#sometimes he wants to fight a rabbit in our yard

[taibhsearachd]

“Hey, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, when you pick up Gilgamesh, but he’s actually… so fucking muscular it’s weird.”

“Yeah, I have to actively not pay attention to it, because he is so ripped it’s scary.”

Normal conversations to have about your chihuahua. But for real he’s weirdly ripped. How did he get this powerful. I don’t understand.

[phoebepheebsphibs]

Let me introduce you to my friends…

I dunno I felt poetic

Let me introduce you to my friends…

There’s the wind, who whispers secrets to me as I pass him uphill. He loves to chat, he sings to me and I duet. He can be cold, and pushy, and want to direct you in any way he chooses, but he loves to dance and always knows how to cheer me up.

I have other friends, the rain and water. Calm and sweet, gentle as a lullaby. They love to dream. I love to dance with the rain, jump and laugh and run into their arms. The water offers me a looking glass, and we play together in shallow pools. Sometimes they can get fierce and aggressive. The water played too rough with me once, and the rain brought the lightning to a fight. But afterwards they always apologize.

Then there’s the trees, my favourite friends. They often give me gifts, such as twigs and branches and leaves and blossoms. They are such good listeners, and they keep me safe and comforted in their embrace. I love my trees, because they are the audience for my stories. They never judge, never interrupt, and never grow too old. My trees used to carry me high into the sky, and we’d sit and gab for hours. Now I cannot fit into their branches, so we stroll together in the wood.

I also have friends in the bugs, of course. Tiny stinkbugs that love to sleep on the ceilings when it is too cold or too hot outside. They are quite silly. And the ladybirds, gentle souls who never trouble me. The spiders are interesting tenants, though… the wolf spiders seem to never get our eviction notices. But the orb weavers keep our yards decorated during the late summer and early autumn. Quite remarkable artists, they are… and of course the caterpillars and butterflies. Ridiculous people, charming but eccentric. And the snails, my precious darlings with their lovely homes. I often find them after they have moved out, and the house is empty.

The sky is a lovely friend, too. I love her watercolour set, she paints so extravagantly. And at night she brings her own friends to see me.

I adore the moon. We share a name, her and I! Her looking glass reflects the sun, another grand friend of ours. I love to see what dress the moon wears, how she has changed during the day and what she will wear tomorrow. I’ve heard she has a man, but I’ve never seen him for myself. I have seen her rabbit, though.

The stars are sweet acquaintances as well. I do not know all their names and home addresses, but I know the Dipper siblings, older and younger. We chat when we can. They have bright and winning smiles.

And lastly, I have some rather odd friends; I hope you won’t judge them too much. They are ridiculous and rude at times, but they typically mean well. They can be boisterous. More often than not they don't appreciate what they don't see or hear or understand. They like to pick on my bugs. They complain about the rain's visits. They tear down my trees and twist their arms. They spit in the wind. Some of them are good... but they don’t always notice my friends… sometimes they ridicule us. They tend to not believe in magic, so they cannot hear my friends. They are not all bad… but they make the mistake of growing up and forgetting.

Humans, they call themselves. We get along all right.

[imjustheretoseetheprivateblogs]

Qrowin Week 2021: 6/21-Childhood Friends AU

Two little snowbirds sitting in a row

 They met in the garden at one of her father’s lavish parties. She’d gone outside because little girls didn’t like being told to sit still and not talk nor do anything fun, so she decided she didn’t care if the dress daddy bought her got messy, she’d go outside and spend time in the hedge maze.

They’d gotten it installed, in the shape of the Schnee family crest no less, because the Marigolds had one in the shape of their family crest and daddy could be silly about when people had things he didn’t.

The white roses that grew from the foliage walls, fragrant and delicate, were always calming to her, especially on a cool and cloudless night like this when the moonlight was at its brightest.

For Winter, to get lost in its lush corridors and marble statuary, it’s hidden gardens and fountains would be enough to get the annoyance of her father’s party out of her mind.

Most of that went out of her head when she found a grungy boy in a cape stuffing his face with what looked like a rabbit.

He stared at her, like an animal in a vehicle’s headlights, bits of his meal hanging from his mouth.

He couldn’t be older than her, gaunt with gunsmoke-colored hair stuck up at odd angles and eyes like carbuncles.

The clothes he wore were grubby and layered and obviously used long before he’d begun wearing them, especially that tattered cape.

For a moment, neither spoke, merely staring at one another in the moonlight.

Finally, Winter broke the silence.

“That’s disgusting.”

The boy dropped the rabbit from his mouth.

“Sorry if I’m not fancy enough for you, Miss Uppity.”

Winter felt her cheeks heat with indignation.

“How dare you!”

The boy threw back his head and laughed, a sound that reminded Winter of a pair of birds she’d once heard fighting in the yard.

“Is that all it takes to get under that pale skin!” he laughed, a sound which soon died in his throat when his stomach made a loud groan.

Winter huffed as he reached for the dead rabbit.

“Wait here and don’t touch that,” she said, turning on her heel.

She returned with two plates piled high with hors d'oeuvres.

“I didn’t know what you liked,” she said, handing him one, “so I got you one of everything.”

The boy said nothing, just shoveling food into his mouth in a way that probably promoted choking.

“You’re welcome,” Winter said, sitting down and spearing a piece of salmon on a toothpick to eat.

The boy coughed, pounding his chest.

“You shouldn’t eat so fast,” Winter said, “you’ll get sick.”

“Well, some of us don’t know when our next meal is gonna be,” he said.

His words brought back to Winter the memory of her father sending her to bed with no supper when he found she’d invited a faunus over to play, with threats of no breakfast if she didn’t break it off with the girl tomorrow.

“You might be surprised,” Winter said.

The boy said something through a mouthful of hummace.

“What was that?” Winter asked.

The boy swallowed.

“I’m Qrow,” he said.

Winter smiled.

“I’m Winter.”

One named Winter

She saw him on days when it wasn’t raining or snowing after that. The family he lived with (his “Tribe” as he called them) were camped out in the woods behind their house, the ones nobody would let daddy cut down.

At night, he told her, they danced and played instruments and drank until the early hours of the morning.

Winter never really cared for people who drank (her mother’s growing dependence on liquor was a factor in this) but Qrow never really showed up smelling like wine, so she supposed associating with him was no trouble.

It was also refreshing that he never stood on ceremony.

He never rolled his eyes at her when she spoke of wanting to learn fencing or told her how things were supposed to be when she complained about how someone (usually daddy) was being unfair.

He also taught her new games that were much more fun than anything that the boys and girls daddy introduced her knew.

Kick the can, stickball, and he played hide and seek and tag with her. And he’d tell her all about the places he’d been. Mistral, Vacuo, Menagerie, his tribe had traveled all over Remnant.

And while he could be crass, she still remembered seeing the way he rescued a baby bird from a stray cat and returning it to its nest with the tenderest care.

Or how when she complained of how her father was so bossy and so dumb, that he listened. Didn’t judge, didn’t criticize, just listen.

And sometimes, it was enough to know that they’d meet once a week, at night, in the hedge maze.

One named Qrow

She wasn’t what he expected.

Sure, she told him annoying things like “don’t slouch, eat slower, no burping, don’t pull up the flowers—no! I don’t need them, put them back!”

But she never called him weak. She never said he should practice more like his sister did.

Winter gave him food, and listened to his stories and ideas, and never asked if he wanted to fight. Sometimes, they would even just sit together.

She even taught him how to read; starting with big letters scratched in the dirt with a stick, before lending him books that they could read together.

Mr. Bruin is a Shoe-in was the first he read all by himself. And he was so happy when she let him keep it afterwards.

And she never told him to stop being so dumb, like his sister did.

And sometimes, it was enough to know that they’d meet once a week, at night, in the hedge maze.

Fly away, Winter!

Their shouts bring the servants running. All they saw was Winter on her knees, face in her hands as she wept piteously.

If only they’d come a few minutes earlier, then they could have seen the argument in all it’s glory. Voices rough from the volume and occasionally cracking, tears streaming down their faces, they weren’t that little boy and girl anymore.

He’d grown lanky and lean, she taller and with longer hair.

But they didn’t care right then.

She’d told him she was joining the military.

He said his tribe would be moving and asked if she wanted to join them instead of some stupid army.

She said it was a noble profession.

He said only for assholes.

She defended her position.

He reiterated his opinion.

She shouted at him, asking why couldn’t he be happy for her.

He shouted at her what would be wrong with going with him.

She said something about duty.

He told her to shut up, that he didn’t want to hear duty again in his whole life.

She told him that if he was going to act like a filthy little boy, then he could go off and sulk like one.

He said he wished he’d never met her and hoped she enjoyed killing people.

Arguments like that, they learned, ended with no winners.

Fly away, Qrow!

 That was the end of the time Qrow considered himself happy. Life seemed to plan for him a long drawn out death, bracketed with disappointments and tragedy’s.

Transformation

The death of friends.

The death of family.

The horrors of war.

Secrets and betrayal.

Abandonment.

And the drink

So, so much to drink.

It didn’t fix anything. It didn’t make him feel more human. But it kept the nightmares at bay. It kept him as a predictable disappointment rather than an out-of-the-blue-never-seen-that-kind-of-train-wreck-before disappointment.

But the worst part of the drink, thought, was that no matter how many shots he took, no matter how many chasers. Black liquor, brown liquor, red wine, white wine, it didn’t matter. Melancholy brought back visions of that girl from that time he had been happy.

Come back, Winter!

First impressions had never come easy to Qrow. So really, it should be no surprise that impression number 15 the horrible sequel nobody wanted or needed.

But really, denying common sense by chucking an empty whisky bottle at James Ironwood’s head was not only pointless, it was utterly puerile. He was drunk. He was upset that his latest search for intel on Salem had turned up next to nothing, he was itching for a fight and if that pompous wannabe hero wanted to take it up with him, that was fine.

Except he hadn’t expected the woman by his side to turn out to be someone familiar. Someone he hadn’t seen since he was a dumb, romantic, fifteen-year-old kid.

Someone whose reappearance upset his stomach enough that he emptied it onto the general’s uniform and shoes. With enough force to make his eyes water.

The woman in the Atlesian uniform said she would take care of him and asked another girl, another white haired girl, where their room was.

As they walked towards Beacon, he thought he heard her say “Qrow Branwen, what has the world done to you?”

Come back, Qrow!

Qrow awoke to a cold rag on his forehead.

“Lie still,” she said, “I think you got a hold of some rockgut.”

“More like rockgut got a hold of me.”

Qrow’s attempt at humor was met with a scowl.

“Gee, you got frosty.”

“And you became an alcoholic,” she said, wringing out the cloth into a nearby basin.

Qrow looked away from her and to the wall, as if a better retort than her’s existed there.

“It eases the pain,” he said.

“No it doesn’t,” Winter said. She threw the rag into the basin, causing the water to splash.

“Qrow, my mother is an alcoholic. It doesn’t fix anything! It just makes you want more of what’s essentially fermented grass!”

“You don’t think I know that!” Qrow snapped. Tears pricked at his eyes and his heart sank when he saw the hurt in her eyes from his tone, something he hadn’t seen there since their last meeting.

“There are nights when no matter how much I drink, I still can’t forget the loss of all the people around me and how--”

He paused and swallowed.

“How everyone is just one day going to leave me!”

Tears were starting to fall as all the regrets he’d kept at bay with drink and fighting and everythng else he could find came rushing back into him and coiling around his lungs.

“I’m bad luck, Winter,” he said, “I lost my sister, my tribe, I lost the people I care about, and every day, it’s missions, missions, and missions to find an enemy I don’t even know exists.”

His shoulders were shaking and he remembered his sister, back when they were little, telling him how ‘boys don’t cry.’

God, Winter must think he’s so pathetic.

Instead, she took him by the shoulders and gently brought him into her embrace.

“It’s alright,” she said, “just let it out. Get it all out.”

Not knowing what else to do, Qrow gripped the back of her uniform and sobbed into her shoulder, years’ worth of pain and loneliness deep inside him rising to the surface and finally escaping. And the pressure went with it.

At some point, they ended up lying together on the bed (wait, were they in a bunk bed?), still in each other’s arms.

“We all have regrets,” Winter said, “things we said. Things we wish we could take back.”

Her hand tightens on his shirt and his hand closes around it.

“But, if you really want to know, if I could do it over...”

Please say it, he wanted to think, but every time he had thoughts like that, life saw fit to swat him down again.

“I would go with you. Even if after the first day, I went back home, I think I would go with you.”

Qrow felt his heart swell and suddenly, he didn’t feel so sick anymore.

“And... if you wanted to start over... I would like that too.”

“I still have Mr. Bruin,” Qrow said.

He didn’t know why he said that. She never asked about the book, never said “Qrow, what kind of literature do you normally read?”

Whatever the reason, Winter looked up at him, shocked.

“Still? I thought you would’ve thrown that away.”

Qrow looked down at her, eyes glassy.

“I tried a few times. But I just couldn’t get rid of something that reminded me of you. It’s missing the page where Mr. Bruin loses his boot, but I tried to keep it safe.”

Winter’s hand rises to his cheek and Qrow leans into it, the human contact easing the hole in his soul he’s tried to fill with booze.

“I’m sorry I didn’t turn out as someone you could be proud of.”

“The fact that you kept that book tells me everything I need to know.”

Later that night, Winter’s sister and Qrow’s niece would get the shock of their lives when they enetered their room and saw the two of them sleeping on Weiss’s bed together.

[queenxxxsupreme]

Beneath the Heat of the Sun

A/N: There isn’t really a plot to this. Just some protective!Eskel and soooo much fluff. Here is my masterlist. Here is the link to go to if you’d like to be added to any of my taglists. And thank you to my baby @writingawaymylife thank you so so much for reading over this and helping me out with it!! I love you babe<3

Warnings: implied smut, name calling, use of the word whore in a not sexy/dirty talk way

Word Count: 2.8k

The soft breeze blowing by offered little comfort to the sun that beat down on your skin relentlessly. There wasn’t a single cloud in sight. Birds sung in the treetops, and once in a while, you’d see a rabbit or two run by. 

The day had been quiet but busy. Eskel was up before dawn fixing and tidying up things around the house. He always did this before he left home for the Path. You were up shortly after him, having felt the bed move slightly as he got up.

You rested on your knees in the middle of your strawberry garden, pulling weeds and picking the ripened fruit from the vines. Every now and then, you’d have to shoo one of your animals away. All they want to do is eat the plants and destroy the strawberries.

You swiped the back of your hand over your forehead, wiping the thin layer of sweat from your skin. You were just in a white chemise tucked into a thin skirt but it felt like you were going to die from the heat.

Magnus, your one month old lamb, tried to sneak into the garden for the third time. He watched you carefully, taking slow steps. He was a sneaky little thing, but he wasn’t nearly as sneaky as he thought. 

You spotted him and pointed your finger at him. 

“Magnus, don’t you dare.”

He bleated loudly and jolted forward, snatching a mouthful of strawberries and greens. He dashed off, white tail flicking happily behind him. 

“You are so rude, Magnus.” You shook your head.

The sound of a quiet chuckle came from across the garden. Eskel was down on one knee fixing a part of the fence that the chickens could get through. His side was to you, giving you the perfect view of his profile. 

Sweat covered his sun kissed skin. His dark hair was mostly pulled back into a low ponytail but some unruly strands fell out around his face. His lips were parted just slightly, golden eyes focused on the wire fencing. The muscles in his arm flex as he bent the wire how he needed and that vein in his forearm was popping out.

“Are you laughing at me scolding our son?”

“I would never.” He shook his head, looking at you out of the corner of his eyes. He met your gaze, a little smile tugging at the corner of his scarred lips. 

“You’re the reason he’s such a spoiled little thing.” You shook your head, mocking disapproval.

You had stumbled upon Magnus’s mother, who you named Nissa, a week before she had Magnus. She was pregnant and her owner was selling her at the market in town. You didn’t think about getting her at first. Your cozy cottage tucked into a hill in Toussaint was crowded enough with the chickens, goose, two horses, and foal that already called the property home. But then you thought of how Eskel had been different ever since Lil Bleater passed away three months earlier. You thought that perhaps this little lamb would lift his spirits. 

And Magnus did just that. The witcher clung to him like his first born. The first few days of his life, Eskel never left Magnus’s side. Magnus was a sickly lamb but as soon as he was healthy and able to walk, he was getting himself into trouble. He had a personality similar to Lil Bleater, one that made Eskel smile whenever he thought of it.

You pushed yourself to your feet and padded over to the bucket of water you had retrieved from the creek just a few minutes earlier. Some of the chickens were drinking from the bucket. The cool water was refreshing, a stark contrast to the dry, hot air.

You waited patiently for them to finish before dipping a rag into the water. You glanced over to Eskel. His back was now to you. 

You carried the sopping wet rag at your side, carefully watching him as you moved towards him. The grass beneath your feet was soft and effectively silenced your steps. 

“I’m thinking that next year, I’ll have to put a second fence around my strawberries. The chickens love them.”

“I think Magnus likes to help them out too.” Eskel sighed. He was oblivious to what you were doing. He was too focused on the fence, on fixing it for you. “He’s the one who broke into the fence for the chickens.”

“Troublemaker.” You hummed softly. 

Once you were behind the witcher, you rung the rag out. The water fell onto his shoulders and down his back. He flinched at the coldness and gasped. 

“And you say Magnus gets his bad habits from me.” Eskel looked over his shoulder to you. “I’m trying to work here, doll.”

You offered him an innocent smile, kneeling down behind him. Your fingertips traced the lines of water over the divots in his back caused by his muscles and by scars. 

“We should take a little break.” You thought out loud.

“What did you have in mind?” He turned his head straight to look down at the fence. 

You kissed his shoulder blade, your lips ghosting over a jagged and thick scar. He looked over his shoulder once more, knowing you were up to something. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. His brows drew together slightly. Your eyes met his but he couldn’t read you. The little smile on your lips showed you were passive and content. You leaned up to kiss his temple, swiping a few pieces of dark hair from his brow.  

You stood up straight and hummed, moving away from him without offering an answer.

His gaze followed you, watching you move to the creek that rested just beyond your strawberries. 

On the other side of the creek was a dirt road that led to town. The creek was wide but it was shallow. Most of the creek right in front of your house came up to your ankles but sometimes it got a little deeper.

Every now and then, the hem of your skirt would get snagged on the grass or a fallen limb but it never changed how elegantly you walked, how gracefully you appeared. 

Curious, Eskel followed you. 

Magnus bleated loudly and trotted across the yard to join you too. He always had to be included in everything the two of you did.

You looked over your shoulder to see if your witcher was following you. A smile crossed your lips when you saw that he wasn’t too far away.

You pulled your skirt up just a little and stepped into the edge of the creek. The water was cold and made you shiver, but it felt so nice after being in the heat all day long. 

The rocks beneath your feet were flat and smooth. 

A hand slipped around your waist as Eskel moved around you to stand in front of you. You let your skirt go, your hands coming up to his arms. Your fingertips brushed over the slopes of his broad shoulders until you could tangle your fingers in his hair. 

“You mentioned yesterday that you’d have to leave soon.” You murmured quietly, eyes flickering down to a scar that crossed over his throat. It was thick and clean. Someone had tried-and nearly succeeded-in decapitating the witcher. 

“I don’t want to talk about that.” He dipped his head down to kiss your clavicle. “Just want to enjoy this.”

You nodded, unwrapping your arms from his neck. Your fingers trailed up and down his bicep. He took your hand to stop you, bringing your fingers to his lips so he could kiss your knuckles. You turned your hand in his grip so you could cup his jaw. You smiled lightly at the feeling of his scruffy jaw scratching your palm. His facial hair had grown out more than what he usually allowed it to, and you admired it. It was a good look on him. 

“I like this.” You complimented, your words hushed even though there was no one around to hear. 

He grunted softly, rubbing his scarred cheek. 

“Need to shave.”

“Then I shall mourn your scruff until it returns to me.” You leaned up to brush your lips across his jaw, enjoying the way his prickly scruff felt.

He smiled shyly, dipping his head down to bury his face in the crook of your neck. 

“I do love the way it feels against my lips when I kiss you.”

Magnus bleated loudly to announce his arrival and jumped into the creek, splashing water on the both of you. Eskel lifted his head and sighed, looking down at the lamb. 

“Well, that didn’t last long.”

Your arms released him so you could pet Magnus. 

“He’s just so spoiled.” You knelt down in front of the lamb and rubbed his neck. “You spoil him.”

“Yeah. I can’t help it.” Eskel rubbed the back of his neck. “Love him too much.”

“I know you do.” You stood up and kissed his cheek, then looked at the creek.

You grinned a little as you knelt down close to the water. You scooped up a handful and threw it on to Eskel. It hit him in the lower stomach. 

“Oh, now you’re in for it.” Eskel moved towards you quickly. You didn’t have time to get away. He swept you off of your feet, holding underneath your knees and your back.

You giggled, kicking your feet lightly.

“Eskel! Put me down!”

“If you say so.” He moved to a deeper part of the creek. It wasn’t very deep but it came up to his knees. He carefully placed you down in the cold water. You gasped and jolted, clinging to his shoulders. 

“Eskel!” You squealed his name. “It’s freezing cold!”

“Oops.” He grinned. 

You put your hand into the water and splashed him, catching him in the chest. 

This sparked a fight between the two of you. He moved away from you, wanting to escape the splashing. You continued to splash him but once he was at the edge of the water, he casted aard down into the water just in front of you. This caused the water to practically blow up on you, soaking you from head to toe. 

You fell into a fit of laughter while he grinned.

“Need some help up, doll?” He offered, moving towards you with his hand stretched out.

You placed your hand in his and allowed him to pull you to your feet. 

His eyes flickered down very briefly to your chest. Your chemise was soaked through and had become completely see-through. 

“I saw that.” You playfully swatted at his chest. 

You could’ve sworn a soft pink rose to his cheeks.

“I’m sorry.” He apologized shyly, eyes falling from your face. 

“I’m just messing with you, love.” You put your hand on his arm to stop him from walking away. “Just teasing you. It’s okay.”

You brushed a strand of hair away from his eyes and kissed his jaw. 

“Remember that I am yours.” You murmured, one hand coming up to rest on his stomach. Beneath scarred, tanned skin was firm muscle. 

His breath caught in his throat for a second. It always did whenever you told him that, and his heart would beat a little faster. 

He nodded his head and leaned down to kiss your lips briefly. 

“Why don’t we go finish the garden and then we can settle down for the day?” You suggested.

He nodded once more, smiling when you stood up on your tiptoes to kiss him again.

Magnus bleated and used one of his front hooves to dig at your ankle. 

“You better get your son before he dies from lack of attention.” You giggled, looking down at the lamb. He peered up at you, blinked, and bleated again. 

“He’s your son too.” Eskel sighed. He scooped Magnus up in one arm. The lamb bleated loudly. “You get into too much trouble.” 

Eskel left the creek first but stayed on the bank to wait for you. 

You lifted your skirt up a little so you wouldn’t trip over the material as you carefully navigated the rocks beneath the water. You lost your bearings for a moment, your foot sliding on a slippery rock. 

Eskel looked back when he heard you suck in a breath from your lips. You managed to balance yourself once more, eyes flickering up to look at Eskel. 

“You okay, doll?”

You nodded, giving him a smile, and continued across the rocks. 

“Would you look at that, boys?” A voice came from the dirt road to your right. There was a group of men, six of them, and they had stopped to watch you.

You brought your arm up to cover your chest. Being that your shirt was now see-through, you didn’t want any unwanted eyes looking where they shouldn’t. 

“Why don’t you just take that top off, love?” One suggested. His friends bursted out into laughter. 

Your skin crawled from them gazing at you like some piece of meat. 

Eskel was stepping in front of you before you had time to say his name. He set Magnus down so he could have his hands free. The lamb trotted over to your horse, Ghost, who was resting beneath the shade of an oak tree. 

“Come on, doll.” Eskel turned his back to the group of men, his arm slipping around you.

“Hey! What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Why don’t you come over here and keep us company?”

“Forget about that mutant freak.”

You stopped in your tracks and tried to turn around to confront them but Eskel wouldn’t let you.

“Just keep walking, Y/N.” He said. 

You gritted your teeth together. You hated that the nosey people in your village had found out about Eskel. You weren’t ashamed of your witcher, but you knew how they would treat him, how they would react knowing a witcher was living among them. They always spoke down on him and treated him like dirt. You couldn’t stand to see the way they were with, acting as if he was any less human than they were. 

“Show us your tits, love!”

“Have some decency, would you?” Eskel finally snapped, looking back at the unsavory characters. This made the men tense up and their smirks disappear.

“What are you going to do about it, freak?”

“Eskel.” You said his name, fingers digging into his bicep when he turned as if to confront them. “Come on, my love.”

Eskel breathed out through his nose, lips pressed together in a tight line. Still, he refused to move.

“Eskel.” You said his name once more, this time a little more sternly. 

Silently, he turned and started to guide you towards your home. 

The group of men shouted a few more lewd remarks at you, but you ignored them.

“Take Magnus into the house.” Eskel spoke softly to you. 

“What are you going to do?” You drew your brows together.

“Finish the fence. I’ll be in in a few minutes.”

“Eskel, please don’t provoke them. They aren’t worth it.”

“I know.” He dipped his head down to kiss your lips. “I just want to make sure the chickens don’t get into your garden while we are inside.”

“Magnus!” You called the lamb’s name, patting your thigh. He came trotting over to you, bleating and kicking his back legs. You picked him up as Eskel moved away from the house. 

You closed the door behind yourself, placing the lamb down on his feet. Then you went to the window that overlooked your garden. From there, you could watch your witcher finish up the fence that bordered the garden. 

The men were still on the road. Their mouths moved but you couldn’t hear what they were saying. 

Eskel ignored them, but you could see how tense he was, how rigid with frustration he was. 

When he finished with the fence and started to move towards the house, you left the window to find dry clothes for you both. 

Eskel found you rummaging through your wardrobe. 

“I-I’m sorry that happened, Y/N. That they said those things to you.”

“What they did isn’t something you should apologize for, Eskel.” You glanced over to him, giving him a little smile. 

“But I just hate that they-they looked at you like some toy. Just something to use to-,”

“Hey.” You cut him off softly, finding a thin dress, and stood up. “It’s fine. It’s over. It’s done with. No need to linger on it.”

He nodded, fingers still curled into tight fists at his sides. 

You tossed the clean chemise on to the edge of your bed and then moved to him. Your hands started on his shoulders, trailing down his arms to rest on the backs of his hands. 

“I love you.” You whispered, eyes twinkling as you gazed up at him. 

A little smile tugged at the scarred corner of his lips. 

“I love you too.” He leaned down to kiss you but you stopped him. 

“Not until we are out of these soaking wet clothes.”

“Then let me help you.” His smile turned into a grin as his hands found the hem of your chemise.

Taglist: @pressedinthepages @mishafaye @whitewolfandthefox @wolfyland07 @belalugosisdead @persephonehemingway @keira-hulmaster @dinonuggs69 @greatestauthorofmygeneration @shadow-hunters-lover @dancingwith-thesunflowers @tedi-fach-las @thecomfortofoldstorries @raspberrydreamclouds @natkowaa @disasteren @weathervanes-my-oneandlonely @onlyhenrys @wackylurker @criminaly-supernatural @magpie343 @permanently-exhausted-witcher @hina-chans-stuff @the-space-between-heartbeats @havenoffandoms @carriebee1 @ger-bearofrivia @naominami @writingawaymylife @reaganjenelle @badassspaceprincess @theawkwardpedestrian @scarlettwitcher @just-a-sad-donut @summersong69 @an--actual--human--disaster @rubyqueen819 @omgkatinka @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @vonxcon @she-wolfoftheinquisition @titaniafire @mazakeen @bravelittlesunflower

If your name is in italics, it wouldn’t let me tag you :(

[barbasbodaciousbeard]

If You Love Someone, Let Them Go

Summary: Since starting with SVU, Sonny hadn’t kept much terribly close to the chest. The squad knew about his family, growing up on Staten Island, the classes at Fordam. What was hidden was why he didn’t date. Sonny Carisi was also separated from his childhood sweetheart, a separation neither ever took to divorce. They had the same haunts. They’d grown up neighbors. Their paths crossed every few months, and divorce talks would turn into reminiscing would turn into a night spent together, sometimes sex sometimes just talking until the early morning. It always ended with one of them waking up alone however. How will that change when the squad finds out? 

Pairings: Sonny Carisi x Original Character,

A/N: I’ve outlined a few chapters of this. This is kind of set up, and I’m kind of toying around with it. I hope somebody likes it. I thought of it and had to try to write it.

June 1994

“You can’t catch me,” Victoria squealed, poking Sonny in his side before she took off running across the yard. The Carsisi girls, all three sisters and his mother, were on the porch with Victoria’s mother. Victoria was the same age as Bella, two years younger than Sonny, but he was always delighted to know she’d rather run through the grass with him. She always picked him. These were the days before hormones kicked in, he was only nine, but she was cool and funny and his favorite person, not just his favorite girl.

“I can to!” he took off, and the way she laughed as she ran across the yard made him slow down. His legs were certainly long enough he could have caught her quickly, but instead he jogged while she sprinted. When she dropped into the grass, he fell beside her, sprawling out lanky limbs beside her.

“I won.”

“You’re gettin’ fast, Tor.”

“I gotta practice so I can beat you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he grinned. “I bet ma will get us pizza. Want to watch a movie?”

“Can we watch Who Framed Roger Rabbit? We been watching Gremlins a lot.”

“Can we get sausage pizza?”

“Deal,” she said seriously, holding out her hand, which he shook gladly. 

“Sonny!” Bella called into Victoria’s yard. “Ma and Ms. O’Toole said you gotta stay where they can see you.”

“We’re in their yard!”

“Where they can’t see.”

“Fine!” Sonny scrambled up, offering his hand to help Victoria up. “You can’t catch me.”

“Can to!”

“Try,” he laughed, taking off to his own yard again. He jogged again, and this time her sprint caught him. Victoria launched herself at him, tackling him and collapsing with him as they both laughed. Gianna Carisi and Irene O’Toole found the pair asleep by a pizza box that evening, giving each other a knowing smile.

April 2003

“I can’t believe your ma let you come,” Victoria grinned, looking up at Sonny. “Mom’s going to be mom so I was going to be on my own a lot.”

“In New Orleans? That ain’t safe, is it?”

“I been here a lot. I know the safe parts.”

“I still don’t like the idea.” What Sonny didn’t want to admit was what his teenage brain had realized about his best friend. She was really pretty. She was really pretty and really nice and really funny. That meant she wasn’t safe. It was at the new years eve party that he realized it, seeing her in a pretty dress and flirting with a guy. Johnny was fine, but he got a gnawing in the pit of his stomach, his mind racing as someone else got the attention that he always monopolized.

When he found her crying that February because Johnny actually wasn’t fine and had cheated on her with a cheerleader, he’d wanted to fight him. Instead, he took two of those stupid mud masks she and his sisters always tried to con him into, a pizza, and listened to her cry. His sisters always braided each other’s hair when they were venting, and Sonny had learned from them. That found him carefully braiding Victoria’s auburn hair as she transitioned from crying to laughing. Nothing made him prouder.

When Ms. O’Toole invited him to keep Victoria company on the pair’s vacation, he jumped at it, and not just because he didn’t want Tor to be left alone. He’d get a week of his summer to spend every day with her, knowing Ms. O’Toole would be busier partying and staying out than spending time with her daughter. That always seemed to hurt Victoria, so maybe his presence would lessen that while getting him the opportunity to piece apart if he’d do anything about how pretty she was.

“Well, good thing I got my bodyguard,” she grinned. “Mom’s at Jazz Fest until the end of the weekend. We might see her after, but we’ll probably see her at the airport. We can go to a day or two of the festival, if you wanna.”

“I happen to know a gal that likes the zoo and aquarium here. I got tickets to do the zoo and then take the ferry to the aquarium.” He hoped it sounded like a date, but he knew it wouldn’t to her. Only, it kind of did, and Victoria had butterflies and wasn’t sure how to process them or where to tuck them away.

“Sonny, that’s really, really sweet of you.” 

“Gotta make sure you get a good week, Tor.” 

When she stretched up to kiss his cheek, they both ducked their heads to avoid the other seeing their cheeks turning pink.

October 2003

“Are you okay, Dom?” she asked him softly. He’d been a mess all afternoon, foot tapping and hands fiddling with the pages of the book he was reading for English. Things had been different since New Orleans. There was a nervous energy that hadn’t been there before, and she found herself catching him blush at things that he hadn’t before. It worried her, but it also excited her because she’d started blushing more too. 

“Yeah, just thinking.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I’ve known you twelve years, dummy. It’s not nothing. Tell me wha--” Her eyes widened when he cut her off.

“Do you wanna go to homecoming with me?” he asked, the words tumbling out quickly enough she had to process what he’d even said. Then, she was confused, brow furrowing as she looked at him.

“We always go to homecoming together?”

“Yeah. But do you want to, like, go with me? Like to the dance too.”

“Are you asking me to be your date?” Victoria could hear her heart beating in her ears, biting her lip as she watched him. For his part, Sonny didn’t look as much like he was going to throw up as he felt. Was she angry he’d asked? Was she assuming he meant as friends? He’d gone too far to back out.

“Yeah. I realized something when you dated Johnny. I like you a lot, Tor. More than as my friend. When I dated Julia, I kept getting in trouble for hangin’ out with you because I liked you more. She said I was crazy about you and I didn’t think she was right until you were flirting with Johnny and I got jealous. And then we went to New Orleans and I figured I’d realize I didn’t but I just liked you more, and now I probably fucked up our friendship and--”

“Shut up, the answer is yes,” she finally said, cutting him off by grabbing his face between her hands.

“Really?” he asked, smiling broadly. 

“Yeah. I like you too, okay? That’s why I hated Julia. But I didn’t want us to mess up our friendship.” He pulled her against him in a hug, this time tighter than usual. Victoria’s arms looped around his neck, and she kissed him sweetly.   “Ma!” Bella’s voice rang through the house. “He finally asked her! And they’re kissing!”

“Finally. Leave them be.”

June 2006

“I been basically living with you,” Victoria said, playing with his fingers as they laid in the dorm bed. “What if we moved in together when you find an apartment?”

“Ma ain’t going to handle that until we’re married, Tor. You know that.”

“But we’re going to end up married.”

“I know, but we gotta be married first.”

“Then let’s get married.”

“Doll, I’m supposed to propose.”

“Well, if we get married, when you move into an apartment we can live together, and I know I’m gonna marry you.”

“I know I’m going to marry you too. But what about a ceremony?”

“We could get married at the courthouse. Have a wedding later.”

“We could,” he mused, rubbing her back. “You still planning to go straight to work?”

“Yeah. I want to maybe go to pastry school. But I worked in that bakery the last year. I think I’d be a really good baker.”

“Me too.”

“Well, you willing to run off with me?”

“Gimme a minute,” he said, untangling from her and digging into the lock box under his bed. Victoria watched him, her brow furrowed. When he pulled out a little wooden box and moved to sit by her, her eyes were wide. He huffed, blowing hair from his face. “Ma gave me this last month because I think she knows us getting married is gonna happen. It’s Nonna and Nonno’s rings.”

“So you been thinking about it anyway?” 

“Was thinking about proposing in October for our anniversary. But now seems like just as good of a time.” 

“You wanna like propose or just be engaged?”

“Well,” he hummed, before giving her the grin she loved so much and setting the little box to the side and taking her hands. “Victoria O’Toole, you’re the best thing in my life. I’ve known you since I was five. And when I kissed you the first time, I knew we were gonna end up married. Our Mas were right. Will you marry me, Tor?”

“Of course, Dominick,” she grinned, tearing up as she pulled him in and kissed him. He fumbled to get the engagement ring from the box, the bands remaining as he slid the ring on her finger. 

“Thank God it fits,” he chuckled, hand smoothing her hair back. “Now, we gotta book at the courthouse? Or do we just show up?”

“We book it. And then we go change my last name afterwards.”

“We can go tell Ma and the girls. Getting yelled at for keeping them outta the loop is worth it for this to be just about us.”

“I love you, Sonny.”

“And I love you, Tor.

July 2008

“So, do we stay here? Or do we go back to Staten Island? Or somewhere half way?”

“You’re close to manager at the bakery,” he said, rubbing her back as they laid on the couch. “Are you okay with that commute? I know you love working with Ruth.”

“I really do. And the commute isn’t too bad. I can do it at least a year. And we can get a better place there. Plus, I think being a cop’s gonna make you more tired than being a baker makes me.”

“We’ll start looking. Could be nice to be closer to family too.”

“Yeah,” she smiled softly, brushing his hair back. “Proud of you, Officer Carisi.”

“I don’t think dad and your mom thought we’d be able to get by.”

“We’ve done a damn good job, huh?”

“Been married and on our own two years. I know we got married young, but I’m glad we did. Dad was worried I’d feel like I was missing out, but I get to go out to bars with you. Way better. If we hadn’t started dating, same thing would be happenin’, y’know?”

“Yeah. I like doing all this stuff with you. Makes it better.”

“Good. Because you got like eighty more years, Mrs. Carisi.”

“I better.”

October 2010

“What’re these for?” Victoria asked, kissing Sonny softly as she took the flowers.

“Was doing traffic stops and remembered it’s been seven years today since I got smart enough to kiss ya.”

“You’re a sap.”

“But I’m your sap. Glad you’re still dressed. I’m taking you to dinner.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too, Doll.”

November 2011

“I thought you could use a little time. Something’s been up with you.”

“I’m fine,” he said flatly, eyes on the road as they drove towards the cabin.

“We can go home if you don’t want to,” she said softly, and he shook his head.

“I want to. I’m excited, doll.”

“Good. It’s your birthday. We ain’t had much time together.”

“I appreciate it. I’m sorry if I’m actin’ weird.”

“It’s okay. I love you.”

“Love you too.”

December 2012

“Sounds like we’re celebrating a lot,” Ma Carisi smiled, hugging her daughter in law. “A birthday and a big purchase?”

“Sonny told ya?” she grinned. 

“Bella. I’m so happy for you, Tori. You worked hard for this.”

“Yeah. It’s really nice. Ruth told me she was retiring and I got nervous. Then she said she’d sell the bakery to me, and I thought she was joking.”

“She’s been like family to you. Think she knows it’ll be in good hands.”

“Thanks, ma. And thanks for planning this dinner. We aren’t ever all in the city.” She settled into her seat across from Bella and beside Gina. They all ordered drinks, and, after waiting a little while, appetizers. When the plates came and Sonny still wasn’t there, she excused herself, slipping outside. She dialed his number, cradling it to her ear as she bounced nervously in place.

“Hey, Doll.”

“Sonny, where are you?”

“I just got home. Where are you?”

“Dinner…”

“Shit, I forgot something didn’t I?” She could hear him fiddling with his calendar before he let out a groan. “Tor, I’m so sorry. Work’s just been crazy and-”

“It’s fine,” she said tightly, able to feel his family looking at her through the window. “I guess I’ll see you later.”

“I can come out now.”

“It’ll take you at least an hour, Dominick. We already ordered appetizers. I’ll just see you at home.”

“Okay. we’ll celebrate when you get home.”

“Yeah.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too, Dom.”

May 2013

“I’ll be home after class. I can’t make it home before.”

“Okay,” Victoria nodded, leaning against the counter. “I guess I’ll stay late tonight. Margy wanted to go early anyway.”

“Cool. See ya.”

He hung up, and it jarred her at first. He’d never hung up without an “I love you” and goodbye. She hated the feeling it gave her in the pit of her stomach. 

I miss you. Can we have a date soon?

I’ll figure something out.

When she got home, she tried to stay up and wait for him, but she got a text he’d gone back to get some overtime. When she woke up to get ready for work, she let him sleep, heading out and leaving coffee on the warmer.

August 2013

“Hey, I’ll be home late again tonight,” he said down the line. 

“Again?” she asked softly. 

“I need the OT. And then I have class.”

“Yeah,” she muttered, fiddling with her wedding band. “Will I get to see you sometime soon?”

“You always do?” he said, obviously confused. “Anyway, I gotta go. I’ll see ya.”

And like that, he’d hung up, and she wanted to hurl the phone. Five years in, and it felt like she was losing him. He was working overtime, which she knew they did need. That said, it had been months since they’d spent time together, and even that time was only because they went to Easter at his mom’s house. She’d bought the bakery from Ruth, and there wasn’t any acknowledgement. He’d stopped saying goodbye in the mornings, and their phone calls didn’t end with an “I love you” as they always had. 

Can I come stay with you awhile? She texted Rachel, who agreed easily.

“What’s up, Tori?” Bella asked when she answered the phone. “Sonny okay?”

“Same as he’s been,” she said softly, and Bella let out a sympathetic hum. Victoria had always been open with Bella, usually because she’d had a couple of glasses of wine. 

“He’s not been himself.”

“He won’t talk to me about it,” she said, tearing up. “He doesn’t even say I love you any more. Bella, I can’t keep running in circles. I can’t do this.”

“Are you leaving?”

“He doesn’t really care if I’m here.”

“He does, Tori. He really does.”

“Then he can come and fix it. I can’t, Bella.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea…”

“I have to.”

“Keep in touch, okay? I want to know you’re okay.”

“I will. I just wanted someone to know.”

“I appreciate that.”

[recurring-polynya]

Oh boy!!! Polynya I have a sudden ferocious hankering for Byakuya and Aizen being viciously passive aggressive to each other. Most of the time you write B he is in the company of his family or his loved ones. So clearly the ultimate way to bring out the knives is an AU in which all the captains are in the same Homeowner's Association. I have no preference for ships; I crave only drama, the pettier the better.

Alopex. Alopex. Why. Why u do this 2 me. You’re my favorite, tho, I cannot refuse you. I hope this is petty enough. I almost made this whole thing an epistolary fanfic that took place over NextDoor, the worst “social media”, but I think it worked better with everyone in person.

Read on ao3 or ff.net

🏠     🏠     🏠

“Gosh darnit, the only K-cups left are apple cider and pumpkin spice!”

“Oh, that can’t be right, I know I filled up the carousel just before the meeting! Retsu! Retsu, honey, we’re out of K-cups, and I bought a whole carton at Costco and I just don’t understand--”

Kuchiki Byakuya glanced up from the presentation materials he was reviewing for the six hundredth time. For starters, Byakuya wasn’t really sure anyone should be letting Hitsugaya Toushirou have coffee in the first place. It was 8p.m., and the child couldn’t be more than twelve. Byakuya had never been very clear on a) why the Seireitei Estates Homeowners’ Association let the child attend the meetings in lieu of his father (or possibly step-father?), a doctor who worked late hours, and b) why a young child would want to attend a Homeowners’ Association meeting anyway, but he had more sense than most of the other board members, so Byakuya didn’t ask questions.

Byakuya also wasn’t sure why they had to have “refreshment breaks.” Breaks were for quitters, in Byakuya’s opinion. Granted, the meeting was being held at Unohana’s house this month, which meant that the baked goods were impeccable, but Unohana’s high-strung wife tended to radiate so much nervous energy that Byakuya worried the woman was going to spontaneously combust.

“Oh, sunflower, I’m sure they just got pushed behind the croquembouche,” Unohana purred reassuringly. “I’ll help you look-- oh, excuse me, Mr. Ichimaru.”

As Unohana pushed past that weaselly shyster Ichimaru Gin, she swung her hips, knocking into him. Approximately thirty K-cups tumbled out of the pockets of Gin’s couture tracksuit.

“Oh, there they are!” Unohana sang innocently.

“How did those get in there?” Gin gasped, as though he were genuinely puzzled.

Byakuya shuddered. Ichimaru worked for the second biggest law firm in town, after, of course, Kuchiki and Sons. Byakuya dreaded the day he might find himself across a negotiation table from the man. Not that harbored any doubts about annihilating that idiot in a contest of the law, he just didn’t like being in the same room with him.

“Here you go, dear,” Unohana said, popping a K-cup into the machine and patting little Toushirou on the head. Toushirou was too busy glaring at Gin to notice.

“That looks like some presentation you’re givin' after the break, eh, Kuchiki?” Ichimaru drawled, selecting a bearclaw from the pastry tray. “Or didja bring home the paperwork from the Tsunayashiro merger?”

Byakuya sniffed and shuffled his papers back into their portfolio. “I approach all areas of my life with the same diligence as I do my professional work.”

“What a coinky-dink! I do, too-- I don’t work hard at anything.”

Byakuya had no interest in frittering away his preparation time to small talk with a moron. “I am going to set up,” he said coolly.

“Good luck!” Ichimaru trilled, giving a saucy little finger wave.

Byakuya returned to Unohana’s sitting room, where he had left his easel and poster board near the hideous faux fireplace with its tacky LED candles.

Aizen was sitting at the cardtable he’d set up at the front of the room, fiddling with his chintzy little gavel. “You look very prepared,” he said, in a tone of voice that was almost as insipid as the oatmeal-marl turtleneck sweater he wore. “Do try not to run too long, though. I’m only the substitute president, you know! I want to run a tight ship, ha ha!”

Byakuya narrowed his eyes. He was still slightly salty that President Yamamoto had felt the need to take a last minute trip on a “Single Seniors Cruise.” Something something about a flash sale and when you’re old you have to take advantage of the time you have left, etcetera, etcetera, but if there were anyone that Byakuya could count on take his side in the matter, it was that antediluvian rule-enforcer. For that matter, Byakuya wasn’t actually sure whether Yamamoto even cared about clipped hedges and shoveled sidewalks or if he just liked yelling at people and slapping them with fines.

Aizen was also a bit of a stickler for the finer points of home maintenance, but the man had no substance to him, with his floppy hair and his chunky knitwear and his horn-rimmed glasses.

“All right, everyone!” Aizen called in his stupid simpering voice. Byakuya had no idea what the man actually did, but Byakuya figured he was a preschool teacher or an art therapist or something equally touchy-feely. “Please take your seats! The next item on our agenda is a presentation on, uh, ‘A Secret But Important Topic, from our neighbor over at number six, let’s give a big hand for...Byakuya!”

“Hold the applause,” Byakuya said sternly, holding up a hand. “I come to you today to call for-- nay, demand the expulsion of one Zaraki Kenpachi from the Board of this Homeowners Association, and possibly also the entire neighborhood, if that’s possible.”

“We can’t kick people out of the neighborhood,” Aizen stage-whispered to him.

“Is he actually a member of the HOA Board?” Kyouraku asked, scratching his shaggy mane. “I’ve never seen him at one of these meetings.”

Byakuya turned to Tousen, the Board treasurer, who had taken his seat at the front table with Aizen and Ichimaru. “Mr. Tousen, did you happen to look into the dues records, as I requested?”

“I did, yes,” Tousen replied. “It turns out that Mr. Zaraki is excused from paying dues. There was a post-it note in President Yamamoto’s handwriting that said,” Tousen made finger quotes, “‘Zaraki fixed my car, excused from dues.’”

Byakuya scowled. “That doesn’t seem… sufficient… it is of no matter.” He grabbed the bed sheet covering his posterboard, and dramatically swept it away. It would have been more dramatic if the bedsheet weren’t covered in Chappy rabbits, but there was no way he was bringing one of his own 800-thread counts into a house that contained cats.

“I have been closely watching Mr. Zaraki’s residence for the last few months, as his rear yard backs to mine, and I believe he may be operating a fight club in his garden on weekends. They do move into the garage if the weather is unpleasant.”

A hush fell over the room, except for Isane and Ukitake Juushirou, who were discussing the merits of blind-baking pie crusts.

“Er, sorry, did I miss something?” Juushirou asked apologetically, after realizing he was the only person talking.

“Kenpachi seems to be running some sort of fight club,” his scruffy husband supplied, looking deeply confused, as usual.

“Goodness!” Juushirou exclaimed. “Are you sure?”

Byakuya cleared his throat. “Allow me to present the evidence I have gathered.” He picked up two large binders, and handed one to Soi Fon in the front row, and the other to Aizen, who immediately passed his, unopened, to Ichimaru. “There are about two dozen disreputable personages who are frequently found loitering about the premises. The first page of the binder indexes each of them by a descriptive nickname, including times I have seen them. Photographic evidence follows.”

“They seem to be washing cars in most of these photos,” Soi Fon pointed out, flipping a page back and forth. Or are they fixing the cars? I can’t tell.”

Komamura craned his head over, curiously. “Wow, is that a ‘73 Stingray? Nice.”

“Yes, they also like to get together to maintain and detail their vehicles,” Byakuya snapped. “Usually at ungodly hours of the morning. I am almost positive that many of those cars do not employ catalytic converters. In any case, it is easier to take pictures of them during the day.”

“Looks like they like to spray each other with hoses, too,” Gin noted, waggling his eyebrows. “Why are there so many pictures of this one guy with the red hair and tattoos? He sure doesn’t like to wear a shirt, does he?” Aizen appeared to be leaning to the side, trying to look at the book out of the corner of his eye.

“My dutiful sister did the photographic surveillance! She is very thorough, and I appreciated the help!” All these questions were knocking Byakuya off his game. He smacked his pointer against the poster. “May I direct your attention to Figure A, a bar chart of traffic on his street vs. hours of the day.”

“Tell us more about the fight club,” Soi Fon interrupted, shoving her binder over to Komamura. “Are there weapons involved, blunted or otherwise? How many people usually show up? Is it held regularly, or do you suspect there’s, say, an email list or something?”

“I think it’s some sort of mixed martial arts,” Byakuya said, rubbing his forehead. “There are often up to a dozen of them, but sometimes it’s as few as three or four.”

“You know, I’m looking through the bylaws,” Aizen said, turning pages in the bylaw binder without actually looking at them, “and I’m not exactly clear on whether fight clubs are actually… you know, forbidden.”

“They’re illegal,” Byakuya bit off.

“Per-haaaps,” Aizen drew out. “But what really constitutes… a ‘fight club,’ am I right? I mean, Dr. Unohana teaches kickboxing classes in her basement studio, is that a fight club?”

“No,” Byakuya replied.

“Exactly, and we wouldn’t want her to be painted with the same brush for just trying to teach other women the arts of self-defense, now would we?”

“It’s not for self-defense,” Unohana clarified.

“Or what about having a bunch of friends over and hitting each other with foam swords while you pretend to be werewolves?” Ichimaru broke in cheerfully. “That’s just our rights as citizens, to pretend to be werewolves in our basements with our friends.”

“It’s a tabletop RPG,” Komamura growled. “I am not a LARPer. There are no weapons. Also, you really do not need to bring it up every single board meeting. It is a perfectly normal adult hobby that I do to spend quality time with my friends.”

“Speaking of which,” Gin turned his binder of pictures around, “isn’t this guy in your group? With the sunglasses?”

“Hmm?” Komamura flipped a few pages. “Oh, huh, yeah, that’s Iba.”

“Surely a good friend of yours wouldn’t have anything to do with an illegal fight club, eh, Mr. Komamura?” Aizen suggested.

Komamura made a non-commital grumble. “I mean, I could ask him if it’s a fight club, if you want me to.”

“I have yet to hear any evidence that supports the existence of this so-called ‘fight club,” Tousen broke in.

“That’s because I keep getting interrupted, I have an audio recording and also some several emergency room admission records--”

“Mr. Zaraki is an upstanding citizen of our town and a devoted father,” Tousen continued. “Are you suggesting that Mr. Zaraki is not a responsible parent?”

“Well, now that you mention it…” Byakuya mused.

“Juushirou, you and Shunsui babysit for little Yachiru all the time, don’t you?” Aizen asked sweetly. “Have you ever seen any evidence that she isn’t the sweetest little girl in the entire world?”

Toushirou raised his hand. “Excuse me? She is a menace, actually?”

“Oh, no, Yachiru is always a ray of sunshine!” Juushirou beamed. “Very active child.”

“Eats a lot,” Kyouraku added.

The edges of Byakuya’s vision were beginning to bleed into red. “We are not talking about the Zaraki child--who, by the way, buried an entire ham in my prize tulip bed--”

“It sounds like you have a grudge against the entire family, Kuchiki,” Aizen replied mildly. “These board meetings are not a venue for airing your petty grievances.”

“You are not even listening! If you would just turn to page--”

“I think you’ve wasted enough of everyone’s time.” Aizen turned his doe eyes to the audience. “Is there anyone here who wants to invest any more energy listening to Byakuya’s vitriol?”

Byakuya looked out over his audience, looking for an ally. Komamura shifted in his seat uncomfortably. The Kyouraku-Ukitakes refused to make eye contact. Unohana was reading a magazine about decorative wreaths. Toushirou raised his hand again with a helpful smile, but no one actually ever cared what he thought.

“Soi Fon, you’re an actual police officer!” he begged.

“It’s just a fight club,” Soi Fon shrugged.

Byakuya was desperate. “Dr. Kurotsuchi?”

Kurotsuchi looked up from his phone. “Eh?”

“Have you been paying attention to any of this?”

“Of course not, I only come for the snacks.”

Byakuya gritted his teeth. “Zaraki is running a fight club and these fools wish us to turn our heads and look the other way.”

“Well, it’s not a very good fight club,” Kurotsuchi agreed. “I’ve been. They don’t allow poisoned weapons and the beverage selection is quotidian at best.”

“You see! You see, right there, Kurotsuchi has even attended! That’s proof that a) it exists and b) it defames the character of the neighborhood!”

“I’m declaring this issue closed,” Aizen replied breezily. “And Kuchiki, I really think you should try to get along better with Kenpachi. You are neighbors, after all.” He brightened. “Oh, I know! We’ve got the community yard sale coming up in June. Why don’t you go ask him if he wants to join the planning committee?”

“Byakuya… will...ask....Zaraki...to chair…the yard sale planning committee,” Gin read aloud as he wrote it into the minutes.

“I agreed to no such thing!” Byakuya howled.

“Onto the next topic!” Aizen chirped. “Trash pickup happens every Friday at 7am and a few of our neighbors have been leaving their bins out as late as noon.”

Later, after the meeting, as Byakuya was packing up his binders and his posterboard, Aizen walked up to him, munching on a rhubarb scone. “Really nice presentation, Byakuya. Good fonts, well cited, you obviously put a ton of work into it. Also, that Zaraki is a blight on the neighborhood. Ideally, he would be thrown in prison.”

Byakuya stared at Vice-Presiden Aizen, mouth agape. “Then why did you and your cronies ruin my presentation and shut me down at every turn?”

Aizen’s eyes narrowed. His mouth curved into a cold smile. Light glinted off his glasses. “You dared to usurp my rightful place as the winner of the Spring Spirit Most Beautiful Yard competition.”

Byakuya blinked at him blankly. “You cared about that? A man’s lawn is his pride. I keep my yard beautiful as a matter of principle, not for some silly competition.”

“You pay for a lawn service. You shouldn’t have even been eligible.”

Byakuya didn’t even recall entering, he’d just received a letter that he’d won, and a festive yard sign appeared next to his front walk, which he had immediately removed and thrown in the garbage. “The prize was a gift certificate to a miserable chain restaurant. I would give it to you, except that I already gave it to my sister to go out with her hooligan friends. They are perpetually short on funds. I could get you another one, I suppose. The amount was paltry enough, although I was given to understand that the place offers ‘unlimited breadsticks’.”

“It’s too late for that,” Aizen declared. “You have made a powerful enemy. You will feel my revenge in a thousand cuts.”

Byakuya wondered how much of a hassle it would be to just move. He’d heard there were some nice houses over in Karakura Acres.

~end

Shinigami’s Cup: GOLDEN!

“Do you think it would help if I infiltrated the fight club?”

“I appreciate your zeal, Sister, but, no, I do not think it would help.”

“Because I think I might have an in. I feel like I would be really good at going undercover. I could wear a body mic.”

“Rukia, you know I have the utmost faith in you, but are not even five feet tall. I do not, in any way, see how you could realistically ingratiate yourself to an organization populated by large, lumpy men whose raison d’etre is to clobber each other in the face.”

“I have cat-like reflexes! I am really good at dodging and weaving!”

“Rukia.”

“And I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos about muscle cars. Go on, ask me something about Dodge Chargers!”

“Rukia.”

“I even ripped the sleeves of an old t-shirt, I look super tough in it. Please, Byakuya, please can I?”

“All right, fine. But do not drink any alcoholic beverages that have ‘light’ or ‘ice’ in the title. It is against our pride as Kuchiki.”

“Thank you Brother, you’re the best!!”

[ablogofthecriminalmindsvariety]

HotchReid for the ship meme... 1-15 😅😅😅

, For the ship ask 2, 3, 11 and 15 would be too much? With Hotch/Reid?

For your viewing pleasure, here’s your daily dose of HotchReid

1. Which one is the better cook

Aaron, most definitely to begin with. But they start to have cooking lessons, and then it turns into Aaron just letting Spencer help while he cooks. Letting him boil the water, or turn on the stove, stir the pot, put this or that in. Spencer becomes your very run of the mill, slightly mediocre chef. But Aaron compares it to chemistry at one point, and then suddenly it clicks for Spencer and he becomes a good cook. Aaron is still better, though.

2. What their love letters look like

Okay, funny story, for a roleplay I’m doing, I wrote a love letter from Spencer to Aaron, confessing love for the first time, so here’s that:

Dear Aaron,

I apologize for the oddities of this. I know that a letter wouldn’t be entirely typical of most people when confessing their feelings of affection, though I think we’ve established by now that I’m not like most people, so here goes nothing.

The feelings that I have for you are not, by any means, platonic. The way I feel when I look at you is unlike any way I’ve ever felt before. You make me feel warm from the top of my head to the tips of my toes, you make my heart twist in a way that somehow isn’t painful, and in all honesty, it’s entirely terrifying. Because it’s unfamiliar and I don’t feel things like that for people. Ever. I didn’t get to do the whole ‘dating and experimenting and finding myself’ thing. Not in high school, not really in college. And so, where I’m standing now is almost entirely unfamiliar ground.

Though if there’s anything that you’ve taught me, it’s that the unexpected and the new can be amazingly wonderful things. And I believe that you are one of those amazingly wonderful new things that has found its way into my life. Opening up to people is hard for me. Talking to people is hard for me. And yet, somehow, you’ve managed to settle yourself into my life and make it so you’re the exception to both of those things.

You’re easy to talk to, and you’re there, and you’re easy to open up to, and the thought of me losing you in my life is genuinely painful because you’ve sort of started to settle yourself into this little place in my heart and I genuinely don’t know what I’d do if for whatever reason you tried to uproot. Nor do I know what I’d say to you, so I’m writing you this letter.

Relationships are hard for me, and so is trust. There have been things in my life that have happened to make that true, and I can say with certainty that I think you’re one of the few people in the world who I’d be comfortable talking to about that one day. Which is saying a lot for me, which by default means that I care very deeply for you, Aaron Hotchner.

And this is the way that I found to show it to you.

Bette Davis said “Love is not enough. It must be the foundation, the cornerstone- but not the complete structure. It is much too pliable, too yielding.” I’d like to make a foundation to build something upon, Aaron, something that’s our own sort of beautiful. I hope that you say you’d like to build with me, but I understand if the feelings aren’t reciprocated.

I hope they are.

Sincerely,

       Spencer.

And as for Aaron? I don’t think he would be all that eloquent, he wouldn’t be able to sit down and write a love letter. His letter would be more one that he writes for Spencer every day in the words he says and the things he does. The good morning cheek kisses, bringing him his first cup of coffee, tying his tie because somehow, no matter what, Spencer always ties it crooked, good night cuddles, putting socks on his cold feet in the night. That’s what his love letters look like.

3. Which one outlives the other, and how they cope

Realistically, Spencer would outlive Aaron. There’s a ten year age gap, and it’s likely that Aaron would be the one to go first. They both manage to live to a happy, relatively old age, and when Aaron goes, Spencer is with him. He holds his head in his lap, and he reads The Little Prince to him and he combs his fingers through his hair. When the breathing stops, he just sits there. He marks that page in the story, and it will forever and always remind him of him. The book does to. He eventually can read it without crying. But he can never look at the page that they stopped on without breaking down in earnest. When he goes, Spencer doesn’t relapse. He’s spent too long being sober, and though it’s hard, he knows that Aaron would never want that for him. So he stays clean, and he stays locked up in their house for a little while, for a few days. He always, always lets friends in to come visit, and he sits with them, and he reminisces. In bed at night, in their bed, holding one of Aaron’s sweaters and his old stuffed rabbit that Spencer got for him years and years ago, he cries and he cries and he cries. Eventually, he starts to heal, and with the help of his friends, he gets to a better place. He keeps Aaron’s wedding ring on a chain around his neck that also has a little locket that he’d had for a very long time. It’s of him, Aaron, and Jack that he got for him on their two year anniversary, and he always keeps it over his heart.

4.What they do on date night

It depends on the date night that they have. They don’t go out to fancy restaurants, because that’s gross. They stay in and watch documentaries and old movies in their pajamas with wine and takeaway and they throw popcorn at each other. They go to local restaurants to support the business. Little diners and shops and such. They take walks around rock creek park together, hand in hand. They read in the back yard with the porch lights on, looking at the stars. They lay out on the grass on a blanket and Spencer tells Aaron about all of the constellations. They go to see the cats in the shelters and give the lonely ones love. They do a slew of different things.

5. How many kids they’ll have

Well, they have Jack, and Aaron claims that he will never go through the whole baby thing again. Spencer gets baby fever when he has to babysit for a neighbor on an emergency and Aaron tells Spencer horror stories from Jack growing up. It always makes it die down, but it’ll always flare back up again. Aaron arranges for Spencer to watch Jessica’s baby, who is a nightmare, but the baby gets sick and throws up all over him and so Aaron has to come save the day and help Spencer get all cleaned up and assist him. Spencer stops wanting a baby after that, and they’re happy to just have their cats instead. They have three (they were only supposed to ever have two, but that’s a whole headcannon list that I’m not going to get into right now). Mr. Mittens, Sherlock, and Artemis, and that along with Jack is enough for him.

6. How they decorated their bedroom

It’s quite simple. Spencer is an artist, and he likes to draw. He gets into painting at some point, and so there are a few of those hanging on the wall, some of the better ones. There are family pictures around the room. Of Jack, Jack and Haley, Aaron and Jack, Aaron and Jack and Haley, Aaron and Spencer, Spencer and Jack, Aaron and Jack and Spencer, Diana and Spencer, and a picture or two of the team, because they are their family. The furniture is nothing special, and their sheets and duvets rotate, because Spencer is anal about having them cleaned weekly and Aaron used to change him every other week anyways.

7 Which one is the worse driver

Spencer is the worse driver, but if you ask him, Aaron is scarier to be in the car with. They’re both good drivers, but Aaron has a bit more skill. On a case, in a high speed chase, that time Aaron crashes a car into another car to save the cyclists, and all of that junk. Spencer doesn’t like to let Aaron in the car after that. Aaron doesn’t like to let Spencer drive simply because he doesn’t like to not have that control.

8. What they argue about

They’re pretty good about communicating and not arguing with each other. Normally it’s about things like Reid taking off his vest when he’s talking to an unsub, or risking his life to save a victim. Or about Aaron working too much and not taking care of himself. They only ever fight out of concern for the to the other person. Or when they’re both really stressed, Reid might pick a fight over something small, and then he starts crying, and then Aaron feels bad, and Spencer apologizes because he picked the fight, and then they talk out their icky feelings like adults and they hug each other and they feel better.

9. Which one swears more

It depends. When Spencer is really stressed or ticked off, he swears more. But at home, Aaron is sort of more of a casual swearer. I’d say probably Aaron. Spencer swears in other languages sometimes if he doesn’t want people to know that he’s swearing, but Aaron probably swears more frequently.

10. What TV shows they watch together, and which ones they hide from the other

They don’t really have a lot of shows that they watch together. Spencer likes to watch old shows, like I Love Lucy and The Andy Griffith Show and Leave it to Beaver. They watch a lot of history documentaries together, because Spencer loves documentaries, and Aaron loves history. They watch Doctor Who together, because it’s one of Spencer’s favorites. Aaron makes Spencer watch the movies that he likes so he gets the references that he makes.

11. What their first impression was of each other

Spencer was nervous. Aaron was a big, scary man, and Gideon introduced him while he was in the middle of a run at the academy. He’s clearly less than impressed by that and Gideon telling him that he’s going to do great things in the academy, Aaron doesn’t believe him. He is slightly surprised because Spencer is so... small. Frail. Fragile.

12. What they do for their anniversary

They don’t always celebrate day of, because work doesn’t let them. But even if they have work on the anniversary, they have dinner together, even if it’s pretzels and bottled water on the way home on the jet. But when they do get the chance to actually celebrate, they make a day of it. Breakfast in bed and cuddles. Going out to the park, Aaron pushes Spencer on the swings. They got to their favorite cafe and order hot chocolate and watch the people on the streets and make up their life stories. They go to Spencer’s favorite book store and pick random books, pages, and lines and make a story out of all of them. There’s a local carnival that comes around right around the time their anniversary is that they go to in the night. Aaron plays the games and tries to win Spencer something. He always manages to even if they’re rigged, and Spencer keeps each and every one of them. They go on the Ferris Wheel, and Aaron always slips the man working the ride some money to keep them stopped at the top for a little while. They look at the stars together and kiss under the moonlight. And when they go home, they cuddle on the couch and watch trash TV and when they go to be, they whisper how much they love each other and their favorite things about the other one.

13. Which makes a bigger deal of birthdays

They don’t make very big deals of them. Spencer doesn’t like to be fussed over on his birthday, and Aaron doesn’t like to be reminded that he’s a year closer to death. They make special birthday pancakes, go out to dinner, and get each other a gift, but for the most part, that’s it.

14. What nicknames they call each other

Aaron calls Spencer a variety of things. A lot of variations of the word bug. Sugarbug, lovebug, bug, stinkbug are the go to’s. Along with angel, coffee bean, doc, and your run of the mill baby, sweetheart, etc.

Spencer calls Aaron bear, cherry blossom (because of his love for the cherry blossom festival in DC), and of course your run of the mill love, babe, honey, things such as that.

15. What they would change about each other

They both love each other dearly and would never want the other person to change who they are and things of the sort. They both do wish, however, that the other person had a slightly stronger sense of self preservation.

[hermankopusortizorsumshite]

“Hey guys! I need a room! Girlfriend kicked me out.” Luca comes into the room hollering, and you laugh. Hooking his arms around your waist he pulls you against him. “Come on Sparrow, you know you’re single.” He coos, nuzzling your forehead.

“Oh no you don’t! You ate everything in my fridge and I didn’t get any sleep last time!” Hondo’s eyes meet yours and the cheering lets loose.

“I promise I won’t be so loud.” Luca chuckles, letting go as he drops his duffel bag against the wall by his locker. You glance over your shoulder and Street’s eyes meet yours.

“How long have they been together?” He asks Chris, watching your eyes land on Luca’s.

“Married since ‘07.” Luca winks at the new kid, pressing a sloppy wet kiss to your cheek as he walks by.

“Dominique Jack Luca!” You shriek, swiping the slobber from your face as you strap on your vest, chasing after the large man.

“Yeah baby?” He asks, watching your cheeks tint red.

“You have to quit doing that!” You bark, waving a hand at the kid who walks behind them.

“So, how does it work? How do they work together so well?” He questions, looking between his new teammates. The rest share a knowing laugh and a chuckle.

“Kid, they’re not married to each other. They started on the force together in ‘07, Luca likes to say they’ve been married since then to the new kids. It gets ‘em riled up. They-“

“Another point for the Dominator!” Luca cheers, pumping his fist in the air as they pile into Black Betty.

They enter through the back door, clearing the house, as they round the corner you spot a rabbit, and set off after.

“Rabbit! I’m on it!” You tear through the front yard, only caught off guard when you disappears. Searching the streets, he’s vanished. It happens so fast, Luca’s shouting his gun firing, the knife sinking into the top of your upper arm. The knife rips through the flesh as the suspect falls, you shriek.

“But you’ll never find a guy more whipped than Luca when it comes to her. She’s his number one.” Chris chuckles, knowing you’d be fine. Street watched on, as she was right, Luca was pacing, fists clenched at his sides in the cops face trying to get through to you. Street smiles a little to himself.

“Damn it, you had to wait to shoot him?” You joke, watching as Luca gets cleared to come to you.

“You’re okay though?” He hushes, his gentle hands cupping your face, his blue eyes blanketed in concern.

“Of course, I’m fine.” You chuckle, trying to make a little light of the situation.

“Hop on.” He groans, knowing what you were waiting for. Every time you were injured, you told Luca your legs were broken and you’d make him give you a piggyback ride to the car. Climbing on, he carries you back to the car, complaining the whole way there.

They make it back to headquarters, people clapping for them as they walk in. One person claps you on the shoulder, sending pain through her arm. Luca ducks across the row of his team, standing on her right to block her from the crowd.

“Hey Sparrow! Seeing as you’re wounded, why doesn’t—“

“No! No you don’t! Send him to Peabody’s house.”

“I’d love to help you little bird.” He laughs, patting your good shoulder. “I’ll be your slave for the night. You can do whatever you want to me.” He lets another award-winning smile and laugh as he grabs his duffel.

“Fine, I can’t say no to you. But tomorrow, I’m hittin’ that crazy bitch you let have your apartment.” Street watches as they walk out together, Luca’s arm so casually draped over her shoulder.

“They really are married, aren’t they?” He asks as Chris grabs her backpack from the table.

“No, best friends. They’ve saved each other’s lives. Taken bullets and knives for each other. I want that someday.” She sighs as the two of you walk out laughing about something.

“Yeah? What’s that?”

“The type of love and confidence of working with your best friend. They have no doubt in each other. If they weren’t married to SWAT, they would be married to each other.” She laughs, patting Street’s shoulder before heading out.

“Hey I got it. I’m your slave here, remember?” His husky voice and his chuckle making you giggle, leaning his body against hers and stretching his long muscular arms over top of you to grab the plates and cups.

“Jesus Christ, Dom.” You groan, turning around face to face with his broad chest. He closes the cupboard and rests his hands there, his big arms still stretched out on either side of you. For the second time in the ten years you worked together, your breath hitched and you found yourself staring at him in a different light.

“Thanks.” You hush, and his eyes met yours. “Dominique.” You whisper, closing your eyes for a moment to compose yourself.

“Sparrow.” He gives you a moment, but not too long, before he leans against you, kissing your mouth hard. “Little bird,” he hushes against your skin as he hauls you against him.

“Dominique Jack Luca.” You stammer, pushing him away from you.

“Don’t. Don’t worry. There’s no way.” He assures, hauling you back to him and letting his lips find yours. “You and me baby, since ‘07.” He whispers, cutting the final string of decency you have left. He carried you to your bedroom, his lips never leaving yours.

The next morning as the two of you walked into Headquarters his hand swallowing yours, almost no eyes missed the way they walked in. Dominique was grinning ear to ear, a small smile on your lips, but mostly just red flush on your cheeks. As the two of you walk into the squad room, you find Chris and Street in a heated argument, and Deacon handing money to Hondo. Your eyes meet Luca and assess his reaction.

“You and I could get married.” Street laughs, elbowing Chris.

“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes before putting on her gear for the day.

“You guys took bets? Were you a part of this?” Luca raises his hands in defense, a grin still hanging on his lips. “Grow up, you guys!” She growls, rolling her eyes before heading to the locker room to change.

“Hey, I’m sorry about them. We just had a friendly wager on this ten years or the next.” Hondo chuckles, “meet me in the briefing room. We’ll all be down there.”

When you reach the briefing room, there was a table set up with cards and a cake with you and Luca’s face on it, and everyone in the division was there cheering.

“Dominique Luca and Sparrow, come up here for a moment. You two have been a standard in the police department for almost ten years, those first two years you two almost killed each other don’t count.” Hondo and everyone chuckles. “You two have shown our squad how to love each other unconditionally even when you wanna strangle the other. Luca, you are a goofy guy, man. You don’t make sense sometimes, but despite that, your best friend and partner in every operation understands you. She even fights for you. You play the meanest pranks on her and she takes them in a stride. To the couple married since ‘07, congratulations on your decade. Here’s to many more.” Hondo steps down, leaving the two of you up there. Heading for the steps, you stop when you hear Luca speak behind you.

“Hey, wait a minute. Sparrow, I wanna say something.” He chuckles, “Little bird, you’re the coolest chick I’ve ever worked with. I dig you, man. But I need to know something. We’ve been married since ‘07 to this job. That’s why we always did so well. But we’re getting older, so how about we make it official?” Your jaw dropped, the hesitation written on your face. “Nothing has to change. But I’ve realized that neither of us are gonna ever find the time to make a relationship outside of work. So, let’s just live together and figure this out together.” He chuckles, still holding his breath. You heave a sigh, shaking your head. You snatch the microphone from him.

“Dominique Luca, you are an asshole. You are a child with a driver’s license. You almost killed me the first year we worked together, but when we had been under fire, just us, do you remember what you said to me?”

“There were two bullets in your shoulder, and two in my back, and I said to you that when we got outta there we were going for pizza. Cause I was hungry, and you were my work wife. And look at that, you and me, baby. Married since ‘07!” He laughs, scooping you into his arms and kissing you, not giving you a chance to tell him no. Not that you could anyways. “Mister and Missus Luca!” He cheers, sliding a small ring onto your finger.

“Hold on, you asked her on a date while you were under fire?” Jessica asks as they step off the stage. He laughs and nods, his hands never leaving your waist.

“Let’s cut the cake, man!” He cheers, the knife going straight to his own face. Cutting out a small square, he offers you a bite. Stupidly, you leaned in for it, and he smashed his small frosting face all over your face.

“Dominique Jack Luca!” You shriek, laughing.

“What? I figured frosting me would be sweeter.” Everyone laughs, lining up for a slice of cake as the two of you disappear to a back table.

“Was this your whole plan? Or—“

“Hondo arraigned the party, I just figured, since they were already gathered around I might as well ask.” His eyes drifting to the ring on your hand and a grin forming.

“Luca, you are crazy. But hey, you and me, baby. Married since ‘07.” You laugh, letting him pull you into his lap. “I just need to know one thing, are you moving in tonight?” You ask, watching his eyes light up.

“Of course.” He assures.

[mstow]

WF4.1.

Part One: The Day the Markets stood still…

Published at M.Stow11.Wordpress.com

1. She.

‘It is like living in a rabbit hutch’ She often said emphatically and metaphorically, and He replied with

a shrug, nothing to say in reply. It was; and it would take long enough to pay for. Four rooms. Eight-floors up,

eight flights of long turning concrete rubbish chute and stairs, and fire escape, for when the elevators did not

function anyway, which was often and took days sometimes to repair. A balcony open passageway at the front,

looking over the street below, now starting to become busy with traffic. They had lived with his parents for a

time, and then after they were married, in a small rented flat in The City, before they needed to afford

somewhere to live together, and to bring-up their two small children.

Both saved, and with some financial help from a relative (deceased) they had managed to get this

place. When the housing market was ‘buoyant’, and mortgages easy to get. The Home was bought with a loan, a promissory note, deposited and co-lateraled together with their combined lives and the home itself. They were

afloat.

Both worked to pay-off the loan, which although it was supposed to re-duce each year did not seem ever to keep up with pay and prices. The loan would anyway be paid-off many times over if they were ever to pay off the debt.

If this place was ever to become their own owned nothing to pay-back; then, if they managed to keep paying-off the loan for the ‘Shelter from the Storm’ as they called Home.

That they did not actuarily now own, and may not ever, actually own, lose-lose. To sell-back at Market Price, the difference between the paid-back buying-price and selling-price, and of which they would have lost completely to The Bank…The Mortgage Company.

TheirHome-Mortgage@rent no(t)()-insurancetheir assured-pension against dire-poverty and homelessness.

No social-recourse and be homeless, to parents and over-crowding again, or with friends similarly fixed, sofa-surfing their home, such as-it-was de-faulted, re-possessed. A two-bedroom apartment, she thought of: kitchen, lounge, shower-bathroom toilet and tiny balcony onto the world below, between them and the sky above. Each day, each month, and each successive year into the unthinkable future; two-thirds of two-lifetimes at least, two-thirds every month of what they were both paid-in wages-for-work earned.

She did the household accounts, and she knew.

The Home. The Loan. Would have been paid for several times over by the time if ever it became theirs

and The Childrens’; and perhaps even their Grandchildrens’ by the time the shared-property many-floored building was un-inhabitable, de-molished land let-again, built-on freehold not-leasehold extended for-bonus payment un-earned…re-build in the new style, in a traditional place, or otherwise breaking into farmland and ocean beyond.

But that is the nature of the human animal, is it no? To do over, and be done-over to again and again she thought: want more and more, for less and less and in the quiet mind wandering moment of pillared door, a room, a table, a bed let go and a bed sheet left behind ready to be buried with perhaps as they did in the olden- times shrouded as now by thin curtains pulled-back.

Each-Day: like a two-step forward and quick-step fox trot later backwards one-step…

Home and Away worked to pay-off the loan on the house and to pay for and cook food, with bills and

extras, clothes, and nights-out occasionally.

Maybe once a month, or not at all.

Then He had been laid-off work at The Bakery.

Three-day-week and three day’s wages.

The Home mortgage was re-negotiated and they continued struggling to pay-off the loan and other

loans, credited and directly debited debt from what they both earned together.

There was never an issue of who would earn more, and be the main breadwinner, they both earned

more or less the same low wages as most the people who worked and they would do the most caring, of each other, and the children: the unpaid responsibilities shared around the home, and in the world of work.

Shopping and holidays and other friends and family out there. All indebted, or in credit day2day.

Week to week, month to next month, years, minute-by-minute.

They were equal, without even having to think about it or confront societies and others’ false

expectations of gender and families. They were equal in debt and credit, and supported each other’s frail and fragile egos with a natural equanimity respectful and loving…

Each contributing their best and differently, in-differently to make the whole, whole.

It’s not all doom and gloom She did often think, and he tried not to think on it. The homily homely

claustrophobia only had to be relieved by going out. To the cinema, to a bar or restaurant. But that was not very often de-finitely now there were children as well.

Sel-dom. did extras make their mark, clothes bought carefully a piece at a time, re-placement rather

than extravagance. The cupboards filled with groceries and emptied by the time the next weeks shopping is

needed and the next week’s earnings…already spent.

She was awake, first this morning, and she got up from the bed on which he still lay awake but not yet awake enough to leave its’ nigh-time warmth. She went through to the next room. The bedroom led across the narrow-passage to the living room, which led directly to the tiny gallery kitchen and balcony on one side and door to the front room, on the other side balcony corridor and more doors along.

Except it wasn’t the front-room, exactly; only, unlike the ‘front-room’ of her childhood playing on the

street and door directly to the rugged ragged matted smell of cooking from the stone wall white-washed country kitchen.

Upstairs two bed-rooms and on the gallery landing for the children and a closet room to flush away with a basin of water from the kitchen sink-tap and toilet-well into the slurry sump, where you could hear it ‘slurry’ all the way down, filtered to spray on fields all around; and then back downstairs to replace the water from the kitchen-tap and outside clean-well.

Pumped-up from the well, refilling the fired china clay bowl for washing and zinc-metal bucket, ready

for the next use.

Log grabbing toughened steel plasma-cutters hydraulic-ram chassis panel welded together. Expertly Put-together giant wheels axle brake.

Pumping-oil to cool the engines’ turbo diesel s-carbed grapple telescopic arms the claw car-crusher

mattress-shredder then the skid-board tracking carbon-fibre e-road automobiles solar panels settled wind farming blades and wave-machines generating heat&power and swimming in clean-air&water:

> Low-No: installation& maintenance-cost yr/yr.

Apparently, free.

At her first childhood home, bed-time children first, then the adults. Rats nested runs, beetles and

cockroaches were kept away by the domesticated cats and dogs that shared the yard and house with horses at the local stables for the carts and filed machinery; to ride, at week-end day-off, and many Holy Days.

Each week, several times into the market town for food supplies, and the children’s treats.

Their whole world a Living Market Place, of Work Trust and Play.

Now, great enclosed parked superstores and supermarkets and factory outlet warehouse. Where goods

are now transported she thought of: to&fro and by foot and horses’ hoofs carried and motor vehicle, train and massive tanker and container-ship electric like cutting through the air or the hydrogen&helium of outer-space a one-metre flight through nothingness baited

> One-click:Low-No-cost subscription no-way out…

< N/nnn…paid-up…again&again.

*

From the docks and airport, at the city harbour hub humming away, remote yet directing everyday life, everywhere.

Exorbitant-Political

Business-Trips

Media: Holiday Passengers, and Freight Cargo.

The affordable flight, to get-away from-it-all: a change; a charge necessary move, once in a while, and

not at-all.

Every year; but, to visit family here and there and elsewhere, or else you’d go stir-crazy.

Do a night-time flit, flip! leave the rent, the mortgage, un-paid.

Only, to otherwise keep on fighting for the bargains: cheap-est with-in budget, to get through to the

Next-day and the day-after-that.

When debts and fines could not be paid, the debt collector.

Bailiffs, The-Auctioneer: selling- off of the personal possessions; sometimes, on the Global Markets;

and then sold-out: the personal; and, T.V. public…

The laptop computer on-sleep and awakened, opened, placed on the table, booted-up and She blogged

instantaneously her-thoughts:

#We all need a roof over our heads…and to: put Food on the Table! without any other word or contextual continuity that did not remain obvious to this early morning.

Everyone, and anyone in the same and similar circumstances getting the same hastily tapped-out

messages excluding, those without tablet, home or food; and those with patently far too-much.

Those who had an Administration to do that for them and her-thought continued in the context of the

mindful moment and that which we all have to pay extortionately for over and again even when the food is eaten and the crap washed away there remains a nasty stain, a nasty taste.

Original wages sweated over day upon day, and loans ever in negative equity to who?

Them!

Income-Tax&Corporation-Tax paid/un-paid through government-deal(s):

Extortionate debt-interest credit-profit and volatile prices, losses on last-accounts records ever higher BINGO! and pay…ex-terminating…prices collapsed…looking up, and down again now, not in dejection, but circumspection against ever apparent possible failure, with desperate optimism, toward un-realistic perfectionism.

Only mechanized buffer-traffic building-up as soon as into a busy rush-hour congestion be-low… Cars and buses, bicycles, motorbike and motorized delivery truck from here, only another view.

From

two-sides; and every side… the bedrooms along the passage corridor, the sleeping children slept, earlier peekedinto soundless in beautiful dream or dreamless seemingly startling worrying death-checked for breathing.

Crossing from night into daytime TV remotely automatically turned on, confirmation, that

life goes on…

The living-room she entered bore all the chatter and the silence of one who listens.

Still and safe, cosy and secure. The other rooms took over the emotions and needs: sleep and food, love and arguments. The central room, the central chamber, looked on and awaited eventual, almost inevitable, but never certain re-conciliation, and rest. Indulged-in social-(e) vents, noisy chatter and quiet evenings indoors. The furniture was adequate and filled the room. Table, chairs, television, a drawer and shelved cabinet standing against a wall, displaying various special icons; plastic flowers family photographs in frames, a portrait of a film star, or a print of a famous oil painting.

Ornaments, statuettes, figures of worship and of novelty. The furniture, the infrastructure, from the

livelihoods and eventually the roof over our heads…’in over our heads’ heard as if originally spoken.

There were unopened envelopes and cajoling leaflet advertisement:

Kill your debts! Die debts!

she thought of letters and bills for payment, propped up behind a ticking clock. There was a picture postcard from someone-else’s holiday forming a picturesque frontage to hide the stack of demands for reply and payment which lay beyond.

She-drewback the curtains and looked out of the window across the balcony, with its unflowering

plants growing in flower-pots. There was a real still rising mistinessoutside from the early morning warming; and she gazed over an area where many lived, and it seemed to her, this morning, where they too just only lived

-out their lives: day to day, week to week, minute-to-minute…

They too thought to-themselves as she looked-out onto the dawn of a gradually opening new day that

the world must have always been this way.

[bellphiie-main]

Carefree [1]

Zeref x F!Reader

I’m posting this from my Wattpad drafts. I only have 3 prewritten parts, so let me know if you want me to continue! Also: This was written over a year ago. I never posted it. So I apologize for any mistakes.

I’m so scared to post this

Genre: Fluff Warnings:  Spoilers? I think. It doesn’t directly follow the story but its pretty close Summary: Y/N goes looking for Fairy Tails first masters’ grave. Someone spots her and ends up in a predicament.. Words: ~1180

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"Tenrou island?" A sailor asked a small girl.

"Yes! Please, sir, if you can, take me there!" She clasps her hands together, begging the only person with a boat around for miles.

"Are you sure you want to go there? Isn't that Fairy Tail's special island?" The sailor questions.

"Yeah, but I'm close friends with their master. He gave me permission, and even gave me this guild mark! It's not Fairy Tails, but it's to symbolize our friendship!" Y/N lifts her foot to show a F/C mark on her ankle. 

"See?" She smiles happily. "Please take me there! I need to find the first masters grave."

"Alright..." The sailor says with an unsure voice.

"Yes! Thank you so much." Y/N hops into the boat, her outfit blowing in the wind as she holds on to the sail, waiting for the sailor to climb in.

"We're taking off. You should take a seat, it'll get bumpy." The sailor warns as he pushes off from the dock.

"I'll be fine! The ocean looks beautiful." Y/N comments, eyes sparkling at the open water surrounding her. She closes her eyes as white light radiates off of her. Dolphins jump out of the water, doing tricks along the boat. The sailor stares in awe at the magic the girl holds.

"That's some neat magic. What kind is it?" He asks.

"I don't exactly have a name for it. It's just bright, and brings life to things. I can't always control it though, so sometimes it starts working and I don't even realize it. Like what happened a moment ago." She smiles.

-----

"Here we are." The sailor says, bringing the boat to shore.

"Thank you so much! How much do you want?" Y/N digs into her bag, finding some money.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. You're a lovely young lady, and your company was much appreciated. I haven't laughed that much in months. Thank you, and I hope you find what you're looking for." The man tips his hat as the boat gets farther away from the shore, Y/N waving until he is completely out of sight.

"Wow." She breathes, looking around the beautiful island. Her gaze falls on an area in the forest, seemingly devoid of any life. She skips over, placing her hand onto the fallen tree as a white light glows. Soon, the tree is standing tall again, and the others around it do the same. The area is full of life.

A dark figure watches from afar, eyes wide at the sight. He takes in the area that was just dead, and now is thriving with life. Flowers bloomed, birds already perched on trees, even deer were making their way to the girl. He's never seen anything like it.

The girl remains oblivious, continuing to skip around, trying to find the thing she came here for in the first place. Zeref tilts his head, thinking to himself how can someone be so carefree? It's like she's never experienced sadness in her life, ever. She seems almost too happy for her to even be real.

"Is my mind playing tricks on me? Am I that desperate for human interaction?" He whispers to himself. Once the girl skips away, he walks to the area she brought back to life, touching the tree. It is, in fact, actually there. His mind isn't playing tricks on him.

There's another human on this island, one who doesn't know of his existence. That thought alone scares him. What if he doesn't see her, and his magic starts working again? What if he kills her without even realizing it? He shakes his head and turns to walk the other direction.

He swears he will do whatever he can to stay away from that girl.

----

His vow didn't last very long. Maybe two hours at most. He finds himself watching over her, which is strange. He's never felt the need to watch over someone. He can't understand it, but he thinks it's just the fact that she's a human walking on this island. The island that a murderer resides on.

The girl skips around with a wide smile on her face, interacting with any animal she sees. He notices that at some points, light radiates around her, and she doesn't seem to notice it. He doesn't think much of it, maybe it's like his magic.

"Hello!" A sudden cheery voice breaks the silence. Zeref's eyes widen as he looks at the girl, only to fight back a sigh of relief once he realizes she's talking to an animal.

'Strange, can she communicate with animals too?'

"Wow! Your fur is so pretty. Can I pet it?" She asks the rabbit. The rabbit makes a noise, Zeref unable to understand. The girl smiles and reaches out, stroking the rabbits fur. "So soft! What's your name?" She asks.

"Chiera" The rabbit says to Y/N.

"Chiera. I like it. Can I give you a nickname?" Y/N asks, sitting in the grass next to the rabbit.

"Okay!" The rabbit says, seemingly excited.

"I'll call you... Chichi!" Y/N closed her eyes, leaning back on a tree with her hands behind her head.

"May Chichi ask strangers name?" The rabbit asked.

"Oh, I'm Y/N! It's lovely to meet you." Y/N opens one eye, and catches some sort of movement a few yards away. "Huh? Is someone else there?" She calls.

Zeref stands with his back pressed against a tree, holding his breath. He hears Y/N sigh and start talking to the rabbit once more. Zeref can feel his magic building up, he grabs his head and runs away as fast as he can without being seen. He feels the dark magic slowly seeping out of him, the darkness slowly takes over the small area. Once the fog clears, all signs of life are gone.

"Maybe she can fix it..." Zeref mumbles sadly. He glances around and spots a squirrel. The squirrel runs beside the decaying tree and looks up. The tree tilts, leaning towards the squirrel. Zeref's eyes widen as he rushes to get the squirrel out of the way. The squirrel hears the rapid footsteps and rushes for cover. Zeref doesn't stop in time, however.

The tree comes crashing down, Zeref tries to jump out of the way, but it falls on top of his ankle. His chest hits the ground and he groans in pain, looking down at his foot. He concludes that it's not broken, as he can move his toes. But he cant get the tree off. He's stuck.

Back with the girl, she heard the crash. It was so loud that it scared her new friend away. "Chichi! Wait!" Y/N calls, but it's too late. She looks in the direction of the sound and decides to check it out. 

Zeref can hear footsteps slowly approaching, and he starts to panic. He frantically pulls at his foot, trying to get it out from under the tree. A nearby bush rustles as Y/N pops out, her eyes widening at the scene.

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[1] , (more coming soon) Anime Masterlist Fairy Tail Masterlist

[hazbinextgeneration]

Down The Rabbithole Ch15

(Disclaimer: The songs the Queen sings is White Rabbit by Egypt Central and Hey Alice by Rachell Rose Mitchell and in no way mine. The songs Allison sings are Alice by Avril Lavigne and Human by Christina Perri and are in no way mine.)

It was a short hour. During that time she just sat on the bed and rubbed her head, trying to figure out what to do about this. Sometime during that hour she had been a sandwitch and she eargerly gobbled it down but not before checking it for anything...It was a regular one with just one piece of meat and a lettece leaf. Was pretty plain but she wasn't complaining about free food especially when she was really hungry so she gobbled that down. She was still a little hungry after that but it'll work for now. Allison was feeling a lot of things. Guilt, for this being her fault even if she didn't do anything wrong. Worry for her friend if he was ok and what might happen to her. Angry for all this work just wanting to go home! Annoyance she had to go this! And Sadness she Didn't know about Chesire's past. Did he really turn someone into dust? If they wiped out his family then she'd kinda understand, but why didn't he tell her? She sighed and continued to sit there until a guard opened the door and looked at her. Allison was told to stand up and follow them which she did, not like she had a choice anyways. She was marched like a prisoner down the checkered halls and she felt her hope and worry grow and grow as she was wedged between the two guards and marched down the halls. Servants and other guards stopped what they were doing to peer at her from where they were. People of all different characters. She saw a goose in a butler shirt give her the stink eye, and a walking man with the head of a clock seem to give her a sorry look. But that didn't matter. She was marched along past all the expensive furniture and further and further to-.....to.....Who knows where?! To A prison? To her doom? To the Queen? And she didn't ask the guards marching her along in her of the answer. It seemed she got her answers soon enough. Allison was lead around towards what she assumed was the other side of the castle to two giant double doors where a lot of loud muffled, far away cheers were coming from it and before she could ask, she was forced towards them. Two other guards by the door opened them and they forced her through without stopping or letting her get her bearings from it.

It was too bright. Way too bright for her eyes. She blinked and held up her hands away from the bright sun shining down on her as she was taken out of the hallways and into the light. The cheers of an on watching crowd rang her ears raw. Where was she taken? When she had blinked her shock of the light away she gaped in aw at what really was surrounding her. Oh. My. GOD!!!...It was a giant arena. She didn't know how else to call it. It was about as big as a football field and there must've been hundreds of people faintly around her cheering for entertainment as Allison was marched along by two guards as her now red eyes looked around nervously at the watching crowd and felt really, REALLY small. Especially since the guards were all easily taller than her. She was marched towards the middle of the field where about ten feet away from her was the Queen. Her hands tightened tighter around the umbrella she carried and she gulped, the food in her stomach threatening to upchuck from the stress and fear she was now feeling. The tall woman was staring at her like a hawk watches a mouse as horns did some fancy salute music which got the crowd going more.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!," a man announced from somewhere and Allison looked around her. The guards were already retreating back to the doors which left her to look onwards around her at the cheering crowd. "BY ROYAL DECREE THE TRAITOROUS HUMAN SHALL FACE THE TRIAL OF HEARTS DESIRE AGAINST HER MAJESTY!! AS PER AGREEMENT, THE HUMAN SHALL BE EXILED FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD AS PUNISHMENT FOR THE CRIMES COMITTED BY THOSE IN THE PAST!! TRIAL!!......BEGIN!!"

As if one cue Allison looked at the Queen. Those red and white eyes stared at her with barely any emotion in them. The staff in her hands twirled around for a moment before she got into an almost fighting stance as she stared at Allison. The Human girl was shaking and clutched the umbrella tighter to her chest as she stared at the Queen with a Deer in headlight look.....It was silent. TOO SILENT. Not a single cheer from the crowd or word from the woman literally a few yards away from her. Only the thumping of her heart in her ears and the heavy nearvous breaths Allison was taking. The wind blew around them making the ladies' hair swish about, as the ground slightly shook-...Wait. Why was the ground shaking? Allison slowly looked down to her legs expecting her legs to just be shaking but no. The whole ground was. Loud gasps and a few frightened yells came from the watching audience as a shadow suddenly loomed over them. Allison looked up and her jaw dropped at the absolute MASSIVE piller suddenly appearing next to the queen. Followed by more rumbling and seven more thick dirt pillars appeared on either side of her. These things were GIGANTIC!! At least two stories tall and three feet thing thick...Oh boy. What were those for?

"Your magic white rabbit-" The queen sang and Allison snapped out of her stupor and gazed at her instantly. Queen Hearts was staring at her and singing just enough for her to hear but just barely. "-has left it's writing on the wall.~ We follow like Alice ....And just keep diving down the HOLE!!"

Her arm holding the staff suddenly pointed up towards Allison and no sooner than it did than the first pillar scraped quickly right towards her. Allison stood there completely frozen as eight giant solid pillar of dirt headed right for her that probably would hurt if the did hit her...Before yelping and on instinct turning around and runninh away from it. She ran a few steps as the shadow loomed bigger above her, her adrenaline was pumping now and her panicked brain made her dive to the right. Wind and dirt whipped past her making her hair move as the thing swooped past her- Only for poor Allison to yelp again and basically run on tip toes as she jumped out of the way of another moving pillar right behind the first and start running towards the fair side of the battlefield as two more past behind her barely dodging her legs- all the while through this the Queen Kept singing and kept her staff laser pointed right on Allison. And ...Rock music was playing from somewhere in stands? What was with these people and singing all the time!?

"YOU CAN'T FIX YOUR BROKEN PROMISE!!~ OUR TIES HAVE COME UNDONE!!~ I WILL NOT BE USED TO BE BATTERED AND BRUISED!!~ THE REASON WHY I CHOOSE TO CUT MY LOSES!!~ YOUR LIES FOOL NO ONE!!~," she sang with the beauty of a swan and the feircness of a lion as she watched Allison dodge the first four but just barely. For a human she was fast on her feet. Allison's heart was pumping in her throat and against her chest as she ran- She squealed as another pillar cut her off from running right, just barely stopping before hitting it. Flawing her arms about and turning to run back where she came- Only for another one to stop her again. "YOUR MAGIC WHITE RABBIT!!~ YOUR ROOM, STRAIGHT JACKET!!~ YOUR MAGIC WHITE RABBIT HAS LEFT IT'S WRITING ON THE WALL!!~" Allison again stopped and stared behind her as another pillar made it's way towards her. She screamed and picked up her dress, running back towards the queen to escape it with a fearful expression. "WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!! WE'RE FALLING AND WE'RE LOOSING CONTROL!!~ YOU'RE PULLING US AND DRAGGING US DOWN THIS DEAD END ROAD!!~ WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!!~"

A winning smile came over her as Allison still ran away from the pillar as it rumbled after her. Eventually forcing herself to the side again and standing still as it blew past her- Only for yet ANOTHER to start going after her and she screamed again, before looking at it...and the queen....Scowling, she made her way back to running past her. The Queen's smile vanished as she did, placing a hand on her hip as she lazily watched Allison direct her path closer and closer to her until she was almost directly in front of the queen to where she could've hit her entire front.

"You know you could always give up and yeild now. It would be easier for the both of us."

Allison huffed and gritted her teeth as she ran past, knocking into her arm she was that close running past her. "I DIDNT GET THIS FAR BY QUITTING!!", she yelled as she ran past her.

The Queen rose a brow but a rumbling sound got her attention as she snapped forward and gasped at her own pillar coming towards her. SHe was barely able to step aside as it rumbled past still after Allison and the audience gasped. In the meantime, Allison had to freeze and let three more pillars pass her(two in front and one behind) before she could continue running across the field to gain distance from the thing to make a turn for herself. Two of the eight pillars crashed into each other when the Queen wasn't looking to control them. Making only six left. The queen yelled 'UGH!!' before directing her angry scowl at the girl. Allison gave her own scowl back as she ran her own way face to face with the pillar. And the Queen smirked, before pointing her staff again at her.

"YOU CAN'T OFFER YOUR POISON TO ME!!~ IN YOUR KINGDOM OF FILTH!!~ WHITE RABBIT!!~ STRAIGHT JACKET-" She stopped singing momentarily to raise a brow at Allison's head on collision, at the very last second Allison leaned on her ankle to lean her body left and 'fall' to dodge the entire pillar, her hand came down to push her body back up as she continued running at the Queen stumbling a bit, but back on track. "...YOUR MAGIC WHITE RABBIT HAS LEFT IT'S WRITING ON THE WALL!!~ WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!!~" The pillar from before changed directions and was still following fast after Allison, and by estention HER since Allison was running towards her as well. Her eyes widened at this and she pointed right towards her direction of path. "WE'RE FALLING IN AND WE'RE LOOSING CONTROL!!~" Her red hair whipped wildly around her as she sent another pillar right for Allison and smiled. There was no way Allison could get that Pillar to hit her if she countered it. "WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!!~" All the while still singing that beautiful victory song of hers.

Allison seemed to notice that too as she stared wide eyed at being wedged between two pillars headed right for her and she kept running blankly....until she dove right and the two pillars collided with each other with a crash. Crumbling to nothing but piles of dirt on the ground. The queen stood there in shock for a moment, before gritting her teeth and harshly swinging her staff up and down pointing at her again. This time two of the remaining four pillars came after her and soon Allison found herself trapped between two faster pillars circling around her like they were sharks. Spinning and spinning faster and faster and Allison looked scared. Like they would crush her any moment...The Human stopped and looked forward as a THIRD pillar was headed right for her. She was trapped between two and a third one was headed right for her and she couldn't stop it!...Allison blinked and looked back down to the umbrella she was holding...She had an idea. Oh god please let this work. She opened the umbrella and put it above her head like to keep the rain off. The third one rumbled closer and she slammed her eyes shut! A crash was heard as the third pillar smashed into one of the two pillars circling her and the other one circling her slammed into the two in it's path. Effectively destroying three pillars and sending a wave of air and dust everywhere. The queen's fiery red hair whipped around her wildly as she closed her eyes and grabbed her hat until it past...She opened one eye and then the other staring at what just happened. There was a decent pile of dirt, but no Allison. Was she buried under the dirt?

"...*GASP* LOOK UP THERE!!,'' a woman from the stands yelled and pointed up.

The queen did and stared in shock. Up there floating down slowly to the ground. Was Allison. The umbrella she had bee carrying around opened and she clung to it for dear life looking around her nervously. ....Quick thinking. The Queen gritted her teeth again and pointed at her. The last pillar rumbled forward and Allison could only watch in horror as it rumbled towards her and with a smack she collided with the top of it, she scrambled her purchase at the top of it and hung on for dear life despite having the wind knocked out of her.

"I won't be pushed aside.~ I will be heard.~ I will get what I want.~ What I deserve.~" She swung her staff left and the thing lurched left making Allison yelp and her grip slightly loosen, the queen did it again but in the other direction making her grip with her one hand further loosen as she was barely hanging onto the thing now. "I WON'T BE PUSHED AISIDE!!~ I WILL BE HEARD!!~ I WILL GET WHAT I WANT!!~ WHAT I DESERVE!!~"

She swung her staff again and this time Allison's gripped let go. She screamed as she fell all the way down and landed hard onto the ground with a thud, kicking up dirt around her. She coughed and wheezed from having the air knocked out of her twice. Groaning and rolling onto her side. Forcing her jello body to stand up and shake her head as her vision cleared and she was staring at the frowning face of the queen again as she pointed her staff at her. A familiar rumble sound was heard and Allison turned and yelped when that last pillar came after her. She frowned and began to once again run away from it.

"WE'RE FALLING AND WE'RE LOOSING CONTOL!!~ YOU'RE PULLING US AND DRAGGING US DOWN THIS DEAD END ROAD!!~ YOUR MAGIC WHITE RABBIT HAS LEFT IT'S WRITING ON THE WALL!!~ WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!!" Allison stupidly ran towards a wall and looked at it before turning around in wide eyed fear as the Queen cornered her and smiled. Pushing the pillar towards her. It was all over now. "WE'RE FALLING AND WE'RE LOOSING CONTROL!!~ YOU'RE PULLING US AND DRAGGING US DOWN THIS DEAD END ROAD!!~ ....YOUR MAGIC WHITE RABBIT HAS LEFT IT'S WRITING ON THE WALL!!~ WE FOLLOW LIKE ALICE AND JUST KEEP DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!! DIVING DOWN THE HOLE!!"

Everyone gaped in upcoming doom as the pillar would eventually crush her- Allison at the last second dove hard left and hit the ground with a thud as the thing crashed into the tall wall of the arena. The stands shook and some of the spectators gasped and screamed in fright, but everyone was ok. The pillar turned into a giant pile of dirt like the ones before it and Allison sat on her knees and elbows, breathing heavily and looking at the pile of dirt before looking at the shocked Queen...Still breathing heavily she scowled and shakily pushed herself up to her feet. Pointing her umbrella at her and challenging her future. Murmers and mumbles came from the audience and the queen hesitatntly looked around for a moment before her calm stare came back.

"Not bad," She spoke loud enough for Allison to hear her from their distance apart, "You know only a handful of people actually make it past one round with me. You're quicker than I thought."

"S-Spending...*gasp* y-years as a kid growing up running around in the w-w-woods and track helped."

"You know you can still yield now. No one would blame you if you did, and I do mean it when I say I'd hate to put you through more."

Allison's scowled further. "I-I said I d-d-didn't come this far by q-quitting! Im never going t-to give up!"

The Queen smiled. "If you insist.....TRIAL BY CLOSE COMBAT!!"

The horns sounded again and Allison looked up at the stands where the Queen shouted to. "TRIAL BY CLOSE COMBAT!!", the same man from before shouted and the crowd roared with excitement again.

Allison didn't have time to question it before something rose from the ground behind her, she gasped and spun around ready to run away from another pillar but no pillar came. Instead it was a giant piece of a stone wall and she looked confused before it began to move forward towards her and the queen. She backed away as others came forward too. She watched as they all came slowly together and boxed them in, each one giving a loud thud noise as they came together and soon they were essentially standing in a space that was as big as the bedroom she woke up in. A much smaller space than the entire field but still room enough for a close combat fight.

"Don't worry." She jumped and backed away from the queen who twirled her staff in her hands, ruby heart shining. "There's no magic in this test, just similar to a sword fight."

She pointed the staff at Allison again and the human gulped. Shakingly holding up her umbrella at her. It's ok. It's ok. Just....Remember all the times you played pirates as a kid and swordfighted with sticks with Chesire....Chesire? Some where deep down, a spark ignited in her and she gritted her teeth and her eyes narrowed. That woman hurt her only friend. She WOULDN'T GET AWAY with it!! Even if Allison was forever stuck here that Queen was gonna be taught a lesson. A silence once again was shared between the two ladies as they stared each other down, before something broke that silence. Allison couldn't see the stands from the walls, but she could hear them playing a softer music. Not rock at least. As the music played the queen still just stood there for the better half of a minute doing nothing but staring at Allison and pointing at her.

"...Hey Alli, where's your Wonderland now that you're back on earth?~" She sang at her while she began to step ever slowly to her. "How does it look now that you've left it behind across the stepping stones?~" The queen smirked and Allison had a feeling she was deliberately using the song's lyrics to taunt her. ..She had left everything behind being here didn't she? "Hey Alli, is it greener here?~ Does it feel the same?~ Can you say that you are happy to be home?~"...No.This...This wasn't her home! Allison shook her head and pointed her umbrella at the smiling queen. "The rabbit seems to call your name.~ You're late so it's time to move.~ OH Alli.~ You know your fate.~ Tick tock, no time to loose.~"

The queen stopped about half way between them still pointing her staff at Allison as the poor girl shook and darted her red eyes up and down this smiling queen as she just stood there- Before without warning she charged. Allison wasn't prepared for that and so didn't move away in time before the queen was on her. She yelled as a stinging sensation exploded from her forearm as she was whacked by the queen's staff and another when the Queen effortlessly pushed her forward and she stumbled a few feet clutching her stinging arm. Before yelping and starting to run as the Queen swung at her back still singing.

"Did the mushrooms make you grow?~ Did the flowers say hello?~ Would Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee care to sing a song for me?~ Did you like your un-birthday?~" ....She smirked as she sang the next sentence. "Did the Chesire cat smile your way?~" Allison scowled back at her as the continued to run. "Can you tell a raven from a writing disk?~ Was the Hatter's tea the best?~" The Queen stopped chasing and watched amused as Allison stared back at her and ran. "Did you do as the queen asked?~ Did you see through the looking glass?~"

There was a thud sound as Allison painfully ran into the stone walls and the audience immediately roared with laughter at the fact Allison wasn't looking where she was going. Allison hissed from the pain and stumbled back, reaching a hand to clutch at her right cheek but stopped when it stung. She had scraped her cheek from the hit, her head throbbing and her forearm too. She scowled back to the queen showing her teeth but the Queen still just stood there amused. Allison growled under her breath and charged, swinging the umbrella above her head and around wildly towards the amuzed queen but the taller woman just easily deflected the oncoming attacks.

"Hey Alli, do you want to play?~ The Queen's great-"

"Or so it's been said!," Allison retorted back as a swing to the queen's hip was deflected.

The queen scowled. "Hey Alli, can you play croquet?~"

"If I'm good then I can keep my head!~," Allison retorted back and for a moment the queen froze at what Allison just implied.

...Her mother and father. Countless victims. Their heads- A pain shot out in the Queen's middle as she stumbled back one arm going to her stomach as her own wind was knocked outta her. Allison had used that moment to take advantage and aimed a good hit to her middle. The audience gasped again and Allison charged aiming for her shoulder- Which was deflected again when her staff swung up knocking Allison a few feet away skidding across the dirt, getting herself more dirty and the Queen slowly stood back up and looked at her.

"Did the mushrooms make you grow?~" She lightly stomped with every step and Allison scrambled back on the ground. As she got closer. Forgetting her umbrella in her scramble. "Did flowers say hello?~ Would Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dee care to sing a song for me?~ Did you like your un-birthday?~....Did the Chesire cat smile your way?~" Again Allison paused..before her red eyes glanced to the umbrella. "Can you tell a raven from a writing disk?~ Was the Hatter's tea the best?~" She stopped her shadow looming over her, and she raised her staff up. "Did you do as the queen asked?~ Did you see through the looking glass?~"

She slammed her arms down and the staff and Allison dove under her, between her legs, and frantically crawled towards her umbrella. The Queen looked behind her as Allison frantically grabbed the umbrella and pointed it at the queen shaking to her feet.

"...Hey Alli, are you here or there or somewhere in-between?~" The queen slowly turned around to face her. "Hey Alli, would you ever dare to go back through where you came?~"

"Yes! I would!"

Another silence as the stared at each other, before the queen walked towards the scowling girl again. "HEY ALLI!!~ TIME IS RUNNING SHORT!!~," She sang louder, "THIS CAN'T TAKE TOO LONG!!~ MAKE A CHOICE NOW!!~ ON WHICH SIDE OF THE DOOR DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU BELONG?!~" Was that the Queen giving her another chance to give up? Allison scowled and braced for impact. "THE RABBIT SEEMS TO CALL YOUR NAME!!~ YOU'RE LATE SO IT'S TIME TO MOVE!!~ OH, ALLI!!~ YOU KNOW IT'S YOUR FATE!!~ TICK TOCK, NO TIME TO LOSE!!~" She ran forward again and Allison came up to block it only for her leg to come up and kick her. Allison wheezed and fell to the ground from the very powerful kick...but there was no time to lose as she rolled and scrambled away on the ground as the queen stomped on the ground barely missing her each time. "DID THE MUSHROOMS MAKE YOU GROW?~ DID THE FLOWERS SAY HELLO?~ WOULD TWEEDLE-DUM AND TWEEDLE-DEE CARE TO SING A SONG FOR ME?~ DID YOU LIKE YOUR UN-BIRTHDAY?~ DID THE CHESIRE CAT SMILE YOUR WAY?~" Another scowl from the scrambling dirty girl. "CAN YOU TELL A RAVEN FROM A WRITING DISK?~ WAS THE HATTER'S TEA THE BEST?~ DID YOU DO AS THE QUEEN ASKED?~ DID YOU SEE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS?~" Allison kept backing up until her back hit the wall and she yelled out in slight pain when one of the Queen's feet was slammed against her shoulder, pinning her and trapping her against the wall. Allison struggled but she couldn't move her arm and the taller woman was too heavy for her to push off her. "The rabbit seems to call your name.~ You're late so it's time to move.~ Oh Alli, you know it's your fate.~ Tick tock, no time to lose.~"

The music faded away and Allison continued to struggle underneath her weight as the Queen calmly watched her struggle under her. Rolling her eyes just as Allison got an idea. She stopped struggling and scowled up at her capturer, breathing heavily as the Queen rose a brow. Unknowst to her highness Allison shifted her pinned arm painfully and currently slipping the umbrella into her free hand as she was doing so.

"Do you yield now?"

"...L-Let me ask you a question. H-Have you ever heard of a surprise attack!?"

The queen never got a chance to answer before something hit the side of her head. She had leaned down to talk to Allison which put her in the perfect position of Allison's umbrella. It hit her with a thud and with all her strength, Allison pushed against the side of the Queen's leg as she clutched her head which sent the monarch to the ground with a thud. But Allison wasn't done, she spotted the scepter the queen used by her and grabbed it. Her arm still hurt like crazy but she just gritted her teeth and yanked it away from the Queen. Scrambling to her feet and staring down at the taller woman. The queen of hearts looked back up to her and seemed to pause as Allison pointed her umbrella at her and hold her scepter in her other hand.

"S-See?! I got your magic wand! YOU LOSE!! Now l-let me go!"

The queen ever calm just looked at her before she chuckled and got to her feet. Straightening herself and looking down at Allison. "I won't lie. That was an impressive move, I didn't see it coming. But Im afraid you're mistaken. You see, the scepter isn't magic at all." The Queen snapped her fingers and effortlessly the scepter was yanked by Allison and went flying into the Queen's hand. "I AM MAGIC. The scepter is just for show silly girl. If my magic was just contained in my scepter, I would've been defeated long ago."

Allison could only stare wide eyed in shock and continue to breath heavily as she stared at this taller woman in shock, even when the walls fell away behind them exposing them back to the rest of the arena and Allison closed her eyes and threw her hands over her head to shield her face from the flying dust. But froze when she felt the queen press the edge of the staff to her head.

"Sworros nwo reh emoc revo nac ehs sselnu esaeler tnod dna tsaf dloh. Dloh rouy ni lrig siht parw worros fo sniahc.", the queen spoke in some kind of foreign gibberish language and Allison was so confused.

Until somethig clamped around her neck and she yelped. Hands reaching up to grab at her throat but soon her wrists were clamped around too and pulled down. She yelled as she was forced to her knees and dropped the umbrella. Looking down to her hands Allison froze....There was-....Magical handcuffs on her wrists. The chains were blue and see through, obviously made out of some kind of magic and a sudden feeling of panic and sorrow overwhelmed her, she struggled and tried to rip the chains clamped around her off.

"You got something useless! Of course you did!!" Allison stopped at the voice and looked up. And her jaw dropped in shock at the scene playing out before her. It was....Her. LITTLE HER. Standing there crying with red cheeks while her aunt looked down at her furious. "I asked you get something for grandmother while you were out with Robert and he got her a book. She can read a book! Over and over again if needed. What is she supposed to do with a doll? You wasted my money on a child's toy!"

....NO! She NEVER wasted that money. Cinderella was her granny's favorite fairytale. She would've loved having something like that, she just knew it.

"Auntie? Can I have a puppy too?"

Allsion looked back to litte her and her aunt giving her a bored look as her two cousins played with their two new pups that rolled around innocent as can be. And scoffed at her. "Well, maybe if you were more responsible and got your grades up like a good girl, you'd be getting one." Making little Allison cry again.

Shaking with tears now in her eyes, she looked back up to the queen who was giving her a sorry look and Allison hiccuped. "W-What did you do?"

"A spell. The Chains of Sorrow. But the spell only works if you say it backwards. 'Chains of sorrow wrap this girl in your hold. Hold fast and don't release unless she can over come her own sorrows.'" She shrugged. "It's my last and final test that no one has ever defeated, it shows the person chained in them their deepest sorrows over and over until I remove them or they overcome them, which never happened.....I actually only used this one other time ever but you can still yield and I'll remove them."

Allison could only blink at her as she watched more and more scenes came to her. There was a scene of the little girl with strawberry blonde hair falling into a lake and ruining her new dress, her aunt yelling at her for ruining it and her cousins making fun of her. A scene of her class snickering as her fourth grade science teacher scolded her for doodling in her notebook. Another one of her loosing her favorite ball because her cousin kicked it over the fence where the neighbor's dog chewed it up. Another one when she was slightler older. She just got dumped by her boyfriend. ANother one when she was older, she was forced to attend summer school to make up for lost grades. Another even older Allison getting rejected by the colleges she sent an appilication to. Her aunt telling her she had to move out of her house and handing her a bag of her things. A twenty year old her staying up all night looking through all the overdue bills and college textbooks she had to pay. The day she found the eviction notice on her door....The day her granny died. She couldn't stop. Too horrified to look away. The day of the funeral. It was raining, she was staring at the gravestone- Allison slammed her eyes shut and bowed her head down as the voices of her various memories continued to play around her.

"You know I can't see anything you are. Only you can choose to end this, just give up. After all, it seems you could take a lot, but Im not sure."

.....It seemed everyone said that. Expected big things of her and at the same time expected her to give up. So many expectations. So many failures. She couldn't do anything. Couldn't get graduate from college. Couldn't hold a job. Couldn't get a home on her own. Heck. Even Chesire saw how useless she was and cleaned and fed her like a poor person. And then she got herself thrown into this whole new world without even trying not too. Running around like a labrat in a maze trying to get home, and Chesire spent all that energy getting here. Then she got herself kidnapped and got Chesire hurt. Because they were after HER. ...Because of what?! Because she was only human and past humans stole history from them!?....Human....That's right...She was only human. She still didn't look up but her gritted teeth untensed.

".....I-I...can hold my breath," her voice cracked under pressure as she forced the words out. The Queen's smile disappearing and staring at her. "I c-can bite my tongue. I can stay awake for days I-if that's what you want." She was saying all this barely over a whisper. The Queen right in front of her could barely even hear her. "Be y-y-your number one. ....*hic* I c-can force a smile. I c-can force a laugh." Allison was...singing. All be it very quietly and broken but sorrowfully none the less. "I c-can dance and play the p-part *hic* if that's what you ask. Give you all I can....I can do it...*hic* I can do it. I-I c-c-can do it. B-but Im only human...A-And I bleed when I fall d-d-down." She was still barely audable with only the shocked Queen staring down at her as she softly sang. "I-I'm only human a-and I crash *hic* and I break down. Your words in my head. Knives in my heart. Y-You build me up then I fall apart cause I'm only humaaaaa-ha-haaaaan."

Those red eyes opened and shakingly her head looked up at the Queen. Red faced, frowning, shaking, crying, and half her hair covering that sorrowful face to match the voice that was singing.

"I-I c-c-can turn it on!~", she hiccuped and forced out, "Be a good machine!~ I-I can hold the weight of worlds, if that's w-w-what *hic* you need.~ B-Be your everything.~....." Her eyes narrowed seeing another memory behind the Queen of another younger her, and a bully taking her notebook showing off the doodles she did of her crush to the class. And her teeth gritted into an almost snarl. "...I can do it!~" She sang louder now being heard by more people. "I can do it!~ I'll get through it!~ BUT I'M ONLY HUMAN!!!~ AND I BLEED WHEN I FALL DOWN!!~ I'M ONLY HUMAN!!~ AND I CRASH AND I BREAK DOWN!!~" She opened those angry red eyes and stared directly at the Queen as she spoke the next verse. "YOUR WORDS IN MY HEAD!!~ KNIVES IN MY HEART!!~ YOU BUILD ME UP AND I FALL APART CAUSE I'M ONLY HUMAAAAAAAANN!!!~" She stopped for a moment letting her shaking body and heave and she stared her gaze up at the shocked monarch of Wonderland. "YOU ARE UNFAIR AND EVEN IF YOU DO WHAT YOU DO FOR GOOD REASONS IT STILL HURTS PEOPLE!! YOU STILL PEOPLE THROUGH UNNEEDED STRESS AND PAIN!! IF YOU REALLY SEE YOUSELF AS THE FAIR RULER YOU WANT TO PROVE TO BE, THEN STOP THIS NOW!!"

She shrieked up at the Queen as she just stood there, just staring and breathing heavily at the smaller human who called her out in front of everyone in the crowd. Everyone silent and even the members of the band playing turning to look at her. The small human daring to stand up to the terrorfying queen of hearts that nobody ever questioned.

"....I-....I can't-"

Allison narrowed her eyes and growled giving her an actual snarl this time with her eyes. Her eyes seeming to almost glow in frustration. "...I'M ONLY HUMAN!! I'M ONLY HUMAN!! JUST A LITTLE HUMMMMAAAAAAAAAANNNN!!!~" Her head leaned back as she yelled the last verses. Everyone still remaining silent as Allison stared angrily at her. "....I can take so much til I've had enough." She couldn't tell if Allison was singing that or telling her how she felt, or both. "CAUSE I'M ONLY HUMAAAAANN!!~ AND I BLEED WHEN I FALL DOWN!!~ I'M ONLY HUMAN!!~ AND I CRASH AND I BREAK DOWN!!~ YOUR WORDS IN MY HEAD!!~ KNIVES IN MY HEART!!~ YOU BUILD ME UP AND THEN I FALL APART!!~ CAUSE I'M ONLY HUMMMMAAAAAAAANNN!!!~"

Allison's voice echoed throughout the whole quiet place and she heaved, staring down this queen challengingly. Daring her to say anything against what she had just voiced. But no words came out of the Queen's mouth as she just stared down at Allison like she was death herself. And Allison continued to cry. She was feeling really bad seeing all her past mistakes coming to face her head on like this but to heck with it. She had enough of this and if it meant facing every single one of them then so be it!! She had enough of getting the short end of the stick. The chains, though just magic, still rattled as she moved and she hissed with the pain her body had.

"You THINK what you're doing is the best you can do! But the truth you refuse to face is that it's doing more harm than g-good. Even if it's for a good purpose, you're going about this the wrong way!" She locked eyes with her. "Y-You used these chains.....Why?"

".....Y-You would've possibly beaten me if I didn't-"

"WHY?!" Allison demanded, "Why is beating me so important?! To punish me for something I DIDN'T even know happened?! I only want to go home and if you really wanted me to go away sending me back would've been the easiest way out for both of us instead of this happening! Are you that insecure you have to prove to everyone that I'm already no match for you?!"

Allison stopped. Looking to the right where no one could see it but her....But her present self was sitting there. Looking tired and exhausted, and staring up at the memory of a happy bouncing blue cat making her smile. Before a bowling pin hit the cat at incredible speed and the small blue cat landed a few feet away from past her. ..Her red eyes widened seeing the four men knock her out and the biggest pick her up off the tent floor as her friend laid unconscious on the ground- Her anger deep down flared up again and this time worse than ever, enough to make her tremble and her red eyes to glow with anger...Literally! Her red eyes shown a brighter red all of a sudden and the Queen actually backed away a few steps from those angry tears. ....Music suddenly started to play. The band people yelped and stepped away from the intruments that began to play as Allison shakingly stood on wobbling legs, refusing to loos eye contact. She WAS NOT weak! It wasn't HER fault her aunt and cousins were terrible! It wasn't her fault she couldn't keep her job or apartment! It wasn't her fault she couldn't go to college!! And is certainly wasn't her fault she accidentally fell through a mirror and crashlanded here! And it wasn't her fault Chesire got hurt!! It was HER men that did that and kidnapped her!! The queen felt something bubble up from her gut she hadn't felt since she was a little girl....Fear. And it showed on her face when facing this Human's red eyes. How was music playing if no band members were playing it?!

"Trippin' out.~ Spinning around.~ I'm underground.~ I fell down.~ Yeah, I fell dooo-o-own.~", Allison sang. Despite still crying hard, she had anything but a sad face. Her face was red with anger and determination and her voice held a fiery passion as she stared down this Queen. "I'm freaking out!~ Where am I now?~ Upside down and I can't stop it now!~ CAN'T STOP ME NOOOO-Ooo-OOOOOWWW!!~ OOOOOHHHHH!!!" She stopped her trembling and flipped her hair out of her face to look around better. "IIIIIIII!!~ I'LL GET BYYYY!!~ IIIIII!!~ I'LL SURVIIIIIVE!!~ WHEN THE WORLD'S CRASHING DOWN!!~ WHEN I FALL AND HIT THE GROUND!!~ I WILL TURN MYSELF AROUND!!~ DON'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME!!~ IIIIIIIII!!~ I WON'T CRYYYYY!!~"

Allison eyed her up and down as the haunted intruments continued to play and began to stomp her way towards this Queen. The chain fading in and out for just a few moments, making the Queen gulp and start to take steps back. Allison ignored the crying of past hers in memories still showing beside her as she marched on. Eyes only focusing on the frightened Queen.

"I'll play the game but I can't stay!!~ I've got my head on straight and I'm not gonna change!!~ I'M NOT GONNA CHANGE!!~ I'LL WIN THE RACE!!~ KEEP UP WITH THE PACE!!~ TODAY IS THE DAY THAT I START TO PRAY!!~ YOU CAN'T GET IN MY WAAAAAYYY!!~ NNNNOOOOO!!~ IIIIIIII!!~ I'LL GET BYYY!!~ IIIII!!~ I'LL SURVIIIVE!!~ WHEN THE WORLD'S CRASHING DOWN!!~ WHEN I FALL AND HIT THE GROUND!!~ I WILL TURN MYSELF AROUND!!~ DON'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME!!~ IIIII!!~ I WON'T CRY!!~"

The Queen tripped and landed on her bottom and if the audience and her weren't so shocked at what was happening, she would've gotten mad at their assumed laughter. But instead found herself scooting back and away from Allison just like she had before her and Allison only continued marching hard and determined never taking those red eyes off her. Almost as if the Queen couldn't look away. Allison barely registered the chains loosening and fading in and out more now. Her hands balled into fists so hard her knuckles turned white at the sensation.

"I found myself in Wonderland.~ Get back on my feet again.~ Is this real?~ Is this pretend?~ I'll take a stand until the EEEENNNNDDDD!~ ....IIIIII!!~ I'LL GET BYYY!!~ IIIIII!!~ I'LL SURVIIIIIVE!!~ WHEN THE WORLD'S CRASHING DOWN!!~ WHEN I FALL AND HIT THE GROUND!!~ I WILL TURN MYSELF AROUND!!~ DON'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME!!~ IIIII!!~ I WON'T CRY!!".....Allison stopped and watched as Velveteen continued to scramble away from her as if she was death herself. ".IIIIII!!~ I'LL GET BYYY!!~ IIIIII!!~ I'LL SURVIIIIIVE!!~ WHEN THE WORLD'S CRASHING DOWN!!~ WHEN I FALL AND HIT THE GROUND!!~ I WILL TURN MYSELF AROUND!!~ DON'T YOU TRY TO STOP ME!!~ IIIII!!~......And I won't cryyy.~"

The music continued for a little longer as Allison seemed to deflate a little and the intruments crashed down the floor and chairs of the band stand and the band memebers looked at one another and back to their un-posessed intruments now. Allison heaved as she still stared dow at the Queen who was also heavy. Their hearts hammered heavily in their chest. The Queen's from fear. Allison's from hard work and running around a lot but as tired and sore as she was, she was still standing. A crackling noise suddenly sounded out as cracks formed across the magic clamps and chains on Allison but she didn't look at them. Just the Queen, she didn't even notice. Her eye contact with the Queen never giving up.

"No matter how hard you push! No matter what's true about me, I will never STOP fighting for what I love! I LOVE art! And will never give that up!" The Queen looked confused by what she meant by that but didn't try to question her. "And you made a mistake. You hurt my friend and I care about him!! AND NOTHING WAS MY FAULT!! I AM NOT WEAK!! I DID ALL THIS BY MYSELF AND I COULDN'T BE MORE PROUDER THAN I AM RIGHT NOW!!" More cracks and fading. "We all make mistakes. My mistake was taking myself forgranted all this time and thinking it was all my fault. Your mistake was not thinking about how your actions affect others...And Chesire...He m-made his own mistakes that Im definitely going to ask him about. But right now. As of today. YOU STOP!! You lost! And you can't make anyone else suffer....Which is why I'm going to do something no one has probably done before."

"...W-What are you going to do?"

"Forgive you."

There was a pause as the Queen's mind completely went blank as she stared at Allison. The dirty, sore n tired, scratched up human stared back at her with a sorry face. ".....What?"

....Allison smiled despite the pain from her scraped cheek. "I said I forgive you. For everything that happened."

".....But why? I hurt you. I-I wasn't going to let you go home."

Allison shrugged. "You were only doing what you thought was best for everyone. You grew up under pretty strict situations, I know how growing up with high expectations feels. And...You didn't really mean any harm. You never actually hurt anyone, and I-....I feel like you're telling the truth." She smiled wider anger completely gone from those shining beautiful red eyes. "No one should judge you for your parents mistakes. I forgive you....Will you accept my forgiveness?"

She still stared at Allison and looked down....All her mistakes. All her progress was....WRONG!! SO WRONG!! She was doing this all wrong but-....What should she do now? Everyone was watching her. Not sure if anyone could hear her other than Allison but...She looked back to the human. ".....I d-do."

There was silence as they still stared at each other and Allison finally looked down at the chains than were completely covered in cracks. They broke with a glass sound and faded into thin air, any memories disappearing behind her and she smiled. Flexing her hands out and smiling wider at her freedom fromher prison but gasped as a shadow fell over them and the sound of someone clapping entered their ears. The Queen looked up from her spot on the ground and also froze as the sweet scent filled their noses.

"Fortune?"

There, to everyone's disbeleif, was the Forune Teller. The giant mothman chuckled pink smoke swirling around him as his first pair of hands held his smoke device, while the other pair was clapping as he smiled down at his beloved. "Greetings, Veleteen. And you too Miss Allison. I must say the show you put on tonight was in my opinion the best you could've given.~ You learnt what you needed too finally."

Velveteen immediately scrambled to her feet and brushed herself off and straightening herself out. A red blush rushing to her cheeks as he chuckled. "How long were you-....W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"I arrived a few minutes before your two's battle began. And I came out of curiousity to see how it would end...And another reason." ...He suddenly reached over to suck on the small smoke machine's pipe before exhaling the sweet smelling pink smoke with a frown. "My crystal ball told me you would be in danger but it didn't say what. I thought it'd be best to come and investigate myself."

Both women looked confused. "Danger? Why would I be in danger? The fight is over now."

BAM!!

The ground shook from under them as the audience screamed and gasped from the earthquake that shook everything. Velveteen was grabbed by the Fortune Teller who steadied her and Allison wobbled and fell onto her bum. The doors from where Allison had first entered through was literally blown off their hendges and sprawled across the arena. Two guards laid there too. Groaning much to everyone's relief. Thank goodness they were ok. But they stared at the smoke pouring out the door and a small shadow was starting to walking it's way through.

"I do beleive we're about to find out."

[ericsonclan]

Chore Time

Summary: Clementine and Violet adjust to life at Ericson with their injuries. 

Read on A03: 

“Just kill me now,” Violet groaned as she continued scrubbing the dirt off the Jerusalem artichokes in preparation for dinner.

This was the fifth night in a row that she and Clementine had been assigned to food prep, likely because it was the only thing they were capable of given their injuries. It wasn’t like keeping watch or going hunting would be on the table anytime soon. So instead they sat around day in and day out washing clothes, sewing up holes or preparing ingredients for meals. Needless to say, both girls were already sick of the work.

“It could be worse,” Clementine mused, cutting through the skin on a freshly caught rabbit. “We could still have Omar looking over our shoulders every other second,”

Violet sighed. “You got me there. At least we’ve graduated beyond only having dish duty. Wish I could hold the knife though,”

“You’ll get there eventually. Your eyesight’s improving every day,”

Violet scoffed. “Yeah, keep telling me that. Let’s face it: this is as good as it’s going to get,” She did a circular motion around her face before throwing another tuber onto the pile.

“Got another rabbit to peel,” Clementine offered. She held the beheaded carcass up by its legs. Violet leaned forward, grabbing the skin on either side and beginning to pull back. They rocked back and forth slightly as they removed the skin from the flesh, Clementine holding fast to the legs as Violet tugged steadily on the fur. Eventually the skin came off with a final schlorp. “Thanks,” Clem said, laying the carcass back down on the board to butcher.

They could hear A.J. laughing from somewhere else in the yard. Louis was with him right now. Clem smiled. Louis was probably telling another one of his crazy stories about hunting mountain lions or wrestling barracudas to A.J. It was good to see the two of them getting along so well. She was still getting used to having others around that could watch out for A.J., but she had to admit it was sort of nice to have some time without him underfoot.

Violet squinted as she looked over toward the admin building. “Is that Aasim over there?”

Clementine turned to look. “Yup. Writing as always,”

“God, I wonder what he comes up with to write every day. ‘Dear Diary, today we caught three rabbits instead of two. One of the fish traps broke. What an amazing day!’”

Clementine chuckled. “It’s a journal, remember? Not a diary,” Aasim and Louis had gotten into a fight just two nights ago on that very topic.

Violet rolled her eyes. “Oh, of course! My bad. Honestly though, most of his entries are probably just complaints about Louis. Hunting with him every day must be driving Aasim insane,”

“You mean to tell me Louis is not Aasim’s first choice of a hunting partner?” Clementine asked, her brows wiggling playfully.

Violet snorted. “Marlon sure paired them up enough for all Aasim’s complaining,” Her expression grew sad as she looked down at her hands resting in the dirty water. “Sometimes he’d tag along to keep the peace between those two. Mitch and Brody also took a lot of hunting shifts,”

Clementine’s eyes dropped too. To think she’d only known Marlon, Brody, Mitch, and Tenn for a few days and then they were gone… the marks they’d left in her memory felt so much stronger than that. Perhaps because of their importance in the remaining kids’ lives. Even though they were gone, their presence was felt everywhere around the school. In the test beakers still sitting in the greenhouse lab, the lull of the river – the closest Brody ever got to the ocean - the nameplate in the headmaster’s office that Marlon had made for himself, Tenn’s drawing he’d gifted to Clem and A.J. on one of their first nights at Ericson. Clementine missed each of them in their own way, but for Violet the pain must be so much deeper. To lose those she’d survived alongside for eight years… Clementine didn’t have anyone who’d stuck by her side that long, not even A.J. There was no way to address the pain of such loss in any way that could help, so instead she sat with Violet in silence and stillness, dwelling in the grief of all that had come to pass.

“Well, you two sure don’t look happy,” They were shaken from their thoughts by Louis’ voice as he made his way over to them. He grinned at the two girls, standing in front of the table with his hands proudly tugging his lapels. “I see you’re butchering my rabbit there. Impressive, isn’t he? The biggest one we’ve caught all season!”

“Is that why you’re over here, Louis?” Violet glared at him. “To boast about your hunting while we’ve been stuck on our asses all day?”

“Actually, your asses are exactly why I’m over here,” Louis quickly raised a finger. “And before you say anything, yes, I just realized how bad that sounds. What I was thinking was that a brisk walk about the courtyard might be exactly what both of you need to turn those frowns upside down!”

“Ok then,” Clementine said with a casual shrug. “I only have my crutches outside right now…”

“A.J. ran inside to grab your prosthetic. We’ll be off on our stroll momentarily!”

“I’m out,” Violet declared.

“Participation is mandatory,”

Violet grumbled incoherently but stayed put.

---

It certainly took longer than momentarily for the prosthetic to be retrieved, attached, and for both girls to maneuver safely into position, each taking one of Louis’ arms. Eventually they were off though, traveling round the yard at what Louis described as a “leisurely” pace as Clementine struggled with each and every step she took. The prosthetic had been improved with each iteration Willy put forth over these last few months, but she was still figuring out how to balance properly on it without each forward motion throwing off her center of balance. Her friends were patient with her though, neither seeming put off at all by the agonizing crawl that was their speed.

“What a perfect evening,” Louis said with a grin. “The warm breeze wafting through the trees as I take a stroll with my two best girls,”

Violet snorted. “Lou, if you ever refer to me as ‘your girl’ again, I will sneak into your room in the middle of the night and strangle you in your sleep,”

“Noted. So, Clem, anything exciting happen today?”

“Actually, yes. James dropped by,”

“Really? In his full getup and everything?”

“He took the mask off before coming inside. He wanted to let us know that he’s planning on filling up the barn again. He also said he’d drop off the salt lick soon. Apparently A.J. mentioned it to Omar and Omar got the message out to James that he wanted it if James didn’t need it. Omar says it’ll be a game-changer when it comes to food,”

“Well, I certainly have no reason to doubt the words of our all-knowing chef. You excited for a change in food, Vi?”

“It’ll still be stew every night, just like it’s always been. I can’t imagine a salt block will make that much of a difference,”

Louis shrugged. “Time will tell, I suppose. Clem, how you holding up? Need to take a rest?”

“No, I can go a few more minutes,” Clementine tried to mask the hitch in her breathing as Louis eyed her worriedly. “I want to increase my endurance,”

“Alright, but if I see you slipping, I’m carrying you princess style the rest of the night and there’s nothing you can do about it,”

“Fine, it’s a deal,”

They continued their path around the yard, pausing by the greenhouse to greet Ruby as she came through with an armful of fresh herbs. A.J. ran over too, insisting that he should help Clem too. She placed her free hand on his shoulder, leaning on it ever so slightly as they circled back toward the picnic benches. Violet was steady for the most part, the occasional slipup coming from the rough terrain underfoot. But for the most part Louis kept his eye out for potential pitfalls, gently guiding her out of the way, chatting all the while to distract both girls from the toll the stroll took on their bodies.

Finally they made it all the way around the yard. Clementine and Violet sat down with appreciative groans, Louis and A.J. grabbing their bowls to fill up before they got their own food. Clementine looked over at Violet. The peevish frown that had stayed on her face all throughout dinner prep was gone, replaced by a small, contented smile. It always warmed Clem’s heart when she caught Violet smiling. “Good day after all?” she asked good-naturedly.

Violet seemed surprised at the question for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. Good day,”

[kyloswarstars]

Eric Coulter, you’re a bastard • part 1 – “the start of the end?” Divergent • Mini-Series AU

How do you say sorry when you have fucked up basically everything? Eric isn’t sure. He doesn’t know if he’ll be able to ever earn your forgiveness. On the other hand: why should you forgive him? He had made the mistake of his life.

A story about Professor Eric Coulter, Harold the chimpanzee, midnight coffees and fries in the auditorium. You and Eric, Ms. Giraffe and Mr. FBI, trying to conquer life together until Eric did what he thought would be the best for you.

Pairing • Eric x Reader

Warnings • language

Words • 1.8k

Eric Coulter, you’re a bastard • masterlist

/////

Eric Coulter, you’re a bastard

Your words burned into his retina. Eric still saw them when he closed his eyes. The phone screen was way too bright for his dark bedroom.

He didn’t know what to respond. He was a bastard. And all the other words you had described him with. His thumb hovered above the ‚S‘ to start off with a ‚sorry‘. When he saw the three dots, that implied you were typing, he stopped and didn’t say sorry.

Fucking stay away from me

He had fucked up. Eric shut his eyes but still saw your words. In the past there had been a lot of fighting and a lot of curse words because that was just how your relationship had worked – even though a relationship therapist may would have said that it wasn’t the healthiest way to interact with each other.

This was different though. This was the pain speaking he had caused. The burning brightness in his eyes got too much. He teared up although he tried so hard not too. Eric almost threw the phone across the room so he didn’t have to see your bright words anymore but then saw the three dots again.

And this time I mean forEVER

////////// 2 years ago //////////

„And here is the house where Mrs. Smith killed Mr. Smith because he had mowed the lawn the wrong direction.“

It’s been only the second night in the new city and Eric already went to a frat party. He shouldn’t be in this car. In his position he shouldn’t become friends with students. He should befriend professors. He should spend his free time at fancy dinner parties, in a suit – or at least a jacket – and a tie. An appletini in one hand and a cigar or some shit in the other. He didn’t really know how those dinner parties really were. Eric had never accepted a single invitation.

It was hard for him to keep a straight face while teaching college students that were only a few years younger than him. His career had started early due to his father who had ‚supported him all the time and just wanted the best for his son‘. Sometimes Eric was still angry that his father had pushed him into this path so early. But he had learned to accept it. After all, teaching was something he enjoyed. He never thought he would, but he did. And he really liked to be that approachable, cool dude of a professor his students weren’t afraid to talk to. 

He had been so good with declining invitations – he shouldn’t have taken the one to this frat party of his new students. It had led him to sitting in the car of a pizza boy, who’s name was Rafael. He had delivered about twenty pizzas earlier. It turned out Rafael had been the cousin of Carlo, one of Eric’s students, who had the really great idea to drive to that 24 hours opened pet store and cuddle with rabbits. On the way there they gave Eric a sightseeing tour with the weirdest facts about Chicago.

They were driving slowly through a quiet residential neighborhood that didn’t belong to the campus. The car was slow enough that, when a figure appeared right in front of it, it came to an instant stop.

An extremely upset face was illuminated by the headlights. Suddenly you banged your fist on the hood. And a second time with both of your hands formed to fists. 

„Get out there!“ Your voice was clear and sharp. The yelling in this quiet street would probably get the attention of some already sleeping parents.

„Oh damn.“ Rafael in the driver seat wiped his forehead.

„Rafael I said get out!“ You seemed to know exactly who had nearly run you over.

Rafael unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, slowly got out but didn’t go to you. He waited right behind his door. „Get in the car and let us talk later. Not here.“

„Do you think I care about who’s going to hear us?“ You seemed a bit insane. But maybe you were just furious because you nearly got killed. Maybe the beer had fogged Eric’s head. Under normal circumstances he would’ve never gotten between a woman as furious as you and a guy as intimidated as him. At least not before someone threw punches. But in his slightly drunk state he thought it was a good idea to get out of the car as well and be a mediator.

Before he was even able to say something, your fierce glance switched to him. „What are you looking at me?“

Eric’s hands got up like you pointed a gun at him. „I’m not looking at all.“

„Of course you are!“ You blinked at the headlights and studied him like a hunter it’s prey. Yes, he was looking at you. Your livid facial features amazed Eric’s cloudy mind. „Who are you even?“ You didn’t care about his answer though and walked over to Rafael.

„I’ve been searching for you for about an hour. Your shift ended at 9 and you said you’d be there to help me!“

Rafael’s head hung low. Getting scolded by a furious woman like you was probably not a nice thing to experience. „I forgot. Sorry.“

„Yeah, clearly you forgot.“ You opened the door behind Rafael’s and ordered the guys on the backseats to make room – they instantly obeyed. Eric felt like they all knew you too well to disobey your order. „Can you drive now? I have to get back our chimpanzee.“

Eric didn’t stay longer than ten minutes in that car. After Rafael almost run you – his twin sister – over, you had given four more orders.

1: „Rafael, turn on the heating, I’m freezing from walking over an hour through the cold to search your ass“ 2: „Ew Carlo, take your hands off of me. I’m your cousin“ 3: „Since you’re all here, you’re going to help me get Harold back from those fanatics who think they can care better for him“

Eric guessed that ‚Harold‘ must be the chimpanzee you had talked about getting back.

4: „And please throw this weirdo, who keeps staring at me, out of the car“

He should be glad he got thrown out before he got pulled into something that ended in breaking the law. Since this was only his second night in Chicago he didn’t have a clue where he was. It was hard to find a taxi so he ordered an Uber which was there to get him in under five minutes.

Back in his apartment, which was still incredibly chaotic because unpacking wasn’t one of his strengths, he just tried to forget one of the weirdest evenings of his life by falling asleep on his mattress.

/////

When his alarm woke him up the next morning, he was still not used to his mattress laying on the floor. Eric didn’t know where his bed frame was and didn’t feel the urge to search for it. Not yet. Unpacking was a process. It could take weeks. And rushing himself was a thing he consequently protested because it had a negative impact on his wellbeing. In simple words: He was lazy.

And because of that, the coffee machine was right beside the mattress. Still half laying, he pressed the button to get a fresh coffee. Thirty seconds later he grabbed the cup and sat up, resting his back on the cold wall behind him.

Today was his second day teaching at the new college. He wasn’t ready. Not after ending the first day with this crazy car ride.

And as if the universe had known his thoughts, he froze in his movements when he entered the auditorium and studied the college students. You were sitting there. In the auditorium. In his auditorium. You were… his student.

////////// current day //////////

The phone screen made a cracking sound when it came in contact with the floor.

Fuck. He couldn’t leave your texts unanswered.

Eric got out of the bed, hurried to get dressed, ran to get his keys and then left the apartment. Maybe he woke up the whole street with the rapid start of his bike and rushing down the street, but he couldn’t care less.

He always hated that you were living so far out of the city. You were still living with your family – for obvious reasons and he couldn’t blame you. Tonight though, he really wished you would’ve agreed to move in with him. But you had turned that down like so many other ideas he had offered to build a future together.

There were no lights in the windows of your house. He couldn’t just creep around the house and hope for an opened window. Eric pulled out his phone with the cracked screen and opened the conversation. It was horrible to see your words screaming at him like that.

„I told you to leave me alone. Once and for all.“ Honestly, he didn’t think you would even answer the call, but you did, whispering like you weren’t mad at all. That was a bad sign. „Was this your bike’s engine being cut off?“

How should he start talking? What should he say? Which one of the thousand sorry’s should he offer first? How should he start to explain why he did what he did?

„Eric, what are you doing in our front yard?“

He could see the shape of a person in the window of your father’s room. You were staring at him. Your fast breathing echoed in his ear. There was no way you would forgive him. The realization that your relationship was unrepairable broken nearly drove him insane. How should he breath and eat and sleep and just be when you weren’t part of his life anymore?

„Scolding myself for telling them it was you who had kidnapped Harold after they finally stopped searching for him.“

Falling for you had been the easiest thing Eric had ever done. Before he knew you he thought body functions, that happened automatically, were the easiest things to do because you didn’t have a choice – you just breathed. It was the same with you, though. He just fell for you. And that, he did every single day for two years now. He didn’t know if he could ever stop.

You didn’t answer but he could still hear you breathing into the phone. He could still see you standing there at the window. Had you been watching over your father again while he was sleeping? Had you been reading him Pippi Longstocking again like he had done it when you were little – even though he probably didn’t hear you? Why did you not just hang up? Why did you wait?

„Why?“ Your stifled question broke his heart. He tried not to picture your face right now – this situation was already unbearable.

„Because I love you.“

[drowning-in-dennor]

Answers

The gang's all here to answer your burning questions! Whether it’s the Oxenstiernas or the Wangs, or your favourite couples, they’re ready to face whatever inquiries you might have! [Written to celebrate two hundred and fifty followers.]

Question One: Literally anything about Bogden please uwu

Bogden: ...this isn’t really a question.

[Aleksander claps Bogden on the shoulder.]

Aleksander: Oh, whatever, just be glad we’re getting attention!

Bogden: Well, okay, but this is pretty weird. I mean, do they want to hear about my personal life, or my relationships, or -

[Aleksander muffles Bogden’s mouth with his hand.]

Aleksander: HIS MIDDLE NAME IS BORIS AND HIS BIRTHDAY IS THE THIRD OF MARCH ALSO HE REALLY LIKES YOGHURT AND HE REALLY LIKES ROSES AND ROSE-FLAVOURED STUFF OH AND HE HAS A PET BUNNY, IS THAT ENOUGH INFO?

Question Two: So what does the butter boy love doing the most with Henrik?

Stellan: I assume I’m ‘the butter boy’.

Henrik, sarcastically: Oh, no, I’m sure it’s Harald, or anyone but the one who stress-baked six hundred butter cookies after a final one day and mailed them to every person in the city!

[Stellan kicks Henrik under the table.]

Stellan: Well, to answer your question, I just love it when we cuddle while watching the sunset. We’re usually sitting outside, in this rocking swing we have in our front yard, watching the sky get painted all these pretty colours. It’s the most amazing feeling in the world to be able to see something so lovely with the person you care for the most.

[Henrik turns red.]

Henrik: Y-Yeah, those are really happy times. Holy fuck, I love you so much.

Question Three: What does Berwald like doing with Henrik?

Berwald: Fighting.

Henrik: Sometimes we just crack open a beer and talk about our husbands because we’re both awesomely lucky men. Then Stell has to pick me up the next morning while I’m hungover.

Berwald: Or we design some furniture together.

Henrik: We used to assemble IKEA stuff together until that time I screwed the legs of a chair on wrong and accidentally created a monster.

Question Four: Harald, how do you feel about Henrik and Stellan’s relationship?

Harald: When they got together all those years ago, I was too young to remember much, but when I got older and they got sappier, it was pretty annoying. Like, I’d be having breakfast, and they’d be across the table cuddling or something.

Stellan: Were we that bad?

[Harald crosses his arms.]

Harald: Yes, you were that bad. When you started high school it got even more annoying, because you two would be fucking like rabbits while poor me was right next door.

Henrik: Oh, yeah! We were pretty loud, huh?

Harald: Now, though, they have their own house, so I don’t really care. I get a cool brother-in-law, and Stell has a husband. Works out for both of us.

Question Five, from @kyrakira: What wouwd Stewwan wike mowwe? a pwug ow a couch owo?

[Stellan falls off his chair.]

[Henrik slams his fist on the table and bursts into laughter.]

Stellan, climbing back onto his chair: First of all, I hate how I understand what you’re saying. Second of all, I’d say the plug.

Henrik: HOLY -

Stellan: Fucking a piece of furniture is not as pleasant as it sounds, kids. Don’t try it at home.

Question Six: To Agata: sweet mother, I cannot focus; slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl, how not die?

Agata: Nothing you can do about it. You will look at your pretty girl, and you will have an internal heart attack.

[Tille giggles.]

Agata: You know how I met Tille? I was riding my bike, I saw her. She was pretty. I hit her with my bike.

Tille: You cried, you big kitty cat.

Agata: Yes, I cried. I was overwhelmed by your beauty.

Tille: Aww.

Agata: So, you see a pretty girl, you’re helpless to her charms. Too bad. I can’t help.

Question Seven: How close and warm are y'all nordicks? óuò

Henrik: ...I assume that means us?

[Harald cringes.]

Harald: What the hell is that cursed emoji?

Berwald: You mean emoticon.

Harald: Whatever.

Tino: To answer your question, we go over to each others’ houses for dinner every Friday! Sometimes we do it with Leon’s family, too.

Henrik: It’s really awesome! But when Stellan gets a little too competitive with Vicente, things can get, er, messy.

[Stellan throws up his hands.]

Stellan: The egg tart situation was one time, Henrik! ONE TIME!

Question Eight: To any of you, when was the last time you cried in front of a lot of people? 

Antonio: Gilbert made a face at me in the middle of a presentation, and I laughed so hard I cried.

Ludwig: Pochi...

[Ludwig buries his face in his hands.]

Ludwig: Pochi just tottered up to me and jumped in my lap. It was adorable.

Kiku: Then I cried because Pochi betrayed me for him.

Feliciano: Then I cried because Tama scratched me. I still have the scar.

Question Nine: Harald, out of everyone in your family, who's death would you find most disturbing and why?

[Harald’s eyes widen.]

Harald: Why would you ask something like that? What on earth is wrong with you? Any of their deaths would be disturbing, by the way. I don’t think I could ever bear to see any of them die before me.

[He sniffles and reaches in his pocket for a tissue.]

[Henrik jumps, scowling darkly.]

Henrik: Okay, who made Harald cry?

Harald: Wait —

[Stellan joins Henrik and raises a fist.]

Stellan: They’ll have hell to pay for this.

Harald: ...I love you guys.

Question Ten: Henrik and Stellan, how are your relationships with your parents?

Henrik: Oh, we get along just fine! They were a little shocked when I brought Stellan home for the first time, but not any more. 

Stellan: Between Henrik and Leon, mine have, well, resigned themselves to the fact that they most likely will not have biological grandchildren.

Henrik: We’re not sure if we’re gonna adopt just yet, but if we do, I’m sure our folks would be thrilled!

Question Eleven: To Al, Matt, Arthur, Francis, Ivan and Yao, what are your favorite memories about school?

Yao: Well, it has to be every prize-presentation ceremony at the end of each year. I went on stage every time!

Alfred: Yo, stop flexing, we know you’re a genius already.

[Arthur smiles, clearly lost in his memories.]

Arthur: My time at the school’s literature club was truly unforgettable. I was the president, if you must know, and I finally got an excuse to hide in the library all the time and read.

[Francis laughs.]

Francis: Ah, surely I thought your dearest memory would be of that one time you thought you were carrying around a copy of Pride and Prejudice, but was in reality holding a very saucy volume of Victorian er —

Arthur: HEY, ALFRED! You never told us about your favourite memory!

[Alfred jumps, accidentally smacking Yao on the shoulder. Yao gives him a withering glare.]

Alfred: Oh, yeah. It’s got to be when the soccer team won the last game of the semester, in my senior year! Dang, just thinking about it brings tears to my eyes.

Matthew: And speaking of competitions, when I got first place in the school’s public speaking competition in grade seven, I completely lost it.

Alfred: You screamed, then hugged me so tightly I saw spots afterwards.

Matthew: I’ll never forget how it felt to win something for the first time.

Francis: My time with Yao in our school’s cooking club was magnificent. Yao, my friend, do you remember the mooncake project?

[Yao perks up.]

Yao: Yes, when we experimented to see how to make mooncakes less oily? That was fun. I still use that recipe to make mooncakes now. 

Matthew: Hey Ivan, you haven’t talked yet. What’s your favourite memory?

Ivan: My favourite memory? Let me think, now...

[Ivan taps his chin.]

Ivan: Meeting you all at the very start of the year, that was amazing.

Alfred: Oh, you big teddy bear!

Arthur: We love you too.

[The six of them collapse in a group hug. The sound of chairs falling fills the room.]

Question Twelve: Out of everyone, who was a dropout and who finished college?

Alfred: I, uh, never went to college. Just decided to go “fuck the system” and started a food cart that I still wheel around the States. If you wanna see me, look for Stars and Stripes!

Matthew: Like Francis, I survived culinary school, but unlike Francis, I only got a degree in the pastry arts.

[Francis rubs his temples.]

Francis: None of you have ever experienced pain until you’ve been through egg day. Nine hundred eggs, all gone to waste because the Chef thought they were bad!

Arthur: I got my degree in English literature at Oxford, and to this day I’m still surprised that I managed to get in.

Yao: I have a degree in medicine, but it’s pretty useless since I run my diner now. By the way, check out Wang’s if you have the time!

[Ivan rubs the back of his head sheepishly.]

Ivan: I got arrested in the middle of college. Now, I just help my sister run her store!

Feliciano: Kiku and I both went to art school! I went to culinary school with Francis after that, though.

Kiku: My student loans haunt me to this day.

Ludwig: It surprises a lot of people, but I dropped out of college while Gilbert’s the one with the degree. 

Henrik: I went to a super-obscure course, namely the textile arts. Most people don’t even know it’s a degree!

Stellan: I got a degree in creative writing at John Hopkins in the US.

Berwald: Went to trade school.

Tino: I don’t really remember much about college. I just remember a lot of coffee, screaming and complaining.

Question Thirteen: What do you love most about yourself, Henrik, Berwald and Stellan? uwu

Stellan: The next person to use “uwu” will have their spleens removed.

Berwald: Very threatening.

Henrik: Well, what I wuv mowost abowouwut mwysewelf is howow I’m able to awways pwiss owoff my bowoyfewnd!

Berwald: What.

[Stellan gets up.]

Stellan: I love you, but say “uwu” again and you’re sleeping on the couch.

Henrik: Why, uwu?

Stellan: OH, THAT’S IT —

[Henrik flees from Stellan.]

Berwald: I love that I married a sane person.

Question Fourteen: Why do you like your best friend, Tino? 3:

Tino: Oh you mean Ed? Well, we’ve been friends since forever, first of all, and we’ve stuck together no matter what! He’s helped me with homework and bullies and all that stuff since we were kids, and I’ve done the same. Best of all, he encouraged me to ask Berwald out, and thanks to him I now have an awesome husband!

[Nearby, Eduard is sobbing.]

Eduard: I love you too!

Question Fifteen: If a=b, multiply by a to get a²=ab, subtract b² to get a²-b²=ab-b², factor them (a+b)(a-b)=b(a-b), cancel a-b, and since a=b the equation is now 2b=b or 2=1; why does math exist? @the Wangs

Leon: ...what?

Vicente: I think I lost half my brain cells just by reading that.

Ling: This is bringing back trauma from school, and that question doesn’t even make sense.

Yao: I’m too old for this crap.

Leon: But to answer your question, math exists because once upon a time some asshole decided to invent numbers and make our lives difficult.

Ling: Seconded.

Vicente: Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re off to make dinner.

Question Sixteen: Stellan, what's the most difficult decision you've had to make to see your dreams come true?

Stellan: Ohhh, that’s a hard one. I’ve had to make a lot of sacrifices to become the person I am today. But if I had to pick, it’d be picking John Hopkins over Oslo Uni, and leaving Harald and Henrik behind. It was worth it, though, since now I’m happy and successful and I can’t have asked for more.

Harald: Aww, I love you too, you bastard.

Question Seventeen: Which family does Peter belong to?

Arthur: He lives with the Oxenstiernas, which is fine with both of us.

Tino: Artie couldn’t handle Peter after his parents passed, so it started out with Ber just babysitting him. But after the two of us got married, Arthur decided to put Peter up for adoption so he could become our son!

Niklas: It was a great decision.

Berwald: What?

Niklas: I mean, it was a terrible decision because now I’m stuck with an awesome — er, annoying — brother for the rest of my life.

Question Eighteen: What do you think is the best thing about your personality, Berwald?

Berwald: Uh...

[He stares off into the distance.]

Berwald: Uhhh...

Tino: Well, I love how everyone’s so intimidated by you, but you’re so snuggly and sweet in reality! 

[Berwald appears to stop breathing.]

Berwald: Thanks.

Question Nineteen: To Alfred, Gilbert and Henrik: what’s the dumbest yet smartest thing you’ve ever done?

Alfred: Dang, that’s a hard one. I’d say the time we threw a dictionary out of the car window, just because.

Gilbert: No, the time we put a block of frozen maple syrup into Matt’s showerhead. But then we got yelled at, so maybe not.

Henrik: How about when we tried to brûlée salt and set off the fire alarm?

[The three of them consider.]

Gilbert: Yoo, what about the frying pan thing?

Henrik: Oh, riiiiight, the frying pan thing!

Alfred: So basically, we put a frying pan on the heart for too long and it melted. Then it turned out that the frying pan was made with unsafe material! That’s kinda smart, I guess.

Question Twenty: Which one of you (anyone ig) has a choking fetish?

[The entire room erupts into chaos.]

Harald: OH MY GOODNESS!

Leon: Who the hell asked this!?

Alfred: You know what? Y’all need Jesus.

[Someone hits the camera and it switches off.]

...

A/N: Yes I know I’m very unfunny but I hope this was at least the tiniest bit fun to read

[neighbourskid]

What’s Your Story?

(original date: 30 July 2016)

At ComicCon, two weeks ago, I got this free shirt that says "What's your story?". And now that I've been wearing it, every time I've looked in a mirror or just seen a reflection of myself, I have been wondering, what exactly is my story? Why am I the way I am? What made me like this? Where do I come from, and where do I go to? And I have thought a lot about this, to be honest. But I guess, I just gotta start at the beginning, right?

I am pretty bad with childhood memories. I barely know anything. Everything that I do know, I feel like only knowing because people told me or because I've seen pictures of it. Which honestly bums me out. I am also constantly not sure if things I feel like I actually do remember, aren't just things that I made up at some point. But anyways.

I grew up in a small-ish town in Switzerland. We've lived in other small-ish towns and villages before, but I was definitely too young to remember any of that. There are memories of me feeding my older half-brother, but I am quite sure that I only know this because there's a picture of it. Right now, I'd say my earliest memory is my half-brother (who's autistic by the way) helping my brother and me out of beds we couldn't get out on our own. I know that I know this. I was probably around three or four at the time. Anyways.

My parents got divorced when I was four. Although I have lived with my mom until I moved out this July, I never really connected with her as much as other girls do. Those good mother-daughter relationships you see in movies sometimes? We didn't have that. I was always very focused on the men in my family. My dad was my hero, even though I only saw him every second weekend and on special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. But he was my hero. Still is.

My brother was my role model from early childhood on. My mom always says, that I was always okay with everything that he chose to do or have. My brother wanted these pants? Me too. My brother wanted chocolate milk? Me too. Those were my most said words. "Me too."

My mom feared that I would be too dependent on his decisions and never be truly me, because I was okay with doing whatever he did. But I don't think that this is what happened. I just loved my brother. My dad wasn't always there because of the divorce, so my next go-to person was my brother, because I didn't see my mom as a role model or go-to person. We didn't connect like that.

My brother and me, we're 18 months apart. That's a wonderful age gap. It's not too close, but it's also not too far away to get along splendidly.

Of course, one of the reasons why I was always okay with doing/having what my brother did, was because I thought we were the same. As a child, I didn't really get the concept of gender or that there is a real difference between boys and girls. I just knew that some people had other parts than others, but I was like, yeah and? What does it matter?

I just knew that I always liked hanging out with boys more than I did with girls. I had this friend in kindergarten who I always stole Legos with. Then in first grade, I was seated next to a girl with the same last name as me, and we got along and I got to play at her house a lot, but in second grade I was back to being with boys. And I was friends with the same boy until probably fourth grade, then expanded my friend group - to even more boys. And they accepted me. I got to hang out with them, got to play video games with them, played with pokemon cards, played football. It wasn't until probably sixth grade that I actually got girl friends. And even then, my main friend group were still the boys. And I was kinda the "cool girl" because I got to hang out with them.

It was nothing I was striving for, but it happened nonetheless.

I remember that one of my best friends had a crush on me, and I didn't get it. I was oblivious to that. Until I cut my hair in sixth grade, and thus looked more boyish than ever before, and he lost his interest. In retrospect, I should've seen it. But it doesn't really matter anyway.

Then seventh grade came around - new teachers, new class - and I only had four of my old classmates left: two girls who I didn't spend that much time with, the guy who had had a crush on me and another guy who I had often played video games with, but more due to other people than actually him. So in short, four people I wasn't really that good friends with. So I had to find new ones.

As many of you might now, I am an insanely introverted person. Well, at least to new people. People who have known me for a long time often can't believe that I am actually very shy and introverted. But that is that.

I made friends rather quickly, though. Well, at least I think so. I got along well with pretty much everyone, but I mostly spent my time with one or two of the girls. But in the end, I didn't really bond with them that much, because I haven't talked to anyone of them in years. It didn't matter anyway, because I had to repeat 8th grade, and had new classmates anyway. And that is where I made friends, who I still see to this day and am still friends with. I'm even living with one of them! Which is great to be honest.

In the two years I was with those people, I changed a lot. I was always the tomboy, the girl dude. The bro that just so happened to be a girl, but nobody cared. But with those people, I think I finally wasn't the bro friend anymore. I was still the stereotype "cool girl" especially because I wasn't girly (I'm still not) and I didn't give two shits what people thought (still don't). But I got more girlier than before. I dressed less manly, could finally get to like tank tops, skinny jeans, and shorts that didn't cover my knees. Even jewelry! Well rings, mostly.

But I was still me; boyish, reckless, climbing-on-trees-and-falling-down self-destroy-ish.

My dad always wanted a son and a daughter. And that is what he got. I am not the typical daughter, the typical girl. But I have a lot in common with my dad, so I think he got the daughter he wanted, or he came around to accept that I would never be the girly girl. He loves me and I know that.

I know my mom loves me. And that she accepts me for who I am. But I think she always had more issues with me being the way I am, than my dad had. With me being so very boyish. We always fought when buying clothes. Oh, the memories. It was a war.

After ninth grade I went to grammar school. I only knew my friend Angie, but soon enough I got along with pretty much everyone in that class. I think I was still the "cool girl" which got me friends easily. I got along with the girls, I got along with the boys. I think I was good friends with everyone, with some exceptions obviously. I had friends in other classes as well. I wasn't typically popular, mind you, but I am friendly. People get along with me. People tell me I'm funny, trustworthy, loyal, a good friend.

I made a habit of getting along with teachers, too. Mostly teachers I didn't have class with, but still. The class teacher of the one's we had PE with, was one of those teachers. After the first half year, I decided that he was going to be my victim, and so after the skiing camp he became exactly that. I mocked him constantly. After a fantastic incident - I shouted across the school yard that I thought his pink shirt was extremely manly - he asked one of his students who was my friend, if I meant harm or if I was always like that. She told him that this was just who I was, and from that moment on he returned my "bullying". We had a great time. I tried to sell him shoes, he was my go-to person for pain killers, he mocked my headaches, he told me with the biggest smile to "shut the fuck up". We had a great time. I always have one or two teachers like that at every school I go to. My English and German teacher was the other victim. He was a great teacher, and I think he appreciated me as a student. I met him yesterday and he was very pleased to hear that I was going to study English. We had bitch fights in the middle of class. While everyone looked at me like I had death wishes, we had the greatest fun mocking each other. It was great.

I am no teachers pet. I just feel like you need at least one teacher you actually like and have a good relationship with, or else you won't make it through school without constant mental breakdowns.

Anyways. I am rabbit trailing (I would like to personally thank Zachary Levi for adding this word to my vocabulary).

As some of you might know, I am a Christian. Not the "it says on my papers that I am a Christian, so I am one" but actually an active Christian. I go to church. I pray. I believe. I wouldn't call myself religious. I am a person of faith. There's a difference.

Anyways. When I was in second grade, my mom got a job where she had to work shifts. So we got someone where we could go eat, and spend our free afternoons at. They are great people and I'm still friends with them. Their two children are basically my little siblings and I consider their daughter one of my best friends.

These people, this couple, were Christians, and they went to church in our town. I don't know exactly when my mom converted, but I know that we started going to that church, and I made friends for life. When I was twelve or thirteen, there was a baptism service coming up and I told my mom that I wanted that, too.

Usually, it is waaaaay to early to get baptised at twelve or thirteen. Mostly, teens are "allowed" to do so when they're sixteen or eighteen or whatever. But I felt like this was the right thing to do, so I did. And they let me.

Over the course of my life as a person of faith, I have always searched for role models. Someone I could look up to in that aspect of my life. I found a few. The dad of the two girls I live with at the moment was one of them. He was the pastor of our church, is a missionary in Central Africa now. Then there were various people from our church who I looked up to because they just have so much faith and trust. And in 2012 someone new made his way into my line of sight and is now not only a role model as a person of faith, but for life in general. In 2012, through the movie Avengers and through Tom Hiddleston, I discovered Zachary Levi. Who is not only a brother in Christ, but an all around good person in general and just the sweetest guy I have ever had the good fortune of meeting.

Through various interviews and NerdHQ panels, Zac has over and over again inspired me in so many ways. He inspires me to be more kind, to be more gentle, to be more passionate. He inspires me to trust God, to bring important decisions before God. He inspires me so much. Every time NerdHQ comes around again, or every time I just watch panels throughout the year, I get giddy and I'm full of energy to live my dreams, go out and change the world, be the best version of myself.

This year I have had the wonderful opportunity to finally attend NerdHQ and meet Zac for the first time. And he did not disappoint. He was everything I wished him to be. Even better. He gave me something so precious that I feel like this will fuel me for a very long time. With a simple sentence he changed my life more than he already has before. And I am eternally grateful for that.

"What's your story?" Well, my story is still in the first chapters. There's a lot more to come. I've been through things that I wish I hadn't. I lost people very dear to me. I'm still trying to find out some things about me. But there's one thing I know. God will help me write my story. He will be there every step of the way. God will put people in my life that help me figure out who I am, what to do, and where to go. He put Zac and NerdHQ in my life for a reason. And there's no way I am letting that go. Ever.

I told my mom yesterday that I plan to never miss NerdHQ ever again, if I can anyhow avoid it. She said, "that's big talk." But I'm not kidding. I will do everything in my power to never miss the awesomeness that is NerdHQ ever again. Those are four days of granted happiness. Why should I ever wanna miss that again? There are likeminded, amazing people who I wouldn't be able to see anywhere else. They don't live in Switzerland. They live all over America.

My story is about a girl who loves stories. And storytellers. I would love to be one, too. I get inspired every other day by stories I read or hear or see, and I would like to give back. Tell stories to inspire future generations, the way people like Zac have inspired me.

My story is about finding purpose in inspiring others. My story is about being passionate, "loving too much", knowing a shit ton of "fun facts" about movies and books and people I've never met in my life. My story is about me. Your average neighbourhood nerd. The kid next door. The introverted kid who doesn't seem introverted at all, once you get to know them.

So, that is me. What's your story?

[thinkingagain]

“What kind of world would it be if all animals, even the most wretched human ones, had to live in delusion, self-importance, and slavery just to survive? What exactly would we be saving?”

Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest (A Novel of the Revolution) Book Two: Empire Chapter 49

Still holding the bloody sword of Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest, the Madam walked away, wobbly, from the Commandant’s corpse. The sword wasn’t as bloody as it might have been. The blade was sharp and powerful and she had used her full force for the blow.

She knelt in the grass, wiping the sword against it several times. With a clod of black dirt, she rubbed the sword even further, until the blood vanished into the stains of the earth.

That done, she found a seat on a stone and looked away towards some trees on the edge of the prison grounds. She put her head in her hands. She leaned the sword hilt against her legs and wouldn’t let the sword fall to the ground.

The Sir watched her and shook off his anger and fear about the conflict. He walked over to her and sat on the stone beside her and put his paw on her knee. “Madam. You saved my life. How can I offer you my thanks and praise sufficiently your bravery and fortitude?”

The Madam looked up. “Oh Sir. You saved my life too. My animal friends saved my life twice in one day. I almost can’t speak of it.”

This close to her, the Sir could see that her hands were trembling.

“You cannot shake off a mood as easily as I,” the Sir said. “I may not have realized before how difficult that must be. Can you say what continues to disturb you?”

“I’ve never killed anybody.” The Madam closed her eyes tightly. “It makes no difference that he deserved it and that I would do it again.”

“If I may say so,” the Sir pushed his paw more firmly against her knee, “it makes a great deal of difference. I saw what happened. None of what you did was because you wanted to kill the Commandant. You did it because it was the only way to save me.”

“I wish that was true.” The words sprang from her mouth. “I wanted him dead. And not just because of all the death and pain he has caused so many animals, human and not. I’ve been so afraid of him. I hated him for everything he’d done to me. When I killed him, I nearly howled with how victorious and powerful I felt. I killed him for me.”

“And yet also for me. Please do not deny it.”

“Oh Sir.” The Madam’s eyes widened with acknowledgement. “I don’t deny it. I was full of fury that he was trying to hurt you. I would have killed him again and again.”

“If so, it is no more than the Beast earned. Please do not deny that either.”

“I won’t.” The Madam looked at him sideways, her eye rising above the firm line of her cheekbone. “At one time it seemed like he could see the world more clearly than anyone I had ever met. But that was long ago.  He was arrogant and faithless, even in the last seconds of his life.”’

“Arrogant I understand. Can you explain faithless? Not that I doubt it.”

“He had us, don’t you see?” The Madam gripped the hilt of the Sir’s sword. “He was right: I never could have attacked him if he didn’t attack you. If he had refused to fight you, you would never have had the opportunity to kill him. He could have gone on and on, harming whoever he could. But he couldn’t believe that you would stick to your principles. He was afraid you would kill him despite what you said. He’d had no principles of his own for many years.”

The Sir nodded slowly and thoughtfully. “I guessed that the Commandant would not walk away and let me live after I rejected the philosophy of a Strong Rabbit empire. A Commandant does not accept the concept of rivals. Or even of free and independent companions who have the right to speak their minds.”

“No,” the Madam agreed. “And like all such people, he finally got what he couldn’t believe in: opponents who not only could outfight him, but outthink him.”

The Sir considered her point carefully. “Will you walk with me to rejoin our companions? Their work has been astonishing and they will want to know how we are.”

“You are so right.” The Madam stood. She seemed to collect her anguish and remember other feelings. “It’s nice to care and be cared for.” She stood up, leaning on the Sir’s sword, shoving its point into the dirt.

They had walked only a few yards when the Sir said, “My terrible thought though, Madam, again and again: what if it’s the Commandant who’s right? Maybe there’s no way to stop the Beastly urge to destroy the world if one does not force and delude Beasts into doing the bidding of superior, ethical animals.”

“I’ve often wondered that myself.”

The Sir’s nose and ears twitched with surprise. “Really, Madam? Can it be true that you have wondered such a thing?”

“Sometimes, yes. I guess though, even if it is true, I don’t think that would change what I have to do and what matters to me. I have to believe that it isn’t true, and I do believe it.”

“I think that must be so, Madam. Will you tell me why?”

The Madam stopped walking, looked again at The Sir’s sword in her hand. “If we have to become him in order to stop the world from being destroyed, we will have succeeded only in destroying what’s valuable about living.”

She handed the Sir back his sword as if relieved, finally, to be rid of it. “What kind of world would it be if all animals, even the most wretched human ones, had to live in delusion, self-importance, and slavery just to survive? What exactly would we be saving? Yes, being alive matters, but it’s not just the fact that life is real that makes it matter. It matters how we care for those we care for, including all life on the planet. Even if he’s potentially right—and you see, I know there’s no way to prove he’s not—we’re still struggling not only to save the planet, but to make the lives of us who live here worth living. It’s not always better to be than not to be. It’s a kind of being we’re trying to save.”

The Sir took in the Madam’s words carefully. “I have no interest in being a bunny who rules over others,” he said at last, “in the name of saving lives. But the Commandant is certainly right about something. The Commandant won’t be the last of its kind that I and other animals, magic or not, will have to struggle against. Others with this kind of power and dreams are coming, and not just one or two.”

“I know.” The Madam brushed her hair from her eyes. “I’ve even met some of them maybe. Though the Commandant was a rare and unique danger, and the pain he caused will live on in some of those who survive him.”

“It’s another of those false Beast tales, is it not, Madam?” the Sir said. “That a hero can vanquish one main foe and all becomes right with the world. The problems of the world do not come from one main foe. Unless we call that foe the terrible things which every single animal might do.”

“I know more about that than ever.”

“I too.” The Sir looked off in the direction they were walking. “At moments, Madam, I liked the image the Commandant painted of me: a brave, powerful, and deadly rabbit whom others bowed down before in worship and fear.”

“You are brave, powerful, and deadly, Sir. And some, many, do indeed worship you.”

“Only those who I worship in return.” The Sir hung his head shyly.

The Madam’s face flushed but she said nothing.

The Sir straightened his head. “Look, Madam, there are our friends.”

All the members of the Magic Animal team who had traveled to the prison were gathered on one of the open fields just beyond the charred prison walls. The totem trio rushed up to the Madam. They wrapped their arms and legs and trunks around her, holding her tightly and silently. “I love you all so much,” she said.

Muffin and Jack and Young Mountain Goat walked up more slowly. “You look well,” Muffin said, brushing dirt off the Sir’s blue costume and staring at his dirt-stained sword. “A bit worse for wear maybe.”

The Sir bowed. “You could use a good dunk in a lake yourself.” He flicked at a bit of dirt on Muffin’s fur.

Muffin startled. “Sir? Could it be that you just made a joke? Was it intentional?”

The Sir startled too. “It could be, my fine henchman. Am I somewhat changed?” He pondered, then examined Muffin’s face. “The sniper didn’t shoot again.”

“No.” Muffin nodded. “We all suspected a final trick. Busterella heard him first. Felt him, really.”

“Then Busterella too, and indeed all the rest of you, also saved my life.”

“We have all saved each other’s lives,” the Madam laughed, hugging her totem friends. She was crying.

“Perhaps it is time to return to the Demesne,” the Sir said. “To relax and recover and thank each other and reflect on what has happened and what needs to happen now. But not, I think, to celebrate. Too many have died needlessly. That should never be cause for celebration, even when some who have died have earned it and made it unavoidable, and even though we are right to feel relieved. Still, it is fair to take a moment to say, we have done what we have done because of and with our companions, and because it is the best way we knew to be true to ourselves and to all those animals to whom we have committed our lives.”

“I’m in favor of a moment like that,” Muffin said. “As long as a nap goes with it. After a big afternoon meal, of course.”

“Yes, a meal and a nap,” said Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest. “They do seem just the right thing.”

End of Book Two of Sir Sleepy of the Bunny Nest