needed to be there for moral support at the moment.

Eventually Legend was laying on the hospital bed with Time sitting on the bed to stay as a blockage between the police and his boy. He had managed to keep the doctor and couple of the nurses by them too to listen the upcoming conversation of sorts. “I’m recording this conversation in case the proof will be needed.” The one eyed male stated out firmly while putting his phone into a charger to keep it alive as long as needed and put it to record. After that he took once a deep breath. “This is the conversation, or interrogation as you police would call it, between Legend LonRan, Sprite “Time” LonRan and the three policemen whom are… State your names and badge numbers, thank you.” He stared and the trio did as asked even though they were bit startled of how well Time was aware of the possible charges to throw in, the possible need of witnesses and recorded conversation along with everything else. Time gave out the date and the time before nodding to the three policemen. “So, what are the charges you are up for placing against Legend LonRan?”

The trio glanced at each other before gulping once. Something in this man guarding the one they should be arresting was terrifying. His whole demeanor was screaming for others to listen and follow his command. He was a clear leader and demanded for respect without saying or showing it.

“We are charging him with a robbery gone wrong.” One of the policemen finally started. “The owner of the small grocery shop was killed. He—“

“I DIDN’T DO THAT!” Legend screamed in near terror.¨

“Shush, Ledge.” Time commanded gently while raising his hand up. “Continue.” He stated out and nodded to the policemen.

“He was seen fleeing the crime scene. His fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.” Another policeman told while bit wondering why they were giving this much information already. Yet, no matter how he tried, he could feel himself shrink beneath the youngster’s guardian’s gaze.

“The cameras and the recorded videos were destroyed. There’s no evidence of there having been anyone else.” Third one told.

“Where this happened?” Time inquired surprisingly calmly and the trio gave out the address. “As far as I’m aware, there’s a camera or few on the opposite street as well as on the street behind the grocery shop. I know since I’ve been to that store few times.” He told firmly. “Have those been checked?” When the trio shook their heads. “In you place I’d check all possible ways to know the full truth. Not just what’s thrown at your face.” He tried to keep his voice calm and collected so he couldn’t be blamed for coercion of any kind. And still, this was his boy that was being accused of crimes. Yet, he soon sighed sorrowfully. “I am not going to make any assumptions but the old man was more often than not at there. I feel bad for this to have happened. My condolences to the deceased’s family and friends.”

The three policemen nodded in while taking in the real feeling of sorrow on both their perpetrator as well as his guardian. “The way we got the notion of the situation was through a silent alarm.” The first police told. “We followed the blood which brought us to the ranch.”

Time tried not narrow his gaze but he couldn’t help it. “The ranch is his home.” He stated out firmly. “And did it ever occur to you that he might’ve tried to help instead of being the perpetrator? He’s got checkered past he’s trying to get rid of so he freaked out.”

“You’re making things up.” The second police told while trying to stand against the leadership the boy’s guardian held. He still ended up gulping. “Considering his past, he was set up for failure from the very start. Young criminals do not change.” He claimed and ended up taking an unconscious step back when the one eyed male’s gaze hardened even more.

“As you wish.” Time replied and turned entirely different gaze into Legend. “Your turn, Legend. Tell the full truth from the moment you left home to having come back. Leave nothing out.” He requested with calm and warm voice. His gaze was reassuring and fond.

The caretaker of the Lon-Lon Ranch’s apple trees nodded. He still felt fearful of the police in the room but he also felt safe with Time right by him. He took once a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Actually, things started about a month ago.” He confessed uncertainly and bit shrunk underneath Time’s startled gaze. “I wasn’t aware of who was sending the texts so I ignored them. All the way until the threat came up.” He explained and slumped. “I should’ve told you.” He admitted sorrowfully while raising his gaze up. “I should’ve told you but I thought I could deal with this on my own. I didn’t…” He trailed off for a moment before dropping his gaze down. “I didn’t want you and my adopted brothers to end up tangled into my past life’s mess.” He said sorrowfully and quietly but making sure his words and voice would be recorded into Time’s phone. After this he took a deep breath and began to explain it all.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Don’t say you’ve forgotten us.”

Legend just frowned at the text message before shrugging. It might’ve just been either a scam or then a wrong number. Nonetheless, he wasn’t certain why he ended up saving it and storing in case more would appear. Maybe it was because there was some kind of familiarity in it that he couldn’t really figure out.

About a week later another message came. “You’re making a big mistake if you ignore us.” It sounded more threatening but Legend still decided to leave it off of his notion. He wondered a bit if he should inform Time about the message but he shrugged it off. The ranch’s owner was on a mission at the moment while counting on his boys to behave and do things right. The caretaker of the ranch’s apple trees didn’t want to divert his guardian’s notion from the work he was handling. He had a feeling it could’ve ended up as deadly situation and he didn’t want to risk it for any of reason. After that, though, he forgot the messages even existed.

Another week and another message. “We know where you live.” Legend shuddered at the short line before shaking his head. Lot of people knew he lived at the ranch. He had few acquaintances at the school whom certainly had his number and were aware of where he could be found. Yet, he didn’t delete it. He just saved it and kept it in the thread of the earlier messages. After that he went outside and smiled as he saw his family that had adopted him almost two years ago. It had grown by three members since he was adopted.

Fourth week and Legend nearly stopped breathing as he read the message. “Ignore this and you will see your beloved apple trees go up in flames. Talk to your “family” and you can watch them die. Tell to the cops and we will make sure your “brothers” and “caretaker” will face their worst nightmares if and when the death arrives.” His hands were shaking and he was grateful of being in the house alone at the moment. He couldn’t mess his four brothers and Time into this. He gulped once and finally replied into the message.

“Who the fuck are you to throw in this kind of threats?!”

“You know perfectly well who we are. Or have you forgotten your TEAM?”

Legend stared horrified at his phone and that one simple reply. He recalled the TEAM easily even though he really wished he didn’t. The trio he had been with while he had been at the orphanage had been far from the company he would’ve wanted. If Time hadn’t come to there the day he did, he would’ve lost his chances of changing his life around.

Legend nearly jumped out of his skin when the next text arrived. “You OWE to us, Link. Meet us at the giant tree in the town’s park at five.” He checked the clock and gulped once. He only got an hour to reach the place in time. He needed to run.

Legend dashed out of his room and down to the first floor. He quickly grabbed his jacket and put the shoes on before already bit fumbling with the keys before getting out. He locked the door before checking around in search of anyone he could tell he’d leave the ranch for a while. “Time!” He called and really, really wished he could’ve told about the situation to him.

“Got school work done?” The one eyed male inquired as Legend ran to him.

“Yeah….” Legend replied while feeling entirely scared and nervous. “Can I go to meet few friends of mine?” He inquired while partly wishing Time would deny it.

“Sure. Just be back by eight for meal.” The ranch’s owner replied calmly before bit frowning as he noticed something being off. “Something wrong?” He inquired while crouching down to Legend’s eyelevel. “You know you can tell me anything.”

Legend hesitated for a second before he hugged Time tightly. “All’s fine. I’ll be back in time.” He told and pulled off before Time had a chance to return the hold. After that he ran. “I’m bit late! I gotta go fast!” He shouted as an explanation while glancing once behind with a grin.

“I’m on my way. I can’t make it to five since I don’t have a car or other means of traveling than just my own feet.” Legend swiftly texted while wishing the trio would accept it. It took a moment which he almost used to hold his breath in before the reply arrived.

“Fine. You got time only until half past five. Be here or you will be sorry.”

Legend sighed a bit in relief for the extra half an hour. It wasn’t much but it would keep his family safe and sound. And so he ran as fast as he could even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep running all the way to the right spot.

When Legend finally reached the park, he was so thoroughly exhausted and out of breath but he couldn’t stop for long. He stopped only long enough to check his phone’s battery, hope for it to last long enough and put the recorder on. He needed the proof of this conversation no matter what. After that he took once a deep breath and ran again. He only had about ten minutes to reach the giant tree in middle of the park by the small pond.

“Well, well, well… Got here just in time, I see.” The leader of the trio smirked as Legend reached them and doubled over while gasping for air like a fish on dry land. He gasped when the second guy gave him a simple jolt and he lost his balance by that. The trio laughed at his inability to stay upright and defend himself.

“We’ve been keeping eye on you, Link.” The leader spoke after having crouched down. “And we’ve done bit of checking on your so called brothers.” He continued while his voice got crueler with a wicked smirk. “You want to know what we’ll do if you mess them or the cops into the plans of us four?”

Legend gulped while trying to catch his breathing. He trembled a bit underneath the rough gaze. He didn’t dare to nod or shake his head. He just simply waited while knowing the two years older male would talk regardless of his choice.

The older male smirked at the mess he had made out of his old friend. “I’ll go this in the order that guy’s gathered your brothers.” He stated out and began to count with his fingers just to mock-count the boys living at the ranch. “Twilight shall be ripped apart by ferocious wolves. Wild will be burned alive. Wind faces the death by drowning. Sky can see if he can fly when dropped from high building.”

“P-please… D-don’t…. D-don’t hurt them.” Legend begged while knowing that those were the worst ways for his brothers to face death. Twilight loved wolves and held them as his protectors. Wild had been tried to be burned alive before he had ended up into the orphanage from where Time had found him. Wind’s parents had drowned at sea. Sky’s father had been an avian. Wishes, fears and believes. Legend couldn’t even imagine any of those to be turned against his family.

“And what about that caretaker of yours, then?” The youngster continued and his smirk widened as Legend gulped. “I’ve heard he got a phobia. A needle fear, to be exact.” He stated out and chuckled cruelly. “I know few who would gladly take living human to be experimented on. Lots of needles, you know.”

Legend shuddered violently at the thought of Time being forced into dealing with needles like that. He and his brothers had witnessed their caretaker’s fear several times by now due to blood tests, vaccinations and such. He was there for each of them but it had been clear he hadn’t been comfortable around the needles. In fact, he was nearly panicked while doing everything he could to keep them calm and collected. He had claimed it to be mild case but it was clear that was a pure lie. Yet, even when they tried to keep him from being there, he kept telling he’d be there for his boys just to make sure none of them were hurt and things were done correctly. Each of the five adopted sons wished they were returning the favor as they made it clear they’d be there for him too during those medical moments.

Legend gulped once while having managed to sit up and ease out his breathing a bit. “W-what do you want of me?” He inquired while fearing for the answer. The trio could’ve continued their lives as crooks without him. He had no idea why they wanted to drag him back into the life at the wrong side of the law.

The leader’s gaze hardened and Legend slumped even more. “You left us just when we had planned a big one. It would’ve been a huge milestone on our road.” He snarled nearly raged. “So, you owe us. And so, we have a heist planned. You will be the center of it.” The leader stated out with a smirk. “Move.” He commanded and roughly yanked Legend up from the ground. “You’ll learn more when we reach the place.”

Legend had no other choice than to follow as the leader led the way and the duo made sure he wouldn’t escape. “Everyone got initiation ceremony for new members. Or, in this case, for old members.” The leader told calmly while making his way through the dark day and roads lighted by streetlights. Eventually they stopped and he nodded towards the small grocery store on the opposite street. “Our target.” He simply told and smirked. “You do remember how things go, right?” He half inquired with a wicked grin.

Legend reluctantly nodded while slumping. He had wished to have gotten out of this shit. Back in the orphanage he had been the lookout and the destroyer of the cameras as he had keen eyes to notice them. At least his work would be the least trouble causing and maybe giving a chance to escape.

“Yeah, well, things change this time around.” The leader stated out almost airily. “This time you’ll be in middle of the action.” He smirked and waved his hand to give a mark to his followers as he began to approach the shop. “Cameras. Lookout. You with me, Link.” He commanded out and half forced the reluctant member of their group into the place. The other two spread out the moment they were inside.

Legend watched fearfully around while feeling tad grateful that there weren’t any customers. He feared what this trio would’ve done to them if there had been innocent shoppers around. He was trembling as the leader of the group just forced him towards the cashier, an old and kind looking man. “How may I help you lads?” He inquired as calmly as he could while noticing how terrified Legend was looking.

When the leader of the group glanced around to check that his teammates were in right places and handled their jobs, the owner of the place accidentally dropped a pen to the floor. “Oops.” He half chuckled and bent down to pick it just to press the silent alarm on. At least he was hoping to aid the reluctant youngster that might’ve been the trio’s hostage at the moment.

The leader of the group put two sets of gloves on and drew out a knife. Just as the man stood back up, the head of the group of teenagers attacked Legend. He slashed and stabbed with the knife, kicked and punched. Legend screamed and tried to fight back but he had been taken too roughly off guard to be capable of really defending himself.

The shopkeeper gasped and dashed around the counter while having grabbed a baseball bat from the lower shelf. He swung it but the group’s leader had waited for it and swiftly grabbed hold of it. He moved quickly and yanked the weapon off of the man’s hold. He tackled the shopkeeper next to Legend while smirking.

The leader expression was almost devilishly delighted while turning towards Legend and forcing the knife into his hand before taking tight hold of his fist and keeping the hand shut around the weapon. After that he yanked the youngster upwards before already making him to stab the shopkeeper. The youngster whom loved rabbits over all other animals stared horrified as the group’s leader forced him to keep stabbing the old man over and over again into the chest.

Eventually the leader let go of Legend and smirked as his former team member broke down and desperately tried to help the murdered man. “If you talk about us, you know what will happen to that ranch and the people living at there.” The leader snarled with a smirk. “We’ll see you again after you’ve dealt with the cops.” He chuckled cruelly and turned towards his loyal followers. “Grab what you want, boys! We’re leaving!” He commanded before pulling the top gloves off while knowing his fingerprints weren’t on them. He dropped them next to the youngster and left the shop with his real team.

Legend was crying and shaking while knowing he couldn’t save the man anymore. Suddenly the police cars came screeching in to the area. He scrambled up to his feet and freaked out. He didn’t think twice as he dashed out of the place through the backdoor. The only reason he was running was the fact that he needed to keep his family safe and sound. And yet, without really meaning to, his feet carried him back to the ranch. To the only place he had ever felt safe and sound.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Once Legend was done explaining and having broken down, Time moved closer to him and gently hugged him. He whispered comforting and reassuring words while doing all he could to show that everything would be okay and he didn’t blame or hate him. Sure, he wasn’t entirely approving of how things had gone but he understood it nonetheless.

The policemen listened silently to the explanation before glancing at each other. “I’m afraid we still need to take him in.” The third police told and tried not to tremble. “He might end up wrongfully arrested now but we need to check all the evidence to see his claims to stick true and interrogate him again. To get things, um… More properly recorded as you probably understand.” He explained as well as he could.

Time’s gaze was hard when he turned to look that the trio from police forces. “He is not a liar.” He did his best to keep his snarl off of his voice. “Honesty and truth are one of the main rules to living with me at the ranch.” He stated out firmly.

“At the moment we are keeping our minds open.” The first policeman told as calmly as he could while raising his hands up in calming manner. “We need to do things correctly. His phone will be marked as evidence. The texts and the recorded conversation will be important in finding the truth.” He explained while bit calming down as Legend’s guardian seemed to calm down a bit. “Yet, for doing everything right, we would need to take him in.” He half apologized and glanced at the doctor and the couple of nurses in the room. “Is he safe to be held in a prison for the night?” He inquired and the hospital’s staff nodded.

“Yes. His wounds have been tended and there is no notion for concussion.” The doctor told and ignored the slight glare he got from the one eyed male. “I am only here for listening and giving medical information.” He told while raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

Time sighed heavily and nodded in understanding. “Alright. But, on one condition.” He nearly snapped while just barely being capable of keeping his voice calm. “I will stay with him.” He told firmly, almost commandingly. “He is underage.” He reminded with a slight grin. “And hence, as his guardian, I will not let him be in the prison alone.”

“Time…” Legend called worriedly while feeling contradicted about the situation.

“Don’t worry, Ledge. I got this.” Time assured gently. “I’ll call Twilight in a moment and let them know. I’ll be right by you whole time.” He promised with certain and soft voice. Legend calmed down a bit and relaxed slightly while nodding in understanding.

The trio of policemen glanced at each other. “That’s… We need to speak with our Commander about this.” The second police said bit uncertainly.

“If your Commander doesn’t want a lawsuit then I’ll be let to be with Legend.” Time stated out firmly. The three policemen glanced at each other before nodding firmly. The ranch’s owner turned his gentle gaze into Legend. “You ready to leave?” He inquired softly while inwardly feeling far more safer at the hospital at the moment than at where they’d be going. It bit surprised him as he had never liked hospitals even one bit.

“Y-yeah…” Legend half stammered with a nod.

Time smiled reassuringly at him and gently hugged him. “Alright. I’ll call Twilight real quick to let the boys know of the situation.” He told while reaching for his phone but stopping midway. “Actually, can I use your phone, Ledge? Need to keep the recording going.” He half requested and the younger male nodded firmly before reaching for his phone. Time kept close check on the police so they wouldn’t do anything rash just because his boy was retrieving a phone.

“I hope it still has enough of battery in it for the call.” Legend told while opening it up and giving it to Time.

“No worries. I’ll just put it on my charger for now.” Time replied calmly and took his own phone off the charger and plugged Legend’s phone into it. After that he dialed Twilight’s number while letting the police see what he was doing.

“LEDGE! ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!” Twilight’s scream came nearly instantly from the other side of the phone.

“All’s fine for now.” Time replied calmly on his boy’s behalf. “You’re on speaker since the situation’s bit sensitive at the moment.” He explained while glancing at the policemen. He was grateful that the trio was staying silent at the moment. “Listen, I and Legend won’t be coming back for tonight. You’re in charge, Twilight, until we do get back”

“Time, what’s going on?”

“Just few… mistakes that need to be cleared off.” Time answered as calmly as he could while not wanting to explain things too clearly. “Twi, I’ll be sending few things to your e-mail for safekeeping but do NOT touch them. Just let them be there. And, hope those are not needed. After everything’s dealt with, I will ask you to destroy them.” He told firmly.

“O-okay…. W-what are they going to be about?”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll explain everything once we get back home. Until then…” He trailed off for a moment before bit grinning. “You four can be out of school for tomorrow. Stay at the ranch and look after each other.” He chuckled a bit at the squeals of happiness at the background. “I’ll clear everything when we get back home.” He promised calmly while trying to keep things under control.

“Goodnight, bros! I’ll hopefully see you guys tomorrow.” Legend called as calmly as he could.

“Hopefully? What’s that supposed to mean?” Sky’s worried voice cut through between the goodnight wishes.

“It means that this might take a bit more than just one day to clear.” Time replied calmly. “Things will be all right, though. I promise.” He swore firmly. “Anyway, we gotta get going or this’ll be harder to get done. Sleep well, boys, and don’t worry too much.” He spoke fondly with a small smile on his lips. “Just plan for tomorrow and enjoy the day off.” He reminded and knew he was at least bit averting their notion off of the current situation going on with their brother. Yet, he knew they’d still worry even though they were aware of him being there to clear things off.

After the last goodnight wishes, Time finally cut the call off and, with the police watching, send the text messages and the recorded conversations Legend had told about in his explanation just a moment ago into Twilight’s e-mail. “Just in case. I will send this current conversation later on. Until then I will keep it recording.” He stated out while making sure the e-mail got through until giving the phone to the police to be marked as evidence.

One of the nurses left for a moment only to return back with some food for the patient and his caretaker. It would be the only food they’d get before next day so it was gratefully accepted. Sure, it wasn’t as good as what Wild could do but it was enough to be ready to face what was coming.

Only a while later from there Time thanked the doctor and the nurses for having been there before following the police. He kept Legend right by him and out of the trio’s hold. It was bit of a surprise that they hadn’t even tried to handcuff Legend but then again Time certainly would’ve made it clear such wasn’t needed.

Surprisingly, Time was allowed to drive his car to the police station with Legend on the passenger’s seat and one of the policemen on the backseat. He kept his phone on charger while making certain the one with them was aware of the recording still being on. When they finally reached the place and gave out their things, Time finally stopped the recording and sent the copy of it to Twilight’s e-mail. He waited long enough to make sure the long recording had fully gone through without trouble. Only after that he gave his phone to the police and followed Legend into the prison cell.

“Take the bed, Specialist.” Time stated out while sitting down next to the hard thing. “You’ll need the rest even though that’s not worth sleeping in. Tomorrow’s going to be rough.” He commented before taking off the shirt.

“Time?” Legend half queried worriedly and bit frowning at his guardian’s actions.

“Here. Take it. I know it’s not much but bit of warmth anyways.” Time told while offering the shirt. “After all there’s no blanket in here.” He pointed out while crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his head bit against the wall. He gave a slight grin at the concerned look the younger male was giving him. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve slept in worse places than this.”

“You wanna tell?” Legend inquire while bit unwillingly laying down to the bed and having Time’s shirt bit like a blanket over him.

Time chuckled a bit and smiled slightly. “Worst places to sleep in, huh?” He mused before tad shrugging. “When I was ten I lived one year at the streets and on the road until I found my way to the ranch.” He started quietly before chuckling. “Worst place to sleep is probably a dumpster. Luckily I woke up before the garbage truck came at the next day. It could’ve crushed me back then. They pretty much screamed curses and whatnot after me when I bolted the hell out of there.”

Legend stared startled at his caretaker and Time just shrugged. “Another place not worth sleeping in is rocky bank of a river. Not comfortable even one bit.” He continued while thinking back to that year in hopes of finding the areas he’s slept at.

“Shit. You had it rough.” Legend half whispered while bit pushing himself upwards to see Time better. The older male just shrugged.

“Eh, it might sound rough but it wasn’t all that bad.” Time replied with a small sorrowful smile. “Wars had taught me all I needed for survival.” He replied with a slight fond smile.

“Your older brother?” Legend partly inquired while knowing that Time had mentioned the older boy several times. Still, the one eyed male wasn’t as open about his past as he got his boys to be. Nonetheless, he talked if someone asked or if it would help the five with what they were dealing with.

Time nodded quietly while falling to his memories. “Not by blood, though.” He whispered quietly. “I doubt I’d be alive if he hadn’t saved my ass so many times.” He chuckled a bit with a slight grin. “Helped me to escape the orphanage.” He told before sighing heavily. “Never thought that’d be the last day I’d see him.”

“I’m sorry.” Legend replied sorrowfully. He really wished he could’ve turned back time and change it. He honestly wished he could’ve saved Time from the hell he had gone through in his past.

Time shook his head and waved his hand dismissively. “Nothing to be sorry for.” He told calmly and smiled fondly at Legend. “So, change of topic. How’s the apple trees? You gave them a check in the morning but I didn’t get to talk with you about them.”

Legend blinked bit startled before chuckling. Time grinned and just bit tilted his head while waiting for an answer. “They’re good. Waiting for the snow to fall down.” He replied fondly. “With the chance of feeding the wild rabbits, I don’t need to really fence the trees.” He mused happily.

“Plus you get to spend time with them.” Time filled in the unsaid thing with a mischievous grin. Legend blinked and blushed a bit. The one eyed male chuckled slightly and gently started to run his fingers through his boy’s hair. “Just get some rest, Ledge. You’ll need it.” He partly requested and smiled fondly as Legend yawned and laid down onto the bed. “I’ll guard you. I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you anymore.” He swore quietly while aiding his boy to sleep.

Time didn’t sleep much on that night even though he did try. He just woke up to any small sound while making sure Legend slept as peacefully as possible. Still, he worried more at the moment about one of his boys would call him in middle of the night than of anything else. He had left a text to Twilight telling that he might not be possible of catching by phone during the night. Yet, he hadn’t informed a reason for it while just telling he’d explain everything once Legend’s situation would be cleared off. Still, he pretty much requested for the police to bring his phone over in case any of the four boys of his, Twilight, Wild, Wind or Sky, would call him.

Time woke Legend up when he heard the police coming over. They both stretched a bit before the one eyed male put his shirt back on. Yet, instead of being fetched for questioning, they were brought some breakfast. The one eyed male requested his phone back at least for a while since, after all, he wasn’t arrested but just keeping Legend safe. He was fully grateful when his phone was brought over and he swiftly checked the texts and phone calls while tad relaxing as none of his boys had tried to reach him. He gave his phone back after that while having let the police guard see what he actually was doing.

Couple of hours before Legend would be taken to questioning, one of guards brought in a ringing phone. “That’s Wild calling! Please?” Time almost begged and sighed in relief when he was given the phone. He quickly answered into the call while putting it into speaker to let the policewoman know the situation. “Hey, Wild. How’s it going? Also, you’re on speaker just so you’re aware.”

“Hi. All’s fine in here.” Wild replied while the sound of kitchen noise was on the background. “Just making breakfast and wanting to know if you and Legend are coming for dinner today.”

“Whatcha making?” Time inquired while feeling curious of what the boys were getting for morning food. “And, well, it’s early to say. Depends on how things go. I’ll try to inform you about how things go but I wouldn’t hold my breath over it.” He replied while tad fearing how long the interrogation would be and what would be the end result of it.

“Okay.” Wild replied cheerily. “Just some bacon and eggs. Nothing too fancy this time around.” He told while cracking the said eggs.

“Alright. Sounds good. I’ll leave you to it. Love you, Wild. Tell to the others that I love them too.” Time told before bit grinning as Legend piped in his love greetings too. They ended the call after that and Time nodded his thanks to the guard.

Eventually the duo was at the interrogation room. Legend was quite well a nervous wreck while Time stayed right by him. The one eyed male did his best to calm his boy down and reminded to keep telling the full truth. As things progressed, it started to be quite clear that he wouldn’t be charged with anything while more of wanting to get information on the trio that had actually been at fault of the crime done.

Suddenly one of the police knocked on the door before coming in with ringing phone. Time almost jerked and made a move to get up before remembering where he was. “That’s Twilight’s ringtone. He only calls if there’s some kind of problem going on. Please?” He spoke nearly desperately while looking almost pleadingly at the duo keeping the interrogation which was more of a conversation than accusing one.

Other one of the duo nodded and bit grinned. “You could’ve kept your phone.” She told while the phone was handed over to Time.

“Just wanting to make things the right way.” Time replied before already straight off answering into the phone. “Hi, Twi! How’s it going? Oh, and just to let you know, you’re on the speaker.” He forced to keep his voice calm and collected.

“Time, there’s some guys at the yard.”

Time’s blood turned into ice by that information. He glanced at Legend whom was staring terrified at the phone and just barely breathing. The one eyed male forced to keep himself collected. “What guys? Did they inform of having come over?”

“There’s three of them. And no, we just noticed them lurking around.”

“Are your brothers by you?” Time straight off asked while knowing his concern and fear seeped into his voice.

“Yeah. We’re together.”

“Stay indoors. Be out of their notion. Stay together whole time.” Time commanded while sending a pleading look to the three policepersons in the room. “Keep eye on them. Wind, if you can, take a picture of them. Do NOT interact with them.”

“Time, what’s going on?”

“The police will come over to chase them off. Just stay calm, together and keep notion of them.” Time ignored the question while doing his best to keep the four boys of his calm and safe. He wished he was back at the ranch so he could chase those fools out of there by himself.

“Send a picture of them. I need to know if I know them.” Legend suddenly told while giving Time apologetic look. He was at the fault of this mess. He was entirely terrified that the trio would realize that he had ratted them out.

“Legend? Honestly, who are they and what’s going on?”

“I just sent the picture. I hope it’s good enough.” Wind told while having done his best to get the trio as perfectly as he could into the photo.

Time’s phone gave out info of the message and he swiftly worked the picture out. Legend gulped and paled as he stared at the trio in the photo. He was trembling and barely breathing as he simply gave a nod of recognition.

“I think they’re leaving.” Wild told while being somewhere between relief and worry.

Time glanced at Legend whom simply nodded into the silent inquiry. “As you know, Legend’s past is bit checkered. Those three you just saw have gotten him into trouble we’re fixing as we speak. The police can give a check around the ranch just to make sure they’re gone.” He explained firmly while knowing the ranch is quite huge and there’s lot of good hiding places. “Stay alert and don’t go around alone. Let me know if any of you notice anything at all out of normal. Call me when the police arrives.”

Time sighed heavily when the call ended after bit of reassurances and calming down. “Those three need to be caught. They’re threat to my family.” He stated out and the two police handling the so-called interrogation nodded in agreement. After that they resumed into getting as much of information from Legend as possible about the group. About an hour after they had continued the conversation, Twilight called again. Time demanded to know the name and badge number of the police whom had arrived to Lon-Lon Ranch. Luckily the police at the station confirmed their names, badge numbers and faces from the picture Wind took of them. That calmed the one eyed male a bit and the police actually stayed to keep eye on the ranch as well as they could.

“They know now for certain.” Legend said defeated.

“The quicker they are caught, the better.” Time replied and pulled Legend into a hug. “It’ll be okay. I promise we all will be safe. This’ll end sooner than you think.”

“Agreed.” The policewoman stated out firmly and got the duo’s notion into her. “We need to plan a way to catch these guys. Are you willing to meet with them again with a wire?”

“NO.” Time almost snarled and startled the duo. “He will not be wired in any of way. They already beat him and are certainly aware he’s given them out.” He stated out before bit grinning as an idea came in. “Even though I don’t want Legend anywhere near those bastards, I might have an idea.”

“Time….” Legend called bit fearfully and gulped once. “I… I’ll do whatever it takes to take them down. Please?” He almost begged even though he really wasn’t up for facing the trio ever again.

Time sighed heavily and nodded. “When you’re up for facing them, call me. Keep the line open so I and the police will hear the conversation. It’ll be recorded for later usage.”

“I think that’ll be perfect idea. Safer too.” The policewoman nodded while thinking it through. With that they finally left the interrogation room into somewhere much nicer. Both Legend and Time were actually given their stuff back as the youngster wasn’t charged with anything. That was a huge relief to them both and gave them a chance to really start to plan with the police on how to get the group of three crooks caught.

As Legend finally made the call and set up the meeting, Time couldn’t help but be scared to death about the whole thing. He had been eyeing the sky whenever he had a chance but he hadn’t seen even a glimpse of the Luck Bird. That was a huge bad omen for the whole thing but he knew that the sooner they’d get the bastards down, the better. And yet, with the trio having been sighted by his boys at the ranch…

Legend feared the meeting as much as Time did. They waited for the clock to tick them closer to the meeting and each passing second only worried the one eyed male more. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through Legend’s hair while the boy was sitting on the ground in front of him. They were at the moment at the small park within the police station’s area and Time desperately tried to find the small bird of bronze and silver. And yet, the avian just refused to appear. He didn’t even hear its calls.

“I don’t like this, Rabbit.” Time whispered while letting his gaze search the few trees around them.

“I know.” Legend replied quietly while keeping his eyes closed and tried to stay calm. “The bird’s not here. It’s not giving any good luck by staying hidden.”

“I feel like we should postpone this whole shit.” Time told fearfully and the younger male opened his eyes to look at him. The ranch’s owner sighed heavily and slumped. “And yet, we can’t. The police is setting things ready. The meeting’s within an hour. The sooner we get them down, the sooner we all will be safe and sound.” He whispered and shook his head. “They wouldn’t care about Luck Birds and such. It’s just superstition to them.” He almost mumbled while praying for the bird to show up but he already knew it. Even the boys back at Lon-Lon Ranch hadn’t seen the flying animal.

“I’ll be careful, Time. I promise.” Legend swore as confidently as he could. Time just nodded while still searching for the creature that would ease his worries and tell everything would go perfectly fine. And yet, it evaded him fully and thoroughly at that day.

Eventually the time ran out and the plan was put into motion. Time gave Legend one last tight hug and few reassuring words before staying with the police. The youngster made the call and the one eyed male put his phone onto the counter with the speaker on. He made sure to record it while keeping his phone in the charger even though he was certain the police was recording the call too with their own devices. The police also kept tracking Legend’s phone to know where he was going.

The old and abandoned warehouse at the outskirts of the town was a perfect place for hiding. Legend took a deep breath to calm down before entering the dimly lit area. He shivered at the coolness of the place and tried not to show his fear. There was lot of stuff around the place which all gave perfect hiding areas for anyone and anything. “I’m here!” He called out as loudly as he could after reaching the middle of the area while looking around and trying to be alert and ready for anything.

“I warned you.” The leader of the group almost snarled as he and his team came into sight. “I warned you not to give us out but you snitched us the moment you had a chance.” He sneered before smirking and nodding once to show to his followers to come into sight. “I told you you’ll pay if you turn your back on us. You did it back in the orphanage and you did it now. Back then we couldn’t really punish you but now…” He smirked as the duo of his dragged struggling Wild into sight.

“WILD!” Legend screamed out in terror. “Let him go! He has nothing to do with this!” He growled while fisting his hands.

“Oh, the contrary.” The leader of the crooks smirked. “He’s important to you so he’s the one who’ll be the payment of your failures.” He told and brought out a lighter before already lighting it up. “I told you he’ll go up in flames. And you can watch.”

Wild was trembling in absolute terror as his gaze caught the notion of the fire and he heard the words. He tried to struggle even harder while desperately trying to get away from the flame. Eventually he just shut his eyes and waited for the hell to start.

“NOOO!” Legend screamed in rage and terror as he lunged forward. He struck the lighter out of the guy’s hand before already punching one of the two holding Wild. “FIGHT!” He commanded even though he wasn’t sure at all if Wild was in the condition of even thinking about fighting back or if he even knew how to fight. Either way, the youngster struggled and tried to pull himself free. Legend swiftly punched the bastard into side before almost ripping Wild off of the guy’s hold.

The moment Legend screamed out the name of one of his brothers, Time was already out of the van and running. He was not going to wait for the police to handle this situation. He knew the place and his terror and rage were fueling his speed. Nothing would keep him from defending and protecting his boys.

By the time the one eyed male crashed through the door of the warehouse, Legend was keeping Wild behind him while slowly backing away. The trio was in an arc before him while smirking cruelly. They held knives in their hands while just waiting for a chance to attack.

“STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM THEM!” Time roared as the five in the area had glanced behind them at the slamming of the door. “LOOK OUT!” He screamed out the warning as the trio attacked. Luckily Wild reacted faster than Legend and pulled his brother backwards out of the first slash’s way. They began to back away again as quickly as they could before giving out a startled scream as Time suddenly was right there and yanked them roughly behind him.

The owner of the Lon-Lon Ranch glared cruelly at the trio while already responding to the attacks. The moment he was in front of his boys, he turned around while just barely avoiding one slash from his side as he kicked the middle one as hard as he could and grabbed the third guy’s knife arm while delivering cruel punch into his face. Right after that he moved to his side to stay fully between the bad guys and the second and third adopted son of his. He grabbed the guy he had first avoided and kneed him into stomach. After that he kept facing the trio while forcing his boys to continue backing away. “Stay down.” He commanded with a cruel snarl. “Otherwise you’ll awaken the demon within me. And trust me, you do not want that.” He growled out his promise.

The trio groaned in pain but they stood back to their feet while glaring at Time. “Big mistake.” The leader smirked and, with the duo by him mimicking his action, reached for his pocket before already drawing out several needles.

Time visibly flinched and gulped once as he saw the items he was so thoroughly terrified of. He tried not to tremble while tearing his gaze off of the things in hopes of getting ready for the continuation of the battle. “Legend, Wild, get out.” He commanded while just barely being able to speak with the lump in his throat.

“Time…” Wild whispered fearfully while fully understanding what was going on.

“Get out.” Time commanded again with bit more strength. “I can’t fight with you two here. Go! Please.” He partly snapped, partly begged while still keeping the duo behind him and backing towards the doorway that would’ve led into safety.

When the two boys finally understood the situation, Legend nodded and turned around. He started to run and drag Wild along even though they both would’ve loved to help and even the battle out but he knew they couldn’t. Wild wasn’t a fighter and Legend wasn’t in the condition of fighting. Those few moves he had done were already causing rough pain in his yesterday gained wounds.

The moment the group of crooks’ targets turned around and ran, they attacked. Time did his best to ignore the almost crippling fear the needles were causing as he fought to hold the trio off from going after his boys. He grit his teeth and just growled when the knifes slashed and stabbed as the trio understood to need to get through him first. He gasped and flinched roughly while beginning to tremble as the needles were plunged into his arms. The trio smirked as they thought their opponent would be easy to deal with.

Yet, the trio had never faced anyone like the ranch’s owner before. The one eyed male was more than ready to go to hell and back again as many times as needed to protect those he loved. He had already lost so much that he held on to what he had with all he got. And right now he was kicking and punching while grabbing the guys and forcefully throwing them back to keep them from getting past him.

By the time the police finally came into there, Time was bleeding and trembling while breathing shakily and heavily. The trio laid on the ground before him fully beaten but still conscious. “If you ever again get anywhere near my boys, I swear this day was only a warning. You do not want to see what I’m capable of.” He growled as the trio were hoisted up by the police after having handcuffed them.

As the trio was dragged towards the police cars to be taken to prison, the leader’s raged and cruel gaze locked into Legend. “You betrayed your TEAM!” He snarled out and tried to pull himself free but luckily the police held strongly enough to keep him from escaping.

Legend’s gaze was rough as he answered into the given look. Yet, he soon huffed and turned his gaze off. “It wasn’t a team to begin with. It was just bunch of fools trying to be something they’re not.” He replied as calmly as he could. “I’m not the kind of guy you thought I’d be.” He continued with a slight smile. “And I’m glad of that.” He stated out before nudging Wild towards the warehouse’s door. “Time saved me just in time.” He thought happily while being more than eager to get back to his caretaker.

Once the three crooks were out, Time gasped and crashed to the floor. He wanted to whimper but he kept the sound locked deep within him. He desperately wanted to get the needles off of him but he couldn’t get his trembling hands to move. “TIME!” The shout snapped him out of his near panic and he scrambled around to see two of his boys dashing towards him.

“Legend! Wild!” The one eyed male half shouted and got almost knocked over as the duo crashed in for a hug. “Sssh, it’s okay. Everything’s okay now.” He whispered while desperately wanting to hug them back but not daring to with the needles still being so visibly seen. “I’d hug you back if I could.” He half apologized while carefully pushing the duo off of him to get a full check on them. “Are you two all right?”

“We’re okay but you’re not.” Legend stated as firmly as he could while crying and feeling fully at fault. “I should’ve told you the moment the first message came.” He mumbled in shame.

“Maybe but the first one wasn’t that of bad.” Time replied while gently kissing the forehead of both of his boys. He forced himself back to his feet and gently turned the duo around. “Come on, I probably should make a visit to the hospital and you two are coming with me. I’m not leaving either of you out of my sight.” He told while concentrating into the duo with him instead of his own condition and his needle fear.

Once the three of them were out of the warehouse, one of the policepersons from the van approached them. “You probably want this back.” She told while offering the one eyed male his phone back. Time smiled a bit and nudged Wild a bit whom swiftly took the phone and the charger for safekeeping on his guardian’s stead. “You probably should take the ambulance ride to hospital. The duo can certainly go with you.” She told while starting to lead them towards the help.

Time held back the whimpers and any pained sounds that threatened to make their way out of him as the needles were removed. He tried to stop trembling but as long as those things were in his sight, he couldn’t help but feel the fear of them being used against him again. He barely noticed as the knife wounds were being treated. Yet, what he desperately tried to really concentrate into was the two boys of his by him. The moment he was given the rights, he already pulled the duo into a tight hug.

Once at the hospital and having had both of his boys checked just in case, Time finally calmed down. He held the duo close while whispering reassuring words. After a while the police brought in Wind and the youngest of Time’s boys had just dashed to the bed, scrambled onto it and crawled to his brothers and caretaker. With Wind safe and sound with them, Wild gave the statement to the police about what had happened.

Wild told that he and Wind had been at grocery store to get something special for the day off. The cook-to-be had been attacked by the trio and easily been overpowered. Wind had been at different aisle but before the three had noticed him, the boy had dashed out of there and straight to the police station. By the time the help had arrived, the four were already gone. Wind had stayed with the police for safety reasons while being worried sick and terrified.

With Wind, Wild and Legend safely with him, Time called Twilight to inform of the situation. The police luckily was willing to fetch the rest of the boys to be reunited with their family. After everyone was on that one bed, the ranch’s owner and Legend told the whole situation through with the youngster doing most of the talking. After that, while fully ignoring the bandages and stitched wounds, Time pulled the five adopted sons of his close while doing his best to hold them all in his arms. Even though he really hated hospitals, he felt entirely safe and sound at the moment.

At the next day the six of them returned back to the ranch. The five boys followed Time pretty much to anywhere and everywhere he went while needing to know everyone in their family was safe and sound. They checked the ranch to make sure the trio hadn’t done any damage on their visit to there. Time very much enjoyed of the company and notion he was gaining while making sure each of his boys were all right and healing from the ordeal.

There was so much of hardcore proof of the trio of crooks that it had been quite futile to even think about throwing a lawsuit against them. They were sent off to jail with charges such as murder, vandalism, shoplifting, kidnapping and attempted murder. There was no chances the trio would get out and with not having really gained much of name as criminals, they weren’t capable of getting a chance at revenge.

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cleolinda · 2 years ago

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What is Egyptian musk?

I'll say this up top: I would love to hear if you have any experience with Egyptian musk oils before 1980 (e.g., "My grandmother wore it in the 1950s") or if you've seen any documentation on Egyptian musk blends after "Ancient Egypt" (e.g., "In my reading, I've seen formulas going back to the 1800s"). I ran into a distinct historical gap here, within the scope of, you know, a tumblr post.

For the sake of clarity, let's capitalize Egyptian Musk, the fragrance blend, to differentiate it from "any musk (often civet) originating in Egypt," which you can also get.

A long while back, I had started trying to read up on what different musks were supposed to smell like. Siberian musk and China musk and white musk and black musk and red musk and blue musk and, and, and. Being neurodivergent, I get further into the weeds than most people might, and so you got a 1200-word deep-dive on modern synthetic musk. But along the way, I discovered that Egyptian Musk is not a single musk note; it's a distinct blend unto itself, and pretty much botanical. And I love that. I love the idea of a fragrance that's just an alchemy of plants suggesting the shape of musk, an olfactory sleight of hand.

The one I tried

After comparing some reviews a few months back, I decided that I would probably like Kuumba Made's. If I had known I would end up writing about this, I would have gotten a sample of Nemat's as well, which is supposedly more of a "typical Egyptian Musk" with its patchouli note. (I've heard that Auric Blends' popular Egyptian Goddess [1993] is actually an Egyptian Musk as well.) I don't smell patchouli at all in the Kuumba Made—rather, it has "notes of fresh water [?] and sanctifying sandalwood.”

On me, it's the softest, snuggliest sort-of-rose scent. I love roses in person, but the scent usually doesn't work very well on my skin—and yet this Egyptian Musk does, and in fact, it's so well-blended that I'm not even sure exactly what's in it. The balance shifts every time I wear it: sometimes I get sandalwood, sometimes vetiver, but rarely both at the same time. But it's always lovely. The only reason it's not my ~Signature Scent~ is because I am, in fact, a basic vanilla bitch, but it's very soothing, and it is in my top five Frequently Worn Fragrances. I'm curious, though—what are those "fresh water" notes, what's in this? Here’s the Fragrantica note pyramid for the Kuumba Made Egyptian Musk:

Ingredients:

Egypt

Musk

You see this a lot on Fragrantica note listings when Egyptian Musk is involved, like we're supposed to know what this is shorthand for—or maybe we're supposed to understand that it's a trade secret. Various sellers tend say theirs is a little different from everyone else's; user reviews will say, "I like this one more than that one; this one smells more like a traditional Egyptian Musk to me." What's our baseline here, though?

The ingredients of Egyptian Musk™

Amir Oud: A Brief History of Egyptian Musk Oils and Perfumes:

The typical Egyptian musk can be made from essential oils from home such as Frankincense, Myrrh, Cedarwood, Patchouli, Amber, Rose Petal, and Ambrette seed oil. This will give you sort of an idea of the actual fragrance of the Egyptian musk.

You may remember ambrette/musk mallow/annual hibiscus as the natural source of ambrettolide, a major synthetic musk; thus, ambrette is the most literal "musk" component of a modern Egyptian Musk. That said, most of the literal Musk From Egypt I've seen on offer has been civet, synthetic or otherwise.

But in addition to those notes, more than one seller offers (word for word, capital for capital), "Musky Vetiver and Myrrh, blended with sensual Patchouli and a hint of Rose," leaving out many of the other components. I'm not sure what's going on with the copypasta there (it's possible they're buying from a wholesale supplier who uses that description). But I'm 99% certain vetiver is in the Kuumba Made too, so let's consider that a typical ingredient as well.

The most complex formula I saw agrees with Amir Oud's, but this Zindoki.com version adds jasmine, "one drop of camphor," labdanum (you remember labdanum from amber accords), and "a deer musk or civet"—our Musk From Egypt. The Zindoki page also has the simplest characterization I saw: patchouli, rose, ambrette.

The various formulas I saw also had different proportions—some heavier on the rose and patchouli, some heavier on the frankincense and myrrh—and so, you can imagine how different one blend might smell from another. And that's before you start adding citrus top notes to fill out the pyramid, as some brands do. Nonetheless! A certain personality is taking shape.

And a number of articles and sellers claim that this personality is "Cleopatra." Allegedly, this was her favorite perfume. Which... I'm going to argue, no. Arguing literally, in a separate post that I am writing: the soft, subtle profile we're talking about here just does not match the pungent, spicy fragrances that historians and archaelogists are uncovering. In fact, Elena Vosnaki, who has written more about musk than I ever have or ever will in her multi-part musk series (NSFW photography), says,

Simply put, Egyptian musk does not originate in Egypt, but is simply a variant of a musk blend in which the clean, scrubbed-skin nuance is the dominant part.

And this is where I have to turn around and argue in the other direction. I get the general idea—Egyptian Musk belongs in a "soft and clean" category of scents, I'll agree with that. But it has a more specific character than just "a variant" of white dryer-sheet musk ("The laundry day feel is there"). I also think a blend with this cohesive a character, this widely used, had to come from somewhere, at some time. I'm just not sure when or where.

Where in spacetime does Egyptian Musk come from?

Short answer: As a traditional blend somewhere between today and Ancient Egypt? I don't know.

Long answer: As you would buy it today? New York in the 1980s.

Back to the Musk Series:

Famous examples in [modern] use include the perennial Narciso For Her, where the fractialised patchouli (keeping the cleaner aspects) and the synthetic white flowers are highlighted by the clean muskiness of the base and smoothed out by a recent amber molecule, Amberlyn, and a hint of honey. The Cuban born designer was inspired by an Egyptian musk oil he used to buy in New York City along his friend and muse Caroline Bessette-Kennedy. (It turns out it was Abdul Kareem's Egyptian Musk).

Now we're getting somewhere:

"I used to buy the stuff from head shops or sidewalk vendors in Harvard Square. About seven-odd years ago, I found a variation (by Abdul Kareem, which, the internet tells me, is an ’80s NYC-born scented-oil brand)"

According to Makeup Alley users, as of three years ago, you could buy the genuine article from an ebay seller (look at the Olfactoria review), but I don't see a Charlotte Vale now. There's only one listing at all, in fact, and Etsy searches don't seem to yield genuine Abdul Kareem results. That said, you might still be able to buy it in person; a number of users on Fragrantica and Makeup Alley mention buying Egyptian musk oils from shops and sidewalk vendors like the ones Fiorella Valdesolo mentions in the article—years ago, but you never know.

Now, what's interesting about the 1980s part is this:

Bargz: A Guide To Egyptian Musk And Egyptian Musk Products:

In the 1880s, scientist Albert Bauer discovered synthetic-derived fragrances that resemble musk ingredients. This synthetic approach gave way to laws in 1979 that protected musk deer and other animals from being hunted.

I don't know who came up with what first, and what tradition may or may not have existed before 1980s NYC. But my guess is that Egyptian Musk shifted from Musk From Egypt With Additional Notes, Maybe, to our muskless frankincense-myrrh-patchouli-rose-ambrette sleight of hand today because of that ban, specifically. I don't know if Abdul Kareem was the first or simply the most popular, but that brand seems to have become the standard, the way that Coty's Chypre gave a name to an entire family of bergamot-labdanum-oakmoss fragrances.

Perfumes inspired by Egyptian Musk

And, much the way that Mitsouko was a peach-infused riff on Coty's Chypre, other fragrances have built off Abdul Kareem's Egyptian Musk in particular. Let's go back to that mention of Narciso Rodriguez. Apparently both Narciso Rodriguez For Her (creators: Christine Nagel and Francis Kurkdjian) (yes, that Francis Kurkdijan) and Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely (Clement Gavarry and Laurent Le Guernec) are inspired by Egyptian Musk. I actually have samples of both of these—the NR For Her is a fresh decant, and the Lovely is, uh, from my random mall sample box. Hope it aged well!

This post is certainly long enough already, so I'll update on those later. But I can say, I've worn the Narciso Rodriguez twice and I do get a similarity.

(Perfume discussion masterpost)

#perfume #perfume discussion #perfume: musk #long post

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