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yespleasefandomtrash · 5 years ago

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of cats and curses

“I’ve only seen these cats get so excited about someone sitting outside a pet store with one other person in my entire life,” a warm and almost suffocatingly kind voice said, snapping Catra out of her thoughts. “And he had that same disgruntled expression that you do. Poor kitties try to make friends with the very people who don’t want to be made friends with.”

(Catradora meets Kyoru. As you might expect, chaos ensues.)

~*~

Catra had been more than willing to let Adora do most of the talking. She was normally more eager to learn about the new planets they were exploring, but that day… Ugh. She really wasn’t sure what was making her mood so foul. Or she couldn’t pinpoint a singular cause, anyways. It was probably some God-awful combination of the pittering drizzle of rain falling from the gray sky around her, the fact that the miserable planet ‘Earth’ she was on seemed to have no traces of magic whatsoever, and the immediate reality that Adora was no longer by her side. Which was the main downfall of Adora doing all of the talking - Catra was left behind. At her own request, of course, so she could only blame herself, but still. She wanted to stew in her misery for a bit.

This ‘Earth’ was their last stop before they’d be flying back to Bright Moon. Catra never thought she’d be relieved to be returning there, but times had changed, she supposed. During their numerous quests to restore magic to the universe, day-trips and monthly adventures alike, they’d come to learn that some planets had never had magic in the first place. Even rarer, select places did not want magic returned to their world. In other words, the Best Friend Squad - she still didn’t know how she felt about that name - had taken to asking around amongst the locals to first determine the magic status of planets before they actually began the restoration process.

So now Adora was schmoozing with the locals - probably badly, because her acting skills left much to be desired - in some place called a pet store, while Catra sat on an uncomfortable metal bench outside while silently wishing she had an umbrella. She could raise her bag above her head, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t do much. Also it had their communications pads in it, and she figured unduly exposing them to freezing rain was not a good thing.

Ugh. She should have sucked it up and gone inside with Adora.

Catra yelped as the bracelet projecting her holographic disguise suddenly shocked her, and she lifted her wrist to figure out why, exactly, it had done that. She couldn’t see anything wrong with it… Uh oh. Maybe it wasn’t waterproof. She probably should have asked Entrapta about that.

Oops. Too late?

Even more annoying than her bracelet that was now randomly spazzing out were the stupid cats in the pet store behind her that kept clamoring and scratching on the glass! Sure, she was grateful for that wall of glass because it stopped them from physically getting to her, but it was nowhere close to soundproof, meaning their yowls were barely dulled down. And most of the cats were just saying hello, but she didn’t want to turn around and acknowledge that, because she was pretty sure most people on Earth could not understand animals. She didn’t care that there was no else around - she wasn’t taking any chances. Which just meant the cats would think she was rude, but she’d rather live with that than become Earth’s resident crazy cat lady by striking up a conversation with the Siamese or the Persians in a pet store.

Huh. Could the cats see through Entrapta’s disguise? Surely not. Catra tapped her bracelet to make sure the hologram was still active, wincing as another jolt of electricity shot through her arm. Definitely still active. So maybe the cats could just… feel that she was like them. A gut instinct. Or something.

Really, there was no use thinking about it. Where the hell was Adora?

“I’ve only seen these cats get so excited about someone sitting outside a pet store with one other person, in my entire life,” a warm and almost suffocatingly kind voice said, snapping Catra out of her thoughts. “And he had that same disgruntled expression that you do. Poor kitties try to make friends with the very people who don’t want to be made friends with.”

Catra looked up to see a brown-haired girl standing in front of her, a bright smile on her face and a navy blue umbrella in her hand. She appeared way too cheerful for someone walking outside in a minor rainstorm. Catra also vaguely recognized that the language the girl was speaking was not one she understood, but Entrapta’s translator appeared to be doing the trick. Now hopefully it would continue to work in reverse.

“Ah… yeah,” she finally managed to say. “Cats… like me. Too much.”

The girl laughed. “You sound so much like Kyo!” She offered Catra her hand. “My name is Tohru. It’s lovely to meet you, Miss…?”

Catra scrambled to remember her cover name that they’d hastily made up when they learned ‘Catra’ was not a normal name on Earth. “I - uh, I’m Catrina,” she said, shaking the girl’s hand, though she remained on the bench. “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

“So what has you sitting outside in the rain?” the girl - Tohru - asked curiously, giving her a look of concern. “Are you okay? Do you need a place to stay for the night?”

Catra fought to ignore the cats still meowing behind her. Their chant had shifted to a collective FEED ME, which she obviously couldn’t do because she was not inside, but apparently they hadn’t figured that out yet. “No, I’m - I’m fine,” she stammered, wincing halfway through her sentence as Entrapta’s disguise-bracelet suddenly shocked her again. Ouch. “Just waiting for someone.”

Tohru frowned. “In the rain? Without any cover?” She immediately thrust her umbrella in Catra’s direction. “Take this, Miss Catrina. I only live about five minutes away up the road, and I feel you are in far more need of it than I.”

And now the light on Entrapta’s bracelet was flickering on and off. Ugh, that couldn’t be good. Catra did not want to accidentally give this random and kind of annoyingly nice girl a heart attack by suddenly looking… er, not like a human. “No, I’m really fine,” she insisted, jumping to her feet. “But I appreciate the offer.”

Tohru’s frown deepened. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to get hypothermia, miss.”

Catra instinctively covered her bracelet with her free hand when she noticed sparks flying off of it in her peripheral vision. “I’m sure,” she said, trying to sound as sincere as possible. “In fact, I should probably -” She cut herself off with a yelp as lightning flashed and a loud crack of thunder boomed through the air, sudden enough to make the fur on her tail stand on end as she violently reached up to cover her ears, shoulders hunching over in the process.

Apparently the sudden motion was too much for the barely-functioning bracelet to take, the bracelet that was admittedly already worse for the wear after she’d had an encounter with some kind of slime monster on a planet called Tamaran, as it snapped off her wrist before falling to the ground, now broken in half. And with that, her disguise vanished.

Catra had never bit her tongue so hard to avoid letting out a string of frustrated curses. She was pretty sure it was bleeding now.

The girl’s - no, Tohru’s, she had a name - eyes widened as she watched the series of unfortunate events unfold. “You’re… you have cat… ears? A tail?”

Dammit. Now she was going to have to hear an annoying lecture from Sparkles and probably Arrow Boy about jeopardizing the mission, though she really didn’t think this was her fault. “Uh…” Catra said, frantically trying to come up with an excuse, “would you believe me if I told you this was an elaborate costu-”

“Are you cursed, too?” Tohru interrupted, kneeling down to pick up the pieces of the bracelet from the ground. “I mean, your transformation is not quite like the Sohma’s, but I suppose it would be rash of me to presume the zodiac curse is the only one to exist in the world, wouldn’t it? Perhaps there is something else -”

Catra sneezed, accidentally cutting her off. Which she mildly regretted, because she had no freaking clue what the girl was going on about. A curse? So-ma? The hell was going on with this planet?

And most importantly, where on Earth was Adora?

“Oh my goodness, you’re freezing!” Tohru exclaimed, horrified, as she stood up. “I am so sorry, I was being incredibly inconsiderate! You poor thing, you’re not even dressed for rainy weather!”

Now that she mentioned it, Catra realized that she was shivering. Ugh. Stupid fur. It was so hard to warm up after it got wet.

“Let’s go to Shigure’s house,” Tohru said, taking Catra’s hand and pulling her away towards a dirt path, doing her best to hold her umbrella over the both of them. “We can warm you up, get you a towel and a change of clothes, and I’ll do my best to help you repair your bracelet, though it’s not similar to Kyo’s at all so I don’t know if I’ll be much use. While we do that you can explain the details of your curse to me! But only if you’re okay with talking about it, of course.” She shook her head, a mixture of shock and curiosity in her eyes. “I wonder if Kyo and Yuki were aware that other families could have a curse similar to the zodiac?”

Catra still had no idea what all this curse nonsense was, but she was both surprised and grateful that the girl hadn’t freaked out and run away upon seeing her… er, true form, as it were. However, the main problem was that she was currently being taken away from Adora, which was stressful because Catra needed Adora and also because Adora would undoubtedly freak out the moment she realized Catra was missing and cause havoc by turning into She-Ra or something. “Actually, I kind of have to stay here -”

“I promise, there’s no need to be nervous!” Tohru reassured her, and her voice was so gentle and sincere that Catra found herself struggling to not believe her. “If you stay here, someone might run into you who won’t understand what’s going on. They could even try to hurt you! I promise that I’m taking you to a safe place where there are people… where there are people struggling with a - a similar issue to what you have.”

Catra seriously doubted that. She was pretty sure that Earth had never had successful contact with other planets, meaning the chances of there being Etherians in this girl’s house were almost zero, much less Etherians like her. Still, the thought of going somewhere warm and dry with this pseudo-Perfuma who hadn’t lost her shit upon seeing that Catra was definitely not human was… well, rather appealing.

But Adora. Adora. She at least needed to let her know where she was going.

“When we… er, get to wherever you’re taking me, can I… send a message to the person I was waiting for?” Wow. She sounded so timid it was downright mortifying. “Just to let her know where I am.”

“Of course!” Tohru said as they turned a corner on the dirt pathway. “Your friend is absolutely welcome to join us. Is she cursed, too?”

Was She-Ra considered a curse? It sure felt that way sometimes. But Catra was still completely lost on what the whole ‘curse’ thing was, especially how it related to her being part cat. “Er, I don’t think so -” And she promptly cut herself off with another sneeze. Ugh. She was going to catch a cold.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there!” Tohru said, pulling her slightly faster. True to her word, Catra could see a warmly lit house at the end of the road. “I’m so sorry we have to walk through the rain like this. But I’m going to make you some hot tea and give you a fluffy blanket and turn up the heat and just whatever you need to warm up and get comfortable, okay?”

And the girl did exactly that. She gave Catra a towel to dry off with as well as a set of clean clothing to change into before she practically swaddled her with a blanket and placed a steaming mug of tea on the low table in front of her. Really, her personality was the absolute epitome of Scorpia and Perfuma combined. Catra had also made sure to send Adora a message about her location while Tohru had been preparing everything, or else she knew she’d forget to do it entirely.

“Is everything okay? Would you like something to eat? There’s not a lot in the fridge, but I’m sure I can whip something up pretty quickly -”

“No, no, everything is fine,” Catra interrupted, still feeling kind of awkward around Tohru but also still relieved that the girl hadn’t - hadn’t fainted or anything. “I’m almost back to normal, uh, body-warmth already.” Ugh, that was horrendously phrased. Oh well. C’est la vie, or whatever Sparkles had taken to saying after visiting Flance. Finance? She really didn’t know what the country was called. Regardless, the girl either hadn’t noticed or hadn’t cared.

Tohru nodded, kneeling down on the side of the table opposite Catra. She placed Entrapta’s bracelet - or the pieces of it - down in front of her. “I was hoping I could repair this for you, but it’s not the same… er, anti-curse material that I’ve seen before. It seems to be technologically-based, and unfortunately I’m terrible with tech. I’m so sorry I couldn’t be of more help!”

Right. The ‘curse’. “Don’t worry about it,” Catra said, waving her hand dismissively. “I have a friend who can fix it.”

Tohru didn’t appear satisfied by her reassurance. “Are you certain? I can ask the person I know who’s in - who’s kind of… like you, so to speak, if he’ll take a look at it and see if he -”

Catra held up a hand to silence the girl, ears twitching. She could have sworn she heard footsteps from above them. “Tohru…” Weird. She was pretty sure that was the first time she’d addressed the girl by name. “Are we the only ones here right now?”

Tohru frowned. “I - I believe so. Why?”

Catra’s ears craned to catch the sound. The footsteps - they’d moved. Moved towards… “Because someone is about to come down those stairs,” she growled, lowering her voice to a whisper as she untangled herself from the blanket and vaulted across the table to land in front of Tohru, claws bared. “Stay behind me.”

“Okay,” Tohru squeaked, and Catra wasn’t sure if she was more afraid of the thought of an intruder or of Catra herself. Hopefully not the latter.

A tall boy with carrot-orange hair arrived at the foot of the stairs. “Tohru, are you bac-”

Catra’s tail flicked, and she launched herself at the boy. Damn, she couldn’t believe only a few months at Bright Moon - and numerous sessions with Perfuma - had turned her into someone who’d defend a stranger at a moment’s notice. Though she supposed Tohru wasn’t quite a stranger at this point.

Catra easily tackled the guy to the floor, her forearm lying across his throat with hopefully just enough pressure to keep him pinned down without her having to get on top of him. Her other hand loomed in a threatening manner above his face, claws still out. “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Miss Catrina, wait -” Tohru started to protest frantically, but she was soon cut off.

“What the hell?!” the guy snapped. “I could ask the same about you!” In the blink of an eye, he flipped Catra over his head with expertise she found begrudgingly impressive even as her back was slammed painfully onto the ground.

Shit. Now he had her in the same position she’d used on him. But damn, that was a good move on his part.

“So who the hell are you?” he growled, and Catra felt a chill run down her spine because she’d only heard that type of guttural noise twice before in her life - from Melog, and from… herself. “And why the fuck are you in our house?” She noticed the way his pupils had thinned in an… almost catlike manner. And - And it looked like he had fangs? Plus, now that her mind had set sail on that boat, she realized he smelled like a cat, too, in the way only another cat or, er, cat-person would know.

Oh, this was so weird. She never wanted to come back to this planet.

“Kyo, please stop!”

“Did she hurt you, Tohru?”

“No! She’s - She’s a friend! Sort of. She’s very nice, and she was just trying to protect me because I didn’t know you were home already, and - and I think she might be cursed, too!”

“What?” The boy - Kyo? - looked down at Catra, as if taking in her… well, unusual appearance - by this planet’s standards, at least - for the first time. The pressure against her neck lessened. “She’s… Wait.” He turned to look at Tohru, though he noticeably did not remove his arm from her neck entirely. “You’re telling me that the zodiacs aren’t the only -”

He was interrupted by the sliding door to the home being slammed open, with a familiar panicked voice filtering in. “Catra, are you -”

Crap. Adora, whom she loved with her entire being, always managed to have the worst timing.

Adora’s eyes widened as she took in the situation, then narrowed with a burning intensity Catra had only seen a few times before. Her girlfriend began to glow with a blue aura, her eyes shining with that same blinding light, though thankfully she stopped short of fully transforming into She-Ra. Glowing was easier to pass off as a trick of the light compared to suddenly growing three and a half feet taller, at least according to Glimmer. Catra was inclined to agree.

Adora’s protective nature was undeniably attractive, but Catra really didn’t want her girlfriend to have some poor guy’s murder on her conscience once everything got straightened out. “Adora, wait -”

“Get your hands off of her!” Adora snapped, grabbing the boy by the back of his shirt and slamming him against the wall.

The anxiety written all over Tohru’s face as she rushed over to the boy’s side indicated to Catra that there was clearly a massive misunderstanding going on. She pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Adora, stop -”

At the sound of Catra’s voice, Adora immediately dropped to her side, blue light fading as she pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, burying her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Catra, don’t you dare run off on a strange planet ever again.”

The fear in Adora’s voice chillingly reminded her of their time on Horde Prime’s ship, and she had to blink back tears as she returned the hug. “Okay. I promise.”

Those words seemed to do the trick, as Adora relaxed before gently releasing her from the hug, pulling back to frantically look over her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Do I need to -”

“I’m fine,” Catra interrupted, grabbing her girlfriend’s hands and giving them a reassuring squeeze. “Honest.”

Her insistence didn’t stop Adora from standing up and turning around with a lethal look in her eyes, her gaze narrowing as she focused on the boy, who had just managed to sit up with the help of Tohru and was now grimacing as he rubbed the back of his head. “What the hell were you doing with your hands on my girlfriend?!”

The boy glared at her in response, similarly getting to his feet as he did so, though noticeably more unbalanced than Adora had been. “Your girlfriend attacked me! I was trying to defend myself and protect Tohru!”

“So your idea of self-defense is to have her in a position that could be fatal? Sorry, but I have my doubts.”

“I have self-restraint, you dumbass! What the hell would I have to gain from killing her?!”

“Oh, sure, you say that now -”

“Enough!” Tohru shouted, jumping in front of the boy with her arms out and startling Adora to the point where she actually took a step back. Catra noticed that the girl was trembling, but she stood her ground. “Please. Stop arguing. Don’t - Don’t hurt him.”

Oh.

The way her voice wavered. The way she’d immediately rushed to his side. The way she was clearly terrified but had still thrown herself in front of the boy to protect him. Hell, the way the boy had demanded to know if she had hurt Tohru before he’d even thought about himself.

There was something between them. Maybe they weren’t together, but Catra suspected it was only a matter of time.

Tohru took a deep breath, her body still visibly shaking. “I think there is a misunderstanding going on here, and that we all need to - to calm down for a moment. And talk.”

Catra nodded as she stood up, her hip slightly sore from the awkward angle that she’d been flipped onto the ground earlier. “Tohru’s right.” She slipped her hand back into Adora’s. “I did lash out first, because I thought Carrot Boy over there had broken into Tohru’s house, and even though we’d just met, Tohru had been really nice to me and I didn’t want her to get hurt. So I was just… trying to protect her.” Adora sent her a look that said I am so proud of you, which Catra pointedly ignored. “But that might have been a teeny bit of a hasty assumption for me.”

“Yeah, it was,” the guy snapped, though his expression softened slightly as Tohru placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a worried look. “Listen. I live here, too, okay?”

Catra winced. “Er… Sorry?”

The boy didn’t respond, simply crossing his arms over his chest. He still smelled like a cat to her. Were there pets in this house somewhere that Catra couldn’t see?

“And we of course accept your apology,” Tohru said kindly, clasping her hands together. “Now, why don’t we properly introduce ourselves before we try to figure out the nitty-gritty details of what’s going on? My name is - ahh!” As she was stepping forward to offer her hand to Adora, her foot caught in the blanket Catra had previously been bundled up in, and she seemed to fall towards the floor in slow motion. Both Catra and Adora instinctively jumped to catch her, but the guy beat them to it, looping an arm around Tohru’s waist and pulling her backwards into his chest.

He helped stabilize her, their faces noticeably both cherry red, before giving a resigned sigh. Seconds later, he disappeared in an orange cloud of smoke, leaving a pile of clothes on the floor in his wake as well as an annoyed-looking cat the same color as the cloud sitting on top of his t-shirt.

As much as that made no sense to Catra, at least she could now conclude that he smelled like a cat and looked like a cat and acted like a cat because he… was a cat? Kind of?

“You know,” Adora said after a long pause, moving her arm to wrap around her girlfriend’s waist, “I thought this planet didn’t have any magic, but now… I’m pretty sure I was wrong.”

Catra sighed. “Great observation, babe.”

Explanations were definitely needed. On all sides.

~*~

Tohru thought the strangest day of her life would always be the first time she accidentally transformed Kyo, Yuki, and Shigure into their zodiac forms.

That day had now quite possibly been bumped down to second place.

“So you’re… from another planet?” Tohru repeated, the thought almost dizzying. “And you came to Earth to see if we - if we needed magic brought back to our world?”

Catrina - no, Catra, she chastised herself - nodded. There was a certain sympathy to her eyes. “Yes. I’m sure this is pretty overwhelming for you.”

That was putting it lightly. But Tohru shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I think I’m understanding it all now.” Though it was definitely a lot to take in. A small frown creased her lips, and she tilted her head slightly in confusion. “So then… You aren’t cursed?”

Catra snickered. “Cursed to be with this idiot, maybe,” she said teasingly, giving the blonde girl beside her - Adora - a fond look, who lightly elbowed her in response. “But no, I’m not cursed. This is my… true form, I guess.”

Tohru could feel her face pale at the girl’s words, and she didn’t miss the way Kyo flinched, either. “I see.”

There was an awkward pause, and Tohru had no idea how to break it. Normally she’d offer food or something to drink, but the two girls had already refused. Or rather, Catra had refused, much to what had looked like Adora’s silent dismay. Oh, she felt like a terrible hostess.

“So… you can transform into a giant warrior princess?” Kyo asked slowly, gesturing to Adora. “Which is why you got all glowy earlier? Like some magical girl anime?”

“I have no clue what that means, but yes. I can transform into She-Ra.” Adora gave him an apologetic smile. “And again, I’m really sorry for throwing you into the wall. I just saw you on top of Catra and completely freaked out.” She pressed a kiss to Catra’s temple, who blushed furiously at the action but made no move to get away, instead not-very-subtly scooting even closer to her. They were very cute, in Tohru’s opinion.

She noticed Kyo’s face soften as he watched their interaction. She loved that rare, gentle expression on him. “No,” he said quietly, eyes flickering over to Tohru before immediately dropping to the table. “I understand.”

Tohru could feel her face reddening at his words, brief as his glance towards her had been. If Adora and Catra noticed, they didn’t comment, for which she was silently grateful.

“Anyways,” Adora continued, “after asking around and getting stared at like a crazy person many, many times, I’d come to the conclusion that this planet was magic-free and always had been.” She pointed at Kyo. “And then you turned into a cat. Which I’ve only seen happen, like, one other time.” She glanced at Catra. “But Melog’s technically a shapeshifter, right? So it’s not the same thing.” She shook her head when Catra shrugged. “Not my point. So how did you do that, sir?”

Kyo picked at his fingernail, still not making eye contact with them. “Trust me,” he said, his voice low. “There was nothing magical about that.”

Catra raised an eyebrow, and she locked her gaze with Tohru’s. “Right. You kept talking about a curse.”

Tohru flinched, and she glanced at Kyo. “Ah, am I allowed to…?” She felt bad for mentioning it so many times earlier, but Catra had looked like a normal human and then her bracelet fell off and she’d suddenly had a dozen catlike features… she’d gotten such a chilling sense of déjà vu that a curse had felt like the most logical conclusion at the time.

Kyo sighed. “I mean, they’re from another planet. It’s not like they’re going to run into Akito. So why not?”

Tohru nodded, smoothing her skirt as she returned her attention to their guests. “A long time ago, there was a banquet hosted by God.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. The ribbon that normally held it back had fallen out amidst all the earlier chaos. “God invited 13 animals to join them at this feast. 12 attended. Eventually, all 13 animals vowed to remain by God’s side. Forever. This… bond has been recreated every generation through - through the Sohma family. If they are hugged by someone of the opposite sex, they turn into their zodiac form.” She hoped she wasn’t leaving out too much. There were just some things she wasn’t sure she should reveal.

Adora nodded, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think I remember George and Lance talking about the zodiac when we were getting a crash course on Earth’s culture.” She frowned, seemingly puzzled. “But I don’t remember a family curse. Or a cat.”

“You wouldn’t.” Kyo’s gaze had hardened. “The curse is a secret. And the cat isn’t a part of the zodiac. Not in the same way.” He was fingering his bracelet, and Tohru desperately wished she could give him a comforting hug. Instead, she reached out and placed a hand on his knee. She could feel him relax at her touch - only slightly, but still a victory.

Tohru hadn’t missed the way Catra’s eyes had steadfastly remained on Kyo for much of the conversation. Maybe it was… a cat thing?

“So it seems like this zodiac curse might be an exception to Earth’s ‘no magic’ rule,” Catra finally said. “If it’s magic at all.”

“Is there a way to break this curse?” Adora asked. “I have - I have these sort of healing powers, as She-Ra, so maybe… I could help?”

Tohru couldn’t stop the hope bubbling in her chest at the thought. After learning that Kyo would be - would be… imprisoned after graduation, she was willing to do anything to prevent that from happening. “Kyo, do you think -”

“No.” His tone was flat, and Tohru flinched. He noticed her reaction, and grimaced apologetically. “Sorry. I just mean…” His fist clenched. “We’re… the Sohmas aren’t the kind of broken that your magic powers, or whatever, can heal. But thanks.” He managed a half-hearted smile. “I appreciate the offer.”

There was a pause. But for perhaps the first time since they’d all been in one room together, the silence had a certain tranquility to it, rather than an awkward tension. Which Tohru considered to be a sign of improvement.

“I guess we’ll need to get going soon,” Catra finally said. “Sparkles and Arrow Boy are going to wonder where we disappeared to.”

Adora chuckled. “You mean they’re going to smother us when we get back because they’ll have been stressed out of their minds.”

Wait, they had people waiting for them?! “I’m so sorry!” Tohru exclaimed, jumping to her feet. “Oh, your friends are going to be so worried about you!” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Would you like some - some food, or anything, for your trip back? I can pull something together in no time!”

Adora’s eyes lit up, but Catra beat her to it. “No, we’re fine,” she said with a small smile before shooting Adora a disapproving look. “You’ve already given us plenty of hospitality. We’ve overstayed our welcome.”

Adora appeared slightly disappointed but didn’t comment, instead standing up and pulling Catra to her feet beside her. Tohru noticed neither let go of the other’s hand. “Well, it was nice meeting you guys. And Kyo, again, I really am sorry I threw you into the wall. I hope we can move past that and be friends.”

A small smile formed on Kyo’s lips, and Tohru felt warmth blossom in her chest. “I’d say we’ve moved past it already. And for the record, your super-strength and glowy powers are pretty badass. Less so when I’m the one they’re directed at, but still cool.”

Adora laughed. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“I am also sorry for attacking you because I thought you were some creep,” Catra added. “I promise not to do it again. Cats are usually pretty solitary creatures, but that doesn’t mean we have to be enemies, right?”

Kyo laughed as he stood up, and Tohru felt her own smile widen further. “Agreed. But that’s not even the first time that’s happened to me, you know. Tohru also attacked me early on when we met because she thought I was a creep. Tried to knock me out with her school bag. So don’t feel too bad. I think I just have bad luck.”

Tohru buried her face in her hands, aware she was blushing up to her ears. “Kyo!” That was one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. She still felt terrible about it.

Catra snickered. “Oh, I wish I had time to stay and hear that story.”

“It’s a good one.” Kyo then shook his head. “I’m still not sure if this day has been real or if it’s just a weird dream from Yuki decking me and giving me a concussion, but if it is real, it was… interesting to meet you guys. Weird, but in a good way.”

Catra laughed, too. “Yep, that pretty much sums it up.”

“Is there any way we can stay in contact with you guys?” Tohru blurted out. She wasn’t entirely sure what compelled her to ask, but she knew a part of her would soon need proof that she hadn’t imagined their entire encounter. Also… They were her friends now. And she liked keeping in touch with her friends.

Adora frowned, turning to look at Catra. “We have a spare communications pad, don’t we? We could give it to her and just tell Bow we lost it.”

“You mean I will tell Bow we lost it,” Catra corrected as she swung her backpack around to her front and began fishing through it. “Because you’re a terrible liar and he wouldn’t believe you for a second.”

“Exactly. You know me so well.”

Catra rolled her eyes, but Tohru didn’t miss the soft smile that formed on her lips. It was the same smile her mother used to wear when she spoke about her father.

“Aha!” Catra then exclaimed triumphantly, pulling a weirdly-shaped tablet out of her bag and handing it to Tohru. “You can use this to contact us whenever you want. Although we’ll probably have to figure out what the time difference is between Etheria and Earth.”

Tohru accepted the tablet, holding it close to her chest. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I hope your quest to restore magic to the universe continues to be successful!”

They exchanged simple goodbyes - making sure to first give Tohru a rundown on how to use the communications pad, for which she was infinitely grateful - and then they left, hand in hand.

Tohru quickly ran to stash the tablet in her bedroom before returning downstairs, walking into the kitchen to see Kyo looking through the fridge. “Would you like me to cook something?” she offered, moving next to him to see what ingredients she’d have to work with.

Kyo lightly knocked her head. “I’ll cook. You can go rest. You’ve had a stressful day.”

“You have, too!” she protested, tucking her hair behind her ears. She was not backing down on this, and she tried to show her determination by squaring her shoulders and staring him down.

She had a feeling it came off as more silly than anything else, at least based on the amused - if fond - smile Kyo gave her.

“Okay, fine. How about we cook together?” he suggested. “Is that an acceptable compromise?”

Tohru beamed at him. “That sounds wonderful!” She clasped her hands together, eyes practically sparkling in excitement. “Oh, we can make something for Yuki and Shigure! They’ll be back soon.” Yuki had been dealing with Student Council business all afternoon, and Shigure had been at the main Sohma estate the entire day. She was certain they’d appreciate coming home to a warm dinner on the table.

Kyo rolled his eyes. “You’re way too considerate of those bastards.”

“And you are too harsh on them,” Tohru chastised, shaking her head. The movement caused her hair to fall in her face again, and she promptly pushed it right back behind her ears. Hmm. Maybe she needed to consider getting it cut?

Apparently Kyo had noticed her struggle, as he left the kitchen for a moment before returning with her ribbon. She started to thank him and reach for it, but he shook his head. “Turn around.”

Tohru blinked, then did as instructed. At first she was rather stiff, but she soon found herself relaxing as Kyo’s hands gently moved through her hair, pulling it up into a ponytail.

“There,” he said after he finished. “Now it should stop getting in your way.”

Tohru instinctively reached up to touch her hair, almost surprised by how secure it felt. “That’s amazing, Kyo! I didn’t know you knew how to do hair.”

Kyo flushed. “It’s nothing fancy. Kagura made me do her hair all the time when we were kids. I remember the basics.”

Tohru couldn’t help but smile softly at the thought of young Kyo brushing and braiding a young Kagura’s hair. “That’s so sweet.” She beamed at him. “And thank you. I love it.”

Kyo’s blush deepened, and he looked away. “Seriously. It’s no big deal.” He paused, as if something had occurred to him. “Oh. Also.” He pulled a small silver bracelet out of his pocket and handed it to her. “I found this on the table. I think one of the girls might have left it.”

Tohru’s eyes widened, recognizing the bracelet as the object that had generated Catra’s human disguise. “Oh, this is Catra’s!” she said frantically, accepting the bracelet from him. “We have to get it back to her! It’s not too late to catch up to them, is it?”

Kyo grabbed her wrist as she started to dash towards the door. “Slow down, dummy,” he said, pulling her back into the kitchen. “They’re long gone.”

He was right. She knew he was right, but - “I feel like we need to return it to her! Somehow.”

“Maybe. But surely she wouldn’t have left it if it was that important.”

Tohru hesitated, glancing down at the broken bracelet cradled in her palms. “Okay,” she finally agreed, relaxing slightly. “That does make sense.” She tucked the bracelet into the pocket of her skirt.

Maybe one day she’d be able to fix it. Maybe one day she could ask them how to fix it by contacting them through the tablet they’d given her. Maybe one day they’d even return in person to pick it up themselves.

No matter what… She would see them again. She was sure of it.

Tohru turned to Kyo, giving him a brilliant smile. “Let’s get cooking!”

~*~

“And you’re sure you’re not hurt -”

“Adora! I told you that I’m fine.” Catra rolled her eyes. “Seriously. You worry too much.”

“You’re my girlfriend. It’s my job to worry about you.” Adora sighed, her arms moving from being crossed over her chest to clutching her own shoulders as she hugged herself tightly. “That was terrifying, Catra. Walking in to see some random guy leaning angrily over you with his arm against your throat?” She shuddered. “Ugh. I’m going to have nightmares about that one.”

Catra could feel her expression softening, and she walked across their room on Mara’s ship to place her hands on Adora’s shoulders. “I’m sorry I scared you. But I promise that I’m okay. I honestly don’t think Kyo had any intention to hurt me, anyways.”

Adora’s arms fell to her sides, her hands coming to rest on Catra’s waist. “What makes you say that?”

“You mean besides the fact that he’s actually a nice person?” Catra shrugged. “I just had a feeling, I guess.” Something about the look in his eyes. Fear, panic, desperation. All overshadowed by concern. A willingness to do anything for that one person.

It had been like looking in a mirror.

She pulled Adora into a hug, burying her face into her girlfriend’s shoulder. “I love you.”

Adora didn’t hesitate to wrap her arms around her in response. “I love you, too.”

They stayed like that for a while. Catra eventually lifted her head, turning to face a direction where she could see out the window, out into the infinite void of space. They’d long since flown away from Earth. But still…

Catra had a feeling they’d see them again. Tohru and Kyo.

She was sure of it.

(After all, they’d have to go pick up her bracelet one day.)

~*~

tagging the two people who said they’d be interested in reading lol: @akeera13 and @timefrozen-waterstreams

#catradora #kyoru #she ra #fruits basket #crossover #fanfiction #catra #adora #kyo sohma #tohru honda #furuba #spop #my writing #fanfic

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anotheronechicagobog · 4 years ago

Text

The Crackship Sails to Molly’s Natalie Manning x Stella Kidd

written by @anotheronechicagobog

warnings: swearing, mention of homophobia, Manning isn’t Nat’s maiden name, she changed it when she got married, just saying, Helen’s kindof a bitch, canon compliant accidents, implied artificial insemination, implied/mentioned smut

They had absolutely no idea how they ended up there. Well, that wasn’t strictly true... Molly’s and ladies’ nights. And tequila, tequila was definitely at fault here. For their hangovers and their nudity under the covers. Unfortunately, the tequila didn’t take their memories, so they knew exactly what they did. Or who they did, rather. And the answer was each other.

After Natalie’s awkward exit from Stella’s apartment above the Hermann house, Stella made quick work of the dirty dishes from their breakfast. She couldn’t help but think back to the previous night. They were so drunk, but Natalie was so hot and Stella just felt something inside her snap. It had felt like a coil, but everything that she and Nat did last night, it all just felt so right, so satisfying. She felt like she was on a high. There was no way she was going to last long without having sex with Natalie again, she could already feel herself going crazy.

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

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one feeling that way. And so, their friends with benefits relationship began. Stella was a bit nervous, she had a two-year-old son and a pretty crazy mother in law. But it felt so right. Until it felt more than right, and both women knew they were in trouble. It started with cuddling after sex and lead to watching movies in the afternoon and lingering touches and longing looks. But one rainy Sunday afternoon, they were cuddled on Natalie’s brand new GRÖNLID, and suddenly it just hit both of them. They were dating, in secret, but dating. Natalie licked her lips and looked Stella in the eye. “Will you go on a date with me?” Stella cradled her face gingerly, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “I would love to.”

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

It became obvious to Helen very quickly that Natalie was seeing someone, and the thought made her stomach heavy. She knew it wasn’t fair of her to hate the idea of Natalie moving on, but she couldn’t help it. She only had one son. She only wanted one son. And he was gone.

So when Owen was picked up by someone else while Natalie was at work, months after Helen knew she had officially begun dating him, Helen lost it. Her mouth turned bitter as she drove to the hospital, fully prepared to scream at her daughter-in-law in front of her coworkers. When she got to MED she barely remembered to throw her car in park before slamming the door and marching past everyone. The people waiting, nurses, secretaries, the only one who was able to stop her was Maggie. “Helen, hi. How are you? You know you can’t be back here right?”

“I’m here to see Natalie, move.”

“Okay, no. You do not get to speak to me like that ever, much less so in my ED. Drop the attitude. Now.”

“It’s too soon, Maggie, it’s only been-”

“Four years. It has been four years Helen, I’m not going to pretend I know what you’re going through, but I know that it is absolutely no excuse for acting the way you are. You are not entitled to Natalie’s love life, and you still haven’t apologized to me. And since you’re not in an emergency medical situation and I do not feel like dealing with your BS right now, you need to leave.”

“Maggie you can’t-”

“I’ll call security.”

“Don’t interfere with something that-”

“Security, escort this woman off the premises, please and thank you.” The two security guards Maggie had summoned with a raised eyebrow ended up dragging Helen out kicking and screaming. All while Natalie watched in heartbreak. Was it really that awful that she didn’t want to be alone and empty for the rest of her life?

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

Because of the incident at MED Nat and Stella decided it was time to sit Helen down and tell her that they were dating and to get over herself. Helen entered in a huff, somewhat pleased with herself that she finally got Natalie to admit she was seeing someone, but she would be lying her ass off if she said she wouldn’t give whoever this guy was shit for sneaking around with a widow. She didn’t see him though, only a Latina woman in a mustard sweater and jeans. “Alright, where is he?”

“Sit down Helen, you don’t’ get to talk to me that way.” Helen threw herself down onto the same chair she’d tossed her jacket and purse on while Natalie sat beside the woman on the light green couch. Helen felt all her rage and grief evaporate as she watched the two women intertwined hands. “I’m bisexual, Helen. So is Stella. I didn’t figure it out really until I met her. I guess a part of me always knew but I kind of ignored it, because, well, you know how people discriminate against LGBTQ people. But, she makes me so, so happy. And Owen just loves her.”

“Oh thank God.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Oh, I don’t care about sexualities, really. Love is love and anyone who tries to limit the love of others is a fool and a monster. Truthfully, this is a relief. I was so scared that you’d found a man to replace Jeff. You dating a woman is actually a lot more comfortable for me. I already approve.”

“While I’m glad Stella’s got your stamp of approval, you have to understand that your behaviour recently is unacceptable, right? You are not entitled to anything, and you owe both me and Maggie apologies.”

“You’re... Right. Completely right. There isn’t an excuse or a reason, not a good one anyway. I’m so sorry Natalie. Really, I am... That... That psychiatrist you work with, Dr. Charles, does he, uh, is he accepting patients? I think, I mean I’ve put it off for so long, I think it’s time that I talk to someone. About everything.”

“That sounds like a good idea, Helen, I’ll talk to him tomorrow for you.”

“Thank you. Now Stella, you’ve been very quiet during all this, I’d like to get to know you. What do you do?- Oh! And how long have you two been dating?”

“I’m a firefighter, and we’ve been dating for- eight months?”

“Around that, yeah.”

“That’s wonderful, how do you like being a firefighter?”

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

After Helen apologized to everyone and started therapy, things got much calmer. She also became Stella and Natalie’s biggest supporter. Like tonight, she was always offering to babysit for date nights, and the couple took full advantage of that. They were dining out at an intimate restaurant, glad for some time with just the two of them. “So I read this story on Reddit on my break today about this guy who, completely sober, was shoving a toilet brush up his... You know, so that it looked like he had a bunny tail. You guys ever get anything crazy like that?”

“Yeah actually, we’ve got this frequent flyer for ambo who regularly gets high off his ass, draws weird, nonsensical symbols all over his body, then call to complain that he was assaulted by aliens.”

“Damn.”

“Yeah, hey, I found The Italian Job on Netflix, the one with Jason Statham. Wanna watch it when we get back?”

“Oh, absolutely. I love his movies.”

“I know right?”

“He’s like the British Ryan Reynolds.”

“Yes! Exactly!”

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

TWO YEARS LATER

Stella was just finishing up with the snacks for Owen’s fifth birthday party when the Hermann Horde arrived. “Hey guys! Nat’s just about done with the decorations, but she and Owen are out back.”

“When does Helen get here?”

“She should be here in fifteen, she picked up the cake from the bakery.”

“I thought you were a pretty good baker Stella, why from a bakery?”

“I can bake many things, but a cake for forty people that looks like a shark? Nope. Not that.”

“Owen really likes the ocean, doesn’t he?” Cindy looked around at all the ocean-themed decorations, the snacks dressed up to look like different sea creatures. “He really does, can’t say I blame him though. We go to the aquarium pretty frequently, and damn these little guys are amazing and beautiful.” The placed the last of the jellyfish sugar cookies on the platter and smiled. She really felt like Owen was her son, and as far as anyone was concerned, she was. It would even be official in a couple of months when she and Nat get married. “I love seeing you happy like this Stella.”

“Thanks, Cindy. It feels good.”

“It looks good too, you’re both just so bright and sometimes I swear that Natalie’s glowing.” Stella kissed the older woman on the cheek, biting her lip to keep from revealing that Natalie was glowing, and that they’d be welcoming another member into their family in around eight months.

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

TWO MONTHS LATER

Natalie and Stella were overjoyed, they were finally wife and wife, recognized by the state as a family. Hearts full and warm, they danced in slow graceful circles, the skirts of both their gowns flowing in cloud-like motions around them. “I love you.”

“I love you too. So much.” The music from the orchestra trickled to an end, parting the smiling brides. “Ready to tell them?”

“Yes. I am so excited.” Kisses were exchanged before the blushing brides made their way up to the stage with their arms around each others’ waist. “First of all, we would like to thank everyone for being here to celebrate the best day of our lives.”

“Second of all, we have an announcement to make. Nat’s three months pregnant.” Stella and Natalie placed their hands over Nat’s abdomen, smiling misty tears as they were met with cheers from all of their family and friends, no one louder than Owen.

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

FIVE YEARS LATER

While working in the ED Natalie had been a witness to numerous tragedies. She’d also been through a few herself. And Maggie, wise, gentle, loving, Maggie, always knew when the worst of the worst were about to come through. She got this look on her face as she answered the head nurse phone, meaning that it was someone they all knew. After a few whispered words with Ms. Goodwin Maggie’s guilt-ridden gaze settle on Natalie. “Nat, I need you to go wait in the doctor’s lounge.”

“Maggie? What’s going on?” In the back of her mind, in the depths of her heart, Natalie knew what was wrong. But she didn’t want to be right. She wanted to be so, so wrong. “Dr. Conte,” Natalie had realized two months into her and Stella’s relationship that she still had the name she took when she married Jeff at twenty years old and decided to go back to her maiden name. “You need to go wait in the doctor’s lounge.”

“Sharon, no-”

“Incoming! Thirty-three year old female, firefighter, inside an electrical fire when the house went. Halstead, Noah, April, you’re in treatment three.” The sounds of beeps and medical jargon couldn’t be heard above the buzzing in Natalie’s ears. Choi was holding her back, trying to drag her to the doctor’s lounge, stopping her from being with her wife. And then her BP dropped and she flatlined. The instructions given could not be heard by anyone outside of the room over Natalie’s horrified, deafening, soul-shattering scream.

And then it was back. One round of epi and she was back. Natalie broke down into heaving, gut-wrenching sobs in Ethan’s arms. He was the only thing keeping her from sliding to the floor, her legs had lost all their strength.

She didn’t remember sitting down, or getting any water or food. But suddenly she feels like she’s woken up and she has a bottle of water and thermos in her hands. “Eat.” Kelly Severide is beside her with a hand on her shoulder. Sylvie is handing her a spoon. Joe is handing her tissues. “Cindy and Helen are watching Owen and Celeste, don’t worry.” She’s drunk the entire water bottle and eaten five spoonful of soup when Maggie approaches her. “Maggie don’t tell me she’s gone- oh God, please no-”

“She’s fine. They’re closing her up now, she’ll recover just fine. Come on, I’ll take you to her recovery room. And bring that thermos. You’re going to finish eating even if I have to tie you down and feed you myself.”

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

“Nat?” Stella had woken up, for good this time, and was staring at the love of her life as Connor and Crockett left the room. “You scared me. So, so much.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, just be alive. Please, just stay alive.” Nat kissed her forehead and stroked her hair as all her tears just couldn’t be held back anymore. “I know you love being a firefighter, and I love it too, I will never want you to give up a job that you are so kickass at, but please, please be more careful. I’m begging you.”

“Okay... I’ll be more careful.” Stella’s coughing fit was cured by a glass of water, and the aches in her bones were cured by the gentle hugs from her son and daughter when they saw her an hour later. “I love you.” She chanted to each of them. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” And she did, until she and Natalie were in their eighties and living in Fowlerton. They were found by their neighbour who went to check on them after he didn’t see them on their porch like he did every morning. Stll. Peaceful. Tangled together. In love until their very last breaths.

#One Chicago #Chicago Fire #chicago med #Natalie Manning #stella kidd #natalie manning x stella kidd

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heartwoodventures · 4 years ago

Text

Lightning Strikes Twice

This time, Red Argos had hit close to home. Earlier in the week Momori had brought word to Heartwood Ventures that the pirate crew had been spotted in the Black Shroud. There had been reports of kidnappings as well as rumors of one paranoid man who, being convinced he was next, had barricaded himself within his home near the Honey Yard.

It was a rainy day in the Shroud but those who had been summoned to the Company House didn’t bother to go inside. They knew they’d be leaving just as quickly as they had arrived. Instead they gathered under the cover of umbrellas in Heartwood’s front yard. The weather seemed to keep the conversations muted, subdued.

Suddenly a young midlander girl darted out from the company building, her long black braids bouncing as she giggled uncontrollably. She held a pair of red tinted glasses aloft in her hands, and she was soon followed by a very angry lalafell that came chasing after her.

“INGA. Give those back! I swear, if you don’t drop them right now...” Momori growled at the girl, who scampered up a tree laughing.

It was at that moment that Momori noticed the company’s presence, and immediately shifted to her professional composure.

“Hello. Ahem. Thanks for coming today. Nice weather we’re having.”

Lumarto kept his eyes on Inga as she ran off, clearly used to it. "Dreary, but aye." he said, glancing back to Momori.

A ripple of agreement moved through the group.

The lalafell wasted no time and began to explain the situation at hand. Red Argos had been seen in the Shroud. Two Honey Yard workers have disappeared and a local madman claimed he was the next to go. When there was noise among the group in favor of paying this supposed madman a visit, Momori made it clear she thought that lead was a waste of time. It was a strange situation, to be sure. But the authorities had said that Ser Stone, as that was his name, had a history of grand delusions.

"Well, if he's not what you want to pursue, who then?" Muneshige gruffly asked.

The Raen swordsman made a few of their company nervous. He was loud, brash and always seemed to be itching for a fight. There was little doubt that if there came even the slightest whiff of the possibility of violence during this endeavor, he’d charge at it like a bull at the sight of the color red.

"Two other leads. Could ask workers at the Honey Yard, see if they know where Argos is hiding this time. Or even Little Solace. I am aware the pirates are....somewhere, in the Sylphlands, though exactly where is uncertain." Momori explained.

"Sylphlands..." He repeated, seemingly mystified by the name.

Zorah shook her umbrella a bit, closing it up as the rain finally stopped. "I like the Sylphs. Cute little creatures."

"Creatures? Are they...native to this wood?" Muneshige was definitely curious now.

Aislinn weighed the options, considering which one would bring them in contact with the pirates the quickest. Because, ultimately, it was the pirates she was after. "Aye, and if we know the pirates are in their lands, I say we go there."

"Whatever you choose, I will be tagging along....virtually, of course.” Momori produced a handful of the modified linkpearls and passed them out among the group, explaining to those who had yet to see the devices how they worked. “For the unaware, aside from normal linkpearl functions, this device captures data about an image and aetheric levels at the time of taking it. Press the button on its side to snap a photo. It’ll save the last one you take.”

With that done, she dove into debriefing the crew on what she had learned from the information they had collected during their last endeavor. She paused in particular on the matter of the Allagan artifact, the Helm.

“Now, the artifact. The Helm. It’s not so useless after all! The crystal at the center of the artifact has unlocked its capabilities. Unfortunately, the snapshot Lumarto took has too much noise in it. If you could get a photo of just the crystal at the center, before the ritual has happened, I would better be able to pinpoint what it’s composed of.” she said with a look to the miqo’te.

"Something that strong and heavy with aether wouldn't be so easy to approach just like that... depending on who has it, at least..." Luma said, scratching his head as he tried to make heads or tails of even the realistic nature of such a request.

He wasn’t wrong. What Momori was asking simply wasn’t feasible.

Aware of this fact, Aislinn shifted a wry glance to Lumarto as he stood next to her. "Ask if you can get a close-up shot next time. I'm sure they won't mind." she said, all but deadpan.

Lumarto glanced at her and scoffed.

“I believe in you.” Momori returned. Also deadpan.

Aislinn shook her head at the lalafell.

From there the talk devolved into more discussion as to the origins of the Helm, the artifact’s history and it’s possible purpose.

"Do we think the elements surrounding that in the center correlate with the brands we found?" Lumarto asked, glancing back at Inga in the trees before rubbing at the burn on his hand. "If so, there may be more missing that answer the puzzle."

Momori nodded at Luma. “This one carries the brain cell, I see. Yes, the brands, the artifact, the core...they’re all linked, somehow.”

Thankfully, the rest of them refused to rise to the bait. Zorah bit her tongue while it took a considerable amount of self-control on Aislinn’s part not to roll her eyes. Hard.

“We use our scant resources wisely.” Rolanda quipped.

The lalafell flipped to a different page in her journal, where she had sketched two marks. One shows the sigil of fire, and the other, earth. Both are surrounded by six wings.

“The mark of fire was found burned into a skeleton’s wrist. The mark of earth, currently found on young Inga. Both recovered from Red Argos’s old campgrounds.” Momori glanced at Inga, the young midlander girl who was busy climbing in the treehouse.

Zorah looked toward Inga, "Is she going to be buried alive? Is that the hint?"

"Haha, who knows? Not us, not yet." Momori smiled.

Zorah blinked, ears flattening. "Well, hopefully we'll prevent that."

"As for the rest, let me be brief. I showed the Yellow Jackets Aislinn’s photo. The one she took of Aiswyda’s evil twin. No dice. Perhaps if we found more evidence..."

Aislinn compressed her lips together at the mention of the intractable Yellow Jackets.

"Now, I leave you to your work..." Momori said, sending them off.

The group traveled through the Shroud, the journey blessedly uneventful, until they arrived at the small camp at the very edge of the Sylphlands. Little Solace. There were sylphs galore and none of them seemed particularly concerned or alarmed. At least here, all was well.

Muneshige was taken aback, really, the forest of the Black Shroud was nothing like he'd ever seen out east, and the mystical aesthetic of Little Solace and its small population briefly captivated him. But only for a moment, for he was already looking around for signs of strong opponents, "Well, this is quite a location..."

Two slyphs by the red tent were deep in gossip. Others flutter about, warming their cabbage bodies by the campfire.

Zorah clapped her hands together as the band arrived. "Look how cute they are." She spoke quietly, reaching for her chocobo’s reins.

"First order of business was to gather information, yeah? These gossipy little creatures are sure to have heard a word or two in the forest." Lumarto said, getting down to business.

Aislinn tucked her gemstone into her pouch as the carbuncle dissipated. Looking around, she noted the general air of calm around the camp. "Don't seem to be too agitated. But aye, we should probably ask around. See if they've heard anything." she said in agreement with Luma.

Zorah had dismounted and now nodded, stepping forward, "Oh most likely. Let's go talk to those ones." She gestured to the sylphs near the red tent.

As the Company approached, they overheard snatches of conversation. Giants. Gunfire. Komuxio’s secret sauce. Nosey outlanders. They turn towards the group, now aware of their presence.

"Hm. I'll let you handle the talking." Muneshige huffed.

Zorah smiled, bowing her head to the two talkative Sylphs. "Hello! Might we inquire further about this gunfire?"

Aislinn raised a hand in greeting from just behind Zorah’s shoulder.

The sylph on the right crossed her arms. “Walking ones ask with much rudeness! This one prefers more polite company.”

"Polite or humorous? If I recall, you and yours prefer outlanders with hilarity to offer?" Lumarto said to the sylph in question.

Zorah’s ears flattened, the smile disappearing. "I do apologize," She spoke quickly, heat rising in her cheeks, letting Luma continue.

The slyph nodded eagerly at Lumarto. He seemed to have struck a chord.

Aislinn dropped her head. "Dancing. I bet it's dancing." she said under her breath.

Lumarto shuddered at the thought. "Dancing..." Luma said. He began doing his best impression of a dance he would do for his son Rohmio; ignoring the embarrassment.

Rolanda quickly joined in with a dance of her own. Aislinn watched the two for a moment before she inhaled a breath and steeled herself. It wasn’t that she couldn’t dance. She could. Very well. But it was rarely something she had done in the presence of others. But, dancing it would be. She joined in and like Lumarto, tried to ignore the embarrassment.

The slyph clapped her hands together excitedly. “Walking ones have pretty dances! What about those two?” She looked at Zorah and Muneshige who still had not joined the dance.

Muneshige was not going to dance. In fact, he began to distance himself. He didn’t want to be seen with these weirdos.

Lumarto tried staring over at Zhora amidst his dancing. "Hurry and dance so we can stop being in this ridiculous state..." Luma muttered, clearly at his edge.

Zorah shook her head and hurriedly joined the trio.

The slyph seemed appeased by the dancing. “Hehe, such moves. What can this one do for you?”

Aislinn stopped almost immediately, her cheeks aflame. "Oh, thank the Twelve."

Lumarto stopped dancing, and cleared his throat. "We were hoping you had some more information about that gunfire you heard? We're looking for... bad... outlanders?... Metal machinery, pirates, etcetera..." Luma said, questioning the sylph.

The slyph nodded. “This one has seen the green giants and their small, gun-bearing mascots. This one mostly stays out of the Sylphlands, but has an idea of the direction that they went.”

Rolanda noticed everyone had stopped dancing and stopped as well. "That was surprisingly fun."

Lumarto nodded to them, opening up a small journal and jotting down the Sylph's words. "And where did they go? Further northeast?"

Aislinn touched the back of a gloved hand to one heated cheek and then the other, listening intently to the exchange.

The sylph nodded again. “This one heard a big wind fly overhead, northeast. And then saw many of them enter and exit the Sylphlands.” The other slyph interjected. “And /this one/ saw a big group of them split from the rest! Deeper into the woods!”

The miqo’te nodded to them both, smiling lightly. He added the notes to his journal. "So two groups? Do you know where those groups might be now?" Lumarto asked.

"The ones that split away...perhaps they did so to start another ritual. Much like last time." Aislinn hummed in thought.

Lumarto nodded to the woman’s train of thought, agreeing with her.

Despite distancing himself, Muneshige still listened in on the information. If all else failed, he could just follow the group. The rumor about many somethings and a big creature...that sounded like it could be fun. Hopefully.

The two slyphs looked at each other, and then looked to the party. “This one...is uncertain. But this one can lead walking ones to where the split happened."

"Please if you wouldn't mind, you're being such a great help right now. I'll be sure to return by to repay the favour." Lumarto said, closing his journal and stashing it away.

One of the sylphs, the braver one by the looks of it, nodded. It fluttered ahead and beckoned for the party to follow. The other stayed behind.

As they ventured deeper into the Sylphlands, they all felt the air grow thicker. It was as if there were sparks in every breath. The slyph carefully helped the party avoid any monsters and patrols, and finally came to a halt at an intersection. “This one last saw the outlanders here. This one...is scared.” It looked left and right, and then fluttered back to the safety of Little Solace.

Aislinn turned and looked off to where the little slyph had left a trail of dust in their wake in their haste to return to Solace. "Well, then." she scanned the forest around them, keeping a careful eye out.

There were clearly two paths. One that headed further north, and another that headed east. Nothing but lush, deep forest surrounded the band, and all around them were the ominous sounds of aggressive wildlife and giggling sylphs, touched by Levin.

Lumarto made sure to thank the Sylph for its help before pressing against the pearl attached to his collar. "We followed a helpful sylph to where they last saw the potential pirates or garleans; basically, we have a lead. Two paths ahead of us with the differing states.” he reported to Momori.

Muneshige glanced down each path, the giggling more or less an irritant, "Well, pick a path. I've half a mind to just start cutting things down."

Somehow that came as no surprise to Aislinn.

A crackle. Momori’s voice came through. “I’m unfamiliar with the Sylphlands. Perhaps scout the area, or split the party?”

"Splitting sounds best, we can cover more ground and ease the search." Lumarto said, looking to the group for agreement; or for any issues.

"So who wants to interrupt a ritual and who wants to chase an airship?" Aislinn asked with a measure of black humor.

After some discussion it was decided. Khora, Muneshige, Zorah and Aislinn would track the airship while Lumarto and Rolanda would follow the pirates that had traveled north, further into the wood.

"Sounds good. Lumarot, we must be cautious, we won't have much backup." Rolanda told the miqo’te.

"Last time we encountered the airship it was chalk full of Pirates and Garleans, Muneshige. So you'll have your hands full." Lumarto informed the Raen. Most likely in a bid to advocate caution.

Muneshige nodded, "Finally, something of actual interest."

Aislinn glanced between Lumarto and Muneshige "Or....we could maybe not? Maybe reconnaissance first."

"-You- can do your recon. I'm not here to sit around." Muneshige returned loftily.

It had been worth a shot.

"Considering what you found back then, talking first is better if she's there." Lumarto said to Aislinn, offering a rather concerned look.

Aislinn returned the look and with that, the parties split, each following their own leads. Rolanda and Lumarto disappeared into the dark of the deeper forest heading north while the rest made their way east.

Lumarto held his hand to his collar, speaking with the group, his voice crackling over the linkpearl. "Remember, we need to take a picture with the device if we come across anything. Considering our numbers now, we should get a lot of evidence." He paused. "...Someone should probably take Muneshige's before he breaks it..."

Aislinn gave a derisive snort.

Zorah looked toward Mune, holding her hand out. "Hand it over."

Muneshige made no effort to keep the device to himself, and tossed it towards Zorah. "Take it. I've no interest in these...devices."

The Ritual

As Rolanda and Lumarto headed north, they could hear....footsteps through the undergrowth. Up ahead they could see a large patrol of pirate seawolves, transporting a large, covered cart. It was in that moment, the worst possible time, that Rolanda stepped on a stick. The pirates all looked towards the source of the sound.

Lumarto immediately held Rolanda back some, pulling her behind a nearby piece of lumber to hide their bodies from the nearby patrol. "Be careful next time... there are all sorts of natural traps like that lying around..." Luma said, catching a breath before letting out a soft sigh. "We're hidden, but we can't see much from here."

"I am normally quite agile, I do apologize. I will be quite careful. We need to get into a better position if we're to have any hope of discovering something useful." Rolanda whispered.

Lumarto nodded, peeking around the lumber and trying to best decide about their next choice of action.

The pirates muttered among themselves, unnerved. But they continued to travel north, lugging their heavy cargo close behind. For a moment, both Rolanda and Lumarto seemed to catch sight of something strange. Did something under the carriage's cloth covering just move?

"Good gravy that looked like a person in there! Let's follow them and see if we can stop this." she hissed.

"Follow them /carefully/" Luma added to Rolanda, choosing to stick to areas with cover as they tried to get a better look; or discern if their hunches were correct about the cart.

Rolanda glared at Luma's back as she creeps forward. "CAREFULLY!" she whispered to herself. She followed along a few paces behind the miqo’te.

As the two trail the cart without being noticed, they could overhear bits of idle chit chat exchanged between the pirates. “Don’t know why we go through all this trouble, finding special folk...but if Kurr says it's worth it, then it must be so.”

"So this answers the question of the contents... they are probably the source of kidnappings too..." Lumarto whispered over to Rolanda, "I don't know if they are more patrols up ahead, but if we both take one we can probably save a few souls... or just wait it out and find out more... I'd rather save a life if I could."

"Agreed. We have an opportunity to possibly save someone here, I think we need to take it. If we must flee afterwards, so be it. Perhaps we can be quiet and avoid alerting the others." Rolanda replied.

After a moment’s consideration, Lumarto turned to the Au Ra. "We can't just sneak and get them out... and there are only those two pirates... we need to act now before they meet up with more." he said, readying his rapier before pulling out a small focus by his hip. "What do you say?"

"I can start by loosing an arrow at the guards from cover, and you can move in and take them by surprise while they are distracted. What do you think?" Rolanda suggested.

"I think that sounds like a good enough idea, so let's go with that." Lumarto said, facing the group. "Shoot. I'll come from behind." he added, already breaking away from Rolanda as now was the time to act, not talk.

Rolanda drew a deadly looking arrow and nocked it silently. With a nod to Lumarto, she pulled back on the bowstring. She took a deep breath, and loosed an arrow at the first guard, quickly moving to draw a second to mop up whatever remains.

Lumarto approached from behind, dashing forward as Rolanda fired. His rapier impaled the distracted pirate from behind.

The element of surprise was on the pair’s side. Rolanda’s arrow pinned the pirate to the ground, while Luma’s thrust hit true. They weren’t dead, but they were pinned to the ground by the blows. “Aye! Leviathan’s scaly arse!”

Before they were given a chance to call for aid or make more noise; Lumarto held his focus to the butt of his rapier and hurled a rough rock to both heads of the pirates to knock them out cold. The effort saw to it that both of the pirates were knocked out cold.

"That's that." Luma said, sighing some as he sheathed his rapier before quickly hopping atop the cart. "Lets see here.." he carefully took hold of the ends of the tarp before lifting it slowly to the side.

Underneath the tarp were two hyur, their arms and legs bound. Both had a sack over their heads, and feebly struggled against their bindings. As clear as daylight, a brand on each of their wrists. Purple, and the symbol of lightning etched in the center.

He stared at the two in the cart, carefully taking the sacks off their heads to let them get adjusted to the light before offering a sigh of relief. "We're here to help, hold on." he explained, taking a knife from his belt and cutting one hyur's bindings off; moving onto the next after the first had been freed.

"I can take these hyur to safety if you can help me carry them to the edge of the camp. My whale should easily be able to hold us all" Rolanda said as she shouldered her bow.

Lumarto nodded to Rolanda, then glanced back at the hyurs. "That would help, but we gotta be careful still." he said as he checked the two over.

The two hyur flopped around, as if struggling on instinct. But they seemed to be in a trance of some sort, violet eyes aglow. One of them muttered vacantly... “She calls for us...Our lady.”

"This doesn't look good. I doubt we will be able to keep them quiet" Rolanda murmured.

Lumarto nodded. "I'm not about to cover their heads again with the sack, but we have to try our best to get them away from here at least... This kind of trance is not going to go away immediately; especially in this highly aetheric area." he said, carefully taking one of them and carrying them on his back. "Try your best to carry them, if we struggle you go and fetch your whale and I'll wait for you."

Rolanda did as he said and carefully lifted the other hyur over her shoulders. "Let's get out of here."

As they made their escape they could hear the faint sounds of fighting and gunfire in the distance. It sounded as if the other party had run up against Red Argos in a bad way.

And indeed they had. While Lumarto and Rolanda were freeing the victims they had found from the clutches of the pirates, the party of four had tracked the airship headed east, and had managed to hide just as they came upon a small patrol of garleans and pirates making their rounds.

From their hiding spot, Aislinn peered further into the forest. Patrols appeared to be staggered all along the route ahead. She could see bodies moving between the ancient trees.

"Suppose the airship lies that-a-way." she said quietly before looking back towards the others. "If we stay to the shadows we should be able to get closer. If we're quiet." she added, eyeing Muneshige like he was a loose cannon.

For his part, Khora made every effort to remain quiet upon Aislinn's recommendation. "If there is anything one should know about me, it's that I'm am not very discrete." He admitted before quickly following Aislinn’s glance toward Muneshige. "Yeah we're screwed..."

She inhaled a breath. Was the quiet and subtle way even worth it? "Or...some of us could cause a distraction while the others slip through?" she suggested.

The Raen of course, cared not for stealth. He stood from the grass and began walking towards the thick of it, utterly unafraid of the sheer number of soldiers. He drew his blade and stuck it into the ground, "Hey hey HEY! What's goin' on here?!" He -bellowed-, throwing away all subtlety, "Looks like there's a party here, and I wasn't invited?!"

"Gods." Aislinn hung her head and wiped a hand over her face in utter exasperation. “Right. Guess we're going with option #2.”

From her hiding place next to Aislinn, Zorah's ears flattened. "It's always an Au ra...." She muttered, shaking her head.

The ink upon Khora’s arms began to burn a bright orange, and with a flick of his wrist, so did the steel of his blade. "And here we go!" The Miqo'te yelled at the top of his lungs while lunging forward.

The patrol turned to look at Muneshige and Khora, before exchanging bewildered looks. Who were these random guys, challenging them to battle? It was suspicious, either way. The two dressed in Garlean blacks drew their guns, while a seawolf pirate drew a rapier. The last pirate hung in the back, making a call on a peculiar black linkpearl.

Aislinn resolutely stayed where she was, low to the ground, hiding. If the Raen wanted to call down every garlean and pirate in the area, she wasn't going to stop him. She was, however, going to wait for her window of opportunity. Idiot.

"Alright, let's get to business! Akaitaiyo thirsts for blood!" Muneshige yanked the sword from the ground and charged in with Khora, finally something interesting was happening!

The garleans fired off their guns at Muneshige, while the pirate dashed towards Khora, rapier drawn.

Muneshige charged -directly- towards the closest gunner he could find, apparently caring not if he got shot, winding back his blade and swinging wide and hard, with enough force to cleave through bone. The bullets simply glance off what little armor he wore, causing minor bleeding in his side.

Deft was perhaps the wrong word in which to define Khora’s movements. He still needed work on his up-front-and-personal skills. The pirate's ability with the rapier caused Khora to stumble back and nice little poke upon his left arm.

As the scuffle began in earnest, Aislinn took advantage of the chaos to nod at Zorah and moved low through the undergrowth, maneuvering further into the wood. The Seeker nodded and followed behind her, keeping low to the ground.

With the help of the boys’ distraction, Aislinn and Zorah made it past the occupied patrols and soon found themselves deeper into the woods. They found a place to hide, which overlooked a /large/ gathering of garleans and pirates. Below, next to the grounded airship were also two elezen with their heads covered, surrounded by several open crates of ...flower petals?

Zorah looked down at the gathering, slowly taking in the scene before her. Seeing the crates of flower petals, at least she hoped that was what they were, she immediately had the urge to jump in them. She kept her composure, however, ears flickering as she listened around her. It was then that she finally noticed the two that looked like possible prisoners and glanced questioningly at Aislinn.

The highlander leaned forward, peering down at the gathering with a flummoxed expression. Flower petals? "The brands we've seen have petals but...I assumed it was symbolic." she murmured to Zorah. Aiming her aetheric linkpearl at the gathering, she snapped a picture and continued observing the activity below.

One of the Garleans put his hand to his ear, and afterward, directed a large patrol of pirates and men away from the camp. The ones that stayed behind quickly begin to usher one of the prisoners onto the ship. They seemed to be making preparations for a quick liftoff.

Zorah leaned forward, ready to push herself off the ground as the group left. "Now, we can get in and out quickly between the two of us."

Aislinn eyed the activity below. "Nymeia's Blood." she cursed, under her breath. Pressing the linkpearl she attempted to alert Khora. "There are a lot more headed your way." she said before nodding to Zorah. "Let's go."

Disturbingly, there was no reply forthcoming to her warning. She tried not to think of why that might be as she and Zorah slid down the overlook and snuck towards the airship. But Zorah clearly thought the same, as she kept glancing back towards where they had left Khora and Muneshige, trying not to feel sick to her stomach.

It was then that they heard the explosions. They came from the direction of the fight. Aislinn turned toward the sound in alarm. Glancing towards Zorah, she hesitated. Torn. The dogged part of her wanted to press on. It hadn’t been her decision to charge the bloody patrols, after all. Damn it all. She gritted her teeth and continued on, sneaking into the camp, and headed straight for the crate of flower petals. Zorah’s ears flicked as if they were on swivels, listening to every little sound as the two crept close to the crates.

From their vantage point they could see that Red Argos had moved one of the prisoners onto the ramp of the airship, but the prisoner was putting up quite the fight, and distracting the remaining gunners. The other remained by the flowers, sobbing silently.

Zorah had grabbed one of the crates, pausing as she heard the sobbing close by. She felt and overwhelming need to return to the fight immediately, but she couldn't just leave this one here. She glanced toward Aislinn as she set the crate down, reaching for the hood over the prisoner's head, ready to shush him before he'd give away their presence.

The hooded elezen turned towards the sound of shushing, but he couldn’t see anything due to the bag over his head. Meanwhile, they could hear the angry yells, echoing throughout the airship, and heard a few words. “Hurry...Just go...We’ll find more...It’s about to begin!”

Those words sounded like they were out of time. The smart thing to do would be to take some of the petals and go. But Aislinn found she just...couldn’t. She gave a sharp shake of her head and reached out, grabbing the hooded victim by the wrist. "Please. Listen. Stay quiet and come with us. We can get you out of here." she whispered hurriedly.

Zorah took only a handful of petals, and then helped the prisoner up to his feet.

The victim allowed himself to be dragged to somewhere hidden, and not one second later, four gunners dashed out of the ship. Upon seeing that the other prisoner is no longer by the crates, they let out a string of curses, and instead busy themselves by moving the crates of flowers onto the ship. The ship flickered, rose into the air and then disappeared, the cloaking enabled. A strong gust of wind, and they were gone…

From their hiding spot, Aislinn watches the ship flicker and disappear. She lets go a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. That was close.

Zorah glanced back as the airship disappeared, pressing her lips together before turning back to Aislinn and their one rescued prisoner. "We need to check on the guys." She spoke quietly.

Aislinn looked to Zorah and nodded. "Go. I'll help this one and follow as soon as I can." she said, reaching up to undo the hood that still blinded the elezen.

Zorah nodded and without wasting a moment she raced back toward where the fighting had been, "Khora?!" She yelled out as she ran, looking through the disheveled earth they had been fighting on. Her ears flickered slightly, hearing familiar voices and following them until she eventually came upon Muneshige and Khora. "What the hells..." Zorah growled.

Both of the men looked worse for wear but Khora clearly took the brunt of the fighting. He lay in the grass, clutching his side and bleeding from a number of rapier cuts.

"Don't worry too much, he's alive. Might not have made it if I hadn't ran back here with him, had a whole firing squad on our tails." Muneshige smirked up at the woman from his spot next to Khora, "Can't say I've been shot this many times."

Zorah’s ears flattened at Muneshige’s words, as she knelt between them. One hand came to lay on Khora gently while she looked over the Au ra's own body. "Well, you can say that now, I suppose." she shook her head with a sigh, "We need to get you both to the medics. Those bullets need to come out of you." Zorah turned to Khora, pressing her lips together. "Are you -trying- to die?"

Khora struggled to raise his arm, trembling as it extended upward to give a thumbs up. "I'm okay!" There was an obvious strain in his voice.

This elicited a grin from Zorah and she rolled her eyes at his comment. "Yeah, you look like shit, actually."

Khora trembled amidst a weak bout of laughter. "Yeah, well I feel like shit." Blood ran down his arm and soaked at the cloth of his outfit from the stab wounds.

It was then that Momori’s voice crackled over the linkpearls. "Lumarto. What's your status?"

"We stopped a cart from hauling two Hyur prisoners further into the Sylphlands and are currently carrying them back to the entrance." Luma said, the effort in his voice lending credence to his words. "They seem to be in a trance; violet eyes, lightning brand on their wrist, probably because of the lightning aspect in these woods." He continued, glancing at his side where Rolanda was holding her own as they just made it to Little Solace.

“A brand and violet eyes....?” There was a long pause from Momori’s side. “Like Inga.”

"Inga has amber eyes, do you think their eye color is related to their aspect?" He added. He was muddled with thoughts and kept trying to figure out the links; he had his own side mission in all of this after all.

Momori. Aislinn. Lumarto. It seemed each of them had their own goals in all of this.

“She has the mark of earth. Perhaps...” Momori was cut off as everyone in the area around the Sylphlands found themselves caught in a sudden and violent earthquake!

The tremors tore at the earth, pulling ancient trees upward in the shifting topography. As if that wasn’t enough, a foul wind picked up, whipping through the dark forest. One dripping with lightning.

Rolanda and Lumarto stumbled in their race to safety.

Muneshige jolted as the earth beneath him suddenly heaved, his pain now twofold with all the shaking, "GRAGGH! Kami forfend what is this?!" The wind picked up, and the sound of thunder followed, "Is this some kind of calamity...?" He couldn't tell what was going on now, what was happening?

Zorah quickly knelt to the ground as the earth shook. "I ... I don't think so.."

Further east, Aislinn and the elezen man were taken by surprise. "Seven hells!"

Aislinn’s first instinct was to hit the ground but the groaning and cracking of the ancient trees around her quickly divested her of that idea. Instead she reached into her pack and tossed her battered gemstone in the air. When her carbuncle popped into existence, she wasted no time explaining and simply pulled the elezen onto it after her and took to the air.

The two victims Lumarto and Rolanda had saved began to twitch violently, bodies contracting in an unnatural manner. They screamed to be returned! For an end of suffering! Something...was released from them. A torrent of lightning aether flew out from each of them and shot to the north. And afterwards - they went limp. They breathed, but they may as well have been dolls.

Lumarto had held tightly onto the Hyur. The spastic shuddering and screams caused his ears to sharply curl, paining him to hear the shrieks. The high concentration of aether sent a tingling sensation up his back before he felt the body grow limp. He worried immediately for their well being before hearing their breath. "We have to hurry, I don't like the sound of this!" Luma exclaimed, trying to set a faster pace for Hawthorn Hut.

After what seemed to be forever, the earthquake finally stilled. A tense calm returned to the forest, and all the parties had time to catch their breath. But, to the aetherically sensitive, they could feel that the land had changed. Scars that were felt but unseen.

Aislinn tried not to focus on it at the moment, instead steering her carbuncle towards the safety of Hawthorn Hut to deposit her passenger and ask if it would be alright if she returned later to ask him some questions.

Understandably, the elezen seemed extremely shaken. As she landed just outside the main building of the outpost, he dismounted and fell to his knees almost immediately. But he nodded in reply to her request. “Of course, my lady...my savior.” He looked incredibly grateful, but sad as Aislinn helped him to his feet and guided him into the safety of the hut and one of the waiting beds. “...they took my sister. Since you saved me, perhaps on your travels you might...?”

Aislinn looked up, her eyes meeting Lumarto’s as she sat the elezen down. The miqo’te stood his own vigil over two unresponsive bodies lying in their own beds. "Another one?..." Lumarto said, clearly looking troubled as he glanced at the two Hyur. "The two I saved are speechless after that quake..."

The elezen's words left Aislinn with a stricken expression. His sister. She could only imagine what she would do if something like that had happened to Ren. Her recent bouts of flaring temper would be nothing in comparison. A quaint tempest in a teapot.

She shook her head. "I...yes. Yes, of course. We're..." she tried to order her thoughts and reminded herself she needn’t put herself so far in the man’s shoes. "The Company I work for. We're tracking these pirates. I will try my best to find your sister." she said, softening the edges from her voice. "For now...try to rest. I'll visit you and we can talk more later."

“Sorry, I was interrupted by another quake...The others dropped off their pearls at the company. What is your location?” Momori came through on the pearl.

"Hawthorne Hut, we managed to rescue three of the four prisoners; an elezen and two hyurs. We're just leaving them with the menders here for safekeeping at the moment." Luma replied before looking over to the Elezen in the bed who could speak. "We'll come back later like Aislinn said... for now rest, we'll try and get everything sorted out."

In the middle of everything, Lumarto stepped back a bit to get both the Elezen and the two Hyurs in frame for a pearl capture; the Elezen sitting up and shaken while the two Hyurs remained motionless; their brands visible in the picture. "We have some pearls for you too, should deem helpful."

The elezen weakly nodded at Aislinn and Luma, but he showed the two of them his wrist. “They put my sister and I in some sort of...dream. I can’t describe it, but after I woke, I found this on my body.” A light teal marking, easy to make out on his dark skin. A symbol of ice, but markedly simpler than the others they had seen. No wings surround this one…

The highlander woman glanced down at the mark before passing Lumarto a meaningful look. It appeared they had some inkling as to where the pirates were headed next.

Lumarto nodded over to her in response, "Try and keep that hidden... we aren't sure its importance yet, but for now it may be a bad target on you." he said, reaching into his pocket and handing the man a small woven bracelet; blue fabric twisted into itself. "Wear this around your marked wrist, and just rest; when those other two wake just let them know to also rest and relax, either of us will return to check on you and make sure you're safe."

The elezen nodded, accepting the bracelet and winding it tightly around his wrist. “Yes, I...” He looked at the two sleeping hyur. ”I don’t know who they are, but I’ll take good care of them.”

With that, Aislinn and Lumarto gave the man parting words of comfort but once outside the hut, their troubled expressions returned. They didn’t need to put it into words. They each knew there was more trouble ahead. This whole thing would get worse before it, hopefully, got better. If they succeeded. If.

#ffxiv rp #balmung rp #ffxiv crystal rp #Heartwood plots #Into the Tempest #momori mori #Lumarto Wetyios #Rolanda Deschain #Muneshige Hakuuchi #Aislinn North #Zorah Velaceras #khora velaceras

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whenallelsefails-eatpie · 4 years ago

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Finally Answering Questions for y’all

Q1: How tall or short do you wish you were?

I used to wish I was taller because I already am tall for an (AGAB)female (5′8 1/2) but then I learned about platforms so.

4: What was your favorite video game growing up?

Monkey Ball or Sonic Adventure Escape the City...I only had a Gamecube.

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say?

Warning: Uses humor as a defense mechanism but will quickly become extremely invested in you and give you immense amounts of unending love if they vibe w you

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic]

Melancholic

9: Are you ticklish?

extremely, on my back and sides (use this information wisely. I take no responsibility for involuntarily punching anyone who tickles me)

10: Are you allergic to anything?

absolutely nothing, allergies are to weed out the weak. (jkjk no eugenics here sis you slay that epipen)

11: What’s your sexuality?

~ pansexual ~ (prefer agab [not cis, those are two different things] females)

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa?

tea, then coffee with cocoa. I don’t enjoy cocoa or coffee as much separately.

37: What is your eye color?

hazel/green

38: Introvert or extrovert?

I’m ambiverted but lean toward introversion.

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings?

oh yeah absolutely, I personally just prefer that the tattoos aren’t on your face. Or with piercings that they don’t take up so much of your face that I can’t see what you really look like.

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now?

pink, red, or platinum 56: Something that calms you down?

reading, playing instruments, taking a bath, cooking or baking

57: Have any mental disorders?

yessir. ADD, anxiety. and I used to have really bad depression. Now my depression is simply manageable lol.

73: What is your MBTI type?

INFP (enneagram 4)

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes?

surprisingly yes, will I come close to passing out? Maybe. But I can.

87: Do your socks always match?

never, I hate matching my socks unless the socks are funky and need to match to give them the biggest bang for their buck.

92: A store you hate?

Dick’s sporting goods. I have been dragged around that place for hours and absolutely nothing there interests me. (edit: I found a beanie that I liked but my previous opinion still stands)

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day?

start counting and never stop. If you mean in terms of actual measurements like cups/ounces, I can drink 20. What can I say I’m from New England.

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds?

Definitely fly because that might help lessen my fear of heights

95: Do you like to wear camo?

literally shoot me if you ever see me wearing camo. please, I beg you. that will be me at my lowest point

96: Winter or summer?

Autumn. Next question.

97: How long can you hold your breath for?

3-4 minutes. It’s all that breath control from musical theatre.

99: Someone you look up to:

Jughead Jones. Yes I said that, fight me. He is completely himself and he allows the different facets of his personality to shine through to people that he loves and cares about. He is loyal and caring but also unique and resilient. Plus his fave food is burgers which is an instant win for me.

100: A store you love?

Hot Topic, Barnes and Nobles, Savers or any thriftstore

102: Where do you live?

New England bb (; gettin that dark academia aesthetic straight from the source

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem?

Amber

105: Do you drink milk?

You mean out of the glass? Like a psychopath? Like a serial killer? Absolutely not

106: Do you like bugs?

I do! Except for spiders and mosquitoes (although I’m warming up to spiders)

109: Can you draw:

Eh yeah ig, well enough. I draw realistically but I’m not great at animated style.

111: A question you hate being asked?

“Are you a boy or a girl?” (like why? does it personally affect you? are you planning on boning me? if not then buzz off)

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach?

Yes, but only at night when the beach is quiet. I’m not a huge fan of the beach during the day

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days?

Rainy or sunny. Don’t go givin me the clouds with none of the drizzle.

119: Favorite thing about a person:

Personality first and foremost. Humor and kindness. But physically; their smile and mannerisms.

120: Fruits or vegetables?

Veggies (or berries i like berries)

121: Something you want to do right now:

Run away... ahah. But in all honesty I would love to go mushroom foraging rn, or possibly go on an adventure. Maybe go put on clothing meant for an entirely different time period and run around Target idk.

123: Sweet or sour foods?

Definitely not sour I hate sour. Spoonfeed me wasabi, that I can handle. But if you make me eat a Warheads I will cry.

129: What would you want written on your tombstone?

I personally have a lot of problems with the funeral industry, so I would rather not take up space and rot preservation chemicals into the earth. But if I had an interim tombstone with no body underneath, it would read “Live Laugh Love” bc ~irony~

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself?

that I’m very individualistic and stubborn

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures?

Yes absolutely, that’s what they’re there for.

134: Do you like roller coasters?

Do I like feeling like I’m about to full send through the crust of the earth and die? No. No I do not. (I am a simple person, I go to carnivals for the food and to feed off terror.) 139: What nicknames do you have/have had?

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink?

OH YEAH absolutely, I am a repressed gen z homosexual raised in a homophobic religious atmosphere, I am practically born with a therapist assigned to me.

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others?

Definitely good -_- unfortunately. Catch me bein the mom friend.

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help?

I prefer giving, but I am learning how to recieve.

144: What makes you angry

People who live their lives in willful ignorance despite the endless resources available to them and let that ignorance hurt others.

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries?

All of em. Gimme em all. I don’t like boys as much currently but I would still probably lay my life on the line for some.

147: Are you androgynous?

Yes. It’s more fluid than it is being in consistent limbo between masc and femme. Usually I’m androgynous but I often swing wildly between both ends of that socially perceived spectrum. 148: Favorite thing about yourself physically?

My hands or smile(product of bracesTM). But I have been told I have nice hands.

149: Favorite thing about your personality:

I am a very strong blend of wise and class clown. I can do em both, I can do em well, and I can do em whenever. I also care a lot about others but I don’t change myself to be accepted by them.

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person.

MLK Jr. --> I want to gain perspective on some of the current global issues. Jesus --> I’ve got a lot of questions for that dude. JRR Tolkien bc he’s incredible or Joan of Arc for the same reason

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose?

Ooh well, as a woman not many eras are desirable. But um probably either the 70s or Ancient Greece

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons?

YES. GIMME UR FINGERS > i meant that to sound much less threatening than it did but my statement still stands. 155: Do you like to play with others’ hair?

Yes it’s literally one of my favorite things to do. I hab empty lap. *pat pat* U may lay your head on it and watch Rilakkuma and Kaoru with me while I play with your hair. pls. 157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious:

Women..... That’s it. That’s the tweet.

158: Biggest lie you have ever told:

That I am not a member of the alphabet mafia. (It’s not currently safe for me to come out) Now tell me *shines light in your face* who are your contacts?

164: Do you have long or short hair?

I have medium hair. It’s around the length of a bisexual bob or a good mullet.

165: Shortest/Longest your hair has ever been:

Shortest was a pixie cut, almost buzzed, amazing. Longest was to my butt and was literally the worst experience in existence. I shall to this day actively rebel against having hair like that again.

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion?

Organized religion can suck it. You can’t organize your relationship with God, nor can you stick it into a little manmade box and pretend that you have the ability to create a perfect faith which others have to either follow or perish. It’s arrogant and damaging and hurtful and not at all what Christianity is supposed to mean.

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created?

I do. I think it’s important and something we need to think about. I do believe there is something after death, and I like to believe that my life has meaning. I think that questions of creation are important questions to ask and we can’t just ignore them.

168: Do you like to wear makeup?

Yes! It’s fun! Pretty colors!

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully?

Absolutely. And the ones I didn’t feel like answering I simply omitted.

#chaotic good #Q&A #I learned more about myself writing this #than you probably did reading it #pls feel free to continue asking questions #i probably have too many answers #i heard oversharing on the internet is #cool

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suckitsurveys · 4 years ago

Text

Do you use e-mail often? I mean, my job is answering emails, so yeah? As far as personally, I don’t send very many but I use it to track packages and get offers and crap.

Do you hear any animals right now? Yes, my cat Ramona is next me, purring crazy loud. I also hear my neighbor’s dog prancing around upstairs.

Are you in a well-lit room? No. The lights are off and there’s very little natural light. I have our LED light strip on though.

Is your trashcan full? It is. Which reminds me, I have to fucking clean this house on my lunch break.

What was the last crunchy thing you consumed? Cereal.

Did you view anything disturbing today? Yeah.

Are there any holiday decorations in your house? Not really in our apartment. The cats would destroy them. We have a santa hanging on our front door though, and I plan on putting up some lights out front either today or tomorrow, but I need batteries for them.

When was the last time you had a terrible headache? Yesterday.

Have you recently put lotion on your hands? Yes.

Are you hungry? Not very. I do want another bowl of cereal though.

Is it rainy where you’re at right now? It was recently but it doesn’t seem like it now.

Do you carry a purse? If so, describe what it looks like. I had a purse but I didn’t want to have to keep wiping it down when i left the grocery store so now I just take my wallet when I go in. I have a backpack I take everywhere thought that has clorox wipes and hand santizer and alcohol spray and some other necessities.

Is your cell phone on vibrate? Yup.

Is your dishwasher full? We don’t have one.

When is the last time you saw someone you like/love. About half an hour ago. If I lean to the left far enough I could see him in our bedroom.

Do you like to wear gloves? When it’s cold, sure.

Is there a body of water near where you live? Yeah, a pretty big lake. A Great one, actually. :P

What are your thoughts on Avenged Sevenfold? I don’t have any.

Are you wearing anything pink right now? Nope.

Do you like to swim in the ocean? I’ve only done it twice.

What is the creepiest bug you’ve ever saw? I HATE earwigs and centipedes.

Do you currently have split ends? My sister recently cut my hair so they aren’t horrible.

When is the last time you used the bathroom? Like half an hour ago.

Do you chew on your lip? More like the inside of my cheeks.

Are you afraid of needles? I am not.

What is the last thing you lost? I don’t recall. When is the last time you saw a bald person? My dad on Saturday.

What car were you last in? My own.

Do you like Batman? Yeah. Have you ever played tennis? Yeah, not like on a team or anything.

Can you see a star shape in the room you are in? Yes. There is a wooden star cutout on our TV shelf. I also have a star shaped nose stud but I can’t actually see that.

What are you sitting on? My really uncomfortable couch. We ordered a new one in October but it’s still not here and I want it so baaaaaaaaaaaaad.

What is the last warm thing you touched? My kitty.

Do you use hand sanitizer? All the damn time.

Where do you want to go in life? I don’t know.

Are you sweating? No.

When is the last time you had to scratch an itch? Recently.

Are you in any kind of club or group that is trying to save animals? Not currently.

Who is the last blonde you saw? My nieces.

Where were you two hours after you got up, and what were you doing there? I got up at 7. Stayed in bed and worked until about 9. And here I am now on the couch working. Do you wish for world peace? Of course that would be the dream.

Have you ever played fetch with a dog? Yeah, and a cat.

What is the nearest object that is wood? Pretty sure parts of this couch are wood. And this table I am using is probably a wood composite.

Do you use Netflix? Yeah.

Does your house have a fireplace? I wish.

Do you wake yourself up in the morning, or does someone else? Usually myself or my alarm. Sometimes Mark will have to nudge me awake.

What kind of hoodie did you last wear? I currently have on a grey Cubs sweatshirt.

Do you play games on your computer? No. I do on my phone though.

What is the last video game that you played? Wii Bowling.

Have you ever pet a stingray? I have! At the beginning of this year actually.

If you were on vacation, would you ever go to Ireland? Sure, if someone paid for it.

Are you logged into Myspace right now? Uh, no. I haven’t logged onto Myspace in YEARS.

Did you have anything bad happen to you today? I woke up with a headache.

Have you ever been to New York? State, yes.

Do you use the term “lol” if you don’t have anything to say? Sure.

Should you be sleeping right now instead of taking this survey? I wish I was sleeping. I’m technically working, lol.

Can you truly say you hate anyone? Yes.

Have you ever disected a baby pig in a class at school? Unfortunately.

What brand of dish liquid do you use? Method. We have this sea salt and lime or something scented one I bought earlier in the pandemic because the other cheaper ones were sold out but we both fell in love with it so that’s what I buy now.

When is the last time you ate a Hershey Kiss? Probably around Valentine’s day.

Do you ever feel unappreciated? Sometimes, yes. But then I get uncomfy when I am appreciated? Lol.

Do you currently have any blemishes on your face? SO many. I have this zit I get in the same spot on my forehead every year around Christmas but this year TWO of them came, thanks. I also have maskne and my usual acne from touching my face all the damn time.

Who is the last baby you held? My 2 1/2 year old niece is still a baby to me. I held her yesterday.

Do you use smileys often in text convos? Sometimes. I use emojis more in IG and Facebook captions.

Do you have the Google toolbar on your computer? Yeah.

Do you like Sunkist? I don’t hate it.

Would you ever consider being a cannibal? WHENEVER YOU TELL ME I’M PRETTY, THAT’S WHEN THE HUNGER REALLY HITS ME, YOUR LITTLE HEART GOES PITTER PATTER, I WANT YOUR LIVER ON A PLATTER. Ah, the early days of quarantine on tik tok.

Did you forget something important in the past week? I don’t remember...

Do you like learning new things? Yeah.

What color is your toothpaste? White.

Are the floors in your house creaky? No, we are on the bottom level so there’s no sub floor to creak.

Do you fear death? Yes and no.

Is your mouth dry? Not currently.

Do you have any scars from an animal? Nah.

Did you have fun with this survey? It was fine.

Was it random enough? Sure.

#surveys #quarantine

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minalous · 5 years ago

Text

demon’s love pt1 ● jjk

pairing: jungkook x reader

description: demon!au, Jungkook CEO

genre: romance | angst | smut

word count: 2k

prologue ~ part 1 | part 2 | part 3

Loneliness. One of the worst feelings you have ever felt or that is what you thought until the day your mother decided to abandon you. An empty house, no familiar items around to be seen, a dead silence was what you came across the very day you won the first violin - being the orchestra master was a dream to come true. The unfortunate you would celebrate a victory alone, a victory which was not yours to begin with.

How many days have gone past with you crying over nothing, even the smallest of detail that reminded you of your mother would be a reason for you to burst into tears. You were terrified of your emotions but most of all it was the need you felt to get someone’s attention. That feeling kept haunting you for months, a few days would get past with the thought it may have been an illusion - no need to be the centre of somebody’s life, a man’s hidden treasure.

Not a single day was boring in your life for the last couple of years. You were now older and wiser, or so you thought to yourself. Today was a rainy day, people being the cruel selfish animals they were, they pushed you around like a play thing, the rain soaking into your clothes, your bones feeling as if they would turn into ice in any minute.

A small chuckle escaped your lips as the rain took you back to a trip down the memory lane, revisiting memories of the days your mother will rush you to the violin classes you had. To learn the violin was not your wish to begin with. Your wish as a kid was to play with your friends, go to the park and get to play with the other kids around your neighbourhood.

The place you lived with your mother was not the epitome of a rich neighbourhood, houses rushed to be made and small as they could get. You never complained about the conditions you were living in, you were just a kid. The older you were getting, the better you could understand the reasons behind why you continued living in the same house even though you mother was working so hard to provide for you.

The violin classes were getting a little too expensive but your mother’s wish was for you to succeed. She wanted you to get a private tutor, one of the continent’s best first violins, unreasonable but she made it happen. You were old enough to figure out the new source of income she has succeed to find - lonely, unhappy men who were willing to pay a more than beautiful woman to keep them warm at night.

To be honest, you were never appalled from your mother’s actions. When your father left you and your mother, she swore in her life to do anything in her power to keep you happy and safe. As long as she did not regret the limits she exceeded for your sake, you would accept it and never speak a word about it. She was the one to give you wings, to help you achieve better things in your life.

⚫

Boring days. Long, stretched days. You never understood or were able to find out why it was so complicated to find anything to make your heart tremble from excitement, desire, passion.

The town you were living in never gave you the chance to explore your talents any further nor was there any point to unravel the possibilities of you to become anything more than a mere common human.

The feeling of you to leave, the slow burning flame inside you to leave everyone and everything behind was getting bigger and bigger by the day, the years you spend here were more than you could bear especially since the day you felt you were over your mother’s loss.

The money you had left would barely help you get the tickets you needed for your trip, money for a new house would be out of the question and anything essential you needed for a life changing event like this would not be affordable.

There was a possibility you could postpone your trip for a few more months until the needed amount of money was found.

Only solution was to find a temporary job, something that could give you time to figure out what to do with your life but also with the money you needed.

The future ahead of you was getting you all excited, finding a job was nothing more but only an essential stop before your new beginning. The hot cup of coffee next to the newspaper was waiting for you impatiently, all sort of jobs to be offered were written in small letters and you were reading them one by one.

“I am not a professional footballer or a singer. What is wrong with people and their requests?” Your voice echoed inside your small apartment while you stormed off to your kitchen.

The first thing you did was to grab a bottle of water from your fridge, the need to cool off from the summer’s heat was enormous indeed. How had it gotten so hard to find even the smallest of job without being needed to be an expert on everything?

You stare into nothingness, eyes fixed on your balcony, now sitting for hours on your cuddle chair without moving a muscle. Deep down you knew you could make it work.. only if you knew how.

Mind spinning around on how to find a decent job, a job that could pay off the rent, the utility bills and could possibly help you with the money for your trip.

The thought that you belonged somewhere else and you knew it was stuck in your head, you could feel it in your heart that there was a place in the world where you would suffer no more, a great new start awaiting for you.

Like a lion in a cage, the small town you once called home was making you feel there was no air to breath, as if you were continuously climbing a mountain and the air was getting thinner and thinner.

Once you got off of your cuddle chair the balcony was your first choice to storm out. The feeling of fresh air made you come to your senses, realising the beauty of the night was breathtaking. Tonight the moon was in full bloom making everything and anything around it seemingly more than bearable.

You could remember, not long ago, your mom used to tell you an old myth for the moon in full bloom.

Every now and then the moon would listen to people and their requests, mocking them for the silly and petty dreams they had.

But there was she, a young girl with silk white hair and white eyes who would sing lullabies to the moon, begging for him to kill her and grant her mercy.

The moon had no mercy for people but this young girl had no fear for death. He did not wish to see her suffer so he asked her if she wished to spend her life as an immortal, to be one with him.

The young girl gladly accepted his offer and so the moon made her his bride. The myth continued with rumours that the bride would bed the moon to grant wishes to all the girls who were desperate to change lives.

Everyone who answered to the moon and his bride would grant wishes to the ones in need. Would they be kind enough to be truthful to the wishes? No-one ever knew..

So with eyes full of hope you looked up to the full moon and with a whisper you told him your deepest secret.

“I would sell my soul to get out of here.”

How little did you know that your prayers would be heard.

A man across the world heard your whisper as if your voice was loud and clear. It only took him a moment to come to you but it took him a thousand years to find the one to fulfil a wish for.

“I heard you, luv. I shall not have you wait for me, shall I?”

#jungkook #jungkook scenarios #jungkook fanfic #jungkook smut #demon jungkook #jungkook angst #jungkook fluff

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goodlucktai · 5 years ago

Text

the wrong end of a very long tunnel

king falls am word count: 2106 poetry borrowed from straw house, straw dog by richard siken

read on ao3

and you wanted an adventure, so i said have an adventure

The car smells like Jack. He always forgot body spray on his mad rush out the door in the morning so he took to keeping a can in the glovebox. Sammy sits in the driver’s seat with a death grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles standing out like strings of pearls. In the passenger seat is the packed bag he found by the front door months ago.

It was months ago. It took that long to negotiate a way out of their contract at the station. And maybe Sammy was hoping for a miracle, hoping for a late-night phone call or the sound of a key in the lock. If he waited a little longer, dragged his feet, Jack would make his own way home.

But Sammy is sitting in a car that smells like Jack, with a bag in the passenger seat where his boyfriend should be, and his phone in the cup holder with the GPS waiting on his first move.

It’s a hard move to make. Sammy is a coward. He wants to go back inside. Back into their house, even though the mail is on hold and the gas and water has been shut off. Back into the life he and Jack built with each other, for each other.

But this is the only way back. Leaving now is the only way to go back home.

Jack, Sammy thinks.

He presses the clutch and shifts into first gear. He doesn’t slow down until the fuel gauge is on empty, seven hundred miles away. Then he pulls into the first gas station off the interstate and has a quiet panic attack.

It’s only for his benefit that it’s quiet, really. To keep some semblance of control. He could have made a scene if he wanted to. It’s one o’clock in the morning in the Middle of Nowhere, Northern Oregon, and Sammy is alone. He could fall to the ground and scream and be long gone before some unfortunate morning employee came in and checked the CCTV.

Jack, he thinks. He doesn't scream. He gets out to pump gas.

i don’t really blame you for being dead but you can’t have your sweater back

His apartment isn't quite ready for him. Real estate market isn't exactly booming in King Falls, but the landlady wants a chance to clean the carpets. The last tenant had cats. So Sammy has a handy excuse to stop in at the only motel for a hundred miles, to smile as he introduces himself as the new radio personality, make small talk, ask about the town. It's very scenic, the drive up was beautiful. You must get a lot of tourists when the weather's nice. Have you seen any new faces around here lately? Anyone new come through?

No, the grizzled receptionist said, just you.

The motel room smells like stale cigarette smoke and mold. The walls are an ugly puce with a wainscot that might once have been white. The comforter on the bed is stiff and over-starched. Sammy sits down on it with Jack's bag. He didn't bring any of his own things in from the car. He falls asleep with his nose pressed into the collar of one of Jack's shirts. It's the only way he can fall asleep.

It's easy enough to assimilate into town. Easy enough to adopt a persona that would assimilate into town. He could play the aggressive shock jock well enough for work, but he felt like an understudy in a role that wasn't really meant for him. Felt like being back in high school and taking a friend from homeroom to the prom because she was a girl who understood him and the pictures would be what their parents expected.

Sammy has always known how to be what people expected. He's always known how to play his cards close. There's too much at stake to get sloppy now.

Ben Arnold is a bright, lively person. King Falls is home to him. He knows the ins and outs of every weird and unsettling corner. It's on the tip of Sammy's tongue to ask— hey, where would the best place be to start looking for a missing person? Can you give me a reference number for the paranormal abductions section of the local library? The love of my life is gone and your creepy, hungry hometown is to blame, so tell me, Ben, what does it do with the people it eats? Where does it keep its food?

Sammy doesn't know how to have that conversation without sounding insane. Without going insane. So he doesn't have it.

He'll do this on his own.

Jack's shirts don't smell like Jack anymore, but there's still a can of body spray in the glovebox. Sammy only uses it sparingly, when he's afraid he's forgotten what it smells like.

On a rainy morning, when Sammy is giving Ben a lift home from the station because they drove in together the night before, he points Ben toward the glovebox for some napkins to dry his glasses with. After a moment of rooting around, Ben makes a suspect little "ooh" sound— his curiosity is a monster Sammy is doing his very best to tame— and comes out with the body spray.

"Don't," Sammy says. It comes out quick, but not sharp, and Ben's head tilt is confused, but not hurt. "Just don't want to waste it," Sammy adds with an easy smile, eyes on the road. He puts out a hand for it and Ben surrenders it without a fight. It's just body spray, it's not worth the conversation they're having about it. "It's hard to find."

"It says Bath & Body Works on the sticker," Ben laughs, "but whatever, weirdo."

And Sammy could say actually—

Do you have a minute?

Can I tell you something?

But instead he drives them down the mountain, arguing about breakfast, taking care on the turns. Ben's glasses are smudged and his smile is lopsided and bright. Sammy has never been able to protect anyone but himself, but he drives differently when Ben is in the car.

you are a fever i am learning to live with, and everything is happening at the wrong end of a very long tunnel

It doesn't feel right to not want to be at his apartment, pouring over the complicated notes Jack left behind that Sammy doesn't know how to read, smoothing out a wrinkled map with half a route traced in blue pen and pretending like this time he'll see something there he didn't notice before, this time he'll figure it out.

But the longer Sammy spends here, the closer he comes to admitting what a part of him knew all along.

He isn't getting Jack back. He isn't going home again. Home got taken away, home is gone.

"Havin' a rough night, are we, bud?" Ron asks. Sammy doesn't know where he came from.

He's laying on his back across the hood of his car, a bottle of liquor clutched in hand. It's a clear night, and there's hardly any light pollution out on the edge of town. Maybe that's why Sammy drove out here. Maybe he just wanted to look up and see something beautiful in this godforsaken place. It's half past one in the morning, and by now Sammy would be deep in Sweetzer Forest, doing his usual pointless run around before booking it up to the station for the show, always a few minutes late.

But at midnight on the dot, his phone helpfully reminded him of Jack's birthday tomorrow. He checked the notification at a red light. Then he pulled into the parking lot on his immediate right and got out of the car, because he didn't trust himself to drive at that point. The only 24 hour convenience store was a few blocks away. He bought a half gallon of whatever was nearest the door.

"I'm fine," Sammy says. He's pretty sure he says it. It's so practiced by now that he can't imagine he would have said anything else.

A calloused hand works the bottle out of Sammy's fist. Ron leans his hip against the side of the car and takes a swallow. The first drink had made Sammy cough, but Ron's face doesn't change.

"Shelled out for the good stuff tonight, I see. Special occasion?"

"Yes," Sammy says firmly.

Of course it's special. Jack's birthday is always special. They go out to dinner and they get extraordinarily drunk and they stumble home together and climb into bed. Jack is warm and solid, and he lays an arm across Sammy's waist in a way that makes Sammy feel— held. Jack makes him feel held.

And Sammy isn't the type of person who could make someone feel like that about him, but he tries. He makes breakfast, he remembers how Jack takes his coffee and how he likes his eggs, and hopes it at least comes close.

"I forgot what day it was," Sammy goes on, and then he starts crying.

He'll blame the drinks later. He'll say he just can't hold his alcohol. It'll be sort of a running joke after this. Sammy never lives it down.

But for now, the driver's side door pops open, and the cabin light goes on, and the warning chime starts up because the keys are still in the ignition. Ron roots around for a minute and then returns to Sammy with his phone and a napkin from Paulie's.

Sammy takes the napkin, not sure what he's supposed to do with it. Ron asks for his PIN, and Sammy tells him, "It's today." Ron takes his wrist and directs the hand with the napkin in it up to his face.

Oh, Sammy thinks, and wipes his eyes while Ron makes a call.

Some interminable amount of time later, the car rocks a bit as Ben climbs up next to him on the hood. He scoots around until he and Sammy are shoulder-to-shoulder, marooned in a parking lot under a staggering array of stars.

"I'm playing a Best-Of compilation," Ben tells him. "I was working on it for your anniversary, but I'll come up with something even better by then." He turns his head, glasses going crooked and pressing into the bridge of his nose. Beneath a mop of dark curls, his eyes are familiar. People don't usually look at Sammy like that. He's not sure what it means. "Come on, dude. Come with me. Let's ditch your car for the night, okay?"

He winds up on Ben’s couch, bundled under the comforter from Ben's bed. Ben finds Legally Blonde on TV and stays up to watch it with him, and Sammy falls asleep in the first ten minutes.

He dreams of Jack, but for once it isn’t a nightmare. He doesn’t wake up gasping. He dreams of Jack’s face, of his hands, of his smile in the morning. He’s awake between one breath and the next, a slow rising up out of the dark.

Someone is singing ABBA in the kitchen, where there is the distinct smell of breakfast burning.

"What in the fresh hell are you doing in there?" Sammy croaks.

"Hey, look who's up! You look fresh as a daisy, Sammy." Ben's obnoxious good cheer seems louder than usual, pounding between Sammy's ears like a hammer, but that might just be the dehydration talking. "Come and eat.”

This isn’t why Sammy came to King Falls. This isn’t what he’s supposed to be doing. He's harboring secrets and taking advantage.

But there’s a plate of lopsided eggs and toast and slightly blackened bacon in front of Sammy, and a cup of coffee and the caramel vanilla creamer he’s taken a liking to that Ben keeps stocked in the station. The kitchen is warm, and comfortable, and bright with the sunlight coming through the window above the sink.

“Is it okay?” Ben asks, sitting across from him. “You always get your eggs over easy at Rose’s.”

Sammy pulls the hair out of his face with the hair-tie on his wrist. The end result makes Ben laugh, and Sammy picks up his fork.

“Of course it is, Ben. You’re the best.”

The first bite tastes like guilt. The second one tastes like way too much butter. The third one tastes like home.

you can sleep now, you said. you can sleep now. you said that. i had a dream where you said that

#king falls am #kfam #sammy stevens #ben arnold #jack wright #my writing #kfam fic

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avantegarda · 5 years ago

Text

Original Writing: The Audition

yes my friends it’s high time for another behind-the-scenes look at the Austro-Hungarian Cinematic Universe! @ella-enchanted27 I apologize that I didn’t post this last night when I was actually talking about it, as I fell asleep, but here we are!

Starring:

The Late, Great Anna Kiraly (a 19th-century Fran Drescher)

Clara the Violin, as Herself

A Serendipitous Music Professor

A Bunch of Kids

Had Professor Strobel entered any other bakery on any other street in Pest on March 3, 1861, things might have turned out very differently.

But, whether thanks to fate, God, or simple good luck, he did step into Sovany’s that rainy afternoon. And furthermore, he’d managed to forget the Hungarian for roll.

After a moment of staring at the baker in extremely awkward silence, Strobel was strongly considering turning tail, fleeing back to his hotel room, and making a meal out of crackers and cheese. He might very well have done this, had he not suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

The shoulder-tapper was a tall, rangy woman with dark red hair piled on top of her head, dressed in a gray woollen frock and striped apron, and she eyed him with amusement. “Mister. You need help?”

Delighted at finding someone in this part of the city who spoke German— regardless of how well—Strobel nodded. “Indeed, madam. Perhaps you could translate for me?” He explained what he needed, and the woman informed the baker in incomprehensible Hungarian, resulting in a warm bag of rolls being deposited in Strobel’s hand.

“Thank you, Mrs…?”

“Király,” the woman said. “Király Anna. Who are you?”

Remembering his manners, Strobel tipped his hat. “Professor Johannes Strobel, at your service.”

“Professor, eh? You teach school?”

“Indeed, at the Academy of Music in Vienna. Thank you once again for your help, if there’s anything I can…”

“Wait.” Mrs. Király’s gray eyes focused on him sharply. “You work at a music school?”

“A music school!” Strobel chuckled. “Madam, I work at the music school. The finest in Europe.”

“Ah! Good. Then you will come to have dinner at our flat. It is necessary that you meet my son.”

Oh, heavens, not this rigmarole. It was an unfortunate hazard of being a music professor that many people, upon hearing his profession, would attempt to foist all manner of untalented relatives on him, claiming that they were utterly brilliant and didn’t they deserve a spot at the Academy. Strobel sighed, preparing himself for the inevitable. “Your son, madam?”

“My son. He plays the violin. He is,” Mrs. Király said with resignation, “a very good boy. But he will not get the proper education here. We do not yet have a music school in Pest.”

“Mrs. Király, I am sure your son is very talented, but I am not certain...”

“I know, Professor. You will think I am prejudiced for my son, and you will not believe that he is talented. But I did help you just now, and you did say ‘anything I can do.' What you can do, Professor,” Mrs. Király said firmly, “is to come to a very good dinner, and to spend five minutes listening to my Andras play the violin, and then to go home in peace. This is fair, yes?”

Strobel resigned himself to the inevitable. If nothing else, Hungarian home cooking sounded pleasant enough. “Very well, Mrs. Király. Lead on.”

...

Upon entering the Király family flat, what hit Strobel first was the smell. A good smell—meat and onions and spices, filling up the small space and making his stomach growl. The smell emanated from a small stove in the corner of the room, where a short, stocky man leaned over a steaming pot.

“Ah! My husband makes goulash,” Mrs. Király said with satisfaction. “György! Látogató!”

The man at the stove turned around, his bushy eyebrows drawing together in suspicion at the sight of his wife’s unexpected company. Strobel noted, with some surprise, that Mr. Király—who this must have been—had a wooden leg.

There ensued a brief conversation in Hungarian, at the end of which Mrs. Király seemed to emerge the winner. She turned back to Strobel, smiling brightly. “My husband’s German is not so good,” she confessed. “But there is no need to worry, we have plenty of food for you. Would you like to meet the children? They will be in the other room, studying.” She paused as a burst of raucous laughter sounded from behind the narrow door. “They should be studying. Children! Come now, we have a guest!”

There was some scuffling from behind the door before it opened and an assortment of youngsters tumbled out: first, two brown-haired little girls, followed by a tall, thin boy gently carrying a toddler.

“Here you are, Professor,” Mrs. Király said proudly. “The baby is little Katalin—only we call her Kitti—and then there is Jozefa next, she is six, and Ilka is nine—and here is Andras, he has just turned sixteen. He,” she added, lowering her voice conspiratorially, “is the one I tell you about.”

To Strobel’s eternal shame, his first thought regarding young Andras was Well, he certainly looks like a musician.

He chastised himself immediately afterwards, of course—hadn’t he learned, during his career as a teacher, that musicians came in all sorts of shapes and sizes? And yet it couldn’t be denied that young Andras’ thin face, long fingers, and slightly shaggy auburn hair gave him a rather artistic air.

Appearances didn’t factor into the matter, though. What was important was whether or not he could play the violin. Which was yet to be confirmed. Strobel was not allowing himself to entertain any high hopes.

“Children, here is Professor Strobel, who is visiting us from Vienna,” Mrs. Király said. “You will speak to him in German so you can practice. And Andras, you will play the violin for him after dinner.”

Andras frowned, glancing from Strobel to Mrs. Király. “Why?”

“Because he is from the Academy of Music,” Mrs. Király explained patiently. “And perhaps he can help you.”

The boy looked as though someone had just told him he was going to war. “Do I have to, Ma?”

Mrs. Király raised her eyes heavenward, as if asking for strength. “Yes, Andras. You must. But first we will eat.”

...

Dinner was delicious, though Strobel was careful not to eat too much; generous as this family was, they still had four young children to feed. And generally nice children they were, at that. Little Jozefa explained, in an odd mishmash of Hungarian and German, that she could read an entire story on her own now with no help, and nine-year-old Ilka had shyly informed Strobel that Father Jonas at church had taught her to play a song on the piano and had the Professor ever seen a grand piano?

Andras, meanwhile, spent most of the meal in taciturn silence, occasionally casting worried glances in Strobel’s direction. There was an almost palpable air of anxiety around him, and when the last of the goulash had been eaten Strobel fully expected him to flee like a frightened rabbit. From the look on Mrs. Király’s face, however, it was clear that this was not an option.

“Girls, you will please help your father with the dishes now,” she said briskly. “Andras, you will go and get Clara.”

“Who is Clara?” Strobel inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Clara is my violin,” Andras replied, a bright red flush spreading across his high cheekbones. “That’s what Mr. Batori called her...it. He taught me to play, only he died last month, so I have Clara now.”

Strobel nodded sympathetically. “My condolences, young man. If you don’t think you can play…”

“No, I suppose I’d better, if Ma says so.” Andras let out a long-suffering sigh and rose from the table. “Excuse me for a moment.”

He returned a moment later with a violin that, while it had clearly seen better days, was undoubtedly high-quality—whoever this Mr. Batori was, he must have been a professional. Without ceremony, Andras lifted the instrument to his chin and began to play.

The piece was one of Bach’s sonatas and a devilishly tricky one at that, though Andras didn’t seem particularly worried. Indeed, the minute he’d started playing, the panicky, awkward boy faded away to be replaced with something entirely different, someone who knew exactly what he was doing. A true artist.

And Strobel, who had seen so many auditions and met so many gifted young people, felt a familiar prickle of excitement, knowing exactly what he was confronted with.

Talent. Pure talent.

...

After a brief and quiet conversation with Mrs. Király, Professor Strobel left his card and the address where he was staying and returned to his hotel in high spirits. A prodigy, by God, a genuine prodigy! Certainly, perhaps he was starting a bit late—Liszt had given his first concert at the age of nine—but after all, sixteen was still young. A nice young lad like that could go very far, given the right support. The Királys would make the right decision, naturally. They had to.

Upon returning to his hotel the next evening, Strobel was surprised to see young Andras waiting for him; not with his mother, whom Strobel had expected to see, but entirely alone.

“Professor,” he said. “Could we talk?”

Strobel nodded and ushered the boy upstairs to his room, where Andras perched on one of the chairs looking highly uncomfortable.

“What can I help you with, my lad?”

“Well,” Andras said hesitantly. “Ma says you want me to go to that fancy school, in Vienna.”

“Indeed I do. It would be exactly what you need, in my opinion.”

“That’s kind of you, Professor. I know Ma wants me to go, she’s been talking about it with Pa all day, and I’m very grateful, but I…” He took a deep breath. “I can’t go.”

“Can’t?” Strobel frowned. Had he not made it clear to Anna that there was no reason to fuss over money, that there were scholarship funds for this sort of thing? “Why on earth not?”

“Professor, you came to our home. You saw we have no money.” Andras’ German was good, schoolboy-correct, though his accent was considerably more distinct when he was upset—which he clearly was now. “If I stay here, I can get a job in a factory or a shop, help my sisters. I can’t send money home if I am at music school.”

Strobel was not a temperamental man, but at this, he nearly could have thrown something. “Andras, how old are you? Sixteen, your mother said?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Nearly an adult, then. So I will speak to you as an adult. You are a fool, young man, for thinking that getting a job in a factory will help your family more than your getting a free education. Do you think I would be offering you a scholarship, to one of the finest conservatories in Europe, if I didn’t think it would be worth my while? Now, I cannot guarantee you professional success,” Strobel admitted. “It’s a tricky business, music. But I can tell you now that even a poor violinist in Vienna will be able to help his family more than a factory worker in Pest. And furthermore, if anyone who can play the violin like you decides to work in a factory or a shop, you may as well spit in the gods’ faces. It is unacceptable.”

“Oh.” Andras blinked, evidently somewhat taken aback. “I did not think of it like that.”

Strobel sighed, passing a hand over his brow. “I apologize if I was too forceful. But really, there is only one question that matters here. Do you want to study at the Academy?”

Andras hesitated, tapped his fingers together awkwardly, ran a hand through his already wild hair—and then nodded.

“Good,” said Strobel. “Then there is nothing more to be said on the subject.” He smiled and gently patted the boy on his shoulder. “You will do well for yourself, I think, Master Király. And believe me, I am someone who should know.”

#my writing #original writing #unshakeable #wow look how long this is #i wrote it after very fancy beer so that's why

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cilldaracailin · 5 years ago

Text

A Kind Of Magic

Hey everyone! Apologies for not posting yesterday. Bit mad with getting back to work and getting caught up on paperwork. But I am back with some more and I will add two updates this evening for all you lovely people! :)

“The only way you can get to know each other is by hanging out.”

“So, you up for a little adventure this evening?” Asked Robyn as they cleaned up after dinner.

Taron stopped washing the empty pyrex dish that had previously been filled with lasagne, bubbles up to his elbows. “What kind of an adventure?”

“Well Wednesday evenings are normally my choir evenings. You want to come with me?” Robyn picked up the clean pyrex dish and started to dry it. “You don’t have to. You are more than welcome to stay here and re-arrange more of my shelves.” Robyn came home from work that day to her bookshelf completely re-organised, Taron finding something else to keep himself occupied in her home, the books now in descending order of height while in their respective collections. When she had walked into her closet to change, Taron had also changed her shoes around so the converse no longer matched, each shoe paired with a different coloured one. “Just thought you might like to come along, sit at the back and listen to what we sing.”

“I would very much like to come along, if that’s ok.”

“Of course it is.”

“Then yes please, I would love to come with you. I’ll happily sit at the back.”

When they arrived at the church, Robyn let Taron pick his seat at the back of the pews while she quickly explained to the choir director that she had a friend visiting and he was going to sit and listen while they rehearsed. He had insisted on wearing his hat again and Robyn made him wear a hoodie too.

“Even with the heat, the church can get cold.” She had said when he questioned it. “And it’s not as warm as it has been.”

Taron watched as the choir warmed up, Robyn lost in all the heads in the alto section, glad she had made him take his hoodie with him, a big difference in the temperature between inside and outside the church. Being immersed in the sound of music from the choir as they practised, Taron felt somewhat at home enjoying how easily the choir director taught her choir, taking time to answer any questions and ensure each section knew their notes and when every section sang together, they came together perfectly. It brought back wonderful memories of being in a choir as a kid.

During their break, Robyn made her way down to him, sitting beside him. “So, you bored yet?”

“Nope. I am very much enjoying myself. Your choir works so well together. The harmonies are beautiful.”

“Why thank you.”

“Can I join?”

“Actually, we are in that period where new members are welcome, so if you want too, I can put in a good word. I mean, I am an original member. I can pull some strings.”

Taron smiled a little. “I think I will stay back here. Don’t want to draw too much attention to myself.”

“Might be a bit late. People are wondering who you are and why you are sitting here all by yourself but don’t worry, I have your cover story sorted.”

“I am afraid to ask.”

“Don’t look so worried. I told them the truth. That you are my friend who has come to visit me and to save my shelves from being further re-organised I dragged you to choir with me.”

Taron chuckled. “I don’t think you have many more shelves I can re-organise.”

She smiled. “I am sure you will find something.” She looked up to the altar as the quick five-minute break ended. “Of the songs that you know we sing, which one would you like us to sing for you?” She took in his confused look. “Maddie wants to put on a little show for you but without everyone knowing why we are doing it. So, we can practise a song of your choosing but they won’t know you chose it so you stay a secret of sorts and I have no idea if any of that made any sense to you so just pick a song for me.”

Taron chuckled. “Well I would love to make you sing your favourite Queen song but I have already seen you preform that one so…” He thought for a moment. “I want to hear Everybody Hurts.” He enjoyed the smile on her face. “You told me that one is beautiful so, yeah that one please.”

“Okie dokie.”

Taron smiled as he watched Robyn almost skip away from him completely in her element as she spoke to Maddie the director, giving him a little sweet smile and wink when she was done, his smile growing wider.

Taron knew he had made the right decision with his suggestion and closed his eyes, taking in every note and sound as Kilcreen’s gospel choir sang the most beautiful rendition of R.E.M’s Everybody Hurts. Robyn had talked about the choir with him as they sat outside in the garden during the weekend and it was an audition free, anyone can join choir who had recorded three albums with three famous Irish singers and bands including Oscar winner Glen Hansard. Taron loved the concept behind the gospel choir, Robyn calling it her second family and their sound was stunning and when they had finished, he found himself on his feet clapping, spotting Robyn in the group grinning at him.

“Incredible.” He called out, tipping his hat to them.

The rehearsal ended and Robyn quickly made her way down to Taron, a wide smile on her face. “Not our first standing ovation but thank you very much.” She said to him. “Ready to go?”

“You don’t want to say goodbye to your friends?”

“You want to answer all the questions they have about who you are? Lots of Elton John fans in here.”

“Right so, let’s go.”

As much as Taron had enjoyed the impromptu performance Robyn had set up for him, he wasn’t ready to be subjected to an onslaught of questions and quickly followed Robyn out of the church and to her car.

“Thanks for this. I like seeing what you get up to.”

“This is about the height of it.” Replied Robyn as she drove them back.

“And good call for the hoodie. The church was a little chilly.”

She smiled. “Weathers supposed to change from tomorrow. No more sitting out in the garden sunning ourselves.”

“I am really going to have to work hard to re-arrange your house tomorrow now that I won’t be able to sit outside.”

Instead of re-arranging Robyn’s shelves on Thursday, Taron spend the day dozing on her couch, feeling tired after a bad night’s sleep. He had no particular reason for his bad nights sleep, putting it down to the two cups of coffee he drank before he went to bed and also the fact that he had been getting a substantial amount of sleep and his body was probably fed up of sleeping. No nightmares, no more pain than usual, just a terrible night’s sleep.

The weather men had gotten it right and the glorious sunshine had turned to dark grey clouds and sheets of endless rain, the temperature dropping right down to the very low teens. Taron had found himself in his jeans for the first time since he had arrived in Robyn’s house and it was also the first time he hadn’t needed the air conditioning. He had kept to the couch watching day time TV catching up with Robyn and her morning at work when she came home for lunch.

“How is Beth?” He asked as they sat at the breakfast bar, eating a toasting sandwich which Robyn had quickly made on a frying pan.

“Terribly disappointed you never turned up for snack on Monday!” Laughed Robyn. “You are her favourite new friend and she used that word not me and she has also been telling all the other children that you like my hugs too.”

Taron grinned. “Well you shouldn’t lie to children and I didn’t. I like your hugs. Beth has good taste.”

“What are your plans for the afternoon?” She asked as she cleared away her plate, Taron still drinking his tea. “Figure out what shelves you want to work on yet?”

“I think I am going to stick to the couch this afternoon. I didn’t sleep too well last night. Might watch another one of your DVD’s.”

“You feeling ok?” She asked as she stood beside him, her hand going to his forehead to check his temperature.”

“Don’t be worrying Robyn.” He said as he took her hand away from his head. “Just a bad night’s sleep. Nothing to do with what happened to us.”

Taron had dropped his body onto the length of the couch his head in the corner when Robyn went back to work and the rain that battered the glass doors of the room was almost soothing to him. He snuggled deep into the teddy bear throw that had made an appearance when Robyn pulled it out for him so he would be comfortable, warm and cosy before she left him alone and closing his eyes, Taron curled up onto his left side, sleep quickly finding him.

When he woke Robyn was sitting next to him with ear phone in her ears and her glasses perched on her nose. Her face was fully focused on the laptop screen in front of her but she saw his slight movement and looked down to him.

“You really did have a shit nights sleep, didn’t you?” Commented Robyn as she pulled the ear phones out. When she arrived home from work, Taron was wrapped up in her favourite throw, looking adorable as he slept. Trying not to disturb him, she set up her laptop on her knees beside him, listening to music as she worked. He woke up about half an hour after she sat down.

“Just happens sometimes.” He answered her. “What time is it?”

“Just after five.”

Taron nuzzled further into the soft blanket around him. “Least it wasn’t another mammoth sleep. Only two hours. I like this blanket.”

“Good for chilly, rainy days. How does pasta bake sound for dinner?”

“Really good. What are you doing?” He moved a little so he could see the screen of the laptop. “ACE’s?”

“Just researching some online training for the staff. Adverse Childhood Experiences.” She explained. “How trauma and upsetting experiences affect a child’s development. Not pretty stuff but unfortunately has to be done.”

“I never really thought about the unpleasant aspects of your job.”

“We shall not then mention the repulsive subject of child protection.”

Taron looked up to her. “Robyn have you…”

“Not that I could talk about it, confidentially and all that, but no, thank God.”

“There is so much more to what you do than just caring for children.”

“Yep but not everyone understands that Taron. I think the term glorified babysitters has been thrown around a lot. Ignorant people who have no idea of the importance of the role of early years educators in a child’s life but anyway moving on. I see none of my shelves have been changed today.”

“I have literally spent my day wrapped up on the couch.”

“Well that’s what happens when you spend your night tossing and turning.”

“Ahh shit did I keep you awake?”

“Even in a queen size bed, one can feel the other moving around.” She looked down to Taron and picked her phone up from beside her. “Don’t be worrying.”

“You are the one going to work every day. You need your sleep.” Replied Taron, his voice muffled as his face was half buried in the throw.

“I have gotten my payback.”

“What? How?” He lifted his head to look at her and groaned when she showed him the picture she had just taken of him, cuddled into the grey and white fleece under him.

“Definitely being added to the wall.”

Friday before lunch, Robyn left work for an hour to bring Taron back to the doctors so he could get his stitches out and the two steri-strips on his forehead were replaced with just one, Doctor Greene instructing Taron to keep resting up and he would be fully recovered in no time.

While Robyn finished her shift at work on Friday afternoon, Taron returned phone calls from missed messages and voicemails to his friends and other family members as well as Lyndsey, this time feeling much better about his conversation with his publicist, finding it easier to talk about what had happened in more detail with those he had yet to speak to.

Robyn strolled into the apartment at four thirty and almost threw herself on the couch.

“Friday!” She sighed happily. “My favourite day.”

“End of the week.” Confirmed Taron. He was sitting on what he now called ‘his couch’ reading one of Robyn’s books. “I have been here for a whole week.” He said quietly.

Robyn titled her head back to look at him but as he was upside down to her, she turned over and sat beside him. “A whole week.” She repeated.

The television was on in the background, adverts on in-between the afternoon entertainment. “I really want to go and see that movie.”

“Sorry what?” Robyn was confused by Taron’s sudden change in conversation topic.

“That new Tom Hanks movie. I would really like to go and see it. In the cinema.”

“Well why don’t you?” She asked holding her hands up to Taron as he gave her his best scowl. “Ok I guess I am missing something here.”

“I usually don’t just walk into a full movie theatre unless it is for an event. Not now anyway. It’s awkward when someone realises who I am, gets a bit uncomfortable.”

“Ok well why don’t we try a late showing here?”

“Here? Your projector?”

“Taron. I am a low-key supervisor and have one, no wait, two celebrity friends. You and Richard.” She said when he looked confused. “I don’t have home access to new release movies but…” Robyn pulled her phone from her trousers pocket. “Normally late late showings here are quiet. Here as in the nearest cinema to me, not here as in my house. About a fifteen-minute drive away. I went to a showing at midnight before and I was the only one there.”

Taron watched as Robyn pulled up the cinema screens near her and checked out the times of the movie. “There is a showing at eleven thirty.”

“As in tonight?”

“Yep and there are only three seats booked. Rest of them are empty.” She looked to Taron. “You up for the movies tonight?” She sensed his hesitation. “Tell you what. Let’s keep an eye on the bookings, see if any more seats fill up and if it stays quiet and we can nab two seats at the back, you want to go?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah sure why not? We don’t have anything else planned, do we? And it’s the weekend and as we discussed last week, Saturdays are for lie ins.”

Taron pulled Robyn close and kissed her right temple. “You are a bloody genius.”

Laughing Robyn looked to him. “I guess that is a yes then?”

“If it stays somewhat quiet, yes I would absolutely love to go and see that movie. It has been so long since I have been to a movie for the joy of going to a movie and not for a press event.”

Seven hours later, Robyn and Taron were sitting in the back row of screen four in her local Vue cinema, one large popcorn between then, Robyn suppling the chocolate m&m’s to go with it.

“Have I told you that you are a genius?” He asked pulling his hat off as the lights dimmed for the start of the trailers and placing it in the empty seat to his right.

“One can never hear enough times that they are a genius!”

Robyn had checked the remaining seats again just after nine and seeing that only seven seats were taken, Taron was happy for her to go ahead and book two for them, right in the middle of the back row. They had chosen a perfect time to arrive as the cinema was practically empty, the queue for popcorn non-existent and as they made their way into screen four, they missed the crowds leaving the other screens.

“This is perfect.” Taron moved so he was more comfortable, Robyn’s shoulders turned towards him as she sat with her left leg crossed over her right. “Only you could get me to the cinema in stealth mode.”

Robyn laughed. “Stealth mode. Seriously Taron? It’s a late late night showing. Most people come to the cinema after work and then head home.”

“This is brilliant.” He said, moving again so his body position didn’t twinge, giving Robyn the popcorn until he was settled.

“Use your coat, if you need to make a sort of cushion for your side.”

The weather was still terrible, rain falling lightly as they left the parked car, Taron finally getting use for the clothes Richard had bought for him, including a dark navy coat.

“No, I am good. Just need to move a little. I will have that back now.” He said taking the popcorn from her.

“Sharing is caring.” She returned, grabbing a handful from the top of the carton, throwing one at him.

“I bought it.” He said taking some for himself.

Robyn scoffed at him. “Really? That’s what it has come too? You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my genius.”

“Ok yeah that’s true.” Taron placed the popcorn between them. “Thanks for this Robyn.”

“Anytime.”

Their movie night had been a complete success and Taron was delighted with his McFlurry afterwards on the way home as Robyn pulled into a twenty-four-hour McDonalds for a late-night desert snack, as well as their sing along to The Greatest Showman in the car on the way home.

Robyn jumped a little as Taron hugged her from behind as she unlocked the house when they arrived home just after two am. “You are probably sick of me saying this, but thank you Robyn.”

She grinned and duck walked into the hallway as Taron was still hugged her, struggling a little to turn off the alarm. “If I promise to do it again will you let me go before the alarm goes off and I wake the neighbours?” Taron dropped his hands, giving Robyn the freedom she needed to get the alarm off in the last three warning beeps. “So tomorrow, you want to make that rainbow cake and maybe try that little café I told you about for breakfast?”

She didn’t need an answer, the smile in his eyes that she saw as she turned on some lights was a good enough answer for her.

They took their seats at the back of the café, just after eleven am the next morning, Robyn asking if they could have the quieter table at the back.

“This is a busy little place.” Taron buried his head a little into the menu in his hands.

“We can go Taron, if it’s too busy for you. I don’t mind.” Robyn knew the café she had brought him too was quite popular for breakfast on Saturday mornings and explained to Taron that it would be, but he had put his hat on and insisted they go. “We can even get the food to go.”

“No way. You promised me this hash thing was the best breakfast, so I am having it and I am having it here. So, which one is it?” Although the town where Robyn lived was an active little town, it was a quiet town and as he scanned the menu, he quickly saw that not one of the other customers were paying attention their way, even after Robyn had said hello to some of them on her way in. It made him feel a lot more comfortable and he lifted his hat a little as the waitress came their way.

“So, what can I get you?” She asked.

“I am going to have your bacon hash without the chorizo and a cappuccino please.” Said Robyn, not even looking at the menu.

“I will have the same but with the chorizo please.” Confirmed Taron.

“No worries. I will bring the coffees over in a minute.”

“Thanks.”

“Coffee Robyn?” Asked Taron. “Not like you.”

“I have a feeling I am going to need the caffeine today if we are going to make this cake.”

Taron grinned. “I am very much looking forward to making this cake.”

“I know, that’s why I need the coffee.”

“I promise I won’t do anything I am not supposed too.”

“And I would believe you, if you were not giving me that Taron look.”

“Taron look?” He questioned.

“The one where you look like you are about to get up to mischief. I have seen it a few times since you have been with me, especially when you are planning something, or have done something you really aren’t meant too.”

“Like re-organise your bathroom?”

“Like re-organise my bathroom.”

Taron had taken the shower first that morning and when Robyn went to take her turn, she naturally reached for her shampoo which was always on her left-hand side but instead she used her shower gel in her hair. Taron had swapped all her toiletries around and Robyn only noticed when she actually looked at the bottles, feeling confused as to why her hair wasn’t lathering up. She wasn’t mad at Taron but did throw one of her cushions at him when she came out of the bathroom when he questioned what took her so long.

“I am trying to think of what else is in my home that you can change.” She smiled. “I am glad I am opening the creche again next week though. Maybe you could have some extra-long sleep in’s so you are only awake from let’s say two pm onwards? Then you only have two hours to fill before I come home.”

Taron chuckled as the waitress bought their coffees over. “Thank you.” They both said to her, Robyn reaching for some sugar as the same time as Taron did, their hands hitting each other.

“Shit sorry Robyn. You go ahead.” Taron pulled his hands back, letting Robyn take some sugar first. “And I mean, change is good right?” Taron took his sugar once Robyn had hers. “And having your plates beside your oven makes no sense. They should be right beside the sink.”

Robyn stopped mid sip. “Excuse you?”

“Your cupboards. They need a good change up too!” Taron innocently took a drink of his cup. “Hmm good coffee.” He was very much enjoying the look on Robyn’s face.

“Taron Egerton, you even think about switching my presses around, you will be out on your ear!”

It was another one of those laughs, that brought the best giggles through him, Taron having to put his cup down as he wiped his eyes, the serious look on Robyn’s normally happy face priceless. It was only the waitress bringing them their breakfast that saved Taron from another fierce look from the woman sitting opposite him.

“Eat your breakfast.” She said to him, but a smile filled her lips as she broke one of the eggs on her plate with her knife.

Taron did, looking to Robyn as he took his first bite. “Oh my God.” He tucked again. “Jesus this is good.”

“Told you.”

Chat flowed easily between the two, as it always did and Taron had to put his foot down, when Robyn wanted to pay after they had finished and he got his card to the man at the cash register first.

“My treat.” Said Taron as he tapped his card on the machine.

“It was meant to be my treat.” Pouted Robyn as they left the café.

“You have already treated me enough. My turn. Now onward to get surprises for cake!”

Taron linked his arm with hers and dragged her gently down the footpath and back towards where she had parked her car. Kilcreen was small and easy to walk around, so Robyn chose to park in the carpark of the large supermarket, only a few minutes’ walk away from the café and it meant they could easily walk into the supermarket and buy the ingredients for the cake Taron was desperate to make. Robyn knew it was going to be a very interesting afternoon as Taron’s giddiness almost doubled with the prospect of finally getting to bake the rainbow cake.

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Friendship #Love #Feeling at Home #Food #Singing and Music #Choir Family #Trust #Loyalty #Fun and Laughter

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mymyfangirlsidedontlie · 5 years ago

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Brave (a Quest for Camelot fanfic)

She wasn’t exactly sure how she knew something would go wrong that day. The day seemed like any other; she woke up, helped around the castle, ate breakfast, went to training. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, sending soft beams of light all throughout the castle, making the air seem light and cheerful. But she could feel something off in the air; like dark ink slowly spreading through a piece of paper, swallowing the world into darkness and despair. She chose, however, not to tell anyone of this; Arthur still had a kingdom to run, her father was busy training the knights, and Kayley, little, precious Kayley did not need to know of the danger she sensed. She loved her family, deeply and truly; she did not want to cause them to panic.

“I could just be going crazy,” she whispered to herself, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She did not feel very queenly as she stared at herself; Her blonde hair was tied back into intricate braids, a crown placed on her head studded with emeralds that matched the color of her dress. Her blue eyes were tired, her brow slightly crinkled from worry even as she tried to calm herself. Despite all the lavish jewelry and expensive fabrics she dressed herself in as a queen, she still felt as if it wasn’t her place. She had never been the type to want the royal life; in reality, she, much like her father Sir Lionel, wanted to be a knight. She didn’t like having to sit on a throne and issue orders around her kingdom; she yearned for a life of adventure and daring, where she could protect those she cared about without having to sit back and let somebody else do it.

Some would say that training to be a knight and ruling a kingdom was too much for a seventeen year old girl. She wasn’t married, which meant she had to run the kingdom on her own, and her citizens and family were worried it would be too much for her. She knew she could do it, though. She had always had a strong spirit and immense dedication; if she wanted to do something, then you’d better believe she was going to do it. She refused to let anyone else stop her; why should they be able to control what she did with her life?

Her chest rose and fell quickly as she sparred with Kayley, now dressed in a green tunic, her crown left on the side. She always knew Kayley would be open to sparring with her; she, like herself, wanted to be a knight too. Arthur was the only one who was happy living his royal life. She still remembered the day they found out Arthur would be king, when he had pulled the sword out of the stone right in front of everyone. It had shocked everyone except herself; she had seen the strength and dedication inside of Arthur to be a king even when they were little. Being related to the king, of course, meant the whole family was royalty now, which was quite a shock to their mother and father, who lived in a small farm a little while away from the kingdom. Their father had quickly grown into the royal life; he had already been training to be a knight, so living at the castle wasn’t much of a change. Their mother, however, had decided to stay at the farm; she did not wish to embrace the royal life like the rest of them had. Kayley lived at the farm too, their mother and father deciding it was best for her to be living in a stable environment while she grew up. She did visit often; today had been one of those days.

“You’re getting way better, Kayley! You’ve really been improving,” she praised, smiling at her sister with kind eyes.

“Thanks! I’ve been training a lot, you know. Dad’s been teaching me,” Kayley said proudly.

“Well, he’s been doing an excellent job then. You’re getting closer to being able to beat me everyday,” she said, and disarmed her sister. “But you’re not there yet, little sister,” she teased.

“Alice, you’ve been doing this longer then I have, of course you’re better,” Kayley said, slightly exasperated. Alice laughed.

“I guess that’s fair. Really, Kayley, you’ve improved so much, I’m really proud of you,” she said, feeling as if she should tell her sister just in case something bad did happen. No matter how much she distracted herself, or reminded herself that everything had been going okay that day, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was going to happen.

“Oh… Uh, thank you, Alice,” Kayley said, looking away shyly. Alice felt a warmth bloom in her chest as she gave her sister a fond look. She had always been protective of Kayley, even though she wasn’t much younger than herself. Kayley had always been a tough kid; she had guts, and like herself, she had always wanted a life of adventure. It made her heart twist to think that if something did happen that day, she might lose that.

“Hey Kayley, I see your boyfriend,” Alice teased Kayley as Garrett started making his way over to them. Kayley scowled and blushed while she laughed. She decided to leave the two to do their own thing and hummed as she walked through the castle courtyard, deciding if something bad was going to happen, she should enjoy the day while she could.

She shook her head. Nothing was going to happen, she was just being paranoid. Besides, how could something happen on such a beautiful day like this? She could hear birds chirping away on the castle walls as people bustled around the castle, all going about their days with soft smiles on their faces. She felt lucky that she could be here while this was happening, to see the servants looking so happy and carefree. In her own kingdom, morale always seemed to be low, and she couldn’t understand why. Perhaps it was the fact that they experienced many more rainy days than this kingdom did, which led to an abundance of crops, but a shortage of smiles. She should probably fix that when she got back, but for now, she would simply enjoy the fact that she was here.

She found her brother, King Arthur, in the council room, all the knights of the roundtable gathered together to discuss defensive strategies to keep their kingdom safe, while also simply just laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Her brother was the center of it all, making jokes as he offered different defensive positions to place guards around the castle and the outskirts of the town. He had always been very charismatic, even as a kid; their father had always joked that he would simply charm his way out of everything if he ever got into trouble.

“Well, look who decided to pop in. Hello, Alice,” Arthur greeted her. She smiled at him.

“Hello, Arthur. Sounds like you’re doing lots of planning,” she teased and the knights all laughed.

“Well of course,” he said, a warm smile on his face. “How are you enjoying your stay? Are you enjoying your break from your kingdom?” he asked.

“I do kind of miss it, but not having to boss people around all day is nice,” she admitted. The knights all chuckled and continued their discussion as she and her brother spoke.

“Everyone is excited that you’re here. I think they’re happier you’re here then mom is,” he said, shaking his head. She chuckled.

“I suppose I did leave a mark the last time I was here,” she said. The last time she had been back was for a knights competition; whoever was the best at sparring won. She had managed to make it to the top three, surprising many of the knights, and enraging the rest. The boys did not like being beat by a seventeen year old girl, especially not one who wasn’t even a knight from their kingdom.

“We could really use more knights with your skill around here. Apparently there’s been the threat of an attack, and we don’t know who’s coming,” Arthur said, his brow crinkling. She frowned. So perhaps her gut feeling wasn’t for nothing. But did that mean the attack would be today? They weren’t ready for an attack.

“Do we have an estimation for when the attack is coming?” she asked. He shook his head.

“Unfortunately, no. All we know is that they’re coming, and that we need to be prepared for them,” he said. She sighed.

“Maybe we should do less joking around and more battle strategy,” she said and he sighed.

“I don’t want them to start to panic. That could throw them all off. It’s better to keep things light so they aren’t working themselves to death to prepare for a threat that could be coming months from now,” he said.

“I don’t know, Arthur. I think you should be getting prepared for the attack coming sooner than later. I have a feeling that we may have less time than you think we do,” she said.

“I suppose you’re right. Thank you, Alice,” he said, and began to walk away.

“Oh, and Arthur?” she said. Arthur stopped and looked at her with a brow slightly raised. She took a deep breath in and smiled. “I’m really proud of you. I love you, a lot,” she said. Arthur frowned.

“I love you too, Alice, but why are you saying it like that? Are you alright?” he asked and she nodded.

“I’m fine, Arthur. Go prepare your men,” she said. He sighed but nodded, turning and walking away, his shoulders squared, making him look like true royalty as he left.

She found their father in the gardens, just wandering through with a thoughtful expression on his face. He didn’t notice she was there until she tapped on his shoulder, making him jump.

“Alice! You startled me!” he said smiling at her. She chuckled.

“Sorry, dad. What are you doing?” she asked. His smile fell and he sighed.

“Has your brother told you about the attack that we’re expecting yet?” he asked and she nodded.

“I just went and saw him, he told me everything. Is that what you’re stressing about?” she asked.

“Of course. If there’s an attack coming, then you know what they want and what they would do to get it,” he said and she sighed.

“I know, dad. But Arthur will be fine! He has some of the best knights protecting him, which includes you. Everything will be okay,” she reassured him.

“You never know. I am getting older, Alice,” he said.

“I know. But so am I, and the older I get, the stronger I get. I can help, too,” she said and he shook his head.

“You’re a queen, Alice, you have a kingdom to run. And there’s also no guarantee that you’ll be here,” he said and she thought for a moment.

“I could always send some troops over here to help. Our kingdom has a strong military, we can have a few troops gone for extended periods of time without having to worry too much,” she said, a little disappointed that she wouldn’t be able to send herself in. That was what she wanted to do with her life; she wanted to be able to protect her family and their kingdom with her life, without having to worry about running a kingdom. If she wasn’t a queen, she wouldn’t have to worry about being put out of commision for a little while, and she could put everything into keeping her family safe.

They both frowned when a knight came running at them with wide, panicked eyes. She could feel her heart sink as he drew closer, already knowing what was wrong.

“The castle! It’s under attack!” the knight cried. They both looked at each other and took off running, their hearts racing as panic shot through them. She almost felt like she couldn’t breathe; this was the one thing she had always wished for, a chance to protect her family. But not like this; not when they were so vulnerable, when she didn’t know what was coming at them.

She had to protect them.

She needed a weapon.

She and her father both ran to the armory, but never made it; Arthur was in the council room, facing off a Griffin, holding Excalibur with a look of fierce determination.

“Arthur you idiot get out of there you’re the king!” she shouted, bursting in weaponless but fiercely determined to protect her brother at any cost. The griffin looked at her and growled, but she didn’t back down; all she needed was a weapon. “Dad, I need a sword!” she shouted behind her, seeing him take off. He tossed her a sword from one of the suits of armor that decorated the halls. She faced the griffin with a grim look.

“Alice, you’re a queen, you have a kingdom to run too,” Arthur scolded.

“Shut up and get out of here,” she ordered, getting into a fight position. The griffin lunged at her and she rolled to the side, popping back up and slashing the griffin’s side. It roared in pain and looked at her with deadly eyes. She stared back with a look just as deadly. She refused to let this beast win. That was when Arthur, quite stupidly, decided to try and stab it from behind. Hearing his footsteps, the griffin whirled around to face him. She only had a second to think of what to do. She threw herself onto it’s back and attempted to stab it. It threw her off and as she hit the ground it threw her into the wall with a powerful swipe of it’s front claws, tearing her tunic and digging through her skin like she was made of butter.

She wasn’t sure what all happened after that. The griffin must have left, because both her father and her brother were now at her side, staring down at her with horrified eyes. There was an unbearable pain in her stomach, and she realized that the floor was wet with her blood, now seeping into her father and brother’s clothes.

“Alice, what were you thinking?!” Arthur cried, his eyes wide and panicked. Their dad had a solemn look on his face; she had a feeling he already knew what was coming.

“I was trying to protect you, you idiot,” she managed to croak out.

“No, don’t you dare die on us, don’t you dare,” he snapped.

“Arthur,” their dad said softly. Arthur looked at him with pain in his eyes. She wished she could take it away; she hadn’t wanted him to be in pain.

“Hey, dad?” she said. He looked at her, though barely. She could tell he was having a hard time looking her in the eyes; he was hurting too. “Please make sure that my kingdom is taken care of,” she said. He nodded with tears in his eyes.

“Alice, you were so, so brave. I am so proud of you,” he said. She smiled weekly.

“Thank you. Please tell Kayley and mom how much I love them, okay? You have to make sure they know, you have to make sure to take care of them. Please promise me you two will look out for them,” she begged. They both nodded, their voices failing them as she started to slip away.

“Alice, you were so brave…”

She smiled and closed her eyes.

Requested by @alicependragon73 (oc also by @alicependragon73)

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the story of Quest for Camelot!

Please enjoy!

#writing #story #stories #one shot #quest for camelot #fanfic #short story

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littlemessyjessi · 6 years ago

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James Potter : Fluffy ABC Headcanons: Plus Size Reader

Fluffy Alphabet (Shoutout to my lovely friend, Traenon! She literally saved these for me months ago from something she read and sent it to me through messenger. So credit to OP for the prompts!)

James Potter Headcanons James Potter x PS Reader

X Reader: PS Reader, Plus Size Reader

A = Attractive: what do they find attractive about the other?

Well, the mushy answer is your courage. He's in love with that fierce "Mama Bear" thing regardless of gender. The fact that if someone even breathes a little angry at someone you care about...you just fucking lose your shit. He's real into that ish.

Physically? Hmm, probably them thighs! Yasssss, he could stay there all day. In a sweet fashion...or a naughty one, lol.

B = Baby: do they want a family? why/why not?

As an only child- yes he wants a herd of children. I'm not joking. He told you he wanted six. You nearly killed him but he did say that he was ok with adoption too. The whole carrying a baby thing is fine to him but he's also cool with adoption. He just loves you and wants to have kids around. And to spoil them like he spoils you.

C = Cuddle: how do they cuddle?

Ha, good luck. You're not going anywhere. James is not above pushing the bed against the wall, forcing you to the inside and trapping you between him and the wall. He loves you. You're his favorite. He's not about to give up one ounce of cuddle time.

D = Dates: what are dates with them like?

He does love a good ride on the broom on a clear starring night. I mean, that's just a perk. But honestly? Some of the best have been in detention. He's purposefully gotten you both in trouble before just so you could hang out alone together, lol.

E = Everything: “you are my ____” (e.g my life, my world…)

You are James' inspiration. You're his drive. You are the light of his life and the fire to keep him running. For you? He'd do anything.

F = Feelings: when did they know they were falling in love?

When Sirius' mother showed up at the school and started screaming at him. And you? You hexed her six ways from Sunday. It's your protective nature that really drove it home for James that day. Also, sidenote- Sirius sees you as his sister and you're his favorite. He steals you away from James all the time so you can hang out, lol.

G = Gentle: are they gentle? If so, how?

For all his boisterous personality, James really is a sweetheart. he'd do anything for you. You're amazing to him.

H = Hand/Hold: how do they like to hold? how do they like to hold hands?

Listen, if you're near James...You're fucking stuck. That boy, lol. Omg, I hope you're not sensitive about your fingers because he's threading them together and they're in a vise grip...forever. If for some reason, you have to leave to I don't know- void your bladder- prepare to be yanked back into his chest and he'll whine for ten minutes. Only when your bladder is on the brink of explosion and you unlease your rage will he let you go....and maybe not follow you.

I = Impression: first impression/s

Your first impression of him was that he was a git. Second was that he was a pretty awesome quidditch player. You didn't actually give him the time of day until about 5th year and even then you broke his nose when he swatted your bottom playfully. He got the fucking message, lol.

J = Joker: are they into pulling pranks?

Please, he's the king of pranks. He pulled one on you....once. You retaliated to the point of near death. He got the fucking message.

K = Kisses: how do they kiss?

They're so random sometimes but super special and sweet. Never fail to make you smile.

L = Love: who says I love you first?

He did. He's been saying it forever anyway. But the first time for real? He did and it was super cute because he was loaded with firewhiskey. But he remembered the next morning 6 am when the hangover hit him. Poor guy, pajamas barely hanging out and he's screaming up the girl's dormitorities until someone shoved you down to him.

"I just realized I said I loved you last night." "Yeah, I know James." you laughed rubbing sleep from your eye. "I was shit faced." he said. Your laugh was a bit dimmed, "Yeah, I know. You weren't really all there at the moment." "No, that's not what I meant." he said taking your hands into his. "I mean, - what I mean is that I do love. I mean it. I meant it then. I've wanted to tell you for a long time." "James you've been telling me since we were eleven." you laughed. "Yeah, but not for real." he said. "And I mean it- for real. I love you." "I love you too, you crazy boy. Now go back to bed and sleep off your hangover. And for the love of god brush your teeth before you try to talk to me again."

M = Memory: their favourite moment together

He adores the time you nearly beat someone on an opposing team to death because they cheated during a quidditch game. He flew right into the stands to kiss you. Both to quell your rage and because he loved you.

N = Nickel: do they spoil? do they buy the person they love everything?

He does but it's usually vintage finds. Little things you come across together. The both of you have this completely useless matching pocket watches. They don't work and it gets stuck half the time but they match and they're special.

O = Orange: what color reminds them of their other half?

Well, he loves house colors on you of course. But he also favors you in blue. Just something about it on you looks amazing. Doesn't matter the shade. Just blue.

P = Pet names: what pet names do they use?

He's totally a 'babe' person.

Q = Quaint: what is their favourite non-modern thing?

James actually loves going antiquing with you. It's a favorite thing. There's a whole cabinet of useless junk you never do anything with but he likes it. And looking at it makes him smile because he remembers the little dates you went on when you got it and how you got whipped cream on your nose when the two of you stopped for ice cream.

R = Rainy Day: what do they like to do on a rainy day?

Whines. He whines, lol. Truthfully, he doesn't mind the rain. He just doesn't want to be stuck inside. So you drag him up the tower where you can be sheltered but still be outside, technically. You cast a protective, warming, moisture wicking spell and it's all fine. Until his love for you gets the best of him and he tries to get frisky. You threaten to throw him over if he doesn't stop pinching your butt.

S = Sad: how do they cheer themselves/each o ther up.

He cheers himself up by sticking to you like glue. You cheer him up by telling him how much you love him. He cheers you up with the most delicious treat to ever deliciously treat.

T = Talking: what do they love to talk about?

He's a whore of a gossiper, lol. And he knows everyone so he's always got it. As quidditch obsessed as he is, you'd think he'd talk about that. But nope. It's juicy gossip.

U = Unencumbered: What helps them relax?

Baking. Honestly. Baking. A trip to the kitchen and a little experimenting. Somehow baking up a cake or making some cookies puts him at ease.

V = Vaunt: what do they like to show off? What are they proud of?

Everyone knows he's amazing at quidditch but he loves to show you that he's intelligent.

Pranks are fine. Quidditch is fine. Magic is fine. But he knows you're impressed with the mind and so he enjoys acing things and making you swoon.

W = Wedding: when, how, where do they propose?

When: Every day from the moment you started dating him. Been calling you Mrs. James Potter since you were 14. The guys literally call you Mother Prongs or Mrs. Prongs.

But he really asks you one day seemingly out of the blue. Truthfully, he's been thinking about it for ages.

"I call you my wife. Everyone says you're Mrs. James Potter. But honestly, babe. That's something I think about all the time." "Are you asking me to marry you?" "Honestly, woman. I haven't even got the question out of my mouth and you're already questioning?" "James." "Give a lad a chance!" "James." "I mean-" "James Potter, if you don't ask me within the next five seconds I'm marrying Sirius." "How dare you!"

Still didn't ask you for six days out of spite and protest. So you acted like you were marrying Sirius.

He held strong until Sirius asked him to be the best man and he nearly killed him, lol.

X = Xylophone: What’s their song?

"My Girl" - The Temptations. And he sings it to you and whoever else who happens to have the unfortunate experience of being around..... Whenever, wherever. Quidditch? Hospital? Funeral? Grocery store? Just know that if it strikes him...he's singing it and you'll have to bare witness to his one man concert whenever he feels the need.

Y = You’re the ___ to my ___ (e.g the cookies to my milk, the macaroni to my cheese)

"You're the snitch to my seeker, babe. Can't keep from trying to catch you." "You're a chaser, James." "And you're a keeper. Get it?" "Be very happy that I love you. No one else would put up with this level of cheese." "You got it, babe."

Z = ZZZZ: How do they sleep? Surprisingly light and usually not for very long. Years of quidditch has made him an early bird so he's usually up first. You hear his ass blundering around. But on the plus side, there's always hot tea for you when you do get up.

Hello darlings! Hope you enjoyed this little piece and have a wonderfully awesome day!

If you wanna see more of my content just check out my blogs! @littlemessyjessi is the main blog full of fandom fictions, imagines, headcanons and sickeningly sweet fluff! Yeah, I know, lol. Barf. But hey, I like it. @witchyweirdness is the magical blog full of witchy content And last but not least ! @monsterbaesbymamakennysaurus is my monster blog full of all kinds of monster related content! So I hope to see you there! Love, Kenny

@frankie2902

@pleasantdreamqueen @becrazy–beyou –beyou

@becrazy-beweird

@littledeadrottinghood @blackirisposts

@therealmrshale @woodworthti666

@jimmys-afterlife-love-deactivat @thegreatirene@fanfictionandjunk

@angelus320

@alanlizzingtonshore@buriednurbckyrd@disneymarina@@tubbypeachwriting

@sullybot @georgiagrl1990 @whenallsaidanddone

@mischiefnevermanaged94 @inumorph

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@neeadinghugs

Love, Kenny

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rosemary-morgan · 5 years ago

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Josiah Trelawny X Reader: I was lost without you - Part 1

Hello, friends ;) This time, I'll bring you a new story about Josiah Trelawny. I just love him ^. ^ I hope you will like it. Please don´t be surprised if you find some grammatical mistakes. English is not my native language.

Warning: Nothing in this part ;)

Part 2

(¯`v´¯) (¯`v´¯) `*.¸.*´ `*.¸.*´ ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) (`’·.¸(`’·.¸ ¸.·’´) ¸.·’´) (¨*•.¸ (¨*•.¸`•.¸ (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`• •`¯¨• ¸¸ `•. `•.¸) `•.¸) `*.¸.*´

I was lost without you - Part 1

Rhodes, 1901

Two years had passed since the Van der linde Gang broke up. You had lost many of your good friends, and most of all the loss of Arthur has hit you hard. He was such a good person and a special friend to you. He always protected you and he was like a big brother to you. Dealing with his death was very difficult for you, but you accepted it. Arthur had finally found his peace and you knew that wherever he was, he was fine.

You would like to know what happened to the rest of the gang. You miss them all very much. Mary Beth, Karen, Jack, John, and even Uncle. Charles, Abigail ... But most of all, you missed Josiah.

Josiah Trelawny. The charming and handsome magician who had stolen your heart at your first encounter. You stared in thought, and you had to admit that you miss Josiah very much. How many times have you dreamed of being in his arms? You two had been writing letters for a while, but at some point, Josiah had stopped answering yours and you still didn´t know why.

In the end, you also stopped writing to him. That was three months ago. It took a lot of courage to reveal your feelings for Josiah. And now? Now you stood alone in your kitchen and couldn´t forget this man. You dreamed of spending the evenings with him in front of a warm fire and sleeping peacefully in his arms at night.

A soft sigh came over your lips. >>Why am I doing this? Josiah probably forgot me ... << But you would like to visit him and tell him all the things you never dared to utter. And most of all, you wanted to know why he suddenly stopped answering your letters. But as mentioned, you were too shy to confront the magician. So you had no choice but to accept his decision. As much as it hurt you.

His letters had been so wonderful and he had also revealed his most intimate secrets to you. Some of them had brought a blush to your cheeks. Romantic and at the same time very erotic stuff that he would like to do with you. Did he just play with your feelings? He had flirted with you a lot back then, and maybe those were just lies? You didn´t want to think about it. You felt like an idiot because you confessed your feelings to him. >>Oh, God... I don´t want to think about it. This is so embarrassing!<<

Your eyes fell on the clock. It was getting quite late, but you couldn´t think about sleep at the moment. Maybe a good book would distract you a little bit? Silently, you went into the living room and reached for one of your books. As it was not to be expected otherwise, you hold in your hands an erotic romance novel. You sighed softly as you read the title. You really loved this book, but was that the right thing for you? At this moment? "Alright .." With a sigh, you sat down on the couch and opened the book. You don´t start the book from the beginning, but you opened the interesting places. You had marked these clearly visible. The erotic love scenes in this book aroused you every time and when you read the first few lines, you bite your lower lip and you immediately imagine how Josiah would do all those things with you. Some things you dare not say aloud, but you dreamed of it.

You had to smile and your cheeks turned red.

"Oh, Josiah ..." you whisper and close your eyes. In your imagination many naughty things took place and you suddenly got very hot, so you put the book aside and you made yourself comfortable on the couch. Your hand slips slowly under your white, short nightgown and you moan softly the name of your loved one before you give yourself to this temptation...

A few days later...

"Ah, good day, (Y / N)!"

"Good day, Alden! Do you have any letters for me?" you asked hopefully, but unfortunately, Alden had to disappoint you. There was no letter from Josiah.

Alden knew about your weakness for Josiah. But what you didn´t know was that Alden was very jealous of Josiah and that he was the one who intercepted Josiah's letters so they couldn´t reach you. "I'm sorry, dear. There's nothing for you." You sigh softly and you lowered your gaze sadly to the ground. "Oh, (Y/N), why are you doing this to yourself? Josiah has forgotten you and if you ask me, he's an idiot! " "Alden..." "He's an idiot, (Y/N)! Otherwise, he wouldn´t just forget a woman like you!"

Alden's words flattered you on the one hand, but on the other hand, they hurt you. Maybe Alden was right? Maybe you should give up waiting eagerly for Josiah. "You're such a beautiful woman, (Y/N)! Everyone would be happy to have you!"

Alden gave you a warm smile, but you sighed softly and shake your head. You just don´t care about other men. You had rejected some of them who wanted to go out with you. Maybe that was a stupid decision from your side or maybe not...

"Forget him, (Y/N)! You're still young! Go find a nice guy and who knows, maybe one is not that far from you!" A small smile crossed your lips. It was really sweet of him to cheer you up. At least he tried. "Alden, I know you just want the best for me but... can´t you understand me? I love him, Alden. How could I forget him?" When your eyes filled with tears, Alden sighed softly and he suddenly felt bad. He regretted that he had hidden Josiah's letters from you. Now he saw your tears and he was very sorry about. Alden didn´t know how much you loved Josiah. Until today.

You look questioningly into his eyes. Didn´t he know what it meant to love someone? And hopeless to wait for your love to come back? It was damn hard and it hurts. "Oh, (Y/N). Of course, I understand! But I can´t stand to see you suffer! Josiah should be ashamed of himself! "

Again you sigh and maybe it would be better if you make your way home again. Somehow you disliked this conversation with Alden. Because every time Alden pulled Josiah in the dirt and he didn´t deserve this. "Stop insulting Josiah! He's a good man!" With these last words, you leave the post office and make your way home. At the moment you had enough of the people around you and you wanted to be alone. With folded arms in front of your chest, you look completely lost in thought. "Uff..." You sighed softly. Have you been unfair to Alden? You run your hand through your hair and sigh louder this time. You were sorry about how you treated Alden. He just meant it good with you. At least that's what you believed.

But what happened a few weeks later, opened your eyes for the truth...

It was a rainy day when Alden suddenly stood at your doorstep. He was visibly nervous and held a bundle of letters in his hand. "Alden, that's a surprise! How can I help you?" Your eyes fell on the bundle of letters and you frowned questioningly. Then you look up at him and he looked ashamed to the ground and finally handed the letters to you. "These are yours..." "What?" Alden looked ashamed in your face but turned his eyes away from you again. He just couldn´t look into your eyes. Because what he had done was unforgivable. Alden had realized that he had wronged you and Josiah, making you very unhappy. Both of you. That just wasn´t fair of him. He acted like a child. "These letters... Josiah wrote these letters."

Your eyes widened with fright and you could hardly believe what Alden said to you. You stare at the bundle before you take it in your hands and take a look at them.

Josiah Trelawny. Gordons Street 21. Saint Denis.

"B-but... Josiah..." You couldn´t explain where all these letters came from. And there were a lot of them! There were at least ten letters. "Where are they coming from?!" You had a premonition, but you didn´t want it to be true. Had Alden intercepted Josiah's letters? And these withheld from you? But why would he have done such a thing?

"Alden, what does that mean?!" "I'm sorry, (Y/N)! I don´t know what got into me! It´s just... It´s... because I didn´t want you to be happy with Josiah." You were speechless and shocked. With wide-open eyes, you look at Alden. "What?! Alden! Why?! I thought we were friends!" Did Alden have the slightest idea of what you had been through? Did he have any idea how you felt during the last months?! You were speechless and shocked. "I'm sorry, (Y/N)." But you shake your head and close the door again, leaving Alden back in the rain. You didn´t want to see this bastard anymore. He hurt you deeply. Your eyes filled with tears and suddenly they break out of you.

Leaning your back against the door, you let yourself slowly slide to the ground while holding the letters firmly pressed against you. Josiah had never stopped writing to you. "Oh, my dear lord..."

This seemed like a nightmare to you. The whole time you believed that Josiah had forgotten you... that he had lost his interest in you. But it was not like that.

With trembling fingers, you opened his letters. One after the other...

"My dearest (Y/N),

I am probably the luckiest man on earth! You're such a wonderful and beautiful woman and I am honored that you have chosen me.

Oh good god, I'm speechless! I'll be back in Saint Denis in a few months, but until then, I'll write to you from Charleston. I kiss you, my love.

I can´t wait to hold you in my arms, (Y/N). You breathed life into me. I love you, (Y/N)."

Your loving Josiah."

"My dearest (Y/N),

It's been a while since I heard anything from you. Is everything ok? Did I do something wrong? Maybe I was too intrusive in my letters? It's already the third letter in a row that I send to you.

Have you changed your mind, dear? I will accept your decision but please: give me a clear answer and don´t leave me in doubt. You mean far too much for me to just forget about you.

I know that the age difference between us is big, but believe me when I tell you that I love you. I really do my love.

When I read your letters, I always felt that you feel the same for me. Not in a single line could I find the opposite. But now you suddenly seem so far away, dearest. Please let me know what your heart tells you.

Your loving Josiah. "

The whole truth lay before your eyes. Josiah never stopped answering your letters.

"Oh, Josiah ..." What now? Could you still save this relationship between you? How could Alden do this to you?! He had interfered with your relationship and probably ruined everything. You would never forgive Alden.

"Oh, Josiah. I didn´t know that. I didn´t know that..." you whisper softly. You thought about visiting Josiah in Saint Denis and explaining to him what had happened. He deserved the truth just as much as you, and maybe that would save your relationship with Josiah. God, you haven´t even held each other in your arms! You didn´t want to think about it, because that made you incredibly angry with Alden. You sighed softly and tried to calm you down.

Two days later...

You just put your last things in your suitcase when someone knocked on your door. You didn´t suspect who stood at your doorstep. When you opened the door, you thought your heart would stop beating at any moment. "Josiah?!" You couldn´t believe that Josiah was standing in front of you. With a wonderful bouquet of red roses and a rather sad smile on his face. "Alden told me everything. He sent me a telegram." You were overjoyed that Josiah was standing in front of you. You didn´t hesitate long and throw yourself in his arms. Without hesitation, Josiah caught you and hugged you tightly. "(Y/N) I missed you" he whispers, burying his face in your neck and pressed your body closer to his. "Josiah ..." You felt his body, perceived his unique scent that twisted your head. He smelled of fresh mint. Your fingers claw gently into his hair as you felt his lips cover your neck with gentle kisses. That felt incredibly good and a soft moan came over your lips. "Josiah ... hah ... I missed you too." You whisper and close your eyes. It felt so good to be in his arms ...

#josiah trelawny #josiah trelawny x reader #fanfiction #love #rdr2

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talisamposts · 5 years ago

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My 7-day Tasmania Itinerary

Tasmania is such a beautiful travel destination! I recently spent a week there and absolutely loved it. Aside from pre-planned group bookings, I didn’t find much in the way of solo travel itineraries, so I took a bit out of all the posts I found and created my own. I have to say, I thought it was near perfect! I decided to rent a car for the week, but if you have your own and take the ferry over, that works too.

So if you’re planning a trip to Tassie, have a look over my plan.

Day 1 - Hobart

Your first day can be spent just exploring Hobart and the surrounds. As it’s not a large city and the airport is so close, it’s possible to see quite a few things even if you only have half a day.

In terms of accommodation, Hobart is not lacking in anything. I would definitely recommend a stay in Rose Bay, which is not in the Hobart city centre, but across the bridge on the opposite side of the Derwent river. It’s a few minutes’ drive out of the city and you get the most spectacular views of the Tasman bridge and the river.

While driving around Hobart and around the city, make sure to head up to Mount Wellington. This is a must-see and probably the easiest and cheapest thing you’ll do. It’s completely free to go up to the viewpoint and you can drive the entire way. I drove at a leisurely pace, stopping a few times to take pictures and take in the scenery, which probably took me about a half hour. The view from the top is breathtaking and you can wander around there for a bit. Just remember to take warm clothing as it’s freezing at the top!

Once you’ve been up Mount Wellington, head to the Botanical Gardens. Entry is also free and the gardens are stunning. They have a wide range of plant species, a cafe and shop and their very own Japanese Garden. If you’re wanting some peace and quiet in nature, this is the place to go.

For dinner, Hobart has many options. As a vegan, I love supporting businesses that are entirely veggie, which is why I ate at Veg Bar a few times. To be honest, it’s not the greatest vegan food I’ve had by a long shot, but it’s worth a visit, if only to enjoy the funky decor.

Day 2 - Bruny Island

Since driving a lot can get tiring, I recommend doing the things that require the longer drives at the beginning of your week. Trust me, you’re not really going to be in the mood for them towards the end. To catch the ferry to Bruny Island, an absolute must-see when in Tassie, you have to drive about 30-40 minutes to Kettering. The ferry takes about 15 minutes and departs at multiple times throughout the day. The island itself is actually really large with no public transport, so prepare to spend the majority of your time driving.

If you’re keen to get that Bruny Island lighthouse photo everyone loves, I recommend doing that as your first thing. It’s the furthest away from where the ferry docks and the road takes you through the South Bruny National Park. It’s gorgeous but be careful on the dirt roads as your tires can slip easily depending on your car. I think it took me roughly 2 hours to get there.

I am not ashamed to admit that, as an introvert, I despise large crowds and will almost always avoid them. I did not get that typical lighthouse pic, because it started raining just as I got there, there were heaps of people and it’s still quite a climb from the carpark up to the lighthouse. I walked halfway up, took an average pic of the lighthouse, and went back down. Keep in mind that you have to pay an entry fee to actually go into the lighthouse. I still think it was worth the drive, though, because the scenery there and along the way is absolutely beautiful.

Aside from the lighthouse, there are plenty of other things to see and do on Bruny Island. Wine tasting, chocolate tasting, whiskey tasting, cheese tasting, lunches (my recommendation is Bruny Island Seafood Restaurant for great seating and a delicious pumpkin soup) and many other options. Build those into your itinerary however you’d like. If you’re exploring the island the way I did, starting right down at the bottom, I recommend heading over to Adventure Bay next.

On your way back up to the north of the island, make sure to stop at the Neck. This is the part that connects the south and north of Bruny Island. Climb up the stairs to the lookout point and get that iconic view of both beaches!

The reason I did this later in my day was that there are a lot less people around than in the morning, so you can actually find parking and enjoy the view without a million people around you.

Day 3 - Bay of Fires

For two days of my trip I did actually book a guided tour. I know this is not always the most appealing to introverts, but I highly recommend you push yourself to do it. There are plenty of tours to choose from, most of them doing roughly the same thing and they tend to keep groups to a maximum of 24 people. In my case I was very lucky, as they’d somehow overbooked their tour and organised a smaller bus for just 7 of us. The people in my tour were all absolutely lovely, and our guide was excellent, so it worked out really well for me.

Either way I’d still recommend booking an East Coast Tasmania tour as getting all the way up to the Wineglass Bay and the Bay of Fires would be tricky as a solo traveller. This is really where you want to be taken care of, and I also enjoyed the break from having to drive for hours.

Have a look at some Tassie tours here.

I realise that for these two days my rental car was not being used, but the daily price was not high enough for me to care too much about this. If this is something that bothers you, change up your itinerary a bit. Keep in mind that booked tours run on specific days only, so you’ll have to plan around that. The 2-day East coast tour I booked starts on Wednesdays.

Part of the tour is also a stop at a wildlife sanctuary in Bicheno, where you can see and learn about Tasmanian Devils, Wombats, Quolls and other interesting animals. Buy a feed bag and go feed the kangaroos and geese wandering freely around the sanctuary, it’s an amazing experience!

Day 4 - Wineglass Bay

The second day of the tour takes you to the Freycinet National Park, where you’ll climb up to a viewpoint to look out over Wineglass Bay. This is another iconic Tasmanian image that’s worth the hike up the mountain. Make sure to wear suitable footwear and be reasonably fit!

Unfortunately, I visited on one of those extremely rare, extremely rainy days and did not get to see the view from the lookout, but honestly the walk was still fun. I got completely soaked through within minutes (imagine jumping into a swimming pool fully clothed) and there were waterfalls running down the mountains. Considering that this rarely ever happens, I felt quite lucky to have seen a side of Freycinet that most people don’t.

I’m not sure if this applies to me only or if all introverts can relate, but I love the rain. It’s my favourite weather because the world is so much less noisy when it rains. So overall, for me, this was still a great experience.

On a normal, sunny day you’d probably take a nice hike up to the viewpoint, take some pics and then go down to the actual beach of Wineglass Bay for a swim. This would take a few hours and you’d see wallabies and other animals in the park. You��d then head back to Hobart in the afternoon.

Day 5 - Port Arthur

Port Arthur Historic Site is a little village and historic site which showcases the history of British prisoners and the officers and soldiers stationed there. It’s really well kept and you get a good feeling of how life was back when it was operational. I unexpectedly spent almost all day here as it’s really big and there is just so much to see. Tickets aren’t cheap and additional tours cost extra, but even if you just get general admission it’s worth it. The ticket is valid for 2 days, so you do have the option to return the next day.

The site is about a 90-minute drive out of Hobart, and it’s definitely worth a visit!

Day 6 - Salamanca Market, MONA

Most people agree that a trip to Hobart wouldn’t be complete without visiting the famous Salamanca Market. This market sells everything from fresh veggies to jewellery to delicious food and drinks. My first stroll through the market took about an hour, that’s how big it is. It’s held every Saturday at Salamanca Place from 8:30am - 3pm. There are some great vegan options if you’re like me and like to eat your way through a market!

If you’re into art, then check out the MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). It’s one of Hobart’s main attractions, a museum built mostly underground that you can get to using their unique ferry. If you’re on a budget just keep the entry and ferry prices in mind, as they’re not cheap.

The museum is like no other you’ve ever experienced. You won’t find information cards or artists’ names on the walls beside their art, as you’d expect. Instead, you’re given a device (like an old iPhone) that you keep with you as you walk through the exhibits. It has a location service so you can check out any information on anything you’re looking at, including interactive VR stuff. It’s definitely very interesting, but I must admit there were times where I thought “this counts as art?”, but that’s just me. The nice thing is it’s mostly dark everywhere and you don’t have to talk to anyone, so a great thing to do for introverts.

Day 7 - Richmond

I recommend relaxing or doing any small things you didn’t get to do all week on your last day. A tip my AirBnB hosts gave me was a drive to Richmond, a small town about 25 minutes outside of Hobart. It’s got that typical cute, old-timey village feel. There’s a huge lolly shop with so many candy options, the Richmond Bridge which is the oldest stone bridge in Australia, and the Richmond Gaol where they also imprisoned women. For lunch I recommend Czegs’ Cafe. The decor is adorable and they have little outside tables where you can keep away from the masses. The vegan pasta is to die for!

I really hope this little itinerary helps you in your search for the best things to do in Tassie. If you have more time, I hear Launceston is a great place to visit, or even going up the West Coast. I’ll have to check that out the next time I go.

#tasmania #hobart #itinerary #travel #veganfood #solotravel #introvert #vegan travel #selfdriving #introvert travel

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sawyersick · 5 years ago

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all the questions for that ask game!!! (or as many as you want lol)

holy fuck bee............................. ok get red E its a Lot

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say?

Idk what I would say but I probably wouldn’t be that freaked out... the last person I texted is a good friend/coworker and I trust him

2. What’s going on between you and the last person you kissed?

I uhhh can’t remember who the last person I kissed was because it was years ago but let’s assume it was my ex..... he was a toxic pos who tore me down because he had low self esteem so yeah I don’t really like him

3. If your boyfriend or girlfriend was into drugs, would you care?

I would be upset if it was anything more than weed or the ocassional drink or if it was a full blown addiction and I would be mad if they didn’t tell me on principle...

Also I would not be very comfortable if they did it around me because I’m a weenie despite hanging out in hardcore punk groups...... also I can’t stomach the smell of cigarettes im sorry

4. Is your last name longer than six letters?

nope!

5. Was your last kiss drunk or sober?

sober, I don’t drink

6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up?

like..... as a significant other? I guess. I’m pretty bad at telling my feelings to people and I’m kinda clingy when I like someone. idk if I’ve ever *explicitly* messed it up tho

7. What does your last received text say?

“sick” and then the sparkly heart emoji five times

8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed?

lots and lots and lots.... unfortunately. we were together for a year and a half

9. Where was your last kiss at?

fuck bitch I don’t remember.............. school? my house? his house? the pool??? man the last five months of that relationship were affection-less

10. When is the last time you saw your sister?

I don’t have one!

11. What do you drink in the morning?

water and sometimes tea

12. Where did you sleep last night?

the car and then my bed when I got home

13. Do you think relationships are hard?

I mean everything takes effort... I don’t find it hard to do things for people in my relationships but I get frustrated when it isn’t reciprocated and I burn out

14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you?

nah

15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems?

yes....................... many..........................

16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy?

I TRIED to be a good emo and like the rain but tbh I get really reasonally depressive so I prefer the sun 100%

17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you?

nope!

18. Are you wearing jeans,sweatpants,or pajama pants?

jeans!

19. Do you think you will be in a relationship 3 years from now?

hopefully!! I met this real cute punk boy last night

20. Does anyone like you?

HA I doubt it......... I usually come off as the little sister type to most people

21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S?

nope!

22. Is the last person you kissed gay?

probably

I suspected that he had internalized homophobia but also he was weirdly transphobic to me so I dropped it and pretended to be a cis girl around him which is weird because I think he liked boys??????????????????

23. Is there a person you CANNOT stand?

YES this girl from high school who talked about tentacle porn to school admins for no reason and did lots of other weird shit

24. Have you ever considered getting a tattoo?

yes! I have a whale on my hip and I want to get tiny scissors on my arm soon

25. In the past week have you cried?

yes I watched queer eye and a disney movie lol

26. What breed was the last dog you saw?

I follow like 12 samoyeds on instagram but the last dog I saw irl was this ADORABLE black lab who was a service dog and he rested his head on his human’s lap when she sat down in the library and I wanted to cry

27. Do you dry off in the shower or out of the shower?

I have a towel hanging right out side the shower so I grab it, then step out of the shower

28. Have you ever kissed a football player?

hm idk I think so? I definitely kissed a guy who played tennis but he forced it on me so I don’t count it

29. Do you think you’re old?

yes because I hate tiktok

30. Do you like text messaging?

I don’t mind it!! The service at my house sucks tho so I prefer cloud based texting like instagram or facebook messenger

31. What type of day are you having?

A good but slow one! I had a really good night last night so I’m just resting now

32. Have you ever thought about getting your nose pierced?

I’d honestly rather get snake bites if I were to get a piercing but in general I’m afraid of facial piercings

33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?

warm! then I can head down to the lake :)

34. Is there a person of the opposite sex who means a lot to you?

yes! he’s one of my best friends and I talk to him every day and he lives in scotland and I’d like to meet him one day

35. Would you prefer a relationship or a fling?

relationship! Flings personally make me feel icky and I’m over that

36. Are you a simple or complicated person?

I’d like to think I’m complicated but I’m a simple man..................... you show me whale, I like

37. What song are you listening to?

any song by Liily, all day every day

38. When you say you’re sorry do you mean it?

yes! I perpetually feel bad about everything!!!!!!39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you?

there was! but not anymore because she ghosted me for no reason40. What made you start liking the person you like now?

This person is so cute and kind and creative and nice and sweet and fashionable!!!! and fun to mosh with!!!!!41. When did you last receive a text message?

half an hour ago ish???42. What is wrong with you right now?

I am constantly depressed and there’s nothing I can do about it exceot keep myself insanely busy but that means there’s no breather for me and also I probably have adhd but can’t afford a therapist43. How well do you know the last female you texted?

FeMaLe dude just say chick

pretty well! I like her favourite band and we talk like once a week at the very least44. Does anyone disgust you?

yes my ex was very nasty and tore people down to his level and also this one person from high school who fucked over my friends 45. Would you date someone right now if they asked?

depends on who.... eye emoji............. but probably yes I have low standards46. Are you in a good mood right now?

yes!47. Who was the last person you talked to in person?

my parents? but other than that it was thanking Nick from the band Unpopular Opinion for the lovely tabling opportunity last night48. What color shirt are you wearing?

white T shirt with a cat pink sweater with a cat49. Has someone recently told you something you didn’t want to hear?

yes one of my parents says nasty things when in a bad mood50. Anyone you’re giving up on?

yes my former best friend who ghosted me and this girl who keeps flaking on plans with me and also a boy who got mixed up in weird drama with me and his ex that I never wanted to be a part of51. Do you hate the person you fell hardest for?

I’ve never really falen hard for anyone, just periods of obsession. I guess I’m waiting for that one sPeCiAl sOmEoNe

52. Have you ever thought about giving up on someone but couldn’t?

yes, but I’ll settle for waiting53. Do you like rain?

a little of it!54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks?

I’d rather they not be a alcholoic because I had a raging drunk coworker who scared the shit out of me once but I guess I’d be okay with the ocasional drink/drunk night as long as they’re safe55. Have you ever liked somebody and never told them?

So many times... I keep my mouth shut because it would never work for one reason or another...... also I’m so SICK of having to make the move all the time I just want to be fawned over I’ve never had anyone do ANYTHING romantic for me 56. Do you like to cuddle?

.......................yes57. Are you shy?

not normally! I LOVE being social but in relationships yeah because I’m insecure58. Do you get along with girls?

yes? girls who don’t get along with girls are lame...... lift each other up don’t tear yaselves down59. Have you dated the person you texted last?

nope! But I’ll admit I thought about it haha60. What do you carry with you at all times?

chapstick, money, and pepper spray

ya boy don’t mess around61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you?

depends on the haunted levels, as long as the “ghost” would only watch/appear and not scream or whatever or try to make contact I guess that would be fine? but if It tries to disturb me I’m yeeting mysef the fuck outta here because ya boy needs uninterrupted beauty rest62. Do you think you can last in a relationship for five months?

yep! I dragged one out for a year and a half when I really should have ended things much sooner than that63. Think back to October, were you in a relationship?

nope! Been single for around two years now64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute?

YES HOLY SHIT65. Did anything “cute” happen in the last week?

I fired some pieces in my pottery class! my mugs and bowls came out so well

and I met the cutest punk boy last night!!!!!! he’s so cute and very my type and I got to dance with him in the mosh pit!!!!!!!!!! tell me that’s not the cutest punk thing ever

66. How old are the last three people you kissed?

19, 18(17???), and 21

67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself?

I’ve only gotten them done once! It was very enjoyable but I’m a cheapskate so I’d probably rather do them myself68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print?

leopard print I guess69. Do you have any stickers on your car?

one! A turtle from the Maui Ocean Center. I’d like to add a few more sea-related ones and maybe a totoro I bought at a con a few years back70. Would you rather listen to Luke Bryan or Lil Wayne?

literally who the fuck even are these people71. Blackberry, Android, or iPhone?

android 4 lyfe72. When’s the last time you had pizza from Pizza Hut?

never? my DnD group would get round table or little caesars73. Do you like diet soda?

I guess? I like it the same as diet soda74. What color are the walls in your room?

one purple wall and the other three are pastel mint75. Are you 16 or older?

yeah baybee76. Do you watch Pretty Little Liars?

nope 77. Do you have a job?

yep! I’m a windsurfing instructor 78. What are your initials?

ZSKMTS

but usually I go by SS79. Did you ever have braces?

nope! I’ve got near-perfect teeth :D80. Are you from the south?

nope!

81. What does your last status on facebook say?

I talked about meeting my favourite band again!82. Do you still talk to the first person you ever kissed?

no because he forced himself on me when we were young and I think he remembers and is ashamed and also doesn’t live near me anymore 83. Are you closer to your mom or your dad?

idk, I’m close but not in different ways with both of them84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics?

I was really good at the tumbling unit in 6th grade85. What’s the last movie you saw in theaters?

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? I don’t go to the movies much 86. Do you smoke?

no the smell of cigarettes makes me want to vomit87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops?

I love heels but I LIVE in flip flops bc california88. Is your phone touch screen?

yes???? damn when was this ask game made89. Do you normally wear your hair straight or curly?

straight.......... I’m too lazy to curl it 90. Have you ever snuck out of your house?

nope! I’m a weenie 91. Would you rather swim in a river, lake, or pool?

the ocean!!!!!!!! But I guess a pool bc I’m afraid of the flesh eating bacteria in freshwater lakes92. Have you ever made out in a car?

no but I HAVE made out on some random person’s lawn lmao93. …Had sex in a car?

no I’m a virgin 94. Are you single or in a relationship?

single pringle who loves to mingle 95. What were you doing last night at midnight?

selling my art and listening to cool bands and dancing with cute punk people!!!96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks?

the day after the fourth of July 97. Do you like the camera on your phone?

yes! I just got a new phone and the camera is way better than my old one

the low lighting setting is c r i s p 98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits?

I made out with this one friend of mine like twice and then I never did it again bc I felt icky 99. Have you ever passed out from drinking?

no I don’t drink100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate?

NAH BRO YOU GOTTA UNFRIEND THE FUCK OUTTA THEM NO RAGRETS 101. Have you ever had a pregnancy scare?

nope I’m a virgin102. Name your favorite Kesha song:

Liily? did you mean Liily???? my favourite Liily song is Wash, Toro, or The Weather103. Do you have any tan lines right now?

yeah one from the ring I wear every day and like a shorts tan from summer104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts?

hell yeah but ONLY if the cowboy boots are bright red or hot pink no exceptions

#long post #ask #bumbleberrybee

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