#we do have a good chunk of our yard as rock cover too which is great

[smol-and-passionate]

Very gently trying to coax my mom into considering clover for our lawn. She sounded pretty open to the idea when I said it helps put nitrogen back into the soil.

[kyidyl]

Kyidyl Does Archaeology - Part 3

(As before, parts 1 & 2 can be found via the KyidylCL tag.)

THE PITS

So, we’ve got the info about the site and we’ve got the prep work done, so what next? Digging! But archaeologists don’t just randomly dig, we dig in very precise ways. There’s, generally speaking, two ways to make a hole for an archaeologist (and this *doesn’t* apply to burials.  Burials are done differently.): a pit and a trench.  A pit is usually a specific size and meant to uncover a small area.  A trench is a long area that takes a cross section of a specific area and is meant for exposing lots of area.  When you’re doing a whole settlement often a trench is used because of the volume.  We’re doing a mixture, and we started with two 5ftx5ft pits (~1.5 meters for the non-americans in the crowd.  Good rule of thumb for ft --> meters is that 3ft = 1 yard = 1 meter, approximately.  It’s not exact but if you’re trying to imagine how big something is, it’s a good way of thinking about it.).  

Pit one only had 1 interesting thing and I don’t have any pictures of it really so I’m just gonna tell you about it real quick.  In pit 1 we found a feature, which is a spot where the dirt is a different color in an unnatural shape because humans did something.  This particular feature was a post hole from a palisade wall.  That’s interesting for two reasons: 1, the natives didn’t build palisades until they came into conflict with the colonizers. It isn’t that they didn’t need defenses previous to that, it’s that the people they were defending against didn’t have horses or guns.  Once the colonizers arrived, they started copying their method of defense.  2, palisade walls are made of large trees.  To cut them down they were first burned in the place where the cut was made to make cutting them easier.  And this means CHARCOAL.  

Archaeologists love charcoal.  We can date that shit really easily.  And this particular charcoal was sent out for dating.  Came back as 1700s, which makes sense for this area.  It took the colonizers a bit longer to push up into the mountains, so the dates for contact and treaties and that kind of thing are later than official first contact in the 1400s.  So that’s the latest date we have for the site.  

Now, pit 2.  Pit 2 was, and still is, the most interesting pit on the site so far (we’ve opened a number of others, but it’s...lots of plow scars and jumbled artefacts.).  Archaeologists, as I’ve mentioned, dig this kind of stuff in layers.  So for our site (and I know a few of you following me are also archs, so I need you to know this was the site director’s choice not mine. >.<), we have a sod layer, layer 2 - the plow layer, and layer 3 the layer below the plow layer.  General rule of thumb, at least the way I was taught is that you do it in increments or when the dirt changes color, whichever comes first.  So layer 2 for us is pretty thick.  Here’s what the pit looked like at the end of day 1 after we’d gotten the sod off and started bringing it down evenly: 

The bucket is covering the test pit that’s at the center of it.  The string is the boundaries of the pit, but also we attach what’s called a datum to it.  A datum is a known spot above sea level that you use to make measurements as to how deep something is.  It’s basically a string with a line level and you stretch it out until the line level reads, well, level...and then you use a ruler from there down to whatever depth you’re measuring.  So when we find like...arrowheads and points and stuff (and this pit had several) we record where they were by saying “_____ inches BD”, or “below datum”.  

Anyway, you can see already where there are some rocks and differences in color of the dirt.  It’s honestly not all that interesting but I figured you guys might like to see the progression.  This is that same pit about 2-3 working days later, and this is where it started to get interesting: 

Some of the difference in color there is because some soil is freshly exposed and some isn’t.  The pit in the middle is the remains of the test pit.  The lighter dirt at the bottom is sub-soil for this area, so it’s where the plow zone ends.  The rocks may or may not have been added by people, so we record them just in case.  How you deal with rocks depends entirely on where you are digging.  In Florida, where I went to school, rocks are important because 99% of what they’ve got there is sand and shell.  So if you find rocks they were probably put there by people.  Here? Sometimes it’s just part of the ground and sometimes it’s people.  It really depends on how far down you find them.  This is about midway through the pit so it could go either way.  So we do what’s called “pedestaling” where we dig around them and let them sit on a pedestal of dirt.  You’ll see that in a lot of pics going forward.  The reason that we’ve dug those upper corners differently is because we were starting to see soil color changes and we were investigating them separately.  Good thing too, because they both turned out to be part of a large fire pit feature.  Next slide! 

So here you can see that the dirt in those two areas that we’ve dug is a distinctly different color - it’s reddish.  Reddish dirt is a sign that the dirt has been heated, so we’re following the red dirt here.  The digging changes from going in layers to following these features.  And we’re really methodical about it so that we don’t remove too much or too little and lose the line of the feature.  Here we were lucky, all the dirt inside those features was full of tiny specs of charcoal.  And, in the upper left up there - which was my feature to dig - there were huge chunks of charcoal.  Also a really nice piece of pottery.  Well, I mean, comparatively.  It’s still just a large sherd that I accidentally snapped in two while removing but like it counts.  The square in the lower leftish is ust from like the foam I’d been sitting on.  Getting into a pit - rather than digging it from the sides - is something you do NOT do without permission and a lot of care.  Here, the ground is really solid so I wasn’t going to ruin anything by getting in there and the pit was getting too deep to effectively dig from the side, so I spent a lot of time in weird positions on the flat parts of this pit.  So, anyway, here’s a close up of the feature so you can see what I mean about the charcoal: 

Charcoal is very, very black so when you’re digging it stands out bc nothing else is that dark or that bright.  Everything else is covered in dirt. But you can see it there in the top half - it’s those dark flecks and blobs.  There was a ton of it, and when I say a ton, I mean we got I think almost 300g just that DAY.  And y’all know how light charcoal is.  This was the stuff we sent in for c14 testing along with the palisade charcoal and it came back, if I’m remembering right, mid-1300s.  That’s a period called the late woodland. It matches up with the pottery and points we were finding, but I’ll get to that when I start in on the finds.  

Now, I thought you might need some help with this next image so I brought it into procreate and drew on it.  I know it looks like it came before the previous stage, but it didn’t.  What happened is that we brought the whole pit down deeper to expose the edge of the large features.  We also found a post hole in the process! 

So I’ve marked the layers of dirt in the side wall for you so you can see what I mean when I’m talking about them.  I’ve also marked out the bottom of the pit bc this angle made it a little hard to see.  In the upper right you can clearly see the darker dirt of the post hole.  A post hole is exactly what the name implies - someone dug a hole, stuck a post in it, and later the post was removed and filled with moar different dirt and now it’s a different color but in a distinctly unnatural shape.  You can also see that we’ve long ago dug deeper than the test pit.  The area I’ve marked “bridge” is an area of soil that didn’t have charcoal in it between the two pits that did.  There was charcoal throughout that area - hence the blue boundary - but for the features themselves we were following the red dirt.  And if that feature on the right looks deep to you it’s because it *is*.  I dug it out and followed the charcoal and it went *under* the bridge.  

Now you guys probably don’t realize this, but this is like...stupid deep to be finding this kind of stuff.  We’re like 3ft below the surface here and still going down deeper.  Around here the rate of topsoil accumulation is like...an inch every 600 years or so.  The charcoal coming out of this pit is only 700 years old and it’s 3ft below the surface.  So we’re likely looking at a hole that was dug by the natives for their own use.  The thing that was confusing us was that we didn’t see the feature even start until we were almost at the bottom of the test pit so like...8 inches or so down.  (about 16cm.  1inch is approx 2cm.) But then I was looking through some of my earlier images of the pit and I noticed this: 

(north is the same direction in both pics)

The rocks, the ones that could be either nature or people, approximately outlined the areas we’d found the fire pits.  This is why you document shit.  Even though this is still pretty deep to be finding this kind of thing, it at least makes more sense in the context of very disturbed site.  So there might have been more evidence higher up, but it’s in the plow layer so we’ll never know.  So what was the feature? Well, the two features were actually one feature (and you’ll have to wait till tomorrow’s post to find out how I know that.), and I think that might have been one of these: 

(image credit)

Or something similar anyway, but I have to do more research about native cooking methods in this area of the country.  But it would fit with the two holes and a bridge of dirt with no charcoal that we saw while digging.  

Anyway I know this post is super long but I swear we’re almost done.  When we finally finished digging the damned thing it looked like this: 

(here I’m standing on the north side of the pit, so the top is the bottom in the other pics.) 

We think that this might actually be part of another feature so it’s a little...ah...yeah it’s just weird.  Those rocks were definitely from people, so maybe they were lining the bottom of the pit or something.  If I could draw your attention to the black crud in the wall to the right of the pedestaled rocks, I’m gonna tell you one last story about this pit.  That is a burned like...conglomerate of crud.  It isn’t charcoal (charcoal is fuel for the fire, not what they were using the fire to make).  Here’s what it looked like close up: 

(aw yis macro lense)

See those circles? Those are *seeds*.  I sent it to a former prof of mine who is an ethnobotanist for ID and she says she thinks it’s chenopodium AKA goosefoot, which was a staple food for the natives for a long time.  One variety still is: quinoa.  So basically, what we think we’re looking at is a 700 year old cooking accident.  Or, as my professor put it: 

So forgive the length, and I hope you all enjoyed this installment.  =D 

[dopescotlandwarrior]

Beauty Chooses II-Chapter 15

           A special thanks to @statell​ for all your help and wisdom

Previous chapters at AO3

Chapter 15 The Bear

My thigh muscles were burning walking up the steep hill to fetch Faith. She is helping a neighbor make apple and peach pies today and it was time for her lessons. Everywhere I look the fields are ripe and nearly ready to harvest. The summer has gifted us with huge crops from perfect rain and sun. The Ridge will do quite well this year.

I have had a low-boil of excitement for the past two months due to no period. What I wouldn’t give for a nearby Walgreens that sells early pregnancy tests. I will just have to wait and pray I was given another chance.

Once we socialized for a while and I admired the beautiful pies, Faith thanked the neighbor and we left for the trek home. I watched her lesson and was very impressed with the math she was doing wondering what a young lady in the 18th century would do with such a gift. It was making my head hurt to think about it, so I excused myself to lay down for a bit. Fighting fatigue is my greatest challenge lately and I find it best to give in and close my eyes each afternoon.

When the bed shook under me I knew Jamie had come to check on me. His warm hands slid down my arms and I yawned and turned toward him smiling.

“Are ye well, Sassenach?”

“Yes.”

“Ye dinna nap in the day usually, until recently. I canna wait any longer lass. Are ye with child?”

“Yes, I believe I am.”

He exhaled audibly and pulled me to him. He touched me like I might shatter with the slightest pressure and I smiled at him.

“I won’t break sweetheart. Perhaps I can show you just how strong I am?”

I reached for his breeks only to have him capture my hands and kiss them. “Another time my love. We are bringin in Floyd’s fields today and they’re waitin on me.”

He kissed my forehead and jumped from our bed. I knew he would be gone until after sunset and I sighed deeply before getting up myself. I found Faith helping Misses Crook shuck corn cobs in the kitchen and kissed her cheeks until she giggled. Glavia still did lessons with Faith every day but was quick to join the man who was courting her in the afternoon. Several times per week Daniel would come for her and they would walk and talk.

I watched them at social gatherings and saw true interest in Daniel. He watched her, always, when she was away from him and his face lit up when she returned. Glavia was sold into servitude by her parents at a young age, but her sharp intellect allowed her to self learn mathematics, literature, history, and advanced writing. Her hunger for knowledge always impressed me but she was in need of a different kind of lesson. There was no one to look after her adult education pertaining to love, courtship, marriage, and sex. It fell to me as I oversaw this beautiful girl.

“Glavia, would you come to my room, please? I want to have a talk with you.”

We sat cross-legged on my bed which seemed to relax her. We talked about Daniel and how the courtship was going. I could see she was in love by the rosy blush that spread across her face and the whimsical look in her eyes.

“Has he kissed you yet?”

“No mistress!”

“Well, it is quite normal at this stage of courtship to be kissed. Have you told him not to?”

“No, he has not asked me.”

“Do you want him to kiss you?”

“I do!”

“Next time you two are alone, like when he walks you home, if he stops and looks into your eyes you must stay focused on his eyes, do not look down at your feet. That tells a man not to kiss you.”

I could see Glavia’s mind working because she wanted to be kissed and would follow my instructions to the letter.

“He can put his arm around your waist when he kisses you but that is all. If his hands are wandering all over your body, you must break the kiss and run home. He is not an honorable man if he does such a thing. If he courts only you and has not asked for your hand in marriage after six months you must move on and find another suitor. Hard as that may be.”

Glavia stared at me through my dissertation and I knew my warnings were burned into her brain. I hugged her before walking downstairs. Her deer-in-the-headlight look tugged at my heart and I was glad I had not gone any further with her lesson today.

Later when I kissed Faith goodnight she asked for Jamie. She was learning one Gaelic word per night and she had not gotten her word yet. I assured her I would send him up the minute he came home. She is such a sweet little girl. I could not imagine speaking to her about kissing men and letting them hold her waist. I would surely poison them before they ever got near her. I giggled down the stairs at the thoughts I was having.

Faith practiced and used the Gaelic words she was learning every day and she would giggle, or gasp, at Jamie when he spoke Gaelic, reminding us both she could sometimes understand him. She was learning, and waited on her father’s instruction every night. It was not usual for a father to spend dedicated time with a daughter. His job was to save for her dowry and see her married as well as possible. I was immensely proud of Jamie for wanting his daughter to learn all she could from him. They had a special bond because of it. ********************** To my eternal happiness, a period never came for nine months. The birth of this child was not as easy as Faith, but like the first time, Jamie was in the bed with me, coaching and encouraging, no matter how many times the attending ladies asked him to leave. Brian James Alexander Fraser was born on March 19th 1753. He has dark curly hair, piercing blue eyes, and a healthy set of lungs. When the baby cried in the night, I would change his diaper and plug him into a nipple, I slept while he nursed. A couple of hours later he would fuss again and I would turn over and give him the other side. He was an easy baby with an abundance of people to answer his every grunt and cry.

Jamie built a bassinet outside that was strung between two trees so the baby could rest and coo outside while I hung laundry. He was just fed and sleeping quietly so I ran into the house for more laundry. I threw a few pieces into the washtub and felt the hair on my arms stand up at the low growling coming from the yard. When I raised my eyes I almost fainted.

A large brown bear ambled around, sniffing the trees, looking for food. He got closer and closer to the baby and I thought I would have a heart attack. I ran off the porch and picked up large rocks to throw but he was too far away. He kept coming so I ran into the house and grabbed the rifle loading it on the porch while the bear got closer. I would have to shoot across the baby to hit the bear. Hopefully, I could make him run away, grab Brian, and run to the safety of the house.

The beast was acting aggressively and stood on his hind legs, smacking his lips together. An invitation to fight. I raised the rifle to my shoulder, aiming right for his head. If I missed, or just grazed him, he would charge me, and Brian was between us in the bassinet. I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger. The rifle shot was loud and echoed into the canyon and back again. I hit the bear in his face and he roared, charging at me. I loaded the rifle again with shaking hands, pulled it to my shoulder and shot his face again. He veered off to the side screaming in pain. I ran to Brian, scooping him up before running to the front door.

Misses Crook was white-faced when she ran to me and looked me over. Not minutes later, Jamie came charging through the front followed by Murtagh. I was sobbing and Jamie held us while I told him what happened. When he knew we were alright they headed back out in pursuit of the injured bear.

Brian eventually calmed down and Faith pressed into me for the better part of the afternoon. When Glavia took Brian to the nursery I turned my attention to Faith who was very pale. I hugged her to me and told her not to worry. First bear on the ridge in almost eight years, there wasn’t likely to be another.

Misses Crook called us to eat but I wasn’t hungry. The sun was going down and Jamie wasn’t back yet. The bear must be leading them on a good chase into the forest and when it was so dark to be completely black the bear would turn around and eat them. I shook my head hard to rid the image in my mind and went back to the window.

Some of the men built a large bonfire to guide them back if they were lost, by the light of the flames or by smell. Once Faith was in her bed with Glavia to read to her I went outside to speak with the neighbors. As I approached a cheer went up as Jamie and Murtagh emerged from the trees. They were both bloody and my heart fell as I ran to them.

“Thank ye for the fire, yer good friends to stand out here in the cool night. The bear is still alive, for now anyway, we will gather at first light and try again.”

Someone asked why they were bloody if they had wounds to mend. I was already looking them both over and could see no wounds or punctures from long teeth. I continued to look.

“It isna our blood, Sassenach, I’m not hurt, dinna fash. After sunset, the bear came back and attacked from behind. He grabbed both of us and I shoved my rifle into his mouth and let him chew on the barrel while we got to our feet. He took it, so I’ll be needin to borrow a rifle in the morning.” Jamie pointed at Murtagh, “if the same amount of blood is on me, the bear will bleed out by morning. We can hope.”

Jamie didn’t want to use up all the stored water in the house so he and Murtagh bravely turned toward the stream. I knew it would be intensely uncomfortable in the chilly night air. I grabbed two blankets and followed them.

“Thank ye Sassenach, but yer too far from the house now to walk back alone.”

I used my torch to find them in the water and handed each of them a chunk of soap and inspected their shirts before turning my back. I held the blankets out and felt one pull off my arm, and then the other. Thinking they were both covered by their blanket I turned around to take their clothes and poor Murtagh was hopping in place, trying to free his foot from his trousers. I whipped around again and squeezed my eyes shut as if that would erase the image from my mind.

We all pushed toward home, me, and two half-frozen Highlanders, and it was all I could do to keep my hysterical laughter from erupting. I left them at the fire to warm up and raced to my room where I buried my face in a pillow and let it rip. Bare butt cheeks were only half of it. In the shadow of my torch, I could clearly see Murtagh’s penis bouncing up and down when he hopped. I dared not go back downstairs and wondered if I could ever see Murtagh from behind without laughing. Thank goodness he was unaware.

Misses Crook placed hot bowls of stew in front of the men and kept them full until they both pushed away from the table. Jamie staggered into our room and collapsed on the bed. He smelled delicious and his naked body was filling my mind with things not so funny. I ran my hand over his gorgeous butt and received a loud snore for my efforts. I tried several times to wake him and if he hadn’t been snoring, I might think him dead. I gave up and pulled his lifeless arm over me, that was enough to fall asleep.

I was up in time to see the large gathering of men outside. Many had a rifle, some had a pitchfork. Jamie split them into two groups and taught them a strange whistle to be used when someone found the bear or its blood trail. Many wives ran out to fill their husband's pockets with dried meat and fruit only to have Jamie explain it would bring bears in from every direction and the gifts were pulled out of pockets instantly.

These were brave men who hung on Jamie’s every word. Murtagh went with one group, Jamie with the other, and they disappeared into the trees. I hugged the women and told them not to worry. I suggested we all look for herbs and mushrooms today. The women looked into the trees and shook their heads before scattering to their houses.

Glavia pulled the nursery window open a few inches and I could hear Brian making quite a fuss. Nice hint Glavia, I’m coming.

I was deep into the front yard when I heard him and walked quickly toward the house. Before I reached the front door, I felt my milk let down and my breasts tingle sharply. I started running up the stairs and grabbed Brian to my breast as it flowed into the fabric of my shift. I sat back in the rocking chair panting from my constricting corset and smiled at Faith.

“Good morning, darling. Did you have pleasant dreams?”

Faith put her hand on my leg and looked at her feet. It was clear she was still traumatized from the bear incident and my heart broke.

“Faith, do not worry. Your father has lots of men with him today and they will all stay safe together.”

Faith spoke quickly and I could see she was unsettled. Her words were half Gaelic and half English, and I felt a giggling pride that she had been so devoted to her father’s language. Glavia confessed that Faith requested Gaelic when she spoke to tenants and they were only too happy to correct her pronunciation and teach her the words she lacked to answer them. She looked at me sharply for laughing but I felt my eyes well up with tears and she knew how proud I was of her.

“I have never been so proud of you little girl. Now, I have a new lesson to teach you. Courage.”

“No mama, I am too fearful. I will never be unafraid, as you are, and I canna make myself. I’ve tried.”

“Fearful.” I rolled the word off my tongue thinking of the best way to explain fear. “I am quite familiar with fear actually, it is something I live with every day. It’s either making me shake or hovering in my head ready to fill me with dread at the slightest provocation. I dare say Glavia feels fear often, do you not my dear?”

Glavia nodded her head vigorously.

“Courage simply means feeling the fear and doing the act anyway. Yes, that about sums it up.” I smiled at my explanation until I saw the confusion in Faith’s expression.

“Darling, do you remember when I hit the man with my parasol? I was hugely afraid at that moment, but I hit him anyway because it was the only thing I could do. Courage is like the cavalry riding in to save you, or someone you love, when danger is near.”

“Cavalry.” She tasted the word with a strange expression.

“Sorry, a bit too soon for that word. Courage is that bit in you that rises up in the face of danger and does whatever is necessary to save yourself or someone you care about. It has bigger muscles than your fear and will save you. Yes, that’s better.”

Brian burped loudly in my ear as his head rolled in his sleep. I put him in Glavia’s outstretched hands and turned to my sweet daughter.

“The time will come when you will feel tremendous fear and the way to safety will be clear in your mind. You will do what needs to be done because you know it’s the right thing to do. Each time you do it, will be easier.”

Faith wrapped her arms around my waist and seemed a bit more composed when she left with Glavia to get a snack before lessons. I stayed in the soothing rocking chair and thought about all the times courage pulled me through something scary. Waking up in Jamie’s wood the first time, sailing to France not knowing where I might wake up the next day, walking through the stones, and running to save my family when the redcoats were twenty feet from us. I shook my head to make it stop because my heart was banging in my ears. I dearly hoped Faith would not experience a fraction of that.

I wondered how long it takes to find an injured bear and decided to read on the front porch to be available in case other wives came for news of the hunt. I squinted against the sun making my eyes water and kept them closed until the sting went away. Sometime later, I moved my eyeballs side to side under my lids, aware of the passage of time. My face was in the shadow of the porch when I opened them so I must have fallen asleep some time ago. I felt my smile as I stretched and then froze seeing a large animal not five feet from me.

The bear was walking straight toward me and I couldn’t move. It was huge and dripping blood behind him. I wondered if Jamie was close by and prayed fervently that he was. He was closer now. When I saw his front feet on the steps to the porch the alarm bells were ringing in my ears, I was hyperventilating, but I still couldn’t move. I would have to run past the beast to reach the front door and I couldn’t make myself do it. As I debated my plan the front door swung open and Misses Crook jumped out, followed by Faith and Glavia. They had pots and wooded spoons to beat on them making such a noise it scared the bear and he ran back down the stairs. I jumped to my feet ushering the woman back into the house and slamming the door.

I dropped to my knees and held Faith closely while I panted for air.

“That, my darling, is the very definition of courage. Thank you, all of you, for saving me!”

We crowded close to the window to see the bear, but he was gone. We continued to look until it jumped in front of the window on its hind legs growling at the sight of us. We all screamed and clung to each other. The bear was growling with his horrible mouth wide open and I prayed he would not bang into the glass and get us. I looked around for the rifle before I remembered it was lost and pulled the women away from the window. I told them to run for the nearest neighbor while I distracted the bear. They refused and I implored Glavia to run Faith to safety and scowled at Misses Crook.

The bear was getting frustrated. He could see us but could not get us, so he started pounding on the glass. I screamed at Misses Crook to hide upstairs with the baby. He pounded louder and I have never been so scared. I watched the bear shoot sideways with human hands clutching the fur on his neck and a shiny dirk plunge deep into the neck squirting blood sideways. I could see Jamie on his back, as the bear thrashed the dirk was brought down into his neck again and again. I watched in horror at the huge quantity of blood that pooled on the patio boards and covered Jamie.

Like it was slow motion, he plunged the dirk into the neck and moved it side to side violently. I could tell the bear was losing his strength as it tried to stand up and roar one last time. The bear fell forward with Jamie rolling to the side and getting to his feet. Brave Jackson ran to Jamie with a rifle pointed at the beast’s head. They stood still while the blood pumped out of the animal. There was no more life in the bear so ropes were tied to its legs and he was dragged off the porch and away.

I could hear Brian screaming and raced upstairs to find Misses Crook pacing with a hysterical baby. I took him and dropped into the rocking chair, telling her the bear was quite dead. I rocked my sweet son and hummed to him while I offered a nipple. It took several minutes for him to stop crying and finally latch onto me. I smiled down at him and tried to keep my face calm. “I can be your hero baby I can kiss away the pain I will stand by you forever You can take my breath away”

“I’ve ne’er heard that song mistress.”

My head snapped up, forgetting Misses Crook was still in the room. “It’s Enrique Iglesias, one of my favorites.” She blinked at me like she had never been to my century.

“Could you find Glavia and Faith and bring them home?”

“Aye.”

I watched Brian sleep in my arms. I knew there was chaos happening outside, but for now, it was just me and Brain and all was right in the world. When I had indulged myself enough, I put the baby in his cradle and went downstairs to wait for the women. I thought about Glavia and how sparkling happy she had been lately. My happiness for her ground to a halt and I counted on my fingers how many months it had been since Daniel first came to call on her. I was quite upset I had not watched more closely because by my count it had been well over a year. What could Daniel be waiting for I wondered?

“Glavia, may I speak to you please, before the lesson? How is it going with your suitor, Daniel?”

Her smile illuminated her face for a moment but was quickly replaced with concern. She looked at me strangely, almost like fear.

“It has been over a year Glavia. Has he talked about marriage, has he asked you?”

“No mistress, not yet.”

“He calls on you several times a week, what do you two talk about?”

When she looked at the floor, she tried to answer which was little more than stammering. I was flooded with fear for her suddenly and my question just flew out of my mouth.

“Glavia, has he asked for more than a kiss?”

She shook her head no and started to cry. Now I was really confused. I pulled her to the sofa and calmed myself before asking what her tears were for. It took a bit of time before she answered me.

“He has not asked to kiss me yet. I have done what you said, I look at him when we are together and he gets quiet but he has not asked.”

“Oh dear. Does he act fond of you?”

“Yes, he writes beautiful poetry for me, about love and devotion. He reads it to me out loud and says he wrote the poem for me.”

Her eyes became misty and full of love, but I had not a clue how to guide her. Well, I know what I would have done in this situation.

“Glavia, your courtship has gone on too long. I’m afraid people will talk about you in an unkind way that may interfere with other men courting you, if it comes to that. So, it’s time to say goodbye to Daniel.” When she protested, loudly, I decided it couldn’t hurt to tell her what I would do. “There is one more thing you can try. If he truly loves you, this will work. You kiss him.”

“What?! I couldn’t do such a thing!”

“You can, and you will, because you don’t want to say goodbye. It’s not so bad. Next time you two are alone where no one can see you, just hold his face and kiss him.”

“Hold his face?”

“Softly, like this, and look directly into his eyes, and then..”

“What’s this then?”

I heard Jamie’s voice from the front door and snapped my head up to see him wrapped in a blanket again after washing in the river.

“Do you mind if I use you to demonstrate how to kiss?”

He perked up, “I dinna mind mo chridhe.” He walked to me smiling and looking at my lips. I could tell he meant to lead so I put my hand up to stop him.

“I want you to act like you are not expecting a kiss.”

When he started asking questions, I tenderly held his face and softly kissed him. I felt his arms reach for me after that and suggested he dress before there is any more kissing. He looked cheated but went up the stairs to our room. I turned to Glavia and smiled.

“See? It’s easy, well maybe not the first time because you will be nervous. Maybe you would like to try with Murtagh?”

She shook her head yes and I called the unsuspecting man over to us. “Murtagh, before you disappear to dress can we borrow you for a minute?”

He approached with his usual scowl and Glavia bravely stood up, held his face, and kissed him. And then he fainted dead away.

“Oh dear God, Murtagh… Murtagh, wake up.”

I slapped his cheek a bit and his eyes opened as he scooted back away from us. Glavia was apologizing and walking toward him so he got to his feet and ran to his room. Maybe I should have warned him.

“That was magnificent! Seriously, you did it just right and I’m sure Daniel will not react that way. How do feel about the kiss, can you do it with Daniel?”

“I feel fine about kissing and yes I can do it, this evening when we take our walk.”

With that, she turned to the stairs to start Faith’s lesson. I felt rather wicked for not warning Murtagh and all the talk of kissing was making me uncomfortable. I decided to help Jamie get dressed for his afternoon of chores and maybe a quick explanation of causing Murtagh to faint, the poor man.

I had to help Jamie off the floor he was laughing so hard at Murtagh’s reaction to being kissed. I admit I was almost losing it myself and didn’t know who was helping who up. I was quite sure Murtagh would not speak to me for quite some time, but it was worth it. Glavia seemed to have confidence enough to kiss her boyfriend and I was on pins and needles all evening, waiting for her to come home. It was unusually late when I finally heard the front door open. Jamie and the rest of the household were fast asleep already.

Glavia pressed her back against the door and sighed deeply. She looked weird but I couldn’t put my finger on why.

“How was your evening Glavia?”

She rolled her head to look at me and smiled like she was high. Uh oh. “Well, did you do it?”

She drifted to me like her feet were not touching the ground. When she got closer, I could see the area around her mouth was red and looked painful. Then it hit me, they kissed so much he scratched her delicate skin with his beard. I looked again and decided that was a lot of kissing. Glavia floated upstairs without a word and I prayed a proposal would be coming soon. I made a vow, then and there, to be more careful with the advice I gave.

I waited patiently for the next two weeks, hoping Daniel would speak to Jamie about asking for Glavia’s hand but it never happened. After each date, Glavia would float in with a red mouth and say goodnight. Clearly, I had to meddle in her affairs one more time. When Jamie and I were in bed I broached the subject.

“Jamie, darling, I think you need to speak with Daniel about his intentions for Glavia. It’s been over a year they have been seeing each other and I am worried about her reputation. Will you speak to him, to Daniel, please?”

“Do I order him to marry the lass, or ask why he hasna already?”

“Well, tell him a year of courtship is long enough so he must marry her or never see her again.”

I could feel Jamie thinking about that and he undoubtedly thought it harsh, but I was the one to protect her reputation, so I would keep asking him. A month later, Daniel asked Jamie after church if he might speak with him later in the afternoon. Jamie agreed and I almost fainted with relief. This better be what I think it is or I will throttle that boy myself.

There was great excitement on the Ridge today as we prepared for the harvest festival which usually lasted all night and into the next day. The men had been hunting all week and there was already a pig, three turkeys, and a deer roasting outside. Misses Crook and I made numerous trips to the big tables outside bringing plates of bannocks, fruit salad, and bread. The tables were filling up quickly as we went back to the house for more food. Glavia would not be lending a hand this afternoon. She was sitting on her bed waiting for Daniel’s visit to be over so she could pump Jamie for information.

I thought the door to Jamie’s study was closed for an awfully long time, feeling my relief when Daniel dashed for the front door. I was already dressed for the party and poked my head in to look at my husband. He sat quietly, contemplating his universe and whatever was happening in it. I raised my eyebrows when he looked up and he beckoned me in to sit with him.

“Daniel has asked for Glavia’s hand and I gave my permission, now I feel afraid for the lass because her husband wilna make her happy.” He stood up and walked toward me lifting me and holding me close by my waist. “Tell me Sassenach, are all women like ye? Because Daniel wilna do what I do to ye.”

His eyes were burning with the question because Daniel presented himself as chaste and held that virtue in the highest regard. He knew how to create offspring but saw sex at other times sinful.

“If Glavia is like ye she will have a lonely life.” He pushed the hair behind my ear and looked me in the eye while he ran his fingers down my chest and over my nipple. “I fear he is pious and will not stimulate her interest in the world.”

“Jamie. She is in love and there is no telling her otherwise. Do not take on the burden of her happiness. It is up to Glavia to seek her marital bliss and I have faith in her.”

We were temporarily sidetracked by kissing and celebrating our mutual love, physical and spiritual. The house was filling with the smell of roasting meat and we could hear music and clapping outside. I pulled Jamie to the door and he seemed to shake off his concern and smile in anticipation of the party ahead. Later I saw Daniel steer Glavia away from the party and they disappeared. I sighed deeply hoping I was right about their union because it would soon be too late to undo this.

I bundled Brian up in his blankets and got back to the party in time to see Jamie dancing with his daughter as the crowd clapped. She was in full hero-worship as she watched his feet and copied him to the beat of the music. My eyes stung watching them. She seemed so grown up and was so loved by her father.

Later, I steered Faith toward home and helped her into bed suddenly aware of her need for a Gaelic word from Jamie. She answered me in a string of Gaelic and then translated, “he gave me two words last night.” I kissed her cheeks a dozen times and pulled the quilt up to her chin before turning down the lamp.

“You are my angel, goodnight.”

I put a sleeping Brian into his cradle and went downstairs to help Misses Crook with the catastrophic mess in the kitchen. I could see she was dead on her feet and ordered her to bed. I was still wide awake, waiting for Glavia to come home and tell me her good news.

She came through the door a changed woman, brimming with love, and seeing images of her wedding in her mind. I hugged her to me, so happy she had won her love and determined to meddle when the time was right so she would understand seduction and physical love.

Once Glavia was upstairs with the children I rejoined the party and a drunk Scot assaulted me pulling me to dance with him. I laughed until I lost step with the music, panting from my corset. Jamie whisked me away from the smoke of the fire and by the time I could breathe my back was against a tree and said Scot was chasing my mouth. He pressed into me asking forgiveness and kissed me deeply. I tried to see behind him to verify we were out of sight when my skirts came up to my waist and he pulled me up. My legs went around him and I lowered my head to kiss him as his cock slowly filled me. Christ, what a feeling it was when he first pushed into me. I leaned back against the tree and watched his arousal take off and his pace quicken. He held my head down on his lips and when I pushed away to breathe, he pulled my jacket open and exposed my breasts. That did it. I was in the race to finish with him and almost lost consciousness from my damn corset. My orgasm gripped him hard enough to make him grunt and he followed me into the erotic wind. I felt his kisses on my neck when I opened my eyes. He set me down on my feet and he hugged me closely before we giggled about our adventure.

Jamie was walking back to the house with me when several men were calling him to join in the games. I smiled and pushed him toward the party, wanting him to enjoy this night of fun that came only once a year. I banked the fire and turned the lamps down before heading upstairs reaching behind me to grab one of my laces and failing. I peeked into the nursery and Brian and Faith were sound asleep. Glavia whispered to me and I almost shot out of my skin. I pulled her to my room and closed the door. She helped me out of my corset and into a robe so we could talk.

She described the way Daniel proposed to her and thought it the most romantic speech ever said. I found it devoid of emotion and pious, suddenly sharing Jamie’s concern for her happiness. We would have to see how long dear Daniel can resist a beautiful, young, wife who is schooled in seduction. I would make sure Glavia knew what to do, even if it meant Murtagh fainting again, or worse. On second thought, maybe we should leave Murtagh out of this. What I intended to teach her wasn’t as innocent as a kiss.

[nrsranger]

2.5

Hosnian System

Recon Flight

1min out from Distress Signal

0735 hrs

Four X-wings zipped and zoom narrowly missing Asteroids. No one said anything partly because they were too stund to react but mostly they were too busy concentrating on not crashing. But once they cleared most of the thicker section Joker broke the silence.

“Admiral, this is Recon Leader, this asteroid field is too dense. I have no clear coordinates for your Micro-jump but I’m still working on it.” Joker said into his comm unit

“Understood Recon Leader, Haako, alert the bridge to set a course to that distress signal, and reach it as soon as we can!” Joker heard Thadmin say over the comm

“Recon Flight lock S-foils in attack position we don’t know what we're going to be up against, Brawl and I are going to make a close pass by the station to see if we can raise them on close comms. 11, Book secure a perimeter around the station.” Joker ordered

“Roger that Joker” 11 said

“Recon Flight Leader, this is the Admiral. It will take us 30 minutes to reach the station,” Thadmin said.

Raysho Station was a large station several Kilometers, wide and several Kilometers wide. Protruding out from the station like branches on a tree was docking bays for larger ships several Nebulon-B and C Frigates were docking receiving minor repairs, the wreckage of smaller Corellian Cruisers that were being resupplied floated nearby. Currently under construction was a Star Hawk Class Heavy Cruiser, which took heavy damage during the, whatever disaster wiped out the Hosnian System.Currently it appeared dead in Space, no lights and no presevable power usage emanate from the Station. Making a close pass of the station Joker spoke into his comm.

“Raysho Space Station 04-86, This is Recon Flight Leader Callsign Joker, please respond.” Joker said broadcasting on all New Republic Frequency. After a few moments of a static comm Joker said

“Raysho Station Please Respond”

“Joker! Deck 4 fourth window in, the lights are flashing” Brawl said.

“Raysho Station this is Joker if you can hear me flick the lights on and off three times” Joker said hoping they could hear and their transmitter was shot. He smiled as the lights blinked on, then off, then on then off and finally on and off. The smile wore off as they began to blink randomly. First four times then a break, then eight times, then a break, then six times then another break, and finally the window flashed on and off.

“Raysho Station, this is Joker, what? I don’t understand” Joker said confused

No further information was revealed as the lights went on and off four times then eight times, then six times, then once.

“Joker, 4861 I think it could be a communications frequency.” Brawl said

“Raysho Station, is 4861 a communication frequency, once for no twice for yes' ' Joker asked, he whooped in triumph as the lights went on and off twice. Tuning into that frequency he said into his comm, “Great thinking Brawl.”

“Raysho Space Station 04-86, This is Recon Flight Leader Callsign Joker I am from NRS Ranger, please respond.” Joker repeated

“Joker?” came a garbled voice. “All our systems have been overloaded, we are in the process of repairing them.”

“Raysho Station, what happened here?” Joker asked

“We don’t fully know we are still piecing it together from our sensor long, but some sort of super laser destroyed the entire Hosnian System almost simultaneously.” The voice said

Their conversation was interrupted as Book said into the comm “Joker we got incoming, six fighters and four landing craft.”

“Raysho Station be advised we have incoming fighters and landing craft, are any of your defensive opprable?” Joker said into the comm

“Negative Joker, shields are off line, all turrets are damaged, and all ships in the yard are either destroyed, disabled or unfinished.” The man in the comm said.

“Roger Raysho Station the odds are not favorable but we will make short work of them.” Joker said, mustering his courage and optimism. Joker then spoke into his comm “Firebird, did you hear all that?”

“Roger Joker, A-Wings have been scrambled E.T.A five minutes our Maires have also been scrambled to aid in the defence of the station, L.t Risa is trying to find clear coordinates for a micro jump but as of yet, no luck.” Alek briefed.

“So it looks like we have to take out these one on our own” Joker said

“Yes Joker” Alek said

“Outnumbered 6-to-2 we got this well in hand” Joker boasted

“Joker your only outumber 6-to-4” Alek said

“Mmmm no 6-to-2 and 2 rookies” Joker teased

“Just remember to save them some kills” Alek said “they need the practice”

Just then Book came over the comm “Attention Unknown aircraft stand down or be fired upon, repeat stand down”

“Book, 11 if he’s in range, open fire!” Alek said

“Sorry Sir, New Republic Standard Operation Procedure 21-57 Do not fire until fired upon” Book said

“Remember that little chat we had yesterday evening, take it to heart Book” Alek said

“Unknown AirCraft We will not fire until apon, turn from your course” Book ordered through his comm

“Joker Brawl, go rescue their butts” Alek said

“We’re going full throttle but we won't reach them in time, Firebird” Brawl said.

“Book for once in your life break protocol and open fire!” Alek said

It was too late, the two lead TIE Fighters opened fire, concentrating fire on 11’s X-Wing, it exploded into dust, the fireball extended, eating up all the oxygen in the cockpit before disappearing entirely. The last thing resounding in Dormans ear was Yarn shouting his name as if to ask for help.

“Dang Ferrik Book you should have fired when you could,” Alek said, his voice dripping with disappointment.

Book instead of taking the fighter head on, he peeled left firing as he went with a couple of bolts striking the TIE Fighters but they were absorbed by their shields.

“They got shields!” Book shouted

“Noted” Joker said as he and Brawl were in range and began to open fire, combining they were able to knock out one. Two TIE Fighters peeled off and followed Book as the other three confronted Joker and Brawl.

“Brawl cover Book I got these three!” Joker said

“On it” Brawk seethed having to go rescue someone who got his wingman killed

Brawl peeled off to go save Book who at this point was jinking and juking hanging on my the seat of his fightsuit. Brawl screamed into the kill zone of the TIE FIghters

“They don't know I’m behind them yet so we only got one chance Book on my mark peel right” Brawl said lining up his shot

“...O.K, I’m ready” Book said shakely

“Now!” Brawl said

Book slammed to the right as Brawl opened fire on the leftmost TIE fighter blasting him into oblivion, there was no fireball in this explosion it was merely a shockwave of dust. The other TIE Fighter turned left trying to get behind Brawl.

“Book he's trying to get behind me intercept him and don’t hesitate” Brawl said

Book continued his turn until he made a 270 degree turn just as the Tie Fighter was finishing his 270 degree turn. Book open fired with all four laser cannons, making its destiny WAP WAP WAP WAP sound. The TIE Pilot open fired a moment after. All bolts hit their marks, the X-wings bolts scored hits to the left wing cockpit connector separating it entirely causing it to spiral out of control then exploding in the fireless explosion. The TIE fighters bolts hit the first three knocked out Books Shields, the last one hit the X-Wing’s nose throwing Book around but ultimately he regained control.

“I’m Going to help Joker, Book knock out those transports' ' Brawl said, turning his X-Wing to where Joker was circling a large chunk of planetary remains being persuaded by the Three TIE Fighter Joker was leaving the three fighters in the dust.

“These things aren't too fast” Joker remarked as he kept circling the chunk of rock.

When the TIE’s were behind the Asteroid Brawl flew right up to the asteroid and counter to Joker’s path. Three seconds later Joker zoomed by him then the three TIEs were in sight and Brawl let loose with all blaster cannons. He disenterraged the center TIE, the one on the left tried to roll out of the way but crashed into the asteroid, the right TIE seeing he was now outnumbered broke his circular course and headed toward the station.

“I got him,” Joker said confidently, breaking his path and chasing down the lone TIE then with three shots the TIE exploded.

“How are you coming with those transports, Book” Joker asked, throwing the throttle all the way forward.

“I destroyed one, but I can’t get the other three, they're too far away!” Book frustrated into the comm.

Joker saw the three transports 50 meters from the docking bay of the station, he held down the trigger firing aimlessly and out of range. The blaster bolts that came close to the transports were absorbed by the shields.

“Raysho Station! We couldn't get to those transports prepared to be boarded” Joker said on the specific frequency.

“Roger Joker, about how many borders should we be expecting?”

“Three Drop ships I’m estimating 50-60 men.” Joker said

“Roger Joker, our marine team is only made up of 20 lightly armed troopers” the voice said “can you provide any more assistance”

“Joker this is Noodles, The Blue Birds A-Wing Aces are here” Noodles said over the comm

“Raysho station is being boarded. Can you help with that?” Joker said over the comm

“Oh good thing we brought along several transports full of angry Wookies” Noodles said nonchalantly.

“Release the beast!!” Joker shouted over the comm

“Raysho station, stand by for assistance Ranger has lovingly given us 24 of the toughest meanest and most elite wookies Kashyyk can provide.” Joker said

[mononoavvare]

We miss you, come back from the war

     @mita-rashi

     It takes him five months to get to and back from the far end of the Land of Islands on his mission as a guard for a small caravan of goods and their merchants. The journey would usually take him about four, but he’s waylaid in the Land of Water of all places, just after he crossed over the last ocean straight between the two countries. 

          He meets this monk, you see. 

     Sai happens upon the old man on accident, which is how the vast majority of his socializing seems to start-- the Land of Islands is a series of, get this, Islands, just a little too large to be considered an archipelago but still a series of many dots of land separated by slips of ocean and connected by long stretches of bridges. It’s very flat, very quaint, and very fucking boring. He thinks maybe it’s been days since he’s seen a tree, and he finds he actually misses those more than he misses the company of man, because trees make travel faster, easier, and more subtle, and for now he’s just kind of stuck trotting along alone on the caked-brown dirt of the roads and over their deep strips of ocean via their ugly, rickety bridges. 

    It’s over one of those ugly, rickety bridges that he hears The Commotion. There’s no cursing, just thrashing in the water below-- and when he peers over the edge of the bridge, he spots a man waist-deep in the shallows, shirtless, hopelessly tangled in some kind of net and thrashing with his head stuck under water. So of course, Sai does whatever any self-respecting samaritan would do, and he considers continuing on his way. But no, the man looks pretty stuck, and he definitely hasn’t taken a breath in the ten seconds he’s been watching, so he hops down there and stands on the surface of the water, reaches down with a kunai and cuts the net and then hauls the man out of the water by his bicep and kind of just holds him in midair, his toes just barely hanging in the water. 

     It’s shockingly easy. The skinny, shirtless little man weighs almost nothing. Sai’s pretty sure if he tossed him he would easily make it the hundred yards to shore. The man coughs and splutters and hacks out water for a moment, thrashing in Sai’s grip before he realizes he is no longer drowning but he is certainly still trapped, and he gives Sai and his crop top and his tanto and his hitai-ate a suspicious look for a moment, still breathing raggedly. 

          “Hello,” Sai says pleasantly. 

          “You cut the net,” says the funny old man, his voice nasally and a little shrill. 

     “Would you rather I let you drown?” The question is butter-mild, and he carefully holds the old man aloft by his arm and carries him to the bank of the creek, before depositing him on solid ground. The old man falls on his ass, and struggles out of the remains of the net wrapped around his shoulders and his neck. It is only now that Sai realizes he isn’t just shirtless, he’s quite naked. He watches him struggle with the rope for a few moments more, limbs flopping quite pathetically, before leaning down and stilling him with a touch and cutting the rest of the net from him. He stares down at the man, and the man looks up at him curiously. 

          “Thank you, shinobi-san,” he seems almost reluctant to say it. 

     Sai gives him the same plastic smile he reserves for all social situations where he really doesn’t know what to do, and he replies, “you’re welcome, naked stranger,” and does not give the man is name. 

     He does, however, give the man his traveling cloak and walk beside him on the shoreline where the man had just nearly drowned. The man offers no name of his own and no explanation for his little escapade in the water, and Sai doesn’t ask, because he hardly thinks it’s his business what a man gets up to in his free time. Instead the man asks him about any news he’s heard from the world at large, and Sai replies as best he can, having been on the road a while. The old man leads him all the way to a squat house hidden deep in a little inlet, takes him inside, and makes him a cup of dandelion root and kelp tea. He gets dressed as their drinks steep, muttering to himself the whole while. 

     He sits across from Sai at the tiny wooden table and up at him, seeming troubled. “You’re a strange one,” is all he can seem to come up with when he finally comments. 

     “Am I?” Sai responds absently, lifting the tea to his face and sniffing it, then taking a careful sip. It’s hot and more than a little bitter, but it was made for him and so he will drink it. “I cannot call you naked-stranger any longer, can I?” 

    The man shakes his head with a weary sigh and mutters something else under his breath, and then replies, “You may call me monk, if I must call you shinobi. It can be our little charade.”

          Sai smiles beatifically at Monk and says only: “Okay.”

     Somehow the monk gets him to agree to accompanying him to a temple in the low and ragged cliffs in the north of the Land of Water-- technically still on the way back home, but not exactly the swiftest path. He doesn’t think it takes a lot of convincing on the monk’s end. Sai is bored as hell, and at least the old man provides a little life to the dull days of travel. 

     The man jabs him in the side once with his fingers, not hard enough to hurt but Sai still flinches from it anyway, and the monk laughs at him when he sees Sai had instinctively pulled a kunai out from the sudden movement, but he doesn’t comment on it. The ink that’s sunken into his skin shifts restlessly, peeking out of the collar of his shirt and that passes without comment as well. 

     The Land of Islands turns into a series of larger chunks of stone and sand settled into the sea, higher crests, with stubborn plant life in the salty, hot breeze  and some jagged columns of rock. The temple that the monk leads him to is-- well, he thinks it might qualify as a shrine, if they were in Konoha. It’s quite small, with low doorways and made completely of stone. Also, covered in cobwebs. It looks like no one has been here for years. 

          “Monk-san,” he begins evenly. “Is this your temple?”

     The old man grunts, wrestling the doors at the other end of the little temple open to let in a cross-breeze. “As much as anything can be mine,” he responds, and at Sai’s questioning look he elaborates, “I don’t own anything, shinobi-san. Do you?” 

     There’s a long pause, because Sai is not sure how to answer that question. Does he? He owns his clothing and his weapons, he supposes. His books. Though technically everything he owns is dedicated to serving the village, so perhaps he owns nothing at all? Watching the monk watch him offers him no answers on this front. Is it better to own things or to not own them? Perhaps he is simply a thing to be owned? Is that right? He can’t remember, his head hurts, so he cocks his head to the side and asks, “was the home you took the clothes from not yours?”

          The man simply says, “not really,” and Sai thinks: well, fair enough.

     So he takes his sandals off and ducks inside, touching his fingers to the smooth stone walls and the writing inscribed in them, fascinated by the vague artwork of some forgotten man, carved into the temple and faded from age. He thinks it’s a story of some sort. When he looks back to the monk, the monk is watching him, brows furrowed. 

          “Do you know where you come from, shinobi-san?”

     Sai tilts his head, considers, and he says, “Not really.” He was shaped in and he serves Konoha, but beyond that he hasn’t a clue-- this has never bothered him before and it doesn’t start now, he simply watches the old man back, blankly. 

          A grunt, and then, “Well alright then. Would you like to hear a story?” 

     Contemplating this question with as much gravity as the last one, Sai finally decides: sure, why not? He sits when the old man gestures for him to do so, and listens as a tale is told. For a monk, he is a very entertaining storyteller, if not one that makes a lot of sense-- it begins with a spirit, wise but not too wise, kind but not too kind, building a shelter from the storm. No, he thinks he has it confused, maybe. Perhaps it was the storm that came first, an angry god striking out, plucking souls from the ground and the sea with the help of his pack of hunting hounds. And then the not-too-wise and not-too-kind spirit comes in, because he doesn’t want any more souls to be stolen, and he builds the people a shelter. Just the one? Sai had asked, and the monk had shushed him. He wishes he could have understood the tale better, because it seems like one Kakashi may have liked. You know, because of the dogs. 

          The monk pauses, and Sai asks him, “is that it?”

          An exasperated look. “This is the shelter, this temple.”

     “Oh,” he says. And then: “Well, it’s nice of you to look after it, monk-san. Do you need any help cleaning it up? It seems like it’s just been sheltering spiders for a while.” 

     The monk gives him a strange look but acquiesces, getting to his feet and groaning as his bones creak. Sai hauls water from the sea and scrubs the dirt out of the corners with the strange little monk, until the musty smell is replaced with salt and the cool breeze. He stays the night in the shelter and listens to the thunder of a sea-storm rumble in the distance, and the roar of waves crashing against the shore somewhere below, and he thinks he understands, a little, where the myth came from. 

     The monk is not in the temple when he wakes in the morning, and Sai spends a few minutes sitting and peering at the carved, ancient art on the walls, before reaching into his pouch and pulling out a couple of rounded pieces of sea glass, a feather from a gull, and a couple of crushed prunus flowers and leaving them in a neat pile in the center of the floor. 

          He closes the doors behind him when he leaves. 

[ramblinganthropologist]

N7 Challenge - Indoctrination

Summary: Alistair muses over indoctrination, Reapers, and the possibility of wet tail as he visits the Council chamber after his final battle with Saren. He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but he couldn’t stay away. Lucky for him, he wasn't the only one with that feeling.

(Post ME1, pre ME2)

---

It was amazing just how fast they were rebuilding the Citadel.

“You'd hardly believe the place was blasted by Reapers... but maybe that's the point.”

Alistair knew he was talking to himself, but that was ok. There was nobody around to hear him, and even if there was the noise of construction would drown out anything he had to say. After surviving what he had... he had earned the right to a small conversation with himself.

It was in the Alliance hand book. Page 3, subsection 4 – if the Citadel lands on you and you don't beef it, you get to talk to yourself without anyone saying shit. There was of course a “but” if someone of higher rank was around, but he was pretty sure as a Spectre that didn't apply to him anyway. Hooray for screwing the rules.

Today, his walk was taking him near what used to be the presidium. Normally, he wouldn't have been able to get in there, but again he was a Spectre. Maybe he had mentioned that to get past the guards a ways back, or maybe they had just recognized him as the twink in the armor who looked like a child next to the second human Spectre. It was kind of a toss up. Anyway, he was walking around a much less occupied part of the Citadel.

His goal was the old Council chamber, where he and his squad had squared off against Saren before it had all gone to shit. Just getting close to it made his bones ache, but Alistair kept going. Something like a morbid curiosity had possessed him, he supposed.

After all... towards the end... Saren had seemed like himself.

“You ok, Shepard? They said you got out of the hospital, but nobody's seen you around.”

Joker's message played in his earpiece. Alistair had left it turned on in case anyone found any living geth. So far, it was sounding ok – lots of dead robots, but also plenty of dead people to go with it. They had kept the Citadel, but the 5th fleet had taken quite a hit. That one had hurt – the Hong Kong had been a part of that. Now... well he had lost friends.

“Yeah, I just needed to clear my head. Are we cleared to go?”

He could hear Joker patching into something on the other side. “In about an hour. Totally psyched for our next destination, though. Who doesn't love the Terminus system?”

The sarcasm in his voice could had stripped paint, and the remains of the Council chamber needed it as Alistair finally started his approach. Here the ground was marred with fragments from bullets and energy blasts, but any bodies had long since been cleared away. There was still blood and oil, though – that the Keepers hadn't gotten to yet. They were trying, though. He had to give them that, even if it made his stomach turn.

“Hopefully it'll just be a quick trip. Now that the Council know...”

He paused, frowning. “Scratch that, knowing them they won't admit we almost got defeated by a Reaper invasion on the Citadel.”

“No doubt. They're probably just sending us to look good.” There was a beeping on the other end. “That would be someone from the Alliance. Talk to you when you get back, Commander.”

The line went dead after that, leaving the Spectre in silence as he climbed the broken steps, surrounded by the debris. When he closed his eyes, he could still see Saren pointing his gun at his head and firing. The wind carried the sound of his broken body hitting the ground yards below, and the sigh of relief they had all felt once it was over.

And then the bastard had popped up for round two.

Saren's Reaper-modified body was gone now, though. It had long since been cleared away to wherever they had taken it for study and disposal. The turians were probably furious about that – or they were sweeping the whole thing under the rug. In some aspects, they were very much like his own species when it came to one of their own fucking up.

Though, to be fair, Saren had been brainwashed.

Alistair frowned as he came to a stop at the top of the stairs. Here, he and Saren had talked briefly before the end had come. The man had been struggling – they had been so close to convincing him. Who knew what information they had lost with that bullet? Just thinking about it made him grit his teeth as he gripped the broken railing.

“How the hell could he have let Sovereign implant him?”

“I dunno... weird fucking Reaper bullshit? You're the tech expert, not me.”

A human voice caused him to pick up his head. It was coming from his blind side, so he had to do a full body turn. There was someone else in the Council chamber, sitting on a chunk of ceiling that had fallen in the final assault. When they locked eyes, she hopped off and joined him at the railing.

Bo had gotten out of the hospital about an hour before him, so it was no surprise she was here too.

“Figured you'd show up sooner or later.” She kicked a rock and watched as it sailed across the chamber. “It wasn't sitting right with me either.”

No... they had both discussed it in the hospital after the investigators and the Council had cleared out. Everything Saren had said and done before the final shot kept playing through his mind as he stared at where the turian had once been. It was like it was burned into his memory.

“What kind of power would it have taken to get Saren to agree to the implantation process?” He frowned. “Just how strong is indoctrination?”

It was a dumb question – he knew from Noveria that it was strong enough to take out an asari matriarch like Benezia. If it could get to Saren and allow what had happened, then anyone was a target. And lucky them, the Citadel was still covered in Reaper fragments.

How long until a child picked one up and started the process all over again?

“I still think you should've just shot him. Even I could see there wasn't a way back from what he'd become.” She shrugged. “But we know-”

Alistair rolled his eyes as he added, “I know. I'm a paragon of virtue and a save the day superhero. What can I say, there was a moment where it looked like I was getting through to him. Maybe he could've helped us with the Reapers.”

But even as he said that, he knew better. Their control was too perfect to allow for something like that. Even if he had talked Saren down, it wouldn't have lasted. Eventually, the Reapers would have taken control. He would've been dead, either in the Council chamber or in a cell.

That didn't help his guilt any, though. It never did.

Still, he sighed as he glanced around. “What a mess.”

“Yeah, the Keepers haven't gotten here yet.” Bo stooped to pick up a fragment of something. “Hey, I think I found that piece of armor Vakarian was missing. That should cheer him up about the whole Reapers are coming to kill us thing, right?”

Oh, totally. Anyone would be happier after seeing a former Spectre shoot themselves in the head to avoid control by the Reapers.

Still... it was a mess. No denying that. He kicked a rock with his foot, watching it bounce into what had been the podium at one point. Honestly, it was hard to believe this was the same chamber where he and Bo had both become Spectres such a short time ago. Part of him had to wonder if the Council was regretting or celebrating that choice. Since they were still alive and fucking owed the Alliance a 5th fleet sized favor, maybe he would ask them sometime.

That was after hitting Terminus, however. They had work to do.

“Hey... do you think we're going to run into anyone else like Saren?” Bo was still picking through the debris. “You know, souped up with Reaper tech and with scrambled brain?”

He shrugged. “Most likely. The Reapers don't seem the type to give up after one attempt. We're going to have to figure out a way to know.”

Bo found another piece of armor, though it looked like it belonged to the geth. “Besides the weird tech sticking out of them and the zombie look?”

Yeah, besides that.

Alistair sighed and shook his head once more as he turned his back on the podium. Maybe he had been hoping by coming back, he'd get some insight into Saren. Unfortunately, all he got was a headache and a look at the Keepers trying to rebuild everything. At least he was up and walking, which was more than the doctor could have hoped for.

Everything still hurt, but he could walk.

“We should get back to the Normandy. The Terminus system is waiting.”

Bo rolled her eyes as she fell into step behind him as they started to walk. “Last I checked, you were still the Normandy's CO. Unless they kicked us both out and gave Pressley the job while we were out, that means we're not going anywhere without you.”

“Well, at least we wouldn't get lost in the system if our navigator was running the show, though I doubt our newer crewmates wouldn't appreciate that much.” Alistair found himself chuckling weakly despite everything. “Sometimes I forget it's my ship still.”

His XO nudged him in her version of a light joke, but it almost launched him. “Then paint a fucking hamster on it or something. We could make it a tribute to Fluffytail.”

Ah, yes. Poor Fluffytail. Wet tail had gotten him just before Ilos. He'd lived a good life, albeit a short one. It still hurt to look at his empty cage, but it wasn't like Citadel Critters was open for a replacement. Besides, he wasn't ready.

Maybe in 6 months...

“There's an idea. I'm sure we've got some paint somewhere.”

“Fuck yeah, that's the spirit.”

Both squinted as they exited the presidium. Around them, recovery and construction were in high swing. To say it was noisy was putting it mildly as they started to walk back to the docks where the Normandy was. It was hard to even hear himself think as he avoided a pile of rubble that still leaked oil.

Would he know what indoctrination looked like, though? Benezia had looked ok, and so had Saren until he had gotten souped up by the Reapers. If it was that subtle, anyone they ran across could be under their control. Hell, the crew themselves were suspect...

Maybe he needed to come up with a scan or a test or something. Like check question one if your thoughts aren't your own...

“He's not paying attention to me, is he, Shepard?”

“Nope, totally in his own world. Hang on, I gotta keep him from eating shit.”

A strong hand suddenly yanked Alistair back. He blinked, and realized in his thought spiral had taken him down the path and almost into a light pole. Luckily, Bo had two working eyes and was strong enough to haul a 145 pound weight back before he collided with it. It was moments like these he was glad she was there and able to wrestle krogan.

Bo rolled her eyes as she put him back down. “Quit doom spiraling, there's more shit to beef it on that usual.”

“Right... sorry.” He shook his head. “Sounds like I'm missing something from Joker too. What's up?”

The pilot chuckled in his ear. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Commander. I was just telling the Commander that we're getting the coordinates for our first location. We're waiting on you, unless you really want us to stage a mutiny or something and leave you on the Citadel to brood.”

Well, he'd be pretty impressed if Joker could stage a mutiny without breaking anything, but that was beside the point.

Alistair nodded as his feet found the path again. Details were already starting to stream into his omni-tool about where they were heading. Doubt still ate at his stomach as he read them over, but he pushed them aside. They had a job to handle, and since they were the only living Alliance members that knew what indoctrination looked like that meant it was on them.

Maybe in time, he'd be able to develop something for the rest of the Alliance. Though he doubted they'd accept it... well, it was easy enough to hack their email server without them knowing about it when you knew where a few back doors were.

“Looks like someone's feeling better. What, you planning to hack the Council or something?”

That time he chuckled as they started to approach the docks, the Normandy waiting in the distance. “No, just remembering where I kept my key to get into the Alliance email server. Figured we might need it to get a message out one day.”

“I always knew you were a little chaos gremlin under that mask of civility.”

Indeed, and the chaos gremlin was itching to go find some Reapers to study. Maybe this next mission wouldn't be too terrible after all. Besides, what was the worst that could happen while they were out there? It wasn't like a Reaper was going to appear out of nowhere and blow his damn ship up while they were planet scanning.

That be weird. Luckily, nothing like that was probably going to happen.

[nitewrighter]

Mccree seeing Hanzo in his summer skin?

Whoops this turned out really long. I want you all to know I had “Moving in Stereo” by the Cars playing on repeat when I wrote the “Hanzo emerging from the water” scene.

—

“Sorry it’s taking so long…Angela’s better at this than me,” said Genji, having to raise his voice slightly over the buzz of the razor.

Hanzo’s neck hurt a little from tilting his head for so long. “Because letting Angela go at my head with a razor is a wonderful idea.”

“It is, because she’s a surgeon, and she touches up my hair all the time,” said Genji, there was a smile in his voice, “You’re not… afraid of her, are you?”

“Afrai–” Hanzo huffed, “I’m just able to pick up that she’s clearly uncomfortable around me and protective of you,” his voice dropped slightly, “And you can hardly blame her for that.”

“The worst she would do is shave a dick into the side of your head,” said Genji, pushing hair off of the back of Hanzo’s neck. Hanzo shot him a glare from the corner of his eye that he could manage to see Genji in. “Which…” Genji added, “Obviously, she wouldn’t do.”

“You would do that,” muttered Hanzo.

“Which is why I’m amazed you asked me to help out with this,” said Genji, that smile still in his voice as he continued to shave the back of Hanzo’s head.

“How is this so easy for you?” the words fell out of Hanzo and Genji paused, the tickle of the razor and the sound of its buzz against Hanzo’s scalp ceasing.

“What do you mean?” asked Genji.

“You can just say, ‘Let’s go to the beach!’ as if we don’t have decades of trauma and centuries of our family’s crimes to deal with,” said Hanzo.

“You’re finally off probation,” said Genji, “I thought you’d want to celebrate.”

“Yes, let’s celebrate your friends no longer pointing their weapons in my direction if I so much as sneeze suspiciously,” muttered Hanzo.

“Talon did ask you to join them 3 times–and you did have that whole thing with-”

“Baptiste defected,” Hanzo cut him off, “And I don’t know how many more times I have to tell you that was years ago.”

“You know it isn’t personal on their end,” said Genji.

“Except for the part where they all mostly know me as the man who nearly killed you,” said Hanzo.

“It’s gotten better,” Genji set the razor aside and put his prosthetic hand on Hanzo’s shoulder in a comforting gesture, but the reminder that that arm was prosthetic just made Hanzo’s guts tie up in knots more, “And it’s going to keep getting better. You know what I think?”

Hanzo’s shoulder’s slumped and he rolled his eyes, “What do you think, Genji?”

“I think you’re just getting anxious because this is a chance to see my teammates when they’re not on duty. This is a chance to let people get to know you outside of your skills on a mission–and you should have a life outside of missions–outside of…” Genji gestured between them, “Outside of trying to rebuild our family. When was the last time you were able to just… be with people? In a group?”

A long silence passed and Hanzo furrowed his brow.

“You know you left the entire right side of my head unshaved,” was all Hanzo responded with.

Genji just shrugged and turned the razor back on.

——

The Rock of Gibraltar loomed over the beach. McCree never really thought of their watchpoint as ‘looming,’ but looking at it now, he could definitely understood why locals kept their distance from it. You couldn’t even see the Watchpoint from their angle, but the knowledge of who was living up there, what kind of trouble they could bring to civilians in the area, was enough to make McCree’s stomach tense up slightly as he looked around the beach. Still, it felt freeing to feel the water rush up around his ankles with each wave. Overwatch duties could wait for now. Everyone needed a break eventually, even rogue vigilante peacekeeping organizations, he supposed.

It was a hot, crowded day, and a handful of Overwatch members were taking advantage of the crowds at the beach to slip in and try and snag a few hours of relaxation for themselves. A good amount of them were either off-watchpoint on missions (Like Pharah and Zenyatta) or looking after their own careers (like Lúcio and D.Va). And of course Jack was probably obsessing over Reaper’s next step, as usual. McCree itched for a cigar, or even a cigarette, but he was at least not enough of an asshole to subject crowds like this to secondhand. If he was, Mercy would probably knock it right out of his mouth anyways.

“Ahh,” Mercy stretched her arms high above her head, her seersucker swimsuit cover-up ruffling in the ocean breeze, “I can’t remember the last time I was able to get out like this!”

McCree shuffled behind her, sand finding its way between foot and flip-flop, tilting the brim of his hat back with his thumb. “It’s good to see you gettin’ some sun, Doc,” he said, looking out at the water.

“I could say the same for you,” said Mercy, “Finally off those ‘probationary agent’ duties. I still think it wasn’t fair of Jack to saddle you with all that—”

“They weren’t all bad,” said McCree with a shrug, “He’s–” McCree nearly said, ‘He’s not all bad’ but caught himself. Mercy was still probably the toughest nut to crack with regards to Hanzo’s presence on the Watchpoint.

“Finally settling in,” Mercy said crisply, “He’s finally settling in.”

One corner of McCree’s mouth tugged up in a smirk.

“I know he grew on you,” said Mercy, adjusting the brim of her own wide hat, “You don’t need to act like he didn’t for my sake.”

“He didn’t–I mean, I just figured it was too much energy to keep being as pissed with him as I was—”

“Jesse,” Mercy’s shoulder’s slumped in that almost motherly conciliatory way of hers.

“He’s really…” McCree started and then itched at the brim of his hat, not really sure how to finish that sentence. He shook his head, deciding to take the focus of the conversation off of himself. “You think he’ll ever grow on you?” McCree tilted his head and Mercy followed McCree’s gaze out over the sparkling waters.

“I don’t know,” Mercy admitted, “A part of me wants to trust him, for Genji’s sake, but so much of me just… can’t.”

“For Genji’s sake,” said McCree.

“Yes,” Mercy tucked a bit of hair back from her face.

“Heeeeeyyy!” a familiar voice yelled across the beach and  both Mercy and McCree glanced over in the direction of its source to Brigitte and Torbjörn a couple dozen yards away, sitting on a few beach towels with an umbrella and cooler nearby. Torbjörn was busying himself with rubbing on another layer of sunscreen, but Brigitte was waving her arms above her head, signaling them to come over. Mercy and McCree exchanged glances, then picked up their pace to close the distance between them.

“Angela!” Brigitte’s voice was bright, “You’re out of the lab!”

“I should probably be concerned with how surprised people act when that happens, shouldn’t I?” said Mercy, smiling a little.

“Probably,” said Brigitte, opening the cooler and handing them each a packet, “Here. Take these quick. We miscalculated on the cooler’s insulation so they’re melting.”

“I didn’t miscalculate anything!” Torbjörn blustered, still rubbing sunscreen on himself, “These are clearly inferior and cheap popsicles!”

Brigitte rolled her eyes, “Just take them,” she said, as McCree and Mercy opened their popsicles. McCree’s was strawberry, Mercy’s was orange cream.

“I see you two actually came all set up,” said Mccree, licking at the bottom of his popsicle before red could drip onto his knuckles.

“But of course!” said Torbjörn, “We Lindholms work hard and play hard!”

“Don’t believe him,” said Brigitte, “He’s got a nannycam on the watchpoint anti-aircraft turrets. He’s been checking his tablet every 5 minutes.”

“Stop calling it a nannycam!” said Torbjörn.

“Stop calling the turrets ‘babies,’” said Brigitte with a smirk.

“Why of all the–” Torbjörn huffed and seized another popsicle out of the cooler, muttering as he unwrapped it and bit off a chunk of it.

“Where’s Genji?” asked Brigitte, craning her neck to look around, “He didn’t come here with you?”

“He’s coming, he just had some things to wrap up at the Watchpoint first,” said Mercy.

“Guess he’s gotta babysit his brother now that Jack let me off the hook,” said McCree with a shrug, sliding the last bits of popsicle off its stick with his teeth.

“Don’t tell me the probation’s over already?” said Torbjörn.

“Congrats on the new team member?” McCree shrugged.

“So he’s actually staying?” said Brigitte, “But he’s so… ‘Hmph!’” she passed her hand in front of her face and her expression theatrically shifted to a furrowed brow and deep frown. Mercy snickered.

“Well, the only sniper we’ve got is Ana, and she’s focused on medic stuff half the time,” said McCree, “I mean, I don’t think it would hurt.”

“Huh! I guess you would know,” Brigitte shrugged, “I mean, you spent more time with him than anyone here.”

“Well, yeah–that was my job,” said McCree, a bit more harshly than he meant to say.

Brigitte blinked, “Sorry, did I come off as rude with that last comment?”

“What?” said McCree, “No.”

“It’s just you seem a little agitated—”

“I–” McCree huffed and cut himself off, “I’m fine. It’s fine. You got anything to drink in that cooler?”

“Thought you’d never ask!” said Torbjörn.

—

“I can’t do this,” said Hanzo, as they walked across the beach. Hanzo’s stomach was still twisting at the sight of the scars that scored Genji’s arms and face. Genji’s prosthetic legs were on full display with his ridiculously short workout shorts.The way Genji talked about the shame he felt about his own body in years past, it was a bit of a relief to see Genji walking around dressed like he did back in their youth, but it also faced Hanzo with his own mistakes. But what could he do? Ask Genji to don a full wetsuit for his own comfort? When every scar on display was Hanzo’s own doing? Hanzo tried to focus on scanning the crowd for potential threats rather than look directly at Genji.

“It’s really not that bad—” said Genji.

“Why am I doing this? Why are you wearing that?!” said Hanzo, gesturing at Genji’s open-sided tank top.

Genji glanced down at the words ‘BAE WATCH’ splayed across his chest in large block letters. “Because it’s fun?” he suddenly perked up, “Oh! There’s Angela.”

Hanzo followed Genji’s line of sight to a small gathering at a beach umbrella. McCree and Mercy were facing away from them, blocking out whoever was under the umbrella. McCree was still wearing a cowboy hat with his swim trunks. Of course he was. They all seemed to be having a pleasant time talking, and Genji started walking towards them when Hanzo suddenly stuck a hand out in front of Genji’s chest.

“What?” said Genji.

“Hold this,” Hanzo handed Genji his vest.

“Sure–” Genji started but Hanzo split off from him and started wading into the water, “Wait–but the others are–!” Genji cut himself off as Hanzo submerged his head. Genji’s shoulders slumped a little, still holding Hanzo’s vest, “It’s fine!” he called out to the water, “I’ll just tell them you’re swimming!”

—

“…but you guys are still sharing the dormitories?” said Brigitte, slipping a cozy on her beer can.

“We aren’t sharing the dormitories–they’re dormitories–there’s like 12 beds down there, not exactly sharing,” said McCree.

“I’d say it’s sharing if there’s no walls,” said Torbjörn.

“It’s not sharing,” said McCree flatly.

“There is still that last admin apartment,” said Mercy, “You could take that.”

“God, no, I’m not pulling that ‘odd couple’ shit,” said McCree.

“…I mean just you. You singular. You would take the apartment and Hanzo would stay in the dormitories,” said Mercy.

“…Oh,” said McCree. He took a long gulp from his own beer then.

“I mean if you wanted to take the apartment with him, I wouldn’t stop you–” Mercy started but McCree sputtered and coughed.

“You okay?” said Brigitte as McCree coughed for an awkwardly long time.

“Fine–” McCree coughed, “Just–fine—” he coughed some more.

“Yo!” Genji’s voice rang out from behind him and McCree swiveled on his heel.

“Gen–” he coughed, “–ji! You made it!”

“Of course I’m here,” said Genji, tossing a white vest over his shoulder and swinging an arm around Mercy’s waist, “I heard a certain doctor would be in a swimsuit and I came running.”

Mercy snorted and rolled her eyes before leaning into his embrace and kissing him on the cheek. “I can’t believe you’re wearing the tank top,” she said, grinning.

“You love this tank top,” said Genji, returning the kiss.

An “Aw!” fell out of Brigitte while Torbjörn just rolled his eyes and grumbled.

“Guess Hanzo chickened out, then?” said McCree.

“Oh no, he’s still here,” said Genji, “Just decided to cool off. He really is looking forward to spending time with all of you!”

No one really had the heart to tell Genji when it was painfully obvious that Hanzo had said no such thing.

“Well,” Brigitte offered helpfully, digging through the cooler and tossing Genji a popsicle, “When he gets here, there’s popsicles and beers and sodas with his name on them!”

—

Hanzo’s eyes were squeezed shut beneath the water, he could feel the salt clawing at the line of his lips and the creases of his eyelids.

You can’t stay down here forever, he told himself, Literally. You have to breathe.

He permitted his head to break the surface only slightly, letting his nose rise above the water to breathe, and blinked a few times to get the sting of salt away. On the beach, Genji was eagerly chatting with his arm around Mercy’s shoulders, McCree was looking on, and the Lindholms were sitting on beach towels beneath an umbrella. Genji said something Hanzo couldn’t hear from that distance and all five of them laughed. What? What was so funny? Were they talking about him? No, don’t be an idiot–they all had lives well before he came to that watchpoint, it was ridiculous to assume he’d be at the center of all them just by being there. None of them even looked over in his direction.

When was the last time you were able to just… be with people? In a group? Genji’s voice echoed in Hanzo’s mind and no small amount of resentment came over him.

There’s always a bit of bitterness when one is an older sibling and one watches something come more naturally to their younger sibling. Genji was always the more personable between the two of them–Hanzo could hold council with the elders of the clan, but Genji could actually talk to people and not come off as stiff and unnatural. Hanzo couldn’t stand how naturally it came to Genji, and for Hanzo it just became a vicious cycle of throwing himself into his training and clan traditions and then wondering why people only seemed more and more distant to him. Brigitte said something this time and McCree cracked up, the lines of his stomach and ribs tensing with his laugh. Genji glanced over his shoulder towards the water.

Don’t look at me don’t look at me don’t look at me— the words ran as a prayer in Hanzo’s mind.

They made eye contact.

Shit, thought Hanzo, Don’t wave to me. Don’t point me out. Don’t–

Genji waved to him and then glanced back at the others, pointing out Hanzo in the water, saying something inaudible from where Hanzo was.

“Shit,” Hanzo said the word with his mouth still below the water and it broke the water’s surface as a silent bubble. Well if he stayed out here any longer it would just get more and more awkward unless he made a big show of doing a backstroke or something–but no, he was in the water and he was staring so he had to come out now. Hanzo brought his head up out of the water and took a deep breath. ���Very well, Genji,” he muttered under his breath, wading towards the shore.

—

“See?” said Genji putting his hands on his hips, “I told you he’d be happy to join us.”

“So you really had to drag him out here, huh?” McCree smirked, mindlessly chewing on his popsicle stick.

“I didn’t have to drag him–he actually does like the beach. He was always better at fishing than me,” said Genji.

“Sure. Ten bucks says he’s going to fake being caught up in a riptide before he…” McCree trailed off as Hanzo got out of the water, “comes…” Water was dripping down the dip of Hanzo’s collarbone and glistening over the curve of his pecs, “Over.” The last word fell out of McCree as a murmur, an afterthought as Hanzo brushed water from his brow and swept his hair up off the back of his neck, revealing a freshly-shaved undercut. The sun glared off the water’s surface almost blindingly behind him, leaving the silhouette of his body outlined in blazing gold and greenish-blue, Hanzo’s eyes were downcast–apparently he was attempting to look as casual as possible in coming out of the water, but the result was an inadvertent visual homage to every 80′s movie slow-motion coming-out-of-a-pool scene. With his hair swept up, Hanzo wrung his hair out, sending more water dripping down onto his shoulder muscles and running shining down the lines of his torso, dancing along his ribs and obliques.

 The popsicle stick fell out of McCree’s mouth and landed in the sand. Mercy gave a glance down to the popsicle stick then up at McCree, still staring, utterly transfixed. 

The dragons tattooed on Hanzo’s arm shifted with the muscles of his arm as he tied his hair back in a not-quite bun and he circled his arm in its socket as he closed the distance between himself and the group, his eyes now focusing on them. Genji said something that sounded like ‘How’s the water’ and Hanzo responded with what McCree assumed was ‘Good’ or some equivalent, but if McCree was being honest, whatever they were saying was blurred out of his conscious mind by the extremely distracting visuals of droplets of water running down the contours of Hanzo’s chest and abs. Hanzo dug through one of the pockets of his Hokusai wave-printed swim trunks and took out a strip of white cloth, twisting it and tying it into a headband to keep a stray bang of hair from his face before he made eye contact with McCree and said something.

“What?” said McCree.

“I said ‘Do you have a towel?’” said Hanzo.

“Yeah,” said McCree, still staring.

A long pause passed between them.

“…may I have a towel?” Hanzo asked after some time.

“Oh!” McCree snapped out of his haze, “oh–yeah just–” he looked around, and saw Torbjörn holding up a spare towel. Hanzo reached out for the towel but McCree grabbed it first and then caught himself at how awkward that just was, “Sorry-just–” he stuck the towel out to Hanzo and Hanzo hesitantly took it. Hanzo ran the towel over himself briskly, pressing his face into it and getting under his arms. McCree didn’t really realize he was staring again until he felt Brigitte’s eyes on him and he snapped out of the stupor. Brigitte snorted and McCree made sharp eye contact with her, but she just sipped her beer to suppress a laugh and glanced off before digging through the cooler.

“I…” Hanzo cleared his throat, “To be honest, in spite of how aware I was of the proximity of the sea, it did not occur to me that the Watchpoint would be so close to a beach.”

“We forget about it all the time, ourselves. Overwatch is busy like that. Popsicle?” Brigitte offered.

Hanzo warily took the popsicle and unwrapped it. “Thank you,” he said, blue raspberry already dripping onto his fingers.

“Speaking of the Watchpoint, we were just discussing sleeping arrangements now that you’re on the team,” said Mercy.

Hanzo broke off the end of his popsicle in his mouth. “They’re subject to change?” he tilted his head.

“Well the thing is, is that both you and McCree are in the dormitories, which while, yes, they do have all the amenities, are dormitories, and there’s one administrative apartment left.” 

“We don’t need to talk about this now–” McCree cut in.

“You could take the apartment,” said Genji, looking at Hanzo, “We could be neighbors!”

“That’s hardly fair to those who have been living here for some time,” said Hanzo, “McCree should take it,” Hanzo gave a glance back to McCree, “I know you were concerned you would just ‘trash the place,’ but your teammates obviously value you, so you shouldn’t downplay your—”

“We’ll play it by ear,” McCree blurted out.

Mercy knew she could push for an actual resolution on the matter, but noting McCree’s face she decided not to. 

“You said I was on the team,” said Hanzo, looking at Mercy.

“Well your probation is over,” said Torbjörn.

“But we don’t have to worry about missions right now,” said Brigitte, tossing Hanzo a beer can, “Right now, it’s about relaxing, and taking a breath.” 

“Hm,” Hanzo gave a nod. “I…” he started and then cut himself off.

“Yes?” said Mercy.

“I know… my coming here has disrupted a lot of things, but… it… it does mean a lot to me to get to know all of you.” Hanzo awkwardly bit off more of his popsicle then.

“Han–” Genji started but McCree cut him off.

“It means a lot to have you here, Hanzo,” said McCree.

Everyone’s head swiveled towards McCree.

“Because… you’re… Genji’s family,” McCree tacked on awkwardly, “It’s good to have family here. You two know all about family, right?” said McCree gesturing at the Lindholms.

Brigitte and Torbjörn just stared at him and nodded awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about disrupting things,” said Mercy, swooping in to McCree’s rescue in the awkward silence.

 Hanzo perked up and looked at her with some surprise.

“We’re vigilantes,” said Mercy, “Disruption is a natural state for us. You should just focus on settling in.”

She felt Genji’s eyes on her and she glanced back at him and gave him a little smile. Genji squeezed around her waist a little in response.

“Thank you,” said Hanzo.

There was a brief lull in the conversation and Hanzo’s eyes trailed across the beach. He glanced past several people playing volleyball and his eyes widened.

“What?” said Genji, following his line of sight.

“Fishing pole rentals,” said Hanzo, a bit mindlessly.

“We should get one!” said Genji.

“I’m terribly out of practice—” Hanzo started but Genji broke away from Mercy and grabbed his arm.

 “Come on!” he said, leading him off, “You could catch a mejina! Like the old days!”

“We’re in Gibraltar–The fish aren’t the same here–” Hanzo was protesting but let Genji drag him off. 

McCree watched as they two brothers went off, the muscles in Hanzo’s back, sparkling with salt and shifting as he tried to keep up.

“You’re staring again,” said Mercy, as soon as the Shimada brothers were out of earshot.

“What?” said McCree, snapping his eyes away from Hanzo. “Who’s staring? I wasn’t– Look, I was his probationary officer. It was my job. It’s all force of habit.”

“Wow,” said Brigitte.

“What?!” said McCree.

“Wow,” Brigitte said again.

 Mercy and Torbjörn just cracked open new cans of beer.

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Sparrow’s Flight

A/N: Speakeasy AU with Bucky and Steve. I have no idea what I’m doing, forgive my inaccuracies.

The stakeout had been long. Anything to get something on this gangster. Anything at all. The wiretaps and the guys on the inside hadn’t turned up shit. They were fucked. The clock was running out. It they weren’t already out of time and he knew. 

Tommy Toll. He ran Rum, Opium, and girls. Lots of Girls. Sparrows, he called them. They watched as he left the club through the back, getting into a waiting black car. On his arm, shivering in a slinky red dress, covered in beaded fringe was you. 

They’d heard rumors. That he kept his best girl for himself. You were his prize. Jealously guarded. 

He’d killed men for looking at you too long. Soft curls in a short bob, big doe eyes, and skin so flawless you looked carved. A doll of a girl. More half grown kid than a woman. But heartstoppingly beautiful. 

Tommy kept a hand on the small of your back as he guided you to the car. You looked a little anxious. Your smile was trembling as you looked at him. Bucky wasn’t sure but on the inside of your arm, as you reached up to adjust his bow tie, he thought he saw bruises. He glanced at Steve and took a deep breath, “We need to get to the Girl,” he said.

Steve nodded, “That’s our in... But how? He never lets her out alone.” Bucky sighed, “How else? We need a man on the inside to get in close.” Steve smirked, “You volunteering, Buck?” The brunette gave Steve a level look, “You’re too clean cut and anyone else on the force I wouldn’t trust within 100 yards of a little dame like that.” Steve sobered, “You saw it too, huh?” Bucky nodded, “She’s caught between a rock and the muzzle of a gun.”

During the war, he and Steve had seen a lot of shit spying for their country. Atrocities that governments on both sides had decided should never see the light of day.  So many girls with big scared eyes, trapped without options just trying to survive. Desperate people doing desperate things. Steve shook his head as the car peeled away from the curb. You were the Sparrow. 

A rumor. A myth becoming a legend. 

Steve nodded, turning the car towards headquarters. They didn’t have much choice. Bucky was right. Steve was bad at undercover work. He was terrible at lying and worse at being someone else. That was Bucky’s specialty. Steve was his handler during the war. His Follow car. Their official face. The good boy. Bucky did the dirty work. This was another mission. One more dirtbag. One more nasty son of a bitch. One more time.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bucky stood guard, hands behind his back at Parade rest. You were in your dressing room. He could hear the soft rustle of fabric and the clink of makeup brushes being rearranged. Tommy only let you out to sing and when he did you drew a crowd. Bucky’s job was to keep people away. A job that the smell of whiskey, 5 o’clock shadow, and his scowl did admirably well. 

He tapped on your door, “Miss Y/N? Curtain’s up in 5.” he said. He heard a sigh and he expected petulant complaining. Not quiet resignation and a thank you. It only confirmed to him his first assessment of you. When the door opened, you were dressed in white. A vision of sultry innocence. Red lips and an angel’s face in a white dress dripping with fringe. You turn and smile at him, “You’re not Alexei...” you say your smile faltering. You recover quickly but that smile was different from the one you’re wearing now.  The one you gave someone you were fond of. Bucky made a mental note to keep aloof around Tommy. Alexei clearly had not and was probably wearing some lead shoes in the Hudson.

“No Ma’am,” he says offering a curt nod, “Name’s James. James Cole.” You nod and offer him your hand which he doesn’t take, “Pleased to meet you, James.” Your voice is quiet. Your accent is hard to place. A little Irish. Properly Irish. Like you’d come over as a tiny kid. Well, he thought reassessing, A tinier kid. You were somehow smaller up close. Elfin features and dainty frame. Probably spent a nice chunk of time underfed as a tyke. You withdraw your hand and turn away. You know the backstage like the back of your hand and Bucky loses you for a moment in the hubbub. 

But only a moment. The crowd parts for you like Moses parting the red sea. No one will look you in the eye. Let alone touch you. You’re an island unto yourself. Adrift and alone. Tommy played a good game. Kept you under guard. Kept you isolated. Bucky was willing to bet that if you had a mother, she thought you were dead. From the wings, he watched as you took the stage. The audience held it’s breath.

The air changed in the room as the first notes flowed from your throat. It charged. And everyone, Bucky included was eating from the palm of your pretty little hand. 

The Sparrow.

A nickname that was well deserved. And honestly. Upon hearing you; an understatement. 

You sang, you entertained Tommy’s friends. You flirted with Tommy and sat daintily on the piano. You were a natural. At least to a casual observer. There were tells. Tiny tells that Bucky saw. Trembling in your hands when you were too casual with your accompanist. The fact that despite you taking three small sips from your glass of champagne, the level of liquid in the glass never changed. The way you watched Tommy for cues. Careful to appease the man who was footing your bills. 

Good to know. You weren’t oblivious. You knew what happened to men who got too close. You knew and you weren’t callous enough to toy with them. A good girl in a bad situation. No one really knew Where Tommy had found you but Bucky was willing to bet that it looked harder to you than this. 

After your show, Tommy escorted you off the stage and waved Bucky over. “James,” he hollered, “Isn’t my girl amazing?” He said pulling you close possessively. “Her voice is beautiful,” he said politely. The gangster’s eyes were challenging. This was a test to see if he was going to follow orders. To see if he was going to fall for you. His passive tone and neutral compliment did the trick.

“What do a schmuck like you know about good art, huh?” he said laughing, smacking you on the ass as he roared. And then roared harder at your blushing and stammering. Bucky let it pass, chuckling at the bosses joke. He was a bodyguard. A lunkhead. Hired muscle in a cheap suit. It didn’t matter how bad he wanted to haul you out of that place and burn it to the ground. 

It didn’t matter that when you turned away, he saw you blink away tears and turn on a blinding smile through obvious pain. You were an asset. 

An Asset.

An informant. 

A whore with a pretty voice.

He had to tell himself that because if he didn’t... if he didn’t he’d never make it out of this mission alive.

[imjustthemechanic]

Natalie Jones and the Golden Ship

Part 1/? - A Meeting at the Palace Part 2/? - Curry Talk Part 3/? - Princess Sitamun Part 4/? - Not At Rest Part 5/? - Dead Men Tell no Tales Part 6/? - Sitamun Rises Again Part 7/? - The Curse of Madame Desrosiers Part 8/? - Sabotage at Guedelon Part 9/? - A Miracle Part 10/? - Desrosiers’ Elixir Part 11/? - Athens in October Part 12/? - The Man in Black Part 13/? - Mr. Neustadt Part 14/? - The Other Side of the Story Part 15/? - A Favour Part 16/? - A Knock on the Window Part 17/? - Sir Stephen and Buckeye Part 18/? - Books of Alchemy Part 19/? - The Answers Part 20/? - A Gift Left Behind Part 21/? - Santorini Part 22/? - What the Doves Found Part 23/? - A Thief in the Night Part 24/? - Healing Part 25/? - Newton’s Code Part 26/? - Montenegro Part 27/? - The Lost Relic Part 28/? - The Homunculinus Part 29/? - The End is Near Part 30/? - The Face of Evil Part 31/? - The Morning After Part 32/? - Next Stop Part 33/? - A Sighting in Messina Part 34/? - Taormina Part 35/? - Burning Part 36/? - Recovery Part 37/? - Pilgrimage to Vesuvius Part 38/? - The Scent of Hell

Getting the hang of alchemical thinking, our heroes catch up with the alchemists... maybe.

The next question was where to look for the two alchemists, and the most obvious answer was on the volcano itself.  Newton and Desrosiers had gone to Mount Etna to tap its energy for their reactor, and it seemed likely that they would do the same with Vesuvius, if they weren’t actually going to build the Philosopher’s Stone inside the mountain itself.  But where, exactly?  Vesuvius was huge, its two cones studded with several vents and craters.

They pulled out the Voynich manuscript again.

The manuscript was, of course, a two-dimensional map encoded in a picture of flowers, was the real volcano was a three-dimensional structure in stone, so without being able to read the labels there was not much they could learn.  They looked anyway, and Nat found herself wondering if the colours meant anything.  The map of Etna had used a lot of yellow, which was famous as the colour of Etna Broom, a tree that grew high on the slopes were almost nothing else could gain a foothold in the dense basalts.  The plant that seemed to represent Vesuvius was mostly green, with what looked like tiny white blossoms.

“Where is there something white on the mountain?” Nat asked.

“Snow?” said Clint.

The group looked up from their table at a street café at the mountain looming over the city.  In the summer there wouldn’t have been any snow on top of it, but it was October, and there was just a dust of white around the peak.  She smiled.  “Of course,” she said.

That meant they were going to have to climb the mountain, which was a daunting prospect indeed.  Even dressing for it was a fairly complex task: it was hot down here by the seashore, but the peak was cold enough for snow, meaning they were going to have to add layers as they went.  Climbing mountains had not been on the list of things they’d expected to do when they’d left Folkestone on the Chunnel train, so some shopping was required.  Fury was going to be annoyed enough about their expense list, Nat thought, even without any cruise ship voyages.

About an hour up the slope, they came across a tour group.  Thinking the guide might know an easier route, they slipped in among the crowd and tried to look like they belonged there.  Hopefully they wouldn’t be asked to get on a bus at any point, since it would then be clear that there weren’t enough seats.  Despite the air growing chillier, the route was still very steep and the tourists around them were sweaty and exhausted.

The tour guide, on the other hand, was a wiry man in his fifties who trotted up the slope like he’d done this every day for his entire life.  He would get thirty or forty yards ahead, and then have to stop to wait for the tourists to catch up.

“Vesuvius is still an active volcano, and the area around Naples is prone to earthquakes,” he announced, as they reached a scenic lookout.  “The government has been offering financial rewards to people who will agree to relocate, but most stay.  Their logic is that their grandparents and great-grandparents lived here and there was no eruption in those times, so why should there suddenly be one now?  The people in ancient Pompeii and Oplontis probably thought the same things.”

That made sense, Nat decided.  The ever-present it won’t happen to me mindset that led people to do all kinds of stupid things.

“Has the mountain been abnormally active lately?” asked Clint.

“Not abnormally,” the guide replied, “but everything in the area must be built according to seismic codes, and if anything happens we’ll all have to evacuate.  If you’ve been paying attention to the news, you’ll have heard about the evacuation of people from around Mount Etna in the last few days.  We’re always ready to do the same thing here if we need to.  Are you worried?”

“Maybe a little,” said Clint.

“Then why did you come on the tour?” the guide asked.  Other people laughed.

As they climbed higher, the air got colder.  The trees got smaller and scrawnier, too, and the landforms around them became stranger and stranger.  The rocks there were black and red, like those in the walls on Santorini, and protrusions and small cliffs were folded into odd shapes the lava had made as it flowed around obstacles or piled up on top of itself.  Smaller stones at the side of the path were full of air bubbles and came in very irregular shapes, looking almost like chunks of hardened foam.

“You’ve got all the pumice stones you could possibly want,” Sam observed.

“Laura just buys the white ones from the bath shop,” said Clint.

“Oh, look at this!” the guide exclaimed, pointing down an overlook.  “If you’ll look in there, you can see some vulcanologists checking their equipment.  We have sensors all over the mountain to tell us about the heat, the escape of gases, and the movement of the earth.  At times like this, it’s particularly important to make sure we know what’s going on deep underground.  The volcanism of the entire Mediterranean is fed by the meeting of the African and European crustal plates.  If there is activity in one area, as there was in Etna yesterday, it’s likely to spread to other areas as well.  We’re considering Etna a warning that we should look very closely at Vesuvius.”

But Natasha had noticed something very interesting indeed.  Two white-suited figures were working next to a gash in the ground at the bottom of a shallow fissure.  The gash was surrounded by yellowish-white crystals that looked almost like flowers.  “What’s that white stuff?  It can’t be snow,” she said.

“That’s sulfur,” said the tour guide.  “If the wind were blowing in the other direction we’d be able to smell it.  One of the reasons the scientists wear breathing apparatus is because not only will they smell the rotten egg smell, the crystals indicate that sulfurous gases are vented there, and if they breathe those in, they’re terribly toxic.  The poet Dante said sulfur was the smell of hell.”

The people around the vent were too far away for anybody to have seen their faces even without the gas masks.  One of them put a metal suitcase on the ground, opened it, and removed some object which was then driven into the ground.  The mountain began to rumble, and people in the tour group cried out.

“Stay calm!” said the guide.  “Stay calm and stay away from the edge.  It’s just a small tremor, we have them here all the time.”

Although the sound was alarming, the actual shaking was barely enough to feel.  Even so, Nat couldn’t shake the sense that its appearance was somehow related to what the scientists were doing.  Especially when, a few seconds later, the tremor stopped and so did the steam rising from the vent.  Perhaps it was her imagination that made it seem like the air temperature also dropped a couple of degrees.

“There, you see?” asked the guide.  “It’s over.”

The scientist picked up the metal briefcase again.  Was there something glowing inside it?  Or was that just the sun reflecting off the shiny surface?

“Gather around everybody, let me count,” the tour guide said.  “There should be thirty of you.”

Nat motioned to her companions.  “Come on,” she said.  “Before he realizes there’s thirty-seven.”

“You think it’s them?” Sam asked.  He must have noticed the same things as Nat.

“I hope so,” said Jim.

“Down, boy,” Nat told him.  “You don’t want to be thrown over another cliff.”

“Oh, I’m ready this time,” Jim promised.

The group quietly separated from the tour and began climbing down through the shrubbery along the edge of the pit.  Nat would have liked to go right down into it, but that was clearly not a good idea – now that they were closer, the smell of sulfur hung thick in the air.  Gravel shifted treacherously underfoot as they clung to the vegetation and to each other, and there were a couple of heart-stopping moments, when somebody nearly tumbled in, before they made it to the lower end of the fissure in the hillside.  There they crouched in the foliage, waiting to see who would climb out.

They waited.  And they waited.  And they waited.  The sun got lower and the air colder.

Nat had played waiting games like this before, and she hated them.  It was like lying in bed wanting to check the time, but knowing that if she rolled over and looked at her phone she’d find only thirty seconds left until her alarm was due to go.  She desperately wanted to peek out of her hiding place and see if the supposed scientists were on their way, but didn’t dare.  If she did, they might be right in front of her, and she would have just blown all their covers.

Eventually, she just couldn’t take it anymore.  Very slowly and carefully, she leaned down to put a cheek on the ground and peek under the bushes, where she saw… absolutely nothing.  Next she straightened up to look over, again carefully avoiding any noises or sudden movements.  She raised her head above the bush and looked down into the fissure.  There was nobody there.

Her companions took this as a cue to see for themselves.  Everybody sat or stood up, not nearly so subtly as Natasha had done, and everybody saw the same thing: nothing.  The two white-suited scientists, or whoever they’d been, were gone.

“Where the hell did they go?” asked Jim.

The options were very limited.  “Either they climbed up the steep way,” said Natasha, “or they went into the cleft.”

The first possibility could be quickly eliminated.  There was no other way out of the fissure – any route but the one they’d been waiting by would have required ropes, climbing harnesses, and a team of other people to do it safely.  They must have gone into the cleft itself.  Could anybody do that and survive?  The pair had been wearing heat suits and gas masks, but surely somebody would need more protection than that to go inside a volcano.

Then Nat noticed something – or rather, she noticed the gap where something wasn’t.  “What do you smell?” she asked.

There was a moment in which everybody stood around sniffing, trying to figure out what she was going for.

“Rocks,” said Clint.  “Damp greenery.”

“Nothing much,” said Jim.

“The brimstone smell is gone,” said Sir Stephen.

He was right.  They hadn’t been able to smell sulfur from the lookout, but they had smelled it on their way down, and now it had faded away.

“Gone gone, or we just got used to it?” Clint asked.

“Let’s find out,” said Natasha.  She started to climb over the lip of the fissure to get closer to the cleft, surrounded by its crystalline sulfur flowers, but Jim grabbed her arm.

“I’ll do it,” he said.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Newton said I could be strangled, and Mrs. Desrosiers said my cells could fall apart,” Jim said, “but if I’m cut I heal, and nobody said anything about me being poisoned.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be,” Allen protested.

“Yeah, but I’m less likely to be poisoned than any of you,” he said.  “And if I die, there’s nobody to miss me.”

Nat wanted to protest that she would miss him, but that would be cheesy.  She caught Sir Stephen’s eye and knew in her gut that he wanted to say something similar, but he didn’t dare, either, because he didn’t want Jim to think he only meant he would miss Buckeye.  Nat would miss Jim when he was gone, but that wasn’t important right now.  She just nodded, and he climbed past her and let himself slide down the slope towards the gap in the rocks.

[sandcreekfarm]

Top 15 Most Useful 3-Point Tractor Attachments

After making a list of all the tasks you need to do around your place, it’s time to pick the best implements. Choosing the right attachment for your tractor will help save your time and effort.

Here is our list of the most useful 3 point tractor attachments in no particular order of importance.

15 Most Useful 3-point Tractor Attachments

1. 3-point Post Hole Digger

Digging holes may sound simple but it requires a lot of labor, especially when you need deep holes for fence building, signs installation, or plantation. That’s when a post-hole digger comes in handy.

This piece of equipment can assist your tractor in digging vertical holes from 800 to 1,300 mm deep. You can also have different hole widths (6, 9, or 12 inches) by altering its drill, which is usually sold separately.

It will be so helpful if you are planting mango, coconut, teak, pomegranate, or lemon. It can work with all types of soil and is compatible with any standard or compact tractors.

2. 3-point Rotary Cutter

After a long while, your farm might be inundated with thick brush, grass, or weed. A rotary cutter is used to cut overgrown grass or pasture, which is an essential part of farm management.

It is designed to make strong cuts through grass or tree saplings that are 1 inch thick, with 1-9 inches in height. But it will leave a little rough finishing surface.

3. Finish Mower

A finish mower, also known as a grooming mower, is a tractor attachment that helps create a professional, manicured-looking lawn like golf courses or sports fields.

This tool comes in many sizes and can fit many types of tractors with their standard 3-point attachment.

Running on rubber tires, the mower can cut your grass evenly without ruining the territory. If kept and maintained properly, it can last for many years.

4. Box Blade

A box blade is probably the top common implement that everyone owning a tractor should have. It is a metal box that has 3 sides, with scraping blades across the front and the rear panel. Like many other 3-point attachments, this tool can be easily attached to any tractor.

Once you get a hang of it, it can release a lot of burden for your farm duty.

The main uses of a box blade include leveling, grading, and backfilling land. You can also add scarifiers, which are angled metal teeth that can help break up hard surfaces before shaping.

5. Rotary Tiller

A rotary tiller will be very useful for someone who works on large vegetable farms. It is a PTO attachment that has a rotating shaft. On the shaft lines, a set of tines can dig into the soil and make a well-tilled seedbed ready for planting.

It comes with adjustable digging depth, which is more convenient for various types of plants. Generally, it can till 6 inches at maximum. But, larger models can offer greater depths.

6. 3-point Yard Rake (Landscape Rake)

A landscape rake is made to clean up the soil. The small gaps between curve-shaped tines allow this tool to go into the dirt, pull up chunks like roots, rock & gravel, and leave an even surface.

The rake can also be rotated to the left and right thanks to its 360-degree pivot.

7. 3-point Chain Harrow

A chain harrow is attached to the tractor for pasture land and paddock maintenance. It helps spread out dung, exposing it to sunlight to kill parasites and at the same time distribute nutrition to the rest of the field.

It is also used to maintain surfaces for sports events, like leveling the ground or removing footmarks. On the farm, it assists the seed germination process by bringing the soil clumps onto the surface, which will then be broken down by the weather.

8. 3-point Fertilizer Spreader and Seeder

Source: Wikipedia.org

This tractor attachment is used for a variety of spreading duties, such as seed, fertilizer, sand, etc. It is much bigger than a handheld hopper, which drops the seed manually from your hand cranking.

Its function is quite basic. There’s a spinning disk that throws materials from the hopper above onto the ground.

#9. Harrow Disc

A harrow disc tills the soil before crops are planted. Besides, it can cut off weeds or break down crop residue.

The 2 sets of steel discs vary in size, shape, and spacings to match the conditions of different types of soil. They are placed crossing each other, like an “X” letter. This helps the disc optimize the outcome when it tills the soil.

10. Cultipacker

A cultipacker does a very good job in firming up your soil before planting, especially for freshly tilled soil. It reduces the fluffiness of new soil and thus improves seed germination. As for small seeds like clover or alfalfa, it is crucial to not plant them too deep into the soil.

Other great benefits of this attachment are breaking up clods, leveling the ground, and keeping the soil moisture.

11. 3-point Flail mower

To cut heavier grass and scrub in agriculture, a lawnmower isn’t strong enough to handle. Instead, we use a flail mower.

Like other 3-point attachments, the flail mower is powered by the tractor’s PTO and can cut through thick grass or even brambles.

What makes this implement better than a lawnmower or brushcutter is that it can shred thick shrubs in a large area. Flail mowers can also be used vertically, making them perfect for trimming tasks.

12. Middle Buster

A middle buster is an extremely useful implement when it comes to planting vegetables. Farmers use it widely to dig a furrow, which can be as deep as 12 inches.

This attachment can also help harvest, especially with root vegetables like potatoes. Simply attach it to the tractor, run it through the crop and all the roots will be brought up to the surface which is ready to be gathered.

13. Grader Blade

A grader blade has a wide range of applications, making it one of the most useful tractor attachments. It can fix the driveway, clean the fence line, or shift gravel for shed pads. In forestry, people use grader blades for making trails or creating fire breaks.

It is also used to repair the shoulders or open fire access on roads.

14. 3-point Corn & Bean Planter

Exactly like how it is called, a corn & bean planter is a device attached to a tractor to help sow corn and beans onto the field. The corn planter can dig holes, drop the seed in, and then cover it with soil.

Large planters can carry tons of corn and bean seeds to sow on over 100 acres. This saves farmers a lot of effort.

Some models are equipped with sensors to control the distance between each seed for optimal growth.

15. 3-point Wood Chipper

A 3pt wood chipper is a very common tractor implement that breaks down wood using its sharp and strong blades.

This attachment can chop down big, solid logs of wood, either fresh or dry, and turn them into smaller wood chips. A wood chipper is especially valuable when it comes to cleaning and making use of debris from trees.

Related Questions To 3-point Tractor Attachments

1. Are Tractor Attachments Interchangeable?

Yes. Interchangeability is a great feature of those attachments. Once the 3-point hitch is attached to the tractor, each different implement will turn it into different “machines”.

2. Is The Dimension A Matter Of Choice?

Yes, it is. Based on the specific task you are doing, it’s important to choose the right size for the attachment to ensure the expected outcomes.

Otherwise, the attachment might be too small to fit the item you want to move. Or, it might be too large to fit where you want it to move.

3. How Important Is The Weight Of The Tractor Implement?

Weight is another crucial factor you need to pay attention to when purchasing a tractor implement.

As an attachment will add more weight to the tractor, it will reduce the overall weight capacity. For small machines, this is much more important. So, it’s recommended to opt for a lighter-duty attachment for better performance.

Final Words 

In the end, the best implements are the ones that suit your own needs the most. Above is our 3-point tractor implements list that we think you should consider first. We hope it has helped you make up your mind!

Source: Top 15 Most Useful 3-Point Tractor Attachments

source https://sandcreekfarm.net/3-point-tractor-attachments/

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #318

"Stevies Icy Glitch, Cold Fossils, A Present from Notch”

-There's a bit of a crackle as some of the rock around Stevie shifts to really dark and dense ice-

[Steve] Hey... I've seen that before. But never since we came here.

[TLOT] Really? Does it drop anything good or is it just ice?

[Steve] I kinda got killed before I could mine it and then I didn't see it again. It only happens really deep underground.

[Stevie] - Sorry, I don't mean to freeze everything

[Steve] Hey, it's okay! Let's see what we get! - He starts chipping away at the ice.

[TLOT] Boundless enthusiasm....

[Stevie] Moves away so he doesn't freeze Steve-

-The ice shatters a few items fall to the floor-

[Steve] Oh neat!, I got a blank book... and a big-ass skull, and this! - He holds up a very large chunk of frozen meat like a big turkey leg-

[Stevie] - That's a lot of meat...

[Steve] It's really hard too! - He whacks it against a rock and it makes a loud clack against the stone-

[TLOT] See you were focused on apologizing and you actually made him happy.

[Stevie] - Yeah but this still isn't normal

[TLOT] Well no... but you're glitched. These things happen.

[Steve] Puts the meat away and checks over the book- It's got a black cover too. Neat!

[Stevie] - At least I'm not automatically making it snow anymore?

[TLOT] Yeah, I can see how that would be annoying.

[Steve] I used to be sensitive about my glitch too, but it's okay. People are much nicer then I thought they'd be.

[Stevie] - Wait, you're glitched?

[Steve] Yeah... Just a little. - He sits down and pulls off one of his new diamond boots, his left shoe is unnaturally red.

[Stevie] Is interested but rubs his right arm nervously, a bit of ice forming near his hand-

[Steve] It lets me do this- He walks towards the lava pool determinedly-

[TLOT] Warms a hand and hovers it near the patch-

[Stevie] - Ah!  Steve!

[Steve] Nah it's okay. - He plunges a hand in and scoops out a bit of lava- Oooch, eek... eeep - He holds it up so Stevie can see and tosses it back in with a plop and shakes the remaining drops off- It's right on the edge of what I can handle.

[Stevie] - But...  It should've...

[Steve] Yeah, - he gestures at his mate - I absorbed a little bit of his bad code accidently. I can replace my stupid shoe as many times as I want and it always changes to that color too. And it's just the left one.

[Stevie] - Well, you're better off then I am...

[TLOT] You say that like you probably won't be able to freeze things intentionally later.

[Stevie] - It's the unintentional that I'm worried about

[Steve] Pulls his boot back on. - Eh. That's what respawn is for. You should try and freeze some more dirt. See what else we can get.

[Stevie] - I'm still working on not freezing everything!

[TLOT] But if you can do it intentionally, then you can also stop yourself from doing it. Practice is good.

[Stevie] Is becoming more nervous which causes more ice-

[Steve] Chops at it with a pick-

[TLOT] Easy now. Just sit closer to the lava if you need too.

[Stevie] - Sorry

[TLOT] Helps him sit next to the pool- It's okay! You're among friends. We understand what it's like.

[Steve] Gets a rather large curly shell and some flints- Look at this! It's so neat! - He puts the shell in Stevie's lap- I bet Alexis would think it was really pretty.

[Stevie] - Maybe, she does enjoy nature stuff...

[Steve] Taps the last block and laughs- It's a frozen fish!

[TLOT] What the...? That is an ugly fish.

[Stevie] - I have to agree with that

[Steve] Hey! I know! - He takes a stick and forces the end through the fish before holding it out over the lava.

[TLOT] Is just chuckling

[Stevie] Sneezes and the lava turns to cold obsidian-

[Steve] Aww.... damn...

[TLOT] Oh shush. It's probably just the top layer. - He punches out a pair of blocks and the space lights up with the glow from the hole below-

[Stevie] - Sorry!

[TLOT] You're learning. - He's walking along the surface tapping the obsidian away easily with the point of his scythe-

[Stevie] - I wonder what's taking brother so long...

[Steve] Is merrily toasting the fish over the lava-

[TLOT] You probably needed a break anyway.

[Stevie] - Maybe...

[Steve] Pulls the cooked fish back and rips off a small chunk. - Musky, but decent.

[TLOT] Probably freeze burnt!

[Steve] Plucks off a chunk of meat and offers it to Stevie-

[Stevie] - I wonder where exactly it came from...

[TLOT] Suddenly looks a tad concerned. - You know... Steve? You said you've seen this before?

[Steve] Yes, on our seed.

[TLOT] It could be bleed through? I mean, things exist in potentia right? Once an item has been made, it's then an option for someone else to craft the same... Our seed is inside the server. Maybe you're tapping into something that's a rare item there?

[Stevie] - You guys are gonna go explore, aren't you?

[TLOT] I already have a lot my mind after our battle... this is just one more thing.

[Stevie] - Yeah, thank you for being there though

[TLOT] Of course! I promised. It was the least I could do. And Cp provided an interesting piece of the puzzle as well. Have you met the pigpeople he healed from our seed?

[Stevie] Finally notices the offered meat and takes it, a slight coating of frost covering it- Not yet, I was recovering at home and then went to your seed, and then I've been on the seed brother's training me on

[Steve] They're huge! As big as Buff. And smart too!

[TLOT] And two of the males are very much in love. It annoys Cp quite a bit.

[Stevie] - It would, that might explain why he's so adamant about not leaving me alone yet

[TLOT] Nah. He doesn't want to leave you alone because it apparently took him a lot of time and effort to learn to control his own powers.

[Stevie] - I barely remember that time...

[TLOT] I think you weren't around much. It would have been when he basically couldn't approach you without you tryng to kill him on sight.

[Stevie] - That's been pretty much the whole time up until relatively recently

[Steve] Puts the fishbones away- Aw. Things have been getting better for a while.

[TLOT] He's right, it seems like forever since we first met. And I'm proud of you for becoming more openminded about us glitchy folks.

[Stevie] - Well considering how the only glitch person I knew until I came here was my brother can you blame me for being a bit prejudiced?

[TLOT] Live and learn.

[Steve] I'm just glad Harvestman is gone. What a nightmare!

[TLOT] Were you happy you got to throw my beloved cheese at him?

[Steve] Yep!

[Stevie] - No offense TLOT but that stuff reeks

[TLOT] That's because it's for Herobrines. It smells nasty to everyone else. It tastes amazing though. Catnip might make your brother purr, but I doubt it would do anything for you.

[Stevie] - If it did then my brother would probably use it in an annoying way

[Steve] It makes a nice sleepy tea.

[TLOT] Being annoying is what big brothers are for.

[Stevie] - I thought little brother's were supposed to be the annoying one

[TLOT] Shrugs- I don't have any siblings, it's just what I've heard...

[Steve] FAMILY is supposed to be annoying.

[Stevie] - Yeah, I guess the fact that the two of us are related does make us unique...

[Steve] Oh man... I just had a thought! You're glitched, I wonder what would happen if you had a kid with Alexis? They might have weird powers too!

[Stevie] - Do not put that idea in my head!

[TLOT] I shudder to think what kind of mayhem a child of Lie and Cp could get up to either...

[Stevie] - That's an even worse idea!- His distress quickly covers the entire cavern in ice

[Steve] Goes to work picking again-

[TLOT] Sighs and flips some blocks to make more lava and melt the ice-

[Stevie] - Sorry...

[Steve] OH NEAT! - He brings over a massive tooth- It looks like one of Basil's!

[TLOT] I don't think you need to be sorry...

[Stevie] Shivers a little-

[Steve] Gets another of the big cube skulls and puts it on Stevie's head like a pumpkin- Hehehe! Scary!

[CP] Teleports back- Oi, I'm here...  What the nether are you doing?

[TLOT] Just having some fun. Apparently Stevie freezing dirt and gravel makes it drop different things.

[Steve] I found another frozen fish! Oh... hey Cp!

[CP] - Great, ready to go back Stevie?

[Stevie] - Yeah...

[TLOT] Play nice you too.

[Stevie] Takes the skull off as he stands-

[CP] Grabs his brother and teleports him back to the other server-

[Stevie] After several more hours of training is exhausted- Brother, can we please take a break?

[CP] - Have you unfrozen the lake yet?

[Stevie] - No

[CP] - Then keep going

[Notch] Is coming back down the road that passes by the town, heading for his small house. He's dusty and looks exhausted.

[Flux] Had went ahead of him to have some warm food and bed waiting for him when he was ready-

{Lie] - Is watching Sally play in the front yard-

[Notch] Accidently drops a shovel on the stone patio-

[Lie] Looks over- Oh!  Notch, you're back

[Notch] Little wave- Oh.. Sally is visiting?

[Lie] - Yeah, I'm watching her since CP is helping Stevie right now

[Notch] Helping him do what?

[Lie] - Oh that's right, you don't know...  Well the arm Doc gave Stevie?  It wouldn't stay attached.  The had to use some rather strong glitching to attach it and it led to Stevie gaining some powers...

[Notch] Oh hell... is Stevie a brine too now!?

[Lie] - No!  He's just glitched!

[Notch] Okay... I'm sure he's not happy about it though. Where are they?

[Lie] - A separate server so Stevie wouldn't freeze everything over.  You can get to it down in the cage

[Notch] Oh. Darn it. Can I borrow something warm from you?

[Lie] - Sure, let me go grab my cape.  Will you need help getting into the server?

[Notch] I don't know, I've never tried.

[Lie] - Would you like me to come with you?

[Notch] Yes please.

[Lie] Disappears briefly and returns with her cloak which she hands to Notch- Sally can you behave while I'm gone?

[Sally] - Yes!

[Notch] Are you sure that's a good idea? Is Flux around to watch her for a few minutes?

[Lie] - I think she's in your place

[Notch] I should let her know I'm okay and change my clothes so I don't get your cloak dirty anyway. Excuse me for a sec- He trots over to his house and taps the door before going in- Flux?

[Flux] - Yes?  What is it?

[Notch] I'm home? But I have to go back out again for a little bit to talk to Cp and Stevie. Can you watch Sally for a few minutes, so Lie can open a portal for me?

[Flux] - Absolutely, I'll have warm food waiting for you when you get home

[Notch] Thank you. - He changes his clothes quickly and comes back out, stopping to drop a few items in a chest- Ready Lie!

[Lie] - Let's go then- She starts heading for the cage

[Notch] Follows, slinging the cape around himself-

[Lie] Approaches the new server and makes an opening, yelping as she's hit with a blast of cold air-

[Notch] Hurries into the opening. - Cp can let me out, just leave the cage door open please.

[Lie] - Will do- She closes the opening behind her father in law

[Notch] Wraps the cloak a bit tighter and ventures out into the snow looking for the brothers-

[CP] Is fairly easy to spot due to the plume of steam coming off of him-

[Notch] Waves and calls out- Stevie! Cp!

[CP] Glances over-

[Stevie] - Father?

[Notch] Stevie? Did you do all this?

[Stevie] - Yes...

[CP] - Thus why we made a new seed until he figures out how to control it

[Notch] It's impressive. Honestly-

[CP] - Yeah well he's currently working on figuring out how to get rid of it

[Notch] I could try to help?

[Stevie] - How?

[Notch] I can enhance powers, remember?

[CP] - Oh this should be entertaining

[Notch] I could always touch you instead Cp, we could certainly heat things up.

[CP] - You might want to rethink how you said that

[Notch] You know what I mean! It's cold as cubes out here.

[CP] - No shit

[Stevie] Yelps as he creates a new snow drift-

[Notch] Walks near him- Just try to focus on reigning it all in. You created it, make it go away. - He reaches out a hand to touch Stevie's arm-

[Stevie] Focus' and slowly the ice begins to recede from the lake, but a cold is spreading up Notch's arm as well-

[Notch] Shivers hard-

[Stevie] - Sorry father...

[Notch] Grabs Cp's shirt and drags him closer-

[CP] - Now what!?

[Notch] What do you think?! You're warm!

[CP] Growls-

[Stevie] Soon the water of the lake is visible again and Stevie pulls away from Notch, exhausted-

[Notch] Wraps his arm in the cloak fur and rubs it to get the feeling back-

[CP] Narrows eyes- Isn't that?

[Notch] Lie lent it to me so I wouldn't freeze. I'll give it back.

[CP] Scowls-

[Stevie] - Can we stop now?

[CP] - Fine

[Notch] I'm sorry I left so abruptly Stevie. I didn't realize anything was wrong that Doc couldn't easily fix.

[Stevie] - None of us did, it fell off in the middle of the night

[Notch] I'm sorry all the same. I want to be there when you need me.

[Stevie] - It's okay, you've been here way more than our original ever was

[CP] - So why did you run off in a hurry?

[Notch] Blushes- Thank you Stevie- at Cp-  Because I wanted to do something for you actually.

[CP] - You what?

[Notch] Nods- But I saved the endgame so I could do it in front of you- rustles in his inventory-

[CP] - Do I even want to know what crazy your talking about now is?

[Notch] Drops a crafting table on the ground- Just something that needed to be done

[Stevie] Watches curiously-

[Notch] Takes out three sticks and sets them aside - One from a dark oak forest, and two from jungle wood, - he pulls out some cookies- If anyone wants a snack. There was lots of cocoa beans around-

[Stevie] - Lie made us some stew so we're good for now

[Notch] That was nice of her. She's so thoughtful. - He takes out several shimmering diamonds and turns them in the sunlight. - Two from the edge of a giant lake of lava near the bedrock layer. One from a chest in a spider dungeon I barely escaped...

[CP] - What is so important about this?

[Notch] Just smiles-  This one I found by chance, just glimmering in the mouth of a cave, and this one was high on a ravine wall, it took me forever to get down to it. You really don't know Cp?

[CP] - You're showing off what you found?

[Notch] No, silly... they're for you.

[CP] - Uh, I can get my own diamonds

[Stevie] - You mean steal them from me?

[CP] - Yup

[Notch] Patiently- Don't steal from your brother. - He arranges the materials on the table and transforms them into a diamond pick and a diamond sword- These are for you.

[CP] Perks a little- What?

[Notch] I saw you lose your tools in the fight, and I know they were special to you.

[Stevie] - That's right...  You did

[Notch] It didn't seem right to spawn them from creative.

[CP] - But...  Why?

[Notch] Because I care about you?

[CP] Looks at the tools- I...- He hesitates- Th...  Thank you

[Notch] You're welcome. I'd hug you too but I know you don't like it.

[CP] - You should be getting back before you get to cold- He creates an opening

[Notch] I understand. I hope you guys get the hang of this soon and come back. I'm sure Alexis and Lie are both missing you.

[Stevie] - Yeah, can you let Alexis know I'm okay when you get the chance?

[Notch] I'll do it right after I give Lie her cloak back. Shall I tell her anything for you?

[CP] - I just saw her, so I'm good.  Now go

[Notch] Okay okay I'm going. - He scoots out of the portal.

[Stevie] - Bye father

[CP] Closes the opening-

[mei-totoro]

love my bones (i)

✄ love my bones (i)

✄ pairing: anya (narrator) x wonho, anya x jungkook

✄ genre/warnings: angst, mature language, graphic content, futuristic, fantasy and slight romance

✄ summary: In the world Ulia, there live Holders and non-Holders. Holders are born with the ability to control one of the four elements in nature: water, earth, air, and fire. After years at the Academy of Holders, Anya has not yet unlocked her element. However, one day - after a series of unpredicted events - she unlocks her element and finds out the secret behind her family’s death.

✄ words: 2.6k

♔ prelude

“Honey, my baby, I love you much. Don’t forget who you are, the blood that runs through your veins and secret of your ancestors.” My mother took off her necklace and hung it around my neck. “Now be a good girl and get out of the house, I’ll get your brother and meet you in the front!” She screamed at me in the midst of the burning chaos. The heat of the fire threatened to burn my young tender skin, the smog crawled into my lungs, the dry heat created hot tears as I grabbed my coat and ran out of the burning house. Panting, I stopped in the front yard waiting for my parents to come out with my brother. From the loud cracking noises and the sounds of sirens in the distance, I heard a baby’s cry. It was a cry of pain, fear, and sadness.

“Mom?! Dad?!” I screamed helplessly at the burning house.

The sounds of cracking became louder, the flames engulfing the wooden posts of the house grew larger, the smoke spread more violently, the cries turned to shrieks. I covered my face in my hands to wipe away the tears. But the moment I looked up: the house collapsed.

I gasped, sitting upright while grabbing a fistful of my blanket. Another flask back. Sweat rolled from my forehead down my neck as I gulped audibly in the dead of the night. Flipping my sheets over, I rolled out of the bed. My feet grazing the icy cold floor sending chills down my spine. I snuck my way out of the dorm room and downstairs to the common room. Grabbing one of the blankets and pouring a glass of water, I curled up on the sofa and looked out the tall glass window. The moon shone on the sleeping woods, where even wolves slept soundly and the lake which acted as the moon’s mirror at night by reflecting its elegant and beautiful features.

I laughed to myself - the moon never fought with the sun for its power, because it was content with its beauty, the sun was never jealous of the moon’s beauty because it had power. Why couldn’t people live like the sun and the moon? They balance the world, bring peace, and are content with what they have. If people were not so cruel, maybe I’d be living happily with my parents and younger brother…

- ~ -

The sound of the sliding door woke me up. The infamous languid authoritarian footsteps of the Dean echoed in the empty room. He snickered, shaking his head, “Tsk. When will she learn that the common room is not her room. Right, the poor orphan was probably never educated properly. If she wasn’t a Holders, she would probably be rotting with the commoners.” He proceeded by walking up the stairs to wake the others up. ‘If that asshole wasn’t the Dean, I would have already thrown him over the wall to feed the wolves.’ I kicked the blanket off and hurried upstairs to change and prepare for class.

The girls in my dorm room were already up getting ready for the day. Slipping into suits before securing the buckles of the armor, they headed out of the room - some fixing their hair while others applied discrete colors to their lips. The hexagonal plates on their sternums lit in all colors: blue for Water, red for Fire, white for Air and green for Earth. Those were the four divisions at the Academy, and the only ones left in Ulia. Apparently centuries ago, there used to be Holders from hundreds of different division in the world. However, when people were poisoned by greed and corruption, the world fell into a huge bloody mess during the fight for survival. Ultimately, only the masters of the four divisions remained to rebuild the world and reintroduce peace. Of course, I don’t know how much of it is true, but that’s what every citizen is taught in Ulia - Holder or non-Holder.

I changed into my suit before braiding my hair. As usual, my plate didn’t light up. It never has, and I never know whether it will ever light up… Am I really a Holder? Did the Lynx of Ulia read my blood incorrectly? What if I really don’t have powers to unlock? Sighing, I tuck my mother’s necklace into my suit and head towards the field.

- ~ -

“Hut, two, three, four - hut, two, three, four… c’mon, run along! No one is going to wait for you to finish your fucking laps. Run along.” Mr. Duff, on of the academies oldest professors yelled at us. The old man was a sixty year old, bony, grumpy, divorced man with no children who had probably gone through tens of midlife crises; yet he never failed to muster the energy to whack a lagger with his “magic stick.” Anyone hit by this “magic stick” will be graced with weeks of beautiful purple and blue bruises. After yelling at us, he turned away to sit inside the cool shed in the shade.

“The old man is fucking insane.” I heard a voice behind me say, “I can’t wait till he retires.”

We continued to run around the field, greeting the rising sun every time we completed a lap. The calm of the morning was disturbed when an Earth Holder, Edgar, in front of me accidently bumped into a Fire Holder, Wilson, causing him to trip.

“Watch where you are going, clumsy troll.” Wilson yelled mockingly joined my laughter of other Fire Holders.

“How the fuck was it my fault? You were running into my space!” Edgar hollered back venomously back up by other Earth Holders.

“Ha, how dare you accuse me of such immaturity and clumsiness. Unlike your type, Fire Holders are known for their agility. Watch me light up your sorry ass.” The nimble Fire Holder sent a blast of fire towards the Earth Holder who blocked it by creating a wall of earth. Sparks of scorched dirt rolled around, causing the crowd of students to back away.

“Hell, now you are asking for this. Don’t blame me if you end up a chunk of dirt in your foil mouth!” Then, the fight broke out. Edgar stomped four boulders from the ground and sent them flying to Wilson, who whipped out a ring of fire - blasting the boulders to pieces. Some students fled far away to avoid the chunks of soil and sparks of flames dancing in the sky while others watched the fight - egging them on.

Shortly, several professor, the Dean and Mr. Duff rushed to the scene. An expression of anger and disappointment painted on their faces.

“Edgar and Wilson!” The Dean cried. “Stop this childish quarrel right now or I will sentence you both to 2 months of bathroom cleaning duty!” The field quickly died to complete silence. The two Holders lowered their head in shame. “Now if you two gentlemen are ready to behave, follow me to my office. We have a few things to discuss.” The Dean said before turning his heels, whipping around his long coat and walking away.

The teachers, dispersed the crowd and told everyone to head to their morning classes.

- ~ -

Out of the many useless things the Academy taught us, one of them was “Weather Reading.” It was considered one of the oldest forms of art in Ulia and its traditions had to be passed down. The administrators claimed that as Holders, we were a part of nature and that also included being able to understand the environment around us and weather changes. On top of the utter uselessness of the class, it was also one of the hardest classes at the Academy. The different shapes of the clouds, the speed of the wind, the humidity, the shape of the moon and the intensity of the sun were all the little miniscule details one had to learn about to pass the class. Despite its difficulty, I chose the class because it is one of the only classes that allows Holders to leave the academy and enter the depths of the woods.

“Anya!” One of my close friends Thatiana called, “Do you know what the humidity of the soil is?” I knelt down to dig up a handful of the soil, feeling it in my hand before it fell apart through the cracks of my fingers to the ground.

“Hmm I think it is around 70 to 80% humidity, the soil must be near a body of water since it is impossible to reach that humidity with the recent dry weather.” I concluded as I let Thatiana record the numbers on the tablet. “Hey,” I stopped and turned to her, “you are a Water Holder - shouldn’t you be the one to decide that? Why do you make the non-Holder do it?” I stated lightheartedly.

“Hey! I may be a Water Holder but I’m no fan of digging my hands into dirty soil - it will get my nails dirty. And also who says you are a non-Holder! You are… but maybe your element is just a little stubborn … like your personality!” She retorted while laughing.

“Ah!” I hit her shoulder. “How can I possibly be more stubborn than you!?” I said teasingly while running away from her.

“Hey, you two! Get back to work, you have to finished taking all the measurement by the end of the hour.” Professor Whum hollered our way. “I know reading the weather is fascinating but don’t get too distracted.” She winked at us before skipping towards another group. Professor Whum was one of the weirder teachers at the Academy. She wore a pair of round glasses that resembled goggles, always had dirt on her face or in her hair and wore mismatched boots everyday. She was a simple representation of a blatant mess.

“Yes Professor Whum,” I reassured her with an artificial smile.

“Don’t worry,” Thatiana snickered, “We don’t have too much fun looking at the clouds.”

I headed further into the woods until I felt a raindrop on my nose. I looked up at the forming clouds, but my vision was limited due to tangled branches of the dense forest.

“Thatiana, wait here. I’ll climb a little higher to get a better view of the sky.” I said before hiking up the steep hill to the rocks. A large dark gray mass of clouds precipitated ominously towards our direction, expanding widely and rapidly.

A strike of thunder roared loudly from afar. The light drops of rain grew in number. A sense of fear and uncertainty washed over me. Screams erupted from below, as my classmates gathered their materials and fled back towards the school. Professor Whum hurried everyone to return to the Academy and back into its gates. I turned back to the sky. ‘Why is there suddenly a thunderstorm? We had been closely watching the weather for the past few weeks and Ulia’s Weather Reading masters have never been wrong - today was supposed to be a sunny day. What in the world is going on?’ Another strike of thunder interrupted my train of thoughts as I flinched.

“Anya! Anya! Where are you? We have to go back now!” Thaliana voice laced with terror rang from below. Rain began to pour more violently, soaking my hair completely. Beyond the overwhelming fear that sent sparkles coursing through my limbs, there was something about the way the rolling opaque gray clouds picked up speed, engulfing more and more of the forest in darkness. As if darkness was suffocating the last rays of light, I reached my hand into the light, watching the cloud’s shadow roll over my hand. I turned around to watch the darkness approach the gates of the Academy as small figures rushed through shielding their heads from the rain.

A source of warmth blossomed in my gut. A type of energy that was unexplainably nostalgic yet foreign - almost like the feeling of home and belonging. I raised my hand to cup a few drops of rain - ‘Was is the rain?’ The warmth grew and filled the whole expanse of my chest. I exhaled the breath I held for too long - a zap. I fixed my attention to my fingers. Zap. Crack. A dedicated thread of electricity formed between my thumb and index. The warmth traveled down my arms and spread through my hands. More sparks. Breathing deeply again, a tingling feeling flourished from my palm - creating threads of electricity between my fingers and across my palm. At every breath and contraction of my diaphragm, the energy multiplied.

From a distance, I sensed a growing bundle of energy in core of the clouds. In a split second, strike of thunder bolted down towards me - striking me. As if the clock had slowed down, I watched the lively shifting bolt approach and lung towards me. My palms caught the wild and heavy impact of the thunder as I watched the electricity spiral and encircle my arms and body. The heat became stronger and stronger. My arms and legs were covered in fluorescent white threads. The zaps multiplied by the second, getting louder and louder. I concentrated on my breath and brought my fists together. The electricity began to weave a sort of dome over my head. My body suddenly felt light, as if my body had forgotten the whole notion of gravity. The soles of my feet left the rock. The web of electricity wrapped further down to my hip and legs. The sphere wrapped neatly underneath my feet shutting me in.

I had created a force field of electricity around my body - protecting my body from the rain and the wind.

Sparks of electricity dance around my body as I floated higher and higher off the ground. For the first time, I felt free and invincible. While I watched my classmates through blazes of fire across the training room and soak each with whole tubs of water - I stood by the side patiently waiting for the day I would be able to unlock my element. Happiness coursed joyfully through my body. I was a Holder! I really was! I don’t know what kind but if I can control something - I am a Holder. I played in the force field, enjoying the new lightness of my body. Touching the bubble of electricity sent literal sparks through my arm. I closed my eyes and relished the warmth of the electricity prickling and tickling my skin.

As I floated higher and higher into the sky, I failed to realize another strike of thunder building up. When I saw a crack of light form in the distance darkness: I panicked. I raised my arms to cover my head but the thunder hit the force field, cracking it open instantly. The power of the bolt flung me violently across the woods. As if gravity finally woke up, my body turned heavy and was pulled downwards. Fuck. I flailed my arms in order to slow down my fall but all efforts were in vain. I fell on the thick branches of a big tree because falling flat on the hard ground.

“Anya! She is over here!” Thatiana screamed from a distance. As I laid completely limp and lifeless on the dirt, ropes of electricity spiraled around my body zapping periodically. After several violent zaps, my vision turned black.

a/n: idk if anyone will actually read this BUT im just putting this out here ha. since I got nothing to do in my spare time, I think im going to write again hehe c: idk when chapter 1 will be out but look forward to it :3 Jungkook and wonho will come in next chapter sorry haha 

[pixiealtaira]

Feed the Birds

Hummel Holidays 2016 day 8 prompt: Nature/trees

pairing: Kadam of course

Adam thought it a bit odd that when Kurt pulled into the driveway of his folk’s house when he brought Adam home to introduce him and so he was home for Christmas, the first thing Kurt did was exit the car and run to the back to the house…and then run back to the car.

“Yes!” Kurt shouted. “I know what we are doing today!”

“Getting grilled by your Da?” Adam asked.

“No. Decorating the Bird Tree.”  Kurt said. “I think we’ll do that even before I let Dad corner you.  I hope they have peanut butter around…and didn’t toss out my stash.”

Adam got out to help Kurt remove the luggage and tug it up to the front door, listening with a smile as Kurt chattered on.

“If we get married and move out of the city, we’ll need a Bird Tree in our yard.  Unless we have cats.  I’d like it to be a pine, but I can be flexible.  I wonder if we could do a Bird Tree on the roof.  I mean, some people have garden pots of the roof…I bet we could have a bird tree. I wonder if we could grow sunflowers.  We should try.  We should try to get a potted bird tree for next year.”

Kurt opened the door and shouted he was home.  Kurt’s dad barreled into the hall and wrapped Kurt in a hug before passing him off to his step-mother.

Kurt hugged back and then turned to introduce Adam.

“This is Adam. He makes life joyful. I love him.” Kurt said. “Adam…this is my dad and Carole.  Don’t let them scare you.”

Burt stuck his hand out for a hand shake, which felt a bit like an arm wrestling match until Kurt cleared his throat.

Carole gave him a hug.

“No time to talk.  Is my stash still in the garage?” Kurt said.

“It is.”

“And we have some fresh cranberries, oranges and cherrios.” Carole added.

“Sweet. Be right back. Dad show Adam where to put the bags.” Kurt said.  With a small wave he rushed out a back side door.

Adam smiled. “I can’t wait to see what has him so excited. I love it when he gets all eager and bouncy. He just fills a room with joy when like this.”

Kurt’s dad beamed at Adam. “Let me show you to Kurt’s room, son.  That way you can be down here and ready to work when Kurt gets in.”

Burt pointed out photos of small Kurt on the wall and told stories of antics he got up to when little that had Adam laughing as he dropped off the bags and followed Burt back to the kitchen, where Kurt was pulling huge jars of peanut butter out of a cupboard and bags cranberries and other dried fruit.

“Sit there…at the kitchen table.  Dad, you are in charge of stringing the cranberries, apple chunks, and cheerios. I’ll have the needle ready in just a moment.  I’ve got the thin twine in the box.  Carole you can make the orange half cups.  Adam and I will make the filled pine-cones.  Ok…rock,paper, scissors for Christmas Music choice. One. Two. Three.”

Carole won the music option and chose John Denver.  Kurt’s dad won the snack options and they had small sandwiches and cocoa.

As Adam learned how to pile on peanut butter onto large pine-cones that had already had twine attached so they could hang (and heard all about natural fibers and items that wouldn’t hurt bird tummies) and them cover them in birdseed and cornmeal full enough to provide a good bird feeder, he also heard all about Kurt and his mother Elizabeth, and Finn and Carole’s nieces and nephews and Kurt’s cousins.  He heard the story of Kurt and the poison ivy revenge after a cousin tied him to a tree and left him. (It’s not my fault Wade was too stupid to remember what poison ivy looked like…just ten minutes after we’d been told to avoid it and how to know what to avoid.)  He heard of the time Finn tipped the tree over and then tripped over the tree and broke his foot. (He was 13.)  Both Burt and Carole asked about his family and traditions and listened intently, like they really cared to know.  Kurt just smiled.

They spent the afternoon making items for the Bird Tree, until the sun started to set and Kurt hopped up to make dinner.

Carole placed the finished items in a large box and the non used items back into the container Kurt had brought in from the garage. Adam tried to help, but both just told him to sit.

“My dad once told me that he is very certain that had they tested me for something like ADHD or whatever back when I was tiny, I’d have spent my life drugged.  I was hyper.  I didn’t sleep much; I was always on the go.  My mom just laughed the one time it was suggested.  Her solution was always just to keep me busy.  Instead of napping we watched movies or had story time. We sang and danced and did crafts. We started the bird tree when I was three and a half, after I spent half a day crying because the birds would be cold. Only one year I didn’t do it.  I was afraid Finn would tease me and I was already on the outside drastically again. But I was upset all year, so my senior year I got all my stuff together again and made my box and threw myself a Bird Tree Party, even though Blaine said it was stupid. Finn came in, and at first yelled at me for using the peanut butter because now he couldn’t eat.  Then he joined me...and all f a sudden Puck was over helping and Sam had come in and Mike had joined us, bringing Rory and Brittany and Tina.  They were the only girls to end up over.  And the only reason Artie hadn’t was because he was out of town. I think it was one of the first times I actually felt like I was included with all the guys.”

Adam walked over and kissed the top of Kurt’s head.  Kurt turned to him and smiled. “I’m making sloppy joes because it is one of dad’s favorites. Would you like French fries or cheesy rice?”

“Fries.” Adam answered. Kurt turned on the oven.

“I ended up being included several more times after that.  It was nice.  But the Bird Tree Party was my favorite moment.”

“Thank You, love.” Adam told Kurt, spinning him quickly away from the stove and into a hug and kiss.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Kurt said, returning the kiss and turning back to the stove.

Adam chuckled and Kurt smiled.

“It was easy that way, wasn’t it?” Kurt said. “Got everyone talking about things not related to Kurt and Adam relationship or past relationships.  I am rather brilliant.  Hand me to oregano, the spice rack is on the counter by the coffee pot.”

Adam’s laugh rang through the kitchen and Kurt beamed.

[thesunlovesmuses]

Sugarbeet

Prompt: “Let’s go Sugarbeet,” he said and snapped on the light. He was holding two duffel bags, one very light and the other very heavy. It was his car, and he had slept with the keys.

WARNING: Lot’s of swearing in this one! This is just a little idea I had floating in my head all day, so I thought why not?

“Let’s go Sugarbeet! No time for sleeping right now!” Kai exclaimed as he busted into the room, flicking the light switch up and down to emphasise his point,

“Uuuuurgh! Do you have to!” Erinne groaned, shifting in her bed, trying to block out of the light from the fluorescent bulb hanging above the bed she rented for the night.

Considering that the bed in question was basically a wooden pallet with a load of blankets, it had been the most comfortable night’s sleep she’d had since landing on this retched plant. All so wanted to do right now was sleep in this basic room, in this basic bed, and just forget the events of the day. “The world better be ending if Kai thinks i’m leaving this bed at… god what time even is it?” Erinne thought as she groped blindly for the alarm clock the motel provided. The LED screen blinked; 03:47.

“Kai what the fuck!?! It’s literally not even four am! Someone better’ve died if you’re waking me up right now!” She whipped around, almost tempted to chuck the damn thing at his head.

“We might be if you don’t hurry up right now! That bastard friend of Rymond snitched on us and now the galactic guard are pounding on the front door!” Kai exclaimed, looking out of the room to make sure that no-one had got in.

...ok, maybe the world is ending.

“SHIT!”

“I know! Grab your shit while I wake the others and get the fuck outta dodge!” Kai finished, chucking Erinne’s burgundy duffel bag at her and racing down the corridor towards the other motel rooms.”

Swearing to the air, Erinne raced around the room to grab her clothes and shove her tools into the bag. This was the only reason she appreciated that her room only had a bad and a wardrobe in it, because she knew where everything was and wouldn’t bump into anything on the way there. Just as she finished up, Kai skidded in again and grabbed his stuff

“Come on! No time to change! Let’s go!” He shouted, grabbing Erinne under her arm and dragging her out of the room, down the corridor to the fire escape, where Zarinnah was picking the lock.

“Ooooh look at me. I’m Rymond and I’m the only one who can be trusted to pick our missions. I’m so smart. Nothing can go wrong when I make a decision.”

“Will you shut up Atul! How the hell was I supposed to know that the black market was actually in league with the guard?” “Rule number 1. Trust no-one, not even your friends. That was your rule!” Atul mocked, mimicking the sound of Rymond’s voice, earning him a slap around the ear from the man.

“Will the pair of you shut up! You’re lucky that they haven’t broken in through the front yet. Otherwise you loud mouths would lead them right t-”

*SMASH*

“...Zarinnah i’m begging you hurry up with that lock! Forget your fiance and this idiot. Just get us out of here!” Kai begged, kneeling down beside her to see if he could do anything. Erinne swearing again and keeping a look out around the corner.

“Alright alright! Almost got it aaaaand…”

*Click*

“Got it!” She exclaimed before Kai shouldered the door the door open.

“And just in time too. They flying pigs are coming at us!” Erinne finished, racing past Atul and Rymond, grabbing Zarinnah and bolting out in the direction Kai went. And just at that moment, three guards, in their shining leather best, turned the corner and shot at Atul and Rymond causing them to take cover behind the brick wall outside, which wasn’t faring well to the guard’s shots. Chunks of brick flying into their faces.

“Fucking wait for us then!” Atul screamed, shooting at the guards and causing them to retreat around the corner again to reload while Rymond ran after the girls.

“Oh… you too Rymond? Leave a man hanging why don’t you.” He mumbled to himself, chucking one of his home-made smoke capsules at the guards and sprinting away, the sound of the explosion drowning out the noise his windbreaker was making as he raced after his crew mates.

“I can’t believe we’re running away in out fucking pyjamas!” Erinne exclaimed, turning the corner, blocking out the sight of the motel they were just in, conflicted whether to laugh hysterically or scream her head off.

“And I can’t believe you guys left me behind back there! Some friends you guys are!” Atul joined in, only just catching up to the rest of the group, he face reading all shades of anger right now.

“Enough! We’re getting off of this planet and forgetting this ever happened! Trust me! We’re getting out of here alive!” Rymond shouted back, trying to build up some comradery in the group again as they whizzed round another corner; Atul almost skidding off down the next street they were going so fast.

“Damn straight we’re getting off this hell rock! Because I plan on surviving just long enough to beat some sense into you!” Erinne finished, knocking over some crates in an effort to try and slow down the pursuit of the guards that were right behind them.

“Hey! Maeta 019 is actually a great holiday spot! Some lovely beaches on the other side of the planet. Orange sand and turquoise sea! I plan on that being out honeymoon spot once we’re married!” Zarinnah chimes in, throwing Rymond a wink as they sprinted down the main street, the docking bay coming into view down the end of the hill.

“Yeah, well just pray we get back to the ship in one piece, otherwise there’ll be no honeymoon. Now focus you guys!” Kai said, thoroughly ending the argument and getting everyone to watch where they were running.

And so they ran; past the neon light of corner shops still open for late night business, past restaurants and shops shuttered up, and past the piles of rubbish bags lining the alleyways, threatening to topple over any minute before they get collected in the morning. They were now so close to the docking bay that they could smell the rocket fuel emanating from the place. Almost home free!

“They’re they are! Get them!”

And just like that, from out of no where, a new group of guards appeared further down the street and fired at the group. Luckily, having been in a situation like this before, Kai and Zarinnah pushed their friends on opposite directions, taking cover in the alleyways opposite one another.

“Shit! Now what?” Atul asked Kai, speaking into the comms watch so the guards couldn’t hear what they were planning.

“We’ll have to loop around! Get to the Z bay and hide with Zarinnah while we grab the ship and pick you up!” Kai replied, giving the pair a mock salute before the crew raced in opposite directions; like a pack of rats running away from a mob of cats.

“Shit! They’re getting away! Chase them down and grab them! The Commander wants them alive!” Was all Kai, Erinne and Rymond heard as they raced down the alleyway and looped back towards the side of the docking bay.

“Why the fuck would they want us alive!?! I thought it was an immediate death sentence for smuggling?” Erinne questioned as then ran, Rymond already hopping over an iron fence that blocked the alleyway off from the docking yard.

“Clearly the commander wants to welcome us for tea and cake; then torture the living hell out of us to see how we got past their security. The galactic guard do advertise their a hundred percent smuggling prevention rate very vocally.” Kai joked, hoisting the petite girl over the fence and clambering over after her.

“But you do realise you’re going to have bruised arms for the rest of the month for this Rymond?” Kai finished, still in a joking mood despite the predicament they were in, the flying pigs stormed through the entry way everyone was supposed to use to access the docking yard

“Oh trust me Kai, Atul’ll probably beat me black and blue when we pick him up and get out of the stratosphere. Heck, he might use this as an excuse to finally pistol whip me!” Rymond said, smirking at him as the skidded to a halt in front of the S0-L4R-1S, some of the spark returning to his eyes from the moping he had done this morning when they escaped the viper’s den.

“Cover me while I fob in and get us flying! Jump in at the last second!” Kai commanded, finally taking charge of the situation and sliding his key into the lock, the door letting out jets of steam and the door and stairs attached lowered.

Ever the dutiful pair of crew mates, the pair set their pistols to stun, not trying to add murder onto the list of crimes they’ve been charged with today, and set to firing a barrage of shots at the guards, who were forced to be the ones hiding now. Taking cover behind boxes of supplies and coils of rope the other ships had purchased and asked to be loaded onto by the robots working there, they attempted to fire back, but couldn’t get their chance as Rymond and Erinne took turns unloading on them as the other reloaded. The perfect system to the guard’s current chaotic disposition.

“Hey Rymond! In all seriousness, you’re not the only one to blame for everything going up shit’s creek. So don’t feel too bad about this. It’s not like Atul or me never jeopardised a mission. Like that time with the Ozzling on Ponion Major!”

“Fuck me! The stench of the slime coming off them never did get out of my favourite jacket! I still blame you for making me throw it out the air lock!”

“Exactly! Just like how we’ll still blame you for this one in a years time!” Erinne cackled as she finished reloading and slid into place while Rymond reloaded himself.

“Cheers Erinne! Just promise that after Atul’s got a few good ones on me that you’ll try to pry him off of me before he beats me to death!” Rymond joined in, cacking alongside her like half the town’s guards wasn’t trying to stun them down.

“Nice pyjamas by the way. Very chic.” Erinne complimented, referring to the half open navy and white checked shirt pyjama bottoms he was currently wearing as he tried to put in his calm and collected bravado on, which was not working for him right now.

“Gee thanks for the sarcasm little miss twinkle shorts, Zarrinah picked them for me. Thought i’d look ‘totes adorbs in them!’ I swear, sometimes I question her taste-”

“Will you two stop kissing each other’s arses and get on the dam ship!” Kai screamed from the pilot’s window as the S0-L4R-1S started to lift up into the air. Shooting at the guards with their last remaining around, the pair jumped aboard and braced themselves against the iron girding inside, preventing themselves from getting flung against the other side of the cabin once Kai initiated the engine to full capacity and burst out of the port. Once the initial g-force was gone, the pair clambered towards the pilot’s pit, with Kai pressing a lot of buttons quickly wile steering with one hand.

“Nice going sugarbeet! You two Ry! Now we just need enough trajectory to get out befor-” *CRUNCH*

All of a sudden, the ship shuddered and warning lights started to flash red in their boxes; the sirens blaring out a horrendous cacophony of noise and warning; the sudden smell of cables frying filling the air. With a look at each other, Errine and Kai raced to the window while Rymond took control of the steering again, trying to see if he could get it to go any higher. Looking outside, they could see why the ship was crying out like it had been murdered. A lazerbolt; a high tech piece of equipment that was essentially a giant harpoon with hacking software on the end of it, was now lodged in the hull of the ship. Only the galactic guard had access to the codes to be able to use it and had forced docking bays all across the galaxy to install at least two into their grounds for their personal use, should situations like this happen. And looking at the ground, she could just make out one of said galactic guard members typing away at the console the harpoon was attached it.

“...they just shot out our engine with that thing didn’t they?”

“I think they did…”

“And now they’ll be hacking into our ship and taking control won’t they?

“Yep. Looks like it.”

“....” “...” “..” “.” “FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!”

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

Crisco 129: Dystopian Sansby Dream AU-pt 1

A bit over a week ago, I had a dream, and because my sleep schedule had been disrupted, I woke with the memory unusually clear in my head. And as had never happened before, it was a dream formatted like a fanfiction. When I woke, and while still semiconscious, I outlined how the rest of it would go. This first part is the initial dream with only a few details filled in, the rest is continuation.  And all of it is rather different from what I usually do. I don’t ship Sansby when I’m awake--I can appreciate it as a ship, but it’s not one I have strong feelings for, really. But this idea was so sharp and clear that I had to do something with it. But I also didn’t feel like posting it with my other work, so it’s just going up here.  Keep in mind I thought this up while stressed, sleep deprived, running a low grade fever and actually unconscious.  The dream owes a lot to fact that I’d recently finished reading The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, which is dystopian up the wazoo, and the fact that I’d looked through the entire sfw ‘Grillby art’ tag before belatedly going to bed at an ungodly hour (and a lot of that was Sansby.) I especially blame this one piece by @literalnobody : http://literalnobody.tumblr.com/post/146801567514/sans-gets-a-summer-job-to-work-off-that-tab  (more the bottom one) 

I’ll post a link to pt. 2 once I get it up, which should be soon. Still working on pt. 3. The sections seem to be getting progressively longer agh I did not intend to spend this much time on this project... 

I REALLY HOPE THERE IS AT LEAST ONE DYSTOPIAN-LOVING SANSBY FAN OUT THERE 

*** 

Early morning, before sunrise. Sans was in his safe room, the only light from his glowing eyes and the glowing computer screen in front of him. Wires snaked over the side of the table down to the small generator purring beneath it. The computer’s case was made of mismatched pieces of plywood hammered together. Sans had made it himself over a period of years, kludging together all the parts he possibly could from unlikely materials, only buying on the black market when he absolutely had to. Monsters were not allowed to use technology in the Confederation. The resulting machine didn’t look like it should run, but it did. 

Sans typed carefully, letters jumping onto the black screen. The keyboard was ‘real’, he’d found it in a dump—it hadn’t been considered an important enough part to be confiscated and destroyed. Half of the original keys were missing and had been replaced, partly with mismatched keys of various colors, partly with carefully carved chunks of wood.

>knock, knock.

>Who’s there?

>who

>..Who, who?

>hey. listen. i think i heard an owl.

>Haha!

>owls are said to be wise. i wonder if it has anything to tell us.

>Oh I don’t know how wise this old bird is, but she does have a word to pass along.  

>what’ve we got today?

>Greenleaf.

>greenleaf eh. that need to be it? can it be a bit different? green leaves, green-leafed?

>It needs to be as close to the original as possible.

>makes sense. who comes up with this stuff?

>I don’t know. Not me, certainly. I’m more of a parrot than an owl, I’m afraid.

>oh I disagree my lady.

>You flatterer. Do you have the song downloaded?

>yes ma’am. i’m ready when you are.

>You’re secure and ready to broadcast once I receive a signal.

>ok. let’s rock.

Sans navigated to the jump drive and played the audio file the old lady had sent him, then reached for his headset and slipped it on. The serene sound of a guitar being plucked swam through his skull. He leaned back in his chair, relaxing, preparing.

Almost heaven, West Virginia

John Denver. He snapped his fingers, away from the mic, where the sound wouldn’t be picked up, and smiled.

Country roads, take me home To the place I belong

A pain like homesickness twitched in his soul.

Another chat appeared on the black screen.

>You’re live in 10.

The music was winding down.

>When you’re ready.

Sans adjusted the mic and began talking, using a lazy New York accent that disguised his voice somewhat.

“Heya everyone, it’s the great legendary fartmaster of doom here to tell ya it’s a fine day in the Confederation. Cats are swingin, dogs are singin. Good times. The greenleaf tree in my yard looks like heaven on earth, somehow. Funny how plants just keep growing. They have a kind of primal strength in ‘em. Maybe we have too.”

He kept on for half an hour, telling jokes and encouragement, lampooning the Confederation. He never planned these talks, they seemed to go better if they were ad-libbed, especially since the old lady might give him something that he’d have to fit in somehow at the last minute.

When the half hour was up he deleted the audio file from the jump drive and powered down the generator and by extension the machine, which didn’t have a battery, then teleported upwards. He landed in a bare bedroom with two beds. One was neatly made and had a petrified look suggesting it had been that way for a long time. One had its sheets in a wad and smelled of Sans.

Sans shrugged out of his pajamas and worked his brief body into his work clothes, slacks, a collared shirt and a vest. The slacks and the shirtsleeves were both liberally rolled. He padded to the window silently and peered out under the curtains. There was a faint light in the east. There was no green-leafed tree, only dust plains and barbed wire. They were right on the border, in the section that had once been called Snowdin Township and was now Subsection Twelve. One of the monster ghettos.

He scooted his feet into his shoes, tapped them on the floor to shake them into place, and went downstairs, soul pulse quickening a little at the thought of the next part of his day.

He entered the kitchen, which was a blaze of light. As usual, Grillbz was already up, heating the griddle and prepping for the day. He was wearing similar clothes to Sans, but looked much better in his, Sans thought. “How many eggs we eating today?” he asked conversationally, stepping down into the light of the kitchen. Grillbz smiled at him and began cracking eggs onto the griddle. “Eighteen,” he said. Sans hurried over to stand next to him and stood on his tiptoes to look at the sizzling eggs. Grillbz kept snatching up the next and breaking it: half of the griddle was covered in egg. “Eighteen?” “I need something to keep these flames burning.” “That shit’s rationed.” “Not here.” Grillbz smiled down at him, and moved sideways to snag another carton of eggs, bumping against Sans in the process. Sans felt a sudden chill, then a spreading warmth. His entire arm and part of his side were in contact with Grillbz, he could feel the heat sinking through his clothes. He didn’t move away. “I know what I can get away with,” said Grillbz, cracking the eighteenth egg and then flipping them all one at a time, starting with the first he’d cracked. “Nobody actually checks our numbers. Just trust me on this. How many do you want?” “Two.” Grillbz cracked two eggs onto the bottom of the griddle where they would be easily reachable by short arms. Then he paused and looked down at Sans. Sans suddenly realized that he’d been unconsciously leaning into the touch. Ah fuck that’s awkward. Grillbz leaned down and kissed him on the mouth. Then he straightened, scooped his eggs onto a plate and walked out.

Part 2

[viglanatura]

Naturist Beaches in Kefalonia

Back in the 1970s, if you fancied a carefree naturist holiday, you could do a lot worse than the Greek islands. The clothing optional beaches were well known (even if relatively few were “official”) and all of Europe flocked there. Then, from the 1980s onwards, things changed in Spain and the country and its territories became quite naturist friendly. Nowadays, Formentera or Fuertaventura are much more likely naturist destinations than the Greek islands.

But is the Western end of the Mediterranean still worth a visit? It would take a lot more than one article to cast a naturist’s eye over all of the Greek islands, so I will focus on just one: Kefalonia.

Kefalonia – The First Visit If first visited Kefalonia about 10 years ago. I stayed in Skala, a small town in the south of the island. I was attracted by the reputed lack of night clubs and the nearby naturist beach. I enjoyed my holiday, as I was after a restful time and that is what I got. Considering that its main source of income was tourism, Kefalonia seemed amazingly unspoilt.

I spent most of my time in Skala, as I had no car. Typically a large chunk of either end of the day was taken with sunning myself on the naturist beach, which was quite easy to access (go to Skala’s main beach, turn right and keep going) and friendly – a fair number of people, mainly couples, but not overly crowded. When I left, I thought that I would like to return someday.

Return to Kefalonia My life was quite eventful in the meantime, but in September 2012 I took my (then very new) wife Kefalonia. We decided to stay in Skala as it did not appear to have changed that much. And indeed, when we arrived, I was surprised to see how little the whole island had altered in a decade. I, however, had changed in some ways. Most significantly, I had experience of staying in quite naturist-friendly places and looked at Skala in a different way.

Although the town was still very pleasant, I felt it was rather “buttoned up” – a little conservative, as the visitors were mainly fellow Brits. On the main beach, it was rare to even see a topless woman, so I was pleased to discover that the naturist beach was still there.

However, many years of winter storms had taken their toll and rearranged many of the island’s beaches, which made access to Skala’s naturist beach much more tricky. It was still possible to get there, but a bit of nimble rock climbing and/or wading was necessary. Notwithstanding the challenge with access, we did spend quite a bit of time on Skala naturist beach, which still had a pleasant atmosphere, but a slightly steep slope into the sea which I was less happy with.

We rented a car for a couple of days and found another beach to the west of Skala that was very much to our liking: Kaminia, which is the northern end of a long beach normally called Mounda. There was a small taverna, with sun-beds and parasols on the beach.

We just turned right and walked a couple of hundred metres and soon put distance between us and them. We found a nice expanse of sand and a smooth entry into the sea.

We spent a couple of days there, covering up and visiting the taverna for lunch. We had no idea whether this was a “recognized” naturist beach or not, but we saw a few other nude people and other visitors seemed unconcerned about us. Back in Skala, I got into the habit of having an early morning dip from the town beach each day. There were few people about, so skinny dipping was not a problem. Late afternoon one day we wanted to go to the beach, but realized that the sun was largely off of the naturist beach by that time.

The main beach was still in sunshine, so we found a spot a discreet distance from other people and carried on regardless. Quite a few people saw us, but nobody seemed concerned. Our week’s holiday was very restful and enjoyable, even from a naturist’s perspective, as it turned out. Something about the place – the island as a whole – appealed to us and we resolved to return for another visit. And, in September 2013, that is just what we did.

Vassaliki

For our second holiday on the island, we decided to stay somewhere different. I had heard about Vassaliki, a naturist club, and it sounded interesting. My challenge was to persuade my wife. Her concern (and, to be fair, mine also) was that the place was either a hard core, “leave your clothes at the gate” naturist establishment or would be more “adult oriented” (i.e. open to swingers).

My enquiries and the website gave the impression that we would not have any problems, so I made the booking. They could also help with car hire, so the only other thing to do was get some flights (we took Thomson from Birmingham). The airport in Kefalonia is tiny, so, when we arrived, it took no time to locate our hire car and we set off in search of Vassaliki. The roads on the island are atrocious, but the directions were detailed and accurate and we were soon ringing the bell at the front gate. Our first impression was from a friendly welcome. We were quickly shown to our apartment and told everything we needed to know to get settled in. The key members of the team are Sam, Mark, Sheryl and Simon (not forgetting Archie the dog), all of whom could not have been more friendly and helpful. Their clear focus was on every guest getting what they wanted out of Vassaliki and, to that end, there are as few rules as possible.

The team very much set the atmosphere for the place. We were introduced to some other guests and it soon became clear that everyone felt comfortable and we were soon chatting with many people whom we had only just met. However, I felt sure that if a guest had wanted to keep themselves to themselves, that would not have been an issue.

Vassaliki

Our apartment was very comfortable, with plenty of space and well equipped enough that we could do some basic self-catering. However, very good food was available from the pool bar and there were a number of tavernas nearby, so there were options. There was a blissful absence of compulsory “entertainment”, which so many hotels seem to think is essential.

On various evenings there were opportunities to participate in group activities – a barbecue, mezzes at local tavernas etc. – which were good value. But they were opportunities and totally optional. From the naturist perspective, Vassaliki was much as you might expect – most people were nude much of the time, only dressing if it was too cool or they were venturing out of the site.

But again, the emphasis was on being relaxed. When we first arrived and wanted to look around, my wife put on a light sun-dress, but I saw no reason to dress myself, and we headed to the pool area to get some lunch.

Another newly arrived couple were dressed likewise. Soon both women were enjoying the sun and the pool and would only be dressed in the cool of the evenings thereafter. I was very struck by the management ethos of Vassaliki, which is all about everyone’s needs being met. The amazing thing was the bar. Being a small team, manning the bar all day and all evening would be very hard. Their solution is simple.

Outside of meal times, it is self-service. There are glasses to hand, a tap for draft beer and fridge full of wine and other drinks. Any guest can just help themselves and tick it off on a list; everything is simply added to the bill for settlement later.

Such trust might sound risky, but it is a small place and I am sure that nobody abuses the system. Most people who feel trusted are then trustworthy. To me, encountering such a civilized attitude was a memorable highlight of the holiday and somehow very much part of the naturism culture.

Kefalonia Beaches As we had a car for the whole week that we were staying at Vassaliki, we explored that corner of the island, often looking for beaches. A very short distance from the club is a small village, Spartia, with a harbour. We walked down there on our first day, which was a bit of a stretch – we used the car on subsequent occasions. On the way down, we spotted a small paved footpath, which appeared to lead to the sea, so we investigated. This led down to a very nice small beach, which was deserted (at about 10:00), even though it was catching the sun.

We had not come out prepared for swimming, but what equipment does a naturist need? The water was lovely and a combination of the warm sun and my T-shirt took care of drying us afterwards. We continued our walk to the harbour, but I returned to this beach most mornings for an early dip and we sometimes went later in the afternoon. We saw few other people and nobody was concerned about our mode of dress.

Kefalonia – A Great Destination for Naturists ?

The good folks at Vassaliki provided us with a guide to local beaches and the nearest one that was considered naturist friendly was Avithos, which was just a short drive North. We found it easily. There are two tavernas, which are right next to the main beach. Stepping on the the beach, and walking to the right, we soon found ourselves in the next small bay, which was always quiet enough that I felt a naturist would be fine there.

But we pressed on to the third beach, which is where naturists conventionally congregate. When we were there we were never alone, but it was far from crowded – almost all naturists. A good sandy beach, with reasonable access to the water. On another day, we headed South towards Skala to investigate Mounda beach, which is one of the best known naturist favourites. It is easy to find and only a matter of walking along a few hundred yards to the left from the car parking to get to the naturist area. Another lovely beach, with about a 2 Km stretch along which swimming costumes are a rare sight.

There were plenty of people there, but, with all that space, it did not feel crowded. Later in the day, we drove North along the coastal track (“road” would be an exaggeration) to check out Kaminia again, where we had been the previous year. We were alone for most of the time we were there, seeing only a few people who strolled along and either did not notice or care about us. On another exploratory outing, we spotted a sign to Kanali Beach, which was between Lourdas and Trapezaki beaches, each of which are quite pleasant places with the inevitable tavernas. I had read that Kanali Beach could be reached along the coast from either Lourdas or Trapezaki, so I was surprised to see a sign to it from the top of the cliffs. We followed the sign and found a very small parking area, with no other cars around. A footpath led down the the beach. It was one of the most well made cliff paths I have seen anywhere in the world, with firm concrete steps and nice seats at frequent intervals.

The beach, when we got there, was deserted. It was too late to stay around on that day, but we returned a day or two later for some sun and sea. This time there were other people – maybe 10 in total on a long stretch of beach. They were mostly non-naturists, but nobody seemed to mind sharing the place with a few nude bodies. In the course of the day, quite a few people walked along the beach – again nobody concerned about us or the other naturists. Kefalonia for Naturists?

Would I recommend Keflonia to naturists? Yes, so long as you have a car, there are lots of beaches to go to, which cater for all tastes. Will we be going again? I am sure that we will – there are lots of beaches and large parts of the island left to explore. Would we stay at Vassaliki again? I cannot imagine anywhere better …

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