#tower of dawn spoiler I guess

[friendlygiantmushroom]

Idk what TOG/sjm fans are talking about. I just finished Tower of Dawn and I really liked it.

[dontfrickwithmyfood]

Some TOG hot takes now that I’ve finished the series:

1) Aedion and Chaol are my favorite male characters

2) top 3 ships are Chaol x Yrene, Nesryn x Sartaq, and Elide x Lorcan

3) The Southern Continent was infinitely more interesting than any other setting, and it’s a damn shame we only got 1 book dedicated to it/featuring it.

4) Tower of Dawn fucking rocks what is wrong with y’all

I’ll probably come up with more later ✌🏽

[yazthebookish]

This might be a bit long but the Gwynriel Reddit thread inspired me to let my thoughts flow about Gwyn and Azriel.

P.s. this will include some HOFAS spoilers.

I've said this before but SJM choosing to end Azriel's chapter with Gwyn is a choice. It's the beginnings and the endings of a chapter that authors tend to put a lot of thought into—so her ending the chapter which felt like her nudging readers' to Gwyn's direction is intentional.

Gwyn was not just a random addition, given their interactions throughout ACOSF their scene in the bonus chapter didn't feel out of place (even if readers' didn't expect to see her in it).

People try to invalidate the bonus chapter as much as they can but HOFAS had proved once again that they are important and canon (though I do think SJM and her publisher need to include these in the main books because they are crucial).

"You depend so much on a bonus chapter that a lot of readers don't have access to"

True but that doesn't mean the next book can't fill in the blanks because Azriel and Gwyn were already interacting in ACOSF, so having that romantic development in the next book (and the possible reveal that they're mates) + ON PAGE will still make it up for the readers that never read the bonus chapter. Like, CC4 will definitely bring up the fact that Ruhn and Lidia got married (despite it happening in a bonus).

I always considered the bonus chapter as a teaser for what will happen in the next book, Sarah confirmed she sprinkled little crumbs and I quote "I want to hear all your theories after you read the book and his [Azriel's] bonus scene, the crumbs have all been scattered, little bread crumbs everywhere" and it will keep readers guessing until the next book is out. So you won't know for sure how relevant or significant the bonus chapter is and the crumbs she scattered until you read the next book.

With that being said, Gwyn's cameo in the bonus chapter didn't come without some interesting clues: Azriel's shadows didn't warn him she was around, they were curious about her and she smiled at them, they danced and sang around her, Azriel revealed he sings because she asked, she thanked him with a smile and he felt settled even his shadows calmed.

We never saw his shadows react to anyone the way they did with Gwyn. They seem drawn to her, they danced, they sang, and while there are many theories about it but I absolutely do think if the shadows would be drawn to someone it would be Azriel's mate.

"Azriel and Gwyn had no romantic development and he didn't think about kissing her and all that"

But did every SJM couple start that way? No. And someone expressing the desire to kiss and hook up with someone is not always an indication of endgame (I can count multiple couples who kissed but weren't endgame).

The crumbs we had of them in ACOSF sets the groundwork for a romantic relationship to build in the next book—because who doesn't want to read about them both falling in love on page?

And yes, Sarah is capable of writing a love story from scratch in a single book (e.g., Tower of Dawn). Another example is how ACOMAF started with Feyre being in love with Tamlin and halfway through she started to really fall in love with Rhys.

The whole Azriel/Elain/Lucien triangle is messy as it is, so I don't think SJM would turn it into a square by inserting Gwyn. SJM could've chose not to give Gwyn and Azriel any ties in any way whether it was him rescuing her, him training the Valkyries, and again, including her in his own bonus chapter (hell even her boss:guardian Clotho made an appearance).

But she did and based on her pattern with her male love interests in particular, she doesn't really insert a new female or have females fight over the male love interest. I don't ever see Elain and Gwyn fight over Az, each might have an issue with Az on their own but do I see them argue with each other over Azriel? Absolutely not.

And if you look at the sequence of the scenes in his chapter, it gives a better idea of how it was planned:

1. Starts with Azriel reflecting on his loneliness while everyone left.

2. Elain shows up and they interact, Azriel gives her the necklace and they almost kiss.

3. Rhysand interferes and Az stops the kiss and tells Elain it was a mistake.

4. Az and Rhys argue and ends with Rhys ordering him to stay away from Elain and dismissing him.

5. Az leaves to the House of Wind wanting to work off the frustration but finds that Gwyn already occupied the training ring.

6. Gwyn and Az interact and he leaves the scene feeling settled down and his shadows calmed.

7. He wakes up, goes to the River House and finds Elain's necklace, he pockets it with the intention of returning it to the shop after the snowball fight.

8. Instead of the shop, he goes to the library to ask Clotho to give the gift to Gwyn and refuses to leave with it.

9. Going back and forth, Clotho eventually agrees and said she will tell Gwyn a friend gave it to her and she thanks Az for the joy it will bring to Gwyn.

10. Az leaves but the mention of Gwyn's joy sparked something in him that it brought a slight smile to his face, he buried the image in his chest where it glows quietly.

Both interactions with Elain and Rhys ended with him feeling miserable, but both interactions with Gwyn and Clotho ended with him feeling lighter and better—and to me that shows me how intentional SJM was with creating these parallels (including the shadows skittered back vs the shadows danced and sang).

Instead of Gwyn and Clotho we could've had Mor or Nesta or Amren, but SJM chose Gwyn and Clotho. Like, it could've ended after Rhys's argument but again, it's a writer's choice.

That's why no matter how many times I reread ACOSF my mind doesn't change much because SJM is not that subtle.

[suzuran777]

Review: Tokyo Satsujinki (Holicworks)

I finally finished the other new BLVN I bought recently, Tokyo Satsujinki! This game was released last month, by Holicworks who are known for previous games like Taisho Mebiusline, Tokyo Onmyouji and Tokyo 24 ku (yes they're aware of all of their similar sounding "Tokyo" titles lol). I guess this game might be a bit difficult to review because it’s extremely story-heavy and I would still like to keep this review spoiler-free, but I’ll try my best! Right now it's also only available in Japanese, but as Tokyo Onmyouji was translated, maybe this one will be picked up too one day.

The main character, Kurotori Yuzuru, is a civil servant who works for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. He belongs to a countermeasure group who fights against a negative force, often referred to as "Aramatsuri". In this world, both Aramatsuri and Amaterasu are powers that reside within humans. Amaterasu brings positivity and happiness, while Aramatsuri is deemed evil and leads to misfortune.

Only those with special powers are able to see Aramatsuri, therefore these are also the only people who are part of the Aramatsuri Countermeasure Division, which Kurotori and some of the other main characters belong to. A common way of confirming that one possesses special abilities, is by asking them about the appearance of Yoyogi Park Clock Tower. Only those with special powers are able to see the big pink flower on top of it, which suddenly appeared one day and doesn't look like it's from this world. Especially the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku is heavily affected by the negative impact of Aramatsuri, so this is a location where a large part of the story in this game takes place.

The recommended route order is Tendo > Tsubaki > Isshiki > Inami, but don’t be surprised when you suddenly have to enter Inami’s route to make progress in Isshiki’s route. This games makes use of a flowchart which shows you where the endings are, and which ones you still need to get, but it doesn’t really tell you what choices to make. Especially near the end it’s a lot of trial and error, but it’s not too difficult and I kinda had fun figuring it out myself! On the other hand, I also saw some comments that it’s a bit annoying when you want to finish a route quickly, which I understand... so be prepared that the last two routes are long. I think you can also start with Tsubaki's route because plot-wise it won't change a lot, but I'm pretty sure the other two routes are locked.

A big part of the story in this game focuses on Kurotori, the protagonist. Kurotori’s powers are a bit special compared to the other characters because not only is he able to manipulate Aramatsuri and change it into any shape he wants (he often uses it to create a sword), he can also use the power of goddess Ame-no-Uzume. She's the goddess of dawn, meditation and the arts, and in Shinto religion, her story intertwines deeply with that of Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess who also plays an important role in this story. It is also not a coincidence that the positive powers in this game are called "Amaterasu" because some of the characters can use the powers of Amaterasu Omikami.

The first route I played is Tendo's route, Kurotori's coworker who also works for the Aramatsuri Countermeasure Division. He is one of the people who can use the power of Amaterasu, and his family specializes in using Japanese swords, so that’s his preferred weapon of choice. The Aramatsuri Countermeasure Division is a secret even many governmental organizations and the police don’t know about, therefore they can't carry weapons or fight Aramatsuri in locations where other people can see them. Their manager, a woman called Mikiko, is also an important character in this game (she's the one sitting in the chair in the image below!). Tendo's route mostly focuses on his brother's disappearance, who also used to be part of the same division. Before he went missing, his brother attacked and killed his coworkers during a mission, and now other employees seem rather suspicious of Tendo too, wondering if he will turn against them too. Tendo however, also doesn't know why any of this happened.

The next route I played is Tsubaki’s route, who's an aspiring actor who tries his best to find new jobs. Even though he tries his best to live a normal life, his family has a long history of unfortunate incidents, and many family members either died or went missing. If that wasn't bad enough, Tsubaki also gets regular visits from the god Sarutahiko Ookami, who wants to use Tsubaki to sever Kurotori’s ties with Ame-no-Uzume, Sarutahiko’s wife. Tsubaki doesn’t really want to do this, but there's not much he can do against the will of a god. In the common route of the game, Tsubaki tries to attack Kurotori while wearing Sarutahiko's mask, concealing his identity, but Kurotori kind of suspects that it was him. As he learns more about Tsubaki, part of him wants to deny this though, because he believes Tsubaki might also be a victim of all of this. I enjoyed the casual interactions between the characters in this route too because it shows that Kurotori doesn't really use smartphones or computers (other than for work-related reasons), so Tsubaki has to teach him how to use apps like Line...!

After this I started playing Isshiki’s route, a mysterious bartender who’s also an Onmyouji and can use the power of Onmyoudo. This technique allows him to cast spells using the powers of astronomy, and methods range from Yin/Yang, the Five Elements, shikigami (cursed spirits) an a whole bunch of other things (if you played Tokyo Onmyouji you probably know too!). He can also use the power of an Inugami who he calls “Kota”, the curse of a dog spirit. If you're familiar with Inugami.... you immediately know this route will be dark, because Inugami are beings that can only be created by humans, involving a brutal ritual, eventually killing the dog. As you can see in the opening movie it's not Isshiki's fault, but man this backstory made me sad.

I think this is the route I liked the most though because in most of the other routes Isshiki is kind of like the villain and his visions don’t align with the other main characters, so I really wanted to see his side of the story. After finishing his route it was almost hard to continue with Inami's route because both of them are always fighting and I kind of agreed with Isshiki's reasoning more, but I did want to see the final endings. A name that gets mentioned a lot in this route is Amatsu-Mikaboshi, a star god who would not submit to the will of the other Amatsukami (the kami of Heaven), and I think it's good to remember this name when you play the next route too.

So the final route focuses on Inami, who is another coworker of Kurotori. He can also use the power of Amaterasu, and is originally from Okinawa. Even though he's their coworker, the others don't actually know a lot about him. He's quite skilled and spent a lot of time learning about many different magic techniques. In his route, you finally learn a lot more about who Inami is, but there's also a lot of backstory related to Kurotori, which doesn't show up in other routes. Even though I do prefer Isshiki's route, it’s not like this route makes the other routes feel irrelevant or less important, which sometimes tends to happen when games have a "true" route. I'm not sure if it's the design or his behavior, but Inami did remind me a little bit of Misaki from Taisho Mebiusline lol! Though that could make sense because it's the same writer and company of course. This route has two really good ending songs by the way, which I keep listening to...!

Final impressions I think those who enjoyed other Holicworks games like Tokyo Onmyouji and Taisho Mebiusline will definitely enjoy this game too! I missed playing their games, so I was definitely happy to play this one. I think it might be a bit difficult to get into for those who don't want to read a super long story with only a few 18+ and romance scenes. It definitely took me about 50 hours to play all of the different endings. This includes trying to figure out what to do next though (I think some people already started making a guide, if you want to avoid that though, so check Twitter/X first). If something in the early routes feels left unexplained, there's a big chance it will show up in another ending. Sometimes I was surprised how even little details I never thought much about were somehow story-relevant.

Like most of their previous games, a large part of this story also references various terms related to Shintoism, and names of many of the gods/kami are directly mentioned in the story and play a huge role in it, so I think it would be a good idea to keep track of those to understand some of the references. However if you don't get all of the references, I think it's still not impossible to understand the story and the endings, I just think it's fun to look everything up! Talking about endings… This game has a lot of them, so be prepared to keep loading your save files.

As usual the music in this game is really good, I especially liked the songs by Lily & Morrigan. I liked the art too, especially the action scenes were cool and some of the CGs are animated. I'm a big fan of Kurotori's design too, I love the lower lashes, black nails and high heels!! If I had to complain about something, I guess the 18+ scenes sometimes felt a bit awkward, but that could just be a me-problem because I am very picky LOL (and each route only has like 2 of them).

I really want to see a continuation of some of these routes tbh! I think there's definitely potential for a fandisc. I got Isshiki's pre-order bonuses, which includes a short drama CD that takes place after his main ending, so I'm going to assume all the other characters also have this. I guess I'll end this with a fun fact, Isshiki’s bar in the game (Arca) actually exists in real life too, and I’ve already seen a lot of fans go there to enjoy the drinks. So if you're ever in Shinjuku, you might be able to visit! It's near Sanchome station.

[frozenlight-gvf]

Strawberry Wine: Part Two

pairing: barn au: danny × fem!reader (enemies to lovers)

summary: after your first rendezvous with Daniel, tensions are high. he still gets under your skin like no one else can, but there’s something else there now— something that you refuse to let yourself feel.

(here's part one if you haven't read it already!)

word count: 4.8k

warnings: (for this part): language, dirty talk, explicit sexual content, angst (18+ MINORS DNI) [i chose not to include all the warnings to avoid spoilers, reader discretion is advised!]

a/n: new moodboard new moodboard! anyway this part was super fun to write hope u enjoy <3

***

The wind whipped through your hair as you urged Guinevere to a breakneck gallop across the field. You thought maybe the speed and the endless green vastness would wipe Daniel from your mind for at least a moment or two, but a voice like alarm bells blared relentlessly in your head: What the hell happened last night?

As the sun broke the line of the horizon, beginning its journey across the sky, you breathed in the crisp misty air of the dawn. The heat hadn’t yet gotten a chance to burn, so you savored the slight chill. You let Guinevere slow, as she had begun to pant and snort, and unwelcome thoughts seeped back into your mind. You thought of how willingly you fell under Daniel’s control, responding to his every whim. You thought of his warm breath against your ear. You thought of his hands, how they petted you… how his fingers curled and caressed…

You shook your head, the images dissolving. Guinevere was still plodding along under you. You leaned forward to pat her neck, trying to bring yourself back to the moment. Now, the only thing in your head was your mother, as you heard her voice ringing out across the field, calling you back to her.

You reentered your house – which you had so suddenly departed from just an hour ago with your riding helmet in hand and racing heart in your chest, still warm from just having thrown off your sheets in restless frustration – and you wiped your boots on the doormat under the scrutinizing eye of Susannah, who was making sure you didn’t track mud in her house.

“What’s up with you?” she asked in her accent stronger than your own. “You’re shaking like a leaf, honey.”

You hadn’t even realized it. “Adrenaline, I guess,” you mumbled.

She shrugged as she fussed around in the kitchen, making breakfast. You sat down obediently at the table, knowing after many years of trying that she would never accept your help when she was cooking.

“How’s things with Danny?” she asked, cutting strawberries into an old ceramic bowl painted with watercolors; a product of a childhood craft gone slightly awry, but too sentimental for your mother not to keep.

You scoffed, a bit put-off that she sounded like she was inquiring after a relationship. “Same as always.” You hoped the slight tremor in your voice didn’t give away the fact that things had, in fact, changed. Dramatically.

“You’re so mean to that poor boy,” she sighed, shaking her head. “Would it kill you to be nice to him?”

“He’s not nice to me, mama. And you know how I am with boys.”

“I know, I know. My little dragon,” she said affectionately. She cupped your cheek for a moment as she placed a plate of bacon on the table. “But I want you to at least try.”

You banished your mother’s old-fashioned ways; she thought the princess was always supposed to be saved by someone else, namely a man. She’d nicknamed you her “dragon” when you were little; you always pointed and squealed at the pictures of the dragons in the storybooks she read to you– the ones that destroyed kingdoms on fiery rampages, the ones that threatened the lives of well-meaning princes. You were always more the type to curl up in a cave somewhere rather than drape yourself out the window of a tall tower, calling for someone to rescue you.

But, you couldn’t fight that little voice inside you, the one that was begging for someone to take care of you, to hold you and kiss your lonely tears away. You rested your chin in your hand as you pushed your eggs around on your plate, your mother sitting across from you. 

“I’m not gonna force you into anything, hun,” Susannah said, taking a sip of her sweet-smelling coffee. “But, darlin’, it would settle my heart to know that there’s someone else in your life who would make you breakfast in the morning.”

Susannah meant well, and you knew it. Like all mothers with lonely daughters, she wanted to see you cared for and cherished. She’d tried to hire barn hands you might get along with, and a part of you felt bad for how poorly you always treated them. But it was your way. Isolation is an art, and you had practically perfected it.

After breakfast, you milled about the barn, so far its only human inhabitant. The sun was now steadily rising, no longer shy about its light and broiling heat. You were anxious for Daniel to arrive so you could assess what happened between you. If he didn’t look in your direction, it was safe to assume he was feeling the way you were, which was conflicted. If he flashed you his usual teasing grin and tipped his hat, it would mean that, to him, nothing had changed. And you weren’t sure which option you preferred.

As you surveyed the tack room, making sure every saddle and every bridle was in its assigned space, you heard familiar footsteps from behind you.

“Do you really not trust me to put everything back where it belongs?”

You whirled around to see Daniel leaning against the doorframe a couple yards in front of you. For a moment, there were no words exchanged between you two. In his eyes, you could see flashes of last night’s passion. You tensed up every muscle in your body, bracing for whatever impact that was about to come. 

You pointed over to the wall covered in tangled leather straps. “Ziggy’s bridle is where Tim’s should be.”

Daniel’s eyes widened imperceptibly as he noticed his mistake, and you felt a small swell of pride within you for having shaken him. But his signature roguish smirk soon spread across his face as he pushed off from the doorframe with his shoulder, uncrossing his ankles.

“My bad, heiress.”

He sauntered past you to switch the bridles, brushing close to your side. It almost felt like a static spark passed between the two of you, and you sucked in a breath. He turned back to you, his body now closer to yours than what would be considered “friendly.”

“However may I earn your forgiveness?”

You looked up at him, your breath catching. His curls were slightly damp, and he smelled of crisp pine and lemon. It was so rare for you to see him like this; usually when he was in your line of sight, he was flushed and sweating from heat and hard labor. But right now, he was almost glowing, fresh from a morning shower. Your mind wandered to imagine how he might look with nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist with his chest damp and glistening, his wet curls draped over his broad shoulders–

“Something on your mind, sweetheart?”

“No,” you said quickly, shaking your head sharply and swallowing hard. Daniel’s smile only grew. 

“Oh, no? Because you seem a little… bothered.” He leaned in to whisper the last word, and his closeness and his clean scent made you want to fall into him. But you stood your ground.

You tilted your head towards the rack of bridles. “I’m only bothered because you can’t do your job right.”

He chuckled. “Is that so? Well…. I seemed to do my job pretty well last night, didn’t I?”

You bristled slightly at such a direct mention of your rendezvous. You figured you two would beat around the bush for a little while longer, but it seemed like he couldn’t wait to make you squirm again.

“That’s what you were thinking about, wasn’t it?” he said, leaning over you slightly.

Eager to prove him wrong, you straightened your spine and stared at him. “No. It was something else.”

“Alright. Whatever you say, heiress.”

You thought that with that, Daniel would leave and start on his morning chores, but he remained exactly where he was– too close for comfort.

“You have chores to do, Wagner.”

He tilted his head with a crooked smile.

“That I do, ma’am.”

Still, he made no move to leave the tackroom. You were starting to feel that anger he so loved to stir up in you.

“Then go do them!”

He flashed his eyebrows.

“I’m about to.”

And still– he stayed. You raised your voice to shout at him, but he reached one of his hands out and pulled you into him by your waist, planting a kiss on your lips. 

You wrestled away from him, the blush on your face betraying how much you enjoyed that.

“What are you doing?” you spat.

He smiled and crossed his arms. You had to tear your eyes away from the defined curves and edges of his muscles. “Do you not remember what I said last night?”

“You said a lot of things last night, Wagner,” you mumbled, straightening your shirt and turning away.

He leaned in once more to whisper in your ear, his breath fanning against your hair. You could feel your blush spreading, making your ears burn pink.

“I said, I was gonna put taking care of that needy little cunt of yours on my list of chores.”

Your lips parted slightly as a breath escaped them. He noticed. He pressed up behind you and started rubbing both of your arms up and down slowly. 

He hummed a contented noise. “You like that? Does that sound like a good way to start our morning?”

Our morning. 

He pressed a soft kiss to your ear, his lips then sensually traveling down to your neck, leaving a trail of kisses.

“Want me to take care of you, sweetheart?”

He was tearing down your walls brick by brick, stone by stone, but you didn’t want to let him make ruins out of you.

Your voice was breathy as you protested, not having much power behind your insistence. “Daniel, my students are gonna be here soon…”

“Darlin’,” he said, interrupting you, still kissing down your neck, “it’s barely nine in the morning. Your first class won’t be here until ten.” He switched to the other side of your neck and paused for a moment before speaking again. “It’s just you and me.”

“My mom–”

“--isn’t here right now.”

“But she might come here later…”

You felt his lips curl into a smile against your neck. He gave you a little nip right under your ear. “Then, I guess you better be quiet, then, huh? Think you can be quiet for me, sweetheart?”

His hands moved from your arms to your hips, caressing up and down your curves. 

“Answer me, baby.”

“Yes.”

His touch started to get bolder as his hands traveled inward, running up over your chest. Your eyes fluttered shut as he squeezed gently, massaging the tender flesh in his palms. His hands then slipped under the fabric of your shirt to feel you closer. His fingers teased along the top edge of your bra.

“I wanna see you in something prettier than this,” he mumbled in your ear, referring to the sturdy sports bra you were wearing. 

“I will never spend money on lace, Wagner.”

“Then I will,” he said with casual certainty as he tugged on the hem of your shirt, bringing it up over your head. He then turned you around to face him, his eyes staring disapprovingly at your choice of undergarment. He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Pretty thing like you shouldn’t wear shit like this. Wanna see you in lace or nothing at all,” he mumbled again.

“Guess nothing at all will have to do for now,” you said, trying to keep the hopeful edge out of your voice.

He grinned as he reached forward to relieve you of your bra. His lips parted in an awestruck smile as soon as he saw you bare, his eyes sparkling.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” he rasped, skating his hands over your breasts, feeling your sensitive nipples hardening under his touch. Your hands started moving on their own as your fingers met with the metal of Daniel’s ornate silver belt buckle. You traced your fingertips over the minimal design at the center before you suddenly felt him take your hands and place them on his chest.

“Don’t touch the buckle, sweetheart,” he said quietly in your ear as he guided your fingers to the bottom of his tshirt, encouraging you to lift it off of him. 

You’d seen his bare chest many times; he rarely ever wore a shirt while working outside. But you’d never seen him like this. You noticed details you’d previously glossed over– the freckles that dotted his perfectly tanned skin, the sensual curve of his waist, and the trail of coarse hair that stretched up from beneath his jeans. You were practically dumbstruck. 

You weren’t exactly sure how or why you found yourself with your jeans undone infront of Daniel Wagner a second time, but there wasn’t much time to think about it before your pants were on the floor of the tackroom, and Daniel had your legs wrapped around his waist, pressing you into the wood-paneled wall. 

He took your mouth again in a fiery kiss, but this time, you didn’t stop him. You let him consume you, his tongue exploring your mouth feverishly.

“Seems I’m getting pretty good at getting you to shut up,” Daniel said, speaking breathlessly between punishing kisses. You could feel how riled up he was, like a bronco about to break loose.

Not once breaking the kiss, he reached down with one hand to remove his belt, the dexterity with which he did so making you melt even more. The leather snapped against the denim as the accessory fell to the ground, including his apparently precious buckle. 

“Not so worried about that thing now, are you?” You glanced at the piece of metal strewn on the floor.

Daniel growled into your mouth, pushing you harder into the wall, bringing your attention right back to him.

“The only part of you that’s allowed to touch my buckle is your pussy when you’re sitting on my lap. Are we clear on that?” He paused, taking your nod as an answer and continuing to kiss you passionately. 

His hardness began teasing at your center, rubbing back and forth and collecting the arousal that was dripping from you. You shivered with desperation in his arms, his hands gripping and squeezing your ass. 

“Oh, sweetheart…” he crooned, “you’re wetter than you were last night. Have you been thinking about me all morning? Is that why?”

You shook your head, but both of you knew you were lying.

“I bet you thought about me last night, too. Did you think about me in bed? Did you think about how good my fingers felt inside you and how badly you wanted to feel my cock?”

You couldn’t reply, as the tip of his cock had just barely nudged against you, and you already knew you were in for it. He felt big.

“I really hope you didn’t get your hands dirty in your bed last night,” he said, clucking his tongue patronizingly. “You know I’m the only one who can touch this pussy, right? It’s all mine, isn’t it, darlin’?”

You waited in heated anticipation to feel him buried inside you, but he didn’t move. His eyes burned into yours. He was waiting for an answer. And he wasn’t going to give you what you wanted until you gave him one. Until you submitted to him.

“It’s all yours, Danny.”

A voice.

“Danny?”

Both of you froze. Daniel’s fingers dug deeper into your ass, as if holding you tighter would make you somehow disappear.

“Where are you, hun? I need you to do something for me.”

You and Daniel looked at each other, eyes wide with terror. Susannah.

Her light footsteps were almost imperceptible, but you could tell you only had seconds to get out of the compromising position you were in. Daniel all but dropped you, rushing to get his shirt and belt back on, hissing urgent curses under his breath. You plucked your discarded clothes from the floor, racing to pull your bra and shirt back on and to tug your jeans over your hips and button them with shaking fingers.

When Susannah’s willowy silhouette appeared in the doorway, Daniel was reorganizing the saddle pads, and you were aimlessly fidgeting with the leather straps of the bridles lining the walls, silently kicking yourself for not having come up with something more convincing to be doing. 

“There you are, darlin’. Can you take a look at Rebel’s stall door? It was creaking somethin’ terrible yesterday.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

Daniel gave a polite bow of his head to Susannah as he sauntered past her, hands in his back pockets and whistling a little tune— like he wasn’t just mere moments from being caught thrusting deep inside you. You were left trembling; partly with fear, but mostly from the visceral anticlimax of having to stop right before what might have been the greatest moment of your life. 

Your mother turned to you, a hand on her hip. Her gentle, smile-lined face shifted to show a mild concern.

“You alright, sweetheart? You look awfully warm.”

Your blush only grew hotter. Your fingers let the reins you were inspecting too closely drop and gently swing against the wall.

“I’m fine, mama,” you said, grabbing a bucket full of grooming tools from the ground.

Susannah shrugged and turned to leave, ducking into the little room next door which classified as the barn’s office: a little area with an old hutch desk and an older computer. 

Exhaling deeply, you shook your head, unable to believe you didn’t get busted. And you were also unable to believe how nonchalant Daniel was afterwards. His inhuman speed at getting dressed and his lightning-quick ability to become otherwise occupied so he didn’t come off as suspicious— like he had a habit of fucking girls where people might intrude. Like he had a habit of fucking girls, period. It made you realize that whatever you had going on with Daniel had lower stakes for him than it did for you. And it was maddening.

You stared off into space during the morning lessons you were teaching. Luckily, the riders were slightly older than your afternoon students and didn’t need eagle-eyed supervision. You stood in the center of the ring, occasionally calling out for your riders to change their horse’s gait. The warm-up probably lasted a bit too long, but there was hardly any room left in your mind for anything else when Daniel was occupying it— especially not teaching. The horses cantering in a circle around you almost made you dizzy. 

”Miss Y/L/N?” a voice piped up. “Can we stop now?”

You turned to where the voice was coming from: a younger girl whose helmet almost seemed to swallow her whole head. You nodded, rubbing your temple.

“Walk,” you declared in a voice not as commanding as you would have liked, and the horses slowed around the ring. Originally, you were going to give the riders their first lesson in jumping, but you were in absolutely no state something as involved as that.

“How about a trail ride?”

The girls cheered, and you led the five-horse parade down from the ring to the barn so you could hop on a horse to guide the procession on the trail. You instructed your riders to wait as you headed into the stables and towards Guinevere’s stall. But it was empty. You huffed in frustration and marched into the office.

“Where’s Gwen?”

Susannah looked up at you from the boxy computer.“Danny took her out back to the pasture for a bath. Isn’t that sweet of him? Making sure your horse is all nice and clean for you,” your mother said with a wink.

You rolled your eyes. You knew Daniel wasn’t bathing Guinevere out of kindness. He would never do anything for you out of kindness. “I need her for a trail ride.“

“Trail ride? I thought y’all were jumping today. Do you need help getting the poles set up? I’ll go get Danny—“

“I don’t need him, mama!” you shouted suddenly, whirling around to face her. She startled a bit, her eyes fully focusing on you. 

“Y/N—“ she scolded, her surprise hardening into consternation.

“I don’t need him.” Your voice softer as you repeated. You knew your mother heard you the first time, so the second time you made the declaration was mostly as a reminder for yourself. You took a breath, calming yourself. “It’s hot today. The horses are feeling lazy, and they won’t want to jump.”

Susannah shrugged, her shoulders now cold. Her gaze turned back to her computer, wordlessly dismissing you. Her silence tugged at your heart, but you couldn’t let it affect you. 

With Guinevere preoccupied, Ares was the only horse left in the stable. He was off-limits for students. After bucking a rider off of his back and into a fence last spring, Susannah declared that Ares would never be used as a lesson horse again, only remaining in the barn for extremely advanced riders who refused any of the “easy” horses. And for Daniel, who somehow got the demon to bend to his will.

Although you’ve been riding your whole life, even you avoided Ares. He was sturdy and powerful, yet wildly skittish. Any sort of loud noise or quick movement would have him rearing and taking off running, endangering everyone on or around him. You stood there outside the horse’s stall, studying him for a moment. You wouldn’t have time to tack him up; the riders were waiting on you outside. The idea of having to ride him bareback on the trail— the place with the greatest potential for an unexpected spook— made your blood turn cold. As you opened Ares’ stall, you had the slight inclination to just forget the trail ride and get Daniel to help you set up the jumping poles in the lesson ring. But the more you considered it, the more vivid the image of his face in your mind became. You pictured the way he’d look down at you and smirk, teasing you for not being able to do anything by yourself, not being able to do anything without his help. Without him. He’d poke you and prod you, goading you for needing his assistance, for needing him. Needing him.

You met your riders in front of the barn atop the black horse with a less-than-confident smirk on your face. With no reins, saddle, or stirrups to hold onto, you felt truly vulnerable on Ares’ back. Ares’s energy felt potent and volatile as he shifted under you; it almost felt like he was just waiting to catch you with your guard down and buck you off into the dirt. You just hoped that Daniel couldn’t see your bubbling fear as you rode past the pasture towards the trailhead. 

Despite your immense anxiety, the notion of him seeing you riding his favorite horse was attractive, but all you could focus on right now was keeping Ares under your control. 

“Lookin’ good down there, ladies!”

Daniel waved from where he stood in the pasture, smiling charmingly. The young girls behind you giggled, enamored with the roguish barn boy who was currently shirtless as he bathed Guinevere, glistening with sweat and water. You shook your head. His flirtation meant nothing. He just wanted attention. Your riders waved back at him, and he tipped his hat gallantly. They crushed on him the same way one might crush on the older pool lifeguard in one’s youth, all blushing cheeks and smitten, innocent glances. And Daniel always responded in the way that lifeguard might: crooked smirks and harmless, playful quips.

You chose not to respond to Daniel, knowing it would only egg him on. Instead, you urged Ares forward. A few more yards and you’d disappear into the trees, shielded from Daniel’s piercing gaze and baiting words. But Ares stalled beneath you. Daniel noticed the way you clucked and kicked at the horse’s sides, trying to get Ares to budge.

“Is Ares too difficult for you, heiress?” 

Your students chucked a bit, and your face began to burn. You kicked at Ares harder now, but he only stamped his hoof into the gravel at the trailhead and huffed.

“Just switch with her!“ Daniel said, pointing at the girl riding Ziggy— the easiest horse in the barn. “I bet that little lady can handle Ares better than you.”

More giggles from behind you. The fury within you was reaching a peak, and it started to mix with your nervousness, creating a boiling concoction of intense emotions that left your fingers shaking. Ares could feel this as he pawed at the ground, flicking his head up and down. 

“Maybe I should just show you how it’s done, huh?”

“Show me how what’s done, Wagner?” you shot back. Your voice broke slightly, and you hoped Daniel would interpret it as anger rather than fear. Ares was getting antsy, and you didn’t like it at all.

“Riding,” he said with a chuckle. “You sure you’re the best person here to teach these young ladies?”

Before you could give Ares one more swift kick, the horse’s ears pinned back against his head.

A loud rustle came from the woods to your left. You saw flashes of spindly legs and streaks of white as a family of deer ran through the underbrush.

Ares startled, his hooves skittering on the gravel, the movement abruptly sending you forward as you clung to the horse’s neck. A loud whinny shocked your ears as wind started whipping against your face, the trees flying past your eyes.

 Ares was bounding down the trail, sprinting through the woods. Your heart was pounding harder than his hooves against the dirt. You gripped the coarse hair of his mane as tight as you could with trembling fingers. Your legs flailed with every one of Ares’ panicked strides. Your thighs and feet struggled to find purchase against his sleek body, clambering frantically. But you couldn’t stabilize yourself, and Ares was running wild.

You felt your hips slide as Ares rounded a sharp bend. The air was knocked from your lungs as you hit the ground, your vision going dark. 

~~~

“Shit, shit, shit.”

Your eyes fluttered open at the noise. 

“Shit, Y/N.”

Daniel swung off of Guinevere before she had even come to a stop. 

His face was blurry above yours. His urgent hands quickly inspected your arms, your legs, your torso. One of his hands came up to cup the back of your head.

“Fuck.”

Strong arms slid under your knees and your back as he lifted you up.

The next thing you knew, you were flying again. Sat sideways in front of him, your head jostled against his shoulder. One of Daniel’s hands was held tight to the reins, the other wrapped around your waist, keeping you right up against him. 

“Hold on, sweetheart. You’re ok.”

His voice was warm in your hair. 

You then winced as his voice rang out, calling your mother‘s name. The sound stabbed at your ears, sending tendrils of pain through your head.

Daniel slid off the horse with you in his arms. 

The worried voice of your mother drifted into your mind, her cold fingers shaking while pushing the hair out of your face.

You then found yourself tucked in the passenger seat of Daniel’s truck, The landscape was racing by outside the windows. You felt Daniel holding one of your hands tight. He gave it a squeeze.

“Stay awake for me, honey, ok? You can’t go to sleep.”

You squeezed his hand back.

The rest of the drive went by in a blur, as did the visit to the emergency room. Unfamiliar instruments were held up in front of you in dark rooms, and you answered as many questions as you could. As soon as a voice told you that you were allowed to rest, you closed your eyes and sank into sleep.

“Hi.”

You blinked awake to see Daniel right beside you, holding your hand. He was smiling sweetly, his face laced with concern. The fluorescent lights of the sterile room around you had been dimmed, but they still stung your eyes.

“You’ve only been out for an hour. The doctors said to ask you questions when you woke up. Can you tell me your name?”

You answered, hating how quiet and weak your voice sounded.

“Can you tell me my name?”

“Danny.”

He smiled, rubbing the back of your hand with his thumb.

“Good job, sweetheart.”

He paused for a moment, seemingly taking in the sight of your dazed eyes. He leaned in closer in his seat beside the cot, his elbows propped on his knees.

“You’ve got a pretty nasty concussion, but you’re ok. No broken bones or anything like that. They gave you some stitches for the cut on the back of your head.”

Your voice was croaky and hoarse. “Where’s my mom?”

He was quick to ease your stress. “She’s at the barn. She’s taking care of your students. She’ll be here as soon as she gets all the horses put away. I had to drive you so I could explain to the doctors what happened to you since Susannah didn’t see any of it.”

“You drove me?”

“You don’t remember?” He sighed a bit, shifting in his seat. “No ambulance would have gotten all the way out there quick enough,” he said quietly. “I had to make sure you were ok.”

You felt his fingers against your cheek. Bits and pieces of the car ride started coming back to you. The empty roads, the speed, Daniel’s worried face. But mostly, you remembered the way that he held your hand.

The way he was still holding it. 

***

Part Three

Taglist:

@sunandthemoontwinflames @brujamagick @lightsofthe-living-gvf @hellowgoodbye @thedaddydirection

DM me to be added to the taglist! I don't currently have a post schedule for this series, so the taglist is the best way to be notified of new parts!

[lyranova]

Chapter 19: The Invasion of Spade

Hiya guys! I’m sorry this chapter took a while, I had a few struggles with it 😅. But thanks to @loosesodamarble and @thoughtfullyrainynightmare ‘s help I was able to finish it 🥺💕! Aaahhh we’re getting closer and closer to the end of this series, and I’m starting to get sad but also excited like when COTF was nearing it’s end 😆! This chapter covers the Spade Invasion, and gives a few hints to a couple of scenes and moments that’ll appear in “A Fractured Diamond”! Also, fair warning, the next chapter will have a time skip! I hope you all enjoy~!

Word Count: 5,658

Warnings: Anime and Manga spoilers, Violence, Blood

“ What did you do to my family?!”

Zera’s heart was pounding in her ears, her blood was boiling in her veins, and tears of anger and sadness were pooling in her eyes and slowly falling down her cheeks.

“ Wait, you don’t understand-!” The man gasped as Zera’s vines tightened even more around the man.

“ Oh, I think I understand completely,” She growled as she continued to add more vines to her attack and forced them to constrict more and more around his body.

“ My husband is missing…my kids are all dead or near death…and yet somehow you’re unscathed, which tells me you either sat back and watched everything happen without trying to help them, or,” She began slowly as she used her vines to spin the man around.

Her eyes widened as the low sunlight caught the insignia just right, and revealed it to be just as she suspected; a Spade.

“ You’re the one who did this.” The man's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head.

“ N-No! You’ve got it all wrong!” He gasped as her spell squeezed him tighter.

“ Where is my husband?” She growled, completely ignoring him.

“ I-I don’t-!”

“ Where is my husband?!”

Just as her question left her lips the ground beneath them began to rumble and shake, and both could feel an intense wave of mana rushing towards them.

Suddenly, a large tree shot up from the ground; its trunk grew taller, and taller, and its branches reached out far and wide across the remains of the Golden Dawn base, slowly picking up all the injured members and pulling them towards it as it healed their severe injuries.

Zera’s eyes widened and a gasp escaped her as she stared up at the beautiful tree that towered above them.

“ Yggdrasil…” She whispered as she retracted her spell and let the man from Spade fall to the ground. She ignored his gasps for air as he tried to catch his breath.

“ If for some reason I’m not there to heal and protect you and the Golden Dawn, my spell ‘Budding of Yggdrasil’ will be activated.”

William’s words echoed in her mind as the tears that had welled up in her eyes had slowly begun to cascade down her cheeks.

He was gone…her husband was gone!

Suddenly, she felt something wrap tightly around her waist, and looked down to see it was a branch from Yggdrasil. Slowly, the branch raised her higher and higher before lowering her down gently onto one of its larger branches.

Zera began to look around, her eyes searching for a familiar face, when she suddenly heard someone land beside her.

“ What the-?!” She exclaimed as her eyes widened.

The man from Spade was standing next to her, and Yggdrasil was healing him!

“ I’m just as surprised as you are,” He admitted as he looked at the healing bruises. “ I guess the tree knows I’m not a threat.”

Her eyes narrowed for a bit before they slowly closed; he was right, if Yggdrasil saw him as a threat, it wouldn’t have brought him up here and healed his wounds.

But, just because he wasn’t a threat didn’t mean she trusted him. He was still a stranger who had walked into her home.

With a soft huff, she walked past him and began to look around; where were they…she had seen them all fly past her, but didn’t see where they landed.

“ Maybe…this way?” She thought with a hum before creating a ladder with her magic so she could climb up to the taller branches.

“ Hey, where are you going?” The man shouted after her, and when she didn’t answer his eyes narrowed.

“ Are you just going to leave me here?!” Zera turned around to face him with a smirk on her face.

“ That’s the plan~!” She replied in a sing-song voice, but as she turned around she suddenly felt the branch she was on shake as something heavy landed on it.

Her gaze shifted to the side, and saw the man from Spade standing there, and she growled in irritation.

“ You Magic Knights and your mana zone that lets you fly!” She huffed as she crossed her arms.

“ I’m not a Magic Knight.” He corrected her, making her blink for a moment before she reached up and rubbed the back of her head.

“ Ah, right, I guess each Suit Country has their own version of the Magic Knights.” She muttered before turning away from him again.

“ If you’re going to find Lord Yuno, please, let me come with you!” The man said as he watched Zera begin to climb up the ladder again.

She paused, her brows furrowing in confusion as she turned to look at the man again.

“ That’s the second time you’ve called Yuno ‘Lord’,” She pointed out. “ Why do you keep calling him that when he’s a peasant?”

The man’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“ How dare you call Lord Yuno a peasant! He is the son of King Loyce and Queen Ciel Grinberryall, the crown prince and heir to the throne of the Spade Kingdom!” The man announced firmly, and Zera paused as her eyes widened in surprise.

Yuno was a prince? But more importantly…

“ Yuno has a last name?!” She exclaimed in surprise, causing the man from Spade to stare at her in bewilderment.

“ That’s the part you want to focus on?!” He exclaimed in shock as he watched her climb up the ladder to the next branch.

“ Well, it kind of makes sense that he’s a prince,” Zera hummed thoughtfully as she placed a hand under her chin. “ I mean, it explains why he’s blessed by mana and why he has that ‘princely’ aura around him.”

The man just stood there stunned for a moment, this woman was completely crazy!

But he used his mana zone to again jump up onto the branch above them.

“ Please, let me come with you so I can make sure Lord Yuno is alright!” The man pleaded sincerely, and Zera looked him up and down with a skeptical eye.

Yggdrasil didn’t see him as a threat, and he had multiple opportunities to attack her, but didn’t take any of them…

With a small sigh she eventually nodded.

“ Fine, you can come with me,” She muttered before giving him a warning look. “ But if you try anything, I’m kicking you off this tree!”

The man quickly nodded, and used his mana zone to jump onto the next branch, before he reached down and held out a hand towards her so he could help pull her up.

“ I’m Ralph Niaflem,” The man introduced himself. “ A member of the Resistance.”

Zera frowned, ‘resistance’? The Spade Kingdom has a Resistance? Well, it made sense, she concluded, considering the kingdom was being run by devils.

“ Zera Cassia,” She introduced herself as she took his hand and let him pull her up. “ Flower shop owner and wife of the Captain of the Golden Dawn!”

As the two stood slowly climbed up the branches, they stumbled across many members of the Golden Dawn; some who were all healed up and awake, some who had to be roused to be awoken, and some…who wouldn’t awaken at all.

“ Siren…Siren get up,” Zera said as she shook the man’s shoulders. “ Please, get up!”

“ Lady Zera,” Ralph began softly as he placed a hand on her shoulder. “ He’s gone.”

She quickly nodded, tears falling down her cheeks again, silently hoping that maybe he was the only casualty amongst the squad.

But the higher she climbed, the more dead squad members the pair found, including Hamon Caseus’s body.

From her count, at least half of the squad had been killed during the attack.

As Ralph helped her up onto another branch, a familiar voice shouted out to them.

“ Lady Zera!!” She and Ralph quickly turned towards the voice, and relief quickly filled Zera.

“ Klaus, Letoile!” She exclaimed as she saw the blue and green haired mages standing above them.

As soon as Zera reached them she quickly ran up to them and hugged them tightly.

“ I’m so glad you’re both okay!” She cried in relief, more tears spilling from her eyes and onto their robes.

“ We’re glad you’re alright too ma’am,” Letoile said softly as she hugged the other woman back.

“ But…we’re also really sorry,” Klaus apologized as he pulled away and bowed deeply. “ We tried our best, but in the end, we let them take Captain Vangeance!”

Zera’s heart sank into the depths of her stomach; they took her husband…?

They took her husband?!

“ We don’t know why yet,” Letoile quickly began, somehow knowing that would be her next question. “ But we’re hoping that when Yuno and Neva wake up they might be able to answer some questions.”

“ You found them?” Zera asked as she looked between them. “ Where are they?”

Letoile and Klaus moved to the side and sitting up against the trunk of the tree, their eyes closed but their chests moving softly with each breath they took, was Yuno and Neva.

Neva’s head was gently resting against Yuno’s shoulder, and his was resting on top of her’s, their hands lying beside each other as though they had been holding hands.

If this were a different situation, Zera would be asking for a camera so she could take a photo.

But instead of doing that, she rushed towards them and wrapped her arms around them, giving them a gentle hug.

They were okay, they were alive, they were okay…

“ Lord Yuno!” Ralph exclaimed as he rushed forward and began to look the other man over with a worried expression.

But once he felt sure that Yuno was okay, a sigh of relief escaped him and he moved away.

“ Neva, it’s time to wake up,” Zera began softly as she cupped the younger girl's face gently in her hands. “ Neva, you need to get up, Neva…Neva~.”

The platinum blonde haired girls brows furrowed as she slowly began to stir.

“ M…Mom?” She mumbled softly as her eyes began to open.

Zera frowned and tilted her head in confusion.

“ ‘Mom’?” She repeated, and she watched as Neva blinked a few times to clear her vision.

Once the girl's vision was clear her eyes widened and she began to panic. She tried to back away, but because her back was already up against the tree trunk she couldn’t go anywhere; so, instead, she began to try to push Zera away.

“ Hey, hey, it’s me! Neva it’s me, Zera!” Zera began to say as she reached around and grabbed Neva’s shoulders. “ It’s Zera!”

“ Zera?” Neva repeated as a look of recognition filled her purple eyes while looking at the older woman’s face, and after a moment she began to calm down.

“ Yeah, it’s me,” Zera said softly as she reached out and cupped the young girl's face again. “ You okay?” She asked softly.

As Neva stared at her, Zera could see the ‘Diamond wall’ that had only recently started to come down, immediately come right back up.

“ I’m fine,” She replied, knocking the other woman’s hands away from her face.

Even though Neva said she was fine, it was very clear to Zera that she was not okay.

“ Yuno,” Neva suddenly began, her voice soft and confused as she began to look around.

“ Where is he? Is he okay?” She began to ask, her once calm voice suddenly filling with panic as she tried to stand up, but Zera kept her hands on the younger girl's shoulders to keep her from standing up.

“ Yuno’s fine,” Klaus quickly said as he stepped forward and kneeled down. “ He’s right there.”

Neva blinked before slowly turning to the side and everyone watched as a wave of relief washed over her.

“ He’s okay…thank goodness,” She sighed in relief as a small, grateful smile appeared on her face.

As Zera rubbed the girls back, it was clear to everyone sitting there just how much she cared for the wind mage.

Suddenly, a thought appeared in Zera’s mind.

“ You know,” She began as she leaned in towards Neva. “ I think you and Yuno must’ve been holding hands when you were injured.”

Neva’s head quickly snapped in the other woman's direction, her eyes wide and cheeks visibly turning red.

“ W-What?” She stammered. “ There’s no way we held hands!” She quickly added, clutching her hands to her chest before she looked away shyly, causing Zera to giggle and pat her shoulder comfortingly.

A soft groan from beside Neva quickly pulled everyone’s attention away from her and towards Yuno, whose eyes were slowly beginning to open.

“ Yuno!”

The young man winced as his eyes opened and he began to look around; his eyes lingering on Neva just a little longer before he slowly sat up and began to stand.

“ Hey, you shouldn’t-!” Neva began as she stood up and reached out towards him.

“ Yuno!!” Sylph suddenly exclaimed, rushing past Neva and throwing herself onto Yuno’s chest where she cried. “ Thank goodness!”

“ I’m fine,” He told the wind spirit before his amber eyes shifted to Neva, where they softened.

“ I’m fine.” He repeated, but this time it was directed at the platinum blonde haired girl who slowly nodded in response.

“ What happened? Where’s the Captain?” He quickly asked, this time his gaze shifted to Zera, Ralph, Klaus, and Letoile.

The four glanced around at each other, none of them really sure what to say.

“ We think…that man took him.” Klaus said as his gaze shifted away in shame.

“ What?” Yuno’s eyes widened, and his gaze began to drift across the area.

“ But before he was taken,” Letoile began as her gaze shifted to the ground. “ He used this spell to heal us all…but it didn’t work on all of us.”

“ Half of the squad is dead,” Zera suddenly cut in, her voice soft and full of sadness. “ Hamon and Siren are amongst them too…”

A soft gasp escaped Yuno, Neva, Klaus, and Letoile at the news of Hamon and Siren’s deaths, and an air of sadness suddenly surrounded the group.

“ Go check on the others,” Yuno softly ordered after a moment of silence. “ Help the wounded, and move the dead.”

The group looked at each other briefly before they all nodded and began to split off to help.

But Neva lingered, her worried gaze staying on Yuno.

She was relieved to see that he was alive, that she hadn’t made a wrong choice…but she remained worried and unsettled.

Half the squad was dead…William had been taken due to her failure…and Yuno, well, he wasn’t taking this well at all.

She had never seen him like this, and it worried her.

“ Neva,” Zera softly tugged on the young woman’s arm. “ Let’s go.”

Her gaze shifted away from Yuno before she hesitantly nodded and began to follow the slightly older woman down to the lower branches.

Once everyone was away, and Yuno was alone, a scream of anger and pain rang out.

The Next Day

Zera paced back and forth in the new makeshift Golden Dawn base as she waited for Yuno to return from the Capital.

He had left early that morning to report to the Wizard King and other Captains about what had happened to the Golden Dawn and William, and told Zera that he would be back with news and hopefully a plan.

A soft sigh escaped her as she stopped pacing; didn’t they already have a plan? To get stronger and attack Spade? Had their plan changed so much now that William was gone?

Her eyes caught a glimpse of the dandelion flower that her husband had always kept on his desk and a sad scoff escaped her; of course the plan changed, everything’s changed.

The Golden Dawn’s home, her home, was gone. Their friends and loved ones that were members of the squad were gone, and their Captain, her husband was gone…

Everything she had grown to know and love for the last few months was suddenly gone overnight.

But some have lost everything they’ve known and loved for years overnight, she thought as her gaze shifted away from the dandelion up to the platinum haired girl standing a few feet away from her.

Neva’s eyes were staring out at Zera’s courtyard, but the plant mage could clearly tell that she wasn’t actually seeing the courtyard.

She was seeing something completely different…something much more terrifying, judging by how she turned and twisted the white ribbon at the bottom of her braid.

Was she reliving all that had happened yesterday? The attack, William being taken, Yuno’s injuries, her injuries? burying her squadmates? A combination of it all?

Or perhaps, was she reliving something else that was just as terrifying and traumatic?

Either way, Zera could see that Neva was far from alright, that she was trying her best to keep herself together; but instead, was fracturing more and more like a diamond being crushed between two powerful forces.

As she made the decision to go talk to her, she heard footsteps behind her and quickly turned to see Yuno walking up to her.

“ What happened at the meeting? Did you find anything out?” Zera asked quickly as she rushed up to him, her eyes full of hope.

But as she saw his face, she instantly knew that what he had to say wasn’t the good news she was hoping for.

“ I know who took Captain Vangeance, and where they are,” Yuno began. “ I know why they took him, and how we’re going to get him back.”

Zera nodded slowly as she stared up expectantly at him.

“ Tell me, please.”

Yuno took a deep breath and began to tell her everything.

He told her how the man that attacked the Golden Dawn was Zenon Zogratis, a member of the Dark Triad and a Devil Host. He explained how they weren’t the only ones who were attacked, but the Black Bulls were as well, and that their Captain was taken by another member of the Dark Triad.

“ But I don’t understand,” Zera began with a small shake of her head. “ Why take them? I mean, wouldn’t it make more sense to kill Yami and William instead?”

Yuno looked at her.

“ They took them because they needed them,” He told her softly, and that only made her brows furrow more.

“ ‘They needed them’? For what?”

“ For…a ritual,” Zera’s eyes widened in shock as Yuno began to explain.

He told her that Yami and William were going to be used as sacrifices for a ritual that would open the door to the underworld, and would allow Devils to escape and roam the earth, causing the death of 90% of the human population.

To say she was horrified by this revelation was an understatement; her friend…her husband, were both going to be sacrificed, and then the world was going to end?

Before Zera could have a chance to think further on it, Yuno began to speak again.

“ But we have three days before the ritual begins,” He told her with determination. “ And we’re going to save them. I promise.”

Zera slowly closed her eyes, taking in all the information that was just given to her, and after a moment she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Yuno again.

“ Okay. Do whatever you need to do to bring my husband home.”

Yuno nodded firmly, he would do as she said, and bring her husband, his Captain, back home.

As he went to walk past her, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him.

“ Is…Neva’s going with you, right?” She asked softly, as though she didn’t want anyone but him to hear her.

Yuno stared at Zera for a moment before his gaze shifted away towards Neva; his eyes staring at her face before they slowly moved down further and further until they rested on her abdomen, and the memories from yesterday suddenly came flooding back to him.

“ Ne…va,” He gasped, his voice hoarse. “ Run…away…”

As Yuno watched her shake her head, he couldn’t help but want to curse this stubborn woman, why couldn’t she just do as he said? Why wouldn’t she run away and save herself?!

“ I’m not leaving you here!” She said firmly as she continued to try to heal him with her spell.

As he opened his mouth to try to argue with her again, he suddenly heard something wet lightly thump onto his chest. He frowned a bit, and forced his blurring vision to focus, and his pupils widened at what was hitting his chest:

It was tears, Neva’s tears to be exact…

She was crying…why was she crying? Was it because of him and his failure? His heart sank at the thought; he didn’t want to be the reason she was crying, just thinking about it made him hate himself even more.

Yuno frowned, she was saying something…something he felt was very important for him to hear…but his vision and hearing were starting to leave him, so he didn’t hear a single word she said.

Suddenly, the sound of something shattering behind Neva got his attention, and before either of them could react, Zenon’s spell pierced her shoulders, upper arms, chest, and abdomen.

“ No…nononono…NO!” Yuno’s mind shouted as he watched blood begin to seep through the wounds and fall onto the ground beneath her, and Yuno watched in horror as Neva’s body fell limply to the side and landed on the ground with a soft ‘thud’ as Zenon removed his bone spears.

Yuno quickly closed his eyes as he pushed the memories away, now wasn’t the time to be thinking about that…

“ No…she isn’t,” Yuno replied firmly as he opened his eyes and looked at Zera. “ I won’t let her.”

A skeptical look entered the older woman’s eyes but she slowly nodded.

“ Okay,” She began as she turned away to look at Neva again. “ Just, please keep an eye on her…I think what happened yesterday affected her more than what she’s letting on.”

Yuno frowned a bit, but nodded, and Zera let him go.

The plant mage watched as he walked over to Neva and the two began to talk quietly, he was probably telling her everything he had just told Zera.

She watched as the two went back and forth in a calm, yet heated, argument. He was probably trying to convince her to stay, while she was determined to go with him to save William.

Finally, after another moment of the two going back and forth, Yuno closed his eyes and slowly opened them again, seeming to have given in to Neva.

Zera smiled a bit, she knew Neva would get her way.

As she watched the pair begin to walk away so they could do some last minute training, she turned to face the dandelion.

She couldn’t, no, she wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing as everyone else did what they could to bring her husband back.

Even though she wasn’t a fighter, she was going to find a way to help bring William home!

Three Days Later in the Spade Kingdom

The day after Yuno had told Zera why William had been taken, she immediately went to him and the other Captain’s and begged for them to let her help.

“ Can you fight?” The other Captain’s had asked, and when she said she couldn’t they all looked at each other.

“ But I have a pretty good recovery spell,” She had told them. “ So while I’m not able to fight, I can at least heal people!”

The Captains once again looked at each other with unsure expression.

“ Please…let me help,” She had pleaded as she gripped the front of her skirt tightly in her hands. “ I can’t just sit by and do nothing while everyone else is risking their lives!”

The Captains had stared at her for a moment, and before any of them could say anything, another voice chimed in.

“ She can work with my recovery mages,” Owen had said as he walked up to the group. “ They’ll be out on the battlefield helping out, but they won’t be doing any of the actual fighting.”

“ Really?” Zera had exclaimed as she turned to face him. “ That would be perfect!”

And that was how she was able to become useful to the Magic Knights during the battle of Spade.

She ran around with the recovery mages, healing the minorly wounded ones there on the battlefield, while helping get the more seriously injured ones as far away from the fighting as possible.

It was hard, tiring work, but Zera didn’t care. She would do this all night if she had too.

“ You’re going to be okay, it’s just a minor injury!” Zera told the wounded Magic Knight as she used her recovery spell on him.

“ There are so many people getting hurt,” She thought as she watched the magic knight’s wounds begin to heal. “ If it’s this bad out here, I can only imagine what it’s like inside the Castle right now..”

As the thought crossed her mind, her gaze shifted towards the dark castle that loomed over them.

“ I hope everyone’s okay…”

After healing the magic knight’s wounds, she watched as he immediately stood up, thanked her, and then went back to the battle.

As she watched him rush away, William’s words from a week ago suddenly appeared in her mind.

“ But you know what else we Magic Knights do? We fight tooth and nail to come back home to our loved ones alive, safe, and sound. We don’t stop, we don’t quit, and most importantly we never give up even when things are hopeless.”

“ I think I get it now, William,” Zera thought as she watched the young man fight tooth and nail with his squadmates. “ Why being a Magic Knight is so important to you…”

But before she could dwell any further on her thoughts, the ground beneath her began to rumble and shake, and she could feel a dark, intense wave of mana rush over her from inside the Castle.

“ Zera,” Ralph shouted as he rushed over towards her and grabbed her arm. “ We need to leave, now!”

Zera frowned in confusion as he began to drag her away across the battlefield.

“ Why? What’s going on?” She asked as they rushed farther and farther away from the castle.

“ The gates have started to open, and the devils are beginning to escape, we need to get you out of here!” He told her quickly as he continued to drag her behind him.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, Zera stopped moving.

“ If the gates have started to open then…” Her eyes widened and she immediately began to fight against Ralph’s grip.

“ We have to go back, we have to get them out of there!” She exclaimed as she tried to pull her wrist away so she could get back to the castle.

“ We can’t! It’s too dangerous right now!” He told her as he continued to try to pull her behind him.

“ But my husband’s still in there!” She shouted, and Ralph yanked her towards him and grabbed her shoulders.

“ And so is Lord Yuno!” He shouted back, his grip on her shoulders firm. “ Lord Yuno and the others will defeat the Dark Triad and bring your husband home, but for now you need to trust them and get somewhere safe until the battle is over!”

“ We’re going to save them. I promise.”

As Yuno’s promise echoed in Zera’s mind, she slowly stopped fighting against him.

Ralph was right; she needed to trust Yuno, Neva, and Langris.

“ Okay…let’s go,” She said softly, and she watched the fire mage nod before they continued running away.

“ Please, if any deity out there is listening…please let my family be okay!”

A Few Hours Later

Zera rushed down the halls of the building turned temporary infirmary, her heart pounding anxiously in her ears.

Ralph had just gotten word that everyone that had gone inside the castle had returned and were being treated for minor and serious injuries.

Including William.

As soon as the words left Ralph’s lips Zera immediately took off in the direction of the infirmary.

“ Please let him be okay…please let him be alive!” She silently hoped as she finally came upon the wooden door that William and the others were behind.

Without stopping for even a moment, she burst through the door, causing everyone in the infirmary to jump in surprise.

“ Zera?” A soft, familiar voice questioned, and her eyes slowly shifted towards it.

Sitting up in bed, looking a little worse for wear but still as handsome as ever, was William.

“ Zera,” William repeated softly as a smile of relief appeared on his face.

Without saying a word, she rushed towards him and flung herself into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him tightly.

“ William!” She cried as she buried her face into his shoulder. “ You’re okay, I’m so glad!”

William winced as she hugged him tightly; even though most of the injuries were healed, some of the more serious ones were still there, and her hugging him caused the wounds to ache.

But he didn’t care, he could handle the pain; after all, the physical pain he was experiencing now was nothing compared to the emotional pain that Zera was feeling.

“ I’m sorry,” He quickly apologized as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. “ I broke my promise.”

She pulled away from him and nodded.

“ Yeah you did,” Zera sniffled as she gripped the front of his shirt. “ But it’s okay, because I know you fought really hard to come back to me.”

William smiled softly as he cupped her face in his hands, wiped her tears away, and leaned forward to place a short, gentle kiss against her lips.

When the couple parted, Zera watched her husband wince in pain.

“ What’s wrong? Are your wounds still not healed yet?” She asked as she looked him up and down.

“ Well…some are healed, and others…are still in the process.” He tried to laugh, but again winced in pain.

Zera frowned disapprovingly as she stood up and stared down into the bed at him.

“ I can see that,” She muttered as she pulled out her grimoire. “ whoever healed you did a really terrible job.”

“ That would be me,” A voice suddenly said, causing William and Zera to turn towards it.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the man standing beside her husband's bed; he had long white hair that was tie back in a high ponytail, he wore red and white robes, had pointed ears, tattoos on his face, and his left sclera was black instead of white.

This man must’ve been William’s childhood friend, Patri.

“ I see, well, you still did a terrible job,” She muttered as she crossed her arms. “ If I didn’t know any better I would think you didn’t have a grimoire.”

The elf’s eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms.

“ For your information, I don’t have a grimoire,” Patri told her. “ But even without one I think I healed his wounds perfectly fine.”

Zera tilted her head in confusion.

“ Why don’t you have a grimoire?” She asked curiously, and watched as William and Patri glanced at one another for a moment before looking back at her.

“ It’s a long story.” They replied in unison, and even though it made her curious, she decided she wouldn’t pry for now.

“ Uh-huh, well, I guess that explains the terrible healing job,” Zera began as she rolled up her sleeves. “ And since you don’t have a grimoire, and I do, I’ll use my healing spell to properly heal your wounds.”

“ With all due respect, Zera,” Patri began with narrowed eyes. “ Light based healing spells are a lot more calming and comforting than Plant based healing spells, so I don’t think it’s necessary for you to intervene.”

Zera blinked at the elf before her own eyes narrowed.

“ Is that so? Well, with all due respect, Patri, Plant based healing spells are a lot more effective than light based ones. Especially when the mage has a grimoire.” She replied as she crossed her arms.

Patri’s eyes widened a bit before he mirrored her actions and crossed his arms.

“ What’s the use in having a grimoire with effective spells if you only have a limited amount of mana to use?” He asked with a raised brow.

“ And what’s the use in having an abundance of mana if you can only manage to do basic spells?” She countered with a smirk.

William sighed and closed his eyes as Patri and Zera argued back and forth; if he wasn’t already exhausted from the Ritual, then the two bickering would have done it for sure.

“ Might I make a suggestion?” He suddenly cut in while raising his hand. “ How about you both heal me? That way I can heal twice as fast?”

Patri and Zera looked at him for a moment, looked at each other, and then looked back at William.

“ No.” They told him in unison, which made him blink in surprise.

“ And may I ask why not?”

“ It’s simple; I don’t like to share!” She told him with a smile even though she cut Patri a sharp look.

“ Finally, you and I agree on something,” Patri said as he cut her a sharp look back.

“ You do realize that he’s my husband to share, not yours, right?” Zera asked pointedly.

William sighed and shook his head again as the two began to bicker again; the pair reminded him of children who refused to share their favorite toy.

Even though they were beginning to make him even more exhausted, he couldn’t help but also be amused by their antics.

Two of his favorite people in the world were getting along, though it wasn’t quite in the way he had hoped.

Eventually, they found a compromise and helped each other to heal the rest of William’s wounds so he could return home to the Golden Dawn where he belonged.

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[khajiit-apologist]

like dawn

word count: ~1.3k

long time no see, I present a gorefic. no spoilers, just fluff.

They snuck away from the small camp they had set up. Leaving their companions to sleep. Earlier, Gore asked Samhain to watch the sunset with him. To stay up and talk. She wasn’t a talker, but she agreed. It was something she had probably seen hundreds of times, but for him she would do about anything. To him it was special. Something he took for granted, and now it felt sometimes it was the first time he had seen the sun in years. Back when they first met there was a sunset. He remembered that day so clearly. How it marked the end of his old life. It had been months, but who he was back then felt so foreign. He wondered if Samhain felt the same way. She was different too. More confident. The face tattoos she once had were faded, and her eyes seemed more alive. She kept her hair out of her face, and didn't wear a hood much anymore. She seemed happier too. She smiled more. It was the kind of smile that used her whole face, especially her eyes. Samhain never mentioned it but he smiled more too. It was rare these days not to see a small grin on his face when speaking to friends. How it got bigger when they started talking. Samhain was leading him to a spot to watch the sunrise. She found a fallen tree, perfect for sitting on, she thought. They were somewhere between The Reach and Falkreath, on a small hill. The stars still hung in the sky, and the moons were full. It was around there where they first met. Not just at the tower, but in the inn. She took him to Old Hroldan, where they talked through the night. She looked at the sky. It was still probably about an hour to sunrise. Gore most days couldn’t sleep so he offered to watch. Sometimes sit with whoever was on watch before, most times they’d end up falling asleep on his shoulder. He didn’t mind at all, if anything he was honored they felt safe enough to do so. Samhain never had. If they happened to be both up she wouldn’t say much, afraid of waking the others. 

"You know there's nothing quite like the peace before dawn. Just before people start to wake up." Samhain still gazing at the sky, the moons far behind them.

"Getting up this early was not fun. Especially when I couldn't sleep, seeing the sunrise sometimes filled me with dread." Gore shifted in his seat, there was a space between the two. 

"I can understand that. When I was younger we usually had to wake up at dawn too. Especially if we had to travel." She smiled, "Sometimes I would be so tired it felt like I was treading through water." 

"You don't talk much about your childhood. Feels like you know almost everything about me." He nudged her.

"Not much to tell I guess. We were on the road most of the time, doing jobs for the same kinds of people. Though I guess there were some things I miss." She started to fidget with the hem of her tunic. He looked at her, he could barely make our her features.

"Come on! There's got to be something. Tell me anything you wouldn't normally tell someone." 

Samhain could hear his smile as he spoke, which in turn made a small smile creep on her face. "Em ok, when we would be on the road for a long time I would make," she let out a small nervous giggle, "Flower crowns, or bracelets, or I suppose anything." 

"Did you make them for other people? Or just yourself." She heard him shift his body, their knees now touching.

Surprised by his interest she paused before answering, "No my parents would wear them, and if my cousins were with us they would sometimes too. But usually that was when I was younger. I would have made you one." She sucked in a breath, feeling her face grow hot.

"What flowers would you have used?" 

"Em probably…dragon's tongue. It's a bit tricky to work with because of it's size, but it's so pretty. They are my favorite." The sun started to rise, and she could finally see her friend's face. If only slightly. He had a soft smile, listening intently. No one had ever really done that. She looked away, feeling embarrassed again.

"Well if we find some you are making me one.” Gore spotted some flowers, getting an idea, “Any flower will do though, right?" 

"Yeah, some are easier than others but usually I can do it."

Suddenly he got up, it startled her. She watched as he walked over to some mountain flowers, picking a few carefully. When he got enough he looked at her, she nodded approvingly. "Here, should be enough." He flashed her a big smile, excited to see her work.

She took the flowers from his hand, "Are you sure? I don't know if it matches your…well you." 

"I'm sure! I mean no one made flower crowns when I was younger, so I've never seen one. And besides, it seems like something that would make you happy." He said it softly.

"Ok, fine. But it's been a while, so be patient." She flashed a smile.

He watched as she got to work, her hands shaking. They always did. Yet somehow she weaved the stems together without a hitch. It did impress him how she could do intricate things with shaking hands. His thoughts wondered, a part of him wishing he could hold them. Wondering if she was cold. Nervous? He didn't know. "Are you cold?"

"Not at the moment." She stayed focused on the flowers in her hands, "Here, could you hold your hand out and hold these?" He did as he was told, and she carefully laid out the flowers across his hand. He looked at her face, she had a similar expression anytime she was thinking hard. He noticed the slight blush on her cheeks.

"Are you sure you're not cold? Your cheeks are red." He leaned in.

"I'm fine." Her voice shook slightly, she turned her head, making him notice how close he actually was to her.

He shot back, "Sorry, I uh didn't notice." 

"It's fine." Their arms were still touching, something that she didn't mind. She smiled, and looked at him, "I hope it’s big enough, should be.”

He looked over the view in front of them, the world waiting in anticipation. Yet there was peace. Something he still had to get used to. He looked back at Samhain who was still idling away. A feeling swelled in his chest, one he wasn’t used to. “Samhain?”

“Hm?” She looked at him.

“Thank you.” He said simply.

“For what?” She cocked her head to the side.

“Just, staying with me. After everything. Watching this sunrise with me. Just being a good,” The word didn’t seem enough, but he didn’t know what else to say, “Friend.”

“Oh.” Sadness flashed on her face for a brief moment.”You too, Gore.”

His mouth felt dry, he’s said it before but it felt different, “I love you.”

The sun hit her face right on queue, her blush deepening, “Y-yeah, I know.” She smiled wide, “I love you too.” She looked down, “And here! I’m done!” She held it up for him to see before putting it on his head. It draped perfectly, and her face lit up.

“How do I look?” He did his best to pose, ignoring his heart that was pounding.

“Beautiful.” She said it genuinely, looking in his eyes. She hugged him, not sure what else to do. “Thank you.”

“Yeah.” He hugged her back. Both just sitting there, waiting for the rest of the world to wake up. He wished it never did, that they could just stay here. He closed his eyes, soaking in this moment, making it last.

[sofiasjornal]

Tower of Dawn Review (spoilers!)

I love Saturdays because I can just read all day and forget the world exists. And with the extra time I finished ToD

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After the momentum of EoS, this book was like a breath of fresh air. Much lighter than the one before, and just like Chaol and Nesryn slowly accomplished and got the support they needed, so did I recovered from the last book 😂

I really did enjoyed the story, even with my rage. It felt like a small break from the darkness that has been building up. But in the last 150 pages you can feel it creeping in again and starting to take over. Maeve being a Valg Queen didn't really surprise me, after the initial shock I just started laughing because I already thought the bitch couldn't get worse and then she did. Well played Sarah, well played.

Duva has the Valg was a surprise, because she seemed to inocente, barely spoke the entire book! Talk about a surprise! I don't have a favourite among the brothers and sisters, I didn't like one more than the other. I guess Hasar had more balls and more of a personality (a bitch too, but a good one).

I failed to connect with Nesryn yet again. I felt this in the last book and in the QoS as well, I don't why. I just don't feel her as strongly as the other characters, so the whole storyline between her and Satarq just left me "Ok then". But I totally called him as Heir!

For me Yrene is the true star of the book, Heir of Silk and a badass! The relationship between her and Chaol doesn't really bother me and I did get that sense at the end, just like Chaol, that all of it was supposed to happen and the pieces are slowly falling into place. What I found really interesting about Chaol was how his physical injury was connected with the trauma he had gone through and that his mental healing was necessary for his body to reconnect again. I guess a lot of people can connect with that. Most of all, I can't wait for her to join the other badasses in Terrassen. These women will be unstoppable. Erawan should hide.

Also, I kind of want Erawan to just finish and kill Maeve and then have the final battle be against him and Aelin. I think it would be ironic for Maeve to die at the hands of her brother in law. Family is a bitch too.

Here we go now to Kingdom of Ash and see how all of this plays out.

[denimbex1986]

'Barbie

When Barbie opens to a parody of 2001: A Space Odessey’s Dawn of Man scene (the one with the mad apes), a narrator with the voice of Helen Mirren tells us how big of a disrupter the Barbie toy-line was for little girls.

The girls, who were happily playing with big, round, bald toys that looked like one-year-old babies, take one look at a giant, glamorous Barbie towering over their heads (Margot Robbie, wonderful in the film) and, as if blitzed by mob-mentality anger, smash their toy-babies to smithereens.

It might have sounded like a triumphant hurrah about breaking free from constraints on the screenplay penned by co-writers Greta Gerwig (who also directs) and her partner Noah Baumbach, but when you really look at it, the only idea it instils is that of rebellion and anarchy…and the buck doesn’t stop there.

The main idea of the movie is that Barbie (Robbie) travels to Los Angeles to find out why she, and in consequence, her perfect, plastic world — the literal incarnation ‘life is plastic, it’s fantastic’ lyrics from Aqua’s song Barbie Girl — has changed for the worse.

If the gist of the idea of Barbie leaving a make-believe plastic world for a real-life but still plastic one, don’t trigger alarms in your head, then I guess one is meant to enjoy this phantasmagorical fairytale that paints messages of accepting the mediocrity of life and male dumbness in bubblegum pink (the colour is everywhere, not that one minds it — Barbie’s world, and it’s branding, is pink after all)...

Barbie the film is an expert concoction of shrewd intentions. In its superficiality, it presents a perfect make-believe matriarchal world that is bright, sunny, inclusive and, well, perfect. On the other hand, it puts down men — or Ken, and his various versions played by many male actors. The Kens are shiny, shirtless, one-dimensional idiots, and their head (Ryan Gosling, fitting right into the role — who woulda thought), is the hero who turns out to be the villain...

The cake (ie. the production design) is pretty, but its creamy, fluffy exterior hides a number of statements children and families might not immediately pick-up on. A societally right rationale tries to patch things up by the end and everything, of course, turns out to be okay — but is it?

In the last frames, Barbie, who finally matures — Spoiler Alert! — leaves Barbieland forever for the real world. After becoming a ‘real girl’ (like Pinocchio, but not really), her first order of business is to visit a gynaecologist. How is this a kiddie film? But then again, with the themes at hand, was it ever one really?...

Oppenheimer

I haven’t read Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s biography American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer — about the man known as the father of the atomic bomb — so I cannot vouch for the authenticity of the overly dramatic, thriller-esque tone Christopher Nolan uses in Oppenheimer.

What I can vouch for is this: the film has excellent, if stationary, cinematography; precise, to-the-frame editing; and brilliant performances from Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr, Josh Hartnett, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon and Florence Pugh (the film also stars Remi Malek, Casey Affleck, Kenneth Branagh, Matthew Modine, Dane DeHaan, Jason Clarke, Matthias Schweighöfer and Gary Oldman, in a packed house of actors).

The sound design, for once in a Chris Nolan film, is bang on the money — the sound effects and their mixing raises the emotion of the moment, and the dialogues are decipherable to the ears.

Yet, despite the goods, the film once again plays to Nolan’s high sense of self as an auteur of cinema. Is it a masterclass of cinema, in the way cinema used to be? Yes, but at the same time, it also bears Nolan’s stamp of doing things a tad bizarrely.

Oppenheimer’s screenplay (written by Nolan), for example, could have been linear — a story of a brilliant but conflicted man who goes through bad relationships, suffers political pressures, and worries about making a bomb that will take lives, and ultimately destroy the world. Yet it isn’t.

Jumping back and forth in time with mad fervency, we see the present (or as close to the present the film offers) in black-and-white, while the past and the future is in colour. Two segments of the story, set during the US Senate hearings of 1954 and 1959, are intermingled with Oppenheimer’s journey from Cambridge to Los Alamos, where he tested the nuclear bomb that decimated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Could the film be interesting without the thriller-esque shenanigans? Sure — the story is, for all intents and purposes, a talking heads narrative. People extrapolate their thoughts and arguments in dialogue while sitting, standing, and sometimes while grimly pondering and not saying anything (their expressions, and the intercuts, are never subtle).

Exposition in midst of action is a great filmmaking tool, but excessive reliance on it doesn’t make characters memorable. Then again, that’s Nolan for you — a director who overshadows his stories to the extent that his characters become flat.

Take any of his leads, whether it is Bruce Wayne, Dom Cobb, Joseph Cooper, Tommy or the Protagonist (you may know them from Batman Begins, Inception, Interstellar, Dunkirk and Tenet). Nolan has a type, when it comes to leading characters: they are conflicted, stoic men in the middle of a grave dilemma. The prompt gives his actors the opening to deliver strong performances on barely-written roles, and Oppenheimer is no different.

One sees a lot of nominations this coming award season — some technical, some creative — for a good, if over-hyped film, whose viewing requires a proper guidebook, or a brief documentary on Oppenheimer’s life, to make full sense.'

[luminarylibrary]

I have to be honest. This book just didn't live up to the hype for me. Perhaps, it was all the POVs that made it feel disjointed? Or that the story just felt scattered to me? They were just all over the place. Normally, I don't mind that because I love adventure stories where the MC & Co are travelling, even around the world. And I don't usually mind a lot of action. I prefer it to waiting for something to happen. It just felt like there was no common theme through this book like there was for all the other SJM books I've read. Obviously the goal was to collect the keys and find the lock while collecting allies. But it felt choppy to me. I think a big part of the problem was that we learn so much at the end when Aelin finally decides to divulge everything. I mean, in the last hundred pages (view spoiler) I guess my issue is that I wish it were a little more spread out. In most SJM books, the last 100 pages are always a mess of action and emotions, but I think the problem with this is that so much was known by Aelin all along and it just felt like the equivalent of an action info dump. There were definitely emotional parts along the way. Like Aedion and Gavriel finally meeting. Ugh Gavriel is just everything. He's so sweet. I wish Aedion had spent more time with him. Elide realizing how important she is with Lorcan, Aelin, and Manon all claiming and protecting her. Aelin breaking down when she sees Nehemia in the vision. Overall, I just wasn't impressed. It could also being that I was reading the masterpiece that is Tower of Dawn at the same time and this one just got outshone.

[highladyoftomes]

favorite throne of glass scenes | tower of dawn

“He checked her with the reins and his feet, marveling that he could even do so. That the woman now closing in, now riding beside him, now beaming at him as if he were the only thing in this barren, burning sea. . .She had done this. Given him this.

Yrene was smiling, and then she was laughing, as if she could not contain it inside her.

Chaol thought it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard.

And that this moment, flying together over the sands, devouring the desert wind, her hair a golden-brown banner behind her. . .

Chaol felt, perhaps for the fisrt time, as if he was awake.

And he was grateful, right down to his very bones, for it.”

[balancingbookact]

The only thing I’m pumped for in the final throne of glass book.

[yabai-korra]

The reasons why we're getting Manorian book

There has been a lot of speculation whether SJM is going to favor us with book/novella about Manon Blackbeak and Dorian Havilliard, recently I saw some fans doubting it, so here's a list of logical reasons why it's happening.

1. It's SJM

This woman writes two 500+ pages books per year, for her it would be a piece of cake.

2. There have already been books focused on side characters

a) Chaol and Yrene - Chaol was one of the most unpopular characters before Tower of Dawn (which made me love him hehe) and she still wrote a 600+ pages long book about him, just imagine what she'd do with the most popular character (Manon) and one of the most popular ones (Dorian).

b) Nesta and Cassian - this is ship is the closest to Manorian equivalent in ACOTAR series, aka starting from a physical relationship that develops into a sentimental one. Also 6th ACOTAR book will be focused on a new characters (most probably Elain)

3. Favoritism

SJM has talked multiple times about her love for these two. When asked about her favorite TOG character, she said Aelin, but Manon was a close second place and she said that she absolutely loves writing her.

In another interview, when asked who she would go on a book tour with and a few similar questions, she answered Dorian.

Now, I haven't seen all of her interviews ever and I'm not sure how much she loves Nessian and Cahorene (seems to love Nessian a hella lot tho), but it's definite that Manorian are some of her favorite characters and it's just logical that she would write about them.

4. Unfinished story/Unresolved feelings

Ships at the end of TOG:

Rowaelin - married

Elorcan - engaged

Lysaedion - engaged

Chaorene - married with a baby on the way

Nestaq - engaged

Manorian - hug and "we'll see"

All the ships basically got engaged in the last chapter (it's not like I didn't like it hehe) and their stories, romantic-wise, were pretty much finished and they have no unresolved tension between them. Manorian on the other hand, have enough of it for all the ships lol.

KOA spoilers ahead!

Keep in mind, Manorian relationship was mostly a sexual one, and they don't quite yet have a way of communicating their feelings properly. So there is a lot of unaddressed between them, even though they obviously care a lot about each other.

The unresolved things between Manon and Dorian:

"“And if I asked you to stay?” / “I’d need a very convincing reason, I suppose.” / “Because I don’t want you to go.” - they just fucked and Dorian left for Morath later, which impacted Manon a lot but they haven't discussed it

"I even care about you." - Manon got up and left

"There is only one witch who will be my queen." - Manon doesn't know about this

Manon saved Dorian from Valg demon even when Aelin couldn't. It was the worst thing to happen to Dorian and he still bears scars from it, yet he didn't have an appropriate situation to thank Manon for it

Dorian knows that Erawan lusted after Manon, which got him pissed of course, and he didn't have a chance nor time to ask Manon about it. It might be nothing, but if I were Dorain and my girlfriend who doesn't show feelings was locked up with a crazy guy who has a thing for her, and have seen the way he treats women, I'd be concerned. Erawan was a Valg king, a tough opponent even for Manon. If he had done something to her, and he had plenty of means and opportunities and wish to do so, Manon would never openly tell anyone (maybe Asterin) about it, because it would imply opening up and being weak, which is Manon's worst fear. Again, SJM, as the Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn't just randomly throw in the main villain having a thing for an important character, everything in her books always has a meaning and purpose.

"Would you miss me if I didn't [come back]?" - Manon didn't reply

This is how SJM described Manorian marriage: "She would be his wife, his queen. She was already his equal, his match, mirror in so many ways. And with their union, the world would know it." - and you're telling me it's not deserving of its own book? Not just that, Manon asked Dorian for marriage and they, again, just had sex, with Dorian loving the idea but deep down knowing that Manon would feel caged in a marriage. And that attitude won't just change out of the blue. It takes time and development which is something SJM writes amazingly.

With the Thirteen gone, beside Abraxos Dorian is the only creature Manon cares about.

Dorian's mortality (although as you'll see in point #6 I'm sure he's not human)

The dreaded "You could just marry each other." / "We'll see." (Thanks Yrene :)

5. Foreshadowing

Listen here, SJM IS THE QUEEN OF FORESHADOWING. She thought of a detail (Dorian's dad's name) in the first book that would matter in the last book. Of course, there are many many many more examples of that, but if we got "We'll see." then we'll fucking see it happen.

6. Unresolved things about Manon and Dorian as individual characters.

Manon and Dorian and both pretty broken at the end of KOA.

Manon lost the Thirteen, the only people she cared about. That is a huge trauma that needs to be addressed, especially with someone so reluctant to show feelings and heal like Manon.

Dorian can't be human?? He has fae abilities due to his relation to Gavin and Elena even though he's not even called a demi-fae. He possesses powers no one else does, phantom hands for example, which he didn't steal like shape-shifting. And Maeve pointed out that due to his father being possessed by Valg when Dorian was sired, it's possible he got some of the Valg abilities. (Also she said that he's stronger than Aelin) The main villain, especially written by Queen of Foreshadowing, wouldn't just let drop it there and that's it. Also not to mention Dorian's own struggle with depression and self-worth.

They have both just become rulers of their kingdoms, completely new to it. Dorian has spent a big part of KOA imagining what kind of a king he wants to be (one that will have a witch queen hehe) and it was a major point of his character. And addition to that affecting them as characters, the future of Adarlan and Witch Kingdom could make a good plotline.

7. Other TOG characters

Although pretty much all the readers would die to see Chaorene baby, Lorcan in Perranth, Aelin and Rowan ruling Terrasen, Lysandra and Adeion officially adopting Evangeline, Nesryn and Sartaq becoming Khagan and Empress of Antica, all of these don't make enough of a plot on its own. They are great side-plots.

We know all of these characters love each other and are happy together, there isn't that much to be added to their personal stories other than kids. (same way Feyre and Rhys got a baby in Nessian book) Manorian however, they haven't even kissed without it leading to sex, they hugged at the end of KOA and it was the pique of their relationship. Their relationship is merely at the beginning, whereas others have pretty much reached their ultimatum (ofc SJM can decide to add some drama with betrayal, kidnapping, pregnancy etc. but for now everyone is good and settled beside Manorian)

Not to mention the way other relationships would affect them. Chaol, Dorian's brother, and Yrene, Manon's wannabe bestie and Manorian shipper, would bring their baby to meet his/her uncle Dorian and aunt Manon, and imagine Manon with a baby lol.

SJM loves Aelin and other characters way too much not to give us an insight on them as married couples, but since her books are huge and it's her, it needs a plot with drama, addressing traumas, repressed feelings, worldbuilding, and sex, and Manorian's got all of that.

8. Abraxos

We need more Abraxos, that's just a fact.

Wow that was a long one. Anyways, in conclusion, we're getting that Manorian book. Pretty sure it's gonna a book rather than a novella (TOD was also planned as a novella but then guess what) because there is just SO MUCH possible content.

[westfall-castle]

heyyyy, do you know when is Chaol’s bday and zodiac sign? I can’t find it anywhere

Hi! Actually I don’t know an exact date but I took the liberty of calculating an aprox. (Spoilers ahead, jump to the end to avoid them)

I took 3 dates into consideration: Yulemas, the day of the Duel with Cain and Aelin’s birthday

The Yulemas ball was on December 25, then, the duel was set to happen “a week after Yulemas” so it was Jan 1st. After that a week passed with Celaena’s recovery. Then we start on Crown of Midnight knowing that Celaena has been away on missions for around 3-4 weeks. That would make it the first days of February. Then 2 weeks pass (while Celaena has been planning Chaol’s dinner party)

If going backwards, Aelin’s birthday is on May the 3rd. Heir of Fire describes that she has been for 5 weeks with Rowan (May 3rd- 4 weeks = April 3rd - 1 week = March 27th) . In the beginning of the book it is mentioned that Aelin spent 2 weeks at sea to reach Wendlyn and 10 days to reach Varesse (March 27th -24 days= March 3rd)

SPOILERS AHEAD

Celaena spent 5 days “formally” dating Chaol, and around 1 or two weeks passed when all the events of the second half of Crown of Midnight unfolded ( I know! It felt like 2 months for me when I first read it but now going through it again I discovered it was just a lot going on but a short period of time)

In Queen of Shadows and Tower of Dawn, it is mentioned briefly that Chaol’s Birthday happened in “late winter” which means it happened before March 20th (the beginning of spring) Then again, when Celaena was parting to Wendlyn it is described that “there was a hint of spring in the air” meaning that the date we calculated before, March 3rd, could be an adequate guess.

In conclusion (according to my own calculations, nothing canon) Chaol’s birthday must have been somewhere between Feb 10th - Feb 15th. (All of us Chaol fans should decide for a date or make a birthday week for him lmao)

Given this, his zodiac sign would be Aquarius. Which in my opinion, really suits his personality as aquarians are said to be independent, loyal, idealistic, stubborn, rational and observant.

It also confirms that the dates match because there’s no way in hell that Chaol Westfall is a Pisces lmao 🤣.

Thanks for your question, send you a hug ❤️

[mypoisonedvine]

The Perfect Fit | Bucky Barnes x reader (part 2)

(part 1)

summary: after getting fitted by you, bucky’s going to try on the custom-made suits he’s bought.  unless he makes his move now, he may not get to see you again, and he can’t let that happen.

word count: 6.5k

warnings: smut!!, fingering, oral (m and f receiving), a little d/s energy, mirror kink, stomach bulge kink, slight pain kink?, creampie kink, pussy spanking, light bondage, bucky being jealous

Bucky had a bone to pick with Tony, which was usually true but this wasn’t work-related for once.  It wasn’t hard to find him in the same place he’d seen him last— eating his lunch in the kitchen, with Sam nearby chowing down on lo mein with a spring roll.

“Hey lefty, what’s cracking?” Tony greeted, mouth full but talking loudly anyways.  

"I went down to that tailor you recommended—" Bucky began, but Tony was quick to interrupt.

"You went there?  Dude, it's a really nice place, you can just call and she'll come to you instead, way more convenient."

"So now you say 'she'?"

Realization dawned on Tony’s expression.  "Ahh, I get it.  You're not used to a female tailor.  Adds a little spice to getting fitted, huh?" he grinned, elbowing Bucky playfully.

Bucky’s throat felt a little dry when he heard that.  "Don't tell me that's why you use her…"

"Hey now, I'm not a creep, I use her cause she's the best, and those house calls are great for discretion— you know, being a celebrity and all.  The eye candy part is just gravy."

"Gravy candy sounds disgusting," Sam chimed in, missing the point entirely.

"Yeah, well, she mentioned some stuff that sure made you sound like a creep."

"Okay, well, you can't blame me for getting caught staring when I'm surrounded by fucking mirrors.  Makes it hard to be stealthy."

"You could try not staring,” Bucky suggested flatly.

"Is that what you did?"

Tony smirked when Bucky failed to reply immediately.  "Okay, so it's easier said than done,” Bucky admitted with a frown, “but still, I hope these house calls were strictly professional."

“What’s it to you, man?  I think somebody’s jealous,” Tony purred.  

“What?  No, it’s not that,” Bucky denied.

“You love her,” Tony sing-songed, completely ignoring Bucky.  “You looooooove her!”

"You are so immature," Bucky rolled his eyes, even though his heart was racing and he was pretty sure he was blushing.  

"No, it's good for you!  She's a catch, you're all brooding and stuff— maybe she can melt the Winter Soldier's frozen heart, hm?"

Sam laughed heartily.  "Stark, you read too many comic books."

"You're saying you don't wanna see Icy Hot here shoot his shot with my tailor?" Tony asked, turning his attention towards Sam.

Sam pondered that, much to Bucky's dismay.  "Depends.  How hot is she?"

"Mega," Tony smirked confidently.  "Legs for miles, and she wears these skirts that make her ass look—"

"I think I've heard enough," Bucky groaned.  "I'm leaving.  And don't ask when I'm going to see her again," he instructed, interrupting Tony just as he'd opened his mouth to speak, "because I won’t tell you.”

As Bucky left, he could hear Tony calling out into the hall: “But I’d be such a great wingman!”

//

Truth be told, Bucky had put off mastering the use of his smartphone.  It wasn’t just that new technology made him feel old, but that he knew nobody would be calling or messaging him anyways; if the phone didn’t work, he would spare himself the embarrassment of waiting up for nothing.

But once he knew you were going to call?  Suddenly, he was motivated to figure the sucker out.

A few hours later and now all he had to do was stare at it to make sure he wouldn’t miss you.  Luckily, you didn’t make him wait too long.  He recognized the number and decided to let it ring a few times before picking up, so it would seem like he had other things to do besides talk to you.

“Hello?” Bucky asked when he answered, so it would seem like he had other people calling him besides you.

You introduced yourself so formally that he was a little afraid that all that fun energy between you two would be gone.  Thankfully, once he asked what you were calling about, you were back to being cheery and casual again.

“I was just calling to schedule when I could come by with your new suits!” you explained, sounding chipper.

His fingertips were a little tingly just from hearing you talk, nervousness making him antsy (in a weirdly good way).  “I know you said it’s a one-person operation,” he responded smarmily, “but I figured you would outsource delivery.”

You scoffed, though it sounded more amused than irritated.  “It’s not just delivery, I have to check the fit and make sure everything’s exactly to your liking.”

“Oh, well, I’m free all day tomorrow— and I think you already know my address.”  Was it too forward?  Too obvious?  And why did Bucky spend half the time when he was talking to you second-guessing himself?

“Yes, Stark Tower is a relatively common destination for me.  If he doesn’t mind us using it, Tony has a dressing room with plenty of mirrors so you can get a good look.  But, I’d be happy to just go up to your quarters if that’s easier.”

He was not at all ready for you to see his room.  No way he could clean it enough in the next twelve hours; and even then, lots of the team had made fun of how empty and plain it was, so he knew it would just make you think he was boring.

“I’m sure Tony won’t mind you using his dressing room, but he might mind me using it,” Bucky chuckled.

“Well, if he makes a fuss I’ll be sure to set him straight,” you decided confidently.  Somehow, imagining you cursing out Tony was almost hotter than imagining you doing anything else.  “Be sure to bring down your dress shoes so you get the full look and everything.”

“Uhhh…” he trailed off as he scratched the back of his head, trying to remember if he owned anything other than combat boots.  “Not sure I still have those, to be honest.”

"Okay, you'll need shoes too,” you noted aloud, your voice a little distant; he figured you were writing things down, which was why you sounded distracted.  “What size are you?"

"Thirteen."

"I'll bring a selection tomorrow,” you announced firmly.  “And socks, of course.  And some watches, maybe?  And pocket squares."

"Is that it?" he asked sarcastically.

“Oh right, I’m bringing the ties you picked out, too.  I’ll throw in some alternates in case your original choices don’t match the way you were hoping.”

“You really are full-service,” he chuckled.

“I get that a lot,” you replied, a hint of coyness to your tone.

There it was again; that jealousy.  He hated it because he knew it was wrong, but he couldn’t stop it either.  As much as his mind was completely aware that you were an independent, modern woman capable of handling herself, his heart was equally determined to protect you, and spoil you, and do whatever was necessary to make sure you were safe.  

Worse, his gut was less innocent.  Mine, it demanded, all mine.  Nobody else’s.

He pushed it down and just tried to get through the rest of the call without saying something he’d regret.  You confirmed the date and time with him, and he tried not to be too aggressive when he said he was looking forward to it.  

He hung up his phone and sighed, staring off into space.  Now all that was left to do was wait, and be overwhelmed with anxiety.  Thankfully, he was good at the second thing.

//

"So, what do you think?" 

I think you look so damn good from every angle.  I think I might spend all my money on suits just to be sure I can see you again.  I think you need somebody to love you the way you deserve.  I think you’d look like an angel waking up in my bed.  

You waved your hand in front of his face for a moment, calling his attention back to reality.  “Helloooo?”

Drawn out of his trance, Bucky finally looked in the menagerie of mirrors surrounding him and admired his reflection, amazed by the perfect fit of his first suit.  The difference in quality between this and something off the rack was beyond apparent.  Most of all, your talent was undeniable.  "I think it's beautiful."

You smiled proudly.  "Of course it is, but do you like how you look in it?"

"Honestly?  I feel a bit… out of place.  I'm obviously not classy enough for a suit like this."

"Oh, nonsense," you dismissed.  

He frowned, convinced this was all flattery.  "No, seriously, this is… maybe I should just wear tactical gear to every event."

"Well, you'd still look good, but you're not always a soldier.  Sometimes you're only a man.  And every man should own a fine suit."

It was much too profound of a thing to say while you casually straightened his jacket, only to pop out from behind his reflection to smile at him in the mirror.

“Let’s get the next one on you,” you decided, helping him lose the jacket but having him move into a private dressing room to switch trousers and shirts.  “I put a turtleneck in there instead of just a regular button-up,” you explained through the door as he changed, “in case you wanted to see it that way.”

Once he’d put it on, he stepped back out and you were looking at him so proudly— well, you were looking at your handiwork with pride, really, but he could pretend it was for him and hope actually impress you that much one day.

“I went with a shawl lapel on this one, as opposed to the last one which was notched,” you explained as you traced the line with your finger.  “Spoiler: the next one has a peak lapel.  But enough about that one: what do you think of this one?”

“This looks like something my friend Sam would wear,” Bucky decided as he looked at himself in the cranberry suit and black turtleneck.  The shoes you’d had him try on with this were intricate as well, with subtle stitching in the leather and a shine so immaculate he could almost see a reflection in them.  

“Well, is your friend Sam stylish?” you asked.  

“He would certainly say so,” he smirked.

“I’m inclined to agree, because you—” you gave him a thorough glance up and down, so thorough in fact that he felt a bit exposed under your gaze, “—look marvelous.”

“Not pretentious?” 

“No, no, it works on you,” you assured, “you’ve got the looks for it.”

“And what looks are those?”

“Um… good?  Good looks?” 

He definitely remembered a time when that seemed like the obvious answer, because he had relied on being good-looking for a lot of things in life, but that felt very far away now.  Maybe it was just that people who didn’t know what he’d done could still think he was good looking, but everyone else saw the evil within beginning to leak out the way that he did.  

But you knew what he’d done, didn’t you?  You had to.  You knew Tony, you were here at the Tower… unless you were intentionally not up-to-date on current events, you must have heard of the Winter Soldier.

“Don’t act so surprised,” you huffed, “as if it’s a big secret or something.  You’re obviously very attractive.”

Bucky cleared his throat nervously.  “Uh, thanks.”  He wanted to return the compliment, but thought it might be inappropriate or rude somehow.  You broke the silence quickly as you held up two pocket squares in front of him.

“Which of these do you prefer?” you prompted.  He selected the solid gold one, making you smile.  “I knew you’d pick that one.”

“How?”

“I dunno, just fits you,” you shrugged as you folded it and gently placed it in his pocket.  Even through so many layers, your touch on his chest made his heart flutter.  Your fingers brushing over his as you slipped a watch onto his wrist was enough to cause palpitations.

He looked better in this ensemble than he expected.  This version of himself looked much more likely to be invited to parties than any other version.  If only he actually wanted to go to parties.

You put him in the pinstripe suit last, after putting a few pins in the cranberry suit to indicate minor changes you would make later, and stepped back to ponder your work.

"Hm, unbutton those top two buttons for me?" you requested with a raised eyebrow.

I will if you do, he thought to himself, but silently unbuttoned his own shirt anyway.

"I mean, it definitely works like this, but I wanna see you in a tie.  And I've got juuuuust the one," you smiled.  Soon you were approaching him with a red paisley tie, and helping him button up his shirt and tying the tie for him— you explained something about how it was a unique knot he likely couldn't do himself, but he was too lost in having you so close to notice.  It would be so easy to just reach up and grab your waist, pull you into a kiss, finally tell you how bad he wants you.

Well, it would be physically easy, but it would be very scary.  Just imagining it had his heart racing.

“I heard from Tony this morning,” you informed him suddenly, slipping the tie around his neck and popping his collar up for him.

“Really?  Is he in need of a wardrobe update?”

“Yes, but he hasn’t realized that yet so that wasn’t what he called about.”

He laughed a little at the jab, though it also made him a little worried what secret opinions you held about his own style (or lack thereof).

“We talked about you, actually,” you added.

“O-oh,” Bucky stammered, “uh, he’s not exactly my biggest fan.  So whatever he said probably isn’t true.”

“He said that you have a crush on me,” you replied nonchalantly, not even looking up from your work on his tie.

Bucky gulped, and he knew you saw the bob of his Adam’s apple because you were staring right at his neck.

“Like I said, Tony isn’t a very reliable source,” Bucky replied, but his voice cracked in the middle and he cringed internally.

“I’ll write it off as another one of Tony’s off-color jokes then,” you dismissed, perfecting the knot of his tie and stepping back to observe him.  He always felt nervous when you looked at him like that, like he couldn’t hide anything from you.

“What… what did you say, when he told you that?” Bucky asked nervously.

“I asked him what he was smoking and if I could have some,” you laughed.  “I thought it was totally impossible— and don’t worry, I didn’t tell him that you got hard when I did your inseam.”

Bucky’s throat became dry at the same moment that his palms got clammy.

“I— um, I was just—”

“Oh, it’s fine,” you dismissed quickly, still talking about this all so casually which only made him even more confused, “you’re not the first, it happens.”

“I’m not the first?!” 

“Yeah, if anything you were one of the few who didn’t say something creepy about it, which is always appreciated.  It’s just a bodily reaction, you can’t control it.”

“Did Tony ever say something creepy?” Bucky pressed, his hands involuntarily tightening into fists— another bodily reaction he couldn’t control.

“You know, Tony said you were really worried that he had been inappropriate with me, or even that he and I had a fling or something,” you added as you stepped back, giving him a quizzical look, “and now it’s sort of sounding like he was right.”

“No, no, it’s not that, I just—”

“Was he right about anything else?” you pressed, raising an eyebrow.

“I was being nosy, I’m sorry,” he sighed, “it’s just that… and I know it’s none of my business, but the idea of him and you… it isn’t a pleasant mental image.”

You laughed a little, in a way that made him feel kind of small.  “Why not?  You know how he is.  Definitely has a wandering eye… and occasionally a wandering hand.”

Bucky winced.  “I swear, if he ever put his hands on you, I’ll go find him right now and beat him senseless.”

“What if I wanted him to?”

He nearly saw red, but he knew he had no right to be angry.  You were a grown adult and he had no ownership over you… he just sort of wished that he did.

“So it’s true then?  You and him…?”

“No, Bucky,” you laughed, “it’s not.  Nothing’s ever happened between us.  I generally don’t get involved with clients like that.”

“Generally?  Is there an exception?”

You chewed your lip, seemingly a little thrown off by his question.  “Uh, I mean, no— I’ve never been involved with a client, no, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Why would you say ‘generally’ then?”

“Uh, I guess I just… I wouldn’t want to rule anything out, that’s all.  Never say never.”

And for a moment he almost wondered if you were flirting with him.  Certainly not, with him having come across as both a jealous hot-head and a bumbling dweeb who pops a boner faster than a randy teenager, but just for a second the way you looked at him was… questionable.

“I mean, who knows,” you continued, “what if, hypothetically, some gorgeous guy walked into my store one night— a sensitive guy, who made me laugh and put up with me rambling about ties for the better part of an hour— and I was supposed to dress him up when all I wanted to do was undress him?”

Your finger started to trail down his chest lightly, tickling his skin through the dress shirt. 

“I wouldn’t want to think he was off-limits just because he’s a customer… right?” you asked quietly, looking up at him and biting your lip.

He was afraid to make the wrong move, but he really really hoped this was flirting.

“I don’t think anyone would object to being dressed or undressed by you,” Bucky responded, hoping he could stay neutral until he was sure what you were talking about.

You chewed your lip, looking away as if you were thinking about something. 

"I know I certainly haven't.  And wouldn't," he added, feeling the need to say something.

You nodded, placing his tie inside his jacket and seeming happy with your work.

“You know, the fit looks great," you announced, "but I’m a little worried that one of the measurements was wrong.  Mind if I do your inseam again?”

His throat was dry all of a sudden, but he responded quickly anyways.  "Uh, go ahead…"

You looked up at him as you started to sink to your knees, very slowly.  That little move looked real good in the mirror behind you.  “Last time I did this, there was something getting in the way, made it difficult to know if I was doing it right…”

"M-my apologies," he whispered.

"Oh no, I'm not complaining," you purred as you slowly began to run your fingers up the side of his leg, keeping searing eye contact until his knees felt a little weak.

When your hand reached the top of his inner thigh, the back of it brushed against his balls and he shivered.  Delicately, and so excruciatingly slowly, your hand moved higher and gently rubbed his erection through the fabric.  

“Fuck,” he whispered under his breath.

It must have been all the anticipation that made it so intense, made shivers run up his spine every time your hand moved over his length, made his toes curl inside the ridiculously fancy shoes you’d put him in.

“I’m gonna take it out now, okay?  I promise I won’t measure you here,” you winked.

"You can if you want," he shrugged, deciding now was the time for feigned confidence if there ever was one.  “I mean, if you’re worried about fit…”

You bit your lip, and he was proud to see the effect his words had on you.  “I’ll be honest, I am a little worried it won’t fit…”  You were quick with his belt, but slow with his button and fly, apparently having more fun teasing him.  “Fuck, Bucky,” you groaned softly as you took his cock out.

“Don’t look so excited, doll, you’ll give me an ego,” he purred.

“Can’t help it,” you sighed, “looks delicious.”

You licked a long wet stripe up from the bottom all the way to the tip, making a show of licking up the bead of pre-cum before taking his head into your mouth, and Bucky blinked a few times to be sure that this was actually happening.

"Been wanting to do that since I first saw you," you admitted, grinning as you stroked him right beside your face, which only helped to illustrate how big he was compared to you.

"Dirty girl," he praised with a smirk.  

Flirting, he wasn’t so good at.  Conversation in any form typically stressed him out.  But this?  This he was still pretty good at.  And he’d never wanted it so bad before.

When you took him in your mouth again, you didn’t stop until you started to gag; he couldn’t stop himself from moaning through his teeth when you did it.

"Look up at me, princess," he instructed softly, grinning when you obeyed quickly.  "Now look over there at that mirror.  Look how good you look on your knees for me, choking on my cock."

You moaned around him when you made eye contact with your own reflection, and it felt so fucking good he almost lost it right then and there. He held your jaw, almost too tightly, and guided you as your head bobbed on his length.  Your mouth was so warm he thought he would burn up— and it only got warmer the deeper he managed to get.  God, he was so ready to pump his load right into your throat, but he wanted to do so much more to you first.  

In one quick motion, he pushed you off of his cock, pulled you up to face him, and flipped you around, holding you to his chest with the metal arm and letting the flesh one start rubbing your thigh.  This way, both of you were looking at the mirror in front of you, and he loved watching you gasp and moan as you felt and watched his fingers move higher and higher.

“I think it’s time to find out if you really are ‘full-service’,” he purred right against your ear, making searing eye contact with you in the reflection.  “You’ve seen so much of me, but I haven’t seen nearly enough of you yet.  Been daydreaming about what you could be hiding under these tight little skirts.”

As he pulled up the plaid-patterned fabric, he saw that you were wearing white, lacy panties and he groaned deeply.  

“What are you wearing these for?” he teased, rubbing along the edge but never getting where you wanted— and he knew you were getting desperate, because your hips were starting to buck up into his hand.  “Were you expecting something would happen today, sweetheart?”

“I— I was hopeful,” you stammered; instantly, he slapped you right on your barely-covered pussy, just hard enough to make you yelp and squirm in his grasp.  

“You’re so shameless,” he chuckled darkly, “and I love it.  I just hope this isn’t your usual routine— acting all innocent and batting your eyes so your clients will fuck you.”

“No, I swear, it’s just you, Bucky,” you whimpered, “there’s nobody else, please…”

“Please what?  Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to… to touch me more,” you whispered, as if it was a secret and not patently obvious.

He slipped two fingers underneath the thin fabric, finding your clit right away (not difficult at all with how swollen it was) and rubbing it in gentle circles.

“Oh god,” you sighed, “Bucky…”

WIth his hand on your hips, it wasn’t hard at all to push you back into him so he could rub his aching cock against you.  

"What material is this skirt made of?" 

"It's a silk blend," you answered breathlessly, "about 30% cotton."

"It's soft," he purred before yanking your skirt up higher and pressing his cock against your ass instead, "but not as soft as you."

Next to go was your blouse, which he tore open to the sound of buttons flying every direction and bouncing off of the mirrors and floors.

"Bucky!" you yelped, but he could see your nipples harden through the lacy white bra.  If there was any doubt that you had intended to seduce him today, the matching undergarments dispelled it.

After teasing your nipples between his fingers for a moment, he reached back down between your legs— and when his fingers slipped through your folds and moved down to your opening, he actually moaned just from how wet you are.

"Fucking hell," he growled, "you are drenched, princess.  You liked sucking me off that much?"

"Not just that," you clarified, "you look really good in my suits."

He gave you a toothy smile in the mirror, using it to nibble on your ear a bit.  "You deserve most of the credit for that," he purred.

"No, no, I don't," you whined, "you'd look sexy in a paper bag, honestly… you turn me on so much, Bucky."

“Did you… think about me?  After I left your shop the other night?” he asked playfully, already foreseeing your answer from the way your thighs clenched and your lips let out the subtlest gasp.

“Yes,” you whimpered.

“You’re smart enough to know I want you to be more specific than that,” he chuckled.

“I thought about you that night… after I got into bed…” you elaborated slowly, clearly distracted by the way he was moving his fingers: delicately, but with obvious intentionality.  “I thought about what it would’ve been like if you had grabbed me and kissed me, shoved me against the wall, fucked me right there on my desk… in front of the glass wall, where anyone could’ve walked by and seen you claim me…”

His cock was throbbing, and he wasn’t sure if it was from the image itself or from the knowledge that you’d been fantasizing about it.  “Were you touching yourself?” he growled.

“Yes,” you sighed, your thighs starting to visibly shake, your knees bending towards each other in the mirror.

“Show me how,” he demanded.  “Show me exactly how you were playing with your needy little pussy while you thought about me.”

Your hand found its place on top of his, your fingers starting to move his to the specific place, guiding his movements to be faster and rougher.

“Oh, I see,” he grinned, “you don’t like to tease yourself, do you?  You like to jump right into it, come as many times as you can and rub yourself raw in the process?”

You nodded feverishly, panting and whining and writhing in his grasp.

“You’re so desperate, honey… such a shameless cockwhore for me.”

“For you,” you repeated through your trance, “Bucky, ‘m close… keep touching me, please…”

He kept his thumb on your clit but gently slid one finger inside you, both of you gasping at the sensation (if for different reasons).

“So tight,” he hissed, already pulling it back out, “fuck, and just for one finger…”

“More, please,” you begged mindlessly.

“More?  Sure you can take it?”

You bit down on your lip as you nodded, and he pushed a second finger in beside his first.  He felt you struggling with it, both in your walls and in the way you winced a little, but you softly begged him to keep going so of course he couldn’t stop.  You adjusted quickly, your wetness starting to run down his hand.  

“Fuck me,” you whimpered, “now, please, can’t wait anymore.”

“Yes you can,” he encouraged, “and you will, cause I need to taste you first.”

Pulling his fingers out of you, he flipped you around again, finally kissing you the way he’d been dreaming of since he first saw you.  It was intense but not too dominating— in spite of everything.  It was a romantic sort of kiss, maybe too romantic for the situation (that being his cock out and hard and pressed against you, and his fingers covered in your arousal) but perfect nonetheless.

“That’s not what I thought you meant when you said you wanted to taste me,” you giggled when he pulled away.

“No, I meant it the other way,” he smiled, “I just wanted to do that first.”  

He picked you up suddenly, making you gasp a bit, but knelt down to lay you on the floor pretty soon after.  You looked up at him with wide eyes as he lifted your leg and kissed his way up.  He could smell your need, and he worried it would drive him wild before he reached his destination.

Pulling your soaked panties aside, he realized he could probably come just from looking at you.  “Such a gorgeous pussy,” he growled his praise, leaning down to plant a few more teasing kisses over the inside of your thighs.  Finally, he started with one long lick, just like you had with him, but you weren’t so patient to tolerate it.  Nearly instantly your fingers pulled his hair, clearly trying to guide him to tease you less, but he couldn’t be swayed to go easy on you.

“I hope you’re not forgetting who’s in charge,” he smiled hungrily.

“And what if I am?” you returned, clearly looking to get on his nerves so he’d get rough with you.  He was happy to oblige.

Bucky sat up and loosened his tie, slipping it off of his neck with a smirk.  "Now, this is 100% Venetian silk, so it should feel nice around your wrists," he cooed.  You offered your hands willingly, and he got a chance to show off a few complex knots of his own.  "Now be a good girl and keep those hands above your head, alright?"

You did as he asked, freeing him to hold your legs open as he devoured you, alternating between teasing your bud with the tip of his tongue, and fucking you with it.  

"You taste like heaven, doll," he growled when he came up quickly, "and the way you moan when my tongue's inside you?  I swear I could die happy right now."

"I wish you wouldn't though," you whimpered.

He laughed a bit before he got back to it, letting his tongue focus on your clit while he filled you with his fingers again.  Your walls clenched down on him occasionally, and when it became more frequent just as your moans became louder, he knew you were close.

"Stop, stop," you sighed suddenly, pushing him away.

"Are you alright?" he asked, nervous he'd done something wrong.  

"No I'm fine, I just… I don't want to come yet.  I want you inside me first."

"And what about what I want, hm?  What if I want to watch you come just from my tongue?" he offered instead, though he was definitely still very persuadable in this regard.

"I know you wanna fuck me, Bucky, don't make me wait any longer,” you moaned, your back arching up a little from the floor.

Not needing to be told twice, he flipped you onto your elbows and knees, making sure you could support yourself with bound wrists before letting you go.  His hands running over your exposed ass and thighs made you shiver, and he smiled down at you.  At this point, he was probably more desperate than you were, but he was doing a much better job of hiding it, even taking the time to reach up and undo a few of the buttons of his shirt, because wow suits are warm and not meant for his level of physical activity.

Still, he figured he had waited long enough— he needed to fuck you while he still had at least a shred of patience left.  He was going to need it if he was going to give you time to adjust to him.

Holding his cock and rubbing it through your folds, he chuckled when you whined and dropped your head down in a pout.  He loved watching your expression shift into a gasp as he pushed in.

He went slow, but he didn't stop either.  He wanted to test you just a little.  He wanted to stretch you open.

"Fuck," you cried, "god, you're so… you feel so…"

"Look in the mirror," he instructed coldly, although the coldness was just a front for the way he was holding himself back as your body swallowed him so beautifully.

You moaned again, higher-pitched and weak, just as he finally got all the way in.  He waited until he felt your body relax a bit before he asked if it was okay for him to move yet.  You answered with a quick nod, a breathy "please," and he didn't need any more encouragement.

It was probably too fast to start off with, but god, he'd been waiting so long to fuck you like this.

"Baby," he whispered, "you're so perfect."

He held you steady and thrusted deep, so deep that it made you gasp each time.  You looked incredible, and you felt incredible, but the way you sounded was just… divine.  He could never have imagined the beautiful way you would sound when he was bringing you pleasure like this.  Having heard it, he wanted to make you sound like this as often as possible from now on.  Technically he couldn’t even be sure he’d get another chance to, but surely sounds this perfect meant you had to be having a good time, right?  Ideally a good enough time to call him again?

He was snapped back to focus when he saw your eyes flutter shut with pleasure.

"Don't look away from that mirror, honey," he growled, "don't close your eyes.  Look how pretty you look like this."

He could tell you loved it from the way your channel fluttered and flexed.

"You like watching yourself get fucked, princess?"

"Yes," you sobbed as he grabbed your hips harder, hoping to leave a bruise, "it feels so good, Bucky, please don't stop!"

"I won't stop, pretty girl.  Not until you cream on my cock," he grunted. 

"Fuck, I'm close," you whined, "Bucky, I'm gonna come— oh god right there!"

And he was sure it couldn’t be fake from the way your body tightened and released so many times, the way you quivered and your breathing seemed to stop for a moment.  Even though he could barely take it, he kept fucking you through it until you were shaking so violently that he worried about your health.

“You feel so goddamn good when you come, princess,” he moaned softly.  “Tryin’ to milk my cock for all it’s worth, aren’t you?”

You laughed a little, sounding exhausted, but as he kept fucking you he could feel how sensitive you had become.  When he reached down to push your skirt back up to your waist after it had started to fall down a bit, he felt his own movements in your gut and it took so much not to lose his cool in that moment.  Instead, he pulled your upper body into his so that you could see in the mirror the way your lower stomach was bulging a bit each time he pushed in all the way.

"F-fuck, Bucky," you whimpered.

"Anybody ever been that deep inside you before?"

"No, not even close," you moaned.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked gently, kissing up and down your neck slowly to match his lazy, teasing thrusts.

"A little," you admitted, "but it feels good.  Don't stop."

He wasn’t so brutal with his thrusts, still deep but with a patient, measured pace.  It staved off his orgasm a bit longer, and it made you moan all slow and throaty which was not better or worse than the needy, high-pitched moans, but enjoyably different.  You didn’t sound as desperate anymore (probably because you’d already come), instead seeming relaxed and calm— if still arching your back and biting your lip nonetheless.

"I wanna come inside you," he whispered right against your ear; he could feel the way you shivered as a result.

"Please," you whimpered.

"Is that what you want?  Wanna be full of my come?"

"Yes," you sobbed, "yes, please Bucky I need it so bad!"

"Fuck, gonna fill you up so good, doll," he promised gruffly.  "Want me to make you mine, beautiful?"

He knew it was a risky thing to say, but his risks had paid off so far, and he wasn't in his most cautious mood.

"Already yours, Bucky," you sighed, "I'm yours, please come in me…"

It hit him suddenly when you said that, and harder than he expected.  He hadn't come like that in… he hadn't come like that ever.  He preferred not to think about the sudden, wavering moan he let out in that moment because he wondered if it sounded unsexy, but thankfully his mind was distracted by the overwhelming sensation of his softening, sensitive cock still within you.

He managed to maneuver you in the way he needed as he pulled out, leaning you back into him and holding your legs open to the mirror in front of you.

"Look in the mirror, sweetheart,” he instructed, his whisper a little labored as he was still catching his breath, “watch my come leak outta your pussy."

You seemed to be in awe of it, despite it being the obvious outcome of what had just happened.  To be fair, he was in awe of it in a sense, too; a thick, slow stream of sticky white come dripping down from your swollen hole and onto the floor… it was mesmerizing.

Your body was limp in his arms as he finally allowed you to rest, your eyes falling shut as you melted into his embrace.  He took a moment to untie your wrists, tossing the garment aside with an exhausted sigh.  “Bucky…” you mumbled sleepily, apparently just to say his name.

“Was that… sort of what you were hoping for today?” he asked softly, kissing your temple.

“And more,” you giggled.  “Oh my god, I… I don’t even know how to describe that… you’re so… fuck, I don’t know, my brain is totally jelly right now.”

“In a good way?”

“In the best way.”

He smiled, admiring your vacant-yet-pleased expression and feeling satisfied with his work.  You turned over to lay your head on his chest, and he gladly draped his arms around you in response.  Holding you like this felt so purely right, in a way so few things did to him.  Funny enough, even just having fucked you on the floor and already holding you afterwards right now, he felt nervous again that he would say something wrong.  You were a modern woman, after all, and maybe this was this ‘hook-up culture’ he kept hearing about.

“Was that true what you said, doll?” he asked gently, feeling you stir a little and slide a leg up to rest over his.  “Did you mean it when you said that you were mine?  Or was it just, you know, the heat of the moment…?”

You smiled a little, looking kind of embarrassed.  “Um, yeah, I meant that… I’m yours, if you want me to be.”

He didn’t feel as guilty for feeling so possessive over you now.  Clearly it was appreciated, in the right context.  And he was now at least 75% sure that this wasn’t a hook-up.  “Well, I’m yours, too,” he replied with a soft laugh, “whether you want me or not.”

“I want you,” you confirmed.

You laid in silence together for some unknowable amount of time, but it was a purely unawkward silence.  A peaceful silence, and one filled with possibilities, but not uncomfortable.  Maybe it was uncomfortable in the sense that the carpet, while still being very plushy and expensive, was still the floor and not as forgiving as a bed… but it was completely worth it.

Part of him feared to ruin the moment by speaking, but much more of him feared that you would slip out of his grasp if he didn’t say something.  "This may be the wrong time to ask this— or maybe just the wrong order to do this stuff in— but I wanted to ask if you'd like to join me for dinner sometime."

You laughed, but cuddled deeper into his chest.  "Um, yeah, that would be nice."

"I just hope I'll find something nice to wear," he grinned.

[justinewt]

Darkness - UNTIL DAWN REWRITE Chapter Two

[UNTIL DAWN-MASTERLIST]  

Previous Chapter / Next Chapter

Summary: After meeting up at the cable car, Chris and Synthya made their way up the mountain and reached the lodge. Synthya wasn’t too hyped about the whole thing, having kind of a bad feeling but she was doing this for Josh. It seemed important to him to get everyone reunited on this day and she would give Josh the world, so she didn’t really think twice before agreeing to come back here... despite her apprehensions. 

Words: 5.6k

Warnings: Until Dawn spoilers (chapter 2 specifically), flirting, fluff, fears, angst, chase, lots of dialogues

Mount Washington’s Lodge, 10pm

NINE HOURS UNTIL DAWN

Synthya and Chris walked down the trail, the sole of their shoes sinking slightly into the snow, leaving their footprints in their path. She really couldn’t wait to get into the lodge and settle on a couch, maybe even take a hot bath to chill out a bit cause the uneasiness she felt while walking through this god forsaken forest was getting a little too much for her to handle, although she managed to keep up the appearances. She knew she didn’t actually need to pretend with Chris, but it was almost like she needed to make herself believe she was fine and as they approached the small gate cutting off the path leading up to the lodge, she noticed Matt, his arms crossed, seemingly upset for some reason and just standing to the side and Ashley was sitting on the porch stairs. Synthya let Chris open the gate and they were welcomed by Josh who walked up to them and at the sight of the latter, a sweet smile appeared on her face. He smiled at her and greeted her with an affectionate and soft kiss. Chris cooed and whistled to tease them. Josh simply laughed as he stepped back.

“Man, I feel this mountain gets bigger every time I climb it.”

“Oh yeah? Feels the same to me.” Josh said nonchalantly with a cocky smile. He just had this overall laid-back and cool vibe coming from him, as always. She couldn’t help but be worried about him all the time but seeing him so calm and composed made her wonder, but she knew better. His behavior in public did fool her when she had first met him. She’d never thought he wasn’t so well and that’s why now, she tried to have a constant eye on him, but some things slipped from her watchful eyes. One definitely couldn’t tell that a year ago he attempted suicide. Only her and Chris knew about that incident, though.

“Oh come on, you grew up here. It probably feels like it’s shrinking.”

“I guess that’s true.” He glanced down, nodding.

“When are you gonna install some cell towers up here? I’m getting withdrawals already.” Chris complained lightly, lifting his phone up in the air. Synthya rolled her eyes, subconsciously adopting the same pose as Josh as she watched Chris acting all tech-savyy.

“You got a spare million lying around and I’ll fix you right up.” Josh retorted ironically, shrugging.

“Funny you should say that… Ah, I think I left it in my other jacket.” While Chris was being the comedian he is, Josh put his arm around Synthya’s shoulders and they walked the last feet separating them from the porch, approaching Asley and Matt.

“Hey guys… Get up here, okay?” He greeted the two with his free hand.

“Yeah… well, more or less. But it’s so good to see you!” Ashley said.

“Sup with him?” Josh wondered, looking at Matt and nobody knew the answer so there was a brief silence. Matt even eventually went a little further from the house and stood in the shadow of the trees, ruminating in silence. Josh let his arm slip down her back as he and the moment his hand left her back, she suddenly felt quite nervous and she looked into the dense forest, narrowing her eyes as if she was trying to see something. “Oh, hey, you all right, Syn’?”

“Uh, yeah… yeah, don’t worry. I’m fine. Just… just a bit nervous. That’s all…” She cleared her throat, staring into the dark and Josh rubbed her back and climbed up the porch stairs along with Chris.

She went the opposite direction and slowly came near the small gate and leaned on it, staring straight ahead at the forest path she had just walked up with Chris. Alone in front of it, it seemed so much scarier. She had this pending feeling of being watched and followed and this ever since she got off the bus almost a couple hours ago. Something didn’t feel right but she shook it off and took a deep breath. She stayed still for a second, her heart pounding in her ears and shallow breathing, she swallowed harshly and grabbed her phone and headphones from her bag and put music in her ears. The silence in which the forest was plunged did not help to calm her. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly, her hands now gripped onto the gate. But the nightmares came anyway, mocking her attempt at keeping her shit together. These same images kept haunting her mind. She ran in the forest, with Hannah and Beth, freezing and in panick at they reached a cliff. She suddenly felt a hand on her, and she opened her eyes, right at the moment she saw herself fell and she turned around, only to see Josh standing in front of her. She had never told him about what happened, not in details anyway. She only ever really told her therapist about it and the latter eventually diagnosed her with PTSD. She cleared her throat, taking off her headphones.

“Where did Chris go?” She asked, trying to compose herself.

“He went to look for a deodorant to open the door from inside.”

“A deodorant?”

“Yeah, I gave him a lighter, so he can go all flame-thrower and unfreeze the lock.” He gestured, mimicking a flame thrower with his hand, making the crackling soun with his mouth and her eyes flinched in a brief blink and she sketched an amused smile, nodding, to cover up her reaction, in case he had seen it. She never forgot about that man with the flame-thrower who at first chase her and his sister down before actually saving her from a deadly fall and letting her run away, for some reason. It was still something confusing to think about. And she never said the whole story to Josh because he had already hit rock bottom, she didn't want to upset him even more. “You all right, Syn?”

“Huh? Sure, I—” She was about to tell Josh how well she was when she suddenly heard a branch crach in the distance and she turned around, startled. When she saw a deer just running across the path she cleared her throat, passing her hand in her hair, letting the hood of her jacket fall down her head, making her shiver when cold air blew down her neck, despite the scarf she had tied around it. She felt Josh wrap his arms around her waist, leaning his head against hers and she put her hand onto his. “I’m fine, really. Just a little on edge…”

“I know, but you’ll see, we’re gonna have a great weekend.”

“Oh, really?” She smiled at the smirk on his face and turned her head towards him. The way he pressed his lips against hers, sharing a soft and sensual kiss, made her think he had probably some making out in mind for the two of them, in order to make this the great weekend he promised her. They only broke their embrace when they heard a loud wooo noise coming from inside the lodge and Ashley letting out a gasp, jumping. Synthya smiled, amused and Josh and her walked to the door. “Hey man, shouldn’t be getting the lock open?”

“On it!” After a minute, he lit the lighter and sprayed the deodorant on the flame, melting the ice inside the lock of the lodge's front door. He grabbed the handle and opened the door quickly letting go, waving his hand with a quiet grunt from the heat. He then bowed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all   week—” He suddenly screamed when a little furball came out of the blue and rushed out of the house. Ashley, Josh and Synthya stepped aside in surprise. “That thing freaked me out.”

“What was it? Are you okay?” Ashley asked, laughing.

“It was like a… bear or a tiger or something—”

“Aww, it was just a little baby Wolverine!” Synthya joked. Unlike Josh and Chris, she wasn’t much of a jokester, but this seemed like the ideal occasion to make a pop culture reference. Josh gave her an amused smile.

“Baby?”

“Don’t worry buddy, you’re gonna be a big boy soon.” Josh teased with a smirk. They then walked in, joined by Mat and went into the living room. All the sofas and armchairs around the fireplace were covered with a sheet. There was an eerie silence floating in the air until Josh spoke up, looking around. “Home sweet home.”

“Sweet is not the word I’d use.” Matt said while putting down Emily’s bags near the wall.

“Oh my god, it’s so good to be inside. Even if it’s still kinda freezing in here.” Ashley sighed in relief.

“I’ll get a fire going.” Josh walked up to the fireplace.

“This place barely looks any different.”

“Yeah, like it’s frozen in time.” Synthya added, glancing at Matt with a nod.

“Nobody’s been up here.” Josh told them, crouched in front of the hearth.

“Even with all the police coming in and out?” Ashley wondered.

“Not a lot of action here lately.” Chris concluded, glancing at Josh.

“Nope.” Josh added. Synthya nonchalantly shuffled her feet, walking around the living room and she went near the windows, parting the slats of the curtain with her fingers, looking out. It took her a second to realize that she was looking outside as if she was awaiting a monster with that same anxiety that made her stomach heavy and she took a step back, startled, almost letting out a loud gasp when Mike came in, casually yelling to greet the rest of them.

“What’s up party people!” Synthya swallowed harshly, trying to compose herself, ignoring the fact that Josh glanced at her. She used to be better at keeping her shit together but being back on that mountain was fairly triggering, but she would do anything for Josh so if it was important for him to bring everyone back up here, she wouldn’t say no to the invitation and the fact that he was there too made it a little easier.

“Heeey!” Jessica waved her hand at the five of them standing there in the lodge as they joined. Josh greeted them back, still busy near the fireplace and Synthya noticed Matt raising his head and staring at Mike, for whatever reason. She thought that maybe Mike had something to do with how upset he was a moment ago when they were stuck outside the house.

“Make yourself at home, bro.” Josh told Mike. Synthya kept an eye on them, silent and she pulled the sheet covering an armchair next to the large sofa and slumped in the chair, sitting sideways on it, facing Josh.

“Will do.” He gestured at his host and joined Jessica on the sofa.

“Yeah. Come on in.” Matt’s tone of voice was overly bitter, which only confirmed Synthya previous thought about the reason why Matt was so troubled, now he looked like he wanted to throw hands and have a beef with Mike right there right now. “Take a load off. Have whatever you want. You just take whatever you want anyways, right?”

“Woah, easy there, cowboy.” Mike seemed genuinely confused, or at least he was acting well. Synthya was watching them, as if she was watching some reality show on TV -which she actually never did- but it felt like it.

“What the hell were you doing with Em out on the trail, huh?” Matt inquired.

“What?”

“I saw you and Em. Through the telescope.”

“Before? We just ran into each other. It’d been a while, so we hugged, and I said hello. Is that against the law?” Matt looked away, clearing his throat, nodding, seemingly a little embarrassed to have gotten carried away. He ran ran his hand through his hair.

“Right… yeah... Duh. Sorry, it’s been kind of a long day. I overreacted.”

“Nah, man, don’t worry about it.” Mike said softly before joining Jessica on the couch and Matt went to sit down on the other end of the sofa. Synthya let out a quiet sigh and rested her head against the back of the armchair. She bent over to grab her phone in her bag on the floor. She let it fall right back inside upon seeing that it was dead already and returned to her previous position on the chair. That’s when Emily arrived. Synthya already knew there would be some drama between her and Jessica and no one had even said anything yet. She wasn’t really thrilled to see them again, after not talking to them at all for a whole year. Synthya had only kept in touch with Chris, Ashley and obviously, Josh.

“Oh. My god. This is so gross.” Emily chuckled, looking at them in a judgmental manner, crossing her arms over her chest. “Are you trying to swallow his face whole? Seriously can she be any more obvious?” Matt stood up while Emily just kept going. This time, the fight would escalate, because Emilly was much more impetuous. “No one wants in on your territory, honey.”

“Excuse me, did you say something?” Jessica took a few steps, rising from the couch.

“Oh, did you not hear me? Was your sluttiness too loud?”

“Sounds like someone’s bitter she didn’t make the cut.” She said, looking at Mike still casually seated behind her. Synthya rolled her eyes and looked at the windows, watching the snow falling outside.

“Yeah. It’s all big cattle call with that dreambot. Congrats, you’re top cow.” Emily laughed.

“Cuts real deep calling Miss Homecoming a cow.”

“Em, come on—” Matt tried to defuse things, but he got off by his very girlfriend.

“Shut up, Matt.”

“Stay out of it, you dumb oaf.” Jessica added and from what Synthya heard, because she got tired from looking at them, Emily didn’t like that one bit.

“Hey, watch it!”

“Oh, you’re the only one who can put him down? No one else can play with your toys?” Jessica rose her voice.

“You’re such a bich.” Emily complained.

“Whatever. I don’t give a crap what you think.” Synthya heard Jessica stepping back to the couch. She glanced at Josh, still working on getting the fire lit. He would probably put a stop to this fuss as this was surely not what he had in mind with this little winter get-away for the anniversary of his sisters’ disappearance.

“At least I can think. 4.0, bithc, honor roll. Such on that when you’re trying to sleep your way into a job.”

“Who needs grades when you’ve got all the natural advantages you can handle?”  Jessica retorted with pride. “You couldn’t buy a modly loaf of bread with your skanky ass.”

“Are you serious? Do you think that’s insulting?” Emily giggled at the attempt.

“Emily, stop! This is out of hand. There’s no reason to fight like this.” Matt spoke up, trying to play peacemaker once again.

“Yeah, Em! Why you pickin’ fight over your ex boyfriend, huh?” Before Emily could retaliate, Josh stood up and rose his voice. Synthya straightened up, bringing her legs down from the arm of the chair and looked at the latter.

“STOP IT! This is not why we came up here. This is not helping. It’s not what I wanted. If we can’t get along for ten minutes then maybe we need a little bit of a break, right? Mike, why don’t you check out the guest cabin. The one I told you about.”

“Yeah… Yeah, all right.” He got up, and invitated Jessica to come along with him, to take her away from Emily. “Want to go do that?”

“Any place without that whore…” Jessica sighed, one hand resting on her hip, she took Mike’s hand and followed him.

“It’s right up the trail.” Josh added.

“Phew…” He mimicked an explosion of his head with his hands and sighed in relief. “Glad that’s over.”

“Yeah.” Josh whispered back as he returned to the fireplace, which was still unlit after a few minutes already.

“So, Josh, uh… should we get this fire going?” Matt asked.

“Where’s my bag?” Emily inquired out of the blue. Matt turned to her, confused. “My bag! The… the little bag with the pink pattern! The one I got on Rodeo! Matt, are you listening?” While Emily talked about her stupid bag, Synthya stood up and walked over to the Grand piano. The top was closed, and it was covered with a sheet as well. She grabbed a corner of it and pulled it over before she pressed a key on the piano, and it made a sharp noise. She winced and brought her hand back to her.

“You can't play us a masterpiece today, Syn.” He joked. “The cold has surely ruined it.”

“That’s sad.” Synthya observed. She couldn’t even play the piano anyway, but she saw the beauty in these big instruments and loved them.

“Not as sad as my missing bag.” Emily whined. “Matt, I need my bag!”

“Oh my god, Em, maybe you just forgot it—”

“Do you seriously think I’d forget my bag?” She exclaimed, as if it was crazy of him to suppose that.

“Well, I—”

“Do you?” She cut him off again. She had been doing that ever since she joined them in the lodge.

“Guess not.” He said, shrugging.

“You must have left it down by the cable car station.” Matt grumbled. “C’mon, hun. We’ll be back soon.”

“And then we can get warm?” He asked softly.

“We can get very warm.” Emily cooed. Synthya smirked slightly, looking around the room. It made her think of the similar lusty offer Josh implied in the sensual kiss they shared outside. She played with her septum piercing, walking in circles as she didn’t know what to do know after the storm finally calmed down after Josh’s ultimate intervention. She shivered slightly and the image of a nice hot bath came to mind.

“I think I’m gonna take a bath. I dream of some hot water right now.” Josh stood up, turning to her and she looked at him after taking just one step towards the huge staircase, on which Chris and Ashley had been sitting in silence for the last few minutes of mayhem.

“Hey, wait for me upstairs, I’ll be there in a minute. Just gotta give some directions to Mike and Jessica, or they’re gonna get lost in these woods.” He told her in a low voice, almost whispering and he chuckled. She smiled before he gave her a soft kiss and left in the direction taken by the other couple.

“All right, I’m off. Get cosy.” She said at Chris and Ashley’s attention as she climbed up the stairs. Ashley giggled nervously. Synthya walked past the bathroom, and she noticed a door ajar at the end of a small corridor on the side of it. It was either Hannah or Beth’s bedroom if she remembered correctly.

The lodge was so enormous that it was fairly easy to forget where what was, or where you were even going in the first place. She even wondered if she had really seen all the rooms of that big house. She looked down the railing before entering the bedroom, climbing the few steps at the entrance fo the room. Everything had been left untouched, like the last time anyone ever came in. Synthya gound an old tattoo artist card on a desk and behind was a date “March 18th 2013” and the time of her appointment along with the tattoo design she wanted, the little butterfly she had gotten tattooed on her shoulder. Synthya frowned, letting out a heavy sigh as she walked to the other end of the room to a busy cork jumble on the wall beside the chimneywith various papers and photos pinned on it, she noticed a large rectangular blue box with her initials painted in gold on the top. She carefully opened it and a soft smile stretched her lips as she saw a ballerina spin around and realized it was a music box, and given the inscription she found inside, it was an old Christmas gift from Josh and the smile quickly disappeared. It made her heart sink in grief, and she closed the box quietly. On the cork jumble, she took a look at everything Hannah had put on it, trying not to get overwhelmed by how sad it made her feel; she was, along with Beth, her best friend after all and the trauma she got from watching them fall to their deaths was hard to deal with. She swallowed harshly and lifted a pinned party invite to one of Hannah's birthdays and beneath was concealed a polaroid picture of Mike in a suit.

“Oh, Hannah…” Synthya mumbled under her breath. She entered the dressing room on her right and noticed a torn magazine paper lying on the carpet. She crouched down and picked it up. On the back of it was results of some love test and Hannah got the result telling her it wasn't going to work, and to try something daring to get his attention. Mike's attention. She shook her head, put the paper back down and walked out of the room, giving a sad look around as she closed the door behind her and went near the guard railing and saw Josh climbing the stairs.

“Sent the porn stars on their way.” He said jokingly.

“All right, cause I’m dreaming of that hot bath so now’s your time to shine, big boy.” She teased and chuckled when he picked up, kissing her languidly as he carried her to his old room further down the hallway.

Mount Washington’s Lodge, 10:44 PM

Synthya leaned over the tub, her knee pressed against the edge as she turned the switches to open the water supply and take a nice hot bath in which she could bask for a while after this little hooking up session with Josh. The latter had then joined Ashley and Chris in the living room and continued to try to light a fire in the fireplace. She let the water run for a second and passed her hand through and frowned at the cold water sending a chill through her arm. She kept turning the switches around, trying to get the water to warm up but after a minute, she sighed. As she walked out of the bathroom, she heard a strange noise and looked around, freaked out and fastened her pace as she went to climb down the stairs to join the three others. She chose to ignore the noise she had just heard. It must have been her imagination. She needed to calm down, because nothing could hurt them. They were safe in the lodge and hopefully, the bath would help her chill out.

“How long do you think it’ll take him?” Chris’s voice echoed a little in the high-roofed room. He was probably talking about Josh still struggling to get the fire going.

“My money’s on blankets for everyone!” Ashley joked.

“You can do it, man. We believe in you.”

“Yeah! Totally! Woo-ooh!” She cheered. “Let’s go Jo-osh, let’s go!”

“All right, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea for you two.” Josh said, seemingly giving up on the idea of getting a fire started in the chimney.

“What?” Ashley inquired.

“Okay, well, I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have… a spirit board.”

“Wow, you have a “spirit board”?” Chris asked.

“Yeah yeah. They’re fun right?”

“Wait, are you saying… we should have a séance?”

“Those things are a joke, man. They don’t do shit.” Chris declared. Synthya descended the last step of the stairs and walked towards them.

“No way, bro. We used to do it all the time. Me and… well…”

“Hey, josh.” He turned his head to her upon hearing her voice. “There’s no hot water.”

“Oh yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It’s in the basement.” He looked at Chris and Ashley. “You guys see if you can find the spirit board.”

“Chris let’s go find it! It’ll be like a scavenger hunt!”

“Ummm… okay… guess so.” Chris was apparently not as excited about the idea, but he followed Ashley anyway.

“Rad. You’re not gonna regret it.” Josh assured. “You up for a ride along?”

“Let’s go fire up that boiler.” Synthya followed him past the main staircase, and they climbed a couple of flights of stairs to reach the basement. He opened a drawer and got a flashlight out.

“Hey. You notice how I gave Chris and Ash a mission together?” He had a cheeky and mishievious grin on his face. “Yeah, I was thinking they could use some “alone time”.”

“That’s very clever.” She smiled and nodded. “They are sweet together. I wish they’d just freaking get on with it already.”

“I swear they just need like… something to bond over, y’know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other’s arms. I mean at this rate they’ll be in the geriatric ward before Chris makes a move.” She laughed, agreeing with the statement. They needed a little help to get together finally after dragging this flirt situation on for years. Synthya looked around as she walked after him. He opened a door, and they entered a corridor where he stopped, waiting for her. “You know, Syn…”

“Yes, Josh?” They resumed walking.

“I just wanted to say…”

“What…?” He came to a halt and turned around to face her.

“It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year and you know, that… you came, Synthya.”

“Oh, Josh… We’re here for you. I’m here for you. Always. Whatever you need. Whenever. We’re all gonna make it through this.” She paused, looking aways for a second. “I should have been there for you more. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too.” He said softly and Synthya cupped his face in her hands, gently caressing his cheeks with her thumbs and they rested their foreheads against each other for a few seconds. She softly kissed his lips and drew him into a hug and eventually they kept walking down to the basement. “Hey, watch your step.” He warned as they climbed down a flight of stairs.

“I think I can handle a little old set of stairs.” Synthya chuckled.

“Uh-huh.” He smirked, pointing the flashlight in front of them to light their way into the basement. He opened a high metal cabinet and bent over, taking a look at the boiler. “Sorry to drag you down into the bowels.”

“Ugh, just get me some hot water and I’ll be super-fine.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t want you coming down here on your own, you know?”

“Well, it’s definitely creepy down here.”

“Yep. Not a place to be on your own.” He straightened up and walked to a board with switches and buttons to the side of the cabiner. Synthya looked around them. She really had no intention of coming down her again once the hot water would be turned on and she could chill in the hot bath she longed so dearly. As her eyes wandered, she noticed something inside the cabinet, leaning against the side and she took a few steps towards it and found a baseball bat put there. She picked it up and turned to Josh.

“What’s that doing here? Is that yours?”

“You bet it’s mine.” He smiled, taking it in his hand. “I used to play ball with my dad all the time. Of course, that was before he got too busy to hang out with me… oh well, save it for the couch, right?” She gave a compassionate look as he put the baseball bat down on the ground and got back to fixing up the boiler. “Okay, lemme see what I can do with this old hot water machine.” He turned a switch, but an empty click sound was all he got so he walked back to the cabinet and handed the flashlight to Synthya. “Here, can you… can you hold this?”

“Sure.” She took it and was about to bent over to light up the interior of the cabinet for Josh when a noise echoed around the basement and she instantly stiffened up, glancing around worriedly. “What was that?”

“What was what?” He asked, leaning on his knees before moving on. “Just shine it here so I can see what I’m doing.” After a moment, he straightened up. “Nice one. Ok, first things first: we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up.

“Uhm… sounds kinda complicated.”

“No, it’s actually pretty simple.” He said, now standing in front og the panel with the buttons and switches. She approached it as he returned to the cabinet. She turned the switch, waited a couple of seconds and pressed a button with a little flame symbol on it when the red light right above it lit up. She looked up at the huge boiler sitting behind as a loud noise sounded in the basement.

“Whoa!!”

“That’s more like it! All right! Five, girl.” She smiled and she high fived him as he held up his hand. Josh closed the boiler cabinet and came back next to her when another strange noise suddenly caught her attention and she turned around, startled.

“What the hell is that…?” She asked in a whisper, glancing at Josh and he shrugged.

“Could be a lot of things… and none of them nice.” He teased, tickling her arms to mimick spiders crawling around. She turned around instinctively. “I’m just… just “joshing” ya.”

“Ha-ha-ha.” She faked laughed and ended up chuckling, shaking her head.

“You were really freaked out.” He observed, a smirk on his face.

“I was not scared.” She protested, knowing damn well that she was totally scared.

“No, no, you just jumped because you wanted to squeeze in some aerobics?”

“Totally. You didn’t know your girlfriend was into fitness nowadays?” He shook his head with a chuckle. Then, there was another noise, followed by another and another, like something was hitting on the pipes. “Okay, so you hear that too, right?” He stepped past her, frowning. “Josh…?”

“…What?”

“The rhythm’s like, weirdly regular…” She noted.

“Not… no… nothing “regular” about it.”

“I’m gonna check it out.” Synthya declared, swallowing harshly. She was freaked out but somehow not as much as in the forest.

“What? Why?” Josh inquired.

“I’ll be fine.”

“It’s probably just like, not anything.”

“Why don’t you hold down the fort while I make sure?”

“Okay, whatever you say, madam.” She held tight onto the flashlight as she walked down a hallway towards where the noises were coming from, her free hand hanging down her body as she fidgeted her fingers anxiously. She might have been a brave person, but she was still pretty scared. She swallowed harshly, taking one step at a time. Suddenly, a masked man came from behind the corner of the wall and jumped, screaming as she ran out of the basement with Josh. In the panick, she pushed a mattress on the ground. The mysterious man tripped over and grunted. Her breath was quickening, and her face was distorted by fear. She felt like when she and the twins had been chased into the forest by this scary man. Synthya ran into the door, feverishly forcing on the handle, trying to get the door to open, letting fearful cries out along with some swearing in various languages. When she saw that the man had stopped down the flight of stairs leading to the door, she stared at him.

“…What?” She caught her breath, only feeling now that her cheeks were wet, and she had cried a little. She cleared her throat, wiping the tears, staring at the man who started laughing and booing like a ghost. “…what the hell?”

“Boom! You just got monked!” He lowered the hood, revealing his face and she made an annoyed face to find it was Chris. She had gone through such intense up and downs in the last minute that she just stood there, not really knowing how to react.

“Nice. Nice one. That was good.” Josh giggled behind her.

“Why w… why would you do that?” She inquired.

“There’s all this old movie crap down here. What, was I… was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?”

“Are you… are you serious? I—” She had almost snapped and unpacked what had happened to her in that forest, a year ago but she let the words die in her throat as she sighed and turned to Josh, slapping him on the chest, pushing him lightly. “Were you in on this putz?”

“Nope. But I wish I was! That was too good.” He laughed. Of course, if he knew what she had went through and what this stupid prank had reminded her of, he wouldn’t be smiling and laughing like that but still, she didn’t say anything. It didn’t feel like the right time to trauma dump. She took a deep breath while the two boys high fived and she followed them, silent. Josh locked the door behind them and put the flashlight on the piece of furniture by the door to the cinema room before catching up with them as they climbed up the stairs to the living room. Ashely walked up to them, looking at Chris in disbelief.

“What… in god’s name… are you wearing?”

“I found my true calling.” He joked, pretending to give her a blessing. Synthya chuckled, shaking her head and climbed up the stairs to go to the bathroom. She could hear Ashley, Chris and Josh chatting downstairs, talking about the Ouija board but she had had enough for the night. She desperately needed that hot bath, to calm down and relax and maybe, enjoy a moment on her own, without anyone’s company.

[To be continued…]  

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Published (08/24/2022) by Andrea

Taglist: @cathrin2405​ @kika64