#this is a victory for us ice chewing enthusiasts

[birdcyclops]

important update:

this summer my puppy dog (10 months old) has discovered the greatness of chewing on ice and is now coming back to me every 10 minutes to ask for another, and when im too busy he sits in front of the fridge looking at it expectantly

[jozstankovich]

Goodnight Kiss

Fandom: The Outer Worlds Pairing: Felix Millstone/Nonbinary Captain (Tibbs) Rating: Teen+ Word Count: 3937 [AO3 link in Comment Section]

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Tossball, the greatest sport in Halcyon.  

Or rather, the only sport in Halcyon.

Either way, Tibbs is a fan… and not just because of present company.  Okay, maybe it hadn’t started that way.  True, the first time they’d asked Felix to explain the rules to them had merely been an excuse to spend more time with him, but since actually hearing the rules they’d fallen head over heels for the game.  Initially it had reminded them of the Earth game lacrosse, but any game that encourages killing your opponent and being disqualified for “overly sportsman-like conduct” definitely had their attention, and now game night had quickly become a standing tradition.

“Hey Nell!  Can you bring us another round?”  Felix called across the room, waving at the bartender.  Tibbs quickly hid their smirk behind their glass as Nell’s gaze settled on them.  Draining the foamy dredges in one gulp, they glanced over at Felix, oblivious and already focused back on the game.  

The gnawing pang of jealousy Tibbs had felt upon their first meeting with the tossball loving bartender was nowhere to be found these days and they even managed a genuine grin to counter Nell’s somewhat strained one as she brought their fresh drinks over.  Felix tore his eyes from the screen long enough to thank her before grabbing his glass and nudging Tibbs enthusiastically in the ribs as the Rangers executed a particularly daring play. The disappointment in Nell’s lingering gaze was so obvious it was painful and had her affections been directed anywhere else, Tibbs would have felt sorry for her, maybe even put in a good word for her... but not with Felix.

The game was neck and neck, and as the night wore on the tension only mounted, reaching a fever pitch.  All other thought was driven from their mind as Tibbs leaned forward, holding their breath, their eyes glued to the fuzzy images of the players running around the screen.  To their side they were vaguely aware of Felix, half standing, clutching at their sleeve, squeezing their arm in apprehension, his eyes alight with frenzied excitement as the timer ticked down.

Time seemed to slow as Bertie “Black Hole” Holcomb launched the ball toward the goal.  Ceiren Frasier lunged for it, his stick missing by a hair, and a cry went up as the Rangers scored one second before the timer buzzed, winning them the game and sending them to the Pennant match.  Before they realized what was happening Tibbs was lifted from the ground, a pair of strong arms encircling their waist, squeezing them tightly and their giddy laughter mixed with Felix’s as he swung them around enthusiastically.  As he set them down heavily Tibbs stumbled back into his arms and froze. It wasn’t until their eyes met that Felix realized what he’d done, his face instantly colouring, though his hands still lingered at their waist.

Clearing his throat awkwardly he released them, stepping back quickly.  “Sorry boss,” he managed to stammer; his eyes flitting away sheepishly for a moment, “I got a little carried away… though can you blame me?  That was an amazing play!”

Tibbs snorted, trying to mask the fact that their heart was still pounding loudly in their ears.  “Hell yeah it was. I think we need a victory shot to celebrate.”

Awkwardness quickly forgotten, a grin spread across Felix’s face.  “Oh hell yes!”

One shot turned into three, which turned into five and by the time they’d stumbled out of the bar they had to hold each other up; Tibbs nearly tripping down the stairs and bringing Felix down with them.  “Whoa boss, careful there,” he exclaimed, slipping his arm around their waist and flushing as the captain leaned heavily into his side.

“Oops, sorry,” Tibbs snickered, blinking around them at the empty street.  “...Which way is the ship?”

“Uh…” Felix gaped, just as lost.  “I think… this way?” he guessed, turning them around.

“Then lead on!” Tibbs giggled, falling into step with him; warmth spreading up their side where they leaned against him. 

The cool night air, well, cool for Monarch standards seemed to sober the two up slightly and they stumbled on in companionable silence; Felix sneaking glances at the Captain when he didn’t think they were looking.

“Hey boss, we’re gunna watch the Pennant match together, right?” he asked hesitantly, breaking the silence.

Tibbs looked up and flashed him a lopsided grin.  “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” they slurred.

“Good,” Felix nodded to himself, “I’ve never really had anyone to watch the games with before… and it just makes them that much more fun with you there,” he admitted, glancing down at them.

A smile tugged at Tibbs’ lips at Felix’s words; butterflies swarming in their stomach.  “I like spending time with you too Felix.”

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

Inebriated, it took them longer than usual to navigate the streets of Stellar Bay, and by the time the two had staggered back onto the Unreliable, the rest of the crew were already in their bunks.  “I’m thirsty,” Tibbs announced as they crested the stairs to the crew quarters.

“Me too,” Felix agreed, trailing behind the captain to the kitchen and plopping down at the table.  His gaze followed them to the fridge as they yanked open the door and stuck their head inside.  Swallowing thickly he had to tear his gaze from their backside as they leaned over farther, digging through the ice box.  Hands full, Tibbs straightened, nudging the door shut with their hip before setting two bottles of purpleberry fizz onto the table between them and Felix.  

“Here,” they said, sliding one of the bottles over to their companion.  “Gotta hydrate so you don’t wake up with a hangover tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah, I always forget that part,” Felix admitted ruefully, twisting off the cap.

Tibbs snorted softly as they settled back into their chair, watching Felix as they took a swig of their own soda.  “Hey Felix, can I ask you something?” they asked, knowing full-well that if they were sober they probably would’ve chickened out already, however at the moment they could care less.

“Sure boss, shoot.”

The lopsided grin he directed at them had their cheeks heating, but Tibbs doubted it would be noticeable over the flush from the alcohol.  “What did you think of me the first time we met?”

Felix set down his soda and chewed his lip, looking thoughtful.  “Well, I thought you were super cool, with your own spaceship ‘n all.  I mean, you looked like a real badass, like someone I’d wanna be friends with… and of course I hoped you’d let me travel with you.”  He paused for a moment and then smirked.  “Plus I gotta admit I thought you were super hot,” he said with a shrug, as if it were no big deal.

Fighting to keep their composure, Tibbs merely cocked their brow.  “ Ohh?”

“Well, yeah,” Felix replied slowly, “anyone with eyes would think so,” he added quickly.

Tibbs couldn’t help the amused chuckle that burst from their lips.  “And what do you think of me now?”

“Now?” Felix mused, fidgeting with the neck of his soda bottle.  “Now I know you’re a badass,” he replied with a laugh of his own.  “But like also, you’re a good person.  You’re constantly going out of your way to help folks, and even if it's on your own terms you’re still doing good.  I think…” he paused again, as if searching for the right words.  “I think there’s a lot more to you than you show most people and I’m glad I’m one of the few who actually gets to see that.”

“Felix…” Tibbs murmured, touched, but before they could dwell on his words for too long he scooted his chair closer and leaned in, his voice lowering, hazel eyes holding them hostage.

“Now it’s your turn boss.  Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else before.”

“Uh, okay… let’s see…” they mused, leaning in closer as well.  Again an alcohol induced impulsiveness overtook them and Tibbs blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  “For a long time I was jealous of Nell.”

Thick eyebrows furrowing, Felix frowned in thought.  “How come?” he asked, clearly puzzled.

Tibbs cleared their throat before sitting back in their chair and answering, their eyes flicking away.  “Because I thought you liked her.”

Still confused, Felix tilted his head.  “Why would I like Nell when you’re so much cooler?”

“Wait, what?” Tibbs asked with a start, choking on their soda, but Felix didn’t seem to hear them, chewing his lip until his eyes widened.  

“Wait, are you saying what I think you’re saying boss?”

The reality of what they’d just admitted hit them, forcing its way through their alcohol dampened senses.  “I-I mean…” they stuttered, mentally kicking themself. This wasn’t exactly how they had imagined this conversation going.

Wait, was he grinning?

Indeed, a very pleased, albeit somewhat incredulous expression was plastered to Felix’s face as he watched them.  

“You were jealous?  I had no idea boss. All this time, I never really imagined you liked me too.”

Too?   Tibbs gaped at him, dumbfounded.  “You mean…?”

Felix’s laughter washed over them and their face flushed to the roots of their auburn hair.  “Damn boss, I’ve never seen you so tongue tied before and you’re turning red.  You must really like me, huh?”

“You’re enjoying this too much,” Tibbs countered, ignoring his question while managing to claw out a modicum of composure in the face of his smug teasing.

“Yeah, I am.”  He answered simply, still smirking.  “It’s not often I get to tease you.  It’s usually the other way round.”

“Yeah well, don’t get used to it,” Tibbs huffed, taking another swig of soda.

“Oh no, I think I want to,” Felix insisted, still grinning like an idiot; his excitement infectious and Tibbs couldn’t stop from grinning back.

“Fine, but only you.  Anyone else tries to pull that shit and they’re going out the airlock.”

“Whatever you say, captain,” he said with a shrug, spreading his hands.  

Their laughter died down and the kitchen grew quiet once again; the only sound the hum of the ship.

“So… what do we do about… this?”  Felix asked gesturing between Tibbs and himself.  “I’ve never been, uh… serious about something like this before.  And I really really don’t want to mess anything up,” he said earnestly.

“Yeah, same hat,” Tibbs murmured, looking at their hands.  At least, if they had been in a serious relationship before, they couldn’t remember it.  Either way, Felix was their best friend and the last thing they wanted was to bungle things and lose him.  “I think we should talk more about this tomorrow… when we’re sober,” they suggested with a wry chuckle.

“Sounds good to me,” Felix agreed and pushed himself to his feet; his whole demeanor pleased.  “Let me walk you home.”

Tibbs looked at his hand blankly before letting him pull them to their feet.  “My room’s just down the hall,” they pointed out with an amused snort.

“So?  That’s what you’re supposed to do after a date, right?”

Tibbs supposed he was right, comical though it was.  Wait, did this really count as a date?  Leaning into his side against the faint spinning in their head, Tibbs let him escort them back to their cabin, marveling at how right it felt to have his arm around them.  Just outside their door Felix hesitated and Tibbs turned after crossing the threshold, leaning out into the hall.

“ Yeees?” they asked, cocking an eyebrow.  “It looks like you have something to say.”

Felix cleared his throat and scratched at the back of his head.  “So…” he paused, his gaze falling to Tibbs’ mouth. “Do I get a goodnight kiss at least?”

The question caught them off guard and the vacant look on their face must have worried Felix because he quickly began to backpedal, assuring them he was only joking, until a smirk quirked Tibbs’ lips and they grasped the collar of his shirt, jerking him forward.  Their lips collided, cutting off Felix’s words with a surprised grunt that quickly melted to a soft whimper as Tibbs pulled back.  

His dazed “holy shit” brought a breathless laugh to their tingling lips, but before they could make a coy comeback Felix’s hands were at their waist, eagerly hauling them forward.  As their lips met again Tibbs stumbled backward at his intensity, pulling Felix with them into their room. The door slid shut behind him with a hiss and moments later his back was pressed against it with Tibbs pressed against him.

Breaking apart only long enough to catch their breaths Felix awkwardly hoisted the captain into his arms to mount the stairs to their quarters, thinking himself suave.

“Don’t you dare drop me, Felix Millstone,” Tibbs hissed, wrapping their legs around his waist as he staggered up the stairs.

“Don’t worry boss, I wouldn’t dream of it,” he assured them before reeling backward with a panicked gasp; Tibbs yelping in tandem and tightened their hold on him.  Regaining his balance he continued the climb, trying to reset the mood; his hands sliding lower. “See, made it!” 

“Barely,” Tibbs pointed out wryly, but excitement thrummed through them all the same.

As soon as they reached the top Felix dropped Tibbs to their feet and his mouth was on theirs once again, his hands cupping their jaw as his lips moved against theirs, meeting over and over.  Stumbling backwards toward the bed Tibbs’ hands tangled in Felix’s vest, desperately yanking at the fabric as he eagerly followed. Shrugging the garment off quickly he let it fall to the floor, his shirt following before helping Tibbs undress as well.  

Masterfully toeing off their boots as they walked and kicking them away, Tibbs stopped as the backs of their legs hit the edge of their bunk.  However, in his haste to shed his own boots Felix lost his balance again, pitching forward and toppling them both onto the mattress in a half-dressed heap accompanied by Tibbs’ muffled shriek of surprise.  Not letting the small mishap interrupt him Felix crawled over them capturing their lips once more.  The hunger behind his kisses had their head swimming and Tibbs writhed against him as his hands wandered and his tongue swiped against their lips, chasing all thought away.

Moaning into their mouth Felix pulled back to catch his breath and huffed a soft laugh.

“What?”  Tibbs asked, brows furrowing softly.

“You taste like purpleberry,” he replied, grinning goofily down at them.  “I like it.”

Tibbs snorted, laughing harder and soon Felix was echoing them; both of them laughing like idiots until they were gasping for breath and Tibbs let their head fall back against their pillows, their eyes fluttering shut and the rest of their laughter turning breathless.  When they opened their eyes they found Felix watching them, still sprawled atop them and there was a softness to his expression they’d never seen before.

“Are we really doing this?” he murmured almost to himself.  

“Well, you were the one who wanted that goodnight kiss,” Tibbs pointed out coyly.

Felix chuckled before turning somber once more.  “No, I mean… you and me. Me and you. This.”  He looked uncertain, as if afraid Tibbs would change their mind and push him off them.  “I mean, do you know how long I’ve wanted to kiss you?”

Golden brown eyes met hazel ones and Tibbs smiled softly, pushing up to press their lips to his.  The kiss was soft and lingering, and Felix nearly followed as they pulled back, not wanting it to end.

“Yeah, we are.”  Tibbs said, their brows creasing faintly.  “And just how long did you wanna kiss me for?”

“Long enough,” Felix muttered sheepishly before letting his head fall, resting his forehead against Tibbs’ chest.

Smiling to themself Tibbs laid back again, snuggling into their pillows before reaching up to card their fingers through Felix’s mop of soft dark hair.

“Mm that feels nice,” he groaned; his voice muffled against them.  “If you keep that up I might just fall asleep right here.”

“That’s okay.”

At Tibbs’ words Felix raised his head to gape at them.  “You want me to stay?”

“Yeah, why not?”  They shrugged, fighting back a grin, their fingers resuming their gentle massage against his scalp and Felix’s eyes nearly rolled up into his head as he collapsed back down with a sigh.  

“Good, because you’re comfortable.”

Tibbs snorted fondly, rolling their head to the side to look out the viewport that took up most of the wall, gazing at the expanse of stars outside and soon Felix was snoring soundly, his arms wrapped around their waist comfortingly.

Yeah, I think I could get used to this, Tibbs thought before sleep overtook them as well.

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The next morning Felix shifted in his sleep and froze, his hand resting on something warm and soft.  Was there someone else in his bed?   

Cracking an eye he glanced around.  

This wasn’t his room at all.

Finally the events of the night before caught up to him and his eyes snapped open to gape at the captain, half undressed and entwined beneath him, snoring softly, but looking as peaceful as ever.  In fact Felix couldn’t remember ever seeing them quite this relaxed.

“It wasn’t a dream,” he whispered, full of awe and Tibbs stirred.

Groaning, they reached up to cradle their head and made a face before their eyes fluttered open slowly, wincing.  Frowning slightly they blinked blearily several times at Felix, as if unsure they were seeing correctly.  “Felix…?” they croaked uncertainly.

“Mornin boss,” he replied awkwardly, quickly removing his hand from their chest before they noticed and shifted so he wasn’t crushing them.  Concern laced his expression as he noticed the dark bags under their eyes, “you don’t look so hot.”

“Gee thanks Felix, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear upon waking from the guy I made out with and then fell asleep under last night,” Tibbs groaned, throwing their arm over their eyes.

“Sorry, I just meant you don’t look well.  Are you okay?” Felix clarified, wanting to feel their face to check if they were feverish, but afraid of overstepping a boundary.  Although, after falling asleep in their bunk with them there weren’t many boundaries left to cross.

Again Tibbs groaned, louder this time.  “I feel like shit.” Lifting their arm so they could see him they frowned.  “You’re not hungover?” It was less of a question and more of an observation.

Felix thought about it for a second and then shook his head.  “No, I feel fine. Actually I feel great.  I don’t think I’ve slept this well in a long time.”

“Good for you,” Tibbs grumbled before softening.  “Other than this splitting headache, I… I think I slept really well too.”  

The faint flush that bloomed on their face was contagious and Felix could feel his own cheeks heating as well.  He still wasn’t used to seeing the captain so vulnerable, but he wanted to be, he wanted so badly to be used to it.  Clearing his throat, he tried not to dwell on the thoughts that were suddenly pressing against his consciousness.

“Soooo, last night we said we’d talk about this tomorrow, but I think we may have skipped a few steps in between there and here,” he said, gesturing to their still entwined bodies, slightly embarrassed.  “I didn’t mean to get so carried away.”

Tibbs snorted softly, their eyes finding his.  “Yeah, I’d say.” They shifted, bringing their hand up to hesitantly brush their fingers against his cheek.  “I got just as carried away last night, but… it doesn’t feel wrong though.”  

Felix caught their hand in his and pressed their palm to his cheek, his eyes fluttering shut.  For a long moment he just stayed there, relishing the closeness he craved; Tibbs’ hand so warm against his skin.  Realizing the intimacy of the act he quickly released their hand, his eyes dropping awkwardly.  However Tibbs didn’t pull away, instead stroking the side of his face as they studied him.

“You wanna take me out again tonight, Millstone?”

Surprised, he gaped at them, his mouth falling open.  “You want to? I-I mean, yeah, of course!”

Tibbs’ answering smile faltered as they winced once more, their fingers pressing to their temples.  “Ughhh I want to enjoy this moment, dammit. Hangover go awayyyy,” they whined, squeezing their eyes shut.

An idea hit Felix and he pushed himself off the bed as gently as possible, so as not to jostle them.  As soon as they felt him move however, Tibbs’ eyes flew open. “Where are you going?” 

The worry in their voice was endearing and Felix was quick to reassure them he’d be right back.  “I’m gunna see what I can get you for that headache.”

Tibbs’ face softened, their lips twitching into a small smile.  “You’re sweet…” they murmured, throwing their arm back over their face.  “Come back soon.”

Smiling to himself as he padded down the stairs Felix pulled his shirt over his head, aware he probably looked disheveled, but past caring; his thoughts decidedly elsewhere.  As soon as the door whooshed open, however, he froze, face to face with Parvati.  Her fist hovering over the space the door had just been, ready to knock and her mouth fell open as she gaped at Felix standing there.

“Felix?”  She asked, glancing past him wide-eyed into Tibbs’ cabin.  “Did you sleep with the captain last night?” she gasped, her voice raising an octave.

Quickly shushing her Felix leaned into the hall to see if anyone else was close enough to hear.  “It’s not like that, Parvati!” he exclaimed hastily.   “Well, I mean, it is, but it isn’t.  I slept with the captain, but I didn’t sleep with the captain,” he tried to clarify.  The horrified look on the mechanic’s face wasn’t helping matters and he couldn’t help rambling further, digging himself deeper.  “It’s not that I didn’t want to, I did… want to.  But we were both too drunk and ended up just falling asleep…”   Realizing that didn’t sound any better he dragged his hand down his face, groaning before starting over.  “Please don’t tell anyone Parvati?” he pleaded softly. “This is still… new, and… I-I think I like the boss like you like Junlei.”

Parvati’s expression softened at this and she looked thoughtful.  “Well, I suppose it’s about time,” she murmured, shaking her head wryly.  

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Felix asked, frowning.

“Nothin, just the way you two were always lookin at each other when you thought no one else was watching… well, I guess I shoulda realized you liked the captain like that.”  After a moment she nodded as if coming to a decision. “Don’t worry Felix, I won’t say anything to the others about this.  Though I reckon they’ll figure it out soon enough.”

Felix managed a sheepish grin.  “Thanks for understanding Parvati, I appreciate it.  Now, if you excuse me I gotta get some water and caffenoids for the boss.  They woke up with a helluva hangover.”

“Aww, that’s real sweet of you, Felix.  I’ll let you get back to taking care of the captain.”  Patting his arm, Parvati smiled warmly before turning, heading back toward the cargo bay.

Felix stared after her for a moment before releasing the deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and climbed to the kitchen, hoping not to run into anyone else on the way, his thoughts quickly slipping back to the warmth of Tibbs’ bunk and looking forward to their next date.

[trouvelle]

Striking Balance (II) // Emogust 14.08 — Character A protects Character B

A/N: I couldn’t hold back from writing more of this, so here’s part II. Please bear with me! I sincerely hope you like it. And I’d like to apologize in advance if there are some parts that are confusing and not canon to Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Aang, it’s probably because I made some stuff up in this fic. DCMK Emogust 2019—Character A protects Character B, @mintchocolateleaves @sup-poki !!

The sun is infinitely brighter outside, warming their clammy skins as they walk away from the inn and into the heart of the town. It’s barely past sunrise, but time moves quickly during this time of the year, especially when they’re scouting the location for a missing person.

River Village is lovely and peaceful. Everyone greets each other even when they are all the way across the street, children are running around carefreely without a hint of worry on their faces. It seems like everyone here is on first-name basis. 

This section of the market is probably the most crowded part of the town, Shinichi observes. There are merchants everywhere, selling all kinds of things—there are fruit stalls, jewelry stalls, liquor stalls, and one that catches Shinichi’s eyes is the one with stacks of scrolls displayed on the table. Ran herself can’t hold back from walking toward one of the stalls to get a better look at the robes.

Shinichi doesn’t blame her. They’ve been on the move for a while. They do have extra clothes but Ran is unable to wear most of what she brought from home because the climate is very different in this part of the world.

Kaito has also advised them to ditch their distinctive Water Tribe kimono-like tunics because they attract unnecessary attention, and to start wearing outfits with more of Earth Kingdom’s elemental color in them (It’s green, and Shinichi is not a big fan. “It’s not that I like wearing green either,” Kaito retorts). They do have some coins to spare, so he gives her a nod as a green light for her to purchase something for herself. 

Ran makes her choice rather quickly. She has her eyes on a fairly beautiful piece, with a pale green dress as the under layer and a sleeveless outer tunic in a contrasting dark green. The booth owner is quick to give her the price, and it was a ridiculously high number. Ran, being the sweetest soul, is already reaching into her pocket to pay when Kaito pulls her by the arm.

“You’re gonna overpay for that piece of cotton; you don’t look like you’re from this area. He purposely offered you a higher price and squeezed all the profit he can get.” Kaito clicks his tongue in distaste, after watching the way Ran is about to close the deal on what would have been her new tunic.

“Think about it in a positive way, maybe he has a big family to feed.” Ran, although kind of surprised, is unaffected by his remark. 

Kaito only shakes his head and mouths, “Watch me.”

He makes his way down a few stalls and stops by another one that also sells tunics and other apparels. He picks a set of bright green and yellow bundle, smooths his hand over it back and front to get a feel of its texture, and proceeds to drop the stack of garment on the counter. He sees Ran and Shinichi in the corner of his eyes, watching him as he starts talking to the man at the booth, both of whom ended up chattering animatedly. Kaito then hands half a roll of coins (Ran turns to Shinichi, gobsmacked, “That cheap?”) to the man as his payment. 

If Shinichi isn’t paying close attention, he wouldn’t have caught the tiny, but swift movement of Kaito’s fingers. A gust of wind suddenly blows in the stall owner’s face and he reflexively squeezes his eyes shut. Within that second, Kaito has already had an extra scarf snuck into his other pocket. When the owner has both his eyes opened again, Kaito is already waving him a goodbye, to which he cluelessly waves back.

He skips back to Ran and Shinichi, trying to hold back a smirk on his face, to eagerly show them his achievement. 

“Next time, let me handle our shopping necessities,” Kaito now allows the smirk to consume his face, rubbing his victory.

“How’d you only pay such a small amount? What did you even say to him?” Ran asks, genuinely curious as to how the airbender closed the deal. 

“You just have to be extremely charming when swaying a deal your way.” Kaito doesn’t try at all to hide the smugness in his voice, tossing the two-piece garment and with the addition of a stolen scarf over to Ran. “Consider this my thanks for healing me.”

Shinichi stays silent, as if he’s deeply contemplating the logistics of Kaito’s way. Kaito suddenly gets nervous. 

He is so used to manipulating store owners, coercing them to his benefit, and even goes so far as to steal sometimes. His skillset is what Aoko and him rely on the most, to get through their days. It’s either resorting to his tricks or having no food, nor clothes, nor any place to stay. He wonders where Aoko has been taking shelter for the past few nights. Does she need new clothes after the disaster? Should he get something for her so when he finally finds her, she has something to change into? But if he goes around to steal again with Shinichi and Ran watching him...

Kaito knows the two waterbenders probably think what he does is immoral, but he does it without any regret. 

“We could actually save some money.” Shinichi comments. 

Kaito lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His face breaks out into a large smile. Despite Shinichi’s Mr-Right-attitude, Kaito is starting to respect him. In the past week that they’ve been together, he has learned that Shinichi’s cautiousness has actually done them nothing but good. Kaito has never caught him off-guard, not even once.

So when Shinichi stops in his tracks and doesn’t respond to either Ran or himself, Kaito is sort of amused. They’ve reached the east end of the market. There are no more stalls up ahead, only a marble fountain and what seems like a vast area of woodland behind it. 

“I’ve been here before!” exclaims Shinichi. “It’s been a few years, and I think a huge part of this town has been reconstructed, along with the market. There used to be a dome over there,” He points at the north end of the market, “Maybe it was demolished. But I know that fountain when I see it. And that was an area I frequented as well.” He explains, jerking his chin to the direction of the woods. 

Φ

Young Shinichi loved tagging along with his father. Being one of the Elder Advisors of the Tribal Council meant Yusaku had to do rounds of their whole territory, all the highs and lows of the village. Shinichi made sure he woke up early enough every day to go with his dad on his morning rounds.

His father always had stories to tell him; about why this igloo hut looked different from that one, why the Palace is always glimmering even during cloudy mornings, what the big giant pendants around the necks of some of the older girls are. “They’re betrothal necklaces, Shinichi. It means they’re getting married soon,” explains his father. When he was out to play with Ran later that day, he very enthusiastically told her about the ugly betrothal necklace she eventually had to wear in the future.

It soon became more than just rounds. His father eventually had to sail away twice every month, leaving North Pole for a few days. Shinichi had heard rumors about the possibility of an upcoming war, he should’ve known that his father was one of the few delegates that were tasked to go out there, then come back bearing reports. 

He wanted to go with him, and so he did.

It seemed that the trips his father had gone off to, were to the same town every single time. Shinichi didn’t bother to find out the name of the town, but his father told him that they were in a village in some part of the Earth Kingdom. He was beaming with pride, for certainly no one else around his age had ever been out of the realm of North Pole. He couldn’t wait to go back home to tell all his friends about how he had been to Earth Kingdom. 

When his father was called in for the meeting in the town dome, Shinichi wandered away from center of the town, past the loud voices echoing from the mine, past the small downtown area and shops, past the sporadic houses that dot the outer edges of the town and into the woods.

He ran around and explored as much as he could, anything to make for a great story later back home. He loved the feeling of his feet padding gently on the soft earth floor beneath him. It’s very different from the cold, rock-hard ice that he was used to. There were so so so many trees here in Earth Kingdom, Shinichi thought in glee. 

He came back with his father the following week and then after, and he always made sure that he had enough time to play in the woods. Never had he seen another person in the woods—they were not that deep, but surely confusing, free of trails and pathways that mar their surface (besides the main road going east, but that’s more south than where Shinichi always was), which was why he’s surprised when he chanced upon a monstrous lizard this time.

Shinichi analyzed the creature, a mere few feet away from him. This was a Beaded Basilisk Lizard, if he remembered his father’s words correctly. “Beaded Basilisk Lizards are carnivorous and venomous, and they chew their venom into their prey,” his father told him once.

This lizard stood about four feet taller than him, even if he ran with all his might, it would definitely catch up to him within a few steps. Maybe he could splash some water to the lizard’s eyes and quickly hide from its sight? That will definitely work, he thought, that’s why Dad always makes me carry this water pouch everywhere.

He slowly reached downward to his water pouch, ready to guide the water out... only to find that it’s empty. Dear Holy Spirit of the Ocean and Spirit of the Moon, he grunted inwardly. He totally forgot that he had drunk all his water supply because running around and climbing trees up and down was tiring. Way more tiring than all those waterbending training back home.

A distant sound moving in a pattern toward them caught both his and the lizard’s attention. Shinichi used this chance to hide behind the largest tree within his range. His thoughts raced, but the adrenaline forced to keep him moving. He chanced a peak around the tree. 

Something jumped out of the trees and landed next to the creature. With a loud cry, it—he, Shinichi realized—drew on his sword, slashed the creature on its right leg and quickly ducked to avoid the whipping of its tail. The dark-skinned boy looked no more taller than Shinichi himself, and he was winging a sword half his size. 

Judging by the amount of blood, Shinichi observed that the sword left a fairly light wound on the creature. The other boy took no notice of this and kept jumping here and there, as if encircling the creature to slash its limbs as often as he could. Then Shinichi realized that the boy wasn’t trying to cut off any of part of the creature. He was trying to inflict as much injury as he could on it, possibly to slow down its movements. Or at least he was, until its scaly and beady tail smacked the boy on his knees. He was inevitably flipped over in the air and landed on his back, his sword strayed out of his reach.

A sharp intake of breath almost choked Shinichi, and without even thinking he stood out from the trees and yelled, “Hey!”

The creature turned his attention away from the dark-skinned boy. Shinichi felt like he just swallowed a boulder at the way it’s now staring at him with a deadly intent.

He didn’t wait to see what it would do, just turned and started running as fast as his feet would take him. He ran past thickets of thorns that scratched his pants, and small trickles of blood ran down, but he hadn’t time to think of it, couldn’t even feel the stinging pain as he pounded the earth beneath him. If only he was an earthbender, he thought, he could throw huge chunks of rock at the lizard. Or better yet, dig a hole to hide in.

Just when he felt it was catching up to him, he heard a gurgle, the kind that builds bile up in the back of someone’s throat, followed by the hard thunk of something hitting the ground. Shinichi tried to stop himself, but skidded across the brush and fell to his hands and knees, panting.

He took a moment to catch his breath and pushed himself back up onto his shaky legs, and walked the few paces to where the creature was flailing around, blood pouring from the back of its neck. Not a minute later, it turned to another direction and scurried away, its humongous beady tail whipping weakly behind it.

He watched the other boy, seemingly not much younger or older than him, who had jet black hair with equally thick eyebrows. He had the tip of his sword plunged lightly on the ground he was standing on as he rested his weight on the hilt. The boy turned around, scanning the forest. After making sure that the creature was really gone, he walked towards Shinichi.

“You’re from one of the Water Tribes?” was the first thing the boy said, his mouth curved up into a smirk.

“What’s yer name? Why are ya here?” He continued to press on unabashedly.

Shinichi replied with a scowl, “I’m Kudo Shinichi, from the Northern Water Tribe, the oldest one. And my father is here for the Delegatory Meeting.” He felt no obligation to give an answer, but he wanted the other boy to know that he is not to be underestimated, that his father is of importance. 

“Ah, ya mean that meeting in that giant dome?” asked the boy with his lips stretched in a grin.

“Who are you anyway?” Shinichi asked, brows furrowed. He felt his annoyance slowly melting away at the easygoing behavior the other boy was displaying.

The boy regarded him with something akin to excitement in his eyes (Shinichi was a little confused, how could this boy be this relaxed after having just encountered a monster?), before answering, “Name’s Hattori Heiji.” 

“You’re not an earthbender, are you?” Shinichi voiced his suspicion. This boy, Heiji, was wielding his sword the whole time. What earthbender would do that when they were literally on the ground?

Heiji shook his head. “I’m more of a.. Warrior, I guess.” He said with a twinge of confidence. He started walking back to the direction of the town, dragging his sword beside him, and Shinichi jumped into step with him.

“Heh. Did you know that that creature is a—”

“Beaded Basilisk Lizard.” Shinichi finished Heiji’s sentence. He turned to look at Heiji with a smug smile. “Just because I’m from the Northern Realms doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the variation of creatures here, you know.”

Heiji pondered about it for a second. "I’m not saying that you don’t know anything. But I certainly think that I know more than you do."

Shinichi snickered. “I know waterbending. All you can do is wield a sword.” Seriously, he was suppressing the urge to stick his tongue out.

“Oh yeah?” Heiji’s voice seemed like it was raised by an octave, followed by a howl of laughter. “Then why didn’t I see you do any of your water magic on that Basilisk Lizard earlier?”

“I was thirsty and ended up drinking my water supply,” admitted Shinichi lamely. He crossed his arms and shot Heiji a look, “I didn’t have that much water on me to begin with. Didn’t think I would have to fight today... but I do can waterbend! I’ll show you when we get to the town fountain.”

But once they got back to the town, he heard their signature Northern Tribe foghorn blow—a sign that their ship is about to leave. His father would be mad at him if he was late, and possibly forbid him from coming along for the meeting next week. But Shinichi wanted to come back, so he did the logical thing and started to make his way down to the pier. 

“I really am a good waterbender. I’ll show you next week!” Shinichi called out. The last thing he saw was the massive grin on Heiji’s face, mirroring his own. Things were going to be so much fun the next time around. 

During his waterbending lessons, he was more determined than ever. He even skipped his daily morning rounds with his father as well as his playtime with Ran, just for extra training. He had to get better in the next few days, preferrable before next week. He was going to show that Hattori boy how powerful his waterbending was. 

Over the next few weeks, he quickly found that he enjoyed spending time with Heiji more than any of his friends. Well, except Ran, but she’s different from the rest. Heiji knew a lot more things than any of the kids back home and they could end up talking about so many things that he couldn’t even bring up to his friends. Most of the things Shinichi knew came from his father, but he wasn’t sure how Heiji knew as much as he did. Sometimes they would bring their heated discussions to some of the town people—awakening laughters and bringing ruffles to their heads—when all they wanted was to know who was on the winning side of the argument.

He was kind of disappointed when Heiji told him that he wouldn’t be able to meet him in the woods every week anymore. He didn’t specify where or why he was leaving, but both of them had parted ways with their heads and noses high. 

They were really young then. Shinichi had no doubt that he would meet Heiji again.

Φ

Many years have passed, Shinichi muses. 

“Say, Shinichi, isn’t this where you said your best friend from the foreign land lives?” Ran’s voice gently pulls him back from his thoughts.

“Ah,” Shinichi nods, scratching the back of his head. Back then, he was always so pumped after their playtimes and whenever he got back home he would always tell his everyone about the cool things he and Heiji did. Shinichi’s mother thought he regarded that boy with such adoration and at one point started referring him “Shinichi’s foreign best friend” although Shinichi himself always denied it outright. “I don’t think he lives here anymore. I don’t even think he ever lived here.”

Kaito’s interest suddenly spikes. He takes a moment to evaluate Shinichi, taking in his face and his seemingly ever bored expression. “You had a best friend?” He chuckles, and Shinichi kind of feels mocked.

“We’re more like... rivals.” Shinichi settles with a shrug, no anger or annoyance in any ounce of his body, the corners of his lips tugged up in a grin, “But I guess you could call us that.”

[fiive-second-cookies]

A Picture-Perfect Snow Day

A/N: Somehow I managed to get this done in time to actually post on December first despite the fact that I woke up at 5:30 this morning and have about a million other things I should be doing???? I don’t really know how good this fic is.  I came up with the concept a bit ago, and I started writing it last week and then gave up. But I’ve finished it now. Also I don’t really like the ending, but the idea came to me while I was writing and I thought it would be cool. Also I only proofread it like, once so there’s probably many errors. I hope you enjoy this maybe. And I’m super hyped to do more of @sanderssidescelebrations’s Holiday Month

A Picture Perfect Snow Day

Prompt: 1. Snow Day

Warnings: None, I think. It’s pretty fluffy. But if there are any, please let me know!

Pairings: Platonic LAMP

Word Count: About 1.1k

Virgil pulls his scarf closer to his face as he walks outside. His breath comes out in small puffs when it hits the frigid winter air. Virgil swiftly walks into their front yard, mindful of the slippery ice.

“Virge, come on!” Patton calls out through giggles. Virgil continues walking over, coming to a stop beside where Patton is trying to roll a big ball of snow.

“Need some help there, Pat?” Virgil asks.

“Thanks, Virgil, but I’m alright!” Patton responds brightly. “But you could start working on the middle ball if you want.” Virgil nods and moves to gather some snow.

“You know, it is not optimal to handle snow without the coverage provided by wearing gloves,” Logan points out, walking up beside Virgil. “I do not understand the point of going out in the cold just to play around in the snow. Surely it would be significantly more enjoyable to stay inside reading a book.” Logan glances across the white yard, eyebrows drawn together. Roman snorts from his place a few yards away.

“L, just try to have a bit of fun,” Virgil responds, rolling his eyes slightly.

Roman carefully places the snowman’s head, then takes a step back. Grinning brightly, he turns around. “There you go, Padre. It’s all ready, go ahe—” He’s abruptly cut off by a lump of snow hitting him straight in the face.

Gasping dramatically, Roman begins to splutter. “How dare- I have been attacked! What foul creature has brutally attacked this dashing prince?” Roman turns to his left, where Virgil is doubled over in laughter.

“Betrayed by the Dark and Stormy Knight! I must take revenge on thee!” Roman reaches down to quickly scoop up a handful of snow. He launches it at Virgil, who dodges swiftly and retaliates with his own snowball.

“It’s on, Princey!” Virgil shouts from across the yard, quickly ducking behind a tree. Roman hurries over, but not before letting out a quick laugh.

“I don’t understand their childish antics sometimes,” Logan says, stepping up beside Patton, an extra hat and scarf in hand. Patton giggles. He reaches for the scarf, carefully placing it around the snowman’s neck.

“They’re just having a bit of fun, Lo-Lo. Here, help me find some sticks for arms.” Logan and Patton finish decorating the snowman, choosing to ignore the shouts of victory and whines of protest coming from the other two.

As they place the last piece of the smile, Logan lets out a sigh. Responding to Patton’s concerned look, he explains, “Although I don’t understand how throwing snow at each other could bring someone enjoyment, I believe it would be more efficient if they were using proper techniques. They aren’t using stealth or deception or even haste. Those strategies could be very beneficial, and would easily present them with a winner.”

Patton started blankly for a moment, then got a thoughtful look on his face. “Well, Lo, you could show them how to use some of those methods,” he says, a mischievous glint in his sparkling eyes. Logan’s forehead creases, before his lips part in understanding.

He reaches up to shift his glasses. “I suppose… if that is what you wish, Patton, I could maybe... participate in their shenanigans. Solely for your entertainment, of course.” Patton nods enthusiastically. Taking a deep breath, Logan scans the yard. He spots Virgil crouched behind a bush, gathering snow, while Roman is trying to aim a shot at him from the middle of the yard. Logan scrunched up his nose for moment as he stood there calculating, then jumped into action.

Planting himself in the perfect spot, he waited until both Virgil and Roman were in the right position. Then, when they were least expecting it, he hurled large clumps of snow at them. The two let out surprised yelps as they were bombarded. Virgil was hit in the arm and chest, while Roman was hit right in the forehead. They both glanced around wildly.

Logan smirked when their eyes finally landed on where he was brushing the snow from his hands. Their mouths drop open simultaneously. Logan turns around, walking back toward Patton. Patton has a hand covering his mouth to suppress his giggles. “I- I think Lo-Logan won,” he gasps out when Roman and Virgil walk over.

“Nice job,” Virgil comments with a smile. Logan nods back. Roman just scowls, though he’s clearly fighting back a smile of his own.

Three heads snap around as Patton lets out a soft gasp. “Oh my goodness! Guys, let’s make snow angels!” Virgil, Logan, and Roman all share a glance as Patton skips a few feet away and plops down onto the snow. He starts moving his arms and legs.

After a moment of hesitation, Roman exclaims, “Indeed, dear Patton! Making snow angels is a lovely idea!” He settles himself down beside the bespectacled man.

“Come on, Logan,” Virgil says. He lets out a sigh when the other remains unresponsive. Virgil grabs Logan’s sleeve and drags him over to the other two. After lots of convincing, Logan finally joins the others in their activity.

Patton lets out an excited squeal, clapping his hands at the four angel-shaped imprints in the snow. Roman insists on sledding down their short, yet steep, driveway. Virgil opts to sit this one out, instead sitting on the porch steps, chewing his fingernails and bobbing his knee up and down. After a couple of rounds, Logan joins him on the stairs. Virgil snorts at Logan’s windswept hair.

“So, how was it?” Virgil asks. They both look over at their other friends as they shout and slide down the driveway together. Logan clears his throat.

“I suppose that it was… an adequate experience. And I wouldn’t… be opposed… to doing it again in the future.” He shifts his glasses on his face. Virgil chuckles and reaches out to ruffle Logan’s hair.

Patton smiled brightly as he stripped off his layers of coats and sweaters. Virgil and Roman were arguing over which Christmas movie to watch first in the living room. Logan let out a sigh and followed after the two, likely going to work out the dispute.

Turning to hang up his coat, Patton slipped a camera from the pocket. He quickly clicks through the pictures. He smiles at one of Logan with a bright red face and snow on his glasses. He shakes his head, amused at a picture of Roman giving their snowman’s cheek a kiss. Patton’s eyes brighten at one of Virgil smiling when he thought no one was looking. A soft laugh escapes his lips at a photo of Virgil pushing Roman into the snow.

“Patton, dear,” Roman calls from the living room. “Would you mind preparing us some hot cocoa while we set up in here, please?”

“Of course, Ro!” Patton responds. He places the camera into his sweater pocket, He’ll look at all the other photos that he took later. Humming a carol quietly, Patton skipped into the kitchen, ready to spend the rest of the night warm and cozy with his best friends.

[imogenwrites]

Goblin’s Day Off

So I’m moving this piece to the retired list, no paying markets want to take it. I’ve found that whenever I write fantasy humour the reception is lukewarm. Not from my writer’s group or my friends or my husband, but from markets. Now, there could be a number of reasons for that, not the least that perhaps my fantasy comedy just isn’t that good. 

Of course, I don’t think it’s bad. I love this story. However, It is hard, in a world that has the works of Terry Pratchett, to ever be truly satisfied when I work in this genre. His work, along with Douglas Adams’, are truly inspiration to me and I’m forever grateful I got to meet Adams and hear Pratchett talk before they were both taken from us, far too early.

In any case, perhaps you can glean a little bit of enjoyment from this, even if it’s not up to the standard of Pratchett, I like to think it’s a step along the way.

*

Grob Thraktar, the undisputed champion of my goblin army, who had slain more elves than the most mighty of human warriors, taken more heads than the savage hydra of eastern Hoflaiin, and who had once single handedly wrestled the giant sandwyrm of the Blasted Wastes into a pit of firedrakes, was also always the one who was most enthusiastic about suggestion night.

“Mistress,” he would say. “It has been far too long since we invaded the elven lands for slaves and gold,” or “Mistress, I believe that the ranger theocracy has stockpiled massive amounts of enchanted gemstones this month,” or “the hafling princess is travelling to the seventh kingdom to negotiate a new treaty and she believes her route is secret -- it is not.”

I could always rely on him to give the oomph my evil plans needed, is what I’m saying here, so when weekly suggestion night came around and Grob wasn’t there I was concerned.

“We could raid the shapeshifters?” Horgat said.

“Nah, we did that last month, they’re cleaned out,” Blorth replied.

“How about cursing the seventh house crystals?” Yurg suggested.

“They’ve been cursed for six generations, Yurg you blockhead, don’t you pay attention in history any more…”

“Where is Grob?” I asked, tapping my fingers on the glittering curve of my throne’s armrest, and interrupting a potentially hours long fight about the intricacies of seventh house history -- Urganth was something of a nut for the ancient texts and it was impossible to stop her once she got started.

Dozens of dark minions shifted nervously and tried to avoid my eyes.

“He… uh…” Blorth said. “Um…”

Blorth elbowed Yurg in the ribs, who hissed something at Urganth, who shook her head with wild eyes and made a face back at Blorth. I sucked at my teeth and set my expression to stern.

“Where. Is. Grob?” I repeated.

“Gone hiking,” Yurg blurted. “Up in the mountains near The Kingdom of Glass and Ice.”

I opened my mouth, frowning in confusion, tempted to blast the nearest goblin into smoke for being flippant with me, but I stopped when I remembered the last time I’d seen my lieutenant. In the caves beneath the palace, he’d been packing a large rucksack and chattering enthusiastically to one of the river-nymphs (I let them lurk in the underground river systems -- they kept the place clean and ate any heroes stupid enough to try to get to my seat of power by water) about… what was it again…? Belay ropes? Climbing?

The river nymph (who didn’t exactly have feet or legs and certainly couldn’t negotiate a hike up a mountain) had been politely bored, picking bits of human flesh out of her glittering teeth, as he nattered on.

“He has gone… hiking?” I said.

Blorth swallowed. “He says there’s a good climbing face on the left side of the mountain. Out of sight of the Ice Queen’s flying capybara nest.”

I frowned. The Ice Queen and I were cordial these days, ever since we’d joined forces to defeat the armies of the Light last summer, but we didn’t exactly talk regularly, and she had made it quite clear that trespassers near her mountain would be treated as invaders and given to her latest abominable creations for dinner -- or turned into one, depending on her mood.

“Fetch my chariot,” I said to Yurg. “I need to talk to the Ice Queen before Grob does something stupid and gets himself eaten.”

*

The Dread Wolves who pulled my chariot were annoyed at being woken and not afraid to let me know about it as Yorg and Blorth adjusted their harnesses. Fido even nipped at me when I climbed into the padded seat and I gave him a sharp clip across the ear before ruffling his fur to let him know that he really shouldn’t be upset at the chance to do some running. He whuffed a doggy breath at me and licked my hand, so I fetched an elf ear from my treat pack for him to chew on while the last of the harnesses were checked for safety.

“Do you want us to come with you, Mistress?” Blorth said. “I’ve heard there are orcs in the passes again.”

I shrugged. Orcs were relatively harmless and scared of Dread Wolves to the point of soiling themselves whenever they saw them, so I wasn’t too worried about being beset by anyone else’s dark minions on the relatively short journey to the Ice Palace.

“Put a few curse globes in the glove compartment,” I said. “They’ll do to get rid of any orcs stupid enough to take me on.”

“Will do, Mistress,” Blorth said. I was quite looking forward to a trip outside, to be honest. The last few months I’d directed most of my schemes from my fortress, using the scrying crystal and my astral projection powers. Actually going outside had my blood pumping in ways I hadn’t really expected.

The wolves, once we started, cheered considerably -- they always forgot how much they loved to run when they were lying about being pampered at home -- and the spring air was cold and clean against my skin as we sped across the thawing snow towards the Ice Palace. A few orcs did eye me as I flew by, but none were bold enough to challenge me, and an old rock troll on the east bridge even gave me a cheery wave as I refused to pay his toll and knocked him into the abyss with a blast of kinetic magic. As such, I was in high spirits as my chariot approached the ice palace. Two Ice Constructs bade me halt at the massive double doors while they consulted their Mistress as to whether I would be allowed entrance. I was in such good spirits that I simply waited for them to assign servants to take care of the Dread Wolves and my chariot, and even climbed the stairs to the Ice Queen’s chambers without blasting any of her servants with fire magic.

“Callistra,” The Ice Queen greeted me from her own throne, spiky and made entirely of enchanted ice and glass. I’d always privately thought she went a little overboard with the whole ice theme, but then again I had never managed to find out what her major weakness was largely because of it. You’d think it would be fire, but it wasn’t, not that the fifty heads of firemage adventurers she kept in her victory gallery had ever managed to learn that, no matter that every single one of them, save the first, had taken it upon themselves to challenge her without checking if anyone had ever tried it before. “What brings you here? Are the armies of the light massing against us again?”

I shook my head, resisting the urge to adjust my dark crown where it sat on my cloud of black frizzed out hair.

Damn her, she always did look so elegant, and I’d been enjoying the wind outside so much that I hadn’t thought of how mussed I probably looked.

“No, no, Philandra, not at all. I’ve merely come to locate a misplaced goblin of mine. Wanted to check in and make sure you hadn’t eaten him or turned him into a flesh abomination, since he didn’t ask for permission to…”

“You mean Grob?” Philandra interrupted.

I blinked. “I… ah… yes. I do.”

A smile spread over her face, but it wasn’t cruel or pitiless. A small knot of worry loosened in my chest -- that was not the smile of the alchemical genius who warped the creatures of her kingdom into walking nightmares. No, it was a smile of fondness.

She waved a hand. “Oh, I’ve known about his little hobby for months,” she said. “He comes by to try the ice wall on the east side of the palace. Doesn’t do anyone any harm. The capybaras have started taking bets on whether he’ll make the top one day. He really is quite nimble, isn’t he?”

I nodded. Grob had once wielded the dual swords of Hrothgar and Thorn against an army of rangers so efficiently that he’d decapitated the grandson of King Luthriet the Magnificent, destroying any hope the armies of the light had of pushing back my encroaching darkness for at least another three generations. That he would turn such skill to… climbing walls was puzzling, but I would not begrudge him his hobbies.

“Well, then, it seems I’ve wasted a trip,” I said, huffing a little, although really I was in better spirits than I had been for months.

“Nonsense, darling,” Philandra said. “Join me for dinner and a glass of wine, we must catch up.”

The meal passed pleasantly, aside from periodic sounds coming from the wall of the banquet hall. The castle was imbedded in the mountain and the wall was rugged, unhewn stone, studded here and there with the glittering jewels that were the source of much of Phillandra’s wealth. When I enquired as to the noises she waved a hand. “Miners,” she said. “Inconvenient but necessary. They are usually far deeper in the mountain but we recently discovered a rich vein of ore that runs directly behind this hall.”

I raised my eyebrows, tucking that information away for future use.

Grob broke through the wall a little under an hour later, while we were enjoying a poached fish course that was simply divine. His roar of triumph and challenge faltered when he saw us both sitting at the table, Phillandra’s fork half way to her mouth. The rest of my minions surged into the room around Grob, also roaring in challenge until they saw me and stopped.

“Mistress?” Grob stuttered. “What…?”

Phillandra surged to her feet. “Callistra!” she shouted. “Your deception is unparalleled and, quite frankly, rude!”

I dropped my wine glass and raised my hands, readying my magic.

The battle was fast and furious and of course, we were victorious. An attack on the Ice Palace would normally have been foolhardy, the approach was treacherous and guarded by Phillandra’s abominations, and the gates enchanted with all manner of rending spells.

Coming through the mines, though. That was a strategy that had the mark of Grob all over it. Of course he would have disguised his reconnaissance as the harmless hobby of a charming goblin, it was part of his brilliance.

Phillandra lay trapped in a spell of weaving, gagged but wild eyed. How delightful to discover that her weakness was something as simple as surprise. Her kingdom would now belong to me, I would have access to her science and machines, the opportunity to make abominations of my own. I was already thinking of ways to tweak their designs, Phillandra had always favoured the grotesque over strength and efficiency.

There was the small matter of my minions, however, and I turned to Grob and crossed my arms over my chest.

“You missed suggestion night,” I said.

He swallowed. “We wanted to surprise you, Mistress,” he said, and the goblins behind him started nodding. “We knew today was your birthday.”

I had forgotten. An unfamiliar feeling tickled my heart and I felt moisture prick behind my eyes.

“Oh Grob,” I said. “You always know what to get me.”

He grinned and scuffed his feet. “Your happiness is mine, Mistress.”

I tilted my head, considering him. In general, I preferred my paramours to be women, or at least human, but it had been some time since I had a consort, and truly, Grob was far superior to any of the sorry elves and humans with whom I had dallied in the past. True, he was hideously ugly, but magic could always take care of that, if he truly wished to match my own beauty.

Appearance was such a superficial thing on which to base a decision as important as this.

“Grob,” I said. “I do believe it’s time you were promoted.”

[ferzeldan]

Kinship with a Cup

Carving Block Writers Collective - Prompt 3: A Tea Party

Also on [AO3]

Malika fidgeted. It was all she’d been doing since the meeting started. Though it wasn’t even a meeting. A meeting she could handle, or at least she could shove Josephine in front of her to do all the talking.

This was torture.

This was cruel.

This was punishment for crimes committed before she became the Inquisitor.

This was a tea party.

Fine porcelain cups edged in gold lined the length of the Great Hall’s sturdy wooden table. They looked out of place on the wooden slabs which usually featured tankards of ale, hearty stews in clay bowls, and once - after a particularly entertaining night of drinking - a passed out Iron Bull and Krem. Malika eyed the cups edged in gold and tugged at her formal uniform with its brass buttons, red velvet and gold embroidery. Was it possible to feel kinship with a cup? It was as out of place as herself. She ran her fingers along the edge to calm her nerves.

Women in large-skirted dresses and men in stiff suits sat in alternating seats down the length of the table. Malika sat at the head, grateful that as a dwarf she was already harder to see due to her size compared with the mostly human crowd that was visiting from Orlais. That did not stop her from attempting to shrink away to nothing in her seat.

Josephine sat at her right side, sipping daintily and silently from her own cup while nudging Malika under the table with her foot as if to say, “Sit up straighter, Inquisitor.” How did she do that? How did she manage to say so little with only a sidelong glance and a nudge?

Not one to disappoint Josephine, Malika squared her shoulders and unclenched her jaw. These visitors were here to give them money, provided they were impressed with their operations. It seemed strange to Malika that to prove to supporters that they were worthy of their financial support that they show off their hosting skills, rather than demonstrate their army. She would have much rather shown that she could plant an arrow in between the eyes of a bandit from the length of a battlefield. Or better yet, she could leave the army tour to Cullen and Cassandra.

But no. Malika had to show that she knew which fork to use to eat the tiny cakes in front of her, and there were so many. In a moment of panic when she wondered if she was supposed to be using a spoon instead.

Josephine was still sipping at her tea, her cake untouched. Were they not supposed to eat the cakes? Glancing to her left, she searched for the comforting sight of Blackwall. She’d bribed Josephine to seat him next to her instead of the diplomat who always had a fleck of spittle escaping his mouth when he pronounced a “th.” With all the thank yous being thrown left and right, Malika had been finding it difficult not to flinch when she found herself on the receiving end of an over enthusiastic spray of politeness.

And there he was next to her. Malika had expected Blackwall to be as fidgety as her, tugging at his tunic, twisting his cloth napkin. At the very least she expected him to have a smear of cream stuck to his mustache from the frilly cakes. But he wasn’t, and he didn’t (so much for icing kisses later, she thought absently). He looked perfectly content, nodding politely at something the woman to his left said as she waved her bejeweled gloved hand while recounting a story. His hair was parted neatly, if shaggy, and the collar of his uniform was nicely pressed. It wasn’t surprising to see him keeping up with the Orlesian noble folk, she knew of course that he’d been stationed with them while with the Wardens, but it cut a stark contrast to the rough-edged man who spent so much time in the stables with her.

Still, it was a fine sight, Blackwall in his finery, large hands cupping a delicate cup. Malika grinned at a thought and nudged him under the table to get his attention.

He made his excuses to the masked woman and turned to face Malika. He smiled warmly. “Yes, my lady?”

“You know, my rooms are right upstairs,” Malika whispered. “We could easily slip away.” to cover her grin, she passed what looked to her like a gravy boat of cream his way. Why these people were putting cream in their tea she would never understand, as she hadn’t had milk since she cut her first tooth. She liked hers strong and black, if she drank it at all.

“Enticing as that sounds,” Blackwall started, looking her up and down slowly, “I think they might miss their host. You’re sitting in a somewhat conspicuous place.”

Malika swore and heard Josephine clear her throat to her right. Looking over, she was rewarded with a glare and pursed lips.

“Inquisitor, you are aware that if the gentleman to one side of you can hear you, the lady to the other can as well, yes?”

“I. Er, of course. It was a joke. I wouldn’t dream of leaving you alone with our guests.”

Josephine was not one to hold a grudge. She smiled lightly, nudged the smallest fork towards Malika’s hand and winked. “You should try the truffle cake. It’s delicious. Madame Sabine brought it for us.”

“I bet she kept it in her skirts,” Malika whispered to Blackwall. “There’s plenty of room under there.”

“She wouldn’t dream of taking it with her on her travels,” Blackwall whispered back, avoiding the look of disapproval from Josephine. “It would get stale and possibly attract insects.”

“Hush you two.”

“Sorry Josie,” Malika said. “We’ll be good.” She took the tiny fork that had been indicated to her and sliced a sliver off her cake. She took a bite, chewed, and did her best not to make a face.

“Um,” Malika said through her mouthful, “what exactly did you say this was?”

“Truffle cake. It’s an Orlesian delicacy,” Josephine said, taking a bite of her own. Malika was impressed by how straight she kept her face as she chewed. After taking a large mouthful of tea to get it down, Malika swallowed thickly.

“Aren’t truffles in dessert supposed to be chocolate? This tastes more like…”

“Mushrooms? Quite,” Josephine said. “As I said. It’s a delicacy.”

Delicacy or not, Malika had no intentions of putting the earthy-tasting cake anywhere near her mouth again. She placed the fork back on the table, but moved it to rest on the saucer when Blackwall coughed slightly and pointed to his own fork on his plate.

“So the part that was in your mouth doesn’t touch the table,” he said in a low voice.

“Right,” said Malika, leaning in. “Because it’s not as if Sera and I didn’t celebrate a battle victory by dancing on these very tables with boots covered in dragon blood last week or anything.”  

Blackwall laughed, but then turned serious. “Wait. Where did they hide Sera today? I’m sure she wouldn’t have wanted to miss this. Rich folk parading about to show off their money. A chance to put salt in the sugar pot. Seems like something she’d be interested in.”

Malika giggled. “Josephine didn’t want to risk scaring off the donations. She made it clear that she was to stay out of sight for the remainder of the diplomats’ visit. I think she brought in some special equipment for her and Dagna to experiment with in the underforge to bribe them and keep them busy.”

Blackwall frowned. “The underforge that’s right below the Great Hall?”

“I don’t know of another underforge in Skyhold, though I admit I’m always turning a corner to find new places I hadn’t seen before. Did you know we have a whole room filled with nothing but coin? I wondered where Josie was keeping it all, but I could have buried myself in all of it, can you even believe it?”

Blackwall didn’t seem impressed with the news of the vault. “I don’t think that was the best idea Josephine has ever had.”

“Excuse me,” Josephine cut in. “I would remind you that I can still hear you two. You’re not being very sneaky. And just why was my idea not a good one? Sera would only get underfoot and cause mayhem and you know it. So I gave her something else to do today. I can hardly see what the problem would-”

The ground shook beneath them, porcelain cups rattled in their saucers, cream pots spilled over. The crowd at the table gripped the edges of their seats and looked around, the sections of their faces that were showing from beneath their masks showed panick.

“An earthquake?” one man cried out.

“A dragon?”

“Corypheus!”

“Sera!” they all heard shouted from the door that lead to the underforge.

The heavy door burst open and something black and smouldering came rushing out. Malika jumped to her feet and pulled the dagger she kept in her belt out, ready for a fight.

“Put me out! Put me out!” the smoking figure said.

“Put her out! Put her out!” Dagna said as she appeared at the top of the steps, out of breath and chasing after.

Not missing a beat, Malika snatched the saucer of milk near her and sloshed the liquid in it to douse the flames.

After the smoke had cleared and the person had wiped the dripping, ashy milk from their eyes, Malika could see her. “Sera?”

Sera blinked more milk from her eyes, the rest of her face black, her hair soggy and singed. “None other! Nothin’ to worry about. Just a little burnt.” Her voice was loud, as if shouting over the boom that no longer rang through the halls.

Dagna was one step behind, somewhat singed herself. “We didn’t mean to interrupt. Just a mishap with the rune maker.”

“Did you know that you can’t enchant a rune that’s already enchanted? Well now we know! That’s good information innit?” She grinned, her white teeth bright against her charred face.

“Come on, Sera, let’s make sure the rest of the fire’s out.” Dagna steered her away, Sera a little clumsy on her feet.

“Hey just think,” they heard Sera say as they disappeared down the staircase. “Won’t need to trim my fringe for a while, yeah?” Laughter echoed down the chamber as the door closed behind them.

Once they were gone, Malika turned to face the party, knowing she was in trouble. The Inquisitor took responsibility for her people. She took a deep breath before looking up.

“I’m sorry, I’m sure you all weren’t expecting this interruption today, I’ll make sure-” but she stopped.

All of the guests were stifling laughter behind their gloved hands.

“Quite entertaining,” Madame Sabine said. “I had no idea there would be a show. I was wondering when this party would pick up.”

Josephine took no time before smiling. “Yes of course. We’re glad you were entertained.” She clapped absently. “Now, I believe we have some business to discuss before we finish up the meeting.”

Malika took her seat again, sheathing her dagger and scooping her cake into one of the cloth napkins before anyone looked at her.

Blackwall didn’t miss a beat and tapped her knee under the table. “I bet we could make an excuse that you need to wash your hands after spilling that milk,” he said.

Malika’s eyes went wide in gratitude. “You know, you’re smarter than you look.”

“There’s a compliment in there somewhere, I’m sure of it,” he said as he took her sticky hand and helped her out of her seat. Together they snuck through the door that lead to her chambers, hand in sticky hand.

Interested in the Carving Block Writers Collective? Check out the intro post here.

[basically-i-write-shit]

Here’s part 2 of 3 of my gift exchange gift for @tsukyamgiftexchange for @enterprisecaptainoikawa, who requested “aromantic/asexual spectrum tsukkiyama, punk tsukkiyama, band au, ice skating/yuri on ice au ahhh, professor/bibliophile au, tsukkiyama as best friends, really anything tbh bless” I didn’t know if she wanted band au as in orchestra or singing/etc. so I did both! Here’s the orchestra part:

                                                         ☆

“I like the cello part in the full-orchestra Schoenberg, don’t you, Tsukki?” 

“You’re only saying that because I play cello.” Kei rolls his eyes, looking up from his homework to his best friend who sits at his desk, fiddling with the keys on his instrument. Kei’s cello sits in the corner, where it will until he’s finished with his homework; then, it will be his turn to practice while Tadashi does his homework. Their daily routine. “You’re always looking to flatter me. And I guess it’s not too bad…” 

Tadashi giggles. “Oh, shut up, Tsukki, you love it mister first-year-and-already-second-chair-cello-san~” 

Kei scoffs, but he can’t deny it. 

“Whatever.” 

“You should play an excerpt in competition.” 

“Should I?” 

“Mhm!” Kei smiles at Tadashi’s bright smile as he nods enthusiastically. “You’d do great!” 

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.” 

Kei never has it in him to tell Tadashi ‘no’ and for good reason– a lot of Tadashi’s suggestions place him high in the ranks at competitions, and Kei wonders if maybe Yamaguchi can see the future. He wonders if the reason he wasn’t as surprised as Kei had thought he would be when he came out was because he saw it coming. At least he isn’t telepathic; that would be an issue. 

Suddenly, something hits Kei, something Tadashi couldn’t possibly see coming, and he smirks. “…But you have to play your solo from your string quartet with Hinata, Akaashi-san and Kenma-san in competition as well.” 

Though Yamaguchi had been playing oboe and viola since he was in elementary, he never joined orchestra club because he was bullied about playing “girly” instruments when they were younger; in fact, that’s how they met. Kei “saved” Yamaguchi (and his poor viola), in the younger’s words, from the bullies when they were eight. Kei convinced him to join orchestra halfway through their first year of high school, however, since his volleyball club dismantled due to lack of interest. The Karasuno high school orchestra welcomed him warmly.

Yamaguchi is the reason Kei plays his cello in competitions again, after having quit in elementary.

Tadashi’s eyes widen, and he immediately starts babbling out excuses, but Kei listens to none of them. 

“Ts- Tsukk– I– N- No, I– I couldn’t possi– Tsukki!..You know I can’t–” 

“You play it every day on stage for the orchestra, and soon you’re going to have to play it for our concert, so why not?” 

“I s- still need– p- prac– I need practi–” 

“You practice every day. You’ve practically perfected the piece.” 

“I– I– Ts– I–” Tadashi deflates, and Kei puffs his chest in victory. “…Tsukki, you know I’m not competition material…I’m n- not good enough…” 

Kei un-puffs his chest and glares at his stupid best friend. 

“You’re an idiot.” 

Tadashi’s head snaps up and he glares at Kei right back. “Thanks, Tsukki, that’s real nice of y–” 

“You’ll do just fine. What was the speech you gave me when I didn’t want to go into competition? ‘What more do you need than pride?’” 

Kei can’t help the small smile that graces his lips when a familiar flush of pink dusts his best friends’ cheeks. He can see the faintest bit of color through the bits of hair covering his ears. 

“That’s different, Tsukki…” 

“Is it?” Kei can see how uncomfortable his friend is, however, and he sighs. “You don’t have to if you don’t want, but…You’re better than you think. So please think about it?” 

Tadashi chews at his lip, not looking at Kei, and nods, slowly. “…I will…think.“

“Good.” Kei goes back to his homework, Tadashi starts his scales, and that’s the last of that. For now. 

                                                        ☆

“Ts- Tsukki, I’m nervous…” 

“It’s just a short solo competition, you’ll be fine.” 

“But what if–” 

Kei cuts Tadashi’s words off by grabbing his hand and squeezing. Tadashi’s hands are clammy and shaking, and Kei can tell his best friend is on the verge of a panic attack. He looks at the clock; twenty minutes before Tadashi’s competition group is called back stage. 

“Hey, let’s go somewhere, ok?” 

“Wha– Where–?” 

“Just follow me.” Kei stands in the bustling auditorium, glad it’s break time and that they’re not disrupting a performance, and pulls Tadashi lightly through the throngs of people loitering about. He leads Tadashi outside into the cool autumn air, and plops onto a nearby bench. Tadashi follows suit shakily, and they fall into silence, hands still clasped together. 

“You’re going to do just fine, so breathe, ok?” 

“Right.” 

“No, your voice shook. Say it again.” 

“R- Right.” 

“Again.” 

“Right!” 

Kei smiles. “There you go. Now, tell me, how’s your mother?” 

“Huh?” Tadashi’s head cocks, confused as to why Kei is changing the topic, but he gets the idea soon enough and smiles back at Kei. “O- Oh! She’s great! The doctors said that she’ll be able to come home soon. The pneumonia didn’t do all that much good to her condition, but, it’s slowly getting out of her system…” 

“That’s good. And auntie?” 

“She’s fine as well. Picking up more shifts at the hospital so she can spend more time with mama, so I don’t see her much, but she looks happy. Tired, but…happy. She’s always loved being a doctor, helping people, and working in pediatrics seems to make her happy, so I’m happy as well.” 

“That’s nice.” 

“Yeah! She says there’s this little girl there, an orphan – her name is Atsuko – whom she’s looking into adopting. She’s six, and she has some lung disease; I can’t remember what it’s called. But if she does adopt her, she’ll get to live with us! Isn’t that cool? Like, having my own little sister, even though she’s my cousin, technically. I’ve always wanted a younger sibling.” 

“It sounds amazing. Auntie has always been a kind soul. I’m sure she’d adopt the entire pediatric ward if she could.” 

Tadashi laughs – his first genuine laugh all day – and the sound is so pure Kei can’t help but laugh along. Tadashi’s shoulders seem to finally relax. Kei looks at his watch. Ten minutes until Tadashi has to go warm up. Ten minutes until Kei has to leave him alone backstage. He squeezes Tadashi’s hand, which is still connected with his own. They fall into silence. 

“I’m sure she would.” Tadashi says softly, squeezing back. His eyes fall shut and he leans against Kei’s shoulder. He chuckles lightly. “Y’know, I’m not even the least bit nervous anymore.” 

“That’s good.” Kei says with a smile. “That’s great.” 

“You always know how to make me calm down, even when I’m thinking I could die I’m so nervous.” 

“It’s the least I could do,” Kei says, “What with all you’ve done to help me in life.” 

Tadashi scoffs. “Sure, ok, Tsukki.” 

“Really!” 

“Mhm.” 

“You helped me through things when Akiteru turned out to be a liar, you kept me playing cello, you made me confident, you convinced me to get back in the competition scene…And that’s just orchestra-related stuff.” 

Tadashi flushes pink from his neck up, and Kei can feel his face burning when he hides it in his neck. “Sh- Shut up, Tsukki..! That’s nothing. W- We’re best friends, after all…” 

“…I’d like to tell you about all of the non-orchestra things, as well, but right now…” 

“Will the short program string players please make their way backstage to warm up, please. Will the short program string players please make their way backstage to warm up, please. Thank you.” 

“It’s time for you to win your first competition.” 

[tushiewrites]

BE MY PRINCE BE MY WEEKEND RAIDER

A quick thing for @kelekelo since I failed to provide her with her real gift just yet.

“C’mon Douchou! I said I’d happily escort you around today!” the female prince shouts, banging on the door of the captain’s quarters. She has been there for what, 20 minutes now? She’s real dedicated to this birthday thing. Even more so than the person she’s pounding on the door for.

Standing next to the women, leaning against the wooden wall of the ship as if it was his own, stands a man with dog ears. He shakes his head at the latest shout, his ears perking up a bit for any sign of movement from within the room.

“Perhaps we should leave the captain alone for today?” he says in a gruff, trying to be disinterested voice. He’s trying way too hard as per normal.

“Nonsense!” Ange says back, crossing her arms and giving him an annoyed look. “I promised Douchou that i’d escort her today for her special day! We were going to go on an adventure!”

Eustace, the emo dog-man gunnut, raises an eyebrow at this statement. Were they now? It was rare for the Captain to agree to such things. She spent most of her time lounging about or complaining about the monsters they defeated having nothing of value upon them at all.

“Are you now? Hmmph.” he scoffs, before gently pushing her aside. “Stand back, Let me help you then.” Eustace stands infront of the door, and then raises a single hand. He gently knocks on the door twice, his ears lowering as he does so. 

“Captain. If you do not open this door this very instant, I will be forced to take heavy measures.” Eustace says in a deep of voice he can muster. He’s trying so hard to be scary right now that Ange covers her face and begins to chuckle. But Eustace only glares at her briefly before returning his attention to the door.

“Have it your way, Captain.” Eustace whispers in a low voice--Ange notices what he’s about to do, and quickly hops a few feet back just incase. As she does so, Eustace effortlessly pulls out two shotguns from either side of his coat.

“FLAMEK...” Eustace shouts, a surge of electricity flowing from his palms and through each shotgun. Eustace didn’t know much magic, but the magic he did know at least let him magically empower his guns for moments like this. 

“...THUNDER!” with a bellowing chant, both shotguns instantly fire. Letting loose two explosive slugs as the door and portion of the wall that was once the Captain’s quarters is blown to sawdust and shattered timber.

Eustace then quickly holsters his guns, his coat blowing lightly from the wind as he poses as cool as possible. It fails to impress anyone, especially Ange. But she peeks her head in from behind a plank as the dust clears.

Inside the room, their Douchou lays off the side of her bed. Obviously tossed aside by Eustace’s doorbuster. Ange’s eyes light up as soon as she catches sight of her. She then pushes Eustace aside, and straightens her outfit to look sharp as possible.

“DOUCHOU!” she says excitedly, marching into the room. “Are you ready to join me, your very personal bodyguard, on an adventure today?” Ange asks, giving a wink and holding out her hand to the sprawled out figure.

She keeps that posture for a few minutes. Never breaking figure or pose as to keep her dignity as a knight. Douchou could take as long as they needed to respond!... Her back was hurting though.

Then a few more minutes.

...Then ten minutes pass.

Before long, Eustace breaks the silence with the obvious.

“I believe I have paralyzed her... My mistake. She also passed out.” He says, walking over to assist the shocked Ange who’s shaking their Douchou worriedly.

---

After successfully clearing the magic keeping Kele frozen, she promptly chewed out Eustace for ruining her room AND embarrassing her infront of Ange. Eustace takes it in stride however, and apologizes for his misstep. Telling his Captain that he’ll make amends later for accidentally stalling all motor functions in her.

Once punishment was dished out, Ange, Eustace, and their Captain set off on their birthday adventure. First dropping by Port Breeze for a relaxing time. Or it would have been, if Ange didn’t accidentally incur the wrath of Tiamat, the Primal.

“HUZZAH!” Ange shouted, pulling out her fencing sword and pointing it directly as the wrathful sky dragon. “Have no fear, Douchou! I shall show you how a Prince protects their Princess today with pure determination!”

Eustace however, was far less enthusiastic. Depressingly bringing up his gun as the two stood infront of their Douchou. 

“Yeah, I’ll uh...” Eustace began, “...I’ll do my best.” he shrugged once more, knowing full well he could absolutely nothing against the wind deity.

Kele, however, was much more aligned with Eustace in her enthusiasm. Looking much more petrified of the dragon about to dismember all three of them without a second thought. Eustace, noticing this, quickly scolded himself for showing weakness. He then perked his ears back up, and took a much more defiant stance as Ange.

“I, Uh, Actually meant,” he quickly retracted, “I’ll eliminate this target before it can so much as touch you, Captain.”

Ange was unphased however, and continued to beam happiness and pride. She was the first to jump in, with Eustace following. Their Douchou provided support as the two engaged Tiamat--Healing both when needed, or scolding Eustace for missing his Flamek Thunder. At this rate, he was going to be sleeping with the dogs for a week.

Much to the surprise of all three however, Eustace would not fail them for long--As when he shouted the magical incantation one final time, right as Tiamat was about to deliver holy retribution upon the small party, a blessing was cast.

Tiamat froze in her tracks, static flowing throughout her body as she was frozen mid spell. Ange was the first to react, instantly rushing towards the frozen Sky God and aiming for the heart. She was swift as can be, and deadly as can be as well.

“FLEUR...” Ange roared, water magic flowing throughout her limbs as her body began to charge for her special attack. “...TOURBILLION!” 

With one swift motion, Ange sliced through Tiamat effortlessly. Causing the wind Deity to let out a screech as she slowly began to dissipate and scatter into glowing ash into the wind. Ange stood victorious as she wheezed from lack of air. As it turns out, killing a wind primal causes one breath to be taken away...!

Eustace lay on the ground next to her, face down on the floor due to accepting what he imagined to be his final moments. But he quickly adjusted himself and stood next to Ange. His coat blowing in the wind dramatically along with her hair.

“Mission, Complete~” he said disinterestedly, holstering his guns as Ange did the same with her saber. Unbeknownst to him however, Kele had launched a pure beam of hate in the form of an ice blast directly at him. Which promptly hit Eustace square in the back, causing the dog to tumble over onto his face like an absolute idiot. Ange only giggled at this, strolling over to her Douchou as the latter began to scold Eustace again for missing so many Flamek Thunders until the very end.

---

Their next, and final, venture would be burnt wasteland of Valtz Duchy. Where the three intended on confronting the mechanical titan known as Colossus. They had yet been able to beat the robotic titan prior to this, but Ange promised her Douchou once more that Nothing would stand between them and victory today. 

Even though both Kele and Eustace were quite hesitant at Ange’s claims, they trailed behind her regardless. With Ange effortlessly striking down every fiery foe that dared to stray onto their path.

Before long, they came face to the face with the metallic behemoth--Ange unsheathed her saber instantly, pointing it directly towards the giant. It glared back at them silently, neither moving nor reacting to their presence.

“METAL GIANT OF YORE, WE HAVE COME TO SLAY THEE!” Ange proclaimed, Kele standing directly behind her as Eustace used both as a shield.

“NO LONGER WILL THOU CONTINUE TO HOLD THE...” Ange paused, eyebrow raising as she tried to remember what they were even after. She turned back towards Kele, covering her mouth in a whisper as she did so.

“What are we after, again?” she asked hurriedly, quickly shooting colossus a glare before return to her Douchou. 

“Sticks, we want his sticks.” Kele quickly responded, finding the fact Ange’s face was so close to hers to be a little bit more than she could handle.

“AH YES!” Ange shouted, shifting her body back towards the direction of the giant. “WE SHALL TAKE YOUR STICKS, AND USE THEM AS IF THEY WERE OUR OWN!” Ange’s blade began to shimmer with water magic once more, preparing for the grueling battle ahead of them.

...

Needless to say, it was an absolute murderfest. For whatever reason, The metal giant hated Eustace with a passion and targeted him until the dog was slain brutally and violently. It’s metal sword effortlessly taking the man’s life.

Ange however, stood defiantly. Tanking blow after blow so her Douchou would not be harmed--What sort of Prince would she be if she let her Princess get harmed? Could she all herself one at all?

Kele continued to support Ange as best she could, launching ice blasts at the giant as it attempted to swing at Ange. She evaded each blow elegantly, with the help of her Prince Heart she was able to shrug off the blows that did hit. However, she was not unstoppable despite how hard she tried to be.

The giant began to gain the upperhand--Wearing Ange down as it prepared its Dimensional Cleave. A mighty blow that is said to tear apart a target on a quantum level. 

Ange knew they had no chance at defeating this thing at this point--Both being dog man down, and her defenses being broken down, she couldn’t keep up with Colossus like this. Let alone take a mighty cleave such as that.

“...Captain.” Ange said, heaving as she shielded her Captain as best she could. Kele only returned Ange’s acknowledgement with a look of confusion.

“Captain, I want you to retreat. I will distract him as long as I can, but you must flee from here.” Ange said, giving her Douchou a weary yet unwavering smile. “I cannot possibly allow you to... Fall, in battle. Not on your birthday.”

Ange then did something quite surprising--She reached out her bruised hand and gripped Douchou’s. Squeezing it tight as she looked her in the eyes.

“I apologize for failing to be the Prince you deserved--So, I’ll make up for it by making sure you escape.”

With that, Ange returned to facing down Colossus. Before quickly breaking off into a sprint directly towards the heated blade of the giant. 

“HUZZAH!” she roared, “DO NOT THINK I’M DONE JUST YET, GIANT!” Ange quickly dodged it’s blows once more, but the tiredness in her legs could surely be felt. Her evading resulted in the cleaves grazing her body--She could feel the heat of the steel as it barely scraped his skin. Oh boy, that was going to hurt.

Without hesitation however, she continued to distract and draw attention from Colossus. She wasn’t able to clearly see her Douchou from this range, but she hoped oh so dearly that she had began to make her escape. Even if she was a failure, She hoped she could fulfill this one last pathetic action.

She dodged twice, she countered once. She countered again, before finally dropping down onto her knee. She had enough energy left for a single attack, but... 

Glancing upward, Ange stared at the now red hot blade of Colossus. Ah, It’s cleave is finally ready, isn’t it?  

Letting out a sigh, Ange got back up onto her feet. Readying her blade one last time. If nothing else, perhaps she could put a dent in it with her Bourgeon Flueri... Maybe even take it out, if she hit in the right place. But if she did that, it would most likely be her last action. A double kill is better than an overkill, right?

Charging up all the magic left in her body, Ange’s blade bean to pulsate with flowing water magic--She then unsheathed her second blade, the same magic beginning to flow through it. She stared up at Colossus, both exhausted and more determined than ever.

“A Prince... protects... Her Princess.” she quietly said, watching with eyes lit with flame as the Giant’s sword was slowly raised above it’s head.

“Even if I’m not a true Prince... I can protect her.” Ange whispered, kneeling down to prepare for her final strike.

In one swift and fluid motion, Ange jumped into the air. Through both sheer force of will and magical enhancement, she flew high the sky and above Colossus’s head. Fully intent on at least dealing major damage while dying in the process. As she slowly began her descent, she closed her eyes and thought of much better memories, happier ones, Much more gay on-- “Idiot.”

Pulled out from her homosexual fantasies, Ange was woken back up from them by a gruff and edgy voice.

She turned her head briefly towards the source, and saw none other than... Eustace!? covered in a holy light as his body was healed and brought back from death. Oh, Captain still had resurrection...?

“I cannot let you act so recklessly, Ange.” He scoff, bringing out both his shotguns. “That would make Douchou quite upset, don’t you think?” Just as swift as Ange, Eustace’s’ hands lit up with raw electric power.

“FLAMEK THUNDER!” he barked, both shots firing off towards Colossus. The reaction was instant, as the metal giant was overcome with static. It’s circuits freezing in place instantly as the attack landed.

“Paralyzed.” Eustace said dryly, watching as Ange’s eyes lit up with a new found courage. “I’ll leave the rest to you.” he said, sitting down next to their moderately wounded and scraped up Douchou. Who was looking up at Ange with worried and frantic eyes.

A grin came onto her face in that moment. Ange’s sword’s both lit up with a new surge of magical energy as she stared down the frozen giant once more. Ah, she hated to see those eyes look at her with such worry like that. She can’t leave her Princess looking so dismayed now, can she?

“BOURGEON...” she roared, the first blade landing with a heavy and resounding blow. “...FLUERI!” the second was quick to follow, both hits landing for outstanding damage as she hit for critical damage. 

The reaction was instant, the magical petals of blue light that followed seemed to only add to the damage as Colossus shuttered under the attack. Before finally cracking and collapsing under the raw impact of the attack.

Eustace and Douchou both watched as Ange landed as gracefully as her tired body could, resting atop the defeated Giant’s helmets in a surprised and weary position.

Ange’s eyes lit up once more however, as she hopped up onto her feet and reached for the rubble of the giant. Causing Eustace to give her a look of confusion.

“AH!” Ange screamed, holding up a golden chest. “LOOK, IT IS OUR REWARD FOR DEFEATING HIM! LET’S SEE WHAT YOU GOT, DOUCHOU...!” Ange said excitedly, opening the chest as a golden light shone to reveal...!

---

Later that day was much the same. Except Ange and Kele sat side by side on the latters bed as they watched Eustace repair the wall of her room. Their hands intertwined intimately as Kele continued to shout as Eustace to hurry up as it was drafty. Despite their victory, Douchou was still upset due to the fact they received only a single Fist from the giant. Ange however, was more than happy to present the loot as cool as she could despite Douchou’s dismay.

Twas’ not the end of this adventure however--As the rest of that night was to be filled with a whole new kind of Birthday Gift. 

[keepthemonstersaway]

Looking for Them

“Yes, impudent Americans! They can never beat us!” The students cheered pompously and stridently when they had heard the exciting news about the attack on Pearl Harbor. It had only been several short hours since the attack on the American fleet in Hawaii. All of the students of a small school in Nagasaki, Japan had been gathered around a large desk at the front of the desk of grade eight, room 3, pushing each other to be able to hear the static sounds of a small metal radio plopped in the middle of the wooden desk. They pushed forward inching closer and closer for details of the attack, as the noise became further inaudible. When they had heard of their country’s victory, the cheered wildly, throwing papers in the air as they proudly praised their country. In the back corner of the joyful classroom, in a small wooden desk, sat a very quiet girl; she sat alone, her head propped delicately on her dainty ivory hands, her long hair covering her large brown eyes. She was staring distantly out of the window at a falling snowflake as the war lecture continued. She did not show any signs of interest as the other students had, and was very still. She was indifferent about the victory and did not wish to act wildly as the other students. So, 19 ships were hit and 2,300 Americans were killed? What’s so great about murder? The war will still go on so what is the cheer about? The small girl thought quietly to herself as the voices on the radio continued to describe the glorious victory of the Japanese. As everyone laughed and cheered, the bell rang, silencing the happy students. As the students settled into their seats, a young woman in a long blue dress in her twenties entered the classroom. Behind her, a very small young girl followed. She was very small, and had very pale ivory skin. Her hair was cut short to her neck, fashioned to make her look like a very delicate Japanese doll. After the students greeted their teacher, they sat quietly, waiting as their curiosity led their eyes to the small girl who was now next to the teacher, smiling brightly. “Okay everyone. Today we have a new friend joining us today. Please be nice to her.” She turned to the girl next to her and said, “Please introduce yourself to everyone.” The young girl smiled and bowed to her new classmates and exclaimed excitedly, “hello everyone! My name is Takahashi Sachiko; I like puppies, ice cream, and friends. Please take care of me!” Everyone clapped enthusiastically, joyful for their new bubbly friend. They could not wait to get to know their new friend. The teacher shushed the students, “okay everyone! Sachiko-chan, why don’t you sit over there next to Yoshiko-chan?” When the students heard “Yoshiko” they all went quiet and turned around to stare at the girl who was still staring out the window pointlessly. “Yoshiko-chan? Watanabe-san!” the teacher exclaimed as she tried to grab the attention of the daydreaming girl. “Maeda-sensei, Yoshiko is not listening again!” a student exclaimed accusingly. “Arg! She never listens. All she ever does is stare at whatever is outside that window and never does anything else. She is such a weird freak!” exclaimed a second student, in a voice of disgust.Yoshiko did not seem to be listening as the others got louder and louder with insults directed towards her. Unfazed, Sachiko motioned toward her desk, indifferent towards the remarks made to her new neighbor. She sat down, still smiling largely. Sachiko turned to her new desk neighbor, who was still distant but had started turning forward, sighing deeply during the process, and greeted the quiet, odd girl, “hi, my name is Sachiko.” Yoshiko was not listening and did not show any sign of notice. She only sat still and dozed off, drool flowing down her chin. Sachiko did not seem bothered and continued to speak cheerfully to the girl, hoping that she was listening. ♀♂ As soon as the last school bell rang, Yoshiko was already out the door, dashing to get to her almost solitary home. As she walked home undisturbed, she thought about the new girl, Takahashi Sachiko. Unknowingly, she popped into her head, smiling and happy as a little kid in a candy store. “That girl is so odd. Puppies?” Yoshiko said under her breath. All day, the girl had gone on and on about odd things like puppies and flavors of ice cream. Although she was weird, Yoshiko knew she was different from everyone else. She was kinder. When Yoshiko was finally home, she silently slipped through the door, hiding her footsteps carefully with no prevail. Unfortunately, the two people she had been trying to avoid were now charging toward her with no mercy. “Onee-chan!” two little students exclaimed excitedly as they saw their returning sister at the door. They sprinted to her side, each holding onto a leg each as she tried to escape their grasp. The two students were twins, one a girl and the other a boy. They were only about six years of age and were very blissful at most times. The two were inseparable and were very close, but they are the opposites of each other. The boy, Kano, was very disobedient and easygoing, while the girl, Kana, was very obedient and uptight. The two twins hung tight to Yoshiko’s legs as they were being dragged up the stairs to her room where her room was. The stairs seemed endless as she breathlessly trudged up the stairs. After what seemed like an eternity, Yoshiko finally arrived at her room. In her room, Yoshiko, the twins still glued to her leg giggling happily, slid to her desk. She opened the upper right drawer where she kept a bag of hard candy, took two, and threw them out the door. The weight on her legs instantly vanished as the twins raced to the candies. Yoshiko walked to her bed, panting, and sat down at the edge of her light blue bed. Her room was not that of an ordinary girl’s room. It was plain and simple with mostly blue colored items. Her walls were naked. Her room had one window only, and it was covered in a heavy black cloth to block any light from going out when it is dark. Yoshiko laid back and closed her eyes. For a while, she stayed unmoved until she finally opened her eyes. With a sigh, she rose to her feet and walked to her closet. She took off her school uniform and put on a light blue silk outfit. After she finished changing, she slipped down the stairs quietly, trying to avoid catching the attention of her parents. Although Yoshiko knew that her parents were not home, she still kept her guard up. If her parents saw a flaw with Yoshiko, they would scold her, no matter how small the flaw is. Yoshiko’s father was a colonel of the Japanese military and a great contributor to the war. He was a brute and truly believed this war was the best for his beautiful country. He was very strict on Yoshiko and was very coldhearted to her feelings. Because he was hoping for the best out of the war, he made sure his students thought so too, and because Yoshiko was the eldest, she was the one with the highest expectation to teach the twins the same. Yoshiko’s mother was a kinder figure, but she was still very strict. With more men going to war, women became an important part of the Japanese industry. Where more women took on the labor roles, Yoshiko’s mother became a bigger part of the country’s labor force. She was a woman with brains and leadership skills. She was very confident and ambitious about the country’s victory. Yoshiko’s mother became the brains behind the war strategies and stood behind her husband. With both of her parents gone, Yoshiko rarely saw either of them and when she did, they were always too tired to talk to her or were too busy and were leaving straight away. The twins did not really remember either of their parents so they were not very affected by their lack of presence but Yoshiko missed the times before the war where they were all together and having fun. Discretely, Yoshiko snuck to the snack room, still alert incase her parents were to walk into the room. Yoshiko escaped safely with a small bag of rice crackers and rushed to her room. When she was safely in her room, Yoshiko shut the door behind her and took out a cracker. She placed it into her mouth and began to fall into her thoughts as she chewed slowly. ♀♂ The next day, Yoshiko trudged to her classroom, ready for another day of useless air raid drills and war lectures. When she arrived at the classroom, she heard loud whispers. She had thought it was another attack on her but to her surprise, they had not been gossiping about her at all. When she looked at whom everyone had occasionally glanced at and showed faces of disgust, she realized that the new girl had been pitted for the class’ gossip sessions. As she walked slowly to her desk, she realized that the girl, Sachiko, was sitting up straight with a bright smile on her face as if she was unaware of the surrounding whispers and finger pointing. Yoshiko had heard multiple pieces of the story about the girl as she passed multiple students. “She is so stupid!” exclaimed a student in the front. “She’s a traitor! Did you see the way she –” Yoshiko heard from across the room. “She is so dead. I feel bad for her and her family,” said another student. “I thought she was nice too,” whispered a frowning student. With the multiple whispers, Yoshiko was still unsure about what had happened but she knew it was not good. The big blow to the truth was when someone had screamed out the words. “You’re an enemy of Japan! How dare you step foot here in this country?” the student had exclaimed. Everyone stared first at the angered student and then they turned their heads to glare at Sachiko, who had not moved from her smiling spot. In return to their frozen glare, she only smiled at them as if they had complimented her. Yoshiko was surprised at the sudden outburst but she was even more surprised at the reaction Sachiko had shown. She was calm and mature, as if she had already known that this was coming. When the school bell rang, everyone settled down and sat down, but everyone’s eyes were still on Sachiko. ♀♂ When the lunch bell finally rang, Sachiko was already out the door. When she ran for the main doors, hoping to get some fresh air, she rounded a corner bumping into something soft. Sachiko fell backwards and landed with a thud. When she looked up to see what she had bumped into, she was already being lifted up by a strong hand. “Well aren’t you cute? Are you new here you small pixie?” the stranger said casually and cheerfully. The boy was a head and a half taller than Sachiko and was very well built for a high school boy. He had a very handsome face with large brown eyes and long lashes, a straight nose, and a wide grin that could melt the hearts of anyone. Sachiko quickly bowed and apologized, “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to bump into you.” “No way, it’s my honor to bump into a nice pixie. It’s not every day you meet a pretty little pink pixie,” the boy said, brushing hair away from Sachiko’s face. “The name’s Takuya. Sato Takuya, Takuya the Great Magnificent, or Tak-chan. I prefer the latter two,” he’d said confidently. “My name is Takahashi Sachiko and I like ice cream,” Sachiko said happily. She was happy that someone was not disgusted with her. Takuya looked at Sachiko debatably, expecting her from head to toe. “So you’re the traitor I’ve been hearing about,” he said finally in a serious tone that ran chills down Sachiko’s neck. Sachiko’s heart dropped immediately. “Well then, welcome to my club!” Takuya exclaimed proudly s if it was an honor to be recruited by him. Sachiko only looked at him, speechless. She was shocked and was questioning if she heard him right. When he saw the question on her face, Takuya laughed. “Don’t look at me like that! I’m like you; I’m against the bloodshed too,” he said in a matter-of-factly tone. “So Sach-chan, are you in?” he asked expectedly. “O – Okay, Tak-chan,” Sachiko agreed. ♀♂ When Sachiko returned to the classroom, with Takuya following, Yoshiko was in an embarrassing situation. The other students had gotten bored and were already ready to cause trouble. When Yoshiko was finished with her lunch and was walking to the waste bin, a foot had stuck out in front of her and tripped her. She fell head first and landed painfully on her stomach. All of the students surrounded the fallen Yoshiko and were now glaring at her with evil grins plastered similarly on each of their faces. Yoshiko searched for a quick escape between the cracks of the legs surrounding her. When she finally spotted those pitying eyes that were staring at her, she ducked her head down in shame. She did not need the pity of some traitor and was not about to show any notice of her. Sachiko became worried as the students started to surround Yoshiko. She turned around to her new friend. He did not see her worried eyes. He was already walking past her and towards the crowd. Sachiko followed him, knowing exactly what he was about to do. The two of them pushed people aside. One by one, the students lessened to create a path of disgust as the two passed by. When they reached Yoshiko, they each grabbed an arm and dragged her to her feet. Yoshiko was surprised by the sudden tug when Sachiko and a boy she did not know, jerked her to her feet. In a swift lift, the two carried her away from the crowd and into the hallway. There they continued down the hallway away from the classroom. As soon as she was thinking again, Yoshiko wrenched her arms from the grasp of the two traitors. Takuya and Sachiko both looked at each other, shrugged, and walked off smiling. Behind them, they heard a meek “thank you”. They turned around towards Yoshiko and saw that she was running the opposite way, tripping when she got to the door. The two snickered and walked away. ♀♂ When Yoshiko was in bed daydreaming, Sachiko again popped into her thoughts, but this time, the boy that was with Sachiko was also in her thoughts. She immediately sat up. “Why am I thinking about them?” she asked herself. “Because you want nice friends fool!” a deep voice said in the back of her mind. “But they’re traitors of Japan,” another, more angelic voice said. Yoshiko thought to herself about whether or not they are good people. Since young, her parents repeatedly said to her that disobedience is intolerable, so traitors of her country should be bad people, but they had helped her in a time of need. “That’s right! They helped you but you repaid them by acting as if they’re germs!” exclaimed the deep voice. “They are germs! They should think about their actions before they put their beautiful country in jeopardy,” argued the soft voice. “Think of it this way: no one else was nice enough to help you. They can’t be bad at all if they were willing to help the Japanese military’s colonel’s daughter, could they?” the deep voice argued back. Getting a headache from the argument that was taking place in her head, Yoshiko swept the two voices away, confused. ♀♂ For the next few weeks, every time Yoshiko saw either Sachiko or Takuya, she would hide and think about the time they had helped her. After a month of hiding and thinking, Yoshiko finally decided on whether or not to try to be friends with the “Japanese traitor siblings” as they were called after a period of time. During lunch, Yoshiko secretly followed Sachiko as she walked to her usual meeting place where she meets Takuya every day. When they were at the roof, Yoshiko took a deep breath. “Um – hello,” Yoshiko said timidly. To her surprise, the two turned around and greeted her with a smile. “Yoshiko-san,” Sachiko exclaimed. Takuya looked first at Sachiko and then at Yoshiko. “Yo-chan, we welcome you to our humble abroad!” Takuya welcomed excitedly. The two of them waved at Yoshiko enthusiastically to come sit with them. They motioned toward an empty spot between them. Suddenly, Yoshiko’s head was in between Takuya’s bosom and arm. “Ah! She’s a cute little pixie too! A water pixie is what you are you little thing, you!” Takuya exclaimed with a squeamish squeal. Sachiko only sat and laughed at the situation as Yoshiko tried to escape the grip of the strong Takuya. “Oh, that’s right. You don’t know my name yet,” Takuya said suddenly, Yoshiko’s head still in between his arm and chest. “The name’s Takuya. Sato Takuya, Takuya the Great Magnificent, or Tak-chan. I prefer the latter two,” he’d repeated to Yoshiko. He then took her face in his hands and started to examine her facial features. “Yup, definitely a pixie,” he declared seriously. “Oh, don’t mind him Yo-chan. He just loves fairies, despite his tough guy act. I think it’s something about facial shape?” Sachiko explained. “Sach-chan, I do not!” Takuya exclaimed defensively. As Takuya continued on about nonsense topics, Sachiko and Yoshiko laughed, Yoshiko laughing timidly, and Sachiko delicately but hysterically. ♀♂ Every day, Yoshiko would slip out of class unnoticed and join Takuya and Sachiko for lunch on the roof, where no one bothered them. They would all joke and laugh and Yoshiko would begin to open up a little more each time. Every day was always something new with them. It was either Takuya was running away from another teacher, Takuya found another “pixie”, Sachiko discovered another ice cream flavor, or Sachiko met a new dog named Kimchi. Weeks passed then months passed. Every day was filled with laughter and smiles. ♀♂ One day, when Yoshiko walked into her house, Yoshiko was surprised to see her parents home. The twins did not rush to meet her that day, and everything was very tense in the house. Her parents were waiting patiently on the couch in the living room. When they saw that Yoshiko was home, they motioned for her to come and sit. Yoshiko knew that they had something very serious to say. Nervous, she took her seat opposite of her parents. “Yoshiko, you understand that my line of work is to help win this war and claim victory for this country, but you also know that not everyone thinks the way we do, right?” her father said in a voice so grave, it brought chills to the afterlife. Yoshiko nodded. “Well, as you should know, there are some of those people even in our great nation, and they are stopping us from winning this war,” he claimed forcefully. Yoshiko gulped silently. Her first thoughts were her friends’ faces. They were Japanese traitors and she still tolerated them. Her worst thought was that her father had found out. Her mother continued. “Honey, I know your friends are dear to you, but I think it’s time that you look for new friends.” Yoshiko stiffened. “My work requires us to leave so I think it is best that you say goodbye to your friends soon. Our forces in the Guadalcanal are not strong enough to fight off the American forces so I need to relocate and meet with other officers to discuss our tactics,” her father explained. Yoshiko looked up in surprise. Her parents had not been talking about Takuya and Sachiko! She breathed a sigh of relief, but then she realized that she would be leaving her friends. They were the friends she finally had courage to ask for, and she was now expected to leave them. However, she could not argue with her parents. Sullenly, Yoshiko excused herself and ran to her room where she let her tears flow down her pale ivory cheeks. ♀♂ The next day, Yoshiko walked into school with puffy red eyes. When Sachiko say her blood shot eyes, she wrote a note and asked her what had happened. Too afraid to end their friendship, Yoshiko wrote back that she would explain later at lunch. When the lunch bell finally rang, the two girls sped to the roof separately. When they finally met up with Takuya, Sachiko demanded an answer from that morning’s note. When Takuya saw Yoshiko’s eyes, he cupped his hands around her face and demanded an explanation for the “destruction of his pixie’s face”. When the demanding two finally settled down, Yoshiko explained her situation hesitantly. “I’m leaving in two days,” Yoshiko said regretfully. Takuya and Sachiko stared at Yoshiko, dumbfounded. “You’re not joking with us, are you?” Takuya asked submissively, hoping that this was all a cruel, sick joke. Yoshiko looked down regrettably. A tear rolled down her cheek. All of them went quiet. Sachiko moved closer to Yoshiko and started to cry as they hugged tightly together. Takuya fought his tears as the girls sobbed quietly. ♀♂ After what seemed like a lifelong friendship, Yoshiko was finally leaving her friends’ sides. She told herself not to cry as she left for Osaka, Japan. In Osaka, Yoshiko had reverted back to her shy, quiet self. Every day, she thought of her friends in Nagasaki. As the months passed, then years, Yoshiko’s longing for her friends grew larger. When news from Emperor Hirohito about the rejection of the Potsdam Declaration was released, everyone grew worrisome of the consequences. Yoshiko grew uneasy and fretful about what was about to come. It was now 1945, and August 6th was like any other day. When everyone was advised to listen to the news on the radio, many of the students in Yoshiko’s class became devastated. Hiroshima had been hit by an atomic bomb and 70,000–80,000 people had been killed immediately. Yoshiko became terrified for her country. She knew that the Americans would not just stop at Hiroshima. Every one cried for their country and for their lives. The next day, Yoshiko was allowed to remain at home due to the hit in Hiroshima. While at home, she listened to the news as it explained the details of the bomb. Since the explosion, many that were injured had passed away due to burns that were cause by the horrid blast. Yoshiko became horrified that bomb could be dropped on Osaka. She prayed for the safety of those she loved and for her country. For the rest of the day, Yoshiko tried to settle her heart, with no prevail. She felt uneasy and unsettled as her daydreaming kicked into overdrive. Silently, she cried to herself until the she finally fell asleep. When Yoshiko woke up, it was already noon, and the radio had still been playing next to her. In a daze, she barely heard the horrible news. “Today, at 11:01, a bomb was dropped over Nagasaki. 40,000 to 75,000 people were immediately killed during the impact and many injured,” said the reporter. Realizing what the man had said, Yoshiko sat up shocked senseless. Her hometown had been bombed. Her home where Takuya and Sachiko were. Her home where she prayed all night for its safety. A tear rolled down her face as she thought about the bodies of her friends. She knew that it was almost impossible to survive the bomb according to the reporter who had announced the bomb drop of Hiroshima. In her mind, the bodies of her dear friends burned. She did not know what to do. She was afraid she could not see her friends ever again. Yoshiko sat motionless as she thought about her friends, and wondered whether if they were alive or not. Her mother rushed into the room, tears streaking her face. She rushed over to Yoshiko when she saw that her face too was tear streaked. She put an arm around her daughter and wept silently together. She whispered words of comfort to her daughter whose friends were in Nagasaki. ♀♂ After Japan’s surrender from the war, Yoshiko decided to go to Nagasaki to look for her friends. With her parents and sibling, Yoshiko flew to Nagasaki in a war plane. When they landed, Yoshiko went straight for the school she and her friends attended. The school was in ruins and there were multiple people still under fallen buildings. The sight was gruesome. Although her heart sank deeper at every body part she saw, she knew she needed to search for her friends. Although she had no clue as to where to start searching, she decided to start at the school, where their memories together were the strongest. As she approached the horrid scene, her tears overflowed, falling one by one down her pale face. As she stood there, she felt horror rush through her body as a hand wrapped around her neck. With tears flowing, Yoshiko froze as the grip around her neck tightened. “Yo-chan,” a deep quivering voice said. Yoshiko whipped around to see an older Takuya, crying as he tried to get a hold onto Yoshiko. “Takuya, what’s wrong?” Yoshiko asked alert. “Yo-chan, she’s gone. My pixie’s gone. Our pixie is gone!” Takuya exclaimed, devasted. Realizing what Takuya was talking about, Yoshiko slumped to her knees. She looked up at the weeping Takuya, and felt a sense of lose as she thought about her friend. Takuya slumped to his knees, leveling himself to Yoshiko’s level. They both cried for their friend. “Takeya, why are you not hurt?” Yoshiko asked between sobs, noticing that he was unscathed. “I went to Hiroshima after the first bomb was dropped. I wanted to help them clean up the mess because most of the residents there were too injured,” Takuya explained slowly. “I shouldn’t have let her stay here. I should have taken her with me to Hiroshima to help the people there, but she was worried about her family. I should have insisted she went with me,” Takuya explained as they sat embraced as they wept loudly. For hours, they sobbed as they remembered the smiles that Sachiko had shared with them. She had been a bubbly girl with a small tinkling laugh. they wept as they realized that that laugh was now gone from the world. All of this time, Yoshiko had been looking for them, but when she finally found her friends, she loses what she held dear to her heart.

[wavenetinfo]

Ever since Christopher Nolan’s last great Batman film, 2008’s The Dark Knight, DC has been in a pretty brutal big-screen slump. Watchmen. Jonah Hex. Green Lantern. Suicide Squad. The various Superman movies. Some of these films have managed to make a nice chunk of change at the box office. But they’re the kind of hits that exist more on a studio’s balance sheet than in the hearts and minds of moviegoers. Unlike its crosstown rival, Marvel, DC has had a hard time finding the right mix of darkness and light, seriousness and humor, gravitas and fun. They just haven’t been able to crack the magic nut. It would be insane to think that the suits at Warner Bros., the custodians of the DC celluloid franchise, weren’t getting twitchy and envious every time a new Marvel flick hit theaters. But now, with their latest superhero saga, they can finally stopping chewing their cuticles — if there are any left. Wonder Woman is smart, slick, and satisfying in all of the ways superhero films ought to be. How deliciously ironic that in a genre where the boys seem to have all the fun, a female hero and a female director are the ones to show the fellas how it’s done.

Ever since her comic-book debut in 1941, William Moulton Marston’s groundbreaking superheroine has been ahead of her time. A girl-power icon in a male-fantasy universe that rarely had much use for powerful women — just damsels looking to be undistressed. But Wonder Women always (or most of the time, anyways) refused to play by those rules. A demigod warrior-princess sculpted from clay by her Amazonian mother, Queen Hippolyta, Wonder Woman was a distaff badass with the courage, superpowers, and gee-whiz doodads to match her male peers: The Lasso of Truth, indestructible golden bracelets, and even a sword that could bring down the Gods. She used them all to shatter the superhero glass ceiling.

That’s the same protagonist we first meet in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman — a rollicking origin story with a clear and distinct feminist message that never bludgeons you with its gender politics. It’s far too assured and sly for that. The film opens on the island of Themyscira, an idyllic paradise with chalk-white cliffs and turquoise waters that was gifted to the Amazons by Zeus. Invisible to the rest of the world, the island is hidden by a protective atmospheric cloak. It’s like the Bermuda Triangle if the Bermuda Triangle were inhabited solely by a race of she-warriors living in harmony and training in combat under Robin Wright. Zeus created the Amazons to put love back into mankind’s hearts and restore peace. But under Queen Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), they’ve remained in hiding, practicing the ancient martial arts in strappy gladiator sandals and on horseback while speaking in a thick Slavic goulash of accents that give you the impression that Themyscira might just be located somewhere near Transylvania. Hippolyta has a young daughter named Diana — a curious, rebellious, bullheaded little moppet eager to learn how to fight like her elders. She’s not like the others, though. There’s something special about her — a secret link to the Gods that no one told her about. But as Diana grows up to become Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, her gift reveals itself. And just in the nick of time, too.

When the plane of an American spy named Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) pierces the island’s force-field whatzit and crashes into the ocean, Gadot’s Diana dives in and saves him. He’s the first man that she’s ever laid eyes on. The first man that any of the Amazons have laid eyes on. All of them want him to leave. But Diana is curious. Especially after he tells her about the horrific war that’s raging back in his world. It’s 1918 and it’s being called “The War to End All Wars”. Diana, raised on the Amazonian creed of peace and her people’s duty to fight against Ares, the God of War, sees his war as her war. She has found her destiny. World War I and the Allies have been Waiting for Gadot.

Clay Enos/Warner Bros

Gadot, an Israeli actress with piercing dark eyes, is probably best known for playing Gisele in several of the Fast & Furious movies. But there was nothing in those installments that hinted at the undeniable star power she gives off as Wonder Woman. Granted, the Fast & Furious movies aren’t exactly acting showcases, but still…. Her Diana is both awesomely fierce and surprisingly funny, especially when she arrives in war-torn London with Trevor and gets her first taste of 20th-century modernity. Whether she’s reacting to the unfamiliar sight of automobiles or constricting early 20th-century women’s fashions, she takes it all in like a fish-out-of-water naïf. When she has her first taste of ice cream, she swoons and enthusiastically tells the salesman, “You should be very proud,” as if he’s performed some kind of miracle. Gadot sells the innocence and humor in these moments every bit as convincingly as Daryl Hannah in Splash. Her chemistry with Pine is just as unexpected and electric. Catching him in the nude back on Themyscira, she takes a peek at him in the buff and asks: “Would you say you are a typical example of your sex?” He replies, “I am above average.” Screenwriter Allan Heinberg (Grey’s Anatomy) deserves as much of the credit for their sparks-filled duet as the stars.

As World War I seems to be winding down and an armistice is about to be signed, a holdout among the German high command, the evil Gen. Ludendorff (Danny Huston), is busy creating a poisonous biological super-weapon to turn German defeat into victory. His chief chemist, a disfigured sadist named Dr. Maru (Elena Anaya), is a vision of villainy right out of comic-book nightmares, wearing a prosthetic faceplate that hides her hideous scars. Diana, Trevor, and his trio of mercenary pals (Ewen Bremner, Said Taghmaoui, and Eugene Brave Rock) race to the Belgian front to stop Ludendorff and “Dr. Poison” before it’s too late. Some might wonder why a character who was first conceived in 1941 and who’s finally being brought to the big screen in 2017 has been plopped into 1918? But I’d argue that Wonder Woman’s time period is a pretty clever stealth weapon to explore some of the movies more progressive themes (more on that in a sec), not to mention the fact that it gives the film a retro-cool charge reminiscent of Joe Johnston’s Captain America: The First Avenger. We’ve grown so accustomed to seeing superheroes flash their powers on screen that it’s refreshing to see people react with awe, like they’re witnessing miracles. The miracle of the movie — or at least the fantastic first two-thirds of it — is that the audience feels that same novel rush. As Diana deflects machine gun-fire with her bracelets, flips army tanks with one hand, and whips German soldiers around like ragdolls with her luminescent Lasso of Truth, we feel like we’re watching her feats with new eyes.

The setting also helps to make the film’s resonant feminist subtext feel more organic and less forced. At a time when women were still without the right to vote and were subjugated to a position of being seen and not heard, the fearsome Diana becomes a spokeswoman in word and deed of resistance and empowerment. She refuses to be treated like a second-class citizen by politicians and generals. No one puts Wonder Woman in a corner. On the battlefield in Belgium, she displays a martial courage that her brothers in arms (even including Pine) don’t possess. She’s completely fearless…not to mention a long way from Lynda Carter.

It’s only in the movie’s unnecessary final half-hour or so that Wonder Woman finally meets her match: the special-effects imperatives of contemporary blockbuster filmmaking against which even the Germans onscreen seem insignificant. When Diana realizes that the villain she’s been chasing all this time is, in fact, not the end but just the beginning to a line of villains to be trotted out, no doubt, in subsequent chapters, the movie turns into an eye-rolling digital smackdown that mirrors every other late-period DC (and, to be fair, Marvel) movie smackdown. It would be nice one of these days if some heroic editor just lopped off the last 30 minutes of all of these things. But it’s hard to quibble about what’s wrong with a movie that gets so much right, especially when it comes to Gadot’s revelatory portrayal of Wonder Woman. The wait is over, folks. The DC movie you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. A-

30 May 2017 | 4:00 am

Chris Nashawaty

Source : EW.com

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