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jeremy-88 · 4 years ago

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The Old Leader

Optimus had lost track of just how long he'd been standing there. He knew what he was going to be seeing here, he knew what condition he'd find him in. And yet, actually being here, seeing the one he'd looked up to for so long like this, was a lot to take in. Ultra Magnus, the one who had led them through the Great War, whom Optimus had always looked up to, was simply a shadow of the figure he once was. Lying motionless upon the table, with wires connecting him to many a life support device, the esteemed Autobot leader was far from how Optimus remembered him. All around there was only the sound of the occasional beep from the aforementioned devices, as well as the other bots in the room, Ratchet, Arcee and Red Alert. All had helped their leader as much as they could, and all had done their part, but now it was time for Optimus himself to step up and do his. After casting a final glance to his friend Ratchet, who gave him a silent nod, Optimus once more turned his optics to the unmoving form of Magnus, then down to the newly-created pendant around his neck. "The Allspark has performed miracles before...so let's see if it can do one more."

Placing his hand upon the container that held their race's most sacred artefact, the young Prime held it forward, and all other bots in the room took a step back, unsure of what would happen next. Moment after moment passed, and still, nothing. Optimus wondered if this would even work, but then, his patience was rewarded. For within that pendant, that familiar glow began to intensify. The great power of the Allspark was coming forth, and within just a few seconds more, Ultra Magnus' body was practically bathed in it. A look of wonder was across the faces of all in the room, and through the intense light they could see, to their utter amazement, the damage and scarring of Ultra Magnus beginning to be righted. When at last the light died down, they saw now what their own medical ability had failed to do, repair him completely. It looked as if he were brand new, save for the obvious age of his form of course. Letting go of the pedant, Optimus leaned in closer, looking down to his commanding officer, still concerned if his actions had actually helped like he wanted. Then, that hope was answered when Magnus' optics shot open, a look of horror upon his face. "Shockwave!"

The Autobot leader sat upright in the blink of an eye, and immediately Ratchet was over to him, holding him on his shoulders and speaking in about as calm a way as he was able. "Ultra! It's okay! You're safe! Shockwave isn't here!"

Ultra, still clearly disoriented and confused, slowly turned, recognition coming to him as he regarded the old doctor. "R...Ratchet?"

In a rare moment, Ratchet actually cracked a smile. "Yeah. It's me, old friend."

Silence fell, and Ultra began to take in his surroundings, as well as the other bots watching him. He glanced down to his newly-repaired body, looking as stunned as one would expect after an experience such as his. Then, finally becoming aware of the additional figure beside him, he turned, looking into Optimus' face at last. "Optimus?"

Even after all this time, Optimus couldn't resist giving a salute. "Sir. It's good to have you back."

Naturally, Ultra would have had many questions about what was happening, but it seemed as if he didn't even need to ask the first of them, as one look at the container that lay on Optimus' chest filled him in. "The Allspark," he whispered, his voice filled with reverence.

Seeing just how much this was for his commander to take in, Optimus gave a small nod to him. "Trust me, coming back from the brink by its power is a lot. I felt it myself a while back."

"Heh, I'd say you were in a worse state than Ultra at the time, if memory serves," Ratchet added grimly.

Ultra sat in silence for a time, his mind clearly awash with feelings of relief over having come back, as well as just the pure shock of it. Then, ever the dutiful leader, he took on a more serious tone when he finally spoke up again. "How long was I out of commission?"

"A long time," Optimus replied solemnly. "A great deal has happened while you were recovering."

Upon hearing those words, Ultra finally noticed that Optimus was holding onto a very familiar weapon. The Magnus Hammer. His hammer. The very symbol of Autobot leadership. Seeing his one-time protégé holding it, just as he did for so many years, caused the soldier to speak in a softer tone. "Yes...a great deal indeed."

Optimus said nothing, at least for the time being, wanting his leader to have as much time as he needed to get his thoughts in order. However, he did at least speak when he saw him trying to stand up for the first time since his attack. "Easy, Sir. The Allspark may be without peer when it comes to fixing a bot up, but still..."

Ultra gave a quick nod, making sure to take this motion slowly and carefully. Thankfully, things seemed to all be in order. A slight wobble and some understandable fatigue, but nothing worse than that. Then, he was standing, the towering Autobot that all remembered him to be. After another glance at all around him, he again regarded Optimus. "Now that I am well, I will need to be apprised of where we stand in our fight against Megatron."

The moment Optimus heard those words, he shifted slightly in his stance, in a way that very clearly telegraphed the awkwardness of the moment. Behind Ultra, Ratchet and Arcee shared a smile with one another, and every soon even Ultra was able to read the room, looking to Optimus and very much awaiting an explanation. After trying to think of the best way to phrase this, in the end he simply said what needed to be. "Sir...Megatron is in our custody."

Even Ultra, as famously stoic as he was, was unable to hide the disbelief he felt from hearing such a statement. "...Megatron?"

Optimus nodded. "Yes."

"In our custody?"

"Yes, Sir."

Ultra, in a way everyone had likely expected, reached for the edge of the table he'd just risen from, no doubt to keep himself from falling back onto it from the shock of the news. "I...I was not expecting to hear such a thing." Looking to the side, Optimus reached out with an open hand, and Red Alert, who had been silent through this entire exchange, dutifully gave him a data pad. After looking to it for only a few moments, Optimus, in turn, handed it to Ultra. "I've taken the liberty of making an official report on the matter, Sir. I think you'll find there's a lot in here besides."

Now looking like he'd just found himself in a whole other world, Ultra hesitantly accepted the pad. The duty of looking though reports was common for him back before the incident with Shockwave, but now the bot seemed almost fearful to do so. In the end though, he took it, and before long his optics could be seen scrolling through the massive amount of information that was now being presented to him. Nobody else said a word, and Ultra, despite his obvious efforts to appear reserved as usual, gripped the pad tighter as he approached the end of the report. When finally he got to the end, he did something so out of character that it momentarily caused concern for the others. He breathed a sigh of relief. "The war...is over. After all these years...it is over."

Optimus, though he wanted nothing more than to sound happy over that point, spoke with a tone far less cheery than one would expect. "Yes...but not without loss."

Ultra looked to him, and without even an explanation, understood. "I've no doubt. Megatron took many of Cybertron's best and brightest in the old war. To see him brought down for good...would have had its price."

Optimus didn't want to delve further into that, and so instead tried to focus on the positive. "The people of Cybertron have been celebrating for some time now, Sir. And I'm sure they'll feel even better when you return to your rightful place."

Ultra said nothing to that, instead just watching as Optimus gripped the handle of the Magnus Hammer with both hands, offering it to him. The implication was clear, that he wanted his commander to resume his post and lead Cybertron as he always had. But as Ultra stood there, allowing all these new revelations to swirl in his head, he simply stared at his old weapon for a long while without budging an inch. Finally, and after much thought, he glanced over his shoulder. "If I might have a moment alone with him?"

Though confusion was abound for many of the other bots, for Ratchet it was all too clear a message, and he placed his hand upon Arcee's shoulder. "Come on. I think there are still some adjustments we need to make to Optimus' flight-tech."

Optimus watched as the old doctor hurried out the other two, while he stayed behind, wondering just what was going on. Eventually, and only after hearing the sound of the closing door of the ward, did he at least hear the voice of his leader yet again. "Optimus...I am sorry. But I cannot be Cybertron's leader again."

The young Autobot who now held his weapon looked stunned by such a statement. "But...of course you can! You're our Magnus! Your injuries have been repaired!"

Ultra gave a small nod. "Yes...but we all have our time. And I think mine has come and gone. When Cybertron needed me, truly needed me, I was not there. I was not the one who led our people to victory." He slowly looked Optimus in the optics. "I have erred, Optimus. Many times. Both in our old war with the Decepticons, and even during the long calm that followed it. Many of my choices, as necessary as they may have seemed, are ones that have haunted me. We Autobots were meant to stand for something good once upon a time. But in the fires of war, those ideals were quickly lost. And I, the supposedly great Magnus, could not even ensure that the war would not resume after so many years."

Optimus stepped forward. "Sir...Cybertron needs you."

Ultra shook his head. "No, Optimus. It does not. And I think...it has not needed me for some time." For the first time since Optimus had known him, Ultra smiled, if only a little. "But if it is a leader our world needs...there is another who can take that role."

It took no time at all for Optimus to understand what was happening, and though he looked overwhelmed by the offer, he still managed to keep his feelings in check, letting out only a sigh. "Sir, I'm...I'm only a soldier. I'm not worthy."

A dry chuckle escaped Ultra. "Nor was I." He reached out, placing his hand on Optimus' shoulder. "You recall once how I said I believed that it was not in your programming to be great?" The wince on Optimus' face was all the answer he needed to continue. "Well, I have been wrong before, but never as wrong as I was then. You are great, Optimus Prime. And right now, if our people are to enter a new age...they need a new leader. And I can think of nobody better than the one who saved them from their enemies...in the way I couldn't."

Optimus, who was as shocked by this sudden change as Ultra likely was at his age, looked down to the hammer in his hands, gripping it even tighter than before. "I...I don't know if I can lead a whole world."

Ultra looked to him, giving a firm nod. "Well then...let's find out, shall we?"

#fanfic #fanfiction #fan fiction #transformers #tfa #transformers animated #optimus prime #ultra magnus #ratchet #arcee

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industrialrobots11 · 4 years ago

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Industrial Robots

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Our realization was that there was no cost-effective solution for automating the only of tasks on the factory floor. What we now have accomplished is try to put deployment of frequent functions on rails as much as attainable. Current machines used on this process are outdated and have not changed since their invention many years ago. For example, current diagnostic machines can only test 12 to 15 antibiotics at a time, even though medical doctors have more than 35 commercially obtainable antibiotics to choose from. With its combined rotational joint, two rotary joints, and a linear joint, the spherical robotic operates within the polar coordinate system to achieve a spherical-shaped work envelope. The cylindrical robot has a rotary joint alongside the joint axis for rotation motion and a prismatic joint for linear motion.

The chart above lists the entire several sorts of robots obtainable at present. According to a current survey by the World Economic Forum, two-thirds of staff say they'd belief a robotic boss more than a real one… although maybe that just reveals that individuals generally don’t belief their boss. + Pull complete layers off a pallet with a specialized pallet layer dealing with robotic. Spot welding joins two contacting metal surfaces by directing a large present through the spot, which melts the steel and forms the weld delivered to the spot in a really brief time .

A SCARA robot is principally used in assembly functions because of the nature of its motion, such as jobs that require drilling or tapping assemblies. A Cartesian robotic operates in the X-, Y-, and Z-axes to succeed in its end position. If your business isn’t listed on this record, it doesn’t imply that you just can’t use robots in your corporation. In fact, most of the hottest robotic purposes are applicable to nearly any industry. Before introducing automation into your corporation, your warehouse and processes should first be analyzed and optimized. If your operation places items in a case to be packaged, palletized, and shipped, our strategic partnership with Bastian Solutions partnership presents a robotic resolution to cut back your success instances and labor prices.

China has already made considerable progress, with robotic density—the variety of robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees—increasing from 15 in 2010 to ninety seven in 2017. Much work stays, however, since China’s robotic density is still much decrease than that reported by developed markets, such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States . A evaluate of tendencies does recommend that China has made higher strides in rising robotic density over the previous few years than different emerging markets, similar to India and Mexico, nevertheless .

Instead of moving heavy components or performing monotonous duties, employees can be taught to program and conduct upkeep on the machines. A report from a Swiss suppose tank predicts that while robots will displace 75 million jobs globally by 2022, they may create 133 million new ones - a net constructive of fifty eight million jobs. The agriculture trade has been using robotics to increase productiveness while decreasing prices. With sensor technology, farmers can monitor diseases and pests that negatively impact crop yields. Automated techniques that run operations similar to pruning, spraying, and weed removing are becoming increasingly popular.

One could soon see AMRs outfitted with robotic arms in order that manipulation capabilities may be relocated on demand. An autonomous system is one that can discover a answer to unpredictable issues without exterior intervention. A important focus area for industrial robotics startups is developing the autonomy to handle the dynamic nature of most manufacturing contexts. depth sensor which is 2 orders of magnitude cheaper than prior alternate options. However, expansion of the robotics market might be gated as long as one reality stays true… the price of programming robots is way higher than that of the hardware itself.

Since machine retailers typically have compressed air strains in their working areas, the pneumatically pushed robotic is very in style. Unfortunately, this technique does not make for easy control of either pace or position—essential components for any profitable robot. ActiNav ActiNav™ combines intelligent vision, real-time autonomous motion management and Universal Robots’ world-leading cobots to deliver the core of a machine loading system. Whether used for simple bin selecting tasks or more complicated machine tending applications, ActiNav delivers a solution that’s exact, consistent, intuitive and more agile than ever before. Despite their linguistic similarity, the terms automation and autonomy signal very completely different capabilities. Robotic automation has been occurring for many years as robots have been used to perform repetitive tasks in high-volume manufacturing contexts, largely in the automotive and electronics industries.

You will at all times find the right one, irrespective of how challenging the application. Read more about how industrial robots are used in completely different industries and purposes. For examples of how this may look in popular robotic languages see industrial robotic programming. The train pendant or PC is usually disconnected after programming and the robotic then runs on the program that has been installed in its controller. However a pc is usually used to 'supervise' the robot and any peripherals, or to provide additional storage for entry to quite a few advanced paths and routines. Manufacturing impartial robotic programming instruments are a comparatively new however versatile approach to program robot purposes.

ABB Robotics is a pioneer in robotics, machine automation and digital companies, offering revolutionary solutions for a various range of industries, from automotive to electronics to logistics. As one of the world’s main robotics and machine automation suppliers, ABB Robotics employs greater than 10,000 individuals in fifty three international locations and has shipped more than 500,000 robot solutions. Manufacturers often focus on creating tools in a number of of the essential formats for these gadgets . Others create customized grippers and EOATs, including people who handle particular materials.

Since they don't require extensive actions, they are a few of the most cost-effective industrial robots. These advantages make Cartesian robots best for meeting line applications, such as choosing up and moving bottles. As industrial robots turn out to be quicker, smarter, and cheaper, more and more companies are beginning to integrate this technology along side their workforce. While it's true that some of the more undesirable jobs are being stuffed by machines, this development has a quantity of more positive outcomes for the manufacturing business. According to the International Federation of Robotics study World Robotics 2019, there were about 2,439,543 operational industrial robots by the end of 2017. For the yr 2018 the IFR estimates the worldwide sales of commercial robots with US$16.5 billion.

Heavily used for manufacturing within the food, pharmaceutical and electronic industries, these spider-like robots are related with a common base. The delta robotic is often used for quick pick and place purposes due its precision at excessive velocity. With anyplace from two to 10 joints, articulated robots are linked to the base with a twisting joint. Resembling a human arm, they are generally utilized in packaging, painting, steel casting and different industrial applications. Sealer robots are built with quite a few robotic arm configurations that allow the robot to apply adhesives to any type of product. The major benefit on this utility is elevated high quality, speed and consistency of the ultimate product.

The eye and the hand are mimicked by amassing sensor data, particularly 2D and 3D imaginative and prescient knowledge and haptic knowledge . Parts could additionally be in numerous orientations as they arrive down the meeting line, or the product to be produced may change incessantly, as is the case in a selection of high-mix, low-volume manufacturing environments. has developed templates for dozens of widespread duties that require only some configuration by way of an iPad app earlier than being ready for use in production. and drag&bot, is to mirror a development in the broader software development world toward no-code and low-code growth platforms as an various alternative to coding software functions from scratch. These platforms identify widespread building blocks and summary them from code into higher-level representations that might be manipulated and interconnected using graphical, drag-and-drop interfaces.

An instance of a wheeled robotic is the ARTI tracked robotics platform developed by Transcend Robotics. Targeted at unmanned ground automobile operation, the design can deal with a big variety of hundreds and scale most terrain, because of its patented Safeguard Joints. The joints help stabilize the platform over tough terrain, guaranteeing that it is ready to climb steps with out flipping over. It can be utilized in uneven terrain, as nicely as to transport gear in a warehouse or workplace constructing. The robotic is customizable, meaning users can add sensors, robotic arms, or completely different payloads to complete a task. According to a current market report, the warehouse robotics trade is projected to develop at a fee of eleven.7% and attain $6,471 million by 2025.

World Robotics - Industrial Robots offers international statistics on industrial robots in standardized tables and allows nationwide comparisons to be made. It also offers robotic density, i.e. the number of robots per 10,000 workers, as a measure for the degree of automation. FANUC's FIELD system Zero Down Time software is designed to eliminate down time and improve overall robotic efficiency. While FANUC robots are extremely reliable, manufacturers nonetheless need an answer to maximize uptime. Safety-certified and with payloads from 4-35 kg, the FANUC CR and CRX collection of collaborative robots work hand in hand with humans to add worth to your processes. Equipped with anti-trap safety, the CR and CRX robotic sequence' will work side-by-side with people with out the need for extra safety gadgets.

In one state of affairs, a surgical semi-autonomous robot performed higher than the human surgeons with increased precision and fewer harm to the surrounding tissue. When even the blood pumping via a surgeon’s hand can affect a surgery’s precision, the accuracy of robots can guarantee greater charges of success in delicate medical procedures. Built from jointed parallelograms connected to a single base, delta robots have a spider-like look to make delicate, precise movements which are helpful in the meals, pharmaceutical, and digital industries.

Accuracy can range with velocity and position throughout the working envelope and with payload . This could also be defined in phrases of the angular or linear pace of every axis or as a compound velocity i.e. the pace of the end of the arm when all axes are moving. A parallel manipulator is designed so that each chain is usually quick, simple and may thus be inflexible towards unwanted motion, in comparison with a serial manipulator. Errors in one chain's positioning are averaged along side the others, somewhat than being cumulative. Each actuator must nonetheless move inside its personal diploma of freedom, as for a serial robot; however in the parallel robot the off-axis flexibility of a joint can be constrained by the impact of the opposite chains.

With the automotive and electronics sectors expected to remain leaders in automation, they will account for most industry-specific demand for end effectors. This is essential as it allows manufacturers to keep their operations in the U.S and nonetheless compete within the world marketplace. In truth, automation is changing into more and more essential for firms who want to create more jobs in the U.S and keep competitive. The FANUC normal for smarter productivity, the R-30iB controller represents a new generation of superior technology and enhanced built-in FANUC hardware.

Direct labor prices are lowered and far of the tedious and hazardous activities historically carried out by human labor are eliminated. Industrial robots have revolutionized the economic workplace throughout industries since their introduction to the manufacturing landscape. In reality, the economic robots market is projected to be price more than $66 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.1% in the course of the forecast period. With more than 250 software capabilities for enhanced intelligence, motion, safety and productivity and all kinds of FANUC top quality equipment, we now have a solution for almost every conceivable utility.

It requires assembling or composing various pre-configured or pre-integrated building blocks to fulfill the application’s specifications. This consists of servo motor drives for motion control and environment sensors for collision avoidance as properly as auxiliary provides for sensors. Industrial robotic methods also rely on environment friendly power provides in addition to digital and analog sensing and control solutions. Manufacturers all over the world are turning to automation to help remedy labor shortages, increase productivity and improve product high quality.

We are at all times looking out for progressive ways to optimize our system solutions. One instance we're pursuing goes to drastically cut back the variety of cables inside a shifting robotic arm. In the idea, solely two wires are required for the DC or AC supply and communication. Over 200 robots are in use at our Industry 4.0-ready manufacturing facility in Dresden alone.

As the robot operates, the control system evaluates the theoretical/actual distinction, together with different measured values and stored information (e.g., theoretical speeds), and produces actuating variables to drive the robot. The control systems of an industrial robot decide its flexibility and effectivity, throughout the limits set beforehand by the design of the mechanical construction. Robotic welding has been the top robotic software within the automotive sector for a protracted time, as every automobile needs a high variety of welds before it’s full.

Including the price of software program, peripherals and systems engineering, the annual turnover for robot methods is estimated to be US$48.0 billion in 2018. Robot simulation instruments enable for robotics packages to be conveniently written and debugged off-line with the final version of the program tested on an precise robotic. The capability to preview the habits of a robotic system in a virtual world allows for quite so much of mechanisms, devices, configurations and controllers to be tried and examined before being utilized to a "real world" system.

Several Festo dosing heads and handling parts are used within the NPG machine to speed pattern testing. They were created within the lab of Radhika Nagpal, the Fred Kavli professor of computer science on the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences . Robots created by Festo exemplify this trend—they help in the examine of tips on how to use nature’s natural mechanics in present automation.

#industrial robots

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tearsofthemis · 4 years ago

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Tears of Themis : Chapter 1 “Social Snobbery” Part 13

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▌Location- QingPing Restaurant, First Floor

(Lu HaiYang flinched when he saw that Fang Yuan and Xue XinRan had company, but then quickly put on a smile.)

Lu HaiYang: “Old man, do you really believe hiring lawyers will help? You’re going up against Bader Law Firm, the best legal team in the city. Let’s face it, you can’t win the case. Your best bet is to save up money and invest in our PR services to salvage whatever’s left of your restaurant’s reputation.”

Xue XinRan: “Grandpa Fang, can’t you see that he’s past the point of salvation?!”

MC: “Lu HaiYang, you…”

(Fang Yuan was already so frail, I was scared that the situation might escalate to something physical. Just as I was about to get up and put distance between the two, Xia Yang pinched me.)

Xia Yan: “Don’t worry.”

(Xia Yan winked and pulled a small stick-like object out of his pocket for me to see. It was a recording pen. Was Xia Yan counting on Lu HaiYang’s admission to the crime during an emotional outburst?)

Fang Yuan: “HaiYang, why won’t you resign! Don’t you know what you did here is breaking the law!?”

Lu HaiYang: “Breaking the law? What law did I break, do you even have evidence?”

MC: “Of course we do! The incident that occurred in this restaurant isn’t simply food poisoning from unsafe practices, this is a case of intentional poisoning! You left the pesticide receipt here, I bet you’ve forgotten about it!”

(Lu HaiYang finally noticed the evidence and notes laid out on the dining table, and his face soured.)

Lu HaiYang: “Well, I’ll admit you have gall, old man. To preach your nonsense, and now you’ve stooped to fabricating evidence. You lectured me, telling me that it was for my own good, and yet you’ve been working to push all the blame onto my shoulders! How cruel can you be!?”

Xue XinRan: “Lu HaiYang, how dare you call Grandpa Fang cruel! He’s never done wrong by you!”

Lu HaiYang: “Bullsh*t! He’s done plenty! If it weren’t for the fact that I look like his son, he wouldn’t have encouraged me to go to university, and I wouldn’t have stayed in Stellis City! Especially since he knows how difficult it is for foreigners to afford the cost of living here - foreigners like me! I’ve had to work myself to the bone just to afford rent and put food in my body, let alone buying a house and starting a family! He’s the one that put extra weight on my shoulders, and he should pay the price for it! Besides, isn’t it only natural for fathers to support their sons’ business?”

Xue XinRan: “You… You’re completely out of line…”

Lu HaiYang: “I pitched our PR services to him because it would’ve benefitted us both. The restaurant would gain good publicity, and I would meet my quotas. Two birds, one stone, right? But he just had to be stubborn, had to shell out his savings for a bunch of poor students! Where are they now when you’re in hot water? Do any of his ex-benefactors care about him? Excluding one Xue XinRan who’s still mooching off of him for tuition, the rest of the ingrates you funded looked the other way! This is the thanks you get for your kindness! So how about it? Hire our PR services, and I’ll be able to meet this month’s sales quota with your sign up.”

(All of us were left shell shocked by Lu HaiYang’s scathing words. Fang Yuan’s eyes glazed over in pain as he stared at Lu HaiYang.)

Xue XinRan: “Grandpa Fang!”

(The restaurant was silent save for Fang Yuan’s labored breathing. He clutched his chest and crumpled over. Xia Yan and I rushed over to Fang Yuan’s side as Lu HaiYang lunged towards the table in an attempt to grab the evidence. Xia Yan stopped him in time and grabbed onto his wrist.)

Lu HaiYang: “Y-you! Let me go!”

(Lu HaiYang howled in pain. He hesitated at first, but raised his free hand in a fist and swung at Xia Yan. Xia Yan blocked the punch and twisted Lu HaiYang’s arms behind his back. Xia Yan had an iron grip on Lu HaiYang’s wrists like a sword pulled out of its sheath. He glared at Lu HaiYang with an expression colder than steel itself.)

Xia Yan: “Lu HaiYang, if I were you, I’d think twice about tampering with the evidence. If you can attest that you acted upon your company’s wishes and appear in court as a witness, the judge will most likely reduce your sentence.”

MC: “Weren't you worried that after you resigned, you wouldn’t be able to find work elsewhere? Fear not, they’ll give you food, housing, and even a job in jail; you can rest easy.”

Lu HaiYang: “Y-you! I’ll have you know that our company is backed by the PAX Group, and you’ll do well if you don’t anger them. Accept your losses, and let me go!”

MC: “PAX Group is just a bunch of rich hotshots anyways! You think by having money, it’ll automatically put you above the law? Keep dreaming! I’ll definitely represent Mr. Fang in this case. Even if I have to oppose PAX, even if this passes all the way up to the Supreme Court, I’ll accompany you there!”

Fang Yuan: “Let… Let go of him… I hereby consent for Themis to appear in court in my steed. I’ll… I’ll forget that I ever sponsored you!”

Lu HaiYang: “Y-you… You can’t do that!”

(Xia Yan led Lu HaiYang to the front door, and promptly kicked him out of the restaurant.)

Xia Yan: “From here on out, stop harassing Mr. Fang. You don’t want to know what’ll happen to you if not.”

(Xia Yan slammed the door in Lu HaiYang’s face. With a couple of key presses, he removed Lu HaiYang’s fingerprint ID from the system. It seems that Xia Yan’s threat got through to him as he scrambled up off the ground and immediately left.)

MC: “Grandpa Fang, do you require medical assistance? We can take you to the hospital.”

(Xue XinRan had already handed Fang Yuan’s medication to him, but I was still unassured.)

Fang Yuan: “I’m alright… That agreement, bring it here… I’ll sign it. You were right, my boy. The best way to get through to Lu HaiYang is to let MeiWeiKa pay for their crimes. I was always under the impression that their company had connections, but from the looks of it, all my years of experience doesn’t compare to this young lady’s bravery.”

MC: “You flatter me…”

Xia Yan: “What you said is true, she’s the most honest lawyer I know. She’ll definitely win your case.”

(After the agreement was signed, Xia Yan and I decided that it was best we let Mr. Fang rest, so we brought the surveillance footage back to his office to review. With Xue XinRan staying back to take care of Fang Yuan, it was a relief to know that he would be in good care.)

MC: “Then, Mr. Fang, we’ll take our leave for today.”

~~~

(On our way out of the restaurant, Xia Yan explained that his office was a property he had inherited from his parents, and that it was close to QingPing restaurant. We would’ve been sitting in traffic if we had hailed a cab, so we opted to walk over instead.)

Xia Yan: “Why are you staring at me?”

MC: “So many years have passed, there’s a lot that I want to tell you. But at the moment, nothing comes to mind.”

Xia Yan: “Me too. Even when I couldn’t see you, I actually… always thought about you. There’s so much that happened that I want to share. But after I saw you in person, I realized that a lot of things can be left unsaid, as long as you’re doing well.”

MC: “I want to hear about it.”

Xia Yan: “There’s a lot to go through, we’ll be talking for at least three days and three nights. Miss Lawyer, do you have room in your schedule for me, then?” ▌ [Check Xia Yan’s shoulder]

MC: “Xia Yan, when did you get back, and why didn’t you contact me?”

Xia Yan: “Ah… I got back only last week…”

MC: “The truth, please.”

Xia Yan: “Alright, I’ve been back in town for a while. I was busy on an urgent assignment, and I haven’t had the time to find you.”

▌[Check Xia Yan’s hair]

Xia Yan: “What are you raising your arm for… are you measuring my height?”

MC: “Yeah, I wanted to see how much you’ve grown since I last saw you. I can’t believe you’re still growing even in your twenties. You must be around 180cm by now.”

Xia Yan: “I was only sixteen when I left town, of course I’m taller now. I’m 180cm tall, on the dot. What do you think? Is Miss Lawyer pleased?”

▌[Check Xia Yan’s pendant]

MC: “I see that you’re still wearing the key.”

Xia Yan: “You gave it to me, of course I kept it.”

▌[Check Xia Yan’s neck]

MC: “Your skin seems…” Xia Yan: “I’ve tanned, haven’t I? You know, I’ve always liked my skin with a little color, better than being pasty.” MC: “Haha, you think too much. I just wanted to point out that your skin looks good. Shouldn’t you be inside all day like a lab rat? How can someone who stays indoors all the time get a tan?”

Xia Yan: “Don’t expose me like that, you’re so direct with your words.”

▌[Talk to Xia Yan]

Xia Yan: “We’re almost there, My office is straight ahead this way.”

MC: “It’s my first time at a private investigator firm. I look forward to seeing it, Mister Detective.”

Xia Yan: “I promise you won’t be disappointed!”

(I joked with Xia Yan on our walk and soon arrived at his office, but we stopped in front of the signage…)

MC: “Xia Yan, you own this three story building right? This… ‘Timely Antiquities Store’... what does it mean? Shouldn’t the sign read, ‘Xia Yan’s Detective Firm’ or something? Unless you rented out the first floor?”

Xia Yan: “It’s unfortunate that some people consider hiring private investigators synonymous to hiring paparazzi. We had to do this so that our clients wouldn’t feel embarrassed if they’re seen by acquaintances when they hire us. The antiques store is kind of like a cover. The PI firm’s upstairs on the second floor.”

MC: “I see…”

(I assumed that the cover would be… like a cover - complete with plastic tables and the like. I would’ve never expected that I’d walk into a different world when I pushed open the door…)

~~~

▌Location- Antique Store

(The store was quaint, and handcrafted decorations that might’ve been around longer than I have were scattered about in every corner. I checked out a clock with a golden magpie perched on a branch, its wings flapping with passing time as seconds ticked away. Debussy’s “Claire De Lune” played softly from a sandalwood music box which sat on a shelf. If you got close enough, you could smell the fragrant wood in the air. Elegant kerosene lamps, a complete set of comics, even a brass lamp modeled after testaments of the Bible… It felt like I had traveled back at least a hundred years, and had left the bustling cities of the year 2030 behind.)

Xia Yan: “What do you think, my antique store is pretty cool isn’t it? Although they’re not old enough to be labeled as artifacts, I think things from the previous century have its own unique charms.”

MC: “Did you collect all of these?”

Xia Yan: “I wouldn’t call it ‘collecting’. There are some that I keep, and some I hope to find new homes for. Everything you see here represents a unique memory in time, and naturally, they’ll go to different destinations.”

(Xia Yan walked to the counter and pulled something that triggered the plain-looking counter to turn into a modernesque digital workbench. I’m guessing this is the “youngest” item in the store…)

Xia Yan: “Give me ten minutes, I guarantee that I’ll retrieve the SD card in one piece! If you don’t believe me, you can set a timer.”

MC: “Okay then, your time starts… now!”

Xia Yan: “W-wait! You’re cheating, I haven’t even pulled out my tools yet!”

(As the stopwatch on my phone ticked away, Xia Yan hurriedly pulled out a toolbox from underneath the workbench. He was extremely quiet as he focused on restoring the security camera. The scene reminded me of a time when I watched him study in our school’s library. But unlike the golden memories of our past, Xia Yan had long since forfeited his childish demeanor and had put on a mature air. Is this what eight years’ worth of schooling and living alone has honed? A wave of regret washed over me. Him and I… we’ve lost so much time, so many memories we could’ve shared.)

Xia Yan: “How are your parents? I haven’t had the chance to greet them since I came back.”

MC: “Mom and dad were called away for a government research project during my first year in university. Like yours, the research is a government secret and we couldn’t keep in touch.”

(The tool in Xia Yan’s hand shook.)

Xia Yan: “A secret research project?”

MC: “That’s right, they weren’t allowed to keep contact with the outside world. Every new years, they’ll send me a postcard, and they send me money for living expenses here and there. I don’t know when they’ll be able to return home. Considering they’re both workaholics, I like to think that mom and dad are doing alright.”

(Xia Yan was reassured by my words and resumed fixing the camera.)

Xia Yan: “That’s good. If you ever have the chance to contact them, tell them that I’m back in Stellis City. Tell them not to worry, because I’ll take care of you.”

MC: “Sheesh, you must think you’re the only one that grew up over the past eight years. Claiming that you’ll take care of me, do you mean that you plan to implicate us both? Every time time I got in trouble when we were young, it was only because you made me an accomplice.”

Xia Yan: “Oi, oi! We don’t talk about that. Alright, I finished repairing the security camera, stop the timer.”

MC: “Seven minutes and thirty seconds! You’re incredible.”

Xia Yan: “Told ya I could do it.”

(Xia Yan passed me the SD card, and I inserted it into his tablet. The restaurant’s front door was displayed in high definition on the screen.)

Xia Yan: “Based on the timeline that Mr. Fang gave us, the only time Lu HaiYang would’ve been able to commit the crime is on Friday morning from 6AM to around 8AM when the store was left unattended.”

(I adjusted the recording time to the day of the incident and pressed play. Not before long, Lu HaiYang appeared in the frame.)

MC: “He was at the restaurant! Entry time was 7:28AM, and he left at 7:43AM. There was fifteen minutes in between that, which means he had enough time to commit the crime.”

(In the security footage, Lu HaiYang was seen walking in with one hand in his pants pocket, seemingly concealing something in his pocket. It could very well be a packet of 330. Unfortunately, the direction that the camera was facing the door, and Lu HaiYang’s processes weren’t captured on film. Aside from Lu HaiYang’s visit to the restaurant, the footage also captured the time of the water delivery, Fang Yuan and his runner leaving the restaurant to run errands, and then, finally, their return. The last segment of the footage showed Fang Yuang seeing the health inspectors out the door that afternoon. After they left, Fang Yuan threw something and smashed the camera lens.)

Xia Yan: “Mr. Fang must have suspected, due to MeiWeiKa’s poor business practices combined with Lu HaiYang’s pressure from work, that Lu HaiYang was the perpetrator.”

MC: “He must’ve not understood how security cameras work. Even if he smashed the camera lens, the SD card was left intact…”

Xia Yan: “He didn’t know the steps that Lu HaiYang had taken in order to contaminate the spring water and thought that the pesticide was simply thrown in and dissolved in the water container. Otherwise, Fang Yuan wouldn’t have left so many clues for us to find.”

MC: “We gathered a lot of evidence today. Allow me to organize them so I can build a proper defense for Wednesday’s trial.”

Xia Yan: “I’ll help you.”

-------

[Previous Part] | [Masterlist] | [Next Part]

——-

《CREDIT》 Translator & Editor: @humi-and-co Editor: @hallowsivy 《未定事件簿》Tears of Themis is a 2020 Chinese otome game by 米哈游Mihoyo. All original credits go to 米哈游Mihoyo.

《 VOICE ACTORS 》 Xia Yan | Jin Xian: https://weibo.com/riceranger Lu HaiYang | Zhang Pei: https://weibo.com/u/1937059462 Xue XinRan | V17-Su Wan: https://weibo.com/u/2925530143 Fang Yuan | Zhao Yang

#tears of themis #tears of themis translations #otome #未定事件簿 #夏彦 #tears of themis trans #tears of themis xia yan #xia yan #tears of themis gifs #xia yan gifs

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sorneth · 5 years ago

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LFRP! Sorneth Caduceus

Art by @elizastarkart , Paid Commission

Sorneth Caduceus

“Given my relatively small social circle, I’m seeking to meet some new faces and perhaps find some new adventures and stories to tell in the process. Perhaps you would be someone interested? Perhaps a bard like myself catches your eye, sparks your curiosity?”

The Basics ––– –

Age: 35

Birthday: December 21st

Race: Duskwight Elezen

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bi-sexual

Marital Status: Happily married, closed relationship.

Server: Balmung, Crystal Datacenter

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Natural silver in hue and dusted with white highlights, it falls to mid neck in the front, and his shoulder blades in the back.

Eyes: A dark grey ‘white’ of his eye makes the moon white hues of each iris all the more vibrant. Strangely, they seem almost wolf-like in nature, though that could just be coincidence.

Height: 6'10 (208.28 cm)

Build: A militant style background, and strict upkeep have resulted in the sculpted muscle that makes up most of the Bowman's frame. Resulting in a tone that is well suited for agility, speed, and endurance.

Distinguishing Marks:

Facial scar; Only about a year old, this wound was obviously left by a sword given it’s depth and path. It cuts down from his right brow, over the bridge of his nose, and down his left cheek almost to the jawline.

Facial ink; intricate filigree like vines in dark grey ink adorn the right side of his face both above and below his right eye.

Crest of the Wolf; Above his heart rests the bust of a wolf in black ink.

Common Accessories:

Feather adorned hat; Rarely if ever seen without it, one might wonder if it’s removal or destruction would bring about the end of him with how attached he is to it. Weathered, but well cared for, it’s obvious that it’s been on every adventure the bard has had over the years.

Well made dragon scale collar; Stamped with a wolf’s head with an arrow in it’s jaws, the artisan made collar is of the bard’s own creation. An inch and a half wide black leather band circles his neck, with the outer surface wreathed in lavender hued scales from a dragoon’s signature armor. With a locking dog collar buckle at the back of the neck, and the crest of a dragon wrapped around an orchid at it’s front. The piece is both practical, and artistic in it’s design. The ‘d’ ring at it’s front also sports worry stone like pendant of a dark, night sky blue hue.

Silver orchid pendant; Strung from a sturdy chain and hangs low enough to kiss his collarbones, the pendant is as well worn as the holy symbol of a priest or paladin.

Personal ––– –

Profession: Bard & Storyteller first and foremost.

Hobbies: Carpentry, Leatherwork, Hunting, writing

Languages: Eorzean Common, Thavnarian, Hingan, Doman, Garlean, The old tongue (amarotine/pre-sundering), Gelmorian, traditional Ishgardian, steppe-tongue, shroud-speak.

Residence: Forest cottage deep in the Dravanian Wilds

Birthplace: Whenever asked, the bard simply says ‘The Shroud’

Religion: Similar to the Nights Blessed of the First, he worships and reveres the Sunless sea, and it’s celestial keepers. The Guardian of time, the weaver of fate, and the twelve zodiacs.

Patron Deity: He holds a special fondness for the fateweaver

Fears: The rage of Dragoons, the loss of his senses, being forgotten/erased by time.

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: Maxia Caduceus, Husband.

Children: None

Parents: Though they are alive, he’s never known them, nor has any memory of them.

Siblings: None that he’s aware of

Other Relatives: He may, he may not, he simply doesn’t know

Pets: A celestial wolf, not unlike a carbuncle, named Fenrir

Traits ––– -

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: Frequent, usually an herbal mixture of medications and male birth control - though he will on occasion dip into fogweed to quell his nightmares and dull the pain of flashbacks/painful memories. Drugs: Aside from what he smokes, he usually avoids such substances unless properly prescribed to him by a medical professional. Alcohol: On occasion. He drinks to taste, and no longer indulges in wine as much as he used to - on account that it makes him into one -very- flirtatious and amorous drunk. Though he has been known to enjoy absinthe with select company.

RP Hooks ––– –

The Wandering Bard; The man is not hard to find, and even harder to miss. From the music flowing from his harp within the taverns of Eorzea, to his enthralling stories told in the streets to groups of interested people or curious individuals. From the smallest settlements, to the big cities, his name his known as is his talent. All one needs is a genuine interest, and the bard is ever humbly at your service.

The Night Hunter; Only in circles of voidsent hunters, is his skills as a professional seasoned hunter known to his peers. With a reputation for clearing up to A-rank marks solo, he has never over his career failed a contract. For the right price, his bow is yours should you wish to hire him. Should you be tainted, marked, or a creature of the void or light yourself however? Be weary, for the wolf is always watching, and eager for a hunt.

Bad Dravanian Artisan; A bit of a guilty pleasure for the bard, his skills in leatherwork has been turned from a hobby into a marketed craft to the public. From collars, to leashes, floggers, whips, crops, bindings, and harnesses, he produces quality lifestyle and kink gear to interested customers. Custom works are also available to order, and the man takes pride in his every creation - even wearing and putting his own work to use himself. Stamped with his signature of a wolf’s head with an arrow in it’s jaws - it’s easy to trace his creations back to him.

The Secret Author; Under the pen name ‘Heliake Norrst’ the bard has written and produced a great number of books available in most book stores across the world, and in multiple languages for his international fan base. While his work varies in genre from adventure, to horror, mystery, and tragedy. It’s his Romance novels and Steamy erotica that’s made him world famous. Perhaps your character is a fan? Perhaps your character has been on a mission to find out who this mysterious and enigmatic author really is?

Lost in the woods; As one who hunts for his own food, leathers, pelts, and other materials for his craft. The bard is as much at home within the forests of the Shroud and the Coerthean wilds as he is within his cabin. It would not be far-fetched for him to cross someone lost, or having fallen victim to the erratic weather patterns or wildlife within those regions. Be it him happening upon someone while on a hunt, or having someone banging on his cottage door in want for help or shelter. Both are equally possible.

The Kind Traveler; The bard is not one to leave another at the mercy of fate, and even in his more ‘off the beaten path’ traveling it’s not an uncommon occurrence to come across another in need of aid. Nor is he hesitant to offer it.

Contact Information ––– –

Discord: Sorneth#6998 (Your free to add me if your interested in RP! I -do- do discord RP, but I’m not the best at it in terms of keeping up.) Tumblr: Your looking at it! (Completely IC blog, unless it’s a direct message. You will get IC responses) In game: Sorneth Caduceus (I’m -very- whisper friendly! So poke me anytime!) Carrd: Here

Seeking: Connections, RP Opportunities, New RP partners to write with in addition to the two lovely people who I RP with already.

Additional Questions? Please feel free to contact me to your hearts content, I’m about as threatening as a newborn kitten and I promise I’m likely way more anxious and afraid of you, then you are of me. <3 So pour upon me questions, concerns, or plot ideas!

@mooglemeet

#LFRP #ooc?#ooc #Sorneth #profile #now to work on asks!#and things I was tagged in #So sorry for delays #I've been a bit ill

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the-second-circle-ffxiv · 5 years ago

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Common ground

It started like any other, very early morning in Ishgard - with the exception there was a little bit of thin mist hovering above the ground. Also, the complete silence was broken by constant clatter coming from a certain viera's high heels, while she marched along the silent streets. "I don't believe this", Silke muttered to herself while heading towards the Blacksoul manor. "I can't focking believe this." She had clenched her hands into fists and gritted her teeth. The damn package Lareine had left into her apartment and which Silke had found had contained none other than the godsforsaken dress Silke had been dreaming of since she had seen a mannequin wearing it in a display window on the day before they started to sell it. It was the latest fashion: a turquoise green - and her absolute favorite hue too - long dress with puff sleeves, lace decorations, crystal pendant and everything, including also a soft, dark blue cloak. Silke had known at the first glimpse this delicacy had been something she would never be able to afford, and in low spirits had been leering at other people scurrying around and wearing it while looking fabulous. And now she miraculously had one. It also fit her like a glove. It was without a doubt the fanciest and best fitting attire she had ever owned. This was also the first day Silke had gone out while wearing it, and she was sorry for all those poor bastards who weren't there witnessing this majestic apparition flying by. Silke's first reaction after opening the package had been pure dismay. Then the tears had come. She had managed to hold them back almost for a month, but apparently this had been too much. Lareine certainly knew her the best, perhaps even better than Asagi - at least in some things. Namely, Silke hadn't told Lareine about wanting the dress. They hadn't even been talking back then. After crying for a while Silke had started to giggle in disbelief while thinking about the price she had seen in the display window. Lareine had probably burned all of her money into this attempt of hers to make amends. Silke wasn't the sort of person one could steer by bribes but still she couldn't have denied this had impressed her no matter how hard she had tried. Well, it wouldn't hurt if she gave Lareine at least an opportunity to explain herself while not being intoxicated, Silke thought while walking. And the explanation had better be a good one.

Before she actually noticed it she was already standing in front of the estate. To her surprise Silke noticed she was nervous. She wasn't sure was it more because she and Lareine hadn't met in weeks, or because this was the first time she came here alone. Before this it had always been with Lareine, or her and Arsene. Suddenly Silke felt like an intruder. The estate - not to mention its master - was very grim and repulsive, although usually Silke was drawn to and liked dark but elegant things. Silke walked through the garden to the front door, grabbed the doorknocker and smashed it three times. For a moment it was completely silent. Then she heard heavy, leisurely steps approaching inside. That wasn't Arsene, she thought. He was usually almost or completely silent. The thick, wooden door opened with a lazy creak and a moment later Silke was looking at Varg, who was dressed in white blouse, black vest and formal trousers. The only thing that broke the carefully polished whole was his hair he probably hadn't done anything else to except hastily trying to sweep it back before opening the door. He seemed bored, and stared at Silke with narrowed eyes, like he would've just found a cockroach from the floor and was wondering what to do with it. The fock was his problem as well? Silke had never been rude to him or anything. In fact, they hadn't had any negative interactions with each other and still Blacksoul seemed to loathe her. The sudden spike of annoyance drove her trepidation away, and Silke opened her mouth to blurt out something snarky just for the sake of it. However, before she had uttered even a sound, Varg stepped aside, leaving the door open, turned around and said to someone Silke couldn't see: "It is for you." Iris dropped a half-finished toast back onto plate with a soft 'thud' as she heard Varg's voice from the hallway. The fock someone wanted of her? Had she forgot a shift at work? No. The Second Circle was closed today. For some reason, Asagi had started to keep the place closed for three nights a week. It didn't bother Iris, though. Considering the fact she didn't have to pay the rent, she still made a decent amount of gil. With a drawn out sigh, she forced herself up from a comfy, upholstered chair, wrapping a black dressing gown tighter around her matching, laced lingerie, and made her way to the hallway. "...Ya have ani fockin' idea what time it is? If dis is some...", Iris never got to finish her sentence as her gaze locked on the creature standing in the open doorway. Iris felt like someone had just dropped a huge, cold stone into her stomach. And soon the stone shattered, giving birth to a swarm of blue butterflies that filled her, sending a shiver up her spine and making her head swirl. For a short moment she could do nothing but stare at Silke, her mouth slightly ajar, and taking support of the door frame, as she felt like she could pass out. "...Am... Am I a heckin' dreamin' 'ere...?” she tried to gather herself. "S... Silke? You... Fockin' 'ell, you... look smokin' hot..." Iris couldn't move her eyes from the girl. She had thought the dress would fit her former friend, but never had an idea just how good it would look on her. If this was a dream, she never wanted to wake up again. "Uhhh... I was... just 'aving tea. Ya... care to sit down with mi? J... Just tea ya know?" she waved her hand towards the kitchen. "...Just... sit down for a moment, okai? I need to explain a lot of shite... A lot..." Meanwhile Silke was still standing in the doorway, keeping her hands behind her back and squeezing them together so hard her knuckles were probably bone white. Her uneasy gaze was bouncing between Lareine, the marble floor, Varg, the door frame, the dark, wooden roof, then Lareine again and so on. It sure was a strange as heck feeling when one wanted to both embrace someone and never let go, and punch their teeth into their throat at the same time. Without showing any kind of emotion Varg casually loitered back into the kitchen. Silke could hear a couple of faint chinks, and soon he walked out of there, holding a fresh cup of black coffee with a thin trail of steam rising from it, and disappeared into the corridor leading upstairs, leaving the two vieras alone. Not wanting to let a somewhat awkward silence to continue for too long, Silke released her hands, feeling her blood starting to circulate in them again, and closed the heavy, wooden door behind her. She followed Lareine into the kitchen and sat opposite of her spot on a chair that had already been pulled from under the table. It was warm. Silke's first instinctive reaction was to lower her gaze onto the table, and she noticed there was some bread crumbs or something there. "Did I interrupt your breakfast?" she asked in a polite tone. Iris made her way to the stove, pouring herself some leftovers coffee, and started to prepare a cup of tea for Silke. “Ya aint interruptin’ shite, Silke...”, she muttered, her back turned to the other. “...I heckin’ missed ya.” The whole situation felt so fragile. Like a soap bubble, ready to break at any moment, and to be carried away with the wind. Silke's words had kept ringing in Iris' head - stronger than ever during the last three weeks. Do not ever touch me again. A scent of herbal tea with ginger filled the air, as Iris made her way to the table, carrying two cups. She placed the tea in front of Silke, before walking around the table and taking a seat from the opposite side. For just a fleeting moment, the whole room was silent like a wintry grave, except for the clinking of Silke’s spoon against the edge of her cup. “...I dunno where to even start... I'm sorry. The whole shite was a royal fock-up from mi...”, Iris started. While talking, she kept her gaze down in her coffee. This was hard enough on its own. Just seeing Silke's face there, in front of her. No. Iris felt she would break if she looked the girl in the eye. “...Was about to get ya dat book I... ya know. But I have no fockin’ idea what the name was. My memory of dat evening... It's like someone just splattered black paint all over it. I dunno if I even paid much attention to the name... Aniway. Ya just... gimme the name of the book, and I'll get ya a new one from mi next paycheck... Okai?” During a couple of weeks, Iris had gone through her head a thousand times what she would say if she ever met her friend again. And now that the girl was right there, she felt like someone had taken her brain out and replaced it with pillow stuffings. "...I cut mi medication back then, ya know... I'm back on it now, but... Yeah. Since dat, everythin' just went down a fockin' shitslide..." And without even thinking Iris told everything she could remember to Silke. She laid everything on the table before her. About the night at Sakuya’s place, and Tora, trying to take her through the night without the medical dose. And how that had ultimately led to Iris almost sleeping with the feral forcibly. She told about Sakuya, finding the two from her bed, sheets soaked with blood. And how that had led into a fight, and Sakuya almost stabbing Iris before Tora stopped her. She told Silke about the night when she got back to Ishgard, how she got thrown out by Varg, and all the way to the moment when she found her way to Silke’s doorsteps. Silke quietly sipped her tea while Lareine talked. Part of her had been expecting the similar kind of shite like during that morning a few weeks ago with some miserable excuse toppings, and she had even thought beforehand some equally sharp answers to them. But to her surprise the situation had taken almost a completely different direction from the start. She couldn't help but to listen with wide eyes while Lareine told her about the mess with Sakuya and Tora. Silke had met them only for a couple of times briefly and didn't know those two well, but based on what she knew, they were chill folks. A bit weird ones, but in a good way. Just the kind both Lareine and Silke had high possibilities to get along with. People like that were rare treasures, since Silke was more than painfully aware she and Lareine - and especially Lareine - didn't get easily along just with anyone. And now Lareine had blown it, too. “...I dunno whut the heck got into mi... The thin’s I said", Iris went on. "Fock, I dunno how I could throw such shite on ya... It just ‘appened! And the kiss... Fock’s sake, dat will never ‘appen again... I promise! I just...” Finally Iris raised her gaze to Silke, biting her lip, eyes gleaming with tears she tried to hold back. Silke tried her best to keep her own feelings in check, but she was extremely relieved there had been something else behind Lareine's behavior than just being drunk. Silke had always thought the ancient proverb of drunks 'I didn't mean it, I was drunk', wasn't valid. Since alcohol messed up functions of the frontal lobe, drunkenness actually made people more honest. That's why Silke took the words of drunkards to her heart. “...I just felt miserable... Been fockin’ bottlin’ up mi feelin’s for ya for heckin’ years... And the whole thin’ just blew up onto mi face... On yer face!” Iris sighed frustratedly and wiped a single stray tear onto her dressing gown's sleeve. Meanwhile Silke quickly put her cup back on the table and yanked her hands into her lap so that they wouldn't be shaking on the table for all to see. “...I fockin’ love ya, Silke... And I know I focked it all up big time... But... Can ya, like ever... in dat cute head of yer, even think about forgivin’ mi? I know its fockin’ lot to ask, but... Could we at least... like... heckin' try to build somethin' back? I cant live without ya, Silke...” After Iris finished her story, there was a long silence. Finally Silke cleared her throat and forced herself to speak. She thought she owed some explanations to Lareine as well, about something else, from the time they had even met. "Back when I was a kid, I used to wonder why monks and priests dedicated their life to their faith and retreated into some desolate monasteries in the mountains", she started silently. Immediately she had to clear her throat again. It felt like there would've been some lump. "During my teenage years in Kugane I found out I was gifted in channeling aether. It was a mindblowing experience for me." Silke made an instinctive silly face accompanied by a gesture with her hands portraying like her head would've exploded and brain splattered all over the place. Then she remembered the situation she was in and lowered her hands into her lap again. "Before that day, I had managed whatever tasks I had done only averagely. I had never been truly skillful at anything. I don't know have you ever experienced anything like it, Lareine... discovering your true calling." There was still some tea left at the bottom of her cup. It'd be shame if such a good tea went to waste just because she had forgotten how to swallow, Silke thought. "My family members have always been very supportive, and I'm so, so grateful to them...", Silke continued after a short while. "But pretty much everyone else - both my so called friends and romantic interests - have been against it. 'Are you reading again, Silke? You're so boring, have fun sometimes! You have lessons again, Silke? We haven't focked this week even once, just cancel them! You wanna follow your dream, Silke? But what about meee?'" she imitated in a mocking tone dripping with bitterness. She had to take a very deep, long breath before she went on: "I was so angry at them... part of me still is. But after it had happened multiple times I also realized perhaps it wasn't fair of me to expect anyone to spend their time with a bookworm who hardly has any time or interest in the things most of other people prefer. So... I decided I would never again give anyone a reason to blame me for being cold or heartless for following my path, feeling my lifeblood in my veins..." During talking Silke had been mostly just staring at the table, her cup or her hands. She grabbed the cup again and gulped the leftover tea down, hoping it would've been something more potent. She had read from somewhere mind was actually so powerful it could become drunk without alcohol if one believed in it strongly enough. It didn't work now, though. At least not fast enough. She should've probably started telling her brain she was drinking booze since they had started talking with Lareine. "You saying you love me, Lareine... I'm humbled by your words. And... so flattered it almost makes me speechless. But I could probably never give you what you want from me... As much as I care about you... so much I could maybe call it even love of some kind... and I would absolutely want to keep you in my life no matter how this conversation will end... but it still doesn't make me want to stray off my course." At that moment Silke could've otherwise been like an archetype of a fancy looking portrait made of some revered noble. She was sitting straight, hands squeezed together on the table in front of her, wearing her expensive dress, and her long, straight, ash black hair tied in a loose bun. Her voice was stable and formal like she would've currently been in a job interview. But this paintinglike whole was broken by a slow flow of tears. Iris kept the gaze of her purple eyes nailed to Silke, as the girl told her story. She knew about Silke's old lovers. What they had been after. How Silke had been unable to live up to their expectations, and in the end, always got left with her books and spells. Was Silke right though? Had she been right all along? Maybe she had noticed all Iris' attempts to get close to her, and had kept offering cold shoulder to protect Iris from a let down. Damn girl thought she knew better what Iris needed. Bullshite. She took a sip of coffee, sniffing her nose at it. For some reason, the coffee had suddenly started to taste so bitter on her tongue. "Stop with da Lareine-crap, Silke... It's Iris. Its startin' to...", but before she got any further, she noticed Silke's tears. The tears on those pale cheeks were like a raging river for the flames of her frustration, putting them out in a heartbeat. Without thinking, Iris got up, walking around the table and searching for a tissue from the pocket of her dressing gown. She cursed in her mind as she came to a conclusion both her pockets were empty. Silke couldn't help but to frown slightly at the remark about the name. She wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, not giving a damn did it make her look like a panda bear with all her smeared make-up or not. The Iris thing was still partly a mystery to her. Silke had heard some people calling Lareine Iris sometimes, but she had thought it was a nickname they had given her. However, at times it seemed like a hot potato and Silke had never found a proper moment to ask about it. And mostly she had just forgotten the whole thing until it popped up again later. With a couple of quick steps, Iris suddenly made her way to the stove, picking up a towel from the hangar, and walking back to her friend.

Do not ever touch me again. Iris dropped the towel on the table, in front of Silke, before taking a step away from the girl, and leaning onto the table. Didn't Lareine like her own name? Silke thought to herself. She knew Varg had given it to her. Or was the name itself fine but Lareine just didn't like it because she didn't like the one who had given it to her? Or did it have something to do with her odd shifts? Silke's thoughts were interrupted by a towel that was dropped in front of her. She grabbed it and wiped her face, more thoroughly this time. "...Heck... I'm sorry, Silke... I do love ya... I fockin' love ya more than anythin' I have ever loved. And its scarin' the livin' shite outta mi. Yer all I 'ave been able to think durin’ these past weeks. And...", she sighed deeply, tapping the surface of the table with her long nails. "...However dis ends, I too want to keep ya in mi life. Abso-fockin'-lutely! And 'onestly? Why the heck ya keep thinkin' I'm tryin' to get ya stray off ya course? Haven't I fockin' supported ya durin' these years we have known? Not heckin' once I have told ya to drop yer classes and be with mi. Have I?" Sitting this close to Silke made her blood burn, like a dragon's breath. Like someone had drawn out her blood and replaced it with molten iron. Tears on Silke's cheeks made it just worse. Oh, how much Iris wanted to wrap her arms around this beautiful creature, and never let go. Protect her from all the heart-ache and poison-dripping words the girl got from people. But could she protect Silke from herself? The idea terrified her to the core, where the emptiness was lurking, ready to be set free. Ready to consume everything good and beautiful Iris had laid her hands on. And like speaking of a demon, called by her thoughts, the emptiness rose its head. A fleeting thought. To lift Silke on this very table, and rise her up to the heavens. Fill the emptiness just for a moment. Iris swept the thought on side, like it was an annoying insect, trying to get into her drink. The 'ell is wrong with me?

"I... think I might 'ave burned our heckin' loveboat on dat evenin' at yer place, huh? I kinda thought so. And 'onestly? I did not expect ya to just forgive me... Heck, I'm glad over mi head ya even came. At least let me tell ya I'm sorry. If we... can build somethin' out of this... Even an echo of whut we had. It would be...", Iris felt salty tears burning her eyes, and she had to work hard to hold them back. She couldn't cry now. Not now. Silke needed her. "...But tell mi this... okai? Ya have like... Whut? Six? Seven bells a day in dat class of yer? Mages 'ave relationships. Whut the heck is keeping ya from havin' one? Fock's sake, people have careers, Silke! And still dey have love-life. Heck, some might even have couple of kids! How come all yer time goes into studyin'? And... I'm not 'ere keepin' ya from followin' yer dreams! Nor strayin' ya away from yer path.. But really? Ya gotta 'ave somethin' else in life... A fockin' relationship is no full time job... Don't ya ever feel like ya just want someone to wake up next to ya in tha mornin'? Be dere when ya get home... Fockin' worship dat form of yer! Don't get mi wrong, but always when ya talk about damn relationships, it's like yer talking about some fockin' chore! Dats somethin' I will never get in ya... But ya may be right though! Maybe we were never made for each other in more wais than friends..." As the words left Iris' lips, she felt like they ripped a part of her soul with them, and scattered it into the wind. She felt the emptiness' low growl deep in the depths of her heart. "No, you haven't told me to relinquish anything, ever", Silke admitted, sniffed and put the towel back on the table. "Not even once... And for that I was very grateful. That's why I felt so happy around you. ...Until the last time we met." There was a short pause. "According to what you said to me back then I understood you've been just keeping up a facade, pretending to accept me, but in reality you had been hecking frustrated all the time. And that it took a couple of years and a few bottles of booze for you to gather courage to say it straight to my face." Silke also knew more than well other mages had relationships and whatnot. And it felt like everyone would've been constantly pointing out she should as well. Heck, she wasn't even certain did she want to. So far she had been trying out things mostly because she had been told to, not of her own volition. It wasn't only romance, but other aspects of life as well. Silke had been purely horrified when people of her age or younger had been saying they 'felt like settling down' and then got pregnant or married. Or worse: both! She felt like a caged cardinal craving to take off and disappear into the limitless blue, but was constantly told to stay in her cage. Because it was good for her. Because it was appropriate. Because others thought she should. It all made her so frustrated, baffled and furious before all, wanting to flap her wings and peck the bars even harder, not giving a damn about her pretty plumage wearing off of all the struggling and revealing blood, tendons and flesh beneath. What a useless, weak body and mind of a bird, she shuddered at the mental image. A demon or dragon would've fit her better. Like the great Hraesvelgr and Nidhogg. Oh, what magnificent creatures. Silke shook her head, forcing her thoughts back into the moment. "Haa, you are kinda right... about the chore thing", Silke explained after the silence had gone on for long enough without her noticing. "At least partly. And for gods' sake don't get me wrong! I do enjoy the company of other people. But for some reason I... don't seem to crave for it as much as most. It often feels like... there wouldn't be enough hours in a day for me. Like... I feel like I've just gotten started with some interesting transmutation or experiment or an old scroll and gotten all pumped up, like yesss this is the stuff, and then I notice it's already four in the focking morning and I should've gone to sleep hours ago, and should be at a lecture at eight. And then some time ago one of my professors noticed me either sitting in the library or using the chemistry class long after everyone else had left and offered me a part time job in their service, saying I could 'put all of that enthusiasm into a good use and earn some gil while at it.' And of course I accepted! She could've as well shown me a jam-filled doughnut with thick frosting and lots of sprinkles and asked me do I want it or not. And I was like 'No good ma'am I definitely don't want your delicious looking doughnut that smells like ambrosia from the heavens! Just hand it over!'" When Silke noticed she had started to get worked up again, she took another deep breath and cast a glance to a partly withered sunflower on the other side of the kitchen window. It was a stained glass window, very pretty, and looked very expensive. Silke tried to make sense of the patterns and what they presented. "Then at some point, after sedating my curiosity, I get an urge to go somewhere and meet people... and then I of course just go, and usually it's really fun. But when the urge to leave emerges, I rather go while I'm still in high spirits, and not trying to stay there just for the sake of staying, and being only half present. It seems like... others see it as rude I don't meet them so often, or that I don't stay for as long as they'd want, but I think it'd be even more rude towards my companions if I didn't give them my full attention and live my time with them to the fullest." Silke slowly turned her gaze from the window back to Lareine. "I'm terribly sorry, I started to babble again", she hissed while grimacing. "What I'm trying to say is... I've seen... many times... the way you want to live your life, La... Iris. You remind me of a shooting star or comet, roaming its way through the sphere and shining brightly, attracting attention and admiration. Meanwhile I'm some distant star twinkling leisurely in the horizon, just above the trees, and one would need a telescope to see it properly. As much as I don't like it, our preferences seem to be like fire and ice, godsdamnit! It's a bad omen!" "What the fock, Silke?" Iris couldn't help herself. "Yer not a distant, meaningless, piece of shite-star somewhere in the heckin' horizon! Yer the damn brightest star dere is for mi! All the time, after I came to Ishgard... Damn, I guess maybe even before dat... I 'ave felt like I'm walkin' in a dark, swampy forest with no wai out! Not until I met ya, Silke!" without even noticing it, Iris had taken a step closer to her friend, now standing only a step away. "...Yer mi guiding fockin’ light in this shitefest we call life! Ya shine down on mi, and help mi keep goin’! But if ya leave mi now... Whut do ya think it will do for mi? I’ll be damn lost in the darkness again! Don't ya dare to call yerself some useless fart-star in mi company ever again... Okai?” What was this girl even thinking? Silke had always had low self-esteem in all other areas, except her magic. In which her pride was clear. Maybe that was why Iris somewhere deep inside... some part of her disliked Silke’s magic. Magic took everything from her. Iris hated all the people who pecked at Silke for how she was... what she did. If she knew she could get away with it, without causing Silke any trouble, Iris would've gotten rid of every damn arsepluck who dared to say bad things about this goddess among women... And almost as much as Iris hated the people making Silke’s life hell, she hated the girl doing it to herself. “And I told ya already!” Iris turned around, bending over, leaning her elbows onto the table and bringing her head on the same level with Silke’s. “...I dropped mi medicine back den! It... I dunno whut I was sayin’! But whutever it was, it was not true... Ya really think, I would ‘ave just... heckin’ bottled it all up for two years? Tell mi... Would ya waste yer time on someone ya think is just frustratin’ company? Hold up a damn facade for such person? Dats fockin’ waste of time!" Quite many people seem to be doing it, actually, Silke was tempted to say in her most annoying, know-it-all tone, but she bit her tongue. "Yeah, yer right about bein' frustrated, though...", Iris continued. "I might have thought about it time to ‘ime... Especially when ya fell asleep on mi... How do ya think it made mi feel? How it made mi look?” She let out a shivering sigh, shaking her head. “And whut the heck is dis mumbo-jumbo about bad omens? ‘ow are we a bad omen? We... We are made for eachother, Silke! I love ya, sweetie! ‘ow can dat be a bad omen in ani way? A... And ya just... Ya just said ya love me, ‘aight? So... I... I dont see whut’s the matter! I just want ya to be damn part of mi life, Silke...” As Iris talked, she could almost feel Silke’s breath on her face. Feel the faint scent of a flowery perfume. The emptiness inside her fought, tearing it’s shackles, and Iris had to close her eyes for just a moment, to keep it in check. “... And I got a job and everythin' ya know! I'm really doin' mi fockin' best! ...I just hope we could get even something back... Of whut we had before all dis..." Her fight against the tears seemed to be falling for a loss, as they started to run freely, messing her dark makeup, and painting dark lines onto her pale cheeks. "...I heckin' love ya, Silke..." Silke lowered her reddish eyes from Lareine to her own hands again and started wringing them compulsively. What the heck was Lareine babbling about? They usually understood each other perfectly, but sometimes this happened. They had a language barrier or something between them. Silke had just announced she wanted to keep Lareine in her life and Lareine was already talking about Silke 'leaving' her. Or was this about that inexplicable concept of being 'just friends' again? Silke had never understood it. She didn't have any ranks for the people precious to her. They were all equally important, just in different ways. To her, there was no being 'just' something. "Once again I'm flattered you've thought of me so highly, and that I've been able to be of help to you. But do you have any idea what kind of contract you'd want to scrawl your name on, princess?" Silke almost whispered. "Let's imagine for a moment we'd live together, okay? I would leave very early for school or work, and return very late in most days. We would see each other only slightly more often than nowadays", she started to list. "You sleep with every second person you find attractive. I couldn't care less about such things. I've done it for a few times only to please my partners. It's like housework - a necessary evil - and even more boring than housework to be honest...", she couldn't help but to roll her eyes. Silke's gaze wandered around the table and fixated on her empty cup. There was some skillfully painted, pink and white roses on it, and the cup's handle and rim were gilded. She couldn't help but wonder about the possible ratio of materials to get such a perfectly balanced hue. "As you know already, I'm striving to become an archmage, and alongside that, an alchemist", Silke continued after a short while. No more tears were coming out and she noticed her voice was saturated with perseverance and finality like always while talking about the subject. "If they call me in the middle of night... or party or dinner or whatever and there's some emergency or major breakthrough, I'll most probably be going. If they need someone to test a new portal or check stability levels of a tear in the rift, I'll be the first one volunteering. If there's demons, voidsents or extremely powerful, magical beasts causing trouble... well, you know how it goes: I will be there." Silke turned her head slightly towards Lareine, but didn't look at her directly, just from the corner of her eye. "Is that truly what you want in your life... Iris?" Suddenly Iris started to regret she ever corrected the name. When they were talking about love earlier, Silke repeating Lareine’s name over and over again had made Iris feel so miserable. Almost like her beloved was confessing her love to another woman, right there under her very eyes. But now? As things had started to take turn to the south again, it would've been so much easier to take all hits while hiding behind the mask of unsuspecting Lareine. Iris felt like she was swimming in a bottomless lake. And every sentence Silke weaved, every word leaving those pretty, thin lips of hers, felt like a creature of the deeps, grabbing Iris’ leg and pulling her down under. She tried to fight back, gasp for air, but it was no use, and soon she would just give up. Sink into the deep dark embrace of nothing. “No...”, the words left Iris’ lips, without her even noticing it. She straightened her back, and staggered to the stove. Her head was spinning. A numb hand took a grip of the teapot and filled it with fresh water, placing it on the stove. Flames in the fireplace were slowly withering away and dying, so she picked up a couple of logs, throwing them into the fireplace to keep the flames alive. Deep down Iris hoped she could do the same for her own, withering heart. The silence in the room was like that of funerals, and that's how Iris felt. A funeral. She was about to bury something very dear to her. Put it into rest. After a while that felt like an eternity in purgatory, the boiling of water broke the silence. Iris moved the pot off the stove, reached for a bottle of rum, and a tiny jar of honey, mixing them into two fresh cups, and filling to the brim with boiling hot water. She walked up to Silke, placing the cup in front of her before returning to her own chair with hers. “Ya will always be pickin’ yer damn archmage dreams over mi, huh?”, she noted while taking a sip. The steaming, hot drink burned her mouth, but it was better than the feeling of emptiness inside her. “...Don't ya get mi wrong, sweetie. I'm heckin’ proud of ya. Yer gonna be the most kick-ass fockin’ archmage dey have ever seen from ‘ere to far East. And damn I wanna be dere to see tha faces of yer fellow students, when dey see it. After all dey ‘ave said about ya... And ‘ey, maybe I dont ‘ave to use Mori’s portals animore den. I don't trust the portals of dat lass in the slightest...” Taking another sip, Iris placed the cup onto the dark, wooden table, returning her gaze to her friend. “Ya just... try to heckin’ understand how dis feels to mi. I ‘ave been fockin’ eartips deep in love with ya for damn two years. And now? It’s just kinda all shatterin’ in pieces in front of mi. Like dat damn painted glass window I broke on dat night. I... I feel like bein’ a damn child again. ‘ave I told ya about mi mom, Silke? She... was a useless dreamer-type, fillin’ mi head with stories about lands like those from fairytales dat waited for us outside of tha forest. And silly me even believed those words. ...Then we came to Limsa Lominsa. And instead of my fantasy fairyland, I got a stinkin’ city, full of cut-throats and rapists... Mi damn world just fell apart.” Iris’ lips curled into a smile of a kind. “...Ya know whut I promised to miself back den? While burnin’ mi mom’s corpse? To never let anyone fill mi head with shite of fairytales ever again. And for the fockin’ past two years... I ‘ave done it miself. The apple sure doesn't drop far from the damn tree...” Iris emptied her cup with one single gulp, feeling the rum burning its way down her throat. “I'm heckin’ sorry, Silke. I don't wanna lose ya. Maybe our damn lovestory was not written in the stars after all... But I still love ya, gal. And if I can't compete with ya silly dreams... Damn... I’ll be dere to cheer for ya, when ya make dose dreams reality!” A warm smile on Iris’ lips, hid behind the emptiness pulsated and growled, and finally broke its shackles. Silke tried her best to think about something extremely annoying and cling to it with all her might to prevent her flow of tears she could feel pounding behind her eyes like roaring waves against a dam that was about to break. She would've so much wished Lareine to agree, but deep down she knew it wouldn't have been fair. If Silke had tried adapting to live the wild life Lareine was after, it would've been like a fish trying to climb a tree. And if Lareine for her part had shut herself into libraries or ancient tombs and ruins, or Silke's silent apartment with Laurence, she would've eventually felt as caged as Silke currently did with generally everything. "If you want to put it that way", Silke agreed silently. If she wasn't able to have both, magick would be her choice, now and forever. "I am trying to understand. I think I even do to some extent. And I truly do wish I could give you what you seek because I want for your happiness. But I don't think I have it in me. I wouldn't want it to go to the point we desperately tried to mix our fire and ice just because it seems nice on the outside and eventually ended up hating each other for it." At least they were no longer at sixes and sevens. That alone eased the giant vortex beneath her calm surface at least some. Like Lareine, Silke also emptied her cup with one go, not caring although it made her feel like she was swallowing lava. Feeling like she didn't have anything to say anymore Silke glanced absent-mindedly outside. It had gotten really foggy. Then she turned to look at the clock sitting on a cupboard nearby. "I think I should go", Silke stated formally, and calmly stood up. "Not for work or school this time, though. It's my laundry room turn soon and I have only an hour to wash almost my entire wardrobe. Hahah!" She let out an awkward laugh and bowed politely immediately after. "Thank you for the tea, Iris. It was absolutely delicious. See you around!" I must get out, she thought to herself. I must get out right now.

Silke was able to get past Lareine before she saw Silke's face starting to twist, but before Silke got out of the kitchen, she almost collided with Varg, who had returned from upstairs, his hands full of an empty cup and briefcase, and this time with tidied hair. Silke wasn't fast enough to hide her facial expression, which made the old au ra give her a long, curious look. "Excuse me", Silke almost whispered, not lowering her wavering gaze from his chilly, black eyes, but in her mind she added a sarcastic 'wink wink nudge nudge.' His only answer was a slight frown and a calm step aside so that she could pass. This felt so wrong, Iris thought while watching Silke getting up and leaving. So wrong. Deep down Iris knew this would be for the best for both of them. Like Silke had said, trying to mix fire and ice would never end well. Still, she could not look at her friend’s back as she was walking out of the room. Silke was acting... weirdly? "Silke!" Iris shouted after the girl. But as the other didn’t pay any mind to her voice, she quickly rushed around the table and towards her friend. Usually Iris had an excellent balance. She had been honing it for years on the streets of Limsa Lominsa. Yet now, her foot got stuck around a leg of the chair that was pulled out, and the slippery marble flooring did the rest. With her hands flailing, she tried to regain her balance, but it was no use at this point. With a loud crash from a falling chair, and a series of colorful curses, Iris fell on the floor, just barely missing Varg, who had just walked in, looking annoyed. Without wasting any time, she jumped back on her feet and took a couple of quick steps, reaching her friend just before she reached towards the door. Do not ever touch me again... Do not ever touch me again... Do not ever touch me again... SHUT THE FOCK UP!! Iris wrapped her arms gently around Silke from behind. The hold was light like butterfly’s wings, and Silke could've easily walked out of it if she had wanted to. Iris buried her face into Silke’s long, velvety hair, inhaling her scent. The familiar scent of flowers, ink and parchment felt so good. Like someone pulling Iris out of a freezing water and wrapping her into a blanket. It felt like home. With one arm around Silke’s chest, and another around her neck, crossing in front her, Iris could feel Silke holding tears. So this was why she was acting so weird? Iris was about to say something about it, but decided not to. She would let Silke have her tears. The girl had cried enough. After just a fleeting moment of standing there, Iris rose her chin, whispering softly into Silke’s long ear. “...Let mi walk ya ‘ome, okai? Just... Just gimme a moment to dress up. I can help ya with dose laundry of yer, okai? We’ll get it done in no time, the two of us? Yes?” While talking Iris brushed the back of her index finger up on Silke’s jawline. “I cant just let ya walk awai from mi like dat, Silke. Let mi give ya a ‘and. I ‘ave a day-off and all dat shite. Got nothin’ to do aniway...” Lareine's careful hug made Silke accidentally vibrate, but instead of dashing out through the half opened door, she had frozen on the spot, held by her own hand squeezing the metallic doorknob. It felt icy to touch, but Silke used it as an anchor to hold herself together. It had been embarrassing enough to weep - multiple times even - in front of Lareine, who was the only one apart from Silke's family members who had ever seen her cry. But even more humiliating it would've been in front of strangers or people Silke didn't care about. Although Blacksoul seemed to care equally little about the two vieras and their personal mess, just his presence in the next room was enough for Silke to remain as stoic as she possibly could. First she had interrupted their breakfast and now she was blocking the doorway with her carcass so that he couldn't leave for work. She painstakingly lifted her free hand and grabbed Lareine's arm she was holding around Silke's neck, squeezing it almost equally hard as her other hand had clung on the doorknob. If the place had been more appropriate, Silke could've just stood there forever. Though she wasn't quite sure what exactly was it that prevented her from running: surprise, bliss or horror. Another awkward laughter - a bit more authentic this time - escaped her lips. "If that's how you truly want to spend your day off, who am I to forbid you, princess?" Silke asked in a somewhat swollen voice. "I just hate housework. If I was some rich bastard who had enough gil to wipe their arse with it, I'd gladly pay for someone to take care of that stuff for me." “... Either dat, or ya could juust... leech yer wai into a manor wid butler, ya know?” Iris closed her eyes just for a moment. Silke’s tight grip holding her arm was like that of a valkyrie, rising a fatally injured warrior from the mud and blood, carrying her on the other side. Iris felt peace. For the emptiness inside though, the touch was like an iron maiden. Shutting its doors around it, draining its strength away. Iris could still hear the growling through that metallic face, frozen in a calm expression, but as long as Silke was holding onto her, she felt like the doors would stay closed tight. Silke half accidentally let out another laughter - aghast this time. "You kidding me, right?" she splurged, lowering her voice into a whisper. "The miasma in here is just -" She bit her tongue again before she could finish the sentence. Asagi and Blacksoul weren't on best terms with each other, and Silke had decided that despite her hanging out with Lareine and Arsene, she'd make sure she at least wouldn't be the one throwing fireballs into a powder keg. She had actually been trying somewhat to extinguish the flames, because she was tired of both Asagi and Varg's disapproval of her just because she was Asagi's sister and Lareine's friend. After a moment Iris pulled her arm away gently, taking a step back. “...Just a moment, sweetie... I will be back before ya know it!” And with those words, she rushed upstairs, her long dressing gown flowing like a cape after her. Meanwhile Lareine was getting dressed upstairs, Silke was wringing her hands behind her back again, trying to recover from her and Lareine's recent conversation and to come up with some superficial and boring subjects for small talk just in case. It transpired she didn't need them. Not a long after, Iris hurried back downstairs, now fully dressed in a leather jacket, a top with skull pattern, tight leather pants and a pair of ankle boots. “Blacksoul! I'm goin’ out! May stay over night, I dunno... No drinkin’! Promise!" she yelped at the old au ra while passing the kitchen door on her way back to Silke. “Righto! I'm ready!” Iris hurried to her friend's side, quickly hooking her arm with the other’s. “Have ya eaten, by tha way? Because I can almost bet mi next paycheck ya have not... So dat in mind, lets take a 'urn through Jeweled Crozier and get sum food stuff, okai? I’ll make a dinner for ya after we are done wid tha laundry shite! Hm?” Iris felt Silke’s tension while their arms were locked together. Her friend had been through so much. All the things Silke had said kept running through her head, but for now? Silke was all that mattered. Whatever happened, Iris would make sure this beautiful girl, who was like a ghost from the eastern legends, would never have to cry because of her. Ever again. "I've eaten only some instant ramen last night", Silke answered when they had already walked out of the estate. Immediately after she furrowed in disbelief. "...You? Dinner? You mean... You can actually cook something and not just boil water?" The thick fog soon swallowed the two vieras. If some citizen had been within hearing distance, they wouldn't have seen a thing, but had only heard some extremely loud chatter and banter somewhere from the whiteness.

With @lareine-kira :3c

#storytime #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv #viera #Silke Doomflare #Lareine Kira #rp

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canyouhearthelight · 6 years ago

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The Miys, ch. 37

I was running late to work this morning, so I didn't have time to queue this chapter. Instead of uploading it super late in the day (7pm EDT), I made a judgement call to pull the copy that I emailed my lovely sister @parisconstantine to proof - which she approved - but that means there is no break.

08/10/2020 Edit: Added a break! and links.

Once Conor had sufficiently transformed me into a fuzzy purple burrito, I glanced around my quarters with a weak smile. Sure enough, Antoine and my sister put a fierce limit on my welcome-back ‘party’. I saw only them, Conor, Sam, and Derek. Knowing that Simon and Noah were likely watching and listening remotely, it was the perfect amount of people for me to handle at the moment.

Antoine returned my smile gently as he handed me a server of tea. “No caffeine and no alcohol until you finish your medications,” he explained somewhat apologetically. His shrug suddenly turned into a wince as he backed away, one hand flying to his temple with a hiss. After taking a step forward, he shook his head energetically and blinked a few times. “I need to calibrate this more,” he muttered.

Tyche tsked at him. “That’s what you get for deciding to be your own guinea pig,” she replied airily before tilting her head toward me. “He’s working on a project to help the autistic population on the ship. It’s… in the experimental stages. He should explain, though.”

“It’s going to be marv,” Conor gushed quietly.

I glanced at Antoine. “So, what’s the project? I’m all ears.”

He chuckled somewhat ruefully. “It actually will fall partially under your purview if I am able to work out the – bugs?” When I nodded, he continued. “During the sabotage attempt on the ship, Conor and I were needed to retrieve Derek and escort him to Level One. There was simply no other way for him to arrive without being overwhelmed by so many people in close proximity. Since then, it occurred to me: What if there was a way for Derek to travel around the ship, even during such times that the corridors are crowded, without need for an escort? It would give him much more autonomy than he has had in the past.”

“The idea came from your Council pendant, partially – when we headed to Level One, your pendant gave off a low tone, in theory a proximity alert to let everyone know to let you through. However, it did not work, and we now know that was due to not everyone being able to hear it in all the panic, yes? We do have a way to hear things over exterior noises, though.” He tapped his temple. “The translators. Even in the loudest room on the ship, for example, you would still be able to perfectly hear the translation of Derek’s sign language provided you were looking at him.” I nodded, but was honestly still confused.

“The ultimate goal of the project is to combine the technology we already have, and give Derek – and all autistics on the ship – the ability to interact on their own terms,” Antoine explained, crouching down. “Using the datasets and our translators, the first aim is audio and visual dampening. No more too-loud noises, no more unpleasant lights or colors. They will be able to adjust both the audio input from the translators and hopefully visual input, right from their dataset. Secondly, proximity alerts – but mostly not for them. Instead, anyone who approaches too closely will receive an alert to their dataset first, and then a loud alarm transmitted directly to their translator.” He tapped his temple again. “I thought it was only fair that I be the test subject for the alarm, and I’m working on calibrating it. When I backed away from you after delivering your tea, I backed too closely to Sam, who agreed to be my co-tester.”

“That’s brilliant,” I breathed, wide-eyed. “But you said the proximity alerts are ‘mostly’ not for Sam. So he still receives some of it?”

Antoine looked over his shoulder at Sam, who was in the process of a beautiful and intricate piece of knotwork. “Sam? When do you receive an alert?”

“If I’m not paying attention and I’m about to walk into someone. It’s just a chime, though,” he answered nonchalantly, not looking up from what he was doing.

“So really, it’s only to keep you from accidentally touching someone if you don’t want to?” I asked.

“Yep. Works good. I didn’t walk into anyone today.”

“And the software can tell the difference?”

The question was directed at Antoine, but Derek was the one who answered. <Locational sensors in the corridors tell us who is the one moving and causing the proximity.>

“So, the people who need the software the most are not being punished?”

“I just wanted to make sure,” I chuckled, letting the silly nickname go unremarked. “Antoine, really. This is brilliant. And it’s going to help a lot of people, not just those on the spectrum. There are a lot of people on the ship who have PTSD-related touch issues. Or just flat out inherent aversions.”

He nodded. “Correct. Grey was able to corroborate in their data that the autistic-spectrum population on the ship has the most stringent requirements and need, however, so that is where the focus is. If I can calibrate it to work for them, everything else is just a matter of adjustment.”

“Okay, okay,” Tyche shifted next to me and gathered our attention. “As proud as I am of this project, especially how far it has come in such a short time, there are a few other things we need to talk about if you’re good with it, Soph?”

“Depends on what it is,” I hesitated.

“Timeline for getting you back to work,” she clarified. “It’s going to be a slow hand-off, and don’t even think of trying to take on more than you’re ready for or I will sedate you myself.” She arched an eyebrow at me and I just held my hands up in defeat. “Your primary focus is going to selecting a new assistant. I’ve been helping Simon, but there is only so much I can do to help and still be able to manage staffing. Right now, each of the department heads is handling as much of that as they can, but they still need me for day-to-day questions like who is currently available.”

I groaned. “Can’t you just find one for me?”

“No, I can’t. I don’t have time, like I said. Simon refuses to, because he is the one who originally hired Arantxa.”

“If I have to select them myself, I want a list vetted by Xiomara and Derek.” I glanced over. “Derek, is that okay with you? Dig up all the dirt you can on every single person Xiomara okays?”

“I want to know if they don’t bathe regularly, do they kick pets, did they not thank a vendor, everything.”

<I can do that> he confirmed with a pretty vicious amount of glee.

“Good,” I nodded, turning back to my sister. “I’m not leaving anything to chance. I know none of us want to admit it, but Arantxa had one thing dead to rights – I am entirely too trusting. Derek and Xiomara? Not so much. I’ll make the final call, but I’m going into this with eyes wide open. No more surprises. Hell, I don’t care if I even like the person. If they can do the job and I can trust them, I can make it work.”

“Sophie, come on – “

“No, Conor. I almost died, and the entire Ark almost paid the price for mine and Simon’s poor judgement. This may be an extreme reaction, looking at it from the outside, but the people on this ship need to know that I’m not making the same mistakes again.”

“But they just watched you stand in the Council Chamber and talk about the best of humanity. Now, you’re going to move forward with suspicion?” This time, it was my sister.

“I also, quite clearly, said that one of our best traits is that we learn from our mistakes. I can believe in the best of people without being stupid about it, and they need to see that. It doesn’t just mean trusting blindly – it can also mean seeing something in a person no one likes, or who everyone underestimates, or who no one thought could do the job. We also persevere, which is exactly what I’m going to do,” I finished quietly.

As Conor squeezed my shoulder, Tyche nodded in reluctant acceptance. “Okay, in that case, we need to make a list of what you are looking for in a new assistant. And you can’t put 'not a Baconist' on that list, because it pretty much guarantees everyone who applies will secretly be one, no matter what Miys says.” She shot me a look. “So, seriously. You need to have criteria to weed out who we even pass on to Xio and Derek.”

I hummed in thought, leaning my head back against Conor’s arm. “Well, there’s the obvious stuff – organized, at least somewhat familiar with who handles what on the Ark, moderate computer skills. They can’t be shy, either. In fact, I would prefer someone stubborn: I have a hard-enough time saying ‘no’ to people, so I need someone who can put their foot down both on my behalf and to me. Willingness to learn is also non-negotiable.”

My sister nodded, transcribing all this to her datapad and flicking a copy over to Antoine and Derek. “Okay, and what are the absolute deal-breakers?”

“Mindless conformity, in any direction,” I responded immediately. “I’ve known too many people who were so counter-culture that they though they were open-minded, but they were just narrow-minded in the opposite direction. At the same time, discrimination is absolutely not to be tolerated – there are only so many of us left, and we need to get the fuck along. Don’t get me wrong, if they disagree with me, that’s fine, but they have to be able to listen and consider other viewpoints. What I’m talking about is people who make judgement calls based on things that people can’t help or change, and refuse to listen to any opinion counter to their own.”

“Like Xiomara,” Tyche ventured hesitantly.

I shook my head vigorously. “Xio has her faults, but even when she realizes she doesn’t understand, she relents and goes with the flow. She at least leaves herself open to the possibility of understanding later. Something like that wouldn’t be a complete no-go. But the situation with Maverick and eating? If the person is the type who would flat out ignore my request, they can’t be my administrator. I have to fight enough uphill battles with the Council, I cannot waste time fighting with my administrator.” I took a deep breath. “Beyond that, hero-worshipers, victim-blamers, and victim-worshipers are right out.”

“Victim-worshipers?” Conor asked in confusion. “What are those?”

Before Tyche or I could answer, Antoine let out a loud groan. “Sometimes they are the worst types of people, my friend. You know what victim-blaming is, correct?” Conor nodded, leaning forward out of curiosity. Antoine continued, “Victim-worshipers are the complete opposite. They create this idealized, innocent, unrealistic ideal of a person who has been a victim of actions taken against them. Using Sophia as an example, these people would construct their entire idea of Sophia around her being a victim first, even before being human, or female, much less her being competent at her job. Instead, she is A Victim, and everything else about her supports her ‘victimness’. She isn’t a person to them anymore.”

Tyche nodded in agreement and continued where her partner had left off. “Depending on the person they are attaching themselves to, yeah – victim worshipers can sometimes be worse than victim blamers. At least the people who blame a victim grant the person a sense of agency, acknowledging that they are a person who can make decisions. They’re still scum, don’t get me wrong, but they wouldn’t take away the fact that Sophia is a person, who is capable of decisions. Victim blamers try to eliminate their own ability to decide and put that burden on the person who was attacked – victim worshippers don’t even let us decide what we wear each day.”

Conor started snapping his fingers, looking around as he grasped at something. “The whore-thing… about women… what is it? I’ve heard about this. Dammit, what is it….”

Derek clapped to get our attention before explaining. <Madonna-Whore complex> he supplied helpfully.

“YES!” Conor shouted, pointing at him. “Thank you, Derek. That! So ‘blamers’ are on the ‘whore’ end, and ‘worshipers’ are on the ‘Madonna’ end, and the focus of their judgement can’t win, right?”

Tyche, Antoine, and I gaped at Conor in astonishment. Slowly, Antoine began to nod. “Yes. That’s what we were trying to explain…”

“Dumb lug my ass,” Tyche muttered, glancing at me.

Conor just squeezed my shoulder again, showing he wasn’t offended. “In that case, I completely agree. Sophie isn’t a hero, or a victim, she’s just… Sophie. She shouldn’t have to work with someone who can’t understand or appreciate that there are much more important things about her than what happened on Level One.”

“Like what?” I asked, teasing.

“Like the fact that, if you recover properly, you can cook like a fiend again, which I am looking forward to.” His stomach grumbled to punctuate the comment, instantly breaking any tension in the room.

This is exactly the housewarming I needed, I mused as I giggled at Conor’s never-ending hunger.

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#the miys #science fiction #humans are weird #humans are space orcs #aliens #apocalypse #fiction #my writing #scifi #original fiction

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cutepresea · 5 years ago

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4-15 A Light That Pierces the Clouds: A Place to Call Home

Sorry again for the spam. I’m gonna take a break for a day or two before starting Innocent Sister to rest my arms/hands a bit.

If you want to blacklist these, you can use either the tag #a light that pierces the clouds for just this event, or #xdu event scripts or #xdu scripts

Reminder that these are copied straight from XD Unlimited itself, so any grammatical weirdness, mistranslations, and/or mischaracterizations are not my doing.

Chris Yukine: "So this is it, right?"

Maria: "Yeah, it should be. The other Hibiki is doing fine now, and we've defeated the Karma Noise and Goliath."

Miku Kohinata: "Um, I'm going to go check on Hibiki."

Elfnein: "Welcome back, everyone."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Great work out there. It's great to have everyone back safe and sound."

Chris Yukine: "What's this? Were you two just waiting here for us to get back?"

Elfnein: "No, the Gjallarhorn alert died down, so we figured you would be back soon."

Maria: "I see. So the alert has stopped? That's great news."

Chris Yukine: "If it didn't stop after all that, I'd be about ready to throw in the towel."

Genjuro Kazanari: "You've all been through some rough battles this time around. Thanks for sticking it out. Now get some rest."

Miku Kohinata: "I'd rather know how Hibiki is doing."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Well, it would be faster if you asked her yourself."

Miku Kohinata: "Huh?"

Hibiki: "Miku!"

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki..."

Miku Kohinata: "Hibikiiiiiiiiii!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Miku, I'm so glad you made it back safe."

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki... Thank goodness you're back to normal."

Elfnein: "She regained consciousness at about the same time the alert stopped. It was like she was never even ill."

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki, does it still hurt anywhere?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "No, I feel great... Ugh... Owowowow!"

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki?! Oh, no..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "It hurts..."

Chris Yukine: "H-Hey! What is this? Isn't she supposed to be okay now?!"

Elfnein: "Please, calm down. This is likely a stomach ache caused from overeating."

Maria: "Overeating?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Good grief. Recovery is one thing, but who eats that much straight out of the hospital?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "But I was so hungry... I felt my stomach sink into my back, like, 100 times!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Ugh... I think I'm gonna puke..."

Chris Yukine: "You dumbass! You really had me freaked out for a second!"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Ouch! Hey, I'm still sick, you know? Be gentle!"

Miku Kohinata: "Oh, Hibiki..."

Maria: "Aww... After all that, she's still the same old Hibiki. It's hard to believe anything even happened to her."

Genjuro Kazanari: "So I take it this means the other Hibiki-kun has been saved, right?"

Miku Kohinata: "Yes. She's fine now."

Miku Kohinata: "We saved not only her body, but also her soul from being eroded away."

Miku Kohinata: "We taught her that she isn't alone... And..."

Genjuro Kazanari: "I can't believe that she removed only the corroded parts so cleanly. What a surprising turn of events."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Are you talking about Tachibana's medical check?"

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yeah, Miku-kun's light removed all of the affected tissue from her body."

Genjuro Kazanari: "And of course, that includes the energy we assumed was from the Karma Noise. She's as clean as a whistle."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "But if the Gungnir fragments have all been removed, then she can't wield it anymore."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yeah, I am slightly disappointed to be losing a fighter, but that's a small price to pay for her life."

Genjuro Kazanari: "By the way, Ryoko-kun should also be returning shortly, shouldn't she?"

Aoi Tomosato: "Yes. She'll be very surprised to hear we found someone compatible with the Shenshoujing pendant she made."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "But she'll be even more disappointed that she missed seeing X-Drive in action."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Haha, she most certainly will be. She'll just have to make do with the data."

Aoi Tomosato: "Still, it really was a miracle that she was able to save Hibiki-chan, considering her condition."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Yeah, but that wasn't the real miracle in all this."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Her strength was the miracle. She saved a girl's heart from darkness, even after she rejected everything."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Yes, that may just be the true miracle."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Well, in any case, we don't need to worry about Hibiki-kun anymore."

Genjuro Kazanari: "She regained the courage to open her heart and take another's hand. She's going to be just fine."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Where is she right now anyway? I heard they were done with the tests, but..."

Sakuya Fujitaka: "It looked like she went straight home after the tests were finished."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "Damn. I know she's not a wielder anymore, but I still have a lot to ask of her..."

Tsubasa Kazanari: "I was hoping that with all that happened, she'd be a little more willing to cooperate."

Genjuro Kazanari: "Hm? You might get your wish sooner than you think."

Hibiki Tachibana: (My hands...)

Hibiki Tachibana: "My hands aren't for breaking things... Right, Miku?"

Hibiki Tachibana: (Joining hands with someone... These hands connect others.)

Hibiki Tachibana: "I'm not alone... I joined hands once, and now we're connected forever."

Hibiki Tachibana: (So, it's okay. Everything's gonna be just fine.)

Hibiki Tachibana: "Come to think of it, has she already gone back?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "I wonder if I can see her again..."

Hibiki Tachibana: (Probably not... She has a life in her world.)

Hibiki Tachibana: (But, someday, somewhere, I'm sure we'll meet again--)

???: "Hibiki..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Huh?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Miku?"

Hibiki Tachibana: "Oh, so you are still here?"

Miku Kohinata: "Hibiki... Hibiki! I've missed you so much..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "We haven't been apart that long. Why are you so..."

HIbiki Tachibana: (Huh? Something's different.)

Miku Kohinata: "I'm so sorry... I moved away without so much as a goodbye after what happened."

Hibiki Tachibana: "Uh... Wait a minute--"

Miku Kohinata: "I sent letters, but never heard back. I even came to see you a few times, but you were never around."

Hibiki Tachibana: (This girl is... No, this Miku is...)

Hibiki Tachibana: "Why are you here?"

Miku Kohinata: "Well some people from the Special Disaster Response Team came to me, you see..."

Hibiki Tachibana: "They--?"

Miku Kohinata: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't be with you when you needed me the most."

Miku Kohinata: "But now... I'm finally with you, Hibiki."

Hibiki Tachibana: (Miku... You're the best thing in my life.)

Hibiki Tachibana: (Oh, right. I remember now...)

Hibiki Tachibana: (Miku has always been my sunshine...)

Hibiki Tachibana: "This is it. I've finally found it."

Hibiki Tachibana: "This is a place I can call home."

#senki zesshou symphogear xd unlimited #symphogear xd unlimited #senki zesshou symphogear #symphogear #a light that pierces the clouds #xdu event scripts #xdu scripts

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thenightling · 5 years ago

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The several times protagonists have secretly kept slaves

Please note: This is not a “Call out” post. It is not meant to shame anyone or tell anyone that their favorite characters are problematic. Many of these characters come from cultures that are slave based (Ancient Greece / Ancient Nordic / Medical Fantasy) and realistically many of these characters simply would not know any better, in regard to what they do, even though, yes, there were people even in those eras and cultures that were anti-slavery.

This post is partly to remind us that even otherwise good characters can be seriously flawed and also show how often film and TV writers have written slave portrayals while making careful effort to not call it slavery...

youtube

Now on with the list...

1. Faeries:

Sorry to spoil your view of sparkling pretty pixies but faeries (in folklore) are usually a slave culture. In most folklore faeries will lure away humans (often children) and promise them immortality as one of them, at the price of their freedom. Fae have a caste system and usually these humans turned into fae are kept as slaves.

A. Mab currently owns Harry Dresden in The Dresden Files novels.

B. In Lost Girl, the character of Lauren was literally owned by the Light Fae, and made to wear a pendant that showed her status as a slave of the Light Faeries.

C. In the original folklore Puck was actually Oberon’s slave and this is how he is usually portrayed in pop culture. In some lore he is the bastard son of Oberon and a human woman and Oberon decided to keep him as his slave.

D. in Disney’s Gargoyles Puck IS portrayed as Oberon’s slave. The word “servant” is a favorite stand in for slave in Disney properties but it’s very clear he is a slave. He wears manacle bracer cuffs similar to the Genie’s in Aladdin, which were the physical representation of the Genie’s enslavement.

And Oberon literally says (in the Gargoyles episode called The Gathering) “My queen comes and goes as she pleases. Puck is another matter. He forgets that he is MINE to command.”

E. In the original Midsummer Night’s Dream play by William Shakespeare, Titania and Oberon are arguing over who gets a certain boy and what they intend to do with him.

F. In Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Titania seduces Shakepseare’s son into eating faery fruit and later takes him as her slave.

G. Also in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, Titania gives Nuala (a faery woman) to Morpheus to use as a slave. Morpheus is very reluctant to accept this gift as he does not condone slavery.

F. Rumplestiltskin has no qualms about slavery in the TV show Once Upon a Time. Granted The Enchanted Forest does appear to be a slave culture and Rumplestiltskin is a kind of imp. So there may be some faery-like instincts even though he dislikes faeries.

G. The Black Faery in Once Upon a Time keeps child slaves for the duration of their lives.

H. The poem The Stolen Child by William Butler Yeats is about a child being enticed away to be a faery. The fae honestly think it is better to serve as a faery slave for all eternity than to be human.

I. The Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti depicts goblins trying to entice human girls with their enchanted fruit, which ensnare you to them.

J. In the movie Maleficent, the shapeshifter (formerly just raven) named Diaval promises to be Maleficent’s servant in return for her having saved his life. Disney has a habit of using the word “Servant” in place of slave, as we established with Puck. Welcome to another “servant” of Disney lore where the word “servant” is being used in place of another s word. Much like Puck in Disney’s Gargoyles this “servant” isn’t paid and is seen, by all the characters, as being owned by Maleficent. Granted, Diaval’s enslavement does seem to be willing.

He also seems to be in love with Maleficent so this could delve into a whole different kind of enslavement besides the “unpaid servant” version.

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2. The slavery in Once Upon a Time:

The Disney Fairy Tale / Soap Opera (It was a prime time drama but that WAS a soap opera. Don’t be offended by the term. It was a decent one) aired on ABC from 2011 until 2018.

A. There is one off-handed scene where a castle guard mistakes Hook (who is in disguise) as a common slave. This makes it clear that The Enchanted Forest (at last in Regina’s castle is a slave culture.

B. When Rumplestiltskin agrees to help Belle’s father deal with the war in episode 12 of season 1 (Skin Deep), it’s in exchange for his daughter. Rumple considers her his property. The word “servant” is used repeatedly but this is very blatantly a slave situation until he releases her. The only argument against calling it a slave culture is that she volunteered for it and her father was paid in the aid in the war. But that can arguably be semi-willing enslavement and that her father was paid for her. She was purchased. Note: He does ultimately release her though. And he falls in love with her.

Note: Rumplestiltskin, himself, is a slave to whomever possesses the magical dagger that gave him his powers.

C. Regina kept Graham (the sheriff of season 1 of Once Upon a Time) as her slave. Regina genuinely held his heart and could kill him at her whim if he didn’t obey her. And she did ultimately kill him. The writers downplayed this heavily later when they wanted the audience to see Regina as reformed and heroic.

D. During the Once Upon a Time musical episode in season 6, Snow White and Charming agree to pay Hook for transportation to Regina’s castle (which they never needed before...) That payment? They would give him Rumplestiltskin, whom they held prisoner at the time.

Not only is this enslavement, it’s amplified to far, far worse since they were standing right there while Hook was literally singing about planning to skin him alive. They were giving away someone at their mercy, for transportation they don’t need, knowing perfectly well that he would be killed slowly and painfully. And they didn’t even falter for a second or think twice about their own plan or have a moment of conscience. (God, I hate those later seasons...)

E. The Black Faery keeps child slaves that she raises into enslavement. Granted she was a villain so this is kind of predictable.

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3. Aquaman:

A. Aquaman is an interesting one. Thanks to Crisis of Infinite Earths in the mid-1980s this was reconned but there was a storyline in the Aquaman comics where a coup rose up against Aquaman and wanted to instigate a war with another underwater kingdom. Aquaman thwarted this coup and then... gave all the men involved (and there were a lot!) to the kingdom they almost went to war with, to use at their leisure as slaves...

B. Atlantis’s culture is based on Ancient Greece with some medieval attributes. It’s glossed over but this entails slavery.

C. In DC Universe online, the MMORPG, when you play out “Story mode” there is a mission where The Atlantians are trying to enslave humans in the Suicide Slum in Metropolis. It is true that this is the direct result of Circe manipulating Arthur (Aquaman) but he already had slavers and magical equipment specifically for transforming humans into water breathing merpeople so that they cannot escape their underwater captivity.

Just imagine the awkward conversations in The Watchtower when the other DC heroes like Wonder Woman and Superman confront him on having an elaborate and obviously long-ready plan for enslaving humans.

Note: Another gloomy fact, you never can rescue everyone who gets enslaved and there are simply too many NPCs scattered around the slum. So you know at least some got taken.

Wonder Woman’s own culture is based on Ancient Greece but as far as I can tell Themyscira does not have slavery whereas Atlantis does.

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4. Thor:

Let’s be blunt. Vikings were a slave culture. Asgard in Marvel comics and in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) seems to have evolved to medieval Europe but it is still a culture of slavery.

1. According to Marvel comics lore, all the myths are true. There is myth where (after one of the children is tricked into accidentally laming one of Thor’s goats) two farm children are taken as Thor’s “servants” (slaves). They are made immortal servants of the Aesir (Asgardians) but they’re still slaves.

2. In the comics it’s much more blunt that there are slaves in Asgard.

3. There is a deleted scene in Thor (the first movie) where Loki messes with a castle “servant.” Note: Norse Viking culture almost never had actual paid servants. Even the Skalds (storytellers) were slaves.)

(Image of a viking Skald AKA a Storyteller.

4. In Thor: Tales of Asgard, the character of Algrim (A Drow AKA a Dark Elf), was the tutor of young Thor and Loki. He is a ‘servant” of Odin and deeply resents his status of unwilling / unpaid “servant” as the Asgardians spin the situation that he was essentially shown mercy and given shelter and position within Asgard (be it an inescapable one.) This is probably one of the first instances of Marvel dancing around the word slave, which gets poked fun at in Thor: Ragnarok.

5. Loki (who is the protagonist of this particular story) sleeps with a concubine slave in Marvel Knights: Blood Brothers.

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5. The Vampire Marius:

Anne Rice’s writing is no stranger to slavery.

A. Armand was purchased by Marius by slavers in the late middle ages / early renaissance period and though he served as apprentice he was owned by Marius, whom he casually referred to as his master.

B. Later, in Interview with the vampire, Armand kept a slave boy of his own, whom slept in a literal gilded cage, and was often used as a snack by the theatre vampires. It’s believed the boy eventually died.

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5. Aladdin:

This one is pretty obvious. Anyone who owns the magick lamp has the genie as their slave. This one is actually addressed, more or less, in story. But the only character who actually uses the word “slave” to describe the situation is the villain Jafar. Well, at least he’s honest...

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6. Stardust:

In the novel Stardust (and film adaptation) the protagonist, Tristran (Tristan) attempts to capture the anthropomorphisized star to give to the woman he is infatuated with, as a giftl.

Even after he learned the star was a sentient human-like being he still wanted to deliver her as a gift. Fortunately things ultimately turned out very different.

Tristan’s own mother had been enslaved by a witch.

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7. Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman.

A. Though Morpheus is firmly against slavery he has many subjects who identify as his servants and I do not think there is a method of payment in The Dreaming. And it’s not as if they can quit.

B. Titania takes Shakespeare’s son to be her personal slave.

C. Puck was Oberon’s slave and he escapes from his master during a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream during an issue of Sandman.

D. During the storyline, Sandman: Season of Mists, Titania gives Nuala (a faery woman) to Morpheus as a gift. Morpheus is against slavery and Titania knows it. The implication is she hopes he will not accept the gift as an excuse for the faeries to see this as a slight against them, as an excuse for retaliation - as at the time various supernatural beings wanted the key to Hell, which Morpheus had just obtained.

Morpheus refused to give Nuala any commands and simply allowed her to stay in the castle. Later when the faeries came to reclaim her in Sandman: The Kindly Ones, Morpheus enchanted her necklace so that she could call to him for a boon of any kind as payment for her service to him, as a means to make the situation not enslavement.

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8. Dracula:

This should be a no brainer but since there are some stories where Dracula is the protagonist people tend to forget Dracula has slaves. Historically Vlad III of Wallachia did NOT like the idea of the Ottomans taking his own people as slaves but as a vampire he keeps the occasional personal slave, such as Renfield.

Renfield is semi-willing even though he fears his master. He was promised immortality in exchange for his eternal service as Dracula’s slaves and in some depictions such as Love at First Bite, this clearly is the case.

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#Once Upon a Time #Dracula #Maleficent #Loki #Thor #Aquaman #Diaval

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imagine-loki · 6 years ago

Text

Seiðmaðr

TITLE: Seiðmaðr

CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 6/? AUTHOR: goldtrimmedspectacle ORIGINAL IMAGINE: Imagine Loki is attacked and forgets his past. Now riddled with amnesia, Loki must decide whether to follow his mind and return his memories, or to follow his heart and find true happiness. RATING: PG13. Will go up in later chapters. NOTES/WARNINGS: Angst. Can be found on AO3.

Hear on the wind how the pendulum swings Feel how the winter succumbs to the spring Over the palisade morning will break Rise up to meet it, oh sleeper awake

- Caesar, the Oh Hellos

CHAPTER SIX

You handed the butcher a handful of ingots as he passed the sealed package of meat over the counter, tied together with a thin string, and into your waiting hands. The burly man stood behind the counter with a large smile, rewarding your thanks with murmured ‘of course’, coated in the thick regional accent of western Innangard and nodding his thanks in turn. From the front of the counter, you watched him stash the coins inside a clay jar, allowing the few coins to fall into his growing collection, and waved as you slipped out of the front door.

“Have a good day.”

The door slammed shut as you stepped onto the busy streets of Sandnæs, leaving you alone on the butcher’s front step with a small package of food for the oncoming day.

A woman bustled besides you, smiling apologetically as she reached for her rushing child and pulled them back into her arms. The precocious toddler squirmed in her arms for a few seconds and then fell into their mother’s chest with a soft noise, followed by the mother cooing and forcing herself into a fast gait. The toddler peered over their mother’s shoulder and cooed at you briefly, disappearing behind one of the central town buildings a moment later.

Swayed by the sweetness of the child’s toothless smile, you juggled the crinkled parcel with one hand and slid the meat into your side satchel alongside a loaf of bread that you had purchased from a nearby bakery. The endearing front and sign, spelling out Sæti Bakery in cursive, had lured you in – as did the sweet scent of custard pastries and cake.

No wonder it was Bjarke’s favourite bakery in Vanaheimr.

It was endearing and mildly annoying at how vastly Bjarke praised the bakery every time he visited, groaning with every bite of their carrot and rhubarb cake. The crumbs would often fall into his beard and gather until he finished off all the pastries he desired, so you were thankful to have gone alone for once. Without the added groaning and drooling from Bjarke, that is.

Closing the satchel once more, you glanced into a nearby shop window and read the time plastered on the shop’s clock face.

Half hour past twelve.

Two hours had passed since you had left Ormr in the care of Healer Kari’s hands. His deteriorating state and the news of concentrated seiðr poison in his bloodstream had left the man beaten and exhausted upon the bed on which he lay. Even after leaving him in the care of such an experience healer, as displayed through Kari’s quick actions and previous experience in the medical field, you still felt uncomfortable having left the aching man in the grasp of another – despite your prior comments on passing him off to the next living soul who could heal him.

However, whether it was his easy and quick words, or the manner in which he teased you, or the sudden act of trust in which Ormr had read out his mother’s last words to him. The man had grown on you like a thick moss.

Granted, not a sturdy piece of moss, for it was a new ungainly friendship, but there were traces of life and flourishment in the odd friendship that had blossomed between the two of you.

It had also taken you another half hour to allow the full consequence and meaning of Kari’s words to settle within your pounding head. The adrenaline of Ormr’s passing sickness and the sudden kaleidoscope of information about Ormr’s gift in seiðr – which you had reacted in a rather dismissive manner, you now realised – having thrown your thought process for a mental loop.

It was rather overwhelming, having discovered the man only a few days prior and healing him under the beating summer sun, only to create an odd unstable friendship with him. His mannerisms still puzzled you at times, leaving you unsure of what phrases would set him over the edge or what would be considered taunting rather than teasing in his eyes. However, you did note that friendships were often built in less extreme scenarios, but it did not mean that Ormr and yourself were incompatible as companions.

There were many companionships that had been formed in far fewer than seven days.

Burying the thought, you glanced down at the lunch you had bought yourself and Ormr, that is if he was awake when you returned and tried to remember the right turn in which the side streets would lead you towards the main road leading into Sandnæs’ centre. Thankfully, in the time you had been apart from Ormr you had reunited yourself with Sandnæs layout and the townspeople – a sight to behold, granted there were far fewer people here than in previous years. You had also been able to require lodgings for the next few nights, and you had been gifted the opportunity to visit the passing merchants’ market, where there were many different and unique items being sold for either very extravagant or suspiciously low prices.

A golden pendant had caught your eye briefly, although the outrageous cost had made you decide it was a lost cause – no matter how enchanting the colourful design was.

Walking back through the opening streets of Sandnæs, satchel in hand, you decided a slow stroll back to the healers was your best decision in that instance and chose to gaze through the windows of multiple shops and stalls. The sound of voices and rolling carts on the bustling streets was a welcomed backing track as your eyes wandered from necklace to vial to book and then back to the buffed suits of armours and engraved swords, as well as the fancy clothes depicted in high-esteemed tailors and their partnerships.

The larger shops continued for a while longer but eventually, the more family-orientated and smaller shops filled the streets. There were Vanir flooding out from each of the cobbled buildings and sharing their wares in small stalls in front of their homes, yelling out prices and bargains to the passerbys.

You paused in front of a small bookshop.

The display in the front window was petite in size with a varying range of thick volumes and journals for women and men of incredible penmanship. There was even a small collection of ink pots framed by thick quills and shiny tips. Besides, the beautiful quills stood even more books arranged into small piles – spanned over the wooden shelf to display the intricate leather-bound covers and titles.

Whilst it was true that you did not often indulge in literature, you held an odd admiration for the written thoughts of another. Especially those of a fictional world where young children and adults were capable of escaping reality, at least for a moment. But that did not mean philosophers and their beliefs did not deter your attention either, as there were many interesting theories and discussions often held within the binding of a good book.

Ormr seemed particularly interested in books, you noted in a passing thought, perhaps I should purchase a volume for him?

A short-lived idea.

It was a silly notion, you realised, and turned to head back – acknowledging that Ormr could choose his own books when he was moving once more. That is if he wished too. Yet, a thin book with the title Seiðr and Potions caused you to pause. The cover was thinner than the other more expensive books, but the intricate golden detailing seemed to make up for its small size, and you found yourself estimating the cut in your wages. Through much mental debate with what crossed the line of a kind-hearted stranger and friend, or an overtly friendly fool, you entered the shop.

The exchange of money and paper was quick and painless, the book costing very little in comparison to some of the larger copies and finer covers, and you exited a few moments later with the volume in your arms and the hope that Ormr would enjoy it. Especially as you were uncertain if Ormr could actually remember how to use seiðr, no less use it without an infliction of seiðr poisoning. But perhaps he would simply appreciate the aesthetic of the green leather and black ribbon? Or, if his seiðr was currently indisposed, he would appreciate the connection to his past by the formation of potions and remedies.

It is a gift of consolidation, you decided, an act of offered friendship and a further alliance, considering how Ormr may be staying with Bjarke and myself.

It was a satisfying decision. Especially as you were sure that Ormr would feel quite alone and confused once he awoke, and if you were there to calm him down with a few sarcastic remarks and something familiar for him to grasp, then perhaps it would allow Ormr a source of comfort. Moreso, you were unsure whether the man would find your presence a comfort in such trying times. You may still be a stranger or newly-earned friend in his eyes, and the memory of Ormr’s sudden anger at your curious questions did not lay unforgotten.

Checking the time once more, you found that the town clocks had struck half one. Distracted by the wares of an iron merchant, you hadn’t heard the town clocktower strike the hour.

Finding it a good time to start your walk back, you checked that nothing had been lost in your traipse around town. And despite the slight squashing of the bread, everything appeared intact, so you slid the book into a side pocket and twisted the strap around your shoulders. The food and book fit snug in the leather hide, unbothered by the battering they received through the busy streets of Sandnæs, so you continued the walk with no further interest regarding the side stalls situated along the cobblestoned roads.

When you arrived back at the healers, the swinging sign at its front had been washed during your absence and the door was flung wide open to allow some diminishment of the summer heat. Without its swinging motion, the entrance permitted you to walk into the small front of the ward without the shop bell chiming your arrival, and greeted the two young apprentices behind the counter.

Both girls were young in their age, cusping on the awkward verge of childhood and adulthood. Both held similar features, however their skin varied in tone and one of the two sisters were speckled with lack of pigment, whereas the other had hair that bunched around their ears and her sister wore braids that fell to her shoulders.

Both wore the embroidered symbol of the Sandnæs ward on their clothes.

“Hello, how may we assist you today?” The smaller asked, face stretched into a warm smile whilst her sister gathered a handful of plants and vials – sorting them into an open cabinet to the side of their station.

“Healer Kari asked me to come back for my companion,” you shifted the bag on your hip and nodded towards the curtain leading towards the back ward. “A man named Ormr who suffered from a poison-induced…seizure – long black hair and green eyes. Quite lithe and tall.”

The twins glanced at one another.

“Are you Jorunn?”

By Odin, you cursed Bjarke for the endearing title.

“Yes. I was the woman who delivered Ormr this morning,” you nodded in regards to the girl’s question, “My travelling companion and I came across him a mere few days ago. The man has been in my care since he was discovered and our party had only been able to reach town early this morning.”

The taller of the two grimaced.

“He is awake. Please, follow me.”

Trailing after the girl, you passed the smaller of the two sisters, who smiled warmly once more, and through the red curtains – ducking between the folds of fabric. Inside the ward, rays of sunlight filtered the room where more men and women lay in the ward beds. Few were alone whilst others were covered by healers of varying ages and colours, all practised in the art of seiðr.

None were men. As was custom to the Vanaheimr realm.

Kari came fluttering up to you in a spike of anxiety, her hands gripping yours as she pulled you away from the young apprentice without a word. The young girl did little but wait for the older healer to pull you away, before turning and retreating into the storefront where her sister sat in waiting. Her hands were still as she retraced her steps and offered an unvoiced apology for the condition you would find your companion in.

“Thank the Norns, you are back!” Kari bit out, relief encasing her voice as she hurried you out of the public ward. “The man – Ormr – he did not react well to your departure.”

“My departure?”

“Yes, very badly. Incredibly badly. Never have I seen such a violent response to someone’s absence.” Kari bit her lip and winced, “I did not anticipate such a panicked reaction to his awakening but it took more than three of my healers to stop his attack.”

You faltered in your steps.

“Attack?”

Kari paused in front of a closed wooden door.

“Ást,” she turned and her eyes searched yours patiently, ignoring the frantic tone in your voice, “You must understand. Ormr - you do not know who he is or where he has come from. The man could be of any mother or father in the realms. We do not know him or his heritage, but trust me when I say he has been injured very badly. Physically and mentally. Whilst his physical injuries have been healed and I can temporarily cure his poisoned ailment, there are traces of injuries that as healers of the body, we cannot fix.”

The realisation that struck with her words caused shame to bottle in your chest, especially as Ormr’s previous actions had hinted towards evidence of physical and psychological abuse.

“Ormr has been injured by faculties of the mind and conscience, and my wards and I cannot help a man with those kinds of injury. Please understand, Ormr meant nothing in his attack and my own healers know this. He was scared and in pain, not to mention forcefully sedated during his seizure. I am unsure of the extent concerning his mental condition, but he is not the worst we have seen and he is not the best either. We have no knowledge in the extent of his poor mental health, but it is not our right to push his boundaries.”

“And the attack?”

Kari grimaced.

“Another healer, one of the more experienced, thankfully,” she breathed out. “But when the man awoke, he was distraught – it was a mistake to move him whilst asleep, granted, as it was a mistake to have you leave whilst he was under. But the attack I speak of – he tried to physically harm one of our healers when they attempted to touch him.”

You ran a few fingers through your hair as a source of self-comfort and sucked in a shaky breath.

“Ormr did that to me the first time I tried to help him, too. But it was more as an attempt of escaping my grasp,” you lifted your head and met Kari’s eyes once more, “I am so sorry I did not warn you. I had no belief that his reactions would repeat in such a violent manner, especially as he has been so well in the past few days.”

The older woman squeezed your arm.

“Whilst the information may have prevented our panic, know that it is all well, krútt. You did not realise the nature of Ormr’s condition and therefore, it is not your fault. And our healer is fine – no harm done. It is not uncommon for our patients to awake in a panicked state, so rest assured that Ormr is not the first to react violently, and he shall not be the last either. However, I believe your presence would be appreciated, moreso because he was further panicked when the news of your departure reached his ears.”

You winced, the shame strengthening until it overwhelmed your prior guilt, despite Kari’s own blatant shame, which lay heavy on her features. It was difficult to banish the regret despite your reasoning, knowing that your presence would have been a pure nuisance within the healers’ ward. And you knew Kari’s influence in your walk was out of pure heart rather than anything malicious. Besides, your walk had allowed the procession of your thoughts and feelings to be organised rather than to wallow and manifest in your mind. Not to mention, it would have been purely selfish to feast upon the ward’s rations than to buy your own food in town.

Moving past Kari, you thanked her softly and opened the door, stepping into the small room where a single bed had been pushed up against the far wall. The bed was positioned facing the open doorway and beside it sat two side tables covered in herbal mixtures and flowers twisted towards the light coming through a framed window. The whole room was glazed in sunlight, displaying the white-washed walls and sterile placement of furniture through the rays of yellow slipping through the glass planes.

Lying in the ruffled sheets lay Ormr bundled in several blankets and adorned in a fresh layer of plasters. His gaze remained vacant on the wall to his right, pupils frozen and glossed over by the streams of sunlight. The side of his head that had been ripped and shredded appeared to be mended now, the hair cut and sheered to a suitable length whilst any blood and cuts had been stitch and cleansed.

You tapped on the door.

His gaze turned to you.

“How are you feeling?”

Tension eased from the man’s stiff stature and his body fell more languidly onto the stiff sheets stretched across his bed. His eyes still drilled onto your worried form, eyebrows furrowed and a sneer coating his lips. An air of animosity filled the sterile atmosphere, causing you to shift and brace yourself for further violence or distrust from the injured man.

“I am better.”

The curtness in his answer cut an inch too deep for comfort.

“I am glad. I feared for your health when your body reacted so violently to the healer’s seiðr,” you offered softly and walked into the room, slipping the satchel from your shoulder and grabbing a chair. “I apologise I was not here when you awoke – Kari sent me to fetch food and to prevent any disruption inside the main ward.”

Ormr hummed and his eyes slid off your form, back towards the open window where the noise of carts and people echoed from the busy streets. His eyes seemed to freeze over and his features fell flat, refusing to meet your eyes once more.

“Good. I was glad that you were not here. It allowed me some time away from yours and your companion’s boorish company.”

There was an angered bite to his tone, seething and rejected in nature, but the manner in which he spoke was cool and unfeeling. No emotions reached past his jaw and his features remained cruelly despondent.

You had experienced such behaviour before, and you would not fall flat in your attempts to break the frozen façade now.

“I am glad then, that you found time to relax and heal despite my absence,” you smiled sweetly, ignoring the manner in which Ormr’s eyes twitched. “I bought us food – meat cutlets, such as boar and pig – and bread from a nearby bakery.”

You dug the packages out from inside your bag and laid them on the table besides Ormr. The parcel crinkled loudly in the tense silence and you laid the meat out for the man to see and pick. The bread was, thankfully, pre-sliced and parts of the crust flaked from its paper coverage.

“I am no longer hungry, thank you. The healers have fed me in your absence.” Ormr turned his head away from the food, however his eyes wavered in their attention for a moment, foiling the man’s silver tongue and his waspish words.

“Well, if you find yourself able to stomach the food,” you sandwiched a piece of meat between two slices and bit into it, fully-acknowledging Ormr’s attention on your meal, “then I believe it is best to leave the bread and cutlets for your disposal.”

The man faltered in his stoic behaviour, hands inching across the stiff bedsheets and eyes growing a small degree warmer, all whilst he stared at the bread squashed between your fingers.

His voice softened.

“Thank you.”

You nodded and took another bite, brushing crumbs from the travelling trousers you adorned at that moment. True, it was a futile attempt in clearing the mess which would grow as you finished the sandwich, hunger temporarily quenched, but you found that the previously tense silence had grown slightly less overbearing as you sat and ate.

“Oh,” you broke the silence again and swallowed the last bite. “I bought you a gift in town – something you showed interest in earlier, when we were riding Raoul through the Sandnæs’ centre.“

Ormr watched as your hands slipped into the bag once more, pulling the green leather-bound book from its pocket and smoothing out the black ribbon attached to its spine.

“Here. I am unsure whether Kari has informed you fully of your ailments, but I believe this book will be helpful or at least entertaining for you to read,” you explained and laid the volume on Ormr’s lap. He gazed at the book a moment longer and ran his fingers over the ridges of detail on its cover and spine.

Lifting the book from his sheets, you watched as Ormr thumbed his way between the volume’s pages and curled the ribbon over his left hand. A look of grief and ease flooded his features, polar-opposites consuming his mind as he pulled the book further into his chest and allowed the smell of ink and paper to flood his senses. His eyes teared up momentarily, chest clenched and left hand rubbing over the dips of his fingers and the silk bookmark.

“Seiðr and potions?” Ormr licked his lips and traced the cursive letters slowly. “Thank you – for your gift, that is.” He faltered and pulled himself further up the bed, book tucked into the crook of his arm, and sat to his full height.

“It is alright. I’m glad you like it, especially as I hope it may help for future references.”

He nodded.

“Yes, the healers explained to me what occurred,” Ormr’s façade crumbled as a small wince coated his features. “I apologise for causing such an event,” he paused at the word, “but it is quite nice to understand the extent of my injuries, I suppose.”

A lingering sense of bitterness weighed heavy on his tongue.

“So, you know of the seiðr and poison?”

“Yes, I know of the seiðr and poison,” he recited your words with a quirked eyebrow. His face held no remaining angst or anger as he traced over the book’s textured cover.

“And, are you alright?”

“What? Are you a mind healer, now?” Ormr spat out, shoulders tensing and fingers curling over the book’s surface. His defensiveness fell as swiftly as it built and Ormr’s body unfurled itself, a look of shame flooding his features, “I apologise, that was – uncalled for. I am not quite in the right mind as of currently.”

He picked at his thumb.

“As much as I don’t appreciate your curtness, know that there is no harm done,” you hummed and began to make a second sandwich. “However, the next time you yell at me, I will throw a rock at you.”

You watched Ormr, cautious of his reaction towards your light-hearted threat.

He chuckled weakly.

“I have no doubt, dear healer. Will you make me build a fire pit too?” He teased and rolled onto his side, facing you fully. The fabric bunched around his waist and you were happy to see the clean gauze and patches that had been applied to the worst of his cuts. No longer was he bound in bandages.

“Most definitely, but if you behave, perhaps I will allow you to simply set up our beds for the night,” you grinned and handed the prepared food over, “Now eat. Despite your gilded words, I know the behaviour of a starving man.”

Ormr hesitated and took the food, accepting his lies and your truth.

"Thank you, again.”

His words held more meaning than was spoken, but you accepted the subject of which he voiced.

You sat a while longer as Ormr ate the meal, supplying him with another sandwich and another roll of bread that you had bought. He eventually ate the entirety of the bread and finished off the remaining meat, all which he consumed with the ravenous nature of a bilgesnipe.

“I feel like you and Valencia would get along just fine.”

Ormr paused in his chewing.

“Bjarke’s wife?”

“Yes,” you smiled brightly, “She could feed both the army of Hel and the Valkyries. No doubt if you were to meet, the poor woman would never let you leave her home without a few pies and roast under your belt. That is, if the children do not eat the pies before you do.”

Ormr chuckled and lapsed back into silence as he finished off the last pieces of meat. He passed over the last piece of bread - a truce and an apology. The bread and meat packaging were slipped inside your bag, and you took a bite of the slice he offered.

The following hour you remained by Ormr’s side in comfortable ease. The awkward tension had ceased and so the pair of you indulged yourselves with the book you had gifted him, Ormr reading out each passage for his interest and your own. When the town clock tower struck four, Ormr silenced and turned to face the northern window. His eyes watched the clock’s hands land on the number four, the bells sounding as you rose and wiped off any remaining crumbs that resided on your trousers.

“I fear that I must leave – Bjarke and Valencia will be expecting me soon for dinner,” you explained and slipped the satchel back onto your shoulder. “And I doubt Raoul is most grateful about his stay in the public Sandnæs stables.”

Ormr stayed silent as the chair was tucked away and your satchel shifted. His eyes seemed wary as you rose and stood by his bed. His hands wrung around each other subtly, acutely hidden by his sheets.

“Hopefully, by tomorrow you will be discharged and I can take you back to our current lodgings. Whilst Bjarke stays with his family, I have bartered two rooms in a nearby tavern. I will come to pick you up tomorrow around noon – that is, if you believe to feel up for it.”

Ormr’s hands fell and the wariness lessened.

“So, you will be returning?” There was a definite change to his voice.

“Of course,” your eyebrows furrowed, “You did not believe I would abandon you to the healers’ hand, do you?”

Ormr’s eyes shifted.

“You did.”

“When I awoke,” he spoke slowly, “one of the healers. She said that you had left the ward. Left me, I suppose, to fend for myself.” Ormr shifted his head upon the pillow. “I did not believe you would come back, nor that you would wish to keep me as a companion. I am not the easiest of men to be around, especially with the newly discovered circumstances. Such is the reason why I acted so, um, coldly, towards you.”

“Ormr,” you sat on the bed and refrained from touching his arm, “I know that we are barely strangers. Barely friends. But know that I have no intentions of leaving you alone without your request. Bjarke and I want to offer you a place with our travelling party. We would be happy to have you join our journeys to other regions and realms.” You laughed at his frown. “Okay perhaps I would be happy to have you join our small travel party, but I truly believe that we could be friends. Or at least, I would like us to be friends. And I would like to assist with earning your memories back, with or without the poison in your system.”

The injured man faltered and a slow smile settled on his cheeks, completely filling his features with unadulterated affection and gratitude. His eyes lit up and the fire that grew behind his pupils formed an elixir of gold and green topaz. Even his cracked lips grew into crescent blossoms that shifted with a lick of his tongue.

“I would like to be your friend too.”

You echoed his expression and lifted a hand.

“Friends?”

“Friends.”

His hand clasped yours and it was unsurprising to see the magnitude in which his palm swamped your own. The gloves which he kept had obviously been used religiously as his hands felt extravagantly soft in comparison to your own.

“Great,” you squeezed his hand once more and dropped it. “And no worries for your previous actions. It is in the past, however harke my words that I will throw a rock at you if you repeat such actions again.”

Ormr smiled, “I promise. And I assure you that I truly am sorry. I apologise for reacting so coldly to your arrival and any other slights I have caused in the past few days.”

You nodded thoughtfully and squeezed his arm, glad that Ormr did not pull away from your touch.

“Thank you. I appreciate it, but I really do have to leave now – Valencia is not a person you wish to anger.”

Ormr chuckled.

“Have fun and do not do anything I wouldn’t.”

You laughed and a smirk spread over your lips, “In which you mean, do not refrain from causing chaos?”

His eyes sparked once more, watching as you stood to leave.

“Dear healer, chaos is such a harsh term. Perhaps mischief would be better.”

_________

Ást– translation for love, pronounced: as-t Krútt - translation for sweetiblueutie, pronounced: kyer-root

#Loki #Angst #God of Mischief #Submitted fic #submission #Seiðmaðr #chapter 6 #goldtrimmedspectacle

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letstalksymphogear · 6 years ago

Text

Symphogear, EP.4

Last time on Beverly Hills 90210!

Hibiki begins to understand the true nature of the Sam Reimi Spiderman trilogy as she lives the life of a superhero by night and a normal student by day in the most miserable way possible. Constant cockblocking from the duties she explicitly chose to do distance her from her significant other Miku, as it drives wedges into their friendlationship. As Hibiki breaks off a plan prepped weeks in advance to see rocks fall from the sky, she takes out her frustration on the local Kamen Rider villian rejects before coming up to see Tsubasa, only to be greeted by a new face...

Let us continue!

As the situation tenses between the three gi- hey! Hey, wait a minute! This is a flashback! That’s no fair. You’re just going to throw this to us while we’re trying to do this stuff? Get it together, show.

The show hauls our asses to a flashback, because God knows we needed one right now. It’s not just any flashback, though. It’s a flashback of our favorite redhead, Kanade!

In a straightjacket.

While everyone is staring.

“i dont usually do this but you’ve got a bad case of catch-these-handsitis”

“oh god, she’s so wild, and angry... i... why am i hoping she’s single...?”

“aye. this is the fate of all rabiosexuals out there.”

Kanade is tied down because she’s the sole survivor of a Noise attack, and more importantly, she really, really wants to fight the Noise. What she doesn’t know is that she is potentially a new candidate for a Symphogear relic.

“oh... we’d pair so well... our colors are diametrically opposed...”

“GIMMIE A FUCKING GUN AND A TEN PIECE CHICKEN MCNUGGET MEAL YOU GUY FIERI LOOKING ASSHOLE”

Genjuro, who suffers from Compulsive Child Adopting Syndrome (CCAS), immediately comes to the conclusion to adopt this tiny gremlin. It helps that her parents are, well, dead.

Fatherly instincts vibrating intensely.

Genjuro talks to this small child, who is currently 99% anger and 1% chicken fluff, scanning their conviction towards working to the goal of fighting the Noise.

In retrospect, his methods are a bit weird. Feeding into the extreme edginess of a 14 year old scorned isn’t exactly the best thing in the world. Unfortunately, as we established before, the only thing that can fight Noise are Symphogear, and the only reason he’s not in the front lines is because he can’t wield one.

Kanade naturally obliges this deal, her braincells having long since perished alongside her parents. Then Perish indeed, Kanade.

“buddy im being trained as a samurai in modern times and i still could not fathom going as hard as you”

The pact is sealed. The child is adopted. Genjuro’s adoption addiction relapses, and he’s going to have quite a long talk at AA (Adopters Anonymous).

The thing about Genjuro that makes him an interesting character is that he actually really, really, really hates the idea of having to pit children in fighting these horrible threats. Unlike a lot of male characters who have a strong sense of manliness but a poorly written way of expressing it, Genjuro manages to be a compassionate person in the face of all this terribleness. He’s the only person to think about throwing parties for these girls, and trying to give them any sort of sense of happiness and normalcy to their lives, now changed forever by machinations he has been put in charge of. He’s the Anti-Gendo. He doesn’t tell Shinji to get in the robot. He makes sure Shinji is well enough to be in the robot, and would never do so otherwise, knowing the mental toll.

That’s why ultimately, he is The Dad.

So, with that in mind, they prep Kanade to recieve the relic assigned to her. One of the major elements of using relics is compatibility. Kanade is not naturally compatible to Gungnir; they have to slowly ease her into it.

“mumble mumble cant wait to kick their asses mumble mumble”

This is a process that takes years. The show doesn’t do well in showing this, but it takes many, many years for her to be compatible after endless medical examinations and controlled situations.

The experiments, naturally, hurt like a bitch to boot.

“genjuro she’ll be okay, right?”

“flip a coin on it, tsubasa”

“oh shit yall see this news? pornhubs gonna buy tumblr! damn, i can make an all in one profile now.”

When you’re forced to watch your newly adopted daughter torture herself to be compatible with an ancient, musty cursed relic.

After all that, Kanade still isn’t compatible. Of course, nothing is simple with Kanade. You may ask yourself, “Why did Genjuro have to tie up Kanade in a straitjacket? That seems pretty abusive.”

Simply put, it’s because Kanade has never fucked around in any second of her life, having taken off all the devices on her, taken a direct syringe of the stuff she’s trying to synchronize with, and directly inject it into her, herself.

Fear.

“i am so SICK, and TIRED, of all this namby pamby wimpy ass standard shit. YALL MOTHERFUCKERS THINK I WONT GO FULL THROTTLE?! MY LIFE IS FULL THROTTLE. I! AM! GONNA! GET! SHIT! DONE! TONIGHT! BOYYYYS!”

Tsubasa, likely already going through puberty by this point, simultaneously understands both the concepts of fear and arousal witnessing this near suicidal display of absolute madness immediately.

Holy shit, Kanade.

You know shit’s bad when even Ryoko is afraid.

Turns out, however, that Kanade did the right move in becoming compatible with Gungnir, at a very physically demanding price.

Really, physically demanding.

“shouldnt have had that massive spaghetti carbonara before doing all this shit but fuck i really liked that fuckin’ spaghetti slorp slorp go the sauce ooooooooh god this is bad”

“HAHA IM FINE- IM FINE EVERYONE- THIS- THIS IS JUST THE SPAGHETTI- I HAD BEFORE THE- BEFORE THE PROCEDURE IT’S NOT- IT’S NOT BLOOD I SWEAR- OH I AM FEELING LIGHTHEADED- DON’T WORRY YOUR PRETTY HEADS IM GOOD! OH- OH FUCK-”

The scientists, who have been easily staring at this entire situation for more than 5 minutes or more, have not stepped in to do a single damn thing, as if overpowering a 14 year old to stop her from injecting a dangerous thing that could directly kill her is completely out of their paygrade. Genjuro wakes them the fuck up and likely briefly contemplates firing some of these morons.

“so this is what’s called... getting lost in the sauce...”

The scientists scramble to keep Kanade from vomiting more marinara sauce but Kanade exerts but a mere fraction of her now developing Symphogear abilities, knocking them all out with ease.

“this is some shit right here, damn”

Kanade pulls some Independence Day theatrics on everyone, as a 14 year old on the verge of death typically would if given the opportunity. Death may be certain but you at least get to go out in style. Will Smith would be proud.

The half-life of Tsubasa’s fearousal reached completion as it has mostly decayed into fear at this point.

However, the relic pendant begins glowing. This is likely the one thing that keeps Kanade from dying. An interesting comparison given Hibiki’s own survival and gear manifestation.

Kanade achieves super saiyan.

“THEY ALL SAID I WAS LOST IN THE SAUCE... AND THEY ALL THOUGHT THE SAUCE WAS LOST IN ME. BUT NOW... I AM THE SAUCE!”

Tsubasa’s fear directly transmutes itself back into arousal per the first law of alchemy. Something to note is that Tsubasa was naturally receptive to her own gear; she didn’t need to go through the medical process Kanade went through. It’s because of this that Kanade earns Tsubasa’s admiration for life, even long after she dies.

“THE SAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUCCCEEEEEEEEEE”

And so, the unambiguously gay duo known as Zwei Wing formed. Singers by day...

Noise slayers by night.

Saving the country, singing in the country, bonding together... in the country. Truly, there is no more iconic duo than these two.

“yall sing pretty”

“anyway bye”

Kanade’s initial motivation for getting Gungnir was to kill the Noise indiscriminately with no hesitation. It slowly dawns on her, though, that helping people... is good?

“the sauce lost me. i got lost in the sauce. i became the sauce. but... why don’t i... share, the sauce? because... people like sauce... and i like sauce... and we can bond together... liking sauce!”

Kanade and Tsubasa have a Captain America moment running together as Kanade muses about how singing for other people feels way better than just pure murder funtimes.

“hey, uh... tsubasa... it just hit me. i like sauce. and... you, you like sauce. do... do you want to share sauce together?”

“kanade as your girlfriend ive literally heard you talk about sauce metaphors for the last several years and if you dont think i wont slurp your sauce down without hesitation you’ve got another thing coming”

“hell yeah! ive still got some of my original leftover marinara to share!”

No heterosexual explanation whatsoever.

Not a damn one.

Oh yeah...! Because by shedding tears, the reality you face is...

Nehushtan? Weird end of a sentence, but okay.

We’re thrust back into the present time, present day, as we’re back in our three way throwdown.

Genjuro is an extra large McFuckingPissed with Large Fries and a Shake, supersized.

“you want some sauce with that? lmao, sorry, too soon”

As the werewolves come out in full force, the tension strengthens while a battle brews nearby...

“yall think you’re getting your hands on this goddamn armor without realizing im officiating this here gay pride parade. and guess what? you’re cancelled.”

“didn’t know clowns were part of the acronym, let alone capable of managing it. either way, you’ve gotta be at least this tall to use the armor.”

“so why not make like a hobbit, drop the armor, and burrow back to whatever hidey hole you came from, bimbo baggins!”

“guess you didnt read the books, moron. last i checked, bilbo doesn’t lose his traveling partners.”

“that low blow only comes at the cost of outing yourself as a fucking nerd.”

“im not ashambed. im gonna blow your mind with some math: my foot, plus your face, subtracting the teeth from your mouth, equals an ass kicking.”

“NOTHING IN THAT FORMULA INVOLVES ANY ASS WHATSOEV-”

Hibiki gets in the way immediately, citing the ethical ramifications of fighting humans as opposed to talking to them, conveniently forgetting this was the same person ready to body her merely an episode or two ago.

“hey first of all please don’t say bimbo thats really degrading, and second of all clowns aren’t actually in the acronym but im sure there are some gay clowns out there so please dont talk like that and thirdly im sorta short and that hurt my feelings and fourthly killing is fucking bad, tsubasa, let us not commit human on human murder”

both of them, in unison, i shit you not:

“yo, you like murder? shit. i like murder too!”

“like oh my god! murder is my favorite hobby. i take it back, you’re chill. still gotta die, though.”

Hibiki is casually tossed aside from this fight, given her very ideas are anti-thetical to fighting as a whole.

A real sick battle ensues.

Something to note is that our spunky opponent has another relic at her disposal which summons Noise. This relic is called Solomon’s cane. You’ll learn more about it later.

Not a pretty sight.

Tsubasa is losing. Not only is she losing, but the enemy cool kid reveals a very notable detail of her plan: She was distracted Tsubasa on purpose. The real plan...

Was to kidnap Hibiki.

In an ironic twist, Tsubasa’s inability to work with her teammate not only put her teammate in danger, but explicitly allowed her opponent to fulfill her mission of trying to capture her.

“i changed my mind kick her ass please oh god”

Hibiki still has not learned her lesson.

Tsubasa gets her ass kicked. Her opponent pulls every punch in the book, with some lowdown dirty fighting.

Unfortunately, Tsubasa, having learned from the Kanade Amou Private School Of No Brain Cell Combat, she pulls the last ace from her sleeve.

“lmao bitch whatre you gonna do, sing?”

“i didnt design my hair like a fucking 8th note for nothing, you cabbage patch kid”

“then let’s hear it, motherfucker.”

#symphogear #symphogear season 1 #recap #anime #comedy

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