#this road trip was full of meeting new family members and we were always welcomed in with open arms

[lavendette]

Michigan

June 2023

[tobesolonely]

more time with you

a/n: hello everyone! here's some dad!harry for you all :-) i had a lot of fun writing it and am wondering if this family could be a little recurring thing?? lmk what you all think! i hope you enjoy and feedback is always appreciated!

warnings: fluff (super cute dad!harry!!!), oral (female receiving), fingering, dirty talk

word count: 2.5 k

my ko-fi! thank you :)

If you knew that getting your husband to take a break from all the late nights in the studio, the commitment to several different interviews a week, and the daunting possibility of a world tour within the near future, was by telling him you were ready for another baby, you would've done so way sooner.

Your daughter, Allison (or Ally, she reminded you every time you and Harry would get upset with her and call her by her full name), was nearly six years old. You knew that you and Harry wanted a big family, so it was a surprise to everyone that knew the two of you that you didn't have a house full of babies running around yet. Needless to say, you were ecstatic when Harry agreed he was also ready for another child. He immediately pushed back everything he had planned within the current year to the following year.

"Next album can come out a lil' bit later, m' sure everyone will understand." He reassured you when you asked him if he really had to cancel absolutely every single thing he had in the works. "Just wanna take some time off for you, Ally, and our second love bug. Loved the time off I spent with yeh and Ally when she was jus' a baby, 'member that?"

You smile at the memory of you and Harry being new parents, trying to care for a fussy baby that wouldn't sleep through the night for the life of you until she was nearly two years old. After that, Harry decided he was ready to get back to work, admitting that he wouldn't be as guilty leaving you with a baby that sleeps through the night versus one that wakes up every few hours.

"I remember," you sigh contentedly. "I can't wait to do it all over again. Also, can't wait to start trying…" You trail off, trying to slip your hand under Harry's t-shirt that he wore to bed the night before.

Harry tsks, giving you a cheeky look and moves your hand out from under the fabric of his shirt. "Not now, darling. Ally's football game is at ten, so we gotta wake her up soon."

Letting out a soft sigh, you cross your arms, knowing Harry was right. You were just excited by all that talk about expanding your family that you wanted to get started right away. If Ally was late to her football game, though, she'd be furious at the two of you because that would mean sitting out the first quarter. She hated not being able to play as much as she possibly could. "I'll go wake her up, and you can make her a bowl of fruit or something like that? Needs something light, so she doesn't complain about a stomach ache with all that running around she'll be doing."

"Oh yeah, wouldn't be good now, would it? Can't have a repeat of last time," he laughs at the memory of you frantically calling him during half time of your daughter's football game last year while he was at a meeting going over tour logistics to scold him for making her such a heavy, greasy breakfast, while he laughed and told Jeff about Ally's little incident. "I'll go get her breakfast started." He places a kiss on your cheek and swiftly gets out of bed. You get up shortly after him, tie your robe around your body, and head down the hall to your daughter's room.

"Ally," you knock gently on the frame of her door. "Time to get up, bug. It's half past 8, and your coach sent Mumma a message saying he wanted everyone there by 9:15. Up you go, sweetie."

Your daughter groans and pulls the covers up higher over her face. "M' sleepy, Mumma. Don' wanna go today." You smile at her and walk over to her tiny bed, sitting down on the edge.

"I'm sorry you're sleepy, bug. But your teammates need you! 'Member what Mumma and daddy told you about bein' a team player when you told us you wanted to play footie like all your friends in school? They're gonna be missin' you if you're not there with them today, sweetie."

At this, Ally peaks her head out from under her covers, sleep still in her eyes. You continue on. "And besides bug, daddy's gonna be at your game today! He hasn't seen you play very often, has he?" Ally's eyes immediately light up when you remind her that Harry would be in attendance. He was a wonderful husband and dad, but he wasn't perfect. Sometimes he'd forget about her games and practices and already have things scheduled that he just couldn't cancel at the last minute. Although your daughter understood that her daddy was very busy, she hasn't quite grasped the magnitude of exactly how famous Harry actually was. Therefore, she wasn't quite sure why he wasn't able to make it to every single one of her events.

"Daddy's gonna watch? He's gonna see my whole game!" Ally all but squeals, kicking her covers off. "Where's daddy? We can go now!"

You grin at your daughter's enthusiasm, thrilled that she was so excited for her daddy to watch her play. "Slow down, babe. I'll get your uniform out of the dryer, and you can go down and eat breakfast with daddy. How's that sound?"

Ally nods and quickly runs out of her room, ignoring you calling out to her and asking her to please stop running. Shaking your head, you get up from her bed and retrieve her football uniform. You hear her talking a mile a minute downstairs to Harry, telling him how excited she is that he was gonna get to see her play and get to see all her 'cool friends'. Ally was a daddy's girl for sure, and you loved every minute of it. After getting her uniform from the dryer, you lay it out on her bed and go downstairs to join your family.

"...and I can run so fast, Mr. Coach says I run fast like a road-runner! You'll think it's so cool, daddy, I promise!" You walk in on Ally enthusiastically telling Harry what to expect when he's at her game.

"Is that so, bub? Are you the fastest one on your team?" Harry entertains the conversation, setting a bowl of oatmeal in front of your daughter.

"Yeah, daddy! And I don't even trip and stuff over the ball anymore like I used to! Mumma says I'm more 'co-ordinated'!"

You and Harry let out a giggle at your daughter's pronunciation of the word 'coordinated'. Yet, she doesn't notice, hurriedly stuffing her breakfast into her mouth.

"I'm proud of you for being more coordinated, bub," Harry ruffles her hair. "C'mon and let's finish up so Mumma can help you get ready for your game, don't wanna be late, do ya?"

⋆⋆⋆

"That's my girl, Ally! Go- oh, wrong way, poppet! Other way!"

You watched amusedly from one of the folding chairs you and Harry brought. He's eagerly yelling to your daughter on the field who was now about to score a goal for the opposing team because she was running in the wrong direction. She kicks the ball to one of her teammates, and Harry claps loudly, causing her to stop and wave at him.

"Nice kick, Ally! Pay attention!"

The other parents are looking amused at Harry, some knowing who he is, you assumed, based on how they had their camera phones out. Harry turns to look at you unbothered, a proud grin on his face.

"My daughter is a football star! Gonna go pro, that one is."

"Our daughter," you jokingly tell him. "And sit down, Harry! You're distracting her. She has looked over this way at you probably a dozen times already!" Harry playfully rolls his eyes at you but sits down anyway, knowing you're right. He settles down for the rest of the game, cheering loudly for her but staying seated so she doesn't get distracted by him.

As soon as the game is over, Ally immediately runs over to her dad and starts talking excitedly. "Did ya see how good I played, daddy? Did ya? I told you I can run fast! Did you see how fast I run? I'm fast, do you think so?"

Harry lets out a loud laugh, hoisting your daughter upon his shoulders. "I saw indeed, poppet. Really startin' to think yeh the fastest lil' bug I've ever seen in my life." Ally's eyes widen at this statement, and you snicker as you fold the chairs you and Harry were sitting in back up. The three of you are getting ready to leave when one of Ally's teammates and her mother comes up to you with smiles on their faces.

"Great game, Ally! You're such a good little striker!" Ally beams at this compliment, as does Harry.

"Whadya say when someone tells yeh something nice, bug?" He gently reminds her. Ally lets out a timid 'thank you,' and Harry gives her a little squeeze on her leg.

"Can Ally come to my house and eat pizza with me? And we can play with my toys, and we can watch a movie!" Ally's friend looks between you and Harry, a pleading look in her eyes. "My Mumma said it's okay with her if it's okay with you!"

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude…" you start, but Ally's friend's mother waves her hand.

"S'not a problem at all! I'd love to have Ally over, lil' angel she is. She's always welcome over at mine." She tells you and Harry truthfully. You look at Harry and shrug, non-verbally telling him if he's okay with it, then you are. Ally's been over to her friend's house before and always has a great time, and you had no plans as a family for the remainder of the day.

"Okay yeah, that'll be fun won't it, bub?" He asks your daughter, lifting her off his shoulders and setting her back down. He reaches into his pocket and pulls his wallet out. "Let us at least pay for food and some desserts too, if the girls want. I'm sure they will, though." He winks at Ally and her friend, and they giggle and go to kick the ball back and forth to each other while the adults talk. Her mother thanks him profusely but tells him it isn't necessary, but Harry, being the kind person he is, insists and gives her a few bills to cover the girls' day together. He never liked sending your daughter with someone else's parents without money because he thought it was rude to expect them to pay for his kid. He usually ended up paying for all parties involved as a 'thank you' for having your daughter as company. After telling your daughter to be good and have fun, you and Harry walk hand in hand back towards the car.

"Got the whole rest of tha day to ourselves, don't we?" He asks, rubbing his thumb over yours. You hum in acknowledgment and turn to look at him. He has a cheeky grin on his face, and you immediately know what he's thinking.

"Think we should get started on that baby, then?"

⋆⋆⋆

As soon as the two of you are through the front door of your house, Harry has his hands all over you- one on your neck, the other gripping your ass.

"Harry," you moan out breathlessly. "M'not gonna conceive our baby next to the front door."

"Well lucky fo' you, I wasn't plannin' on takin' yeh next to the front door, hmm," he says against your neck, placing a wet kiss on it. "Jump."

You wrap your legs around Harry as he walks you to your couch. "Wasn't really thinkin' 'bout the couch either you goof, but I guess it's better than the floor."

Harry huffs in annoyance and lifts his head to look you in the eyes. "Wan' me to put this baby in yeh or not?"

"Course I do," you retort, reaching in between you to unbutton your jeans. "Been thinkin' about it since this morning."

Harry hums in response and lifts up your shirt, kissing his way down from right below your breasts until he's at your hips. "Gonna let me have a lil' taste first? Make sure you're all nice an' wet fo' me, pet?"

You nod quickly, lifting your hips so Harry could have an easier time getting your bottoms off. He yanks them off and flings them over his shoulder. Harry runs a calloused finger over your underwear, causing you to shudder. "Lets get these off, yeah? That alright with you?" You whimper, bucking your hips up against Harry's hand ghosting over your core.

"Gotta let me hear you say it Y/N, yes or no?" He has the most shit-eating grin on his face, and you know he's just trying to get you all hot and bothered.

"Yes Harry, please get these panties off of me," you all but beg. "Need to feel your tongue on me."

That's all Harry needs to hear before he's hooking your underwear in his fingers, shoving it to the side. He flattens out his tongue and licks slowly up your folds, moaning against you. "Always taste so good, pet. Love havin' my head between yeh thighs like this."

Letting out a rather loud moan, your eyes squeeze shut as you tangle one hand in Harry’s hair, the other gripping the side of the couch. He takes your clit in his mouth and hallows his cheeks, suckly gently. “Feel good, Y/N? Let me know when I’m makin’ yeh feel good, gotta hear it.” You nod, feeling yourself growing close already even though Harry hasn’t been at this for more than three minutes.

“Need your fingers, H,” you breathlessly tell him. “Make me come, please.”

You don’t have to tell Harry again. He sucks on his middle finger and slowly slides it in you, curling it up and searching for that sweet, spongy spot he’s so good at finding. His finger curls against it and you yelp in pleasure, grabbing onto his hair even tighter. “Feels s’good, baby. Fuck, don’t stop please. Whatever you do, don’t fuckin’ stop.” Harry speeds up, sucking even harder on your clit to help you reach your first orgasm of the day.

“Can feel your tight pussy throbbin’ round my finger, know yeh gonna come, Y/N. S’tha feel good?” You move your hands onto your chest, pushing your bra up and rolling your nipples between your fingers. Harry moans at the sight and flicks his tongue on your clit, middle finger moving nimbly inside your cunt. Without warning, your orgasm washes over you, and Harry helps you ride it out, not stopping his licks against your clit. He gradually slows down his movements against your pussy and lifts his head, a big dimpled grin on his glistening face. “Always taste delicious, but I think I wanna feel ya come around m’cock now. I mean, I am on a mission to put another baby in yeh, after all.”

You beam, knowing this was just the start of having Harry to yourself a lot more often.

[wellbafineline]

a very styles christmas

a/n Im aware this is the most cheesy title that i could’ve picked for this fic but pls forgive me this is the only thing i could think of 

I don’t really have much to say about this one but I want to wish a happy holidays and a merry christmas to everyone who celebrates - hope you enjoy this fiancé  harry one shot 

word count: 2.4k - ish

It felt as if you and Harry had only just gotten home when you started to pull the luggage out of the hallway cupboard again, you're not exactly excited to start packing for another trip, you always complained to Harry when you were trudging around your shared room that it was the worst part of any trip, to which he always chuckles and calls you dramatic but your point still stands in your eyes. 

You placed the two suitcases neatly next to each other at the foot of your and Harry’s shared bed, deciding to wait for him to get home before tackling that challenge of what to pack for the two weeks that you both were spending up north in Cheshire at his mums for Christmas. 

Just as you sat on the bed, reaching to check your phone Harry trudged back into your shared room still wrapped up in his coat and hat having just been loading the car in the cold London winter with the various gifts for family you needed to bring with you, the last of what needed to be loaded into the car staring back at you from the foot of the bed. 

‘No gonna pack themselves are they?’ Harry sighed, shrugging off his coat and throwing it on the chair that you so fondly had named the ‘chaos chair’ which usually housed a pile of washing that neither of you ever really put away just taking items of clothing till it reappeared after the next laundry cycle.

‘Wish they would, hate this bit, never know what to pack to take to your mums.’ Harry had now started to move around the room picking up some jumpers and sweatpants to put into his case. 

‘’M only bringing comfy stuff, if this weather keeps up doubt we’ll make it much further than the pub round the corner from mums’ He nodded towards your bedroom window where in true English Christmas weather the rain was bucketing down and wasn't looking like it was giving up any time soon. 

‘Now come on,’ he twists the t-shirt he was holding trying to swat at your bum where you were now standing by the window ‘want to make a move soon, hopefully get there before mum and Gem have broken into the Christmas wine supply, so we need to get a move on.’ 

•··°　• ·*　　·　·　★　.　✦　　　*　*　　.　 

It was about an hour and a half in your three hour drive from London to cheshire. You and Harry had just finished loading up his range rover with all of the presents and luggage that you two would need for two weeks up north in time that you could get the worst parts of the drive over with without there being too much of a traffic jam. 

‘Love,’ Harry shakes your shoulder lightly as he pulls the car to a halt into the car park, ‘dozed off on me there been out for about the last half an hour’

‘Mmm, no, was jus’ resting my eyes promise, want me to run in get some bits’ nodding your head towards the service station in front of you. You and Harry had driven up to his mums more times than you could count in the three years that you’d been together, always taking the same route, Harry insisting that it was the quickest but you joked that it was the only way that he could take where he wouldn’t get lost on the winding country roads. But either way you had become quite fond of the small service station that was just outside of Birmingham on the M6.

‘Yeah, can just get us a coffee please.’ He asks leaning over to put a kiss on your cheek before you grabbed your bag and made your way out of the car, pulling your coat tight around you, the weather having not gotten much better since the two of you left London earlier in the day. 

Although the service was pretty quiet with only two or three people lined up at the Costa Coffee and a woman browsing the WHSmith in the corner, you knew that it was Harry’s time off, so you always volunteered to go for the two of you. Not that he didn't love meeting people but driving up to his mums for christmas seemed like something he prefers to keep private, especially with you news, the two of you didnt want it plastered across social media before you had the chance to tell those closest to you.

Having gotten everything you think you’ll need for the remainder of your drive, just waiting for the barista to call your name to collect the coffee that you feel as though you desperately need now, even if you insist you weren’t asleep, as you wait you twist the new ring on your left hand, a habit that you picked up relatively quickly after getting the piece of jewellery.

It hadn’t been a flashy proposal, no room full of a thousand candles, no plane flying over head asking the big question, it was just you and Harry in your home, if he was being honest it wasn't even planned, Harry saw you making tea for the both of you after returning from a day of interviews and couldn’t describe anything that he was feeling except he felt calm and he knew he wanted to feel like that, with you, forever. And so the ring that had been burning a hole in his handbag now resided on your ring finger and had for the past week unbeknownst to any of his family members. You had caved and face-timed your mum that night but Harry had insisted on surprising his mum with her future daughter-in-law for Christmas, telling you ‘you’ll be the best present she could've asked for this year. You’ll well beat the spa weekend Gem’s got her.’

Your name being called pulled you from your reminiscent day dream as you collected your two coffees and made your way back to Harry waiting in the car.

‘Mum said Gem hasn’t even left yet so we’ve got loads of time, think we’ll be the first ones there.’ He tells you as you pass him his coffee and get settled back into the car for the rest of the drive. 

•··°　• ·*　　·　·　★　.　✦　　　*　*　　.　 

Harry was right, you were the first ones there, a stark change from previous years where you two were pulling into Anne’s driveway when the only lights on the street were the occasional decorative light and Anne's living room where she was waiting up for you two. But this year you were the only car in the drive as Harry pulled off the main road to pull into the space next to his mum’s car. 

As soon as she heard your car, Anne was swinging the front door open to welcome you, no doubt she’d been up all day preparing for you and the others to arrive, her favourite time of year being when she gets all her babies under the same roof again. 

 Harry parked the car, and you were quick to jump out going to help unload the ridiculous amount of stuff that you’d brought with you for the two weeks you were staying up north. You took the two suitcases wobbling slightly as you hauled them into the entry way as Anne helped Harry with the bags of presents.

 As they made their way toward you into the house Anne drops her bag of presents at the door pulling you into a tight hug. 

‘You two can’t stay away for so long next time, even if you have to drag my son up here by his hair.’ she told you pulling away from the tight embrace. 

‘Right you two go get settled upstairs, all the rooms are set up, and I'll sort these out by the tree’ She says motioning to the bags of presents that had been abandoned on the floor during your reunion embrace.  

•··°　• ·*　　·　·　★　.　✦　　　*　*　　.　 

Anne had moved since Harry was a child, but she had made sure that both her kids still had their own rooms no matter how old they were or how long they’d been out of the house. Harrys being in the corner of the second floor of the house, looking out into the garden which in typical english fashion was sort of frozen over from rain and frost and sort of coated in snow. The walls of Harry’s room were a dark navy blue with the bed pushed to the window where Harry had already laid himself across.

‘Get up lazy bones.’ You teased throwing a sweatshirt from the case open in front of you at him. 

‘M up ‘m up, promise.’ he groaned sitting up on the bed looking at you now. ‘Have we decided how we’re gonna tell her yet.’ He asks referencing the rock on your left hand. 

‘Thought that was your thing to plan, haven't done your homework Styles’ you teased ‘Guess i thought i’d take my chances, Styles.’ He threw back at you ‘’sides she's gonna flip anyway we tell her, been on me for months to do it.’

‘I’m not a Styles yet, not for another few months anyway.’ 

‘Good as one now, unless you're planning on running away at the altar on me? Are ya?’

‘Course not.’ You assure him. ‘Now come here, need to help unpack.’

‘No, you c’mere don't need to pack, need to lay down, at least till Gem gets here an’ then we can tell ‘em together’ His hands grabbing for you to join him on the bed where he's now positioned himself closest to the wall, perfect for you to slide in.

You cave, making your way over to him on the bed, placing his arm over your waist and keeping hold of his hand. Harry sighs into your hair from where his chin now rests on you head, you know you shouldn’t really be napping but when you start to hear Harry’s quiet snores you start to close your eyes too. 

•··°　• ·*　　·　·　★　.　✦　　　*　*　　.　 

You’re both awoken to the sound of who you presume is Gemma pulling into the driveway and talking to Anne in the entryway as you and Harry had hours before. Harry is the first to move, prompting you to sit up too, both of you taking a moment to rub your eyes but eventually silently moving to go downstairs to greet the rest of the family. 

Gemma and Anne were both sat at the kitchen table having a cup of tea when you and Harry joined them. 

‘There you are! Both of you were dead to the world when I went up before to check how the unpacking was going’ Anne laughed as Harry gave his sister a hug and went to sit next to Anne and you sat next to Gemma. Anne getting up to get you both a drink, knowing that Harry wouldn’t drink his but getting him one anyway, too while you caught up with Gemma. 

So far no one had noticed the ring on your finger, when Anne returns to the table with your two mugs and a plate of Christmas themed biscuits, you place your elbow on the table and lean your head onto your left hand, now this catches Anne’s attention almost shouting ‘Is this what I think it is’ as she grabs your hand to have a closer look. 

You and Harry don't really have the words so just nod while both grinning and Anne and Gemma, still both squealing over the ring and repeating congratulations as you hold your hand out to show them both a closer look at the ring. 

You sat back in your seat as Gemma turned to Harry finally pressing him for details of how he popped the question as you know he’ll talk about it for hours if given the chance, so you let him repeat the story this time just smiling and occasionally adding your perspective to it.

[canary3d-obsessed]

Restless Rewatch: The Untamed - Episode 02

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

(Masterpost ) (Previous Episode) (Next Episode)

Donkey Riding

way ho and away we go, donkey riding donkey riding way ho and away we go, riding on a donkey

Wei Wuxian and Apple are doing their best for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 

Xiao Zhan had trouble riding the donkey sitting side-saddle, so the Department of Questionable Practical Effects made him a fake leg to wear while riding regular style. 

Can you spot it? It’s very hard to spot. It is very convincing.

Simple Pleasures

Wei Wuxian takes his time wandering up the nearest mountain, and half of the cultivators in the land also wander up this mountain because...Night Hunting! The cultivators are hot and thirsty from walking because they forgot that they all know how to fly. 

Wei Wuxian relaxes by a well and listens to people stanning him. 

Also

I’m going to say it: Wei Wuxian never met a drinking vessel he couldn’t blow.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

The actress who plays A-Yan is named Zhang Linran. She probably has studied dance since she was 4 and now she gets her big break which turns out to be feeding an apple to a donkey. So let’s pause for a second to look at how beautifully she moves.  

Reunions are Awkward, Part 1

Wei Wuxian meets up with one of his family members and it goes super well. 

I...like Jin Ling? He’s much less of a douchebag than his dad, his uncles Jin, Jiang, and Mo (the three stooges), and every damn one of his Jin cousins. He’s genuinely brave (his Dad’s primary good quality) and his hair is on fleek. He’s still a whiny diaper baby, but I like him. 

(much more after the cut!)

Then Jiang Cheng shows up, looking fine as hell and radiating peak arrogant-prick energy.

When he discovers that ‘Mo Xuanyu” stuck a piece of paper to Jin Ling, he tells the child to literally murder him. Excellent uncleing! A+++++ would recommend.  

“In fact, literally murder anyone who uses Yiling Laozu’s tools, like talismans, lure flags, or spirit compasses - basically murder everyone in the Lan Clan plus those other fanboys we saw coming up the hill. Then get out there and make some friends, goddamn it!”

These nets full of cultivators on this daytime night hunt are the only time we ever see anything in a net during a night hunt.  In fact dudes constantly go night hunting and the only prey we ever see is rock lady, murder turtle, and a couple of rag mops in the lake. 

You Are Not Qualified to Speak to Me

Also radiating arrogant-prick energy on this occasion is Lan Wangji. He has been using pettiness as a weapon since long before he met this Jiang Cheng turkey, and he *brings it* when Jiang Cheng tries to have a conversation with him.

Letting your eyes wander everywhere except to his punchable face while you ignore his passive-aggressive questions? Quality work. 

Dropping a silence spell on his child and then letting your own child explain it to him? Golden. 

Lan Wangji is never ever going to forgive Jiang Cheng for what he did on cliff day, and his silence here is as pointed as an ice pick. I suspect the last words Lan Wangji actually spoke to him were “Jiang Wanyin, stop it,” sixteen years ago. 

Jiang Cheng is actually the bigger person in this particular interaction, visibly mastering his temper and telling Jin Ling to take his medicine. 

Reflecting

Wei Wuxian hangs out by a beautiful river and hallucinates for a while. River Jiang Yanli is nurturing and River Jiang Cheng is pissed off, so there are no surprises there.  River Jiang Cheng thinks that Wei Wuxian is a promise-breaking douchebag. He’s not exactly wrong. 

Courtesy of convenient gossiping cultivators, Wei Wuxian discovers that the 16 year old arrogant kid from the Jin clan who his brother from the Jiang clan has custody of is actually and quite obviously Jin Rulan.

Well fuck I guess now I care about something, that’s inconvenient. 

Needing to help parent the child of the sister who parented him is what draws Wei Wuxian fully into his new life. 

As soon as he has this realization, Apple comes back from roaming around, and never gives him any trouble after this for the rest of the story. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything. 

Wen Gravesite

Does Wen Ning hang out here because it’s where he and his (dead) people came from? Oh great, now I am sad. 

Judging by all the leaves on this grave thingy I’m going to say that this grave tender dude is, ah, not very good at his job. 

Get him, Jingyi!

I feel like maybe we all focus too much on how Lan Jingyi is so hilarious and sardonic and not enough on how he is a such a biscuit. 

Soul Grass

As mentioned in the previous post, Chinese spiritual concepts don’t always translate well into English. Soul grass? Sure, why not. 

This is where Wei Wuxian’s Sherlock Holmes brain starts to work, although he still doesn’t remember really basic stuff about Dafan Mountain. Dying and changing bodies is rough on the old neurochemistry. This creates more opportunities for flashbacks, however, and if there’s one thing The Untamed deffo needs more of, it’s kissing flashbacks.

Temple Statue

Presumably grave-tender dude is also in charge of clearing away spiderwebs at the temple, because it’s not getting done. 

Jin Ling walks into the temple blaspheming at full volume. 

Since this isn’t a Greek story, he isn’t immediately struck blind for this. Then when he wishes for the statue to come alive, it obligingly does.  Everything’s coming up Rulan!

Wei Wuxian shows up to rescue all the kids by throwing talismans at the monster which does not tip anyone off to who he is. 

Baby Cultivator Babysitting

Lan Wangji chills out in the cultivators’ pavilion with Jiang Cheng and their mutual hate boners.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian forgets all about his nephew and turns into cool professor guy, explaining the basics of soul-eating to the baby cultivators and gleefully encouraging their fear of Hanguang-Jun’s punishments. 

Because the Lan babies are good filial children they are super respectful and engaged with this random adult who is lecturing them. They also - like their own Hanguang-Jun at their age - see and admire Wei Wuxian’s intellect. It’s easy to forget how extremely smart Wei Wuxian is, because of how extremely dumb Wei Wuxian is.

Lan Jingyi suddenly figures out Wei Wuxian is not crazy. 

Bis. Kit. 

Then Rock Lady shows up and Jin Ling sticks 6 arrows into her while Lans Jingyi and Sizhui stand around not bothering to draw their swords.

I see a lot of comments about the bad effects in the statue sequences but I think Rock Lady is all right. The figure animation is decent and the lighting is no worse on her than on everything else in the scene. Her hair is nice, for a rock person.

Admittedly I just finished watching Guardian which has CGI monsters so bad they may have injured my retinas and possibly also my DNA, so the bar, for me, is pretty low. Rock lady clears it with room to spare.   

Note: Wei Wuxian’s flute playing does zippity towards controlling the statue. Not sure what his plan was here.

Wen Ning Kicks Ass

Now we get to meet Wen Ning, who appears to be a stone-cold badass. Later we will discover how hilariously inaccurate that assessment is. 

While all versions of Wen Ning are delightful, this version of Wen Ning is also...strangely attractive? He’s got a Patti-Smith-Horses-Era vibe here, instead of his more usual lost-baby-dork vibe. And his dreamy “I have nails in my head” expression is intriguing. 

I mean, he’s not a total snack like zombie Song Lan or pre-zombie Song Lan or blind Song Lan or post-zombie Song Lan, but this look is a good one for Wen Ning, is what I’m saying.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 2

Lan Wangji, who has 99% already recognized Wei Wuxian because of the haunted sword and the fierce jawline and beautiful neck and tiny tiny waist, is summoned by his flute playing as inexorably as the Ghost General was. 

Jiang Cheng also recognizes Wei Wuxian and goes into full beatdown mode, thwarted (silently) by Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian attempts to preserve his incognito by sassing Jiang Cheng in as sibling-like a manner as possible. 

Hanguang-Jun’s Pro-Ghost Agenda Has Been Clear for Some Time

This Jiang/Lan fight is hilarious when you consider the implications.

Macroexpression vs. Microexpression

Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back using sacrifice summons, a dark ritual invented by Wei Wuxian that he, most likely, did NOT show to Lan Wangji back in the day. So it’s a pretty safe bet that Lan Wangji doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian was gifted a body, rather than stealing one.

when your brother turns around, you must whip him you will never live it down unless you whip him

When Jiang Cheng lets loose with Zidian, it’s not just because he’s angry. He’s using purple power to force Wei Wuxian’s ghost out of the body he’s apparently possessed. And Lan Wangji instantly STOPS him from doing that.

Clan Leader Jiang: this person has been possessed, against their will, by an evil ghost

Future Chief Cultivator Lan: Counterpoint: I am banging the ghost

Flashback Time

Welcome to your 30-episode flashback!

Once I used to join in Every boy and girl was my friend Now there's revolution, but they don't know What they're fighting

Let us close our eyes Outside their lives go on much faster Oh, we won't give in We'll keep living in the past

Road Tripping to Summer School

Gosh I’m looking forward to younger, kinder, more relatable Jiang Cheng.

...prick. 

Incidentally, until now this episode didn’t know that Jiang Cheng has smile muscles, and neither did the person who glued his wig on for him.

I Like Rabbits

Here we have our first rabbit in a large collection of rabbit iconography that appears in The Untamed. 

Instead of sending everyone to the Wikipedia page for Tu'er Shen I’m going to take this opportunity to rec the short film Kiss of the Rabbit God by Andrew Thomas Huang (tw: blood, tw:body-mod cutting) which you can read about and watch over at  Nowness.com 

Particularly if you are a queer person of Chinese heritage, check it out. 

So. What the fuck are these? Are they food? 

Are they made from wax? Or corn starch? or pig intestines? 

Wei Wuxian runs off to get laid drunk and Jiang Cheng grumps about it. Jiang Yanli reminds him that being free is a Jiang Clan Rule, so really Wei Wuxian is following the rules by not following the rules. Does that mean he’s not free? My head hurts. 

Jiang Cheng: yes but grump grump grump

Jiang Yanli: Nothing bad will ever happen because of A-Xian’s choices, trust me

Outro

Wei Wuxian faint tally: one  Caught by: the cold hard ground

Soundtrack: 1. Donkey Riding by Great Big Sea 2. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull 3. Whip It by Devo

Fic prompt:  Lan Wangji’s internal monologue while he sits in the pavilion with Jiang Cheng 

If you write a fic from this prompt and want to share, please post a link in comments!

Bonus: Wang Zuocheng, macro-expression king

Episode 03 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

[shinobirain24]

Iceberg Week 2021: Day 2 (July7)- Romeo and Juliet AU Pt. 1

Note: This fanfic is actually going to be a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. Where Weiss is the mafia's daughter and Neptune is the son of a police captain. I know it wasn't the best, but I would like to release it to share with you fellow viewers. Sorry for the late submission. I thought I should cut it into two parts

By wolfstyle2074

"Two Households, both alike and in dignity. When the differences have settled in cold blood. Love cannot be killed. The story of two young lovers seek out a way to escape with their lives when first sight came to light. Between law and crime, it was always conflict, questions of the choices we make in the war of blood..."

"Uh, Ren. Can we repeated that please? The background is getting sizzled?" Nora, a ginger-haired girl holding the camera, then interrupted as Ren, a raven-haired boy is speaking with a microphone in his hands. He is a reporter for a boarding school writing a story about two runaways fighting for their lives. "Um, Nora, are you okay?"

He asked. Seeing Nora wiping the tears off his eyes. Hearing the story kinda got her emotional. "Yeah, I just wished they'd be here to appreciate how you write this story."

"Don't worry, Nora. Neither of them will be forgotten. I am sure they will appreciate what you did to remember them." Ren said. Walking towards Nora and patted her on the head to cheer her up. "Wanna get some ice cream on the way out? I am sure it will make you feels better." Ren asked. Nora then rose her head up from the camera and smiled and nodded to the suggestion. "Yeah, I am sure it's fine. This is our last year in the Academy, sooner or later we will graduate." Nora said.

"You have read my mind, Nora." Ren said walking out together with Nora out of the school building. "Two years, and it was the story that made headlines that involves forbidden love between law and crime."

"Something tells me you will make a great novelist." Nora encouraged. The school bell rings. The one bell that rings from one transition to another, the sound that will haunt the students forever.

-2 years ago-

Captain Saturn Vasilias of the New York Police Force was in his cab to his destination for the assignment he was in. "10-2, we got a cartel in the dust facility, Ever Dust Inc., five males, two females on the road." One line have said from the radio. Saturn then picks up and speaks through the mic. "10-2 unit 6, close all the roads and don't let them escape." Saturn responded.

After driving at full speed, knowing he might have much time to prevent the crime of robbery in the dust facility and caught up with two cargo tricks in front of the entrance. The bombing was non-stop. The Schnee Family were a known crime family that illegally sells dust for weapons, their empire grew large since then. Saturn has been researching about them for years, but none of the family members has been caught. However, one of them, a young woman has been reporting about them and giving them tips since then, our of fear for the safety of her younger younger siblings, and would suffer the same fate. The woman then became an undercover informant.

Saturn then got off his cab, and takes out a megaphone as he spoke to an old man, who is in his 50s or 60s, wearing a casual suit, which is the sign of him being a ringleader of the cartel. "Jacques Schnee, you are under arrest for the robbery and numerous murders!" Saturn announced.

"Your father before you was a fool to think you could win this round!" Jacques retorts after ordering his men to raise their guns and pointed at him. "You never learn, haven't you, cold-blooded man?!"

Saturn's son, Jupiter has been behind his father this whole time and also pointed his sniper gun at him, mostly the main boss are the main targets. "Jupiter, you cannot draw weapons at him, you'll be charged with firearms! And you don't have a permit for that!" Saturn scolded him. "Relax, dad. Mom taught me a lot. Plus, this is the first time we have a father-son day in your fight." Jupiter remarks. But Saturn wasn't pleased. "Get ready, old man! Either you and your buddies come quietly and peacefully, or you'll regret it!" Jupiter warned.

"Peace? Peace is the very word I hate, as I hate all Vasilias'! Come at me then! Winter!" Jacques stated as he gave a hand signal to his men for gunfire. And called out his daughter, Winter to lead the gunfire. She came out and gave a signal to fire. Saturn and Jupiter hid behind the left side of the cab as the bullets created holes from a right side of the door. Jupiter then came out of hiding and shot back.

Jacques hid in his cargo for his own safety. And Saturn shots back at his arch-enemy. "Blasted Schnees, they don't know when to quit." Jupiter scoffed. Kept firing one after the other. Later, after a scuffle, Jacques got away in his own cargo. But the rest of his men have been caught, and some of the stolen dust has been recovered, but the rest were stolen.

Lydia, Saturn's wife, and Jupiter's mother, and a lawyer, cleaned some of the wounds they received from gunshots. Luckily they survived. But knowing her, she feared for her family's wellbeing and would scold them for getting too reckless. "Honestly, Saturn. You have enough damages for one day! And you, Jupiter, try not to get in the way for your father's patrol the next time."

"Sorry, Mom." Said Jupiter, crossing his arms.

"Sorry, honey. I'll make it up to you by making dinner tonight." He winces a little as Lydia puts rubbing alcohol on his bleeding shoulder. "Ah!" He hissed. "I am just glad Neptune wasn't here to witness this, it would've been traumatizing for him. Knowing how sensitive he was."

"I hope so too. Good thing our dear boy is at home minding his business." Lydia breathes in relief to know that her son is safe at home, or so she thought.

Later that afternoon, Neptune is in his bedroom doing his homework. Having headphones covering his ears with the music in his head. Then a knock on his window. It was a blonde-haired young man his age. Neptune then hears the knock and walks over to the window for a greeting. And opens the window. "Dude!" Neptune greets, and Sun jumps into the bedroom and gave him a handshake. "It's been a while."

"How've you been?" Asked Neptune. Sun then break away and gave him some stolen IDs with photos of him and Neptune. With different names that were related to crime empires. For Neptune, it's Kaman Aquors, and for Sun, it's Solar Reign. "What's with the fake IDs?" Asked Neptune. Sun smirked proudly as he thought of a great idea, or in Neptune's case, a bad idea. "Duh, I heard the Schnees are having a secret meeting for an auction. Where the stinking rich gathered around to buy stolen dust."

"Dude, no. I said it once, and I will say it again. No way. I cannot sneak out there and go to this auction. Dad will worry, and Mom, she'll be grounding me for a year if I ever go. I don't like how things were going as much as you do, but this is a bad idea." Neptune objects.

"Come on, Dude think of it as an undercover assignment. Think about it, once we have evidence to where Jacques Schnee is hiding, it will be the end of his empire. And plus, your dad will be so psyched, he will wanna make you part of his squad." Neptune then thought about it, his father has been stressing out for years fighting against the Schnees for their dangerous methods of running the business.

It worried him one bit as he saw his father feeling fatigued, coming home with wounds. Neptune then proceeds to think about the idea. Although it might get them into trouble, but it would give them the advantage for him to finally convince Saturn to rest up a bit. Neptune has no other choice but to accept the invitation. "Alright, if we're going to do this, we need a disguise. Knowing the Schnees, they would probably be after my family for being law enforcement."

"Alright! I knew you come around!" They high-fived. Later, Lydia came into her son's bedroom with dinner on the tray. "Sweetie, sorry your father and I are-Ah!" Lydia dropped her tray and it scattered into bits of vegetables and sushi. And saw that her son is gone and the window opened. "Oh my god! Saturn, he ran out again!" This is not the first time her sons have snuck out the bedroom window.

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Weiss, the heiress to the Schnee has arrived to her room to get ready to meet her mother. Since she came back from a business trip. "More tea, Miss Schnee?" Asked her butler, Klein who have been close to her since she was young. The only family member she had been interacting with is with her elder sister. "Your sister had returned from her business trip."

"Thank you Klein. You know, it's funny. Living in a private island with no one but your family. This is absolutely isolation for the matter. Father had some shady dealings. Mother appoints lawyers in cases of my father on trial. While my brother wasn't around, just with my father. "Well, it's natural to be alone sometimes, my dear. But at the same time, it wasn't okay. Hopefully your mother will get the time off and you can have a bond with her."

"Good idea. But in the meantime, I have to think about what to do for the rest of the day." Then Weiss hears footsteps. It was her elder sister, Winter. The main heir to the Schnee Mafia. Although neither of the sisters agree to this. They acted like they were used to this. Winter came back in a sweet after finishing tipping off the police. Without their father knowing it. "One more thing there and done." Winter sighs in relief.

Weiss is happy to see her sister appear in her room. "Winter!" Said Weiss. As she ran and embrace her sister once more. "How are you today my sister?" Winter said. Weiss broke away. "Not so bad." Weiss replied. "Welcome home, Miss Schnee. How are your shifts with your father?" Klein curtsied. But Winter said, "Klein, there's no need for you to address me. But it's good to see you too." Winter assured. Winter hates the life she is living right now and wants her father out of the picture to provide the freedom for her siblings.

"Did you know that Mother will be arriving soon?" Asked Weiss. But Winter was adamant and never wants to speak about their mother. But reluctantly, she had to keep her sister at Bay to not be down on suspicion. "Yes, I have heard. But for who knows how long." Winter responded. But their mother appeared before her. "I am right here you know." Sighed their mother.

"An evening with you, Mother." Sighed their mother, Willow. Willow walks over to Weiss, who she has been expecting to appear before her. With Winter ignored a bit. But to her relief. "To what will do I owe you, Mother?" Asked Weiss.

"I age forgotten that you are reaching adulthood at this time, darling." Said Willow. "Still, you look very lovely."

"Ah, yes. Weiss has been growing up with her studies and was ready to apply for a university at this age. But at the same time, she-"

"I know this is too much to ask, Weiss. But have you ever thought of marriage?" Weiss was a bit stunned for a moment. Never she thought her parents would ask of this. But was aware her mother had been arranged to marry her father at Weiss' age. "Not exactly, Mother. I haven't thought of that. Anything you want to add?"

"Oh, for goodness sake, Mother. Marriage? I thought we were over this. Weiss is young and you can't just arrange someone to marry her. That's objectifying her." Winter argued in her sister's defense. Knowing that it was a ludicrous solution.

"Your father has been running out of men for the run-ins at some point. Therefore we need to combine our empires. And your father has already picked out the best suitor for your sister." Willow argued back. And Winter can tell in the eyes of her mother that she is just too much into pleasing her husband. "The auctions start tomorrow and the selection, Henry Marigold will be there to seek her out. His father will be the solution to our problems." Said Willow.

"Um, Mother. I don't know about this. Maybe Winter is right. Never met him. And he probably won't like me anyway." Weiss took Winter's side, unsure if she should take the opportunity of pleasing, or the opportunity of arrangement. But then again, she has not seen either of her parents, or her younger brother. "I have not yet met this person. But since this might be the option to get out the manor, even for a moment. This might be her chance. "If it means it will help our family, then I will see to it. Give me time to get to know this person." Weiss said. And Willow clasped her hands in joy. "Splendid, starting tomorrow, we will get you ready." Willow gestures Klein to follow, leaving Weiss and Winter alone in the same room. Winter shook her head in disapproval.

"Weiss are you sure about this. Think about it. You can't have this. What about your dreams of university? You can't throw that away. What if this person was a tyrant?" Winter asked, unsure how is her sister going to deal with this. Normally Winter would defend her to keep her out of harm's way. Informing police in secret in hopes she would put her father in jail. But the thought of her sister in exploitation is the horror she wished she wouldn't have to hear. If two empires merged by union would mean bigger chaos with crime all over. And it would lead to square one. Another thing she has to report.

"I don't know, but no matter what, I'll have to keep and eye on things, just to be safe." Said Winter, this could be a chance to expose some darker secrets.

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Neptune and Sun have entered the auction without fail. Using the fake IDs with the names of the previous rich men Sun had stolen from before he arrived in New York. Wearing tuxes and mask to keep themselves covered. To not blow their cover.

The private island of Schnee was no problem to find. Since Neptune had been hacking in computers all his life, he has no issue to find the transmission networks of the island. Most of the time the wealth has been building private islands for isolated reasons, and they have the most secured equipment. "Must've taken a lot of money to build this place." Said Sun.

Neptune looks around while seeing people in dresses and tuxes, masks and jewelry. Chandeliers hanging from the ceilings. Portraits of Jacques in a series of timelines. What a show-off. Only a few portraits of him and his family. Tables with such beautiful silver cloths. "Tell me about it, sooner we take the photos, the sooner we get out of here. Here, every day the auctions were illegally run by the Schnee Mafia. Empires gathered to buy the most expensive loads of dust and weaponry." Neptune replied.

"I'll see if they got any contracts that are related to this. We need a list of surnames just to be sure." Said Sun. Neptune nods, "Good idea, I'll talk to some guests, see what they know. I'll also record anything on the way." Suggested Neptune. Sun then pats him on the shoulder for some luck for him. And left his side to go upstairs. Neptune came to look around for some whispering crowds. But someone who came across him when his eyes got caught, distracting him.

A young, white-haired woman his age wearing a dark blue dress, and silver necklace. A mask matching her dress with teal gems attached. The woman looked at him and gave him a smile. Neptune cannot make out for what he was feeling, as if a fever began to make his heart pound in his chest. But then the gaze was interrupted when a dark blue-haired young man, whose hair was combed to the side approached her before him. "Are you Weiss, how do you do?" Asked the man.

"Henry Marigold, I presumed?" Weiss asked. Henry then smiled and lend her his hand. "Indeed I am, I hope you can do me the offer in this dance."

"Of course." Sighed Weiss. Neptune is left disappointed at he was beaten to it. But decides to wait for the right moment to see what Weiss knows about the empire. While Weiss wants this to end, growing exhausted that Henry talks about himself and never asked Weiss of what she likes, or what hobbies. Finally, she has enough, and Weiss excused herself for some fresh air. Neptune takes this chance to approach her. "Evening Miss. How is tonight?" Asked Neptune.

Weiss rolled her eyes and thought she was about to get a round of boredom. Things did not go as planned. "Terrible, I thought tonight would go so well, but I felt like nothing, as if everything died down a bit." Weiss replied. Then Neptune offers her his hand. Weiss looks a bit surprised. "I hope you don't mind if I offer you this dance. If that's okay with you?" Neptune asked. He was a terrible dancer, if he can mimic the moves by watching the crowd of dancers, then he could pull this off. Weiss is a bit shocked, but felt flattered that a man asked if she would like to dance. His eyes captivated her in his gaze. The charming smile he drew on his face.

"Actually, I would love that." Weiss replies and takes his hand, and was pulled into the dancefloor. Trying his best to watch his steps while seeing how the others dance their hearts out. Weiss then gazed into his eyes. Meanwhile, a security guard whispered into Weiss' younger brother, Whitley's ear, and was shocked to see who was on the dancefloor with his older sister. "There's a dog scorching on the House of Schnee? No, absolutely not. By the length and honor of my kin, I shall take this by my own hand." Whitley was about to make a scene to expose Neptune, until he was stopped by his father. "Ah, son! It's a pleasure to see you're enjoying this party!"

"Father, don't you see who that was? That commoner is nothing more than that son of the cop who's been chasing you for years." Whispered Whitley. But Jacques refrains him from taking action. "Look as long as we don't create a scene. If we have blood drenched on our hands, we would be hunted down by his father. So just do me a favor and keep it down. I'll sent someone to take care of him by the morning." Said Jacques, then Whitley unwillingly complied and left without a word, defeated. But not before giving Neptune (who did not notice and whispers into Weiss' ear, as she giggles) a dirty look and then turned his head and went to his bedroom.

Then Weiss is escorted into the courtyard by Neptune to have a moment alone with him. "So, you don't see much of what went all in those kind of parties?" Asked Neptune as he sat near the fountain near Weiss. "Most of the time, I would stay in my mansion, the only times I went outside the island is when I have classes to attend. I always dreamed of going to university. But with my parents having different plans for me, I am not sure if that's happening any time soon."

"Really? I always wanted to study at a university too. When I was a kid, I always wanted to study in NYU." Neptune blushed as he looked at her once more. The more they chat, the more enchanting the night has become. Neptune seemed to forget for why he was here. Something about the girl he was staring at seemed familiar to him, but this is the first time they have met. "The last thing I wanted was a life of success and a bit of freedom, even if that freedom cannot last. I never saw my parents often, nor my brother when they're busy on the line of work. Surely I knew those kind of things were illegal. But how am I supposed to argue with that? Of course, I wasn't allow off this island to know more." Weiss sighs.

"I'm sorry, I guess it wasn't fair that you've been living here all your life. But hey, look on the bright side. How was this night now?" Asked Neptune. Weiss then blushed and giggled. "I guess it's okay, for now. Maybe tonight wasn't so bad when you came along. Something tells me you weren't from around here." Weiss questioned. Not sure if it's another one of those suitors her father had sent, but she didn't mind since he seemed to approach her sincerely.

"Oh, yeah. I was sent here. Just for inspection. It was getting boring to me, but meeting you, it got less boring." Neptune replied. Soon, neither of them realized they are getting closer and drew their faces nearer, and their lips touched to one another. Weiss caressed his cheek as they have kissed for a few minutes. It was like fireworks exploded in their hearts. But it was interrupted when Winter showed up in front of him. "Sister, what was the meaning of this?!" Confronted Winter.

Weiss and Neptune broke away. Weiss tried to find a way to make excuses. Although Winter does not mind letting her sister having a great time. But at the same time, she knew she have to pull her away to not let her face her father's wrath. "Come, Father is expecting you." Winter grabs her hand and pulls her away. Neptune follows and saw that Winter has escorted Weiss to her father, his father's arch-enemy, Jacques Schnee. Winter then whispers something to her ear. "I must warn you, his name is Neptune, and he is a Vasilias." Weiss is in shock and looks at Neptune with despair. Feeling she was tricked by a boy who enchanted her in this party. At least Winter did not tell her father about the kiss. Neptune was about to leave, but not before seeing Weiss smiling at him, a sign that they will meet again. Neptune still couldn't believe she was a Schnee, but he was happy to have met her. Sun then approaches him. "Hey man, where have you been?"

"Um..." Before Neptune can say anything, Sun smirked at the side of him he has been seeing. He could tell Neptune has been lovestruck. "Oh, I see what was going on here." He sang. "You've been infatuated." Neptune jolts at the state of blushing. Then waved his hand in defense. "No no no! That can't be true! I was just lost that's all."

"Really, I won't tell your dad. Just tell me about that girl you've been swooning with." Sun asked. Neptune wasn't sure how to describe to him. He would be a bit shocked to find out it was a Schnee he was dancing with. "How am I going to put with this. Okay, just keep calm when I say this. But the girl I was dancing with, she was a Schnee." Sun's eyes have bungled at a state of shock. Then shook his head and tries to set the record straight. "Dude, she is way out of your league, did you forget that her dad is a criminal, deadly mastermind?" Sun reminds him, but Neptune huffed in response. But manages to change the subject. "Dude, let's just get back to that later, right now we have to get out of here. Trying to get answers from her and she never knew much. But you can tell she has been living on this island too much. And her dad would've probably sent the guards by morning.

"Fine, you and I need a serious talk when we head back to New York." Sun sighs. One night, they were hiding somewhere in the jungle where the manor took place. Even if the trees are fake. Neptune then snuck into the gardens of the Schnee Manor to see Weiss standing on the balcony of her room. "The glimpse of her in front of the moon can't be more beautiful than the moon at sight. Her eyes matches the icy waters. And Weiss is the moon in the sight of my eyes."

"Oh Neptune, Neptune..." Weiss said as she thought of that name after the party after it grew quiet as the guests left. "She speaks." He said quietly. "Wherefore art thou my Neptune? Deny my father and refuse my name. For what is a name if thou wilt be? But be sworn my love and I won't be a Schnee."

"I defy my name too!" Neptune shouted as Weiss jolted in shock to see him below the balcony. "Goodness!" Weiss gasped in shock. She never expected him to meet her again. But worries what her father will do. "Neptune, what are you doing here? If Father finds out you're still here, he will kill you." Weiss whispered in a harsh tone. But Neptune uses a pillar to climb onto the balcony to speak with her.

"I know, but as a son of a cop. Unlike your father, my dad is more of an overprotective type. I knew you are form this family. But it doesn't matter, I just want to get to know you more. Therefore I also defy my name and would be preferred to be called by my first name." Neptune explains.

"For years both the Schnee and the Vasilias have been at war with one another and they were still at war now. It came to the point where I knew I cannot see you. But I want to know you as well. My father has been committing crimes I wished I should've stopped. There was nothing I can do. It was a never-ending bloodshed." Weiss adds, turning away for a bit. As Neptune listens.

"Last thing I wanted was this war to end. Although you are a Schnee, I don't see you as one, just a woman with culture and personality." He then lift her chin, gently as he follows. "So, maybe we can meet in New York, I know I can't stay here and get caught. I can take you anywhere you want. Just say the word and I'll do it."

"I would love that. But knowing my father, I will always get surrounded by security. Or in some cases, my sister, since she was older than me."

"Maybe I can come up with the sneakiest plan for us to escape security and we can hang out a bit more. Without both our parents' knowing." Neptune suggested.

Weiss has been thinking about it, she cannot stand being in the crowd of security. She knew her parents would forbid her from seeing him because he has Vasilias blood in his veins. But there was a side of him no one has ever seen. "Perhaps I will think about it. see if we can meet. I will give word to my sister. After all, maybe she can help with that." Said Weiss. Knowing her sister will be staying for a few weeks. Neptune then smiled as a response as they leaned in closer and kissed again. "Weiss! Where are you?!" Winter called. Once again, they break away from each other and Weiss knew she has to get back inside. "Coming, Winter!" Weiss called back. Then push Neptune away to get him to hide. "Quick, hide! Before security comes!" Weiss urges him until he fell off the balcony and landed on the bushes in the garden. "I'm okay!" Said Neptune.

The next day, Neptune returned home, only to find his parents waiting for him in the living room of his house. "Where have you've been, Neptune?! Do you have any idea how worried sick your mother has been?!" Scolded Saturn, he was not one to be harsh on his children, but never took his youngest for being a rebellious type. "Oh, hey dad. Sorry I am late, I was just out for a walk..." He said, nervously. But Saturn was a bit suspicious. "The thing is, I got bored and I couldn't help but feel a bit dizzy in my own home and thought I could get some fresh air. I didn't realized it was late and my phone has died." Neptune lied.

Saturn then approaches his son. And then places his hand on hos father's shoulder and sighs. "I am sorry, son. It wasn't fair for you to be kept in the house all day. We are worried for you, that's all." Saturn apologized.

"Are you sure you're not lying, bro?" Asked Jupiter, suspicious about his brother's whereabouts before he came back. He saw red in his face. It was a sign he was lying at some point. The last time Jupiter snuck out, his little brother was too honest enough to snitch on his brother.

"Just don't do it again. Next time just tell us, okay sweetie?" Asked Lydia. They were just going to let this slide and let this go, being the caring parents they are. Lydia then walks over to her husband and son and embraced them. Jupiter decides to let this go this time. But thought that the next time Neptune snuck out, he would have to follow him to see what he was doing.

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On the weekdays, Weiss and Neptune would have to escape security with the excuses of school activities after school. Only to sneak out of the school building and go on dates. First, Neptune has been taking her out to the movies on her request. Seeing a romantic movie about Titanic. How an upper-class woman has been forced into an arranged marriage, only to fall in love with a lower-class man who saw her as a person.

"Even with those differences, they found each other." Weiss teared up as she saw the ending as the love of the main protagonist's life has died from hyperthermia. Neptune wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. Weiss felt better after the ending. Unbeknownst to them, a curious ginger-haired girl takes a picture without a flash of light. They heard a click, but saw nothing as the young photographer hid from them.

Another day past and they were at a mall. But wrong move, Jacques' security team arrived to search for Weiss, but they hid in another shopping center, where they bribed the manager to help them escape. After they exit the building using an emergency exit, Neptune and Weiss laughed a bit. Thinking how awkward this say went.

The next day, they were at a park while avoiding some eyes that might see them. Suddenly, some classmates they never recognized in their school approached them and asked them to take a photo for the school yearbook. "Can we take a photo of you guys?" Asked a raven-haired boy. They gladly accepted and Weiss and Neptune posed together. Not thinking twice before, cause they were having too much of a great time. Then Neptune spotted his brother looking for him. He then yanks Weiss with him and ran off before Jupiter could see them.

The next date, Neptune has to sneak out of his house. But not before his older brother notice and decides to follow him. Neptune has taken Weiss to a cafe, where she can try some latte, something her father would not allow her too. "I don't know, I wasn't allow to have some caffeine." Weiss said with hesitance. But Neptune insisted to make her feel good about being outside of the island and some relief from isolation. "Come on, one taste cannot hurt."

Weiss took one sip of the straw and felt the flavors on her tongue. And felt the cool but tasty features of the latte. "Oh, that was blistering, but sweet. What else can you show me? I cannot believe we hadn't been caught yet." Weiss giggled.

"I cannot believe it either." That is, until a voice interrupted them. "A-ha! I knew you were lying this whole time, Neptune." They then turned to see Jupiter standing before them. He is not happy to see him with Weiss, knowing she was a Schnee and he hates the family that committed the crimes against his. And seeing him with the daughter of the Schnee family made him furious. "Neptune, who is this? He looks like my sister's age." Asked Weiss as Neptune stood in front of Weiss to prevent Jupiter form doing anything to her. As he approaches his brother. "What were you thinking, she is a Schnee for crying out loud! Her family are criminals and they hunted down our family for years!" Jupiter shouted as they crowd from different tables are watching. "Jupiter, I can explain!" Neptune defended. But Jupiter grabs his wrist, tightly. "Home, now." Jupiter hissed.

"Gee, do you have to be this scary?" Neptune flinched. Then Jupiter turned to Weiss in pure anger. "And you, tell your sister to meet me in Times Square. And stay away from my brother, or else..." Weiss looked at him in shock as his face grew a bit frightening. Neptune then looked at her with sadness. "I'm sorry, Weiss." Neptune apologized, before being dragged away from her and then back home. At least Jupiter is not going to tell their parents about the relationship. But decided to keep Neptune watched 24/7. To not let the daughter of the criminals see him again, fearing she will use him for their father's information.

After two weeks, Neptune received a text from Weiss. Telling him they need to talk and to meet him at Central Park. Neptune manages to block the cameras hidden beneath the walls meant to keep an eye on him. Jupiter has no idea what hit him. Then jumps out of the window again. Ran in to Weiss at the Central Park.

"Hey, Snow Angel. What's up?" Before Neptune can ask a bit more. Weiss started to tear up. "I'm sorry, I cannot see you anymore, Neptune." Weiss wipes her tears from her eyes. "It was a mistake, I never should've met you." Neptune is appalled to hear that she won't be seeing him anymore as he thought he did something wrong to make things worse. "What do you mean, did I do something wrong. Please, Weiss. I want to know what I did wrong." Neptune pleaded, wanting to comfort her and console her. As he gets closer to her, she pushes him away.

"The truth is, I am getting married." Neptune thought his ears were playing tricks when Weiss mentions she was getting married. "My father planned this from the start, he knew you were at the party that night. And the fact that you were the son of a cop, he was furious. He told me he knew about our dates. And if I don't go with the plan of marrying the son of another mafia, he would kill your father and you." Weiss explains. Neptune is shocked. He never knew her father would gone too far.

"Weiss." Neptune then wrapped her arms around her. But Weiss wants to protest this. But her feelings of warmth from him are too strong and she allows herself to, as if it were the last time before she meets her fate. "I'm sorry, I am sure that we cannot see each other again. But it was for the best if you're alive and your family as well. I think this is goodbye, Neptune." Weiss then turns away and walks away to depart from him.

But Neptune did not just stand there and watch, instead he stopped her and she turned back to look at him. "Neptune, I told you. We're different. I am the criminal's daughter, and your the son of the police captain. We're just not meant to be. I enjoyed these times together."

Neptune did not take these words to heart as he then decides to defy the opposites. He then brings out a small box wrapped in a ribbon. "Weiss, I don't care about any of that. Like I said, I defy my name and renounce the name of Vasilias. Just like you said, you also defied the name of Schnee. Therefore for me, you're just Weiss. And I won't define you by name. And I won't be preferred by the name Vasilias. I am Neptune, and only Neptune."

"Neptune. Somehow you managed to convince me. And for some reason, I have no regrets meeting you. The stars, the ocean, and the night sky, it will always remind me of the night we met. I also dreamed not only for university, but to also see you there. Where we can be free of our differences."

Weiss then looks up in the night sky and Neptune turned to the gift box. It was the perfect place for the right moment. Even if it is too early. His family will not like this, and her family will not like this either. But now would be a matter of time to ask her something. In hopes to free her from the Mafia life under her father's rule. "Weiss, I know we have met for a couple of days and months, but I was hoping I will ask you this."

Weiss then turned to Neptune who had knelt down and he opened the box to reveal a golden ring. Not expensive, but it was enough for Weiss to know the love he has for her. The real love she has wanted for a long time. "Neptune, you know we can't."

"I know, but I want to be the one to make you happy. If you let me, I'll try my best to give what I can give you. I will free you from this, and when we run, and cut ties with our families completely, this way, you can settle. Weiss Schnee, will you marry me, and join me in the flow of time?" Neptune's eye sparkled. Weiss can never be happier than before, as she wrapped her arms around him as he slips the ring in her finger. The least they have to do is survive their family feuds.

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

The next afternoon, Winter and Jupiter are in a middle of a gun showdown as they came into a Mexican stand-off. "This time we will settle this once and for all, Schnee." Jupiter then cocks his rifle as he was the master marksman. But Winter has ready her gun after filling her bullets with her pistol. "You should appreciate when I became an informant for your father. I just want this war to end as much as you do."

"But not with you. These past few years were a streak of humiliation. Your father will not get away any longer without his secret weapon, mainly you. How does my father tolerate you this easily?" Jupiter snared. Glaring at her with such hatred. "Stop!" Then Neptune came in between them. "What are you doing, little bro?! Get out of the way!"

Neptune then turned to Jupiter. "No, bro! Let me handle this!" Then he turned to Winter. "I'm sorry my brother has been causing trouble for you! But for min and Weiss' sake, stand down!" Pleaded Neptune. Jupiter refuses to go down without a fight. And starts firing the gun, then Winter got behind the rails and shots back while Neptune and Jupiter also hid. "Sorry, Neptune, but this war has to come to an end."

Winter did not waste time to fire back. Jupiter then emerges and shots back. Neptune then fights back by tugging onto Jupiter's gun. "Let go of the gun, Neptune!" Jupiter yelled. "I'm doing this for the good of the family!"

"Good by foot!" Neptune retorted. Winter then lowers her weapon as she was about to say something. "Don't you realized this war has gone too far?! You and Winter have the power to stop this! If not for Dad, do it for me!" Pleaded Neptune as they kept fighting over the gun. Finally, Jupiter knocks out Neptune. Both are once again in position.

[ibelieveinharrystyles]

Chapter Eight: Spaces Between Us

Life for Ashley was weird, although they were keeping their distance from each other, Harry insisted that a car came to pick Ashley up for work each morning, he was fearful that she would end up in a situation out of her control, and her safety was ultimately his main priority. Since Ashley ended things they had tried to remain as civil as possible, if they were going to be co-parenting a baby, they needed to at least be on good terms. She sat in the back of the car as it drove through the streets of London, the city that once felt like another world, had become the place she called home. The streets she once feared were now the places that held some of her fondest memories.

Roman greeted Ashley with open arms as she entered the studio for her last day at work, “Morning Ash, how are you feeling about today?” He asked.

“Scared, but I’m ready, I’m excited to focus all my time on my little ones, well Daisy isn’t so little anymore, she starts big school on Monday, it feels like yesterday I was standing in that kitchen with you when my waters broke.” Ashley reminded him.

“It’s been incredible working with you for the past few years, I know you’ve gone through a lot of shit since you’ve been here, but if you ever need anything, you can call me. I think of you like my younger sister, and that’s a bond for life.” Roman smiled.

“You’re a soft bugger Ro.” Her heart skipped a beat, that’s what she once called Harry, before life got all kinds of complicated. “We best get the show on the road then.” Ashley declared, taking a seat at the studio desk and putting on her chunky headphones for the final time.

“Good Morning! You’re listening to the breakfast show on Capital with me Roman Kemp, and for the final time Ash Hanson.” Roman told the listeners, “Seeing as it’s her last day on the radio, Ash has complete control of today’s tracks, so Ash what’s your first song going to be?” Roman asked.

“It’s a personal favourite of mine, and I think the lyrics are something we could all do with a little bit more of in our lives, this is New Rules by Dua Lipa.” Ashley announced just before the track began to play.

“That wouldn’t be a bit of shade thrown at a certain boyband member would it?” Roman whispered, now that they weren’t on air.

“Maybe.” Ashley smirked.

Flatpack furniture had always confused Harry, even though it was supposedly extremely simple to assemble, he found the instruction manuals no help at all, he had spent the first part of the morning trying to construct a crib for the baby. Although he wouldn’t have full custody of the baby, Harry felt that it was right for his future child to have a bedroom in his house. So here he was, random pieces of wood scattered across the floor, he had no clue what went where, or how to assemble it properly, he was losing his mind. The sound of the radio made up for the lack of silence in his house, since Ashley let him go, Harry had been listening to the breakfast show every morning, simply so he could hear her voice. He was meant to be meeting her at the hospital for an appointment at 11am, and wanting an excuse to abandon his flat pack furniture endeavours, he decided it would be best to pick Ashley up from work instead. 

Ashley left the Capital offices for the last time armed with several bouquets of flowers and gift bags, making her way to the underground car park where the Addison Lee usually waits for her, “Let me help you with that,” She looked up to see Harry smiling warmly at her.

“What are you doing here?” She asked as Harry took a couple of the bags from her.

“We  have that hospital appointment, and I didn’t like the thought of you getting the tube there.” Harry explained as they climbed into his car.

“I am a fully capable woman Harry, just because I’m pregnant it doesn’t mean I can’t get myself to the other side of London.” Ashley told him as Harry pulled out of the car park.

“I know that love, but if anything ever happened to you or the baby I could never forgive myself, I don’t want the press finding out and swarming you, especially when I’m not here to look after you.” Harry replied.

“What does that mean?” Ashley asked.

“I won’t be in the country when the baby arrives, I’m going to be in another film, I won’t be back until December.” Harry told her.

“It’s like that is it?” Ashley sighed, she had hoped Harry would be there when the baby came, she desperately wanted him there when Daisy was born, but that never happened.

“There’s nothing I can do about it Ash, I can’t ask you to come to America with me, Daisy starts school next week, I don’t want her to miss vital months of her education.” Harry explained as they pulled into the hospital car park, still overly concerned about Ashley’s safety, Harry was paying for her to go to a private maternity hospital, meaning details of her pregnancy were much less likely to be leaked.

“Hello you two, how’s everything going today?” Kirstie, the midwife asked as she entered the consultation room where Ashley and Harry were waiting. 

“Wonderful.” Ashley answered bluntly in response to Harry’s previous revelation.

“So we’re here to talk through the birth plan, have you decided what’s happening? Mr Styles you’re most welcome to be there.” She explained.

“He’s out of the country when the baby’s due.” Ashley said bitterly.

“That's okay, is there anyone you want there with you?” Kirstie asked.

“It’ll probably have to be Lou or Harry’s sister Gemma.” Ashley replied.

“That's good, as long as you have someone who can be by your side, that's all that matters.” She assured her, “If you hop onto the bed, we’ll do that scan we talked about.” Ashley climbed onto the bed, pulling up her top to reveal a perfectly round bump, Harry moved his chair to sit beside her as Kirstie squeezed the cold gel onto Ashley’s stomach. She slowly moved the scanner across her stomach, the baby appeared on the screen, the sound of it’s heartbeat echoing through the room. “That’s your baby, there's it’s hands and feet, I’ll give you two a minute alone while I go and print that scan for you.” 

Ashley turned from where her gaze was transfixed on the screen displaying her baby to where Harry was sat on the other side of her, his eyes glossed over, “You alright?” She whispered, wiping the gel from her stomach.

“That’s our beautiful baby, a beautiful little person who is going to be loved not just by its family, but by thousands of people across the world, in the same way they love Bear and Freddie.” Tears began rolling down his cheeks, “I let you down Ash, I need to be someone you can depend on, whether we’re bringing up our child in a relationship or not, I promise you, with every inch of my existence, that I will always be beside you.”

When they made it back to Ashley’s house, Harry insisted on helping her take her things inside, she put her key in the door and dumped all her stuff in the hallway, “Do you want a cup of tea?” Ashley asked in an attempt to offer a lifeline.

“I’ll make them, you go and sit yourself down and get comfy.” Harry smiled.

Harry walked down the corridor to the hallway, so Ashley proceeded into the living room, “Surprise!” All her favourite people were gathered in her living room, the One Direction boys and their respective partners, Harry’s band, Gemma, Lou, Lottie and Lux. Roman and Nick had also come along, as did both Anne and Linda who had made the trip down from Holmes Chapel. The living room was decorated with various decorations in pastel shades of yellow, green and lilac, pictures of both Ashley and Harry when they were babies scattered the room.

“Did you know about this?” She asked Harry as he returned from the kitchen. 

“I’m legally not obliged to say.” Harry chuckled.

“Mummy!” Daisy ran over from where she had been sitting on Gemma’s lap.

“Hello princess, how are you?” Ashley asked, crouching down to look her in the eye.

“I helped Auntie Gem and Lou get it ready, and I made you something, Harry has it.” Daisy took her by the hand, leading her into the kitchen where Harry was waiting. Harry handed Daisy a box which she gave to Ashley. Ashley opened the box, inside it were four homemade bracelets, Daisy had made a blue one for Harry, a purple one for Ashley, a pink one for herself, and yellow for the new baby. “It’s for our little family.” Daisy smiled as she sat in Harry’s arms, bringing Ashley to tears.

“You are the most precious little lady I could ever ask for Daisy Darling,” Ashley held her tight, as both Harry and Daisy wrapped their arms around her, none of them ever wanting to let go.

The party had died down and only Niall, Gemma, Sarah and Mitch were left, the group were sat together in Ashley’s living room, scrolling through old instagram posts, filling Sarah and Mitch in on the One Direction days. Ashley sat beside Niall, her head resting on his shoulder, and although Harry knew it was completely platonic, he wished it were his shoulder instead. Niall clicked onto Twitter briefly, intending to reply to a fan’s tweet about his latest golf project. “Hey what’s that?” Ashley tapped on a tweet from The Sun, ‘HARRY’S NEW BABY MAMA?’ flashed up on Niall’s screen. “No, no this can’t be happening.” Ashley rested her head in her hands. 

“Ash what is it?” Harry asked, taking the phone from Niall, “Hey love come here,” Niall stood up allowing Harry to comfort Ashley, “Gem can you take Dais up to bed, I don’t want this to worry her.”

“Of course, come on Dais, shall we go and find one of those pretty bath bombs and get you ready for bed?” Gemma asked, taking Daisy’s hand and leading her upstairs.

“I’ll call Jeff and ask if there’s anything he can do.” Sarah told Harry.

“What does it actually say?” Harry asked Niall.

“It just says a source close to the pair exclusively revealed the news of Ash Hanson’s pregnancy.” Niall replied.

“Who is it Harry? Who have I wrongly put my trust in? It could’ve been someone who was here today, someone we’ve had in the house?” Ashley panicked as her breathing quickened.

“Hey, Ash, look at me darling,” Harry whispered as he cupped her cheeks, “We’re going to sort this out, but I need you to slow your breathing, it’s not good for you or the baby, breathe with me angel.” Harry soothed, demonstrating to Ashley how to breathe calmly. “That’s better baby, much better.” He assured her, holding her head close to his chest and stroking her hair gently, knowing that it always made her feel calm. 

“Your PR person is working on a statement at the moment Harry, they’ll send it to Jeff and he’s going to have it circulated, he says not to worry.” Sarah explained.

“I’ll make sure you have extra security Ash, so they can’t get close to the house, we’re going to do it together.” Harry told her, not daring to let her slip from his embrace. He wanted to protect her more than anything in the world, but he didn’t have the power to stop people selling stories and spinning lies, so for now, his only power was to hold her and promise he’ll never let go.

[rq-s]

Title: Falling Down 

Pairing: Xu Minghao / NB!Reader

Genre: Light Angst & Platonic OR Romantic

Word Count: 2.9k+

Warnings: None. However, I do interpret the timeline and meaning of his lyrics loosely. I can’t and don’t claim that it’s the “correct” way to do so; he wrote it to be ambiguous for a wide audience to enjoy. Please watch the Falling Down Making Film for clarity.

Credits: ENG Translation of Falling Down 

Summary: You and Minghao have been consistent penpals since 2004, sharing each other’s cultures, languages, passions, and lives as you both grew up. 2014 came around and letter from him only came in 4 times, and only 1 in 2015. The last this you ever heard from him read he was a bird in a cage.

Notes: Italic = letter  ... = omitted letter content 

My Masterlist

Spring 2004

“How about this one, honey?” Mom handed me a postcard from a spot on the rack that I couldn’t reach. The large font caught my attention and told me it was a landscape picture of the closest national park. Though nothing in the picture was recognizable, it reminded me of camping, which made me smile despite having never been before.

“Sure.” Was all I said, and I followed her as she pushed our full shopping cart to the register and began chatting with the cashier.

Like usual, I quickly put the postcard on the conveyor belt along with the groceries. As soon as it was empty, I went to the bagging station and put the scanned and bagged items back into the cart. Making sure to the boxes and cartons together neatly like Tetris, careful not to squish the bread.

“What a diligent little kid you have!” The cashier spoke, her voice worn with age, but with a sense of joy that reminded me of a stereotypical grandmother.

“She always says I do it wrong.” Mom joked, smirking at me. She never did let go of my “If you want it done right, do it yourself.” attitude I had even as a kid.

 Mom finished paying, and we went put into the chilly morning air of the parking lot that was made even colder by the shadow of the supermarket. I once again moved the bags from the cart to the trunk and brought the cart to the nearest drop off spot while Mom started the car.

The ride home was mostly silent, save for the sound of the road beneath the wheels and the hum of the heater.

“Thanks for letting me do the penpal thing, Mom.”

“You’re welcome, but remember the deal; you get more chores to do. You’re 7 years old now, you can handle doing the dishes by yourself, right?” The tone of her voice was completely serious, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’ve been helping with the dishes for years, and I’ve learned from the best. I’ve got this!”

 When we got home, I scoured the bags for that postcard, and luckily it was only bent on one corner. I wrote down bit of info about that park - whatever Google told me, and set it aside. I grabbed the template application from my school binder and filled in the blanks. 

Hello! My name is _____________, I’m __ years old, and I am from ________! I am learning Mandarin, but I’m still a beginner. I hope to learn more about your culture and language as we exchange letters!

For now, I will tell you a bit about myself. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Along with this letter is a postcard and other information about where I am from!

I hope to hear from you soon!

Signed,

_____________

It was a pretty basic template that we had to copy from, and in retrospect, it was cringy as all heck, but it had to be formatted juuust right and follow the guidelines exactly, or the penpal program admin’s wouldn’t accept it.

From what I was told, someone from China who’d also applied and been approved would be paired with me, based on age and interests. Only this first letter was prewritten. Once we were paired up, the letters themselves and the mailing of them was up to me and my family. 

I was lucky I got a match at all, most of the kids in my class didn’t. I learned pretty quickly why: I was the only one who put “dancing” as an interest.  

Summer 2007

...

This was a frog I found at the lake! Mom got mad that I touched it, and when it jumped out of my hands and back into the water, it got mud all over us!! 

Later we had a barbecue and some other campers came buy, but their kids were teenagers and didn’t wanna play with me, so here is a picture of me pouting in the tent instead of having fun. 

...

This is the last one, when we finally got home from the long car ride. we all were sunburned really bad, but it looks like you can see freckles on my face because of it! 

Whenever either of us would go on trips, even just to the water park or to a festival, we’d take Polaroid pictures to send. Most the earlier pictures Minghao sent were of him at tournaments, then they turned into selfies from after dance practice. It wasn’t until they were in their teens that he began to take more artsy pictures, with the occasional selfie thrown in. He’d always put at least one polaroid in each envelope, and photography quickly became one of the many things he excelled at. 

Winter 2010

…

And I still can’t believe you were on TV!! Twice!!! All these letters… I can use them as blackmail someday when you’re a superstar! Muahah!!

I’m not nearly as good as you still, but Miss Lilly says my footwork has gotten a lot better! I wish you could teach me, but words don’t have the same effect as seeing it. I doubt I’d get it even if you tried to explain… and don’t even think about trying to teach me any martial arts, my brain will melt!!

…

My letters were always a bit longer than Minghao’s, and were full of run on sentences and unorganized thoughts. He was always clear and concise, yet sensitive. He always gave strong and encouraging advice on my Mandarin, but my English tips barely seemed to help him. I always cared more about getting to know him and telling my own stories than about practicing. Though, I don’t know what stories I had worth telling as a 13 year old. We contrasted each other a lot, and Mom said it made us a better fit for each other.

It wasn’t a weekly thing, but we always wrote when we could and has a steady back and forth. Sometimes the envelopes were thick, with many pages, postcards, candies, cool leaves or rocks we’d found, songs we had been listening too; things we cared about and wanted to share. But sometimes they were thin, barely a page long, with hastily written characters and a sincere apology. Both made me smile the same just the same – both showed how much he cared.

 Spring 2012

Perhaps it was because we were the same age, and despite not meeting, had spent so much time together. He somehow always understood me, and never made jokes when I was opening up about the less fun sides of life. He went at his own pace, and it took quite some time, but he eventually felt comfortable doing the same.

…

I’ve worked so hard for this, I know I’m capable, but I’m genuinely terrified. But I’m excited, too. I feel so overwhelmed and I don’t feel like I can tell anyone, they’ll worry, or they’ll tell me I shouldn’t do it.

I want to try. I want to be on that stage and in that tournament and I want to come out having earned something.

…

 Fall 2012

 Congratulations!! Now I can brag that I know THE Xu Minghao who won 8th at a WORLD DANCE COMPETITION!!!! I knew you’d do great. Yeah, you were nervous, but your hard work showed through!

As soon as I read the news online, I was so happy. Eight is a good number, right? I think It suits you. Even when you're laying down, you have infinite potential! That’s you, Xu Minghao, Number 8, my best friend.

Come to think of it, it's been about 8 years since we met, hasn’t it? it must be some sort of prophecy!!! Haha I’m kidding, but seriously… That’s more than half our lives. We’ve spent knowing each other half of the time we’ve even been on this Earth!

I’m really glad I know you, Minghao. I’d be lonely without your letters, I think. I hope I make your days brighter, like you make mine. I hope we never forget about each other.

 It was rare for me to get so sentimental, but he needed someone to be his fan, and I wanted to be the best fan of Xu Minghao I could be. Not to say I was the first, like I would joke about doing, but because he deserves it. I knew it from the way he talked about training, that he’d make himself a star someday, no matter what.

Because of this, though, it was this letter and onward that we stopped doing the copies and corrections. I noticed myself missing his teasing marks on my papers, or the cheeky smiley faces he’d draw when I did well. We stopped sending trinkets and polaroids too, so each envelope felt a lot emptier.

 Spring 2013

I’m really going to Korea now… The flight is in a few days, I’ll send you another letter from the new address as soon as I get there, so please wait for it!

…

I had bad dreams back then, about how things would be different, slower and distant. His letters were a significant part of my life, and I was afraid to lose that. Yet I was surprised he was even allowed to keep sending me letters. Retrospectively thinking though, it wasn’t like he wasn’t allowed to write to his family.

Was I like family to him back then?

 Winter 2013

I’m sorry for not writing you back sooner. The company has been really busy with Seventeen TV starting. I’ve been practicing a lot, I barely have time to eat or sleep, let alone sit down and write. There’s barely anyone around who knows Mandarin, and I’m still just learning how to make sentences in Korean, and they call me Myungho… Those who I can talk to are all boys, but they’re my friends, and possible group members, so I shouldn’t mind.

I miss your handwriting. Sometimes I reread our old letters, and notice that we’ve changed so much. But I keep every memory, did you know that?

I always feel better quickly. When I think about being on a stage, having fans singing with us and cheering for me… It makes me so happy that I cry, sometimes. But then I can’t help but think, “Will it ever be me? Or will I just dream of being there, and someone else will get the chance?”

That’s usually when I find one of your letters. The one you sent on my birthday a couple months ago, that you sprayed with that citrus scent? It’s my favorite, I relax so much when I read it. It reminds me of home, somehow.

I’ll try to write more often, I’m sure you’ve been patiently waiting. Let’s exchange pictures again, it’s been a while, right? I just really miss you.

 Was he like family to me? No… I think, back then at least, it was something special for me.

Summer 2014

Hey! I haven't heard from you since April! I miss you a lot, but I know you must be really busy. I’ve been trying to watch the previous Seventeen TV episodes when I can, the other boys seem funny and nice. I hope they all take care of you, like you say Junhui has been.

I’m always wishing you sweet dreams, I worry about how you’ve been. I wish I’d have asked for your phone number or email or something before, but now that you’re so busy and under a big company… I just hope these letters and postcards reach you well.

…

Fall 2014

…

Also, they’ve been saying I’ll qualify to be on SeventeenTV soon. The others are hoping it’s a sign that we’ll get to debut soon. You’ll watch it, right?

Things are looking bright for me and my brothers here, but I can’t help but feel full of dread. I can’t pinpoint why. Junhui said it might be stage fright, but I don’t feel afraid.

I know they all support me, and I support them, but I feel like I might disappear, and not even you would remember me. I know its not true but it’s what I’m feeling.

…

Winter 2014

I SAW YOU!! I watched it as soon as it released, I didn’t understand what most of them were saying without English subtitles, but I could understand you, and I saw you! I’m so proud of you Minghao, you’re an official member of Seventeen!! You’ve been working so hard, I’m sure you’re exhausted. Please try and take time to rest and heal before debut, all of you need it!

…

Spring 2015

May 26th 2015. That is the day I debut. I know we haven't talked much, but I hope you’ll be there in spirit. Thinking about you cheering for me makes it easier to handle. I’ll fight for you, for me, for them, and for us. I’ll try, even though things feel like they’re ending.

I’m going to be busier than before. I’m not sure about the contract, but I’ll try to still get letters out. For now, have this. Thank you for everything.

A layer of grey I can't escape Walls built of fear are colored all over with red Who will listen to the sound from the bottom of my heart at the end of the world(/day) There's no one by my side Flee Flee

The world is collapsing, shattering, breaking I can't find love at all So why why why (Where will I ) fall, where Hidden by the dark clouds, helpless and pitiful Can't feel myself, light is lost Before the end of the world(/day), (I'm) yelling, sounds of pain But there's no one by my side Flee Flee

The world is collapsing, shattering, breaking After I disappear completely, (you) won't realize I once existed Why why why (Where will I ) fall, where Falling endlessly, falling in silence What did I ever do wrong

Missing someone you’ve never met is an entirely separate kind of heartbreak. I began to doubt every single thought and feeling I had, every single word I wrote, everything began to bleed between imagination, ideal, and reality. 

The Minghao I watched on the screen wasn’t the Minghao I knew, and I started to wonder if I ever truly knew him in the first place. I felt like a fool, and even then, I continued to be foolish. I wanted to believe I knew what he meant; that I understood him, but as the years went on, I got more and more lost.

They won awards, they went on variety shows, they released albums, they went on tours. They traveled, they worked, and they grew. I needed to believe I knew him, but Minghao and The8 are not the same. And as I grew to love The8, Minghao began to fade into the back of my mind. When I watched him try to express himself beyond his stage persona, each time I saw flashes of a beautiful bird locked in a rusted cage.

I always kept the letters.

They’re my private collection of memories between he and I. They were the only way I knew it was real. I could run my fingers over his handwriting, feel how he sometimes pressed too hard and left marks in the paper. I could see how the paper and ink warped when he accidentally got tears on it. I could look at his pictures from his childhood and know what he was thinking as he took it. 

I knew him.

Summer 2020

Hey, Minghao. It’s me, do you still remember my handwriting? Maybe it’s changed... No, I know it has, because I’ve changed as a person. It feels strange, I know what you’ve been up to, but you might’ve even forgotten my name. But I feel in my heart that you havn’t. Maybe thats wishful thinking.

Anyway, I’m so proud of you Minghao. You’re a superstar, just like you dream of being back when you first started dancing. You’ve become part of a family, and have so many fans cheering for you every single day. Congratulations!!

…

5 years. Does the smell of citrus still remind you of home? Of me? Maybe it just reminds you of the hard times you had back then. But I guess you’ve been reminiscing about that a lot lately?

I watched the video as soon as it came out, and I was shaking as soon as I heard your voice. That song isn’t a special piece of yourself that you shared with me anymore, but it’s part of your story for the whole world to see, and you told it so well.

...

I miss you.

It was finally time.

It was a fairly thick envelope, inside were many postcards of where I’ve been, quickly written notes as I reacted to songs and memorable moments, and full-length letters that never got sent.

It was so surreal to sit in front on him at this panel. He looks just like he did as a kid, but more refined, stronger inside and out. His aura intimidated me like I was seeing a skyscraper touch the clouds for the first time, and yet he maintained eye contact with me like I was a dandelion about to be blown away with the breeze.

“It’s me, Minghao.” The words barely drifted from my mouth, but they struck him like lightning as realization stealing his breath away. For a moment I saw his eyes twinkle, and the corners of this lips twitch.

A member of staff took the envelop away from him; he barely was able to read the label.

My time would be up soon.

His fingers intertwined with mine and he opens my photobook to his page with his free hand, looking down for only a moment to sign it.

The next Carat was nudging my shoulder already.

“Not yet.” I whispered both to them and to him with a squeeze of his hand. He did the same, like a beat of the heart, and then released. I watched his chest rise and fall with a deep breath as he gave the next fan the same focus and care he gave me. 

I forced a smile on my face as I scooted over.

Did he truly realize it was me? Why could I feel his heart beating faster from the tips of his fingers? Did he want to contact me all this time, or had he chosen to stop and was scared to tell me? Did he miss me too?  

My smile was only fake for a moment, though.

I was meeting his second family for the first time, after all, I needed to make a good impression. After years of keeping up with the group, it should have been easier to feel comfortable, and to be happy like the others.

Yet my hands continued to shake, their faces blurred and the sounds around me went quiet. My senses went in and out of focus like waves reaching and leaving the shore.

The warmth and the texture of his hand stained mine, and as i stared down at it after going back to my seat in the crowd, it felt alien. His hands are same hands that have been writing my name on every envelope for so many years...

I felt like I was falling.

[bangwoolofbangtan]

MAX Talks "Colour Vision", "Blueberry Eyes", And Texting With BTS's Suga

Let's start at the beginning — I'm really interested in your first track, “Colour Vision”, both in terms of the title and the tone. It sets the scene for the whole album, and I’m curious whether the song or the title came first, and how important it was for you to have that be the introduction to the album.

MAX: Funny enough, the title came first, and I knew I had to write a song. I wanted to make that intro experience. I wanted it to be the first song of the show, and make sure that you felt you were being immersed in the world we wanted to create. Usually, you go into a writing session, and you don’t know what you’re going to write. You’re like, “What’s happened to you? What’s going on?” and you just dive in. But having the parameters of knowing what exactly we wanted to fill that box with was pretty amazing.

Basically, the rest of the album was done. So writing the intro was kind of amazing, because how do you want this to be introduced? I really wanted that lyric to showcase the reawakening and the rebirth, and finding that control in your life again. You have the control of your own destiny, even if people make you feel like you don’t, and that’s what I wanted that song to make you feel like. Your dreams can become a reality. You just have to dive outside of them and create that colour vision.

I always like to listen to an album from first song to last song. How important is that to you, and how do you decide which track goes where? Can it be listened to on shuffle, or do you want people to listen to it in order?

MAX: If people do listen to it on shuffle, that’s totally cool. Every song stands on its own. But I did make it a very poignant point to have each story kind of roll into the next. It was important to have “Colour Vision” roll into “Working for the Weekend”, because the whole record is about that you have to love what you’re doing, or else you’re going to want to jump off a cliff. When you’re not doing what you love to do, every second feels like an hour, and I had that before I really committed to doing music, things I was just doing for the money, or because I felt like everybody wanted me to do it.

I really wanted it to sonically feel right, but then storyline-wise also to have an arc — to start with a lot of energy, but then go to a lower place of getting in your feels, and then coming back to more of a visceral and loving place, ending with “There’s a God” and this climax of emotion at the end. So, yeah, in short — every song, I was very clear on wanting them to flow into each other. That was important to me.

You have a lot of collaborators on this album. It’s been a long time since your last project, so was that a conscious decision, or was it just a natural occurrence after meeting these people over the last four years?

MAX: The latter, for sure. I just get obsessed with people and I’m like, “We’ve got to make something together!” It always comes out of that mutual respect and excitement. I’m an only child, and I’m a solo artist, so you just want to involve other people in your world to feel connected with it. That’s probably why I collaborate so much. You find something in the person you’re collaborating with within yourself that you never would have found without really connecting and diving in with them. There’s a spark of magic in every collaboration, and you find you made a song that you never would have done if you were alone in your room.

What kind of lessons did you learn from your collaborators on this one?

MAX: Oh, so much. For example, with bbno$, his process writing-wise is so different from mine. I’m so meticulous and I spend so many hours on each line, whereas there’s such a freedom in his writing. Even for his verse, we spent four hours on a Saturday while I was on a road trip going back and forth about which lines to keep, and I think that freedom definitely teaches me, maybe I’ve got to sometimes be a little more experimental.

Of course, with Suga… Having language not be a hindrance, because you’re coming from the same emotive place. Going to Korea — that whole trip changed my life. It made me realise which songs people connect with, not necessarily because of the specific lyrics, but because of what’s behind it. That transcends language. That collaboration taught me so much, and that was so special.

You previously collaborated with Suga on “Burn It”. You said you were supposed to be releasing the albums on the same day, so were you working on that and “Blueberry Eyes” at the same time? They’re so different from each other — what was that like?

MAX: We were! It was cool. I think it worked out, because his stuff for “Burn It” was pretty much done, and it was mostly me going back and forth, nailing what he wanted. It actually started in a way lower key, so he had to re-cut his parts based on what key he wanted my voice to be in for that song.

It was kind of great that we were both working on each other’s projects at the same time, because there was such a camaraderie of, you know, “Thank you for doing this for me, and I’m so happy I’m doing this for you.” It was just such a delightful process. I’ve never really done especially multi-country collaborations, not being in person, but it was so seamless. We were very specific about what each of us wanted, which really helped us be creatively free but also be understanding of how to keep the message of a full project cohesive with each other’s collaborations.

So do you have the idea for the song first, and then discuss those ideas before writing lyrics? I’m very curious about the process of a Korean artist writing Korean lyrics for a majority-English song.

MAX: I just sent him the whole album. I basically said, “Here’s all the songs, you tell me what you want to be on, and I’ll make it work. I’m grateful to have you on any song.” And he liked “Blueberry Eyes”. I’d already written the song, so I think that probably helped the message, because it was very clear that there was a sweet, loving, dream world to it.

Actually, funny enough, I asked if he’d jump on “New Life”. I just thought that that would be the one, and he said, “You know, it’s not my style. I like the song a lot, but I just don’t know that I would fit on it.” So that’s when I sent him the whole album. I was just like, “You choose what song. You do your thing. I don’t care.”

I was actually surprised. I just didn’t think he would choose ["Blueberry Eyes"], but I can’t hear it without him now, especially because I’ve learned all the Korean with Emily for the video. It was cool, because the first thing you hear on “Blueberry Eyes” is the first thing he sent me. I didn’t give him any notes. I was just like, this is it. It was so cool to have another language and see the translation and be like, this is so romantic and beautiful and something different than I hear from him in most of his music. It was a new moment, and it was really special to have him do that on this song.

“Burn It”, similarly — sometimes I do features that are very dark, but that was way darker of a world than I usually do. So it was cool that we were both out of our comfort zones and our creative boxes.

Obviously, collaborating with a member of BTS comes hand in hand with a large and dedicated family. What has the response from ARMY been like since “Burn It” and now with “Blueberry Eyes”?

MAX: ARMY’s been amazing. I think at first — and I am ARMY, so I know [laughs] — there is this distrust in anybody who gives love to [BTS], because you don’t know what their reasons are. Oftentimes, people come out of the woodwork and they put a tweet out just because they think it’ll blow up because they mention them, and It’s less about the appreciation of them or the music or the diligence or the focus.

I mean, I always had so much love and respect for the group. I think people knew what’s up, and it was pretty clear that it had been a few years in the making, this collaboration. But once I met Suga, it went so deeper realm for me. They had just shot a music video for the last few days, but he wanted to see this basketball game. He was so kind, and so warm, but he was taking a nap in between plays because they work so hard. I think that element isn’t seen by so many people who just want it for clout. When you don’t really understand the human element, and you just see people as numbers or artists that aren’t human... It’s that human element that makes people want to protect them. And they should, because so many people are in it for the wrong reasons.

That’s what I was hit with at first — when I put the song out, I got some people who totally got that it was authentic and that I had so much love, and there were people who were a little sceptical. But for the most part, I really was blown away by how positive the whole fanbase welcomed me. It’s been amazing. They hate that I teased so much, but I do that with every song. [laughs] I’m so bad at keeping secrets, so I always feel like I have to share just a little bit.

You mentioned the "Blueberry Eyes" music video earlier, and you've been teasing it on Twitter and Instagram for a couple of weeks now. What can you tell me about it?

MAX: The video is basically like Disney meets Wes Anderson. It’s all in one quarantined house that you see in the “Love Me Less” video, and it’s “Blueberry Eyes”, so we’ve got all these blueberries. We used the blueberries afterward! Everyone thinks we were wasting food, but we made “Blueberry Eyes” shirts with the tie-dye from the blueberries. We had, like, thousands of blueberries and we were bathing in them, so we didn’t want to eat them, but we had to do something with them.

We learned the entire Korean [verse], and those were our vows in our quarantine wedding. Of course, we threw a little cat in there to make it feel like Yoongi was part of it, because unfortunately he couldn’t be in the video — we wanted every bit of his spirit to be there, even though he wasn’t there — but now I know a bit of Korean, which is awesome. I’m going to keep diving in. I literally texted him right after saying, “I just learned your whole verse in Korean, now I hope we can have more conversations in Korean, because it was so hard to learn.”

And it's just you texting lyrics that he wrote. [laughs]

MAX: Our conversations are so short and cute, it’s always like, “Go Max! Go 'Blueberry Eyes'!” and then I’m like, “Go 'Dynamite'! Go Yoongi!” It’s just right to the point.

As for the rest of the album — do you have a personal favourite song on the tracklist?

MAX: I’d say it’s between the intro, “Colour Vision”, and the last song, “There Is A God”. There’s a certain moment where you write a song as an artist, and you know that it’ll stick with you in a different way. With “There Is A God”, it was right before Emily got pregnant, and it was this moment of knowing that [our family] had to be my number one forever. As much as I love music, this person and our family and our love and our life, that’s what I’ll always be most grateful for, and what I’ll always have the most faith because of. When you have something so deep to lose, you have so much to believe in. So that song meant something on a grander scale than most songs usually do, and every time I listen to it, I get a little emotional.

And to wrap up — the world has been through a difficult few months. I’m wondering if the timing of this release was intentional, and what you want listeners to get from this album during hard times?

MAX: I always feel like my favourite albums or my favourite movies, they give me that little spark of magic that I’ve been waiting for. The worst times in your life, you watch that one movie, and you just feel a little more will to live and excitement, and you have a little more inspiration that there’s a real happiness out there, and you’ve felt it before, and this piece reminds you of that.

For me, people kept being like, “It’s the wrong time to release anything right now. Just keep pushing.” But I just hope people find that little spark. I hope it gives them something that is an escape, that also makes them realise maybe there are certain joys in their life that they can dive into even more. Being that vessel for anyone, in the same way that I feel about certain movies and albums, is an honour. So I hope that’s what this means to people. That’s why I want it now because, more than ever, we all need a little reality, and also we need to believe in our dreams. That’s what this album is about.

© BuzzFeed.com

[lubbuthedigitalnomad]

A PERFECT PLACE

Happy Bob Marley BD (it was Feb. 6), Tibetan New Year (Feb. 12) and Valentine’s Day week! I hope you and yours are happy and healthy. Communications from America say that things are a little less crazy now that the election is over. That’s good. Even the most pro-American Asians were thinking we went a little wacky!

With any luck, folks in the USA will continue to take deep breaths and calm down. With a little effort, things will become less hateful and more loving as both the reds and blues start to realize that working together is the only way things will ever work at all. With that sentiment in mind, this week’s 1000 words are from the Fearless Puppy On American Road book, and about a time and place that remembers the more beautiful part of the American experience.

Once something changes, it can never go all the way back to what it was. In many ways, that is a good thing. We can preserve some better parts of the life we already had while allowing room for new and improved ideas. Insisting that both those new ideas, and the parts preserved from the old, are employed as actual improvements that benefit the vast majority of us has become the non-negotiable, essential responsibility of each and every citizen. Like it or not, it seems we will have to stay actively, consciously, and intelligently involved in order to insure success.

Please be well & stay well. Love, Tenzin and the Nepali Crew

FEARLESS PUPPY WEBSITE BLOG

FEARLESS PUPPY ON AMERICAN ROAD/AMAZON PAGE

REINCARNATION THROUGH COMMON SENSE/AMAZON PAGE

FEARLESS PUPPY ON AMERICAN ROAD WEBSITE

Rural Vermont

Helpfulness. Tribalism at its best. Everyone works together on everything. Lives depend upon each other in temperatures well below zero.

Hitchhiking is no longer just getting from here to there while barely knowing my host. Nearly every ride establishes or increases a friendship.

More cows per square mile than people, more open space than cows, and more forest than open space. Pronounced seasons and cycles. Cold, white winters. Muddy springs. Vibrant green summers pulsating with life that knows it only has a few months to do what needs to get done. Rainbow autumnal foliage so brilliant that guests come from continents away to view it. Streams clean enough to drink from.

Eggs come from happy chickens — not from the cruelty of large “animal production” warehouses.

Everyone waves hello to anyone driving by.

There’s always time to speak with whomever you meet at the General Store or Post Office. There’s always time. No hurry. Life comes first. Being is more important than doing (once the doing gets done).

The only store in town is the size of five closets but has everything — food, hardware, videos, clothing, beer, and more. A giant empty cable spool acts as a table around which to enjoy coffee, home- made donuts, and the company of neighbors. A best friend makes maple syrup. Everyone grows incredible gardens.

I have spent a lot of time with four other people and five beers staring into the open hood of a pickup truck that was not in need of repair.

Wood keeps you warm three times — once when you chop it, again when you carry it in, and the third time when you burn it. Overflowing abundance lives here. Some folks want more. Few need more.

Theater groups that produce professional-quality plays thrive in the forests of nearby vest-pocket towns.

The purity and clarity of omnipresent Nature rubs off on its human inhabitants. Crime, violence, and assorted hatreds appear only in newspapers and on TV stations. No one here has seen those things in person.

The Town Treasurer has a sign on his office explaining, “It’s very hard to get away with anything in a town this small.” Live and let live. If it hurts no one, it’s legal.

Resourcefulness is a way of life. Anything you need can be built from left over parts of things that you don’t need anymore. If you don’t know how, someone will show you. They’ll be happy to help — even happier if you bring a beer to say hello and thank you.

Deer hunters and trout fishermen deny slaughterhouses and corporate supermarket chains their abuses and profits. Unprocessed foods, hard exercise, low stress, clean air, and clean water deny the medical industry their profits from unnecessary surgery and drugs.

Awe inspiring natural beauty excludes land developers and their profit-over-people motivation. Their concrete and steel are not welcome here. The industrial decay that would lead to profits for a large assortment of unethical folks in fancy suits is denied entry by the conscious decisions of simple, intelligent farmers in overalls.

There will never be a Wal-Mart or a crack house here. There are many guns. They are never used for anything but hunting food. People are constantly helping each other to build a barn or house, dig out snow and mud, care for the children, cook, clean, weed the garden, and feed the animals. Anything that can be done at all is usually done by a group, even if it’s actually a one-person job. Folks enjoy each other’s company. Except in the most extreme circumstances, everyone deserves inclusion.

Parties get thrown together instantly for no other reason than that someone feels like being the host.

On a Tuesday, my friend Mike told me that he was having a party at his house on the following Saturday.

“What’s the occasion, Mike?”

“The occasion is that I just came up with the bright idea of having a party. I’ll get out a side of venison and buy a keg of beer. Tell everyone you see to tell everyone they see. If anyone wants to bring more food and drink, that’s good. If not, we’ll be fine with what we’ve got, I figure.”

“OK, Mike. I’ll get everyone but the assholes informed.”

“Inform the assholes too, buddy! Who knows? Maybe if they got invited to more parties, they’d figure out how to act better and wouldn’t be such assholes.”

It was hard to argue with Mike’s logic, but then again it is hard to argue with much of anything in a clean, friendly village.

During those years of having a home community and base station, a lot of work got done elsewhere. Rest time there made hitchhiking across nearly every inch of road in Northeastern America possible. I probably hitchhiked as many miles regionally during this period as the number of miles that were traveled in all the previous cross-country trips. Each full month of whistle stops working for environmental groups and charities included many towns and cities. It included talking to independent business folks all day about various causes, sleeping wherever possible, and celebrating whenever plausible. At the end of road tours like that, staring at mountains in between long naps was more of a necessity than an option. It is a lot easier to burn yourself up on the road when you know that a perfect place to revive is waiting for you.

The focal points of the road binges included Greenpeace, Citizen’s Awareness Network, and self-organized efforts to help support a Mexican orphanage, raise awareness and funding for American homeless folks, and help the victims of a very severe African famine. The results varied. My little part as a team member in the environmental efforts worked consistently for over a decade at each. The orphanage and homeless projects I organized worked minimally. The famine relief effort worked very well. It involved a governor, two senators, labor unions, school systems, businesses, major league sports teams, rock bands, and more. Thousands of people in the Northeastern section of America gave massive help.

This is a short chapter, but it covers a long period of years. Eventually, my good friend who allowed me this cabin in paradise had to liquidate his properties. This put me back out on the street at age fifty. But for a while, my life was as close to normal as it had ever been. It included long term friends and neighbors.

Those years seem to have gone by very quickly.​

About the Author

Doug “Ten” Rose may be the biggest smartass as well as one of the most entertaining survivors of the hitchhiking adventurers that used to cover America’s highways. He is the author of the books Fearless Puppy on American Road and Reincarnation Through Common Sense, has survived heroin addiction and death, and is a graduate of over a hundred thousand miles of travel without ever driving a car, owning a phone, or having a bank account.

Ten Rose and his work are a vibrant part of the present and future as well as an essential remnant of a vanishing breed.

Follow him on Facebook, Doug Ten Rose

Travel Adventure Books can be an excellent gift to your friends and family, buy from Amazon.com

#traveladventurebooks #keepreading #kindlebooks

The books Fearless Puppy On American Road and Reincarnation Through Common Sense by this same author are also available through Amazon or the Fearless Puppy website, where there are sample chapters from those books. Entertaining TV/radio interviews with and newspaper articles about the author are also available there. There is no charge for anything but the complete books! All author profits from book sales will be donated to help sponsor an increase in the number of wisdom professionals on Earth, beginning with but certainly not limited to Buddhist monks and nuns.

If you missed the Introduction to the new book that will be titled Temple Dog Soldier, or would like to see several chapters of it that are available for free online, go to the Puppy website Blog section. This is a book in progress. You will be reading it as it is being created! Just like you, I don’t know what the next chapter is going to be about until it is written. As the Intro will tell you, this is a totally true story — and probably the only book ever written by and about a corpse journeying completely around the world!

[raevylle]

Chapter 8: Don’t lose your fire

Session 8 - 01/03/2020

September 12th,  36 TE. With the notice of Belziros that it might take a couple of days for him to gain access to the library, the trio decided to go do the quest in Nisher. Uncertain of what they actually needed to do, they went by the League of Coins. Raevyn told the party that she was nervous to go to the League of Coin since they had just killed one of its members. She wasn’t particularly good at this whole secret thing so she was going to find a place to get some diamonds. They would meet back at Belziros again before heading out to Nisher. Raevyn took the gemstones and found a bank where she could change the currency. It wasn’t possible to get some diamonds for it but the banker did exchange the gems for 1768 gold. Which seemed like a good deal to Raevyn. She exchanged the gems into gold and made her way back to Belziros. Meanwhile, Arati and Vieryn got some clarification on their contract. Arati mentioned that they believe the actual owner of the tavern was killed. Did they still need to make the owner pay or confiscate the property? The man-made clear that he wanted the key to the place, he didn’t care too much about the ‘new owner’. With that information, they left the League of Coin and waited for Raevyn to come around. Walking up north Vieryn said he wanted to stop by the Burning Grove to make amends with Nemia. He wasn’t able to come back to her the night before and let her down. Walking up to the Burning Grove, the party sat down at a table as Vieryn made his way over to Nemia. ‘’I am really sorry Nemia, I wasn’t able to make it last night. I was kind of - out of it.’’ He scratched the back of his head, thinking back at what happened in the Flirtatious Fairy. ‘’Out of it?’’ she asked him with the cold shoulder. ‘’You know, I drank some Devil’s Delight and it just didn’t hit well.’’ Nemia started laughing at Vieryn. ‘’You were never one to hold your liquor well. So you were at the Flirtatious Fairy? Getting high on drugs and alcohol just like me, you & Alexander liked to do?’’ She cocked her eyebrow at him. ‘’Yes, but it was for a reason. The little one came up with a plan to take out Marvin.’’ Vieryn pointed at Raevyn who was counting down the money she got from the bank. ‘’So you're telling me that the elven girl that screamed ‘murder’ in this tavern, came up with a murder plan?’’ Nemia frowned at Vieryn. ‘’Yes and it was a good plan, I just had to get him drunk and so ended up drunk myself. However, I want to make it up to you.’’ He leans on to the bar. ‘’You can make up to me by buying me a drink.’’ Nemia picks up one of the most expensive bottles she has and pours herself a glass. ‘’Ah, of course. Sure how much?’’ Vieryn grins and reaches for his purse. ‘’10 gold please.’’ Damn, that woman knew what game she was playing. Vieryn laid down 10 gold. ‘’Oh and you owe me a night, you better come back Vieryn.’’ Nemia’s gaze got a bit more intense. ‘’Well, I will be gone for a couple of days. I might come back with a new scar.’’ he winks at Nemia. ‘’Who likes pretty boys without scars anyway? Scars tell stories.’’ Nemia smirks at Vieryn as he heads for the party table. ‘’150!’’ Raevyn yells out. ‘’What are we doing?’’ Vieryn asks Arati and sits down. ‘’Raevyn is distributing the party funds equally.’’ Arati looks at the pile of platinum and gold coins on their table. ‘’Each of you gets 50 platinum.’’ Raevyn gives them their shares. ‘’The rest of it goes in the party funds!’’ They talk a little bit about what to do next. Raevyn mentions that if they are going to Nisher she’d need to have some diamonds. She is wondering if Nemia may have some access to them. Vieryn wants to hold her back but she already stood up and made her way to the bar. She had observed Vieryn many times when he hung around Nemia, so she decided to imitate his behavior, leaned into the bar and smiled at her. ‘’So Nemia, do you happen to have any diamonds?’’ Nemia doesn’t really appreciate the approach of Raevyn. ‘’I warned you Raevyn.’’ she says, minding her own business. ‘’Oh, you remember my name?’’ Nemia turns around and crosses her arms. ‘’I know your name and I know where you sleep.’’ Raevyn squints her eyes at Nemia. ‘’Yes, next to Vieryn.’’ you could see the rage in Nemia’s eyes gather, but Vieryn pushed the two apart. He again apologizes to Nemia and promises he makes up for it. ‘’That girl is going to get you killed, Vieryn.’’ Nemia rolls her eyes and goes back to work. With their bags full of gold and no diamonds, they went to the Arcane District. If there was anywhere in town they would sell diamonds, it would be here. It was a rather aesthetic place. A circular plaza with small magic shops around it. One of them with the name ‘Stardust Supplies’. They entered the store and the inside was breathtaking. The ceiling itself was an illusion of our galaxy. A female tiefling with sparkling skin welcomed the party. ‘’Welcome to the Stardust Supplies, my name is Elise Starborn, what can I help you with?’’ Raevyn seemed particularly interested in this store. ‘’I am looking for diamonds for spellcasting, do you happen to have some?’’ ‘’Certainly, I do. Are you a student at the Academy?’’ Raevyn shakes her head. ‘’Do I need to be a student before I can buy anything here?’’ Elise smiles at the girl. ‘’No, it’s just that students get materials for a cheaper price.’’ Elise walks to the back and gets two diamonds for Raevyn. ‘’You do look familiar though. Have I seen you before?’’ Elise asks Raevyn. She thinks hard but can’t remember ever encountering Elise. ‘’You may know my dad, he works at the Academy apparently,’’ she answers while putting down the 10 platinum pieces. ‘’Who might that be then?’’ ‘’Magnus Arcadia, long black hair, half-elven man.’’ Raevyn puts the diamonds in her backpack. ‘’Oh, Magnus! He was her roughly 3 days ago. I know him yes.’’ Raevyn looks back at Elise. ‘’Wait he was here? 3 days ago? I have been looking for him! What do you know about him? Where did he go?’’ Raevyn almost leaped over the counter. ‘’Wow there, I don’t ask my customers about what they are doing. I just know he bought some rare chalk, gem dust and some incense.’’ Elise responded to the eager girl. Raevyn sighed and let her head hang. ‘’Oh, well if you see  him, can you mention that his daughter is looking for him?’’ Elise nodded. ‘’I will do that. Anything else you wanted to purchase?’’ Raevyn tabs her chin. ‘’Some more offensive magic?’’ Elise frowns at her. ‘’Can I see your Mage Legality paperwork then? I can’t sell offensive magic to ‘illegal mages’.’’ Raevyn never heard of these papers before. ‘’I don’t have that, but Magnus trained me himself! He works at the academy.’’ She tries to pursue her but fails. ‘’I am sorry Raevyn, I can’t sell you offensive magic.’’ a bit disappointed Raevyn wanders around the store while Vieryn commissions a hand-made dagger. After purchasing their necessities they go to the Oakgate stables. They ask for a ride to Nisher and the man gets a bit suspicious. ‘’Didn’t you buy a horse a couple of days ago?’’ Raevyn tries to tell the man that the horse is still in Nightdark with a friend of theirs but he doesn’t seem to buy it. He tells them the next ride to Nisher is tomorrow, by a guy named Fredrick. The party already knows this man and asks where he is off to now. The stablemaster tells them he had to make a trip to Nightdark a couple of days ago, escorting a grey-skinned tiefling woman. That’s a red flag. They know that person and what is going on in Nightdark at the moment. Fredrick was probably not coming back. ‘’It’s alright we will walk,’’ Arati told the man. ‘’You can always try the other stables.’’ the stablemaster yelled after them. Walking away from the stables, Raevyn noticed that the wanted poster for her dad had been taken off the board. She tries to think of explanations but Vieryn tells her not to overthink it. They arrive at the Irongate stables. They can provide the party with a ride to Nisher in a couple of hours. It’s some merchants from the Longsaw family that are going to Nisher. Vieryn being obviously a bit uncomfortable with this wants to back out, but Arati says that they will take it. After paying for the ride, they wait in a tavern across the road. Raevyn scribes in some spells while they are having some lunch. A young boy comes running into the tavern and tells them that the cart to Nisher is ready to leave. Raevyn gives him a silver coin and they walk out. On arrival, the carts look a lot more fortified than Vieryn could remember. Must have been alterations made by Alexander’s father. They take place in the cart. Next to them is a stoic Dwarf. There are some more people in the cart, talking about leaving Avarra cus the Plague was in Avarra now. The journey to Nisher itself was going to take roughly 8 hours of travel. The perfect time to rest a little bit. September 13th,  36 TE. In the early hours of the morning, the cart arrives at the gates of Nisher. The party is getting off and Raevyn tells the grumpy dwarf goodbye. He doesn’t seem to respond to her. She tries it again in Dwarvish. He looks up, a bit surprised that an elf just greeted him in Dwarvish. He nods at her. It is also here that Raevyn notices that the wanted posters of her dad are missing. ‘’Maybe he took them down himself and doesn’t want to be found.’’ Arati is trying to cheer her up but it doesn’t really seem to work. The city itself is pretty empty during this hour. There are some shopkeepers setting up their stalls and some drunkards wandering the streets. It would be the perfect timing to go to a tavern right now to get the keys. A plan was made to get the keys, Raevyn was going to be the bait and Arati and Vieryn were going to get the keys. When entering the Lying Weasel, the place seemed to be packed. There were some people sleeping on tables, probably passed out drunk. Raevyn talked to the owner, David. He remembered her from the previous encounter. He gave her rather short answers and seemed to be on edge. Raevyn ordered a drink and sat down at a table. Right as Arati and Vieryn came walking in. Arati got a lot of looks, being a hunter and all. Vieryn told her to go sit next to Raevyn since she would probably get in trouble later. Arati noted that and went to the back of the tavern to sit next to Raevyn. Raevyn took out Jinx and let her explore behind the bar. She saw that David was going into the back and she trailed him. He seemed to be packing something. ‘’Does Soralon think I am stupid? Sending a hunter after me?’’ Raevyn gasped and whispered to Arati. ‘’He is fleeing out of the backroom, stop him.’’ Arati took notice of that and ran past Vieryn. ‘’He is escaping, we need to stop him!’’ They both made their way outside and ran towards the back. Raevyn used her Misty Step to appear next to her familiar outside. She waited until the others caught up. They could hear a voice screaming from the tavern. ‘’David, Soralon is here to reclaim what is his.’’ They recognized his voice, it was Victor again. ‘’Apparently, Soralon is after this guy. I can trail him, but I need a minute.’’ Raevyn took a twig from the bush next to her and cast the Locate Object on one of the daggers David was holding. She got a ping not far from here, somewhere in an ally. They began to run after him and cornered him. ‘’I knew he would send someone after me,’’ David told the party as he took his dagger. Vieryn & Raevyn tried to pursue the man by giving up the keys, they were not here in the name of Soralon. He could just leave and start a new life if he handed over the keys. He didn’t buy it. ‘’What about this? You kill Soralon and then I will give you the keys.’’ Arati had enough of his bullshit, took out her scimitar and placed it against his throat. ‘’You are giving us the keys now. You either get killed by Soralon or by us, your choice.’’ The guy got scared of the hunter. ‘’Fine here, have it.’’ He ran out of the ally way. With the keys on hand, the party had fulfilled their quest. Walking out of the alley they saw ember sparks in the sky, it seemed that the tavern was on fire. Before they want to run off, Vieryn holds back Raevyn. ‘’Maybe it is better if you put on a hood, with fire around and you being an arcanist.’’ Raevyn understands and they decide to keep a low profile. Raevyn takes them back into the alley and changes Jinx's appearance to that of a raven again. ‘’Jinx, mimic this; FIRE’’ the raven repeats the words and flies around town. ‘’So much for keeping a low profile,’’ Vieryn added. ‘’At least everyone will know that there is a fire.’’ Arati laughed softly. Walking past the Lying Weasel, they could see people storming towards the fire with small buckets of water. They were talking of a demon or arcanist that had set fire to the tavern. Arati wanted to help out but the rest told her not to get involved. They could handle it themselves. They walked towards the Town Hall since Raevyn wanted to see if there was any news on her father. While walking there they saw some Priests of Melendi running towards the fire to help extinguish it. At the Town Hall there was indeed a letter for Raevyn. It contained all the wanted posters she had put up around the different towns, and a piece of hair, from her father. She was confused, what did this mean? Vieryn asked the lady from the Town Hall who delivered this letter. She told him it was a group of mercenary boys. While walking out of the Town Hall, Vieryn tried to calm Raevyn. He then spotted a group of boys hanging around the burning tavern. They seemed to look like the mercenaries that the lady had described. ‘’Give me a second, I’ll catch up,’’ he said to Arati & Raevyn. He took the letter with the wanted posters and walked over to the kids. He confronts the guys with it. They start provoking Vieryn by calling him names. Making fun of the little girl that is looking for her father. ‘’How did you get the hair?’’ Vieryn asks him. One of the guys took off his helmet and showed his own black hair. ‘’It’s just black hair, easy to trick. Imagine the face of the girl when she finds out.’’ he started laughing but one of the kids got rather anxious about the drow. ‘’Maybe we should stop guys?’’ Vieryn agrees and walks off without responding to the guys anymore. ‘’Yes run away Drow, I heard your kind are runners. Running away from the beasts in the Underdark.’’ Vieryn waves it off and walks back to the girls. He gives back the letter to Raevyn. ‘’Don’t worry about it Raevyn, just a bunch of kids fooling around. Just replace them around town again.’’ Raevyn gets a bit feisty and tells them to take her to the boys. Vieryn pushes her back and tells her it’s exactly the reason he went alone. The morning hit and they go around town. They visited Deidre to thank her for the tip to go to Belziros, got some fresh bread and went to look for a ride back to Avarra. They got themselves a spot on a cart that was leaving town late in the night. In the meantime, they got some rooms and had an off day to rest a bit. Raevyn wrote down some more spells and Arati wandered around town a bit until it was time to go. September 14th,  36 TE. A journey of half a day later the party arrived in Avarra again. A rather uneventful trip and a successful quest done. Going straight to the League of Coin to cash in their bounty. The man at the counter told them he would send someone to information about the status of the building. If it all seemed well, they would get paid after. Vieryn told the party that they should head to Belziros’ house to spend the night, he was going to spend it at the Burning Grove. They said goodbye and Arati and Raevyn walked up to Belziros’ house. Alensta opened the door and let the girls in. Arati told Alensta that Victor showed up in Nisher and that he escaped again. It made her a bit nervous, knowing that Victor was still around and so close. But being around Belziros made her less skittish. ‘’Come girls, you can sleep in my room.’’ Alensta walked upstairs but Raevyn stayed behind and called Arati back. ‘’Arati, Belziros gave me this spell a couple of days ago. I have been thinking of using it but I am too afraid, especially after finding out that all my posters had been ripped off the boards. I want to contact my father, but can you please hold my hand?’’ Raevyn asked her with a shaky voice. Arati nodded. ‘’I am here’’ She took Raevyn’s hand as she was casting the spell. ‘’Hey dad, It's almost been a month. I've been trying to find you. I'm in the capital right now. I miss you. I'm scared.’’ The words left her mouth awaiting for a reply.

[thrandilf]

Dauntlessly True To Himself Ch 1

A grand reunion of Alm and Celica’s armies four years later. Relationships have blossomed, lives have changed- but the camaraderie and shenanigans are still the same.

Leon, honorably retired from the military after an injury, is in the center of the social bustle. Luthier seeks reconciliation with his sister, Forsyth is still haunted by a mistakenly eaten pouch of exotic spice, Jesse invites an unexpected guest as his date to the royal ball, the knights of Zofia organize an event of games and tournaments, and to top it off, there is much ado about a lady’s favor Valbar has mysteriously tucked away.

A medieval romp for fantasy fans and to Fire Emblem Echoes fans- welcome home.

-~-

An elegantly inscribed sheaf of parchment was tacked to a sign outside of Zofia Castle. There was little point in it being there anymore, as the surrounding city was in such a frenzied bustle a mere day after it was posted that no one was stopping to reread the news the royal proclaimers had already spread through town faster than a wildfire-

‘King Alm l and Queen Celica are proud to announce the joyous birthday of their first child. Their heir prince will be christened two weeks from this posted date. The gates will open and festivities and a royal ball are open to all who can attend in honor of our new family member.’

The One Kingdom Of Valentia enjoyed a golden age of rebuilding and unity under King Alm l and Queen Celica. The Brotherhood Of Knights grew stronger every day, their lands flourished with bountiful harvests, border conflicts were almost nonexistent, Rigel was recovering and smoothly becoming one with Zofia, the prince’s birthday celebration was only a fortnight away- and Leon was sorely missing the battlefield.

Not the battling, exactly. He sighed, pacing his empty shop after a small rush of customers. With how much fuss the town was making over the prince’s birthday, he might as well close early in the afternoon to join in. Leon rolled his shoulders, wincing at the old injury to his right shoulder- tight and awkwardly healed, and significant enough to have earned him an honorable retirement from the military. He knew he was fortunate to have most of his strength and a steady business in a town that only knew peace, but his heart ached for the camaraderie of old friends. His eyes traced his Killer Bow mounted on the wall and his fingers twitched. Not that he didn’t see his friends at least weekly, but it wasn’t the same as being one of them again.

“Mrrrrrrp?”

Leon blinked with surprise and smiled, stopping down to pick up a fluffy cat winding around his legs. The golden haired cat had a collar Leon knew well with a bright amber stone set into it. “Well hello there, little one,” he cooed, stroking its soft fur. “Tell Luthier it’s alright- all of my other guests just left.”

His chronic injury might’ve taken Leon out of the castle guard for good, but in his soul he was still an adventurer- and who better to provide gear for the road than someone who’d lived on it? Luthier opened the door and scanned the tidy, rather spacious shop, as though both he and Leon didn’t know he was looking for more journals to fill with research. Rope, lanterns, oil, flasks, trail rations, bedrolls, small tents, utility knives, arrows, cloaks, fishing gear and even luxuries like fresh scented soap- Leon had thought of most anything. A bright orange tabby kitten poked out of the top of Luthier’s robes and Leon grinned with delight. “Oh my gods, that’s adorable! Welcome to the Dungeon Crawl Shopping Mall- journals again, and perhaps a fancy quill or two?”

“Ah, um- yes, actually.” The eccentric mage always seemed baffled by Leon’s friendliness and hospitality, and Leon was determined to show Luthier he could be friends with humans as well as cats. Luthier relaxed enough to speak coherently. “You wouldn’t believe how many quills my familiars destroy despite my attempts to guard them.”

Leon set the cat down to take Luthier’s coin as Luthier slid a couple handsomely bound journals into a satchel and examined a few vividly colored quills. “Have one on the house, if you like. I know it’ll be very loved.”

Luthier managed a smile as he helped himself to a fluffy white feather, stuffing it quickly into his bag as his cat desperately tried to claw it. “Thank you. I- er.” He straightened up and obviously had to gather his courage. “Okay, this might’ve been something of a social errand as well as a supply trip. Sir Leon, do you know of the royal christening? Of course you do, everyone does- I believe I’m being called upon to help the Queen plan a fireworks show, and I’m quite lost in how to handle being around a certain person I’m supposed to meet up with.”

“I was going to head out and see if there’s any party planning I could be involved in myself. I can’t think of anyone who’d have any quarrel with you, Luthier.” Leon left off the fact that the reason for this kind of thought was that Luthier’s cats were generally more social than him.

Luthier seemed distinctively uncomfortable. He shied away from Leon’s look. “Well, it’s my sister. We haven’t spoken face to face in quite awhile, and I fear I’ve failed her as a brother.”

“Delthea?” Alm and Celica’s armies had meshed together quite easily, at least for the members still living by the castle. While many people knew the two better than Leon did, he couldn’t imagine Delthea being more upset with Luthier than trying to perhaps pull harmless pranks. “I know you two don’t see eye to eye, but I doubt she wants anything but to love you as a brother.” Leon put a hand on the back of his own neck and huffed with a laugh. “I’m really the wrong person to ask for sibling conflict advice- I was an only child who routinely challenged my peers to duels.”

“Goodness.” Luthier managed a soft laugh of his own, scooping his golden cat into his arms, reflexively checking his pocket for his kitten as well. “Alright, I’ll just try to not mention anything we don’t agree on. Which is everything.”

Leon tidied the bits of clutter he had on the counter and pocketed his daily earnings. He guided Luthier towards the door, sweeping quickly before putting up a CLOSED sign, locking the door, and putting his lantern out. He’d return to sleep in his flat above the shop, but was still relieved to be out in the fresh air and cobbled streets. Gossiping with anyone was an excellent stress reliever, even if Luthier could be terribly shy and socially inept. “What exactly does she do nowadays?”

“She spends a lot of time in court, I’m not entirely sure what she does.” Luthier sighed, and Leon widened his eyes as two more cats appeared out of the side alleys, collared with amber set in the leather. They rubbed up against Leon and Luthier’s legs as they walked down the Main Street of town and towards the castle. “I can’t imagine not using magic. I just can’t.”

“Well, as someone who had my own gift taken from me, I understand why you’d be so puzzled. I’d love to have my full capabilities returned to me in a heartbeat.” Luthier had unintentionally bogged Delthea down with responsibilities of their magical roots, and eventually Delthea wanted to live her own way. She sealed away her magic to a ring- accessible, but no longer a core part of her. “There’s a lot to be said for a mundane life, you know. I find much joy in small pleasures.” Leon swept up a random cat from their posse and pet it, rewarded instantly with purrs.

Queen Celica had kept her friends across the sea in close correspondence for years. While predicting the exact time of her child’s birthday was difficult, everyone was rightfully excited for royal visitors. Leon heard the commotion before he could see it. A large carriage was surrounded by gawkers and a few knights and castle servants were jogging over to help its passengers. His heart skipped a beat as a doorman opened the carriage door and he could hear familiar voices bickering from inside.

“-why none of our three children can just stay PUT-“

“I TOLD you feeding them those candies was a bad idea-“

“They’re always like this! Just help me get the luggage-“

“Ugh! I’m just getting out!” A shock of pink hair tumbled out of the carriage step, ignoring the servants trying to help. Mae bounced to her feet and waved cheerfully at the crowd. “Hey everybody! Celica’s best friends are HERE!” She spotted Leon and gasped, shoving through the delighted crowd to tackle him in a hug. “LEON!”

“Oof! Mae!” Leon’s shoulder twinged but he accepted the hug with a laugh. Behind her the crowd was parting to let Sir Clive, Sir Forsyth, Sir Lukas, Sir Valbar, and Dame Clair through to formally welcome the travelers. “It’s been too long.”

Mae laughed and turned to the group of knights, running at Valbar and also tackling him, the two laughing at Mae’s contagious energy. “Valbar! Oh goodness, what a welcome.”

“Nothing can take you down, can it?” responded Valbar, hugging her back. Mae didn’t know the others from Alm’s army well, but nothing could stop her from flinging herself at Clair, both excitedly talking faster than anyone could keep up with.

“Can SOMEBODY help me with my many, many children?” Leon watched with fascination as Boey made it out of the carriage but kept trying to keep their triplet toddlers in the carriage in an endless loop, lifting one safely back in from the edge of the step down and immediately having to rescue another.

“Here, I know how it is.” Clive helped the toddlers out of the cabin with the gentleness of a father as Boey, Forsyth, and their doorman got the rest of the luggage. A good portion of the onlookers were equally enraptured by the handsome knight’s presence as the visitors themselves, a few sighing longingly at Clive.

Leon didn’t dare exert his shoulder but stood by the carriage with an amused look. “How do you tell them all apart, Boey? They’re all in the same skirts!”

“I don’t,” replied Boey helplessly.

Mae turned her head from Clair and waved her hand. “Oh don’t be ridiculous Boey, you know who’s who!”

“Right. The one we named after me is the cutest.”

Clair pushed through and knelt by the kids, grinning as the children gazed at everything with curiosity. “Oh Mae, what’re their names? They’re so cute!”

“Not just cute,” warned Mae. One of their children sneezed and sparks flew out of their nose. Luthier’s cats approached the gaggle of children, purring and letting them pet their fluff. Mae made eye contact with Luthier and beamed at him. “Oh hey! You’re a mage too, right? Celica wants us to work on the most awesome fireworks show ever!”

A new voice could be heard in the throng of people, the only one not merry. “Don’t get my brother started on magic- he might never stop.”

Leon and Luthier turned to see Delthea standing by one of Luthier’s cats. She was seventeen and still wore a large bow in her hair, loud and proudly normal. Luthier looked seasick with nerves and Leon gave him a friendly push towards her with his good arm as awkward silence filled their bubble. Luthier stumbled forward and most of the crowd left, following Mae and Boey to the castle. Leon distracted himself with a cat, keeping his promise of staying close by Luthier.

“You don’t seem happy to see me,” stated Luthier.

“I would be, if I wasn’t bracing myself for another lecture.”

Luthier grimaced. “I- I really don’t understand the choices you’ve made with your life. But I love you. And I hope you’re happy.”

“So your version of being nice is to be passive aggressive instead of active aggressive?!” Years of arguments colored Delthea‘s tone as she stood with her hands on her hips, still shorter than her brother but much more an adult than a girl. Leon inched away, not wanting to be too close. Neither noticed.

“Delthea, I’m not meaning to be aggressive. I’ve never meant to be aggressive! I just- if you’re happy, then I am too! I’m sorry.” Luthier shyly looked away. “I failed you as a guardian, and you have every right to be angry with me.”

Delthea stared at him. She simmered down, and sighed heavily. “Do you think I sealed my magic because of you, Luthier? Or even because of what happened when I was possessed at Sluice Gate? It’s my choice to make- it’s a choice, don’t you get it?! I could finally be free- I never wanted power like you, just freedom.”

Luthier shook his head. “Listen- it’s not about magic. Not anymore, okay? I consider Alm to be my first friend-“

“-good GOD will you ever let that go-“

“-and I’m upset because it should’ve been you. My sister.” Luthier squirmed. “I tried to be a father to you. I tried to fill a role I knew I couldn’t. I thought I knew what was best for you, and that I couldn’t be your friend or companion when I thought you needed a parent. I’m sorry I placed myself above you all those years, and I hope as an adult, you understand.”

Delthea blinked and then she choked on a burst of laughter. “You? A dad?! You have the paternal instincts of a woodchipper!”

“I don’t know what that means, but probably.” Luthier bit his lip. “You’re as old as I was when it fell to me to take care of you. You were eight. How did you think I felt whenever you rushed off, got hurt, or exceeded my own abilities when I could never forgive myself if something happened to you?!”

Delthea got closer to him and took his hand with a solemn expression, foreign to her face. “Alright. I get it. I love you too Lu, but I want to confirm something.”

“Yes?”

“So you TOTALLY admit I was better at magic than you?”

“Oh for- yes I admit it!”

Leon slipped away, certain that Luthier would be alright. He rarely let Valbar out of his sight without so much as a word. He sprinted to the castle foyer, the teasing phrases already on his tongue. Knight or not, Valbar was his best friend. Just the mention of his name could make Leon’s mood soar, his chest light with joy at Valbar’s warm, positive presence in his life. Friendship, being at his side at all, was enough. Leon’s heart had finally accepted that. His more tender, unrequited feelings had never truly faded, but he was fine.

Or so he thought.

“Leon!” Clair cut him off from the entry hall, breathless as she came to a halt. “Salutations! I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You and Valbar are close, correct?”

Leon drew himself up proudly. “I should think so!”

Clair glanced around quickly to ensure they were alone. The sudden self awareness worried Leon. “I’ve been so stumped, Leon. If anyone knows this it’s you- who on earth is Valbar courting?!”

Leon felt like he’d taken a swift kick in the stomach. He found himself sinking down the wall, legs unable to bear his own weight. His lungs ached as his mind blanked for a moment, shock reverberating through his system. “What?”

“He didn’t tell you either?” Clair folded her arms and sighed. “You’re so close I thought- oh I’ve upset you terribly-“

“How do you know?” Leon’s mouth was dry, his heart hammering in his ears. Perhaps this wasn’t an event to mourn. Valbar deserved love, oh Leon wanted nothing more than Valbar’s happiness. Maybe if Valbar engaged someone else, Leon could move on. He could someone who could reciprocate his softer, intimate desires he’d kept to himself for so long.

But underneath all off that was pure shock. Not quite betrayal but- why wouldn’t Valbar tell Leon, his best friend? Had he been selfish enough to drive Valbar away? Even the thought of Valbar’s affection and companionship being a single degree removed because of Leon’s own feelings made him want to vomit.

Clair sat by Leon, guilty as she put an arm around him. “Gods, I thought you knew. A week ago, during a sparring match, one of the recruits knocked Valbar’s armor askew just enough to jostle a fine scrap of bright cloth free from where it was secretly tucked right next to his heart. Everyone’s been buzzing about it- it must be a lady’s favor given to him! Valbar’s been dead silent about it, he brushes it off easily, laughs and says he won’t tell. I know he’s been married before but if it was from his wife, may she rest in Mila’s light, he’d just admit it! He won’t even say how long he’s had it!”

Leon stared at the ground. He was sure he’d never seen Valbar with such a favor back when he was an active knight. A fairly new love, then. There was only one thing to do. “What a mystery this is! I’ll find out who is.”

“Will you tell me?” Clair pretended to swoon with horror when Leon raised his eyebrows. “AGH! Of course not! It’s probably such a secret I’ll only find out at the wedding, because you’re such a loyal friend! Damnit!”

Zofia Castle inspired wonder in anyone who laid eyes on it, even those who lived in the surrounding capitol city. Leon passed under the high stone archway and through the open gate, marveling at the high towers and ivy crawling up the stonework to the sky. The well kept courtyard was huge, lined with baskets of flowers and semi crowded with vendors already trying to put their claim on a spot for the christening festivities. Merchants swamped Prince Conrad, the normally composed enigma of the royal family. Celica’s brother was floundering and half hiding behind his clipboard as he was bombarded with business proposals, as opposed to his typical marriage proposals. Leon hid a grin and rushed between them all, making his way for the barracks with a friendly wave at the guards.

Leon scanned the mostly empty barracks for Valbar and frowned. He headed back outside, relieved as he spotted him with a group of knights out on the sparring lawn. Valbar’s height and brawn combined with his easygoing nature provided him with both friendliness and respect from seasoned knights and recruits alike. Even nobility like Clive gave him final authority over the training grounds. Leon jogged until he was within earshot, wondering what anyone would have to argue with Valbar about.

“...is a Rigelian bloodsport, it’s no wonder Her Majesty is against it!” Forsyth managed to look irritated at all times. Leon thought it must be exhausting.

Clive nodded in agreement. “It’s true- tradition be damned, none of us want actual jousting in a tournament. We’ll have to come up with something that won’t put anyone in danger.”

Sir Gray appeared behind Valbar, his shorter stature and laid back attitude made him seem more like a squire, but Leon knew he was deadly with a blade and Clair’s husband- yet another reason to respect him. “Alright guys. Wooden weapons. We already use wooden swords for training and, um, wooden lances? That never killed anyone, right?”

The final knight Leon had been yet to see that day also appeared from the side of the group and stepped in the center. Sir Tobin was Gray’s best friend- and Gray was the only one who could effortlessly get under Tobin’s skin. “Gods, Gray- most lances are wooden! You know, the ones that kill people?”

“Take the pointy bit off!”

“That won’t help!”

Leon stepped into the group and automatically took his place next to Valbar. “Are we planning games for the royal celebration?”

“Trying to.” complained Gray. “Jousting is the sport of knights of old, but no one thinks we can do it without dying knights of young.”

“Well, lucky for me, archery is only about hitting targets.” An idea was forming in Leon’s mind, something to give him an excuse to show off one last time. “Why don’t we put on a mounted archery contest too? It’ll appear impressive, and legitimately be impressive..” Leon gave a steep bow. “I’ll demonstrate, of course. Establish that there is someone on earth who can make a perfect run of the course.”

Valbar looked concerned. “Leon, I thought your shoulder-“

“Hush! Give me the lightest bow and I’ll show you all I’m still a marksman of the Gods!”

Clive tapped his foot as he stared into space, deep in thought. “It would be quite a shame to have all our calvary in ceremonial armor, and not put on a game. Perhaps we can joust at targets too?”

Gray huffed with a grin and folded his arms. “You know those really terrible shields we kept finding that you guys can’t even manage to sell? I bet they’d shatter with one hit.”

Tobin joined in. “Yeah! I bet they’re right at your level of craftsmanship, so we can make even more worthless target shields.”

“Shut up, you never want to admit I’m right!”

Forsyth leapt in with a shake of his head. “Between a shield and a person, most hot blooded youngsters are out to stab people, not shields. I doubt they’ll resist the satisfying opportunity to knock their opponents off their mounts.”

Valbar nodded. “True- so make it against the rules to hit the other person.”

Leon almost always followed Valbar in conversation. “Yes! In my experience, while getting to hit other people with sticks is one of the most rewarding things about being young, being branded a loser is much worse than being denied that sweet pleasure.”

Lukas was quiet, noting things down and then showing Valbar the list. “If we can have a safe jousting tournament for show, a mounted archery contest, snd some martial and magic demonstrations, the King and Queen should be pleased with our efforts,” he murmured. “No doubt Celica’s formal ball will be so grand our efforts won’t matter too much.”

“That’s that, then! I’ll be back to demonstrate at noon tomorrow!” declared Leon. He started walking away before Valbar or anyone else tried to talk sense into him. His shoulder already ached at the thought of attempting to shoot arrows again and he scowled.

Leon knew it was pointless to avoid everyone indefinitely, especially since Valbar always saved him a seat at the knight’s table at dinner if he knew Leon was around. His heart swelled with affection for Valbar and he swallowed hard, anxious that he’d been somehow demoted from Valbar’s closest confidante to something else. Valbar himself gave no signs of it, and Leon cursed under his breath at the whirlwind of thoughts in his mind.

He remembered when he’d met Valbar, or at least noticed him. The nightmare was an old one, but it played through his aching head as he found the stables on autopilot and saddled up a horse (with some complaints from his shoulder) for a ride. He barely paid attention to anything as he rode out into the pastures and trails-

-~-

Leon couldn’t feel anything. He couldn’t move, couldn’t speak if he tried. A distant part of his mind was racing, exploding with grief, rage, urging him to run back to his battalion. His glazed over eyes stared at a body in front of him so long he’d stopped even seeing his best friend’s corpse and was simply staring into space. Maybe the battle was over, maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t care. Perhaps he’d still be there frozen in time when they lit the field aflame to give their soldiers an honorable memorial. He wasn’t even aware he was kneeling, paralyzed and barely even breathing.

He might as well have been dead too.

“Hey! Hey kid!”

Leon didn’t respond, still in an immobilizing fog.

“C’mon, we won- you okay?” Leon couldn’t even raise his head. He was limp as a broken doll as strong, comforting arms picked him up, eyes sliding closed. Calling it a battle might’ve even been generous. The casualties were relatively few, the distant sounds of triumphant yelps echoed in his ears but Leon didn’t care. Without his beloved, his first love- his life was nothing. How could he go home without him? “You’re in shock, huh? It must be a first battle. I’ve got you, you just breathe…”

Leon passively let himself be carried back to the war camp. He should’ve felt ashamed to need to be rescued without anything more than bruises marring him, but even the stubborn drive to prove himself that had given him strength so many times had failed. He was wrapped in a soft blanket as the calming voice still talked to him, lulling him to sleep.

Valbar introduced himself the next day as a senior officer. He’d taken an interest in Leon, it was obvious even in Leon’s delirious state that Valbar was perhaps spending too much time on him. “Why are you trying to salvage me?” rasped Leon. His head still ached and he’d ignored the breakfast rations that had been given to him. “I’m unworthy of your time and misplaced kindness. I’m going to die at our next skirmish.”

Valbar’s voice had always been steady and soft, patient where Leon knew he must be somewhat aggravated by Leon’s dead weight. Now his tone was backed with a worried expression and a force that demanded attention. “So you’ve made up your mind to throw yourself into the front lines? You’re going to kill yourself, is that it?”

Leon barked with a harsh laugh. Was it so common to suddenly no longer want to see another dawn? “If you think I can fight-“

“I know you can. You’re a damn good archer, one of our best. Your talent has no faults but lack of experience.” The praise would’ve made Leon blossom with pride two days beforehand, but it didn’t stir any emotion in him at all. “I don’t know what the boy was to you or your past- it’s not my business- but I’m not going to lose any more life on my watch, not if I can help it. I’ll carry you from every wartorn countryside you collapse on if that’s what it takes!”

Leon didn’t react. “If you give me an order, I’ll follow,” he said dully, not raising his head.

Valbar sighed. “Alright. These things take time. But first of all?” His tone was lighter, teasing and playful for a moment. “My eyes are up here, kid.”

A rough, obnoxious, spluttering laugh choked out of Leon with a sob, his hand flying over his mouth as he realized he’d been blankly staring at Valbar’s pelvic region. It was such a brash, inappropriately timed joke that Leon couldn’t stop laughing, relief washing over him as Valbar also chuckled. Leon forced himself to look up at Valbar, a newfound fondness mixing with respect growing inside of him. “Gods- I- sorry. Alright. I’ll try for you. Genuinely though, why me?”

Valbar shrugged, still smiling. “Honestly? You needed a friend, and so do I. Does kindness have to have a reason?” He put a hand on Leon’s shoulder and squeezed. “The world keeps spinning, we might as well make the best of it.”

Over the course of the following weeks, Leon learned how to smile and laugh again, how to accept a wound that would never heal. Finding a home in another person might’ve made him weak in some warrior’s eyes, but Leon didn’t care.

Nothing could stop Leon and Valbar so long as they were side by side.

Just like nothing could stop Leon with falling in love with the man who’d taught him there would always be good in the world.

-~-

The castle grounds and surrounding wilderness were popular for horseback riding and hiking. Leon absently let his horse decide the way, relaxing into the easy gait and rhythm. He sighed, enjoying the lightly perfumed breeze. Over time, his memories plagued him less and less. His mind only obsessed now with the fear he’d lose Valbar too.

“It’s just a rumor,” he muttered to himself. “It’s none of my business who my sworn brother courts.” Leon was desperately trying to convince himself, rambling as he surveyed the picturesque countryside. “If I was a decent person I’d just let this go...” He draped his reins over his saddle pommel and let his body move with his horse, grinning as his hair whipped in the breeze and his knees urged his mount forward, already imagining showing off his expertise one last time. Even after a couple years, riding hands free was as natural as ever. “...but clearly I’m not.”

Leon attempted to tame his windswept hair after he brought his horse back and left for the dining hall. King Alm wasn’t one for much formality- all of his close knights and high ranking officials sat at his large table in the center of the room, with rows off to both sides of everyone else. Leon smiled at the loud, merry conversations he could already hear in the buzzing murmur of the crowd.

“-you think your Pegasus would really let me ride with you?!” Delthea’s high voice carried easily.

“Totally!” Clair proudly tossed her blonde curls over her shoulder. “You’re a girl, so why not? It’ll be fun!”

Leon pulled out his chair between Valbar and Boey, touched to find Valbar had already reserved him a plate of minestrone soup, steamed vegetables,, roast, and warmed bread. Leon automatically gave Valbar his roast and helped himself to a heap of vegetables from Valbar’s plate, not missing Valbar’s smile. “Ah, there we go, a perfect gristle-free plate. My apologies for being late.”

“You’ve been riding, huh?” Valbar eyed Leon’s wild hair. “You know, you don’t have to try and prove yourself tomorrow. You’re a knight as much as I am.”

Boey nodded in agreement. “Yeah, not to toot our own horn, but we’re all legends here.”

Leon huffed. “Yes, I AM a legend- the only amazing archer here!” Tobin coughed on his bread and tried to protest that he was a prominent archer as well but Leon spoke over him. “What’s wrong with a reminder, hm?” Leon suddenly stood back up, pulled his chair out despite having just arrived, and climbed on top of it with a wine goblet in hand, frantically smoothing down his hair with the other hand. “ATTENTION EVERYBODY! I, your beloved Sir Leon, will give an expert, amazing, spectacular archery demonstration tomorrow of the toughest archery course you’ve ever seen for the King’s games! Thank you!” He bowed deeply and returned to his seat, basking in the scattered applause. He turned to Valbar and smirked. “There. I have to do it.”

Valbar grinned. “Alright. Fine. It’ll be a good lesson for my recruits- but something’s gotten into you. Don’t think I don’t notice, Leon.”

“Hmmm, I want everyone to notice me. Mission accomplished!”

Forsyth sulked more than usual, folding his arms as he shook his head despairingly and drank from his wine cup. “Python could’ve matched you, Leon. If only the damn idiot ever put in even a tiny bit more effort, he could excel! He’s a slacker who’s scared of commitment.” He glared at a random, hooded recruit a few tables over who was slouching deeply in his seat, as though anyone too relaxed embodied Python.

Python had been offered a knighthood along with everyone else by Alm and Celica, but had taken up a small town watch to occupy himself with. Forsyth had never gotten over how Python refused to join him at the castle guard. Python seemed to delight in riling Forsyth up, and Forsyth was ready to blow off steam at any given moment. They’d been inseparable since childhood, and traded more barbs than Mae and Boey could ever hope to.

“Scared of commitment?” repeated Gray. “Were you trying to marry him?” Clair tried to kick her husband under the table for being rude but Gray expertly dodged with a smirk.

Forsyth didn’t react to being teased, but he did make a face as he thought about Python. “Let’s say I asked- he’d say no just to spite me! And probably stick his tongue out at me like a child! As if we haven’t been through hell and back together!”

Alm watched the table conversations with amusement. His title of the first Saint-King aside, he was a twenty one year old who’d been raised in a village of close families. Dinner was the most cherished, informal, social part of his day. Queen Celica and Prince Conrad’s seats were empty since Celica had had her child and dined in private, leaving his adopted grandfather Sir Mycen at his right hand and Sir Lucas to his left. He looked past Lucas to Forsyth and grinned. “You know, Forsyth, whenever you look like that I can’t tell if you’re fuming about Python or still tasting that exotic spice that went up your nose those years ago.”

Forsyth groaned, turning a hue of green to rival his hair as a few scattered people laughed. “Your Majesty PLEASE- must I relive this damn incident weekly?!- ‘Take anything from the convoy!’ you said! ‘Grab whatever’s on top!’ you said, as I was trying to save my own life in the middle of fighting a horde of undead creatures! Nothing’s tasted right since!”

Clive laughed heartily and put a hand on Forsyth’s shoulder. “No one is upset, your life is more important than the gold marks for it.”

“I’m upset. Three gold currency right up Forsyth’s nose, such a shame,” sighed Gray wistfully.

Delthea giggled and took a sip of wine while nudging Luthier’s foot. “You think you could get any of that spice out?”

Luthier seemed to miss that it was a joke and gave Forsyth a calculating look. “It might only be worth one gold mark, but if I-“

“EW!” exclaimed Clair, covering her mouth as more people laughed. “Gross!”

“One gold mark?” echoed Gray. “I’m listening.”

“Nonono!” exclaimed Forsyth, flustered and hiding behind his spoon as he tried to wave off Luthier’s gaze like a stray fly. “No magic in the face!” Most people were almost done with dinner, and conversation lulled for a minute as people relaxed and savored the castle’s fare.

“I’m excited for the Ball,” commented Valbar. The casual shift in conversation to the most anticipated party of the year drew everyone’s attention in. “Believe it or not, I’m a graceful dancer.”

Leon’s heart pounded and he locked eyes with Clair, who was practically on the edge of her seat. Could this be the secret to finding out who Valbar’s new love was? “Who are you going with?!” squeaked Leon, praying the fact that his voice came out an octave too high would be chalked up to enthusiasm.

Valbar shifted in his seat and blushed. Leon’s body was coiled tight as a spring as he waited to hear the name. “It’s a surprise.” Leon couldn’t help feeling somewhat crushed, deflating back down. He’d find out who Valbar was in love with, he HAD to.

“I’m going with Celica.” Alm paused. “That was obvious, huh? I’m not used to being married.”

Gray snorted. “It’s weird for us too.”

“Gray- WE’RE married!” exclaimed Clair.

“Yeah? And it’s still weird! Look how grown up we think we are!” Gray grinned and held Clair’s hand. “Sometimes I still feel like that village kid who was head over heels for you.”

Tobin rolled his eyes. “Sometimes you still act like it.”

Mae eagerly scanned the table and grinned, giving Boey a wink. “You know, I had meant to tell this to Celica first- but we aren’t the only ones who are coming for the royal celebrations-there’s another ship on the way!”

Leon’s heart leapt. “Kamui?!”

“Not just Kamui.” Boey finished his wine and basked in the attention of the table. “Saber, Genny, Atlas, Jesse- gods help us.”

“All three Whitewings sisters are on their way too!” Clair beamed. “Oh I can’t wait to see them again- they’re flying here any day! I’ll get to perform with the greatest riders of -LOOK UP COUNTRY NAME-!”

Gray’s face lit up. “I bet one of THEM know if a group of Pegasi are a flock or a herd!”

Luthier looked up from his dinner plate, tucking his fiery hair behind his ear the same way a professor might adjust their glasses before settling in for a lecture. A forkfull of salad dangled forgotten in his other hand as he cleared his throat. “It’s a fascinating question on how we categorize species of magical hybrid creatures with the mundane, Gray. First of all, Dame Clair and the Whitewing Falcon Knights technically ride alicorns…”

“Oh gods, you’ve really done it now,” groaned Delthea as Luthier plowed ahead, undeterred.

Plates were finally cleared and the group started to disperse, still chatting gaily. Leon stayed at Valbar’s side automatically as they filed out of the hall. He racked his brain for some way to get the information on Valbar’s mysterious date out of him in a proper, gentlemanly fashion. Leon was above pickpocketing, but also desperately needed to know who his competition was.

Not that he’d ever expect Valbar to love him back. Having a name would help it sink in, that he needed to try and move on. “Could I have a handkerchief? I don’t seem to have mine on me,” said Leon innocently.

Valbar patted his pocket, and then narrowed his eyes at Leon. He grinned, giving Leon a playful nudge. “Ohoho, is that what this is about? You heard about that favor I have?”

Leon dramatically flung his sleeve in front of his face, messily wiping his nose. “Oh! For shame! Making me have to use my own clothes! How dare you!”

Valbar laughed. “I’m afraid you have no choice in the matter. It’s-“ he hesitated and then looked away, an uncharacteristic blush starting to appear on his cheeks. Leon widened his eyes and almost bounced on his feet with excitement before Valbar coughed and avoided eye contact. “You’ll see who I like at the dance- I promise.” He put an arm around Leon and affectionately squeezed his shoulders. The gesture was too sweet for Leon to stay agitated.

“Fine, I’ll be patient.” Leon hesitated and stopped Valbar, pulling him away from the crowd. Leon couldn’t lie, he’d never been able to keep his heart anywhere but his sleeve where Valbar was concerned. “Listen, you’re not upset with me, are you?”

“No- absolutely not, perish the thought, my dear- erm, my dearest friend.” Valbar’s warm smile and gentle touch soothed Leon to his soul, even if Valbar still seemed flustered. It was short lived, however as Valbar’s voice turned to the light tone he used with daredevil, overconfident students who were about to do something stupid. “I’m not going to be upset until I have to carry you to the infirmary tomorrow for being reckless.”

“EXCuuUUUSE ME?!!” Leon’s indignant exclamation didn’t carry any genuine weight when directed at Valbar, but he was still going to fuss. Valbar didn’t back down as Leon tossed his hair and went so far as to stomp his foot. “Oh that is IT! I’m the best shot this continent’s ever seen! I could shoot an apple off your head blindfolded! I’ve stared death in the face and sent a volley through its skull! I can snipe an undead monstrosity in the middle of a moonless night in a graveyard through a grove of trees! Don’t forget how incredible I am!”

Valbar was well used to Leon’s antics and never seemed to be anything other than fond of Leon’s attitude. “You’re taking your retirement with such grace I could never forget your talent and even more overbearing stubbornness, clearly.”

“Good!” Leon huffed, spun on his heels, and strutted away before he caved and admitted Valbar was right, as usual.

[selenecrawford]

Selene Crawford: Baba Yaga, The Dragon , The Seamstress

Warning: Cursing, gun violence and car violence (don't worry you will see)

Tobias took a stroll slowly around the place, the stores, the people, the sound of trading. Nothing had changed much. He could still see him and Selene running around trying to escape their lessons with Ian on their backs cursing worse than a sailor. Time sure does not show mercy on people. It was almost ten years since the time he had to choose between duty, family and love. Of course his loyalty reside on Ian his only family. Selene on the other hand never thought on place loyalties. She was too pure for that. For her loyalty was an entire different affair. Escaping her fate, Tobias smirked at the memory. Always the dreamer Selene talked about being a productive member of society. Never thought that she was damaged, that society didn't have use for a being like her. People loved her and cared for her. Anywhere she went, people gravitated around her. How many times old people confused her with workers at the supermarket asking for where they could find certain product.

Certain memories hurt more than others yet, he never doubt that Selene will be a great woman. Unfortunately, neither luck or destiny was not on her side, she was chosen to be part of the shadows. To be one of the Grim reapers children, and yet her light never faded. Too bad her time was over. It was now her time to face the reapers wrath for betraying the code, for betraying the hand that feed her, for betraying him.

Passing by the stores he finally reached the end of the road. The sea, was before him, mysterious yet so intoxicating beautiful. Tobias, never wanted to come back he was content traveling the world, but his fate was already written. He will follow his path already chose for him. Never showing weakness, never letting emotions take the best of him. He learned his lessons very well and always stick to them. Ever since pledge his life to the clan, Tobias never lacked anything. Not money, nor luxury, not women. Love was ephemeral, yet at some point he missed it, well maybe sometimes.  A sad smile draw on his lips. Even that was already written for him. Love a wonderful thing he used to crave, until interferes with your path. Turning around he left a rose lying on the ground. It was enough, the time for memories was over now it was back to business. Its time the student who now became the teacher, start his lessons. To practice all that learned in order to fulfill his mission in life. A child of Baba Yaga, he became Ankou the reaper, which what he is right now.

Mai took Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Kenshin with her to her warehouse. Her base of operations which was in a secluded part outside the city. The trip to the warehouse was done in silence, but from time to time Nobunaga side glance at Mai while she was at the driving. A man of commanding words, he felt at lost for the first time in many years. Mai was a precious petite woman and he was attracted to her. Shaking his head Nobunaga tried to clear his mind up.

“Something wrong, Sir?”

“No, Hideyoshi, just clearing my mind. Things are just unclear as ever.” said Nobunaga. (Damn it, this is no time to think about her).

“Selene, always told me you were a strict boss , but I can see there is more than meets the eye.” Mai's smile was like a bright ray of sunshine.

“So, How you know Selene?” Kenshin went direct to the point while observing Nobunaga.

“We went to high school together, after that we lost contact until we bump into each other at the docks. I had a small store my dream of making a business as a fashion designer were starting. One day, Selene got hurt, and while I was taking care of her and idea of making a bulletproof clothes was born. After selling the first suit I haven't look back. Selene refused to take credit with me. For her it was more important that I managed to get out of the docks. She had always been there. Now is my turn to help. She is just a wonderful girl. She deserves to be happy.” Mai's explanation was heartfelt full of love for her friend.

“Well we arrived. Now don't touch anything if you don't want to loose an extremity that is.” her a matter of fact tone, left no room for jokes.

The trio look at each other and followed Mai inside the warehouse. Inside the place was empty, once they cross the distance of two buildings they entered a cargo elevator and went down. The silence was deafening and yet they didn't dare to break it. In a movement that although lasted 10 minutes for them it seemed longer they finally reached their lower level. The office was completely modern technology Several wall monitors showed the surroundings of the surface around the warehouse. As well as around the docks.

“Selene wanted to keep an eye on the docks. Although she never voice it out loud she never trusted Ian McCloud. And she was right.” turn her view to one of the monitors Tobias can be seeing walking around the docks.

“Who is that?” asked Hideyoshi.

“Ankou a children of Baba Yaga.” Lancelot's voice interrupted the peace of the room. With him Kincaid who approached the quartet with grim faces. “Ian is the one behind us. He is bitter that Selene never adapted to us. The Clan of Baba Yaga, a group who was thought dead long ago, but we had to found out like this that is not.” said Kincaid with a regretful voice.

“Apparently, Selene and Tobias McCloud were selected a the new generation to revive the clan, with the setback that Selene never intended to be an assassin.” Lancelot's voice was full of regrets.

“We are here to help. I know Selene is holding up until we get her.” Kincaid added in a reassuring tone.

Mai went to the wall opposite them and open it up. A room full of suits were available as well as many types of guns, rifles and swords.

“Gentlemen have fun. Take as much as you want. It's on the house. As long as you can get Selene back safe and sound.” Mai signed at the display and Nobunaga gave her an appreciative calculated smile.

“What makes you think I take orders from no one?”

“Oh but this is not an order Mr. Oda, this is plea from a desperate woman who knows who you really are.” Mai's tone challenged Nobunaga's arrogance. She got him there. Which means that Mai was a woman to not take lightly.

“ Well then let's see what you got for us.” concede Nobunaga.

“About damn time.” said Kenshin who already was looking at the clothes.

“I already arrange for Masamune to be transfer here to keep him safe. As well as Mitsurani and the others.” this time Lancelot added while finishing a text message.

“Then lets wait for the other to get a plan. Knowing Ian he might as well will led us to a trap as soon as he can.”

Masamune was running among the fog, his labored breath made him stop. He tried calling Selene but no voice went out of his mouth. Taking a break Masamune took time to recover, feeling anxious due to his surroundings he heard footsteps approaching him. Masamune went looking for his gun but he was unarmed. Making an effort he closed his hands at his sides into fists. The fog started to cleared and soon he recognized the silhouette walking towards him.

“Father?” asked a startled Masamune.

“Son, how are you? It's been a while.” the man smile softly at the sight of his son.

“But you...?”

“I know I'm dead. But there are times when even death cannot detain a father from helping his son.” posing a hand on Masamune's shoulder he started to recover his breathing and calm himself down.

“We must keep walking there is something we need to talk. Tell me how things are for you?”

Both started walking while the fog was dispersing at their path. Masamune felt at ease with his father, and confided in him his love for Selene. His fear of losing her and how he let her being taken from him.

“I don't know what to do father.” his voice was lost defeated.

“You never had doubted yourself Masamune, for you it has always been walking forward. Never dared to second guess yourself, why now?” Terumune Date asked his son with raised eyebrows.

“I don't know, I guess I don't want to loose her the same way I lost you.” Masamune looked at his father with regret. Taking his life in order to save the rest of the family was one of the worst decisions Masamune had to take in his life.

“You did the honorable thing son. It was not easy but you did. I never blamed you for that. If you love this woman, be there for her, she needs you now.”

“How?” Masamune was still unconvinced that he could help Selene.

“Your heart, my son, let your heart will guide you.” with this Terumune Date continued to walk and disappeared.

Closing his eye Masamune put his hand on his chest and started to hear Selene's voice calling him.

“Masamune.” her sounded sweet and sad, a plea that went answered.

As he had conjured her imagine, scenes from the past months started a parade in his mind. Her smile, her tears, her love, her embarrassment. All the faces and reactions that he loved and adored. His heart, started beating with a renew purpose and opening his eye he looked to the light with a new goal. As he walked by the light became engulf by it until he finally opened his eye and took around.

Ieyasu was next to him when he saw Masamune opening his eyes.

“Welcome back Masamune. How are you feeling?”

“I could be better, but the description is being kicked on the chest by a mule. Ouch.”

“Easy, easy.” Ieyasu leveled the bed until he was sited. “Fortune was with you this time. If you haven't been wearing that suit you will be dead by now.” after that he showed Masamune the jacket.

Masamune touch the fabric softly remembering Selene's face when she gave it to him.

“Any news about,...her, about Selene?” it was hard telling her name but he needed to keep his wits together.

“Not yet, but we need to move you out of danger just in case. I'm putting you an anti-inflammatory and a pain killer. It won't knock you out but at least you will move.” said Ieyasu.

With the Help of Ieyasu and Mitsurani Masamune got dressed and were on his way when a group of motorcycles came to their encounter.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me. Mitsurani get the car. And you better take it easy.” said Ieyasu to Masamune.

The group started shooting as soon as they spotted Ieyasu and Masamune. Without any weapons they were easy target. The bullets were dangerously inching near until the roar of the RTR approaching them silenced the rain of bullets. Mitsurani was coming in reverse at 5 meters from them, spinning the car in a 180 degrees, drift to be in between Masamune and Ieyasu.

“Getting in.” he shouted while shooting back in order to give Masamune and Ieyasu time to get in the car.

“Go, go, go” shouted Ieyasu once they were inside.

Without losing time Mitsurani push the pedal and they went away.

Their attackers went on the pursuit, and started following and gaining distance.

“Do you have any more guns?” asked Ieyasu trying to look for one.

“Yeah on the back of the car.” said Masamune with a pained expression.

“Great just great, what the fuck?, They are gaining distance, how are we supposed to loose them?” said Ieyasu.

Just in that moment one motorcycle came next to Ieyasu ready to shoot when a car on the opposite side of the road smashed the motorcycle and the driver with it. The car a  1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 in red with black racing strips gave a turn around taking in one sweep at least 3 other motorcycles; then began to follow them. Only two motorcycles remained and they decided to abandoned the pursuit and returned to base. Once alone the car accelerated and get to the side.

“You guys OK?” it was Shingen with Yuki and Sasuke.

“Yeah, thanks for the save.” said Mitsurani.

“We got a call follow us.” with this the cars went to Mai's warehouse.

“Welcome guys, is everything OK?” Mai was a bit anxious at the look of bullet holes on the RTR.

“Whoever it was wanted us dead.” responded Mitsurani.

“No fucking kidding Captain obvious.” Ieyasu was pissed off.

“At least we are OK. What's the plan?” asked Shingen trying to sound nonchalant about it.

“We will hit them before they hit us again.”

Everyone turned around to see Nobunaga, Hideyoshi and Kenshin dress to perfection on black suits and armed to the teeth.

@datemasamunemaiwaifu @elievalentine @unstoppablelinda @colivara @epicdragonlady @yeshasays @xathia-89 @blue-bean-exe @kimi00twin @pirateprincessyuki @sengokuotaku82 @cailannuesugi @notsafefortum-blr @jennacat84 @masa-little-kitten @kouei116 @la-piperina @shouta-bakugou

Notes: sorry for any mistake I will check it as soon as I get some rest. Thank you.

[papabeartrav-blog]

Letter to God.

My life was a mess before you, I was going in a wrong way fast and in a hurry. You saved me from that you pulled me away from that fire. Life was good with you in it and me putting you as a important part of my life was working. Then the girls were born super early and nobody gave them a chance not a single doctor or nurse but me and Ashley did, I dropped to my knees and prayed harder then I ever have still to this day and asked you for a miracle and you provided our daughters are your miracles. There was no medicine or doctor or anything that helped them two survive that first couple of days. I know it was all you, even when people were still telling us that they would die and we needed to prepare for it we refused to believe that it was the truth we trusted in you and trusted you were helping our babies. I can not think of what life would be without those two girls in my life they can make me so mad but that always goes away with the joy they bring. The greatest joy in my life after you and my wife is watching my children grow and all the memory’s we have already made. I’m not a perfect father but I try to do the best I can and be a good dad for my kids. I want to skip a couple years now we have moved Tennessee and were doing good its hard with the girls and there special needs and being a young married couple but were doing it. The one problem we had was finding a church home here, we most have took almost a year until we found a home in a church and finally it felt like home there. We missed Sundays here and there what young couple doesn’t ? but I enjoyed our Sundays there and the people we meet and how they helped us through a hard time but then for some reason we just stopped going well I made us stop two weeks turned into three and on and on to the point for some reason I said who needs church? I know wrong answer we all need that church family to be there for us and for support. Then we lost Ashley’s sister and I took it personal, everyone knows my in-law’s and I are not best friends by any means, I do care about them even though they probably wouldn’t believe me but I do. Nicole on the other hand was my sister a little pain in the butt but we took her everywhere on vacation and still going on trips don’t seem right without her today I miss her the same today as I did when we lost her. I was so mad at you for not just taking a family member but for taking such a bright and God loving soul and good person far better then me at her age. I stayed mad for some time even telling my wife she needed to not be mad at you why I was. I forgot to mention for two years I was going classes to lead me into ministry which why slowly not going to church my classes became less and less then once we lost Nicole I never took anymore for a while. I quickly forgot the blessing you gave me just a couple years before hand very quickly. Life did finally move on though with no church me switching my major and starting school again and thinking life was going good which maybe it was for a little. What I did not know though was how unhappy my wife was becoming and how are marriage was so very rocky at times. We did welcome are son at this time as well which was a huge blessing but I don’t really know if  I gave you any credit for the healthy baby boy that you brought into our life’s. I did pray for safe delivery and for baby and momma to be ok but that’s about it. Things got even harder with a new baby and my marriage was falling apart and I was becoming highly depressed I was losing everything. Then I had a come to Jesus moment and started to make you a priority in my life again, I started ministry classes again and looked to get involved with a church plant as my career in the army was ending. Life calmed down again and things were good, we meet a couple who had plans on a church plant in Clarksville and we became connected and became friends and I seen there vision of the church and was excited! We meet and talked about things and hung out as friends a few times there great people still to this day but what they were not seeing was me starting to drink more and more and to the point where after work I would hide out in my car and chug a tall boy before going to parent teacher conference at my kids school. I never hide things from my wife but here I was involved in a church plant and sneaking around drinking behind my wife’s back good job Brandon. Then I did what I do a slowly backed away from being involved in the church plant to the point I had nothing to do with it. Life got hard again and I blamed my job so I got a new one, I do enjoy my job now but my life and marriage were still not being fulfilled. We went a handful of times to a church right down the road from our house but it was I’ll go to church but not really be present in church and we all know that works so well. So here we are now my marriage is getting better my depression is getting better my relationship with you is getting better things are getting better, but why? I have placed you in my life again and have made you a priority I read scripture almost everyday I do forget some days but cut me a break I’m trying please. For almost 2 months now I have been working on our relationship and as I do my life seems to start falling back into place and things seem good. Last Sunday I walked into the church we first called home again granted they have a brand new location and building but it felt like home, I seen familiar faces and got something from the message but most important my heart felt full of joy for the first time in a long while. It was kind of a sign I believe cause the message was focused on joy and my heart has been missing the joy of having you in it. Now you ask why I typed all this well first its to owe you a thank you for not giving up on me and to hold myself accountable and for me to share this with others and for me to be reminded how my life with you in my heart is and the joy it brings. Now do I know what my life has in store for me? No but I’m going to do my best to keep you in it and to spread your love to others. Will I ever become a pastor and lead a church or will I stay at my current job? I don’t know those answers but I know you do so I’ll just put my faith in you and enjoy the ride. I joined a group at church that meet today that showed me once again I can speak about you with fellow believers but l am setting a goal to seek out people who need you in there lives just as I need you. I want people to know I’m Brandon Travis I’m a child of God and he loves me and forgives me and Is always there for me when I let him.

[platonicvisionimagines]

Vision, the reader, Wanda, and any other Avengers of your choice on a road trip somewhere. Someone thought it would be a nice bonding experience and everyone there was pretty much brought against their will. Fun nonsense, loud singing and hijinks ensue and the reader gets to see a playful side of Vision they never even knew he had.

Alright, my friend. So here’s the deal. This request was so flipping good that I really had to go a little overboard. So, instead of a bulletpoint scenario…I may or may not have started a, uh…full-on fic? It started getting out of hand, so I’m breaking it up. Here is the first part, and it’s going to be, I estimate, about 2 or 3 segments long. I just felt that an overview really didn’t do this request justice. So, this is part one, and be prepared for much more after I finish the six other requests in my inbox.

THE AVENGERS ROAD TRIP, PT. I (2.5k words)

It starts as a sort of joke, a wild fantasy proposed by a couple of day-dreamers.

The common room in the New Avengers Facility is filled with an uncommon and uncharacteristic peace—no arguments, no hurt feelings, an all-around remarkable lack of tension and room-dominating elephants.

Steve reads the paper from his favorite chair directly under one of the overhead lights. On the floor beside him, Bucky tinkers with the unloaded crossbow Clint and Natasha were teaching him to use. Vision and Bruce examine and discuss blueprints for one of Tony’s new blaster prototypes pulled up on a holoscreen. Viz’s arm is wrapped around Wanda’s shoulders, and he absent-mindedly rubs circles into her sleeve with his thumb as she chats with you.

“Oh, I listened to that band you were telling me about!” Wanda exclaims, gesturing excitedly.

“I’ve given you hours’ worth of recommendations, Wanda,” you tease good-naturedly. “You’re going to have to narrow it down for me.”

She laughs. “Ah, they had a strange name. I can’t think of it. Hang on.” She closes her eyes and racks her brain for a melody. One pops to mind and she hums the chorus expectantly. Recognition clicks in immediately for you.

“WALK THE MOON! Oh my gosh, what did you think?”

“I loved them! They make music that makes me want to travel.” She quirks an eyebrow. “Does that make sense?”

You leap to your feet, pointing at her fervently. “It makes perfect sense! I know exactly what you mean—they’re the perfect road trip band!”

Wanda, Viz, and Bruce stare at you with wide eyes, and, realizing that your shout has definitely disturbed the peace, you glance behind you to find Steve and Bucky wearing the same expression. You smile in sheepish apology and spin back around to face Wanda, who hides her laughter behind her hand.

“Sorry, everyone. I promise I’ll be quiet after this, but you all look skeptical of my claim, so now I have to defend my point.” You cue F.R.I.D.A.Y. with a wave of your hand. “Miss F.R.I.D.A.Y., play ‘Surrender” by WALK THE MOON.” Vision chuckles quietly. He always called the AI “Miss,” insisting that for all she did, she deserved the utmost respect, and the habit had rubbed off on you.

There’s a rustling as Steve gives up on reading for a moment, folding his paper and putting it in his lap. Bucky continues to fiddle with a mechanism of the crossbow, but you know enough about him to know he’s listening carefully, too. The opening notes of the song fade in, and the images of all it could be a soundtrack to are vivid in your mind’s eye.

After a minute of listening, you can see that no one’s objecting to the music, but they’re also not visualizing what seems painfully clear to you. Wanda and Vision are searching to find whatever it is you had in mind, but Bruce looks like he’s not hearing the track at all as he frowns and zooms in on the blueprint before him.

“Alright, everyone close your eyes. You’ve got to let it wash over you.”

Much to your surprise, everyone does as you ask. As a younger, newer member of the team, sometimes you could get the others to indulge you for little requests like this.

“Really listen now,” you instruct as the chorus pumps its driving beat through the air. “See? Don’t you get a vibe like you’re driving through the Grand Canyon with your hair flying in the wind and the red rocks rising around you? It’s just blue skies and open air and freedom, ya know?” The longer they have their eyes shut, the more you see everyone’s expression shift, and you know they’re feeling it.

When the song ends, Steve and Bucky are looking at you, nodding in satisfied agreement. Bruce still has a small smile lingering on his face as he goes back to scanning over Tony’s blueprint, and you hope the music was a welcome distraction for a moment. Vision opens his eyes and grins.

“That was lovely. I can understand why you both enjoy that song so much.”

You look to Wanda to get her opinion, but stop yourself from speaking when you see that her eyes are still closed. Another few seconds pass before she opens her eyes. There’s a faraway expression on her face when her gaze meets yours, and it startles you. The sadness that tints her irises haunts you, and you quickly sit down beside her. Vision notices the same thing and gently shakes Wanda’s shoulder, looking at her worriedly.

“Wanda, are you okay?”

She blinks rapidly to reel in the emotions threatening to spill over and nods.

“I…I am fine, yes. It’s just…it sounded so nice.” She brings her hands up and gingerly flicks her hair off of her forehead. A gentle smile graces her lips. “Maybe…maybe someday we can see something like that.”

Vision takes Wanda’s hand and kisses it softly, rubbing her knuckles soothingly. “That sounds like a wonderful idea, Wanda.”

“I agree,” you say, searching for a way to bring her back to the state she was in before. “Hey, do you want to watch this really cool set of covers Steve and I watch sometimes?” She nods, and you ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to bring up YouTube.

Everyone returns to their tasks, but the calm is skewed, squished, like it can’t quite settle back into the same shape, like the room suddenly has less space than before. Wanda falls back into easy laughter as you show her Postmodern Jukebox, but you catch Vision’s eye behind her back, and you both know that you’re going to have to find a way to help Wanda see the world.

In looking at each other, neither of you catch the glint of determination in Steve’s eye as he turns to the sports section.

It’s 10:45 the next morning when F.R.I.D.A.Y. sends out a compound-wide alert to let the team know that an 11:00 meeting has been called. Everyone who spent the night in the compound shuffles down to the boardroom in various states of alertness; 12:00 is optimal functioning time for most Avengers. Bruce rests his chin on his hand, dozing lightly as he sits, and across from him, Natasha watches, fighting the smile threatening to cross her face. The smell of coffee hangs heavy in the air as Clint hunches over his mug next to her, Sam throws back his caffeine like a shot, and Wanda sips quietly from her cup. Vision smiles brightly as you enter, and you pull up a chair beside him.

“Any idea what we’re in for?”

“None whatsoever.” Tony beats Vision to his reply, striding through the door. “I pulled up this morning ready to get to work and got re-routed on my way to the lab, so it better be good.” He slides into the seat next to Bruce, clapping him on the shoulder and startling him awake. “You get a chance to take a look at those blueprints, buddy?”

Bucky and Steve walk in last. Bucky takes a seat near the head of the table, and Steve follows but remains standing.

He gives a close-lipped smile before starting in. “Morning, Avengers. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called this meeting.”

“Rogers, if this is about trying to get the Department of Education to finally retire those PSAs—”

Steve snorts. “It’s not that, Stark. We’re in need of some team bonding.” He looks around meaningfully at all of you. “I think some time together outside of the compound would do us some good—time when we’re not looking at blueprints or punching secret agents in the face. Time when we’re just…you know, living.”

“I like our movie nights,” Bucky interjects with a shrug. That was an understatement—Bucky adored movie night.

“So do I, Buck, but I was thinking of something a bit beyond that,” Steve responds cryptically.

Natasha narrows her eyes. “Well then, what do you have in mind?”

Steve draws in a deep breath, pointedly meeting your eyes and then Wanda’s. “A road trip.”

Clint, Sam, and Tony burst into laughter simultaneously. Natasha smiles.

“Oh, you’ve really done it this time, Steve.”

Steve had anticipated as much in the way of reception. “Before you totally shrug me off, really think about it for a minute. It’s a much-needed break, a chance for us to see some new sights, and I know for a fact you’ve all wanted the opportunity to test out Stark’s car collection.”

“Hey, don’t volunteer my luxury SUVs for your little teenage summer fantasy.”

“You can shake your finger at me all you want, but I guarantee they’ll look better on the road than in the garage.”

“I think it’s a fantastic idea,” Vision finally says. Everyone turns to look at him, and at last, they catch sight of Wanda, of the hope shining in her eyes. The atmosphere shifts with the recognition of her childlike wonder. You tap your fingers on the table.

“I agree. Honestly, nothing cements family ties more than a good, old-fashioned road trip.”

The beginnings of a sense of triumph lights Steve’s expression. The tide is turning in his favor.

Bruce sits up in his seat to object. “I don’t think we want to risk putting me in a very confined space for an indeterminate number of hours.”

“I don’t know, Dr. Banner,” you pipe up. “I’ve never seen you Hulk out over nothing. It’s always seemed like you’ve been pretty in control over the kinds of minor annoyances that would pop up during a road trip.”

“That’s true, Bruce,” Steve agrees. “I think you might really end up enjoying yourself.”

Sam stretches in his seat. “Yeah, you all have a good time with that. Take lots of selfies, alright?”

Without missing a beat, Steve looks at Sam. “Sam, you’re coming.”

“What?” Sam sets his mug on the table, disbelief in his face. “Come on, why don’t I get a choice?”

“Because you don’t have a wife at home already prepared to chew you out for missing dinner last night by staying at the compound,” Clint retorts. He laughs fiendishly in victory, his voice playful, but his expression falls a bit and his laughter dies off as he realizes the truth behind his promise of an imminent incoming lecture.

“Look,” Steve sighs, a muscle in his jaw tightening as his tone changes. “It’s been one major hit after another for this team. If we’re being honest, I think it’s a miracle we’ve managed to stay together this long. It just seems like we could use a little vacation, a way to reaffirm that we’re in this together. That we’ve got each other’s backs.”

A few seconds pass in silence. Bucky breaks it, grinning as he speaks.

“Alright. An Avengers road trip.” He chuckles lightly at the sound of it; it’s a proposition only his best friend could make work. The room settles into an energy of acceptance, a few other laughs breaking free from your teammates. You and Vision look at Wanda at the same time. She’s ecstatic. “That begs a pretty important question,” Bucky continues. “Might start a brand new fight before it brings us together. Where are we going?”

The task falls to you and Vision. Steve feels that it’s only right. He extends the invitation to Wanda, too, but she declines, saying she wants to be surprised.

You briefly consider having a city as your destination, tossing around Boston and Pittsburgh and Cleveland. But the national parks have always had a special place in your heart, and as soon as you suggest it, Vision concurs that it’s the way to go.

“Cuyahoga or Acadia?” you ask, biting your lip and drumming your fingers against your chin.

Vision considers this seriously for a minute. “Maine might be a bit more secluded,” he suggests. “Easier to stay hidden and inconspicuous.”

You clap and point at him in agreement. “You’re so right, my dude.”

“We could complete the first half of the trip and stop in Providence for the night before making our way into Augusta.”

“Good idea. I love Rhode Island.” You type in your new destinations and look at the times for each leg of the route. “Looks like it’s broken up into three travel days this way. Should prevent us all from being at each other’s throats too quickly, right? On the way back we can do longer stints in the car and get back in two days because everyone always wants to get home by the end.”

“We could stay over in Concord, New Hampshire.”

“Perfect!” You survey the route you’ve mapped out in awe. “Viz…I believe we just planned a road trip.”

He raises his eyebrows and smiles at you. “I believe we did.”

Ultimately, Steve grants Tony the option to skip out on the road trip so that he can spend time with Pepper—although he did extend the offer to let Pepper join the expedition; she respectfully declined. Clint had automatically qualified for exemption because of his family. The thought of the confined quarters of the car had made Bruce too nervous, and he opted to remain at home after you made him promise to tag along for the next road trip—you were exceedingly optimistic—as long you all came back in one piece and still mostly enjoying one another’s company.

But you did succeed in dragging Natasha, Sam, and Bucky along, and you even manage to get Peter onboard. Not that it had been much of a struggle.

“A road trip?” He had gawked. “Uh, yeah, of course I want in!”

It’s a Thursday when you leave, piling into the Lincoln Navigator Tony agreed to loan you. Peter, Sam, and Bucky settle into the back row. Peter doesn’t mind, even being in the middle seat, and Bucky doesn’t mind the back either. But Sam wears an exasperated expression already. He hadn’t had much of a choice in coming or in his seat selection, mostly because you had begged that Wanda and Vision’s first road trip experience not be from the back of the van. Window access, you had argued, was key for the trip. But you promised he could have first pick on the way back.

And so it had come to pass that Nat, Wanda and Vision would occupy the middle row—the snack row. The three hoist the big snack-filled canvas bags Wanda had assembled throughout the week into their laps. You slide into the passenger’s seat as the appointed DJ for the journey, and Steve exchanges a few words with Tony as Tony hands off the keys.

And then Steve takes the wheel, and the road trip begins.

Again, thank you for the great opportunity to bring this to life, my darling Anon. Look for the next few parts with some great Viz moments over the next few weeks!

[fallout4holmes]

Journal 37

The scientists did excellent work; Valentine made the trip north without complaint or further mechanical failure. We stopped by Jamaica Plain again to stay the night with the Lockheeds, and left early for Diamond City.

Gunshots and shouting drew our attention midway to our destination, near a radio tower. A trade caravan had run into a pair of yao guai. One of the guards was mauled while his fellows unsuccessfully tried to intervene. Danse charged the first while Valentine and I assisted with the second beast. A rifle fired and the mutated bear fell, a bullet through its eye.

We looked around, surprised, and three shots from the hidden rifleman crippled one of the rear legs of Danse's opponent, allowing the soldier to easily finish it off. Danse stepped out of the way as the other members of the caravan hurried to the fallen guard's side. “He's alive, but gravely wounded,” Danse said.

“Can he make it to Diamond City?” Valentine asked.

The caravan leader sighed heavily, “It'll be close. Stimpak'll help, but I don't know… oh!” He was startled as he looked at the man addressing him. “Uh,” he looked at me, “thanks for the hand?”

“You're welcome,” I said, and introduced us, “This is my partner Nick Valentine, my name is Sherlock Holmes, and the man in power armor is the Lt. Colonel of the Minutemen -”

“Boss?” a familiar voice called from behind a tree a short distance away.

I turned and saw a young man in a green cap and ragged duster holding a sniper rifle, ammunition belt strapped to his thigh. Seeing that Danse had taken over discussion with the caravan leader, I moved toward the sniper. “MacCready?”

He gestured to a small boy behind him, no more than five years old. The boy clutched his hand tight as they came forward. The boy's clothes hung loose on his thin frame, his light brown hair and blue eyes a perfect copy of his father. “Mr. Holmes, it's good to see you,” said MacCready.

“And you, Mr. MacCready. Is this who I think it is?”

He grinned, proud, “Yeah. This is my son, Duncan.” He said to his son, “This is Mr. Holmes, he's one of the people who helped me find your medicine.”

“A pleasure to meet you, young man,” I smiled. He seemed inclined to come out of his shell for a moment, but quickly hid behind his father with wide eyes as he stared behind me. “Oh, this is my friend,” I reassured him. “His name is Nick Valentine.”

“Nick helped find your medicine too,” MacCready said, “He's not like the other ones.”

Valentine’s brow rose, “Other ones?”

“We ran into some of your cousins,” MacCready said. “Blue lasers and shi- stuff. No fashion sense.”

“Institute leftovers,” Valentine frowned. Then he knelt down and spoke gently to Duncan, “I know I look kinda scary, but you've got nothin’ to worry about from this old synth.”

Duncan was doubtful.

“The injured guard is secured for travel,” Danse reported. “We should keep moving.”

The caravan was happy to have extra guns and welcomed my friends and I, even if Valentine received a few suspicious glances. MacCready had signed on as a guard for the caps, thinking he would need all he could get to start a new life for him and his son wherever they ended up. He’d come back to the Commonwealth because the Capital Wasteland held nothing for him but memories, or so he said. I personally believe he came back because the Commonwealth held an opportunity to start over and be the sort of man his wife always knew he was. Whether or not he takes that opportunity remains to be seen.

Diamond City welcomed us home with Dogmeat's excited howl and Shaun running out of the house, overjoyed to see us. “Dad! Nick! Are you fixed?”

“Not all the way,” Valentine said with more good humor than I would have been capable of, “but we know someone who should be able to take care of the rest.”

I asked Valentine and Danse to take Shaun back inside while I made sure the caravan guard was seen to by Dr. Sun. Then I asked MacCready if he cared to stay the night while I tried to find a more permanent solution for him.

“Got room for all of us?” he asked.

“There's a spare bed in the Agency if necessary.”

Shaun came running back out of the house, “Nick said your friend and his son can stay and I should come out and meet Duncan?”

I laughed, “MacCready, this is my son Shaun. Shaun, this is Mr. MacCready and his son, Duncan.”

“You can skip the 'mister,’ kid,” MacCready smiled. “Duncan's kind of shy.”

“That's ok,” Shaun bent over a little to speak to the younger child, “Diamond City is a lot, but you get used to it. Do you want to see my toy car?”

Duncan's face lit up, “Yeah!” Shaun took his hand and led him into the house.

MacCready was amazed. “I guess we can stay for a little while.” He spoke briefly with the caravan leader, and joined me inside.

Shaun was marvelous with Duncan, playing gently and patiently. Valentine later confessed he'd warned Shaun that Duncan was only half Shaun's age and had recently recovered from a harsh illness. The chance to play was clearly good for Duncan’s spirits as well.

Codsworth recognized our guest, “Mr. MacCready, wasn't it? I hope your business with my master from your last visit was successfully resolved?”

“You saw him,” MacCready gestured to where the boys were playing upstairs.

“Oh of course! He seems a fine young man, and it is wonderful for young Master Shaun to meet someone younger than himself. Can I provide anything, sir?”

“Nah, I'm good right now, but thanks.”

Danse joined us after seeing to his armor in the workshop, “How do you and Holmes know each other?”

“I hired him in Goodneighbor, only to discover he required my services more than I required his,” I said. Valentine's brow rose slightly at my interception of the question, but he said nothing.

“I owe Holmes a lot,” MacCready said. “Without his help, Duncan wouldn't be here.”

“Danse, you wouldn't happen to know of a settlement in need of a sniper with room for a growing young boy, would you?” I asked.

Danse didn't like the fact that we hadn't fully answered his question, but he didn't pursue further details at that moment. “There have been reports from Finch Farm that the Forged are becoming active again. They might be able to accommodate. Or County Crossing and Somerville could both use an extra pair of eyes against recent super mutant activity.”

“No shortage of choices,” I said to MacCready. “We're headed to Sanctuary tomorrow, you should come. It's where all the new Minutemen recruits begin their training.”

He made a face, “I appreciate the hand, boss, and I'd be happy to give it a look, but I gotta finish this job first. I said I'd go with the caravan all the way, so I will. That was the deal. Besides, the Minutemen might be a good idea, but I'm… more of a freelance sort of guy.”

“You're a mercenary,” Danse didn't quite roll his eyes, though he clearly wanted to.

“That's right,” MacCready challenged. “And you won't find a better shot for your caps. Been handling a rifle since I was a kid.”

One of the caravan guards knocked on my door. MacCready could stay behind and get a quarter of the promised pay, or finish the job and receive one and a half times his pay to compensate for extra work now that they had an injured guard. Some minimal haggling followed, more out of tradition than anything else, but the terms remained unchanged and MacCready said he'd meet them at the entrance.

Duncan was disappointed he had to leave, but refused to stay behind without his father. MacCready promised him that he'd see Shaun again. Codsworth gave Duncan a small pack of bottled water and fruit for the road, and they took their leave.

The door closed behind them, and Danse looked at me, “May I ask why you required the services of a mercenary?”

I was dismissive, “I was bored, it was not one of my better moments.”

“Not sure 'bored’ does it justice,” Valentine muttered.

Shaun sat next to Valentine at the table, “I liked Duncan, he was nice. He told me he and his dad are from the Capital Wasteland, a long way from here. He said it's a lot different than the Commonwealth. That's where you're from, isn't it Danse?”

Danse nodded once, Shaun's enthusiasm drawing a slight smile, “Yes. He's right; it is very different.”

Dogmeat, seeing Shaun's attention was no longer focused on his guest, walked up and put his head in Shaun's lap. Shaun scratched behind Dogmeat's ears and said, “Wanna run the bases?” Dogmeat barked, and Shaun leaped off the chair to hurry outside, “We'll be right back!”

Valentine and I shared a smile. “A boy and his dog,” Valentine chuckled.

“His energy is boundless,” I said, a bit astonished.

“Takes after his father on a good day, if I may say so, sir,” Codsworth said.

I was a bit affronted, “A good day?”

Valentine laughed, “I couldn't agree more. Danse, stop standing there glowering. Soon as Shaun gets back, we can tell him about the trip to Sanctuary. You sure you don’t want to wait here for Preston to join you instead of heading west just to go east again?”

Danse shook his head, “I recognize you’re functioning somewhat normally, but I would prefer to personally see all of you to Sanctuary safely rather than stay behind with nothing to do.”

“You’re worried I’m not gonna make it, and you don’t want to be bored out of your mind sitting around here,” Valentine summarized with a grin.

“Didn’t I just say that?”

“Sure did,” Valentine lit a cigarette and tossed the pack to me. “Just makin’ sure I heard right.”

We didn’t waste any time. Valentine and I reported to Ellie, who naturally demanded the full story of the trip to Murkwater and the plan to help Valentine. She is very worried about her friend and employer, but put on a brave face and wished us luck with the best optimism. Danse needn’t have worried about Valentine breaking down on the way to Sanctuary, but I was glad for his assistance in safely escorting my family.

Sanctuary continues to thrive as the Minutemen grow in number. Valentine saw to getting Shaun settled in while I spoke to Preston and Danse. As I expected, both men were more than willing to do their best, and were attentive as I outlined what they should expect from the island’s unique residents. Shaun was ecstatic when we told him we were going to Sanctuary for an extended visit, though he was almost more fascinated by the mysterious island from whence his second father’s help would come… hopefully. Danse has no doubt become something of a knight in shining armor in Shaun’s imagination the next few weeks. With luck, he and Preston can coax a wizard from his cave.

[noradarhkpalmer]

Rider, Massachusetts

Title: Rider, Massachusetts

Rating: PG

Pairing: Nora Darhk/Ray Palmer aka Darhkatom

Warnings: Minor swearing

Summary/Notes: AU Based on an ask prompt: only two people in this hotel/inn and sitting in my room alone wasn’t fun so I’m invading yours.

Nora Darhk checks into the Storybrooke Inn after getting lost in the storm, pausing her road trip to be anywhere but Star City after the death of her parents. Ray Palmer's GPS stops working on his way home from a business trip in New York and that brings him to the small picturesque inn. They're the only two guests checked in and decide to be lonely together.

This started out as an ask prompt thanks to @jakelovesamy and now it turned into all of this. I am so please and so stoked about this. I've always wanted to write an ooey gooey holiday fic like this but never had the right idea. 

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH EL REALLY YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY. Enjoy everyone! El I hope you love it! PS there will be a bit of an epilogue type chapter after this just so Maude can gloat.

She hadn’t planned to be here. Neither had he. When the snow got bad somehow, kismet, serendipity, fate, maybe even God, led them to both pull into the Storybrooke Inn. Coincidence or not, the Inn looked something straight out of a storybook. It was still covered in Christmas lights and decorations as was the small quaint town of Rider, Massachusetts. Ray was in New York for a business meeting when his GPS suddenly stopped working and he got lost. Nora was trying to be anywhere but Star City. She was a long way from home, across the country to be precise, she’d been taking the cross country trip ever since her parents were killed in a car crash just before Christmas.

Nora had arrived first. She walked into the just as equally decorate foyer of the inn and then walked up to the front desk, ringing the bell. She glanced around to the adjoining living room, seeing presumably locals since there was only one other car than hers in the parking lot, probably the owner’s, playing cards, chess, reading, just sitting somewhere to get warm and be a little less lonely on New Years Eve.

An older woman came from another adjoining room that she couldn’t tell what it was and smiled warmly at her.

“Can I help you?” Nora looked the woman over and the warmth didn’t seem to fade, she was embodiment of the holidays and everything Nora never had growing up.

Nora nodded. “Yes, I got a bit lost and the storm is making it pretty impossible to get anywhere so I’ll be needing a room for the night.”

“Well we’re happy fate brought you to Rider either way. I’m Maude Mills, I own the inn.” She extended her hand to Nora and Nora shook it.

“I’m Nora… Sorry, my hands are still a bit chilly from the storm outside.” Nora quickly retracted her hand and watched as the woman reached behind her for keys off the very full key rack behind her.

“That’s alright, dear, just sign in here.” Maude pointed to a pad in front of her on the desk and Nora filled out her basic information. “You’ll be our only guest, if you get too lonely up there, a lot of the locals like to stick around late into the evening to ring in the new year. You’re welcome to join us.”

Nora smiled sadly, not quite in the New Years Eve mood and nodded. “Thank you, but the warm bed in the room will probably just put me right to sleep.”

Maude nodded. “Okay, well, we’ll be here if we change your mind. Let me walk you up to your room.”

xxxx

Ray pulled up to an inn that he hoped was open. He saw just a few cars and was even surprised to see the Washington plates on the car next to his. Of all the gin joints. He walked inside with his bags, seeing an older woman at the front desk as he strolled up, glad that the inn was in fact open.

“Hi there!” He greeted.

“Well hello there! What a treat, I get two guests in the span of an hour. I’m Maude, who you might you be?”

“I’m Ray… I got a bit lost in the storm and need a room for the night, please tell me you’re not all booked up for the holidays?” He asked and going off the full key rack, save for one set of keys missing, it probably wasn’t.

Maude waved him off and laughed at his joke. “Nope, you’ll be my one of two guests. Just sign in here and I’ll get you all set up.”

Ray obliged and noticed the only other name on the guestbook. Nora Darhk. He’d heard that name before but he couldn’t place where. He finished and took the keys from Maude and let her lead him to his room.

xxxx

Nora looked up from her book when she heard shuffling and voices move past her door. Maude? Another guest? She heard a deeper, charming, male voice chatting with Maude. She heard a door open near her and shut a few moments later. Nora shivered slightly and stared at the unlit fireplace across from her bed. She really didn’t want to start a fire and possibly set something else on fire in the process so she resolved to sitting on her bed in her thickest sweater and coziest socks.

Another few hours passed and Nora, despite moving under the covers now, was almost completely freezing. She looking at the time 10:13pm. Less than two hours to midnight. To a new year. To the first full year ahead of her without her parents. She swallowed thickly, trying to not let herself be sad about it. She let herself grieve and mourn up to the funeral and the wake after but quickly locked that part of herself away after that.

Nora was brought out of her thoughts when she heard a loud noise from the room next to hers. The clunking of logs and a satisfied sigh. Whoever was next door had started their fireplace. She sighed. Who was she? Sitting in here all pathetic by herself on New Years Eve. She couldn’t even be bothered to start her own fireplace. Nora, now in her pajamas, grabbed her robe and slipped on her houseshoes and padded out of the room. Wait what was she doing?

Not being alone. That’s what she was doing.

Knocking on a complete stranger’s door two hours to midnight? They could be a serial killer? Or they could just make her feel a little less lonely.

Nora gently rapped on the door next to hers and she sucked in a breath as a very tall, handsome, and shirtless man answered the door. She was so stunned her hand was still raised as if she were still knocking.

“Hey, can I help you?” The man greeted with a smile.

Words stuck in Nora’s throat as she tried so hard not to stare at the man’s muscular chest and arms. “Umm… I just heard you starting your fire and I really don’t want to set my room on fire so I was wondering if I umm wow this sounds so stupid now that I am saying it out loud but… I was wondering if I could hang out in here?”

The man looked down after Nora was noticeably staring and realized he was still shirtless. He fetched his shirt from the bed and slid on the plain black tee. He leaned against the doorframe and listened to her request. Something inside him told him to let her in.

“Sure. Come on in, get warm, you look cold.”

Nora smiled in thanks and walked inside, wrapping her arms around herself, not sure what to do but thankful for the good 10 degree difference between his room and hers.

“I’m Ray by the way, Ray Palmer.” Ray held out his hand to Nora.

Nora shook it. “I’m Nora, Nora Darhk.” She smiled and then puzzle pieces clicked in her brain. “Like as in Ray Palmer of Palmer Technologies?”

“That’s me.” He grinned.

Nora guffawed. “What in the world are you doing at this tiny little Inn in Massachusetts?”

“I was on a business trip in New York and got a bit lost.” He shrugged. “Guess you can’t always count on GPS’s huh?” Ray offered her a seat on his bed and she gingerly sat down, pulling her legs up to her chest. “It seems we’re the only two guests so… what brought you to Rider?”

“Same as you… I mean… I got lost because of the storm. I’ve been on a cross country road trip since Christmas Eve.”

“Are you the one with the Washington state plates? Are you driving across the country to see different family members?”

Nora nodded. “Yeah… that’s me, why? And no… I don’t have any family, kinda why I took the roadtrip. To get away from that small fact.”

Ray had a sudden flash. An obituary in the paper for a Ruve Adams and a Damien Darhk, killed in a car crash, survived by their daughter… Nora. “You live in Star City, don’t you?”

Nora furrowed her brow, now suspecting this man was either a stalker, serial killer, or too good to be true. “Yeah… why do you know this much about me?”

Ray realized how all of his questions sounded and waved her off. “No it’s not like that… I saw your parents’ obituary in the paper a couple weeks ago… I’m sorry for your loss. That must be so hard losing them so close to the holidays.”

“Yeah well… that’s just how fate likes to treat me.” She shrugged. “I lost my job back in September and then this… I basically emptied my savings and found myself on the interstate on Christmas Eve, which is a bitch to dive in by the way, I’ve just been trying to be anywhere but Star City or any place that reminds me of my parents. I was on my way to Boston when I got lost and ended up here.”

Ray reached out and took her hand. “I’m sorry. I really am. Four years ago… I lost my fiancee, we got mugged at gunpoint and… he shot us both I somehow survived. I don’t know why or how… it doesn’t seem fair. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why she died and I got to live. I spent a lot of time with that pain, I wish I had the agency you did to just take off and deal with it in whatever way you pleased. If you want to talk about it more, I’m here, I know we just met but maybe opening up to a complete stranger you’ll never see again might be easier.”

Nora wiped away a stray tear that she was pissed she let fall and shook her head. “You never know, you might bump into me on the streets of Star City. But, I know what you mean. I’m sorry you lost her, but maybe you’re still here because of a greater purpose. I read the papers, your tech company is not only successful but gives back and really makes an effort to change things at a grassroots level, that’s revolutionary. None of that would be possible if you weren’t still here.”

Ray hadn’t thought of it that way. It didn’t make the pain of losing Anna any less worse four years down the line but it did make him breathe a little easier thinking about it. She was right. He had found purpose in those four years even though some of it was because he had thrown himself a little too much into his work but, he was still proud of all that he had accomplished.

“So, what’s this job that was stupid enough to let you go?” He asked, trying to move onto a lighter tone to the evening.

Nora tried to hide her smile. “I didn’t technically lose it, it’s just over for the season. Don’t judge… but I work at a Renaissance Fair. I’m considering not going back next season because my boss is a jerk so I kind of decided to lose my job.”

Ray tried to hold in his laugh. “Of all the things I thought you would say, that was definitely not it.”

Nora rolled her eyes. “You can laugh, go ahead. It wasn’t my first choice in jobs either. I have a teaching degree but no one wants to hire a drama teacher in the age of STEM.” She sarcastically airquoted ‘STEM’ and realized she was talking to a man with probably multiple degrees all in STEM fields. “Sorry.” She blushed and looked away.

Ray shrugged. “No, it’s okay. I love the arts. I have a lot of paintings in my apartment I commission from local artists and I love musicals. The arts are still important no matter what other science fuddy-duddies say.”

Nora smiled and realized they were still holding hands, she tried to retract, realizing he probably hadn’t meant to hold her hand this long but he simply put his other hand on the other side of hers and smiled, so she kept it there.

“So you like musicals?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Do I? Singin in the Rain is my favorite movie of all time.”

Nora grinned. “I’m more of a Grease girl myself, but I can appreciate Debbie Reynolds in her prime.”

“What else do you like to do other than watch musicals and what exactly is it that you do at the Ren fair?”

“I’m a witch. I tell fortunes and pretend to cast loves spells or curse enemies. All very Morgana Le Fey type stuff.” She found herself now playing with his fingers as he let off one of his hands off and she tangled their fingers together. It felt almost instinctual to do this. And she wasn’t sure why.

“You continue to surprise me, Nora Darhk.” He shook his head and gazed at her longingly, he really truly hoped he’d bump into her one day in Star City.

Nora moved their hands so they were in a position to thumb wrestle and gave him a smirk. They absently started thumb wrestling as they continued to talk.

“And to answer your other question, I like to draw, paint, I dabble a little bit in photography, I sort of do a little bit of everything since I don’t exactly have the most stable job in the world.”

“Paint anything I might have seen in a gallery or coffee shop?”

She shook her head. “I’m not that good, I’d love to start a photography series called Faces in the City where I just capture Star City for what it is, the good and the bad. Maybe it’ll help bring change, I’d love to donate and proceeds I make off of selling prints to homeless shelters around town.”

His heart swelled. This woman had had the worst few months of her life and there was still room in her heart for people less fortunate than her. She was a marvel.

“I could help you with that,” he offered.

Nora realized he meant financially and she waved him off. “No… you don’t have to do that.”

“No, come on I think it’s a great idea, maybe if not with that but with the drama teacher gig. I give a lot to STEM camps but I also give a lot to art programs. Summer programs that teach kids how to write, draw, paint, do theatre, music, dance. They’re always looking for qualified instructors.”

“I had one real year of teaching before they cut the funding at my school so I’m not exactly what you would call ‘qualified’,” she said.

“I think you’re plenty amazing and any school would be lucky to have you shaping and encouraging the future minds of this country. Teachers don’t get enough credit. If you ever need a recommendation while you’re job hunting, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Nora choked out a laugh. “You’ve known me for an hour, why would you want to do that?”

“Because I see that there is something incredibly special about you, Nora, and I’m really glad whatever it was that brought us here together tonight did. I don’t know how we ended up being the only two residents of this inn but I’m thankful it meant we got to meet.”

Nora face flushed. What exactly did he mean by all of that? Was it romantic interest? Plantonic interest? Was she even ready for romantic interest? She’d known this man an hour. She glanced at the clock 11:15pm. Forty-five minutes until 2019. She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Me too.”

They spent the next forty minutes talking about life, laughing at how rowdy the locals downstairs were getting, Ray showed her some of his personal invention ideas that he just had to get on paper somewhere, he wasn’t sure if they’d ever come to be, but they all revolved around making the world a safer and better place and Nora’s heart swelled at his heart for humanity. It was now five minutes to midnight and they had moved to sit in front of the fire. Ray had snuck downstairs and nabbed a bottle of sparkling grape juice and two glasses. He poured them each a glass and settled down next to her in front of the fire.

Nora had shed her robe, it was too hot to have it on and sit in front of the fire but now it was almost like she was just still a smidge too cold to be comfortable.

Ray noticed her shivering and fetched a blanket, he sat back down across from her and draped the blanket over the both of them, their legs brushed together. Nora looked absolutely beautiful next to the fire. An absolute angel if he were honest. Maybe one day she would be his angel.

The minutes ticked by and they sat in a comfortable silence, two minutes to midnight now.

“Hey, Ray?”

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever kissed anyone at midnight?” She asked, looking a little apprehensive to even broach the subject of the New Years Eve tradition.

Ray nodded. “Anna and I did every New Years we were together. What about you?”

Nora shook her head. “If my dad was awake he’d kiss my cheek and say ‘Happy New Year, Nora-doll’ but other than that, no.”

“Why do you ask?” He couldn’t help himself now, he reached for her free hand and tangled their fingers together.

“Will you kiss me at midnight?” Any boldness she had left her body the minute she asked and immediately tore her hand away to cover her mouth. “I’m sorry… that was really forward wow are you sure this is non-alcoholic?”

Ray chuckled. “Yes.”

Nora looked up at him. “Yes to what?”

Ray heard cheering from below and a clock tower chiming in the distance. Midnight. He smiled and pulled her in for a soft, sweet kiss and then pulled back. “What do you think?”

Nora smiled in return and pulled him back in for another kiss. “I’m really happy we decided to be lonely together.”

“Happy New Year, Nora.” If she hadn’t just met him tonight, she’d consider the look in his eyes to be of complete adoration and love.

“Happy New Year, Ray.” She knew now that 2019 would be her absolute best year yet.