#the prologue of it at least

[koipepo]

Ramsay would've known Theon is a Greyjoy right away from his jacket but hey, casual disrespect for good measure :)

The little squid certainly doesn't act tough for one

[vaguely-concerned]

that part in sea of blood where the game is soft tutorializing you on the sunder mechanic as the elite rogue venatori enemy shows up for the first time and lucanis' reaction is sooooo..... 'mierda. these guys'. see this is why he's the funniest and also most endearing character ever made. he really does sound softly, tiredly mildly exasperated in a way so wildly out of proportion with the situation at hand. a knife dude from the secret society slash cult that's been horrifically torturing him for a year just popped out of the woodwork, and the tone of lucanis' voice in response is reminiscent of nothing so much as a man who's just realized the office printer is out of ink again and whose resigned little sigh in response conveys with perfect good-natured clarity to everyone else working late alongside him that he is a bit annoyed but like not at any of them. 'we're in this together' his tone seems to say. fuckass printer and all. I'll go fetch some new cartridges. I'm getting coffee along the way does anyone else want anything while I'm there. he has the most companionable effortlessly comforting and innately hilarious presence of anyone who's ever lived even running through the failing forcefield personal trauma horror prison of all time at the bottom of the ocean. his day job is murder. he met rook and co literally half an hour ago and already these are the vibes, starting as they mean to go on.

the je ne sais quoi factor of this man. unparalleled

[lucabyte]

Finally: The NoHats AU doodles. Plus some sprite edits.

Usually I'd let things speak for themselves and keep my chattering in the tags, but I'll ramble about my context thoughts...

So. First of all here's a link (x) to the Nohats Origin Post for those coming in and going ????.

Anyway. These doodles are not in any obvious chronological order, though Loop going from pilfered bandolier (my headcanon for how Siffrin has all those pockets) -> custom outfit made by Isabeau, is supposed to generally denote 'just after the ending' -> 'a few months down the line'.

And speaking of, Design & Characterisation notes:

Overall: NoHats is suppooooosed to have the range to not just be ULTIMATE MISERY ALL THE TIME (but if you're a major whump/angst fan. go fucking nuts.) so these are supposed to be. The steps toward overcoming and living with grief but. The Misery Is Kind Of The Punchiest Part.... Oops....

Mirabelle: Taking the lead, continuing to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. In the game proper she's already shown to, while yes, be emotionally fragile at times, be prone to trying to hold the team together. I feel she'd do the same here. It also would help that she'd presumably be medicated again? But I can't imagine her chosen-one anxieities would be super ailed by the death of her friend. I wanted to try and give her more differences? She follows the change belief after all and is thus liable to switch up her style in general... But I didn't have a strong vision for this, so. The ball is in anyone's court. Her design changes here are keeping one of Sif's safety pins a la qpr bonding earring, and has the bell pendant at Loop's (oddly pushy) suggestion.

Isabeau: Taking it. Badly. Depression mullet and beard in tow. However, you best believe he is trying real badly to hide it. Loop very much does not reveal their identity to him because What The Fuck Would That Even Do. That's Scary. but they do try to comfort him while mentally regarding him "off limits". Backs themselves into some very unfortunate corners by alluding to their unfulfilled relationship with their Fighter as a point of common ground. I don't imagine this would go super great when recontextualised later after Loop is inevitably found out. Just in general oh good god what the fuck. this is like a radioactive pit of survivor's guilt.

Bonnie: Taking it probably The Worst. This is a child. Who was already feeling guilt. This is who everyone else is trying to keep it together for. Mirabelle and Isabeau would likely be putting up far less of a front without Bonnie around. They take the hat and take on Pocket Duty. They also have slightly more sif-y hairstyle but... Don't worry about it. They'd have Nille to fall back on once she's picked back up, and Loop almost certainly attempts to redouble efforts on making them feel better but seeing as how closed-off Bonnie can already be, it'd likely be difficult. However they would probably take Loop's identity reveal best...?

Odile: Odile's design.... ! Does not seem to have changed? How odd! Well. I'm sure she's dealing with things in a regular and non-cloistered manner. I already think that a regular Postcanon Activity for Odile could be her finding out about the potential for sif/loop to translate books and thus Knowledge in their native tongue assuming that ability sticks around postgame. Something something culture can never truly be wiped out etc etc. But putting it in this context. Makes it more desperate, more of a deflection for something else.

Loop: Helpful Loop. Well. They win! I feel like the entirety of ISAT being about Siffrin's mental state means I don't need to spill much ink here? You get it I think. I can't outdo the source material man. Anyway I imagine Loop is given clothes by Isabeau before they know who they are, but after they've become genuine friends. The outfit is in genuineness, on both sides from Loop and Isa, in having the cloak be a nod in respect to Siffrin, since Loop's "shared culture" would have to come up vis a vis cultural funerary traditions. Hard to avoid divulging that one...

[lightandfellowship]

Truly we need a comeback of the KH2-style prologue. I want to boot up KH4 and the first seven hours of gameplay are you playing as some guy named Akihito from Accounting who's just trying to get through his work week as giant monsters attack the city. (He is secretly a character important to the plot).

[infamous-if]

the update has arrived and with that I can crawl in my hole for this rewrite/polishing! the demo may or may not look the same when the new update comes, who knows! I have a whole list of things I want to fix and improve on, so we'll see lmao

bye bye ill answer things under read mores and will tag spoilery asks with #infamous spoilers

[cvhenia]

pov trying to do this trend with ur comfort characters but they’d both definitely want to kill someone

[energeticpoltergeist]

Part 1: Mad King's War

Prologue: Diverged History(pages 1-4)

[stealingpotatoes]

Tales of the Empire (spoilers)

Morgan Elspeth: “My world has been burning since I was a child, why should this world be any different?”

-such a boomer statement, made me instantly dislike her (as if the terrorizing the citizens of Corvus wasn’t enough)

YEAH its wack bc she was a terrible choice to make a short story anthology out of but if they'd actually used their brains they could've made smthn interesting. as it is, her stories are essentially all "morgan kill people she bad" and it feels like someone bullshitting a 3000 word essay on a topic they havent studied. IF INSTEAD they'd made it a sort of mirror to barriss' story and about how people respond to trauma differently, they really could've told a decent story despite her being so meh. like just show how some people don't go "i hope this never happens to anyone ever again" and go against the fascists, some people (morgan, in a good version of this show) become their enemy in their anger and in clawing for their own survival. instead they spent 3 episodes saying literally nothing and pissing on timothy zahn while they were at it

[gosteon]

TWO! OF! THEM!

[persimmonsimmer]

Sam relished the luxury of a long, hot shower.

By the time she was done, Citlali and her son had long since left. Carl was waiting for her.

Carl: “So?”

Sam: “Same as yesterday, and the day before. Levels are higher than background noise, but only just, and there’s no telling what’s doing it. It’s too faint. Diffuse. Almost like it's fading—but I'll need to take more readings to confirm even that much.”

Carl shrugged. “Then keep taking readings. Everything you've recorded so far confirms we’re in the right area. You’ll find something more concrete eventually.”

Does it? Will I? Or are you just seeing what you want to see?

Sam changed the subject. “What did Citlali want?”

Carl seemed to be friends, or at least on friendly terms, with most of the town. Many of the locals frequently dropped by to speak to him, but Citlali was by far their most regular visitor.

She always seemed to have some excuse for stopping by, whether because her son, who seemed enamored with Carl, was dying for a game of catch, or, occasionally, because she wanted to drop off a hot meal. (Whatever else she thought about Citlali's omnipresence, Sam was grateful for the food; neither she nor Carl was much of a cook.)

Carl: “One of her dogs is going to have puppies. She offered me one. I told her I’m liable to take the whole litter. Tempt me with a cute face and a pair of big brown eyes, and I just might not be able to help myself.” He chuckled.

Sam frowned. “A dog is quite a commitment.”

Carl grew more serious. “This is a long haul, Sam. You should try to accept that. You may as well start considering Panorama home.”

“It's not home for me. I told my sister I’d be back.”

Carl just shook his head. His small, maddening smile said You know better.

[circuseyesofgod-if]

Im relieved to know there's at least one person Vesper likes/trusts enough (the one who carries it when needed). I imagine the near lack of communication and the hot and cold behavior doesn't leave many people wanting to spend time with it.

Then again im not sure if Vesper even cares about this and might be just projecting on it lmao. Or maybe circus people are a bit weirder than normal and don't really care so it has enough companionship.

yes, Vesper trusts the person that carries it around a lot! you'll actually meet her in the first demo drop ^^

to be honest, the other performers spend time with Vesper quite a bit, all except Pharo. he doesn't really care about Vesper, he just sees it as a means to an end, and Vesper hates him with a passion. other than that, i'd say Odessa and another performer (that you'll also meet in the demo drop, a clown) keep Vesper company the most!

regardless of how they got there, all performers have something in common at the Circus, no matter if they enjoy their life there or not. so some of them at least try to have each other's backs! Vesper's "employment" was also a ... pretty traumatic process, so they have extra sympathy for it.

[faislittlewhiteraven]

Tower of Dormont ISaT AU

Had a weird dream I figured would make a great ISaT AU if anyone wants to take a swing at it so umm, general idea:

Instead of the House being taken over by the King, instead the Favor Tree is warped into an evergrowing tower reaching up, up, up into the heavens.

Instead of the King's Curse slowly making its way across the land and Mirabelle being the 'Chosen One' to collect the orbs to stop it, it's time freezing Sadnesses raining down from the top of the Tower all over Vaugarde and surrounding countries, with heroes from all over (Euphie, Claude, various Defenders, people from other countries, etc) heading into the Tower to figure out what is happening only to never return...

And well. It looks like the end for Vaugarde, Mirabelle (having finally hit the 'I know what Euphrasie said but I've got to do something' point) has recruited Isa, Odile and Bonnie for a last ditch effort to try and stop the world from ending by Tower and...

Within the first few floors (which keep changing but kind of look like... The House of Dormont? No, that bit there looks like Odile's family home, and that room there is just like Nille's???) they find an unlocked bedroom and in that room an exhausted, terrified and near hopeless Siffrin who can barely remember anything from his life before being imprisoned here (even takes a bit to recall his name over the now despised 'Bright One') but after a bit of coaxing they admit they know a LOT about the floors ahead and might be willing to help the party reach the top of the Tower where they can put a stop to the madness going on outside but in return they must not let the King catch them (not again not again not again)...

Party are actually pretty cool with this (you know, aside from general 'is this person legit or actually an enemy?' concerns) but well, it's hard not to notice as their guide goes from barely able to fight beyond weak scissors craft and buffs to healing and every craft type under the sun. From claiming they don't know what's behind a certain door or above the next floor to explaining in detail that the prisoners in cages on the next floor are all Sadnesses, or that 'the King is coming, he hasn't realised I've left the room yet but I need something, anything, to mask my scent' (and later gets everyone to leave false trails down halls via jars of sugar and honey they picked up a few rooms previous). From claiming that the party are the only other people they've ever seen here to having near breakdowns over finding books or paintings with imagery and words that seem eerily familiar (think a book that reads like 'Claude wonders why Euphrasie and their amnesiac guide are so fussed about the walls here apparently being covered in stars? Why do stars matter anyway?'), etc.

Oh and they glow more and more with each floor which er, is probably going to make hiding from the King (who is VERY DEFINITELY after them judging from all the "Bright One, you know you are not supposed to leave you room. You do not want me angry again do you Bright One?" roaring) increasingly difficult.

...

And yeah. I don't actually know what is going on in this story beyond cool imagery due to the whole 'Literally woke up with this in my head because dream' but...

Been thinking it's kinda like an 'end game Persona series' situation where a chance friendly meeting/talk between Sif and the King right before the King's rampage would've started, led to the King to realizing he could use his Wish Craft to force the people of Vaugarde to 'wish with him' (see: escalating brainwashing madness), forcing a terrified Sif to go along with it (no brainwashing for the Bright One no, not when they were clearly sent by the Universe to be the King's guide ignore the Bright One's screams that this is wrong, that they want nothing to do with this; clearly oracles only relay the Universe's intent not share it themselves), and the current 'raining time freezing Sadnesses/Sif clearly being stuck in some weird looping variant' stuff being the result of Sif's 'Please protect Vaugarde and restore our home' wish said at the King's orders being heard by the Universe as "please Universe do whatever you can to stop all of Vaugarde- No, the world from falling under the King's control! + Someone, anyone save me! + 'immense amounts of self loathing and a desire to known and held accountable for inadvertently sparking a man made apocalypse' + Universe I wish I had people who actually cared about me/who would never only use me as a tool to save the world" and er well. The Universe had a way to 'protect everyone from the King' that would also kind of fit the King's wishes, a whole heap of power from all the brainwashed people the King was leading plus the 'meant to be repurposed' freezing all of Vaugarde in time ritual the King crafted to work from Dormont and... Yeah. Add to that people all over Vaugarde and possibly other countries 'adding' to the 'please save us' wish bank after Sif had already accidently centered it all around himself and basically both Sif's loops and the Sadness hell storm are being powered up by everyone everywhere in one huge ball of 'Hmm, I wonder if this all ends with the King getting killed or is there gonna be a big old morality question thingy post King killing at the end where Sif, upon remembering that "this is all my fault" tries to get the others to kill him which other heroes may have done (and thus triggering the loop, sending Sif back to the start possibly missing memories of them to hide away in shame/terror/etc) whereas Mira, Isa, Odile and Bonnie have gotten far too attached to this tragic, self sacrificing idiot and were willing to let the rest of the world be fully frozen for the rest of Sif's natural lifespan if it meant he could finally be free (not happy about it mind you, but like, just the 5 of them living in a quiet world until everyone else is safely freed after Sif's natural death is better than murdering someone who went through an eternity of horrors to protect a world they couldn't even remember and who's death might not even be the true answer anyway)'.

Oh and the King should basically be treated like a yandere version of the Reaper or something throughout the story (dream had way too many 'and then the King was suddenly there killing someone until Sif slashes their throat -no tears to use in this Tower alas- and from the party's perspective basically has a 'vision of the future' and/or freakout for seemingly no reason in the middle of Snack Time), while each of the many many floors of the Tower are basically due to being altered to match the minds of everyone (frozen or not) in the Tower, kinda like a Palace or P4 dungeon, due to well, Sif unconsciously wanting to learn more about them, wanting to remember/forget, possibly on some level wanting the King to how horrible this all actually is IDK (snack rooms, like the bedroom Sif was in are basically P5 saferooms but less 'area weak in cognition' and more 'Sif wishes for there to be places safe from the King and all the Sadness so there are some even if he knows he can't stay in them forever least they become prisons for him'). ...Might be nightmare floors as well? To represent Sif's terror of bad things happening to anyone he becomes attached to and wanting to be able to protect them so basically, they are accidentally making their own opposition (possibly based off of what they hear the others being afraid of/the desire to be useful to them) and I think Slay the Princess might make for great inspiration there if you need an idea of how crazy that might go~ XD

...So. Yeah. If anyone wants to use any of this for any fanfic ideas, please go ahead as I kind of would like to focus on my Selkie Au and fics for other fandoms more than this weird dream that basically took over my brain and said SHARE in caps so loud I've been stuck thinking about it ever since.

[robo-dino-puppy]

varl + flowers (again) (prev. post)

[poggersbastard]

Now Playing...Season of the Witch

FIRST - NEXT

[MASTERLIST]

[justarandomlambblog]

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 [END]

The second shackle comes off

Get adopted and feel loved, mangey cat

We're gonna pretend I didn't give Heket the wrong shaped crown aight? aught 👍

(explanation beneath the cut bc I didn't want dialogue)

The harvest comes. Narinder can't help but notice how sad the wheat fields are, the wheat growing small and patchy at best. He remembers how Heket would make the wheat fields flourish just by walking between the stalks. The memory of the fields she would create early in their godhood makes him feel somber, realizing now what the cost of being a godless land is; their entire lives are left to the limitations of the earth, without any god to help them thrive. These people are making the best of what they have, and they're happy even though it's not a lot.

Narinder notices some are harvesting wheat while others till the earth once it's been harvested, and the old dog explains that once this wheat is harvested they plant "winter wheat", which can be harvested in the spring before they plant their summer wheat. They till and fertilize the earth before planting the winter wheat, of course. Narinder tries his hand at harvesting the wheat, and the old dog begins to teach him how to use the sickle. Time passes.

Over the late summer, autumn and winter, Narinder learns how to live this provincial, modest life. He tills the fields with the other villagers, he sees feral beasts for the first time in over a thousand years, learns to collect eggs from said feral beasts, learns how and decides he doesn't like to collect milk (the godless lands have more feral beasts than the Lands of the Old Faith ever did), has finally regained enough strength to draw water from the village well without help, learns to bake bread (with great amounts of help so as to not waste the precious resources with the inevitable first fifty failures), and attends his first lantern festival. All in all, this marks his approach to his second year here, most of his first year spent indoors recovering. (His fur is also getting long, something something new me new hair something (totally not an excuse for me to draw hair))

At his first lantern festival, Narinder decides to partake in what is usually a coming of age tradition for the village; he gets an ear piercing, choosing a symbol that will essentially act as his written name. He chooses a symbol that is a crescent moon inside of a sun, thinking of Aym and Baal when he sees it. (Note: He is not scared/nervous about the ear piercing, he isn't bothered by a literal pinprick of pain, but the fact that someone he barely knows is this close with a needle is what worries him)

Later on, days or even weeks later, the old dog gives him a chain with their individual symbols on it, with a loose chain hanging from the other side of Narinder's sun-and-moon charm. Narinder questions this and the old dog explains the symbolism behind the charms; two charms with a chain extending between them indicates marriage/partnership, and two charms with another charm on the chain between them indicates that couple's child/children. The one Narinder has is the latter, with the second parent's charm missing, indicating that the old dog views Narinder as his own son, now. It takes a moment, but Narinder realizes all at once that this is the old dog's way of extending an invitation to become family- and it's been so long since Narinder had a family... (And yes, the old dog is fully aware that this cat is thousands of years old (Narinder was very vocal about this in the first weeks before he eventually stopped bringing it up), but that won't stop him from deciding he's gonna be this abandoned, fallen god's new family)

Narinder goes to sleep, and finds that despite everything- despite how simple and quaint and, frankly, not easy life in this little godless village is, he's happy. He has none of the luxuries that he had as a Bishop; no worship, no reverence, no servants, no silks or satins or veils or anything of the sort. Here he's just... one of the people. Just another face in the crowd. And he's happy. Happier than he's been in a long time. Unfortunately for Narinder, he is failing to realize that this godless village is a little less godless every day he's there. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The village wakes up to their fields flourishing like they never have before. The wheat is taller than the tallest villager, and no one is really sure what to do about this, but there is excitement throughout the village. Narinder thinks of Heket again, reminded once more how she would make the fields come alive. The shackle on his left hand opens up before dispersing into light, and he remembers the way she looked at him in the days leading up to his imprisonment, the quiet and somber warnings she would give him. He takes a moment to grieve before turning his attention back to the present, back to the family he's creating now.

[mossi-dreams]

christmas wishes.

The chill of December air is bitter and biting, even as far down south as Georgia. It’s Christmas Eve, and the city was bustling. Even in the corner of downtown that was tucked away from the ‘prettier’ parts of the city. 

Just outside of the local homeless shelter, in what could only be considered a ‘back porch’ sort of area, a man sat on the back steps, an overgrown ginger buzz cut accompanied by a similarly overgrown beard. His eyes scanned about, cold, calculating, he was watching, waiting for something… or, someone. 

A few moments later, a figure appeared, bounding out from some back alley and narrowly avoided slipping on a patch of ice. A younger woman in her late 20’s with dirty blonde hair from a not-so-great dye job that was hastily tied back, her natural blonde roots peeking through a muddy brownish-blonde. She carried two packs of cigarettes and a weary smile. 

“Got lucky, these were the last two.” The woman commented as she tossed a pack to the man, who caught it wordlessly, his eyes trained on her as she walked up the steps and sat down beside him, opening her pack and pulling out two cigarettes and handing one to him. 

It was a tradition, she’d never allow him to even open his pack before she shared the first of hers. The man grunted, and pulled out a windproof lighter from his worn overcoat, lighting the cigarette between the woman’s lips before lighting his own, and stuffing the little silver lighter back into his pocket. A comfortable silence fell over the pair for a few minutes, the man staring blankly ahead while the woman was looking at the sky. 

“You think it’ll snow?” The woman asked finally. 

“Maybe, dunno.” The man replied, shaking his head as he blew out a plume of smoke, amplified by the steam of his breath in the cold air. 

“I hope it’ll snow. Would make for a nice Christmas.” She replied, and the man grunted. 

“Hard to imagine anything making for a ‘nice’ Christmas.” He added, and the woman snorted, rolling her eyes at him. 

“You are no fun sometimes.” She sighed, taking another long drag from her cigarette, then nudged him with her shoulder. “What are you wanting for Christmas, hm?” 

“Some peace and quiet.” 

“Oh-” 

She fell quiet, taking a long breath before blowing out the smoke into a thin stream in the air. The moment lasted maybe two, three seconds before he sighed. 

“Don’t mean you, obviously.” He corrected, and she cocked an eyebrow. 

“Like I don’t talk your ear off?” She questioned. 

“You do.” He shrugged. “But you’re tolerable.” 

The woman gasped, delighted. 

“You think I’m tolerable?” She couldn’t help the shit eating grin that was spreading on her face. The man shot her a glare. 

“Don’t push it, Salome.” He grumbled once more, then shook his head. The woman, Salome, snorted. 

“Aw c’mon, Jacob. That’s like, the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me!” She mused, nudging him once again, this time with her elbow. The man, Jacob, groaned, and rolled his eyes. 

“That’s pathetic, really.” He said, and she snorted again, but added no comment this time, only a shrug. 

Silence fell once more, hanging around a few minutes longer, but Salome seemed to hate silence, and she spoke again. 

“Hey Jacob?” 

The man sighed. 

“Yeah, Salome.” 

“Do you have any Christmas traditions?” She turned to look at him, propping her elbows on her knees. Jacob glanced at her, his expression unreadable before he glanced away, contemplative. It was quiet again before he replied. 

“...No.” He said, and stuck his cigarette in his mouth to hide the grimace that was spreading. Salome's brow furrowed, but she didn't push. She knew better than to do that. In her mind, it was easier to describe making any sort of progress with Jacob was similar to getting a stray cat to trust you. She was persistent nonetheless, she had been for months now, and so far it was working in her favor. 

After another long beat of silence, she broke it once more. 

“I make a Christmas wish.” She blurted, and he panned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. 

“A what?” 

“A Christmas wish!” She repeated with a smile as she looked at him. “Every Christmas Eve, I think real hard, and then make a wish for the coming year.” She said with an all-too-proud grin, and he huffed. 

“Why not make it on New Year’s Eve, like a normal person?” Any insult in his tone deflected off of her as Salome shrugged. 

“Because I hate New Year’s. It’s loud and stupid.” She said, then stared him down. “Don’t say it.” It’s a threat, and he let out something similar to a chortle, lifting his free hand in defense. After they both calmed, he grunted, as if he was about to regret asking. 

“What’d you wish for this year?” He asked, entertaining her ‘tradition’. Salome hummed, taking a long drag on her cigarette before sighing out the smoke. 

“I dunno yet.” She said, “I haven’t thought of anything good this year.” She shook her head, and ended up shivering as a cold breeze blew through. 

“That so?” Jacob hummed, “Do these things usually come true for you?” He glanced at her, and she shrugged. 

“I mean, most years yeah. Like, the year before last I wished to travel, and I ended up in plenty of new places. And last year, I wished for new friends, and here you are!” She grinned, and he scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

“I’m not your friend.” He grumbled, and it was her turn to scoff. 

“Like hell you aren’t!” She shifted on the porch step to face him better. “I might not be your friend, but you’re my friend. It’s a weird two way street.” She said

 “Besides, if we weren’t friends would you have given me this to wear?” Salome questioned as she tugged on the grey sweatshirt with big black letters that spelled ‘ARMY’ across the chest she was wearing beneath her coat. Jacob rolled his eyes. 

“I want that back at some point.” He said, and when she moved to start taking off her coat, he scoffed. “I didn’t mean right now, Jesus. Don't need you freezing your ass off.” 

“See? Friends.” Salome grinned as she tugged her outer coat back on, and he groaned, rolling his eyes, mumbling a ‘whatever’ beneath his breath. 

And for the millionth time, it fell silent once more. This time, the silence dragged on for much longer, Salome in deep thought while Jacob was more than happy to absorb the quiet outside the sounds of the city, and he, too, started to think a little. And with a sharp breath, he spoke.

“... I used to spend Christmases with my brothers… before we were separated, ‘course.” He said, finally, staring straight ahead as he said it. He figured he could give just a little, in the spirit of the season or whatever lame excuse she’d pin onto his sudden generosity when it came to sharing more about himself. Salome looked to him, and her expression softened some. 

“Do you miss them?” She asked, carefully, like she were treading on thin ice. Jacob hummed, and nodded, blowing out a cloud of smoke. 

“Yeah… I do.” He replied, voice hardly above a mumble. Salome thought for a moment, then nodded to herself. She thought for a good, long minute before an idea struck her, and she perked up.

“That’s it, then!” She said, “I know what I’ll wish for.” 

He looked at her, and frowned. “What are you talking about?” He questioned with the world's most unamused expression, and she grinned. 

“For my wish!” She practically chirped it out as she stamped out the last bit of her cigarette onto the concrete step. “This year, my wish is for you to get to see your brothers again in the coming year… if that's okay?” The last part came out a little more tentative than she desired, but it was too late to take it back.

Jacob nearly laughed, and finished off his own cigarette as he shook his head. 

“You’re crazy.” He sighed. “You’re not gonna wish on yourself?” Salome shook her head in turn. 

“Nah, guess I don’t need the wish that bad this year.” She shrugged. He paused for a minute, as if thinking her offer through before sighing once more, and rolling his eyes in pure defeat. 

“Sure, what the hell.” He conceded, and she smiled, reveling silently in this personal victory for herself. 

“Then it’s settled. I’ve made my wish for the year, and you are gonna see your brothers again.” She declared as she stood. Jacob merely sighed and rolled his eyes at her once again before standing, and following her inside and out of the cold.

And for the first time in a long time, Salome was really hoping this wish would come true, and not for her sake. 

She only found out the success of her wish two weeks into January, when she woke up, and Jacob was gone, and the only thing he left behind was a note written out on a piece of notebook paper, folded and tucked hastily into her pillow. And after some courage and a good bout of crying over seemingly losing her only friend in this place, she finally opened the note to read it. 

‘ Salome, 

Thanks for the wish. Came true quicker than you were probably expecting. They came to see me, and to get me out of here. Must be magic or something. 

Don’t worry about the sweatshirt, maybe if we see each other again some time, you can give it back then… just wash it between now and then, okay? 

Take care of yourself.

Jacob’