#the teapot still cracks me up every time

[counterspelling]

Caldwell: Did they edit out all the times Matt that yelled at you for pouring tea Em: Weirdly, he's actually chiller about it than Murph Murph: Oh, weird. Matt's chiller than me??? Who would have thought?!

[factorialsotherfandoms]

arthur and joui, and tea

Hello lovely saga, how do you feel about helping me crack a new au.

I say new... these are the stats on the actual work file for it (and I left a lot of gaps to fill in later...)

Marcela permits Arthur to leave the infirmary at 10am the next day, and only after further blood tests. He has to promise to return overnight, but it's still better than...

Everyone on that mission has been through worse. Everyone is alive, and being treated, just...

Well, Arthur is a sniper. If the stupid creatures didn't burrow, he wouldn't have even been poisoned.

It doesn't matter now. He says farewell to Fernando as the only other person awake, makes a brief check of the rest of the team (not fine, but safe, and healing), says thank you to Marcela and the rest of the team, and heads out of the infirmary.

Joui, arms crossed, pout applied, is waiting right across from the door.

"Hey Joui," Arthur raises his hand in greeting, only for it to be grabbed.

Nothing is said as Joui pulls him away.

They do not head for the stairs and the Bun room as Arthur had hoped, rather around the back of a power generator. From there...

Well on the other side of that specific power generator is Suvaco Seco, his mother's bar.

She will be asleep; last night Ivete stayed late at Arthur's bedside, anxious for confirmation that the antidotes had worked. At around 2am this morning he had made her promise to rest, and he hopes she's sticking to it.

Joui drags him inside, pushes him towards a small table, and jumps over the bar. Arthur watches as he raids the cupboards, or well watches and occassionally comments. Whatever Joui is looking for it takes a while to find.

It is not until the kettle clicks off that Arthur recognises it as a teapot. The silence remains as Joui makes and serves it, Arthur using the quiet to doze a little.

Joui is not very good at being annoyed. He'll say something when it's too much for him.

Sure enough, he caves almost as soon as he sits down.

"Arthur."

"Joui-" he begins to reply.

"You left me," Joui cuts across, accusation thick in his tone. "You, and Cesar, and Liz."

"Thiago stayed too," Arthur replies, hand raised in mock surrender. "You know the Devil; trying to enter into melee with it..."

"I have a gun!"

"And you're better with a sword."

It is true. If Joui can't use his swords on a mission, it's better for someone else to come. The faster things die the less harm they can do, and the state of the team is already bad enough. None of their teams are exactly rigid, and Arthur still stands by Veríssimo's choice of swapping Joui and Thiago out for Fernando and Erin.

Things would have been much, much worse without Erin being there to shred armour, however brutal her injuries are.

"I still could have helped." Joui's voice has fallen.

He /shouldn't/ have. If the Magistrate had shown up to cause problems while they were already struggling to contain the Devil... Well, that's less a problem now the latter is dead-dead, at least.

Probably.

Hopefully.

... What are the chances of a second resurrection chamber?

But this is Joui, so it's just easier to say "You could."

"And you left me," Joui repeats. "And you got hurt. All of you did. You're not supposed to get hurt, Arthur."

Arthur can hear the unspoken 'that's supposed to be me'.

Still waiting for his tea to cool, Arthur reaches out and grabs Joui's hand.

"And we'll be fine. Some new scars, but there's new scars every mission, yeah? Marcela isn't worried, just says everyone needs time to heal."

"She always says that."

"Because nobody ever listens."

"I listen!"

Joui does not listen, and Arthur tells him so.

And then Joui cracks. He picks up his tea and gets up, swapping his position from opposite Arthur to next to him. He leans over, putting his head to the remains of Arthur's shoulder.

"Seeing as you all schemed to abandon me," Joui sounds less hurt now, though Arthur is sure they'll talk about it again once Liz and Kaiser are released from the infirmary. "I get the cool sword you stole."

"Take that up with Veríssimo," Arthur laughs. "There's a shotgun, too."

"Really?!"

"Yup. Stolen straight from the armoury."

"... Do you think Ivete will let me...?"

"Again," Arthur would not have mentioned it if he hadn't stolen them with intent. "Take it up with Veríssimo."

[xaeoism]

Muichiro tries to talk to you once more Part 1 Part 3

At every hashira meeting, you would always try to pretend as if muichiro was never there even though you could feel his gaze boring holes in your side. All the other hashiras could tell that something had transpired between the two of you. You used to sit next to him all the time but now, you sat as far away as you could from him and whenever the meeting ended, you left for your estate immediately, not wanting to entertain the possibility of you and him talking.

However, you would be lying if you said you didn't care about him one bit. Sometimes you just couldn't help but steal a glance at him. You have definitely noticed some changes - he looked more disheveled every passing day and now looked as if he was in his own world the whole time.

Hell, there was even a time when he didn't respond when the master called his name.

Ever since that, all the other hashiras started to get more concerned about muichiro.

On the other hand, although you felt a little guilty for leaving him in such a state, you mostly couldn't care less since it was his fault to begin with.

You and the other hashiras bowed down, bidding the master farewell. Another meeting had just ended and you stood up, preparing to leave before you heard someone speak.

"Tokito, would you like to come over to the Butterfly Mansion for a check-up?", Shinobu asked sweetly.

You turned around, his name catching your attention and you saw him still in bowing position, looking down at the ground. You wondered if he was truly alright.

Suddenly, he turned towards your direction as if he could feel your presence staring down at him. Both your eyes met but your head snapped to the opposite direction, breaking the contact immediately. You quickly walked off, not wanting to stay there any longer.

You were just making some tea when a knock came from your door. You set the teapot down and went to open it. As soon as you looked at the person who knocked on your door, you instantly tried to shut the door. However, he quickly slid his shoe between your door to stop it from closing. Muichiro then held the door frame and started to open the door. You looked at him dumbfoundedly as he barged into your home.

"What do you think you're doing?", you questioned.

"We need to talk... please."

Talk? He wants to talk? What's there to talk about?

"No.", you replied sternly, looking up at him.

His eyes were slightly puffy, hinting that he had just cried before appearing at your door. His hair was unkempt and he looked extremely exhausted.

"Please, please.. let me explain.", he said, his words getting softer and softer every single time.

The anger and betrayal you felt from that day started to bubble up within the depths of your stomach, slowly building up as the conversation kept going.

"Did you not hear what I said? Are you deaf?", you said with a laugh of disbelief.

"She was just there for training. Please trust me on this. I would never lie to you.", he continued, outright ignoring you. You rolled your eyes, looking away from him to try and tame your anger that was threatening to spill out.

"Get. Out.", you said through your teeth. He looked at you, clearly hurt by your words. You glared back at him, the fire burning brightly in your eyes slightly flickering. You tried to ignore how your heart ached at the sight of him suffering. If only you could act out what your heart truly desired, to hug him and kiss him once more.

"What are you doing? I said get out! Get out! GET OUT!", you shouted, your voice cracking between your words as you pointed towards the door. Tears were forming in your eyes as the emotions you tried to control started to rise up to the surface.

"I..", he started off, about to take another step towards you when he looked at you and stopped. Something in your eyes was just telling him, pleading him to leave, to give you some time to make your decision on whether or not you want to hear his reasons. He closed his eyes and started to turn around and head for your door.

He stood outside, taking one last glance at you to which you returned. You then slowly closed your door and sat against it, trying to take in all that had happened. Your heart was pounding loudly against your ribcage and so many emotions were swirling around your head. Unable to handle everything at that moment, you began to cry. Tears started falling down from your face as you tried to get all the emotions out of your system.

You'll need to have a clearer headspace if you choose to listen to his words next time.

A few days later, a letter from the master was presented to you by your crow. You and another hashira were to head over to a village to kill a ranked demon. You got prepared and opened your door, praying to all gods that the other hashira wasn't him.

However, you found a pair of teal eyes looking straight into yours the moment your door was opened. Your heart sunk.

"Hey, I-"

"Enough. Let's get this over with."

[misc-obeyme]

Teapot- barbatos

Hello there!

Did I put teapot on the prompt list in the hopes that someone would request Barbatos for it? Nooooo don't be silly! (I absolutely did.)

I took some artistic liberties with Barbatos's room for this one, mostly because all we ever see is the weird stairs. I imagine he has to have a different corner of the room with an actual bed and stuff.

Thanks for the request!

GN!MC x Barbatos with prompt Teapot

Warnings: none!

You were in the human world when you saw it - the perfect teapot. It was an antique made of porcelain. The teapot was mostly black, but it had a delicate pattern of small blossoms in shades of blue and teal. The minute you saw it, you knew you had to get it for Barbatos.

When you brought it to him, he accepted your gift graciously. You took in his gentle smile and light blush as he held up the teapot to look at it more closely. You were certain that he truly appreciated that you had chosen this particular item for him.

After that day, you had tea many times at the castle. Most of the time, it was with one or more of the others. Every time you came to the table, you noticed what teapot was sitting on it. It was never the one you had given to Barbatos that day. You hoped it wasn't because the teapot was unusable for some reason. You had checked and it seemed to be free of cracks, but perhaps you had missed something.

Barbatos had quite the collection of teapots and teacups at the castle, so nearly every time you were there, a different one was being used. Still, you saw that some were repeats that were used more frequently. Now that you were paying attention, you also noticed that he had different sizes, too. He always chose larger ones when more people were in attendance.

But you never saw him use your gift. You didn't want to ask him about it, especially in front of everyone else, so you didn't say anything.

Until the next time you had tea with Barbatos on your own. It had been months since you had given him that teapot, but your schedules just hadn't aligned to allow for you to spend time alone together until now.

He brought a tray of tea to the table in the garden, setting it down in front of you. You noticed the teapot instantly, a simple white ceramic one with matching cups.

Barbatos sat across from you and poured a cup of tea for you both. You took the cup from him as he handed it over and sipped at the delicious liquid before setting it down.

You reached your hand out, resting your fingertips lightly on the teapot. Barbatos watched you, eyes following your movements.

You looked up. "Do you ever use that teapot I gave you?"

Barbatos smiled, a hint of teasing in his eyes. "Are you disappointed that you've never seen me use it?"

You frowned. Of course he already knew how you felt. And how exactly were you supposed to answer a question like that? You couldn't just say yes. You decided not to respond at all, only waiting.

Barbatos put down his teacup and stood. He came to your side and took your hands. "Allow me to show you."

You rose from the table and Barbatos created a portal, pulling you through it with him. You found yourself in his bedroom, the odd stairs and doors all around you.

On the other side of his bed there was a large window with a spacious sill. Sitting in the middle of it was the teapot in question. On one end of the window sill, you saw an electric kettle and various tea making items.

You looked at Barbatos questioningly.

He smiled at you. "I must admit that I am selfish when it comes to your gift. I will only use it when I am making tea for myself, thus ensuring that it is safe. I have lost many a teapot while serving tea to others. When it is not in use, it sits here where I may see it every day."

Your heart swelled and you felt the heat of the blush that rose in your cheeks. You didn't know what you had been expecting, but it wasn't this.

Barbatos took your hands and pulled you into his embrace. "Forgive me if I made you think that I did not appreciate your gift. The truth is that I cherish it, just as I cherish you."

Your heart raced as you pressed your face into Barbatos's neck, allowing yourself to bask in the feeling of being cherished, the feeling of being held in his arms.

the original prompt list

masterlist | Thank you for reading!

[peridot-tears]

WIP Wednesday: Cowboy!FDB, Chiropractor!LLH, Fighter!DFS

“This entire town feels like a fever dream,” Di Feisheng finds himself saying. “K-pop aesthetics next to Old West buildings like we just walked into an old American film. Now our traditional Chinese medicine in a covered wagon.”

He gestures at the anatomical poster on the wall, which charts out every meridian point in the human body. A matching bust sits on a shelf next to it.

“When in Rome,” Li Lianhua says, pulling up a chair at the small table and gesturing for Di Feisheng to do the same. “Tea?”

“No thank you,” Di Feisheng says, but Li Lianhua is already on his feet again, pouring from a kettle into a teapot. That wasn’t a question, then.

“May I ask,” Di Feisheng says when Li Lianhua has rejoined him, “how old are you?”

“Twenty-eight,” Li Lianhua responds, pouring out cups for them both.

So he’s only two years younger than Di Feisheng, and not just an older gentleman with the best skincare routine known to man. Interesting.

“Thank you.” Di Feisheng takes a sip. He can’t taste anything, but the bouquet tells him it’s jasmine.

Li Lianhua asks, “I assume you’re a brawler?”

Di Feisheng, baffled by the buffalo, the wagon, and the man, almost forgot why he’s here.

Almost. “I am,” he says, “and I need to work the knots out of my back.”

“Not just knots,” Li Lianhua says. “You’re clearly a grappler, so I take it that your shoulder has hit the ground more times than is healthy. It should be seizing up any day now. The thin fabric on your robe tells me that you know it’s easy to choke a man if his collar or lapels are thick enough. You’ve trained for it, so you know how it feels, but still, it’s a miracle you haven’t gotten a neck cramp yet. You’re lucky to have found me—I can crack you and massage you. Whenever you’re ready, you can get on the table and we can start now.”

Yes. Di Feisheng loves a man who understands him. He didn’t even know you could get neck cramps from too much choking. He nods vigorously, following Li Lianhua’s instructions to shuck off his clothes down to his neiyi, lying on his front so Li Lianhua can probe his back.

Li Lianhua tuts as he trails cool fingers across the landscape of knots and muscles. “Di-xiansheng, you’ve done a number on your opponents, but you’ve also done a number on yourself. We call that ‘equivalent exchange.’”

[kiichxko]

UNLOCK IT!

Bllk boys playing genshin!

Warnings: some quest spoilers for genshin

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ISAGI YOICHI (潔 世一)

He's the very rare traveler main! Specifically aether

Mainly uses electro or dendro aether for the elemental reactions

He doesn't understand why people don't use traveler a lot, he thinks being able to switch elements at will is very useful and versatile

SUCKS at dodging, he literally depends on his zhongli's shield to keep him alive

Speaking of zhongli, he lost his 50/50 to keqing on his banner, homeboy later spent hours grinding for primos, he deadass refuses to whale at all

He also might have sacrificed keqing at qingyun peak multiple times

Luckily, the peepaw came home after 30 more pulls

He's pretty netural when it comes to co-op, so long as you don't take his materials without permission (bachira is an exception)

He LOVES the new TCG event, he's got all the character cards and won nearly every single match in a span of a week

He also does co-op challenges with the others, they range from waverider races to stuff like "who dies first while fighting _____" competitions or "beat azdaha without a shield or healing" challenge

Bachira came up with the last one specifically for him

Low key hates fighting the cryo cube, the fruits you gotta hit to break the shield are a pain in the ass (i'm not self-projecting here i swear)

BACHIRA MEGURU (蜂楽 廻)

A hutao and yoimiya main!

He enjoys looking at yoimiya's idle animations and spams her normal attacks just so he could see her do those little flips

Probably learned hu tao's dance and song by heart so every now and then while playing he'll go:

“大丘丘病了，二丘丘瞧～”

“三丘丘采药，四丘丘熬～”

He plays in CN dub but with JP subtitles

Still messes up a little on the pinyin pronouncination but he's trying

He also relates to hu tao since they were both considered weirdos by everyone (bachira's hu tao kinnie era guys)

Has considered cosplaying a character before

Loves exploring! Has every area at 100% exploration rate and all statues at level 10 somehow??

Always forgets that he's a pyro main and that grass exists so he basically almost dies standing on burning grass (can someone please get him a healer or a shield.)

Trolls other people in co-op by doing shit like the "disco disco party party" thing or using jean to yeet people

But other than that, he's actually very helpful with exploring and finding chests

Also steals materials from isagi

Sometimes forgets how to glide and ends up dying from fall damage (me too bachira me too)

CHIGIRI HYOMA (千切 豹馬)

Ningguang main chigiri ningguang main chigiri ningguang main chigiri-

He first got her on the beginner's banner she's been on his team ever since, definitely has her c6

You can't tell me that he wouldn't decorate his teapot bc he WOULD

And it's decorated so nicely too, he's even got a whole area dedicated to the animals he caught

Started playing after bachira said the landscapes were pretty but then he got invested into the lore (he watches those genshin theory videos too)

Enjoys taking photos of the landscapes and his characters, he once accidentally clicked on his diluc's skill while taking a photo and proceeded to laugh at how cursed it looked

Doesn't like solving the puzzles in inazuma and enkanomiya tho so he just google searches the solutions

Randomly makes cracked theories about khaen'riah, it happens so often no one can tell if he's being serious or not

Absolutely hates paimon's voice, he'll throw off his headphones whenever paimon starts talking and go "stfu paimon" like calm down

HATES the spectors with all his heart

He also likes collecting items in the open world, has over 2k of each of them

Might have spent a bit of money on welkin but that's as far as he'll go

Idk why but he strikes me as the type to mainly use bow or catalyst users bc of the range

Is very good at aiming and dodging, has laughed at isagi struggling while they were fighting azdaha

KUNIGAMI RENSUKE (國神 錬介)

The man somehow got a qiqi on the beginner's banner, he read her backstory, felt bad, and decided to main her

And no, his qiqi is not a healer or support, she's a full blown physical DPS

And her build is no joke either, he once made her do 200k damage while fighting the new scaramouche boss like kunigami wtf are you feeding her??

If there's a boss you can't beat, just call him to co-op and his zombie child will carry

Is another lore invester

Chigiri once sent him a video explaining enkanomiya lore and they later spent hours discussing about it

Got emotional at the tsurumi island and kazari quest, maybe at the dainsleif chasm quest too

Also levels up all his character's friendship to 10 to get their name cards

Has read all of his character's stories out of boredom

Completed ALL of his world quests, doesn't skip the dialogue in case he misses something important

Does hangout quests, beidou was his favourite one

Can never see hilichurls the same anymore after the chasm archon quest, all this time he's been killing cursed, innocent people? He feels so guilty

His luck when it comes to the gacha is literally phenomenal, the guy has never lost a 50/50 in his life

He's very skilled at controling his waverider and comes out at the top during waverider races

He's also good in fishing too, he manages to always stay within the moving bar

He plays spiral abyss often and would have 36 stars if it weren't for the last few floors being such a pain in the ass

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[hannahssimblr]

Chapter Three

The air is still sweet and warm enough the following week to leave the windows of the print studio open, and in between my cleaning sessions, in particular the area around Gabriel’s desk which looks like an avalanche of cardboard and loose paper has crashed around his feet, I work on my Christmas card designs and occasionally gaze outside over the street below, cracked, patched pavements and sturdy old red brick council houses that belonged, once upon a time, to the lived in by workers from the biscuit factory and the brewery, but now have been purloined by the middle class. 

Simon comes over to check how I’m doing from time to time. He has the type of presence that makes me want to sit up very straight and address him like he’s a teacher at school about to quiz me on my multiplication tables, but Simon’s not really like that. He’s so chilled out he might as well be horizontal, and all he ever really does is say “cool.” or “looking good.”, so eventually, after some days the sharp edges of my terror of criticism fades and I stop freaking out every time I see him get out of his seat. It is art, after all. The most subjective thing in the world. 

“So this is design two? Or three?” He’s saying to me today, pausing at my desk on his way to the printing press. I hold up two fingers.

“Right. I’d love it if we could have six by the end of next week, if you can hack that. Just like, with the suppliers…” He trails off and I nod enthusiastically like I know what he’s talking about. “Of course, I think I have enough ideas to get six designs.”

“Cool, and at some point today could you pop downstairs to the shop and talk to Petra? She was asking if you’d do a favour for her.”

“Yeah, of course.” I resist grilling him about what she wants or rushing downstairs and insisting that she talk to me immediately, because I’m trying very hard not to be a person who seems desperate for anything lately. Even though I frequently am. 

“Thanks.”

He heads over to the press next to Izzy, and moments later Michelle comes into the studio with a coffee and a paper bag in her hand. He grins at her and leans down to kiss her cheek. “This is a nice surprise.” 

“I can’t stay long, Jen and I are heading into town for lunch but I know you’re working through it today so I thought I’d just get you a sandwich.” The idea of Jen standing outside this very shop at this very moment makes my heartbeat quicken.

“You’re a lifesaver.” Simon says to her. “Saves me making the intern get it for me.” He winks at me so that I know he’s only joking, even though he’s actually not, and that’s exactly what would have ended up happening, he just doesn’t want her to know about it, most likely. 

“Can you stay for lunch?”

“No, I have plans with Jen, but I’ll see you later on.” She glances around the room at everyone else. “I suppose I’ll probably see you all later on.”

“At Izzy’s gig!” Gabriel whoops. “Yes you will.” I smile at her and nod, already trying to come up with a plan as to how I will wrangle Shane and Claire into coming with me. It’s out of pure social anxiety, not because I think they’ll enjoy the music. 

When Michelle heads out and the rest of us start making moves for our own lunch break, Izzy asks if I’ll get food with her, since Simon and Gabriel are too busy. She says she knows a nice takeaway spot nearby, and I trust her because she seems like the kind of person who would know the best places to eat and drink in every corner of the city. 

The streets are busy that afternoon, the last gasps of tourist season leaving the foot traffic heavy enough to have to stop and start behind the people who want to take photographs of things like fan windows and the fronts of pubs. Izzy stops me to let a middle aged couple take a picture next to a statue of a teapot. I think about how that was nice of her, to stop walking for them when I’m sure I would have barrelled through and ruined the photo. I don’t think I’m the type of person to do things like that anymore, my patience has worn too thin over the last two years I’ve lived here.  

“Cute.” She comments as they smile and let us pass them by, and then we continue down a street that opens onto the Liffey. It really doesn’t smell very good on warm days, and as I peer down into it I count two shopping trolleys and a child’s bicycle. I wonder what else they’d find if they did an expedition of that river. Considering the possibilities of what could lie there under the silt kind of makes my stomach turn, and draws to mind the time I saw a dead poodle floating in a river on a family expedition to county Cork. Izzy guides me around a corner and up a hill to a cafe, and the sun is in my eyes.

My gaze slips over the people eating outside the restaurant as we approach. There’s a woman with a small baby who is kicking and writhing in her arms, fat little legs creased adorably at the knees. An elderly man on the next table tries to enjoy his newspaper, only he can’t help but glance over his shoulder at the infant when she babbles and shrieks, interrupting his concentration. There’s a girl with her back to me, long, wavy blonde hair that spills all the way down her chair, and a man sitting across from here with dark hair and sunglasses. He’s handsome, well dressed and has an upturned, clever little mouth that sends a jolt of recognition through me. I almost gasp out loud, but then I remember that it couldn’t be him. It never is. This city is full of good looking, dark haired men, and not one of them has ever been the one that I hoped. As if he’s ever going to be here… 

And then he lifts his sunglasses to pinch the bridge of his nose, and those brown eyes could only belong to one person. My breath catches in my throat. I can’t look away from him, and I stand at the door of the cafe frozen still in anticipation of the moment he’ll see me too.

His eyes flicker over the blonde girl’s head for a second and then widen with surprise. He practically shoots out of his seat, the metal legs of the chair shuddering across the concrete behind him, and the look on his face is astounding, like he can’t believe I am real. “Evie.”

“Hi.” I say, and then somehow I am next to him, wanting to launch myself into his arms, but I stop myself. His fingers twitch outwards too, like he’s reaching for me but his hesitation matches my own. He doesn’t know if he’s allowed to touch me anymore. 

“What are you doing here?” I manage. Jude looks the same as he did the last time I saw him, but somehow I’m surprised. I don’t know how I keep forgetting how gorgeous he is, as you’d think that something like that would be permanently imprinted in your memory, and yet it’s like every single time I’ve ever turned my head to speak to him I’ve been whipped across the face by his beauty. 

“I… we…” He’s flustered. He’s never seemed flustered before, and seems bewildered by himself. I watch a blush come over his nose and cheeks. “College doesn’t start for a few weeks.” He manages. “And I needed to help out with something at home, so we decided to make a holiday of it.”

We. I look to my right where his girlfriend is sitting. She is an unmistakable presence, and yet at first I almost missed her. She’s head to toe in black. They both are, as though they plan to attend an extremely fashionable funeral. Her clothes are so contrasting to her hair which is the whitest, blondest blonde I’ve ever seen. She’s slim, languid, long hands and wrists and sharp collarbones, full lips and a button nose, the kind of pretty that makes ordinary girls feel like monsters in comparison. I imagine a photo taken of both of us side by side, and how I’d never look nice next to her, my dull, limp brown hair and unremarkable features would make me vanish into the wallpaper while she would positively glow with beauty. 

I’m caught up in the situation, looking at her and looking at him, and I forget all about poor Izzy waiting for me at the door. She clears her throat gently and tells me she’s going to go inside and order her lunch. I feel a bit embarrassed that this significant moment happened right in front of her without her knowing the context of any of it, but I tell her I’ll follow her soon. 

“This is Astrid, by the way. My girlfriend.” Jude says, as if she needed an introduction, as if I didn’t know that already, and I smile at her. “Evie.” The smile she returns is a bit thin and lukewarm, and she doesn’t take off her sunglasses so I can’t really read her face at all. My skin prickles, and for the first time I start wondering if I’ve made my return appearance at the wrong time. 

“I never expected to just run into you.” Jude says with eyes that leap all over my face.

“Me neither, I…” I feel bad about cutting him out of my life for a guy who almost ruined my life. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“It has. Over a year now.”

I grimace as the most egregious moments from our last conversation float into my mind and I feel as though I have to blink them away. “I hope you’re doing well.” 

“Yeah, I’m doing fine.” He pauses again, like he’s not sure how much I even want to hear. “We’re around for the next week. We’re going to be hitting some of the main spots in Dublin before flying back to Berlin. ”

“Touring around. Like tourists.” I cringe at myself.

“Yeah, it’s Astrid’s first time in Ireland.”

I look down at her and smile and tell her that she’s welcome, because that’s what I feel like I should say, but she doesn’t smile back, takes a berry from the top of her pancake stack and nibbles on it. 

“I think that tomorrow we might do the whole Trinity library tour thing. It’s hard to come up with things to do when you, like, lived here for so long, you know?”

“Yeah I know, I couldn’t think of much either. But it’s not like you ever really do all of the touristy things when you live here, do you? Like the leprechaun museum or whatever.” We pull identical faces of disgust at each other and I find myself laughing. I look at Astrid. “What kinds of things do you like to do?” 

She leaves a reluctant pause. “I’m not sure.” and her voice is gentle, accentless. She doesn’t even seem interested in looking at me, and then doesn’t say anything else when I leave the space for her to elaborate, so Jude finally explains for her, albeit a touch impatiently. “In Berlin we normally go out. Like, bars and clubs and concerts. We have a mutual love for music, so.”

“Oh, that’s so funny, I’m actually going to a gig tonight.” I point at Izzy through the café window. “Izzy is the singer, she’s playing later on, and actually I think Jen is going too.”

“Oh, well, she didn’t say anything to me about it.” A line appears between his brows. 

“Maybe she forgot?” 

“Yeah, maybe.” 

“Well, I’m inviting you. Inviting you both.” I attempt yet another smile at Astrid who is now scrolling on her phone and feel a bit rattled by her, aware of her displeasure at my interruption. I give Jude the breeziest smile in my repertoire. “You better get back to your lunch, or your food will get cold.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Okay.” Jude says, still watching me with some disbelief. “Maybe we’ll see you later on?”

“If you’re at the gig, you will.” I give them a rushed goodbye and hurry inside after Izzy, my skin buzzing all over, heart thumping inside my rib cage. 

“I’m sorry if that was awkward.” I mutter to her as I join her in the queue. “That was just my old friend, I haven’t seen him in a while. I think I should have just introduced you.”

“No it’s okay, it wasn’t awkward because you didn’t introduce us, I just felt weird about interrupting an argument like that.”

I blink. “Were they arguing?”

She looks out the window to where they’re sitting, their food uneaten, and it’s suddenly obvious. Their body language is tense and they’ve turned so that their torsos are angled away from each other, Astrid says something to Jude, and he says something back with a furrowed brow and a swipe of his hand. I suppose I didn’t notice it at first but now it’s so obvious, and I feel stupid. “Oh, they were.” 

“Don’t feel bad. You didn’t know. What are you ordering?”

“Oh, um, whatever you’re having. I’ll just have the same.” I drag my eyes away from them. Whatever it is, it’s nothing to do with me. 

Beginning // Prev // Next

[tcrmommabear]

Long Time, Not Seen

She wasn’t exactly sure what to say.

“Welcome home”? “Good to see you”? “Oh brilliant, I’ve been taking care of the Bureau while you’ve been gone, there’s a new crack in the ceiling from Muta’s failed baking attempt”?

Maybe an old version of her would say all of that. Sweep aside the anger and the demand for accountability and just… Accept what happened. All's well that ends well, right? The Bureau was still standing, the Earth still turning, and time just kept passing.

Not this version of her. No longer frightened and helpless and unsure.

She leaned further back in the chair, propping her feet on the desk. The twitch of his eye told her how much he disliked it. She hadn’t a place in her mind or heart to care. Not when he had no right to stand in her office.

He flashes her his million dollar smile, the one reserved for pretty clients and obnoxious ones. When she remains unaffected, he coughs, tries the simpler, patient one. It’s no more dazzling, but Haru’s learned not to look where he directs you to. She sees straight through to him, to where he hides his heart.

Solid oak. Doesn’t beat.

“How can I help you today, sir?” she asks, tilting her chin back to look past his left shoulder. Despite her anger, she’s afraid to look straight into his eyes. Even that green could captivate her wounded heart. She has to remain strong, sure of herself. She won’t let this be swept under the rug. But she’ll play this game long enough to get a kernel of satisfaction. She’s petty like that.

“A cold greeting for an old… Friend, isn’t it Haru?”

He hesitates around the word friend, which makes her heart clench in traitorous and conflicted ways. Even the familiar purr of her name does something to her insides, all cells of her longing and pining and wishing and wanting.

‘He wouldn’t have left without a word for no reason. Surely there’s something going on? Surely he still needs me, needs my help? He came back, didn’t he? Every time, he came back,’ she thinks, half frantically.

She takes her delicate, half hopeful heart, still engraved with the feel of his lips and the memory of their past, and cracks it in half herself.

No one gets to hurt her like that again.

“I don’t know what you mean. I see no friends in this building, besides my lovely little teapot, just an arrogant client who forgets who he’s talking to.”

His heels click as he steps towards the desk, setting his hat on the desk (‘With no respect for my paperwork’) and starting to discard his coat. He looks perturbed, maybe a little irritated, but so far she’s given him no reason to think that he’s not in control of the situation. It ignites a righteous, bitter fury that he thinks so little of her in that way.

“Come now, Miss Haru-” ah, back to Miss then, “I have a lot of work to catch up on. Please, fill me in on all I missed.”

He looks so expectant.

Haru forgets petty. Forgets angry, forgets hurt, forgets betrayed. Hell, forgets heartbroken and yet in love for a second.

Haru gets righteous.

“I,” she says, slowly rising from her chair.

“Am not,” she hisses, the walls of the Sanctuary shuddering against her venom.

“Your damn,” she practically howls over his indignant gasp, the sheer lunacy over being scandalized over a grown woman swearing.

“Secretary!”

The Sanctuary answers her call, her plea, her venom, and shutters its doors, locks its windows. The walls creak as they struggle to pitch forward, folding down to envelope and protect her. 

Baron shouts, taking steps away from her desk and towards the front door, panicked and brash. He looks around wild, rejected by the place that’s always let him come back.

Only then does the building settle, wallpaper wrapping tendrils of support around her forearms, tea cups rattling off the shelf and perfectly served on the desk. She breathes in the scent of her homemade brew, familiar and heartbreaking in equal measures. Only when her hands stop shaking, and she feels he’s suffered the silence just enough, does Haru meet Baron.

Brown eyes to green.

Her heart does a flip, but she crushes it flat.

“Times have changed, Baron Humbert von Gikkingen,” she says, pulling her chair back to the desk, “and I’m not one to forsake what change I’ve been given.”

The Sanctuary met her meaning, jostling the umbrella holder closer so she could pluck her own cane out, and tossed the sleek white sunhat onto her desk. She dressed herself, calm and poised, and came around the desk to stand before him.

At ease and within her own domain.

“Good evening, sir,” she spoke, never breaking eye contact, “welcome to the Bureau.”

[legacyoftheogres]

4. Tea Leaves

[An interaction between Thalanthe, and her old friend Moa who is a retired clan leader]          

      The trees that grew above Moa’s home always cast the sitting room in dappled light in the early afternoon, making it one of Thalanthe’s favorite times to visit. The soft whistle of boiling water filled the air, and she gently lifted the kettle off the fire and poured its contents into the worn teapot. A few minutes passed, and when it had steeped, she poured the first pot into the basin, the earthy aroma filled the room as the steam rose. She refilled the pot and brought it to the small sitting table. Moa waited there, her wrinkled hands stained with ink, and a nearly finished scroll set out in front of her, filled with meticulous calligraphy. Three small teacups, coated in a soft blue glaze that matched the pot, sat ready.  

                Thalanthe filled each cup and took one over to the shrine by the door, placing it down carefully and lighting a new stick of incense. She returned to join her friend at the table.

                “I’m not so old that I cannot make my own tea.” Moa chided, moving her scroll to the side, and returning the cork to her ink bottle.

                “I made it when you weren’t old, too, or have you gone senile and forgotten?” Thalanthe sniped back over her teacup, bringing it up to blow a cooling breath.

                “Bah! Where are those court manners now? Is that any way to treat a clan elder?” Moa’s face crinkled, her brows dipping low, and her mouth drawn taut with a scowl. She only managed to hold the expression for a moment before the two cracked into a fit of raucous laughter.

                There was youth in her face, when Moa laughed Thalanthe could see the 15-year-old girl she had first met when she arrived in Kuotay. Though she tried to live with the same mortal zeal of her human companions, her body remained timeless. Moa was the last friend she had left of the merry band who had welcomed her into Kuotay, and lately she was slowing down. Moa’s laughter subsided with a long sigh.

                “What news do you bring me today, Thala?”

                 “Very little, other than Falthren is still giving me the evil eye. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done to upset him this time. He’s even more cross than usual.” The elf slumped, moping over her tea.

                “Perhaps some time away would allow him to forget whatever grudge he’s holding onto. Only, I’ve heard you’ve been exclusively taking nearby assignments lately.” Thalanthe winced at Moa’s sharpness. She had sensed Moa was annoyed with her, for she had seemed like a coiled snake the entire time Thalanthe had been preparing the tea.

                “I’m needed here, there’s much to be done.” Thalanthe deflected. She expected to see a fierce expression on Moa’s face, but there was only one of softness.

                “Drinking tea with me every day isn’t going to make me age any slower.” Moa said with a soft and breathy chuckle. Thalanthe bit her lip, and stared down at the teacup in her hands, her own face, free of wrinkles, gazing back at her.

                “You need to be out in the world Thalanthe, freezing in place will not stop time from passing. You cannot let me stand in the way of your ambition and growth. You must meet others, make new memories and friends, for how else will I be able to pass in peace, if I know I will leave you alone?”

                “It’s just…” Thalanthe clenched her fists, unsure of what to say. Her eyes drifted to the shrine by the door.

                “It’s what he would want too, you know.” Moa reached across the table and placed her hand over Thalanthe’s.

                “I will try.” Thalanthe whispered. If she spoke any louder her voice might have cracked.

                “I have plenty of life left in me, I will still be here awaiting your grand tales of adventure. Bring back an interesting story, I tire of hearing you prattle on about your quarrels with Falthren.” Moa gave Thalanthe a wide and mischievous grin that brought a small smile to the elf’s face.

                “How could I deny an old woman such an earnest request?” Thalanthe giggled, earning a smack from Moa.

                “Don’t call me old.”

[sapientiiae]

@guideoftime asked: “I belong to you. Only you…I’ll always be yours. No matter what.” royal, fantasy romance & spice prompts

The scent of chamomile filled her bedchamber as a fresh pot of tea had been brought up by one of the maids only a couple minutes ago. When the Queen of Hyrule found herself unable to sleep, the tea had been suggested as a simple remedy, though in truth she knew it would likely provide little aid. It wasn’t so much that Zelda wasn't tired as it was her nerves were getting the best of her.

By this time tomorrow, she and Sheik would be married. Finally, the day she’d longed for would be here in only a few hours, and two would be combined as one. But it was possible to look forward to an event and still be anxious about it.

After tomorrow, it was not her life alone that would be changed but his too. Marrying her meant Sheik would one day, in the near future, be crowned as King of Hyrule. He was to sit beside her on the throne and rule an entire kingdom alongside her, something he had never been trained for. The eyes he’d once sought so hard to avoid as a Sheikah would now be drawn to him, expectant gazes waiting to see what he would do on their behalf. 

Was it cruel of her to allow things to get this far? The court had demanded she marry within six months if she wished to take her rightful claim to the throne, but that didn’t mean she’d have to marry Sheik. Of course she wanted to marry him, but was it fair to subject someone to a lifestyle they never would have chosen for themselves? 

Now a tight coil of anxiety, Zelda paced the distance in front of her bed, contemplating whether or not she should call off the ceremony and offer the Sheikah the freedom he deserved away from the court and all its affairs.

Hearing the creak of the heavy door on its hinges, the queen stopped her  pacing, focus shifting to the open door just in time to see a silhouette slip through the crack, and she immediately knew it was him. It was as if he could sense her fretting.

“Did one of the maids send for you?” Her voice is soft, perhaps even a bit defeated as he stepped into the dim light the candles in her room offered, the glow of the flames flickering across his face — the beautiful face she’d stared at so many times she’d memorized every detail. This was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, but was asking him to carry the weight of the crown with her too great a price to pay?

When he’d motioned for her to take a seat at the small table where the teapot had been left, Zelda made no objection. As he’d been caring enough to pour her a cup, she decided it best to vocalize her worries while he still had a choice. While spending the rest of her days with him at her side was all she wanted, it wasn’t worth it if he was forced to sacrifice his happiness.

While she’d done her best to address the topic delicately and in a refined manner, she felt certain she’d instead been a babbling brook. Regardless, the choice had been left up to him — because he was free to make his own choices. He deserved a life that was not dictated by the court.

Zelda had been a bit apprehensive to hear his response, nervously reaching for the teacup as a beat of silence surrounded them. If he were to confess he did not want to become king and choose an alternate path for himself, she would not fault him for that decision. It was his right.

“I belong to you. Only you…I’ll always be yours. No matter what.”

The words nearly made her hand tremble, eyes flaring as she quickly set the teacup down, her attention directed entirely at Sheik. Was he agreeing to move forward with their wedding? Regardless of the title that marrying her presented?

“Despite all the changes that come with this betrothal, you still wish to marry me?” She could feel the prick of the elated tears that stung her eyes, something she willed away as she let out a soft but relieved huff of breath, reaching across the table for his hand. By the Goddesses, he had ransomed her heart, and she was content with letting him keep it.

“I love you, Sheik — with every fiber in my being. I shall live a felicitous life so long as I have you at my side.”

[c-jay-s-text-posts-only]

Just something that got me thinking further . . .

Yang took the lead as she and her friends charged up the sloping leaves of the Lotus' stem. The Rusted Knight had gotten up ahead of them, thanks to his strange mount; he'd hopped off and pointed them into the safety of the flower with his broken sword, beckoning them over with his rusted shield.

The mount wasted no time and bolted inside first, Yang and Blake following quickly behind.

Weiss was in front of Ruby and slowed to a stop to peer over the petals' edge. Pluming clouds of smoke rose and drifted into the air; the aftermath of their shopping trip a clear disaster.

Weiss' eyes widened, and a dreadful feeling welled in her heart.

Screams of the Afterans rang in her ears like the warning sirens back during the Breach. She could see them in the distance, desperately boating themselves away on the giant lily pads.

The sound of choked cries caught her ear, and she turned to see the kind Teapot Lady, sobbing. Her wares were a broken, scattered mess, and her porcelain was chipped around her spout, and her body was badly cracked leading on to her lid.

Weiss stepped back, only able to shake her head a little, and cover her gaping mouth. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so shocked.

She felt so . . .

Helpless . . .

She felt a hand catch her shoulder, and she turned to see Ruby had caught up with her, and now was guiding her away from that awful sight. The look on her face was sympathetic.

That dreadful feeling sank Weiss' heart.

"I am so sick and tired of turning every place we go to ashes." Weiss said, her voice was so low, she wasn't even sure she'd heard herself.

They headed inside the Lotus flower, and the noise died away at once. The flower itself was alight with glowing spores, bathing the soft space in a comfortable, pale gold shimmer. The Rusted Knight followed them in a few paces behind, sheathing the rusted remains of his old sword with a scraping clank. He brushed past the girls and strode ahead of them.

Blake broke the tensing silence.

"I can't believe it!" She was thoroughly enlivened, "The Rusted Knight! In person!"

The girls weren't sure what to think. They'd never seen Blake so excited before.

The Rusted Knight came up to his mount and scritched its upper back. The soft creature dipped its head, happy to receive its Master's touch and leaned into his free hand with a gleeful trill.

"You did well, old girl." He said softly, beneath his helmet.

Then he took his helmet off. His blonde hair was long, a little greasy, and a bit grey, tied back with a strip of thin red fabric which everyone seemed to recognise. He turned back to the girls; his face was soft, but worn with wrinkles, smile lines. His beard was unkempt, and just a little patchy too. But what drew their attention most, was his tired smile.

It was one that seemed all too familiar.

"Team RWBY." He said softly.

The girls could hardly believe their eyes, Blake's gasp was easily the loudest of the group.

"You've finally made it." His smile widened,

"Whu-" Ruby nearly gurgled.

The Rusted Knight.

The fairy tale character whom they'd all grown up loving.

Was Jaune Arc.

Jaune explained everything. How he fell, how he waited, how he lived. It had all seemed like too much.

"I . . . I thought I'd never see you again . . ." He finished, still as soft as before, "But, I knew if I waited long enough, then you would fall . . . just like I had . . ."

He paused, unsure of himself.

"It . . ." He shook his head a little, unable to tell if this was all real, "It's really you, right? I- When I saw you in the market, I . . ."

He trailed off, positive he hadn't made any sense at all.

Team RWBY exchanged looks as they listened.

"Jaune," Ruby caught his attention, "It's us."

Jaune breathed in sharply, the smile on his face becoming the least bit joyful. The girls closed in, and Jaune opened his arms, welcoming them, as they squeezed him tight. A small tear came into his eye as he felt their warmth against him. Little the mouse plopped themselves on Jaune's head, happy to share another hug as well today.

It seemed all too soon for Jaune when the girls pulled back and bombarded him with questions.

"How did you find us?" Ruby wanted to know,

"How are you The Rusted Knight?" Blake needed to know,

"And when did you get so-" Yang was about to ask,

"Mature . . ." Breathed a voice.

Everyone turned to see who the voice belonged to. Weiss hadn't fully left the hug yet, and was holding Jaune at arm's length, her gaze fixed on his very weary eyes.

Yang and Blake exchanged knowing, cheeky looks.

"Wow!" Yang chirped, "Where'd that come from?"

"Uh- Huh? What are you talking about?" Weiss blinked at them,

"I've never heard you purr like that before." Teased Blake,

Ruby looked uncomfortably between her friends, but said nothing.

"I didn't purr." Objected Weiss, "I just . . ."

She trailed off and turned her gaze back to Jaune. But Weiss didn't seem so embarrassed. She had, in fact, not purred at all; she was concerned. She just kept looking at his face, focusing on his eyes.

'You look so different . . . and yet . . .' Weiss mused, '. . . it's like nothing about you has changed at all . . .'

"You've been through a lot here, haven't you?" She finally asked, daring to touch his scraggly beard.

Jaune blushed, a light tickling of strawberry colouring his cheeks.

"Uh, I, uh . . . I guess you could say that . . ." He shrugged a little.

Weiss suddenly noticed how close she was to him, blushing a deeper red than she'd ever done before, she back off, glanced abashedly between her friends and dusted her skirt, hoping to pretend they hadn't seen anything. But going off the expressions on their faces, Weiss knew they wouldn't.

Ruby re-railed the discussion.

"What happened in Atlas?" She asked, quick and to the point, "After the rest of us, um, fell . . ."

She clearly felt bad about it.

Jaune just sighed, looking more tired now than he had before.

"I, uh . . . " He tried, "Guess we've all got a lot of catching to do . . ."

Do you think Weiss will get a romantic relationship?

i don’t think so, and i’m skeptical as to whether she is even really interested in romance at all; notably her core relationships are all with her family, winter and klein and whitley and (to a lesser extent) her mother. her interest in neptune in v2 is superficial and evaporates over his flirting with other girls in v3, and then in v9… lmao well

i know v9 was widely perceived as ship-teasing and the going assumption in the fandom these days is weiss/jaune endgame, but aside from the fractal ozlem problem there (both salems) what strikes me is that weiss specifically expresses physical attraction to jaune at the lowest point in his life; he looks like that because he’s been miserable and not taking care of himself for years. and then when he acts like someone who’s miserable and isolated and not taking care of himself weiss is like oh he’s crazy, we can’t depend on him, which he hears and gets understandably upset about. that fissure is repaired but that it happens at all speaks to a fundamental emotional disconnect.

like imagine the bees in an equivalent situation, if yang was stranded in time and aged several decades before blake found her again in such a haggard state—lank hair, prosthetic arm covered in rust, visibly exhausted. can you imagine blake’s first/only reaction being “yang looks hot!” in that moment? with weiss and jaune it’s played as a joke and the humor comes from weiss leapfrogging over “holy shit is jaune okay?” to “jaune’s hot!” and blurting out something completely insensitive. it’s very sun referring to blake’s avoidant self-destructive behavior in v2 as blake being “all… blake-y.”

and then

in terms of the fractal ozlem narrative—like, weiss is the girl in the tower who creates her own knight in shining armor. that’s the conceit. i think the point of her with respect to ozlem is to interrogate the idea that the girl “saves herself” by asking for help; weiss summons her knight but it isn’t the knight who rescues her, it’s klein—her father-figure—who helps her get out, which makes a pretty straightforward implication about salem. the girl who is her own knight leaves her tower through the genuine love of her father-in-all-but-blood; the only way for the girl to leave the tower without being saved is if her father is kind, and salem’s was not.

(<- which is all wrapped up in ozma’s self-hatred; he writes the fairytale as if the hero was merely the inconsequential tool the girl used to free herself because he feels inadequate—he died and left her behind, he couldn’t save her in the end, he was too cowardly to take her hand, therefore he never saved her at all and really she was the one who saved herself.)

anyway the point being, there’s a strong thematic incentive against giving weiss a romantic partner because her character poses this counterfactual question—what if salem didn’t need ozma?—which reifies that salem did need ozma, because her father was cruel and would not let her go. a salem who did not need ozma is necessarily matched by an ozma who did not need salem—they must be equals, always—and the question then is what would bind salem and ozma together if he is not her freedom and she is not his sanctuary. do they fall in love at all? probably not.

and it does look to me as though that’s where weiss’ character arc is headed, with how hard she’s taking the fall of atlas and the open question of what reclaiming the legacy of the schnee name from her father’s wrongdoing looks like now that the whole kingdom is gone

[ofcarnvge]

Unarmed

@annalis-e--shadowofpanem

Lucky.

The name had a melody, a warmness, and fullness when it came from Molly’s lips. It exonerated Pan’s visions, taking from them the unsavory label of “delusion” and casting them in the light of tangible tomorrows and joys now shared.

Pan’s bag fell from her shoulder onto the floor. Her eyes welled with tears and she nodded. Again and again, she nodded. Yes, Lucky. Jiyayi.

She hurried to cradle her lover’s face. “She’ll fall many times. And we’ll pick them up every time. Both of them.” She dropped to her knees and rested against Molly, drinking in her warmth. “They’ll learn to stand. And they’ll be as strong, as tenacious, and as heart-driven as you.”

Her eyes dared to look up. “I don’t know how any of this works. I hope Cyanne has a theory to offer us...but for now...”

Waves crashed on the shore, and the scent of the sea floated through the cracked kitchen door  The sunset cast the island counter in a bright golden light.

“I...don’t know this place,” Pan admitted. “I see it often. I recognize the layout of this room from a design my father helped me with....but I’ve never built it. I can hazard a guess where this might be based on the geography...but...” Pan took Molly’s hand and took to her feet. “I’ve never gone past this room. I’d like to see the rest. With you. Please?”’

Bowen peaked from around the corner of the doorframe. The sight of Pan and Molly together brightened her young face. She flocked to Molly and stole one of her hands, pulling her along. “C’mon! We spent forever cleaning up for this day! You’ll love it.”

--

Appetizers.

Cereza’s mind as a restauranteur was beginning to bear fruit, her work fueled by the happenings underneath Eleanor’s roof. It was easier on her conscience to focus on the good in her life. But the Huntress lingered underneath. Her body was too well attuned to the act. In a way, she understood Pan’s fear, especially since she once had a child, herself. If only for a moment. Looking to a child, wanting to be worthy, and falling short, was high on her list of regrets, second only to the Huntress.

She clung to the vibe of Floss’s estate for dear life. When she had the time, she prepared puff pastry twists with cheese, served with a teapot of the same tea Floss made earlier...with a couple of modifications. When all was ready, she’d finally meet O-ren face to face.... and she hoped that O-ren was worth the hassle Pan had endured to help her.

Eventually, she glued herself back to the stove and oven, leaving the dish and tea for  Amy to deliver to Go-Go and the newly conscious O-Ren.

Once there, Amy didn’t linger. She sat the plate and teapot down nearby and offered O-Ren a warm smile. “Welcome back to the land of the living,” she said, before excusing herself from the infirmary just as Eleanor passed by.

“How long until dinner?” Eleanor asked.

Amy shrugged. “You’re asking me? I’ve seen her make enough to feed the barracks, let alone us. Who knows when she’ll actually...you know...stop. Where are you headed?”

“Just came from preparing tranqs. Just in case. Also, wanted to grab a couple of glasses.” Eleanor shot her host with a mocking smirk. “Floss was just about to disappoint me with her wine cellar. You should come with us, and make your plans, in case your plus one turns out to be less than nice.”

"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist but you will have ceased to live." Molly heard the words from Dr. Gorksi’s lips as if she had just spoken them. They weren't her own, they were Mark Twain - but both people were right. Lennox House had been survivable, escapable, only by illusion.

The kitchen unfurled around Molly and she felt no fear. It came as natural as walking, breathing. And the word ‘illusion’ was different now; an illusion was not just a trick. It was the other dimension of the world that is cast in shadows, and unseen currents, and the fractal patterns of human action unravelling endlessly in every direction. The harnessing of illusion was a key, ironically, to truth.

A current of something like intimacy flowed through Liss and into Molly’s chest and every detail of her surroundings became visible, sharp as life. Not only that but she could feel the space as it felt to her partner, as if both of their bodies were the conduit for it’s projection. And she knew how to tap the line. 

Molly Reass just discovered an innate skill that she’d always had, but that she didn't know the word for, and which until now had never quite met it’s catalyst. Reach.

She laughed, eyes turning between Liss and the beach outside. It was beautiful.

Bowen’s took Molly’s hand, Molly took Liss’. 

“Let’s go.” Two simple words, spoken with a smile. 

-

O-ren sat up on the hospital trolley, her legs and balance hadn't quite come back to her yet but she insisted on sitting while Go go laid out the entirety of the last few days before her. Leaving nothing out. When the bodyguard was finished O-ren sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

“You understand why I didn't call on you?”

Go go nodded. “I know. It’s alright. I’m just glad you weren't alone.” A poignant pause. “What are we going to do about Beatrix? About this other Viper they’re talking about?”

O-ren sighed. “Beatrix wont be on the move yet. We have time. As for the other one, I cant say I’m surprised. Bill didn't trust any of us - he was right not to. It depends what she wants...”

As Amy appeared with a much welcome tray of tea O-ren gave a polite nod and a smile. “Thank you, I hope this one has more caffeine than my last...I could use it.”

When the younger woman departed O-ren sipped from her cup and her gaze crossed the room to Go go’s bag, where it sat on the floor. A familiar blade was threaded through the handles. She gave a dry laugh.

Go go turned to look and then stood up. “Bill’s sword, I took it from Elle’s house.” She crossed the room and picked it up, returning to perch on the side of the hospital gurney with it held reverently in her hands. “I didn't take your shirasaya, it just seemed right to leave it there. But I thought you might want Bill’s Hanzo sword.”

O-ren set her cup down and took the sword in her hands, pulling the blade a few inches out of its housing.

“Do you want to know what makes a Hanzo sword superior to any other blade?” 

Go go nodded. The former crime queen of Tokyo got a look of sage mischief.

“Absolutely nothing.” The blade slid back into the scabbard with a click. “Don't get me wrong, it’s good steel. Better than most even. But Hanzo himself figured out a few years ago that it wasn't his swords that granted people lethality. It was the myth, the idea.”

She set the sheathed blade back in her lap and picked up her tea again. 

“And isn't that just too fitting an obituary for Bill’s blade?”

--

The lights clicked on at the bottom of a narrow flight of stone steps and Floss stepped down into the spacious wine cellar. “Well I haven't completely gutted it...”

The original stone bottle racks remained on the right side of the room, the left side was completely taken over by a long lab bench, peppered with a variety of equipment; a microscope, two laptops, a stack of journals. The entire far end was given over to a jungle of glassware, petri dishes and a small refrigeration unit. 

Floss looked around and put her hands on her hips. “I’ll have to take out all my data, besides that I don't have anything too risky down here, you could probably handcuff someone to that radiator, and speaking of...” 

Her gaze sharpened as she looked at Amy. “Who is this seventh Viper? And what on earth possessed you to bring her here? I’m not worried, just curious...Honestly a few days ago I’d have taken ten Vipers over managing a reunion between Molly and Pan, but we seem to have gotten away with that...”

--

The grey hatchback came to a halt on the verge of an empty lane in the middle of nowhere. Mallory climbed out and surveyed her surroundings; it had been a large house on the satellite image, the immediate grounds were open field but there were patches of woodland to provide cover most of the way, at least if she followed a circuitous route. She could approach the house itself from the back.

With her bag slung over her shoulder Mallory trudged up the bank and into the trees. 

It was cold and overcast. She’d never visited the country much with her dad, Brian. He was too much of a city dweller. As always the air was distinctly chill after Texas. Her phone buzzed against her leg. She looked at the screen.

[I hope you aren't doing anything dumb]

Something fast moving wrenched Mallory’s attention upward and her heart leapt into her throat as a frightened deer sprinted across the clearing and out of view.

Mallory sighed, placing her palm against her forehead. She didn't hazard a text back, but the response still came mentally;

yeah, me too. 

[katskitoshi]

"sheepy!" with twisted wonderland 

synopsis: an accident it alchemy class tuns [name] into a sheep! how do the dorms react to sheep! [name] when they are tasked with taking care of them?

characters: heartslabyul, savanaclaw, octavinelle, scarabia & pomefire x sheep! gender neutral! reader

includes: imagine sheep mc! from obey me as you,

heartslabyul: riddle, trey, cater, ace & deuce.

you will be in pretty good hands with these five most of the time in heartslabyul. it's a nice dorm with it's pretty roses and a nice big rose maze to get lost in. you get along well with the hedgehogs and gossip about the flamingos with them! the halls are all twisty-turvy so it's easy to get around.

riddle is a good caretaker surprisingly. he is a stickler for the rules and has never collared you because he says it's animal cruelty even though you're still human(and he has a big fat crush on human you). he leaves you with the hedgehogs sometimes and like i said, you and the hedgehogs get along pretty good. he enjoys you in this form because he's now severely taller that you!

trey is so nice! he's a good caretaker too and makes sure to make special cups of tea for you to drink during unbirthday parties. he also lets you sit on the counter while he bakes, he might even let you attempt to crack open some chestnuts! he even gives you a mini chef hat to wear!

cater is fun to be around. he takes lots of pictures for magicam with you because you're so cute and lovable. he styles your wool sometimes to match his hair and puts it in cute little hair pins in the shapes of diamonds! (his top post on magicam is a picture of you in a teapot with the teapot lid on your head.) you are always held in his arms because its super magicam-able. he makes sure you see all the pics once you turn back human.

ace is very troublesome. he should never be trusted alone with you because he is very troublesome. he has (more than once) lost you, kicked you by accident, hit you with a basketball by accident, gotten you stuck in tree, spilt tea in your wool, cut your wool, and so many things. he gets his caretaker privileges revoked when he accidentally left you with floyd, who almost drowned you. he is currently doing all the chores of heartslabyul as punishment. he doesn't apologize after you turn back so you might need to look for a new friend.

deuce is mid when it comes to his caretaking skills. he sometimes forgets about you, but other that that, you are pampered! he distance himself from ace every time he has to watch over you. he avoids fights when he's with you.

savanaclaw: leona, ruggie & jack.

savanaclaw is a scary dorm to be in! despite all the beastmen who live here, it is not safe for a small sheep such as yourself. it is a hot dorm, so hopefully you can handle the heat under all the wool! luckily, you have three very good beastmen to take care of you.

leona is lazy. "[name]"? who's that? he only knows herbivore. he does the bare minimum if anything at all. he might let you have the veggies that are in his lunch if you're lucky and it proves his point that you're a herbivore. you live 24/7 as a pillow for him. when he's up, you're up. when he's sleep, you're sleep. being honest, he probably just throws you (literally) at ruggie to take care of you.

ruggie is a very good caretaker. he is very happy about taking care of you because leona is throwing extra money at him to buy you food. taking care of a tiny sheep and a lazy lion isn't too hard since you're always trying to help! leona probably forgot that you can't eat a full serving but ruggie will gladly eat for you! he leaves you in the botanical garden if he can't watch you.

jack is such a good boy about it. he is such a good care taker. he knows just the right way to take care of your wool and feed you and clean you and everything like that. when he's tasked with taking care of you, he's the only one who takes care of you unless he can't. and when he can't he always trusts you with someone responsible. when you revert back to human form, his old habits die hard and it takes a while. make sure to give him lots of head pats for his help!

octavinelle: azul, jade & floyd.

trust me on this, octavinelle might not be the safest place for you. it's bustling with students almost all day and some of the dorm members enjoy making your life living hell during your time in the dorm! shady characters try to make contracts with you or even try to use you as promotion for sales! also watch out for eels, some like to drown unsuspecting sheep like you...

azul always has you in his office or in the lounge for promotion. a cute little sheep who happens to be the prefect of ramshackle dorm loves the food, so you should too! he may or may not try to convince you into a contract. your human form for the rights to ramshackle, how does it sound? despite all the shady business he uses you for, he usually keeps you out of harms way!

it's hilarious to jade. he loves watching you scurry around the bustling floors of the monstro lounge avoiding customer's and staff. and it's so funny watching the fear on your face as you have to strain yourself to look up at him and literally anyone else. he will forcibly bring you along with him on his hikes for mountain lovers club. don't worry, he has a really pretty leash for you so you don't get lost!

floyd is happy with your change but is horrible at taking care of you. while you're in your sheep form, you only get called "sheepy" and never "shrimpy" even if you're more shrimp-like now than before. you're always scurrying away from him and that makes him sad. but in all fairness, he has almost drowned you, dropped you from on top of his head, stepped on you, lost you, dangled you over the deep-fryer and a lot of other crimes he should be accounted for.

scarabia: kalim & jamil.

scarabia is a very hot dorm so you'll probably sweat under your wool. at scarabia, you're treated like royalty and always pampered with gifts and food! this dorm is great and you have two caretakers to take care of you! well, how do they do?

kalim is barely taking care of you. if he isn't doting on or spoiling you, he's probably forgotten about you. but while he is taking care of you, you luckily have many sheep items and food at your disposal. you could literally be in this sheep form for like 2 hours and been in his care for 30 minutes and he's already spent over 3,000 madol on you. in short words, kalim is bad caretaker but you are a very spoiled sheep for however long he's watching you.

jamil is your main caretaker and honestly one of the best people you can end up with. he knows how to take care of you. he makes you delicious sheep-friendly food for you to eat! it tastes really good, promise! as long as you're not bothering him, he's fine taking of you.

pomefiore: vil, rook & epel.

the dorm of pomefiore is a is perfect for a sweet sheep like yourself! the dorm is filled with pretty things such as its students and leaders - oh, and the scenery too it seems. but don't worry, you have the three prettiest pomefiore residents to watch over you. you're in good hands with their perfectly manicured hands.

you are treated like royalty anywhere on pomefiore land. that's what vil schoenheit has made required. you will look like nothing but the fairest sheep while under his care. if he can't find sheep-care products for your wool and hooves and horns and whatever, he would mix something up with his amazing potion skills. i promise you, you will look like the prettiest sheep in all the twisted wonderland.

rook is having a bit too much fun with you in this form. he's not a good caretaker. he is instead chasing you around the pomefiore courtyards and such. you're unleashing his natural hunting instincts! run little sheep, a hunter is coming for you! he takes a billion photos of you like this and he has to make a whole new photo album of you in sheep form because the other 188 photo books he has of you are full.

epel is so sweet to you. he cuts you little apple slices. he lets puts you in the water and watches you swim around while practicing his singing. he finds your little "bah"'s and belts really cute! don't worry, epel is a really good caretaker when he has time. he even carves a sheep replica of you from an apple! he uses a preservation spell and gives it to you once youre back in human form!

[victoria-daydreams]

The Dressmaker

AN: So, I did it, I wrote a Luca Changretta fanfiction. This was supposed to be 1k words at max, but of course I went overboard. If this story seems all over the place, I’m sorry but I promise it made much better sense in my head.

Trigger warnings: racial slur, my attempt to write sexual tension, knowing nothing about sewing

Word Count: 3.3k

The crackle of static and then the slow melody of a bow drawing across the strings of a violin floated into the ears of the young woman seated behind a polished mahogany counter. Selina let her pencil glide across the paper, a few faint lines here, a dark outline over there. All was quiet in Miss Clarke’s Dress Shop, the store located right on the corner of the street. Everyone on the street knew who she was, for she was constantly mending or designing pieces for customers that frequented her shop. Not to mention, that Selina’s dress shop was infamous for its wide variety; fabric of every conceivable color and style exploded from the racks.

However, there was another clientele that Selina extended her services to in a much different capacity. The Peaky Blinders, also known as The Shelby’s, often used the space in her basement as storage for their shipments. They appreciated her discretion and Selina was more than to happy to help, because that’s what family is for, right? Selina wasn’t a Shelby by blood, but she was a Shelby through and through and no one dared to dispute that.

Orphaned at young age due to her parents dying from disease, Selina had no where to go, but in swooped Polly who happily adopted her. According to the older woman, Selina’s mother and her were good friends; faintly she could remember Polly’s face as a young child before her parent’s death. Still, Polly raised her like she was her own and was fiercely protective of her.

Out of nowhere, a saucer and teacup was placed down onto the counter with gentle clink. Selina lifted her head and looked over to see Naveen’s friendly, brown eyes staring back at hers.

“Still cracking away at it Lina?” he asked, holding a teacup of his own.

“Unfortunately,” she sighed, letting the pencil fall from her fingers. She grabbed the handle of the porcelain cup and raised it to her lips. A contented hum left her. “Bless you Naveen, you made it just how I like it,” Selina said, a smile on her face.

“You started teatime without me?” Julia questioned, looking up from the hem of a dress she was inspecting. “Some friends you lot are,” she commented, letting out a scoff.

“The teapot is still hot, plenty of time to pour yourself a cuppa and join us,” Naveen joked, moving further down the counter.

“It’s not the same though,” Julia complained, shoving her hands into the pockets of the same white coat they were all wearing. “There’s something about the way you make my tea that makes it fantastic,” she said, leaning against the counter.

“Better luck next time,” he wished, with a smirk as he put his cup down.

Naveen picked up a pair of shears lying on the countertop and held them up to the light. The blades glinted dully. Reaching underneath the counter, he grabbed an emery stone and positioned the edge of the blade against it before running the shears across it repeatedly.

“What do you say, Lina?” Julia asked, causing her to whip her head from watching Naveen to her. “Be a friend, and make me a cup of tea,” she suggested.

“Absolutely not,” Selina answered dryly, picking up her pencil again. “The lord has blessed with you two hands and two feet,” she continued. “Use them,” Selina suggested, flashing her friend a smile before focusing on her sketch again.

“The next time you two need a favor, don’t bother coming to ask me,” she warned playfully, as she walked to the back room.

“Oh, I’m shaking in my boots Julia,” Naveen retorted.

Selina laughed quietly as her pencil scratched against the paper as she fidgeted with the details. Just then, the bell to the door rang signaling a customer had just entered the shop.

“Welcome to Miss Clarke’s Dress Shop, how may I help you,” Selina greeted cheerily, without having to think about it as her eyes remained glued on the paper.

She received no response, just eerie silence. Selina felt herself stiffen, now noticing that Naveen’s scrapping had also came to an abrupt halt as well. Her head snapped up and towards the direction of the door, Selina’s blood ran cold but she kept a stoic expression. Standing at six feet tall, a hawkish and smartly dressed man with half a smirk was flanked by more men similarly dressed as him.

“Fuck me,” she thought.

Whoever this man was, he definitely had a presence, a certain air about him that commanded your attention and respect. The type of man that when he talked, people listened. It reminded her of Tommy. The worst part of all though, was that the stranger was undeniably handsome.

"Yes, can I help you?" Selina repeated calmly.

“Where’s the funeral?” the man asked, walking further in the shop.

“Quite the accent. He’s certainly not from here,” she thought to herself. “Italian, but he sounds American as well,”

The stranger’s voice was smooth, reminding her of honey. Instinctively, Selina went on alert. This man, whoever he was, radiated a persuasive aura and a potentially manipulative one as well. His tone said it all. She just knew underneath this man's gentlemanly exterior hid a hibernating beast.

“Why all the solemn faces?” he questioned, looking around the room, before his eyes connected with hers.

Those coal black, mournful eyes burned into her dark brown ones intensely, and she returned the stare in equal measure. It was not the time to show even the slightest amount of fear.

“Solemnity isn’t the right word,” Selina answered, as Julia slowly emerged from the back room with boxes in hand. “Maybe it’s confusion my colleagues and I share,” she corrected, putting the pencil eraser to her chin.

“And what’s so confusing about us?”

“It could be the fact that there are…….” Selina trailed off, starting to count the men standing behind him with her pencil. "One, two, three, four, five, six,” she counted, before finally pointing her pencil at the man with inky black hair who was clearly the leader. “Seven,” she finished, staring pointedly at him.

From the corner of her eye, she could see Naveen’s hand had discretely moved to underneath the counter again. This time, he wasn’t reaching for a sharpening stone, his hand was resting on a revolver.

“There are seven men standing in my dress shop, and I don’t know why that is,” Selina stated, glancing around the room.

He grinned, “Ah, so you’re the owner of this fine establishment, you’re its namesake,” he said, walking up to the counter and standing directly across from her. “Well, Miss Clarke, have you considered that the seven men standing here might want dresses made for their girls?” he suggested.

“And yet, none of you brought any of your ‘girls’,” Selina observed, wagging her pencil. “Hard to do measurements on your girlfriends if they’re all figments of your imagination,” she remarked, which the man smirked at.

He leaned against the counter, his eyes boring into hers once more.

“Signorina, I’ve been told you deal in a great many services,” the man hinted, as she placed the pencil down.

“As do many other dressmakers,” Selina retorted, interlocking her fingers. “Signore,” she added.

A smirk tugged at the Italian’s lips, his eyes merely twinkling with mirth at Selina’s use of his language.

“How many deal with the criminal underworld?”

That one sentence caused an uneasy silence to envelope the room. Tension hung in the air, tight and overbearing. The atmosphere was suffocating.

“Shit,” she thought.

“Mr. Varma and Miss Russell, we have deliveries that need to be taken out today,” Selina informed, gazing between the two of them. “Why don’t you two do it now, before it gets too late,” she said, as the man pushed away from the counter, a smug grin on his face.

“Miss Clarke—”

“Now, Miss Russell,” Selina ordered.

“Yes, ma’am,”

Julia nodded in defeat and slid off her white coat and hung it up. Reluctantly, Naveen mimicked her movements, carefully pulling off his coat as well. Grabbing two of the three white parcel boxes, each neatly tied with a bow, Julia walked between the Italian man and Selina, shooting her one last wary glance before leaving with the chime of the bell. Naveen’s eyes swept over the room as he took the last parcel off the counter, slowly moving away from her.

“Wait,” Selina called, grabbing his arm. She rose from from the stool and pushed herself onto her tip toes. She leaned towards him as if she was going to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Be careful. Make sure that you aren’t followed,” she whispered, her lips close to his ear.

“Christ, you’re not sending the boy to war,” the man jested, causing his henchmen to chuckle.

Selina’s eyes narrowed, but she remained silent as she pulled away from him.

“I’ll be careful with the dress, Miss Clarke. Don’t you worry,” Naveen assured, sending her a smile as he backed away.

“Make sure you take the scenic route, Mr. Varma,” the man ordered. “There are some things Miss Clarke and I need to discuss,” he explained, glancing over towards her.

Naveen shifted his eyes to Selina and she nodded her head, mouthing “Go,” to him. The little bell rang again, signaling to Selina that she was now utterly alone in her own shop which was currently being occupied by a group of strange Italian men.

“You run a tight ship, for a dress shop. I’m impressed,” he said, nodding his head. “Most times I tell people to do something, they do it, stranger or not. But not your workers,” he noted. “They look to you for your blessing,” he noted.

“It’s like you said, this is my namesake. What I say goes,” she countered coolly.

He chuckled, “You’ve got spirit, I like that,” he commented, pointing a finger at her.

Abruptly, the man started speaking in Italian and his henchmen immediately filed out of the shop.

“So, do you want a dress made or not, sir?” Selina asked, crossing her arms. “Though, I still don’t know how would you do it. Your girl isn’t present for measurements,” she said, an expectant look on her face.

“I’m staring at the perfect model,” the Italian stated, almost purring.

There was a hunger in the man’s eyes as they traveled down her body, and oddly enough, it sent delicious chills up her spine and flooded her body with warmth.

Selina’s eyebrows rose, “Women come in all different shapes and sizes,” she pointed out. “It’s simply impossible for she and I to have the exact same measurements,” Selina explained, shaking her head.

“Let me worry about that,”

“How am I going to take the measurements? I sent Mr. Varma and Miss Russell out,”

“I’ll do them,”

Selina couldn't help it. Her poker face broke as she let out an incredulous laugh.

“You?” she questioned, her brow arched. “You’re not a tailor,” she stated, looking him up and down.

“My uncle is one,”

“Oh, quite the qualification,” she quipped.

“Humor me,” he said, another smirk on his face. “I want to talk business with you,”

“Other than dresses?” Selina asked knowingly, unbuttoning her coat.

“Other than dresses, Miss Clarke,” he repeated, as she laid the coat onto the counter.

“Hmm,” Selina hummed, moving from behind the counter. “For your girl’s sake, I hope you know what you’re doing,” she commented, brushing past him.

She walked towards a section secluded from the rest of the shop. Immediately her eyes fell upon the two cushioned chairs near the open entrance, the three panel mirror directly positioned in the center of the room, and a single door to the changing room. Entering the space, Selina stood in front of the mirror and briefly shut her eyes while rubbing her temples.

“This is such a terrible idea, why did I ever agree to this? I don’t even know who I’m speaking with,”

“You still haven’t told me your name,” Selina reminded loudly, still massaging her temples. “How am I to do business—”

“Luca Changretta,” he murmured hotly against her ear, his breath leaving goose bumps on her flesh. “Of the Changretta Family,” he added, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Can’t say that I’ve heard of you, Mr. Changretta,” Selina responded, trying to control her breathing.

She needed to remain calm, and keep herself composed and grounded. She refused to show him how much he was affecting her. That would just be embarrassing and mortifying.

“I’m truly hoping that there’s another Changretta family out there, and not the one I’m thinking about,” she thought.

“But,” Luca began, his cold nose butting against her ear. “I’ve heard of you, Miss Selina Clarke,” he informed, finally pulling away from her. “The dressmaker who has a penchant of keeping her ear to the ground,” he went on, now standing in front of her.

“It’s not a crime to be a well-informed citizen, is it?” Selina asked curiously, looking up at him.

“No, I suppose not,” he agreed, shrugging his shoulders.

“Then why—”

She was cut short, inhaling sharply as slender fingers slid around her waist and cinched a ribbon of measuring tape tightly against her. The motion had her nearly made bump chest to chest with Luca. He gazed down at her, studying Selina with shrewd eyes; reading her like an open book. She felt like she was being pried apart by the dark pupils roaming her face. She felt completely naked. Selina drew a shuddering breath, each and every one raising her chest up and down

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, she was surprised that Luca couldn’t feel thumping in her chest, but she was eternally grateful.

“However,” he continued, briefly glancing at her lips. “Not many citizens make it their business to know the ins and outs of the criminal underbelly of their city,” Luca remarked, his eyes focusing back to the measuring tape.

“And why is an American interested in learning such knowledge?” Selina wondered, finding it much easier to breathe. “Don’t you have your own criminal underworld to worry about?” she asked again. He ignored the question and instead removed the tape from around her. “Unless, you’re a criminal yourself,” she figured, feeling the tape drop to her hips.

“I’m not just any old criminal, Miss Clarke. I’m head of a mafia family,”

“Fucking hell, the Sicilian mafia!”

Gingerly, he brought his arms around Selina, circling her bust and pinching the tape at the side. Luca stared at the number before smirking to himself, not even bothering to hide his gaze on the hint of cleavage from her top.

“Men can be such pigs,” she thought.

“The Changretta Family,” she began, getting his attention away from her breasts. “Still doesn’t ring a bell,” she lied.

“I wouldn’t expect it to,” Luca answered simply. “But I do know, that you’ve heard of another prominent family in this city,” he said, with a knowing stare. “One full of fucking gypsies,” he added.

“You’re talking about The Shelby Gang,” Selina replied, her face neutral.

“Shit, what did Tommy step into now?”

“Indeed I am,” Luca confirmed, as holding her arm up with his large hand and stretching the tape along it, starting to measure her left arm.

“Of course I’ve heard of them, who hasn’t?”

Luca read the tape before pulling it away, “What have you heard then?” he questioned.

“The same as everyone else I suppose,” Selina answered absentmindedly, as Luca finished measuring her other arm. “Cuts people a smile and blind ones that can see. Fiercely loyal to each other and little bit volatile,” she described, shrugging her shoulders. “Of course, that depends on which way the wind blows each day,” she noted.

In a way, Selina was being truthful, she mostly kept herself out of Peaky business, focusing mainly on her craft. Of course, that is not to say Selina did not know the ins and outs of the organization, she was very much aware of their dealings. Today was different, as it had shown Selina that her approach staying out of it didn't always go to plan. The Peaky Blinders affairs had landed right on her doorstep.

He paused, “You must heard more than that,” Luca said, eying her skeptically.

“Must I?” she asked back, cocking her slightly. “I hear just enough that my ears don’t get cut off,” she retorted.

The room fell silent and the tension between them was palpable again. It was thick and bulky, impossible to ignore. Luca and Selina stared each other down, neither backing off from the other. It was there, a new type tension began to unfold, one of the carnal nature. Selina felt something stir deep inside, something that she hadn’t experienced a while. Longing. Desire.

“I’m quite sorry that you traveled all this way and I couldn’t be of assistance,” Selina stated, finally breaking strained silence.

“Oh, just the opposite sweetheart,” Luca replied, the heat in his gaze burning through her like a wildfire.

“If I may ask,” Selina began, looking up from her lashes. “What’s an American mafia leader interest in a British one?” she asked, her voice cautious.

Luca let out a series of tsks and shook his head. Already standing close to each other, he reached his hand out and gently ran a finger down her cheek.

“Don’t worry your pretty, little head about that,” he answered, tapping the tip of her nose.

“You think I’m pretty, Mr. Changretta?”

“I think you’re a helluva lot more than pretty, Miss Clarke,” Luca stated, staring at her lips once more.

Another shiver coursed through her from the combination of his accent and his close proximity. Selina was inches away from him, their lips barely touching, breath mingling together in the tiny space between them.

“I do have one more thing to share with you,” Selina admitted breathily.

“What’s that?” Luca asked, his breathing just as ragged.

She stood up on her tiptoes, leaning forward to press her lips to his. But, at the very last second she dipped her head and ghosted her lips over his jawline.

“You’re a terrible tailor,” she whispered into his ear, before drawing back as he chased after her mouth.

Luca let out a frustrated puff of air, chuckling lightly against her cheek.

“You’re a fuckin tease,” he said, a slight growl in his voice.

Selina smiled as she used her hand to cover his own, guiding the slender fingers to slip up underneath her skirt.

“You didn’t take measurements of my thighs,” she reminded, her tone dropping an octave.

Her skirt rose all the way to the apex of her right hip, revealing thick thighs encased in sheer material of her stockings. Luca swallowed audibly, his fingers tracing over the fabric.

“Silly me, how could I forget,” he murmured, slowly dragging his eyes over her exposed leg.

Luca knelt in front of her, letting his cool fingers caress the bare skin where the stockings ended. Slowly, his hand curved over her hip, squeezing roughly at her backside. Unconsciously, Selina’s head fell backwards, her lips parting with a breathy sigh as her eyes fluttered shut. Her heart was beating wild in her chest, like it was about to explode. The only thing keeping her steady was her hand on Luca’s shoulder and the grip on the back of his neck.

He tugged at her leg slightly, pulling her closer to his face and slid his nose over her rich skin. Luca inhaled deeply, breathing in the flowery perfume she put on in the morning before planting his lips on her flesh. Slow, languid, and hot open mouthed kisses that trailed up her leg as Luca started to undo the clips holding her stocking up.

Loud gasps and pants escaped past Selina’s lips, her eyes screwing shut instinctively. Luca’s hair was no longer neatly slicked back, not with her manicured nails mussing it up. Suddenly, the cool sensation of the measuring tape around her thigh, shocked her. The ribbon almost felt like it was burning her already hot flesh. Pulling away from her thigh with a soft smack, Selina could feel Luca’s damp, warm breath fanning across skin.

“Since I’m no tailor, I may need assistance on where to measure from,” Luca stated, his breath coming out in short puffs.

A genuine smile finds its way to Selina’s face and she lets out an airy giggle, opening her eyes. Luca was already staring up at her, the intensity of his stare made her heart skip a few beats. Selina ran her fingers through his hair, playing with the strands at the nape of his neck.

“Mr. Changretta, you’ll be glad to know that there are three ways to do that,” Selina informed, a pleased smile on growing on her face. “And I would be more than happy to teach you,” she offered cheekily.

Part II

[yuijinx]

It’s astonishing how much resolve can crack in an instant. How much sheer mental will can fade into dust in the hands of someone who you’ve always wanted to befriend despite their intolerance for your enigmatic existence. He held her like she was the most precious pot of porcelain he’s ever seen, like she hung the stars herself. It rendered her speechless, the affectionate embrace that he refused to relinquish, even with her squirms of disbelief and reluctance. The guilt pooled into her gut as realizations came in waves. Nothing he babbled in his ecstasy made a lick of sense to the faux werewolf and that was when it hit her that this was simply a big misunderstanding, even if the way her tail wagged a mile per minute was a message on how much glee she got from indulging in his error. She gently places a gloved hand on his chest. His heartbeat elevates her palm to only leave her fingers trailing his torso as she begins to push him out of her vicinity with a gentle nudge, ending his attempt of amity and kindhearted expression by pressing him away from her body. This wasn’t her hug to have, this belonged to someone who sounded far better than her, seeing how he sung her praise endlessly. Pearlescent wasn’t one to have a crisis on her identity due to every other issue that surrounds her peripheral, however in a way, this likely counts as a sign that she should begin considering one.

“Yes- well, we are alive, I’ll give you that.” She rebutted playfully, placing her hand on his head as to briefly flex her single inch of height above him as she petted his head, refraining from ruining his hair as she normally would with her original Scott. “Although, there’s been a mix up.” She slid her hand to his shoulder and offered him a grim expression as she huffed, determined to end this charade of generosity with one explanation. “The Scott I knew, he was supposed to be my soulmate,” She began, an unintentional chuckle rumbling out as she attempted to continue. “He rejected me because I found him too late, went off with Martyn to the nether for resources, but that didn’t excuse my actions.” She told, as if it was a story she had told many times in the past. Instead of what it actually was, justification that she had done nothing wrong and the small solace she could find in the many cold nights she spent alone in her cobblestone tower. She squeezed his shoulder softly, an apology for the disorder for this was not the reunion he wanted or that she deserved. “He hated me, and… from that look in your eyes, I know you’re not him.” She sighs, breaking eye contact with a gaze above him, looking for something that’s not there or maybe envisioning something different, her tail falls still as her ears fold onto themselves.

“It brings me comfort, knowing that maybe in another life it worked out, so thank you.” She allows herself to bellow a laugh, tears running down her crimson eyes as she scrubbed them away with a gloved hand. “But I cannot take advantage of your kindness any longer, I have not earned it.” She confirms as she lifts her hand off his shoulder and places it onto her crafting table instead, still offering a resigned smile with a small fang poking out. “I bid you good luck finding the right one, I really do, but I’m not the one you’re missing.” “I assure you that.” She finishes, not looking back as she opens her oven door and pulls out the cooked pork chops as her ears perked up at the scent.

@teapot-of-tyrahn

[mrpenguinpants]

Xiao and Diluc: Opposites Attract HCs

Minor spoilers for Xiao’s and Diluc’s backstory.

Yes, more xiao content. Oh and Diluc. Diluc is there too. I wonder who my favourite child is? Honestly, it’s probably Childe. Every time I write “child” I end up misspelling it to “childe”. It’s consumed me. But yes anon I love the opposites attract trope. It’s so nice having person A be this cute cinnamon roll and person B is the ew don’t touch me go away I hate you, just mwah 💕

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Today’s appreciation post goes to imlikemoony. My entire reblog notifications have just been you and thanks for the spam haha. I love seeing new people go through my work and enjoy it so thank you^^ Please don’t feel like this is a callout post I swear it isn’t 💕💕

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Xiao Semi Series

[ Friendship ] [ Falling in Love ] [ Cuddles ] [ Protective ] [ Affection ] [ Jealously ]

Diluc HCs

[ Comfort HCs ] [ Relationship HCs ] [ Being Fathers HCs ] [ Jealously HCs ] [ Unrequited Love HCs ] [ String of Fate [Soulmate] ]  [ Fainting ]

[Masterlist]

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[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

@hanniejji  @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @twistedsunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @youaskedfurret @snowy224 @mayumintsu​ @tigerpriestess @yuu-yuukurotsuki @legionqueensav

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Xiao and Diluc: Opposites Attract HCs

Xiao

It occurs to Xiao one day that despite being alive for centuries, he doesn’t know a lot of people. Xiao has only known Rex Lapis and his fellow adepti and only just recently introduced this life to others such as Verr and Ming. It never bothered him and still doesn’t, he prefers his life to be peaceful and in solitude since it’s safer that way, but when you crash into his life with all your unrestrained energy. He’s a bit of a loss for words. The only other person he knows that acts similar is Guizhong, but it’s still a bit of a troubling memory but either then that, he’s never interacted with someone so...open with their feelings. Though he supposes that Hu Tao was somewhat similar but in a different way. Unlike the craziness and exasperated actions that Hu Tao brought, your presence was a breath of fresh air and sometimes he found himself caught up in your antics.

When Xiao thinks about it, if he were to ever find love he suspected he would prefer someone who was calm and independent. He wasn’t the most affectionate so he wouldn’t want a partner that relied on that and he liked the peace and quiet the inn provided. That was until he saved you one day and you felt it was your absolute responsibility to return the favour, even though he told you many times that you really did not need to. If you wanted to return the favour you could leave him alone. Simple as that. Which didn’t work and in hindsight he was glad you were so stubborn to hang around until you managed to find out his favourite food was almond tofu.

The moment that set in stone Xiao’s love for you is when he told you his past. When he was named Atalus. How he had been possessed and forced to kill against his will. How he devoured dreams and lived in agony before he was saved by Rex Lapis. He was scared that you would fear and leave him, only for you to slowly lace your hands with his and wept for his own misfortune. He’s never had someone cry for him and he realized that he never wanted to see you upset like this again.

At first your larger than life personality put him off a bit, how could someone run through life as if nothing was wrong? What would happen if you finally faced loss? Wouldn’t that make things worse? It wasn’t until he spent more time with you that he saw your point of view, that while he couldn’t adopt the same idea, he respected it and began to appreciate it. It was nice having some sort of solace in his day even if it was just for a few minutes. Something to get his mind of the darker things while you start chatting about this really nice old lady with a domain sized teapot.  

Though, there was a bit of a downside to this. Since you bared your heart on your sleeve, perhaps in Mondstadt it would seem normal but here in Liyue, everyone hid behind some kind of mask so people found you a bit naïve and would try and hassle you. It always sent Xiao into a worried state when you left the inn to go out on your next adventure. Verr likes to compare him to a cat waiting for it’s owner at the door, but as soon as they return he acts so moody as if he wasn’t waiting at the balcony trying to see if he could see your clothing peak over the hill. He has no idea how she comes up with these ridiculous ideas.

Another “downside” Xiao discovers is that you have mini bursts of affection. You describe it as a those anemo slimes that pop when you shoot them, morbid as that description is, you’re not wrong. Your bursts of affection always manage to startle and embarrass Xiao, especially when he was with others. He wasn’t going to tell you to change yourself, never will he do that, but when you clasp his hands and tell him with all your love and shining eyes that he’s “doing such a good job” and “you’re so proud of him”. He wants to melt because wow, he never noticed how much he values your praise and how it sends his heart flying. But he can’t because Childe and Zhongli are right there.

Zhongli smiles pleasantly while Childe looses his absolute shit, which causes Xiao to kick his spear at Childe because he refuses to let go of your hands and hisses at him. Even when you try and scold him it doesn’t last long because this has become a weekly occurrence. Only now Xiao will give you a quick kiss before he goes off to gut Childe while you and Zhongli wave pleasantly and talk about how the weather is faring. Everyone that isn’t a native to Liyue think’s you’re all insane as they hear Childe’s screams as Xiao attempts first degree murder.

It interesting to see you both interact to outsiders. Xiao has his piercing yellow eyes and reserved demeanor while you’re this sweet and bright person. Before Xiao met you, people could never get a good look at the mysterious man that stays in the top balcony of the Wangshu Inn. But now if they came at the right time, they could spot a soft smiled man in green listening to a very animated talk with someone else, using their hands with a dramatic flair. That is until the man notices them trying to eavesdrop and the softness in his eyes drops and goes to irritation as he glares at them, curling a hand around his partner’s waist, and he let’s off a warning growl. His partner never seems bothered, only turning around to give a small wave in greeting, smiling as if the dangerous aura radiating behind them didn’t exist, before giving the man a small kiss as they go back to their conversation.

While you live a larger than life way, you also enjoy the small moments with Xiao. Xiao prefers to spend his time sitting above the inn and overlooking Liyue which you enjoy too. Resting near each other as you watch the sun go down is calming and takes the stress of life away. But sometimes you just want to bring Xiao out and have some fun.

Which ends up with you dragging him off to the pond near the Wangshuu inn, you wanted to catch frogs for whatever reason. Weren’t you both a bit too old to be playing with frogs? But he stands by and watch's you chase around the poor animals, tracking mud all over your clothing and skin, he can’t help but let a small smile slip. It isn’t until you end up falling into the pond after slipping that he’s on alert mode that he runs over worried.

Only for you to pop up and start bursting out into laughter. Xiao is stunned for a few moment as he watches you laugh at your own mistake, mud scrapped all over your face and clothes, the fact that you’re still in the pond with a frog on your head. He can’t help but feel his face fall as his mouth twitches into a smile as he chuckles along with you. He reaches over to try and scrub the dirt off your face but it only ends up smearing it more but you appreciate the effort. He carefully lifts you up as he carries you back to the inn. He thinks back to when you both first met, how he spent so much time worrying over his life as an adeptis and you as a human, but now those thoughts have been flung out of his mind. He wants to take your approach, that why worry over the little details of the future when you can enjoy the bigger moments you have now.

Diluc

On days that Diluc works as the bartender for Angel Share, if you come at just the right time when the sun was still high in the sky, you might be able to catch the ever distant man smiling and engaged with a conversation with one specific patron. Of course, this silly “rumour” was made up by the ladies of Mondstadt with too much free time on their hands but given Diluc’s reputation and demeanor it did make some travelers curious. Only for them to write it off as this special patron to be a green bard or cunning captain. One that Diluc surely did not crack a smile at. In fact it seemed to be the opposite. But the tavern isn’t so bad, there’s this nice individual that will listen to all your sorrows with kind eyes and a gentle heart.  

As soon as the last customer leaves and Diluc locks the door, does he let his shoulder drop and he breathes a sigh of relief. Before turning and walking to you as he let’s himself relax in your embrace. He listens as you re-tell on the woes of a jewelry saleswoman from Liyue to how Venti is still getting ID checked at the Cat’s Tail as he basks in your warmth. He’s glad that this is what’s troubling the people of Mondstadt and not anything incredibly dangerous relating to the Fatui or the Abyss Order. He asks if you’re doing alright to which you grin and nod that everything was perfect, before placing a small kiss on your forehead and he leads you out back and into the night and ready to return home.

Kaeya finds a lot of enjoyment going to up to you and discussing his “concerns” about Diluc. It always leads to you fretting over his health and if he was working too hard and he should take a break. Diluc is whipped and cannot say no to you so he always begrudgingly let’s you lead him away as Kaeya smiles and waves him off. It’s gotten to the point that no matter what Diluc is in the middle of, unless it’s of the upmost importance, if he catches Kaeya anywhere near you he’s swooping in and leading you away.

Diluc has always been straight to the point, non-nonsense idle talk, but when you drag him away to simply lie down at Starsnatch Cliff just because you were worried about him, he can’t help but feel his heart warm. Watching you blow on dandelions and enjoy the peaceful winds of Mondstadt does he let his hectic life standstill. 

When Diluc first met you, it was during his three year long journey to discover the truth of his father and the Delusions. You had saved him during his escape from a Fatui stronghold and explained you were apart of a third-party observer from the North. A vast underground intelligence network that approved of his actions and wanted him to join. Diluc, still deep in his anger and untrustworthy state of anyone, declined the offer but you still hanged around him. He didn’t understand why, and frankly did not want you anywhere near him, but you did save him. Something you very much liked to bring up, even after returning to Mondstadt. He couldn’t necessarily push you away and despite leaving the Knights of Favonius, he still maintained the same chivalry that all knights had.

From then on it had just been the two of you, him looking for the next Fatui base while you travelled with him as an “observer” despite helping him and being overly chatty. Asking where the next destination is like you’re some sort of overeager kid. At first, he really disliked your presence. A lot. In his mind you were a second Kaeya and after the events of what had happened, he might have been far colder to you than he should have been. He thought you were hiding behind the same kind of mask Kaeya did and that you were secretly some Fatui agent sent to kill him. But that never seemed to deter you, even making fun of the idea that the Fatui would seriously try and send an agent to con him rather than try and kill him outright with all the information he had on them.

You both had your clashes when it came to certain things, especially when it came to taking breaks and sightseeing. He felt that you were way too relaxed for something so important and you felt he was way to uptight and needed to stop running through life. But overtime, he found that he actually somewhat enjoyed your personality and quirks. While you could kick a Fatui’s guard head off if you tried hard enough, you would also drag him to feed the ducks by a pond. He had come to learn that you and Kaeya were different, you didn’t wear a mask and bared your heart to the world. He thought you were a bit foolish for doing that since you can never really trust anyone but you instead offered that not everyone was a bad person, that if he spent every waking moment trying to backstab someone would that really be a life worth living?

It’s during the lantern festival in Liyue does he really come to understand his goals in life. Writing down wishes for the new year to send off in paper lanterns is when he acknowledges his shortcomings and finally agrees to join the underground intelligence network. You offer him a bright grin as you cheer that he finally finally got off his stubborn self and you’re now officially partners in not-really-but-still-technically crime. For the first time since Diluc started his journey, he gives a small smile and let’s himself relax as he watched the golden lanterns fly through the sky beside you.

When he decides it’s time to return to Mondstadt and take up his position as Diluc Ragnvindr, he tries to not so subtly ask if you would want to join him. He knows that you still have ties to that secret organization and you probably have your own agenda but Diluc has gotten used to your bubbly personality, he doesn’t want to live without you. But his worries are quickly squashed when you tease him for a bit but slip your hand in his and ask where the next destination is. 

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Gripping my writing hand, I went overboard and ran with it. I really want to write pre-hcs of how you met Xiao and a continuation of young Diluc and you. But I must finish my inbox.  Also my joke of Xiao beating things into submission started all the way back to my first Xiao HCs of friendship. I did not know this lol. I just think it’s funny to imagine xiao doing it. I’m about to high five my past self.

By the way, should I break up my hcs more? I feel like they are actual paragraphs and that might be annoying to read.