#uppie strike

[ceroro]

Can the creachur wavedash?

it can do the creachblast

and the uppie strike

watch out for

the uppie strike

watch out!

[housewifebuck]

I think if Eddie watched the video of Buck fully lifting him after he was shot, they would definitely fuck about that

Poor Eddie would not be able to handle Buck just deadlifting him, I guarantee it

I think given the chance they would fuck about pretty much anything if I’m being honest

[solarpunkani]

The Lost Doll - A Short Story

To say that Arrden was in trouble didn’t even begin to describe his situation right now. He was screwed, utterly screwed, in deep doo doo. Deep.

He’d lost track of his little sister’s favorite doll again, a third strike on his record for being responsible. Not only that, but he’d lost it out in the city--where he and his sister weren’t even supposed to be in the first place! There was no way he would be able to explain himself to Mom and Dad without getting himself in trouble!

So there was only one solution. He’d have to go back out there and hunt it down, before either of them noticed it was gone.

“Arry! I want my dolly back!” his sister whined, but Arrden quietly shushed her.

“If you stay quiet, I’ll go get it and bring you some sweets!” he said.

Daisy hummed, her lip poking out into a powerful pout as she crossed her arms. “...gimme good sweets. From Junebugs!”

“Junebugs?!” what was he supposed to barter to get some of Junebugs’ candied fruit?! He was already pushing it just going out again, let alone bringing something to trade! “I can’t get anything from Junebugs, how about Missy Anne’s?”

Daisy responded by tilting her head back and yelling. “Daddyyy!”

“Okay, okay, okay! I’ll get you something from Junebugs, just don’t tell Dad yet!”

Daisy harrumphed, but nodded. At that same moment, their Dad came rushing up the stairs. “What’s going on up here, is everything alright?”

“I want uppies!!” Daisy beamed, reaching up with her little arms. Their dad laughed and reached down to pick her up, holding her close to his chest with a squeeze that made her giggle. While he was distracted, Arrden hurried downstairs to grab his bag and his skateboard.

“Hey, Arrden! Where’re you going?” his father called out.

Arrden froze in his tracks. Shit. “Uh! I wanted to go hang out at the library, maybe get more books!” That wasn’t entirely a lie--he did have to go to the library to check if they’d left the doll there during their earlier visit. And he did want to check out a book too.

“Alright, but can you get me some eggs from the Ferns on your way back? We’ll need them for breakfast tomorrow, bring her a few cuttings from the garden!”

Score! If he could take a few extra flower cuttings, he might be able to trade something for some Junebugs! “Okay, Dad! I won’t be too long, promise!”

Before his dad could ask any more questions, Arrden slipped out of the front door and hurried into the garden, picking the trimmers and two glass jars from the gardening table to set to work. Calendulas, rudbeckias, zinnias, and a few stems of milkweeds all found their way into the jar, which he placed into his tote as he slung it over his shoulder. He hopped over the fence, onto his skateboard, and was cruising out towards the rest of the town in a matter of moments. 

Gliding through the town on his board, he took a moment to appreciate it all--it was home, so he was used to it, but it really was so pretty. In school they’d been studying how things were just a few decades ago--an era he remembered faintly, but had no real fond memories for. He was younger than Daisy is now when their town started being remade into what it was, solar panels on every rooftop, gardens big and small bursting out of every crevice one could fit dirt into. Stained glass adorned practically every building, murals of suns and moons and plants and animals on any blank wall that wasn’t already overgrown with vining flowers. Maybe it was because he was old enough to ride around on a skateboard by himself, but things felt… smaller, than they did before. On bad days, it could be stifling, but on good days it was cozy. Most days were good days.

It didn’t take too long to get to the market plaza. He didn’t even have to look up to know he’d arrived, the light changing to pinks and oranges and yellows as he passed under the mess of fabric tarps overhanging the entire square. There were quite a few stands out today, some offering little baubles made of recycled plastic, or carved wooden statues of deer and bears and foxes, and the instrument maker was even offering a new guitar or two. Ooh, he’d have to save up for that. If he could prove himself responsible enough to maintain a spinning wheel, his friend Azzy had a few sheep, and they were always willing to give him wool to spin into yarn. Or better--if he could keep bees, to make honey and beeswax, that made for good trades.

Being responsible enough was the one thing he probably wasn’t today, since he’d lost his sister’s doll. 

Technically, Daisy had lost the doll, but it was still Arrden’s fault because he’d taken her out of the house while Dad was away at book club earlier. Oh, they’d explored the town together, gone everywhere Arrden knew she enjoyed, to cheer her up. She’d been stuck inside for days now--battling a nasty ear infection--but now that she was feeling better, she’d been begging to be let outside. Their parents said to wait just a few more days, to make sure she’d truly beaten it. Unfortunately, Arrden was weak to Daisy’s puppy dog eyes, and had whisked her away to explore all their favorite stomping grounds, getting her back home just before their dad got home. And apparently she’d dropped the doll somewhere on their adventures, and now here he was.

He stopped by the seed stand--Daisy always loved looking at the mystifying colors of Mister Peters’ glass gem corn, or reaching into the big bags of beans and letting them run through her little fingers. They’d definitely stopped here today--after all, Mister Peters’ son Kendall was working the stand, and he and Arrden had always been buddies.

“Hey, man!” Kendall beamed, reaching over the desk to tousle Arrden’s afro. Arrden mock-whined and nudged the taller boy off of him, rolling his eyes before sending him a grin. “You back again already? Did your Ma tell you to pick up more flower seeds? We're almost out of Liatris for the season.”

“Nah, it’s Ma’s working season. She doesn’t get back home till just before sunset. Did you see my sister’s doll anywhere around here? She lost it while we were out,” Arrden asked.

Kendall tutted at him, bead-adorned dreads swishing back and forth as he shook his head. “C’mon, man, you’re never gonna get those hives if you keep losing your sister’s stuff.”

“It’s not my fault she keeps dropping it! If she cares about it so much, you’d think she’d keep track of it better!”

“Yeah, and if you cared about getting those hives and that spinning wheel, you wouldn’t keep riskin’ it by taking her out with it.”

“Like she goes anywhere without it!”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” Kendall arched a brow at him. 

Arrden sighed. “I know, I know. But Daisy was so sad! I couldn’t not take her with me!” 

“Well, let’s just hope you get that doll back. Oh! Mrs. Fern wants me and Dad to plant a garden near her chicken coops next week, Dad said I can invite any friends I want. Next Saturday, nine AM, her place?”

“...won’t the chickens just eat all the seeds again, like they did last year?” 

“Oh, of course they’re going to, but Mrs. Fern’s gonna make us a big apple pie for all our hard work, and I know you want in on it.”

“You should’ve lead with the apple pie, man, I’m in! But I’ve gotta get going, text me about it later?”

“You know it! Good luck on finding that doll!”

Arrden left him with a final wave, hopping back onto his skateboard and wheeling off further into the market place.

Unfortunately, no other stands had his sister’s lost doll. He tried every other one they’d gone to--the bead and jewelry stand, the stand for the Watters’ farm selling baby chicks and a lamb, the one for the new artist that had moved to town a few months back--no such luck. 

The next best bet was the big, round, blue and yellow tent at the end of the marketplace. It was where Luna sang songs to entertain kids while their parents browsed the wares at the market in peace. It was never really Arrden’s thing growing up--he preferred poking his nose into his parents’ business, seeing what they were getting and running around making trouble for himself. But his sister loved the tent and ol’ Luna, and would beg to stop there even when it was just the two of them. So he ducked inside to check the seats.

Fortunately, Luna wasn’t performing right now. Instead, there was a younger girl, just tuning up the guitar in anticipation for the next batch of kids. She looked up with a bright smile as he stepped in. “Hello, there! Anything I can help you with?”

Arrden froze. That was not Old Lady Luna. That was Pretty Girl Sasi, the girl who sat in front of him in class. He definitely didn’t have a crush on her! Absolutely not, no matter how much his friends insisted he turned red as a tomato around her, he did not have a crush on her! She was just. Really pretty! And he didn’t know how to handle that!

“O-Oh, Sasi! I--I wasn’t expecting--I thought--Old Lady Luna--” he stammered, feeling his neck get hot.

“Luna’s my aunt, I’m helping her for the weekend in exchange for more guitar lessons.” Sasi said, standing to her feet and brushing long, silky black hair over her shoulder. “I’m sure she’d love to teach more people, if you wanted to do lessons together sometime?”

Honestly, Arrden had never had much interest in learning guitar, but now he was half-tempted to trade the flowers in his bag for that pretty new guitar at the instrument seller’s stand. “Oh! Uh--I--maybe! I’ll see if I can--ah--” his brain went numb for a second, and Sasi sent him an amused look as he briefly opened and closed his mouth like a fish. Wasn’t he here for something? Right! “Have you seen my sister’s doll? I--my sister was here earlier, and she lost her doll, and I dunno if it might’ve been here or… y’know. Y’know?”

Sasi giggled, making her way over to a basket tucked away to the side. “Well, I dunno what her doll looks like specifically, but my aunt always puts stuff kids leave behind in this basket. Wanna check?”

Arrden nodded and got to his knees, sorting through the basket a moment. There were a handful of dolls there--some little brown bears or orange foxes, others moreso resembling people, but none of them were Daisy’s little flower doll. He had to wonder if there were tons of brothers ripping and running around town trying to find their little siblings’ dolls today, or if these had been left for months and years with no owner. It made him a bit sad, and for a moment he missed his own little childhood doll, even though Black Cat still sat safely on a shelf in his room.

As he stood back up, Sasi frowned. “It’s not there? I hope you find it.”

“I hope so too. I’ve got a few more places to check, though, so fingers crossed!” Arden sighed, adjusting the strap of the bag on his shoulder. Sasi grinned, bangles clinking as she held up her own hands with their fingers crossed, prompting him to do the same. “Oh! My friend Kendall’s dad is planting flowers at Mrs. Ferns’ chicken coop next Saturday at nine, you’ll probably wanna ask him to be sure, but I think it’d be cool if you came! We’ll get apple pie after, too!”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude…” 

“I don’t think you’d be intruding! I mean--I’ll text Kendall and ask if you can come, but I doubt he’d say no!”

Sasi awkwardly rubbed her arm, her shoe nudging a divot into the soft dirt under them. “I’ve never really gardened before… I don’t think I’ve planted a seed since I was little, none of my family’s ever been good at it…”

“Oh! Between me and Kendall, you’ll be a pro in no time!”

“Then… maybe I’ll try it. Oh, I think my mom wanted to ask your dad to plant some moonflower seedlings by our gazebo… unless you wanted to come and do it sometime? We could trade numbers and figure out a time…”

Butterflies danced in Arrden’s stomach as he whipped his phone out of his pocket. “Y-Yeah, sure, let’s trade numbers--” unfortunately, he whipped it out so fast the phone flew out of his hand and plopped into the dirt by Sasi’s feet. The girl laughed a bit, bending down to get it and offer it back to him, and he smiled sheepishly. “Th-Thanks, Sasi…”

In just a few moments, the two had exchanged numbers and sent the customary ‘hey this is Arrden’ or ‘Hi this is Sasi’ texts, well on their way to expanding their friendship. Sasi even watched him leave from the opening of the tent, waving him goodbye as he skated away.

Arrden found himself humming a love song all the way to the pet store.

Right, he and Daisy had come here for cat food! After all, Arrden’s crime today hadn’t been leaving the house, but leaving the house with Daisy. He’d stopped to grab food and a new toy for their housecat, Shadow. Daisy had wanted to come along to see the adoptable puppies the Lees had raised, all ready to herd sheep on some other farmer’s land. Even though they didn’t have a farm, the puppies were still little fluffy bundles that Daisy just couldn’t resist playing with. However, he did send a few pics to Azzy, and had received some heart eye emojis in response. Who knows? Next time he went to their place, they might have a new bundle of joy bouncing around the fields. 

When he saw the puppies playing tug of war, his heart sank, but he instantly relaxed when he realized they were playing with a bundle of rope and not a little doll. Arrden doublechecked the rest of their outdoor pen, and even tried to peek into their dog house, before he decided ‘no way it's in there’ and instead made his way inside.

The shelves were well stocked with a variety of foods for a variety of animals, and all kinds of toys. There were even a few birds on display inside--he paused a moment to look at the fluffy-looking pigeons, and gently pat a couple of peachicks through the gaps in their cage. Tanks, leashes, training manuals, and treats were also available--a vast array of homemade cookies and biscuits with all kinds of berries and faux icing. ‘Human made, dog approved,’ the sign above them said. He’d been dared to eat one, a few years back, and truth be told he understood why the dogs liked them. Personally? Arrden wasn’t a fan.

He perused the entire store in search of his sister’s doll, double and triple checking the toy shelves to make sure he hadn’t missed it. God forbid, someone had traded for it thinking it was one of Mx. Miller’s handmade toys and already tossed it to the hounds. He tried to put that thought out of his mind.

After making one final loop around the store, Arrden approached the desk, where Mx. Miller was working on sewing up another pet toy out of scraps of old clothes and hand spun fabric. Right, a lot of people would donate their old and worn clothes to the shop so they could find new life as a beloved toy. At least, when they didn’t donate them to a teen hoping to learn embroidery or make new patches for their jacket. In that sense, Arrden and Mx. Miller were staunch competitors in the last life of beloved fabric market, if his patch-adorned vest had anything to say. 

“Hey, there! Can I help you with anything?” Mx. Miller asked as they looked up from their work. 

“Hi, uhm… my sister lost her doll earlier today, and I was wondering if you saw it by any chance? It’s about this big--” Arrden cupped his hand a little over a foot above the top of the counter. “--and looks like a white and yellow daisy, with green arms and legs.” 

Mx. Miller scrunched their nose--they must’ve seen all kinds of toys over the course of the day--and eventually shook their head. “I don’t remember seeing a doll like that. But if anyone brings one like that in, I’ll keep it in lost and found, alright?”

Arrden nodded quietly. “Okay! Thank you, Mx. Miller.” Arrden made his way out of the store, pausing a moment to ruffle one of the puppies’ heads a bit as it poked its head over the baby cage before he hopped back onto his skateboard and made his way off. 

No luck at the market, no luck at the music tent, no luck at the pet shop… his last hopes were the library, Mrs. Kitterling’s jewelry shop, or just… out in the street somewhere, stepped upon and dirty. Or worse. Someone had seen it and taken it, and Arrden was thoroughly screwed. 

He couldn’t lose hope. He’d stop by the library, cross his fingers, hope to any power there was that he found it alright. 

He felt the path change under the wheels of his board as he turned onto the Aster Town Library’s walkway. It was still old cobblestone, with a few cushiony low-growing groundcovers poking between the tracks. Comfy for shoes--or those who preferred to walk barefoot, like Sasi’s family--but not so great for itty bitty skateboard wheels, so he hopped off the board and tucked it under his arm and walked the rest of the way. To either side of the cobblestone path, there were gardens--to his left, an expansive meadow of wildflowers, almost like the garden at home, and to his right was a small pond with an array of koi and all kinds of other fish, their scales glittering like tiny drops of sunlight under the water’s surface. Dotted across both landscapes were benches, for people to enjoy a drink and a book while taking in the perfumed scent of flowers, or listening to the gentle trickle of the pond’s small waterfall. He checked all the outside benches, but deep down he knew Daisy’s doll wouldn’t be out here. These sitting spots were great and all, but Daisy spent most of her time in other spaces. 

Arden entered the library and placed his skateboard on the designated skateboard shelf by the door, which already had a couple of other tenants taking up slots. They were all a similar color to his, but he knew he’d be able to grab the right one--his was custom painted with a big yellow sunflower, spinning wheels and bees along the edges, and a couple of stickers in the blank spaces. He’d done everything but paint his name on the bottom of the board to mark it as his. Plus, everyone else had their boards painted--one had a bright big zinnia flower, with suns and moons both on the horizon, while another had a ferocious looking bear painted on with a wolf howling at the moon.

“Back again already?” Arrden turned to see one of the librarians, Mx. Kingsley, waving at him from the front desk. “You already returned your books, if that’s what you’re here for.”

“It’s not! Well, I do want more books, but--my sister lost her crochet doll, and I’m retracing my steps to try and find it. Did anyone turn it in?”

Mx. Kingsley shook their head, frowning a bit. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t remember any dolls being turned in today. I’ll go check the Lost and Found, why don’t you go ahead and look around while you get your books?” 

“Sounds like a plan. Thank you, Mx. Kingsley!” Arrden beamed, before heading off deeper into the library.

The library had always been one of his favorite places. When he wasn’t helping his parents with the garden, or hanging out with his friends after school, you could probably find Arrden tucked away somewhere on library grounds. He knew this place like the back of his hand--if he ever applied to volunteer here, no doubt he’d be let in, but he wanted to have a little bit more freedom before leashing himself to a formal volunteer position. Nevertheless, he was here all the time, and his sister Daisy was also becoming fond of the place. As Arrden perused the shelves, selecting a few books on beekeeping and wool spinning as well as a few novels, he took a moment to enjoy the pure library vibes. Small potted herbs grew on the shelves, bundles of mint to be snacked on, while posters for new books and fliers for town events adorned walls and bulletin boards all across the space. Every book in here was well-loved, the smell of old books mingling with the herbs and making everything just… heavenly. There were plenty of bright, sunny windows--some clear, most brightly colored stained glass works of trees and flowers sprouting out of open books--all with plenty of cushioned benches and rocking chairs and bean bags sprawled out underneath them. A few of the study rooms had been borrowed, a couple of kids studying in one, while the other had a handful of adults using the chalkboard to talk about something-or-another. Even still, Arrden knew his sister’s doll wouldn’t be in any of these places.

Instead, he stepped out the side door, and directly into the warm and cozy greenhouse area. A mix of colorful panels greeted him with spots of light on the ground, casting everything into an almost magical light. There were two large tables that were perfect for studying and craft sessions, potted herbs and even a few fruit trees along the sides of the walls, but best of all--a big, comfy chair, tucked into a corner with its own shelf of books nearby. This was his favorite spot in the library--and his sister’s too. Arrden was half-tempted to just sink into the big chair, curl up with one of his books, and let the hours pass as he lost himself among the pages of a story. The library was open through the night, but he’d never been allowed to stay past eight, because apparently fourteen was still too young to be out on his own late at night.

But no, he was here for a reason. So instead of settling into the chair, he checked the cushions to make sure the doll hadn’t been lost in the depth of it, but came up with nothing but a healthy dose of lint-fingers. Daisy’s doll wasn’t sitting on any of the tables or shelves either, nor was it on the floor. This was the only room Daisy ever liked to hang out in, so the odds of it being anywhere else were… slim.

As he made his way back to the front desk, he passed a shelf of books and a title stuck out to him--something about playing guitar for beginners. Well… it wouldn’t be so bad to do a bit of reading, would it? He took the book and tucked it under his arm with the others. 

“Find the books you’re looking for?” Mx. Miller asked as Arrden arrived to the desk.

“I did! Did you find my sister’s doll?”

The look on Mx. Miller’s face told him everything he needed to know, but even still they shook their head with a soft sigh. “There aren’t any dolls in the lost and found, kiddo. I hope you find it!”

Arrden sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I hope so too.” He placed his books on the counter, and Mx. Miller began scanning them out of the system. 

“More books on beekeeping and spinning? I’d think you’d be one of the resident experts by now!” they said with a soft laugh.

“I just wanna make sure I know all I can! I still gotta get my parents to let me have the gear and all.”

“Oh, I remember when I was trying to start with my crafts. It took ages to convince my parents I could run a spinning wheel without hurting myself, but one day one of my friends let me try spinning with the wheel she had at her place. When I came back with a nice bundle of finished yarn I’d spun myself, and less bandages than they expected, my parents let me go get my own wheel the next day.”

Arrden hummed. “Maybe… but I dunno anyone with a wheel who’d let me borrow it.”

Mx. Miller arched an eyebrow, gesturing with their eyes towards the craft room in the back. “You know, I just dropped one of my older wheels into the tool space for borrow. How about the next time you come around, you put your skills to the test? I’ve got some hemp I’ve already combed out but I never ended up doing anything with it, I’m more than happy to let you learn spinning with it!”

“You’re for real?” Arrden beamed. “I’d love to! Oh, maybe I can come right after school Tuesday?”

“I’ll be sure to bring it in, then!” Mx. Miller slid the books across the counter back to Arrden. “You keep on reading until then, alright? I can’t help you with the bees, after all.”

“Okay! Oh, did you want anything for--I mean, I can maybe bring you some of my mom’s flowers, or--”

“Oh, no, no! We don’t have to trade for it! I just love helping young learners, you know? Now get going! You’ve still gotta find that doll!”

Arrden gasped and shoved the books into his tote. “Right! Thank you again, Mx. Miller!” at that, he rushed out of the door, grabbing his board and hopping onto it as he made his way down the path. He made his way to the last possible place the doll could be--Mrs. Kitterlings’ place.

On his way there, though, he found himself stopping, hopping off his skateboard a moment to look at a garden. It was a small pollinator garden, the likes of dozens around town--but this one was special to him. Not because of the big beautiful mural of butterflies and bees stopping to drink on a giant Asclepias syriaca on the brick wall overlooking it all--though common milkweed was one of his favorites for growing and trading. But because he remembered, ever so faintly, helping to start this place.

This garden--the East Avenue Pollinator Pod Garden--was one of the first Pollinator Pods to be planted in the town, about eight years ago now. He was a little kid then, and didn’t see the bigger picture--how this pod was the cornerstone that would help transform this town into the community he knew it as today. No, Arrden was just one of dozens of grubby little six year olds who were excited to get to play with dirt without getting into trouble for it that day. The adults had been working on clearing out the empty lot for ages by that point, transforming the place from some old tire-and-junk filled lot into safe, empty ground ready for planting. Not that Arrden was around to appreciate it when that work had started. He remembered following his mom around with a little plastic trowel, carefully digging where she instructed so she could help him gently place tiny little seedlings into the holes he made, or helping to scatter coreopsis, rudbeckia, and liatris seeds around while he played tag with Azzy and Kendall. His dad helped him try and properly pronounce the names, though there was still awhile where Asclepias were ‘Sleepies’ and rudbeckias were ‘Rudy-Becky’s’. And he remembered coming down with his dad every week during his mom’s working season to help water the plants and watch the life slowly fill into a place that had been so empty and barren for so long. He remembered coming to celebrate while his mom’s work group added a paved walkway, and a fountain, and a bench dedicated to a Mrs. Lianne Kitterling--the mayor at the time who had started the initiative to green up their spaces and their lives in the tiny town of Charlesville (a few years later, they’d rename the town Aster, and adopt the sunflower as their symbol). After this garden, so many more changes came--more solar panels and wind turbines floating high above the city, gardens spreading around every corner of the city, initiatives to clean the forest that bordered their town’s northern side and restore the prairie that used to be to its south. New people moved in, entranced by the changes taking place--like Sasi’s family, and his mom’s best friend Miss Dianne--and helping to shape the town into the colorful place it is now. 

It was honestly hard to remember what things were like before, but maybe that was because he was so little when the changes started happening. In second grade, they changed the school year--only four days a week, and about four hours for each day, instead of the five days and six hours that had apparently been standard for decades before. He couldn’t imagine how he’d manage school and his friends and hobbies if he was spending five days in school, let alone six hours each day! His Dad said before he was born, the town switched to seasonal work--everyone could choose to either work from January to June, or July to December, at any job. Before that, everyone worked practically every day of the year, which Arrden could scarcely imagine now. Maybe all the changes hadn’t started with this garden after all, but in Arrden’s mind, watching the garden grow was the first time he realized things were changing and growing--just like the caterpillars who called the garden home. The city was in its cocoon, shifting and changing, and even now his mother said its wings were only just now unfurling. 

“Hey, Arrden!” 

Arrden was snapped out of his thoughts by the familiar voice calling his name, and turned in time to see his friend Azzy--and their friend, Flare--riding up on their own boards. Azzy pulled to a--somewhat clumsy--stop and hopped off their board to come join him. “What’s up? Looking at the old garden?”

“I don’t think it's that old, Az. But, uh, guess I got lost in thought seeing it.”

“I feel you, man.” they took off their helmet, long blonde hair cascading to past their shoulders. “I was just here last week, getting a few volunteer hours in filling the empty gaps with more seedlings. Felt like I got rocketed back to the past for a moment. Crazy how well everything grew in, I coulda sworn we accidentally trampled half those seedlings but now look at it all!”

“You trampled the seedlings. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the adults came in a few days later to replace the ones you stepped on, but who knows.”

“Azzy and I were heading to the skate park,” Flare said, stepping over. “You want in?” 

“Ooh! Yeah, you should totally come hang! There’s even gonna be a band performing later tonight!” Azzy beamed, green eyes alight with excitement.

Arrden sighed. “I wish, but I still have that 8 o'clock curfew. And I lost my sister’s doll. I’ve gotta find it before my parents find out, or else I’m never getting that spinning wheel!”

“You lost Daisy’s daisy?! Aw, you’re in for it, man!”

He groaned. “I know!! If it’s not in Mrs. Kitterling’s place, I’m done for! I dunno where else it could be!”

“Fingers crossed for you, then! Oh, wait, Flare, you wanted to stop in Kitterlings’ too, right?”

Flare nodded. “My mom wants more decorations for her locs, and I might get some for when she twists my hair soon” she groaned. “I’m gonna miss the puffs, but having to wash and dry it all every week is driving me crazy!!”

“Aw, I don’t find it so bad! When it's my hair care day, I just plop on the couch with some snacks and turn on some good movies!”

“I wish it were that simple, my mom expects me to do so much to it! I might end up liking the twists better, who knows until I get them in? I think some bee charms’ll help!”

“Oh, you like bees?”

“Her dad’s the head of the beekeeper’s guild in town! He has, like, twenty hives!” Azzy beamed.

“Yeah, he’s been teaching me how to manage hives since I was ten! I have two hives of my own, too!”

“Ooh! I’ve been wanting to learn beekeeping for the longest while, but I haven’t gotten any hands-on experience yet!” Arrden said “I’ve checked out just about every book on beekeeping the library has, but my parents still don’t think I’m ready for a hive…”

“Why not join the guild, maybe apprentice for one of the beekeepers? I know my dad loves teaching hands-on!”

Arrden blinked dumbly. “I can join the guild if I don’t have any hives yet?”

“Dude! Yeah?! How are you supposed to take care of a real hive if you’ve never been near one before! Look--” Flare dug her phone out of her overall pocket. “We’ve gotta trade numbers, I’ll get you hooked up with Dad and maybe you can come over when he’s teaching Sasi Friday after school.”

“Sasi’s learning beekeeping?!”

“Yeah, I dunno, she didn’t catch me as the type but she told me last week that someone sparked her interest in it.”

“Oooh, wonder who that could’ve been?” Azzy laughed, nudging Arrden in the ribs. Arrden briefly remembered his last interaction with Sasi when Azzy was nearby, how they’d nudged him into talking about his interests and he wound up infodumping about bees all lunch period instead of eating. He’d thought he’d totally embarrassed himself! Was she actually interested in it now?

“Uh! Well! L-Let’s trade numbers, then!” Arrden handed Flare his phone, and Flare handed hers to him. They plugged in each others numbers and sent introductory texts and then handed back the phones. “So, you guys are going into Kitterlings?”

“Yeah, c’mon!”

Mrs. Kitterlings’ shop wasn’t very far--in fact, it was just a door away from the wall the pollinator pod was up against. The awning over the door and windows were a bit faded with age, the gold paint spelling out Kitterlings’ Jewelry chipping off the brick surface they were painted onto. Well loved, his mother had always said, the building’s well loved.

Well loved it was, indeed, with a lot of the ladies in town. Mrs. Kitterling was one of the only jewelers in town, but she made lots of items--asides from necklaces and bracelets, she also made earrings, rings, loc decorations, hearing aid jewelry, and more. This was on top of her supposedly growing some of the best roses and daffodils for barter. Or maybe the ladies liked her so much because she used to be the mayor, and had relinquished her position to instead let decisions be made by a panel of citizens a few years back? After she’d retired from politics, she’d opened the shop and almost immediately was the talk of the town all over again. 

Either way, Arrden wasn’t much of a jewelry guy--he found it got in the way most of the time. But he had been here earlier to get a new bracelet for his sister, with a little daisy charm made out of recycled metal. So the odds of him having lost the doll here were fairly high.

Flare almost immediately got distracted by the loc decorations on display, little burlap baggies full of gold and silver ones on the shelf underneath, but Azzy accompanied him to the front desk. Mrs. Kitterling was talking to another woman--Mrs. Deere, one of the kindergarten teachers--about placing an order for a custom pair of earrings. Today, Mrs. Kitterling was wearing hearing aid jewelry that made her ears look like butterfly wings, adorned with a mix of wire and recycled glass gems. 

Once Mrs. Deere had finished placing her order, Mrs. Kitterling turned to the two teens with a smile. “Ah, young Arrden and Azzy! A pleasure seeing you here again, how can I help you?”

“Hi, Mrs. Kitterling. I, uh, lost my sister’s doll, did you see it by any chance?” Arrden asked.

“It’s, uhm, real important!” Azzy added, trying to back him up. Arrden appreciated the effort, Az.

Mrs. Kitterling hummed, adjusting her glasses. “Why, what does the doll look like?”

“It’s got a green body, and a big daisy flower for the head! Right, Arrden?” Azzy turned to Arrden, who nodded quietly.

“About… eight inches big, I think. Something like that.” Azzy procured their sketchbook from their bag, and Arrden nodded again. “About that big!”

“I think I did see a doll like that! I bet it's in the lost and found box, give me just one moment!” Mrs. Kitterling smiled before wheeling herself to the back room.

Arrden beamed, bouncing up and down a bit with Azzy. “She has it, she has it! Maybe I can get that spinning wheel after all!”

“Then we can team up and start making a buncha yarn! And you can learn how to spin hemp and stuff too!” they said.

“Your sister’s gonna be pretty damn happy too, right?” Flare said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah! That doll’s practically her best friend, she’s gonna be stoked!” Arrden gasped suddenly. “Shit! I still have to stop by the Ferns’ place to get eggs for my dad! And I promised Daisy I’d get her some Junebugs!”

“You’re going to Junebugs?!” Azzy gaped. “Hope you brought something good to trade!”

“...I’ve got some flowers?” Arrden opened his tote a bit to show the collection of cut flowers he’d brought. They were just a smidge wilted from spending the past hour or so traveling around town, but still fine to trade, right?

“That might be enough for some of a batch, but I dunno…” Azzy reached over and pat him on the back. “Fingers crossed for you, man.”

“Oh, god, you don’t think it’ll be enough? I dunno what I’m gonna do…”

Azzy hummed, tapping their chin. “I think they like raising insects. Any of those milkweeds got eggs on em?”

“Probably a couple, the monarchs have been going crazy in the garden lately.” Arden took out the milkweed stems and peered closely at the leaves. “I swear, it’d be harder to keep them away than to attract them… oh! When’d this guy get here?”

“Ooh, yeah, I see a caterpillar too! Right there!” Azzy said, pointing to a completely different leaf from the one Arrden was looking at. They then spotted the rather large caterpillar Arrden was staring at. “Oh! Guess you’ve got two! You might be good, then!”

“Oh, thank god.”

It was about then that Mrs. Kitterling wheeled her way back out to the front desk, smiling brightly as she set a little doll on the counter. “Little Daisy was still wearing a little necklace, too! Did you still want that, little Arrden?”

Arden huffed out a laugh, shaking his head. “No thank you, ma’am. Thanks for keeping Little Daisy safe!” It all made sense now--Daisy would always try and let her doll partake in activities, so she was probably taking necklaces off the shelves and putting them on the doll while Arrden handled the trade for the bracelet. Then she’d gotten so excited about putting her new bracelet on, she’d probably left the doll up on the counter. Then they had to hurry home to make it back before Dad finished with book club, and they’d forgotten it entirely… well, at least he had it back now! Just a few more errands, and he could bring it back before Daisy got impatient and told on him.

“Of course, of course! Was there anything else you needed?”

“Uhm,” Flare cut in. “I was actually wanting to trade for these bee decorations, if they’re available?”

“Oh, of course, Flare, dear! What did you have in mind?”

“I’ve gotta run a few more errands, but I’ll see you guys in school?” Arrden said, already backing up towards the door.

“Oh, definitely! See you!” Azzy beamed, waving goodbye as Arrden made his way out.

Truth be told, Arden was a bit fidgety the entire ride to the Ferns’ place. He was so relieved to have found the doll, but so anxious to let it out of his sight again, so he held it tight in his grip most of the way there. At least, until he decided he didn’t want to risk dropping it, so he’d put it in his tote bag to keep it safe. But with all the flowers and jars and books in his bag at this point, the doll kinda half-hung out of it, and so he’d get paranoid that it’d fall out so then he’d clutch it tight in his hand again… what was usually a maybe twenty minute ride from Mrs. Kitterlings to the Ferns’ stretched to about thirty just because of his indecisiveness.

It probably didn’t help that the roads up to the Ferns’ weren’t all too great. They lived out near the fields--not too far from Azzy, actually--but it was a route better suited for bikes and wagons. Dirt roads weren’t too good for skateboards, so Arrden ended up on foot a good chunk of the way. Not that he actually had to travel too too far up the road, as the Ferns kept a farm stand at the end of the long driveway to their house, stocked with cartons of the day’s fresh eggs from their amassment of chickens, quail, and pigeons. Early in the mornings, you could even find a few glass bottles of milk down in the cooler, or a few blocks of cheese and butter, or baskets of whatever fruit was in season up on the table. All you had to do was leave something of worthy trade in the exchange basket, like flower cuttings, or seeds, or handmade jewelry, or… anything, honestly. His dad said the Ferns practically begged people to take their eggs from them in the past, and yet every year they were more than eager to get more chicks to add to their flocks.

Arrden placed a jar of calendulas and rudbeckias on the trade counter, gently placing a carton of chicken eggs and a glass jar from the ‘givebacks’ counter into his bag. At least it gave him a safe place to sit Little Daisy--he imagined the doll felt quite comfortable, sitting nestled in a glass jar all to herself. After making sure everything was safe and secure, he made his way back down the dirt road, hopping onto his skateboard the instant it became a viable option.

The ride to Junebugs took him to basically the opposite side of town from his house back in the suburbs, not that it meant all too much to him. He liked the solitude he got from riding around on his skateboard, humming his favorite songs and feeling the wind in his hair. Still, the street lights might be coming on by the time he actually made it back. He’d worry about that later, for now he had to hurry to Junebugs before they closed shop for the day. Fortunately, he made it just in time--the sign still read ‘Open!’ on their front door. He enjoyed the perfumed scent of the serviceberry and apple flowers as he rode under their reaching branches on the pathway, the colorful pink blooms of native rhododendrons growing in bright surges around their trunks. Junebugs’ front garden was always a wonderful sight to see, though part of it was because being there almost always meant leaving with something sweet.

The front window counter was still open, so Arrden stepped off his board and made his way over to ding the little bell on the counter. “Just one moment!” a voice called out from further inside. Of course, Arrden didn’t mind waiting--waiting just meant getting to enjoy the scent of sugar syrups and honeys and glazes, the colorful sight of candied fruits and flowers alongside baked cookies and other pastries settled on drying racks. He could feel his mouth starting to water at just the thought of taking a bite of some. Unfortunately, he had to save all the candy for his sister, otherwise she’d definitely pitch a fit.

It didn’t take too long at all for Mx. Junebug to return to the counter. Their fingers were still stained with various colors from dealing with so many plants and candies, but they brushed it off on their apron and smiled. “Hey! I like your patches, kid. How can I help you?”

“Oh, uhm, thank you!! Uhm, do you have any candied strawberries? Or violets, maybe?”

Mx. Junebug leaned on the counter. “I have both right now, just finished a batch earlier today. What’re you wanting to trade for ‘em?”

“I! Have! Uhm…” Arrden set his tote bag on the counter and gently reached in to pull out the jar of flowers that remained--a handful of zinnias and milkweed, which fortunately the two caterpillars were still munching away on. “My mom grows lots of flowers! And these ones had some caterpillars on them! I heard you like them?”

Mx. Junebug’s eyes grew wide, and Arrden knew he had a good trade before they even said anything. “I will absolutely take those little buggies off your hand! Give me a moment to get you all set up, alright?” they said, taking the jar in both hands before disappearing further into the house. Arrden leaned against the wall by the counter, lazily watching bees fly around the serviceberry blossoms as he hummed under his breath. Ultimately, it didn’t take all too long for Junebug to come back with a small bioplastic baggie of candied strawberries and violets, tied off with a little bow of teal rope. “Here you go, kid! Hope you enjoy ‘em!”

“Thanks so much, Mx. Junebug!” Arrden grinned, waving before he hopped back onto his skateboard and made his way back onto the main streets.

The ride back home was fairly uneventful. For Arrden, at least. Things in Aster slowed down, sure, but they never came to a full halt. Even now, strings of fairy lights were beginning to turn on amongst the market’s awnings, powered by solar panels that had been collecting energy all afternoon. Though most stalls stayed closed through the night, the street instead became something akin to a giant party hall for those who preferred to be active through the night. Older teens and young adults danced to a collection of music--on one end of the street, there was a punk band performing, while on the other someone had brought a speaker and was playing party tunes from their phone. Arrden was half-tempted to join them--Kendall had been to a few night parties and said they were loads of fun--but if he didn’t get home soon, his parents would be upset. So he had to muster all his self-control to stay on his board and skate past the festivities, skate past the cozy-looking library that was all aglow as late night readers nestled into beanbags and chairs. Once he made it past the nightly temptations, though, it was just softly glowing street lamps until he made it back home.

As he stepped back inside, he was greeted with the sight of his mother resting on the couch with Daisy in her lap, watching TV. His dad was in the kitchen playing rock songs on the radio as he sang and cooked.

“Hey, Ma! Hey, Dad! I’m home!” Arrden beamed.

“Glad you’re home safe! Took you a bit longer than I was expecting, was everything alright?” his dad said, peeking out from the kitchen doorway.

“A bit, but I got sidetracked talking to some friends. Sorry I’m late, though.” he said, making his way into the kitchen to set his bag down before rushing back out to hug his mother. “Hey, Ma! How was work?”

“Oh, it was good! I was just telling Daisy about the new window we’re working on for the community center’s new makerspace! It’s going to be big and round, with a lovely big daisy!”

“Daisy! Like me!” Daisy beamed.

Arrden grinned and ruffled his sister’s hair. “Daisy, like you! I bet it’s gonna look great, Mama, you can build anything!”

His mother leaned over to give him a kiss on the forehead. “You’re a sweetheart, Arrden, you know that? So, what’re you gonna do tonight?”

“Uh, I checked out some books from the library that I wanna read! I left them in the kitchen, actually, let me go get them!” Arrden hopped up from the couch to duck back into the kitchen to scoop up his books--and Daisy’s doll, hopefully before his dad spotted it.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky--the doll was sitting in the jar, out on the counter beside his stack of books. He froze at the sight of it, and his father turned from the cooking to send him a look. Uh oh.

“Arrden? Let’s step outside a moment.” his father said, sliding a lid onto the simmering pasta sauce. “We need to chat.”

Uh oh.

Arrden nodded wordlessly, following his father out the back door into the backyard. There were a handful of fireflies flitting about as they made their way to the bench swing under the treehouse. His father leaned back in the seat, while Arrden sat hunched into his own shoulders. The silence was agonizing, as they sat out there, Arrden’s poor mind going wild with possibilities. He’d always tried to avoid getting into trouble with his parents, and he had a significant feeling that he was in trouble with his parents right now. Oh, he was never gonna get that spinning wheel at this rate, let alone a beehive!

“You went out to get Little Daisy back, didn’t you?” his father finally said, but he hadn’t looked away from the fireflies yet.

Arrden nodded quietly, then realized where his father’s eyes lay. “I-I did. I… wanted to bring it back before you realized it was gone, because…”

“Because you took Daisy out, even though we’d said she had to stay inside?”

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry, Dad, but she was being so sad, and I just wanted to cheer her up! We were safe the whole time, her ear didn’t even hurt at all, and--but… I shouldn’t have taken her, I’m sorry…”

His dad hummed. “I appreciate you looking out for your little sister, Arrden.” he let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Lord knows my older brothers wouldn't've done the same for me at your age. And I understand why you wanted to find the doll before it became a larger issue. I’m not mad at you for trying to find the doll.” Arrden let out a sigh of relief, but paused as his father turned to him and held up a finger. “But. I’m a bit upset that you took Daisy out into the town without permission. What would you have done if she’d gotten hurt, or if her ear infection got worse while you were out?”

“...you’re right, Dad… does this mean I can’t have a spinning wheel…?”

His dad’s eyebrows arched, and his locs shifted as he tilted his head. “...not necessarily. I think you were irresponsible to do what I told you not to, but I can also see you were being responsible by looking for Little Daisy and owning up to your mistake. I do wish you would be more honest with me, though--I would have helped you look if you’d told me. And you wouldn’t’ve had to get bribe candy for your sister, either.”

“Did she tell on me?” Arrden pouted. “She promised not to if I got her candy.”

“I noticed she didn’t have the doll, and she was honest with me when I asked.” another hum from his dad. “...I’ll talk with your mother about letting you have a spinning wheel, but if you break our trust again, we’ll be pushing it back by at least a month. Alright?”

Arrden nodded. “Alright. Thanks, Dad.”

His dad laughed, ruffling his hair a moment as he stood to his feet. “You’re a good kid, Arrden. There’s worse things you could be doing than taking your sister out to play. Now, come on in when you’re ready, alright?”

“Alright, Dad.” at that, his Dad made his way inside, closing the door behind him, leaving Arrden sitting alone on the bench outside. He sighed, looking up at where the stars were beginning to peek their way through the darkening sky. He stayed there awhile, watching the fireflies and moths dance around the meadow, listening to the rustling of the wind in the tree’s branches, the gentle creak as he swung slowly back and forth on the swing.

He was a pretty good kid, huh?

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

Special thanks to @1wren and @105ttt for beta-reading this fic for me!

[roseshewrites]

A GOLDEN PIECE OF YOU~(RadioApple)

*Chapter 3, Second Waltz

Of course Charlie had hung a gigantic WELCOME HOME, DAD sign decorated with rubber duck stickers and rainbows on the stair banisters. She had also tied an unholy amount of balloons on every single balloon-friendly surface she could find in the front lobby, which was surprisingly quite a lot.

Of course, Alastor was standing front and center in front of the group waiting to shout "Welcome!" At him as soon as he walked in. Only the group of misfits that made up the hotel's population all shouted it at random intervals and in varying decibals, Husker coming in last with a deep mutter, and Nifty, who was sitting atop Alastor's shoulders gave a gleeful, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Well, it was the thought that counted.

Of course Alastor said nothing to him whatsoever and only widened his large yellow grin, his red eyes narrowing as he stared Lucifer down.

Charlie cringed and then giggled at the chaos, running to hug him.

"We're all so happy to have you here, dad!"

Minus one.

But, he could put aside a rivalry for now. For Charlie.

"Thanks, babygirl!" He grinned up at her.

Dear gods, she had gotten so tall. So tall and beautiful, and confident.

She certainly did not get any of that from him.

Party chaos ensued.

Alastor was made to play some radio music with a cue from Charlie who cried, "Hit it, DJ!"

("Hit what?")

"Play some music, asshole," Angel Dust supplied helpfully.

"I remember her asking me to supply music to her little party. I don't remember being asked to strike someone named DJ."

"Oh, for fuck's s-"

But the rest of Angel's swear was suddenly drowned out by the loud jazz tunes strumming agressively from the radio demon, who looked like he knew exactly what he was doing.

"DOES THE GUY KNOW ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN ELEVATOR WAIT MUSIC-"

The jazz increased in volume till even Angel's shouting was drowned out and Husker was seen in a corner pressing his ears and hissing.

Nifty, unaware of the tension or perhaps feeding upon it, hopped from Alastor's shoulders and proceeded to attempt a messy looking Charelston dance where instead of just holding her arms up, she was also stabbing at the air.

Lucifer sidestepped her quickly before she could impale his ankle, and muttered conspirationally to Charlie, "Is it always like this here?"

His daughter grinned, "Hehe, yeah..pretty much all the time." She scrunched her shoulders sheepishly then said, "But I love it!"

Alastor finally found a reasonable volume for his jazz tunes much to Husker's relief, and twirled Nifty around by her little finger when she asked.

"Spins! Haha!"

"Watch the daggers, darling. They're for the bugs, not my feet, remember?"

"Uppy spins, please. Please, Alastor!"

Nifty was bouncing on her little feet.

"Oh, very well."

The radio demon swooped Nifty up as she demanded, much to her squealing delight, and set the both of them spinning about the room as the jazz music settled into a record crackling waltz.

Oh hell, Lucifer thought. They're so fucking adorable. When had he ever seen Alastor so gentle?

Lucifer caught Charlie grinning at him, and knew she was remembering a time in her childhood when he would do the same thing with her.

"I can't pick you up like that anymore," he said, actually a little bit sad. Maybe just bittersweet. He had missed so much of his little princess' life.

"You can just lift my spirits instead, dad," she laughed.

He chuckled. "That, I can do!"

Nifty pointed out Lucifer from on top of Alastor's neck and when they got closer she cried, "Now go dance with the baaaad boy." She clutched at his ears and giggled.

"I don't know Nifty darling, *is* he a bad boy? Perhaps you should go find out for yourself."

"Hey!" Lucifer said, slightly miffed. "I'll have you know I'm the original bad boy."

"Ooh!" Alastor chuckled, "So touchy. Perhaps a little dance would cheer you up, *King.* "

He was holding out one clawed hand to Lucifer, eyes narrowed at him expectantly.

Nifty clawed her way down Alastor's back and with a little "hup-hup!" Ran off to go stab some bugs, bored with the party.

"Well, I, uhhh.." Lucifer didn't know what to say.

"Oh, no worries, Applesauce, I promised your daughter I'd be on my *best* behavior this evening."

"Well, I suppose one dance wouldn't uhhh...wouldn't hurt," he agreed reluctantly, taking Alastor's hand. "Don't call me that again though."

Alastor swept him seamlessly into the dance. The man was right on time with the music, and led Lucifer around to a perfect pace.

Lucifer fell naturally into the pace too, noting how Alastor had so gracefully taken the lead role. He'd feel irked by that if he wasn't so impressed by how Alastor had a hand on Lucifer's waist, the other lightly holding his hand but yet kept the rest of his body at a respectful distance.

He was being...well, this evening anyway, he was being a perfect gentleman. So far.

"Your footwork is amazing. I like the song, too. Shostakovich."

"Second waltz. You know your music."

Lucifer chuckled, "Kiddo, I invented music."

"HaHa! Don't me call that."

"HaHa! I was created before the garden of Eden was a sparkle in God's eye. You're a kiddo to me," he smirked up at Alastor, whose eyes narrowed and glinted dangerously.

"Ahh yes, that's right. Samael. God's favorite toy. Did it hurt when you fell from Heaven?"

"Smooooth," Angel crooned from a corner, whistling at them. Husker not so delicately clocked him on the shoulder. "OW, assfuckinlicker!"

"For your information, KIDDO, it did."

Lucifer spotted his daughter running frantically to try and get Alastor's attention and saw her whisper-shouting "IXNAY. ON THE SAMAEL-HAY."

Vaggie's face palm from this was audible.

"It's Amael-Say, babe. And EVERYONE heard you."

"Shit."

"You know what? That's okay," Lucifer broke free from Alastor's arms, standing back, "You wanna dead name me for no reason, bastard? You got a problem or something?"

"Dad! Dad, I'm - I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, did you Alastor?"

Alastor was very catlike observing his own claws, eyebrows delicately raised, "Really, I was simply making conversation. How was I supposed to know your father was still sensitive about something that happened so long ago?"

"See?" Charlie appealed, "And you're sorry, right? For hurting dad's feelings?"

Alastor just stared at her deadpan grinning, the radio waves about him crackling loudly.

"We'll, uhhh....we'll work on that one."

The party broke shortly after that with Angel dragging Husker off to go to the bar, Alastor bidding everyone a good night and Niffty was... Well, she was doing Nifty things. Where did she even sleep?, Lucifer wondered.

"Thanks for the welcome, Ducky," Lucifer yawned, "But your old dad's beat. Got stuff to unpack before I hit the hay."

Charlie looked at Vaggie then glanced at her dad. She gave her girlfriend a look and said "Go on ahead, I'll be up in a minute."

Both Lucifer and Vaggie exchanged looks that seemed like a moment of solidarity.

Because both of them knew Charlie, and they both knew no one was sleeping until SOMETHING had been resolved.

Behind her girlfriend's back Vaggie mouthed Good Luck at Lucifer, who winked in return.

When everyone else had gone to bed, Charlie and Lucifer stepped into a living area on one of the upper floors. Lucifer sighed and collapsed on a nearby sofa, flinging his top hat to the side.

She sat down next to him, looking a bit nervous.

"Okay. What is it? Spit it out, junior."

"I...just wanted to make sure....that Alastor's little comment didn't um...get under your skin too much."

"Oh please! I'm not worried about that jerk."

"You're really all right?"

"Charlie," Lucifer said impatiently, "I know you're worried I'm going to....maybe...fall back into some old habits of mine. You know my problems and that worry is certainly valid, sweetheart, but I haven't had a post-traumatic whatever in ages."

"So you're not gonna..."

"No self isolation," he said firmly, "No episodes. And I'm certainly not gonna let a reminder of my time in Heaven ruin my sleep tonight."

She grinned, her face lighting up like he loved so much.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for moving in with me."

"Of course!" He brightened, "Char, you know what we're gonna DO with this place?"

"No, what!" She was sitting in the edge of her seat now.

"We're gonna take hell by storm with it, Ducky. In a month it'll be so full of patrons we'll need to build."

"Yeah!! And after that?"

"Your dreams are gonna come true. I'll make sure of it."

After promises of going over group plans with her in the morning, they began to part ways but not before his daughter scooped him up in a twirling hug that lifted his feet off the floor.

"I love you Dad!!"

He chuckled when she set him down and he took his hat off and placed it on her head, walking off to his room.

"Love you too, darlin'. Good night."

~

He was walking down one of the hotel's many hallways when a slight burst of conversation came to his attention, punctuated by that distinct radio crackle.

Dammit, he was not in the mood for another encounter with jerkface McRadio.

The two characters rounded the corner though, and he was trapped.

Alastor was being followed around by one of Sir Pentious' remaining Egg Bois, who was bopping along talking Alastor's ears off in a steady stream, Alastor nodding and "Mmhmm"-ing in all the right places, tolerating the Egg's enthusiasm.

"Say, boss, I gotta joke for yah!"

"Sure, Egburt."

"Why did the chicken cross the road?!"

"I don't know, why *did* the chicken cross the road?"

"Because America’s aging infrastructure doesn’t adequately provide footbridges or pedestrian underpasses!!!"

There was almost an audible pause, then Alastor cracked up, a real honest laugh that echoed around the hall.

"Oh my dear Egg, you do have your moments of lucidity, don't you?"

"Whatsat??"

"Never you mind. Now run along, there, I've preparations for tomorrow's broadcast."

 

"Okay!!"

The egg bopped ahead of Alastor, promptly rounding the corner ahead and leaving Lucifer alone...again...with the radio demon.

"So..Egburt, huh?" Lucifer remarked, just to break the silence.

"He answers to just about anything. Egburt, Egghead, The Great Eggsbie. Just don't expect him to understand that reference."

"Right..."

"I suppose I'll see you for your daughter's most recent group excercise itinerary in the coming weeks. It should be...enlightening."

Uh-oh. Charlie hadn't mentioned anything about that to him. Things at the party had been so chaotic, and then he'd gone and ruined things by getting pissy with Alastor, and..

"Yup, sure will," Lucifer aimed for assuming an air that he completely understood what the hell Alastor was talking about, and bid him goodnight; cringing inwardly that he went to tip his hat, then forgot he wasn't currently wearing it, disguised the movement with an awkward head scratch and left to the sound of Alastor chuckling deeply to himself as they both went their separate ways.

Enlightening.

Hooray.

What did Alastor know that he didn't?

[grogusmum]

Hi Hazel

Can I have number 4 for the writer asks, please?

Love, El

Hi El! Thanks for the ask, m'dear!💚

a story idea you haven’t written yet

Okay, so I have couple kicking around. But I just started making this one everyone else's problem, lol

A Dieter/Xanadu mash-uppie, crossovery sort of arrangement.

Backstory: Dieter owes his Oscar winning performance for Hunger Strike to the the fact that he had a literal muse (you) offering true divine inspiration (not Javi’s bottled kind). I'm sure it comes to no surprise that he became an egocentric ass and you left him. You loved him, though, and it broke your heart. (I haven't decided if he loved you back then or not)

His life became a trainwreck, and he ends up in the cast of Cliff Beasts 6 and in the Bubble situation.

The story picks up after Anika leaves him, and he starts praying for forgiveness and giving offerings to an alter to The Muses, trying to win you back. He's a mess. His career is a mess. He misses you?

In my first thoughts, I wasn't planning to have the two characters who need your help... but now I'm thinking about it. With another P-boy and oops, it becomes a polyamorous sitch. (But I'm not sure yet, I think it would come later)

Thank you for giving me a chance to yak about it some more, especially since it's so niche, I'm not gonna have too many takers!! lol

Fic Writer Asks

[redraven393]

Catching up with Philza QSM Vod

July 22

hai phil-Early birbs lets go

You do have so many shits laying around

AUSIE AUSIE OIOIOI

Tallulah Darling hi :D its SO early for u-CHAYANNE HONEY YU AWAKE! - KIDDO buddy You give us ALL a HEARTATTCAK

Yeah scold him Phil >:(- PFFT Tallulah! -  CHAYANNE PLS SHE HAVENT SLEPT

ETOILES WOULD BE PUT IN PRISON

Safety first :D- no joint room

Well the kid literally have been sleeping a lot Lullah what do you expected?

PFTT 3 HOURS? CHAYANNE BUDDY PLS REST

Pretty – LMAO PHIL PLS THE 4th WALL PHIL

Yeah the room is not orange enough- Gordon ramsay tangent-

OMG TALLULAH SWEETY WHY DIDN’T YOU HAVE ANY FOOD?!- AVACADO toast FOR THE WIN!- CHAYANNE you too!

Food Check- DÉCOR time – Judging ur vibe-

Oh no u stuck- YAY FREDOM – IKEA LETS GOO

Lol the kids- all pumpkins- YAH STEAL THE RICH

Oh what about forever?- DID YA WIN SON??- AWWW noo

Woah that’s far- that is such a unique pattern- jumping blok-

Where is she?- PlANT TIME- WOAHH COOL- hey Tallulah

Oh ? good news first- white puffball U can eat them??

Yeah so Storage rooms

Grappling time- HERE WE GO

Yeah must be Dappers doing- Dapper is so crazy- HOLLY SHIT DAPPER U ARE CRAZY- ITS IN ALPHEBITICAL ORDER?!- It’s the Tesseract

Lol yeah you guys spend way to much time marveling dapper’s farm

Lolwas that enough?- fastest adventure we had- yeah don’t wory Lullah ur safe now

YEAH DÉCOR TIME AGAIN- yeah this looks good

Oh hey Tubbo

Oh?- Spanish music?- dance time cant hear the song thou

If you don’t know about love FUQ OFF lol- opp TOXIC- good guy behavior?

Lol yeah put all of it

CHAYANNNE- we did all that huh

Oh wait? They have titles??- YEAH CHAT GET YOUR TOAST

That is so cool- oh yeah you did that

AWW So CUTE

Yeah it look so good

AW YEAH WILL’S LETTERS

Phil’s pls he was assassinated by a baby

PFFT PHIL PLS NOT THAT ONE

A picture for the whole fam

Ahh a trip down the memory lane

Ah yes his favorite pic

Lol he got a pc-yeah not a good idea to put it next to the fire-well a kid got to have his fun

AWW THAT IS SO CUTE :D

AGUSTIN

Lol “no. MINE”

New song- yeah2 vod watchers cant hear anything lol- SPYxFAMILY??-OHH COMEDY that one

Yeah that is sweet

LET HIM COOK

Yeah it is pretty

LMAO Phil pls-PERMITED LETS GO

Phil pls

YEAH LETS GO to the TOP

Wicked lets go

Oh? A shulker box? Eyyo?

Lol bird brain go brr

:)

“Probably trash “he said LIES

PFFT LMAO he did it the son of a ditch

Lol its all fun Chayanne don worry- phil pls

STAR GAZING LETS GO

To the uppies place-safe and sound

Heloo-it DOES LOOK like a nest – birdza strikes again-The crows nest :D

AWW :D- so cute- an ECLIPSE- CUTE-

YEAH BED TIME STORY – OHH a SUPERNOVA

Oh the Beetlejuice :D- Yeah INFO DUMP

YEAH that is Cool

Gotta pay that bill

Yeah he did do that- Chayanne pls buddy

Yeah well they have reasons to be paranoid Tallulah, years of experience ca do that

:( PHILZA – YES WE DID SO PLS STAY SAFE

:’)

AWW KIDS WE LOVE YOU TOO – what happened with the squid?- aww buddy

Ah shit, imma cry – music paid actor

Goofy picture

Oh? – AWW KIDDO :’D

UGH MY HEART – AWW BUDY – PFT Tallulah sweety

AWW YOU TWO

Holly Lullah u have plenty

YEAH BED TIME

Opp ur stuck - oh okay good

Old chair

Etoiles have high standards- lmao- ??? holy – opp she voided

Question time- iron? Oh its not/j- pfft

Opp welcome back!- pfft

Yeah lets goo- oh so the Fed didn’t kidnaped you?

Yeah go get rest kiddos- oh that’s okay Tallulah

a hotel brunt down?-

?

who

OH FUCK OFF YOU BINARY BASTARDS

STOP TAKING PHOTOS U SHIT

WALTERBOB?!

FUCK OFF

STAY AWAY FROM CHAYANNE YOU SON OF DITCH

YEAH GO OFF PHIL- YEAH AND STAY THE FUK AWAY YA SHIT

Yeh he did- scuff encounter- YEAH NO MERCY- NOT IF HE WAS THE BINARY BASTARD

Vote for Walter

Pfft ever the humble Tallulah- okay stop fighting

Yeh MUSIC BOX

STAY SAFE KIDDOS

GOODNIGHT TALLULAH CHAYANNE

a fresh BRUISED Lettuce

BYE KIDS

Yeah those guys are creeps

?? oH YEaH IT DID- Failed egg? I mean why did the FEDs even made the EGGS

Chat?- PFT THT IS TOO BIG

YEY BYE PHIL

[thereturnofsidsid03]

My Favourite Books ❤︎

In a growny-uppy way, so no Percy Jackson, John Green, Harry Potter, Mortal Instruments, Anna and the French Kiss, Hunger Games, Divergent, Goosebumps, The Clique etc.

The Girls by Emma Cline

"Emma Cline’s first novel, “The Girls” (Random House), is a song of innocence and experience—in ways that she has intended, and perhaps in ways that she has not. It’s a story of corruption and abuse, set in 1969, in which a bored and groundless California teen-ager joins a Manson-like cult, with bloody, Manson-like results."- James Wood for The New Yorker

I'm With the Band by Pamela Des Barres

"The stylish, exuberant, and remarkably sweet confession of one of the most famous groupies of the 1960s and 70s... Warm, witty, and sexy, this kiss-and-tell-all stands out as the perfect chronicle of one of rock 'n' roll's most thrilling eras."- Booktopia

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

"Valley of the Dolls is a zipper-ripper that has been called trashy, tawdry, glitzy, lusty, sordid and seamy — and that's just the beginning of its appeal. Susann was accused of "typing on a cash register," and Truman Capote called her "a truck driver in drag." She threw a drink at Johnny Carson, a punch at a critic and a chair at a wrestler, before jumping into the ring. All of it sold books."- Nancy Bachrach for NPR

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

"Glittering with wit and insight, heart and humor, Dolly Alderton’s unforgettable debut weaves together personal stories, satirical observations, a series of lists, recipes, and other vignettes that will strike a chord of recognition with women of every age—making you want to pick up the phone and tell your best friends all about it." - Goodreads

Black Swans by Eve Babitz

"She may be self-absorbed and occasionally insensitive, but to a certain extent, she is aware of her failings and brave enough to expose them to her reader wholesale along with her effervescent party commentary... Reading Eve Babitz is like eating cake for breakfast, like having a gossip over brunch with your best friend. Her short stories consider the pros and cons of black lacquered swimming pools, and let us peer into the dining room of the Bel Air Hotel where Babitz — tripping on LSD — and her boyfriend are so drunk they can barely stay in their seats. "- Lauren Sazaren for Los Angeles Review of Books

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

"Malibu Rising is a bloody great book. The kind of book you'll wish you could go back in time and experience for the first time all over again. It's got all the elements of a crackin' good novel - a page-turning plot, fully fleshed out, flawed, relatable characters, GOSSIP AND DRAMA, and little lessons you'll take with you long after you've read the final page." - Keryn Donnelly for Mamamia

Slow Days, Fast Company by Eve Babitz

"Imagine the incisive wit of Virginia Woolf mingling with the listlessness of Françoise Sagan—this is the work of Eve Babitz, an ingenue and poet. Her lyrical sensuality is both sexy and cerebral…this book sizzles with hedonistic abandon, sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll…it is the clarity of her language and her painterly style that cement her place in the pantheon of American literature." -Sarah Nasar,  British Airways High Life Magazine

I am certain that there is many I have forgotten but these are The Unforgettables.

[thebestworstidea]

Advent Art 4 of 24

for @theunvanquishedzims I've been consumed with YukiPri's Star Wars fic and art this year, and I want to share. Can you scroll through Paint Your Armor Not With Blood, But Gold, find your favorite clone boys, and do something with them? There's also the Clone Database (same Ao3 account) with her two OCs so far. Whichever crazy blowy-uppy warrior babe man strikes your fancy. Blackout and Ashe are my favorites.

I'd been seeing these boys go past on my feed, so learning more was kind of fun. I really dig the beaked helmets.

[oghmasfavorite]

Y’all need to know about my off-the-rails multiplayer BG3 party. We play on Wednesdays with a full 4-person party. We’ve got:

Barca, dwarf cleric of Helm- de facto leader, “straight man”, only one to wear clothes at camp. Calls cloud of daggers “the meat grinder”. Will not heal you! Played by D., programmer who has never made it past the gauntlet of Shar

Wraith-a-los, Dragonborn warlock- nice guy! Friendly! Male but unintentionally has the feminine body type so he wears a bikini. Eldrich blasts his way through every problem. Played by K., guy whose wife is having a baby any day now. He’s beat the game on his own.

Amos, half-Drow wild magic barbarian- Not very bright! The only one who didn’t strike out at the tiefling party. Got railed by Gale while everyone else watched. Has caused an FPK. Almost always butt naked. Played by me.

Bartholomew, halfling warlock- CHAOS. Was a bard, then a soldier, now a warlock. Always going “I’ve got this!” and then committing friendly fire. Frequently used as an improvised weapon. Exclusively throws spears and salami. Played by T., a motorcycle sales guy with three cats.

Some notable moments so far:

Amos got the bite night scene with Astarion while butt naked

Bartholomew asks to be thrown by yelling “uppies!!”

I was the only one who had ever been to moonrise towers before the big battle (!?)

Wraith-a-los got Lae’zel killed

We got smited (smote?) by a god

Everyone is naked at camp except for Barca who keeps trying to get us to put our pants on

We dye our armor to match each other

There are a lot more voiced Tav lines when you don’t have companions!

[maypoleman1]

1st January

New Year’s Day

Source: The Book of Christmas, The Enchanted World, Time-Life Books

Today is New Year’s Day. There are many traditions associated with the bringing of good luck on 1st January, in the belief if good fortune greets you at the start of the year, it will stay with you for the full twelve months. The most well-known of these is first-footing, in which a tall dark male outsider enters the home soon after midnight, bearing coal, salt and cake, symbolising the warmth, wealth and food that the custom is supposed to bestow on the house. These gifts collectively were known as handsel. The first footer should always be well entertained by the household after having completed his task. Sometimes of course first-footing is not pre-planned. If a friendly neighbour wanders in to wish you a Happy New Year, and he or she is bearing nothing, a miserable year is in prospect.

In addition to customs bringing good fortune, there were others designed to drive out ill luck. In medieval times a ritual known as “rattling the town” took place in which a group of townsfolk, elaborately dressed and masked, would run through the streets, striking walls and doors with staves, so as to drive out the bad spirits of the old year and enable the community to start anew.

Another tradition that takes place today at Kirkwall, on Orkney, is a rough and tumble football match (the Ba’ Game) that takes place in front of the cathedral at Mercat Cross. It starts at 1pm but can last up to seven hours. The teams are divided into Uppies and Downies, signifying uptown and downtown, and the object of the game is to kick a cork-filled ball across one of the town boundaries by any means necessary. 120 players take part and Association Football rules are non-existent.

[chupie-cabra]

stupid names i have (AND USE) for dbd perks

Killer Perks

⋆ Coulrophobia (Clown perk) - Cauliflower ⋆ Dragon's Grip (Blight perk) - Grippy ⋆ Forced Penance (Executioner perk) - Pemanemanema ⋆ Franklin's Demise (Cannibal perk) - Frankie's ⋆ Hex: Blood Favor (Blight perk) - Blood Flavour ⋆ Hex: Devour Hope (Hag perk) - Nom Nom's ⋆ Hex: Pentimento (Artist perk) - Pesto ⋆ Insidious (Non-Teachable) - Basement Bubba ⋆ Iron Maiden (Legion perk) - "Lemme try something... Uh Oh" ⋆ Knock Out (Cannibal perk) - "Where tf are you???" ⋆ Lethal Pursuer (Nemesis perk) - Hacker Mans ⋆ Mad Grit (Legion Perk) - Swoosh ⋆ Make Your Choice (Pig perk) - Make Your Cheese ⋆ Oppression (Twins perk) - Oppressed ⋆ Overcharge (Doctor perk) - "Fuck" ⋆ Pop Goes The Weasel (Clown perk) - Popcorn ⋆ Sloppy Butcher (Non-Teachable) - No Healy :( ⋆ Thanatophobia (Nurse perk) - Tha-NAT ⋆ Tinkerer (Hillbilly perk) - Tinky

Survivor Perks

⋆ Adrenaline (Meg perk) - Adrenna ⋆ Aftercare (Jeff perk) - Handshake ⋆ Any Means Necessary (Yui perk) - Pallet Jockey ⋆ Appraisal (Elodie perk) - Gimme Gimme ⋆ Balanced Landing (Nea perk) - Ankle Breaker ⋆ Bite The Bullet (Leon perk) - "Shut The Fuck Up" ⋆ ANY BOON TOTEM (Mikaela, Yoichi & Jonah) - BOOOOON! ⋆ Dead Hard (David perk) - Dead ARRRRRD' ⋆ Decisive Strike (Laurie perk) - Stabby Stab ⋆ Distortion (Jeff perk) - You Can't See Me ⋆ Diversion (Adam perk) - PEBBLE! ⋆ For The People (Zarina perk) - E ⋆ Head On (Jane perk) - BONK ⋆ Iron Will (Jake perk) - Sneaky Peaky Like ⋆ Lithe (Feng perk) - Nyooooom ⋆ Plot Twist (Nicolas Cage perk) - "YOU CAN DO THAT?!" ⋆ Reactive Healing (Ada perk) - *cries because of sloppy butcher* ⋆ Soul Guard (Cheryl perk) - "It Will Work This Time, Trust Me" ⋆ Unbreakable (Bill perk) - Uppies ⋆ Urban Evasion (Nea perk) - "Why...?" its kinda funny tho ⋆ We're Gonna Live Forever (David perk) - Protected Uppies

[bigdumbpossums]

Destroying your enemies is short-sighted and wasteful. It's far more beneficial to control them. By sucking their toes. This strikes fear into the hearts of any who this happens to. By establishing your dominance and slobbering on their beans they will recognize you as the superior life form. They will cease to be your enemy and become a tool. Do you see? You don't, do you? This is so powerful it only needs to be done ONCE. Just. One. Suck. This little piggy went to the mawket, this little piggy got tongued. This little piggy had suckies, this little piggy tastes yum.

This is how you win. Even years down the line, maybe you want something simple from your ex-foe. You ask them for a glass of water perhaps. "What? No. Get your own water!" They scoff back at you, rolling their eyes. But you need only to remind them of your power. Just a simple retort of "D'awww, what's the mattew? Awe youw wittwe piggies much too cowd? I have the pewfect pwace to warm them uppies." And just like that. The glass of water will be in your hand before you're even done speaking.

An empire cannot stand without its toes, claim them and conquer.

[colorfulfishbreeds]

Discovering the Enchantment of Blue Tail Guppies: A Friendly Dive into Their World

Hey there, fellow aquarium enthusiasts or curious beginners! If you're on the lookout for a touch of aquatic charm, let me introduce you to the delightful realm of Blue Tail Guppies. These vibrant little fish, with their mesmerizing blue tails and lively personalities, have managed to carve out a special place in the hearts of aquarists worldwide. In this casual exploration, let's take a deep dive into the captivating world of Blue Tail Guppies, covering everything from their origin and appearance to their care, breeding, and a few intriguing FAQs.

Introducing Blue Tail Guppies

Imagine a fish with a streamlined body and a tail that looks like it's been dipped in a pool of radiant blue, creating a striking contrast against the rest of its body. That's the magic of Blue Tail Guppies! These little guys often showcase tails ranging from deep sapphire to brilliant turquoise, making them quite the eye-catchers.

Now, let me introduce you to a couple of standout Blue Tail Guppy celebrities – the "Sapphire Blue Guppy" with its rich, sapphire-blue tail complementing silver hues, and the "Turquoise Tail Guppy" boasting a vibrant turquoise tail that's sure to steal the spotlight.

General Information

Habitat and Tank Requirements

Feeding

Breeding

Common Health Issues

Special Considerations

Which Blue Tail Guppies Varieties Can Be Kept Together

You can create a harmonious underwater community by keeping Blue Tail G

uppies together with various other peaceful fish species. Here are seven examples of compatible tankmates:

Differences Between Male and Female Blue Tail Guppies

Blue Tail Guppies vs. Other Guppies: Differences and Similarities

Similarities between Blue Tail Guppies and Other Guppies:

Differences between Blue Tail Guppies and Other Guppies:

In conclusion, Blue Tail Guppies are enchanting and easy-to-care-for fish that can add a touch of elegance to your aquarium. With the right environment, diet, and care, these guppies will thrive and bring endless joy to aquarists of all experience levels. So, dive in and let the aquatic enchantment begin!

[monosanimegenericzone]

BWHAHAHAHAA

uvo the walking spaceheater strikes again

kortopi wanting uppies too is so AAAAAAAAA

HHIHIHIHIHIHIIHHIIIHII

[bygarchive]

"Hearts"

[winchesterxxi]

Us Women (Luke Skywalker x Reader)

Rating: G (General Audience)

Type: Fluff

Request: “Could you please write a Luke x Reader in chapter 16 of The Mandalorian, where she’s a Jedi master along with Luke and they’re like married, and they walk in after kicking some dark trooper ass, and after a moment she’s like ‘did you girls do that to the storm troopers?’ And they’re like ‘uhh yeah’ and readers like ‘way to go, girl power! Kicking some storm trooper ass.’ And Luke’s like ‘y/n wtf’ and she’s like ‘well it’s true 😒’ and as they’re leaving to get into the elevator she’s like ‘they really did kick ass’ 🥺🥺”

Word Count: 1.1k 

Warnings: Two Jedi Masters married, one sporting Chanel boots and the other being a witty badass, ahhhh the couple dynamics.

A/N: Short but sweet??? Comedic relief???

MASTERPOST | REQUEST HERE | KO-FI

✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸ ✸

Following suit behind your husband, Luke Skywalker, the both of you step out of the X-Wing you managed to cram into behind his seat. You insisted in coming along with him to pick up a force-sensitive being that ignited a signal of danger, but you were no pilot, so squishing yourself into the ship was the only viable solution.

“My back is killing me.” you grunt, stretching your body as soon as your feet hit the ground, audibly cracking your back.

“If you knew how to fly...” Luke starts trying to remind you of the amount of times he had to go around in his X-Wing with you squished in it, and the amount of times, he has offered to teach you.

“I’ve told you, I am scarred.” you remind him, dusting off the sides of your mahogany-colored cloak, while he looks around for any possible threats.

“Then stop complaining.” 

“You’re an asshole.”

“Then why did you marry me?...” his words die down at the end of the phrase as he is standing a few feet ahead of you, looking to the side.

“Maybe I had a concussi-...”Finally stepping to his side your eyes meet what he had been looking at. About 50 stormtroopers laid dead in front of you in a pattern that lead into the a hallway with an elevator at it’s very end.

“That’s... a lot of troopers.” You state, already impressed with whoever might’ve dared to pull such an amazing stunt.

“Yeah but it’s not all of them.” he muttered before turning to face you. “Do you feel it too?” he asked you, referring to the continuous danger message that you were still getting from whoever was emitting it.

“Yeah.” you nod, holding a strong grip on the hilt of your lightsaber, still deactivated.

Both of you run for the elevator and it is quick to open its doors as you step inside, and the higher the transport went, the louder a banging noise was. Looking to your husband for a reassuring loo, which you find, you both nod and get into fighting stance, your orange blade and his green one, surging from the hilt, ready to strike whoever came in your way.

Once the doors open, you are faced with around 20 troopers that you’d never seen before. These were pitch black and, as it became very obviously to you very quickly, no human stood inside of them.

Luke steps in front of you, striking the first troopers that came in his direction and you quickly take a quick stride to his side, as you connect back to back, making for a more efficient stand against the troopers.

To your surprise, they put up less of a fight than what you were expecting, both of your light sabers efficiently striking them across the chest and head, them falling limp to the floor.

You both step over the scraps of mechanical bodies scattered across the ground and head towards what feels like the source of the force you have been feeling for the past half an hour.

Before you could even reach the sliding doors, they open, making the smoke that was emanating from the blacktroopers swirl around both you and Luke as he steps into the room.

“Dramatic little shit.” you whisper under your breath, completely unaware that he heard and was sporting a momentarily smirk across his lips under the cloak’s hood.

Stepping into the main room you are presented with three women in fighting costume, the man you knew to be Moff Guideon by one of them, on the floor, handcuffed and what you assumed to be a Mandalorian next to a creature that radiated the force. Your brows lifted in amazement. How could such a tiny creature, and as you could see, still so weak with the force, have reached you and Luke all the way across the galaxy.

“Are you Jedis?” The Mandalorian’s modulated voice questions.

“We are.” Luke states before spotting the child and extending his hand out to him. “Come, little one.”

“He doesn’t want to go with you,” The Mandalorian snaps.

“He wants your permission. He is strong with the Force - but talent without training is nothing.” your husband calmly explains.

“We will give our lives to protect the Child.” you assure the man in beskar “But he will not be safe until he masters his abilities.”

The Child coos at The Mandalorian who turns in his direction, cradling him into his arms.

“Hey, go on. That’s who you belong with. Their the same as your kind. I’ll see you again. I promise.” the child makes a small sound, before reaching for The Mandalorian’s helmet with his tiny hands and, as if understanding his request, the man lifts his own helmet off his head.

His eyes were wet and tears slid down his cheeks. You knew it wasn’t common for those of his clan to take of their helmets and you understood this to be a private moment. Unlike Luke, who was just staring at them, eagerly waiting for the man to hand over the child to your care. 

“Did you girls do that to the stromtroopers back there?” you ask the women standing at the back of the room, trying to avert the attention away from the moment unfolding next to you.

“Unmh... yeah?!” the one with red hair answers.

“Nice!” you smile at them.

“Y/N.” Luke scolds you, always trying to be the professional one. But you were having too much fun.

“It’s true.” you exclaim, eyeing him “Ah, come on, admit they kicked some ass.”

“You girls did well.” he agrees, nodding in a cordial way in their direction.

“Nah ah, not enough hype.” you scold him, whisking your finger in his direction.

“Y/N-”

“Say it.” 

“You girls...” he trails off looking at you in a I can’t believe you’re making me do this way “kicked some ass.”

They both smile at you in a flattered but quiet thanks as they did not want to disrupt the moment unfolding in front of you between The Mandalorian and the little kid that was about to join you.

The man finally lets the child down and he wobbles his way across to you, and you crouch down picking up the adorable creature that was doing uppy-arms at you.

“May the Force be with you.”  Luke bows, before turning and walking away towards the elevator, you following behind with the child in your arms, who was looking back and waving at the protector he just left.

After the doors close, a smirk finds its way to your lips, a normal reminder of how you loved to tease your husband.

“They really did kick ass.”

“You’re not gonna let this die, are you?”

“Nope.”