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angelanimedesaray · 4 years ago

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Investment Part 6: Another Treatment

AN: There’s a bit of a time skip in this chapter. Also, since we’re finally seeing the budding of the relationship between Levi and Reader, I just want to take a moment to remind everyone this story was started with a groundwork for a relationship already laid out between Reader and Levi, as it was established that there was a mutual care for one another in the first chapter before shit hit the fan.

Sorry if this seems to go a little rushed, but I couldn��t really think of something solid to go in between these events to draw it out, so it all got put into one chapter.

Characters: Vampire!Levi, Erwin, Hange, Reader, Various BG Characters

Pairing: Vampire!Levi x Reader

Warnings: Language, Violence, Blood, Death, Blood Drinking, Injury

Word Count: 9171

<----Previous Part Masterlist

*Levi's POV*

After so long where feeding was his outlet, where he let his control slip away and his emotions take over, it was strange to have to force himself to try and stop before he killed his prey. Even when he was feeding off the lowest scum in the Underground, he found it difficult to pull away, too bent on satiating his hunger when he was hunting to focus on the much-needed goal.

The pressure on him to change his diet had increased significantly since the expedition, and while he finally had a solid idea of what he was going to do about it, he needed to be able to stop himself, first. If he couldn't even do that with this low quality blood, how could he expect to stop when the clean stuff was dangled in front of him?

But for this to work, he had to make sure he could stop, first.

Of course, no one but Y/N knew how truly difficult it was for Levi to stop himself once he had a taste. They kept pushing, not aware of how difficult of a task stopping was for him. They were too focused on how potent the rumors of The Ripper below ground were becoming, with Erwin officially worried about the body count Levi seemed to have racked up...

"Levi, this is getting out of hand. You can't keep going to the Underground to feed, the attention is too much, and that diet won't keep you satiated much longer."

"What do you expect me to do about it, Erwin? Either we keep pushing despite the risk until I'm ready, or bodies start showing up above ground. We both know that will be much hotter water than what I'm in right now."

"I get that it's not an easy thing to break, but you're almost out of time, Levi. Do something about it, before it's too late for us to help you any more."

Levi growled in the darkness, pulling the prey currently in his hands away with effort, the only sign of life a few twitches and the still-running blood pushed through a large wound from a weak heartbeat. They were on death’s door, no longer conscious, moments from death.

It wasn’t good enough. He needed to stop sooner, he needed to stop before they were on death’s door. The diet he wanted to shift to depended entirely upon his restraint and being able to stop himself from killing the people he fed off--he couldn’t afford to be leaving them in states like this.

Hell, it would help to make it a little less painful for them, too.

Frustrated, Levi ripped back into his current prey’s throat, the body twitching beneath him before going completely still, the life finally leaving them entirely. After that, he fed in silence, sullen mood dissipating as he temporarily lost himself in the end of his feed.

*Reader’s POV*

Approaching Hange’s office quickly turned from a normal part of your routine to something you were doing with apprehension when you heard the raised voices inside. Not the usual excited raised voice Hange could have when she got particularly carried away--this was angry, frustrated conversation.

And the other raised voice--not shouting and screaming, but still raised, which was scary by itself--was Levi’s voice.

They were at least not reaching the point where the details of their conversation could be sussed out, but the argument was clear, and people seemed to be avoiding this hall. Considering the few touchy subjects you knew they could get into an argument like this about right now, you were reluctant to walk into the middle of it.

“I knew you could be pig-headed, but this is getting ridiculous!”

“It’s not ridiculous--you’re out of your damn mind if you think I’m going to let you pull a stunt like that.”

“Levi, we’re at the point where I’m not going to be able to help you more without seeing you in action.”

“Hange--”

You went into the room at that point, both of them pausing in their argument momentarily at your appearance. Levi turned partially towards you, about to say something before he decided it was the best time to drive the point home, turning quickly back to Hange.

“It’s out of the question, Hange, it’s too dangerous, despite what your crazy theories are telling you,” he snapped after you’d shut the door again.

“Y/N, back me up here! There’s so much we still don’t know, but I can’t even start looking into it if he won’t let me see him feed,” Hange practically begged, and your skin crawled at the topic.

Of course they were arguing about this.

“Leave her out of this, Hange, this is about your suicidal impulses--”

“But Levi--”

“You are not following me into the Underground to watch me kill people!” Levi hissed venomously.

“You’re going to have to let me see you in action eventually. And if you go forward with this plan of yours for your diet change, then I’m not going to have another chance to see before you move on from the Underground! It has to be within the next few times you go down there, or I’m not going to be able to help you anymore.”

“She has a point, Levi,” You ventured to say carefully, even though you knew you had one of the best reasons to side with Levi on this. He shot you a disbelieving look that you were taking her side in the matter, his eyes turning stormy.

“It’s too dangerous,” he said flatly. “I know how you are with Titans, Hange. If you get too close, or if you get even a little hurt when I’m focused on hunting, it could be over in seconds,” Levi said bitingly.

“I can handle myself, Levi--” Hange started to scoff, but you cut in again to correct her.

“Levi also has a point, Hange. You have less time to react with his speed than you do with a Titan. It is dangerous, and you can’t go into it lightly,” you said softly, your quiet tone forcing both of them to calm down by having to quiet and settle to listen to what you had to say. “And even though we gloss over it all the time, he is killing people. It’s not like your Titan experiments.”

You had to watch what you said, careful not to let your thoughts spill out that compared being excited to watch Levi hunt in the Underground to being excited to let a Titan loose and watch it eat someone. That was not a comparison you wanted to make with Levi--no one wanted to make the Titan comparisons to whatever had happened to Levi, but it was glaring, and you were certain everyone had at least thought of them.

The mood in the room shifted from tense to grim, and you took advantage of the silence to push a little in Hange’s favor.

“But Hange has a point about needing to see what happens when you feed. Most of her current questions and theories revolve around that, so you are going to have to let it happen eventually. And your plan for what to do besides feed off people in the Underground will make it impossible for her to tag along,” you told Levi pointedly.

“That doesn’t help settle the debate, Y/N, we’re still in the same rut. It’s too dangerous, but it is necessary,” Hange said in exasperation.

“How about this, then,” you said with a sigh, turning to look at Levi. “I know you don’t like the thought of it, but have Hange and Erwin follow, at least one time. That way there’s someone to keep her in check...Not to mention, it’ll be a good reality check,” you finished quietly, arms folded over your chest.

You could have suggested that you came along, but after last time, you weren’t keen to follow him on another hunt. Not to mention, you’d promised you’d never follow him on one again...and you didn’t think you could stomach witnessing it, even with the progress you were making in coping with your trauma from last time.

You were aware that you’d just significantly lowered the mood in the room, but it seemed everyone was keeping the truth about what was happening down there an arm’s length away from them, causing them to get out-of-touch with the reality of what happened to Levi. In your opinion, they did need a reality check to what those trips really meant. It was a horrible reality check, and you wanted desperately to not think about what they would see, but it would definitely help them approach Levi’s diet with a bit more...tact.

It wasn’t easy for him, you knew that firsthand. The bloodlust was a real and dangerous thing, and he had to be careful. They--namely Hange--wouldn’t push him so hard to do things before he was ready if they were faced with the gravity of the reality.

Ideally. Erwin was on an entirely different level, and you couldn’t predict what that man would do in any situation beyond surprise you, so you weren’t going to attempt to predict how he’d react to this reality check. You personally felt Hange needed to see it for herself. She would still be Hange, but at least she would finally know the gravity that this needed to be handled with instead of constantly having to rely upon shifty second-hand accounts.

Shifty because no one wanted to talk about what happened when Levi fed.

Hange turned back to Levi. “It sounds like a fair compromise. What do you say, Levi?”

Levi was sizing you up, trying to gauge what you were thinking and mulling over your words with a more-serious than normal feel in the air around him, expression grim. He’d been backed into a corner, now, and there was really only one way for this to go.

“Fine,” he relented, teeth grit and grinding against one another. “One time. That’s it.”

Hange brightened with glee at the thought of finally getting to observe Levi’s recent change in action like she’d been chomping at the bit to do for so long. “Great! You’re going back down in less than a week, right? We’ll go then--I’ll get everything arranged with Erwin.”

Levi let out a long-suffering sigh as Hange darted around the room to grab a few papers before rushing out the door, leaving just you and Levi in the room. He--understandably--looked gloomy and grim, apprehensive about the entire thing. Based on your own experience and what Hange had told you about her experiences, you knew he was not keen on letting Hange and Erwin see him like that.

Everyone was keeping the reality of the situation at arm’s length, and it was about time they all faced it. Strange how you were the one making the push for that confrontation.

“Look, I know it’s not at all what you want to do, but I think at this point, it’s needed. Everyone can’t keep turning a blind eye to the uglier side of this, it will only make things worse,” you told him, breaking the silence in the room. Levi didn’t say anything, his head turned away, holding perfectly still where he was leaning against one of the tables. “At least it will only be this one time.”

Levi turned to look at you, his eyes enough to tell you that you both knew if Hange got the chance or thought of a way, she would push for more. But what neither of them were talking about was the concern thick in the air about how they would react to this--Levi included. Up until now he’d been able to keep them relatively in the dark about his transformation--at least in what it looked like. Now they were going to see it in action as he ripped into and killed someone. Even if he wouldn’t admit it, he was probably terrified at what that was going to do to the relationship between the three of them.

You straightened, turning to the door. “Well...when it happens, and you come back, I’ll be in the mess hall with some tea if you want to talk afterwards. Or just want some company.”

Maybe it would help if afterwards he had some company with someone who had been on the receiving end and was still accepting of him nonetheless, even if you were still working through the forgiveness process to forgive him fully.

That night, your nightmares returned. They had lessened to off and on occurrences since the expedition, thanks to Levi’s efforts to apologize and the comfort he had offered that night after your nightmare. It wasn’t a complete cure, but you were getting better.

However, the argument between Hange and Levi about watching him hunt and the discussion had riled your bad memories, making it almost predictable that you would have a nightmare tonight.

As such, you awoke with a cry to your darkened room, squeezing your eyes shut and fumbling for the light to try and give yourself a bubble of protection while your panicked heart rate evened out and your mind reassured itself there wasn’t anything in the darkness lying in wait to pounce on you.

After a few moments, you managed to strike the match and light the lamp, providing you with a little light to push the shadows further away, giving you enough confidence to open your eyes. You ran your fingers through your hair, trying to get your breathing under control again.

You sat alone on your bed in the same position for what must have been several long minutes before a soft knock on your door had you raising your head.

He came again, then.

Grabbing the oil lamp that was sitting on the nightstand beside your bed, you shimmied out of bed and made your way quickly through the dark room to the door, unlocking it and stepping aside to let Levi inside.

Since coming back from the expedition, Levi was being more proactive in making things up to you. Maybe he didn't know exactly how to go about it, but he was still making an effort. When he spoke with you, his usual brisk, blunt way of speaking was softened. And when you had one of your nightmares…

Levi pressed a warm cup into your hand, taking the oil lamp from you once his hand was free, considering he had a cup of his own in his other hand.

"Go back to sleep when you're done with that," he told you quietly as he stepped inside, giving you enough space to shut the door behind him while you took a sip from your cup.

Like routine, Levi found his way to the desk in your room, setting down the lamp and his cup while you shuffled over to the bed. He sat down with a sigh at your desk, hand lingering over the cup as he watched you quietly for a few moments.

When you finished the tea, you settled back into your bed, turned so that you were facing where Levi sat.

It was an odd arrangement, perhaps, but since the expedition, this was what happened when your night terrors were bad enough to wake you. Levi would knock on your door minutes later if you hadn't managed to calm down, a calming tea for you in hand, and he would stay in the room as a reassurance that none of the demons that plagued you, waking or sleeping, were going to hurt you. Because he was right there, and he was going to stay there until you were truly okay. He didn't say much, and sometimes he brought paperwork to do while he was there, but for the most part, he would simply sit quietly at your desk keeping an eye on you, nothing more.

Facing the light and Levi helped to keep you calm as your mind slowly settled, your heart rate that had been pounding with anxiety gradually calming down. Your eyelids fluttered as you started to drift off towards sleep, watching Levi contently as he sipped on his tea and stewed on his thoughts. The slight curve downwards of his lips told you he was probably still thinking about Hange and Erwin coming along the next time he went to the Underground to feed. It was still bothering him, and she felt it would continue to bother him up to and most likely after it happened.

You hoped, all things considered, it wouldn’t turn out terribly. Levi had enough on his plate without worrying about how this could change how Erwin and Hange saw him.

*Levi’s POV*

Irritable and sullen was an understatement for how Levi felt as he led the way down to the Underground, Erwin and Hange flanking him in plain cloaks similar to his own, hoods drawn. They were supposed to stick close to him all the way down, at least until he had his target. At that point, he’d tell them where to go and break off to trap his prey on his own. Ideally, they would arrive where he told them to before it was over, but after he had his prey pinned so that they wouldn’t interfere with the actual hunt.

While Erwin and Levi pressed forward unfazed by their surroundings, Hange’s head was on a swivel, looking around at the Underground for the first time. Erwin kept her focused for the most part, occasionally having to pull her back into their group while Levi ignored them both, doing his best to put their presence out of his mind. Besides, he needed to focus in order to find who he was going to corner tonight--because of all the deaths recently, the criminals with brains were trying to be more subtle about their crimes instead of committing them out in the open, hoping that would help them dodge The Ripper.

Levi’s mood darkened further as the moniker flashed through his mind, sulking through the streets as he listened intently for a sign of trouble.

At least Erwin and Hange knew they could be down here for a little while before Levi managed to find someone up to no good that he wouldn’t mind preying upon.

“You really just come down here and wander until you find someone?” Hange eventually piped up after they’d been wandering for what felt like an hour. It looked like they were walking aimlessly, but Levi was being careful to bring a new part of the Underground within range of his hearing while they walked, covering new ground in his search for trouble.

“There’s always trouble down here if you know where to look,” Levi murmured in a low voice, gaze sweeping across the streets. They seemed more deserted than normal. Had his predatory presence made that much of an impact down here already?

As much as he hated to admit it and he knew he wasn’t in a position to try and force the change, Hange and Erwin were right--he needed to ditch the Underground diet as soon as possible and switch to his low risk plan.

This might have been a night that would go easier if he had taken the time to poke around and hear about some cruel top dog in one of the Underground criminal elements, that way he had a predetermined target he simply had to locate instead of wandering around waiting for an act of violence to happen. With most of the rats in hiding after the arrival of a cat, he was either going to have to start finding targets, or…

At long last, he heard a commotion that fit his criteria for a target. It was a little ways away, but the volume of hysterical screaming and crying made the words ring clear in his ears and painted a clear picture in his mind, expression darkening dangerously beneath his hood.

“Mommy!”

“Get the hell away from my son you sick son of a bitch! Get out!”

“Listen here you slut--”

“I’ll kill you myself--Don’t you ever come near us again! Get out! Out! Out!”

Levi spoke up, his tone low and dangerous and he interrupted whatever quiet conversation Erwin and Hange had been having behind him. “There’s a warehouse two streets over. I’ll be there in a few moments,” he deadpanned before abruptly breaking away from their group, stalking in the direction of the screaming at a jog before he turned a corner and it blurred into a run, the streets bleeding away at inhuman speeds as he rushed towards the sound of the commotion that seemed to be escalating in the home itself. Normally he’d wait until the creep was on the streets to snatch up his prey, but he was going to make an exception in this case, before anyone else got hurt.

With the sounds of someone getting thrown around inside, Levi busted through the door, prompting a shriek of panic. Making sure his face couldn’t be seen, he grabbed the man who had gotten himself marked for death, dragging him out the door and throwing him into the street before he grabbed the man by the throat, taking off at a full sprint and dragging the man along as he rushed for the warehouse.

When he reached the building he’d told Erwin and Hange to wait for him in, he threw his catch through the window, hearing a shout of surprise inside the building which told him Erwin and Hange were indeed already inside.

The man--now bleeding, judging by the smell in the air--attempted to plead with Hange and Erwin for help.

Hmm, he probably should have just dragged him through the door to try and avoid them getting even briefly dragged into the actual act.

“Please, The Ripper, he’s after me, please--”

Agitated by the use of that awful name, Levi followed close behind his now wounded prey, jumping cleanly through the shattered window and landing gracefully with a crunch of glass the only sound he made. His prey shrieked and clawed at Erwin’s shirt desperately in a last plea for help from the two people just standing there before Levi ripped his prey off Erwin and tossed him back several feet. His foot planted itself on his prey’s chest before they could even sit up, dark eyes boring down on him with his head tilted to the side as he debated the best way to go about this, every passing moment allowing him to put more and more distance between himself and his humanity as he let his monstrous instincts take charge.

Nothing about this hunt was normal, though. The entire thing was emotionally charged, with people he considered himself close to seeing this vicious, inhumane side of him he’d been hoping to keep hidden. It made the entire matter feel more personal, which was why he was desperately attempting to abandon his emotions and focus on the hunt.

He was, admittedly, playing with his food a little, though he was doing it between a mix of rage over what he had interrupted, and because Hange needed to see what happened when Levi let this new monstrous side of himself take over. It gave her time to observe like she wanted so badly to do.

“Is there anything in particular you need to see?” he asked in a monotone voice, his foot still holding down his prey effortlessly as the man struggled and cried trying to get free. When he didn’t initially get an answer, he turned to look at Hange to make it clear she was the one he was addressing.

Hange’s eyes went wide--even Erwin’s did, where he was standing just behind her--when Levi turned to look at her. Judging by the ache in his jaw from the scent of spilled blood and his hunger, and the fact he was on the verge of feeding, he knew his eyes were most likely glowing red in the darkness. Taken aback by the sight, it took a moment for Hange to respond, Erwin’s gaze sliding to her with her hesitation and Levi’s hunger-driven impatience causing him to shift his foot higher and press down on his prey’s throat to silence the blubbering.

“I...I just need to observe, for once,” Hange said in a serious voice, pulling herself back together and snapping to attention after Levi’s foot silenced the man beneath him. At that Levi picked up his prey--lovely, they’d pissed themselves--and shoved him up against a pillar with a low snarl, lips pulled back to show his fangs.

“But we could...also test the theory that you heal faster when you’re feeding,” Hange added hastily before he could bite into the sobbing man.

Levi turned slightly to glare back at Hange, that ravenous monster inside him already chomping at the bit to rip this man’s throat out and aggravated that it kept getting stopped. In his momentary distraction, the man Levi was keeping pinned grabbed the unlit torch on the pillar above them, ripped it down, and stabbed it blindly into Levi’s torso.

Now, Levi had been stabbed before, but the amount of pain that came from the mostly blunt edge of a wooden torch being stabbed into his chest was excruciating--and he’d been impaled by now. Of course, then he’d had the luxury of shock to numb the pain. This time, he felt every moment of it.

Levi recoiled with a gasp of pain, his prey slipping through his fingers and attempting to bolt down the hall. A wild snarl ripped past Levi’s lips as he pulled the torch out of his body and tossed it carelessly aside, eyes flashing as he darted towards the prey trying to escape.

Levi cut him off in the darkness, standing directly in front of the man and grabbing his chin, forcing his head aside before he hissed, fangs flashing moment’s before burying into his prey’s neck.

Any other parts of the world drowned out as Levi quickly lost himself in the feed, the rush of fresh blood soothing any pain he’d had from the stab. He was aware of the man bleating in his ear, so his hand shifted to force his mouth close and muffle the sound, his other hand stretching the exposed skin of his neck wider to give Levi a prime opening for his jugular. Blood trailed down the back of the man’s neck as Levi greedily gulped down what he could, initially thinking he would simply drain the man dry and move on.

However, he was still trying to stop himself before a person would pass the point of dying. He wasn’t sure now was the time for that experiment, but for the sake of his own progress away from this nightmare and not giving himself the chance to slip, Levi tried.

His prey was fighting back, fists pounding against Levi’s unmoving chest and arms, fingers clawing at him and drawing blood, but Levi didn’t move. If anything, it made him clamp down harder, feeling the struggles grow weaker and weaker…

While he still had enough strength to pound weakly against Levi’s chest, Levi managed to pull himself back, blood smeared across his lips and teeth with his tongue licking away stray drops, all thoughts of an audience forgotten as a slight groan escaped him.

Hold...hold...hold…

Once he was certain he’d paused long enough he would have been able to pull away if he so desired, Levi sank his teeth back into his prey at a much better angle this time. The pulls of blood he took were hard and long, his prey quickly going limp and turning cold in his arms as Levi bled him dry of his lifeblood, until he couldn’t draw any more blood without chewing on the man’s flesh like he’d done several times out of pure instinct when he’d first started feeding.

At that point, Levi let the body drop, stepping back with heavy breaths of air now that he was no longer gulping down blood, hand coming up instinctively to keep any wet blood from dribbling down his chin, licking up the traces around his mouth that he could reach, tongue careful of his still exposed fangs, before he pulled out a dark red handkerchief to wipe up anything he’d missed.

Levi wasn’t looking up at his audience he’d forgotten about in the midst of the feed, keeping his head down and focused on himself as he checked himself over to see how much of a mess he’d made. He was still getting blood down his chin and throat, and some around his collar, but he was no longer smearing blood all down his front.

He was nearly there, nearly able to leave this gruesome approach behind in favor of a more forgiving treatment for his curse.

But for now, he had two friends who had just seen him slowly murder a man in front of them for blood. Hearing about it was one thing. Seeing it in action...was entirely different.

“Did you get what you wanted so badly, Hange?” Levi asked as his handkerchief mopped up the blood attempting to stain his skin, his tone hollow--and not the kind of hollow that suggested he felt nothing over what he’d just done. It was more like...he felt something inside him dying, and he worried there wasn’t anything he could do to stop it.

“Levi…”

Levi finally looked up, swallowing hard at the looks of fear he could see in their eyes. Shutting down the thoughts of why they were looking at him that way before it could crack his composure, Levi stepped over the body and approached Hange, spreading open the hole in his shirt where he’d been stabbed so she could see it was already healed with a quickly disappearing scar.

“Looks like Y/N’s theory was right,” he said bluntly, turning partially back to the body. “You can head back. I’ll clean up here.”

“But we--” Hange reached out to grab his sleeve and stop him as he started to walk towards the body, but Levi shrugged her off without looking back. He didn’t want to see that look in their eyes while they stared at him any more than he had to.

“Discussion can come tomorrow. Take the night,” Levi returned before she could suggest they talk about this right now. He’d rather they both had time to process what they’d seen and for emotions to cool before discussing how he’d just murdered a man so casually...and cruelly.

He’d known this was a bad idea, that it wouldn’t end well, that it would do damage in an entirely different kind of way. But he’d been ganged up on and had to relent, and now here they were.

Levi crouched down next to the body in the darkness, mind already coming up with clever places to hide it as Erwin quietly spoke to Hange and got her to leave Levi be, guiding her away from the scene and back into the night.

Levi’s gaze lowered to his hands, the bloodied handkerchief still held in one hand, the bloodstains hard to catch with the color cloth he’d chosen.

I did it to survive, he was a stain on humanity, it was going to be someone, better him than an innocent...

So started the rationalization to help ease the guilt, except this time he couldn’t get the looks in their eyes out of his head, and the many things he tried to tell himself weren’t sticking properly.

How far from human have I drifted?

*Reader’s POV*

You were at the mess hall table for hours, trying your damndest not to fall asleep while you waited for Levi. Sure, it wasn’t a guarantee that he was going to show up after the hunt since you’d simply made an offer for companionship if he wanted it, but you wanted to make sure you were here if he decided to take you up on the offer. As such, you kept getting up to make tea as a way to keep yourself awake, nibbling on a small loaf of bread you’d pilfered from the food storage. Picking at it kept your hands busy, and eating the tiny pieces gave you something to do besides stare blankly into the darkness.

You looked up sharply when you heard the door creak open, relieved to see it was, in fact, Levi who was walking inside, his eyes downcast, expression mostly hidden in darkness. He seemed to still be wearing what he’d been in when he left, cloak and all, as he walked past the table you were sitting at and into the back, likely to make himself a cup of tea before joining you. He didn’t acknowledge you in any way, though you knew he knew you were there.

You’d known this was going to be rough for him, but this was giving you a foreboding feeling in your gut.

After several minutes spent in silence, Levi reappeared with his cloak draped over one arm and his cup in hand, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table, almost at the other end. He set his cup down carefully against the table and laid the cloak on the back of the chair next to him, and now that he was within range of the light of the lamp you’d lit on the table, you could see a hole in his shirt around his upper chest.

“Did something happen?” you asked in concern, nodding towards the tear. Levi glanced down at the hole, taking a short sip from his tea.

“I got distracted,” he said bluntly, his voice quiet and hardly piercing the dark silence between the two of you. As the silence settled once more between the two of you, you gazed at him in concern, thinking about his slightly disheveled appearance, the solemn air around him, his quiet tone that lacked it’s usual snarky bite, the hollow look in his eyes, the way his shoulders seemed slightly hunched forward.

You were worried about him. No, worried wasn’t strong enough. You might have been on the brink of being afraid for him, with that look in his eyes.

Just when you thought you wouldn’t be able to take the depressing silence any longer, Levi finally spoke up, though his words did nothing to brighten the mood.

“I’m running out of things to tell myself.”

At first, his words didn’t make much sense. What was he talking about? You studied his face closely as he gazed into his cup, trying to discern his inner thoughts based off context clues. He had just come back from a hunt, and considering his stance on human life, his current attitude, and what made this one so different, you could come up with a few guesses.

He could be talking about how he saw himself after what happened, or about hunting in general. Having to go out regularly and find someone to kill in order to survive was no doubt taking a toll on him, even if he tried to make it less terrible by choosing to go after bad people.

Were the rationalizations for what he was doing not enough anymore?

Whatever it was, specifically, that he meant, he was in pain. Pain wasn’t the emotion he was wearing openly right now, but you were certain it was there, even if it was buried under the gloom and solemnness. And he was coming to you, now, like you’d offered. But what could you possibly offer him at a time like this to help ease that pain? He would be going back to repeat the process within the next week, with how unsustainable his current diet had become, and he would continue to go back to kill someone until he could switch to another method that ideally was less of a risk.

Not to mention, you had the feeling he didn’t want to talk about what happened down there tonight, if the look in his eyes was anything to go by.

You scooted down a seat so you were a little closer, the rustling of your movement loud in the silence before you settled down again, now within arm’s reach of Levi. He hadn’t looked up from his drink, yet, but you didn’t need him to, not right away. Carefully, you reached out and put your hand over his, feeling him twitch underneath you at the gentle, almost intimate gesture. You waited until he finally looked up at you, a question in his eyes at what you were doing, why you were touching him like this.

“I forgive you,” you told him sincerely, your words soft even in contrast to the silence of the room.

It was a bit of a switch after what he’d just stated. The only reason why your words weren’t confusing was because you both knew what you had to forgive him for. It might not necessarily have to do with what was on his mind right now, but it was one of the many weights dragging him down right now. If there was ever a time he needed to be free of it so he wouldn’t drown, it was now.

Levi’s eyes widened marginally, lips parting in surprise before his eyes darkened and dulled, and he looked away, hand starting to pull free from under yours. “Maybe you shouldn’t.”

“Maybe,” you admitted, reaching out to hold onto his hand a little more firmly before he could fully retreat, giving it a small squeeze of reassurance. “But I have. I’m the one who decides if I can forgive you or not, and I have. Not out of pity, either, so don’t get that twisted. I forgave you in my heart a while ago. I just needed to say it out loud.”

When Levi didn’t outwardly react, you pushed a little more, just to be sure that you were getting it through to him. Right now, you needed him to know that you forgave him. You needed him to know that you didn’t hold any malice in your heart for him after what happened.

“Levi...I forgive you,” you stressed to him quietly.

Levi cleared his throat, pulling his hand free of your grasp and using it to pick up his tea so you couldn’t grab his hand again.

You could tell him you forgave him all you wanted. That didn’t mean he could forgive himself and accept it, yet.

What the hell happened down there that had put Levi in this state? You were going to have to talk to Hange in the morning about this, if only so you could get on the same page as everyone else.

Once more the silence permeated the air around them, with you sitting quietly with Levi, concern for him growing stronger with every passing moment. When he was just about out of tea, you decided you needed to speak up before he had an excuse to leave before you could make a visible difference in his mood.

You didn’t expect to make him smile and laugh, but you at least didn’t want to feel that air of self-loathing hovering around him.

“Why don’t you tell me about your plan--the one so you don’t have to keep hunting in the Underground,” you suggested, a hand coming up to rest your head against.

“You already know it.”

“Tell me again, anyway.”

Maybe talking about what almost was, his alternative that would free him from killing people regularly, would help ease his mind, at least a little. He wasn’t the kind of person to let this body count go, but if he could be reminded by himself that it wasn’t going to last forever, maybe it would help to soothe his conscience.

Levi sighed, as if repeating himself was a great annoyance he would rather avoid. For a moment, you thought he would refuse, but thankfully he decided to humor you.

“I’ve been looking for people that no one listens to, that others write off as ‘crazy,’ or people who can’t say anything. If no one listens to them on a normal day, then no one is going to think anything of it if they ramble about some creature taking their blood. Especially if there’s no evidence to prove it’s happening. I’m learning to stop before killing someone and to be cleaner so I can feed off someone without leaving more than a bite mark or the ramblings of a crazy person behind as evidence. Since my blood can apparently heal someone without turning them into what I am, I can make the bite disappear by giving them a little blood. No one dies, no one that will be believed outs me, I stay fed and get a better quality blood in the process. That’s the theory, anyway. We won’t know until I try, and I can’t try until I can stop myself and feed without getting blood everywhere.”

“Do you already have some names?” you asked him, prompting him to keep talking and get his mind off the present by focusing how he was going to improve his situation in the future.

“Some. It’s mostly the elderly or the sick, considering what I’m looking for. You’d be surprised how few we actually have behind the walls.”

Now it was just a matter of him having enough control not to accidentally kill someone while feeding. You had the strong sense now wasn’t the time to be saying that out loud, though, so you kept that comment to yourself.

“Well, it sounds like you’re almost ready to start. It won’t be much longer, then,” you said instead, soft gaze still watching Levi’s features. He seemed to have grown slightly more at ease, as you’d hoped, but that grimness was still hanging over him.

His tea now finished, Levi got to his feet, gathering his stuff to clean up after himself before he finally met your gaze again, eyes softening slightly when he looked at you. “It’s late. Get some sleep,” he said simply before leaving you alone in the mess hall.

The next day, you were somehow the one to go to Hange first, between you and Levi. As such, you were able to get the story from her about what happened and just how...borderline personal this hunt became between the man’s begging and Levi playing with his food. His dark mood upon his return made more sense to you, now, and Hange was still coming to terms with what she'd seen.

"I knew what he was doing down there, we talk about it while trying to learn more about what he is all the time, but seeing it was…" Hange sought out the correct words for what she was trying to say, and after a few moments, you filled it in for her.

"Horrifying? Much more real? Made things more personal?"

"I felt like I was standing by watching and letting a Titan eat someone," Hange admitted quietly. "I know it's not quite the same, at least Levi actually needs to drink blood to survive, but--"

"The comparison is still there. Believe me, I know, I've thought of it a couple times myself. I'm sure Levi is well aware of the comparison, as well."

"The scariest part was how...casual he was about the whole thing after he got his hands on them. It was like he didn't even care. I know he's mentioned he gets lost in the feed, but it was scary seeing him enjoy it that much at one point."

No matter how they looked at it, once you stripped it down to the bare bones they still had stood by and let a civilian get ripped into and drained of blood--eaten--right in front of them, not even doing anything when the man pleaded with them for help and his life. The only consolation they could give themselves was the trust that Levi had picked someone who'd done something truly awful and wasn't some innocent plucked off the streets.

"Don't think that because he's able to distance himself and surrender to instinct in the moment that makes this any easier for him," you admonished. You weren't entirely sure if that was the direction Hange was going with this, that it was concern Levi might be losing a part of himself and his humanity, but you wanted to get ahead of that assumption before it could form, if that was the case. For Levi’s sake. Even if he was losing a part of himself, it wasn’t gone yet, and you were certain it could be restored if need be. "It still weighs on him when he gets back, probably kills him on the inside, not that Levi would ever be open about that part. I don't think he could do what he needed to survive if he didn't distance himself from his humanity while he hunts. The night he turned, he was talking about hating the thought of people dying so he could live. Even if we can't see it, I think it's taken a toll on him to go down there and feed, especially as often as he does, now."

"I know. I got so wrapped up in learning more about what he is now that I didn't fully realize how difficult certain parts had to be for Levi. I know better, now. It was a…" Hange sighed, shaking her head, "reality check, as you suggested it would be."

"And Erwin?"

Hange snorted. "Erwin is Erwin, as straight faced and silent on the matter as ever. Though, even he looked disturbed last night at what we saw."

"Do you think you'll treat him any differently? He's still Levi any other time."

Hange looked up at the ceiling, pondering your words. "I think I'll treat talking about his diet and hunting a little more seriously. And I think I have more respect for what you went through and how you still manage to see Levi. It might be strange for a few days, but I'll readjust. Erwin too, I suspect."

You nodded, feeling a bit of relief at her words. You weren’t sure how you would have felt if your pushing for them to face what happened to Levi had led to a division between them, but it wouldn’t have been pretty.

"Make sure Levi knows. He had to have been worried about how you two would see him after this."

Hange’s eyes closed, and she stayed where she was sitting with her head tilted up to the ceiling for several long moments, taking a deep breath before suddenly springing to her feet.

"Enough of the depressing stuff! There is now plenty to talk about and go over about what I was able to observe, and some theories that need confirming or fleshing out. Not to mention I've finally seen his change firsthand and can make a proper record of what it looks like."

Your lips quirked slightly towards a smile, leaning back in your seat. "We should probably get started on that, then."

(Three weeks later)

*Levi’s POV*

With his hood drawn and his mind focused to a razor’s edge on the task at hand, Levi walked through the dark streets of one of the many towns inside Wall Rose. He stuck to the shadows to lessen the chance of being seen, his footsteps only heard by his ears as he crept forward silently, following a predetermined route to the home that was his destination.

He had to dodge the occasional Garrison soldier, but he managed to make his trip without being spotted, coming to a stop in front of the three story apartment building and looking up at the window four down from the left. He took a moment to listen to the surrounding area, making sure there was no one around to witness what he was about to do. Once he was certain he was in the clear, Levi coiled, kicked off the ground with those new abilities of his, and leapt up to the window he’d been eyeing. His hand connected with the windowsill, allowing him to pull himself up and open the window, easily sliding inside with relative quiet. He couldn’t help the sound of the window opening, or the dull thud from the impact as he landed from his jump, but he could control what noise he made.

Leaving the window open in case he needed a quick escape, Levi straightened up from his crouched position in the bedroom, his hood having fallen away. He wasn’t too concerned about it, considering the only person in this room was the same person he’d marked as one of his...victims.

Shaking the thought from his mind, Levi went over to the side of the bed where he could see someone’s slumbering form. He stayed silent for now, listening to the rest of the apartment in case the caretaker was awake. So far, it was just him moving around. As long as he stayed quiet, and his quarry stayed quiet, he wouldn’t be discovered.

Continuing his quiet motions, Levi reached out and carefully touched the older gentleman’s shoulder, attempting to wake him.

Mostly for the sake of his own conscious, he was going to try and get consent before he tried drinking from anyone. Most of the people on his list probably were incapable of giving it or comprehending, but he was still going to make the effort. It was so different from what he’d been doing up until now, but at the same time, it was almost relieving.

The man stirred, shifting slightly in bed and opening his eyes to spy the strange dark figure standing beside his bed. His eyes went wide, mouth agape and arm stretching out as if to shoo him away, but the most sound he mustered was quiet croaks.

And this was why he was Levi’s first. He had the least chance of being discovered here, which meant it was the perfect place for his first try at this new diet.

Levi grasped the man’s wrist carefully, placing it over the man’s midriff as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “I’m not here to hurt you, not really,” Levi reassured him, his voice low to keep it from carrying out of the bedroom. “I’m here to ask you for something I need.”

The man stopped croaking and waving his arm around, but his eyes were still wide, following Levi’s every movement.

“I need your blood. Not enough to hurt you,” he amended when the man started to panic again. “I need it to live. I’ll take some from you, heal you, and leave. That’s all. You don’t have to do anything but lie there and try not to piss yourself.”

The man started to reach for a little bell on his nightstand, but Levi casually pushed it out of reach before the man could even get halfway there with his slow movements. “I’m going to do it whether you consent or not, but I’d rather you did.”

The man continued to grasp in vain at the bell, and Levi sighed, accepting that this one wasn’t going to give him any consent. Pulling the man’s arm back to the bed, Levi turned the man’s head to the side, ignoring the panicked croaks he was making as he lowered his mouth to this throat before the hunger even took over.

It would probably be better if the man didn’t have to see his fangs and the glow of his eyes in the darkness. He was well aware the sight was nightmare inducing, and he didn’t need to scare the older man any more than he already had.

Levi’s fangs dug into the man’s neck, a raspy whine escaping the man beneath him as fresh, clean blood rushed into his mouth. It tasted so much better than the shit below ground, that the world around him almost immediately bled away, eyes closed and body relaxing as he felt something truly sustaining rushing into his system. It wasn’t as good as Y/N’s blood, but it was definitely going to satiate him, and keep him satiated far longer than his Underground diet had been keeping him.

When he ended up taking a hard pull to keep the steady flow coming, Levi realized he’d hit the point he needed to stop. His hands dug into the bed, eyes squeezing tightly shut as he tried to pull away. It was so much easier to stop when he’d been drinking the tainted blood from before, which was saying something considering it took him so damn long to be able to stop at all.

Levi grunted, and through sheer force of will, he forced himself to release the man’s throat, pulling out his handkerchief and pressing it against the man’s neck for the time being, his tongue running across his lips to catch any stray blood.

Once he was certain he wasn’t going to attempt to attach himself to the man’s neck again, Levi put the man’s hand over the handkerchief to keep the pressure applied, pulling out a dagger he was keeping stashed on his person. He cut open his palm without flinching, hand curling into a fist to let the blood dribble down his hand and down against the man’s lips, into his mouth. It was dark, so ideally he couldn’t see what was being put to his mouth and would swallow reflexively, saving Levi the trouble of having to force him to drink a little of his blood in return.

A few moments later, the cut in his hand had healed, and Levi peeled back the handkerchief at the man’s neck to see that he was, in fact, healing, though it was happening slower than Levi’s injuries healed.

Taking back the handkerchief, Levi cleaned up what mess of blood he had made, which wasn’t much, thanks to his practice towards being neater when he drank. He stood up from the side of the bed, and picked up the bell he’d moved out of the man’s reach.

“You’ll be fine,” he told him bluntly, watching and waiting until the bite mark on the man’s neck had disappeared entirely before he placed the little bell back within the man’s reach. “I’ll be back, but not for a while.”

Levi pulled his hood back up as the man reached for his bell, crawling out of the window and sliding it shut behind him before disappearing into the night again.

Though he lingered to see if the bell would be rung, making sure that even though he’d chosen his newest victims for the fact they couldn’t raise the alarm about him, that the older man wouldn’t somehow find a way. The bell was rung, but the caretaker assumed the older man had simply had a nightmare, and Levi was free to disappear into the darkness to seek out the second and last house of the night.

Levi Tags: @clary-quinn @humanitys-hottestsoldier @whalerus @sunny-flo @thirstyforsometea

Vampire!Levi Tags: @mysteriousmagicx @thesilencebeforeastorm @super-peace-fangirl @psychiccvampire

Investment Tags: @regalillegal @cecldcecld @soft-levi-girl-blog @kitomashi @hurwen-calaeril @doragonraitoningu

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emcon-imagines · 4 years ago

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Hello! I am here for the shipping event ^^ May I please have a Gravity Falls ship with an additional parental figure? I'm a 19 trans man, I'm pan but I lean more towards dudes, I love drawing and embroidery. I come off as distant at first but once I'm close to someone I'm much more chatty and a lot brighter. I love folk music like The Oh Hellos and The Crane Wives. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I can get things done. I also get jealous pretty easily and have a bit of an anger issue. And I also really love pigs 🐷 Thank you so much for doing this 💕💕 With everything that's been going on, things have been literal hell for me but kind people like you going out of your way to cheer people up is just so touching. Thank you 😊💙

I hope you like it and that you’re doing well!! Sorry it took longer than I hoped, I was out all weekend hahaha

Best friend: Wendy Corduroy! I immediately thought of her and I feel like you two would get along SO WELL. Like... I felt this one so hard. I can picture you guys tearing up Gravity Falls together with her other friends, getting into trouble, sneaking into abandoned places, you name it. She’s probably asked you if you could embroider her patches for her clothes at least a few times, too. Wendy also gives me that folk-music-fan vibe too, so you guys would bond over that as well.

Love interest: Nate. Part of Wendy’s crew, bit of a himbo but we love him. This guy cracks me up and I feel like you two would have a blast together. I’m picturing quiet dates around Gravity Falls, definitely at the arcade or exploring the woods surrounding the town. Summer movie nights, too!

Enemy: Gideon. THIS GUY. I feel like you’d be pretty determined, along with the rest of the Mystery team, to bust him and expose him for what he is. You and the others have a ton of inside jokes about him, because it’s much easier to defeat an enemy when you can laugh about him.

Parental figure: Stanford Pines. You were probably friends with Mabel and Dipper first (and of course Waddles!) and Stanford probably took you under his wing like with Soos or Wendy like “ok I have another nephew!” I mean, the dude’s weird but he really does look out for you and wants to make sure you’re happy. You’ve probably slept over at the Shack a few times with the rest of the crew and Stan’s recruited you for a job around the place maybe as security hahaha once Gideon shows up on the scene.

#Anonymous #election 2020 ships

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believingispowerfulmagic · 4 years ago

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Comfort Food - “Surviving Quarantine”

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Robin and Regina shouted with the rest of the family. They then cheered and Henry clapped from his father's lap, kicking his little legs as well. At seven months, Regina knew he didn't really understand what was going on and was just reacting to the happiness around him.

On screen, Grandpa Roland blew out the candles on his cake as the rest of the Locksley clan surrounded him in little squares. When the last candle went out, Grandma Ellie handed him the knife. "Time to cut the cake," she said.

"Should I just cut it down the middle? It's just the two of us after all, though I hope you all followed my instructions to have cake yourselves," Roland said, trying to look at every box he could.

Many of the Locksleys held up their own cakes, assuring their patriarch that they followed his request. Robin smiled as he bounced Henry. "It's a bit early for dessert here but Regina's made us cupcakes to share in your honor," he assured his grandfather.

"It's almost dinner time there, darling," Ellie reminded her husband. "And you need to cut a small piece. This is no excuse to be a pig."

He rolled his eyes but did as she asked, setting a small slice on his plate. Grandpa Roland cut another slice and put it on Ellie's plate before looking up. "Well, I guess you two can be excused. Or is it three?"

"Henry's still too young for cake," Ellie told him.

"We'll make sure he gets a treat of his own," Robin assured his grandfather, bouncing Henry again and drawing a peal of laughter from the baby boy. It certainly lifted his spirits.

Roland smiled before it faltered. "I wish you all could be here with me."

"So do we," Anne replied, "but this is the safest for all of us."

"We'll be together again soon," Ryan added.

Ellie nodded. "Exactly."

"And until then, this is all for me," Roland said, pulling the dish with the cake on it closer to him. His wife swatted his arms away before taking the dish somewhere else as the family laughed, knowing their patriarch was going to do everything he could to sneak slices of that cake behind Grandma Ellie's back.

Roland sighed before looking into the camera again. "Okay, let me say a few words to each of my great-grandchildren."

He went through each one, having a quick conversation with each of them before telling them he loved them. At last, Roland got back to Robin and Regina. "And now my newest great-grandson, Henry," he said fondly.

"Right here," Robin replied, lifting Henry up a bit more so he was centered in the video. Regina reached over and waved their son's hand for him.

Roland chuckled, waving back at the baby. "I know this was supposed to be your first trip here to England and while we're sad we can see you yet, you're always on our minds. Grandma Ellie and I love you, Henry, and we'll see you soon."

"We love you too," Robin told them. "And we miss you."

"Alright, it looks like our time is coming to an end for now. We'll arrange another Zoom call soon," Anne said. Everyone said their goodbyes before they all disappeared from the screen one by one.

Sadness filled Robin as each of his relatives blinked away. He held on as long as he could but the meeting just ended, closing his eyes as he fought tears. While part of him knew the quarantine was going to be hard, he just didn't imagine it would hurt this much.

"Why don't I take Henry?" Regina asked softly. "You look like you could use some time to yourself."

He opened his eyes to find sympathy in her eyes. She understood what he was feeling and what he needed. Robin swallowed before kissing the top of his son's head. He then handed Henry to Regina. "I'm going to take Queen for a walk," he said.

She nodded, bouncing Henry as she handed him his favorite set of plastic keys. "Take however long you need," she told him. "Just be careful."

"I will," he assured her, kissing her cheek.

He walked into the living room and Queen lifted her head as she laid curled up on her favorite chair. Robin smiled at her and motioned to the door with his head. "Come on, girl. Time for a walk."

Queen eagerly jumped off the chair and ran to the door, her tail wagging. She jumped up on him as he got down her harness and squirmed happily as he put the pink harness on her. Once it was snapped into place, Robin grabbed the matching leash and clipped it to the harness. He put on his sneakers and coat before opening the door and guiding Her Majesty onto the porch.

Robin took a moment to breathe in the fresh and brisk air before walking with Queen down the porch steps and out of their yard. He turned right, heading to a nearby park, and then let his mind start wander.

It still amazed him how fast the world had changed. To him, it seemed like he had just heard about a coronavirus emerging in China and then he was shutting down his business to help stop its spread in Avalon and Storybrooke. Yet he also knew it had taken longer than the blink of an eye as he had anxiously watched the news and worried about his plans to travel to England with Regina and Henry. As Italy began to shut down, he and Regina had made the painful decision to cancel their trip. The extended Locksley clan would just have to wait a bit longer to finally meet Henry properly.

They just didn't know when that would be.

And the uncertainty made everything just so much worse.

Robin usually was a go-with-the-flow person. He didn't stress too much and easily adapted, more than his wife. But this was too much for even him. They had no end date for when all these measures to protect against the pandemic would be lifted and his business was on the line more than it had ever been, even during the recession.

While they had lost clients because they had no longer been able to pay for the Merry Men's services, Robin and his crews hadn't been banned from working like were now.

And while he worried about his business and his staff, right now he was more pained over having to be separated from his family. He loved his annual trip to England and he knew Regina did too. They loved being around the Locksleys and it hurt not to see all of them at that time. He was also painfully aware that his grandfather didn't have many birthdays left and so he hated to miss even one.

It could be his last.

Or it could be Grandma Ellie's last. Both were close in age and he always believed that they would go together, unable to be parted for long.

Queen let out a little bark, alerting him that they had nearly walked past the park. He sighed, crouching down to pat her head. "Sorry, girl. Guess I was in my own world," he told her.

She let out a happy bark, her tail wagging. He stood up and they started down one of their favorite paths. They didn't get too far before a police officer approached them, his hand up. Robin came to a stop, frowning.

"Sorry, sir, but all parks have been closed by order of the mayor," the officer explained. "Too many people were congregating in them and creating a great public risk."

Robin sighed, nodding. "Alright. Thank you."

He tugged on Queen's leash and started walking back to the park's entrance. "Sorry, girl. We need to walk somewhere else."

She let out a little whine and he sighed again, understanding her. "I know, Queen, but this virus has changed a lot. We all just have to adapt – whether we want to or not."

They returned to the street and Robin guided Queen down a different way. "Well, I guess a positive is that we can explore a little bit more. Come on, girl."

Queen looked at the park before following him down the street. He was going to find some new walking paths for him and Queen as he had a feeling this quarantine was going to go one for a long time.

Just perfect.

************************************************************************************

"Here you go, Henry," Regina said, settling her son into his highchair. She placed some cereal in front of him to keep himself busy.

As he ate the cereal, she pulled out a box of macaroni and cheese. She had considered making his grandmother's shepherd's pie for Robin but decided that he needed their ultimate comfort food more at that moment. Regina hummed as she began making it, keeping an eye on the clock.

Robin had been gone for over an hour.

She tried not to worry, knowing he needed to clear his head. Cancelling their annual trip to England had been hard for both of him but especially him. It was important for him to see his family whenever he could and he had been so excited to finally introduce Henry to all his aunts, uncles and cousins. She had been excited too – especially to see Lucy and Daisy with their new cousin – but she knew they just had to wait.

The quarantine and travel restrictions were worse for Robin as he was an entire ocean away from his family but she was feeling them too. She had invited her mother to come stay with them for the duration of the stay at home orders but Cora had already invited Granny to stay with her. Regina was glad her mother wasn't alone but felt sad that she couldn't see her for an indefinite period of time. Like Robin, she also could only talk to her mother and grandaunt by video.

So she understood Robin's pain and understood why he needed some time for himself after their call to England. But it didn't mean she couldn't start to worry the longer he stayed out – especially with a virus terrorizing all of humanity. As she stirred the macaroni and cheese, she eyed her phone. Maybe it was time to text him, to make sure he was okay…

The front door opened and closed. A few moments later, Queen's nails clicked against the floor as she entered the kitchen. She sat at Regina's feet, waiting her usual post-walk treat. Relief filled Regina as she gave it to the dog, glad her husband was finally home.

Robin entered the kitchen and gave her a kiss. She felt how cold he was and frowned. "You were out longer than I expected."

"I'm sorry," he said, sheepish. "The mayor has closed the parks so Queen and I had to find some place new to walk. I'm afraid I got turned around trying to get home."

She chuckled, glad there was a rather innocent reason for why he was out so late. "Well, I guess you'll really know our neighborhood by the time this is all over."

He laughed, nodding. "Probably."

Robin stepped closer, smiling when he saw what she was making. "Mac and cheese?"

"I thought you could use it," she told him, giving him a soft smile. "Today is a hard day."

"It is. Thank you," he replied, kissing her cheek. "I'll set the table."

She thanked him as she poured the mac and cheese into a bowl. Regina carried it over to the table and set it there before turning back to Henry. "How are you doing, sweetheart? Do you need some more snacks?" she asked him.

Henry laughed, banging his hand against the tray. She chuckled, giving him a few more pieces to eat before taking her seat along with Robin. Even if they were stuck at home, she was glad she was stuck with them.

Continue reading on FFN, AO3 or Wattpad

#once upon a time #outlaw queen #oq au #oq ff #comfort food

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aloeveraspeaks · 5 years ago

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Something Sweet (Part 1)

A/N: This is a short I’ve been working on and it’s longer than I intended but it’s basically what happened in FPA cooking club before it was set on fire on the first day.

Nanda walked into the cooking club room to see if anyone was in there, “Hi?” she asked hesitantly. Receiving no response Nanda decides to sit down in a nearby chair and draw. A few minutes later Coraline waltzes into the room with an apron and a cat paw oven mitt in hand. She notices Nanda and decides to introduce herself.

“Hello, I’m Coraline! What’s your name?” She chirps.

Tika notices Coraline wander in, she’s curious as to what she’s doing so she follows her into the room.

Adrien checks their watch as they sprint down the hallway. They’re late for their club, so they round the corner and jump into the room. Out of breath they burst out, “Sorry for being late! I hope we can still get stated on baking.”

Akaiif wanders into the room seeming to be looking for something. “Hm? Hello?” They take a step in.

“I really should think about getting here earlier.” Adrien sighs. He heads to the back of the room pocketing a note from Aloe with some vegetables from gardening club. He chuckles at whatever the note said as he begins to put everything away. Then he turns to greet the others.

“Do you need something?” Coraline asks Akaiif with a friendly smile.

“I was just looking around the school, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.” They look around once more. “Are you part of the cooking club?”

Coraline nods, “Yup! Not freshly new, I’ve been in this club since last year.”

“Ohhh, I think I saw you last year… anyways, I’m Akaiif.” They move in more to sit down at a table.

Adrien goes up to address the two, “Are you joining the club today Akaiif?”

“Oh no I actually used to come here to talk to the teach since he got handy tips on cooking. I’m already a part of a different club though.”

“Oh that’s alright! You can still join us for today if you’d like.” Adrian smiles kindly, “we’re not doing much today, just baking cookies, but it should still be fun!”

“How delightful!” Akaiif responds, “I wouldn’t mind helping, but I don’t think I’ll be eating cookies anytime soon.” They point to their mouth, it seems to be covered in duct tape.

Nanda finally notices the others, she must’ve gotten absorbed into her sketching. “Oh hi guys. I’m Ananda but you can call me Nanda. Nice to meet you!”

At this point Aloe walks into the room to see if anyone got the vegetables, “Hello!” She greets noticing everyone in the club. She glances to Adrian.

Akaiif waves to Nanda and Aloe, “Hello.”

Afrien loked a bit confused, but he didn’t want to ask about the duct tape so he turns his attention to Aloe, “Ah Aloe, Hello there!”

“What’re you guys making?” Aloe asks.

“Cookies!” Adrian respinds gleefully practically bouncing wih excitement, “what are you doing here roomie? Plan to join us too?”

Akaiff got up and put on an Apron. Aloe joined them, “Sure why not.” She responded. “I was actually just coming to see if you got the ingredients.”

“You two have the right idea! Everyone put on your aprons, while I search for the recipe I found.” Adrien pulls a stack of paper from his bag and ruffles through them.

“Mind if I join?” Tika asks, “I’ve been wandering in and out for an hour, not gonna lie.”

Adrian nods, “Anyone is allowed to join, cooking is more fun as a group!” He hands out the recipe for raspberry thumb print cookies then puts on an apron.

“I can help bake! Thanks!” Tika says.

“I believe Mr.Hour puts the flour here.” Akaiif opens a cabinet and grabs some flour.

“I actually might need some help.” Tika laughs nervously.

“That’s alright, you don’t need to know how to cook, any of us can help.”

“Thank you! You’re so Sweet.” Tika replies.

“I think Mr. Hour keeps the jam in the fridge let me get it.” Aloe says rushing to the fridge to pull out the ingredient.

“Oooh I’ve never had these.” Nanda says having finished reading the recipe. She put on an apron.

“I try.” Adrian replies to Tika, as he sets his recipe on the table and grabs the sugar. “The cookies are really good, trust me.”

“All cookies are good don’t worry.”

“Thumbprint cookies can be amazing as long as you bake them right, I once had a batch with too much salt and it was gross.” Aloe chimes in.

“Aloe is right.” Adrian agrees.

Akaiif looks into the counters grabbing a bowl, rolling pin, and cookie cutters. “alright I got these things.”

“Um anything easy I can help make? I’m good with knives and Sh*t.”

“Good job, I fon;t know if we’ll need the rolling pin or cookie cutters but I hink it might be interesting to try making the cookies in special shapes!” Adrian smiled, “The fun of cooking is trying things out.”

Akaiif turns to Tika and sarcastically says, “Depends, can you cut out a cookie by using a knife?”

“Yea probably.”

“How about we do star shapes for some.” Aloe suggests as Adrian skillfully mixes the ingredients together.”

“Oooh! I can cut the school logo on others!” Tika adds.

“Star shapes seem pretty cute.” Akaiif nods and says as Adrian speaks.

“Star shapes sound cute I like that.”

Aloe chuckles at how in unison they were.

“Yeah, Ooh wait do you guys like my nails? I got them done in the bathroom on the third floor.” She sticks out her hand.

“The school logo would be a great idea!” Akaiif says helping to mix.

“Well, make sure none of the nail polish gets in the cookies!” Adrian warned half serious half joking.

“Don’t worry, not gonna be a problem.”

“We should do each of the house logos too!” Aloe suggests again.

“Yeah, I got ideas in mind let me just pull the logos up on my phone.” Tika replies.

“That’s nice.” Akaiif said as they looked over the recipe.

“Let me turn on the over.” Aloe says as they turn it to the temperature directed. She smiles satisfied with it as Akaiif pours the dough onto the counter. Adrian rolls it out then Tika gets ready to cut it.

Tika cuts the dough into shapes with a thing knife, “Is this good?”

“Yeah! Great, thanks!”

“Hello…! Can I join? Library was boring because no one wants to join in.” Alyssya peeks through the door shyly. She has to know what the equipment the group has so she can use it at about three am in the morning secretly

“I think the logo cookies would also be nice to thank our teachers for all their hard work!” Adrian said, “We should also make bells, to thank Mr. Hour for letting us destroy his kitchen every afternoon.” He laughed nervously.

“Pretty good.” Akaiif compliments leaning over Tika’s shoulder.

“No problem! Yeah that’s a great idea! We can drop off a batch at the office, and hey there. Of course you can join!”

“Yup, anyone is allowed to join us.” Adrian chimes in.

Tika finishes cutting up a batch, and goes over to the pantry. “Does anyone mind if I make some tea to go with the cookies?”

“Thanks!” Alyssya replies, “I kinda have to make a custom breakfast for my dorm mates.”

“Oh cool. What kind?” Tika asks, making the tea despite not receiving a response.

“That’s nice.” Akaiff adds.

“How nice of you! Your roommates must be lucky to have you.”

Akaiff starts cutting some dough to make some cookies too. Tika twirls a knife in her hand while waiting for the kettle to sound, “So how many batches are we making?”

“I’ll have to do that for you and Ella sometime Adrian.” Aloe Jokes fondly nudging him in the shoulder.

“Lucky, I’d say no? I love mothering a lot of people so…” Alyssya puts her bag down obviously filled with math text books.

Adrian chuckled at Aloe, “You better.” He then turns to Tika, “we don’t have to make too many batches. We can’t overbake again or else Mr. Hour will have my head.” He says dramatically.

“I mean… The more the merrier?” Tika suggests.

“We can pass out the extras to the students!” Aloe chimes in.

“Yeah… true.” Adrian says thoughtfully. “I’m sure people would love our baking.”

“I can give some to student council.”

Akaiif starts putting the cookies into rows on a baking pan. “Has anyone finished any cookies? I’m ready to put some in the oven.”

“Go ahead and put the cookies you’ve finished in the oven, we’ll catch up to you!” Adrian says.

“Alright.” Akaiif replies putting them in then setting a timer. They’re about to close the over when Aloe speaks up.

“Wait!” She shouts, “Let me put mine in too!” She quickly runs over with the cookies on a pan and shoves them in closing the oven.

“I’m mostly Chaotic at day! After all, I am the Dermit cult leader with… uh… hahaha…” Alyssya seems nervous like she’s not supposed to say a word, “Anyways what can I help y’all with.”

“Alright two batches in the oven.”

“I’m usually very chaotic, but like… student council and sh*t. Also baking is so domestic you legit can not be chaotic with this.” Tika replies.

“Oh trust me, you can.” Aloe laughs.

“I guess since we’re handing some out to the students you can start your own batch of cookies if you’d like!” Adrian replies, smiling and holding out a recipe.

“Well fair.” Tika replies, “but I’m too tired to set anything on fire right now and I’ve already stabbed a lot of dough.”

“Relatable.” Akaiif looks at the timer, “5 more minutes.”

“Alright, I think I will make brownies! …Which is totally different from cookies but whatever! Everyone loves brownies!” Alyssya took her oversized jacket off and tied it around her waist. She rolls up her sleeves and begins measuring out the ingredients she will need.

“So what do we do while we wait, guys?” Aloe asks.

“Sure, brownies sound good too, but don’t make too much of a mess!”

“Hmmm…. I don’t know.” Akaiif sat down thinking.

“20 questions?” Aloe suggests.

“Sounds fun!” Adrian agrees

“I’m up for anything.” Alyssya says sifting flour.

“Okay then I’ll start.” Aloe says pausing for a second, “Would you rather be a pig or a cow?”

#FPA #Fanplan #fanplan academy #fanplan academy (tumblr ver.)#fanplan academy discord

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valasania-the-pale · 5 years ago

Text

The Last Rose - Chapter Three

Sorry for the delay, college decided to be a bit of a pain in the ass these last few weeks. Hope you all enjoy, please read and leave a review!

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, I'm just playing in the sandbox.

X_0_X

Her Uncle leaned on Harbinger, the weapon transformed into its scythe configuration. The snath didn’t even bend underneath his not-inconsiderable mass, such was the skill that had gone into its construction. “So, kiddo. You’ve got your pig-sticker. And you’ve got me out here to teach you how to use it.” His head tilted to the side. “Do you even know what you’re asking?”

“I know, Uncle Qrow,” Ruby would not be deterred.

She had the will, she had the means, and now she had the weapon to match. She would have her teacher if she had to beg on her knees for it.

She twirled her newly-completed scythe – still no name, she hadn’t though of something fitting yet – and waited, hoping he would see something in her that would ease the thoughtful furrow of his brow.

“Heh…” he took a swig from his flask.

Ruby’s nose wrinkled in disgust as the stench prickled her senses.

“You’ve got the moxie for it too, I guess,” he chuckled, finally, his hard red eyes observing her silver, reading her. “But that ain’t the question I’m asking. Why do you want to be a huntress, Ruby? Honest answer here, this isn’t a fairy tale or some kid’s story – why should I teach you how to wield that thing?”

…

I want to help people – I’ve always wanted to help people.

To be the hero in the stories, slaying monsters, saving the day and bringing hope to a world where hope is fragile.

I want to be like my mom was, before she died. Or my dad was, before depression started eating him alive. Or even my uncle, before he started hiding from his demons in the depths of a bottle.

Being a hero… being the best person I can be - that is the standard I’ve tried to live by throughout my entire career from start to finish.

Unfortunately, slaying monsters is the easy part. I’ve never been very good at helping myself.

X_0_X

“Are you waiting for the ball to grow legs and move itself, Yatsu?” Velvet Scarlatina playfully called from her seat.

The imposing huntsman rolled his eyes at her, still circling the pool table to find the perfect vantage point for his next move. He’d done the same thing the last time it had been his turn, and the one before that – Velvet figured that if he’d been the one to break, he’d have considered his options for several minutes there as well.

Coco nudged her from the side, smirking overly wide when Velvet glanced over. Velvet sniffed. Bitch. So what if she’d drawn the short straw when it came to teams? Fox didn’t waste his time pretending to know what he was doing, sure, but he couldn’t predict shots for shit…

Finally finding his angle, Yatsuhashi leaned over the table, pool cue in hand. Velvet’s lips quirked up at the sight; the man was so big, his shadow covered nearly half the table.

“Don’t you dare start chalking up again, Yatsu,” Coco snarked.

“Impatience is no virtue, Coco.” The giant of a man didn’t even seem phased by her taunt.

He drew back, and the satisfying clack of colliding stone filled the air. “He’s going to sink one of ours, Vel,” Coco observed.

“Shut up! He is not!”

Seconds later and one enemy three-ball pocketed, Coco grinned smugly and sashayed over to claim her spot around the table. Long ears falling flat over her head, Velvet commiserated with her teammate as he plunked down into Coco’s chair.

“It’s alright, Yatsu. You know she just makes us play ‘cause she knows we all suck at this game.” She patted him on his heavy shoulder.

Yatsuhashi merely pouted.

Fox grinned widely at the two from his table, sketching away in his journal. Probably working on his shading again… He tried so hard to be the team’s cartographer-slash-chronicler, but if Velvet was being brutally honest, he wasn’t very good at it.

Well, maybe even that was too nice. Fox just kind of sucked at drawing, not that anyone was terribly surprised. Nobody else wanted to do it though, and he lost that bet with Yatsuhashi, who got tricked into it by Coco, so it was his job now.

What was it that Oobleck had called them when they showed up for class with half-baked sketches for their homework? ‘Functionally cooperative?’

Didn’t matter. Fox could smirk all he wanted. She was still the best at rhythm games by far, not this stupid bar game.

As Coco leaned over to take her shot, mouth thinning into a tight line, Velvet perked up as the door to the door loudly slid open – a stone-faced Mistral official marched in, barely pausing to shut it behind him.

That usually wasn’t good – this bar was well-known for the huntsmen that frequented it. If Mistral was bothering them this late at night, it meant something important was afoot. Her chocolate colored eyes flickered over the various faces throughout the room. Huntsmen, huntresses, some of them here in teams and some alone.

Perhaps two dozen wary eyes fixed on the official, measuring, anticipating what trouble he’d bring to their lives today.

Coco plopped herself down in her seat as her streak came to an end, handing off her cue to Velvet. Her interest waned quickly as she returned her attention to the table, now several solids short of where it had been a minute ago.

Damnit Coco…

At the bar, the owner was in deep, rapid conversation with the official. She tuned them out. They’d probably make an announcement to the bar in a second.

Velvet drew her arm back, tongue stuck out the corner of her mouth. She’d been left an easy opening this time – she could make this, sure thing.

“You said Ruby Rose?”

Mid-thrust, Velvet jerked. The cue ball clacked against the bumper, sailed off into the wrong direction and soundly pocketed the eight ball. She blinked, momentarily astounded by her bad luck - She wasn’t that bad at pool! – before whirling around to pay much closer attention to the exchange.

The barkeep was pale – well, paler than usual. Mistrallans didn’t usually have much color to begin with this far north… His hands wrung together, face a scrunched up, mess of worry. All around, the other huntsmen watched with carefully guarded interest.

They all knew Ruby. Who didn’t? The little reaper had a reputation, after all. Everything she was involved in either made for great stories, or great trouble. That was also to say nothing of the fact that she was probably on friendly terms with almost everyone in the room.

Another moment passed before the official finally cottoned onto the attention he’d drawn. He shot a questioning look at the barkeep. Getting a nod in return, the man stepped forward.

“Huntsmen, you know that the Mistral Council prefers not to interrupt your valued time between assignments,” he began, voice raised despite the entire room falling silent to listen. “Unfortunately, a situation has arisen that necessitates our action.”

The man pulled a sleek-looking scroll from his pocket and handed it to the barkeep. “Hours ago, one of our airships returned from an assignment down south without the two huntsmen it was supposed to be retrieving, as well as one of its pilots. The remaining operator has provided us with footage of why this is.”

A large holographic screen appeared off to the side – specifically installed for these sorts of situations. Velvet glanced at her team apprehensively while they waited for the image to buffer.

Yatsuhashi and Fox wore identical grim expressions, leaning forward in their seats with hands held stiffly in their laps. Fox’s fingers twitched erratically as he restrained his need to move and be active. Coco merely leaned back in her own chair, arms crossed behind her head and features perfectly blank.

Velvet squirmed. How was Ruby caught up in this? She’d heard her friend had been taking smaller missions lately. Nothing that should lead to the Council’s intervention.

The image finally loaded, the feed grainy and indistinct.

Whatever camera it came from was obviously loaded onto some sort of drone – Fox usually carried theirs around when they chose to use it. The perspective constantly vibrated and shifted as the wind picked up and changed directions.

A village in flames. Smoke rising from the ruins, masking most of the scene. What little was visible was hellish – houses crumbling under their own weight as support beams charred through and dissolved, broken stone toppling over, and the aside from the flames devouring everything in reach, a dreadful stillness unnatural for the relatively large settlement.

But then a tiny figure in a distinctive scarlet, hooded cloak stepped into the large open courtyard, carrying a scythe longer than they were tall.

Velvet felt her lips press into a line, fingers clenching the arms of her chair. Ruby.

Something else entered the frame – previously covered by the smoke. She had to restrain herself from blanching. Grimm that large were extremely rare, and often frighteningly powerful. The picture was so bad she couldn’t quite tell what its species was, but the thick armor distributed around its body was more than enough to confirm her fears.

An Ancient had surfaced in Mistral.

And Ruby was going to fight it. Had fought it already.

Velvet hoped her friend had better sense than that and ran.

The bar was mostly silent, save for the hushed whispers making the rounds as huntsmen moved toward their teams. Already, there were plans circulating. How to kill such a powerful specimen of Grimm, what sort of weapons would be needed. Rumors as well, abilities, its species, strengths, weaknesses. All things huntsmen would want to know.

In the video, the drone hovered, getting as clear an image as it could as Ruby faced off with the beast.

‘Oh dust, this has to have happened hours ago. Is she alright? Is she even alive?’

Ruby suddenly vanished, becoming nothing but a faint scarlet blur. Her scythe slashed at the Ancient, once, twice - three times to stave off an angry swipe, and then the huntress was backing away to avoid further retaliation, then turning into a whirlwind of blurring steel and rose petals. Velvet grimaced at the sight. The beast was barely fazed by the assault… Ruby was so tiny compared to it…

Velvet’s heart skipped a beat as Ruby abruptly froze in place, her legs anchored to the ground by something shadowy – what the hell were they? Some sort of subterranean Grimm? She freed herself swiftly, but Ruby had nowhere to escape as the Ancient bore down on her.

“No…” she whispered as Ruby’s hasty escape attempt was brutally punished. The camera suddenly panned away toward an approaching airship, just too slow to hide the distinctive flare-and-flicker of scarlet light around Ruby as she crashed into a crumbling house.

“The video was taken by one Bai Long,” the official spoke up once the video ended. “He had time to transmit the feed to the airship before he and his partner, Reed Bryce joined the huntress in the fight. Though it has yet to be officially confirmed, it is highly likely that she is indeed Ruby Rose – her last mission puts her near the area, and the appearances match up.”

“The Council believes that thing is Ancient?” A dark-haired huntsman spoke up from a booth on the other side of the room. His face was inscrutable.

“Correct. The Huntsmen’s Guild has already issued a Class Eight Search and Destroy mission, if Miss Rose and Misters Long and Bryce have not already eliminated it.”

“That thing isn’t going down without planning and firepower.” Another huntress leaned forward. “I know Bai and Reed – they’re strong, but even with the Reaper’s help they’re not going to kill an Ancient in one go.”

“How many teams is the mission asking for? Or is it solo?”

“Fuck the mission board, anyone who thinks that one team is going to be enough to kill that thing is suicidal.”

Velvet tuned out from the conversation, pulse speeding up to match her rising anxiety. The game was forgotten behind her as she rose to her feet and gracefully wove her way between several tables.

With huntsmen now looking at their scrolls for more details or huddling together to discuss the assignment, the Mistrallan official now sat down tiredly at the bar to nurse a glass of gin. Velvet cleared her throat anxiously to catch his attention.

Two sets of eyes, one set and tired, the other flecked by worry, locked onto her. Deep breaths Velvet, these people aren’t going to yell or laugh at you…

“Yes, Miss…?”

“Scarlatina,” she answered, shelving her worry. She was a huntress, damnit. “I was wondering if there was anything more you could tell me about Ruby?”

“Nothing much to say, unfortunately,” the official admitted. “We have only that footage to go off of. Huntsman Long took his drone with him into the fight, and our airships have limited range, to say nothing of the smoke covering up everything.”

The barkeep cut in, staring at Velvet. “You don’t think she was seriously hurt, do you?”

She belatedly realized that showing so much visible worry probably didn’t give the man much hope for Ruby’s wellbeing – she’d know better than he after all, being a huntress herself.

“I… no, I don’t think so,” she said, forcing her hands to relax. “But I can’t say for sure. That was a pretty bad hit and seeing her aura flicker like that isn’t good. If Ruby got away fast enough she’ll be fine.”

The man looked troubled.

Curiosity flared. Velvet had to ask. “Do you know her?”

“Ruby?” He seemed surprised. “‘Course. I swear, that girl is the only one who remembers my name sometimes. Probably helps that she never orders anything that’ll make her forget it, but still.” The man scowled. “’Sides, I served her uncle more times than I can count. Heard stories about her for years from him, before he dropped off the map.”

“Oh.” Velvet suddenly realized she had no idea what the man’s name was, despite frequenting the bar for several years. “I… uh. I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”

Was she supposed to ask his name now? She could write it down for the future – but didn’t that defeat the purpose of remembering it anyways, since she’d just be chea- no! She had a reason for coming over here!

“Right,” Velvet shook off the mental tangent and met the official’s grey eyes. “Is there anything being done to retrieve Ruby and the others, then?”

He nodded. “Search and Rescue mission. Class five, given how dangerous the Grimm is supposed to be. Almost got ranked higher, but you wouldn’t be asked to fight anyways, just get them out.”

His lips pursed. “To be honest, the Council doesn’t have high hopes for their survival unless they got away as quickly as possible. The mission is unclaimed though – there’s already an airship getting itself ready for departure in a few hours.”

Velvet nodded rapidly. “I – We, I need to go talk to my team about it real fast, just wait here.”

“Don’t worry about it, Vel.”

She twisted on the spot. Coco’s shades had slid down her nose, warm brown eyes crinkling sympathetically at her as the fashionista cocked her hip just slightly to the side. “You don’t really think we’d pass this up when it means so much to you, hm?”

She flushed. “I, well, thought you’d be excited to go on a mission to kill an Ancient, you know?” the faunus stammered.

Coco sniffed. “There’ll always be Ancients. Friends are a bit more important than that – and Ruby’s a friend, even if she hates going clothes shopping with us.”

“I’ll go get our stuff ready!” Fox called over, picking up on their intent. He was already jogging toward the door.

Yatsuhashi merely nodded to her from his seat, sending her an encouraging thumbs-up as an afterthought.

Velvet could feel her heart warm, filled to bursting with her gratitude. “Thanks Coco,” she said in a tiny voice. Her partner smirked.

“Anytime, Vel. But. You owe me another game of pool – a full game, so I can kick your cute little ass as thoroughly as it deserves.”

“I don’t suck that badly at pool!”

“I guess you’ll just have to proooove it~”

It was several minutes before their squabbling could come to an end – Coco efficiently moving through the mission sign-up provided by the official while deftly countering each and every protest Velvet made. When they finished, Yatsuhashi joining them in the process, they left quickly, Velvet’s smile just a bit wider around the edges after the barkeep waived their tab for the night.

It didn’t do much to assuage her nervousness and worry – and by the pallor he carried, the man felt the same – but it was a kindness.

Her eyes closed briefly as she pulled on her huntress’ garb, willing her thoughts to reach her friend.

‘We’re coming, Ruby.’

X_0_X

The village burned below her CORPSES littering the ground, battered, lifeless, bloody puddles EVERYWHERE. Fire, always hungry, raced through the crippled settlement, devouring everything in reach as creatures of GRIMM roamed freely through the village.

A twist of the hand. A finger on the trigger, pulling, letting gravity pull her to the ground as her now-bisected mount tumbled through the air. She landed on her feet, crushed stone rattling across the cobblestone, scythe held tightly in her hands.

EYES. Burning red eyes, all trained on her. The Grimm surged forward, Crescent Rose slashing slicing dicing Grimmflesh like it was nothing, THEY were nothing and deserved her fury for what they’d DONE here. With every kill she felt the fire burn brighter within her. She would AVENGE them all reap the soulless beings who had KILLED all these people and introduce HER own justice to this eternal conflict.

The village burned. It shook. A new foe appeared. Fire licked her as the Berengal threw her away. Eating at her. Her legs. She burned. Something was WRONG. Why did it hurt so much…? This hadn’t happened before the world was shaking whywasthisnothappeninglikeshereme-

“Huntress! Wake, please!”

Ruby surged awake with a gasp, body still aflame with the dream.

All was quiet save for the merrily crackling fire just a few feet away. For a brief moment she stared, looking back in time to see the shapes crumpled amongst the ashes. Faces twisted in a gruesome rictus. Darkness amidst the surging light, bright embers substituting for hateful eyes.

She shook her head thoroughly, grimacing as her leg pulsed angrily where the poison ate into her flesh.

“Miss Rose?”

Right. Her companion.

“Is something wrong?” she asked warily.

He certainly looked like something was wrong. Shoulders tense, arms held tightly to his sides, the pilot – Kohroku, he’d told her - exuded nervousness tangible enough that the hair on her arms prickled up instinctively.

“The howling. It has been growing louder and closer,” he said, a deep frown on his face.

Ruby sat up. Their flight from Horikiri had already been troubled enough by the Colossus, what with the vines erupting at random from the ground to attack them. While before they’d been a nuisance – tools used and thrown away to delay or distract her from the more important danger the Grimm itself posed – without her aura protecting her she was hard pressed to avoid having her legs snared and crushed by their powerful grip.

But worse were the lesser Grimm attracted to the negativity and destruction of such a large settlement. The Colossus might have claimed the lion’s share of victims, but Grimm were more than happy to pursue refugees at their most vulnerable.

They were hunters at heart but weren’t averse to scavenging their kills.

By the pitch she’d observed earlier, she was certain they’d picked up a pack of Beowolves. Normally she wouldn’t have been worried about such weak Grimm. Without her aura, however, fighting an entire pack was dangerous, almost tantamount to suicide.

The huntress closed her eyes, listening. Bright orange seeped through her eyelids from the fire. She didn’t let it distract her.

…

Ah.

There it was. Loud, piercing, and tinged with the fury unique to Grimm on the prowl. Kohroku was right, they were much closer now. And their numbers had swollen to several dozen, if the amount of replies the call received was anything to go by.

“You’re right,” she said finally, loosening her focus. “We’ll have to get moving in a few hours.”

“Not now?”

“No. Surprised?” Ruby smiled wanly. “They’re closer, but still miles off and not moving very fast right now. They’ll probably bed down for the night soon.”

“I see.”

He didn’t. The tension in his shoulders spoke louder than his words ever could. Something hung over him like a dark cloud, screening his true feelings from her. He sat in front of the fire to warm his hands, staring deep into the flames.

Too alert to sleep now, Ruby regarded the Mistrallan curiously. Now that they weren’t fighting or running for their lives through miles of wilderness, her bemusement from much earlier returned…

Nothing for it.

“Why are you here?” she asked bluntly.

“I… pardon?”

“The fight earlier. Why would you jump into it? You’re a pilot, not a huntsman,” she pointed out. “You might have aura, but you don’t have the training to use it in combat. Why join a fight like that?”

He shifted on the spot, pulling his knees up to his chest, khakis reflecting the flickering light and shadow. His expression twisted into something troubled.

That wouldn’t do. She scooted closer to grasp his shoulder, giving him a tight squeeze when he looked at her askance. Silver eyes glinted kindly. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, I’m just curious.”

He tried to shake her off, but it was halfhearted at best. “No, you deserve an answer. It’s just that… I hate – I…” Kohroku trailed off, eyes closing as he gathered his thoughts. Ruby’s smile dimmed, but she waited, lending him some strength through her touch.

Several minutes passed in silence, until it was broken.

“Horikiri was not the first town I have seen burn,” the pilot admitted finally. “Not even the second, nor the third… Sometimes I am bringing huntsmen to clean up the Grimm, sometimes I am finding a safe spot to land so that I can rescue survivors. It is always the same – tears or stoicism or anger, everything past the smoke is pain. When I saw you down there, and the others jumping down to help...”

Ruby felt a twinge in her stomach, her eyes squeezing shut as echoes of her dream played across her mind’s eye.

“I am not a councilor to make laws that protect people, or a doctor to cure people of their hurts and ills,” he continued, voice dipping low. “Nor a huntsman for others to look up to. I want to help people, but am I doing the most I can, just being an airship pilot?”

“You think you could be doing more.”

“Yes! I have my aura unlocked. Perhaps with more training I could even discover my semblance. I…” Kohroku sighed, and Ruby empathized with the tired look on his face. “I am tired of feeling useless in the face of suffering.”

The Beowolves howled again, backdrop to the nocturnal hum of the forest and the gentle crackling of the flames. Ruby let the moment hang, several minutes passing by as both immersed themselves deep in introspection.

Did she understand how Kohroku felt? In the cordoned section of her heart she kept under tight reign, lest it corrode her will to act, she did. Impotence was a huntress’ bane, the reason they trained their bodies and minds so rigorously every single day. Ruby hadn’t considered before how it must feel for the other people involved in their vocation; pilots like Kohroku, or the relief workers sent into villages to help them recover from failed raids, or any of the dozens of others tasked with keeping the Grimm at bay.

She was a huntress, always at the head of the action or, these days, working alone. She might talk to the people she worked beside; get to know them and develop a rapport, but none of those bonds had ever developed enough for her to hear of such personal demons, to look behind the curtain…

Time to change that.

“Twelve years ago, Beacon fell,” she said suddenly, startling her companion. “I was just a freshman then. The girl killed in the tournament was one of my best friends… Penny Polendina… When the real fighting started, so many of the people I knew, civilian and huntsman alike, were hurt or killed by Grimm or the White Fang or the Atlesian mechs rampaging through the city. I fought as hard as I could, but… a lot of the time, it wasn’t enough.”

Ruby scooped up a hand of the soft earth, appreciating the cool dampness as it crumbled through her fingers. “Later, my… partner… and I were searching for two of our friends who’d gone missing. We found one – Jaune – but he’d been separated from his partner. I ran ahead once we knew where she was, but I was too late. She died the moment after I found her, killed by the woman who orchestrated it all…”

“Huntress, I--”

“I never felt more helpless in my life than in that moment,” Ruby interrupted forcefully. “When I saw my team, they were crippled or shattered. My friends… they were dead, or grieving. My family was confused and scrambling for some way to help make everything better in the aftermath.”

She turned to look the pilot directly in the eyes, her own silver blazing brightly. “Those feelings didn’t go away.” The earth disappeared in her clenched fist. “But I kept fighting. Horikiri isn’t the first village I’ve seen destroyed either. It won’t be the last time I’m too slow to save the day.”

“You’ve done great things though!” Kohroku protested. “You’ve saved hundreds of people, killed countless Grimm! You’re the Reaper, scourge of Mistral’s bandit tribes – one of the greatest huntresses alive!”

“Being the Reaper didn’t help anyone in that village,” Ruby rebuffed. “But that’s not my point. I’ve failed a lot, in my life. Too slow, too weak, too tired, or too late.”

She jabbed a finger into his chest. He jerked backwards. “That doesn’t make the people I did save worthless. You think you can do more to help people? Fine. We can always do better. But the work you’ve done up to this point hasn’t been wasted; I’m sure there are dozens of people grateful that you were there for them in their time of need… You should be proud of that.”

A long moment passed as she glared into his shocked, steel-grey eyes. Ruby saw something click as her message got through to him. His expression softened in understanding, a tiny smile quirking his lips upwards.

“I see your meaning,” the pilot said reflectively. “Pilot or huntsman, we all face failure. I am a fool for thinking my work useless or inadequate for not achieving perfection.”

Ruby smiled. “Spoken like a true Mistrallan.”

He chuckled. “Indeed.”

Her fists loosened, earth dropping to the ground. She wiped her hand against her leg, scooting away to give him his space. Glancing up, she saw that the moon was still high in the sky. “You should get some sleep,” she said kindly.

“It is still my watch, Huntress.”

She shook her head. “I’m not tired right now. Might as well let you rest.”

She was tired, actually. Exhausted. But she doubted she’d find any sleep tonight.

“You are sure?” Though concerned for her, she could see his eyes flitting toward the makeshift bedroll they’d made for him.

She waved him off with a smile, tucking her chin up on her knee. The pilot was quick to tuck himself underneath the covers, his breathing slowing into the regular cadence of slumber mere minutes after.

Alone at last, Ruby sighed.

She hadn’t lied to the man. Every life was worth it – she’d never be able to go on as a huntress if she didn’t truly believe so. Their work benefited countless people, giving them the opportunity to live and find their own happiness. But…

Within the flames, hidden amidst the coals and embers, eyes bright and accusing stared back at her, and she couldn’t help but doubt.

X_0_X

Sun’s anxiety was starting to rub off on him.

“—knew things would go wrong when she took that mission…”

Scarlet David shot a sideways glance toward his partner Sage. They’d just ushered out the representative from the Mistral council, silently expressing their gratitude while Sun ranted in the background.

“—should have said something…!”

They’d returned to the kitchen amidst the clamor, Sun’s voice cracking like it hadn’t since their years at Haven. Scarlet eyed the stain on the far wall with trepidation, ceramic shards littering the floor: the remains of a mug of cocoa Scarlet brewed for Sun while the official delivered his message. At the table, Sage scowled into his cereal, deep in thought while they processed the news.

At least, Scarlet would be processing the news if he didn’t have to listen to the increasingly-loud, increasingly-hysterical dulcet tones of their team leader.

His partner’s fingers clenched around his spoon, unnatural strength gifted to him by his semblance beginning to warp the weak metal. If Scarlet didn’t intercede soon then more things were going to break and this time, he’d need more than a broom and dustpan to clean it all up…

“Sun,” Scarlet cut in finally, grimacing as bloodshot eyes snapped toward him. Sun’s posture screamed Hostile in a way he was deeply uncomfortable with seeing directed his way. Suddenly putting an end to his tirade seemed much more daunting. “I…”

No, idiot! Don’t lose it now! His hands wrung underneath the table. “Ruby’s going to be okay. You know that, right?”

Scarlet berated himself. Stupid! ‘What kind of weak comfort was that?!’

“No, I don’t, and you… don’t know either, Scarlet,” Sun snapped. The blonde swayed on the spot, hand rising to his temple briefly. Scarlet’s lips thinned. Sun hadn’t been sleeping well for days, even after Ruby forced him to lay down. “You… and me, we don’t know shit right now, we…” Sun’s face twisted, his eyes widening slightly. Scarlet could read the signs of vertigo as easily as if they were emblazoned in neon.

Scarlet was out of his seat instantly, slinging an arm around Sun’s torso as his legs failed him. Scarlet lowered his teammate to the floor slowly, allowing the blonde’s forehead to rest on his shoulder.

The faunus was still muttering to himself as Scarlet eased him into a seated position, back to the wall with his head between his knees. Scarlet was all business; checking his pulse, temperature, and anything else he could think of. Sage joined him, holding Sun’s shoulder steady. The spoon he’d been using was a twisted mess in his other, clenched, fist.

“…can’t…” Sun muttered faintly.

Sage growled angrily. “He needs sleep.”

“I know, Sage.”

“Well why can’t he fucking do it then! He’s been laying down for hours!”

Scarlet frowned at his partner, shoving down the same thoughts brewing in the back of his mind guiltily. “He’s got a condition Sage. It’s not his fault.”

“I know! I just…” the spoon clattered on the wood flooring. Sage ran his hand through his hair, expression tight with frustration. “Dust, Scarlet, he’s killing himself like this.”

Sun continued to mumble, eyes focused on nothing. Scarlet watched his leader sorrowfully, wishing he could do more. He didn’t have any answers for Sage; his partner spoke to their shared fears.

What if Sun died? What would they do? Losing Neptune nearly destroyed them all, and Scarlet knew that losing Sun would be even worse. Every time they went out on assignments it lingered in the back of his mind: would this be the moment Sun made a fatal mistake? Would all that missed sleep finally do him in?

All it took was a moment of inattention. A moment of dull reflexes. He and Sage couldn’t be there all the time, watching his back. Their work didn’t allow it.

Worse, he had no answers for Sun either. Not until Ruby got back alive and well. The alternative…

He didn’t like thinking about that.

“Look,” Scarlet breathed out through his nose. “Sun’s not going to get anything done like this. If you bring him to his room, we can have him take a few of those pills the doctor gave him. I’ll go over to Ruby’s place and get it ready for her to come back so he doesn’t freak out.”

“You know he hates those things.”

Don’t remind him. “They fuck him up, and he won’t be able to go on assignments for a few days after, but he’s going to hurt himself or start really messing with his body if we don’t do something,” Scarlet countered. “I’ll take the heat if he blows up about it later.”

The dark-haired man considered it, a fearsome scowl contorting his features, before he gave in with a sigh. “Fine. I’ll keep an eye on him and make sure he stays put.” Sage lifted Sun into a bridal carry, adjusting the weight with a grunt. “When you’re done, can you give the doctor a call and give him an update?”

“Done.” Scarlet got to his feet, already going over a short list in his head of what he’d need to do at Ruby’s before returning home. Before Sage left with him, he gave Sun’s wrist a quick squeeze, which went completely ignored as the faunus continued muttering to himself.

It was dark outside when Scarlet stepped out of the house, the moon and its many satellites glowing silver-white against the void. He shivered, tucking his hands deep into his pockets against the cold, wondering if Ruby was stuck out in the wild in the middle of this kind of weather.

He wasn’t close with the little reaper – not like Sun was – but she made a point of befriending everyone she could, and he’d been among the first she’d sought out in Mistral when she immigrated from the newly-recovered city of Vale. Friends of Sun were friends of hers, she’d said.

He and Sage had shared bemusement that such a tiny, tired-looking slip of a girl could be the charismatic leader Sun had described her as… until they challenged her to a fight and got their asses handed to them on a silver platter.

Scarlet now had a healthy respect for that murder-scythe she had – unironically – nicknamed ‘Sweetheart.’ Sage even had a faint scar across his back from his short-lived duel with the girl, where she’d cloven through his aura after wearing him down with her – frankly unfair – speed and avoidance tactics.

A loss was a loss, however, and both he and Sage had quickly gotten over their disappointment once they realized just how sweet a person Ruby was. She was kind, too. Confident. Friendly. Sociable… and just like his leader, damaged.

He saw it in the little slips she made; the flash of naked emotion when she heard the wrong music, the topics they’d learned to avoid bringing up, the late nights she and Sun would share together, just talking or texting, when sleep was elusive… Scarlet knew what it was like to lose a teammate. He could relate to her loss and admired her tenacity and will to move forward… it was inspiring to see in person.

But she was damaged in a way he couldn’t help. Just like Sun.

As he unlocked the door to her home, using the key he’d borrowed from Sun’s ring (itself foisted on him by the energetic reaper), Scarlet could only hope he wasn’t cleaning up for someone who would never arrive.

X_0_X

In the grey pre-dawn light, they cleared up their makeshift camp in record time.

Ruby’s eyes burned with fatigue as she crammed her bedroll into her pack, rolling it over her shoulders and tightening down the straps. Nearby, Kohroku fiddled with his dirtied uniform, eyes bright and alert. He’d snapped awake the moment she’d touched his shoulder, sunrise only minutes away.

They’d scarfed down a cold breakfast; jerky and dried fruit with a few precious mouthfuls of water to sate their appetites. Her leg complained all the while, the bandages probably needing to be changed, but there was no time.

She gave the distress beacon, retrieved from Kohroku’s survival kit the night before, one more examination to make sure it was still working. Check.

Map. Pouches. Crescent Rose. Heron. Pocket-knife. Canteen. All check.

“Let’s go,” Ruby said brusquely, just before the sky lit up with the sun’s arrival.

They froze momentarily, adjusting to the change in the light. Then, howls split the air, far too close. Ruby had hoped to put a few miles distance between them and the Grimm before they’d awaken, but she’d let the pilot sleep too long.

If they died for her mistake…

“Huntress?”

“I said let’s go!” she barked, ignoring her trepidation and breaking into a measured jog. Kohroku joined her, matching her pace easily with experience born of military training. It was a pace designed to eat up the miles with a minimum of rest. On her injured leg, Ruby knew it wasn’t sustainable in the long term, but they needed to put some distance between themselves and the Grimm before their trail was discovered.

Kohroku’s measured breathing soon synched up with her own as they moved steadily north, feet crunching through the undergrowth. He trusted her to guide them to safety. Even with something as innocuous as setting their pace. Trusted her measure of her own capabilities, and her estimation of his.

Her resolve hardened.

She wouldn’t fail that trust. They would live. She would make sure of it.

X_0_X

“Everyone’s got their weapons ready? Coco, you’ve got enough ammo?”

“Locked and loaded, Vel.”

“Fox, you’ve got all the medical supplies prepped?”

“All set!”

“Yatsu—”

“I am physically and mentally prepared for this endeavor, Velvet,” Yatsuhashi smiled, serene and towering with his curved buster sword resting on his shoulder. The giant hardly looked bothered by the weight.

Their airship shuddered again, their haste pushing it to the very limits of its capabilities. Velvet ignored it, all her focus on her team. “And I’m all set…” she muttered to herself, fingering the short sword at her waist – a compromise she’d made with Coco after an especially prolonged battle that saw her run out of pictures to fuel Anesidora.

Coco reached around Fox to pat her on the shoulder. “Hey now,” the brunette soothed, her tone at odds with the cocky smirk adorning her lips. “We’re almost there. Ruby’s going to be fine and you’ll see that you had nothing to worry about.”

“I know…” Her long, brown ears flattened over her skull, twitching in response to her nervousness. She never could control the damn things…

“Undue stress may inhibit your performance, Velvet,” Yatsuhashi counselled. “Relax and marshal your energies for when you must act.”

That didn’t help her feel better at all. “…Okay?”

“Just focus on breathing.”

Better. Velvet immersed herself in the exercises her team had walked her through since their days at Beacon, the better to handle her anxiety. In. Out.

Turbulence rattled the ship again. This time, something behind them groaned, then fizzled, then going dead silent. This of course set off an alarm that grated on her ears and completely destroyed Velvet’s concentration.

Fox coughed. “Think that was important?”

“Pilot?” Velvet called, partly annoyed, partly relieved for the distraction.

“It’s nothing worth troubling yourselves over,” the pilot responded over the intercom, professionally calm. “Ship’s not made to go this fast for so long, she’s starting to feel the strain. We’ll get her looked at once we’re back in Mistral.”

The alarm continued to blare.

“Er, we’ll turn that off for you.”

The sound died. Velvet and Fox exchanged bemused looks, and the redhead shrugged. If they were okay with it…?

“How far to go before we start our search?” Coco called up to the cockpit.

“We’re picking up on Grimm signatures a few klicks south of here. You might want to get ready to go in case they’re after your target.”

They each straightened, hands going to weapons and supplies in one last check. Velvet felt her heartrate begin to rise, her breathing hastening to match the adrenaline entering her bloodstream. This was it. More than any average assignment, this mission had serious consequences.

Do or die. Or, do or Ruby dies…

“Alright CFVY,” Coco barked. Velvet flinched, breaking out of her thoughts. She looked at the brunette, at her leader, for direction. “We’re on a time limit for this one, and we don’t know the countdown. Our job is to extract Ruby and whoever else she’s with and get out. If they’re split up, we’ll track down whoever’s missing. Nothing more, and nothing less – we’re not here to get bogged down fighting Grimm if we can help it.”

They nodded seriously, Fox and Yatsuhashi with expressions hard as stone. Velvet drew strength from them, letting their resolve fill her. They had their mission. She could do this. They could do this.

“Velvet, you and Fox take point. Yatsuhashi and I will draw the pack’s attention and hold them off while you secure the targets and get them to safety.”

“Aye aye!”

“Got it Coco.”

“Grimm signatures confirmed,” the pilot spoke over the intercom. “A large Beowolf pack is massing to the south. They’re converging on a smaller signature – Mistral standard distress beacon. That’ll be our missing pilot. Fifteen seconds to the drop zone.”

Velvet stood, drawing her short sword in one hand and taking hold of one of the overhead handles with the other. Her team lined up beside her as the door slid open mechanically, freezing wind filling the fuselage and scattering Velvet’s hair.

Should have tied it back…

With her enhanced hearing she could hear the faint pounding footfalls of dozens of Grimm below, as well as the punctuating sound of gunshots. One, low powered and quiet, the other the loud and distinctive ‘crack!’ of a rifle.

Ruby… Thank Dust.

“You’re above the drop zone now. Good luck huntsmen.”

Velvet steeled herself and leapt.

X_0_X

Two hours.

A part of Ruby felt proud of how long they’d kept ahead of the pack, given their late start and the odds stacked against them. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, she’d disregarded the pain flaring in her leg completely (as well as the twinging she felt in the other) and pressed onwards, Kohroku right beside her as they trekked northward.

It wasn’t to last, however. The first Grimm finally overcame their position an hour prior, and they’d been just barely keeping ahead of the teeth nipping at their heels since. When they needed a moment to rest, they would sprint forward, Ruby pressing into her semblance to give them the extra distance they needed. That would give them maybe a minute to breathe and take a drink before they were forced to start moving once more.

The bulk of the pack was further behind them, the massing Grimm much slower to traverse the dense woodland than the two humans. The fastest Grimm quickly died, bisected by Crescent Rose with nary more than a whimper.

She was fairly certain survival of the fittest wasn’t supposed to work that way, but she’d never been the most attentive student in biology.

Unfortunately, their numbers continued to grow. Ruby could feel the fatigue spreading through her limbs like poison. She’d been forced to relax the efficient march already, and each brief skirmish with the encroaching Beowolves sapped her of aura and stamina.

Kohroku panted as they came to another rest. Ruby pressed her forehead into a nearby tree trunk, relishing in the cool, smooth bark.

“We can’t maintain this pace, Huntress,” the pilot croaked, taking a quick swig from his canteen.

“I know,” Ruby replied tiredly. “We’ve just got to hold on until your beacon gets someone’s attention. We’re bound to get lucky soon.”

She believed those words. She did. Mistral was an efficient kingdom – and it had learned its lesson after the massacre of its huntsmen population a decade prior. It wouldn’t leave them to die. They just had to keep moving.

Ruby breathed deeply. “Alright, break time’s over. We’ve got to move.”

“Right.”

The man replaced his canteen on his belt, but Ruby’s eyes were drawn to the side, where hateful orbs glared from the thick foliage. They locked, silver and crimson, and several things happened at once.

Crescent Rose unfolded in a glory of sliding metal, not even completing its transformation before she swung upwards to intercept the pouncing Grimm. Ruby’s senses screamed at her to turn however – it was an ambush; they’d been encircled at some point, some of the faster Grimm of the pack swinging wide to overtake them and intercept their path ahead of the rest. Simple, but terribly clever, and terribly deadly for the two.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, Ruby picked up the faint, familiar sound of an approaching airship. She didn’t have the time to consider this, however. She poured her aura into her attack – into Crescent Rose specifically – praying it would be fast enough to catch the other two Beowolves behind her before they slammed into her and her companion.

The first died easily; impaled through the throat by her reactionary swing. The second died on the follow-through, its paltrily-armored chest ripped open by the murderous blade. She was too slow to stop the third, however.

Kohroku cried out as the beast crashed into him in a flash of shattering aura, one hand shielding his face and the other firing his tiny pistol into the Beowolf’s guts. Ruby finished the beast right as he hit the ground, Crescent Rose’s mournful song punctured by the sound of snapping bone and the pilot’s pained gasp.

The Beowolf dissolved immediately, revealing the pilot cradling his misshapen leg with a bloody arm. Ruby knelt beside him immediately. “Shit,” she muttered angrily, examining the injury.

Luckily the break was clean and hadn’t broken skin, while his arm was only scratched up and not seriously damaged. Unluckily, the injury was still easily bad enough to prevent him from walking any distance on his own.

Ruby stared at the broken limb for several seconds, ever mindful of the quickly diminishing gap between them and the pack…

She couldn’t carry him.

They’d last a minute if she did – if she used her semblance, at least. But she would be too slow otherwise and they’d be overtaken easily. And should she tap the last dregs of her aura she’d be totally drained from the effort, in no shape to defend them.

“Okay. Okay,” she muttered, forcing her mind into high-gear. Running was no longer an option. Her reserves were perilously low, both of body and soul. Fighting was looking like a worse option by the moment… They were only Beowolves though, she could make a stand and try to – she could buy time for the airship to circle back around and drop the huntsmen, she could probably manage that much… Probably. They had the numbers to overwhelm her – but if they played with their food then she had a chance.

“Huntress.”

“You’re going to be alright Kohroku,” she said stubbornly, a plan quickly taking shape in her head. Hopefully the Alpha of the pack – there had to be one, Beowolves weren’t smart enough to strategize on their own, and that ambush, while simple, was evidence enough – hopefully it would hang back while its underlings tested her…

“Ruby, you must run.”

What?

“What?” she hissed. “No, I’m not abandoning you! I can hold them off until the huntsmen arrive.”

The pilot cringed as he sat up straight. “No, that’s not what I meant,” he grunted and shook his head, frustrated. “You are exhausted – if the pack comes up on us then you will die; they will swarm you and there will be nothing you can do about it. Hide me and run – draw their attention, buy time until the huntsmen can deal with the pack.”

Ruby stared at him.

Kohroku glared. “Hurry! Unless you have a better idea?”

…She didn’t. Ruby cursed internally that she hadn’t thought of it herself. While she loathed the idea of leaving the pilot behind, his plan was sound, and more likely to succeed than playing on the arrogance of the Grimm.

But he would be alone. Injured. The pistol he carried was hardly enough to protect him should one Beowolf come across him, much less dozens, or the whole pack…

Dust damnit…! Why could nothing go right for once?

Fuming and frustrated, Ruby slung his arm over her shoulder, half-carrying the heavy Mistrallan to a nearby tree deeply set into a nearby hillock. There were plenty of spaces amongst the roots that would fit the pilot; Ruby chose one hidden behind the densest foliage, hoping the camouflage would be enough. The limited cover it offered would buy him time before the Grimm doubled back to scent him out.

Letting him sink into the recess, Ruby shuddered, picturing Kohroku’s face alongside the villagers, Bai and Bryce…

No.

He would survive. She would distract the Grimm and he would be rescued. For good measure, Ruby handed him the beacon, knowing that the others would be able to find her by following the Grimm.

“I’ll be back,” she promised, pausing before she left.

“Be safe, Huntress,” the pilot said solemnly, sagging against the trunk.

Ruby smiled shakily at him, feeling exhaustion tugging at her limbs. “I will.”

The pilot nodded, gripping his pistol with white knuckles, his other hand inside the small pack of rounds at his waist. Nothing that would stop a determined Grimm for long, but perhaps enough to buy a few seconds for the rescue team to arrive.

Without another word, Ruby took off from the hideaway. Pointing Crescent Rose in the air, she squeezed the trigger twice, feeling the familiar jolt along its haft as the dust rounds screamed into the sky.

Howling and bestial snarls filled the air – too close! - and Ruby felt the attention turn towards her. Distraction achieved. Dark shapes pounded through the forest like a massive, malevolent wave just behind her.

Folding Crescent Rose up to stow at her waist, Ruby poured what residual aura she had left into her semblance, warping the air around her in her desperate bid to put as much distance between herself and Kohroku as possible. Pain shot up her legs within seconds, pooling in the desiccating flesh, bruises and cuts she’d sustained over the last day. The blackened flesh of her ankle seared so badly that her entire leg threatened to give out with every step.

The Grimm howled. The heavy pounding of their feet behind her felt far too close. She poured on the speed, fighting back the agony.

Automatic fire rang out in the forest behind her, a few dozen yards from Kohroku’s hiding place. Huntsmen. They would find Kohroku and get him to safety. Her own trail would be easy to find. Just follow the Grimm.

Branches snapped behind her. Ruby felt her semblance shudder. Without warning, the last of her aura withered away, reserves totally exhausted, and she stumbled as a new wave of soul-deep fatigue washed over her. Her cloak fluttered in the weak breeze she’d created, spilling out a stream of rose petals around her.

Dive.

Muted pain bloomed in her shoulder, jolting through the rest of her body as she rolled by sheer instinct. The massive, shadowy bulk of a leaping Beowulf sailed over her just as she came up to her feet.

Turn. Slash.

Crescent Rose unfolded with a metallic ‘schink,’ its menacing song splitting the air as she swung it around.

The two halves of the now-neatly bisected Beowolf crumpled to the ground, though Ruby spared them no mind, bringing Crescent Rose back around in a wide arc. The Grimm pursuing her skidded to a halt to avoid the wicked blade, fanning out to encircle her.

Her weapon gleamed eagerly in the low light. The simple sight of the blade comforted her. Resetting her grip on the snath and taking in the circle of foes, Ruby took a few calming breaths. She met the eyes of the largest Grimm in the pack – a Beowolf larger than its fellows and covered in lean muscle, sporting the dull, boney armor all its kind were known for.

It bore several scars along its body; results of territorial fighting with other Grimm, and a few distinctive signs of huntsmen weaponry. This was the Alpha, then. Older, stronger, and more cunning than the younger Grimm surrounding her.

The pack awaited their Alpha’s command. The gunshots – now accompanied by the sound of blades parting flesh and bone – were drawing near.

The Alpha snarled, and Ruby tensed her body in anticipation.

Whirl. Slice up, across the body. Down. Right. Follow through. Reverse, and leap!

Several Beowolves died, their foul, reeking blood watering the earth.

Instincts drilled into her by Beacon’s training and years of professional experience reigned over her body in full force. Ruby relished in the experience of simply surrendering to them, exhaustion for now forgotten - of giving over to the pulse in her veins and the whirling, energetic dance she and Crescent Rose performed as their foes streamed toward them.

Left. Back. Right. Follow through. Sweep. BACK.

The Alpha leapt at Ruby, interrupting her rhythm. Every instinct in her screamed to get away as the beast crashed into where she’d been mere moments ago. It snarled, furious as it swatted at the fluttering rose petals she left in her wake, her cloak fluttering to a halt behind her.

The Alpha charged her position again Dive and Ruby slammed the transformation switch on Crescent Rose as she came up on one knee, already taking aim at its flank.

The forest trembled as the Alpha growled low in its throat, shrugging off the dust rounds that would have staggered a lesser Grimm and leaping at her again.

Dive. LEFT!

“Argh!”

Ruby howled as the Alpha’s paw slammed into her ribcage, having anticipated her movements. The small amount of aura she’d regenerated prevented it from crushing her entirely, but she felt the harsh fire of wicked-sharp claws gouging new lines into her side, and the deep pulsing throb of bruised ribs.

The blow sent her reeling on the ground, Crescent Rose clattering to the ground nearby.

GET UP MOVE DO SOMETHING THOSE WHO FALL IN COMBAT DIE.

Her head came up blearily as her senses flared intensely. She could sense the Alpha in her peripheral vision as it turned around for another charge. Could hear the triumphant howls of its pack in the background.

More howls and snarling further away, near the gunshots.

MOVE, RUBY!

Her eyes settled on Crescent Rose, alone on the ground. Her arms reached out, fingers brushing the snath, wrapping around its cool, comforting touch.

DON’T LOOK AWAY FROM IT, YOU DOLT!

Painfully slowly, she pulled Crescent Rose back to her, both hands gripping it with white-knuckled fervor. Silver eyes met malevolent crimson as the Alpha barreled toward her. Time became a crawl, and the whole world dropped away. Just the Hunter and its Prey. Everything diminished to shades of grey, save the burning orbs locked on her own.

Thump.

Slavering jaws closed around Crescent Rose, jolting her entire body backwards as the Alpha’s momentum carried them across the clearing. She held her arms ramrod-straight against it, holding the monstrous beast back from closing its fearsome jaws around her head and ending the fight.

Thump.

Her back slammed into the solid bulk of a tree. Ruby whimpered as pain shot through her entire body, arms bending under the concentrated force.

Thump.

Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears as her body strained against the Alpha. Three hundred pounds of dense muscle and inhuman fury bore down on her.

Thump.

Ruby gritted her teeth, every muscle in her body on fire.

Thump.

‘I’m going to die.’

Thump.

Her eyes widened, tears pooling over the silver lakes that had drawn her into this life. Her arms burned.

Thump.

‘Please no! Not like this! Not after everything!’

Thump.

Crescent Rose descended. Ruby could feel the Grimm’s humid, disgusting breath on her face as it overpowered her.

Thump.

‘Be strong, Ruby.’

Thump.

‘I’m sorry, Mom. I’m not strong enough this time…’

Just as her arms were about to give out, a gunshot rang through the clearing with startling sharpness. The weight on Ruby’s arms disappeared and Crescent Rose clattered into her lap as the Alpha staggered away from her with a pained yelp, the soft tendons behind one of its’ kneecaps pulped by the shot, to meet the new combatants.

Ruby stared at her hands, imprinted ugly red and white from Crescent Rose pressing into them. Without the Alpha dominating her senses it felt like the entire world had fallen away.

Thump.

The fighting seemed to grow distant, though a new sound replaced it. Steady footsteps, heavy and muffled against the ground. Ruby looked up and saw another Beowolf, smaller, younger, weaker, and no longer held back by the command of its Alpha.

The two locked eyes, icy despair rolling down Ruby’s spine as it snarled and lunged at her.

Up.

Crescent Rose whipped upwards, but too slow. Exhausted by the struggle with the Alpha, Ruby could only watch in impotent horror as the Beowolf ducked underneath the sloppy strike and closed its jaws around her forearm.

Thump.

Agony shot up past her shoulder, bone crunching beneath the razor-sharp teeth digging into corded muscle with all of the force of a bear trap. Ruby screamed and tried to pull her arm back from the Grimm, only to feel her voice die out into a whimper as the action tore flesh from bone.

Thu-ump.

Pleased with its success, the Beowolf released her arm and backed up a step, before darting forward to bat an oversized paw against Ruby’s head. The blow knocked her senseless, and she slumped limply against the tree, letting the Grimm inspect its prize.

Thump.

Pain. Dull spots of black and white danced across Ruby’s vision. Her head throbbed in time to her heartbeat, so loud in her ears. Dazed, deathly afraid, and lacking any other options to protect herself, Ruby drew her knees up to her chest and cradled her mangled arm against herself, ignoring the hot, sticky blood fitfully spurting and desperately trying to block out the pain signals everything was sending to her brain.

Distant crashes, pops, splintered wood and horrid cracks. All was nothing to the throb of her pounding pulse in her ears.

Thump.

Seconds passed.

Thump.

…

Thump.

Why wasn’t she dead yet?

Ruby cracked open her eyes weakly, before slamming them shut with a whimper. Everything hurt, and even the soft, filtered of midmorning was more than enough to set her head throbbing.

Thump.

She could hear something, just barely, over the pounding of her heart. Distant and indistinct. Something soft touched her shoulder and she cringed, expecting death at any moment.

“-by? Ruby!”

The touch on her shoulder tightened, another similar feeling appearing on the other shoulder. Hands. They shook Ruby, jostling her arm and her head. She whimpered pitifully, willing the presence away.

Thump.

“Velvet, stop! You’re going to hurt her more.”

“Oh Dust, Ruby, I’m so sorry! Fox, can you go get Yatsu over here with one of those stretchers? She needs medical attention ASAP.”

“On it. Keep an ear out though, no telling whether that pack will be back or not.”

Ruby felt her heartbeat recede as her other senses returned. The hands on her shoulder disappeared, as well as the nauseating shaking. Her whole head rang, her chest tight like a drum, the pulsating echo against it a memory of the pounding throb it had been mere seconds ago.

“You’re gonna be alright, Ruby. We’ve got you now. You’re going to be alright.”

Were she in a better state, Ruby might have been concerned by how watery the voice sounded. But as it was, it was all she could do to merely keep a hold on consciousness. She distantly heard the sound of fabric ripping. She didn’t question it until gentle hands pulled her mangled arm away from her chest and swiftly wrapped it up in something soft.

Ruby’s vision flashed red as the hands roughly tightened the makeshift bandage, bone grinding together and blood continuing to gush hot and sticky. Her ears rang, and it wasn’t until she heard the voice again soothing her again that she realized that her throat was now raw from her screaming.

The huntress withdrew in on herself, ignoring the voice. The pain. A trickle of blood ran down her cheek from her temple, warm on her clammy skin.

“Hey! You’ve got her?”

“Over here Yatsu, quickly!”

Ruby heard heavy footsteps approaching her, her heart clenching in momentary panic as memories of the Beowolves sprung to mind.

“Dust… Velvet, what happened to her?”

“She was savaged by a Beowolf… We thought she would be safe while we dealt with the Alpha, but one of the smaller ones got to her while we were distracted.”

“Help me get her on the stretcher.”

Large, calloused hands slipped below her armpits, brushing against her bruised ribs. Smaller hands – the ones she’d felt earlier, appeared below her knees to ease her into a lying position. Ruby endured the motion with grit teeth, every ounce of fortitude she possessed dedicated to not vomiting from the sudden vertigo rushing through her.

She felt a brief surge of weightlessness, before her back met something soft. The touches disappeared, and her nausea receded. For a moment she languished, everything was growing numb and grey. Ruby cracked her eyes open to look at her rescuers, and through her pain felt a deep sense of relief upon seeing them.

“You’re going to be alright, Ruby,” Velvet whispered to her as she picked up her end of the stretcher. Her warm, brown eyes were wet with unshed tears as she looked down on the cloaked huntress. Yatsuhashi led the way back to the Bullhead in silence.

Ruby wanted to ask so many questions, each flying around her spinning mind like pinballs, but settled on the simplest. “Velvet?” she rasped.

The faunus smiled weakly down at her. “Yeah, it’s me, Ruby.”

“What’re you doing here?”

“Rescuing you, silly. What do you think?” Velvet teased gently.

“I… oh. That’s good… Is Kohroku… is he alright? You found him, right?” Why was it so hard to think?

Velvet frowned. Ruby didn’t see it, her eyes were scrunched shut again against her headache… it felt as though the Beowolf was there again, kicking her skull like a perverse football. “The pilot?” the faunus asked. “Fox will have him on the airship by now, I think. We lost a minute getting to you just pulling the pack’s attention away from him. He’s a little roughed up, but he should recover.”

Ruby gritted her teeth. “T-that’s good.”

She opened her eyes again, but that was a mistake. Her vision swam sickeningly, red and grey and pulsing in time with her headache. “Velvet,” she gasped.

“We’re almost there Ruby, just hold on.” The words came out pained.

“W-why does it hurt so much?”

She wanted to curl up into a ball, but her body would not obey her. Blood already seeped out of the makeshift bandage around her arm. Ruby could feel it, hot and sticky on her stomach, smelling like old coins to her fading senses.

“I’m so s—Fox!” Ruby whimpered at the yell. “Get over here! Ruby needs medical attention, now!”

What followed quickly turned into a blur as her rescuers burst into a jog. Ruby distantly noticed when they came to a stop; she was lowered to the ground and gentle hands marked with callouses moved all over her body, testing bones and bruises and moving her arm away from her chest…!

“Sorry Ruby,” the owner of the hands – Fox – muttered after she’d stopped screaming, her abused vocal cords finally failing her.

“Is she going to be alright?”

“Don’t worry about her, hun. Fox here will take care of Ruby – you just sit tight and don’t move that leg.”

“Her legs are going to need some attention,” a deep voice commented quietly.

“One thing at a time, Yatsu. She’s going to bleed out if I don’t work on her arm first.”

She was feeling kind of cold… Ruby felt something tight wrapping around her arm – her muddled thoughts reached for the term – tourn…? – but it slipped away before she could properly grasp it.

“Alright Ruby, I’m really sorry but there’s no way around it. I need to properly check out your arm and set the bones before I can do an aura transfer.” Ruby didn’t like the sound of that. “Velvet, have her bite down on this.”

A thick strip of… something. Leather? Was pressed between Ruby’s teeth. What was…?

“Alright Ruby, on three I’m going to remove the bandage.”

Oh no.

“One.”

This was going to suck, deep breaths, deep breaths.

“Two.” Fox deftly removed the wrapping and Ruby’s vision throbbed red and black. She groaned piteously into the gag. What had happened to three?!

“Three.”

Oh, there it waaaaaa—PainpainPAIN erupted in Ruby’s ARM and she was screaming into the leather teeth GRINDING down ohDUSTmakeitstop and HER world went black.

X_0_X

I had a lot of fun writing this chapter - some of my favorite things I've ever written are in here, actually - so I hope you all enjoyed.

One thing I'd like to make a note about early on is that this story takes place in a dubious continuation of the canon. I decided early on to make the executive decision to make V5's finale the hard cutoff between Canon and The Last Rose. Before that point, the closer things get to the end of V5 the murkier things get - I had different priorities in writing this than Canon RWBY had in their narrative, so things like the Relics and Salem will take a backseat to the Grimm and the fallout of the Fall of Vale in this story, if they get mentioned at all.

I wanted to write a story about Huntsman, about Grimm, about the fallout from the Fall of Vale, and about Ruby as a character. I'm not one of those people who feel like she's had zero development in canon, but I did want to explore her character more myself. Where those goals conflicted with the canon, I defenestrated the canon with a smile.

Please leave a review! Would love to hear some feedback on this story.

#TheLastRose #Valasania the Pale #My stories #RWBY #Ruby Rose #CFVY #Chapter Three #Please reblog #Last chapter got literally zero response #If the same happens here I probably won't bother to continue posting to tumblr

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joeandtaylorfanfiction · 6 years ago

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walking into sunday dinner (submission)

hey all, so this is just pure shitty lowercase letter fluff for you to enjoy! sorry it’s a bit choppy, i don’t know but i liked the idea of having the time frame. lemme know if that’s something you like or not. thx walking into sunday dinner friday afternoon “she’s doing it, she’s doing it” joe flapped excitedly pointing the camera at the 16 month old. “say ‘look mummy i’m walking!’” the little girl grinned as she toddled and collapsed into her father’s arms. joe held her tightly and placed a hard kiss on the top of her head. he quickly hit send on the video to taylor and stood little ivie back on her two feet. “can you do it again? mummy’s going to be so jealous she’s missing this” he had tried to call her twice but it was the middle of the night in the states and he didn’t expect her to answer anyway. “mumma” ivie babbled, her blue eyes staring directly into joe’s.

“that’s right, mumma will be back in two days!” taylor had to go to la for some work, she was finalising some things with regards to a record label she was starting. once they had ivie, their main home was london, it was great as it meant joe’s parents could come and help out when they needed it. joe was also very happy about the fact his daughter had developed an english accent, and it was something that taylor thought was the cutest thing ever. the only issue they found living in london was joe’s working schedule, he would quite often be away filming but he made it a priority to only take roles when taylor and ivie could come along too. with only one of them working at a time it meant they could always be together. however with something like the current situation and taylor only being away for five days, it was just easier for joe to stay home. it was purely a business trip and she would be home on sunday. they had dinner with joe’s family every sunday, and he thought it was very sweet she scheduled her trip around it. she landed at 2:30pm so would meet them at his mum and dad’s house. the phone rang suddenly and startled him slightly. he knew it was taylor, he knew as soon as she saw the video, asleep or not, she would call. they had been betting for weeks with each other when ivie would actually start fully walking. she’d been pulling herself up on chairs and various other pieces of furniture for weeks but hadn’t quite mastered the walking part. “i can’t believe she’s walking and i’m not there, this is so unfair” she whined. her hair was messily spread across her face, bangs in all different directions. she was fresh faced with no makeup and clearly had been sleeping. “hello to you too” joe laughed looking at her pouting face on his phone screen. “why do i always miss everything, you got the first words, ‘dada’, the first laugh and now the first steps!” “i think it means you work too much” “ugh” she groaned her face hitting the pillow beside her. “ivie look who it is, it’s mummy!” the little girl looked up with some confusion before joe handed her the phone. “hiiiiii” ivie looked down at the screen, camera pointed straight at her forehead. taylor laughed a little at her innocence, she loved her being this age. “hey baby girl, you are not allowed to walk anymore until i am home!” “walk?” ivie questioned. “no walking” taylor grinned. “no walk” the little girl repeated. “that’s right, no walk” taylor and joe talked for a little while longer before she decided it was time for her to go back to sleep. if she didn’t, she worried she would be late for her morning meeting or worse, tired through the whole of it. saturday morning joe and ivie spent the morning in bed together reading some books and playing with her pink stuffed animal bunny. it had been given to her by one of taylor and joe’s friends when she was born and she was never seen without it. once ivie had become bored of lying in bed, joe decided it’d be a good idea to take her to the park. it was a beautiful summers day, they’d actually been having a rather hot summer in london making it nice to spend some time outside. he dressed himself quickly and then moved on to tackling ivie’s head of thick curls. he opted for pigtails after taylor taught him how to do it just last week. “now lets get dressed, what do you want to wear today?” joe dug through ivie’s wardrobe which happened to be ridiculously huge for a child. taylor bought every cute item she saw and it showed, she didn’t shop for herself anymore, it was all for ivie. whilst joe was looking for clothes, ivie had decided she wanted to wear her rapunzel dress and wasn’t budging on the decision. “stubbornness is one of your mother’s personality traits, lucky me you have it too” joe decided the rapunzel dress was going to do and it really didn’t matter what she wore, she was a child after all. he also made the executive decision not to bring the stroller, ivie could kind of walk now and he would carry her anyway. “lets take a picture to send to mummy so she can see your beautiful dress and pigtails!” the little girl smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side and holding her hands on her dress. joe: dress by ivie and pigtails by daddy taylor: the student becomes the master, great job daddy joe: thank you, i do try my best to please you taylor: why are you like this? joe: like what? taylor: you know what i’m talking about! anyway, goodnight mr joseph, have a good day, give our little cherub a kiss for me and save one for yourself too! joe: love you, sleep well my darling “right ivie, lets go!” joe picked up the little girl and placed her already giggling on his shoulders. this was her prime spot, she loved sitting so tall. he shut the front door behind him and made sure their gate was closed before making the short walk to the tube station. joe thought he’d take ivie to the bigger park today, it was a little further away but now she was walking more, she could have more fun! as much as he loved going out with taylor, it was nice sometimes to just be able to take the tube with his daughter and just be normal. of course he loved taylor more than anything and was very happy to be with her even with the minor complications. “are you ready to go on the train?” joe looked down at ivie who had moved down to his arms instead of his shoulders. “train” she repeated as he held her close quickly running down the stairs to catch the train already sat in the station. “yay!” ivie clapped as joe jumped on just as the doors closed. he sat them down in a spare chair next to an older woman ivie immediately took a liking to. “what a pretty dress! are you being a princess today?” the woman probably in her 70’s asked. “say ‘yes i’m being rapunzel!’” joe replied for her as ivie continued to study the woman’s face. “oh rapunzel! well you certainly have beautiful hair like her. my granddaughter used to love that story too when she was little” “pig tails” ivie blurted out pointing at her hair. “oh yes little pig tails, did daddy do those for you?” the woman questioned. “well good job daddy” she looked at joe and smiled. saturday evening JOE ALWYN TAKES HIS AND TAYLOR SWIFT’S DAUGHTER TO THE PARK IN NORTH LONDON Actor Joe Alwyn was spotted in a North London park on Saturday afternoon with his one year old daughter. It’s the first time the little girl whom he shares with singer Taylor Swift has been seen. The little girl whose name is still unknown was wearing a Rapunzel dress along with pigtails and carrying a small pink bunny. Alwyn kept it casual with a plain white t-shirt and some blue shorts. The pair played in the park for about an hour before getting a quick ice cream for on the way home. An onlooker tells us: “They were very lowkey and didn’t seem to draw too much attention. The little girl played with some other kids too but was a little shy and seemed to prefer playing with Joe. He was very hands on, you could tell he adores her.” Alwyn and Swift have been living in London for many years now, Alwyn having lived here all his life and Taylor switching out her Nashville roots for somewhere closer to his family. Swift was spotted earlier this week arriving solo into LAX from London on her private jet. taylor: i have just been informed by tree that you and ivie are front page news on the mail online taylor: believe me i’m not happy about these photos but you guys look so cute. i miss you both so much joe: i’m sorry, didn’t think we’d be recognised let alone papped taylor: well i suppose 16 months is a pretty good run without having been seen joe: i just hate that her face is out there now. i can’t even take her to the park. taylor: lets look at it this way, she wasn’t harmed by it or traumatised, they had a long lense and they weren’t near her. we obviously just need to be more careful next time, maybe just stick to the park by us. joe: it’s not right that we have to stop doing things because of a bunch of low lifes who should get a real job instead of taking photos of children taylor: joe we knew this would happen, i know it shouldn’t but it does joe didn’t reply, he was angry and annoyed. he hated the fact that because of him and taylor their children would never have ‘normal’ lives. they would never be able to do the things he did and make the mistakes he made without being front page news. he looked down at ivie sleeping in his lap. she was so innocent, had no idea of anything. she lived in her own little perfect bubble and he couldn’t stand the thought of that being broken. he was worried about the day when ivie realises her parents are ‘different’, he wondered when it would be. his thoughts were interrupted by another text from taylor. i love you sunday afternoon taylor: i’m outside babe joe: coming my love “ivie, where’s mummy? quick go find her!” joe lifted the excited little girl out of her high-chair and placed her to the floor. she toddled her way through the kitchen and living room to the front door. joe followed excitedly, he couldn’t wait to see taylor’s reaction. he opened the door and ivie ran as fast as her newly walking legs could take her down the driveway and straight into taylor’s arms. “my sweet baby! you’re a walker now, i can’t believe it!” she mumbled holding ivie tightly. her eyes slightly brimming with tears, not accepting the fact their little girl was growing so quickly. she stood up whilst holding ivie on her hip and reached up to joe for a quick kiss. “five days away is still too long, you missed so much!” he kissed her again. “i know, i’m never leaving again, ever, ever” they laughed. “good, i don’t want you to” he wrapped his arms around both of his girls. the three of them stood like that in the driveway for a little while until they were interrupted by elizabeth standing at the door. she looked on with a smile before mentioning that dinner was getting cold and they should come in. they agreed and walked through the house back to the full dinner table. “i can’t believe how much she looks like you taylor, every time i see you two together you’re like twins!” richard pointed between the two of them. “right! none of our genes are in that baby, even personality wise, all taylor. they even sleep in the same awkward positions” joe looked at taylor and she rolled her eyes. “well strengthen those genes and better luck next time bro” taylor playfully hit him in the chest. after the family finished dinner taylor and joe offered to do the dishes and tidy up as elizabeth had done all the preparation beforehand. taylor sat on the counter next to the sink holding a dish cloth. she was the dryer and joe the cleaner. the pair sung and joe danced along to the radio with taylor watching on with a giggle. he dramatically sung into every glass, spatula and wooden spoon before helping taylor dry them. “that was my impression of you” he poked his tongue out at her. “oh lord if that’s what i look like i need a new choreographer” she laughed as joe placed the final glass down on the counter top and held her face in his hands. “i missed you” he continued holding her face as he pulled her in for a hard kiss which then happened to turn into a mild make out session. “oh my god my eyes” patrick walked in and immediately covered his face with his hands. “i make my lunch on that counter top can you not make a baby on it thanks” he continued with a sarcastic smile before leaving the room again. sunday evening “can’t wait for date night, it’s been so long” taylor smiled up at him. after dinner and a few glasses of wine elizabeth and richard offered to have ivie for the whole of the next weekend so taylor and joe could have some alone time. “you know the only reason they offer to take her is so we can make more” “i can’t believe she’s walking now, and i missed it, what the actual fuck” they sat intertwined on the living room couch with ivie peacefully sleeping beside them. “i know, our little baby, i think we do need another one” joe said brushing ivie’s hair from her face gently not to wake her. “i think so too” it was barely a whisper. “really?” he looked down at her blue eyes staring up at him. “yeah” she nodded and closed her eyes snuggling closer into him. “i think we need another three” “don’t push it mr alwyn”

#ok this was so cute #Taylor and Joe fanfiction #Taylor swift + Joe alwyn #Taylor Swift fanfiction #Tay and Joe fanfic #baby #parents #the alwyns #being away #work trip #fluff #submission

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funkymeihem-fiction · 6 years ago

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Strange Honey- Chapter 3

It was a strange dream. It hummed in her head and made everything hurt a little, just several frequencies too low and throbbing inside her skull. She was up higher than she should have been, taller than she should have been for some reason. Below her was a shifting, shapeless mass of sunflowers; streaks and smears of green and yellow color that stretched out until they were the horizon. That was where they met the blue of the sky, and shining down upon her was the yellow orb of the sun. It was hot, that sun. It was so hot and she bowed her head against it, but when she looked down, the yellow flowers were all suns too, and they burned as well. The humming got louder and louder and it got hotter and hotter and hotter until she couldn’t stand any more and then-

She woke up just like last time, clammy with nightmare perspiration and limbs clutched together and tangled. Mei had not been sleeping well, the past few nights. It was simply too warm and humid for someone like her, steaming moisture draping over like a blanket that she couldn’t take off. She would wake up covered in dew and sweat, her sheets kicked off around her and her long-abandoned quilt pooled on the floor.

The morning sun streaming in her window promised yet another hot and steamy day, and the screaming of the cicadas starting their songs with the sunrise must have invaded her dreams. Strange, though, that she’d been having that same dream for the past four days. No doubt that it was from her preoccupation with the otherworldly presence that still lingered out in those fields. Her attempts to make contact with it had not gone as planned, and guilt over the incident still bothered her greatly. The unfortunate chicken rotting in that tarp in the hole in that ground was proof of that.

Mr. Rutledge seemed to have written off the missing hen easily enough, at least. Sometimes on farms, animals simply wandered off or died. He remained as inscrutable as ever, and his gruff mannerisms made it hard to tell if he was irked at her or if he was just his usual solemn self. She had no idea if he even suspected her at all, but did not dare bring it up again. She’d already had to lie to him once, and if cornered on the matter she had no idea how she was going to explain that she had accidentally instigated a magical scarecrow murder on poor innocent Penny.

A little more caution was in order when it came to communicating with this thing. The plan with the food offerings hadn’t panned out, so she needed to come up with something different. She was fairly sure that written language of any sort wouldn’t work either, but perhaps pictures would. A drawing pad and a slightly sub-par set of art skills would work there, but first she needed to coax it out of hiding. From there, maybe she could learn if it had a name, or where it was from, or what it was at all? Maybe she could even record herself communicating with this entity and deliver its existence to the rest of the world. The world of academia would certainly be more interested in that than her summer of agricultural study, she bet.

But first she had to find it. It seemed to have a mutual interest in her, at least, even if was still hiding for some reason. It had delivered her glasses and made her its own sickening form of a picnic, but she hadn’t seen evidence of it since. Maybe it was waiting for her, since it had delivered her its last gift and now it was her ‘turn’, so to speak. For all she knew, it was out there hanging on its pole and waiting for her even now.

The problem being that Mr. Rutledge was keeping her busier than ever, and she had a suspicion that he was doing it on purpose. And he seemed to be keeping an eye on her, as well. He happened to wander by at odd moments or could be seen far away watching her, checking on her whereabouts, and kept her close to the house and the hives with an unending amount of chores. And with her grades riding on the man’s whims, she did not dare challenge it.

But she could outsmart it.

Earlier in the week, she’d offered to start cooking more. She claimed to be missing some of the dishes from her home, and said she had wanted to introduce Mr. Rutledge to some of her Xi’an cuisine. Every night had seen her slaving in the kitchen, and true to her word she had come out with dishes that stunned the older man. Mr. Rutledge had become quickly addicted to her stir-fry vegetables, her spiced stews, handmade noodles, and especially her bao. The man could devour stacks of bao like nothing she had ever seen. It had endeared her to him…and it also helped to quickly empty the pantry at top speed.

The grocery run came far quicker than before. And this time, she had given him a list and the directions to an Asian market a few towns away. He had been reluctant at first, but when she showed him the empty spice containers and mournfully went on that she just couldn’t make his favorite bao without them, he had relented even more quickly than she had expected.

She guided him out to his crusty pick-up truck, which heaved and squeaked as it pitched to one side when he hauled his enormous weight into the cab.

“Doubanjiang sauce… black bean paste, right? And what is this?” He gave his list a mystified glance over, holding it delicately between two huge fingers.

“Don’t worry, I’ve written everything down. Just show it to anyone working there, and if they can read English or Hanzi they can help you find it,” she assured him. “My next dish is going to be mapo tofu, I just know you’re going to love it. With dessert bao, you haven’t tried the dessert kind yet! I can even make different flavors to see what you like, and it will be so good with honey. I’m sorry for all the ingredients, but between the Asian market and the regular store you should be able to get it all without much fuss.”

“Mm…” He frowned and tucked the list into a pocket, turning to her. “While I’m gone, you’ll need to care of a few things. You need to do a varroa monitor check on the hives, fresh water change, and make sure hive six has stopped robbing hive two, the buggers. And since I’ll be gone for a bit, you need to feed the goats and pigs, and-”

“I remember, don’t worry. I’ll make sure everything is done, it’ll only be a few hours at most. Bye, Mr. Rutledge!”

“Mmm…” he uttered another low rumble, but shut the door with a rattling slam as the truck started up and began clattering off down the dirt roads, towards the distant main highways.

Mei waved as casually as she could, already heading back into the house as if to start the list of chores…although she’d not told Mr. Rutledge that she had already guessed what he would want her to do to keep her busy, and had done those chores much earlier in the day when she’d concocted this little scheme to get him out of the house. It had run her ragged most of the morning, in between her usual to-do list, but now she was free.

Once more she put together her little supply bag; with her pencils and crayons and notebook, her phone with the camera and recording programs all ready to go, and a sharp kitchen knife…just for sample-taking, of course. The last thing to do was feed the goats and pigs. She paused only to hastily dump buckets of leftovers and slop into their respective pens, leaving the bleating and happy squealing of the animals behind her quickly as she took out across the farm once again. That would tide the beasts over while she did her other set of chores, the far more important ones.

Passing by the hives and gardens, her boots kicked up little puffs of dust as she walked. It hadn’t rained in quite a while, and she could see how the leaves on the plants had begun to yellow and brown, shriveling on the edges and withering away from the harsh sunlight. The gardens had been surviving by them dragging can after can of water to keep the ground moist, but out here, the crops had been suffering. Mr. Rutledge’s farm was too small and sprinkler systems were too expensive (and likely the man was simply too stubborn) so the plants were left to the mercy of nature.

But even Mr. Rutledge had turned his head to the sky a few times and hoped aloud for rain. Thus far, summer had been long and hot and dry, and showed no signs of stopping. She crashed through the rows of dust-covered pumpkins and shriveled corn leaves just as before, out into the field where even the sweetgrass was bowing and shying away from the unrelenting sunlight. That was the only constant around here this summer, was the sun and the scream of insects.

Well, those and…the sunflowers? Cautiously, she made her way through the dried grass, the soft hush-hush of the strands tickling the bare skin of her legs. As she tromped across the field, she could see that the sunflowers were as lush and green as ever. They stood tall in the muggy stillness, cheerful yellow petals open and welcoming the burning light. With a small hop, she could barely manage to see over the tops of the flowers and caught the briefest glimpse of the scarecrow, out on its pole like before. It was here.

She adjusted her glasses nervously before clearing her throat, lifting her voice. “Hello? Hello!”

Pausing after to listen, she heard nothing, so she bent her legs and performed another silly hop. The blip of color and cloth out in the middle of the flowers was gone now. The scarecrow was no longer on its pole.

Steeling herself, she couldn’t help but wring her hands a bit before stalwartly lowering them to her sides, fists still clenched with tension. Her voice cracked a little at first. “H-hello again. I’m sorry I can’t really greet you more properly, but I don’t know your name. Or if you have a name. But I got your um…your message? And I think you were trying to be friendly, right? Just like I was trying to be friendly.”

No answer.

“But you killed Penny, that chicken. And that’s not very friendly. I don’t want you to kill any more chickens, okay? Or anything else. We shouldn’t kill anything. I think it was just a misunderstanding, and I’m not mad. I’m sure you didn’t mean it, but let’s not let it happen again. Okay?”

No answer.

She hoped she wasn’t insulting it somehow, speaking in such a manner. It sounded almost like she was scolding a naughty child…although this naughty child was some sort of supernatural force with a connection to this field and to the insects that she had not figured out, and there was no sign that it understood her at all, yet. Which brought her to her next experiment…

She set down her bag and rummaged through it before pulling out the drawing pad and materials. Holding it up towards the sunflower field and feeling a bit silly as she did so, she flashed a handful of crayons and pencils. “I thought we could try again, though. I’m not sure if you can speak or write, but maybe we can still understand each other! Do you know how to draw? Here, we make markings on the page, like this.”

Fumbling a bit awkwardly, she wedged the pad against her chest and plucked one of her crayons. Despite the odd angle, she managed to draw an almost-passable outline of a sunflower. For posterity, she even grabbed a yellow crayon and scribbled in the petals just in case. Holding it up, she slowly moved it from side to side, as if the whole field was her audience. “See? A flower! Maybe there’s something you want to show me through drawing, so I’m going to put this here…”

She gingerly stepped to the edge of the field, setting the crayons and paper down onto the grass. Quickly retreating back with a little skip, she hurried back a ‘safe’ distance away and waited. But just as before, nothing happened. The cicadas screamed and the sun burned, and that was all. Furrowing her brows, Mei eventually sighed and impatiently threw open her arms. “Can you at least tell me that you’re here? If you won’t talk, can you give me some kind of sign? Please, is anyone there at all!”

This time, there was a response. There was a sudden rattling clatter of leaves within the flowers, like something was moving through them like before; like a shark through water, swift and sharp and cutting through with ease. It wavered on its path, stalks and blossoms rattling as she watched wide-eyed, and then it came to an abrupt halt…in front of where the drawing pad was resting. It was too deep in for her to see anything, but it seemed reluctant to approach still. But…it was there. He was there.

Her eyes widened behind her glasses, taking a few steps back. And for each step away she took, whatever was in amongst the leaves got just a little bit closer, rustling softly. But when she tried taking a step towards it, it backed away. So she stepped back and lifted both hands in surrender.

“It’s okay if you’re shy, that’s okay. Do you want to draw? Maybe you want to draw, but you don’t want to come out?” She tilted her head and leaned to the side to see if she could see anything through the stalks, but found nothing. “Okay, I know! I’m going to walk away, and go around the corn field and then come back. You can just leave me a message if you want. Would that work?” She swept one arm towards said field, sidling away. “I’m going to go, and I’m not going to look back. I promise.”

And that was exactly what she did. Making a little show of turning about on her heel, she strode back the way she had come, through the dry grass and towards the rows of corn. She thought that she could hear rustling behind her, and some part of her desperately wished to turn her head, maybe to see if she could catch a glimpse of it. But she had promised, and other than a little dart of her eyes, she kept her head straight and forward as she passed out of view.

***

He came from between the flowers, watching her go. He thought perhaps that he would follow her, but his eyes were instead drawn to the things on the ground. She had left him the sketch pad and a pile of drawing things, just as she had said.

Bending his long limbs, he crouched amongst the grass, his gloved fingers plucking it up. Such a considerate girl. She had rolled it over to a fresh sheet of paper for him, but he fumbled for the edges of the page, trying not to rip it as he turned it up and over. Backwards, so he could look down at the flower she had drawn just for him, one of his sunflowers.

He looked at it for a while, hunched over and cradling it atop his bent knees as he turned his hand to run his knuckles slowly over the paper. Another sunflower, just for him. From a kind girl. A sweet girl.

Shifting one foot, there was a little clatter as it knocked into the pile of pencils and crayons. How strange they looked; bright and unnatural colors against the dying yellow-brown of the grass. Those blues were not like any blue thing out here, and there were other things like hot pink and chartreuse and cyan, and even the red seemed somehow too red. It was not red like a rose, or a cardinal, or even a nice ripe strawberry. There was only one thing he knew of that was nearly so red as that…and it was-…

…

He was starting to remember.

Cracked leather digits picked up one of the crayons, dragging it across the paper she had already drawn on. The wax left behind trails of color, and some far-off part of him delighted at the result. He flipped the page and continued, scribbling rapidly as he brought blues and blacks and other hues into play. Pictures formed on the pad, just for her. These ones, they were for her.

Not like…the other ones…?

More pictures More pictures for her. He stopped only when her footfalls fell on the dusty little path by the rows of corn. Glancing up, he dropped the crayons into a pile, and carefully set down the sketchpad. She would find them, and be so happy, and it made him happy that she would be happy.

He returned to the darkness beneath the sunflowers.

***

Mei’s eyes were immediately drawn to the place where she had left the sketchpad, and her heart gave a little fluttering leap in her chest. It had been moved from its spot. Wiping sweat from her forehead with one forearm, she bustled forward eagerly, practically running to see what had transpired during her little lap around the next fields. Snatching it up, she smoothed the page down and looked to see what it was trying to communicate…

Her brows furrowed.

It was the picture she had drawn of the sunflower. But the entity had added to it, drawn on top of it. The flower had been given green scribbles for its stalks and leaves, down to a few quick brown lines that was clearly soil. But below that, the ground was had been colored in red, and below the flower there was a large black oval.

What on earth was that supposed to mean? It certainly looked ominous.

She tried flipping to the next page and saw that it had drawn more. The pictures themselves were a bit awkward, almost child-like. The strokes from the crayons and pencils were rough and quick and unpracticed, like it was having trouble somehow.

The first picture must have just been it testing the drawing materials, at least from what she could surmise. It was another big black oval in the center of the page, surrounded by much smaller scribbles of what seemed to be bugs. Bees, mostly, if the combination of yellow and black was any indicator. It had already shown a fondness for insects and bees, which was not surprising.

The next picture was two…things…standing under a blue sky, with a streak of yellow and green behind them, which she guessed was the sunflowers. Again, the ground was red and brown beneath them. But the things themselves were…One was a figure, a human, and when she looked closer she felt that it was supposed to be her. It was lopsided and a bit fat, and her mouth and one of her eyes kind of went upward humorously on one side, but by the glasses and the line of the pin in her bun, it was supposed to be her. She was happy and smiling and holding out one arm with…She wasn’t sure what she was holding there, another red scribble…She was holding something out to the black oval, which was now standing upright beside her on the page.

The next page was a hastily-made depiction of a scarecrow, surrounded by yet another black oval. It wasn’t much more than a half finished collection of lines, but there was a long and rather eerily-drawn skinny body with large gloves and a line for one leg. The face was just a brown circle with a smiling line for the mouth that went past the borders of its own head, and the eyes were two large yellow circles where it had borne the crayon down very, very hard.

She swallowed down a strange feeling, instead making herself turn to the field and put on her own smile once more.

“These are great! I’m so glad we can at least draw together!” she said. “I wish you could tell me what these mean. And if you had a name, too-”

“…I remember.”

Pausing to muse over the drawings again, she had almost a comically delayed reaction time when the voice came from out of the sunflowers. It was low and warped and had a strangely echoing, almost buzzing quality to it. They were words, spoken words. The entity could talk, and it was talking to her.

Doubletaking, she nearly dropped the sketchbook as she jumped back from the edge of the field with a noise of surprise. Her eyes bulged so hard she could almost feel the lenses of her glasses against them, staring in shocked awe at the innocent mess of yellow bless. “Y-you can speak after all? You remember? What do you remember!”

She fumbled with her phone, clicking it on and struggling to scroll to the recording program, even as the unearthly guttural voice sounded again. It emanated from somewhere deeper in the sunflower field, out of view. She couldn’t be sure but…something about its tone, strange as it was, sounded confused, almost pained.

“I remember when.”

She hit the recording button and aimed it at the flowers, hands shaking with nervous excitement. “You remember when what? What are you remembering? Can you tell me?”

There was a long pause with no answer, before the sunflowers suddenly began rattling again. The scarecrow, or whatever it was, moved through them once more…Only this time, it was to go away from her. The stalks and blooms clattered softly behind it, and it headed off deeper into the field. And with the rapid speed at which it moved, it was only a few moments before it was entirely gone.

“Wait! Scarecrow, come back! What do you remember!”

It was no use. The creature showed no signs of returning and had abandoned the scene. Perplexed, she shut off her cameras. Her attempts at communication had gone better than expected, and now she knew that it was able to talk. And apparently, it was able to ‘remember’. But ‘remembering’ seemed to have alarmed it somehow as well, and it had fled before she could get anything more. She had no video evidence, but she did have its drawings.

Gathering up the sketchpad and the rest of her supplies, with the scarecrow’s words still buzzing in her head, she headed back to the house once more.

***

“Good bao.”

“Hm?”

Mr. Rutledge brushed crumbs from his bristled chin with his napkin. “Good bao. That bean paste does make a difference.”

Trying not to seem too distracted, she nodded and took another bite of her own dumpling. “Mmhm, I’m glad you like them. I’ll make the dessert ones too, sometime later this week. Anything thrilling happen in town?”

“No,” he rumbled, “…Did anything happen while I was gone?”

They looked at each other across the table. Mei picked up another dumpling and took a bite, chewing and swallowing before answering.

“Not really. I got everything done and the hives were all mite-free, everything was fine. Here, I’ll clean up.”

He held up a massive hand, grunting as he hefted his enormous bulk up and off his chair. “Leave the dishes for morning, save the hot water. Gonna take a shower.”

“All right.”

Maybe it was her imagination, but were both of them being…maybe a little too polite around each other? Did he suspect her? Was she suspicious of him? Were both of them suspicious of each other and trying to play it off, but just neither of them were very good at it? Was it all completely in her imagination and it was just the man’s usual gruff nature, and she was overreading? It was a bit impossible to tell, but she tried her best to act ‘normal’ as she gathered up the dishes and loaded them into the sink. If she was preoccupied with the haunted scarecrow in a field of flowers that he refused to acknowledge, she couldn’t let on.

Instead, she headed upstairs, past where the drawings were hidden out of sight in her pack. Changing into her pajamas, she took a few deep and calming breaths and settled down onto her bed with her tablet. Maybe she could distract herself for a while with nice normal things; reading e-mails, chatting, funny animal videos, maybe a few crossword puzzles or a rousing game of sudoku…

She lay atop the quilt, a pillow under her chest and her feet swaying slowly in the air as she occupied herself with some matching and memory games. Downstairs, she heard one of the bathroom doors slam, and then the shriek of a rapidly heating pipe somewhere in the walls. The plumbing really was terribly outdated in this house. But then, everything was. There were three separate bathrooms, only two of which worked, and her own bathroom ‘worked’ in that she only ever had boiling hot or icy cold water at a time. It was always a surprise in the morning to see which one she would be getting.

Mr. Rutledge honestly had no need for such a huge farmhouse. No doubt he had inherited the place, from back when farm families had multiple children running about at a time. Or at least, that was the only reason she could think of for such a lonely man living in a farmhouse that had more than five bedrooms. She still wasn’t sure how many rooms there were here. At least it had afforded her what was basically her own private wing of the place. He rarely ventured up the stairs, and even if almost all the door were locked except her bed and bath, it gave her a nice little cove of solitude, this home away from home.

Although it turned out she wasn’t entirely alone, laying on her bed and playing her puzzle games.

There was a faint buzzing around the ceiling, but she ignored it. It sounded like a fly and not a mosquito, at least. The buzzing continued, circling around above her, and started looping around so close to her that eventually she frowned and afforded an irritated glance upward. It was not a fly, but a bee, zooming about clumsily and occasionally tapping itself against the ceiling and windows, as trapped insects often did.

“Oh! Poor thing.” She hefted herself out of her pillows, reaching for her water cup and looking for a piece of paper. Downing the water, she found an old postcard and went to find the bee again, ready to try the old cup trick to trap it and shoo it outside. Searching the ceiling, she saw nothing, and wondered if maybe it had gone for the window.

Another buzzing sound spoke otherwise. Turning about at the noise, she found the bee had taken up a perch on one of the bedposts, fluttering its wings noisily. Frowning a bit, she wielded her cup and paper, moving towards it.

“All right, out you go…”

She paused only when the bee turned on her in an almost accusatory way, and began swaying both front legs at her.

Was the bee…waving at her?

She exhaled loudly. So much for a peaceful evening in. She froze mid-step, then narrowed her eyes at the little insect doubtfully. Lowering her cup trap, she waited and watched. The bee seemed to wait on her too, then began waving at her again. It was definitely waving. Still, just to be sure, she decided it would be polite to at least ask.

“Are you just a bee, or are you…from that scarecrow? Are you one of its? Or, er, his? Is it a he?”

The bee took off with another buzz, and began throwing itself at the door. Tap, tap, tap. Hovering in mid-air, it turned towards her expectantly. Well, that definitely made things a bit more clear. She pulled on her bedroom slippers quickly, opening the door. Turning a lazy circle around her head, the bee took off out the door and she followed.

Out in the hall, past rows of locked doors, she trailed after the little thing to the end of the dimly-lit hall. Only the light from her open bedroom made it this far, but there was nothing of interest here, just more locked doors. But surely the bee had brought her here for a reason? She waited, as the bee seemed to hesitate for some reason…before it rocketed upward suddenly, throwing itself against the ceiling. Tap, tap, tap.

She looked up, and noticed a string that dangled there, attached to an attic door. The bee continued helplessly pattering against the ceiling there. It was entirely clear what it wanted her to do. A magical bee sent by a spooky scarecrow wanted her to break into Mr. Rutledge’s attic. Right. Not at all ominous, that.

Biting her lip, she looked back down the hall. The shriek of the hot water pipes belied that Mr. Rutledge was still in the shower, but maybe the water would drown out the sound of her opening this up? She hoped so. She had to make a decision while there was still hot water. Was this an absolutely terrible idea? Probably. But she’d wanted answers, and she wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip by.

She made a little leap, missed, then made another. Her fingers managed to snag the string, and she practically hung from it with her entire body weight before it even budged. With a horridly loud scream of old metal springs and rusted joints, the attic door came crashing down and open. The wooden ladder unfolded before her, coating her with dust. Coughing wildly, she waved the clouds away, only to find that her mysterious bee companion was hovering just a few steps up the ladder, waiting for her.

Thankfully, she’d always been too timid to watch much in the ways of horror movies. But she was fairly sure that in those horror movies, nothing good ever came from sneaking about in strange attics. Especially pitch dark ones.

“Is…Is there a light up there?” She looked to the bee fretfully, who spun in a circle and hovered a little further up towards the attic entry.

She hoped that was a yes. Grabbing onto the ladder, she carefully tested her weight on it and began to ascend. Her nostrils were quickly assailed by an old, sour, mothballs and sawdust sort of smell. For half a moment, she was afraid of the possibility that she might smell something rotting up here. But thankfully it was the odor of any old attic she’d been in before. The square of light of the door was left behind her, reaching blindly out in the darkness. An answering buzzing noise guided her in the right direction, and a moment later her fingertips brushed another string.

Tugging on it, a bare dangling lightbulb lit up the room. It was…an attic. Nothing seemed nefarious, just kind of outdated and disgusting and covered in layers of gray dust. On both sides of her, it was little more than the triangular eaves of the house used for storing boxes and old equipment. No spooky scarecrows or bodies or even a scary mannequin or taxidermied deer head or anything out of the movies. Thank goodness. She did see an antique vacuum, an extremely dirty plastic Christmas tree, some golf clubs, a pile of bed frames, and stacks upon stacks of old boxes.

The bee didn’t seem interested in any of the standard attic junk. It hovered towards one end of the attic and she followed, the floors creaking under her no matter how softly she tried to walk in her slippers. Weaving her way in and out of the stacks, she saw the bee land on a particular box in one dusty pile and turn about in a few circles before it crawled into a gap in the top. Whatever it wanted must have been in there.

She began painstakingly hauling the other boxes off it. Oof. Heavy. One by one, she moved the other junk out of the way, before picking up this equally unassuming box and hurrying back to the light. Unfolding the top, she threw the flaps open to reveal its secrets.

…

Toys?

That was not what she had been expecting. Inside was a collection of old children’s toys. Dust had settled thick on them, but she began rifling through them anyway, trying to find what the bee had been so intent on. There was a teddy bear with a green bow, but it didn’t look nearly as well-loved and battered at the stuffed pig next to it. There was a collection of dinosaurs, wooden blocks, a broken toy horse with three legs, a red plastic water gun, some board games, a few action figures, and-

The bee sat on the edge of some papers at the bottom, waving its front legs at her and walking in circles. With a few careful tugs, she slid the yellowed parchment out from beneath the mess of toys. The bee, shaken loose, buzzed off somewhere else into the attic. The papers were children’s drawings; crayon ones, just like the ones she had seen earlier in the day. Although these ones had a very different owner. The first drawing was of a pink cartoon pig covered in brown scribbled mud. Near the top of the page, written in child’s scrawl, was the name: MAKO RUTLEDGE AGE 4 1/2

Lifting a brow, she began shuffling through the other drawings. They were mostly of animals and people, like any budding child artist drawing things from around the farm. One depicted gray squirrels sitting around a big green tree. More pictures of horses and cows and more bees. There was also a picture of his family, all holding hands and smiling, with clear and very helpful labels. MOM. DAD. MAKO. Another picture depicted a figure sitting in what she was pretty sure was supposed to be a wheelchair, although he was frowning with angry eyebrows. GRAMPA.

Charming, yes. And it certainly humanized Mr. Rutledge a bit more, seeing his childhood drawings and his family. She shuffled around a few more papers…and paused very, very suddenly. Somewhere in the attic, the bee began buzzing again.

Blue clouds in the sky, with yellow and green flowers. Two figures stood in the middle of the page. One was a smiling, squat little round character that she recognized at once from his other drawings. Sure enough, the label above proclaimed him MAKO AGE 4 1/2. But next to him, tall and skinny, with eerily long limbs, was another figure. Its brown glove was holding hands with the child beside it, looming tall above everything else. It had one line for a leg, and a brown circle for a head with a very, very wide smiling line for a mouth, bits of tan and yellow marking the straw coming out of its overalls and sack head. And colored in on its face, were two very bright yellow circles.

It was the scarecrow, drawn by Mr. Rutledge when he had been a young boy. From years and years ago, it was the exact same scarecrow from out in that field earlier today. And even more helpfully, above his head, in Mr. Rutledge’s poor young handwriting, was his label.

JAMIE.

#junkrat #jamison fawkes #mei #mei-ling zhou #roadhog #farmer mako #mako rutledge #scarecrow #scarecrow junkrat #beekeeper mei #fanfiction #writing #farming au #bees #mystery #meihem #meirat #junkmei

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the-gedonelune-times · 6 years ago

Text

New Year, New Chapter Of Our Lives.

Hello, hello everyone! First off, allow me to wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Second off, I just want to say that there will be some spoilers in this story regarding the recent pick-up series. It’s nothing too big, but just in case!

This was the final writing project of 2018 but the first published story of 2019, I think one thing that I hope for in this year is to improve my writing skills, so I may bring some more stories to this wonderful fandom! Also, I’d like to give a thank you to @leonthecardboardunicorn who gave me the idea for some cute background pairings and some cute little background scenes!

"It's hard to believe...." Alfonse's voice rang out in the room, drawing Caesar's attention towards him. "Hard to believe what?" He asked before closing his book and walking over to his boyfriend, his chin resting on one of his shoulders while he peered at whatever it was Alfonse was looking at. "It's hard to believe that it's officially been a whole year. By midnight we'll be entering a whole new year. It's crazy to think back on everything that's happened up until now." "We've really been through a lot, haven't we?" "Yeah, from the Raging Wizardess to the BBW." "Not to mention the Black Robe Plague, to breaking your curse and even finding out about the Prince who was cursed to be trapped in the underground Labyrinth for all eternity. Not to mention the moment we freed him." "Don't forget about the newfound odd friendship between the once masked man; Hugo.". "That too." Alfonse smiled before closing his eyes and rest his head against Caesar's. They stayed that way for a little while before Alfonse let out a sigh and pulled away. "I wish we could have stayed like that for a while longer, but we have a party to get ready for soon. It's best if we go and see how the preparations are coming along." "Listen, I'm sure they have it under control, I mean what's the worse that can happen?" "Caesar, Zeus is on that committee, as is Hiro, Lucious, and Liz. Now why I understand that Liz can hold her ground, I do feel a bit bad considering she might be the only one doing any of the work." "I see your point. But after we go down and check you owe me some more quality time." "I wouldn't dream of doing anything but that." Alfonse replied with a smile before walking out of the dorms and straight to the auditorium, hand in hand with Caesar. When they arrived they both heaved a sigh at the sight that lied before them. Zeus had apparently eaten the snacks that Liz had brought and both Hiro and Lucious were chasing after him. Hiro then drew out his sword out and Caesar sprang into action. "Hey, hey hey! Don't be swinging a sword around here! Woah-" Barely dodging Hiro's attack, Caesar found himself tumbling on the ground, prompting Alfonse to call out to him. "Caesar, are you alright?!" "I'm fine! Go find Liz, I'll try and handle this!" Alfonse nodded and walked around the auditorium; parts of it were already decorated and boy was a breathtaking sight. The colors chosen for this occasion was pearl and rose gold, both colors were quite a delight to one's eyes. As he navigated through, Alfonse spotted Liz and...Hugo? The two of them were sitting on the stage; Liz had her head resting on Hugo's shoulder and Hugo was gently stroking her hair while giving a kiss or two on her forehead. Next to them sat another pair, one that Alfonse was a bit unfamiliar with but had seen around the Academy from time to time. The long white-haired young man was having his hair braided by a dark-haired young man who wore foreign attire. The white-haired man took notice and called out to the one who was braiding his hair. "Hey Azusa? Was someone supposed to come see you?" "No? Why do you ask, Leon?" "Because there's a man standing here at the stage just looking at us..." "Huh? Oh! Alfonse!" Liz spoke up and greeted him with a smile. "How do you like the setup so far?" "I think it's amazing! I especially like what you're doing with the decor, like the table topper candles." "Heh, I can't take all the credit, the candles were Hugo's idea." "It's nothing really..." "Azusa and Leon have been helping out a lot too," "Because Zeus and the other are goofing off?" "Well, I know they were working before, their job was to decorate the entrance." "There might be a delay with that." "What, why?!" "Because Hiro and Lucious were chasing after Zeus after he apparently ate the last of whatever snacks you brought." A groan escaped her lips and Liz found herself leaning into Hugo even more. "You've got to be kidding! If they're fighting then they might ruin all the stuff we've set up so far..." "I'll go and handle this, Goddess. You continue to take a rest." "But Hugo!" "No buts." His voice was stern as he removed himself from the stage and walked by Alfonse, off to the direction of where the chaos was going. Just as Hugo walked by, Caesar came walking forward, he seemed to be shaking his head and gave a sigh when he reached where Alfonse stood. "Caesar, are you alright?" "I'm fine, I may have bumped my head in the process of getting those guys to stop, but other than that, I'm fine." "You what?! Caesar come here and take a seat and don't you dare move!" Alfonse's voice was filled with a little worry while he frantically searched through his pockets, pulling out a small object and touching it with the tip of his wand. "Here, put this on your forehead." "Okay? But Al, I'm fine." "I don't care, just in case there's any swelling from the place of impact. I just want to make sure you're alright." A giggle resounded out and when Alfonse turned around, he saw Liz staring at them both. "You both are so cute!" "Liz!" The both of them shouted at her simultaneously and soon found themselves in a fit of laughter. During this time, Hugo had made his way back up to the stage area and took a seat. "Wow, that was fast! Hugo, how did you do it?" "I froze them in time." "Wait...you what?! Hugo!" "I'll unfreeze them in a little bit, right now we don't have to worry about them damaging anything. Not to mention the added bonus of having some noise-free relaxing time by my goddess's side." Saying that, Hugo wrapped his arms around Liz and pulled her into a hug, where he rested his forehead against hers. "Who's the cute ones now?" Alfonse grinned as he teased her and Liz found herself becoming a blushing mess. "I think we should leave the lovebirds alone and head out. You made a promise anyway." Caesar smirked and he watched as Alfonse gave a cute smile; the same cute smile that he'd make when he was happy about something. "You're right. We'll see you guys later at the party, alright?"

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

With that, they waved off before retreating back to their dorms for the alone time that Alfonse had promised. "Finally." Caesar spoke before plopping down on his bed, causing Alfonse to let out a chuckle. "You really wanted out of there that bad?" "Well, sort of. I mean, we've been working to the brink of exhaustion lately, any chance I get to come and relax or spend time with you is important to me. So while I do love seeing our friends, I also love enjoying the small moments we get to share as a couple. I mean come on! When's the last time we went on a date?" "The last time we went on a date, I kissed you and you turned into a pig, then the chef tried to catch you and roast you on a spit." "Oh...right." A shiver went up his spine as he recalled the memory. " But despite that part, the date itself was enjoyable." "It was. I'm not going to deny it. To be honest, I would like to go on more dates with you.....and so much more..."Alfonse's voice trailed off into a hushed whisper. "Wait, what was that last part?" "It's nothing. Hey, you know what we could do now?" "What?" "Well we still have a few hours until the party, I was thinking now would be as good a time as ever to do this.”

“Do wh-”

Cutting Caesar midsentence, Alfonse’s lips made contact with his, initiating a sweet but passionate kiss. He then wrapped one arm around him and pulled Caesar closer to his body. When he broke the kiss, Alfonse looked at him directly in his eyes before whispering I love you over and over again gently before holding him in his arms.

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

They weren’t sure for how long they had been asleep, but they knew that if they didn’t get themselves ready soon, they’d be late for the nightly festivities.

“Wait, have you seen my bowtie?”

“This one?”Alfonse asked.

“Yes, thank you.” Taking the bowtie, Caesar quickly gave a peck on Alfonse’s lips before putting it on. “Now… how do I look?”

“Breathtaking.”

Clearing his throat, Caesar attempted to hide his embarrassment and turned away from Alfonse’s view. “We should probably get going, or we really will be late.”

“You’re right, but hey before we go I need to get something, you can go on ahead, I won’t take but maybe a minute.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Okay…”

Once Alfonse was alone in the room, he made his way over to his nightstand and took out a key from one of the pockets on his prefect uniform. Taking the key, he unlocked a secret compartment and once opened, revealed a small object in the corner. Gently taking the object in his hands, he tucked it away and locked the secret compartment back up and placed the key back where it belonged before heading out the room.

Meanwhile, down at the end of the hallway stood Caesar who seemed to be patiently waiting for someone. He had been pacing back and forth in the empty hallway for a little while but stopped when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. There, heading right in his direction was Alfonse. The moonlight that was pouring in from the windows accented his features and before he knew it, Caesar found himself blushing at the sight of his boyfriend.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Shall we get going?”

“Yes..”

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

The two of them walked hand in hand, to the auditorium, on their way there, they ran into a large cluster of people, which slowed their arrival time down by quite a bit. Regardless though, they managed to get into the area; which was lively beyond words. Music was blaring from the magic speaker invention that Randy had created for the occasion. The table-topper candles were captured in magic bubbles and now floated in the air in the room, dimly illuminating the room in a soft orangish hue.

“I thought this place looked good in the daytime but seeing it now is just…” As he spoke, Caesar looked around and felt a squeeze on his hand.

“I know…”

“Hey you two!”

A familiar voice called out to the couple and when they turned in the direction from where the voice came from, they saw Liz walking towards them with Hugo in tow.

“Good to see a couple of familiar faces.” Alfonse spoke up.

“Leon and Azusa are here too, they’re the ones who were on the stage with Hugo and I earlier.”

“Oh? They came together?”

“Yep, they even came in matching Hinomoto formal attire. It’s so cute!”

“You and Hugo seem to be matching too.”

“O-oh, so you noticed?” Scratching her cheek gently, Liz began to blush. “It was kind of accidental.”

“Really, how so?”

“We went shopping and well… the lady running the store at the time told us about these matching New Year couple outfits.” Liz explained.

“The way the goddess looked at the outfits...I decided we would get them.” Hugo added.

“So it was Hugo who chose them?”

“She looked happy…”

“To me, you both look rather happy.” Caesar interjected and flashed a grin at the both of them.

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

The two couples engaged in some more small talk, they shared a few laughs, they all danced and even went to a table and had a few bites to eat before waving one another off and headed their separate ways to other parts of the auditorium. Caesar and Alfonse had found themselves making their way outside, where an outside seating area had been set up. Floating lanterns lit up the area, as did the stars and moon in the crisp clear night.

The scene was perfect, everything was perfect. Looking over, Alfonse could see Caesar looking up at the stars, a smile on his face *this is it, do it now while he’s distracted!*. Alfonse took a deep breath and reached in and grabbed out the small object that he had grabbed earlier and cleared his throat, grabbing Caesar’s attention.

“Al?!” Caesar took a step back, taking in the view that was right in front of him.

Alfonse was on one knee and was looking up at Caesar with almost teary eyes, in one hand he held a small velvet box and opened it, revealing a sparkling ring.

“Caesar, I know this seems so sudden, I know that it was only this year that I confessed my love to you. We don’t have to get married right away but… I know that I want to be more than just your boyfriend. I want to be by your side Caesar, that’s where I belong. After being alone for so long….I never believed that I could love someone truly… that was… until you showed up in my life. So what do you say, Caesar? Will you allow me to be by your side?”

“Al…” Caesar began speaking through tears “We’ve known each other for quite a while, even before we confessed our feelings, I always wanted to be by your side. Regardless of what I was, whether it be a friend, colleague or lover. I too know where I belong… and it’s with you Al.”

Without wasting another moment, Alfonse got up off of the ground an ran over to Caesar, giving him a tight squeeze. They stayed in one another’s embrace and inside, voices began to ring out.

“7….6….5….4….3...2...1! Happy New Year!”

At the signal, everyone inside gave a sweet kiss to the ones they loved. Hugo had wrapped his arms around Liz and pulled her close, giving her a sweet soft kiss upon her lips. Meanwhile, Azusa brushed away a few loose strands of hair from Leon’s face before giving him a kiss as well.

Outside, Caesar lifted Alfonse’s chin upwards and gave him a loving kiss.

“I love you, Alfonse.”

“I love you as well, Caesar.”

“I can’t believe the year has ended….”

“But a new one has arrived and opened the door to so many possibilities.”

“And to a new chapter of our lives.”

The two embraced once more, knowing that their love would only continue to grow more and more with the years to come.

#wizardess heart #alfonse goldstein #caesar raphael #Azusa Kuze #leon #hugo peers #Liz Hart #mc #new years #fluff

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koinekid · 6 years ago

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K18: A Favor for a Friend

This year’s Chestnut Fest has been fantastic. A bunch of phenomenal artwork and stories have been produced by and shared with our little community. Thanks to @chestnutisland for hosting and for her tireless efforts to highlight the most endearing pairing in all of fandom. K18 forever.

And now...on with the story.

Could I really let a Chestnut Fest pass without including at least one story set in my By Any Other universe? Of course not.

For Chestnut Fest 2018

Prompt: Free Space

Rights to Dragonball and related properties are held by their respective owners. No infringement is implied or intended.

A Favor for a Friend

A Prequel to By Any Other

By koinekid

No matter how much she glared at him, the pig wouldn’t leave the kitchen. If he were cooking her dinner, she would understand, even applaud his efforts, but Lazuli purposefully scheduled her phone calls between meals so she could have her privacy.

The pig and the old man spent their days watching TV in the living room, occasionally emerging from its cave-like environs to hobble to the bathroom or fill up on snacks and alcohol. But the pig already had his beer in hand. He was just standing there, staring into the refrigerator.

Her brother’s voice came over the phone. “Laz, you still there?”

She grunted, the only response she could offer in front of the pig. When she used her hand to block the receiver, it only piqued his curiosity. She turned away, but the phone cord wasn’t long enough to put any real distance between them.

“Lazuli, hello! Where are you?”

“Quiet!” Her heart thundered in her chest. If her idiot brother’s big mouth revealed her true name to the pig, she’d kill them both. Slowly.

She sent the pig another dirty look, but he only blinked in response. She missed the days when her housemates feared her.

“Why the silent treatment, dear sister? Whatever did I do to offend you?”

Smartass. “Talk to you later,” she growled into the receiver and slammed it into its cradle.

As she stalked off and trudged up the stairs, the pig shrugged and resumed rooting through the fridge.

<<>>

Krillin was returning from another snack run his master guilted him into when he heard one of the loveliest sounds he ever had. It took a moment for him to realize it was Eighteen’s laughter—her genuine laughter, not the derisive chuckle he was familiar with.

Opening the door slowly, he was greeted by the sight of Eighteen with her back to him, practically chattering on the phone, twirling the cord around her finger and looking for all the world like a teenager gossiping with her friend:

“Yeah, the eleven-year-old.”

“He saved both our asses, Seventeen.”

“Of course he could beat up Baldy. So could I. That’s not the point.”

Krillin raised a brow, choosing not to take the jibe personally. At least she wasn’t calling him Shorty anymore.

Abandoning the groceries on the table, he hastened to the living room. Nothing in the bags was perishable, and he already felt guilty for listening in on this much of her conversation. As he slid the door open, the swooshing noise alerted Eighteen, and she turned suddenly.

When they made eye contact, the animation left her face, replaced with her usual mask of indifference. She heaved an angry sigh and appeared ready to hang up the phone.

Sorry, Krillin mouthed and disappeared through the doorway. Before shutting it, he spotted a look of surprise on her face and a slight upturn of the corners of her mouth.

He smiled to himself as he rested a palm against the closed door.

His master’s voice assaulted him immediately: “Did you get the snacks?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah, they’re in the kitchen, but—”

Oolong hopped off the couch. “I’ll get ‘em.”

“Wait. Eighteen is on the phone in there.”

Krillin positioned himself to block the doors, but Oolong elbowed past him. “So?”

“But—?”

“Where are they?” Oolong asked as he barged into the kitchen.

Sighing, Krillin pointed to the table, hoping the pig would grab the bag and go. Krillin would apologize for the intrusion later, maybe by cooking Eighteen a nice meal. Oolong cooked what Oolong liked, and whenever she spoke up to indicate a fondness for any of his dishes, he struck it from his repertoire out of spite.

The pig emptied the bag onto the table and sorted through the food. “Hey, Roshi? Do you want the chips and dip or the mochi?”

“Did he get the strawberry cookies?”

“No, chocolate.” Oolong looked at Krillin. “Were they out of strawberry?”

Krillin hazarded a glance at Eighteen and cringed. Her dagger-like stare was now directed at him. By pulling him into the conversation, Oolong caused Krillin to be lumped in with his roommates as an inconsiderate lout, and any good will he engendered earlier evaporated.

“Doesn’t matter,” Roshi called. “Just bring everything, and grab a couple of beers while you’re at it.”

Throughout the exchange, Eighteen’s patience grew smaller and smaller. Krillin imagined he could see a vein pulsating in her temple. As Oolong started toward the refrigerator, drawing nearer to her in the process, she barked a few terse words into the phone and hung up. Wheeling about, she stomped up the stairs.

An unintentional smile sprang to Krillin’s lips. Eighteen really did act like a teenager sometimes. The smile vanished when she turned back to look at him.

Great, now she thought he was laughing at her. That’s two things he had to make up for.

Fortunately, he had an idea.

<<>>

Days later, Lazuli stood in her bedroom, packing her belongings. She’d gone downstairs to attempt to call her brother again only to find the pig and the old man playing cards at the table. It was after lunch, another meal she refused to eat with them. Wasn’t hungry—not really—plus, Krillin hadn’t shown up, and she never spent time with the others without him as mediator. She eyed the phone, debating for a few moments before returning to her room. She hadn’t the heart to even stomp up the stairs.

The last time they talked, her brother invited her to move back into his cabin. He was joking, but maybe if she showed up on his doorstep, luggage in hand, they could make a go of it. Even if it didn’t work out, she couldn’t stay here any longer, not with those two popping up every time she turned around.

Was it a crime to want to speak with her brother in peace? She couldn’t even say his name for fear they would overhear.

She stared at her bedroom door, imagining she could see through it to Krillin’s room across the hall. Heaven help her, she was going to miss the little guy.

That was strange. Why couldn’t she wipe the frown off her face?

Stowing her luggage in a “borrowed” capsule, she opened the window. With a deep breath, she levitated and moved toward the sill only to falter when startled by a knock at her door.

She considered not answering, but a thought occurred, and all at once the prospect of telling the person on the other side of the door what she really thought of him became overwhelming. She flung open the door, and...there was Krillin grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Lazuli was at a loss for words.

From behind his back, he produced a shopping bag, which he promptly handed over. Numbly, she took it.

Inside she found a cordless phone, much nicer than the corded model downstairs, a length of cable, a jack, and various other items that hinted at what he had in mind. Her mouth dropped open. “Krillin, what’s all this?”

He scratched the back of his head. “I kind of need a favor.”

“A favor?”

“Yeah—um—did you know that houses have better resale value if they have a second phone line?”

She worked hard to keep the incredulous smile off her face. “Really?”

“Yeah, I was reading up on it. It’s true. Anyway, would it be okay if I installed the second line in your room?”

“My room, huh?”

“It’s directly over the kitchen, so there’s less cable to run.”

Lazuli regarded him a moment, then shrugged. “Whatever. I’m going downstairs for some food. Try to finish by the time I get back.”

With that, she left him to his work and, once he could no longer see her, she allowed that smile to explode onto her face. Not only had Krillin figured out what was distressing her, but he also presented his solution in a way that allowed her to keep her pride.

No way in hell was she leaving now. Not when she had a friend like him.

<<>>

The old man and the pig had vacated the kitchen by the time she entered, but she wouldn’t have minded if they had stayed. She made a sandwich and was about to sit at the table and eat when she reconsidered.

A few minutes later, she returned to her bedroom with two sandwiches on her plate and a couple of cans of lemonade—Krillin preferred them to beer. She set the food on her desk.

“Almost finished,” he said. “I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

True to his word, he had the jack installed and was threading the cable through a freshly drilled hole beneath her carpet in a matter of moments.

While he stood and began gathering the phone packaging and other bits of trash, she claimed one of the sandwiches for herself, popped open one of the cans, and perched on her bed. As he was about to leave, she motioned toward her desk chair. “Sit, eat.”

He complied, shoving the sandwich into his mouth to hide his grin.

“Don’t think this is an open invitation to my room.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he agreed.

They ate in silence. It felt far too comfortable, so Lazuli said the first thing that came to mind: “How did you get along with only one phone all this time?”

Krillin chuckled. “Believe it or not, for the longest time, we didn’t have a phone at all.”

“Oh?” That sounded like a nightmare.

“Yeah, when we were kids, Goku and I saved a rich man’s daughter from kidnappers, and he ran the underseas cable from a nearby island as a thank you.” Krillin leaned in as if imparting a secret. “The girl had a crush on Goku and wanted the phone installed so she could talk to him. He was totally oblivious.”

Lazuli realized she was mirroring Krillin’s posture. This was the first story he ever told her about his childhood, and she wanted to hear more. Some other time, though.

“Is it okay for me to talk about Goku? I know you and your brother didn’t like him too much.”

Were programmed to kill him would be more accurate, but Krillin was kind to phrase it the way he did.

“Are you finished with your sandwich? I’d like to make a call sometime today.”

“Oh, sorry.” He wolfed down the last few bites. “I’ll finish hooking up the phone downstairs, and you should be good to go in five minutes.”

He dropped his empty can into the shopping bag where he’d stored the trash and was about to walk out when she cleared her throat.

“Aren’t you forgetting something.” She pointed at the plate on her desk.

He raised a brow but cheerfully took it. Pausing at the door, he said, “Thanks for the sandwich, Eighteen. It was great.”

She shrugged. “It was turkey, cheese, and bread. No big deal.”

“I know, but still, it was thoughtful.”

Krillin could have said more but, noting the sprinkling of color in her cheeks, decided to let it go. The last thing he wanted was to sabotage what was happening between them...whatever that was.

A few minutes later, he called to her from the foot of the stairs, “Give it a try.”

She pressed the button on the handset and heard a dial tone. Yes! Grinning, she dialed the number, remembering just in time to call back, “It’s good,” before closing the door.

When her brother answered in his usual lackadaisical tone, she said, “Hello…Lapis. It’s me, Lazuli.”

The sound of her own name, and her brother’s, had never been sweeter.

<<>>

As Krillin packed up his tools, Master Roshi ambled into the kitchen. “Missed you at lunch, boy. Might be some leftovers in the fridge.”

Oolong entered, carrying a bowl and stuffing his face with rice and chicken. “Nope. You snooze, you lose.”

“That’s okay. I’m not hungry.” Krillin glanced toward the stairs. “I dined with a friend.”

“Oh, good friend?” Following Krillin’s gaze, Roshi smiled to himself.

Krillin looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure, Master, but I’m starting to think so.”

The End.

Thanks for reading; reviews, comments, and reblogs are appreciated.

You can find the original By Any Other here on tumblr and at FanFiction.Net.

You can also find the in-progress sequel How the Ex-Monk Gained a Brother on tumblr and on FFN.

#chestnutfest #@chestnutisland #chestnutfest!#K18day2k18 #krillin #Android 18 #lazuli #by any other #bao #koinekid #fanfiction #ffn #fanfiction.net

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theclosetpoet7 · 7 years ago

Text

Across the Blue Fields

Ichi , Ni , San , Shi

Chapter Five

"Go"

He lets out a deep sigh.

"It's gonna take a lot of chakra."

"I can help you with that."

"And some practice first."

"Of course."

"We won't be able to tell where we're going and how long before we can come back."

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. How about you?"

He crosses his arms and thinks for only a second.

"Aa."

She is still looking at the ceiling with her hands on her hips.

"That's not the hardest part though."

"I know."

"It would be difficult to keep it a secret."

"Hn."

"Let's just say we're sparring every night."

"Are you sure Sakura?"

"Yes. There definitely is a dimension with acid."

"Hn."

"Oh and Sasuke-kun?"

"..."

"Are you decent now?"

He puts a shirt on.

"Aa."

"Okay then."

Sakura turns away from the wall with a triumphant smirk on. It's a little funny how she was able to explain it all to Sasuke while she had her back to him. It took approximately ten seconds for her to realize that he had given her a good view of his upper body when she had busted into his room and asked him the question.

Not that seeing a man's upper body was new. It was just the fact that he had been in bed. And who knows if he had anything on underneath the sheet.

"So what do you think?"

He has settled his feet on the floor while he rests his elbows on his knees.

Oh, so he's wearing shorts.

"I think it's a good plan."

"Really?"

"But..."

His brows furrow.

"I considered it, and don't know how to answer what you're about to ask."

He lets out another sigh.

"I would have to come out of hiding."

"Yes."

"..."

"Actually, it shouldn't be too hard to explain to Aya and Senji. The problem would be Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Shikamaru."

Of course Sakura has already thought about the repercussions to their plan. She was a kind and considerate girl, always thinking of others' feelings first. Sasuke knows that if they reveal that he is alive, even to just the three men, there would still be issues that might arise. Naruto would want to see him. Kakashi as well. And Shikamaru.

What would he say if he suddenly finds out that his girlfriend has been living with another man, especially one she had a history with? Fifty days have passed since she arrived. She kept such a secret for too long.

Hell, she'd still try to keep it.

If he asked her to.

She's contemplating as of the moment.

"Gomen, let me think of a solution. For now, we'll train."

"Soon?"

"Soon."

He nods.

"And lastly, Sasuke-kun."

He lifts his head to return her gaze. He doesn't quite know how to describe it, but has been privy to it before. It had been a look she gave him once, a look he was too busy to acknowledge at the time because his plans involved a revolutionary change to the shinobi world.

"We're comrades aren't we?"

She understands the importance of everything going according to their plans. Searching for that dimension alone would take long. Marking exactly where and how to get there, another challenge. Knowing if that world of acid can destroy it? Mere speculation.

And finally, they would have to gather all they've learned and send the Chakra tree to the accurate dimension at the accurate time.

Sakura remembers how quickly she had to act when Obito opened it. That was dangerous.

And who knows how many dimensions there are in the first place.

So it's a big risk on her part that she's putting her trust in a person she has not worked with for five years. A person who had once placed her under a genjutsu to stop her from interfering.

"I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

Sakura waits nervously for his answer.

"Aa."

She smiles in relief and turns to leave the room, but not without saying one last thing.

"You've already tried mastering the Rinnegan haven't you?"

He could only smirk in return.

______________

"The Seikatsu no Hana."

There is a second of pause.

"Again, you are too perceptive. "

Three days later, Sakura sits across Nakano Senji with her knees bent as they sip their afternoon tea. The meeting is private which allows her to speak more and be direct.

"I had been wondering how Aya was able to heal others without using her chakra. And I went through your whole inventory of medicinal herbs."

The daimyo takes a sip from his cup.

"Surely you understand why we also felt the need to keep it to ourselves?"

"Of course. Aside from the fact that it has healing abilities, it has tremendous potential to be used as poison: should it fall in the wrong hands. If what I've read about it is true, no one else but a member of your family has been able use it."

"Your intelligence has no bounds."

She smiles at the compliment.

"Just well-read."

"May I ask how you've come to the conclusion that my sister is using it?"

Sakura recalls the moment and tries to explain it without sounding too cocky.

"Honestly? It was when she was able to heal Touya-san."

The medic recalls how astonishing it all was. Mikage Touya was a fifty-year old merchant who had been brought to her seven days ago. The second she had weaved her chakra through his system, she knew that it was already too late. The infection had spread to his lungs and he was already in septic shock, vitals falling the moment he stepped in her clinic. It was a bit frustrating, considering that she knew exactly what kind of medication he could've taken had he been treated earlier.

"Even I knew that it was too late for him, opting to treat his symptoms, administering the medication anyway, everything to keep him alive but knowing that it was a lost cause because he was dying."

"And Aya did what you couldn't do."

"Yes."

"Hmm."

"The Seikatsu no Hana was only a myth until now. I still can't believe it actually exists. It's like the holy grail to medical professionals. I knew about it because I've studied every kind of herb for healing in existence. A plant that can treat all kinds of infection while at the same time build up the body's defense and revive its organs. The book I found dates back to two hundred years ago, when a woman was known to be the best doctor there is. "

"Yes, it's a long line of Nakanos."

She smiles.

"And, considering it blooms on the very ground the tree is growing in, it's not surprising."

"It can only be used by members of my family, those who have chakra already."

"That person doesn't have to be in complete control of their chakra, am i right? The user only has to have a bit of it. Kind of like a boost of energy. "

She lifts her head to address him with confidence.

"Because your clan used to be ninjas once upon a time."

His smile widens.

"It's a dying clan."

"Not if you do something about it."

He puts his cup down and yet again rests a hand on his chin. Senji observes her with that charming look of his, with his long hair cascading down his back, and gray robes speaking volumes of his heritage.

"Is it really too late for me to ask for your hand in marriage Sakura?"

She blushes at this and gives him an awkward smile.

"You know that I too am able to use it right? If I can find the correct dose."

His smile turns into a frown.

"I do, but I know you well enough to be certain that you wouldn't go against my family's wishes."

"True. But I'm currently doing research on genetically enhanced antibiotics. One sample would be all I need to copy its DNA."

"You're a force to be reckoned with aren't you Haruno Sakura?"

He is full of praises today.

In response, the pinkette clears her throat.

"I'm sure that I'm not the only one with that kind of research."

He pours her another cup of tea and chuckles softly at how quickly she was able to finish her dangoes.

"I know that you have called our aid to have someone with experience train you. But what if I were to say that the only thing to prevent such a devastating outcome would be to destroy it if we can?"

"I'd rather we do just that, if there is a way. You'd be destroying a family heirloom though."

Sakura tilts her head.

"That's not too much of a sacrifice in comparison to what will happen once it bears fruit."

"And what of my sister's ability to heal?"

Of course, Senji's number one priority will always be his sister.

"Chakra control comes naturally, the reason why Aya is able to progress faster than you is the fact that it was passed down to her. It's also the reason why so far, she's the only one who was almost able to revive a fish. With more training, she will become an amazing medic."

He takes a bite off one dango.

"I should be frustrated that I'm not learning as fast as she is but it only means that you get to stay here longer."

Sakura sweatdrops upon hearing the handsome daimyo casually flirt with her again.

______________

"Shikamaru,

I agree that the only way to destroy it would be to transport it somewhere else. If Kakashi-sensei could still use the kamui, then that would've been the solution to our problem. In addition to that, there is something protecting it. I tried to disintegrate it with my fists once, but it only deflected me. At the same time, I still don't understand why it ended up in this village. According to the daimyo, it has been here from as far back as their existing scrolls have recorded. Like you, I've gone through all their ancient scrolls and can find no answer on when exactly it arrived.

The fact that we have seen two of these in our lifetimes, even if this one did not have any signs of being a threat until they saw that first bud, makes me believe that there could very well be more of it somewhere. Right now, I'm chalking it up to luck that we have only faced one of the beings like Kaguya as of late. Furthermore, I don't know why it's beginning to bloom. Naruto says there is nothing wrong with the tailed beasts. I don't know what's causing it to be alive all these years.

But for now, I'll continue to do more research, train our hosts, (if they can behave themselves) as well as ensure that the villagers can somehow learn to protect each other without drawing too much attention.

Tell Ino-pig that I'll definitely be there for the wedding.

I miss you Shikamaru.

I hope you are well.

-Sakura"

She breathes in deeply to shake out her guilt upon keeping the fact that she has already come up with a solution. It's a big breach of trust, and she has no idea how she can fix it. Considering that they have only been official for six months before she was sent on this long mission, it's a big mistake she's making to be hiding this from him.

She doesn't know what the right thing to do is anymore.

Sakura summons a tiny Katsuyu and informs her to deliver the letter directly to Shikamaru.

It doesn't take an hour before the slug comes back with a short note.

"Don't use your monstrous strength on it again. And damn, he's flirting with you isn't he? You better punch him Haruno or I will."

The neo-sannin smiles.

______________

Sakura opens the door and peaks to check around.

"There's no one else in here."

She opens it wider and lets Sasuke in.

"I casted a silencing jutsu. Just in case we make too much noise."

Then she plops on her bed in a squat while she waits for Sasuke to find a comfortable place to sit in.

"So. Tell me about what you know so far."

Sasuke bows his head and takes off the contact lens on his left eye. The sight of his Rinnegan gives Sakura chills.

"Activating it drains a lot of my chakra."

"How long can you maintain it?"

"Approximately two hours."

The information surprises her. A lot can happen in two hours, and while she had been going through a few dimensions with Uchiha Obito, she doesn't think it lasted more than an hour.

"What can you achieve in that time?"

"Two hours only allows me to make an opening to a portal and another leading out of it."

Her eyes widen.

"I see. The diameter?"

"It varies in shape, it's not limited to being circular, probably more spiral than anything else."

"And... how..."

"It involves me stumbling upon a river and because I was curious, decided to experiment."

Her eyes dawned with understanding, intuition telling her that...

"You opened a portal to block the current, and then released it in the other."

"Aa."

She adjusts her position and runs a hand through her hair, excitement already coursing through her. Because, this could very damn well work.

"I'm interested to know if you've tried going to other dimensions."

"I did once. But ended up stuck there for about four days until I could gather enough chakra to come back."

"So you can go to other dimensions, and come back? But you just need more chakra to do so?"

"I think it was partially due to good luck."

It occurs to Sakura how scary it must have been to wonder into another dimension and not know how to get out.

"That's what we need to change. We have to be sure."

"How?"

"You'll have to open a portal here."

She takes out a bag full of soldier pills.

"And you'll have to take me with you."

______________

Author's note: Thank you for all your reviews! I must say my head is spinning while coming up with how to go about this story. But I think I know now. I hope you guys can just bear with me. Also, I don't know how long this story will be, it will depend on whether or not I find something I need to explore more on. Initially I was considering that it should only go for about seven chapters but have decided to try a bit more of story telling rather than just focus on the romance.

And yes, the return of the Seikatsu no Hana (Flower of life) a little thing I created if you guys remember Sorega ai deshou. There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter. bwahaha

R & R

#sasusaku #sasusaku fanfiction #sasusakufic #sasusakufanfic

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kristielynnhiggins · 6 years ago

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Looking for a book like the Dragonriders of Pern? Fly on wings of dragons.

"Read fantasy chapter sample below" - Download free dragon book dark fantasy fairy tale "AabiLynn's Dragon Rite #0 Dragon's Brood" http://www.kristielynnhiggins.com/DR0.html Chapter One: The sun peeked over a grass-covered hill and brought morning to Thatchman's farm. There was a bit of a chill in the air as spring forced winter out. Thatchman harnessed his horse and prepared to continue plowing his field to make it ready for seed. He still had two days of work before he could sow. Thatchman finished buckling the last strap on the harness when he noticed dust rising in the distance. A group of riders approached his land, and he had expected they would come. He went over to his hut that housed himself, his third wife, and his four children; three were by his first wife who suddenly disappeared and the other child was by his second wife who passed on about five years prior in childbirth. Thatchman grabbed his spear and returned to his horse.His third wife, Hellen-Mary, attended to the pigs along with his youngest and only daughter, Cara-AabiLynn. By tradition, women of the Northern Grass Plains Tribe carried their mother's name as their second name to honor the one who bore them, so Mary was the mother of Hellen and so on."Girl, bring the bucket of slop the rest of the way for me," Hellen ordered as she set the bucket down and leaned against the fence to rest her weary and very pregnant body.Cara hobbled her nearly five-year-old body toward the only mother she ever knew. Cara had been born early which caused her left arm and leg to be stunted. Her leg, inches shorter than her other, caused her to limp but since she was born this way, she knew no different. Her arm bore the brunt of the deformity. It was about half the size of the other and appeared to others to be of little use. Cara hurried over to Hellen, grabbed the bucket handle with her strong hand, and lifted it into her arms with the help of her other hand. For a child her size, the bucket of yesterday's unwanted food was huge. Its water slushed about the bucket as she walked the last ten feet to the gate. Part of the slop splashed her brown dress which was already stained by a week's wearing. Hellen waddled over, holding her back and opened the gate to the pigpen. Cara entered and walked across the cool muddy ground to the trough, and then she lifted the bucket as high as she could and poured most of the slop into the trough while some of it spilled onto her bare feet. She started back with the bucket and fell as her shorter leg sunk too far into the mud. Cara didn't cry, but she got back to her feet and made her way to Hellen. Dark mud covered her face and along with nearly every inch of her front. Cara thought it would be fun to play in the mud, but she knew Hellen would disapprove."Look at you!" Hellen complained as she took her apron and wiped her dirt-stained face. Hellen questioned once she finished, "What am I going to do with you? You are nearly as useless as the old sow in there."She motioned to the large female pig in the pen, and Cara turned and stared at the creature that was three times her size and what her father called infertile. She didn't understand why they considered the pig useless or what the word really meant."I am sorry, Hellen," Cara stated as she bowed her little head. "I am sorry I am useless."The riders neared the farm, and the horses' hooves thundered across the dirt road. Hellen noticed the riders and straightened her dress and hair somewhat as Cara hid behind her. The lead rider halted his horse, and the four others with him also did so in turn until they stopped behind their leader. The five men with swords approached Thatchman on foot. All the riders were clad in leather from the band around their head, to the vest that covered their bare chests, and to their pants and boots. Thatchman kept his spear at his side with the blunt end resting on the ground ready to use if the men decided to draw their swords."Bork," Thatchman cautiously spoke as if he greeted a wolf he'd surprised in the woods who may be hungry.Bork was the leader of the Northern Grass Plains Tribe which Thatchman and his family belonged to. Most of the tribesmen raised horses, yaks, and/or sheep. Thatchman was one of a few farmers who tilled the land."Thatchman, you know why I am here?" Bork questioned.He nodded, and then he replied, "You have come to collect."Bork looked at Hellen and noticed the small child hiding behind her, and then he turned back to Thatchman and asked him, "Do you have the silver?""I do not," he replied."That is a problem," Bork stated. "I cannot give you any more time." He scanned the area around the hut, pen, and field but saw no one else there. Bork said, "I shall have to take from you something of equal value." He looked at the distant hill and then to the roads winding behind the farm, and then he questioned, "What of your sons? Where are they? They usually work the farm with you," Bork spoke, and then he stated, "I could take one of them as a soldier for a year.""They are not here," Thatchman said, and then he added, "They are visiting my brother.""Convenient, I would say," Bork muttered, and then he stated, "Your crop is a season away." He looked at the pen, and then he questioned, "What of your pigs?"Thatchman replied, "I have four young ones and one large one."The day before, Thatchman sent the piglets' mother with his sons as they headed for his brother's farm a couple of valleys away. He wouldn't give up a fertile sow, not for a gambling debt.Bork walked over, looked over the feeding beasts, and then he said, thinking the sow was the piglets' mother, "I shall take the large one for payment.""One moment, my lord," Hellen spoke as she walked over to her husband and whispered into his ear.Thatchman's eyes lit up as if he had never even thought of such an ingenious idea, and then he said, "Bork, why not take my daughter, Cara.""Your daughter?" Bork uttered as he turned and looked at the young girl. "Would you not prefer to give me your pig?"Cara ran over to Hellen and hid behind her again.Bork looked her over a second time before she hid herself, and then he stated, "She is too young to give to one of my older sons or soldiers.""Take her as a slave," Thatchman said. "She is a hard worker.""And deformed," one of the other riders exclaimed."He is right," Bork stated. "She shall be limited to what she can do and unsightly to give as a wife even to one of my slaves.""You could always make her a breeder when she comes of age," Hellen spoke, then turned, and positioned herself so that Cara stood in front of her."Breeder?" Bork questioned, and then he asked, "She is the fair AabiLynn's daughter, is she not?""Yes," Thatchman replied. "She is my beloved's child."Hellen glared at her husband when he mentioned the wife before her, and then she squeezed Cara's shoulders, taking out her jealousy of a dead woman on the child.Bork peered at the girl, not as she was but as she would be. In the Northern Grass Plains Tribe's tradition, male owners slept with their breeders to create slaves with no inherent rights. Bork had wanted Thatchman's wife AabiLynn when she first appeared in their territory, but she married Thatchman instead. It created much strife between the two men until AabiLynn died."AabiLynn's child," Bork muttered to himself, and then he thought maybe Cara might turn out to be as beautiful as her mother. "Are you sure you want to give up AabiLynn's child? She is your daughter."Thatchman glanced at his wife, and then he answered, "I am sure."Bork turned to one of his riders and told him, "Grab the child, and let us take her back to the plains."The rider nodded, then he went over, and scooped up the child as she attempted to flee from him, limping as fast as her little legs would allow her. She kicked and beat at him with her arms and legs, and then she turned to her father and Hellen and screamed for them."Hellen! Hellen, help me!" Cara cried out. "Help me, Hellen! Hellen!" She managed to free herself of the rider, drop down to the ground, and ran to her shouting, "Hellen! Hellen!"Cara fell down as she overstepped her stride but quickly got back up and continued for the woman as she cried, "Hellen! Hellen!"The woman turned from her and headed for the hut, allowing the child's plead to fall on indifferent ears.Cara cried all the more, "Hellen! Don't go, Hellen!" She fell again and this time Cara didn't get up as she shrieked, "Mamma! Mamma!"Hellen paused in her tracks as the maternal words left the child's lips and rattled her very core. Never once had Cara called her mother. Hellen had never taught her that name but insisted that Cara call her Hellen. It allowed her to place some distance between herself and the other woman's child. Thatchman's sons were old enough that they easily called her Hellen. Cara must have picked up the word from the nearby farmer's children as she watched them play. Hellen started to turn toward the child, but then she realized Thatchman had already given her to Bork. Whatever feelings might have been sparked by the child's utterance was now too late. There was nothing she could do about the debt or the payment; it had been completed. She placed a hand on her belly. She might just be too emotional because of her own coming baby. Hellen continued walking to the hut as a tear streaked down her cheek. She wiped it away as she wiped the memory and the name of the child from her mind. Hellen placed a hand on her belly again. She would soon have a baby of her own to replace any emptiness caused by the forgotten one's departure.When Hellen ignored her pleads, Cara turned to Thatchman and called out to him, "Daddy! Daddy!""Quiet, child!" Thatchman scolded her. "You are no longer mine." He turned from her and walked away as he mumbled, "You were never mine."As both of her parents abandoned her to her fate, Cara lifted her tiny hands and wept into them. The rider easily picked up the child and carried her to his horse, and then he, Bork, and the other riders headed back toward the plains. Cara cried herself asleep and slept the whole way back to Bork's abode.Chapter TwoJourney To FiredrakeSeven years later...Darkness covered the land like a blanket of nighttime fancy, and the smell of horses and leather permeated the air as Cara held onto the back of her adopted father's waist. She leaned the side of her head against Bork's strong back as they rode on his horse. He was warm and comforting against the cool air. Cara was still sleepy as they had rose hours before she normally did so they could take this important trek. Sleep and dreams lingered with her as night and a young girl's fantasy remained a few moments more.They left the plains with three other riders, heading for a great destination. All was grand in Cara's world. She had people who cared for her and a special place she belonged. She couldn't ask for anything more.Bork steered his horse up a hill, and she held on tightly so not to fall off on the incline. The moon had long since gone, and the land waited for the sun to make its appearance. Cara glanced back at the three riders following them. One of the boys was Bork's son, Turk, the brother she never had. Thatchman's sons had mostly ignored her existence, but not Turk. He always noticed her, always knew where she was. Here with Bork and his family, she had found a place to belong, a place where she was needed and cared for.Twilight broke at their backs as a red-orange light burned across the grasslands. A horse neighed, and a few flying birds greeted the morning, and all was grand in Cara's world. She had people who cared for her and a special place she belonged.She squeezed Bork's waist as if giving him a hug and then turned her head so she could view the lands on their right side as they sped by. She overheard Bork speaking to the boys before they left his hut. He told them of the place they were going, that it was important, and they had to do well or was it, it was important that they do well at the place they were going?A golden wren flew overhead, and Cara turned her head to follow the beautiful bird in its flight as it sparkled in sunlight. She thought when it came time for her to select a totem animal, as those in Bork's family had, she might pick the golden wren. It was free to go where it willed, but the females still had a family they returned to and cared for. The time of naming a totem animal was also the time she was given new clothes like the leather the riders wore. She was ready to burn her dingy tunic in a fire. She had seen other children use the fire to burn their old clothes when they came of age. At that time, she could...Cara caught a glimpse of Turk eyeing her, and she sleepily and bashfully hid her face in Bork's back. She smiled, knowing Turk was with them too, and it warmed her heart to know Turk was thinking about her. Cara adored him as an older brother.She turned her head and looked again to the left side as they rode on. The plains were so different than the lands around the farm she once called home. An incidental tear trickled down her cheek as day started to break up the dreams night allowed, and she quickly wiped it away before anyone saw. She was to never speak unless spoken to, and she was never to cry. Those were the rules ingrained in her since arriving at Bork's hut, and Bork's wife was the one who fiercely taught her these simple rules. The rising sun finished burning the sky, and the blueness of the day appeared over them and with night gone, so were dreams and a young girl's fantasy. Cara would have to face reality until the sunset again and she was able to close her eyes.All was grand in Cara's world, but it all vanished back into her mind. She had people who cared for her and a special place she belonged, but those ideas and sentiments were only in her head. She, after all, was only a slave, someone they would sometimes refer to as a breeder. Cara was more alone with Bork and his son than she had ever been with her father, her brothers, and Hellen. She had no rights as a human, no one she could emotionally depend on and though she had a place she belonged, she wasn't loved.The riders moved on as did the morning, and the harsh reality of her existence smacked her again like one of the slaps Bork's wife would frequently give her. This was the world Cara lived in but not the one she wanted to linger in. The time she spent in her perfect world was far too short.She was barefoot and wore a sackcloth tunic, and no totem animal decorated any part of her clothing. Cara was an object to own and order about and nothing more. She thought of Bork as her adopted father, but the only thing he adopted was a harsh tone and leering eyes that seemed to want something from her. Turk was still the brother she never had for he was neither a brother to her nor a friend only her constant tormentor. This was the reality of Cara's life, a reality she wished was a nightmare and the imaginary world she envisioned was the real one. There had to be more in this world than pain and hardship. Those would be bearable if she had joy and love but without joy and love, pain and hardship were becoming more intolerable with each grim day. End sample

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