#so i took the blue jewel part off of one of the bracelets and attached it to a necklace i bought

[valentinesparda]

pray for me I have an eight hour shift tomorrow and it's the studio ghibli appreciation event so I'm semi-cosplaying howl (without a wig because a) i was too sick to cut it and b) i forgor and c) it will probably be too hot for it anyways)

[husky-twst-and-obeyme]

The Brothers (Plus Un-Datables) when it’s MC’s Birthday

(I’m so sorry i haven’t posted qwq I really wanted tor try and do this on my birthday but i got a certain game and I’ve been attached since then- but I hope you enjoy this!!)

Lucifer

-He knew your birthday ahead of time  -at first, he didn’t want to plan anything special, maybe just a private dinner with some gifts -but you mean more to him then just that  -So he in secrets gets you gifts through the months without anyone noticing  -gets you a present on your birthday every few hours until you are greeted wiht a small hill of presents at the end of the day  -His presents mainly consisted of things that caught your interest , as well as some jewelry to bring out yours eyes 

Mammon

-He wouldn’t know it was your birthday until two days before -He tries to plan things out as best as possible as well as not spending way too much money on you -he knows you worry about his debt, so he tries to get things at a mild price -When the day comes, he wakes you up with a party popper and gives you kisses  -he gives you the presents after breakfast so that you can enjoy them for the rest of the day  -You would slightly question how expensive these looks, which made you worry that he spent too much but you don’t bother him about it  -you guys would finish the day snuggling in bed , nothing sexual, just two dorks in bed , maybe watching a few movies on a laptop

Levi

-He would absolute know when your birthday was coming up -He would want to try and do things he saw in his animes, like going out , doing karaoke, a stereotypical under the cherry blossoms scene, etc etc -it’s more normal than  you think  -he does try to take you out but he clings onto your arm the whole time - You thought it was sweet that he was trying to be a little more outgoing  -the best part is when we took you to a park near a crimson red lake  -You guys sat there for hours, talking about recent animes, manga and such  -his gift was of figures of an anime that interested you and you really appreciated it  -you soon return the favor and kiss him  -he’s immediately red 

Satan

-He was aware of your birthday coming up but he was distracted to remember it right away -he didn’t realize until is it before bed on the day before, you mention that you were excited for your birthday  -then it hit him like a truck  -He freaked out slightly because 1. he would never forget purposely 2. he didn’t have time to plan or get the perfect gift  -so he decided to make you one -he made origami animals, he did better then expected with them   -when he presented them to you , you were filled with excitement! -they were so cute and you noticed how most of them were mainly cats but you didn’t mind, it’s satan after all -he would still feel bad about almost forgetting, so he would shower you with more love than before

 Asmo 

-He was excited, he had already planned the whole and how it would go  -First, perfect breakfast, then afterwards Birthday shopping , and so on -but you immediately knew what the surprise gift was , it’s asmo, what else would you get as a “surprise” -but ...it wasn’t-?? -You were ready for him to pull  a move to lead you into bed but he instead holds out a present  -he eagerly waits for you to open and you thought it was a “toy” but it was a hand knitted sweater  -you could tell it was by the way it was made  -he explained that anything would of been good for you , but he wanted it to be more special than that  -you finished the day sleeping with Asmo in your new sweater , surprisingly with no sex at all -....until morning-

Beel

-Beel planned to make sweets for you but needed to make sure you stayed out of the kitchen  -so he had belphie keep you away from the kitchen until your birthday arrives -it was so hard for him not to eat what he baked but he gave himself motivation by saying “Mc’s kisses are sweeter, Mc’s kisses are sweeter “  to keep his mind off food -Finally when beel present his food gifts, you were so surprised and happy  -but you couldn’t finish it all by yourself , so you offer him some bites  -he tries not to since they were for you but takes you on that offer when his stomach growls  -reguardless though, he did end up with your kisses and he was right , you were sweeter 

Belphie

-you’d think he wouldn’t care but in reality, he just didn’t know what to give you  -he wants it to be good especially since he caused you harm from before  -then he gets the idea to go camping  -when he suggested that on the day of, you gladly accepted , which reliefed him because if you said “no” it would of ruined his plans -When you guys got set up , he did fun things with you , even though he was doing so with low effort , like hiking (at least a little) , animal watching , and such -it gets darker out (it already was but  it gets darker near night ) and you both watch the stars in the sky  -he holds your hand and tells you about each of the stars , telling you that you shine just as beautifully as them  -you soon lay into his embrace and sleep , as he hums rubbing your head as you both sleep peacefully under the glimmering stars 

Diavolo

-He was the most excited for your birthday  -He would make sure that everything was perfect just for you , you are his future Queen (boy or girl or neutral ,you’d be Queen regardless) after all -He firstly showers you in kisses and starts you off with a nice morning bath with him  -he treats you to your favorite breakfast (same for when lunch and dinner arrive) -Before dinner , he lefts you open your presents , they were mainly things like treasure, jewelry, dress/outfits and thing usually for  royalty  -your favorite was the crown he had made for you  -It had your birthstone as the main jewel  -He has a party for you but you stayed close to him for the most part -you were surprised he didn’t dance with you during that but there was a reason behind it  -When the party was over, you headed to your room with him , thinking you’d both go to bed, he opens the balcony and extends a hand toward you for a dance  -you were surprised  by this and his charming smile made you blush  -you accept his offer and danced with him in the moonlight 

Barbatos 

-He would know about your birthday but pretends not to to keep you from expecting a surprise from him  -He mainly bakes sweets for you but he has other gifts that aren’’t entirely food  -on the day of , he surprised you with a morning kiss  -Diavolo allowed him to spend the day with you , if he was allowed to tag along (he wanted to make sure you have a good birthday too )  -You spend time with him doing outdoor activities, like golf or tennis  -Diavolo actually distracted you for a while while Barbatos prepared your gifts  -Diavolo even gave you a small gift, it was a braclet that had a bright green stone and (whatever color matches you ) stone  -”it’s you and Barbatos , set in stone !” -Soon you given your gifts from Barbatos , he knew very well what you wanted and he got everything you wanted at that time  -you finish off by eating sweets together but Diavolo left before that , mainly because he scented romance coming forth  -which was true but all you two was mainly kiss for a bit and maybe a little more

Solomon 

-He didn’t even know it was your birthday today and you got a little salty  -he tries to make it up to you but doing magic spells for you  -you didn’t trust him to since he likes to prank you with his magic at times  -but he made wonderful things out of his magic, like aurora like bunnies jumping through the air or cute aurora bears playing  -it was all so cute and beautiful , that you soften up just a little  -he then treats you to a fine dinner , your favorite place  -You’re glad he’s actually trying his best for you today that it almost didn’t matter  -all you cared about him and were happy with him  -at the end of the day , he kissed your forehead , and a magic seal was on it , it formed a heart  -”now you’ll always have my enteral love~” 

Simeon

-He wasn’t sure how humans did birthdays but he knew it included gifts, so you hand made you his gifts  -the first on was a beaded bracelet that was silver and blue  -then he made you a wool scarf  -and the last one was a charm , he used a little magic for this one -He gave his gifts slowly through the day  -you loved each one , the bracelet was so pretty and you felt so warm with the scarf but you haven’t gotten the last one yet  -It was getting close to the end of the day and you noticed that Simeon was extra cheery  -”hiding something from me ?~” you sneer -He smiles and hands you the charm  -at first , you didn’t see what the big deal was until it floated and glowed  -It gave off such a warm feeling  “now if we’re ever apart, you’ll always have a little bit of me around to protect and comfort you, My sweet Angel~”

(I hope you enjoyed! leave more suggestions for stuff like this! 

[alice-beaumont-ravenclaw]

From Paris, with Love

A/N #1: Part 7 of my Celestial Ball series is here! In this fic, we meet Alice’s french grandmother and learn a bit more about her family... Anyway, here are the other parts of the series: You’ve Got a Friend in Me | Distraction | Something There | One Step Closer | Fashion Emergency | Get Your Head in the Game | Der Walzer von Alice | Of Quidditch and Ballgowns (there’s a sketch of the dress at the end of that fic) 

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

The Celestial Ball was fast approaching and Alice had yet to see her gown. Andre had taken her measurements a few days after they had selected the style, and she knew he was working on it, based on the plasters that were appearing on his fingers as the days went by. She also knew he had already made Charlie’s dress robes, as Charlie’s excitement was apparent during one of their dance rehearsals.

“You’ll see it on the day of the ball, but I’ll give you a hint so you can imagine how amazing it is: Dragons!” he had said as they waltzed with the other prefects.

Alice was pretty sure he was more excited about the dragon part of his robes than the robes themselves. Lost in those thoughts as she watched the first snow falling from a window in the common room, she didn’t hear Andre barging in and coming towards her. 

“Alice!” he exclaimed, standing right next to her.

“What?!” she said, turning her head towards him, her eyes wide in shock.

“Your dress is ready!”

“Really? Can I see it?” asked Alice, excited.

“Well, of course. We need to choose your accessories!” said Andre as he dragged her out of the common room.

“Accessories? I don’t think I brought many with me… Unless you put some in my trunk without my knowledge…” replied Alice, looking at her friend suspiciously.

“No, of course, I didn’t. I didn’t know there was going to be a ball. No… I invited someone over to help us with that,” replied Andre, looking away.

“Invited someone here? At Hogwarts? Was Dumbledore okay with that?”

“Well, seems like they know each other, so yeah, he was fine with it,” he replied as they stopped in front of a door.

“Who the hell does Dumbledore know that could help with accessories?” asked Alice as she opened the door. The person she saw inside the room made her stop dead in her tracks. 

That person was a tall and slender elderly woman with regal beauty. Her white hair was in a French twist, and she was wearing a navy Chanel skirt suit. When her piercing blue eyes met Alice’s green ones, a small smile appeared on her lips.

“Alice, ma chérie!” she said as she approached Alice before giving her two kisses on each cheek. 

“Grand-maman?” said Alice, too startled to reciprocate the bise as she stared at Andre.

“Yeah, well, I wrote to your mother regarding pieces of jewelry to go with the dress, but the letter I got back was from your French grandmother…” started explaining Andre while fidgeting with his hands. “She told me she would come to Hogwarts with a selection of jewelry we could choose from.”

“Albus was so nice to let me come! He hasn’t changed at all! I will go have tea with him while you two choose what you need! But before I go, Alice, j’ai quelquechose pour toi,” said her grandmother as she opened up a little box. Inside was a tiara adorned with stars and celestial waves. Strings were attached to it to fasten it to the wearer’s head.

“Une tiare?” said Alice, slightly frowning.

“Oui, bon, ça peut l’être, but you can wear as a headband or at ze back of your head. I asked my… hum… how do you say ‘joaillier’… Jeweller! Yes, well, I asked him to make something versatile zat could be worn in different ways because my granddaughter does not like wearing classic tiaras.”

“Wait! You had this made especially for the occasion? It’s too much, I can’t…” started saying Alice before being interrupted by Andre.

“It will look amazing with the dress!” he exclaimed.

“Andre…” muttered Alice, trying to get him to calm down, in vain.

“I know! When I saw the sketches you had sent my daughter-in-law, I knew my favourite jeweller would be able to create something wonderful!”

“Sketches?” asked Alice, looking at Andre with a raised eyebrow. “Plural?”

“Yes, I also sent a sketch of the shoes I made,” explained Andre.

“Shoes? You made shoes?” 

“Didn’t I tell you? Guess I forgot. Anyway, thank you so much Mrs. Beaumont!”

“Please, it was no problem at all! Now, I will leave you to it while I go see Albus,” she said, waving as she left the room.

“I can’t believe she knows Dumbledore… Then again, I shouldn’t be surprised,” said Alice as she stared at the now-closed doors. 

“How come?” asked Andre as he started opening the jewelry cases.

“Well, Dumbledore knows a lot of people, and so does my grandmother,” said Alice turning toward the jewelry.

“Oh, Merlin!” exclaimed Andre as he looked, wide-eyed, upon all the glittering pieces of jewelry laid out in front of him.

“Honestly, that’s just showing off,” grumbled Alice as she looked on, rolling her eyes.

“I’m sure she just wants you to have as much to choose from,” said Andre, who was already covered in jewelry.

“Maybe, but she likes to remind people of who she is,” said Alice as she took a pair of very small crescent moon stud earrings covered with white pavé diamonds and set it aside.

“She likes people to know she’s a Beaumont?” asked Andre, admiring the rings on his fingers.

“Not exactly… The Beaumonts are a very reputable family in France, but…” she started saying, before pursing her lips. “Anyway,” she interrupted herself, “you haven’t shown me my dress or my shoes yet. How am I supposed to make a decision if I don’t see what I’m going to wear?”

“Oh! You’re right!” Andre said, getting up from the table he was sitting up. Pushing a screen to the side, he revealed the dress and the shoes.

“Oh, Andre! It’s simply gorgeous!” said Alice as she looked at the dress and shoes. 

The sleeveless dress was covered in sparkles, except for the black shoulder straps. From the waist, it was a dark blue, and the blue got lighter as it got closer to the edge of the dress. From the waist up, the material was very thin, making the blue of it appear very light against the nude lining of the bodice. There was a little bit of tulle under the skirt to give it some volume, but not too much. The shoes were high-heeled sandals with butterfly wings at the back. They were in sparkling silver and navy blue, with a cross ankle strap and glittering stars.

“So… You like it?” asked Andre as Alice touched the skirt of her dress.

“Like it? I love it! It goes with the theme, but not in an ostentatious manner!” replied Alice.

“I’m so glad you like it,” said Andre, smiling. “Now, let’s go back to the jewelry and you can tell me everything about your grandmother.”

“Ugh… Do I have to?” asked Alice, making her way back to the jewelry case.

“Well, I’m intrigued. Such a stylish and regal woman, and it doesn’t have to do with the Beaumonts, but, I’m guessing, her side of the family,” said Andre, taking out a diamond bangle with moons and stars, and putting it with the earrings Alice had put aside.

Alice let out a sigh. “Fine… Before being Aurore Beaumont, she was born Aurore Valois, from the Capetian dynasty.”

“Is that supposed to ring a bell?” asked Andre, raising an eyebrow.

“Outside of France, probably not. In France, the Capetian dynasty is also known as the House of France. Starting with Hugues Capet, a King of France in the 10th century. All the Kings of France after that were his descendants. All the way down to Louis-Phillipe 1er. Technically, the Valois branch was considered extinct in 1589 and was succeeded by the Bourbons. But that’s on the Muggle side of the family. On the wizard branch, the Valois kept going. The first wizard of that line may not be entirely legitimate, but that didn’t seem to matter at the time. So they managed to maintain a certain level of influence in the wizarding world as well as in the Muggle world. In the Muggle world, they are seen as just vaguely being related to the House of France, but even that is enough to impress. France may be a Republic, but they do treat descendants of French noble families with deference,” explained Alice, looking at a necklace paved with diamonds in white gold. “Boucheron, of course,” she mumbled as she looked at the clasp, putting it with the earrings and the bracelet.

“Wow… That’s… detailed,” said Andre, staring at his friend.

“Yes, well, I have heard the story many times, and believe me, that was a summary. All this to say, my grandmother can be a bit of a showoff. She won’t say it, because it is just vulgar to do so, but she will make people feel how important she is.”

“Is that why you never told us? Because it’s vulgar?” asked Andre, smirking.

“What? Of course not. By now, you should know it’s not something I care about,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, I kinda regret muttering about my grandmother. If I hadn’t said anything, you wouldn’t have asked anything, and you would be none the wiser.”

“Oh, even without your mumbling, I would’ve asked questions. Like, why is she wearing Muggle clothes? Why didn’t you tell me you had such a stylish grandma? Can I come with you next time you visit your French family?”

“Yeah… Figures. She wears Muggle clothes because she likes them. She personally knew Coco Chanel and Christian Dior. I didn’t tell you because, why would I? And I guess you can come with me next time I go to France, though I don’t see why,” answered Alice, smirking as she rolled her eyes. Andre could be so predictable sometimes, hence why seeing her grandmother had shocked her. She knew that Andre would be curious about her, would want to know more about her. It was better if he asked his questions in an empty classroom than in a room full of other people that might ask questions themselves. “Now that I’ve answered your questions, you have to promise me to not breathe a word about it. It’s bad enough that people stare at me because I’m the ‘Curse-Breaker,’ let’s not add ‘French Royalty’ to the mix. I definitely don’t want Charlie to act even more strangely around me.”

Andre stopped what he was doing and stared at her. Was she on the verge of realizing her feelings for Charlie Weasley?

“I mean, ever since he saw my house in London, he’s been acting strange, as if the fact my family is well-off disturbed him. I’m pretty sure that if he hadn’t seen my house, he would have asked me to the ball way sooner. We are friends and prefects, after all, so it was the logical thing to do, but took him so long to ask me, I was on the verge of doing it myself!” exclaimed Alice.

“So… You would have asked him to the ball if he hadn’t? You wouldn’t have asked someone else, like, say… Barnaby?” asked Andre, doing his best to hide his smile.

“Barnaby? Well, if Charlie had asked someone else, then I would have asked Barnaby, but he’s not a prefect, he doesn’t NEED someone to dance with. Charlie and I were in the same predicament, so it just made sense to go together.”

“Yeah, but if none of you were prefects, who would you have asked to the ball?” probed Andre.

“No one. I would just have gone to the ball with all my friends,” said Alice as she started to close the jewelry cases.

“Ugh… You are hopeless,” muttered Andre.

“What did you say?” asked Alice, closing the last jewelry case.

“Nothing, nothing…” replied Andre just as Alice’s grandmother entered the room.

“So, you have found everyzing zat you needed?” she asked, looking at the closed cases.

“Yes, thank you. Very nice of you to come all this way,” said Alice with a stiff smile plastered on her face.

“As I said, it was no problem at all. Gave me a chance to catch up with Albus. He told me very interesting zings about you,” her grandmother replied. With a flick of her wand, all the cases floated towards her open purse and got inside it.

“I can imagine…” grumbled Alice.

“I was also very happy to see you,” she said, kissing her granddaughter’s forehead. “You haven’t visited Paris nor Sarrians in a while. You should come next summer.”

“Sure…” replied Alice.

“Andre, it was a pleasure meeting you,” said Aurore, turning to the other Ravenclaw. “I’m sure you will be a great fashion designer one day.”

“Oh! Thanks, but I actually want to be a Quidditch player,” replied Andre proudly.

“Really?” replied the elderly lady as she looked back at the dress. “Quel gaspillage… Oh, well, I hope you enjoy the ball. Au revoir!”

After she had left, Alice started placing the jewelry they had chosen in a little velvet pouch until Andre suddenly realized something. “We forgot to choose a ring!”

“I have one,” said Alice, unperturbed as she tightened the strings of the little pouch.

“You picked one? I didn’t see it,” pointed out Andre, rubbing his chin.

“Already had it. A white gold eternity ring with blue coloured stones. Parents gave it to me after I was sorted into Ravenclaw,” explained Alice as they left the room. 

“Are you sure it’s going to work with everything else?” asked Andre.

“It will,” replied Alice as they stood at the entrance of the Great Hall and could see their friends eating and happily chatting. “Now, remember what I told you. Not a word about my grandmother or her background to anyone, or your chance of ever coming to Paris with me will be null.”

“An empty threat. You didn’t look like you wanted to go visit your grandparents in France,” pointed out Andre.

“Well, maybe I’ll change my mind, especially if I know it’s something I can hold over your head,” said Alice, a sly smile appearing on her face as she made her way toward her friends.

“There are days when I think she should be in Slytherin…” mumbled Andre to himself before following her inside.

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A/N #2: Hope you enjoyed. I was loosely inspired by the 2018 HPHM Fictober prompt “First Snow” (loosely as in “the story does not revolve around it, but that prompt led me to write this fic”). So the main fic of the series is approaching... Which means I’ll have to write a ball scene with dancing and everything. If anyone has tips on how to write a ball scene, let me know. (I may have looked at the various ball scenes in War & Peace...)

[secret-engima]

Nox-verse Drabble: the Reporter

(couldn’t resist making this, even though it’s ahead of where my Nox collection is timeline-wise. I know some people find Dino incredibly annoying, but I got attached to him in the game, so I thought- why not?)

....

     Dino waited in the room royal security had picked out for the interview and didn’t fidget. Really. He didn’t constantly readjust his tie, check his watch’s wristband, or glance at his notepad of pre-chosen questions just to make sure he had memorized them.

     Okay maybe he was fidgeting. But really, he didn’t think he could be blamed. The infamously private, public-eye avoiding Second Prince of Lucis had finally agreed to an exclusive interview for the first time since his existence had been revealed in possibly the world’s second most hectic press conference —the most hectic going to the Chancellor of Niflheim’s sudden resignation and vocal support of Emperor Aldercapt’s son Quintus—. News conglomerates all over the world had been clamoring to get an interview —any interview, let alone an exclusive— with the reticent prince since learning of his existence and he’d finally agreed to one interview. With Meteor Publishing. But only on certain conditions.

     One of which being that Dino had to be the reporter. Not any of their Insomnia stationed reporters, not any of their world-traveling rising stars that had successfully and winsomely interviewed a hundred public icons without ruffling so much as a single feather. Not any of the people who actually lived and breathed this job rather than used it as simple income while he tinkered with naturally imbued stones to make jewelry for passing Hunters or tourists who liked a bit of local bling. No. According to his boss —his boss who had personally debriefed him—, Prince Nox had requested him specifically. Dino Ghiranze. The twenty four year old rookie gossip reporter with a jewelry hobby.

     Once Dino had gotten over the minor heart attack of that revelation, he had frantically prepared for his interview with the Second Prince of the kingdom —and tried not to lose his mind from the thought of “why me?” on endless loop in his head—.

     His head snapped up as the door finally opened and Prince Nox slipped in with a single guard on his heels —the prince’s Galahdian Shield, Axis Arra-Amicitia, who had also caused a massive stir when his existence came out—. Dino pasted on his most winning smile as he greeted the eighteen year old, who dipped his head in response and actually deigned to shake his hand. Underneath the part of him running through all the rote pleasantries —it’s an honor to meet you, thank you for agreeing to this interview—, the part of Dino that was a natural at hounding out hidden details was observing the prince.

     And getting increasingly alarmed.

     Of course he knew that the prince had lived outside royal protection until he was about fourteen or fifteen, that a lot of things could have happened in that time before His Majesty’s agents had tracked him down and brought him to the Citadel and safety but… Dino didn’t think he was looking at a kid with an occasionally rough childhood out in the backwoods of Lucis. He’d seen a lot of people pass through Galdin Quay, learned to pick out a lot of tells that put people into neat, gossip-riddled boxes and Dino wasn’t seeing the tells of a backwoods kid shoved into royalty.

     Dino was looking at a soldier. No. Not even that. Dino was looking at a survivor.

     Utterly silent footsteps placed as languidly and carefully as a Gralean ballet dancer, long sleeves in the middle of summer that couldn’t quite hide the tips of scars showing on the backs of his hands and peaking out from under the banged up emerald bracelet on one wrist. Blue eyes had taken in everything about the room even before fully setting foot in it —everything about Dino in a way that made him feel oddly small—, checking for threats, exits, and possible weapons with a speed that meant it was instinctive. The handshake was brisk and loose, ready to jolt away at a moment’s notice, and Dino was more than a little certain that the prince’s Shield was plotting out all the most brutally efficient but painful ways to kill him if Dino proved a threat.

     Well. That was interesting to know. Even more interesting if all the rumors about the former Chancellor being the prince’s uncle were true. But that wasn’t what Dino was here to ask about, and Dino was in no mood to get thrown out —or murdered— for deviating from the approved questions.

     The interview was relatively short but interesting. Once he was settled in the chair —arms loose and relaxed, ready to push himself out of the chair or pull out a weapon at any time—, Prince Nox proved to be friendly in a quiet, reserved sort of way. He even chuckled at a few of Dino’s jokes and ways he phrased the questions. The teenager was not at all like Dino had expected, all soft words and a muted, easy sort of confidence that reminded Dino of a predator at rest rather than skittish and overwhelmed —this wasn’t a teenager afraid of being fussed over and unaccustomed to royalty, this was a survivor who avoided the spotlight because it was easier to stay alive and free that way, but under controlled circumstances wasn’t afraid to talk to people like they were equals—.

    Dino noted the seeming fidgeting habit the prince had of running his forefinger along the skin underneath his battered emerald bracelet —Dino had to resist asking if he’d be interested in a new piece, because while it looked nicely made it had obviously been through a lot of abuse over the years— but didn’t comment. It wasn’t on the approved list and hey, everybody had their habits and calming rituals.

     After the interview had concluded, the little hand recorder had been turned off, and they were both standing up to leave, Dino couldn’t resist voicing the one question that had been bothering him for weeks now, “Your Highness,” he started hesitantly. Paused. Adjusted his cufflinks before blurting, “Can I ask ya one more question? Off the record?”

     Prince Nox tilted his head, something almost amused in his gaze, like he already knew what Dino was going to say before he said it —Lucis Caelums weren’t mind readers were they?—, “Go ahead.”

     “Why did ya request me? My boss said I was one of your conditions to the interview. I’m flattered, obviously, but … I’m just a rookie who likes to write gossip pieces. Why pick me to run the interview?”

     For the first time in his presence, Prince Nox’s lips curled upward into a smile, “Easy. You scratched my back, so now I’ve scratched yours.”

     What.

     Sensing the next question Dino was barely holding back —he’d only had permission to ask one after all—, Prince Nox raised one arm and rolled back the sleeve a little, just enough for Dino to finally get a good look at the battered emerald bracelet on the teenager’s wrist. It wasn’t the most complicated piece, elegant but sturdy, like it was designed with Hunters and travelers in mind who were more interested in the natural passive magic boosts certain raw gems gave rather than the bling of them. The thick bronze wires were scratched and dented, and two of the emeralds were chipped, but it was still holding together. More than that, the design was familiar.

     Too familiar.

     No. Way.

     Dino looked up from the bracelet, aware but not caring that he was gaping. Prince Nox was definitely grinning, a small, foxy sort of thing that radiated smug satisfaction, “I don’t know when you’re planning to go full time on the jeweler thing, or if you’re planning that at all, so I can’t exactly give a public endorsement. But I figured people would take you more seriously in your current job if you were known as the reporter who successfully landed an exclusive interview with the enigmatic second prince.”

     Dino felt like he needed to sit down. Maybe with a tall glass of water —or wine, wine would be good—. Instead he sputtered, “That’s-! That’s really one of my-?”

     Prince Nox flicked his sleeve back down with a nod, that smug smile still tugging on his lips, “I got it on a … whim while traveling through the Quay. Back before … all this. It’s been through a lot of nasty situations with me. Helped me pull through a lot of nasty situations too. I figured a reputation boost was the least I could do.” He tilted his head as if considering something, then casually added, “Of course, if you ever do decide to try being a jeweler full-time -which you could, you do good work-, give me a ring, yeah? I’ll give you an endorsement, maybe even a loan if you really need it. Come to your grand opening wherever you choose to open shop … buy a new piece to go with this one.”

     Dino could feel his mind shutting down and going static. Someone took him by the elbow and gently led him away, and Prince Nox was definitely taking amusement in his shock as he waved the hand that wore the bracelet —his bracelet, he sold those personally, when had he met and sold one of his pieces to Prince Nox Lucis Caelum—, but the prince’s tone was genuine as he called after Dino, “Give it some thought!”

     The next thing Dino knew, he was back in his hotel room, staring at the wall and clutching a glass of cheap wine, still trying to process … everything. Then, between one blink and the next, Dino started laughing just a bit hysterically. All those years of dreaming and hoping and not really thinking he could —since he was eighteen, Astrals he’d been Prince Nox’s age when he started dreaming of making his family hobby a job— and-. And a royal endorsement offer just landed in his lap.

     Because somewhere, sometime, in among who knew how many Hunters and drifters and lost souls he’d talked to in Galdin Quay, one of them had been Prince Nox Lucis Caelum. He’d sold one of his emerald pieces —how could he not remember that, good emeralds were so hard to get when you weren’t a big name jeweler— to the unknown eldest son of the king and had done a good enough job on the piece to help said prince out of who knew what scrapes and deadly situations over the years —Dino could guess, he hunted gossip and rumors for a reason, heard the stories of countless refugees that acted just like the prince—. Done a good enough job that the teenager had remembered him and decided to pay back a favor Dino hadn’t even known he’d been owed —hadn’t been owed, because once he sold a piece that was it, he had his money and they had their product, if it helped them out then that was just good craftsmanship—.

     Forgetting all about the article that had started all this —the article that was due in two days—, Dino scrambled for his cellphone. Wait until he called Coctura about this. She would lose her mind.

     And maybe help him pick out a nice spot on the beach to open that jewelry shop he’d always wanted, because there was no way that —once he was certain it was actually real and not some dream or joke— he wasn’t taking this chance by the horns and running with it.

[dancingbaek]

To End in Ice and Fire | Part 5

Being born with a particular birthmark is the lurking fear every parent has in their hearts when they bring a child into this dark world. Your parents are the only ones who have never received relief when creating life, because they knew your soul would be damned for eternity when he finally comes to claim what’s his.

Moodboard // Prologue // Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5

Spoiler: Jongin is an angry little vampire.

The next morning is much of the same. You wake up a little disoriented, but nonetheless slide out of bed and into the slippers you left waiting. The floor is always so cold in the morning and in the evening and your slippers can hardly fend off the cold. You change into a different dress in the closet, into a deep blue gown that you had trouble lacing up because the corset was just the slightest bit too small. You remedy the situation by sliding on an overcoat, buttoning each and every button. It wards off the chill in the air and you pad slowly to the vanity pressed up to the wall you hadn’t noticed the day before in your confusion and terror.

There’s a large mirror attached to the back of it, with little drawers and a seat cushion set in front of it. On the table is a golden hairbrush, intricate designs spiraling in a circle over the back of it, a large ruby set in the center. A matching hand mirror sits beside it. The Count and Countess did not even have such luxurious items in their household as you suspected the gold might be entirely real. Aside from the two items is a black wooden box, quite plain compared to the jeweled handset. A curious peek inside reveals glittering pieces of jewelry – you spy a string of genuine pearls, sapphire earrings, and garnet and diamond studded bracelets before you quickly shut it.

Raking the brush through your tired locks of hair, you regard yourself in the back mirror. Despite sleeping clear through the night, you look weary. Though talking to Junmyeon the morning before shed some light on your current situation, it had done nothing to set your mind at ease. When you had left your home to make the walk to the church, you had every intention of dying. You had believed you would be ripped apart and drained, much like that innocent boy had been. You had been waiting for the inevitability of death your entire life. You had kneeled every Sunday in church and every night before bed, praying that when it came you could still be saved.

Junmyeon had confirmed that your kidnapper had not brought you here just to kill you. If anything, you gathered that you were regarded as a piece of property to him. Not exactly a new concept to you, considering most marriages were arranged and young women like yourself were bartered off to the man with the highest place in society and the heaviest change purse. You, being a reasonably attractive woman and coming from a well-respected family, would have been good enough to be sold to Richard’s family. You would have been the next Countess and inherited his mother’s jewels and good standing, however you would have never truly owned anything. Everything would be Richard’s, and you would just be a conduit for his children.

You stood from the vanity, blinking images from a future you might have had out of your head. Sweeping your hair off your shoulder you make your way out of your room. Much like the day before, the hallways are mainly lit by candles, the heavy curtains still drawn over the windows. The path to the dining hall is empty of people, and you half expect to see Junmyeon waiting for you at the head of the table. Instead, it too is void of others, however the table is spread with much of the same breakfast food from the day before. You fill a plate with various fruits and cuts of meat before you pause. Being the only one present, and likely the only one in the house, why should you not take the head of the table?

Sitting down where the patriarch typically would affords you a rush of gratification. Although you look out to a table without companionship, the new vantage points allows you to regain some semblance of control over your life. One small decision seems to be enough to propel you through the day.

Junmyeon strolls into the hall while you’re finishing off the last of the sweet grapes. The amusement is plain on his face when he sees where you’ve chosen to sit. Awkwardly you begin to rise from the chair, but he waves it off and sits a few seats down. “I see you’ve made yourself comfortable.”

“Yes…” You start, grasping for an excuse before you decide on a light shrug and the truth. “I did not expect to have company this morning.”

“I put in for an order of lemon tarts this morning for a reason.” Junmyeon states, leaning forward to pluck one from a plate. You watch him take a bite in confusion but decide not to question it. If the bloodsucking demon wanted to eat a lemon tart, you would let him enjoy it in peace.

“So might we revisit the reason on me being here?” You question him, watching him practically inhale the sweet treat and reach for a second.

“I believe I addressed why you were here yesterday.” Junmyeon states when he swallows. “And I believe I stated Yixing should be speaking with you.”

“If I’m to be forced to live here,” You begin, doing your best to keep the spite from your tone. “I’m going to need things that I do not currently have.”

“Like what?” Junmyeon questions, quirking an eyebrow, already halfway done with his second treat. There was only one remaining.

“Like…” You grasp for common items, not having expected him to actually care. “Well I’m going to need access to a bath, and soaps. Sanitary cloths for my cycles. Womanly things.”

“I’ll make sure to let Yixing know your list of demands for living here.” He states in amusement, standing and plucking the last treat from the table. “I’m sure he’ll fall over himself trying to get those things in order.”

He disappears from the room as you huff lightly, chewing on the last grape with more force than necessary. If they wanted to hold you hostage you at least had the right to be clean. After a few second of debating you rise from the head of the table, following him out to try to squeeze more answers out of him. He has already disappeared, and a quick search of the bottom floor shows that he must have made it up the stairs with alarming quiet and speed.

The rest of the day is spent trying to amuse yourself. You go on another tour of the castle, seeing if you can find anymore unlocked doors. There aren’t any. You run out of ideas to amuse yourself quickly and succumb to deciding to read the day away. While you love reading, it having been how you spent most of your days at home anyways, you had nothing else to do. You should have told Junmyeon to ask Yixing to procure more entertainment.

It is somehow easy demanding things from Junmyeon, or at least speaking to him in a normal manner. He was more human-like than Yixing had been, and if it weren’t for his red eyes and flash of pointed teeth you would have tempted to go as far and say the two of you could be friends. He felt more human, yes, but there were still times where he went far too long without blinking or you caught him looking at your throat.

The next few days pass by much the same. Despite not having a bible you say a short prayer every night, but you quickly begin to lose faith. You discover the room next to yours open the next day, inside being a large claw foot tub with steaming water. A table is set beside it, housing a plethora of soaps for your body and hair. A plush towel sits next to them. You close the door and bolt it shut, sitting in the scalding water until it turns cool and your skin is pruned. You took time to smell all of your options, settling on a mixture of vanilla and peppermint. You scrub and scrub and scrub until you have to get out and wrap the towel around your body.

In fact, every morning since your chat with Junmyeon has produced steaming bath water for your enjoyment. It immediately becomes the favorite part of your day, despite the piano that lulls you to sleep every night. You silently acknowledge the fact that not even those in the largest homes back in your village had the opportunity to bathe each and every day.

Junmyeon does not show up after the second day, but you find yourself not minding it. Though you miss human interaction, you’re content to wallow your days away in solitude, bath water, and tomes thicker than your torso. Which is exactly what you’re doing on the fifth day of the kidnapping – balancing a large book on your knees, peering down at the words in a plush chair in the library. Having chosen something outlining the lineage of a faraway land, you settled in with a cup of tea to read the afternoon away.

 You awake sometime later. The curtains you had drawn to let in the late afternoon sun might as well have been shut with all the light that was left. The sky was dark, what light the moon cast hardly penetrating through the window. Sleepily you shift, your legs sliding out from under you and falling stiffly to floor.

Hissing as you pull your feet back, you feel the residual sharp pinpricks of how cold the floor was. Winter was certainly setting in. Blearily you reach down and fumble blindly for the slippers you had discarded before shoving your feet into them. This time you weren’t shocked when your feet hit the floor, and you pushed yourself out of the chair. You stretch your arms above your head, yawning obnoxiously before your mind wakes up enough to realize you can year the piano weaving its way into the library from the music room upstairs.

You’ve never been out of your room when you hear the piano. You still don’t know who plays it. It could be Junmyeon, sure, or it could be Yixing or some other demon you’ve yet to meet – okay, slow down, you tell yourself, taking a breath to steady your increasing thumping heartbeat. The library is on the first floor, the music room on the second, and your room on the third. All you have to do is be quiet going up the stairs.

Creeping outside the library, you’re met with the characteristic stillness of the household. No one is roaming the halls and there’s no noise outside of the soft, lilting melody of the piano keys. It’s even more beautiful now that there’s one less door between you and its location. Closing the door slowly behind you, you began to creep towards the grand staircase. Candles were lighted in their perches on the walls, casting yellow and orange hues against the dark stone. Just a few stairs up, you pause. Was it the fourth or the fifth stair that creaked under added weight? You take a moment to wrack your brain for an answer before you decide to hike up your skirts and stretch to the sixth stair.

Narrowly avoiding a leg cramp, you push yourself back to a respectable position, straightening out your skirts and continuing to sneak up the rest of the staircase. There was only one other stair you had to avoid, and when you reached the top you mentally gave yourself a round of applause. One flight of stairs down, one flight of stairs to go. As you begin your light trek down the hallway towards the next flight of stairs, the feathery lilt of melody swelled, working towards a climax of what you were sure was to be an amazing end of –

“Hello.” A honeyed voice sounded from behind you. You spin in mid stride to face whoever spoke, but there’s no one there. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion, squinting lightly into the weak light cast by the candles. There’s no one there.

“In front of you.” The same voice speaks from behind you once more. You spin again, this time coming face to face with another demon. You take an involuntary step back, back towards the stairs.

He’s easily the most attractive of the three. Towering above you, you see deep chocolate hair parted in the front, and his skin must have been naturally rich because last you knew these demons could not go out in the sun. His skin practically glowed despite the weak lighting, but that’s where the warmth stopped. A sharp jawline, plump lips quirked into a smirk, a straight nose, strong eyebrows, and blood red eyes. Junmyeon’s – even Yixing’s – had life in them, emotion and personality. This man’s were cold, lifeless. Dead, just like him.

“It’s rude not to speak when spoken to.” His voice is huskier than when he first spoke, but still dripping in honey. Immaculately dress, his jacket was unbuttoned halfway, his white shirt underneath similarly unbuttoned. An expanse of tanned skin showed, and you could practically see the iron muscles ripple underneath.

“Hello.” You suddenly find your voice and dip into an uncertain curtsy. He’s different from Junmyeon, different from Yixing. While you knew that they were both deadly, they didn’t look at you like you were a meal. They didn’t look through you.

The man in front of you suddenly smiled a full, toothy grin – and displayed for the first time the fangs you had heard so many rumors about when they spoke of the dead bodies found in the morning. Long, sharp, and almost mockingly glinting in the faint light – you couldn’t help but take another step back.

“That was adorable.” He stated in an amused tone. Your face flushed, and the thought of his fangs again sent your pulse skyrocketing. His eyes darted down to your neck, and he cocked his head to the side. It was as if he could hear your accelerated heart rate. A pink tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip, eyes not straying from your neck. You take another step back.

“Just a taste.” He says to himself in a low tone, the amusement from before having vanished as quick as it showed and his eyelids drooped low, hooded. The piano has stopped, but you have no time to take note of this fact. His lips pull back to reveal his fangs again as he leans forward, arms reaching out to keep you from running away. It was like a train wreck. Fear consumed you, rooting you to your place and the only thing you could do was screw your eyes shut in an attempt to ignore what was happening.

“Here to save your little mate, hm, Xing?” The handsome man ground out, and you managed to crack open your eyes. Directly in front of you was a broad back clad in a black suit jacket. Even from behind, even from his shortened name you could tell it was Yixing. Something deep inside of your soul told you it was him.

“You should not touch ladies without permission, Jongin.” Yixing speaks, his voice even. The first time he had spoken to you it had been soft, gentle – now it had an undercurrent of suppressed anger and barely contained contempt. The power shifted in the hallway away from the demon named Jongin and he felt it immediately. From peeking around Yixing, you saw him retreat a few steps. His eyes flickered from Yixing’s to yours, and he sneered.

“Ladies shouldn’t be wandering at night. They don’t know what lurks in the shadows.” He warned, and then he was simply gone. You didn’t blink, at least you don’t think you did; he was just there one moment and gone the next.

Yixing turned to face you after a moment. His hair hung over his forehead now, but he was still just as beautiful. Red eyes peered down at you, and you couldn’t make it past the startling closeness to see the concern clouding them. You take another step backwards, trying to get some physical space in an effort to clear get a grip on your mind.

Except this time, your foot does meet the smooth wooden planks along the floor. Instead, it’s met by nothing but thin air and belatedly you realize that, in your terror of the demon, you had retreated to the first staircase. Having no time to correct your mistake, your body tips backwards as your balance is thrown off. As your arms flail out to try to regain control you let out a very unbecoming yelp at the prospect of falling down the stairs and likely cracking your head open on a step or the landing.

Once again Yixing is there to save you. He reaches to grab hold of your hand, pulling you away from the steps and pivots you around so he’s between you and your close brush with an embarrassment you would never live down. His hands are cold, impossibly cold, and the grip he has on you sends your heartbeat into overtime – scratch that, the proximity he’s holding you at does. One arm has snaked around your waist to hold you firmly to his body, as if he could protect you wholly from making another stupid mistake tonight. His slim build does nothing to hide the fact that he is solid muscle. His hands may be comparable to ice, but his core body just seems to lack heat and is cool through the few layers of clothing he has on. Your own body seems to thrum with the closeness of him, something stirring deep inside of you.

“Careful, little one.” His tone is scolding while his lips are pressed into a thin line, brows scrunched together. The concern is hard to miss this time and the revelation that this heartless being is showing some semblance of kindness to you sends you spiraling further.

Heat colors your cheeks, making it hard to deny the embarrassment you were feeling with the whole situation. Yixing’s eyes rake over your features and you note offhand that his Adam’s apple bobs with a hard swallow. It’s a similar reaction Jongin had before he tried to tear into your neck, however you find it hard to react to Yixing the same way. “I-I am so sorry.”

You’re sorry? You instantly cringe at the fact you had apologized to the man – the thing that had kidnapped you from a church just days beforehand. He must have something similar running through his mind because the widening of his eyes and slow blink tell the story. “You’re sorry?” He questions, shaking his head and letting go of you. Somehow, you’re left feeling colder when he does. “You should not apologize for having an appropriate reaction to my kind. You have nothing at all to apologize for.”

“The piano stopped.” You note out loud, voice surprisingly even. Yixing regards you closely, being able to tell so much had happened in such a short period of time for you that you were choosing to focus on the small things before you tackle the large ones. “Were you playing it?”

“Yes,” Yixing answers, adding more gently, “I think it’s time for you to get into bed, little one.”

“I think you’re right.” You concede. He moves to the side, gesturing politely that you continue on your way. The first few steps are a bit wobbly, still feeling blindsided by the events that just transpired. A blood thirsty demon trying to rip into your neck, another, slightly less blood thirsty demon saving you from him, and then saving you from your own clumsy self. You had found yourself wishing these past few days to just run into Yixing again so you could demand that he release you, demand that he take you home unharmed and leave you be. But here he was, looking impossibly handsome in the flickering light, being kind, and you could not bring yourself to do so.

He follows a pace behind, his presence following you down the hall and up another flight of stairs. When you enter your bedroom, he stops in the doorway; lingering, watching. You pull the blankets back from the bed, trying to think of what to say to the red-eyed man.

“Sleep well.” He states softly, beating you to it and reaching in to take hold of the doorknob, beginning to shut the door. Your heart leaps in your throat at the thought of being alone, at the thought of Jongin being somewhere in the house. They don’t know what lurks in the shadows. When Jongin had spoken it, you had taken it as a serious warning. It flared up in your mind again, spreading through you like wildfire.

“Wait!” The panic in your voice made him halt, looking up at you with widened eyes. “What if he ends up coming back?”

Yixing drew himself up to his full height, shoulders tense and expression solemn. “Jongin will not come back, nor will he hurt you. I will not let anyone hurt you. I promise it.” His tone was even but laced with seriousness you had not expected. It was hard not to believe the words when he conveyed them so earnestly.

You turn from him, trying to steady the warmth that spread through you at his sudden flare of protectiveness. Keeping your voice as even as possible, you manage to murmur, “I believe you,” as you slide out of your slippers and into bed. “And I want to talk tomorrow.”

Yixing nods, beginning to close the door once more. “Good night, little one.”

You shrug out of your coat and unlace the corset, shrugging them both off before you lay down in bed, pulling the blankets up high. The piano never starts back up, but you don’t find difficulty in drifting off.

[fireintheforest]

Behind the Blue, chapter 14

Yeah, the hoops, bracelets, diamond earrings, pearl necklaces and one or two gems were pretty. But what made them get a cold sweat and feel like their souls hit the ground was when they saw no sign of La Zadine. There was a second of silence when they realized it.

“No.” Toivon said, taking the chest and flipping it on the bed so everything fell. He started spreading the jewelry pieces in order to see better, with Saufinril behind looking, “No it’s-it’s gotta be here.”

“They couldn’t have stolen it before you got there, right?” Saufinril asked, walking around Toivon and the bed to see closer on the other side.

“No way. When I got there he was only starting to look for the chest.” Toivon said. They did find a sapphire, but it was smaller and didn’t match the description they had. Besides, La Zadine was a sapphire on its own, and this one was embedded in a ring. La Zadine was not in the chest. Toivon took his hands to his hips and exhaled, his eyes on the jewels.

“What do we do now?” Saufinril asked, “That is, surely you’ll tell the client. But…Toivon, this means Emmanuel knew the gem was going to be stolen. Or at least he had his suspicions. Is there a chance we were given false information?”

“We clearly were.” Toivon rubbed his face, “Or the client was, and by default we were. Fuck. If he moved La Zadine because he had suspicions of its theft, we have to find it.”

“He was suspicious.” Saufinril took the sapphire ring and put it on, examining it, “Like, Emmanuel was suspicious.”

“That’s what I just said, what’s your point?” Toivon sat in the bed, crossing his arms.

“We have to go back in time a bit. Emmanuel passed La Zadine somewhere else because he suspects someone might steal it, correct? He knew it was going to be stolen. He created this decoy. The suspicions had to start sometime. Maybe because he thought a guest would take jewelry at tonight’s party so he wanted to make sure he could keep it safe.”

“Doesn’t seem like it. I mean, it seems to be the point for these jewels.” Toivon motioned to the jewelry next to him, “You just take any valuable objects and place them underneath the bed. But La Zadine is a sapphire worth thousands of septims. You can’t just tuck it under a pillow and know it’s safe.”

“Did you check under the pillows?” Saufinril asked, arching his eyebrows and looking away from the ring for the first time. Toivon narrowed his eyes.

“No. And that’s not the point.” Toivon replied, “The point is, that rock is still in Emmanuel’s estate, nicely hidden, because he knew it was going to be stolen, and if he knew it was going to be stolen it’s because someone gave him the suspicion that it’d be so. And I gotta find it.”

“Toivon, it’s not gonna take one day to find it.”

“I know, but damn it I signed up for this and I told the client I’d get them this stupid gem and I’m going to get it.” He exhaled, gaze on the wall opposite, thinking. Saufinril lowered his hand, letting it rest on his own knee, “I’ll find a way. I’ll pay you when I get the money, you don’t need to stick around. You did your part of the deal.” Toivon added.

“No doubt.” Saufinril said, “But…one is not leaving.” Toivon turned to look at him, “One said one would work with you to get that gem and well, if we don’t have it yet, then one’s work isn’t done, is it?”

“You do understand it’s just gotten harder, right?”

Saufinril shrugged, “Well, yes. But, it’ll be somewhat…see.” Saufinril brushed his long, blond hair back, “We began this job with one task to be done individually, right? But now the difficulty increased. The only adequate thing to do is adapt to its difficulty by relying on the other.”

“You’re saying we should work together to discover where La Zadine is?” Toivon asked, turning his body more to Saufinril.

“Exactly! One knows the faces and you know the place. We can figure out who is after La Zadine as well and therefore paid the thief, and we can also figure out where in the estate it’s hidden, by relying on what the other has found out tonight.”

“Still, the information we have is somewhat shallow. We could go deeper.”

“What do you mean?”

“We could go undercover.”

Saufinril arched his eyebrows. “Undercover?” he repeated

“Why not? You said it yourself, you know the faces. Tonight’s fiasco was a slip from my part, but as far as I know you did your part brilliantly.”

“One wouldn’t say brilliant, but…it worked out.” Saufinril said, hoping the shadows of the candlelit room covered the warmth he felt in his ears.

“If nobody raised the alarm when you got the key, it means you did the job well. You know the faces and chances are, you’re not a suspect. You can mingle again with them and get more information without the suspicion. I know the estate from what I saw, but I can get to know it better two ways: patrolling it nightly or going undercover as well.”

“What would you go as?”

“A servant. Makes it easier to learn any secrets the property has and increases the chances of finding La Zadine. Besides we’ve got an insider, Sorcise. I know she can help. Especially because it was her information what made us aim for the wrong hiding place, as much of an accident as it was. I know she doesn’t want to disappoint her real boss.”

Saufinril breathed deeply, thinking. After a while, though, he gave a couple of nods. “We can do it. One can get information, and we can both exchange it whenever we can and find out who wants to steal La Zadine, and get it before they do.”

 “You happen to be lucky.” Sorcise said the next day, sitting at the same table as Toivon and Saufinril at the inn, her cigarette trailing a pearly gray rope up to the ceiling, “Emmanuel fired Claudette today because of what happened at the party. Said her screaming made a scandal and she’d embarrassed him by luring the courtesan to see the body, that she was lucky not more people saw it but,” she shrugged, blowing out the smoke, “yeah. I know for a fact her mother owns a bakery here so I’m not too concerned about her.”

“So you can sneak me into the estate?” Toivon asked

“Sure. Not to toot my own horn, but I got a high place in the ladder. You’re not gonna, but that’s alright. The issue will be sneaking him in. Maybe by becoming their guest but that’ll be a toughie.” Sorcise said, motioning to Saufinril before taking a drink of her beer.

“Do you know where the Hawkcrofts will go next?” Saufinril asked

“Why would they go anywhere?” Toivon asked

“They’re up in the social ladder. There’s got to be some social event or activity they’ll be in where one can ‘bump’ into and talk to them.” Saufinril explained

“Avelle is very into artists.” Sorcise leaned back, thinking, “And at breakfast this morning she said you and her were best friends.”

“Umm…one did talk to her once or twice during the night, yes…” Saufinril said slowly, perplexed.

“So she gets attached fast. Perfect. Use the best friend level to get invited as a guest.” Toivon said. Before Sorcise could add to it, however, a man opened the door of the inn, storming in with a bewildered look. Most of the inn turned to look at him.

“There was another!” he said. Now all the inn quieted down and looked at him.

“Another?” a man asked

“I saw him!” the first man said

“Damned the gods. Call the guards!”

“They’re already there, they are taking the body to the morgue! It’s the third this month, and looks just like the other two!”

“Sorcise,” Saufinril asked, leaning towards the woman and speaking in a low volume, “what is that man talking about?”

Sorcise sighed and rolled her eyes while the man got surrounded by other patrons, all of them talking at the same time, “We got a serial killer.” She said, then she took her beer and drank. Both Toivon and Saufinril watched her, “What?” “Oh, it’s just a serial killer.” Toivon said, shrugging, “I thought it was something serious, like a stolen apple.”

“It’s not like I can tell you their name, birthday, hopes and dreams.” Sorcise said, then sighed again, “It started a couple of months ago, with one girl. We all thought it was some jealous lover or something, but then a male body showed up. Same way but, you know, different victim. And then there were two more. Then two this month, and now this.”

“Seven in two months?” Toivon asked, arching his eyebrows. Sorcise nodded.

“A man and a girl are two different victims. Was there anything that tied them up? How did you know it was the same killer?” Saufinril asked

“All victims have hits on their heads, independently of how they were killed. All are discarded like trash, outside the city. And, uh, all are Altmer.” Toivon briefly glanced at Saufinril, who nodded slowly.

“One sees.” He replied.

“Wait, how do you know so much if you work 6 days a week in Hawkcroft’s estate and live in it?” Toivon asked

“I’m fucking the mortician’s assistant.” Sorcise replied simply, inhaling and exhaling from her cigarette.

“Love a reliable source.” Toivon nodded

“To answer your question,” she motioned to Saufinril, “Avelle herself is heading to a play at Princess’s Crown with some of her friends. It’s an upscale tavern north from the center, big and posh. Can’t miss it. If you go around today and see which play it is, you’ll have an idea of when to get there and butter up daddy’s girl into letting you be her guest.”

“Perfect.”

“What about your clothes? I may not know much about Altmer courtesans, but I know a Dunmer one would never be caught dead wearing the same thing twice in one week.” Toivon objected

“Marley.” Toivon and Saufinril turned to look at Sorcise, who drank from her beer and repeated, “Marley. Jacques Marley, tailor. His shop is nearby, actually. Makes plenty of clothes for well-off people, including my patron. Maybe he has things there already made, or if you’re going to wear a dress like the one last night, I’m sure he can do it quickly.”

“That was a robe, first of all.” Saufinril corrected, “And second, one doubts he would sew the patterns and details in an Altmeri style, well unless he were an Altmer himself. Is he?”

“Fuck kind of Altmer is named Jacques Marley?” Toivon asked

“One of the dead mer’s name was Horace.” Sorcise interrupted, “But no, he’s a Breton. Maybe he can’t sew the patterns of the isles, but he’s still a popular choice among richer folk. Paying him a visit won’t hurt. By the way, if you bump into Avelle and she asks where you’re staying, don’t mention this inn or the image of high class will shatter. Say you’re staying at The Marigold.”

“Alright, one will go to his store and then to the, what was its name, Princess’s Crown?” Sorcise nodded, “What a tacky name. One will go and then get ready and go to that play. What are you doing?” he asked Toivon.

“I’m going straight to the house with Sorcise.” Toivon said

“Pause. I’m going to the manor, and then you arrive. It’ll look suspicious if we arrive together and then you get the job.” Sorcise interrupted.

“Ok. Better plan.” All three rose from the table but only Saufinril and Sorcise left the inn. Sorcise guided Saufinril to a shop that proudly had a wooden sign with scissors proclaiming “Marley tailoring” at the sign. The little bell at the entrance chimed when the door opened, and at the counter was a bored-looking teenager with raven hair and pasty skin reading a book. Around the store were some mannequins dressed in velvet, silk, linen and charmeuse clothes. Jackets, shirts, dresses, vests, even capes.

“Welcome to Marley’s is there anything you are looking for today?” the teenager asked in a monotonous drawl of someone that would much rather be doing literally anything instead of this.

“Is your uncle in?” Sorcise asked

“I don’t know.” The teen shrugged

“Well look for him.” The teenager sighed but got up and went to the back of the store, obeying the order Sorcise mandated.

“How charming.” Saufinril muttered

“That’s Marley’s nephew. I hate him.” Sorcise said. Saufinril continued looking around the store, stopping at the front desk where the teenager had been not too long ago. He’d left the book he was reading open in the middle. Curious, Saufinril took the front and closed it to see the title of the book: “The Lusty Argonian Maid”, volume two. Nasty. Saufinril delicately left it the way he found it and wiped his hand on his clothes. He went on to look at the clothes on display when a man emerged from the back. He had the same raven black hair as the teen, but decorated here and there with silver hairs and radiating a much more optimistic look, complete with a pearly smile that fit nicely with his squared jaw.

“Good morning, Sorcise! If it hasn’t been a while, how have you been?” he greeted

“I’m alive.” Sorcise replied

“Witty as always! And pardon, who is your friend?” the man asked, turning politely to Saufinril.

“Cyremin. Of Alinor.” Saufinril said, using the smile of last night, “One came to visit but due to unforeseeable reasons the visit extended and one needs more clothes. Sorcise spoke beautifully of your creations, and from what one sees here,” he turned to some of the mannequins that sported the latest jackets, breeches and dresses Marley had made, “she was right.”

“He’s a friend of Madame Ferchard’s.” Sorcise continued, “She said you could have some things for him in your store.”

“Of course I do!” Marley beamed to Sorcise, then turning to Saufinril, “I’m delighted to have you here. You know, if you allow me to show you, I have new pieces on the back. If you’ll follow me, I can gladly show them to you.”

“Serah, you’ve got one’s curiosity” Saufinril purred, following Marley behind the curtain, Sorcise behind him.

Marley kept talking, “There’s plenty of Altmer living here in Evermor and I know your people usually go for robes, am I correct?”

“It’s the usual in the Isles, yes.”

“Us Bretons prefer clothes to be more, well tighter to the body. Practical. Breeches, shirts, vests and so.” Marley got them to what probably was the sewing studio. Various fabrics were guarded in rolls in shelves, boxes held larger and smaller scraps of any fabric possible, scissors and meters were sprawled on tables along with templates, pieces of soap, bits and pieces of fabric and thread, pincushions filled to the brim with pins and needles. Marley went to one of the tables, looking around. He grabbed what seemed to be cloth and stretched it as he said, “Hmm, this could work, now let’s see…nice and flowy, or would you prefer more of a Breton approach?”

“Robes.” Saufinril replied

“Absolutely.” Marley went on, checking here and there, “I got some linen from Daggerfall that would look exquisite on a robe, but we also received spider silk from Elinhir, which would-”

“Silk.”

“Excellent choice, right away. Dean!” Marley called, then went onto the hallway, giving instructions to someone.

Meanwhile, Sorcise leaned over to Saufinril and asked in a low voice, “Robes? You’re gonna pop out amongst the rest.”

“One left the Isles recently.” Saufinril whispered back, gaining an understanding nod from Sorcise. Just then Marley came back with a bulk of fabric in his arms.

“Alright! Changing booth is next to you, try them on and we’ll do any fixing that’s needed.” Saufinril waited for Marley to put the robes in before going into the small room left to the sewing studio, closing the curtain after himself. When he emerged with the robes on, Marley immediately redirected him to the front of the mirror, while calling the teenager and getting pins from the table next to the body-length mirror that showed all of Saufinril’s body except his head. Marley got to pinning and measuring at once.

Hiding the surprise that such efficiency caused, Saufinril looked around as best as he could. The teenager came with several other fabrics, setting them on a nearby table and stretching them.

“So, what is the occasion?” Marley asked

“One got invited to a play tonight, the place’s name escapes one. At what time was it, Sorcise?” Saufinril asked.

“Seven-thirty” she replied, leaning against the wall in boredom.

The teenager looked at Saufinril with a frown. Saufinril winked at him, earning only a grimace of disgust as he kept organizing the fabrics.

“Oh, I’m guessing it’s the one in the Princess’s Crown? I have clients that have been looking for it for days, a couple came over to get new gowns too.” Marley replied, hemming the robe, “It’s quite the luck that we had this, and it’s looking good on you.”

“One knows.” Saufinril said, beaming at his reflection. Which felt weird to him. There’s really nothing to beam at when looking at himself. Like a mudcrab, deep under the mud.

Rialas still wasn’t right.

Marley finished hemming the robe and stood up, stepping back to look, a light frown on his eyes. “Turn around, please.” He said. Saufinril did so, looking over his shoulder at Marley when he was giving him his back. Marley didn’t see a thing, focused on the hems. His nephew just glared at Saufinril. Saufinril figured out that being ignored by the tailor would be unacceptable to Rialas. He reached a hand under Marley’s jaw, catching him by surprise. The Breton’s blue eyes looked up in surprise, straight at the emerald eyes.

“You’re awfully focused. Do you like what you see?” he asked with a smile

Marley coughed and laughed nervously, gently removing the hand from under his jaw, “You, ah, you are a good- looking good. And well, the hem is looking nicely too.” He moved to Saufinril’s side to examine the hem again, “This should be ready in time for your appointment, monsieur. Are you feeling the robes well, are they comfortable?”

“They are fine.” Saufinril said, straightening back with no hurry, his emerald eyes on Marley since he escaped him.

“Very good, very good.” Marley was about to move out, Sorcise shot Saufinril a look. We have no money to pay for this. Saufinril gave her an imperceptible nod before saying,

“Serah?”

Marley turned to him, immediately

“You don’t happen to need someone to model these gorgeous robes, do you?” Saufinril asked. Marley gave a friendly laugh and asked,

“Why, uh, why would I-”

“Are any of your clients Altmer?” Saufinril asked casually while studying himself and the robes on the mirror.

“Well, they, um…no.”

“So these robes…”

“I was, just…made them for…that is,” Marley cleared his throat, putting his hands on his hips, “I wanted to see if I could make robes.”

“You can.” Saufinril stated, still admiring himself. Or pretending to. But he could see in his peripheral vision that Marley had perked up a bit at that, “You can make robes but you cannot sell them?” now he looked at Marley through the mirror. Marley rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s…um…”

“It’s one’s people?” Saufinril asked, arching his eyebrow with a smile. Marley’s eyes widened.

“No! Well, no. It’s, well, one’s clientele is mostly Breton and Redguard, see. I’d love to sell to Altmer, and your people are welcome anytime to-”

“They won’t come.” Saufinril swished the robes by moving back and forth. The silk was the smoothest thing he’d ever felt and admittedly, it was fun to swish it. He looked at Marley’s face, which had dropped the smile. Saufinril laughed, “Let one rephrase that. They won’t look at a place if they think it’s not in trend. If it’s associated with men. No offense, of course.” He moved his hair back, “If this were associated with Altmeri art, on the other hand…that’s a different story. And you’d get the clientele.”

“Altmeri art?” Marley repeated

“Mhm.” Saufinril finally turned to Marley, to look at his blue eyes while leaning and crouching lightly to be on Marley’s eye level, “These are good robes, Jacques.” He said in softer, more intimate voice, “But keeping them in a trunk won’t do them justice. Letting them go out for the night, for other Altmer to see, that’s a different story. And one with a happy ending at that, if they’re on a courtesan.”

“A…a courtesan.”

“Of Alinor itself.” Saufinril gave Marley a smile, “If you let one exhibit these cute clothes in public events and gatherings here, one can write back home about them. Tell one’s sisters and teachers all about it. One will already tell one’s clients and public here about them, anyhow. If one were to wear them.”

Marley cleared his throat, crossing his arms, “Well, I…and…what would you get out of this?” he asked.

Saufinril merely laughed, straightening up as he did so, “One? Nothing. You? Plenty. If you wish to take one’s business deal. If not,” he looked at Sorcise, “you told one there’s another tailor here, didn’t you?” she nodded, “One thought so.” He started to go to the changing room.

“No, wait.”

Saufinril turned to Marley

“I…” Marley nodded, “Alright.” He beamed his optimistic smile again, but his nephew on the background just tightened his jaw, “Sure. Let’s try this event. If, um, if this partnership, that is, if your modelling can bring more Altmer clientele to my shop, I’d be happy to let you keep wearing my creations.”

“When, dear.” Saufinril corrected him with a cat-like smile, “One doesn’t do ifs.” And he went inside the booth to change. Five minutes later, both Saufinril and Sorcise went out of the tailor shop.

“That went better than expected.” Sorcise said

“Yeah.” Saufinril replied, silence. “That kid, Dean? What the fuck is wrong with him?”

[lelantusposts]

Our Love is like a Storybook Story

The intro to the Steve/Tony Fairytale AU I’m writing! Moving it over from Imzy to here :D

Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Midgard, there was a quick-witted thief who wasn’t really a thief and a golden-haired prince cursed into an everlasting sleep that wasn’t quite so everlasting.

Tony ran along the dimly lit stone corridor and the shouts and heavy footfalls of the palace guard in hot pursuit behind him echoed in the hallway as they drew inexorably closer.

Tony silently cursed and put on an extra spurt of speed, running faster.

Fortunately, unlike the guards chasing him, Tony wore neither heavy armour nor a sword. Dressed in plain breeches and a loose tunic, Tony at first glance could have passed for a young page or stable hand; as one of the countless town boys employed by the king and queen to ensure that palace ran like a well oiled machine. It helped that even though he was 19, most people thought Tony was a few years younger. But if someone took the time to look closer, then they would be quite surprised by just what Tony was hiding underneath his youthful, earnest facade.

Although they looked simple, the breeches Tony wore actually concealed a multitude of small and cleverly hidden pockets which in turn held many interesting and important items, including but not limited to: a set of custom-designed lock picks, a number of coins in various currencies, face makeup, and the personal correspondence of several minor nobles. If one were to look beneath Tony’s clothes, then they would immediately see that he had a rather shocking number of knives strapped to various parts of his body that were easily concealed by the cut of his shirt and pants when he was dressed. And finally, if one were to look inside the battered satchel Tony wore slung across his body, then they would find several glittering rings, a few lovely pairs of spangled earrings, some gold and silver bracelets, a long string of pearls, and one jewel-encrusted tiara - all thrown haphazardly over a change of clothes (that included a priest’s robe) and length of rope attached to a grappling hook.

In short, although on the outside he looked the part, Tony was definitely not a simple palace servant. Although, Tony mused in the middle of being chased by approximately half of the palace guard, my life probably would be a lot easier if I were just a servant. Tony took an abrupt left, darting down a narrow hallway, and heard something go crashing behind him as the curses of the guards increased in pitch, causing Tony to grin. Well, it would be easier but certainly nowhere near as fun.

Tony took another left and then a right, running down empty hallways and desperately searching for a window. Or really any opening that would give him access to the outside of the building. It didn’t matter that he was three floors up off of the ground - the rough walls of palace were perfect for scaling and Tony was an excellent climber. It was certainly not how Tony had planned to leave the palace, but all of his carefully laid schemes had crumbled into dust the moment a ladies maid had doubled back to her mistress’s chamber to retrieve something forgotten, only to find Tony picking through said mistress’s jewelry box.

One second of bad luck and days of planning were suddenly worthless. Thankfully, Tony had already gotten most of what he had needed by that point.

Before Tony could stop her, she had cried out, her screams loud enough to summon the palace guard who were quick to begin their pursuit of Tony with shouts of “stop thief!” which almost offended Tony as much as getting caught in the act. Because really, thief was such a… common word for what Tony was. Tony’s heists were always the height of skill and elegance, beautiful in their own right. Practically art. Legendary among people who knew about such things.

Well, usually.

Today’s act of larceny had been rather uncharacteristically hastily planned. Tony had been driven by desperation and necessity, which as any good thief (fine, Tony would concede the title was fitting although he much preferred “property appropriator”) would tell you was never good. Emotions like that made you sloppy and made mistakes more likely. And mistakes, well, mistakes could get you killed or worse - caught.

Tony pretty much never made mistakes. Indeed, before today, he had never even been seen committing one of his heists. Thankfully, Tony always took the precaution of changing his appearance whenever he went on a job - even a last minute one. His face was carefully made up to subtly alter his features and he wore a fake scar slashing across an eyebrow and a cheekbone. A temporary chemical paste had changed his normally brown hair to pitch black. After Tony made his escape (and Tony didn’t doubt for a second he would escape, he was just too good not to), he would be in the clear; the thief that the guards would be looking for would cease to exist the moment Tony had a spare second to remove his disguise.

All Tony needed to do was find a way to get out of this damned palace. Unfortunately, it had been years since Tony had set foot in the palace and he had never been in this particular wing. So, at the moment, he was running without a plan and praying he wouldn’t hit a dead end.

Having outstripped the guards to the extent that Tony could barely hear signs of their pursuit (Tony was lean and quick footed, perfectly designed for quick getaways), Tony stopped for a moment to catch his breath and try to come up with a better plan. But as he leaned against a wall, bent over and panting, something on the opposite side of the hallway caught his eye.

Exhaustion momentarily forgotten, Tony took a step closer, eyes squinting. There, carved into the stone in the middle of a random hallway, was a small flower. It had been colored with red paint and Tony thought it might be a poppy. Why…  His mind caught up in the small mystery, Tony reached out a hand to brush his fingers against the carving and the moment he touched it, the stone it was carved onto sunk into the wall.

Tony’s breath caught, excitement rushing through him. Could it be?

“Please be a secret door, please be a secret door,” Tony murmured as he pushed against the stone harder and suddenly a whole section of the wall was swinging inwards, a door that Tony never would have guessed was there opening.

Tony stared at the door, delighted (Tony loved secrets) and debated what to do. Did the guards know about this room? Could Tony hide here until the furrow died down or would going inside lead to his certain capture? A shout from nearby (some of the guards must be closing in) quickly made up his mind. Darting inside, Tony carefully shut the door behind him, ensuring that it made no noise while closing.

Ear pressed against the door, Tony could faintly hear the sounds in the hallway beyond it. After a minute, Tony heard footfalls and the clanking of armor that signified the palace guard. Tony held his breath. The noises came closer, the guards passing right in front of the secret door, and then, miracle of miracles, they started to lessen and fade. Tony breathed a sigh of relief. The guards had continued down the hallway, not even pausing at the door. For the time being, he was safe.

Straightening up, Tony gave the secret room he had found himself in a proper look and almost fainted from shock.

The room was large and airy, with high ceilings and three large windows set in one wall, allowing sunlight to stream into the room. Otherwise, the room was entirely empty. Well, except for the slab of stone in the center of room upon which a sleeping person lay. And not just any sleeping person, either. No. Of course not. Because there, in a secret room in a forgotten part of the castle lay Prince Steve, heir to the crown, whom no one in the kingdom had seen for three years. Because three years ago the prince had fallen into an enchanted sleep from which nothing and no one had been able to rouse him.

Tony hesitantly walked across the room until he was standing right beside the sort-of table upon which Steve lay. Tony gazed down at him. Steve looked perfect, exactly like a prince was supposed to look. His golden hair was perfectly styled and his handsome face was clean shaven. He was dressed in a royal blue jacket with shiny gold buttons and white breeches that showed off a well-built body that had not deteriorated despite the years Steve had spent asleep. Enchanted sleep, Tony reminded himself. Steve’s hands were folded on top of his breast. He was perfectly still except for the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Tony stared down at Steve and emotions swirled through him, freezing him in place. Horror, sorrow, curiosity, wonder, and regret warred within him and the one coherent thought he was able to form was, I wish I could see his eyes… blue, they’re so blue.

Tony reached out a shaking hand and gently touched Steve’s hand. It was warm and felt so alive beneath his fingers, but nothing happened. Steve didn’t stir, didn’t twitch, and Tony’s stomach swooped in disappointment. He didn’t know what he had been expecting, but he wanted… he wanted to make this right. Because once, a long time ago, Steve had made something right for Tony. In a small way Steve had saved him. And since that day all those years ago, Tony had carried both a debt to Steve and a yearning to meet him once again. And now, finally, Tony was here with Steve but Steve was completely unaware.

Tony smiled ruefully to himself and gently shook his head. It was foolish to hope. Even if Steve were awake, it wasn’t like he would actually recognize Tony. Steve probably saved small orphan boys all the time; there was no way he would remember the few hours that he and Tony had spent together once upon a time. After all, it had been more than a decade ago and they both had been so so young.

But still, Tony wanted to do something. He couldn’t leave without thanking Steve, even if Steve would never know. Tony would know and maybe partially getting this one debt off his chest would help him sleep a little easier at night.

After a few more moments of silent, internal debate, Tony leaned over Steve and murmured, “Thank you. You’ll never know how much it meant to me.” And then Tony closed his eyes and pressed a gentle kiss to Steve’s cheek. Or well, Tony had meant to kiss Steve’s cheek. Apparently, with his eyes closed has aim was a little off because his kiss landed half on Steve’s cheek and half on the corner of his mouth.

Tony raised his head and opened his eyes to be met with… blue. Tony stared, dumbfounded. Because Steve’s eyes were open. They were open and blinking rapidly and his gaze was confused, but focused on Tony. Then Steve raised a shaky hand and it brushed gently along Tony’s cheek.

“Who are you?” Steve’s voice was low and raspy with disuse and it kicked Tony into action.

Tony stumbled backwards out of Steve’s reach and raised a hand to brush against the cheek where Steve had touched him.

Steve levered himself up, the entire motion seeming to require extreme effort, and spoke again, his blue eyes still trained on Tony. This time, his voice was more assured. “Who are you? And where am I? What happened?”

Tony blinked at him and then rapidly turned, throwing open one of the windows. Out, I have to get out. It was the only coherent thought running through his head. Tony hastily pulled the hook and rope out of his bag, spilling half of its contents - including a good amount of jewelry he had collected earlier - on the floor in the process. Attaching it to the window ledge, he was out of the room and repelling down the side of palace in seconds.

“Wait!” he heard Steve call from behind him, but he kept moving. He couldn’t stay here. If he stayed, there would be questions and where there were questions, there was danger. Danger for Tony and for those he was trying to protect. Moments later, he was on the ground and running as fast as he could, rope forgotten. In a moment of weakness, Tony looked over his shoulder back at the palace. Steve was standing at the window Tony had used as his exit, the sun glinting off of his golden hair and one hand outstretched. Tony tore his gaze away and kept running. It was for the best. 

[lilteamushroom]

MiraJane-island lesson and the dance.

Today was the day Mira was going to share her culture, island history and herself with her fellow classmates. She had a whole presentation prepared.

Mira decorated the common room with different decorations that represented her island, flowers, statues of gods and goddess, hanging lanterns hung from the ceiling.

She turned off only one light so then the lanterns could twinkle a bit. But you can still see all the props and Mira.

Mira was wearing her traditional outfit that she would wear for a festival or celebration. She wore a grass skirt, flower leis, a flower crown, grass bracelets on both hands and ankles and a crowie choker and bracelet on all wrists and ankles.

The many floral and leaf covered leis she had on covered her chest but she wore a white bra decorated with shells, coins and crystals and white panties that could almost be seen through the thick grass skirt.

“Can we come out now?” Mina yelled from the hallway. Mira giggles.

“I’m almost done!” Mira yelled back. Mira looked around. Everything was in place.

Mira inhaled then exhaled.

“ke ʻoli mai koʻu akua iaʻu” Mira whispered a prayer to give her luck.

“I’m ready!” Mira yelled out. They all gazed around the room at the different props and decorations.

“Wow Mira you went all out.” Ochako chimed.

“I wanted to make this special. My island is special to me and you guys are special to me too.” Mira said kindly.

“Please sit. I’ll explain everything.” Mira suggested to them. Nearly all of them fought for a seat on the couch. When Iida decided that the girls get first dibs on the couch. 3 boys took a spot on the other couch. Some sat on the floor while the others pulled a chair up from the table.

“What would you guys want to know first?” Mira asked.

“What’s up with that hot outfit?” Mineta asked staring at her. Mina jumped up and threw her slipper at him, smacking him dead in the face causing him to fall over.

“Mira tell us about you beautiful outfit.” Mina huffed as she sat down. Mira smiled knowing Mina was there to stand up for her.

“This is a traditional haka outfit. I would wear this to a festival or a celebration. I will confess that coming to the mainland was a bit difficult for me to understand many things. I had to change the haka outfit because normally we wouldn’t wear a bra with this.” Mira stated turning to the side to show.

“So you would just... let them hang out?” Tsuyu asked. There were blush marks on all the guys.

“Yeah that’s right. Usually we wear enough leis to cover them up along with thick long hair. In my culture we don’t see it as embarrassing. It’s natural for us to see each other like that.” Mira said happily.

“So all the girls their let their boobs show?! Awesome!” Mineta said. Mina got up to use her other shoe but Mira put up her hand to stop her. Mira walker over to Mineta. She got down to his level and looked him dead in the eye.

“If you even think about going to my island I will have you be used as unagi bate.” Mira said in a sweet voice that terrified that small boy.

“What’s an unagi?” He gulped.

“A strong and powerful serpent like creature that lives in the lake near our village. You understand?”

“Yes mam” he stuttered. Mira smiled and went back to where she was.

“Anyway what next?”

“Your island. What’s it called?” Shoto asked. Mira smiled picking up a map of her island.



“This is Akala. My home. Where my people are.” Mira said putting the map up on the wall.

“Much like Hawaii it is a volcano. But it’s a dead volcano so it won’t be going off. Sometimes smoke comes from it like it shows in the picture. Many peoples houses are scattered along the right side of the island.” She pointed to an area on the map.

“My families house sits atop the right side. We have little to no electricity on the island. We have enough to make calls to other islands, we have boats, communicators, and music boxes.” Mira said looking proudly at the map.

“You don’t have tv or internet?!” Kaminari asked. Mira shook her head.

“Non of that on the island. We are very traditional and stick to ancient techniques.” Mira said.

“Though sometimes I wish we would use technology. We do these rituals when women go into labor. The rituals are very spiritual. But many babies and women don’t make it out alive because we don’t have the technology to save them.” Mira clenched the bottom of her skirt.

“My mother died while having me.” Mira said quietly looking away. She shook her head.

“Enough about that. I wanted to perform a traditional dance. One I would do for a festival.” Mira beamed trying to make the mood a little lighter. Shoto helped her push the coffee table out of the way. Mira went to the laptop and pushed play.

The music started as Mira started to dance to the beat. The music was calm and flowed well. Her classmates smiled and watched in amazement as Mira performed a dance from her island. The leaves and flowers swayed with her hips as she danced. The shells, coins and crystals the were attached to Mira’s skirt jingled as her hips moved to the song.

Her movements were elegant and hypnotizing in a way. Mira blocked out any distractions and let the music take her away. This dancing is spiritual in her cultures. She must respect it. But Mira made sure to not get sloppy with her dancing. Her dance is suppose to tell a story. When she dances, she has to embody the 4 elements, earth, water, fire and air. Mira blesses the element and send them to anyone who is watching wishing them good fortune. As the song ended nearing the climax of the song Mira came back to reality and danced the last part with all of her heart.

Mira stood their out of breath in the final pose. She put her hands down. Class 1A roared with cheer. All saying they were so impressed by her dancing.

“I made some food that would be served on my island if you want some” Mira said after the excitement. They all shuffled to the kitchen wanting food. Mira sighed as she took a drink of water. She smiled knowing her mom would be proud of her. Mira took off the grass skirt leaving her in the white top and bottom. She put on long see through skirt, a belt of shells, coins, and crystals, took off the flower crown and put on a metal head veil one that had crystals dangling from it, she took off the leis and put on a metal choker that had crystals dangling from it as well. This look was much different from her last.

This was the other dance her island does. It was belly dancers outfit that consists of a white and gold brassire with hipster bikini bottoms covered with a jeweled,beaded belt with a see-through high slit chiffon skirt along with a decorated choker, headress, armbands and anklets.

Jirou came into the room and turned red.

“Mira! What is this!?” She asked. Mira smiled.

“My last dance I want to perform.” Mira answered her.

“But you know how fry brain and perv are.” Jirou said looking over where the kitchen door was.

“I know Jirou. I’ve dealt with it my whole life. It’s okay. It’s a fun dance to perform.” Mira reassured her.

“Okay. I trust you.” Jirou said putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Will you do me a favor?” Mira asked

When the others came into the room they found Mira standing on top of the table not moving.

All. Of. The. Boys. Were. Red.

Mira opened her eyes and looked at them. She made eye contact with Jirou who pressed play on the music. Mira began her dance.

When Mira flowed in dance it was as if it were the only way her body truly knew how to speak. Verbally she was guarded, physically she would shrink and fade into the background no matter where she was. On stage her personality, her sensuality burst through into the most vibrant picture of a beautiful soul.

Shoto watched her move to the music filling the room, crackling somewhat from the old cassette recorder. For the most part that ancient music machine was her only audience, watching her with those gray and blue eyes. As Mira turned her eyes caught him standing there, him more adept at hiding in the shadows than she. He dropped his eyes momentarily before looking, his head tilted to one side and a hopeful smile playing on his lips.

They cheered for her again. Even louder than before. She got down from the table and smiled with everyone as they all talked about Mira and her island. Mira tugged at Mina.

“I’m going outside to get some air.” Mira said to her. Mina nodded. Mira went outside to the cooler air. It wasn’t cold but it was definitely cooler than it was out there. Mira sat on the small stone fence that surrounded the dorms. Footsteps approached her. She looked behind her to see Bakugou.

“Fight me.” He growled.

“Tomorrow. It’s late and I have been dancing.” Mira snapped. Bakugou wanted to fight but he did agree it was late. He went back inside without saying a word. Shoto walked past Bakugou on his was out. Shoto quietly walked up to Mira. She knew it was Shoto. He took gentle steps that stayed within rhythm. She stood up.

“Come with me.” Mira smiled. Shoto wanted to ask where but went along with it. She lead him past the dorms and down a grassy hill.

“We aren’t suppose to be out here at night.” Shoto reminded Mira. She looked at him as they were walking “Dont worry, Mina has us covered.” Mira smirked. She lead him to the beach near the dorms. She sat on the bench near where the water came up.

“Why did you bring me here?” Shoto asked sitting next to her.

“Watch.” She said. He looked out to the sea waiting for something to happen then the sky lit up. Aurora. Pinks, blues and purples danced across the star sparkled sky.

“It only happens every 20 years. There is a festival for it but Aizawa said it was too risky to go.” Mira marveled. She turned her head to him.

“But I’m glad I get to see them with you.” Mira whispered.

Shoto said something that Mira didn’t expect.

“I want to see you dance.” Shoto said in a hushed voice. Mira could feel her cheeks heat up. She looked at him and smiled.

“Okay, then as a thanks for before.” Mira chimed as she stood up.

“Thanks-” He was going to continue but Mira started to move. It was nothing like her dance earlier. That one was full of energy and and excitement. This dance was beautiful and mesmerizing. It was full of passionate and expression.

A women’s dance doesn’t have to be sexually suggestive, it can be wonderful and graceful.

Shoto watched in amazement as Mira moved her arms up and around. The slip of cloth connected to her wrists twirled around her as she moved making Mira look like a butterfly flying in the air. She twirled around and moved to the left to the right, her bare feet digging into the soft sand.



When she swayed its as though time itself stopped and everything in the surrounding area was watching her dance. Shoto’s eyes never left Mira. She twirled again then went down onto her knees in front of Shoto. One arm was extended to the side and her other on the back of her head. She kneeled there and looked at him with admiration.

Shoto stood to help her up. He took her hands in his as she got up.

They were so close together.

She leaned in closer to him as he did the same.

Their lips almost touching.

Whap!

Shoto and Mira were wrapped up in a gray scarf that was all too familiar.

They turned to see Aizawa his hair in the hair and eyes glowing.

“Get. Inside.” He fumed. Mira and Shoto did the walk of shame back to the dorm. Aizawa slammed the door behind them. Many students looked their way.

“What is going on here.” Aizawa thundered. He looked at Mira.

“Why are you dressed more scandalous than midnight?” He questioned. Mira stepped forward bowing to him.

“This is my fault sir. They wanted to know more about my island so I did this all for them. This outfit is a traditional dancers outfit. It’s part of the culture of my island. Don’t punish them punish me.” Mira reported. He looked at the rest of them.

“Is this true?” He asked. They all nodded and said “yes sir” at the same time. Aizawa sighed as his hair fell back to his shoulders.

“Go to bed.” He mumbled stuffing his hands into his pockets and walked back to his room. Many giggles were heard throughout the room. Mira waved to Shoto as she went upstairs with the rest of the girls. The girls squealed as they went into Mira’s room and shut the door. Mira fell face flat on the bed.

“What happened??” Mina asked. Mira screamed into the pillow. She sat up and sat criss cross on the bed as many girls sat next to her and one took a seat on her desk and the other on her hanging hammock chair.

“He asked me to dance for him.” Mira chimed.

“And did you?” Tsuyu asked.

“I did. But not like the dances you guys saw. It was a slower dance the Gypsies made. A dance that you would perform for someone you love and care for.” Mira stated as she snatched her Sand Seal plushie and squeezed it tightly.

“That’s so romantic” ochako gushed.

“He helped me up. We were so close. Our lips almost touching.” Mira sighed.

“Then Aizawa came and used his scarf to separate us.” Mira fumed into her pillow. It was so romantic with the auroras, the calm ocean water and the dance.

It was all perfect.

“Sorry about that we tried our best to keep Aizawa here but when he noticed you guys were got he was out the door.” Mina reported.

“It’s okay. I’m glad I at least got that time with him.” Mira replied. Mira got up at took off the choker and set it on her desk.

“Can I look at the accessories?” Momo asked

“Oh me too!” Ochako exclaimed.

“Yeah let me take it off then all of you can see the detail on them. It comes from my island where my neighbor makes all of the accessories while her wife makes the crystals, coins and the painting on it. Mira set the belt down and took off the cuffs and anklets. She set them down leaving her in a white bra with gold out lining and panties with gold outlining.

“Go ahead and look at them. I’m gonna change into something more comfortable.” Mira suggested as she got behind her room divider.

“Mira I have a question.” Jirou stated

“Fire away.” Mira replied taking off her bra and panties.

“How do you not get so embarrassed wearing little of clothing? When we had to wear the cheer leading outfits I felt so embarrassed.” Jirou asked.

“On Akala, we view bodies as something natural. We worship many goddesses. But their is one deity that we love. Her name is Urbosa.”

Mira peeked behind the divider pointing to a painting on her wall. The painting showed a tall, buff women. The women had tanned skin and a vibrate red hair which was kept in a high pony tail. Her body was muscular with well-defined abs. She had bright green eyes. Her outfit was a specific designed breastplate, shoulder guards, a gold belt and a blue scarf she used as a skirt. She had many little gold rings on her fingers, wrists, and neck.

“Many outfits like the one your looking at is inspired by her. She teaches us to not be ashamed of our bodies. But to rather celebrate the bodies the gods gave us.” Mira explained as she slipped on her white deep cut tank top with a blue ribbon on the chest and matching white shorts.

Mira put the partition back into the corner of her room.

“Someone hand crafted this?” Momo asked looking at the metal headdress.

Mira nodded. “Yeah it’s amazing what people in my village can do.” Mira responded. Mira grabbed her shower bag and put it around her shoulder.

The girls said their goodbyes and went back to their own rooms.

Mira made sure she had everything in her bag then made her way to the bathroom. She couldn’t wait to freshen up after today.

She didn’t know what would happen next would change not only her life but everyone else’s life as well.