#they follow the side that acts the toughest

[fakecrfan]

I feel like for years I've seen people trot out the same old hot take about men being right wing. It goes something like this.

"Well we on the left aren't nice enough to them! If we didn't say Mean Things that hurt their feelings they would be here!"

This is wrong. If you spend time in the spaces that breed right wing thought, it ought to be hilariously obviously wrong. Right wing masculine spaces are crueler to men than any feminist on tumblr who says she hates them. What, you guys think that Andrew Tate shares positive self healing affirmations? That 4chan or the old incel forums were hug boxes that told them they're all valid?

Right wing men, in fact, seek out spaces where they are told they are scum and that they should kill themselves. They seek out spaces that are tough and hostile. They watch Fullmetal Jacket and see training with the drill Sargent there as aspirational, stuff that a "real man" would do.

They do this because 1) it gives them a sense of accomplishment and a feeling of strength 2) makes them feel better than you (yes, you specifically, sad little queer person defending the Poor Mens on tumblr).

It's not that they want a space where they don't get verbally abused. It's that they want to be verbally abused by you, because you're beneath them. Abuse from a superior is not only acceptable, but edifying. Women, feminists, and faggots will never be worthy distributors of edifying abuse because those are people in an inherently inferior status.

But by all means, try making the hugbox softer for men! Surely if you spend more time explaining exactly how much you'd coddle them, they'll become leftists any day now!

[itjazzbicch]

Melting Hearts

Pairing: Husband!Bi Han x Wife!Fem Reader

Summary: Seeing Bi Han injured for the first time when he returns from his duties, the reader is the first to help him even though he decides to be stubborn at first, but slowly melts as the reader tends to his wounds and expresses her worries and love for him…

Requested by: @belle-oftheball34 (I hope you enjoy it!)

Warnings: mentions of blood, Bi Han is injured

Word Count: .7k

“Move, I’m fine!”

“But Grandmaster, your wound!”

Bi Han was so stubborn sometimes, returning to the temple, blood dried on the side of his head, holding his ribs.

“Bi Han-“ Seeing him like this had tears swelling in my eyes. I’d never seen him in such a state.

He always worried me when he went out for missions and coming back like this, refusing help? I wouldn’t allow him to limp around.

“Bi Han, come with me,” Everyone moved away from us as I took his hand, Bi Han’s eyes beaming at me:

“I said I’m f-fine-“

Stuttering on his words and groaning in pain, I didn’t care how much he wanted to tell himself that he was okay when he clearly wasn’t.

“Stop being so stubborn and let me help you,” I sniffled but was firm; He still decided limped away with me following, we got away from everyone’s sight and he finally dropped his tough act, letting me help him as I placed his arm around my shoulder, leading him to our bedroom.

It was easy to see that his ribs were bothering him, so I made sure to be as gentle as possible, sitting him down on the bed and helping him get out of his clothes.

“Stay here while I go get something’s to patch you up, okay?”

“Fine,” He sighed, groaning in pain, but stayed still.

I returned with some wraps for his ribs, gazes and a bowl of warm, soapy water to clean his cut.

Beginning to wrap his ribs carefully, he was fighting louder groans of pain, kissing the top of his head as I finished with that toughest part.

“I’m all done with your ribs. Now, be careful laying back. You can try to relax while I finish up, okay?”

Nodding and holding his breath, I delicately guiding him to his back on the bed, making sure the pillow was holding his head upright; he kept huffing, taking deep breaths and hissing at his ribs and I tried to be as helpful as I could, cooing and kissing the top of his head:

“I’m going to take good care of you. I know it hurts, but I have you, love.”

“I know,” He inhaled, closing his eyes as I took the warm, soapy rag, cleaning away the blood, making sure his wound was cleaned so it could begin to heal.

“Please be more careful the next time you know you’re going to face danger. You worry me till I’m sick, sometimes,” I whispered as I covered the cut, kissing it softly, “I know you’re strong, but I can’t help but worry about you.”

“They got lucky,” He growled, holding his ribs; I didn’t know exactly what happened, but regardless, he came back injured.

“I love you, Bi Han,” Connecting a deep gaze, I needed him to know how much I cared for him, ”And I hate seeing you this way. I know it’s hard given your responsibilities and the many challenges you face, but I worry every second you’re gone. I don’t ever want to lose you or see you hurt.”

The tears that were built up began to leak out, cleaning my face, quickly looking as he took my hand.

“You won’t lose me, dear,” He was confident in his words, squeezing my handle softly as he whispered, “I love you too.”

Bi Han didn’t express his feelings with words so directly. He didn’t say, ‘I love you’, often. I knew that he did, but hearing him say it always filled me with joy.

My tears faded with a small smile as he pulled me close to him, kissing me softly. I wanted to hold onto his kiss for as long as I could, but knew he needed rest, kissing one last time before I picked myself up, “I love you so much, Bi Han. You’ll be feeling better soon. I’ll make sure of it.”

2023 © itjazzbicch — do not repost or translate my work. Likes, reblogs, and comments are always welcome

[nightlyrequiem]

Crawl to Me

The world ended long ago. Now belonging to the undead that roam it, feeding on the last surviving people. You've learned to avoid the rotters. You have a past with one and like when she was alive, she's not willing to let you escape so easily.

New Part Every Thursday

Masterlist AO3

A/N- I was actually working on an apocalyptic fic in June, but I genuinely couldn't figure out how to progress the story in an interesting way. I still want to write one though because I'm a slut for apocalypse stories. This ones kind of lengthy. Like 2800 words

Tags/Warnings: Undead Valeria, No Use of the Word 'Zombie', Apocalypse, Gore, Stalking, WLW, Implied But Also In Your Face Toxic Relationship

The world ended eight months ago. A disease thawed from the melting glaciers and ravaged through the living population faster than it could control. Hospitals were overrun and the government declared a state of emergency. You weren't to leave your homes for anything. Rations were to be dropped off by authorized personal. They followed all the proper protocols and procedures, and it wasn't enough.

"Do you think this is expired?" A woman asks. She's rooting through a pile of canned food while you and a man keep a watch out. The infected are more active at night. A quick acting evolutionary behavior to avoid the scorching heat of the Mexican sun, to preserve the decaying host for longer.

"No." The man replies, voice deep and buttery. "Canned food can last for years past it's expiry date."

Something moves outside, kickstarting your heart. Some infected still wander out during the day. Your hands are sweating, making it hard to hold the gun. Valeria tried to teach you how to hold a gun once. You were never comfortable around them though. You peer outside, ears too sensitive in the unnatural quiet. A thin stray dog runs past the window. Clumps of fur missing from mange. You relax. Rotters will attack and eat any animal they catch but so far, you haven't seen any animals actually get infected with the disease. You shudder at the idea of running from a pack of infected strays. Their frothing jaws hung open, breath sour with illness. Sinking their teeth into the soft flesh of your thigh.

"Hurry it up, Grace." The man growls. He was a military officer; despite that he has no patience. You don't care for him. He reminds you of Valeria.

Grace shoves cans into her duffel bags. Filling them so much that she struggles with the zipper.

"If you want this to be faster then maybe you should be doing this, Rojan." She growls. Hoisting the heavy bags up and adjusting them on her shoulders. Rojan doesn't reply. Just stares out the window stoically. On the other side of the small supermarket, another man looks through magazines instead of being useful. Holding them up in the sparse light to leer at the women on the pages.

You and your small group move on. Exiting the store. The sun is hot and unforgiving. The ground beneath your feet is dry and cracked. Only the toughest of weeds able to grow from the pavement.

"What are we going to do for shelter?" Grace asks. Walking alongside Rojan. You lag behind, at the tail end of the group just behind the man who was looking at magazines instead of finding food. He turns and glances at you. Sizing you up. Both you and Grace have made it very clear you're not interested. Though there's a lack of women around and he hasn't quite given up yet.

He slows his pace to walk beside you. Hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. It makes you sweat just looking at him.

"We might have to sleep outside tonight." He says. You wish he wouldn't talk to you.

"No we won't." You reply with disinterest. "Rojan would never make us camp outside." It's just simply too dangerous.

"Well," He starts. "If we do you and I could share a spot to keep warm."

You roll your eyes. It gets absurdly cold at night but even then, you'd rather kiss a rotter than cuddle up to him. "Pass, Arthur." 

Arthur doesn't seem perturbed by your prickly nature.

"It's not like you'd lose anything by being with me for a night." He argues. Up ahead, Grace and Rojan are deep in conversation, heads close together. You wish you could join them instead of being stuck with Arthur.

"I'm a lesbian." You grit out. Even if you weren't, you still wouldn't touch Arthur.

He pauses and you start relaxing, assuming he's going to back off. "Why does that matter?" He asks. "I'm not asking for a relationship; you don't have to be attracted to me to sleep with me."

"Arthur!" Grace barks, turning her head to scowl at him. He looks up at her. "Cut that shit out, she's not interested. I'm not interested, nobody here is interested."

Arthur considers her and moves away from you silently. You give Grace a thankful nod.

Night begins to fall. Your legs ache with each step as you walk, the bag on your back feels like it gained ten extra pounds. Finally, Rojan slows to a stop outside of a small house. The windows have been broken but boards fill in the empty space. The screen door swings in the slight wind, creaking as it does. Weeds and tall grass have dominated the small front yard and somewhere hidden within, flies buzz loudly. Congregating over something dead.

"We'll stay here for the night." Rojan says. He looks at each of you. Pointing at you and Arthur. "Help me make sure it's clear." 

You slowly creep inside. The interior is just as rundown as the outside. A dank, musty smell coats the damp-stained walls and fungus pops up from dark corners. You walk by the living room and startle. In the corner, facing the wall is a rotter. It's back turned to you. The skin is flayed and painful looking. Deep gashes litter it's skin. It's stationary. Unmoving apart from a slight sway. 

You don't know if you should risk making noise shooting it. You look to the front of you as Rojan disappears around the corner. You frown and look back at the rotter. A bullet would be loud and might wake and draw any dormant rotters in the area. You slowly holster your gun and unsheathe your hunting knife. Approaching the rotter like a predator. Remembering what Rojan taught you. Sweep out the legs - which won't be hard considering how emaciated they look - and quickly stab into the temple. You take another step, and the floor loudly creaks under your weight. You and the rotter both go still. The lax swaying coming to an abrupt halt.

You wait, heart beating in your ears. The seconds feel long but the rotter never turns, and you resume your creeping. You come right up behind it and recoil at the smell. Unwashed body mixed with overripe fruit, sickly and decaying. You shake your head and build up your courage. Finally, you kick out it's legs and ignore the very human grunt. Grabbing one side of it's head, you stab your knife into the soft spot in it's temple, cutting of the beginning of a shrill squeal. It drops, becoming dead weight in your arms. You lower it to the grown and let it drop.

The small home is cleared just in time for the sun to begin setting. The group sits in the living room. Silent and eating. Even Arthur is keeping his mouth shut. As the sky darkens, the sound of shuffling gets louder. The rotters have awoken. A few of them call out eerie pleas for help. That's what disturbs you the most; the mimicking. Back at the start you had mistakenly opened your door, assuming the woman crying for help on the other side was human. She wasn't. You had been tackled to the floor trying to fight her off. A lucky shove sent her flying into the table, snapping her neck and stunning her enough for you to bash her head in. You don't respond to calls for help anymore.

You have first watch. Your eyes droop and you fight hard to keep them open. Grace's soft snoring does nothing to help you. You're leaning against the wall. Your name gets called, startling you awake. Your heart throbs in your chest as you listen, ears ringing from the silence. Were you hallucinating? It doesn't come again. A few footsteps sound close to the boarded-up window. Maybe one of the rotters said something that sounded like your name. That's what you decide but it freaks you out enough to keep you awake.

Your group moves on promptly at sunrise. Most of the rotters having hidden themselves in shadows and buildings to hibernate for the day. It's another scorcher. Sweat wets your brow as you walk, legs aching from fatigue. Your tired stumbling reminds you of the rotters.

"Water." Arthur says. Rojan reaches into the side of his pack for the communal water bottle without stopping and holds it out behind him. Arhtur takes it and you watch him carefully from the corner of your eye to make sure he isn't taking too much. Water is a valuable commodity. Getting drinkable water is a hassle. If you can't find any bottled water stashed somewhere, you have to boil some from rivers. You lag behind a little. Overheating and exhausted from having to stay up all night.

You halt as you hear movement beside you. Your group progresses on, leaving you behind as you stare into the shadowy alley. Not a brick is out of place. You hurry your steps and catch up with your group. You're just tired and paranoid.

You sit with your back to your front door as Valeria pounds on it. Shaking the weak wood with every hit.

"Open the fucking door!" She yells. You put your head down and cover your ears, every single limb fizzling with nervous energy. You and Valeria have had a... tumultuous relationship. On and off, fighting, making up. You finally called it off for good and denied her when she tried to win you back. Valeria's never been able to leave you alone though.

She hits the door again.

"Please, mi vida, open the door." Her voice softens. It's forced. 

"Go away, Valeria!" You yell back, worried she'll break down the door. You don't know what she'll do if she makes it inside and that scares you.

"For fuck's sake!" She snarls, dropping the nice act. "I'm going to fucking kill you if you don't open this door!"

You shut your eyes and count. Trying to calm yourself down.

The faded red door and empty flowerpots are uncomfortably familiar. You feel an overwhelming sense of foreboding. Unfortunately for you, Rojan deems it suitable. He and Grace clear it and you and Arthur enter once they confirm it's empty. You cast a glance at the decayed woman on the floor, head mashed to a pulp. You're disturbed to find chunks missing from her. The other's congregate in the living room but you wander down the hall and take a left. Pushing open the closed door. The bedroom is full of dirt and dust. The curtains nothing but moth-eaten tatters now. You wander to the nightstand and lower yourself down to your knees, the carpet damp and spongy. You reach under and pull out a box, running your fingers over the gold trim. Clearing dust off the lid. You open it and pull things out. Birthday cards, baby teeth. Polaroids. You and Valeria smile up from the picture tauntingly. She has a firm grip on your waist, keeping you pressed against her.

Flowers get shoved in your face, startling you out of your skin. You stare at Valeria like a deer in headlights. Behind her lurks two dangerous looking men. Protection or intimidation? You can guess which.

"I'm sorry." Valeria murmurs, forcing you to take the flowers. "I know you're upset but I also know you're not done with me. Just stop with this little angry act and take me back."

"What? No." You frown. "Valeria, we are not good together."

Valeria ignores your words and grabs your arms gently. "I love you." She says, looking at you intensely. "I love you so much that it makes me sick. It makes me angry. You did this to me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. We are it for each other, why can't you understand that?"

You put the picture back down and hide it under a few others. Ones without Valeria in them. It's all history and at the end of the world, history means nothing. You join the others as they finish up their meal of canned sausage. You don't ask for any, no longer having an appetite. You're still exhausted though. Settling yourself on your couch. It's filthy but you still gleam a small sense of comfort from it. It doesn't take you long to drift off. Lulled by the quiet chattering of your companions.

You aren't sure what woke you first. The shattering of glass, or Grace's panicked curse. Nobody remains a heavy sleeper when there's a constant threat outside. The whole group is startled awake. It doesn't take long for the rushed steps of the rotters to be heard. You freeze. Watching as Grace shoots one but gets tackled by another. Filthy teeth sink into her throat. Both Arthur and Rojan aim and take down a few. One of the rotters slinks in-between them and heads right towards you. You're horrified to see Valeria's face glaring back at you. She barrels right into you, crushing you under her weight and pinning you down to the couch. You feel bile stinging your throat.

You slam into the floor as Valeria slams the door shut in your face. Your body is already on overdrive and in your adrenaline induced haze you decide Valeria did that on purpose. It doesn't help that she immediately crowds you. Her warm hands latching onto you, her smell overwhelming you.

"Get off!" You hiss, kicking at her.

"I'm sorry." She growls. Maneuvering you onto your back. You can't move, you can't leave. You're trapped in this stressful situation. A claustrophobic panic kicks in. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but you can't run out every time you argue - stop struggling!" Valeria says with anger.

"You're hurting me right now!" You try to wrench yourself away from her but only end up pulling a muscle.

"You cannot leave me." She replies, sounding hurt and desperate. Her tone scares you more than anything. "I'm sorry, just stop struggling and we can talk, please."

The sound of flesh tearing is seared into your memory. The screaming stopped after only a few seconds, but you think you'll remember it for the rest of your left. Valeria keeps you crushed under her firmly. The reek of decay permeates through the air. It's so thick you worry you'll get infected just breathing in. Through a gap in her limbs, you watch the rotters in a frenzy. Ripping your group apart like animals. Something cold caresses the side of your neck, startling you. It's Valeria running her fingers along your neck. She says your name. Voice distorted and growly. It sounds like it hurts to speak.

A salty tear rolls down your cheek as you stare blankly at the massacre. Grace's head bobs slightly as a rotter feeds on her intestines. Her eyes stare back at you lifelessly.

The wood trembles.

"Open the fucking door!"

You raise your head from your hands and look at the wall, you don't know what to do. The pounding stops. Valeria's voice is muffled but clearly aggressive as she speaks to someone.

"You're sick." She exclaims, disgusted... and afraid. "Fuck. Open the door." She repeats. Valeria doesn't sound angry anymore, she sounds urgent. "Open the door, someone sick is staring me down, open the door now." 

You've never heard her sound frightened before. This disease is frightening though. You haven't seen one of the sick in person before but just the symptoms were enough to scare you.

A bite or bodily fluid was all it took. Doctors said incubation was from anywhere between an hour to three days. It started with a fever, intense mood swings, violent behavior, thirst and hunger. Sores sprouted up on the body. Eventually they would pustulate and then rot. Then the virus made it's way through the brainstem and effectively killed the frontal lobe while triggering the amygdala. Turning the host into an animal. Valeria calls your name.

"Please open this door, I know you're mad at me, but you can't leave me out here with that thing." 

You're very tempted to open the door but you can't move. You're frozen to the spot.

"Get back!" Valeria snaps. Startling you. "Take another step and I'll shoot you."

The infected care not for the threat of a gun. Shots are fired, loud and earsplitting. Something hard thumps to the ground and Valeria screams.

You feel sick.

"I know you're mad at me, please open this door." She whispers into your hair. Every second you wait for her to bite. To tear into your vulnerable flesh, but she doesn't. "I didn't mean to hurt you, please open this door." Valeria brushes her face against your cheek. Something wet transferring onto yours. "I'm sorry, it makes me sick. I love you." Valeria tightens her grip on you. Shielding you from the horror in the living room. After being infected and dying she tracked you down. She got rid of the only people you had left. There is nowhere you could hide that she wouldn't find you. Dead or alive, she's yours.

[hirsheyskisses]

I think we all know 18 needs to happen with Zoro

We're Not Lost!

SPOOKTOBER (2023) EVENT 🎃 👻

RORONOA ZORO x READER (Short)

Summary: you should've never trusted zoro to know the way to the Halloween party..

The new island you and the straw hats had docked on was very famous for one thing- its Halloween party.

As the others went ahead to scout out the land, you and zoro had stayed behind to watch the ship for a bit.

You were amazingly excited for all the spooks and costumes and treats where zoro was- to no surprise, just excited for the booze.

As the moon rose in the pitch black sky, being the only light offered, you both decided it was time to catch up to the others, with Zoro, to your surprise, being confident enough to take the lead..

Well, that was a mistake, in the kindest terms possible-

"Just trust me on this, I know where I'm going." Thats what Zoro had said three hours ago, and being too giddy about the party to question him, you'd blindly chosen to follow the swordsman on the dark and dreary island.

Now, you found yourselves in the woods, with nothing but the moon and the terrifying howls of the night to accompany you both. Every angle you glanced at had trees that looked like they were reaching for you, every shadow had hungry eyes, every snap of a twig let you know there were creatures in this forest.

"...what was that?" You'd asked nervously for the umpteenth time, pressing a bit closer to Zoro. He shrugged his shoulders, "I dunno.. but I feel like we should've reached the party by now. I know it was this way.." He grumbled, looking around with crossed arms. Zoro seemed completely relaxed, unlike you, who was a nervous wreck. "You got us lost, you asshole!"

"We are NOT lost." Zoro snapped, being interrupted by another rather fiersome howl- that sounded like it was getting closer. "We're just.. conveniently placed in a spooky forest." He drew a sword. The movements in the brush gave away one thing: whatever had been following you both was huge. Drawing your gun, you backed into Zoro's side, who chuckled darkly. "We've faced some of the toughest pirates at see.. and you're trembling like a puppy."

He teased, another crunch echoing in your ear. You didn't even have the heart to give him a witty comeback, and Zoro noticed that. He didn't like it, either. Just as he made to speak again, a face broke through the overgrowth. A wolfish face covered in blood, saliva dripping from its jaws. By the time you'd raised your gun Zoro had already acted, blades slicing the mighty beast down in an instant. Zoro glanced back at you, and you slowly lowered your pistol. "...showoff."

You scoffed softly, and Zoro shrugged. "It was easy pickings." Without warning, he grabbed your wrist and began to pull you along. Baffled, you gasped, "zo? What're you-" "We're gonna get out of this damn forest.. together."

[south-of-heaven]

Hi there! I hope you’re doing well. Can I please request a Shayna Baszler/reader where Shayna gets home after a tough match and reader patches her up and they share a sweet moment together? Shayna Baszler deserves the world and I will die on that hill 🥹

Thank you as always!

The world || Shayna Baszler x Reader

Summary: Shayna has a rough night. You take care of her.

The door creaks open, and you turn to see Shayna, worn and battered, entering the room. She's just come home from RAW, and the evidence of the brutal match is etched on her face. A busted eyebrow, a split lip – the toll of the ring is clear.

Without a word, you rush to her side, concern etched on your face. "God, you look even worse in real life than you did on Tv," you say, your voice a mix of worry and the banter you and Shayna share.

She smirks, her usual tough exterior softened by the acknowledgment of your concern. "Just a rough night," she replies, but the wince as she moves betrays the pain she's trying to downplay.

You guide her to the couch, insisting she sits down while you fetch the first aid kit. As you clean the wounds, your touch is gentle, a delicate contrast to the brutality of her profession. Shayna winces, but there's a subtle relaxation in her posture – the trust she places in your hands.

"Thanks," she mumbles, her gaze meeting yours. You can sense the gratitude in her eyes.

Once the wounds are patched up, you lean in, pressing a tender kiss on her forehead. "You deserve better than this, Shayna," you say softly. "You deserve the world."

A small smile plays on her lips as you continue to shower her with affection. More kisses follow – on her cheek, her bruised knuckles, and finally, a lingering one on her split lip. You can taste the faint trace of copper, but it doesn't deter you.

The remainder of the night becomes a ritual of doting on Shayna, making sure she knows just how much she's cherished. You prepare her favorite meal, making sure it's easy on her still-sore jaw. Soft music fills the air, creating a soothing atmosphere. Shayna reclines on the couch, a rare vulnerability in her eyes as she allows herself to be cared for.

As the night progresses, you find joy in these simple acts of love. Shayna, the fierce warrior, becomes the recipient of your tenderness. And in those moments, you both find solace – a reminder that even the toughest souls need softness and affection, especially after facing the unforgiving canvas of the wrestling ring.

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

Trick + something Disko (or if you have nothing in the pipeline, WIP of your choice)

Treat + something Garashir

No Disko wips right now lol!

Below the cut there’s a freshly written scene following up on this other scene from my Sub Rosa sloanshir wip where Sloan makes a sleepwalking Julian stab Garak, and then a garashir pining part of my soulmate au (starts off with a discussion of Sloan, who has just convinced Julian he’s his soulmate, but it’s chock full of Julian thinking about garak and the events of The Wire).

Sub Rosa sloanshir:

Julian tended to Garak’s wound by muscle memory alone. He felt like he was in a fog, like something was trying to hold him back from acting and he had to fight against it each time he wanted to make his arms move, so he was glad the medical procedures themselves were not complex.

It had helped that he’d stabbed him somewhere that the scales were toughest and the layers of fat above anything vital were thickest. He shuddered to think about what further damage he might have done if Garak hadn’t woken him up immediately. Probably more than his medkit could have handled.

Tears stung his eyes. He’d hurt his dearest friend, his would-be lover. He twisted where he sat on the edge of Garak’s bed so that he could lean down and bury his face into Garak’s chest as he cried.

Hands on his back surprised him and he sat up.

“Doctor, I’m not dead yet.”

“Thankfully I’m better with a scalpel than a kitchen knife,” he sniffled.

“Yes, I’m sure you could be a much deadlier surgeon with the proper tools.”

Julian grinned in spite of himself, glad that Garak was in a joking mood, but his face fell again a moment later.

“But what are we going to do? Get rid of everything sharp? Lock me in my room at night?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Garak…”

“Locking your door will guarantee that the only person you can hurt will be yourself, and I refuse to accept that as an option. You’ll stay with me. I’m a light sleeper, I’ll notice if you get up.”

~

soulmates AU:

“So what does it actually mean, that you’re soulmates with him? You hate the guy.”

“I truly don’t know.” He burst out laughing, a little hysterically. “I guess I’m destined to fall in love with him. Or maybe it’s not even romantic, there’s people with platonic soulmates, right? Maybe I’m just… the only one that can fix whatever’s wrong with him. Or something.”

He thought of Garak snarling and pushing him to the ground, in the throes of drug withdrawal and organ failure; and Garak, a few days later, smiling at him over I’danian spice pudding. He clutched onto the memory.

Miles snorted. “I don’t think that even you can make Sloan any less of a bastard.”

He sighed. “No. I suppose not.”

“Speaking of bastards,” he said somewhat more affectionately, “have you talked to Garak yet?”

“I’m going to.”

“What’s the hold up?”

“It’s difficult.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “He doesn’t have a functioning soulmark, you know.”

“No. I don’t know that. Why the hell would I know something personal about him like that?”

With a little help from Nurse Jabara, Julian had undressed Garak to get him into hospital garb. It had been impossible for him not to notice that Garak had no soulmark, and just as impossible not to clock that Garak’s tattoo of flower petals over his heart was different than his other ink. There was a faint scar all the way around it, and the colors looked more faded than the seal of the Cardassian Empire that he had on his side or the parallel sequences of moon phases that circled his wrist like an enjoinment bracelet. Julian knew instantly that he’d once had a soulmark and it had been taken from him.

And he knew Garak knew that he’d seen it. Julian knew also that this must be a big part of why he’d never come to the infirmary for anything serious before.

And so Garak had given him three stories of his exile, each with a distinct explanation for his lack of a soulmark. Firstly, that he’d killed his own soulmate Elim in cold blood rather than let the Bajoran prisoners escape and his mark had faded from his skin entirely just as Elim’s pulse had stopped; secondly, that he’d killed Elim by mistake in his negligence when he’d let the Bajoran prisoners escape and his mark had gone static, frozen as the insignia of the Cardassian Union, which happened for all Cardassians whose soulmate died; and finally, that he was so much of a monster that he’d never even had a soulmark or soulmate, and his attempted betrayal of his lover Elim was proof enough of why he didn’t deserve one.

“Well, he doesn’t have a mark anymore but he used to. I shouldn’t have even told you that much because he’s very insecure about it, but the point is I can’t very well tell him I’ve matched with someone who isn’t him, without risking breaking his heart.”

Miles groaned. “If you two ever just talked to each other, without the bullshit…”

Julian slumped. “Oh, like you’re so good at communicating. It’s complicated, okay?”

“You’re both into each other. You’ve been into each other for… forever. What’s so complicated?”

He didn’t answer, just nursed his brandy. He knew that Miles would never understand what it was like to not know whether the soulmark on your arm was your own or not. Miles’ life had been straightforward. Miles’ parents hadn’t changed him into someone new at a young age.

[zelandiangelo]

🦈 🏷️💌 for the fic ask game!! (o^▽^o) <3 

hiiiiiiiii! <333 thank you for asking hehe \o/ hope you're doing well!!

🦈 Which character is the toughest to write?

You know it's funny that you ask because getting into a character's head is actually one of my favorite things about writing! I usually don't have an awful lot of trouble with it unless I've started with an idea that I'm not as interested in as I thought.

So, there's probably been other times that I struggled but the one that I remember the best is Kaeya from Genshin LOL. I was never so super into Gempact but for a while I was playing it w my friends bc it was a Group Activity so I ended up writing a fair bit of fic just because I was so plugged into it. I stalled out on a fic from Kaeya POV that I was writing that I ended up wrapping up at what felt like it Could Be a stopping point and just posting what I had. The trouble with him, I think, is that he has this mysterious backstory that informs his character that's alluded to in events, objects around the world, etc, but I hadn't really gotten an understanding of that backstory. (I could have looked at the wiki I guess but I prefer to use the wiki to confirm stuff that I already knew or look up little bits of trivia; it doesn't feel right to learn everything about a character in a wiki review that might leave out important story or emotional context.)

THIS GOT LONG LOL tl;dr I was writing a lot of genshin fic even though i'm not really built to be a Gacha Lore Understander so i had some trouble with Kaeya!

🏷️ Is there a tag you like to search for when looking for fanfics to read?

>///<

i like sickfic hahaha;;;;;; if I'm being so real unless I get really extremely into something (eg. KNB or Yugioh) sickfic is the ONLY kind of fic I'll even read LOL. I've also written a lot of it myself, when I first got into fic writing I wrote it pretty much exclusively.

I didn't think this was gonna be a long answer but now i wanna talk about it LOL. I just think that when a character is ill (or injured tbh) the Vulnerability that it forces them into can be a really interesting trigger for changed character dynamics. You can have a standoffish or antagonistic character unwillingly in this position be treated gently, with kindness, and soften some of their relationships; alternatively, you can have their soft side come out if they're confronted with someone ELSE being vulnerable. You can have a character who tries to do Everything have to ask for help, you can have just plain fluff between characters with an established good relationship... it's even ok if characters act a bit out of character bc you can blame it on delirium LOL.

Essentially, unless you're getting really funky with it (which you can and it's fun!) a lot of sickfics follow a similar structure/set-up (character gets sick, character deals with being sick, other characters find out character is sick, they are now also dealing with it). Plot and structure is something that I still struggle with even now that I've stepped outside of writing sickfic exclusively, so at the time that I started writing, sickfic offered something of a baseline for me to write what I was really interested in (character dynamics) without having to think too much about the structure! Also it's fun haha >_< even though I've branched out I definitely still favor them quite a bit LOL

sorry for writing u a sickfic essay i am really Normal about it

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

OMG I WROTE ALL THAT ABOVE AND NOW IM LIKE WHAT DO I SAYYYYYYY I THINK THE ANSWERS ARE THE SAME LOL

let's see. Sickfic Good for the reasons outlined above. I enjoy writing polyamory quite a bit too (character dynamics are so fun!!) but I don't write it as frequently as I'd like bc not all characters are built for it and it can get a bit complex besides.

OH. OH OH OH. teachers/mentor figures. my favorite fic that i've ever written is shockingly not a sickfic: it's called I Accidentally Fell In Love With My Childhood Friend The King And Now My Students Are Also My Sons!? and it's for one of my most favorite animes ever, Oushitsu Kyoushi Haine (The Royal Tutor). (I thought the silly light novel title was funny LOL)

The entire premise of the show is just This Guy Is An Extremely Good Teacher For These Four Misunderstood Students which like. Is lab-grown to be like catnip to me RAAAAAHHHHHHH i've watched the show twice through and cried at the end both times. Anyway. The fic I wrote is technically a ship fic between the royal tutor himself (Heine) and the king (Viktor) who hired him to teach his sons (they get married in this fic hehe >w<), but the focus is really on Heine's relationships with his students, and how they handle their favorite (only) teacher getting married to their father.

I feel like these descriptions don't do the anime or my fic justice LOL all I can really say is that as someone who works with children the anime really touched me and it felt so permeated with genuine love and care for students who are left behind and for teachers who see those students and put in the work to help them. and as for my fic well. now that you've reminded me of it i think i will reread it SKJKDFJSDKFJ

I HOPE THESE PARAGRAPHS ARE OKAY THANK YOU FOR ASKING ME QUESTIONS I REALLY LIKED THESE! YOU ARE VERY COOL!

[foxydivaxx]

Gossip Girl Prequel: Z After Dark

This is the full prequel of the Gossip Girl AU. As you can see, it is Zoro-centric. About time I placed the spotlight on him and show people how he turned out the way he did.

Trigger warning: mentions of suicide attempt, drugs, underage sex, abuse, depression, mental breakdown

How did his life get this way? One minute, he was onstage to present an award and the next, he immediately collapses.

He does not remember much other than feeling like shit a couple hours prior. Okay, he actually remembers now. This year has been a pretty turbulent year for him. His movies for the past two years have been flopping and his last single got trashed by critics and fans alike.

Who would have thought that the once mighty bankabke star Zoro Roronoa would have a mighty downfall like this? He spent all those years pretending whilst taking all that hate.

He is now suddenly reminded of his younger years where he would receive excessive beatings from the other kids in school growing up for his natural green hair and the fact that he was Japanese and his mother barely doing anything about it. As far as she was concerned, Zoro was a means to an end, a tool.

Speaking of his mother, that woman keeps lashing out at him and blames him whenever shit goes wrong, just like his now declining career. Ironic considering it was her poor decisions and micromanagement of her poor son’s life that caused all this. It has now began to manifest as the boy is overworked to death and is exhausted beyond measure. All that fame and money is worth what at the end of the day if this boy suddenly dies?

“Zoro!! Zoro!!” Mihawk calls out to his stepson who was unconscious. Perona, his daughter immediately calls for paramedics.

The boy could not respond as he was completely unconscious. There was mass pandemonium as fans and celebrities alike were horrified by what they had just witnessed.

At first, they all thought it was either a fake act or he tripped over something and fell and would always pull himself back up, something that seemed unlike Zoro since the Prince was almost always picture-perfect. This is a boy who debuted when he was just 3 years old, thrust into the spotlight prematurely by his mother from day one.

But after the boy refused to get up for close to an hour, this case became serious. Making matters worse is that his mother, his so-called manager, was not present. The paparazzi spotted her in Milan with a mysterious man, fueling cheating rumors and making many suspect that there was more to Zoro’s downward spiral.

There is also the story of her using Zoro to spite Sora her former rival because Sora was the former Queen of the Upper East Side and she always hated that woman and her kids.

There was also that infamous public argument Zoro had with his mother outside a restaurant a month prior to this. He was heard saying out loud in the video, “You shall know no peace!!”

“Is he sick?”

“Whatever happened to him?”

“His mother did something, didn’t she? That witch!!”

Questions began to mount as paramedics arrive on the scene, place an oxygen mask over his face and place him on a stretcher, taking him out of the building.

As expected, there were paparazzi outside, but thankfully, the bodyguards help to fend them off as Perona and Mihawk follow the paramedics and get into the ambulance. "Make sure that woman does not come near my son!!" Mihawk yells into the phone and then hangs up.

“Have you called Kuina and the others?” Perona nodded, trying to fight back tears. “I also called Zoro’s friends that were not in the building. They are on their way. Grimmjow and Sukuna are on their way.”

“And Sanji?” Perona nodded, trying hard to swallow the lump she felt in her throat. “T..That was the toughest call I had to make because of how much he means to him.” Mihawk sighs and places a hand over her shoulder. “You did very well.”

He was trying to be strong but even he himself felt like he was falling apart. Zoro may not be his birth son but the kid is the son he never had.

He had always been protective of the kid and often got into heated arguments with Terra over her maltreatment of her son.

Just because she did not achieve certain things when she was a kid does not give her the right to project her failures onto her son.

That was why Mihawk got Zoro his current friends. He needs other kids around his age around him who will be there for him and would guard that heart of his.

Mihawk has made a huge decision in regards to his own mental well-being and also Zoro’s safety and happiness in light of this incident and also the tabloid stories he has been seeing of Terra and that billionaire she met in Milan. He should have listened to Sora before hooking up with that woman.

Either way, he can sort that out this evening. Right now,his main concern is Zoro’s health.

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

Grimmjow sighs as he gets into the taxi. Not too long ago, he saw Zoro’s fainting spell on live TV. He panicked because it is a well-known fact that his mother never had his best interests at heart and he and the others have tried to free him from that woman. It seems now it is going to become a reality.

Perona soon called and confirmed what had happened. He cannot believe that this was happening.

He told Zoro several times to stand up to his mother, but he did not know or understand the true extent of the abuse until he and Zoro started their secret recording sessions a couple months. Zoro approached him since he is a skilled music producer and entrusted this secret project to him. He also shot music videos for like 4 of those songs all without his mother knowing.

All those songs were pretty painful to listen to and were tearjerky. The worst part? He wrote all those songs himself.How long has the guy been pretending? Heck, he cried recording majority of these songs.

How nights did he spend alone crying himself to sleep? All that hard drinking and partying he had been doing is both a cry for help and also a possible way to slowly kill himself.

Not helping matters is Zoro telling him yesterday, “If anything happens, leak out the songs.” Why Zoro? Why did it have to come to this?!

He sighs and begins to upload the songs on every single digital platform. He also posted the songs and videos on his secret Twitter account and on Zoro's YouTube channel to help him promote the songs.

Almost immediately, the songs breaks the Internet as everyone mass downloads them and view them on YouTube to the point where Zoro gets the highest amount of views in his career. And the guy is only 15 years old now.

"Let us get him to number 1!!" a fan tweets online. Immediately the hashtag #FreeZoro starts trending online. All of Zoro's friends are happy to see this and they too join the movement. The rest of the industry joins in too.

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

Hours later, Zoro finally wakes up in the hospital ward. “Ugh…” He still felt drowsy. “Zoro!!” Perona exclaims as she hugs her baby brother. His other siblings follow suit and hug him too.

The boy immediately breaks down in tears. “I….I’m so sorry…”

“No. This shit ain’t your fault. Mamma hurt you Zoro-kun, and we are gonna free you.” says Johnny, ruffling his brother’s hair. Kuina pats his head. “You will be fine.”

He nods, sniffing. “Dad filed a restraining order against your mother. He also filed for divorce.” His eyes widen in shock. “Really?!”

The others nodded. “Yeah he did. He also presented evidence to the court and asked for complete custody of you so as to protect you from that woman.” says Kuina.

Zoro was not surprised. His mother has been cheating on Mihawk for years and is a toxic person to be around. Now he understands why his father lost his sanity years ago and ended up in that asylum. That woman drove him mad and intends to do the same thing to her own son.

“What matters to me is Zoro’s safety and health. The doctor said that you passed out because you were extremely exhausted and malnourished” says Yosaku. “Which is why I brought food for you all!!” Zoro’s eyes light up once he sees his grandma and Mihawk. Yosaku gets up so that Mihawk can have his seat. Kuina and Perona help Grandma Roronoa dish out the food.

“You good kiddo?” he asks as he sits next to him. Zoro nods. “I have not been eating much and got zero sleep and zero social time.”

“That’s because your mother treated you like a damn slave and not the star that you truly are.” says Grandma. Zoro chuckles at this. He and his grandma were quite close when he was young.

“We are changing that. You are star yes but first and foremost, you are a kid.” says Mihawk. "And kids need a nice nourishing meal." says Grandma as he hands Zoro a bowl of rice balls. He grins. He used to eat these a lot when he was a kid.

"Thanks Grandma." He then begins to eat them. Happiness begins to fill him up as they are as tasty as he always remembered them. "Now I feel like a kid again." Everyone laughs.

It was at that moment that Zoro's friends arrive. "Marimo!!" Sanji yells as he rushes towards him and hugs him much to everyone's amusement. It is an open secret that Zoro and Sanji have a crush on each other.

"Hi Curly." Both of them knew each since they were kids. The fact that their nicknames are the very insults that they used to throw at each other as kids makes their relationship hilarious.

"You need to eat more and also rest." says the blonde. "He got a point dude because I warned you man." says Sukuna, shaking his head with a little smile on his face.

"Speaking of which, dude have a look." says Grimmjow who hands his phone over to him. Zoro looks at the activity of social media and his jaw drops. "OH MY GOD!!"

Everyone else takes a look and are shocked as well. "Let us capitalize on this." says Mihawk. "Thankfully, I asked the staff to pack up all of Zoro's stuff out of that damn house so that he moves in with me."

"Yes!!" says Perona. "We are also moving in with your guys too." says Kuina. Zoro grins. "Thanks Papa Hawk." Mihawk smiles and pats the boy on the head.

"See Zoro? You are sorted."

Meanwhile, Terra is in Milan chilling in her hotel room. She saw the hashtag but paid it no heed. She does not care about her son so long as she gets what she wants. Besides, the boy cannot access that money. Only she can. What do kids know anyway?

She scrolled and came across a song with Zoro's name attached to it called Are You Satisfied? She clicks on it and listens to it. He sang it in English and it was a pop rock track. She is horrified as that song is clearly referring to her.

Furious, she tries to call him. Regardless of how exhausted he is, he should pick up her calls. After all, she is his manager and mother. No response. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" She tries Mihawk and all of Zoro's step siblings. Also no response. She also tries the staff members and some of her friends. No response.

"THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT!!" She screams as she grabs a champagne bottle and throws it against the wall. "Okay. calm down. Calm down. Everything is gonna be okay. Must be pretty late right now. best try tomorrow.."

Both Zoro and Sanji qualify as the Britney for this verse, Zoro leans more towards the dark conservatorship aspect due to his mother's controlling and abusive nature and Sanji is more the looks department and both of them are amazing dancers and share similar styles. Though Zoro is a lot darker than Sanji.

[hooter-n-company]

Question,

On your oc sheet for bulzar, you mentioned about him disliking humans with some exceptions. Has he ever befriended or at the very least was mural with a human?

Bulzar is a gruff and very territorial fellow, so even if you get on his good side, don’t expect him to act all warm n’ fuzzy around you (Miko being the obvious exception). That said, it is still possible to befriend him, especially if you make a good first impression and prove you’re not a threat to his precious son.

Bulzar is on pretty good terms with these guys, although introductions were seriously rocky:

This is the trio of bounty hunting bois I mentioned. From left to right, we have Grimaldus (aka Grim for short) the foul tempered conjurer, Balroc the big n' rowdy warrior, and Owin the optimistic young mage and healer. The story where they first meet the giants is still in the works, but @amanofhamm wrote the blurb below explaining how the gang came to be:

It all begins with Owin. He's a young but highly intelligent student of magic who cares for people and wants to use his magic to help others. Other mages were jealous of him, but his elders loved his mind and his talents. However, it became clear that the masters were dabbling in the dark arts. Owin tried to plead with them to not corrupt their souls, and when they abandoned their morality for power, and many other mages followed suit, Owin denounced the guild and went his own way.

The first he came across was Grim, an elder mage who was originally from a rival guild, and regarded Owin's guild as a bunch of pansies. The two first met when Owin decided to travel the world to find a new way to help people. Grim, meanwhile, was on his way to a bounty, using his magic for a job usually suited for tougher warriors. But Grim's particular brand of magic was quite deadly. At first, Grim didn't like Owin. He thought of him as a little wimp who would just slow him down...til a ghoul bit and poisoned him, and Owin ended up saving the old mans life. So after that, it was like, "fine, you can tag along, kid..."

But when the two were on their way to Grim's bounty, they came across Balroc, who was also after the same bounty as Grim. Balroc was already a bounty hunter and was looking for the biggest, toughest bounties to take down. He doesn't talk a lot about where he came from, but he's clearly a very skilled warrior, but also deeply boastful, headstrong, and while not a meathead, he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed either.

He'd also just gotten his ass kicked by the monster he was after. Grim told him to beat it since the monster was his prize, and Balroc basically told him to go fuck himself. And the two, naturally, did not hit it off especially well. Grim went after the bounty himself, with Owin's assistance, and sure as the sky is blue, Grim got his ass kicked, and once again required Owin's healing.

So, Owin came up with the idea of the three of them working together, Grim using his magic for ranged attacks, Balroc for close attacks, and Owin supporting them both with his magic to provide defenses. And sure enough, they took down the monster and each collected and split the rather large bounty. And from that point on, however begrudgingly, they became partners who constantly bicker but grew to trust and care for one another, tho Grim will never admit it.

Owin's around 19 years old. He's the youngest of the bunch but also the most mature, well disciplined and empathetic. He's very kindhearted and always willing to help others out, even if there's no payment in it for him.

Balroc is anywhere from his early to mid twenties and acts kinda like a rowdy big brother to Owin. Though, he's not a mentor by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, a lot of the time, Owin's the one teaching him a thing or two. Though, he's the biggest and strongest of the bunch, with excellent combat stills, resilience, stamina, and an appetite to spare. He's not quite as trusting as Owin, but he's got a good heart and isn't afraid to show it from time to time. Though, he has a deep hatred of monsters.

Grim is in his sixties, and is like the grumpy old uncle to the two bois. He's a grouch through and through. Hates most people and is seemingly only ever happy when he's tormenting Balroc. He and Balroc bicker and argue like an old married couple all the time. And while not a strong fighter, he has more spells than he knows what to do with. He doesn't give a shit most times, so long as there's a pay day. Grim has a heart, but he's like if Grumpy Cat were a dude. "Fun is overrated."

[thunderclaw100]

Name:Jynx

Sex: Male

Race: Irken

Job positions: Weapon designer,analyst,coordinator

Personalities:Talkative,cheerful,Intelligent,moody,sly,cryptic,flirtatious,unpredictable,outgoing,blunt,witty.

Likes:Deserts,relaxing,video games,simulation developing,females,working,smeets,new wardrobes.

Dislikes:The heat,loosing track of time,dirty messes,being ignored,isolation,tangy food,bullies.

Bio: Jynx grew up during the toughest era of the irken timeline. Everyone is out for themselves. Even the leaders are fighting for power. Back when paks were not invented yet and the population of irkens rest in the strong hold of their superiors, who look down on those who are weak and pathetic. Jynx was only fortunate to be born in a hive that had better respect for their underlings and given them a chance to grow and improve themselves. He had met both good and bad irkens. Some who were there to help him and those who do nothing but stand by and watch him struggle. Jynx had lost his mother and father due to health complications that was too late to treat and ignored by the higher ups.

His fifteen siblings are scattered around the hive. Doing their own thing to survive. Jynx made some friends along the way to his training as he was drafted into the military, at a young age. He wasn’t the strongest drone but he is one of the smartest one in his unit. His first and only real war battle was taken place after a neighboring hive decided to attack his. It was because of the two tallest got into a heated argument during a summit and it left with death threats to both sides. Jynx participated in the act of war, and barely made it out of it alive. When he’s not doing his job. He’s either lounging around somewhere. Or pestering his fellow irkens, out of boredom. Jynx’s demeanor would have put him in he same category as a defective, but due to his status and bright intelligence. He was never brought in for a trial and to be deactivated. Despite being threatened for it. The drone has been kept in his tallest good side, for the most part.

He does have his timid moments. Especially when it comes to messing or flirting with some of the tallest’s birthing drones, inside their chambers. Jynx means well but he can be a bit of an eyesore to others. As the years go by. He made some improvements in his work and stick to that instead of following along with the battles, his comrades are facing with enemy hives. Jynx sees himself as a lover and not a fighter. However he will fight if and when he has to. He’s strategic and will analyze the situation before moving forward for the attack. This era of the Irken history, many hives want to keep their most valuable assets.

Their drones included. Jynx was taken from his old hive during a trade war with a very upset ally. To fix this, both tallest have to compromise and he was to be given to the other hive. Before the exchange. Jynx had a mall talk with his tallest, and he was told to not to use his other job talent to the other hive. He is to be known and to take the position as the other tallest’s coordinator. He accepts and follow along with it from then on. Jynx is hasn’t change much, despite the change, it he does have moments of home sickness, whenever he thinks about his old hive. He participated in three population events. Two of them in which he successfully got his female partners pregnant. Jynx’s sworms are all over the place, and he does keep track of them. Of course he had to keep his affections for them to a minimum, due to the whole policy thing and keeping the new drones focused on their training. He gets to see them during breaks and other events.

(EXTRA)

•Jynx can multitask with his positions.

•He was born with his antennas bent like a “W”

•He has no boundaries and would get scolded often.

•He can remember all the names of his smeets

•Jynx finds birthing drones very attractive. Which explains his constant visits and flirts with them.

•Jynx Never wanted to leave his old hive but has grown to adjust to his new one over time.

•His training days was the hardest part of his life.

•when retired. Jynx moved to the city and lived in an apartment with a few of his close comrades and kids.

• others find his dark blue eyes bizarre and uncommon. It almost made him feel like an outcast.

•Jynx get’s some of his personality from his father.

[memethebum]

Started a new was supposed to be a oneshot for Halloween AU for October!!

This one is a 1800s mutual pining fake marriage AU hehe

————————————————————————-

“Are you alright?” Maka whispered before tightening her grip on his arm.

I dunno, am I? Soul thought as he looked to the side and noticed the way Maka’s eyebrows had been slightly furrowed in worry. However, his attention soon wandered towards how radiant she looked due to Marie’s handiwork in makeup and picking out a perfect dress to borrow for their wedding.

“Ye-yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Soul coughed out while watching Maka flash a smile at the crowd that’d gathered to watch them leave the courthouse.

“I don’t know, I just…thought you were acting a little off,” his wife replied, causing him to let out a long sigh due to how hard he’d been suppressing the urge to imagine all of this being real and not merely a favor between two friends.

“Oh well, I suppose I should try smiling a lil’ more. Wouldn’t wanna displease my wife,” he added before gently placing one of Maka’s hands within his own and feathering a kiss onto her knuckles.

The young man then looked up to see her gaping at him while he wondered if the soft blush across her cheekbones was a figment of his imagination.

“Hm, well I’m glad to hear it,” Maka whispered before grounding her feet to a halt and reaching up to peck him on the cheek, eliciting a set of gasps from the crowd.

The stopping point allowed Soul to get a perfect view of Blake, who seemed to flash him a wink before displaying the newsletter he’d been milking for the past week.

A Leaflet for Love

Soul Evans, one of our town’s most humble and prosperous farmers, had asked for a special section to be printed into Miss Maka Albarn’s copy of the Death Tribune this past week. It read as follows:

I am twenty two years old, have a rather peculiar set of teeth, believe in the wealth of Mister Deathman, and the merit of the crops which our town produces. I have taken up a State lot, cleared up eighteen acres last year, and seeded ten of it down.

My buckwheat looks first-rate, and the oats and potatoes are bully.

I have got nine sheep, a two-year-old bull, and two heifers, besides a house and barn.

I want to get married.

I want to buy bread-and-butter, hoop-skirts, and waterfalls for some person of the female persuasion during life. That's what's the matter with me.

But I don't know how to do it, as my world would shatter if none other than Miss Maka Albarn would give me the pleasure of being my wife.

————————————————————

1 week ago

“I just…don’t understand what I’m supposed to do sometimes, Soul,” Maka exclaimed before taking a swig out of a large wine bottle and passing it over to him.

“C’mon, you’re Maka Albarn, the toughest woman ta’ ever live,” Soul mumbled back while shifting the arm he’d snaked around her back.

He then took a large swig from the bottle while Maka slumped further against the pine tree they were seated under. The summer had graced the town with a cool evening breeze, which allowed the pair to have a perfect atmosphere for their nightly chats.

“Women are women to the lot, especially when it comes to business. Am I just supposed to waltz up to any investor, curtsy, and say good morning my name is Miss Maka Albarn and I’m inquiring about opening the first ever department store in Death City by myself,” she huffed, earning her a chortle from Soul.

“Well that’s where you’re wrong. I’m gonna be there to help you through it silly,” he added before regarding her with a shark-toothed grin, only to watch as her eyes became glazed over in deep thought.

“Hmm, help me out. That’s it!” the young woman yelped, eliciting Soul to jump at her sudden outburst.

“Soul….” she murmured before placing the wine bottle onto the ground and clasping both of her hands onto his own.

“Will you marry me?” Maka added while giving him an ardent stare, only for it to go unnoticed as the young man tried to wrap his mind around what she’d just said.

“Wha-“ Soul attempted to stammer out before feeling Maka’s grip on his hands begin to tighten.

“You could be the investor for me! I mean, you already have all this land and-“ Maka added, although Soul’s mind was too busy replaying those four words she’d uttered a moment ago.

Heh, kinda funny how I think about that stuff all the time. Me marryin’ Maka, her starting a business, us harvesting these fields every year until we’re an old married couple. Too bad…I can never really give her that life Soul mentally lamented before Maka slowly released his hands with a sigh.

“I-I mean only if you want to. It-it’s a request so please don’t-“

“Let’s do it,” the young man voiced while feeling a gentle warmth begin to creep up his chest once Maka’s emerald eyes settled upon his large grin.

“…Really?” she whispered, probing Soul into pressing his forehead against hers.

“Yea, if it means that much to ya’, let’s get hitched,” he added before Maka tackled him to the ground and hastily planted a set of kisses across his face.

[onlyxxbutmymindisolder]

Make It Three - Sk8 the Infinity fanfic, part 3/4

Of all the obstacles to enacting our plan, training was only the second toughest; the most exhausting thing was tracking down a certain slippery secretary who was in charge of Adam’s schedule. 

See, a challenge just wasn’t as fun when it was only the two competing parties involved. Having an audience brought a new kind of high to racing, and it also tended to make Adam a lot more amiable. So Kaoru and I searched high and low, and finally got lucky finding Tadashi at a skate shop near the Shindo family’s estate. At first I assumed he was taking Adam’s board for a tune-up, but he’d brought his own board. Weirdly, for all of his involvement in our skateboarding hobby, I had neither known nor assumed that Tadashi himself was a skater.

He was… less than enthused to see us, understandably. And once we told him what we were there for, I could see his headache growing. 

“You want me… to schedule S for next week,” he said, rubbing his temples. We were all in a quiet alley behind the skate shop, so he didn’t beat around the subject or his annoyance with it. “So that you can challenge Adam to a beef.”

“Yep,” I confirmed. “Next week would be best, but whenever you can make it happen, make it happen.”

“We know something’s wrong with Adam,” Kaoru joined in. “We think this might be the key to figuring out why he’s acting so odd lately.”

“Unless you know what he’s not telling us?” I suggested. Tadashi drew further into himself, and I took a step forward to compensate. “Tadashi, man, come on. Level with us. We’re his friends, and you must consider him a friend too seeing as you’re risking your job for him all the time. We want to help him, and we need all the assistance we can get. Anything you could tell us… it could end up making a huge difference in what we’re able to do.”

Tadashi looked me up and down, maybe trying to decide if trusting me was worth the risk. Finally, he sighed. “Everything that goes on in the Shindo household is strictly confidential. I cannot say anything about my time there or what Adam’s like when he’s at home. What I can say is-” he looked me in the eyes, “I think your plan is the best chance we have at saving him right now.”

“Is it that bad?” Kaoru asked, looking a little confused by his wording.

“If he continues like this, it could have serious consequences for his future.” Tadashi glanced off to the side. “...More than anything, I want Adam to be happy. So wait here.” He went to the back door of the skate shop, then paused. “Better yet. Leave this alley the way we came in, and follow the main street uptown. About five blocks from here, there’s a skate park. I’ll join you when I have my board.”

Kaoru and I shared a look. Tadashi usually held us at arm’s length, so this was a surprise. But we did as we were told, following his directions and stopping at the skate park. It was an out-of-the-way place, tucked between several large commercial buildings. The equipment was old but sturdy. It was quiet there, perfect for an introverted person like Tadashi. I wondered how often he visited.

Tadashi got there a few minutes after we did, his board all fixed and ready to go. I waved at him from where I was sitting on the rails. “So, what are we doing?”

He walked past me and set his board down at the base of a ramp. “You said you needed any help you could get to beat Adam. So I’m going to teach you how to skate like him.”

The rest of the afternoon was a blur. Tadashi worked us like dogs until the sun was starting to set and the sky turned orange. He showed us moves we had never heard of, much less tried; he picked and prodded at our forms until we could appear on a cover of SKATE FAN weekly. He gave us a breakdown, piece by piece, of what made Adam’s skating so uniquely unpredictable. And the most amazing thing was that he did it all without ever mentioning where he learned to skate like that. Had he skated with Adam before? By the end of the spontaneous training session, I was too tired to ask. Tadashi looked at his watch and announced that he had to be getting back. He left without a goodbye, his final words being, “Make sure your boards are in good shape.”

Well, mine was brand new. So at least I had that covered.

—

Three days later, Kaoru and I both received notes announcing that S was on for next week - Tadashi worked fast. We were both excited, but also kinda nervous. For all our bravado, the fact remained that neither of us had ever beaten Adam in a race. We didn’t know anybody who had. The day of judgment arrived quickly, and we jittered onto the bus hoping that the long ride would calm our nerves - though, not so much so that we weren’t sharp for the race.

To my surprise, our usual meeting place was absolutely crammed with people. In previous competitions we’d hosted maybe a few dozen, but now? I wondered if Adam had made good on his dream of inviting a hundred people. We’d have to stagger the races, or we all wouldn’t fit on one road. Scanning the crowd, I nudged Kaoru. “Hey. Do you see him?”

“Not yet,” he said. 

“How many people’d he invite?” I wondered.

“Too many,” Kaoru said, frowning. “I hope all of them were careful coming in here. We don’t need the police showing up.”

“That would kind of suck,” I agreed.

You’d think a guy like Adam would be easy to spot, blue hair and dramatic posturing and all that. But we struggled to find him in the crowd. Finally, I heard a familiar, lilting voice; Adam was standing on a rock monologuing to a crowd of groupies. I elbowed my way through and waved at him. “Hey! Big crowd tonight.”

He beamed when he saw Kaoru and I and hopped off the rock, heading over to us. “I was wondering when you would arrive! Some people got over-excited and arrived early, so I was explaining to them the history of our beloved S. Can you believe it? Eighty-seven skaters from all over the island came to visit us. Eighty-seven!”

“I was wondering how many there were,” I said, at the same time as Kaoru said, “Adam, we need to talk.”

Adam hummed. “Of course! Although, we’re planning to start soon, so do make it quick.” He paused, and his eyes narrowed. “Although… I hope this isn’t the same thing you ‘needed to talk’ to me about a month ago? I believe I made my position clear on that.”

“It, uh… No, it’s not really the same thing,” I said, sweating a little. I had no idea how Adam would react to our proposal. If he said no…

“Kojiro and I want to challenge you to a beef,” Kaoru butted in. 

Adam’s smile returned. “Oh, I see. Are you both feeling the competitive mood? See, I told you-” he spread his arms out, “-the more people, the better! All these passionate hearts coming together at one location… Oh. But what are we betting?”

“A secret,” I answered. “Adam, we want to know what’s on your mind.”

He tilted his head. “An interesting choice. What has you so curious that you’re challenging me to a beef to get it?”

I took a deep breath, and looked to make sure there was nobody listening in. “Look,” I said, lowering my voice, “We know there’s something going on with you. And we get there’s a lot of stuff you can’t tell us because of the way your life works, but… Both Kaoru and I want to support you in any way we can. So, if we can beat you in this next race, you have to tell us what’s bothering you.”

Adam stared at me for a long moment, his face unreadable. I braced myself for whatever he would say next, but all he asked was, “...And what are you betting?”

“Whatever you want,” Kaoru said. “You get to decide what you want in exchange if we lose. Although, we’re not going to,” he added.

Adam eyed us both. “Whatever I want from you…” He looked away for a moment. “Another race, then. I call the time and place, and you have to show up.”

I was surprised, but then again, why was I? Adam didn’t need money or stuff. All he wanted in the world was to skate to his heart’s content, and we were his preferred racing buddies. “It’s a bet, then,” I said, holding my hand out for him to shake. “See you on the track.”

Adam shook my hand, echoing what I had said, and wandered off towards the start line. I still wasn’t sure how this was going to go, but at least he didn’t turn the idea down entirely.

We all took our positions at the start line - there was me, Kaoru, Adam, and four or five others. The signal lights began counting from four, three, two, one - and with the blare of a horn, the race was on.

Within the first few turns, those who knew the track were sorted from those who didn’t. Skaters were a daring bunch, but like anybody else, we tended to be cautious around things that were new to us. Some of the newbies slowed down too much for the first sharp curve or dragged their feet on the steep downhill stretches while the more experienced racers pulled ahead. As for me, I was gunning for full speed. Adam never slowed down.

I practically rode the back wheels of his board through the first quarter of the course. Several times I thought I might be able to pass him, but each time he blocked me or used some trick to put more space between us. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Kaoru, too, was struggling to pass him. He glanced at me, and in that moment I could feel our competitive spirits ignite - wasn’t this how we’d always done things? Fighting each other to be first, whether it be past a finish line or past a friend. Silently, each one of us swore that he was going to be the one to win this race today. And so, our nerves disappeared and the competition finally began.

I grabbed a tree branch to help me swing around a sharp corner, nearly knocking into Adam as I did so. Kaoru did a perfect slide around the outside of the same bend, turning 180 without losing a bit of momentum. For a second we had practically sandwiched him between us, but then he slipped away. No matter. We would get him at the next turn, or the next, or the next… Every time, we got just a little closer. The fronts of our boards made a three point line - we were in a tie with Adam. All we needed was another second’s gain…

That was when we saw it coming up. The site of our ultimate trump card, something so freaking cool I had even agreed to practice it with Carla for a day.

I just hoped my board wouldn’t break.

We were heading down a steep stretch that broke into a v-turn about twenty feet from the start. Normally, I would have to slow down in order to make the turn; the slope of the road lent me too much speed to turn around safely. But this time, I leaned into the slope, gaining on Adam who was a few feet in front of me. The wall ahead got closer. It was in just a few seconds - I’d be right in position -

I pushed forward and jumped with my board, hurtling past Adam. Time froze for a split second as I met his eyes midair; I think that was the first time I’d seen him visibly surprised before. He automatically pulled back, me having crossed his path right as he was supposed to turn. Then my wheels hit the wall and I pushed off a second time, propelling myself onto the next leg of the track with incredible force. It was a new move Tadashi had suggested, saying my strong legs made it a stunt only I could do.

It worked. I stuck the landing and left Adam in the dust, Kaoru joining me a few seconds later. Adam had stopped so abruptly that he’d have to kick off again, meaning we got at least a few seconds of free gain - a lead we’d work our asses off to keep. We were approaching the interior mine soon, the final part of the racetrack.

We passed through the tunnel entrance, and the rough dirt road gave way to rusty metal walkways suspended by twisted wires. I didn’t need to look behind me to know that Adam was there. A few seconds after Kaoru and I came in, I could hear the sound of a third board clanging onto the floor. I ignored it, jumping over a broken section onto the next one, and trying to keep my balance as it shifted beneath my weight. I glanced over at one of the parallel walkways and saw that Adam was gaining on me. 

“Damn it,” I muttered. “Just a little longer, come on…” We were so close. So, so close. And just as Kaoru and I were nearing the finish line, Adam decided to hop the railing and fling himself onto our walkway.

I yelled in surprise as the floor tilted beneath my feet, instinctively grabbing onto the railing to keep from falling over. That didn’t help me when it swayed back, and my board slid out from under my feet. Thankfully, it hit the railing and didn’t move. I looked back to see Adam, teeth gritted and board tucked under one arm, hauling himself up onto the path. “Are you insane?” I shouted. He didn’t answer.

Everyone made a mad scramble to regain their footing and get back on their board. I shoved off the railing to gain speed; I could see Adam’s blue hair out of the corner of my eye. I threw all of my weight into the board, hoping it would be enough to carry me down…

…And a few seconds later, I crossed the finish line.

I looked beside me and saw Kaoru, exhausted, and Adam, not looking at either of us. Which one of us had finished first? That seemed to be what the crowd was trying to figure out. People were jostling each other, holding up phones to compare videos and arguing loudly. In the end, nobody had any idea who won that race. We counted it as a tie.

As everyone walked back to the starting point, I tried to approach Adam. “Hey. That was a crazy move back there-”

“Anything goes in S,” Adam replied, cutting me off. “My actions were fair, and you lost.”

“We didn’t lose. We tied with you,” said Kaoru, who had joined us.

“First time we ever did it, too,” I said, trying to lighten the mood. “I wouldn’t call that a loss.”

Adam still didn’t make eye contact. “You didn’t win, and if you don’t win a challenge then you lost it. Does that not make sense?”

“If that’s how we’re putting it, you lost too,” Kaoru said.

Adam stopped walking, and we were forced to stop with him. “Maybe that’s true,” he said. He slowly looked between Kaoru and I. “You know, I once considered skateboarding to be something I loved. Now I see - for me, skating itself is love. To have somebody to share your love with… It’s a blessing. One couldn’t help but be jealous.”

He sounded sad, though I couldn’t tell why. I was about to ask him when a shout echoed from uphill: “Cops! The cops are here!”

My heart stopped dead in my chest. “What?” I said, but panic was already spreading through the crowd. We all scattered in different directions, fleeing to anywhere but the main road. Kaoru grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with him.

“Why the hell are there cops here?” I asked.

“Too. Many. Damn. People,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Someone must’ve seen something and reported us.”

“Fuuuuuuck,” I groaned. “D’you think they’ll shut this place down?”

“That is - literally the least of our worries right now,” Kaoru panted. “Also, do you see Adam anywhere?”

I looked around. “Wasn’t he just-”

“When I grabbed you he wasn’t there. I thought I saw him go this way.”

“Hope he did. It makes sense.” I recognized this path. It was the one that had led us here for the first time many months ago. Things had changed so much since then…

We ran for at least half an hour, slowing down at the fringes of the city. Lots of places out there were quiet or abandoned at night; before we found Crazy Rock, that was where we’d group up with other skaters to race and practice our tricks. There was a bus stop a couple blocks down that ran pretty late into the night. I was crossing my fingers that it was still open, when I heard a noise.

I stopped, nudging Kaoru. “You hear that?”

He froze for a second, probably thinking I meant the cops (my bad), but then furrowed his brow. “It sounds like…”

“Adam, has to be. Plus another guy. C’mon, let’s go look.”

We followed the sounds of animated conversation, which led us to an empty parking structure. I saw Tadashi first, whose expression showed more emotion than I’d ever seen from him; he was desperately trying to get the attention of Adam, who was leaning against a concrete pillar. I strained to hear what they were saying.

“...is going to find out now, if he hasn’t already! Mr. Ain- Adam, your father sees your actions as a threat to the family legacy. He’s going to be furious about this. If the police had any inkling you were there-”

“But they won’t. I’m telling you, people - including Father - are more oblivious than you think. It’s not going to change anything, so why keep me from my fun?”

Tadashi wrung his hands. “Adam… I’ve done everything I can to keep your father off your tracks. But I can’t delay the inevitable. Please, I know it’s my fault you’re in this position, but quitting skating would be the best possible thing for you and your-”

“Quitting skating?” Adam almost doubled over with laughter, his voice sounding like it was about to break. “Tadashi! Have you forgotten everything? My life, my family, our relationship, us?”

“There isn’t-” Tadashi looked at his shoes. “Adam, you are the heir to a rich and powerful family. I’m your father’s secretary. Our worlds are completely separate, and need to stay that way.

“They don’t have to.” Adam’s voice became softer. “All those other people at the track are nothing like me, and yet for a night every month we share the same space, breathe the same air, compete with the same flame in our hearts… You could join me so easily, Tadashi. You could win against anyone there, even me.” He pushed off the wall, closing the gap between him and Tadashi, and held out a hand. “Why don’t you? I think, deep down… You want to.”

For a split second, Tadashi considered it. One hand drifted forward just a centimeter. Then, he crushed it into a fist and forced it down at his side. “What I want doesn’t matter. If the past meant anything to you, Adam, go home. Put your skateboard away. Live a good life.” He turned away. “I’ll leave the alarm system deactivated for you.”

And then he left. Adam stood there for what seemed like forever, staring off into the distance. Then he came to his senses, pulled his hood up, and started on his walk home.

Kaoru and I watched until he left the parking garage. We knew we had to leave, but breaking the silence would mean confronting everything we had just witnessed and trying to make sense out of it. That was a lot of information, and I still got the feeling we were missing a lot. 

Adam was a mysterious guy who hated talking about his life outside of skating. I thought I understood that - for me too, the track was a place to forget all my worries and mess around with my friends. Having serious conversations would drag down the mood, right? But despite that, I believed I truly knew who Adam was. He was dramatic, sometimes arrogant, super excitable when talking about skating, adventurous, a little crazy - and he trusted me. He held Kaoru and I in higher regard than anyone else. What else did I need to know about him?

With that belief, I’d made a challenge to try to pry into his life, thinking he could tell Kaoru and I anything if he really wanted to. 

I pried myself off the wall and started walking towards the bus station.

“Where are you going?” Kaoru asked.

“Home,” I replied. “You coming?”

He didn’t budge from his spot. “Shouldn’t we go after him?”

“I don’t know. Right now, I don’t think we can do anything for him.”

“We can’t just leave him.”

“And what would you say if you caught up to him?”

Silence. “...I’ll think of something.” Kaoru turned and began walking in the direction Adam had gone.

“Kaoru.” He ignored me. “Kaoru!” He broke into a slight jog. “Kaoru! Damn it, you’re stubborn!” I said, half-muttering the last part. “There are still cops out! If we keep him out any later, we increase the risk of him getting in trouble! You’re the logical one - figure that out!”

He stopped, but didn’t turn around to look at me. I figured he was coming up with a smart remark, so I stayed quiet to let him have his piece. A few minutes passed. Nothing. 

“Kaoru?” I called.

“Shut up.” If there had been any traffic on the road outside, I might not have been able to hear his reply.

“You’re worried about him. I am too,” I said. “...I’m really fucking worried about him.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Swearing didn’t make him sound any less heartbroken.

“Let’s go home,” I murmured. “We can talk about it tomorrow, figure something out. But right now the best thing we can do is let him be.”

I waited at the garage entrance as he made his way back, and didn’t comment when he wiped his face with his sleeve. We walked to the bus stop together, rode back, and finally said goodnight when I got off at a stop near my house.

[wolf-among-mechs]

Clan Wolf Dropship Elysium Coreward Periphery 24 August 3049 

Asuka closed down the Chatterweb function on the computer. 

“Good to know that the trial of grievance is just a very roundabout way of punching out the problem with someone.” The room was sparse and mostly built for function and quite small. It wasn't a great room to have claustrophobia in. It was better than a brig at least. But not by much. It had a table currently occupied by the computer. The bed wasn't very comfortable and a bit of a mess.

“I never understood the point of making the bed anyway.” She thought to herself looking at it. The last thing of note was a nightstand next to the bed. An empty water bottle stood on it.

“Might as well go fill it up while I look for something to substitute for a candle.” She picked up the water bottle and stuck it in her pocket for now. “Sometimes I forget how big these pockets are.” She said to herself.

The last couple of days hadn't been very good. The bed was far too hard for her, the food was taking a lot to get used to and she had been captured by enemies who for some reason didn't treat her quite like a prisoner. She was free to walk the ship as long as she didn't go somewhere sensitive such as the bridge, engine room or armoury. It was like she was a passenger. But they treated her somehow with more respect than that. Like an invisible set of arbitrary rules she had no control over. To the credit of her captors, they seemed interested in telling her the rules when she was able to identify them, which was quite a bit better than similar experiences in the past. Nevertheless it was making her frustrated. They kept using words, terms and rules that were completely alien to her and yet expected her to follow and know them! So when she couldn't and didn't they got upset and talked down to her. Some of them clearly tried to start fights with her, as a matter of fact they postured like drunk mercenary hotshots at a bar trying to prove who was the toughest and roughest mechwarrior. Yet when she tried to call them on it they fell back on alien rituals and words and if she stepped out of it, then the performance had to be called off. Yet there were people here who nearly walked on eggshells around her, like they were afraid of making her angry. It just didn't make any sense to her. Thinking about it was giving her a headache.

Acknowledging that headache made it worse. There was a soft ringing noise in her ears and Her fuse and temper were growing shorter. She pinched the bridge of her nose. It had been a really long time since she felt this irritated. She needed to keep it in check before snap, lose control of herself and lash out in anger to force the world to make sense. Every act felt like she needed to reason it out with her anger, her beliefs and even sense of self. It was like attempting to move an Atlas through a swamp. She took a deep breath. It didn’t help. Sleeping wasn't going to help. Resting wasn't going to help. She needed to do something. Find a way to meditate and clear her mind. Push all the errant thoughts out of her head. She was going to need a candle or a substitute. With that in mind, she stepped out into the walkway outside her room.

“I am going to need a piece of string to act as a wick…” Asuka said to herself as she wandered The corridor between the Mechbays and the crew quarters. A sign crosses her vision pointing to the mess hall. An idea enters her mind. Cooking oil. That would be flammable enough to burn. But also not enough that it would immediately flash. She could make an oil candle of sorts. She walked in that direction.

The mess hall was empty and quiet. It was made for feeding maybe around a hundred people. As far as Asuka was concerned it followed the conventions of a normal army mess hall. A flag of a wolf with stars hung on one side, she had identified that as the emblem of Clan Wolf. It was kinda cool as far as Asuka was concerned. She had always liked the wolf imagery since she was a teenager. She even had a tattoo on one shoulder of a wolf's head. She made the mercenary company she founded have one as its emblem too! There were also some posters of people she had never seen trying to convey some sort of inspiring message.

On closer inspection the tables were marked. Something she hadn't noticed earlier during lunch. Some of them had more cushioning and were marked with some sort of starburst symbol. It looked familiar somewhere but she couldn't place it. When she had taken a seat, or attempted to, on the cushioned starburst tables the warrior Karen had confronted her. Only now did it occur that maybe she had taken a seat somewhere she wasn't allowed to sit. She surmised that the fancy tables were for warriors. As a bondswoman it wasn't her right to sit there… but she couldn't rule out that Karen was just a bitch.

There was movement inside the kitchen.

“Hey!” Asuka called out as she approached the counter. A man with long black hair tied back looked over. He had a hat to keep the hair from the food.

“Aff? Are you looking for something? Lost?” He sounded a little stressed but ultimately trying to be helpful.

“Oh no. Well actually I was looking for the kitchen.”

“Why?” The man asked.

She tried to snap to an excuse. Something to get ahead. But her mind was unfocused, scattered and in turmoil. 

xxxxxxxxxx

“I doubt he will hand you cooking oil. What you are doing is a fire hazard.” Her mechtech heritage said.

“Who cares what he thinks. He is just a cook. Shove him into a locker and take what you want. He is nothing to you.” The feral wolf stirred within her.

“He is not a warrior. He may not be a target of your anger, to assault him would be a great shame upon you.” Her bushido spirit spoke calmly.

“There is a strong smell of food here. A lot of food. Some of the spices are really good. Stuff that would be good on the food. Something sticks out. It is souring the rest. Its presence causes interference” Her autistic sensor suite reported.

“The smell reminds a bit of pizza, doesn't it? Oregano or something. That'd be great by now. Something a bit greasy and just slightly overcooked would be so good right now. Do you think these deep periphery weirdos have pizza?” Her inner sphere pride distracted her.

“Lunch was pretty bad. The spices tasted like vinegar. I could only eat the rice, the sandwich and the cucumbers. I am pretty hungry.” Her autistic sensor suite had logged earlier in the day.

“But the thing you truly hunger for is a fight. Especially with the fucks who took our guns and our swords.” The feral wolf growled.

xxxxxxxxxx

The world felt a bit heavier from the thoughts swirling in her head. She felt slow and unresponsive as a mech operating with the blank setting on the neurohelmet.

“Because I was assigned to help cook dinner! You know… the whole bondsperson thing.” Asuka held up her bondcord and tried to smile.

“Really? How come you are not assigned to the mechbays? That is where warriors taken as bondsmen usually are assigned.” The man in the kitchen said.

“Uh well.” Asuka hesitated. “I do not know. I was just told to report to the kitchen.” She shrugged.

“I had not been told nor will I require extra hands. It is tomato soup tonight. There are only so many hands that can aid with it.” The cook said and moved a pot up on a desk. Asuka felt her shoulders tense up. The consistency of soup had always been difficult to keep down. Usually it just came back up again. The taste and feeling of tomatoes like that too felt vile. She would rather eat a stale military ration. She'd hate that too but at least it would stay down. She forced her shoulders back down.

“Are you alright?” The cook asked, seeing her tense up.

“I… do not like soup. Would it be possible to cook something else for myself?” Asuka frowned slightly. The cook stared at her.

“You are not assigned to the kitchen quineg?” He raised an eyebrow.

“No…Neg.” She swapped to the words they used around here.

“You are the bondswoman who had the brawl around lunch with Warrior Karen quiaff?”

“Aff.” Asuka nodded.

“If you want to hide in my kitchen I will allow you on one condition, bondswoman. The power connections for my equipment are damaged somehow and I need them fixed. Since nobody else is helping me, could you get some equipment? I will require a multimeter with probes and wire cutters. I can at least figure out the problem then.”

“Multimeter and wire cutters. Got it. I will go look around the mechbay.” Asuka said and headed out again.

++++++++

She wandered into the mechbays of the dropship. The noise of welding, cranes and drill machinery met her with an overwhelming salvo along with the fluorescent lights attached to the ceiling and the flood lights mounted in mechbays.

In the first mechbay she entered was a single technician currently fitting armour plates on a mech's legs. Changing and moving an armour slab and welding and cutting. She looked at the mech in question. 

“Looks like a Thunderbolt.” She said to herself. The mechtech stopped his welding and looked back at her.

“Thunderbolt? This is a Summoner.” The mechtech folded up his welding mask.

“Sorry. I am not familiar with your mechs. I am Asuka Hoshi, Bondswoman.”

“I am Jin. Technician. I have already heard that you might be working in the mechbay with us during your time as bonded. I also saw you caused a bit of trouble with Warrior Karen.”

 “I think it is more fair to say she was causing trouble for me. But yes. I was told I need to be of some use around here.”

“Aff. You do.”

The words felt sharp and pointed. Something about them pierced through her in the moment. Part of her knew that wasn't the case. Yet it sparked something inside her. A deep anger roared to life.

xxxxxxxxxx

“The fucking mechtech does not know his place. He maintains warmachines. You are a warmachine. Show him what you are made to do. Destroy him.” The feral wolf within her snarled. She could already feel her hand clench to a fist.

“He is of a different path. It intersects with your own. If he is to respect you, Asuka-dono, you must respect him.” Her bushido spirit pointed out.

“Hey wait, look. There's something strange in this mechbay. One of the gunpods is empty and hollow. That looks like a pulse laser hanging on the crane. Is it in the middle of a refit?” Her mechtech heritage was excited. It dispelled the anger she felt. Curiosity took its place. A distraction she welcomed.

xxxxxxxxxx

Asuka's nostrils flared as she narrowed her eyes at Jin. However, a distraction presented itself. The gunpod of the Summoner had a really strange design to her.

“Is this "Summoner" undergoing a refit?” She asked after a moment's thought.

“Neg. The omnipods are being changed. Warrior Sean changed his mind five minutes later so I had to tell him to make his mind up. As well as if he wants to put an autocannon there instead he should also make sure there is ammunition.” The mechtech Jin responded. He shook his head as if dealing with a rookie mistake.

“Is that why there is a large hole in the gunpod?” “Aff. Thanks to the Omnipods all we really need to do is remove what is there and put another pod inside. Maybe fit it a bit and just slot it back in, wire it and connect the ammunition system. As long as the tonnage and spacing fits you can do it pretty quick.” “So you could swap a Medium laser for a pulse laser? Or… SRM for LRM rack? How long would it take?” “Aff. As long as the weight and spacing works out. It would take about two hours maybe? The gyroscope computer realigns and balances the myomers and the chassis on its own. If you need to put on larger weapons such as gauss rifles or PPCs it will take a bit longer.”

“Owing to their much higher power demands.”

“Aff. You are from the inner sphere quiaff?”

“Correct” Asuka nodded.

“Then you have probably never seen this kind of thing before.” technician Jin leaned against the scaffolding. 

“No. It is actually quite amazing that you could change the weapon loadout for an entire mech in a single day. The ones I am used to require extensive calibrations.”

“I bet. But I am pretty sure you will get the hang of it. If you can maintain mechs the old way, this should be a breeze.” Technician Jin grinned.

She felt taunted again. A heat rose in her as a result and her shoulder and hands tensed up.

xxxxxxxxxx

“He's calling you backwards.” Her inner sphere pride told her.

“All the more reason to fuck him up.” The feral wolf concurred.

“Then let us go forward instead. Show them how much you have to think on your feet in the inner sphere.” Her mechtech heritage grinned.

“Accept his challenge and win. It is the way.” The bushido spirit calmly nodded.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Probably. If nothing else it must make repairs easier. Which must be pretty useful. But I suppose in the inner sphere they know exactly what goes where regardless of what the mechwarrior thinks.” Asuka shrugged one shoulder and grinned back.

“So what? The modularity allows us to refit it for anything. Whatever the warriors want.”

“I do not doubt that, Jin. But a well drilled technician team can put a torn apart Warhammer-6R in a couple of hours. Saw them work in the stock battles on Solaris 7. Made it into a form of art.”

“But they would have to rebalance it then quiaff?”

“Indeed. But surely so would you if the pods were blown off.” Asuka smirked.

“Are you under the belief that the inner sphere technicians are superior then?” Jin crossed his arms, shooting the warrior a very slight glare.

“I would not know. How quickly do you think you could remove an armour plate and replace it?” Asuka shrugs. “Like on the side of the other leg there?

“On my own? A single armour small piece of ferro-fibrous armour like that will just take me fifteen minutes... But I could do it in maybe eight.”

“Engineer time dilation huh? Well how I about I time you, see how quick you can do it?”

“It is a bit of a waste of time to start the repair on that leg already.” Jin looked annoyed that she didn’t believe him. But there was definetly something stirring in him. It sounded like fun.

“It would however be very instructive to see a skilled technician in action and compare to what I already know quiaff?” Asuka put a hand on her hip as she looked down at the technician. He thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Aff I suppose.”

“Think you can do it in seven minutes?”

“That would be a fun challenge... Bargained well and done bondswoman. Let me try. Grab the noteputer and use the timer.” Jin grinned. Asuka looked at the work table and grabbed the noteputer.

“And… Go!” Jin worked furiously removing the armour plate with deft hands. While the workmanship of such experienced hands was impressive and the tools being used among the clans were interesting her eyes drifted to the work table. A power pack laid there on the tool table. Charged too. While Jin was busy, Asuka’s hand swiftly slipped over and grabbed the power pack and pocketed it. She could easily use it to light something. Or at least use another tool if need be. They were a dime a dozen in any mechbay, nobody would miss it.

“Done!” Jin held his arms up as the armour plate was fully attached on the Mech's foot.

“Six minutes. Thirty six point eighty-seven seconds. Impressive.” Asuka nodded appreciatively. As she was concerned it was a genuinely good time.

“Told you!” The technician pumped his arms victoriously.

“Very good. You have some very interesting tools here. I look forward to using them as well.”

“You should see the tools we use for the omnipods.” Jin grinned to Asuka.

“I am certain I will in time. Oh! By the way, Jin. The kitchen needs to borrow a multimeter with probes, wire cutters and some spare wires. Kitchen power connections are apparently broken and if they cannot repair them soon it will be rations tonight. I was asked to find some tools for it.” Asuka said, remembering why she was in the mechbay in the first place.

“Why did you only bring that up now?” Jin laughed. “That cabinet over there. The yellow one.”

“Sorry I got really lost in looking at the cool omnipod things. Thank you Jin. Much appreciated.”

“Just make sure they get the kitchen fixed so we get dinner.” Jin turned to return to his work. Quite satisfied he had shown her what he was capable of.

++++++++++++

Asuka continued through the mechbay. She passed by another work desk on wheels and had a look at it. In front of another mechbay, she stopped and looked at the mech inside it.

“Looks like an Enforcer 4R. Except bigger. And two autocannons instead of one. Bore is smaller than on the 4R though. And a missile pod underneath it. Original setup. I was going to say it looks kind of striking and cool but from underneath it almost looks like it has a giant jaw or moustache and I cannot unsee it.” 

She looked at the yellow work cabinet in order to distract herself from the moustachemech.

“Let me see here… There is the multimeter. Wow, that looks more advanced than the ones in the company. Wirecutter and some wires… I think they might need some insulated gloves for working with electric stuff in a kitchen. Better safe than sorry.” She grabbed them and put them in a robust looking blue toolbox to carry them in. A few excess pieces of wire she pocketed for herself. She could use that to create a spark for ignition easily enough.

“Nobody is going to miss it.” She nodded to herself.

She walked back through the mechbay with her direction set on the kitchen. While on the way she kept an eye out for other useful items in her candlemaking endeavour. The other mechbays were filled with mechs she had seen already. In the far end a timber wolf. The same one she had trampled before. Although it had been repaired by the looks of it. It must have taken a better part of the week. In the gantry above the mechbay she could make out two people talking. It looked like Maddix, the mechwarrior who had piloted the timber wolf in the group of mechs that she fought the other day. He was talking to another she didn't recognise. The uniform suggested it was a mechtech.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Those two people up there are talking. But what about? It is the warrior Maddix and a technician. There is a clear pecking order at work here. One is higher than the other. The mechtech looks almost servile.” Captain Obvious surmised.

“Maddix is annoyed at you. He called you dezgra before. That must be bad. It sounds bad. It sounds like something you call someone you hate.” The Feral Wolf observed.

“Their discussion is not about you. Maddix has yet to see you. This must be instructions to outfit his mech.” Captain Obvious told her. She squinted to better see.

“The floodlights are causing damage to the eyes. The glare is interfering.” Her autistic sensor suite reported. Her entire vision grew out of focus and blurry for a moment by the light.

“That bastard took the other of your guns. Take it back. Tear him apart. Assert your dominance and claim it back.” The feral wolf snarled.

“By trial of grievance? That seems to be the path to do those things.” Asuka questioned her own words.

“Trials? Fuck the rules. He took YOUR GUN. Take it back.” The feral wolf countered.

“The people here appear to abide by tradition. Playing by the rules will not only give you the firearm back, but also respect. If you can walk the same walk they do. They will also learn to respect you.” The name in blood advised her.

“No. They are still human. They claim to follow these rules and ideals. But they will betray you and stab you in the back just as easily as anyone with a noble title would.” The Feral wolf snarled again.

“The Chatterweb has been the most telling. The warrior Rose seemed to be in disbelief that Karen would turn on you if adopted. They seemed excited for you to get a chance to join the clans. They speak highly of it. The warrior Jehan seems very impressed by what you spoke of. They consider it a waste if you were not adopted. Perhaps even to the point that he may very well issue a challenge to gain you for themselves. This is consistent with what Arvidia told you as well. You are neither slave nor prisoner here. Far more than both. You have been given the chance to become one with them. A member among them. That is what they hope you will be. Even if you were to somehow fail to be adopted among the warriors. You may find peace in another task.” The name in blood laid out for her. 

“Asuka-dono. Yours is the path of the samurai. To you there must be no other path. Between act and thought there is clarity. In that, your path will forever be that of the honourable warrior. You will not fail. Instead, welcome the challenge. Be tested. Become a better warrior.” Her bushido spirit concurred.

“It may mean waging war on the people you fought for though. Remember what Jaimie told you? That the clans would come and wage war against the inner sphere. How can they expect you to pick up arms against them? That's part of who you are isn't it?” Her inner sphere pride told her.

“The inner sphere was happy to raise arms against you when it suited them. You owe them nothing. Least of all our loyalty.” The feral wolf snarled.

“Did somebody just yell?” Captain Obvious wondered.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Hey!” Maddix shouted out from atop of the mechbay gantry. Asuka snapped back to the moment and looked around searching for what he was yelling about. “I mean you, bondswoman.”

“huh-What?” Asuka snapped back from being lost in thought for a moment.

“Get back to work and pull your weight!” Maddix yelled out.

“I have not received any orders.” Asuka shrugged. “It had been mentioned she would work with the mechtechs. But no direct orders had been given”.

“Do you believe that gives you permission to be a lazy surat?” Maddix looked annoyed.

“I have no idea what in the hell surat is. What do you want me to do you, dummy? Grab a hammer and bang the mechs with it and sing blessed chants of Blake like a fricking comstar Acolyte?” Asuka gestured towards one of the mechs. “Besides I am running an errand for the kitchen, asshat.” She showed the toolbox in her hand.

“An improvement on starting a fight with Karen at least.”

“Karen started a fight with me. The bitch.”

“Karen has issued a trial of grievance against you. Who started it is immaterial.”

“Well she immaterially started it so there! Oh yeah! Actually. I want to issue a trial of grievance towards you! You took my gun. I want it back.” Asuka almost huffed.

“I took it as isorla at your defeat. You are lucky I stopped there, had it been up to me I would have seen you killed for your dezgra tactics and killing Star Captain Stefan. But William had other plans. Somehow.” Maddix narrowed his eyes. He clearly was angry with her. He was following the rules even when his spirit told him to go down and beat her up.

“You did not defeat me idiot! I knocked your mech out first thing in the battle! If anything I should be claiming isorla from you!” Asuka glared back at him.

“You did not fight by the rules and made a mockery of our traditions. As I said. You are dezgra.” Maddix crossed his arms.

“So what do the rules say about taking isorla from someone you did not defeat?” Asuka put a hand to her hip. Maddix narrowed his eyes. “At least I had the excuse that I did not know the rules. What is yours? Or are you the real dezgra here huh?”

“I will make you eat those words.” Maddix said and walk towards the lift.

The grip on the toolbox in her hand tightened. She felt anticipation and even a feeling of fun and joy at the notion of using it on Maddix.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Smash his head with the toolbox when he comes down. He will not stand a chance. You will enjoy it.” The feral wolf growled.

“Wait. Challenge him! Follow the tradition and the rules. He will have to respect you if you do.” The name in blood told her.

“But do not hold back. Assert your dominance. Conquer him. Beat him at his own game.” The feral wolf snarled.

xxxxxxxxxx

The sudden idea that rose in her head felt better. To fight in the best kind of way. The most suitable way. However fun it would be to smash Maddix’ face. But to return to the seat of a mech and pilot it in a battle, that felt much more fun.

“How about a trial of grievance instead of a brawl? Let us settle it as mechwarriors. Like true warriors.” Asuka yelled out. Maddix stopped in his tracks. He thought about it for a moment.

“Aff… I would love a rematch against your sorry hide. If only to put you in your place. But there is one problem with that. Your mech is in tatters.” Maddix returned to the railing. “You will have to borrow one. I will find you a spare mech and our circle of equals. Then I will put you in your place.” Maddix pushed himself off the railing to stand. “Tomorrow we fight.”

“Had this been the inner sphere I would cast doubt on you picking a mech for me. But I believe you are an honourable enough warrior to not saddle me with a Stinger against that Timber Wolf or whatever.” Asuka called out before he had a chance to leave.

“Aff. We will fight as equals, available mechs permitting. It will be a field of honour, bondswoman.”

xxxxxxxxxx

“You know the word that sits on your tongue. You have heard it among the Dragoons, your kin. Speak it and he will know you will fight as warrior to warrior.” The name in blood told her.

xxxxxxxxxx

“Seyla.” Asuka said. It felt like instinct despite never having spoken it her entire life. It felt natural. It probably wasn’t correct looking at Maddix’ expression. But it felt right.

“Seyla.” Maddix replied after a short pause. He flashed a surprised look at her for but an instant. He wasn't sure how or why. But clearly his foe was trying to play by the rules. She simply didn't know them. An earnestness he couldn't deny. She wasn't trying to mock him or traditions. She was trying to learn. He nodded to himself and then wandered off to prepare for their battle.

“Well that went well.” Asuka told herself.

+++++++++++++++++++

“Hey! I got your multimeter.” Asuka cried out from the counter to the kitchen. The cook appeared.

“Here. Everything is in the toolbox. I brought some extra wires and tools while I was at it. In case you need It.” She handed the blue toolbox over. The cook looked through it. Grabbed the multimeter and the toolbox and stepped into the kitchen.

“Great work bondswoman. Come on in and hide from the warriors. Try not to make a mess of the kitchen though.” The cook smiled at her.

“So is there a cook caste or something?” Asuka asked as she stepped into the kitchen and closed the door after her.

“What? Oh wow you have no idea how it works around here do you?”

“No-Neg. Fuck. Sorry. I am still getting used to the whole… Aff and Neg thing around here.” Asuka grumbled.

“Avoid cursing Bondswoman. It will rile up most people in the clans. The kind of people who have never hammered their own thumb working anyway.” The cook snickered as he put the toolbox next to one of the stoves and pulled it out to reveal the power connection. “You will want to put the gloves on. So you do not get shocked.” Asuka said as she followed to look.

“Oh good thinking.” He stopped what he was doing and did just that.

“So no cook caste then… Quineg?” She tried to fit in. 

“Neg. I am of the labour caste. Lifting, carrying, farming, cooking and cleaning. Stuff like that. Lowest of the castes.” He sounded like he didn’t really care about that last part.

“So who is at the top?” Asuka crossed her arms in thought.

“Warriors.” The cook answered.

‘Huh. Well that explains how they act.” She leaned on a counter.

“What do you mean?”

“Just the way they posture and talk like they own everything. Just rubs me the wrong way is all.” She shrugged one shoulder.

“They do. They are the ones keeping the rest of us safe. Without them there would be no safety at all!”

“Yeah but that is no reason to be dicks to people.” Asuka rolled her eyes. “I have had to cut down so many people to size for acting the same way. So maybe I am biassed.”

“Well it is their right to be. But make no mistake. Every caste is important. In clan Wolf we get treated pretty well. I hear in some clans it is far worse.” He says as he works with the power connection. Asuka looked at him with a tilted head. “Well that is good.” She nodded. All the warriors she had encountered thus far had acted a lot like bullies though. She couldn’t let that thought go so instead she chose to focus on something else instead.

“Hey. Do you mind if I make something for myself to eat? I am not a good cook but I am pretty sure I can make something for myself.” Asuka pushed herself off the counter.

“Sure. Go ahead.  Tara should be around here somewhere. She can probably help you if you need something.” The cook said.

“Tara… Alright. What is your name by the way?”

“Fei.”

“Nice to meet you Fei. I am Asuka Hoshi.”

“Uh. I think you are just Asuka now. But nice to meet you too.” Fei said while unscrewing something

“What do you mean?”

“We do not have last names. We are part of the clan so it is the same family. Warriors can earn the right to have a bloodname. The right to have one of the founders’ names.”

“Huh… That is a new take. I will keep that in mind. Thank you Fei.” Asuka said and scratched her head. “I will go and see if I can find something to eat.”

xxxxxxxxxx

“What? You have to give up your last name? That sounds like a freaking cult!” Her inner sphere pride exclaimed.

“Even if it is not. Hoshi is from mom and dad! You cannot give that up! It is important. You are family!” Her mechtech heritage said.

“Hey look! Cooking oil!” Captain Obvious pointed out.

“They were part of the Dragoons’ founding. That means they are of Clan Wolf. They told as much. You are not being made to give anything up. You have a chance to be part of the same family.” The name in blood pointed out.

“But… It is still part of who you are. All the times you have written down Hoshi as your last name. The idea of giving it up… That feels weird.” her mechtech heritage shuddered.

“There is an awful smell here. Source unknown. It may be the spice from lunch.” Her autistic sensor suite reported.

“According to teachings, your last name is your parents' gift. It would be inappropriate to give it up. In the current circumstances however, you may dishonour them more by not striving to achieve the rank of warrior. That would make them proud.” Her bushido spirit noted after contemplation.

“There is no apparent source of the smell. It feels like it should be a lot more visible.” Captain Obvious searched around.

“The fluorescent flicker of the kitchen lights is causing interference again. The artificial light they use is causing damage.” Her autistic sensor suite flashed an alarm. Her vision blurred from the lights and she winced.

“What are the Dragoons going to do now? What about Warsong? If you become a warrior of Clan Wolf and join their war. You have to fight them do we not? You do not want to do that.” Her mechtech heritage said.

“Then you fight them. They are your pack so you can offer them mercy but if they fight you must not hold back.” The feral wolf snarled.

“There is a fridge over there. It is labelled something. Cannot make it out from here.” Captain Obvious thought.

“Picking up an electrical hum from the lights. Auditory buildup detected. Acoustic filters over capacity. Noise levels affecting other processes.” Her autistic sensor suite warned. A low ring started to sound in her ears again.

“Fucking rip the lights out or something and shut the fuck up.” The feral wolf barked.

“They may be your kin. But this is your kin too. Every step you have taken has been one to bring us to where maybe we were meant to belong.” The name in blood thought aloud.

“No fuck that. They have fought every step you have taken. They are enemies. To be torn apart.” The feral wolf snarled again.

“A water faucet. We can refill the water bottle there.” Captain Obvious interrupted.

“There are rules here. They are clear. They spell them out to you. The inner sphere never told you where the lines were, except for a map. And even that depended on who you asked.” The name in blood was snarling too now.

“New contact at two o'clock” Captain Obvious reported.

“You must meditate and learn more. Only after considering all of this and more may you achieve wisdom.” Her bushido spirit spoke with determination.

xxxxxxxxxx

Inner turmoil raged inside her and her head was starting to ache. The entire world was starting to feel like too much. The train of thought was interrupted by a voice repeating itself.

“Hey! Can I help you with anything?” A small woman spoke up. Asuka almost had to crane her neck down to look at the short thin woman. She was like a mouse.

“Oh. Hey. I was just looking for something… I am trying to make something to eat.” Asuka smiled. “Fei let me in.”

“Well we are serving tomato soup in a few hours. I can get you something in the meanwhile if you would like.” The woman returned the smile a little awkwardly. 

“Aff. I know. I just cannot partake of it.” Asuka sounded strained.

“Are you allergic?” The woman frowned.

“Well… no. I… soup just does not agree with me I am afraid. So I was looking to make something else… I was honestly hoping I could get my hands on a pizza because I am starving.” Asuka chuckled.

“Pizza? Huh…” the woman said, sounding even more surprised. “Well… I could make one for you if you want. Oh I am Tara by the way.”

“Pleased to meet you Tara. I would appreciate it if you could… I am not very good at cooking. I can microwave. That is as far as my skills go.”

“Most warriors usually are. But that is okay. Wh-”

“Oh no I am just a bondswoman.” Asuka held up her wrist with the bondcord.

“You look like a warrior so… Well anyway. What would you like on it?” The woman offered a small smile.

“Well… Just ham, cheese and tomato sauce would do.” Asuka shrugged.

“Oh. Simple! I can make that in 15 minutes.” Tara smiled.

“That… would be most welcome Tara. Thank you.” Asuka smiled too. “I… will wait in the mess hall then.”

“Very well. I will get on it then.” Tara scurried off like a mouse through the kitchen to begin cooking. She was nothing if not quick and effective. She seemed happy at getting something new to do.

Asuka took a few steps to continue her search, but stopped to close her eyes and shook her hands almost as if they were wet. It usually helped when her head was like this. Her brow furrowed in frustration. Shaking her hands like this usually helped her bring back some focus. Right now it felt like it barely did anything. She grumbled and opened her eyes again, doing her best to filter everything out. Didn’t work. The engines reverberated through the entire ship. The artificial lightning. The hum of the electricity passing through it. Noises of the kitchen appliances. A bad speaker playing music. Somebody humming. The far noises of steps. The ventilation system fans and the refrigerator. It was draining to hear. There was nothing to focus on.

She looked around again. She finally found cooking oil standing in a small pantry. She looked around making sure she wasn’t observed and pocketed it. It felt greasy. But it would do the trick.

“Now I just need something to keep it in… and a string.” She had a look around. She didn't see anything that fit either of those criterias right now but she did see a water faucet. With that in mind she found the water bottle from her pocket and filled it up and took a drink. She breathed a small sigh of relief. It cooled her down for a moment. A couple of small empty glass jars stood upside down in an attempt to let the last water run out. Asuka pocketed one of them and the lid for it.

“That will do nicely as a container.” She told herself. “If I can find a knife and punch a hole in the lid that could hold the wick.”

Finding a knife proved easy enough. It was reasonably sharp even. She brought out the lid and made a few holes in it.

“There.” She nodded to herself and was about to put the knife away when she suddenly saw something. An apron. A thin piece of fabric hung from it to tie it back. With the knife in hand she went to cut it off. Sure the apron wasn't usable now, but she did have her wick. She put the string in her pocket and put the knife where she found it.

“Might something to secure the string…” she searched through a drawer and found a fork. 

“That will have to work.” Asuka said to herself and pocketed it. It made a lot of noise as it clicked against the glass jar in her pocket. They felt a bit full. Only one thing struck her now. A paper towel. She was going to need one of those. She had everything she could want now. She took another sip of the her water and went to find Tara again

“Hey. Miss Tara. I have to return to my quarters for a little while. Keep the pizza warm for me if it is not a problem for you.” Asuka asked after she found Tara. The small mousey girl almost jumped in surprise as she had rolled out a dough on a platter.

“Oh. Aff. Certainly. If you would like I can come with it to your quarters if you would like.” Tara offered.

“You do not have to do that. But… you know what? I would greatly appreciate it if you could so I can eat in peace and quiet.” Asuka had a grateful smile on her face.

“Aff! I will take it there. You are probably in corridor C2?” She asked just to be sure.

“Yeah that sounds about right. Thank you very much Tara. I owe you one.”

+++++++++

After returning to her room. Asuka tied a knot on the string, filled the jar with cooking oil. Drenched the string and pulled it through the lid and screwed it on. The fork helped hold it in place. With the wires and power pack she made a small spark and ignited the string. It produced a flame. It was a bit bigger than the kind of candle she was used to but it would do well. She killed the lights in her room and sat on her knees in front of the candle and stared at the flame that sat on top of the desk. It danced around vividly and it looked almost blurry. She focused on the flame and its dance. She slowed her breathing. The flame's dance lessened. The sound of the engines, of work and chimes disappeared. She, the flame and her thoughts were all that existed in this moment of time. She drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Her thoughts continued to flash in her head. But the chaos lessened with deprived senses. It helped her straighten her other thoughts and much like her breathing. Calm them, focus them and seize control of them. With each inhale she soothed one thought and with each exhalate she felt calmer. Her breathing slowed down further. Over the course of a few minutes it slowed even further. She felt at peace with the world and in control of herself again. She opened her eyes. The flame was nearly still, it was . It still danced gently to her breath. But it was far more calm. It mirrored how she felt in the moment. She rolled her shoulders, they felt less tense than a few minutes ago. Her ears didn’t ring any more and the flame had a clear outline.

There was a knock on the door. That must be the pizza. She blew out the flame and turned the lights back on. The world didn't feel as heavy or as difficult. She didn't have to push through her own thoughts anymore. She was focused and ready to begin unpacking whatever all of this was.

[lifeofresulullah]

The Life of The Prophet Muhammad(pbuh): The Assignment of the Duty of the Prophethood and First Muslims

New Intrigues of Polytheists

None of the applied acts of torture and persecution could restrain our Holy Prophet (PBUH) from delivering his message. Furthermore, his uncle, Abu Talib, did not object to anything he said or did and would protect him instead.

This time, the polytheists tried something else. Ten individuals from among the leading figures came to Abu Talib and said, “O Abu Talib, your nephew has cursed our idols, has decried our religious practices, said we were stupid, and continued saying that our fathers and forefathers were on the wrong path. Now, you need to detain him from saying and doing such things or you will have to move out of the way.” 

What could Abu Talib do in the face of such an ultimatum? On one side, there were his tribe’s customs and traditions and on the other side, the genuine love that he had for his nephew! Which one would he prefer?

At last, he was able to dismiss the committee through his soft and kind words. 

Second Complaint to Abu Talib

The polytheists made another offer to Abu Talib when they received no results following their first complaint. “O Abu Talib, you are among one of our elders and are one of our leading figures. We petitioned you to dissuade your nephew from his actions. However, you did not comply with what we wanted. By God, we will no longer put up with his disapproval of our fathers and forefathers, his allegations that we are stupid, and his insults against our idols. Either you will dissuade him from doing this or we will continue fighting both of you until one of the parties is eliminated.” 

Abu Talib realized that he was facing a very dangerous situation. He did not want to be abandoned by his tribe but he could not abandon his nephew, the Master of the Universe (PBUH), either. What could be done in this situation? After thinking very deeply for some time, he called forth our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and begged: “O, my brother’s son, the leading figures have petitioned me and repeated what you had said to them.  Please feel sympathy for yourself and for me! Do not put upon us a load that we cannot carry. Give up saying words that displease the tribe.” 

This was a very delicate situation. Until that day and in some way, Abu Talib had been his sole protector from among his tribe. Was he going to forgo his protection?

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was downcast upon hearing this proposal and thought deeply for some time. Afterwards, in the comfort of knowing that Allah was the true Guardian, he replied with an answer that was as sharp as a sword: “O Uncle, know that if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left in return for my giving up this cause, I would not give it up. Either Allah will make this religion dominant, or I will die in His service.“ 

Our Holy Prophet (PBUH was concerned that his own uncle would abandon him, thus he burst into tears while saying these words. It was as if his holy tears were trickling upon his uncle’s heart. How could his uncle leave him alone after seeing him in this state? How could he abandon his nephew whom he loved personally and very dearly?

Abu Talib understood that his nephew, who possessed indestructible willpower, would never give up exclaiming his cause, therefore he hugged him and said: “My Nephew, continue your work, do whatever you want. By God, I am not going to surrender you to anyone for any reason whatsoever.” 

After making this promise, the polytheists absolutely understood that Abu Talib would not leave his nephew alone and would continue to protect him despite everything.

Another Offer Made to Abu Talib

The polytheists could not tolerate seeing so many people running to attain Divine Guidance right before their eyes. They thought of some other maneuver. They appealed to Abu Talib once more and made the following offer:

O Abu Talib, let us give you Umara bin Walid, the strongest, toughest, most handsome, and the most intelligent youth from among the Quraysh for you to adopt as your own son. You will benefit from his intelligence and help. In return for this, you will give us your brother’s son; we will kill him! A man in exchange for another man, what more could you want?

Abu Talib responded to this senseless offer, “First, give me your own sons so that I can kill them. Only then will I give him to you.”

The polytheists reacted to this offer: But our children are not doing what he is doing!”

Abu Talib did not leave these words without an answer as he replied in a stern manner: “By God, Muhammad is much more auspicious than your own children. And you are making me this ugly offer? How can this be? You will give me your own son for me to raise and then take mine so that you can kill him? I will never permit this to happen! 

The polytheists’ spite and hatred came to a head. These bad feelings were no longer directed towards our Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Muslims alone; they had now shifted towards Abu Talib as well.

Fate had a strange twist; the negative attitude the polytheists struck towards Abu Talib helped the Sons of Hashim take our Holy Prophet (PBUH) under their wing. There was only one individual who avoided protecting him: Abu Lahab.

During this time, Abu Talib gathered the Sons of Hashim and warned them to be careful in protecting our Holy Prophet (PBUH).

Abu Talib’s action led the polytheists to finalize their decision to kill Allah’s Apostle (PBUH)!

They convened at the Masjid al-Haram to execute their inauspicious plan. Abu Talib heard this and gathered the youth from among the Sons of Hashim. He immediately went to the Kaaba with them and threatened the polytheists once he arrived there: “By God, if you kill my nephew, Muhammad, know that none of you will remain alive. We will not stop following you until we and you perish in this path.”

The polytheists did not utter a single word against Abu Talib’s threat and they quickly dispersed.

At the end of his speech, Abu Talib spoke about the Master of the Universe (PBUH) as follows:

“How could this person, for whose sake the clouds were invoked for rain, be abandoned? He possesses such kindness; the orphans depend on him just as the widows and the poor trust in him. The destitute from among the Sons of Hashim take refuge in him.

“O Community of Quraysh! I swear to the Baytullah that you are mistaken for disclaiming him and that you are overcome with empty dreams. Do you think that your assassination of Muhammad will take place without a fight as we all circle around him? We will not release you until we all die around him, until our children cause us to forget about, and until we stop defending him.” 

New Intrigues of Polytheists

After all this, the polytheists of the Quraysh understood that our Holy Prophet (PBUH) would not succumb to their inflicted torture, force, and tyranny.

For that reason, they continued to contrive new plans and tried to invent imputations and slanders against him. Their goal was to belittle his exalted character (God forbid), to have the people think poorly of him, and to hinder the people from hearing about his sublime purpose and goal.

They gathered around Walid bin Mughira, one of their elders whom they highly respected and regarded in this matter. They began to talk about our Holy Prophet (PBUH), the representative of the thriving Islamic cause that was bestowing immense happiness within the hearts of its followers.

Walid bin Mughira, one of their founding fathers, spoke to his friends, who circled around him and whose faces reflected the ugliness of disbelief, “O Qurayshis, the Hajj season has arrived. The Arab tribes are going to flood our territory. Surely, they have heard of Muhammad’s situation. They are going to ask you a series of questions. For that reason, we must share and agree upon some idea regarding him so that we will not fall into some conflict.”

This was a sly idea. Separate and differing ideas would surely put them in a situation in which their words would be unbelievable and unreliable. Thereby, they would not be very influential upon the influx of people.

The Qurayshis wanted to hear Walid bin Mughira’s opinion on how to take precaution in this matter. They said, “Tell us about your ideas, thoughts and precautions regarding this matter too so that we can make the same claims and behave in the same way.

However, Walid wanted to hear their ideas first.

The polytheists proposed their ideas, “We will call him a soothsayer.”

Walid did not agree with this idea and said, “No, by God, he is not a soothsayer. We have seen soothsayers and what he recites is not what the soothsayers mutter and invent. A soothsayer will tell both the truth and will lie. However, we have not heard a single lie from Muhammad!”

The polytheists then said, “In that case, we will say that he is mad.”

Walid objected to this as well, “No, he is not mad, either. We have seen mad people and know what insanity is. His state does not resemble that of an insane person at all.”

The polytheists made a third offer, “Then we will say he is a poet.”

Walid did not deem this option as appropriate, “No, he is not a poet. We know of every kind of poems and his recitations do not resemble any kind.”

The polytheists made one last offer, “We will call him a magician.”

Walid did not deem this option as acceptable, either.

“No, no! He is not a magician. Besides, we have seen their spells and the magicians themselves. His recitations are not what the magicians recite and blow, nor is it what they knot and tie.”

The polytheists, whose every offer had been rejected transferred the burden to Walid, “Then tell us what to say, Father of Abdushshams.”

Walid’s response was surprising: “By God, there is a completely different kind of sweetness in his words. No words can be sweeter than his. He is a light. He possesses such sweetness; he is like a date tree with lush fruits whose roots have grown in very fertile land and in water-filled gardens and whose branches extend to its surroundings.”

The polytheists were alarmed upon hearing this expression. Had Walid, one of their “masterminds” from whom they sought advice, become a Muslim? Walid left them and went to his home, which further increased their worries; they even began to say, “Walid has left his religion.”

However, Walid had not left his religion. He had withdrawn to his home to think about what kinds of slander and accusations would be most suitable. After he made his decision, he came back to the polytheists and said:

“Out of all of the options that you have mentioned, which are all bound to be proven to be lies and as being completely groundless in a short time, saying that he is a magician is the most plausible one. He has arrived with such a captivating message that it is driving a wedge between children and their fathers, brothers, husbands and their wives, as well as clans and their tribes.” 

They all agreed upon this view. From now on, they were going to call our Holy Prophet (PBUH) a “soothsayer” (God forbid) and attempt to keep him away from the community by spreading this allegation and slander.

In the verses that God Almighty sent, the cunning plan of Walid b. Mughira was referred to as, “Woe to him! how he plotted!”; God informed us about the end of him as follows:

“Soon will cast him into Hell-Fire!” 

The Master of the Universe (PBUH) was not a soothsayer as the polytheists had said he was since a soothsayer’s words are based on estimation and are ambiguous. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) spoke the truth and of reality which every sound mind would affirm. His words were far from being ambiguous and based on estimation since they had very clear and definite meanings.

He was not crazy as they had claimed since his friends were not the only ones who witnessed the excellence of his intelligence; his most unruly enemies also testified to this truth when the occasion arose.

He was not a poet as the polytheists had claimed since the bright, luminous truths that he mentioned were far from needing the ornamentation of poetry.

God Almighty sent a verse that addressed our Holy Prophet (PBUH) following the allegations, slander, and planning the polytheists had devised:

“Therefore, remind (mankind of Islamic Monotheism, O Muhammad). By the Grace of Allah, you are neither a soothsayer, nor a madman…” 

[glapplebloom]

Guess who finally got it on their iPod! (No Images in this Review)

I was a supporter of Prison of Plastic and one of the rewards was to get the audio book. Sadly, the audio book was only on Sound Theater and for a while there was no way for me to download it and put it on my iPod like all my other music stuff. But I eventually found a way and now I got it to listen to while I am on my walks. So what is Epithet Erased?

For those who don’t know, it is a series by Jelloapocalypse about a world where people gain powers because they’re inscribed with a specific word. Prison of Plastic is the continuation of the 7 episode long series, taking a week after the events. I enjoyed the show and wanted more, so I finally got to do so.

The book has 17 chapters but the first four are prologues to introduce us to the world and its characters. The first focuses on Molly and her two friends: Phoenicia Fleecity and Trixie Roughhouse. Molly is her nervous self but she is trying to be more confident. Feenie is a frikkin sheep in human form. She’s also rich so she’s not exactly the smartest bulb on the streets.

That honor goes to Trixie who happens to be the youngest sister of the toughest family in the city and man, does she sell it well. So after saving them from a mugger, Trixie broke down because she was afraid her bluff would get them hurt. That first prologue really sells the friendship of the Neo Trio as they’re called.

The second prologue focuses on Giovanni Potage, who has decided to leave the Bonzai Blasters and make his own group. His minions follow him and again, really sell their loyalty to Giovanni. From being just one of the guys in a group with no leader to being the fire that gets them to do things. A great showing of how Giovanni can help people in his own way.

The third Prologue focuses on Molly’s OLDER sister, Lorelai. She has the ability to create dimensional bubbles where she can create anything she wants. Live in her own fantasy world. It's basically Mabel World except on command. Nobody could get through to this girl, except Molly whose power can negate her effects. While the previous chapters do sell the four of being great people, Lorelai makes you hate her from the start.

Lorelai is 17 years old. Yet she acts like she’s younger than Molly. All she had to do was do the dishes but she spent two hours making this world instead, meaning Molly will have to do the dishes, cook for these people, and somehow do her homework. And what's worse, she frikkin says their father actually likes her since he usually takes her side.

I’m hoping the end of this story has her actually grow up, and they do set it up with her internally realizing it but not outright expressing it, because I really want to punch her in the face. The final Prologue focused on the CEO of STEM Industries Naven Nuknuk. He’s basically a male Molly except replace an Epithet with money. He teaches her and her friend about communication skills. And with our players set, we come to Chapter 1.

It was after the Third Prologue and the Neo Trio went to the beach since it is a rare time off for Molly. They were putting slugs back into the sea when they found a body. His name is Rick Shades and he came from a city under the sea. He also hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for three days so he’s almost dying. Chapter 2 brings everyone together as Naven is waiting in their store as the girls bring Rick there for help.

Molly is a criminal now, so she can’t call the cops for help. Luckily for them Naven is there who actually provides help unlike Lorelai or her father. Giovanni comes in now calling himself Vincent Murder and honestly seeing everyone Molly cares for together was really nice. Even she feels like it was a birthday party for her. But then Lorelai finally pops out of the bubble to see what’s happening since it was too noisy for her.

Lorelai likes Giovanni. Outside her father, it really seems like he gets her. Problem is Giovanni is very loyal so when he finds out Lorelai was Molly’s sister, their connection quickly fades. Goivanni wants Bear Trap to help with an upcoming mission and Lorelai wants to help. But since Molly isn’t giving her a recommendation, she decides to prove she’s bad guy material by kidnapping Naven and trapping everyone else (that matters) in her bubble.

Chapter 2 has Molly and the Gang pretty much setting up what the majority of her side of the story is going to be: The Neo Trio having to travel through Lorelai’s world to save Giovanni and Naven. Molly is basically at her breaking point physically and emotionally as she yelled at her sister, something she probably should have done a while ago but never did. This turned her friends into fairies and she has to use her Epithet to keep herself normal.

Chapter 3 has Lorelai’s side of the story: trying to win Giovanni’s approval. It is a nice showing compared to how we see her treat Molly, showing she probably could be a better person if she had the right people in her life. And all she has to do to prove her being Minion Worthy is bake some cookies. You think it would be easy since she basically has Reality Warping Powers but the trick is to make them without powers. 

And that’s all the recapping I’m going to do. I do recommend this as it is a very fun listen to. The old cast are just as good if not better than they were on the series. The new cast fit with the ones established so well. Giovanni proves to be the best things for both Blyndeff girls, Lorelai has a very interesting arc after a certain point. And honestly the ending is the best thing to happen to Molly. So if you liked the series, you would still enjoy this.

[ashs-random-writing]

a burning feeling

Chapter 4

Ao3

—

When Patton, a young-ish human, feels drawn to the mountains that house dragons, he doesn't know why he follows the feeling.

He definitely doesn't know why the dragons seem so... protective

—

Roman had been a knight for several years. He often travelled to and from villages to aid them with whatever problems troubled them. The town he visited now had quite a unique problem

They had settled near dragon-infested mountains, and the dragons had supposedly taken a young man. The young man was also a traveller, who had been watching the sunset and perhaps the stars before he had disappeared. The reason they believed it to have been the dragons, was that they had been acting strangely, hunting more often and seemingly watching the town

Roman had never fought a dragon alone before. It would be dangerous, and he didn’t have back up. He looked up at the mountain, a sense of determination overtaking him. First, he would attempt to look around the cave. Then he would figure out the best way to fight. He would probably need to enchant his sword; dragon scales were one of the toughest materials anyone knew about.

Roman climbed the mountain, hoping to be able to check the area before coming back to actually fight some dragons.

Pretty much immediately after entering the cave, one of the dragons ran up, growling and raising their wings. Roman gave a futile attempt to slice it. Unsurprisingly, his sword had bounced harmlessly off, as though it were a children’s toy and not a deadly weapon. Roman cursed under his breath, as the dragon stalked closer

He slowly backed away, trying to make it obvious that he was leaving. The dragon slowly stopped growling, lowering its wings. Roman snuck a glance behind the dragon. The cave system was deep, he noted, before completely leaving.

He asked around the town for anyone that would be able to enchant his sword, and perhaps his armour. It took a week and a half before he was ready to return to the cave.

When he got there, he was able to journey further into the cave before encountering a dragon. It was the same dragon that had threatened him before, though it was sleeping, its eyes closed. Roman slowly laid his sword on its neck, hoping to every deity he could think of that it wouldn’t wake up before he killed it.

Of course, his luck never granted him any mercy. A low growl stopped him, as its eyes opened. Roman stepped back, a thrill of fear coursing through his veins. Its purple scales turned to black, and it spread its wings once again, standing up to its towering height.

He slashed his sword, aiming for its side. It sliced through scales as if they were butter, and golden blood fell to the ground. It hissed. Roman had a few seconds to think what to do. He noticed its chest turn a glowing red, a sure sign that it was about to try to fry him. He rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack. He shouted something at the beast

He attacked again, but it had seemingly learned its lesson, and dodged. Roman didn’t give it a chance to attack him, keeping it firmly on the defensive. He wouldn’t let it kill him before he rescued the poor young man that had been kidnapped.

His sword fell from his grasp, clattering across the floor, to behind the dragon. It stood between the enchanted object and him. Roman still had his dagger, though it would be extremely hard to attack a dragon with it. He could only remember two weak points of a dragon; the underside of their jaws, and the thin, papery part of a wing.

It would be hard to carry out the attack, with only a close range weapon and with dragons being so protective of their weak points. He made his decision in a split second as the dragon raised its wings once again, a threat as clear as day. Now, he was running through the cave with a dragon chasing him. He had the advantage of a head start, as it was too startled to follow him immediately

It was fast, though, and caught up to him quickly. He was about to attempt to run faster, but another dragon showed up in front of him. He shouted in surprise and slowed to a stop, looking between both dragons. The second one was the biggest, growling ferociously, somehow even more menacing than dragon one. He looked at them and down at the dagger in his hands

Surprisingly, and suspiciously neither dragon was preparing a fire attack. He looked behind the blue dragon and could see more tunnels in the cave. In another half-second decision, he sliced a little bit of the blue dragons wing, causing it to immediately retract the appendage and leave a big enough space for Roman to run through

He didn’t get far enough in the cave to find the hostage before being dragged away. He did find a small-ish nest, with some sort of protective charm around it. He wondered if it was for baby dragons.

As he was dragged away, he started shouting at the dragons, mainly to distract himself from his imminent demise. He wondered why they weren’t immediately killing him, they certainly seemed angry enough, and Purple definitely seemed willing to torch him before they were too deep in the cave. Perhaps they had something of too much importance to risk it being caught up in the flames.

He was set down on solid ground near the cave’s entrance, while both dragons started glowing the same way they did before preparing a blaze of flames. He did what any sane person would do, and ran for his life. He would be of no use to people if he was burnt to a crisp.

He heard a deep growl, but no dragons followed him. A breathed a sigh of relief, and when he finally got back to the town he immediately went back to the inn he was staying in, only offering the tale to those who asked. He would be going back at some point

But maybe in a few weeks, when they wouldn’t expect it as much.

—

Logan was injured, now, and so was Virgil. But, they had succeeded in protecting their young. The sprite was crying quietly, after he had taken it out of the nest, and it practically latched itself to his claw. Logan thought that the sounds of the fighting might have startled it

Virgil was tending to Logan’s wing before either of them tended to any other wounds, the wing being the most severe. He would not be able to fly for another week or so. Virgil had some shallow cuts, and loose scales. The sprite didn’t like seeing the blood.

Logan gently nudged it, the way Virgil had done the last time the knight was there

“We’re fine, don’t worry” he reassured, to which Virgil clicked an agreement. The sprite made little sniffling noises, but eventually stopped crying.

Logan moved to treat Virgil’s wounds, and the sprite moved to curl up on the ground, seemingly tired. Logan wanted to take it back to the nest immediately and give it all the warmth and everything it desired, and deserved.

However, Virgil’s wounds took priority in this instance. The wounds would heal quickly, but Virgil had a stubborn glare on his face as he stared at the cave wall

“Is something wrong, Virgil?” He asked, though he already knew the answer

Virgil gave a nod, looking around the cave

“I just don’t get what humans have against us. We don’t bother them, we don’t do anything! But, here they go attacking us again. It’s a good thing that they didn’t hurt the little one, otherwise their little settlement would burn to the ground” Virgil was glaring ferociously at the wall behind Logan.

Logan nodded

“It’s certainly… annoying, to say the least,” he agreed, looking around at the messed up cave and the injuries he was tending to. Piles of precious things he and Virgil had collected were knocked over in the commotion, and things were in places they weren’t supposed to be

The little sprite let out a low whine, as though it was upset. Logan gently ran a claw through its hair

Once he was finished cleaning and addressing wounds, he carefully carried it over to the nest, leaving the protective charm over it. Only he and Virgil would be able to get it out. If the knight did come back, and if it did manage to get this far into the cave, it could not hurt the child.

For the next few days, everyone was even more on edge than they had been the first time the knight showed up. The sprite seemed upset that it couldn’t get itself out of the nest to play and otherwise wreak havoc, but it was a necessary precaution.

He and Virgil took turns sleeping near its nest, and took turns playing. Virgil did the hunting, with Logan’s new injury stopping him from doing it, but Logan prepared the food. The little one was so close to igniting, and so far all signs pointed to naturally blue fire.

While blue fire in nature usually meant that it was hotter than red fire, blue magical flames meant that they were naturally safe for most beings, though could be dangerous if the person demanded them to be. Logan hoped it learned quickly how to defend itself, with all the threats it would face

It was clingy for a while, after the knight. Logan let it be. Logan could no longer tuck it under the injured wing, though it could still tuck under the other. It was getting warmer.

Logan was almost ready to introduce it directly to fire. He would wait another day or so, until he was absolutely sure. Virgil took over him watching the sprite after a while, and Logan went into his section of the cave.

He tested out his wing, but still couldn’t extend it properly. He gave a growl, thinking about the knight. He hoped, for its own sake, that it wouldn’t return.

—

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