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dangalante · 4 years ago

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9 Key Strategies to Overcoming Sales Objections

In sales, everyone has to be able to overcome objections to be successful. The best way to overcome objections is to prevent them. This can be done by providing a thorough sales presentation that covers all the information about your products and services. Also, you must address any questions the prospect has immediately. However, objections will come up from time to time. Some of these objections are real buying signals and others are just stalls to put you off. As a Salesperson, you need to be able to tell the difference.

Handling Objections & Stalls from Prospects

1.I am happy with my current supplier.

When you call on a prospect they say we are happy with our current supplier, this can mean one of two things. The first is that they are truly happy and the second is that they want you to get lost. (A stall) Obviously, you need to be able to tell the difference. You should be able to tell by a prospect's body language and level of attention.

If it is the first scenario, you should find out what supplier they currently use. When the prospect tells you it is your job to demonstrate how you are better. Once you feel that you have demonstrated how you are better, ask for a commitment or small order. By asking for a small order, you provide the prospect an opportunity to take a chance on you with minimal risk. I have had a lot of success with this approach.

If the scenario is the second one, the prospect will not provide you with any information or say that they deal with a company or person for 20 years and they do not want to change. In this case, I would still ask for the order. Should the prospect say he is not interested again, I would thank them for their time and leave. You should call on this prospect a few more times and then only call on them every two months. You need to focus your time on prospects that are receptive to you and your offering.

2. I want to think it over.

When you hear this, what the prospect is really saying is I am interested but I am not totally convinced. You should ask the prospect what specifically about this offer do you want to think over? Your goal here is to uncover the real objection. If the prospect gives you a specific answer, you are in business. Address the objection and ask a closing question. Say if I can handle XYZ, is there any reason why you would not purchase this product. Should the prospect say, no you covered everything, this means that they are either stalling, not interested in your offering, or will not tell you the real issue they have with your product. If this is the case, ask when they plan on making a decision and follow-up with them in that time-frame.

3. I need to consult another party

This can be a stall to put you off. You will need to determine this by the prospect's body language and the level of attention you receive. When the prospect tells you this, you should ask for a meeting with the prospect and the person they need to consult. Should the prospect agree to this, you have a chance. If they will not agree to a meeting, it is a stall and they are not interested in your offering. However, I would still call on them a few more times. If you have no success, call on them every two months.

4. I am not the Decision-Maker- The Columbo Technique

During some cold calls to dental offices, I was not able to obtain the information that I needed to overcome prospect objections. This occurred because the person I was speaking to was not the decision-maker. As a result, they were reluctant to talk for fear that they would say the wrong things or give away too much information on their bosses’ business. Despite their reluctance, I would continue to talk with them, build rapport and bond. I would ask to speak to the decision-maker but many times they were not in the office, or the person I was speaking with would not want to disturb them for fear of getting reamed out when I left the office.

When this was the case, I would use the Columbo technique to get the information that I needed. I would turn to leave the office, put my hand on the doorknob and ask who their supplier was or when I could catch the boss. Usually, the person I was speaking with would provide me with a lot of information about the prospect. Even more, than I expected! This is because the person that I was speaking with put their guard down. After all, they thought I was leaving the office so one last question didn’t seem so bad.

During other cold calls, I was able to speak to the decision-maker. I would build rapport with them and try to obtain as much information as I could to overcome their objections. Many times the prospect would be reluctant to give me information; stating that they were happy with their supplier or they were too busy to speak to me. When they used the supplier objection, I would employ the Columbo technique; turn to leave and ask who their supplier was. Many times they would tell me and I would ask them for few moments of their time to show how my products were better. I would get the time and close the prospect on giving me a trial order. I developed some of my best customers this way. Other times, I was able to obtain a follow-up appointment with the prospect.

The key to the Columbo technique is to get prospects talking. Even if it’s about things not related to their business at first. You want to make them comfortable talking with you. Next, you want to save the question you really want to know for the end of the conversation because the prospect will most likely answer it thinking you are going to leave their office. In other words, their guard is down.

The Columbo technique is a great way to close sales and obtain information.

5. Your price is too high.

Emphasize the quality of your product along with the level of service you will provide. Next, you should demonstrate to the prospect how your offering’s total cost is less than the competitors over the life of the product. Testimonials from loyal customers can also help you here. By taking these steps you demonstrate that your product is valuable and increase your chances of making the sale. (Provided this is the real objection.)

6. We spent our budget.

If they say the money is not the budget, ask If I can offer delayed billing or a payment plan would you be able to take delivery? If the person needs approval from another person, ask to present your product to that individual with your prospect's endorsement. Should the company really want and need your product, they will find a way to pay for it.

7. I had a bad experience with your company.

I would apologize to the prospect about the experience. Tell them you are the new rep and that you will not let anything bad happen on your watch. Ask them to give you a chance. This will not work all of the time.

8. Call me After the Holidays

During the holiday season, many people are in holiday and party shopping mode. from Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and many other things. Also, everyone is thinking about going to parties. So the last thing on your customer's and prospects' mind is to make a year-end purchase; unless they receive a year-end tax advantage. As a sales rep, you are under pressure to close deals so you can earn that bonus. Unless your customer is in a buying mood, you are going to hear the objection “call me after the holidays”. If you have done business with this customer, you will have an easier time than if you are making a cold call.

To combat this objection. You have to attempt to get around this objection. If your offer is time-sensitive or if you can provide a break on pricing or payment through a special promotion for example no payments for 3 months; make your customer aware of them. However, at this time of the year, you will get customers and prospects who just don’t want to deal with you and your offering. As a sales rep, it is your job to be able to tell if the customer and prospect are telling you the truth. In other words, you need to qualify their objections. This means following up with every customer and prospect even when things look bleak.

Should your customers and prospects insist that call you after the holidays, I would find out which holiday they mean. Next, I would pin them down to a specific day and time to call back. I recommend sending your customers and prospects a holiday card with a little note reminding them about the appointment; stating how you look forward to speaking with them on the specific date and time. Once this time comes, I would hold them to their promise. Deliver your presentation and ask for the business.

9. Testimonials and Referrals

Showing Testimonials to a prospect can be a great way for them to trust you enough to make a purchase. If you don’t have any the sale is that much more difficult but not impossible. I have made plenty of Sales without them.

Once you have made a sale to a customer, it is important to follow-up with a customer. As a Salesperson, it is important to deliver on the promises you make to customers. This means checking in with the customer throughout the implementation of your product or service and staying in touch with the customer after the sale. In this post, I am going to discuss how to earn referrals and testimonials.

During my time as an outside sales representative in New York City, making sales was the highlight of my day. Once I made a sale, I was itching to ask for a referral or a testimonial. In other words, I wanted to ask the customer the question Do you know of anyone who could benefit from my product and services? However, once I made the sale my inner voice told me not to ask for a referral. Now many people would want to ask because they feel that the customer bought their products or services and this shows a sign of trust. But what did the customer really buy? Yes, the customer bought you and your products but the main thing that they bought was your promise to deliver value through your offering. How can you ask someone to put their credibility on the line when you and your solution are unproven? Yet many people do.

Asking for a referral right after the sale is a mistake because you have not delivered on your promise and you will seem ungrateful. The customer will think that you are not interested in building a relationship and that you just want to make a commission. Remember your job as a Salesperson is to build relationships with customers and to make sales by demonstrating the value of your products to the customer. Once the sale is complete, it is your job to deliver on the promises that you make to your customer.

Now you are thinking well this is great but when do I ask for a referral? How do I ask for a referral?

I would ask the customer for a referral when you know the customer is happy with the implementation of your product or service. In other words, ask when you have delivered on your promise. If you offer more than one product or service try to cross-sell or upsell the customer first. See if the customer will use more of your products or services or if the customer purchases more expensive offerings from you. Once the customer purchases more items from you, the customer is demonstrating that they like and trust you. This is the time to ask for a referral. I usually waited until this point to ask for a referral.

I would ask the customer for a referral by first thanking them for the business that they have provided and trusted me with. Then I would ask if they knew of anyone like themselves that would benefit from my offering. My experience has taught me that the customers were always willing to offer themselves as a reference. Customers who offered me a referral would let me use their names with other clients or pass my name along to their peers.

Testimonials are like referrals. Testimonials can come in a variety of forms. There are a testimonial letter and a testimonial video. The testimonial letter is when a customer writes a letter stating that you did a wonderful job for them and endorses you. The digital version of this letter is the recommendation feature on LinkedIn. The testimonial video is when a client speaks of your performance in a short video segment.

When asking for a testimonial, offer the customer the option to choose the option they feel comfortable with. Also, be sure to tell them what specific aspect of your service you want them to focus on. Once you receive a referral and/or testimonial, make sure to thank your customer. Should you get new business through a referral, provide great service otherwise your customer will not give you anymore! Keep your customer informed on the status of the relationship with the referral.

This is how to handle objections in a nutshell.

What objections did you face?

How did you handle them?

Comment and share.

#Sales #sales objections #business development #sales training #sales enablement #bizdev #objections #objection #sales development #businessdevelopment #enablement

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ba-responds · 5 years ago

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Catharsis (Villain!Deku x Fem!Reader) Chapter Ten

A/n: Wassup? Here’s a new chapter, a little later than expected, but oh well. Two weeks really passed back quick! Also, I think I’m going to post some old imagines I wrote a couple years ago for other fandoms, so look for that. Anyway, Enjoy!

This story will contain dark themes! Please read the warning!

Summary: An unexpected death of a loved one can lead to a sudden influx of emotions. Those same emotions can become repressed, as denial and disbelief comes into play. In this time, one would seek a means of catharsis, a release from those strong, repressed emotions. But what would you do if that means of catharsis, the same release you sought so hard for, becomes addicting? To the extent, that you feel you can not live without it? What if it can’t live without you? **WARNING: This story MAY contain; bullying, suicide, depression, torture, manipulation, mentions of sexual assault, and MORE! You have been warned.

Masterlist

Prologue II Chpt 1 II Chpt 2 II Chpt 3 II Chpt 4 II Chpt 5 II Chpt 6 II Chpt 7 II Chpt 8 II Chpt 9 II Chpt 10 II Check Masterlist for more (nothing yet, but there will be)!

Chapter Ten: Police Questionings and Heartfelt Reunions

You clenched your teeth as you stood silently beside Shigaraki, eyeing the group of villains who stood in a loose cluster near the door that led outside. There were around 15 of them, all with varying quirks and levels of intimidation. Shigaraki sat on a bar stool, lazily hunched as he caressed the glass in his hand, his ‘Father’ hand covering his face.

“We will meet Thursday morning at the Warehouse on the corner of Otomocho street, there I will reiterate the plan on how we’re going to kill All Might,” Shigaraki muttered out, as you watched the reactions of the low-time villains that he somehow managed to recruit. A few of them stared at you, no doubt recognizing you from the news stories that have been plaguing the T.V. for the last week, ever since the video surfaced. You rolled your eyes, shaking your head at the unwanted attention, but not daring to move, as Izuku asked you specifically to remain at Shigaraki’s side while he went to gather more of his ‘loyal followers’ to buff up the crowd you would take to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint to deal with whatever heroes and students who would be present during the trip.

During your time here, you came to realize that Izuku was protective of Shigaraki, as he was the one to ‘save’ him, apparently. You haven’t gotten the chance to get Izuku to elaborate on exactly what happened, and how he ended up here as a villain, but if he trusted you to stand as Shigaraki’s personal babysitter bodyguard while he and Kurogiri was away, you would do so. Your attention was brought back onto the group of mediocre villains when a woman spoke up.

“How the hell are we supposed to trust you when you have one of their bitches standing right here?” she scoffed, glaring at you and taking a threatening step closer, only to pause when you moved slightly in front of Shigaraki. You glared at her menacingly, feeling the collar around your neck pulse, as if activated by your emotions.

“Move the fuck back,” you hissed, ready to activate your quirk if needed. You were irked by the fact that she has the audacity to call you a bitch, but seeing as she clearly has some type of mutation quirk by the small blades that replaced her fingernails, you knew that if the chance came, you would definitely be able to take her; Control the rings on one hand of hers, and you could easily make her slit her own throat with those disgusting nails.

“Back down, (Y/n). As you can see, she’s on our side. The video that came out was very misleading, it was simply the passion-filled reunion of two lovers,” A new voice spoke up, before Izuku made his appearance from the archway of the hall behind you, with Kurogiri trailing not far behind. You instantly took a step back as told, before relaxing as Izuku laced his fingers with yours, his shadows emerging and connecting ever so gently with your collar, making you release a small content sigh. Your eyes then dragged back over to the group, observing their slightly shocked, giddy expressions at the appearance of the famed Deku.

“We know where her loyalties lie, but how will we know where’s yours? Prove them by coming with us to finally destroy All Might on Thursday afternoon,” Shigaraki announced, his glass clanking on the wooden bar as he straightened up, finally making eye contact with the group, with a sense of finality to his voice. The group all paused, before a few muttered words of affirmation, while others nodded.

It was a few minutes later that a majority of the batch had found their way out, a couple stranglers coming closer to talk to Deku, who was seemingly rising in popularity along with a villain called ‘The Hero Killer’. While Deku chatted animatedly with them, you instead decided to sit at the bar with Shigaraki, not liking the looks the others were giving you. Their either looked at you distrustingly, or with some weird sense of admiration for being so close to Deku.

“Are the Nomu things ready?” You questioned Shigaraki quietly, taking a sip of the water Kurogiri handed you.

“One of them,” He gruffed out, playing with the fresh glass Kurogiri had given him, not wanting to take off ‘Father’ in order to drink while there was still others around.

“What? Only one? We plan on attacking in four days, how long will the others take?”

“We only need one. They’re made so one of them will be able to surpass All Might’s power. We focused on making one strong enough to deal with him, the others aren’t capable yet. One’s enough.”

“I know you said All Might has been getting weaker, but when I saw him a few weeks ago, he seemed perfectly fin--”

“We only need one.”

Deciding that you didn’t feel like arguing, you just silently shook your head with a roll of your eyes. If everything went to shit, you’ll make sure Kurogiri gets the four of you out safe. A hand rested itself on your shoulder, shifting your attention from Shigaraki to the person. Izuku stood there, a conflicted look in his eyes.

“Love, come with me. I think it's time we go talk to someone.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Class was cancelled the week following the emergence of the video of (Y/n) (L/n)’s kidnapping. However, that didn’t stop a police officer from knocking on the door to the Bakugo residence, accompanied by Shota Aizawa, principal Nezu, and All Might himself.

Mitsuki Bakugo was the one to answer the door, with a grim look on her face. She didn’t speak as she opened the door wider, encouraging the entourage inside and into the living room. Her gaze locked onto her husband, Masaru, who silently nodded and went to fetch their son. Mitsuki felt the ache in her chest broaden at the thought of her son. She knew the disappearance of his childhood friends affected him in ways he wouldn’t admit, but there was little she felt she could do to get through to him. It was only a week before, that the video emerged, and it was only a short time ago that she awoke to the sound of Katsuki having a major panic attack after discovering it. She consoled him the best she could before he calmed enough for him to kick her out of his room, not showing his face at all the next morning. In fact, this will be the first time he left his room since, at least to her knowledge. It was the start of many afternoons, in what could easily be, ever that the Bakugou household wasn’t filled with loud ruckus as all members were present.

It was a few hours prior that U.A. held another press conference, confessing to their knowledge of (Y/n)’s kidnapping, but using the excuse of them discreetly trying to find her before the public knew, as a way of ensuring her potential safety so the villains who kidnapped her wouldn’t feel threatened enough to dispose of her quickly. They claimed that they were close to finding her whereabouts, but the release of the video could potentially be a major stepback, as the villains will know they were on their trail. This was enough of an explanation to placate majority of the nay-sayers, but Mitsuki couldn’t help but feel a pit in her stomach thinking about the poor girl. If what they said was true, it will only be a matter of time before her dead body will be found.

Offering the waiting group a small forced smile, she gestured towards the couch and chairs in the room.

“Please sit. Can I get any of you anything?”

“No thank you, Ms. Bakugo. We apologize for the intrusion, but we thought Katsuki would feel most comfortable in his own home, and not down at the police station.” Nezu spoke up as he climbed up one of the chairs that was facing the empty couch. Mitsuki nodded, looking towards the steps as two pairs of footsteps sounded. Moments later, Masaru come into view, followed by a disheveled Katsuki.

“Now, we will like both you and your husband to stay, but we need to make it clear that this is an important matter, and you must not interrupt. Katsuki, you will not be punished for anything that you tell us, we just want a better understanding of what has been happening,” Nezu continued, clearly taking the lead in the questioning. “This is Naomasa Tsukauchi, he is a detective with the police force. Please answer all of our questions honestly, we just want information.”

Katsuki nodded silently, before plopping down onto the couch across from the rodent-looking being. He crossed his arms defensively, not meeting the gaze of any adults in the room, instead seeming to find an interest in the floor. After a pregnant pause, Nezu spoke up once again,

“The day that (Y/n) disappeared, she ran from the school after an argument with you. According to reports from your fellow classmates, (Y/n) had sustained a head injury--”

“She wasn’t the only one hurt. I got a gash on the back of my head too,” Katsuki interrupted gruffly, before falling silent again.

“Yes. Recovery Girl informed me that Eijiro Kirishima took you to her office afterwards and that you had a mild concussion. Now, what could you two have been arguing about that caused you to hurt each other like that?”

Katsuki gritted his teeth in hesitation before answering.

“The night before. There was a news report of the Deku attack in Kanagawa. I knew she saw it too. Deku.... The identity of Deku is Izuku Midoriya.”

Mitsuki gasped from her spot across the room, her hands coming up to cover her mouth in realization. When she saw the video of the kidnapping, well the clip of it that was shown on the news, she completely ignored the face of the villain, instead the poor girl’s terrified face haunted her enough that she couldn’t even look back at it after the first glimpse. Masaru wrapped her in his arms as Katsuki continued speaking.

“T-That fucking bastard. Deku was something I used to call him to tease him-I never thought--I didn’t….” He said, his crossed arms tightening to the point it looked as if he was hugging himself for comfort, his head still hanging down, but by the choked up sound he was making, he was near tears. “I knew it was him the moment I saw him on the news.”

“Did (Y/n) know as well?” Nezu questioned gently, trying to persuade the boy to continue talking.

“O-Of fucking course she did! The bastard was her best friend and boyfriend! I tried to talk to her, but she kept fucking denying it, saying that he was dead. Her dumbass was in denial.”

“How did that lead to you both getting hurt?”

“She-She looked guilty. What the fuck did she have to be guilty about? It made me think…. I-I thought… how could she not have known? How-How could she not have known that he didn’t kill himself? Out of anybody, it would be her that would know. I-I thought… I…” Katsuki said, his voice cracking as he forced himself to breath. “...I accused her of knowing this entire time. Of lying. I thought this was planned, I didn’t know how or why, but it was. She tried to walk away, and I-I thought this proved her guilty. I didn’t mean to hurt her, I was trying to stop her from walking away and I-I banged her head against the stupid wall. I yelled at her. Accused her. Fuck. I-I think it was too much… she was crying… she lost control of her quirk, and sent me flying into the opposite wall…”

“Then what happened?”

“She fucking ran. Grabbed her shit from the classroom, knocked down everyone and everything in her way. And- she fucking ran right into the fucking attack---FUCK!” Katsuki cried, his hands coming up to grip his hair. “She didn’t fucking know--She wasn’t a part of it until she ran- until she ran from me- FUCK! IT'S NOT MY FAULT- I DIDN’T KNOW--”

“Young Bakugo, please calm down. No, this isn’t your fault. You didn’t know. You were traumatized. You just found out that a childhood friends, someone you thought killed himself, became a villain. You weren’t in the right mindset.” All Might spoke up, his signature smile wiped from his face as he watched the young boy hold back his sobs the best he could manage tears dripping from his red eyes onto his lap.

“Why didn’t you come forth with this information when we first questioned you about the fight?” Aizawa spoke up for once, ignoring the side-eye All Might sent him for his blunt question. Katsuki’s head shot up, as he leapt to his feet, rage filling his tearfilled eyes, his quirk sending small explosions into the air from his hands.

“BECAUSE ITS NOT MY FUCKING FAULT. THE BASTARD CHOSE THIS LIFE HIS DAMN SELF. I DIDN’T--IT’S NOT MY FUCKING FAULT HE DID WHAT HE DID. OR WHAT SHE DID! THE BITCH DIDN’T HAVE TO RUN AWAY! IT’S NOT-” Katsuki shouted, before being muffled by his mother’s shoulder as she pulled him into a tight hug, where he crumbled to his knees, tears falling down his face, but the sobs staying stuck in his chest.

Not my fault.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You took in a sharp breath as the floor under your feet creaked, wincing as you paused your steps. You glanced to your side where Izuku stood, his green eyes glowing dimly, as both of you listening intently for any sign that you were heard. After waiting a few more moments with no such sign, the both of you continued forwards slowly, your eyes trained in front of you, as you willed your eyes to see better in the dark. You crouched low as you came to a doorway, peaking your head around the corner as you looked for any movement in the pitch dark. With a small nudge behind you from Izuku, you proceeded forward, staying low to make sure you stay out of sight. As you crept out of the room you were in, you were met with an equally dark hallway. The two of you moved forward, passed two doors, and finally to the one at the end of the hall. Once outside of the closed door, you straightened, before looking behind you to Izuku. He nodded silently, urging you to slowly open the door. You did as wanted of you, quietly turning the handle and opening the door.

Pausing a second while the door creaked open, you tilted your head inside, eyes easily peering through the dark. It was a bedroom, a large queen-sized bed to the left, a dresser to the right. The windows straight across from you, which would normally let in light from the streetlights outside, were covered with thick curtains, only allowing a small sliver of light to pour onto the still figure on the bed. When the figure made no sign of moving, you edge further into the room, Izuku only a step behind. Stopping at the foot of the bed, with Izuku right at your side, you watched as Izuku’s shadows emerged, still visible despite the dark the room was bathed in, as if they were a completely different color black as everything else.

The shadows slithered towards the figure on the bed, almost seeming threatening in the intensity of the way they moved. Your collar sent small pulses through your body, Izuku clearly being excited.

Excited, or nervous? You couldn’t quite tell.

The shadows finally reached the figure, before they gently shook it, awakening the figure who shot up in fear. The person tossed themselves on their side quickly, hand snagging ahold of the pull chain of the bedside lamp. Before the room could be bathed in light however, you activated your quirk, quickly snatching the lamp from their grasp, gently settling it on the floor as you moved closer. The person backed away from you, audibly hitting the headboard in their frantic motions, their breathing shaky as if they were close to tears. Your heart clenched at the thought, causing you to move even closer, reaching the side of the bed with an outstretched hand, trying to get ahold of them for comfort.

“Mama Midoriya?” you muttered quietly, making the person freeze. You finally found what you were looking for in the dark, grabbing ahold of her hand, and pulling her closer so she could clearly see your face in the dark. Her wide green eyes stared at you in awe, before she yanked you down into a bear-crushing hug, as loud sobs escaped her. You smiled warmly as tears fell down your cheeks. Movement from behind you caught your attention, making you pull your head up to see. You felt Mama Midoriya flinch at the noise, before her body tensed up once again as it seemed like she wanted to steal all the oxygen in the world with how hard she gasped.

“Mom?” Izuku muttered quietly, shuffling closer to the two of you. You shifted to the side as her hand reached out in disbelief.

“Izuku?”

~*~

#bnha fanfiction #bnha imagines #bnha izuku #bnha x reader #mha imagines #mha x reader #izuku midoriya #izuku midoriya x reader #izuku midoriya imagine #katsuki bakugo x reader #katsuki bakugo imagine #bakugou x reader #bakugou imagine

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snelbz · 6 years ago

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Lovely, Chapter 2 {ACOTAR}

A/N: Chaptet 2 is finally here! Once again, this a joint project between myself and @tacmc. It’s similar to our last joint project, Tending to the Fire, but while we swapped off on chapters, these chapters are written by us both. We hope you enjoy it and you can look for Chapter 3 to be posted on @tacmc’s page soon! (Both of us have Chapter Indexes for this story, so no matter which one of us posts a chapter, you can find the entirety of the story on both of our blogs!)

By the time the headmistress arrived at the Velaris Institute of the Arts, Nesta had already been waiting outside the front doors for over 20 minutes.

“Miss Archeron,” she said, giving her a polite smile. “It’s not even 7:30. You’re quite early.”

She returned the gesture as well as she could. She’d actually been here since 7:00, but wasn’t going to tell her that. “Yes, ma’am. Just excited to get my studio set up.”

She unlocked the door and held it open for her. “Well, be my guest. You know well where your studio is. I’ll have a set of keys for you this afternoon. Oh and Nesta?” She said, as she walked by. “Welcome back to VIA.”

The smile that graced her features wasn’t forced for once. “Thank you, Mrs. Birch.”

The older woman gripped her hand and smiled at her warmly. “I’m not your instructor anymore, Nesta. It’s Alis.”

Nesta nodded at her and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Alis.”

As Nesta walked through that halls of her alma mater, she couldn’t believe that her dreams were beginning to come true. All she’d ever wanted to do as a girl was dance. When her mother had died, the only way she managed to her through it was by throwing herself into her art. Feyre had her painting and Elain leaned on their father, useless as he was, but Nesta found the only way she could lose herself was in the music.

Not much had changed in the years since.

Except now she was hoping to have the same effect on her students that her instructor had on her.

As she rounded the corner to her studio, the memories flooded her.

She had spent many mornings, afternoons, and nights in this very room.

She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the air conditioner running in the hall. She could hear a piano being played down the hall and it was almost as if she was transported back in time. If she focused hard enough, she was sure that she’d be able to hear the song she used for her Senior Showcase, the song that reverberated through this studio for months on end.

Instead, she was ripped from her memories by the sound of a drum kit from somewhere down the hall.

Her eyes flew open and she set her purse and supplies on the desk - her desk, she reminded herself and made her way down the hall towards the music wing.

She found the double doors, which were designed to be sound proof when closed, wide open, allowing the crash of the symbols to carry down the hallway towards her studio. And there, sitting behind the drum set, was the man who had ruined her suede shoes the night before.

As a greeting, she said, “You have got to be kidding me.”

The drumming quickly, and awkwardly, faded away as he looked up, meeting her dumbfounded stare with a sly grin.

“Hello, beautiful,” he said, with a wink. “Fancy meeting you here. Following me?”

She did not have strong enough words for the anger brewing inside of her.

“Please tell me you broke in and are about to make a highly illegal escape with these instruments?”

He glanced around the room before meeting her gaze again and standing up from the drum set. “Seeing as most of these instruments belong to me, I don’t think I need to do anything highly illegal to take them anywhere. But I must say I’m partial to how they’re set up, wouldn’t you agree?” He stopped in front of her and gazed around the room. “The acoustics in here are wonderful.” Nesta tried to keep her lip from curling, she really did. “You must be our new madam.”

Nesta blinked. “Madam?”

He turned away from her and stepped across the room, leaning against his desk. Mr. Nazari was spray painted across the front. “You know, the new ballet instructor? Or, I guess, all forms of dancing?”

Nesta blinked, again, unable to help the humorless laughter that fell from her lips. “I…”

“Take your time,” he grinned, sitting on his desk. “I’ll wait. I’m Cassian, by the way.”

“Nesta. I’m Nesta Archeron. And yes, I’m the new instructor of dance.”

Cassian chuckled and pulled his hair back into a messy bun at the back of his head. “Well in case no one has told you, Nesta Archeron, welcome to the Velaris Institute of the Arts. They call me the ‘Master of Music’.”

Nesta bit off the retort she wanted to spit at him that this was her home first, not his, and instead asked. “Master? That’s a pretty prestigious title to give yourself.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he said, crossing the room and sitting at the piano. “I didn’t give it to myself.” His fingers danced lightly over the keys, playing out a soft melody. “You can close the doors on your way out. I wouldn’t want to disturb your routine.”

He winked at her and Nesta tried ignore the butterflies in her stomach when he looked at her.

She turned and left his studio, the sound of the piano following her back into the dance wing. She pulled the double doors shut behind her and leaned back on them, closing her eyes.

Silence filled her senses.

She had been dreaming of returning to VIA for years and finally, she was here. She was going to focus on those dreams and help her students’ dreams become a reality, too.

And she was going to do it all, while pretending the handsome man down the hall didn’t exist.

Feyre woke up the next morning with a slight headache. She didn’t think she had drunk that much, but it had been a few years since she had stumbled into a bar for a drink. She couldn’t help it. She kept asking for another because she was enjoying herself.

Thanks to the bartender.

Rhysand.

He was kind, surprisingly.

She didn’t think that men who looked so sexy and seductive could actually be decent human beings. Typically, such men were assholes. Speaking of dickwads, she checked her phone and saw that she had countless missed calls and texts from Tam.

With a curse, she crawled out of bed, unable to stop her mind from wandering to a man that was not her boyfriend.

Even though she wasn’t even sure where they stood after she stormed out of the restaurant the night before.

She was still pissed. She didn’t want to call him back, didn’t want to text him. She wanted to take her hand and slap his face like they did in old, cheesy soap operas.

He deserved a good slap.

Or a push down the stairs.

Neither of those facts stopped him from knocking on her door as she walked into the kitchen for an Advil.

She left him hanging for a moment, though. She may not have had the nerve for a slap, but she could leave him knocking for a minute or two.

“Feyre!” he called, knocking as she took a couple of pain killers. “It’s me, baby. Open up!”

She did.

“Let me in,” he pleaded.

She did that, too.

He looked handsome, she’d give him that. He wore his sweatpants, his sweatshirt, his beanie. Feyre preferred him this way as opposed to his business attire. When he put on the suit, he changed.

At first, their relationship was amazing. She had thought he was the one. Lately, though, he was a different person. Controlling. Demeaning. It was usually worse around his colleagues. When he was in his suit and tie.

“You never called me back,” he said, tossing his keys on her kitchen counter.

“I was busy,” she shrugged.

His eyes narrowed. “Doing what?”

“Does it matter?” she snapped. “You already have a thought in your mind about what happened. You always do that. Accuse me. I have been nothing but loyal to your greedy ass for the last year and a half and what do I get in return? Called fat while being treated like your bitch in front of all your friends.”

Tamlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he walked to Feyre. He stopped in front of her and brushed her cheek with his fingers. “I’m sorry, baby. Forgive me, please.”

“Yeah, well,” she began, but the bite in her voice had vanished with his touch. “You’ve been saying that you’re sorry a lot lately.”

“I know, I know,” he said, kissing her forehead. “I’ll be better. I promise.”

“I want to believe you…” she trailed off because their eyes had connected and his lips were on hers within seconds.

She didn’t fight it. She didn’t push him away. She let him kiss her, let him touch her. She hated how natural kissing Tamlin was, even when she was pissed at him.

She wanted to blow up.

Wanted to throw things, break things.

But, instead, she found herself melting into his touch.

“I love you,” he said, against her lips.

“I’m still mad at you,” she mumbled.

“I know,” he said. “I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“You're promising a lot.”

“I know. And I mean it.”

When Feyre pulled back, he popped into her mind again. His violet eyes, his tanned skin, his black hair that matched the inky swirls that covered his arms, his neck.

“What are you thinking about?” Tamlin asked, pulling her closer.

“You,” she lied. “How glad I am that you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here too,” he said. “Wanna get into bed for a while?”

Feyre hesitated, but then she could see his oncoming anger and confrontation so she nodded.

Tamlin’s wrath was one thing Feyre hated, one thing she couldn’t face.

“I was hoping we could go out,” she said, quickly, hoping he wouldn’t know it was an excuse. “Just me and you.”

“I don’t wanna go out,” he said. “I wanna stay in.”

Feyre raised a brow. “Since when don’t you wanna go out? You hate staying in.”

“Well, tonight I do want to stay in,” he smiled, lazily, as he tossed his phone and wallet on the kitchen table. “Be right back. When I come out, I’ll make it all up to you. I promise.”

Feyre sighed as he shut the bathroom door behind him.

She’d barely made it two steps before his phone started vibrating against the thin wooden table.

One message.

Then two.

Feyre glanced at the name that came across the banner: Brannagh.

She groaned inwardly as she opened Tamlin’s phone and read the messages.

Last night was fun.

Wanna come over again tonight?

Feyre couldn’t breathe.

She felt sick.

How could he come into her apartment and demand answers as to why she hadn’t answered her phone, after he’d been an ass, when he was with Branagh?

Last night was fun.

What a prick.

The moment he came out of the bathroom, Feyre was pissed. Her hands were shaking as she held up his phone. “Branagh texted.”

Tamlin raised a brow as he slowed himself to a stop. “You looked at my phone?”

Feyre scoffed. “Yes! It was ringing and, as your girlfriend, I didn’t think that it would be an issue.”

Tamlin calmy reached over and took his phone, reading the messages for himself. His eyelids fluttered shut. “Feyre-”

“Did you sleep with her?”

He didn’t answer right away. “Feyre…”

“Answer me!”

Tamlin stayed quiet for a minute, shoving his hands into his sweatpants. “You were pissed at me. I thought we were through.”

Feyre laughed, humorlessly. “You slept with Branagh because you thought we were through? Wow, Tam.” She was speechless, completely unsure of what to say. But when he tried to take a step toward her, Feyre took a big step back. “Don’t come near me. Don’t touch me. Don’t look at me. And get out of my house.”

“Feyre, baby-”

“Get out!” she yelled, taking it upon herself to throw the door open. “Don’t call me. Don’t text me. Leave me alone. We’re done.”

Tamlin looked at her for a long while, but she didn’t budge.

Despite her order, he kissed her cheek as he stepped toward the door. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

When she didn’t answer, he left.

Elain hurried to Main Street an hour before her shop was to open.

She was forced to ride the bus, thanks to her car’s mishap the day before. Elain had never known much about cars. Both Azriel and the mechanic at the shop attempted to help her understand, and she nodded along as if she knew what they were talking about, but she had still gone home and gone to bed knowing absolutely nothing.

So, with her purse slung over her shoulder and her notebook clung tightly against the chest of her bright yellow sundress, Elain waved and smiled at the street vendors as she went to work.

Elain loved Velaris.

She loved the friendly people.

She loved that she had found her purpose in such a wonderful city.

As she strode upon her shop and fiddled around in her bag for her key, Elain froze, catching the reflection of the shop across from hers in the window.

Or, the truck sitting in front of it.

Azriel got out of the driver’s side and opened up the door behind his. Elain, forgetting about her key, watched curiously as Azriel wrestled a car seat out of the back.

As if he noticed her eyes on him, he glanced up.

At first, he was surprised, but a slow smile crept across his lips, lighting up his face.

He gave her a little wave as she looked both ways, and hurried across the middle of Main Street.

They were the complete opposite of one another. Him, dressed completely in black, in jeans and an old hoodie; and, her, in a bright yellow that made her brown eyes look like they were tinted with gold.

“This is your shop?” she asked, in way of greeting.

He laughed, quietly. “Yeah. Small world, isn’t it?”

Elain agreed. She had been at her spot on Main Street for nearly a year and never gave the tattoo parlor across the street a second glance.

“And who is this?” Elain asked, bending down to get a better look in the car seat.

A chubby, baby boy looked up at her with fuzzy, black hair and bright, hazel eyes.

“Oh my goodness,” Elain beamed, hand over her heart. “He looks just like you. Is he yours?”

“Yeah,” Azriel smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

As the sudden realization hit Elain of what has to happen to make an infant, she blushed. Not that she had expected anything to happen between her and Azriel - she hadn’t even expected to see him again - but after their lunch the other day, she thought they had really connected. She had never thought that there would be another woman in his life.

“How old is he?” she asked. “What’s his name?”

“Asher,” Azriel said, smiling down at his son. “Six months. We only have a few hours together before I have to bring him back to his...mother’s, but I just had to run into the shop to grab my deposits before we went to the park for a while.”

She noted the way he cringed when he said mother’s, but didn’t ask. No matter how much she wanted to.

“Well, you two have a fun time together,” she smiled and leaned down again to see Asher. “It was nice to meet you, cutie. Yes it was.”

Asher giggled and kicked his feet, making Azriel laugh. “He likes you.”

“Is he the only one?”

The question flew out of her mouth in the excitement, but once she began to stutter a follow up retort, Azriel’s smile softened. “No. No, he’s not.”

Elain’s cheeks were burning so hotly that she glanced down at her vintage mary-janes to hide them.

“Would you like to join us?” Azriel asked. “At the park? I know it’s not that exciting, but it’s a nice day.”

It was a perfect day. The sun was high, not a cloud in sight.

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” Elain shook her head.

Azriel’s eyes dimmed, but his smile remained. It couldn’t have been easy being a single father, and when Elain realized he thought he was being rejected, she caught herself. “Oh, no! I just...I open the boutique in a few minutes,” she said, gesturing to her shop behind her. “But, I mean, if you don’t have plans….tonight?”

Azriel looked away from Asher, who was still smiling and kicking his feet. “I’m working late tonight. Tomorrow? Around seven?”

Elain nibbled on her lip as she nodded. “Tomorrow sounds lovely.”

412 notes · View notes

anghraine · 5 years ago

Text

pro patria, chapters 29-35

“We need real Seraph here in Queensdale, not politicians.” Logan considered him in silence, then simply shrugged and strode past him, leaving the man flushed and glowering. Softly, I said, “Watch your tongue.”

title: pro patria (29/35/?) stuff that happens: Althea and Logan confront Tervelan.

verse: Ascalonian grudgefic characters/relationships: Althea Fairchild, Logan Thackeray, Captain Tervelan; Queen Jennah, Minister Arton, others; Althea & Logan chapters: 1-7, 8-14, 15-21, 22-28

TWENTY-NINE 1 “I need to talk to Tervelan myself,” Logan told me. “Meet me at the Eldvin Monastery. I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I nodded, and Logan dropped his hand, clenching it into a gauntleted fist. “If he’s responsible for the Falcon Company incident, we’ll make sure he answers for it.” At that, I managed to summon up a smile. “Yes,” I said, “we will.” 2 Despite the if, Logan seemed to have entirely relinquished his first shocked doubts. When I spoke to him again before I headed back to the waypoint, he said, “Once Tervelan finds out you’re alive, he won’t sit around waiting for you to come after him. You should head to Eldvin Monastery now.” It was abrupt—and abrupt was exactly what we needed right now. “I’m on my way,” I assured him. He was right, all the more as I’d taken up valuable time in rushing to Divinity’s Reach first. The gods only knew what Tervelan was up to. 3 I didn’t stop to change my clothes; with one deep breath, I raced back to the waypoint, shoving coins at the guard—I didn’t even check the denomination—and then headed more cautiously towards the monastery. Logan’s as soon as I can turned out to be very soon indeed; he was already there. “Tervelan’s a traitor,” he murmured, face somber. “It’s hard to believe; whoever played him really knew how to manipulate people.” “They played on his weak spots,” I agreed—they must have, whoever they were—”but he made the choice himself.” My jaw tightened. “He should pay.” 4 “He will,” Logan promised me, tone grim. With that, he headed towards the monastery, slowing after a moment to match his stride to my much shorter one. As we entered the courtyard, my muscles tight as I realized my back was entirely unprotected, one lieutenant looked us up and down with open contempt. “The queen’s little loverboy has some nerve showing his face here,” he said. Remembering Shaemoor, I returned his disdainful stare with one of my own. Logan was many things, but presumptuous was not one of them—nor little. He laughed and went on, “Did you two come in a golden carriage?” 5 My eyes narrowed. I wasn’t foolish enough to draw a weapon based on words alone, but I kept my hand close to my scabbard. “What do you mean by that, soldier?” I snapped. The lieutenant glared up at Logan; it was a good ways up. “We need real Seraph here in Queensdale, not politicians.” Logan considered him in silence, then simply shrugged and strode past him, leaving the man flushed and glowering. Softly, I said, “Watch your tongue.” 6 The lieutenant flinched, then gave another sneer and retreated to his post. Another guard, however, seemed to have been paying close attention; as I moved to catch up with Logan, this one caught my sleeve. “Captain Thackeray’s here?” he said, peering over my shoulder. He looked nervous, but sounded nearly hopeful. “Is … is he going to replace Captain Tervelan?” I tilted my head to the side. “You almost sound as if you’d like that idea.” 7 Raw terror flashed over his face. “No, no … I wouldn’t do anything against Tervelan … forget I said that—please?” I nodded at him, reassured that not everyone seemed to be on Tervelan's side. “Noted.” With that, I ran after Logan, ignoring his faint smile as I clambered up the stairs after him. From here, we could both make out Tervelan, staring us down with his arms crossed. Logan leaned his head down and whispered, “Ready, little sister?” THIRTY 1 “Ready, captain,” I said. As we approached, shoulder-to-shoulder (or, well, head-to-shoulder), Tervelan’s features twisted into a grimace, the expression making him look more weasel-like than ever. “Oh, look,” he said, “it’s my lucky day. The city kid is back again, and this time”—his eyes narrowed—“you brought Captain Thackeray.” I was immediately certain that I’d made the right choice in doing so. Following Logan’s lead, however, I stayed silent. “Two heroes for the price of one!” said Tervelan; pointedly looking around, he added, “Hm, nobody’s smiling?” 2 My well of patience, never deep, evaporated. “You left me and Bigsby alone at that centaur camp on purpose,” I burst out. “Were you hoping we wouldn’t make it out alive? Was I getting too close to the truth about what happened to Falcon Company?” Tervelan stepped closer, the movement infused with menace. I repressed the urge to step back; I’d never backed away from anything, and least of all with Logan at my side. “You dare accuse a real soldier of treason?” 3 I simply lifted my chin. Tervelan was not at all my idea of a real soldier. “If you’d seen half what I’ve seen,” he growled, “you’d fall out of your boots!” Oh, please. The day he fought abominations from the Underworld in Godslost Swamp, we’d talk. “Just because you run around with the queen’s lackey, her boyfriend, you think you can undermine my authority?” By his triumphant look, Tervelan expected this to be a winning blow. 4 Logan not only didn’t recoil and run away, or whatever it was that Tervelan anticipated, he didn’t so much as twitch. I glanced up at him, ready to abide by his decision—so long as that decision brought me closer to finding what had happened to Deborah. It was obedience, for me. Logan studied Tervelan with steady grey eyes, then said coolly, “That’s crossing the line, Tervelan. You’re hereby relieved of your command.” Only my refusal to show weakness before Tervelan kept my expression neutral. I’d gone to Logan because I trusted him and because I was acting as his representative, but somehow I hadn’t really imagined him turning on another Seraph, on my word alone. 5 “I’m taking you back to Divinity’s Reach for questioning,” Logan went on, just as calmly. “I’d prefer you come peacefully.” Tervelan’s sneer shifted into a snarl. “Sorry to disappoint you. Gordan! Reginald! Muster the men!” 6 “One hundred gold to the soldier who silences these two, for good!” I drew a sharp breath. “He’s ordering his Seraph to kill us? Will they do it?” After all that I’d seen, and all that I’d heard, I still found it difficult to believe. The Ministry were the suspect ones, the Seraph were—they were Deborahs and Logans, they were the soldiers I’d helped and received help from— “They might,” said Logan grimly. 7 “Listen here!” he shouted. “Anyone who attacks us will be committing treason! I will show no mercy to anyone who turns against Kryta for gold or who protects a traitor like Tervelan!” Afterwards, I was never sure if I should say that a whole half of Tervelan’s command listened—or that only half did. Regardless, we had to fight a number of highly trained Seraph in addition to Tervelan himself, while other Seraph ran up to defend Logan and me from Tervelan’s loyalists, and the priests shouted and cried at the sudden outbreak. The battle was one of utter chaos: Seraph against Seraph, captain against captain, and me and all the clones I could muster, swinging the balance. We won; but it was a victory with little joy in it. THIRTY-ONE 1 “No more!” screamed Tervelan, shrinking away from bolts of aether and Logan’s sword. “I surrender! Enough—I surrender!” He and his lackeys promptly dropped their weapons, shoulders slumping as their fellow soldiers put them under guard and seized the weaponry. The priests eyed all of us from their alcoves and doorways, not trusting this latest turn of fortunes. I didn’t either. Shoving my sceptre into its sling on my back, I kept my sword at his throat. 2 So did Logan. And while mine was mostly a conduit for aether, his was long and sharp. It pricked Tervelan’s throat as the man dropped to his knees. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!” I glanced at the trickle of blood, and felt nothing but satisfaction. Pressing my sword closer, I demanded, “Did you send Falcon Company into an ambush?” Tervelan looked everywhere except at the two of us, then squeezed his eyes shut. 3 Finally, he lifted his gaze to Logan and me. “I didn’t want to do it,” he muttered, then flinched back from our incredulous looks. “My soldiers were starving, our equipment was ruined. I had to do something or the centaurs would have killed us all!” A shadow of his old disdain returned to his face. “So, yes, I sold out Falcon Company so that some politician could say the queen was a bad ruler.” Tervelan glanced down at the swords and gulped. 4 “But the rest of my command lived. I got funds to re-equip my soldiers, munitions, decent rations, and a promotion. My command’s killed more centaurs than the rest of the Seraph combined—thanks to Falcon Company’s sacrifice.” Logan and I drew equally sharp breaths. No, this was no sacrifice. Sacrifice had to be willing, conscious—one thing when a soldier risked their life in battle, and quite another when they were sold out by their own commander. He could dress it up all he liked; it was treason. 5 “Who paid you?” growled Logan. “Give me a name, now, or by Lyssa’s tears, you will never see the outside of a prison cell again.” Tervelan shuddered. “I … I never met the man,” he said, “but he signed his letters ‘Minister Arton.’ That’s all I know, I swear it.” Logan’s eyes widened, his sword giving a slight jerk. Tervelan squeaked. 6 “Arton’s one of the queen’s advisors. We need to warn Jennah—and fast. She may be in danger.” I nodded. “Tervelan,” Logan announced, “by my authority as a captain of the queen’s Seraph, you’re under arrest.” With every appearance of little effort, he hoisted Tervelan to his feet, and bound his hands behind his back with a piece of rope offered by one of the loyal Seraph. I shoved my sword back in its scabbard, glaring at the traitor. 7 “You can’t put me in prison,” Tervelan insisted. “I’m a Seraph captain!” “Not any more,” said Logan. “I did what was right for Kryta! Someone had to do it—let me go!” “Falcon Company deserved better than this, Tervelan,” I said coldly. “Deborah deserved better.” THIRTY-TWO 1 He flushed. “Don’t you understand? This was how we drew enough attention to our cause to get aid! Supplies! Weapons!” “You sold them out, Tervelan,” I told him, my free hand clenching. “That’s all I see—a traitor, and a disgrace to the uniform.” 2 I turned my back on him and walked away without regret, leaving two of the Seraph to lead him into one of the empty ale carts. Logan kept an eye on them, his expression grim. “I’ll take Tervelan back to Divinity’s Reach and lock him up,” he told me. “Meet me at the palace—we’ll warn the queen about Minister Arton together.” I hesitated, then said, “Tervelan’s slippery, and someone has a vested interest in not letting him talk.” “No visitors, no ministers,” Logan assured me. “I’ll make sure of it.” 3 I thanked him, and trusting his capabilities, headed towards the main entrance, my heart still pounding in my ears. Several of the priests were starting to creep out; I reassured them as well as I could, silently thanking Faren for my years of smiling on cue. At the main gate, I paused to catch my breath, and heard the jingle of armour silencing just behind me. Someone was following me. I cautiously dropped my hand to my sword—and felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the nervous Seraph from before. “Tervelan commanded my unit,” he said earnestly, “but I serve Kryta; my loyalties lie with Logan and the queen.” 4 He was looking for approval, I realized—approval from the woman who had repeatedly blasted Tervelan off his feet, at that. I summoned up one last smile. “Glad to have you on our side, soldier. Carry on.” It was odd, to think that Seraph could be as unsure of themselves and their choices as anyone else, as hesitant or eager, as loyal or confused. I glanced back at the cart. As corrupt. 5 Foolishly, perhaps, I detoured to Salma upon my return to Divinity’s Reach. I had worn these stained and dirty clothes so far, but before the queen? One had to draw a line somewhere. My mother arrived just as I was rushing out in fresh silks. “Althea!” “Hello, Mama,” I said. “And goodbye—I have to go see Queen Jennah.” 6 “The queen?” she exclaimed. “Althea, what are you up to?” “It’s a state secret,” I told her, and kissing her cheek, hurried through one of the free waypoints to the palace, nearly tripping over my own feet on the way out. Hopefully I wouldn’t before the queen herself. I took a deep breath before the gate to the throne room, looked at the Shining Blade guards, and demanded entrance. “By whose permission?” demanded one of them, looking me up and down. “Captain Logan Thackeray’s,” I said proudly. 7 With much more reluctance, I added, “I’m Lady Althea Fairchild, the … the hero of Shaemoor.” The guards’ expression cleared. “He said to expect you,” the second one said, and both stepped aside, pushing the door open for me. I entered as quietly as possible, and nearly walked right into Logan, who steadied me but seemed otherwise preoccupied in surveying the room. I did the same, searching for anything suspicious or dangerous—but I, at least, found nothing. Queen Jennah, looking as healthy and lovely as ever, stood beside her throne, deep in conversation with Anise, while several ministers milled inoffensively around. At a gesture from Logan, I followed him towards them, and knelt before my queen. THIRTY-THREE 1 Queen Jennah, with a surprised look, told us to rise, and something in her soft voice had me doing so without thought. “Sorry to intrude, your Majesty,” said Logan, clattering to his feet while I dusted off my skirt, “but this can’t wait. There’s a traitor in the Ministry.” I had no idea if she reciprocated his devotion or not; either way, her voice and gaze remained steady. “That’s a serious accusation, captain. Can you provide the required evidence the back up your claim?” I had always felt loyal to her, as a Krytan citizen and one of her nobles; now, I decided that I liked her. 2 “We’re working on it, your Majesty,” I said, meeting her dark eyes directly. “Captain Tervelan confessed that a minister ordered him to reveal patrol routes to the enemy. The Screaming Falcons died because of it.” She paled. One of her advisors said, “Impossible! A minister would never betray our soldiers.” I nearly rolled my eyes, remembering Zamon; at this point, I wouldn’t put anything past anyone. 3 “I wish this matter investigated immediately, your Majesty. The Ministry’s honour is at stake,” the advisor went on. He squared his shoulders and looked around at all of us, seeming more tired than anything else. “Captain Tervelan’s command is within my ministerial jurisdiction. I’m the one who works directly with him; I’m the one impugned.” Arton, I realized. I had not expected so convenient an acknowledgment; we hadn’t even needed to mention his name. 4 “I’m not guilty of these crimes, your Majesty,” he said quietly. “I’m loyal to you, and to Kryta. As a show of faith, I place myself completely in your hands.” I felt rather uncomfortable; a denial must be expected, of course, but I was used to … defiance, bravado, insults, not this sort of meek acceptance. “Thank you, Arton,” said the queen, her manner gracious, but revealing nothing. “The Shining Blade will take you into custody, and you’ll be kept under house arrest while we get to the bottom of this.” He nodded. 5 It didn’t feel right. Maybe that was the idea, but I’d never seen anyone apprehend a culprit so easily as the Shining Blade did Arton; they had only to step forward, and he held out his wrists. Once they led him away, Anise stirred. Her usual sly smile was entirely absent. “Logan, I remember that one Seraph transferred out of Tervelan’s company just after the Falcons were ambushed—Sergeant Hal. He might know something.” Logan and I both brightened up; maybe the trail hadn’t ended here, after all. 6 “Hal?” Logan said, recognition in his face. He and Anise really did seem to know everyone. “As I recall, he patrols the eastern edge of Divinity’s Reach. Hero”—he smiled slightly at me—“why don’t you find out what he knows? I’ll guard the queen.” Anise sighed, but I could not imagine him doing anything else. Just as Faren would be Faren, Logan would be Logan. 7 I was more surprised that he pulled me a little aside, as Queen Jennah spoke to the remaining ministers and Anise. Lowering his voice, he said, “Maybe Hal transferred out of Tervelan’s unit because he found out what Tervelan did. See how much he can tell you about the Falcons’ disappearance.” I thought of Deborah, perhaps slaughtered, perhaps enslaved. And I thought of the others, too, and of Tervelan’s shrill, pathetic justifications. I might be running Logan’s errands, but they could hardly be less of a burden. “If he knows something,” I said, “I’ll get him to talk.” THIRTY-FOUR 1 “Good,” Logan said, looking rather like a proud parent. “I want to make sure Jennah’s safe, so you’re on your own. Find Hal at the eastern edge of Divinity’s Reach, and see what he knows.” I gave a crisp nod. “I’ll check in soon.” With a quick (and somewhat painful) shake of hands, he turned back and clanked his way towards Anise. I breathed in, and thought—oh, why not? 2 I walked over to the queen, not daring—presuming, my mother would say—a smile. Now, away from the rest, she did look anxious. “Arton served as a minister under my father, the king; he’s always been supportive of my rule. Could he really be working against me?” I’d rarely felt more out of my depth. “Captain Thackeray and Countess Anise will ensure your safety, your Majesty,” I said at last. “I’ll look into this.” 3 She lifted her eyes, seeming to really see me for the first time. “Thank you, hero. I’m glad to know that this matter is in good hands.” Logan had once spoken of my name reaching her ears; it evidently hadn’t happened yet. But then, she had rather more pressing matters on her mind. “You’ll be safe, your Majesty,” I promised, glancing over at Anise and Logan, “and I’ll discover the truth of this. I swear it.” 4 Anise caught me as I headed towards the door. She looked vaguely amused once more. “Accusing a minister in front of the queen? I knew you were bold, but I didn’t realize you were fearless.” Hardly that. “Not fearless,” I told her. “Determined.” 5 “I see,” said Anise, which could mean anything. “Well, hurry on; we’re all quite fascinated.” Minister Caudecus, when I approached, looked more irritable than fascinated. But well he might be; I remembered Anise’s suspicion that he’d orchestrated Zamon’s death. “You’re stirring up quite a fuss with these accusations,” he said. “Let’s hope you find evidence to justify this commotion.” “I will,” I told him, “and I look forward to presenting it to the queen.” 6 Logan spoke to me one last time, now looking almost fretful. He said, “I’ll be standing by if you need help.” I blinked. “But you said—the queen—” We both glanced over at Jennah and Anise. “I’ll do my part to protect her,” he said, “but she has other protectors, and you don’t, so … just let me know, all right?” Rather touched, I said, “All right.” 7 I’d rarely felt anything but safe in Divinity’s Reach. It was my home. But my shoulders itched as I made my way to the eastern edge; a minister did not act alone, and who knew what agents might be at liberty in the city? It didn’t slow my steps, but my mind darted between fear and resolve, between I’m going to find out the truth and desperately trying to distract myself with wondering about Faren and Yolanda and the rest, telling myself I needed better shoes, and I really should cut my hair or grow it out, it kept getting in my eyes—frightfully impractical, really— I asked some guards along the eastern wall of Rurikton (of course it was Rurikton), and thankfully, Sergeant Hal was both on duty and nearby. I followed their directions, and braced myself. It was now or never. THIRTY-FIVE 1 Sergeant Hal, an amiable-looking Ascalonian with brown hair bound at the back of his head, seemed an unlikely source of answers to all the mysteries confronting us. Nevertheless, he was our only lead, so I cheerfully abused my authority as an Ascalonian noble to interrupt his watch. “Sergeant Hal?” I said, and lowered my voice. “I need to talk to you about Captain Tervelan.” Hal recoiled from me, his mild eyes turning panicked. “Merciful Grenth, I knew this day would come!” He was a good few inches taller than me, but he cowered as if I were a giant. 2 Taken aback, I just stared at him. Almost whimpering, he said, “Did Tervelan send you to kill me?” What the— “No,” I assured him, smiling, “calm down. Thackeray sent me. But tell me: why would Tervelan want you killed?” Hal heaved a great sigh, and though hardly calm—he kept glancing over his shoulder—the immediate terror receded from his face. 3 He dropped his eyes to the ground, a flush creeping up his cheeks, and mumbled, “I delivered Tervelan’s private messages to the ministry and”—his gaze flickered up, and then down again, his shoulders hunching—“to the woods. I didn’t ask who the notes were for, but … oh gods, I knew. I transferred out the moment I could. You have to believe me!” I could almost hear another piece clicking into place. “So that’s how Tervelan communicated with the centaurs.” But there was another piece left—too many pieces. 4 “Who was his contact in the ministry?” I asked. “I don’t know,” he said, but before I could press harder, he finally looked straight at me and said, “but Dansky might. She was a Falcon before transferring to the Lionguard. She’s stationed at Black Haven now.” Frustration built in my throat, though I refused to voice it. I knew of Black Haven—one of the main Lionguard forts down south, supposedly keeping the trade routes safe—but it was past the swamp, beyond Queensdale altogether. I’d never been so far in my life. 5 I didn’t feel like arguing with Logan about going all the way to the Delanian Foothills; sometimes this older-brotherly thing was more trouble than I cared to deal with. Instead, I went to bathe and change into more practical clothes, sent a vague note, very definitely did not tell my mother where I was going, and headed off once more. I’d decided that the journey wouldn’t be too difficult. I could take the Salma waypoint down to Godslost Swamp—it’d be worth the expense to avoid fighting my way through Queensdale—then make my way south through Sojourner’s Way, and down into the foothills. It was easier planned than done. I had scarcely set a foot beyond Queensdale when I found a child whose mother had been abducted by bandits, assorted Lionguard soldiers under attack, and just—bandits. I’d never seen so many in my life; by the time I reached the haven, my new leggings were as stained with dirt and blood as my last. 6 I’d scarcely arrived at Black Haven when I heard yet more bandits just behind me. I raced inside only seconds before the doors slammed closed. “I’m here to help,” I said hastily, before any Lionguard could stab me (or whatever it was that Lionguards did). They were, it seemed, in no position to turn down another set of hands. One soldier who seemed to be in charge of those near her sent me up on the walls to help pour oil, while other soldiers launched cannon balls at the mortars beneath us. Taken altogether, it was one of the nastiest battles I’d ever participated in. I could only think, Welcome to Kessex Hills. 7 After we’d driven the bandits off, I got directions to Danksy; she was keeping watch up by one of the towers. “I don’t have time to talk right now,” she said brusquely. I considered my options, given that I was neither particularly charming nor particularly threatening. Then I straightened up, and said in my most official manner, “Your help could clear up an important legal matter.” It seemed the right answer. Looking concerned, she turned back towards me and said, “In that case, I’ll do what I can to help.” I smiled.

#ascalonian grudgeblog #anghraine's gaming #anghraine's fic #ascalonian grudgefic #althea fairchild #minister arton #sergeant hal #countess anise #queen jennah #logan thackeray #reginald #captain tervelan #guild wars 2 #pro patria

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fullmetaldevil-blog · 6 years ago

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Batim: Stitched Au CH. 7

Ok. I actually had this typed up awhile ago but lacked the sufficient time to actually sit and post it properly :p

summary: Benny is gone and is no where to be found. Now a determined Angel is out to find her demon accompanied by her band and loyal husband. Can they find Benny or will someone else find them whom has even bigger plans?

I hope you all enjoy

On with the show~!

Ch. 7 Bigger Plans for the Band

Bright and early in the morning Allison and Tom piled into Tom's truck and the man broke a few speed limits to reach the studio. They had stayed up all night formulating ways to trying to track Benny down based on what Allison knew of him. The mechanic and actress had placed many phone calls waking much of the band members (and got cussed out by a few) as to perform a thorough search of the studio before the facility opened to the majority of the staff. Tom was taking full advantage of the fact that he was one of the few key holders and had informed everyone to meet at the studio 2 hours before the studio was fully open to openly search for Benny without onlookers. They had hoped that Norman, Aaron and Giovanni's plan of leaving food sitting out had paid off since Benny was known to have a large appetite.

While Tom drove like a madman down the dark road and was thankful no cops were around to pull him over (not like he would have stopped), Allison was silently praying that they would be able to find her little lost toon. Benny didn't really see much of the studio except for the area's she frequented and she had no real reason to venture beyond the animation department and the music department. She had hoped that Benny hadn't ventured further then that due to the studio's maze like infrastructure and it was a common occurrence for new staff to get lost or turned around. She held her overcoat tightly in hopes that by the end of the day her coat would help smuggle a little friend out of that hellish place.

Tom pulled into the studio lot and was soon joined by another car. The mechanic got out to look at who was the other early arrival hoping it wasn't some random employee and he was relieved to see Norman stepping out and waving at him.

“G' mornin!” Norman hollered from his car, the man stepping out to reveal a tool belt around his waist full of tools, a loop of wire and a small backpack.

Allison looked at Norman wide eyed “What's all that?” gesturing to the belt and small tools.

Norman chuckled as he pointed to his equipment “Well normally I carry these in mah backpack, but I got 'em on mah side on that off chance we find Benny an' I can sneak 'em out with the bag. These are mah tools fer the projectors so I carry 'em all th' time.”

Upon Norman finishing his explanation Allison chuckled and held up her overcoat. “I had the same idea, I brought the coat with the idea of sneaking him out in my clothes.”

While the group lightly chatted, a few more cars pulled into the lot while 2 others came on foot. Tom, Allison and Norman turned to see Earl and Edgar arriving on foot while Leonard, Giovanni and Aaron all arrived by car.

“Huh. I didn't know you boys walked here.” Tom commented while looking at the twins whom were still trying to rub the sleep out of their eyes.

“Ay, We live just down the way from here so it's only a 15-20 minute walk.” Earl yawned while Edgar hung off his brother clearly having a hard time waking up.

Allison watching Edgar having a hard time waking up instantly made her think of Benny. At times in the morning he was slow moving, groggy and not always ready for the day. “I just hope Benny is awake and can hear us while we're looking for him. He isn't exactly a morning toon.”

Leonard flashed a huge grin “Which is why we make as much noise as we can. If were loud by either playin' music or callin' his name I'm sure he's bound to come running.” The man held up his violin to emphasize his point.

Aaron smacked Leonard on the back of the head playfully “Or to go running away, did you ever think about that numskull. Think about it, the room getting trashed was enough to scare him away, he might be edgy and run from any excessive noises.”

“I vote we check were we put all the soup cans first before we wake the dead by shouting all morning.” Giovanni added in. “He's been missing for a full day now, he has got to be hungry by now.”

“Which is why I brought this” Tom heading to his truck and came back with a huge roll of paper and laid it on the hood of his truck prompting the group to come over. “This is a map of the entire studio, even the portions that as still in development. When I was developing the first ink machine Joey had to provide us the original blueprint of the studio then we added onto to it. This is my copy of the blueprint that I'm thankful I took with me.”

The band members had gathered round and everyone stared at the pages in awe at the sheer depth that the studio had gone. None of them could have imagined that the studio was much larger then it looked.

“What's this area?” Giovanni pointed at a large circular area that was labeled ' Belly of the Beast' on the draft.

Tom looked to the spot that Giovanni had pointed to “Oh that is the 'Throne room' as Joey liked to put it. It's where he houses Bendy memorabilia with the purpose of impressing investors.”

Norman's face twisted in confusion as he eyed the area that was brought into question. He followed the only route that lead from that spot to yet another large room but the only entrance was in a corner of the room rather then a main hallway. It seemed odd. “An' what's this 'ere?” He pointed at the second smaller room that served as the only entrance to the 'throne room' gaining Tom's attention.

“Huh? Oh that's the vault.”

“I know that area!” Norman's outburst taking everyone by surprise.

“You do?” Allison spoke up looking at the projectionist confused. Her look of confusion was joined by the rest of the band whom had no clue half of the new additions of the studio existed.

“Yeah. Th' other day Joey was headin' down 'ere and I was gonna check that area first in the hopes that lil' Benny hadn't come that far down. I helped 'em down and then he was askin' me about what Bendy films mah lil sister likes. I told 'em which ones and he told me t' get them out the vault. He told me how to open it and I got the films fer 'em, then we headed back to the office and I had to go back to the music department.” Norman stared holes at the blueprint of the vault on the draft sheet. “When I was in there th' door 'ere'” he pointed to the door mark in the corner of the room. “It was blocked off by a large book shelf an' ink was around the base. I dunno what was beyond th' door but it looked odd.”

“That's where the ink for the ink machine is kept, along with 'the Ink Machine'.” Tom's voice causing the group to look at him and looks of confusion and the emphasis of the Ink Machine . “The Ink Machine not only helps make ink but it also filters and pumps ink throughout the studio like a giant heart. What we see up top is only a small piece of the real thing, that's the 'output' portion where the toons come out. It's 'heart' looks exactly like the one on the upper levels, but far bigger. The blue print for the Ink Machine is so complex it couldn't be all put on one drafting sheet plus along with whatever Joey put inside the machine.”

“So why couldn't you say something sooner? I mean about all that was going on behind the scenes with the Ink machine and Benny.” Aaron looked over at Tom with disappointment on his face.

The man's question made the mechanics shoulders slump “I didn't want to admit it, but I kinda liked the idea of a living toon. A little character who's sole purpose was to make people smile despite the stock market crash and the hardship that followed. That was the reason why I took such a ludicrous job along with the fact that it paid well. The longer I worked here and the more complex the project turned out to be, the more I realized I was in over my head and was too far in to just simply back out. Joey wouldn't let me and then my job wouldn't let me. I couldn't say anything cause Joey had threatened me.” Tom turned to look at Allison. “When I made the prototype ink machine it was only supposed to test on whether or not a object can be turned into an ink copy. The idea being that we can turn Bendy related objects into a physical replica of the toon, a 3 dimensional model if you will. That day I went to Shawn and asked to grab something from the scrap heap and he let me. I looked at the pile of Alice angel toys that were being tossed and saw one lonely Bendy plush that the eyes were accidentally mismatched and had somehow got stained yellow. I liked it on sight to be honest, something about it made me smile. It was unique. So I picked up the toy and brought it to the machine. To be honest a small part of me wished I could have kept the toy and that the process wouldn't work so I can get the toy back. Never in a million years would I have pictured that the toy was turned into a living toon somehow. After that, things got out of hand I was threatened by Joey into silence for if I said something or did something out of line he would go after my wife and have her hurt or worse.”

Allison stared at her husband in horror realizing that Tom was putting himself in harms way to protect her from someone who had no qualms about removing people by means of injury or death. That Tom had no choice but to endure threats to his loved one and carry the burden of the birth and death of the off model toon. She walked over to her cherished husband and gave him a warm comforting hug while whispering a small 'thank you'.

“So what exactly happen' when lil Benny was made?” Norman politely asked.

The mechanic smiled remembering the first day. “Well after I took one last look at the little toy and placed it inside the machine I went through the process of making sure the machine itself was ready. I threw the switch and watched the machine writhe around before a large glob of ink fell out the nozzle. At first I thought it failed and only succeeded in making some really thick ink, but when it started taking form I could only stand and watch in amazement. After a few moments a yellow colored Bendy toon was sitting in the ink and what really shocked me was when it was moving. It was alive. I couldn't help myself. I went over to look at the little new born and got to touch him for the first time, and he was so soft and sweet. A part of me was like a child, all giddy and excited at seeing their favorite character. The little toon was responding the sounds I made and my touches.” Then Tom's face turned bitter and angry. “Then Joey was shouting how the toon was off model and needed to be disposed of. I couldn't stand by and let that happen so I stood up to Joey protecting the toon who cowered behind me. We argued and while and when I was distracted Joey had grabbed an ax and struck me on the side of my head with the handle. I saw the little toon reach for me when I got hit and his reward was a slash wound across his stomach. I grabbed Joey's legs to try and keep him from going after the toon a 2nd time allowing Benny to escape. He hit me on the head again and I don't know what happened after that. The next thing I knew was I was in his office getting threatened into silence.”

The group had an overwhelming sense of pity finally learning Thomas's side of the story. The man had been lured in and used, and when the results came he got stepped on and shoveled over. A simple notion of helping to make something that made people smile got turned against him and brought him only pain.

A chuckle made the group look back at the man “Now I know that my little toon is alive, he is my responsibility. I brought him into this world and I won't let anything or anyone take him out. Though now we have a new problem on our hands rather then just finding Benny” Tom's eyes narrowed as he looked down at the blueprint laid before him.

“What is this new problem? We already have enough with tryin' to find a small toon” Giovanni roughly pointed out.

Tom turned to face the group. “Our 2nd problem is Bendy. The other day when I completed the 2nd ink machine it produced a perfectly on-model Bendy toon. He is alive just like his counterpart and is unfortunately in Joey's hands. The man forced me to come back here with threats to my livelihood if I didn't fix the machine to make a Bendy that 'acted right'. Apparently Bendy's behavior isn't like his cartoon self and according to Joey he is too much like his creator Henry. With any luck Joey didn't kill him, but considering how much he has invested in Bendy already he most likely has him hidden somewhere in the unfinished areas.”

Norman let out a sigh while pinching the bridge between his nose. “Great, now we got 2 lost chi'ren t' look fer.”

Tom gave and apologetic look to the band members “Sorry about this guys.”

“Ah, It ain't your fault Thomas.” Leonard spoke up walking up to the man. “You were doing what you were forced to and in a way it paid off. You got 2 loving cartoon characters and all we need to do now is just get them out., with this many of us it will be a snap.” The young man flashing a large grin. “Besides we're the infamous Joey Drew Studios band, the bane of Sammy's existence, the local terrors, the devil's musicians!”

“Speak for yourself. You, Edgar and Earl are the only ones that hold the title of 'the local terrors'” Aaron chided looking down at Leonard. “The rest of us on the other hand, proudly take the title of 'the Devil's musician's.”

The band all laughed and uttered various forms of agreement at the mans statement knowing that out of the entire group their youngest 3 members were the 'unholy terrors'. Words of cheers and the occasional pot shot was passed throughout the group before they settled down and looked at Tom. Giovanni looked at the rest of the members and stepped forward towards Tom and asked four words that drew all eyes to the mechanic. “Where do we start?”

“All right here's what we do.” Tom carefully folded the blueprint and ripped along the folds dividing it up amongst the group except for Norman and himself. “I want you guys to check each section of the map that I gave you and mark off any points of interest or areas where Bacon Soup cans were deposited. Most of this is reachable by elevator which I'm gonna unlock for you guys so can all go look around. I know we're all used to taking the stairs, but take the elevator. I know its sketchy as hell, but it is faster then running up and down the stairs. If you see something suspicious or think it might be Benny take note, but don't approach. I doubt Benny would deliberately harm anyone, but right now he is scared and alone, he might lash out if you just charge forward. Call out to him if you think its him. If he comes great, if not take note and keep moving we only have 2 hours.”

“'Ey guys we should move our cars so no one sees 'em.” Norman gestured to the small collection of cars in the studio main lot. “last thin' we need is Joey knowin' were 'ere.”

“See I told ya this is a stealth mission!” Leonard's voice piped up. “Instead of 'Escape the Hell Studio' it's now 'Toon Trouble: Search and Rescue.” The man flashing a wide grin at the group as he waved his hands outlining the title as if it were on the side of a theater entrance.

Aaron and Giovanni both looked at each other as to who wanted the pleasure of throttling the kid first. Tom beat them both to the punch by playfully smacking the kid on the side of the head at the same time Norman took a swing. The two musician's lamented that they couldn't get a shot, but smiles graced their faces at seeing a lighter side to their normally grumpy GENT mechanic.

“Boi this ain't time fer no games.” Norman lightly scowled. He secretly wanted to thank Leonard for at least lightening the mood since they all had a serious task on their hands.

“C'mon kid. This ain't a game, lets move the cars then find our toons.” Tom moved past Leonard whom was rubbing the spots where he was struck. Leonard briefly stuck his tongue out at the man, but immediately pulled it back in when Norman stood over him smiling before lifting him up by the back of his coat and trailed after the mechanic.

Allison, Edgar and Earl waited by the entrance as they watched the group one by one file into their respective cars and move them towards the back side of the studio lot out of sight of the entryway. Norman had long since figured out Joey's route to the studio and made sure everyone parked on the side that the man doesn't venture past. The group was more then thankful for the projectionists habit of observing habits. Leonard made a few more jokes about it being a stealth mission and even started playing his violin in a ominous manner while humming a tune calling it his 'theme song'. Thomas saw red and chased the man all the way back to the entrance trying to throttle him with Aaron and Giovanni right behind for backup. Norman being the only one to school his temper quietly followed wishing that the 3 enraged men weren't trying to wake the dead with their curses, the loudest of all being Tom. Leonard coward behind Allison whom scolded Tom for being too loud. The man glared at Leonard and had no choice but to let it go and focus on letting everyone inside.

The dim lights of the studio lot offered little assistance as Thomas pulled out a set of keys and fiddled with the door and the lock,the building seemingly protesting the early entry. The door finally decided to cooperate after the man gave it a good solid hit and it creaked open revealing the haunting interior. Only the emergency lights were on casting long black shadows over much of the studio entrance except for the dull moonlight that shown through the door. One by one the group filed in the sounds of creaking and groaning wood being their only greeting at the doorway. The studio logo's film reels slowly turning their normal creaks and groans sounding less like their mechanics that drove them and more like the moans of a dying creature.

“Ooo Boy it's dark in here.” Leonard spoke up watching the faint outline of the Joey Drew Studio logo reels forever turning round and round.

“Brilliant observation Sherlock” Aaron groaned while nudging Leonard further into the studio so he could enter.

“Awww don't be like that Aaron ol' boy, and here I thought we might be needing these.” Leonard turned to face the group and opened his coat up revealing the internal pockets stuffed with flashlights.

“For a second I thought you were gonna flash me.” Aaron grumbled while looking at the grinning Leonard.

“We'll I am carrying flashlight's, so in a way I already did.” Leonard soon found himself scrambling away from both Giovanni and Aaron as the two men both lunged for him leaving Norman burying his face in his hands and Tom's hands twitching. The mechanic still wanting to throttle the kid for his earlier antics and now this little episode to add on to his list of reasons why to maim the kid.

“Guys! Guys. We don't have time for this.” Earl piped up shaking his groggy brother off his shoulder. “We only got 2 hours.”

“For once it seems like 2 out of the 3 brat trio is using their brains” Tom muttered making Allison chuckle.

Making sure that he wasn't going to be the target of a whooping, Leonard sheepishly passed out the collection of flashlights he carried to the group. Tom turned his down saying he and Allison already had theirs and to give the spare to the twins so they each had one. One by one the younger members looked at their portions of the map and heading towards their desired locations. The dark halls greedily devoured their lights one by one with only the small creaks and groans of floorboards as evidence of their passage leaving the older members behind. The twins volunteered to check out the new park area while Leonard volunteered to check out the new Administration section. Aaron wanted to go back to check the music department just in case Benny came back. Norman wanted to better map the locations of the Bacon soup piles left on the upper levels. Giovanni volunteered to check the toy factory on the off chance Benny hid amongst the production lines. Allison and Tom both were gonna check the animation department before moving on to the depths of the studio.

“Wait.” Giovanni spoke up before Allison and Tom went down one of the halls the man jogging up to them. “Here take this. I wanted to give it to him, but right now you need it more.” The man held out his hand and revealed a little off model plush Bendy. The toy looked exactly like Benny just minus the stitches. The man chuckled “I found it hidden in the scrap pile, looks like Shawn made a mistake when he was half asleep and didn't want Joey to find out.”

Allison gently lifted the toy out of the mans hand and brought it to her chest hugging it tightly. She then pulled the man in for an embrace “Thank you. This means so much to me.”

Giovanni hugged the woman tightly before releasing her looking her in the eyes “Have faith, We'll find him. He will be going home.” his answer was a small squeeze back and a little 'Thank you'.

Once Giovanni both the embrace he waved slightly before resuming his trek down the foreboding halls of Joey Drew Studios leaving Tom and Allison behind. The couple nodded and turned towards the animation department to begin their search.

---------An Hour Later------------

A low rumble of a engine echoed throughout the studio lot as a Black car pulled into a parking stall with a little placard that read 'reserved for Joey Drew'. The man in question stepping out of the vehicle slowly leaning heavily on his cane while carrying a bucket of ink along with a few papers covered in messy writing and unknown symbols. He looked worse for wear as he had spent the entire night researching methods of extracting souls from bodies and converting it into ink. He practiced on a good number of small animals till he perfected the craft of the conversion. He found that for the best conversion the subject had to be living for the process. The subject needed to be within the circle and with a fresh wound for the ink to enter and consume the subject body and soul alike, a little incantation later and a ink creature is born. Since the subjects were only rodents the inky forms made were mere globs of think ink that screeched and moaned, but they were controllable. They responded to commands, but the things didn't seem to last long and fell apart shortly after creation, but then again they were only small insignificant creatures.

Joey soon learned that controlling the inky creatures came at a price, using the spells gained from the book lead to tremendous stress on his body which was already weak enough from the aftermath of Polio. His joints and muscles tightened every time he cast the various spells and at some points nearly inhibiting his ability to stand entirely. It was draining his life energy as a source of energy for the process and the ability to control the ink. He needed the ink machine. The contraption was an endless energy source and was designed for the sole purpose of making the living Ink for the form, but not the soul needed. He now had a way of giving the ink the soul it needs to truly bring the toons to life.

The director hobbled to the entrance unlocking the doors and let himself in before locking it behind himself. He needed peace and quiet before the rest of the staff started showing up. He readjusted his grip on his papers and bucket and made his way to the reception desk where his wheelchair sat. He hated using the thing, but with the amount of strain he put his body through each step felt like a knife was shredding his muscles apart and he desperately needed a break. Joey placed the bucket carefully between the foot rests next to his feet with the hopes that it wouldn't spill and slowly wheeled himself down the hall towards the ink machine. The mechanical hearts slow thumping it's only sign of life, beckoned the man to it's location. Joey sat before it listening to the rhythmic tune before laying his papers out on a nearby shelf and setting the bucket of gelatinous ink down upon the floor.

A grunt exited the man as he edged himself out of the wheelchair and clung to his cane for balance. He studied the papers on the shelf intensely before grabbing paintbrush and returned to the bucket he laid on the floor. He gingerly dipped the brush into the ink and started to paint the required circle and all it's inscriptions for the conversion at the base of the ink machine. A small chuckle escaped the mans lips. The original circle that lay within the the heart of the ink machine that gave it the ability to create the living ink and in turn make the living toons wasn't that much different then the circle used to extract a soul. One to create the illusion of life and the other to remove a life and repurpose it.

It was only a matter of minutes for the new circle to be completed beneath the ink machine and Joey stood back up on worn legs to admire his work. He had a sense of giddiness and his heart beat loudly with excitement almost in sync with the machine itself. Soon, very soon he will be able to snag his potential candidate for Bendy and perfect the toon. Now all he needed was to set up the true heart of the machine and wait for the staff to start showing up. Yeah sure the young man by the name of Leonard was one of the leading band members, but musicians come and musicians go. He could easily replace him with a new member if it meant that Bendy was no longer a soulless doll.

Joey gathered up his ink soaked brush sliding it back into the bucket and chose to slide it over to his wheelchair rather then carry it gathering up his papers along the way. Once his papers were secured he slowly eased himself back into his wheelchair and pushed himself to the controls setting the ink machine to lower to it's heart to line up the circles needed for the ritual. He listened to the machine as it whined in protest before it conceded and slowly descended into the darkness to join it's core, a raucous laughter escaped the man as the chains creaked and groaned from the decent.

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

“Benny! Beeeeeeennnnny!!” Leonard hollered down the halls bounding with a skip in his step while he played his violin as loud as the instrument would allow. His only answer was the silence of the halls except for a small rumble that begun to emanate from further down the halls gaining the mans attention causing him to slow and listen to the sounds. “Benny?”

Leonard nearly danced down to the edge of the hall with the sound growing louder and peered around it's edge and spotted what looked like a strange elevator shaft lined with 4 massive chains and pipes creating the rumbling sound. Confused Leonard pulled out his portion of the map and saw that the part he was now in was not on his piece of the map. Great. He was lost. He looked up from the page to see a large boxy mechanism being lowered down the shaft. Allison's words played in his head of the description of the ink machine; a large box with a huge nozzle and a catch basin beneath it and the object in question just descended into the depths of the studio.

He knew he should have turned around have gone to go find Tom or one of the other members, but what if it was leading to where Benny was? He couldn't miss this chance and the machine wasn't going very fast. Leonard edged towards the shaft and set his violin down on a crate and pried open the grate knowing that by no sense of the word was what he was about to do safe, but for Benny he was willing to take that risk. Thanking his lucky stars that the chains were large and very close to the opening, he jumped to the chains grasping onto them firmly going along for the ride into the darkness.

The ride down the shaft seemed like it took forever and on occasion an opening would appear in the form of a vent or a grate that allowed a small glimpse into the new floors of the studio that were off limits to the remainder of the staff. He couldn't believe how far down the studio was now stretching to, and could only stare wide eyed at the new renovations. The man signed and carefully slid down to rest on top the ink machine itself as he peered out the occasional openings. One particularly large open came to view and he was able to better view the floor.

Leonard was an instant child clinging to the edge of the machine staring out at the large storage room area of the floor. The area was covered in parts and booths for the rumored 'Bendy-Land' that was being constructed. His mind danced at the thoughts of the finished amusement park, the roar of the roller coasters, the screams and laughter of children and the smell of all the food. By god he couldn't wait! He so wanted to take Benny to the complete park and have him play some games with him, have a cotton candy eating contest, see how many balloons it takes to make him float and so much more! First they needed to find him and get him out of the studio. Once the little guy is safely out he can freely visit him and play as much as he wants without fear of getting caught.

A giddy grin swept across his face as he happily swayed on the chains at all the possibilities when 2 figures moving by one of the booths caught his attention. It was Earl and Edgar. The redheaded twins were' inspecting' the booth by playing the game with Earl clearly winning his round of ball toss in comparison to Edgar. “Earl! Edgar!” Leonard hollered out enthusiastically waving.

The two young men spun in place searching for the source of the voice before their eyes were drawn to Leonard waving beyond a grate. The man and a large boxy mechanism that could only be assumed was the ink machine were slowly descending down a shaft beyond the grate. Abandoning their game, the two bolted to the grate grasping a hold of it's frame while looking down at the grinning violinist.

“Ey, man are ye daft?! What are ye doin' down there laddie?” Earl shouted, he couldn't believe his eyes. What on earth was Leonard doing riding the ink machine like its a horse and left alone where was it going?

“I'm going for a ride fellas, see ya later!” Leonard shouted in return, his voice's echo bounced off the walls of the shaft.

Earl and Edgar both stood at the grate peering into the void that had swallowed their friend and they could only hope for his safety. Both looking at each other wondering what they should do about the situation. Should they give up and get Tom or continue on their mission and look for Benny. The two debated amongst each other and ultimately decided to let one of the games at the booths decide for them. Both rolled up their sleeves while they shot challenges back and forth as they paced to a booth and readied their hands for victory. Each took up a rifle and started up the target practice game forgetting their search.

Leonard stared up at the small light that was his brief window to his friends with a smile. If he were to find Benny first he would so gloat about it and rub it in the twins faces, especially since they were spending their time playing games rather then looking for their friend. His giddiness gave way to awe as his mechanical ride entered a massive cavern descending to a far larger version of itself below. “Holy cow! That thing's huge!” the musician gawked at the true Ink Machine that lay at the heart of the studio.

The smaller ink machine came to a rest on top it larger counterpart clicking in place as bellows of steam exited the machine with the larger one creating such plumes from its base as well. Leonard waved the steam away from his face before taking a look around the cavern. The place looked to be a normal underground cave that had been tunneled into. The walls were lined by scaffolding and other building materials and there were even scaffolding around the base of the Ink Machine. He eased himself to the edge of the smaller ink machine and reached for the scaffold grabbing hold and pulled himself off the machine and onto the platform. He sat for a minute admiring the both the ink machine and the Ink Machine in their entirety. It was one thing to see them on Tom's blueprints, but it never puts them in perspective as to their physical size.

Leonard stood up and brushed off his bottom before he followed the scaffolding that surrounded the Ink Machine until it lead to a ladder allowing him to finally get onto the floor properly which made him briefly want to hug the floor for he missed it so much. The edges of the machine caught it eye as he watched plumes of steam exit it's sides and pipes far larger then he had ever seen descend into what he initially thought was a hole until he realized that it was a lake, a lake purely made of ink. He couldn't believe his eyes, he had always seen copious amounts of the ebony liquid throughout the studio, but never at this magnitude. He drifted towards the shore of the lake peering out at the cavern watching the sinister liquid as it greedily clawed at the edges of it earthen well and seemed to swallow all light that touched it. Leonard audibly gulped as he backed away from the edge of the earthen well back towards the base of the scaffold with something bumping into him.

A yelp escaped the man as he bumped into a small object causing him to whirl around and come face to face with a blank Bendy cutout. It seemed to be freshly made and lacked any black expect for the outline of the devil darling and seemed to be holding onto sign that was oddly blank, probably gonna say 'work hard, work happy' like the posters. Behind the strange cutout was a door and decided to test his luck by trying the handle. To his surprise the door opened and he followed the hallway leading inside. Unbeknownst to him while he entered the machine and drifted down it's hall, an elevator next to Joey Drew's new office and the man in question wheeled himself out of the elevator and headed directly for the vault. Joey carried on with purpose as he only had a half an hour left till the staff started showing up and it took him a good 15 to 20 minutes just to make the circle on the smaller machine, but the bigger machine will take a little longer and he didn't have much time to waste.

Leonard didn't know what to make of the hallway that was surrounded by large glass tubes with ink cascading within them. Were they to showcase the functions of the ink machine?Or were they part of the ink machine? He lingered at the glass watching to fluid within before pulling his eyes away looking around before he spied a doorway at the end of the hall. He rest his hand on the doorknob turning slowly and pulled the door open slightly revealing that the room within was dark except for the faint flickering of lights. He nudged the door open further and was met by a large circular room surrounded by silver screens with various Bendy shorts playing with oddly no audio. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end at watching the shorts playing with no sounds, they are almost like ghosts dancing on a wall mocking their viewers. Leonard fully entered the room taking cautious strides taking note of the lone chair that was encased by the screens, 'chair' was a poor choice of words as it resembled more of a throne. The chains that hung from the ceiling leading to the chair didn't offer much comfort as the scene before him reminded him of some strange dungeon that was housing a beast, he could only hope this certainly wasn't the case.

“Benny? Benny are you here?” The man nervously called out. The cold atmosphere of the room was not helping his nerves.

His answer was a small soft whistle like whine drawing the mans attention to the imposing throne. Leonard edged around it fearing that the seat was occupied, but the noise he heard sounded so sad and in pain, he was willing to take that chance. He was met with a child sized figure sporting shiny boots and white gloves with a large ring driven through where the buttons would be located on each hand. The rings and a clasp around the wrists were bound in heavy chains pulling the arms away from the body. A white bow tie sat upon the upper chest area just below the head that was floating separate from the body. The head round and black with 2 small horns and a large white face with black pie cut eyes that bore traces of ink that ran down the sides of the face, and the normally trademark grin was turned into a prominent frown. Before him sat Bendy the Dancing Demon.

“Bendy!?” Leonard shrieked upon seeing the toon.

The man was shocked by what he was looking at, it was none other then Bendy the Dancing Demon the studio's icon. He remembered Tom had said that Bendy had been made, but didn't have a clue as to the toon's whereabouts since Joey had taken him. Leonard shook his away his brief admiration of the toon since he absolutely adored the character to take a closer look at the living toon. His hands ghosted the toons arms to the clasps and the rings that bound the devils hands and arms that still dripped with small amounts of ink from the wound. Since Bendy didn't seem to be responding to Leonard's presence, the man carefully fingered the rings that were driven through the toons hands. He found the little loops that held the rings closed and undid them and slowly slid one of the rings out of Bendy's hand causing the toon to jerk awake and bared large triangular teeth growling at Leonard, his teeth mere inches from his face.

“I-I'm t-trying to help you.” Leonard stuttered out, the man was spooked at his field of vision being filled with sharp teeth.

Bendy's growling continued till he looked at his hand and realized that it was no longer bound by the ring and two holes shown through where the ring were driven through. This man was helping him. A shaky smile crossed the toons face at his rescuer and he let out a small hum of appreciation. Leonard nodded in acknowledgment and started working on freeing the toons other hand and with a slow and steady tug freed the remaining hand of the ring. Bendy wanted to cry at the removal of the rings, but felt relieved when the objects were removed.

Leonard carefully looked at Bendy's injured hands and at the ink dripping from them. “Heh, too bad you're not fabric cause then I can try and stitch you back together like how Benny was.” He pulled out a handkerchief and patted the area around the holes being careful to not touch the actual injury itself. Bendy winced from the touches of his hand, but did his best to relax as Leonard cleaned him up.

“B-Benny? Who's that?” A small voice catching Leonard's attention and he turned to see Bendy looking at him strait in the eyes.

He could have sworn the toon just spoke, but that couldn't be right. Bendy had no speaking roles in the shorts as he had no voice provider. “Did, did you just speak?” Leonard looked at Bendy with confusion all over his face, his answer was a small nod from the toon. The man chuckled and turned his attention back to the chains that bound the toon trying to undo them. “Well the answer to your question is Benny is kinda like a younger brother to ya in a weird way. He's a toon just like you except he was once a plush doll that was made to look like ya and was brought to life by the ink machine.”

“So how come yer all th' way down here?” Bendy quietly asked as Leonard grinned in triumph and loosening up the chains allowing bendy to rest his arms on the armrests of the throne. The toon breathed a sigh in relief at being able to rest his arms rather then having them suspended in the air.

“Well little Benny got scared and fled his room when someone destroyed it, so now my friends and I are trying to find him before Joey does.” as soon and Leonard's words left his mouth Bendy growled softly making Leonard tense up wide eyed at the toon.

“I hate that man.” Bendy growled through gritted edged teeth. “He did this to me.”

Leonard's shoulders drooped while he looked at the toon in pity and understanding, it was only natural for the toon's to despise the man since he has done nothing for them except cause them pain. “Well know you aren't the only one.” Leonard's voice causing Bendy to look at him. “Benny has stitches that run completely across his stomach, a wound given to him shortly after birth by Joey. That's why we are trying to get him out of here, and now that I found ya I'm gonna try an' get you out as well.”

A small smile graced Bendy's face at the thoughts of freedom and the fact that there were people actually looking for him. He thought that no one cared for him and that no one would bother, but to hear that people actually did care and were even looking for him made a warmth bloom in his heart. He leaned his head over as far as he could comfortably go and gently nuzzled Leonard letting out a soft hum. “What's yer name?”

Leonard gently lifted a hand and ran his fingers between Bendy's horns before hopping off the platform and performed a small dace before taking a bow “My names Leonard Burn!” the man looked up at Bendy flashing a huge grin. “I'm a violinist and dancer here at the studio.”

Bendy looked at the man in shock at his performance before a chuckle escaped the toon as his characteristic grin grew on his face, his pie cut eye's locked with Leonard's. “Mah names Bendy. Bendy the Dancin' Demon.”

----------Meanwhile Outside the Throne Room----------

Joey shakily stood up out of his chair to open the vault and pulled on the door just enough to fit his body and bucket between the gap before pushing against the door forcing it to completely open. Part of him hated the fact that the heart of the machine was hidden behind such heavy doors and fortification, but at the same time it was for the sole purpose of protecting his property even if at the moment it felt like the studio was fighting against him. He had no choice but to leave his wheelchair behind as for it wouldn't be able to cross the ink lake making him wonder why a bridge had not yet been built. Taking mental note to maim GENT later about the lack of access. Joey slowly and painfully waded across the ink lake with his muscles screaming with the resistance from the thick fluid, it was certainly harder to cross the stuff in comparison to water.

Upon reaching the shore at the base of the machine Joey strode to the hallway leading to the throne room were Bendy was housed with his bucket of ink and brush. Only one more circle to go.

----------Meanwhile Inside the Throne Room----------

Leonard managed to loosen up the chains that bound Bendy, but lacked proper tools to completely free the toon, but at least the toon was more comfortable in the chair. The sounds of the door opening alerted both Leonard and Bendy as to another guest and the man dove down behind the chair in hopes that he wouldn't be found.

A silvery smooth yet taunting voice floated through the air “Ah, Bendy. How are we doing this fine morning?” Joey slowly strode up to the ink demon as Bendy was not paying the man any attention, his head turned away refusing to look at the man. “Still not very chatty I see.” Joey scoffed.

The man turned away from the toon and started to dip the brush into the bucket of ink and laid it on the floor slowly tracing the outline of the chair and throne. All the while Joey slowly went around the throne laying out the circle Leonard made sure to kept opposite of him using the chair to keep out of Joey's line of sight. The musician and couldn't help but wonder about the strange patterns being drawn beneath the toon's prison. Bendy grew weary at this new outline Joey was calmly adding on and didn't like the looks of what what going on. Each time Joey slowly rounded the throne with Leonard on the opposite side, the violinist would attempt to rub out small portions of the circle causing Joey to look in confusion as to why small portions of the circle were missing. He chalked it up to being exhausted from his 'research', the man shrugged and continued to lay out more of the circle all under Bendy's concerned gaze.

Bendy watched the small spectacle before him with concern and yet at the same time amusement at watching Joey slowly going round and round the throne and with each loop the older man looking more and more exhausted with the young man slowly following and erasing or smudging the strange inscriptions that were being painted on the floor. It was almost like a scene from a cartoon except in real life. Even Leonard flashed a grin as he quietly crept past Bendy trying to undo the marks on the floor gaining a equal grin from the ink demon.

Joey rounded the throne again and stared puzzled at the portions of the circle that he could have sworn he had just painted on. He bent down looking more carefully at the lines and noted a small smear on the end of some of the gaps. The man scoffed and pulled out a small bottle and poured out its contents, the black liquid almost gelatin like splattering upon the ground just past the circle. The man uttering a few small chants before picking up his brush and bucket once more while taking a glance at Bendy with a smirk before fixing the missing portions of the circle and then started to lay out the final touches.

Bendy stared at the questionable fluid just past the circle and feared the worst from it as he could have sworn he saw small spasms and things moving within the fluid. He could only watch as Leonard slowly rounded the throne with the toon making a small whistle like whining trying to warn the man of the impending threat. His whines grew louder when he realized that the fluid was pulsing and was forming what resembled a hand and Leonard was none the wiser.

Bendy swallowed audibly and lightly struggled in his bondage trying to make more noise to gain Leonard's attention, failing he attempted whispering his name while looking at the man. “L-Leonard...Leonard”. The musician too caught up in his sabotaging the circle, he failed to notice the black material reaching for him. The man yelped when black tendrils burst out of the fluid and grabbed him. “Leonard!”

“Well, well, well, look who we have here.” a sultry voice cooed as Joey slowly rounded the throne looking at Leonard who struggled in his restraints. “Why if it isn't my little musical friend I was looking for. I take it you've already met Bendy? He isn't exactly much to look at yet, but he will be.” The man patted the demon in question on the head getting a loud growl from him and bared teeth. “As you can see” Joey slapped Bendy on the side of the face extracting a whine from the toon. “He isn't well behaved and needs to treat his creator with respect.”

“Not that I can blame him.” Leonard frowned getting Joey to turn his attention towards the man.

“What did you say?” Joey lifted a brow as he stepped away from the throne and slowly walked towards Leonard giving the man a cold stare.

Leonard wanted to cower in fear as the mans frigid Grey eyes seemed to stare into his soul, but seeing Bendy struggling to free himself spurred him to stand his ground. “I said; not that I can blame him. You make him with the machine and then you tie him up all the way down here where he should be meeting the staff and most of all the children he was meant to entertain. Do you have any idea how many people and children wish they can meet their favorite little demon?” Bendy looked at Leonard wide eyed and the mans outburst, the musician looking at him dead in the eye before returning his gaze to Joey. “But no. He is forced to stay down here when he has done nothing wrong and you're not his creator! Henry is!” Leonard spat as he struggled in his binds. He was outraged that not only had Joey harmed Benny when he was a sweet little innocent toon, but seeing Bendy's condition and treatment lit the fires of rage in him. How dare someone hurt the cartoon character he loved so much.

“You're similar.” Joey sauntered up to Leonard being mere inches from the musician.

“W-what?” Leonard croaked.

Before Leonard could react Joey grabbed him by his hair and forced the man to look at the director dead in the eyes. “You show up out of nowhere and try to tell me what I can and cannot do like you own the place. I'm Joey drew, director and owner of this studio. I own him as much as I own everything here!” the older man bellowed in his face before quieting down giving a cold smile. “Just as much as I now own you.”

Leonard looked at him confused before a sharp pain radiated from his side. Joey released his hair allowing him to look down at the source of his pain seeing a knife embedded within his side between his ribs. Joey pulled out the knife and waved his hand causing the black liquid that had Leonard bound to drip off him and he collapsed to the floor like a puppet who lost his strings. He coughed and gasped for air as Joey scoffed at him before he cleaned the blood off his knife and slid it back into his cane.

“Leonard!” Bendy screamed at the man crumbled on the ground. “Joey what did you do to him!?” the toon turned his attention to Joey baring triangular teeth and struggled harder in his chains.

“Oh I punctured his lung, nothing to worry about.” Joey smiled darkly at Bendy. “Besides I need him alive long enough for the procedure, and not put up a fuss.” The director waved his had and whispered a few chants causing the black material that had dripped off Leonard to pool around him and drag his body off to the side and away from the throne, a trail of red and black following the injured musician. Taking opportunity to finish what he had started, Joey picked up the brush and repaired the smeared sections of the circle completing the initial ritual.

“Joey please.” A voice catching the mans attention as he turned to look at Bendy whom had large tears dripping down his face as he looked desperately at Leonard and the blood collecting under him. “Please let him go. I promise I'll stay here willingly, and do whatever you want if you let him go. He's hurt and needs help. Please.” the toon sobbed and choked on his words each each word growing more desperate.

“See there is a little problem with that Bendy.” Joey walked up to him with his smile growing wider and wider. “I need him to make you complete.”

Joey turned around and removed himself from the throne and drew another circle on the floor just before the throne itself. He made a small motion and the black fluid grabbed Leonard by his arm causing the man to weakly cry out in pain and dragged him setting him atop the circle. He pulled out the “Illusion of Living” and flipped to a few pages within and chanted for the black liquid to gather around the two circles joining the two. Bendy looked up at Joey in fear as the cursed liquid encased the base of his chair and around Leonard. The director smirked and stood off to the side of the circles and cleared his throat.

“An object void of life is merely an object till animated with magic, but it's still and object with the illusion of living. I offer up the soul of the living to bring the object with the illusion of life to life!”

Upon the completion of his words the two circles glowed a blood red and the floor creaked and groaned as the ground seemed to be lurching from the energy of the circles. The room was filled with deafening rhythmic thumping of the Ink Machine itself as the device was responding to it's masters commands. Joey stood against the wall laughing maniacally as pipes descended from the ceiling as if possessed, the machine groaned as ink oozed out the pipes like blood from a wound. Leonard weakly looked up at the pipes descending above him and looked at Bendy whom was looking at him with pure terror on his face.

A small chuckle escaped Leonard as he smiled at Bendy “At least I got to finally meet you.” the man whispered before the ink pooled around him and grabbed onto him.

The black tendrils cut into the man extracting small cries as his punctured lung couldn't allow him to scream. The ink worked it's way into his body making his writhe in agony as it was slowly suffocating him. Bendy screamed and fought to free himself to help the man, but his struggles stopped when Leonard's body stilled and the ink pulled him into the puddle as if he was never there. He was gone. Bendy wailed at the loss of the man who only tried to help him, someone who came to him with the purest intentions was now gone. The toon didn't have long to mourn the loss of his would be friend and savior as the ink that had consumed the man flowed to his circle joining the patterns that encased him. His panic rose and gave way to sheer pain as the cursed ink rose to form tendrils and each one punctured his chest. The ink that was once Leonard was being forced into his body and he felt like he was being torn apart from the inside out. Bendy's screams drowned out the sounds of the Ink Machine and Joey laughter as the man watched the ritual with glee.

Joey's laughter died down when he watched Bendy's body spasm violently causing the toons screams to cease as if he had been drowned in his own ink. The demon's ink dripped profusely as his body twitched and warped, his limbs and frame contorting to a figure that was more then twice his normal size and looked vaguely humanoid. His frame was skeletal like someone had taken a bucket of ink and poured it on a skeleton topped with a round horned head. His right hand looked like a humans with 5 fingers and no glove while his left hand retained it's tooney appearance and was far larger then his right. His body had spasm so violently that the ink that made up his right leg was bent at a awkward angle resembling a broken limb that healed wrong. The most disturbing part was the toon's face. Ink seemed to be constantly dripping over his eyes obscuring them and only the frown of his mouth was visible. The horrific form only lasted briefly before the toons body fell apart with all the excess ink falling off him in waves revealing a unconscious on model Bendy.

Before Joey approached the throne to check on the toon, he watched the excess ink that had washed off the toon pool at the base of the throne. The ink pulsed and vibrated before it was drawn back to the smaller circle where Leonard had been sacrificed. The ink bubbled and rose to form a vaguely humanoid figure. The creature was curled up and had a very prominent skeletal look and like the previous monster Joey had witnessed, this creature too had ink dripping down it's body. The creature twitched making Joey freeze in place to see what it was going to do, the man grasped his cane tightly on the off chance he had to fight. The creature slowly moved and looked down at its hands which were 4 fingered like a toon rather then 5 like a normal human being. It them began to inspect the rest of it's body slowly before curling in on itself sobbing softly.

The small click of Joey's cane drew the inky figures attention towards him and the man was horrified by what he saw. The face while clearly humanoid, lacked anything distinguishable. The mouth was a gaping maw that seemed to be frowning and there was no nose at all except for 2 small slits. The eyes were the most frightening as they were hollow sockets with small glowing yellow orbs and appeared to be crying.

“W-What did you do to me?” The creature quietly asked. All the color drained from Joey's face as he realized that the voice belonged to Leonard, the man was now some creature made of ink. He watched as the figure that was known as Leonard once again looked at his body before curling in on himself.

Joey stared at the figure. If this was indeed Leonard and he remembers what was done to him then that makes him a witness. If he's able to reach someone then he can expose him for what he did down here, he can't let that happen. Joey chanted lowly and waved his hand. The Ink Machine groaned in response and more ink oozed from it's pipes dripping onto the floor splashing loudly. Ebony Tendrils formed from the ink and wrapped around what remained of Leonard, the inky humanoid cried and screamed as it was dragged down the hall with Joey following behind. The tendrils dragged Leonard all the way out of the Ink Machine and to the ink lake at it's base pulling the tortured soul to it's surface. The shores of the lake thrashed at it's intruder, but was more then happy to consume it's offering. It greedily grabbed the poor soul and despite the man's struggles and effort it pulled him under with ease.

The surface of ink had long since quested while Joey watched with baited breath until he was dead certain the man would never see the light of day. He turned on his heel and hobbled back to the throne room in time to see the pipes of the machine slowly ascended back into the ceiling and the machines thumping died down to a quiet hum returning to it's normal operation. Joey scowled at the unconscious toon in the chair. He failed to find a compatible soul for the toon and needed to find someone else he had many candidates to choose from. Hell, he'll use everyone in the studio if he had to.

The man tucked the book back into his pocket before turning on his heel and strode out of the room turning off the light leaving only the glow of the projectors playing the cartoons on the walls who smiled sadly at the loss of one of the key band members who gave them their joyous music.

#batim stitched au #benny the stitched devil #benny the stitched demon #benny the stitch devil #benny the stitch demon #allison pendle #allison connor #batim allison #thomas connor #batim thomas #norman polk #joey drew #batim ocs #bendy the dancing demon #bendy the devil #bendy the dancing devil #bendy the demon #ink demon #lost one

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comicteaparty · 5 years ago

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August 5th-August 11th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from August 5th, 2019 to August 11th, 2019. The chat focused on Beyond Bloom by NiaNook.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Beyond Bloom by NiaNook~! (http://beyondbloom.webcomic.ws/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until August 11th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. In what ways do you think Yokiro will find a way to be helpful to Tatsuma and Sikue (if any)? Overall, how do you foresee him growing and changing as a person over the course of his journey?

snuffysam

1. Hmm... I'd say the burning building rescue from Book 3. I loved seeing Tatsuma putting aside her hangups and actually helping people for once - even if she claimed she was only doing so to protect Sikue. And I loved the frank conversation Tatsuma and Yokiro had on the cliffside after the fact. I also really like this scene http://beyondbloom.webcomic.ws/comics/120/ of Sikue and the fireflies. It's just such a cute interaction between Sikue and Yokiro! 2. I think he's already been helpful - he's taught them about humanity. Though I would love if during the final encounter with the big bad benta boss Yokiro saves the day using his fishing skills XD

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. What do you think makes Tatsuma and Sikue special compared to the other benta? Besides their powers, in what ways do you think the physical nature or symbolism of the flowers they are might come into play in the story?

ShaRose49

My favourite scene was probably the scene where they fight Ginari and Evalkol—it showed that the three main characters are loyal to each other even when they disagree, and it was really cool to see so many characters in action

Yokiro’s been super kind and awesome to the girls!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. Do you think Tatsuma, Sikue, and even Yokiro will find some way to feel like they belong and fit in with the rest of the world? If so, how do you see this happening? Overall, what can the story teach us about what it means to belong?

RebelVampire

1) My favorite scene is probably the one where Yokiro caught Sikue playing with bugs and dancing...and then falling flat on her fact. Not only were the illustrations really beautiful, but I liked the blend of cute, comedy, and...mysticism for lack of a better word. It really sticks with me cause I think it was such a great bonding moment between the characters despite nothing of immense significance happening. 2) I have to agree with @snuffysam on this. I think Yokiro has already been kind of helpful. Not just in teaching them about humanity and how humanity isn't awful, but also by being the most practical between them. Cause like he thought of the toothbrushes (not that they for sure need it, but its the thought that counts). Of course, I think Yokiro might find other ways to help. Like maybe learn to hit people with a giant stick. I do think through the journey though Yokiro is gonna find his calling though. Maybe as just some charity guy who helps ppl. Opens an orphanage. Something like that.

3) My favorite character is probably Sikue if for no other reason than I like her design. Shes really cute but also has this sort of elegance about her despite the circumstances. Plus, between the three, I'd characterize Sikue as the hope of the group since shes caring, considerate, etc. I guess in otherwords, she's the glue that keeps the train going. 4) From what we've seen so far, it seems the others are based on animals, versus Tatsuma and Sikue who were plants. So a lot more might have gone into them, thus giving them access to more special abilities. However, I think that story about them being eternity flowers has a lot to do with it. Maybe they're strong just because their natures are so entertwined. So in a way nothing they cant conquer as long as theyre together.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Do you believe that Ginari will remain with the Keeper despite having misgivings? Why or why not? Also, do you think that Ginari will forgive Tatsuma and Sikue for killing her dragon? How will this affect her overall feeling towards them?

RebelVampire

5) As partly mentioned, my fave illustration is definitely this huge panel one of Sikue, Yokiro, and the fireflies. http://beyondbloom.webcomic.ws/comics/125/ The combination between the night sky and fireflies is breathtaking, and the angle really sells the beauty of it to me. 6) I do think the three will find some way to belong in the world, but a long time from now and eventually. The feeling of belonging, imo, is one that comes from confidence and self-acceptance. And I kind of don't think any of them are even close to that mental juncture. They're still asking who they are, why they exist, what should they do with themselves, etc. And these are the sorts of feelings that will make you feel isolated even if you have a large community who likes you all around you. Which I guess, this is what I think the story will teach us about what it means to belong. It doesn't mean fitting in, it doesn't necessarily even mean having a large community. Belonging is something that is just as much about loving yourself for the good and the bad and having the confidence that no one can tell you otherwise.

NiaNook

@RebelVampire Aww, will not confirm or deny, but your 6th point got me feeling all mushy :')

Been fun reading your guys' thoughts, thank you! And Snuffysam suggesting Yokiro saves the day with his fishing skills; LOL! He'll cast that line right in the bad guy's face!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Why do you think the benta were created in the first place? In other words, what is the Keeper’s ultimate end goal? How do you think the Keeper intends to capture Tatsuma and Sikue, and what would happen to them in that situation?

RebelVampire

7) I probably like seeing Sikue and Yokiro interact the most. I like seeing how Yokiro is help expose other sides to Sikue, since Sikue is a lot less forward about stuff than Tatsuma. Thus, it's like getting to delve into a mystery. 8) I think Ginari is gonna stay pretty loyal to the Keeper, if only because of the answer to the next question. I don't think Ginari will ever forgive them for killing her dragon, because she'd also have to forgive herself. Thus, she will always have a grudge against them even if she somehow left the Keeper. Honestly, if she doesn't wind up dying a tragic death, I will be super duper surprised. >_>;;;;

9) I appreciate the balance of nature. Since the story features them traveling in a lot of forests, it's there a lot. However, it's not always super detailed or super obviously present. Like sometimes it's simplified and cut back, whereas other times it takes up a good chunk of the panel and is super detailed. I think this works really well, though, as it allows the nature to functionally add atmosphere to key moments, whether isolation, mysticism, or something else needs to be conveyed. 10) Ya know, I'm not sure the Keeper has an end goal. Maybe the Keeper just wants to prove what true power is or something like that. I do think regardless of goals, part of the creationg was derived just from the idea that the Keeper thought they could do it. And when you can do something, why not do it? I think the Keeper intends to trick them into coming by making them desire answers to question with the assumption the Keeper knows the answers. As for outcome, ya know, abuse their powers to do jerk things. The usual.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Do you feel Yokiro’s handling of the thief Kenber was the best? Why or why not? How does Yokiro’s desire to forgive Kenber tie into his speech about the world being filled with different kinds of people? What we can learn about forgiveness with the story?

ShaRose49

This comic is unique in that even though it focuses on super-powered beings, the story doesn’t have a lot of fighting, instead it’s more like a casual adventure story following the journey of three characters and every once in awhile goes to some mysterious anti-heroes and bad guys. Nobody take insult from this but it actually reminds me of the original Ice Age movie. (I love that movie so I don’t mean it in a bad way)(edited)

I also think the art is unique and I admire it a lot

I think since Kenber didn’t seem to be super dangerous and I don’t even know if they have police in this world—I think what he (Yokiro) did was pretty okay, especially since Kenber is just a kid. You definitely would need to use discretion with stuff like that IRL though(edited)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Who do you think the lady we saw in a flashback was? How did Tatsuma and Sikue wind up with her? Also, how does this factor in to Tatsuma and Sikue ultimately being cast out (possibly due to a fire)?

RebelVampire

11) I think the comic's strengths lie in the characters. The designs are really clean and stand out against each other. There's also interesting elements incoporated to reflect the plant and animal natures. The intereactions are also a lot of fun and come with both drama and comedy, so the comic has a little something for everyone. 12) I have mixed feelings about Yokiro's handling of it. I think it's nice, but I also think eventually that forgiving nature is gonna bite him in the butt. Cause sometimes second chances just explode and it doesn't work as well as it did in that specific scenario. However, I think it's a good message about how all people are different and just cause our first impression isnt good, it could change if we take the time to get to know someone. And I think that is the takeaway of the story in terms of forgiveness. Not all the time, but sometimes it's worth trying to understand why someone would do something awful.

13) I am looking forward to seeing Yokiro grow and evolve more and what he'll contribute to the group some more. I'm always fascinated by the dynamics between super powered people and then the non-super powered companions, cause theres a lot of emotional exploration of inferiority complexes available there. 14) I assume the lady was just some random lady who found Tatsuma and Sikue and took them in because the lady seemed nice. And I assume they caused a fire, lady died, everyone blamed them. Or something like that. I'm taking Occam's Razor with this one and assume it's the most common assumption.

snuffysam

maybe the lady started the fire!

my final thoughts to share are... this comic is incredible. truly incredible. a lovable cast of characters at every level, and downright stunning art pieces. keep at it, nia~!

Free iPod

Didn't have time to get to every question, but here are some responses! 1) The part in Book 4 where Yokiro and Sikue meet in the forest stands out. It's a simple moment, but it feels very important. The illustration complements the emotions of the scene perfectly - as these two characters are starting to open up to each other for the first time, the black and white page blooms (lol pun) into color and the panels drift into a more loose and organic arrangement. It's super well done. 2) In a way, he's helpful because he's someone who they can trust. The three of them share the experience of being somewhat isolated from the world at large, so I think that they all benefit from knowing each other. Yokiro is definitely helpful when dealing with people, but I think that he's still conflicted about leaving his old life behind. He mentioned at one point that he had a family, so I wouldn't be surprised if he runs into them eventually. 3) It's hard to choose, but Tatsuma is my fave. I like how she's tough and prone to messing around a lot of the time, but she's very determined to protect the people she cares about. With the fire in the village and in the situation with Kenber, she believed that it would be smarter to stay out of trouble, but she was willing to jump in without hesitation to help Sikue and Yokiro. 5) The first page of Book 3. Its portrayal of dialectical exchange between two legendary philosophers is simply astounding. :3

8) I think that she will, at least for a while. I don't think that she'd want to abandon the other benta. She was genuinely concerned for Mae's wellbeing, and she got along well with Elvalkol for the most part. It seems like she has some personal history with the Keeper - their interactions were a bit more familiar than what you'd expect if they were just a boss and his lieutenant, and since she's apparently opposed to what he's doing, she might try to confront him at some point. It's hard to imagine her forgiving Tatsuma and Sikue. Aside from killing her dragon, the two may have some importance to the Keeper's plans. 9) I agree with RebelVampire, the forest backgrounds are always nice and complementary to the atmosphere. The sound effects represented as words (...idk what they're called, onomatopoeias?) are used to a good effect too. They're never just the usual generic sound effects, they always seem custom-tailored to each specific situation. :D 11) The characters are a fantastic aspect of the comic. The dynamic between the main three makes it so fun to read. Also, the comic is good at presenting little insights and hints about the world throughout the characters' journey. It's kinda hard to explain, but the world feels very 'alive' and vibrant. 12) Yokiro was patient and demonstrated good will with Kenber, and it seemed to make a real impression on the kid, so it's hard not to view what he did as commendable. I really liked that arc. 13) I'm excited to potentially see the benta settlement. It sounds like a decent place from Elvalkol's description, but I wonder what's it really like with the Keeper in charge? Seeing Yokiro's family would be cool as well. Anyways, final thoughts: this comic really does feel special in a way. The characters are memorable, and all of the different parts of it are treated with care.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Beyond Bloom this week! Please also give a special thank you to NiaNook for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Beyond Bloom, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://beyondbloom.webcomic.ws/

#ctparchive #comics #webcomics #indie comics #comic chat #comic discussion #comic tea party #ctp #beyond bloom #nianook #book club #bookclub #webcomic book club #webcomic bookclub

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fourtrisheafanfic · 6 years ago

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Jonerys Vampire AU: Part 137

Part 137 #jonerysvampire Jon works with Sansa to gain insight into Dany’s feelings and actions.

Author’s note: I had some time today, surprise!

AUTHOR COMMENTS (added 10/7)

Part 1: COMMENT ABOUT ROBB STARK:

Here is my take on Robb, for this story. He isn’t a bad guy, he loves his family (including Jon), but he has his role in life that influences his choices. Robb is a Royal Hunter, and he is loyal to the Targaryens AND their coven. Robb, like basically everyone else, is desperate for the Alliance to be completed. The war has been terrible, they were losing and it is really their only hope.

Sansa also touched on this earlier with Jon… If things go south with the Alliance and the Dothraki go nuts on them… It is the Royal hunters that are the first line of defense, she pointed out is would be their own family that would likely die first. And I will add, Robb is AMBITIOUS. He wants to be a leader, Ned is his father, he wants to excel and lead as well.

Robb in this AU is also a very sexual, and go lucky type man. No hard feelings, he makes no judgements, etc.

Robb felt very attacked and judged when Jon tore into him about Robb’s unwillingness to protect Daenerys against Viserys (the crowned prince). Robb had no intention of ever repeating what he saw, he couldn't care less who has sex with who. But he was annoyed at Jon for making him feel like garbage about not protecting an “innocent woman”.

In no way whatsoever was Robb trying to HURT Jon, he has zero idea that it would mean ANYTHING to Jon at all to hear about Dany and Daario. Robb truly believes Jon is still deeply in love with Ygritte (ew, I know)

Part 2: IS ROBB A LIAR? IS HE TRYING TO HURT JON?

Is Robb a liar? He really isn’t. He is guy, that walked in and saw something that to him looked like sex was “happening”. Did he walk in an see THRUSTING ACTION - no. Robb 100% believes that Daario and Daenerys were about to have sex, or had been having sex, or doing other things, etc, etc. It is what he believes was happening. He also went on to accurately tell Jon WHAT he did see, Daario naked facing Dany with his dick out.

And not because she was into it, or she was getting ready to act on it, Daenerys was not in the corner crying or shaking with fear. She was ANNOYED the moment Robb burst in, she looked CALM and collected.

When Robb entered, Dany’s was calm and collected. Her reaction AFTER hearing that Viserys was coming was to Robb and Daario::: Her voice cold as ice. “Get out, both of you. Now!” she hisses. (Robb did NOT take that as her feeling hate and annoyance for Daario, she could have just been annoyed her lunatic brother was on his way)

And then Robb immediately LEFT, and he was NOT in the room to see her throw the glass in anger (at Daario). So no - Robb did not pick up on her true feelings for the moment at hand. He wasn’t trying to lie, mislead or hurt Jon. He is stating what he believes to be true, and what he walked away with. Obviously, the reader knows Robb is mistaken. WE got to see Dany’s POV for that scene. He did not.

At the end, Robb even caved - and wanted to make Jon happy, he doesn’t want to fight with his brother. He offered to make something up to go and check on the princess. Jon said forget it, as he was (rightfully) upset.

Part 3: HOW COULD JON THINK THAT?

Where Jon’s head is at in this story: 1. Things with he and Dany are not good 2. He already fears he has lost her 3. He has already been JEALOUS of Daario from the moment he arrived 4. It was also Daario that followed through and killed Ygritte..for Dany. and then 5. Now he has Robb’s version of what he saw, and he knows Robb is not lying, nor has any reason to. Jon can read his brother well.

JON AND THE MATE BOND:

The concept if the mate bond has been explained in many different ways in many stories. I’ve never read two that are exactly alike. I could even do Twilight where an ENTIRE pack can have full conversations: “Has anyone seen my red sweater? Bella loves me in red….”

Neither Jon nor Dany is an expert on their bond, nor is it 100% reliable. What Jon thinks… it helps him to feel extreme feelings of Daenerys. You know, how Jon felt EXTREME sadness over Ygritte’s death, so much that it physically took Dany’s breath away as she clutched her stomach.

But to answer a question - no, Jon is not an expert of the mate bond enough to say, “No way, I would feel it. I am 100% that didn’t happen.”

So in closing - this situation is a carefully construed misunderstanding that I set up for the story. I tried to touch on many of the comments I saw posted. I will tag people in case they want to read this long ass comment. Thanks for reading!!!

#jonerysvampire #jonerys #jonerys fanfic

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jamesniall · 6 years ago

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Hey I’m not the anon that u talked about but I follow u on twitter and wanna let u know that don’t worry!!!! That happened to me a few days ago too djdnxjsn. Are you posting today?

ahhh HI OMG thank u for understanding :’)

IT WAS SO FRUSTRATING bc i got it all written but there’s lil things to edit and words to change a bit but it was basically done and then the power went out and refused to come back for 7 hours :/

as soon as it came back i got to it but im sleeeeepy and i have a family thing tomorrow morning (basically today wow it’s 4 am) so i can’t post it until the afternoon :( BUT YES TODAY IT’LL BE POSTED FINALLY. NOTHING WILL STOP ME FROM POSTING IT TODAY.

if u want, and for the other super patient and lovely anon as well, here’s a lil preview of it; the first out of the 5 + 1 things of this fic!

(as i said, it still needs to be proof read again so if u find mistakes pls pretend u didnt, im gonna get to them tomorrow sdkfhds but yeah there u have 1,5k of this monster of a fic that took over 2 months of my life lmao what started as a lil hurt/comfort fic ended up in a 18k monster of developing relationship hurt/comfort and angst with a cHEESY ending wow)

Having the night shift at the E.R onFriday nights it’s always a chore. Harry always tries his best to change itwith one of his colleagues, even if he has to take Monday’s morning shift whereeveryone comes with the silliest symptoms to get some excuse to get out oftheir jobs for a couple days.

This time, however, Liam has a familything he can’t get out of and Harry has to cover the night shift.

It goes as he expected it.

Drunk college students with alcoholpoisoning are the most common gig of the night, followed by guys withconcussions and broken noses that can only be attributed to bar fights.

It’s around 10 pm when he’s making a roundthrough the new arrivals when he sees a guy sitting in the waiting room withwhat seems to be a scarf wrapped around his left arm and a guitar tightlyclutched in his right hand.

He looks downright miserable. Soaked tothe bone – though Harry doesn’t recall it raining when he started his shift –hair plastered to his forehead and a bruise in his right cheek that he can tellit’s gonna swell and hurt as fuck tomorrow morning.

He takes a look around the room andfigures he’s the most interesting case he can get out of the night.

“Hello there, I’m Doctor Styles. Did thenurse give you the triage paper?” He asks, looking down at the brown hairedguy, who startles at his voice.

“Oh, hi, yes, uh,” he searches around hispockets for a bit, hissing when he disturbs his homemade bandage, Harry doesn’tknow if he’s hiding a broken, burnt or cut arm, but he’s sure the scarf it’snot wrapped up properly for none of those situations.

He finally finds a yellow crumbled uppaper in the pocket of his jeans, “thought the red papers got attention first.”He says, looking up to Harry and handing him the paper.

“Yeah, Friday nights are usually full ofyellow ones, though.” Harry says, scanning the paper quickly and seeing Niall J. Horan, 25 year old male, reportedbar fight, probable broken wrist, no signs of concussion, vitals on order, pain8/10. “How’s your pain right now?”

“Out of ten? It’s been simmering between 8and 9 for the last hour,” Niall replies with a shrug. “Nurse told me x-rayswere necessary but that I’d have to leave my guitar outside,” he continues, “Irefused, because have you seen the people around this place? They’re all drunk.No way I’m leaving it out here only to find it broken, so if you can tell mewhat to do or what to take for the pain I’d appreciate it so I can go home.”

“You could have a broken wrist, judging bythe pain I’m pretty sure that’s the case, isn’t getting the x-ray moreimportant than a guitar?” Harry asks, an amused smile making his way through asNiall splutters and shakes his head.

“’Course it’s more important, she’s one ofa kind. Actually my arm might be broken because I fell out of the stage toprotect her.” He states. A stubborn frown taking over his face.

“Alright,” Harry nods, “You can leave itin my office while we do x-rays and get you proper treatment. That way both ofyou will be safe.”

“Really?” Niall asks, “Hey, thank youmate! I hope it’s not a bother.”

“None at all, just follow me and we’ll getit done quick enough.”

Half an hour later Niall’s sitting in astretcher as Harry wraps up his broken wrist properly. His guitar restingbeside him. “I cannot help but ask, what did you mean you fell out of a stageto save your guitar?”

“Oh,” he laughs, “well, you see, I play inthis bar on Friday nights, to help a bit with the bills, you know? Being ajust-graduated-nutritionist doesn’t give you much, so I was there, justchilling, getting ready to finish the set, when a bunch of assholes startedfighting, throwing punches and chairs and tables went flying. My guitar was inthe direct line of fire.” He says, pausing a bit to swallow harshly as Harrymoves his arm to check the blood flow is alright and the bandages are justtight enough. “So I try to yell at ‘em to be careful but just as I was about toreach the guitar and leave a guy was pushed over, I can only guess he was deaddrunk, because he didn’t even try to slow down the fall, and I could only seehis ass was for sure gonna land on my guitar, so I jumped head first to grab itand he fell on me, I fell on the corner of the stage, thus the bruising.”

“Is that why you told the nurse the reasonof all this was a bar fight?”

“Well, technically it all started with abar fight, but as I was about to explain it all she just went and rolled hiseyes and gave me a yellow paper.” Niall says, a sour look on his face, “realrude of her, you know.”

“Yeah, you’ll have to forgive her,” Harrysays with a small smile, “we don’t get much of anything other than bar fightson Friday nights.” He continues, handing Niall a sheet of paper with hisprescribed pain medication.

“Do I have to come for you to take a lookat it again? Like, remove the bandage or something?” Niall asks, looking a bitforlornly at the piece of paper.

“Oh, yeah but not here, exactly. You cancall this number,” he says, handing Niall a small card that just says Liam Payne and two phone numbers. “He’sthe best orthopedist you’ll ever find in this hospital. He’ll do an x-ray,check everything’s alright and in about 4 weeks you’ll be bandages free.” Hefinishes, smiling despite the fact that Niall looks kind of sad. Disappointedeven. “He really is the best, you’ve got nothing to be scared of, he’ll takegood care of you.”

“Not as good as you,” Niall mutters underhis breath as Harry turns his back on him to open the curtain that wasseparating them from the rest of the E.R.

“What was that?” Harry asks.

“Oh, nothing, just. Thinking out loudabout whether I should try to find a bus or just walk home.”

“I can call you a cab if you’d like.”Harry offers. Helping Niall gather his guitar, papers and card without losinganything.

“No, that’s alright. I left my jacket atthe bar so I have no change with me, just my very loyal Oyster card and twowell-functioning legs.”

“It’s really late, Niall, really. I canlend you some, it’s no trouble.” Harry says, searching in his pockets for hiswallet, “I’d be no good of me as a doctor if I fix you up only to let you walkhome at two in the morning. Cab is the safest option.”

“Also the most expensive,” Niall remarks,“we’re in an alright neighborhood and I live like half an hour from here, it’llbe alright.” Then, with a bit more of spark in his eyes, he says; “If you wantyou can give me your number and I can text you as soon as I get home.”

Harry seemed too busy looking into hiswallet to notice, though, “Here, just a couple of bucks. Just in case youdecide your house’s too far and you’re too tired or cold to keep walking.” Hesays, handing Niall a couple of folded bills. “Or in case you have nothing inyour Oyster card. Can’t never be too safe.”

He’s just finished talking when a beepcomes from his pocket. Eyes opening wide when he sees a red alert from hispager.

“Well, look at that. You can have a couplered cases on Friday nights too.” Harry says, shaking his head, “Have a niceevening. Don’t forget to pick up your meds tomorrow morning. What I just gaveyou we’ll be enough for the night but it might get really achey if you movearound a lot.” Harry says, walking fast towards the nurses’ station. “No guitarplaying, for at least a week, let you hand heal nicely. If there’s moreswelling, your fingers get really cold, dark or you can’t feel them or there’sany fever at all, please come back to the E.R immediately.” Harry says in arush as he checks the new triage papers. “Any questions?”

“Thank you.” Says Niall. “Really, you werethe nicest doctor I’ve ever met and I promise when I come back for that check-upI’ll hunt you down and pay you back.”

“No need,” Harry replies with a smile,“I’ve got to run. Have a safe trip home!”

And with that he leaves, back towards theentrance of the E.R where an ambulance is pulling in someone in a really bloodystretcher.

With a shudder, Niall turns to leave, notbefore looking back at Harry for the last time and saying to himself, “nexttime I’ll get his number.”

#IM A MESS #Anonymous #idk how this ended up being almost 20k words #but proof reading it has been A MESS #bc there are words that i type in spanish to translate them later and then when i do they dont FIT RIGHT in the sentence #so i have to rewrite the sentence and then that one doesnt FIT RIGHT with the next one #and yeah i basically rewrote a whole scene #it's been 5 hours since the power came back and im halfway through editing it and making it alright #but it's almost 5am now #and i have to be up by 9 for a family thingy #so i'll have to finish tomorrow :(#IM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT #i considered posting it like...chapter-y #like posting the first 3 chapters that are sort of done and then tomorrow the rest #but i hate chaptered fics skdjfhsdkf #I'LL POST IT TOMORROW (today) AS SOON AS I CAN #I PROMISE #I LOVE U ALL #THANK U FOR BEING SO LOVELY AND SWEET AND PATIENT #i hated how the first scene of the fic turned out so i hope you're not disappointed #i think the rest it's alright and i actually loved writing it #but yeah

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mayquita · 7 years ago

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Call Me (18/30) The Deal. Part 1

I'm sorry for the delay, but a new chapter is here, finally! Unfortunately, as some had already imagined, I had to split the chapter into two parts, but I hope to be able to post the next part soon. In fact, I've decided that one of my resolutions for the new year is to try to publish more often. Thank you very much everyone for your continued support and for your patience. Happy New Year!

Many thanks also to @saraswans because without her maybe this would not be happening and to my beta, @ladyciaramiggles for her amazing job. You two are the best.

Summary: Emma loses her phone after a chase, but she finds a phone in a cafe just when she needs it most. Killian forgets his phone in a cafe when he is about to take a flight to Ireland. Killian makes a call to his own number hoping someone answers on the other end of the line. What will happen when Emma answers the call?

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12Chapter 13 Chapter14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17

FF.net Ao3

Sunday, June 4, 2017

A familiar scent, a reminder of his homeland, welcomed Killian as he entered "The Irish Corner ", his favorite place in Boston along with the docks.

Killian inhaled deeply, allowing the delicious aroma of home-cooked Irish food to wash over him and activate his memories.

He had felt at home the moment he discovered this cafe half hidden in a side street. It was partly the decor, and partly the owners' lilting accents that he so missed when he was away from home. But what seduced him the most about this place was the traditional Irish fare that the owners were rightly proud of.

Every time he took a bite of a meal here, he felt transposed into the past, to the years when his whole world revolved around his brother. In spite of the difficulties they had gone through when their father left them, Liam always managed to serve Killian's favorite dishes. He got the stability and security that would otherwise have been denied to him through the food that Liam cooked.

His brother and his family were far away now, though. Still, despite the weight he was still carrying, he was not alone, not if the Nolan’s had their way. They had offered him their effortless friendship from the beginning and had seen beyond his broken heart. The Nolan’s were his family and his refuge here in Boston, along with Belle, whom he considered almost as a little sister, and the loyal Will, who, despite his insolence, had followed him from their homeland. He hoped to add one more member soon.

David, Mary Margaret, and little Leo were already waiting for him in their usual booth, the corner they had claimed after years of this Sunday tradition.

Killian smiled as he walked towards the booth, realizing that in just a few minutes he would finally have someone sitting on his side of the booth with him.

He still could not believe that Emma had accepted the deal, but after their first meeting, everything had returned to normal. They picked up their text messages, their exchange of photos and their endless phone calls. Staying in the same time zone helped, although foolishly he had barely slept the last two nights as they talked for hours on end.

To his relief, it seemed that Elsa had been right all this time. Emma just needed time to trust him and finish opening up completely. After all, they both had broken hearts that they protected fiercely and had only known each other for three weeks — now four, actually.

Shaking his head, he decided to park those thoughts for now and focus his attention on his friends. After greeting them and ruffling little Leo's hair affectionately, he sat down and Mary Margaret caught him up on 'Life with the Nolans' while waiting for Emma's arrival.

He was having a good time with his friends but that didn't stop a slight worry from settling in his stomach, with every minute that passed and Emma didn’t appear. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen discreetly, to double check the time they had agreed when texting just an hour before. No, everything was fine, she would arrive shortly, he told himself as he thought that he needed to work on this, he couldn’t become a bundle of nerves every time they met. This was an opportunity to build a friendship with Emma and he didn't want to spoil it for both of them with his anxiety.

"Emma must be on her way, right?" Mary Margaret's excited voice brought him back to reality.

When Killian had first mentioned Emma joining them for brunch earlier in the week, Mary Margaret had barely been able to contain her excitement. "Uncle Killy's finally met a girl" she had yelled gleefully, bouncing little Leo on her hip as she danced for joy around the kitchen. She had a tendency for thinking that life was like a fairy tale, and the mere mention of Emma clearly had her imagining Killian's happy ending.

That's why he had been quick to set her straight before her excitement got out of hand. "No, it's not a date. We're just getting to know each other better". Under no circumstances did Killian want Emma to feel overwhelmed or intimidated by his friends, especially since she had freaked out after meeting David at the precinct two weeks ago.

"She'll be here soon." He assured through a tight smile. He was about to remind Mary Margaret again to contain her excitement when the sound of the door opening caught his attention.

The moment Emma appeared through the door, all his worries dissipated and the knot in his stomach loosened. He stifled a sigh of relief and instead, focused on her. She was gorgeous. Her hair was down, her golden curls framing her face. She was wearing tight jeans and a white silk top with some embroidery. His eyes didn't lose detail of all her movements. It took her a few seconds to locate him, her gaze searching the room for him. When their eyes met, her lips curled into a shy smile as she began to walk with somewhat hesitant steps.

It was then that a new, worrying thought crossed his mind, making him feel almost like a teenager rather than the thirty-year-old he actually was. But when it came to Emma Swan, there always seemed to be something making him anxious. In this case, the cause of his concern was figuring out the most appropriate way to greet her.

Killian barely had time to stand before David had stood and reached his hand across the table, greeting Emma warmly. He introduced her to his wife as he balanced Leo in one arm. Mary Margaret sprung out of the booth and pulled her into a tight embrace, unable to suppress her innate enthusiasm. The hug clearly caught Emma off guard who stiffened for a few awkward seconds before relenting and putting her arms loosely around Mary Margaret. Knowing how uncomfortable Emma was with such displays of affection from strangers caused the knot in Killian's stomach to tighten again. Was brunch going to be a disaster before it had even begun? To his relief though, Emma was still smiling slightly as she was finally released from Mary Margaret's hug. It became a grin as she said hello to Leo who was tugging on David's ear. She gave the boy a few kind words in a softer tone than usual, melting Killian's heart a little more in the process.

Killian still hadn't recovered from watching Emma's tenderness towards Leo when she turned her head and their gazes met again, her lingering smile on her lips taking his breath away. She was beautiful, and her beauty increased the more he got to see her in person. She gave him an affectionate squeeze on his biceps, which seemed to be the signal for everyone to sit down again. Emma took the empty spot beside him, and he felt the warmth of her body and the vanilla scent of her hair instantly, causing a slight dizziness in him.

By the time they were all seated, the conversation had dwindled. It seemed his friends had taken heed of his earlier warning not to overwhelm Emma and were leaving the conversation to him, he just didn't know how to begin. As he looked across the table at Mary Margaret he could see her biting back her enthusiasm, desperate to launch into an excited frenzy over Killian's new friend. Thankfully, the waitress arrived before either Mary Margaret exploded, or the silence could become uncomfortable.

Although the original idea was for her to try an Irish breakfast, he wanted to make sure she agreed first. "So what do you say, lass, are you willing to try one of the greatest pleasures of my homeland?"

Emma rolled her eyes, but the corners of her lips rose slightly. "That was the idea in the first place, wasn't it? Let's try that famous Irish breakfast."

This seemed to ease the tension, for the moment the waitress left, Mary Margaret finally spoke through a wide grin. "We're very happy to have you here, Emma. Killian has told us a lot about you."

Before answering, Emma gave him a sidelong glance. "Killian has also told me a lot about you and about this place too." She waved her hand, pointing to the room. "I had to check out this breakfast and see if it lived up to the hype."

"Oh, I'm sure that it won't disappoint you. Killian introduced us to this Irish breakfast five years ago and we succumbed instantly. It's been a weekly tradition ever since.” Once the ice was broken, Mary Margaret was unable to conceal her enthusiasm.

"See?" He teased, nudging her with his shoulder as he arched his eyebrows playfully, earning a snort from her. Once again, he found himself witnessing a conversation in which they talked about him as if he weren't even present in the room. But that didn't bother him at all, especially if he had a chance to see Emma interact with his two best friends in Boston.

"Don't get too smug, Jones. I still have to try it. I'm starving, by the way, will the food take long?"

Killian couldn’t help but smirk. That was a good start, after all, wasn't it?

When the food finally arrived, he took his time to explain to Emma the contents of the dish. He had to suppress a chuckle when she grimaced at the sight of the beans and the puddings, but in the end, she dared to taste all the food and by her expression she had been quite satisfied. First mission accomplished, not only because the meal had been a success but because she seemed to be fitting in well with his friends. Both, Mary Margaret and David, made an effort to involve her in different conversations and, to his relief, Emma seemed quite relaxed.

"What's your story, Emma, do you have any family here?"

His entire body tensed as he heard Mary Margaret's question. He was aware that his friend's intentions were good and maybe he should have given them some prior explanation. Still, that did not stop a bit of worry from returning to his stomach.

"Mary Margaret..." He started to warn her, but was cut off by Emma.

"It's okay."

Killian glanced sideways at Emma to make sure she did not feel too uncomfortable. Although her features showed a certain tension, Emma glanced back, nodding almost imperceptibly, one of the corners of her lips raised in what seemed an attempt at a reassuring smile. Then, she addressed Mary Margaret and responded in a calm voice. "Well, no, I don’t have family here. I don’t have any family at all, actually. I grew up in the foster care system. I have gone through different families and states to end up here, in Boston two years ago."

"Oh." Mary Margaret seemed overwhelmed for a few seconds, her cheeks dyed a pink hue while she rubbed her hands in a nervous gesture. Her gaze drifted almost imperceptibly towards Killian as if she were asking him what to do next. She did not wait for an answer, though. Nodding to herself as if she had finished an internal debate, she directed her gaze back to Emma, her lips drawing a soft smile. "Well, welcome to the club then."

"To the club?" Emma's eyes narrowed as she asked aloud the same question he was thinking. What was his friend talking about?

"Oh yes, the BOWS club. Boston Orphans, Waifs and Strays. We meet every Sunday for brunch!"

Emma cocked her head, her eyebrows went together in confusion. "Then you two are also orphans?"

"Yeah, we can also add Will, and Belle. Well, Belle actually has a father, but he lives in Australia, so she gets to join as a waif or a stray instead.” This time it was David who continued with his wife's explanation.

“And David has a twin brother, but we have heard nothing about him for a long time." Mary Margaret added. Killian knew the story of James, David's rebellious brother, the black sheep of his family. He was aware that this memory was painful for him, for that reason he appreciated, even more, the effort they were doing to make Emma feel included. Mary Margaret's hand moved to meet her husband's, remaining intertwined while sharing a look of understanding and resignation.

"I lost my parents too soon, like David, but then we found each other, and we created our own family." Mary Margaret gave a look of affection both to her husband and her son. "Belle and Will also met each other... And..." She didn’t finish the sentence, aware of the warning look Killian gave her. "Well, if you join the club you won’t be alone anymore.”

Emma turned her head so she could face him, her gaze searching his. To his surprise, there seemed to be no sign of tension in her features, on the contrary, her eyes had a special brightness. "So the BOWS club, huh?"

"What do you say, love?"

A tiny smile tugged lightly at her lips as she shrugged. "Yeah, why not?"

"Welcome to the family then." He met her gaze, schooling his features into a subtle smile so as not to betray his excitement and pride for her. Just like that, with this little act, she was demonstrating that she was more than willing to continue to tear down the walls around her heart, trusting not only in him but in two people she had just met.

He felt eternally grateful to his friends for the warm welcome they had given her, thinking that maybe he would have to babysit Leo a little more often than usual to show his thanks.

Emma was clearly relaxed and enjoying herself and the hours passed without any of them noticing. It was only when Leo started getting cranky, long overdue for his nap that they realized how long they had chatted. Although reticent, the Nolans took it as a hint to leave and they got up to say goodbye. Emma blew a kiss at little Leo, who rewarded her with one of his lovely smiles and a babbling that sounded like "Bye Emma." Emma's promise that she would join them again next Sunday was the last thing they heard before heading to the door.

She then leaned against the back of her seat, rubbing her flat stomach with one hand. "Oh, god, my stomach is so full that I'm not going to be able to eat anything else all day."

Killian chuckled at her side. "A pity, love, because I was thinking that this afternoon we could continue with another of our items on the list."

"Don't you have to work today?"

"Aye, but there's only a short trip in my schedule, then I'm all yours, if you want me." Killian arched his eyebrows playfully as Emma rolled her eyes.

"And what would that other plan of yours be?"

A grin spread across his face. "Go get an ice cream, of course."

Even though he felt he was chancing his luck with his suggestion, she accepted, complaining that if his idea of getting to know each other better was only through food, she would end the month with a few extra pounds.

A couple of hours later, they met again at the entrance of the ice cream parlor. And that's how they ended up, walking by the docks, both savoring their ice cream, rocky road for her, of course, rum ‘n’ raisin for him.

Killian led her to his favorite place in the port, a secluded spot with the best views of the sea, a place he visited whenever he needed to calm both his soul and his mind. Today the visit was for different reasons, but he felt the need to contemplate the ocean in an attempt to calm his increasingly racing heart due to the presence of Emma at his side.

They watched the ocean in silence for a while. Little by little, though, he began to glance at her. He thought she was beautiful when all he had was photos and videos of her, but here, in person, as they watched the sunset and the last rays of sun bathed her face, she was breathtaking.

"What?"

Killian realized that he had stopped staring at the horizon when he heard Emma's voice. She was looking at him with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. It was then, thanks to the light of sunset, he made another discovery, something that had gone unnoticed for him through the screen. He couldn’t stop his lips curling into a grin, delighted with the possibility of continuing to discover more and more about Emma Swan.

"Nothing. It's just..." He raised his hand, his finger pointing to her nose. "I just realized that you have freckles."

Emma's reaction was immediate. Her cheeks flushed pink as her eyes narrowed and her lips drew a small pout. "Yeah, well. Is that a problem?"

"No, I actually find it quite adorable."

Emma rolled her eyes, turning her gaze back to the ocean, but her lips twisted into a smile as the pink of her cheeks became more pronounced. Killian's heart fluttered as he watched her. There were still more than three weeks left to win Emma's heart as she had surely won his. The first step seemed to be a success, now he had to stay on track with the next step.

Monday, June 5, 2017

I had to get up early today but it was worth it. A couple wanted to watch the sunrise from the sea.

Killian's message could not have come at a better time, since Emma was about to die of boredom that Monday morning. She had spent the first few hours of the day filling out reports on the latest resolved cases, undoubtedly the worst task of her job. That was why any distraction was welcome, the more so if it came from Killian.

'Damn Irishman!’ She already missed him even though they had seen each other just the day before, at their first meeting after they had sealed their pact. She thought back over the day fondly, smiling at the memories. It had been a great day, really. And the best thing was that it was just the beginning... Emma shook her head, not wanting to anticipate what was to come. There was something she decided once she accepted the deal. She was going to try and live in the moment as she got to know Killian, no pressure, and no ties, not worrying about tomorrow. And this very moment was indicating that there was a photo waiting to be seen on her phone.

Emma was enthralled by the beauty of the image. He had managed to capture the exact moment when the sky began to dye a range of reddish colors while the sun announced its timid appearance on the horizon drawing a trail with its reflection on the sea.

A new message from Killian took her out of her reverie. She shook her head before reading. ‘What’s wrong with me? It’s just a sunrise.'

What do you think? Do we add this to our list of pending activities?

Uhm, getting up early is not my thing, really.

Oh, but we could consider it as going to bed late. We could entertain ourselves with some enjoyable activities while we wait for the sun to appear.

Emma felt her cheeks flush as she imagined that scenario. ‘Bastard!’ She would not admit it out loud, but these veiled innuendos were one of the things she had missed the most during the days when she had tried to avoid him.

Do you mean to spend the night in your cabin while pillaging and plundering, so as not to fall asleep?

Aye, that could be described as a pleasurable activity.

I see… Keep dreaming, buddy ;P

"Has your friend already come back?"

Emma looked up in surprise, for she had completely forgotten that Graham was in the office. In fact, she had not even realized that he had approached and was now leaning on her desk.

"What?"

"Your friend, the Irishman, has already returned to Boston?" Graham repeated nodding towards her phone.

"Eh, yeah, a few days ago." She cocked her head, curious at Graham's sudden interest.

Her boss remained thoughtful for a few seconds, then added. "Remind me to thank him when I meet him."

Her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Thanks for what?"

The corners of Graham's lips lifted, drawing a soft smile. "Because it seems that he has made that smile that you had hidden finally appear."

Emma's cheeks began to burn again. She still had trouble getting used to receiving such comments, but considering Graham was not the first person to comment on her smile, maybe they were right.

"Uhm, thank you, I guess. Maybe you can tell Killian in person, I'll tell him to stop by one of these days." Before Graham could reply, she decided to change the subject, as she still felt somewhat uncomfortable with such conversations. "By the way, I met Officer Brave the other day."

Graham's expression changed abruptly. His smile disappeared from his lips and this time it was the turn of his cheeks to blush. "Merida?"

"Oh, so the M on her plate was for Merida. She asked me about you." She grinned, amused by his nervousness.

"Well, I'll see her tomorrow..." Emma raised an eyebrow, teasing him. "... because I have to give her these files, that is, whenever you finish your stuff, so stop talking and go to work." Graham walked away from her desk and headed toward his, suddenly very interested in the files on the table.

Emma's grin grew wider, the reaction of both Merida and Graham had been quite similar, that had to mean something. Maybe she could ask David, since she would see him again next Sunday. Because yes, she had decided she wanted to be part of that close-knit group that enjoyed a weekly brunch together. At least as long as they wanted her there. Or until the deal ended.

Thursday, June 8, 2017

Killian set the phone down on the desk as his lips twitched into a wide grin. It was Thursday, which meant that it had been a week since his meeting with Emma. And what was even better, she had just suggested a plan for them that day, so they would meet up in less than an hour.

He couldn't be more pleased with how their deal was progressing. Emma had been very receptive from the beginning, agreeing not only to resume their daily routines of sharing their respective lives, but she had also become well acquainted with the Nolans. They hadn't seen each other since last Sunday, so when Emma called him to propose they have lunch together at Granny's and finally try the delicious grilled cheese — her words— he couldn't refuse. Especially since he was dying to see Will and Belle's reaction when he left for lunch without them.

Killian got up then, grabbed his wallet and phone, but before he had time to put them in his pocket, Will asked, "are you going somewhere?"

He took his time to respond, resuming the interrupted task. When he was sure he had everything ready to go — yes, this time he had left nothing behind — he turned to his friend, answering through a wide smirk. "It's lunchtime."

Will hurried to get up while rubbing his hands together. "Great, I'll come with you, help you carry. What will it be this time?"

Killian's smile grew even wider. "Oh, no take-out this time. It's a real lunch today, a waiter taking the order, someone serving me at a table and all that stuff. I'm pretty sure you know what I mean."

"Even better!" Killian could almost feel his friend's mouth watering. "Come on lass, I'm taking you to a restaurant." Will waved towards Belle, who was already moving from behind the counter to accompany them. Oh, how he was enjoying the situation, not a shred of regret for his attitude. He would have to make it up to them later, but for now, it was time to give the final blow.

"Uh, maybe I haven't explained myself well. I'm going to have lunch. Alone." He stressed the word alone, marking each letter and enjoying the confused faces of his two friends. He suddenly raised both his hands as if he was remembering something. "Well, that's not quite true. Emma will be my companion today."

Will took a while to process the information, but when he did, his face contorted in a grimace. "Really? Are you choosing The Swan Girl over me?" His voice sounded offended as his finger pointed towards himself.

"Oh come on, Will." Belle rolled her eyes as she lightly tapped her boyfriend's arm with the back of her hand. "Stop being so dramatic and go get me something to eat." Then she turned to Killian, her eyes narrowed and a wrinkle of defiance on her forehead. "And you, make it worth it, okay?" Her face softened instantly. "And enjoy lunch, we'll manage without you, although I'm sure my boyfriend is going to miss you terribly."

Will huffed at her side, avoiding eye contact with Killian.

"I think he's going to miss my money, but anyway, I love you too, Scarlett."

Without further ado, Killian left the office, hurrying to find Emma as soon as possible. In his mind, the determination to carry out Belle's words and make his encounter with Emma really worth it. That was the intention of this entire plan, in the first place, right?

"I gather that the first week of that kind of agreement between you and the hot Irishman has gone well, right?"

Emma looked up from her phone screen when she heard Ruby's voice. She had been distracted rereading the last chain of messages she and Killian had exchanged. She shook her head, seriously considering that she had to stop this practice at some point. "It hasn't been too bad." She answered reluctantly, diverting her gaze back to the phone. Actually, the week could have gone better, if they had seen each other more than once. It was becoming increasingly evident that the endless phone conversations were no longer enough. She needed more. But Ruby didn't need to know. Not for the moment, at least.

"Uh, this gets interesting... Your man just arrived, honey." Emma's eyes followed the direction of Ruby's gaze until she found Killian right in the front door. She swallowed, feeling her cheeks flush. ‘Damn it!’ She hated not having control over her body when it came to Killian and the worst of all was that this was probably going to get worse and worse. Or better...

It was unfair, the effect he had on her. In fact, everything about him was unfair; from his dazzling smile, a flash of white teeth and full kissable lips 'stop it Emma’; to his impossibly blue eyes; even his swagger as he moved towards her had her stomach doing somersaults.

Before he reached her, though, a sense of nervousness washed over her. She still had to get used to this crazy thing called friendship, because how was she supposed to greet him? With a kiss on the cheek? A hug? A simple smile? She did not remember feeling so nervous at their last meeting in the Irish cafe, but at that time she was in control of the situation, now she could only wait for his movement. She made a mental note to work on this to get to behave like a real adult on future occasions.

It was a hug. He chose a damn hug, perhaps too short for her liking, but it still made the blush on her cheeks to increase and her knees to weaken. To her relief, at least he seemed as affected as she was when they parted, if the red of the tip of his ears was anything to go by.

Killian recovered quickly, displaying all his charm on Ruby and this time, also on Granny who, according to her own words a few days ago, was eager to meet the “hot Irishman who had managed to get you out of your shell.” Ruby's grandma was not exactly discreet in her look of appreciation towards Killian or in her gesture of approval towards her.

"Come on, buddy, now that you've managed to win two more fans, can we go eat? I'm starving.”

The bastard dared to make a small bow, with his arms slightly extended and a smirk on his face that she wanted to erase with her own lips. "As you wish."

Emma ignored the butterflies in her stomach and rolled her eyes, grabbing him by one hand and dragging him towards the nearest booth, sitting facing each other. The conversation between them had not yet begun when Ruby appeared again, offering them the menu.

"I don’t think it's necessary, lass. The Lady Swan wants me to taste her favorite food, and who am I to refuse?"

This time it was Ruby's turn to roll her eyes, but at least she remained silent, seeming to understand the meaning of the warning look Emma sent her, shouting in silence go away. After taking the order and offering a wolfish smile to each of them, she finally walked away, shouting, "Coming right up, behave yourselves, guys."

Despite that strange first moment between them, everything flowed easily, both catching up, while enjoying the grilled cheese and an extra ration of onion rings.

When Killian started to tell her what happened earlier with Belle and Will, she could not help but tease him a little. "You are such a bad boss, poor things. What are they going to do now that you don't provide them with their food?" Emma bit her lip repressing a laugh not only because the situation was really hilarious but because she was greatly enjoying the expression on his face, trying to be offended by her words, but being betrayed by his almost perpetual grin and the small wrinkles around his eyes.

"You wound me, Swan, they're going to end up ruining me, I'm going to have to increase the budget on food when I do the accounting for the company, I'm telling you."

A giggle escaped from her mouth. He was such an idiot... But it was these little details that made it all worthwhile, not only the ability to make her laugh, but also the total confidence placed in her when choosing the dish, or his way of focusing his gaze only on her as if nothing else mattered around him, or the contagious bubbling of his laughter, or the almost hypnotizing way in which his tongue peeked from time to time through his lips.

A memory came to her mind suddenly, the image of the imaginary list of Killian's qualities devised by Ruby a week ago. Something told her that the list was going to get longer and longer. Of course, she was going to make sure that list was kept secret, because there was no need to feed his ego, right?

Lunchtime passed too quickly to her liking, the time to leave arrived without them hardly noticing. "I would love to continue enjoying your company, love, but I have a ship tour planned shortly." He was reluctant to leave, his expression indicated so. "So..." As he spoke, he put his hand to his head, scratching behind his ear. "See you again on Sunday for brunch?"

Two things caught her attention at that moment, the slight uncertainty in his voice, and the glimmer of hope in his eyes. While she was determined to eliminate the first one, she did not mind at all that that brightness would last for... always. "Sure, I'll be there." She agreed reassuringly, trying to eliminate any doubt he might have.

She was still on board with this deal. Not only that, she needed more, much more. So she made a mental note to organize next week so that they could see each other almost every day. She needed her daily dose of Killian Jones.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

A quiet silence reigned in the office, broken only by the continuous purring of the air conditioner and by the heavy typing on the keyboard of her computer. Her two co-workers had left the office a couple of hours ago, Graham to get new cases and — Emma suspected — to meet Merida, and Leroy for an early surveillance session.

It was not usual for the office to be so quiet, but Emma was so engrossed in her investigation that she hardly noticed the excessive tranquility. At least until the sound of her stomach rumbling broke her concentration.

Emma noticed then that it was almost lunchtime, but she stubbornly ignored the signs of hunger and continued the investigation, trying to find the thread that would allow her to go out in the afternoon in search of her perp.

Just when she seemed to have found a clue, a new sound, this time from her phone, broke her concentration. A snort of annoyance escaped her mouth as she grabbed her phone to see who had dared to disturb her work.

Are you busy now, love?

Okay, if Killian was the one to blame for the interruption she was fine with it. The butterflies in her stomach and her lips drawing into an involuntary smile indicated that at least.

I'm working Jones, what do you want?

Well, Will and Belle have decided to mutiny against me and have gone to have lunch together. So... would you care to join me, Swan?

Uh, I'm not sure I like being a replacement.

Come on, Swan. I know you're in your office and you probably haven’t stopped to eat yet. What do you say if I bring you a delicious grilled cheese from your favorite place?

Her stomach rumbled again, demanding her to accept his offer. It was not fair, she complained in silence, that he already knew her so well to be able to tempt her with something she couldn't refuse. Not that she was going to put up a lot of impediments, quite the contrary, since last Sunday, when they had last met for brunch, seemed such a long time ago. The idea of having Killian right here in her office, sounded too tempting to reject, despite all the work she had pending.

Her fingers slid quickly over the phone screen as she wrote the address.

Don't forget the onion rings.

I wouldn’t dream of it, love. Give me twenty minutes.

And that was how Killian met Graham. He returned a little later and caught them mid-banter, both lounging lazily in their respective seats, while the containers and the leftovers of the food remained scattered on her desk. Emma straightened up as soon as she saw her boss, but his amused expression allowed her to relax a bit.

Before they met, Emma had suspected that they would not get along well, testosterone putting them in competition with each other. Once again, Killian surprised her, because they both engaged in a relaxed conversation, sharing memories of common places and sports, while Emma gazed enthralled at the two men, both similar in physical appearance, with similar accents, but so different at the same time. This new boss-friend relationship could be promising.

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Emma’s heart hammered against her chest as she walked towards Killian’s office. It had been more than two weeks since her first humiliating visit to that place. Even though everything was going much better with Killian now, she hadn’t forgotten those earlier days when panic had overtaken her. That feeling of fear hadn’t yet disappeared, but at least she had managed to control it and bury it in some deep corner of her mind, always lurking but without coming to the surface.

Killian was a great help in controlling her fears. He had been true to his words, letting the relationship flow naturally, making sure she didn't feel pressured and that there was no obligation between them, just two friends who wanted to get to know each other better. From the moment they started this kind of game through the pact, they didn't mention it again, they didn't even talk about the date when she should make a decision.

And she was grateful for it, she really was. There was something, however, that had been going through her mind the last few days, a kind of longing for those three weeks in which they had been separated by an ocean.

It was strange, really. Because, except for those days in which Emma tried to avoid him, they hadn't stopped maintaining their daily phone conversations each evening, but she missed something, perhaps the ability to bare her soul to a stranger without fear of being judged, perhaps the unique experience of getting to know a person without needing to have seen him before, maybe that feeling of excitement, of thinking that everything was possible, a feeling of freedom in a certain way.

Everything was different now. Even when they talked on the phone, she couldn't stop imagining his expression, his eyes, the movement of his lips. Her head and heart were a whirlwind of emotions, much more intense than when they were thousands of miles apart. Her capacity for concentration had almost disappeared and she had to restrain herself for fear of showing too much of her feelings. She wasn't ready for that. Not yet. But there was something she couldn't deny, the feeling that Killian was a stranger had completely disappeared. He was now something else and there was no turning back.

Emma shook her head in an attempt to get rid of those thoughts. She would have time to face them later. She had a mission to carry out, a way to face the obstacles that she had put in her own way. Her problems couldn't remain locked in a bottle which she hoped would never open.

For that reason, she was here today, as a mean of rectifying her first meeting with Belle, although she also wanted to compensate both her and Will for snatching Killian at lunchtime.

There was another reason too, Emma was fascinated by Killian's way of life, the relationship he had with his friends and his unusual way of earning a living. She struggled to fathom the enigma that was Killian Jones, a man tormented by his past, fighting his demons every day and who had little idea of how much love and devotion surrounded him. It was intriguing and exciting, and now Emma was also part of the story. Time would tell what role she was going to play.

Emma took two deep breaths before opening the front door, trusting that the food she had gotten as a peace offering was enough.

Belle was there, behind the counter, in the same place as before. This time, though, her eyes widened in surprise and her lips drew a smile of recognition. "Emma! What a nice surprise, Killian didn't tell us you were coming."

"Hi." Her voice came out in barely a whisper, her throat had suddenly dried, exposing her nervousness. Her feet refused to move, keeping her stuck in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do next. A sense of déjà vu crossed her mind, but luckily, Belle also seemed to feel it, as she immediately stepped out behind the counter and approached her with a reassuring expression.

Emma then remembered the bag of food she was holding. She swallowed the lump growing in her dry throat and raised her hand, offering the bag to Belle. "He didn’t know, it's a surprise. I brought lunch." She offered through a weak smile.

"Oh, that's very kind of you. I'm Belle, by the way, although I guess you already know." Emma took the hand that Belle was offering, pleasantly surprised by the gentleness she was showing with her.

"Nice to meet you, Belle. I'm not going to run away this time, I promise." Belle's good reception had got Emma to gain some confidence, the lump in her throat finally gone.

Belle's head tilted a bit, as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You'd better because Killian wouldn't forgive me if I let you escape again." She warned. Her amused grin at odds with the stern tone of her voice.

Killian had told her a few days ago, that he had almost caught her on that first foray into his office, making her feel even more embarrassed despite his reassurance that everything was already forgotten.

Belle's words brought that moment to her memory, but far from tormenting her, it was like a kind of liberation. Although the fear was still latent, she knew that she would not be able to escape from Killian, never again.

And just like that, the ice broke and Emma relaxed instantly, a laugh bubbling in her throat, getting Belle to join her, both laughing in the middle of the office. "Oh god, I'm sorry, you must have thought I was unstable or something." Emma said once she managed to control her voice again.

A dismissive wave of Belle’s hand cut her off. "And yet here you are, again. I'm very happy." Belle squeezed her forearm lightly, as she guided her to the couch next to Killian's desk. "Come with me and take a seat, Killian and Will will be back any minute."

Once they settled down, Emma felt even more relaxed. Her eyes scanned the room, noting the small details that she could tell were very Killian. Despite being no more than an office, a place to do business, Killian — or maybe Belle — had managed to make the room a cozy place, very different from the coldness of her impersonal office.

Her gaze focused on a world map that hung on the wall, right next to Queen's poster. There were small thumbtacks of different colors pinned to the map marking different locations. The map aroused Emma's curiosity, so she made a mental note to ask Killian later about it. Instead, she focused her eyes on Belle again, thinking that perhaps she owed an explanation to her unexpected visit.

"I wanted to compensate you for those times that Killian left at lunchtime, so I thought it would be a good idea if this time I was the one who came."

Belle nodded in approval. "I'm not going to complain when someone brings us food, so I'll be happy if you decide to repeat it in the next few weeks."

It could be a good idea, Emma thought. Tuesdays, lunch in her office, Wednesdays in Granny's, Thursdays, in Killian's office and finally Sundays, brunch with the Nolans. She could get used to this routine, no doubt.

They engaged in a light conversation, only cut off by the sound of the entrance door opening a few minutes later. Both turned their heads at the same time in the direction of the entrance, meeting the guys who had finally made their appearance.

It was almost funny how different were the expressions of the two men. Killian's face split into a huge grin when he noticed her as his eyes widened in surprise, making her heart flutter and her knees weaken.

Will, on the other hand, stopped short when he saw that they had an unexpected visitor, his forehead crossed with small wrinkles, while his eyes narrowed, giving her a challenging look. Okay, she was going to have to work on earning the trust of Killian's friend.

"Surprise! I brought lunch." Emma lifted the bag containing the food, offering a tentative smile.

Will's expression changed instantly, the frown vanished, his lips drawing a smirk. He tapped Killian on the arm with the back of his hand. "I already like her, mate. Can we keep her around?"

Killian had been right about the relationship their two friends had with food. She was not going to complain, though, if with that she managed to win Will's heart and stayed in Killian's.

Friday, June 16, 2017

I'm bored, Jones.

I got home early today.

Are you still sailing? I thought about doing a Fringe marathon session. Do you want to join me? Bring beers and I'll make popcorn!

Killian's phone had not stopped buzzing in the last few minutes, but he had been too busy taking the ship to port, so it had been impossible to take a look at the device. It was later, when the ship was moored and he had said goodbye to the clients, when he was able to check the messages received.

Luckily for him, Will and Belle were no longer in the office when he arrived, because otherwise he would have been greeted with a reproachful look from his secretary as she watched him walk with his eyes fixed on the phone and his fingers flying over the screen, without paying attention to anything around him.

One of these days you're going to have an accident, Killian. That would have been Belle's response, with a mixed tone of reprimand and concern, while her boyfriend would have made some sharp comment —The Swan Girl has him too distracted — He’d have rolled his eyes and ignored them both.

Fortunately, the solitude of the office welcomed him this time. He threw his belongings on his desk and slumped on the chair, not abandoning the phone from his hands.

A pity that I haven’t been able to read your messages until now Swan. I would have offered you some other kind of distraction.

Too late, buddy. Are you coming or not?

Give me half an hour, love.

He forced himself not to think too much about the implications of going to Emma's apartment for the first time, but he was grateful that she trusted him enough to keep opening up to him and offering him this opportunity.

Thirty-five minutes later, he was in front of her door, a pack of beers in his hand, trying — and failing — to control his nerves. He felt reduced to an awkward teenager whenever he was around The Swan Girl — bloody hell, Will's nickname had taken root! He hoped to have enough composure not to embarrass himself tonight.

His purpose went out the window the moment Emma opened the door. Once again, the sensation of dreaming seized him, because it was still hard for him to believe that such a gorgeous creature had crossed his path. She wore leggings and that infamous shirt too large, that left a bare shoulder. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun and her face was clean, with no traces of makeup. Her natural beauty managed to take his breath away but what really impressed him was the intensity of her gaze and her bright smile full of promises.

"Mmm..." Her approval sound did nothing to calm his inner turmoil. "Not bad, only five minutes late."

"In my defense, I had to stop by my apartment and take a quick shower." Killian didn't miss the way her pupils dilated as her eyes followed the path to his still damp hair. "But now I'm all yours, love." He hummed in a silky voice as he raised his eyebrows playfully, earning an eye roll from Emma. At least his voice had not betrayed him this time.

"You are incorrigible, Jones." Emma shook her head, but the smile didn't disappear from her face. She grabbed the beers with one hand and held the free one out, gesturing for him to join her.

"Get comfortable while I make the popcorn." Emma glanced over her shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen.

"Do you need a hand there, love?" Killian offered tentatively, not quite sure what to do. At her refusal, he took a seat on the couch, taking his time scanning the room while he waited for Emma.

It was a practical living room, he concluded, without excessive ornaments or personal belongings, just a place to spend a few hours a day. The sofa was comfortable, though, and he tried to prepare himself both mentally and physically at the thought of spending the next few hours sitting next to Emma.

She came back through, offering him a beer while placing a huge bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. She sat down, somewhat away from him, leaning on the arm of the sofa, her legs bent and her arms around her knees. She did not turn on the television immediately, but remained pensive for a few seconds, her teeth biting her lower lip.

Something was going through her head, no doubt. He hoped that she was not regretting having invited him home. "I can hear you thinking, Swan. What is it?" He held his breath, preparing for the worst.

Emma remained thoughtful for a few more seconds, but then her eyes searched for his. "It's nothing, it's just..." Emma paused for a moment while licking her lips causing him to lose concentration. "Don't you miss our calls when you were back in Ireland?"

His eyes narrowed as he cocked his head, studying her. "Well, we talk every day." He commented, not quite sure what she meant.

"I mean, I miss when we had those endless conversations, when we talked about a different topic every day. When there was still the mystery between us, or when we could talk about our ghosts from the past." Emma shrugged, the longing evident in her eyes, the corner of her lips lifted subtly.

Before answering, Killian considered it for a moment. Yes, he missed those first conversations in a way, but he wouldn't change it for the possibility of having her by his side, of being able to look her in the eyes without any screen between them, of being able to touch her, even in a fortuitous way. "What makes you think we cannot keep talking about all that? You can tell me anything, love." He tried to imprint with both his eyes and his voice the confidence and reassurance she needed.

Emma blinked a couple of times but never breaking eye contact with him. "You know, I'm not very good at trusting people. It was much easier when there was a distance that separated us." Her words came through a weak smile.

An idea crossed his mind at that moment. "Okay, let's try something, lass. Imagine that I'm not here, but back in Dublin, locked in my room and hoping that neither my nephew nor my niece will interrupt us."

Emma's giggles echoed throughout the living room. He counted it as a small triumph, his chest swelled with pride.

"Okay, I can imagine it."

"Very well. And now, is there something you want to know or want to talk about? Close your eyes, if it's easier for you. What's in your mind, Swan?"

Emma did what he said and closed her eyes. After a few seconds of silence, her eyes opened again, showing a special glow this time. "What does the map that hangs in your office mean?"

His heart tightened after hearing her words, while a lump formed in his throat and a wave of memories took hold of him.

"I'm sorry... I didn’t..." Emma reached out her hand, looking for his and gave him a reassuring squeeze.

"It's okay, Emma." Killian wondered how she had figured out that there was some deep meaning hidden in that map. He took two deep breaths, letting those memories resurface for a moment. "There are thumbtacks of three different colors. When you come back to the office I will show you in more detail." He offered her a weak smile, while Emma stroked his hand lightly, encouraging him silently to continue.

"The blue ones indicate the places that my brother and I have visited together." His eyes closed for a moment as he tried to put himself together. "The red ones indicate the places I visited with Milah." Killian paused for fear his voice would break.

"It's okay, Killian, you don't have to do this." Her voice was heavy with worry, but strangely, it had a calming effect on him. She continued to trace delicate patterns with her fingers on his hand, getting his breathing to calm down.

Killian swallowed the lump growing in his dry throat, the worst was over. "And the green ones are the places I want to visit with my family."

"Like in that dream of yours, the one to go around the world on your ship with your family?" Her voice was soft, her hand never leaving his.

"Aye, I intend to take it out someday, Swan. I don't know when, but I will." He was thankful for the subtle change of topic. It was one thing for him to have decided to move on, but he still had to work hard to get any mention of Milah not to reopen the wound.

"I'm sure of it, Jones, if there's one thing I’m aware of is your persistence." Emma paused for a moment, averting her gaze, while her teeth made their way back over her lower lip. "I imagined that the thumbtacks meant places you had visited. I guess I felt jealous, since I would only have a handful of thumbtacks scattered all over the country."

His heart clenched in his chest at her confession. Before he could say anything, though, she turned her gaze back to him. "Anyway, I also intend to fulfil my dream of visiting Europe, by the way."

Before answering, he decided to set a new goal on his way to winning Emma's heart, to do everything in his power to make that map of hers more and more full of thumbtacks. He could even add one more color to his own map. Maybe yellow was an appropriate color for her, matching her car..."You and I make quite the team, Swan. You already have a house in Ireland, you know, and maybe I need a first mate on our trip."

She tilted her head, arching an eyebrow suggestively. "So you're offering me a position on your boat, Jones? I might take that offer, but I think someone promised me some sailing lessons first..."

"Of course, love, the promise still remains. I'll check my schedule to find a free hour next week."

A quiet silence fell over them. Maybe this was what Emma had meant at the beginning, that feeling of liberation, of lightness, having once again confronted one of his demons. The affection he felt for this wonderful woman did not stop growing and growing to the point of almost physically hurting.

Emma extended her arm, holding out her beer. "So, a toast so that our dreams come true?"

Killian hit his bottle against hers. "May all our dreams come true." He brought the bottle to his lips, letting the bitter liquid drag all his worries.

"And now, are you willing to go through some scary scenes while we watch Fringe?"

For an answer, Killian threw her a cushion. "For you to hide behind in the more gory scenes."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm a tough girl who chases bad guys. I'm not going to be scared by a little blood on the screen."

A chuckle bubbled in his throat at the conviction of her words. Maybe he would be the one who needed that cushion after all.

Three hours and three episodes later, the television was still on, the bowl of popcorn forgotten on the table, along with the empty bottles of beer. They had been watching the show attentively, despite having seen those scenes on countless occasions. Little by little, however, the comments between them began to be more scarce, to the point of disappearing altogether.

That's when Killian noticed an extra weight on his shoulder. He turned his head slightly, noticing how Emma had leaned her head against him, her face hidden behind a lock of hair that had come loose from her bun. Her quiet breathing was a sign that she had fallen asleep beside him. He noticed how his eyelids began to get heavy, a clear invitation to accompany her in her sleep. For a moment, he was tempted to do so, to succumb and fall asleep beside her as he held her.

Something told him that it was not appropriate, though. He moved her gently so as not to wake her and he managed to get up by holding her in his arms. Emma stirred slightly in her sleep and wrapped her arms around his neck, but did not wake up. He walked down the corridor with hesitant steps, searching for her bedroom.

When he found it, he set her on her bed and she immediately turned on one side, her face still partially hidden by her hair. Killian leaned down as his fingers slid lightly over her forehead to pull back her hair and then traced their way to her cheek. He was spellbound for a few seconds as he contemplated her quiet beauty while she slept, as he fought against his desire to stay by her side and never leave. Finally, he brought his lips to her forehead and kissed her gently.

"Sleep well, Emma." He whispered before standing up ready to leave. When he was about to turn in the direction of the door, he heard something, causing his eyes to search for her again.

"Thank you. For everything." The murmur of her voice had been so faint that Killian wondered if he had not imagined it. Her eyes remained closed, but a placid smile was drawn on her face.

After casting one last glance in her direction, he finally left the room. His heart was pounding in his chest, the magnitude of his feelings towards her hard to control. Within two weeks the pact between them would end and he was not sure if he would survive if Emma decided it wasn't worth it and left him behind. He still had two weeks to keep winning her heart, though. If the smile on her lips was an indicative, he was on the right path.

Something caught his attention on the way to the exit. His phone, the one that had brought them to this situation, rested on a shelf in Emma's living room. His lips lifted slightly at the irony. Only a month ago, he would have felt an irrepressible tug toward the device. Today, however, he was in no hurry to get it back. And it was not only because now his mind and his heart were focused on Emma. He was afraid that when he had access to the contents of his phone, his wound would begin to bleed again. Shaking his head as he looked away, he buried those thoughts in the back of his mind, trusting that these two weeks ahead were enough for his wound to heal once and for all.

Thanks for reading. I'd like to know what do you think.

Some clues about the next part: Fishing, Queen and... Emma's decision :)

@rouhn @couldnthandleit @teamhook @malec4everr @kmomof4

#cs ff #cs au #captain swan ff #cs au ff #call me #mayquita writes #my cs writings #captain swan #my edits

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dave-meowstaine · 7 years ago

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All those mf asks yo

👌Finally getting round to doing these, sorry it took a while!

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? - I’m happy with my height. I’m around 6ft

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) - I would love a dragon or a grisly bear

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? - I love all of my hoodies. I also love my Dave Mustine shirt and my really edgy shirt, both bought for me by Lizzie

4: What was your favorite video game growing up? - Diablo 2 is my favourite game of all time

5: What three things/people do you think of most each day - Lizzie, college work, and Everquest to be honest

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? - Warning: Too clingy and over emotional lol

7: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]? - Ooh that’s my favourite thing haha

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic] - I have no idea

9: Are you ticklish? - No where near as ticklish as when I was younger, but yeah I am still ticklish

10: Are you allergic to anything? - I get hay fever and I found out I’m allergic to my cat’s fur (doesn’t stop me from cuddling her though, I just end up sneezing a lot and having very itchy/watery eyes haha

11: What’s your sexuality? - Never really know, to be honest. I like anyone I like, whether that’s a boy, girl, or whatever you identify as

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? - Definitely tea. I must drink at least 5 mugs of tea a day haha

13: Are you a cat or dog person? - I’ve lived my entire life with cats, but I love my dog to pieces. It’s impossible to choose one over the other

14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? - Probably an elf. I’m not a huge fan of the water and although I’m basically nocturnal (thanks, Lizzie ;) ), I would miss the daytime if I was a vampire. Plus everything is shut at night

15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? - I used to but not anymore. I do have a couple of channels I regularly check, such as Funhaus

16: How tall are you? - I’m around 6ft

17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? - Most people get my name wrong and call me Taylor so I guess if I changed it to Taylor at least people would get my name right haha

18: How much do you weigh? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] - Eh I’m about 9 stone. I know, I’m light as fuck. Trying hard to gain weight, though

19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? - To an extent

20: Do you like space or the ocean more? - Definitely space. I long to explore the stars and the galaxies…

21: Are you religious? - Nope

22: Pet peeves? - People being rude

23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]? - Probably diurnal. I love the night time, but more things happen in the day

24: Favorite constellation? - Don’t have one

25: Favorite star? - Don’t have one

26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? - Eeerrrr I guess?

27: Any phobias or fears? - Don’t like clowns, height, or the water

28: Do you think global warming is real? - Of course it is

29: Do you believe in reincarnation? - I think it would be pretty cool

30: Favorite movie? - John Carpenter’s The Thing

31: Do you get scared easily? - Not really. I have my moments, though

32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? - 4 cats, 1 dog, 2 fish, 4 guinea pigs, 3 chickens, and 1 hamster

33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.] - You’re on anon so no can do haha

34: What is a color that calms you? - I love red or purple

35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? - I like the area I live in now, to be honest. I know most people can’t wait to get away from where they grew up, but I think Malmesbury would be a lovely place to settle down, have a family, etc.

36: Where were you born? - I was born in South East London

37: What is your eye color? - Grey/blue

38: Introvert or extrovert? - Ambivert

39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? - I do

40: Hugs or kisses? - Depends who it is. If it’s Lizzie, then kisses. Otherwise hugs

41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? - Lizzie, obviously

42: Who is someone you love deeply? - Lizzie, obviously

43: Any piercings you want? - I don’t know if I want anymore piercings

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? - I love them

45: Do you smoke or have you ever done so? - Yeah, I smoke

46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! - Lizzie!

47: What is a sound you really hate? - The fucking disconnecting sounds on Facebook or Whatsapp calls

48: A sound you really love? - Lizzie’s voice

49: Can you do a backflip? - Nope

50: Can you do the splits? - Nope

51: Favorite actor and/or actress? - KEANU REEVES

52: Favorite movie? - John Carpenter’s The Thing

53: How are you feeling right now? - Eh I’m alright. Want to be with Lizzie

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? - I’m happy with my natural colour

55: When did you feel happiest? - When I’m with Lizzie

56: Something that calms you down? - Lizzie

57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] - I have anxiety and depression

58: What does your URL mean? - Dave Mustaine as a cute cat

59: What three words describe you the most? - Kind, loyal, asshole haha

60: Do you believe in evolution? - Obviously

61: What makes you unfollow a blog? - If they never post anymore or their theme changes to something I’m not interested in

62: What makes you follow a blog? - To be honest, I never follow any new blogs anymore

63: Favorite kind of person - Kind, caring, sensitive, funny, doesn’t take life too seriously

64: Favorite animal(s) - Chimps and sharks

65: Name three of your favorite blogs. - I don’t have any favourite blogs

66: Favorite emoticon - 👌

67: Favorite meme - DO YOU KNOW DE WAE

68: What is your MBTI personality type? - INFP

69: What is your star sign? - Libra

70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? - Nope

71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? - I don’t have any specific outfits, just throw on whatever suits the occasion

72: Post a selfie or two? - Look at my /tagged/me

73: Do you have platform shoes? - Nope, unless my DMs count

74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? - No idea

75: Can you do a front flip? - I used to be able to on a trampoline, dunno if I still could. Probably could, if I tried

76: Do you like birds? - Of course!

77: Do you like to swim? - If it’s leisurely swimming, then yea

78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? - Ice skating

79: Something you wish didn’t exist - There are many things I wish didn’t exist

80: Some thing you wish did exist - Dragons, as long as they didn’t fuck everything up

81: Piercings you have? - Septum and three in my left earlobe

82: Something you really enjoy doing - Spending time with Lizzie

83: Favorite person to talk to - Lizzie

84: What was your first impression of Tumblr? - Thought it was really cool

85: How many followers do you have? - Currently at 1990

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? - I’ve done it before, yeah

87: Do your socks always match? - Yeah

88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? - After limbering up, yeah

89: What are your birthstones? - Sapphire

90: If you were an animal, which one would you be? - Probably a chimp

91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? - Maybe a rose? I really don’t know haha

92: A store you hate? - None that I hate

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? - Never drink coffee so none haha

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? - Definitely fly

95: Do you like to wear camo? - Sure

96: Winter or summer? - Winter, to be honest

97: How long can you hold your breath for? - I don’t know, I think I got to two minutes before, maybe more

98: Least favorite person? - Don’t know

99: Someone you look up to - Don’t know

100: A store you love? - There’s a retro video game store in a town near me that I love, although all of their stuff is really expensive

101: Favorite type of shoes - Converses or Doc Martens

102: Where do you live? - I live in a town called Malmesbury

103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? - Nope, used to be but I need to put on as much weight as possible

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? - Don’t really have one

105: Do you drink milk? - I do

106: Do you like bugs? - Yeah

107: Do you like spiders? - I love them

108: Something you get paranoid about? - I get anxious about a lot of personal stuff going on at the moment

109: Can you draw - Hell no haha

110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? - No idea

111: A question you hate being asked? - No idea

112: Ever been bitten by a spider? - Nope

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? - I love them

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? - Cloudy if it’s still warm, otherwise I guess sunny

115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now - LIZZIE

116: Favorite cloud type - The big ones?? lol

117: What color do you wish the sky was? - I like blue

118: Do you have freckles? - Nope

119: Favorite thing about a person - Don’t have one

120: Fruits or vegetables? - Fruit

121: Something you want to do right now - Be with Lizzie

122: Is the ocean or sky prettier? - I would say the sky

123: Sweet or sour foods? - Definitely sweet

124: Bright or dim lights? - Dim lights

125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? - Not that I can think of

126: Something you hate about Tumblr - Basically everything now haha

127: Something you love about Tumblr - I met my girlfriend on here so…

128: What do you think about the least? - I don’t know, I don’t think about it haha

129: What would you want written on your tombstone? - Just put the 👌 emoji on there and be done with it haha

130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? - Too tired to punch anyone right now

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? - Everything??

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? - Nope

133: Computer or TV? - Computer

134: Do you like roller coasters? - Love them

135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? - Motion sickness yeah, but not seasickness

136: Are your ears lobed or attached? - Lobed

137: Do you believe in karma? - Definitely

138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? - Definitely 10 ;)

139: What nicknames do you have/have had? - Big T and Tyrone are the only two that come to mind

140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? - Didn’t everyone as younger children?

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? - Many haha

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? - I hope good

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help? - Ehh I like both

144: What makes you angry - A lot of things

145: How many languages do you speak fluently? - Only English, but I need to learn Spanish

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? - Don’t have a preference

147: Are you androgynous? - No

148: Favorite physical thing about yourself - Everything

149: Favorite thing about your personality - Everything

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. - Lizzie, Dom, and Ed

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? - I like the present day

152: Do you like BuzzFeed? - Not really

153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.] - Through Tumblr. Turns out she’s been following me for about 3 years but never thought anything of it. Then we started talking and yeah

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? - I don’t kiss people platonically

155: Do you like to play with others’ hair? - I love playing with Lizzie’s hair

156: What embarrasses you? - Not much

157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious - A lot of personal stuff

158: Biggest lie you have ever told - No idea

159: How many people are you following? - Only 98 people

160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? - 72,845

161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? - None

162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? - 2,380

163: Last time you cried and why - I can’t remember

164: Do you have long or short hair? - Short, but I’m growing it out

165: Longest your hair has ever been - About half way down my back

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religon? - This is a whole other debate

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? - I would love to know, yeah

168: Do you like to wear makeup? - Nah

169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? - I used to be able to, dunno if I still could

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? - I did

Thank you! :)

#asks #anon

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